[Vause:] A stunning development in the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. A short time ago, Cardinal George Powell left an Australian prison after the high court overturned his conviction on charges of pedophilia, abusing two choir boys. CNN's Anna Coren has been following this case for us from the very beginning. She is live this hour in Hong Kong. Let's begin with the legal basis, Anna. What is sort of the legal background here, this decision by the high court?
[Anna Coren, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, it's a stunning turn of events, John, for Cardinal George Pell. He has spent 405 days behind bars. A few hours ago, he was released from Barwon Prison in Victoria, and he is now a free man. Well, the high court found earlier today that his conviction be overturned for historic child sex abuse. This was a unanimous decision, all seven judges of the high court. They found that there was reasonable doubt, with the evidence prevented, that could not support a guilty verdict. And that the jury of the magistrates court and that the court of appeal should have had this doubt. Let me read you some of that statement. The high court said, "The jury, acting rationally on the whole of the evidence, ought to have entertained a doubt as the applicant's guilt with respect to each of the offenses for which he was convicted." Now, this legal drama, John, has dragged on for five years. Well, the high court made its decision within 26 days. As we say, Pell left Barwon high-security prison a few hours ago in the back of a black SUV. He was escorted away from that prison. We don't know where he is heading, but he is a free man. He was expected to speak to the media. That did not happen, but he did release a statement. Let me read you some of that. He said, "I have consistently maintained my innocence while suffering from a serious injustice. This has been remedied today with the high court's unanimous decision." John, Cardinal Pell, he is no longer on the national register for sex offenders. Obviously, his supporters are overjoyed, over the moon. From the very beginning, they have maintained that this was a witch hunt. For these survivors, however, of clerical sex abuse, this has been an absolutely devastating blow.
[Vause:] This case has sort of become something of a political issue, if you like. There's some former prime ministers, conservative prime minister who support Pell. There are some in the right-wing media, you know, on the crazy end of the radio dial who have been supporting Pell, as well. So how has that played into the this decision? Obviously, the hard court said they weren't impacted by that, but it has had some impact on how Pell is seen by many around the country.
[Coren:] Well, John, I mean, the high court is supposed to be above all of this. It is the highest court in the land, but you mentioned the two ex-prime ministers who were character references for him, for the right-wing media that has been his cheer squad throughout this five- year saga. Pell is the highest Catholic in Australia. He is the third highest Catholic in the world, as treasurer of the Vatican. Speaking to the survivors of clinical sex abuse, they believe politics was at play. They believe that the high court's decision makes a complete mockery of the Australian justice system. They are shocked. They are in disbelief. They feel that the message that it sends is, why come forward if you are a survivor of clerical sexual abuse? The courts will not believe you. The highest court in the land will not believe you. Now, the former choir boy who testified that he and his friend had been sexually abused by Pell in 1996 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne, he will be speaking through his lawyer tomorrow. His lawyer will make a statement. As for the other choir boy, who died in 2014 from an overdose, drug overdose, his father came out today, saying that he was absolutely shocked with this decision, but that he blames Pell for his son's death and will be pursuing civil claims. And this is a very interesting point, John, because there are lawyers in Australia who have indicated that there will be numerous civil claims made against George Pell and the Australian Catholic Church. And the other bombshell that we must mention is the royal commission into clerical sexual abuse. The 60 pages involving Cardinal Pell were redacted, and now that these legal proceedings have finished, they will be unredacted. This involves his time in Ballarat, his hometown, also the epicenter of clerical sexual abuse in the Australian Catholic Church. From all reports, those 60 pages extremely damning, so John, this may not be the end of Pell's experience with the Australian legal system.
[Vause:] But it is the end of his criminal convictions, I guess.
[Coren:] Right.
[Vause:] Anna, thank you. Anna Coren, live there for us in Hong Kong. So, where did the coronavirus begin? When we come back, we'll have the leading theories and the latest on the hunt for an answer.

[Romans:] A federal judge throwing out the conviction of Penn State president, Graham Spanier. The ruling comes just as Spanier was supposed to begin a two-month sentence for misdemeanor child endangerment. The judge says Spanier was improperly charged, but he gave prosecutors three months to retry Spanier under a different 1995 endangerment law for the same incident. Spanier was convicted for his response to a report of former assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky, abusing a boy in the team showers.
[Briggs:] "Empire" officially picked up a sixth season on Fox. The future of embattled co-star, Jussie Smollett, remains in doubt after he staged a racist attack in January. The state prosecutor dropped the charges over objections from police. In a joint statement, the show's producers said at this time, there are no plans for Smollett's character to return. Smollett was suspended from "Empire" for the season's final two episodes.
[Romans:] All right. Incredible drama. A deadly home invasion captured on a 911 call in Washington state. A terrified homeowner hiding inside, cornered as burglars move in.
[Operator:] 911, what are you reporting?
[Homeowner:] Yes, my house is getting robbed right now. 911
[Operator:] OK. Where are you?
[Homeowner:] In my bedroom. 911
[Operator:] Are you armed?
[Homeowner:] Yes, I have a gun. 911
[Operator:] The crashing behind you, is that them?
[Homeowner:] Yes. They broke the window.
[Romans:] As the man waited for police to arrive, the suspect opened the door.
[Operator:] Is your door locked? Can you hear me?
[Romans:] All right. The shots you heard were the homeowner shooting the burglar, killing him. Police say the homeowner will not face charges. You also you heard the calm and collected dispatcher. She had only been on the job, we're told, for three weeks.
[Briggs:] Severe storms and tornadoes roared across the Southern Plains Tuesday. The National Weather Service reporting 25 tornadoes in five states, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Heavy rain in Davenport, Iowa, the hometown of one Christine Romans led to the breach of a levy flooding part of downtown area. Look at this. The Mississippi River expected to crest at more than 22 feet in Davenport today. This weather system slowing down. The threat remains from Texas to Missouri with the possibility of flash flooding. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has the forecast.
[Pedram Javaheri, Ams Meteorologist:] Dave and Christine, good morning, guys. Yes, yesterday, we had a significant number of severe weather reports. As much as 25 reports of tornadoes, 15 reports of strong wind damage. We know the pattern is similar to yesterday. We got the gulf moisture, we got a dynamic jet, a loft across portions of northern Texas here and, frankly, it's an area that has seen so much rainfall in recent days. We have widespread areas of flood watches and flood warnings, include St. Louis, Kansas City, even on its North Texas. And notice this, anytime you see yellow and you see oranges, you know two to four inches of rainfall has come down in a short time period. The storms once again will get going toward 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 in the afternoon. And right there, northern Texas, southern and eastern Oklahoma, that's not only an area of severe weather, but also an area here for some strong winds and getting some heavy rainfall on top of the saturated soil. So, certainly a story worth following. Another thing worth noting is the cooler air about to move in across the Midwest. We got the 60s in place. But much cooler as we go toward the upcoming weekend there. How about the south? Middle 80s in some areas. Close to 90 degrees on this early spring day guys.
[Romans:] All right, Pedram. Thank you so much for that. The alternative meat movement is having a moment. Vegan Meat Company "Impossible Foods" is growing so fast, it's having a hard time keeping up. Burger King, which has been giving the meatless Impossible Whooper a trial run, now plans a national rollout by the end of the year. That would essentially double the number of restaurants Impossible works with. The company says the challenge is not a shortage of ingredients, but demand greatly outstripping supplies.
[Alex Trebek, "jeopardy!":] Thank you for making an even bet, it helped my math. You now have $96,726 earned today and a new total of $1,426,330.
[Briggs:] A very familiar smile for "Jeopardy!" fans. Make that 19 in a row for the reigning "Jeopardy!" king James Holzhauer, now tied for the third longest winning streak in show history. Last night's final "Jeopardy!" clue was a capitol between Paris and Berlin. The answer, Romans?
[Romans:] Bonn.
[Briggs:] Bingo. Holzhauer was the only one with the correct answer. The third place finisher said, what is congrats to James. That just put that up every night.
[Romans:] All right. Let's get a check on business this morning. Folks, global markets are higher right now on Wall Street. We are watching futures slightly higher head to the Fed's second meeting on interest rates. April closed on another great month for stock investors. Folks, this is like one of the best starts to the year in years after the worst December since the Great Depression, four straight months of gains. Take a look here, the Dow is up 14 percent this year, up 45 percent since the election. The S&P 500 up 17 percent this year, up 37 percent since the election. The Nasdaq up 22 percent, almost 56 percent since the election. Those are numbers certainly the White House is keenly aware of. They love these numbers. President Trump will try to use the stock market as his personal scorecard here. A lackluster iPhone sales are dragging down Apple's business. Apple said iPhone sales fell 17 percent compared to last year. Revenue declined 5 percent to $58 billion. But, CEO Tim Cook signaled the worst may be over as Apple sees signs of improvement in China. Cook cited improved trade dialogue between China and the U.S. in a very positive customer response to the pricing actions they have taken in the market. Apple's stock up 5 percent after hours on some of the outlook numbers. Facebook is getting a new look and features to help move past some old issues. CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the new look during a deliver conference. END

[Vause:] Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he's making a final offer on Brexit. He proposed an alternative to the Irish backstop, keeping the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland open but so far, has plan for an all-Ireland regulatory zone has received a cool response from the E.U. Donald Trump plan lashing out at Democrats, the media, and a whole lot of other people over the growing threat of impeachment. But he's not offering much of a defense for asking Ukraine's president to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter. Aides say the president has not grasped the enormity of the situation. House Democrats plan to subpoena the White House for documents on Friday. So could this be a case of a friend in need is a friend, indeed? Vladimir Putin from Russia defending the U.S. president. Putin thinks that phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian leader was just fine, and Vladimir Putin has even offered a joke in all of this about interfering in next year's U.S. election. Our man in Moscow is Fred Pleitgen.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Tonight, Russian President Vladimir Putin trolling the United States, joking about meddling in the presidential election and saying he'll do it again.
[Vladimir Putin, President Of Russia:] I'll tell you a secret. Yes, of course we'll do it to finally make you happier. Just don't tell anyone.
[Pleitgen:] Putin also backing the demands of some in Washington to see further transcripts of President Donald Trump's interactions with other world leaders, including the Putin summit in Helsinki last year.
[Putin:] When there were attempts to launch a scandal regarding my meeting with Trump in Helsinki, we directly told the administration to just publish it. If somebody wants to know something, just publish it. We don't mind.
[Pleitgen:] But Vladimir Putin also echoing President Trump's talking points on the now-infamous Ukrainian phone call.
[Putin:] They began this impeachment proceeding and always bring up Nixon. Nixon's team was wiretapping their rivals, but this is a completely different situation. Trump was wiretapped. Some anonymous special service staffer leaked this information and, based on what we know from the calls, there was nothing wrong there. Trump asked his colleague to investigate possible corruption schemes of previous administrations.
[Pleitgen:] With the congressional Democrats turning up the heat and polls showing a growing number of Americans supporting impeachment proceedings, the Kremlin has shown President Trump that he can count on Vladimir Putin to be in his corner. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
[Vause:] Another day of deadly violence in Iraq as thousands of demonstrators poured onto Baghdad's streets. Iraqis are protesting the lack of jobs, poor services, corruption. Officials say at least eight people are dead. More than 300 injured during this week's protest. Meanwhile, curfews have been imposed. The Internet has been restricted. Security sources have blocked roads leading into the capital, and the U.N. is calling for calm. The Iraqi government is promising to meet the legitimate demands of the demonstrators. Protestors, though, say that is not enough.
[Unidentified Male:] This is the people's protest. It is not being directed by anyone. These people are all revolting, and they will not stop until the government changes.
[Vause:] The Iraqi defense minister has ordered armed forces to be on high alert. The U.S. embassy in Iraq says it's monitoring these protests closely. North Korea claims to have test-fired a new type of ballistic missile capable of being launched from a submarine. U.S. officials say it has a medium-range. It was actually fired from a launcher on a floating barge early Wednesday, not from underwater, as had been reported. Still, analysts say it crosses the line. And while the U.S. president has downplayed recent short-range missile tests, this one cannot be ignored. Details from CNN's Brian Todd.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] It is the most brazen provocation from Kim Jong-U.N. in years. North Korea's supreme commander seemingly testing President Trump's backbone by test-firing a ballistic missile in the water that is designed to be launched from a submarine.
[Joseph Yun, Former U.s. Special Envoy For North Korea Policy:] I mean, this is way above and beyond, you know? And this is sending a message that we can do these tests any time we want.
[Todd:] It's above and beyond because this time, U.S. officials tell CNN, Kim tested a medium-range missile which can reach targets further away than any of the short-range missiles Kim has tested this year.
[Unidentified Male:] There are tens of thousands of Americans in South Korea, in Japan, military personnel, civilians that are threatened by these missiles. This is a big deal.
[Todd:] Specifically, about 80,000 American troops in South Korea and Japan are in the target range of the missiles Kim has tested this year, tests that violate U.N. resolutions, but that the president has consistently played down.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] He has been doing some short-range missiles, but so does every other country do short- range missiles. Every country is doing it. They're pretty standard fare.
[Todd:] But missile analysts tell CNN, by testing short and now medium- range missiles in recent months, Kim is also advancing the technology for his long-range missiles that could potentially hit the United States. And experts are alarmed over the wrapping up of Kim's submarine- launched missile capability in recent weeks, and the North Koreans' attempts to hide those efforts. Satellite photos have showed new activity at a submarine shipyard, and there are pictures of Kim inspecting an enormous sub under construction, a vessel that experts say will likely carry multiple nuclear-tipped missiles and could give the North Korean dictator the element of surprise against his enemies.
[Unidentified Male:] A land-based missile, you can follow it around and maybe attack it before it can be launched, but not a submarine- launched ballistic missile. A submarine-launched ballistic missile only gives you a minute's warning.
[Todd:] This missile test comes just days before so-called working- level nuclear talks between officials just under Trump and Kim are set to begin. Analysts say that's no coincidence, that Kim is sending a message.
[Yun:] Very much, his message is, I am calling the shots now. You know? And I think he feels that President Trump is weakened, especially with the Ukraine whistleblower affair and they do believe that Trump meets a foreign affairs victory. [on camera]: The White House has expressed, quote, "strong concerns" over the latest North Korean missile test. The State Department is calling on North Korea to refrain from provocations. But will President Trump specifically call out Kim Jong-U.N. for the test the next time they meet or exchange letters? Will the State Department hold North Korean diplomats' feet to the fire over this during the new round of talks? We've pressed both the White House and the State Department on those questions. They haven't commented. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[Vause:] Officially, it's autumn in the U.S., when temperatures are meant to cool, but here's a real shocker. Temperatures are at record highs, and a number of cities are enduring heat waves. More on this when we come back.

[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] All right. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Friday, August 23, 6 a.m. here in New York. John Avlon is with me this morning. We do begin with breaking news, because Russian president Vladimir Putin has just announced that he is ordering his military to respond to recent U.S. cruise missile testing. This news comes just this morning, just in the past hour, John.
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] That's right. And it comes as President Trump and world leaders are set to convene in France for the G-7 summit. So let's get right to CNN's Fred Pleitgen live in Moscow with the breaking details Fred.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi there, John. And we're just getting these details from the Russian government. Essentially, what we had was a couple minutes ago there was a call with the spokesman for Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, and he was already saying that Vladimir Putin was pretty angry, that he had had a meeting with his security council and that there would be a very important announcement coming very soon. Now, that announcement came in the form of a written statement from the Kremlin, where the Kremlin once again accused the United States of breaching that anti-ballistic missile treaty. The United the Russians saying that, essentially, that because the U.S. conducted a cruise missile test of a land-based Tomahawk cruise missile just 16 days after the U.S. left the IM Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, that meant the U.S. had been planning this for a very long time. Now, of course, we have to keep in mind, John, that the U.S. has, for a very long time been accusing of Russia of breaching that very same treaty, saying that Russia had deployed the Iskandar-M missile very close to NATO territory, and that that meant that the Russians were in breach. Now what Vladimir Putin has done is he has instructed, as he has said, his armed forces to prepare what he calls a symmetrical response. That's one of the things that the Russians have been saying for quite a while now. They say if they see any sort of missile test from the U.S., if they see the U.S. deploying any sort of missiles near Russian territory, they will have a tit-for-tat response. So you can really tell that the Russians quite angry at some of these recent developments. Meanwhile, of course, the U.S. continuing to say that it was the Russians who were breaching this treaty, and that was why this treaty is no longer in force, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] OK, Fred. Thank you very much for helping to explain this breaking news. We have a lot to discuss. So let's bring in Catherine Rampell. She's our "Washington Post" opinion columnist and CNN political commentator. We have Alex Burns, national political correspondent for "The New York Times" and a CNN political analyst; and M.J. Lee, a CNN political correspondent. OK. Let's just quickly start with this news. The significance of this announcement from the Kremlin and the timing as the G-7 is about to start in France.
[Alex Burns, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, look, I'm not an analyst in geopolitics or Russian military exercises. But I think we can pretty confidently say that it's a challenge to President Trump and his position as a leader in the G-7 nations meeting this weekend. That he came into office promising to change American relations with Russia and to take a different and tougher and also more open approach and produce better results for the country, diplomatically and economically. We obviously have not really seen the favorable results that he promised. So I think he's under a lot of political pressure at home to show that he can appear to be and actually function as a leader of nations in the west. And I think that, given his statements about wanting to have a positive relationship with Russia, these latest developments are a real challenge to that theory of the case.
[Avlon:] Catherine, that's perhaps what's paradoxical about this. This cruise missile test was on Sunday. This is a delayed reaction. It comes after President Trump basically unliterally floated the idea of inviting Russia back into the G-7, without them requesting it. So why do you think the escalation from Vladimir Putin on this front?
[Catherine Rampell, Cnn Political Commentator:] It's a little bit hard to read the tea leaves here. But I would point out that it wasn't Trump only wanted to only bring Russia in. He claimed it was multilateral. Right? He claimed that French leader Macron had requested this; and France said, "Actually, that's not true."
[Avlon:] Not so much.
[Rampell:] So look, it could be designed to to heighten the perception that Trump doesn't know what he's doing, that he doesn't really have a grasp on the facts. It wouldn't be so hard to to give that impression, but there are a lot of reasons to believe that this G-7 could could be bungled by Trump, not only given his comments about the G-8, but obviously, the fight with Denmark; cyberbullying Germany over their bond yields; you know, whether he's going to try to muster support with the other members of the G-7 to pressure China to not crack down on Hong Kong. There are so many ways that this could go wrong and has gone wrong in the past. And obviously, this is just another element heightening that risk.
[Camerota:] M.J., it's also so schizophrenic, frankly, to watch President Trump's good feelings, rosy feelings towards Vladimir Putin and everything that he says, and he's always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. And then to hear the people around President Trump try to kind of rein in Russia. And so this seems like a situation that is ripe for confusion.
[M.j. Lee, Cnn Political Correspondent:] That's right. I mean, there are so many issues where the president is simply not in line with the advice and the counsel that he gets from the folks around him whose jobs are to counsel the president in precisely that way. And I think when it comes to Russia and Vladimir Putin, that is probably the one example where we have seen that the most and seen that so starkly, that the president just simply will not, on a national stage, use the kind of tough language that I think advisors around him would like him to use and that I think they believe is extremely warranted, based on the actions that Vladimir Putin has taken. I mean, even when confronted with something as serious as a threat to our democracy, that the role that Russia has played and that Vladimir Putin has played, even when confronted with facts about that, the president has not been willing to go there. So I think this is going to be a fascinating summit, given that this is now going to be in the background.
[Avlon:] And there's that constant, you say, you know, Donald Trump reaching out to Vladimir Putin, sometimes unilaterally, while his administration says they're taking a hard line. In Russia, the coverage is almost as schizophrenic. And I want to play, Alex, for all of you a clip from Russian television after the president announced that he was open to inviting Russia back to the G- 8. And the host seems to say that maybe this was to offset concerns about the missile test.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] That's not the way it really should work.
[Camerota:] Will you be translating this for us, John?
[Avlon:] So take a look at that. My Russian is rusty, Aly, but you'll see. They're almost trolling the president by showing the image of the G-8 with the Russian flag right there. So here you see
[Camerota:] And their expressions. I mean, I don't think you can you can downplay the expression of the moderator there, who sort of looks very wry and
[Avlon:] Bemused.
[Camerota:] And bemused, yes. And amused.
[Avlon:] Yes. And of course, there's nothing amusing, of course, about an escalation in missile tests, but this is where we are. These things are being played out in a sort of reality TV forum on in the Russian side of the Atlantic there. And now we see the unexpected escalation by Vladimir Putin just moments ago.
[Lee:] And I think heading into a conference like this, we always expect a little bit of erratic behavior, of volatility, however, you want to describe it. There's always the threat of that. And I think if I'm advising the president or in his administration, I'm going to be nervous anyway. But maybe something happening in the news that is maybe unexpected adds to that level of nervousness, just because we simply just don't know how the president is going to react. And I think, especially when he knows that the headlines back home are so focused on nervousness about a potential economic recession, I think we have to expect that he is already going to be on edge. And sometimes you just you just can't predict how he's going to use sort of the attention that he gets from being on a national stage like this, or international stage, I should say, and exactly what he's going to do.
[Camerota:] Sometimes you cannot predict him. Yes, truer words. Truer words.
[Lee:] I think he can't predict himself, so.
[Avlon:] We've heard this before, yes.
[Camerota:] All right. Let's talk about what we've been talking about, Catherine, now for a week. And that is that some people, you included, have seen storm clouds on the horizon about the recession; and for the first time we are now hearing, though not directly from the administration, through sort of back channel reporting, "The Washington Post" spoke to 25 people in and around the president about what they are planning to do. I'll read you a portion of it. "Ideas that have been discussed include imposing a currency transaction tax that could weaken the dollar and make U.S. exports more competitive; creating a rotation among the Federal Reserve governors that would make it easier to check the power of Chair Jerome Powell, whom Trump has blamed for not doing all he can to increase growth; and pushing to lower the corporate tax rate to 15 percent in an effort to spur more investment. Some, if not all, of these steps would require congressional approval." What do you think of those?
[Rampell:] I think these are fantasies at this point, right? I mean, for example, the rotation of Federal Reserve
[Camerota:] Keeping Jerome Powell in check.
[Rampell:] Yes, I believe that would require an act of Congress. That's in the 1935 Banking Act. So they wouldn't change it. It's not even clear that that would get them what they want. Because if they reduce the power of the board members, that's going to increase the power of the regional Fed banks, the bank presidents, who are also on the FOMC, who tend to be more hawkish. At least the current crop. So I don't know how that's going to help Trump. You know, I think it's funny that they're proposing cutting the corporate tax rate further. I mean, this is a common pattern with Trump. It's like, he tells us initially, "Don't worry. "X" thing that I'm going to do, experts may say that it's going to be painful, it's going to cost a lot of money, whatever. Free lunches all around. Right? Tax cuts are going to pay for themselves. China's going to pay for the tariffs." And then the next round is like, "OK. Maybe there's a little bit of pain now. Maybe it actually costs money. The tax cuts aren't paying for themselves. We're paying for the tariffs. But short-term pain, long-term gain. The solution is we just need more of the big bad idea. We need more tariffs and more tax cuts." He just doubles down, rather than sort of re-evaluating what's going wrong.
[Avlon:] But this was also a week of whiplash, Alex. I mean, you know, you had the president saying, you know, "Maybe the economy's fine, but maybe we should take dramatic action," that "we should possibly look at raising taxes. But I'm definitely not going to do that." Just a week ago, the idea that we're going to raise tariffs on China and then backing away from that. Is the administration and the president's own belief that he can change public opinion by being a great salesman being undercut by this mixed messaging?
[Burns:] It absolutely is. I think he does still believe in his power as a salesman. And I think there's reason, at least with the portion of the country that is inclined to trust him, to believe that he does have some power as a salesman. There probably are people in the country who could be looking at a 2008-style economic crash, which nobody is currently anticipating, and say this isn't the president's fault. Things are better than they appear to be. But for most of the country, which is basically not inclined to believe the president's word on anything, this kind of zigzagging just confirms what they already believe about him. That he doesn't talk straight to the country, that the fact that he puts out there cannot be trusted. And when it's when you're looking at this sort of hodgepodge of fanciful ideas for how they might try to forestall a recession, it's hard to take issue with that idea. There is really no prospect of the Democrat the Democrats in the House of Representatives coming to the president's rescue by validating a bunch of ideas that he and Larry Kudlow came up with sort of in the last couple days, right? That's just not going to happen.
[Rampell:] Especially like a capital gains tax cut rate or a corporate tax cut rate.
[Burns:] Yes.
[Camerota:] His approval ratings, M.J., have ticked down in the recent NORC poll. From June, they've ticked down a little bit. Now approve 36 percent; disapprove of his job the job he's doing at 62 percent. That's just down a notch from June, which is was 38 percent. But I always think it's always important to give some context to that and say that, like, none of that actually matters to the upcoming election. Because a national poll is different than polling the states
[Avlon:] Sure.
[Camerota:] that he won by and that he'll need. And, as we have been reminded all week, he was at approval rating roughly around here of 40 percent when he won the presidency.
[Lee:] Well, look, the economy strengthens and weakens for so many different reasons and factors. I think what is important for the president and his re-election prospects going forward is what the perception is going to be about the economy, right? If the perception overall, if there is some kind of serious weakening in the economy or even a recession, is that that happened because of actions that the president took, for example, things that he has said or actions that he has taken when it comes to trade, I think that's something that even people in the middle of the country whose jobs directly are impacted by his actions can sincerely understand, right? And I think you can't overstate how much that potentially hurts the president's brand when you look back at 2016 and the rhetoric that he used then and how poor sort of that economic populist messaging was in 2016. This idea that, because of the actions that the president himself took, those actions are hurting people like farmers, people who work in steel plants. That is something that I think people can directly understand, regardless of what the polls might be saying about approval about the president's performance on the economy.
[Camerota:] Totally. They feel it. When you feel something, you vote. You know? That's I mean, you could maybe you could understand different data points and different numbers. But when you feel it, that's it. I mean, that's the
[Rampell:] If you lose your job, you notice that.
[Burns:] On that on that poll, I do think it's worth pointing out it's not just the numbers today. It's that the A.P. analysis of that poll pointed out that no president's approval ratings have stayed in such a narrow band as this president. That he has been between 36 percent and 42 percent approval the entire time. Right? And it's true that his numbers were low on the day that he was elected, but he got elected by the skin of his teeth, which means that there's really no room for error in terms of approaching reelection. And as M.J., I think, totally correctly points out, his policies are no longer theoretical. Right? This is no longer an election about promises that people can sort of, you know, look him in the eye and sort of check their own gut and decide whether or not they want to trust him. They're actually happening. People can see the results for themselves.
[Avlon:] We're going to have more on the polls and the enthusiasm gap ahead. Stick with us.
[Camerota:] OK. What's happening on the Democratic side? Well, Kamala Harris has gone from being the winner of the first debate to what aides are calling the worst moment of her campaign. So what's going on there? That's next.

[Hill:] Our national lead, an urgent manhunt underway right now across California for a sniper who shot a sheriff's deputy walking to his car outside his station yesterday. That shooting took place in Lancaster, about an hour north of Los Angeles. Let's get straight to CNN's Stephanie Elam who is there for us this afternoon. So, what more do we know about the targeting of this officer, Steph?
[Stephanie Elam, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, we don't know, Erica, that he was targeted. We don't even know why the shooting happened. There's so many questions here. But I want to show you exactly what is of concern to many of the people who work in this area. As you can see through this gate which is happening on cue right now, you case back there, that is an apartment complex, and below that, these are personal vehicles these deputies. This is where this one officer was walking yesterday, just about 3:00 in the afternoon, when shots rang out. He was able to call for backup. The bullet actually his bulletproof vest, ricocheted off and hit him in his right shoulder. He's expected to make a full recovery. It could have been so much worse. Obviously after that, the deputies locking down the building. They went through the building, making sure that there was nothing they can find in there, they didn't. There was also a nearby school that they locked down. But, still, with all of this information, all of that locking down, they still have not been able to identify who the shooter was and why they did it. At this point, there's nobody in custody, Erica.
[Hill:] That is chilling. All right. Stephanie, thank you for that. Meantime, authorities in California also revealing chilling new details about a plan to carry out a mass shooting at a Marriott Hotel. That shooting to be carried out by one of the employees. As CNN's Nick Watt reports, it is just one of a series of plots thwarted by law enforcement since the massacres in El Paso and Dayton.

[Blitzer:] Following breaking news we're watching as the House of Representatives voting on a motion to table a resolution to impeach President Trump. We'll continue to follow this. In the meantime, as we await the final roll call, there is other breaking news as well. CNN can now reveal the 20 Democratic presidential candidates who have qualified for the CNN Democratic presidential debates, which will take place in Detroit on July 30th and July 31st. Let me bring in our Political Director, David Chalian. David, explain how all this works.
[David Chalian, Cnn Political Director:] Well, you know that the DNC has capped the debate stage for this first round at 10 per night. There are two nights of debates, a total of 20 candidates. How do you get onto that debate stage? Well, you had to get at least 1 percent in three approved-of polls from the beginning of the year until just today in that qualifying window or needed 65,000 individual donors to your campaign, Wolf. Across 20 states you needed 200 donors inside of each of 20 states, trying to show real, broad grassroots support. So we know, after the candidates submitted qualifications, the 20 candidates that will be debating in Detroit. Let me read the list to you. Michael Bennet, the senator from Colorado; former Vice President Joe Biden; Senator Cory Booker; Governor Steve Bullock of Montana; Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Julian Castro, the former cabinet secretary; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; Maryland Congressman John Delaney; Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York; Kamala Harris, the senator from California; former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper; Washington State Governor Jay Inslee; Senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke; Tim Ryan, the congressman from Ohio; Bernie Sanders, senator from Vermont; Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts; Marianne Williamson, the author and Andrew Yang, the businessman. Those are the 20 candidates who have qualified for this next round of debating.
[Blitzer:] And 10 of them will debate on the first night and 10 of them will debate on the second night in Detroit. Tell us a little bit more about who made the stage for the first time and who didn't make it.
[Chalian:] Right. So 20 candidates debated in Miami a few weeks back in June in the first series of debates. There is one big change on that screen and that is Montana governor Steve Bullock. He is now going to be participating in these debates in Detroit. He was he had not made the debate stage in Miami. Eric Swalwell, as you know, the congressman from California, has dropped out. There was some question, looking at the public polls available, if indeed Bullock may have not bounced Swalwell from making the Detroit debate stage. But that tie break never had to happen; Swalwell dropped out of the race. That opened a slot for Bullock. The rest of the field is at it was in Miami. And now the big question is who debates whom. And that is what we learn tomorrow night when we do the draw between the two stages.
[Blitzer:] Excellent point. And our viewers and the candidates will be able to find out which Democratic candidates will face off on each night of the next debate in a special live event. You can watch the draw for the CNN Democratic presidential debates tomorrow night at 8:00 pm Eastern here on CNN. And stay with CNN for the Democratic presidential debates, live from Detroit at 8:00 pm Eastern on Tuesday, July 30th, and Wednesday, July 31. Dana Bash and Don Lemon and Jake Tapper they will moderate two big nights, 10 candidates each night, only here on CNN. Coming up, we'll have more on all the breaking news. President Trump heading to a campaign rally after saying he's "not unhappy" with the fury he's touched off by attacking Democratic congresswomen.

[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] The opinion by Chief Justice Roberts, joined by seven justices which is unusual in this highly polarized court
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Right.
[Toobin:] everyone except Thomas and Alito says we need to look really carefully to see whether the president's prerogatives and executive power under Article II of the Constitution is being violated. So we're sending this back to the district court for a further evaluation of that question. That evaluation is certainly going to take past November. It's just too long and too complicated, judges are too slow. This case, if it had been resolved completely in the House of Representatives' favor, really could have resulted in the disclosure of the Trump financial records before November. But even though the president lost on the legal issue, he has clearly won on his ability to run for re-election without disclosing his tax returns to the public. that issue, I think, is settled today.
[Harlow:] Ross Garber, I'm reminded of Justice Breyer during oral arguments, bringing up the big picture here because we're talking about the president here, but this is a big-picture question about the separation of powers and what is to come for many presidents and congresses to come. And Breyer said, "What I hold today will also apply to a future senator" McCarthy, right? Hearkening back "asking a future Franklin Roosevelt or Harry Truman." That's, you know, the big picture of what they're looking at here.
[Ross Garber, Political Investigations And Impeachment Law Teacher, Tulane Law School:] Yes. And so if I'm the president or his lawyers, I'm actually pretty happy. I'm actually very happy with these results today because, you know, unlike the previous Supreme Court cases that dealt with demands for presidential records which were decided unanimously and decided in a way that compelled the president to turn over records, in these two cases, the court actually does recognize, you know, some upper limits in terms of presidential document demands. And with respect to Congress, you know, this case is going to go back down to the lower courts and be litigated. Again, same thing with the New York D.A. case. And so this was sort of a rough decision for Congress because, you know, sort of stripping it all away and getting to the reality of it, what this case was about was whether Congress and how Congress can investigate the president. And what this case did was put up significant potential hurdles for Congress in getting information from the president and suggesting kind of a long, drawn-out, complex litigation path.
[Harlow:] And to be clear, Jeffrey Toobin, to Ross' point, they are potential future hurdles for Congress, right? This isn't this isn't done yet, meaning the precedent here is not yet set. Is that right?
[Toobin:] That's basically right. I mean the what's really not resolved is whether Congress gets these documents
[Harlow:] Sure.
[Toobin:] that seems to me an even more open question today than it was before this decision comes out. The chief justice's opinion lays out certain factors for the district court to continue to consider. They you know, the court clearly does reject the idea that the president is absolutely immune, and that his personal information can never be disclosed. That argument has been rejected. But the idea that the president has special rights and prerogatives that have to be respected by the courts? That is very much reinforced by this decision. And so I think the president has the legitimate chance in the district court and in the court of appeals, of winning this case and keeping these documents secret from Congress. I think he has a much less of a chance of keeping the documents away from the New York City district attorney.
[Garber:] Hey, Poppy, one other thing I want to
[Harlow:] Jeffrey and Ross Ross, just hold on one second, I promise I'll get back to you
[Garber:] OK, sure.
[Harlow:] but I do want to get to our Joan Biskupic, another expert on the Supreme Court. And specifically, Joan, on the chief justice here, if you could weigh in on what you made of the Roberts opinion, but also on the breakdown of the justices here on both cases?
[Joan Biskupic, Cnn Supreme Court Analyst:] Yes, I think it says a lot, Poppy, that President Trump's two appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh signed the opinions, joined the opinions and the judgment that buys President Trump lots of time in these cases. There in the Vance case, there are other grounds that he can raise beyond temporary immunity grounds that he had raised below. And in the House case, the chief justice laid out lots of hurdles and said, you know, separation of powers was not taken account of by the House or the lower court, and said you have to think about the burdens on the presidency. So I think the sheer vote that the chief was able to obtain here tells you something about the limits of both of these opinions. Both of these opinions recalled U.S. v. Nixon and Clinton v. Jones
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Biskupic:] landmarks on presidential power. Both of those cases were decided by unanimous courts, and Chief Justice John Roberts wanted to get as close to that as possible. And the way he did it was to go fairly narrow in terms of the practical consequences at this point, laid down some markers but they will be ironed out below.
[Harlow:] Yes. That I'm so glad you bring up that point because, again, just to reiterate, the decision in Nixon that led you know, led to his resignation and the decision in Clinton v. Jones that led to his impeachment, both unanimous, right? So justices
[Biskupic:] That's right.
[Harlow:] that they had appointed went against both of those presidents. Here, you had the same happen, not unanimous but not a 5-4, right? Roberts did not want a 5-4 decision. He has, you know, shuddered at this court being viewed as political, especially months from an election.
[Biskupic:] Sure that's right, Poppy. And what he wanted and probably Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh wanted was to be able to send a signal that they are not, quote, "Trump judges," "Obama judges," whatever, which is the message that Chief Justice John Roberts is constantly trying to enforce. So this was a cross-ideological coalition on this, both of these decisions, with only Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting, leaving a lot for lower courts but, as we've been saying, it's actually a Trump win at this point, just in terms of the time he buys. Although especially in the New York prosecutor case, there's a very strong chance that courts will eventually say that he has to turn over the tax records to the grand jury.
[Harlow:] Right. Maybe, and if he wins re-election that could be in his second term. But the prospect of it happening in months, you're saying, is close to none?
[Biskupic:] That's right. And in the House case, the subpoenas you know, we have we're coming to the end of not just the presidential term, but the congressional term. So new subpoenas would have to be issued.
[Harlow:] That's right.
[Biskupic:] And as I said, John Roberts laid out a pretty extensive blueprint for all the hurdles the House would have to cross in terms of defending these subpoenas. Is this the only way that the House can get the information, through these subpoenas? What legislative purpose are they serving? Has separation of powers been respected in some way? So lots of things to consider before those subpoenas, which would have meant the public release of certain documents, would come out. The New York case, we should remind everyone, those tax records and other financial documents would go to a grand jury, which is supposed to be secret.
[Harlow:] Very strict secrecy rules there. OK, Joan
[Biskupic:] Yes.
[Harlow:] we'll get back to you in just a moment, we'll let you keep reading the opinions. And I want to go to my colleague Sara Murray with a little bit more on here. Good morning, Sara. What stands out to you, just in terms of the politics of this? And again, this coming in an election year. And what the public will and will not ever see?
[Sara Murray, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, look, I mean, there's no doubt that this is a victory for the president, and he has made it very clear that he's not going to put out his tax returns on his own, and these decisions make it pretty evident that they're not going to come out before the election. You know, I do think it's important to step back and remember the political climate we're in right now. You know, I don't think necessarily in the middle of a global pandemic, in the middle of the racial justice and the social unrest that we've seen, that the president's tax returns were going to be the motivating factor for a lot of these voters who, you know, maybe on this this deciding line in this coming election. But it is important, you know? It's important in light of the way we've seen the president behave, it's important in light of the impeachment investigation and the questions that were unanswered, it's important in light of Robert Mueller's investigation and the questions that are still unanswered from that. And, you know, it's possible we could get an answer to this if Donald Trump is re-elected in his second term. But for now, going into November, voters are not going to know anything more, essentially, about the president's finances
[Harlow:] Right.
[Murray:] than they do now. You know what I think the other question is, what does this mean for all of the other litigation that's out there involving the president. It's obvious that his claim of sort of blanket presidential immunity does not hold up with the Supreme Court. But there are a number of other cases in lower courts that have not involved the Supreme Court that have been sort of been waiting to see how the Supreme Court decides these cases, and they really have left things in a muddle except to sort of pay out a little bit of a road map when it comes to Congress. That may not be much help for some of these other lower courts that are trying to sort things out, though.
[Harlow:] That's true, really important point, Sara. OK, thank you, stand by. Let's go to Shimon Prokupecz. So, Shimon, we just got this statement from Cy Vance's office, he is the Manhattan district attorney, and he's calling this a win for the investigation that he says, look, has been delayed for a year; now it will resume. I mean, but the bottom line is, his grand jury's not going to get these documents right now.
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn ___:] Right, but you can see from his statement and let me just go ahead and just read this to you
[Harlow:] Sure.
[Prokupecz:] and what they say is that, quote, "This is a tremendous victory for our nation's system of justice and its founding principle that no one not even a president is above the law. Our investigation, which was delayed for almost a year by this lawsuit, will resume, guided, as always by the grand jury's solemn obligation to follow the law and the facts, wherever they may lead." So, right, they are viewing this as a victory and that is because of the ruling here that the president is not immune. It would seem to me that they do expect that at some point they will get something related to this the district court here has been favorable to the D.A. in this, I mean, and actually was pretty scathing against the president at the time. So they clearly expect to be able to continue with this investigation. And it is true, it has been delayed. They have been, now, investigating this for probably over a year. There could be statute of limitations issues that they may they, you would expect, will want to get this resolved as quickly as possible, and that could happen. You know, we don't know, that could happen. Look, we're in dealing with the pandemic, the courts have been slowed down in some ways, grand juries have been slowed down, investigations have been slowed down. So that could maybe favor the president in some way
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Prokupecz:] more than anything else. But it could, this could move very quickly and we could see a resolution here sooner than we think Poppy.
[Harlow:] Yes. Maybe, OK, Shimon, stand by
[Prokupecz:] Maybe.
[Harlow:] thank you very much for that. I want to get to the White House, Kaitlan Collins. It's interesting, Kaitlan, Ross Garber, one of our expert attorneys, just said on the air, Look, you know, the president's lawyers have got to be really happy with this, but the president's not happy with this. If you look at his tweet, he calls it, you know, "political prosecution."
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, the president is not going to be happy, being told he does not have the immunity that his lawyers argued that he does have. And so I want to read his first reaction to these rulings in full. He said, "The Supreme Court sends the case back to the lower court, arguments to continue. This is only political prosecution, I won the Mueller witch hunt and others, and now I have to keep fighting in a politically corrupt New York. Not fair to this presidency or administration." And then he says, "Courts in the past have given broad deference. But not me." He does not comment specifically on the two justices that he appointed to this Supreme Court, ruling against him in these cases. And so that's going to be the question of how does he respond to them. Because he's not the first president to have his own justices that he appointed rule against him. It happened to Nixon, it happened to Clinton, and now it has happened to President Trump.
[Harlow:] It has. Let's go back to Ross Garber Kaitlan, thank you very much and Jeffrey Toobin. So, Ross, you were about to make a point when I had to jump there?
[Garber:] Yes, as I was reading the opinion in the congressional subpoena cases, something stuck out to me in the dissent. What Justice Thomas says in the dissent is, Look, what's really happening here and, Poppy, you and I have talked about this issue before what's really happening here is not an effort by Congress to legislate. What's really happening is that this is an impeachment this could have been an impeachment subpoena. And it's important for our viewers to know that although there was a subpoena excuse me although there was an impeachment investigation of the president, these subpoenas weren't issued in connection with that investigation, they were issued as an effort to purportedly legislate. What Justice Thomas said in the dissent is, If you want to investigate the president this way, you have a mechanism. It's the impeachment provision, and you could have used it.
[Harlow:] Jeffrey Toobin, what do you make of that?
[Toobin:] You know how I think it's convenient for Justice Thomas to say, Well, Congress, you didn't do this the right way but maybe someday I would approve a subpoena to the president? I'll believe that when I see it. I mean, I think, you know, Justices Alito and Thomas went out of their way to support the president in this case, even though his arguments were, you know, rejected by a bipartisan cross-section of the justices. But I think, you know, this is a legal defeat for the president, but it's a practical victory. I mean, the real concern that the president has, and his political advisors have, is that the people would see his tax returns. He's kept his tax returns secret far longer than any presidential candidate in the modern history of presidential elections. That record will be intact in 2020, the public will not see his tax returns in 2020. That's a victory, that is something that was the calamity that was potentially at the end of this case for the president. It will not happen. Now, if I am Donald Trump, I am also going to be thinking, You know, win or lose, the Manhattan D.A. is not going away. This investigation is going to continue, and I might get indicted in Manhattan. And the first decision, the decision from the Cyrus Vance case, really does suggest that these documents will be produced to the grand jury. Not immediately, but eventually. And if I'm the president, I am not going to be happy about the idea that my financial documents are going to be before a grand jury, even if it's not until after the 2020 election.
[Harlow:] Could Jeffrey, could you weigh in? Because as you're reading all of the majority opinion and the dissent here, our viewers are just getting part of it unless they have all of all 68 pages of the first one in front of them. So here's what Roberts, Chief Justice Roberts, writes on page 17 of the majority opinion in the Vance case. Quote noting that there is no absolute immunity for any president quote, "Given these safeguards and the Court's precedents, we cannot conclude that absolute immunity is necessary or appropriate under Article II or the Supremacy Clause. Our dissenting colleagues agree." And I think that's really important, to your point about what all nine justices did agree on here.
[Toobin:] You know, Justice Kavanaugh, in his opinion, concurring in the judgment in the Vance case, makes the same point, which is all nine justices reject the position that Trump's lawyers put forward, that the president is effectively above the law when it comes to these sort of investigations. The and that's a profound thing. I mean, the idea that the president could have made such an argument and that an ideologically diverse court has rejected it in total. However, you know, applying the law that Chief Justice Roberts set down in these opinions, especially in the congressional case, is not going to be a simple thing. And it's going to be I haven't certainly read the opinion closely enough to know how I think the courts will ultimately resolve these questions, but the idea that the president is totally immune, does not have to answer a subpoena at all, regardless of what it's for, all nine justices have rejected that position, and that's a kind of unanimity that does recall United States v. Nixon in 1974 and Clinton v. Jones in 1998.
[Harlow:] Yes, that's a good point, it certainly does. When it comes to what Roberts wrote, Jeffrey, in the opinion about Congress and the three congressional committees' requests, the House requests for documents in Mazars case, he write this, "While we certainly recognize Congress' important interest in obtaining information through the appropriate inquiries, those interests are not sufficiently powerful to justify access to the president's personal papers when other sources could provide Congress the information that it needs." What I find interesting is that the lower courts, Jeffrey, had ruled, We're not even asking, you know, for the president's papers, we're asking for third parties. So what is the big picture of the court's ruling here when it comes to the power of Congress and where its hands are tied, at least for now?
[Toobin:] Well, the message of the opinion is that courts really have to take seriously presidential claims of harassment. And you know, when I was an assistant U.S. attorney and when I could, you know, write up a grand jury subpoena that was in my desk, I didn't have to worry that someone was not going to respond. You know, we would subpoena phone company records
[Harlow:] Sure.
[Toobin:] they respond as a matter of course. Tax returns, we got almost as a matter of course. This is going to be different. The government, the congressional committees are going to have to make a showing, A, of why you really need it and, B, couldn't you get this information elsewhere? Now, frankly, I don't know where else they could get this information. But that is certainly an argument that they are going to have to address as this case works its way through the courts. So this opinion clearly says the president is different. He is not going to be treated just like any other person getting a subpoena. However, he is not absolutely immune from having to answer these questions.
[Harlow:] Right, but that's a very good point. He is different in one respect, but through the other Vance [inaudible] in no respect enjoys absolute immunity. Let me get to Kaitlan Collins because the president is weighing in a lot more on these Kaitlan, what else is the president saying about the decision?
[Collins:] We're going to get a lot of tweets today, I think, Poppy. And I want to note, before I go through what the president is saying, that we the press corps here at the White House have not had the chance to actually question the president in over two weeks. He has not taken questions from us. He didn't yesterday, they didn't even hold a press conference with the Mexican president
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Collins:] which is typically what they do when a foreign leader visits. But he is tweeting, and he's tweeting a lot he just fired off a huge thread. And basically, to sum it up, he is complaining that people are going after him, in his view, but not going after his political opponents. This is something he's complained about for a long time now with the FBI, with the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is obviously Republican-controlled. And that is what he's saying now. He's saying you know, he's accusing Barack Obama and Joe Biden of crimes, he's saying that no Republican Senate Judiciary response, no justice, no FBI, no nothing. So basically he is complaining because he feels like he is being unfairly targeted, something that of course has been a theme of his entire administration. But then he goes on and says, This is prosecutorial misconduct. He says, We catch the other side spying on my campaign, the biggest political crime in history, and nothing happens. And then he talks about his achievements so far in office. So, clearly, the president is not happy with this even though you heard how Jeffrey is framing this as a win for the president because it's unlikely that anyone is actually going to see his financial records before voters go to the polls in November. That is not how the president is viewing this today.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Collins:] He is going off on this decision on Twitter, I expect we are going to continue to hear this throughout the morning.
[Harlow:] And, Kaitlan, I mean, it's clear that he thought that this I mean, it sounds like, from reading his tweets, that these were slam- dunk cases for him. And not to mention the two justices that he appointed, Kaitlan Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh joining with the majority opinions here.
[Collins:] Yes. And, you know, everyone, as Chief Justice John Roberts made clear, they're not supposed to view judges as by who they're appointed by, but the president certainly does. That he's often derided someone as an Obama judge. He views his judges
[Harlow:] Right.
[Collins:] as one of his biggest accomplishments. And of course, the Supreme Court justices are there at the top of the list. So it is a major blow to the president that those two justices here ruled against him and whether or not he could shield his tax returns, his financial documents in this New York situation. And so that is really
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Collins:] notable for how the president is going to view this. And you know, we've had a lot of talk lately of my colleague Kevin Liptak was reporting that the president wants to put someone else on the Supreme Court, he wants to be able to make that pitch to voters before November. And so I wonder if this is going to up the pressure that the president has said, you know, privately, talking about the fact that he wants to put someone else on that court. I think this is only going to fuel that even further.
[Harlow:] I think you're right, Kaitlan. Thank you very much. Let me go to Abby Phillip, who joins us, and Doug Brinkley as well, our historian, for the perspective on this. But, Abby, I had to jump in I'm sorry when you were speaking last, to get to the court for the other decision. You know, the former vice president, Joe Biden, is weighing in on this. What's his message?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Yes. He is reupping this message that he's been saying for quite some time, saying that he has released 21 years of his tax returns, and he is pressuring President Trump to do the same. It's a window into how this becomes a political issue for the president even though the court does not necessarily force these records to become public or to go to Congress. Biden is essentially saying, What do you have to hide? To President Trump, and I think that's what is underlying, you know, the other element of what all of this means. Yes, it is, as Jeffrey has said, a practical victory for President Trump. But as you can see from the president's tweets, he remains concerned about the prospect that this information that he's been trying for many, many years to hide might become public, might become part of the public sphere and might actually be used against him, whether he is in office or not. He is not over that possibility. This is a president who has been a businessman his whole life, but has always run a private company. It has never been subject to public scrutiny, and the president really wants it to remain that way. For the next four months, there will not be a mechanism to force the president to do this, but there will be an enormous amount of political pressure from Biden and from others, for the president to show that he is not in fact trying to hide something. Because, obviously, he is, based on his tweets as Kaitlan just read remains incredibly concerned that these investigations going on in New York in particular could have an impact on him, near-term, long- term, whether he is president or out of office.
[Harlow:] That's a very good point. You know, what are the implications of this, Douglas Brinkley, for the president if he wins a second term or if he is out of office and does not? I'll push people to page 21 in the tax decision, the Vance case, the New York prosecutor case, where the chief justice, John Roberts, writes this, "Two hundred years ago, a great jurist of our court established that no citizen, not even the president, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding" because that's what this is. "We reaffirm that principle today and hold that the president is neither absolutely immune from state criminal subpoenas seeking his private papers nor entitled to a heightened standard of need." So looking forward, whether he wins the presidency again or not, what does what happens at the lower courts and may ultimately return to this court mean for him?
[Douglas Brinkley, Cnn Presidential Historian:] I find this to be a very dark day for Donald Trump, this is his greatest fear. You know, he has now Vance has open season on trying to get these documents loose and have a grand jury. Trump has been doing everything and anything to prevent that. We just have to imagine what are in his tax returns, what are in his financial documents. And you know, whenever we get to see them, whenever the public learns about them, it's going to be very difficult for Donald Trump. You know, they're if Trump loses, he may end up being a cellmate next to Cohen, who knows there this could lead to. Trump wanted a clean victory here. But I do agree on the short-term political re-election front, you know, Biden's going to be saying, I released my taxes, you're a coward, what are you covering up, Mr. President? Open up your tax returns, you promised it. That will be going on for the next four or five months. But Donald Trump now has to live in a state of extreme paranoia that all of his financial records are going to be being opened and looked at in New York. And let's and we're talking about the speed of this, Poppy. I mean, Vance has been waiting and waiting and waiting, he's getting a green light now. They are going to be prioritizing looking into Donald Trump's records. It won't happen before November, but you're looking at if he got re-elected and was president in 2021, this becoming a dominant story of the year.
[Harlow:] Well, that's an important point, that the case in New York has been on hold, essentially, for a year and now it picks right back up. Jeffrey Toobin, you said this is a practical win for the president, Douglas Brinkley calls this a dark day for the president. Do you think it's a dark day for the president?
[Toobin:] Well, I do think it is certainly unnerving for him, to say the least, that the grand jury in New York is going to get these documents, and they will not get them before November, I think, but they will get them someday. And unlike Congress which turns over every two years and has new priorities and new members the district attorney, even though they run for re-election every four years, the office always continues. So this investigation is going to proceed. And my reading of this opinion is that they're going to get the financial records that they want. As I say, they will not get them before November, and they won't be publicly disclosed unless there's an actual public trial, but they are going to get these records, and that has to be extremely unnerving for the president. And as we can see from his tweets, he is in a rage about that. But if we are viewing these two cases particularly the congressional case through a political prism, it is a win for the president because he will be able to hide his tax returns, unlike any other president, presidential candidate in the modern era, for one more election. And that is a victory for him, and even if he's not expressing happiness about it, it's still a victory for him.
[Harlow:] If we could just take a step back for one moment, Jeffrey Toobin. And what you think these two decisions say about the court, the High Court, as it stands now, that the president has worked so hard to shape?
[Toobin:] Well, he needs some more appointments if he wants the extremely conservative court
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] that a lot of his supporters want.
[I -- Harlow:] But his his appointments didn't side with him here.
[Toobin:] Well, they didn't side with him in these on this case. But I mean, if you look at the record that Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Gorsuch have taken, they are overwhelmingly conservative. It is true that Justice Gorsuch voted with the liberals on the case about discrimination against LGBT people, but other than that Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh, you know, they voted with the president on abortion against abortion rights, they voted with him to support his attempt to throw the Dreamers out of the country. These are conservative justices. The real story of this term, I think, is Chief Justice Roberts, who historically, in his 15 years as chief justice, has been a conservative but has voted with the liberals in the major, major cases. That's the problem for the president, and he needs some more retirements from the court in order to get the majority that he really wants.
[Harlow:] We'll see if that happens, given that today was the final day of decisions, of the term for the High Court.

[Robyn Curnow, Cnn Anchor:] Just ahead this hour, more encouraging news in the race for a coronavirus vaccine just as the world crosses a grim milestone. Also tensions between the U.S. and China go from bad to worse following what's been described as an unprecedented escalation between the 2 countries. Donald Trump so-called surge: the U.S. president threatens to deploy federal officers to some of the country's largest cities whether there mayors like it or not.
[Unidentified Male:] Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.
[Curnow:] A growing number of American states are seeing record numbers of new confirmed cases of the coronavirus. For the second day in a row, the virus claimed more than 1,000 American lives. Nationwide nearly 4 million infections have been confirmed, about a quarter of the 15 million cases reported worldwide. The U.S. has reached a nearly $2 billion deal with Pfizer to produce and deliver 100 million doses of its experimental vaccine. And despite the record number of cases, the U.S. president continues to defense his response to the pandemic, pointing to more than 50 million tests. However, many people are waiting days or even weeks to get results. In his latest briefing, the president again tried to paint a rosy picture of the crisis.
[Trump:] We're working with very talented people, very brilliant people, and it's all going to work out and it is working out.
[Curnow:] More on the deal between the U.S. and Pfizer. CNN's Athena Jones has this report.
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] As the nation battles to get coronavirus under control, signs of progress on the vaccine front, the federal government reaching what's being called a historic deal to buy tens of millions of vaccines from pharmaceutical company Pfizer, if it's approved.
[Alex Azar, U.s. Health And Human Services Secretary:] We can acquire 100 million doses of this vaccine as early as December of 2019 of 2020 and have the option to buy an additional 500 million doses.
[Jones:] Pfizer, in partnership with German firm BioNTech, just the latest vaccine maker in recent days to issue a promising report.
[John Burkhardt, Pfizer:] Preliminary data from the study shows a good immune response from patients vaccinated and we plan to start the large-scale clinical trial before the end of July involving 20,000 to 30,000 patients.
[Jones:] Calls for volunteers to try out vaccine candidates from Pfizer and others have been met with an overwhelming response.
[Fauci:] We have well over 100,000 people that have already signed up as volunteers.
[Jones:] Meanwhile, at the rate the virus is spreading, officials say, if you don't already know someone who's been infected, that's likely to change in the coming weeks. California now surpassing New York in total confirmed cases, many in hard hit-Los Angeles county driven by young people, infection and hospitalization rates painting a bleak picture in the South. With hospitals overwhelmed in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott now backing a curfew in the Rio Grande Valley, while stopping short of support a shelter-in-place order issued by a county judge.
[Judge Richard Cortez, Hidalgo County, Texas:] What I have told him and others, if I can even simply get 10 percent of our people to follow it, I'm 10 percent better than I am today.
[Jones:] Hospitals also under pressure in Florida, where more than 50 ICUs have reached capacity and health officials say just 15 percent of ICU beds remain available statewide. ICU capacity in the state's hot spot, Miami-Dade County, now tops 132 percent. Still, the governor projecting optimism.
[Gov. Ron Desantis:] I think we are on the right right course. I think we will continue to see improvements.
[Jones:] Even as experts warn of a long road ahead for the
[U.s. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Niaid Director:] I think we ultimately will get control of it. I don't really see us eradicating it.
[Jones:] But officials say getting it under control will require people to follow basic public health guidelines.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Cdc Director:] We're not defenseless. We have powerful tools. Probably the most powerful tool that we have is a simple face mask.
[Jones:] One more thing about the simple face masks Dr. Redfield was speaking about there, the University of Washington's influential model is now projecting 5,000 fewer deaths in the U.S. by November 1st. That's in part because more and more cities and states have issued mask mandates and also because more people are wearing face masks and keeping their distance from others, even without mandates. According to this model, deaths would fall by another 34,000 if the U.S. universally adopted mask wearing Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
[Curnow:] The Brazilian health ministry says the country's coronavirus outbreak seems under control despite breaking the daily record for new infections. Brazil reported nearly 68,000 new cases on Wednesday, more than 16,000 just in Sao Paulo, and more than 1,800 new COVID-19 deaths. President Jair Bolsonaro met with supporters after testing positive for the third time within two weeks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says multiple tests on someone who already has tested positive are now worthwhile. The Australian state of Victoria has been trying to stem an outbreak for weeks but the situation is not improving. More than 400 cases were confirmed Wednesday, the third highest since the pandemic began. Masks there are now mandatory in public in Melbourne. Anna Coren is following this from Hong Kong. You're an Aussie and you've been no doubt getting reports from home. But why is Melbourne back in control, even with borders closed?
[Anna Coren, Cnn Correspondent:] They are struggling and it seems the reason for the rise in numbers is due to complacency. This is basically a public health crisis and people not self-isolating is seen as the reason. Today 403 cases were reported, down slightly from the record of 484. Daniel Andrews said this lockdown could be extended if the numbers don't drop and if people don't take this seriously. He gave some data, showing that 9 out of 100 people getting coronavirus, between testing and showing symptoms, were not self-isolating. Those who were tested and were found positive were also not self- isolating. It seems that Victorians are happy to get tested but then continue about their normal lives. People can still go out, can exercise, it's not as strict as in other place. But people are being complacent and that's why the numbers are rising.
[Curnow:] Thanks, Anna. Here in the U.S., the Trump administration has ordered China to shut its consulate in Houston, Texas, after being accused of years of illegal spying. Local media are sharing this video of what appears to be officials burning documents after the eviction order. The U.S. State Department said growing disputes between the countries led to the decision to shut down the consulate. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo declined to offer details but said this.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] We're setting clear expectations for how the Chinese Communist Party is going to behave. And when they don't, we're going to take actions to protect the American people, protect our security, our national security.
[Curnow:] Kristie Lu Stout joins us now in Hong Kong with this. What more can you tell us?
[Kristie Lu Stout, Cnn Anchor:] The diplomatic relationship between U.S. and China are under threat and China is vowing to retaliate. We're following developments at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco. U.S. prosecutors are seeking a Chinese researcher who they accuse of visa fraud. They say she lied about her links to the Chinese military and is currently hiding out in the consulate there. On Wednesday Beijing vowed to retaliate after the closure by the U.S. Chinese state media have pointed to the possibility of China ordering a shutdown of one of America's consulates in China.
[Stout:] Listen to the spokesperson for the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs.
[Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson:] The U.S. side is deliberately sabotaging U.S.-China relations which is unreasonable. China strongly condemns the decision and urges the U.S. side to immediately recall the wrong decision, otherwise China will take legitimate and necessary counter measures.
[Stout:] The State Department says it acted to close the Houston consulate in order to protect American intellectual property and private Americans' private information, this come days after the indictment was sealed, charging 2 Chinese hackers with espionage and a cyber crime campaign. They say it was ordered by Beijing, aimed at stealing COVID-19 research. It's not clear whether these two events are linked but tension is ratcheting up and we're waiting to see how China will respond, how it will strike back.
[Curnow:] OK, thanks so much, Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Let's go to Beijing. David Rennie is the Beijing bureau chief for "The Economist." David, good to see you. This is an abrupt order, another example of the sharply escalating tensions.
[David Rennie, "the Economist":] That's right. And I think if viewers have watched the last couple of years of sharp rhetoric and trade war disputes, the next months are going to be much bumpier as we near the American presidential election.
[Curnow:] That's what many are asking, Trump's poll numbers are down. Does a tough anti-China message play into his campaign rather than a serious look at China's behavior? What are Beijing's options?
[Rennie:] Here in Beijing, talking to senior officials on the record, they have a clear view of what's going on, a cynical view. They distinguish between Trump's tough anti-China comments, which they think are aimed at scapegoating China for his own failures with the COVID-19 pandemic, and people who are sincere anti-Communist China hawks, like Mike Pompeo and members of Congress. They don't think Trump really cares much about Chinese human rights or the disputes over democracy in Hong Kong. They think he's focused on his own reelection. The phrase they often use is "he'll be kidnapped" by the real hawks around him. If those hawks think this is their last few months in office because they see his poll numbers, I guess Beijing is braced for those hawks to show some real conscience.
[Curnow:] You talk about this being a rocky road. What do you expect, what are the options?
[Rennie:] There's a lot that could be coming. We've already seen rounds of tit-for-tat, expulsions of American and Chinese journalists. We're braced for more of that. We've seen China's foreign ministry ratcheting up its rhetoric, not just toward America but toward U.S. allies. We've seen trade boycotts of countries like Canada or Australia, who've sided with America, the disputes over Huawei. Not only is the spiral of tit-for-tat likely to get worse, but everything is framed now by the looming presidential election. China will be a real issue. China hawks want to throw punches and Trump likes to play a China hawk on TV. All that is incredibly combustible.
[Curnow:] Do you see a severing of diplomatic relations?
[Rennie:] There are other American companies that make a lot of money in China, General Motors and Apple. So there are voices behind the scenes trying to reach Trump, saying we can't afford a cold war. We hardly traded with the Soviet Union during the real Cold War. China is a very different relationship. We're in uncharted territory because we're in a very sharp ideological and security confrontation with a country that's also the West's major trading partner. We've never tried that before so we don't really know how that works. But all of those forces are tugging policy in different directions.
[Curnow:] Finally, looking at Houston, the issue of Chinese spying has been brewing for a while. Some might say the administration needs to be tough, the scale of the problem is too big and it's genuinely state sanctioned.
[Rennie:] You are right, this was a big issue in President Obama's time. He changed an agreement with the Chinese. Everyone knows countries spy on one another but the deal was that countries shouldn't steal commercial secrets and hand them to their favorite company to make money. That was a deal that President Obama thought he had reached with Xi Jinping. The Americans are very clear they think on a massive, industrial scale, China is breaking that promise and is stealing American secrets, including potential vaccine research. So you're right; there will be retaliation so we are kind of waiting to see what's next, which American consulate here in China is potentially closed down in retaliation. There's a long of way to go in this part of-for-tat.
[Curnow:] It's good to have you perspective, thanks so much, David Rennie there, live in Beijing. Still ahead here on CNN, President Trump is deploying federal agents into more Democratic-led cities as he ramps up his law and order campaign promise. Reaction from local leaders is next plus. Police in Zimbabwe have arrested critics of the president ahead of planned protests next week and now a nationwide curfew is in place.

[Tapper:] In our health lead today: The NFL is warning teams that, if they don't follow coronavirus guidelines, they could suffer suspensions and even forfeit draft picks, after some coaches have been seen on the sidelines not wearing masks and not practicing social distancing during games. The NFL postponed the Pittsburgh Steelers-Tennessee Titans game set for Sunday, after the Titans had four players and five staff members test positive for the virus. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now to discuss. And, Sanjay, masks were a hot topic of the debate last night, among many other topics.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Yes.
[Tapper:] Take a listen to this quick clip.
[Biden:] If we just wore a mask between now if they're everybody wore a mask and social distanced between now and January, we'd probably save up to 100,000 lives. It matters. It matters.
[Trump:] And they've also said the opposite. They've also said the opposite.
[Biden:] And no no serious person said the opposite. No serious person...
[Trump:] So we'll look at look at Dr. Fauci Dr. Fauci said the opposite.
[Biden:] He did not say the opposite.
[Wallace:] I want to ask you...
[Trump:] He said very strongly...
[Wallace:] ... we've got a little bit longer than a minute left in this segment.
[Trump:] ... masks are not good.
[Tapper:] I mean, it's such a it's just so insane. Look, let's be clear. Fauci did advise against wearing masks in the early days of the pandemic, in February and March, when other health experts were saying that same thing. But he, like other health experts, quickly changed course and started strongly advocating for them, once science proved their effectiveness. But here's Trump trying to muddy the waters. Why even do that? What does that achieve?
[Gupta:] I don't know. The masks are one of the most confusing things about this whole thing, Jake, because shutting down businesses, I get it, the economic sort of impact of that. Wear a mask. I mean, it's really simple. And the 100,000 number that Vice President Biden was quoting was from the IHME model, a model that the White House uses. That's one of their models that they go to on this. The effectiveness of the mask, as well as something else that happened in late March, sort of late February, early March, I think, really changed Fauci's mind on this. And I really want to make this point. Listen to how Dr. Fauci put it.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Niaid Director:] Back then, we were not aware that 40 to 45 percent of people were asymptomatic. We need to put that nonsense behind us about, well, they keep changing their minds. Masks work.
[Gupta:] So, Jake, I think, typically, when you think of a respiratory virus, someone who's coughing or sneezing and having symptoms, those are the people that are usually contagious. What became very clear during that early spring time frame, February, March, was that people could spread asymptomatically, and that that was a significant source of the spread. So the idea that you were the masks so that you're not the spreader, I think, really became the key. That's the important thing, is that you wear it to protect those around you. You have to behave like you have the virus. That's what changed, I think, in Fauci's mind, and that's what the science showed.
[Tapper:] But let because people are dying of this, I just want to take another beat on this, OK? So Joe Biden was making the argument, everybody should wear masks, and Trump makes fun of them, he belittles them. Now, Trump knows that the health experts say people should wear masks. His family showed up at this debate wearing masks, the first lady, his daughters, et cetera. They were wearing masks. And yet, instead of saying, I do support wearing masks, everybody should wear a mask, just like my family is wearing tonight, he muddies the waters to score a political point, as if Joe Biden is wrong about masks. That's dangerous.
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Tapper:] That is continuing to put out information that confuses people.
[Gupta:] There's there's no question about it. And like I said, this will be one of the mysteries. I guess probably it's exactly what you say, Jake. It's just political points, because it doesn't make sense. We know the president's worried about the virus. People around him are tested. He may have said it was a hoax, but he's certainly worried about it. Why he doesn't encourage people who are his supporters to wear masks, why he'd belittles it, I guess it's just I have not been able to say that something was purely political. Politics entangles into all these matters of science that we talk about. But this issue on masks sounds like it's just purely political.
[Tapper:] Yes. And it's misinformation. And it's dangerous.
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Tapper:] The president also said, the vaccine will be ready in a few weeks. Is that possible?
[Gupta:] It's not going to be ready for you and me and the general public. I mean, that's the perception that I think people take away from that, ready, we're ready to go, the pandemic is over. As you know, even after the vaccine comes out, it's going to take some time to distribute it and to actually have it take effect. And we're talking next summer, possibly, for that a lot of that major distribution to take place. What strikes me though, Jake, again, to your earlier point is, he's at odds, contradicting the very people that he hired. He brought in Moncef Slaoui to be the chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, which is doing an incredible job. I mean, they're moving along really fast. But even he doesn't believe that you're going to have that much vaccine ready. I talked to him about it. Take a listen.
[Dr. Moncef Slaoui, Chief Adviser To Vaccine Effort:] If it's shown efficacious in November or in December, we don't have enough vaccine doses. We'd have a few million in November and maybe 10, 20 million of each in December. That will be enough to vaccinate certain populations, start vaccinating certain populations, but not the whole population.
[Gupta:] He said he disagreed with Moncef Slaoui last night at the debate. So, what are we to do, Jake? I mean, these are the world experts. That's what they're saying. And then you hear what the president says.
[Tapper:] Yes. And, look, the president should be praised for Operation Warp Speed. It's great. But then he undermines his own experts. It's befuddling. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much. We don't know the president's COVID response plan, but we now have an idea of his three-pronged plan to win reelection. And that's next.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn Host:] Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I'm Hala Gorani. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. What price will reopening the United States take, at what cost? A new projection says the number of coronavirus deaths could vastly increase. Also this hour, here in the U.K., the government is testing a contact tracing app on a small island, will it help people get back to normal? And as some countries' numbers decline, in Africa, they are rising. I'll speak to a senior official from the World Health Organization about what can be done there.
[Gorani:] Well, in the United States, several new computer models are making one thing clear, the price of reopening America's economy will be tens of thousands of lives. Here's senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns.
[Joe Johns, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] A warning from Dr. Anthony Fauci as more states roll back social-distancing guidelines.
[Fauci:] When you have a lot of virus activity and you know that you're able to contain it to a certain degree by the mitigation, the physical separations and you start to leap frog over some of these, you're inviting rebound.
[Johns:] Nearly 69,000 Americans have died from coronavirus so far, according to numbers from Johns Hopkins University. And this morning, one model often cited by the White House shows the human cost of reopening the country too soon could be extreme. It suggests 134,000 people could die of coronavirus by the first week of August. Monday morning, it predicted just over half that many, about 72,000.
[Dr. Christopher Murray, Director, Institute For Health Metrics And Evaluation:] There's clearly a huge relationship between how much people are out and about and how much transmission occurs. So no surprise, as people go back to being more active and interacting with each other, we're going to see increased transmission.
[Johns:] "The New York Times" on taping an obtaining an internal document showing Trump administration modeling projects there will be 200,000 new cases and 3,000 coronavirus-related deaths daily by early June, about 50 percent more than the current rate. The White House pushing back against the report, writing in a statement, "This data is not reflective of any of the modeling done by the task force or data that the task force has analyzed. The president's phased guidelines to open up America again are a scientific-driven approach that the top health and infectious disease experts in the federal government agreed with." Despite President Trump's persistence.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] Some states I think, frankly, aren't going fast enough.
[Johns:] Some states resisting the push, like in New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to move forward with any reopening plans, despite the rate of infections slowing.
[Cuomo:] This is the number that haunts me every day. And this number is not declining anywhere nearly as fast as we would like to see it decline. Still, 226 New Yorkers who passed away.
[Johns:] Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, a battle brewing between Congress and the Trump administration after it blocked coronavirus task force members like Dr. Fauci from testifying in the House later this month. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisting those conversations are crucial for properly allocating resources.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] The fact that they said we're not we're too busy being on TV to come to the Capitol is, well, business as usual for them. But it is not business that will be helpful to addressing this. We need to have the we must insist on the truth.
[Gorani:] That was Joe Johns reporting and Joe joins me now live. So you know, this model is very concerning, I'm sure, for Americans around the world. Yet despite the fact that many states in America are seeing increasing daily deaths and their curves are not flattening, they are reopening portions of their economy. Why is that decision being made in many U.S. states?
[Johns:] Talking to people here at the White House, they indicate in their view there is a balance that needs to be struck, a balance between concerns about additional coronavirus sickness andor death, that they want to weigh against the concerns for the economy. And in their position it is a state by state decision here. Also, important to say the White House and just to sort of reiterate what was in the piece, Hala the White House is indicating that this was a report that was not ready to be published yet. That is what they argue, at least, that the in fact, in "The Washington Post" this morning, the creator of the model says that the numbers were not ready to be published yet. Nonetheless, it is also important to note the very same numbers apparently, according to the report, were presented to a group of individuals who handle emergency response. So there are a lot of questions about the numbers. Nonetheless, it is very concerning and what the people here at the White House say is they're leaving it to the states, Hala.
[Gorani:] And the president is traveling to Arizona; most Americans are told to stay put but the president is making this trip. What is he up to today?
[Johns:] Right. As you know, the president has been eager not only to get the country opened up but also to get out of the White House, where he's been, since just about March 28th, except for one trip out to Camp David. And he is going to Phoenix, he's going to attend, among other things, a meeting with Native Americans. And one of the things on their minds is $8 billion that was set aside for coronavirus aid that they haven't received. We just got a news release, saying part of that money is coming out. And he's also going to go to a factory that has in part been converted to create N-95 respirator masks. This is something the president has been very high on. But most important thing to say about this trip, I think, Hala, is what is very obvious, that is that Arizona is likely a battleground state. It is a state that could be in play in November. The president hasn't been able to get out and campaign and highly interested in going to states that he needs to try to win re-election when we get there.
[Gorani:] Thank you, Joe Johns, at the White House. I want to talk more about these U.S. coronavirus models with CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Is this these models are taking into account the fact that many states are lifting lockdown orders, right? Because initially the projection or at least the hopeful optimistic goal was for far fewer deaths in the
[U.s. Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Sr. Medical Correspondent:] That's right, Hala. So the optimism was based on the United States doing the kind of social distancing that it was doing starting sort of middle, end of March. That's not the way it turned out. They did it for a while but it didn't continue as we see more and more states opening up. And you don't have to be a professional immunologist to understand this concept; the more people get together, the more the virus is going to spread.
[Gorani:] And now let's talk, though, about these antibody tests as well. We talked a lot about vaccines. But antibody tests aren't always reliable; they're tightening rules regarding these tests. Tell us more about that.
[Cohen:] So there has basically been seven weeks of testing chaos, antibody testing chaos in the United States. Seven weeks ago is when the Trump administration changed their rules, as you sort of hinted there, making it more relaxed. And so now the Trump administration is changing it back, something experts said should have been the case all along.
[Donald Trump, U.s. President:] Thank you very much.
[Cohen:] Just weeks ago, President Trump was so proud of removing regulatory barriers in the fight against coronavirus.
[Trump:] We've cut through the red tape to give doctors and patients unprecedented freedom to make their own healthcare decisions.
[Cohen:] But on Monday, his administration reversed course. It has to do with this, an antibody test. It tells you if you've already had COVID-19 and might possibly be immune to it. In mid-March, the Food and Drug Administration started allowing companies to sell tests without first proving they got actual got accurate results. The outcome, dozens of companies started selling these tests and many of them often gave false results. Monday, the FDA reversed course and said now test developers do have to show their test work accurately. How would you describe what the FDA did back in March?
[Rep. Lloyd Doggett:] A real breach of the public trust, yielding to President Trump instead of remembering its traditional responsibility to protect the public health.
[Cohen:] FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said it was all part of an evolution. We are continuing to adapt approach based on real world experience and data, he said Monday. This has all informed the changes to our policy regarding antibody tests. But Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat who chairs the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, said it was obvious that relaxing the regulations was a bad idea.
[Doggett:] It seems to have come as a surprise to the FDA that if it does not do its job, who authorizes.
[Cohen:] Recently, earning FDA authorization, this test by Roche, they do have data and their data shows it has almost 100 percent accuracy.
[Severin Schwan, Ceo, Roche Group:] And so this is pretty extraordinary. And what that allows us is to really reliably test whether a person has been infected by the coronavirus.
[Cohen:] Even with a nearly perfect test, there is a problem. If the test shows you've previously been infected and have antibodies, you might have some degree of immunity to the novel coronavirus, but maybe not.
[Schwan:] There're still open questions on how long will this immunity be. Will it be for one year, two years, several years? Will it, you know, be full immunity or is the reinfection just less severe?
[Cohen:] Scientists still need to work that out, another mystery of the virus. FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said it was all part of an evolution. We are continuing to adapt approach based on real world experience and data, he said Monday. This has all informed the changes to our policy regarding antibody tests. But Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat who chairs the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, said it was obvious that relaxing the regulations was a bad idea.
[Doggett:] It seems to have come as a surprise to the FDA that if it does not do its job, who authorizes.
[Cohen:] Recently, earning FDA authorization, this test by Roche, they do have data and their data shows it has almost 100 percent accuracy.
[Schwan:] And so this is pretty extraordinary. And what that allows us is to really reliably test whether a person has been infected by the coronavirus.
[Cohen:] Even with a nearly perfect test, there is a problem. If the test shows you've previously been infected and have antibodies, you might have some degree of immunity to the novel coronavirus, but maybe not.
[Schwan:] There're still open questions on how long will this immunity be. Will it be for one year, two years, several years? Will it, you know, be full immunity or is the reinfection just less severe?
[Cohen:] Scientists still need to work that out, another mystery of the virus that's caused this global pandemic. Now public health experts welcome this change from the FDA, saying it is about time. Hala?
[Gorani:] All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much. So it is about antibody tests, of course, and in the longer term it is about a vaccine. But in the short term, with the help of technology, there are ways to try to limit the spread of the virus. For instance, contact tracing apps to try to sort of limit the spread of COVID-19. This contact tracing app was rolled out today on the Isle of Wight. It uses Bluetooth to alert users if they have been near someone who has symptoms or tested positive for the virus. Of course, it is a small population, it is self-contained and it is easy to evaluate whether it is a successful initiative. Hadas Gold joins me from London with more. Do we have any sort of are we able to assess early on whether or not this has been a success or not yet?
[Hadas Gold, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Hala, this app just started rolling out today and it is the first week that they're actually fully testing the U.K.'s own version of the contact tracing app on the Isle of Wight, known as one of Queen Victoria's favorite vacation spots. But now it's the first place this app will be tested. There are reasons for testing it on an island but how this app works is that it uses Bluetooth technology to track what other devices you've been around. This information is anonymized but the phone keeps track of it. The app marks your symptoms. If the app decides your symptoms line up with a possible COVID-19 diagnosis, it will alert the other devices you have been around they have been in touch with a risky contact. Then, if you do manage to get a test and put that into the app you tested positive, it will then again alert the people they have been around somebody who has tested positive. Won't tell them who, only they have been around somebody for enough time with close enough distance that that person has been tested positive. If you test negative it will alert everybody and say, hey, it was a false alarm, it is OK. We have seen these similar apps pop up in other countries around the world. There is a major difference between the U.K.'s app and other apps we're seeing. First, it is not using the framework that Apple and Google started, offering it for free around the world. One of the main reasons for this is because the U.K. wants to be able to store the data from these apps centrally. The reason for this is because they want to be able to study the data. If you don't study the data centrally, you can't study trends, different symptoms that might be popping up. The privacy advocates are against this, they say that by storing the data centrally opens it up possibly to bad actors and it is safer to actually store it decentrally. But this is the way the U.K. decided to move forward. They got the endorsements from the former head of U.K. intelligence services and the information commissioner, say that thus far it is OK. But one of the major hurdles here is actually just getting people to use the app. The government says they want at least half of the 80,000 households on the Isle of Wight to download this app. Experts say you need at least 50 percent to 60 percent of a population to download this app and use it in order for it to be at all effective.
[Gorani:] I wanted to show our viewers a graphic that illustrates just how difficult that might be, especially among the most vulnerable residents on the Isle of Wight. Older people are more vulnerable to COVID-19-19. And only 40 percent of people over the age of 65 in the United Kingdom use their phones to go online in 2019. It gives you a sense just how much more younger people, less susceptible to contracting and showing symptoms of COVID-19, how much more younger people use their smartphones. How do you get around that?
[Gold:] The government acknowledges there is an issue with the fact that you need a smartphone to use this app. That's why they say this app is only one part of their broader strategy of tracking and tracing and testing. And that's why the U.K. also wants to hire 18,000 human contact tracers, people who, if you get a positive test, they will physically pick up the phone and start tracing where you have been and calling the people you may have been in contact with to notify them in the same way the app does. One advantage of an app is that you have to know who you've been you might not know who you've been around, you might be in a store or riding a bus. And the app will pick up other phones that have been around you. If you to recall to a human contact tracer, I took bus number 13, on Tuesday, at 2:00 pm, it is harder to keep track of who has been on the buses. But the government says all of these things together, the app, the contact tracers, increased testing, are all one of the only ways they'll be able to start lifting the heavy lockdown we have in the United Kingdom.
[Gorani:] All right, thanks very much, Hadas Gold. Still ahead, new information, new startling information about when the coronavirus first spread to Europe. Doctors in France now say it happened in December. And a new report sheds light on the likely origin of the coronavirus and it is not exactly what the U.S. president is claiming. We'll explain next.

[Sciutto:] Again, last week, nearly 1 million Americans filed first- time unemployment claims, it's the first time it's fallen below a million, but these weekly numbers just off the charts historically, not even matched during the 2008, 2009 financial crisis. CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins me now. Christine, you know, first put this into context here right
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] Sure
[Sciutto:] Historically, when you see numbers like this. Good that it's below a million, but I mean
[Romans:] It's a deep hole
[Sciutto:] Historically, it's a remarkably high number.
[Romans:] It's just a deep jobs holder here in and you know, Jim, it's interesting because the damage is so extensive that the Labor Department is actually tweaking how it seasonably adjusts these numbers so they can get sort of a better picture. I mean, even the math they use isn't suitable for how terrible this has been this Summer, this 24
[Sciutto:] They were tweaking it to get a number that looks better?
[Romans:] No, they're not trying to get it to look better, but they've changed
[Sciutto: Ok -- Romans:] The way that they seasonably adjust these numbers because it just the scope of the problem was so big, they're changing how and they're very clear about it on their news release if anybody who really wonky wants to get there And take a look at it. It's complicated, but, you know, 881,000 is a big number. It's below a million and I'm glad it's below a million, but it's a big number. When you put it all together, Jim, and all the different programs including these new emergency programs for gig workers and for part-time workers, right? You have 29 million Americans receiving some sort of jobless benefit, 29 million, that's a big number. There's nothing when we look at continuing claims, as people who have been on the state programs for at least two weeks in a row, that number fell. And that's a good sign, it's still a lot of people, Jim. Every one of those numbers is a person or a family who is wondering I think why Congress has gone away on recess and is not working on the
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Romans:] The next package here.
[Sciutto:] Yes, I mean, these payments have made a difference, right? I mean, they've made a difference for families
[Romans:] Yes
[Sciutto:] And for businesses, frankly. You see it in sales and so on. OK, let's talk about the deficit.
[Romans:] Sure.
[Sciutto:] Budget deficit, a record $3.3 trillion, I always remind people, that's a thousand, billion. I mean, these numbers are just like off the charts. A lot of this clearly from the stimulus in the wake of the pandemic
[Romans:] Sure.
[Sciutto:] But it was already coming from a very high point prior to that as well.
[Romans:] Right, and when we had corporate tax cuts, right? We had even in a really strong economy, we had we were running big deficits. We were spending a lot of money and now you had a crisis that hit, and now in an emergency, you're spending all this money. So now, by next year, the size of America's national debt will be as big as the size of the entire economy. That's something that hasn't happened since World War II. So, you think of this
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Romans:] Pandemic, we're spending money like we're fighting a world war. That's where we are.
[Sciutto:] Yes, it's a listen, folks had warned when the times were good, that's not the time for deficit spending because if a crisis were to hit and here we are, crisis hit.
[Romans:] Textbook I told you so.
[Sciutto:] Yes, Christine Romans, thanks very much.
[Romans:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] An alarming warning for meat packers hit by the pandemic. The National Farmers Union says meat processing workers are still at an elevated risk of exposure in Iowa. This as cases across that state surge, making it the latest U.S. hotspot. Joining me now is the mayor of Waterloo, Iowa, Quentin Hart. Mayor Hart, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.
[Mayor Quentin Hart, Waterloo, Iowa:] Thank you for having me.
[Sciutto:] There's a particular risk at meat packing plants because of the concentration of folks there as they're working and also their living conditions at home, et cetera. What's being done to address that issue? You know, to address the outbreaks we're seeing here because it's not a new thing, we've seen this for months.
[Hart:] Right. When you you know, we went through a lot of challenges several months ago within our meat packing plant locally in our community, but we have to make sure that every safety precaution is taken at our plants, on site testing needs to be done and immediate contact-tracing, dividers placed in workstations. There has to be a myriad of different changes that have to take place within our processing plants to make sure that people are safe, and that you could hold the spread to a minimal if it actually happens.
[Sciutto:] As you know, the president has gotten involved in this in recent weeks, in effect, forcing the plants, right, to reopen. Has that been helpful or hurtful in your view?
[Hart:] Well, it's been hurtful in one way that it may take away some of the accountability that some of the processing plants have to do to ensure overall safety. Where we did have the benefit, our local company reached out to our chamber, reached out to our Health Department, reached out to us within the city, and we were able to actually tour, take a look at the myriad of difference changes that were going to be done internally within the plant. That was something they did on their own. So it's a dangerous situation when you reduce the accountability and liability, but you don't hold them to the hold their feet to the fire with regards to putting in all of the safety mechanisms that we need to have to keep people safe. And when you have such outrageously have last time, it puts a strain on our local businesses, it hurts our ag economy because there's no one to produce the processing of meat.
[Sciutto:] No question. Where who's listening to your voice, right? I mean, you're very close to this, right? These people are your constituents, I mean, these businesses are in your town. When you issue those warnings up to the state level or the national level, do folks listen?
[Hart:] It seems like it goes on deaf ears some of the time. We've had a challenge around here being able to locally make decisions that impact our local community. There's no cookie-cutter solution for all of this, and we need the individual decision-making on the local level for us to be successful in controlling this virus.
[Sciutto:] Understood. As you know, your Senator Joni Ernst, she is facing some backlash after she appeared to call the pandemic death toll into question, which is which is something that starts on the dark corners of the web, and lo and behold, you have national political figures stating this. Just for you've lost constituents, right? And I'm sure you have a lot of families suffering through this. What's your answer to Senator Ernst and others who have who have questioned data like we have on the screen here which is, you know, comes directly from the CDC and Johns Hopkins?
[Hart:] I find it as being away from what reality really is. If you want to see it, come talk to some of my friends. Some of the relatives and people that I know in this local community that have lost their lives or dealing with long-term health issues. But that is the challenge we're having. Even talking about direct funding to local cities, we haven't seen that yet. We were a that is that is the challenge what happened. Even talking about direct funding to local cities, we haven't seen that yet. As we're a city over 500,000 people, maybe there will be some direct funding. But in her very own state, we are needing help, cities need help, and people need real officials that know what's really happening on the ground here.
[Sciutto:] Well, Mayor Quentin Hart, we wish you the best of luck. We know you got a lot on your plate going forward and the people who live in your town as well.
[Hart:] All right, thank you.
[Sciutto:] Well, the former Vice President Joe Biden is heading today to Kenosha, Wisconsin. He's going to meet with the family of Jacob Blake and others there, what can we expect from the trip? We're going to take you to Kenosha live. And we're just moments away from the opening bell on Wall Street, futures down slightly on the heels of that weekly jobless claims report. Tomorrow, we get the jobs report for the month of July, investors will be keeping a close eye on that figure as well. Please stay with us.

[Text:] LET'S GET AFTER IT.
[Cuomo:] Everybody wants to reopen. But be clear, reopening does not mean that the COVID pandemic is over. Cases are climbing. We're past the 2 million case mark. And this is not about simply doing more counting. It's about contagion. Let's look at hospitalizations. Vaughn, put the graph up. Look at these hotspot states, South Carolina, Texas, Arizona. I'm going to get you a graphic on them. In all three of those places, South Carolina not not so impressive. But Texas and Arizona, you're going to see big growth in hospitalizations. That's not about counting. It's about contagion. And, of course, the death toll continues to rise, OK? You see here. This is in Texas. You see? Hospitalizations, OK? You see up, up, up, up, up, up, all right? That's not about counting. Put up the next State. All right. Arizona, you'll see same kind of thing. South Carolina, you'll see it more flat. I'll show you both. Don't worry about it, all right? Look, there's Arizona, OK? I mean pretty scary. We're going to dig deeper into Arizona. We have to figure out what's going on there. This isn't just rolling across the country. There's something else going on there. We'll look at it. And then you have to, of course, focus on death toll. The latest model used by the White House is predicting the toll could hit a 170,000 by October. That would be 50,000-plus more lives lost in just the next four months. Let's bring in Dr. William Schaffner. Always good to see you, Doc.
[Dr. William Schaffner, Infectious Disease Expert, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Cdc Adviser:] Good to be with you, Chris.
[Cuomo:] The idea, of why this is happening, this should not be a surprise. We were hoping to get a break in the summer months. But reopening can kind of cancel out the break that you thought you'd get, by being outside, and having better weather, for transmission advantage, if it's not done correctly, yes?
[Schaffner:] Oh, for sure. COVID's not taking a summer vacation. It's actually having new opportunities to spread. But, of course, we knew that would happen once we opened up, and we were talking about how you had to balance that, opening it up for all the economic, social, and cultural advantages, which was absolutely necessary. But we had to do it carefully, in order to not make too much medical and public health damage, at the same time. This is a tricky matter. And if people are carefree, rather than careful, well then you'll see an increase in cases. And I'm with you. I think these hospitalization numbers are the ones that are the most ominous and reliable. Then going up here, there, not everywhere yet, thank goodness, we have to be on the alert.
[Cuomo:] The projection that the White House relies on that shows 57,000 more people projected to die from COVID in the next four months. What does that suggest to you, in terms of why that would be happening?
[Schaffner:] Well obviously, more opportunities for people to get close to each other, whether in small groups, or larger groups, that's an opportunity for this virus to spread. It loves to get close to people, and spread from one to another. And if you do it in groups, it can spread widely and more quickly. So, that's a substantial, it's just a model, but nonetheless, it's a substantial number anticipated during what we're supposed to be or hoped for the quieter months.
[Cuomo:] Hey, you know, Doc, one of the reasons I rely on you, and we've talked about this before, on- and off-camera, is this stuff gets really confusing really fast for people. And that's if everything that's told to them is accurate. You know, we've had a change in masks. We've had a change in distance. We've had a change in viral load. We've had a change in duration. You know, everything keeps changing as you guys learn about things. And I understand that. But it's confusing for people. And then today, the CDC Director, Tom Frieden, said we're not focusing on the most important trends. We're giving too much weight to numbers that have little meaning, case count numbers, number of tests conducted, obviously former Director of the CDC, Tom Frieden, he'd be out in an afternoon, if he was in there right now, talking this way, if you're not on on the bus with Trump, you're out, test positivity rates. Are we focusing on the wrong things? And if so, why, and what are the right things?
[Schaffner:] Well I think it's an accumulation of things. And I think testing provides some information. But you got to look at it with care. Whom are we testing? Are we focused on high-risk populations? Then we have to take that into account because we'll find many, many more cases. If you start testing people who have no symptoms, and are at low risk, obviously you won't find as many cases. But you and I both like that number that we just talked about, people who are hospitalized, with laboratory diagnosed-COVID, because for the last several months, we've had enough testing capacity to test those people. And so, those are good hard numbers. Watch those trends. As we say, it's a bit of a lagging indicator. It lags a little bit behind the actual infection by a week, week and a half. But it's a solid indicator of how we're doing. And it also is a measure of the stress on the healthcare system. So, that's a very useful indicator.
[Cuomo:] Yes. I totally agree with that because that lets you know what your capacity is, in terms of what else you can handle, and those are the real cases. Not to disrespect anybody who had it, but I include myself in that disrespect, if that's what I'm doing. There were a couple of days where I was afraid I'd become one of those hospitalizations, but I didn't. And if people can deal with this at home, that's one kind of illness. If you have to be in the hospital, it's a whole different layer of potential outcomes. That's why I think it deserves acute focus. Dr. Schaffner, thank you very much. I'll probably call on you, if not tonight, tomorrow morning, to get your help on Arizona.
[Schaffner:] Will be glad.
[Cuomo:] What's what's happening there is worrying experts. We've got to take a deeper look. I'd love to get your help on that. God bless. Have a good night.
[Schaffner:] Good night.
[Cuomo:] All right, now again, you know, what do you do in a time like this, if you're a leader? Trying to send the right message about the pandemic, and what's going to happen. You're telling people to wear masks. You're telling them to go slow. You're telling them to be careful. You're telling them to watch what's going on, right? All deliberate speed. Not this President! Rally Time! The worst thing you could do in the middle of this pandemic. And, by the way, he's having people sign a release form. Isn't that nice? "Please come. But if anything happens, go away." What a familiar situation for so many of his business endeavors? He's taken a lot of heat. But he doesn't care. He doesn't care. And the question becomes, where is he going to kick it off, and on what day? Juneteenth, in Tulsa, do you know what Juneteenth is about? Do you know what happened in Tulsa, the site of one of the worst race massacres in American history? But some are saying "No, no, no, you have it wrong. The President's doing the right thing." We have one one of his defenders, a Congressman, who represents Tulsa, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Smerconish:] I did "Real Time" with Bill Maher last night on HBO. I think it was my fifth appearance and it's why I'm in Los Angeles this morning instead of Philadelphia. For me the most interesting exchange of the night was about the #MeToo movement and how it has impacted the writer Mark Halperin and former senator Al Franken, one of my co- panelists was former senator Heidi Heitkamp.
[Bill Maher, Host, "real Time With Bill Maher":] It's kind of a good week to talk about this #MeToo redemption issue because Mark Halperin, remember him? He look, I always say it's a case by case, and we don't know. He denied the worst of it which was accusations that he used to rub his hard-on against women at the office. He admitted to like inappropriately asking them out, denied the worst but of course he's going to. And then there's Al Franken who I have defended many times. I said, I don't think he did that shit. OK? So it depends We need like a court, like a redemption court, because like Mike Halperin he has been gone two years. He did lose everything at the time but now he has got a book out. So, he interviewed a lot of Democratic strategists and now they are all having to back pedal saying, people are saying why are you in his book, Mark Halperin, and I'm asking, what who decides, what is the does he never get to come back?
[Smerconish:] I will own this because
[Maher:] Yes, you've had him on.
[Smerconish:] He re-emerged on my program. My calculus, as one who is privileged to have this platform, and am I going to extend the invitation to him, was this. Has he owned it? And has he been punished? You know that he wrote "Game Change" and "Double Down."
[Maher:] Yes.
[Smerconish:] He lost the deal for what he would have written about the last one.
[Maher:] Yes.
[Smerconish:] Lost the HBO movie that would have been adapted by it, lost all of his gigs, sat out for 500 days and I thought had been punished enough. And if not, then I asked the question, are we advocating the professional death sentence for someone like them
[Maher:] Right.
[Smerconish:] because I'm not comfortable with that.
[Maher:] Right. And you said you regretted
[Heidi Heitkamp , Former Senator:] Yes.
[Maher:] Helping push Al out.
[Heitkamp:] Right. So if it turned into groupthink, which is what you're talking about.
[Maher:] Right.
[Heitkamp:] All of a sudden there is a huge litmus test out there, and you're either peer or you're not peer and you can't do any critical thinking, any kind of nuance discussion, and I knew at the time that I did it, and I'm not proud to say this, that it was wrong. I mean, my parents taught me doing that kind of groupthink was wrong but we did it because we were in the panic of the moment and I told Al that, and Al said, well, will you tell that to anyone who asked you? I said absolutely, I will own it and I will own it even if I were in the Senate because at some point we as the accuser, we as the judgers, have to make a decision on when is enough is enough.
[Smerconish:] Halperin has been my guest I should point out on SiriusXM radio, not here on CNN, and the social media reaction to my hosting him has been vicious at times. We can put up a montage of some of what I get constantly. In contrast, I should say to the radio callers who are free to dial in and offer a reaction and are almost universally appreciative of hearing his insight on the 2020 race. Still to come, the last three recessions were all preceded by a drop in RV sales. What does this bellwether category tell us about the U.S. economy, is it more accurate than the economists?

[Harlow:] All right, former President Obama, celebrities and thousands of people paid their respects to Grammy nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle in Los Angeles. Stevie Wonder performed, Snoop Dogg spoke at the memorial service yesterday. Nipsey Hussle, of course, was shot and killed outside his clothing store last month. In a letter read during the memorial service, former President Obama thanked him for uplifting his hometown, his community and south central Los Angeles. After the memorial, hundreds of people lined the 25 mile-long look at that 25 mile-long procession. Many walked alongside Hustle's silver hearse tossing roses and taking pictures. What a sight. All right, today a jury in Florida could bring to an end the 26-year- old murder mystery. Right now closing arguments are underway in the case against Michael Haim. He is accused of killing his wife in 1993. And at the time the only evidence against him were words by his three- year-old son. Those words, quote, daddy hurt mommy. That was until 2014 when Haim's now adult son discovered human remains in the backyard of his childhood home. Our Martin Savidge is outside the courtroom in Jacksonville, Florida, where this trial is taking place. Wow. Walk us through this, Marty.
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, it is quite an amazing story. Good morning to you, Poppy. Closing arguments are underway, as you point out, in the Michael Haim trial here. And, remember, his wife had gone missing for more than two decades until her son made an incredible discovery.
[Savidge:] By her family's own words, 23-year-old Bonnie Haim was a loving mother, daughter and sister who, in January of 1993, suddenly vanished, leaving behind her three-year-old son, Aaron. Bonnie's husband, Michael Haim, has always maintained his wife walked out on him following an argument.
[Michael Haim, Father:] Actually, she just wasn't happy and she wanted to leave. And I couldn't stop her from leaving.
[Savidge:] Bonnie Haim was never seen again. Her disappearance profiled in a 1994 episode of "Unsolved Mysteries." The program focused on a startling revelation, a very young Aaron made to Florida's child protective services, saying, daddy hurt her.
[Det. Robert Hinson, Jacksonville, Florida Sheriff's Office:] From what Aaron told us that day, my only conclusion was that there had been a domestic fight and that Michael Haim killed his wife and had removed her and that their three and a half-year-old son, Aaron Haim, had witnessed this.
[Savidge:] But with limited evidence and no body, there was little police could do. Aaron was adopted and his mother's case went cold for decades. Then, in 2014, police were called to the former Haim family home, finding the once little boy of 21 years ago now grown up and going by his adopted name Aaron Fraser. Aaron had recently acquired the home and was renovating it, digging up the pool, when he discovered some plastic sheeting with what he thought was a coconut wrapped inside, recalling the moment from the witness stand.
[Aaron Fraser, Bonnie Haim's Son:] I picked up the coconut object and it ended up being the top portion of her skull.
[Savidge:] Tests would confirm Aaron had found the remains of his own mother. Prosecutors say authorities also recovered a 22 caliber shell casing. Now, 52-year-old Michael Haim is on trial for murder. His attorney still maintaining he had nothing to do with Bonnie's death.
[Unidentified Female:] In this case, a lot of evidence is just as important, if not more important than the evidence you will hear.
[Savidge:] Just before the trial began, Bonnie Haim's sister posted online what it means for her family. It's going to rip off bandages and expose us to things we'd long ago pushed to the back of our memories, but sometimes we have to rip off bandages to really begin to heal. For Aaron Fraser, the trial is his chance to finish the story he first told when he was just three, the remarkable truth of how he lost and eventually found his mother. This story has had many surprising turns to it, including late yesterday afternoon when it looked like testimony had come to an end and the judge turned to Michael Haim and asked, do you want to take the witness stand? And he said, yes, which clearly was a surprise to the prosecution and it appeared even to his own defense team. He was on the stand for two hours, took questions from both the prosecutor and his defense attorney. The prosecutor really went after him very aggressively, but despite that Michael Haim never seemed to raise his voice, never lost his composure. And when he was asked, did he hurt his wife, he said, absolutely not. He loved his wife. And that he would never have hurt his wife. It's expected that this could go to the jury later this afternoon, Poppy.
[Harlow:] Wow, what a turn. Marty Savidge, important reporting, thank you for being there. Wow. All right, we'll keep you posted on that. Meantime, disturbing new surveillance video and what appears to show two police officers dragging a 16-year-old student down the stairs, shocking her with a stun gun and punching her. This is in Chicago. Now her family is suing.

[Sanjay Gupta, Neurosurgeon:] And the other way, too you've got to heal the mind to be able to heal the body.
[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn:] I love it.
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Whitfield:] We're going to be watching all of that. I can't wait to see the other as you go all over the world right? You're in Italy, you're in Poland.
[Gupta:] Yes, Italy, Turkey...
[Whitfield:] Bolivia.
[Gupta:] ... Norway, Bolivia. I think you'll love this.
[Whitfield:] Fantastic.
[Gupta:] And you're a tri-athlete, I think you will love this.
[Whitfield:] I can't wait. I'm ready for the journey. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, always good to see you. Thank you so much.
[Gupta:] Thank you too.
[Whitfield:] And of course you don't want to miss the premiere of "Chasing Life" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, tonight at 9:00 Eastern on CNN. Hello again everyone and welcome. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We are following breaking news. The clock is ticking on a new deadline for the IRS to turn over President Trump's tax returns. House democrats sent another letter to the agency demanding the documents in ten days now. The House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal says he's within his rights on this request, but Trump and his allies have taken a defiant stand saying democrats will never see those tax returns. CNN politics Congressional reporter, Lauren Fox is following this for us. So the back and forth is just the beginning, isn't it?
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Correspondent:] Well that's right. We expect a prolonged court fight but we're not quite there yet. Richard Neal sending a letter again asking for the administration to turn over six years of the president's tax returns, that's both personal returns and business returns. And in this latest request, Richard Neal said quote, "I am aware that concerns have been raised regarding my request and the authority of the committee. Those concerns lack merit." He then goes on to say, quote, "I expect a reply from the IRS by 5:00 p.m. on April 23, 2019. Please know that if you fail to comply, your failure will be interpreted as a denial of my request," and that is, of course, very important language here because as they sort of lay the groundwork in their preparations to go to court, that's essentially they're looking for a refusal from the administration. Then next steps on Capitol Hill could include a subpoena or they could go right to suing the Trump Admnistration for these documents. But all of that is still up in the air. Very clearly, Richard Neal, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee has been setting the groundwork to go to court. He knew this entire time that this was going to be a long court battle and while he was getting pressure from the liberals on his committee to try to make this request faster, you know there's been a couple of months now on Capitol Hill where liberals have been demanding these answers from the administration. But Richard Neal waited to make his request until earlier this month. Obviously he is trying to set a ground for exactly what he wants so that when they go to court, he's ready to go. Fredricka.
[Whitfield:] All right, Lauren Fox, thank you so much. All right House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slamming President Trump for tweeting edited excerepts of a speech by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar when she referenced 911. Trump's tweet which we will not show includes video of the burning Twin Towers and Trump is seizing on four words out of Omar's 20 minute remarks when she said "some people did something." Listen.
[Omar:] Far too long, we have lived with the discomfort of being a second class citizen and frankly, I'm tired of it and every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it. CARE was founded after 911 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.
[Whitfield:] The backlash to her comments were swift. "The New York Post" had this cover criticizing her remarks. Democrats coming to Omar's defense saying her words were taken out of context and have condemned Trump's tweet as disgraceful and wrong. And one quick fact here C.A.R.E., the organization was not founded after 911 it was actually founded in 1994. CNN White House Reporter, Sarah Westwood is following all of this for us. So what more is Speaker Pelosi saying in defense of Omar?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn Correspondent:] Well Fred, Speaker Pelosi became just the latest democrat to lineup in support of Congresswoman Omar after President Trump shared that provocative clip of just part of her remarks on his twitter feed. Speaker Pelosi writing in part this morning, "The memory of 911 is sacred ground and any discussion of it must be done with reverence. The president shouldn't use the painful images of 911 for a political attack." And of course, this comes after Congresswoman Omar has received death threats. One man was charged for threatening her life after many of her previous comments have come under scrutiny. Democrats arguing that President Trump could be inciting violence against her while republicans have argued that Congresswoman Omar may have minimized the threat of terrorism through her comments of President Trump, Fred, continuing this pattern that he has of seizing on comments from one democrat to try to paint the entire Democratic Party as extreme.
[Whitfield:] And then Sarah, on this Trump is being accused of playing, you know, revenge politics going against his own administration officials. Trump says he does want to release immigrant detainees into sanctuary cities to spite Democrats, and it's something he's seriously considering. So he's even calling out states by name. Tell us more.
[Westwood:] That's right, Fred. President Trump signaling some aggressive shifts in his immigration policy. And he has said that his administration is seriously considering this plan to bus migrants to sanctuary cities for release because Customs and Border Protection is saying their facilities at the border are at capacity. They're overrun. He said he was considering doing that just hours after White House officials have said repeatedly that this idea about the sanctuary cities was something that had come up informally during a meeting and then had been dismissed. President Trump obviously thought the opposite. Take a listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We are looking at the possibility strongly looking at it, to be honest with you. California is certainly is always saying, oh, we want more people, and they want more people in their sanctuary cities. Well, we'll give them more people. We can give them a lot. We can give them an unlimited supply, and let's see if they're so happy.
[Westwood:] Well, this dramatic plan comes amid a massive reorganization at the Department of Homeland Security, starting all the way at the top with the Homeland Security Secretary now been replaced in an acting capacity moving down the chain. President Trump clearly trying to take a more aggressive stance when it comes to what he is increasingly describing as the crisis on the southern border, Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right. Sarah Westwood, thank you so much for that, appreciate it. All right, joining me now, White House correspondent for Reuters Jeff Mason, CNN political analyst Lisa Lerer, and CNN national security and legal analyst Susan Hennessey. Good to see all of you. All right, so, Lisa, you first. You know, these attacks on Congresswoman Omar, you know, play right into the President's base. You know, how important is this for the President? Or does he feel that this is so important heading into the election cycle?
[Lisa Lerer, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I do think we're seeing the President take a lot of steps that are pushing the norms of the presidency, whether that's butting up against potential legal challenges like some of his moves on immigration or, you know, just sort of pushing the bounds of what was considered polite and civil in Washington, particularly with a congresswoman who has already received death threats. And I do think a lot of these moves are designed to motivate pieces of his base. We are he it is clear we know that his re-election is on his mind. And when it comes to Congresswoman Omar, of course, I'm sure many of your viewers remember that part of what sparked a lot of interest in her were his her comments that were perceived by many as anti-Semitic. The President believes that he can pull more Jewish voters over to his side. And also, a lot of that is really about the Evangelical vote, which is a strong part of his base. They care deeply about Israel. This is a way to remind those voters that he is, you know, as he would like to be, looking out for them or their interests.
[Whitfield:] But, Susan, what about, you know, the imagery? I mean, in this video we're not airing it out of, you know, respect and deference to so many impacted by, you know, 911. But then, why is there not, I guess, a fallout or criticism of the President for even using those images, weaponizing those images as he also tries, you know, to demonize a member of Congress?
[Susan Hennessey, Cnn National Security And Legal Analyst:] Right. I mean, I think it is very difficult to actually genuinely believe that this kind of response is motivated by, you know, a real sense of wanting to honor the victims and the memory of the 911 attacks, right? Using these images in this way is, itself, quite irreverent and sacrilegious. Of course11 even in the early days, sort of gloating about now having the tallest building in Lower Manhattan. You know, stating falsehood that he saw Muslims celebrating immediately afterward. So I do think that his response makes even more clear that this really isn't about genuine outrage at Congresswoman Omar's comments. This is really about sort of attempting to use a bad faith argument to attempt to stoke to further stoke some of those internal divisions within the Democratic Party.
[Whitfield:] And, Jeff, you know, Congresswoman Omar, you know, she quoted a line from President George W. Bush saying, you know, the people and the people who knocked down these buildings will hear all of us soon and then, you know, asked if he was downplaying the attack in that statement and, you know, what if he were a Muslim. You know, so how detrimental is this, you know, controversy for Omar? Or, you know, does it really kind of backfire for the President?
[Jeff Mason, White House Correspondent, Reuters:] Well, it's hard to answer that question, Fred. I mean, it's certainly possible that it would backfire for both. Although, for President Trump, it's if we look at his history from the time that he began as a candidate to now in the middle of his presidency, many of the things that he says that people consider outrageous, that people consider offensive don't end up backfiring, at least not with his political base. And I think Lisa is right there to say that he has his eyes and his head focused on that going into 2020. And you see that both on the immigration issue as well as this issue in terms of stoking some racial divisions and some divisions his desire to perhaps gain some more or some more Jewish votes and to create some divisions in the Democratic Party there. I think that's all I mean, it's hard ever to guess what's going on in President Trump's head, or anyone's head for that matter, but the evidence suggests that that's part of what he's thinking.
[Whitfield:] And, you know, Lisa, turning to the, you know, President's latest immigration move, he says the administration is strongly considering bussing undocumented migrants into sanctuary cities outside of political retribution. So what does the President gain from this, particularly when the White House already said, no, that's not a consideration?
[Lerer:] Well, look, it's really hard to see this move as anything but a political stunt. The President's major goal, the thing he ran on, was coming down on undocumented immigrants coming into the United States, you know, taking a more hardline approach to immigration. And this move would actually make it harder for authorities to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants because they would go to sanctuary cities. Of course, it also would cost a huge amount of money to figure out the transportation logistics to get these people all over the country. So from a policy standpoint, this really does not make a lot of sense, which is why you see people in the administration saying, you know, generally, without their name attached, that this is not something that they're actively considering. But clearly, the President believes that it does make sense politically. And part of that, I think, is he needs to find a way to make good on this promise he made, that he will take steps on immigration or at least to find a reason why he hasn't made good. And the reason perhaps could be the courts or it could be Congress. So you do feel like he's setting up this fight to argue this you know, to make the political argument that he's being stymied by forces beyond his control but he's fighting hard.
[Whitfield:] So this is how Senator Mazie Hirono, you know, characterized this entire situation. Take a listen.
[Sen. Mazie Hirono , Hawaii:] One, he doesn't think immigrants are human beings; and, two, he doesn't have to apply the law with regard to his treatment of them. There's a level of uncaring cruelty to the President that is off the charts.
[Whitfield:] So, Susan, doesn't the President need to grow this base? And this "us versus them," I mean, why does that promise to allow him to gain more traction heading into a possible second term?
[Hennessey:] I mean, clearly, this is the President's strategy, right? Not really attempting to grow his base but sort of doubling down on energizing his base to turn out and, frankly, exhausting the other side. I do think that this is an example of the fact that the President is not really putting forward a tenable policy proposal. So presuming that his base is genuinely concerned about immigration enforcement, concerned border security is a concern that's actually shared by both parties. And so instead of actually sort of moving forward with sensible policies or even controversial policies that are aimed at the border, you know, Trump is, instead, essentially preferencing kind of trolling the other side, putting out this outlandish ideas that actually wouldn't just sort of help solve the problem but would exacerbate the issue and make things worse, further overburden immigration enforcement, you know. And there is always sort of an element of cruelty, right? The idea here that these individuals, you know, their human lives, are essentially political pawns. You know, the President has sort of mocked the idea of people sort of raising genuine asylum claims and that the United States is obligated under international law to hear and grant asylum requests. And so particularly to take these very, very vulnerable populations and act as though moving them into areas with the intention I assume it's sort of embedded in that of overburdening the resources of those locations, you know, it is cruel. And it's also pretty profoundly irresponsible.
[Whitfield:] And, you know, Jeff, it had been reported that the President, you know, really put in charge of his whole immigration policy, you know, his senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller. So is Stephen Miller driving this train, or is it at the direction of the President?
[Mason:] Well, the President never likes to give the impression that anyone aside from him is driving the train and he'll correct you if you ask him something like that directly, but I think, yes. I mean, I think Stephen Miller is the hardline adviser behind immigration and many of the other policies that President Trump is pursuing. He is the one who is certainly one of the main drivers and one of the people who have the President's ear.
[Whitfield:] Jeff Mason, Lisa Lerer, Susan Hennessey, thanks to all of you. Appreciate it. All right, still ahead, Senator Cory Booker expected to take the stage in just a few moments. The 2020 presidential candidate is carrying out a kick-off rally in Newark, New Jersey. We'll take you there live. And later, Pope Benedict is breaking his silence, speaking about the child sex abuse scandal dogging the Catholic Church. Who he says is to blame, coming up.

[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Only three mothers have ever won a grand slam in the last half century. Amazing work by all of them. Congrats, ladies. Thanks so much for joining us today. We'll see you back here tomorrow. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Tweet us who you think those three moms are, because we think we have the answer and we'll tweet them back. I'm Jim Sciutto. "NEWSROOM" with John King starts right now.
[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everybody. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing your day with us. Today is back-to-school day for millions of American students and also a stark reminder that most everything is still disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Just a snapshot here of the 16 largest school districts starting school today, 14 are doing it fully online. More than 7.3 million students beginning the academic year not in a classroom but on a computer at home. When it will be safe to return remains a big open question. The speed of the vaccine race, well, that's one factor. The trajectory of the new case count is another. And some positive signs today, but it's going to take us a week, a little bit more to know if Labor Day weekend like holidays before it contributes to a spike in new infections. Today is also eight weeks to Election Day. The president is the traveling to two big battleground states. The environment his focus in Florida and an evening airport rally in North Carolina. Noteworthy, it's the second presidential visit to North Carolina in a week. That, a reminder that the president's troubles right now include states that are absolutely essential to his re-election map. His morning tweets tell us what matters most to him. While many of you were testing the school Zoom log-in, the president was attacking Joe Biden, Black Lives Matter protesters, and taking aim at Democratic governors. The president says, quote, "The Democrats will open up their states on November 4th, the day after the election." That's his complaint. He says shutdowns are ridiculous and only being done, in the president's view, to hurt the economy prior to the most important election perhaps in our history. A constant refrain from the president in recent days is that a vaccine should be ready by Election Day. Well, today, nine biopharmaceutical companies that are rivals signed a remarkably unusual joint pledge to uphold, quote, "high ethical standards" and be certain they say science alone dictates any vaccine approval requests. Pfizer's CEO says it's absolutely critical that you, the people who need these vaccines, trust the process.
[Albert Bourla, Ceo, Pfizer:] With increasing public concerns about the processes that we're used to go develop these vaccines and even more importantly the processes that will be used to evaluate these vaccines we saw this critical to come out and reiterate our commitment. We will develop our products. Our vaccines use the highest ethical standards and the most scientific review process.
[King:] There are positive trend lines when we look at the numbers but question is it just a blip coming out of a holiday weekend, or are we getting better control of the virus. Let's take a look. Look at the 50-state trend map. Eleven states trending up, meaning reporting new infections now than a week ago. You see them in the orange and the red. Florida and Arizona back trending up. The numbers not as high as they were in the summer surge but trending up in those two states. But overall, 24 holding steady and 15 states trending down. Not fantastic but better than the map a few weeks ago. Trending down. Five states in terms of in infections yesterday, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina. The Midwest one the current problem zones as we look at it. The top five states in terms of reporting new deaths yesterday, Texas, California, Florida, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. Every one of these numbers is horrible, but these numbers are a little bit lower than they have been in recent days. Again, does that continue? Let's hope so in that regard. If you look at the overall case trend, very important to note this is below 25,000 new infections reported yesterday. But it was a holiday. The question is: Can it go down you? See sometimes these drops. The drops tend to come right out of a weekend and then things go back up and the reporting. The baseline, about 40,000 new infections on average in the United States. It was 20,000, just below that, to start the summer. So you had the summer surge, come down to Labor Day. The question is: Can you push it down more as we head to fall? The experts tell you that's critical. Or is this just a blip? Stay with us throughout the week. We'll see what the numbers do there. The positivity rate is something that looks a little bit better. You're looking for signs of progress. On Monday, the report was just shy of 5 percent of coronavirus tests nationally came back positive. All the public health experts say get it below 5 and try to shove it lower. It's at 5 at the moment but the question is can you keep it there and shut it down. Here's where people get worried Labor Day weekend. More people out. Were they being safe? Were they in close crowds, especially in states that have a way higher 5 percent positivity: 20 percent in North Dakota and 19 percent in South Dakota, 15 percent in Iowa, 18 percent in Kansas, 13 percent in Florida, and 17 percent in Mississippi? Do those states, can they push it down? Does the holiday weekend bring it back up? That's one of the problems. Look at New Jersey on the map right here. Its positivity rate right now is 1 percent. Remember back at the beginning, march and April, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut was driving everything? This part of the country is in much better shape right now, much better shape. If you look at New Jersey overall, over three million coronavirus tests since the beginning in New Jersey and 6 percent have come back positive and 94 percent negative. The positivity rate at the moment down to 1 percent. The Governor of New Jersey says we're in a good place but we won't let up.
[Gov. Phil Murphy:] At this point, we don't see any hot spots. We don't see any specific reason, but this is a virus that is still among us. It ebbs and flows. We'll do everything that we can to obviously monitor it but also put the policy in place that will keep it in a box. And that's what we're trying to do every day.
[King:] Let's continue the conversation. With me is the director of the Center for Public Health at Duke, a former FDA commissioner, Dr. Mark McClellan. And Dr. McClellan, it's good see you. So where are we? You see below 25,000 new infections reported yesterday. Let's hope that every infection is a bad thing but let's hope that trend line continues. But as you well know, sometimes out of a holiday weekend you get a bit of a blip in the data there. But if, right now, seven-day average, 40,000 new infections, where does the United States of America need to push that baseline as we begin to go into the dangers of the fall?
[Dr. Mark Mcclellan, Professor & Founding Director, Duke-margolis Center For Health Policy, Duke University:] John, that was a great overview of some numbers that are still concerning in terms of their levels but for most part have been trending in the right direction. As you said, we won't really know of the consequences of what happened over Labor Day weekend for a few more days at least. It takes a few days for the cases to develop symptoms and to be reported and so forth. We, right now, are trying to reopen schools and universities, which, in turn, will help more parents get back to work. Also, if we can keep getting case levels down, it makes it easier to reopen businesses successfully. These are trends we need to continue. It's challenging when we head into the fall when people spend more time closer together. The good news in all of this is we know steps that work, distancing it at work and wearing a mask personally and increased testing, especially for people who don't have symptoms and have to be in places together, like in universities and some essential workplaces. We can do more of all of these things and keep trends going the right direction.
[King:] You mentioned if people do the right things. Among the many things you do is it advise the governor of Texas. During the summer surge with the biggest takes, Arizona, Texas, Florida and California. Texas has come down dramatically since the summer surge. That's good for the people and the country. We hope the numbers stay down. One thing we saw, Dr. McClellan, in the middle of the surge, that's when Governor Abbott got much more aggressive about masks. I believe you're on the record that you thought bars opened too soon in Texas. The governor did get very aggressive. We see now Dr. Birx, of the Coronavirus Task Force, delivering reports to Iowa, to Missouri, a few weeks back it was Georgia, urging the Republican governors there to impose a mask mandate, and they have resisted. Would that help at this time? As you mentioned, kids going back to school, all the kids going back to campus. Parents head willing back to work. Should we develop a mask mandate in place nationally at the moment?
[Mcclellan:] The evidence is wearing masks does make a distance. It reduces the rate of spread. States that have adopted mask mandates have had slower growth. It's important to remember, John, it's not only imposing the mandate but changing behavior. What also mattered in Texas, as an example, was new steps to enforce the mandate and in businesses. Also a lot of outreach to public to remind them it's not only about when you go into a workplace but also when you gather with friends in the backyard, other social events on your own. These same distancing and mask rules are important to follow. I think the mask mandates at the state level can and do make a difference. Arkansas has seen an impact as well. But it needs to be backed up with other steps. And that's hard for the national government to do by itself. It really needs to be as you said, we're all in this together.
[King:] Help me understand, from your past experience as the FDA commissioner. You have nine competitors coming together to sign a statement saying only science will dictate our decisions to ask for approval of a vaccine. They are trying to allay a lot of concerns that the president or others may have their thumb on the scale. Imagine you're the FDA commissioner and the president of the United States almost every day said this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We're going to have a vaccine very soon, maybe even before a very special date. You know what date I'm talking about.
[King:] Is that helpful?
[Mcclellan:] Well, I think it's very unlikely that we're going to have a vaccine available, even for emergency use in very high-risk groups, like health care workers and some military personnel and first responders. Very unlikely that that's going to happen before the election. Lots of things have to go right. And I think, John, the concern is, with all the politics going on right now, we need to remember that there's a strong regularity science team base at the FDA, experts who are watching very closely what's going on with the trials now. They've laid out clear guidance for what they expect to see. And they to see real results on lowering the rates of infection and severity of infection in a vaccine before we can even be used in an emergency limited situation. That's very unlikely to happen before the election. I think what you're seeing from industry, from public health experts, former FDA commissioners like me, is just a reminder to the American people that we have a good regulatory mechanism in place. We need to be sure to follow it.
[King:] Dr. Mark McClellan, grateful for your expertise and insights, sir Thank you very much.
[Mcclellan:] Thank you.
[King:] Thank you. Up next for us, the president, at that press conference you saw a clip of there, attacks his own military leaders. More on that. But as we go to break, the president's former fixer, Michael Cohen, with a colorful choice of words to describe his longtime boss.
[Michael Cohen, Former Personal Attorney To President Trump:] I describe Mr. Trump as a cult leader. And I was in this cult.

[Macfarlane:] Welcome back. We are following a huge turnout in Israel as the country's third elections in 11 months. Our Becky Anderson is on the ground as the clock ticks down. Becky, over to you.
[Becky Anderson, Cnn Managing Editor:] That's right, Christina, thank you. We are now less than an hour away from the polls closing here in Jerusalem and across Israel. And in an election this close, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political fate could all come down to turnout. Voters are trying to break months of unprecedented political gridlock. It may seem like deja vu with the very real prospect that, once again, Israelis could wake up tomorrow with no clear winner between Mr. Netanyahu's Likud Party, and Benny Gantz's Blue and White. But this time, turnout is at a 20-year high. Oren Liebermann is live at the Likud Party headquarters in Tel Aviv. And a text message being sent to mobiles in the past hour or so, reflecting just how close this is. The message in part, reading, message a disaster for Israel. The press are saying that the Arabs are voting in huge numbers. It's going to destroy the right-wing agenda. Go vote now. What do you make of that Oren.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, to some extent, it's not surprising and we've seen similar messages like that over the course of the last three campaigns, even going back to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's message in 2015 that the Arabs are going to the polls in buses. So it's been an attack on the Arab population of Israel, and Arab parties here, that has to some extent been used to drive voter turnout so it's not surprising we're seeing it again. It is an indication of just how important voter turnout is this time, and there were plenty of reasons to think it would be lower: voter apathy for one, a sense of the fact that this might not lead anywhere, with election polls predicting political deadlock, another, and perhaps Israelis are simply tired of this cycle of elections. And yet the exact opposite has happened. As you pointed out, voter turnout isn't only up, it's up big. At 6:00 p.m. so a few hours ago it was at 56.3 percent, a 2.8 percentage point increase over September's elections. Israelis care very much, and they're coming out to vote. The question, of course, is for whom. I will tell you that here at Likud Election Night headquarters, there is a sense of optimism. Netanyahu's campaign focused on voter turnout, saying that he needed 300,000 votes to be able to declare a victory, votes he says he lost between April and September, votes he was trying to bring back. There is a sense here that perhaps he has done it. Having failed to form a government twice, the longtime magician of Israeli politics, they believe, may be about to pull off his greatest trick. They're eagerly awaiting the exit polls, and then the results after that. They believe here that exit polls and election polls often underestimate Likud voters, and that's what they'll be looking to see here as they wait to see if Netanyahu has done it or if Israel may well be in store for more political deadlock or some other outcome. But it looks like it will be a very close vote, as we have suspected all along Becky.
[Anderson:] Oren Liebermann is at Likud Party headquarters. We are now joined by journalist Ronen Bergman, he's a correspondent for an Israeli daily here and a writer for "The New York Times," and author of "Rise and Kill First." Sir, what do you make of this high voter turnout, historic to a certain extent?
[Ronen Bergman, Correspondent, Yedioth Ahronoth:] Yes, the highest since 1999, Becky. And usually, traditionally, when more voters putting aside the Arabs, of course more voters coming to vote, more people coming to vote, it's usually a benefit for the right-wing parties. And the leaks as much as we trust them from the recent polls taken during the election days, as we get them, and now becoming viral on Israeli WhatsApp on the last two hours, are predicting a very, very, very close result for the right-wing bloc, very close to 60, very close to have a majority without Avigdor Lieberman. This means a triumphant victory if happens, triumphant victory for Benjamin Netanyahu that, as your correspondent said, just pulled up the biggest trick of his career. And this is the only question that now matters. It's not who is the biggest party, it's not if Likud wins the biggest number or Blue and White, it's as the only question is if Benjamin Netanyahu, the ultra-religious and the older right-wing parties have 60 or more seats in the cabinet. If not, then Blue and White are able to form a coalition with outside support of the Arab party. If yes, then we are talking about a very, very different Israel from tomorrow, because Benjamin Netanyahu is expecting
[Anderson:] Which means which means
[Bergman:] to continue its policy that would
[Anderson:] sorry, if Benjamin Netanyahu is able to push this across the line, what's changed this time? And what would that mean for Israel, going forward?
[Bergman:] Benjamin Netanyahu is the reason why we are facing a third election in a year time. And the only reason why he was pulling this again and again was in order to gather a right-wing majority that would support him in changing a series of legislations in order to get the procedures in court against him stopped or detained or get him, in any case, off the hook in the three severe criminal charges. I remind everybody that on the 19 of March, he's expected to sit on the bench in the court in Jerusalem and hear the reading of the prosecution and the indictments against him. And if he is elected, if he's the next prime minister, then he would use this majority something that he could not do in a coalition government with the left wing or with the blue and white. He would use that in order to get the proceeding against him stopped or at least put on hold until the end of his term that, from his point of view if I read him correctly is the end of his life. I mean, he is going he wished to be the prime minister of Israel as much as he is alive. The other thing is, I think, that the right-wing parties have made a very clear distinction, a very clear call before the elections. They prefer to have Netanyahu not giving away any kind of territory, not agreeing to the two-state solution and preferring that,
[Anderson:] Very briefly, what role has Donald Trump and his Middle East peace plan or vision for peace played in these elections, do you think?
[Bergman:] The Donald Trump plan, the deal of the century, whatever they're called, is was aimed at achieving two targets. One, the primary target was to get Netanyahu elected and get him off the hook from the criminal charges. And the marginal case was to bring peace to the Middle East. At least on the first one, with no doubt, it helped Netanyahu a lot in the timing, just before the elections, and the ability of Netanyahu to identify himself, to tag himself as the super-stateman, the one who can recruit the United States of America and the president of the United States, to align completely, 100 percent, with the Israeli right-wing policy. And appease and satisfy a majority almost a majority, we'll see in the coming votes, but a significant chunk of the Israeli voters, were promising them that no Israeli will be evacuated from the from his land, which basically means no two-state solution, no end of the conflict and the continuation of the annexation. This is what this is how this was perceived, and Netanyahu was very, very successful into maneuvering, spin this plan, identifying him as the super-prime minister, the only one who is able to orchestrate such a plan.
[Anderson:] With that, we're going to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us on what is an incredibly important night, here in Israel. And what happens in Israel, of course, doesn't stay in Israel. Remember, the polls close in just about 30 minutes. We will be standing by with the leading exit poll projections. Do join us for our special coverage, ahead. Until then, Christina, it's back to you.
[Macfarlane:] Thanks very much, Becky. We look forward to that. Well, still to come tonight, a jump in numbers of people sickened by the new coronavirus in the U.S. over the weekend, but the top health official says don't panic.

[Rep. Jason Crow:] If you have any lingering questions about direct evidence, any thoughts about anything we just talked about, anything I just relayed, or that we've talked about the last week, there is a way to shed additional light on it. You can subpoena Ambassador Bolton and ask him that question directly.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] That was House impeachment manager, Congressman Jason Crow from Colorado, on the floor of the Senate during the question and answer session yesterday. Another day ahead today. Joining us now is Congressman Jason Crow. Thanks so much for being with us. I have to say, it was such an interesting moment to see that back and forth, to see the questions and answers. Interesting in a way a little bit odd. So, I'm wondering what it was like to you. Did it feel like sometimes batting practice because each side was sort of lobbing up these balls for the managers, for instance, to hit if you wanted to? What was it like?
[Crow:] Well, you know, interesting would be one word for it. Astounding would be another. I mean, there were a couple of things that frankly, I just couldn't imagine I was hearing on the floor. You know, having Mr. Dershowitz say that because every elected official believes that what they're doing is the right thing, that that presumptively makes it the right thing. We saw the president continue to move the goalposts. You know, at first, they're saying at the beginning of the trial there's no quid pro quo. Then they're saying that the quid pro quo isn't impeachable. Then when it becomes abundantly clear to everybody in that room and the American people that what the president did was wrong, and he did it, then they're saying move on because what the president does is just presumptively the right thing. So, they are throwing everything out. They're throwing contradictory arguments at this point. They're saying that the process was unfair, but then they're saying that they're not willing to go through a fair process because it would take too long. So, we're really in unchartered territory here.
[Berman:] We'll bring you brought up the Alan Dershowitz argument. That is something we have talked about all morning long. What are the implications if that argument
[Crow:] Well, the imp
[Berman:] What are the implications if that argument and just to rephrase it, Alan Dershowitz is basically saying, every president every presidential candidate thinks that he or she their election will make the country better. So, therefore, anything that he or she does in the process of getting elected is fair game. You can do anything. Anything you do is not impeachable. What's the implication if that becomes part of precedent?
[Crow:] Well, the implication is what the president and his team have been implying all along. And that is that the president is above the law. You know, since day one of this process, they've been saying that a sitting president can't be indicted, that a sitting president can't be investigated, that the House has no power to investigate or subpoena or question witnesses or members of the executive branch. And now, they're saying that there is no impeachment power. So, that would truly, if you follow all of that logic, it would make the president above the law. I'm very confident that's not what our Framers intended and what has made our system so wonderful the last 240-plus years. But that's what they want you to believe. And it's a very dangerous thing.
[Berman:] Were there any questions or what were the questions that you that came from Republicans that you thought were insightful?
[Crow:] Well, there were some there were some insightful questions about the standard of proof here. You know, I know some of the folks who, you know, have said they're on the fence were wondering, what is the standard? You know, is this a criminal trial? Is this beyond a reasonable doubt? Is this preponderance of the evidence? I thought it was an insightful question and it, you know, it's something that people should be thinking about, you know, because the Constitution doesn't lay out a clear standard. They put that into the hands of the Senate to say, you know, what abuse of power is and to apply that using best judgment. So that was an insightful question. I was continued I continue to be really shocked, though, however, by the sowing of these propaganda theories. You know, these widely debunked Russian propaganda conspiracy theories about Burisma and Ukrainian involvement in the election. You know, one thing we've learned the last few years is that the words of our leaders matter. And when people say these things and they say them on a broad scale, on a big stage with people listening, it matters, and it's irresponsible. So, I think we need to stop talking about these things that have been widely debunked by our own intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
[Berman:] There's something remarkable that CNN has reported was going on behind the scenes and that is that Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was trying to get the name of the whistle-blower read into the record. And, apparently, the Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts kept that from happening. Senator Rand Paul said overnight he's going to try again today. So, I want your reaction to that and what you will do as House managers if it does happen.
[Crow:] Well, I'm glad that the chief justice stopped that because it's dangerous. You know, we have federal law that protects whistle- blowers. And the reason we have law that protects whistle-blowers is because we want to be able to have whistle-blowers. It's really important element of our system that if something is going wrong in government, whether it's local government, state government, federal government, that people have the safety and security to come forward and blow the whistle. So, people can find out if something wrong happened. And a lot of things have been corrected over the history of our country because of courageous men and women have done that have done just that. So they clearly want the whistle-blower outed or some folks do because they want to intimidate the whistle-blower. They want to make sure that this person, you know, doesn't doesn't do anything in the future. And they want to prevent other people from doing it, too. You know, intimidation and threats is part of the pattern and practice of this administration and it's yet another reason why it continues to be very dangerous.
[Berman:] One of the arguments that some Republicans have made against calling new witnesses, including John Bolton is that they say, OK, even if John Bolton does say that the president indicated that aid to Ukraine was tied to investigating the Bidens, we'll accept that he said that. We still don't think the president should be removed from office. So, why do we need to extend the trial even more to make the vote when we already know what our vote is going to be? How do you explain that argument?
[Crow:] Well, there are yes, certainly, there are some that have been saying that. But there are others that haven't, that continue to contest the fact. So, if you continue to contest the fact, that puts it in issue and you need the evidence to confirm whether or not it's true. So, that's an important point. The second point that the American people deserve to have information. This is a trial that the American people are watching very closely. They deserve to have the complete picture of what happened. They continue to say over and over again, they being the president and his lawyers, that they had no direct evidence, that nobody has testified directly to what the president has said. And then you have John Bolton saying this. So, let's get the full picture out there and let's have actually a fair trial.
[Berman:] Now, you're concentrating on your job as a House manager prosecuting a case right now, but there's politics and there will be politics going forward. Of the House managers, I think you're in the district that is the closest in terms of Republicans and Democrats. And then Colorado is a swing state in terms of the Senate for sure. And Cory Gardner, the senator from Colorado, came out overnight and said he is a no vote on witnesses. He has heard enough. He knows that he doesn't want to hear witnesses. How do you think that will affect Cory Gardner's re-election campaign in Colorado?
[Crow:] I don't think it's appropriate for me to weigh in on any individual senatorjuror at this point. You know, I'm a prosecutor in this case. All senators are sitting as jurors right now. I would hope that, you know, Mr. Gardner, like all senators, would actually take their oath to be an impartial juror seriously to listen to all the facts and the evidence. I continue to say that to have a fair trial requires witnesses and documents. Any American who goes into a courtroom and raises their right hand and becomes a juror knows that. I mean, right now, tens of thousands of Americans are filing into courtrooms today to fulfill their constitutional duty to be a juror. They're going to take their oath and then they're going to hear witnesses and they're going to review documents. So, why should the president and what happens here in Washington be any different? Of course, the answer is that it shouldn't and every American knows that.
[Berman:] Congressman Jason Crow from Colorado, thanks for being with us this morning.
[Crow:] Thank you.
[Berman:] Alisyn?
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] The crash that took Kobe Bryant and his daughter's lives also killed seven other people. We remember a mother and daughter who died as well, next.

[Blitzer:] We're following multiple breaking stories this hour. Tonight, CNN has learned that an ally of Rudy Giuliani already has been contacted by Senate staff and has agreed to testify about a debunked conspiracy theory he helped promote that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. CNN's Rene Marsh is her to break it all down for us. Rene, will this Ukrainian help Giuliani continue to push this bogus conspiracy theory?
[Rene Marsh, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Wolf, in a word, yes. And we're talking about a former Ukrainian diplomat, Andriy Telizhenko. He used to be based in the Ukrainian embassy here in Washington, D.C. But now, he is no longer based here in Washington, D.C. However, he is known to push the conspiracy theory that it was Ukraine and not Russia that meddled in the U.S. election. That's often in line with what Mr. Giuliani would like Americans to believe. So, yes, this is someone who would certainly repeat and parrot a lot of the conspiracy theories that you have heard the president's personal attorney pushing, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Rene, where is Rudy Giuliani now, as far as we know, and what is he up to?
[Marsh:] Well, Rudy Giuliani telling CNN's Dana Bash today that he wrapped up that trip in Ukraine. He's been in Europe this week. It's been a part of this bid to keep digging into dirt on the President Trump's political rivals. As Democrats essentially continue to move towards these articles of impeachment, it is unclear where Giuliani is, as we speak. But last night into this morning, he has been tweeting. And his tweets, Wolf, can only be characterized in one way, false. On Thursday, he tweeted this, and we have the Thursday tweet. He says that the accounts chamber in Ukraine found an alleged misuse of $5.3 billion in U.S. funds during the Obama administration while Biden was the point man. Well, here are the facts. Multiple countries provided that $5.3 billion, not solely the U.S. And CNN spoke with a financial expert in Kiev who found that the U.S. provided only $1.4 billion. That's based on a 2017 report by Ukraine's account chamber. The chamber also reported improper accounting but they didn't say there was any misuse of the $5.3 billion. Let's go back to the tweet from Thursday night. He also says that the Obama embassy urged Ukraine police not to investigate all of this. Well, we can tell you there is no evidence to support that accusation that the U.S. embassy urged the Ukrainian police not to investigate. We should also point out once again there would be no reason to investigate because no one said there was any misuse of this money in Ukraine. Let's fast forward to Friday morning. That is when Giuliani tweeted this. Much of the $5.3 billion in U.S. aid that Ukraine reported as misused was given to the embassy's favored NGOs, that's non- governmental organizations. Well, we spoke with that same financial expert who points out that, actually, only 6 percent of the total funding, so just a very small slice went to non-governmental organizations, whereas the majority of this money, 70 percent of it went towards nuclear power station security and military support. So all in all, when you look at Giuliani's tweets from last night and to this morning, tweets like this, coupled with the trip to Europe that he took this week, they are all part of what critics are calling this disinformation campaign, Wolf, where they're essentially trying to create this counter argument to defend the president.
[Blitzer:] Excellent reporting as usual, Rene. Thank you very much. Let's talk a little bit more about all of this with the former top lawyer over at the FBI, CNN Legal Analyst, Jim Baker. So, Jim, this Ukrainian associate of Rudy Giuliani has agreed apparently to testify on Ukraine 2016 election and the DNC. What does this reveal about Giuliani's motives for his trip to Ukraine?
[Jim Baker, Cnn Legal Analyst:] I think it reveals that what's going to happen, I think, is that the House is going to indict the president but the Senate is going to try President Obama and Vice President Biden. In other words, they're going to try to hit the focus away from the president's conduct to the conduct that happened in 2016, what was going on, all these other allegations that we've heard about Vice President Biden. I think that's what they're going to try to do. That's there are going to be witnesses, it appears, who come in and talk about these various conspiracy theories. They're going to try to introduce evidence in a form of testimony and perhaps other documents and other reported facts or evidence, material that purports to be evidence. So I think that's what they're going to try to do, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] But do sitting U.S. senators do they continue to legitimize these conspiracy theories which have been promoted, as you know, by the Russian intelligence services by conducting this investigation?
[Baker:] Well, the question here is, I think, who is going to be in charge of the trial. And what I've been thinking today is that probably one of the least happy people in America right now is Mitch McConnell, because he is going to have to try to preside over this whole thing. And I think the president and his immediate advisers are going to try to micromanage what happens in the Senate. So I'm not sure that the senators are actually I mean, they'll be voting, and they'll vote on what evidence comes in, they'll vote on the rules. They'll ultimately decide whether the president should be removed or not. But I don't think that they're actually going to be in control. I would speculate that the president is going to be calling the shots and perhaps live tweeting during the proceedings if he's not happy with how things are going.
[Blitzer:] But as you know, some Republican senators have already expressed deep concern, this whole thing, if there's a trial in the Senate, it looks almost certainly like there will be a trial in the Senate, this could turn out to be a circus and they don't want that. The Republicans, remember, they have 53 senators, 47 Democrats. You need a simple majority to move, to get witnesses to appear, things along that line. It's, by no means, a done deal.
[Baker:] No, that's absolutely true. But they're under tremendous pressure from the president and he's going to be calling them out if they don't vote I would expect that he would call them out if they don't vote the way that he wants with respect to questions of evidence. Because, remember, the Senate decides both the evidentiary questions, what the rules are for the proceeding and so on, and then they ultimately are the jurors in the sense that they decide whether to impeach or not. But I don't think they're really going to be in control in the way they think. And they haven't been able to resist pressure from the White House so far and I just don't know how they're going to do it.
[Blitzer:] Rudy Giuliani, as you know, is already under federal investigation for his work in Ukraine. Are his current efforts do you believe, Jim, are they putting him at further legal risk?
[Baker:] Yes. This is one I've struggled to try to understand. Yes, I do think they are putting him at further legal risk. And so I'm asking myself why in the world is he doing this. Isn't somebody telling him not to do this, this is a bad idea? And to be honest, I have no evidence of this, but I'm starting to wonder whether he has an understanding with the president, that no matter what he does, the president will pardon him before he leaves office, whether that's in 2020 or sometime thereafter. Otherwise, this doesn't make any sense to me. I don't why he would be doing this. Giuliani is a smart person. He should know that he's exposing himself legally here and yet he's proceeding forward. And I just don't get it other than this pardon theory. And I admit that it's fully I fully meant it's a theory.
[Blitzer:] Yes. All right, Jim Baker, as usual, thanks so much for joining us. There's another major story that's breaking right now, a deadly shooting attack at a U.S. Navy Base, the naval base in Florida. The gunman was a member of the Saudi military. Is there a terror connection? We're getting new information.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn International Anchor:] Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories this hour. At least six people were killed Sunday when gunmen attacked a Catholic church in central Burkina Faso. State media report a priest is among the dead, and the church and other buildings were set on fire. The West African nation has seen a spike in extremist violent by militants linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have now withdrawn from the port of Hodeidah in Yemen. The move follows long delays as part of a United-Nations- brokered Stockholm agreement. The Dow is set to fall sharply at Monday's open, and Beijing is expected to retaliate over stalled trade talks with Washington. The United States hiked tariffs to 25 percent on 200 billion dollars' worth of Chinese goods. But President Donald Trump says the U.S. is, quote, "right where we want to be with China." The United Arab Emirates says four commercial vessels have been targeted near the Strait of Hormuz. The alleged sabotage incident reportedly happened off the port city of Fujairah. This comes as the United States has warned of Iranian threats to shipping in the region. After heading to Brussels for talks on Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to visit Russia, where he will meet with President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, he dismissed criticism that the U.S. has not been tough enough on Russia.
[Unidentified Female:] A lot of folks say, "When are we really going to get tough on Russia?" How much of the Mueller report is going to come into the conversations that you have in the coming days?
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] That's crazy talk. That's absolutely crazy talk. And I've heard it. I've heard it from the previous administration. They say, "Oh, we're not tough on Russia." I only wish they would have stopped the election interference. I only wish they would've put Global Magnitsky on some of the bad actors in Russia in the way this administration. I only wish they hadn't gutted the defense budget, to the great benefit of Vladimir Putin. All right? We we've put real money into our Defense Department. Vladimir Putin can't possibly think that's a good thing for him. They gutted the defense budget. The actions that this administration took I would put up against any in terms of our seriousness in pushing back on Russia and raising costs for them. And we can do that at the same time we can have conversations with them and see if there are places that we can find to work together.
[Allen:] In Venezuela, the power struggle rolls on. At a rally in Caracas this weekend, National Assembly leader Juan Guaido urged supporters yet again to maintain nationwide protests against President Nicolas Maduro. Meantime, three opposition politicians are now taking refuge in foreign embassies after they and other lawmakers were stripped of their immunity. And as the country's social and economic crisis deepens, and hyper- inflation hits every pocket, Venezuelans are learning that they will have to resort to drastic measures to survive. Our Rafael Romo witnessed the harsh conditions in Caracas. Here's his report.
[Rafael Romo, Cnn International Correspondent:] This family is waiting by an open-air market. In just a few hours, the fruit that doesn't get sold will be disposed of, and that will become their only meal today. "Things are very difficult," this woman says. "We can't buy anything with the money we make." At a nearby park, Marbelia Hernandez and her children waited all morning long until a good Samaritan showed up. [on camera]: How long did you have to wait to get food? "Several hours," she says. This is 21st Century Venezuelan. There's an abundance of rhetoric and propaganda. In the shortage of food.
[Unidentified Male:] All social classes of Venezuela are struggling to get enough food. Everybody is trying to make ends meet and looking for alternatives to feed their families.
[Romo:] A seasonal fruit has become the go-to food item to satisfy hunger. [on camera]: How affordable are mangoes right now? [voice-over]: "They're very cheap," she says. "It's mango season, and prices are very low." There are so many families that depend on mangoes, that the tropical fruit is now known as the hunger suppressor. This market coordinator says some people have mangoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The purchasing power for the average Venezuelan has collapsed, due to hyperinflation. [on camera]: These are cachapas, a national dish in Venezuela, kind of like a pancake made out of corn. Each one costs about two dollars. The problem is that most people here in Venezuela make an average of five dollars, which tells you a lot about how difficult it is for families to make ends meet. [voice-over]: Some people are so desperate that they're willing to put their health at risk, like these men looking for metal in a river that carries sewage. Socialists, who have governed the country for two decades, are calling on people to fight for what they call 21st Century socialism. "You need to produce something in your own home," this national leader says. "It's one way of defending the motherland." Back at the park, Marbelia Hernandez keeps waiting for food. [on camera]: What happens during the rest of the week? How do you make ends meet? [voice-over]: "There's no easy answer." Her eyes are full of tears, but her stomach remains empty. Elsewhere in the city, two men knocked down mangoes from a tree, while the hope of striking gold keeps these others wading in sewage. And at markets around Caracas, entire families keep on waiting for the garbage that will become their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Rafael Romo, CNN, Caracas.
[Allen:] The U.S. state of Georgia, where we broadcast from, sees a steady stream of money from movie studios. It's called the Hollywood of the East. But coming up here, we look at how a controversial new law in Georgia could change all of that.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] And I'm Chris Cuomo, here with the captain, Wolf Blitzer, outside the Fox Theater where the excitement for tonight's showdown may be even bigger than last night. And we know the fireworks have to be coming because everybody wants what Joe Biden has, which is the lead in the polls. Cory Booker has already said he plans to go after Biden on his role in the '94 crime bill. Is that good for Booker? Is that good for the party? We'll see. Harris will look to repeat her break-out moment from the last debate when she attacked Biden on busing. The question is, will she take fire as well? There are seven other candidates. For some of them, this is likely the last chance to get the traction they need to stay in the race. So let's begin our coverage. We have political experts standing by tonight par excellence. But first let's go to CNN Congressional Correspondent, Phil Mattingly inside of the debate hall. How do you see it?
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Well, Chris, the doors are about to swing open for the audience and the candidates have finished walk-throughs and retiring back for the last-minute session with advisers. And everybody is aware of the dynamic. If last night was the progressives versus the moderates, tonight is Joe Biden versus everyone else. And sitting to his right and left will be Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, two senators who have made clear they have sharp attacks, they're willing to wield those attacks and they will likely be coming fast and furious tonight. But Biden and his advisers have made clear after that unsettling debate performance in Miami, he is going to take a different tack and tone tonight, including punching back. And when you talk about punching back, keep a close eye on the issue of health care. It was repeatedly talked about last night, a significant difference of opinion on things. That will carry over to tonight. Joe Biden's position on health care differs from Kamala Harris' , kind of a Medicare for All lite on Harris. And she released the details of the plans this week. Biden with more of a public option. And both sides, both camps have been going back and forth about the details of the plans and who they think has the better issue. That is something we're going to see play out again tonight and, Chris, you mentioned an important point here, half of the field is into the September debates with the higher thresholds for qualifications. That means five are not and are in danger of missing out and this being the last major moment on stage. Those individuals, think people like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, this is their last shot to make a moment, to create a moment and to have the attacks of their own. Everybody is searching for that tonight. Plenty of fights at the upper tier but all across the stage as well, something to pay close attention to as the night moves on, guys.
[Blitzer:] Thanks very much, Phil Mattingly. We'll get back to you. Let's bring in our political correspondents and analysts. Arlette Saenz, you've been covering Joe Biden on the campaign trial for quite a while. What should we expect from the Democratic front-runner?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Correspondent:] I think Joe Biden wants to come out with a forceful and commanding performance reflective of his status of a front-runner. His campaign has spent days preparing with sessions with a smaller group of advisers who could focus and drill in on certain areas. But you see the former vice president telegraphing that he is taking a more aggressive stance and one thing that his advisers have said is they feel in the last debate and since then there have been mischaracterizations of his record. And he is going to be ready to push back. That could also include some areas where he wants to highlight other people's records. They say that the only person he's proactively going against or bringing up is President Trump. But he's going to be ready to defend his own record. The question is, is he going to be able to deliver on the promises of a more aggressive forceful tactic going forward tonight?
[Blitzer:] What do you think, Jeff?
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, the campaign has been trying to have it both ways in some respects. Today they say it is not a make-or-break moment for the former vice president. But for the last week, as Arlette knows, the campaign advisers have been saying the attacks he's going to bring. So if the former vice president does not come on stage and really deliver those attacks and if he has the same performance as Miami, he'll have a very different moment in this race. He is the leader in the race. But the question is, is he a placeholder or is he a true front-runner? He can determine that tonight. He can show that he's a front-runner if he comes out and takes command of the stage, which he didn't do in Miami. A friend of his told me that the Miami debate performance was the best thing that could have happened for him because he is focusing on this. If that is true and he has a strong performance, that will be good for him. But I think it will be a different dynamic. I do not believe that the attacks will be the same. Senator Harris is likely to allow other people to go after Joe Biden, like Bill de Blasio and Michael Bennet and others. And she'll focus on trying to elevate herself. So totally different dynamic but the burden for him is very high.
[Blitzer:] Because he's standing on that stage, Kyung, right between Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. They leveled they went after him big time on race-related issues. Do you think they'll continue to do that?
[Kyung Lah, Cnn Senior U.s. Correspondent:] Well, if you listen to Cory Booker, absolutely. And the visuals are going to be right there. What you'll see is Joe Biden, an older white man, sandwiched between two people of color. If last night was the battle between the moderates and the liberals, tonight is the battle between what is the Democratic Party and the base of the Democratic Party, more diverse, women. We'll see a much more diverse stage. We'll see people of color on the stage. Half of that field, people of color tonight. And so there is going to be that argument that is Joe Biden able to speak to that? Kamala Harris has throughout her campaign, since she launched, leaned into women, black women, people of color, her path to the nomination. But Joe Biden still maintains a strong hold on black voters. It is something that he has been able to speak persuasively to.
[Blitzer:] He certainly, Michael Smerconish, feels so much more comfortable attacking President Trump than the other Democrats.
[Michael Smerconish, Cnn Anchor:] For a reason. By the way, I'm surprised President Trump's name was not invoked more last night by the candidates. I think that changes tonight and I think it will be Joe Biden who does it. And what I anticipate he will constantly be on the defensive against these other candidates but that he'll quickly pivot and reference President Trump. Why? Because he wants to transcend this, he wants to be seen not as the opponent of Cory Booker or Kamala Harris or anybody else on that stage, he wants to reinforce the idea that he's the one. He's the front-runner. He will be the opponent of Donald Trump. That is what has worked well for him thus far. The reason he's leading in the polls is because of the perception of him as a winner and he wants to perpetuate that.
[Blitzer:] And not just he's a winner, he was the vice President of the United States for eight years under President Obama.
[Smerconish:] No doubt, I think he'll continue to make that reference. There is a little sensitivity in how to deal with some of these race questions if, in fact, the incoming is coming from two people of color, meaning Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. So I think he needs to be very careful in terms of how he defends his record in that regard.
[Blitzer:] It is such a sensitive issue going after him and his retaliating because the fear is that it helps Trump. Zelensky Sure. One person who is watching this among perhaps more than others is the 21st candidate in this race and that is Donald J. Trump. He's running against one of these people and no doubt talking to Republicans today, they were thrilled by a lot of what they saw last evening, about Democrats taking on Democrats. It will be tenfold tonight, watching all of it play out. But Michael is absolutely right. Joe Biden is making this race about the long view. Look at November 2020 and beyond all this. But for Joe Biden that was maybe a bit of a mistake for a few months because he has to win this and show he's a candidate of the moment. And, yes, he can talk about Barack Obama, which he will ad nauseam but he also has to show that he is a candidate who has the energy and the ideas here to push through. But Kyung also makes a very good point, black voters are still with Joe Biden. And attacking Joe Biden is a very sensitive subject. The blowback for Cory Booker could be severe if people view him attacking Joe Biden just to attack him. Kyung, some of the candidates, for them it is make or break. They need to do something to get on track, like former HUD Secretary Julian Castro.
[Lah:] Yes. What I am fully expecting from him is to make a persuasive argument because who could speak authentically to the idea of racism when it comes to the Latino vote and immigration? He made that argument persuasively in the first round of debates. But Beto O'Rourke isn't on the stage. So how now will he step into the next argument to stand out?
[Blitzer:] Will that work, the decriminalization of people illegally crossing into the United States?
[Smerconish:] Not in a general election, no. This is the recurring theme of this entire process. That which plays best perhaps in a hall like this tonight is not necessarily that which is going to help elect a candidate in a general election. We've seen that time and again. And I think that is the underlying conflict. Last night was all about this ideological struggle within the Democratic Party and tonight is about leadership role, who is the front-runner when we leave Detroit?
[Blitzer:] How tough will the former vice president be on Medicare for All?
[Saenz:] I think that is going to be the key policy to see him make a point on. You've seen him sharpen his attacks on Kamala Harris and her positions on health care and his advisers say that health care is the one issue that he is really going to drill into. He has experience as the former vice president. He was there when the Affordable Care Act became law and went through that entire fight to get it signed into law. And he also talks about health care in a very personal way. Mentioning both the car accident that killed his wife and daughter and injured his sons as well as Beau Biden's battle with cancer. So this is something he sees a very stark policy contrast between himself and the other candidates but also it is a very personal tone as well.
[Blitzer:] Everybody, stick around. There is more we're following. Up next, who among the 10 candidates on stage tonight will stand out in the debate? We'll be right back.

[Blitzer:] More breaking news we're following. The White House now responding to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's remarks, calling out President Trump for his refusal to condemn white supremacists and hate groups. The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, is saying, Governor Whitmer is sowing division. This comes after authority say they thwarted an alleged militia plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer. CNN Justice Correspondent, Jessica Schneider reports on the dramatic details of the investigation.
[Gov. Gretchen Whitmer:] I knew this job would be hard. But I'll be honest, I never could have imagined anything like this.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaking out against the alleged plot to kidnap her.
[Whitmer:] You don't have to agree with me, but I do ask one thing, never forget that we are all in this together.
[Schneider:] Today, the FBI charging six men in the conspiracy saying the group plotted to kidnap the governor from her vacation home before the election. Authorities became aware of the scheme as they monitored social media and discovered a group of men based in Michigan mapping out how to vitally overthrow government officials and target law enforcement.
[Andrew Birge, U.s. Attorney For The Western District Of Michigan:] They alleged conspirators used operational security measures, including communicating by encrypted messaging platforms and used code words and phrases and an attempting to avoid detection by law enforcement.
[Schneider:] Law enforcement was able to track the group by using informants and undercover agents who recorded the men when they visited the governor's vacation home two times.
[Birge:] Fox and Croft, in particular, according to the complaint, discussed detonating exploding devices to divert police from the area of the home. And Fox even inspected the underside of a Michigan highway bridge for places to seat an explosive. The complaint further alleges that Fox purchased a taser for use in the kidnapping and that the group successfully detonated an improvised explosive device wrapped with shrapnel to test its anti-personnel capabilities.
[Schneider:] State officials announcing separate terrorism charges against seven other men linked to a militia group, saying they planned to instigate civil war, target police officers and storm the capitol building in Lansing, taking hostages, including Governor Whitmer.
[Matthew Schneider, U.s. Attorney For The Eastern District Of Michigan:] All of us in Michigan can disagree about politics, but those disagreements should never, ever amount to violence.
[Schneider:] Whitmer has been a frequent target of President Trump over her coronavirus response, Trump saying this at a rally in her state last month.
[Donald Trump, U.s. President:] You'd be doing even better if you had a governor that knew what the hell she was doing. You have got to open up the state.
[Schneider:] And tweeting, liberate Michigan, in April. Protesters and militia, some armed, have even gathered at the state capitol calling for an end to Whitmer's stay-at-home order. The governor today blaming Trump for escalating the rhetoric.
[Whitmer:] Stand back and stand by. Hate groups heard the president's words not as a rebuke but as a rallying cry, as a call to action. When our leaders speak, their words matter.
[Schneider:] And Republicans around Michigan have rallied around and in support of Governor Whitmer. Of course, she's a Democrat. But White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany saying that Whitmer's comments are divisive, her allegations outlandish. Kayleigh McEnany putting it this way today, saying, President Trump has continually condemned white supremacists and all forms of hate. But, Wolf, Kayleigh McEnany leaving out that it did take President Trump two days after that last debate to come out and actually condemn white supremacists. Wolf?
[Blitzer:] All right. Jessica, thank you, Jessica Schneider reporting. A quick programming note, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will be one of the guests later today on Erin Burnett Outfront. That's right at the top of the hour right after The Situation Room. Joining us now, the mayor of Atlanta, Kesha Lance Bottoms. Mayor Bottoms, thank you so much for joining us. You just heard Governor Whitmer say, hate groups hear President Trump's words as a call to action. How alarming is this news out of Michigan about this foiled plot to you?
[Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms:] It's very alarming, Wolf, and the governor very eloquently summed up where we are. This is a president who is feeding into the hatred. And this is a democracy. We often disagree on our politics and our policy, but this is not how we deal with those who we disagree with. The most powerful vote the most powerful weapon that we have is our right to vote. And the thought that someone would threaten the governor's life and based upon really what's being inflamed by this president really speaks to where we are in this country and the danger of this president.
[Blitzer:] Let's get to the pandemic right now, which seems to be escalating in so many parts of the country. We're learning at the end of May, the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, actually hosted an indoor wedding in Atlanta, your city, with around 70 guests flouting local coronavirus guidelines. What's your response to a member of the Trump administration traveling to your city and apparently, at least according to these reports, ignoring the public health guidelines?
[Bottoms:] Just really making a mockery of this pandemic and the people who are getting sick and the people who are dying. And it's as simple as wearing a mask. It's a complete disregard for where we are with COVID-19, no respect or regard for the people who work in the hotel, the people who are serving them their food that evening. These are people who can take this home to their families and die. And it's unfortunate, and it is the reason that so many people across this country aren't taking this virus seriously. I understand that people have weddings and they want to have celebrations, but as far as I know, there were no masks worn. It was a complete disregard of what we've asked people to do in our city and in our state at that time.
[Blitzer:] Amidst all of this, Mayor, President Trump has now launched a series of brutal attacks against the vice presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, following last night's debate. I want you to listen to what he said on Fox Business earlier today.
[Trump:] She was terrible. She was I don't think you could get worse and totally unlikable, and she is. She's a communist. And this monster that was on stage with Mike Pence
[Blitzer:] He repeatedly called her a communist. He repeatedly called her a monster. What do you make of that?
[Bottoms:] He's a silly man with silly words. And it is unfortunate that he would resort to name-calling. That's something that I can't even say my kids would do. It is he's made a mockery of the presidency. He is disrespecting her as a sitting senator. He is disrespecting her as a woman. And if this is the best that he has to offer just not one week removed from being on his death bed, then God help us all.
[Blitzer:] Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, thank you so much for joining us.
[Bottoms:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] Just ahead, we're learning that another member of the White House press corps, yet another member, has tested positive for the coronavirus. We'll be right back.

[Camerota:] Twenty-four-year-old Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward were gunned down in 2015 on live television. And since then her father, Andy Parker, has become an national advocate for what he calls common sense gun safety legislation. He chronicles the aftermath of her death and his battle over preventing more gun violence in his new book "For Alison," which is on bookshelves now. Andy Parker joins us now. Andy, great to see you, as always.
[Andy Parker, Author, "for Alison":] It's good to see you.
[Camerota:] Why did you feel the need to write this book?
[Parker:] Well, Alisyn, this is a book that I wish I never had a reason to write, but I did. And just as I had come out swinging that day and decided to make gun safety a part of my advocacy, I felt like that this was a way to honor Alison through action.
[Camerota:] I'll read a portion of the book for everybody. You say, I want this book to hurt you. I want you to understand my hurt. If we hurt together, then maybe you can help me save others from ever feeling that pain. This is not a grief memoir, this is an anger memoir. You have stuck to that, I mean, for these years, that that's what has propelled you.
[Parker:] It is. You know, at first I was in shock and then I had just unimaginable grief. But then I became angry that this could happen over and over again in this country. So that's what fuels it.
[Camerota:] I mean we've talked to you many times and it's always been we're always struck by how pretty quickly you swung into action. You know, you were grief-stricken, but you swung into action and you decided to try to change things in the country and not you were trying to have any other family prevented from feeling this way. And I'm just wondering, over the course of these three and a half years, had there been more victories or setbacks?
[Parker:] I think there have been more victories now. And I feel like I moved the needle when I came out swinging and I started advocating. And I think that things really picked up steam ironically with the elections in Virginia, the statewide elections in Virginia, where the Democrats picked up 15 seats.
[Camerota:] And then what happened?
[Parker:] And the gun the gun issue was like the number two issue in that race, followed by, you know, the Parklands shootings. And those kids put the really I think that was the the Virginia elections was the were the tipping point. What happened in Parkland put the issue on steroids. And then you saw what happened in the midterms. So I think that the victories are there. Last week the House passed gun legislation that that they haven't taken up in two decades.
[Camerota:] But that there-in lies the rub because that was a victory, a huge victory. So people said it couldn't be done. The House passed they made universal background checks.
[Parker:] Right.
[Camerota:] They closed the Charleston loophole. Congratulations. It goes nowhere in the Senate. A setback.
[Parker:] Well, and we know that was coming. But the statement is being made. And I think that, again, what we will see coming, you know, in Virginia in November and then in 2020, if you can't change their minds, which, unfortunately, most Republicans, 99 percent of them, are still, you know, walking in lockstep with the NRA, if you can't change their minds, then you change their seats. And that's what happened. And I think that's what's going to happen in 2020.
[Camerota:] Did it take you a while to come around to that point? For a while after Alison's murder, were you trying to change people's minds?
[Parker:] I was, Alisyn. I was trying to I really tried to do that. And I realized not too far along that you can't do it. And I thought initially that, you know, these guys are just taking the NRA money. That's they really are agnostic about it. But then I discovered that a lot of them are true believers. I mean you look at Steve Scalise. I mean here's a guy that gets shot. You would think he would have some kind of come to Jesus and say, you know, maybe I'm doing something wrong. But his answer you know, his it's his response is, we need more guns on the on we need more guns to save people. I mean we've got more guns in this country than we do people.
[Camerota:] So your battle has morphed into a political one to change to get the people who are of that kind of thinking out of their seats?
[Parker:] Yes. I mean that's the only way it's going to change.
[Camerota:] I want to read another portion of the book. You say, there's no getting over it. There's no getting past it. There's only getting through it. Each day a constant struggle not to be overwhelmed by all of the little things that remind me of her, of what I've lost, of what she's lost. It's really heartbreaking, Andy, I mean that this is obviously a daily struggle for you. And how have you coped over these three and a half years?
[Parker:] Well, writing the book was certainly a cathartic experience and it helped me get through it. But I look at, you know, the efforts going forward as using this book as a as a tool to continue the fight. You know, it's I'm diabetic. And I and I liken it it's an analogy to being diabetic you have good days and you have bad. And you just have to manage it and keep going forward and focus on the things that you can hopefully change.
[Camerota:] Well, that is what you have done. And we've watched you do it. And we've cheered you on every time that we talk to you. And now yet another step forward. The book again is "For Alison." Andy Parker, thank you so much. Back to you, John.
[Berman:] All right. Such a great discussion there. Michael Cohen is due on Capitol Hill any moment. A new day of testimony. That's next.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] He was leaving the White House on his way to a rally in Louisiana tonight. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @jaketapper. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Happening now, breaking news. Public hearings. House Democrats announce public testimony in the impeachment inquiry starting a week from today. Key witnesses telling what they know about President Trump's Ukraine controversy on live television. White House braces. Sources say President Trump's inner circle is increasingly concerned about the impeachment probe. Tonight details of new hires for the impeachment team and which testimony the White House fears the most. Path to 2020. Democrats claim victory in closely watched elections including one where President Trump's personal appeals apparently failed to save a sitting Republican governor in a strong red state. What did the result say about the President's chances for reelection next year? And massacre manhunt. An intense search for suspects in the brutal slaying of nine American women and children in Mexico. We have new details of the investigation and chilling new accounts of how some children survived. I'm Wolf Blitzer. And you're in THE SITUATION ROOM. We're following breaking news the do public phase of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump moving forward rapidly. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff now says the first public hearings will take place next week with a witnesses including the current and former top U.S. diplomats in Ukraine, Bill Taylor and Marie Yovanovitch. And a short time ago the impeachment committee released Taylor's closed door testimony. He also described a quid pro quo saying it was his clear understanding that U.S. aid to Ukraine wouldn't come until the country's new president publicly committed to investigating Joe Biden and his son. We'll talk about the breaking news with Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of the Judiciary Committee. And our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. First, let's go to Capitol Hill. Our Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju is following all these late breaking developments for us. Manu, this is about to enter a brand-new phase for the first time. The American people will hear directly from these key witnesses who are at center of this impeachment inquiry.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. Significant development as Democrats try to make the case to the American public that the President deserved to be impeached and removed from the office because in their view he abused his office by seeking Ukraine to announce investigations into his political rivals including Vice President Joe Biden. At the same time as vital military aid for that country to help combat Russian aggression nearly $400 million had been withheld. They're going to hear witness testimony from people who came behind closed doors. Current State Department employees who raised concerns about what they saw as a shadow campaign, a campaign led by Rudy Giuliani, the President's personal attorney, at the direction of the President. And concerns being raised about why that aid had not been approved and released to Ukraine. Now, next Wednesday the first two witnesses who will appear will be Bill Taylor who's a top diplomat from the U.S. diplomat in Ukraine and George Kent who is a senior State Department official. Afterwards they'll hear from Marie Yovanovitch who is testifying on Friday. She is, of course, have been recalled from that post amid a campaign by Giuliani and his associates to target her, go after her and push her out of the way after she had raised concerns to the highest level of the State Department about Giuliani's efforts to pursue those investigations urged the Ukrainians to announce those investigations. Now Republicans today are pushing back. Pushing back at Taylor's upcoming testimony that Democrats believe will help shape the narrative that the President tried to link Ukraine aid to these investigations. But Republicans say, Bill Taylor, in particular does not have any firsthand knowledge.
[Raju:] Taylor testified that there could he was told that there was aid had been withheld in exchange for announcing these investigations publicly. He testified that there was a quid pro quo.
[Rep. Jim Jordan , Ranking Member, House Oversight Committee:] It was no announcement about any investigations ever took place. The Ukrainians didn't even know aid had been held up at the time of the phone call. So the facts are the facts and I keep telling you all that those things those facts will not change and have not changed despite what some people may say. And Ambassador Volker backed up those four fundamental facts in his testimony. He was the first witness called but he's certainly not going to be the based on what we've seen is not going to be the first guy called.
[Raju:] Of course he's referring to Kurt Volker, the especial envoy to Ukraine, who did testified that he did not see a quid pro quo. But in a revised testimony from a separate witness yesterday, Gordon Sondland, the European Union ambassador, revised his testimony to say that he later told a top Ukrainian official that the aid was likely was contingent on these announcement of investigations, that announcement had to be made by President Zelensky of Ukraine. And there's a sign, also Wolf, that Democrats are planning to move forward on these investigation. They announced today that they are withdrawing a subpoena for the to push an individual to come and testify, Charles Kupperman, someone who served in the White House who had fought that subpoena in court. They announced today that they are withdrawing that subpoena in part because they're trying to make the case that they want to move quickly on this impeachment inquiry because the court has set a schedule to delay that proceeding until later this year. A statement from an official working on the impeachment inquiry said that they don't want to lead to a schedule that would delay result in only delay, which is why they are withdrawing the subpoena. So, Wolf, all of these indications are signs that Democrats are moving quickly, something that could lead to impeachment, potentially, by the end of the year. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Yes. They clearly want to draft the articles of impeachment sooner rather than later. Manu Raju, up on Capitol Hill, thank you very much. And now more on the newly released testimony of the current top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor. Our Justice Correspondent Jessica Schneider is working the story for us. Jessica, Taylor also describes a quid pro quo for U.S. aid going to crane.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] That is right, Wolf. And Taylor was specific to say that he was told that Ukraine would get no military money until the country's President Zelensky announced the political investigations that the President was requesting. Taylor was incredibly detailed in his testimony even telling the committees that he took meticulous notes in a little notebook complete with quotes so he is certain about the accuracy of his recollection.
[Schneider:] The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, told lawmakers it was his "clear understanding security assistance money would not come until Ukrainian President Zelensky committed to pursue the investigation" into the 2016 election and the Ukrainian company where Joe Biden's son served on the board, Burisma. Taylor recounted how top NSC official, Tim Morrison, told him "President Trump did insist that President Zelensky go to a microphone and say he is opening investigations of Biden and 2016." Taylor was alarmed and sent a cable to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, "describing the folly I saw in withholding military aid to Ukraine at a time when hostilities were still active in the east and when Russia is watching closely to gauge the level of American support for the Ukrainian government." Taylor's testimony points to a quid pro quo. Something the President has repeatedly denied.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] There was no quid pro quo at all. I didn't do it. There was no quid pro quo.
[Schneider:] Taylor was asked if the President ever told Taylor directly why the aid was being withheld. Taylor responding, "I didn't hear it from the President, I can't say what the President was thinking." And that is what Republicans are seizing on as their latest defense.
[Rep. Mark Meadows, , Oversight Committee:] What they said was, is any information that they had was from whom? Ambassador Sondland. None of them talked to the President. I assure can assure you that there has been no direct link to the President.
[Schneider:] Taylor also repeatedly criticized the President's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, for his rogue foreign policy on Ukraine. When Taylor was asked if E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland was responsible for withholding Ukraine aid in exchange for investigations something former National Security Advisor John Bolton had called a drug deal, Taylor said it was actually Giuliani who was the proxy for Trump. "I think the origin of the idea to get President Zelensky to say out loud he's going to investigate Burisma and the 2016 election, I think the originator, the person who came up with that was Mr. Giuliani." Meanwhile depositions continued behind closed doors today on Capitol Hill before the public phase begins next week. David Hale is a high ranking official at the State Department. And according to the Associated Press, intended to testify that Secretary of State Pompeo was reluctant to defend ousted Ukrainian Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch because it would hurt efforts to get the military aid to Ukraine released. Plus, the AP reports there were concerns about how a public defense would play with Rudy Giuliani. And at the same time the testimony keeps pointing fingers at Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani announcing on Twitter tonight that he has hired a new team of lawyers. Giuliani previously told us that he would not be seeking a new lawyer unless he felt one was needed. But in the weeks since, sources have told CNN Giuliani has been approaching defense attorneys. And of course Giuliani isn't just being brought up in Congress, Wolf, we've learned that federal prosecutors in New York are looking into his business dealings in Ukraine in addition to a counterintelligence probe.
[Blitzer:] Yes. He's clearly hired a team of lawyers, criminal defense attorneys to help him get through what is clearly a very, very serious investigation. All right, Jessica Schneider thanks very much. There is growing concern inside of the White House over all these really fast-moving developments. Our Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is joining us with that part of the story. Jim, you're in Louisiana where the President will be holding another political rally later tonight.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. President Trump is on his way to Louisiana to campaign for the Republican candidate for governor in the state. The White House is obviously very concerned about these fast-moving developments in the impeachment inquiry. The President may be campaigning down here but that didn't go so well for him last night as there were big losses for the Republican Party in contests across the country. Still the White House has its focus on impeachment, hiring new officials to respond to the inquiry. Still Republicans are getting jittery about impeachment and 2020 with one source close to the White House telling me that last night's elections and impeachment are sizing up to be a bad omen for the President.
[Acosta:] President Trump is escaping to the campaign trail with a cloud of impeachment hanging over his every move. The White House is bracing for the upcoming public hearings and the inquiry and getting more nervous about the newly-released testimony from senior officials like the top diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, and European Union Ambassador, Gordon Sondland, who resized his recollections to say there was a quid pro quo with the Ukrainian President. But aides to the President say they still don't see a quid pro quo.
[Kellyanne Conway, Councelor To The President:] That is the White House's position and I don't think that his latest revision has changed that.
[Acosta:] White House is bringing on new staffers to beef up the counter impeachment message despite Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham's claim last week that Mr. Trump can handle all that.
[Stephanie Grisham, White House Press Secretary:] He is the war room. The difference between Clinton and Nixon which is what people constantly compare us to, is that those two did something wrong. The President has done nothing wrong. So at this time he feels confident with the people that he has in place.
[Acosta:] President's loyalist are changing their tune on the inquiry, now claiming the administration was too incoherent to engage in a quid pro quo.
[Se. Lindsey Graham,  South Carolina:] What I can tell you about the Trump policy toward the Ukraine, it was incoherent. It depends on who you talk to. They seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo. So no, I find the whole process to be a sham and I'm not going to legitimize it.
[Acosta:] Contrast that with the excuse that the whistleblower's account was all hearsay.
[Graham:] This seems to me like a political setup. It's all hearsay.
[Acosta:] Other Trump loyalist are saying they no longer believe what Sondland says preferring the account of former Ukraine envoy, Kurt Volker.
[Jordan:] You all want to make a big deal out of Mr. Sondland's presumptions that he had in his statement yesterday, but Mr. Volker is the one has in my mind defending the account.
[Acosta:] But hold on. The President once said Sondland could be trusted.
[Trump:] The text message that I saw from Ambassador Sondland who is highly respected was there's no quid pro quo. He said that.
[Acosta:] The President is licking his wounds after campaigning for Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin who lost a close battle for reelection.
[Trump:] If you lose, they're going to say Trump suffered the greatest defeat in the history of the world. This was the greatest. You can't let that happen to me.
[Acosta:] One of the slew of contests that swing to the Democrats from Kentucky to Pennsylvania to Virginia. A source close to the White House told CNN the results were "totally bad. Kentucky and Virginia signal to the GOP they are underestimating voter intensity against Trump, and it could be terrible for them next year. A bad omen for impeachment." The President is spinning it all as a big win tweeting, "Our big Kentucky rally on Monday night had a massive impact on all of the races. The increase in governor's race was at least 15 points and maybe 20. Will be in Louisiana." The President is betting his most vocal supporters will remain loyalr no matter what he does.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] If he shot someone on Fifth Avenue, would you vote for him?
[Unidentified Female:] You have to know why he shot him? Yes, why did he shoot him?
[Acosta:] Now the Trump campaign released a statement saying that the President had to drag the governor of Kentucky Matt Bevin across the finish line but if the President keeps losing some of these races in places like Kentucky and Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, other candidates may pass up the opportunity to be dragged by the President. And just a few moments ago, Wolf, we noticed the President did not stop to talk to reporters as he was leaving the White House for this rally down here in Louisiana. Something he often does when he leaves the White House in the early evening hours. That may mean, Wolf, that he is saving things up for tonight. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Jim Acosta, thank you very much. Let's get more on all of this. Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York is joining us. He's a member of the Judiciary Committee, he's also a chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. And as you know the House has released the transcripts now from the deposition of the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor. Lawmakers will have the chance to question Bill Taylor once again next week during the first round of public televised impeachment hearings. How valuable do you believe Ambassador Taylor is as a witness?
[Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:] Well, it's good to be with you again, Wolf. And Ambassador Taylor is an important witness, one, because of his inherit credibility. This is somebody who served the country incredibly well, who's a Vietnam War veteran, decorated hero, West Point graduate, a diplomat of impeccable credentials. [17:15:004] And his testimony will confirm that the underlying narrative which is that the President betrayed his oath of office, that he abused his power by pressuring a foreign government to target an American citizen for political and personal gain by soliciting foreign interference in a 2020 election. Betrayed the integrity of our elections in that process and violated the Constitution.
[Blitzer:] What would you like to hear from some of the lawmakers when these televised hearings begin next Wednesday and millions of people across the country will be watching?
[Jeffries:] Well, the focus, I think, is going to be on the witnesses and communicating to the American people why Trump's wrongdoing implicated and undermined our national security interest. Three hundred and ninety-one million dollars in military and economic aid was withheld from Ukraine that had been allocated in a bipartisan way. Ukraine is a friend, Russia is a foe. Ukraine is a democracy, Russia is a dictatorship. And the United States right now may be the only thing standing between Vladimir Putin and Ukraine being completely overrun by Russia as part of Putin's fantasy of recreating what he views as the glory days of the Soviet Union. Right now you have Russian-backed separatists at war in Ukraine. That is why Congress allocated this money in a bipartisan basis, yet it was withheld as part of a pressure campaign to target an American citizen and try to compel this phony investigation into Joe Biden.
[Blitzer:] Once the hearings go public next week, Republicans at those hearings, they'll be able to cross-examine some of these witnesses even use staff attorneys to ask questions as well. As you know, the President and his allies have tried to paint witnesses like Bill Taylor as never Trumpers, they've gone after them personally. Do public hearings carry some level of risk potentially for Democrats?
[Jeffries:] Not at all. I believe it was Justice Brandeis who once said that sunlight is the best disinfectant. And what you have right now as evidence of wrongdoing by Donald Trump is hiding in plain sight. That evidence needs to be presented to the American people in a clear and comprehensive and compelling fashion and that is exactly what is going to happen. We're going to continue to follow the facts, to apply the law and be guided by the Constitution. And make sure that the truth is presented to the American people.
[Blitzer:] What's the timeline, and I understand it's not specific, but give me a sense of the timeline for holding a vote on articles of impeachment?
[Jeffries:] Well Speaker Pelosi who continues to do a fantastic job in leading us forward in a real serious solemn and sober fashion has made clear that we won't put a specific timeline on our proceedings, but that we will proceed in a fashion that is expeditious, that's comprehensive and that is fair. We are going to be guided by the facts as they exist and as they unfold and are presented to the American people. Sooner rather than later, I think it's fair to say in terms of moving forward and ultimately coming to a decision that the Intel Committee will have to make as to whether they're going to recommend articles of impeachment to the House Judiciary Committee. But the Intel Committee has been proceeding in a way that is consistent with simply trying to uncover the entirety of the story, present that wrongdoing engaged in by Donald Trump to the American people and then see where it leads.
[Blitzer:] Congressman Jeffries, thanks as usual for joining us.
[Jeffries:] Thank you, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] We're going to learn a lot more ahead on all of the breaking news. Will next week's start of public televised hearings in the impeachment inquiry sway public opinion about removing the President from office?

[Blitzer:] Tonight, as the president pushes to reopen classrooms despite stunning spikes in infections across the United States, a House Committee says the White House is blocking the head of the CDC from testifying on the critically important issue of school reopenings. So let's bring in Dr. Leana Wen, the former Health Commissioner of Baltimore. Dr. Wen, thanks, so much, for joining us. The House Education Committee is accusing the White House of blocking CDC officials, including Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the CDC, from testifying at a hearing on schools next week. Does it make it more difficult for parents and educators to have confidence in school- reopening plans if the top health officials in the country are barred from testifying on this critically important matter?
[Dr. Leana Wen, Former Baltimore City Health Commissioner:] Yes, it's inexplicable, Wolf. I just, really, cannot imagine what science reason, what actual reason there would be for blocking this. This should be the single-most important thing on our minds right now, how to ensure the health and wellbeing of our students, how to get our economy back up and running. Also, depends on schools being in operation. But it's not just about schools being back. We, also, have to reopen schools safely, or else they are just requesting to going to shut down again, and we're going to see outbreaks across the communities. And so, we really need to be hearing from our top public health experts here. And make no mistake, that there is a lot that needs to be done. We need to be suppressing the level of COVID-19 infections in communities across the country. We, also, have to critically have the resources in order to make our school safe, to follow the CDC guidelines. And I can completely imagine why Congress would want to hear from our top public health experts, in order to implement these guidelines, and figure out how many resources, what are the resources, we actually need to ensure the health and wellbeing of our students?
[Blitzer:] And not just students, the teachers, educators, everyone involved in getting these schools back in action. The president now says he will not, repeat not, issue a national mask mandate. Listen to what he just told Fox News. Listen to this.
[Chris Wallace, Fox News Anchor:] Do you regret not wearing a mask, in public, from the start? And would you consider will you consider a national mandate that people need to wear masks?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] No, I want people to have a certain freedom, and I don't believe in that, no. And I don't agree with the statement that, if everybody wore a mask, everything disappears. Hey. Dr. Fauci said don't wear a mask. Our surgeon general, terrific guy, said, don't wear a mask. Everybody's saying, don't wear a mask. All of a sudden, everybody's got to wear a mask. And as you know, masks cause problems, too. With that being said, I am a believer in masks. I think masks are good.
[Blitzer:] The president says masks cause problems, too, Dr. Wen. Is that the message the White House should be promoting right now, as all of us are trying to fight this deadly virus?
[Wen:] No, it's not, Wolf. There needs to be a an agreement about the message. And that message needs to be one, based on science and public health. And, at this point, it's crystal clear that, if everyone wears a mask, that we will be able to reduce the risk of acquiring and transmitting COVID-19 by fivefold. So that's, absolutely, something that we should all do, right now.
[Blitzer:] It's absolutely essential. It's so easy to do it and thousands of Americans will live, in the coming months, if people just go ahead and simply wear a mask and do the other things that are required. Not difficult, as opposed to ignoring those recommendations. Dr. Leana Wen, thank you so much for joining us. We'll stay in close touch with you, as well. Just ahead, we're taking a closer look at the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on black and brown Americans. We'll be right back.

[Church:] Forty-two people are now reported dead in Iran as the result of heavy rains and flooding. The weather emergency began more than 10 days ago. And it shows no sign of letting up as rain and snow continue to fall. Iranian officials are trying to control water logged areas to prevent further casualties. Twenty-five thousand homes are believed to have been destroyed leaving thousands of people and nowhere to go. And now new emergency alerts and travel advisories have been issued. Army and navy resources are being used to help with rescues. So, let's get more on all this from our meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. And it just been relentless, hasn't it?
[Ivan Cabrera, Cnn Meteorologist:] Incredible. And those pictures were the cameras were able to get to. There are lot of villages that are just completely cut off.
[Church:] Yes.
[Cabrera:] So, the image we have from those villages are just basically islands at this point. So, it's an incredible calamity obviously with so many dead. Let's talk about why this has been particularly harsh for Iran as far as the rainfall over the last several days. We've got of course the rivers involved as well. When you get that got that much rainfall of rivers, streams, creeks, whatever, they will overflow those banks and then that creates additional flooding along with the reservoirs. The dam reservoirs they have been at and above capacity so if you want a dam to break so what they have to do is they have to discharge that water to prevent that additional calamity and that in turn allows for additional flooding. So, infrastructure as you saw there is just furniture bumping down the streets becoming rivers at this point. Look at this. Just totals on Monday, right. Eighty-five to 74 millimeters of rainfall. That's an incredible amount of rain for a desert area to get in 24 hours. And they not just got that on Monday, but we have to go back to last week where this thing started. And we have this multiple Mediterranean low that usually will just kind of fizzle out across the Eastern Med but that moisture has been relentless. Number two wasn't so bad. Three was certainly a problem, and then the last feature here, notice that moisture just getting pumped in from southwest to northeast and that's the one that brought all that heavy rain over the last several days. Keep in mind, this area typically between January and March get its most of it rains, right. But the problem is the last three months we haven't had much, and so we have a drought on top of desert. And so, as that heavy rainfall over the last couple of weeks has fallen it has hit cement basically. And additionally, we have this. The funneling effect, of course, Rosemary as you know because of the topography there we have the rain is falling on mountains and it goes through the canyons it gets funneled. And when that happens the rivers the flood can really rise rapidly and we don't have enough time to get folks out of harm's way, which is why I think we've had so much unfortunate loss of life there. But the good news is beginning today and the rest of the week much brighter weather on the way.
[Church:] Right. But devastating all the same.
[Cabrera:] Yes, you bet.
[Church:] Thank you so much, Ivan. I appreciate it. We turn now to Israel where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party is trailing his rival Benny Gantz and his Blue and White Party by four seats with only a week until the election. That is according to a poll by Israel's Chanel 13 news. But Mr. Netanyahu appears to have an easier path to forming a coalition of at least 61 seats in order to govern. CNN's Oren Liebermann joins us now live from Jerusalem with for more on this. So, Oren, while Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party's trailing in the polls he still has a path to victory, doesn't he? How is this likely to play out?
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] So, he's behind by four seats, his rival former chief of staff Benny Gantz is pulling at 32 seats while Netanyahu's Likud Party is at 28 seats. And that's significant. Benny Gantz has been in the lead almost since the election campaign began some three months ago. But it's not just a question in Israeli politics of who comes out with the biggest party. If it is, this election would be over right now. It's a question of who can form that 61 seat coalition. And this is where Netanyahu has an advantage from a whole bunch of smaller right- wing parties that are polling right around four, five, or six seats. Those are naturally or ideologically more fitted to go with Netanyahu's Likud Party and that would be Netanyahu's path to victory come election day. But of course, that's not the end of it. The question is can Gantz who portrays himself and puts his party forward as a centrist party, can he convince some of those center-right parties to go with him. If so, that would be a major blow to Netanyahu. And then one of the other major questions we'll look at on election night is which of these smaller parties isn't able to cross the electoral threshold. If one or two of them isn't able to make it into the Knesset, Israel's parliament, that too could be a major blow to Netanyahu. So those are the questions we'll look for on and after election day, Rosemary.
[Church:] Very quickly, what are the main issues influencing voters in this campaign? And what are they hope to see in a new government?
[Liebermann:] One of the biggest issues is of course Netanyahu himself, the investigations he faces on one side, versus the effective endorsements he has gotten on the other side from President Donald Trump, visits from the Brazilian president going on right now. Netanyahu has turned himself into the biggest issue here. And that is driving many voters. Beyond that, one of the other big issue here is always security. For more than a decade now Netanyahu has portrayed himself as Mr. Security. Gantz himself, his rival, is of course a former chief of staff and he's running with two other former defense ministers who he's trying to challenge that issue of Mr. Security of Netanyahu. Economics, the cost of living here is high, that is also an issue, but obviously the biggest issues are Netanyahu himself, as well as that mantle of who is really in charge of security here.
[Church:] All right. We'll see what happens. Oren Liebermann from Jerusalem, where it is 10.22 in the morning. Many thanks. Let's turn to Turkey now where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing a major political setback in local elections. His A.K. party lost control of the capital Ankara for the first time in 25 years. And it also lost Turkey's third largest city Izmir. CNN's Arwa Damon looks at the impact. Turkey's president's party did not quite have the sweeping victory as was best known for. But the president himself is still touting how well his party and its coalition did across the country. But still, there has been a very serious and deliberate message delivered by those who took to the polls. The lost of major cities, the capital Ankara, the country's political seat lost to the opposition party mayoral candidate, albeit by the slimmest of margins. Really underscores many voters' grievances. And key among those are grievances that have to do with the economy. The lira has been in a downward tumble. Inflation is in double digits, and unemployment at 10 percent, 20 percent amongst youth not necessarily a new phenomenon, but it is on the rise. And Turkey's president despite what he says is going to have to pay very close attention to his countrymen's grievances. This is something he himself did acknowledge vowing that both he and his party would do more to try to better the economy and other issues that the country is facing. But this still a potentially very devastating blow. Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul. Facebook is removing hundreds of what it calls fake accounts linked to two parties contesting India's election. The social media giant says, quote "coordinated inauthentic behavior is behind the move." The information perch comes less than two weeks before hundreds of millions of Indians go to the polls to elect their next leader. Facebook has stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of false and malicious content. To a Ukrainian comedian who plays the president on TV just might get to be one in real life. Early results show Volodymyr Zelensky that he has the lead in Sunday's presidential election with 30 percent of the vote. Since he didn't have an outright majority with 50 percent, he is headed for the April 20th runoff against this man, current president Petro Poroshenko who got just over 16 percent of the vote. Well, being in the president's family has its perks, but one former White House staffer says one of those perks went too far for Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law. Details of her allegations coming up.
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] I know this breaks your heart seeing people who have nothing who come here with nothing, most of them are desperate, they're all carrying these babies? How do you handle this?
[Church:] CNN rides along with U.S. border patrol agents at the southern border. Why they are struggling with the surge of undocumented migrants. We'll have that for you when we return.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Listen, I took a look at four years of the world under Trump, under his foreign policy, upending not only relationships with enemies but allies and within his own government, unleashing a madman theory of his own. And the results for the country, by and large, not positive. All I ask is you give the book a chance and let me know what you think.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Tons of access to current and former officials talking to you on the record. Congrats, I'm proud of you. We'll see you back here tomorrow. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Sciutto:] I'm Jim Sciutto. "NEWSROOM" with Kate Bolduan starts right now.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. Thank you for joining us this hour. The world now passes a startling marker, 20 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide. The United States accounts for an outsized portion of that. A quarter of those cases, 25 percent, though the United States makes up less than 5 percent of the world's population. The U.S. is also leading the globe in the number of coronavirus deaths. With all of that in mind this morning, the concern for America's children amid the pandemic has never been so urgent or real. A new analysis from the American Academy of Pediatrics says there's been a 90 percent jump in COVID cases in children in the last four weeks. In Florida, the situation is even worse. The state seeing a 137 percent increase of COVID in children in the past month. With kids in many states already heading back to school, Dr. Anthony Fauci is once again pleading for everyone to mask up. Also calling out the photo of a crowded hallway at a Georgia high school.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy & Infectious Diseases:] There should be universal wearing of masks. There should be the extent possible social distancing, avoiding crowds, outdoors is better than indoors, and continually have the capability of washing your hands and cleaning up with sanitizers. When I see sights like that, it is disturbing to me.
[Bolduan:] Let's start with CNN's Nick Valencia, coving the growing number of cases in schools in Georgia. CNN's Nick Valencia joins me. Nick, what is going on there? What's the latest you're hearing?
[Nick Valencia, Cnn Correspondent:] Kate, these numbers are very concerning. Florida used to be the focus and it now seems that Georgia is becoming the hot spot in COVID cases. Georgia, the schools here returning, among the first in the nation returning August 3rd. Just last week in Cherokee County, we're focusing on that because the cases are rising so fast. After the end of the first five days of classes, 478 people were in quarantine. At the start of class today, that number had swelled to over 800, 50 of those tested positive for the virus. Even still, you would think there would be more of a concern there locally in Cherokee County. But when we went there this weekend, it was almost a cavalier attitude. Just listen to the governor as well saying that after the first week of school, things were great.
[Brian Kemp, , Georgia Governor:] There's definitely going to be issues when you open anything. We saw that when we opened businesses. We're seeing that when we open schools. I think quite honestly this week went real well other than a couple virtual photos, but the attitude from what they're telling me was good.
[Valencia:] We talked to parents in Cherokee County who said that they're not social distancing even though masks are required for school staff. One parent told me she walked into the school district to complain about the lack of social distancing believing that her child was not safe and that no one in the school was wearing masks. In fact, the principal of that elementary school told her staff that she didn't need to wear a mask because she was shielded by God. Now, we spoke to Jamie Chambers, one of the local activists who's been sounding the alarm, very concerned that the spread of viruses in schools will only spread further and further throughout the community, putting more people in danger. He has decided to not send his kids to school. They're virtually learning. Those are stories we're hearing from parents in the district who are removing their students from face-to-face learning to now learn online Kate?
[Bolduan:] That statement from that school principal is truly remarkable when you look at science. Good to see you. Thank you very much for calling it out. One question all along, which is even more important now as children return to school is how easily, can they spread virus to others. One leading expert says likely all to easily.
[William Haseltine, Former Professor, Harvard Medical School:] There's every reason to suspect that this virus, even though it can kill you, behaves pretty much like a cold virus in terms of transmission. Who drives colds? Children drive colds.
[Bolduan:] Joining me right now is Dr. William Schaffner, professor in the division of infectious disease at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Good to see you, Dr. Schaffner. Many questions. What Nick Valencia just reported is that a teacher was saying reporting that an elementary school principal in Georgia said she did not need to wear a mask in school because she would be shielded by God. As a scientist, would you like to comment on that?
[Dr. William Schaffner, Professor, Infectious Disease Division, Vanderbilt University School Of Medicine:] Well, I'm just saddened by that. The COVID virus does not respect religion. If we were shielded by a greater being, why would there be 20 million cases around the world and five million here in the United States? I don't understand that. Nick's story has me very, very concerned. Why aren't masks required in those school systems? You know, we're learning more about this virus every day. We're writing the textbook as we go along. And one of the things we've learned recently is that children can become infected. They're less likely to get seriously ill, but they can become infected. And it's looking increasingly as though they have the distribution franchise, that they can spread this virus, first of all, amongst themselves, and then they'll bring it home, spread it to their parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, and keep the virus going in the community. So if you're not opening schools carefully, they will accelerate the spread of this virus in the community.
[Bolduan:] One of the reasons that this whole question of how much can children spread this virus, why it continues to come up. And it's something I feel like experts like yourself are explaining still is because the president continues to throw out unfounded claims that I'm not drawing you into politics. I do want to keep it to sane, doctor, but just yesterday he said he actually literally said they don't transfer it to other people or certainly not very easily. Look, one thing that we know is there's a lot unknown about the virus in children because Dr. Birx has said this, parents do a great job of keeping kids home at the beginning of the pandemic. So they were largely, like, out of the way and protected. And now we're learning much more. But is there anything to that concept of children certainly do not spread this virus easily?
[Schaffner:] Actually, to the contrary. At the moment, the data are coming in that children do become infected and are capable of transmitting this virus. They shed a fair amount of virus, comparable to adults. We're learning as we're going along, the children were indeed, as Dr. Birx said sheltered early on, so it was not evident that they could spread this virus. But as we're opening up, having the children out in the community, they're getting infected and spreading it amongst themselves. If we're not careful about how we open these schools, as I said, they will accelerate the spread of this virus in the community.
[Bolduan:] Does that speak to this new reporting from the Academy of Pediatrics that they're seeing a 90 percent increase in COVID cases amongst children in the United States over the last four weeks? Is it because it has been children have had it, they just haven't been tested? What do you think this is?
[Schaffner:] Well, children certainly haven't been tested as much in the past. We concentrated on adults. Now we're testing more children. But more importantly, children are now getting together with each other. We've seen all these vacation times, and so more exposure, more illness among children also.
[Bolduan:] Just as easy, I remember talking to my pediatrician who said, look, the common cold, the summer cold and flu kids would normally get wasn't happening, and now as kids are starting to hang out again and again, he's starting to see that summer cold pop up. I want to play another sound byte from Dr. Michael Osterholm about schools reopening in person. Listen.
[Dr. Michael Osterholm, Epidemiologist:] When school starts, both at the high school level and in college and universities, we think we're going to see an explosion of cases in September that will far surpass what we saw after Memorial Day. This is just going to continue increasing and getting higher and higher in terms of numbers.
[Bolduan:] Dr. Schaffner, do you share that prediction?
[Schaffner:] I share Mike's concern. I'm not so sure it will be an explosion. But we will see here and there throughout the country splurges of infection. Dr. Fauci's right, we should all be wearing the mask.
[Bolduan:] It is not hard. That did not hurt, Dr. William Schaffner, to put that mask on. There's no pain about it. It could save your life or the life of someone you love. Dr. Schaffner, thank you.
[Schaffner:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] Coming up, Russia claims it's developed the first coronavirus vaccine. If true is it true, first? What does it mean for the vaccine trials in the United States? Plus, a fitness trainer in California thought COVID wasn't real and thought that he was safe because he was in good shape. Then reality hit him and he was in a coma for five days. What he wants others to learn from his mistakes.

[Jarrett:] Two evacuation flights carrying Americans from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak are on the way to the United States right now. They left China with about 350 passengers on board. CNN's David Culver is live for us in Beijing. David, what more can you tell us?
[David Culver, Cnn International Correspondent:] Laura, I have been in touch with several of those passengers and we know they are going to be splitting between two locations in California. They'll be at Marine Corps air station Miramar and they'll be at Travis Air Force Base. And they'll be there for two weeks. And the reason this is a mandatory quarantine is because of the way they are coming from, Hubei Province, the epicenter of this outbreak. We do know there will be at least two more flights leaving potentially tomorrow according to the State Department because there's still hundreds of Americans still stranded in Hubei province and in the city of Wuhan. As far as quarantine on a ship is concerned, may sound like a good scenario, a cruise ship. But this is the reality folks are dealing with in Japan, off the coast there. It's because of one of the passengers who was in Hong Kong testing positive for coronavirus. That passenger was on the ship 12 days ago. Now, they have tested several of the passengers and crew and they found ten of the passengers have tested positive for coronavirus. One of them is an American. You can see here they were taking them off the boat and bringing those ten to Japan so that they could be treated in hospitals. But the others who are on board may have to stay there for up to two weeks as they determine whether or not this virus has spread while the infected were on board that ship. Back here in mainland China, I can tell you they are trying to set up more and more capacity for hospitals. And they are now expanding into field hospitals, Laura. They're doing, essentially, exhibition halls and some of these stadiums are turning those into hospitals of sorts, and you see the beds just lying out there. It's not the most comfortable of situations. Kind of desperate. But that's where they're at.
[Jarrett:] Yes. You can see how tightly they're packed in there. David, thanks so much.
[Culver:] Yes.
[Romans:] A second member of a high school track team has died in Oklahoma after a pickup truck ran over six members during a practice run. The driver, 57-year-old Max Townsend, was arrested on charges including manslaughter. Police say Townsend lost his own son in a car crash in the same city the day before and appeared to be impaired.
[Jarrett:] Shannen Doherty is battling stage 4 breast cancer. The 48- year-old actress was originally diagnosed in 2015 and went into remission in 2017. She decided to tell ABC News her cancer returned to send a message to others fighting the disease.
[Shannen Doherty, Actress:] People can look at that and say, oh my God, yes, she can work. And other people with stage 4 can work, too.
[Jarrett:] Doherty has been quietly battling cancer while filming the Beverly Hills reboot. She was coping with the disease while also mourning the death of her friend and former "90210" co-star Luke Perry last March.
[Romans:] Screening "The Lion King" at a fundraiser turned out to be costly for a school in Berkeley, California. A company that licenses films for Disney and other big studios told the PTA at Emerson Elementary School they would have to pay $250 for showing the movie illegally. The fine is nearly a third of what they raised. Movie Licensing USA did not respond to a request for comment.
[Jarrett:] An Ohio man was expecting a letter about his daughter's tuition. What Dan Kaine did not expect was this, 79 bins of mail for him at the post office. It seems the student loan company accidentally sent Dan 55,000 copies of the same letter.
[Unidentified Male:] Dee and I were shocked. We were like, are you kidding me? Who makes that kind of mistake?
[Jarrett:] The company apologized, citing a glitch in their outgoing mail system. A spokeswoman for the postal service says that many letters that many letters addressed to one person is, in a word, uncommon.
[Romans:] Yes, you're likely to hear mistakes and student loan company in the same sentence here.
[Jarrett:] Yes.
[Romans:] Let's get a check on CNN business this morning, and take a look at markets around the world. Asian markets recovering after being shaken by coronavirus fears on Wall Street. Looks like futures also leaning higher, 274 points on the upside if this holds. Stocks rally Tuesday and here's why. The idea that more stimulus from China will come and will calm the fears of just how bad the coronavirus will hurt the overall global economy. The Dow rose 408 points. S&P 500 closed up 1.5 percent. The Nasdaq finished up 2 percent. That's a record high for the Nasdaq, in part because of Tesla. Tesla stock has doubled this year. A strong debut for Disney in the streaming wars. Disney Plus now has nearly 30 million subscribers up from 10 million in November when it launched. Disney has forecast 60 to 90 million global subscribers by 2025. It also reported revenue. It rose to $20.8 billion, but told investors it could take a hit due to its theme parks in China being closed because of the coronavirus, assuming those parks are closed for two months.
[Jarrett:] While you were sleeping, late night hosts had a field day with the Democratic debacle in Iowa.
[Stephen Colbert, Comedian:] Last night, Iowa's supposed to kick off the 2020 election. Instead, they kicked democracy right in the old hanging chad.
[Jimmy Kimmel, Comedian:] It was a very long day for Democrats today. The Democrats somehow found a way to lose the Democratic caucus in Iowa. The president, of course, was delighted by this. He weighed in today, tweeting: It is not the fault of Iowa. It is the do-nothing Democrats' fault. As long as I am president, Iowa will stay where it is. Is there was there talk of moving Iowa? Did Iowa decide to retire and move to Florida? Because I didn't know about that.
[Trevor Noah, Comedian:] The Democrats commissioned to make vote counting easier ended up malfunctioning and screwing up the entire night. And I guess what do you expect? I mean, the average age of the party leadership is like 85 years old. What do they know about apps? The only thing they know about apps is that you get one for free with the early bird special. That's it.
[Romans:] You got to try really hard to have Iowa the butt of every joke at late night.
[Jarrett:] Well, maybe tomorrow we can tell you who won, officially, the Iowa caucuses.
[Romans:] All right. Thanks for joining us, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.
[Jarrett:] And I'm Laura Jarrett. "NEW DAY" starts right now.
[Unidentified Female:] More than a day after the Iowa caucuses, the first results have finally come in.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] I am disappointed. I suspect I could speak for all the candidates, for the people of Iowa.
[Buttigieg:] What we know is that our vision has been validated. And that this is an astonishing victory.
[Unidentified Female:] It was a big night for him. And historically, this was the first openly gay candidate that's ever run.
[Trump:] The State of our Union is stronger than ever before.
[Sen. Ted Cruz:] I thought the president gave the single best speech I've ever seen him give.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] It was a manifesto of mistruths.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] To Speaker Pelosi, you can tear up the speech but you can't tear up the accomplishments.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, February 5th, 5:00 here in New York. Welcome back. END

[Keilar:] This past weekend brought some ominous new signs from North Korea. CNN Correspondent, Will Ripley is following the latest developments from Hong Kong. Tell us the latest, Will.
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, what we know is that the North Koreans, according to a source of mine, are not planning a launch, a long-range missile launch, right around Christmas. Because there's been a lot of speculation about that Christmas gift that Kim Jong-un promised. So what is the gift? A new hardline policy when it comes to dealing with the U.S.
[Ripley:] North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets with his military's top brass over the weekend, ordering them to bolster the overall armed forces of the country, discussing the sustained and accelerated development of military capability. CNN obtained new satellite images showing increased activity at this facility tied to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile program. Not one but two apparent engine tests, according to South Korea, at this known launch site, sparking speculation of a bigger test to come. But not so fast. Chances of a highly provocative launch like an ICBM or a nuclear test, very low, a source familiar with North Korea's position tells CNN. North Korea cryptically promised a Christmas gift for the U.S. if the year ended without a diplomatic breakthrough. The most likely Christmas gift from North Korea, the source says, a new hardline approach in dealing with the U.S. Negotiations seen as a waste of time. Kim taking a wait-and-see approach on dealing with President Trump. Perceived, the source says, as politically vulnerable as he moves into an election year.
[Trump:] He likes sending rockets up, doesn't he? That's why I call him Rocket Man.
[Ripley:] When President Trump revived his old nickname for Kim, North Korea returned the rhetorical fire, calling Trump's comments the dotage of a dotard, which means old, senile, lunatic. Former national security advisor John Bolton told AXIOS, President Trump's approach on North Korea has failed to slow Kim's nuclear program. Three face-to-face meetings in Singapore, Vietnam, and the Korean demilitarized zone yet Washington and Pyongyang remain deadlocked over sanctions and denuclearization. The source familiar with North Korea's position telling CNN, denuclearization is off the table and the bar to return to talks is significantly higher. On the week before Christmas, this appeal to Pyongyang from President Trump's point man on North Korea.
[Stephen Biegun, United States Special Representative For North Korea:] Let's get this done. We are here, and you know how to reach us.
[Ripley:] Last-ditch diplomacy hitting an all too familiar dead end. Just because North Korea is not planning to launch an ICBM around Christmas, my source says, doesn't mean that they won't do it in 2020, an election year for President Trump. The North Koreans keenly aware there's already a lot of pressure on the President, Brianna. Could they add to that pressure in the coming months after they analyze all the data from these recent tests? We'll just have to wait and see.
[Keilar:] All right, we'll be waiting with you. Will Ripley, thank you for that report. And coming up, Democrats renew their demands for more documents ahead of President Trump's impeachment trial. Will they get what they want?

[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] You've been watching a special edition of NEW DAY as we remember D-Day. and we just saw a very touching moment from French President Macron. He was giving his speech in French, of course. And then he stopped and paused and, in English, he turned, and he honored the U.S. veterans. Sixty-five of them are there in the audience today who stormed the beach of Omaha Beach of Normandy. And he turned to them, and I don't know if we have him saying it or if OK. Listen to what he listen to what he told them.
[Emmanuel Macron, French President:] What we owe to you veterans. Our freedom. On behalf of my nation, I just want to say thank you.
[Berman:] Sixty-five veterans, American veterans of the D-Day landing there. You could see a small smile creep onto some of their faces when the French president turned around and said thank you. And then you saw some of them rise to hear that applause. What a beautiful, beautiful moment.
[Camerota:] It makes me well up a little bit because of how powerful it is for veterans to hear "thank you." You know, we so often hear on Memorial Day or whenever that they just want all they want is a thank you for your service. And for some of these men, this is the first time that they've ever gone back since that pivotal moment, that defining moment in World War II. And to have the French president say, "Thank you, we owe it all to you. We owe our freedom to you" is just very powerful.
[Berman:] And again, to a man, I think they would all say, "We were just doing our duty. And we would do it again in a second. We'd do it right now. We may be 93 years old, but we would do it right now."
[Camerota:] Exact. I'm glad you point that out, because yesterday we saw one of the 93-year-olds jump out of a plane again yesterday. And he said he would do that all again, and it was easier, he said, yesterday than what he had to do on D-Day.
[Berman:] All right. The French president is getting close to the end of his remarks. He will actually present the Legion of Honor to five U.S. veterans who are there today. We'll bring that to you as it happens. And then we expect to hear from President Trump a short while later. The two leaders are the main attractions, the main speakers at this event today. And we will listen to hear what the president has to say. At this moment we're joined by Christiane Amanpour, CNN chief international anchor; Melissa Bell, CNN international correspondent; and Jim Acosta, chief White House correspondent. Christiane, you've been listening to the French president. We've been watching the images, looking at the faces of those U.S. veterans. Just reflect on this moment.
[Christiane Amanpour, Cnn Chief International Anchor:] Well, look, just to see, as you came to us he finished. You can see his now embrace with President Trump. I think President Macron is somebody who is very, very, very moved. He really understands. He speaks perfect English. He understands. He's of the younger generation, but he knows what the older generation did. And turning around twice to thank, personally, in English the veterans for what they had done and over and again say, "We know what we owe the United States of America. We know what you owe we owe you veterans. We owe you our freedom." And he he made a big deal about that. And what you've got going on right now is what you were talking about. The Legion D'honneur is being handed out to five of the veterans. And we've already pointed out that only 65 D-Day veterans have been able to come this year. And, in any event, it's a dwindling, dwindling supply, as you can imagine.
[Berman:] Christiane, let's listen. Let's listen.
[Amanpour:] Age is catching up with all
[Berman:] I think we can hear what the French president is saying.
[Amanpour:] these people who put it all on the line
[Berman:] Let's listen to what the president is saying.
[Amanpour:] 75 years ago.
[Berman:] I think we can hear him.
[Camerota:] I'm not sure that we can hear them, but we do know the men that are being honored here. This is Mr. Vincent Hines, Stanley Friday, Harold Terrence, Charlies Giroux.
[Macron:] Mr. Stanley Friday, in honor of the French republic, I award you the distinction of a knight of the Legion of Honor. Mr. Charles Giroux, in the name of the French republic, I make you a knight of the Legion of Honor. Mr. Harold Terrence, in the name of the French republic, I make you a knight of the Legion of Honor. Mr. Paul Worth, in the name of the French republic, we make you knight of the Legion of Honor.
[Announcer:] Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States, Donald
[Music: "hail To The Chief") Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] President Macron, Mrs. Macron, and the people of France, to the first lady of the United States and members of the United States Congress, to distinguished guests, veterans and my fellow Americans, we are gathered here on freedom's altar. On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their lives for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty. Today we remember those who fell, and we honor all who fought right here in Normandy. They won back this ground for civilization. To more than 170 veterans of the Second World War who join us today, you are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live. You're the pride of our nation. You are the glory of our republic. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Here with you are over 60 veterans who landed on D-Day. Our debt to you is everlasting. Today we express our undying gratitude. When you were young, these men enlisted their lives in a great crusade, one of the greatest of all times. Their mission is the story of an epic battle and the ferocious eternal struggle between good and evil. On the 6th of June, 1944, they joined a liberation force of awesome power and breathtaking scale. After months of planning, the Allies had chosen this ancient coastline to mount their campaign to vanquish the wicked tyranny of the Nazi empire from the face of the earth. The battle began in the skies above us. In those first tense midnight hours, 1,000 aircraft roared overhead with 17,000 Allied airborne troops preparing to leap into the darkness beyond these trees. Then came dawn. The enemy, who had occupied these heights, saw the largest naval armada in the history of the world. Just a few miles offshore were 7,000 vessels bearing 130,000 warriors. They were the citizens of free and independent nations, united by their duty to their compatriots and to millions yet unborn. There were the British whose nobility and fortitude saw them through the worst of Dunkirk and the London blitz. The full violence of Nazi fury was no match for the full grandeur of British pride. Thank you. There were the Canadians whose robust sense of honor and loyalty compelled them to take up arms alongside Britain from the very, very beginning. There were the fighting Poles, the tough Norwegians and the intrepid Aussies. There were the gallant French commandos, soon to be met by thousands of their brave countrymen ready to write a new chapter in the long history of French valor. And finally, there were the Americans. They came from the farms of a vast heartland, the streets of glowing cities, and the forges of mighty industrial towns. Before the war, many had never ventured beyond their own community. Now they had come to offer their lives half a world from home. This beach, code named Omaha, was defended by the Nazis with monstrous firepower, thousands and thousands of mines and spikes driven into the sand so deeply. It was here that tens of thousands of the Americans came. The G.I.s who boarded the landing craft that morning knew that they carried on their shoulders not just the pack of a soldier but the fate of the world. Colonel George Taylor, whose 16th Infantry Regiment would join in the first wave, was asked what would happen if the Germans stopped right then and there, cold on the beach, just stopped them, what would happen? This great American replied, "Why, the 18th Infantry is coming in right behind us. The 26th Infantry will come on, too. Then there is the 2nd Infantry Division already afloat and the 9th Division and the 2nd Armored and the 3rd Armored and all the rest. Maybe the 16th won't make it, but someone will." One of those men in Taylor's 16th Regiment was Army medic Ray Lambert. Ray was only 23, but he had already earned three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars fighting in North Africa and Sicily, where he and his brother Bill, no longer with us, served side by side. In the early morning hours, the two brothers stood together on the deck of the USS Henrico before boarding two separate Higgins landing craft. "If I don't make it," Bill said, "Please, please take care of my family." Ray asked his brother to do the same. Of the 31 men on Ray's landing craft, only Ray and six others made it to the beach. There were only a few of them left. They came to the sector right here below us. Easy Red it was called. Again and again, Ray ran back into the water. He dragged out one man after another. He was shot through the arm. His leg was ripped open by shrapnel. His back was broken. He nearly drowned. He had been on the beach for hours, bleeding and saving lives, when he finally lost consciousness. He woke up the next day on a cot beside another badly-wounded soldier. He looked over and saw his brother Bill. They made it. They made it. They made it. At 98 years old, Ray is here with us today with his fourth Purple Heart and his third Silver Star from Omaha. Ray, the free world salutes you. Thank you, Ray. Nearly two hours in, unrelenting fire from these bluffs kept the Americans pinned down on the sand, now red with our heroes' blood. Then, just a few hundred yards from where I'm standing, a breakthrough came. The battle turned and with it, history. Down on the beach, Captain Joe Dawson, the son of a Texas preacher, led Company G through a minefield to a natural fold in the hillside, still here. Just beyond this path to my right, Captain Dawson snuck beneath an enemy machine gun perch and tossed his grenades. Soon, American troops were charging up "Dawson's Draw." What a job he did. What bravery he showed. Lieutenant Spalding and the men from Company E moved on to crush the enemy strongpoint on the far side of this cemetery and stop the slaughter on the beach below. Countless more Americans poured out across this ground, all over the countryside. They joined fellow American warriors from Utah Beach and allies from Juno, Sword and Gold, along with the Airborne and the French patriots. Private First Class Russell Pickett of the 29th Division's famed 116th Infantry regiment had been wounded in the first wave that landed on Omaha Beach. At a hospital in England, Private Pickett vowed to return to battle. "I'm going to return," he said. "I'm going to return." Six days after D-Day, he rejoined his company. Two-thirds had been killed already. Many had been wounded within 15 minutes of the invasion. They lost 19 just from the small town of Bedford, Virginia, alone. Before long, a grenade left Private Pickett, and he was gravely wounded. So badly wounded. Again, he chose to return. He didn't care. He had to be here. He was then wounded a third time and laid unconscious for 12 days. They thought he was gone. They thought he had no chance. Russell Pickett is the last known survivor of the legendary Company A. And today, believe it or not, he has returned once more to these shores to be with his comrades. Private Pickett, you honor us all with your presence. Tough guy. By the fourth week of August, Paris was liberated. Some who landed here pushed all the way to the center of Germany. Some threw open the gates of Nazi concentration camps to liberate Jews who had suffered the bottomless horrors of the Holocaust. And some warriors fell on other fields of battle, returning to rest on this soil for eternity. Before this place was consecrated to history, the land was owned by a French farmer, a member of the French resistance. These were great people. These were strong and tough people. His terrified wife waited out D-Day in a nearby house, holding tight to their little baby girl. The next day, a soldier appeared. "I'm an American," he said. "I'm here to help." The French woman was overcome with emotion and cried. Days later, she laid flowers on fresh American graves. Today, her granddaughter, Stefanie, serves as a guide at this cemetery. This week, Stefanie led 92-year-old Marian Wynn of California to see the grave of her brother, Don, for the very first time. Marian and Stefanie are both with us today, and we thank you for keeping alive the memories of our precious heroes. Thank you. Nine thousand, three hundred and eighty-eight young Americans rest beneath the white crosses and stars of David arrayed on these beautiful grounds. Each one has been adopted by a French family that thinks of him as their own. They come from all over France to look after our boys. They kneel, they cry, they pray, they place flowers. And they never forget. Today, America embraces the French people and thanks you for honoring our beloved dead. Thank you. To all of our friends and partners, our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war, and proven in the blessings of peace. Our bond is unbreakable. From across the earth, Americans are drawn to this place as though it were a part of our very soul. We come not only because of what they did here. We come because of who they were. They were young men with their entire lives before them. They were husbands who said good-bye to their young brides and took their duty as their fate. They were fathers who would never meet their infant sons and daughters, because they had a job to do. And with God as their witness, they were going to get it done. They came wave after wave without question, without hesitation and without complaint. More powerful than the strength of American arms was the strength of American hearts. These men ran through the fires of hell, moved by a force no weapon could destroy. The fierce patriotism of a free, proud and sovereign people. They battled not for control and domination, but for liberty, democracy and self-rule. They pressed on for love and home and country, the main streets, the schoolyards, the churches, and neighbors, the families and communities that gave us men such as these. They were sustained by the confidence that America can do anything, because we are a noble nation with a virtuous people, praying to a righteous God. The exceptional might came from a truly exceptional spirit. The abundance of courage came from an abundance of faith. The great deeds of an Army came from the great depths of their love. As they confronted their fate, the Americans and the Allies placed themselves into the palm of God's hand. The men behind me will tell you that they are just the lucky ones.

[Berman:] As of this morning, there have been at least 2.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus around the world, in more than 184,000 deaths. CNN has reporters across the globe to bring you the latest developments.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] I'm Nic Robertson in London. Today, the first human trials of a potential new vaccine begin, a study by Oxford University involving perhaps hundreds of people in the first phase which will be a safety phase, scaling up, if successful, by full this year. Also beginning today, 20,000 homes, the government says will be contacted across the country to learn more about the virus. And infection and antibody scheme here that could reach as many as 300,000 people, the government says.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Scott McLean in Madrid where the last ice rink being used as a temporary morgue has now closed, and children will get their first taste of freedom this weekend after six weeks under lockdown. The rest of Spanish society, though, is coming to grips with the reality that things will not go back to normal anytime soon. The running of the bulls has been canceled, so has the annual tomato fight near Valencia. The Spanish parliament has approved an extension of the stay-at-home order for another two weeks, only then the Prime Minister says will Spain gradually enter the de-escalation phase, which will rely on personal responsibility to keep the virus at bay.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Matt Rivers in Mexico City, where officials tell us they've recorded at least 44 attacks against healthcare workers since last month. These workers enduring everything from having bleach thrown on them to being punched in the face. Authorities say the motive here is misinformation, rumors that it's actually healthcare workers that are spreading this virus. It's not the majority opinion here in Mexico, most Mexicans will tell you they support healthcare workers, but doctors and nurses are afraid. One doctor told me that when she goes to work, she only wears street clothes, she doesn't put on her scrubs until she gets to the hospital because she fears she's a target.
[David Mckenzie, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm David McKenzie in South Africa. Noah Trevor is getting his test here with a swab for COVID-19. He looks pretty uncomfortable, but it's critical here because we're in a community where people just cannot self-isolate. We've been out with community health workers, they are trying to test for symptoms, we also hear where they're screening people for possible symptoms of this disease. In South Africa, they have one possible advantage. They've been battling HIVAIDS for years here, with a huge amount of U.S. government support. And those boots on the ground and that experience could give them the upper hand.
[Camerota:] Our thanks to all of our correspondents around the globe. So stay at home orders around the world have kept people from driving and flying for weeks now. And that appears to be having a positive impact on the climate crisis. Pollution levels are down dramatically in major cities. But will that have a lasting effect on the environment? Well, CNN's Bill Weir joins us now with more. So Bill, what's the answer to that?
[Bill Weir, Cnn Chief Climate Correspondent:] Well, Alisyn, you know, it's kind of hard to say happy Earth Day these days without some ironic dread and, yes, we're seeing more wild critters coming to the streets and, yes, city dwellers are noticing stars they didn't know were up there before. But this is far from a silver-lining when it comes to fixing the climate crisis.
[Weir:] On a golden anniversary of Earth Day, it's as if mother nature has sent us all to our rooms to think about what we've done and to give us a glimpse of life without us. The penguins of Cape Town had the streets to themselves, while wild pigs used sidewalks in Corsica. Kashmiri goats are helping themselves to the shrubbery in Wales and a sea turtle hatch in Thailand is reportedly setting modern records. A normally shy Puma ran a stop light in Santiago, with no visitors to Kruger National Park, a pride of South African lions can snooze in the road and with no wall of course to navigate, Yosemite Park rangers are seeing more bears than ever.
[Unidentified Female:] For the most part I think they're having a party.
[Weir:] And while they aren't unheard of in New York City, these days it's hard not to be shaken by vultures, circling over the Navy's floating hospital, the Comfort. [on camera]: Man, it will be a great day when the only big Naval ship docked in New York City is a museum, when the Comfort finally sets sail, surely those vultures will fly away and we can finally come out of our homes, surely all those wild critters will go back to what's left of theirs. But what about the effects that are harder to see? What is this pause in the industrial revolution doing to the chemistry of our sky? [voice-over]: Locals in northern India say they can see the Himalayas for the first time in decades. And before and after satellite imagery shows how nitrogen dioxide pollution over North America's big cities is down by as much as 30 percent. But the blanket of heat trapping gases around our planet is still thicker than ever. [on camera]: And there seems to be this perception that maybe the virus has helped humanity buy some time when it comes to global warming. What's wrong with that assumption?
[Jonathan Foley, Executive Director, Project Drawdown:] We would have to keep doing this even more, and do it for the next 30 years to really begin to bend the curve on the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It's kind of like having a really huge bathtub in the sky filled with pollution, and we have the faucet pouring more in. And all we've done is kind of turn down the faucet a little bit, but it's still filling up.
[Weir:] Thanks to the current oil crash, when the lockdown is lifted, we'll see the lowest gas prices in generations, and with Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency gutting dozens of regulations, experts say a spike in pollution seems inevitable. Both the EPA and Earth Day were born when the air and water got too foul for everyday Americans to ignore. Fifty years later, science is warning that the storms, floods and fires of the climate crisis are growing too frequent and too severe to ignore. Saving what's left will take everyday folk everywhere, deciding that their planet deserves more than one minor holiday like a dead president deciding that to save life as we know it, every day should be Earth Day. Virologists for years tried to warn us that an invisible enemy would come out of the jungles if we just kept cutting all of them down, and they were right. So, if any good can come of this, Alisyn, maybe it's an understanding that the climatologists who were warning about the invisible enemy up in our sky and in our seas, maybe we should take them seriously too.
[Camerota:] We hope more understanding is the silver-lining here. Bill Weir, thank you very much for that report. Well, the government's top vaccine researcher is speaking out, NEW DAY continues right now.
[Unidentified Female:] The director of a key federal agency says he's been pushed out of his job because he resisted efforts to widen the availability of a drug that was pushed by President Trump.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] If a guy says he was pushed out of a job, maybe he was, maybe he wasn't.
[Robert Redfield, Virologist:] It's important to clarify this. I didn't say that this was going to be worse. I said it was going to be more difficult.
[Unidentified Male:] Dr. Redfield's concern is that there also might be flu at the same time. And the whole taskforce is concerned about the second wave.
[Trump:] It is estimated it might not come back at all. It may not come back at all.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy & Infectious Diseases:] We will have coronavirus in the Fall. I am convinced of that.
[Berman:] All right, good morning, welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. Coronavirus doesn't care about what drug you want to work. The virus doesn't care whether you don't want it. END

[Julia Chatterley, Cnn:] Hello and welcome to this special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Julia Chatterley. Outside Britain's Houses of Parliament here in London where there remains no consensus on how to move forward on Brexit.
[Cyril Vanier, Cnn:] And I'm Cyril Vanier here at the CNN center in Atlanta. As Boeing unveils overhaul for its troubled 737 Max planes.
[Chatterley:] It's the day after an eventful 24 hours here in Westminster. There were hopes that Wednesday might provide some clarity, even perhaps some unity. But it ended in more confusion and division. Prime Minister Theresa May offered to resign if her party backs her twice-defeated Brexit deal before lawmakers failed to agree on an alternative option. They had a menu of eight different alternatives. They included giving voters a second referendum on EU membership and leaving the EU without a deal in place.
[John Bercow, Speaker, U.k. House Of Commons:] In respect of Mr. Baron's motion B, Brexit's no-deal, the ayes were 160, the nos were 400. So the nos have it. So the nos have it. So the nos have it. So the nos have it. So the nos have it. So the nos have it. So the nos have it. So the nos have it. Order. Order.
[Chatterley:] Eight nos there if you lost count. So the mother of Parliament is looking weary and many wonder if she is up to the job of taking Britain out of the EU. The leader of the House of Commons says the Brexit debate will continue on Friday. So there is plenty for to us unpack but no resolution of course. We'll get the reaction from Europe with Erin McLaughlin who is in Brussels for us right now. But first Bianca Nobilo joins me here in Westminster. Bianca, just in the last few minutes perhaps a suggestion that the way to get a vote past is breaking down discussion about the current arrangement and getting the U.K. out of the EU with the future relationship. Talk us through how this might happen and work.
[Bianca Nobilo, Cnn Correspondent:] At the moment, the Prime Minister's deal is two parts. And it comes as a package. You have the Withdrawal Agreement which is essentially the divorce deal. That covers the amount of money that the U.K. is paying the EU for leaving. It covers the transition period and various other loose ends. And that's huge. It's 585 pages burnt in the brain. I've read. And then the other part is the declaration on the future relationship. Now that unlike the Withdrawal Agreement is not legally binding. It's essentially imprecise and aspirational in nature, and it's a declaration about what the future relationship is going to look like. So the Prime Minister's team is currently thinking if we break those apart and focus just on the divorce and put the future relationship to one side for a moment, can we get enough support to move that through Parliament? The thinking being that the Labour Party, the official opposition, want to see a permanent customs union, a much softer Brexit with close assignment to the EU as the majority of the MPs in the House of Commons. So that would be covered technically in the future relationship, not the divorce deal. So if Britain just needs to leave and needs to get something approved by tomorrow then that could just be the Withdrawal Agreement and crucially in the EU conclusions about how the process is going to work. They say it's only the Withdrawal Agreement, not the Political Declaration that needs to be passed by tomorrow's deadline in order to get the longer extension. So this could be the loophole that everyone is looking for.
[Chatterley:] Killing two birds with one stone, perhaps bringing some of the opposition Labourites onboard with the option of messing around with the future relationship going forward. But also crucially perhaps ruling out a no-deal exit here, at least until May the 22nd. Erin, come in here. We just heard from Bianca there suggesting that perhaps this could be a work around getting some kind of vote done by Friday of this week. And as I mentioned there perhaps ruling a no-deal exit at least between now and May 22nd. How is that going down in Brussels do we think?
[Erin Mclaughlin, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, I think at this point, Julia, if they manage to get the withdrawal deal across the line, I think that certainly would be a welcome development here in Brussels. The Political Declaration as Bianca was just saying there is seen as aspirational. It's also open ended. Any of the eventualities that were being explored in Westminster last night could be possible under the current terms of the Political Declaration. So that is actually the state of play there in London. I think plenty of people here would be scratching their heads but nevertheless welcome that as an outcome. Because at this point there is lots of frustration and concern about what Brussels saw unfolding there in Westminster. They are looking out across the English Channel, trying to find some clarity and coming up empty at this point. Take a listen to what Margaritis Schinas, the spoke person for the European Commission had to say earlier today.
[Margaritis Schinas, Chief Spokesman, European Commission:] The commission takes note of the indicative votes in the House of Commons last night. This is part of an ongoing political process in the United Kingdom which we fully respect. We counted eight nos last night. Now we need a yes on the way forward.
[Mclaughlin:] And at this point there is very little the EU can do to help this process. And that is by design. Keep in mind what played out last week at that critical EU summit when the 27 EU leaders gathered around the table and decided to create a new cliff edge. I'm being told here by diplomats that they didn't create the cliff edge thinking the April 12th cliff edge thinking the U.K. was going to be able to get its act together. There is very little hope for that. They created the new cliff edge in order not to be blamed for Brexit for a no-deal Brexit. That's really a priority for the EU at this point.
[Chatterley:] Yes, the technical term, cliff edge thinking. We could do with a bit more urgency behind the thinking if that's what it is. Erin McLaughlin, thank you so much for that. And of course Bianca Nobilo there too. All right, so let's bring in journalist, writer and broadcaster, Gavin Esler, joins us now. Great to have you with us.
[Gavin Esler, Journalist, Writer And Broadcaster:] Very nice to be here.
[Chatterley:] You were listening to that discussion. What is the likelihood that perhaps this vote of separating the current arrangement and the exit with the future relationship might bring in the Labourites here? Because the rumor was that it was discussed with Jeremy Corbyn and he was like, nothing doing.
[Esler:] Well I have to say, the only thing I'm certain of today, is that it's a beautiful day here in Westminster. It's a beautiful spring day. Everything else you can take with a pinch of salt if you choose. But, look, the Labour Party may have many flaws but they are not stupid. They can understand that this is a stunt. This may go through. It's possible. I think if it does, it will go through with a lot of people holding their noses and will hate this deal. So that's hardly a way to run a country. So I suspect the Labour Party general would not fall for it.
[Chatterley:] But it is a way ultimately of agreeing that the U.K. is going to leave the EU and it leaves the future up for debate here. As we saw from the votes last night what was close was two things, one was a closer relationship between the U.K. and the EU, a so-called customs union as we've called it, or the possibility of a second referendum here. So it leaves both options arguably on the table for Labour.
[Esler:] I think you're absolutely right. But those two could be taken together. There is a move to say if we get a customs union type deal, a softer Brexit, then we should vote on it. It wouldn't be either or. In other words, if the other half does and things fall away, Parliament could coalesce around those two things, which is at least a possibility. And that would give us all a chance to vote on the practicalities of the Brexit, but in principle. But without knowing any of the details people voted on a couple of years ago.
[Chatterley:] You know, it's interesting, you said Labour aren't that stupid. But ultimately there are 17.4 million people, the majority of the country that said that they wanted the U.K. to leave the
[Eu. Esler:] Three years ago. That's the problem. I mean, the people have changed their minds. Some of the voters passed on. A whole generation over the age of 16 is now able to vote because they are now over the age of 18. It's quite clear from opinion polls that we, while there was a vote in 2016, you know there was a vote in 1979 which put Mrs. Thatcher in power. We respect that but don't live in 1979 or 2016. I think people have moved on.
[Chatterley:] Wow, so you're saying actually that now this process is taking so long that actually we have given the change, the shift in voter sentiment that the polls are suggesting at least perhaps going back to a second vote is in some way justified. It's a bold call.
[Esler:] I think it is. Also I think some people think, oh, if we get it over the line which the government keeps saying it will be finished. That's when Brexit will start to the negotiations will start. This will gone go on for years. And I think people are fed up with it. And if they want to bring it to an end there are those possibility.
[Chatterley:] So we're talking about almost taking Theresa May's, adding on perhaps a future customs union arrangement, a much closer relationship. And then saying fine, this is the package. This is Brexit. Here it is.
[Esler:] Well you may have solved you may have solved it on this glorious day.
[Chatterley:] I think we just did it together.
[Esler:] We'll have to see. I mean, MPs are many, many really good people in there trying to do their best for the country. And there are others who just simply want to be leaders of the Conservative Party. Because what has brought this about is 40 years of infighting within the Conservative Party which unseated Margaret Thatcher, unseated Cameron and is unseating Theresa May, unfortunately. Time to bring that to an end.
[Chatterley:] That's the risk. That it's about leadership battle perhaps more than anything else. Fantastic to have you with us. Thank you so much Gavin. That's it from Westminster for now Cyril. Of course I'll hand it back to you. You know you're having a look at the day's other top stories.
[Vanier:] Yes, Julia, thank you for the coverage. We'll cross back shortly to get more on Brexit from London. Still to come on the show, two recent crashes, similar circumstances and more than 300 lives lost. Now Boeing is making changes to one of its planes. And we take you inside the 737 Max training simulator. The only simulator in Ethiopia for the aircraft that crashed two weeks ago.
[Unidentified Female:] How many times to people said to you, why rugby?
[Chris Mattina, Rugby United New York:] A lot of times. People are always like, that's crazy or how did you get involved in it. You know, I just love the game.
[Unidentified Female:] Chris Mattina is New York born and raised. But the player pro rugby here is here is extra special.
[Mattina:] It's been amazing so far. Just to be back at home and be around all my friends and family and have them come out and support us and be watching on television has been unreal.
[Mike Tolkin, Head Coach, Rugby United New York:] Having the New Yorkers on the team is really big. We have some native guys playing for us and that's been a real treat for them.
[Unidentified Female:] Head coach Mike Tolkin is also New Yorker. But there is a member of his coaching staff who not only breaks the mold but crushes the idea that a woman can't coach men.
[Tiffany Faaee, Assistant Coach, Rugby United New York:] It's huge, and honor and comes with responsibility.

[Blitzer:] We hope it doesn't happen, but Major League Baseball season potentially could come to an end fairly soon. Just tonight, a Cardinals game against the Milwaukee Brewers was postponed as is the doubleheader scheduled for tomorrow after more and more players are testing positive for the coronavirus. All of this comes as the league reported at least 29 players and team employees who tested positive this week. CNN's Martin Savidge has more.
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Sports leagues are using shortened seasons, bubbles, team sequestering and rapid testing to let the games begin. Could the winners and losers teach us something? Take baseball. Already, a number of games are on hold as more than 20 members of the Miami Marlins tested positive for coronavirus. Players aren't sequestered and teams travel to outbreak hotspots. The Washington Nationals were so concerned about going to Florida, they put it to a vote.
[Dave Martinez, Washington Nationals Manager:] And we all decided that it was probably unsafe to go there.
[Savidge:] Friday, the Cardinals-Brewers game postponed after two members of the St. Louis team tested positive. Meanwhile, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association have opted for a different approach, keeping participants in a closed environment where they live, practice and play their games the bubble. So far, so good. During training camp, the NHL testing more than 800 players, there were two positive the first week and none the second. The teams now face off in two secure zones in Edmonton and Toronto, Canada.
[Gary Bettman, Nhl Commissioner:] We are feeling good about the fact that we've got a contained environment. In fact, one player was quoted as saying from the bubble, that this is the safest he's felt since the middle of March.
[Savidge:] At the NBA bubble in Orlando for the season resumed Thursday, they are also declaring success. The league says only two players inside the bubble have tested positive and that was over two weeks ago.
[Adam Silver, Nba Commissioner:] In essence, everyone is tested on a nightly basis and then they, as a practical matter don't leave their room until they have the results the next morning.
[Savidge:] Still to come, football. The NFL says they take safety seriously reconfiguring locker rooms, reducing travel schedules, doing away with preseason games. But like baseball, the NFL is allowing players and staff to go home, increasing their risk of getting infected. In an open letter, Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote, "In a year that's been extraordinarily difficult for our country and the world, we hope that the energy of this moment will provide some much needed optimism." But growing numbers of NFL players opting out of the 2020 season would seem to indicate they don't share that optimism. So what have sports taught us? Pretty much what you already knew that quarantine and ample access to testing is a winning strategy. Martin Savidge, CNN, Atlanta.
[Blitzer:] Thank you, Martin. And there's breaking news into THE SITUATION ROOM right now. Matthew Stafford, the quarterback for the NFL's Detroit Lions has been placed on the league's reserve COVID-19 list by his team. This move does not necessarily indicate that Stafford himself has tested positive for COVID-19. CNN sports analysts and "USA Today" sports columnist Christine Brennan is joining us right now. Christine, let's talk about what's going on the NBA bubble, and I hope it works. It is working so far, but baseball and football attempting to play while traveling from city to city that's causing a lot of potential problems. You heard ESPN reported that the baseball Commissioner Rob Bamford is warning of a potential league shutdown. How do you see it?
[Christine Brennan, Cnn Sports Analyst:] Wolf, I think if there's one more outbreak, especially on the West Coast for Major League Baseball, they may well have to shut it down. I hope I'm wrong, but they've already been two, of course, the one in the East with the Miami Marlins and then of course, the St. Louis Cardinals. That's eight teams involved, 33 games over one week postponed, and I don't think Major League Baseball can handle one more of these. I think if something happens on the West Coast and we know the hot spots in California, Texas, Arizona, if there's one more outbreak in Major League Baseball, I really do think as much as they want to get this season in, as much as the TV money, Wolf is everything to Major League Baseball, I just don't think they'd be able to pull it off if there's another outbreak.
[Blitzer:] I suspect you're right. ESPN is also reporting that the Commissioner is blaming the League and the players for not doing a better job of following COVID-19 protocols. But he made the call to let these teams play and they're not using what's called the bubble. Should baseball, Christine, follow the lead of basketball, hockey and soccer and force all the players to be in a bubble instead of traveling from city to city?
[Brennan:] Wolf, they should have done that, absolutely, and if not one bubble, maybe a couple many bubbles. I've never said the word bubble more in my life. But maybe you would have had something in New York, maybe Washington, maybe one out West one in the Midwest, and then have it all there more of a tournament just as the men's soccer and the women's soccer have done. And of course, just as the NBA and the WNBA are doing because a bubble really is the only answer and you don't have to take my word for it or your word for it. Wolf, let's take Dr. Anthony Fauci his word for it. Back in the middle of June he said that he thought that football would have to play in a bubble to be a success. Obviously, that's difficult to do. Major League Baseball those showing us really the future for both college and pro-football and just how difficult this is to pull off.
[Blitzer:] As you know, the NFL has canceled all the preseason games in August getting ready for the regular season in September. Do you expect the Commissioner to take more precautions after seeing what has now happened with baseball?
[Brennan:] I certainly do, Wolf, although baseball had a 113-page list of protocols and clearly they weren't being followed and look at what baseball, the mess that baseball is in right now. I think that the NFL has been lucky that they have had this time to look at all the mistakes that everyone else has made and also the good things that have worked. But, you know, football is the antithesis of social distancing. Literally, it's blocking and tackling every play. Twenty two guys all on a big pile, everyone slobbering on each other. I just don't know how it works. With the outbreaks and the problems we're having in this country with the coronavirus and COVID-19, I just don't see how the NFL can pull it off, but at least they're professionals. College football, 18 to 23- year-olds. That's just pure recklessness if colleges try to play football.
[Blitzer:] Well, you wrote a column and you write this and I'll put it up on the screen, Christine, "The historic recklessness of that decision should it happen will be remembered for decades." You're referring to college football for example, tell us why.
[Brennan:] The question, Wolf, is how many deaths, how many hospitalizations, how many illnesses are we willing to accept to have our college football this fall? My thought is the answer should be zero for deaths. But as we learn this today, "The Washington Post" broke a story that the Southeastern Conference where football is king, they actually had a call with some of their student athletes, the football players, and the football players were very concerned and one of the officials for the Southeastern Conference, Wolf actually said these words, it is a given that there will be cases, there will be illnesses and outbreaks on every team in the Southeastern Conference. How in the world as leaders of young people in universities, university presidents, how can they possibly move ahead, knowing that they are going to subject these football players and also field hockey, volleyball et cetera to what could of course alter their lives if not kill them, or a member of their family and or an assistant coach or a staffer or a referee? That today, that breaking news from "The Washington Post" I think shows us just how difficult this is and how reckless and how history will judge these universities if they don't shut it down now.
[Blitzer:] Yes, these are life and death decisions, a lot of these individuals have to make. All right, Christine Brennan, as usual, thanks very much. Meanwhile, public health experts have been urging Americans for months and months to do something very simple. Simply wear a mask, and now, they may not necessarily even be enough. We will tell you what's going on when we come back.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, as nations around the world brace for a vaccine, Russia now says it could have one ready to go in less than 2 weeks. Plus, one of the world's most populous countries just crossed a milestone in coronavirus cases. We are live in New Delhi. Muslims celebrating Eid al-Adha but it is a lot different this year. How the pandemic has impacted the Hajj pilgrimage.
[Vause:] We will begin with a CNN exclusive. Mark the date, August 10th. That's one officials in Russia say a vaccine for the coronavirus will receive approval, maybe even sooner. This will be a global first in what Russia is branding as a Sputnik moment. But the pace of development and a decision to cut corners on human trials is raising serious safety concerns. CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has exclusive details from Moscow.
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Russian officials are calling it a Sputnik moment, a technological leap like the unexpected launch into space of the first satellite back in the 1950s. Now Russian officials say it's the coronavirus vaccine that is being launched into the global pandemic to highlight Russian scientific achievement. This is the clearest indication we've had yet as to when that Russian vaccine will be approved for us. Russian officials telling CNN they're working towards a date of August the 10th, perhaps even earlier, extraordinarily quick, party according to Russian officials, because of the technology they are using. They've used it successfully in the past on other vaccines but also, undeniably, because human trials would still be incomplete when the vaccine is approved. Russian officials tell CNN that third phase human trials will be conducted only in parallel with the vaccination of frontline medical workers. Risky, of course, but given the acute coronavirus problem in Russia, which has reported the fourth highest number of infections in the world, it's apparently a risk that the authorities here are willing to take. There is enormous skepticism around the world about the effectiveness and the safety of this Russian vaccine. Critics say Russia's push for it comes amid political pressure from the Kremlin and allegations that Russian spies hacked U.S., Canadian and British labs for vaccine secrets. Also, no test data has been released by Russia so far. The Russian officials now tell me that that data will be made available for publication and peer review early next month, which will undoubtedly attract a great deal of international scrutiny Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
[Vause:] Around the world, 25 potential vaccines are in clinical trials. Many are reporting signs of progress. In the U.S., Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, began advanced trials for one of their candidates. Volunteers were injected on Monday. The trials will eventually see 30,000 participants. If it works, up to 100 million doses could be ready by the end of the year, 1.3 billion by the end of next year. Brazil expects distribution of 15 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of December, that is, assuming it is safe. Thousands of Brazilian volunteers are taking part in phase 3 trials. And here in the U.S., five states now reporting a record number of deaths in the past 24 hours: California, Florida, Arkansas, Montana and Oregon. Despite that Donald Trump once again touting the unproven drug, hydroxychloroquine, as a treatment, which every study has found it ineffective, harmful and even fatal.
[Trump:] I happen to think it works in the early stages. Many front line medical people believe that, too, some, many. And so we'll take a look at it. But the one thing we know, it's been out for a long time. It doesn't cause problems. I had no problem. I had absolutely no problem, felt no different, didn't feel good, bad or indifferent. I and I tested, as you know, it didn't it didn't get me and it's not going to hopefully hurt anybody.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] The overwhelming, prevailing clinical trials that have looked at the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine have indicated that it is not effective in coronavirus disease.
[Vause:] With the death toll of the United States approaching 150,000, the U.S. president on Tuesday complained about all the attention and approval that Dr. Anthony Fauci is getting from the U.S. public.
[Trump:] He's got this high approval rating. So why don't I have a high approval rating with respect and the administration, with respect to the virus? So, it's sort of it's curious. A man works for us, with us very closely, Dr. Fauci. And Dr. Birx, also highly thought of. And yet they're highly thought of but nobody likes me. That's all.
[Vause:] Compared to last week, death rates are rising in almost 30 U.S. states and starting August 11th, Alaska will no longer accept visitors, unless they have tested negative for the coronavirus. Here is CNN's Nick Watt with more from around the United States.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] The day Florida started to reopen May 4, there were 819 new cases confirmed in the state, today 11 times that, 9,210. And the state's highest death toll to date.
[Mayor Dan Gelber , Miami Beach:] We've got to get the virus down. We've got to get our contact tracing in place, we've learned that we didn't have enough people at all to sort of even call people up and say you need to quarantine. Who else were you with?
[Watt:] The city of Miami now offering free tests for kids across the state. Cases and children and teens have climbed. But across the country, many test results are still taking so long that they're basically worthless.
[Fauci:] We just can't afford yet again another surge. If you are trying to open up please, do it in a way that's in accordance with the guidelines.
[Watt:] Along with that Sun Belt surge concern now moving a little north, average daily case counts now higher. Along with that Sun Belt surge concern they're moving a little north, average daily case counts now higher than ever. In Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee where despite this plea from Dr. Deborah Birx
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Task Force Response Coordinator:] Stop going to bars and indeed close the bars.
[Watt:] The governor just won't. Many places this now also a major concern, crowds of unmasked concert goers in Colorado, driving Chainsmokers gig in swanky South Hampton, New York, but people got out of their cars and mingled unmasked. Videos like this have sparked an investigation.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] It was a gross violation of common sense.
[Watt:] New Jersey cops say they spent hours breaking up a 700-strong mansion party at an Airbnb rental.
[Gov. Phil Murphy:] You're looking for trouble. You're absolutely looking for trouble.
[Watt:] Meanwhile, for more Miami Marlins have tested positive according to ESPN. All their games this week now postponed, the Yankees Phillies series also postponed.
[Rob Manfred, Mlb Commissioner:] A team losing a number of players that rendered a completely noncompetitive would be an issue that we would have to address whether that was shutting down a part of the season, the whole season.
[Watt:] And football preseason games have been cancelled. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced in an open letter, the regular season still on but every player and coach currently subject to daily tests. According to Goodell, this process has not been easy. Here in California, excitement on Tuesday. Only 6,000 new cases reported by the state, well below the 9,000-plus average that we've been seeing recently. And then a state official came out and said, hang on, we think there might be a delay in reporting and that is why the number is so low. California, still really in the teeth of this Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Vause:] The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, took another swipe at how the president has responded to the pandemic.
[Joe Biden, Former U.s. Vice President And Presidential Candidate:] Donald Trump faces a real test, and he's failed it, the basic threshold of being president, the duty to care for the entire country, not just his reelection prospects. He's shown that he can't beat the pandemic and keep you safe. He can't turn the economy around and get America back to work. And he is, horrifyingly and not surprisingly, intentionally stoking the flames of division and racism in this country.
[Vause:] For his campaign event, vice president Biden unveiled a plan for financially aid for minority owned businesses. He says first time home buyers under his administration will receive a $15,000 refundable tax credit. British prime minister Boris Johnson is warning of a resurgence of coronavirus in parts of Europe. He is defending new travel restrictions imposed by the U.K., saying the time to act is now. CNN's Nic Robertson has details from London.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Here in London, the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, says there are signs that a second coronavirus wave is hitting Europe. This comes hard on the heels of a surprise decision by the British government over the weekend to impose 14-day quarantine on British tourists returning from Spain.
[Robertson:] The Spanish prime minister has called the decision unjust. There is disagreement between Britain and Spain over this. The British prime minister defending his position. But across Europe at the moment, we are seeing increases in coronavirus cases in Croatia, Belgium, Germany and France. The British government very aware that it was very heavily criticized for not acting swiftly enough during the first wave of the pandemic. People in the country complained they should have put quarantine measures in place then for international travelers, pushed back on the tourism industry in the U.K. But the prime minister defending this decision Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
[Vause:] Dr. Ron Daniels is an intensive care physician with the U.K. National Health Service and joins us now from Birmingham, England. Thanks for being with us.
[Dr. Ron Daniels, U.k. National Health Service:] Good morning.
[Vause:] The question seems to be, where is Europe actually heading in terms of the spread of this virus? A senior health official in Germany said we don't know yet if this is the beginning of a second wave but it could be. The British prime minister is not so hesitant. Here is Boris Johnson. Listen to this.
[Boris Johnson, U.k. Prime Minister:] And let's be absolutely clear about what's happening in the in Europe and among some of our European friends. I'm afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic. And we all remember what happened last time. It's absolutely vital therefore that we make the necessary preparations here in the U.K. as we are doing.
[Vause:] Given how infectious this is and our own inaction, if this isn't a second wave in the making, it seems like it's only a matter of time before it is.
[Daniels:] I think we need to be careful here. Obviously, we need to be careful if there is any sign of a second wave surging in the European countries or any other one, we need to take it seriously. Thus far we have not seen a convincing second wave anywhere internationally. This is the danger of looking only at national level data. It is too big a picture. We need to look at regions. If you look deep down at the German data, these surges are in places that have not previously been heavily hit, areas like North Rhine, Westphalia and so forth. These are regional outbreaks. They are not necessarily a national second wave. Of course, when we count all the data together in one national picture, it doesn't give us granular enough information and we simply don't know what's going on.
[Vause:] The question then is, what is the difference between a first wave and a second wave if we are not into the second wave and this is just a continuation of the first? What does that mean?
[Daniels:] What that says to me is, firstly, that we need to integrate policy that is devolved to regions, to states, to cities if you like. This is about monitoring data at a local level, understanding what's going on in your region. The big difference from a humanitarian perspective between the first and second wave is that if we have a national second wave, a true global second wave, it implies a degree of the immunity that was conferred by the first wave may indeed have dissipated, may have waned, may have died away. There will be people who have been exposed for the first time if there were a second wave. But we are hoping is that there is a lot of immunity out there in people who we don't yet know have had the condition.
[Vause:] The head of the CDC in the United States told ABC News the introduction from Europe happened before we realized what was happening. By the time we realized Europe had shut down travel, there was 2 or 3 weeks of 60,000 people coming back every day from Europe. That's when the large seeding came in the United States. They are admitting that they moved away too late on actually taking action against the coronavirus. So if history is prologue, what happens in Europe will happen again fairly soon in the United States.
[Daniels:] This virus, we know, spreads really easily. It has spread around the world broadly from east to west but with notable exceptions. It's not just about incoming traffic from Europe into the U.S. airspace. This is around the contamination possibility in major transport hubs like airports, rail stations and so forth. This is about being mindful. This is about being conscious of what we are touching. It's not just about masks. It is around contact and droplet contact on hands, baggage carousels, all of this stuff. What we need to be really careful about is that we don't absolutely lock down an economy, lock down a country, just because of relatively spurious information. But if we are seeing those surges, just as Mr. Johnson has done, it's important that we are brave in our decision-making. It's a balance.
[Vause:] It is a balance. What we are seeing in places like the United States is that there hasn't been a falling off of case numbers. They plateau and then they spike. Many medical services, health care workers, have been at a sprint from the very beginning of this. They haven't had time to breathe, essentially. That is raising questions about PPE, protective equipment, medical equipment. There was a headline in "The Guardian," which called for restocking of national supplies there of PPE. That is an urgent call to ensure that these are medical stockpiles getting replenished before this COVID-19 second wave. If you look at the situation that Britain is, in the U.K., are they better prepared for a second time around? Here in the United States, there is grave concerns that they are just not ready for it.
[Daniels:] This is not yet a demonstrated second wave. Let's hope it's not going to be. Certainly, in the U.K., speaking to colleagues across Europe, absolutely. We have had some breathing space. Our intensive care units now are largely empty of patients with COVID-19 and are filling up with patients with our bread and butter conditions sepsis, heart attacks, stroke, following major surgery. It's important to note these patients are often presenting to health care in a more sick state than they normally would. They are presenting too late and it's important to note in those countries the health care systems are open for business. What I hope is that our colleagues in the U.S. and I think this is true in certain states that this is already happening managed to get some breathing space, can replenish, not only the PPE stocks but also the internal workforce resilience, the mental health of the workforce because this is hard for health professionals.
[Vause:] It takes a toll. We have seen that in the numbers of fatalities that they are exposed more than anyone else. Dr. Ron Daniels, thank you. Still to come, he has been in the crosshairs for months and when the U.S. attorney general spoke before Congress, Democrats did not hold back.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler , Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:] Your tenure has been marked by a persistent war against the department's professional corps in an apparent attempt to secure favors for the president.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] I am supposedly punishing the president's enemies and helping his friends. What enemies have I indicted?

[Whitfield:] All right, 25 years after the sitcom "Friends" debut and became must see T.V., the show continues to be one of the most popular and highest grossing television shows of all time.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor, New Day:] Matthew Perry
[Marta Kauffman, Co-creator, Executive Producer:] Yes.
[Camerota:] you really wanted him?
[Kauffman:] He was the first person and we offered Chandler too. And he was doing another show called
[Lax 21 -- Camerota:] LAX 2194.
[Unidentified Male:] In the sci-fi sitcom LAX 2194.
[Matthew Perry, Actor:] It's about baggage handlers in the year 2194. I sorted out alien's luggage.
[Camerota:] That is not a winning title.
[Kauffman:] No, it's not. It's not. But that was in first position.
[Unidentified Male:] That happens when you find the talent that you think is perfect for a role and you'll take the chance the other show will fail and they'll become b available.
[Kauffman:] We were a little nervous about it, but we saw a million people even made an offer to someone else.
[Camerota:] Who?
[Kauffman:] No.
[Camerota:] It's the 25th anniversary, now the truth can be told.
[Kauffman:] He's a lovely actor named Craig Bierko.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Kauffman:] And he didn't want to do an ensemble show.
[Camerota:] I'm going to go with not Craig's best decision.
[Whitfield:] OK. My colleague, Alisyn Camerota, is hosting the one hour special "Friends Forever: 25 Years of Laughter" tonight on CNN. And I spoke with her about the fame of "Friends." Good to see you, Alisyn. And oh my gosh, I mean, so many folks watch this forever for so long and feel like they know all of these characters. Is that what you felt like, too, when you get a chance to sit and meet and chat and reminisce with all of them?
[Camerota:] Oh, completely. I mean, I was a "Friends" fan when it happened the first time around and then as you say, it has had basically a renaissance. There is an entire new crop of kids because of Netflix, who now love and watch "Friends," including my 14-year-old daughter and her best friends who have seen every single episode multiple times. And so I'm reliving it through this next generation and I think it's a real testament, obviously, to the show that it has that kind of staying power, that it is still you know, it doesn't feel dated when you watch it. It's still good.
[Whitfield:] Wow. I mean, so what is it about the show that allows it to do that, you know, to not feel dated? I mean, you talked to the creators, you talked to some of the stars, did they ever imagine that it would have that kind of staying power when they first embarked?
[Camerota:] No one could ever have imagined it.
[Whitfield:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Because sitcoms don't usually have the longevity of 25 years. And so we really wanted to, in this special, kind of crack the code of what their secret sauce is. Who doesn't want to figure that out? I mean, in terms of the future of television, what is it that has given it that kind of staying power? And so we talked to the creators, the writers, the guest stars, and what everybody said was that there are something about how the issues. You know, at first you think that "Friends" is sort of a confection, that is it cotton candy. In fact, some of the original critics said, oh, it's inane, it's superficial. But then, when you dig a little deeper, you find out that they actually are exploring all of the issues that everybody can relate to, being 20 or something, not knowing what the future holds, dealing with relationships, the hits and misses of relationships, getting your first job. You know, the time in your life when your friends are really your family and somehow that still resonates today.
[Whitfield:] Wow. But with that, you know, underlying theme of comedy, you know, making it funny, making it palatable and it really is a global sensation. We're not just talking about, you know, American, you know, kids, you know, growing up or identifying with, but I mean, globally, folks of all corners can feel a connection with "Friends."
[Camerota:] Because, again, there is something universal about it. There's some sort of universal I mean, what the creators told us was that, yes, sure, they could have done a sitcom. Again, at first blush, you think its rapid fire jokes, just one after another, rat-a- tat-tat. But what they did, even in the pilot from the very opening episode, is it had this underlying tone of pathos, really, about emotions. And they're in fact, what we learned was that the network at first when they first watched the pilot said this show is too sad. This show is too sad, because you see Rachel looking forlorn. You know, Ross looking forlorn at the end. They're struggling with relationships. And so what they did, as you'll learned in the special, is they added that opening sequence where they're, you know, joking around at the fountain and there's a happy music, peppy music
[Whitfield:] Yes, like that is great.
[Camerota:] and that changed the whole tone.
[Whitfield:] Oh, interesting. So now, what about all these stars? Because, I mean, of course, you know, I think forever, you know, Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, you know, Matt LeBlanc, they will really always be associated with this show. Many of them have gone on, you know, and done other things. But, I think viewers kind of think they were perfectly put together because there was this chemistry. But what was it about, what's the story behind how they were cast and how they, you know, came together as this amazing ensemble?
[Camerota:] We've got a lot of juicy behind the scenes, tidbits, about that. And what's so interesting is that at some point for every one of those characters, there was going to be a different person basically. This cast is who the creators wanted. They always wanted them. But every single one of them was somehow committed to something else or had some sort of conflict. And so they didn't the creators did not believe that they were going to get this cast, although from the first moment that this cast read together, you'll hear the creators say something magical happened. That the first very table read, there was an alchemy that these six people had that nobody else have, but they didn't think they were going to get them because they were already committed to other projects and then the stars aligned and somehow all their other projects were canceled, or they failed somehow, or they got out of them, or the studio let them out of them and then it came together like this.
[Whitfield:] Wow, it really came together. All right, Alisyn Camerota, we're going to all have a lot of fun. Thank you so much. See how fun the story behind this great show. Don't miss our CNN Special Report, "Friends Forever: 25 Years of Laughter." It's tonight, 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.

[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] Back in the streets of, Hong Kong protests showed their outrage as the city tried to pass a controversial extradition law. And Chinese officials blame the U.S. for the growing demonstrations. Plus, as women try to escape North Korea, many are trapped by human traffickers. We look at the dramatic attempts to bring them to safety. Also ahead this hour, it's a World Cup with French flare. Fans excitedly watch the top teams face off for football supremacy. We are live at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, and we want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm George Howell. The CNN Newsroom starts now. It's 3 am on the U.S. East Coast, and good to have you with us. A massive protest in Hong Kong, and the United States is getting the blame for it a day after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets, as you see there. Chinese tech media say the U.S. orchestrated it all, because of the trade dispute. But trade is not the reason why so many people came together. Demonstrators came out in force protesting a bill that they fear gives the Chinese government too much power in Hong Kong. The legislation would allow criminal suspects and that could be defined broadly, criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China from Hong Kong. The protests were mostly peaceful but some flashes did break out during the time. Authorities say at least three police officers who were hurt and several arrests were made there. The city's chief executive though, is promising to push ahead with that bill, but a pro-democracy lawmaker, in fact, several of them say it is time to get rid of it. Listen.
[Claudia Mo, Hong Kong Pro-democracy Lawmaker:] We want this bill to be scrapped altogether, because there is no point to say that we can protect you under this label called rule of law, when it comes to China extradition. This doesn't make sense. This just won't work because there is no fair trial. There is no humane punishment guarantees on the mainland.
[Howell:] Live in Hong Kong, our Andrew Stevens is on the story. And Andrew, we are hearing that the protestors are planning for more demonstrations in the coming days, and the coming weeks as they follow this situation. Tell us more.
[Andrew Stevens, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes. We're hearing this as well. There's been a press conference since the last hour or so, George, which the organizers of yesterday's protest which attracted they say about one million people, massive, massive protest here in Hong Kong. The organizers are now calling for another protest on Wednesday. Wednesday is the day that the Hong Kong parliament will convene to look at the extradition bill for a second time, a second of three readings, after three readings it is voted on and, likely come into law because Hong Kong, the Hong Kong government does have the numbers in parliament. So, we are hearing there's going to be demonstrations, or there's going to be a call for more demonstrations on Friday. Also hearing from the trade unions in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Union, the overarching body is having an emergency meeting tomorrow to talk about whether there should be a general strike on Wednesday. So there is still a lot of civic action, there is a lot of protest actions still revolving around this very controversial issue.
[Howell:] And Andrew, of course, the thousands of people who came together, we have seen a riot police use pepper spray, use batons to push the demonstrators back from parliament, how much of this will Hong Kong leadership put up with overall, because again, we're hearing more protests are being called for. Conversely, is there a sense among protestors that they feel these actions will make an impact?
[Stevens:] Well, as far as the impact is concerned, there was negligible impact from yesterday's protest. If you listen to the chief executive Carrie Lam, she gave a press conference today as well. At which she said, we have introduced safeguards to protect the people of Hong Kong and we will push forward with this extradition bill with these new safeguards. Just listen to what she had to say.
[Carrie Lam, Hong Kong Chief Executive:] I and my team have not ignored any views expressed on this very important piece of legislation. We have been listening and listening very attentively and very humbly to views expressed by various actors, so we have already made two sets of amendments to our proposal, one before the introduction of the bill and one after the introduction of the bill. The reality is, after these additional measures have been introduced, and many of them concerned human rights safeguards over and above what is now contained in the fugitive offender's ordinance, we were told, we receive feedback that these additional measures are effective in addressing the concerns of the stakeholders.
[Stevens:] Now the additional measures she is talking about I think is like a case by case basis. So when or if China asked for an extradition, it has to be done on a case by case basis. The chief executive will look at it. The Hong Kong judges will look at it before agreeing to it. The other safeguard is that the crime has to be a serious crime, mirroring some seven years, at least seven years in prison. Now the other safeguards that she mentioned, but she spoke about those nine days ago, George. A million people turned out 24 hours ago and she has not changed a line on her position despite this massive protest.
[Howell:] Andrew, they have the numbers for this. They can push this through. Look, the concept of one country two systems is the prevailing framework that defines the relationship between mainland China and Hong Kong, but there is an expiration date to that arrangement. Is this just another example, Andrew, of China poised to gain more control in a transition that is an inevitable reality for Hong Kong?
[Stevens:] Well, that yes, that's a great point, the transition guaranteed under the basic law or under the Constitution, when Hong Kong went back to China in 1987, it was a 50-year transition. So by, 2047 Hong Kong and China would then fully emerge. But what we've seen in recent years is Beijing putting on the pressure to speed up that transformation, if you like. We saw the umbrella movement when Beijing clearly closed down any talk of any sort of independence, any talk of further Democratic reforms to allow Hong Kong to vote for their own candidates, not a list of candidates that have been approved by Beijing. We've seen it since with lawmakers being banned from taking their position in parliament because they are deemed to be too disruptive and too critical towards China. So it is a slow, slow drumbeat of China taking on Hong Kong, moving into Hong Kong and setting different parameters which means that Hong Kong is becoming more and more concerned, and more worried, this is why we're seeing so many people coming into the streets.
[Howell:] The arc of that transition underway. Andrew Stevens live for us in Hong Kong. Andrew, thank you. And for more on the protests in Hong Kong, you can get the very latest and the background, more background on what is a complex story, at cnn.com. Now, to the U.S. State of Iowa, the race for 2020. We're getting close to it. Nineteen Democratic candidates for president were in that key election state, pitching themselves to voters and to donors at the party's annual hall of fame dinner. Our Leyla Santiago was there.
[Leyla Santiago, Cnn Correspondent:] A lot of the voters I talked to said that this didn't necessarily make it any easier for them to narrow down that short list, in fact, it makes it more difficult. So let's talk about what happened here. You had 19 of the 23 candidates all in one room making a five-minute pitch to voters here in Iowa. Remember, Iowa, the very first caucus state. That's why there's a lot of focus here. Among the candidates, you heard them talk about issues that are not so surprising. Abortion, voting rights, health care. And every single one of them made sure to sort of flex some muscle in talking about beating President Trump in 2020.
[Sen. Cory Booker , Presidential Candidate:] I'm running for president because we can't take four more years of Donald Trump. I'm running for president to beat Donald Trump, and I'm running for president because beating Donald Trump is not enough.
[Rep. Eric Swalwell , Presidential Candidate:] We need a president who live like you live. We need a president who has the grit that you have, and we have a president right now that doesn't understand the dreams that you have. I will be that president.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders  Presidential Candidate:] While we are all united, in the need to defeat Trump there are disagreements amongst us as to the best way to do that. In my view, we will not defeat Donald Trump unless we bring excitement and energy into this campaign.
[Santiago:] Now what you did not see here for the hall of fame dinner, you did not see the front runner, Vice President Joe Biden. His campaign says that he had a long-standing family commitment that had been scheduled a while back. That's why he is not in Iowa. But some voters tell me they took offense to that, that perhaps they didn't see themselves as a priority for the front runner Vice President Joe Biden. That said, he will be here on Tuesday on the very same day that President Trump will also be in Iowa. And take note of the timing. We are just a few weeks away from the very first debate for these candidates. That will be in Miami at the end of the month. Leyla Santiago, CNN, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
[Howell:] Leyla, thank you. Let's get context and perspective now with Natasha Lindstaedt. Natasha, a professor of government at the University of Essex, live via Skype this hour from Colchester, England. Good to have you with us, Natasha.
[Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor Of Government, University Of Essex:] Thanks for having me.
[Howell:] So, look, for Democrats looking to replace Mr. Trump as president, the latest poll from CNN shows in Iowa shows the former Vice President Joe Biden the favorite ahead of others in that state's caucus set for February. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris all rounding out the top five, as you see here. We're seeing, though, Joe Biden with the smaller advantage than seen in recent national polls. Natasha, what do you make of it?
[Lindstaedt:] Well, he had really high numbers, around 30 percent, and a lot of that was just due to name recognition. It was going to be really difficult for him to hold on to that because we already know a lot about him. He's very experienced, but what was likely to happen was there were going to be some other candidates that as Democratic voters got to know them, in particular we're thinking of Buttigieg, and to some extent Warren, who has been doing a really good job of traveling around the country and really selling what her policies are, that these candidates would get a bump. And we've seen they have had a bump. Particularly Buttigieg, which is I think his bump is up 13 percent. Warren is up 6 percent. And so, Biden slipped a little bit, going down to 24 percent, and so he's going to have to come in really strong in Iowa and differentiate himself from all of these different candidates and why they really need him. He's going to have to explain, again, and again that he probably at the very moment, I know we're still 17 months away, has the best chance of beating Trump in a head-to-head, with the latest poll revealing a 2020 matchup would be 53 percent for Biden and 41 percent for Trump.
[Howell:] But what a crowded field we have. If we could pull that graphic up again if we have it to show, all of these Democrats who are running, you know, to get the nomination here for this general election. So many, some of them polling in the single digits, Natasha. Given this crowded field, do they have a chance of breaking out at this point?
[Lindstaedt:] I really think only five candidates have a chance. Biden, of course, Sanders, Buttigieg, Warren and Kamala Harris. She's the only one, Kamala Harris has 5 percent. Everybody else is just too far. I don't think Beto O'Rourke or Cory Booker really have much of a chance at this point, and they will probably end up eventually dropping out. You have to really think about who has momentum and Buttigieg and Warren in particular have a lot of momentum. And as the field narrows a little bit more, they might be able to close in on Biden's lead. I don't really see Sanders being able to close in much because he's just dropping so much. He's gone down 9 percentage points. So I think it's really going to be end up being a three-way race between Biden, Warren and Buttigieg. And at this point, the U.S. president focusing in on that key issue of immigration. That seems to be helping him with his base. Again, we're getting close to 2020. Not there but getting close. Democrats in the meantime, I want to transition to this issue of impeachment because candidates running for president are talking about it. Certainly they're talking about it in the House, but they seem divided in the House, Natasha, on whether to pursue impeachment inquiries against the president or whether to wait for Mr. Trump to become a private citizen should he lose come 2020 and rely on the various investigations to play out around him. How do Democrats bridge the divide here? As the goal is to show that they're united against the president. Right. And this is going to be difficult because we have progressive Democrats in the House that really want to impeach and have really wanted to impeach since they took over. Then you have the more I guess moderate Democrats led by Nancy Pelosi who feel that if they initiate impeachment where they have no chance of getting a conviction in the Senate might backfire against them in 2020. We look at the overall picture; you have 91 percent of Republicans don't want impeachment proceedings to begin. Fifty-one percent of independents don't want impeachment to begin and 23 percent of Democrats don't want this. However, once impeachment proceedings begin, if we look at the Nixon case, which contrasts actually with Clinton's case, eventually as the information came out, Republicans started to turn on Richard Nixon and his approval rating went down to the low 50s. So it could be that they initiate impeachment. Might not be that popular in the beginning, but as the information is revealed and they make the case against the president, they'll be able to get a consensus amongst the U.S. public that this was the way to go. The other legal argument is that if they initiate impeachment they're going to have a wider power to subpoena documents and to get depositions. So it's going to be a really tough decision for them to make, but I think they're still trying to be cautious, lay out the case and eventually some information might be revealed that will lead Nancy Pelosi to say, OK, I think we need to start initiating impeachment proceedings.
[Howell:] Natasha Lindstaedt with perspective for us. Natasha, thank you.
[Lindstaedt:] Thanks for having me.
[Howell:] Some news to share with you now about former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz. He's now recovering after being shot several hours ago in his home country, the Dominican Republic. Police say Ortiz was with friends at a dance club in the capital city of Santo Domingo when the gunman walked up and shot him. The bullet going through his stomach. Ortiz has undergone surgery. Afterwards, his father spoke at the hospital. Listen.
[Leo Ortiz, David Ortiz's Father:] The operation is over and he is stable. We're just waiting for the doctors to take him out of the surgery room. He's resting right now. No, there are no other damages we know of. He is stable.
[Howell:] Police say several people have been detained. A reporter in Santo Domingo tells CNN the shooter was attacked by the crowd and is hospitalized. Just a short time ago, fellow Dominican ball player Pedro Martinez tweeted this image of himself and Ortiz. Martinez is on the right hugging his much bigger friend. He wrote, "I'm at peace knowing you are out of danger." This just in to CNN. An Indian court has found six men guilty of kidnapping, raping and murdering an 8-year-old girl. The brutal crime happened last year in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. A police investigation revealed the that the men, all Hindu, attacked the girl in an attempt to scare the Nomadic Muslim tribe she belonged to. Protests erupted in India after the men were arrested. One of them was accused and acquitted. An eight an eighth suspect is a juvenile and is being tried in a separate court. Still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, dramatic images of North Korean women escaping China's sex trade. Details on their plight and their flight to safety in a CNN Freedom Project special report.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] The coronavirus crisis in Texas is deepening by the day and in South Texas, particularly Hidalgo County, the situation has become dire. In fact, health experts are describing it as a tsunami of patients that's wreaking havoc and overwhelming the hospitals. And as officials race to stem the outbreak, the Hidalgo County judge has issued a shelter-in-place order for everyone who lives there starting today. But Texas Governor Greg Abbott isn't having it and his office is calling the order, quoteunquote, "an unenforceable recommendation." Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez joins me now. Judge Cortez, welcome. 2
[Judge Richard Cortez, Hidalgo County, Texas:] Thank you, Brooke. Good afternoon.
[Baldwin:] So first, your response to the governor that what you say doesn't go.
[Cortez:] Well, I obviously don't agree with that. You know, Brooke, we're in a desperate situation. Two months ago, when I had control of the county, we had this virus under control by simply following the CDC recommendations for guidelines. After the governor opened it up and I understand why he did it and we needed to open Texas, but we've lost control. So, to me it makes sense that we go back and follow the guidelines that helped us control this disease two months ago then we all turn this thing around. Right now, we're in a desperate situation. Our hospitals are full, our mortuaries are full. We have tired doctors tired, nurses tired, technicians. We, in the last eight days, not counting yesterday, we were averaging 624 people testing positive with 22 deaths. Yesterday we had 49 die and today already we have 33. So, to me this is extreme, and I have to do everything possible. I have to do everything possible to stop it and one way, to keep people at home, they're not going to get infected.
[Baldwin:] Have you had a conversation with the governor about this? I mean, obviously, you know all the numbers. You know the governor knows the numbers too. Why do you think he's fighting you on this?
[Cortez:] You know, I can't speak for him. But yes, I had a conversation, in fact, with him yesterday through Zoom. We did talk about all of the needs of the county. We talked about the needs for the hospitals. The needs for staffing and the needs for enforcement. Basically, I think he prefers that we use the vehicle of a curfew as opposed to a shelter in place. Because we do have a right to issue a curfew. But again, I want to go back to the things that work for us when we had it totally under control and that is why I want to do this. And I only asked our citizens for two weeks, two weeks, two weeks. I don't believe that is asking too much and I would like to support not only the governor but our president and everybody else who wants this thing to continue, no one. But we can't wish for it to stop. We have to make it stop and take the appropriate action to make it stop.
[Baldwin:] I imagine you made your case to the governor on Zoom. I'm assuming since you're not telling me otherwise that he's basically still standing his ground and saying no to the shelter-in-place. Will you just confirm that for me? And also, what what then is your second-best option?
[Cortez:] Well, in answer to your first question, we have 254 counties in Texas. Ours happens to be the seventh largest. We're a little over a million people here. We have counties that have as few as 5,000 people. So, we know that each county in Texas is has a lot of similarities but we're all unique. I think that their strong argument, we have a small county with less population. You don't need some of those rules. But again, who knows best than we do that are actually living here to what is best for us. So, I think you should allow local officials more control over all counties. I live close to the border so we're unique because we live close to the border. Other counties are close to Louisiana. Other counties are close to Oklahoma and
[Baldwin:] How hopeful are you, Judge I'm running out of time, just how hopeful are you that the governor will see eye to eye with you. I understand that you know you know what is best for your county?
[Cortez:] We have a very good conversation yesterday and I believe he's receiving some good information from us and I hope that the at end he will come to the realization that I think that would be a good decision to give local officials more control.
[Baldwin:] OK. Let's follow up and see if that happens. Judge Cortez, in the meantime, stay well, stay healthy. Thank you very much.
[Cortez:] Thank you very much for caring.
[Baldwin:] You got it. And I should mention to all of you, Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta with special guest Bill Gates will answer your questions about this pandemic. The new "Global Town Hall: Coronavirus Facts and Fears" begins tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern. In just a few moments, President Trump will be expected to lay out his plan for sending in federal officers into Democrat-led cities. But after tear gas and unmarked vehicles and controversial arrests in Portland, Oregon, is this what is in store for the rest of the country? We're live next.

[Anderson:] More and more of us are looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact, are we? As part of our "GOING GREEN" series today, we are taking you to Cairo. The one businessman is teaching urban farmers how to recycle water on the city's rooftop gardens.
[Unidentified Female:] In Egypt's capital Cairo, one environmentalist taps into the power of community to spread his green message.
[Sherif Hosny, Co-founder, Schaduf:] My name is Sherif Hosny, I'm the co- founder of Schaduf.
[Unidentified Female:] Schaduf is an Arabic word for an ancient irrigation tool that is still used by farmers today. It lifts water to irrigate canals to harvest crops. Sharif's company works to lift farming to the rooftops of Cairo.
[Hosny:] We grow all our crops hydroponically. We also use the recirculating systems, which means we save a lot on water, which of course, great for the environment and great for Egypt, because we have a shortage of water.
[Unidentified Female:] Egypt has long been called the gift of the Nile. With the river supporting around 90 percent of the country's freshwater needs. But this country along with its congested capital is in the grips of a serious water crisis. According to the United Nations, Egypt could face a critical water shortage by 2025. An issue that prompted Sherif to set up his company in 2011.
[Hosny:] We decided we want to have creative a company that has an impact. Money, of course, is important, but we also said we have to have some kind of impact, environmental and social.
[Unidentified Female:] It's a simple business model. With the help of donations and microloans, residents can purchase a small flat pack farm. Schaduf install the urban garden, provide training on growing crops, and using recycled water and mineral solutions. Communities can grow cheaper, healthier produce within a few weeks. Yet, according to Sherif, growing crops is not the only part of the company's impact on society.
[Hosny:] We thought, you know, it can be a great combination having soilless agriculture on a roof and having like low-income families working on them to generate income.
[Unidentified Female:] Since the company started, more than 500 farms have grown on the rooftops of Cairo, earning each farmer up to 600 Egyptian pounds per month, the equivalent of $35.00.
[Hosny:] In the region, a lot of the cities face very similar challenges to Cairo. We want to expand in the Gulf and maybe other Arab countries. I think the future looks bright for this, this industry. And it's probably going to change the way farming is done in the future.
[Unidentified Female:] Saving water and sowing the seeds of food security in the region whilst helping to improve incomes for low-income families.
[Anderson:] I should going green or we end this program in the country where we began, Afghanistan. A photojournalist Paula Bronstein, has spent much of her career documenting the country. Before our "PARTING SHOTS" tonight, here's a collection of her strongest images.
[Paula Bronstein, Photojournalist:] We are looking at 15 years of work, looking at the Afghan people, and how they lived against the backdrop of a violent war and a brutal Taliban insurgency. Really focusing on the story to give voice to people who have none. I mean, some of the happier moments for me is celebrating Afghans when they're at weddings, during Nowruz, the Afghan New Year, just to be able to see Afghans enjoying life as if there was no war. As a female photojournalist, there were always difficulties working in a conservative Islamic country. You have to abide by their rules in terms of respecting the religion. When I'm photographing women inside their home, I have to get permission from whoever the man in charge was. Access remained always the biggest challenge. This is Paula Bronstein, and these are my parting shots.

[Briggs:] The Raptors push the Milwaukee Bucks to the brink of elimination in the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals. Coy Wire here with "Bleacher Report". And, man oh man, has this series dramatically shifted in tone. Good morning.
[Coy Wire, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] It really has, Dave. Remember, Milwaukee took the first two, thinking they got this. But now, Toronto closer to the NBA finals than they have ever been with this third win in this series. They get a potential series clinching game six in front of their own fans tomorrow. The home team had won every game this series. So, Bucks fans thinking they got this. The Raptors masterful three range with 18 of them made, the most ever in a playoff game in franchise history. Kawhi Leonard had 5 of 35 points total, but Fred VanVleet had seven three- pointers, the most he's had his entire career including college days. He has become Toronto's secret weapon ever since he welcomed a baby boy into the world between games three and four. Thirty-four points in his last two games, more than his previous 11 combined, Raptors win 105-99. Fans watching outside the arena back in Toronto getting buck wild as their star Kawhi Leonard is as stoic as they come.
[Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors Forward:] You know, I have been here before. I've been to the finals. And it's pretty much nothing new that I'm seeing out there. Just got to have fun with it and enjoy it. We were down 10. I told them to enjoy the moment, and embrace it, and just have fun and love it. You know, this is why we're here.
[Wire:] Anything can happen. And tomorrow night's game six at 8:30 Eastern on our sister channel TNT, both teams have scored exactly 546 points in this series. To college baseball and one of the strangest, wildest ways to lose a game, SEC tournament, Auburn up 1 against LSU in the bottom of the 9th. The ball gets away from Auburn's catcher, first baseman comes flying in, tosses it to the play all the way from 2nd for the winning score. Dave, a walk-off two-run wild pitch throwing error for the win in tournament play. Can you believe it? What a way to start the weekend.
[Briggs:] I have seen that movie. It happens at my Little League games all the time. We say eat it, eat it, don't throw a ball away. Just hold on to that ball. That's a tough way to lose a game. Coy Wire, thank you my friend, enjoy this holiday weekend, buddy.
[Wire:] Happy Friday.
[Briggs:] Romans, what's coming up?
[Romans:] All right. Secret details of the Russia probe can be declassified on new orders from President Trump, and British Prime Minister Theresa May calls it quits after being unable to deliver on Brexit.

[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] reviewing both the genesis and the conduct of intelligence activities directed at the Trump campaign during 2016. And a lot has already been a lot of this has already been investigated and a substantial portion of it has been investigated and is being investigated by the Office of Inspector General at the department. But one of things I want to do is pull together all the information from the various investigations that have gone on including on the Hill and in the department and see if there any remaining questions to be addressed.
[Shaheen:] And can you share with us why you feel a need to do that?
[Barr:] Well, you know, for the same well for the same reason were worried about foreign influence in elections we want to make sure that during a I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal, it's a big deal. The generation I grew up in which is the Vietnam War period, people were all concerned about spying on antiwar people and so forth by the government and there were a lot of rules put in place to make sure that there's an adequate basis before before our law enforcement agencies get involved in political surveillance. I'm not suggesting that those rules were violated but I think it's important to look at that and I'm not I'm not talking about the FBI necessarily but intelligence agencies more broadly.
[Shaheen:] So you're not you're not suggesting though that spying occurred?
[Barr:] I don't well I guess you could I I think there is spying did occur. Yes, I think spying did occur.
[Shaheen:] Well let me...
[Barr:] But the question is whether it was predicated adequately predicated and I'm not suggesting it wasn't adequately predicated but I need to explore that. I think it's my obligation. Congress is usually very concerned about intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies staying in their proper lane and I want to make sure that happened. We have a lot of rules about that and I want to say that that I've said I'm reviewing this. I am going I haven't set up a team yet but I do have in mind having some colleagues help me pull all this information together and and let me know whether there are some areas that should be looked at. And I also want to make clear is not launching an investigation of the FBI. I frankly I'm, to the extent there were there were any issues at the FBI, I do not view it as a problem that's endemic to the FBI. I think there was probably a failure among a group of leaders there at the upper echelon and so I don't like to hear attacks about the FBI because I think the FBI is an outstanding organization and I think Chris Wray is a great partner for mayhem. I'm very pleased that he's there as the director. If it becomes necessary to to look over some former official's activities I expect that I'll be relying heavily on Chris and and work closely with him in looking at that information. But that's what I'm doing. I I feel I have an obligation to make sure that government power is not abused. I mean I think that's one of the principal roles of the attorney general.
[Shaheen:] I I certainly agree. I think we all have an obligation to ensure that government power is not abused. The question I have is what happens when the executive is potentially playing that role and that's where it doesn't seem to me there has been adequate oversight. Thank you Mr. Chairman.
[Moran:] Senator Collins.
[Collins:] Thank you Mr. Chairman. Welcome Mr. Attorney General. Last June your predecessor, then Attorney General Sessions announced that the department would no longer defend the Affordable Care Act's preexisting conditions provisions because they were inseparable from the ACA's individual mandate. Two weeks ago, your department went much further deciding that it would not defend any provisions of the ACA. This puts at risk other important provisions in addition to protection for people with preexisting conditions such as the Medicaid expansion dependent coverage for young adults up to age 26 and coverage for preventive services. Now the individual mandate is a highly-regressive penalty and I've long opposed it and Congress repealed it. But I disagree strongly with the department's decision not to defend the rest of the ACA. In a letter that I wrote to your predecessor last June and to you on April 1, I made the point that the individual mandate can be struck down and severed from the ACA while the remainder of the law can stay in place. And this isn't just my opinion. In 2010, the Chief Justice Roberts said in the Free Enterprise Fund case that under the doctrine of severability that generally speaking when confronting a constitutional flaw we try to limit the solution to the problem severing any problematic portions while leaving the remainder in tact. In 1990 when you were head of the department's Office of Legal Council under President George Herbert Walker Bush, you offered an opinion finding that the president could enforce the remainder of statute after an unconstitutional provision had been severed. I agree whole heartedly with your 1990 opinion. What led you to take a different approach?
[Barr:] Thank you, senator. When I visited with you before my confirmation, I promised you that I would personally take a look at this issue, and I did. And I studied I carefully and I provided my views robustly within the deliberative process that was going on with the Executive Branch. As I've said when the attorney general is providing legal advice I think the first obligation is to provide the advice that you think is the right legal answer and how you would decide the case if you were a judge, which is what was the advice I gave. But I also have said if the other stakeholders in the Executive Branch and the people involved, the agencies and so forth end up in a different place, as litigator of the United States, the attorney general should be able to advance positions that he believes are defensible and reasonable legal positions even if they are not positions that the attorney general would adopt of the attorney general was the judge deciding the case. In this situation, the ultimate decision was to support the position of the states including Texas and the decision of the district court judge. The rationale for that is that it is a defensible and reasonable legal position given that that was the decision of the district court and the position of four justices on the original NFIB case who felt that when if the mandate goes, the rest of the statute goes. I know there's an additional point there which is the fact that Congress did take out the penalty from the mandate, and therefore, should that act be viewed as essentially validating the rest of the statute? And those issues were debated, but at the end of the day I felt that the position was a defensible position and it was the decision of the Executive Branch.
[Collins:] I would just make the final point that Congress had the opportunity to strike other provisions and chose not to.
[Barr:] Yes.
[Collins:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[Moran:] Thank you, Senator Collins. Senator Leahy.
[Leahy:] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Attorney General, thank you for being here. Over the decades we've had a chance to talk at these hearings many times. I let me go back to the discussion of your March 24th letter and you said the president did not commit obstruction of justice. You said that before any reference to Congress. Of course, you have the position that no matter the evidence you don't believe a president can be indicted while in office. You said the mechanism is through the ballot or Congress, not at criminal courts. Did you have any conversation with the special counsel about why he did not reach a conclusion one way or the other on obstruction?
[Barr:] Yes, I did. And he also has a fuller explanation of that in the report that I'll be making available hopefully next week.
[Leahy:] Did he express any expectation or interest in leaving the obstruction decision to Congress?
[Barr:] Not that he didn't say that to me, no.
[Leahy:] So he said the obstruction decision should be up to you?
[Barr:] He didn't say that either, but that's generally how the Department of Justice works. Generally grand juries are to investigate crimes and a prosecutor's role at the end of the day is binary. Are there charges or no charges or is this a crime or not a crime?
[Leahy:] I've had some experience...
[Barr:] I know. I saw you would agree with me, but let me say that I don't feel you know, I'm looking forward to explaining my decision that I briefly outlined in the March 24th letter, but I don't feel I can do it until the report is out because I think it's because I think the report contains a lot of the information that would give meaning and content to the discussion, and I really can't do it in the absence of getting it out. So I'm anxious to get it out. That's what I've been working toward, and...
[Leahy:] Well, let me...
[Barr:] ... I said I'd come up to the Hill as soon as they will have me, which I guess is at the end of the month to testify about that.
[Leahy:] A sort of follow up and something that Senator Moran asked in determining what should be redacted, have you overruled Mr. Mueller or his team on any redaction question?
[Barr:] No.
[Leahy:] One way or the other?
[Barr:] No.
[Leahy:] OK. Have you discussed any specific redactions with the White House?
[Barr:] No.
[Leahy:] Just curious, before this came out you were at a semiannual St. Patrick's Day even at the White House with the Prime Minister of Ireland exchanging shamrocks and so on. You had a long discussion and apparently a very you both seemed very happy with the discussion you and the president. We're you discussing the report?
[Barr:] Was I?
[Leahy:] Yes.
[Barr:] No, it was actually in front of several justices of the Supreme Court...
[Leahy:] I understand.
[Barr:] ... and other dignitaries. I wasn't alone with the president.
[Leahy:] OK. You sure of that?
[Barr:] What?
[Leahy:] So anybody thinking they heard you say anything else would be wrong?
[Barr:] Right.
[Leahy:] OK. If in any case you redact grand jury material, but of course in both the Watergate and the Ken Starr investigations grand jury secrecy was overcome to allow Congressional access. Have you asked the District Court to release grand jury material to Congress?
[Barr:] Did you say were you citing the Starr investigation?
[Leahy:] And the Watergate. Yes.
[Barr:] OK. Well the Starr the Starr investigation involved a specific statute that
[Leahy:] Rule 6C? 6C rather?
[Barr:] No, no, the the Starr the statute setting up the independent counsel provided for the report going to Congress and overrode 6C. So I don't view the Starr situation as
[Leahy:] Well have you but more specifically, have you asked the district court to release grand jury material?
[Barr:] No. The law right now is, in the District of Columbia, that the the court can only waive 6C for one of the grounds specified specifically in 6C. There's no sort of inherent power in the court to do that and if someone shows me and and and, you know, I think makes a persuasive argument that it's covered, I'm willing to listen to that, but I don't see a
[Leahy:] And lastly on the dollar amount, your budget we're told from ATF would result in 300 could lose 370 positions under the president's budget even though it shows a slight increase because of attrition, everything else. Are you satisfied with ATF in a time of violent crime, everything else, losing these positions?
[Barr:] Are you talking about the 377 positions that Mr. Brandon had mentioned?
[Leahy:] I understood 370, but
[Barr:] OK.
[Leahy:] whichever.
[Barr:] Yes, I I I we don't think he he will lose those positions. There's some complicated accounting here that I'm sort of a little mystified by myself, but as I understand it we've been continually investing and increasing the number of ATF agents and they were worried about bringing on too many agents in excess of funds that were going to be appropriated and they had sort of the way they quickly make up for that is to just take out headcount rather than make cuts across the board. We don't think that they are and I and and Mr. Lofthus here can give you more of an explanation if you'd want one but let me just say the
[Atf -- Leahy:] My time is up but I really would like more because [inaudible] 370 or the administration's 46, either way, it looks very much like cuts in
[Atf. Lofthus:] I can add, Senator, just say that ATF does have a four percent increase in this budget and I have spoken with the ATF chief, I think he's a outstanding guy, I've worked closely with him over many years and I do know that they are concerned about the resources in their budget but we have looked at the four percent increase. We don't think the four percent increase translates into a loss of hundreds of positions but we're willing to work very closely with ATF and make sure that we can protect their certainly their agents. And again, any money that ATF receives I think can be put to very good use and we look forward to working with both ATF and the committee on this on this one.
[Leahy:] Thank you.
[Moran:] Senator Leahy, thank you. We have four three votes scheduled at 11:45. My intention is to go until those votes are called and don't anticipate coming back after that occurs. Senator Kennedy's recognized.
[Kennedy:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. General, I don't intend to talk much about your budget. I I I think we both know that Congress will make sure that you're adequately funded. I I want to talk a little bit about the Mueller report. I think was inevitable that some people were going to be disappointed in in result or results that Mr. Mr. Mueller reached. You can all you can only be young once, you can always be immature. There will be some who were so disappointed in the result that they're going to attack the process in bad faith. I would strongly encourage you to to to ignore that. Just call them like you see them. Follow the law. If you can we agree that if you turned over the Mueller report without grand jury material redacted to only members of Congress, can we agree that there is a material risk that the grand jury information would leak?
[Barr:] I think so.
[Kennedy:] I mean, it's been known to happen.
[Barr:] Yes, occasionally.
[Kennedy:] Yes. [Inaudible], why why would that be bad?
[Barr:] Well, because we depend on the secrecy of the grand jury for our whole system of justice and people have to be assured when they go into the grand jury that they that these are going to be confidential sessions.
[Kennedy:] I got it. I got it. Can we agree that if you turned over an unredacted report to the members of the United States Congress that included material that might impair an existing investigation or investigations that there's a material risk that that information might leak?
[Barr:] Yes, Senator, there's a
[Kennedy:] Why's that bad?
[Barr:] Well, it presumably the reason people are interested in in seeing the report is because they believe it's important for the criminal justice process to work.
[Kennedy:] Yes, sit.
[Barr:] Allowing this other information to come out would frustrate, from the prosecutor standpoint, the system from working in other cases and from the defendant's standpoint would be unfair potentially unfair to the defendant.
[Kennedy:] Let's talk about reputational risk. If you turn over a report
[Barr:] Excuse me, Senator, could I just add something?
[Kennedy:] Certainly.
[Barr:] In some of these cases there are gag orders from the court prohibiting this information from going out.
[Kennedy:] OK. If you return turn over an unredacted report containing unredacted information that could could could raise reputational risk. Can we agree there's a material risk that that would leak?
[Barr:] Yes, Senator.
[Kennedy:] Why's that bad?
[Barr:] Well, it goes back to the if someone has not committed a crime at the end of the day and in this context if they're not public officeholders, they're private citizens, they they the government is not a position to say they did anything wrong, it would be unfair from just fundamentally unfair to put that information out.
[Kennedy:] Would that be especially the case if someone thought their communication was confidential?
[Barr:] Yes.
[Kennedy:] Kind of like Dr. Ford. Who thought she was making a confidential communication. Until some member of the judiciary committee or their staffs turned her life upside down and leaked that.
[Barr:] I'm not aware of the circumstances myself.
[Kennedy:] I'm not either. I wish I were. It was probably the greatest injustice I've seen in the time I've been here. Let me talk a little bit in the minute I have left. And I'm going to land this plane on time, Mr. Chairman. I know you're taking a look at at the genesis of the investigations with respect to the 2016 election. Just quickly, can we agree that the FBI is the premier law enforcement agency in all of human history?
[Barr:] Absolutely. And...
[Kennedy:] Can we agree that we want FBI agents, and Justice Department members to have thought about the world, thought about socioeconomic problems, and thought about how to solve those problems. You don't want a dummy working for the FBI or the Justice Department, correct? But they're not supposed to act on those political beliefs, are they?
[Barr:] No, senator.
[Kennedy:] It appears to me I'm not going to ask you this question that there were a handful of men and women at the FBI, and possibly at the Department of Justice, who did act on their political beliefs in 2016. Some of them were for Donald Trump. You don't believe me ask Secretary Clinton. Some of them were for Secretary Clinton. You don't believe me ask President trump, and that's not right. And we need to stop this from ever happening again. My plane has landed.
[Moran:] Thank you, Senator Kennedy. Senator Reed.
[Reed:] Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Attorney General. Let me return to your March 24th letter to the Judiciary Committee and along the lines of Senator Leahy. You quote the special prosecutor excuse me Director Mueller with respect to the allegations of obstruction of justice, and you say while this report goes not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Which raises the question in my mind, did the special counsel find probable cause that a crime had been committed?
[Barr:] I'm not going to characterize his report. The report will speak for itself, and that's why I want to get it out.
[Reed:] Well, then let me just follow up.
[Barr:] But I think my letter says that he did not find a crime was committed.
[Reed:] No, I understand that. But it's I think important to know that you took his language, and said I did not find a crime, but I can't exonerate the president. That suggests that there's a possibility that probable cause existed for a crime. However, someone, either Director Mueller or yourself, made a determination that the evidence would not be beyond could not convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt, or that the policy of the department was not to charge the president because the constitutional issue of impeachment. So, this is a again I'm trying to understand why not only Director Mueller said this, but you repeated it, that the President was not exonerated from the obstruction of justice allegations.
[Barr:] As I explained yesterday, I was trying to state just the bottom- line conclusions and not characterize it or try to summarize the report beyond just stating it's bottom-line conclusions, and I thought the best way of doing that was taking that language from Bob's Mueller's report and...
[Reed:] Let me sort of turn the question around. If there was no evidence of probable cause, then I would presume he could've said very clearly that there was no crime committed, that he could in fact exonerate the president, as he seems to have done with the allegations of conspiracy between the campaign and Russia.
[Barr:] I think that sentence says he didn't find he's not finding that there was a crime and he's not exonerated. I... ... and try to characterizing his reasoning or his report. That why it's important to get the whole report out instead of trying to read these little tea leaves.
[Reed:] No, I absolutely...
[Barr:] Probably cause is a very low standard for determining when you start investigating something. A lot of things have probably cause.
[Reed:] I understand that, but I think it's important. I agree with you completely. It's important to get the whole report out to the American public because there are serious questions that we're just going back and forth on, and your response, I think, is very critical. Those questions aren't going to be resolved until the American people see this report. Not sections of it, not paraphrases of it, but this entire report. Let me just quickly ask another question which is do you have any specific evidence that there was anything proper in the counter intelligence investigation by the FBI or anything improper in the way the investigation was carried out by the special counsel with respect to the 2016 election? Do you have any evidence?
[Barr:] I'm sorry. That was a compound question.
[Reed:] Compound question. There was a counter intelligence investigation by the FBI with respect to the 2016 election involving primarily the Trump campaign. There was the investigation by Director Mueller into the 2016 campaign and other issues. Have you any evidence that there was anything improper in those investigations?
[Barr:] I've not specific evidence that I would cite right now. I do have questions about it.
[Reed:] So this panel you're putting together is...
[Barr:] I'm not putting together a panel.
[Reed:] So you just have some interest in this. You don't have any evidence.
[Barr:] I have concerns about various aspects of it.
[Reed:] Do you believe that the investigation that Director Mueller undertook was a witch hunt to illegal as been asserted by the president?
[Barr:] As I said during my confirmation, it really depends on where you're sitting. If you are somebody who is being falsely accused of something, you would tend to view the investigation as...
[Reed:] Well, you're sitting as the Attorney General of the United States with the constitutional responsibility, so if you could answer in that regard.
[Barr:] Well, I'm actually characterize it is what it is, you know, with Mueller and his team conduct an investigation and are issuing a report. I'll use my own adjectives.
[Reed:] You can use your own adjectives and those I don't assume include witch hunt or a or illegal. Is that correct? Those would not be in your answer.
[Barr:] I haven't referred to...
[Reed:] Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[Moran:] Senator Murkowski.
[Murkowski:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Attorney General, welcome. I want to start my questions with the issue of marijuana. Senator Gardner has has really taken the lead on this issue over here in the Senate. I have been supportive of his efforts. He's trying to move forward with the States Act. I'm co-sponsoring that. But when we visited and during your confirmation process you explained that you believe that the current conflict between federal and state marijuana laws is untenable was the words that you described. You also explained that you will not upset settled expectation or the reliance interests that have developed because of the policies from the prior administration
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor, "at This Hour With Kate Bolduan":] Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks so much for joining me. As you've been watching, some important testimony happening on Capitol Hill right now. Attorney General Bill Barr, back on the Hill and facing questions for a second straight day, with something of a new answer to the same question. Yesterday, Barr made clear that he intended to release only a redacted version of the report, the Mueller report, to the public and to Congress. Today, Barr is saying that he's willing to work with Congress to give them more. Just how much more, we do now know. And also, how he reached his conclusion on obstruction when the special counsel pointedly decided not to reach one. He had a very interesting answer on that. And that is not all. Let me go to Manu Raju. He's on Capitol Hill. He's been watching all of this. Also important, a conversation back and forth between senators and Bill Barr on the origins of the Russia investigation Manu.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. He made very clear that he wants to look into how the Russia investigation began. And he said that he believes spying occurred on a political campaign. He says, "I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal." Now just moments ago, he was asked by a Democratic senator, Jack Reed, whether or not he had evidence of any wrongdoing.

[Baldwin:] All right. We are back with some breaking news from Capitol Hill. We are just now learning that the House will vote this Thursday on a resolution related to impeachment procedures. This is coming into us as a former Trump official defied Congress today and refused to show up for his testimony. So let's go straight to senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju. And so, Manu, talk to me about what exactly happens on Thursday?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, this is an interesting move by House Democrats who have faced criticism from the White House for not actually having a formal vote to authorize their impeachment inquiry. Now what this will do, this resolution will essentially set the procedures for allowing this investigation to move forward, detail exactly what this inquiry would look like in the days ahead. And according to a letter that Nancy Pelosi is circulating, it says a resolution establishes the procedure for hearings that are open to the American people, authorizes disclosure of deposition transcripts and outlines procedures to transfer evidence to the Judiciary Committee as it considers potential articles of impeachment and sets forth due process rights to the President and his counsel. So what that means is significant. It suggests the next phase of this impeachment inquiry is about to happen. Right now we're seeing closed- door hearings happening in the House Intelligence Committee, hearings that have brought in witnesses who have detailed what has happened as it relates to the President's efforts with Ukraine. But the next step, assuming that Democrats do move to impeach this President, would move to the House Judiciary Committee. The House Judiciary Committee would consider articles of impeachment before sending it on to the full House to vote to impeach the President, which would be the third time in American history that a President has been impeached. So this resolution that's going to be voted on this week in the House will detail what that next phase will look like, public hearings, what the transcripts release will look like and also detail exactly the next step for the Judiciary Committee. What's interesting here, Brooke, of course, is that Democrats have been criticized for weeks on end by Republicans. The White House has not turned over evidence to Congress because they contend they should have had a vote to authorize that inquiry. Democrats have said there's no reason to have any sort of vote, nothing in the rules, in the Constitution requires them to have a vote they say. But by setting forth this resolution moving forward, it's essentially call the White House's bluff, if you will, to say we're going to vote on this, set up procedures and now there's no reason not to turn over this information to Congress. So an interesting decision here by the leaders to actually take a formal vote, setting forward on these procedures, something the Democratic leadership has resisted doing for some time Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Got it. Thursday, new phase. Manu, thank you very much for that. Speaking of the House, just moments ago, emotional words from Congresswoman Katie Hill about her reason for resigning. Plus did the crowd at the World Series last night go a tad too far when President Trump showed up?
[Crowd Chanting:] Lock him up. Lock him up. Lock him up.

[Keilar:] There are a lot of questions right now about whether children should go back to classrooms this fall. What is the plan and what is the risk to them, to their teachers and their families? A source close to the White House Coronavirus Task Force tells CNN that while there are no hard and fast rules, if a particular community has had a five-day sustained increase in community spread, they probably should not be opening schools until they pass through the basic gating criteria of a 14-day downward trajectory. That guidance has not changed. But in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos offered little reassurance about how teachers and students would be protected.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Anchor:] You are asking students to go back. So why do you not have guidance on what a school should do just weeks before you want those schools to reopen and what happens if it faces an outbreak?
[Betsy Devos, Education Secretary:] You know, there's really good examples that have been utilized in the private sector and elsewhere, also with frontline workers and hospitals. And all of that data and all of that information and all of those examples can be referenced by school leaders who have
[Bash:] I'm not hearing from the Department of Education. Do you have a plan for what students and what schools should do?
[Devos:] So, schools should do what's right on the ground at that time for their students and for their situation.
[Keilar:] Now, Arizona is one of the states that has been seeing a surge in coronavirus cases infections across Arizona, topping 122,000, even as schools there try to figure out what to do this fall. Teacher Kimberley Byrd died of the coronavirus just a few weeks ago after sharing a classroom with two other teachers as they taught summer school online in a small rural community in Arizona. All three teachers wore masks and gloves. They used hand sanitizer. They socially distanced. But they all still got sick with the virus in June. Pamela Gonzalez is the principal of Leonor Hambly K-8, where Kimberly Byrd taught, and she's joining us now. And, Pamela, I'm so sorry for you and your entire school community as well as Kimberly's family. This is a terrible loss. I know this is a teacher who has been an integral part of your community. Tell us what this means to your school and your community to lose her.
[Pamela Gonzalez, Principal Of School Where Three Teachers Got Covid:] Well, you know, it's been thank you, first of all, and it's been very hard. Kim was a master teacher. She went above and beyond for her students. She offered words of wisdom from her years of experience to her colleagues. She was a woman of strong faith and very proud of her family. And her passing is mourned by many who had the privilege of knowing her. And it has sparked concern in our teaching, in our education staff of how things will look in the fall when we move forward after this, keeping ourselves and our students safe.
[Keilar:] And, of course, it has. Because tell us they were wearing masks and gloves and being careful and you just had three teachers in one room and this is what happened, right? Tell us about that and tell us about what you are hearing now from other teachers and maybe parents about reopening and how this gives them pause.
[Gonzalez:] Yes. We were we are a small school in Arizona, and after the closure in from March to May, we offered a two-week virtual summer school program for our K-8 students. And I had ten teachers that worked during those two weeks to teach summer school. They taught on campus but they were the only ones in the classrooms. Kim and two of her colleagues, Ms. Skillings and Mrs. Martinez, and since that, worked together and they chose that to support each other, you know, to do this new way of virtual teaching that was different than in person. So that's what they they worked together in their classroom. Like you said, they wore masks, they used hand sanitizer, washed the hands frequently, social distanced and they were still one week into summer school after the fourth day, that weekend Miss Byrd fell ill. She was admitted to the hospital on a Saturday. She was on a ventilator by that next day. And then on Monday, after that, we had every all staff on campus tested and two more of our teachers, which happened to be the two teaching in that classroom together with her, became positive for COVID. So, you know, since then, we have the teachers, of course, have impacted the community. We are a small close-knit community. Miss Byrd was such a you know, a beautiful person, a caring teacher. So it really impacted her students, the families in the community, fellow educators. And so it's been really hard and it's been really concerning moving forward, you know? Seeing the cases in Arizona increasing instead of decreasing, it's really concerning talking about opening up again for in-person schooling.
[Keilar:] Certainly. It's raising concerns as it should in your community. And we are hearing from the World Health Organization that they don't know much about how kids transmit coronavirus. And listen to what Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told CNN about this yesterday.
[Devos:] There is nothing in the data that would suggest that kids being back in school is dangerous to them. And, in fact, it's more a matter of their health and well-being that they be back in school.
[Keilar:] So, she says there's nothing in the data, but at the same time, the World Health Organization is essentially saying there is a lack of data, right, about how this works. And you have now experienced the loss of a teacher. So in the face of this lack of data, you know, what do you say when it comes to your concerns about reopening?
[Gonzalez:] Well, I first of all, I would like to say that myself along with a lot of my colleagues, we too want to our students. We want them to be back in schools. We want we haven't seen them since March but we want to do that when it is safe, you know? It's our responsibility to keep them safe. And I think it's our responsibility to and our duty to, you know, listen to the health experts, to look at the data that shows, you know, when there is an increase of cases instead of a decrease, to follow areas, like Arizona, who is a hotspot right now, and to know that this just is not the right time. We can educate. We can educate virtually where it is safer. It is not ideal and it is not our first choice but we are our district, for example, has taken measures to this summer to work with in professional development and training for us to be able to offer a better quality virtual online instruction. In the meantime, where we know that would be the safest to do. So that's what I would say to that.
[Keilar:] Yes. No, look, the reality has hit hard there where you are and you are balancing all of these priorities. You clearly care so much about your teachers and your kids. And, again, we are very sorry about Mrs. Byrd but we certainly appreciate you coming on to talk about what you are dealing with, mourning her and just trying to get things back to some semblance of normal. Thank you so much, Pamela.
[Gonzalez:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] We have some breaking news. Just after NBA players arrived in the Orlando bubble to restart their season, one of the league's biggest stars revealed he tested positive for coronavirus. Plus, positive cases among people who crowded into a July 4th lake party in Michigan. And some issues in the first 48 hours of Disney World's reopening, including the consequence if you do not wear a mask.

[Unidentified Male:] Copy that. Yes, we see that right outside and good news.
[Unidentified Female:] All right, confirmation there that all of those hypergolic vapor tests came out positive rather than negative, which is a positive thing. So the team was able to approach and now the crew member that is installing the rigging is on top of the capsule. It's difficult to see there, because the slower vessel that the primary recovery ship is a little further away. But as we heard, it's just a mere two and a half minutes until they will be hoisted out of the water. I'm sorry, 25 minutes, not 2.5 I misheard that.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, they're fast but they're not that fast. We also have been hearing that the secondary boat, which its primary mission in this case is securing those parachutes, they have already got buoys attached to both droves, and two of the four mains and already had eyes on the other two, so they're moving through that work pretty quickly. Again, their primary responsibility is getting those parachutes together. The droves detaching from the spacecraft right before the deployment of the mains, the mains, automatically detaching immediately as Dragon detected splashdown. All of that happening right per the timeline.
[Unidentified Female:] And we've talked a little bit about the hardwired buttons that Bob and Doug have on their seats and in their control displays and cutting the main shoots is one of those buttons. In the event that they weren't automatically cut after splashdown, Bob and Doug would have had the ability to do so if the winds were stronger, and they caught the parachutes. It could certainly create a condition where the capsule could be moved unintentionally by those dragging parachutes, so definitely want to have that, so that's one of the few buttons that are hardwired into the cabin for the crew.
[Unidentified Male:] And again, right now we're expecting about 20 minutes for the main recovery vessel, the Go Navigator to reach Dragon. By that point all the rigging will be affixed and then they will be able to use the A-frame hydraulic lift on the back of the vessel to begin to pull the Dragon up out of the water. Bob and Doug did report, they're seeing the guys climbing around outside their window on the capsule, getting that rigging affixed. Still doing good from all of their reports, and we're just going to see the vessel continue to close in. It's a little over 1.3 nautical miles still away, but you can see things starting to sharpen out in our view as it does draw in closer.
[Unidentified Female:] One thing I didn't get to mention as the sequence of events was happening, everything was going so quickly. Just before the deployment, the seats automatically rotated to about 26 degrees and so
[Bianna Golodryga, Cnn:] For those who are just joining us, we want to show you that you are witnessing history right now. For the first time in 45 years, a splashdown in the United States. NASA's astronauts aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon made a successful landing there. As described by NASA, the waters were crystal clear, not choppy at all. The astronauts, Bob and Doug, said they are feeling good, and right now you're watching the two vessels approach the capsule now and within 20 minutes or so, we should see signs of that capsule moving and we will hear more from the two astronauts. Let's go back to our panel, CNN aviation analyst Miles O'Brien and Rachel Crane. I don't know, I have to say I don't think anything could have topped the initial launch two months ago. This was close. I had tears in my eyes and this looks as though it couldn't have gone any better. Miles, what is your take from watching history?
[Miles O'brien, Cnn Aviation Analyst:] Well, you can't help but get a little misty and there's a certain amount of nostalgia to it, Bianna, because as you say, it takes us all back to the Apollo days. I can vividly remember when Apollo 13 landed, it splashdown after that harrowing mission. The whole world on the edge of its seat. And this is an updated version of that and it was a beautiful day for it. The wind was light. The seas, it looks like a lake out there. I suspect the astronauts are not having too bad a time with potential motion sickness. But ultimately, what we're talking about is a new era in space, a new way of contracting, a new way of NASA doing business with its contractors at a fixed price and providing a service, and it is a service that these contractors can provide to others as well. So it really means, now that it's successful, and we can say that now that they're bobbing around in the Gulf of Mexico.
[O'brien:] This opens the door to a new kind of economic development in low Earth orbit, which those of us who follow space and feel strongly about it had been waiting for, for many years.
[Golodryga:] And it gives the United States some independence in this sphere right now and not having to depend on Russia for riding with and using their shuttles. Rachel, you spoke with these astronauts, as you described, cool as a cucumber. I have to say that when you even heard them speaking and saying, "We're okay," they sounded cool as cucumbers. We were the ones who were nervous here. What is this moment been like for them and their families as you've gotten to know them over the past few months?
[Rachel Crane, Cnn Business Innovations And Space Correspondent:] Well, you mentioned their families. This morning, when they woke up they were greeted by a message of voice recording from their son saying, "Get up, daddy." We both have two young sons. One is named Jack and Bob's son is named Theo saying, "Get up, daddy. Get up, daddy. Come home." One of the sons saying, you know, you need to come home so we could go get our dog and just listening to that recording and knowing that these sons were eagerly awaiting the return of their fathers. I mean, Miles has said getting misty and even just listening to that recording this morning makes you misty, thinking about you know, that that Bob and Doug, their lives are on the line here. This for us is nail-biting and exciting, but for them, the families, I mean, these are their loved ones who have put their lives on the line, too, as Miles said, help usher in this new generation of space and passing over the torch of low Earth orbit to the commercial sector. So also the wives, I want to point out, of both Bob and Doug, they're both astronauts. In fact, but Bob's wife, Megan McArthur should be flying in this exact same space capsule, if all goes to plan next spring. So you know, they are well versed in the nerve wracking journey of space exploration for their loved ones. But of course, it doesn't make it any easier in the moment. So I know that they are celebrating the fact that their fathers and their husbands are safely in the Gulf of Mexico right now and soon to exit that capsule Bianna.
[Golodryga:] And you mentioned their sons Jack and Theo and inside that capsule with them we hear is a stuffed Teddy Bear, a dinosaur by the name of Tremor that they were expecting to bring back for their boys. And just another sign of this affecting families and how historic it is to see this take place right now on live television and for these families to have their fathers making history.
[Crane:] That's right, Bianna, you know Tremor, little dinosaur that was the Zero G indicator that they used and Jack and Theo, they were both the ones that chose that. So it was you know, handpicked by their sons. That was the indicator, you know that they were their zero G indicator if they were floating in space. So it's been with them their whole journey coming back down. Maybe they're going to have to like share it. I don't know how they're going to divvy it up, one son gets it for a month, another son gets it for the other month. But as you point out, it really highlights the family element here and it really is the icing on the cake and sort of humanizing Bob and Doug and as the SpaceX personnel call them, they were the space dads. SpaceX personnel when they were going through this and building the spacecraft and going through all the testing and systems, they had photos of Bob and Doug clustered everywhere to really humanize the astronauts. So they knew that lives were on the line here, so they would triple check everything to make sure that everything was as safe as it possibly could be to ensure that they came back safely to their families, specifically their sons. And we humanize this and we also mark this as a historic moment for the country, a moment that President Trump just tweeted about as well saying, "Great to have NASA astronauts return to Earth after a very successful two-month mission. Thank you to all." Miles, what significance does this mean for the space program going forward? We know there's a Space Force as well. It seems like this is something this administration in particular, is especially invested in. What can we see in the years ahead now that we know that this mission was a success?
[O'brien:] Well, NASA has its eyes on the moon and eventually Mars, and it is not going to get to the moon on its own. While the hardware you saw demonstrated so well today is not the hardware that would take you to the moon, SpaceX is a company that's probably going to be in the game one way or another, providing assistance to NASA, as it develops crafts to land people and roam around the moon and learn about what it's like to have an outpost in space for a long duration, take those lessons and if everything goes well, point toward Mars with them in hand. That's the mission now NASA has gotten some good funding. Lots of devils in the details on this and the aggressive timeline which NASA previously had announced to get back to the moon, it seems like it will be difficult to accomplish. But nonetheless, that is the goal and while low Earth orbit is kind of a separate realm right now, and really more of a realm of the private sector in many respects, the lessons learned here, the companies that have gained experience in low Earth orbit will be important players as NASA marches forward and outward.
[Golodryga:] And the science and technology involved here, we spent a lot of time talking about the launch and the takeoff of the rocket, but obviously we're going to watch now the reentry, the capsule as it reentered Earth's atmosphere and that seems like such a tranquil moment with those parachutes the four parachutes opening up. But there was a lot of science, a lot of technology invested in this, as we mentioned earlier, Miles, entering Earth's atmosphere at over 17,000 miles an hour, just moments later going down to 16.
[O'brien:] Yes, you know, it's interesting. A lot of it what I like about this program is it has taken what is tried and true. I mean, after all, the capsule was the first way humans got to space and returned to space. You know, that idea of an inherently stable craft sort of like a shuttlecock as it comes in and first feels the wisp of the atmosphere. And the idea of creating what they call a blade of heat shield beneath it, which means essentially pieces of it kind of get hot and burn off and shed away, keeping the capsule from getting too hot. Those ideas are as old as the space program itself. But take a look at it. It's obviously a 21st Century take on that. So this idea that they have in an iterative way, taken an old idea that is tried and true and inherently safe and improved on it in ways that make it more autonomous that could give it more flexibility, and frankly, make it look good, because it is a commercial enterprise and not designed by NASA civil servants. It kind of has the right feel, doesn't it? So this is, you know, a back to the future, something old, something new idea, which is very hardy, and it has the potential as they work on reusing pieces of this time it again, of drastically lowering the cost of access to space.
[Golodryga:] And we should note, Rachel, that this is a new chapter for NASA, in and of itself, a program that had been changed during the Obama administration to a lot of controversy at the time about this quest to have a public-private partnership with corporations, and here, you see the manifest of that a few years later, where you have a successful launch, a successful reentry, and perhaps a window into what the future of space in this country will look like.
[Crane:] That's right, you know, the Commercial Crew Program, which started in 2010, quite controversial at the time. Many people were suspicious of this new relationship with the private sector. Well, basically NASA becoming the customer, not the owner of the spacecraft. So it was really a radical idea at the time and it took a long time for people to get on board with this, but as we're seeing today, you know, this is a huge success for SpaceX and SpaceX isn't the only name in the game here. Boeing has also been working on their spaceship to also help NASA ferry these astronauts back and forth to the International Space Station, as you pointed out before. Now having this capability, a homegrown way of getting our U.S. astronauts from U.S. soil to the International Space Station, we are no longer reliant on the Russians to, you know, provide this service for us which we were paying them upwards of $90 million per seat in order to make use of the $150 billion investment that we have in space with the International Space Station. So once again, having this capability and having it at a fixed cost a much, much cheaper price per seat than that $90 million that we're paying currently for a seat on the Soyuz will drastically open our access to space, allow us to have more astronauts going there more readily. So this is really, as Miles pointed out before, the dawn of a new era of space Bianna.
[Golodryga:] And the dawn of a new era of an independent space program here in the United States as well. As you just mentioned, Miles, as we're looking at images now of the vessels approaching the capsule, and I believe we're now just 10 minutes away or so before hopefully we'll hear more from these two astronauts. How critical was it that the capsule land upright as we had heard from the NASA transmission there that they were upright and when we first heard the voices of the astronauts saying that they were feeling good. What could have been the negative impact if it hadn't gone that way?
[O'brien:] Well, there are ways to get it righted, and if the seas have been a little rougher, that might have been a bigger concern. Today, that looks like a lake I could water ski across right now. So, I don't think it was a huge concern. The parachutes were stable. Everything about it was a picture perfect stabilized approach. What is kind of interesting to note here for those of us who remember 45 years ago, when the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project brought the last U.S. capsule into the ocean, in that case, the Pacific is the crew actually got out of the capsule and into a raft with the help of Navy divers and that was actually a pretty perilous situation. There was some danger involved in that transfer, especially if the seas were pitching a little bit. In this case, the decision is and again going back to that idea that they're iterating on old ideas and making them better, the crew is just going to sit tight. Why make them scramble out into a rubber raft and with all the risks that are associated with that? Why even open the hatch while it's in the water? You know, as you may recall, the second space mission involving Gus Grissom back in the early 60s, that capsule sunk because water got in through the hatch, so that risk is taken away. They'll stay sitting tight. There's no indication they're having a hard time using the motion sickness bags at the moment and they'll be hoisted aboard the recovery ship inside and then they'll get off either with under their own steam, there's wheelchairs, there's structures there in case their inner ear, their vestibular system is not doing well for them. But it's nice to see a placid environment especially on the first one.
[Golodryga:] Especially when there have been concerns about the impending storm as well and this is bringing to an end a successful 19-hour journey back to Earth. We had heard their voices. We'll have to wait a little bit longer to actually see them in person. But let me ask you and Miles, I'm not even sure if you know, but what stood out to me was during the feed from NASA was when they mentioned that the vapor tests came out negative which is a good thing. What was that and what why is that significant?
[O'brien:] Well, so the thrusters on the outside actually at the top of the nose cone underneath the nose cone which fired rockets essentially in orbit to create enough of a speed difference so they would drop down for re-entry, it is called the deorbit burn. They're what are called hypergolic chemicals. It is monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, really long words but they're highly toxic. They cause cancer. You don't want to be anywhere near these chemicals and so the first thing they want to do is make sure there is no residue of those chemicals anywhere around the outside of that capsule. And so people who have what are called scape suits, which are kind of, you know, self-contained breathing apparatus kind of things, go close. They use a device to detect these chemicals, and do not have other people approach the capsule until they get the all clear, and that's what happened.
[Golodryga:] Which is why they said that a negative test is a good test.
[O'brien:] That's a good thing.
[Golodryga:] Rachel, let me ask you quickly before we open up the NASA feed again and listen in. We spend so much time focusing on the takeoff and the landing, you actually spoke with the astronauts and really learned what they were doing for these past two months on the International Space Station. What was that?
[Crane:] Well, Bianna, you know, the primary mission here was in fact to certify Crew Dragon for future operational missions. But what they realized, there was only one U.S. astronaut onboard, Chris Cassidy and they really needed he really needed some help on board. So actually, Bob and Doug ended up staying for two months, that was not originally the plan and during those two months, they did over a hundred hours of science and research. So you know, that wouldn't have been able to take place had they not been there. Also, Bob had the opportunity to do not one, not two, four spacewalks while on board, so they replaced the batteries for the on station grid. So, really they did a ton of science and work and upgraded hardware, but they also did a habitability test while they were on board and this basically was to enable the ground to know what it's like for more than two people to be in Crew Dragon while in space, so they had their fellow you know, crew members come in and they did, you know, little things like just eat in the capsule, dress in the capsule, sleep in the capsule. To you know what that's like with more than just two crew members, which you know was just Bob and Doug on the way up and obviously on the way down as well. So they can form that operational mission that might be taking off soon as the end of September, what it's like for four crew members to be on board. They said, it's actually a little tight. It's not quite phone booth style tight, but it is cozy, it was the word that they used. So, you know, a lot of science, a lot of stuff was done while on board and as you pointed out today, it was all about the splashdown. But this mission became much more than just certifying Crew Dragon for future operational missions. They were able to accomplish quite a lot onboard. In addition, you know, to the two hours of exercise that they have to do every day and just simply existing in space, which is not so easy.
[Golodryga:] Right. It sounds like it was a very productive two months and a productive mission. We just want to tell our viewers what they are seeing now and describe some of it. You've seen the capsule now brought onto a ship. The recovery crew appears to be securing that capsule so they can move it to another part of the ship and that is when we are expected to see Bob and Doug emerge from this capsule that they've been into, this 19- hour reentry journey back to the United States in their epic splashdown that we just all witnessed. Can I ask you, Miles? You heard their voices, how big of a relief was that from you when you heard them say we're feeling good?
[O'brien:] Yes, that's always a worrisome thing. You know, coming back from space after a couple of months is never easy. It's a difficult transition in both directions. And in both cases, it can lead to you know, adaptation problems, which is to say, now, the space, I guess. Some astronauts do better than others. But ultimately, your body has gone through the mill and to go from floating around in Zero G, which you eventually do adapt to in space, to enduring four G's, four times the way the gravity is as they came down to drop in even at 15 to 20 miles an hour, you're going to feel that impact and then be bobbing in the ocean. That's a you're asking your body a lot and so to hear them, you know, in test pilot fashion, giving it the "Aw, shucks, we're fine" sort of what you might expect.
[Golodryga:] It's a relief.
[O'brien:] But reading between the lines, it seems like they're good.
[Golodryga:] Yes, well, let's listen into NASA's feed again so we can get a sense of what's taking place right now.
[Unidentified Male:] We're ready. All right, really crew got the call. We are go for hatch open. And if you look closely, immediately above the hatch, you can see the area where you can see them working and now that's where those drogue chutes deployed from, the two circles on either side where the mortars were, the main parachutes now hidden by the platform underneath the side hatch.
[Unidentified Female:] So the crew is in the process of removing the side hatch. We can see that Go Navigator is in transit. It is making its way back to the Pensacola Naval Air Station. However, Bob and Doug will get a ride from the recovery vessel via helicopter. So again, we're preparing to open the side hatch, and once that is done, the Flight Surgeon will pop his head in, do an initial check and see how Bob and Doug are doing.
[Unidentified Male:] At Dragon SpaceX, we've got a slight delay due to some potential NDO hits near the side hatch. Copy, Mike, we're standing by. And so they're still continuing to do kind of those sniffs, so checking for any vapors or anything so those NDO, it's NO2 nitrogen dioxide primarily can get detected in the air from the burning of fuel. So they're going to continue to just inspect around the capsule, make sure that it's again safe for the crew, safe for the recovery experts before they get this hatch open. But again, moving right along the timeline since the splashdown at 11:48 a.m. Pacific. And so again, they're just pausing the operations for a moment, doing some additional air sampling around the prop system. We still have telemetry being fed from the vehicle, so flight controllers here in Hawthorne able to monitor prop tanks propulsion tank pressures and not seeing any issues with those at the moment. So again, just a short pause in the operations as again, they're just sniffing around the capsule, making sure we don't have any readings that might indicate a fuel leak or anything around the vehicle. They did detect some NDOs, some nitrogen dioxide, which is typically residue that arises from the burning of fuel. So they're continuing to do just a couple of different air readings, grab samples essentially before they proceed with the hatch opening. And Dragon SpaceX update, we're still investigating. It looks like we'll be sending up the service section purge. We're working on an ETA for you. Copy.
[Unidentified Female:] Okay, if you're just joining us, NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have safely returned from the International Space Station. They made an on time splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Pensacola, Florida at 11:48 a.m. Pacific, 1848 a.m. Universal Time and they have been pulled out of the water and hoisted onto the recovery vessel, Go Navigator. And right now, the team is just completing they did an initial check and found that there might be some remnant vapors, which we certainly don't want to be around when we have Bob and Doug coming out of the capsule. So the team is working to purge the service section in preparation for crew egress. Just a little commentary on the hatches that we've been talking about. So while Dragon's top hatch is used to connect to the International Space Station, that's the one that's located under the nose cone which is currently hidden there at the top of the capsule. Before this is the side hatch. It is what is utilized for ingress and egress both on the launch pad as well as coming up here on the recovery vessel. When the capsule is docked to the International Space Station, they will use the forward hatch to exit and enter the capsule. Something to note that once that side hatch is opened, it'll be the first time that Bob and Doug have gotten a breath of fresh air for the first time that they've been able to do so in two months since they boarded the Falcon 9 at the start of their mission back on May 30th.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, with an on-time splashdown, they returned with almost exactly 64 days in space on this mission, just a few minutes shy of that. So I know they're looking forward to it at a minimum, and a little bit more of a stable condition now that they're on the boat, not in the water. But again, our teams just continuing to step through. They are reporting that they're seeing all of the vapor levels that they initially detected have been dropping and that service section for Dragon, SpaceX, we show that levels are declining, but are continuing with purge. Copy. And in addition, just so you know, we are not seeing any, you know, leak indications or anything like that. These are pretty small levels, but we still need to do the purge at this time. Okay, copy. Yes, you read my mind, Mike. We're just wondering if you saw any indications of leak or depressurization so far, but it sounds like it's just part of the deal. Yes, that's a good read back, Doug.
[Golodryga:] We've just been listening to the NASA feed of the reentry of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, a successful reentry. The capsule has just been hoisted onto a vessel and everything had been going according to plan. It appears that everything is still fine, but Miles, I want to go back to my panel because I'm glad I asked you about that vapor test that we had heard earlier, because it appears that there may still be some remnant of the nitrogen dioxide vapor, which is why we're seeing this delay. But it doesn't appear that NASA is worried about where things stand right now.
[O'brien:] Yes, I think, Bianna, let's put this in the abundance of caution category, just looking at the way they're operating around there. You don't see them in, you know, full suits, et cetera, so I think it's probably a minor concern. They have specific numbers that they're trying to hit, and so they're going to do that because that's by the book, but I don't think this has anything to worry about and certainly it's going to dissipate eventually. And we just want to see those guys because then I'm sure they're ready to get out and go on get on that helicopter and get themselves to Pensacola and ultimately a jet that will take them back to Houston.
[Golodryga:] Yes, Rachel, as we heard from the NASA feed, reminding us that Bob and Doug are eager to get some fresh air as well. It's been 63 64 days that they haven't been on Earth here outside and this must be something that they obviously aren't panicked about, but it is par for the course and they are just waiting to get the all clear.
[Crane:] That's right, Bianna. We heard them inquire about was NASA SpaceX were they worried about some kind of leak. They were, I'm sure very happy to hear no, that they were not concerned about a leak. But as you pointed out, they are very eager to feel that wind on their face and to get back to their families right now on that Go Navigator recovery vessel. There's about 40 personnel, you know, so medical personnel to help them if in the case that they need it. Also, you know, the ship's crew, NASA cargo experts people also already starting to refab process, taking down the data from the space capsule. So a lot is going on or a lot will begin to go on once they exit the capsule, but right now, you know, I'm sure they're just very eager to stretch their legs once they can really move, get out of their spacesuits eventually and hug their families, get back to Houston. But you know, this is, as we know right now, this is SpaceX and NASA saying that there's nothing really to worry about here as of yet. That they're just taking precautions, making sure that they know what the cause and what's going on here with the NDO's. But, you know, I'm sure they're very eager to get out of that space capsule.
[Golodryga:] Yes, and to be reunited with their families and their boys. And you know, this has been a bit of a reprieve from us, well deserved in covering the dire news of the day and obviously, that being COVID- 19. But you can't escape reality when you look at the recovery crew, all wearing masks as well, and when Bob and Doug left two months ago, they had to socially distance in their farewells to their family members. How has NASA, Miles, been coping through this new world of running through a pandemic?
[O'brien:] Well, like all of us in many respects, they certainly limited the number of people who could attend the launch, and the most recent launch to Mars as well. So there's a lot less hands-on kind of up close with NASA. But if you think about spaceflight, historically, it's always been about quarantine. The astronauts had to spend a lot of time in quarantine in advance to make sure they weren't sick while they were in space. And of course, in the early Apollo missions, the moon missions, they had a long time in quarantine when they return from the moon out of concern that they might bring back some kind of alien bug that we have no defenses for, which is an interesting twist now that we're living in the world of a pandemic. It makes you think about that a little bit differently, doesn't it?
[Golodryga:] It sure does. And Rachel, when we're looking at the recovery crew and monitoring the levels of these vapors and these toxic vapors, is there some specific number that they are getting an indication of, it is higher than it needs to be? I'm just wondering, what it was that they detected that launched them to at least give a reprieve here.
[Crane:] Yes, well, the fact that they you know, we don't see them wearing extreme protective wear is a good indicator that those levels aren't too high. I'm not sure exactly the number that they indicated. They have gas meters and what have you to, to be able to detect if those gases are present. But as you can see, you know, they're wearing COVID masks. They're not worrying for their protective gear, so they can't be too concerned about their own safety at the moment. If those levels were higher, I'm sure they'd be taking different precautions. But just back to the COVID-19 point that you and Miles were just speaking of. You know, I was present at the launch, and NASA was taking extreme precautions. Every single time you entered the building, you had to have a temperature check. The crowds that would have typically been at Kennedy Space Center witnessing the launch, they weren't there. They weren't allowed to be there. Of course, people gathered on the beaches to watch that historic launch, but also you know, you're seeing at Mission Control at Hawthorne, everybody wearing a mask, but what you won't see is a huge welcoming committee at Johnson Space Center, which would typically be there, you know, welcoming these guys home. As a result of COVID-19, you just can't have those huge gatherings anymore. So, you know, certain things have been had to adjust as a result of the pandemic. But as we saw today, and as we saw two months ago, it didn't stop NASA and SpaceX from moving forward with their plans, and really making history.
[Golodryga:] And Miles, if we can go back to what we're watching right now, just making sure that these fumes are at stable levels. What is it just being back in Earth's atmosphere that will make that happen because it doesn't appear that they're doing anything to trigger the levels to fall?
[O'brien:] It just could be leftover from the burn itself. These chemicals are hypergolic means, when they come in contact with each other, they immediately combust. There's no initial external ignition required. And so to have them in proximity with each other is always scary stuff. And then on top of that, they are extremely toxic chemicals in many ways. So it is stuff to be very careful of, in the whole history of the space program, the processing of vehicles. This has been a huge challenge. And frankly, it's one of the big reasons going to space is so expensive, because this is a big deal trying to keep these, you know, very difficult and dangerous genies in the bottle. And so as much as anything here, Bianna, they want to know why this is happening. Remember, this is a test flight. So they want to preserve whatever circumstances are occurring out there now, so they understand if there is something they need to fix before they go fly again. So some of this is an abundance of caution, out of potentially breathing fumes, but a lot of it is also just understanding what it is in fact, relatively new hardware.
[Golodryga:] And they have to really be prepared for anything and obviously, err on the side of caution. Rachel, as you were talking to Bob and Doug, I go back to you calling this a guinea pig experience and this really has been for them. So we're not experiencing a typical NASA flight here and we should remind our audience that what we're witnessing is something that NASA and officials there are really witnessing for the first time play out as well.
[Crane:] Absolutely. This partnership also with NASA and SpaceX when it comes to crewed missions, you know, this is a whole new element as well. So for SpaceX, they've never done these recovery missions with a crew before. They've only done them with cargo. So there's a lot of new elements here, a lot of things that are being tested for the first time. So once again, you know, making Bob and Doug those guinea pigs inside that space capsule waiting to get out. But you know, we've really witness history here and now we see that there are two people with PPE and what looks like oxygen tanks, on their backs, so they are you know, making sure that everything is safe for them to exit that capsule. Before you know, I mentioned that they were just the COVID-19 masks, but now we do see that they're taking further measures to be wearing those PPEs as they're taking those measurements. But as we heard earlier, NASA and SpaceX saying that they weren't too concerned about these levels, that they weren't they did not think that there was a leak and as Miles pointed out, it could just be residue. So you know, we're all just waiting to see when those levels will continue to drop and when they will exit that capsule.
[Golodryga:] Well, just to update you and our viewers, the NASA feed is suggesting that the levels are actually going down and according to their calculations, which obviously is good news as well. If we want to go to the feed at some point and listen to them as they update that, but again, both the astronauts didn't express much alarm and as we've heard from the NASA feed as well, they aren't too alarmed by this. They want to err on the side of caution. Can you talk about though, Rachel, what the next two weeks and next few weeks will look like for Bob and Doug once they're reunited with their family? How much observation will they be under?
[Crane:] Well, first of all, let's just talk about the next few hours, too, once they exit this capsule, you know, hopefully once this moment here that's a little tense clears up. They'll get on a helicopter, and they'll eventually make their way back to Johnson Space Center where they will be reunited with their families. There will also be a press conference following today's splashdown, giving us more details on the splashdown and more data hopefully, you know, Bob and Doug will be a part of that. We're not a hundred percent sure. And you know, they will be conducting a lot of post splashdown and post mission surveys with NASA and SpaceX giving them a lowdown of what their experiences were like. You know, several tests will be happening, but also, they will just be enjoying their families. They are very happy to be back on Earth and be able to embrace their families. As we heard this morning, one of their sons saying they can't wait for them to get home so they could go get their dog, so you know just a simple father some things, like going to get your dog. I think that that sort of, you know also in the near future for both Bob and Doug Brianna. Well they all deserve it. And Miles, if we can just reset now as we're watching these rescue, the recovery crew there wait for these vapor levels to go down, is this something that you see in a typical or previous reentries in terms of the shuttle? Were there concerns about these vapors then? Does it differ at all given that this is now a capsule and something that we haven't seen before?
[O'brien:] The same thing happened after every shuttle landing because the same chemicals were used for the on-orbit thrusters for the shuttle same stuff. And what made it slightly different is frankly, the size of the vehicle. Most of the stuff was at one end, the astronauts are at another end and they could clear things out more quickly. In this case, again, you have a new craft. You want to understand why you have this problem if it's a problem at all and probably want to purge those tanks before you let them out just to once again, be on the safe side because of the volatile nature of these chemicals. But there was an entire team that would approach the shuttle, even as the wheels were still rolling to go up to it and with long poles, put those sniffers up to the backside of the shuttle, where a lot of those hypergolic fuels are stored and the front portion as well. And in that case, of course, the astronauts on the shuttle had more or less kind of a you could call it a jet-way, in that case a shuttle- way with a special craft that would attach to it. So it was just a different configuration and we didn't notice it as much as we are today.
[Golodryga:] So in terms of how Bob and Doug are feeling and their reaction to this, this is something that they had been prepared perhaps, to have to experience and not something that should be too alarming for them given that this is something that transpires every time we have a reentry.
[O'brien:] Yes. They are in climate control. There's plenty of air inside. They are cool as cucumbers. Anyway, we've already established that they certainly must They must have ice water in their veins. And yet at the end of all of this, to have to spend a few minutes in their custom fitted couch in their suit, waiting for people to open the door, I suspect in the grand scheme of things, this is not a huge deal for them.
[Golodryga:] And Rachel, listening to the NASA feed, it was interesting to hear as you were talking about what the next few hours are going to look like. There's going to be a Flight Surgeon who's going to enter and I guess have a quick observation and check in with Bob and Doug and make sure everything is okay and then they're actually going to be taken on a helicopter to the final vessel there in their landing spot as opposed to as we were talking about earlier with Miles, as happened 45 years ago having them get out on their own right now.
[Crane:] That's right. That Flight Surgeon getting in just to make sure to do some initial checks that Bob and Doug are in fact safe and in good condition to get out of that space capsule. As Miles pointed out earlier, if they need the assistance, there are stretchers onboard as well as wheelchairs because sometimes after two months in space, it can be very, very difficult to get you know, here literally sea legs back. So, if they need that assistance that will be there and then they will enter into that helicopter going to Pensacola Air Base and then from there, getting on to another aircraft heading to Johnson Space Center. So the Flight Surgeon being there. That was already planned. That has nothing to do with this little you know, hiccup here that was always the plan to have the Flight Surgeon enter into the capsule and do that initial check on the astronauts to make sure that you know, all is good, even though we heard them say over the net that all is good that they were feeling well. So that was really a wonderful thing to hear just, you know, a little bit ago that they were feeling good. I'm sure the Flight Surgeon more than anybody else was breathing a sigh of relief Bianna.
[Golodryga:] Yes. We all were breathing sighs of relief to hear that from them. And as you mentioned, and Miles, they are going to be going to the Johnson Space Center there and reunited with their families. Hopefully, maybe we'll hear from them in the next few hours. What is it that will happen with the capsule? Where does the capsule go after this?
[O'brien:] Well, the capsule is set for refurbishment and this is this at the core of Elon Musk's approach and philosophy for going to space is to reuse as much as you can. We've all seen famously, those fly back boosters that can land on those platforms either on the ocean or on land. The capsule itself in the Apollo days, we threw them away or they are in museums now. In this case, this capsule is slated to fly first quarter of 2021 on what would be the third official, well, I guess, this is a test mission, so it would be the second official crew mission to the International Space Station on board a Dragon. There will be another flight in another capsule coming up at the end of September involving three U.S. astronauts and a Japanese astronaut. So the idea is to you know, put some fix up the heat shield. They are pretty watertight. They learned a lot about that over the years flying cargo missions to the International Space Station to make sure water doesn't become a problem. Obviously, saltwater and metal is not a good combination generally. So, they have to be cautious about those sorts of things. But this capsule will fly in space again.
[Golodryga:] So we've just got some good news from NASA and they've checked the fumes, zero across the board. Negative is a good thing in this case. So again, reassuring news there. It just took a few minutes, as Rachel said, a minor hiccup when you look at the bigger perspective, so this may have taken a bit longer, but now we know hopefully that everything is safe and sound and those noxious fumes are down to zero. And soon we should be seeing that capsule move and we'll see the Flight Surgeon, perhaps go in. I don't know if we will be able to see that ourselves. But the rest of the tick tock appears to be on schedule. Miles, when you hear that the fumes are down now to zero. Again, you said this happens all the time when you have a reentry. I guess, we've never focused so much on this because this capsule is so small and this is a novel mission. But it is reassuring to hear that everything is where it should be right now.
[O'brien:] This is completely in the realm of something you would expect. That's why they have this whole protocol on approaching a spacecraft as it returns. Maybe they'll tweak something on the next mission. That's what test flight is all about. You fly, you learn and you change your design accordingly. Maybe they'll put a little less of that nitrogen to trackside, which is hard for me to say, in a tank the next time, a little less of it, perhaps, or maybe they need that margin and they'll just make it as a standard part of any reentry, purging that tank a little sooner. All of these little nuances are what ultimately make spaceflight as safe as it can possibly be as you march forward. And that's especially in the case of a test flight. They're taking good notes on all this.
[Golodryga:] And you learn from experience. Rachel, we talked about these two astronauts, these two childhood friends Bob and Doug, cool as a cucumber. I feel like that's a redundant way we're going to be describing them. It's also accurate. But can you talk about how they felt going into this as guinea pigs, knowing that perhaps something could go wrong. Every mission is obviously risky, but especially a new one.
[Crane:] You know, they were actually involved in some of the developmental phases of, you know, the spacesuits. They were working hand in hand with SpaceX. And the way they described it to me as they can finish each other's sentences. So that closeness and their long history, their friendship really helps them in the cockpit. You know, God forbid, anything an anomaly was to take place and there was something you know, horribly wrong, that they would be able to sort of read each other instinctually and be able to troubleshoot in the space capsule because of that history that they have. You know, they were in each other's weddings. They've been best friends forever. They've never though flown together before. So they were really looking forward not only to making history, but just making history together. And they spoke, you know, numerous times on how that friendship really, really did help them in the cockpit to, you know, maybe help them continue to stay calm and cool. But really just when it comes down to the logistics that they just knew each other so well they could read each other's thoughts, which is something that's invaluable when we are talking about space explorations. It's one of those things that you know, crews, they train for so long to try and achieve that. So the fact that Bob and Doug were going into it already with that history gave them that extra edge Brianna.
[Golodryga:] And to have this experience together, they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives. It's only fair that they do it together, right, as opposed to with another partner there. Miles, what have you learned over the course of these few months as we've watched history take place about the direction that the U.S. Space Program is headed on?
[O'brien:] It's an optimistic time in a difficult period for all of us, isn't it? You know, it's interesting to well, and I guess it's a relief, isn't it, Bianna, to take a moment to transcend literally our worldly worries and think about something else. And ultimately, that's what you know, NASA, of course, was born in the middle of the Cold War as an instrument of soft power in a rivalry with the Soviet Union. But what it also does for us is it allows us literally and figuratively to lift our horizons and look in a different place and dream a little bit. And I for one, welcomed the opportunity to take a break and even for just a moment, a little dream about what the world could be, and how things might be if we work together. The International Space Station, imagine that, you know, 16 or 17 nations building this $150 billion craft that orbits the planet. I can't think of any other peacetime enterprise that has brought nations together in a more meaningful way than that. And so space has great opportunity to bring us together at a time when we really need each other and yet we seem to be so pulled apart. So I may sound like a Pollyanna for space, but it's kind of the it's the tonic I need right now.
[Golodryga:] Look, I am with you. I was watching the takeoff. I heard and followed Rachel on Instagram where she was screaming. Everybody's heart was racing in watching that and you feel patriotic. You feel like there's a future ahead for space exploration, and here we watch that successful reentry. And Rachel, you'd be remiss not to talk about the fact that it's happening when so many Americans are confined to their homes, right, and they're watching something take place, which by all accounts was very successful and it's somewhat hopeful to talk about the future and technology and something, perhaps to look forward to.
[Crane:] Absolutely. I mean, it's a complete and utter joy to be able to cover this right now, not just because both Miles and I, you know, we're huge space enthusiasts. We've been following this every step of the way. But also, it's what the world needs. It's inspiring to see, you know, space exploration happen successfully in this new dawn of space exploration that we're entering. As we spoke about, you know, potentially the Artemis mission landing back on the moon in 2024. Successful missions like today, make us feel that that is actually possible, that 2024 landing on the moon, the first female on the moon is possible and might just happen in a few years. And being there at that launch. You know, today I'm covering this from home, but being there in that moment, with the backdrop of what's happening not only in our country, but really around the world, it really added an extra layer of significance to what they were doing, an extra layer of emotion, honestly and giving everybody hope and giving you know, having everybody look at the sky and think about what could be and what is happening. It is really incredible to be there to witness it, to be able to tell the story, and once again, you know, today is just the cherry on top of Demo 2 and, you know, the certification process for Crew Dragon, but really all of what's to come. You know, these missions to the International Space Station, and SpaceX and you know, soon to be Boeing as well, ferrying our astronauts back from American soil to the International Space Station. These launches will once again be happening all the time. So these moments of inspiration and for children to be able to witness these launches will be incredibly powerful and hopefully will inspire a new generation of space explorers Brianna.
[Golodryga:] And we mentioned President Trump's tweet earlier welcoming back the crew and congratulating the astronauts. We should also note that President Obama has tweeted as well. We have his tweet up there. He says, "Welcome home, Bob and Doug. We launched the Commercial Crew Program to strengthen our U.S. Space Program and it's been great to see its success. This historic NASA SpaceX mission is a symbol of what American ingenuity and inventiveness can achieve." And this happens, as we mentioned, Rachel, there was a lot of controversy years ago when President Obama laid out a new path for a public-private partnership for NASA, and it looks like it really has paid off.
[Crane:] It certainly has paid off and you know, it will only continue to do so in the coming years in terms of cost savings for NASA. NASA being able to shift its focus to deep space exploration to the Moon, Mars and beyond. You know, passing this over to private companies and the commercial sector really frees them up to do those really, really inspiring missions. Those things that we haven't done in ages like putting boots back on the moon, and you know, hopefully very soon going to Mars and putting boots on Mars. So this is a truly significant day in terms of that larger goal of freeing up NASA's resources and brainpower to focus on those other missions. But as you pointed out this the Commercial Crew Program was quite, quite controversial at the beginning. A lot of people were resistant to this quite revolutionary change at the time, relying on the commercial sector to run these missions. As we pointed out earlier, you know, NASA is not the owner of this spacecraft, they are the customer on them. So they have to relinquish some of the control as a result. Of course, they had their you know, they were working in step with SpaceX every step of the way on this mission and will continue to do so. But they're working with SpaceX. It's not their show, or it's not only their show, so that took some getting used to for a lot of people who had been at NASA for a long time, but as you pointed out, it's clearly paid off in spades and the cost savings will be incredibly significant in years to come.
[Golodryga:] You're so right, Rachel. I've been following going back and forth between the NASA administrators Twitter feed and Elon Musk's Twitter feed, just to give you a sense of now what the new normal is in terms of U.S. space exploration. Miles as we conclude now, I want to get some final words from you. We haven't seen these astronauts yet. But by all accounts, it appears that they are safe and this has been a successful mission.
[O'brien:] It's just a great validation and vindication of this idea of injecting private enterprise into space. There were many skeptics. There were a lot of special interests that stood in the way, a lot of politicians that stood in the way. The Deputy Administrator of NASA under President Obama, Lori Garver, many arrows in her back as she championed this idea and really became a change agent and you know how that can be sometimes in Washington. But enough of commercial crew survived to get us to this day. And the proof is in the splashdown.
[Golodryga:] We will continue to follow this coverage throughout the day here on CNN. I want to tell you, it's my honor to cover this historic moment here with you and to be with you. Miles and Rachel, I want to thank you so much, and CNN will continue with Ana Cabrera.
[Unidentified Female:] Waiting for four months at this point. This is our first opportunity to say hello to Bob and Doug, our favorite space dads as they are now about to egress or exit from Dragon Crew Endeavor. Again, this is the culmination of what has been about a 19-hour journey home, all starting yesterday as they departed the International Space Station. So this hatch will be manually opened and once doing so, Flight Surgeon will say hello and make sure that they're still doing all right and then proceed to assist them with exiting the capsule.

[Brunhuber:] A video of a waterskiing six months old is making waves on social media. While some people are praising the effort by his parents, others are slamming it, calling it dangerous. CNN's Jeanne Moos, takes us for it.
[Jeanne Moos, Cnn Correspondent:] Give the kid a hand. At six months, his dad thinks Rich Humphrey, is the world's youngest water skier. Like father, like son. Minus the one handed crisscrossing hot dogging, his parents had him practice on land. They enrolled him in infant swim class, when a video of his waterskiing triumph on lake [inaudible], in Utah, went viral.
[Unidentified Male:] Making waves.
[Moos:] Rich left controversy in his wake. Irresponsible, posted one critic. Going to be awesome when that child grows up bowlegged and suffers from pain, and unable to walk properly. His parents, passed on doing any more interviews, but Rich's mom, Mindy told Good Morning America, that they consulted their pediatrician.
[Mindy Humphreys, Mother Of Six Month Old Water Skier:] He was super impressed with how, you know, far along Rich is. He said its fine, and do not worry about it.
[Moos:] The American academy of pediatrics says kids under the age of one cannot, effectively, raise their heads to breathe. And that a supervising adult, with swim skills, should be within an arm's length, providing constant touch supervision. Instead, Casey, providing touch all right. Both traveling alongside. He says, doctors and a nurse, were on hand, and skiing speed, never went above five miles an hour.
[Casey Humphreys, Father Of Six Month Old Water Skier:] I really feel like the majority of criticism comes from people caring, and people just being concerned, and wanting the best for a child. And so honestly, we appreciate that.
[Moos:] He also appreciated supporters posting messages like, good parents teach their children young. And, all the haters are probably just jealous because they can't water ski. His dad was beside him in the entire time and he's wearing a lifejacket. Awesome. Now that aquatic milestone has become the baby's profile picture, on his very own Instagram page. His dad, writes, take one look at this kid and tell me he isn't having the time of his life. This is a boy whose dad made him a crib, in the shape of a boat. While other kids are wetting their diapers, Rich is getting his feet wet, very wet. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
[Brunhuber:] Water skiing baby. Well, that wraps this hour of CNN Newsroom, I'm Kim Brunhuber, the news continues after a short break.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] Best part of the night. Introducing D. Lemon and CNN Tonight.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Of course. Of course, it is. It had better be.
[Cuomo:] Makes me smile. It doesn't even matter when things are rough in the world. I always get a smile when I see your face. And I can't wait to hear what you say about the president tonight saying that
[Lemon:] My God.
[Cuomo:] the virus is dying out. The only thing dying are people is people
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] all over this country. And part of the reason why is this lackadaisical attitude about this thing that when you're emotionally done with it, it will go away.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] It's just not happening.
[Lemon:] Well, if it's something they don't want, they just, you know, they pretend it's not happening, right? And some would say that they're in a state of denial. But, I mean, just think about today, Chris. Everything that happened today. You had the coronavirus. You've got the Bolton book which I'm going to talk about. You've got what happened in Atlanta. You still what's going on with George Floyd and the protesters. I mean, just think about just one day of news at any other time it may be stretched over a week or month. This is just these are just incredible times that we're living in right now.
[Cuomo:] So, a lot of fomented tension in the country because you got a vacuum of leaderships.
[Lemon:] Absolutely.
[Cuomo:] Because instead of having somebody that is working against what divides us, which is what we're used to as a dynamic. We have somebody who is fomenting division.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] And so, everything is heightened. Everybody is on edge. But this pandemic stuff and there's only one truth, you know. And I have to tell you, if he's going to have people sign releases at that rally, now that he's offering masks? I don't think that's right. I think that if you're offering masks and you're recognizing the risk and you are having this rally anyway. Don't have people sign releases.
[Lemon:] Right.
[Cuomo:] That's dirty pool, man. You know they follow you and they want to come. But you are going to have sent yourself for many responsibility and liability when you're the president who is inviting them there. It's not right.
[Lemon:] Yes, I agree 100 percent. I got to get to it. We have a lot going on. Plus, we have the officers, remember, that you talked to the mayor about in Atlanta. Maybe she has a sick out on her hands. We'll see. Thank you, Chris. See you soon. Love you, brother.
[Cuomo:] Love you, D. Lemon.
[Lemon:] This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. So, OK. What is this president and his inner circle so afraid of? What are they so afraid of? They are trying everything in the book to stop a book from going public. So, you can't read it. Last minute legal maneuvers coming fast and furious to block the John Bolton book. So, you watch the "Wizard of Oz", right? This is what they don't want. They don't want to pull back the curtain on this "Wizard of Oz" president and reveal the truth of his mediocrity and flim-flam. Look it up. Old word flim-flam, or two words put together. They don't want you to know that right now, this president, President Trump and his top White House aides they're really in denial. They are in denial about the coronavirus pandemic. Just ignoring it at this point. They're in denial about racism in America despite America's streets exploding in angry protests about police brutality just over the past three weeks. And they're in denial about who Donald Trump was elected to serve. Wait until you hear the explosive allegations in this new book by John Bolton. By the way, he was Trump's he is Trump's former national security adviser. So, we have a lot to talk about. But we want to start with the coronavirus. Despite what the president, the vice president and others in this administration want you to believe, it's still a killer disease. But not according to Trump. Incredibly. He is now claiming that it is dying out. Saying, if you look the numbers are very minuscule compared to what it was. It's dying out. By the way, we're doing very well in vaccines and therapeutics also. I think there's going to be some big announcement on that in the not too distant future. But no, we're not concerned. Sound familiar? Kind of like what he said in the very beginning, right? And then, more than 2.1. million confirmed cases in the United States and the nationwide death tolls right now is nearing 118,000. Twenty-one states nearly half the states in the country now experiencing a rise in the number of new cases. Ten states seeing their highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases per day since the pandemic began. Months ago. The virus is not dying out. The president holding an event at the White House this afternoon invited guests, and as the cameras pull back, there you go, you will notice that pretty much everyone in attendance taking their cue from the president practically no one wearing a mask. The coronavirus task force basically sidelined. Vice President Mike Pence the head of it ignoring the mask guidance. Dr. Fauci says he hasn't spoken to the president in two weeks. And for those stats I just recited on the virus spreading, Trump resorting to an old rule from his play book. He just ignores the facts. As one administration official tells CNN Trump and his top aides are just in denial about the severity of the virus. The president moving full steam ahead with his planned campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday. Twenty thousand people. Twenty thousand people will pack into an arena. Masks, not required. Oklahoma, one of the 21 states with the coronavirus cases on the rise. Dr. Fauci saying this. That he wouldn't go to a crowded event like that. I want you to listen to this exchange today between CNN's Jim Acosta and the White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Will the president or the White House take responsibility if people get sick and catch the coronavirus at this rally on Saturday?
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] So, the campaign is taking certain measures to make sure this is safe rally. Temperature checks, hand sanitizers and masks. So, we are taking precautions.
[Acosta:] But you're not requiring masks.
[Mcenany:] They will be given a mask. It's up to them. Whether to make that decisions, CDC guidelines are recommended but not required.
[Lemon:] Friendly warning to those planning to attend. Or you can call it a caveat. You're on your own. The Trump campaign is not interested in protecting your health. The rally is strictly about President Trump and his need to be the center of attention before adoring fans. Think about this, if the president wasn't really concerned about coronavirus, would he make people sign agreements that they can't they have no recourse if they do get coronavirus? I mean, when he just says, you're not going to get it, it's fine. He's making people sign these agreements. Think about that. The House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bypassing the president taking Mike Pence to task for ignoring the dangers of the virus.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi  Speaker Of The House:] No, Mr. Vice president you make me sad because you're a person of faith. You're prayerful about praying for a cure and praying for vaccines. And praying for the good health of the American people. Not to minimize the risk that they are taking because the president doesn't want to wear a mask and he wants an ego trip in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
[Lemon:] For the record the director of Tulsa's Health Department warning that anyone who attends the rally faces an increased risk of COVID-19 infection. President Trump and his top aides are also in denial about systemic racism tonight in the United States. Especially in law enforcement.
[Unidentified Male:] You said you don't believe in systemic exists
[Larry Kudlow, Director, U.s. National Economic Council:] I do I do not.
[Unidentified Male:] At all in the U.S.?
[Kudlow:] I do not.
[Unidentified Male:] You don't think there's any systemic racism against African-Americans the United States?
[Kudlow:] I will say it again. I do not.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States Of America:] We want to make sure we don't have any bad actors in there. Sometimes you'll see some horrible things like we witnessed recently. But 99, I say 99.9 but let's go with 99 percent of them are great, great people. And they've done jobs that are record setting.
[William Barr, United States Attorney General:] I think there's racism in the United States still. But I don't think that the law enforcement system is systemically racist.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Do you think systemic racism is a problem in law enforcement agencies in the United States?
[Robert O'brien, U.s. National Security Adviser:] No. I don't think there is systemic racism. I think 99.9 percent of our law enforcement officers are great Americans.
[Lemon:] Trump fancies himself a law and order president claiming that only a tiny number of police officers bad apples, as he calls them are responsible for acts of police brutality especially against African-Americans. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott the only black Republican in the Senate is leading the GOP's effort on police reform legislation. And he's sticking to the Republican position that plays down systemic racism.
[Sen. Tim Scott:] The fact that some people enjoy talking about systemic racism. The fact that some people want to define everything from a racism, racist perspective. I don't know how to tell people that the nation is not racist. I'll try again. We're not a racist country. We deal with racism because there's racism in the country. Both are mutually true. They are both true but not mutually exclusive.
[Lemon:] Wow. Also, he said he's pulled over by police 10 times in a year. Now you ask yourself, how many times have you been pulled over in a year? How many? But he's been pulled over 10 times. According to him. But there's no systemic racism. Interesting. By the way, Tim Scott, please come on the show. I'd love to talk to you. The president's executive order on police reform no teeth in it. Suggestions. Not mandatory changes. Chokeholds are banned but there is a loophole. But he insists he is out in front leading the effort to reform criminal justice. And as usual bashing Barack Obama.
[Trump:] I passed criminal justice reform which nobody could get. President Obama couldn't get it. I don't know if he tried it. But he certainly didn't get it or didn't come close. Opportunity zones. Historically black colleges and universities, I got them funded.
[Unidentified Male:] But do you need to sound more empathetic?
[Trump:] Well, I think what I have to do is get jobs back. I mean, if you want to know the truth, I do. I am empathetic.
[Lemon:] No, he's not. Donald Trump is the least empathetic president in any of our lifetimes. He's one of the angriest. And now we know why he is suing to stop the release of John Bolton's new book next week. Former national security adviser making bombshell accusations against his former boss. Claiming in his book that President Trump personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help him win the 2020 presidential election. That's what Bolton says. Bolton writing about Trump during a meeting last year with President Xi. He then stunningly, and I quote here, "turned the conversation to the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Eluding to China's economic capability to affect the ongoing campaigns. Pleading with Xi to ensure he win. He stresses the importance of farmers and increase Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome." Bolton also claims that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once passed a note to him during a meeting with Trump in which Pompeo told Bolton that he believed Trump was quote, "so full of shit." That's what he says. Also, tonight, we're going to talk a lot about this. Coming up. And that is a former Atlanta police officer now charged with felony murder in the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks last week. He could face the death penalty. And sources telling CNN that Atlanta police officers calling out sick tonight in protest. A lot coming up. The latest on all these stories. But first, straight to our White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond with the very latest from Washington. Jeremy, good evening to you. Thank you so much for joining us. Despite rising numbers of cases in coronavirus cases in 10 states, President Trump says that the cases are, quote, "dying out." That simply is not true.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] It certainly is not, Don. And what's most striking is the question that he was asked that led to this response. The question was about this rally that the president is hosting in Oklahoma on Saturday. And whether or not he's concerned that he could potentially put people at risk that people could get sick by attending this rally. The president saying the virus is dying out. Listen.
[Trump:] If you look, the numbers are very minuscule compared to what it was. It's dying out.
[Diamond:] And so, you can hear there that's how the president is saying that the coronavirus is going. Of course, we know, Don, that the reality is that nearly two dozen states coronavirus cases are actually rising. And today, Don, the White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked whether or not President Trump would assume responsibility for the potential of an outbreak tied to his campaign rally. And instead she said that people are assuming personal risk. Just like when they would be going out to a baseball game. They would also be assuming personal risk. But of course, Don, what we know, baseball games aren't happening. The MLB is closed for business right now. And instead, what President Trump is doing here is hosting this rally. He's the one creating the risk of course for these rallygoers who will make their own choice about whether or not it is wise to attend. But what we do know, Don, is that this all comes as President Trump is personally trying to move on from this pandemic. Not wanting to talk about it even behind the scenes in meetings. Instead, Don, the president is laser focused on the economy. Nothing is going to stop this reopening that the president has encouraged and that is currently underway. And so, that is where the president's focus is. And why, Don? Because he knows it's his surest ticket to reelection. Don?
[Lemon:] Encouraging thousands and thousands of people into possible danger. Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much. I appreciate your reporting. We are going to get to this breaking news coming out of Atlanta. Charges against the two officers involved in the killing of Rayshard Brooks out today. One could even face the death penalty. And tonight, sources are telling CNN some police in Atlanta are not responding to calls in protest of those charges that I mentioned. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

[David Ralston , Speaker, Georgia State House:] influenced in any way by racial considerations. And I will point out to you that there were instances in Republican areas in the June 9 primary of people not receiving their absentee ballots. In fact, a staff member of mine here at the state capitol waited eight or nine weeks and never got his, he still don't have his so he had to go vote. And I know many other instances, people who had never missed voting in an election, were reaching out to us, saying, you know, We've waited seven, eight weeks or more to get a ballot and you know, here we are now, down to the primary day, we still don't have one. And that's unacceptable. I will be the first to say that is completely unacceptable.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] All right. Speaker, thanks for joining us. We really appreciate it. Speaker David Ralston, talking to us from Atlanta. Thank you, sir.
[Ralston:] Thank you, Brianna.
[Keilar:] I'm Brianna Keilar, and I want to welcome viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. It is a monumental day June 19th or Juneteenth a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, now at a critical time in the nation's history as the country wrestles with systemic racism and police brutality. The demand for change, echoing across cities and towns for weeks, it's now central to the Juneteenth marches and the rallies that are under way right now. And you're looking here at some live pictures from Chicago on your left; Washington, D.C. there on your right. And we have correspondents at protests fanned out all across the country, and we're going to take you there live. First, though, the latest on coronavirus. As the World Health Organization says it has recorded more than 150,000 new cases globally this is the most ever reported in a single day. And here in the U.S., we have record numbers as well. Florida announced nearly 4,000 new cases in the past 24 hours. In Arizona, more than 3,200. The Department of Health there is urging people to wear masks in public, something the governor of California has just made mandatory in his state. CNN's Nick Watt is in Santa Monica for us, he's covering all of the fast-moving developments. I wonder how that order is being received Nick.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, first up, Brianna, I'm not breaking the law by doing this, I'm outside and I'm away from others. We're going to have to wait and see how some of those anti-masker counties react to this order here in California. And, listen, you just mentioned Florida and Arizona. Oklahoma also just set a new record for the most cases in a single day. And right now in those three states, there is no statewide mandate requiring masks.
[Watt:] Tulsa, the COVID-19 case count just climbed more than 40 percent in a week. And tomorrow night in Tulsa, the president, who incorrectly says this virus is dying out, will hold a masks- optional MAGA rally.
[Ali Khan, Former Director, Cdc Office Of Public Health Preparedness:] We're in the midst of the greatest public health failure in American history. And if we're going to continue to open up and not open up safely, we're going to continue to see increased cases.
[Watt:] These eight states, home to roughly one-third of all Americans, right now seeing their highest ever average new case counts. This is not over, masks work: Those are facts, but they're now politicized. Take the governor of Nebraska, reportedly now withholding coronavirus emergency money from any county mandating masks in government buildings.
[Khan:] It's simple, no vaccine, no treatment, right? All you need is test and trace, so good public health. Combine it with good personal responsibility: masks, social distancing, hand-washing. Put the two together and you can become New Zealand, go to zero cases in this country.
[Watt:] You heard that right. New Zealand routinely reports zero cases in a day. Small country, sure. So let's take Europe, a steep drop and now fewer than 5,000 new cases a day. Here in the U.S., nearing five times that and climbing.
[Ashish Jha, Director, Harvard Global Health Institute:] What Europe did differently is they stayed locked down a bit longer, a bit more uniformly.
[Watt:] The line today from the White House
[Kevin Hassett, Senior Advisor To The President:] The spikes aren't necessarily correlated, where we're seeing less social distancing and more economic activity
[Watt:] that's debatable. May 18th, the day Florida started phase one reopening, there were fewer than 1,000 new cases reported in the state. Today, nearly 4,000, a new record high.
[Melissa Mckinlay, Commissioner, Palm Beach County, Florida:] I don't think we can scale back how we've opened, but we can simply slow down how we move forward, and put these precautions in place, like wearing a mask.
[Watt:] And interestingly, the president's own advisor doesn't agree with him that the spikes are all just down to more testing.
[Hassett:] There are about 18 states right now where the positivity rates are going up, which means that if the cases are going up, it's not just because you're doing more testing.
[Watt:] The average age of those testing positive is dropping, but they are less likely to die, less than 1,000 under-35s killed by COVID so far. Forty percent of American deaths have been in nursing homes, 80 percent in the over-65s. But the young can still spread it. By the way, New York has done so well lately that today was Governor Cuomo's last daily COVID briefing. His message?
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] Today, we are seeing the virus spreading in many places. More people will die, and it doesn't have to be that way. Forget the politics, be smart.
[Watt:] Down in Florida, Governor DeSantis just talked a lot about that dramatic drop in the age of people testing positive. In Florida, it used to be just over 65. It's now 37, and the governor thinks it's going to drop even further. In Orange County, it's 29; in Seminole County, it's 26. He says they are going to be working on some COVID-19 PSAs that are aimed at younger Floridians Brianna.
[Keilar:] Great idea, Nick Watt, thank you from California. In an extraordinary move, Apple is closing some stores temporarily in several states as cases spike. And this is coming just weeks after Apple reopened dozens of its stores across the country. CNN's Cristina Alesci is joining me now. And, I mean, this was something, Cristina, to be expected, right? If you took Apple at their word. But at the same time, it just it's a big deal when you have Apple closing their stores.
[Cristina Alesci, Cnn Business And Politics Correspondent:] Absolutely, Brianna. These major retail
[Keilar:] Cristina, thank you for the report. Cristina Alesci in New York AMC Theaters is reversing course on its mask policy, it is now going to require all guests at its theaters across the nation to wear masks. This is coming after the company's CEO said he would not require masks in an effort to stay apolitical. My next guest wrote a column for "Medium," declaring that masks should be the law throughout the nation. David Sacks has been a tech leader for decades, a former PayPal executive and now general partner and cofounder of Craft Ventures. David, thanks for joining us.
[David Sacks, Leading Tech Investor And Entrepreneur:] Good to be here.
[Keilar:] So we'll get to your reasons for why this should be a law in a moment. First, though, I wonder your reaction to AMC's rather swift change of heart here.
[Sacks:] Well, I think it's a better business decision, because I think people will be more likely to go to the movies if they know that the other patrons are wearing masks. You know, it's when you go to a crowded theater, obviously, you're making a risk decision that goes beyond just whether you want to wear a mask. You know, your lung emissions have an impact on all the other patrons. And so I think it's a better business decision for them. It's a better health decision, clearly, but also I think more people will go to movies now.
[Keilar:] Yes. So you actually think that wearing a mask should be law. Explain this to us.
[Sacks:] Yes. I mean, I wrote this column, you know, over two months ago. And I think unlike a lot of pronouncements about COVID, this one has aged pretty well. If you look around the world, the countries that have had the most success fighting COVID are all the ones that have had sort of ubiquitous mask-wearing. And so, you know, you look at a country like Japan, 135 million people, an older population older than us and they've had less than a thousand deaths. South Korea, 51 million people, under 300 deaths.
[Text:] Why Masks Should Be the Law by David Sacks: They protect everyone, not just the wearer; Harm to commerce without them; Could help create new social norms; They help us avoid more severe requirements
[Sacks:] And the common denominator and, you know, if you look at Europe too, you had a country like the Czech Republic, that had a huge COVID spike at the beginning like the rest of Europe, they went all-in on mask-wearing and it basically knocked out the virus, it completely controlled it. And so if you just want to look at experience and practice, you don't have to look at models, or you don't have to talk to experts because we know those things have been wrong. But if you just look at experience and practice around the world, the one thing that has worked very successfully is a mask policy.
[Keilar:] No, it's right. And even then, we've interviewed people in commerce who are not going they, you know they're just not going to do it. So it's interesting to see how they're going to reopen without doing it. I do want you to listen to an exchange between our Jim Acosta, our White House correspondent, with White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. This happened just moments ago.
[Jim Acosta, White House Correspondent:] Will you be there, for example?
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] I will be there.
[Acosta:] Will you and other White House officials be wearing masks at the rally?
[Mcenany:] It's a personal choice, I won't be wearing a mask. I can't speak for my colleagues.
[Acosta:] And why won't you wear a mask? Is that sort of a personal political statement? Is it because the president would be disappointed in you if you don't wear a mask?
[Mcenany:] It's a personal decision, I'm tested regularly, I feel that it's safe for me not to be wearing a mask and I'm in compliance with CDC guidelines, which are recommended but not required.
[Keilar:] What do you think of that, David?
[Sacks:] Well, I think we're missing an opportunity here. I think that you know, a public mask policy is sort of the biggest no-brainer. I think, you know, a lot of people I think they find it hard to believe, that you know, a problem as big as COVID-19, a pandemic that's killed over 100,000 people just in the U.S., that this could be solved by something as simple and obvious as wearing a mask. But it really does work. If you look around the world, the countries that have successfully managed the virus are the ones that have had sort of a fastidious policy of public mask-wearing. And, you know, it's not just kind of a personal choice about assumption of risk. I'm very sympathetic to kind of libertarian arguments generally, about personal freedom. But there's an old saying about the boundaries of freedom. Which is, Your freedom to wave your arms ends when your fist hits my nose. And you know, something similar is true when your infectious particles hit my nose. You know, you're not just making a decision for yourself, you're making a decision for everybody around you. And that's why we all sort of have to come together as a nation, let's not make this a political issue. This is a really simple thing for us to get right, let's just do it.
[Keilar:] Yes. That's why I think the seatbelt argument doesn't fit, right? Some people say, Well, it's a choice, right? Well, it's almost like choosing to have someone else not wear a seatbelt, which is not your choice, so. David Sacks, thanks so much, really appreciate the discussion. And just in, officers in some Atlanta police precincts calling out sick en masse on the same day as the first hearing for the officer charged in Rayshard Brooks' death. And then in Louisville, Kentucky, a major development in the death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by police while sleeping. One of the officers, on the verge of losing his job now. And we are live across the country as well as nationwide rallies commemorate Juneteenth, the end of slavery. Stay with us for live special coverage.

[Whitfield:] Welcome back. Everyone is trying to do their part. One famous American apparel brand is joining in the effort to make face masks to help curb the spread of coronavirus. L.L. Bean said they are making at least 10,000 masks daily with plans to ramp up production. They are using the company's dog bed liners. And these masks are being tested by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As L.L. Bean shifts operations to help in the crisis, the president and CEO of the company says that, on the flip side, the government isn't doing enough to help the retail industry. Joining me now is Steve Smith, the president and CEO of L.L. Bean. Good to see you, Steve.
[Steve Smith, President & Ceo, L.l. Bean, Inc:] Good afternoon, Fredricka. Thanks for having me.
[Whitfield:] Thank you so much. And hope you are well. And clearly you and a lot of your employees are doing well because you are trying to make a dent to try to help out the medical community by making these masks. What was the inspiration behind doing this? SMITH; Yes, it's a great story actually. We're a 108-year-old family owned business. We operate under the stakeholder philosophy and our employees and our customers and communities are really the critical stakeholders there. And when this kicked off early in March, a couple of our employees from our manufacturing center where we make our fantastic Bean boots and totes wanted to know how they could help. They started experimenting in making patterns for masks. They came forward to our leadership team, a strong leadership team and said we want to make masks and we're experiment with our dog bed lining. It's durable, washable, breathable. And that started the process. And we immediately converted over to production of the masks. So what about that conversion that you had to do for your production? There are a lot of companies who expressed they want to do something, but perhaps, you know, they don't know how to convert or maybe their assembly lines are not compatible with doing so. How were you able to make that transition?
[Smith:] The combination of Yankee ingenuity and fantastic employees. We cut and sew. We that's what our manufacturing folks do. And they can cut any material into any shape and stitch anything. So they are incredibly innovative and wanted to help. So just immediately jumped in and adapted our cutting machines to cut the right sizes of the materials. We set up a new area in our manufacturing. We, obviously, have lots of sewing machines. So we set those all up with appropriate social distancing and they got at it.
[Whitfield:] Obviously, masks for something the medical community really needs. But now the CDC recommendation asking, really, all Americans, you know, to wear some sort of cloth mask to protect, you know, their neighbors and their loved ones. Is this going to be available to the masses or is this strictly for the medical community?
[Smith:] Right now, we're strictly for the medical community. We have a great partnership with the overall main medical community and specifically Maine Health and also the governor's office, governor mills and her CDC. So all of our production. And we're also using our proprietary supply chain to be procuring PPE for the state of Maine as well. All of that is going to the medical community. And, you know, we're not built for mass production, so 10,000 a day is great. That's about the most we can do. We are just starting to talk about, you know, what would it look like if we created something stylish and fashionable for the future. But we do not have the capacity to do that yet.
[Whitfield:] OK. Well, because of this restructuring, another silver lining is, a lot of your employees get to continue working while looking at other industries, retailers, you know, manufacturers, people who are losing their jobs. And they are going to be counting on stimulus money from the government or, you know, having their hands being thrown up trying to figure out what's going to help them put food on the table. You are doing a great service to your employees. But what is your concern about how you think the government could be doing more and, you know, how this unemployment of so many furloughs, so many could be addressed?
[Smith:] Yes, first, it is great to be able to have hours for our employees to be able to make masks. Also, just to tie back to earlier segment, early on, about three weeks ago, we converted a corner of our fulfillment center. We are an E-com business. It's about two-thirds of our business. And we converted one- third to take over the operations for the Food Shepherd Food Bank here in Maine. Most were retirees and at were high risk. That was also a way to get hours for our employees and to do something as a great purpose in the state of Maine. We're grateful for the government stimulus around enhancing employments. That makes it a lot easier for retailers who are moving to furloughs and layoffs. But it is going to be very, very challenging for the retail industry. The vast majority of the brands that you know and love that are store- based retail, they already have been having a really challenged it's a challenged industry already. And to be at zero sales and full rent and having full payroll is a huge challenge. And you just started to see that happen last week around layoffs and furloughs. And that's going to continue. And what we've said is what's needed is really access to working capital so that the retailers, the vast majority of retailers of brands that you love are able to sort of weather the storm for the next 60 or 90 days. That can be rent mitigation, that could be if we could suspend some of the tariffs, anything that could help us conserve cash or allow us, A, to employ our people for a longer period of time but also be able to recover on the back side.
[Whitfield:] Hopefully, there are a lot of listening ears listening to your suggestions there. Congrats on the innovation. And many people are very grateful for what it is that you're doing and how you are leading the way. Steve Smith, of L.L. Bean, thank you so much. Stay well.
[Smith:] Thank you, Fredricka. Have a great afternoon.
[Whitfield:] Thank you. And we'll be right back.

[Church:] Protest erupted in several cities in Lebanon on Monday despite government restrictions on public gatherings due to the coronavirus. Look closely and you will see a wall of burning tires blocking the road there. Clashes with security forces broke out in some areas, Protesters are furious over Lebanon's financial crisis. Prices for basic goods, are soaring, even as the value of the currency continues its month's long decline. Well, the economic outlook for the entire region is bleak with the collapse in the oil market. U.S. crude prices plunge below $11 a barrel in trading today in Asia, investors aren't looking to buy, when storage capacity is running out and demand remains low. With more on how this is impacting the Middle East region, we turn to John Defterios, who joins us live from Abu Dhabi. Always good to see you John. So the focus has been on the U.S. oil sell off, but where you are in the Middle East, 10 to $20, clearly doesn't help those states like Saudi Arabia, or Iraq, the major producers, what is the danger with all of this?
[John Defterios, Cnn Emerging Markets Editor:] Well, this is an entire region, Rosemary that does benefit from higher prices of oil, particularly from $80 to $100 range. Everybody benefit, but it's the exact opposite in this case, of course, as you suggested below $20 a barrel. We are feeling the pain. Those protest in Lebanon are in part due to this, because the remittances from Lebanese expats, going back into the country dramatically, they used to depend quite heavily on the gulf Arab tourists visiting. Again, down sharply. Now the International Monetary Fund, a virtual roundtable that I was chairing, put this into perspective for the Middle East oil exporters specifically like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Algeria. They are saying the contraction of 4.2 percent this year. They were supposed to grow 2 to 3 percent, so that's a massive swing. And a snap back to 4.7 percent in 2021, that seems ambitious. We have a chief economist in the region here and a former minister of economy from Lebanon, on the panel. He is making comparisons to the Arab Spring in 2011, and said this could be much worse. Let's take a listen.
[Nassar Saidi, Founder And President, Nassar Saidi And Associates:] This is depression economics. Unfortunately the countries of the region, don't have the automatic stabilizers, they don't have the physical tools. And what we may be heading towards is a vast increase in inequality. A vast increase in poverty, and a lot, I think a lot of social interest, and a lot of political unrest. So this could be the beginning of a second Arab Spring, or Arab firestorm as I pretty sure you call it.
[Defterios:] The new name for the firestone for Nassar Saidi, who is very respected in the region now. He is an economist, as I was noting here. Now the head of the IMF, in the region was suggesting, Rosemary, we have to prepare for round two and round three of the economic falloff, from the coronavirus. And we had this partial reopening, but the demand for airplanes, and trains, and trucks, cars, consumer spending, is just not clear, so obviously it's keeping a cap or pushing oil prices even lower at this stage.
[Church:] Yes. It is incredible isn't it to witness it, right? So why do we continue to see such price fallout in U.S. crude, despite the efforts by the Trump administration to stabilize the situation.
[Defterios:] Well in fact, we do not have the final definition of that support from the Trump administration, we are even taking equity stakes of the small and mid-sized producers which is incredibly radical. President Trump is very proud of this 13 barrels a day of production, that's going to drop 2-3 million. And the reality which we just have so much oil on the market in the United States was so little demand and no storage. You talked about it in your lead, and Rosemary you could run out of surges from three to four weeks. And in fact there's what 80 super tankers around the world, carrying about 2 million barrels each, being used for storage is outrageous that we are at this stage right now. But that's why we see it and we even had exchange traded funds in the states that don't want to hold the U.S benchmark at all.
[Church:] All right, John Defterios, always great to chat with you. I appreciate it. And we'll take a short break here. Still to come, New Zealand begins to ease its lockdown, with hundreds of people enjoying their newfound freedom. That is a hint as to what they're doing. Plus, a Broadway tribute, like no other. Actress Meryl Streep and some famous friends give a birthday salute quarantine style to one of the most famous composers in theater, back in a moment.

[Allen:] Welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. We're taking you, now, live to Portland, Oregon, where people are protesting. They are outside the capital building there. It seems to be mostly peaceful. But we're keeping an eye on what's going on here.
[Vause:] Now major American cities are under curfew right now after the seventh night of demonstrations against police brutality
[Allen:] Some of the day's most dramatic moments happened in Washington. All of these people broke curfew, after President Trump threatened military force in states that refused to take action against lawlessness. Yet, as you can see here, force was shockingly used on peaceful protesters just outside the White House. They were hit with teargas and rubber bullets all so President Trump could walk across the street for a photo op. He stood in front of the historic St. John's Church, the Church of the Presidents, it's called, which was damaged by fire Sunday, and he held up a Bible. The Episcopal Bishop of Washington who oversees that church says she is outraged by the visit. New York City has been a flashpoint for protests that have turned violence, stores have been looted. There was an 11:00 p.m. curfew that has clearly been broken. Let's go to our Brian Stelter. He's been on the scene of the looting in New York. Such a sad, tragic side note to what otherwise our people trying to make a difference with protests.
[Brian Stelter, Cnn Chief Media Correspondent:] That's right. Every night after dark, it's been a little bit different here in Manhattan. One night, it was lower Manhattan near Wall Street, the next night it was SoHo. We all saw the photos from that neighborhood, that fashion neighborhood in New York. In the last few hours, the looting and vandalism has been concentrated in Midtown Manhattan, Park Avenue, Madison Avenue, Fifth Avenue, Herald Square, Times Square. These are internationally recognizable names and symbols. I was out earlier in the evening, I'm now back home, of course, during the pandemic, many of us working from home, and one of the strange sites about this situation is that during a pandemic, many of these businesses are already closed. So we're talking about retailers and banks that are already closed, and now they are also boarded up due to this violence. Everywhere from 59th Street near Trump Tower on the east side of Manhattan to 34th Street near Macy's, we have seen widespread looting in the past few hours. This was before the curfew took effect at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Some of these accidents continued after the curfew took effect as well. Macy's for example, the flagship Macy's store was broken into even though there were plywood boards up on the walls. Look, I don't want to overstate what has happened. Many parts of New York City and Manhattan and the rest of the boroughs are calm right now and have remained calm for days, but there's a lot of property damage. And as many there are so many peaceful protesters who are marching on the streets, even the late hours trying to speak out about the I Can't Breathe movement, but I fear that their message is being overshadowed by these opportunists who are breaking into businesses, stealing whatever they can, and then running away as fast as they can.
[Allen:] And Brian, how are they staying ahead of the police? Ha1ve there been arrests?
[Stelter:] From what I've witnessed earlier in the evening, it's a cat and mouse game. Police officers trying to show up as soon as they see outbreaks of violence, as soon as they see outbreaks of vandalism. But then you see these groups of young people running away or jumping into cars or jumping onto bikes and go into the next place. The police sometimes do seem outnumbered and that's going to be question for the mayor and the governor and other local officials. And not just in New York, by the way. We have seen new reports of looting in other cities in the United States tonight, including in California, we have seen outbreaks of fires and shootings in St. Louis. I think by some metrics, this does seem slightly less widespread than it was on Saturday and Sunday night weekends in the United States. But look, there are so many people out of work, so many people out of their usual routines in the summertime amid a pandemic. I think there's a real fear that we're going to continue to see these outbursts in various cities, both large cities like New York City and smaller communities as well. You know, we see mostly relatively small, you know, disturbances, lootings of malls and things to that degree, but this is still the most widespread experience of civil unrest in the U.S. since the 1960s. And whatever rhetoric we heard from Washington earlier today clearly has not trickled down to the streets.
[Allen:] All right, Brian Stelter for us. We appreciate your reporting, Brian. Thanks so much. Now over to you, John.
[John Vause, Cnn International Anchor:] Natalie, thank you. Well, Cheryl Dorsey is a retired Los Angeles police sergeant, author of Black and Blue. And she's with us this late hour in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for joining us, Cheryl. Clearly, it seems that 11:00 p.m. curfew in New York didn't work. It didn't stop the looting, it didn't stop the vandalism. The plan for Tuesday is an 8:00 p.m. curfew. Will that really make a difference when you consider the vandalism the looting began I think what, 7:30 p.m. on Monday?
[Cheryl Dorsey, Retired Los Angeles Police Sergeant:] I don't think the hour is going to have much of an impact. And I'm not even sure I'm hearing on my social media platforms if folks want the other three officers arrested. I don't think even that is going to calm folks down. This has been a long time coming. Nothing much changed after the 1992 riots, 2014 riots in Ferguson. And so unless and until police departments start holding police officers accountable, we're going to continue to see, I'm afraid, these kinds of outbursts.
[Vause:] You mentioned the fact that the other three arresting officers have not been arrested at this point. I want you to listen to Minnesota's Attorney General who's now overseeing their case. He spoke to CNN a few hours ago.
[Keith Ellison, Attorney General, Minnesota:] I want to assure everybody that we are looking very carefully at holding everybody accountable, who failed to do their duty below and fell below the legal requirements of their position or did something affirmatively that would be in violation of the law.
[Vause:] OK, so action seems pending. He won't say exactly what. But if the roles were reversed here, a black man had his knee on the neck of a white police officer who was killed while three of the black man's colleagues did nothing to stop it, would they be in jail by now?
[Dorsey:] You already know. Absolutely. And listen, I understand this is precarious and they're only going to get one bite at the apple in terms of prosecution, so they want to have their ducks in a row. I get that. Procedurally, if they don't have everything in order, they could have to release the three officers and then start all over. And that in and of itself would be problematic. But listen, when we hear accountability, what does that mean? Because true accountability is way down the road. We first have to get charges, then there's going to have to be a trial, and ultimately, a conviction would be hoped for. And then what does this sentence like? So accountability, if it's a real thing, is not going to happen for many, many months. I pray that these protests don't continue until we get a sentence in the case of the death, the murder of George Floyd.
[Vause:] The other extreme that we're seeing here apart from you know, with the vandalism, and the looting has been the actions of law enforcement in Washington. You had peaceful protesters who were set upon with tear gas, flashbangs, that kind of stuff, essentially though, cleared out of the way for photo opportunity for the President. Is that actually legal? Are there guidelines or policy for the use non-lethal crowd control measures? And what's the onus on the individual law officers not to follow that kind of directive?
[Dorsey:] Well, listen, when you have a president who's soulless, who has no moral compass, and is incapable of empathy and compassion for others, who's all about himself, while it may be lawless, haven't we seen him for pretty much four years, break laws and do things that are contrary to our democracy and what's right, just on a human level. And so, how do you tell a president no, when you have a 12-year-old who sits in the White House?
[Vause:] Well, lastly, I want you to listen to the brother of George Floyd, Terrence, who actually called for peaceful protests and no more violence. Here he is.
[Terrence Floyd, Brother Of George Floyd:] In every case of police brutality, the same thing has been happening. You all protests, you all destroy stuff, and if they don't move, let's switch it up.
[Unidentified Male:] Amen.
[Floyd:] Do this peacefully. Please. I know he would not want you all to be doing this.
[Vause:] It does seem to be a stark contrast. You have the family of the victim who's calling for peaceful protests, while the president seems to trying to escalate the confrontations.
[Dorsey:] And so while you know, protests have their role in all of this, at the end of the day, these young people need to have an endgame. And the endgame is going to be going to the ballot box. Every police chief serves at the pleasure of a mayor. Politicians understand votes. And so, if you want to change, then you're going to have to not only once you bring attention to a matter, you're going to have to actively get involved and engaged to bring about that change.
[Vause:] Cheryl Dorsey, it's been a pleasure to have you with us. Thank you for your time. Thank you for being with us.
[Dorsey:] Thank you.
[Vause:] Well, Facebook employees stage a virtual walkout on Monday angered by CEO Mark Zuckerberg who has refused to take down controversial posts from the U.S. president. Zuckerberg says he has a visceral negative reaction to Trump's statements but argues Facebook is committed to free expression. Not all of his employees support him. Many working from home, they took the day off at protest. Some posted their unhappiness on Twitter. One employee say, I'm not proud of how we're showing up. Other the major corporations are taking a stand with some donating millions of dollars to civil rights groups like Black Lives Matter. Others are making public statements of support. CNN's John Defterios is live in Abu Dhabi with the latest on this. And you know, what's interesting, John, there was a time when major corporations would run a mile from doing anything like this. They'll worry about bad press, some kind of you know, blowback, consumer anger. The fact that so many of the biggest corporations are choosing a side says a lot.
[John Defterios, Cnn Business Emerging Markets Editor:] It does say a lot, John. And I think the response has been as widespread as the cities that we see in the United States from literally Main Street to Wall Street. You mentioned Facebook, and I think there's a reason for these companies to be on the front foot to be responsive as leaders in social media and even the traditional media companies like Disney or a parent company, Warner Media. But internally, there's a lot of pressures we see at Facebook. And we saw the same thing with Uber during the early stages of the pandemic to protect their drivers. So the pressure from the workforce is getting many of these leaders to come forward. Dow Chemical for example, a major player in petrochemical says it wants to be the most diversified workforce in its sector. We see banks, Goldman Sachs, Black Rock, Citygroup all questioning the racial bias that we see in America. The CFO of Citygroup is black and said, we shouldn't have a case where people are scared on the street. Twitter again, another Silicon Valley company said by 2025, a quarter of its workforce will be represented by minorities going forward. And most tried to steer out of the politics, John. This is what I thought was interesting here, but not from the cloud group Box where its CEO said, Aaron Levie, and I'm quoting him here, that "Donald Trump has no ability to help this nation heal. And he says, he's been stoking the flames with his lack of response and the hardline on the police front as well. And I was thinking back, can this provide the actual change going forward? I covered the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, and I'm from that city, and there was a lot of change, a lot of investment going into the inner cities. Was it sustainable? And the answer is no. Bob Iger and his team from Disney, the big media giant was suggesting, because of the COVID-19, and now having this widespread action by people on the street, it's opening up all the sore wounds in America, and he thinks that actually this is a moment for change. And people are even talking about reconciliation commissions going forward, something that we saw in South Africa and Rwanda. Could you see that in America? I don't, John, but this is the call from corporate America right now.
[Vause:] Interesting point there, John. I don't see it either, but I guess, you know, stranger things have happened. John Defterios live in Abu Dhabi. Thanks, John. Good to see you.
[Allen:] Well, they did it in South Africa and it worked. We'll see, guys. Well as the protests rage across the U.S., health experts fear the coronavirus is being forgotten. Next here, the concerns they're raising about these mass gatherings at this time.

[Baldwin:] Former Vice President Joe Biden really opened up last night during our CNN town hall about a lifelong struggle with a stutter. It's a very personal and very emotional moment. And Biden not only offered insight into his own story, he expressed encouragement to others who struggle with the same condition.
[Unidentified Female:] What advice would you give a college student who had struggled with stuttering since he was a young child?
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] You know, stuttering you think about it is the only handicap that people still laugh about, that still humiliate people about, and they don't even mean to. When I was a kid I talked talked- talked talked talked like that. And some of you smile. If I said to you, when I was a kid, I had a cleft palate and people made fun of me, no one would smile. So what I'd say to anybody out there and any of the people you work with, young people who stutter, I'll give you my phone number, not a joke, and they can call me. I'll give you a private number. Because it's really important they know, they know. They want to say, "You really did stutter?" And I still occasionally. When I find myself really tired, catch catch myself saying something like that. It has nothing to do with your intelligence quotient. It has nothing to do with your intellectual makeup. It has something to do with, going back a long time, relating to, I think, part of it is confidence and how you were what circumstance you faced. I know I'm talking too long about this, but I feel desperately I feel strongly about this. What I did was I didn't have professional help. But I had three things going for me. I had a mother who had a backbone like a ramrod. And she'd, look, she'd go, Joey, look at me. Look at me, Joey. You're handsome, you're smart, you're a good athlete, Joey. Don't let this define you, Joey. Remember who you are, Joey. You can do it. Every time I'd walk out, she'd reinforce me. I know that sounds silly. It really matters. It really is about reaching out. And I I I don't want to I'm not making this political, but that's what I find so reprehensible about what's going on now. Making in my household and with my children as well, no one no matter how bitter the fight is with a friend or anyone else, you could never say something about them that was true. I mean, you can never say something if they were ugly, you couldn't say you ugly so and so. You could say you're a jerk. No, I really mean it, because things that people cannot control, it's not their fault. No one has the right no one has the right to mock it and make fun of it, no matter who they are. I probably got in trouble for saying I empathize with Rush Limbaugh dying of cancer. I don't like him at all. But he's going through hell right now. He's a human being. You just have to you just have to reach out a little more for people, man. We don't do it enough. We've got to heal this country.
[Baldwin:] Former Vice President Joe Biden. We have more on our breaking news. The president going off on his perceived rivals in this surreal 62-minute ceremony celebrating his acquittal. See what happened. Also ahead, a community meeting on racism descends into racism. We'll talk too this immigrant father of three who faced racist abuse from another dad in this wild video.

[Baldwin:] President Trump is all but guaranteed to win his party's nomination again. So with no big primary challenger of his own, President Trump is making a habit of inserting himself in the Democratic Primary process. Last night at that rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, he seized upon the fact that in New Hampshire independent voters can vote in either of the Democratic or the Republican primary. Watch.
[Trump:] We hear that there could be because you have crossovers in primaries, don't you? So I hear a lot of Republicans tomorrow will vote for the weakest candidate possible of the Democrats. Does that make sense? You people wouldn't do that. My only problem is I'm trying to figure out who is their weakest candidate? I think they're all weak.
[Baldwin:] Jennifer Horn is former chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. She's also a founding member of the anti-Trump Super PAC, The Lincoln Project. So, Jennifer, thank you for being with me. We just played that sound. What do you think of President Trump inserting himself in this Democratic campaign essentially and telling independent voters to vote for the weakest candidate?
[Jennifer Horn, Former Chairwoman, New Hampshire Republican Party:] Well, first of all, he's just wrong. In New Hampshire Republicans cannot cross over and vote in a Democratic primary. It's not allowed. Only independents or an undeclared voter could do that, so he's just factually incorrect again. The President is simply trying to, you know, solidify his base and divide the opposition. He wants to play into this idea that Bernie Sanders is somehow being, you know, mistreated by the Democratic Party, that there's more division on one side than the other. This is clearly, you know, to advance his own purpose. And very quickly, Brooke, just to add onto that, it's very obvious that the Trump campaign has made a strategic decision here. They're playing entirely to their base. They are making no attempt to try to reach out and build coalitions, reach out to other blocks of voters at all. They want to suppress any anti-Trump vote and just play entirely to their base.
[Baldwin:] Well, maybe to their detriment. I want to play some sound. One of our correspondents, Kyung Lah, she talked to this couple that were Trump voters in 2016. They are now turning to Democratic moderate Amy Klobuchar as their pick. Listen to them.
[Clifford Samble, New Hampshire Primary Voter:] We voted for Trump last time, and we're seeing who we can choose this time. We may go with him, but we like Amy because she seems to be a strong candidate. She had many years in the Senate.
[Baldwin:] I just thought that was really interesting. I know your paper, "The Union Leader" has endorsed her.
[Horn:] Right.
[Baldwin:] Why are you, you know, a lifelong Republican, you're getting behind Amy Klobuchar. Why?
[Horn:] Well, listen, I want to get behind the candidate who's best positioned to defeat Donald Trump in November, and why I'm doing that is easy, and something I think millions of Americans understand. Donald Trump creates an existential threat to the Republican I'm sorry, to the Republic. It's not about the Republican Party. It's about the country. You know, he has divided and damaged, he has turned the presidency into a corrupt crime enterprise. He has put the security of our nation at risk. You can go on and on. He is unqualified not just to be President but to in any way represent what the great principles and values that America was founded on. Amy Klobuchar, I think is really interesting to watch right now. You know, Bernie Sanders is likely going to win tonight. We saw the big boost that Pete Buttigieg got coming out of Iowa. He's likely to be very close to Sanders, if it all kind of works out the way that the polling suggests. But Amy Klobuchar is the one that if she places ahead of Joe Biden and if she places ahead of Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, that's an extraordinary win for her going out of New Hampshire. And I just think she's somebody who's well-positioned to build those coalitions that are necessary to win in November. Her ability to work across the aisle, to bring disaffected Republicans and right leaning independents together with the Democratic base that she needs to kind of push a win across the finish line.
[Baldwin:] I am sure she appreciates your words. We wait to see how New Hampshire speaks and votes later this evening. For now, Jennifer Horn, thank you very much in Manchester for us. Let's get back to our breaking news now. A prosecutor on the Roger Stone case is now withdrawing from this case after the Justice Department backtracks on Stone's sentencing guidance, and it all happens after President Trump complained about the recommended sentence on Twitter.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] From the CNN Center, this is CNN 10 and I`m Carl Azuz. Thank you for watching. A major event of World War II occurred 75 years ago this month. January of 1945 was when Nazi Germany`s largest concentration camp was liberated. Auschwitz is located in southern Poland. A country that Germany invaded and occupied starting in 1939. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Auschwitz was actually three camps. One was a prison. One was for slave labor and one was a death camp. More than 1 million 100 thousand people were killed at Auschwitz. Ninety percent of them were Jews. The advancing Soviet army found and liberated the camp on January 27th. The Nazi`s had mostly abandoned by that time though thousands of prisoners were left behind. Today Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial and museum. A ceremony to commemorate the camp`s liberation was held Thursday in Israel. A nation who`s population is more than 74 percent Jewish. Dozens of world leaders and holocaust survivors gathered in Jerusalem this week for the World Holocaust Forum. In his opening remarks, Israeli President Rueuven Rivlin asked them to make sure the holocaust and the destruction of World War II would never be repeated. That`s a major theme at Yad Veshem, Israel`s National Holocaust Remembrance Site where Sara Sidner filed this report.
[Unidentified Male:] The Yad Veshem comes from the book of Isaiah and it`s really a idiom and the idiom means permanent memorial. This museum cuts into the mountain and if you look at it, it looks something like a scar in the Mountain of Remembrance and I think that`s what the holocaust really is in our world. It`s this thing and it`s for many years afterwards but we remain with sort of a scar.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn International Correspondent:] It`s a bit shocking when you walk in and you see these massive swastikas.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Sidner:] I think of Nazi flags.
[Unidentified Male:] But again this is showing you something about what this period is, I mean, you have to - you can`t just enter it like you enter a swimming pool slowly. You kind of dive into the period.
[Sidner:] Where are these bricks from?
[Unidentified Male:] Well this is a recreation of a street called Lezchno Street which was the main artery in the ghetto wharfs, the biggest of the ghettos and these are actual bricks that were used in the streets of Warsaw along with the tramline that was there.
[Sidner:] What do you want people to feel when they come - start walking into the ghetto?
[Unidentified Male:] We want them to have a small feeling maybe of what crowdedness is and when they see the photos around they`ll understand something about the suffering. Because if you see the photos around you, you see tremendous suffering especially of children. We`re talking about people, knowing their names is important. When you see their faces you understand even more that we`re talking about not 6 million somethings. We`re talking about 6 million human beings. Each with a family, with a background, with something about them that`s very human. The suitcases are left with names and addresses and information. Again, it`s a personal thing. Who doesn`t understand traveling with a suitcase? So they`re heart rendering these things when you look at the items and you tie them to the story. You don`t need to show photographs of atrocities to understand an atrocity. Things were taken from them again and shoes and shoes, OK, shoes look innocuous. What are shoes? But understand who`s shoes these were and what happened to the owners of these shoes and you begin to get something about a feeling of a - of a mount of - of quantity, of - of everything that`s going on here.
[Sidner:] You can touch things here.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Sidner:] You can experience things in a different way. What is this?
[Unidentified Male:] Well, look in the photograph. This is a camp called Flossenburg where people were working in hard labor digging out stones and they were filling carts. Right? And this is one of the carts.
[Sidner:] There are 1,000 points of proof, 1,000 things that you can experience here to show you a little bit, just a tad of what life was - was like.
[Unidentified Male:] Ultimately we want people to understand that the holocaust was caused by people. It wasn`t a cosmic event and it wasn`t monsters. It was human beings who were motivated by ideas more than anything else and they brought about this holocaust. Which means we need to understand what those ideas were, what was motivating them, what brought them into this. Because ultimately we want to learn from the holocaust, from other genocides. How do we go about preventing anything like this from happening to anyone anywhere else?
[Azuz:] Our next story this Friday, the World Health Organization, part of the United Nations, says the Wuhan coronavirus is not yet a public health emergency of international concern. That`s an official term the agency uses for extraordinary outbreaks like those of the Ebola or Zika viruses. The WHO says it`s continuing to keep a close eye on the Wuhan virus outbreak. Meantime the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is recommending that Americans who don`t need to go to Wuhan should avoid the city and it recommends that anyone who`s traveled to China within the past two weeks and has a fever, cough or trouble breathing should immediately get medical care and avoid other people. The disease is named for the city in China where it was first identified. Wuhan has a population of 11 million and it`s now on partial lockdown with a lot of its transportation shutdown. As Chinese officials rush to try and contain the outbreak, the travel plans of millions have been impacted because the Chinese New Year begins on Saturday the most important festival in the world`s most populated country. Major celebrations in Beijing, 650 miles north of Wuhan, have been cancelled and with suspected cases of the virus popping up in several other countries large airports are increasing health screenings and quarantine plans.
[Unidentified Male:] A rush check out sparked by a 3 a.m. phone call. We headed to the train station as soon as we got word. The city of Wuhan, China essentially going on lockdown. Officials set a deadline for 10 o`clock Thursday morning. All public transportation including airports, highways and train stations to halt service out of the city. A drastic effort to contain the spreading and deadly coronavirus. As we arrived, crowds already lined up for tickets stretching out the door. This gives you an idea of how serious that people are taking this idea to leave Wuhan and get out before public transportation is strictly limited. We`ve noticed a good number of people rushing to this train station. Interesting to note, this railway station is located just a few blocks away from the seafood market, the epicenter according to health officials of this virus. That market`s been shut down for weeks guarded by security and police. Without special permission, no one in so as to prevent any potential exposure from getting out. Passing through rail security, thermal detectors monitor for possible fevers. Inside some passengers feeling panicked.
[Unidentified Male Translated:] In such a short time, the number of cases has doubled several times.
[Unidentified Male:] Others feeling it`s all been a bit over hyped.
[Unidentified Female Translated:] For me in Wuhan, I haven`t felt that kind of tension or panic at all. I think people are OK. People are getting on with eating, drinking and living.
[Unidentified Male:] But she`s leaving nonetheless and during the Spring Festival in which families are supposed to be together. Some are making the difficult choice to be apart sending their young children outside the city limits while they stay to face the unknowns back home.
[Azuz:] Two hundred-sixteen footballs for one game, that`s how many are being made by Wilson. The company that`s provided Super Bowl footballs since 1941. In its factory in Ohio, Wilson picks the leather, cuts the leather, stamps the leather, stitches up the balls and then they`re laced like shoes and sent to Super Bowl LIV also known as Super Bowl 54 with 108 going to the Chiefs and 108 going to the 49ers. So that`s the "pigskinny" on how they`re made. Before the athletes have a "ball" with how they`re played. Now some will get frayed and some will fade or get kicked, dropped or sprayed with Gatorade but that`s the life of a Super Bowl. They lose or win some. The rest is elementary my "dear Wilson". OK. Enough of that. We hope to see you subscribe and comment at You Tube.comCNN10 because that`s what L.P.S. Oakland High School did from Oakland, California where Friday`s are awesome. I`m Carl Azuz. END

[Text:] LET'S GET AFTER IT.
[Cuomo:] Same night we get this breaking news on Bloomberg, earlier, I had a chance to sit down with Pete Buttigieg, and we talked about his giant leap in the polls in Iowa, and why he is the best in the party. Mr. Mayor, thank you very much for taking the opportunity.
[Mayor Pete Buttigieg  Presidential Candidate:] Good to be with you.
[Cuomo:] All right, let's talk about the good news. The good news is you in Iowa polls are moving up. You are in the thick of what could be a four-person race. In the latest polls, Quinnipiac, Siena, ahead of the former VP. Why do you think you are resonating more in a poll like this? And from whom do you think you are drawing support?
[Buttigieg:] So, I think it's resonating because we have the winning message. What I'm offering is a way to unify the American people, and still get the job done. Look, that day the Sun comes up on this country, for the first time, and Donald Trump is no longer President, two things are going to be true. One is that we're going to be dangerously divided, even more than we are right now, if you just think about everything we've been through, and everything we're about to go through. The other thing that's also true is all of these big issues, climate, an economy that isn't working for everybody, the need to do something about healthcare, those issues aren't going to take a vacation for impeachment. They haven't taken a vacation for Donald Trump. They're going to need urgent action. So, the question is how do we get urgent action done and do it in a way that unifies, not polarizes, the American people? The more I talk about that, the more I see heads nodding everywhere I go. I think the people of Iowa and the people of of America, certainly across the Democratic Party, are ready for that vision. And I think it's why we're catching on and gaining ground, but, obviously a long way to go, and a lot of people to bring our message to, who haven't heard it yet.
[Cuomo:] Do you think you're taking support from anyone?
[Buttigieg:] You know, it's hard for me to know. I'll leave that to the analysts. What what I do believe is that this is a message that can connect with progressives, with moderates, and we're seeing some Republicans cross-over. They're showing up at my events. They're saying they're going to support us. And part of me wants to say, "Well did you see the speech because, you know, I'm pretty progressive." But they're not looking for somebody who agrees with them on every single issue. I'm meeting Republicans who are just furious with what's being done in their name by this President, and looking for another way, and looking for somebody who's going to welcome everybody into a bigger coalition, to get these things done.
[Cuomo:] You have to play the game of "Better me than dot, dot, dot," in party. Why better you than Sanders or Warren who are much more pleasing to the progressive progressives in your party? You know, you're too safe-
[Buttigieg:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] -Mr. Mayor.
[Buttigieg:] Well what I'm offering is the most progressive Presidency of our lifetimes. Yes, it's true. I'm not going to go out to the extremes as some of the others will. But I'm also offering something that we can actually get done. If we achieve this, Medicare for All Who Want It, it would be huge, and it's the best pathway we have toward a Medicare-for-All environment, if we're right that this is going to be the best-
[Cuomo:] Warren says it's a half-measure and the product of a campaign that is run by consultants for safe ideas. She didn't say you, sounds like you.
[Buttigieg:] It's a great idea. It's the right thing to do. And it's the boldest thing we will have done to healthcare in more than 50 years. That's that's no half measure. This is what it takes to actually get something done.
[Cuomo:] She goes farther, more ambitious.
[Buttigieg:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] More Left than you.
[Buttigieg:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Why is that not better?
[Buttigieg:] Because it's not better to command millions of Americans to abandon their private plans. Look, most Americans want to be able to make this decision themselves. And I trust you to figure out whether you want to come on this public plan that I'm proposing we create or stick with what you've got.
[Cuomo:] It can't work-
[Buttigieg:] I'm talking to-
[Cuomo:] -if people have private insurance. That's what Bernie Sanders-
[Buttigieg:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] -that's what Elizabeth Warren and others on that perspective will say.
[Buttigieg:] That's just not true. I mean we know how to have risk management protocols. We've done them in other insurance markets in the U.S. Other countries have done it. Look, the bottom line is for a tiny fraction of the cost of what they're proposing, we can get every single American healthcare, and we do it in a way that respects your ability to make your decision.
[Cuomo:] So, on the other flank, you have the former VP, Joe Biden, who says, "I like the way this guy sounds, sounds like me. And I'm the former VP. I have the pedigree, and the experience, and I've been through this war many times. I know what it takes to beat Trump. So, next time, Mr. Mayor." What do you say to them?
[Buttigieg:] I say it can't wait. Here's the difference. And I've got obviously enormous respect for for all my competitors. But I just don't agree that we can go back to normal that that I don't believe that Donald Trump is a blip. I believe that the emergence of the Trump Presidency is a symptom of some really serious deep problems that need attention in this country. And this is about building a new normal. This is about deciding what the next chapter in American history is going to be like, not going back to the last one.
[Cuomo:] So, you believe that you, not Biden, is a function of looking forward versus looking back?
[Buttigieg:] In a way. The most important thing now is to make sure we create a vision of the future that can bring Americans together, and that doesn't have the weaknesses of the last 30-year, 40-year period we've been living in. If things were going along just fine in this country before a Donald Trump, then a guy like Donald Trump would never been able to get within cheating distance to The Oval Office to begin with.
[Cuomo:] Now that you are establishing yourself in this top four, your negatives now will be drawn into sharper focus. What are they? Ostensibly, two, right? The first one is, you know, you respect all your competitors. That's your problem. You're about to get into a fight where respect may be a weakness against maybe the best campaigner in the bunch. You can argue with his tactics, and what is guiding this President. But boy, can he push a message! And he's looking at you on the Left, and as you said in one of the debates, "You're all a bunch of socialists. You're all trying to take things from people. You're all trying to make everything OK. And you represent an "Other," and he's going to come at you, you're too nice."
[Buttigieg:] So, I believe in kindness, but no one should mistake my kindness for weakness. And when it comes to dealing with this President, of course, he's going to try the same playbook, but it's not going to work on me. He's going to talk about socialism. But, in my case, he'll be saying that that about a Mayor who worked with the private sector to deliver opportunities in our city. He's going to talk a big game about caring about working Americans. But, you know, I live in a middle-class neighborhood in the Midwest, and drive a Chevy. I don't helicopter around to golf courses with my name on them. And-
[Cuomo:] Too young!
[Buttigieg:] You know-
[Cuomo:] Not a gray hair on his head.
[Buttigieg:] I'm starting to get-
[Cuomo:] Makes me even jealous.
[Buttigieg:] Every time I open Twitter, I get a new gray hair. Look, the reality is that we're living in a moment where around the world, we're seeing a new generation of leaders. Some of the most interesting and promising leaders in the world right now are the same age or younger than I would be on taking Office. And I'll put my experience, guiding a city up against a whole lot, in terms of what we were dealing with in South Bend, guiding that city to a better future, not to mention my military experience. I'll put that up against any experience. Yes, I'm young. I represent a new generation. You know what? Every single winning Democratic candidate in the last 50 years has been somebody who came from outside of Washington, was new on the national scene, talked lot about values, and represented a new generation of leadership.
[Cuomo:] Accepting President Obama, yes, vision, good, the vision thing, as they cynically say in politics, can resonate. But you're young and that becomes a coefficient of experience. Small town Mayor, two-term, but doesn't have the experience. If this were a written test, you get an A. But it's not. It's a practical. You haven't dealt with these kinds of pressures that can kill the average man. And even in that little town, you have a problem with African- Americans. They are the "Sine qua non," if we're going to play with Latin these days, they this without this nothing, for Democrats, and they don't like you.
[Buttigieg:] Well that's not true. The Black voters who know me best in the City of South Bend are largely responsible for how I got re- elected with 80 percent of the vote because of the good work that we were doing at home.
[Cuomo:] And polls that suggest they have issues with you.
[Buttigieg:] There are a lot of there's a lot of work that that we've got to do to make sure that we earn every vote. But I reject the idea that that I'm not going to be able to win Black voters. First of all, we got to stop talking about the Black vote like it's one person. We're talking about a diverse constituency. And a lot of Americans who frankly have felt not only abused by the Republican Party, but taken advantage of by the Democratic Party, or taken for granted. And so, we've got to make sure that we're showing we take nothing for granted that we're going to earn those votes. And The Douglass Plan that I've put forward to tackle systemic racism in this country is something that gets a terrific response from Black voters because I think it's the best policy out there. I think that when Black voters know what is on my agenda but also what's on my heart, I'm going to earn that support, and we're working hard to do that.
[Cuomo:] When you say we still have work to do, we can accept that in the micro, in South Bend, whatever the particular constituency issues are there. You got to deal with them. When you look at the polls in-house, and you see that you lag with African-Americans, specifically the all-important demographic of African-American women, middle-aged, why?
[Buttigieg:] Well I think that when you are new on the scene, as I am, it takes extra work. I think that's part of why you see the VP's got a big advantage there right now. But that's nothing that I can't earn my way into. The important thing is to keep up that engagement. When people hear our message, they love it. But I got to get out there and sell it. And that's especially true as somebody who doesn't have years or decades of familiariating on the national scene. That doesn't deter me because I think the message that I have, one that is about ensuring that we deal, not only with issues like criminal justice reform, which we got to do, but also entrepreneurship. A lot of the solutions have to do with economic empowerment. And it's Black-owned businesses, women-owned businesses that are going to be a huge part of the solution. And we ought to be supporting that with policy, making sure that the federal government is doing more business with businesses owned by people who've been historically excluded, even co-investing to help businesses get on their feet. That's going to create so many opportunities in this country. And that and other elements of The Douglass Plan, the the agenda that I have to support Black-Americans, and tear down this systemic inequality, I think it's the right answer.
[Cuomo:] All right, there is more to talk about with Mayor Pete. Where does his campaign stand on this Bloomberg development? What are his thoughts on impeachment being worth the pain? And hear for the first time what he really thinks about this President, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Blitzer:] More 118,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus over the past three months. And as new cases a rise in 23 states, many officials are now considering new restrictions. CNN National Correspondent, Erica Hill, has the late breaking developments.
[Erica Hill, Cnn National Correspondent:] Record single-day highs for new cases, just over 2,500 added today in Arizona, more than 3,200 reported in Florida.
[Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, Division Of Infectious Diseases, University Of Alabama At Birmingham:] Florida has always made the stuff of nightmares for me, I think, for me.
[Hill:] New modeling predicts that state could become the next epicenter. The president dismissing data.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] If you look, the numbers are very miniscule compared to what it was. It's dying out.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] One of the problems we face in the United States is that, unfortunately, there is a combination of an anti-science bias. They just don't believe science and they don't believe authority. And that's unfortunate because, you know, science is truth.
[Hill:] Florida is one of ten states posting their highest seven-day averages for new cases, as 23 state reporting uptick in new cases over the past weeks. New York, among the 19, seeing a decline, as Governor Cuomo considers a quarantine for anyone traveling to his State from Florida.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] I have experts who have advised me to do that. Who would believe this 180 turnaround?
[Hill:] Face coverings now mandatory statewide in California. Local officials in hard hit Texas and Arizona pushing for stricter regulations citing the science.
[Dr. Colleen Kratt, Infectious Disease Expert, Emory University Hospital:] Wearing a masks, you're not wearing a mask shouldn't be how you're going to vote in the upcoming election. It's really about protecting yourself from an infection.
[Hill:] When it comes to infection, those with type A blood have a higher risk of catching the virus and developing severe symptoms. Type O has the lowest risk, according to new research just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The nation's top infectious disease expert optimistic about a vaccine.
[Fauci:] We'll going to move fast and we'll going to assume we're going to be successful. And if we're not, the only thing we've lost is money. But better lose money than lose lives by delaying the vaccine.
[Hill:] Football likely sidelined this season. Dr. Fauci telling CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, unless players are essentially in a bubble, insulated from the community and tested nearly every day, it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall. 13 players at the University of Texas positive for the virus, according to the school. College football is slated for kickoff August 29th. Here in New York City, phase two can come likely on Monday according to the mayor, and what that would include is outdoor dining, which could be really important, of course, in this city which has been limited to delivery and takeout. Interestingly, we also heard from Governor Cuomo today about an executive order that any businesses violating the reopening guidelines and regulations could lose their liquor license, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Erica Hill, in New York for us. Thank you. Let's get some more on the coronavirus pandemic right now. Let's bring in the Houston mayor, Sylvester Turner. Mayor Turner, thanks so much for joining us. As you know, today marks the seventh day in a row. Your State of Texas has reported a record high in coronavirus hospitalizations. These are not just new cases, but thousands of people in Texas are sick enough tonight to require care in a hospital. What more does your state need to do to address this clearly growing crisis?
[Mayor Sylvester Turner , Houston:] Well, Wolf, what we know is that wearing of a mask, face coverings, social distancing, proper hygiene have worked. Look, towards the end of April to first week in May, we had definitely flattened the curve and we had very good numbers and things were moving in the right direction. Now, things are starting to swing upwards. You know, people are re-socializing, reengaging. The state has opened up even more. And now we are seeing more people heading to our hospitals and we are concerned. And so, you know, local governments had been prohibited, for example, in putting in any restrictions about non-mayors across the State of Texas as the governor this week to impose greater restrictions or to allow us locally to impose some restrictions, like face coverings. And as of yesterday, I think the governor now is allowing local government authorities to at least should be able to require businesses and to require their employees and those visiting their businesses to at least put on face coverings.
[Blitzer:] And that is clearly a step in the right direction but it's just a step. As you may have heard today, the California governor, Gavin Newsom, is now requiring masks be worn in public settings throughout the State of California. You have joined other mayors in Texas and asking your governor, Governor Abbott, to give you at least some authority to require that masks be worn in your City of Houston. Would Texans be better protected if Governor Abbott would follow California, the lead of California's governor?
[Turner:] Well, what I can tell you is that we know scientifically that the wearing of masks, face coverings, work. That we do know. There was a point in time, for example, when there was a requirement in Houston Harris County and the lines were very long, people were asking for a mask, coming to the mask distributions. But when the requirement was eliminated, then those lines stopped and people were not asking for them. Look, no one is trying to jail anyone. No one is even trying to impose civil penalties. What we were doing, for example, in Houston, we were saying to our police officers, instead of citing people, we were giving the people a mask. But when there's no any requirement was in place, people were responding. Once you eliminate that, then people simply were walking around, engaging in large group, and they weren't having the face coverings, and now we're seeing the number of hospitalizations start to go up. So we need to get on top of it and we need to get on top of it very quickly. And what the governor allowed local authorities to do the other day was a step in the right direction. We need to go a bit further.
[Blitzer:] Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, good luck to all the folks in Houston, good luck to all the folks in Texas right now. The numbers are not encouraging. Thanks so much for joining us.
[Turner:] Thanks, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Be sure to join Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper for a new CNN Town Hall, Coronavirus, Facts and Fears. That airs later tonight, 8:00 P.M. Eastern only here on CNN. Just ahead, new cases are on the rise in 23 states. We'll discuss that and all the latest developments on the pandemic with the former acting director of the CDC, Dr. Richard Besser. Plus, is the NFL season in jeopardy right now? Dr. Anthony Fauci says the league needs to make major changes to keep players safe. Stay with us. We have the late breaking developments.

[Sanchez:] Up to 31 million people are being threatened by severe weather in the already battered southern plains. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has more.
[Pedram Javaheri, Cnn Meteorologist:] Hey, good Wednesday morning to you, Boris and Christine. A quiet start here across the region but we'll see some storms begin to ramp up as we go in towards the afternoon, and eventually the evening hours across portions of Texas on onto Oklahoma here. Severe weather possibility extends a little farther towards the east come Thursday as well, impacting portions of the Gulf Coast states. And really the ingredients in place here. We've got the Gulf moisture, we've got the cool air back behind it. And the concern is the highest concerns for damaging straight-line winds and also for some large hail. And again, a few isolated tornadoes possible in this region. But this is going to be primarily a wind event across this region, impacting over 30 million people. Austin, Dallas on a
[Romans:] All right, Pedram, thank you so much for that. Let's get a check on CNN Business this Wednesday morning. Resilience is the word here around the world. Global markets are higher, there is brand-new data that shows China's economy performed very well in the first quarter. The world's second-biggest economy group by 6.4 percent compared to a year ago. You look at Wall Street, resilience is the word. Stocks so close to record highs. Futures are pointing slightly higher ahead of a whole bunch more corporate earnings. Stocks ended up higher Tuesday. Gains for the year, more than 13 percent now for the DOW. More than 20 percent for the NASDAQ. The DOW closing 68 points higher, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ also up a little bit, slowly building toward very close records. A lot of people think that they will make records here soon. PepsiCo and Morgan Stanley will release announce their earnings today. We knew that the corporate earnings season was going to be a little bit disappointing, and it's coming in exactly as expected, if not a little bit better. And so you've just got this, again, resilience is the word I'm using of the stock market. Meantime, Apple and Qualcomm have reached a deal. Apple and the chipmaker agreed to drop all of their legal disputes Tuesday. The settlement included an unspecified payment from Apple to Qualcomm. The two will still work together announcing a new six-year license contract and a multi-year chipset supply agreement. The settlement comes after Apple alleged that Qualcomm charged an unfair amount to license its patents to place calls, connect to the internet, and for other technologies that Qualcomm had that Apple uses. Qualcomm stock closed up 23 percent after the announcement. Apple stock was flat. Fake reviews are boosting the sales the tech products on Amazon. Fake reviews. A new investigation by a British consumer education ground found a lot of tech companies, categories, rather, on Amazon are flooded with products from virtually unknown brands all boosted by product reviews that appear to be fake. Amazon said even one inauthentic review is one too many. So buyer, beware
[Sanchez:] You got to be careful, yes. As the fire started to engulf the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, you may have heard President Trump weigh in. He tweeted out his advice to put out the flames. While you were sleeping, comedian Stephen Colbert gave his analysis.
[Stephen Colbert, The Late Night Show:] In the midst of all this, and the fire was just raging at its hottest, Donald Trump offered his, ah, help. Tweeting, "So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Perhaps flying water tankers could be used to put it out. Must act quickly." What does does he think every time there's an emergency in France, they're like, look, the cathedral is on fire, we must check Donald Trump's Twitter feed. What is going on? Ooh! No!

[Joe Biden  Presidential Candidate:] Janet, you lost your brother, you understand. It really takes a part of your soul, I mean it is and what I tell people is that it's going to take a long time, but the person you lost is still with you. Still part of you. And I what happened to me when I got a phone call, when I was in Washington, after I was elected before I got sworn in. They put a first responder on the phone, God love her, and she said you've got to come home, there's been an accident. What happened? A tractor I said they're dead. Your wife and daughter are dead and your son. And I remember thinking to myself, my God. I just remember being so angry. Angry with everything. I shouldn't say it, but angry with god. Just angry. And I remember people came up to me and say meaning well I understand. You feel like saying you have no idea. You have no idea. You know they mean well, but the people who, in fact, have been through it, you know they understand. And it gives you solace that they made it. They just you just want to know, can I make it through? And I had an older gentleman, 35 years my senior and former elected official in the state of New Jersey call me, former governor. He said I understand. I almost said to him and he said, I was walking home from lunch and I was the Attorney General and my wife came, a woman who helps out once a seek came running across the mall saying she's dead, she's dead. Your wife just died. And I realized he did know. He said, you know what I did? And my advice it helped me anyway is two things. One, he said get a piece of graph paper and mark every single day how you felt from one to ten that day. Because you know you lost your brother, when a thought would come to you, after a while, you'd be just as down as the moment it happened. He said don't look at it for six months. Mark it on the graph paper one to ten. The downs will be just as far down. But you know your going to make it when they get further and further and further apart. You still get down.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] It never goes away.
[Biden:] But it never goes away. But, but that's when you know you can make it. That's when you know you can embrace the family members that are left. That's when you know that you can make a contribution. It's like when I lost my son. Beau. I remember him saying to me, I wrote a book about it, unfortunately. That was harder than I thought it was going to be. I wanted people to know what he was like. And he looked at me when he when we'd go home on Fridays to have dinner with him, he lived about a mile from us. And he asked his wife to take the kids upstairs. And my wife had gone home to change before she came back, we got right off the train. He said, dad, look at me, dad. He said I'm going to be OK no matter what happens. He knew he only had months to go. And he said promise me, dad, promise me you'll be OK. And I said, Beau, I'll be OK. And I know people make fun of it, but we had a thing in our family. Dad, promise me as a Biden, give me a word as a Biden you'll be OK. Because that's a sacred thing we do. And I said I will, Beau. But I knew what he meant. He meant, dad, don't do what you want to do. You want to turn inward. You want to just wall yourself off. You don't want to be part of it all. He just wanted me to make sure that the things that have animated my life my whole life I didn't walk away from. He knew I'd take care of the kids, he knew I would be there for the family. But it's the thing the other thing I would strongly urge people and they can't do it now. They just can't even think through the fog right now. But eventually what will take you through is purpose. Find a purpose. Something that matters. Particularly something connected to the loss you just had. I'm being too personal I get up in the morning and I think to myself in the morning, is he proud of me? Am I doing what he wants? And I'm sure that it's the same way with you and a whole lot of other people. And at a moment there will come a time when you think of the person you lost it takes a long while where you get a smile before you get a tear. That's when you know you're going to make it. And so many people have gone through what I've been through without the help I had. Think of all the heroes out there walking those streets today. They get up every single morning. They put one foot in front of the other and they move. They move.
[Cooper:] My mom used to say this saying from a Scottish philosopher. The sayings is be kind because everybody you meet is fighting a great battle.
[Biden:] Exactly right.
[Cooper:] That's the important thing.
[Biden:] Kierkegaard also said, faith sees best in the dark. Sometimes it's really dark, but there is hope.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] Wow. That was Anderson's interview with the former Vice President Joe Biden. Just reading Dr. Biden's book recently and she talks about exactly what he said. Biden, tell me you're OK as a Biden. Anderson, thank you so much for sharing that. We are here in Dayton, Ohio. Coming up, standing next to me is a young man who is being praised for what he did here. Shielding his girlfriend in the midst of rapid gunfire here early, early Sunday morning. We will talk to him as he has now come back to this part of Dayton for the first time since that evening. We'll be back.

[Berman:] All right, happening now, you're looking at live pictures right there. President Trump is in France. He is now meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We will dip into this if there is news coming from that. In the meantime, the president is denying a report in "Axios" this morning that says he was considering, or musing, or asking, I should say, about using nuclear weapons to stop hurricanes headed toward the United States of America. Back with us, April Ryan, Angela Rye, Andrew Gillum, and Bakari Sellers. Angela, I want to start with you here because you came in this morning talking about this.
[Angela Rye, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, I hi, John. But I just I mean just, honestly, like, everybody on set just laughed. I mean this is this is so ridiculous. I keep wanting you all to wake me up and tell me this was a very long, terrible, bad dream, but it's real. It's a real thing. And that's it's news that he's nuking
[Camerota:] OK, but
[Rye:] He wants to nuke hurricanes coming off the coast of Africa, Bakari.
[Bakari Sellers, Cnn Commentator:] But but can I just say that this this actually worked before, guys. And we do need to recognize that.
[Camerota:] In what
[Andrew Gillum, Cnn Commentator:] What part?
[April Ryan, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes, talk to us about that.
[Sellers:] It was "Sharknado." In "Sharknado"
[Gillum:] Oh, geez, man.
[Ryan:] Oh.
[Rye:] Well, that's that's those are his facts. Those are his facts.
[Gillum:] That is true.
[Sellers:] This is this is taken from " Sharknado" and I do want you to know
[Gillum:] Do you know what, the sad part is it's probably it's probably true.
[Ryan:] Well, is it really taken from "Sharknado"?
[Camerota:] Well, this was an idea that was floated during the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s.
[Gillum:] We've learned a lot more.
[Camerota:] Where President Trump gets a lot of his ideas about what
[Rye:] Allegedly.
[Camerota:] You know, when America was sort of at its best basically.
[Rye:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Here's what "Axios" is reporting.
[Rye:] Maybe he
[Camerota:] And, by the way, this you know, he's denying it, but this is what was recorded in the National Security Council memorandum that recorded the comments when it happened.
[Rye:] Which means that might be factually based.
[Gillum:] Yes.
[Rye:] Imagine that.
[Camerota:] In real time.
[Rye:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Here's what "Axios" is reporting. During one hurricane briefing at the White House, Trump said, I got it, I got it. Why don't we nuke them? According to the source who was there. They start forming off the coast of Africa. As they move across the Atlantic
[Ryan:] There we go.
[Rye:] I'm telling you.
[Camerota:] We drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can't we do that? The source paraphrased the president's remarks that, as we said were reported.
[Sellers:] Listen, it worked in "Sharknado." He wants to give it an opportunity, give it a chance. It's not science based. This all ties into what we were talking about in an earlier segment. We have a the leader of the free world who does not believe in science.
[Ryan:] But let
[Rye:] Stop calling him that. Stop calling him that. Stop calling him that. Call him something else.
[Ryan:] But let me say this. I know we're tongue and we're we're tongue and cheeking this, but this is the president of the United States.
[Rye:] It's not funny.
[Ryan:] Saying something about that. And he brought in Africa. As Angela as we were talking during break, he's called Africa a shit hole nation. It's actually a country
[Rye:] Well, he's called some of the countries.
[Ryan:] Some of the countries. Africa is a continent. And what part of Africa are you talking about? Sub-Saharan Africa, where there are mostly black people? This is just crazy. There is a ripple effect that can happen for land, sea, for people, if he did something like this. For this man to think this. This is the leader of the free world. There should be some
[Rye:] Stop calling
[Ryan:] Well, he's the president of the United States, Angela.
[Rye:] He's supposed to be. He's supposed to be.
[Ryan:] He is the person
[Rye:] He's supposed to be.
[Ryan:] Who anything he does and says impacts people, impacts the globe. And his
[Rye:] Until until we don't let it.
[Ryan:] There needs to be someone who vets what he says, because this is dangerous.
[Berman:] I will note, if only there were some part of the government that was full of scientists that could check this.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Berman:] There is.
[Camerota:] Is there.
[Berman: Noaa. Noaa. Rye:] There is. Imagine
[Ryan:] Who is NOAA? Who is NOAA, Bakari?
[Berman:] NOAA actually NOAA actually has
[Gillum:] I feel bad for the head of NOAA. Basically you have
[Berman:] But they have this is something
[Gillum:] It's over.
[Berman:] This is this is one of these conspiracy theories or ideas that's been around for decades.
[Sellers:] Yes.
[Berman:] And NOAA actually has said things about bombing hurricanes before. And this is what it said. Apart from the fact that this might not even alter the storm, this approach neglects the problem that the released radioactive fallout would fairly quickly move
[Ryan:] There you go.
[Berman:] With the tradewinds to affect land areas and cause devastating environmental problems.
[Ryan:] Exactly.
[Berman:] Needless to say
[Ryan:] Exactly.
[Berman:] Says the U.S. government
[Gillum:] So a supersized hurricane that now has radioactive ingredients that could kill people and obliterate?
[Rye:] Well, yes.
[Ryan:] We haven't learned from agent orange?
[Berman:] I think we've probably given this as much time as
[Gillum:] Well, we probably have except Except except I'm going to predict this. The head of NOAA, should the White House have anything to do with who that is, may want to start looking for another job, because this president will not like the contradiction.
[Ryan:] So what, that he's telling the truth. You should not be penalized for telling the truth.
[Gillum:] No, I agree.
[Ryan:] You should not be penalized for telling the truth.
[Gillum:] we agree.
[Rye:] We're not fighting.
[Ryan:] No, we're not fighting. We're not fighting here, but I'm so upset
[Gillum:] We agree.
[Rye:] You're fighting somebody.
[Camerota:] I think
[Ryan:] I'm upset.
[Camerota:] That April's point is that, why does NOAA even have to issue a statement?
[Berman:] Was this a new statement or was this something about they have on their website?
[Camerota:] I don't know, but we'll find out what year it is.
[Berman:] Yes.
[Camerota:] But I guess the point is, is that when you're anti-science, there are ludicrous things said and then it does force the rest of the world, the people who are serious minded, to sort of swing into action to try to contain the damage.
[Ryan:] That's right.
[Camerota:] And we've seen that with the economy. We've seen that now with science.
[Berman:] Just to be clear, this is not a new statement. This is something that NOAA has available on its website In case people wonder about bombing hurricanes.
[Gillum:] Well, they better be ready.
[Ryan:] But but the reason why I guess the reason no, I'm not going to say I guess. The reason why it means so much to me is because I've covered four presidents. I've seen everything come to the White House, from war to peace and everything in between. And they have been very serious. They've done the best that they know how to do as president. This president is taking it like it's joke. People are I think this is his truth. I think this is him being serious. I hate to I hate to break it to you, but I think this is him being serious. Look at his tweets. Oh, God, I need your shoulder to lie on.
[Camerota:] Should we move on to what the 2020 Democrats are suggesting as alternatives?
[Sellers:] They're better than this.
[Gillum:] I know they're not suggesting any nuclear
[Camerota:] No, no, I mean I mean just in terms of people panoply of the things that they're suggesting because last night we had some CNN town halls with Governor Steve Bullock
[Rye:] Yes.
[Camerota:] As well as Mayor Bill de Blasio, both running for president. And so, of course, the issue of health care, which is so hotly debated, came up. So here is a moment with Governor Bullock.
[Gov. Steve Bullock , Presidential Candidate:] The greatest stride that we've made since Medicaid and Medicare was Obamacare. I want to build on that, not start all over. And I think you can do that with a public option. I don't want to take away 165 million people that have employer-sponsored health care.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio , Presidential Candidate:] We're saying very simply, because we have these wonderful public hospitals and clinics, we're saying, there should not be such a thing as a family that can't go to the doctor. We're giving people a health care card. We're saying, we're going to assign you a primary care doctor, a family doctor, in one of our public hospitals or clinics so you actually have some place to turn from the very beginning and get the care you need.
[Camerota:] And, Bakari, herein lies the challenge for Democrats. While we're talking about "Sharknado" and the president is issuing various edicts, heretofore, forthwith, that these I mean so many people on the
[Rye:] Come on, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] On the Democratic side are dealing with real policy, which is, frankly, a little drier than "Sharknado."
[Gillum:] Sure.
[Camerota:] And this is what they have to contend with for the next 14 months of this conflict.
[Gillum:] Literally dry.
[Sellers:] So this is this is this is both the challenge and, for all of us at the table, somewhat hopeful in the same sense because you have Mayor Bill de Blasio and Steve Bullock. And although neither one of them probably will make it to the final four I don't even know if either one of them will make it to Iowa, they're having a substantive debate about how to provide more health care to individuals in this country, period. I mean they whether or not you agree with how they want to do it, they're having a substantive debate. We are not going to have a substantive debate during the race for president of the United States. Donald Trump is going to be on one side of the stage with a vat of identity politics, as Chris Cuomo always says, and he's going to be ready to bludgeon you with that. And, yes, it's not going to be about who has the best policy. And and that is what Democrats are going to have to deal with. And what we have to be cautious to do is not necessarily breathe life into the things that tear our country apart. And that is this ties this ties into the Joe Walshs of the world and the Scaramuccis and all of those other things because we need to have a great conversation about how to bring our country together and whether or not that's Donald Trump or not whereby he wants to
[Rye:] Exactly.
[Sellers:] He wants to tear the country apart. Narrator says, that's not.
[Berman:] All right, friends
[Ryan:] Later.
[Berman:] You'll be back in a little bit. We have much more to discuss.
[Camerota:] OK, at the moment, President Trump is speaking with India's prime minister. So we're monitoring what he is saying. We'll bring you any headlines, next.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] I`d love to start out a show and just say Fridays are awesome that is all. I`m Carl Azuz. But we have a little more than that to tell you about today so let`s get right to it. This is CNN 10. Good news, bad news for the U.S. economy. First the good. The Labor Department says initial jobless claims have dropped. This is the number of Americans who are asking the government for help because they`ve just lost their jobs in layoffs or business cutbacks. The latest figure for this is from last week and it`s 837,000 people. How can that be good? Well it`s a lower number than many economists expected and it`s the lowest number of initial jobless claims since the corona virus pandemic struck the U.S. economy in March. So that`s a sign. Things could be turning around. Also, consumer confidence, a measure of how Americans feel about the economy is up. The business organization that monitors this says consumer confidence jumped in September by the biggest margin since 2003. The index is still lower than it was before the pandemic, but it shows that people feel that the economy and jobs are moving in the right direction. And this can lead them to spend more money driving the economy forward. Now for the bad news. The airline industry is struggling. American and United, two major players in the industry say they plan to cut a total of 32,000 jobs. Travel restrictions and concerns about corona virus have taken their toll on the airlines. Members of Congress and the Trump Administration have been trying to work out another stimulus deal that would involve trillions more in government spending and could include $25 billion in additional assistance for airlines. If that government stimulus bill passes, airline company executives say that some of the layoffs could be avoided but we don`t know yet if politicians will reach an agreement. The airline industry received $25 billion earlier this year in a stimulus package that passed in March. It`s not the only group that`s hurting. With fewer people visiting theme parks and staying at resorts, Disney says it plans to lay off 28,000 people. The U.S. Labor Department`s monthly jobs report is due out today. It gives a snapshot of the unemployment rate and the number of jobs added or lost. That could give us more insight on where things stand on the economy. Now for some insight on where things stand on the weather. From the American plains state to the east coast, it`s beginning to feel a lot like Fall. October has had a cooler start than usual. The National Weather Service says parts of the Midwest are seeing temperatures that are 10 to 15 degrees cooler than this time of month usually brings. But it`s a different story on the west coast. There, it`s hot, dry and smoky not a lot of rain conditions that are dangerous because they can contribute to the spread of the wildfires burning out west. It`s almost a tale of two countries in terms of the weather America is seeing and CNN 10 Contributor Tyler Mauldin tells us why. Tyler.
[Tyler Mauldin, Cnn Contributor:] Tis the season for big weather swings Carl and an invisible river of air located far above us, where jet airplanes fly is the culprit. The eastern two-thirds of the country has rainy weather and temperature 10 to 15 degrees below average. While the western one-third of the U.S. continues to deal with a drought, hot temperatures and deadly fires. Notice how there`s a stark line here dividing the conditions. That divide is the jet stream or strong currents of air created when warm and cold air masses meet. It`s located about five to nine miles up in the air. That puts it at flight level, about 35,000 feet. The Earth has four different streams. One at the North Pole, one at the South Pole and then two in the middle near the equator. Due to the Earth`s spin, the jet streams form then move from west to east, each one traveling on average at more than 100 miles per hour. During the winter months, the polar jet streams can get up to 250 miles per hour. That wind energy can help produce monster storms. Like a winding river, they never travel on a perfectly straight line. Often times one will dive a little farther south forcing you to bring out the parka and snow shovel in the winter, or bump north during the summer causing you to turn the AC on ultra-high. It also helps meteorologists like myself, predict where a weather system will go. Since jet streams help steer where a storm will head. Imagine throwing a beach ball in a river and seeing where it ends up. It`s the same concept with storm systems and the jet stream. And since it is located at 35,000 feet Carl, it could help you get to your destination a little faster when you`re flying.
[Azuz:] 10 Second Trivia. Which of these cities was founded the most recently in 1909? Tel Aviv, Israel, St. Petersburg, Russia, Topeka, Kansas or Tijuana, Mexico. Of these places, the Israeli city of Tel Aviv was founded the most recently. Next today, we`re going to rock down to electric avenue. That`s what I`m calling it anyway. There`s a street in Tel Aviv where an experiment is taking place to electrically power the road. What that means, if this works, is a stretch of the street would charge car batteries while the vehicles drove over it. A trial is scheduled to begin this December and it`s system will need to be tested for a couple of months before passengers can actually use it. But if all goes according to plan, Chris James looks ahead to where it could lead. Chris.
[Chris James, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey Carl. I don`t know about you but growing up I had grand visions of what future technology would look like. Flying cars, self-driving trucks, I mean, I even thought that one day we might even be able to teleport. Obviously, the reality`s that in 2020 we are a long way from some of those sci-fi advancements. However, there are some truly exciting and cutting edge tech developments happening around the world. And today I want to tell you about one. The city of Tel Aviv revealed it`s creating a wireless, electric road which could eventually power cars throughout the city. This project is part of a pilot program in collaboration with Electrion, a company developing a system that could charge electric vehicles while they are moving. The electric road itself will initially be about half a mile long and the infrastructure under the road will charge specially equipped busses with power. It`s an intricate underground system. A set of copper coils are placed beneath the asphalt and the street and the energy is transferred from the electricity grid to the road infrastructure. And that manages communication with the approaching vehicles. A spokesperson for the city told CNN, they`d been hard at work on this construction of this futuristic road. And that if it`s successful, they`ll expand the program and bring it to other streets around the city. The mayor of Tel Aviv saying, it`s all part of the city`s strategic action plan to fight against pollution and prepare for climate change. According to the New York Times, the Israeli government has invested millions into the project. I`m sure many city officials and urban developers around the world will be watching and taking notes to see how this goes. As they really could be paving the roads of the future. Back to you Carl.
[Azuz:] It`s time to go behind the scenes of CNN 10. How can you verify reliable sources of information and how do we? We`re explaining that as part of a partnership with AT&T`s Youth Voice collective in a series of special editions. They feature yours truly and student questions about journalism. The latest video is available right now. You can find it at CNN10.com and at YouTube.comCNN10. For 10 out of 10, oh my "gourdness". Just look at the size of these pumpkins. Wow, Carl. How big are they? Big enough to be part of the "Ginormous" Pumpkin Festival in Wisconsin. Folks there know how to grow them. This is the second year in a row that they`ve held the festival and as far as the winner goes, well you can`t pick it up at a pumpkin patch. 2,015 pounds. And that was worth a $2,500 prize for the people who grew it. "Titanic" tomatoes, "weighty" watermelons and "sysmic" squash were also part of the event. And there was a beauty contest too which this pumpkin won. "Gourd" looking, it was "gourdgess". A "devine" specimen. Simply "fruitsinating", "carvcalating", "pumprotuitus", the obvious "hallowinner". Of course they would "carve out" time to "regourdnize" it and who needs a beauty pageant when you could have a "pumpkin pageant". Neville High School, you`re looking great from Monroe, Louisiana. Thank you for your comment on our You Tube channel. I`m Carl Azuz at CNN 10. We`ll see you all Monday. END

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] The news continues on this very busy Labor Day. Let's turn things over to Don Lemon and "CNN TONIGHT." And I know, Don, you're going to be covering what it looks like a slow rolling disaster in the Bahamas. That's incredible how long it's been just sitting there.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] And you know slow rolling is that worse than something that comes through very quickly. Because it just sits there and there's more water and more wind and the longer it stays there's more damage
[Cooper:] Yes.
[Lemon:] and the likelihood of lives being lost.
[Cooper:] Yes. It's, yes, it's unbelievable. And President Trump didn't know it there's a
[Lemon:] Category five.
[Cooper:] category five.
[Lemon:] Maybe he should watch some of the footage from Katrina.
[Cooper:] Or read the briefing.
[Lemon:] Read a briefing. I can't put my finger on it, there's something different about you but I don't know. You look different.
[Cooper:] I haven't shaved. It will be gone by tomorrow. Trust me. Late flight.
[Lemon:] I didn't want to say anything.
[Cooper:] Yes, I know.
[Lemon:] It looks
[Cooper:] Brian [Ph] said I looked like I dipped my chin in sugar or something.
[Lemon:] Yes. I just thought listen, you were the razor broke. Maybe you had a power outage, you know, as you just came through the storm.
[Cooper:] I do. You know, have you ever been on vacation? It's nice not to shave on vacation.
[Lemon:] Yes, I know.
[Cooper:] There's nothing better. And you think maybe I can rock this. And then you realize, no. You can't do it.
[Lemon:] I looked up when I got in the building. I said, what is OK, I'll ask him when I see him. Thanks, Anderson. I'll see you soon.
[Cooper:] All right.
[Lemon:] It is busy, as you said. It looks good. Keep it. Rock it. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. And here's our breaking news right now. There are at least five people who are confirmed dead as Hurricane Dorian, a massive category five storm, now it was a five. It slammed the Bahamas and threatens the U.S. with its deadly fury. Prime minister of the Bahamas speaking tonight calling the storm a historic tragedy. And saying this.
[Hubert Minnis, Bahamian Prime Minister:] The initial reports from Abaco is devastation, is unprecedented and extensive. They are deeply worrying. The images and videos we are seeing are heartbreaking.
[Lemon:] They are heartbreaking as Dorian pounds the Bahamas. People are stranded across the islands. That as millions of people across three states in our southeast they are under mandatory evacuation orders right now with watches and warnings from Florida all the way to South Carolina. The hurricane center warning of what could be life threatening storm surges, dangerous hurricane force winds. It's still not clear if, you know, where Dorian might make landfall in the United States. But even if the center of that storm does not hit land, it still threatens to be extremely destructive. As we have been saying all along here, this is a dangerously unpredictable storm. And if you're anywhere in the storm zone or anywhere near it, you got to take this hurricane very, very seriously. No one is out of the woods yet. So, pay close attention to the forecast. Your life could depend on it. We're going to have the very latest throughout the next two hours and all night long here on CNN for you with our correspondents. They're all across the storm zone and they are covering this. And we have every single second for you. You're not going to miss anything. And with Hurricane Dorian threatening, the president who said, you know, he cancelled his trip to Poland to concentrate on the storm. Well, he went golfing on Saturday and then again today at his own Trump national golf course in Virginia, of course. Today's visit the 227th day that he spent at one of his golf clubs since taking the oath of office. Now to be fair, though, he also attended a FEMA briefing on the hurricane yesterday while the storm was still a category five. Saying this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States Of America:] I'm not sure I have ever heard of a category five. I knew it existed and I've seen some category four. As you know you don't see them that much. But a category five is something that I don't know that I have even heard the term. Other than I know it's there.
[Lemon:] Never heard of the category five, huh? Well, that is not exactly true. There have been four such storms since this president took office. And he sure heard about those.
[Trump:] It actually hit the Keys with a, it was a category five. I never even knew a category five existed. So, we've never seen it actually touch down as a category five. People have never seen anything like that. But then they got hit dead center. If you look at those maps by a category five, nobody has ever heard of a five hitting land. I've just come from a stop at Tyndall Air Force Base where I saw the devastating effects of that category five hurricane, category five. I've never heard about category five before. Category five is big stuff.
[Lemon:] Come on, people. Never heard of a category five? The president as you might expect also spent a lot of time tweeting this weekend, a lot. Today was an especially busy Twitter day. The president re- tweeting the National Hurricane Center which is fair enough. But also touting the economy, and attacking his political enemies including former FBI director James Comey and the four congresswomen of color known as the squad. That, as Texas and the nation mourn the latest victims of gun violence in this country. Seven people dead. Shot by a stranger with what police describe as an assault weapon. The gunman, Seth Ator, shooting at Texas troopers who pulled him over at a traffic stop Saturday afternoon then randomly gunning down residents and drivers from Midland, Texas to Odessa about 20 miles away. There's no indication that he knew anything at all about any of the people he killed, his targets. But we're learning more about them tonight, the dead, a 15-year-old girl whose identity has not been released; also 40-year-old Joe Griffith; 29-year-old Mary Granados, a postal worker who was on the phone with her sister when she was shot; 25-year-old Edwin Peregrino; 57-year-old Rodolfo Rudy Arco, a grandfather; Kameron Brown, a 30-year-old army veteran; and 35-year- old Raul Garcia. Twenty-three people wounded including a 17-month-old girl, Anderson Davis whose parents say she's expected to make a full recovery. Police say the shooter was fired Saturday morning and made multiple calls to law enforcement. They describe as, quote, "rambling statements" about some of the atrocities that he felt he had gone through, the FBI special agent in charge saying this.
[Christopher Combs, Special Agent In Charge, Fbi:] I want to clear. He showed up to work in a very distressed mental state. So, it's not because he got fired. Right? This did not happen because he was fired which other active shooters have occurred. When he showed up to work, he was already enraged.
[Lemon:] Police confronting the gunman in a movie theater parking lot and killing him in a shootout. So, here we are again, where we have been far, far too many times before in this country, an enraged shooter mowing down strangers, mowing them down at random, at will. And able to do it just because he's got a gun. A gun he was somehow able to get even though he failed a background check. Yet the president said this just yesterday on the White House lawn.
[Trump:] Always you say as bad as it was it could have been worse.
[Lemon:] And this.
[Trump:] This really hasn't changed anything. We're doing a package. And we'll see what it all how it comes about. It's coming about right now. And a lot of people are talking about it. And that's irrespective of what happened yesterday in Texas.
[Lemon:] Well, this president seems to be more interested in telling us what won't work rather than doing something to protect innocent people from the next shooter.
[Trump:] I will say that for the most part sadly, if you look at the last four or five going back even five or six or seven years. For the most part, as strong as you make the background checks, they wouldn't have stopped any of it. So, it's a big problem. It's a mental problem.
[Lemon:] There was a brief ray of hope in the days after the shootings in El Paso and Dayton. Shootings that killed 31 people just last month. At first, the president said he was for background checks.
[Trump:] Well, I'm looking to do background checks. I think background checks are important.
[Lemon:] But it didn't take long to resort to spouting NRA talking points.
[Trump:] We have very, very strong background checks right now. And I have to tell you that it is a mental problem. And I have said it 100 times, it's not the gun that pulls the trigger. It's the person that pulls the trigger. A lot of the people that put me where I am, are strong believers in the Second Amendment. And I am also. And we have to be very careful about that. You know, they call it the slippery slope. And all of a sudden everything gets taken away. We're not going to let that happen.
[Lemon:] So, what is the White House looking to do? The administration putting together a package that would include legislation to expedite the death penalty for people found guilty of mass killings. Which wouldn't have changed a thing in this case since the gunman was killed by police. And that legislation is unlikely to include expanding background checks, where we've been far, far too many times before in this country. The question is do we have the will to do something about it? When will we? A lot to get to tonight including Hurricane Dorian expected to move dangerously close to Florida. Our meteorologist Tom Sater is tracking the storm in a CNN weather center for us. Tom, good evening to you. What is the latest forecast?
[Tom Sater, Cnn Meteorologist:] Well, it looks like it's going to stall for maybe another 12 hours. Don, this thing has moved 1,700 miles getting to a category five, of course, and now, in the last 24 hours, it's only moved half way across Grand Bahama Island. That's 105 miles just to the east of West Palm. I think at its closest destination should be near Cape Canaveral, maybe 40 miles off the coast. But the hurricane-force winds extend outward 45. So that will put it on the coastline. Tropical storm-force winds extend 140. So, we'll definitely going to see that into the peninsula. And then there could still be a landfall in the U.S. That could be into the Carolinas but that's several days away. four to seven-foot surge. Rainfall. We're getting the bands; we may even see a tornado watch by morning for half of Florida. But this little orange line is starting to kind of thin now. Instead of being inland with hurricane winds maybe 20 miles, maybe only 10. But still that's enough that we could see some scattered power outages in the day ahead. We're still waiting for this thing to move northward. But this is what we have been waiting for, Don, as we broaden out. High pressure to the north has been sending this toward Florida. That area of high pressure is now weakening. So, it's not moving at all. But take a look at this little light color here, this little kind of a yellow green. That is a trough that's coming across the Southeastern U.S. And when it gets closer to the storm, that should help lift the storm system
[Lemon:] And push it up.
[Sater:] up to the north.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Sater:] I mean, we're waiting on that.
[Lemon:] Well, that was my question to you that I've been all weekend I've been watching this. I've been glued to the coverage here. And I've been watching saying, what happens if it doesn't turn north?
[Sater:] Right.
[Lemon:] So, is there a possibility that it doesn't turn north? Because if it doesn't, man, man, Florida is in for it.
[Sater:] Yes. Don, think about this. I mean, 15, 20 years ago if you said we had a category five or four, just 100 miles off the coast of Florida. Everyone would evacuate. But we're relying everything now on numbers and mathematical equations and algorithms. I mean, the National Hurricane Center is busy. They're monitoring five other systems right now. I do believe though these models are correct because it's all about the steering currents right now.
[Lemon:] Got it.
[Sater:] But again, it's been wobbling. It's bad enough to have a category five. But like you said at the beginning of the show with Anderson when they sit like this, utter destruction. I can't believe what we're probably going to see in the days ahead with this just pounding on this curve, the coastline, probably changing the entire coast, mass casualties.
[Lemon:] Yes. My goodness.
[Sater:] Unfortunately. But we're not out of this just yet.
[Lemon:] Tom, I need you to standby. Thank you for that. We'll be getting back to you and the rest of our experts who are out there tracking this hurricane. Millions of people under mandatory evacuation orders from Florida to South Carolina as this deadly monster storm continues to pound the Bahamas. We're going to go there live. That's next.

[Cooper:] In the state of Georgia, you would expect Atlanta to be a hot spot of the coronavirus, and it is, but officials are also worried about Albany, Georgia, home to about 75,000 people. The south Georgia town is seeing a surprising number of cases. CNN's Dianne Gallagher has more on the reasons why.
[Dianne Gallagher, Cnn Correspondent:] Anderson, to give an idea of how this virus does not discriminate, look no further than Albany, Georgia, not a big city. Right now, nearly a quarter of the deaths in the entire states of Georgia come from this small community here. And medical workers, who went through six-months-worth of PPEs in less than a week, they say they think they've been able to track the outbreak to the most communal experience, two funerals that happened, one at the end of February and the other at the beginning of March, as it silently spread throughout their community. Now, they're all-hands-on-deck. They have testing going on here. They are working around the clock in the hospital, just like all over the rest of the country. The hospital CEO tells me that they've still not seen that curbed yet. And, Anderson, the worst is still yet to come, they believe.
[Cooper:] Dianne Gallagher, thank you. Now more on the coronavirus cluster in Albany, Georgia, someone that is in the midst of it, Dr. LaMont Smith, a critical care doctor. Dr. Smith, you actually retired. You live in Jacksonville, Florida. But when the call went out for people to retire, doctors and other medical professionals, you drove all the way to Albany to help out. What made you come?
[Dr. Lamont Smith, Retired Critical Care Physician:] I still have a lot of connections to Albany. I lived there for three years. And I have a lot of affection for the hospital and the work that's being done there and for the people in the community. It's an easy choice for me to say, yes, I'll come back and help.
[Cooper:] It's amazing to think, once they're able to trace how things spread, to see it spread from this funeral, the impact of just one group of people coming together. You know, you hear in other states, for instance, in Florida, where you're living now, there tomorrow are going to start the statewide stay-at-home order but the governor is exempting church gatherings, which, again, large numbers of people coming together.
[Smith:] And, you know, I think that's probably a mistake, because this is a good example of how one person or a couple of people can impact a whole population of people. So he's done an excellent job of handling an unexpected situation and that onslaught of critically ill patients that changes the whole dynamic of the hospital. And as you said, the source was a couple of people who didn't know, who went to a funeral or two funerals, and the result has been catastrophic because we've had to we filled all the I ICU beds with COVID patients. Patients are dying every day. We recently had a report of a patient who was discharged today, which made everybody feel good but, last week, it was very, the impact to me was just unbelievable. So not prohibiting gatherings, even in church, is a set-up for disaster. You'll see more situations like what happened in Albany happen in other places, unfortunately.
[Cooper:] It's such an important point that, and such an important thing to remind people of, that you can have it and be asymptomatic, and you're lucky if that's the case, but you can spread it to other people.
[Smith:] That's correct. I think of it in terms of three different populations. The one you just mentioned, the people asymptomatic, may carry. A lot of health care workers feel we might fall into that category. So it's important to avoid large gatherings, avoid your own family. And a lot of us are not even spending time with family for that reason. And if you do that, it kind of cuts down the communication off in terms of communicating the virus. The second group of people are those mildly symptomatic. And they tend to go to the emergency department. Again, the wrong decision. Best thing is to stay home, treat themselves symptomatically. Because when you get really sick, when you're really ill, you'll know, and you'll come to the hospital. And unfortunately, the people that get really ill end up in the ICU, like myself and people like me. And at that point, your chance of recovering from this is greatly diminished. So staying home is really the most effective thing that you can do.
[Cooper:] Dr. LaMont Smith, I'm thankful you didn't stay at home, that you answered the call and that you came to Albany. And I appreciate all you're doing and all your colleagues are doing. Stay safe.
[Smith:] Thank you.
[Cooper:] Health experts now say the virus can spread by just talking and breathing. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me live to discuss that, coming up. Plus, we've been reporting for weeks that people without symptoms can spread the virus, as we were just talking about. So why is the governor of Georgia saying he just found this out?

[Blackwell:] Police say now a fifth teen has been arrested in connection with an attack on a lesbian couple on a bus in London. Metropolitan police announce that arrest today, and four other teenagers were arrested yesterday on suspicion of robbery and causing grievous bodily harm.
[Paul:] One of the women actually shared this image. This was taken moments after the attack, which happened May 30th. The woman says she shared her story on Facebook to raise awareness and that in the aftermath found out a lot of her friends had been harassed because of their sexuality.
[Blackwell:] Police searching for a missing Connecticut woman are now focusing their investigation on her estranged husband and his girlfriend. Fifty-year-old Jennifer Dulos disappeared two weeks ago.
[Paul:] According to "The Hartford Courant" this morning, the girlfriend of Dulos' estranged husband met with investigators yesterday, walked the wooded area behind the home that she shared with her boyfriend. Here's CNN's Jean Casarez.
[Jean Casarez, Cnn Correspondent:] As law enforcement continued their investigation into the disappearance of 50-year-old Jennifer Dulos, legal documents say something police won't say at this point Jennifer Dulos was the victim of a crime. After last being seen on the morning of May 24th dropping her children off at school, hours later a missing persons' report was filed. During a search of her home police discovered multiple stains of blood on the floor, multiple areas of suspected blood spatter, and attempts to clean up the scene. They concluded Dulos was a suspected victim of a serious physical assault.
[Rev. Peter Walsh, St. Mark's Episcopal Church:] The truth of it is that people are all dealing with something that doesn't even seem real, and yet it clearly is real.
[Casarez:] Reverend Peter Walsh led community members at a prayer vigil after the mother of five went missing while police focused on their investigation, calling residents of New Canaan to ask for help.
[Unidentified Male:] As part of this timeline, we seek video surveillance from homes or businesses that have cameras which capture vehicular activity on roadways.
[Casarez:] That timeline had law enforcement searching a busy street in Hartford after city surveillance video showed what appeared to be her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, depositing trash bags into garbage receptacles, more than 30 stops in all, hours after Jennifer Dulos went missing. A woman matching his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, description is seen with him. Clothes and a sponge from the recovered bags were confirmed to have Jennifer's blood on them. That led police to arrest Fotis Dulos and Troconis, charging them with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. After an initial court appearance, Troconis posted the $500,000 bond, Dulos did not and remains in jail. Jennifer Dulos and her husband of 12 years have been embroiled in a divorce battle the last two years. In her original divorce filing Jennifer told the court, quote, "I am afraid of my husband. I know he will retaliate by trying to harm me in some way," and claimed that he threatened to kidnap their children. Fotis Dulos denied it all to the court. While police continue to conduct searches at properties he owns, they are also coming through mountains of trash for any evidence that can determine what really happened to Jennifer Dulos. Jean Casarez, CNN, New Canaan, Connecticut.
[Paul:] Officials in the Dominican Republic are waiting for toxicology results to determine the official causes of death after three American tourists mysteriously died within days of one another at the same resort. Officials say initial autopsy results show that 41-year-old Miranda Schaup-Werner died of a heart attack and that Nathaniel Holmes and Cynthia Day had internal bleeding and an abnormal build-up of fluid in their lungs. The State Department says the FBI is helping Dominican authorities with those toxicology reports, and the island's tourism minister says the Dominican Republic is safe and called the deaths isolated incidents. And listen to this, federal investigators say they've connected a confessed serial killer to more than 60 murders, yes, six-zero. Who you see there, 79-year-old Samuel Little currently serving three consecutive life sentences for murder in California. Just last week he was indicted in the deaths of two women in the Cleveland area decades ago. Now according to the FBI, Little has confessed to killing more than 90 women in 14 states between 1970 and 2005. If confirmed, that would make Little the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history.
[Blackwell:] The U.S. and Mexico have reached a deal to avoid the threat of tariffs on Mexican goods, but are there more problems on the political horizon? Our political team of experts joins us next.

[Quest:] There's a lot more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment. We'll hear an exclusive interview with the new Managing Director of the IMF. And also the pound is soaring one week from the U.K. election. An election where Brexit might be more certain afterwards, but we need to examine why selling is so strong. And we'll do so after we have the news because this is CNN, and on this network, the facts always come first. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Democrats are moving forward with articles of impeachment against President Trump, saying the president leaves them no choice. For his part, Donald Trump is telling the house to impeach him fast so the process can move to the Senate where he says he'll get a fair trial. President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani may still be investigating conspiracy theories in Ukraine. In a Facebook post accompanied by this photo, a controversial Ukrainian lawmaker says he met with Giuliani in Kiev to discuss what he described as Ukraine's inefficient use of American tax dollars. In a text exchange with CNN's Dana Bash, Giuliani wouldn't confirm whether or not he is in Ukraine. Italian newspaper is defending its front-page amid widespread criticism. It's a Rome-based sports newspaper and says its headline Black Friday has been twisted into poison. Now, it refers to two star footballers in a preview of tomorrow's match between the homeland AC Milan. Both clubs say they banned the newspaper from training facilities for the rest of the year. The new managing director of the IMF has warned that U.S.-China trade tensions will cost the global economy $700 billion by 2020. Kristalina Georgieva spoke exclusively to CNN's Eleni Giokos in Senegal. I beg your pardon, the satellite is working. Eleni, Kristalina has is new in the job, very experienced from the
[Eleni Giokos, Cnn Business Africa Correspondent:] Yes
[Quest:] World Bank very experienced in the World Bank. But now she's got to actually get structural changes. So what does she want?
[Giokos:] Yes, so firstly, it's very interesting. This was a first big trip as the MD of the IMF. And she came to Africa and I'm just off the plane from Dakar, Senegal. And it's interesting that she chose to come to the continent. And they spoke about two major things, so firstly, its sustainable debts and sustainable developments. These two topics, Richard, are not only very important for Africa, but the rest of the world. And we know that the world is more leverage now than it's ever been, and the question is, can economies handle these levels of debt and still ensure that you've got economic growth. And in the back- drop, of course, you've got the global trade war that's playing out. We've heard these numbers before, $700 billion wiping off a significant amount of global growth. But the question is, is it going to be a new normal? The fact that we're going to see a prolonged trade war, trade tensions between China and the U.S. And she says, well, we better gear up for it. Take a listen.
[Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, Imf:] First, we have been very clear what is the cost of trade war. By next year, we would lose as a planet$700 billion. This is 0.8 percent of the global GDP. Everybody loses. Second, we have been also very clear what can be done so this slowdown in a synchronized manner we have seen can be stopped and reversed. And we say to countries three things, one, if you have monetary space, if you cut if you can cut the interest rates, please do it. Very few countries now have that much space. Two, if you have fiscal space, please use it. Some countries do have fiscal space, and we're seeing even more reluctant players like Germany
[Giokos:] Yes
[Georgieva:] The Netherlands, South Korea, they're coming up with stimulus packages. Three, most important, everybody can do it, structural reforms, labor market reforms, eliminate red tapes or private sector can boom, jobs can be created. So one, two, three, and I think we see governments around the world actually listening.
[Giokos:] But a lot of countries don't have fiscal room to take up more tools out of the monetary policy box, that's the big problem. And the world is very leveraged right now. If you see a further slowdown or this trade war continuing, is the IMF ready to step in? Do you guys have enough resources to do that?
[Georgieva:] That was the very good news that we got during our annual meetings in October, my inaugural. Our shareholders committed to provide the IMF with fiscal financial capacity of $1 trillion. So, we do have sufficient firing power to step up. But we tell countries, do the right thing so you don't need to come and knock on our door for money.
[Giokos:] Right now, at this moment, how are you feeling about all the uncertainties, you feel optimistic that we're going to work as a global team because that's the message that you've giving everyone.
[Georgieva:] What we see is that we need each other more, but it is harder and harder to come together. And institutions like the IMF have a duty to bring our 189 membership and seek that consensus to take action together when this is necessary. I do believe that the world is changing much more rapidly today than 20, 30 years ago. This is the new normal. Uncertainty is the new normal. And therefore, we have to help our membership to be more agile, more adaptable to this fast-changing world. Enjoy the pace of change today, it will never be that slow in the future.
[Giokos:] And she makes it sound easy, right? Three things that we have to do to ensure that we don't continue on a global slowdown when we get rid of the uncertainties, but it's easier said than done because there's politics involved. There's so many things that economies need to do. And one thing we know for now is, there isn't a lot of political will and everyone is becoming a lot more protectionist. So, Georgieva wants to create a global team, whether she's going to be able to achieve that through the IMF and its efforts is going to be an interesting one to watch as she heads into 2020.
[Quest:] Thank you. Eleni is in Johannesburg, thank you. To the markets, the Dow well, look at the Dow, it's down, but now it's back up but now, it's down now, it's back up again. But we're only talking about 40 points, which does suggest that might eke out that gain by the closing bell. But it's really it was look, it's all about China and trade again where officials in China officials said trade negotiations are back on track. They gave a boost. The U.S. Secretary Treasury Secretary confirmed that as well. Chad Bown is in Washington, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institution Service economic adviser to President Obama. The trade question the markets are still hanging on it. They haven't quite, you know, decided, well, to hell with it, we don't really matter. Every time there's a movement that we're in the talks, we see it in the markets.
[Chad Bown, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute For International Economics:] So, that's right, so our next big deadline is December 15th
[Quest:] Right
[Bown:] Which is 10 days from now when the next slot of tariffs on $160 billion of U.S. imports from China are still scheduled to go on. So, you know, we'll see if they get a deal, if President Trump gets a deal and announces at least a temporary pause on the tariff escalation. But for now at least, you know, I think the markets are right to be a little bit concerned that those tariffs are still out there.
[Quest:] So what do you make of this linkage that the president is trying to do between trade and those countries that don't meet their NATO requirements? It's not flushed out, but there's a veiled well, wasn't a veiled suggestion, that if you don't meet 2 percent, then there'll be trade action taken against you.
[Bown:] So we've seen the president do this sort of thing before. President Trump likes to use tariffs as, you know, sort of the hammer with which to address every international challenge that are seemingly out there. We saw this before this Summer, even after Mexico for example signed up to the new NAFTA, the USMCA agreement and they were putting it through their Senate. At the same time, President Trump out of nowhere said, well, you know, if you don't deal with my problems, my concerns on immigration and the southern border of the United States, I'm going to hit you with tariffs. So, you know, he's sort of threatening to do the same sort of thing to NATO allies here, and we'll have to wait and see. This is you know, kind of a common theme that comes out of President Trump.
[Quest:] You were an economic adviser, you know how these thinking I agree, this particular White House is perhaps a little more unusual, the most. But what will they what will they make of this spat with Canada? The Trudeau comments about advisors draws hitting the floor. The president calling Trudeau two-faced. Is it your thought that this somehow the U.S. President retaliates or is it just get forgotten?
[Bown:] Look, this administration is different from any in modern memory. They you know, they choose to conduct diplomacy, if you want to call it that differently than most traditional administrations would. And I think they've put trading partners and friends and the allies even in different positions than they would otherwise have been. And so, you see, you know, diplomatic gaffes being made on all sides. And you know, we're
[Quest:] Right
[Bown:] Just kind of in a new normal. What this ultimately leads to, who knows?
[Quest:] Right. Finally on that new normal, interest rates. There seems to be a consensus that the ECB and the FOMC both on what different levels, of course. But hold rates where they are for most of 2020. Do you subscribe to that?
[Bown:] Well, I think it's going to be hard to tell. And obviously, it's going to depend on, you know, how the economy actually starts to perform as we head into next year. And as you know, the IMF indeed indicated in your last segment, you know, what the implications of the trade war ultimately are, and you know, what actions other actions on fiscal policy that some of these governments take. So, I think it's possible. But I think a lot of it is still dependent on how the economy is ultimately going to, you know, start performing over the next over the next couple of months.
[Quest:] Thank you, sir, much appreciate it joining us tonight. Now
[Bown:] My pleasure
[Quest:] In a moment, a new merger could be on the horizon this holiday season. The owner of Gucci is reportedly looking to buy Moncler. It's Italian company Anna Stewart, the sort of person who will know about this sort of luxury will be with us after the break.

[Lemon:] We will get back to the protesters out on the streets tonight, this time in Brooklyn and Jason Carroll. Jason, what are you seeing out there?
[Jason Carroll, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, it was really a remarkable moment, Don. What we saw was Chief Maddrey, that's the man you see there in the white shirt. And it was a very tense moment as a little more than a hundred of these protesters came in contact with the line of police officers. And Chief Maddrey who you see right there, basically reached out and spoke to them. And at one point started shaking their hands and really deescalated what was becoming a very tense situation. And it's really once of the first times, Don, since we've been out here where we've seen police engage some of these protesters in this way. If you take a look around you can see a number of the protesters still gathered here on this street in Brooklyn. And again, it came to a point where the officers were not going to move. They were not going to let these protesters continue. These protesters had been marching peacefully all night. But, again, we're now just a few hours past curfew. But again, it was an incredible moment that you still see now, Chief Maddrey, they are still talking, till engaging with some of these young men and young women out here and talking to them. But again, the most remarkable moment was when he reached out and started shaking their hands. And it's important to how this, you some of if happening now, these officers who are trying to engage with the community. And conversely, some of those who are out here demonstrating trying to trying to reach out and communicate with some of these officers here. It was just really an incredible moment and one I thought was important to share with you and your audience.
[Lemon:] No. Right you are because we need more moments like that where there's de-escalation instead of escalation, Jason. I think that you're right on. And if the police are doing something right and the protesters are as well, I think we should get that on television. Jason Carroll is in Brooklyn with us, the site of an incredible scene. A number of them playing out all over the country. We're going to get back to him, to Alex, to Shimon and to others who are out there for us this evening. Massive protests across the country on the day of George Floyd's memorial service. Family, friends, community leaders all coming together in Minneapolis to honor the unarmed black man killed in police custody. The service pausing for 8 minutes 46 seconds. That's how long the police officer's knee was on George Floyd's neck. His brother joins me now, Philonise Floyd, and the attorney for the family, Ben Crump. Gentleman, good evening, thank you so much.
[Benjamin Crump, Attorney For Floyd Family:] Good evening, Don.
[Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's Brother:] Good evening.
[Lemon:] Philonise, your words were incredible. It was beautiful to watch. I was honored that I actually was the person who got to cover this. Obviously, it's we're so sorry for what happened to your brother and what's happening to your family. But what did today mean to you? Can you explain that?
[Floyd:] It was a very emotional day. Just, you know, trying to keep my family. Right now, they're emotionally like, when I say it's hard, it's hard. You know, I'm trying to keep them together because that was our first time being that close to George. You know, my brother it wasn't open, but we knew he was there. And just knowing he was there, it hurt. It hurt a lot.
[Lemon:] You know, there's I wondered out loud today, I said out loud I wonder how many of these we don't see. Right? We got to see your brother's memorial. And we're going to see this is a number of home going ceremonies for your brother. And if I will, just on a personal note, you reminded me of February of 2018 when I had to get up and speak about my sister who died. And I kept thinking about that the entire time that you were speaking and just how surreal that was and how I couldn't even even given what I do here as an anchor on television every night, I could not imagine having to go through something like this in front of the entire world. I think your family handled this with such dignity and grace. I can't even tell you I don't have the words to express the admiration that I have for your family. So, I just I've been wanting to say that to you and today I was just full and just thank you and your family for doing what you're doing. Every time this happens to a family, Ben, you know this, they have to live this through the whole world. Their whole lives, their backgrounds, everything as people go over it. It is an incredible and unfair experience for these families. And this family is incredible the way they're dealing with it, Ben.
[Crump:] Yes, they are, Don.
[Floyd:] Yes, sir, thank you. Thank you.
[Lemon:] When you the message from Reverend Al Sharpton saying take your knee off our neck and you talked about the idea that there can't be two justice systems, one black America, one for white America. Ben, is George Floyd's death becoming a real catalyst? Do you believe this time it's going to have a huge make a huge difference, make some change?
[Crump:] I think we have an opportunity, Don. And, you know, you've covered all of these cases and you see every time we get right on the cusp of some change and then somehow it is not delivered. But right now, we have people from across the aisle who have seen what happened to George Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, Don, and I think they are emotional. We might, just might, if we don't lose this moment, we've got to stay focused, get systematic change where we actually look at police officers that kill all these unarmed people of color and never be held accountable. I mean, the Congress is really talking about the possibility of looking at that because of what happened to his brother.
[Lemon:] Philonise, if I'm I just want to take people back to the service, and I want to play this moment. It's from Reverend Al Sharpton. And he talked about asking to talk to your mother about George. Here it is.
[Al Sharpton, President, National Action Network:] I said his mother passed. But he was calling for his mother. Talking to Quincy last night, one of his five children. Quincy said, you know, I was thinking maybe he was calling his mother because at the point that he was dying, his mother was stretching her hands out. Saying come on, George. I'll welcome you where the wicked will cease from troubling, where the weary will be at rest. There's a place where police don't put knees on you, George. There's a place that prosecutors don't drag their feet. Maybe his mama said, come on, George.
[Lemon:] What do you think? And does that give you any comfort?
[Floyd:] It gives me comfort that he's screaming for my mom, but I'm never going to be in comfort until those officers are arrested for first-degree murder, not second-degree, not first I mean, not third-degree. That was premeditated, and I want justice.
[Lemon:] A key message in the service was turning this energy into action. I talked to Ben just a moment ago about this. But beyond seeing these officers convicted and as you said first-degree murder, what else would you like to happen on a societal level in this country, Philonise?
[Crump:] He didn't hear you. I think you asked, Don, what else does he want to happen
[Lemon:] To happen in society on a bigger level, societal level in this country.
[Unidentified Male:] [Inaudible].
[Philonese Floyd, George Floyd's Brother:] I just want everybody I want all cops put it this way. I want all cops, everybody that's wearing a badge to understand everybody has human rights. And they are human too. I want everybody who was driving not to be racially profiled. I want people to be accounted by being good people, not bad people. If I don't know you, I shouldn't have to walk up to you and ask you question after question why are you over here in this neighborhood. I'm not a racist guy. I just believe in what's right is right. Wrong is wrong and right is right. When an officer has his knee in my brother's neck, that was wrong. The other officer who had his knee on my brother's back, that was wrong. The other two officers that watched this, they helped. All of that was wrong. I just want justice and I want the society to understand that. Everybody in this world, we have a place. And right now we all need to come together like we are because right now we all are human.
[Lemon:] Thank you both. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That's all I can say, thank you.
[Unidentified Male:] Thank you, Don. Thank you.
[Lemon:] My next guest says my next guest says voting is the first step to solving the inequality in this country. Stacey Abrams, next.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] You please stay safe, be careful. Thanks also to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Bill gates who joined us, and also to all of you who wrote in with your questions and to everyone who joined us tonight. Be careful. Be safe. We are all in this together. And remember that tomorrow night we have another town hall. This one will be with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden who joins us to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. That's tomorrow night, 8 p.m. Eastern with Joe Biden. The news continues right now with Chris Cuomo. Chris?
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] Hello, everybody. I'm Chris Cuomo. And welcome to Prime Time. The United States now has the most coronavirus cases on earth, more than Italy, now even more than China where all this started. This is the fact. We can debate why this fact exists, how we got here. But what matters more is that we make changes immediately. We are not ahead of this. It is not getting better. Like Dr. Fauci told us last night, the virus is making the timetable. Back to normalcy is not happening any time soon. I don't want to say that. But false hope of a return to normal any time soon is only proof of abnormal messaging. We're not going to do that here. The need is real, and so must be our determination. Our focus is on the front lines and it reveals that one nurse just lost his battle, his battle against this virus. We have his sister here tonight to tell you the story of who he was and how it happened along with the doctor who is going to tell you about the unbelievable choices she is now forced to make in an emergency room. This problem is not going away, so neither can our resolve. Together as ever as one. Let's get after it. Eighty-two thousand cases. And more important than that number is the rate. It is climbing. It is accelerating still. How do you reconcile that with looking at where it's spreading and moving to other places at the same time? And then the president saying tonight we need to start easing restrictions that are in place. You cannot reconcile the facts and his feelings. Again, I apologize, but not for telling you the truth, only for bursting any bubble of false hope. You can't dream in false hope when we have real problems. We have more breaking developments. I want to give you the facts from our national correspondent Nick Watt.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] More than 1,000 now dead, and as of tonight, the United States has more reported cases of coronavirus than any other country on earth according to Johns Hopkins University.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think it's attribute to the testing. We're testing tremendous numbers of people.
[Watt:] Despite the rising numbers, the president now considering easing social distancing guidelines in some parts of the country to get some people back to work.
[Trump:] We've got to start the process pretty soon, so we'll be talking to you a little bit more about that next week.
[Watt:] And today a glimpse of the staggering economic impact. Last week nearly 3.3 million more Americans signed up for unemployment, a record since such records began more than 50 years.
[Trump:] It's nobody's false, certainly not in this country.
[Watt:] A $2.2 trillion stimulus package to help industry, individuals and the healthcare system passed the Senate, still waiting on a House vote.
[Trump:] Hopefully it will get approved equally, easily in the House. Really, I think it'll go through pretty well from what I hear. Virtually everybody there could be one vote, one vote, one grand stander maybe. You might have one grand stander.
[Watt:] Meanwhile on the front line.
[Unidentified Female:] All the people that you see, they all have COVID.
[Watt:] And 13 died at this one New York hospital in one day.
[Colleen Smith, Emergency Room Doctor, Elmhurst Hospital:] We had to get a refrigerated truck to store the bodies of patients who are dying.
[Watt:] An E.R. doctor sharing a rare look inside her hospital with the New York Times.
[Smith:] I don't have the support that I need and even just the materials that I need physically to take care of my patients. And it's it's America.
[Watt:] CNN has reached out to Elmhurst Hospital for official comments on the statements of this doctor.
[Smith:] Various offices from the president to the head of health and hospitals saying things like we're going to be fine. Everything's fine. And from our perspective, everything is not fine.
[Watt:] New York's governor says there is enough protective equipment for now but distribution might be stopped in the start.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] You cannot get the curve down low enough so that you don't overwhelm the hospital capacity.
[Watt:] New York State has by far the most confirmed cases right now, but they've also done by far the most testing. Twenty-five percent of the national total says the governor. So, everywhere else
[Unidentified Male:] I think it could be as much as one in three walking around asymptomatic right now.
[Watt:] The first confirmed case in the U.S. was January 21st, Washington State. About a month later, the president said this.
[Trump:] We're going down, not up. We're going very substantially down, not up.
[Watt:] That day 56 cases. Today more than 80,000 cases across every single state, hence, more than half the country ordered to stay home to slow spread for now. So, we just heard from Mayor Garcetti here in Los Angeles, he says he expects California will be the next New York and they are getting ready. Cedars-Sinai they say they've got the capacity. They've cancelled all elective surgeries. But tomorrow morning the Mercy, that 1,000-bed U.S. Navy hospital ship will pull into the port Los Angeles. And the plan is to take people from other hospitals around L.A., put them on that ship, clearing space, Chris, waiting for this COVID-19 surge. Back to you.
[Cuomo:] Right. Thank you very much for putting this together for us, Nick. I know it's a very fluid situation. That hospital ship will not have COVID patients on it. It will be clearing space for COVID patients. You don't want to mix the two. Nick Watt, thank you so much, brother. I appreciate it. Make no mistake, this is no longer about contact tracing and doing investigative work to stop the spread. Not here, not in New York, not in the big population areas where it's hit. Now, that is a story to be told. That is the rest of the country's story and it's not happening there. The testing levels around this country are no why near where they need to be. That will be emerging. But right now, you have to focus on the hospitals in the big population centers. There is no containing the inevitable here. It will hit hard. We are told the worst is yet to come but that doesn't mean that the fighting isn't already fierce especially in New York City. And that's why a doctor like Sylvie de Souza did something that she didn't want to have to do. She doesn't want to have to talk about what's happening in the hospital and make herself controversial. But she is the chair of emergency medicine at Brooklyn Hospital Center. And we read about that harrowing story in the New York Times. And it's important to get her stake on what's happening here. Doctor, thank you for joining us.
[Sylvie De Souza, Emergency Medicine Physician, The Brooklyn Hospital Center:] Thank you for having me.
[Cuomo:] So, everybody says it will get worse. There will be more cases. But what are you already dealing with?
[De Souza:] We're already dealing with a huge influx of patients coming into the emergency department, both symptomatic, some asymptomatic, some with severe symptoms. And we have to sort of make the decision on how to best cater to all their concerns and attend to all of their needs.
[Cuomo:] So, you're already dealing with the more extreme cases, right? Because there were people who couldn't deal with it at home, needed to come in, obviously symptomatic, into the hospital. Let me ask you, how quickly is the rate of case growth among your own workers?
[De Souza:] We've had a few of our employees who converted. We've been very fortunate that they all recovered and were able to return to work. Most of them are back at work now. A few of them are still in isolation at home, self-monitoring their symptoms.
[Cuomo:] All right. Now hopefully it'll stay that way. It sounds like you're getting lucky so far in terms of keeping them out of harm's way when they're dealing with this virus so closely and intensely over time. Now, when you have multiple patients that need the most extreme protocols and you do not have the beds andor the equipment, what kind of choices are you having to make?
[De Souza:] Well, at this point, we're still fortunate to have the equipment we need. But we don't know what tomorrow holds. The decisions we are faced with right now are basically who gets an ICU bed, who gets it first. Many of those patients end up boarding in the emergency department for hours, sometimes days, until they either get well or they get an ICU bed. So, we have not reached that point yet, but certainly we see an increase of severely ill patients coming into the emergency department. We've also put together a tent outside of our hospital, outside of the emergency department to provide screening for those in the community who are concerned about having the illness. And once we screen them, we're able to determine who needs to get tested, who needs further investigation inside the emergency department. This has really helped us in decompressing the volume of patients coming into the emergency department.
[Cuomo:] You are being asked to increase capacity by 50 percent. Easy to say, hard to do. How is that process going, and what do you need that you do not have in order to do that?
[De Souza:] I think our biggest need right now is staff. We're going to have to review our staffing models, and that's what we're in the process of doing. We're increasing capacity. Our biggest issue is being able to staff those extra beds that we are implementing in the hospital.
[Cuomo:] Now, your hospital is a little different than many others. You don't have a parent company. You're depending on yourself for supplies. There's been generosity. And it's an interesting community, your hospital, the stories that I've heard. That there are actually traditions and culture within your hospital. Tell us a little bit about that.
[De Souza:] Well, we've been incredibly fortunate of the support of the entire community. We are we serve a very diverse population and very diverse both culturally and socioeconomically. But I must say that the support has been pouring in. We've been receiving donations on a daily basis. They're increasing every day. We've been fortunate to be able to vet this equipment as being safe for use in the hospital. So, so far, we're able to protect all the staff. We've also been able to divide the emergency department into a safe zone to still care for the other patients who are coming in with other emergencies, heart attacks, strokes, et cetera, just already the patients. And then have a zone dedicated to the care of these patients who are suspected to have COVID-19.
[Cuomo:] I mean, this is very difficult. The Elmhurst Queens, you know, it's always a busy area. It's a busy catchment area. You see a lot of cases ordinarily. Now you have this entire new wave of need. And I've heard that you've started a tradition of you don't touch. You're at safe distances. But you pray together, that you will be protected along with your patients. Know this, you, Dr. De Souza and your staff, you are our, our angels. And you are in our prayers. But more than in our prayers, you are going to be on our mind. If there's anything that we can do to get information out about your needs and about what's going on, we are a call away for the duration, OK?
[De Souza:] I thank you. I thank you, Mr. Cuomo for this opportunity to have our voice heard. There is actually something that we I've started with a colleague of mine to encourage the health care workers at the front lines. And it's hash tag, HCW healthcareworkershoutout. We want to start the movement that is happening in Europe and many countries where at 8 p.m. folks get at their windows and their balconies and either clap or flash their phones to encourage the people at the front lines. Thank you, Mr. Cuomo.
[Cuomo:] The hash tag is tell me the hash tag again.
[De Souza:] Hash tag hcwshoutout.
[Cuomo:] Done. hash tag HCW for health care worker shoutout. Thank you very much, Dr. de Souza. It is the least that we can do for you for all that you are doing and will do for us. God bless, stay well, stay strong.
[De Souza:] Thank you.
[Cuomo:] Now I know you're going to reply to that call. It's not like you don't have time on your hands right now. Hash tag hcwstaystrong. You can put it out there. You'll see the hash tag online. There are going to be a lot of different efforts. Stay involved. Now, the president I know he is saying something different than what you're hearing. I understand that. But we can only deal in the facts. That's why I will bring you another doctor, Dr. Jha. He is going to give you what he sees in the modeling and on the front lines that suggests where are we in terms of timing, OK? And what does it mean for the next wave? What does it mean for us and our country? Next.

[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Concerns over the growing meat shortage across the country already seems to be hurting one major fast-food chain, Wendy's, with some menu items already unavailable. CNN's Dianne Gallagher is following this and joining me now. Dianne, what is Wendy's saying?
[Dianne Gallagher, Cnn National Correspondent:] Kate, it appears their slogan of, "Fresh, never frozen," is what got them into this situation. According to one financial analysis, roughly 20 percent of Wendy's restaurants right now are not serving hamburgers. Look, they have 5,500 restaurants across the country, about a thousand restaurants at this point, Kate. And much like we've seen this situation play out across the nation right now, depending on where you live is depending on if you see a situation. If you live somewhere like Arizona or Nevada or Louisiana, you're probably not seeing anything happening because those restaurants aren't affected. But places like New York, Ohio and Michigan, they're seeing an even higher rate of
[Bolduan:] Dianne, I have to jump in because we have to jump over to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] tend to be a little erratic sometimes. We're not quite sure why. This whole reporting mechanism has been in place a couple months. The first time ever every hospital has reported every day to the state. But it's better than going up. You see the overall total of hospitalizations is down. Intubations of patients is down. That's good news. And the number of new hospitalizations is also down. This is an important number. This is how many people came in yesterday with a diagnosis of COVID into hospitals or people who were technically in a hospital and were then diagnosed with COVID. But again, Sunday is a different day operationally for hospitals. But, again, the number is down. So it is good news. This is always the worst number when we're going through the facts of the day, and it is not good news. Number of lives lost, 230. Technically up from yesterday. Even allowing for the Sunday reporting. But it is painful, painful news for all New Yorkers. And we'll remember those families in our thoughts and prayers. There's no doubt that we're coming down the mountain. The only question is what trail we take, what path we take coming down the mountain, how fast does that decline continue. Does the decline continue? And that is purely a function of what we do. None of this is preordained. None of this is decided by any factor other than our own behavior. You tell me how well New Yorkers socially comply with distancing, et cetera, and I'll tell you what that infection rate is doing. It's that simple. And everything we have done thus far has worked. And that's why the numbers are coming down. But you tell me what we do today and tomorrow, and I'll tell you the infection rate in the next few days. What we've said from the beginning is the key is testing and tracing and isolating. It's very hard to do. It's easy to say. No one has ever done this before. We've never put this kind of testing regimen in place industrywide. We've never had a tracing operation that's anywhere near this magnitude. We've never done isolation, quarantine. That's never happened before. But we do what we have to do. And this is what we have to do to monitor the infection rate and to control it. And that's what we're doing. We laid out a very specific reopening plan yesterday. We studied all the states' plans. We studied reopening plans of countries around the world. We incorporated all the best practices. I think we probably have the most specific plan for metrics and measuring to make these decisions. And it's basically a mathematical formula if you look at that reopening plan. And I think that's the way we should do it and proceed. This is about following the data, learning the lessons, listening to the experts, following the science, and it's about being smart. Everybody is emotional. We're getting more emotional. There's more stress, there's more anxiety, there's more pressure on all of us. We want to get on with life. We want a paycheck. We want to make sure our job is there. But it's still a time to be smart, right? We don't act emotionally. We act based on logic and fact and science. That's how we make policy. But we have to remind ourselves every day because the pressure is just to respond to the emotion. And there's also that we're going through a devastating and costly moment in history. It's costly on every level. Number of lives lost, the economic impact, personal impact. Substance abuse has gone up. Domestic violence has gone up. Mental health issues have gone up. So we are have paid a very high price for what we're going through. But the hope is that we learn from it and that we are the better for it, right? We endured the pain. Let's make sure we benefit from the gain. And this is also true and people can understand this as a life lesson. You get as old as I am, you go through some tough periods in life. And that's a fact. That's going to happen. You live life long enough and you will go through a difficult period. I've gone through more than my share. But you take those periods and you try to learn from them and you try to grow, right? That's the best you can do with it. What can you learn so, when you move forward, you're the better for it? And we do that as a society also. That's the concept of build back better. We don't want to go through all of this and replace what was there before. Replacing what was there before is a starting point. We want to replace, but we want to improve. And we want to be better for this experience. And we want to build back better. We were smart enough to do that as a country, as a state after 911. We went through pain. We came back stronger. You could argue more united as a country, more united as a state, more aware of our vulnerabilities. And, yes11. Hurricane Sandy, Superstorm Sandy devastated thousands of lives. Billions of dollars in damage. We built back and we built back better than we were before. We didn't replace what was. We improved almost everything that we learned during that time. Our housing construction is different. Our power grid is different. Our infrastructure is different. So you go through these situations and you learn. And that's what we have to do here. We have to have a better public health system. We should never go through this again. What we went through at the hospitals, what we went through with PPE, staff shortages. That can never happen again. How we used telemedicine. We have to learn. We have to grow. It was vital to what we did here. We have to make sure we're better at it. Our public transportation system, we're learning. Tonight, we're going to shut down the subways for the first time in history. Why? Because they have to be disinfected. Whoever heard of disinfecting a subway car? Well, now you learn. You have to disinfect subway cars. Figure out how to do it so you can say to people who use the subways, don't worry, it's safe, right? That's a starting point for public transportation. One of the areas we can really learn from is education. We've all been talking about tele-education, virtual education, remote education, and there's a lot that can be done. The old model of everybody goes and sits in a classroom and the teachers in front of that classroom that teaches that class. And you do that all across the city, all across the state, all these buildings, all these physical classrooms. Why, with all the technology that you have? We've been exploring differential alternatives with technology, right? We have classrooms in this state that have technology where they're talking to students on Long Island with a teacher from Staten Island with students from around the world participating with technology. Hearing that one teacher. And if you look at the technology, it looks like all these different students are in one classroom. All right. Well, let's learn from that. And let's learn from this experience. We did a lot of remote learning. Frankly, we weren't prepared to do it. We didn't have advanced warning. But we did what we had to do. And the teachers and the education system did a great job. But there's more we can do. We're still working on providing some students with the technology, with the tablets, et cetera. Some teachers needed training and they weren't ready for it. Well, let's take this experience and really learn how we can do differently and better with our education system in terms of technology and virtual education, et cetera. And that's something we're actively working on through this process. So it's not about just reopening schools. When we are reopening schools, let's open a better school. And let's open a smarter education system. And I want to thank the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We'll be working with them on this project. Bill Gates is a visionary in many ways. And his ideas and thoughts on technology and education, he's spoken about for years, but I think we now have a moment in history where we can actually incorporate and advance those ideas. Right? When does change come to a society? Because we all talk about change and advancement. But, really, we like control. Right? And we like the status quo, and it's hard to change the status quo. But you get moments in history where people say, OK, I'm ready. I'm ready for change. I get it. I think this is one of those moments. And I think education, as well as other topics, is a topic where people will say, look, I've been reflecting, I've been thinking, I learned a lot. We all learned a lot about how vulnerable we are and how much we have to do, and let's start talking about really revolutionizing education. And it's about time. One point I want to make about reopening, not just in this state but all across this nation. There's a conversation that is going on about reopening that we are not necessarily explicit about, but which is very important. There's a question that is being debated right under the surface. And the decisions we make on reopening are really profound decisions. And the fundamental question, which we're not articulating is, how much is a human life worth. How much do we think a human life is worth? There's a cost of staying closed no doubt, economic cost, personal cost. There's also a cost of reopening quickly. Either option has a cost. You stay closed, there's a cost. You reopen quickly, and there's a cost. The faster we reopen, the lower the economic cost. But the higher the human cost. Because there are more lives lost. That, my friends, is the decision we are really making. What is that balance? What is that tradeoff? Because it is very real. If you now look at the projection models of how many lives will be lost, you'll notice they changed recently. Why did they change? And they went up dramatically. Why? Because now they're factoring in the reopening plans and the reopening schedules that states are announcing. The federal government's estimate, federal government's estimate, FEMA, has increased from 25,000 to 200,000 the number of daily cases by June. Think about that increase. The IHME, which is a foundation model supported by gates, which is the preferred model by the White House, when they were projecting deaths by august 4th, they projected in early April 60,000 deaths. They projected mid-April 60,300 deaths. Actually a little lower. Their new projection is 134,000 deaths. How did it go from 60,000 deaths to 134,000 deaths? This is the model which the White House relies on. When the director of the institute was asked why those revisions happened, the director said, rising mobility in most viewer states as well as the easing of social distancing measures expected in 31 states by May 11, indicating that growing contacts among people will promote transmission of the coronavirus. That's a very nice way of saying, when you accelerate the reopening, you will have more people coming in contact with other people, you're relaxing the more people contact with other people, the higher the infection rate of the spread of the virus. The more people get infected, the more people die. We know that. That's why projection models are going up. There's a cost of staying close. There's also a cost to reopening quickly. That's the hard truth we are all dealing with. Let's be honest about it and let's and be open about it. Let's not camouflage the actual terms of the discussion we are having and the question comes back to how much is a human life worth. You see that projection model go from 25,000 to 200,000 cases from FEMA. You see the number of deaths go from 60,000 to 134,000. How much is a human life worth? That's the real discussion that no one is admitting openly or freely. But we should. To me, I say, the cost of human life is priceless. Period. Our opening plan doesn't have a tradeoff. Our reopening plan says you monitor the data. You monitor the transmission rate. You monitor the hospitalization rate. You monitor the death rate. If it goes up, you're have a, quote, unquote, "circuit breaker," you stop. You close the valve on reopening. But it is a conversation that we should have openly. Hard conversation? Painful conversation? Controversial conversation? Yes, all of the above. But it's also the right conversation. Because as we are going through this, it is important that our leadership be factual and productive and united. This is a time when government has to work and government on all level has to work. It has to work now better than it has worked in the past. All the craziness that we have watched in Washington now is unacceptable. What the government does will literally determine how many people live or die. That's not over dramatic. It is a fact. Federal government has to be able to pass legislation. And to pass legislation, it has to be in a bipartisan place. You have the Congress. The House is controlled by Democrats. The Senate is controlled by Republicans. Unless you get a bipartisan agreement, you are not going to pass legislation. If you do not pass legislation, the federal government does not work. If the federal government does not work, it makes it virtually impossible for a state government to work. This is not something that a state can control. Well, the governors are in charge, the governors are in charge. I can only be in charge to the extent I have the resources and the means. That comes from the federal government, not just for New York but for every state in this country. That federal government has to work and legislation they pass is important. They have to pass legislation. That only happens on a bipartisan basis. There's no choice. Well, just the Democrats can do it, well just the Republicans can do it. They can't. It takes two to tangle. It takes two houses to pass a bill. One is Democrats and one is Republicans. The facts are important. So the facts are important. The president gave an interview, as reported in the "New York Post," blue states coronavirus bail outs are unfair to Republicans. Bailouts. This is the topic of whether or not the federal government should provide aid to state governments. It has been a discussion for weeks. The federal government passed legislation in the past that helped airlines, small businesses, hotels. Great, great. They have not provided any aid to state and local governments. Why is that important? It is the state and local government that funds police, fire, education, teachers, health care workers. If you starve the states, how do you expect the states to be able to fund this entire reopening plan? Well, the governors are in charge. But the states are in dire financial circumstances because our economy suffered when all businesses shutdown. The debate now is, well, it is the blue states that have the coronavirus. OK? New York they call it blue state. California they call it a blue state. The Republicans are saying we don't want to give money to the blue states. First of all, this is not a blue state issue. Every state has coronavirus. And it is not just Democratic states that have an economic shortfall. Republican states have an economic shortfall. Well, it is the mismanagement of blue states for decades that they want us to bail out. It is not a fact. It is not a fact. First of all, no blue state was asking for a bailout before this coronavirus. I was not asking for anything from the federal government before the coronavirus. And by the way, the federal government was not giving New York anything. For years, everything they were doing was negative to New York. Then comes the coronavirus, our economy stops because we shut it down and now we have a $13 million deficit because we stopped the economy. So we are asking, every state is requesting asking, because of the coronavirus, we need financial help in restarting the economy. That's what we are asking for from the federal government. How do you call it a bailout? Which is such a loaded word, such a rhetorical hyperbolic word. It's a bailout. There's no bailout. Because of the coronavirus, this nation has been impacted and states have been impacted because the states make up the nation. And we need financial help because of the coronavirus situation. This is not any mismanagement by the states. If anything, the mismanagement has been on behalf of the federal government. And that's where the mismanagement has gone back decades. Senator Moynihan, God rest his soul, New York Senator, great man, said decades ago that New York has been continually shortchanged by the federal government. Why? Because we've always given them more money than they gave us back. Right? How does the federal government work? The federal government collects taxes and puts it in a pot and then takes money from that federal pot and gives it back to the states. Every year, New York State has put more money into that federal pot than the federal government has given back. Every year for decades. And that's just a fact. Also, you want to try to divide, divide, divide.

[Berman:] So this morning the national reckoning over America's racist legacy is growing, but President Trump seems to be digging in, denying the existence of systemic racism and voicing opposition to the removal of Confederate symbols. Joining us now, CNN political commentators Angela Rye and Errol Louis. Angela is the former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. The president is in a different place than America is right now. When you see the cultural shifts that have happened over the last 24 hours, and we listed off a few, when you see the policy shifts in Congress, including among Republicans, you know, in the Senate Republicans calling for the removal of Confederate names from military bases, the president stands in opposition. And Errol, you say he risks something even more, which is irrelevance. Explain.
[Errol Louis, Cnn Political Commentator:] That's right. Look, the the ground is shifting underneath the president. The race for re-election that he was expecting to run has gone in a different direction, and he's going to have to adapt. The reality is, day after day, night after night, including on the president's favorite cable station, which happens not to be this channel, they are not talking about Donald Trump. They are not talking about his re-election. They are not talking about the things that he thinks will make him look good and help his re-election. In fact, they're talking about something completely different, something unprecedented. They're talking about things like the North Carolina legislature, where both the upper and the lower House are actually passing, unanimously, criminal justice reforms that they had not even considered in a year. Things are moving. It happens once in a while. You know, this kind of crept up, I think, on a lot of us. Nobody expected 1968 to kind of break out in front of us in the middle of this pandemic, but here it is. And the president is no longer dominating the news cycles. The the president is no longer sort of taking the lead when it comes to figuring out how to get out of this major crisis. So just as he sort of faded to the background when it comes to response to the pandemic, he's no longer in the lead when it comes to this response and this national conversation on policing, of which he's really not a part. And so it doesn't work for anybody who's running for re-election to not be part of the main national conversation. For this president in particular, it's a real challenge. He's behind in the polls, and he's got to get back into the game. I think he feels a little frustrated that he's not able to do so right now.
[Camerota:] Angela, have you been surprised by what you've seen over the past week, in terms of Republicans breaking with, a least, the president's messaging? The idea that the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, would be willing to say out loud that, yes, he's willing to consider changing the names of Army bases after President Trump explicitly and, it seemed, passionately felt that, no, they should never be changed, because they are such a great part of America's heritage, these that are named after Confederate leaders, have you been surprised by the shift in Republicans' stance?
[Angela Rye, Cnn Political Commentator:] You know, Alisyn, I wish that I could say that I was surprised. But sometimes the people speak louder than donors. Sometimes the people, as a whole, speak louder than this country's racist, white supremacist past. And what I would tell you is the shift in Republican leadership, the shift in the Senate and the House, is not significant enough. So I am so pleased that they are finally breaking with the president, but I think that they have no choice. This is an era that we find ourselves in that is so so unique, where people cannot turn a blind eye to white supremacy, to racism, to oppressive systems in the ways in which they have in the past. And to Errol's point, yes, it does feel, I'm sure, at least from everything that I've seen, from everything that I've heard from my parents and from my parents' friends, that this is very similar to 1968. But I hope one of the things that will be different about this moment, in particular, is that we have to do something broad, sweeping, that will last for generations, as well. That we understand this is not a time just to pack pass, as you just talked about Kevin McCarthy, at least in passing. It's not just the no-chokeholds bill. It's not just, you know, turning on a body camera moment. This is actually a moment, Alisyn, that calls for Congress and the House and the Senate, that calls for the people to really consider sweeping legislation like a Civil Human And Economic Rights Act, because the systems that have held us back are not just one. They were rooted, engrained, and engrained into this country's history; and we see it every single day. So it has to be something big to change it.
[Berman:] It seems to me what's happening and I mentioned this before is that the silent majority, which people have always referred to, this invisible hand of what the public really wants, you know, 30 years ago, 40 years ago, maybe it was law and order. Maybe it was. But now, if it exists, it's a silent majority that wants change, that wants reform, that is calling out for forms of racial justice. And you see all these political figures acknowledging that, and you see culturally it happening too. Look, I don't happen to be a giant country music fan, but I know who Lady Antebellum is, the group. And this may seem like a small thing, but I think it's a big thing because of what it represents. They changed the name. And just put up the statement quickly, if you can. I read part of it. I can't read print that small, because I'm too damn old now. But basically, what they said, Errol, is that they're embarrassed that their name, Antebellum, conjures up, literally, refers to the period before the war, before the Civil War when slavery existed. They're embarrassed by it, and they want to be known as Lady A now. That's a big deal.
[Louis:] That is a big deal. And the reality is there are people like this group that have it is their business to have their finger on the pulse of where the culture is going, of where the young people are going. And people are going to ratify that choice every day by downloading and streaming and purchasing concert tickets and so forth. And this is the ground that's shifting that you really can't change with a couple of policies, right? This is not something that is going to be fought out on the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives. This is the whole culture changing. And it's, in some ways, analogous to what we've seen with same-sex marriage. It was impossible. It was impossible. It was impossible, until it was normal. And the shifts like this don't come along very often, but when they do, it puts a politician like Donald Trump in a very difficult position. You can fight against an opponent. It's very hard to fight against a movement. It's even harder to fight against a cultural shift. And, you know, that's the task for him. We should mention, by the way, as we talk about 1968, the winner in that presidential year was Richard Nixon. So this movements give rise to counter movements, and so we should expect a lot more turbulence between now and the end of the year.
[Camerota:] In terms of the alacrity with which things have moved, Angela, the Louisville City Council in Kentucky last night, 26-0, voted to end no-knock warrants. I don't even know if many of us knew that there was such a thing as a no-knock warrant until Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor was killed. So you know, obviously, it is heart-breaking that this special young woman lost her life, but now this is a household word; and they did the right thing yesterday.
[Rye:] Yes, so Breonna's Breonna's Law was passed. And I think with the backdrop that just last week Rand Paul refused to vote in favor of an anti-lynching bill in the United States Senate speaks volumes. It is an amazing thing that this law was passed and so quickly in Louisville, Kentucky. But the flag that I would offer you all is that, as we celebrate that progress, Breonna Taylor's killers are still on the streets. They are placed on administrative leave. They have still not been arrested. They shot 20 times into her home. She received eight of those bullets and was killed. Under any other circumstance, if there was a a citizen that did that, they would be arrested. And so we have to remember that, as times are shifting, as change as change comes, that we still need justice, that we still need to be from under the thumb of oppression. Or as Reverend Sharpton talked about, it's time for America to get to get its knee off our backs. We have to have that safety and security. This under the backdrop the Donald Trump talking about law and order, which when I hear, I hear shoot to kill. Right? We have to start reckoning with all of these things and understand that progress is coming, but for so many, progress has to come a lot quicker for us to survive.
[Berman:] Yes. The president says dominate the streets with compassion, which sounds like the world's worst James Taylor song. Shower the people you love with pepper spray.
[Rye:] Yes.
[Berman:] Errol Louis, Angela Rye, thanks for being with us this morning. Appreciate the discussion.
[Rye:] Thank you both.
[Berman:] Coronavirus cases spiking in states across the country. Is Texas already experiencing a second wave? Our next guest says yes.

[Kristie Lu Stout, Cnn International Host, News Stream:] On high alert. Sri Lanka's government asks Muslims to avoid gathering for Friday prayers. Bracing for survival. The strongest cyclone in Mozambique's history strikes the already devastated country. And a new blame game. North Korea says peace and security on the Korean peninsula will entirely depend on Washington's attitude. The government of Sri Lanka is asking Muslims to avoid gathering for Friday prayers as the Prime Minister warns that the terror threat has not passed. A government official asked Muslims to show solidarity with Catholics in the wake of Sunday's deadly attacks. A suicide bomber who attacked the Shangri La hotel on Easter Sunday has been named as Zahran Hashim. That's according to Sri Lanka's presidential media team, and that's a name that was previously known to government officials. At least 70 people have now been detained suspected of helping the suicide bombers who targeted churches and hotels. The death toll has been lowered significantly from 359 down to 253. The Health Ministry said the numbers have changed because many of the victims' bodies were severely damaged. A police source says investigators found bomb making plans as well as the components at a house they raided south of the capital. That discovery will do little to allay the concerns of people in the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. Almost a week after those horrific attacks, the fear in the streets is palpable. Ivan Watson is there finding empty streets and empty shops.
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Any normal day of the week, this shopping street would be full of pedestrians. But shopkeepers who are here, they say that most of the shops, more than half appear to be closed and there are a couple reasons: there are fears that the terrorist bombers could strike again, and there are fears that Muslims in this community could be targeted in revenge attacks. And today empty?
[Unidentified Male:] Today empty.
[Watson:] Because of fear. People are afraid.
[Unidentified Male:] Afraid.
[Watson:] Yes. How does it feel?
[Unidentified Female:] It's a little bit unnerving, I guess. We're leaving the city like now, we're getting in a train.
[Watson:] Don't be fooled by the music playing over the loudspeakers because I'd say that half the stores in this shopping mall are also closed right now, and here's part of why. The U.S. Embassy in Colombo put out this warning saying quote, "Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka." They could target without warning tourist locations, transport hubs, markets, and shopping malls. The list goes on. The Sri Lankan Security Forces are on high alert. We see them deployed all throughout the capital, Colombo; at checkpoints, checking IDs, stopping cars and searching them and that's because there is real fear that there could be a second wave of terrorist attacks and they're deployed here in front of a mosque, a Sufi Muslim mosque. Now the ideology of hate and extremism that is proposed and spread by ISIS, they hate Sufi Muslims. They consider them heretics and thus, they are also a potential target. The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has announced that it is suspending all Church Services until April 29th amid these security threats and the Sri Lankan Minister of Muslim Affairs has urged Muslims to stay home, not to go to mosque and not to attend Friday prayers for fear of further terrorist attacks.
[Lu Stout:] That was Ivan Watson reporting and the investigation is revealing more details about the attackers. Ivan joins us now live from Colombo, and Ivan, more suspects remain at large of what is the latest on the arrests as well as the investigation.
[Watson:] Well, at least 70 people detained by police. They are looking at a lot of relatives of some of the suspected suicide bombers. We've heard from the President's media team here that the leader of National Thowheed Jamaat, that is this homegrown Islamist extremist group that has been accused of carrying out the Easter Sunday bombings that the leader of that organization, Zahran Hashim, that he is believed to have been one of the bombers of the Shangri La Hotel, which is some distance from where I am right now in the background there. A high level Intelligence source has said that they are almost 75 percent convinced that they have identified him as one of the Shangri La Hotel bombers. I do have to say that amid the different strands of the investigation and what is clearly a substantial terrorist conspiracy when you have between eight to ten potential suicide bombers who blew themselves up on Sunday, that some of the information we've gotten from different parts of the security apparatus and the government has been contradictory at times, as have other basic statistics like the death toll, which went from 359 people killed as of Thursday, to suddenly being revised by the Health Ministry to a much lower number of casualties, 253 victims killed. The explanation being that unfortunately, many of the victims, their bodies were torn apart and that the forensics investigators were counting pieces as separate victims. But that is an example of how this process and getting the facts out has been complicated and a sign of how overwhelming it has been for the security establishment and frankly, the state here in Sri Lanka Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] Yes, Ivan, a downward revision in the death toll raising a lot of questions about credibility, about the scale and complexity of the investigation as well. Ivan Watson reporting live for us. Thank you. Let's bring in Hilmy Ahamed, the Vice President of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka. Sir, thank you for joining us. You have condemned these attacks. You said that these extremists do not represent Islam. How concerned are you about a backlash, about retaliation against Muslims after these attacks?
[Hilmy Ahamed, Vice President Of The Muslim Council Of Sri Lanka:] We certainly think that, you know, there could be retaliation. But you know, the last three days have shown that no major incident has been reported, which is comforting. And we only now fear that vested interests might take advantage of this and try to create chaos in the cities.
[Lu Stout:] So Muslims have been asked to stay low, to not gather for Friday prayers. You were saying that there have been no incidents against Muslims in recent days. But how are you going to move forward here? You know, how are you talking with other Muslim leaders, other individuals in the community about responding to what happened last Sunday, and the most important thing to try to prevent that horrific extremist violence from happening again?
[Ahamed:] Yes, you know this particular assault came as a total shock for the Muslims. The Muslims never anticipated this kind of terror to be committed by anybody calling themselves Muslims. Throughout Sri Lanka's history, the Muslims have been a peace loving group. And even during the 30 years of war, none of them took up to arms, even though a whole community was expelled from their homes in the north. But to see the you know, we also feel very guilty, that we didn't do enough to prevent this, because we should have been a little more vigilant knowing very well, that some of them were using social media to create hate.
[Lu Stout:] Sri Lanka, as you say, is a peace loving nation, but there should be more vigilance. So, how? What should people be vigilant for? What should they be on the lookout for to identify extremism in your country?
[Ahamed:] Basically, you see, we are a small community, and we know that the radicals may be maximum of 200 across the country. So out of two million, 200 is a very negligible figure. And they should have monitored them. They should have mobilized our mosques to ensure that there was no radicalization of the youth. You know, as we know, that some of them even traveled to Syria to join with ISIS, but you know, they were brought back and rehabilitated.
[Lu Stout:] Yes, I mean, they represent a very, very, very small portion of the community and yet it involved some pretty prominent individuals. You know, two of the suicide bombers involved in these attacks are members of a prominent and wealthy family. Their father, a spice tycoon named Mohamed Ibrahim, did you know this family and do you know how they came to be radicalized?
[Ahamed:] Yes, that is a huge mystery. I personally didn't know the family, but I knew of the person because he is a fairly well- established spice merchant and people claimed that he was the third largest spice exporter from Sri Lanka. And to see with the ISIS claim, a lot of the puzzle seems to be fitting in because ISIS has always been targeting, not the poor, but you know, well- educated, middle class youth. So almost all the suicide bombers, other than Zahran fit that category of people.
[Lu Stout:] Hilmy Ahamed, we thank you for joining us. Take care.
[Ahamed:] Thank you.
[Lu Stout:] Now, in Mozambique, the strongest cyclone ever to hit the country has demolished homes and knocked out power. Cyclone Kenneth made landfall on Thursday after killing three people in the nearby island nation of Comoros. Now although the winds have died down, a Red Cross official warns that heavy rain will happen over the next few days that could bring a second wave of destruction. Chad Myers joins us live from the CNN World Weather Center, and Chad, not that long ago, we had Cyclone Idai, which caused hundreds of deaths in the region. Could this storm, Kenneth be just as devastating?
[Chad Myers, Cnn Meteorologist:] Absolutely. Except that we don't have the population density where Kenneth hit, so there's some good news there. Compared to millions of people, we think somewhere around 700,000 people are affected. But this is a much bigger storm than Idai. This was a 220 kilometers per hour storm. Here it was yesterday, about this time, coming and going to the west making landfall to the north of Pemba. Remember now, this is south of the equator. So the winds are actually going what we would consider the wrong way. If you consider a northern hemisphere hurricane, this winds go the other direction because we have a different Coriolis force here. But we know as this made landfall that there was a storm surge along the coast between five and seven meters high that's just wave after wave of higher waves pushing things down, knocking people backwards. And also as you mentioned, a lot of rainfall. Wind surge and rain and then flooding. Mudslides expected. This isn't very topographical here. The highest mountain in the area that's going to get a lot of rain is going to be somewhere around 800 meters high. Here is the rainfall that we already have seen 250 millimeters along the coast. But the problem is what happens next. The storm truly isn't moving very much. We're going to see the rainfall continue here. This is a big storm, Category 4 storm according to our, let's say a hurricane scale in the Atlantic. What happens here? Mozambique, it's one Category 1 every nine years. We've had two, Category 1 two, and then a four here just in the past six weeks. So yes, devastating area. Now the good news is the rainfall that came from Idai is not in the same area that the rainfall is coming here from Kenneth. So that's something, a piece of good news. And then as the storm continues to roll up onto the north, we will see the rainfall spread out just a little bit. There you see the that would be the center of what was Kenneth as it moves away for the next five days, but we're still going to pick up somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 millimeters more of rainfall in the area that will eventually have to run down into the ocean. Finally now, the good news is most of this area is National Park. So some of the rainfall will soak in. But no one is going to ever soak in a meter of rainfall in any one area. It is going to run off and there will be massive, massive flooding Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] Kenneth is a ferocious storm. There will be massive flooding. Chad we appreciate the update. Thank you. You're watching NEWS STREAM, and up next. Kim Jong-un says when it comes to the nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the ball is in the United States' court. Now, what he says might happen if the U.S. does not change its attitude. Also ahead Saudi Arabia under scrutiny. Trial documents raise new questions about this week's mass executions.

[Harlow:] All right, a really interesting development. This morning, 2020 Democratic Candidate Senator Bernie Sanders is taking his wage fight directly directly to the top leaders at Walmart. He, right now, is at the annual shareholder meeting. It's just a few minutes from their headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. He's pushing the company to raise their minimum wage to $15 an hour.
[Sciutto:] And, listen to this, he's also proposing to put hourly workers on the company's board of directors. That would be a potential first in the company's history. Walmart, of course, one of the country's biggest employers. CNN correspondent Ryan Nobles, he's outside that meeting in Rodgers, Arkansas. This is going to be quite a moment here.
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, no doubt about that, Jim and Poppy. You know, we've regularly heard Bernie Sanders go after the Walton family, of course Jeff Bezos from Amazon, from the campaign trail. But what is different today is that he's actually going to physically be inside this shareholder meeting, be able to look Doug McMillon, the CEO of Walmart, face-to-face and tell him about his grievances with the Walmart Corporation. The way it's going to work is that a former associate is going to offer up a proposal to put an employee on their board of directors.
[Sciutto:] Interesting.
[Harlow:] It's going to be tough for them now because Amazon just raised their wages to $15 an hour, right?
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] So there's going to there's that increasing pressure in the marketplace, too.
[Sciutto:] There's a public relations aspect to it, too.
[Harlow:] Totally.
[Sciutto:] No question. Ryan Nobles, great to have you there.
[Harlow:] This just into CNN. A group of bipartisan senators has announced 22 joint resolutions to block arm sales to Saudi Arabia without congressional approval. This is a big deal.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] It comes after last month when President Trump, the Trump administration, declared an emergency to go around Congress and expedite billions of dollars in arms sales to various countries. Of course, one of them being Saudi Arabia. Another, the UAE. It matters. We'll talk about it next hour
[Sciutto:] It does. Initially, Senator Lindsey Graham, who's been in lockstep with this president on so many things
[Harlow:] That's true.
[Sciutto:] On this, he's supporting these resolutions.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] And we should note, it's been eight months since Jamal Khashoggi was murdered. This administration has missed a deadline required by law to determine responsibility for his murder.
[Harlow:] That's right. That's right. So now Republicans and Democrats in the Senate trying to hold them to account. OK, how responsible for keeping students safe is the police officer, resource officer essentially, who was outside of the school in Parkland? That is the question now in a criminal case against

[Announcer:] The following is a CNN Special Report.
[Unidentified Male:] Ladies and gentlemen, the first lady of the United States, Mrs. Melania Trump.
[Kate Bennett, Cnn:] She's the most unusual first lady in modern history.
[Kate Andersen Brower, Author, "first Women":] She's very reclusive.
[Kellyanne Conway, White House Adviser:] Melania Trump is never beholden to the Washington ways of broadcasting everything you're thinking and doing.
[Unidentified Reporter:] There are persistent rumors that Mrs. Trump does not live in this White House.
[Melania Trump, First Lady Of The United States:] Good morning.
[Bennett:] She's forging her own path.
[Stephanie Grisham, Deputy Chief Of Staff For Communications:] The president warned her that people are going to attack you about this.
[Bennett:] Flying under the radar.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Still no sighting of the elusive first lady.
[Bennett:] Setting her own trends.
[M. Trump:] Everybody has a different taste.
[Unidentified Reporter:] The jacket
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] The jacket
[Unidentified Reporter:] This jacket
[Unidentified Female:] I don't think she can shake it, do you?
[Bennett:] Not to mention coping with the intense scrutiny of her marriage.
[Frank Bruni, Columnist, The New York Times:] I get the feeling that she cares less about what people think than any of her predecessors.
[Bennett:] Tonight, questions.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Do you think the public will come to understand her more?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] She's become a very, very popular first lady. I'm reading that.
[Bennett:] Curiosity.
[Unidentified Male:] I constantly hear how much fun she is.
[Bennett:] And controversy.
[Carl Sferrazza Anthony, Author, "first Ladies":] I have never known a first lady who has accumulated so many small acts of resistance.
[Bennett:] With a rare visit to the East Wing.
[Grisham:] This is where I would say all the magic happens.
[Bennett:] An inside look at the first lady, WOMAN OF MYSTERY, MELANIA TRUMP. It's 6:00 a.m., Monday, March 4th. I'm in a press van following Melania Trump's motorcade on the tarmac. It's about a 17-minute drive from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base. The first lady's staff has allowed me to bring a camera along for the CNN documentary. That doesn't happen often. Neither do these trips. Melania is hitting the road to promote her "Be Best" campaign. Two years into her time as first lady, it's her first solo domestic overnight trip. [On Camera] Is that a normal first lady schedule?
[Brower:] I think she does a lot less than other first ladies have done.
[Unidentified Male:] The first lady of the United States, Mrs. Melania Trump.
[Brower:] She announced cyber bullying campaign really late.
[M. Trump:] We can and should teach children the importance of social and self-awareness.
[Brower:] I think that every first lady has felt compelled to have an agenda and to really work. The first first lady to ever have an initiative was Lady Bird Johnson when she had this Highway Beautification Act. You had Nancy Reagan with "Just Say No to Drugs." The Bush women both had literacy.
[Michelle Obama, Former First Lady:] You guys count.
[Brower:] And then Michelle Obama with her "Let's Move" campaign. There was always a sense, this obligation, to treat this like a job. And I think we see Melania Trump treat it more like a hobby. It took Melania a long time to come up with the cyber bullying campaign. And I am sure it's because her staff said you're going to get criticized if you do this.
[Bennett:] Criticized by some who question how the wife of a notorious Twitter bully could lead a campaign that includes cyber bullying.
[Brower:] I think she's also really smart. I mean, she sees the inherent hypocrisy. And she said, look, I'm doing it anyway.
[Bennett:] A character trait that we hear over and over to describe this first lady.
[Grisham:] She's very, very independent and she does things her way. Coming up here, you've got Mrs. Trump's office and my office.
[Bennett:] Melania Trump's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham.
[Grisham:] The president warned her that people are going to attack you on this. And it was very important to her and she stuck with it. That is to this day one of the things I respect and admire about her the most.
[M. Trump:] Good morning.
[Grisham:] She'll always do what she thinks is right, no matter what anyone else tells her. And I don't know that that's been done before.
[Bennett:] Melania's first stop on her cross-country trip is a school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
[M. Trump:] We always need to be kind and show love. Correct? Yes. We don't like hate. We don't like that word either. Correct? We need to be nice.
[Bennett:] The first lady has been trying to put substance behind her "Be Best" agenda. A broad initiative to improve the well-being of children, promote online safety and combat the opioid abuse crisis in this country.
[M. Trump:] I do believe we can be known as the generation that ended the opioid epidemic.
[Anthony:] I think by taking on a lot, sometimes first ladies can be remembered for very little. A first lady and her advisers must very carefully create a strategy. You realize, Michelle Obama was head of a hospital and had a large staff and Lady Bird Johnson was CEO of a multimedia conglomerate in Texas. They knew what they were doing and they knew what they wanted to do. I don't think Melania Trump has been afforded the necessary resources.
[Conway:] She's always consulting with her professionals.
[Bennett:] The White House says, Melania's got this.
[Conway:] More than almost any other modern first lady, Melania Trump was thrust into the role on a very short time line. And she's done remarkably well. And whether she gets the credit now is not as important as the impact that she is having on American lives.
[Bennett:] In the modern era, first lady's social agendas have stemmed from matters close to their hearts.
[Anthony:] In 1974, Betty Ford discovered that she had breast cancer. She decided, this is bigger than me.
[Betty Ford, Former First Lady:] One day I appeared to be fine and the next day, the very next day, I was in the hospital for a mastectomy.
[Anthony:] Untold millions of women's lives were saved. It was real freaking life.
[Bennett:] Have there been missed moments for Melania Trump? Last May, she entered the hospital for a kidney procedure that kept her out of the public eye for weeks.
[Anthony:] If Melania Trump had spoken about what the kidney ailment was, plain and simple and unemotional and unembarrassed, if Melania Trump were to ever address what it feels like sometimes to have the barrier and judgment of an accent, if she talked about a few of these very human qualities that make her vulnerable, that would be enormous.
[Grisham:] I think that while she is the first lady of the United States and people do deserve to know a lot about her and how wonderful she is, I think her privacy is important. I have learned from her that we don't have to tell everybody everything. We just don't. And it works out fine.
[M. Trump:] The president. He is in the Oval Office.
[Brower:] I think there's a warmth to her that people don't see. And you see it when she's with kids. You kind of see her light up. But otherwise there is just this kind of wall between her and us.
[Bennett:] Up next
[John King, Cnn Chief National Correspondent:] This is unheard of.
[Brower:] It was jaw dropping.
[Bennett:] Melania gets tough. As you leave the West Wing, and walk down this driveway, under the portico of the White House, you'll reach the East Wing.
[Sarah Ellison, Staff Writer, The Washington Post:] It was built in the '40s during World War II over an underground bunker that was for the president in the event of an attack or an emergency.
[Bennett:] The East Wing has served as offices for the first lady and her staff since 1977. Rosalynn Carter was the first first lady to use the space. Upstairs is the first lady's war room, so to speak. [On Camera] So you're literally her first line of defense.
[Grisham:] Literally right next door to her always. Whether she likes it or not.
[Bennett:] Meet Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump's spokeswoman.
[Grisham:] This is where I come every day. Much bigger than my West Wing office.
[Anthony:] I think perhaps the most important decision that Melania Trump has made is by having hired somebody she trusts and somebody whose sense of judgment is in line with hers.
[Grisham:] The day that it was announced that I had taken the job with the first lady, I came into work and this newspaper was just sitting on my seat. It said, Stephanie, as you can see, you will do a great job. And the president signed it.
[Bennett:] In the ever evolving Trump White House, Grisham is one of the few staffers who has stuck around.
[Grisham:] I was the press wrangler. And from there I became deputy press secretary in the West Wing with Sean Spicer. And then Mrs. Trump stole me. It's kind of a joke with the president and the first lady and I that she stole me away. This is the chief of staff's office. And then advance in operations. And back here is calligraphy. They're very busy, especially during state dinners.
[Bennett:] Grisham is in constant touch with the first lady.
[Grisham:] Working in the East Wing, being so small, we are tight knit. We have to be. We are very close.
[Bennett:] Melania's East Wing has 12 staff members, far fewer than her predecessors.
[Jeremy Bernard, Former Obama White House Social Secretary:] On a given day, we would have three or four events. It was a juggle.
[Bennett:] Jeremy Bernard was the social secretary in the Obama White House.
[Bernard:] Mrs. Obama had initiatives that she launched throughout the administration. So we were really busy all the time.
[Brower:] Michelle Obama had 25 or 30. Laura Bush had upwards of 20. So to have less than half the number of people working for you, I think puts you at a tremendous disadvantage. And it also sends a message about how much you're willing to do and how much you want to do.
[Grisham:] That was done by design by Mrs. Trump. First of all it's fiscally more responsible when you have a staff of our size. Also, she is so big on quality over quantity.
[Bennett:] Melania has isolated herself from the chaos of her husband's White House by directing the East Wing to operate independently from the West Wing.
[Brower:] I think Melania Trump is kind of a radical first lady in a lot of ways. She's someone who came to the position not necessarily wanting to be first lady, but re-imagining it in a really unique way. She's fiercely private and guarded I think in a way that we haven't seen since Jackie Kennedy. Even more so than Jackie Kennedy.
[Jackie Kennedy, Former First Lady:] I rather love this. It has all the colors when one thinks of when one thinks of the White House.
[Brower:] Who famously opened up the White House for a tour.
[Grisham:] We know that she does value her privacy and so that's very important to us. We are all very, very loyal to her. That's not to say people aren't loyal in West Wing, but when it's a smaller staff, I do think it's easier to keep things contained.
[Bennett:] So contained Melania can't shake the public perception that she's not doing much. [On Camera] There's sort of this what does she do all day, right? So what is her day like?
[Grisham:] We have full staff meetings every week. It's very, very busy. And I think one thing I would also remind you, she's got a resident staff of over 100. So she's dealing with her East Wing staff, she's dealing with the Usher's Office and White House Historical Association. So it's a full day for her.
[Unidentified Female:] And people don't realize that the first lady gets involved in these events, sometimes months in advance.
[M. Trump:] Lucy Goosy was thrilled. She was
[Grisham:] Easter we started planning four, five months ago. She chose the colors for the Easter Eggs for this year's Easter egg roll about 2 12, 3 months ago.
[Bennett:] Staffers say Melania is a perfectionist.
[Grisham:] She will have a vision and then she selects everything. I mean, linens, candlesticks, candles, flowers, very detail oriented. It's one of my favorite things about her.
[Conway:] She's very fastidious, very detail conscious. I describe her as a woman of action and
[Bennett:] You've seen her in events. People tend to think that maybe she's stoic.
[Conway:] I have never seen the first lady be aloof, detached, disengaged. She's authentic and warm.
[Grisham:] You meet her and she's the one saying, can I get you a coke, do you want a coffee, are you comfortable, is it warm enough? She's very, very kind and gracious.
[Bennett:] And according to her inner circle, Melania Trump is actually fun to hang out with.
[M. Trump:] I would spend my holidays on deserted island, tropical island with my family.
[Grisham:] Something people don't really know about her is she's got an amazing sense of humor. She's very, very funny. And also, self- deprecating sometimes, which is surprising to me still. Just because she's who she is.
[Bennett:] Coming up, Melania MIA.
[Unidentified Reporter:] There are persistent rumors that Mrs. Trump does not live in this White House.
[Sarah Sanders, White House Press Secretary:] That is an outrageous and ridiculous claim.
[Bennett:] More than a year after she moved into the White House, gossip about the reclusive first lady still churned. [On Camera] What is that like for you to have to deal with?
[Grisham:] Some of the rumors are so funny, we have to laugh. That rumor that there's a fake house somewhere in the area continues to pop up. And we laugh at that. It's silly.
[Bennett:] That rumor caught fire after Melania made a radical decision.
[Conway:] When First Lady Melania Trump decided she would allow her son to finish his school year in New York before moving down here, it was classic, vintage Melania Trump where she is confident. She doesn't need a poll worrying about what people in Washington think, worrying about what the media will say. She did what was right by her son.
[Bennett:] For Melania, motherhood comes first.
[Grisham:] She gets up in the morning and she makes sure that he's eaten and there's arguments about homework being done and getting in the packing him in the car and getting off to school.
[Bennett:] That's funny when you go to the White House and you see the soccer goal put up in the garden.
[Bruni:] Right. And you think, yes, there's a kid. Because she has done such a good job of helping us forget that there's a kid. She has gone to great and almost poignant lengths to protect him from public scrutiny. I think that tells you an enormous amount about her.
[Bennett:] Melania didn't move into the White House for almost six months. Something her predecessor, AKA, mom-in-chief, contemplated herself.
[Brower:] For someone like Michelle Obama, it must have been kind of galling to see her do it. Because it's like, I didn't know that was an option. It was very important to her. She clearly loved life in Trump Tower. She wanted to put it off until the last possible moment, which she did. And in some ways, it's kind of a feminist decision.
[Bennett:] When she finally moved into the White House, Melania kept a low profile.
[M. Trump:] We are so incredibly privileged.
[Bennett:] Then last May, she had a health scare.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] The First Lady Melania Trump recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center.
[Bennett:] Melania was admitted to the hospital for a benign kidney condition. Rumors flared again when post-procedure she didn't surface for nearly a month. Late-night TV poked fun at MIA Melania.
[Stephen Colbert, Host, "late Show With Stephen Colbert":] Because as of the time we're taping the show right now, the first lady has not been seen in public for 25 days. Well, I'm not surprised. It took that Shawshank guy years to tunnel out.
[Brower:] I think people want to imagine her as someone who is trapped in the White House. This kind of damsel in distress image, which is not at all in alignment with who she really is. In same way that Donald Trump breaks all these norms, Melania Trump breaks every rule because she can.
[Bennett:] Melania has always been a reserved, private person. She was born Melanija Knavs in 1970 and raised in Sevnica, a quiet industrial town in Slovenia, which was then part of Yugoslavia.
[Brower:] She's the second to be born outside the U.S. The first one is Luisa Adams who was born in London. Her father was a member of the Communist Party. Her mom was a dressmaker and worked in the factory.
[Anthony:] When people get to know the real story behind her early years, they will recognize that she is innately drawn to creativity. She's somebody who likes to draw, who likes to sketch, who likes to design.
[Bennett:] She studied architecture and design for a year at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia before realizing modeling was her passion. Photographer
[Unidentified Male:] She learned very quick.
[Bennett:] She got work modeling but quickly outgrew her hometown. After a year, Melania dropped out of college, left Slovenia and moved to Italy to model in Milan. Then in 1996, at the age of 26, dead set on becoming a famous model, Melania moved to New York. Never a party girl, it was a rare night out during Fashion Week at New York City's Kit Kat Club that put her in the path of an older real estate tycoon.
[M. Trump:] I've been in Slovenia two years ago. I don't
[Larry King, Former Cnn:] Did you go?
[D. Trump:] Yes. I was there about 13 minutes.
[Bennett:] Years later, the Trumps spoke to CNN's Larry King about the first time they met.
[M. Trump:] He came to me
[King:] Like her right away?
[D. Trump:] I went crazy. I said I was actually supposed to meet somebody else. I said, forget about her. Who is the one on the left? And it was Melania.
[King:] You like him right away?
[M. Trump:] It was a great chemistry and energy. We had, you know, great time. We start to talk. And, you know, it was something was there right away.
[Brower:] This is kind of what she signed up for. Right? I mean, she is more than 20 years younger than him. He is a playboy. He was famously dating lots of models.
[Bennett:] In 2000, while dating, Melania landed a modeling coup.
[Brower:] I mean, I think she's the first first lady to ever have these photos. Betty Ford was a model but nothing like this, I can assure you.
[Bennett:] She posed nearly nude in a glossy British GQ magazine spread. Trump supplied his jet for the photo shoot.
[Brower:] Her posing on the Trump plane decked out in, you know, diamonds and gold, and she really came to be like this kind of perfect Stepford wifesuper model for him.
[Bennett:] Next, the most bizarre union. And the biggest first lady fashion faux pas in history.
[Unidentified Reporter:] First lady Melania Trump has been getting a lot of backlash.
[D. Trump:] I'd like to introduce my wife, Melania. Come.
[Bennett:] Early April 2016, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
[M. Trump:] It is wonderful to be here today with you and with my husband. I'm very proud of him.
[Bennett:] Melania Trump made a rare appearance on the Presidential campaign trail. In terms of him running for President, was she pro or was she against it?
[Unidentified Female:] It had been going on for so many years. She was basically saying, "Do it or don't. I'm tired of this waffling." And that was one of the big things that pushed him to actually get into the race.
[D. Trump:] We are going to make our country great again.
[Brower:] She was reclusive even then though. She didn't sign up to be married to the President of the United States. She signed up to be married to a very wealthy, celebrity New York real estate developer. So, this isn't the life that she necessarily wanted.
[Bennett:] According to the White House, Melania was on board all along.
[Conway:] That is probably one of the under-covered stories of the 2016 campaign, is how steady and supportive Mrs. Trump was.
[M. Trump:] He's compassionate, giving and loving. Donald cares.
[Conway:] She is an incredibly important honest adviser who expects nothing from the President, except his success.
[Bennett:] Yet, images and accounts of the Trump marriage in the White House seem to paint a very different picture.
[Brower:] They're the first First Couple since the Kennedys to have separate bedrooms. Laura Bush would say that she was anchored to her husband. Michelle Obama and President Obama, there was a a magnetism there. Donald Trump is not chivalrous in the way that other Presidents have been. He does not opening the door for her.
[Bennett:] And there have been other awkward moments caught on camera.
[Brower:] She famously swatted her husband's hand away on the tarmac in Israel, doing these things that most First Ladies would never let cameras see.
[Bennett:] So, is the Trump marriage on the rocks? Melania's inner circle says, "No way."
[Grisham:] They are like any other happily married couple. I see a lot of things behind the scenes. They're very affectionate towards one another, and they laugh a lot, and they talk, and they're open with each other.
[Conway:] When he's on the road, they speak frequently. When she's on the road, he's always checking in. I've witnessed it on both ends actually.
[Bennett:] Yet pundits say because Melania is a woman of so few words, the visuals speak volumes.
[Robin Givhan, Fashion Editor & Critic, The Washington Post:] You're in the public eye, and you're not doing all that much, and you're not saying all that much. And yet, there you are. The only recourse is to try to suss out something based on how you have turned yourself out for the occasion.
[Bennett:] With Mrs. Obama, and even prior with Mrs. Bush, designers would create looks, specifically for that First Lady. Melania Trump seems to buy online.
[Givhan:] What they were essentially saying is "I don't want to collaborate on a special ensemble for this First Lady" because they're not supportive of the administration. A lot of that led to her decision to just sort of say, "OK, fine, I will wear what I want to wear, and I'll leave the designers out of the equation."
[Bennett:] Many searching for clues from the elusive Melania interpret her high-fashion looks as possible feminist statements.
[Givhan:] The Gucci Pussy-bow blouse, people, I think, glommed onto it obviously because of the name of the blouse. And because of the Access Hollywood tape had recently been thrust into the news.
[Bennett:] The white pantsuit at the State of the Union, was that a message?
[Givhan:] There were the notions that "Oh, she's wearing the white because she's signaling that she's really on the side of The Resistance."
[Bennett:] Some looks, including subtle fashion nods to the countries she's visited, have backfired. Which is what happened in Africa when she wore the pith helmet.
[Givhan:] I'm not sure why anyone wears a pith helmet by.
[Bennett:] Most bury out of Africa. East Wing staffers say they have zero control over Melania.
[Grisham:] We all give her the best advice that we can all the time. And then, she's going to do, you know, what she feels is best.
[Bennett:] That stance may have led to one of the biggest fashion blunders in First Lady history. Last summer, when Melania made a humanitarian trip to a children shelter at the Mexico border, what could have been a compassionate visit turned into a PR nightmare.
[Unidentified Female:] Melania Trump has been getting a lot of backlash.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor, Cnn Newsroom:] It's the jacket that's getting all the attention.
[Unidentified Male:] The jacket. The jacket.
[Unidentified Female:] This jacket.
[Grisham:] The fact of the matter is she wore the jacket onto the airplane, and then she changed when she was around those children.
[Givhan:] I find it mind-boggling that message got sprayed at everyone who was in eyeshot.
[Bennett:] The White House says it was blown out of proportion.
[Grisham:] I would find it laughable, me giving her clothing advice, it just seems crazy to me.
[Bennett:] The damage had been done in the public eye.
[Anthony:] If there's one thing that ended up sabotaging compelling goodwill, it was wearing that stupid damn jacket. Period!
[Bennett:] Months later, the First Lady addressed controversies surrounding her clothing.
[M. Trump:] I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear.
[Bennett:] Coming up.
[Bruni:] Melania could do something that no First Lady before her has done.
[Bennett:] Cleveland, Ohio, October 1975, when First Lady Betty Ford took the stage to lobby for the Equal Rights Amendment, it was considered a bold move.
[Ford:] Why should my husband's job, or yours, prevent us from being ourselves?
[Bennett:] First ladies have traditionally been advocates and informal advisers for their husbands. Yet, there really is no rulebook.
[Bruni:] We've never figured out what we want from a First Lady because what the heck is a First Lady. You're supposed to show passion while having no true convictions. You're supposed to show some independence while being completely deferential. The whole job is an oxymoron.
[Bennett:] In the modern era, it's still uncommon for a First Lady to go on record with an opinion contrary to that of her husband.
[Anthony:] There have been very rare examples when President Kennedy asked his wife to please somehow help maneuver the White wife of Actor Sammy Davis Jr. out of the photograph. She was enraged, and she refused to do it. When Eleanor Roosevelt was outraged over the internment of Japanese Americans, and argued the point with her husband.
[Bruni:] We've gotten subtle but deliberate signals that they might not agree with their husband on every policy thing. Melania's statements that contradict or don't back up Donald Trump, they don't have that feel. They don't feel like smart political strategy. They feel like tiny rebellions.
[Anthony:] I've never known a First Lady who has accumulated, in a relatively short period of time, so many small acts of resistance.
[Bennett:] Could Melania Trump be changing the First Lady playbook? Melania tweets and conducts her own social media without running it by anyone. Some of her posts and actions fly in the face of her husband.
[Grisham:] There have been many situations with the West Wing, her saying what she thinks, how she feels, she is authentic, and she will remain authentic always. It's just who she is.
[Bennett:] Like this past August, when Trump ripped into NBA Star LeBron James.
[Bruni:] Right after her husband, on Twitter, of course, as a cyberbully, mocked LeBron James' intelligence, her office puts out a statement praising the work that LeBron James has done.
[Grisham:] That's how we do things over here. It's she wants to do it, we we take care of it.
[Bennett:] It's not the first time Melania has disagreed with her husband.
[Bruni:] I don't think that's an accident. And that's why I once wrote a column saying she could be our greatest First Lady.
[Bennett:] New York Times Op-Ed Writer Frank Bruni has a theory or perhaps some wishful thinking. The First Lady is actually trolling the President.
[Bruni:] Melania could do something that no First Lady before her has done, which is actually kind of stop the monster, stop him by waging this sort of subtle psyops campaign.
[Bennett:] Bruni cites Melania's Be Best platform as the first clue.
[Bruni:] I think cyberbullying is picked on purpose, just happened to land on that one, and it's exactly what her husband does every hour on Twitter. It is impossible to view that as anything but a sort of slap of her husband. But when you add that to wearing the white pantsuit for his first State of the Union address, right, a reminder of Hillary Clinton, a reminder of suffragettes. When you add that to going to Africa, on her first, truly long, flashy solo trip, a continent that her husband has repeatedly, in direct and indirect ways, mocked and belittled.
[Unidentified Female:] What is the message you want to send to the world on behalf of your husband's administration with this trip?
[M. Trump:] That we care and-
[Bruni:] I don't think she's sitting around coming up with some fancy and sustained script. But I do think in some very weird and unbelievably compelling way, she's letting her husband know, "I see you clearly, and I will slap you down, and tweak you in public."
[Bennett:] But Melania's camp says that notion is pure fiction.
[Conway:] Anybody who would even question that is just being a, you know, a critic and a cynic for no reason, with no basis, in fact. She will express her opinion. She will give her advice. Sometimes he will take it, sometimes he may not.
[Grisham:] It's not a spite towards her husband. It's not us being rude. There's no, again, there's no war there. It's just her saying what she thinks is right, and doing what she thinks is right.
[Bennett:] Then, in November, the private First Lady made a staggering public move.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor & Co-host, New Day:] Stunning and unprecedented public rebuke.
[Bennett:] Melania called for the axing of a top National Security Council official who had clashed with her East Wing staff, stating "It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House." West Wing officials, including the President, were blindsided.
[Brower:] I mean it was jaw-dropping. Those kinds of things you would never see another First Lady do. Nancy Reagan got President Reagan's Chief of Staff, Don Regan, fired, but it was never a public statement.
[Bennett:] The power-play signaled that this First Lady may be more like her husband than anyone realized.
[Grisham:] I don't think it's unconventional for her. This is who she is.
[Bennett:] Coming up, FLOTUS writes her own script on scandal. Last January, when the Stormy Daniels scandal lit up again-
[Unidentified Female:] Stormy, we love you.
[Jim Moret, Chief Correspondent, Inside Edition:] Have you been paid to keep quiet? Have you signed a nondisclosure agreement?
[Bennett:] And the porn star, paid off by Trump's fixer to cover up an alleged affair, began her press tour. The First Lady made a quiet landing in Mar-a-Lago. When POTUS is in hot water, pundits have noticed a trend.
[Brower:] At the most difficult times during the Stormy Daniels scandal, she really did leave him out to dry. There were times when she wouldn't share the walk to Marine One. She famously wouldn't go to Davos. And this was around their wedding anniversary too. She didn't take the motorcade with him to the State of the Union, which was a first for a First Lady. When he really needed her to stand up, and publicly defend him, she was not doing that.
[Bruni:] She seems to be sending either a public signal or a signal to him that "I don't put up with everything gladly and that there are moments when I need to sort of punish you, or show the nation that I'm punishing you."
[Bennett:] Historically, the wives of powerful men have supported their husbands to counteract allegations of infidelity.
[Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former First Lady Of The United States:] I'm sitting here because I love him and I respect him.
[Bennett:] In 1992, Hillary Clinton sat in solidarity with her husband on 60 Minutes to address his alleged affair with Gennifer Flowers.
[Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, Justice Brett Kavanaugh's Wife:] He's decent.
[Bennett:] Last year, Ashley Kavanaugh appeared on Fox News defending her husband, now Justice Brett Kavanaugh, against sexual assault allegations. But Melania Trump has never followed that script.
[M. Trump:] The President of the United States, Donald Trump.
[Bruni:] There is clearly this independent streak in her, which I think surprises people just because in so many other ways she seems like an old-fashioned wife.
[Ellison:] I think because Melania doesn't have an ambition for higher office, she has nothing to lose. She's sort of free to express those irritations.
[Bennett:] Then, after months of salacious headlines about Trump's alleged affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, Melania finally spoke up. During her solo trip to Africa, she sat down with ABC News to address rumors of her husband's cheating.
[M. Trump:] It is not concern and focus of mine. I'm a mother and a First Lady. And I have much more important things to think about and to do.
[Bennett:] If there was ever a chance to humanize the President and defend his character, this was it. But Melania punted.
[Bruni:] What's really interesting here, it's the part of this we don't talk about as much. Nobody else gets to undermine and countermine Donald Trump with impunity.
[Brower:] She holds a lot of cards in this relationship. If she were to walk away, it would be a first First Lady to leave her husband in Office, and I think it would be incredibly damaging for him.
[Bennett:] But how does his behavior affect the First Lady's reputation?
[Anthony:] Even if Melania Trump were to become wildly successful-
[M. Trump:] October is National Bullying Prevention Month.
[Anthony:] -no matter what a First Lady does manage to achieve, it can never overcome negative impact of the President.
[D. Trump:] You're fired. Get out.
[Bennett:] No question, President Trump will need Melania by his side for his 2020 reelection campaign.
[Brower:] I think we do see Melania Trump and Donald Trump growing closer publicly. They've kind of ridden this rollercoaster together.
[Bruni:] She has always come around in the end. We will see her in 2020. But I think we'll see her less.
[Brower:] She's not going to walk away. But she is going to let it be known that she's not happy.
[Bennett:] Do you think the public will see her more or come to understand her more?
[Conway:] I will leave it to the First Lady to unveil additional parts of her portfolio.
[M. Trump:] Parents, they need to watch it what children are doing, so to be safe.
[Conway:] But I will tell you that she will continue to support the work of this administration.
[Grisham:] I think that history will look back on her very kindly. I hope that First Ladies to come will take a page out of her book, because I think it's just very powerful and strong.
[Anthony:] She's in a role that's dynamic. It's ever-changing. While we can sometimes be an impatient nation, we're just going to have to give Melania Trump time.
[Bruni:] Within the role of First Lady, she has served notice that she will do it as she wants to do it. I think people understand they're sort of chasing shadows. We just don't know Melania Trump.

[Kim Brunhuber, Cnn Host:] The fallout over reports that President Trump made disparaging comments about fallen U.S. troops, now there are new allegations regarding more controversial remarks. Also ahead
[Unidentified Female:] Oh, my God.
[Unidentified Male:] Holy
[Unidentified Female:] Just keep going.
[Brunhuber:] Fleeing for their lives, these are some of the people trapped by a fast-moving wildfire in California. We'll have more on the extreme weather in the state. And, a powerful typhoon heads toward southern Japan as thousands are told to evacuate. We'll speak to a storm chaser who's there. Live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to you, our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Ken Brunhuber and this is CNN NEWSROOM. CNN and other news organizations have now confirmed some of the shocking allegations in "The Atlantic" magazine, that U.S. president Donald Trump privately denigrated American war dead during a trip to Paris in 2018. The president and his allies have insisted the allegations are false. But a former senior Trump official confirms to CNN that the president spoke in crude and derogatory terms of U.S. Marines who had died in World War I and are buried near Paris. We get more from CNN's Jeremy Diamond at the White House.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] While the White House is still reeling from this report in "The Atlantic" magazine that President Trump referred to American soldiers who lost lives in a critical battle in World War I as losers and suckers as he was deciding not to attend a ceremony at a cemetery where some of those war dead were buried. And now, a former senior administration official is confirming to my colleague, Jim Acosta, that the president did indeed refer those American war dead in crude and derogatory terms. Now, of course, President Trump and the White House have vehemently denied the story insisting that the president has the utmost respect for veterans and service members. And the president even said what kind of animal would refer to a dead American service members in such a fashion? But nonetheless, a former senior administration official confirms to CNN that the president did indeed make those comments. And another source familiar with his remarks has now told CNN that the president has also repeatedly questioned why Vietnam war veterans would've served in that war, suggesting that those service members did not know how to get out of the draft, how to work the system, much in the way that the president himself. We know that president Trump received multiple educational deferments to avoid serving in the Vietnam War and he ultimately received a medical deferment after he got a doctor's note claiming that the president had bone spurs, making him ineligible for military service Jeremy Diamond CNN, the. White House
[Brunhuber:] James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence under President Obama, has been a frequent and harsh critic of President Trump. He's also a retired three-star general in the U.S. Air Force, who served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. Here's what Clapper had to say about those allegations.
[James Clapper, Former U.s. Director Of National Intelligence:] It's insulting, it really is. It never occurred to me to try to avoid it and, in fact, I saw duty in Vietnam because I thought it was the right thing to do as a professional Air Force officer. So I went and served. And I went back for another tour. I'm certainly no exception. I had the good fortune that I wasn't killed or wounded, unlike so many others. And I just can't help but think of the families of those who lost their lives and paid the ultimate price for their service in Vietnam. And then to hear that from the commander in chief, it's very, very troubling.
[Brunhuber:] There were more demonstrations in the U.S. on Saturday against the police killings of Black Americans. Police in Portland, Oregon, declared a riot during the 100th straight night of protests in the city. Police accuse the protesters of throwing Molotov cocktails and engaging in violent conduct. Portland has become an epicenter of the movement against racial injustice and police brutality. CNN's Lucy Kafanov is there for us.
[Lucy Kafanov, Cnn Correspondent:] It's the 100th night of protests here in downtown Portland. We're near Ventura Park, where sort of the largest gathering took place in the evening. There were two, maybe 300 people, some demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails. That prompted the police to declare the gathering a riot. They came in with flashbangs and tear gas; the crowd dispersed. Now we're seeing a different group here, trying to march back down possibly towards the park, possibly towards the police precinct. It's a repeat of what we've seen night after night, although with this being the 100th night, it's somewhat of a larger gathering than what we have seen in previous evenings. There have been smaller gatherings across the city. Those have been largely peaceful, including a car caravan of folks supporting Black Lives Matter that rolled through the streets. The demands of the protesters fairly consistent. They want change to the policing system here. They want racial justice and racial equality. They also want things like $50 million to be diverted from the police budget and reinvested into community programs, housing, education, things of that sort. We also saw on Saturday a rally in memorial of Aaron Jay Danielson, the far right supporter of President Trump, killed by an activist who supported anti-fascism. That activist, Michael Reinoehl, was killed in a confrontation with police on Thursday when authorities moved in to arrest him. Again, the 100th night of protests here. The clashes, the gatherings still continuing Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Portland.
[Brunhuber:] And another night of unrest has been gripping the city of Rochester, New York. Hours of peaceful protests, demonstrators and law enforcement clashed for a fourth straight night. Police deploying pepper balls and tear gas on the crowd. Thousands had flooded the streets, demanding accountability for Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in police custody in March. Earlier on Saturday the New York attorney general announced her office will call a grand jury to investigate Prude's death. The man who was the subject of massive racial justice protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has released a new video message to his supporters. Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by police officers and is unable to walk. In the video he talks about the devastating effects of his injuries.
[Jacob Blake, Police Shooting Victim:] I just want to say, man, to all the young cats out there and even the older ones older than me, there is a lot more life to live out here, man. Your life and not only just your life, your legs, something that you need to move around and move forward in life can be taken from you like this, man. And I promise you, the type of shit that you will go through, staples, I got staples into my back, staples into my damn stomach, you do not want to have to deal with this shit, man. Every 24 hours, it's pain. It's nothing but pain. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat. Please, I'm telling you, change your lives out there. We can stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out there, man, because there is so much time that has been wasted.
[Brunhuber:] And in Louisville, Kentucky, activists marched outside Churchill Downs race track during Saturday's running of the Kentucky Derby. They were demanding justice for Breonna Taylor. Police killed her in a raid on her home in Louisville in March. Protesters aimed to shift attention from America's most famous horse race to her case. CNN's Jason Carroll was there.
[Jason Carroll, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, the demonstration ended where it began, at a park had just about a mile away from Churchill Downs. At one point their numbers were in the thousands. As they got to Churchill Downs, marched around the perimeter. And then just as the race got underway, they stood and they shouted and they voiced all of their concerns. They voiced their message, which is trying to get justice for Breonna Taylor. There were some concerns about whether or not this protest would be peaceful, whether or not it would be nonviolent. We spoke to one of the organizers, who said this was a protest that went off just the way it should have.
[Timothy Findley Jr., Protest Organizer:] Me talking to you right now was a part of our plan. We wanted the world to see, we wanted everyone to see and understand that we are not happy, we are not satisfied with what the attorney general is doing, what the mayor is doing. We want justice for Breonna Taylor.
[Findley:] While that race was going on, people were forced to pay attention to what was going on outside of Churchill Downs. We did so nonviolently but we're going to continue to do. This
[Carroll:] The Derby ran without fans so you didn't have the thousands upon thousands of fans who would normally be at the Derby as they were leaving. But no matter to the demonstrators who are out here today. They feel as though their point still got across, which is to make sure that they are not going to let up on the demonstrations until they see justice for Breonna Taylor Jason Carroll, CNN, Louisville, Kentucky.
[Brunhuber:] For more now on how this is playing into the race for the White House, let's bring in Natasha Lindstaedt, professor of government at the University of Essex. Thank you very much for coming on to speak with us about this. The president's reelection campaign is relying in large part on creating anxiety about urban unrest. Does the violence that we're seeing have the transitive properties he is hoping for? That the blame for the violence in Democratic cities will fall sort of indirectly on Biden instead of himself as president in the here and now?
[Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor, University Of Essex:] I think there's an interesting thing going on here. When we look at some of the most recent polls on how well Trump is handling the protests, how he is handling race relations and whether or not racism is a problem, on one hand, he is actually not doing very well on these questions. There are more Americans that think he's not doing a good job, he's not making the situation better. In fact, only 13 percent of Americans, according to a recent Ipsos poll, say that his rhetoric is actually helping matters. And the poll asks a number of questions, whether or not he's able to make you feel safe, make the country feel safer. And Biden scored better on every single question compared to Trump. But we're also seeing a recent CNN poll that indicated that more Republicans feel that racism is not as big of a problem as it was in June. And more Republicans approve of the way that Trump is handling the situation. I think it's also important to note that, if Trump is able to make the election about protests, about violence, about unrest, about chaos in our cities, that's going to be a lot better for him in the 2020 election than if the focus is on COVID, on the economy, on this recent story about denigrating people who served in battle. So he really wants the narrative of this election to be that the country is so unsafe right now, if Joe Biden takes over, it's going to make it worse and the Democratic leaders and governors are the problem and that he is the only one that can resolve it.
[Brunhuber:] And you know, Trump really seems to be moving the needle in terms of voters' concerns. Law and order seems to have risen quite dramatically in terms of the rankings of people's concerns compared to 2016 and people's favorable views of Black Lives Matter movement has dropped considerably since June. So I'm wondering if painting Joe Biden as a captive to the violence loving Left you know, Joe Biden condemned the violence on both sides. I'm wondering, is it worth the capital for Biden to distance himself further from all of this violence? Or is that just basically a waste of time?
[Lindstaedt:] Well, I think Biden does need to keep coming in and urging for unity and trying to project an image of strength, trying to appear to be presidential and trying to convey to the American public that he is the leader that can heal the nation. And it's important for our morality that we have been lost under Trump. The country has become increasingly polarized and we need a leader to give us messages of unity rather than messages of division. But he doesn't want to focus on this so much that it loses the attention on some of the other things that Democrats want to be emphasizing, which is the COVID-19 situation, of course, and the economy and how Democrats feel that they can get the country out of this mess rather than if Trump is leading.
[Brunhuber:] All right. Thanks to Natasha Lindstaedt. It looks like the Trump tell-all section at the bookstore might need another shelf. The president's former attorney, Michael Cohen's memoir, "Disloyal" is out Tuesday. In it Cohen goes into great detail about Trump's fixation on President Obama, writing Trump was so obsessed, he actually hired a fake Obama for a video, where Trump, quote, "ritualistically belittled the first Black president and then fired him." CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. Now Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to numerous federal crimes, including tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations. He's also sharing his concerns about the upcoming presidential election. Take a listen here.
[Michael Cohen, Former Trump Attorney:] So Donald Trump will do anything and everything within which to win. I believe that includes manipulating the ballots. I believe that he would even go far as to start a war in order to prevent himself from being removed from office. My biggest fear is that there will not be a peaceful transition of power in 2020.
[Brunhuber:] And in the next hour, CNN's "NEW DAY" will have much more on Cohen's book for viewers in the U.S. Police in Birmingham, England, have declared a major incident after reports of multiple stabbings in the city center. A witness tells the BBC Radio 5 that it appeared to begin as several people arguing outside a night club. She says they were yelling racial slurs and then the situation escalated into an all-out brawl among a large group of people. At this point we don't know how many people have been injured or how serious those injuries are. Holiday travel in the era of coronavirus. Just ahead we'll take a look at what kind of security changes Americans should expect over the Labor Day weekend. Plus later in the show, California warns it may have to ration electricity as millions suffer through a dangerous heat wave in the middle of a pandemic. Stay with us.

[Julia Chatterley, Cnn International Anchor:] Live from the New York Stock Exchange, I'm Julia Chatterley. This is FIRST MOVE, and here's your need to know. Volatility rains. U.S. stocks fall as the CDC warns the United States needs to prepare for coronavirus. Helicopter money. The Hong Kong government announces a raft of measures including cash giveaways to support the economy. And a fairy tale farewell. Disney's Bob Iger steps down, Bob Chapek steps up. It's Wednesday. Let's make a move. A warm welcome once again to FIRST MOVE on another day of fast developments in the global coronavirus crisis. And of course, some developments in stock markets, too. Pressure, volatility on global markets. Let me bring you up to speed with what we're seeing at this moment. I can tell you, U.S. futures are now solidly higher. They flipped from being deeply negative just a couple of hours ago. This kind of pattern and sentiment isn't so surprising after one of the worst two-day drops on Wall Street in years. The Dow and the S&P have both fallen some three percent in each of the past two trading sessions. It was all not helped by a warning from the CDC here in the United States yesterday saying that coronavirus will likely come to the U.S. and authorities like schools need to be thinking about how they prepare. The result, all three major markets close to falling some 10 percent from their most recent highs. That's the classic definition that we use for a correction. Beneath the surface, some 64 percent of S&P 500 stocks are already in correction territory including firms like Apple and MasterCard. Both have warned about the coronavirus risks just in the past week. We also saw pressure, too on Asian stocks. The Shanghai Composite you can see there falling some 0.8 percent, but I will tell you what we're seeing in the European session has been equities trying to claw their way back from earlier losses. They are in the red at the moment, but just tilted as you can see to the downside. It's not just stocks though, the selloff in oil continues, too. Brent crude falling through $55.00 a barrel. U.S. crude below $50.00, too. Bond yields, however, firming up slightly here after falling to record lows yesterday. Yields dropping of course as investors bet on fresh stimulus. We're talking fresh rate cuts here from the Federal Reserve. The bottom line here is, guys, uncertainty is what's driving these markets. Let's get to the drivers because I do want to bring you up to speed with what was saying. With regards to coronavirus outbreak. President Trump has announced a press conference later today on the coronavirus outbreak, this of course as global health authorities scramble to contain the outbreaks outside of China. In South Korea, the number of people infected with coronavirus continues to soar, 12 people now officially confirmed dead. A U.S. soldier stationed in the country has also tested positive. Iran, meanwhile, the worst nation hit in the Middle East, 19 deaths have now been reported there and there is concern that thousands of cases may have gone undetected. Meanwhile, in Europe, they are working to contain the outbreak in Italy, too. Twelve deaths have been reported there. France also reporting its first fatality just a short while ago. Not wanting to detract from that crisis, and of course, the humanitarian impact that it's had, but the uncertainty has at the same time wiped $3.3 trillion in value from global markets. Clare Sebastian joins us on this. Clare, again, I want to reiterate, we don't want to take away from the humanitarian impact that this crisis is having. But at the same time, I think investors trying to gauge what the economic impact is going to be and it's tough to gauge how you reflect that risk in terms of the level here for markets not just in the United States, of course, but globally.
[Clare Sebastian, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Yes, Julia, I think it's interesting because in actual fact if you look at the headlines that we've had overnight, things have got worse in terms of the spread of this virus. But we're seeing a bit of a bounce in the premarket action this morning on the markets. And that really suggests that despite these negative headlines, despite the fact that the virus continues to spread, despite the warnings in the U.S. from the Centers for Disease Control, there are those out there who still believe this will be a V-shaped recovery that some of the demand lost will be recaptured. But in terms of how you assess the risk here, I think it's critical to look at what some of the companies are saying because it's very clear now that this has been going on for long enough that wait and see just isn't good enough for some companies. The airlines, a critical case in point here. We've heard this morning from Lufthansa and Air France KLM, both of them are actually Air France KLM stock is now up today, but both of them are aggressively cost cutting in the face of this. Lufthansa saying that it's reassessing new hires. It's offering employees unpaid leave, cutting budgets in administrative areas. Air France KLM saying that impact on revenues will be very significant and it is urging people to only do must do expenditure. That was a letter from the CFO this morning. So companies are increasingly concerned. But I think the markets sort of after the last two days of losses are approaching a technical level where people are thinking we might see a little bit of a bounce, but perhaps not the end of the volatility around this.
[Chatterley:] Yes, you raise a great point. We've moved a long way to the downside in just a very short space of time. So consolidation perhaps makes sense at this stage. It's tough to gauge the part where we say where next. I think that messaging here is also very important. I mentioned the CDC, the Center for Disease Control, saying look, in the United States, schools and businesses need to be thinking about seeing greater clusters of coronavirus in this country and need to prepare, at the same time, the message from the White House has been, look, this is under control. Even Larry Kudlow coming out yesterday and saying investors should be buying the dips here. We don't want to incite panic. These are relatively small numbers at this stage. But the uncertainty is great. The mixed messaging isn't helping.
[Sebastian:] And I think equally unhelpful, Julia is, you know, we've got reporting from our White House team that this is an example of what we've seen repeatedly from the President. That is sort of a feedback loop with the markets. He is playing this down, because he is worried about the market falls based on that rather than facts around the virus itself. And that sort of sets up the view that the administration might be unprepared and further sort of, you know, exacerbates the confusion around this given the warnings that we're getting from the CDC And the fact remains that you know, you talk to a lot of market experts you have on the show. I've spoken to some who say this isn't just about the coronavirus. They could have been anything. The market was so over bought. It was so complacent around this. Don't forget, it was just one week ago today that the S&P 500 hit a record high. This was a very frothy market. So I think it was very vulnerable to any kind of shock. It just so happened that it was this virus, but obviously the calculus changes as we start to see economic growth really tank around the world.
[Chatterley:] It's exactly what Peter Oppenheimer was saying to us yesterday, just taking some of the complacency out of these markets is healthy at this stage, the tragedy of coronavirus aside. Clare Sebastian, great context. Thank you so much. Now, one place where they're not hanging around to take action is Hong Kong. The authorities there announcing a raft of stimulus measures to the tune of some $15 billion in fact, including cash giveaways. Kristie Lu Stout is in Hong Kong and joins us on this. Kristie, great to have you with us as always. What's the reception been? You can talk us through some of these measures. But what's the reception been to, to the announcements today?
[Kristie Lu Stout, Cnn International Correspondent:] Yes, the big cash handouts that you mentioned, Julia, that may have lifted some spirits but it failed to lift the markets during this very difficult time for Hong Kong. This major global financial city has been struggling through those anti- government protests, the trade war, now, the outbreak. So earlier today, the Hong Kong government announced this dramatic economic relief package worse than $15.4 billion. The Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan says that this relief will go towards low income households, hospitals, as well as training in healthcare. Now, he also announced that big cash handout, every Hong Kong permanent resident above the age of 18 will receive 10,000 Hong Kong dollars or nearly $1,300.00 in cash as a bid to help stir local consumption and spending. Now, the virus here has caused widespread fear, also spurring the panic buying of items like facemasks, food and even necessities like toilet paper. There are now as of this hour 89 confirmed deaths sorry, confirmed cases and two deaths here in Hong Kong. Schools have been closed for over a month now. They will not reopen until April the 20th at the earliest. We know that residents are hunkering down. They're staying away from shopping centers, staying away from restaurants. And with that fall in consumption along with tourism, the Hong Kong economy as you can imagine, is getting hammered Julia.
[Chatterley:] Yes, the problem with giving cash is it to be able to even spend it, where vouchers have been better, but we'll see how it plays out. Kristie, great to have you with us. Kristie Lu Stout there. All right, let's move on to our next driver. The stakes couldn't be higher in the race for the White House. Voters in South Carolina will choose their democratic candidate for President this Saturday, then it's Super Tuesday next week when 14 states will vote. Frontrunner Bernie Sanders had a bull's eye on his back. He took the brunt of the attacks from Democratic rivals in Tuesday night's debate.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] If you think the last four years has been chaotic, divisive, toxic, exhausting, imagine spending the better part of 2020 with Bernie Sanders versus Donald Trump.
[Tom Steyer , Presidential Candidate:] I am scared. If we cannot pull this party together, if we go to one of those extremes, we take a terrible risk of reelecting Donald Trump.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , Presidential Candidate:] If we spend the next four months, tearing our party apart, we're going to watch Donald Trump spend the next four years tearing our country apart.
[Chatterley:] CNN's Jessica Dean joins us now. I have to say that was some of the less shouty moments where they were all talking over each other and at each other rather than seemingly at the voters, Jessica, but what are your highlights here? And who do you think came out on top, most importantly?
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Yes, I think, Julia, you make a very good point, which is, the takeaway from this was there was just there was a lot of yelling, there was a lot of the circular firing squad, a lot of talking over each other. Look, it is South Carolina, the last of the early states, a lot on the line for these candidates as we head into Saturday's primary here. And then of course, Super Tuesday, where a number of states are going to vote with a lot of delegates up for grabs. And this was really the last chance for them to all be on that stage together before those two things happen and really draw those contrasts out. So for Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner, the challenge was to make sure he could handle all the incoming. And the question was, how could he do that? You saw him get agitated at times, but other times you saw him really reiterate his points. He is very consistent on his message and is always able to come back to those talking points that he has. The challenge for everybody else was to see if they could stop or even slow Bernie Sanders' momentum. And you saw Joe Biden have really a stronger debate performance than we have seen in the past. He is the favorite here in South Carolina, although polls have shown Bernie Sanders creeping up on him now within striking distance here in South Carolina. But this has been Joe Biden's to lose South Carolina. This has been his firewall. So he is under a tremendous amount of pressure to perform here and to perform well. And so Julia, for last night that was what he was hoping to do. Does any of it move the needle? Does any of it matter? We're going to find out on Saturday and then into next Tuesday Julia.
[Chatterley:] Yes, palpable sense of emergency, I think from all of the players here, the candidates. Jessica Dean, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for that. All right, the biggest prize from the Magical Kingdom, Bob Iger stepping down as the Disney CEO. The head of the theme parks now is going to be taking the reins, Bob Chapek. Frank Pallotta joins us now. Frank, I have to say this was the most delayed departure in the history of U.S. companies it seems, and yet even with that, yesterday felt like a surprise. Do you agree with that? And what do we know about the man who is set to take over?
[Frank Pallotta, Cnn Media Reporter:] Yes, it was a complete surprise, but it shouldn't be because Iger has tried to retired multiple times over the last couple of years, and he hasn't been able to stick the exit. This looks like he is actually on his way out. But at the same time, he is not really going anywhere yet. He's going to stay on as an Executive President, as you said, and focus on the creative side of the company. What does that mean? Well, it means that Bob Chapek who used to run the parks and resorts unit, it's kind of like the business side of the company and Iger is going to focus more on the creative side of the company and this can kind of work for Disney more so than other companies, because it kind of harkens back to their early history when Roy Disney and Walt Disney, the brothers were the business and creative side of the founding of Disney itself.
[Chatterley:] So in terms of reporting lines, to your point then actually, Bob Chapek is still going to be reporting into Bob Iger. Bob Iger is still going to be Executive Chairman until 2021, and given the business that's been built here in the sort of three-pronged approach that they're doing, particularly with things like Disney Plus, not that much is going to change surely, at least in the short term, in terms of the direction of this business.
[Pallotta:] I don't see much changing. Even the name of the new CEO is not changing. It's still another Bob. Like it seems like a huge, huge story.
[Chatterley:] Continuity.
[Pallotta:] Yes, it seems like a huge, huge story, but in reality, it's kind of just, you know, Iger saying I'm ready to go at the end of 2021, and here is who is going to basically run this company in my stead. It's a classic Disney story. It seems really, really big, but when you kind of dig into it, it seems like nothing has really changed at all, but it makes sense for Iger. It just seems really big because look at that screen right there, all of the things that Iger has done, he's one of the most important people in the history of the Disney Company behind probably only Walt himself. There would be no time where he would leave where it would not be surprising.
[Chatterley:] There's that song from "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," bobbing along, bopping along, in terms of approach
[Pallotta:] Not exactly the same, but hey, I liked it.
[Chatterley:] There we go. Frank Pallotta, thank you so much for that. Quickly moving on, let me bring you up to speed with some of the other stories that are making headlines around the world. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is appealing for calm after days of clashes over a controversial citizenship law. At least 24 people including a police officer have been killed in rioting between supporters and opponents of the law. The act fast tracks citizens from non-Muslim asylum seekers from three neighboring countries. Egypt meanwhile is observing three days of mourning for former President Hosni Mubarak, a military funeral was held in Cairo a day after Mubarak died at the age of 91. He ruled Egypt for nearly three decades only to be forced to resign admit the Arab Spring protests in 2011. All right, we're going to take a quick break here on FIRST MOVE. Of course, we are going to be watching for the market open. We are counting down expected to see gains, but as we mentioned, volatility remains the name of the game here. We've got that covered for you. And of course, as you were hearing there, the end of a favorite tale, Bob Iger handing over the keys to the Magical Kingdom, but is it infinity and beyond for the new Disney CEO? And watch this space. Losses for Virgin Galactic even as Wall Street predicts a stellar future. Stay with CNN. More to come.

[Keilar:] We have new details about the testimony of a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, the diplomat who called the president's Ukraine policy crazy in text messages. And our Manu Raju is there on Capitol Hill following this breaking news. Tell us what you're hearing, Manu.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. We're now learning a little bit more what Bill Taylor has testified to this morning and throughout the morning. This is the first, the top diplomat in Ukraine testifying about why Ukraine aid had been withheld and whether it had anything to do with the president's push for investigations into his political rivals. Now, we are told from multiple sources from both parties that he actually testified today that the ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, told him in a phone call that, in part, that is the reason why the aid was delayed, was because of those investigations, politically-tinged investigations that the president and that Giuliani were seeking. Now, those investigations, of course, have to do with looking into the company, Burisma, which is what Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, had been sitting on as well as looking into the Democratic National Committee as part of what the Republicans were pushing, what the president has been pushing, looking into the Russians, the origins of the Russia investigation, and this theory that perhaps Ukraine could have been involved in that. Now, what we're told from sources familiar with Gordon Sondland testified last week, that it is not inconsistent with what he said. And according to the source, he says that Sondland had testified last week that there were multiple reasons why the aid could have been delayed, it could have been the investigation, it could also have been what the president had been concerns about. It was about Europe not contributing enough, as well as corruption, more generally. But he said that, according to Gordon Sondland's testimony, that he was just speculating that the reason why the aid had been delayed was perhaps one reason why was because of these investigations. But we're told today Bill Taylor laid out a very detailed case about what happened about the led to the delay of the aid and getting a first glance about those conversations that occurred between Taylor and Sondland, Taylor revealing that perhaps one reason why was because of these investigations, according to what Gordon Sondland told him. So we're still getting more in this investigation. This hearing is still ongoing, it's behind closed doors, but sources from both parties making it very clear to us that this is consistent with what they had been hearing from other witnesses as well, the one reason why this aid could have been delayed is because of this ask for Ukraine to publicly announce investigations that could help the president politically. Brianna?
[Keilar:] And how long, Manu? Was it 15 pages was his opening statement, right? Take us inside the room as it's been described to you about what it's like. Eric Swalwell told us there were about 75 people inside the room. Tell us what it was like.
[Raju:] Yes. Three committees are questioning this witness, and that includes members and staff are leading the questioning. They're rotating hour by hour, Republican and Democrat, and they're trying to glean more information. Now, what this the statement, very detailed, it was about an hour long it took him to deliver. I'm told that he was someone who has a meticulous memory, provided a lot of information, what members believe was essentially corroborating information of what previous witnesses testified about. But the fact that he did reveal that, in a phone call conversation with the president's ambassador to the European Union that the ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, suggested that perhaps this ask for investigations was a reason why this aid was delayed is a significant thing that has people talking up here on Capitol Hill. Democrats not referring to this specifically, but publicly, he said that what they heard today was absolutely alarming, in their view, something they believe could be a game changer, in their view. Republicans, however, dismissing this and saying, look, this is all similar to what we've heard before. Nothing is really that much different. They say there is no explicit quid pro quo, which was, of course, has been the defense of the White House. So it may not change many Republican minds here on Capitol Hill, but Democrats say that what they've heard so far has been revealing about he reason why that military aid that had been approved by Congress had been delayed. Brianna?
[Keilar:] All right. Manu Raju, excellent reporting from Capitol Hill, thank you. And we'll have more on this key testimony in these impeachment inquiry hearings in just a moment. But first, President Trump is taking his rhetoric about this impeachment inquiry to a whole other level. Instead of phrase, witch hunt, which, this time, he used a much more incendiary word talking about the investigation. Here is what he tweeted. He said, all Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here, a lynching. This is a word associated with a period of horrific racial violence in the United States from the 1880s to almost 1970. The NAACP says there were 4,743 lynchings in the United States, and roughly three-quarters of those victims were African-American. I want to talk now with Michael Eric Dyson about this. He's the author of What Truth Sounds Like. He is also a professor of sociology at Georgetown University. What's your reaction to hearing the president tweet this?
[Michael Eric Dyson, Contributing Op-ed Writer, The New York Times:] It's astonishing. Not only does it indicate his lack of familiarity with black history. We've seen that he thought Jackie Robinson basically was a second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, that he's Frederick Douglass. And he has events no serious engagement with that history now to take one of the most extraordinary and horrific periods in African-American life, the incident of lynching, castrating murder, tossing black bodies into rivers because of white supremacy means that this president has not only reinforced the vulnerability of African- American people by his policies, he's gotten on the wrong side that he's on. He is a man who has reinforced neo-Nazism, racism and anti-Semitism. And now he extracts from his history this particular example of racial tyranny and terror to his defense. And using lynching, people who had no appeal to law, people who had no recourse, lynching, by its definition, was avoiding the legal remedy for an ostensible crime and taking a vigilante approach to justice in one's own hands. So President Trump is wrong on so many counts.
[Keilar:] You seem to be saying that he is ignorant of this history. Do you think he is ignorant of what a nerve he touches when uses this word? He hasn't used it before. This is the first time.
[Dyson:] Yes. He is ignorant of history but he's not ignorant of the fact that black people were lynched and murdered in this country. He is deliberately
[Keilar:] So do you think he's deliberately using that word?
[Dyson:] Of course. I mean, he understands that using the word lynching appealing to a very fashion of racial justice that was meted out in this country that was wholly unjustified and unwarranted. And so for him to identify with the powerless, when he is, by virtue of his office, the most powerful man in the world, he's not only misunderstanding the power dynamics, he is appropriating a bit of black history that he has conveniently left aside for the most part and the seized upon our own suffering and aggrievement for his own political purposes.
[Keilar:] Let's look at how Republicans are responding to this. On one hand, you have South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham who defended the president's tweet.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] I can only imagine if this were a Democratic president, what you would be saying to me right now. So it shows a lot of things about our national media when it's about Trump, who cares about the process as long as you get it. So, yes, this is a lynching in every sense. This is un-American.
[Keilar:] The South Carolina senator. Then you have, in contrast, though maybe not as vociferous as you might hear from some people, Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy didn't defend Trump. He said, I don't agree with that language. It's pretty simple. What do you make of these reactions?
[Dyson:] Well, Senator Graham is a feckless, spineless moralize, who, at his own convenience, will evoke a strong history of identification with the Constitution and democracy and holding forth against presidents who wield their power out of order. And then at this point, he is spinelessly complicit with white supremacy. Here is a man who is amplifying what Trump has said by excusing him. At least McCarthy had the conscience and presence of mind to say, I don't agree with that language. That's weak on its face. Disagree with it? How about it's wrong? How about it's extraordinarily manipulative of a president who is identified with white supremacists now the pretend that he is a victim of what white supremacists did. Lindsey Graham is especially horrendous here because his fecklessness and spinelessness not only makes him complicit in white supremacy, it really undercuts any moral authority he might have. He is now a caricature of his former self and has refused to take up the bully pulpit of the Senate in a way that would benefit the people of his state. And in South Carolina, there were many African-American people who were victims of this heinous crime and now especially egregious for him to not even understand or acknowledge that.
[Keilar:] Michael Eric Dyson, thank so much. We always appreciate your perspective. And we have more on our breaking news which is explosive testimony from a key diplomat in the Ukraine scandal saying that politics was suspected in the hold-up of aid to Ukraine.

[Briggs:] Four-fifteen Eastern Time. As Turkey threatens a planned military incursion into northeastern Syria, Kurdish-led forces say ISIS sleeper cells are attacking Kurdish positions in Raqqa. The Kurds are calling on the U.S.-led coalition and the international community to implement a no- fly zone over northern Syria. As violence rages, President Trump tweeted that, in no way have we abandoned the Kurds who are special people and wonderful fighters. Nick Paton Walsh live for us at the Turkish Syrian border. Nick, any movement here?
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, we have seen intermittently the military moving around here, some unmarked SUVs driving along the border here, in fact, military moved back a few meters away from the wall. Look, there's clearly something slowly being prepared here. The broader question is how extensive it is and how quickly will it begin, and whether or not they the at times threatening signals from Washington, D.C. have changed the calculus of Turkish President Erdogan, and he very clearly I'm sure with green light during that Sunday night phone call with the White House. The White House released a statement seeming to offer a blank check. The Kurds were called great fighters by President Trump and said they weren't being threatened. Turkey has been threatened with obliteration by the United States if they did not keep within the sort of invisible lines Donald Trump has set for this potential forthcoming Turkish operation. But the broader question I think, is it going to happen? And if it does, how extensive will it be. Behind me is Tal Abyad, one of the towns that the U.S. forces withdrew from recently and expected to be one of the target towns for a target operation. It looks exceptionally quiet from where we are standing apart interest the sort of hubbub growing on this side of the border. The last time I was here, ISIS held it. Now it's held by the Syrian Kurds. Is the Turkish ambition at this point limited to taking some border populated areas, a small area, to make a point, to sort of harvest the symbolism of the conversation with the White House on Sunday? Do they intend to go all the way in? About 18 kilometers as suggested by Erdogan? It's unclear, but something appears to be brewing in the days ahead. Back to you.
[Briggs:] Yes, how far will they go? How far will the president allow them? Nick Paton Walsh, live for us at the border there, thank you.
[Romans:] All right. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is headed to China after defending Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. Friday night. Morey tweeted, then deleted support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Chinese state TV responded to the tweet by canceling broadcasts of two preseason games. Chinese businesses, state-owned businesses started cutting ties to the Rockets. Silver clarified the NBA's position yesterday.
[Silver:] I understand that there are consequences from that exercise of, in essence, his freedom of speech and, you know, we will have to live with those consequences. We are not apologizing for Daryl exercising his freedom of expression.
[Romans:] The rockets had practice in Tokyo today. CNN's Alex Thomas is there live with the latest developments He said, they'll have to live with those consequences. Alex, most companies, they just cave. They don't want to live with the consequences. They see a huge Chinese market and they do whatever they tell them. Adam Silver is an outlier here.
[Alex Thomas, Cnn Sports Analyst:] He didn't want to tread the middle ground. He tried that and failed. He was getting as much criticism from the United States as he was from China, saying, look, freedom of expression is an essential to everything it means to be an American. And he admitted here in Japan, when speaking yesterday, they are an American league, even though the NBA has a huge global presence especially in China where it's getting rather chaotic. In the last hour, we heard that the scheduled media available for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets who are due to play two preseason games there on Thursday night and on Saturday night was canceled minutes before it's due to start, no explanation from the media officials, and the press has been left bemused over it all. You talk about Chinese businesses suspending dealings with the Houston Rockets. It was the general manager Daryl Morey who posted the tweet now deleted last week. We have posters from the games starting to be taken down. Probably a real question mark as to whether these preseason games in China are going to go ahead at all even though Adam Silver is now in China trying to placate, smooth over the whole row. And it's caused all around the Hong Kong protests. Beijing officials see the protesters there separatists, trying to get Hong Kong to break away from mainland China. Whereas, actually, the protesters have many faceless leaders with different aims, none of it is independence. It's not going away any time soon.
[Romans:] No, it's not. All right. Alex, thank you so much for that. You know, whether it's airlines, or retailers, or hotel companies, they have all caved, caved, caved for this big market. So watching Adam Silver very closely to see how basketball
[Briggs:] A $4 billion relationship with the
[Nba. Romans:] All right. Drivers in California paying way more at the pump than most of the country. What's happening in California? CNN Business has the details why the prices have spiked. That's next.

[Church:] Well, Boeing is facing yet another problem as it tries to get its grounded 737 MAX fleet back in the air. The company says some of its 737 planes, including many of the MAX aircraft, may have faulty parts on their wings that could fail prematurely or track.
[Howell:] That part is highlighted here. It's known as the leading-edge slat track. U.S. aviation officials say a plane could be damaged in flight if that part failed. Airlines have been ordered to inspect and repair it within 10 days' time. Now, the 737 MAX was grounded around the world after two deadly crashes in less than five months. Trouble with an automatic safety feature is believed to have played a role in those incidents. Let's now bring in CNN business anchor Richard Quest. Richard following this story for us as well. And Richard, look, so, first of all, for the flying public hear about this. I'm sure there is some concern. Help our viewers to understand this particular part. How critical would you say it is to the plane in flight?
[Richard Quest, Cnn Anchor:] It's import it's not so much for the plane in flight, it's when the plane's taking off and when the plane is landing. Particularly when the plane's landing and you deploy the front slats and they go down a track. It allows the plane to land at low speed. It keeps the air lift up at much lower speed. It's important. I would say it's very important. Is it critical? No. The plane can fly without. Look, the significance here is not that this has happened. Airline the air manufacturers, Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, bombardier now, Air Boeing, they all continually putting out air worthiness directives for different faults, for different parts of aircraft. They're exceptionally complex instruments. However, the importance here, George, is it's Boeing. It's Boeing. It relates to the 737. And Boeing is already fighting a deficit of trust as to what it's told of the traveling public, what it's told its airline customers, and it raises the issue, not so much about slat tracks, these things will always happen, but how much of what Boeing has said can we take at face value? That's the issue here.
[Howell:] All right, Richard, you say it's Boeing. But, Richard, isn't it also the FAA?
[Quest:] Well, not really in this case because the FAA, you know, Boeing has fessed up. Boeing has fessed up and said we've made these parts and there may be, may be a manufacturing defect in it, and it's Boeing's responsibility to report this to the regulator. The regulator, the FAA, which now, of course, is very much on message and on watch, is saying now you need to recall the planes. It's going to be difficult, by the way, because we're not Boeing will manufacture new parts for this and it will be a fairly speedy repair, but it might mean 737s being taken out of service for this at exactly the worst moment. For those airlines that already have 737 MAXs grounded, to have to lose other aircraft, even for a couple of days, could be extremely difficult and could lead to delays and backlogs and those sort of things. This is a bloody nose for Boeing. It goes to the issue of trust. It goes to the issue of how of this relationship between Boeing and the regulator. The slats issue itself is, if you like, a red herring. It's a byproduct.
[Howell:] CNN business anchor Richard Quest giving perspective and context on this. Richard, thank you. We'll keep in touch.
[Church:] And still to come, shock and confusion after Friday's mass shooting in Virginia where many of the gunman's longtime colleagues say there were no signs something like this would happen. We will bring you an update on the investigation.
[Howell:] Plus, we continue to monitor events there in London. The U.S. president due to arrive within the hour. We'll discuss the delicate timing of his first state visit to the United Kingdom.

[Vause:] Well, it was a Democrat free-for-all on Tuesday when the U.S. attorney general appeared on Capitol Hill. He was grilled over a seemingly countless number of controversies, and through it all, he remained smug, and he stonewalled lawmakers. Manu Raju has details.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Attorney General Bill Barr on the hot seat, facing the House Judiciary Committee for the first time in his tenure. And Democrats had a litany of concerns, accusing Barr of using the Justice Department to do the political bidding of a president who has abused his power.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] You have aided and abetted the worst feelings of the president.
[Raju:] Barr fired back.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] He has told me from the start that he expects me to exercise my independent judgment to make whatever call I think is right, and that is precisely what I've done.
[Raju:] Republicans came to Barr's defense, saying he was being treated unfairly.
[Rep. Doug Collins:] We're seeming to just contort ourselves to get to some way to show that you have nefarious motive.
[Raju:] Barr came under fire for his role in ordering peaceful protesters to be forcibly cleared from Lafayette Square last month in front of the White House, allowing the president to cross the street for a photo-op in front of a church.
[Rep. Pramila Jayapal:] Do you think that it was appropriate at Lafayette Park to pepper spray, tear gas, and beat protesters and injure American citizens?
[Barr:] Well, I don't accept your characterization of what happened, but as I explained, the effort there was
[Jayapal:] Mr. Barr, I just asked for a yes or no, so let me just tell you, because I'm starting to lose my temper.
[Raju:] While also defending the actions of federal agents, sent to respond to protests in Portland, Oregon, even though local officials there say the Trump administration has only made the tense situation worse.
[Barr:] The U.S. Marshals have a duty to stop that and defend the courthouse, and that's what we are doing in Portland.
[Raju:] The protests have escalated in the wake of the killing of George Floyd an unarmed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police, but Barr pointedly denied there's an issue with systemic racism in law enforcement.
[Barr:] It seems far more likely that the problem stems from a complex mix of factors.
[Raju:] Barr has intervened in cases involving the president's associates, seeking to dismiss a criminal case against former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI; and seeking a lighter sentence for the president's longtime friend Roger Stone, who was convicted on seven charges, including witness tampering, lying to Congress and obstructing a proceeding. While President Trump later commuted Stone's sentence, Barr told the House committee that the prosecutors' recommended sentence of 7 to 9 years was too severe.
[Rep. Ted Deutch:] Can you think of any cases where the defendant threatened to kill a witness, threatened to threatened a judge, lied to a judge, where the Department of Justice claimed that those were mere technicalities. Can you think of even one?
[Barr:] The judge agreed with our
[Deutch:] Can you think of even one? I'm not asking about the judge. I'm asking about what you did to reduce the sentence of of Roger Stone.
[Barr:] Yes, there are
[Deutch:] Can you think Mr. Attorney General, he threatened the life of a witness
[Barr:] And the witness said he didn't feel threatened.
[Deutch:] and you view that as a technicality? The appearances is that, as you said earlier, this is exactly what you want. The essence of rule of law is that we have one rule for everybody.
[Barr:] That's right.
[Deutch:] And we don't in this case, because he's a friend of the president.
[Raju:] Now Democrats' concern with Bill Barr stem back to last year, his handling of the Mueller report. They believe he mischaracterized that report when he put out an initial summary, but also fighting with him in court to try to get more documents related to that report. And also, during the hearing, there was an exchange between David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, and Bill Barr. Cicilline asked whether or not it's appropriate at all for any campaign to ask for any foreign assistance whatsoever. First, Bill Barr responded it depends on what kind of assistance. Cicilline was perplexed. He pushed further, and Cicilline eventually Barr responded, No, it's not appropriate. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.
[Vause:] Norman Eisen is Democrat counsel during the Trump impeachment. His latest book is, "A Case for the American People: The United States v. Donald J. Trump." He was also ethics czar for the Obama White House. Norm, it's been a long time, so good to see you.
[Norman Eisen, Author, "a Case For The American People":] John, great to be back with you.
[Vause:] OK. Very quickly, let's start with the big picture to TO this hearing. Barr testified that President Trump told him, Exercise independent judgment. Given how vocal Trump has been on issues like sentencing of his friends, saying, Be independent, that seems a bit like the mob boss saying, I can trust you to do the right thing.
[Eisen:] That's right, John. This is like two Mafiosi talking for the federal wiretap. If you look at Barr's career, the Mueller report, where he lied about the Mueller report. I'm not saying that. A federal judge said he misrepresented. Ukraine. He came up with an excuse not to turn over the whistleblower report. His DOJ did it anyway. Over 70 inspectors general said was false. COVID, where a Hawaii judge threw out his effort to defend the president's behavior. And and of course, the protests where he lied today about not using tear gas. I mean, that is the opposite of independent judgment, and he just dug that grave deeper in the hearing today.
[Vause:] Well, in his own defense, Barr posed this rhetorical question to lawmakers. Here he is.
[Barr:] I'm supposedly punishing the president's enemies and helping his friends? What enemies have I indicted? Who could you point to one indictment that has been under the department that you feel is is unmerited? That you feel violates the rule of law? One indictment.
[Vause:] You know, the question is very narrow. There are many actions an attorney general can take. Indictment is just one of them. So how would you respond to Mr. Barr?
[Eisen:] Well, John, in my book, "A Case for the American People," I describe Trump's crimes, but if Trump is the criminal in chief, Barr is the enabler in chief. And he's like the jailer who beats an inmate with a rubber hose and then says, Show me the bruises. What he did on the Mueller report, the lies on Ukraine, on COVID, on these protesters, those are all things done to lash out at the president's enemies.
[Vause:] For the most part, Barr was sort of smug. He stonewalled Democrats when it came to controversies like Trump using his pardon power to commute the prison sentence for his friend and convicted liar, Roger Stone. Here's an exchange between Barr and Rep. Eric Swalwell.
[Rep. Eric Swalwell:] You said that, that a president swapping a pardon to silence a witness would be a crime. You were promising the American people that if you saw that, you would do something about it. Is that right?
[Barr:] That's right.
[Swalwell:] Now, Mr. Barr, are you investigating Donald Trump for commuting the prison sentence of his longtime friend and political adviser, Roger Stone?
[Barr:] No.
[Swalwell:] Why not?
[Barr:] Why should I?
[Vause:] The judge was very clear. In the rulings he said, you know, Roger Stone was not standing up for the president. He was covering up for the president. So again, respond to the attorney general. Why should he?
[Eisen:] Well, because the reason that Barr should investigate is because there's a lot of evidence of an obstruction of justice conspiracy. I lay that out in my book, John, and including new evidence pinpointing a critical call that Roger Stone made. Stone has the dirt on Trump's desire to have Russia intervene in our elections, and Trump has dangled and then given this commutation in exchange for Stone staying mum.
[Vause:] Finally, there was an exchange between Rep. Jayapal and William Barr. And she made the point here that he is the attorney general for the entire country, the United States of America, not just President Trump. Here she is.
[Jayapal:] There is a real discrepancy in how you react as the attorney general, the top cop in this country, when white men with swastikas storm a government building with guns. There is no need for the president to, quote, "activate you," because they're getting the president's personal agenda done. But when black people and people of color protest police brutality, systemic racism and the president's very own lack of response to those critical issues, then you forcibly remove them with armed federal officers, pepper bombs, because they are considered terrorists by the president.
[Vause:] You know, Barr didn't even really try and address it. But you know, no matter the controversy with William Barr, it seems this double standard is at the heart of it.
[Eisen:] Well, that's that's right, John. And that is the opposite of what we expect in the American rule of law system. The attorney general is supposed to be independent. And I was so glad that Congresswoman Jayapal spoke out about that. And one other thing we saw today that was very troubling, and I got notes from people in the room, Barr behaved differently towards the members of Congress who were women and people of color. So there are multiple double standards going on here. That's terrible in anyone, but in the man who is in charge of enforcing our civil rights laws and assuring that there's equality under law, it is a doubly troubling double standard.
[Vause:] Norm, great to see you, thanks.
[Eisen:] Nice to see you, thanks.
[Vause:] In the coming hours, CEOs from four of the world's most powerful and influential companies will be the focus of an historic antitrust hearing, the first by the U.S. Congress in more than 20 years. Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook will face questions about their dominance of the tech economy and whether they have too much control. Here's CNN's Clare Sebastian with details.
[Clare Sebastian, Cnn Correspondent:] When these four CEOs come before Congress, albeit remotely, it will be hard to know who is the most powerful in the room.
[Rep. David Cicilline:] Google controls nearly all the search market in the United States. Amazon controls nearly half of all online commerce in the United States. Facebook has approximately 2.7 billion monthly active users across its platforms. And finally, Apple is under increasing scrutiny for abusing its role as both a player and a referee in the app stores.
[Sebastian:] A yearlong congressional investigation is looking for ways to check that power in what experts say will require a new understanding of U.S. competition law.
[William Kovacic, Former Chairman, Federal Trade Commission:] A major point of these hearings is to move away from a conception of competition law as focusing on the well-being of citizens as purchasers of goods and services, and to adopt a broader conception that looks at the citizen as an employee, as a resident of a community, as a consumer of news.
[Sebastian:] The four companies have all denied anti-competitive behavior.
[Nathan Sutton, Associate General Counsel, Amazon:] We did not use any seller data for to compete with them.
[Sebastian:] Apple even commissioning a study last week that found its app store commission rates were in line with others. Several have also voiced concerns that regulation might make them less competitive globally.
[Sundar Pichai, Google & Alphabet Ceo:] I worry that, if you regulate for the sake of regulating it, there's a lot of unintended consequences. You know, if you take a technology like artificial intelligence, you know you know, it will have implications for our national security and you know, and how or for other important areas of society.
[Sebastian:] And yet, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has made these companies ever more essential and more valuable, they've been facing growing backlash. Protests over safety at Amazon, and an advertiser boycott of Facebook over hate speech.
[Kovacic:] I think they come into the hearing not with the halo, but with great concerns about exactly whose side they're on. And that should be a matter of concern. Again, you look at the mood of the Congress, you look at how Republicans joined Democrats today in scolding these companies, that's a combustible environment for the leading enterprises.
[Sebastian:] The House investigation is expected to lead to a recommendation for new legislation, perhaps bringing greater scrutiny of tech acquisitions: Deals like Facebook's purchases of WhatsApp and Instagram, and Google buying YouTube and Fitbit. It could also ramp up the pressure on other ongoing investigations. A delicate moment for these titans of tech. Clare Sebastian, CNN, New York.
[Vause:] The clothing industry, one of the biggest polluters on the planet. It's an inconvenient truth for fashionistas. Ahead, though, a new way to eliminate toxic waste water from factories.

[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] And that is why we saw a rare pullback by the president last week after he had taken this discussion about the legal action that his administration is doing after this internal debate. And taking it a step further by putting it into the legislative political realm once again. He was forced to pull it back after they reminded him they couldn't do it, as I said before, with complete control of Congress. How are they going to do it now with Democrats in control? Instead, the president is now saying it will be a 2020 campaign argument, which it was going to be all along. But the reality of the president, as we have seen so many times, just kind of going with what he feels is the right thing to do and the right thing to say based on the last person he talked to, likely, kind of smacked into a force field of, you've got to be kidding me, among fellow Republicans in the Congress.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Yes. Not necessarily sounding like a man who was ready and willing to defend what they were doing on Obamacare in court right now. Dana, great to see you. Thank you so much.
[Bash:] You, too.
[Bolduan:] Elie, Jennifer, thank you guys. See you in a bit. Still ahead, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is also facing lawmakers today. Different topic, talking about the President Trump's tax returns. What does he say about it? Would he have the final say to release them? Much more on this after a quick break. Attorney General Bill Barr isn't the only Trump cabinet member facing lawmakers today. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin testifying before two House committees and he's quickly facing questions about the president and his tax returns after a House committee, you'll remember, has said it has the authority to see the tax returns and the president's chief of staff just as quickly says that's is never going to happen. CNN's Cristina Alesci is following all of this for us. Cristina, what did Mnuchin have to say about it.
[Cristina Alesci, Cnn Business & Politics Correspondent:] Not much. He tried to kick off the hearing talking about his budget request for Treasury, but very quickly, the chairman of this subcommittee turned the issue to the president's tax returns, and asked Mnuchin whether or not he was the right guy to even decide whether the IRS should hand over tax returns and fulfill the Democrats' request for those documents. He also asked Mnuchin whether Mnuchin had spoken to anyone at the White House about this issue. Listen.
[Rep. Mike Quigley:] Last week, we were well aware that the chairman of the Ways and Means, under 6103 of the tax code, requested the president's tax returns and we can get into the issue of what that answer should be. But, at first, I think it's more important we talk about who should make that decision and with respect whether or not you, Mr. Secretary, should be involved in that decision.
[Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary:] I want to acknowledge that we did receive the request. And as I have said in the past, when we received the request, it would be reviewed by our legal department, and it is our intent to follow the law. And that is in the process of being reviewed. Now, in regards
[Quigley:] Let me just interject. I apologize. What part are they reviewing? Whether or not, or whether your office should be the one that makes the ultimate decision? Are they reviewing whether or not you should make that decision as well, sir?
[Mnuchin:] It will be premature for me to comment specifically what they are reviewing on or what they're not reviewing on. But I would highlight, OK, I think as you know, the law calls for a request to me. As you have said, there's a tradition of delegating certain responsibilities. I would just comment that it is my responsibility to supervise the commissioner. But, again, I think it would be premature at this point to make any specific comments, other than as I have been consistent before in saying, it is being reviewed by the legal departments. And we look forward to responding to the letter.
[Quigley:] Have you spoken to the White House chief of staff or the president about this decision?
[Mnuchin:] I have not spoken to the White House chief of staff or the president about this decision.
[Quigley:] Has anyone from the White House talked to you about this decision?
[Mnuchin:] To me, personally, or to other people within my department?
[Quigley:] You personally, first, and to other people, second.
[Mnuchin:] I have not had any conversations with anybody in the White House about this issue.
[Quigley:] Any communication?
[Mnuchin:] I, personally, have not had any communication with anybody in the White House. Although, I want to be specific, that relates to me and not everybody at Treasury.
[Quigley:] OK. So to your knowledge, has anybody in the administration communicated with anybody in your office about this decision?
[Mnuchin:] Our legal department has had conversations prior to receiving the letter with the White House general counsel.
[Quigley:] And did they brief you as to the contents of that communication?
[Mnuchin:] They have not briefed me to the contents of that communication. I believe that was purely informational.
[Quigley:] You believe what was purely informational?
[Mnuchin:] I believe the communication between our legal department and the White House general counsel was informational, that we obviously had read in the press that we were expecting this.
[Quigley:] So they communicated just to say expect this, or did they talk about their views in any way, shape, or form as to how you should
[Mnuchin:] Again, Mr. Chairman, I want to be clear. I personally wasn't involved in those conversations. Again, I want to be very clear and not be misleading. I acknowledge there were conversations. I am not briefed on the full extent of those conversations. And I would also just comment, those have been prior to us receiving the notice.
[Quigley:] Because they saw the handwriting on the wall.
[Mnuchin:] I think, as you know, it was widely advertised in the press beforehand
[Quigley:] Sure.
[Mnuchin:] so this wasn't exactly a state secret that we thought we would be getting it.
[Alesci:] So, Kate, Mnuchin is in a very difficult position because he's been a loyal cabinet member for so long. And he's managed to keep a very good relationship with the president. Now, Democrats are saying they're pursuing a legal route to getting the president's tax returns, and Mnuchin is saying he'll follow the law. He's in a very difficult position. In fact, the chairman of the subcommittee pressed Mnuchin on whether or not there's an issue of basic transparency and whether the president, in his view, should just go ahead and release his tax returns. In response, Mnuchin said that is a personal decision for the president Kate?
[Bolduan:] Whether he likes it or not, Steve Mnuchin is now smack dab in the middle of this fight. Which is going to be a fight. Cristina, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Let me bring back in Elie Honig, Jennifer Rodgers and Dana Bash on this. Elie, how do you read Mnuchin's response?
[Elie Honig, Cnn Legal Analyst:] He's in a tough spot. Interesting that he actually conceded there's been coordination, communication between his office and the White House on some level. But Mnuchin just said, we're going to follow the law. I would have liked to follow that up with, well, the law says, quote, "shall furnish." "The IRS shall furnish this information to the House Ways and Means Committee upon request." So how do you read "shall furnish" other than "shall furnish?" It will be interesting to see if they're able to get around that. But that's a pretty straightforward piece of law. And I don't know how Mnuchin can come to any other conclusion other than "we shall furnish."
[Bolduan:] Dana, you have what you hear from Mnuchin, we will follow the law. You have what you heard from Mick Mulvaney, the president's acting chief of staff, that Democrats will never see these tax returns. How is the White House going to navigate this? Those two things don't seem to be the same.
[Bash:] They don't. First of all, that was a really fascinating exchange. Because it's almost like you were on the journey with him trying to avoid a minefield, a mine every time he stepped on what was clearly a minefield.
[Bolduan:] I had frogger in my head. You had minefield.
[Bash:] Exactly. I mean, all of the above. Because he clearly has seen what happens when you don't tell the truth to Congress, and he was trying to be so exact that he was tripping over himself to say that the people in his office have had the conversation. But again, it was noteworthy not since, that he knows of, not since the actual letter from the House Ways and Means chairman was sent last week. It was just in anticipation of that. But, look, Elie is right, the law is clear in terms of what Congress can do in terms of it's a request to the IRS, not to the president, to the IRS commissioner, asking for these tax returns. But the question is, what is the opposing argument that the president's legal team is going to make when there's going to be an inevitable court challenge, which could, likely will Elie and Jennifer can correct me if I'm wrong, they're the lawyers here go up to the Supreme Court and create a brand-new fascinating precedent.
[Bolduan:] Yes. That law, a 1924 law, is what is being cited by the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. It's that one word, two words if you will, "shall furnish," that everyone will be looking at for a long time to come. Let's see what happens next. But Steve Mnuchin now seems to be the man, whether he likes it or not, in between Congress and Donald Trump's tax returns. Then there's some court mixed in there. Great to see you. Thank you so much, guys.
[Bash:] Thank you. All right, coming up for us, the purge at the Homeland Security Department. It now has some Republicans sounding the alarm. Why they say the president needs to think twice about his continuing shakeup at the Department of Homeland Security. That's next.

[Paula Hancocks, Cnn International Correspondent:] Up and down those country roads. There will be so many stories of heartbreak in the coming hours. But right now the most profound, Heidi Stevenson Constable from that force, a mother of two, died. And many people here talking about a motive, right, but how people say, how can you make sense of this in any kind of a motive? Police called it a random act. He knew some of the victims. Did not know others. And, Alisyn, you have to think, we're in the middle of a lockdown. How do you even begin to mourn these people properly.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Oh, my gosh, it's horrible on so many levels, Paula. Thank you very much for the reporting. Bring us anything new that you have. Back here in the U.S., if you're a small business owner, listen up, the White House says a $450 billion deal to replenish the relief funds for small businesses could be announced as soon as today. But what do we know about the fine print? Well, CNN international anchor Julia Chatterley joins us now. So what's happening?
[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Anchor And Correspondent:] Let me walk you through that fine print. Good morning, Alisyn. It clearly can't come soon enough. We're talking about potentially up to another $310 billion to be allocated to the PPP, the Paycheck Protection scheme. Also likely to be around another $60 billion for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. That gives grants of up to $10,000. So that would be useful, too. The key questions for me, one, conditionality, will there be a chunk of this money allocated to what we call underserved businesses. When I was hearing about the details, the contours of this, at the back end of last week, I was hearing no conditions. We spoke to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin this weekend. He didn't really hint at this too. Fast forward to today and we've had time now to analyze some of the data that's come from the Small Business Administration about the last chunk of money. Guys, 25 percent plus of the money that was given went to just 2 percent of businesses. It went to big businesses with established relationships. I can give you a name. Shake Shack was one of those that got some money. The CEO came out over the weekend and said, look, we're giving the money back, all $10 million. There are more deserving causes. And he's absolutely right. So when we get the details of this, will there be conditions attached? But, guys, John, the money just needs to come. That's the bottom line. Part of the issue is with the banks, Julia. It's that there are some companies that were approved for these loans but then the bank can't process them quickly enough.
[Chatterley:] Right. No, you're completely right and we'll talk later on in the show about the online lenders because the key difference, I think, between what we're going to see this time around and what we saw last time is, you've got access points for some of the smallest businesses in the country, and that will be key.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Yes, they've got to figure it out.
[Chatterley:] Yes, they do.
[Berman:] They've got to figure it out because the money has got to get out to the people who need it.
[Chatterley:] Yes.
[Berman:] All right, Julia, thanks very much. More than 5 million people in the southeastern U.S. under the threat of severe storms and tornadoes. CNN meteorologist Chad Myers with the forecast. Chad.
[Chad Myers, Ams Meteorologist:] John, mainly across parts of Georgia and northern Florida right now, but it will continue for the rest of the day. Tomorrow gets better. And, guess what, we're back into this again on Wednesday. Severe weather season is certainly here, so let's get to it here. Not what we had last week certainly with over 100 tornadoes on Easter. Yesterday, only seven. But the weather continues. It moves towards Savannah and Jacksonville and all the way down across parts of the big bend there of Florida. Could even see a couple showers and thunderstorms around Charleston this morning. This is what your radar looks like right now. And we'll move it ahead for you. As you move offshore, those winds will get strong again around Charleston, maybe toward Tybee, maybe Edisto will see some showers and then more weather across parts of Memphis for late tonight. Notice, that's 11:00. But now I move you ahead to Tuesday, 3:00. The chance for some weather through New York likely not big, severe weather. But if you look, this is Wednesday, 8:00. We're back in it again in Dallas and all the way to Texarkana. John.
[Berman:] All right, Chad, watching that very closely. Chad, thank you very much. There is still a crucial demand for personal protective equipment to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Up next, one doctor's harrowing story. How he tried to get some and it led to a visit from the FBI.

[Gorani:] Well, as the U.S. Senate prepares for the historic impeachment trial, President Trump is heading off to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. He'll deliver a special address tomorrow when the conference kicks off, hoping perhaps to shift the attention, maybe, a little bit more on Switzerland and a little bit less on Washington, D.C. The other headliner, Mr. Trump's adversary? Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. Well, one has to wonder if they'll interact, cross paths, whatever. They are likely to have very different messages, though. I'm pretty sure we can bet on it. Richard Quest is in Davos, right in the middle of the action. And you spoke to the founder of the World Economic Forum about what to expect this year - Richard.
[Richard Quest, Cnn Editor At Large:] Yes. I mean, everybody's attention is on Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg, for the simple reason that this year at Davos, the usual agenda of economic stuff isn't quite so important. There's nothing burning on the agenda. However, what is burning, of course, is the climate. And when I spoke to Klaus Schwab, he made it quite clear why the environment is the number one issue.
[Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum:] The world is in a status of emergency. And certainly, the time is running out to address those issues, so we cannot just talk about those issues, we have to find fast solutions, so that's what we are doing this year.
[Quest:] Hasn't the world always been in a state of emergency?
[Schwab:] Yes, but the time pressure to act hasn't been as great as it is now.
[Quest:] And, you know, Klaus isn't just speaking hyperbolically. If you look at what's actually happening here, you've got CEOs, you've got government leaders, you've got people coming here with real commitments on what they're going to do about climate change. And so when Donald Trump comes in tomorrow, he will find an audience much more on Greta's side. So he'll have to probably come with something of his own.
[Gorani:] But did they did they fly in on their private jets? Because last year, that was obviously something that raised eyebrows, you know, flying in to talk about climate change on your private jets. But the other thing is, Oxfam released a new statistic. I mean, the wealth inequality on this planet is just mind-boggling. The 26 richest people on the planet own as much as the poorest 50 percent. So 26 people own as much as 3.8 billion in the bottom half of the world. Is there any talk about how to address this inequality?
[Quest:] Constantly. I don't think CEOs come here
[Gorani:] But are they doing
[Quest:] without being aware of it.
[Gorani:] are they willing to pay a wealth tax? Because that's the big question. Are they willing to pay a wealth tax?
[Quest:] No. Some are, some aren't. But it's but it's they're not willing to pay a wealth tax. It's not because they're frightened of their own fortune. Many of the people here have got so much money, they've got more money than God and they can't spend it in several lifetimes. If they don't want a wealth tax, it's because they don't believe that will actually improve the lot of those at the bottom. It's a nuanced argument, perhaps. But, Hala, here in Davos, there is a sea change. It's not just the rich and the elites, there is a broad base and the agenda is extremely wide.
[Gorani:] And what about Greta Thunberg? Because she makes a point of traveling to places without using air travel. Do we know how she's getting to Davos?
[Quest:] Well, assuming she's come from her native country, it's won't be that difficult. A boat over the water, and then a couple of train journeys and you'll soon be up the mountain. I don't you could even drive if she was so minded. So I can imagine, yes, I took a plane trip from London and there are lots of people here who all did most people here took a train a plane trip. But I'm guessing Greta didn't find it too difficult to get to Davos without air travel.
[Gorani:] Let's think of ways to offset your carbon footprint, Richard, later, when we can chat about it. Thanks very much, Richard
[Quest:] Oh, Hala Gorani
[Gorani:] Well, you know. That's got to
[Quest:] oh.
[Gorani:] We'll see you in London, we'll give you reusable bags or something. We'll see you at the top of the hour, before that, on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS," from Davos.
[Quest:] We will.
[Gorani:] Let us turn our attention now to Iraq. There is a deadline for leadership change that has arrived. At least three people were killed in widespread protests today. Take a look. Activists burned tires, they clashed with security forces again in several cities, demanding that the government name a new interim prime minister. A U.N. official tells CNN, security forces used tear gas and live ammunition, once again, to stop the demonstrations from spreading to other places. Also, hundreds were injured in clashes between anti-government protestors and security forces in Beirut over the weekend. Demonstrators called it a week of rage, and it follows months of mostly nonviolent demonstrations over the government's failure to save a faltering economy. Staying in the Arab world, the internationally recognized premier of Libya is warning of catastrophe unless foreign powers lean on renegade general Khalifa Haftar. Haftar's forces closed some oil facilities, disrupting production and sending prices higher. His actions came as world leaders tried to broker a ceasefire in Libya. CNN's Nic Robertson breaks it down for us.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] As leaders met in Berlin this weekend, one demand for Libya.
[Antonio Guterres, Secretary-general, United Nations:] First, we need to have a ceasefire.
[Robertson:] The reality? It would have been easier several years ago. The long road to this summit, strewn with lost opportunity, a lack of international consensus and a worsening conflict. Turkey, the latest regional power to escalate the stakes, vowing to send its troops and already helping hundreds of Syrian fighters get at Libya's front lines.
[Guterres:] Until now, we have an escalation of the Libyan conflict with some foreign interference. Now, we were facing the risk of a true regional escalation.
[Robertson:] The route of this crisis and the overthrow of Dictator Moammar Gadhafi, 2011. Gadhafi's forces were poised to crush Libya's Arab Spring uprising. After disagreements, the U.N. backed NATO to intervene. French jets stopped Gadhafi's advance. In the following weeks, British and French jets pounded Gadhafi's
[Gorani:] Egypt's president is in London for a U.K.-Africa summit amid fresh questions about the country's human rights record. Activists say Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has cracked down on freedoms since he took power six years ago. Over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Sisi in Berlin and he says that he expressed outrage over the death of an American citizen, detained in Egypt. Scott McLean has more.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn International Correspondent:] Family gatherings can get awkward, and the diplomatic variety are no exception. For the cameras, it's all smiles. But at the U.K.-Africa investment summit, the presence of this man, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, should make plenty of leaders uncomfortable. Sisi's trip to London comes after a week of bad headlines. Last week, four staff members from a Turkish state news agency were detained at their office in Cairo. They were later released on bail. Anadolu said in Egypt, the outlet was described as a terror cell, not a newsroom. That was just a day after the death of 54-year-old Egyptian- American Mustafa Kassem, who was on hunger strike six years after being arrested. He was convicted in a mass trial with hundreds of others, accused of being a spy and for taking part in anti-government protests, which he denied. At a weekend meeting in Berlin, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed outrage at Kassem's pointless and tragic death. But for the cameras, the pair were cordial. Sisi even joked about President Trump's chances in 2020.
[Abdel Fattah El-sisi:] This is a done deal. An assured win
[Unidentified Male:] You will see.
[Mclean:] It's not new for Western leaders to happily rub shoulders with dictators, but many describe Egypt under the Sisi regime as especially repressive, a place where human rights are routinely ignored and dissent is barely tolerated.
[Maya Foa, Director Of Reprieve:] Lots and lots of young people, of people who have been tortured, innocent people are all being swept up in this system of mass trials, this repressive system. And they're being systematically sentenced to death by the hundreds.
[Mclean:] Sisi's government has vehemently denied the allegations. Egypt receives over a billion dollars in U.S. military aid each year. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy says the U.S. has failed to use its leverage to force Sisi to behave.
[Sen. Chris Murphy:] We have influence. We are not using it today. The long-term consequence of this kind of repression is not good for the United States, it is not good for our allies.
[Mclean:] On-stage at the investment summit, the leader of America's most important ally discussed Egypt only once.
[Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom:] The monorail trains that will shortly be conveying citizens through the streets of Cairo, that great and growing city, will be made here. The monorail trains will be made here in the U.K. Celebrating economic success was clearly on the agenda. Downing Street would not say whether Sisi's dismal human rights record would be as well. Scott McLean, CNN, London.
[Gorani:] Still to come tonight, we'll check in on the Democratic race for the White House and see who "The New York Times" just endorsed. A hint? It says, quote, "May the best woman win." We'll be right back. And extremists threatened a pro-gun rally in the U.S. state of Virginia. This is not a war zone, by the way. This is just people, demonstrating in Virginia. CNN is on the ground, where protestors some of them openly carrying weapons, surrounded the capital building. We'll be right back.

[Camerota:] President Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is trying to rewrite history about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
[Kushner:] Quite frankly, the whole thing is just a big distraction for the country. And you look at, you know, what Russia did, buying some Facebook ads to try to sow dissent and do it; and it's a terrible thing. But I think the investigations and all of the speculation that's happened for the last two years has had a much harsher impact on the democracy than a couple of Facebook ads.
[Camerota:] Let's bring in John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst; Alex Burns, national political correspondent for the "New York Times" and CNN political analyst; and M.J. Lee, CNN political correspondent. Alex, Jared Kushner is conveniently omitting some things about Russian interference. It was more than just buying a few Facebook ads. There were all sorts of secret meetings between Russians and Trump campaign people. He didn't mention that. I mean, the idea that he's reframing this as that that's how they tried to dance around the edges of the election. Here's what Robert Mueller says. "The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion." So
[Berman:] And do you know what? And that's the second paragraph. I know that it's a 448-page report.
[Camerota:] I'm going to read the whole thing right now.
[Berman:] But that's page one, paragraph two. So Jared didn't have to get very far to get to that statement. That's right, yes.
[Camerota:] Does he What is it that, that he just said?
[Alex Burns, Cnn Political Analyst:] Look, and it's not just Facebook ads. It's not just even meetings with the Trump officials, right? This was aggressive hacking of Democratic campaigns, party committees, leaders in the party, and their humiliation by having that information released publicly. Look, this is one more episode in this multi-year effort by the president and his closest associates to essentially treat as trivial what was far from trivial in the 2016 campaign. And it's part of this I think it's something that happens, really, just on a visceral level with the president and members of his family and the closest people in on that campaign where they try to treat any discussion of what actually happened with Russia in that election as attack as an attack on President Trump's legitimacy. You don't have to see it that way. Right? It's entirely possible you hear a lot of serious Republicans talk about Russia as an important issue while totally supporting the president 1,000 percent. That's not what we hear from Jared Kushner.
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] They still don't get it. And it's willful ignorance. The president of Trumplandia, in that cozy little bubble where everything is about Donald Trump, can't see and I think speaks for the administration that the primary issue is that America was attacked by a foreign adversary. The elections were undercut. And so it's not about a couple of Facebook ads. And it's the first statement after the Mueller report details, in sweeping and detailed fashion, the extent to which they tried to meddle in their elections on Donald Trump's behalf, not simply sowing the seeds of discord. So it is it is it shows, really, contempt for the facts and a total willful unwillingness to get it. They're going to put their own interests ahead of the national interest.
[Berman:] It was interesting to hear. I mean, that wasn't no obstruction, no collusion. And that was none of this matters. Even if Russia did even if Russia did what Robert Mueller says that they did, I don't care. Yes, yes. Because you know what? Because we're in the West Wing, and you're not.
[Camerota:] I mean, M.J., I'm reminded of what one of the experts, one of the climate scientists said about Donald Trump and and his the people around him not believing in climate change. It doesn't matter if they don't believe in it. It doesn't matter if they don't believe that in Russian interference. It doesn't matter if they call it a hoax. It's still happening.
[M.j. Lee, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, and I think it just does a huge disservice to the country. And anyone who might be tuning in and may not necessarily be paying as close attention. Not everyone across the country has actually read the full report. They're not going to take the time to do that. So I think when you have someone in Jared Kushner's position who is a senior member of the administration going out there and saying things that are simply not true about the scope of the Russian meddling and the interference, especially when it comes to something that everyone understands, something like Facebook, right? When they hear someone like him, "It was just a couple of ads. That's what it was," there are going to there is going to be some segment of the population that actually believes that is what happened.
[Berman:] All right. We have breaking 2020 news.
[Camerota:] Oh, yes. Tell lay it on us.
[Berman:] In the sense that we now know that Joe Biden will enter the Democratic race officially tomorrow.
[Camerota:] Wait, what?
[Berman:] I know.
[Avlon:] Who?
[Berman:] No one knew this was going to happen. Let me put up on the screen the latest poll it came out just yesterday from Monmouth. And the reason this is interesting, among other things, is Joe Biden has been leading in every poll. So now the guy who is leading in national polls will be an actual candidate.
[Camerota:] He's actually getting into the race.
[Berman:] He's actually getting in. And Alex, who I noticed, by the way, you have a lovely beard. And no one's
[Burns:] This is my yes, this is my Joe Biden decision playoff beard.
[Camerota:] So you keep it if he gets in, and you were going to shave it if he didn't?
[Burns:] I thought it would be gone by the end of January.
[Berman:] I know. Well, look
[Avlon:] Does it become mutton chops if a certain decision goes that way?
[Berman:] At least one of us gets to have a beard, which is nice for you.
[Avlon:] Me, too, clearly.
[Berman:] So so talk to me about the rollout. It's the video and then not a whole lot else. There's a video tomorrow. There's expected to be a fundraiser in Philadelphia tomorrow, though that has not been 100 percent confirmed. And then, yes, a couple of quieter days. It's an unusual way to roll out a presidential campaign. It makes you wonder, will there actually be nothing between Friday and Monday; or, you know, will there even be something as casual as the vice president, former second lady, walk down the driveway and talk to the cameras or something like that? I'm purely speculating. You would think something. I mean, look, Beto O'Rourke didn't have anything on his schedule when he announced, and he ended up on a you know, on a countertop in Iowa.
[Burns:] Right. And look, I think we look at the polling numbers that you just that we just put up on the screen. And this is the moment where the idea of Joe Biden collides with the reality of Joe Biden. Right? That we know a lot of people, myself included, expected those numbers to dip over the last six months as other candidates got into the race and Democrats saw, look, you have all these options. His numbers have held up pretty well. And the question now is can Joe Biden's numbers survive Joe Biden, the reality of how he will perform as a candidate?
[Camerota:] This is going to be so interesting, John. It's just going to be so interesting to see how the dynamic changes when Joe Biden is in.
[Avlon:] Sure. There's always the danger your first day is your best day. That said, I've got to say, putting out the video announcement and then kicking a rally until, you know, two, three, four days later is not a sign of confidence. In politics, history shows very clearly your best defense is a good offense. And if you're trying not to lose, that's when you usually lose. And it seems to me that you have a video announcement, you follow it with a big rally. Union hall, that makes a lot more sense than traipsing off to a fundraiser and then laying low for a couple days.
[Berman:] It does seem this year what people are doing, though, is trying to get a couple bites of the apple, where they're trying to generate the buzz to make the official announcement, that maybe he gets a separate set of coverage when you have the official announcement. M.J., you were just up in New Hampshire for the marathon five town halls that CNN did, and it was fascinating. And one of the most interesting things to come of it was Senator Kamala Harris, who in the course of several questions, occasionally hedged on her answers and said, "Well, we need to study this." And one of the issues where she said, "We need to study it" on was Bernie Sanders coming out and saying that people in prison, felons in prison, including murderers, should have the right to vote. And Senator Harris, during the CNN town hall, said, "This is something we should study. I'm open to it." Well, within 24 hours she had a new, different answer. Listen.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] We, right now, have got a lot of work to do with the people in our country who have served their time and have been prohibited from voting. But, you know, do I think that people who commit murder, people who are terrorists should be deprived of their rights? Yes, I do. I'm a prosecutor. I believe that, in terms of there has to be serious consequence for the most extreme types of crimes.
[Berman:] That's a different answer.
[Lee:] It is. I think calling this even a clarification would be too generous. I mean, she has somehow managed to say two pretty different things in the course of just 24 hours, initially saying on our town hall stage she is open to this idea that Bernie Sanders said yes to, the idea that felons and the worst kinds of criminals being able to vote while they are in prison. That she's open to open to having a conversation about it. And now this clarification or whatever you want to call it is that, because she is a prosecutor, the value that she brings into this conversation is that, yes, I absolutely do believe that certain rights should be taken away for people like this. I mean, this is going to be a very long campaign for Kamala Harris if, after every sort of major stance that she takes that appears to be relatively new, she has to then the next day hedge it a little bit, or take it back or make a clarification.
[Camerota:] But I'm just curious. Why is that one a tough one? She is a former prosecutor. Generally, they're more a little bit more hardline than the Bernie Sanders of the world. Why is that one a tough one?
[Burns:] I think she has felt a lot of pressure in this race to not fully embrace her identity as a prosecutor. And I think we've seen over and over in presidential campaigns, certainly not just in this one, certainly not just with Senator Harris, that when you start trying to revise the way you have presented yourself your entire career, that your instincts can get a little bit off; and it can just get very personally uncomfortable.
[Lee:] And the other dynamic, of course, is that there are other candidates that she might feel like are taking positions that are more to the left of her. I mean, especially when you're in a situation where there are back-to-back town halls; and the candidate before you is Bernie Sanders, having taken this position. You have to think that that could be the kind of thing that gets in her head.
[Camerota:] Still, we should I think we should say that the numbers, the ratings for her portion of that town hall were, again, very high. She people are very interested in what she has to say and learning about her.
[Berman:] That's a good point. In her first town hall on CNN, blockbuster numbers.
[Camerota:] Right. Record-breaking.
[Berman:] People are watching what she says and listening very carefully. All right, guys. Thank you.
[Camerota:] Thank you all very much. We do have breaking news for you right now in the terror attacks in Sri Lanka. The new details that are fueling fears of more bombings, next.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] This Sunday night, the return of two CNN original series. You can find out the true stories of the agencies protecting the U.S. on declassified at nine, followed by another powerful and provocative season of "This Is Life with Lisa Ling" at 10:00 p.m. That is right here only on CNN. I'm Brianna Keilar live from Washington with a Special Edition of CNN RIGHT NOW. President Trump is on a scorched earth mission to discredit the person behind that whistleblower complaint. But perhaps in an attempt to mitigate legal fallout, his own administration is quickly corroborating much of the explosive report. And at the heart of today's developments, a senior White House official just confirmed a CNN for the first time that officials did indeed direct the Ukraine call transcript to be filed in a separate highly classified system amid these elegant that that amounts to a cover up. That admission matches almost verbatim of what is in this whistleblower complaint, which goes to say, quote, "One White House official described this act as an abuse of this electronic system because the call did not contain anything remotely sensitive from a national security perspective." And all of this as House speaker Nancy Pelosi says she is now narrowing the Impeachment Inquiry to focus on Ukraine with some Democrats pushing for a vote as soon as next month. President Trump signaling how he plans to fight this telling attendees of a private event in New York that this is war.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] So the whistleblower came out and said nothing, said a couple of people told me he had a conversation with Ukraine. We're in a war. These people are sick.
[Keilar:] With me now, CNN's Senior White House correspondent, Pamela Brown. Pamela, explain further how these officials are explaining where this transcript was stored.
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, Brianna, the White House today did acknowledge that a key graph in the whistleblower complaint was accurate. It said in the statement from a senior White House official that N.S.C. lawyers directed that the classified document talking about the transcript between Zelensky and Trump be handled appropriately. So what the White House is saying here, according to this senior official is, yes, N.S.C. lawyers did direct for it to be moved to that code word system listed in the complaint, but that it was appropriate, that there was nothing wrong with that, essentially. And they're making the argument that the transcript was already classified as every head of state transcript is, but Brianna, that the code word system that the transcript was moved into is reserved for highly classified transcripts that include information like covert operations. It's not typically used to house classified information like a call with a head of state that doesn't have the more sensitive layer to it, as I just mentioned. We are told, Brianna, that the White House began to clamp down on who could see head of state calls after the leaks of the President's calls with the head of Mexico, with Australia and with Putin. So it does raise questions whether this was the only transcript moved there or whether there were other transcripts moved there that also didn't meet that threshold of highly classified information. It is interesting, too that this does corroborate part of the complaint, and as you know, Brianna, the President has continued to go after this whistleblower, attacking the credibility of the whistleblower, calling the whistleblower bias. At last check, according to a senior administration official though, the President nor the White House knows what the identity of this whistleblower is Brianna.
[Keilar:] All right. Pamela Brown, thank you so much. And now one of my next guests joined 300 former national security professionals in signing a letter to sound the alarm about the President's actions with Ukraine. This reads in part, quote, "If we fail to speak up and act now, our foreign policy and national security will officially be an offer to those who can most effectively fulfill the President's personal prerogatives." And it goes on, quote, "... there is no escaping than what we already know is serious enough to merit impeachment proceedings." Jeffrey Prescott is a former Special Assistant to President Obama and also with me, Mark Mazzetti, a Washington investigative correspondent for "The New York Times." He is also a CNN National Security Analyst. Jeffrey, to you first, the White House coming out and saying, yes, information was moved. But the line from the White House is that this was appropriate. So as someone who understands how these things work, explain it to us.
[Jeffrey Prescott, Former Special Assistant To President Obama:] Sure. So there are systems that the White House has to appropriately handle information of a very sensitive nature for national security purposes. I think what's most troubling about what we've seen in the whistleblower's complaint and what we've learned so far through your reporting and others, is that this transcript seems to have been moved from one system, from one server to another server as a way of protecting the President's personal misconduct, or protecting the President from embarrassment, not for national security reasons.
[Prescott:] And I think one key point, these systems are designed to protect our nation's most closely held secrets. That's the reason, our national security that those information systems are in place. And it's very unusual, in fact, unprecedented in my experience to have information moved from one system to another for other than national security or classification reasons.
[Keilar:] Mark, I wonder, though, if the White House is more comfortable trying to say, no, but we do this sometimes. Because look, we had leaks. If they are more comfortable to be in a place where they are explaining the movement of this transcript, which they say is essentially not a big deal than they are to be discussing the content of what is in the phone call. Is there anything to that?
[Mark Mazzetti, Cnn National Security Analyst:] I mean, of course, it raises questions about what other calls, what other transcripts were indeed processed and handled in this way. But as we and others have reported, there were several officials listening to the call, who immediately were concerned, not necessarily for classification reasons or national security issues, they were concerned about what the President said on the call. And so inside the White House, there was a worry that this was a problem. And so the fact that this transcript was handled this way, it does raise concerns, as you said that this was done for political reasons, besides any kind of actual national security reasons. And of course, then, well, if other calls were processed this way, then why?
[Keilar:] Jeffrey, this statement to CNN from the White House, the White House says National Security Council attorneys directed this Ukraine call transcript to be moved. You were on Obama's National Security Council. Jack Quinn, former Clinton White House counsel just said that sounds so odd to him that White House lawyers would say that that should be moved. What do you think?
[Prescott:] I completely agree. I mean, the White House lawyers, lawyers for the National Security Council are in place to protect the rule of law. Their job is to be essentially the traffic cop to make sure that N.S.C. officials are following the rules and following the law. It's deeply troubling that these reports suggest N.S.C. lawyers or White House lawyers were directing information to be mishandled or handled inappropriately. That raises serious red flags and really does need to be investigated.
[Keilar:] About how the lawyers are conducting themselves or about whether that's actually what happened?
[Prescott:] Both.
[Keilar:] Both. Okay, so Mark, let's talk about Nancy Pelosi, because the speaker has said that the Attorney General Barr who is mentioned in this phone call, but insists the D.O.J. does that the President didn't actually reach out to him in the way that he said he was going in the phone call. Pelosi says he has gone rogue. Adam Schiff says he has little confidence that the D.O.J. will be willing to investigate Barr or Giuliani. Schiff just told Manu Raju he expects subpoenas and depositions, and he is working through the recess. What are you expecting from the administration?
[Mazzetti:] Well, I mean, one natural process of things might be that the attorney general might recuse himself from something like this. But we know how the President feels about recusals of the Attorney General into these matters. So I think it's probably unlikely that that would happen. The fact that Barr is mentioned directly by the whistleblower, does then raise concerns questions about just the extent that the Justice Department would look into it. Now remember, the Justice Department also, Barr ordered an inquiry into this whole matter involving the election in 2016 that is currently being handled by an attorney, a U.S. Attorney in Connecticut, John Durham. So there's already this ongoing D.O.J. investigation. And so it appears, you know, certainly Congress will try to get information from the D.O.J. and you can see why Democrats in Congress would not think that Barr is an honest broker in this, but you would not expect that he was going to recuse himself from this.
[Keilar:] All right, Mark, and Jeffrey, thank you so much to both of you. I really appreciate it. So what's going on with Rudy Giuliani as he faces intense heat? The President's personal lawyer now implicating the President's administration in all of this. Plus, I'll speak live with one of the President's Republican challengers for his first response and also what he thinks about how Republican lawmakers are largely dismissing this. This is CNN's Special Live Coverage.

[Hill:] Welcome back to "The ABC's of COVID-19." And speaking of ABC's, school has been a big topic for families around the country.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes. You know, with school closed I've been video chatting with my teacher and classmates every morning to go over what we're learning. And my granny bird has been reading to me on video chat.
[Gupta:] Those are great ways to keep learning, Big Bird.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes. You know, it's been fun, but I kind of miss going to school. You know, riding the bus and having music class with my friends. When will we be able to go back to school?
[Hill:] Oh, Big Bird, that is such a great question. And it's one that we got from so many kids just like you. Take a look.
[Lena And Lonnie, Five And Three Years-old:] If I wear a mask, wash my hands and am very careful, could I please go back to school?
[Malique, Nine Years-old, Bakersfield, California:] I want to learn in a classroom, and I miss playing at recess with my friends.
[Omar, Six Years-old, Blacksburg, Virginia:] When will school go back to normal? I miss my friends. I miss my math activities. I miss my teachers. I miss my friends.
[Hill:] Well, here to help us answer these questions is Dr. Sonja Santelises. She's the CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools. Dr. Santelises, it's great to have you with us today, because I know you can help us understand how schools are making these decisions about the best way for kids to learn, and also when schools may reopen.
[Dr. Sonja Santelises, Ceo, Baltimore City Public Schools:] So, in getting ready to return to school, we are, number one, making sure that all students and teachers are safe. So we are thinking about the way the space in the classroom needs to be different. We are thinking about how we can keep groups of students together in smaller groups. It may also look like not everybody coming to school on the same day. But I think what will be important is making sure also that students get a chance to still be with their teachers and still have the opportunity to learn.
[Gupta:] It's going to look different, I think, no matter what. Doctor, I was really impressed with remote learning and how quickly it sort of ramped up considering most places hadn't done it. But there were a lot of challenges as well. I won't lie. What's your message to parents who were worried that their kids are falling behind as a result of remote learning? How can they keep their kids engaged?
[Santelises:] So, first, all parents should know that we realize this has been a challenging time for families. So, one of the things that we are looking at as educators is how do we make sure that we get the right sense of where students are in terms of how they're feeling when they come back to school, but also where their skills are. Where is their reading, their math, their science knowledge? For older students, I have three daughters, some days they are just not in the mood to do as much work at the same time. But we make sure that every day there's a little bit of work done and some of those key skills in reading and math.
[Hill:] I have to say, I see that, too, sort of taking the temperature on certain days, and sometimes you just have to let that dictate where everybody in the house goes. Kendall has a great question I think a lot of students are wondering about. Take a listen.
[Kendall, Five Years-old, Bloomington, Indiana:] When I go back to school, am I going to wear a mask? When I see all my friends when I see all my friends.
[Santelises:] Yes, that's a great question, Kendall, and the chances are that you will have to wear a mask when you come back to school. The great part about that, though, Kendall, is other students will wear masks. And if you don't always have one when you come, we'll have one for you. So, prepare to have a mask, but I think one of the things my girls are looking forward to are all the different kinds of masks students will be wearing when they come back.
[Gupta:] I have three daughters as well, and that has been a big topic of conversation. They're actually making their own masks already in preparation.
[Santelises:] That's right.
[Gupta:] We do have another question from a child at home, Miriam, who asks how can I not be afraid of going back to school?
[Santelises:] I think one of the things that students should feel comfortable about is your teachers are, one, going to still be there to welcome you. That's not changing. You will still have friends there. That's not changing. And we are all working to make sure that you're safe, and that it's OK to be a little scared. I think all of us are scared from time to time, but we are working to make sure that you are as safe as possible. And I bet you when you see some of your friends even at a distance, some of that fear will go away.
[Gupta:] Yes. I'll take this opportunity to remind people, it's important to remember that regular vaccines are part of being safe as well. A lot of people because of all that's been going on have missed those vaccines. They haven't been able to go to the doctor. So don't forget about those vaccines before you go back to school as well.
[Hill:] So important. Dr. Sonja Santelises, it's great to have you with us today. Thanks so much for helping us out.
[Santelises:] Thank you. Good to be there.
[Unidentified Male:] I heard that children and families all over the world are dealing with the coronavirus.
[Gupta:] Yes. In some countries, children are starting to go back to school and life is slowly returning to normal. But in other parts, people still remain at home.
[Hill:] Let's check in with some of our friends from around the world to see how things are going.
[David Mckenzie, Cnn International Correspondent:] Hey, guys. I'm David McKenzie in Joburg. This is an awesome city near the tip of Africa. Now, kids here wanted to show you all the cool things they're doing while they stay home and stay safe. Check out Tondo. She is singing "Happy Birthday" to her nana. She makes delicious cupcakes. Sumalki is cooking, too. Sikler cleans the house while his brothers get to play video games. Oliver and Catherine like to draw. Schools here have been closed. Everyone does their school work right from their homes to keep learning. There's also time for lots of fun and exercise. My kids are always bouncing. All across South Africa want to say, hi, molo, dumela, and sanibonani to all of you.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, here at the YMCA kids are back to school with a few extra steps to make sure kids stay safe and healthy. Parents drop of their kids at the entrance and sign a form saying they don't have a fever. Kids take off their shoes to keep all the dirt and the germs outside. And then the classes are broken up to make sure it's not too many kids crowded into one area. When the kids came back, they had double reason to celebrate. It was the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr and the Jewish holiday Shavuot, and each one has its special food. For Eid al-Fitr it's Ma'amoul, a pastry with dates on the inside. And for Shavuot it's dairy, so there's lots of cheesecake to go around.
[Unidentified Female:] Hi, everyone. I'm Raya here in home in India. Schools are still closed, but I was able to go outside to the park today. I practiced social distancing, but I still got to see my friend. I waved to him from across the park, and I even gave him an air five. It was great to see him. Even at a distance.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi, everybody. I'm Fred Pleitgen, and just outside of Copenhagen in the lovely Denmark. And children here are actually already going back to school, at least most of them. But as you guys know, in these times we all have to stay apart a little bit. And they had a little bit of a problem here with that in that they didn't have enough space in their schools. So what they did is they moved their lessons to the local church where they do have enough space. Learning is a bit different, but it all does work.
[David Culver, Cnn International Correspondent:] Here in China where the coronavirus outbreak began, students are finally able to start going back to school. For some of them it's been more than four months that they have been stuck at home. To keep safe and healthy, they're learning new rules. Walking into the building, they now have markings on the ground to keep a safe distance from their classmates. In between classes and before lunch, students are washing their hands many times. And when it's time to eat, notice some schools leave an empty desk in between each student. That makes it more difficult for the virus to spread. And because you cannot eat lunch with a face mask on, students have plastic folders like these to keep their masks from getting dirty while they eat. And to monitor whether or not a student has a fever, some students are wearing bracelets that alert school staff if a student's body temperature is too high.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn International Correspondent:] I'm Matt Rivers in Mexico City. And just like in the United States, things are really different here for kids these days. Schools are closed and they probably will be for a while. Playgrounds are, too. And you have to maintain a sana distancia, a healthy distance from other people even if you know them. But how do you say hi to the people that you know if you have to stay so far apart? I have two friends here Camilla e Osalin and they're going to help us come up with a way to say hi to each other while staying far apart. With their elbows just waving and blowing kisses. And that's staying far apart. And do you have a question for Dr. Gupta? So she's asking, Dr. Gupta, when will it be safe for them to return to school?
[Gupta:] Thanks so much for that question, a big one, obviously, around the world. First of all, your teachers and your principals are going to make sure your school is safe before you return. So just remember that. But they're going to make sure that the virus, while it may still be around, that it's spreading really slowly before you go back to school.
[Hill:] My nephews live in Paris, and they get to go back to school next week, only a couple days a week. But, hey, two days is better than zero days, especially for their parents.
[Gupta:] Hey, everybody, look. It's Rosita from Sesame Street. Hey, Rosita.
[Unidentified Female:] Hola Dr. Sanjay. Hola, Erica.
[Hill:] Hi, Rosita. Rosita, we have a question from Rahim in Washington, D.C., and maybe you can help us answer it.
[Unidentified Male:] What else can I do other than playing games in the house?
[Unidentified Female:] Hola, amigo Rahim. I know it can be frustrating that we can't do the things we want to do, like play with our friends outside or going to the park. But you know what, Rahim, at first, I felt really, really grouchy. I felt like stuck in Oscar's trash can. But then I realized there are lots of fun, new things to do, like you can talk to your abuela on a video chat, or you can have a letter scavenger hunt around the house. Or, you can have a dancing party with your friends cha cha. Or you know what, today I'm learning how to bake cookies with my pappi. See, there are so many fun things you can do at home.
[Gupta:] Yes, you've given me some good ideas there, Rosita. It is important to stay active during this time for everybody. And it's also a good idea to keep practicing a sport or a hobby that you love.
[Unidentified Female:] But how, Dr. Sanjay? I can't go to the soccer field and play soccer.
[Gupta:] That's right. But you could practice juggling your soccer ball skills, for example, in your yard or in your garage. There's all sorts of different ways to just stay active and practice at the same time.
[Hill:] We could give some advice from experts who know just how to do this, Olympic Gold Medalist Gymnasts Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez. It's so great to have you both with us.
[Gupta:] Welcome.
[Hill:] This is such a challenging time for kids and for adults. So Simone, how have you been staying active and training?
[Simone Biles, U.s. Olympic Gold Medalist:] Yes. So, our gym just opened up two weeks ago after having two months off, so we're trying to get back into the swing of things. It wasn't easy, but before that, we had to do Zoom workouts.
[Hill:] Zoom workouts. That certainly changes things. Laurie, speaking of workouts, we actually have some video of you and your new coach, I guess we'll say, trying to do a beam routine on the rug.
[Laurie Hernandez, U.s. Olympic Gold Medalist:] Yes. When the lockdown hit, I was trying to run some skills on my rug, but at some point, my dog just kept getting in the way. I was cool with it, though.
[Unidentified Female:] Wow. Your dog looks like a very good coach.
[Hernandez:] She's great, yes. It's great.
[Gupta:] A lot of kids are missing big events birthdays, graduations, summer camps. You guys missed a big event as well. How did you feel when you found out that the summer Olympics in Tokyo were going to be postponed?
[Hernandez:] I think, honestly, every athlete will probably agree it was a good choice to at least delay it and make sure that the world's health comes first. That's the most important part, that everybody is safe and we're keeping everybody healthy. But also I think it was kind of tough. It was like getting the rug swept out underneath you. Nobody was really expecting anything that happened this year to happen. So we're all just hanging in there and trying to make the best of it that we can.
[Gupta:] Same with you, Simone?
[Biles:] Yes. Just trying to stay positive and letting kids know that we're all in this together, and to keep your head up.
[Hill:] Such good advice. What other advice do you have? A lot of people are adjusting to new habits and new routines these days. Laurie, do you have any advice for kids trying to adjust?
[Hernandez:] I think kind of bouncing off what Simone said, just trying to stay positive. I know that right now everything feels like it's upside down. So finding things that make you feel good or make you happy, whether that's working out or trying to learn how to cook, watching your favorite TV shows, music, connecting with your friends, whenever that might be. Just try to do things that make you happy, because right now it feels a little scary, but I think also making sure that you connect with your friends is really important.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes. Those are very good advice. And I have a question, Miss Laurie and Miss Simone, if you please help me. Do you think I can learn to flip, flip and jump like you?
[Biles:] Yes, of course.
[Unidentified Female:] Oh, good. Good, good. I really want to start right now.
[Hill:] This has been such a treat. Laurie and Simone, thank you both so much for joining us and for your great advice today.
[Gupta:] Thank you.
[Biles:] You're welcome. Thank you, guys.
[Gupta:] Our town hall is coming to a close. We would like to thank all of our experts for their thoughtful advice today.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes. And I would like to thank everybody that sent in their questions. I learned a lot.
[Hill:] I did, too. Thanks so much to everyone. Bye.
[Gupta:] Bye.
[Hernandez:] Bye, bye.
[Unidentified Male:] Bye, bye, everybody. Elmo loves you.

[Chatterley:] Welcome back to FIRST MOVE. U.S. stocks are up and running for the final session of this week and we're seeing strong gains across the board in early trade, as you can see. Blue chips the out performers. The NASDAQ above 10,000 once again, closing in on record highs. We've seen a bit of a tug-of-war all week between hopes for economic reopening and revival on the one hand and then on the other, there are persistently high jobless claims in the United States and of course, fresh concerns about COVID-19 case risings. We've got widely different forecasts from U.S. financial heavy weights, too. Take a look at this. JPMorgan Chase says one of its models shows an almost 50 percent upside for U.S. stocks from here. Compare and contrast. Bridgewater's Ray Dalio is warning of a lost decade for stocks. He fears we've reached a peak of globalization and we'll see a big drop in corporate profitability. Now, if you're looking for a stock picks and meteoric rises, look no further than Arizona based Nikola motor. The company quietly listed on the NASDAQ on June 3rd. Since then, the stock rose more than 100 percent with a market cap exceeding $23 billion. That makes the company more valuable than Ford and Fiat-Chrysler, at least at times. What's driving this investor optimism? Well, in part, its preorders of their sleek hydrogen powered hybrid trucks. The company says they represent more than $10 billion in potential future revenue. The company's founder and executive chairman, Trevor Milton joins us now. Trevor, great to have you with us. All sorts of comparisons naturally made with a combination of car tech company. The likes of Tesla of course, but actually, it's very different. Explain the vision for Nikola.
[Trevor Milton, Founder And Executive Chairman, Nikola Motor:] Yes, it is really awesome. I mean, we targeted the second largest polluting industry in the world, which is transportation, heavy duty transportation, and so that's where Nikola started. We build we're the first ever zero emission semi-truck company in the world and what we do is cover both hydrogen and battery electric. So we don't just build one. If you look at Tesla, they build one truck. It's just battery. Nikola builds both the hydrogen, electric, semi-trucks and battery electric semi-trucks and they both have their advantages and disadvantages and so, we've wrapped up over $10 billion worth of potential future revenue already in preorders for our truck and that's why I think people are excited about what we do.
[Chatterley:] Why hybrid? Why use a combination of both. I mean, you've made the point that actually Tesla focuses on electric vehicles only. I mean, Elon Musk has called the use of fuel cells using hydrogen staggeringly dumb. He calls them fool cells, too. Why do you think there is opportunity in hydrogen where he doesn't?
[Milton:] Yes, well, I mean, he doesn't use batteries to send rockets to space, right?
[Chatterley:] Okay.
[Milton:] So I mean, there is no like there is no one size does not fit all, and when you know trucking or transportation really well. Up to 300 miles, batteries work really well because they are very cheap to drive. When you get over 300 miles, the weight becomes a disadvantage and so that's where hydrogen comes in and the unique thing about Nikola is, we're the only company that I know of in the world that is fully vertically integrated. That means, we don't just provide the truck, we provide all the hydrogen for it, too. We produce our own hydrogen through zero emission methods. So, our supply chain is zero emission from production to consumption unlike anyone else in the world, and that's why there has really been so much excitement. One size just does not fit all in transportation, unfortunately.
[Chatterley:] And this is one of the challenges as well with the electric is the charging stations. I know you have also got interest in the hydrogen fueling stations, as well, which I think is your point about actually providing the power here, too.
[Milton:] Yes, so I mean, there's as I said, there is advantages and disadvantages to battery and hydrogen. The disadvantage to batteries are is it takes two to three hours to charge those massive battery banks on semi- trucks without damaging the batteries and sometimes that can you know, that turnaround time would kill you and it takes a ton of energy out of the grid. The advantage of hydrogen is you can turn that truck, you can fill it up in 15 minutes and then go on the road again and you can do that 24 hours a day without ever stopping. Hydrogen is produced over 24 hours of the day using all the peak load from solar. So, right now, throughout the world, like solar and wind energy, a lot of it is just given away or they pay people to take it at their power companies because they have too much of it on the grid. Hydrogen solves that problem by taking all that excess energy, producing hydrogen over 24 hours a day and then it just dispenses it in zero emission hydrogen gas into the vehicle and that's why there's real good advantages to what hydrogen does.
[Chatterley:] Explain the excitement, and is excitement about what might be ultimately because you haven't delivered a truck yet. You have lots of preorders as I mentioned. I want to tackle something that came up very recently and that was sort of an accusation dating back to 2016 from Bloomberg that you misled people about the capabilities of the truck at that point. I know you've denied them. Can you just explain where you stand at this point and just refute some of the allegations?
[Milton:] Yeah, it was just really sad. I mean, Bloomberg this guy, well, he did a hit job on Nikola and he knew it was a lie because we recorded the whole interview and we're going to post it out there for everyone to actually listen to. He knew it was a lie. There are videos that show that we told people, hey I mean, his main claim was that the truck wasn't moving at Nikola World and in 2016 is what? Four or five years ago. Our first prototype we ever built. And we told everyone in the audience it was capable of moving, but we didn't want to because of the danger of it. So, all of the parts functioned. You had batteries, you had motors, you had the axels, you had inverters. You had everything there. It was all there. And instead of you know, taking a risk and possibly hurting or killing someone, we decided to make the truck inoperable on the stage and we never you know, we never took it out on the road because it just wasn't safe. So, we rebuilt a whole brand-new one and that's what we unveiled, you know that's what showed off and that's what you see video of our trucks driving all over. We've done deliveries with Anheuser-Busch on the highways, on the main roads or downtown St. Louis. So, it is really sad because like, there was clear evidence what he was saying was a lie. It was just a hit job. He is a very big Tesla fanatic. He's in Tesla's back pocket, and so his entire job was to hit Nikola and try to stop our growth. And I just you know, look, it's bad for all journalists. When one journalist begins to become advocating for one company or deceiving people, I am going to call them out. I am not afraid. But I also love journalism. So, I just don't want people to act like that. You know, hit me for there's lots of things to hit me on. I mean, for heaven's sake
[Chatterley:] He has made his accusations, you're responding and I know, you're suing them. So you'll battle it out. I do want to ask you though, when are you going to deliver some of these trucks and when are you going to see revenues coming in?
[Milton:] Yes, that's the number one question, and I think investors have been really when we went into this IPO, we told everyone, look, we're more than a year out on revenue. Everyone knows that. It was in all of our disclosures, and investors are okay with that because we're changing the entire world. Like, we're literally they're saying if you're willing to go in and disrupt oil all together, we will give you one or two years. I mean, it took Tesla what? Ten years to ever become even hit a profitable quarter almost. So, they are like, you know what? One or two years, a couple of years, Trevor, we're totally there for you. And when does our revenue begin? Well, our original filings were around the middle to end of 2021. With COVID, we don't know. There is a couple of months delay. We don't know how far, when the markets will open back up. We still can't get into Germany. That's where our factory is. So once all of the borders open up and our employees can start going back and forth, we'll know that but we're there's a little bit of a delay, but it's not too bad. You know, sometime in the end of 2021 beginning, sometime in 2022. It depends on COVID restrictions.
[Chatterley:] Wow. It is going to be fascinating to watch. Trevor, great to have you on. Stay in touch and keep us updated on progress. Trevor Milton, the founder and executive chairman of Nikola Motor.
[Milton:] That was good. Thanks. Appreciate it.
[Chatterley:] Thank you. All right, still to come on FIRST MOVE, helping other black entrepreneurs succeed. We speak to one of the cofounders of a fund run by and aimed at black business people. Stay with us.

[Allen:] Protests are turning violent in Lebanon as demonstrators flood the streets of Beirut. The Lebanese Red Cross says at least 200 people have been injured. The country's president has deployed the military to disperse the crowds and demonstrators are furious over the government's failure to appoint a new cabinet and for the lack of economic stability. World leaders are meeting in Berlin this weekend. Their aim: an end to the fighting in war-torn Libya. According to a draft communique, attendees will call for sanctions on anyone who violates the cease- fire there. The U.S. is sending secretary of state Mike Pompeo to the summit. Other countries are sending national leaders. CNN's Becky Anderson has spoken with the U.N. special representative for Libya and asked him about what he understood to be the U.S. position on the country.
[Ghassan Salame, U.n. Special Representative To Libya:] The Americans so far have concentrated their action on two areas. One is a direct fight against terrorism and they are quite active and even more active of late than they have been in the past and ensuring the free flow of oil, of Libyan oil, into the international market. And they immediately mobilize when there is a threat to that.
[Allen:] She has this closer look now at what is driving the war in Libya.
[Becky Anderson, Cnn Host:] It had been hailed a moment of hope: the fall of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. But nearly a decade on, this is what much of Libya looks like today, the strewn wreckage of a country splintered by conflict between two warring sides. The Government of National Accord or GNA, runs the capital and much of the country's northwest. In the east, a parallel government controlling nearly two-thirds of the country. It is led by General Khalifa Haftar and his well-armed liberal Libyan National Army or LNA. Neither side, though, is acting in isolation and battlefield Libya has many hands at work. Haftar is generously backed by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, who view political Islam as a threat and see Haftar as the country's last line of defense. They are joined by Russia and France, while the GNA sees support from Turkey, Qatar and a handful of E.U. states such as Italy. But importantly, it has the rubber stamp of U.N. legitimacy. Despite that, it only survives through outside friends of its own and mostly Turkey, who have gotten involved directly. President Erdogan recently receiving authorization from his parliament to deploy troops there.
[Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Of Turkey:] If Haftar's attacks against the people and legitimate government of Libya continue, we will never refrain from teaching him the lesson he deserves.
[Anderson:] Being there is crucial to President Erdogan's strategic interests beyond the Middle East, burnishing his regional reputation as a power player. Haftar, though, says, is up for the fight.
[Gen. Khalifa Haftar, Libyan National Army:] We hereby except the challenge. We are announcing a mass mobilization of our troops. We call for a holy fight.
[Anderson:] Meanwhile Russia has been bolstering its presence around the Mediterranean. There has been a rising number of reported Russian mercenaries, supporting Haftar's troops on the ground in Libya. Moscow claims that they do not represent the Russian state, as they have also claimed in Ukraine. But from Syria to Libya, president Vladimir Putin's expansionist strategy remains clear. The United States, on the other hand, is being more capricious. It launched airstrikes, targeting ISIS and Al Qaeda in 2015 but then pulled its troops amid the surging political violence. Its position now isn't quite clear. And in the vacuum of war, chaos: hundreds of thousands of migrants using Libya as a dangerous springboard into Europe, the continent, for the most part, calling for a political solution to the bloody conflict Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
[Allen:] A political solution, well, that is the goal of the peace summit that is beginning as we mentioned and CNN's Melissa Bell is covering that angle for us. She's live in Paris. Good morning to you, Melissa. We just saw, we have two leaders, countries aligning with either. And where does this summit start to try to sort this out?
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, with a great deal of complication, Natalie. Because as that report from Becky Anderson just highlighted, this is not just about a country divided but about world powers that have gotten involved and are also deeply divided on the question of who should be in charge and what political way forward can be found. Of course, this conference taking place today has been planned for months, five meetings leading up to it to get all the parties involved around the table with many disagreements with who should be around that table and who should not, with some of the regional leaders excluded. That's upset the head of the U.N.-backed Tripoli based government and doubts about whether he would turn up at all. So it gives you an idea of how complicated this is going to be. Around that table are going to be, however, Natalie, the five permanent members of Security Council. Can they finally get some kind of enforcement of that arms embargo that has been in place for so long but flouted so openly for almost as long? That is one of the big questions. We've seen, as you mentioned a moment ago, that draft communique, suggesting sanctions against some of the global foreign powers that might be flouting that arms embargo by bringing arms to one side or the other. A recent report by the U.N. suggested that a number of countries involved citing in particular, Jordan, UAE and Turkey. Can those sanctions prevent that kind of intervention? This is a real test for the U.N., in particular and also a test of all those around the table. In a sense it's that foreign intervention that has given added urgency to this search for peace in the country. But it is also precisely, Natalie, what will make it all the harder to achieve.
[Allen:] Absolutely. When you look at the lineup there of the countries behind these leaders, you don't see active presence of the United States. We know Mike Pompeo is at the summit. But why is the United States holding back when it comes to Libya? What do we know about that?
[Bell:] Extremely interesting to see what Pompeo's position is on this as Becky was saying in that report. There was a very clear focus on the fight against terror and many concerns at one point when the ISIS, in particular, was beginning to show a presence on the ground. But much less clarity on the question of the political resolution. The man who heads that U.N. mission in Libya was just saying in that clip you played a moment ago, it is, of course, important to have intervened to help that flow of oil continue to help stop the rise of Islamist extremists in the country. But it's also going to be crucial for it to decide where it stands on this much more urgent but perhaps much more complicated question of precisely what kind of political solution can be found. There is also a retreat of Europe on this question, on the question of what should happen in Libya. Europe has been divided and therefore fairly quiet. Hence the increasing presence of Russia and Turkey on the ground and around the table today.
[Allen:] So Europe and United States, we'll see what this summit bears out. Melissa Bell, thanks so much for us, live from Paris. You saw a bit of Becky Anderson's interview with the U.N.'s special representative for Libya. Hear more of what he has to say coming up on "
[Connect The World," 3:] 00 pm In London and 7:00 pm in Abu Dhabi, right here on CNN.
[Allen:] A new sense of urgency dominated this year's women's marches across the United States and they have a message for the White House. We'll give it to you after this.

[Lemon:] Protests in Portland, Oregon for the past 50 nights devolving into clashes between protesters and federal agents according to state and local officials. And video has surfaced on social media showing masks and camouflage individuals with generic police patches detaining a protester dressed in a black outfit and driving them off in an unmarked van. It is unclear what exactly happened the moments immediate before this short clip was recorded. Here it is.
[Unidentified Female:] What are you doing? Use your words. What are you doing? Use your words. What are you doing?
[Unidentified Male:] I haven't done anything wrong.
[Unidentified Female:] Use your words.
[Unidentified Male:] I haven't done anything wrong.
[Unidentified Female:] What's going on, sir marshal? What is going on? We need to know Who are you? Where are you taking this man? An LGU will get you out. What's your name? Tell us your name.
[Unidentified Male:] What's your name?
[Unidentified Female:] OK, you're fine. We'll get you out.
[Unidentified Male:] Bro, what
[Unidentified Female:] We got you, friend.
[Lemon:] So, Josh Campbell joins me now. Josh is a former FBI supervisory special agent. Josh, hello to you. This video is absolutely nuts. What is the story here?
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] Yes, Don, it's obviously been very controversial controversial since this video first surfaced. Now, again, as you mentioned, you look at these images where you have these officers in tactical uniforms, it didn't have a police insignia but they take a person, arrest him and take him to an unmarked van as nearby bystanders ask the police officers who are you? They're asking them to identify themselves. Now this has caused a wide backlash of people accusing law enforcement here of over excessive use of force, including one U.S. senator who has called this authoritarianism. Now I can tell you personally, Don, we've been working trying to figure out who these officers were. I contacted multiple federal agencies this morning. It took hours and hours for those agencies to respond. Finally, we learned who those officers were. They were from U.C. Customs and Border Protection, one of their tactical teams that was out here following these nights of unrest, following some of these protests which turned violent against some of the federal buildings, including the one I'm standing at here. Which obviously a very peaceful protest going on behind me. But they were part of this infusion of resources that were brought in after President Donald Trump said that he was going to get tough on some of these rioters. And again, we saw what transpired. You have these officers using tactics that people continue to say are excessive use of force by police even as Customs and Border Protection say they were out trying to conduct a lawful investigation.
[Lemon:] Josh, I understand that CBP has actually issued a statement about this incident. What are they saying?
[Campbell:] Yes. So, what their statement is saying and I'll read it to you here, it says, CBP agents had information indicating the person in the video was suspected of assault against federal agents or destruction of federal property. It goes on to say that once agents approach the suspect a large and violent mob move towards a location for everyone's safety. CBP agents quickly move the suspect to a safer location for further questioning. But again, that's not going to lay low protesters here that are saying look, the officers should have identified themselves. They take someone, throw him into an unmarked vehicle and then whisk him away. Obviously that smacks of the kind of authoritarianism that they are trying to stop here. CBP saying that they had a lawful right to stop this person. I will tell you finally, Don, that I reached out to CBP asking them what happened to this individual? Was he released? Was he charged? No word yet back from Customs and Border Protection despite our request to find out what happened to this person, Don.
[Lemon:] Well, it's interesting because they are saying a mob and I mean, again, we say we don't know what happened before but in the video we don't see a mob as they're taking the man off, and it's you know, it kind of reminds me of the incident in Buffalo where they put out a statement saying the guy tripped when you can clearly see police officers pushed him but we are showing the video now we don't see a mob.
[Campbell:] Yes. There are lot of questions there, Don. And again, as we mentioned we don't see what happened before that video, we don't know what happened. We do know based on a reporting, that there have been incident to protest here that have turned violent that there's been destructions of building. But so many of these protests including the one happening right here behind me in Portland outside the federal building have been overwhelmingly peaceful. In fact, we heard one of the speakers just say a moment ago that if you are in this crowd and you are seeking to use profanity or seeing to cause some type of violence, they don't want you here. They want people to remain peaceful. Again, whether this message spreads to this entire movement is yet to be seen. Also, yet to be seen what happens next with law enforcement. We know that the president has continued to make these types of protests, the violent ones a political issue, talking about moving in resources a really heavy-handed approach yet to be seen whether the federal resources will continue to move into the city, or whether this protest is a lot to just complete itself. Don.
[Lemon:] Yes. Protesting is one thing, but rioting and destructing property the destruction of properties another. But also, I think people deserve some answers. It was very mysterious what happened. People with no insignia going into an unmarked car, yanking someone off the street. So, thank you for getting to the bottom of it. Stay on top of it, Josh. Thank you. We appreciate it. We've got a lot more to come on the growing outrage over this story, you are going to hear what Oregon's Governor Kate Brown says. She's next. She wants the feds out of her state.

[Cabrera:] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is prepared to send the articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate this week, but defended her decision today wait weeks. During an interview this morning with ABC News, Speaker Pelosi said the delay achieved a very positive result. New information was revealed, John Bolton came forward to say he would testify if subpoenaed for instance. Pelosi also warned of a cover-up by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after he signed on to a resolution last week to dismiss the articles if not sent to the Senate within 25 days.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , House Speaker:] One of the things that I think is really important, what I think people should be very aware of, the very unusually, the leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, has signed on to a resolution to dismiss the case to dismiss the case. That in his view maybe
[George Stephanopoulos, Abc News:] But he's committed to having the presentations first now.
[Pelosi:] I'm telling you that he signed on, on Thursday, to a resolution to dismiss the case. The dismissing is a cover-up. Dismissing is a cover-up. If they want to go that route, again, the senators who are thinking now about voting for witnesses or not, they will have to be accountable for not having a fair trial.
[Cabrera:] Joining us now is CNN political analyst April Ryan and CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. April, do you think Pelosi's cover-up message is effective? And more broadly, is her approach working?
[April Ryan, Cnn Political Analyst:] Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, is doing something we've never seen. She's very strategic in her approach with this, but she's so strategic and so cunning with how she's viewing this. And she's playing this political game to the T that they are having they're own, I guess, House sessions if you will to try to thwart Nancy Pelosi. So this back and forth with Senate Republicans versus Nancy Pelosi is going to keep going. But each side has to look at history, each side has to look at the Constitution. And if you view this the way we are looking at it through the prism of the past, hearings, you don't necessarily have to have testimony or witnesses. Trials, you do. So the Senate, at issue, this impeachment trial. And the problem is, is that Mitch McConnell is saying already that he wants to acquit the president. So, people are crying foul, particularly Nancy Pellosi. Her strategy is needed to show the Democrats and the Republicans what is factual. And what is factual is the fact that this president was impeached.
[Cabrera:] Yes.
[Ryan:] Now, will the Senate follow suit with following the order and the line of the law and the Constitution?
[Cabrera:] Let me play another clip. Something else Nancy Pelosi said today. Listen to this.
[Pelosi:] We have confidence in our case that it is impeachable and this president is impeached for life. We feel very proud of the courage of our members to vote to impeach the president. There's nothing the Senate can do that can ever erase that. We will have an election, if we don't have him removed sooner. But again, he will be impeached forever.
[Cabrera:] Impeached forever has impeached forever, impeached for life, Ron, become Pelosi's new slogan and do you think she's saying it over and over again to jab at the president, get under his skin?
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] And we see from his tweets that, in fact, that's exactly what has happened. It is true. I mean, look, there's only been three presidents impeached by the House in American history and Donald Trump is the third and he can never run past that. And you know, one of the things, Ana, that has happened in this delay I think that is important, is that it has forced Mitch McConnell to argue that, in essence, by voting to proceed without knowing whether you're going to have witnesses at the beginning, all they are doing is following the Clinton precedent. And a lot of the Republicans in the Senate have kind of retreated behind that, that they didn't make the decision initially in the Clinton trial to have witnesses at the outset. But of course, in the end they did have witnesses in the Clinton trial. They did depose three figures involved in the accusations. And I think McConnell raising that precedent is going to make it even tougher, I think, for some of the Senate Republicans to explain why at the critical moment, maybe in 10 days or two weeks from now, they would be voting to abandon that president and not have witnesses. I mean, how, if you are Susan Collins, do you go home and say I didn't want witnesses when John Bolton, who was at the center of this, said he was willing to testify?
[Cabrera:] Well, it sounds like Susan Collins, speaking of which, is one of those who is trying to work with other Republicans to ensure there may be some witnesses. But let me turn to 2020 since we have limited time here and I've got a lot to discuss with both of you. Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren responded to a "Politico" report that Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign was attacking her with a memo that tells its volunteers to explain Warren as a candidate that's only attractive to the elite.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] I was disappointed to hear that Bernie is sending his volunteers out to trash me. Bernie knows me and has known me for a long time. He knows who I am, where I come from, what I have worked on and fought for. I hope Bernie reconsiders and turns his campaign in a different direction.
[Cabrera:] April, Sanders denied involvement in that memo, but also up until this point, he has avoided attacking Warren directly. Is this where things start to change?
[Ryan:] Oh, things have already changed. You're going to see candidates, Democratic candidates cutting each other off at the knees. And listening to Senator Warren, she needs to stop being apologetic in not apologetic, but saying why would you do this and toughen up and go after him. Because what if she is the nominee against Donald John Trump? She can't say, well, why did you do that? She's going to have to strike and he won't know when she strikes so she can win. So the bottom line, stop saying why, why, why and go after and take it and go after him.
[Cabrera:] Ron, I want you to listen to what presidential candidate and billionaire Michael Bloomberg said about Bernie Sanders.
[Michael Blomberg , Presidential Candidate:] I think that the number one thing is to replace Donald Trump and while I certainly would disagree with Bernie on an awful lot of things, if it's Donald Trump versus Bernie, I would support Bernie.
[Cabrera:] Senator Sanders openly criticizes billionaires and yet you have Bloomberg there saying yes, I would still vote for him. So, is Bloomberg making the case for Sanders' electability, that he would be able to get the moderates along with the progressives versus just one or the other?
[Brownstein:] Well, I think Bloomberg of course is trying to make himself acceptable within a Democratic Party that is still uneasy about billionaires and showing that he's going to be a team player no matter what and saying he's going to continue his extraordinary spending all the way through the general election. I think, you know, Bernie Sanders will ultimately face those questions particularly because his agenda has not really been vetted again in 2020 as it was not fully in 2016. You do not see the candidates fully talking about kind of the full scope of what he is proposing including things like a guaranteed federal job for, you know, everyone in America who wants it, universal free college, universal preschool. I mean, the cumulative cost of all of that, you know. Real quick, last four Iowa winners have won the Democratic nomination regardless of what happened in New Hampshire and that is not coincidence. It's probably because in this modern media environment, winning Iowa gives you a huge tailwind. But each of those Iowa winners ultimately proved very competitive with African-American voters whether it was Gore in 2000, Kerry, Obama or Clinton. And that will be the challenge for, I think, any of the possible Iowa winners, Sanders, Buttigieg or Warren, other than Biden. Can they convert that into breaking into the African-American community which is still pretty skeptical about all of them?
[Cabrera:] Right. And still largely behind Joe Biden with the lastest poll showing he is 48 percent
[Brownstein:] Yes. That's right.
[Cabrera:] of the Black vote right now compared to the next closest being 20 percent, Sanders. April Ryan, Ron Brownstein, it's great to have both of you here. Happy New Year to both of you since I haven't seen you since we hit 2020.
[Brownstein:] Happy New Year.
[Cabrera:] Let the games begin, guys. And a reminder, the last debate before that first vote is right here on CNN. Tune in this Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. eastern for the CNN presidential debate in partnership with the Des Moines Register. Royal turmoil in the U.K. The royal family is expected to hold an emergency meeting tomorrow, to discuss that shock announcement from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as a new report says Prince William is saddened over the rift with his brother.

[Unidentified Male:] Live from CNN Atlanta, this is
[Connect The World. Lynda Kinkade, Cnn Host:] Hello and welcome to our expanded edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us. Desperate measures have been taken in Europe to stop a virus outbreak that shows no signs of stopping. At this hour, Northern Italy, most of it, is under lockdown and that's home to some 16 million people, about a quarter of the country's population. The so-called red zone is subject to strict measures like the cancellation of all public events as well as school closures. In Vatican City, Pope Francis delivered his Sunday prayers via video in hopes of preventing the spread of the virus. He did appear at his window to bless the few who showed up in St. Peter's Square. Here in the U.S., the number of coronavirus cases has hit 450. It's claimed 19 lives. CNN has learned the cruise ship that's been quarantined off the coast of California will indeed dock on Monday. We know that 21 people on the Grand Princess have now tested positive for the coronavirus. In Southeast China, 10 people have died after their hotel collapsed. It was being used to house people from high-risk areas. Dozens have been rescued but crews fear more people are buried in the rubble. No word yet on what caused that collapse. We have got reporters covering all angles of this story. Sarah Westwood is traveling with the U.S. president. David Culver will join us from Shanghai. First, I want to start with Ben Wedeman. Ben, seriously, drastic measures there. You're about an hour and a half's drive from Milan. We heard that much of the north of Italy is under lockdown. Give us a sense of what you have experienced so far and obviously, your reaction to the fact we are seeing a lot of changes now with the way people celebrate religious occasions.
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Sr. International Correspondent:] Well, we heard early in the morning, Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, coming out with this new decree, which would impose draconian measures on millions of people in really the economic heartland of Italy. But it appears that they have yet to be implemented, at least in terms of the restrictions on the movement of people in the country. We've been driving for about, as you said, an hour and a half south of Milan. We did come across a checkpoint but that was for a previously existing red zone. What we're seeing is that, on a Sunday afternoon, there are people in this piazza, in this town, and it doesn't appear that the rhythm of life has yet changed dramatically. I think as these measures are put in place and we don't have a clear timetable as to when that will be things will start to change dramatically. But we did have an opportunity in Milan to visit a church to see how the changes brought about by the coronavirus are impacting the rhythm of life there.
[Brother Marcello, Chiesa Sacro Cuore Di Gesu:] Buongiorno. Buongiorno.
[Wedeman:] Brother Marcello greets the first arrivals at a Milan soup kitchen. Every day at 11:30 in the morning, volunteers hand out more than 1,000 meals to those in need. To avoid a crowd, they now pass through, get their bag lunch and leave. The rhythm of church life has changed for Marcello and the other brothers of the Capuchin order at the Chiesa Sacro Cuore di Gesu, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As the cloud of the virus that hovers over Italy grows ever darker, he sees a silver lining. "This is a bath in reality," says Brother Marcello. "It's a moment of great humility because we are reminded that we are human. We are not omnipotent. We are fragile we become sick. What is beautiful is that we see how much we need one another." The last mass here was February 22nd. How does he feel when he sees the church empty on Sunday?
[Brother Marcello:] [Speaking Italian].
[Wedeman:] "Not well," he repeats four times. "Sometimes it's said the priests, the clergy, the church are a power. At this moment it is clear to us, what is a priest without his flock?" Perhaps priorities are shifting back to basics. "This is an opportunity," says worshipper Eros Cavernan, "to reflect, to think, to be with your family and more than anything, to slow down our lives, which I think are going by too fast." Later, Brother Marcello reaches out to a fellow Capuchin, Alberto, in the red zone, where the outbreak is more intense and exit and entry are tightly controlled. Brother Alberto is in quarantine with a fever but has yet to be tested for the virus.
[Brother Marcello:] [Speaking Italian].
[Wedeman:] "First of all, I am sorry," says Marcello. Yet Alberto's spirits seem high. He jokes that, with all the couples staying home, there will be many new babies to baptize. In the afternoon, a rare gathering in the church for the funeral of a 67 year old man. He did not die, we are told, from the virus. The number of mourners is modest but large by today's new standards. So much is changing in this, Italy's time of trial. And that funeral was perhaps one of the last public ones in Milan now that the decree is in place. Marriages, funerals, baptisms are all banned. We know that schools and universities were already closed. Malls will be open only during weekdays. Bars and restaurants will only be allowed to be open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. And customers have to keep one meter apart. The list of all the things involved in this new decree is very, very long and, as they are implemented, it's going to be ever more difficult for people in this part of Italy.
[Kinkade:] Certainly sounds that way. Good to have you there for us, Ben. I hope you and your team stay safe. Thank you. Our Ben Wedeman there in Italy. I want to go to David Culver now. Obviously, David, we're speaking earlier about this hotel that collapsed in the southeast of China. And this is a hotel that wasn't housing or quarantining people with the coronavirus but people that had fled areas where there was an outbreak. We know at least 10 people are dead but still many trapped.
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] That's right, Lynda. And as you point out, they did not have the coronavirus. In fact, they had tested negative at least by the first round of tests they underwent and were in this hotel that was an observation opportunity medically for them to be monitored and to do so, really, through the two weeks of quarantine, essentially. It's interesting, listening to Ben talk about all the lockdown procedures coming into place there in Italy. They have already, of course, been here in place for several weeks. As part of that are these precautionary moves to have people in hotels that have been government designated to be in place to make sure they don't develop the coronavirus. But this tragedy is heartbreaking, especially when you look at the images. These are coming out of a province in the southeastern part of China. In all, there were about 80 people inside of this structure. It was a seven-story structure that collapsed around 7:15 local time on Saturday evening. It had about 58 people, who were part of this quarantine procedure. And people of all ages, families, of course, were among them. They were there, not allowed to leave, under observation. When the collapse happened, many of them were trapped. We know initially only nine of them were able to get out on their own. Rescuers then were able to get out several more people. At you point out, 23 remain unaccounted for. And it was a massive rescue effort, more than 1,000 first responders, firefighters and medics on scene for more than 24 hours now, trying to assist in this rescue operation and trying to pull out as many people as possible.
[Culver:] And we do know that they're facing not only the dangers of working around some rubble and the instability that is that structure but also the reality that some people may have been exposed to the coronavirus. So these first responders themselves are trying to layer up and protect themselves from any potential exposure. It's a very challenging situation they're in the midst of right now and just heartbreaking, looking at the images. Social media here in China has been heavily focused on this over the past couple days.
[Kinkade:] Yes, it's such a tragedy. We did see some of the pictures of at least one small child and his parents rescued from the building. I want to ask you whether there's any indication as to why the building collapsed. It was relatively young [sic]. My understanding is was only built in 2013.
[Culver:] It dates back to 2013; it was converted to a hotel in 2018. There were recent renovations underway that started at the start of this year in January. And according to state media, there was apparently, according to some of the workers, some concern with a structure, a pillar, if you will, that was unstable at some point. And the workers actually phoned the owner of that facility to say, you know, there's some issue here. We need to look into that. And shortly thereafter, the collapse happened. And as you point out, the images that we're seeing now are the aftermath, including the young child being cradled in the arms of the first responders. As far as any charges, all of that is so early. But we do know state media has reported that the owner of that facility is being detained and questioned by authorities. And that's likely to continue amidst, you know, what could be a criminal investigation on top of what is a recovery operation.
[Kinkade:] Yes. All right, David Culver, good to have you on the story. Thanks so much. I want to go to Sarah Westwood now for the political reaction and the U.S. response here. We know that the U.S. president went to a conservative political conference and we now know that someone who attended that has tested positive for the coronavirus. It wasn't just the president. Also the vice president there.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Right, there were many senior officials from the Trump administration who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference last week. President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence obviously included among them. But the White House is downplaying concerns about whether the president or the vice president or any other cabinet officials were exposed to the coronavirus while there. Now the American Conservative Union, the organization that puts on CPAC, has said the attendee who subsequently tested positive for the COVID-19 virus did not enter the main ballroom where the president and the vice president spoke and that they didn't have any interaction with the president and the vice president themselves. But still, this is coming amid growing concerns about President Trump and Pence continuing to be out on the road, continuing to be among crowds, when other organizations across the country are starting to cancel events that put people in close proximity to one another. I want to read you part of the statement from the White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, downplaying worries. "There's no indication either President Trump or Vice President Pence met with or were in close proximity to the attendee." Last night at his resort here in West Palm Beach, Mar-a-lago, the president appeared beside Brazilian President Bolsonaro and said he was not concerned about coronavirus getting close to the White House. Also last night, we learned the first coronavirus case has appeared in D.C. Take a listen.
[Trump:] Say it, what?
[Question:] Are you aware that the virus is getting closer to the White House?
[Trump:] No, I'm not concerned at all. No, no, we've done a good job. Thank you very much.
[Westwood:] Now the administration is touting its ability to test more and more people as they have expedited the process for developing these coronavirus tests. The FDA briefed reporters at the White House yesterday and said more than 5,800 tests have already been performed and that more than 1 million tests were distributed to hospitals, to health facilities across the country by Friday night.
[Kinkade:] And the other big story we have been covering in the U.S. is the cruise ship off the coast of California that has at least 21 people that have tested positive to the coronavirus. That ship is now going to dock tomorrow. But we understand from the vice president that there might be another cruise ship with coronavirus concerns.
[Westwood:] Without naming the boat, Vice President Pence said yesterday that the administration is keeping watch on another cruise ship that may have shared crew members with either the Diamond Princess or the Grand Princess cruise ships. Both of those obviously had coronavirus outbreaks onboard. So the potential for exposure for another cruise ship could present more issues for an industry hit very hard by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Pence said in Ft. Lauderdale yesterday the administration is taking decisive action on this unnamed ship. Take a listen.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] We are tracking at this point a ship that may have shared crew with the Diamond Princess or the Grand Princess. We have taken a decisive action to hold until we do a full medical assessment of that crew on that ship. We'll just continue to lean into this effort.
[Westwood:] Now Vice President Pence sparked a little bit of a backlash this week when he announced that 21 passengers or crew members on the Grand Princess had tested positive for the coronavirus, evidently, before those people were notified directly about the fact that they had tested positive. So here we saw the vice president not giving away too much information about which ship they're monitoring. But it shows the challenges for the cruise ship industry and the travel industry at large as the coronavirus inspires people to stay home when they're seeing headlines like this.
[Kinkade:] Exactly and cancel cruise ships, cancel flights. Sarah Westwood for us in West Beach Palm [sic], Florida. Thanks so much. Well, I want to get you up to speed on some other news we are covering on our radar right now. Now Iran's interior minister is echoing the warning of many other countries because of the coronavirus; that is, don't travel. Now the country is taking measures to disinfect public areas. In all, 194 people have died from the virus there. The number of cases is now past 6,500. And a cruise ship in Egypt has 45 passengers that have been confirmed to have the coronavirus, 19 are foreigners. Officials say the quarantined ship is now docked in the southern city of Luxor and all the infected passengers are going to be isolated in a hospital. The newly discovered cases bring Egypt's nationwide total to 48. Bahrain's Formula 1 Grand Prix race is the latest big sporting event to be affected by the coronavirus. Organizers say no spectators will now be allowed to watch the race, which is scheduled to take place two weekends from now. At the present time, allowing thousands of international travelers and local fans to interact is not the right thing to do. China is reeling from the coronavirus outbreak and one store is offering a safe way for customers to go food shopping. But they must keep their distance. That story is coming up. Plus, migrants coming from Turkey have been trying to get into Greece for weeks. The new reports claim they're being met with abuse and brutality. We have all the details for you when we come back.

[Tapper:] Today, the ousted Ambassador to Ukraine Maria Yovanovitch fired back against the alleged smear campaign that played a role in her removal which was led by Rudy Giuliani, were told. CNN's Manu Raju joins me now. And Manu, you just approached some Republicans about a person they don't really like to talk about much Rudy Giuliani, and the role he played in all of this. What do they have to say?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. There's really not a full-throated defense of Rudy Giuliani and his role coming from congressional Republicans. Most of them sidestepping questions put directly to them about what Rudy Giuliani did, how he was enlisted by the president to pursue these investigations that the President has sought, and also as he pushed for this smear campaign, apparently against Maria Yovanovitch according to our sworn testimony. Now, I just had a chance to ask the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee, Jim Jordan, who sits now on the Senate the House Intelligence Committee about that, whether or not he believes that Marie Yovanovitch was the victim of a smear campaign launched by Giuliani. Now, he would not answer that question. He was silent for a few seconds, shook his head when I asked him if he believed whether or not she was the victim of this smear campaign by Giuliani. He did defend Giuliani overall by saying that the President does have the right to choose who he wants to help pursue his foreign policy. But, Jake, that is certainly not we're not hearing much from congressional Republicans about that. Instead, they were focusing today about how the President has the right to do what he wants with his ambassadors, not necessarily defending what Giuliani did.
[Tapper:] Yes. There's a lot of time spent talking about the President has the right to do things and not whether or not the President is doing the right things. Manu Raju, thank you so much. And let's talk about this, guys, because here is specifically what Ambassador Yovanovitch said about Mayor Rudy Giuliani today.
[Yovanovitch:] I do not understand Mr. Giuliani's motives for attacking me, nor can I offer an opinion on whether he believed the allegations he spread about me. Clearly, no one at the State Department did. What I can say is that Mr. Giuliani should have known those claims were suspect, coming as they reportedly did, from individuals with questionable motives.
[Tapper:] And, Nia, first of all, we should note, President Trump has a long and storied history of believing conspiracy theories.
[Henderson:] Yes.
[Tapper:] Especially ones that benefit him politically, like the racist lie that Obama wasn't born in this country or he saw on T.V. a bunch of Muslim Americans, Arab Americans celebrating 911 in New Jersey, there's no evidence of that either, and on and on and on. Here, we have conspiracy theories infiltrating and affecting foreign policy.
[Henderson:] That's right. In a conspiracy theory around Ukraine which Putin pushed as well, right? I mean, you think about Nancy Pelosi saying all roads lead to Putin. This was brought up in the hearing today that part of this theory about the DNC server is all about to exculpate in Russia from their involvement in the 2016 and campaign and say no, it was really Ukraine. Listen, Rudy Giuliani while all this was happening, people thought he was a problem, right? You had John Bolton essentially saying this guy is a hand grenade. He's going to blow this whole thing up. You had Pompeo I think he was asked by Volker about Pompeo, he just sort of rolled his eyes about Giuliani's involvement. And you know, Giuliani at some point said he wanted to come before the committee with his charts and graphs. I don't think he's going to come before the committee with his charts and graphs.
[Tapper:] And Jen, as somebody who's an expert in the State Department because you work there, and then and you Chairman Rogers after that, is an expert intelligence, if you know that a president can be manipulated by spreading information even if it's false about this ambassador is a never-Trump, this Ambassador is doing this, can that be exploited?
[Psaki:] Sure it can. I mean, I think one of the most interesting things Yovanovitch said today was shady actors the world over have learned how little it takes to remove a U.S. Ambassador who does not give them what they want. So the point is, anybody around the world is watching what has happened here, and they can look at it and say, we can flatter President Trump, we can suggest to him we're going to copy his brilliant tactics politically, and in exchange will get rid of U.S. ambassadors who are pushing too hard on us. Maybe we'll get some assistance. That's the lesson they're taking.
[Tapper:] And very briefly, if you can, Chairman Rogers.
[Rogers:] We have whole processes in the intelligence community with analysts to make sure that the what lands on a president's desk isn't being manipulative of A, for a decision or outcome they want, whole processes. When you have one person who's stumbling around Ukraine who looks I think a little bit more like Dennis Rodman in North Korea's efforts than he does a savvy lawyer and diplomat, you're headed for trouble. Bad decisions are going get made. and I want to just take a quick look ahead to next week. The big testimony will be starting on Tuesday Jennifer Williams, the Vice President pants, a special advisor on Europe and Russia then and also Lieutenant
[Tapper:] And I want to just take a quick look ahead to next week. The big testimony will be starting on Tuesday. Jennifer Williams, Vice President Pence's special advisor on Europe and Russia, then and also Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman who was on the July 25th call, Kurt Volker former Special Envoy to Ukraine, Tim Morrison and the President's top Russia advisor now. Wednesday Gordon Sondland. Everyone is going to want to hear what he has to say. Laura Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary Defense for Russia, David Hill Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and then Thursday, Fiona Hill Trump's former top Russia advisor who expressed concern about the shadow campaign. Be sure to tune in to CNN this Sunday morning for "STATE OF THE UNION." My guests include Republican Congressman Mike Turner, who's on the Intelligence Committee. He's going to join me as well as Democratic Senator Chris Murphy who's been very active in the Ukraine situation. You can see it all at 9:00 a.m. and noon Eastern on Sunday. I'll see you Sunday morning. Thanks for watching.

[Harlow:] All right, welcome back. The special counsel's report is out of 448 pages. And if you have not read the entire thing, that's right, we're here for you. Robert Mueller found no evidence that the president's campaign conspired with the Russians interfere in the 2016 election. And also declined to conclude that a criminal charge of obstruction against the president is warranted. He put in his report multiple occasions though when the President did try to intervene in the investigation. Outlining 10 different areas they looked at on the obstruction front. Let me read you part of this report. "If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would state so. We would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, were unable to reach that judgment. The evidence we obtained about the president's actions and intent present difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." Joining me now, Josh Campbell, our law enforcement analyst, and former FBI supervisory special agent. Brian Stelter, our chief media correspondent. Areva Martin, our legal analyst, and the civil rights attorney. And Jennifer Rogers, our legal analyst, and a former federal prosecutor. Good morning, good evening to all of you. It's 1:18 in the morning here on the East Coast. And Josh Campbell, let me begin with you. Given what you did before you worked here, role in the Justice Department and the FBI. Barr's framing of all of this. What should the American people walk away with? Confidence in the attorney general?
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] But well, I think the American people should know that they've been taking for a ride here. And I'll say I was one of the first person and people on this air whenever this letter came out from Barr. We've discovered this 14- page.
[Harlow:] March 24th.
[Campbell:] Essentially, a job and or even before that this job interview, right? When that came out that he had submitted a letter criticizing the Mueller investigation. We learned about that.
[Harlow:] When he was a private citizen.
[Campbell:] Correct. Yes, exactly. And people looked at that with great suspicion. Like, OK, what was he trying to do? Audition for a job? Why would he come out as a private citizen go through all this work? And I was actually one of the ones defending him saying, "Humpy brakes, let's lower roll here. We don't know what his motivation was." I've since evolved on that because I now see a pattern. You have that. You see him framing this document in his four-page memo, saying that there was no collusion and that he determined that there was no obstruction. What he did is the essentially, a liable mission in my judgment. And that is: you say a couple things, you leave a couple of important things out. The part that he left out that was so important is what Robert Mueller's actually said in this report. And that is President Trump, according to investigators had this pattern of attacking investigators, trying to control the investigation, trying to get witnesses not to cooperate with the investigation. All that is very troubling. None of that was in the original framing of this. Which in my mind, when I say, we were taken for a ride, that's because four weeks ago, this was baked in, and now we're having to refute it based on the fact.
[Harlow:] So, Areva Martin, to you, legal expert on this. Mueller also outlined in here why he did not come to a conclusion on obstruction of justice? And he also made it very clear, by the way, that Congress has the ability and the right to take the ball and go from here if it so chooses. Right?
[Areva Martin, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Yes, Poppy.
[Harlow:] I guess, I'm just wondering if Mueller comes to testify, right? We'll see. What's the most important question you'd ask him on the obstruction front?
[Martin:] I think one of the most important things we want to hear from Bob Mueller is: why didn't he reach a conclusion with respect to obstruction given all the evidence that he lays out in this 400 plus page report? We heard Barr make the statement this morning that it had nothing to do with this office of legal counsel, you know, policy about not being able to indict a sitting president.
[Harlow:] But it did.
[Martin:] You're absolutely correct. That was a misstatement. That was a false statement by Attorney General Barr. And it's pretty clear from the report that, that was a huge consideration for you know, special counsel Mueller. And that but for that OLC you know, policy. I think there would have been a different determination. And I think, Bob Mueller, you know, he laid out this roadmap for Congress to look at the issue of obstruction. And he also talked about what can happen to President Trump when he leaves office. So, he didn't say, Congress, this is only for you to take a look at, for you to consider impeachment. He also said the kinds of conduct that Trump was engaged in, also can be something that's the subject of a prosecution once he is out of office. And I think that was very telling as we talk about things that were left out of Barr's you know, brief press conference this morning. That was a very critical point that he did not punctuate when he
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Martin:] You know, made the statements about the president being exonerated.
[Harlow:] Jennifer, to you, in Barr's remarks this morning on this front. He said, "Although, the deputy attorney general and I disagreed with some of the special counsel's legal theories, and felt the episodes examined did not amount to obstruction." How significant is that the Barr notes here that he and Rod Rosenstein disagreed with some of Mueller's legal theories on the obstruction front?
[Jennifer Rogers, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, it's clear that they did because that, of course, was the point of his whole audition letter. As Josh put it that he doesn't believe that legally, the president can be charged with obstruction for exercising his Article two powers. And Mueller does a very good job in the back end of the report. And I think this is a part of the report that most people will glaze over. But a very careful point-by-point refutation of those legal arguments that were raised in this case, actually, by the president's personal counsel but are essentially the same arguments that Barr had raised. So, you know, I think what Barr is saying there is, OK, yes, we disagree on the law. But really, what we were doing is saying that on the facts we don't think there's enough evidence to justify it. And he's doing that because, you know, you say reasonable lawyers can disagree on the legal arguments. And I think Mueller has a better of those here. But he wants the people to believe that there isn't enough evidence here. So, that's why he's pushing that narrative. And when you read the Mueller report, I have to say you have to come to the opposite conclusion on that right.
[Harlow:] Brian.
[Brian Stelter, Cnn Senior Media Correspondent:] That's the thing, I think, well, the Trump world is doing. And unfortunately, the attorney generals is part of this, is promoting this big lie. There's lots of little lies that are revealed in this report. There's a lot of little lies you've become used to over the past 2-12 years. But there's a bigger lie being promoted. The president's promoted this witch-hunt lie. Now he's promoting the no obstruction lie. And he has a lot of people helping him do that. Media allies, and allies inside his government. Promoting what is essentially a big lie that he's telling over and over again. I think that's the new playing field in the weeks and months to come. Are people going to believe his big lie or not.
[Harlow:] It's not a crime to lie to the press and the American people.
[Stelter:] Right. That's true. Sure.
[Harlow:] No one should do it and the president certainly shouldn't do it, and his press secretary. His White House press secretary certainly shouldn't do it. Explain to the American people why it is so key what we learned from the Mueller report about what Sarah Sanders admitted to Bob Mueller and his team prosecutors when she had said, "Look the rank-and-file" essentially, I'm paraphrasing here at the FBI, "aren't happy with James Comey."
[Stelter:] Yes. Yes, they wanted Comey out. She said she heard from countless members of the FBI calling her up, saying, "We want Comey out." Now, obviously, that was a lie then. And she admitted it was a lie, under oath, speaking with Mueller's team. But this is one of many, many misleading statements has come out of the White House. But it's a revealing example because she's admitting to it. She's fessing up to it in the Mueller report. It's an example of how little credibility this White House has. And as we go forward, I think talking about these issues, the recognition that the president and his aides cannot be trusted. And these are just 10 of the examples on screen. Here are the examples on screen. Speaks of this larger problem going forward.
[Campbell:] Can I add just a perspective here. I was inside the FBI at the time. I remember watching that press conference with my colleagues.
[Stelter:] Right.
[Campbell:] As she stood there and said that the FBI didn't have confidence in the former director, my former boss. But there was another component to that. She stood at the at the White House podium. And said that she had personally been in contact with FBI agents, right.
[Stelter:] Yes, they were cowl her, right.
[Campbell:] And it was actually a reporter that got so incredulous, he actually essentially, gave a one-word response. He said, "Really?" Like giving her the opportunity to back out of that. And she said, "No, there were text messages, there were e-mails, on, and on, and on. So, this wasn't a slip of the tongue as she calls it. This she was really tripling down. The last point which gets to Brian's point about the big lie is that Sarah Sanders, even after admitting to Mueller it was a lie was on Fox News tonight and said that she misspoke. But essentially, the bigger larger claim was true. So, she's circling back to it. It's insane.
[Stelter:] I reach out to her, Josh, for tonight. I asked her questions about this. She declined to comment.
[Harlow:] Maybe she'll come on your show this weekend.
[Stelter:] I would love that.
[Harlow:] All right. Gentlemen, stand by. Jennifer, Areva, stand by. We have a lot to discuss. We'll be right back

[Camerota:] The coronavirus pandemic has led to 16 million Americans filing for unemployment in just the last three weeks. Many Americans are now trying to figure out how to keep their families afloat without a paycheck. Joining us now are Joseph and Belinda Norman. They are business owners from Texas who are having trouble finding work. And Nicole Douglas, who lost her job as a front desk manager at a gym in Oregon. Great to see all of you. I really appreciate all of you coming in to tell your personal stories. I know that you all have kids and you're all trying to figure out what's next and where you'll get enough income and everything. So, Nicole, let me just start with you. Your you and your husband both lost your jobs. You have two kids, a teenager and a four-year- old. So you're at both ends of the spectrum in terms of stress, I would imagine.
[Nicole Douglas, Unemployed Due To Coronavirus:] Yes.
[Camerota:] And so how has your life changed in the past few weeks?
[Douglas:] How? Well, just a lot of unknowns, which is scary. Just not knowing how long this is going to last and, you know, what's going to happen really.
[Camerota:] And what I mean what are you panicking most about? When you let the anxiety kind of wash over you, which I know you've said it does some nights, what is it that you're most worried about?
[Douglas:] Just hoping I can go back to work. I know this is going to take a real big hit on small business and which is what I work for or I was previously working for was a locally owned small business. So I'm just hoping that that it can, you know, hang in there so maybe I can come back to that or and get back to normal and get the kids back in a routine. I know school was just canceled through the end of the year, so so it's going to be different for a few more months for us.
[Camerota:] Yes. That was a blow to so many of us.
[Douglas:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Joseph and Belinda, I want to bring you in because, Joseph, I know a little bit about your story. You are a worker. You have been a worker since you were a kid and your father took you to the to work with him on the oil wells. You're a well technician. You started your own business, I think, several years ago. And it was going really well. And then, you know, no pun intended, it all dried up. And so now where do you find yourself?
[J. Norman:] Alisyn, west Texas, we got hit with a double whammy. You know, we got hit with corona and we got hit with the oil wars. So, you know, us, you know, we decided to pivot. You know, the oil and gas industry isn't the only industry in the world. And, you know, four weeks ago I was a well technician. Last week, I wrote my first hit single "Quarantine Lover." And this week I'm being interviewed by CNN. So, you know, all of this is, is an opportunity to pivot to something different. It's an opportunity to spread joy, love and peace and hope to and that's what I'm all I'm trying to do. Like, 19 cents out of every single song is going directly to the the doctors and the nurses that are on the front lines fighting this
[Camerota:] Well
[J. Norman:] Can't crawl up in a little, you know, ball and cry or put my head in the sand, man. It's time to go. It's time to be proactive and it's time to pivot to something that, you know, that can, you know, meet the challenge.
[Camerota:] Well, listen, you're we like your attitude.
[J. Norman:] Appreciate it.
[Camerota:] I mean I hope it is infectious for all of us because everybody copes with it differently. And you're clearly a man of action. And you have pivoted to writing songs, which is beautiful.
[J. Norman:] Right.
[Camerota:] But, Belinda, you have two little kids and you're pregnant at the moment.
[Belinda Norman, Unemployed Due To Coronavirus:] Yes.
[Camerota:] And so has that has that added to your anxiety about the future?
[B. Norman:] No. I'm actually I don't really have any anxiety. You know, we have a very strong faith in God and know he's going to take care of us no matter what. I see the end in sight and know that it will be better than we could ever have imagined. And in regarding my pregnancy, I do under I do think, you know, pregnant people are kind of forgotten, but, you know, we are very blessed. I have a midwife. I was going to this it would be my second home birth. So it's actually falling right into place. I mean I'm sure a lot of pregnant people wish they could be at home and I've heard just stories of women having to go by themselves to the hospital to do this, and I can't imagine. So I'm sure
[Camerota:] Yes, that is a scary scenario. You're you're so right.
[B. Norman:] Yes.
[Camerota:] And I just want to bring Nicole back in. Nicole, when you hear when you hear the upbeat nature of the Normans, what is it that has most changed for you? Are you what's happening with feeding your family and have you gotten a check yet? You know, we've understood that unemployment checks have been deposited in some people's accounts now. So has do you know if that's happened yet for you?
[Douglas:] Yes, we I just received my first unemployment check last week. So that was good. After three weeks of unemployment kind of being a nightmare, I was glad to finally get it. So
[Camerota:] Yes, we're glad that you got it. And in terms of I know that you've had to get creative with feeding the kids.
[Douglas:] Yes.
[Camerota:] You can share any hints for other people?
[Douglas:] You know, we're just just trying to, yes, get creative with cooking and try to, you know, keep the budget, be very aware of every dollar right now, because we don't know how long this could last. So we're just trying to be proactive and stay ahead of everything.
[Camerota:] Yes. I mean, look, it's the uncertainty. That that's what people are struggling with, the uncertainty of not knowing how long this is going to last.
[Douglas:] Yes.
[Camerota:] But, Joseph and Belinda Norman, we we direct people to "Quarantine Lover," that they can find.
[J. Norman:] Yes.
[Camerota:] I'll put it out on my on my social media, on Instagram as well. And, Nicole Douglas, thank you so much, everybody, for sharing for sharing your personal stories and your positive outlook. We really appreciate it.
[B. Norman:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] OK, we have some breaking news you too. We have some breaking details right now on concerns about one of the drugs that President Trump has continued to promote to treat coronavirus patients. So Sanjay Gupta is going to join us to talk about this, next.

[Allen:] President Trump has told "The Washington Post" that the U.S. staged a cyber attack on a Russian troll farm in 2018. The covert operation against the Kremlin linked Internet research agency was aimed at stopping Russian interference in the U.S. midterm elections. It's the same organization accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Let's turn to CNN's Fred Pleitgen. What are you learning about this, Fred?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] According to what Trump said in that interview, all this was happening in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections. One of the things going on in the U.S. is that people from the security apparatus were saying they were seeing evidence there was Russian meddling going on again before the midterm elections. A lot of that influence campaign by the Internet research agency that had been so active in 2016. As you recall, in the run-up to the midterms, we heard then Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats literally say he believed the United States was under attack. At that point, especially Democrats were calling for stronger action by the Trump administration. Now President Trump confirming that, yes, apparently they did take action. And he authorized this cyber attack, an offensive cyber attack against the Internet research agency. We heard before, we know that the intelligence services believe the attack was successful and succeeded at getting the Internet research agency offline and stopping some of the influence operations that were going on at that point in time. Of course, a lot of this happening via social media. A lot of this there to sow that the U.S. intelligence agencies put it, sow discord within the American public and also tried to undermine the belief in American institutions, as well.
[Allen:] Try to get it offline. Is the Internet research agency still active?
[Pleitgen:] It's very active still. One thing about the IRA, the Internet research agency, It's changed names and structure over the past years, as well. There's been organizations that have been going after it. The Mueller report, indicted some of the folks from the Internet research agency. So they've changed the way they operate a little bit. But the goals are pretty much the same. You see that some of the things they're doing have become more sophisticated. Some of the posts in 2016, were crude with grammar and spelling mistakes. A lot of it is cleaned up, as well. Some of it was outsourced to African nations. But it's still very much going on. The Internet research agency is still operating. And what many folks in the intelligence community believe, Natalie, is that the goals are still very much the same. They are still trying to sow discord in the United States, with the run-up to key votes. One thing we have to keep in mind, is that it's part of a large empire, by a businessman that is known to be very close to Vladimir Putin. So certainly, all of the operations will still continue to be fairly well-funded, even as, for instance, U.S. intelligence services seem to be going after the Internet research agency have done so many in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections.
[Allen:] Thanks so much, Fred Pleitgen, for us in Warsaw, Poland. Turkey's president has issued a presidential decree that will convert Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. For much of the past century, the UNESCO World Heritage site has been used as a secular museum. The announcement has sparked an outcry around the world. CNN's Arwa Damon has more about it from Istanbul.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hagia Sophia is quite spectacular, a convergence of both Islam and Christianity. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site although that status may now be in jeopardy. Hagia Sophia was the first Christian cathedral built by the Roman empire back in the Byzantine empire in 1453, when the Ottomans conquered what was Constantinople. It was converted it to a mosque. Fast forward to modern-day Turkey, the president and founder of Turkey as we know it today, issued a presidential decree to have it converted into a museum. What's happened now is that the Turkish courts have annulled that decree. And President Erdogan has issued his own decree, moving the administration of Hagia Sophia from the ministry of culture to the presidency of religious affairs. Now internationally, this is viewed by and large as being a highly controversial move. Prior to all of this, you had U.S. secretary of state Pompeo, the Greeks and Russians, even UNESCO urging Turkey not to go in this direction. Why now? Many are saying, because when it comes to the vast majority of the Turkish population, this is a fairly popular move. And some are saying that the president is playing politics, given that the economy here has been on the decline and his popularity has been called into question. Now the Turkish presidential spokesperson is saying that, despite this move, the Christians icons, the Christian art inside will continue to be preserved. The fact that it is going to be open for prayer should not impact its status as a World Heritage site. But this is a highly controversial move, especially when you look at it from the international perspective Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
[Allen:] A tropical storm made landfall in the U.S. Northeast. Karen Maginnis will have the latest on Fay coming right up.

[Tapper:] We're back with our POLITICS LEAD today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggesting today that President Trump may be in an altered state and may have impaired judgment right now due to his coronavirus infection and the medication he's taking. CNN's Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill. Manu, walk us through exactly what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is claiming.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] She's been raising concerning or questions at least about the medication the President has been taking and questioning his erratic behavior, particularly, the way he's walked away from stimulus negotiations, suddenly pulled the plug on that, then suggested he wanted to move ahead. Again, raising questions about whether or not the President is being impacted any way about all his. Even today, Jake, suggesting perhaps he may call to invoke the 25th Amendment, which of course, is that procedure under the Constitution that would require a majority of the cabinet as well as the Vice President to say the President is incapable of doing his job. And that would lead to the Vice President immediately becoming President. She said she'll talk more about this tomorrow. But what Pelosi was asked today was how to explain the President's recent behavior and she said this.
[Nancy Pelosi  Speaker Of The House:] The President is, shall we say, in an altered state right now. So, I don't know how to answer for his behavior. There are those who say that when you're on steroids andor if you have COVID-19, or both, that there may be some impairment of judgment. But again, that's for the doctors and the scientists to determine.
[Raju:] So, the President just tweeted about Nancy Pelosi suggesting the 25th Amendment is something she wants to talk about saying, crazy Nancy is the one who should be under observation. They don't call her crazy for nothing. Of course, that's the President's nickname of the House Speaker. When I asked the House Speaker are you actually going to call to invoke the 25th Amendment, she would not say she said that is something we're just going to discuss tomorrow. So, we'll have to see what she ultimately decides to do here Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Manu Raju, thanks so much. Rick Bright, a former Trump administration official is going to be speaking to us later in the show. And we'll ask him what he makes of all this. He's a scientist. And joining me to discuss is CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson and Abby Phillip. Nia, what do you think? Is it appropriate for the House Speaker to publicly question the President's judgment and mental state right now? I mean he is battling a potentially fatal illness and he is on serious medication as far as we know?
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] That's right. And he is behaving rather erratically. Of course, it's kind of hard to tell with this President because this President often behaves erratically, changes his mind on important issues as we've seen him do here with stimulus talks off and on, as well as the debates. But I think if you're Nancy Pelosi you are watching a President at a critical time in this country, at a critical time in his reelection just days out of the hospital and on this medication. And you're also seeing his doctors not be transparent about his status, his health status. It's also clear that this President, at least so far, I'm not sure, have we seen him live and in person talking? I know he called into the "Fox News" network and talked to an anchor there for some time. But that in some ways, I think, could be alarming as well. As much as he is declaring that he is cured and he is feeling younger than he has, you know, in years, his behavior does suggest that there is something maybe more serious going on. And so, I think she's there raising questions and I think a lot of Americans also have questions and want answers from his doctors.
[Tapper:] Abby, without question everything Nia said is correct. The President is behaving erratically, he's on serious medication that could theoretically cause that. And yet, there's no chance in hell that the President's cabinet is going to invoke the 25th Amendment even though Speaker Pelosi said she's going to discuss that tomorrow. That's the amendment used to remove unwell presidents from office. And if you look at the President's Twitter feed right now, he's retweeting all these members of Congress from the "looney tunes caucus" talking about Nancy Pelosi staging a coup. I mean was this wise of her to talk about?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, you know, she's poking the bear. Nancy Pelosi knows how to get under Donald Trump's skin. She knows that this is something he's very sensitive about, both his health and also the implication that he could be removed from office by members of his cabinet or members of his own party. And so, I do think that she's throwing something out there that she knows is going to cause the President to act even more erratically. Whether or not this is a serious thing, I think, is almost beside the point. We are less than a month away from a presidential election. But in terms of the ability to distract President Trump from a lot of things that are going on, to be honest, it seems that's what this is really about. I have no doubt that Nancy Pelosi believes that President Trump is impaired. But I also think that she knows that there is no chance that this is going to happen.
[Tapper:] Right, I think that's smart, your suggestion that she's trying to poke the bear. Nia, President Trump called in to "Fox Business" for nearly an hour earlier today. Among his remarks he called Senator Kamala Harris, the vice presidential nominee on the Democratic side, calling her a monster, calling her unlikable. The President has serious problems with women voters right now. I don't know that that's the wisest approach to call a woman politician a monster and unlikable. What do you think?
[Henderson:] It's not the wisest approach. It's terrible. Listen, he is doing terribly among women of all races. We tend to focus on white women, but you think about older women, older African-American women. And so, this won't help him. He doesn't seem to have any real strategy. He's doubling down on all of the things we know about this President, and that is to traffic in sexist rhetoric, racist rhetoric as well. And you have I think those two things converging in what he is talking about and claiming about Kamala Harris. I thought Kamala Harris was fairly good last night, and I'm sure he watched that and I'm sure he's a bit threatened by Kamala Harris. He clearly does go after particularly goes after women that he feels sort of threatened by. And I think that's what's going on here. And listen, it won't help him with women. He's bleeding support among women. Many of the women who voted for him, particularly white women in 2016 are fleeing that party. And so, I think you'll see more of that with those comments. But again, this is the President we've come to know, particularly when it comes to women of color.
[Tapper:] And Abby, President Trump now suggesting that he may have contracted coronavirus from Gold Star families at an event that he held on September 27th, Sunday. Gold Star families, people who lost a loved one in combat. Take a listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They come within an inch of my face sometimes. They want to hug me, and they want to kiss me. And they do. And frankly, I'm not telling them to back up. I'm not doing it. But I did say it's like, you know, it's obviously dangerous.
[Tapper:] Abby, the timeline makes no sense based on what we know about the President's infection that he got it from the Gold Star families. But the idea, the obscenity of blaming this on people who have lost a loved one in war is just beyond the pale.
[Phillip:] It's ridiculous. But I think we should also remind people that when Hope Hicks was diagnosed with the coronavirus, one of the first things the President Trump said about that situation was that perhaps she got it from greeting members of the military in the course of her official duties as an adviser to the President. So, this is not the first time the President has floated these kinds of ridiculous theories. And in fact, it is probably more likely that the President put these Gold Star families in danger by having a massive event at the White House the day before in which we know at least nine people who later contracted the virus attended that event both outside and inside.
[Tapper:] All right, Abby Phillip and Nia-Malika Henderson, thanks to both of you. New coronavirus numbers are in. I wish I had good news for you, but I don't. It's not just in a handful of hotspots. Stay with us.

[Bolduan:] Welcome back. Any moment now, we'll be heading back to the White House where President Trump has been speaking with reporters as he is leaving the White House from the South Lawn. And what he has been saying he has been defending himself. He has told reporters, when asked about the damning text messages revealed overnight from congressional committees between top U.S. officials, also the president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, President Trump is insisting that there was no quid pro quo with the dealings with Ukraine. That, though when you look at the text messages, though it shows in written word, talk of quid pro quo. I will read one of them for you. We read them before. But they are worth repeating over and over again. From one top U.S. official to another, "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign." In response in response, another official says, "Bill, I believe you're incorrect about the president's intentions." Goes on to lay out it's "crystal clear he does not want quid pro quos. But then says, "I suggest we stop the back and forth by text. If you still have concerns," I recommend you reach out to these two people to discuss directly. In this moment, there's a need for perspective. Let me bring in right now Susan Glasser for a little bit of that. Susan, when you look at text messages revealed handed over by Kurt Volker to the committees yesterday, what picture does this paint, despite what we hear this morning from the president who says, the conversations were perfect, there's no quid pro quo to look at.
[Susan Glasser, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] Well, it's a pretty striking development, I would say, having seen a lot of document dumps. This was a breathtaking thing to have written down and to be released publicly. At the very beginning, I should point out yesterday was the first witness in this impeachment inquiry
[Bolduan:] Exactly.
[Glasser:] to have the new information coming to us. Veteran prosecutors, lawyers who have reviewed millions of pages of documents in their careers, they might never come across evidence so explicit and so damning on its face. It would be almost a textbook definition, in fact, of what a quid pro quo would be. Bill Taylor, I should point out, is the senior U.S. official in Ukraine after President Trump fired the previous U.S. ambassador to Ukraine in the midst of a campaign by his son, Don Jr, and Rudy Giuliani because she apparently objected to Giuliani's interference in Ukrainian affairs. And so this person who is raising this objection is a highly credible career foreign service officer. No flame thrower, I should point out, not only not a partisan but described to me by someone who knows him well as a complete Boy Scout. The fact he puts it down in writing was explicitly done. The fact he did it twice, numerous days apart, points out that his concerns were not only not assuaged but seemed to be heightened about the explicit use of leverage by the United States of America and President Trump on Ukraine to get something of value for President Trump's personal political interests. This is a fact set I have not encountered in almost three decades as a journalist. One thing I'm struck by is that President Trump, if he were any other president, would be advised very strongly to shut up and to stop talking, because the new arguments he makes, first of all, setting a standard that he can't meet, claiming there's no quid pro quo, when there appears to be evidence of it.
[Bolduan:] Oh, going to interrupt, Susan, because the tape is coming in. Let's listen to what President Trump has to say about this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The unemployment numbers just came out and they're the best numbers we have had in over 50 years. The unemployment number is down to 3.5 percent. So that goes way, way back. We haven't had numbers like this in a long time. Wages are up by almost 3 percent, that's a fantastic increase for everybody out there working. We're very happy about those numbers. The stock market is substantially up, as it was yesterday. And our country does well. Europe is not doing well, Asia is doing poorly, to put it mildly. And we continue to do very well. We're the miracle. But the unemployment numbers just came out: 3.5 percent unemployment. And that is a tremendous number, the lowest in over 50 years. So very happy. And I think, really very important, again I'll say, wages are up. When I was running, wages were nowhere, they were going down and people were having two and three jobs, and they were making less money than they made 20 years before. Now wages are up. So we're very happy about that.
[Trump:] One other thing having to do with Poland. So, Poland is a country, great people. We have a lot of Polish-Americans living in the United States. I've just signed I will soon be signing and sign certain preliminary applications. We will be giving a full visa waiver to Poland. That means that people from Poland can easily travel there, and people from here can easily go back and forth. They can each people from the U.S., people from Poland can very easily go back and forth between the United States and Poland. So they've been trying to get this for many, many decades. And I got it for the Polish people, in honor of the Polish people in the United States and in Poland. So we're very happy with that. Yeah?
[Question:] Did you see Adam Schiff got four Pinocchios by the Post this morning for lying?
[Trump:] Well, I heard Adam Schiff got four Pinocchios. That's good. He should have gotten them two-and-a-half years ago. That's a very nice question. Let me shake your hand. Come here. That's a very nice question. I almost a surprise I figured that was a trick question, right?
[Question:] Also, what did your letter to Pelosi say? When will you send it?
[Trump:] Well, we'll be issuing a letter. As everybody knows, we've been treated very unfairly, very different from anybody else. If you go over not only history, I mean, you go over any aspect of life, you'll see how unfairly we've been treated. We've done a fantastic job. Everything, to me, is about corruption. We want to find out what happened with 2016. And as you know, there's a lot of work going on, on that. I don't care about Biden's campaign, but I do care about corruption. His campaign, that's up to him. Politics, that's up to them. I don't care about politics. Politics, as I think I made clear and yesterday, somebody asked me a question and I gave an answer, but always in the form of corruption. What I want to do and I think I have an obligation to do it, probably a duty to do it corruption. We are looking for corruption. When you look at what Biden and his son did, and when you look at other people, what they've done. And I believe there was tremendous corruption with Biden, but I think that was beyond. I mean, beyond corruption, having to do with the 2016 campaign and what these low- lifes did to so many people, to hurt so many people in the Trump campaign, which was successful, despite all of the fighting us. I mean, despite all of the unfairness. So we are looking at corruption. We're not looking at politics; we're looking at corruption.
[Question:] What did you say to the Chinese about the Bidens, sir?
[Trump:] I don't know. Somebody said that a long time ago. Was that in 2017? I don't know. You'd have to tell me when. All I can tell you, this when I speak to foreign leaders, I speak in an appropriate way. If you notice, they don't mention the call that I had with the president of Ukraine. They don't mention that, because it was so good. The only time they mentioned it was when Adam Schiff made it up. You talk about Pinocchios, that should get 10 Pinocchios. He made up he made up a story. It was a phony story Adam Schiff. So they don't talk about that any more. You know, when this came out, it was quid pro quo. Well, there was none. Also, yesterday, the ambassador, who I heard was tremendous and a tremendous person, he was a hundred percent for what we're saying, a hundred percent. And if you look, he also said there was no quid pro quo. That's the whole ballgame. But now, the Democrats don't bring that up anymore because they lost. Look, they never thought I was going to release the phone call between the Ukrainian president and myself. When I released that call, they were they were jumping around like you wouldn't believe. They didn't know how to respond. And then they found out and then they found out that the call itself was so bad for them. It was a perfect call. There was nothing we hand that call out. We've handed the call out to people, and they say, wow, this is incredible. We're very proud of that call. When I speak to a foreign leader, I speak in an appropriate manner. Now, we're also doing trade deals with China, and we're doing deals with a lot of people, for the country. So I'm not looking to insult people, I can tell you that. But we can probably find that out.
[Question:] Would you be more willing to do a trade deal with the Chinese if they investigate Biden?
[Trump:] No, it has nothing to do with it. No. No, I want to do a trade deal with China, but only if it's good for our country. And it could happen.
[Question:] Do you want the House to...
[Trump:] As you know, they're very much they're very much coming over, next week, as I understand it. So I'd like to do a trade deal with China, but only if it's a great trade deal for this country. One thing has nothing to do with the other.
[Question:] Do you want the House to proceed with an impeachment inquiry at this point, an official impeachment inquiry?
[Trump:] Well, I wouldn't mind, because we have no rights. The way they're doing it, they've taken away our rights. So if they proceed and, you know, they'll just get their people, they're all in line. Because even though many of them don't want to vote, they have no choice. They have to follow their leadership. [Corrected Copy: Fills In Inaudibles] And then we'll get it to the Senate, and we're going to win. The Republicans have been very unified. This is the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country. So we beat the one that started immediately. We went through two years of Mueller, and that came out like a 10. It was came out perfect. And a few days go by, and they start this nonsense. And this is just as ridiculous. So the Democrats, unfortunately, they have the votes. They could vote very easily, even though most of them many of them don't believe they should do it.
[Trump:] And I do believe I do believe that because of what they're doing with Pelosi and and their real leaders, AOC-plus-three, that's their real leaders I really believe that they're going to pay a tremendous price at the polls. And we saw the first glimpse of it two weeks ago in a great state, North Carolina. We saw a great, great glimpse of what's going to happen. Because in North Carolina we had two races. One gentleman, Dan Bishop, was down by 17 points with three weeks to go and he won easily. And the other man, as you know, Greg Murphy, was up by a very little bit and he won by a massive amount I don't know, someplace in the 20s, 20 percent or something, maybe higher. So I think you've gotten your first glimpse of what's going to happen. And the big key is that I have to campaign there. But if you look at what happened in North Carolina, two races, we won both of them and we won them easily. And one was almost tied, and the other one was a big, big lead, and that one turned and the tie became a landslide.
[Question:] [inaudible] the votes in the Senate?
[Trump:] Well, I don't know about Mitch. I have a lot of respect for Mitch McConnell. I know that I saw his statements. And he thinks that this is ridiculous. He thinks it's unfair. I saw his statement yesterday that he put out where he read my phone conversation, and he thought it was a a wonderful conversation, and it was. But see, the Democrats don't talk about that anymore. They try and go to other things. These people are looking for anything they can get, because they know they're going to lose the election. And we're in election season now. For them to be doing this now, it's never been done.
[Question:] [inaudible]
[Trump:] What?
[Question:] You [inaudible] North Korea. It's [inaudible] right now. What do you expect?
[Trump:] So we're dealing with North Korea. They want to meet, and we'll be meeting with them. It's probably being set up as we speak, but we'll let you know. But North Korea would like to do something. Iran would like to do something. We have a lot of countries in a very good position right now, despite the witch hunt which hurts our country and it hurts America. But Iran wants to do something. North Korea wants to do something. And China would like to do something.
[Question:] Is the Justice Department investigating Joe Biden?
[Trump:] I don't know. You that, you'd have to ask, is is the Justice Department investigating Joe Biden? Well, that, you'd have to ask Attorney General Barr. But I can tell you just as an observer, what I saw Biden do with his son, he is pillaging these countries and he's hurting us. How would you like to have, as an example, Joe Biden negotiating the China deal if he took it over from me after the election? He would give them... Wait. He would give them everything. He would give them everything. How would you like to have that? Joe Biden would just roll out the red carpet. He'd give them everything. So, again, this doesn't pertain to anything but corruption, and that has to do with me. I don't care about politics. I don't care about anything. But I do care about corruption. And to have somebody take out a billion and a half dollars out of China who's totally unfit he's unfit to have him get a billion and a half dollars, to have him and now I'm hearing the number of $50,000 a month. Now I'm hearing the number of $50,000 a month is very low. It's a much higher number that Biden's son was getting per month. In fact, it's much higher. And for him to and for him as a totally... For him, as a totally unqualified person, to be getting hundreds of thousands a month is very, very sad. So so again... Is the Justice Department investigating that? I just don't know.
[Question:] Do the Democrats have the votes? Do the Democrats have the votes to impeach? Do you think he [inaudible]?
[Trump:] Well, I think they follow the leader. One thing with the Democrats I give them credit for it a lot of them don't want it. You know that. You interview them. A lot of them are in they call them in the Trump districts where I won and then they won after when I wasn't running, but I'm going to win them big.

[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] Twin foreign crises for the U.S. a new stare-down with Iran and new weapons threat from North Korea. Are they sensing vulnerability at the White House?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] The race for 2020 finally being waged in 2020. Pete Buttigieg with an early reminder he is a fundraising force, only he's not the only one.
[Jarrett:] And a state of emergency in southeast Australia. The death toll is climbing from ranging wildfires, and the forecast is only getting worse. CNN is live this morning in Baghdad, Hong Kong, Australia and Jerusalem. Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
[Romans:] And I'm Christine Romans. It is Thursday, January 2nd. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East, and 32 days to the Iowa caucuses. But we begin here the U.S. and Iran appear to be stepping back from the brink of confrontation, after days of violent protests by Iran- backed demonstrators at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. But this could be the start of a longer protest campaign. Thousands of angry supporters of an Iran-backed militia tried to storm the embassy. They were protesting deadly U.S. airstrikes launched in response to a death of a U.S. contractor in a rocket attack.
[Jarrett:] The protesters managed to do some serious damage inside the embassy. Some rooms left totally charred there. Iraqi security forces have regained control of the area. But a spokesman for the militia group that organized the demonstration says America should have received the message. And the embassy protests were only a first step. The embassy now says all public consular services are suspended until further notice. Senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is live for us in Baghdad. Arwa, what can you tell us?
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Good morning. Well, those rooms that were torched are not exactly fully inside the embassy compound. They're where you go in to get your initial security screening and your badge. But the fact that this group of people were able to just march straight through multiple checkpoints, into what is still a very restricted zone in many ways goes to the very core of multiple complex dynamics that are unfolding here. You have, despite the fact that the situation outside of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad is over for the time being, the broader proxy battle that is playing out between Washington and Tehran, mostly within Iraq, that is far from being resolve. The key group in all of this, which is the one that was targeted by the U.S. on Sunday, Kataib Hezbollah, is still demanding that the Americans leave Iraq, saying that they delivered their message and now, they're going to leave it up to the Iraqi government. But their patience is not necessarily open-ended. You have rhetoric being tossed back-and-forth between the U.S. president, the Iranian leadership, each side threatening the other. A lot of bluster, perhaps, but as we know, this bluster can turn very violent very quickly. And there are grave concerns over the situation potentially escalating. And within Iraq and in and of itself, there are numerous fracture points that can be exploited by the Iranians, especially given the number of groups they have here who they support and fund and train and just how far their tentacles reach, not just through Iraq, but all the way through Syria and other areas.
[Jarrett:] Clearly, still, a very tense situation there. Thank you so much for that report, Arwa. And we should note that the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has postponed a planned trip to Ukraine that was supposed to start tomorrow to deal with the developments in Baghdad.
[Romans:] Another potential international crisis developing in North Korea. Kim Jong-un declaring his country should not longer feel bound by a self-imposed halt on nuclear weapons development, and the world will witness a new strategic weapon in the near future. President Trump trying to remain optimistic, but listen to Joseph Yun, Trump's former special representative for North Korea.
[Joseph Yun, Former U.s. Special Representative For North Korea Policy:] Kim is definitely, definitely playing Trump. President Trump saying that Kim signed the deal for denuclearization. Well, not so far.
[Romans:] Let's get the latest from CNN's David Culver in Hong Kong David.
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] Christine, a new year, but we are back to this old and what is alarming rhetoric. Kim Jong-un's remarks to his top officials, they reflect this angry and perhaps even more concerning, a desperate tone. He is essentially saying that because the U.S. will not bend on easing sanctions, North Korea, now leaving open the possibility, they could resume nuclear and long-range missile testing. So, this comes after two years of what we saw summitry and diplomacy, what was a glimmer of hope in establishing that denuclearized Korean peninsula, all of that has now reversed course, it seems. And yet, despite these increased tensions, President Trump trying to convey that he and Kim have a good relationship, saying this week that he thinks Kim is a man of his word. Maybe there's something we're not seeing because the words and recent actions out of North Korea, in particular, satellite images, showing movement in and around past ICBM test sites, well, they suggest that Kim does not feel the same way. In his remarks to top officials, Kim reiterated over and over, how sanctions are crushing them. They are struggling. And that's where the desperation comes in, because he said if the U.S. abuses the dialogue between the two countries, that they will pay for the pains of the North Korean people. Now, it is true that North Korea and Kim often put out the dramatic wordings, just to see how the world, especially the U.S., will react. But given this increased pressure that North Korea is feeling with sanctions, Christine, the concern is that they're going to be motivated to act drastically.
[Romans:] All right. David Culver for us in Hong Kong thanks, David.
[Jarrett:] Well, with the 2020 Democrats racing towards the Iowa caucuses, now just a month away, Pete Buttigieg remains a fund-raising force. His campaign revealing it saying it raised $24.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2019. The year end haul for him tops the $19.2 million the former South Bend mayor raised in the third quarter, and just about matches the $24.8 million he raked in during 2019's second quarter. The numbers further cementing Buttigieg's position as one of the top fundraisers in the Democratic field. Meantime, Senator Bernie Sanders campaign says it's reached 5 million individual donors. We expect more details from the Sanders camp later today on these numbers.
[Romans:] All right. Six minutes past the hour. The pope is apologizing for slapping a woman's hand away on New Year's Eve.

[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] They are all here. They are all getting ready, including the two top headliners of tonight, Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. The California senator arriving first of the two. Joe Biden the last to arrive here in Detroit. Expectations running high, of course, after Harris' first go around with the president who was smiling that big infamous Joe Biden smile when he got to the hall, first by far in the polls, although the last two enter the actual venue tonight. We are back outside the Fox Theater. Jess McIntosh, Van Jones, Kirsten Powers, Jennifer Granholm and Terry McAuliffe are here. All right. So obviously, all eyes on Kamala Harris, on Joe Biden, but there are others for whom tonight is really as we say do or die but it literally is. Next debate is going to have maybe half as many people. So who else we'll be watching?
[Terry Mcauliffe, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, half the folks will be gone for the debate in September. So, a lot of pressure on these candidates to make a move tonight. I think Governor Jay Inslee has a real shot. He's done a great job of bringing climate change to the discussion. Everybody cares about the climate change and he's been the leader on that. He has a real opportunity tonight I think.
[Jennifer Granholm, Cnn Senior Political Commentator:] I think I'm going to be looking at Senator Bennet because
[Burnett:] Michael Bennet, Colorado.
[Granholm:] Yes, Colorado, because he wears this mantle of being a moderate and I think he my be sort of, he could be like a wing man for Joe Biden going after issues that maybe Biden can sit back on. I would be curious to see the dynamic.
[Burnett:] Right, and names that a lot of Americans at this point don't know, right. This is their moment.
[Granholm:] This is their moment.
[Burnett:] They need to have this moment which they need to have
[Granholm:] Yes.
[Burnett:] for polls, for money and who are you looking at.
[Kirsten Powers, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes. Well, I think for Kirsten Gillibrand, it's definitely do or die. And, you know, she's been having a hard time because she she says she thinks it's because of sort of the backlash for her coming out and calling for Senator Franken to resign and there has been reporting that she's going to go after Biden on some of his on women's issues because that's sort of her calling card and in particular, him opposing tax credits for children care, you know, in the '80s. I think that's going to be a mistake, but it will be interesting to see if she goes there, because I think one thing for all of these people to think about is too much beating up on Biden is going to maybe start to make him seem very sympathetic.
[Burnett:] By the way, I said Kirsten and I said did I misspeak? Did you see the look in my eye? I'll think I'm thinking wait, wait. All right. Van, there is no one named Van on stage. Who are you watching?
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator:] I am sticking with Yang. I'm Yang Gang. I believe that this time, Andrew Yang will earn the respect of the country. He's the only person talking about the robots and the technology and all these creative solutions and last time he just kind of sat there and watched the whole thing like was observing. If he does what he can do, he will have a moment tonight. I'm still Yang Gang.
[Burnett:] OK. Some people watching and I want to make the point, though, on that. They don't know who he is. If you don't live on social media, and you don't his followers are they are passionate.
[Jones:] He's a big deal. Yes.
[Burnett:] All right. And that's the passion that whoever ends up winning this thing needs to have. He's got it.
[Jones:] And fresh idea, and new ideas, and things. He doesn't have to attack nobody. He's got a new set of ideas. I'm telling you Yang Gang. I'm still I'm putting another bet down on Yang.
[Burnett:] Jess?
[Jess Mcintosh, Cnn Political Commentator:] I'm going to be looking at Julian Castro. He had a great night the first debate and then it was completely overwhelmed by the coverage of the second debate. So this time around, he's on night two. That means if he does it again, we might still be talking about it next week.
[Burnett:] All right. And then you're going to have people who are being very aggressive because they know this is their last chance. You have nothing to lose. A lot of people have nothing to lose. But, Governor, what about Tulsi Gabbard?
[Mcauliffe:] Tulsi Gabbard has I mean, if she doesn't do something tonight, that's the end of it. Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City.
[Burnett:] Bill de Blasio, right.
[Mcauliffe:] He can't get out of the bottom of the cellar, and he's got to do something tonight. What happens is empty money will dry up. If you're not on the next debate stage, you just can't pay your staff and you just plain run out of money. That's what so many candidates are facing.
[Jones:] One thing about Tulsi Gabbard tonight, there is now, you know, this tension around Iran, this tension overseas. She's a veteran. She's one of the younger people running. She served overseas. She's very, very anti-war. If a question comes to her in that regard, she could have a big moment.
[Mcintosh:] She turned a question to the gender pay gap to that. She doesn't need one coming her way in that regard.
[Burnett:] All right. Thanks to all of you as we countdown. Let's go inside the hall Anderson.
[Cooper:] Erin, thanks very much. Just minutes away from the start. Plenty to watch for in just a couple of minutes here with the panel. John King, I mean, really, for Joe Biden, tonight is crucially important. I mean, last night impacts tonight on how Biden is going to go about this.
[John King, Cnn Chief National Correspondent:] His calling card is on the guy you want to go against Trump. Other candidates are great and wonderful people. I'm the big guy and serve with Barack Obama. I have the experience. I can debate Trump. He has to prove that, because he had a shaky first debate. The flip side of that is what is Senator Harris' second act? You know, you don't want it just was noted on that last, you don't want to come at Biden again. You have to prove you have a bigger, broader portfolio. Can she defend her health care plan? Can she have another good performance, she built and plateaued? Now, the question, can she build again?
[Cooper:] Does she use an attack to try to build more or does she have a different strategy, and does he maybe attack her?
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] It's hard to know. I think he might attack her if she challenges him again, but I think the target is clearly on Biden's back tonight, and what he has to do is fight back, talk about his policies and then go big, is to go big against Donald Trump and show that's why a majority of Democratic voters believe he can beat Donald Trump. He has to prove it again tonight because he didn't prove it in the last debate. So, he's got to do it.
[Cooper:] It's also I mean, David Axelrod, if last night was Elizabeth Warren trying to show that she's a leader, beyond just having plans, that she has energy, that she has vitality, Joe Biden has to do the same thing. I mean, it's not just about plans but showing you're the one to take this on.
[David Axelrod, Cnn Senior Political Commentator:] Yes. Well, I think he started off that way. He's the front runner. Now, he has to prove that he should be the front runner, and I think you're going to hear more about Trump in this debate partly because you have every candidate of color on this stage. Race will clearly come up and given what we've been through in the last few weeks and the direction Trump has taken, I would think that's an opportunity for Biden and perhaps some others to step up and talk about the moment we're in.
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] I think that's right. Sort of any unlikely alliances that form on stage, does Kamala Harris get some incoming from people like Tulsi Gabbard who've attacked her on stage and does Biden deliver? He said he's not going to be polite. Is he going to pull a Pawlenty in not really be able to deliver on these attacks? We'll see tonight.
[Cooper:] Pulling a Pawlenty, that's
[Borger:] That's an insight.
[Cooper:] You're reaching.
[Axelrod:] Pawlenty was polite, that's for sure.
[Cooper:] That is the question, it was sort of odd, do you find it odd, I guess, that Joe Biden felt the need to telegraph oh, I'm going to be tough. Shouldn't you just be tough?
[Axelrod:] I did. It does raise the question will he I'm sure they have rehearsed and pushed and understand where some or most of the attacks are coming from. This is where reality hits preparation and you don't know how people are going to react in the moment. He has to be careful not to overreact, punch down, look smaller rather than bigger but still be tough. It's a balancing act.
[Borger:] But, you know, his benefit this time is he kind of knows what to expect more than he did last time. So, he's prepared I would assume. He's got great people doing it. He's prepared for everything. He's prepared to respond. And the question I have is, does he take on as you were asking before, does he decide to go after Kamala? I don't think
[Axelrod:] On health care
[Borger:] Yes, that's
[King:] And that has to be the proxy, the substance of health care to the big issue, this is why I should lead the party. This is why I should be your leader because I have a better plan on health care. Let me explain this to you. And I think that will be through Harris but the target is Warren and Sanders.
[Cooper:] All right. It is time. We're going to see you all right back here for post-debate coverage, including analysis, of course, and the interviews with the candidates. The CNN Democratic debate round two live from Detroit starts right now.

[Whitfield:] Welcome back. This breaking news. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in self-quarantine at home, this after a doctor who gave her a routine vaccination later tested positive for the coronavirus. CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Frederik Pleitgen is with us right now. Fred, what do you know?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi, there, Fredricka. Well, this was literally announced just a couple of minutes ago, and essentially what they said is that Angela Merkel got this, what they call a routine vaccination on Friday afternoon. And then that doctor who gave for the vaccination then later tested positive for the coronavirus. Now, once they found this out, they say that Angela Merkel immediately decided to go into self-quarantine or home quarantine as they call it here in Germany. They say she's going to continue to do her full workload at least as much as she is going to be able to. And this is key, they also said that she is going to be continuously tested for possible coronavirus because they believe at this early stage, having just been in contact with this doctor on Friday, tests might be inconclusive or not reliable, so they're continuously going to test her while she's in self-quarantine. They didn't announce how long the self-quarantine measures are going to be. But certainly it seems as though they are going to be for the foreseeable future. And Fredricka, this is really big and fast news that happened here because Angela Merkel put this message out literally just moments after she went on German TV to address the nation and tell Germans that there are going to be stricter measures to try and come to terms with the coronavirus here in this country. Gatherings of more than two people have been banned. Restaurants are going to have to close except for takeout and other measures were announced as well. Because the numbers here in Germany have really been spiking over the past week and especially over the past couple of days, and now it seems as though the German Chancellor herself might be affected as she certainly was in contact with a person who contracted the coronavirus and is now currently in self-quarantine Fredricka.
[Whitfield:] Wow. Well pronouncements of a new normal globally and of course with that also comes now shocking, surprising information that country leaders are not in any way immune to this and are also susceptible. All right, thank you so much, Fred Pleitgen. Appreciate that. All right, in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is now predicting that 40 to 80 percent of people in his state will inevitably get the coronavirus. This as he pleads with the Federal government to nationalize efforts to acquire medical supplies.
[Cuomo:] We don't have half enough hospital beds. We don't have a third enough ICU beds Intensive Care Unit beds with ventilators. So we need tremendous capacity added immediately, and we did our part. The President called out the Army Corps of Engineers. I have applaud him for it. He signed what's called the Declaration of Disaster for New York with FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency. I applaud him for that. Now, let's get to work. You know, we have all the paperwork done. Let's put the shovel in the ground and let's do it tomorrow.
[Whitfield:] CNN Correspondent, Evan McMorris-Santoro joining me right now. So Evan, Governor Cuomo also responded directly to President Trump's tweets this morning that governors should stop blaming the Federal government for their shortcomings. How did Cuomo respond?
[Evan Mcmorris-santoro, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, look, the President tweeted at Governor Pritzker of Illinois who is a Democrat and Governor Cuomo is a Democrat. Anyone who knows Governor Cuomo knows he is not one to shy away from a partisan fight with a Republican President, especially this one. But in this particular case, he said he had bigger fish to fry.
[Cuomo:] Look, everybody has their own style in life, right? I am working cooperatively with the President. This is not a time for politics. This is not a time for venting personal feelings. My feelings are wholly irrelevant. I have one job, I have one mission. That's to help the people in the State of New York, I said to the President, I put my hand out in partnership. If you can help my people, if you can help this country, God bless you. I will do everything I can to do it with you. Forget this Democrat-Republican, we're all Americans.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] Now, Fred, I can imagine people who have been watching your show today and have come to this segment and seen this conversation might be pulling their hair out of their heads. Certainly those in New York who are dealing with a very serious issue. I mean, this idea of a partisan fight in the middle of this just doesn't really wash with a lot of people who are paying attention to what's going on right now, and Governor Cuomo, the main focus of his press conference, what he is trying to talk about today is the sheer volume of the crisis here in New York. All right, 15,000 more than 15,000 cases in this state and the Governor is trying to ramp up hospital capacity as quickly as he can to try and alleviate that problem. So today, he announced he is adding beds that he can add with his own governor powers in terms of like asking hospitals to increase capacity by up to 50 percent or at least 50 percent and hopefully up to a hundred percent. He is turning other locations like rehab centers and nursing homes into hospitals. And he has used Federal government help to build large new temporary hospitals here in New York City, and around the state, more than a thousand beds here in New York City. The Javits Center, just down the street from CNN Headquarters here in Manhattan. So what we're talking about is a very serious problem, and a very massive problem that requires a massive solution, and when we talk about more hospital beds, we're also talking about the need for more medical equipment and that is at the basis of today's little partisan spat, which is really the idea that hospitals need equipment, basic equipment, like masks and ventilators and gowns and all sorts of stuff. And the governor of New York said it's hard to get it. The Governor of Illinois says it's hard to get it. The President says it's up to you guys to get it. And that is the kind of frustration that the Governor has, and I think a lot of our viewers that are watching this probably have, too.
[Whitfield:] Yes, a lot of the governors in unison are all saying now they need assistance from the Federal government. They don't want to fight with each other in order to get the same kind of resources that everybody wants in order to protect its citizens, all of the American people. All right. Thank you so much, Evan. We'll check back with you appreciate it. All right. Meanwhile, investors are bracing for yet another wild week on Wall Street and with dire economic forecasts on the horizon, it is hard to know what to do now with your money. CNN Chief Business Correspondent, Christine Romans has more.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Business Chief Business Correspondent:] Hi, Fredricka, coronavirus panic gripping the market. Investors are worried action from Central Banks and governments just won't be enough to save the economy. Last week, stocks tumbled to new lows. Investors around the world sold nearly every asset class in a grab for cash. Wall Street also got a small preview of what's to come. First time, filings for unemployment claims spiked 33 percent to 281,000. That's the highest level since 2017. It's the biggest percentage jump since 1992. Meaning a jump that large never even happened during the Great Recession and it is just beginning. On Thursday, we'll see just how bad the numbers got last week. Oxford economics says anecdotal reports from states suggest claims could quickly climb above a million that would dwarf the previous record of 695,000 jobless claims set back in 1982. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.
[Whitfield:] Thank you so much, Christine. All right, up next, world renowned opera singer Placido Domingo has tested positive for the coronavirus. What we're learning about his condition straight ahead.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] 50,000 United Auto Workers walking out on General Motors overnight. Factories in nine states are affected. The two sides seem far apart this morning on wages, benefits and plant closures. Talks are scheduled to resume in three hours as these employees from General Motors on the picket lines you can see the pictures this morning instead of the assembly lines.
[Erica Hill, Cnn Anchor:] There are also a number of new developments involving the attack on Saudi oil fields. That attack, of course, coming over the weekend. President Trump now hinting at military action, as his administration accuses Iran of carrying out the attacks. Stock futures are down this morning. Oil prices surging. We have this developing story covered from both Saudi Arabia and Iran, but we do want to begin with CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich, who's live in Detroit where those G.M. employees are on strike Vanessa.
[Vanessa Yurkevich, Cnn Correspondent:] Hi, good morning, John and Erica. As you can see, the men and women behind me, some have been out here since midnight, striking as G.M. and the UAW has not come up with a deal to extend their contract here. G.M. saying that they offered a very fair and strong contract, but UAW, that union, saying that it does not go far enough. They want stronger health benefits. They want a stronger starting salary for some of these workers here. It is the largest strike by a union that we've seen in over a decade. And I asked one of the striking workers behind me why she's on strike this morning.
[Tamara Abney, Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Workers:] We're striking, because we want to be treated fairly. This job is very important to me. I am a third-generation General Motors employee. OK? I have two sisters that work here at Detroit Hamtramck with me, as well. My father was here and his uncle before him. Three generations. I have children, and my children will have children. And I want this place to still be around for them.
[Yurkevich:] Now, these contract negotiations are scheduled to begin again at 10 a.m. this morning. But we are hearing that both sides still very much far apart in what they both want. I asked another gentleman here behind me who is striking what he what advice he would give to the two sides. He says that he wants them to come up with a fair deal for both sides John and Erica.
[Berman:] All right. Vanessa Yurkevich on the picket line this morning. Keep us posted on the developments there. Negotiations restarting in just a few hours. Meanwhile, a flurry of developments this morning and finger pointing about who is to blame for this large-scale attack on Saudi oil fields, about 6 million barrels per day. That's half of the Saudis' oil capacity knocked out in this strike. President Trump says the U.S. is locked and loaded, and that comes amid accusations, including from his own administration, that Iran is responsible. Joining us now, CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson. He's in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. And CNN senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, who joins us from the Arabian capital, Tehran. CNN all over this story. Nic Robertson, first to you. Bring us up to speed now on what the Saudis are considering.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Well, the Saudis are looking at these satellite images that we're all looking at, and of course, they're getting a much closer look at the ground. The satellite images very clearly showed the massive burn-off. Those plumes of smoke. But when the smoke clears, and you get a clearer shot at the of the actual facilities themselves. You can see these precision strikes one after another and equipment that's you know, literally through the pipes. So the precision here and the direction of these strikes, it appeared to come from the northwest. And of course, it was the Houthis in Yemen in way the opposite direction who originally claimed that they had sent ten drones to attack these facilities in Saudi Arabia. It doesn't add up. That's what the Saudis are mulling. Where did it come from? There is the wreckage that they've been able to pick up. Is there anything discernible from that that will tell them who originated these rockets. The Saudis have become experts at that. They've taken apart a lot of rockets that have come from Yemen but have been of Iranian origin. The U.N. backed that up. But this is of a whole order of magnitude different scale, different size. And of course, the cleanup that's going to be rather more weeks than days.
[Hill:] And that is that is the separate part of the story, too, but that of course, obviously, garnering international attention for economic reasons, as well, including the concern over this leading to unrest there. In Iran, obviously, the reaction far different, Nick Paton Walsh. What are we hearing from leaders there?
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, since the beginning, they've been very clear that this is nothing to do with Iran. Now, we've had Javad Zarif, the minister of foreign affairs saying yesterday in a tweet that the U.S. have moved from maximum pressure. That's basically them rushing up sanctions and pulling out of the Obama-era nuclear deal, moving instead, in his words, to maximum deceit. He was referring to very early comments by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who came out on the Saturday morning just after the attacks, saying that Iran was responsible and saying there was no evidence that the attacks originated from Yemen. We'll have to say, at this point, there's no evidence to back up his claim that Iran is somehow involved. That hasn't stopped, though, the increased temperature in this region. I'm going to tell you, you know, the attacks that happen on those Saudi oil refineries are a whole different sea change, what we've been seeing over the past months. Small incidents, tankers being detained. Clashes here, there, tension rhetoric. But nothing like the scale of this. A 20th of the world's oil at stake by these attacks. So many, I think, in Iran here are concerned about where this goes next. I think many people in the region are looking for the evidence. They've heard unsubstantiated claims from U.S. officials in the past, notably before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. But the broad question is 72 hours ago after the departure of national security advisor John Bolton, many here in Iran thought diplomacy was the way forward. President Trump hinted at it. He still is, to some degree. It looks much less likely this morning. Iran's spokesperson at the foreign ministry saying it was pretty unlikely. But it seems that Mike Pompeo has stepped quickly into the shoes of Bolton as the chief Iran hawk in the Trump administration and is banging the drum equally loudly. Where we go next depends on the evidence, the details, and also, too, on Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump has made it clear he's waiting for their verdict and their advice on where to go next. And they have yet to blame Iran directly. A lot's still at stake here.
[Berman:] This is a significant attack. Not just on the Saudi economy, but its source of pride. I mean, when you hit the Saudis in their oil strong points, you're making a huge statement there, Nic Robertson. We're getting new reporting this morning from inside Saudi Arabia that getting these refineries back on line will take weeks, not days. They almost have to respond, don't they?
[Robertson:] They have to. They have to, because they have to deter a future attack. They have to do it from because their, you know, strategic national interests have been targeted. The oil here, over $300 billion out of an economy of $600 billion. So that's half the economy. You can't stand back and turn the other cheek. You have to find a way to stop it happening again. And the message clearly was on this strike, but it can happen again. Because the security wasn't sufficient to stop this strike. The Saudis didn't appear to see this coming. So this is new at so many levels. And then, of course, in the region here, it is very clear the tough guy wins. You've got to act tough. Mohammad bin Salman, the crown prince chosen by his father, King Salman, because he was tough. Because he's the one that he believed could bring reform to the country. So he's going to want to send a strong message. Layer on top of that, as well, that Saudi Arabia is the is the custodian or the key custodian for the two holy holiest sites of Islam, Mecca, Medina. That's a whole other layer of, then, responsibility to have, again, the brand image of Saudi Arabia held high in the region.
[Hill:] There's a lot to focus on there, and we can't ignore the fact that back here at home not only did the president say prepare to take military action, but you have Senator Lindsey Graham, who said it may be time to put an attack on oil refineries on the table, Nick Paton Walsh.
[Walsh:] Yes. I mean, look, this is a whole, as I say, departure from, I think, many people thought they were dealing with literally a week ago. Lindsey Graham isn't speaking for Donald Trump, but he's someone Donald Trump listens to. And that will, of course, be part of the calibration here. We've heard Iranian officials talking today about how words from Donald Trump last 24 hours. I think there may be a sense in the region that the departure of John Bolton maybe left a vacuum in the Iran policy. Many didn't really know what Iran's the Iran policy in the Trump administration was, given how Bolton's position as a whole was being eroded and they seemed to be edging towards diplomacy. Possibly, that vacuum is where bad actors here may have tried to step in and make their point. I think the concern, really, here is that we, as I say, are in unchartered waters. A sea change of the kind of targeting. As Nick said, the need for retaliation, probably from the Saudis, to show that they simply can't be trampled on here. Well, the off-ramp, there often is one in a region like this. where all sides are practiced on kind of winding each other up and then trying to find a way to calm it all down. I don't see it immediately here. Mike Pompeo, who's rung the Iraqi foreign minister to talk later on today, it really is unclear, though, how this calms down. Because we even haven't had the evidence of what exactly happened yet. Back to you.
[Berman:] All right. Nick Paton Walsh in Tehran, Nic Robertson in Riyadh. As we said, CNN everywhere it needs to be to cover this story. Gentlemen, keep us posted as to what you hear. In the meantime, let's talk more about this with Anthony Scaramucci, who was for a brief time, White House communications director, now no longer supports President Trump. Anthony, thank you for being with us.
[Anthony Scaramucci, Former White House Communications Director:] Serious situation.
[Berman:] It is a serious situation. And you have said you see evidence that the president is suffering from mental decline. Those are words that you have used. So my question is
[Scaramucci:] It's pretty obvious.
[Berman:] But given that, given what you see, how would you describe your level of trust right now in the president to handle this serious situation?
[Scaramucci:] Well, I mean, listen. It's a super serious situation, so I just want to talk very precisely. I mean, there's three issues going on now. One, because there's a vacuum of leadership inside the White House, he's more or less moved out everybody that could potentially disagree with him or offer some level of dissent. Secondarily, when the leader of the free world, who's controlling the largest military in the world, continues to use the words locked and loaded, it's the opposite of somebody like Teddy Roosevelt. You know, speak softly and carry a large stick. And this is send out military threats over Twitter. So it's it's a precarious situation. I think it's very, very serious. You actually right now, there's no evidence as to what is really going on. You could have Sunnis, you know, being attacked by Shias inside of Saudi Arabia. You know, that those drones could have launched them from inside Saudi Arabia. And Shias could have launched them from inside of Saudi Arabia. We have absolutely no idea who did this right now. But the notion that we're going to go to war again in the Middle East after the president ran on a strategy of removing us from these wars and these conflicts, I think it's going to be a disaster for the United States if we continue on that path.
[Berman:] You focused in on the phrase "locked and loaded." What's the impact of the president using words like that?
[Scaramucci:] Well, I mean, the great irony of these words is that they have less and less of an impact, because it's a predictable level of irrationality that's coming from him. You would want somebody in that position that had way more temperance. You would want somebody in that position that understood, as a guardian of democracy and as a beacon of hope for people. You know, our grandfathers, through 75 years of good policy, enabled the United States to have the largest military in the world. And so talking like that from that position, in many ways, is anti-American.
[Berman:] I want to bring up two what seems to be flatly contradictory statements on the president's policy toward Iran right now. And look. It may no longer be operative, because if these things were from Iran, then you would imagine the president would negotiate with Iran when they come to the U.N. next week. But Steve Mnuchin, the treasury secretary, said that President Trump would be willing to speak with the Iranians without conditions. Listen to this.
[Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary:] I would say Secretary Pompeo and myself and the president are completely aligned on our maximum pressure campaign. I think you know we've done more sanctions on Iran than anybody. And it's absolutely working. Now, the president has made clear he is happy to take a meeting with no preconditions. But we are maintaining the maximum pressure campaign.
[Berman:] The president has made clear he's happy to take a meeting with no preconditions. The president sends out a message on Twitter over the weekend. "The fake news is saying I'm willing to meet with Iran, "No Conditions." That is an incorrect statement," the president says, " [as usual!] "
[Scaramucci:] Well, I mean, there's more tape of him actually saying it himself. At the G-7, he said it a few times, he'd be willing to meet with them without preconditions. You can always find a contradictory statement with the president. But the real difficulty now is Secretary Mnuchin is a very competent guy. So is Secretary Pompeo. But you're you're on the Trump merry-go-round. Some days you're meeting without conditions. Some days you meet with conditions. And they're jockeying, trying to figure out where where he is at any given moment. So they're trying to defend him. They're obviously doing the best job that they can do. But there's a duality to his personality that's sort of shocking to everybody that's involved right now.
[Berman:] So when he comes out and denies that he had said that he would be willing to meet with preconditions, how are we supposed to take that?
[Scaramucci:] So it's either he's a pathological liar or, worse than that, he doesn't realize that he actually said no preconditions. And so now he actually believes what he's saying. So that's the worse of the two. So it's one or the other. Both are very bad.
[Berman:] Now, do you think that there is some world actor, whether it was the Iranians that was behind this, and we don't know or someone else taking advantage of what could be a vacuum in the administration now with the departure of national security advisor John Bolton.
[Scaramucci:] Well, I do think that that's a possibility. And that's something that a lot of ex-military officials are concerned about. When you think about the United States in its rules of engagement since the Second World War, there has been a process put in place. Whether you go back to Eisenhower. You look at the Richard Neustadt model of White House executive management and our cabinet executive management, there are protocols in place and there are procedures. The president said from the South Lawn last week that only he himself makes these decisions. When you hear that sort of stuff and that rhetoric and you're involved with the military at some level, you get very concerned. Because what you want is you want a group of people that can help you reach consensus, even if they disagree with you. You know, go back to John Kennedy in the Cuban Missile Crisis. He disagreed with his generals, but there was a protocol and a process in place which you don't have right now. And a lot of people are very concerned about it. Not just me. These are former military officials that, unfortunately, because they're military officials, they're not going to speak out about this.
[Berman:] Are you talking about Mattis?
[Scaramucci:] Well, I would say General Mattis has already spoken out to the extent that he's capable of. But I'm talking about other people. Remember, I've been to Iraq. I've been to Afghanistan. I know a lot of these four-star generals. I'm in touch with them on a regular basis. And they would all say the same thing. That you have to speak out about this. Civilians need to speak out about this. You can't have the military involved in this thing.
[Berman:] When it comes to Bolton, though
[Scaramucci:] This is serious.
[Berman:] Bolton was tougher on Iran than we think the president was. Bolton wished the president had engaged in the attacks there.
[Scaramucci:] But that's that's good in the following respect, that there is some dissent in the room, and there is some cross roughing of ideas. Whether you're in a business situation, a military situation, a policy situation, you can't have one person dictating the whole thing. It becomes very dangerous.
[Berman:] Can I ask you? Before you became Anthony Scaramucci, you know, political figure, brief communications director
[Scaramucci:] Accidental nightmare for me, yes.
[Berman:] you used to be on TV a lot, talking about the economy.
[Scaramucci:] Yes.
[Berman:] I'm curious what you think the economic impact will be of this Saudi refinery being hit the way it was.
[Scaramucci:] I think I think the impact will be slight, actually. You know, I think 5 percent of the oil, it's a lot, but I do think the president is making a smart decision to release strategic petroleum reserves if necessary. My guess is it won't be necessary. Just the notion that that's going to happen will calm down the oil markets. I think what's more convincing is why those areas, who those refineries are not more protected. I think you have to be worried about that. Because there will be future attacks.
[Berman:] You know, the president uses the phrase "locked and loaded." But we know for a fact it was the president who called back the attack on Iran a couple months ago. How do you think he feels about actual conflict if it comes to that?
[Scaramucci:] You know, listen, I mean, when you're using phrases like "locked and loaded" and "fire and fury," you know, there's almost like, you can almost sense the trepidation and fear in his personality. You don't you just don't need to use phrases like that if you're not worried. And so to me, I just think it's it's an overbite, if you will, coming from the administration and coming from his specifically. So so I hope it doesn't happen. I think it would be very necessary for the world. Again, I'm not a friend of Iranian policy, and I'm not a friend of what Iran has done over the last 40 years. Like I said, I've been in Iraq. I understand the insurgency there, and I understand how much the Iranians, as a form of terror, have gone into Iraq and hurt that country. And they've hurt U.S. interests around the world. But I certainly don't want a hot war with them, if there weren't two wars right now for the last 18 years. And our military needs needs the chance to rest and get refilled. I think it's it's in a depletion position right now. And by the way, we shouldn't be fighting wars for other countries. I think the president made that clear in 2016. People like Tulsi Gabbard are making it clear right now. I think America, by and large, is fatigued from all this stuff.
[Berman:] Anthony Scaramucci, thanks for coming in this morning.
[Scaramucci:] It's a pleasure to be here.
[Berman:] Erica.
[Hill:] New allegations facing Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh. Several Democratic 2020 candidates now calling for the justice's impeachment, as President Trump comes to his defense. Jeffrey Toobin is here to sift through it all, next.

[Baldwin:] The Trump administration is doubling down on its do nothing defense tactic when it comes to all of those requests for information from the U.S. House of Representatives, as you would well know is controlled by the Democrats. At least half of a dozen House committees have sought documents on everything from Trump's finances to security clearances and the president's plan is to simply not give what is being requested and that is likely to lead to more subpoenas and a drawn out court fight. So CNN's local analyst, Josh Dawsey he's a White House reporter for The Washington Post and he just co-wrote a piece about all this stonewalling, so Josh Dawsey nice to see you back. You tell me your scope. What are you hearing about the administrations strategy regarding all these information requests?
[Josh Dawsey, Cnn Analyst:] Well the administration's strategy is simply to stonewall. There are a number of disparate threats from the president's tax returns to conversations with foreign leaders including Vladimir Putin to Jared Kushner's conversations with Saudi Arabia officials there, security clearances and how some key officials got them and the administration has given none of this information to Congress and doesn't plan to. They plan to evoke presidential privilege to say these are internal deliberations of the President of the United States we're not going to give them. They're planning to fight the subpoenas and still not give in and for some of these issues, particularly the tax returns, the president wants to take it all the way to the Supreme Court and has told advisors around him that by the time the Supreme Court rules the 2020 Election will have happened. So, so far you're seeing a flurry of requests from the Democrats and not much movement form the White House other than to say we won't be cooperating with your investigation.
[Baldwin:] So what can Democrats do about all that?
[Dawsey:] Well that's a good question and that's what they're trying to figure out. Partially they're going to whistle blowers, folks who work inside the government and came give them information, going to form administration officials. In the case of the tax returns they're going to outside accounting firms and banks like Deutsche Bank looking for information from entities the president doesn't control. But the president's lawyer and Trump Organization are also trying to block that and are telling these outside financial institutions that if you are complicit if you go along with the request then you will face legal action from us. So on almost every front you're seeing a fight back from the president's White House layers, his outside lawyers, and you have democrats who are several months into having control of the House trying to figure out how to move forward.
[Baldwin:] So flash forward with me. If President Trump wins re- election, could this continue to hang over his head?
[Dawsey:] Well certainly if democrats have control of the House or possibly the Senate. Republicans when they were in control of both bodies up until the 2018 mid-terms did not really aggressively do oversight of the administration. There were not the subpoenas that we see now. There were not the requests for documents. There were not the demands for testimony on the hill nonstop. Now that you have Democrats in charge you're seeing a lot more loggerheads and should the president win in 2020 that could continue. However, if he won in 2020 that would also give him considerable momentum and it would be the American public speaking again and saying they wanted the president to stay in power. So that would possibly mitigate some of these requests.
[Baldwin:] Josh Dawsey, thank you so much.
[Dawsey:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Back to our breaking news out of Colorado this afternoon where this massive manhunt for this 18 year old woman who she was reportedly infatuated with Columbine with what happened there 20 years ago. That manhunt has ended with her apparent suicide this morning. We are live in Littleton for you coming up.

[Sciutto:] Welcome back. Well, Mexico now has the fourth highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world at nearly 68,000, but the actual number could be much higher. Even the Mexican government admits that is likely because so few people have been tested.
[Harlow:] Let's go to our Matt Rivers. He joins us this morning in Mexico City. I mean, Matt, this is quite an admission from the government and the number that they're putting out there in terms of how many people they think really may have perished from Covid-19 is stunning.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes. I mean, Jim and Poppy, the criticism of Mexico's government from the start has been that because of a lack of testing in this country, they don't really have an idea at how bad things are in regards to this pandemic here. But we do have other indicators that show that things are really bad. So recently Mexico's health ministry took a look at all recorded deaths from March 15th through August 1st of this year and what they found was more than 120,000 excess deaths, that basically means that they recorded about 120,000 extra people dying during this time period this year as compared to other years, more normal years, non-pandemic years. And we know that of that 120,000 figure, more than 47,000 are directly attributed to Covid-19. But what about the remaining 75,000 or so? I spoke to a director of a Covid response unit at a very prestigious hospital here in Mexico City, and he's of the opinion that of all those excess deaths, in fact the vast majority of those excess deaths, are due to Covid-19. And Mexico's government itself has said multiple times that the actual death toll is far higher than what they've actually put out there officially because of the lack of testing. People with symptoms died before ever getting a test, Jim and Poppy. And it just gives you an idea that things are not great down here in Mexico.
[Harlow:] No. Matt Rivers, thank you for the reporting from Mexico City. Medical experts in India also fear the deaths there may be much higher than reported.
[Sciutto:] Yes. It's been a number of countries. Italy as well, underreporting. Vedika Sud joins us now from New Delhi with more. What do they base this assumption on?
[Vedika Sud, Cnn Reporter:] Well, the deal is that in India there are a lot of tests taking place at this time. As of today, the health ministry has come out and said that over 50 million tests that have taken place and 30.3 million taking place in the last two weeks. But I've spoken to medical experts and others and this is what they have to say. They say as far as the deaths are concerned, India's got the third highest number of deaths here compared to the rest of the world after the U.S. and Brazil, but these numbers could be underreported for one simple reason, which is, like Matt pointed out, even here in India, people are not getting themselves tested, especially in rural areas where the public healthcare infrastructure is quite frail and fragile. So a lot of people are dying without the tests being conducted and that is primarily the reason why there could be underreporting here in India when it comes to casualties. We've put that question to the health ministry today that held a press conference about three hours ago. They didn't take our question or respond it to. But this is a very important question that we want the government to be answering sooner rather than later. Today in the press conference, the government today even came out and said that while the cases are rising, it's because that the economies are opening here in India. There has been an easing of restrictions across India because of which the numbers are going up and they, once again, appeal to the people to wear masks and maintain social distancing, Jim and Poppy.
[Sciutto:] Those rules apply no matter what the country is. That's what the science says. Vedika Sud, thanks very much.
[Sud:] Thank you.
[Sciutto:] Well, nearly two dozen wildfires sound familiar still raging in California. One is so bad officials are calling it an unprecedented disaster. All the time new records being set. We'll bring you more.

[Blackwell:] Welcome back. I'm Victor Blackwell live in El Paso, Texas, at the scene of one of the two mass shootings this week. We have heard from President Trump on the shooting here in El Paso several times since it happened. And now we are hearing from the president on the shooting overnight in Dayton. Let's go to Boris Sanchez who is traveling with the president in New Jersey. Boris, good morning to you. And what are we hearing from the president?
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn White House Reporter:] Hey, good morning, Victor. Yes, we just heard from the White House press shop that President Trump has been briefed on the smooth in Dayton and he is monitoring developments. The president tweeting out a short while ago: God bless the people of El Paso and God bless the people of Ohio. He then went on to write this, quote: The FBI local and state law enforcement are working together in El Paso and in Dayton, Ohio. Much is already been learned, law enforcement was very rapid in both instances. Updates will be given throughout the day. The president yet again finding himself in a situation where he has to offer condolences to communities that have been ravaged by gun violence. We should point, the president is scheduled to return to Washington, D.C. at approximately 4:00 p.m. today. There's no indication that is going to going to move up that up in order to get to Washington sooner. He often makes statements before he departs his estate in New Jersey. We will see what the president says later today, Victor.
[Blackwell:] All right. Boris Sanchez for us there in Berkeley Heights Boris, thank you. I should let you know, we are awaiting a news conference from the Del Sol Medical Center where some of the people were shot here in El Paso were taken. Medical officials will speak in a moment. You can see a live shot of the podium being set up. As soon as that happens, we will take you to that live. In the meantime, I have with me Texas State Representative Cesar Blanco. This is his district. He just told me a moments ago that he shopped at this Walmart. So you are familiar with this community, but this now crime scene behind us. Thank you, first, for being with us, and our condolences to you. This is your community.
[Rep. Cesar Blanco , El Paso, Texas:] It is.
[Blackwell:] Your neighbors and friends.
[Blanco:] It is.
[Blackwell:] What are you feeling this morning?
[Blanco:] Well, first of all, our condolences to the victims and families in Dayton. Miles separate us, but our grief unites us. So be strong Dayton. You know, it's a tragic thing. Something like this is just shocking. It is the 250th mass shooting. El Paso is 249. It is unfathomable these things continue to happen all over the country. Yesterday, I was at a family reunification center, which is where I attended school as a kid. It is just tragic. We must do more as elected officials to make sure we are protecting innocent people and our citizens here in our country.
[Blackwell:] One of the elements of reunification, Customs and Border Protection tweeted out that people, if they are concerned about there being some operation related to what happened here, that they should not be because there were some fear that people would not come forward or make themselves known, their presence known in relation to being in the country undocumented.
[Blanco:] Sure.
[Blackwell:] Is there some degree of mistrust? Is there some real reason that people should be fearful?
[Blanco:] Well, El Paso County is home to a lot of family detention centers, child detention centers. This is ground zero where family separations occurred as a result of this administration's policies. There is naturally going to be fear and folks not trusting necessarily any law enforcement if you're an immigrant. Clearly, this gunman's motives were racially motivated. We have seen his manifesto that describes which unfortunately has been a common term used by many politicians as an invasion in our country. So, immigrants are scared. And scenes here are scared of what could happen now. Today is Sunday. People will be going to church. I've received phone calls that people are afraid to go to church, but make no mistake, we will get through this and our community will remain strong.
[Blackwell:] Are free to go to church because of gathering in a group.
[Blanco:] People just don't know what could happen in public places, and gatherings.
[Blackwell:] In El Paso, because one of the things that this city is boasts about and is so proud about is the degree of safety.
[Blanco:] According to the FBI, we are one of the safest cities in America. It is unfortunate that this type of mass murder has occurred in our community.
[Blackwell:] What's the first step to getting back to that degree of safety, that feeling of security?
[Blanco:] I think it takes community coming together. I think it takes our community leaders speaking out in public and reassuring that our local law enforcement is among the best in this country. We must not be deterred by these acts of violence. We must continue to move on and go about our lives and and and win. But I think we as a country need to take a close look at what we value in this country. Is it machinery or human beings? And I think human beings should always be taken into consideration. These are the most important things.
[Blackwell:] No one ever suspects that something like this will happen in their community, near their home, in places that they are with which they're familiar. But now that it has, have you had time to reconcile El Paso with mass shooting? I mean being part of that group with all the other communities we have covered, that yours is one of them?
[Blanco:] We'll I'll give you an example. Most of my family lives in and around this area. IN fact, I grew up in these apartments across the street here. And I sent my mom a message and asked her to have the whole family check in via mass text message to account for everyone. That's our new reality. Thankfully, everyone was ok. But unfortunately for 20 individuals who have been killed here and 26 others who are fighting for their lives, that's not the case. And our thoughts and our prayers go out to them.
[Blackwell:] State Representative Cesar Blanco thank you so much for being with us this morning. A new reality. That's a phrase that we have used and have heard in this city now, that they are talking about in Dayton. We have talked about in communities that have suffered through mass shootings before. Will anything change? We'll have that conversation this morning. And we'll check in on the investigation in Dayton. Of course, there is that news conference at Del Sol Medical Center for the latest on the victims of those who are suffering from injuries. We'll bring all of it to you as our special live coverage continues.

[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] We are continuing to follow some of the breaking news this morning. Mike Bloomberg out of the 2020 race and throwing his support behind Joe Biden. Elizabeth Warren, after a disappointing finish last night, she is now in the midst of discussing the future of her campaign today as well. This all comes as Joe Biden is the new comeback kid at 77 years old, winning big in Super Tuesday states, including a surprise victory in the second-biggest prize of the night, Texas. And that is not the only surprise of the evening. CNN's Tom Foreman is digging into the data. It's so nice to have data to actually start digging into rather than just projections and prognostications. So let's start here, Tom. Biden had three days between his win in South Carolina and Super Tuesday. How did that impact the race? What are you seeing?
[Tom Foreman, Cnn National Correspondent:] It was everything, Kate. Look at the numbers here how Biden showed up here. A median snapshot of the Super Tuesday votes. So 49 percent for Biden, Sanders 18 percent. Bloomberg and Warren stayed static. Bloomberg lost some ground. If you look a little earlier than that, look at this, Biden was a little above half the number he wound up with. Sanders lost half his support in that period of time. Add in Klobuchar dropping out, Buttigieg dropping out, both throwing their weight behind Biden for the moderate vote out there, and that's the result. Something that I think even the Biden camp could have hoped for but couldn't have counted on the past few days Kate?
[Bolduan:] Look, Biden didn't even have the money to spend in some of these Super Tuesday states. How did spending shake out for him?
[Foreman:] Spending is a complete conundrum here. If you think people can buy their way into politics. Look at this, this was Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren's home state, $12.3 million by Bloomberg, $677,000 by Sanders, $58,000 by Warren, $11,000 by Biden. Sanders alone outspent him by a huge multiple, let alone, Bloomberg, and yet, look at the results. Biden came out of Massachusetts with a very solid win there, beating Warren in her home state. That's not something that obviously Warren wanted to see or Bloomberg or Sanders, but Biden did very well there. Look at that, 33 percent of the vote. Look further up north and we look at Wisconsin. We can see what the advertising looked like up there. Same pattern where you're going to see Biden unable to match the dollars of the people who were challenging him, and yet, here he was with $6,000 spent there compared to all the others here, much, much, much bigger numbers. And the results, again, he came through in a big way. All the Democrats out there were saying you can't buy the Democratic nomination. Joe Biden has proven that you can't buy it with money. You may be able to buy it by being around the party for a long, long, long time and making a lot of friends in that party but you can't do it with money alone.
[Bolduan:] An important win there in Minnesota. We've also been talking about turnout already this morning. Can you take us into those numbers what you're seeing there?
[Foreman:] The numbers are absolutely staggering on turnout here. And the real key here seems to be the degree to which there are Democrats out there who are saying now it's getting down to the brass tacks. Up 69 percent in Virginia, up 41 percent in Texas. That's just a snapshot. Only one state was not up. When we say it's down to the brass tacks, for so many Democratic voters, it is coming down to a key simple question: Who will beat Donald Trump? And for many of them, the message right now is they think Joe Biden is that person. Certainly, Sanders supporters are fervent and they hope they can surge back here and ultimately capture the nomination. But right now, Joe Biden has all the momentum. And Mike Bloomberg for all of his money just got a half-billion-dollar goose egg.
[Bolduan:] Good to see you, Tom. Thank you so much.
[Foreman:] Good to see you.
[Bolduan:] So amid all of the fallout from Super Tuesday, folks are also they also need to keep an eye on California where votes are still being counted and hundreds of delegates are yet to be decided. Right now, Bernie Sanders is ahead and the fight is still very much on. Let's focus there. Joining me right now is Democratic Congressman from California, John Garamendi. He endorsed Joe Biden a few months back. Congressman, thanks for coming in.
[Rep. John Garamendi:] Good to be with you, Kate. How are things looking in your state this morning? When do you think you'll get a final result there?
[Garamendi:] It will be a while. It's a big state. There were voting issues in southern California and L.A. is always late. We had early voting. The rest of it will be counted. When will it be done? Take a deep breath, be patient and we'll eventually find out. It will be close at the top. Probably Sanders will be ahead, Biden right behind him, and we'll go from there. What I'm really, really excited about is people came back to Biden. Way back in November, when I endorsed him I know Joe. I've known him since 1998. I know that he came from the middle class. I know that he cares about people, about health care, about jobs for the working men and women. And the public simply wasn't sure that he could put it together. Keep in mind that the entire impeachment was about Trump trying to do Biden in. Way back more than almost a year ago, Trump figured Biden had to be put down. That's where the impeachment, Burisma and all that came from. A lot of doubt back in November. But Biden weathered the storm. He weathered the storm, came back with a roar and with a solid, solid victory all across this nation. We're going to consolidate. We're going to be behind Biden. Sanders has done a good job but, at the end of the day, he's not going to be our nominee.
[Bolduan:] Talking about some of that consolidation, Sanders is ahead and could very welcome out as the delegate winner from Super Tuesday when all is said and done in terms of delegates. Does that dampen Biden's comeback, if Sanders is still it could all be in California.
[Garamendi:] Well, the California delegates are going to get split. In my district, which is a conservative purple district, Biden won that district. He'll get half of the delegates in the district. Beyond that, he will certainly get a good share of the overall delegates. This is the 15 percent statewide. He'll get those. Will Sanders get more? Possibly. But when you take in all the other states, which was a blowout in some states by Biden, he'll get a large number of those. At the end of the day I know going forward that the Americans want somebody in the president's office that can put this government back together again, that can settle down the chaos of the Trump administration, that can put the right people in the right places, that can actually run things like CDC, like the Department of Health Services. We need that kind of stability, and there's one person that has it, and that's Biden. Sanders is a very interesting, very dynamic candidate, but president? I don't think so. It's a different game, being a great candidate and being a great president are really two different things. Biden will be a great president. He knows it. He knows what needs to be done.
[Bolduan:] Congressman
[Garamendi:] Yes?
[Bolduan:] let me ask you about the news this morning. Mike Bloomberg bowing out, endorsing Joe Biden. What role do you see him having in helping the Biden camp? What role do you want to see him having in helping the Biden campaign?
[Garamendi:] First of all, it's absolutely clear that in some of these states Bloomberg was taking Biden votes. That will cease going forward. Beyond that, Bloomberg has pledged that he will help the Democratic Party all across this nation. The issues that he spoke to unsuccessfully, but nonetheless spoke to are critical issues for Democrats, health care, gun violence issues. Those kinds of issues, criminal justice and the rest, are Democratic issues. Undoubtedly Bloomberg will not only speak to those but he'll put his money behind those issues as he has already done in previous elections. That's going to be helpful to the Democrats going forward. And, of course, Bloomberg's votes I believe will now move over to Biden.
[Bolduan:] We'll soon be able to find out because onward
[Garamendi:] Yes, we will.
[Bolduan:] with voting coming next week. Thank you so much, Congressman.
[Garamendi:] Yes. It's very exciting. I'm very, very happy about what's going on here. Thank you.
[Bolduan:] I really appreciate your time. Coming up for us, this just into CNN. A U.S. defense contractor is now expected to face espionage charges. New details are coming in. I'll bring that to you, next.

[Baldwin:] President Trump now stands accused of abandoning a U.S. ally two American troops have fought side by side within the battle against ISIS. I'll show video taken this morning showing U.S. forces in northern Syria moving out of the way so that Turkey can launch a military offensive against the Kurds, whose fighters it considers a terror group. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces say they're blindsided by this. And the U.S. pullout will have a negative impact in the war against ISIS and destroy the stability that's been accomplished through the past years. Key members of Congress also are afraid this will give ISIS new life and threaten civilians in a fragile part of Syria. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell now saying the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria will only benefit Russian, Iran and the Assad regime.. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once again says, President Trump is deserting an ally in a foolish attempt to appease a foreign strongman. And Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said this.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] This impulsive decision by the president has undone all the gains we've made, thrown the region into further chaos. Iran is licking their chops. And I'm an ISIS fighter, I have a second lease on life. I think a lot of military people are sad today that we've given back the battlefield to the enemy.
[Baldwin:] My next guest is also worried. Hagar Chemali is an expert on the Middle East. She was at the White House as director for Syria and Lebanon for the first two years of the Syrian crisis. She's with me now. And so we're looking at one of your tweets from today. Let's step back for a second and remind us, why U.S. troops were in Syria, and what Turkey's interests are.
[Hagar Chemali, Former Spokeswoman, U.s. Mission To The U.n:] The U.S. troops went into Syria in 2014 as part of the effort to defeat ISIS. The area they went into, in particular, was an area that had cleaned ISIS out, and they were there to help with reconstruction efforts, development. The idea was to get refugees to come back to Syria, which helps a global migrant issue. There's a pattern for all of this, and a cycle for all of it. And certainly to counter Iranian influence and counterterrorism in the region.
[Baldwin:] We'll come back to Iran in a second. First, with this move, what are the short-term and long-term implications, in terms of the Kurds, the refugees.
[Chemali:] The United States backed the Kurds that live in that part of Syria. They funded them, they equipped them, in order to be able to defeat ISIS. They were a large part of why we succeeded in that goal. So that's where we are with them. If the Turks are allowed to go in the Turks have made it clear they are going to invade that part of Syria and pursue a military assault. They've wanted to do this for a while. They've said so repeatedly. The last time we faced this was last year, last December, when the Turks told President Trump they thought he should leave. And the role this role is reverse due to pressure from Senate Republicans. What happens in a military assault, they're going to go target who they deem, the Turks deem to be Kurdish terrorists. This is a dangerous zone. There's one organization that the United States has recognized as a terrorist organization called the PKK. That's doesn't mean all Kurds affiliate with the PKK or they all side with them, just as no ethnic group or religious group sides with one extreme or violent faction.
[Baldwin:] So many Kurds could end up being killed?
[Chemali:] So many Kurds could end up being killed. The Turks have made the claim they want this area to be made stable so that millions of refugees from Turkey could return to the area. The very fact they view the Kurds that live in Turkey as refugees is already a problem. It sets things up for mass migration and ethnic cleansing. It's extremely dangerous.
[Baldwin:] So you mentioned Senate Republicans. This tweet from Senator Mitt Romney just a bit ago: "Barring a reversal of this decision, the administration must come before Congress and explain how betraying an ally and ceding influence to terrorists and adversaries is not disastrous for our national security interests." Is this a gift to Iran and Russia?
[Chemali:] Yes. It's a gift to Iran and Russia with seemingly nothing in return. Certainly, a gift to the Turks. And the part that's even worse is, it's not just a gift to them, it directly has an impact on our national security.
[Baldwin:] How do you mean?
[Chemali:] This matters. Syria matters. I know I sound emotional about it. It's definitely a point
[Baldwin:] You were there from the beginning.
[Chemali:] It matters because it is surrounded by U.S. partners and allies, Jordan, Israel, Iraq. What happens in Syria matters. It's why even at the beginning of the Trump administration, our goals in Syria were very clear. We wanted to support reconstruction and development so refugees could go back. We wanted to support counterterrorism efforts and we wanted to counter Iranian influence. If you let these countries make a muck of Syria, and make it worse than it is, which they could, it directly undermines the stability of our neighbors, and Israel in particular, where we're going to be asked to go in and help them. It's just it doesn't make sense any which way.
[Baldwin:] Hagar Chemali, thank you so much.
[Chemali:] Thanks for having me.
[Baldwin:] Thank you. Democrats say the president's actions are impeachable. But are they illegal? One former ambassador says yes. He joins me, live. Plus, some Democrats now facing heat back home during the congressional recess for supporting an impeachment inquiry. How they're defending their decisions.

[Bolduan:] Multiple companies and CEOs under fire for controversial racially insensitive comments they made about George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests that have been sweeping the nation. In North Carolina, several professional and collegiate teams. including the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers, cut ties with a local security firm after the CEO criticized protesters and admonished people to focus on black on black crime. He has since apologized. Now the CEO of fitness firm, CrossFit, has resigned after apologizing for a tweet some called racist and insensitive. There was a reason why they called it that. Greg Glassman tweeting the phrase, "Floyd-19," in response to a tweet from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation saying racism is a public health issue. Backlash. As You can imagine, it was swift. This cost him a corporate sponsorship with athletic maker, Reebok. Several gym franchise owners pulled their affiliation. In Glassman's statement announcing his resignation of retirement he said, in part, "I created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members. Those who know me know that my soul issue is the chronic disease epidemic. I cannot let my behavior stand in the way of HQ's or affiliates' missions. They are too important to jeopardize." The new streaming service HBO Max announced it's pulling "Gone with the Wind" from its platform over how it depicts race. The movie will not be gone forever. HBO Max says the film will return but it will have a discussion of its historical context. A spokesman for HBO Max, which, like CNN, is owned by Warner Media, says, quote, "'Gone with the Wind'is a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society. We felt to keep the title up without an explanation and announcement of those depictions would are irresponsible." I want to discuss this with CNN contributor and "Entertainment Tonight" host, Nischelle Turner, and Segun Oduolowu, host of the national syndicated show "The List." Nischelle first to you. I mean, what do you make of this development?
[Nischelle Turner, Cnn Contributor:] You know, I think it's interesting. I wouldn't be in favor of just pulling the film, you know, all the way. But I do think that there's something to be said about maybe adding some context to it. Maybe an artist roundtable or discussion along with the film when it comes back. I know personally everyone that, pretty much everybody that I know that's watched the film and myself, we have this this conversation along with the film, because we know that, yes, indeed it does glorify the south, and whitewash slavery. The movie has its place in history but it definitely is a problematic movie in a lot of ways. I think having a conversation about that is appropriate. And so I know there's been a lot of kind of outrage about this, this morning, but I definitely think that it does deserve to have some conversation with this movie, because in the time it was made, there was a lot of problems with films made about slavery and the south.
[Keilar:] I would appreciate, I know, some sort of roundtable or discussions about it. So important to learn from that. I wonder what you think about this development, Segun?
[Segun Oduolowu, Host, "the List":] For me, as a black person, I don't need the whitewashing of history to appease my blackness. Pulling the movie doesn't it kind of moves the goal posts and makes us lose focus on what we're actually asking for. I do like that they want to have a discussion about it, but let's talk about the Hattie McDaniel and the fact she was the first African- American to win an Oscar because of this movie. It's a piece of art. And, yes, to Nischelle's point, it does glorify the Antebellum South and is a product of its time. But it's not the same as the rebel flag or Confederate flag that still flies in southern states. It's not the same as statues of Confederate generals or schools named after Confederate general. Let's understand what it is. And I love that HBO, which does amazing documentaries, is willing to put some talk around this movie. I would love to show the evolution of a Hattie McDaniel to Halle Berry and how roles for black women haven't necessarily moved since this movie. Like, there's a lot of discussions that could be had. But I don't like the pulling of art just because it may offend people. You know when it was made. I think discussion needs to happen. And HBO can do a really good thing here.
[Bolduan:] Yes, what happens with some of the art that was made more recently, right, to your point. Good point. So much of it. Where is the conversation with that? I want to ask you both
[Keilar:] Yes.
[Turner:] Brianna sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you. That's a good question. A lot of the conversation we have today are movies that people think are problematic, made today, that depict white savior, whether "The Help," "Green Book," movies like "The Blind Side." A lot of people have issues with those movies as well. And they were made in modern days. There's a place to have discussions around these movie and things like this for sure.
[Keilar:] Yes. I know I appreciate
[Oduolowu:] You're right, Nischelle. "Driving Miss Daisy." There's too many movies, Right? Do we go back through each and every one? I don't think that's the answer. But the conversation. Like, these movies don't exist in a vacuum. And the actors portrayed in them, I'm sure some of them would have a lot to say about what they feel about it. That's where real solutions can come about.
[Bolduan:] It would be fascinating to know what they think about it. What do you think about something John Ridley, the Academy Award- winning screenwriter of "12 Year as Slave," said? He wrote an op-ed in the "Los Times" this week, quote, "It's a film glorifies the Antebellum South. It is a film that, when it's not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color." What do you say and what's the precedent for other movies or books or music?
[Oduolowu:] Nischelle, you go first.
[Turner:] answer that and keep it short. He's right.
[Bolduan:] Segun?
[Oduolowu:] Yes. I mean, he's 100 percent correct. Again, let's tell the truth. Like, don't glorify a past that is steeped in blood and pain and degradation. Like, if you want to tell the story, we're asking for equality. OK? Equality and fairness. Tell the whole truth. Show what the civil war truth. ""12 Years a Slave" gives you a real picture of what that life was like. So show the truth. Don't show people saying, frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. No, I do give a damn. At any point truth. Let's show it.
[Bolduan:] Thank you both so much for this conversation, Segun Oduolowu and
[Turner:] Brianna, can we say before we go, Hattie McDaniel will always be intact. It's her birthday today. Happy birthday, Hattie McDaniel. And this feigned outrage I heard from conservative voices that HBO is erasing Hattie McDaniel, that will never happen. Her legacy is intact. If you want to talk about her legacy, also talk about the fact she couldn't sit at the table with the cast that night in 1939 when she won the Oscar. Let's also had the fact that a favor had to be called in that she could even attend the service at the Coconut Grove that night. Let's add those things to her legacy as well while you're feigning outrage about HBO Max taking this movie out for a minute.
[Keilar:] Thank you so much.
[Oduolowu:] Absolutely. Tell the truth. Tell the truth.
[Bolduan:] Thank you so much for saying that, Nischelle. Segun, thank you so much for your insights. We appreciate both of you. A day after George Floyd was laid to arrest, the chief police in Minneapolis announced new reforms for his department that include a warning system for officers with bad behavior. Plus, police blame gangs and local groups for riot damages and it directly contradicts who President Trump says is responsible. We have seen the video of George Floyd dying under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. For weeks, we've watched protesters fill the streets calling for police reform. And now four officers are charged in Floyd's murder. So the original police report and how officers' originally described how he died before the video surfaced might be unrecognizable. This is it verbatim: On Monday, May 25th, at 8:02: p.m., Minneapolis police responded to a 911 call reporting a forgery in progress at 3759 Chicago Avenue, South. Officers arrived and located the suspect in a vehicle. Officers reported that they ordered the suspect out of the vehicle and the suspect physically resisted officers. Officers handcuffed the suspect. The officers restrained the suspect on the ground and an ambulance was called. No weapons were used by anyone involved in this incident. The subject, an adult male believed to be in his 40s, was transported to the Hennepin County Medical center where he was pronounced deceased. You'll remember that Officer Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, for several minutes until he was unresponsive. It makes you wonder how many police reports like that one don't have a video to tell the real story. Speaking of the Minneapolis Police Department, we'll have more on the breaking news from the police chief there, what he says about the rookie cop defense. And why he's cutting off negotiations with the local police union. Plus, Ludacris will join me live on the protests across the nation and voting debacle in his home state of George. And CNN finds new evidence that bucks the president's conspiracy of a national organized effort after the riots that happened across America.

[Paul Kane, Senior Congressional Correspondent, The Washington Post:] to overturn it. But there is
[John King, Cnn Inside Politics:] Lesser penalty if you wanted to try that.
[Kane:] Yes.
[King:] One of the things we'll keep an eye on. I appreciate the questions. Thanks for joining us in Inside Politics. See you back at this time tomorrow. Brianna Keilar starts Right now. Have a great day.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn Right Now:] I'm Brianna Keilar live from CNN's Washington Headquarters. Underway right now, with his presidency in peril, the president demands to meet the whistleblower, agrees with comparisons to a civil war and asks that the House Intel Committee chairman should be arrested for treason. Congress subpoenas the Secretary of State. Could the president's lawyer be next? Plus, as President Trump attacks the whistleblower, the anonymous official is now concerned for their safety. And it's not just Ukraine. Why would the White House also hide conversations with Vladimir Putin and the Saudi Crown Prince? But first, President Trump is in full attack mode. He's been going on a relentless Twitter tirade, tweeting and re-tweeting 124 times since Friday as Democrats are aiming for a speedy impeachment push, and the pressure is mounting. Sources tell CNN that former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker plans to appear in front of not one, but three congressional committees this week. Volker, of course, one of the key people in touch with the president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and he resigned just one day after the release of the whistleblower complaint, which accuses the president urging Ukraine to dig up dirt on his 2020 rival, Joe Biden, and Biden's son, Hunter. Now, that whistleblower could be one step closer to going under oath. Intel Chairman, Congressman Adam Schiff says, there is a tentative agreement for the anonymous whistleblower to testify, and it could happen very soon. However, there are now concerns that the whistleblower's identity and safety could be in jeopardy amid a barrage of attacks from the president and his allies.
[Stephen Miller, White House Senior Adviser For Policy:] The president of the United States is the whistleblower and this individual is a saboteur.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] This seems to me like a political set up. It's all hearsay.
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] He has no firsthand knowledge, and second, he has a political bias. That should tell us something about this guy who came forward with this claim.
[Keilar:] In the meantime, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the first to face subpoenas from three different House committees for failing to hand over documents on Ukraine and Rudy Giuliani could be next. And all of this comes as we are learning that the administration hid the president's conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman. And The Washington Post reports that the president told Russians inside the Oval Office he did not care about their interference into the 2016 election. Let's go to Sarah Westwood. She is at the White House. And, Sarah, the president has been on a Twitter rant, really, for the last three days. Tell us what's on his mind.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] That's right, Brianna. President Trump has been casting about for ways to defend himself against this rapidly escalating impeachment inquiry, and he's been raising eyebrows with these wild series of attacks. I wanted to just walk you through a sampling of them. First, he's been going after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff for comments Schiff made at a hearing last week. He suggested without evidence that Schiff should be arrested for treason. He's claiming he has a right to confront the whistleblower, describing this person as his accuser. He also wants to know who in the White House has been talking to the whistleblower, likening that individual to a spy. And he's also elevating comments from a supporter that if House Democrats are successful in removing President Trump from office, then there could be a civil war-like fracture in this country. And all of this as it becomes increasingly clear that the White House does not have an overarching strategy to defend the president against impeachment. Privately, some inside the White House believe that the past six days have been a lost opportunity to shake public opinion around impeachment. President Trump has really been going it alone on Twitter, but, privately, sources say President Trump believes he does not need an impeachment response team. He said he does not think he needs more lawyers to help handle the impeachment strategy. Aides are expected to brief him more on their plans to handle Democrats' request for documents and testimony under this growing impeachment inquiry this week, Brianna. But, privately, the president has been dismissive and some around him think he doesn't quite understand just how perilous his position is at this moment.
[Keilar:] All right. Sarah Westwood at the White House, thank you so much for that report. And as the whistleblower gets ready to testify before Congress and the president ramps up his attacks, the whistleblower's lawyer says his client is facing some serious safety concerns. Our Jessica Schneider is here with more. Tell us what the attorney is saying, Jess.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] Well, Brianna, these concerns are so urgent that the whistleblower's lawyer has sent letters to the acting Director of National Intelligence who, of course, we saw testify last week, and has also notified the chairman of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees about these threats facing that whistleblower. The main message in this letter actually is that political retaliation is not permitted under the system that specifically protects whistleblowers, and the purpose is also to notify about the serious concerns we have regarding our client's personal safety. Now, this letter goes into stark detail about what the whistleblower has been threatened with. The letter leads off with the president's own words from last week when President Trump told that roomful of people in New York that whoever provided the whistleblower with information about his call to the Ukrainian president was, in the president's word, close to a spy. And then the whistleblower's lawyer discloses that they have learned certain individuals have issued a $50,000 bounty for any information relating to our client's identity. It says that they also expect this situation to worsen and to become even more dangerous for our client and any other whistleblowers. Now, these lawyers have disputed a recent report that the whistleblower is under federal protection. But the letter, nonetheless, it will move to the Director of National Intelligence's office in any assistance, saying, we do appreciate your office's support thus far to activate appropriate resources to ensure their safety. Now, of course, the whistleblower's identity has been closely guarded. The acting Director of National Intelligence, saying he doesn't know the identity, that the president had not, as of last week, asked for the identity. But, of course, then there's this tweet from the president over the weekend. And it took quite a different tune when the president said, he deserves to meet my accuser. Now, there is a tentative agreement so far to have this whistleblower testify. It will likely be behind closed doors in a way that would ensure that his or her identity is protected. And, Brianna, we've learned that that testimony could come very soon. That's according to what the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, said over the weekend. Brianna?
[Keilar:] All right, we'll be waiting. Jessica Schneider, thank you. And as early as today, Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, could be subpoenaed for documents related to his dealings in Ukraine, but it is unclear if he will comply.
[George Stephanopoulos, Abc News:] Will you cooperate with the House Intelligence Committee?
[Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's Attorney:] I wouldn't cooperate with Adam Schiff. I think Adam Schiff should be removed.
[Stephanopoulos:] So you're not going to cooperate?
[Giuliani:] I didn't say that. I said that I will consider it.
[Stephanopoulos:] But you said you wouldn't do it. You said you will not cooperate with Adam Schiff.
[Giuliani:] I said I will consider it. I have to be guided by my client, frankly. I'm a lawyer. It's his privilege, not mine. If he decides that he wants me to testify, of course, I'll testify.
[Keilar:] Joseph Moreno is a former national security and Department of Justice prosecutor. Laura Barron-Lopez is National Political Reporter for Politico. Okay. So let's say, Joe, that Rudy Giuliani doesn't comply with the subpoena, as the first time, he said he wouldn't, right? If he doesn't comply the subpoena, then the Democrats go to court, is this whole thing moved along more quickly at all because this is an impeachment inquiry or not so much?
[Joseph Moreno, Former Doj Prosecutor:] It will help. But at the end of the day, and I know this is really frustrating to everybody, the process is slow. Congress will get this information from Rudy Giuliani. I can't imagine well, I can imagine the argument he'll make. It's not going to be successful. He's not going to be able to assert legal privilege here. At the end of the day though, if Congress wants this information and Rudy puts up a struggle and the president puts up a struggle, it will go to the courts and it will take time. Being able to say this an active impeachment inquiry is helpful, at the end of the day though, there's no fast-tracking this.
[Keilar:] So what does Congress do with that Laura?
[Laura Barron-lopez, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, so I mean, it still is unclear whether or not Congressman Schiff wants to entirely subpoena Giuliani because they don't want whether it's to testify because they don't want another Lewandowski show. But they can also get the more information by going straight to the State Department as opposed to potentially just going after Giuliani. Because if he or whatever his involvement was, they could go other routes to get those documents.
[Keilar:] Because they don't necessarily want, right, with Lewandowski. That didn't look so great for them. Okay. So right now, the president's response has been to go on attack, right? He's threatened the whistleblower. And any other president would know that you're sort of hands-off in a situation like this, Joseph. So what are the ramifications of this?
[Moreno:] I could almost see the way the whistleblower the entire process plays out almost as critical as the underlying offense here. Because we tell people all the time, don't leak. There is a right way to raise concerns. The whistleblower did that. It is exactly what we expect government employees to do. Use your chain of command and raise your concerns. If that person is outed, if that person is threatened, if that person is mistreated in any way, it doesn't matter what the information they brought forth, it doesn't matter if they have political biases. If they're mistreated, that would be a travesty and that goes against everything we stand for. So I think we have to really, really watch how this plays out.
[Keilar:] And how are Democrats watching that, Laura? Are they worried that as this whistleblower testifies that perhaps he or she will not be protected?
[Barron-lopez:] Well, everything that we've heard from Congressman Schiff again is that they expect to hear from the whistleblower very soon and that he is going to do everything that he possibly can to make sure that their identity is kept a secret. But we have known that in the past when certain people come to testify before Congress in private sessions in order to keep those things secret, that there are leaks. Members of Congress are known to leak them. So I think that that is definitely a fear that a number of Democrats have, which is for certain political reasons, some of their colleagues could leak the identity.
[Keilar:] How is there the members of Congress who are behind closed doors talking to this whistleblower, Joseph, are they going to see the whistleblower? Is there any way to realistically shield the identity of this person from the members of this committee?
[Moreno:] I mean, the safest way would be getting written questions and answers, which is not nearly as effective as live testimony though, right? So if we want live testimony, yes, there are ways you can camouflage the identity. You see it in trials in certain unusual circumstances where you kind of mask the identity, even the voice of the person that's testifying. So I assume, in a congressional hearing, you could do that behind closed doors. But at the end of the day, you're putting a lot of faith in the hands of the congressmen from both sides of the aisle that they will respect the privilege and respect the confidentiality of the whistleblower
[Keilar:] Joseph, Laura, thank you guys so much. As the president questions whether Adam Schiff should be arrested for treason, one of Schiff's Democratic colleagues in Congress will join us live to respond. Also, a former Trump administration official gets candid and reveals how he warned the president about sham conspiracies. And one of the more explosive reports in the past 48 hours, the president told the Russians inside the Oval Office he was not concerned about their interference in the 2016 election.

[Burnett:] New tonight, one California county defying its Governor, Modoc County, which has a population of about 9,000 people is on the border with Oregon as you can see there on the north. Announcing it will no longer follow Gov. Newsom stay-at-home order. They are opening schools. They are opening churches and they are opening businesses and they are doing it tomorrow. OUTFRONT now, the chair of the Modoc County Board of Supervisors, Elizabeth Cavasso. And thank you very much, I appreciate your time Elizabeth. So look, you're standing up to your Governor, first county in the state to say you're not going to follow the stay-at-home order and you are opening up, as I said, schools, churches, businesses. It's a bold move. Why are you doing it?
[Elizabeth Cavasso, Chair, Board Of Supervisors For Modoc County, Ca:] I'd like to correct you, we're standing up for the people of Modoc County and we have been engaged in this incident for longer than a month now. We have been planning and working as an interagency group in the county with advice and counsel from our Modoc County Health Officer and the Office of Emergency Services as well as our Sheriff. We've been in daily communication and collaboration with partners, and businesses and entities in the community.
[Burnett:] Yes.
[Cavasso:] The facts are with our county is there are no cases of COVID-19 here. We have been testing all along and there are no cases. Yes, there are a few cases in surrounding counties, but those affected people have recovered. And at this point, we are moving forward not in defiance but in alliance with the State of California and the guidance. And we believe that we can continue with our safe actions and continue to keep the citizens of Modoc County healthy.
[Burnett:] So when you say it's an alliance with the State of California, the Governor today, Gov. Newsom was asked about your plan. He did not agree with that characterization. He said local communities cannot enact rules and conflict with his statewide order. He also said this and let me play it for you, Elizabeth.
[Newsom:] The only thing that will set us back is behavior that's not conducive with those guidelines that are currently in place in a spread of this virus. When you pull back too quickly, you literally put people's lives at risk.
[Burnett:] What's your response to the Governor?
[Cavasso:] My response is that our local decisions have proven well and that we have no cases. We have been testing. We have search capacity above the recommended amount that the state requests. We have been communicating in a transparent fashion with our community and the public. They're well aware of the actions that we're taking. They're informed and they are engaged in social distancing and proper hygiene practices. And all of those decisions at the local government level down to the individual level, are clearly proof that we are following the state's guidance and it's working effectively in our county.
[Burnett:] So in terms of when you reopen tomorrow for those schools, for those churches, are there rules in terms of masks or school desks six feet apart or are there any rules, and if so, will there be any enforcement or is it up to the judgment of the individual establishment?
[Cavasso:] First of all, there are no schools opening. That decision is delayed until May 15th. There is one school district within our area that has already decided not to open. The others are still on hold. The direction that has been given is completely in line with the state. It's continuing with proper distancing, with sanitation procedures. Those vulnerable populations are advised to stay home. People that are sick or not feeling well or advice to stay home. So we are continuing with the same actions that the rest of the state are doing. And again, we've been 100 percent successful with no cases of the coronavirus.
[Burnett:] All right. Elizabeth, I appreciate your time. Elizabeth Cavasso, as I said, the Chair of the Modoc County Board of Supervisors. And I want to go up from now to our Medical Analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner also was a medical adviser to the George W. Bush White House for eight years. So Dr. Reiner, you heard her explanation. They haven't had cases. Their nearby counties have, but she says that those people have recovered. But yet the Governor of California when talking about Modoc County today was saying when you pull back too quickly, you literally put people's lives at risk. So who's right?
[Jonathan Reiner, Cnn Medical Analyst:] Well, the supervisor's frustration is palpable and I certainly understand that people are hurting all over the country. There are 30 million people out of work. But the state of California has been incredibly successful in flattening the curve, really squashing the curve. California is a state with 10 million more people than New York State and they're projected to have about 2,000 deaths by the end of the summer, whereas New York State is projected to have a 10 times that amount. So what California has done has worked and we've seen around the world, instances in places like Singapore, in places like Japan, when social distancing and these kinds of very effective measures are eased to quickly prematurely, the virus comes back and it comes back with a vengeance, most recently in Hokkaido, Japan. So, I believe that states should have a coordinated response. And I think the Governor has it right.
[Burnett:] And does this concern you though that you're seeing this? And you're right, her frustration was palpable and I shared, I think, by many. But once you start to see this happening, once it starts to become a more broad phenomenon, which is already happening on a state level, does the risk really rise? I mean, right now it seems risk free to people making it about freedom, right?
[Reiner:] Right. So, we live in a country without walls, so despite the fact that her county has not encountered a positive patient, other counties nearby can and we're very mobile in this country. So people will come to her county whether she likes it or not who are infected. The other problem is that we've really only been testing the tip of the iceberg. We've only been testing really classically symptomatic people and I think that even in her county, if extensive antibody testing or even extensive testing for the virus have been done, I bet you would find people living in her county right now who have the virus. So if we're going to open up, we need to open up smart and we need to do it in a coordinated way. And I think the Governor of California has it right.
[Burnett:] All right. Dr. Reiner, thank you very much, as always.
[Reiner:] My pleasure.
[Burnett:] And next, an exclusive team of scientists and business titans say they have answers to the coronavirus pandemic. One of the group's leaders is my guest. Plus, President Trump says he's confident the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan China. So is there evidence?

[Anderson:] A Frenchman suffering from a chronic, painful, incurable disease is calling on the French government to make death more democratic after unsuccessful lobbying President Emmanuel Macron for the right to active euthanasia, the man decided to broadcast his final days to draw attention to French laws unassisted suicide. Now Facebook has blocked his live stream, saying it wants to avoid promoting self-harm. Melissa Bell joins me now from Paris. This is a remarkable story, Melissa. What else do we know at this point?
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Paris Correspondent:] It is remarkable, Becky, not because this is the first time that someone in this kind of condition has tried to draw attention to France's fairly strict laws on matters of euthanasia or assisted suicide. But because it is the first time that someone had hoped to use the reach of Facebook to try and bring what those tight laws mean for people like him in the final few days of their life.
[Alain Cocq, Terminaly Ill Patient:] I have taken my decision and I'm at peace. I understand that this can surprise you, but since taking my decision and the closer to September the 4th I get, the more I feel serenity.
[Bell:] On Saturday, Facebook stopped the feed saying in a statement that the depiction of suicide attempts could be triggering and promote more self harm. Euthanasia is legal in France, lesser person's death is imminent. Back in July, Alain Cocq wrote to Emmanuel Macron asking to be allowed to die with dignity. But the French President replied that even though he was moved by Cocq's plight, he could not intervene because he was not above the law. Jean-Luc Romero who wants the law changed says, he is surprised that Facebook acted so swiftly in this case.
[Jean-luc Romero-michel, President, Association For The Right To Die With Dignity:] Here we have a man who is just going to let himself die with no spectacular gesture and Facebook decides to suspend? But why are they so lax when it comes to acting against racism and homophobia and here so violent with a man who just wants to show the situation in which the government has pushed him.
[Bell:] Facebook declined to comment on Jean-Luc Romero's allegation. On his Facebook page now deprived of a live feed, Cocq expressed his anger of not being able to share with the world the pain of his last few days. Why campaigners for a change in French law say Becky as the vast majority of the French population are in favor of such a change. And that it is time that France catch up with some of its neighbor's places like Switzerland, Belgium, Luxemburg which do have very different laws in terms of Euthanasia and assisted suicide.
[Anderson:] What do we know about his health tonight, Melissa?
[Bell:] Well, basically, Becky, we know that he stopped on Friday night before going to bed, one of his medications, any water, any food, and that, he told a friend last night, has been the most difficult, not being able to drink as he faces this suffering. He describes the suffering that his condition causes is really tremendous. He is, we understand, continuing to take some morphine to help see him through the pain of the last few days, but he wasn't sure himself just how long it would take him to die, Becky.
[Anderson:] This story in Paris. Thank you. We'll take a very short break back after this.

[Keilar:] After a racist Twitter attack on Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings, President Trump followed up by calling Cummings a racist. And now he's is expanding his attacks on Baltimore and its leaders and trying to use comments from Bernie Sanders to back up his anti- Baltimore rhetoric. He tweeted this, "Crazy Bernie Sanders recently equated the city of Baltimore to a third-world country. Based on that statement, I assume that Bernie must now be labeled a racist just as a Republican would if he used that term and standard. The fact is Baltimore can be brought back, maybe even to new heights of success and glory, but not with King Elijah and that crew. When the leaders of Baltimore want to see the city rise again, I am in a very beautiful oval-shaped office waiting for your call." Sanders making those comments back in 2015 while railing against income inequality. He likened west Baltimore to a third-world country while he toured the city following the death of Freddie Gray, a young man who died after being severely injured in police custody. Joining me now is Maryland Congressman John Sarbanes, who represents part of Baltimore. He's also on the House Oversight Committee. Sir, thanks for being with us.
[Rep. John Sarbanes:] My pleasure to be here.
[Keilar:] What was your reaction to this initial tweet this weekend when the president called Cummings' district, which neighbors yours, a disgusting rat and rodent-infested mess?
[Sarbanes:] What you've got to understand is Baltimore is a very, very proud city. The people here are wonderful. It's a great city. We're very proud of the city and also very proud of Elijah Cummings. The president's attack on the city and on Cummings was just wrong. It was mean-spirited. It doesn't accomplish anything to tear down places like Baltimore city or tear down leaders like Elijah Cummings. We should be working together at all levels to lift up cities across this country. That's what the president should always lead with instead of backing into it three days later. So, yes, people here are angry, but, you know, Baltimoreans know how to take care of themselves. They definitely know what a ballot box looks like and they'll be marching to the ballot box next November, and that's where we'll register our grievances with this president.
[Keilar:] The president is essentially saying there's no difference between what he's saying about Baltimore and what Bernie Sanders said in 2015. You were saying that you find Trump's comments mean- spirited. Is that the distinction that you're making between these two, that the president isn't, or is this more to it?
[Sarbanes:] Well, for starters, that's it. I mean the president always leads with this hard edge, again trying to tear people down. You can acknowledge that the city has challenges. We all do that. The question is, where do you go from there? Do you try to lift it up? Do you do things that are constructive? I think that's the direction Bernie Sanders would head when you look at the kind of investments he wants to make across the country. But you know what the president is doing, is he's revving up his noise machine. This is all about trying to distract people from the fact that he's just not a very good president. He hasn't delivered on his promises. He said he was going to do infrastructure. It's nowhere to be seen. He said he was going to lower prescription drug prices. Hasn't done that. In fact, he's attacking the ACA, would throw 20 million people off of their health care. He said he was going to clean up corruption in Washington. He's made it worse. And he said he would protect our country, but he's not paying any attention to election security issues, even though we know the Russians are coming next year to attack our elections again. So this is about the president not being effective, not getting the job done for people. He creates this noise to try to distract from that. That's right out of his playbook. We're not going to take the bait. We're going to focus on the issues that people care about. And then we're going to deliver a verdict next November that says we want a new president.
[Keilar:] I want to switch gears now, because you are on the Oversight Committee. You have not so far taken a position in favor of impeaching the president. Where are you now after the testimony of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller?
[Sarbanes:] Well, I thought Mueller's testimony was effective on two fronts. One is he re-energized all the investigative committees that are looking at what Trump did during the campaign and, frankly, what he did since he came into the White House. And we'll continue to shake those trees. I think our committees are doing a very good job. I think they should stick with that. The impeachment issue is tricky, because the problem is you have a corrupt jury on the Senate side. Mitch McConnell and the Republicans over there are not going to convict this president. They made that very clear. So as a prosecutor, do you want to take your case to a corrupt jury, to a kangaroo court? I would prefer, looking at it now, I would prefer to put, you know, 70, 100 million Americans in the jury box next November 3rd and have them deliver a verdict on this president. Our job in the meantime, through our investigative committees, like the one that's headed up by Jerry Nadler, Judiciary, but also Elijah Cummings on Oversight, our job is to get as much evidence as we can in front of the American public so that they're equipped to make that judgment.
[Keilar:] Congressman John Sarbanes, thank you so much for being with us.
[Sarbanes:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] So do you remember the recent hearing when Congressman Cummings defended Republican Mark Meadows from an accusation that Meadows was racist? Well, now Meadows is silent about the president's attacks on Cummings.

[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Newsroom:] Top of the hour, good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Newsroom:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. The breaking news this morning, and it's breaking quickly, the days of playing nice are done, that is the word, according to a source, from the president's impeachment team, as the E.U. ambassador, Gordon Sondland, told last minute not to testify this morning, a letter coming down from the State Department right before his plan, the closed-door deposition, for three House committees today, that testimony, not happening anymore.
[Harlow:] So Democrats are now accusing the White House of obstruction for withholding evidence from this impeachment inquiry. They say that includes also unreleased text messages on a personal device of Sondland's that are, quote, deeply relevant, according to Adam Schiff, and also testimony, Sondland was set to answer questions about his role and the president's dealings with Ukraine, including trading White House visit for investigations into the Bidens. Let's go to Capitol Hill. Our Senior Congressional Correspondent, Manu Raju, is there. Manu, what ist he next step for Democrats?
[Maun Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Well, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff came out criticizing this move by the administration to block this witness from coming forward. He detailed why he believed Ambassador Sondland could provide key testimony about the president's efforts to urge the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden, the talk about why that military aid was suspended, about the talk, about this meeting that the Ukrainian government wanted to have in Washington. And he said that, essentially, that any efforts to obstruct their witnesses could be used against them. In other words, perhaps in an article of impeachment which is what Democrats have been warning them. Perhaps they're not going to go down the route of a prolonged litigation, instead to move quicker to the notion of impeaching this president, which is the third time in American history. Now, just moments ago after Ambassador Sondland surprised his committee by that announcement that he would not appear under the State Department's direction, Adam Schiff made clear the Democrats wouldn't stand for it.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] We consider yet additional strong evidence of obstruction of the constitutional functions of Congress, a co-equal branch of government.
[Raju:] Now, Schiff would not take questions afterwards. I tried to ask him what the next step exactly is. Will they go to court? He would not take questions. Republicans did come out afterwards. Their contention is that this was not, in their view, a fair process. They said, while they believe Sondland should have come, they said that they understand his reason for not doing so. One reason why is because Kurt Volker, the former envoy in Ukraine, he came out last week, they released text messages, the Republicans said they should have released more, and they called that not a fair process. And also notably, Jim and Poppy, I asked whether or not any of them have concerns that Trump asked foreign governments to investigate his political rivals, Jim Gordon said, the president was just doing his job. Guys?
[Harlow:] Oh, that's interesting. Okay, Manu, thank you very, very much. The State Department is really seen very quiet this morning about all of this and it was their decision to stop Sondland from testifying. Kylie Atwood covers the State Department. She joins us this morning. We saw with our own eyes Mike Pomeo walked away, turn his back on reporters, asking him questions about this. Anymore intel from the State Department itself?
[Kylie Atwood, Cnn National Security Reporter:] Yes. The State Department has remained largely silent this morning and throughout the last few weeks. I think it's important to note that this news came to us from Ambassador Sondland's personal lawyer. And I just want to read you the statement that we received this morning that broke this news that he was being prevented from going forth for his deposition on the Hill. It said from his attorney, Ambassador Sondland is profoundly disappointed that he will not be able to testify today. Ambassador Sondland traveled to Washington from Brussels in order to prepare for this testimony and to be available to answer the committee's questions. Arrangements had already been made with the Joint Committee staff regarding the logistics of his testimony. Ambassador Sondland believes strongly that he acted at all times in the best interests of the United States and he stands ready to answer the committee's questions fully and truthfully. So, Poppy, we did receive some sort of indication last week from Secretary Pompeo that this might be coming. He wrote a letter to the Hill saying that there were questions about the legal authority that the Hill was forcing upon these State Department officials to compel them to come forth and talk to them because they had not subpoenaed these officials. So now, does the Hill go forth and issue subpoenas, potentially. But it appeared, at the time that they had kind of worked through their issues. There were dates that were put on the table, they pushed those dates back. And then just last night, Chairman Schiff said that the House was in discussions with the legal adviser at the State Department, who gave no indication that this was going to be halted in any way. So, clearly, this was a very last-minute decision that the State Department made. And I think it's important to note that Ambassador Sondland said in his statement that he hopes that this is going to be resolved quickly. But we are really learning no more from the State Department yet this morning.
[Sciutto:] Kylie Atwood, thanks very much. As we were noting there, we've learned the White House was engaged in late night discussions about blocking Ambassador Sondland's testimony. Jeremy Diamond at the White House this morning. Jeremy, I wonder, it looks like this order came down from the White House, does it not, as opposed to from State Department, because the State Department is making preparations, and after all, the ambassador flew back from Europe to be here this morning to give that testimony?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Reporter:] That's right. And what we're hearing is that this is really part of a broader impeachment strategy, which is, of course, being run by the president and his team of lawyers both at the White House Counsel's Office and also his personal lawyers. And what we're being told is that this is indeed part of a broader strategy. There were discussions late last night between administration officials to discuss essentially how much they want to cooperate with this House impeachment inquiry. We know that this White House has been pressuring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move forward with a formal vote on the House floor to formally create this impeachment inquiry. The House speaker has been adamant that she doesn't need to do that. But this White House has been trying to pressure House Democrats to do in particular to get some of those vulnerable House Democrats to actually put forward a vote and put their name, yes or no, in favor of this impeachment inquiry. So there's a political dimension to this as well. But I think it's interesting, one of a source familiar with the impeachment discussions told our colleague, Jim Acosta, that the days of playing nice are done. And that is certainly the message from this White House. We also saw that in a tweet from the president this morning where he's attacking continuing to attack this House impeachment inquiry, Jim.
[Harlow:] Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much. Let us know if you get anymore updates from the White House. Our CNN Legal Analyst, Jennifer Rodgers, is still with us, Sahil Kapur, Political Reporter of Bloomberg, joins us, and Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times. Lynn, let me begin with you. We just had congressman Mike Quigley on, obviously from Illinois, and he said that he believed that the next he wasn't sure, but he surmised that the next step among Democrats on the Intelligence Committee, et cetera, would be to subpoena, to subpoena Sondland. and if you get nowhere with that, you hold them in contempt. What choice at this point do Democrats on the committee have?
[Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau Chief, Chicago Sun-times:] Well, they don't have much choice. And I talked to Representative Quigley yesterday too on this very topic I anticipated of White House stonewalling. What the Democrats don't have right now is the game plan to back up what we should now realize that no one of note is going to come testify or cooperate with the Democratic-led House impeachment inquiry. If there's any doubt there that President Trump is calling this the shot, just look at the tweet he sent out a few minutes ago, where he said, I'd love to send Sondland, but unfortunately, it's a kangaroo court. Now, when you take stonewalling to this degree, you're dealing with something that is unknown procedurally and that's where the Democrats have to figure out what to do. Subpoenas got it, the next step, like Congressman Quigley said, then you hold in contempt. But that doesn't get you the information.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sweet:] So they have to figure out a new strategy, ball back in Democrats' court.
[Sciutto:] Sahil, let's talk about the politics here. You have this new Washington Post poll showing, and we've watched this public support for impeachment tick up fairly consistently over the last few weeks. 58 percent now say the House was correct to start an impeachment inquiry, 38 percent say no. But I will say, Sahil, you heard from Republicans that they were briefed on their own party polling which shows opposition in swing districts. And it's that opposition to impeachment in swing districts, and it's that polling that they're more focused on than the national polling.
[Sahil Kapur, Bloomberg Political Reporter:] That's absolutely right, Jim. The polls have shown us a stunning shift in the direction of impeachment among Americans overall. Now, that shift is driven by Democrats moving in favor of impeachment and a lot of independents moving in favor of impeachment. And that's where we get to a net 20- point support for the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry. But Republicans have not moved as much, and this really key because this gets to the president's strategy. It's less of a legal strategy to deal with it. It's more of a base first P.R. strategy. And as long as Republicans feel in the neighborhood of 80 to 90 percent against impeachment inquiry, as long as his support his job approval remains at 80 to 90 percent, it's very difficult to see any kind of conviction happening in this Senate, which is ultimately required to remove the president from office.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] It's a very good point. So let's, everyone, listen to the part of Adam Schiff's comments this morning that struck Jim and I the most. Here it is.
[Schiff:] But we are also aware that the ambassador has text messages or emails on a personal device which have been provided to the State Department. Those messages are also deeply relevant to this investigation and the impeachment inquiry.
[Harlow:] Jennifer Rodgers, two-pronged question, deeply relevant messages that the public hasn't seen yet, and it isn't clear if Schiff's committee hasn't seen them, and also something on a personal device. Moving a conversation, it sounds like a personal device. What do you make of it?
[Jennifer Rodgers, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, it sounds very much like there were conversations that they wanted to take offline because they didn't want people to know about them, right? And if you follow the texts that have been released, you can see exactly where that happened. They're talking about the tit-for-tat or the quid pro quo, if you will, and then someone says, let's take this offline, let's have a call instead. And then there's this big period, about five hours or so, where there's no conversation on the official government communications devices, which tells you they were talking about it in some other way. And it sounds like maybe the personal device is the way. So I think whether or not Schiff and his committee have seen these actual texts, it's pretty clear that his statement that they're highly relevant seems to be true.
[Sciutto:] Reading the politics here, I mean, Sahil makes a good point, that this is a base-first kind of P.R. strategy, not a legal strategy. Look, how does that P.R. strategy work here? I mean, if you have a positive story to tell, you don't block a key witness from testifying, you don't hold back emails and text messages. I just wonder if it's possible that could backfire on the president and Republicans if Americans see them to be stonewalling here?
[Kapur:] Was that for me, Jim?
[Sciutto:] Sorry, that's Lynn. I was quoting your wisdom, Sahil, but going to Lynn for her wisdom.
[Sweet:] Okay. So that's for me?
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Sweet:] Well, one of the beefs that President Trump had on his Twitter feed this morning is that no one is reporting, but, in fact we have, this is how we know it, that Sondland sent in a tweet that you're interpreting whatever is going on wrong, nothing untoward is going on. So one of the things you could do, President Trump, if you think this message needs to be amplified, then you have Sondland come and say it again. If there's another story to tell, everyone wants to hear it. This is not a kangaroo court. If there is another side, exculpatory material, mitigating material, maybe people misinterpreting things, maybe it's not what you think, that's the whole point of why we call this an impeachment inquiry. Let's put the inquiry part of this first, inquiry, impeachment. It's not so hard. And maybe people will understand that if he had a tweet that puts this in a different light, come and explain it.
[Harlow:] I would just to know Sahil, just back to you on your point about Republicans. I hear what you're just overall. But our new polling today does show movement among Republicans. It shows that Republicans move from 7 percent support for an impeachment inquiry in July to 28 percent in today's Washington Post poll. And I know 28 percent is not 55 percent, but that's movement and it's not just a few percentage points.
[Kapur:] Yes. Look, it's an important point. It's a key number to watch. If that number moves to critical mass, and I don't know that number, 33 percent, 40, 50 percent, whatever the case may be, that is the key number to watch in terms of what's likely to happen in the Senate, because chamber is majority Republican, it is full of members in small red states where President Trump is very popular. So if you want movement in terms of House impeachment inquiry, it's something that the president cannot stop. Democrats have the votes to do that. Now, I think you're going to see a back and forth where Democrats are going to accuse the president of trying to cover something up, being afraid of what Sondland might say by refusing to testify and he's going to continue to attack the investigation, try to undermine the investigators and say this is all political. So, that is going to be the context of the debate in which we might or might not see the Republican numbers move.
[Sciutto:] We do know, Jennifer Rodgers, from a legal perspective, that Democrats, and they said Congressman Quigley said that to us on the air, that this is there're going to be multiple obstruction if not multiple obstruction articles of impeachment, multiple cases of obstruction cited in an article of impeachment and something like this added to that list.
[Rodgers:] That's right. Because what you really want to show is a pattern of behavior, right? You don't want to just show one instance where they stonewall because maybe there was kind of an excuse for that. You really need to show that, time and time again, they've been obstructing this all along. Which is why the quote about, it's time to stop playing nice, I mean, when were they ever playing nice?
[Harlow:] That's what Quigley said to us.
[Sciutto:] I know.
[Rodgers:] Literally, every step of the way, they have not been proceeding with any sort of faith in this inquiry. And so you really need to line all this up.
[Sciutto:] I did see someone tweet this morning that Sondland has been moved to a highly classified server in reference to other examples of where evidence was locked or somehow controlled by this administration.
[Harlow:] Thank you.
[Sciutto:] Jennifer, all you smart, wise people, thanks very much. We know we will have you back. There's a lot to digest. Still to come this hour, we continue to follow the breaking news this morning, Trump administration blocking the testimony of a key essential witness really in the impeachment inquiry. We're going to talk potential next steps with a member of the House Judiciary Committee. That's coming up.
[Harlow:] Plus, a number of Republican lawmakers criticizing the president's phone call is increasing, this as the president defends his move to pull out of troops of Northern Syria, many more Republicans speaking up about that. And as the president faces backlash over his handling of Northern Syria, the question remains, why are so many Republicans staying silent on the phone call and speaking out about Syria?
[Sciutto:] We're following breaking news this morning and it's moving quickly. The White House blocking E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland from testifying to Congress just minutes before he was supposed to appear on Capitol Hill. He flew in from Europe for this testimony. He was set to testify behind closed doors as part of an ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Trump, specifically about his interactions with Ukraine. Democratic House Intelligence Chairman calling the move to keep Sondland from speaking to lawmakers, quote, strong evidence of obstruction. Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee. He sits on the House Judiciary Committee, which will have a central role in any ongoing impeachment investigation. Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this morning.
[Rep. Steve Cohen:] Nice to be with you.
[Sciutto:] So you have the White House firing a shot across the bow here, refusing to testimony, possible that this will be the first of many cases of stonewalling here. I just wonder how Congress enforces its power of oversight. They can issue a subpoena but the White House has shown no hesitation defying subpoenas. What are Democrats going to do to get the witnesses they need to proceed with this inquiry?
[Cohen:] The only power they have is subpoena, which is under power of law
[Sciutto:] How do you get out of that position? What do you do? I mean, there's a danger of being stymied here, right, if the White House wins this game.
[Cohen:] Well, there's some talks about inherent contempt, being able to use that, but perhaps there would have to be procedures set up and the leadership has moved in a very conservative manner, and so I don't know if that's been developed or not.
[Sciutto:] Well, I ask, again I mean, we spoke to a member of the House Intelligence Committee in the last hour, Mike Quigley, and he made the point that if this continues, it will stymie Democrats' efforts to establish evidence here of potential wrongdoing, impeachable offences regarding the president's interactions with Ukraine. He does say it gives more evidence of obstruction, but he granted that it gets in the way of getting to the bottom of this. And I'm just curious what the strategy is. It sounds like Democrats are still trying to develop a strategy.
[Cohen:] Well, I think we are, and I think judiciary had the same problem. We were stonewalled. People refused to comply with subpoenas. We have gone to court on contempt case citations. But the courts are still ruling orand where they've been appealed. But I think all of this does show obstruction of Congress and that can be a charge in itself. And I think that what they're doing is certainly contributing to obstruction of justice and somebody who's not guilty. Trump said during the campaign that people who plead the fifth are like the mafia. But when you don't give an oral deposition to Mueller, that's kind of like not pleading that's kinds of like pleading the fifth. And when you don't show up to testify or you don't comply with subpoenas, that's kind of like pleading the fifth. They are doing everything they can not to testify, not to be subject to cross-examination, not to have to testify to the American people and their representatives. That's indices of guilt. And overall, you can use that, I think, to show guilt, and that can come forth in an impeachment hearing.
[Sciutto:] Okay. In the same category, you might say, as Adam Schiff revealing this morning that there are text messages and emails on a private device of Ambassador Sondland that the State Department has and is withholding. I wonder how central you think those texts and emails are and do you have an issue with, I mean, just imagine what we were talking about in 2016, but using a private device for official communications?
[Cohen:] I think that there was a reason why that was done, just like the ambassador told Volker, I believe it was, call me on that one or find another
[Sciutto:] He said, call me, don't text back. Exactly.
[Cohen:] He knew that right. He didn't want to leave a trail. That's more indices of guilt or bad conduct.
[Sciutto:] Okay. The Democrats have an aggressive, ambitious timeline for completing an impeachment inquiry. There was some talk of having it all wrapped up by Thanksgiving. Here we are, October 7th, 8th, and you have the White House stonewalling on key interviews and documents and text messages. You can keep to that timeline?
[Cohen:] If we do, it's going to have to be an abbreviated amount of facts that we give that are available for the Senate to present in a trial, and that may be what some senators use as their cues not vote. Guilt is the fact that the proof wasn't induced. But, again, there is common sense tells you there's guilt all over this White House. They refuse to comply. They refuse to give depositions. They say you know, Trump said I want to talk to Mueller, then he didn't. And then when he gave a deposition, a third to half of his answers, I don't remember and I don't know. That's not being open with the public. And then today, he tweeted just an hour ago, I want Sondland to testify, but it's a kangaroo court. That's all hooey. That's all hooey. This is all hiding the truth, hiding the facts and dodging.
[Sciutto:] Before you go, Congressman, we have some new reporting from our Pamela Brown, saying, it is clear that the White House Counsel's Office is directing other government agencies. It advised the State Department to block Sondland's testimony. What's your reaction to the White House Counsel's Office telling the State Department that this ambassador cannot testify in defiance of Congress?
[Cohen:] Well, the White House Counsel has done this over a period of time, and they've filed proceedings on behalf of Trump. The court in New York basically said that the claim that they were beyond being investigated or being in the state court was just hooey and was just joke and it's repugnant to the Constitution. What we see and what we saw yesterday with Trump saying that he had the greatest wisdom and the most his infinite wisdom or great wisdom, some quote like that, we're seeing the the Wizard of Oz being played out for the American public. He thinks he is the wizard. The wizard said he was powerful and great, he was powerful and terrible. Trump saw the Wizard of Oz once too much. He's more like the scarecrow than he is the wizard.
[Sciutto:] All right, or the man behind the curtain. Congressman Steve Cohen, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
[Cohen:] Good to be here.
[Sciutto:] And this morning, Republicans continue to stay mostly silent about President Trump's call to investigate Biden but is keeping their heads down and mouths shut the wisest move? A GOP strategist and his take on all this, coming up.

[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Are we better off now for having done that mitigation? The experts I'm talking to say, yes, but we still are not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination. What these numbers also tell us is that as we start to open back up, despite the fact that things aren't as good as we would like them to be, we are starting to open back up the country. And that's where you get the numbers that you just mentioned from the CDC modelers. It really is just simple logic. When you tell people, hey, you can go to bars, you can go to get your nails done, you can sit in a restaurant, those numbers are going to go up. The closer people get to one another, the more cases we're going to see, the more cases we see, the more deaths we're going to see.
[John King, Cnn:] And I wonder if we have this chart, if we do if we could put it up from this document the projected deaths per day because they have a red line, which is their projection and then you see the lighter red space around it there. That's essentially the range of the projection. So the red line is the projected deaths and you see it going up by June 1st from where it is today, significantly up. But then you see the blue dots, those are the actual reported deaths. So Elizabeth, looking at this chart, reported deaths right now are running higher than the model. That doesn't mean that will continue to be so. But the reported deaths right now this was their model, you would have to say right now, the reported deaths are coming in on the high side even a little above the model.
[Cohen:] Right. And so one thing we need to remember here, John, is that all of this when we look into the future is modeling. And modeling is based on assumptions and basically educated guesses, but they're pretty well educated guesses. And so these guesses always will have margins, kind of like in a political poll, it could be anywhere from here to here. And here's sort of the middle that we're arriving at. And so we have to keep that in mind. And so when you relate it to what's already happened, what's already happened, happened, those are those are facts. When we look out into the future, we're making educated guesses.
[King:] Educated guesses, looking at those numbers. That's a little frightening as think about it. Elizabeth Cohen, really appreciate it. Let's go straight now like to the White House in CNN's Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, this playing out, you know, the President last night revised his death total, he had to. It's obvious. He was saying it would be 60 something. It's already past that. The President now says 80,000 or 90,000, maybe 100,000. If you look at this document put out by his own Centers for Disease Control and FEMA, and other agencies helping there this reopening that the President continues to push even pushing states that have not met his own guidelines right now like Virginia last night, when you look at this document and the medical projections, the case projections, the death projections, this is a giant political risk for the President to being to be so aggressive when his own people are telling them these numbers are going to get worse.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, this is a really sobering document. And you've got to look back at what the President was saying last night when he was revising that death toll upward. It's so strikingly different than what the President was saying even just two weeks ago when he was predicting that the death toll was going to be substantially under 100,000. He said maybe even as low as 50,000. Of course we have blown past that now. Last night he was telling "Fox News" in that town hall, it could go anywhere from 75,000 to 100,000. And now this document and you've got to look at the fact that there is this document now being circulated, put together by FEMA and HHS. You've got the president revising the death toll upward yet, John. He is still pushing for reopening. And last night, he made that clear, saying that he still thinks that many states should be moving toward reopening their economies. He talked about people going back to school in the fall, saying that he was competent that could happen. And then of course, saying that he feels confident there will be a vaccine by the end of this year, which is incredibly optimistic, even if you're listening to his health experts who say if everything goes right, then potentially they could have a vaccine ready by January which of course is hinting on a lot. But it is notable that even in the face of a document like this, where it's so sobering talking about with these deaths, this death toll could look like and how much higher it could get. They are still pushing for the reopening that health experts have said can make this death toll even worse.
[King:] Kaitlan Collins with reporting from the White House. Let's bring into the conversation, CNN medical analysts and primary care doctor, Saju Mathew. Sir, thanks so much for being here. Dr. Mathew, when you read these numbers, the forecast says we could get to 200,000 new cases each day, 200,000 cases each day by the end of this month, it's about 25,000 a day. Now, number one, is that a projection that tracks with the way you would analyze this. And number two, I don't know the right words for it. But if pushing a reopening at a time when you see a projection, then we're going to go from 25,000 cases a day to 200,000 cases a day. Wow.
[Dr. Saju Mathew, Cnn Medical Analyst:] John, I'm actually not surprised. You know, if you look at the basic model of the way this virus behaves, it's all down to just a mathematical model. There are theories out there about how to kill the virus in four to six weeks. And guess what we have to do, John, in order to kill a virus in four to six weeks, the entire world, technically would have to go into a shutdown at the same time. And I'm talking about shelter and places with no run to the grocery store. You can't go to the park. That is what it will take to kill this virus. Obviously that's not realistic. We didn't shut down at the same time in the U.S. with all states, we can reopen at the same time. I'm in Georgia, John, and we're opening too early. I mean, I'm being honest about that. We're not ready to go to the bars. We're not ready to go to the salon. So to be honest with you, I'm not surprised at the projection. It's really based on how exponentially this virus can grow. One person can spread the virus to three people. And you can imagine in a week's time, we're talking about hundreds and thousands of new cases.
[King:] And so walk through this with me in the sense that you say you're in Georgia, you're in Georgia and you don't like it. You think the governor is being too aggressive. We will know in 10 days, two weeks, when we start to see the case reports in Georgia, when we start to see the case reports in Texas, the states that have been more aggressive in 10 days, two weeks, maybe 20 days. You'll see how it will go up. The question is how much is it going up. Are you convinced that the governors, the President is pushing reopen right now? Again, he pushed Virginia last night even though it's nowhere near the President's own reopening guidelines. The President put out these guidelines said, the governor should follow them. Virginia is not even close. And the President saying, hey, you're going to slow reopening your state. Are you convinced this is a political opinion I guess as much as a medical opinion, that will there be circuit breakers in place? The governor of New York was just talking about, when you start to reopen, if the rate of transmission starts to spike, if hospitalizations start to spike, you close the valve. Do you have confidence in your state, for example, that would happen?
[Mathew:] You know, John, I can speak as a physician, I'm a public health specialist as well. And if you look at the numbers, the numbers don't lie. Our cases are going up. Our death rates are going up. We are not even following the minimal White House guidelines of a downward trend of two weeks. So if you look at the numbers, it's fairly easy. I've got the numbers just like anybody else can look up the numbers. So when the governor made the announcement, yes. I mean, I'm respectful of our leaders. And I realized that I can just speak as a physician. And politicians have to worry about so many other things. I'm not envious of the decisions they have to make. But as a physician, yes, John, I'm very concerned. And we are not ready. This is not a victory lap. As Elizabeth Cohen mentioned, we have made some efforts to quieten the virus, that's the word that I would use, not kill the virus, but quieting the virus. And we're going to see in two to four weeks what really is going to end up happening with the virus in Georgia and other states that are opening too early.
[King:] Right. It's hard to see when you hold this up, but this is the projected cases per day. I'll move it over a little bit if I can. You just see it going up and up and up. I just want you, doctor, you're a medical professional, so I want you to answer, give your response to somebody out there who is saying, look, you cannot keep an economy closed down for this law, as long as we shelter the vulnerable, senior citizens, people who are immunocompromised, shelter the vulnerable, then we're going to get back to this and yes. Yes, healthy people like you and me, one of us is going to get sick. It's going to be a couple miserable weeks of our life, but we'll be OK. And that that is the course to take. That is the course to take, shelter the vulnerable, learn the lessons, do more testing, but then take the risk, if you will. What's your answer?
[Mathew:] You know, you don't want to find out what COVID-19 does to you. As a physician, we know we're all taught to be risk averse. There's no way, John, that as a doctor that I could say, yes, you know, hey, go out there and see what happens. That's gambling. You know, one more life lost is one too many more lives lost. We have, you know, lost too many Americans and too many people in the world. So as a physician, John, I have to speak from a very conservative approach because I am in the business of saving lives. That's the Hippocratic oath that I took. And once again, the numbers don't lie. We're not ready to open back up. And I think that slowly opening up people economy makes sense. I realized that people are hurting, people who have lost jobs. You can't survive on a $30,000 income if you're four people in a household. I completely get that, John. But as a physician, I have to still express my caution about opening up too early.
[King:] Dr. Mathew, thank you for your insights. More importantly, thank you for your work and for your hustle to help us understand this breaking news, again, a document presented circulating in the Trump administration now projecting that by the end of the month, the number of cases on a daily basis, the number of deaths on a daily basis are going to go up and significantly. Dr. Mathew, thank you so much for your time. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

[Erica Hill, Cnn:] Thanks for joining us here on THE LEAD. You can follow me on Twitter @EricaRHill. You can tweet the show @TheLeadCNN. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Happening now, breaking news: another tax cut, hours after a White House denial, the president said he's weighing a payroll tax cut even as he insists the economy is great. Amid recession fears, the president said he's prepared to stick with his China trade war even if it brings a recession. Reinstating Russia: President Trump said the G7 should once again become the G8, calling for Russia to be let back in to the elite group of industrialized nations even though it was kicked out for invading a neighbor. And also tonight new evidence Russia may be trying to cover up a nuclear explosion. Biden's bouts: Joe Biden launches a new ad in Iowa, touting his electability even as he surges in a new CNN poll and voters say it is important to pick someone to beat President Trump. And ISIS heats up: Secretary of State Pompeo admits the terror group is stronger in some places now than it was years ago as the Pentagon reveals an ISIS resurgence months after the president proclaimed a 100 percent defeat of the ISIS caliphate. Wolf Blitzer is off. I'm Brianna Keilar and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
[Unidentified Male:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Keilar:] Breaking news: as concerns grow about an economic downturn, President Trump confirms he's considering a payroll tax cut and is again slamming the Fed, saying it should cut interest rates. But with a top financial firm saying that his tariffs could cost American families $1,000 a year, the president insists he's not ready to make a deal with China, saying he would stick to his trade war even if the U.S. falls into a recession. Also tonight, secretary of state Mike Pompeo concedes ISIS is stronger in some places than four years ago following a Pentagon report that ISIS is resurging in Iraq and Syria just months after the president declared the terror group's caliphate 100 percent defeated. I'll be speaking with Congressman Gerry Connolly of the Foreign Affairs and Oversight Committees and our correspondents and analysts are standing by with full coverage. Let's go to CNN Chief White House Correspondent, Jim Acosta there on the North Lawn. And Jim, for someone who said the economy is great, the president sure seems worried.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Seems that way, Brianna. The president danced around a lot of tough topics, from the economy to gun control and sounded open to the idea of a payroll tax cut, despite his own aides knocking down that idea. But the president insisted any potential tax cuts are not needed because of a possible recession. The president also began to parrot the talking points of the National Rifle Association on whether to tighten the nation's background check system. And then on the topic of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the president said Jewish people may be showing what he called "disloyalty" if they vote for Democrats.
[Acosta:] President Trump is ripping into forecasts from economists that the U.S. could be headed toward a recession.
[Trump:] I think the word recession is a word that is inappropriate because it is just a word that the the certain people, I'm going to be kind, certain people in the media are trying to build up because they would love to see a recession.
[Acosta:] Still the president revealed he's considering some proposals to boost the U.S. economy, including a payroll tax cut.
[Trump:] Payroll tax is something we think about and a lot of people would like to see that. And that very much affects the working the workers of our country and we have a lot of workers. I've been thinking about payroll taxes for a long time. Whether or not we do it now or not is it is not being done because of recession.
[Acosta:] But the president contradicted his own aides, who had just batted down the idea a few hours earlier in the day.
[Unidentified Female:] being considered?
[Hogan Gidley, White House Spokesperson:] It is not being considered at this time.
[Acosta:] Mr. Trump is still touting the U.S. economy as the best in the world but there are signs of possible trouble. U.S. Steel announced up to 200 temporary layoffs in the critical battleground state of Michigan. That news came less than a week after the president said the steel industry was humming along.
[Trump:] We're doing steel. Steel industry is high. The steel they were dumping steel all over. They were destroying our companies. U.S. Steel now all of them, they're all expanding. The steel industry is back. It is doing great.
[Acosta:] On gun control, the president also seemed to downplay the need for tighter background checks. Sources tell CNN the president has soured on the idea of new gun laws after talking with lawmakers and the
[Nra. Trump:] We are in very meaningful discussions with the Democrats and I think the Republicans are very unified. We are very strong on our Second Amendment, the Democrats are not strong
[Trump:] at all in the Second Amendment. And we have to be very careful about that. You know they call it the slippery slope. And all of a sudden, everything gets taken away. We're not going to let that happen.
[Acosta:] But listen to what the president said earlier this month, when he claimed he didn't agree with the notion of a slippery slope and NRA talking points.
[Trump:] NRA has, over the years, taken a very, very tough stance on everything. And I understand it. You know, it is a slippery slope. They think you approve one thing and that leads to a lot of bad things. I don't agree with that.
[Acosta:] The president also attacked Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who gave a tearful rebuke of Israel's decision to ban the Michigan Democrat along with Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, tweeting, "I don't buy Tlaib's tears. I've watched her violence, craziness and most importantly words for far too long. Now tears? She hates Israel and all Jewish people. She is an anti-Semite."
[Trump:] All of a sudden she starts with tears. Tears. And I don't buy it. I don't buy it. I don't buy it for a second. I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.
[Acosta:] And just days away from the next G7 summit, the president resurrected his own talk of allowing Russia back in after the group of world powers gave Moscow the boot over its annexation of Crimea.
[Trump:] We're talking about Russia because I've gone there, numerous G7 meetings and I guess President Obama, because Putin outsmarted him, President Obama thought it wasn't a good thing to have Russia in. So he wanted Russia out. But I think it is much more appropriate to have Russia in.
[Acosta:] Now getting back to the president's comments about Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the Jewish Democratic Council of America has released a statement in the last few minutes saying, quote, "This is yet another example of Donald Trump continuing to weaponize and politicize anti-Semitism." Meanwhile Tlaib's colleague Ilhan Omar also has released a tweet just in the last several minutes. She simply said, quote, "Oh, my," Brianna.
[Keilar:] Jim Acosta at the White House, thank you. We have more breaking news. Just days before the group of top industrialized nations meets for its annual summit, President Trump says he's like to see the G7 become the G8 again by reinstating Russia. Let's turn to CNN National Security Reporter, Kylie Atwood. And Kylie, it bears reminding, Russia was kicked out for invading a neighbor, something the U.S. was condemned.
[Kylie Atwood, Cnn National Security Analyst:] Right, not just the
[U.s. Keilar:] That is right.
[Atwood:] All of the member nations, the majority of the G7, were supportive of the move to kick Russia out of the G7, then the G8 back in 2014. President Trump reiterating what he said before today, it is notable today however because he's heading to the G7 in just a few days to meet with the world leaders who were on board with then President Obama, who was effective in getting Russia to get out of the group. But President Trump didn't say he will push for it. He said he would see any motion as being favorable so we'll see if there is traction there.
[Keilar:] And also secretary of state Mike Pompeo today downplayed the ISIS threat. He acknowledged it in a way but he was also very much downplaying it and this is not long after the Pentagon said actually they're making a resurgence.
[Atwood:] That is right. So this inspector general report from the Pentagon just earlier this month said that ISIS is resurging in both Iraq and Syria and this comes on the heels the U.S. pulling down their troops numbers in Syria and also on the heels of questions about where the Trump administration is going with Syria policy. But as you said, Secretary Pompeo sought to downplay the fact that this is a real threat, saying that they have actually decreased threats in areas and increased in others. Let's listen to what he said.
[Unidentified Female:] Is it gaining strength in your opinion?
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] It is complicated. There are certainly places where ISIS is more powerful today than they were three or four years ago. But the caliphate is gone and their capacity to conduct external attacks has been made much more difficult. We've taken it down significant risk. Not all of it. But a significant amount.
[Atwood:] So we know that one of the areas where ISIS has started to resurge is in the internally displaced people's camps, the Syrians without a home and there is about 70,000 in this camp in northeastern Syria. This inspector general report out from the Pentagon said the ISIS ideology in that camp is uncontested and nobody is pushing back against it. And this is becoming a potential breeding ground for the next generation of ISIS fighters because a lot of them are young and under 18 years old.
[Keilar:] And certainly very unhappy with their circumstances and perhaps vulnerable to messaging.
[Atwood:] Exactly.
[Keilar:] Kylie, thank you so much for that report. Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Oversight Committee as well. Sir, thanks for being with us.
[Rep. Gerry Connolly:] Great to be with you.
[Keilar:] I do want to talk to you about this resurgence of ISIS here in just a moment. But first, let's get to the president's comments on the economy because he confirmed today he would be open to a payroll tax cut. Is that something that you would consider as well?
[Connolly:] Not at this time. Congress, the Republican Congress, passed an enormous tax cut that overwhelmingly benefited large corporations and the wealthy 1 percent. They promised that that would lead to a resurgence of business investment and it would pay for itself. And instead we've seen the largest red ink in an expanding economy in American history and that investment dried up. And most of that money in corporations went to stock buybacks, very unproductive. So if we're going to look at a tax cut, A, the economy has to be in some real trouble and, B, it will require frankly recalibrating the tax cut that the Republican Congress passed just two years ago.
[Keilar:] I was asking one 2020 candidate earlier about this. John Delaney would not say definitively that he would not support a payroll tax cut because you bring up the Republican tax overhaul but this is a payroll tax cut, the idea being that this might help a lot of people who support Democrats, who have who have your ear. What would you say to them, especially considering President Obama signed a payroll tax cut in 2020 and he thought it was a good idea then? And why isn't it a good idea now?
[Connolly:] Well, not all tax cuts are the same. And you have to look at the current state of the economy. Mr. Trump can't have it both ways. An additional stimulation to an economy that is continuing to grow makes no sense. A stimulation to an economy that is contracting, that is a different matter. But it is still requires revisiting the wealthy giveaway tax cut that the Republicans passed two years ago. We can't continue to simply hemorrhage red ink because revenue shrinks in the tax system. We have to have a balanced tax code that does a better job of balancing revenue and expenditures.
[Keilar:] To your point, there are some economists who think that a recession is looming and this is something that is while the president is being rosy publicly about the economy, privately he's expressing concern about a recession. Are you worried about that?
[Connolly:] I think there are warning signs for sure. We see Germany's economy, the largest economy in Europe, has contracted two quarters in a row. We have Trump's trade war with China, which is badly affecting both consumer items in the United States but particularly the agricultural sector by drying up markets for American farmer goods. We have manufacturing under some real assault in America. And we don't have very great wage growth in the United States. We're kind of chugging along at an anemic level, which Mr. Trump promised would be double what it is right now. So I think there are some warning signs. And then we have a sign on the markets, the inverted yield curve for bonds, which has accurately predicted about 18 months out every recession over the last six.
[Keilar:] I do want to get your reaction to something else the president said in the Oval Office today when he was speaking about his recent feud with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib over her canceled visit to the West Bank. He said, quote, "I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty." That is President Trump. What do you make of the president the reaction?
[Connolly:] I think that is a profoundly anti-Semitic statement by the president. To suggest that Jewish Americans in their preference in voting are disloyal is an old anti-Semitic trope. It is disgusting. It ought to be condemned by Republicans as well as Democrats. And I condemn it here.
[Keilar:] Let's talk about ISIS because, according to a new report from the Pentagon, the terror group is actually staging a comeback in Iraq and Syria here in recent months. You sit on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. How should the Trump administration and how should Congress respond to this apparent resurgence?
[Connolly:] I think we need to take it very seriously and it is tied in with some of other things as well. Protecting the Kurds in Syria and parts of Syria they liberated and dismantled the ISIS caliphate is very important because if we don't, they hold thousands of ISIS prisoners. And those prisoners will be let go if the Kurds lose their territory in Syria. So this is a complicated matter but there is no question that ISIS, despite the fact that it has lost its geography has not lost the will to exist and to inflict damage.
[Keilar:] Congressman, thank you so much. Congressman Gerry Connolly with us.
[Connolly:] My great pleasure.
[Keilar:] Always good to see you. And up next, Joe Biden surging in a new CNN poll, regaining a double-digit lead over Democratic rivals. Why is Kamala Harris slipping? And the president seems to backpedal on the idea of new gun laws, saying they are already very strong, these background checks that are in place.

[Unidentified Male:] President Trump suggesting that some members of Congress should go back to their countries. The president feels he is resonating with his core supporters.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] It is racist and un-American. You should never hear that from the president of the United States.
[Unidentified Female:] We have not seen any ICE agents making any appearances. But the fear is very palpable.
[Unidentified Male:] We should be able to enforce the law in a reasonable way. And that's what we're doing here.
[Unidentified Female:] I want comprehensive immigration reform. But frightening children across our country is simply unacceptable.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Monday, July 16.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Fifteenth, 15th. It's July 15.
[Camerota:] I'll fire someone later.
[Berman:] Yes.
[Camerota:] July 15, 6 a.m. here in New York. This morning, the outcry builds after President Trump tweets a stunningly racist attack against four Democratic congresswomen of color. Democrats spent Sunday speaking out against it and trying to process something like this from the president. But to this point, there is virtual silence from Republican lawmakers. The president not apologizing after sending this incendiary tweet, telling the women to, quote, "go back" to the countries they come from. All of the lawmakers that are referenced are American citizens. Three of them were born in the United States.
[Berman:] So as we wake up today, the question is what do you call someone that says clearly racist things? This morning, the answer is "Mr. President." The second question: What do you call lawmakers who stand by in silence when someone says clearly racist things? The answer this morning: "Republican members of Congress." We've been looking all night and found only one single Republican member of Congress who raised any issue at all with what the president said: Chip Roy of Texas. That's it. All alone. We'll let you know if we see or hear any more this morning. Why the silence is a huge issue. What are these members so afraid of? Also, this was no slip of the tongue. This was a deliberate move by the president in an election season. So why does the president think racism is an effective campaign issue? Let's get straight to the White House. Our Joe Johns is there. Joe, is the White House explaining this morning why the president's remarks on race
[Johns:] President Trump doubling down on attacks he made Sunday against Democratic congresswomen. In a series of racist tweets, the president writing, "'Progressive'Democratic congresswomen should go back and help fix the totally broken and crime-infested places from which they came." Though he did not mention the Democrats by name, the apparent targets of his tirade are congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, who are all natural-born citizens, and Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. Amid virtual silence from Republicans on the Hill, Democratic lawmakers slamming the president's rhetoric.
[Rep. Maxine Waters:] The president is an illegitimate racist occupying the White House. Yes, he attacked these four women of color, who are members of Congress who have been elected from their districts to come to the Congress of the United States and represent the people in their districts. They are certainly legitimate. He is not.
[Johns:] The four freshman congresswomen have repeatedly spoken out against President Trump's immigration policies and have all called for his impeachment. Ocasio-Cortez firing back at the president, reminding him she is an American, adding, "Given how you've destroyed our border with inhumane camps, all at a benefit to you and the corporations who profit off them, you are absolutely right about the corruption laid at your feet." Omar accusing the president of stoking white nationalism and calling him "the most corrupt and inept president we have ever seen." Trump responding to the avalanche of criticism, tweeting, "Whenever confronted, Democrats call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, racist. Their disgusting language and the many terrible things they say about the United States should not be allowed to go unchallenged." Despite reports of infighting between Nancy Pelosi and the same group of Congresswomen, the House speaker defending the members of her caucus, rejecting what she called the president's xenophobic comments, saying, "'Make America Great Again'has always been about making America white again," echoing comments she made last week.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] We respect the value of every member of our caucus. Diversity is our strength. Unity is our power.
[Johns:] So the thing to watch today will be members of the president's own party, particularly on Capitol Hill, to see how many respond to the president's tweets. Alisyn, back to you.
[Camerota:] Joe, thank you very much. Joining us now to talk about all this, we have Errol Louis, CNN political commentator; Maysoon Zayid, a writer, producer and disability advocate; and Charlie Dent, a CNN political commentator and former Republican member of Congress from Pennsylvania. Great to have all of you. Maysoon, I just want to start with you. You are, as we said, an advocate for the disabled, a comedian and a Muslim woman. What did you think when you saw the president's tweets yesterday?
[Maysoon Zayid, Writer, Producer:] I thought I'm sick of this abuse. That this is actually abusive. As a person who lives in this country, born and raised in America and by the way, it doesn't matter where anyone was born. I know that we keep pointing out that Ilhan was born somewhere else. We are American. It is the great equalizer. And to be living in a country where every single day we are under siege, from Muslim snuff videos to outward racism. This is incitement of violence. I don't feel safe in this country anymore. And I'm not a scaredy-cat. I hang out in war zones. And to be constantly bombarded by this hate, and then to have the GOP be silent, is terrifying.
[Berman:] Have you been told to go home before?
[Zayid:] I'm always being told to go back to my country. And I actually use it in my comedy, because whenever they say, "Go back to your country," I say, "Jersey is part of America, whether you like it or not." But that moment made me cringe internally. He's said so many different offensive things, but that moment triggered something in so many of us of being told, "Go back to your own country." And where is that country? It's America. Whether they like it or not, this is our country.
[Berman:] I think the reason it triggered something is because it's simple, unnuanced racism.
[Zayid:] Yes.
[Berman:] There's no alternative interpretation to "Go back where you came from" Errol Louis.
[Errol Louis, Cnn Political Commentator:] That's right. Well, I mean, when you hear it described as, "Well, it's nativist" and it's this and it's that. Well, no. It's just racist. Right? If it was some drunk guy at the end of the bar, ranting and raving, everybody would understand exactly what it was. The sad thing, the shocking thing is that it's coming out of the Oval Office. You know, this is the seat that was held by Jefferson and by Lincoln and by, you know, FDR and JFK and Ronald Reagan, for that matter. And to have the president speaking, that this is what he chooses to put out there, you know, is there some strategic consideration? Well, yes. The ICE raids were a bust, and maybe he wanted to just distract us all. Maybe this is how he plans to energize his base. But the sort of crowning sadness of all of it is that nobody stands up. Nobody in the president's party stands up and says, "I don't want to be part of this. This is not acceptable. Something needs to change." Or at a minimum, at a minimum "We're all going to lose a bunch of seats. We're going to lose a bunch of power in the next election if we don't disassociate ourselves from that." Will no one just stand up and simply say that? I mean, it's not, in some ways, even a moral consideration. It's just a right and wrong kind of a question. And it's very it's very sad to think that we've gotten to this point.
[Camerota:] Charlie, why aren't Republicans speaking out loudly yesterday and today?
[Charlie Dent, Cnn Political Commentator:] For the same reasons they don't speak out on other issues, because they're just fearful of primaries. It's that simple. And in this case, you know, we saw tweets that were that were xenophobic, nativist, racially inflammatory, incendiary, and then completely out of bounds. And and what's even more bizarre, if I'm a Republican member right now, I have to be furious with the president for this. Not just because of how horrible the tweets were and they were horrible but the fact that those four members are not necessarily the most sympathetic members within the Democratic caucus, you know, given their, you know, incitement of primaries against some of their Democratic colleagues. So, you know, the Democrats were a bit divided. Now the president has just unified the Democrats because of his horrible tweets and behavior.
[Berman:] I get the issue of being politically inexpedient, but Charlie, when you look at this, there's only two possible explanations for why the president said this. No. 1, he's a racist. That's a possible explanation. No. 2, because he thinks it helps him politically. Do you think it's either of those answers, or which one do you think it is?
[Dent:] Well, look, this does not help him politically. For heaven's sakes, I think it hurts him terribly, questioning the legitimacy of four members of Congress as members and as Americans, I think, really offends most of the most of the American population. I can't imagine this. And he's had he has a sad history of making these kinds of racially-incendiary comments, from the comments he made about Mexicans, to Charlottesville, to the way he handled the travel ban. And I'm probably forgetting a few more. And now and now this. So again, I think Republicans are going to have to step up at some point and say something. Look, hey, it was Sunday. They're going to be back in town, I suspect, today. And I'm sure CNN is going to be there with microphones in members' faces and wanting comment.
[Camerota:] And you think, Charlie, just to be clear, that some of them will speak out this morning?
[Dent:] I suspect they'll be forced to speak out. Because they're going to be walking to and from the Capitol, and the media will be swarming on them. So I think, whether they want to or not, they're going to be they're going to have to address this issue. one way or the over. I mean, I would. I'd get out in front of it. When I was a member, I always stood up every time the president did something like this. I always condemned those comments. Obviously, many said, "Well, that's not enough." I don't know what else they expect you to do. But I always routinely condemned them. I didn't really care how the president or White House staff felt about it, because frankly, most of them agreed with me. Many on, at least, the staff. I know that. And same with my fellow colleagues. They never condemned me for saying these things.
[Berman:] I will note, Charlie, though, that you're a former member now. And it may not be unrelated.
[Dent:] Yes.
[Berman:] I mean, you chose to retire and not run again, but do you think you could have survived in the Republican Party that Donald Trump has created?
[Dent:] It would be much harder. I think I possibly could have, but it's it's very difficult. I would be first to tell you, I did not want to have to spend all of 2018, you know, talking about President Trump and his conduct in office. That's what we did in 2016. And I never endorsed him; I never supported him. And I routinely criticized, you know, his comments and his behavior. And frankly, it became a bit tiring. And I didn't want to have to spend the rest of my time in Congress just addressing whatever he's doing when I'd rather be dealing with substantive policy issues like those on the border. I had some experience. That was really frustrating to me. And I know it was frustrating to my colleagues. And many of my former colleagues who lost their elections, you know, will be
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Dent:] They'll tell you why they lost. It was because of the president and his conduct in office. It's that simple.
[Camerota:] You know, there was this moment on morning television yesterday that I know got your attention. For many Republicans, FOX TV and "FOX & Friends" is their sole source of information. OK? That it just is. That's where where they like to hear their own views reflected back at them. And so I think that the folks on "FOX & Friends" were responding to this racist tweet in real time. So I think they were reading it right when it came out. And their reaction sets the tone for how then Republicans, not just lawmakers but just regular people, try to process it. So here's how they tackled it yesterday.
[Griff Jenkins, Host, "fox & Friends":] "These places need your help badly. You can't leave fast enough. I'm sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements." This tweet that you're just seeing now is clearly going to get, I think, a lot of discussion.
[Todd Piro, Host, "fox & Friends":] Comedian in chief.
[Jedediah Bila, Host, "fox & Friends":] Someone's feeling very comedic today.
[Camerota:] Just all fun and games, Maysoon.
[Zayid:] I'm feeling really comedic. I'm a comedian. Racism is not funny. It's violent. And also, it made me think, will they laugh if we get rounded up? How far away from that are we? As someone who is Muslim, as someone who, like Rashida, comes from Palestinian heritage. As someone who like Jedediah, who was on that TV, is brown, and is constantly being yelled at to go back to their own country. Will they be chuckling? Will they think it's funny? Do they realize that this literally puts people in danger every single day, when they laugh and then they excuse it? When they think that the most powerful person in the world, making racist comments, misogynistic comments, putting women who are constantly threatened every day in even more danger, is chuckle-worthy, where have we reached in this country?
[Berman:] It's like "Camerota, go back to Italy." You know, "Berman, you know, go back to Russia or Poland or Lithuania or whatever it is your people come from there." It really is the story of America. And there's just this logical inconsistency, Errol, that's bothered me for weeks since we heard Tucker Carlson with his racism there. Donald Trump ran on American carnage. He ran on running down America. But it's OK for him to say that America needs improvement. But God forbid someone who's black or brown or a more recent immigrant question
[Louis:] That's right.
[Berman:] anything that's going on.
[Louis:] Yes. Well, I mean, that's what's so offensive about it, is that it's not just that he's denigrating them and sort of saying it doesn't matter whether you're born in, you know, the Bronx or Mogadishu, you know. All you colored people, you don't belong here. You know, go back to your problems.
[Camerota:] He doesn't know where they were born. He has no idea.
[Louis:] He doesn't know. He doesn't care.
[Camerota:] He doesn't care, yes.
[Louis:] So so the but even worse than that is these are people who are trying to help the country. Right? I mean, this is public service. These are women who could be doing many, many other things. You know, I think they've simply proved by their performance they could be in the private sector, doing other stuff. They could be elsewhere in the public sector doing things. The right to contribute, the right to build, the right to be heard and to try and make things better for yourself and for your community and your people, that's what public service is all about. And so he's trying to sort of wipe an entire segment out of the public conversation. And leave it up to him to, you know, I guess pose as a hero and he alone can fix it and on and on and on. Now most people realize that that's not going to happen. That's not the way the world is. That's not the way this country is. We know who's going to win this argument in the end. It's just distressing that, with all the powers of the presidency, he's choosing for very small advantage, for very small gain, to try and divide the country this way.
[Zayid:] But do we know who's going to win? Because I'm not quite sure we are. It has become so normalized. We're bringing birtherism back. That's exactly what this is. And we have people saying that the GOP is afraid to speak out, because they don't want to lose primaries. The assumption is that voters support racism. So will we win, or is it really now being normalized and becoming something we can't beat?
[Louis:] Obviously, there's an attempt to normalize it. But I think, look, the 2018 elections have shown that going to the Republican base over and over again and taking more and more extreme positions, in this case hateful positions, is not going to be the key to victory. I mean, that are they've already I mean
[Zayid:] Except for the Senate.
[Louis:] Kevin McCarthy, the conference leader for the Republicans in the House, he's one of seven Republicans left in the California delegation of 54 members. I mean, I don't know how much more they're going to have to lose. Maybe we'll find out in 2020. But I think they're going to they have a world of hurt coming to them. And when I say they're going to lose the argument, I mean
[Dent:] That's the Northeast.
[Louis:] that's in the long-term. Maybe not necessarily 2020, although I think it's going to be awful for a lot of these folks. Their silence, by the way, I think, is not necessarily assent. It's more like fear.
[Zayid:] I think it's agreement.
[Louis:] They're afraid of their base; they're afraid of what's coming.
[Zayid:] I think it's agreement. I think if they were really, really offended, if they had any concept of decency, they would speak out. And I think that they can speak out in a way where they still get the votes that they need. You don't trade decency and humanity for votes.
[Camerota:] Guys, thank you very much. Thanks so much for your candor this morning and for having this conversation. Obviously, we are all just trying to process what it means that the president of the United States feels this way.
[Berman:] And we are the phone lines are open. If you're a Republican member of Congress, and you want to speak out this morning, call us.
[Camerota:] You know where to find us.
[Berman:] We will give you a platform to speak out against racism. All right. Happening now. What raids? The Trump administration claims that sweeping actions to round up thousands of undocumented immigrants are now underway, but authorities in the cities that were supposed to be targeted really report no confirmed cases of migrants being arrested. Rosa Flores joins us now, live from Chicago where this was supposed to be taking place. Rosa, what are you hearing?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, John, good morning. A senior official told CNN on Sunday morning that these raids were underway. "The New York Times," of course, is reporting that an official told the paper that the operations had been altered, that they had changed. CNN, of course, called advocates in all of the nine targeted U.S. cities, and those advocates say that the raids did not happen. But here is what did materialize. And that was the widespread fear in the undocumented and immigrant communities across the country. Because let's remember: Under the Obama administration, hundreds of thousands of undocumented families came out of the shadows. They gave their addresses to the U.S. government to apply for programs like DACA. And under the Trump administration, after family separation, thousands of mothers and fathers and family members came out of the shadows so they could claim those children that had been separated. So that's why advocates around the country say that they stepped in. I spoke to advocates in multiple states, and in a nutshell, they say that they prepared the undocumented community. They did things like hold "know your rights" workshops. And also they set up ICE raid hotlines so the people in the community could call in. And then also created community response teams with civil rights lawyers that could respond to these raids. So Alisyn, even though, you know, at this point it's unclear, because administration officials say that that these raids did happen, and advocates say that they didn't happen. But then the other thing that we can say did materialize is that the undocumented community is a little more educated about their civil rights this morning after advocates from across the country went out and tried to educate them on those rights.
[Camerota:] That's interesting. And Rosa, we'll try to get the exact numbers, if we can this morning. So thank you very much for the latest status report there.
[Berman:] He'll be speaking at
[Camerota:] He should have the right numbers. He'll be able to tell us
[Berman:] He'll have some numbers.
[Camerota:] how many people were arrested yesterday. That was their whole goal. So we'll see. Breaking news in the 2020 race. Former Vice President Joe Biden just released his new healthcare plan moments ago, and it draws a clear distinction between him and the other top Democrats. So we will break down the details, next.

[Allen:] Take a look at this fire truck in Southern California driving straight into a wall of flames. This is the Maria Fire that broke out just a few hours ago. It's already burned through 16 square kilometers and it spreading rapidly. Hundreds of firefighters and other crew are on the scene trying to find the best spot to try to beat back the flames. There are now at least 14 active fires burning across the state, stoked by strong winds. Some who abandon their homes are coming back to find they have lost everything. Still, there could be some good news on the horizon. Nick Watt explains.
[Nick Watt, Cnn National Correspondent:] Sixty miles an hour gusts, homes burning in the predawn dark, the hillside fire broke out in the early hours.
[Unidentified Male:] Everything is getting engulfed in flames. Sunrise. This right here would have been the bedroom.
[Watt:] And the Valdivia family returned to nothing well, nothing. He is speaking with my colleague, Omar Jimenez.
[Matthew Valdivia, Lost Home To Wildfire:] I had my kids' baby pictures and a laptop and destroyed, destroyed. My heart broke, man. I mean, we had good memories in this house.
[Watt:] All week, we have seen dangerously strong winds flipping tractor-trailers on the freeway, fanning flames, spreading embers across the state.
[Unidentified Male:] The embers are blowing into neighborhoods out here.
[Watt:] East of L.A., residents evacuated from a senior center through the smoke. In west L.A., the Getty Center and many multi-million dollar homes were threatened, some of them badly burned. North of the city, hurricane-force winds whipping flames, forcing 30,000 to evacuate, a close call for the Reagan Library, resting place for the former president and first lady. And in Northern California, hundreds of structures destroyed, nearly 80,000 acres burned. This is California's new normal. [On Camera] Nearly half of this state's population has been under a red flag, high wind warning for at least part of this week. Most of those warnings will be lifted on Friday as the winds subside, still some in place around Los Angeles, so the fire danger is deemed to be increased but no longer extreme. Nick Watt, CNN, San Bernardino.
[Allen:] Derek Van Dam is here with us now. Derek, I got to tell you, it is just one after another and now there is yet another one, Maria.
[Derek Van Dam, Cnn Weather Anchor:] Yeah, the Maria Fire that started in Ventura County is not looking good. It has expanded rapidly. In fact, last hour, we were reporting 300 hectares burned from this. And then just now, we've got an update of over 1,600 hectares being burned, 7,500 residents have been evacuated from their homes from 1,800 separate structures. I'm going to take you there because you've got to see this video. It is quite incredible, the time lapse of the Maria Fire actually burning out of control this evening. Keep in mind it is late Thursday night on the West Coast of the United States. This is in Southern California, and you can just see how dramatic and how quickly this fire is being fuelled by the strong Santa Ana winds. So let's, get to the specifics and talk about where this fire is located, just to give you a geographical reference. Here is Los Angeles County. Here is Ventura County. This is the area where Maria Fire is located. It has got zero percent containment, so the firefighters are having trouble getting in advance and ahead of this particular fire. There is the latest hectare being burnt. We have had over 7,000 people evacuated already. We have three helicopters, three air personnel aircraft, and over 250 firefighters from the air to the ground fighting this fire as it continues to rapidly expand. So, why are these fires expanding so quickly in Southern California? Well, it is all because of the dangerous recipe of strong winds, low relative humidity values, and extremely dry vegetation. You can see in the background of this picture. These are trees and in the foreground are the embers being blown by the Santa Ana winds. Some of these embers have been known to travel one to two kilometers in advance of the original fire that the firefighters are trying to battle. So, it's quite incredible to think what this can actually do in terms of spreading and moving forward. We got live visuals coming out of, I believe, the Maria Fire. This is in Ventura County and hopefully we will be able to bring those to you because what we are witnessing on the ground is some of the brave men and women that are trying to battle these places because it has been extremely critical for the southern portion of the state over the past 24 to 36 hours. Fourteen large active wildfires are taking place across the state. If you look at accumulative 2019 stats for the wildfires, we are talking about over 80,000 hectares that have been burnt already, an incredible amount of acreage, thanks to the strong winds and the dry vegetation. The silver lining here, the winds are going to relax as we head into Friday afternoon and evening, maybe giving the firefighters the upper edge. But look at the dry relative humidity values still in place. We are talking about single digit relative humidity values. That means the air is bone dry. Would you like to see that green starting to edge into coastal areas? That means the winds will switch from offshore to more onshore as we head into the second half of the weekend. That is why we only have elevated fire risks instead of extremely critical.
[Van Dam:] And just to end on this note, even though there is still the fire threat in place, there is no rainfall in this forecast and extended outlook, so the potential here for the fire season to extend is certainly in the cards.
[Allen:] Yeah. Our reporter called the new normal but we are not at the normal yet, likely.
[Van Dam:] Budding normal.
[Allen:] Budding normal. All right, Derek, thank you.
[Van Dam:] OK.
[Allen:] Fire ripped through part of a train in Pakistan, killing at least 73 people. A gas canister exploded in a railway car as the train was traveling. Despite gas cylinders being banned, some passengers were making breakfast on a gas-powered stove. Officials say the death toll could rise. Just days after the U.K. killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in an operation in Syria, ISIS says it has a new leader. Not much is known about him except his name is Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. The U.S. raid ended a years-long hunt to find one of the world's most wanted terrorist. But ISIS warns the U.S. not to celebrate, claiming it has militants on the doorstep of Europe and in the center of Africa with more cells expanding. CNN has gained exclusive access to a prison in Syria where ISIS fighters don't know Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead or really anything that is happening in the outside world. One man, a dual American citizen, explained how he yearns to return to the U.S. to face justice. Our Nick Paton Walsh has this exclusive report.
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] This wasn't the ending, they promised, even if it begins to feel eternal. ISIS foreign fighters, as long as these bars in Syria hold, no longer a threat to the outside world and no longer aware of what's happening outside in it.
[Unidentified Male:] We don't get much information about what is happening.
[Paton Walsh:] This man says his name is Lirim Sulejmani and is a dual American citizen. He has no idea that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed just 72 hours earlier when our cameraman visits. The guards explicitly forbid visitors from breaking the news, so we can only ask what if.
[Lirim Sulejmani, Prisoner:] If he is killed, he's killed. For a lot of people, he's already been killed, he's already dead. We don't hear from him. I don't know. For me, personally, I feel like I was betrayed, you know, so there is no Islamic state anymore. It does not exist.
[Paton Walsh:] He is a common story in the sea of orange. He was just an engineer who is worried about his wife and three children in camps nearby. Their fate is still uncertain. He says facing U.S. justice would be preferable to another day here.
[Sulejmani:] I feel very unsafe. I want to go back to states. One thing for sure, I don't want to be here.
[Paton Walsh:] Nobody here has faced a trial or been found guilty. And now, many yearn for the due process ISIS denied others in their barbaric rush for blood, leading to the nations ISIS pledged to destroy.
[Sulejmani:] My message to American people, to Donald Trump, I mean, there are American citizens, they should not be abandoned, they should be brought to states, face the law. And if they committed any crime, they can be punished, not be left in some place like a slow death concentration camp.
[Paton Walsh:] Emaciated, weathering, leaderless ISIS here has not suddenly stopped being a threat. Imagine the rage incubating in these cells. So great, the guards fear what may happen if they learn the news of their leader's death. Anger their home countries do not, for the most part, want to import back, but that lives on after Baghdadi's death in these cells. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Irbil, Northern Iraq.
[Allen:] Vladimir Putin is now the strong man in the Middle East. Just ahead, how President Trump's foreign policy is contributing to the rise of Russian influence around the world. Also
[Unidentified Female:] The face of America's white power movement is screaming young white men, but there are a very small number of women who join.
[Allen:] How women are pulled into America's white supremacist movement, and why one woman decided to leave.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] This increases the chance that his rival, Benny Gantz, will become Israel's next prime minister. And if Gantz also fails to form a coalition, and no one else emerges to command a majority, Israel may be forced to hold a third election. "
[The Lead With Jake Tapper" Starts Right Now. Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Welcome to a special edition of
[The Lead:] "White House in Crisis." I'm Jake Tapper. President Trump today trying out a new strategy to fight off a growing impeachment crisis, attacking Republicans criticizing him, and demanding that the Republican Party rally around him and come to his defense. In a Cabinet meeting this afternoon, the president clearly irked by the growing number of Republicans who have publicly criticized his actions, whether for the admitted quid pro quo demand that Ukraine conduct political investigations for him in exchange for military aid, or the rash decision to pull U.S. service members from Northern Syria, abandoning U.S. allies, or the short-lived push to send taxpayer dollars to one of his resorts by hosting a global summit there. The president today lamenting that Democrats are doing a better job of sticking together to attack him on those issues than Republicans are sticking together to defend him over them. Let's go straight to CNN's Jeremy Diamond live at the White House for us. And, Jeremy, President Trump also called out the Republicans who have left the door open to a possible impeachment inquiry.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn Politics Correspondent:] That's right, Jake. As the prospect of impeachment grows closer by the day, the president seems to be growing concern that Republicans may not stick by him in the way that he needs them to. Republican lawmakers have largely stood by the president so far, but we are beginning to see some signs of criticism from certain Republicans, including the Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, for one. And the president seems to think that Republicans should take a page from Democrats' playbook.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think they're lousy politicians. But two things they have, they're vicious and they stick together. They don't have Mitt Romney in their midst. They don't have people like that. They stick together. You never see them break off.
[Diamond:] Now, Jake, while the president is talking about problems in the Republican Party more broadly, he didn't address any of the strife within his own administration. This Cabinet meeting came after the White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, struggled repeatedly to try and defend his sudden walk-back or attempts to walk back that admission of a quid pro quo with Ukraine. The president was asked about his chief of staff's standing, and he declined to answer any of those questions.
[Tapper:] Hmm. Jeremy, President Trump also attempted to defend his initial push to hold the G7 global summit of world leaders at his Florida resort. He claimed it would have been the best G7 ever, it would have been free. There's no evidence that it would have been free, of course. What is the president's reasoning for reversing course and opting to hold it somewhere else?
[Diamond:] Well, Jake, you're exactly right. One of those claims that the president made, that this was free, was not something that was made as a selling point, when the chief of staff, Mulvaney, came out to the White House Briefing Room last week to make the case for this. But, somehow, the president is now claiming that. And he's continuing to lament the fact that he had to reverse course on this, a rare course reversal, of course, for the president. And he blamed Democrats for this. But, Jake, the president knew that Democrats were going to be criticizing him on this. This is something that he's been floating for several months now. And the criticism from Democrats was not a surprise. What was a surprise, Jake, was the extent of the criticism from Republicans. And that is why we saw the president this weekend make that sudden course reversal.
[Tapper:] All right, Jeremy Diamond at the White House for us, thanks so much. President Trump today also wrongly claims that the whistle-blower who initially publicly raised concerns about his conversations with the president of Ukraine privately then it became publicly that the whistle-blower has been discredited. Of course, he or she has not been discredited. The president also said that the whistle-blower gave a false account. That is also not true. The president even nonsensically suggested today that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff might be an informant for the whistle-blower, which is, of course, not only false; it's bizarre. CNN senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju is live for us on Capitol Hill. Manu, will there be a vote to censure Chairman Schiff today? President Trump was pushing Republicans to do so.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. And Republicans are pushing to do so. We do expect a vote this evening in the House. Actually, the vote would be a Democratic effort to stop this Republican resolution. So, expect Democrats to vote in lockstep against this Republican effort. And what the resolution essentially would do would be to censure Adam Schiff and condemn him for a number of things that the president has been alleging, including how Adam Schiff at an open hearing with the acting director of national intelligence characterized the president's remarks. The president has attacked Schiff for lying about for what he said. Also, Adam Schiff initially said he had no contact with the whistle- blower. It turns out that the whistle-blower initially reached out to one of his aides. And it turns out that was for guidance and the process of filing a whistle-blower complaint, something that Schiff's office says is done all the time with whistle-blowers. But, nevertheless, Republicans are echoing what the president has been saying. And that's what we're going to see in this resolution tonight, as Democrats says this is all an effect to distract from the allegations in the impeachment inquiry Jake.
[Tapper:] And, Manu, you have some new reporting about how the impeachment inquiry might take longer than some Democrats were expecting. Why is that?
[Raju:] Because they're running into this issue. More leads are coming up in their investigations, in their closed-door depositions. Initially, some Democrats had hoped they could wrap up everything by Thanksgiving, potentially even vote to impeach by Thanksgiving. But with more witnesses come more leads. They are trying to bring in additional people. Some witnesses have been tough, difficult to schedule. Just today, they announced that three witnesses who were supposed to come this week have now been delayed, in part because of memorial services for the late Congressman Elijah Cummings. So Democrats had hoped this would all be done, but this could potentially slip into past Thanksgiving, maybe even up until around Christmastime, for the House to consider this. And remember, also, Jake, the committees are expected to write a report detailing their recommendations. All of this could take some time. So we're only in the first phase of this investigation. Then we have the votes in the House to impeach the president, assuming they go that route, and, of course, then the Senate trial, which could take several weeks, Wolf Jake.
[Tapper:] Manu Raju, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Also today, we have some breaking news, brand-new reporting about perhaps the key witness in the impeachment inquiry who is set to testify, testify tomorrow. That key witness is Bill Taylor. He is the top American diplomat in Ukraine. Taylor, you might remember, sent text messages suggesting that he was opposed to the what he saw as a direct quid pro quo, military aid from the U.S., in exchange for Ukraine conducting political investigations to help President Trump. Sources tell CNN that Taylor was concerned about taking this job to begin with. Let's bring in CNN national security reporter Kylie Atwood, who's breaking this news for us. Kylie, why was Taylor so concerned and worried about taking this job with the Trump administration?
[Kylie Atwood, Cnn National Security Reporter:] Well, he was pulling out of retirement to take this job, right? And he came in at a very tenuous moment. That's because the former ambassador had been ousted early. She was kicked out of her job, we now know, for political reasons, because Trump wanted her ousted. So when he was asked to take the job, he the folks who came to him included Secretary Pompeo, Kurt Volker. They had a meeting with him at the State Department in which they tried to convince him to take the job. They pressed him that there was solid U.S.-Ukraine policy in place, that it wasn't politically motivated. And even after that meeting, however, he still wasn't ready. He still needed to be convinced. He texted with Kurt Volker, who was the special envoy to Ukraine at the time, saying, hey, why don't you take this job if it's so great? And Kurt Volker said to him, listen, I have got it covered. I have the Washington element of this covered. I have the international element. We need someone like you on the ground there. Now, he was, Bill Taylor, the former ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009. He's widely trusted in the State Department, in foreign policy circles. So when he did finally take the job, there was a sigh of relief from folks who know U.S.-Ukraine policy well. But, of course, now it's going to be a pivotal, pivotal moment to hear from him, because he, as you said, is the one who suggested that there was a quid pro quo. And he texted the U.S. ambassador to the E.U., saying it would be crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign. He got a response saying that he had misunderstood something. The question is, what did he misunderstand? And how is he going to explain that to lawmakers tomorrow?
[Tapper:] Yes, those text messages read like somebody trying to secure and provide a paper trail for his objections because he doesn't like what's going on.
[Atwood:] Exactly.
[Tapper:] Kylie Atwood, thank you so much. Coming up: President Trump just did something that we have rarely seen him do why it could be a big lesson for Republicans. Then, a tweet put an end to his wild ride in the Trump administration, and now the former head of the VA is telling all about what it was really like to work for President Trump. You're watching a special edition of
[The Lead:] "White House in Crisis." Stay with us.

[Baldwin:] All right, in the wake of the Ethiopian Air crash, and all signs now pointing to Boeing, Boeing just now releasing the statement. I'm just going to read it for you, in part, starting with this first line: "We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX incidents. These tragedies continue to weigh heavily on our hearts and minds. And we extend our sympathies to the loved ones of the passengers and crew. The history of our industry shows most accidents are caused by a chain of events. This again is the case here, and we know we can break one of those chain links in these two accidents. "As pilots have told us, erroneous activation of the MCAS function can add to what is already a high workload environment. It is our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it, and we know how to do it. We're taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach, and taking the time to get the software update right. We are nearing completion and anticipate its certification and implementation on the 737 MAX fleet worldwide in the weeks ahead. "We regret the impact the grounding has had on our airline customers and their passengers. This update, along with the associated training and educational additional educational materials that pilots want in the wake of these accidents, will eliminate the possibility of unintended MCAS activation, and prevent an MCAS-related accident from ever happening again." So, Tom Foreman, I'm starting with you here on all of this. And I can't help but, as I'm reading this, think of these families who have lost loved ones. And, I mean, that's one whole piece of this for me, but the other, this seems to be the first time that they're actually admitting MCAS...
[Tom Foreman, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes.
[Baldwin:] ... the software system, was to blame in both of those accidents.
[Foreman:] Yes, it really is, despite the fact that many people were saying, look, that was the cause of the Lion Air crash off Indonesia some five months ago. And many people back then were saying, why don't you just pull all these planes until you have it fixed, so something else doesn't happen? The position of Boeing and of the FAA seemed to be for quite some time that pilots, if this went wrong and their position was that it was a very rare occurrence that they had the training and they had the tools at hand to overcome that. The release of this preliminary report, coupled with the Lion Air crash, this crash in Ethiopia, seems to suggest that pilots can do, if not everything right, because maybe everybody doesn't do everything right, an awful lot right, and still not be able to recover these planes. So, in Boeing's position here, they have not just a technical problem, in terms of trying to make sure that the fix they put on this plane actually works, and doesn't make it worse, but also a confidence problem. And this is statement is a lot about the confidence problem, trying to tell airlines around the world, trying to tell pilots around the world and trying to tell passengers around the world, we're not going to hide behind this. We're going to say, it is our fault, even though we don't have the final report yet. We believe it's our fault. We're going to fix it. The question is, can they convince people that they really did fix it? And, by the way, Brooke, a bunch of investigations still swirling here, looking at the federal government, people who are overseeing this program, and at Boeing, to say, how did it ever get to this point? Those will go on, even if the fix is put into place.
[Baldwin:] Stay with me. I want to bring in another voice, Mary Schiavo. She's a CNN transportation analyst and former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation. And, Mary, I should also point out you're an attorney representing families of airline crash victims and has current litigation pending against Boeing. But the question to you, Mary, is, when I read this statement, from the days immediately following the Lion Air accident, like, they have been looking into this the whole time. "We're taking a comprehensive, disciplined approach, taking the time to get the software update right." If I'm the family of someone of these 157 people in that crash in Ethiopia, I'm thinking, why did it take a second plane going down for you to do something?
[Mary Schiavo, Cnn Aviation Analyst:] Well, it should not have taken a second plane to go down. And even in this statement, while the statement was long overdue, and it finally admits an unintended deployment of the MCAS system that's the first we have heard that out of Boeing, even though it has been fairly obvious to everyone and anyone who's ever flown a plane, you know you don't want the plane pushing the nose down on takeoff. So I think that the families probably have the and I have talked to some of them probably are saying, it's just so little so late. But it is important that they say, we own it. Now, what that means, that doesn't have a legal implication. It should, but Boeing should absolutely step up to the plate and say, this is our fault. They have some weasel words in the statement, saying, well, the pilots want this training. That's nonsense. Pilots need this training. And all of this, the MCAS system, was so Boeing could advertise the plane that it felt the same and flew the same as older 737s. So this is an important statement, but there's still a lot to be done after it.
[Baldwin:] We had been talking last hour to Drew Griffin, who's out in Washington at Boeing H.Q. And we were he was talking that, in 2017, Boeing's CEO boasted about the streamlined approval process. I mean, let me play the sound. Then I want to ask you a question in the wake of this letter.
[Dennis Muilenburg, Ceo, Boeing:] Yes, just to comment on that, one, the overall focus on deregulation and simplifying processes is one that we have been a strong proponent for. And the administration has been very engaged across government agencies and with industry to find ideas and ways and opportunities to simplify and streamline. Things like FAA certification processes is one place that we're seeing some solid progress. That's helping us more efficiently work through certification some of our new model aircraft, such as the MAX, as it's going through flight tests and entering into service. So we're already seeing some benefits there of some of the work that's being done with the FAA.
[Baldwin:] So that was the CEO in 2017, and talking about the planes, both of which, Indonesia and then in Ethiopia, crashed. And he uses the word streamlines. Critics could say, cut corners. How do you see it, Mary Schiavo, or Tom?
[Schiavo:] Well, and it's very telling now, because the world now is exposed to how the FAA oversight works. And the problem with getting your wish and getting the oversight streamline from the FAA, meaning you're getting precious little oversight, if any and there is a 2015 Office of Inspector General report, my old office, that said the FAA hadn't even begun to have a framework in place to oversee the Boeing-designated inspections. So the flip side of that is, you don't want the FAA meddling? Well, when something goes wrong, you are 100 percent responsible. They can't say, well, the FAA approved this and, therefore, we have there's a thing in the law called federal preemption. They can't claim that old chestnut and say, there's nothing wrong because the government approved it.
[Baldwin:] Yes.
[Schiavo:] In this case, Boeing is the government.
[Baldwin:] Go ahead, Tom.
[Foreman:] And do bear in mind that this was only a couple months into the Trump administration. This isn't all about Donald Trump and his stepping back of regulations.
[Schiavo:] Right.
[Foreman:] This is about a general sense that some people have that, in too many cases, industry has been asked to police itself. And perhaps, perhaps the findings here will say that was one of the flaws.
[Baldwin:] OK, Tom and Mary, thank you.
[Foreman:] You're welcome.
[Schiavo:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Want to move to some breaking up on Capitol Hill right now. Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican from Iowa, is lambasting Democrats for their efforts to get their hands on six years of President Trump's tax returns. So let's just listen to some of the sound right now.
[Sen. Charles Grassley , Iowa:] ... using their oversight responsibilities to collect as much information about this president's finances as they can get their hands on. And that is really the bottom line, isn't it? This letter from the House Democrats doesn't make sense when taken at face value, because you can't take it at face value. Democrats say they're interested in the tax returns of all presidents, when they're really just interested in one, President Trump. If the effort to get the president's tax returns isn't part of a grand reform effort, as they would have us believe, then what is it motivated by? I want to tell you what it's motivated by. It's motivated by the Democrats' intense dislike of this president. It's motivated by their frustration over losing an election that they thought that they would easily win. It's motivated by their desire to use all the resources at their disposal to find something, anything to bring this president down. Just take a look at how this whole effort to request the president's tax reforms has unfolded. It will tell you a real story. Democrats started making calls for the President Trump's for President Trump's to release his tax returns while he was still a candidate during the 2016 election. At the time, Democratic calls for the release of his tax returns were clearly just a political attack, not a policy issue, as they now want us to believe. Secretary Clinton said quote "There must be something really terrible in those tax returns" end of her quote.
[Baldwin:] Senator Grassley there speaking on Capitol Hill. I want to go straight to Manu Raju, who has been listening in as well. And I think let's just stepping back, Manu, and you help fill in the context. This all has to do with the committee chairman of House Ways and Means citing this little known IRS code, so that they can procure six years' worth of President Trump's tax returns.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Political Correspondent:] Yes, his personal taxes, his business taxes. That's what Chairman Neal is asking for. Now, Chuck Grassley is his counterpart on the Senate side. He's the Republican chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Both the Finance Committee and the Ways and Means Committee oversee tax laws. And Grassley himself has said that, if there's tax returns that are turned over to Richard Neal's committee, he should see them as well. But what Grassley is making here is his argument that Democrats are trying to weaponize the tax returns to attack the president.

[Hill:] The White House Coronavirus Task Force says more than 2 million tests have been performed across the country. The president insisting there are no testing issues and yet we are still hearing of people who need to be tested for coronavirus, including healthcare workers, healthcare workers who can't get one. And that's just one part of the testing conversation. The other you are likely hearing a lot about is antibody testing. Those tests would let people know who had the virus. Dr. Anthony Fauci says those tests are coming as soon as next week and he cites the fact, as we hear from so many officials, that these tests are critical to reopening the economy.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] As we look forward, as we get to the point of at least considering opening up the country as it were, it's very important to appreciate and to understand how much that virus has penetrated the society, because it is very likely that there are a large number of people out there that have been infected, have been asymptomatic, and did not know they were infected. If there is antibody tests positive, one can formulate kind of strategies about whether or not they would be at risk or vulnerable to getting re- infected.
[Hill:] Joining us now is Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. Lisa Dabby, an emergency room physician at UCLA Health. Good to have both of you with us. So, Dr. Schaffner, first, just give us a sense, how does this antibody test work? Why is it so important moving forward?
[Dr. William Schaffner, Professor, Division Of Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University Medical Center:] Well, the antibody test, Erica, determines whether you've been previously infected with the virus. It tells us whether you've had experience and are now protected. But we'd better be a little bit cautious about this. First of all, a lot of these tests are coming online without a lot of rigorous evaluation. So how good are they actually? Do they rigorously and appropriately tell us what it is that we want to know? And then there is another question we ought to think about. Suppose it's been implicit in what kind of Tony has said, that a very large proportion of people in the United States have already been infected. That will let us open things up. But there are lots of experts who think that that proportion is actually rather low. How will that help us open things up? So there are some problems ahead. There is not a total and easy solution to this yet.
[Hill:] So it sounds like you are saying, in giving us a better picture of how many Americans have had this virus, even those who didn't realize it, it could actually be further ammunition to keep some of these measures in place if the number is low. What's interesting too, as we look at what we're learning about people and how they're dealing with this, Dr. Dabby, the CDC this week released these new guidelines for essential workers, saying as long as they're symptom free, they can work after being exposed. And I'm curious, as an E.R. physician, as someone who is working around folks who likely fall into this category, what are your thoughts on that?
[Dr. Lisa Dabby, Emergency Room Physician, Ucla Health:] So, you know, this is something I think about every day because I've now been exposed, I don't know, over 30 or 40 times. If we took every physician and every nurse who's been exposed to COVID and isolated them for 14 days, we would have nobody in the E.R., in the hospital, to take care of patients. So the reality is that they're letting us work because we have no choice. We have to be out there working, taking care of patients. Now, having said that, they're monitoring us very closely. I get my temperature checked every day when I walk in the hospital. I have forms that I have to fill out screening me for symptoms. And there is a very low threshold to remove people from the workforce if there are any symptoms at all. But at this point, it's a supply-and-demand issue where we've got to keep people working.
[Hill:] Just a question about testing, in general, Dr. Schaffner, in terms of diagnostic testing and whether or not there is enough of it, and if it is in the places where it needs to be, especially after we learned this week that certain tests are producing a false negative at a potentially alarmingly high rate. Where do we stand on diagnostic testing?
[Schaffner:] Well, we still aren't having enough diagnostic testing across the country. And even when you can test, sometimes we have to wait quite a long time to get the results back. So we're still working on that, expanding it, but we're not anywhere close to what we would like to be. Each week, we're doing a little better but we have to keep doing better.
[Hill:] President Trump, we've heard a lot about President Trump, a lot from President Trump, talking about this anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, that it could be a possible treatment for coronavirus. The head of the CDC was asked specifically about it this week. Take a listen.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Director, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention:] I'm not going to recommend it and not going to not recommend it. The CDC is an organization, as you know, you and I have talked about it before, we're not an opinion organization. We're a science-based, data-driven organization. At this moment in time, we are not recommending it but we're not not recommending it. We are recommending for the physician and patient to have that discussion.
[Hill:] There have been some concerns that there could be deadly side effects. But, Dr. Schaffner, when you hear that, I'm not recommending it, I'm not not recommending it, can you translate that for us? What should Americans take away from that?
[Schaffner:] Well, I think the important thing to know is that we now have clinical trials under way to determine exactly how effective or ineffective this drug is and what the side effects are. In fact, one of my colleagues at Vanderbilt is running this 40 medical center study around the country. We await those results with great interest. Evidence-based medicine, w need hard information so we know what we're doing when we're using this drug.
[Hill:] Dr. Dabby, there is still a lot of talk about personal protective equipment and whether those on the front lines have what they need. We're seeing the push in L.A. for people to cover their faces, not with obviously masks. But when it comes to what you need and when it comes to what you're seeing on a daily basis, do you have everything?
[Dabby:] So at this point, very fortunate at UCLA that we have what we need. What we're looking at is the long haul, the marathon we're about to enter. And we're trying to find creative ways to make what we have last a long time. And so what we're looking at now is we have our engineering department 3D printing face masks for us. We are looking into U.V. sterilization to clean appropriately the masks so we can reuse them safely. So at this point, we do have what we need, but we need to make sure that we continue to have what in the months that come.
[Hill:] And just real quick final thought. How do you feel about this new directive in L.A. that you could be in big trouble if you're not showing up in a store with your face covering?
[Dabby:] I'm in full support of this. What we need to do right now is everything we can to stop, to mitigate the spread of this virus. We need to slow the spread. And if we can get everybody, people who have asymptomatic virus, people who are early in their virus course and they don't realize it because they are not sick yet but they are still spreading the virus, if we can block every one of those people from spreading more virus to other people, then we should be doing that. Every single person should feel empowered to help fight this virus and stop the spread of it.
[Hill:] Doctors Lisa Dabby and William Schaffner, I appreciate your insight and expertise as always. Thank you.
[Schaffner:] Thank you.
[Dabby:] Thank you.
[Hill:] Just ahead, in times of crisis, sports can really be a refuge. But as you all know, it is not happening that way this time around. ESPN Host Stephen A. Smith joins me live on the future of sports and whether athletes should actually be playing to empty stadiums and arenas.

[Romans:] All right. President Trump's tweets slamming the British ambassador to the U.S. reverberating worldwide. The president saying he would no longer deal with Kim Darroch after leaked cables showed Darroch calling Trump inept, insecure and incompetent. Ambassadors across the board are sympathetic to Darroch, but skeptical he can still do his job effectively. The rift also becoming an issue among prime minister hopefuls in the U.K. CNN's Erin McLaughlin is live for us in London. And, you know, it's such a confounding job for these diplomats around the world. Their job, of course, is to send unvarnished assessments of leaders and what's happening where they're posted back home. This man, Kim Darroch, did, and now it's causing a lot of problems.
[Erin Mclaughlin, Cnn International Correspondent:] Yes, that's right, Christine. And a key question here in the U.K. at this point is will Ambassador Kim Darroch remain in his post, or will he go? That is the question that's likely going to be facing the next British prime minister. That leadership contest is well underway between a foreign former secretary, Boris Johnson, seen as a Trump favorite, and the current foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt. Hunt has been very outspoken about President Trump's tweets with respect to Darroch. These tweets labeling him as very stupid and whacky. Hunt saying that that was disrespectful and wrong of the president to tweet that. It was a topic that unsurprisingly came up in a debate last night. Hunt saying that he if it is the if he is the next British prime minister, that Darroch will remain in that top post until he retires end of December. Boris Johnson, however, refused to be drawn on that question specifically. Watch the exchange.
[Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister Candidate:] It is vital that our civil service is not politicized by ministers leaking what they say.
[Moderator:] Will he still have his job come January
[Johnson:] Whoever leaked that deserves to be eviscerated.
[Jeremy Hunt, British Prime Minister Candidate:] Boris, just answer the question
[Hunt:] I will keep him until he's due to retire. And I think we'd like to know if you would.
[Johnson:] Well, I'm not going to be so presumptuous as to
[Moderator:] Thank you,
[Ok -- Johnson:] But I
[Mclaughlin:] Now, while other top E.U. diplomats there in Washington privately tell CNN that it would be very difficult for Darroch to be continuing to be effective in that position, Theresa May has said that she's standing by her ambassador, that he will remain in post. We do expect to hear from Theresa May for the first time later today in what's known as prime minister's questions. It will be interesting to see if she addresses President Trump's tweets during that time. Many here saying that with only two weeks left for her in her premiership, she has nothing to lose Christine.
[Romans:] All right. Erin for us in London this morning thank you.
[Briggs:] All right. Back here, seven wins in a row for the American League Major League Baseball all stars. They defeated the National League 4-3 in Cleveland last night. Indians pitcher Shane Bieber electrifying the hometown crowd by striking out the side in the fifth inning. That enough to earn the 24-year-old right-hander MVP honors. C.C. Sabathia, the former Indian, also honored. The Yankees veteran pitcher is retiring at the end of the season. He was sent to the mound with one out remaining in the game to say good-bye. Also, there a moment of silence for Tyler Skaggs, the Los Angeles angels pitcher who was found dead in his Texas hotel room just over a week ago. There's Mike Trout who wore the number 45 of Skaggs. Also salute to Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco. END

[Rep. Ted Deutch:] In place and requires that everyone who buys a gun be subject to it. I was at an event last night celebrating 25 years since the Brady background check bill passed. All we want to do is make sure that everyone is subject to it. It wasn't helplessness; it was it was action with the leadership of new members like Lucy McBath, whose entire life is devoted to really stepping up and honoring the memory of her son, Jordan, who was taken from us, from her, from our world far too soon. There's real leadership that led to significant action. The only helplessness is the helplessness that Mitch McConnell says he feels because the president won't allow him to bring up a bill. The Senate needs to act on this. And there's so much more we can do.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Yes.
[Deutch:] We can fund programs in communities to help address gun violence.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Deutch:] We can have extreme risk protection orders. There are things just they're not partisan they're not partisan and we need to just get them done.
[Camerota:] You're so right. I mean, you're so right. Helplessness is the wrong word. Impediment and obstructionist, I guess, is are better words. I do want to ask you about what's happening today behind closed doors. Obviously, you sit on the committees where this is relevant. David Holmes he is the diplomat who heard the phone call in Kiev at a restaurant in Kiev between President Trump and Ambassador Gordon Sondland. What are you and others wanting to know from him today behind closed doors?
[Deutch:] Right. Well, obviously, we want to know we want to know more about the call. It's incredibly troubling on so many levels to think that this call took place, the president made it, that there was a cell phone involved, the risk to our national security all of those things. And, Alisyn, I we're defending the Constitution and it's really important. But I just again, given what's just happened in Santa Clarita, I want to I'm desperately trying to avoid a situation where we feel like we're just checking the box again. I appreciate your commitment to the gun violence issue. And I know there's a lot going on in Washington and I'm in the middle of all of this and I'm grateful for the opportunity to help defend our Constitution. But there was a chorus teacher -a choir teacher 26-year-old choir teacher in Santa Clarita yesterday who had to console 40 sobbing kids while taking care of one who was shot. That kind of scene plays out over and over across America. And, yes, we're going to focus. We're going to keep going forward with the impeachment inquiry and it's really important, but I just it feels like these acts of gun violence and the focus on gun violence becomes shorter and shorter before we just move on to the next thing. And I just want to make sure that that that we don't allow that to happen. That's what the people who are trying to prevent action want and that's what I'm fighting so hard to prevent.
[Camerota:] Congressman Ted Deutch, we really appreciate your voice on this topic and others. Thank you very much for being with us.
[Deutch:] Thanks, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] John.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] All right. We have a little bit of dictionary definition session for you this morning having to do with the impeachment hearings. This is part of our weeklong series "Fractured State of America." John Avlon here with a reality check John.
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] That's right, guys. So look, all this week we've been looking at the fractured state of America. How polarization is hurting our country and our ability to reason together. Well, the kickoff of the fourth impeachment inquiry in our history offers a portrait of polarization in action and it ain't pretty because after the first day's public testimony it was clear that Democrats and Republicans were not just speaking from different scripts, but unable to agree on basic facts. But don't get discouraged by these attempts to distract you. Facts still matter. What you need is a guide to cut through the spin. So here's some of the signature moves that we saw that will likely to get trotted out again. First, the deflect and project, courtesy of Devin Nunes.
[Rep. Devin Nunes:] The Democrats have a long habit accusing Republicans of offenses they, themselves, are committing. For years, they accused the Trump campaign of colluding with Russia when they, themselves, were colluding with Russia. And now, they accuse President Trump of malfeasance in Ukraine when they, themselves, are culpable.
[Avlon:] This is classic Trump stuff, deflect and project, and it's doubling down on discredited conspiracy theories that the president apparently still believes, while also decrying a cult-like atmosphere among Democrats deflect and project. But then, we've heard very little Republican response to the actual allegations. Witness the revival of the hearsay defense. Despite the consistent accounts we've seen to date, Republican Jim Jordan and others hammered this home.
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] You never met the president.
[William Taylor, Former U.s. Ambassador To Ukraine:] That's correct.
[Rep. Mike Turner:] You have not had any contact with the President of the United States, is that correct?
[Avlon:] Now, here's the tell on that one. The White House is currently blocking testimony of folks who do have direct knowledge, like John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney, so it's a pretty thin read to hang an argument on. And this is closely related to the nothing to see here defense that says the nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine was ultimately released, so whatever happened before doesn't really matter. The problem is that the money was released after the White House became aware of the whistleblower complaint. In other words, the president's defenders are trying to take credit for getting the plan getting foiled. Attacking the credibility of witnesses is also a classic tactic. We saw this Fox graphic during Taylor's testimony that recounted President Trump calling the career diplomat a never Trumper, which was almost subtle compared to Rush Limbaugh and others calling the nonpartisan public servants nerds, seriously.
[Rush Limbaugh, Radio Host, "the Rush Limbaugh Show":] We have here a bunch of professional nerds who wear their bow ties and they have their proper diplospeak.
[Christian Whiton, Former Diplomat, George W. Bush Administration:] And they look like people who sat by themselves at recess.
[Avlon:] Stay classy, but it certainly fits the sandbox politics we've been seeing. And, of course, it was only a matter of time before someone blamed the whole thing on George Soros. But all of these are preferable to the move we'll call the indignant ostrich.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] So why am I not going to watch this hearing tomorrow? Because I think it is a threat to the presidency and I don't want to legitimize it, and it's un-American. I'm not going to read these transcripts. The whole process is a joke.
[Avlon:] Hiding your head in the sand and refusing to read sworn testimony or watch the hearings or calling the constitutional process or un-American doesn't make the facts go away. It just shows how much these hearings have become about teamism rather than a search for the truth. And that's your reality check.
[Camerota:] Indignant ostrich.
[Berman:] Yes.
[Camerota:] That is well-played.
[Berman:] I am not listening. I am not listening. I am not listening.
[Avlon:] One of the many services we provide.
[Camerota:] Thank you, John.
[Berman:] So, the next impeachment hearing will begin in less than 90 minutes. What will former U.S. ambassador the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine say about President Trump's conduct? We'll discuss, next.

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. You are watching CNN Newsroom. Ahead this hour, do not enter. The European Union is set to take drastic action to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Fears over the pandemic take another bite out of global markets, the Dow suffering its worst point drop in history. And our new reality, we will speak with someone trying to adjust to life under lockdown. Good to have you with us. So, authorities around the world are taking dramatic measures to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The European Union is planning to close its borders to all nonessential travel. The move comes days after the World Health Organization said Europe is now the epicenter of the pandemic. After downplaying the threat for several weeks U.S. President Donald Trump admitted the outbreak isn't under control. And the recession is possible. He announced new guidelines urging Americans to stop most social activities for the next 15 days, and avoid groups of more than 10. And the WHO is urging countries to ramp up testing, as the best way to slow the viruses spread.
[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-general, World Health Organization:] You cannot fight a fire blindfolded, and we cannot stop this pandemic if we don't know who is infected. We have a simple message for all countries. Test, test, test.
[Church:] And CNN correspondents are covering the latest from across the globe. Al Goodman is in Madrid, Delia Gallagher is in Rome, and Jim Bittermann is in Paris. Good to see all of you. So, let's begin with Al and the latest in Spain. So, Al, what are the numbers that you have, the most up to date numbers from Spain and how is that country dealing with this.
[Al Goodman, Cnn Correspondent:] Hi, Rosemary. The latest numbers more than 9,100 cases of coronavirus across the country and 309 deaths. About half of that is right here in the capital in the region of Madrid which is really taking the hardest hit of all of this. And this is a dramatic shift from just a little more than a week ago when Spain was behind Germany, behind France in a number of cases. Now it's the second biggest spot in Europe for the coronavirus after Italy. And there is a state of emergency that was announced at the beginning of the weekend, the Spaniards are beginning to understand how this works, basically it says stay at home except for certain activities that you can do outside of the home. There's kind of a do's and don'ts list. We are out in the streets and here's how here's what we found with our story. Yes, you can still walk your dog under Spain's state of emergency even as the nation battles the spread of coronavirus. Yes, you can still go to a pharmacy, some that are open look like this, and others like this, no access but actually open for business. The police are stepping up enforcement of these restrictions on movements. In Madrid, even using drones to tell people to go home. Most Spaniards aren't complying says this officer, but some are taking way too much time to walk the dog or shop for food a trick to stay outside longer. Police can issue fines to fight back starting at $100. "What's clear is that fines won't solve this," he says, "we all have to do this in solidarity knowing that everyone is staying at home." No, you can't attend mass in Catholic churches here in Madrid because priests are celebrating mass alone, shown only on TV or social media. "We have to be in solitary with other people like us going through difficulty," he says, so that this will last the shortest time possible. Yes, you can still shop for groceries but most people aren't wearing protection like this student of international relations.
[Martin Canales, Student:] Just in case because I've been having a cough, but I mean, I'm not worried, but just in case to prevent it, but I don't have any other symptoms, so I'm relaxed.
[Goodman:] Many others here aren't, the Spanish prime minister told the nation it could be weeks of difficult sacrifices. It's not just Spain's bars and restaurants that are closed, it's also the cultural sites like the Prado Art Museum here in Madrid or the Royal Palace which draws large number of visitors every year from Spain and abroad. Those closures and the stay-at-home order all aimed to reduce contact between people which experts say will eventually safe Spain from the coronavirus pandemic. Rosemary, another part of the story is the gratitude Spaniards are showing nightly on their balconies coming out chanting and cheering for the medical workers and the medical workers are responding in a video that's gone viral here in Spain with sign saying thank you. This is from a hospital in northern Spain, thank you, we understand it, thank you very much. Back to you, Rosemary.
[Church:] And we thank them across the globe. Many thanks to Al Goodman bringing us that report from Madrid. Let's turn to Delia Gallagher who joins us live from Rome. Delia, Italy's health care system has struggled, is still struggling to deal with this coronavirus outbreak. What's the latest from there?
[Delia Gallagher, Cnn Vatican Correspondent:] Well, Rosemary, there is a lot of pressure, particularly in the north, of course, if you consider that of the 28,000 cases that we have now. About half of those are in the north. And one of their problems is structures, hospital structures with enough beds for patients and enough ICU units. So, the Lombardi region has announced, for example, that they are building a new structure with some 400 beds. There's also an American NGO called Samaritans Purse, which is coming over to build another temporary hospital structure for another 60 beds and eight ICU units. So, there is a lot of activity happening in the north to try to help this crisis. Of course, the government has also announced a 25- billion-euro financial package, they say it's the first one, there should be another one in April that will go towards helping health care, and of course, families and workers who are going to lose wages because of this. There is a call for blood donations throughout the country. So that is another urgent need here in Italy. Pope Francis, as well, left the Vatican on Sunday. He walked the deserted streets of Rome. The Vatican said he was going to pray for an end to this epidemic. He went to a church which is known for a famous crucifix, Rosemary, that Romans believed back in 1522 helped to end the plague. So, you can still sense despite all of the pressure a great spirit here in Italy. Everybody is trying to show their support. Rosemary?
[Church:] Indeed. Many thanks to Delia Gallagher bringing us the latest from Rome. Now to CNN senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann who joins us live from Paris. And Jim, as we talked last hour the country's president doesn't think the French are taking this virus outbreak seriously. And now how is he going to change that attitude?
[Jim Bittermann, Cnn Correspondent:] What had changed since the last night, Rosemary, he made a speech to the nation last night in no less than five times said we are at war against coronavirus. So, I think people were getting a message and he's sort of preach solidarity as the French do what they could individually to avoid contact with others. Just less than four hours from now the French have got to be where they're going because at that point the total lockdown takes place, a little bit like what Al was saying in Spain, the same sort of rules, you can go out for food, you can go out for essential activities, you can walk your dog. But beyond that no collected activities. And if you do go out you have to download from the internet, and I just get this morning, download this form and you have to fill it out, basically getting your name and address and it gives the reason why you're out there out and about and what kinds of things you'll be doing and where you will be and then you have to sign it and the paper with you. And when the police stop you, and they very well could, you have to fill this form. They could, because according to the interior minister, a- 100,000 police being mobilize across the country, basically to enforce the new rules. And there will be fines from 38 euros to 135 euros for people who are breaking the law or breaking these new rules. We'll see then how it goes. One of the things the president said last night was that in fact this will be in place for 15 days. This confine will be in place for 15 days. But this interior minister when he was talking about the rules later on said, it could be for long. So, 15 days that's the starting point but we'll see what happens after that. Rosemary.
[Church:] It is a brave new world, no doubt. Jim Bittermann joining us live from Paris. Many thanks. And as the coronavirus spreads faster in the United States officials are announcing stricter measures to fight the disease. Just ahead, the impact on daily life across the country. Back in just a moment.

[Church:] Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Rosemary Church. I want to update you now on the main stories we've been following this hour. The British Conservative Party is set to announce its new leader, in the coming hours. The winner of the contest will replace Theresa May as prime minister. Former London mayor, Boris Johnson, is heavily favored. His chief rival is the man who replaced him as Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt. Police in Puerto Rico deployed tear gas to disperse a huge crowd of protesters a short time ago. The demonstrators are demanding that Governor Ricardo Rossello resign immediately. The protest was sparked by leaked offensive chat messages and anger over corruption. Rossello has apologized, but is refusing to step down. South Korean fighter jets have fired warning shots at Russian military planes that entered the country's airspace. According to South Korea's military, it happened twice within a half hour. Seoul says the Russian planes flew over an island chain claimed by both South Korea and Japan. Well, the U.S. and the U.K. are considering military options to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf from Iran. Tehran refuses to release a British oil tanker it seized in the Strait of Hormuz last week, but to really understand what's happening right now, it helps to look back through Iran's relations with the west. Seizing that tanker was only the latest move in a game that's been going on for more than 50 years. Our Becky Anderson reports.
[Becky Anderson, Cnn Abu Dhabi Managing Editor:] The operation was meant to be televised. Iranian Special Forces boarding the British flagged Stena Impero and commandeering it as gunboats buzz nearby. The scenes last Friday designed to replicate the U.K.'s own, after it impounded an Iranian oil tanker, the Grace 1, earlier this month. But the tanker tit-for-tat isn't happening in isolation. It's the latest episode in an ongoing standoff between Iran and the U.S., with a host of regional and western countries caught in the middle. The most recent starting point, May 2018, when Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal and re-imposed stringent sanctions, setting the two sides on the track to confrontation, that came as no surprise to Iranian leaders like Ayatollah Khamenei.
[Ayatollah Khamenei, Spiritual Leader, Iran:] How many times did I say during the negotiations, that they act in bad faith, that they lie, and that they won't stand by their words? Now, you can see.
[Anderson:] But for Iran's leaders, the grievances are also historic. Back to 1953, when the CIA and British Intelligent overthrew the Democratically-elected Iranian prime minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, who wanted to nationalize the country's oil industry, which at the time, was controlled by the British, or to 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini led a revolution against the American backed-Mohammad Reza Shah, who they consider to be too close to the west. And above all, to the 1980s, when the mostly isolated Iran, fought Saddam Hussein's western and Arab Gulf-backed army, in a bloody eight- year war. Haunted by the past, Iran's relations with the west have, once again, entered choppy waters. And it will take steady diplomatic hands to ensure this latest incident doesn't become the starting point of even more confrontation. Becky Anderson, CNN, Khor Fakkan, in the UAE.
[Church:] Adnan Tabatabai joins us now from Dusseldorf in Germany. He is an independent analyst on Iran affairs and holds a lectureship at the Heinrich-Heine University of Dusseldorf. Thank you so much for being with us.
[Adnan Tabatabai, Political Analyst On Iran Affairs:] Sure thing.
[Church:] We're now seeing the United States and the United Kingdom, issuing these new warnings to Iran, as the U.K. ramps up its military presence in the Gulf, in response to Tehran refusing to release a British oil tanker that it seized last week. Where's this all going and how far would you expect the U.K. to go with this?
[Tabatabai:] I guess, this very much looks like a what some refer to, as a war of attrition. We are seeing both the U.S. and Iran, trying to up the pressure on the respective other. The U.S., through their maximum pressure campaign, sanctions, economic isolation, the Iranians are trying to respond to that through different means, be it in the nuclear agreement, be it at the sea. And well, the U.K. is dragged in and it's interesting that now, Foreign Secretary Mike Pompeo, the U.S. is saying the U.K. has to take care of its ownership. So, yes, we have to see what the U.K. comes up with. We are hearing about this joint naval operation with France and Germany, but that remains to be seen what it actually means.
[Church:] Indeed. And, of course, Iran says it does not seek confrontation. If that's the case, though, why did it seize the U.K. tanker and what's its strategy here?
[Tabatabai:] I guess the strategy really is and you see the pattern again on the U.S. side and the Iranian side, the strategy is on the one hand, increase the pressure to escalate and show what actually what the stakes, while at the same time, leaving some doors open for dialog or for some form of talks and negotiations. We've heard Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif making these suggestions to some of the interviews in recent interviews in recent days. And the same holds true for the U.S., we hear a lot of harsh rhetoric, but also calls for Iran to call President Trump. So, yes, I think this is the pattern we see on both sides.
[Church:] The concern in the midst of all this, always, is the chance of miscalculation. How likely is that, do you think?
[Tabatabai:] Well, that is indeed very dangerous, because we're not just dealing with the with the military of the U.S. and the military of Iran, but a whole range of other actors that are, in fact, influential in the region, be it states, in the neighborhood of Iran, but also non-state actors that, frankly, all sides have unleashed into the region in the recent years. And that is the big danger, I guess, that while both capitals, Tehran and Washington, may not seek a war, other actors who might benefit from the war may jump in and, in fact, create a very dangerous environment.
[Church:] Indeed. And, of course, President Trump says it's getting harder now for him to want to deal with Iran, so who has the leverage here for any such deal and do you think that that's possible?
[Tabatabai:] Again, this goes back to the point of the war of attrition. I think, and I would really like to apply this to both sides, both sides are trying to see at what point does the respective other feel the need to seek a face-saving exit. And they're trying to push each other to that very point. And I think that is the dangerous path we are seeing here, and I'm afraid it will continue for some time. The Iranians seem to be sure that Donald Trump does not want a war. Donald Trump seems to be sure that the Iranians will not dare to enter a war. So, in times of both sides not seeking a war, it's going to stay dangerous for some time, but I actually do not foresee the big escalation, but we may continue to see some incidents as the recent ones.
[Church:] Right. And, of course, says we were discussing, Iran says, it doesn't seek confrontation, but it seizes the tanker, it says that it wants to have a respectful relationship with the United Kingdom, but the optics don't look good for Iran, when, you know, it's seizing, and it's been accused of piracy on the seas, and taking a U.K. tanker.
[Tabatabai:] What really matters most for the Iranians or for the Iranian leadership that's, at least, my cents, is to show that it is able and has the will and means to respond to being under pressure. So, this the seizure of the U.K. tanker was a response to the Gibraltar seizure of an Iranian oil tanker, and the same holds true for the situation with regards to the nuclear agreement. Iran has the feels the necessity to show that it can respond, that it is not in fact, it has an alternative to just sticking to the deal, and the leadership in Tehran, and that is my cents, has, for one year, continued to apply by the obligations of the nuclear agreement, and feels that this one year has not paid off. And therefore, they are now seeking now, basically exploring the options of escalation, and to see whether they get more results out of that.
[Church:] Yes, this escalation, of course, has caused a lot of concern in the region and beyond. Adnan Tabatabai, thank you so much for joining us and sharing your analysis on this issue, appreciate it.
[Tabatabai:] My pleasure.
[Church:] Well, Iran's seizure of the British flagged tanker comes as the U.K. is about to get a new prime minister. Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is heavily favored to be picked as the new Conservative leader, a past Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently spoke to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, about the standoff with Iran, and here's his advice for Johnson, in this CNN exclusive.
[Gordon Brown, Former Prime Minister, United Kingdom:] I think, Boris Johnson should be very much aware that the background to this, is the failure of the American administration to stay with the Iranian deal. And I think the background to this is, also, that Britain must remain solid with our European partners. But what he can do to persuade President Trump to look again at the conditions in which he might sign a deal with Iran is, in my view, very important. I am told, whether it's right or wrong, that Iran would accept tougher conditions, that they would move to a higher level of inspection earlier if that were something that America would press for. And this may be the basis that this deal can be sold.
[Church:] And for more about the contest to pick the next British prime minister, I am joined from Los Angeles, by journalist, Josh Boswell, good to have you with us.
[Josh Boswell, Journalist:] Hi, Rosemary.
[Church:] So, it looks like Boris Johnson will be the next U.K. prime minister, and he is already facing a Brexit revolt. Will cabinet ministers threatening to leave over no-deal Brexit result will that cost him a lot of grief? How's all this going to play out, do you think?
[Boswell:] Yes, it's looking to be a very tough entrance for Boris Johnson here, because you have several ministers, either having resigned already, or saying that they will resign, and that's not a great look for him. He also suffered his first defeat, I think, before he even walked through the doors of number 10 Downing Street, because parliament voted to try and block him from suspending them, which is something that he said he might do, if they try to stop him from taking the U.K. out of the European Union. It's going to be much harder for him to do that now because of a recent vote by parliament, and so, he is facing a lot of problems there. But, you know, it's not only Brexit, as you've been saying just now, you know, it's Iran too. He's got this entire
[Church:] Yes, well, that is the exactly. That's the other big issue, isn't it? The new prime minister, whoever it will be, and it looks more and more likely to be Boris Johnson, will face this growing crisis with Iran in the midst of the seizure of this U.K. tanker. So, with that in mind, how far might the U.K. go and particularly, if Boris Johnson is at the helm?
[Boswell:] Well, the real problem here is that Boris has tried previously, himself, as foreign secretary, which is, you know, previous role that he had to get Donald Trump to agree to renewing that nuclear deal with Iran, and he failed. Now, maybe he's built up more of a rapport with Trump, since then, maybe, you know, Trump has changed his position slightly, but it doesn't look that way. In fact, it looks like the U.S. has hardened on their position. We've also lost our ambassador, Sir Kim Derrick, who had great contacts and, you know, was very well-respected in the U.S., and he has gone now, because of a leak of his e-mails that, you know, caused Trump to say he wouldn't deal with him. So, it's looking very difficult for Boris to do what former Prime Minister Gordon Brown was recommending, which is to try and get the U.S. to sign up to push for a renewal of that deal with Iran. It's also going to be quite difficult now, amid Brexit negotiations to get some kind of cooperation with the European Union. I think it will be very easy, perhaps, irresponsible, but very easy for the European Union to use that as leverage over the U.K. and say, oh well, yes, we'd like to help you in this situation with Iran, but maybe you need to capitulate here on you demands for Brexit first, and so that's going to be a very difficult balance for him to make as prime minister.
[Church:] Right. And, of course, it has to be said, Boris Johnson is a divisive figure. How did he end up as the man poised to take over from Theresa May, given his history?
[Boswell:] Yes, it's a very interesting one, and I think it boils down to him, being able to say to the Conservative Party membership, remember, this election that he is likely to win, is not the whole country, it's 160,000 Conservative Party members. He is the one who's been able to say, I'm the toughest on Brexit, and I always have been. He's also the most charismatic out of all of the potential leadership candidates that there have been. He is, you know, bombastic and, you know, he can be inaccurate at times. He's been accused of lying or you know and propagating on truths. But, people think, people in the Conservative Party think that he can win elections because of the charisma, and that's one of their main points that they are voting for. I think it's two things, it's can he deliver Brexit, and does he want to, which the answer seems to be yes. And to you know, whether that's a deal or no deal, he says he's going to deliver. And then, two is, can he win an election when it comes to it? You know, against labor, the opposition, can he defeat them? And I think the Conservative Party members think, yes he can. That's why he's where he is now today.
[Church:] You're right, and at this point, Jeremy Hunt, Johnson's chief rival has said he will and can work with Johnson. Essentially signaling he surrender to Boris. Is that is that what we're seeing here?
[Boswell:] Yes, and I think this is a it seems like a bit of a surrender. It's similar to remarks that he made last week as well. I think he realizes that you know, he's in the jaws of defeat, and he can snatch the small victory perhaps. He I think he's hoping that Boris Johnson will be gracious in his victory, something that one of the people he really respect figure in history, Winston Churchill, you know, always said one should do. So, Jeremy Hunt is perhaps hoping that he'll get a good position in Cabinet, because Boris Johnson will say, "OK, Jeremy Hunt represents the other side of the party, the more pro, pro-remain, or at least, less hardline Brexit side of the party. Let's bring him under our wing, so when we don't have this fringe that we're ousting, or and you know, we're not further and expanding these splits in the Tory Party. Something he may do. On the other hand, it may be all futile, and Jeremy Hunt will be cast- off to the backbench, as we'll have to see in the next few days.
[Church:] Most definitely we'll be watching very closely. Of course, Josh Boswell, thank you as always. Appreciated.
[Boswell:] Thanks, Rosemary.
[Church:] Well, Robert Mueller gets instructions about what he can and can't say during his testimony before two congressional committees. We'll have the details for you coming up, stay with us.

[Tiger Woods, Pro Golfer:] For them to see what it is like to have their dad win a major championship, I hope that is something they will never forget.
[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] They likely won't. Yes, he is back. Tiger Woods completes a remarkable comeback years in the making, winning the Masters once again.
[Cyril Vanier, Cnn Anchor:] The Sudan military leaders approaching top officials as protesters still crowd the streets, calling for a civilian government.
[Allen:] Also ahead this hour, ISIS kidnapped this nurse more than five years ago and the Red Cross thinks she's still may be alive. Now they're making a public appeal to find her. These stories are ahead here. Thank you for joining us. Live from the CNN Center, I am Natalie Allen.
[Vanier:] And I'm Cyril Vanier. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
[Allen:] All right, we are starting with the world of golf for an obvious reason. Tiger Woods on top of the golf world once again after finishing his fifth Masters win and 15th major title.
[Vanier:] That is the first in 11 years and it is a fairy tale comeback for the most dominant player of his generation. The 43-year old has recovered from back problems and a high-profile divorce to reach this new milestone. Many are gushing over his comeback there, saying it is good for the game, was good for the game when he roared onto the scene many years ago. Woods admits this victory was special and unexpected.
[Woods:] I think that I think the kids are starting to understand, you know, that how much this game means to me and some of the things I've done in the game. Prior to prior to this comeback, they only knew that golf caused me a lot of pain. If I tried to swing a club, I'd end up on the ground, and I struggled for years, and that's basically all they remember. Luckily, that I've had the procedure where that's no longer the case and I can do this again. So, you know, we're creating new memories for them and it's just very special.
[Vanier:] And guess who was there on hand in Augusta to see his triumph? CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan, it is such an honor to have you.
[Christine Brennan, Cnn Sports Analyst:] still the dirt of Augusta on my shoes.
[Vanier:] Just made it back in the nick of time, thank you so much. How was it? Bring us to the moment it happened.
[Brennan:] This is one of the moments people they will remember where they were in terms of sports and even a cultural moment, because it is Tiger Woods, 43 years old and he hasn't won a major in 11 years. And a year ago he said he could not get off the couch to watch his kids play soccer. So it was electric and exciting. But of course there are so many contenders, all younger men and inspired by Tiger as they grew up as little boys, and they are all fighting to be him. One by one, as if the golf gods came down from the heavens and said, this will be the way it is, one by one they fell away, mistakes on par 3 12th and everyone going in one after another and all of a sudden the last man left standing, Tiger Woods.
[Allen:] And the crowds, the people that happened to go this year, can you just imagine. this is the year that she went and they were there for this. And he had that typical stoic Tiger Woods look throughout. I think when he does this, is he going to jus lose it. And he did. You saw that smile and his arms came up, victory.
[Brennan:] Well, tremendous. Exactly, Natalie. And for those astute followers of golf, in 1997 Tiger Woods won first of his now five Masters and he was only 21. And at that Masters, exactly 22 years ago, he walked off into the arms of his father, his late father, who taught him the toughness of the game and said, you were born to be a champion. And now 22 years later, he is the father, walking into the arms of his son and daughter and mother and many friends. So the symmetry of circle there, I think was extraordinary and it added to the storyline and the crowd ate it up. They would still be out there cheering if they could they be.
[Vanier:] Because all these people know and I want to stress this for the viewers who may not and you touched on this a couple of years ago he could not walk. It is not whether he can play golf but it is whether he can walk.
[Brennan:] Four back surgeries, the last was spinal fusion two years ago basically right now. And now was the last gasp effort. He was in so much trouble from the swinging so it was this or basically give up the game of golf. So spinal fusion and six months after that a year and a half ago that he could not get off the couch and he thought he might be done. As a journalist everyone would ask me, is he done? And I thought, you can never count Tiger Woods out. He is so talented and driven, if anyone can overcome this, it is Tiger Woods.
[Allen:] He has overcome all his issues, his divorce and all of that and then he had trouble with painkillers going through so much, he has been through a lot.
[Brennan:] Well, exactly. Less than two years ago that we saw that mug shot after his arrest on a DUI, which was the painkillers, presumably, when he was parked on the side of the road. That was Memorial Day weekend 2017. And I bet you anyone who saw that mug shot would never have thought this day would come. It is the power of comebacks and getting that second chance, never giving up, as Tiger Woods said. Also you mention personal problems, very public situation, where his family life was not what we thought it was. It fell apart, all self-induced and that was almost 10 years ago. But the story of redemption and the story of a comeback is something that I think any audience around the world, certainly U.S. sports fans, anyone listening to us right now, you get that idea of the comeback. The chance to cheer for someone who has fallen from grace and now has come back. As I said, this is a story the likes of would we have not seen for a long time in sports.
[Vanier:] One of the greatest sports comebacks I think ever, he has got 15 major championships to his name and the record is 18. Do you think he can surpass that?
[Brennan:] Of course this was a question for years and it was almost 11 years ago he won his last Major until today. So everyone said no way. I think now it is an open question. These young guys are not going to keel over and let Tiger win everything. And he got lucky today as well as played great. But the PGA is early; it's going to be next months. And it's at Page Black, where he won the U.S. Open, loves the course. And then the U.S. Open is at Pebble Beach, another course he loves. So you can imagine and expect intense media coverage. And I'll probably be at both of them and I wasn't necessarily going to be. But I think that is the Tiger effect here and the power of this story.
[Allen:] Well, he put golf on the world map, how many years ago, and he has reignited again and we will be watching and we will be watching you cover it as well. Christine Brennan, it is so nice to have you in the house with us.
[Brennan:] Great to be here, thank you so much.
[Allen:] We really appreciate it. It is quite the story.
[Brennan:] Thank you.
[Allen:] All right. We are looking at other news that we are following now, this one is from Sudan, where military leaders are cleaning house after they toppled the dictator, Omar al-Bashir. The intelligence chief has been replaced and the defense minister removed. They have also sacked Sudan's ambassadors to Geneva and Washington.
[Vanier:] The generals have been busy since they toppled Omar al-Bashir but so have the protesters. After three decades under Omar al-Bashir they want democracy and they want it now. They are calling for the immediate handover of power to civilian governments. CNN's Farai Sevenzo is tracking events in Sudan from Nairobi, Kenya, and has filed this report.
[Farai Sevenzo, Cnn Correspondent:] On Palm Sunday, Sudan's revolution seemed to carry on. Those people, the protesters gathered outside Sudan's military headquarters in Khartoum continue to amass there in their great numbers. In this new age of many technologies, the 21st century ends with such a youthful crowd of protesters. It is overwhelmingly youthful, Sudan's revolution. We can see Facebook links with all manner of social media with people in a festive spirit at that center. But of course there is a real busy and honest business of politics that carries on. The military transitional council, Lt. General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, has sent out ahead of friendship and extended the idea that they want everybody. They promise many things: the release prisoners; they've abolished the curfew put in place by Mr. al-Bashir's immediate successor, General Ibn Auf. But what this brings to mind now, what will happen to the Sudan story. On Sunday everything moved up
[Sevenzo:] in terms of diplomacy, all those Arab countries around Sudan, indeed, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, they've all been sending great noises and encouraging words to the military council. Of course this does not leave the actual people on the ground, in the protests, with any clear idea whether what they want their demands for quick movement to civilian rule will actually happen Farai Sevenzo, CNN, Nairobi.
[Allen:] So the question is, can the people prevail in Sudan? We will be talking with an expert and author, Eric Reeves. He will talk about that in the next hour.
[Vanier:] And the U.S. secretary of state is calling for Venezuela's embattled president to open the country's borders and to end the power struggle there immediately.
[Allen:] Mike Pompeo's comments came with a visit to the border town in neighboring Colombia. It is his last stop of his Latin American tour. He also spoke to Venezuelan refugees and toured a warehouse filled with relief supplies for Venezuela and he vowed to hold the president Nicolas Maduro accountable for this crisis.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] Nicolas Maduro is denying food that is sitting here, these are not people that are starving because the country doesn't have wealth. These are people that are starving because of the political leadership, the military thugs inside of Venezuela have destroyed their capacity to produce crude oil. They have destroyed the capacity to grow crops. They've denied the people aid to the city, right at the border. You saw the bridge today, welded trucks, preventing food. This is horrific. There is nothing else in South America that compares to this.
[Vanier:] CNN David McKenzie has been following what has been going on and he has more from the capital, Caracas.
[David Mckenzie, Cnn Correspondent:] The U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo made a brief but highly significant visit to Cucuta on the border of Colombia and Venezuela. He visited with families, struggling Venezuelan families in migrant centers at the border as well as viewing the considerable aid that is ready to come in to this country to help people in the humanitarian crisis. Secretary of state and other U.S. officials have repeatedly blamed the government of Nicolas Maduro for stopping aid from coming in to help people with lifesaving support. Pompeo said over the four-nation trip, that Russia and Cuba, as well as China, helped to prop up Maduro's government. He said that more needs to be done to get Maduro out.
[Pompeo:] We have been clear that all options are on the table and you watch the political and diplomatic noose tighten around Maduro's neck. We will begin to do the same thing. The Cubans must understand, too, that there will be a cost associated with their continued support of Nicolas Maduro. We will have the same conversation with the Russians as well.
[Mckenzie:] Opposition leader Juan Guaido is recognized as the interim president of Venezuela by more than 50 countries. He was in the west of the country this weekend, addressing thousands in Maracaibo, a city that has been hit by blackouts and water shortages. But the opposition are saying to us that over the weeks they've felt a bit of the momentum slip as they try to push the military and others to turn their back on Maduro. Maduro himself was addressing thousands of civilian militia over the weekend here in Caracas. He says he wants 1 million more people to join those civilian militia to help prop up his regime. We visited a rally supporting the president and people had strong words for the secretary of state.
[Unidentified Male:] To Pompeo, take your hands out of here, stop with the conspiracies. Stop with the conspiracies and let us deal with our things on our own. To the people of the U.S. we love you but we don't want any imperialists. These people are respected, Venezuela is respected. We don't want anyone to get into our internal problems. We are in solidarity with all the countries in the world. I don't think that South America will give up. We will keep fighting to the end, Pompeo, don't think we are scared.
[Mckenzie:] Pompeo's visit underscores the importance of Venezuela to the Trump administration but even U.S. officials are saying that this could be a long struggle David McKenzie, CNN, Caracas, Venezuela.
[Vanier:] We could soon get a look at the Mueller report or at least a redacted version of it. Democrats want the whole thing but the White House says it is time to move on. We will have that story coming up.
[Allen:] Also this hour the Red Cross is desperately seeking information on the whereabouts of these abducted staff members. More about that as we continue.

[D. Johnson, Fan And Community Member:] Someone who put our community on the map. People thought that our community was just about violence. And Nipsey put a change in it. He was willing to partner to bring things to this community that we are now going to lose.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] A massive crowd of fans gathering throughout the day to honor Hussle, then chaos erupted Monday night. Hundreds of mourners scattering across the parking lot where Hussle was killed after police say a disturbance incited panic. Aerial footage captures the crowd fleeing in all directions, shoes and smashed candles left behind, at least 19 injured in the stampede. One person was critically wounded after being hit by a car.
[Meghan Aguilar, Lapd Spokeswoman:] Absolutely chaotic. Mass panic.
[Watt:] Mourners carrying the injured as firefighters treated people at the scene. Police dressed in riot gear rushing in, trying to disburse the crowd and breaking up fights that broke out amid the confusion. And when Los Angeles wakes up, the LAPD is going to be holding a press conference at 8:30 when they say they will give us an update on the investigation. They are appealing for the public's help in trying to track down that suspect. And they also say they will address what they're calling a surge in gun violence here in Los Angeles. Apparently Nipsey Hussle just one of 26 people shot in the space of just one week. John.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] All right. Wow, Nick Watt, thank you very much for that story. On a decidedly different note, President Trump has spent 177 days of his presidency at one of his golf clubs. That's about 20 percent of the time he's been president. So he plays a lot of golf. And according to a new book, he doesn't just play a lot of golf, he cheats a lot. Joining us now is award winning sports writer Rick Reilly. He is the author of "Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump." Rick, always a pleasure to speak to you.
[Rick Reilly, Author, "commander In Cheat":] Thank you.
[Berman:] I confess, I picked up the book, I was skeptical, 244 pages on the president cheating at golf. And then I read it and I think I got it. You're not just saying he cheats, you're saying he cheats. I mean, he cheats on all of it.
[Reilly:] He cheats like a mafia accountant, right? He cheats crazy. He cheats whether you're watching or not. He cheats whether you like it or not. He tried to cheat Tiger Woods in a match and Tiger hits it like this, he hits two balls in the water, doesn't count either, and pretends that he almost tied Tiger Woods. So it doesn't matter who he is, he has to be the winner. What really bothers me is that he's told he told people on the campaign trail I don't know if you remember this he said, I'm a win. You've got to vote for me because I've won 18 club championships. He says this three or four times. And that's against the best players in the club. But I knew he was lying because he told me how he does it. Whenever he opens a new course that he buys, he plays the first round by himself and calls that the club championship. Puts his name on the wall. Sometimes he wins club championships from another state.
[Berman:] There was a time he was in Philadelphia and he claims he won a club championship in Bedminster?
[Reilly:] Yes.
[Berman:] What happened?
[Reilly:] So he's the club championship is going on at Bedminster. He's playing in Philly at his club there. And he finishes his round. He says, hey, what won the club championship? And they said, oh, joe schmoe shot 74. He goes, well, I shot 72 today, make me the club champion. And the guy's like, what? Yes, make me the club champion. And so they take joe's name off and put Trump's up. And this happens over and over. Like, he often says, I've won 18 club championships. Well, he doesn't tell you they're the senior club championships.
[Berman:] Or super senior as in the case.
[Reilly:] Or super senior. I wouldn't even know if he won those. So it goes on and on. Like his handicap he says is a 2.8.
[Berman:] Let's hold off on that because I love the handicap story also.
[Reilly:] It's true.
[Berman:] Let me just read part of this to get a sense of what we're talking about here. You write, to say Donald Trump cheats at golf is like saying Michael Phelps swims. He cheats at the highest level. He cheats when people are watching and he cheats when they aren't. Whether you're his pharmacist or Tiger Woods, if you're playing golf with him, he's going to cheat. And the book is filled with stories you talked about the club championships but of people, in some cases famous people, golfing with the president or before he was president with Donald Trump and he's cheating. Mike Tirico, you know, famous play by play guy, tell me that story.
[Reilly:] So Tirico and two other announcers are playing with Trump at Trump Philly. And Tirico hits is against him in a team game, right? And he hits the shot of his life onto the green, blind par 5. And when he gets there, it's not near the green. It's not on the green. It's not near the pin. It's in the bunker. Well, it turns out Trump kicked it into the bunker so that he could I mean, can you give the guy the shot of his life? And how important is it you for you to win? You're worth billions. Like, at what point is it like doesn't matter to him? But it does. You know, I played with Clinton when he was president.
[Berman:] He cheated.
[Reilly:] He cheated, but in a completely different way. Like he would take what we call billigans, like he'd hit a shot and then he'd hit five or six more because he was confounded by golf. But he wasn't trying to make you lose. He'd always play his first ball, but he was just trying to get the game. It's like a guy that goes to the bank to steal the pen versus the guy that goes to steal the money. He really needs to win. And I've never seen anything quite like it.
[Berman:] So, Donald Trump is a very good golfer.
[Reilly:] Yes.
[Berman:] All right. But he claims to be a 2.8 handicap.
[Reilly:] Right.
[Berman:] Explain that.
[Reilly:] So, in golf, you know, you and I can play if you're really good and I'm terrible, then you've got to give me shots. So I get ten free shots. Well, Trump says he's a 2.8, which is really, really good. To give you a little idea, Jack Nicklaus is a 3.5. Jack Nicklaus. So you look at you can go on the website that shows you people's anybody in the country, you can see their handicap. He's a 2.8, but it's taken him eight years to get the 20 scores. So he's just cherry- picking his best rounds. He can't cover a 2.8. No way. Everybody that's played with him, the pros, Dustin Johnson, they all say he's about a nine or ten. So why does he have to say he's a 10 I mean a 2.8 when he's really a 10? Isn't 2.8 isn't 10 pretty good? Why's he got to say 2.8?
[Berman:] And that gets to the other issue with this book or the what this is really all about, because you can ask, well, why does it matter that Donald Trump cheats at golf. And you write, golf is like bicycle shorts, it reveals a lot about a man.
[Reilly:] It does. And what it reveals about him is he has to win no matter what. It's not that he loves golf, he just loves beating you. So these guys always say he's fun to play with, he always wins, but then he doesn't even take your money. So it's not about beating you out of the ten bucks, it's about showing you that he's better than you. So when he always say, I'm the best player among all the rich people, nobody can beat me, he's played on television ten times, Pebble Beach Pro-Am seven times and the Lake Tahoe thing, Stormy Daniels' deal, three times. He's never made the cut at Pebble Beach. And at Tahoe he's never finished in the top half. So when there's rules guys and cameras, he's not that good. When it's just his course, his caddie, his world, he's pretty good.
[Berman:] You did say two things there and I want people to know that you make this clear in the book, he is good at golf, just not a 2.8, and people do like to play with him.
[Reilly:] They like to play with him. I played with him. He was fun. But it's crazy. He doesn't putt out. You sometimes putt out. He took a gimme chip in with me. Have you ever heard of this? We're playing a bet, I'm in there for a par at 5. He's off the green in four. He says, I guess that makes this good. He hasn't even gotten to the green. I said, did you just take a gimme chip in? Well, yes, I'd have made that.
[Berman:] So so
[Reilly:] Come on.
[Berman:] You know, we're constantly fact checking the president and calling out when he says things that are untrue or just flat out lies. What's his response? This isn't the you're not the first person to say he's a cheater. What's his response to the claims that he cheats at golf and the proof that's in this book?
[Reilly:] Every time he says, I never cheat, so I snuck into the Bedminster caddy shack in New Jersey with all the caddies, and I said, the president says he never cheats. And they all go, no, he never cheats. And then there was this silence. And I go, oh, you guys cheat for him. Then they all laughed. And they told they have three or four balls in the pocket, they throw it out of bunkers because he hates bunker shots. They throw it out of the rough. You know, he kicks the ball out of the rough so many times the caddies call him pele.
[Berman:] Finally, you have a challenge for the president here. You want to play him.
[Reilly:] I want to play him.
[Berman:] You're a 4.5?
[Reilly:] I think I'm a 4.5.
[Berman:] All right.
[Reilly:] He's a 2.8. If he plays the 2.8 and I play I'll play him for 100 grand. Either of our charities. And but the rule is we can't play his course, can't use his cheating caddies and there's got to be a rules guy with each of us. And I'll play him all day.
[Berman:] Rick Reilly, the book is "Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump."
[Reilly:] That's right.
[Berman:] Thank you very much for being with us. Mr. President, we'll see if you respond to the challenge. Alisyn.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] President Trump online, too. Just kidding. We'll see if he actually takes you up on that. Now there's this video you must see. A nine-year-old girl was playing in her own front yard when a hit and run driver came crashing in at this rate of speed. We cannot believe it, but we can tell you that thankfully she is OK, though police need your help. They have not captured this driver. We're going to talk with the little girl's mother straight ahead.

[King:] Bernie Sanders was back home in Vermont for a big rally yesterday essentially bragging that, hey, the ideas he had in 2016 that people said were out of step for the Democratic Party are now very much part of the party's mainstream. Why then, if that's the case and to some degree it is, is the senator struggling this time around? Is it just because it's a more crowded field? If you look at the polling numbers, Joe Biden by far the front-runner right now in the early polling. Emphasis on early. Senator Sanders comes in second, but he's considerably behind. Let's just look at his numbers if you just bring in Senator Sanders numbers here. He's running in the teens mostly, some polls up closer to 20 percent, some polls down closer to 10 percent, but basically running in the teens in a more crowded field. Last time, it was one-on-one with Senator Hillary Clinton. Here's a problem for Bernie Sanders: Elizabeth Warren who shares many of his liberal positions is the choice more of a choice than Sanders among voters who described themselves as very liberal. So, Senator Sanders struggling now, it's not just Hillary Clinton a crowded field including someone who shares many of his progressive positions. Another look at more of the polling here among Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters who say we're paying a lot of attention to the campaign Senator Sanders falls down to 8 percent. Joe Biden way on top there, again, Senator Warren, the more liberal favorite, Mayor Buttigieg, Senator Harris, and then Bernie Sanders. So, Senator Sanders trying to find his place in a new very different race he says you know what, pay closer attention to me. I'm the one who's changed the party.
[Sanders:] Raising the minimum wage to a living wage, not so radical today. Guaranteeing health care to all as a human right, not so radical today. Legalizing marijuana, a radical idea four years ago, not so radical today.
[King:] He's right. Is that part of the problem?
[Ball:] Yes, exactly. I mean, if you ever talk to Bernie Sanders, he will tell you, this isn't about me. This is about my ideas. This is about promoting these ideas that I have. And a number of Democratic voters appear to have taken that seriously and said, OK, well if we don't have to support you to support your ideas here's some other candidates who have the same ideas, right? Now, that being said I think all of the other Democratic candidates besides Joe Biden would love to have Bernie Sanders polling numbers, right? He is he's got a pretty solid second place there and it's clear that there is a base of voters for whom it is about Bernie and they do give him credit for having been in there first and having the guts to challenge Hillary Clinton when so many others didn't. But it is but it's going to be hard for him, particularly if that support is decreasing. The trajectory has got to be worrying to his campaign because what they need to do to make to get him to do more than finish second again is to take that that base that he has and build on it and get bigger rather than see those people start to walk away.
[King:] But you're right, don't underestimate him as many people did in 2016. He does have that loyal support and he has a deep fundraising network so he can stay in the race even though he's doing some other more traditional fundraisers this time because Biden has raised so much money. One of the interesting things as you watch warren who again taking some of Senator Sanders lane, if you will, more liberal voters. She's also been trying to play in this competition for the support of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was a Bernie Sanders volunteer in 2016, now a freshman member of Congress and star of screen and stage with Elizabeth Warren.
[Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez:] We've sent Steven Mnuchin a letter asking him what he did as a member of the Sears board when Eddie Lampert proposed gutting the business, closing it and buying back stock rather than investing in workers.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] I think the American people deserve answers and we're out there to fight for 'em.
[Ocasio-cortez:] That's right.
[King:] Now, she's Ocasio-Cortez using her leverage. She also said Jay Inslee has the best idea she thinks so far in the campaign on climate change. She's using her leverage. But if you're Senator Sanders, more proof there, your lane has company.
[Demirjian:] Your lane does have company and that your lane would have had company probably last time if Elizabeth Warren had run. But right now, you know, Bernie has an established figure. Warren's also a known figure but she needs help reaching out to young people in a way that you know Bernie controls a lot of the youth vote. Ocasio-Cortez is a kingmaker in some ways for this part of the Democratic establishment and base. And so, you're seeing them make this run there. There's going to be other people that are clearly making the run towards the middle and then the big question is who kind of can tap multiple constituencies of the Democratic Party. I think Bernie Sanders, his numbers might be better frankly if he had more minority voters that were backing him as compared to Biden has more pull. But it seems in those groups of voters, but this is kind of like the piecing together of all the pieces you need young people, you need centrist, you need leftists, you need minorities, you need women and everybody's trying to make a reach it wherever they can grab these voters.
[Shear:] The thing that I found interesting about the Sanders numbers that you put up was that among the very liberal voters, when you looked at it, Biden and Sanders were almost tied, right, which, you know, may indicate I mean, the speech bit that you played said that you showed Sanders saying that all of his ideas were not radical anymore. Well, that's exactly the problem for him. I mean, it seems odd that he would underscore that because if the if his ideas are not radical anymore because people like Joe Biden have adopted many of them, then it's a license for his supporters to say, well, Biden seems fine.
[King:] He also spent a lot of time in the speech defending his foreign policy and international relations record. He said he's a proud opponent to Vietnam War, talked about marching with Martin Luther King, his opposition to the Iraq War. How much of that is because in this campaign, more so than the last campaign, he's getting scrutinies for his past, you see some of the headlines here? When he was he was the socialist mayor of Burlington, Vermont, mayor and foreign minister, how Bernie Sanders brought the cold war to Burlington. Referendums, rallies, a trip to Nicaragua are all part of an effort to infuse left-wing activism into local politics. Inside Bernie Sanders ten-day honeymoon in the Soviet Union. Bernie Sanders in the '70s Senate race called millionaires senators immoral. His past is getting more focus last time, again, people underestimated him in 2016 and didn't really vet him as much.
[Mattingly:] Yes. And it's been interesting because he said kind of towards the start of this campaign that one of the areas that he needed to flush out more was on foreign policy. And he has a very well known top foreign policy advisor but it's one of the things people knew that they needed to hear about it. And I think you can add to the I've been right on these issues when he talks about what he did with the end of the civil war and trying to pull out U.S. support to that. But when you expand it a little bit it's less of an issue or it's less of an area where he can draw a clear contrast because people weren't totally sure where he stood. And if you are not totally sure where somebody stands on something, you're going to look back at anything they've done in the past. I mean let's go back into the time when he was mayor as a number of publications have done it raises questions. And he might have been totally right on all those things but people are just raising the questions. And his response to that has also been interesting. He called a "New York Times" reporter, your colleague who wrote a story about that they printed the transcript which I think is very snippy and kind of a back and forth. I thought that was really interesting to read. Now to be fair, having covered Bernie Sanders on Capitol Hill in the United States Senate, that's really just how he talks with reporters to some degree. But I think there is a recognition that this has become an issue. For him to pick up the phone and call a "New York Times" reporter is recognition that this has become an issue, an issue they need to address. It will just be interesting to see how this plays out in the weeks ahead.
[Karoun Demirjian, "washington Post":] It's important for all Democrats also this race to try to lean into foreign policy because this is one of the areas where they think Trump is the weakest. He's been very, very unorthodox in how he decides the
[King:] And to that point let's listen a little bit here. Remember how Bernie Sanders has used Hillary Clinton's Iraq war vote against her. He's already talked about Joe Biden's Iraq war vote. Bernie Sanders among the Democrats now watching what's happening in the Persian Gulf and getting nervous.
[Senator Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] I am doing everything that I can to prevent Donald Trump and John Bolton from taking us into a war in Iran.
[Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] President Trump is escalating tensions, is provoking yet another war in the Middle East. We don't need another war. We need to find a way to work with allies and partners and in some cases with our enemies.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] And no, it does not make us more secure to enter into an escalation that could lead to a confrontation with Iran as though we had learned nothing from this occupation with Iraq.
[King:] Interesting dynamic in a Democratic race where, remember last time Hillary Clinton's is just viewed as I am sure she will be critical she is critical of the President vis a vis Iran. But in the last campaign, it was just Bernie Sanders sort of staking out the anti-war
[Molly Ball, National Political Correspondent, "time Magazine":] Yes. I mean in that speech that he gave yesterday, Sanders did not sound defensive about his foreign policy record. It was more that he feels he wants he needs to introduce this part of himself to voters because so much of his image has to do with his economic policies which are now not as differentiated. So foreign policy, number one something that a lot of Democratic primary voters don't know about. He wants them to know that about him. Number two, a potential differentiator for him particularly from a candidate like Joe Biden whose profile on foreign policy is very similar to Hillary Clinton's and much more sort of centrist, much more interventionist. And I think in the general election too, Democrats feel like Trump got a lot of credit for purportedly being non-interventionist in 2016. And as it played out in his administration, that picture is much more complicated, it's much less clear that he's actually not interventionist president. And so they want to make the case particularly to those swing voters particularly, potentially in the Rust Belt who may have looked at Trump in 2016 and thought, ok here's a guy who wouldn't have gotten us into Iraq. And so they want to make the case that that's not the Trump who's actually been in the Oval Office.
[King:] It's a great point especially if you go back and review the Sanders PC update about foreign policy. Close your eyes fast forward a month we'll be on the Democratic debate stage. We're going to hear some of those lines from Joe Biden if we don't know if he's going to be on the same stage as Joe Biden yet. But we shall see. Some of the best campaign moments from the week just passed, next including the latest Democrat to send a message to McDonald's.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Host, Anderson Cooper 360:] Chris Cuomo is off tonight. Welcome to a special hour of AC 360. Tonight, there's breaking news in the impeachment inquiry, a new witness agrees to testify if subpoenaed, and he's from inside the White House, Budget Office attorney. Mark Sandy is his name, according to Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who I just spoke to in the last hour. He's one of the officials who signed the hold on military assistance to Ukraine. And, of course, it is the withholding of that aid that lies at the center of the case against the President. Sandy may be equipped to speak to that. He'll testify behind closed doors on Saturday. Tomorrow in public session will be the ousted Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who President Trump told Ukraine's President was "Bad news." The most important witness may turn out to be Embassy staffer, David Holmes, on the phone call he allegedly overheard. Now, that came to light in surprise testimony yesterday from his boss, Bill Taylor, the top diplomat in Ukraine. Here's what he said.
[Bill Taylor, Top U.s. Diplomat In Ukraine:] The member of my staff could hear President Trump on the phone, asking Ambassador Sondland about "the investigations." Ambassador Sondland told President Trump the Ukrainians were ready to move forward. Following the call with President Trump, the member of my staff asked Ambassador Sondland what President Trump thought about Ukraine. Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for.
[Cooper:] Again, testimony in this will happen in Executive Session, meaning off-camera, which means we may have to wait for the transcript to learn what he said. It is clear he could say a lot, we simply don't know. So, there's that. There's House Speaker Pelosi today, explicitly using the word "Bribery" to describe what the President allegedly engaged in, obviously a word that is in the Constitution, specified as an impeachable offense. In all, plenty to talk about, joining us now, one of the questioners tomorrow, Democratic Congressman, Denny Heck. Thanks for being with us, Congressman. The use of the term, bribery, is that because from just a messaging standpoint quid pro quo was sort of not easily understood, and bribery is, in the Constitution?
[Rep. Denny Heck:] I think it's because it's what he did, actually. You could call it bribery, you could call it extortion, you could call it a shakedown of a foreign country, soliciting their assistance in a campaign, a clear violation of federal law.
[Cooper:] How important is the testimony of Ambassador Yovanovitch tomorrow because the Republicans are already saying, well if she has no knowledge of any possible involvement by the President, is it about kind of laying out the whole story in writ large?
[Heck:] Yes, foundation, we're pulling on the string. So, look, here's what people are going to see tomorrow, Anderson. They're going to see the best of the best. They're going to see one of America's top diplomats diplomat, somebody who over a 33-year period of time increasingly rose in responsibility, not because she was just, just broadly respected within the Foreign Service Corps, but because she was beloved. That's the best America has to offer. And the way that she was treated because again, remember, the President didn't just say that she was a bad woman. He said ominously, threateningly, "She's going to go through some things." So, we're going to learn about why that what is. Interestingly, I think what we got going on here is a is a potential confluence of both the political self-interest of the President, getting her out of the way, so he could do his deed in Ukraine, but also potentially, we don't know this yet, some financial or economic interests on the behalf on on the part of Mr. Giuliani and his two associates.
[Cooper:] Giuliani has, for years, had business interests in in Ukraine. He's been trolling for business. He's had contracts there as well. He may still have eyes on Ukraine as potential business place. Also now, this person from the OMB that's going to be on Saturday, if I'm not mistaken, do you know where that's going to lead? I mean, do do you know much about that?
[Heck:] No. But we know what we want to find out, which is where did the direction come from to withhold the aid, and what were you told at the time that you were told to put a stop on it? That's what we hope to find out.
[Cooper:] Because Taylor, I believe, I think it was Taylor who was on a call with somebody from the OMB, and somebody on the call said, "Oh, this order came from the President that the aid has been stopped." That was when Taylor learned that the aid had been stopped. That's important because you're not getting a Bolton, and you're not getting a a Mulvaney as of now.
[Heck:] Right. He's prohibiting them from talking, as a matter of fact. I think what's happening here is we're beginning to let line up the people that the President's going to throw under the bus. I'm I'm predicting that it there's a good chance he's going to throw under the bus, Ambassador Sondland. He's going to throw under the bus, Acting Chief of Staff, Mulvaney. He's going to throw under the bus, potentially Rudy Giuliani. And the closer they get to him through those people, the more disposable, the more dispensable they will become to him.
[Cooper:] It is a common refrain from the President, you know, "Oh, I I didn't really know that guy." I mean it was Michael Cohen.
[Heck:] Right. Evidently, he knows no one.
[Cooper:] The the the impeachment investigators are going to hear from the aide to Ambassador Taylor behind closed doors tomorrow. Will that transcript then very quickly be released? Will it has to go through-
[Heck:] Ander-
[Cooper:] -a review process?
[Heck:] Anderson, I don't know the timeline. But, at some point, it will be. And interestingly, I think I read a news story today to the effect that there was actually a second aide sitting at that table. So, we really don't know the significance of it until we hear from him. We do know that he overheard the President make reference to investigations. I actually think the news story for the time being is that an Ambassador of the United States actually sat in a public setting, in a restaurant, on an unsecured cell phone call with the President of the United States, violating every national security protocol.
[Cooper:] In Ukraine, not yes.
[Heck:] Imaginable.
[Cooper:] Right.
[Heck:] I would bet a large sum of money were it legal that the Russians actually listed listened in word-for-word on that call, it is a gross violation of national national security protocol for him to have done that.
[Cooper:] An Ambassador would normally go to the Embassy to a secure location in order to talk to the President.
[Heck:] You know that.
[Cooper:] Yes. Congressman Heck, I appreciate your time. It's good-
[Heck:] You're welcome, Sir.
[Cooper:] Busy days. Thank you for coming in. Appreciate it. We our panel's back this hour, joined by CNN Legal Analyst, Ros Garber, who teaches impeachment law at Tulane University Law School, and all the regular folks are here as well, which we're very appreciative of. Ros, do you think Democrats, I mean, are they boxing themselves in with labeling this as bribery that that's the charge?
[Ros Garber, Cnn Legal Analyst, Teaches Impeachment Law At Tulane Law School:] So, on the one hand, it is true, bribery is right there in the Constitution. Often in impeachments, one of the big debates is, you know, what is a high crime and misdemeanor? Does it reach that level? Bribery is in the Constitution. I was surprised to hear Speaker Pelosi go there-
[Cooper:] Why?
[Garber:] -because bribery is also the subject of lots and lots of technical case law. There are statutes, there's cases, it's a very legalistic term, number one. And number two is I don't think bribery has yet been established. I'm I'm keeping an open mind. But bribery requires, among other things, corrupt intent. We we have to know, for bribery, what is in the President's head. And so far, for some of the reasons that we talked about, we don't know that.
[Cooper:] Yes.
[Garber:] And and, remember, we're talking about impeachment. It's the political nuclear weapon. And so, the proof of all of those things has to be very high. So, I was surprised to hear Speaker Pelosi now say the word "Bribery."
[Cooper:] Without hearing from somebody, who talked directly to the President, can you ascertain intent?
[Garber:] Well yes, you can you can look at circumstantial evidence, and and potentially see intent. But I think it's one of the reasons why the Republicans are pointing out, you know, they're they're calling it hearsay. I think what they're really getting to is that we're not yet seeing a lot of information about what the President was thinking, and what the President was saying.
[Cooper:] Right. And there's a reason, I mean, John Dean, there's there's a reason for that that we are not seeing that because it's we're talking about Bolton, we're talking about Mulvaney.
[John Dean, Former Nixon White House Counsel, Cnn Contributor:] Good reason.
[Cooper:] And the White House isn't allowing.
[Dean:] Apparently, they don't want to appear. I think somebody like Bolton, if he wanted to come up, and show, and testify, he could do it. There's nothing the President can do to stop him. He'd-
[Cooper:] I mean he's apparently going around making paid speeches so.
[Dean:] He's making if you have the the right number of dollars, you can get him to appear, yes.
[David Gergen, Former Presidential Adviser To Nixon, Ford, Reagan & Clinton, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Yes.
[Dean:] But there is he'd have to go to court, literally, and get an injunction to stop him. On the bribery point, you know, bribery wasn't even the code when the Founders wrote the Constitution. There was no real case law at that point. I'm not sure all that case law follows an impeachment proceeding. And and-
[Garber:] Oh, yes, and you're right about that. To be clear, impeachment is largely political. But but we both know that once the word bribery is mentioned, we're going to hear a lot about all of those elements.
[Dean:] But if if as a defense. It makes it technical.
[Garber:] Yes.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] And this is the problem of the Democrats really wanting to push this through, pretty quickly, before the election.
[Garber:] Yes.
[Borger:] Versus allowing the legal route to to continue with Bolton, and if it's Mulvaney, and the and the rest of them in court because they want to get this done before January. If they want Bolton, and they want Mulvaney, chances are they're not going to be able to get it. So, it's kind of a bad choice for them.
[Gergen:] Yes. But if you have evidence that the President directed most of this, he directed Giuliani, he directed Mulvaney on on, you know, on on a variety of issues, if you have that kind of information, even though you may not have obvious intent or obvious evidence, isn't that persuasive-
[Garber:] Yes.
[Gergen:] -of his intent?
[Garber:] The question is going to be why. And what I think what we're going to start hearing more of is that the President was actually motivated by corruption issues in Ukraine, and that he believed, rightly or wrongly, that the Biden situation was emblematic of of past corruption, and that he believed there was potentially issues of interference in the 2016 election. True or not true, I think the question is did he believe it or not because the Framers thought about including maladministration in the impeachment provision. They decided not to do that.
[Borger:] So, what does that have to do with holding up the money though? In in in other words, so say you can't prove what his intent was, in that sense, can't you just say "Well but he still held up the money?"
[Gergen:] Yes.
[Garber:] Well if you hold up the money-
[Borger:] Then-
[Garber:] -for for the good of the American people, for the good of the of of the U.S. government, that's that that's a trade that happens all the time.
[Cooper:] I mean, Kirsten, that the argument from Democrats certainly is that this had nothing to do with the national interests of the United States.
[Kirsten Powers, Usa Today Columnist, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well I mean the the the only way that that could be true would be if there actually had been some sort of actions on the part of Joe Biden that were corrupt. And it's just been debunked over and over and over again that the position that that he took was in fact the position of the world community. So, it's it is kind of crazy-making, honestly to-
[Cooper:] It's-
[Powers:] -to have continually continually hear about this because it's it's something that has been so clearly debunked, and yet, they keep coming back to it. And what is what is Trump's interest in Biden? Let's see! How hard do we have to really think about this?
[Cooper:] Right.
[Powers:] Trump's interested in Biden is that he is a potential rival.
[Cooper:] Also Scott, I mean the the people that Trump is using for this policy, this great concern about corruption is Rudy Giuliani. And all the people that Rudy Giuliani is promoting have been let go because of corruption that Maria Yovanovitch was working against, and the diplomats at the Embassy wouldn't even allow them visa.
[Scott Jennings, Cnn Political Commentator, Former Special Assistant To President George W. Bush:] The the worst fact that Trump has had in this entire ordeal is the insertion of Giuliani into the middle of it. When you are dealing with an unappointed, unelected person, who is then affecting policy decisions that should be affected by, you know, appointed and Senate-confirmed Ambassadors and your own White House staff, it is from the beginning the absolute worst fact. That is terrible judgment. Now, is it impeach impeachable impeachable to have terrible judgment when you insert, you know, idiots into a process? I don't think so. But it it doesn't look great, when you have him in it. Take him out of it for a second. And to your point about intent, you and I'll have a disagreement about this. Trump will argue that the sitting Vice President of the United States has already essentially admitted that it was bad for Hunter Biden to be over there dealing because he's already promised not to do it again if he gets elected President. And Hunter Biden-
[Powers:] But it's not illegal-
[Jennings:] -and-
[Powers:] It's not corrupt.
[Jennings:] He they don't have to argue they don't have to argue it's illegal.
[Powers:] It's not no but but the point-
[Jennings:] They just have to argue that it was-
[Powers:] That you can hold up the-
[Jennings:] -bad judgment.
[Powers:] -you can hold up aid to a country that they're using to defend themselves against Russia-
[Jennings:] Hey!
[Powers:] -because something that happened in the past you didn't like? I mean that's the argument?
[Jen Psaki, Former White House Communications Director For President Obama, Former United States Department Of State Spokesperson, Cnn Political Commentator:] I think Scott-
[Jennings:] No. No.
[Psaki:] -Scott, the other the other problem, Scott, with your with you what you're arguing here is that the timeline here. There were two years when Donald Trump was not raising his concerns about Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. It wasn't an issue for him until Joe Biden announced he was going to run for President. So, that sort of makes you scratch your head-
[Jennings:] Well A, we don't know we don't know when it became a concern for him yet.
[Garber:] Yes.
[Jennings:] B, you just said you can hold up aid to a country for fill in the blank. You could ask that about any Administration. Ask the Obama Administration why they held up lethal aid to Ukraine for two years.
[Powers:] You know, I'd like I like-
[Psaki:] No, no, no, no.
[Jennings:] There are many reasons why why the United States-
[Powers:] See this is this is this is also-
[Jennings:] -hold aid.
[Powers:] -this is also getting really old, this one right here. The you can criticize the Obama Administration for bad policy, if that's what you wanted to do.
[Jennings:] Yes, yes.
[Powers:] If you want to say that's a bad policy. But it doesn't matter why you do things. And so, if if Barack Obama had held up that aid for a corrupt reason, then he should be impeached.
[Borger:] I also-
[Psaki:] Because he wanted some dirt on Mitt Romney.
[Powers:] Yes.
[Psaki:] You would have been outraged.
[Borger:] Right. I also have a question here. You say insert, you know, inserting Rudy Giuliani. Do we think does anybody here think that Rudy Giuliani was acting on his own?
[Psaki:] No.
[Gergen:] No.
[Borger:] Does anybody here think-
[Jennings:] Well-
[Borger:] -that he didn't talk to the President of the United States-
[Gergen:] Yes.
[Borger:] -about what he was doing?
[Jennings:] Well that and one of my big questions about him is whatever the President told him to do then did Rudy Giuliani tell the President all of the other interests he has in this region?
[Borger:] Maybe not, yes.
[Jennings:] Because I have a I have a feeling he was into stuff that maybe the White House didn't know about, and the White House is going to have separate from him, yes.
[Borger:] And when the President finds out that-
[Cooper:] Well-
[Borger:] Rudy was making money off of him-
[Cooper:] Yes, although, I mean, Rudy-
[Jennings:] Yes.
[Cooper:] -Rudy Giuliani had like Turkish clients and then the President was like pushing his Turkish policy base, so we're going to talk about this. We're going to take a quick break. We'll talk about the Republican efforts to turn the Senate impeachment trial into political punishment for Democrats. Also, speaking of telling the President, more important, Sondland's cell phone call from Ukraine, Russia's backyard, was the conversation overheard? We'll be joined by someone who truly knows White House security, from his old job, running the Situation Room. And later, sadly, a student who was there was a shooter opened fire at her school.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] The fires have been burning for weeks. We just wanted to call your attention to what is happening there in Brazil. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for being with me. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts right now.
[Erica Hill, Cnn:] President Trump looks to the sky and declares: I am the chosen one. So, does that make Greenland the promised land? THE LEAD starts right now. Flip-flop and flip again. After supporting and then caving on background checks for guns, President Trump today says he hasn't changed positions at all. So is being all over the place actually a policy? Something is rough in the state of Denmark. President Trump snubs this staunch U.S. ally, pitching a fit because they scoffed at his interest in buying Greenland. Today, he follows up, calling the Danish prime minister's comments nasty. Plus, the president's latest outburst aimed at Jewish voters, doubling down on his accusation that Jewish Democrats are disloyal, stirring outrage again for reviving a vile anti-Semitic trope. Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Erica Hill, in today for Jake Tapper. And we start with the politics lead. President Trump all over the map today on gun control, even questioning his own moves, saying he wants to quote "fill in loopholes" on universal background checks, but then moving on to NRA talking points which question that very idea.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] And we also have to remember the gun doesn't pull the trigger, a person does. I don't want to take away people's Second Amendment rights. We're talking about background checks. Then all of a sudden, we're talking about, let's take everybody's gun away.
[Hill:] This just one day after, according to a source, President Trump told the NRA's executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, that universal background checks were quote "off the table." As CNN's Boris Sanchez reports, the president's flip-flop and flip again comes as a new CNN poll most Americans want stricter gun control laws in the U.S.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn White House Correspondent:] President Donald Trump again shifting his stance on background checks for gun purchases, today insisting that he supports pursuing new gun control legislation.
[Trump:] I have an appetite for background checks. We're going to be doing background checks. We're working with Democrats, we're working with Republicans, and we already have very strong background checks.
[Sanchez:] But sources indicate Trump's support for stricter gun laws has cooled as he repeated NRA talking points to reporters before departing for a veterans event in Kentucky.
[Trump:] It is a slippery slope, and that is what actually your gun owners and a lot of other people are concerned with.
[Sanchez:] But just a few days ago, Trump also said he didn't believe in the slippery slope.
[Trump:] They think you approve one thing and that leads to a lot of bad things. I don't agree with it. I think we can do meaningful very meaningful background checks. I want to see it happen.
[Sanchez:] The president's comments now also a softer tone from what he said in the days following the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.
[Trump:] I believe that this and I can tell you from my standpoint I would like to see meaningful background checks. And I think something will happen. But I don't want guns in the hands of a lunatic or a maniac. And I think, if we do proper background checks, we could prevent that.
[Sanchez:] The president's softening coincides with recent conversations between White House officials and the NRA, including a recent phone call between Trump and Wayne LaPierre, in which a source says Trump told the NRA head that universal background checks were off the table. LaPierre tweeting on Tuesday quote "I spoke to the president today. We discussed the best ways to prevent these types of tragedies. Donald Trump is a strong Second Amendment president and supports our right to keep and bear arms." Trump today denying he got into specifics with LaPierre.
[Trump:] I didn't say anything about that. We had a great talk with Wayne yesterday. Didn't say anything about that. We just talked about concepts. Wayne agrees things have to be done also.
[Sanchez:] Important to point out, we have seen this kind of pattern from President Trump before. You will recall after the shooting in Parkland, Florida, he taunted lawmakers, suggesting that they were afraid of the NRA and that he was not. He even talked about passing some form of comprehensive gun control legislation back then. After direct talks with the NRA, Erica, the president backed away from that position.
[Hill:] Indeed, he did. Boris, appreciate it. Thank you. As we look at all of this, it is important to point out too there is this new CNN poll out today which finds that 60 percent of Americans actually favor stricter gun control laws. So it begs the question and, Mehdi, I will throw it out to you why it is so hard to move here on an issue that really does have a good amount of support in this country. Is it simply about money and the NRA having the president's ear, or is there more to it?
[Mehdi Hasan, The Intercept:] I think money and NRA is definitely a big factor. And I think, as Boris just mentioned, he said, oh, you're all afraid of the NRA. With Trump, it's always projection. He says, you're afraid of the NRA. Really, he's afraid of the NRA, which is why he rings he initiated a call to the head of the NRA to say background checks are off the table. Clearly, it's an issue with support; 90 percent of Republicans support universal background checks. A majority of NRA members, according to one poll, support universal background check. So, yes, why isn't it happening? Because the NRA doesn't represent its members. It represents gun manufacturers. And Trump also has an issue with his base. It always comes back to his base. There were reports that when he gave that speech last week in New Hampshire and talked about, well, the person doesn't pull the gun doesn't pull the trigger, the person does, he loved the applause that got. And he knows the economy, we're going to talk about it later, is going downhill. He doesn't want to lose those supporters. He sees himself as the Second Amendment guy now, even though he wasn't for most of his life.
[Hill:] Go ahead.
[Chris Cillizza, Cnn Political Reporter:] No, I was just going to say, I think the point about he heard the applause...
[Hasan:] Classic Trump.
[Cillizza:] If you look at Donald Trump and who he is from June 2015, when he announces, until now, the one thing that has become very clear is, one, he loves campaign rallies because he hears the applause. And, two, he's effectively like a comedian doing a greatest hit or a band doing a greatest hits show, right? You go to see you want to see "Hotel California," if you go see the Eagles. He is giving them what they like. They cheer. He feels validated and he always says I don't understand why polling doesn't look good for me, all I do is go around and people cheer for me. That is very much a smart way to understand him. So when you see something added into his rhetoric, like, for example, it's guns don't pull the trigger, people pull the trigger or guns don't kill people, et cetera, you know what I'm saying that is when you know, well, he's happy with that line because it got a response. That is who he is.
[Hill:] Right. He knows when something sticks. I think you're right. What is interesting and you brought this a little bit up, Mehdi, but also Boris touched on this is that we did hear from him, Mary Katharine, after Parkland, right, listen, it is time for you lawmakers to stand up to NRA. The reality of where we sit today in august of 2019 is the one person who really has the power to make something happen is the president, because we know no lawmaker is going to push anything through without knowing that the president 100 percent has their back and that he actually means what he says.
[Mary Katharine Ham, Cnn Political Commentator:] And that is why, by the way, Mitch McConnell wisely, tactically speaking, was, well, let's see what happens with the president because the president will change his mind in six days. He wasn't for that idea before. He's not necessarily for this idea now, and that could change in two seconds. I will say as far as getting things through Congress, I think many people misunderstand it when they think that the NRA is the big bad guy and the NRA is the big block here. The reason that Second Amendment supporters win is because they are extremely passionate about this issue, and they are extremely passionate, then, now, forever more. And they vote and they always act on it. And it does not ebb and flow, unlike the other side, which does ebb and flow based on the news cycle. Now, when it comes to something like universal background checks, one of the reasons I think Democrats do themselves a disservice on the 2020 trail pushing things like registration and licensing because it makes people think, well, now you're just saying the stuff out loud. When you're telling me we want to just do this reasonable thing, you're saying, no, you actually want to do this other stuff too. So you lose trust with those voters.
[Hill:] Which really plays into actually the NRA's talking points which the president has picked up about universal background checks, Julie, being a slippery slope. If they are hearing these other things from Democrats, it also says Democrats, Joe Biden included, who said tweeting: "Once again, President Trump has folded to the NRA, broken his promise to pursue the most modest of gun safety policies." They could also be setting themselves up if they say we want to do a modest gun safety policy, and they can't get it through because look what they may be stuck with.
[Julie Hirschfeld Davis, "the New York Times":] Right. Absolutely. I mean, there is a risk here of a political risk for both parties on both sides. And it's not just about the money. I think Mary Katharine is right. It is about the political power of some of these voters. And for years and years and years, members of both parties, Republicans and Democrats, have been afraid of being targeted politically by those people being turned out, losing their seats over some of these key votes. And if gun legislation were if the president the irony here is if the president were to be able to bring himself as with so many other issues to actually bring up a modest gun proposed gun rights gun safety proposal that polls show that the majority of voters would support, that would put Democrats in a really difficult position. It could potentially be a really hard vote for some of their more moderate Democrats, who do not want to go as far as some of the presidential candidates, do not want to go as far as some of their leaders do in imposing gun safety measures. They have taken votes on things that they all do agree on, on the Democratic side. But the president could make this harder for them politically than he actually is, because he can't seem to bring himself to go on the record and stay on the record in favor of some of these proposals.
[Cillizza:] That's exactly, exactly right. He could. He won't, because he is so enthralled to his base. One other point I want to make, because people do often say, oh, Mitch McConnell, Mitch McConnell, Mitch McConnell. Sure, but 2013, 20 kids have been murdered in Newtown, 26 total people dead three months earlier. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, has a series of proposals, including expanded background checks and a few other things, that are open to the amendment process in the Senate. He is pushing hard. Who controls the Senate then? Fifty-four Senate Democrats. They're in the majority. Now, they don't get 60 votes for anything. They would have needed six Republicans. The point is, it's not just because while Republicans are in control now they won't do anything. Democrats had opportunities and they had a president pushing hard, and they couldn't get it done. I think it's more just just to add Mary Katharine's point, I actually think some of it, this is about the way in which the makeup of the Senate. There is every state gets two votes. Therefore, Wyoming has the same votes as California. So there's going to be a little bit I think of a rural bias, more pro-gun. So it's not necessarily representative of the country as a whole. But that's a complicated thing. You want to change that, you got to change the whole Senate.
[Hill:] Right. That requires much more than the time we have in this segment here. Here's the good news. There are lots more things for you to weigh in on today, including whether this was actually some sort of joke, that reaction. There's a lot of that reaction after President Trump canceled a visit to Denmark because the country won't sell him Greenland. So, yes, it may sound like a joke, but it also puts potentially a longtime close relationship in jeopardy. Plus, the president floating a dramatic change to U.S. citizenship, one that would require changing the Constitution.

[Golodryga:] New York's governor has given the green light for schools in the state to reopen for in-person classes with some safety measures. That includes New York City schools, the largest school district in the country. For more on this, let's bring in CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro, my partner in crime in covering this beat. Evan, tell us more about the thinking behind this decision. It's been long awaited. Other major school districts decided to start virtually, but with the levels being so low, along with safety precautions, the governor is saying you can reopen.
[Evan Mcmorris-santoro, Cnn Correspondent:] That's right, Bianna. What the governor said is he looked at the numbers, and you say, and said, look, this state that was once the epicenter of the coronavirus is now in pretty good shape, safe enough to reopen the schools. But that doesn't mean that all the schools are going to reopen. Let's take a look at a couple of graphics just to sort of give the viewers an understanding of this situation. The New York City school system, New York state public school system, nearly 2.6 million students, 212,000 teachers, and 749 districts. Each of those districts has to come up with its own reopening plan under Cuomo's guidance, and then has to convince all those teachers and all of the adults involved in the lives of all of those students that it's safe to reopen. And that's the process that's going to happen now. In the next couple of weeks, the governor is demanding these school districts set up listening sessions with parents and teachers in which they're going to reveal plans for remote learning, plans for testing, plans for contact tracing, all the things the governor says are required to build the trust up to actually get parents to participate in these schools he says it's safe to reopen, Bianna.
[Golodryga:] Still a lot of concern within New York state, New York City. I know about ventilation, proper ventilation in schools and whether there are going to be enough nurses on hand. Buy Evan, school districts really across the country have started to reopen, and some of the things we're learning from them aren't very inspiring.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] That's exactly right. That's the story, when you think about New York, you think about the way the governor here in New York has characterized this as a trust issue. You then look to some of the other reporting we've been doing here at CNN about Georgia, where you see schools have reopened there, and you see immediately spikes in the pandemic. You've seen people coming down with COVID and having to be quarantined. We've seen that story about the viral image from the sophomore that took a picture at her high school and ended up getting suspended over it, and then un-suspended. These kinds of images, these kinds of things that are happening in schools, parents need to be convinced that the way schools are reopening is something that they can be comfortable with. And when you look at stories like in Georgia, that may be a hard sell, Bianna.
[Golodryga:] You teed us up perfectly for our next conversation. Evan McMorris-Santoro, it's going to be a busy few weeks for us. I look forward to working with you, as always. Thank you. Several school districts in Georgia returned to in-person classes this week, as Evan just mentioned, and you just heard him say this photo became viral, showing a crowded hallway with high school students packed shoulder to shoulder, and not many of them are wearing masks. It's raising a lot of concerns about safety. The picture also got the Georgia student who snapped the photo and tweeted it out briefly suspended from her school. The school has since reversed that decision and will allow the sophomore to return to classes on Monday. Now, that student is speaking about why she shared that photo.
[Hannah Watters, North Paulding High School Student:] I mostly know that even though these things aren't enforced, I know that what I'm doing is right, and I'm not only helping myself and the people at home, but I'm helping everyone around me. And that really kind of motivates me to keep on doing it because I have immunocompromised people at home, and I, myself, have had asthma since I was a kid. So it really does motivate me to help not only my family but everyone around me.
[Golodryga:] She went on to echo the late John Lewis, saying that she was getting into, quote, good trouble. The superintendent of that Georgia County saying in part, some in the news media and some individuals on social media are taking this photo and using it without context to criticize our school reopening efforts. Shan Wu is a former federal prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney. Shan, that student was suspended for a conduct violation of using a phone without permission. As we know, the school reversed that decision. But that doesn't sound like mea culpa from the school administrators there, saying, a, that this was taken out of context, and, b, that it was just a few minutes in the hallway and passing it didn't speak to the larger issue as to how the school was handling it. What is your take?
[Shan Wu, Cnn Legal Analyst:] What's right, Bianna. It's certainly far from a mea culpa. They're really doubling down. I think the principal later said that in the future any negative type of publicity would have consequences. This is really just the tip of the iceberg of legal issues confronting these schools as they open up. They are going to be there are attempts to comply with the rather sketchy guidance they've been given in terms of health and safety. That type of compliance is going to evaporate in the face of crowded hallways, mask-less students. This was a very bad case. The school was wise to cut and run when they could. You couldn't have a more prima facie example of selective enforcement. The idea that she was going to be suspended or disciplined in any way for talking about this really important public health issue is a First Amendment right. And basically what they're saying is we're only going to punish negative speech, not positive speech. And that's just simply wrong. In a pandemic, it's an opportunity to teach students, not punish them.
[Golodryga:] And as she said, she got herself into good trouble, and we're thankful for it because this brings about a national conversation about what's happening in some of these schools as they're starting to reopen to make sure that that doesn't happen again. And I want to ask you, as more schools across the country begin to open in the coming days and weeks for in-person classes, what rights do students, and I guess their parents really have if they want to talk about what they're seeing, if they want to bring public attention to it for the safety and well-being of not just themselves, but their peers?
[Wu:] They have the perfect right to do that. It's called the First Amendment in the Constitution. The only limit to that is if they're doing something to disrupt the school. So this idea that the school really is going to enforce the use of cell phones in the hallway, that's just silly. They would have to suspend the entire high school. But for a student to do something that disrupts the classroom, or, typically, you'll see this type of issue, I see it in my practice defending students, where a student has surreptitiously taken a photo of someone, trying to embarrass them, maybe something offensive, that's different. But if parents and students are speaking out and even taking pictures about conditions they think are unsafe, they have a perfect legal right to do that, and the schools would be wise to avoid the courtroom on that issue.
[Golodryga:] Shan, does that apply to teachers as well, especially teachers that are part of a union?
[Wu:] It does apply to the teachers. When you're an employee and you have more strict rules about your conduct, a little bit more leverage on you than for the students. But the unions should be speaking up for the rights of their employees, the teachers, to speak out against dangerous conditions and to make sure that they're safe. With this type of a situation, the employer can always claim you're somehow being insubordinate, you're undercutting the mission of the school. But, again, schools need to be very careful in balancing this public interest issue because a public health crisis like this, one we've never seen before, it really is an opportunity for people to shine as well as to be fearful. And we want to show our teachers, our parents, and our students that we can abide by our principles even in the midst of fear.
[Golodryga:] Thank you so much for laying this out for us legally. It's so important that we have teachers and students and parents that feel comfortable. And if they see something, they've got to say something, and in this case tweet something if it's not right. We appreciate it. Thank you.
[Wu:] Good to see you.
[Golodryga:] Is there a way to mitigate your risk of coronavirus while waiting for a vaccine? Why the food you eat can prevent some serious problems. Plus, an American company protecting first responders while creating jobs. How workers are making a difference one glove at a time.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn International:] Let's return now to the rising tensions between Britain and Iran. And for that matter between the U.S. and Iran. Now, when it comes to Britain, it is sending another warship to the gulf after the U.K. government said Iranian boats tried to impede a British oil tanker their earlier this week. This all follows weeks of rising rhetoric and provocations between Washington and Teheran. Let's bring in Ami Bera, U.S. democratic Congressman and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and he joins me now live from Washington. Thanks for being with us. So we're seeing, obviously, all over the world here on CNN International. What do you think the U.S. message to Iran should be at this stage?
[Rep. Ami Bera:] Look, I think the message that we want to send from Congress is, let's ratchet down the rhetoric, let's sit down, let's talk about this. Nobody wants another conflict in the Middle East. Both sides are taking provocative actions here. What the Iranians did with the British tanker isn't helpful. Let's sit down and let's talk about this. We can resolve this.
[Gorani:] Right. But the Iranians are saying, you know, we're not going to talk to you. Essentially, the U.S. walked away from this nuclear deal, were unable to do business, even with Europeans who want to honor it. This is the United States bullying us. What do you say then to Iran to convince it to sit down for talks? Because the U.S. president seems to say he's opened to that idea.
[Bera:] Yes. So you have the president of the United States who says he's open to talks. This is the I was in Europe last week. And this is where our E.U. counterparts, or German counterparts, or Russian counterparts, really can take the lead and step up, and say look, we want to preserve this deal, we want to move forward. I don't know if President Trump re-enters the Iran nuclear deal. But for a lot of us, once we are in it, we thought we ought to just enforce that deal.
[Gorani:] But Congressman, Europe is doing that. I mean, they're meeting with the Iranian foreign ministers, they're trying to give it some sort of economic, you know, lifeline here. But because of the U.S. and threatening sanctions on any companies, whether the European or American doing business with Iran, they're having a really hard time of it. How do you fix that?
[Bera:] Look, they are and we know the sanctions are having a biding effect in Iran. So if the Iranians are willing to come to the table, you know what? Maybe the United States is willing to lift some of these secondary sanctions. We already know that China is going around the secondary sanctions and continue to import oil. We've heard that President Trump may give China some relief here. Well, if he's willing to do that, he may be willing to engage in other negotiations.
[Gorani:] Let me ask you about the House voting to prevent the U.S. president from launching a war against Iran without House approval? Is that a concern of yours that the U.S. president could just sort of launch a military offensive on Iran without getting the consent of Congress?
[Bera:] Just a couple hours ago, we went ahead and passed that bill, now the Senate's got to take it up. But I think in a bipartisan way, Democrats and Republicans do have some concern that the president may try to use authorizations to take us to war. We don't think the president has that authorizations, only Congress has that authorization.
[Gorani:] Let me just pivot quickly, because this is making news internationally. And you were in Europe, so you must know this. But these raids that are being planned and the conditions of the detention facilities on the border, migrants trying to claim asylum and crossover have made big news internationally, because people have been pretty alarmed by the conditions that have been described. Now, the U.S. vice president, Mike Pence, is currently on the ground in Texas, he's going to be visiting these facilities. What do you think the administration should be doing at this stage with regards to these facilities?
[Bera:] I hope Vice President Pence, if he does visit the facilities, sees the horrific conditions. And as values as Americans, these are human beings, mothers, daughters, fathers, children. We need to treat them in a humane compassionate way. And then, you know, just having wholesale ICE raids over the weekend sends shivers throughout the entire community. I don't believe that is who we are as the United States. Yes, I'm a son of immigrants. Yes, they did come legally. But these are folks that are seeking that American dream. It's not the message that we want to send to the world. So, yes, we have to have the rule of law. We can't accept everyone, but let's understand that these are human beings.
[Gorani:] These raids, I mean, we're talking here about some mass, mass arrests in big American cities. What are your thoughts about just of the way this is being handled?
[Bera:] Well, I think this falls hand in hand with the president, and he likes that the affix he likes that pomp that's out there. And in this particular scenario, he could handle this in a quieter way if these are criminals. But by announcing it, by doing in such a public way, again, it sends the wrong message to the community.
[Gorani:] Congressman Ami Bera, thanks you very much for joining us to talk Iran and also these upcoming raids, as well, which many people around the world are talking about. Thanks for joining us. Really appreciate your time today.
[Bera:] Hala, than you for having me on.
[Gorani:] Thank you. Brazil's president is considering appointing one of his five sons to be the country's next ambassador to the United States. Eduardo Bolsonaro is currently a congressman in Brazil. But he's father, Jair Bolsonaro says he could be perfect for the job. Brazil has been without an ambassador in Washington since April. The elder Bolsonaro has said he wants to swap out at least dozen ambassadors in key countries to revamp Brazil's image abroad and he believes his own son would be the right man for the job. You might be surprised to hear that a majority of U.S. veterans believe the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth fighting. That's according to new polling by the Pew Research Center. The survey found that 64 percent of veterans don't think the Iraq invasion was worth it, considering the costs versus the benefits to the U.S. And the general public seems to agree, 62 percent, overall, of Americans say the same thing. When it comes to Afghanistan, 58 percent of veterans doubt the value of the war there, 59 percent of the general public say that that war was not worth fighting. For the third time this year, music star R. Kelly is in legal trouble over alleged sex crimes with underage girls. Prosecutors unsealed two new indictments against the R and B singer Friday in two different states. Kelly is facing more than a dozen federal charges including making and sharing child pornography, kidnapping, and trafficking underage girls for prostitution. The indictment say the crimes go back decades. Kelly is being held in Chicago. Brynn Gingras joins me now from New York where prosecutors brought some of the charges. How is this different from the previous cases against R. Kelly?
[Brynn Gingras, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, Hala. I mean, this is a big difference. Right up until now R. Kelly has faced state charges and until last night when federal authorities arrested him while he was walking his dog. These federal charges now handed down. Again, two different jurisdictions. We have the case here in New York and we have the case in Illinois. Eighteen federal charges in total. Let me quickly walk you through each one. In New York, it's five separate charges, including racketeering and the main act, which is essentially human trafficking. The prosecutors here in New York alleged essentially that R. Kelly had an entire enterprise, a corporation of people, including managers, bodyguards, personal assistants, who would help him recruit victims, women who are really girls, underage, when they went to concerts and several different states and different countries. And basically, he would get the phone numbers of these girls and he would sexually abuse them. I want to give you just a few more details because this indictment is just so shocking. What we've somewhat heard through that documentary "Surviving R. Kelly," but in the court documents it says that he these girls weren't allowed to leave rooms without R. Kelly's permission. They were only instructed to only wear baggy clothing. They couldn't look any other men. They had to keep their head down, they were to call R. Kelly "daddy." I mean, just a horrible, horrible allegations in that indictment. Then we go to indictment that was unsealed in Illinois, that has 13 federal charges, and essentially, child pornography charges and obstruction of justice charges. And those really deal with in crux those videos that we have heard about R. Kelly making those ex tapes with girls who were underage. And they essentially say that even with some of those videos leaked, R. Kelly and two other former employees who are also named at this indictment and are also charged, would do whatever they could to cover up the crimes whether it means to paying off victims, paying off their families, giving them cars, using tactics such as blackmail and physical abuse. So just incredible accusations that we, again, have heard before, but it's on a different level now because it's federal cases in two different states. R. Kelly, as you've said, he is behind bars right now in Illinois. He has an extradition hearing coming up. It's possible he will be brought to New York to face those charges first, but it's unclear. But right now, he's behind bars, and I think a lot of people are happy about that.
[Gorani:] Brynn Gingras, thanks very much. Moving now to Africa, and new hope for the victims of an ongoing Ebola outbreak. It is the second worst outbreak ever seen. It's covered more than 1,600 people so far. Hasn't made the news as much for some reason. There was a lot more going on. Because the first time around thousands died, and really, it was a just kind of worldwide panic, but this time it's just been a quieter story, but still very deadly. As Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, the U.S. is testing new experimental drugs that could give victims a fighting chance take a look.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] It's another step forward in the battle to contain the deadly Ebola virus in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This one happening at the Atlanta- based Center for Disease Control and Prevention where two experimental treatments were tested in a lab for the first time. Dr. Lauren McMullan was the lead on the study.
[Laura Mcmullan, Cdc Microbiologist:] So we use that sequence information of the current Ebola virus strain and we were able to reconstruct the virus in the lab. We were able to use that virus strain to test these investigational therapeutic and diagnostic tests. Make sure that they are going to be accurate and sensitive against the current
[Gupta:] The treatments involved Remdesivir and ZMapp were used against the Makona strain of Ebola that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa between 2014 and 2016. In the eastern DRC, the Ituri strain is dominant and has killed more than 1,600 people, according to the World Health Organization. Remdesivir and ZMapp, the treatments used to fight Makona strain have been offered on a voluntary clinical trial basis in the DRC and findings from of the CDC study, show that they are effective in laboratory tests.
[Unidentified Female:] Our rule was to test the effectiveness of these drugs in the laboratory.
[Mcmullan:] We still need to have continued research to ensure that we can give the best possible drugs to an Ebola patient. So we want to encourage the continued development of these, as well as the additional development of diagnostic tests that can be used in the field.
[Gupta:] While the CDC findings are for promise for the DRC, there are other factors complicating the efforts to contain the deadly virus. The outbreak is in the middle of a war zone. Treatment and prevention are hampered by attacks on health workers. Factional and ethnic fighting also prevent health workers from reaching thousands of people who may be exposed to the virus. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
[Gorani:] All right. Still to come tonight. Remember this moment? CNN's chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, refusing to back down when questioning the U.S. president on his rhetoric over immigration. We speak to Jim about his new book of "The Enemy of the People." We'll be right back.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Goodness, look at those numbers there, down 7 percent again. 16 almost 1700 points. Stocks just plummeting, this after the president announced a travel ban on most of Europe.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Our Christine Romans, chief business correspondent, is here. Alison Kosik is also down at the Exchange here, at the opening. Good morning to both of you. Romans, just look, the president wanted to calm the country and markets last night and that didn't happen.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] He did not calm the country and markets. You know, a couple of different reasons, the travel ban, a lot of economists this morning have been noting that, you know, the Great Depression started with a trade and travel ban. They don't like that idea. And they don't like the idea that the president also said there would be a trade and cargo ban with Europe before he walked that back. So the fact that there is the ban is the one thing. The fact that they didn't quite get it right in the scripted speech also added to the sense of is there leadership here on this. They wanted to hear more about testing and they wanted to hear more about treatment and a path forward for actually treating people in the United States. They didn't hear that last night. There is also momentum here that is going on in this market. The backdrop as we have been saying is still the same. More cases, industry slowing down, people working from home, schools being closed, until that story changed and you can see beyond that, the path of least resistance in markets is lower.
[Sciutto:] OK. Bear market, people have heard the term before, Statistically a bear market is when your market drops 20 percent or more, a fifth. You lose $1 for every $5 you have invested.
[Romans:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Compare this to 2008. How quickly we've gotten a bear market in this crisis compared to the financial crisis?
[Romans:] Twenty some days 20 some days for a bear market in 2020. It took 200 and some days for a bear market in 2008, Jim.
[Sciutto:] One tenth of the time.
[Romans:] Yes. I mean, this has been quick, it's been fierce, and fast, and ferocious. The selling has been. And that's what really has caught everyone off guard, how quickly this is unraveled.
[Harlow:] Alison, obviously the market is freaking out because you've cut a lot of money coming into the U.S. when you enact a ban like this. One of the numbers I saw this morning, 850,000 international visitors came to the U.S. from parts of Europe included in this ban in the month of March alone. It brought it $3.4 billion in spending. Is the market reacting to that or is it bigger? Is it the uncertainty that the president displayed last night?
[Alison Kosik, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Well, it's interesting how you see the futures trade after the president gave his address on the coronavirus. Futures dropped more than 5 percent. So the futures trade actually dropped and there was some concern that when the market opened today, we could see that circuit breaker kick in again. That did not happen. But we saw futures fall that great amount last night because there is disappointment there weren't concrete proposals included in what he was talking about. Meaning fiscal stimulus to try to cushion the blow of the coronavirus impact on the U.S. economy. But the reaction that you're seeing here today is twofold, It is also because of the travel restrictions because of what you said that just in March of 2019 alone last year, visitors from European countries brought in $3.4 billion. So a lot of the anxiety that you're seeing here is really obviously about the impact on businesses, the impact on world economies, which, by the way, no one knows what kind of a hit businesses and world economies will take because of the coronavirus. The anxiety is also over consumer spending because the concern is, is that people are sitting in their homes, they're not getting out there and spending money. And it's really been the consumer that has been driving this bull market for so long.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Kosik:] You know, consumer spending makes up the lion's share of the U.S. economy Poppy.
[Harlow:] OK. Alison, thank you very much.
[Sciutto:] Concerned about real economic effects to this. So let's join joining us now on the phone, Mohamed El-Erian. He's the chief economic adviser at Allianz. Also used to be the CEO of PIMCO investment powerhouse. You've been following the market for decades. I want to ask you this question. The president spoke to the nation last night, he was speaking to investors, I imagine, as well, and businesses to calm them. Your response to the changes, to the travel ban, and also the clarity of his answers on things like whether it would affect cargo as well as people.
[Mohamed El-erian, Chief Economic Adviser, Allianz:] So I worried, and I tweeted that out yesterday, that the only thing that markets would focus on is what the travel ban means for economic growth and more generally for people's willingness to interact in the economy. Remember, we have two distinct dynamics in play, both of which are not familiar to advanced economies. One is sudden stops, things just stop.
[Harlow:] Right.
[El-erian:] Airline travel just stops, cruise just stops. And the other one is fear. Fear and the travel ban increased concern about both. It doesn't surprise me that the markets are doing what they're doing because people now are pricing in the global recession.
[Harlow:] Mohamed, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro e-mailed me last night about temporarily eliminating the payroll tax and said, quote, "If enacted fully and promptly, the positive GDP growth impacts of the payroll tax cut has the potential to completely offset negative growth effects of COVID-19." How do we know that? We have no idea, do we, what the lasting economic impact is going to be on growth in this country and around the world?
[El-erian:] So first, he may be right over time, but it will do nothing in the short-term. And the way to reduce this, Poppy, is simply look at your own behavior. If you get a tax relief, if the Fed gives you a cheap loan, are you going to go on a cruise? Are you going to travel?
[Harlow:] No.
[El-erian:] We are being told social distancing, isolation is the way to deal with the health threat. And you've got to put health out of everything else. So I think that the policy response right now has got to be on two things. One, is protecting the most vulnerable people in our population and economic segments, and secondly, ensuring that financial markets function, so that we so that finance doesn't contaminate the economy.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[El-erian:] The other stuff which is increasing our purchasing power, that will have an effect later on, but not now.
[Sciutto:] The reason folks, and you might be aware of this as well, Mr. El-Erian, those numbers have frozen on your screen. Nothing wrong with the screen.
[Harlow:] It's healthy.
[Sciutto:] Trading has stopped on the market. That's because it has reached for this number you look at the S&P 500, a broader index.
[Harlow:] Right.
[Sciutto:] It means it's dropped more than 7 percent. Our Alison Kosik is on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, so this holds now for 15 minutes unless it were to drop again 13 percent, and then you'd have another 15-minute trading halt. What's the reaction there on the floor?
[Kosik:] Yes, I mean, you know what, unfortunately this is sort of becoming normal because this is exactly what happened on Monday as well. Trading stopped for 15 percent when we saw the S&P 500 for 15 minutes, rather, after the S&P 500 fell 7 percent. The idea with halting trading is it's to reduce panic and ensure orderly markets are functioning. We are seeing the Dow as you said enter a bear market, the S&P 500 now in a bear market, so we can honestly say now that the stock market has entered bear market territory and the historic 11-year bull run has ended. So now we have traders all over the New York Stock Exchange, waiting these 15 minutes out to resume trading because the circuit breaker has been kicked.
[Harlow:] OK. Alison, we're officially in bear market territory. Christine Romans, tell everyone at home what this means for them.
[Romans:] So this means, look, at the end of last year, we had record high balances in our 401 [k] s. At the end of last year, right? So now you've got more than a year and a half of those gains have been wiped away. So you're going back to, you know, 2018 levels. So well over half of the gains during the Trump administration in the stock market are gone. If you are close to retirement, you've had everything in the stock market, you shouldn't have, I'm sorry to say, but you have really suffered some risk here, some you know, more than 23 percent now in your stock market. But your 401 [k] is probably not just full of stocks. As you get closer to retirement, likely you have been pulling back on risk and that's what you're supposed to do. But it hurts in the meantime. And it hurts because it happens so quickly. You know, 20 percent declines in just, you know, 20-some trading days or 20-some days is really, really unusual. This has been a sharp decline from record highs into bear market territory.
[Sciutto:] I mean, you said you said it took 267 days to get into bear market territory in 2008 during the financial crisis, it has taken now today's drop just 22 days, less than a tenth of that.
[Harlow:] Yes. Do we still have Mohamed El-Erian on the phone? OK. Mohamed, the question is, the president was unable to assuage the markets, OK. The Fed's ability to do so is limited given how much they have cut when the economy was very strong and the market was doing well. You wrote a whole book about this and the importance of central banks in a moment like this. What now can and should central banks around the world and the U.S. Fed do?
[El-erian:] They should be laser focused on the functioning of markets. They have to make sure that finance doesn't contaminate the economy. This is not about the banking system, I want to stress. This is not 2008.
[Harlow:] Right.
[El-erian:] But it is about credit becoming less available. It is about the disrupted market. Poppy, have a simple image in your head, a beach ball that we have submerged for a very long time deeper and deeper into the ocean.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[El-erian:] And suddenly we let go of it, it doesn't stop at the surface, it's going to pop right up and that's what's going to happen to markets. They were artificially supported for too long by central banks. And now an overshoot on the other way up. Things will come back. It is important to stress. Strong balance sheet companies survive this.
[Romans:] Mohamed, this is Christine Romans. So glad you're here with us. Quick question, outside of the Fed, what other stimulus is appropriate here? Because we see the Democrats have a package they're trying advance, there is some concerns, though, about what would work and what could get through Congress. I mean, should there be a fiscal approach here that's more aggressive than what we have seen?
[El-erian:] Yes, you shouldn't turn a short-term problem into a long- term problem. You shouldn't turn a liquidity problem to a solvency problem. So people who are forced to stay home, because they can't get to work for health reasons, we should try and support them. The uninsured should get access to free testing, free treatment. You've got to protect people who otherwise, their own behavior would make things worse. Remember, what makes sense when individual person in this environment doesn't make sense for society. So you as an individual investor, you disengage, you stop spending. But for society as a whole, that is a real problem. So we've got to limit short-term problem becoming longer-term ones and we've got to make sure the most vulnerable are protected. We have the tools. OK. It's just a matter of getting them implemented.
[Sciutto:] Mohamed El-Erian, stay there, hold that thought. Christine Romans, Alison Kosik, we're going to take a brief break. We'll be right back. Welcome back. Your screen is not frozen. The market is still frozen for 15 minutes because it's dropped 7 percent at the open here this morning once again. Back with Mohamed El-Erian and Ken Rogoff as well, professor of economics and public policy at Harvard, as well as Christine Romans and Alison Kosik. Ken Rogoff, if I could begin with you, there's a lot of discussion now of fiscal stimulus, in other words the government spending money to help dull the blow of all this. You've heard about a payroll tax holiday, there's discussion now of bailouts for the airlines because they're in serious trouble. What would make the biggest difference for folks at home who are watching this, they're not spending the same kind of money they did, they're worried about their jobs, et cetera? Which packs the most punch?
[Ken Rogoff, Professor Of Economics And Public Policy, Harvard University:] I don't think it's a matter of one thing. Frankly what I wanted to see last night and perhaps markets did is that there is going to be cooperation between Congress, the president, maybe the president gives Congress, the Democrats, their good ideas, they have a lot of them. Democrats can see some of his and they move forward. I think we have to look forward not just to try to get through the immediate patch, but not to hurt the healthy parts of the economy. We need a massive stimulus. This isn't this is clear, this problem, even if it was just a global part of the recession coming from China we'd be in trouble.
[Harlow:] Except when you look at massive stimulus, Christine Romans, you made this point to me in the break, when there was TARP, right, during the 2008 financial crisis, it failed the first time, the market tumbled. Then they got their act together, they passed something. There was a stimulus plan. This is very segmented. What is the plan?
[Romans:] There is no TARP for a better word, it's a terrible acronym, but there isn't there's a bunch of different ideas but there isn't one and I think that Ken is right. I think investors wanted to hear last night the president go out and say, here's what we're going to do. We're going to work with Congress, we're going to work with the European allies, we're going to work with other we're going to coordinate around the world to do X, Y and Z. We did not hear that. The markets fell out of it.
[Sciutto:] Mohamed El-Erian, there've been a lot of talk about how there is not a lot of room to cut interest rates because the Fed has been cutting interest rates through the boom here. Right? I mean, we're down close to 1 percent. Congress has also been spending money through the boom, including enormous tax cut, which has inflated the deficit. Is there fiscal room now for the kind of massive stimulus you hear being talked about to make a difference?
[El-erian:] I think we have no choice but we have to be smart about it. We have no choice because we don't want to sacrifice growth potential as well as actual growth. We could devastate the economy for years if we're not careful. I want to stress the how is as important as the what. You already heard from Christine and Ken, two elements of the how. First it has to come across as a whole of government approach. Everybody working together. There is a conductor, everybody in the orchestra know what they're doing, and they're coordinated. Second, it has to have an international element. Third, it has to have a clear map. What are you going to do on day one? What are you going to do on day two? Day one is about, I stress, things like free testing, covering uninsured, paid emergency leave, paid medical leave, strengthening unemployment insurance, that sort of stuff. Phase two is about following that up. Once you've built the bridge, the immediate bridge, with well-focused stimulus and critically infrastructure spending that promotes long-term growth. And so you need a map as well. You need a very clear plan. If you have these three things in place, you start putting the bridge, if you like, to a destination that's not as bad as it looks right now.
[Harlow:] Mohamed, markets are forward looking. They predict how companies are going to do. Companies like Princess Cruise just halted total operations for 60 days. We know the impact on the travel industry, hospitality, it is brutal. The impact on jobs, et cetera. Is there any way to avoid a recession now in your mind?
[El-erian:] First, I think a global recession is unfortunately very, very likely. And the sadness, the tragedy is
[Sciutto:] Sorry to interrupt, Mr. El-Erian. Just so viewers know what's happening here. The market has reopened after this 15-minute break, which you're well aware of, and as it reopens there, looks to be falling again. Apologies, though. Please go ahead and continue the thought.
[El-erian:] Yes, I'm just going to say, if you're a company right now, here's what you're looking at. Your revenue is collapsing, and collapsing way beyond anything that's planned. Your CAR side is really complicated. You can't ensure your supply lines, you don't know where your employees are going to go and you don't know how you're 'going to move your inventory. Your cash is being drained, and God forbid, you have maturing debt, the credit markets are closed. So this is going to impact virtually every company. A few are going to do well, but most of them are going to find them being hit on every side of the income and balance sheets.
[Sciutto:] Yes. Ken Rogoff, if you're still there now, we're gosh, we're 8 percent down. So that market freeze didn't stop the free fall. Ken Rogoff, tariffs have been a big part of the president's approach to China. Are tariffs a target here, something to lower, because that of course imposes heavy costs on businesses and consumers in the midst of a and there it is, 2,000 points down.
[Rogoff:] Absolutely. One of the first steps that should have been taken a month ago, two months ago, is to pull back the tariffs. Call off the tariff war. We fairly don't need a lot of things to block global trade right now. We're in a crisis. And that's the most counterproductive thing we've done to the economy, you can call it that. It's a stop that's also important gesture towards the world, as Mohamed El-Erian was saying. You want to show some international approach, not that you're trying to isolate yourself, form a moat around the United States. That is not going to work.
[Harlow:] Thank you, Ken, Mohamed, Alison at the exchange. Christine Romans, our chief business correspondent. We couldn't get through all this without you guys. We're going to the markets off 2100 points. The Dow, the S&P down just as much. We'll stay on top of this. Thanks to everyone. We have a lot more breaking news. New details from lawmakers on the hill, what they just were briefed on. I will have all of that for you, ahead. Top of the hour. Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Sciutto:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. Listen, it's a tough day, it's an unsettling day. We're going to bring you all the information we gave as we have it. This is the latest. We have confirmation now this morning of how far behind the U.S. is on coronavirus testing. A source tells CNN that House lawmakers were told the U.S. public health system were struggling to catch up to other countries. 11,000 tests completed so far across the country. South Korea, for instance, tests 10,000 people per day.
[Harlow:] Just think about that. The markets reacting this morning. The Dow off about 7.5 percent, down 1700 points. The same for the S&P. All over the confusion caused by the president and his primetime address last night. He announced a travel ban on most countries in Europe but excluded the United Kingdom, and then had to correct what the travel ban actually meant. Meanwhile, the pandemic is reaching every aspect of American life. The latest headline this morning, the NBA Wizards are telling their team to self-quarantine for two weeks after playing the Utah Jazz. A Jazz player tested positive for coronavirus.
[Sciutto:] So the NBA has already suspended its season. March Madness, of course, the college basketball tournament, that's going to play out in empty arenas. Also unfolding this morning, Carnival's Princess cruise line says they are suspending all operations around the world for 60 days. States and cities, they're banning large gatherings. Most schools around the country are closing. And listen to this, movie legend Tom Hanks and his wife test positive for the disease. They got that test because they happened to be traveling in Australia at the time.
[Harlow:] Our team is covering this story all around the world. Let's begin with our Christine Romans here in New York on the markets. The markets were not calmed at all.
[Romans:] No.
[Harlow:] Christine, last night, from the president.
[Romans:] You know, they wanted to see a plan. They wanted to know the United States had this under control and what was the plan for combatting this, where was the testing, what is the public health. For example, hospital surge capacity. What we've got was a travel ban that then had to sort of walked back a little bit because the president also said he was going to ban cargo and trade. That really concerned markets. You saw markets last night, as the president was speaking, tumbling around the world. And then when the White House corrected that and said, no, it's not for American citizens, it's only for citizens of these countries in Europe coming to the U.S., markets weren't calmed by that because of the kind of clumsiness of the message.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They want $25 billion, billion, for the Post Office.
[Unidentified Female:] Now is not the time to be cutting back services.
[Trump:] But if they don't get those two items, that means you can't have universal mail-in voting.
[Unidentified Female:] That's undemocratic, it's un-American and it's Donald Trump's fault. He's trying to do everything he can to tilt the election into his favor. New potentially promising developments in the search for a coronavirus vaccine. A challenge trial is where you intentionally put the virus literally up their noses and you see how well the vaccine works.
[William Haseltine, Fmr. Professor, Harvard Medical School And Harvard School Of Public Health:] I consider it to be unnecessary, uninformative and unethical. Basically it's treating people like laboratory animals.
[Unidentified Male:] This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] Live look at the White House this morning. Good Saturday morning to you. Let's start this morning with the uncertainty as we head closer to the presidential election. The U.S. Postal Service says that in most states, nearly all states mail- in ballots may not make it in time to be counted, but as it faces the pressure over cutbacks, the Post Office has agreed to stop removing mailboxes in western states.
[Christi Paul, Cnn Anchor:] And this morning in the fight against the coronavirus, more than 1,300 Americans died yesterday and now the American Heart Association is saying COVID related heart damage is worse than they thought.
[Blackwell:] And there's this rebuke from a former Harvard Med School professor. He calls the vaccine challenge trial the government is considering you're going to hear more about that in just a moment unnecessary, uninformative and unethical.
[Paul:] We want to start with the threat to the U.S. Postal Service across the country this morning, though. Last night, the Post Office agreed that it would stop removing boxes in 16 western states and part of two others until after the election.
[Blackwell:] But boxes have already been removed in New York and Oregon and Montana and Indiana and the Post Service says that workers, or at least told workers, in four other states it will be cutting hours of retail operation. Here's CNN's Jessica Schneider.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] When Florida holds its primary election on Tuesday, President Trump and the first lady will be voting by mail, The couple requesting ballots as President Trump has repeatedly claimed mail-in voting leads to widespread voter fraud.
[Trump:] I said it will end up being fraudulent because if you look at what's happened over the last few weeks, just look at the few instances where this has happened, it's turned out to be fraudulent.
[Schneider:] But CNN's fact-checking team has consistently debunked that claim. More states are adopting universal mail-in balloting where ballots are automatically mailed to every registered voter. New Jersey is just the latest state. That makes nine states plus Washington D.C. that will now give all voters the option to vote by mail and most also have in-person voting, known as a hybrid model.
[Gov. Phil Murphy:] Everybody gets a ballot. So we're going to have a hybrid model in November.
[Schneider:] Meanwhile, some voters in Virginia, New Hampshire and D.C. say they are increasingly confused by election information they're receiving in the mail. In D.C., there were erroneous instructions and in New Hampshire and Virginia, the mailers contained errors in the return address. In Pennsylvania, Republicans race to turn over evidence that proves their claims of mail-in voter fraud in the state's primaries. It will be a pivotal point in a critical battleground state. The Trump campaign has sued to demand changes to Pennsylvania's mail-in balloting process, but now a judge is making them prove there are problems, Democrats saying Republicans should not be permitted to raise such spectacular fraud related claims, particularly in this national climate. This as the fight over funding at the U.S. Postal Service continues with a new letter from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy obtained by CNN showing the Trump appointee and long-time Republican donor acknowledging some of the recent changes have had unintended consequences impacting the level of service, but DeJoy says the cuts are necessary since the UPSP's financial condition is dire.
[Trump:] People will have to go to the polls and vote like the old days.
[Schneider:] CNN has learned the president met with Postmaster DeJoy last week at the height of funding talks as he opposed widespread vote-by-mail.
[Jena Griswold, Colorado Secretary Of State:] President Trump is lying about vote-by-mail. he is lying about mail ballots. Colorado has a very clean history of running great elections with vote-by-mail.
[Schneider:] We've learned that the internal watchdog for the Postal Service will now review the recent changes made by the Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. They include elimination of overtime as well as service slowdowns. The inspector general will also look into whether DeJoy has complied with the federal ethics rules. Now, this comes after lawmakers from both parties have sounded the alarms on these recent changes, calling them disruptive, but DeJoy has repeatedly denied that the changes are meant to disrupt service, instead saying that the cuts are necessary because of the financial situation the Postal Service is in. Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
[Paul:] And Jessica, thank you to you. Want to go to White House correspondent Sarah Westwood right now because the president isn't president isn't just questioning the security of mail-in voting. So Sarah, we know he's also refused to distance himself from this candidate who's pushing conspiracy theories of her own. What are you hearing this morning? And good morning.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] Good morning, Christi and Victor. And yes, yesterday the president praising Marjorie Taylor Greene, this candidate from Georgia, this Republican candidate who won her congressional primary in Georgia this week. She has openly embraced these QAnon conspiracy theories that have been percolating on the internet, but the president was really focused yesterday on her primary victory and on her popularity in Georgia and when he was pressed on whether he supports the same conspiracy theories that she does, he moved on to another reporter, declined to answer that question. I want you to take a listen to that exchange from yesterday.
[Trump:] Well, she did very well in the election. She won by a lot. She was very popular. She comes from a great state and she had a tremendous victory, so absolutely I did congratulate her. Please go ahead. Go ahead, please.
[Unidentified Female:] QAnon in person and to embrace that conspiracy theory. Do you agree with her on that? That was the question.
[Trump:] Go ahead, please.
[Westwood:] Now, Greene has said that QAnon conspiracy theories are worth paying attention to, that they're worth listening to and I just want to walk you through some of the things that the QAnon conspiracy theory has embraced. it includes allegations, baseless ones, that high profile people have participated in child sex rings, that the deep state has been trying to sabotage Trump's presidency, there's been conspiracies about mass shootings, about elections and also that 5G is somehow spreading coronavirus. Again, there's no basis to any of those conspiracy theories, but that's the kind of thing that Marjorie Taylor Greene says is worth paying attention to and that the president had declined to disavow. Of course it's not the first time that the president has openly embraced baseless conspiracy theories. He's done so with birtherism, with a number of other ones. And also, Greene has become a polarizing figure on capitol hill. Back in the summer when some of her racist comments had resurfaced in media reports, Republican leadership had condemned that kind of rhetoric, but they went ahead and congratulated her on her primary victory. That's a deep red district, so she's very likely to end up representing it on Capitol Hill in November, but some Republicans have been tweeting, disavowing themselves the QAnon conspiracy theory. So she is sure to be a polarizing figure if she does end up in Washington after this election, Victor and Christi.
[Paul:] All right. Sarah Westwood, thank you for breaking it down for us this morning.
[Blackwell:] Thank you, Sarah. The CDC says that people who have recovered from coronavirus do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to three months.
[Paul:] Now, more than 1,300 Americans, as we said, died from the virus just yesterday. CNN's Brynn Gingras is following the very latest. So Brynn, I know the death toll here, the people that have died in the U.S., they topped more than 1,000. I have to use the word "again" behind that as well.
[Brynn Gingras, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes. It's a disheartening number, Christi and Victor. Good morning. As you can imagine, the number of deaths that the CDC, other agencies are projecting for the near future, well, those numbers are only going up. The CDC also releasing information about hot spot areas, saying Latino and black communities are being hit the hardest by this virus. This as the White House Task Force's testing expert says the country is doing all it can when it comes to testing.
[Gingras:] The U.S. averaging more than 1,000 deaths a day not for one week or two, but for almost three weeks and now the CDC forecasting by September 5th the country may reach a death toll of nearly 189,000.
[Brett Giroir, Trump Administration Testing Czar:] If there is a good idea, I want to hear it.
[Gingras:] The administration's testing czar Brett Giroir appearing on CNN Friday after health experts challenged his earlier statements...
[Unidentified Male:] Say "ah."
[Gingras:] ... that the country is doing an appropriate amount of testing.
[Ashish Jha, Director, Harvard Global Health Institute:] Right now, we're testing 700,000, 800,000 people, a fraction of the number we need.
[Unidentified Female:] Would you say enough has been done, enough has been done to make sure that everyone who needs a test gets a test in this in this country?
[Giroir:] Everything that can possibly be done has been done. I spend every day trying to increase testing. What I want people to understand, though, is that testing is not the panacea, it is not the answer.
[Gingras:] In Georgia where the state reached its highest death toll this week, the governor is praising his state's testing efforts despite "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" reporting that recommendations from the White House Task Force urged the governor to boost mitigation measures since the state's infection rate is nearly double the national average.
[William Boddie , Georgia State House:] You're going to tell me that the data that the governor is looking at and examining is the right data? Because if it is, we wouldn't be in the top five with other states that are twice, three times and four times the size of the state of Georgia.
[Gingras:] California now at a disheartening milestone after taking a one-two punch from the virus, the state recording more cases than any other state in the country, more than 600,000.
[Unidentified Male:] We're not out of the woods.
[Gingras:] For 53 straight days, Florida counting more than 4,000 new cases daily. There are growing concerns in Illinois which is reporting its highest number of cases since May. One potentially promising note, hospitalizations across the country are declining.
[Dr. Tom Ingelsby, Dir., Center For Health Sec., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health:] This virus hasn't changed. It's the same as it was before and it's doing very substantial damage to the country. I think we really have to be very focused on mask use, avoiding large gatherings, social distancing, hand hygiene. This plateau we're in now, it's fragile. It could go back in the other direction if people begin to relax.
[Gingras:] This week, the CDC's director told Americans to expect the worst fall we've ever had. It's why many parents and teachers are still grappling with tough decisions when it comes to schools.
[Matt Chicci, Arizona Teacher Who Resigned Over Covid-19 Concerns:] So I've got a member of my family that, you know, is at high risk and so if I'm put into a classroom of 30 or more kids, it's a small room, there's one exit, the ventilation isn't all that great for schools.
[Gingras:] In Georgia, one district saw 80 cases of COVID-19 just this week, resulting in the quarantine of more than 1,100 teachers and students, parents there calling on the governor to reevaluate the reopening of schools. And new CDC guidance to pediatricians shows that the rate of cases among children, well, it's steadily increasing across this country, which of course possibly tied to, likely tied to more schools reopening. That same guidance shows that kids can get very sick from this virus. In fact, it says if you look at the population of kids, of those hospitalized, one in three are likely to end up in the intensive care unit which, guys, is the same as adults, Christi and Victor.
[Blackwell:] Brynn Gingras for us there in New York. Thank you so much, Brynn. Coming up, the testing of the potential coronavirus, a former Harvard Medical School professor says that these human challenge trials, as they're called, they're known as the controlled infection trials, are unethical and they treat people like laboratory animals. You'll hear more and we'll discuss.
[Paul:] Also, Kamala Harris' former classmate at Howard says she saw something in Senator Harris back then that we're going to see as the election plays out now. That classmate's with us next to tell us more about the VP candidate and what to expect from her.

[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] It's deadline day for President Trump to order those tariffs he's been threatening to impose on Mexico.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] I make no apologies in my last position, and I make no apologies for what I'm about to say.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Democratic front runner Joe Biden flip-flops on federal funds for abortion.
[Romans:] A Colorado couple says they became violently sick at the same Dominican resort where three Americans mysteriously died on vacation.
[Briggs:] Plus, how did an airplane door fall from the sky right into a Vegas neighborhood? Hello.
[Romans:] Hey.
[Briggs:] Good morning, everyone, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Dave Briggs.
[Romans:] And I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday.
[Briggs:] Say it again.
[Romans:] June 7th, Friday, jobs day actually.
[Briggs:] Jobs day.
[Romans:] Big economic report coming out this morning. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East. So let's begin here with tariffs. Today is the deadline for President Trump to decide whether to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico. The president wakes up today at his golf club in Ireland. We're looking at live pictures, I believe. There there it is. No. Well, the banner on the top says Mexico. I'm pretty sure it is
[Briggs:] I'm a little confused. But that's not Mexico.
[Romans:] That does look like Ireland to me. Look, he must set the wheels in motion to carry out his threat to impose an initial 5 percent tariff starting Monday unless Mexico stems the flow of migrants at the southern U.S. border. Now both sides say they believe there's still a chance at a deal to stop the tariffs but the Vice President Mike Pence underscored the U.S. demand that Mexico must first halt the tide of migrants.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] The bottom line is we made it very clear that Mexico has to step up. They have to do more, and they have to do more quickly.
[Briggs:] Mexico's Foreign minister announcing last night that his country is deploying 6,000 Mexican National Guard troops to the country's southern border with Guatemala to help curb migration. Earlier the Foreign minister said he is optimistic a deal can be made with the U.S. in time.
[Marcelo Ebrard, Mexican Foreign Minister:] We are optimistic because we have a good meeting with respectable respectful position from both parts. We have the opportunity. We have the opportunity to share our point of view.
[Briggs:] President Trump for his part believes tariffs are a win-win for the U.S. telling FOX's Laura Ingraham they're, quote, "a beautiful thing."
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Republicans should love what I'm doing because I view tariffs in two phases. Number one it's great to negotiate with because people don't want to be tariffed for coming into the United States, they don't want that. And number two, frankly if they're gone, you make a fortune because all the companies are going to move back into the country.
[Briggs:] Republicans don't typically love tax increases, to note. Talks between the U.S. and Mexico resume in Washington later this morning.
[Romans:] All right. A 180 from Joe Biden from the Hyde Amendment. The former vice president and Democratic frontrunner reversing his long-held position on abortion funding in the space of a single day. He says he no longer supports the measure and wants it eliminated. What is the Hyde Amendment? It blocks federal funds for being used from most abortions. More now from CNN's Arlette Saenz in Atlanta.
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] Christine and Dave, after he had faced swift criticism from his 2020 rivals, Joe Biden made a major reversal when it comes to abortion. He told a group of Democrats here in Atlanta that he no longer supports the Hyde Amendment which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions in most cases except for rape, incest and saving the life of the mother. Now take a listen to what Biden had to tell Democrats in Atlanta last night.
[Biden:] I can't justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to to exercise their constitutionally protected right. If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone's zip code.
[Saenz:] Now this was a very quick reversal. You had basically seen the entire Democratic field criticize Biden for the fact that he supported this Hyde Amendment. That was really the first major fault line that you had seen between the former vice president and his 2020 rivals. But now Biden issuing that major reversal saying that he does support ending the Hyde Amendment Christine and Dave.
[Briggs:] OK, Arlette, thanks. The candidate's views are becoming more critical to a number of voters. Take a look at this new CNN poll, 3 in 10 Americans now say a candidate must agree with their views on abortion to get their vote in a major election. In 2004, only 17 percent of the voters felt that way.
[Romans:] All right. House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler is privately pushing to begin an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. But he's running into resistance from Nancy Pelosi. According to Politico, Democrats held a meeting this week where the House speaker argued she would rather see the president in prison. CNN's Manu Raju has more from Capitol Hill.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Good morning, Christine and Dave. Now a split between the House speaker Nancy Pelosi and the chairman of the House Judiciary over whether or not to open up an impeachment probe. Jerry Nadler, the chairman of that committee, says they should and he's been making this case privately to Nancy Pelosi on multiple occasions. Pelosi says no. She believes that's a wrong approach. She
[Romans:] All right, Manu, in Washington, thank you for that. President Trump lashing out at Nancy Pelosi for that prison comment. The president hitting back hard in a FOX News interview.
[Trump:] I think she's a disgrace. I actually don't think she's a talented person. I've tried to be nice to her because I would have liked to have gotten some deals done. She's incapable of doing deals. She's a nasty, vindictive, horrible person. The Mueller report came out. It was a disaster for them.
[Romans:] Wow. You know, the timing of that interview I think is curious.
[Briggs:] Sure.
[Romans:] That interview took place at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France, in front of the graves of American soldiers who lost their lives in World War II, before, you know, sort of the official program of the day honoring the sacrifice of Americans and British, too. And that was the tone from the commander-in-chief.
[Briggs:] Right. And what's more revealing, reading a very good speech off a teleprompter or revealing your true feelings there, and he said in that interview to Laura Ingraham, I'm holding up the ceremonies because of this interview. Now it turns out that Emmanuel Macron was later than the president. But that's time he thought he was holding it up for a FOX News interview. Moving on, the president returning to Washington today, set to depart Ireland in the coming hours. Now during this five-day trip to Europe, he wasted no time wading into domestic U.K. policies and even apparently claiming he talked politics with Queen Elizabeth. CNN's Nic Robertson live in Doonbeg, Ireland with the latest on this. Nic, good morning to you. This is the president's private club, the third time he has stopped as president at a private business he maintains to visit one of his clubs. How do you how do you grade this trip?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] You know, he managed to behave well in front of the Queen. He totally waded into British politics in a way that's not only disruptive but it's divisive and it's put issues out there that people in Britain really didn't know were on the table. And that's you know, that can be very destructive. I mean, what he said could actually lead to a general election, the implications of what he said. But right now this morning he's supposed to be playing golf. We've got a picture up from here. You can just about see the golf resort. You might be able to see it through the rain behind me on our other camera here. It's going to be a wet golfing session if the president gets out for that session before he takes off back to the United States today but is leaving behind him, you know, a trail of concern and he's alluded here that he actually talked about Brexit, talked about politics with the Queen.
[Trump:] So I think before you can think in terms of Brexit for the next few weeks, you're going to have to find out what happens, who's going to be the new leader. I found it to be a set of an amazing period of time, especially having spent so much time with the Queen who I think is an incredible lady, but I spent so much time and, you know, there's a lot of question marks as to who's going to be leading, and so it was very interesting talking to her, being with her for so many hours, actually.
[Robertson:] Well, when the president's back in D.C., dealing with Mexico, Theresa May, the British prime minister, will be stepping down in London from her position, and the ramifications of the issues the president has brought up while he's been in the U.K., the country will be dealing with those in the weeks and months ahead Dave.
[Briggs:] Turbulent times there. Nic Robertson live on a terrible golf day in Ireland. Thank you, sir. After several days, President Trump has signed that $19.1 billion disaster relief package as promised. Even tweeted a photo that appears to have been taken on Air Force One. The measure will bring much needed relief to Americans affected by hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other disasters. Several House Republicans held up passage of the bill last month, after the Senate passed.
[Romans:] All right. That long U.S. streak of jobs growth probably has not ended yet. Economists polled by Reuters Refinitiv rather, estimate 185,000 jobs were added in May. 185,000, you can see how that fits into the trend this year. April was also a strong month. 263,000 net new jobs added then. One worrying sign, this month's payroll report from the payroll processer ADP. ADP found the private sector added just 27,000 jobs in May. You can imagine if we had a reading like that. Steep losses in construction employment. That caused some forecasters to lower their expectations for the Labor Department's report. They also expect the unemployment rate to hold steady here at 3.6 percent. This is a generational low. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more open jobs than people looking for jobs in America, and that's been the case since February 2018, a sign of just how tight that labor market. Also wage growth expected to come in around 3.2 percent. If that happens, that would be the 8th month above 3 percent pay growth. That's an important number to watch. Let's look at futures here. You've got slight gains but really I would call this an indecisive positive tone here at the opening bell. And around the world, in stock markets around the world, really kind of mixed. You had a little bit of a bounce here in London. So we'll see if that follows through to the opening bell here in the U.S. Opening bell opens in a little more than five hours Dave.
[Briggs:] Interesting, right. It seems like, feels like the economic story of the week is what the Fed is prepared to do.
[Romans:] That's right.
[Briggs:] It's prepared to backstop the president's policies.
[Romans:] Absolutely.
[Briggs:] It's not necessarily the worldwide
[Romans:] And the president has been screaming for a Fed rate cut for how many months now saying the Fed was loco for not lowering interest rates. In a way he may have bullied his way into that.
[Briggs:] Yes.
[Romans:] By putting tariffs on potentially Mexico, definitely on China. The Fed may have come to come in, the thinking goes, and lower interest rates just like the president always wanted to undo the damage from his trade wars and the U.S. economy.
[Briggs:] That would be the story of the economy this month indeed.
[Romans:] Yes.
[Briggs:] Romans, thank you. Ahead a Colorado couple says they got sick at the same Dominican resort where three Americans were recently found dead. You'll hear from them next.

[Cabrera:] Hawaii's department of transportation confirms 11 people were killed when a skydiving plane crashed and burst into flames on the island of Oahu. The FAA says is happened as the twin- engine plane was taking off at Dillingham airfield on Oahu's famed north shore. There were no survivors. The fiery crash was Hawaii's deadliest in civil aviation wreck in nearly 20 years. Natasha Chen joins us now. There is no official cause, Natasha, but what are witnesses saying about this crash?
[Natasha Chen, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, Ana, what we know right now is that witnesses saw this plane crash into a fence line away the runway. And by the time firefighters arrived it was already engulfed in flames. Now you are right, we do not know the cause of the crash. And right now a team from Washington, D.C., a team from the National Transportation Safety Board is on its way to Hawaii to investigate what happened. The officials in Hawaii say that this flight was operated by the Oahu parachute center. That it was a skydiving trip so this was very tragic because people were obviously there to have fun on this trip and it ended so tragically. Here's what the fire chief had to say about the accident.
[Chen:] And the congressional representative in that district, Tulsi Gabbard, who is also running for president, tweeted about this today sending prayers to the friends and family of the people involved there. I've spoken to some of the friends who know people on that flight. They say the skydiving community is very tight knit and this is a huge loss for them right now Ana?
[Ana Cabrera, Cnn Anchor:] Natasha Chen, thanks for that report.
[Chen:] Thank you.
[Cabrera:] He's been called President Trump's shadow chief of staff, but we are getting new insight into how FOX News host, Sean Hannity, advised Paul Manafort during the special counsel's investigation. Details just ahead. Plus, did another TV news host have a hand in changing the president's mind about striking Iran?

[Camerota:] Senator Bernie Sanders heading into next week's Nevada caucuses with momentum from his win in New Hampshire, while centrist Democrats struggle to unite around a single, moderate alternative. The candidates are fanning out across the country on the campaign trail this week. As you can see from their heads on that map. Joining us now we have CNN senior political analyst John Avlon and CNN political commentator Jess McIntosh, who was the director of communications outreach for the Hillary Clinton campaign. OK, Jess, give us a snapshot of where you think we are today with the Democratic candidates.
[Jess Mcintosh, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, I think we have a new frontrunner. I think Bernie Sanders is is has taken over Joe Biden as the de facto frontrunner for the race. Obviously, there are a ton of caveats to that. Pete Buttigieg is actually slightly ahead in the delegate count. But the most important thing that's about to happen is that black and brown voters are about to get a say. They have not had one yet. And they are the most vibrant enthusiastic part of our base. So it is impossible to say who's ahead until we know who our base is really excited about. And that starts in Nevada, then moves on to South Carolina. So the race is about to change dramatically.
[Berman:] You know what's interesting, and it tees up to what I'm about to get into here, is that African-American and Latino voters can be more moderate and centrist than other parts of the party. And that's often misinterpreted.
[Mcintosh:] It's true.
[Berman:] Which brings me to what I think is the other big storyline here, which is Bernie Sanders versus the centrists or the centrists or everyone else versus Bernie Sanders. And this is encapsulated in a back and forth with none other than James Carville that has happened over various airwaves in the last few hours. So listen to this back and forth.
[James Carville, Democratic Political Strategist:] Some people in this country want a revolution. They want disruption. You know, I don't know what you know, they scream at people. They go and bully people. And, I don't know how you want to elect that 78 years old standing up and screaming in a microphone about the revolution.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] James, in all due respect, is a political hack who said very terrible things when he was working for Clinton against Barack Obama. I think he said some of the same things.
[Berman:] OK.
[Camerota:] Touche.
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] No.
[Berman:] Colorful, but this is what the discussion is in the Democratic Party this morning.
[Avlon:] Yes. And, look, there are deep divides in the Democratic Party. I think what's significant is while the far left has had a lot of energy behind it, and Bernie Sanders deserves credit for moving the debate inside the Democratic Party to the left. Let's take a look at what actually happened in New Hampshire. Compared to four years before, the percent of folks who could describe themselves as very liberal declined to around a fifth. The folks who describe themselves as moderate, increased. So while he is ahead, he's the lowest percentage of a total win in, like, New Hampshire history. And we've got three candidates who are all around 20 percent, Klobuchar at the bottom, Buttigieg and Sanders. So, yes, the centrists are getting concerned because of socialists. Most polls show Gallup poll in particular that the socialists have a really hard time winning in America. Sometimes hard to understand that outside the echo chamber. That's what that's what James Carville is trying to get at. He's got the energy. The center is currently split. My guess is, this is going to shake out a lot, particularly when Bloomberg starts getting involved in
[Mcintosh:] To be fair, yes, it was a lower vote total in New Hampshire, certainly than he got in 2016.
[Avlon:] Absolutely.
[Mcintosh:] But in 2016 he was running against a single candidate. This year there were five more or less viable candidates splitting that vote. And it looks like we're in for a record turnout in New Hampshire.
[Avlon:] Yes.
[Mcintosh:] We don't have those numbers in yet.
[Avlon:] It appears that way.
[Mcintosh:] But it appears like we are we're going to be close to or breaking 2008 levels, which is a very exciting thing for Democrats right now.
[Avlon:] That's great news for Democrats, but Bernie Sanders got fewer votes. So, meaning, he didn't hold on to all of his votes. And, actually, first-time voters who people thought Bernie would bring in actually seemed to have gone for Pete Buttigieg.
[Camerota:] OK, enter Michael Bloomberg. And so now after New Hampshire
[Berman:] What's his walk in music? What do you think, enter Michael Bloomberg.
[Camerota:] It has to be some oh, um, back in the New York groove.
[Berman:] It's whatever he wants it to be.
[Camerota:] It's really.
[Mcintosh:] Yes, it is.
[Berman:] It's whatever he wants it to be. Because he can afford
[Camerota:] Yes, exactly. So people are talking about him now after New Hampshire because he is apparently blanketing the country with ads. And so, inevitably, past comments of his are being scrutinized.
[Mcintosh:] Yes.
[Camerota:] So I think we should just play for everybody something that he said in 2015 that's getting a lot of attention and his reaction. Listen to this.
[Michael Bloomberg , Presidential Candidate:] We put all the cops in minority neighborhoods. Yes, that's true. Why do we do it? Because that's where all the crime is. And the way you get the guns out of the kids' hands is to throw them up against the wall and frisk them.
[Camerota:] OK, in case you couldn't hear that, he was basically saying all the crime is in minority neighborhoods. That's why we do stop and frisk. He was confronted about that yesterday. Here's what he says now.
[Bloomberg:] I don't think those words reflect what how I led the most diverse city in the nation. And I apologized for the practice and the pain that it caused.
[Question:] But why did you say it?
[Bloomberg:] It was five years ago. And, you know, it's just not the way that I think.
[Camerota:] Jess, is that good enough? And will Democrats forgive him for that? Or at least overlook it because in the age of Donald Trump, the president says worse things, let more insensitive hurtful things akin to that.
[Mcintosh:] Of course.
[Camerota:] And so is it time for Democrats to overlook that?
[Mcintosh:] I don't think it's time for that yet. I think ultimately Democrats are going to we want Donald Trump to not be president for the next four years. I think that's an existential crisis to our country and most Democrats agree with me. I think New York has a problem sometimes where we assume that the rest of the country is as in our business as we are. We thought that everybody knew who Rudy Giuliani was. We thought that everybody knew who Donald Trump was. But the rest of the country saw America's mayor and "The Apprentice." So Mike Bloomberg has this issue now where the rest of the country is seeing his campaign ads, which are really great and they are presenting a different version of Michael Bloomberg than I think New Yorkers might realize are is in there.
[Avlon:] He was a highly successful three term mayor. These comments are not good. It's not credible for him to say I'm a different guy than I was then. But that said, it's compared to what proposition with Donald Trump and he just got three notable African-American endorsements after that came out, including Lucy McBath. And his work on guns and the environment I think will carry a lot of weight.
[Berman:] According to "Politico," Ted Deutch from Florida, not African- American but another significant congressional endorsement. They just keep on coming for Michael Bloomberg.
[Camerota:] A huge fighter on gun violence. OK, Jess, John, thank you, both, very much. Anyone surprised that President Trump is exacting revenge on people he thinks have wronged him has not been paying attention. The long history behind Donald Trump's enemies list. A must-see "Reality Check" is next, John Avlon, so I'm told.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn Host:] Game, set, match? Democrats set to move to the next stage of impeachment, after two weeks of public witness testimony.
[Gordon Sondland, U.s. Ambassador To The European Union:] Was there a quid pro quo? The answer is yes.
[Tapper:] But with no House Republicans apparently on board, have Democrats convinced the American people? House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff joins me next to discuss. And preparing for battle. Republicans on Capitol Hill remain in lockstep against impeachment, as the president says he's ready for a trial.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They're doing something that the founders never thought possible and the founders didn't want.
[Tapper:] Can President Trump do no wrong in today's GOP? I'll speak to Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin next. Plus: Cash is king? Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg opens his wallet, preparing to drop tens of million dollars on campaign ads.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] That is a lot of dough.
[Tapper:] 2020 Democrats are accusing him of trying to buy the nomination. But could it work? Hello. I'm Jake Tapper in Washington, where the State of the Union is looking ahead. House Democrats appear to be moving forward in their impeachment inquiry after two weeks of historic public testimony on Capitol Hill. The clear picture that has emerged, the Trump administration was pushing Ukraine for political investigations, while holding up military aid and a White House meeting that Ukraine wanted. A key witness, Ambassador Gordon Sondland, testified that, when it came to withholding the White House meeting in exchange for the Biden investigation quote "Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret."
[Sondland:] Was there a quid pro quo? As I testified previously, with regard to the requested White House call and the White House meeting, the answer is yes.
[Tapper:] But even after 12 witnesses testified in public for more than 30 hours, the hearings do not seem to have changed the political dynamics in Washington. President Trump continues to insist that he has done nothing wrong, and there are still no Republicans in the House or Senate that we can tell are in favor of impeachment. Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are expected to spend the next week drafting a report for the House Judiciary Committee, which will then make a determination on articles of impeachment. If the House moves forward, sources say a vote on impeachment could happen before Christmas. Here with me, the man leading the impeachment inquiry, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Democrat Adam Schiff of California. Congressman Schiff, Chairman Schiff, thank you so much for being here. We appreciate it.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] My pleasure.
[Tapper:] Do you think that that was the most important moment of the testimony, Ambassador Sondland saying there was a quid pro quo when it came to the Ukraine meeting and the Bidens investigation?
[Schiff:] I think it was one of the most important moments. I also was particularly struck by Dr. Hill's testimony, when she acknowledged and I think she came to this conclusion watching the evidence during the hearings that this irregular channel that had been described many have been the regular channel. The national security efforts, the efforts to drive our foreign policy in ways that the entire national security infrastructure believed was in U.S. interests, that may have become irregular in a presidency that was driven by the president's personal political errand, his interests.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Schiff:] And, sadly, in this presidency, what matters this president and I think Mr. Holmes made this point quite eloquently he...
[Tapper:] David Holmes, the Ukrainian the U.S. Embassy ambassador U.S. Embassy official in Ukraine.
[Schiff:] Yes, yes, that, as Sondland told him, this president only cares about the big stuff. And when he said, well, there's big stuff going on here, there's a war with Russia, Sondland explained, no, big stuff that helps him personally, like this Biden investigation that Giuliani wants. Some conversations really tell it all. And that is the story of this presidency. What matters to Donald Trump is what matters to him personally and politically. The rest, our national security, our allies, none of that matters, compared to what this president thinks is good for him.
[Tapper:] So those are the three moments, then, in your view, that are most important. Is there no you have no more public testimony scheduled that we know of. Your committee has begun writing the report. So is that it? Are there going to be any more hearings, any more witnesses, or are you done?
[Schiff:] We don't foreclose the possibility of more depositions, more hearings. We are in the process of getting more documents all the time. So, that investigative work is going to go on. What we're not prepared to do is wait months and months while the administration plays a game of rope-a-dope in an effort to try to stall. We're not willing to go down that road. And what's more, the evidence is already overwhelming. The remarkable thing about this and we have done this with almost well, literally no documentary production from the administration is, the facts are really not contested. It's really not contested what the president did.
[Tapper:] Mm-hmm.
[Schiff:] What is open to question is whether members of Congress are going to do their duty, and whether there will be anyone like Howard Baker, anyone on the Republican side that is willing to put their country, their Constitution above the party, or even the person of this president, because I don't think he really represents at least what the Republican Party used to stand for.
[Tapper:] So, if the facts aren't contested, and your committee is writing up the report, and you don't, at least as of now, have any scheduled witnesses or depositions, do you think President Trump should be impeached?
[Schiff:] I want to discuss this with my constituents and my colleagues before I make a final judgment on it. But there are a couple really important things we need to think about. And one is, are we prepared to say that soliciting foreign interference, conditioning official acts, like $400 million in taxpayer money, White House meetings, to get political favors is somehow now compatible with the office? Because, if we do, it's basically carte blanche for this president and anyone who comes after him. But are we also prepared to say that Congress will tolerate the complete stonewalling of an impeachment inquiry or our oversight? Because, if we do, it'll mean that the impeachment clause is a complete nullity and, more than that, our oversight ability is really an ability in name only.
[Tapper:] But if that's your view and you have also said that this week's testimony quote "goes right to the heart of the issue of bribery," and you have also said that what you have seen is quote "far more serious than what Nixon did," explain to me how you have not come to the conclusion that the president should be impeached. I mean, it sounds like you think he should be impeached.
[Schiff:] Well, I certainly think that the evidence that's been produced overwhelmingly shows serious misconduct by the president. But I do want to hear more from my constituents, and I want to hear more from my colleagues. This is not a decision I will be making alone. But, at the end of the day, this is a decision about whether the founding fathers had in mind this kind of misconduct when they gave Congress this remedy. And I have to think that this is very much central to what they were concerned about. That is, an unethical man or woman takes that office, uses it for their personal political gain, sacrifices the national security to do so. If that wasn't what the founders had in mind, it's hard to imagine what they did.
[Tapper:] So, it is uncontested that President Trump asked Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. He said so on the call and he said so in front of cameras when asked about the call in in early October. The other question, though, is whether or not the $400 million in aid for Ukraine and the White House meeting was directly ordered by President Trump to have to be withheld until they did these investigations. And, so far, there are no witnesses that's not to say there are no people, but there are no witnesses who have said that they heard that from President Trump. In fact, here's Gordon Sondland asked about this very issue.
[Steve Castor, Republican Counsel:] The president never told you about any preconditions for the aid to be released?
[Sondland:] No.
[Castor:] The president never told you about any preconditions for a White House meeting?
[Sondland:] Personally, no. I'm not testifying that I heard the president tell Mr. Giuliani to tell us.
[Tapper:] Have any witnesses testified that the president himself explicitly linked a White House meeting or the $400 million in aid to an announcement about these investigations?
[Schiff:] Yes. The president's own chief of staff, the person who meets with the president every day, on live camera admitted exactly that vis-a-vis the most serious, and that is the military aid. But, look, what Ambassador Sondland did say is, everyone was in the loop on the preconditioning of the meeting that Ukraine desperately sought for its recognition that it had the that the United States had its back, that everyone was in the loop on this, there was a clear quid pro quo. And with respect to the military aid, in the absence of any other explanation, and in light of the president's own record of pressing for these investigations, two plus two equals four. What every judge tells every jury and it's no different here is, you don't leave your common sense at the door. Everyone understood this was merely pressure to get the president's investigations. And even more than that and I thought this was notable about Ambassador Sondland's testimony he wasn't even as interested in the investigations as he was the announcement of the investigations. That gives the lie to the whole idea that this was ever about corruption. It wasn't. It was about the reelection campaign of the president.
[Tapper:] So, you just referred to a public statement made by acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, in which he did, in fact, say that part of the reason the military aid, the $400 million in aid, was held up was because they wanted this investigation into Ukraine in 2016. Absolutely, he said that on the record. But you have not had you and the committee have not had Mick Mulvaney testify, or Vice President Pence, or Secretary of State Pompeo, or former National Security Adviser John Bolton, or the president's attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Now, I understand you would welcome their testimony. You have asked for their testimony. And they have not given it. "The New York Times" editorial board, hardly a Trump-supporting organ, said this week that it's a quote "mistake" not to call any more witnesses, saying it's essential to hear from key figures and the process quote "should not be rushed." And yet you're not going to go to court to compel them, because you say it's rope-a-dope, it's going to take too much time. But is that really a principle, the idea that it's just going to take too much time, as opposed to, look, there are three branches of government, here's the legislative branch doing oversight of the executive branch, guess what, the judicial branch gets to weigh in as well?
[Schiff:] Well, the "New York Times" piece was interesting in two respects. First, they acknowledge that the evidence is overwhelming of what the president did and the presidential misconduct. And they give no remedy for the fact that the administration will draw this out for months and months if we choose to litigate this matter. Yes, we'd love to have these witnesses come in, but we're not willing to simply allow them to wait us out to stall this proceeding, when the facts are already overwhelming. We're going to continue our investigation. We are going to continue to pursue the documents.
[Tapper:] Even after you have handed in the report, you're going to continue?
[Schiff:] Yes. Oh, yes. The investigation isn't going to end. But this gets back to, I think, something the inspector general said, which is, this is an urgent concern. This president has now twice sought foreign interference in our election. And that election is coming up.
[Tapper:] The first time being with Russia.
[Schiff:] The first time being with Russia, when he invited the Russians to hack Hillary's e-mails, and, later that day, they attempted to do exactly that. There is a sense of urgency, when you have a president who's threatening the integrity of our elections, that we need to act now, if we're going to act, and we can't allow this obstruction to succeed. The other point I would make is, the case in terms of the Ukraine misconduct is ironclad, but so is the case of the president's obstruction of the Congress. And there was no discussion of that, really, by "The New York Times" or others. And we do need to consider that, if we allow this obstruction to succeed, if we allow them to draw us out endlessly in the courts, then it does make the impeachment clause a nonentity. It means Congress will forever be incapable of doing any oversight. Why should any future president answer a congressional subpoena? The Republicans who take this position today, I guarantee you...
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Schiff:] ... will rue the day they did.
[Tapper:] But what do you say to people who say, well, look, you're accusing the president of using his office for political reasons, right, and abusing it, and you are making a decision based on politics itself in the timing of this, that it's going to take too long? I have never heard you say it, but other Democrats have said they don't want to get in the way of the six Democrats in the Senate running for president. They don't want to have 2020 be the year the Democrats are known for only impeaching President Trump, as opposed to legislation, political arguments, essentially.
[Schiff:] I don't subscribe to those political arguments. I don't think people should be making them, and I don't think people should be thinking of them. What we ought to think about is, what does it mean to this office if we don't impeach the president based on the facts before us? What does it mean if we do impeach the president? What will this tell future presidents about what they can get away with? What does this tell the American people about what they should now expect in their chief executive?
[Tapper:] What about the idea I have heard this legal theory posited that, if you took Bolton and everybody to court, Mulvaney, et cetera and the Supreme Court has never really weighed in on whether or not such a thing they have accommodated here and there, but they have never really made a decision about where executive privilege ends and where it begins when it comes to people in the White House testifying, being forced to testify before Congress. It would go before the Supreme Court. Who knows how they would rule, and that's all of a sudden, we're in 2020. But if you do it the way you're doing it, which is, it goes presuming that you impeach the president, the House Democrats vote to impeach the president, it goes to the Senate, Chief Justice John Roberts presides, and he could theoretically compel John Bolton and others to testify. I have heard that as a legal theory as to why you're doing it that way. Is there any merit to that?
[Schiff:] Well, I think there's certainly merit to the idea that we may get a quicker ruling from a chief justice in a Senate trial, if it ever came to that, than we would get by going months and months on end litigating the matter. There's no guarantee of that, but I think that it's entirely possible. Ultimately, though, one thing is clear. Because we have adduced so much evidence of guilt of this president, so much evidence of serious misconduct, any privilege the president would have would be vitiated by this crime-fraud exception. So, that will give way. And if it doesn't, to quote my colleague Chairman Nadler, it will mean that either Justice Roberts or the Supreme Court itself is not really a conservative justice or court, merely a partisan one. And I have to hope that that's not the case for the country's sake.
[Tapper:] So John Bolton's lawyer says that Bolton knows about quote "many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed in the testimonies thus far." Do you know what he's talking about? Has your committee been in touch with John Bolton and his lawyer?
[Schiff:] We have certainly been in touch with his lawyer. And what we have been informed by his lawyer because we invited him to come in, and he did not choose to come in and testify, notwithstanding the fact that his deputy Fiona Hill and his other deputy, Colonel Vindman, and Tim Morrison and others in the National Security Council have shown the courage to come in is, if we subpoena him, they will sue us in court.
[Tapper:] Mm-hmm.
[Schiff:] Now, he will have to explain one day, if that if he maintains that position, why he wanted to wait to put it in a book, instead of tell the American people what he knew when it really mattered to the country.
[Tapper:] Although it sounds like you're saying that there is the possibility that he could be compelled to testify in the Senate, theoretically?
[Schiff:] Well, he could. He could.
[Tapper:] Would you be a House impeachment in the Senate?
[Schiff:] But the thing is the thing is, Jake, that doesn't relieve him of the obligation right now to show the courage that Dr. Hill did.
[Tapper:] Mm-hmm.
[Schiff:] She was told not to come in. She was told that, if she came in and testified, it could contravene this privilege or that privilege. She made the decision this is the right thing to do. John Bolton should make the same decision.
[Tapper:] So, as you know, if the president if there is a trial in the Senate, the president will be allowed to call his witnesses as well. The Republicans will be allowed to call their witnesses as well that probably include Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, the whistle-blower. And President Trump just yesterday said that you yourself should be compelled to testify if the House moves forward and it goes to the Senate. Would you be willing to do so in the House Judiciary Committee? Would you be willing to do so in the Senate?
[Schiff:] There's nothing for me to testify about, Jake. And I think, if the president or his allies in the Senate persist in this, it really means they're not serious about what they're doing. And...
[Tapper:] Well, they would they would cite sorry for interrupting, but they would cite David Kendall, who was President Clinton's attorney during that impeachment. He got to cross-examine Ken Starr. Now, I know understand you're not as independent counsel, but you did lead the investigation.
[Schiff:] Well, but this this is not an insignificant distinction, Jake. I'm not a special counsel. I don't work for a separate branch of government. I'm not in the Justice Department. I am more in a position that Henry Hyde was during the Clinton impeachment, or Peter Rodino during the Nixon impeachment, or Sam Ervin. They were not fact witnesses. What would I offer in terms of testimony, that I heard Dr. Hill in open hearing say such and such? That's not pertinent. The only reason for them to go through with this is to mollify the president. And that's not a good reason to try to call a member of Congress as a witness.
[Tapper:] But you would acknowledge that there are questions you could answer about your staff having been approached by the whistle-blower before he filed his complaint and other matters, things that you could shed light on or explain. Would you would you refuse to go if the Senate wanted you to come as a witness?
[Schiff:] I don't want to comment on it, except to say that, if they go down this road, it shows a fundamental lack of seriousness, a willingness to try to turn this into a circus, like the president would like. And I hope they don't go there. There are others who are fact witnesses. We didn't call in Senator Johnson. We're not calling in Devin Nunes. We didn't call in Senator Graham. There's a far stronger case for people like Senator Graham, who talked to the president, or fact witnesses than the chairman doing the investigative committee work in the House.
[Tapper:] You just brought up Devin Nunes, who is your Republican counterpart on the committee. He is now denying an allegation made by the attorney for Rudy Giuliani's associate Lev Parnas. And the and Lev Parnas, according to his attorney, says that he that Nunes met with the former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin in Vienna last year, in part to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. Now, that's a lot of layers of people who I don't know how trustworthy they are, a lawyer and Lev Parnas and Viktor Shokin. But that allegation is being made by this individual. Did you know anything about these allegations? Do you find them credible?
[Schiff:] I can't get into what I know at this point. I don't want to go into those specifics. I can say that we have subpoenaed documents from Mr. Parnas. We have had discussions with the Southern District of New York in terms of Mr. Nunes' conduct. If he was on a taxpayer-funded CODEL and I say if seeking dirt on a potential Democratic candidate for president, Joe Biden, that will be an ethics matter. That's not before our committee. Our interest in is in what this president ordered through his legal counsel Rudy Giuliani, what efforts he made to condition official acts on the performance of political favors. That's where our focus is. But...
[Tapper:] Is it credible, Parnas saying that? You have information. You have knowledge. Is it a credible allegation? Is it worth let me put it this way? Is it worth the House Ethics Committee looking into, or is it just nonsense that should be ignored?
[Schiff:] I don't want to comment on what the Ethics Committee should do, particularly vis-a-vis the ranking member of my committee. I will say we have subpoenaed, and did before these allegations were in the public domain, we have subpoenaed Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman for their records. We would like them to fully comply with those subpoenas. We may go beyond those documentary requests, but we first want to see the documents. And we have seen time and time again the importance of getting documents before witnesses testify, as we saw during the hearing, when Sondland, Ambassador Sondland, brought in documents showing the secretary of state was implicated in this.
[Tapper:] Mm-hmm.
[Schiff:] It would be nice to have those documents before we question people like the secretary of state or question people like Mr. Parnas.
[Tapper:] So, your committee will come up with a report and then send it to the House Judiciary Committee. Your counterpart there is Congressman Jerry Nadler, Chairman Jerry Nadler, Democrat of New York. Take a listen to what he had to say just before he took over the chairmanship, laying out his standard for impeachment.
[Rep. Jerrold Nadler:] You don't want half the country to say to the other half for the next 30 years, we won the election, you stole it from us. You have to be able to think before at the beginning of the impeachment process that the evidence is so clear of offenses so grave that, once you have laid out all the evidence, a good fraction of the opposition voters will say will reluctantly admit to themselves they had to do it. Otherwise, you have a partisan impeachment, which would tear the country apart.
[Tapper:] I understand you think the evidence is there, but do you think you have reached that level of a good fraction of the opposition reluctantly admitting that you have to proceed with impeachment?
[Schiff:] Well, there's certainly a number of leading Republican voices outside the Congress that are saying that this is impeachable conduct. And you can now add the former Senator and former Secretary Chuck Hagel to the list of those that are saying the Congress really needs to seriously consider impeachment. And that doesn't mean just Democrats, but Republicans. So there's a growing list of people, opinion leaders, in that category. But, as I mentioned before, at the end of the day, we have to decide what our constitutional duty is, even if our colleagues in the GOP and Congress have decided they're more committed to the person and the president than their constitutional duty. We're going to still have to do our duty. And...
[Tapper:] Even if it costs you support, Democratic support in the House of Representatives? Ultimately, you could lose the House? Even if it means it actually makes President Trump stronger? Take a look at this ad, because this poll, rather, because public support hasn't really changed. And, nationally, there's a narrow majority in support of impeachment. But in the battleground states, it's different. A new poll out this week shows a majority of Wisconsin voters that's a key state that Democrats need to win in 2020 53 percent oppose impeaching the president and removing him from office; 40 percent support it. I don't know that the American people, especially in the battleground states, are where Chairman Nadler said they need to be.
[Schiff:] Well, look, the public support for impeachment has grown fairly dramatically in the last two months. So, whether it is now essentially at a plateau, or whether it will continue to grow or shrink, I don't think is really the question we should be asking. I think, in the first instance, we should be asking, what's our constitutional duty here? And if we decide our duty is to impeach, then we need to make the case to the American people. And we have to hope that we will be successful in making that case. But this shouldn't be driven by what we think helps us in 2020 or hurts us in 2020. There are good arguments by commentators in either direction. I don't think that's the question I should be asking myself. And, as I mentioned it in my closing statement the other day, Jake, what brought me from an opponent of going down the road to impeachment into someone who felt it was necessary that we do this inquiry is the fact that, the day after Bob Mueller testified about Donald Trump's invitation to the Russians to intervene, his willingness to make use of it in his campaign, the lies that he told about it, and the obstruction of justice in terms of the investigation into it, the day after that, Jake, Donald Trump was back on the phone asking yet another foreign leader, Zelensky, for yet more foreign help in another election. And I don't think we can turn away from that. If there is not some deterrent, even if it doesn't mean that the Republicans provide the kind of support for the Constitution that they should, if there isn't some deterrent, we can darn well be sure this president will commit even more egregious acts in the months ahead.
[Tapper:] And, once again, it sounds like you're ready to impeach President Trump. But I know you're going to talk to your constituents first. Just a couple housekeeping questions in terms of what's going to happen next. How much time does the House Intelligence Committee needs to complete the report? Will it be released by the time Congress returns in early December, for example?
[Schiff:] You know, we will take the time that's necessary. And we're at work on compiling that report right now. But, again, we have continued to learn more information every day. And I think that's going to continue. So, we may have file addendums to that report. We may have other depositions and hearings to do. But because the evidence is already overwhelming and uncontested, we want to provide that to the Judiciary Committee to make sure that we protect the country in the election that's yet to come.
[Tapper:] Do you think it's possible that there will be other parts of the articles of impeachment that do not have to deal with Ukraine? I know that this is just let me put it this let me put it a different way. If it were up to you and I guess I get it's up to Chairman Nadler and the Judiciary Committee, but if it were up to you, would the articles of impeachment, should they be written, focus only on Ukraine?
[Schiff:] Well, within our committee, what we're focused on is obviously the constellation of issues around Ukraine, as well as the blanket obstruction of Congress vis-a-vis the Ukraine investigation. Now, there's been more obstruction of Congress that goes beyond Ukraine. There's also the obstruction of justice that Mueller wrote about so extensively. And there are other violations of the Constitution that we will need to consider. I'm not at this point, Jake, prepared to say what I will recommend.
[Tapper:] And, ultimately, if only Democrats vote to impeach the president, Trump President Trump, and Republicans and maybe a couple Democrats do not vote to impeach him, vote against that, doesn't that suggest that this is a partisan impeachment? Wouldn't that hurt the credibility of the impeachment, that only Democrats vote to support it?
[Schiff:] I think what it will mean, if we decide that we cannot accept this kind of conduct in the president of the United States, and the Republicans decide that, because of the president's party, or because they're afraid of a primary, or for whatever reason, they cannot vote to support impeachment, I think it'll mean a failure by the GOP to put the country above their party. And it will have very long-term consequences, if that's where we end up. And if not today, I think Republican members in the future, to their children and their grandchildren, will have to explain why they did nothing in the face of this deeply unethical man who did such damage to the country.
[Tapper:] President Nixon resigned, rather than be impeached. He was never actually impeached by the House. It was going through the process, and he resigned before it could happen. Do you think President Trump should resign?
[Schiff:] Well, I certainly think that he's committed the most grievous misconduct. I have no illusions about Donald Trump doing what's right for the country or what's best for the country. That's never been where he's coming from. What my Republican colleagues, I think, need to decide and to search their own conscience about is, why was it that, in the past, Republicans were willing to put country first, why were there people like Howard Baker then, but not now? I would hope that there will be Republicans who will be willing to step forward and say, whatever the political consequences, if this was Barack Obama had done this, they would have voted to impeach him in a heartbeat with a fraction of the evidence. It shouldn't matter this is a Republican president. I hope to hell, Jake, if this had been a Democratic president, I would be among those leading the way and saying, we need to seriously consider impeaching this president.
[Tapper:] Chairman Adam Schiff, thanks so much for your time today. We appreciate it.
[Schiff:] Thank you, Jake.
[Tapper:] The impeachment inquiry has revealed serious allegations against President Trump. Next, I'm going to talk to one of the president's top defenders in the House of Representatives to respond. Stay with us.

[Church:] Well, new details now on violent protests which broke out in Israel. Police say demonstrators angry over the police shooting of an Ethiopian Israeli teen attacked officers late Tuesday injuring more than 100. 136 protesters were arrested and demonstrators were back on the streets Wednesday as well as Oren Liebermann reports.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Jerusalem Correspondent:] Protests spread across Israel for a third straight month, smaller this time but fueled by the same reason. On Sunday night, an off-duty police officer shot and killed 19-year-old Ethiopian Israel Solomon Tekah in Northern Israel. The officer felt his life was in danger, police said but he was taken into custody soon after the shooting. After Tekah was laid to rest Tuesday, streets across the country exploded in anger. Protesters blocked streets in major cities overnight, torching cars and burning tires. For years Israel's Ethiopian community has felt marginalized, second-class citizens, accusing authorities of racial discrimination. The anger boiled over, the largest protests Israel has seen in years. By the end of the night, police said more than 100 officers were injured, more than 130 protesters arrested. Israeli authorities met Ethiopian leaders on Wednesday taking a conciliatory tone walk trying to curb the protests.
[Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Of Israel:] The death of Solomon Tekah is a great tragedy. Our hearts are with the family and lessons will be learned. But one thing is certain, we cannot stand for the violence we saw yesterday.
[Liebermann:] But the anger didn't fade, many Ethiopian protesters didn't want to talk on camera but they weren't alone. Eliran Dahan carried an I Can't Breathe sign, a reminder of Eric Garner who died in 2014 after a police officer put him on a chokehold.
[Eliran Dahan, Protester:] This is a string of events that we are experiencing for years, and slowly, the earth is burning under our feet and, people are starting to realize. This shows that it's not just a demonstration of race and skin color, this country belongs to all of us and we want to keep it that way for all of its citizens.
[Liebermann:] Israel's public security minister, said he would create a body within the police force to examine accusations of racial discrimination. That may address part of the problem, but on the streets of Israel, the outrage runs far deeper. The family of Solomon Teka has asked the demonstrators to hold off on protests until the traditional Jewish mourning period is over. So, through the weekend. That will give authorities, officials, and the Ethiopian community a few more days to come to grips with what happened, and see if they can avoid another explosion of anger on the streets of Israel. Oren Liebermann, CNN, Tel Aviv.
[Church:] We are getting a new look inside Hong Kong's Legislative Council building after protesters stormed it on Monday. Police showed reporters some of the damage Wednesday. And you can see debris, broken glass, and graffiti spray painted on walls. Demonstrators were protesting a now-suspended bill that would allow people to be extradited from Hong Kong to China. Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam strongly condemned Monday's violent protests. 13 police officers were taken to hospitals drawing those clashes. Well, Boeing, says it will pay $100 million to help support the families of 346 people who were killed in two 737 MAX jet crashes in the past year. A computerized stall prevention system is believed to have played a role in both crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Boeing, says the payout will not affect the family's lawsuits against the company. Boeing CEO said, "We know every person who steps aboard one of our airplanes places their trust in us. We are focused on re-earning that trust and confidence from our customers and the flying public in the months ahead." Well, the father of Swedish D.J. Avicii is urging lawmakers to address mental health problems. Klas Bergling, gave his first on-camera interview since his son whose real name was Tim Bergling died by suicide last year. Bergling, says mental health problems need to be addressed earlier in a person's life before it's too late. And he spoke with our Robyn Curnow.
[Robyn Curnow, Cnn Anchor Correspondent:] So it's been a year. How, how are you doing?
[Klas Bergling, Father Of D.j. Avicii:] Up and down.
[Curnow:] Yes.
[Bergling:] Some people may expect that this goes over after a year or so, but it's not the way it works.
[Curnow:] Are you starting a foundation in his honor.
[Bergling:] Yes. The idea came very quickly after Tim's death that we should do something. We will focus on the mental health and prevent suicide. That's the purpose of the foundation. For our part, we must consider us lucky, because we have received so much love and from everybody. There are so many people working in this field and really do a nice job fantastic job. But it has to be something coming higher up from the politicians, making this force going in one direction, not as it is today. A lot of things here and there. My wish is that it will be a change here, where young people can get help very early when the problems are small. But this is also the problem, how do you identify the problem? How do you see it? What do you do? It's not easy to talk to your child all the time. It could be very hard.
[Curnow:] Did you have some hard conversations with Tim?
[Bergling:] Absolutely. Many. We talked a lot. His thoughts about life, meditation, love. When he was younger, we have very hard talks getting him out of bed. He was introvert. He wanted to sit and talk, meet his friends. Of course, there was many people that want him out on parties. Yes. That's the part of the hard life as a D.J. or artist. You have to do a lot of things that you don't want to do. And, in the end, that takes a part of you, really. If you are extremely happy, it's not so hard to be unhappy. Our theory is not that he planned this suicide, more that it was like a traffic accident. But he was he was happy before, and he was happy for his music.
[Church:] All right, time for a short break. But when we come back, pay for praise. We will meet the actors starring in Donald Trump's new campaign ad. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

[Allen:] Welcome back, I'm Natalie Allen, from CNN Center in Atlanta, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM, we appreciate it. Let me get you the latest on our top story. An 11th straight night of protests across the U.S., demanding justice for George Floyd, killed, nearly 2 weeks ago, while in police custody. In the nation's capital, demonstrators gathered near the White House as they called for sweeping change across the country, while thousands peacefully took to the streets of Los Angeles, standing hand at hand in solidarity. Many seen holding voter registration forms. And then Denver Colorado people marched well into the night, Friday was the first time in a week it did not have a curfew. Demonstrators around the world stand with those in the United States. Thousands of Black Lives Matter supporters gathered Friday in two German cities, Frankfurt, in Hamburg and dozens of Black Lives Matter supporters gathered in London's Trafalgar Square, taking a knee in the iconic square. And, in Australia, huge crowds in several cities supporting Black Lives Matter in Adelaide. And they are there to condemn mistreatment of indigenous Australians. Let's get a sense of what these protests look like. Journalist Angus Watson joins me from Sydney, which is remarkable, Angus, that all in all of these major cities in Australia, the throngs of people who are out, about, what can you tell us about what you are seeing?
[Angus Watson, Journalist:] It's relatively successful protests across the country. You can see the tail end of a protest in Sydney, Australia, thousands turned out to protest racial injustice in the United States but also here in Australia. They say the indigenous population here is
[Allen:] Words that we are familiar with. Is the government listening?
[Watson:] Authorities didn't want people to protest today. Australia has been successful in its fight against coronavirus. In New South Wales, there has not been a single case in the last 24 hours, that is, huge because this was the epicenter in Australia for COVID-19. People did not want the hard work to be undone and the police don't want that either, so they took the issue to the supreme court, last night, which ruled that the protest should not go ahead because of a public health order. It said that large crowds are banned. Earlier today, we had a court of appeals, that protests should go ahead. So a legal protest here and a very successful one.
[Allen:] People taking to the streets regardless, Angus Watson, thank you so much for your reporting.
[Watson:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Protests are about to kick off now in France. Senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann, joining me live. What is expected there? Good morning, Jim.
[Jim Bittermann, Cnn Sr. Intl. Correspondent:] Good morning, Natalie. In fact, protests here are set to begin here There will be demonstrations as far as the organizers are concerned, across 7 other cities in the country. They are showing up here, on the George Floyd case, of course. But also about a young man, 24 years old, who died in police custody in 2016. The authorities are now reopening an investigation into his death, because there is a feeling that some of the things and conclusions of the first investigation were inadequate. There are now new witnesses coming forward.
[Bittermann:] So it is something that goes back years and in, fact the problem with racial injustice with the police goes back several decades. There are riots out of the suburbs in 2005 and were largely because of the kind of injustice in France but in countries around the world.
[Allen:] It seems like George Floyd's case is a catalyst to get other countries to revisit the inequities that they're seeing at the hands of police.
[Bittermann:] Absolutely, I think it has spurred everyone to think about this problem, including the interior minister here in France, who said that they will launch an investigation into a Facebook group, that a number of members of police and security officials are a part of. This Facebook group has been described as being racist and homophobic. Of course, the interior minister has said that that is totally unacceptable.
[Allen:] We will wait and see what happens there as the protests get underway in France. Jim Bittermann, thank you. Now to Ottawa, Canada, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, joining Black Lives Matter protesters, there, on Friday, who knelt silently for almost 9 minutes. The amount of time the fired police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd. There were several protests in Canada Friday against police brutality and systemic racism. Protests flared up again on Friday, in Mexico's second largest city, after a 30 year old man died in police custody last month. Authorities are trying to clamp down on the growing anger but the protesters are not backing down. Matt Rivers is there and a warning, some of the images are graphic in the story.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] Jivani Lopez was arrested the night of May 4th, video of the scene outside of Guadalajara, Mexico, shows the 30-year-old struggling with police. People nearby can be heard saying the police arrested him because he wasn't wearing a face mask, though authorities say he was detained not because of mask issues but for, quote, "acting violent," without giving more detail. "You can't treat him like that," somebody nearby shouts at police. "If you kill him, we know you." The next day, Jivani was dead. Authorities would only say he died in police custody. They won't say how it happened and police have not answered our request for comment. They have arrested 3 people, including one cop. But a month later, people are still angry. Peaceful protests against police brutality Thursday in Guadalajara turned violent. Police vehicles were destroyed, set alight or smashed in; protesters brawled with police in the streets, as some sprayed "asesinos," "murderers" on government buildings. But the enduring images from the day will be this, police officer standing in the street when someone comes up, pours liquid on his back and sets him on fire. He runs away and his colleagues try and put out the flames. He is alive but he has severe burns across his body. The video will likely take away from the message millions of Mexicans have tried to send for decades. They are tired of abuse from police. Jivani Lopez perhaps just the latest example of many Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
[Allen:] We want to take you to London now to get perspective from one of the organizers from London's Black Lives Matter demonstrations. We are joined by Dee Ndlovu, who joins us from London. Thank you so much for joining us, Dee, good morning.
[Dee Ndlovu, Black Lives Matter Organizer:] Good morning, how are you today?
[Allen:] I'm good, thank you. I want to ask you, about these rallies and you are a leader of them. Who is coming and what are you hearing from people on the streets?
[Ndlovu:] I think we are getting an eclectic mix of people. There is a huge population that is coming. We are talking something around 16 to 13 but we are also getting a huge influx of those who are 40 and above. There is a big collective movement. I think everyone is tired, across the ages, if you live long enough, this is another decade where this happens again. If you are the youth, you are not in a place where you can digest the images that are being shown, especially the one of George Floyd. So we are galvanized to action and yes.
[Allen:] It is extraordinary how cities across the world, countries continue to take to the streets over the story of George Floyd. It is interesting that this particular story is resonating so deeply with people. Do you truly get a sense that this could be a catalyst for change? I know that there is also inequities with police treatment of blacks as well, over in the
[U.k. Ndlovu:] Yes. I think what it fundamentally boils down to is that this video of George Floyd, I came across it through Facebook and Facebook has an auto scroll. So if you scroll, it automatically starts, playing so I did not get a counted one. And I was drawn in and I saw myself in George. And I think in doing that, it is forcing us to think about the systems that are under hold and underpin Western democracy and white privilege and how we negotiate and navigate them and how we dissented them from their cachet as the baseline to normality. I think that is what is happening in the world. Particularly in London we see people actually address what is happening in terms of police funding, in terms of state sanctioned violence, against black bodies? So I do believe, this is a big catalytic moment of change, 18 countries joining us, to say Black Lives Matter but to realize until you realize Black Lives Matter as well.
[Allen:] We see people kneeling, quietly and people are going down on their knee has been a poignant expression of support. Here, in the United States, we are now seeing some atrocious back and forth between the police officers, using heavy handed tactics, citizens attacking police officers. I would imagine you are not seeing that level of anger in London. I don't know but part of the situation on the streets in the U.S. is it's a political issue. It is a police brutality issue.
[Ndlovu:] I think in the U.K. we have had instances of police getting involved but I think the difference comes about is for example in the demonstration I led yesterday, there was already a strong police presence. When I arrived there were riot cops and helicopters circling and I was the first to arrive. It suggests that we are causing those in power to become aware that something is happening. Now do our actions provoke a violent response between us and the police? Not as visible as America. But it is there. There are antagonists that are happening between protesters and police. A part of what our movement is trying to do, is to try and, say, police, hold each other accountable and it should not take me to ask your bosses or legislators to hold you accountable. You should be holding each other accountable because you are 18 is the police force. And we cannot move anywhere, until you hold each other accountable.
[Allen:] What response are you hearing from local government, from Boris Johnson?
[Ndlovu:] The local government is redirecting it toward the COVID-19 pandemic. We cannot gather to protest in more than groups of six. But this is where things get to me. As a black person, I am aware of the dangers of COVID-19. To insinuate I am not, I find that incredibly asinine. We are aware as black people but we are also aware if the pandemic does not kill us, state sanctioned violence will. We do not get the luxury of choosing one or the other. We have both. Both face us. I think that is the mindset of lots of people who come to the coast, it's aware that there's a pandemic and we're doing everything we can to protect ourselves. Don't infantilize our rage so you can drive the narrative of the pandemic. Where was this outrage when people gathered on the beaches of Victory Day celebrations? This is where London is at the moment.
[Allen:] Dee Ndlovu, we certainly appreciate your time and, your input. Wishing you the best, Black Lives Matter London organizer, thank you so much.
[Ndlovu:] Thank you very much.
[Allen:] Officials warn the already postponed Tokyo Olympics could be drastically slimmed down. We sit down with the governor of Tokyo.

[Cabrera:] Our thanks to Tom Foreman for that. And that does it for me today. Thank you for being with me. I'm Ana Cabrera. A special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer starts right now.
[Announcer:] This is CNN Breaking News.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a special of THE SITUATION ROOM. We're now in the 20th straight day of protests in cities throughout the United States. George Floyd's death was the initial spark but as the movement enters its fourth week, it's now also fueled by the death of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks. Police shot and killed him Friday night in an Atlanta drive-through, seen here live in our aerial shot. As protesters gathered at the Wendy's restaurant where it happened, the fallout was swift. Not even 24 hours after the fatal shooting, the Atlanta police chief stepped down. Overnight, we learned the officer who shot Brooks, Garrett Rolfe, was fired. And earlier here on CNN, the district attorney says he's weighing murder charges for that officer.
[Paul Howard , Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney:] I can tell you definitely that probably sometime around Wednesday, we will be making a decision in this case. I believe in this instance what we have to choose between, if there is a choice to be made, is between murder and felony murder.
[Blitzer:] Today, as part of the homicide investigation, an autopsy of Rayshard Brooks was conducted and Atlanta Police released body cam footage of the incident. CNN's Boris Sanchez walks us through what those videos show. We want to warn our viewers some of the footage you're about to see is disturbing.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Correspondent:] Responding to a call from a Wendy's in south Atlanta Friday night, Officer David Brosnan approaches Rayshard Brooks' car.
[Unidentified Male:] What's up, my man? Hey, what's going on, man? Hey. Hey, man, you're parked in the middle of a drive-thru line here. Hey, sir. What's up, man? Hey, you're parked in a drive-thru right now. Hey, sir, you all right?
[Sanchez:] Asleep in the drive-thru lane, police body cam footage shows the 27-year-old does not respond right away.
[Unidentified Male:] Are you just tired? All right, man. I'll move my car. Just pull up somewhere and take a nap. All right. All right, are you good?
[Rayshard Brooks, Suspect:] Yes.
[Unidentified Male:] All right.
[Sanchez:] Brooks eventually wakes up and agrees to move his car before he appears to fall asleep again.
[Unidentified Male:] My man, it doesn't mean go back to sleep. You've got to move your car. You're going back to sleep.
[Sanchez:] Brooks moves to a nearby parking spot where Brosnan asks
[Unidentified Male:] How much did you drink tonight? Not much? How much is not much? You say one drink, what kind of drink was it?
[Brooks:] Maybe that's one little margarita.
[Unidentified Male:] How about are you on any drugs today?
[Brooks:] I don't do drugs.
[Sanchez:] Brooks struggles to find his license and tries to step out of the car.
[Brooks:] I'm going to get out.
[Unidentified Male:] No, just stay in the car for a minute. All right. Just stay in the car, man. Just look for your license.
[Sanchez:] Brosnan then radios for another officer to conduct a DUI test.
[Unidentified Male:] He's pretty out of it. Definitely got some good amount on him right now.
[Sanchez:] When officer Garrett Rolfe arrives, Brooks denies ever having been asleep.
[Unidentified Male:] The reason why we're here is because somebody called 911 because you were asleep behind the wheel while you're in the drive-thru, right? Do you recall that?
[Brooks:] I don't. I don't.
[Unidentified Male:] You don't recall that? You don't recall just minutes ago where you were passed out behind the wheel in the drive- thru?
[Brooks:] Uh-uh.
[Sanchez:] He agrees to a breathalyzer test, says he can't remember how much he had to drink and then he tells police
[Brooks:] I know, I know. You just doing your job.
[Sanchez:] When Rolfe tries to handcuff Brooks, he resists. Witness video shows Brosnan readying his taser.
[Unidentified Male:] You're going to get tased.
[Sanchez:] Brooks grabs it out of his hand.
[Unidentified Male:] Hands off the Stop.
[Sanchez:] Breaking free, Brooks punches Rolfe who fires his stun gun as Brooks takes off. And here's the moment the altercation becomes deadly. We slow this down for you. You can see Rolfe chasing Brooks, each man now carrying a taser. Watch as Rolfe moves his taser from his right hand to his left and reaches towards his handgun. That's when Brooks turns and fires the taser. And Rolfe shoots, firing three times at Brooks as he flees.
[Unidentified Male:] Stop. Stop.
[Sanchez:] Bystanders almost immediately begin cursing and shouting at the officers.
[Unidentified Male:] Both of your careers are definitely done because you just shot a man for no reason.
[Sanchez:] A few minutes after he's shot, Officers Rolfe and Brosnan begin to provide medical treatment.
[Unidentified Male:] Mr. Brooks, keep breathing.
[Sanchez:] A short time later Brooks is rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he's later pronounced dead.
[Blitzer:] Our special thanks to Boris Sanchez for that report. Joining us now, L. Chris Stewart, he's the attorney for the family of Rayshard Brooks. Chris, thank you once again for joining us. First of all, give us any update you can on where the investigation stands, where the case stands right now.
[L. Chris Stewart, Attorney For Family Of Rayshard Brooks:] We're waiting on the decision from the district attorney, Paul Howard. We saw the statement that he put out, the options that he's weighing and we're continuing to keep trying to find witnesses and video of the incident.
[Blitzer:] Well, based on the video we've all seen, Chris, right now, what's your analysis of what we've seen?
[Stewart:] It showed you what kind of person Mr. Brooks was in the beginning of this incident. It's literally what you tell people how to act when an officer approaches you. Even though he had had something to drink, he was polite. He was using sir. He was conducted a 20 to 30-minute sobriety test. Did the leg stand, did everything possible. And it should have ended when he said, simply, can I walk to my sister's house? I'll lock my car. It should have ended right there. That's what citizen policing is about. You let him just walk home. He's not driving. He's not going to harm anybody. He's coherent. Let him walk home.
[Blitzer:] But he had been driving he drove to the he drove to the Wendy's, right?
[Stewart:] Yes, he did drive to the Wendy's.
[Blitzer:] Because I assume the police were suspicious about if he was driving under the you know, while drunk. But you make an important point, though, he did say, I'll leave my car at the Wendy's and I'll walk to my sister's house, but that clearly wasn't good enough for the police.
[Stewart:] It wasn't good enough for Officer Rolfe. The first officer appeared to be contemplating, he said pull over there and apparently take a nap or sleep it off. The first officer actually was being polite, was trying to be understanding, and it escalated once Rolfe got there who didn't want to allow any type of compassion or empathy or understanding or even let this man just walk home.
[Blitzer:] Because when he started to handcuff him and put his hands behind his back, that's when Rayshard Brooks started to resist, right?
[Stewart:] Yes.
[Blitzer:] Should he have resisted at that point or should he just complied?
[Stewart:] Well, I mean, I can't get into the mind of what he was thinking at that point. I'm sure that, you know, having had a few drinks, maybe he didn't believe that he should be arrested at that point. But, you know, it's beyond the point. You know, what happened in that moment when he resisted doesn't allow a police officer to become judge, jury and executioner. We watch videos all the time where it is a Caucasian individual or a person of a different race that resists and lives. We've watched videos of a person go do a mass shooting and live. There was absolutely no reason for him to die because he resisted and ran away.
[Blitzer:] The Fulton County district attorney, as you know, Paul Howard, says a decision on charges against this police officer who shot Brooks will be made, and I'm quoting him now, sometime around Wednesday, and that three charges were relevant under consideration, murder, felony murder, or voluntary manslaughter. What's your reaction to that?
[Stewart:] Just totally up to the district attorney's office. I try to stay out of the criminal charges or the work being done by the district attorney and just handle what we can do on our side. You know, we don't want to have any role in tainting the view of what happens with the criminal charges.
[Blitzer:] You have confidence in this district attorney?
[Stewart:] I have confidence in any district attorney that sees a videotape like this where an officer's life was not in the immediate threat of losing his life or immediate harm. It was a taser which falls under the exact category of pepper spray and a baton. So if he had been running with pepper spray and sprayed it backwards or waved the baton at the cop, should he have been shot then?
[Blitzer:] Basically what you're saying is when he started to run away, the police officer should have just let him run away and they could find a way to catch him later, they obviously had a name they had his car, they would have found him, he shouldn't have taken out his gun and basically shot him in the back?
[Stewart:] Yes. What it is with a lot of policing and they're trained to do an examination of the totality of the situation. They saw that this individual was not aggressive in the beginning. They did a full pat down so they knew he wasn't armed, they knew he didn't have a gun. They had his license, they had his vehicle, they had his keys. He wasn't going anywhere. And if he did, they could find him. He ran away with the taser which falls into the category of OC spray and a baton. He wasn't posing an immediate risk to anyone, but yet the officer opened fire in a packed parking lot.
[Blitzer:] You want the DA to charge him with what? With murder?
[Stewart:] We want the DA to charge him with any of the different degrees that he's looking at right now. like I said, I'm not going to comment on Paul Howard's investigation.
[Blitzer:] Because that police officer, as you know, he's been fired. The other police officer who was there, he's been reassigned, basically, to clerical duty. Should the second police officer who didn't fire the shots, should he be charged as well?
[Stewart:] We're still looking into his behavior once the chase started. I will say that his behavior when the entire incident began is what policing is supposed to be, as polite as he was, as understanding, even looking like he was going to let him park on the side and sleep it off. You know, that's the whole thing that I'm trying to get this entire country to get back to is community before search and destroy. It is there will be situations where you have to give people a break, where you let someone sleep it off, where you let someone lay down or walk home instead of putting cuffs on them. But we're just too militarized in our policing in the community.
[Blitzer:] Tell us how the family of Rayshard Brooks is doing right now. I know you represent that family, the kids, everybody else. How are they doing?
[Stewart:] We can't really describe it. I mean, think about an 8-year- old who now on top of her birthday is also going to remember that this is the day her dad was murdered on video for the rest of her life. So I'll just leave it at that.
[Blitzer:] Yes, it's a sad and yesterday was her birthday, right?
[Stewart:] Yes. And, you know, they're just trying to make it through.
[Blitzer:] Yes. Well, give the family our love, obviously. And we'll stay in very, very close touch with you. Thank you so much for joining us. This is a heartbreaking situation in Atlanta. We've certainly seen the fallout unfold. Chris Stewart is the attorney for the family of Rayshard Brooks. Thanks so much for joining us.
[Stewart:] All right. Thanks, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] We'll continue this conversation down the road for sure. We're also continuing to monitor nationwide protests now for the 20th straight day as demonstrators around the United States are calling for an end to racial injustice. We'll speak with the former president of the NAACP. Stay with us, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

[Berman:] We're getting new details this morning into what could have been a massacre in downtown Dallas. Right now, the FBI is scouring the social media and military history of a 22-year-old masked gunman who opened fire outside a federal courthouse before he was shot dead by police. I want to bring in Josh Campbell, CNN law enforcement analyst and former FBI supervisory special agent. Josh, there are 200 FBI agents now working on this case. If you were one of them, what questions would you be asking?
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst, Former Supervisory Special Agent, Fbi:] Well, so many questions. And let me say at the outset John, if I can, that we herald the work of law enforcement in this country. We hold their feet to the fire whenever required. This is one of those days that all of us should be honoring the work of a federal agency that most of us have never heard of the Federal Protective Service. They're charged with protecting federal buildings in Washington, D.C. and around the country. And but for their quick actions in engaging the shooter, we may be talking about a mass murder right now. As you mentioned, the FBI special agent in charge indicating over 200 agents assigned to this case. Essentially, the entire Dallas field office is being told this is their top priority. They're going through this subject's social media. Questions I would have, obviously, is to get to motivation. Did he signal in advance his intentions to attack this target? Were there people that were in his orbit that may have known about him? A lot of questions for law enforcement and we can be assured that they worked throughout the night and this investigation will be continuing.
[Berman:] You say that this looks like what law enforcement might consider an injustice collector. What do you mean by that?
[Campbell:] Yes, exactly. So when you think about what the subject could have done and again, it's chilling to think about, but he was well-armed a high-powered rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition on his waistband that we saw in these photos and these images. He could have caused mass loss of life if his goal was to indiscriminately kill people. There's a lot we don't know at this point but I think one thing that we can take away is that his goal wasn't just to cause mass loss of life because you wouldn't go after a federal building. Think about what this institution represents power, authority. Sure, law enforcement in this country enforces the law, but it's in these courthouses where justice is ultimately handed down. So, I think what we're probably going to learn with this subject is he had some kind of grievance with law enforcement. Again, a lot of that will come from his background, looking into details of his life. But there was something that motivated him to come after this and we've seen those instances in the past where someone feels slighted, they collected these injustices, and sadly, some of them actually act on them with violence.
[Berman:] But this is a hard target. As you say, this is a federal courthouse here. This person had to know it would be heavily guarded. And even if he had 150 rounds of ammunition and wanted to make a lot of noise, he wasn't going to get very far.
[Campbell:] Yes, exactly. Anyone who has been in these federal buildings, they know that they're highly protected. There are armed guards in and around the building. I don't think that there's any way again, we can't get into the mind
[Berman:] Right.
[Campbell:] of the shooter, but there's no way he would have made his way past these layers of security, up the elevators, into a judge's chamber or courtroom, for example. And so, again, his main grievance may have been just to attack this institution to attack this building. We know the FBI is currently working with the Department of Defense, again, to go back through his life. He's a 22-year-old former Army infantryman. So there will be a lot of possible clues that they'll be able to develop as far as what happened in this person's past. Did he have run-ins with law enforcement
[Berman:] Yes.
[Campbell:] or some type of authority figures? Again, all of that will be part of this investigation.
[Berman:] Very quickly, you bring up this man's military history. He was an infantryman in the Army from 2015 to 2017. So what kind of information would the military be able to provide here?
[Campbell:] So, inside the military, they do these analyses of members of personnel, fitness reports. There are supervisors, again, who will file reports about their observations of these people. So again, they want to talk to his superior to try to figure out was he someone who was in trouble? We know that he served two years, which isn't a lot of time, so I would want to know what caused him to be discharged. And again, all of that will come from talking to his last employer, which would have been the Department of Defense and again, to gather those clues. What was this person like? What how did he act around others, around authority figures? Again, to get to that motive. Why did he decide to conduct an attack on the U.S. government?
[Berman:] An important thing I think you say today is to give thanks to the Federal Protective Services, preventing what might have been a massacre there. Terrifying images. Josh Campbell, thank you so much for being with us.
[Campbell:] Thanks, John.
[Berman:] Alisyn
[Camerota:] OK, John. As you know, all morning we've been pressing the White House to give us some response to the president's latest threat via Twitter to deport a million well, actually, millions, he said, undocumented immigrants. So we have some answers now. Let's get to it. All right, good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Tuesday, June 18th, 8:00 now in the East, and we begin with the breaking news. Overnight, President Trump announced a major new operation targeting undocumented immigrants. He tweeted that ICE will begin deporting millions of people living in the U.S. illegally, beginning next week, but it is unclear if any actual plans are in place. The president returning to his signature anti-immigrant rhetoric just hours before he kicks off his 2020 reelection campaign at a big rally in Florida.
[Berman:] There are huge developments overseas as well. The United States is sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East after Iran backed off some of its commitments in the Iran nuclear deal. Russia's deputy foreign minister has responded just a little while ago this morning. END

[Hill:] We just heard from former Vice President Joe Biden making his case as voters head to the polls in South Carolina tomorrow. And then, of course, Super Tuesday, three days later. Let's get "The Bottom Line" now with CNN political analyst David Gregory. David, good morning. So one of the things you know John tried hard to get a number out of him, and he said, you know, Mr. Vice President, how big does your margin need to be in South Carolina? He would not give a specific number. But, David, he did say, he really believes South Carolina will be a launching pad for him. What does he need to make it a successful launching pad?
[David Gregory, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, because if it's not, then it then there's no success
[Hill:] Well, then, yes, there's that.
[Gregory:] And he's got a pretty short road ahead. Yes, he's not going to commit to a number. I think it's obvious he needs a big margin. There's a couple of reasons. One of the reasons is, he'd like it to be an early night in South Carolina. So there's plenty of time, if it's called early, he's got a big margin of victory, then a lot of people on TV can be talking about how, hey, you know, don't count out Joe Biden. Maybe this race is changing. Maybe he's going to be the one to really confront Bernie Sanders. And then he can start earning some money. He's got a very short window between tomorrow and Super Tuesday to try to build momentum and get some money in the coffers. I still think Biden's got a lot to prove. I mean I think the sound you played from Van Jones is still on target in terms of his strength as a candidate, the strength of his ideas in the marketplace of the Democratic voters. But one thing, you know, when we're going through coronavirus and a financial market collapse, I think Biden benefits because you look at him in the interview with him, John, you can imagine him doing the job. You can imagine him doing the job with competence. That matters to people. That matters to voters.
[Berman:] This is a moment for him. There's no question that this is this is the moment. He has to do really well in South Carolina. The coronavirus thing, David, I think is the perfect framing, I think, for his candidacy. And this, in some ways, is the referendum on Joe Biden. And we will know, I think, within 36 hours the you know, the fate of the candidacy one way or the other.
[Gregory:] Yes, I agree with that. And I think but I think it's bigger than just Biden, although, you know, not for him. I mean the question of his candidacy, right. But I think the bigger point is, the marketplace of ideas. There needs the Democratic Party is fighting about what are the most important ideas? And so one part of it is, who can beat Trump? What can beat Trump? And the other part is, what is the future of the Democratic Party actually look like? And I think it would behoove the party to have a moderate versus a more progressive voice, to have that debate as we move forward to see who's going to be the nominee. And, therefore, the complication is, let's say Biden does well. Then you go into Super Tuesday, everybody's going to wait out Super Tuesday. But here's Mike Bloomberg who gets in the race because Biden looked like he was collapsing. If he's resurgent, now it's Bloomberg who's very much standing in the way.
[Hill:] It's interesting, too, you say, you know, that they needs to get to the point where they're sort of really where the party's figuring out who it is because Joe Biden, in one of his answers to you, in talking about some of his rivals, were saying, well, they're not Democrat Democrats. But the reality is, today, you know, who and what is a Democrat? And that has not been established as you move forward into 2020. Just picking up on coronavirus, too. You were saying, you know, Joe Biden is really a good messenger and sort of a reminder. How heavily is coronavirus, in your mind at this point, David, starting to weigh on 2020?
[Gregory:] I you know, I don't know. Maybe the entrance polls will give us some indication of that. But I feel very strongly, and John and I know, having covered President Bush, I think what hurt him so badly at the end of the administration was the overhang from Iraq and Katrina because it became a question, not just of credibility, but of competence. Can the government handle something that only the government can take care of? A global pandemic is only something that the federal government has the scale to be able to address. And I'm very concerned. You know, as a parent and as a citizen, I get concerned about how politicized it gets, especially in an election year. I don't think we ought to amplify it. We should be careful in the media not to amplify the political infighting over this to support an administration that needs to put health and science first in its response. But I think this is a bare bones thing. This is the one thing the government does. You look to the leaders. Are they competent for the job?
[Berman:] David Gregory, we appreciate you being with us. Mentioning the impact of an early night tomorrow night, so we can all, you know, go to sleep go to sleep early potentially.
[Hill:] There's that.
[Berman:] I appreciate it. No, but it's a great point you bring up about that as well. David, thanks so much for being with us.
[Gregory:] Thanks. Appreciate it.
[Berman:] So there are concerns now. The WHO raising specific concerns that the coronavirus situation could turn into a pandemic. The stock market futures have been down all morning long. Down oh, wow, actually, that's taken a decided turn for the worse over the last few minutes, down now 376 points. Market open in just a half an hour. CNN, our coverage continues right after this.

[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, you're right about that, Martin. There's no doubt this is not what Bernie Sanders wants to be talking about in Iowa this week. He's here, right behind me, hosting a roundtable on senior citizens issues and issues related to health care. That's what the focus of this campaign is. He does not want to be talking about this. It's an inescapable fact it's something he has to deal with. That's because a group of his field staffers, the lowest rung on the campaign infrastructure, are upset because the original deal they negotiated with his union this is a union that went into negotiations and came out with a contract with the Sanders campaign. Historic, never happened before in the history of a presidential campaign. They negotiated a 36,000 a year salary for the field staff. And based on a 40-hour week, that does get them at the $15 an hour mark. But as the campaign ramps up take, for instance, today, Bernie Sanders has five different events in Iowa alone. That means more demands on their field staff. And when many of them are six days a week, 10-hour days, and you get up to 60 hours a week, the $15 salary is not meeting that threshold. Some went to the press and leaked to the "Washington Post" their concerns about this. It is part of an ongoing negotiation with the union, Union of Food and Commercial Workers. They're trying to work out these issues. They even, at one point, were offered a pay raise and they turned that down. Now Sanders is saying he's proud of the contract his campaign negotiated. He's proud that a union is representing his staffers. This is what he told the "Washington Post" in a statement. He said, "We have an historic contract agreement that provides unprecedented protections and benefits. Through that framework, we are committed to addressing concerns in good faith through the bargaining process." Sanders said he's disappointed his field staff went to the press to air their concerns. They have a union and a they have a collective bargaining agreement. They can negotiate these issues behind closed doors without bringing them out into the light of the day. Of course, Martin, this would be a headache for anyone dealing with a union but, in a presidential campaign, especially Bernie Sanders' , who has made employee rights a hallmark of his campaign, and particularly that $15 an hour standard, it's made life very difficult for him during the campaign Martin?
[Savidge:] Yes. Like you said, it's complicated. Ryan Nobles, thank you very much, in Iowa. Let's go to battleground state of Nevada, and an important place for Joe Biden's war chest. CNN Political Reporter, Arlette Saenz, is in Las Vegas. Arlette, CNN did its draw for the debate earlier this week. What did the vice president think of his place in the lineup?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] Well, Joe Biden told me yesterday he's looking forward to this upcoming debate. I had the chance to ask him as he was leaving a tamale restaurant in east Los Angeles what he thought of the debate lineup and he said he's looking forward to it and he likes it. But Biden will have about a week and a half to prepare for that second presidential debate that we're hosting. He's going to find himself in another rematch of Senator Kamala Harris. If you take a look at that lineup, he'll be right in the middle, between Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, two people who have been strongly critical of the former vice president, especially when it comes to issues of race. The Biden campaign tells me they're fully aware most of the candidates are going to direct their fire at the former vice president but that he wants to make the clear, stark policy differences clear that he has with other candidates, particularly on the issue of health care. That's something you've seen him really engage in over the past two weeks, trying to highlight that he does not believe that Medicare-for- All, which is supported by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, among others, he doesn't believe Medicare-for-All is the answer on health care. The former vice president is going to be drilling into that debate prep in the coming two weeks Martin?
[Savidge:] And what is Biden doing there in Las Vegas today?
[Saenz:] Well, this is his second trip to Nevada. In just a few hours, Biden will be stopping by this union hall where there's going to be phone banking going on. This is the campaign's national day of action. They're phone banking and canvassing across the country. And some volunteers will be setting up here over the next few hours. You'll see they have all of these files and papers for people to start making phone calls to voters. They'll make phone calls in English and Spanish as they really try to reach out to the Latino community here in Nevada. And the former vice president will be making an appearance. And we'll see if he decides to make a few phone calls himself Martin?
[Savidge:] I bet he will. Arlette Saenz, thanks very much for that. Still ahead, protesters in Puerto Rico call for the police to join their cause as they demand the governor resign. Is he on the verge of being impeached? We'll have a live report.

[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] Releasing the Mueller report: new details from the attorney general about when and how much of that report could be revealed. Plus, shutting down the U.S. border: President Trump makes a threat, again saying he would act as soon as next week. Also ahead this hour, defeat for the third time: Theresa May's Brexit plan gets voted down again, leaving the United Kingdom in political limbo. Live from CNN in Atlanta, we welcome viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
[Howell: 4:] 00 am on the U.S. East Coast. We could get our first look at the full Mueller report on Russian election interference in weeks. In a letter to Congress, the U.S. attorney general said it would be made public by mid-April, if not sooner. That report is nearly 400 pages long. Here is the thing, how much will be revealed and how much will be redacted is still not known. House Democrats say it's not good enough. Kaitlan Collins starts us off.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] President Trump giving the all-clear...
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I have nothing to hide.
[Collins:] voicing confidence in Bill Barr after the attorney general announced Congress will have Robert Mueller's redacted report within weeks.
[Trump:] I have great confidence in the attorney general. And if that's what he would like to do, I have nothing to hide. This was a hoax. This was a witch hunt.
[Collins:] Barr telling lawmakers the White House will not see the document before they do and that Trump is deferring to him on asserting executive privilege. Despite calling the special counsel's investigation a witch hundred, Trump saved his harshest words for Mexico today.
[Trump:] I'm very upset with Mexico.
[Collins:] Repeating his threat to shut down the southern border, but this time with a deadline.
[Trump:] There's a very good likelihood that I will be closing the border next week. And that will be just fine with me.
[Collins:] Trump warned earlier today that if Mexico doesn't stop undocumented immigrants from crossing into the U.S., he will close it down and halt all trade.
[Trump:] And we will keep it closed for a long time. I'm not playing games.
[Collins:] The presidential threat coming days after the nation's top border official warned that a crush of asylum-seeking families has put immigration enforcement at its breaking point.
[Kevin Mcaleenan, U.s. Customs And Border Protection:] This is an unfortunate step and very challenging for our law enforcement professionals to digest.
[Collins:] But also one day after Trump total crowd in Michigan that those fleeing violence and poverty are sometimes faking it.
[Trump:] They're all met by the lawyers and they say, say the following phrase. I am very afraid for my life. I am afraid for my life. OK. And then I look at the guy, he looks like he just got out of the ring, he's the heavyweight champion of the world. He's afraid for his it's a big fat con job, folks.
[Collins:] In his first rally since the end of this special counsel's 22-month investigation...
[Trump:] And after three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is finally dead. The collusion delusion is over.
[Collins:] as Trump took a victory lap around Democrats...
[Trump:] The Democrats have to now decide whether they will continue defrauding the public with ridiculous bullshit, partisan investigation, or whether they will apologize to the American people.
[Collins:] the president taking delight in going after the House Intelligence chairman in particular.
[Trump:] They're on artificial respirators right now. They're getting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, little pencil neck, Adam Schiff, got the smallest, thinnest neck I have ever seen.
[Collins:] Now the president has threatened to close down the border before. But he's never offered a timeline like he did today. Right now there are still questions swirling around the White House about what this will do because, though the president today described it as a potentially profitable endeavor, it would, of course, affect businesses, factories, those communities down there on the border that cross over so frequently. And right now the White House is not commenting on whether or not the president's threat also applies to air travel Kaitlin Collins, CNN, the White House.
[Howell:] You heard from the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He says the immigration system is at a breaking point. Let's look at the numbers. Immigration officials say, Monday alone, they arrested 4,000 people trying to cross illegally into the United States. In March, 40,000 children will come into the Customs and Border Protection custody. March will be the highest month for apprehensions and encounters since 2008. The results, he says, sets the potential for a tragic incident. Let's get analysis from Natasha Lindstaedt. She is a professor of government at University of Essex. Good to have you.
[Natasha Lindstaedt, University Of Essex:] Thanks for having me on.
[Howell:] Border officials are saying their resources have become strained. The U.S. president threatening to shut down the southern border and he has this to say about what he calls a crisis.
[Trump:] They set up these caravans. In many cases, they put their worst people in the caravan. They're not going to put their best in. They get rid of their problems. And they march up here. And they're coming into the country. We're not letting them in our country. Our Border Patrol, the job they have done is incredible. The job that ICE is doing is incredible. And we have run out of space. We can't hold people anymore and Mexico can stop it so easily.
[Howell:] Natasha, the question here, is this a manufactured crisis as critics have been saying or a real problem that has been gradually building to now a breaking point?
[Lindstaedt:] Well, what Trump is saying and Republicans and his supporters, is there has been a jump in apprehensions. Democrats say this is a crisis of his own making as you mentioned, because actually Mexican immigration to the U.S. has gone down. If you look at the overall trend, immigration into the U.S. from the south decreased. His policy seemed to be not really working in the right way. Under the Obama administration, they were able to start working on immigration reform and making it more of a comprehensive thing. It's not just putting up borders and apprehending people but also looking at the root causes of immigration. So Mexican immigration has gone down but Central American countries are dealing with major crises. Homicide rates making people feel unsafe. It would be better to tackle it from that front and look at the root problem rather than trying to erect borders with huge economic consequences both on the Mexican economy and on the U.S. economy.
[Howell:] I want to pivot to another topic we have discussed. The Mueller report is expected to be released by mid-April, if not sooner, likely to be heavily redacted. In the latest tweet from the president, reading the tea leaves with his thoughts, look at that tweet. The problem, he says, is, "No matter what the Radical Left Democrats get, no matter what we give them, it will never be enough. Just watch, they will Harass & Complain & Resist [the theme of their movement]. So maybe we should just take our victory and say NO, we've got a Country to run!" People are zeroing in on the capitalized no. Is it no to harassment and releasing the Mueller report? What do you make of it?
[Lindstaedt:] I think he's trying to take a strong stance after the Mueller report is released and caused a lot of stress over two years. He's been vocal in saying he's been exonerated and no collusion. Republicans and Trump supporters have been really angry about this. They say this has been a complete witch hunt and they want to be defiant and strong in the fact they feel it was a waste of time and taxpayer money. But the Democrats are concerned about Barr's report. They don't think it was very clear and all the evidence was put out there. There's concerns whatever comes out, if there's so much that is redacted, it may be covering a lot of information that the Democrats are suspicious about. Adam Schiff, who is the House Intelligence chair, made this clear in a speech he gave, when Republicans were aggressively going after him to try to get him to resign. He was saying, I'm not OK with a lot of things that happened, that were clear, that Don Jr., his son, appeared to be exuberant in an email about getting dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russians; that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was creating back channels to meet with the Russians. And Trump, himself, said in the summer of 2016, Russia, why don't you go get Hillary Clinton's emails. These things were in plain sight to everybody. There's a suspicion this Barr report wasn't telling the whole picture and may have been biased a little bit. They are hoping the whole thing will come out. Trump, on the other hand, is saying, I don't care what comes out. There was no collusion. There's no proof of collusion. He feels pretty confident that it doesn't matter.
[Howell:] Adding to one thing you mentioned there, the report does not exonerate the president. That's important to underscore. A greater question here, Natasha, will the partial release of this report who knows how much will be redacted. Will the partial release make a difference here for Democrats?
[Lindstaedt:] No, I don't think it will make a difference for Democrats. I think that they want as much of it to come out as possible because of the suspicions that I mentioned. They feel that pretty strongly the Russians interfered with the U.S. election and there may have been some connectioncooperation with the Trump campaign based on how vocal they were about trying to work with the Russians and how clearly they wanted to work with the Russians and relieve the sanctions and so forth. For the Democrats, there are all kinds of other investigations going on that actually have more serious implications for Trump politically and legally; most notably, the campaign finance fraud and his connection with Michael Cohen and basically telling him to pay hush money to someone who he had a relationship with and the fact that Cohen, himself, had been sentenced to prison for three years and Trump was named as an unindicted co-conspirator. That's one of many investigations going on that will have more repercussions and political implications that the Democrats are going to want to pursue. This is more of an emotional thing. They feel something is fishy, something is wrong and they don't buy that there was really much ado about nothing here. That's why they are holding on to this.
[Howell:] Natasha, thank you so much.
[Lindstaedt:] Thanks for having me.
[Howell:] A common phrase in the British Parliament has been, "And the nos have it." The prime minister's Brexit deal fails yet again. Plus Palestinians mark a significant milestone in Gaza. An anniversary that has the Israeli military on heightened alert. Stay with us.

[Castor:] I believe he's one of the few that span both the Poroshenko administration and the Zelensky administration?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, that's correct.
[Castor:] Looking back on his comments in hindsight, do you see how that might create a perception that a very influential Ukrainian was was, you know, advocating against then candidate Trump?
[Yovanovitch:] That he was doing what? I'm sorry.
[Castor:] Just advocating he was he was out to get him. I mean, he was he was he said some real nasty things?
[Yovanovitch:] Well, you know, sometimes that happens on social media. And I...
[Castor:] I'm shocked that social media would be the site of negative comments. The you certainly can understand that the president, aware of Minister Avakov's, you know, statements, aware of what Mr. Lutshenko was up to, what Ambassador Chaly was up to, and these other elements that we've discussed, that there certainly forms a reasonable basis to wonder whether there are influential, you know, elements of the Ukrainian establishment that were out to get the president?
[Yovanovitch:] You know, again, I mean, I can't speak for what President Trump thought or what others thought. I would just say that those elements that you've recited don't seem to me to be the Ukrainian you know, kind of a plan or a plot of the Ukrainian government to work against President Trump or or anyone else. I mean, they're isolated incidents. We all know I'm coming to find out myself that public life can be you know, people are critical. And that does not mean that someone is, or a government is undermining either a campaign or interfering in elections. And I would just remind, again, that our own U.S. intelligence community has conclusively determined that the those who interfered in the election were in Russia.
[Castor:] You turn our attention to Ambassador Volker. He's he's been a friend and colleague of yours for many years. Is that correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, that's true.
[Castor:] And I believe you testified he's a man of honor...
[Yovanovitch:] I believe that to be true.
[Castor:] ... and and a brilliant diplomat?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Castor:] And you have no reason to think that he would be undertaking any initiative that was counter to U.S. interests?
[Yovanovitch:] I think that he tried to do what he thought was right.
[Castor:] The turning our attention to the the Trump administration's policy of aid, the aid package to Ukraine, you've testified that, during your tenure as ambassador, America's policy actually got stronger towards Ukraine. Is that accurate?
[Yovanovitch:] With the provision of Javelins to the Ukrainian military, yes. That was that was really positive.
[Castor:] And why was that important?
[Yovanovitch:] Well, two things. They are obviously tank-busters. And so if the war with Russia all all of a sudden accelerated in some way and tanks come over the horizon, Javelins are a very serious weapon to deal with that. That's number one. But really, the more important issue is the the symbolism of it; that the United States is providing Javelins to Ukraine. That makes Ukraine's adversaries think twice.
[Castor:] And the the provision of Javelins to Ukraine was was blocked during the the previous administration, is that correct?
[Yovanovitch:] I think they made a determination. I was not a part of those discussions, but obviously, they had not yet made a determination about whether to provide Javelins.
[Castor:] But do you have any understanding of what the interagency consensus was with regard to Javelins during the previous administration?
[Yovanovitch:] I think that most in the interagency wanted to provide Javelins to Ukraine.
[Castor:] And so in the new administration under, you know, President Trump, the ability to afford Ukraine this weaponry is a significant advantage, significant step forward?
[Yovanovitch:] We thought it was important.
[Castor:] And has it played out that way?
[Yovanovitch:] Well, it it has because it's...
[Castor:] The provision of Javelins?
[Yovanovitch:] ... it's a symbol of our strong support for Ukraine. But when then you know, this year there are questions as to whether or not our security assistance is going to go through, that kind of undermines that that strong message of support.
[Castor:] The Ukraine still has the ability to acquire the Javelins though, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Are are you now talking about purchasing Javelins...
[Castor:] Purchasing...
[Yovanovitch:] ... by the Ukrainian government?
[Castor:] Yeah.
[Yovanovitch:] Yeah, I do.
[Castor:] And...
[Yovanovitch:] Is my understanding. [inaudible]
[Castor:] And the security sector assistance did go through. It was paused for 55 days from July 18th to September 11th, but it ultimately went through, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] It's my understanding.
[Castor:] OK. You testified during your deposition that you were you were proud of the efforts of the United States during your tenure to, you know, supply this this type of aid to to Ukraine. Do do you still are you still happy with with the decisions?
[Yovanovitch:] Are you talking about the Javelin?
[Castor:] The Javelin, and also the the just the the whole aid package.
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Castor:] Do you think it's sufficient? Do do you think we're giving Ukraine enough money?
[Yovanovitch:] That's a hard question because one can always use additional funding. That said, I think that that the Congress has been very generous in voting for security assistance and other forms of assistance for Ukraine.
[Castor:] I see my time is coming to an end, Mr. Chairman.
[Schiff:] I thank the gentleman. We'll now go to member five-minute rounds. I recognize myself for five minutes. Ambassador Yovanovitch, I want to follow up on some of the questions from my colleagues. Some of the early questions seem to suggest that your testimony here was completely irrelevant to the issues at hand. Why are you even here? Isn't this just some small matter that should have been referred to H.R.? So I want to bring our attention to someone who thought you were actually very important to this whole plot or scheme, and that is the president of the United States. There was only one ambassador, I believe, who was discussed by the president in the July 25th call, and that was you, Ambassador Yovanovitch, and I want to refer back to how you were brought up in that conversation. At one point during the conversation, the president brings up this prosecutor who was very good, and it was shut down, and that's really unfair. And I think you indicated earlier that that was a likely reference to Mr. Lutsenko, the corrupt prosecutor. Is that right?
[Yovanovitch:] I believe that is the case, but I don't know.
[Schiff:] So immediately after the president brings up this corrupt former prosecutor, only one I'm sorry. My staff's correcting me. Only one American ambassador's brought up in the call. Immediately after the president brings up this corrupt prosecutor that he praises and says he was treated very unfairly, he then encourages Zelensky to speak with Giuliani, the guy who orchestrated the smear campaign against you, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Schiff:] And he he then brings you up. So he praises the corrupt prosecutor. He says, "I want you to talk to Giuliani," the guy who smeared you, and then he brings you up. He obviously thought you were relevant to this. But what is even more telling is immediately after he brings you up and says that you, the woman was bad news, he says, "There's a lot I a lot to talk about about Biden's son; that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that, so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great." Immediately after praising this corrupt prosecutor, he attacks you and then he goes right to Biden. That would indicate to you, wouldn't it, Ambassador, that he connects you somehow with this prosecutor you were at odds with, and his desire to see this investigation of Biden go forward, would it not?
[Yovanovitch:] Again again, you're absolutely right, that that is the thought progression.
[Schiff:] My colleagues also asked, in pushing you out of the way, ultimately, Ambassador Taylor got appointed. Is Ambassador Taylor the kind of person that would further Giuliani's aims? And I think we can all agree that Ambassador Taylor is a remarkable public servant.
[Yovanovitch:] Absolutely.
[Schiff:] But what if the president could put someone else in place that wasn't a career diplomat? What if he could put in place, say, a substantial donor to his inaugural? What if he could put in place someone with no diplomatic experience at all? What if he could put in place someone whose portfolio doesn't even include Ukraine? Might that person be willing to work with Rudy Giuliani in pursuit of these investigations?
[Yovanovitch:] Yeah, maybe.
[Schiff:] That's exactly what happened, wasn't it?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Schiff:] And my colleagues also say, "Well, the security assistance ultimately went through. So if they sought to condition or bribe Ukraine into doing these investigations by withholding security assistance, they ultimately paid the money." Are you aware, Ambassador, that the security assistance was not released until after a whistleblower complaint made its way to the White House?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, I'm aware of that.
[Schiff:] Are you aware that it was not released until Congress announced it was doing an investigation?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, I'm aware of that.
[Schiff:] And finally, I want to ask you about the call record that my colleague read at the outset. I'm curious about this, and just for people watching at home so they're not confused, there were two calls here. There's the perfunctory congratulatory call after Zelensky's inaugurated, which my ranking member read this morning, and then there's, of course, the very problematic call in July.
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Schiff:] And one of the reasons we are here is, what happened between April and July. But there was a readout put out by the White House at the time the April congratulatory call was made. And the White House readout said that the president discussed with Zelensky, helping Ukraine root out corruption. Now, that, in fact, doesn't appear anywhere in that call. So I wanted to ask you, ambassador, why would the White House put out an inaccurate reading? Why would the White House represent that the president said something about corruption, when he said nothing about corruption in that call or, in fact, in the one in July?
[Yovanovitch:] I I can't answer that question. I don't have visibility into that.
[Schiff:] I thank you. I yield now five minutes now to recognize the ranking member.
[Nunes:] I'd just remind the gentleman there's actually three calls. There's the two calls with President Trump, and the one that you reiterated in our last hearing, a couple weeks ago. Ambassador, I just want to clarify something before I yield. Are you against political-appointed ambassadors? Is it not the president's prerogative to appoint whoever he wants in any country?
[Yovanovitch:] First of all, I am not against political ambassadors, just to be clear.
[Nunes:] I just wanted I just wanted to clear that up. Now, can I yield to Ms. Stefanik? Do I need your permission?
[Schiff:] You may yield.
[Nunes:] Ms. Stefanik...
[Stefanik:] Thank you. Ambassador, before I was interrupted, I wanted to thank you for your 30 years of public service, from Mogadishu to Ottawa to Moscow to London to Kiev. I also wanted to thank you for hosting the numerous bipartisan delegations. I led one of those delegations in Ukraine. My questions today will focus on three key themes. The first is the role of the president when it comes to appointing our ambassadors, the second is longstanding corruption in Ukraine, and the third is aid to Ukraine. Earlier this week, as you know, we heard from George Kent. And I know that Mr. Kent is a colleague, a friend and someone who you deeply respect. In his testimony, he stated all ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president. You would agree with that statement, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] And in fact, he elaborated and went on to emphasize that this is without question, everybody understands that. You would agree with that?
[Yovanovitch:] I would agree with that.
[Stefanik:] And in your own deposition under oath, you stated, quote, "Although I understand, everyone understands, that I serve at the pleasure of the president," is that correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] And just so there's no public confusion, you are still an employee of the State Department, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] And in the deposition, you say that you personally asked whether it would be possible to be a fellow at Georgetown University, and that was arranged for me and I am very grateful. That's where you're posted today, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] Georgetown students are lucky to have you. We are lucky to have you in Foreign Service and I again want to thank you for your tremendous public service. Shifting gears to corruption in Ukraine, in your powerful deposition, you described, quote, "We have long understood that strong anti- corruption efforts must form an essential part of our policy in Ukraine, and now there is a window of opportunity to do that. And so why is this important? And why is this important to us? Put simply, anti-corruption efforts serve Ukraine's interests, but they also serve ours as well." Is that still your testimony?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] And particularly, at the critical time in 2014 after the Ukrainian elections, you testified that the Ukrainian people had made clear, in that very election, that they were done with corruption, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] And you also testified that the Ukrainians thought it would be a good idea to set up this architecture of a special investigative office that would be all about the crimes of corruption, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] And I know this was before you arrived in Ukraine, but you are aware that the first case that the U.S., U.K. and Ukraine investigators worked on was in fact against the owner of Burisma?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] And that was during the Obama administration?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Stefanik:] And in your testimony, you and you said today, the investigation was never formally closed because, quote, "it's frankly useful to keep that company hanging on a hook, right?" That's your quote.
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, the Ukrainian investigation was never closed.
[Stefanik:] Partnered with the U.S. and the U.K.?
[Yovanovitch:] As I understand it, yes; although, because we didn't see the Ukrainians moving forward on that, we no longer partner with them on that case or in that way.
[Stefanik:] But let's take a first a step back. The first time you personally became aware of Burisma was actually when you were being prepared by the Obama State Department for your Senate confirmation hearings. And this was in the form of practiced questions and answers, this was your deposition. And you testified that in this particular practice Q&A with the Obama State Department, it wasn't just generally about Burisma and corruption, it was specifically about Hunter Biden and Burisma. Is that correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, it is.
[Stefanik:] And the exact quote from your testimony, Ambassador, is, quote, "The way the question was phrased in this model Q&A was, what can you tell us about Hunter Biden's, you know, being named to the board of Burisma?" So for the millions of Americans watching, President Obama's own State Department was so concerned about potential conflicts of interest from Hunter Biden's role at Burisma that they raised it themselves while prepping this wonderful ambassador nominee before her confirmation. And yet, our Democratic colleagues and the chairman of this committee cry foul when we dare ask that same question that the Obama State Department was so concerned about. But we will continue asking it. And lastly, in my 20 seconds left, I just want to get it on record. In terms of the defensive lethal aid which you were an advocate for, that was not provided by President Obama, it was provided by President Trump.
[Yovanovitch:] That's correct.
[Stefanik:] I yield back five seconds.
[Schiff:] Mr. Himes, you're recognized.
[Himes:] Ambassador, thank you for your testimony today. Those of us who sit up here are supposed to be dispassionate and judicial and measured, but I'm angry. And I've been angry since I learned about your summary and unexplained dismissal after a lifetime of excellent and faithful service to this country. I'm angry that a woman whose family fled communism and Nazism, who served this country beautifully for 33 years not in Paris or in Rome, but literally under fire in places like Mogadishu and Kiev. I'm angry that a woman like you would be not just dismissed, but humiliated and attacked by the president of the United States. And I'm not just angry for you. I'm angry for every single Foreign Service officer for every single military officer, for every intelligence officer who, right now, might believe that a lifetime of service and sacrifice and excellence might be ignored by the president of the United States or, worse yet, attacked in language that would embarrass a mob boss. Now, it's the president's defense and it's emerging from my Republican colleagues today that this is all OK because, as the president so memorably put it in his tweet this morning, it is a U.S. president's absolute right to appoint ambassadors. I'm a little troubled by this idea of an absolute right, because that doesn't feel to me like the system of government we have here. I think that how and why we exercise our powers and rights matters. Ambassador, when you're ambassador somewhere, do you have the right to ask the intelligence community, the CIA in an embassy, what operations they're doing?
[Yovanovitch:] We talk about these things collaboratively. There are some things that in short, yes.
[Himes:] So you have the right to ask the intelligence community in your embassy what they're doing. Why why might you do that?
[Yovanovitch:] Because sometimes operations have political consequences.
[Himes:] Right, so the performance of your duties in the interest of the United States gives you the right to ask very sensitive questions of our intelligence community in your embassy. But what if, instead of working through the issues that you just described, you went to dinner that night and handed over that information to a Russian agent for $10,000, would that be an appropriate exercise of your right?
[Yovanovitch:] No, it would not.
[Himes:] It would not. And what would happen to you if you did that?
[Yovanovitch:] Well, I can't even begin to imagine, but I I would imagine that I would be pulled out of post.
[Himes:] Right, and this is this is not about ambassadors, right? A police officer has the right to pull you over but if the police officer pulls over his ex-wife because he's angry, that's probably not right. I have the right in fact, today I cast a bunch of votes. But if I cast those votes not in the interest of my constituents but because somebody bribed me, that is a severe abuse of my power. Wouldn't you agree?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Himes:] So I guess the question is why, after an exemplary performance as ambassador to Ukraine, did the president decide that you should be removed? Because I think we just agreed if that was not done in the national interest, that's a problem. Ambassador, if you had remained ambassador to Ukraine, would you have recommended to the president of the United States that he asked the new Ukrainian president to investigate, and I'm quoting from the transcript here, CrowdStrike or the server?
[Yovanovitch:] No, I would repeat, once again, that the U.S. intelligence community has concluded that it was the Russians who...
[Himes:] OK. So ambassador, if you had remained as ambassador and not been summarily dismissed, would you have supported a three-month delay in congressionally mandated military aid to Ukraine?
[Yovanovitch:] No.
[Himes:] Ambassador, if you had remained as ambassador of Ukraine, would you have recommended to the president that he ask a new president of Ukraine to, quote, find out about Biden's son?
[Yovanovitch:] No.
[Himes:] I have no more questions. I yield back the balance of my time.
[Schiff:] Mr. Conaway?
[Conaway:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a Dear Colleague letter from the Speaker Pelosi dated September 23rd. The relevant parts reads, "We expect we also expect that he will establish a path for the whistleblower to speak directly to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees as required by law."
[Schiff:] Without objection.
[Conaway:] Thank you. I look forward to you honoring that statement from the speaker. Turning to the ambassador, ambassador, I, for one, want to thank you so very much for a long service exemplary service for to our country and on behalf of our nation.
[Yovanovitch:] Thank you.
[Conaway:] A lot's been said about what was going on around the phone call. I'd like to focus more on what's happened, since then, to you and your career and and and what's going on. And so when you got the word at any time the ambassador changes post, there's a process you go through to pick what you do next. And that happened in this instance. Can you give us a quick statement as to how what happened when you when you came back here as to what your next assignment would be at at State?
[Yovanovitch:] So when I came back, obviously it was sort of out of cycle, there was nothing set up...
[Conaway:] Sure.
[Yovanovitch:] ... And again, I am grateful that Deputy Secretary Sullivan asked me what I would like to do next. I recalled that there was the fellowship at Georgetown and asked whether that might be something that could be arranged.
[Conaway:] Was that your only choice?
[Yovanovitch:] I'm not sure...
[Conaway:] OK.
[Yovanovitch:] ... We didn't really discuss other options.
[Conaway:] My sense is Georgetown is fertile ground for State Department recruitment of future-fledgling Foreign Service officers. And so they now benefit from your experience and your inspiration to to inspire them to perhaps spend their professional life in service to our nation.
[Yovanovitch:] Thank you.
[Conaway:] You're a fellow there, you teach classes. How many classes do you teach?
[Yovanovitch:] Well, this semester I was supposed to teach two. I am still teaching one on national security. The other one was on Ukraine and I asked whether I could, you know...
[Conaway:] Defer on that one.
[Yovanovitch:] ... postpone that. Yes, that seemed appropriate.
[Conaway:] How many how many students in your class, approximately?
[Yovanovitch:] There are, let's see, I think 14 14, 15.
[Conaway:] All right. Any other responsibilities at State other than the fellowship at Georgetown?
[Yovanovitch:] Well, I will tell you that all of this has kept me very busy.
[Conaway:] OK, I get that. But but but no, necessarily, day-to-day things that you'd be responsible for?
[Yovanovitch:] No.
[Conaway:] Other than the other than not qualifying for overseas stipends and other things, has your compensation been affected by being recalled the way you were?
[Yovanovitch:] No, it has not.
[Conaway:] OK. I'm worried about the way you might be treated by your fellow employees at State. Any any negative are they holding you in less high regard than they used to as a result of this? Do they shun you at the lunch counter? I mean, do they treat you badly as a as a result of the way you were treated by by the president?
[Yovanovitch:] I've actually received an outpouring of support...
[Conaway:] OK.
[Yovanovitch:] ... from my colleagues.
[Conaway:] So the folks that you respect the most still respect you and and and appear to hold you in high regard and high affection?
[Yovanovitch:] They do.
[Conaway:] OK. George Kent was in here a couple of days ago. He made some exemplary statements about you, really glowing. All of us, I think, would like to be the recipient of something that worthy, and I believe you are as well. Any any reason on Earth that you can think of that George Kent would be saying that because of some reason other than the fact that he believes it in his heart of hearts?
[Yovanovitch:] Like like what?
[Conaway:] Well, I mean like somebody paid him to do it.
[Yovanovitch:] No, absolutely not.
[Conaway:] OK, so you and I agree that we think he was sincere in that in that bragging on you. And that's all post the recall episode that that had that was much in discussion this morning. Well, I'm glad that your colleagues I would have expected nothing any different from your colleagues at State to to continue to treat you with the high regard that you've earned over all these years of great service. And I I hope that, whatever you decide to do after the Georgetown fellowship, that that you're as successful there as you've been in the first 33 years. With that, I yield the balance of my time to Mr. Jordan.
[Turner:] I have a unanimous consent request that an article entitled, "Whistleblower is Expected to Testify Soon, House Intelligence Chairman Schiff Says," Wall Street Journal, September 29th, 2019, be included in the record.
[Schiff:] Without objection.
[Turner:] I have a unanimous consent request that an article entitled, "Whistleblower reaches agreement to testify, will appear "very soon," Representative Adam Schiff says," USA Today, September 29th, 2019.
[Schiff:] Without objection.
[Turner:] I have a unanimous consent request. An article entitled, "Schiff confirms tentative agreement for whistleblower to testify Before House Intelligence Committee," CNN, September 29th, 2019.
[Schiff:] Without objection.
[Turner:] I have a unanimous consent request. "Intelligence panel has deal to hear whistleblower's testimony," says Schiff, Washington Post, September 29th, 2019.
[Schiff:] Without objection.
[Turner:] I have a unanimous consent request. An article entitled, "Whistleblower Reportedly Agrees To Testify Before House Intelligence Committee," reported by Schiff, Huffington Post, September 29th, 2019.
[Schiff:] Without objection.
[Turner:] I have a unanimous consent request. An article entitled, "Schiff: Panel will hear from whistleblower," Arkansas Democrat- Gazette, September 29th, 2019.
[Schiff:] Without objection. The time of the gentleman has expired. I now recognize Ms. Sewell.
[Sewell:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ambassador, and your prior testimony you spoke so movingly about your family background. You stated that your parents fled communists and Nazi regimes and that they valued freedom and democracy offered in America, having experience to totalitarian regimes. Did that have any effect on your desire to enter into the United States Foreign Service?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, it did.
[Sewell:] Did you always know you wanted to be in the Foreign Service? I look at your background and it is perfectly suited for what you are doing. I note that you studied at the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute in Russia to learn Russian?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Sewell:] That you have do you also have an MS from the National Defense University, National War College?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Sewell:] I even I even noticed that you earned, your undergraduate degree in history and Russian studies, in college and coincidentally, that was also my college. But I wanted you definitely are doing Princeton and the nation's service by [inaudible] what you do every day. But I really want to know how it felt to have your reputation sullied, not for state and nation, but for personal gains? You spoke about how your service is not just your own personal service, it affects your family, and today we have seen you as this former ambassador of this 33 year veteran of the Foreign Service. But I want to know about you personally and how this has affected you personally and your family.
[Yovanovitch:] It's been a difficult time. I am a private person, I don't want to put all of that out there, it's been a very, very difficult time because the president does have the right to have his own, her own ambassador in every country

[Unidentified Male:] Majority leader is recognized.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell , Majority Leader:] I ask unanimous consent that the trial adjourn until 1:00 p.m. Friday, January the 24th, and that this order also constitute the adjournment of the Senate.
[John Roberts, Chief Justice Of The Supreme Court:] Without objection, so ordered. The Senate is adjourned.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] This is our breaking news tonight. We have been watching the House managers wrapping up day two of their arguments, a very emotional closing there from the lead impeachment manager, Adam Schiff, saying right matters. Truth matters. Otherwise we are lost, getting choked up there. He's saying that we cannot count on President Trump to put the American people's interests first, that he will do what's right for Donald Trump and not for the American people. It is a day when they laid out the abuse of power case in the impeachment trial of this president, President Trump. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us and staying up late and going through this very long day here. It's been going all afternoon and all night. A lot of the strongest moments coming from Democrats playing back soundbites from the close Donald Trump allies like Lindsey Graham and Rudy Giuliani, and sworn testimony from diplomats Bill Taylor, Gordon Sondland, and David Holmes. House managers return tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. You heard the Senate majority leader saying that as well as Justice Roberts as well. Team Trump currently set to begin their arguments Saturday. CNN learning that right now they expect to use two days, not three. Sometime next week comes the next phase, 16 hours for Senators to ask questions through the Chief Justice John Roberts, and only after that, the vote on the big question in all this, whether to call witnesses. So let's bring in now John Dean, Laura Coates is here as well, Frank Bruni, Katherine Rampell joins us. Wow, John, it's amazing. It has been amazing, I have to be honest, to watch Adam Schiff through all of this. The House impeachment managers, all of them doing very well to present their case. But to watch Adam Schiff become emotional and to present his arguments, it has really been a thing to watch, I think.
[John Dean, Cnn Contributor:] He's very strong. They did he laid out and started the day with a broad brush of where they were going, and then they went piece by piece, a deep dive into each phase of the abuse of power. And it was very convincing. It's overwhelming evidence. It's awfully hard for anybody who listens and follows this to just brush it off and excuse me.
[Lemon:] What has been interesting to me is what was interesting to me in his closing, I think what was the most important close and central point that I've been watching all day at home and flipping through the channels and listening to Trump allies, conservative commentators, some of them saying what Adam Schiff said, OK, so he did this. OK, so he's guilty. That does not mean that he should be removed from office. And that was Adam Schiff's closing today. What do you say to that?
[Laura Coates, Cnn International Legal Analyst:] I mean, his emotional appeal to a sense of what's right, to a sense of what is right for the country is so completely compelling and persuasive to anyone who was listening about what is really at stake. They were answering the question of why does this matter? Why is this an appropriate action to take in terms of the impeachment? Why is this not just a so what if he did it? And even if he did it, what's the consequence? But what this points out is really what the founding fathers have presented as a binary choice that really is what is at the heart of Adam Schiff's argument. And I think at the heart of what the Republicans who are not receptive to that appeal for what's right, that is the binary choice is either you can acquit or you can convict and remove. And there is no gray area. And it's forcing them to take a stand and say, if I believe if I believe what Adam Schiff is saying I think they actually do, that this is what happened, that there was the abuse of power, that there was a concerted effort to cover up information, that there was a collection of team members involved and almost on everyone is in on it. Then unfortunately the choice of, is it enough to remove a president and virtually put me up for the ridicule by the president of the United States? And that's the part that I think American voters are wrestling with. Is that really the fear, the wrath of Twitter thumbs? Or should it be the fear that the democracy can go away, because you no longer are able to avoid that question, so what?
[Lemon:] Yes. Listen, I know the criticism is, well, you know, the commentator sitting on television say, Adam Schiff is, you know, his presentation was strong. But even Lindsey Graham said the same thing last night, complimenting Adam Chiffon his presentation. The question is strong did a good job of convincing possibly the American people or people who are sitting in, you know, TV studios watching lawyers, what have you. Did he convince anyone in that chamber? Did he change any minds?
[Frank Bruni, Cnn Contributor:] I suspect not. I suspect he has shamed some of them because, one of you said a moment ago they know he's right, that what Trump did is not right. And I think almost every Republican senator sitting there knows and would say in private, in his heart of hearts, the president didn't do something right. And Adam Schiff is absolutely right, that this is the president who consistently puts himself ahead of the country. And he's trying to kind of make them think [inaudible], as you are letting him off the hook, wrestle with what you really know. And it's interesting. The day began with Congressman that Representative Nadler using again, and again the phrase personal interest, personal interest in reference to the president. And then it ended with Adam Schiff saying, he will not do what's right for the country. He will do what's right for Donald Trump. And he's asking those Senators to think about what it means to have a man like that in the presidency. And he's asking all those Americans who are watching and who are going to go to the polls in November 2020 and vote not just in the presidential election, but vote in tight Senate races and decide whether to keep these Republicans in or out. He's asking them to think about that same question whether a man of Donald Trump's character and character is what those final words were about, is OK to have in the presidency.
[Lemon:] This is not necessarily specific to this, Catherine, but I just want to ask you. This is a CNN poll conducted by SSRS on impeachment charges against this is impeachment charges against President Trump. Abused powers of the presidency, 58 percent of Americans say it's true. Obstructed justice, 57 percent of Americans say it's true. And this is from pew. This is one not specific to the trial. About 6 in 10 Americans, 63 percent think Donald Trump has probably or definitely done things that are illegal, either during the 2016 election campaign or during his time in office.
[Catherine Rampell, Cnn Political Reporter:] Yes, and actually in that pew survey that you mention, a third of Republicans and Republican leaders say that they think that President Trump did something illegal. Even so, even though they believe Trump broke the law, most of that group again, of Republicans who think he did something illegal do not think he should be removed from office. And that's really the crux of the issue here. It's not even so much as we're fighting over facts, although, obviously there is some dispute over the facts. People live in different realities. But even when we agree on the facts, there are enough Americans who say, sure, he's a crook, but he's my crook. You know, he's looking out for my interests. He gets me. And so long as there is still that sort of cultish following of the man in the Oval Office, it's hard to see the country really turning and putting sufficient pressure on the Senators whose votes need to be committed on the guilty side.
[Lemon:] Similar question to what I asked Frank, John. For the last couple days, you know, these Republican Senators who have been living in a Fox News bubble, they are now confronted with the facts, evidence, questions. You know, and my question is what are they going to do with this now? What are they going to do with the facts?
[Dean:] I think a lot of them it's been very painful. They heard things they didn't want to know about their president. And this is the first time they probably learned some of these things. So what are they going to do? They're going to vote the Party line. And I think they're going to pay dearly for it, some of the Senators. But I'm most troubled, not that he's going to get away with this. But if he gets reelected, we've got a president who is unchecked, uncheckable, and our democracy has changed dramatically.
[Lemon:] The House Manager Jerry Nadler says, President Trump puts President Nixon to shame in abusing power. Watch this.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler , House Manager:] This presidential stonewalling of Congress is unprecedented in the 238-year history of our constitutional republic. It puts even President Nixon to shame. Taken together, the articles and the evidence conclusively establish that President Trump has placed his own personal, political interests first. He has placed them above our national security, above our free and fair elections, and above our system of checks and balances. This conduct is not America first, it is Donald Trump first.
[Lemon:] Is he right?
[Dean:] He certainly nailed it. I kept thinking all day, this is an abuse of power which Nixon was charged with. But more uniquely, Nixon's tapes that were extracted for Watergate are called the abuse of power tapes. I've gone through all those tapes. And I've got to tell you, what I'm hearing about Donald Trump's activity makes Nixon look like a choir boy.
[Lemon:] Oh, boy. Stand by, I want to get to our reporters. CNN's Jeff Zeleny and Kaitlan Collins, good evening to both of you. Jeff, you first, another marathon day and we saw House managers really use the president's allies against him.
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Don, we did. Good evening. And sitting in the chamber, one thing was clear. As the president's own voice kept coming back again and again, and a lot of the president's allies as you said, including Lindsey Graham, a 1999 clip of Lindsey Graham of course, arguing at the Clinton impeachment trial when he was a House manager, that there does not, in fact, need to be a crime to impeach. Of course, that is the exact opposite of what the argument is now that the president's lawyers are making. But we also saw a cast of the president's allies also being mentioned in the Democratic impeachment managers' case throughout the day. William Barr, the Attorney General of the United States, and Rudy Giuliani, of course, again and again Rudy Giuliani was a central character in the discussion throughout the day. One thing was striking, Don, as your you know, the central question here is, is there going to be one more Republican? Is there going to be a four in all to join Democrats and ask for more witnesses? As we stand here at the end of the day, that is very much an open question. And the consensus is perhaps not because, you know, as John he was just saying, there is no question partisan lines are deeply drawn here. And we hear again and again, Republicans say we did not learn anything new. Democrats say, well, then you should ask for more witnesses and documents. So that's where we are after all this testimony. Talking to Senators here, I'm not sure much changed today, Don.
[Lemon:] Jeff, Rudy Giuliani, we understand, is responding to today's arguments. What's he saying?
[Zeleny:] He is, in a statement just a short time ago to our Dana Bash, Rudy Giuliani did push back on the assertion that he was really included again and again. Let's take a look at his statement, at least a short part of it. He said this. He said that if we can pull up on screen here. He said that it is impossible to reply to all their lies and deceptions. I know I did nothing wrong, but my job as a really good lawyer. Unfortunately if we can keep going here I uncovered the tip of the iceberg of the Obama administration sale of public office for millions and they want to destroy me to stop the - sorry, Don message from penetrating. But I have faith if you just follow the money you will find the crooks. So the point is Rudy Giuliani pushing back on all of this, saying that, you know, he did nothing wrong. Of course, we could fact check this statement throughout the evening, Don. But the reality, all of Rudy Giuliani's actions, they are front and center in this trial here. A remarkable day, but again, unclear if any minds changed.
[Lemon:] Yes. I understand that there is a bit of delay in your reading.
[Zeleny:] I apologize for that.
[Lemon:] No, no. That's OK. I just wanted a full transparency, Jeff is reading it off the screen. There is a bit of a delay where he is at the capital. Kaitlan, listen, you have new reporting about how the president's legal team is preparing for their opening statements. What can you tell us about that?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, they're certainly not happy that Rudy Giuliani is continuing to be brought up and involved in all of this. And not only that was he a point of center in the statements today, they were continuing, as Jeff was pointing out. Rudy Giuliani also announced that he is starting a podcast tomorrow and some White House officials who we have been talking to about that have essentially rolled their eyes because that comes as the legal team is prepping for how they're going to respond to these opening statements that you're seeing laid out by Democrats. Now, of course, there are not a lot of big fans of Adam Schiff in the White House or in the president's circle. But several people have commented about how well laid out these narratives have been as you've seen over the last few days. And of course, that's what the White House legal team is looking at because they've got to be able to counter that. And so far, we've really seen them attack the process so far. Now, those prep sessions have included them meeting up here at the White House before they go to the Capital every day. That includes Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, Jay Sekulow, the president's outside attorney, the two lawyers that you're going to see on the floor the most we are told for President Trump. And right now they are thinking about going for about two days in their arguments, though they may go longer. But so far, they do not expect to use that full 24 hours they are going to be given to respond to this. And Don, essentially the end of it is their main goal is not to get the president not acquitted, because they feel comfortable that they don't have to worry about that right now. Not a lot of minds changed, in their opinion. Their big goal is going to be no witnesses, I'm told.
[Lemon:] Yes, and they want to use some of the video clips and soundbites. I guess, imitation is the best form of flattery. Is the team, the president's legal team, planning to use their full 24 hours, Kaitlan?
[Collins:] No, they don't think so, so far. It's interesting you bring up the video clips, because that's something they didn't have in those first arguments over the amendments. Which the White House argued they couldn't have really good video clips there, because the Democrats knew which amendments they were going to put forward. That's why they didn't have them there. The question still is going to be whether or not they use clips of that testimony from the House trial when they're making their case. Starting on Saturday. Don, the other big question is going to be the timing on all this. Because as our help team said earlier, there is talk among Republicans about shortening that day on Saturday to give them a little bit of a break, to get let them catch up on some sleep. But you've got to remember, this is a president who prioritizes the Sunday shows and he wants the coverage on there to be favorable to him, not just going to be the highlights of the Democrats and their argument. So that's going to be a big question the White House has to factor in as they are getting ready to make their arguments.
[Lemon:] All right. Kaitlan and Jeff, thank you so much, I appreciate that. We have a lot more on the Democrats abuse of power case against the president and what to expect as the impeachment trial moves into the next phase.

[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] They have moved on for that. I think there might have been some disappointment, but I think very on or very early on, it was clear that there wasn't very much coming from the United States. I think there was one statement by Mike Pompeo from President Trump that really wasn't very much at all. In fact, I haven't heard anybody say about the two things that he did say. They're really looking towards the European Union. They're looking towards Angela Merkel to see what happens to get some support. But, certainly, at this point, not towards the United States. Jim?
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Newsroom:] Got you.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Newsroom:] Fred, thank you. We're so glad you're there.
[Sciutto:] A very good Wednesday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto.
[Harlow:] I'm Poppy Harlow. Well, a warning from the World Health Organization this morning and a message for young people around the world, you are not invincible. The WHO this morning says young people are increasingly driving the spread of COVID-19. One way to fight it, increasing the amount of testing in the country, of course, in this country, and everywhere. And saliva-based testing could be game changer. A top researcher joined us last hour.
[Dr. Martin Burke, Associate Dean Of Research, Carle Illinois College Of Medicine:] We've done studies that give us very high confidence that the test is accurate and effective. We are in an all-out blitz to try to make this as available as possible.
[Sciutto:] So how do the Americans see the U.S. response? A new poll this morning show from CNN shows American's approval of President Trump's handling of the crisis at an all-time low. Seven in ten Americans embarrassed, in fact, at how the U.S. has handled this pandemic. Let's begin with CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. So, Elizabeth, you look at this new polling, the other headline figure here is a drop in the number of Americans willing to get a vaccine when one is available. I mean, just over half, 56 percent, you need far more than that to make it effective.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Right. I think the assumption, Jim, at the beginning of this was that the folks, the scientists and the government officials developing a vaccine was, hey, we'll develop a vaccine, it will be hopefully, it will work, and people will get it. Well, that last part of it, that people will get it part, may not turn out to be true. Let's look at some of the numbers you just referenced. So this is a poll CNN did August 12th through 15, asking the question, would try to get a coronavirus vaccine if it existed? 56 percent of respondents said yes. 40 percent said no. As you mentioned you cannot get really great community immunity when 40 percent of your people are not taking a vaccine. Even worst news is that we're headed in the wrong direction. Let's take a look at these numbers. In May, CNN asked the same question and 66 percent of the respondents said, yes, I'll get a vaccine. Now, only 56 percent. So that is a ten- point drop in just a matter of a few months. That is not good. We've talked on our show, on your show, that the anti-vaxxers have been doing this very pedal to the metal campaign ever, really, ever since January saying say no to a COVID vaccine and there's basically been no response from the CDC or any other government agency to instill confidence in the vaccine. Chelsea Clinton and I sat down and talked about this recently. It is a real problem when all people are hearing is the anti-vaccine news and they're not hearing the pro-vaccine news that you can see. That's a problem.
[Harlow:] Yes. It's a big problem and you're totally right to highlight that. Elizabeth, thanks a lot for the reporting this morning. The Washington Post this morning is reporting that Florida's education chief told school superintendents last week to be, quote, surgical, when dealing COVID-19 cases and not to close schools without talking about it with state officials first. Let's discuss exactly what's happening there. Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent of Miami-Dade of Public Schools, is with us. Good morning. Thanks for being here.
[Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-dade County Public Schools:] Good morning, Poppy.
[Harlow:] So, you've got remote learning is the plan and you're going to start that all across your school district starting at the end of the month, August 31st. You said, quote, rushing into a bad decision is far worse than being cautious. As you have seen what happened at UNC with their reversal, what Notre Dame has decided to do, so many colleges moving sort of last minute online and the outbreaks that have happened in other schools, like in Georgia, for example, what does that tell you about when you think when Miami schools will be able to physical reopen?
[Carvalho:] Well, considering what's happening in that county and UNC, I think that our approach is the right approach. We are being vindicated. We have made decisions that are science-informed, experts in the area of public health and medicine described and determine the gating criteria for us to move forward, which includes paying close attention to the positivity rate in our community, which, by the way, has been on a roller coaster. But over the past three months, it was about 5 percent three months ago. It jumped to close to 30 percent. Now, we're experiencing a relatively good trend around 12 percent over 14 days. It would lower mortality and morbidity. Those are all good signs. But, look, we do not feel comfortable in bringing children and teachers back into the school house while the positivity rate is still above 10 percent. So, we're going to start online on the 31st after a week of intensive training, single platform, making the experience very, very real, very organic, relying on continuous, synchronous teaching. I think we cannot compromise the health or well-being, the safety, the security of our kids or the ones who teach them.
[Harlow:] You used an interesting word just there, Superintendent, and that is vindicated. It's sort of amazing to me that one would have to be vindicated in the fight over public health. The data should clearly just drive all of the decisions. I just wonder what that speaks to in terms of political pressure you felt. We know exactly where Governor DeSantis stands on wanting schools to open.
[Carvalho:] Well, I certainly, personally, have not felt political pressure from any level, not from the state level, not from the federal level. I never felt intimidated over the potential loss of funding. I cried out the truth that that would impact, quite frankly, the most fragile students amongst us, the poor children, students with disabilities, English language learners, it did not make sense. And we have been informed from the very beginning by the only type of information that should guide decisions about by reopening of schools in a gradual, protective way, which is science, data. That's why we determined the gating criteria that we would follow. That's why we're following it religiously. And that's why we continue to monitor. Look, no one more than me, my principals and teachers, wants to welcome kids back into the school, but we know what's taking place and, quite frankly, we do not want to be Gwinnett County, we do not want to be
[Unc. Harlow:] Yes. I get it. I get it. I guess part of the reason why I ask also is what I just mentioned, and that's The Washington Post reporting out this morning. So I'd like to get your take on it since you're in the middle of this. And they're reporting that Florida's education commissioner, Richard Corcoran, had a phone call with school district superintendents last week and urged you guys to be, quote, surgical, that's the word they're quoting him, with COVID-19 cases as opposed to sweeping, and to not just close the school when there are a handful of cases without talking to state officials first. Were you on that call?
[Carvalho:] I was on that call. We certainly were encouraged to participate in a dialogue with the Department of Education regarding cases in our schools. I personally did not get a sense that we were to be guided by direction from Tallahassee. look, I think, all along as superintendent, as a constitutional officer in the State of Florida, responsible for 41,000 employees and 350,000 kids, I think the best decisions are made at the local level in consultation with health officials recognizing local environmental conditions, and that's exactly what I plan to do.
[Harlow:] Okay. So, clearly, you're going to make the decisions here for your district?
[Carvalho:] Absolutely.
[Harlow:] Thank you, Superintendent. Good luck.
[Carvalho:] Thank you.
[Sciutto:] With us now, Dr. Anish Mahajan. He is the Chief Medical Officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Doctor, good to have you on this morning. I want to start first with what CNN found its polling regarding vaccines, that little more than half the country is willing to take a vaccine if it becomes available. Tell us how concerning that is from a public health perspective given that you need, really, the vast majority people to take it for it to tamp down the outbreak.
[Dr. Anish Mahajan, Chief Medical Officer, Harbor-ucla Medical Center:] It's very concerning. The government and private industry have done a great job, in my view, of trying to accelerate the pace of testing candidate vaccines. Everybody knows we now have ongoing phase three trials to determine whether vaccines are effective. We heard from Dr. Fauci and other leaders that we probably will have vaccines available and mass produced even by early 2021. These are exactly the steps we need to take to fight this pandemic. Now, of course, it all doesn't mean anything if we don't have shots going into arms and people actually taking the vaccine. So this is a very concerning issue.
[Sciutto:] Okay, let's talk about young people. The WHO warned yesterday, young people have now become the primary drivers of this spread. Tell us the significance of that in the big picture in terms of how the outbreak goes going forward.
[Mahajan:] Well, I think it's important for us to talk about how what we know about COVID spread. We know that from modeling that 80 percent of people with COVID are not actually spreading the virus all that much. What we know is that super spreader events are the primary driver of spreading coronavirus. We know that because see that in places where people are working close together, essential workers. We see that in nursing homes and jails. Now, the big question for all of us is do children act as super spreaders. And the data is still we don't know yet. What we do know is that young children under the age of five carry a lot of virus in their nose. But does that actually mean they're transmitting it? We don't have evidence just yet. We know that teenagers are just as effective transmitters as adults. So this is a very complicated issue and I wouldn't make a broad sweeping generalization that children are spreading the virus and the main driver of the spread.
[Sciutto:] All right. Gosh, there's so much to learn about this as we go. You are, of course, in Los Angeles. Schools resuming online for now, but a district there just announced it's going to launch testing and contact tracing for students, teachers, staff, et cetera as a step towards making in-person schooling possible and safe. How would that work? How extensively would you have to do that to make it safe enough for kids to go back in the classroom?
[Mahajan:] Very important question. I think what we have to say to ourselves is, any community where there's a fair, high amount of transmission of virus in the community, we just heard from the superintendent in Florida, too much transmission of COVID in the State of Florida to open schools in person. So even if you have contact tracing and testing, you can't do it. You can't open those schools when there's so much virus in the community. And so we do need contact tracing and we do need testing in those areas of the country where the community transmission
[Sciutto:] I see, so many steps necessary to take. Dr. Anish Mahajan, thanks very much.
[Mahajan:] Thank you.
[Sciutto:] Still to come this hour, history tonight at the Democratic National Convention, Kamala Harris will accept the Democratic nomination for vice president. President Obama will issue a message to young voters. We're going to have the latest.
[Harlow:] Also, collective outrage and confusion, thousands of business owners have filed lawsuits after discovering the insurance they've been counting on during the pandemic is not going to pay them a dime.
[Unidentified Female:] I take it as it comes, one day at a time. And the only way is to look to the future.

[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] We've hit an unpredictable phase of President Trump's impeachment trial. Today, each side will get to question each other. Joining us now, Democratic Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, one of the impeachment managers. Congresswoman, great to have you here. Things are about to get even more interesting. So you both will be able to ask questions that have cropped up over the past few days of the other side. And we just had Rachael Bade of "The Washington Post" on and she her reporting is that one of the Republican plans is to zero in on Chairman Adam Schiff, one of your fellow impeachment managers, and to ask him many questions about what he knew about the whistleblower and when. Have you all prepared for that question, and how will you answer it?
[Rep. Sylvia Garcia:] Well, we're preparing for any potential questions. And certainly all our questions will come from either side, either the Democrat members of the Senate or from the Republican members. So we're not sure what we're going to get. But, yes, we'll be prepared for any questions related to any of the issues that we've been sitting with this case.
[Camerota:] Are you gaming it out? I mean just take me inside. How are you preparing for any possible question? Are you having, you know, mock debates?
[Garcia:] Well, we're not having mock debates. We're essentially just sitting down. You know, some of us are lawyers. Many of us have been in trials. Some of us have watched trials. The American people have watched trials. They know what that looks like. It's evidence. It's testimony. It's documents. That's why we keep pushing for John Bolton to come in and be a witness. So we look at all of it and just try to anticipate questions. It's no different, I think, as a lawyer and former judge of preparing for an oral argument before an appellate court. You just try to anticipate every question. So we're going through it all and we're still preparing. But we'll be ready.
[Camerota:] So you're saying you're prepared for that question?
[Garcia:] I think that we'll be prepared for any question that may arise.
[Camerota:] OK. What are your burning questions fur the Republicans?
[Garcia:] I don't have any questions. I don't get to ask questions. The questions will come from the senators themselves. So I don't get to submit any questions. But if I could, you know, I would want John Bolton here to explain what he knew, when he knew it and what he knew about the phony investigation of the Bidens. I would know want to know about the hold, the freeze on the Ukrainian dollars. I would want to know a lot.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Garcia:] But, again, that's why we need witnesses here.
[Camerota:] Yes. I mean what you just laid out are your questions for John Bolton, but we don't know if John Bolton is going to testify. And the reporting is that Republicans have been quite unsettled. Behind the scenes they have been more unsettled by the revelations in John Bolton's book than they've let on.
[Garcia:] Right.
[Camerota:] What you hear publicly now is that some of them, like Senator Lankford, are seem to be suggesting that the contents are so hot of John Bolton's book that they shouldn't be discussed in an sort of open forum, maybe they need to be discussed in a classified setting. Listen to this.
[Sen. James Lankford:] Recommending to the House, the White House, turn it over, put it in one of the SCIFs here and so we can go through it even while it's going through the classification process. We can read all of it and see it and see for ourselves if there's anything significant there.
[Camerota:] What do you think of that idea, reading John Bolton's manuscript in the SCIF?
[Garcia:] Reading the manuscript in the SCIF. I'm not quite sure what the question really is. I mean the bottom line is he can add a lot
[Camerota:] Would you would you like that idea? If he's that's all you can get, would you agree to doing it in a classified setting?
[Garcia:] Well, I would that's something that I would have to visit with the team to see what our position would be. I don't try to get ahead of the team decision. But I think what's important is that the reporting suggests that he knew a lot about this incident. He knew a lot about the Ukraine ties. He knew he and we have to ask those questions that senators that have questions about this, I think if it's good for them to fully understand this case, then I think we should have him here. The American people agree. Seventy-five percent. Seventy-five percent of the American people say we should have witnesses. We all know what a trial looks like. There's always witnesses.
[Camerota:] Alan Dershowitz, part of the president's legal team, made an interesting case to the senators yesterday. Basically he said his argument is that even if everything that you've heard from the Democratic side and from John Bolton's manuscript is true, it's not an impeachable offense. And that seems to be winning over some Republicans. Let me just play for you how Dershowitz framed it.
[Alan Dershowitz, Constitutional Lawyer:] Nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true, would rise to the level of an abuse of power or an impeachable offense.
[Jay Sekulow, Outside Legal Counsel For President Trump:] I'm quoting exactly from Professor Dershowitz. He says, let me repeat it, nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true, even if true, would rise to the level of abuse of power or an impeachable offense.
[Garcia:] Well, respectfully, I disagree. And I think respectfully the American people disagree. I think if you look, what all the scholars have said, I would think that he, frankly, is the lone ranger on this issue. When you look at the abuse of power I mean, again, that July 25 call, when he picked up the phone and called the Ukrainian president for help, in cheating on an election, for help in distorting and, frankly, just making things up about the vice president, Biden, I mean that is seeking something for your own personal, political gain. That is a betrayal of a public trust. That is an impeachable offense. And I think if you look back at the judiciary hearing, when we had the panel of constitutional scholars, they all agreed, if this is not impeachable, nothing is. So I think that with all respect to the professor, he's the lone ranger on this issue.
[Camerota:] Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, we will be watching very closely how it all plays out today. Thank you for your sim.
[Garcia:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] John.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] A larger than life superstar reduced to tears in an emotional tribute to Kobe Bryant on his home court, next.

[Vause:] Senior Republicans including let me start that again. Senior Republicans including the U.S. President are praising a conspiracy theorist who is likely to be elected to Congress. Marjorie Taylor Greene secured the Republican nomination for congressional district in a deeply conservative part of Georgia. She's known for extreme and racist views and her allegiance to the QAnon Conspiracy. But on Twitter, President Trump is calling her a future Republican star, a real winner. CNN's Manu Raju tells us more about Greene and the controversial belief put forth by QAnon adherents.
[Unidentified Male:] Q is real. Q is not a conspiracy.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] It's a conspiracy theory born on the dark fringes of the Internet. Something the FBI contends is a national security threat, but the QAnon theory has been embraced by some House Republican candidates in races across the country. And on Tuesday night, one of them won her Republican primary. And is on track to winning a House Seat in November.
[Marjorie Taylor Greene , Congressional Candidate:] I just want to say to Nancy Pelosi, she is a hypocrite, she's an anti American, and we are going to kick that
[Raju:] Businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is now the heavy favorite to win a seat representing a deeply conservative district in northwest Georgia. Greene has repeatedly praised the QAnon theory.
[Greene:] Q is a patriot; we know that for sure. But we do not know who Q is. People believe that Q is someone very close to President Trump.
[Raju:] The movement sprung to life in early 2017 based on a belief that there is a high-level government official, Q, who sprinkles clues on Internet message boards about a series of massive deep state conspiracies at work in the country. In 2019, the FBI raised concerns over the potential for violence linked to such fringe theories. Greene also won, despite a history of racist and incendiary remarks against Muslims.
[Greeene:] We have an Islamic invasion into our government offices. They want to put their hand on the Koran and be sworn in? No. You have to be sworn in on the bible.
[Raju:] About Democrats.
[Greene:] They are trying to keep the black people in a modern day form of slavery. It's a slavery system to keep their vote.
[Raju:] About blacks and confederate statues.
[Greene:] If I were a black people today, and I walked by one of those statues, I would be so proud because I'd say look how far I have come in this country.
[Raju:] And trumpeting a conspiracy theory about the liberal megadonor George Soros. Echoing an erroneous anti-Semitic attack against the Holocaust survivor that he collaborative with Nazis.
[Greene:] I will not apologize for standing up against George Soros, even when they want to call me an anti-Semite.
[Raju:] Her comments put House Republican leaders in an awkward spot, with the House GOP's campaign arm refusing to endorse her on Wednesday. When videos of her past comments were first unearthed by Politico in June House Republican Whip Steve Scalise vowed to back her primary opponent and called her remarks "disgusting". A spokesman for House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said they were appalling. But President Donald Trump was quick to herald her victory, saying in a tweet Wednesday morning that she is a future Republican star and a real winner. A couple of hours later, a McCarthy spokesperson said we look forward to Greene and other Republicans winning in November. Asked on Wednesday about Greene's victory in Georgia and embrace of the fringe movement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN that Republicans seem comfortable with it. Now, as Republican leaders are mostly silent today, one Republican congressman did speak out, and that's Adam Kinzinger of Illinois who went on Twitter and said that this movement is a fabrication and he said that there's no place in congress for these conspiracies. But that actually drew a rebuke from a top Trump campaign official who went after Kinzinger on Twitter and said that he should be the congressman should be focused on Democratic conspiracies instead. So it goes to show that this debate, an unwelcome debate among many Republicans may soon be entering the halls of the Capitol. Manu Raju, CNN Capitol Hill.
[Vause:] Rick Wilson a political strategist, a former member of the Republican Party, cofounder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project. He's with us this hour from Tampa in Florida. Mr. Wilson, welcome to
[Cnn Newsroom. Rick Wilson, Political Strategist:] Thank you so much. I appreciate you having me.
[Vause:] Ok. Well, you've written quite a few books over the years, one of the best known ones is "Everything Trump Touches Dies". A brilliant title, but is the exception to that conspiracy theories in particular the kind of lunacy which seems to be rocket feel for the crazies who believe in this QAnon stuff?
[Wilson:] I think that the integral nature now of conspiracy theories to the Trump Republican Party is one of the reasons that it is going to be marginalized as a political force as we move forward because it's now become deeply hard wired into the GOP ranging from the QAnon type conspiracies which are very far out on the fringe to the George Soros conspiracies, to the deep state conspiracies. All these things in the GOP's DNA now make it seem to normal voters like a bus load of "Mad Men".
[Vause:] Well, speaking of that, Donald Trump's director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe, he's been linked to QAnon through his Twitter account. And for a little more now on how team Trump has embraced QAnon, here is part of a report from CNN's John Avalon.
[John Avalon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] It has seeped into the groundwater of Trump era hyper-partisanship with Q paraphernalia sold out at Trump rallies. And appearing with disturbing regularity on his supporters. And although he hasn't spoke directly about QAnon the President has fanned the flames repeatedly re-tweeting QAnon supporting accounts, memes and hashtags. The Trump campaign even included QAnon signs in and out which was later taken down. This month "Business Insider" published date showing the Trump campaign relies on a huge network of QAnon accounts to spread conspiracy theories and disinformation.
[Vause:] Compare that to a time when Republican leaders shut down militias unfounded rumors. It wasn't that long ago, it was 2008. Here it is.
[Unidentified Female:] I can't trust Obama. I have heard about him and he's not he's an Arab. He is not no?
[John Mccain , Former Senator:] No, ma'am. No, ma'am. He is a decent family man, citizen that I just happened to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. And that's what this campaign is all about. He is not. Thank you. Thank you.
[Vause:] So how did the Republican Party move from the moral compass of John McCain, to now being the party where whack jobs have a political plan?
[Wilson:] Well,, that is a moment that I treasure about John, and I have to say I remember that moment very clearly because it did have a resonance that our political differences don't have to be based in some sort of deeper, strange, esoteric secrets. They could just be political differences. So, you know, that was really the beginning of an era where Fox News prospered greatly by pushing out conspiracy theories a lot of what became the Trump right media online enterprises such as Breitbart. The traffic in those sort of things aggressively and look, I remember taking static in 2008 when someone brought me this shifty newspaper article and said he was born in Kenya, and I laughed at it. And I said we are never making him out about that's ridiculous. And I had forgotten about it until the moment John said that but that was you know that sort of thing is now grown into a multi billion dollar enterprise. There are people who monetize the conspiracy clap-trappers out there in great degrees. And Facebook is making an awful lot of money with these conspiracy groups that use that platform as a primary vector to spread this kind of misinformation.
[Vause:] Here's a little more from Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican candidate who's running in an overwhelmingly conservative district in Georgia, making her almost certainly to be Elected Member of Congress come November. Listen to this.
[Greene:] According to him, many in our government are actively worshipping or they call Morlock. I mean is that going to be true that the child pedophile you and the elites and the Washington and easy is that really going to see come out? Is that we're really going to see come out. Is it true as type of corruption we are going to see come out? Is it going to be satanic worship?
[Vause:] You know part of this is that, you know, you know, they believe a savior will defeat the satanic worshiping pedophile and that savior's Donald Trump which that alone takes quite the takes quite the imagination. But at this point, are the QAnon types are they intrench within the GOP? Could they be purged? Does the party want them?
[Wilson:] I'll give you a great example today. Of how deeply in example today of how deeply entwined they become. A Republican Congressman Adam Mackenzie criticized future Congresswoman Greene for trafficking in the QAnon information. The Trump campaign then proceeded to attack him. This is how deeply wired it is. This is now the party of Trump and the party of Q. It is not the party of Abraham Lincoln.
[Vause:] Very quickly why isn't that something similar hasn't happened on the Democrat side of politics? Why is it just the Republican side?
[Wilson:] You know, conspiracies go in a lot of different directions but for a simple reason a lot of the Republican base for the last 25 years has been living on a drip of Fox News which has told them over and over again you can't trust anybody but us, the rest of the world is lying to you, everything else is an illusion. And so those people were sort of primed to disbelieve empirical fact and so when QAnon came along, it was this very appealing seemingly coherent theory that let them explain the world that they didn't understand to themselves. And that's why it's been such an appealing thing on the right, I think.
[Vause:] Yes, it's pretty sad at the end of the day. Rick Wilson
[Wilson:] It really is.
[Vause:] thank you very much for being with us. We appreciate it.
[Wilson:] Appreciate it. Thank you.
[Vause:] And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. The news continues after a short break with Robyn Curnow. You're watching CNN.

[Michael Stenger, Senate Sergeant At Arms:] All persons are commanded to keep silent on pain of imprisonment while the House of Representatives are exhibiting to the Senate of the United States articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, president of the United States.
[John King, Cnn:] That oath applies to all 100 senators but perhaps says added meaning to four who just happened to be Democratic presidential candidates, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, and Michael Bennet. The Iowa caucuses are in 17 days, the New Hampshire primary in 25. But the impeachment trial begins in earnest Tuesday. It will take at least two weeks. Some senators think it could go three or four. If so, keeping those senators off the trail at a very pivotal time.
[Sen. Michael Bennet , Presidential Candidate:] It's not optimal but there's nothing to do about it. I'm going to go up to New Hampshire this weekend. I think I've got a constitutional responsibility to fulfill, and I feel privileged to have the chance to do it.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , Presidential Candidate:] I'm a mom. I can do two things at once. It is my constitutional duty, and when I can go campaign in those early states including Nevada and South Carolina, I will. But when I have to be there, I will. I have a constitutional duty to be there. We can Skype in, we can phone in.
[King:] It sound like they can go on TV and say this is terrible, this is horrible, I hate it. But it's you know, just to be human about it, they're ambitious, they're running for president especially in Iowa and New Hampshire, the voters you know this well from your experience, the voters like to see you. TV ads can help, you can phone it in, you can Skype it in, but they want to see you and touch you.
[Catherine Lucey, White House Reporter, The Wall Street Journal:] They'd rather be in Iowa. And also, Iowa voters tend to break late. We have a very close race with the top four. And you have Amy Klobuchar who is really trying to break in Iowa and so this is sort of a key time. They can't be there. I was just talking to someone from Klobuchar's camp who is saying they're doing all the things they can. She is there every weekend doing, you know, multiple events a day. They have surrogates. Her husband, her daughter will be out there. She's going to Skype in, but certainly that's not the same thing as being in diners and pizza ranches across the state.
[King:] Yes, take a quick look as you jump in just as this
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] I mean, this morning Michael Bennet was on CNN and he was talking to me while he was literally running to the elevator to get on a plane to get to New Hampshire because he knows the time is limited. The good news for these senators is that it turns out we have TV cameras in the capitol. And I was really struck yesterday I think it was yesterday, when Bernie Sanders who I don't even think I'd ever seen him at a stakeout camera ever on Capitol Hill, made a beeline for that camera and started talking to reporters. I think we're going to see a lot of that.
[Michael Shear, Cnn Political Analyst:] And there are breaks during the trial, so there will be opportunities for them to come out, and it won't meet during the morning, so they'll have the mornings. But, you know, it is interesting, normally to be the senators in the Senate as an opportunity for grandstanding, and for they could actually in a normal Senate session, make actual news. They will have to sit there quietly.
[King:] And again, back to calendar, as you jump in, I just want to show you the calendar because this collision is just I've covered campaigns that are crazy, I've covered impeachment before. Never do you have this collision like this. Martin Luther King Day Martin Luther Jr. Day is on Monday. First day of impeachment trial, Tuesday. the Iowa caucus moving around the corner on February 3rd. The state of the union the next day of February 4th. There supposed to be a Democratic debate on February 7th. And then New Hampshire primary on February 11th. We expect the trial to be over before the New Hampshire primary but we can't be certain.
[Lucey:] No, we don't know. And I think the other thing to think about here is this really tests the organizations that these candidates have in both these early states. Iowa, especially with the caucus, it is so organization-driven in terms of having people coming out, building that energy and building those operations. And so it really will that will really put a lot of pressure on that on the last couple of weeks.
[King:] And we know the president loves to stoke a good conspiracy theory, he just does. And so he has one today that the Democrats are doing this on purpose to keep Bernie Sanders off the campaign trail. "They're rigging the election again, against Bernie Sanders just last time, only even more obviously. They're bringing him out of so important Iowa in order that, as a senator, he sits through the impeachment hoax trial. Crazy Nancy thereby gives the strong edge to sleepy Joe Biden, and Bernie is shut out again." He likes mixing it up in the other guy's garden.
[Bash:] He's doing that but he's also that's also a part of another storyline which is the Trump campaign trying to boost Bernie Sanders. Yes.
[King:] Right. Yes.
[Lucey:] They would like to run against Bernie.
[Bash:] Yes.
[King:] Up next, President Trump having some fun, and of course, can't forget impeachment at a White House celebration with the LSU Tigers.

[Cabrera:] We have this, just in to CNN, more than a dozen Saudi service members will be expelled from the United States in the wake of last month's deadly shooting rampage at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Let me bring in CNN Crime and Justice Producer, David Shortell tail joining us by phone with this breaking news. David, what can you tell us about why this is happening?
[David Shortell, Cnn Crime And Justice Producer:] Yes, that's right, Ana. After this investigation began last month into the deadly shooting where you'll remember three U.S. sailors were killed by a Saudi national that was training at this Florida airbase. The F.B.I. and the Pentagon began a review into a number of Saudi trainees that were studying at U.S. military installations across the country, well, now, Ana, tonight, we can report that more than a dozen Saudi servicemen that were training at these bases across the country will be expelled. We've learned that a number of them are accused of having some connection to an extremist movement and some of them as well for possessing child pornography. Ana, we should note that none of these Saudi service members who are expected to be expelled are accused of being co-conspirators or aiding this 21-year-old shooter in any way, and the Saudis have pledged their full support. The Justice Department and the F.B.I. did not comment to us tonight Ana.
[Cabrera:] Now, tell us more about a letter the F.B.I. apparently sent to Apple this week to get more information from the shooter's phone.
[Shortell:] Yes, Ana, that's another really interesting wrinkle in this investigation that we've learned about in the past few days. On Monday, the top lawyer for the F.B.I. sent a letter to Apple requesting the tech company's help in bypassing the passcode on one of the shooters or two of the shooters' iPhones. I should say we've learned that this shooter, a 21-year-old Saudi trainee had two iPhones with him as he attacked the base last month. One of them he left in the car and a second he took in with him and actually is believed to have shot which had led some investigators to believe that there may be some information on that phone. You'll remember, we reported at the time that this Saudi service member who was accused of killing the three Americans that he was believed to have some type of extremism, radicalization in his Twitter account, led investigators to believe that he had been radicalized in some sense. Well, investigators now want to learn more about what his connections potentially could have been to these radical movements, and that's why they've requested this help from Apple on it. It's a real harkening back to a 2015 case. You'll remember this big standoff between the F.B.I. and Apple at the time after Apple refused to unlock the iPhone that belonged to a terrorist who killed over a dozen people at a Holiday party in San Bernardino, California. Well, the F.B.I. actually took Apple to court in that situation and it was resolved only at the last minute when the F.B.I. was able to get a third party company to unlock that iPhone. Well Ana, it appears that we may be in the first opening steps of a similar situation playing out here regarding two iPhones belonging to the Saudi military member who attacked the Pensacola Base last month.
[Cabrera:] OK. Wow. Lots in there that you wrapped in. Thank you very much, David Shortell for that reporting. And just to recap. The headline there was that there are now more than a dozen Saudi service members who will be expelled from the United States in the wake of that deadly shooting last month in Pensacola at the airbase there.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Cabrera:] You're alive in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Topping this hour with breaking news, a brand new snapshot about how voters in Iowa feel about the impeachment saga, and President Trump's bid for reelection. Now, in just moments, we will unveil the results of our latest CNNDes Moines Register poll.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Happening now, breaking news in El Paso. President Trump's visit to a city rocked by gun violence is under way. And some protesters say he's not welcome after the brutal anti-Latino attack. CNN is on the scene, as the president's attempts to offer comfort stir controversy. Frustration in Dayton. After Mr. Trump's meeting with victims of the shooting massacre in Ohio, Democratic officials vent about the inaction on gun control, but say the president's hospital visit was well-received. Why did that prompt a new Twitter tirade aboard Air Force One? Blistering speech. Joe Biden draws a link between the president's hate filled rhetoric and the El Paso attack, the leading 2020 Democrat accusing the commander in chief of fanning the flames of white supremacy. And raw racism. That's how former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice is describing the president's views, warning of dire consequences for the country and the world. She joins us live this hour. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in
[The Situation Room. Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Blitzer:] We're following breaking news on President Trump's visit to El Paso, Texas, this hour, where the pain and anger are raw, after one of the worst attacks on Latinos in U.S. history. He's been visiting wounded shooting survivors at a local hospital, just as he did earlier during his visit to Dayton, Ohio, the other city reeling from a gun massacre. As this president attempts to fill the traditional role of comforter in chief, he's been undermining his own call for unity by tweeting political attacks as he flew from one grief-stricken community to another. I will get reaction from Texas State Representatives Cesar Blanco, who serves the El Paso area. And our correspondents and analysts are also standing by, including CNN teams covering every leg of the president's trip. First, let's go to our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. Jim, the president has been meeting with shooting victims behind closed doors. What's the latest?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. President Trump just arrived in El Paso, Texas, about an hour ago to meet with law enforcement officials and some of the survivors from last weekend's massacre. He is at the hospital in El Paso right now. We're waiting to find out whether he will come to the cameras in just a few moments and make a few comments. But for now, he is behind closed doors. But the president did spend much of the afternoon blasting away at his critics on Twitter while flying on Air Force One. Even when those cities of El Paso and Dayton are grieving and mourning their dead, the president is airing his grievances.
[Acosta:] Facing what is shaping to be a critical moment in his administration, President Trump arrived in El Paso, Texas, to try to comfort another U.S. city traumatized by a mass shooting. Earlier in the day, he spent time with massacre victims in Dayton, Ohio, where he was pressed by lawmakers to do something about gun violence.
[Sen. Sherrod Brown:] We can't get anything done in the Senate because Mitch McConnell and the president of the United States are in bed with the gun lobby.
[Acosta:] As the president was flying from Ohio to Texas, he was live- tweeting a speech from former Vice President Joe Biden as he ripped into Mr. Trump.
[Joseph Biden , Presidential Candidate:] How far is it from Trump saying this is an invasion to the shooter in El Paso declaring quote "This attack is a response to Hispanic invasion of Texas?" How far apart are those comments?
[Acosta:] The president tweeted he was watching and said Biden was so boring. The White House insisted the president would play the role of consoler in chief. But Mr. Trump sounded at times as though he was consoling himself.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] So, my critics are political people. They're trying to make points.
[Acosta:] Dodging questions about his incendiary rhetoric and making the head-scratching claim that his language has somehow unified the country.
[Trump:] No, I don't think my rhetoric has at all. I think my rhetoric is a very it brings people together.
[Acosta:] Mr. Trump was pressed on the El Paso gunman's manifesto, which appeared to be inspired in part by the president's use of the term invasion to describe migrants. He sidestepped that one too.
[Question:] You and the shooter in El Paso used that same language. Do you regret that?
[Trump:] I think that illegal immigration you're talking about illegal immigration, huh? I think illegal immigration is a terrible thing for this country. I think you have to come in legally.
[Acosta:] The president then proceeded to spread the blame around for the outbreak of violence under his watch.
[Trump:] I don't like it. Any group of hate, I am whether it's white supremacy, whether it's any other kind of supremacy, whether it's Antifa, whether it's any group.
[Acosta:] Just as he did after Charlottesville.
[Trump:] And you had some very bad people in that group. But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides.
[Acosta:] Despite striking a tone of unity earlier in the week, the president lashed out at Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, tweeting: "Beto phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage O'Rourke should respect the victims and law enforcement and be quiet." O'Rourke fired back: "Twenty-two people in my hometown are dead after an act of terror inspired by your racism. El Paso will not be quiet and neither will
[I." Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] We will proudly stand together for one another and for this country. And that's what I'm doing with my community right now.
[Acosta:] After some elected leaders in El Paso urged the president to stay in the White House, the city's main newspaper published an open letter to Mr. Trump that reads, "Mr. President, the hatred of the El Paso shooting didn't come from our city." Residents in El Paso remember the president's visit to the city in February, when he painted migrants as criminals.
[Trump:] Murders, murders, murders, killings, murders.
[Crowd:] Build the wall! Build the wall! Build the wall!
[Trump:] We will. We will.
[Acosta:] The president, as well as White House officials over here and on the ground with the president in Texas, lashed out at Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and the mayor of Dayton earlier this afternoon, accusing those two elected leaders of quote "disgusting behavior" for not acknowledging the reception Mr. Trump received at a hospital in Ohio. But Senator Brown told reporters the president was quote "received well" and did the right thing at the hospital in comforting the survivors there. As for whether the president will take action on gun violence, a source tells CNN Mr. Trump is looking at some kind of executive action at some point to tighten up the nation's background check system. But getting back to the president and the White House criticizing Senator Brown and the mayor of Dayton, Wolf, it seems as though their beef is that those officials weren't praising the president enough Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Jim Acosta reporting for us, thank you. As the president visits Texas, we're learning more about the man charged in the El Paso shooting attack and why he's being held in a very tight lockdown. CNN's Brian Todd is on the scene for us. He's been digging into all of that. What are you hearing, Brian, from law enforcement officials?
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Right, Wolf. Piecing together new information tonight on investigators' efforts to track the shooter's actions and the hours and days before the massacre here at this spot and on the precautions officials are taking to keep the suspect isolated in jail.
[Todd:] Tonight, law enforcement officials tell CNN suspected shooter 21-year-old Patrick Crusius is being held on lockdown in isolation inside this detention center in downtown El Paso. A sheriff's department official says he's being held in a single 7-by- 11-foot cell away from other inmates. Law enforcement veterans tell us his possible interaction with other inmates is a major concern.
[Carlos Leon, Former El Paso Police Chief:] In just moving him from his area to another area just to make sure that he's not attacked. There's all sorts of things. When he's transferred, they have got to ensure that that person makes it to trial. So, as I understand, he's been held in an area where he will be safe from other inmates and safe from himself.
[Todd:] But a sheriff's department official tells CNN the suspect is not on suicide watch. The El Paso police lieutenant leading the team which tracked down what they believe is the shooter's racist manifesto tells CNN affiliate WOI police had to sift through a lot of false information and panic to find that clue.
[Lt. Dustin Liston, El Paso Fusion Center Director:] We were able to uncover this manifesto relatively quickly, but we weren't able to attribute it to the suspect until later.
[Todd:] Tonight, investigators are piecing together information on the shooter's alleged planning, including his 10-to-11-hour journey to El Paso. Key questions they're looking at?
[Leon:] Did he talk to anybody? Did he indicate anything at all? Do you have tape on that?
[Daniel Z. Lieberman, George Washington University:] You never know who it is, is going to see the signs. And people who see the signs might assume, well, I don't know this person very well, someone else is going to report it. That's not a great idea. If there's a problem, anyone who sees it should get involved and report it.
[Todd:] Former El Paso Police Chief Carlos Leon is confident this resilient community will recover. But he says residents will have serious security concerns going forward.
[Leon:] There will be a fear factor in all of us as we go to these larger stores, large events. Of course, we're going to be thinking in the back of our mind, hey, am I safe here? And you start looking around.
[Todd:] And, tonight, Walmart is coming under scrutiny for some of those security concerns. The retail chain is having to address the complaints about the fact that it didn't have any security guards here at all on Saturday and for its sale policy on guns. The manufacturer here, they have sold guns consistently for a number of years. They did stop selling assault-style weapons about four years ago, but they are coming under scrutiny for their gun sales. Walmart officials telling us tonight, Wolf, they are going to review the security protocols at all of their stores, and they're going to be very thoughtful and deliberate about their gun sale policy Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Brian Todd reporting for us. Good reporting, Brian. Thanks very much. Let's go to Dayton, Ohio, right now for more on the president's visit there. Randi Kaye is on the scene for us. Randi, what are you learning about the president's visit?
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Wolf, before the president even arrived here, protesters were lining the streets. Some were welcoming the president, some not so welcoming. There were protesters here at the scene of the shooting, where we are. They thought the president was going to come here. He did not. He went straight to the hospital to visit with patients and families and first responders and police officers there and doctors. That was a closed visit. The press pool actually never even saw him. The president didn't make any remarks. But he did spend about three hours on the ground here in Dayton before heading off to El Paso. When he left the hospital, this is where things get interesting. He spoke with the mayor of Dayton and he spoke with Senator Brown. And he said that he was going to come up with some kind of special award for the police officers who were able to take down the suspect within 30 seconds here. And they suggested to him: Don't do this award. Why don't you work on some legislation to get these powerful weapons and these assault weapons off the streets here? CNN spoke to the mayor about that conversation. And here's what she had to say about the president's reaction to that.
[Nan Whaley , Mayor Of Dayton, Ohio:] He was kind of intimating that President Obama didn't get the assault weapon passed. He said, well, why didn't Obama get this done? And Senator Brown said, look, he didn't have the votes. And I said, but Governor DeWine voted for the assault weapon ban when he was a senator. And the governor was there and said, yes. And I said, maybe you can get the votes, President Mr. President. You can do something that Obama couldn't do. How about you get the votes for the assault weapon ban?
[Kaye:] And now the president is accusing the mayor of Dayton and Senator Brown of misrepresenting his visit here. He was tweeting, as you know, that this was a warm and wonderful visit he had at the hospital. His social media director called him a rock star at the hospital. And this is all sort of a head-scratcher, because the mayor and the center both said that he was welcomed here, that he was received well, that has visit at the hospital was comforting to some of the people. Certainly, Senator Brown did say that there were some who are not great admirers of the president, but they still treated him with respect. So, certainly a little back and forth, Wolf, following the president's visit here and a little bit of a he saidshe said going on.
[Blitzer:] Yes, very strange. Randi, I understand you have some new information about the Dayton gunman?
[Kaye:] Yes, we do. CNN has been able to talk to somebody who used to hang out with him, a friend of his, has known him for about 10 years. And he's told CNN that this is not the first time that this Dayton shooter had a weapon in his hands. In fact, he told us that he had been going to this local firing range here called the Shoot Point Blank range, that he owns about three or four weapons, including an AR-15 pistol. He said, also, when they were together, they would play basketball, they would drink, they would smoke pot together, but he never imagined that he was capable of something like this Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, Randi, thanks very much, Randi Kaye in Dayton for. Joining us now, the former Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice. She also served as the United States ambassador to the United Nations. She has a new book coming out fairly soon entitled there you see the cover "Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For." Susan, thanks so for joining us. You have also just written a very powerful opinion piece in "The New York Times." And let me read a sentence or two from the article that you wrote. "It's hard to calculate the damage that President Trump's overt racism and almost daily attacks on black and brown people are having on the fabric of our nation." In light of the president's rhetoric, what's the impact of the president's trip, for example, today to El Paso?
[Susan Rice, Former U.s. National Security Adviser:] Well, Wolf, it's good to be with you. The president's trip to El Paso is a sort of normal thing for a normal president to do. The problem is, we don't have a normal president. In normal times, as Vice President Biden reminded us today, the president would be comforting and healing and unifying the nation. Instead, he goes to visit victims in Dayton and in El Paso, and then comes out and attacks the mayor and the senators from the states that he visited. He continues to divide us, most profoundly along racial lines, and to suggest that those who come to this country as immigrants, those who have skin that looks like mine are somehow less than human. He has likened us to an invasion, an infestation, uses terms that they liken us to rodents. This is horrific language. In fact, Wolf, it's the language that I recall, as national security adviser and then early in my career, as the kind of language that dictators and people who incite violence and genocide have used. So this is really quite dangerous. And a trip to visit towns that have been deeply impacted by this kind of violence that has been stoked by hateful rhetoric don't solve the fundamental problem, which is that we are a divided society and we need healing and unification from the president of the United States, not pitting us against one another.
[Blitzer:] You mentioned former Vice President Biden's very strong speech today. Let me play a little clip of that. Listen to this.
[Biden:] How far apart are those comments? How far is it from white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Trump's very fine people chanting, "You will replace us," to the shooter at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh saying, we're committing genocide Jews are committing genocide on his people? I don't think it's that far at all. It's both clear language and in code. This president has fanned the flames of white supremacy in this nation.
[Blitzer:] You agree with that assessment?
[Rice:] Absolutely. It's a horrible thing to have to say about the man who is leading the United States and is our current president, but it's absolutely true.
[Blitzer:] Our Jake Tapper has been reporting that the White House actually rebuffed efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to make domestic terror threats a greater priority, one source saying the White House had major ideological blinders on. How concerning is that, as someone who used to deal with these kinds of issues when you were President Obama's national security adviser?
[Rice:] It's deeply concerning, Wolf. We have had the FBI director repeatedly testify that the white supremacist, white nationalist threat is now much more frequent and likely to occur in this country and manifest itself in the form of terrorism than any other form of extremism. And yet the president of the United States and his administration are cutting resources to deal with that threat. It's very telling that I worked in an administration that fought and put ISIS on the path to defeat. We now face a similar kind of threat that, left untended, could have enormous implications. It's already resulted in the deaths of people in various parts of this country, from Pittsburgh to Gilroy, and now to El Paso. And what we need is the president of the United States and an administration in Washington that is prepared to use all of the elements of our power to defeat this threat, just as we have worked to defeat the threat from ISIS and the threat from al Qaeda. Now, they are not eradicated completely. We have to remain vigilant. But what we're doing is leaving our home front, our primary flank, completely untended, because we have a president and people in his administration who don't seem to care.
[Blitzer:] So, Susan, what should the president, the White House, the administration be doing now to deal with this terror threat emanating from white supremacists?
[Rice:] Well, in the first instance, you have got to stop throwing fuel on the fire. The president is daily throwing fuel on this fire. He can't even for 24 hours after a speech yesterday in which he tried to pretend that he's against hatred and bigotry, hold his fire and act dignified long enough to visit the scenes of these terrible tragedies. We need leadership and steadfastness in the White House of the sort that I'm not even sure this president knows how to deliver. But, beyond that, we need the Justice Department and the FBI and our intelligence community and our local law enforcement all fixated on this as an emergingly serious threat to our national security. And we don't have that. And just as we work to combat terrorism abroad where it threatens our interests, we need to be even more vigilant on the home front, where Americans with increasing frequency are at risk.
[Blitzer:] In your article in "The New York Times" you say the ramifications internationally of what's happening in the United States right now are enormous, and they're not good. Tell us what you have in mind.
[Rice:] Well, Wolf, the problem is that, as bad as it is inside America's shores at the present, it also has international ramifications. Our allies, from Britain to Canada to Germany, are questioning and condemning the president's rhetoric when he attacks members of Congress who happen to be women of color. We have dictators around the world who find comfort in Washington, who see a fellow trafficker in the repression of minorities in President Trump, and gives them license and cover to do the same in their own countries. How can we credibly condemn violence and oppression against the Uyghurs in China or Christians in the Middle East when we have a president who's demeaning and denigrating and targeting minorities in this country? We have a fundamental threat, Wolf, that Americans, I hope, by now are well aware of, which is that Russia is trying to divide us internally and pit Americans against each other, undermine our democracy. And when we have a divided society, and the president who traffics in exacerbating those divisions, he is doing the Russians' bidding for them. And it's a very dangerous thing. Our domestic political divisions, Wolf, are arguably our greatest national security challenge at the moment. And what we have in the White House is a president that preys on those divisions, throws salt in the wounds of our most painful historical rifts, and does so to the benefit of our adversaries, who want nothing more than to see us divided and weakened from within.
[Blitzer:] I don't know if you know this, but the FOX News personality Tucker Carlson says the idea that the country has a problem with white supremacy, in his words, is a hoax, just like the Russia hoax. What are the ramifications of talk like that?
[Rice:] He's a disgrace. And so let's move on.
[Blitzer:] You don't even want to discuss that, because there are people who believe there are people out there who believe those kinds of lies.
[Rice:] I'm not going to well, Wolf, let's talk about the lies. Let's not talk about Tucker Carlson. The mentality that thinks that we have no problem in this country with white nationalism and white supremacy is completely ahistorical and missing the moment that we are living in. And we see it manifest with extraordinary frequency. Just look at what the killer in El Paso wrote and look at what the killer in Pittsburgh wrote. One attacked Jews. The other attacked immigrant communities. This kind of hate is very real. And it has got very long and deep historical roots in this country. We deny it at our peril. And I think most Americans are much, much more witting of what is going on. They dismiss that kind of blinders that we see from commentators who think that this is not a threat. All they have to do, sadly, is turn on their television sets and see that this is a very real and, in fact, growing problem.
[Blitzer:] Or listen to the secretary of homeland security, the current one, appointed by the president, or Christopher Wray, the FBI director, who says this white supremacy terror threat is a huge threat to the country right now that's got to be dealt with in a very serious way. Before I let you go, Susan, give us a preview a little bit about your new book that's coming out.
[Rice:] Thank you, Wolf. "Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For," it's a very personal story that goes back to my family history, my parents and grandparents, the way I was raised. But it tells the story of how I became who I am and the issues that I worked on, both in the Clinton and the Obama administrations. It's, at its root, a story of resilience and of fighting for the values that we share as Americans.
[Blitzer:] I have an advance copy of that book. And it's a powerful memoir, and I know our viewers will certainly enjoy it. Susan Rice, thanks so much for joining us.
[Rice:] Thank you, Wolf. Good to be with you.
[Blitzer:] CNN is investigating the explosion of white supremacy, by the way, in a special report, "State of Hate." Be sure to join our Fareed Zakaria for that this Friday, Friday, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. And more breaking news just ahead on the president's trip and the shooting massacres that rocked two cities over the weekend. And we have exclusive new information about the White House's response to domestic terrorism. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

[Blackwell:] The CDC is recommending the voluntary use of face coverings now when in public. The health officials, they do not want you to go out and get medical or surgical mask. Instead, they want you to make one at home potentially. Surgeon General Jerome Adams shared this video showing how one can be made from something maybe you have around the house like a scarf or a hand towel or a T-shirt or part of a shirt. The surgeon general says that the face coverings should be worn in public places like supermarkets, where social distancing can be difficult to follow, but it is not a substitute for social distancing.
[Paul:] And there you go. So the new measures to stop the spread of the virus come amid really an incredible strain being reported at hospitals across the country. I want to talk about New York City here, because the need is so great there right now. Phones across the city got this emergency push alert yesterday seeking licensed health care workers. Well our next guest is a nurse who's answered that call for help in New York. She usually works at Emory University Hospital here in Atlanta. Well, she recently was one of the more than two dozen health workers seen in this now viral photo from Southwest Airlines, flying to New York to help with a response. Nurse Letha Love is with us now. Letha, thank you so much for everything you and your comrades are doing there. We appreciate it so much, and we hope that you know that we understand to some degree, as much as we can, the personal sacrifice you're making. I understand you left your two kids with your aunt to do this. What was it about this that made you say I have to go?
[Letha Love, Atlanta Icu Nurse Who Flew To Ny To Help Patients:] First off, good morning. What made me want to come is I want to be able to help people up here. The amount of people up here is just outstanding. So any help that I knew that I can give was warranted. Not wanting to be my job and being exposed at my job, and bringing it home to my kids is one of the main reason that I decided to take this assignment.
[Paul:] Right, so helping other people there and then protecting your kids at the same time. I understand that when you walked into the hospital for the first time there in New York, you were shocked. Why is that?
[Love:] I really was. I wasn't expecting it to be the amount of people that it was, and the severity of it.
[Paul:] So what would help us understand what you saw?
[Love:] I just it's just so many people that are sick from this virus. People intubated. All different ages. This increase is a lot. You wouldn't expect it. I guess because I wasn't working in this environment at the time. I was working in a clinic. And just to walk in and see these amount of people sick from the virus-
[Paul:] I would think one of the most difficult parts of this is the fact that once they get this, they can't have any contact with their families. I've heard stories about some of nurses some of the nurses and doctors who will hold up a phone and help them FaceTime with their family. Have you seen anything like that?
[Love:] Well, most of the patients that I've worked with has been intubated. So is not an option to even speak with them. We're just taking care of them the best way we can, so to let people know that their family members are being taken care of. We wouldn't come here if we weren't going to take care of them. We came here to help and take care of them. Yes, I mean, if we could do that we would. But the patients that I've been taking care of they're intubated.
[Paul:] I know you've said as well, and I want to quote you here. You said, "You've never been in a place with that much death." I want to show a picture of the enthusiasm initially of you and all of your colleagues on the plane there Southwest. This was this was put out on social media as you were heading to New York. Seeing what you have seen now since you've been there, I think for about a week, what is the emotional and psychological process for you and all of these health care workers? When you see what you see to try to process that and keep going?
[Love:] Christi it is a lot. I have ran into so many nurses crying. I ran into so many nurses just so emotional about this. I don't think none of us can leave this without having to get some psychological help. When I say standing in death, it is like, hearing colds night. On a regular ICU unit you do get a cold here and there. But to have the whole hospital calling colds all night, it is emotionally draining. I for me, I have to step away for a minute just to collect myself sometimes, because it is overwhelming.
[Paul:] How long do you think that you can do this?
[Love:] And I don't know. I'm just going day by day with it. I had intentions on trying to stay up here three to six weeks. But being up here, I don't know if I can last that long. I do whatever it takes for me to protect myself, so that I can go back to my kids healthy and strong. But this is a lot. It's a lot. And people need to take it serious. And when I say you need to take it serious, you need to take it seriously. If you don't know until you get a family member in this condition or have this virus and you can't see them. So when they say stay at home it's very important to stay at home.
[Paul:] Now we've been saying that, because some people do wonder why they would have to stay at home and or why they would have to wear masks and he's saying when you realize it's not about you, it's about it's about them. It's about you making sure that the other people around, you if you feel well, that that they do not come into contact with you, because you could be asymptomatic certainly. Before I let you go. I want to give you a chance to say something to your family. I mean, I would think your kids certainly miss you so much. Your aunt misses you What would you like to tell them right now?
[Love:] First, I want to tell my aunt, thank you. Thank you very much for taking care of my kids while I'm not able to do it right now. I love my kids so much. My son is my hero right now, because he's accepting this and he's taking it very well. He's 12 he calls me. I call him up as much as we can. He's making sure I have my mask on. He asks me why I don't have gloves on. You know you don't just walk around with dirty gloves on. But I do explain that to him. My daughter is four. She's not quite understanding it, but she misses me and she lets me know every time we speak. I miss y'all so much. But just know that mommy came here to help and I'm doing the best I can. And I do want to say if there are any nurses out there that has any time to give, please give come up here and help out, it is just it's overwhelming. It's not enough nurses. It's not enough nurses up here. It's not enough health care workers up here. If you have a week, it helps. If you have five days, anything helps. So I just want to say that and I want to also say stay at home. Stay at home. It's very important to stay at home. I love you Randy, and that's it. Thank you, Christi
[Paul:] Letha Love you are doing some of the most important work that can ever be done right now. Thank you so much for stepping up to the call. And please, please keep up with us. We wish you the very, very best. We'll be keeping you in our prayers.
[Love:] Thank you very much and it's needed.
[Paul:] You and all, thank you, thank you, thank you. We'll be right back.

[Camerota:] All right. There are jitters inside Kamala Harris's campaign after a new CNN poll showed that her support has plummeted pretty significantly since her strong performance after the first debate. One of Harris's advisers tells CNN that the day the poll came out that you're seeing on your screen was, quote, "the lowest point of the campaign so far." Meanwhile, "The New York Times" is out with a new article outlining signs of trouble for former Vice President Joe Biden in Iowa. So back with us now to talk about all of this, we have Catherine Rampell, Alex Burns, and M.J. Lee. So Alex, what's going on with has Kamala Harris? I mean, the fact that she has dipped 12 points after that really strong performance. And also, again, I always bring this up, but I think that it is telling. Her town hall on CNN was the most had the highest ratings. People always search for her. There's a lot of interest in her. So why isn't that reflected in the poll numbers?
[Burns:] Look, I think what you have seen so far from the Harris campaign, I think you saw it in the town hall, I think you saw it in the first debate, is that she is very, very gifted at delivering these big individual moments. Right? And it causes Democrats are excited about the idea of her. There are a lot of voters who would like to believe in her. And she can sort of generate these big set- piece moments of ignition for her campaign. And then after that, it's not really clear where she goes; that she doesn't have the same kind of clear, crisp vision that she communicates the way a candidate like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders does. She doesn't have the long prominence and loyalty that somebody like Joe Biden does. And she spends a lot of time fundraising. She spends a lot of time, essentially, in forums that don't drive a big national message. And one thing that we've seen in this campaign, very consistently in this race, whether we're talking about Elizabeth Warren or Joe Biden or Pete Buttigieg, is that the national conversation is what drives events on the ground, as much as what the campaigns are doing themselves in terms of organizing. Right?
[Avlon:] Sure.
[Burns:] I spent some time in Los Angeles with Harris after the first debate. And she was very, very focused on this idea of wanting to put out sort of concrete, tactile policy ideas that ordinary people can wrap their minds around. And I think there is some evidence that that approach works in places. But without the larger architecture of a compelling vision that people feel like they can really understand what it means, it's been hard for most of the candidates in this race to gain traction.
[Avlon:] And M.J., you just You were in Iowa four days ago. I mean, there's that is a precipitous drop. There's maybe the sense that the attack on Biden in the first debate may have boomeranged on her. What are you seeing and hearing on the ground in Iowa when it comes to Harris and Biden, the candidates who had been in poll position just a month ago?
[Lee:] Well, look, I think Alex is absolutely right that Harris is very gifted at creating these sort of set-piece moments, as you said, and those moments, actually, really do go a long way. And I think that's why we have seen her really go up and down in the polls a lot, right? There have been a lot of fluctuations. After the first after the last CNN debate, for example, her poor her poll numbers, obviously, went up noticeably. And that's something that was reflected in conversations with voters on the ground, right? That moment of Kamala Harris going after Biden actually played very well to her strengths. People The thing I heard, probably, most from people after that debate was, "Boy, I cannot wait to see a Kamala Harris take on a Donald Trump. Because it showed her performance against Joe Biden really showed and reminded me that I want to see somebody, a Democratic nominee who has that kind of strength and can take on a President Trump in that way." But I think you're also right that once those moments are over, I think people are looking for sort of a longer vision, and I don't know that she has been as adept at communicating that as some of the other candidates. When it comes to Joe Biden and what people are saying about him, I mean, it has been very consistent throughout the year since he got into the race. I think the trouble for him is that a lot of people sort of view him as the default candidate to support, right? That he is a known. That they feel comfortable with him. They know what he's about. He may not be, obviously, the youngest candidate or the fresh face, but that they feel like he is sort of the stable candidate and somebody that they know as having been Barack Obama's partner. I think the thing that we're going to see in the next couple of months is, are the people who are supporting him as sort of the default answer, are they going to feel like, "Actually, there's somebody else that I have done my homework on, and that is the person that I, in my gut, would like to support. Not Joe Biden, the default candidate"?
[Camerota:] I mean, you know, do you need a lot of enthusiasm to win? Sometimes you order vanilla ice cream. I mean, sometimes you just go back to vanilla ice cream. You're not in the mood for, you know, strawberry that day. You do vanilla.
[Avlon:] We've been having tutti-frutti for three, four years.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Avlon:] Now, I'm back to vanilla, people.
[Camerota:] I mean, do you
[Avlon:] But it's not the most exciting. I mean, with Joe Biden, it's not
[Camerota:] No, but I just wonder, is that a deal breaker? If you don't have a lot of enthusiasm, is that considered a deal breaker or do people just go with the vanilla?
[Burns:] I don't think that is a deal breaker. But I do think that you want a more assertive version of vanilla that's more confident about the fact that it is that it is vanilla. Right? That
[Rampell:] You want to know you want to know why the vanilla is running.
[Burns:] Right.
[Rampell:] Right? And I think, to torture this metaphor further, and I think that's part of the problem for Harris here. People kind of understand what Elizabeth Warren's her vision in, what her values are, even if they don't know the nitty-gritty of all the policies. They understand that for, to some extent, you know, Biden; to some extent Sanders. For Harris, you know, her policies on health care have kind of wobbled a little bit; and she's gone back and forth on busing and other things. It's a little bit hard to understand what's motivating her, what her vision is for the country.
[Avlon:] So but Catherine, let me stick with you, because politics is perception. But so, to a large extent, is the economy. And before we go, I want to give you a chance to set what you believe the goals of Fed Chair Powell are going to be when he gives this major speech in Jackson Hole today at 10 a.m., because markets around the world will be watching.
[Rampell:] Yes. They'll be hanging on every word to try to look for clues for what they're going to do with interest rates. If I had to guess, I would think he has probably two objectives. One is to inspire confidence in the economy, say here here are the good things, you know, because confidence matters. But also, if things go bad, if it turns out our confidence is overstated, we will be there to make sure it's not so bad. This is the line that the Trump administration has sort of tried to walk recently and completely failed. Right? If there's a tightrope there, they're way off the tightrope. I think his second objective will be to convince the world that the Fed is still politically independent. That if they cut interest rates further, which which they've sort of been boxed into doing to some extent by market expectations if they do it, it will be because they think it's good for the economy and not because they've been cyberbullied by the president. Because if, in fact, the perception is that their political independence is compromised, whether or not it is and I don't think it actually has been, I don't think that they're responding to pressure in that sense their credibility if, in fact, we fall into recession, is shot. Right? Doesn't matter if they are independent or not. If people just think that they're just doing the bidding of the president, of the administration, they will not be able to be as effective as they would otherwise be.
[Avlon:] Cyberbullied by the president. Sentences you only hear in 2019. All right. Thank you all very much for joining us. And right now the Amazon rainforest is burning at rates never seen before. And Brazil's president is facing criticism for doing virtually nothing to stop it. More on the international effort to combat the crisis, next.

[Whitfield:] California State University Long Beach is now quarantining all on-campus residents and pausing in-person classes for two weeks. The school forced to make the move after several students ignored the school's guidance and gathered for an off-campus social gathering. Five of those students then tested positive for coronavirus. Joining me right now to discuss is California's Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. Doctor, good to see you.
[Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California Surgeon General:] Good to be with you.
[Whitfield:] So, your state's health department is predicting that there will be an 89 percent increase in coronavirus hospitalizations over the next month and several school districts across the nation will continue to open for in-person learning in the coming weeks. So based on the data you have seen from K-12 schools that have already opened for in-person learning, should parents feel comfortable sending their kids back to the classroom in-person learning?
[Harris:] Well, the schools that are opening are really going to be based on public health guidance. And so the key thing is to make sure that kids have the resources that they need to be safe if they're going back to in-person learning. So we still got to do all of those the things in terms of social distancing, good hand washing, minimizing mixing and, of course, wearing masks.
[Whitfield:] And, of course, there's the sanitizing of the schools. I mean, that's going to be very difficult too, especially so many districts are looking at budget cuts. So, you know, there's a lot riding on that formula. How worried or concerned should anyone be?
[Harris:] Well, I will say that for myself as a mom of four kids, right, I think that we really are following the public health guidance around how we can get back to reopening as much as possible but as safely as possible. And this is really based on guidelines to ensure that we can be as safe as possible in getting our kids back to school.
[Whitfield:] Something else that is a big concern, family welfare experts have been telling CNN that the U.S. education department is not doing enough to help teachers identify signs of child abuse in virtual teaching. This after several states reported alarming drops in reports of child abuse and neglect in the early months of this pandemic. So how should the Department of Education help teachers identify children or families in trouble?
[Harris:] Yes. Well, this is certainly a big concern. We have seen a drop in reports of child maltreatment and we know that child maltreatment isn't going away, it's just not being reported. And I think there are a number of trainings to help educators learn about how to recognize the signs of child maltreatment when they're seeing it. And it is tough for educators because they're not in person in the same way but there are signs that educators can look for, and that's really important.
[Whitfield:] Right. And it's tough for educators and so many teachers because they're already taxed as it is. I mean, they're having to do a lot more than they were accustomed to making all kinds of adjustments and it's been hard for a lot of our educators and families, of course. So, California's fight against coronavirus is being exacerbated also by these wildfires. Thousands of firefighters are battling 25 major wildfires across California right now, so over 3.6 million acres have already burned. How does the stress associated with the constant threat of wildfires now contribute to the secondary impacts of this pandemic?
[Harris:] Yes. Well, what we are seeing is that it's a rough time. Folks are dealing with the wildfires, the pandemic, and we know that some of the things that we do to relieve stress, things like exercise and being out in nature are made more difficult when we have smoke from wildfires. One of the things that's important really important to realize is that the climate change isn't just an environmental issue, it's also a health issue that something that a lot of Californians are feeling right now as we're dealing with issues of air quality. It really impacts kind of our day-to-day quality of life. And so as we are looking at the combined effects of not only the pandemic and the wildfires but also all of the issues of racial justice that are happening right now, it is a time of heightened stress. I think everyone is feeling that. And some of the things that we can do are things like good exercise, nutrition and connecting with folks that we trust.
[Whitfield:] At a distance. I mean, there's that, right? And you talk about exercise. Okay, but then you have got to be careful about going outside. I mean, it's just everyone is challenged on so many different levels and you have to make critical decisions for survival. Let's talk about this recent study as well done by researchers at Stanford University showing that smoke from the wildfires may have already caused over 1,000 deaths. Is it possible that this many deaths could be tracked to this back to this kind of smoke inhalation or perhaps even the stresses that come with in these wildfires?
[Harris:] Well, what we see is that smoke is for of greater risk for individuals who already have underlying health conditions, like cardiovascular disease or asthma or chronic lung disease and it can certainly worsen those conditions. Interestingly, stress can also worsen all of those conditions, right, cardiovascular disease. And so the combination certainly is impacting lives. And it's important to recognize that we all take those preventive measures to ensure that we can be as healthy as possible, even during this time.
[Whitfield:] All right. Well, I love your optimism. Thank you so much, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris. Good to see you. Thank you.
[Harris:] Thank you.
[Whitfield:] All right. Still ahead, President Trump's Supreme Court pick could impact millions of Americans for decades to come. So what does it mean for the future of women's rights? I'll talk live with Lilly Ledbetter, who brought her fight for equal pay to the nation's highest court.

[Lemon:] Saturday Night Live, SNL, inspired one of its most recent hires. Shane Gillis, is his name. Fired him just days after video of the comedian making bigoted and homophobic comments came too light. But I want you to listen to these brand new comments tonight from Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang himself. A target of Gillis' comedy.
[Andrew Yang, American Entrepreneur And Philanthropist, 2020 U.s. Presidential Candidate:] I thought if I could set an example that, you know, we can forgive people. Particularly in an instance where in my mind it was in a comedic context or gray area. I thought it would be positive. But you know, obviously it's in NBC's hands and now they made the decision to make.
[Lemon:] OK. So, he's in the forgiving mood there. SNL was it right to fire Gillis? Was it? Or has the cancel culture gone too far. Is it the same thing? Can you compare this [inaudible] culture? Let's discuss now, comedian, former SNL staffer Dean Obeidallah. Dean, thank you so much. We have a little bit of a delay. Dean is in Atlantic City. So, Dean, look, the presidential hopeful Andrew Yang, you saw him. He also didn't want Gillis he said Gillis should not had been fired. You used to work at SNL's production staff. You say he shouldn't have been fired as well. So, how would you like to see this handled?
[Dean Obeidallah, Former Snl Staffer:] To me, and to be clear, first of all I don't know how he got hired as part of the big thing. My friends at SNL, there's a thing called Google. You should use it. Google people you are going to hire, because the guy, his pod cast which is just from last year. Now I think what Andrew Yang's point and my point as well, I wrote about it for CNN, is not whether he should be fired or not. It's the idea that if we say anything wrong in society today. For one comment, people want you fired. They want you ostracized from society. My big picture question here is, is that helpful? I supposed to encouraging people to evolve for the better which was we all want. In the case of Shane Gillis, it start out as one comment that was seen as anti-Asian, then we found out his, he was sexist comments, anti-Muslim comments, and the LGBTQ comments and we learn today that two Philadelphia comedy clubs had stopped using him because of his xenophobic and racist stuff. SNL could have easily found that out and avoided this entire situation. To take you step back, Don, the question is, are we overreacting as a society when anyone says anything that is offensive. And I think at times we do that. At times, it's appropriate, other times it's too far. Too far.
[Lemon:] Yes. So, you know, let's put the the comments we won't put them up. But he said some very disparaging things and used the word for Chinese people. Just so we know what people, what it was and making fun in an accent or what have you. He has also made you know, homophobic comments about Jed [inaudible] and Chris [inaudible], neither who I believe is gay. And then on and on. And as you said, this was just last year. And SNL admitted like they are vetting process could have been better. So, there are going to be people at home we're saying, listen, Dean, you're going to call people out when they say anti-Muslim things, or anti-black things or whatever, but not this person. This person shouldn't be fired?
[Obeidallah:] Well, he actually did say anti-Muslim stuff as I pointed out in my CNN article. And for me the question was, look at we're adults, right. Dom, we know when someone is being playful, we know when they are being hateful. In the case of Shane, I don't know the young man. And Andrew Yang's point two days ago was, he would sit down with him. Let's talk to him. Let's find out if he's truly a raving bigot or someone who can be reached. And that is my big question. This guy today apparently he met with SNL. Whatever conversation they had was not enough for them at SNL. My old friends there to want him to work with them on the 17th floor. We worked long hours together, and I could tell you, these comments he has said would have made his life extremely uncomfortable over there. So, look, they fired him, I get it. I'm telling them the bigger picture, let's take a step back sometimes.
[Lemon:] Dean, yes, listen, I got to say ahead this conversation earlier with Chris. I think I'm on board with what you're saying. And I know a lot of people will be upset by that. But I agree that this whole cancel culture, I really hate it. And it's just like just it's just the a few people who are the loudest voices mostly on social media. I think every single instance has to be judged on its own merits and it shouldn't be one blanket thing, let's fire everybody. Dean, thank you. I'll see you next time. I appreciate it.
[Obeidallah:] Exactly. And each person judge equally, exactly. Thank you, Don.
[Lemon:] Thank you. We'll be right back.

[Andrzej Duda, Polish President:] They have got influence, the influence which they were building after 1989, where they assumed a new identity of an elite of a new state. So, this influence is still strong. This is what I can say. And let me assure you of one thing, that freedom speech is absolutely respected in Poland. Poland absolutely respects all constitutional standards, just as in the United States, the right to assemble, the right to the freedom of speech. There is free media in Poland. There is everything that is functioning in a normal democracy. One can announce what they think. One can demonstrate. One can say what they think. In Poland, people are not attacked during demonstrations, as it happens in other Western European countries. Police do not use truncheons or tear gas against people. People can speak their mind. They can express that they are not pleased with something. This is their right in democracy. Please ask Polish journalists, when was the last time when was the last demonstration in Poland when some kind of tension happened? No, it didn't, because, in Poland, we respect the right to demonstrate and to express your concern, because we believe this is one of the foundations of democracy. In Poland, there is absolutely free and just elections. All the standards are respected. So, please, ladies and gentlemen, come to Poland and see Poland with your own eyes. Please do not repeat certain stereotypes that are repeated in the West. Poland today has got quite a conservative government. That is true. And this government has got certain standards of action. Nobody not everybody subscribes to those standards, especially people of more leftist views. But this is the nature of democracy. So once you have got one side of the political scene in power, and then people make a different choice, and another side of the political stage comes to power. There is nothing extraordinary about that. And this is the change that has happened in Poland. But when somebody wins the elections, they have the right to implement the program which they announced before the elections. Excuse me. However, realize that implementing the program, which you presented in your election campaign, is not only the right, but I think an obligation resting on a politician. And this is exactly what is happening in Poland.
[Question:] The question for both presidents. Mr. President, you said just a moment ago that Poland will join the visa waiver program soon. How soon?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We think fairly soon. We're doing very well with it. It's a complex situation, as you know. But we're getting very close. We allow very few countries to join, but Poland is one that we're thinking about allowing in. So we will be making that decision over the next probably 90 days.
[Question:] Sir, will you hope or do you think that maybe when you're in Poland in September, you will make the announcement?
[Trump:] I think it's a very good idea. Thank you very much for giving me that idea.
[Question:] Thank you, Mr. President. [through translator]: Mr. President, the visa waiver program appeared on many occasions, but then it did not come into practice. How optimistic are we about the words uttered right now by President Donald Trump?
[Duda:] I'm looking at these words optimistic. I'm optimistic about that, because I think this is the first U.S. administration which has treated this problem in such a serious way and in such a comprehensive way. So, both when we talk with Mr. President, the president expresses his deep care about that. Also, when I talk with president Mosbacher, the U.S. ambassador to Warsaw, so she looks at the problem all the time. And I firmly believe that, in accordance with the law binding the United States because this is something that I want to stress very strongly. According to the law binding in the United States, by all the actions which are necessary in this respect, such as today's signing of the agreement on preventing and committing serious crimes, I believe that, through all these sanctions, this visa waiver program, covering Poles with visa waiver program, is going to be possible soon, anyway, that it is going to be possible before the end of the first term of President Donald Trump.
[Trump:] Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] All right, so top of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You have been listening to President Trump there in the Rose Garden, along with the president of Poland, President Duda, talking about a lot, right, between North Korea, questions of U.S. spying on North Korea, getting trying to get clarification on maybe what the president had said yesterday. We're going to get into all that and, of course, talking again about his big beautiful letter from North Korea, and patting himself on the back for the deal he's done with Mexico. So, Gloria Borger, I'm coming to you. You're our CNN chief political analyst. And so let's just dive in first on North Korea. So, President Trump, he is pressed on North Korea, specifically whether he said he would not spy on them. Here's that sound bite. Yes, we have it? No, we don't. OK. No, we don't. So, he basically, he proposed that he when he was talking yesterday do we have the second do we have the sound from yesterday? Sorry. I'm just talking to the control room. Anyone? OK, we're going to roll with it. Live television. So he proposed that he wouldn't allow the CIA spy against KJU. This is this is Kim Jong-un. This is all coming out because of the "Wall Street Journal" reporting that Kim Jong-un's half-brother was the CIA source. And so he's asked whether or not the U.S. would spy. And what was the response?
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Well, the response was a little confusing, because and here's the quote. He said: "It's not what I meant. It's what I said." So, that was a bit...
[Baldwin:] Shruggy emoji from me. What does that mean?
[Borger:] Right. Well, I don't know the answer to that. I mean, we know what he said very clearly yesterday, which is that keeping Kim Jong-un's half- brother as an asset, he said, or recruiting him as an asset, he said yesterday that would not happen under my auspice, for sure, meaning he wouldn't have recruited...
[Baldwin:] OK. I'm told we have the sound.
[Borger:] Oh, great. OK. Perfect.
[Baldwin:] Stand by. Roll the sound.
[Trump:] I saw the information about the CIA with respect to his brother or half-brother. And I would tell him that would not happen under my under my auspices.
[Baldwin:] All right, so that was yesterday. And, again, your point today, he responded: "It's not what I meant. It's what I said. I think we're going to do very well with North Korea over a period of time."
[Borger:] Right.
[Baldwin:] We have it. Roll the tape.
[Question:] Mr. President, you seemed to suggest yesterday that you are essentially committing to not spying on North Korea. Is that what you meant? Were those comments interpreted accurately?
[Trump:] No, it's not what I meant. It's what I said. And that's I think it's different than maybe your interpretation. I think we're going to do very well with North Korea over a period of time. I'm in no rush. The sanctions are on. We got our hostages back. Our remains are coming back. You saw the beautiful ceremony in Hawaii with Mike Pence. We're getting the remains back. There's been no nuclear testing whatsoever. They'd like to do something. I did get very as I said yesterday, a very nice letter from Chairman Kim. And I think we're doing very well. When I took over as...
[Baldwin:] So, my question, in listening to that, maybe because we can't really understand what he meant by, "It's not what I meant, it's what I said," why is he hedging on North Korea? This is this is a day after he got that as he just said, the beautiful letter from Kim Jong-un.
[Borger:] Yes.
[Baldwin:] I mean, obviously he wants to continue that relationship.
[Borger:] Sure, obviously. And I think he wants to have another summit. I think there is a dispute within the administration about whether Kim Jong-un is keeping to any kind of promise he might have made about testing nukes. And so I think what the president is trying to do is play the good guy here to Kim Jong-un. So, he I mean, look, this is the way spycraft works, if you ask me. And I don't work for the CIA, but if you ask anybody who does, the fact that you could recruit Kim Jong-un's half-brother is a big deal as an asset. And for a president of the United States to say, no, I would never do that and I'm that would never happen on me, is kind of stunning, because one wishes it could. So I think today was a little confusing, and he didn't want to go into it. It's clear. He just said, we're doing very well, and he kind of smoothed that one right over, or tried to.
[Baldwin:] Right, right, waiting to see maybe perhaps what was in that letter, and if there are guarantees for a third summit or not. Dana Bash, I'm bringing you in as well there in Washington just to join this conversation. Another piece of what he was asked about or he brought up, the Mexico tariffs, right? And he is very much doing this sort of thing in how he was able to broker this deal with Mexico with this tariff threat, saying this wouldn't have been done without me.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Yes, I mean, it's classic Trump. He's this is not going to change. He's going to keep saying it. It is still not entirely clear how much the United States government actually got that it wasn't already getting. He insists it happened. He even insisted that he had a secret deal on that piece of paper that he was referring to that he was actually impressed that...
[Baldwin:] "The Washington Post" would talk about.
[Bash:] Yes, used got it and used the technology to figure out what he said on it. But, look, this is classic. Actually, it is classic politics to have a dispute and then claim victory. But this is the Trumpian version of that, where he's kind of declaring war and then claiming victory. And that is still in question, exactly what happened. The big question now is what is going to happen with China on the same issue of using tariffs as a weapon to try to change the ways of a trading partner or an adversary in this case. And it's still open whether or not he's going to be successful on that. And there are a lot of people in a lot of important states around this country who are holding their breath, hoping that he is not bluffing, that he could actually get this done.
[Baldwin:] Right. The question came in, appropriately, as to whether or not when that would even happen on the additional $300 billion anyway, like this, pointing to his brain, like only right here we will know when additional tariffs are slapped on, on that. All right, ladies, Gloria and Dana, thank you so much for jumping on, on President Trump there speaking today with the Polish president. Ahead here on CNN, it is the first subpoena issued to a member of the president's family. And, today, Donald Trump Jr. showed up on the Hill. What he says he was asked to clarify about that infamous Trump Tower meeting. And the former Stanford University sailing coach who pleaded guilty to taking $600,000 in bribes is sentenced today in federal court what his sentence could signal for those celebrities involved in the case. Plus, this
[Jon Stewart, Former Host, "the Daily Show":] They did their jobs. Eighteen years later, do yours!
[Baldwin:] Jon Stewart implores members of Congress to help the heroes, the first-responders of 911. And he gets through. I will talk to one FDNY first-responder who is battling a lifelong illness from inhaling contaminants at Ground Zero. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

[Bash:] A new Justice Department ruling could result in thousands of asylum seekers being held indefinitely by immigration authorities. In a major reversal of previous DOJ policy, Attorney General Bill Barr now says that asylum seekers apprehended along the southern border are no longer eligible to be released on bond while their cases are being processed. The new decision comes amid a broader crackdown on asylum claims as part of the Trump administration's efforts to deter would-be migrants. I want to bring in the senator from Wisconsin, Ron Johnson, who is chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. Senator, thank you so much for joining me today. I know you're working on legislation, and I want to get to that in a moment. But first I just want to ask about this order. Do you think that it's going to help the crisis at the border?
[Sen. Ron Johnson:] Hello, Dana. Well, first of all, I want to be able to read it and really understand exactly what the attorney general is saying. But the news report says thousands. You've seen my chart. Just since 2012, we had it's approaching now 900,000 unaccompanied children and members of family units. I doubt this order will apply it those. But 900,000 of those individuals have been you know, came to this country illegally. They were apprehended. They were processed. And they've been dispersed all over America. And I was just down at the border in El Paso. I was talking to ICE ERO, asking, have we kept track, do we know where any of these people are? And the basic answer is, no, we really don't know where they are. So this is a crisis. We have a completely unsecured border. We are basically being used by the human traffickers in their multi their hundred million dollar enterprise here and we're helping them out.
[Bash:] Sure. And I have seen your chart. And it's very in depth. One that might be more digestible for our viewers, and I want to show them right now, is just about the asylum applications because, you're right, it has spiked in a dramatic way. 2012 started at 44,500. Now at least in FY 2018, and that was the last fiscal year, 161,000, and it is still spiking. And then that's not even factoring in the fact, as you mentioned, that a lot of them are unaccompanied minors who are being preyed upon by these by these human traffickers. Having said all that, America's system of justice is is set up in a very specific way. And given that, should the American government be detaining people and not allowing them to go out on bail?
[Johnson:] Well, again, so this year, just in six months, 240,000 unaccompanied children, but now primarily people coming in as family units, are exploiting our laws and being basically shoved into or allowed to go into America. And it's completely out of control. So the way to solve this problem, in the end, once adjudicated, only about 15 percent have a valid asylum claim. So what we need to do is we need to have a more rapid and more accurate initial determination on asylum claim while we have people in custody for a few days. You know, until this really spiked, it took about eight days to come to that initial determination. Now it's about 40 to 45. So we have to provide the resources. We have to have the facilities to maintain people in custody because if we don't detain people, we don't remove them. Only about 7 percent of non-detained individuals are actually removed, even though 85 percent don't have their asylum claim granted. So this process is being completely exploited. And people need to understand, I was just down at the border, they turn themselves in.
[Bash:] Right.

[Alison Kosik, Correspondent:] to the market. I think it will continue to buss in the background but if you look at historically it's really have little effect on the market. During the next era the economy wasn't strong and stocks fell 33 percent but during the Clinton impeachment SMP 500 rose 27 percent. In the end Kate, it all really depends on the strength and weakness of the economy.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Host, Cnn Newsroom:] Something to keep an eye on regardless of impeachment is where the economy stands. Alison thanks so much. And thanks so much for joining me, everybody. "Inside Politics" with John King starts right now.
[John King, Cnn Host, Cnn Newsroom:] Thank you, Kate, and welcome to "Inside Politics." I'm John King. Thank you for sharing your day with us. We begin the hour with war of new developments all connected with the whistleblower complaint, now the lynch pin to the Democratic impeachment push. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused today to put a specific timeline on the investigation, but the Committee taking the lead, telling reporters, expect subpoenas for key witnesses and telling its members to be ready to work during a planned two-week Congressional recess. Speaker Pelosi says the President's request will be an overwhelming focus, but part of that must include the Attorney General and how quickly his department decided the allegations raised by the whistleblower did not warrant a criminal investigation?
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] The committee will make their own announcements about who they're calling in to be witnesses. I do believe the Attorney General has gone rogue. He has for a long time now. Since he was mentioned in all of this, it's curious that he would be making decisions about how the complaint would be handled?
[King:] Also new today, the President's own staff undercutting his attacks on the whistleblower's credibility. The President tweeting this morning that the whistleblower's information cannot be trusted but White House officials are confirming to CNN now a key element of the whistleblower's accounts. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live at the White House. Kaitlan, what are we learning?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yeah, this is significant because for the first time the White House is saying, yes, White House lawyers did direct staff to move that transcript of the President's call with the Ukrainian President from where these transcripts are typically stored to a highly secure area where they aren't typically stored. And in a statement to CNN or first obtained by CNN, a senior White House official said, "NFC meeting financial security lawyers directed that the White House document be handled appropriately". What you could read into that is there is a National Security Council lawyer who instructed his staff to move this transcript to this highly secured area this highly secured server where they're not normally kept. And of course, this is significant because even though the President is on Twitter this morning questioning the credibility of this whistleblower? This backs up a key part of the complaint from the whistleblower. Now look at the complaint. So then the White House officials have been dismissing it, saying he's imparting inaccurate information what the President said this morning. But John, when you read this complaint, it sounds pretty accurate because this whistleblower said, "White House officials told me that they were directed by White House lawyers to remove the electronic transcript from the computer system in which such transcripts are typically scored for coordination, finalization and distribution to cabinet-level officials. So it is significant. Even though the President is doubting this person's credibility, behind the scenes White House officials on background, meaning not using their name, are confirming, that yes, White House lawyers did direct staff to move that transcript, john.
[King:] And in essence confirming that's not the way they would put, that the President is lying when they sends out these tweets. Kaitlan Collins, appreciate that reporting from the White House. With me in studio to share their reporting and their insights Julie Pace with the Associated Press, Sahil Kapur with Bloomberg. Julie Hirschfeld Davis with "The New York Times" and CNN's Abby Phillip. It is critical sometimes we get to stop and pause for a second because we're in this blur of people throwing things out there. The White House says the call was perfect. Now the President releases a memo not a full transcript of the call that says the President leaned on the President of Ukraine for help. The whistleblower complaint very accurately describes the call by the White House's own transcript. Now the President says don't believe the whistleblower, it's bad information. The White House lawyers confirms to us, yes, just as the whistleblower said in his complaint or her complaint that this information was put in a secret vault.
[Julie Pace, Washington Bureau Chief, Associated Press:] The White House seems to be trying to make this a question of motivation. So, yes, the transcript was moved into the server. They say that is normal process. The whistleblower says that was effectively a cover-up, an attempt to hide this transcript that White House officials knew would be problematic. I think you're going to see that as part of the White House strategy if other parts of the whistleblower complaint hold up, and so far they have, to try to say, sure, that step happened, but it's not it didn't happen because of the reason the whistleblower said. It didn't happen because people were nervous about it, it didn't happen for some improper reason, we were simply following protocol. What you're seeing is this White House just trying to shape their own version of events. The whistleblower got the first jump on this narrative and now the White House has to go through step by step and try to cast their own narrative.
[King:] It's a great point you make, though, following protocol or following Trump White House protocol? In this sense that if you talk to people work in previous administrations this was not done. A Democratic or Republican go back to the time there was a system for handling these things that have been pretty consistent over time but if you go back again; remember the anonymous essay of a year ago. What the whistleblower alleges tracked some of that, that you have White House staff essentially working to, "protect themselves" or protect the President from themselves or protect the country from the President and so on, and having an extraordinary system of doing things.
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Politicl Correspondent:] I think the reason why there is a culture of secrecy around the President's calls is because he has in fact been embarrassed before by the transcripts of the call or by accounts of his calls being released to the public. But at the same time it doesn't explain why, in a situation like this in which the President wants to claim on the one hand that the call was perfect, the White House would be trying to prevent him from embarrassment via leaks by moving the call to a different server. So you have a real disconnect in the narrative that I think will be apparent to people who are hearing about the President's side of this and the whistleblower's side on this. But to your point about the whistleblower, there are so many people in this White House who are trying to, in their view, do their jobs, pursuing a foreign policy that is coherent in this administration, and it's almost impossible to do that when the President undermines that effort in a phone call in which he apparently seems to be seeking his own political gain. So that's why you have all these officials in private conversations in the White House, according to the whistleblower, really expressing frustration that they cannot move forward on the policy of the government of the United States.
[King:] And the question becomes, if you also talk to the other new developments today, the House Intelligence Committee warning its members essentially, you're supposed to be on recess the next two weeks. We'll be doing some work. Some of it will be behind the scenes, like subpoenas. I assume the people of national security lawyers, the people who decided this is the system we're going to have in this White House, will be subpoenaed to come before the Intelligence Committee to explain the tick-tock. The question then becomes, does the White House say yes or do we have the boom?
[Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Congressional Editor, The New York Times:] I mean that is what's happening now, is that Adam Schiff and the Intelligence Community is trying to figure out, what is our witness list, what is our document list, maybe more importantly, of who we need to hear from and what we need to see to be able to bear out some of what the whistleblower is alleging? And also to provide those explanations, if the White House can argue, and it looks like they will, this is standard protocol at least for this administration, was it a proper protocol? Or was that a protocol arrived at because the President was having conversations like the July conversation with the Ukrainian President? But according to the whistleblower, there were other conversations of sufficient concern that those records were being handled that way. That will be a key what Adam Schiff calls a road map for them moving forward, and I think we'll see them move pretty quickly to get the information they can for how that process was laid out.
[Sahil Kapur, National Political Reporter, Bloomberg:] This will be enormously consequential decision for Speaker Pelosi to make and House Democrats leaders to make on two fronts. They have to decide the two targets they're going to go after? AG Barr is implicated by Speaker Pelosi this morning. The DNI is involved, Rudy Giuliani is involved. The State Department has implicated by Rudy Giuliani and Mike Pompeo seems unhappy about that. Democrats have to make priorities and decide who to go first after. The second question is what articles of impeachment do they pursue? The Ukrainian President seems to be unifying force among the House Democrats, to push some of these front liners into getting yes on impeachment, but there are obstructions of justice, obstructions of Congress that the institutionalists not the leftists really feel strongly about and want to go after and there is the issue of emoluments that the party wants to go after. This is a very big decision for Nancy Pelosi.
[King:] And as they make those decisions that the committee is going to issue subpoenas, and perhaps actually bring law makers back during the recess tells you they understand want to do this as quickly as possible. Number one that's because there's an election year reporting approaching and already Republicans say this is just politics, you're trying to poison the election. Number two they understand how the President operates. We're seeing examples of that, the President on Twitter attacking the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, who is essentially the lead person right now that we expect to become an impeachment process. Rep. Adam Schiff fraudulently read to Congress with millions of people watching a version of my conversation with the President of Ukrainian that doesn't exist. He was supposedly reading exact transcribed version of the call but he completely changed the verse to makes it sound horrible and it goes on and on. Adam Schiff did what he later said was a parody at the beginning of the Committee, meaning yesterday. Most Democrats would say that was a profound mistake in the sense that this is not funny. None of this is funny whatever your partisan alignments, and that if Democrats are going to move this process forward, they have to behave almost perfectly.
[Pace:] They really do because right now this is just a Democratic process. How do you make a process run by one party not look partisan? It's a very difficult task. To your point earlier, I think speed is crucial here, and that's because speed is the difference. Trump has been investigated before for emoluments and a whole host of things. He was investigated by Bob Mueller. It was long and drawn out. They were complicated. This has moved incredibly fast and Democrats think that the speed of this adds to their power.
[King:] To the other part of the President's strategy discredit anybody who speaks ill of him. In this case, the whistleblower, the President we talked about a little bit tweeting this morning, sounding more and more like a so-called whistleblower isn't whistleblower at all. In addition, all secondhand information that is proved to be so inaccurate that there may not have been someone else, a leak or a spy, feeding it to him or her a partisan operative. We're going to go through this for months, I think. That's just bogus in the sense that anything we've been able to corroborate from the whistleblower complaint has turned out to be spot on. The call with Ukraine, the whistleblower complaint filed before that memo was released almost verbatim. Has it. The whistleblower saying they had this other system, the secret computer where they put the transcripts. The White House now confirming the President is correct there which gets you to this point. This is under the President's skin which is why this is important, what the President said yesterday about the whistleblower.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] Who is the person that gave the whistleblower? Who is the person that gave the whistleblower the information, because that's close to a spy? You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart, right, to spies and treason, right? We used to handle it a little differently than we do now.
[King:] We can talk about this for a month. Number one, he's in a room with American diplomats. The people who we hope if they see wrongdoing in their own government not every whistleblower is correct. You still want them to have the courage to come forward. He's in a room with American diplomats and he's saying this person is a spy. This person, even if he or she has some things wrong, is trying to do the right thing. Treat him like we did in the good old days. They executed spies in the good old days. That's intimidation.
[Davis:] I mean there is world in which this was with the case with the Mueller investigation with the very fact that the impeachment inquiry prods the President to do even more things that will be pointed to as either unsuited for office or just illegal or obstruction of justice. He seems to be going down that road. What's striking is you probably remember back in the Clinton impeachment days, the edict in the White House is we're not going to talk about it. We're going to separate this out. The President is not going to talk about this. The staff isn't going to talk about it. That is not those terms are not terms that you can impose on this President and certainly there is not a lot of discipline that goes on around him and his team or people who can say to him, you have to not talk about this or you're not going to disparage this whistleblower. This person has been deemed as credible and a patriot by your own Director of National Intelligence and the Inspector General, and you can't do that. He's not going to listen to that, so that comes back to where Julie was talking about in terms of speed. The Democrats want to move really quickly before the President and the people around him have the chance to distort the narrative.
[King:] The striking part to me is you see people standing in the room, holding up their phones. It's not like he thinks he's in an off the record private setting with friends and family here. He's in a room with people.
[Phillip:] Well, he is doing effectively the same thing on Twitter with all caps so that's a clear sign that where we are headed on. He's angry about this and we're going to hear about it pretty much every single day.
[King:] Angry is a polite term. We'll take a quick break when we come back we have much more on this. Not only the calculations of the White House but started tear just a moment ago. The Democrats are going forward. The question is how broad of an investigation and how fast that you get it done?

[Unidentified Male:] Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
[Becky Anderson, Cnn International:] It is 11:00 am in
[D.c. 7:] 00 in evening here in Abu Dhabi, a big 70 days until America's Presidential Election, just a little over two months. I'm Becky Anderson a very warm welcome to the second part of this show. U.S. Republicans opened night one of their national convention with a stark warning. A future with Joe Biden as President would be dismal and dangerous. Well, somber messages coming after President Donald Trump claimed the Republican Convention would have an upbeat, positive tone. There were a few of those positive moments Monday, shown mostly in prerecorded clips, speakers praising the president's accomplishment in areas like criminal justice reform and experimental drug policies. But on the coronavirus, you could argue they revised history, praising Mr. Trump's response and ignoring his repeated downplaying of the virus and the more than 177,000 Americans who have died. On a prerecorded video also painted Democrats as the culprits in the early response to the virus. Have a listen.
[Unidentified Female:] From the very beginning, Democrats, the media and the World Health Organization got coronavirus wrong. The World Health Organization said authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to- human transmission.
[Unidentified Male:] Overall, most people should not be terribly concerned about it.
[Unidentified Female:] Everything is fine here. We do you want to say to people, come to Chinatown, here we are, come join us.
[Unidentified Male:] We don't even think it is going to be as fair as it was in other countries. Go about your lives, go about your business.
[Unidentified Female:] One leader took decisive action to save lives, President Donald Trump.
[Anderson:] Well, the pandemic wasn't the only big issue glossed over by Republicans. Racial injustice was brought into focus again this week after police in Wisconsin shot a black man in the back while his three young children sat in their car. You may remember Kamala Harris saying last week there is no vaccine for racism. Well, on Monday several Republicans of color offered the overarching message, the U.S. does not have endemic racism. One of them is Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley who is an Indian American.
[Nikki Haley, Former U.s. Ambassador To The U.n:] In much of the Democratic Party, it's now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country.
[Anderson:] Well, throughout the night, speakers made repeated unsubstantiated claims that a Biden Presidency would usher in socialist policies that would fail Americans. Some of the sharpest attacks came from the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., who compared Biden to the Loch Ness Monster.
[Donald Trump Jr., U.s. President Donald Trump's Son:] He's pledged to repeal the Trump tax cuts which were the biggest in our country. After eight years of Obama and Biden's slow growth, Trump's policies have been like rocket fuel to the economy and especially to the middle class. Biden has promised to take that money back out of your pocket and keep it in the swamp. That makes sense, though, considering Joe Biden is basically the Loch Ness Monster of the swamp.
[Trump Jr:] For the past half century, he's been lurking around in there. He sticks his head up every now and then to run for president, and then he disappears and doesn't do much in between.
[Anderson:] I want to bring in White House Correspondent John Harwood. What do you make of what you heard on night one, John?
[John Harwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Becky, what the Republicans are trying to do is gin up the base of their party. The president is trailing in the polls but he's trying to maximize turnout among his political base, but also give a reason for Republicans who have drifted away from him to come back. You know, you've had, especially during 2020, during the COVID crisis, as the economy has gotten much worse, as the pandemic has taken a huge toll on American life in multiple ways, more than 177,000 deaths, everybody's lives turned upside down, a lot of people have faulted the president for not doing more. He went into this convention with just a 31 percent approval and an AP poll on handling coronavirus, so he's trying to bring those people back, convince them he hasn't been as bad as he's been portrayed in the media on coronavirus, that he's not a racist as people have asserted during the racial justice protests. And also try to convince Republicans that Democrats are going to be so much worse than whatever they're experiencing right now.
[Anderson:] Look, I guess you could say you wouldn't expect anything other than a campaign rally. You could argue that's exactly what we got out of the Democrats last week, and this is, of course, a final leg in the race to the White House beginning of November. Let's listen to a couple other things our viewers perhaps haven't heard, and I thought this was interesting. The evangelist Franklin Graham speaking to our colleague Don Lemon. Have a listen.
[Franklin Graham, President, Ceo Bily Graham Evangelistiic Association:] I believe he's President of the United States for a reason. I think God put him there.
[Anderson:] What do you make of that?
[Harwood:] Well, look, Becky, evangelical Christian evangelicals are the strongest single demographic group for the president. It hasn't been a good week for them. Jerry Falwell, the evangelical leader who had been the President of Florida University was caught up in a sex scandal. Nevertheless, the president is trying to rally that constituency. He's even going so far as to claim that the Democrats in their convention last week removed the words "Under God" from their convention proceedings. Now, they weren't uttered in every single setting in the convention, but they were uttered an awful lot. Take a listen to this collection of sound bites.
[Unidentified Male:] One nation, under God.
[Unidentified Female:] One nation.
[Unidentified Male:] One nation.
[Unidentified Female:] One nation. One nation under God. One nation. One nation.
[Unidentified Male:] One nation under God. One nation, under God.
[Harwood:] Well, what we've seen is that the Republicans led by the president are trying in increasingly blunt ways to persuade those evangelicals that Democrats are absolutely opposed to it, and the president has said that Joe Biden is against God, he would hurt God. The problem for the president, of course, and one of the reasons he's trying to make these arguments is that Joe Biden is doing better among white evangelical Christians than Hillary Clinton was in 2016, and that's one of the reasons why Donald Trump is trailing in the polls.
[Anderson:] Fascinating. All right, John, thank you for that. John Harwood is in Washington for you, and we are full speed ahead into round 2 of this Republican Convention. CNN's special coverage gets going at 4:00 am Wednesday morning. If you're here in the UAE for you political night owls, that is 1:00 am in London, 8:00 pm Tuesday in New York. Well, an alarming new development in the spread of coronavirus to European patients, one in Belgium and the other in the Netherlands, have been infected with COVID-19 twice. That's right, they were not protected from re-infection, and there was no lasting immunity, either, for a 33-year-old Hong Kong man who was re-infected with a different strain of the virus. He showed no symptoms the second time. Well, a doctor studying re-infection says this sends a sobering message.
[Dr. Ivan Hung, Hku Dept. Of Medicine:] Well, I think the most important message is that even though you have recovered from a natural infection, it doesn't mean that you're immunized for life from that virus. Also, you can see that this virus is very smart because it keeps on new taking.
[Dr. Hung:] That means that even though you have recovered from a natural infection, you still need a vaccination and you still need to wear a mask and keep your social distancing.
[Anderson:] Meanwhile, I want to bring in CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen at this point. What does this tell us about re-infection and our immunity to the virus, Elizabeth?
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Becky, this tells us what I think a lot of doctors have long suspected, which is that this is a coronavirus. Common colds are also coronaviruses, and we all know you can get the common cold more than once, so this is not shocking. I think that we also need to put this into some perspective. We know details, for example, about this Hong Kong man. He was infected in March; he was infected then again in August. In August he was just caught because he happened to be going through an airport screening. He did not have any symptoms. So if his case turns out to be sort of the way that things work, that's actually, in many ways, good news. It tells us that when we get this again that we it is a more mild version of the illness. The objective here is not I mean, it would be great if we could avoid re-infection, that would be wonderful, but that's not the only objective. The other objective would be, hey, for people to get infected, but not get so sick. So in a way this is good news for the vaccine. Vaccines usually mimic what happens naturally, so if what the vaccine does is make it so you don't get terribly ill, you might get infected but you won't get terribly ill, that would actually be a win.
[Anderson:] Yes, fascinating. We've been discussing this past hour about President Trump wanting to fast-track a UK vaccine before the U.S. elections, which are, of course, just a little over two months away. What's the implication of doing that?
[Cohen:] Oh, I can't express enough how terrible that would be. First of all, it would be terrible to put a vaccine out there that hadn't been proven to be safe and effective. You could hurt people. The second thing is, let's say you put out a vaccine that's, that it's safe but it doesn't do anything. That's still very, very harmful, and the reason why is that people are going to lose trust in this process and they're going to lose trust in vaccines. That's already an issue already in the U.S.; CNN polling shows that 40 percent of Americans don't want to get the coronavirus vaccine. Once if you mess up and put one out there that doesn't work or isn't safe, that number is going to get even higher. 50 percent of Americans won't want to get it, 60 percent of Americans, and then a vaccine won't work at all. Also, as Tony Fauci has pointed out, if you put out a vaccine that doesn't work, you're going to have trouble enrolling people in the next sets of studies. Remember we're not talking about one vaccine; we're talking at least half dozen companies that are trying to get a vaccine on the market. You mess up the first one you're not going to get to the next ones.
[Anderson:] Yes. The problem is, I mean, ahead of this pandemic, as I understand it, vaccines can take a decade decades to develop. So to your mind, what would be an appropriate amount of time for a vaccine to be in development before we can assume for it to be safe and effective?
[Cohen:] Becky, however long it takes. I don't think it's going to take decades. Nobody thinks it's even going to take years. What you want to look for is when they vaccinate tens of thousands of people or have tens of thousands of people in one of these large phase III trials, how many people got sick who got the vaccine, and how many people get sick who didn't. What you're looking for is valid test results, and that may take weeks from now, that may take I'm sorry, not weeks from now that will take months from now at least. You can't rush this process. Science is science, biology is biology. You can't rush the process.
[Anderson:] And we could also add politics is politics there. Elizabeth, thank you. Your analysis is extremely useful. Spain taking new measures to contain its own surge in coronavirus cases, earlier the country's Prime Minister said 2,000 military personnel will now be deployed to help with contact tracing in several hot spots. And in Madrid, masks will now be mandatory for children six years and older at school. Since Friday the country has reported more than 19,000 new infections with a total number of cases reaching more than 400,000. That is the highest number now in Europe. Well, despite safety measures, a new survey shows almost half of Spaniards think the worst of the pandemic is still to come. The government is hoping it will get a better snapshot of how the virus is spreading through mass testing? Atika Shubert has this report.
[Atika Shubert, Journalist:] Temperature checked. Hands cleaned, mouth swabbed, next? This is the new frontline against COVID-19 in the Spanish Capital. The neighborhood in Madrid has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infections anywhere in Spain. It's now part of a campaign to test as many as 6,000 randomly selected people, along with hundreds more volunteers lining up for free PCR tests. Madrid's Deputy Health Secretary says he wants to get an epidemiological snapshot of how the virus is spreading?
[Antonio Zapatero, Madrid Deputy Health Secretary:] The main reason for doing this is that these are the ideas in Madrid that had greater incidents of new cases. We have to know that these incidents are getting in ages between 15 and 14 years.
[Shubert:] The latest data shows COVID-19 cases in Spain are now much younger, at an average age of 38 with as many as 60 percent of cases exhibiting little or no symptoms. That may be why hospitalizations and deaths are still low despite the rising number of infections. But it's scary enough that Marco Malaga, the father of three teenagers, came on his own to get tested.
[Marco Malaga, Volunteering For Covid-19 Test:] As I decided I voluntarily go quite afraid that I may get COVID. So I don't know situation.
[Shubert:] Now this testing is moving like clapper fair processing hundreds of people in just a few hours, and when they come out, volunteers will get this. It's a QR code that they're able to scan, and this is where they'll get their results in 48 hours. As we film, lab technicians sweep past with another batch of fresh samples bound for analysis at a diagnostic lab. This is what test results across Spain show so far, an alarming rise in cases similar to the peak of the pandemic.
[Edouard Mathieu, Data Manager, Our World In Data:] This is kind of that U shape, which is quite worrying. In some countries are just like at the beginning of the second part of the U, but for France and Spain that U is almost complete, and that's kind of what worries us, and it's happened extremely quickly.
[Shubert:] Nobody wants a return to this. Hospitals so crowded, patients sleep on the floor. A group of Spanish doctors and epidemiologists have urged the government to invest more now into detecting cases, tracing contacts and isolating regional outbreaks before it is too late.
[Manuel Franco, Epidemiologist:] We need to have better data than we had before. We need to have the tracing capacity that we haven't had so far, and we're going to need it for many months, if not years. The sooner we get this in place, the better.
[Shubert:] Back at the clinic, Marco Malaga is so happy with his experience, he called his entire family over to get tested so they can visit the grandparents over the weekend.
[Ana Manuela Malaga, Volunteering For Covid-19 Test:] We want to make sure we don't have the virus and then be symptom free.
[Shubert:] Echoing the hopes and fears of many here in Spain. Atika Shubert, Madrid.
[Anderson:] Well, still ahead on "Connect the World" we're going to hear from the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chair about the situation in Belarus, and indeed, in Libya, and the wider Mediterranean plus calls for a cease fire. Warning political fractions in Libya reach an agreement, but as ever for this conflict the details are convoluted we'll break that down in the most basic of ways after this.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] Well, remember this big story yesterday? President Trump is defending his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria. This, ahead of an impending Turkish invasion.
[Text:] Republican backlash to Trump removing troops from Syria: Sen. Mitch McConnell [R], majority leader: "... would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime." Sen. Lindsey Graham [R] South Carolina: "... short-sighted and irresponsible..." Nikki Haley [R], former U.N. ambassador: Leaves U.S. allies "to die." Rep. Liz Cheney [R] Wyoming: "... undeserved gift to the Erdogan regime."
[Sciutto:] The president's move came in spite of strong opposition from several top Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] Their criticism, very noteworthy, especially since most Republicans have stayed silent on another key issue, the president's public call for foreign governments to investigate his political rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. Doug Heye is here, Republican strategist, former RNC communications director and our political commentator. Good morning, Doug.
[Doug Heye, Cnn Political Commentator:] Morning.
[Harlow:] So you ran comms for the RNC, you were the deputy chief of staff for Communications for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Would you advise such stunning silence?
[Heye:] Well, I think it depends on the issue. What we saw yesterday, was a lot of Republicans including Mitch McConnell, coming out on the issue with the Kurds and Turkey. That's an issue that's a policy issue
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Heye:] Republicans feel comfortable doing that. When it's going
[Harlow:] No, I hear you. And I meant on the phone call. But the phone call, I mean
[Heye:] Yes.
[Harlow:] that's about such a critical thing to our democracy. Like, do we ask
[Heye:] Sure.
[Harlow:] foreign governments to interfere or not? So how is that not a policy issue?
[Heye:] Sure. And you'd look, that should be low-hanging fruit, as should be and I say this as somebody who helped set up the Benghazi committee if Democrats said, we're not testifying to the Benghazi special committee, obviously, Republicans would have had a real problem with it. There's a silence right now. I find it troubling, but I also find it understandable, having worked in communications roles on the Hill, where your job is to protect your boss, your job is to make sure that your boss gets re-elected. And what we see, we often hear about Republicans having problems in primaries. Having worked for Eric Cantor, I know that's true. But there are also there are also potential problems in general elections if you are running in swing districts or, really, swing states in Senate races, where you don't get any reward from your base if you speak out against Trump, and you
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Heye:] don't really get any political reward from Democrats or independents if you do so as well. So you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't as well. And it's as a staffer, why I know a lot of Republican staffers on the Hill are getting requests for interviews and sliding it into the trash can and telling their boss, we didn't get any requests today. I'll let you know about tomorrow.
[Sciutto:] OK. So imagine that, self-preservation matters in politics, in Washington, for both parties here. But I wonder, as you see the polling change on this you know, "The Washington Post" poll out this morning, now 58 percent of Americans say they support the impeachment inquiry. That's up dramatically
[Heye:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] up 21 points in just
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] two, three months now. But notable are David Chalian noted this, that among the GOP, that as you know has been rock-solid behind this president, support for impeachment has gone from 7 percent negligible to 28 percent. Still a minority, but that's a big jump among Republicans. Do Republican lawmakers see those numbers and start to reconsider?
[Heye:] Not yet. They will if we see that in two or three more polls. Right now, we want to know, is that an outlier or is that a trend. If we get that answer
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Heye:] you might begin to see some more cracks. Look, obviously, Mitt Romney came out very forcefully over the weekend. That gives more permission members shouldn't need permission, but the political reality is that's what they look for for them to speak out. And if you do, you'll see one or two and then maybe the dam will burst. But I would tell you, again, having worked on the Hill and sometimes hidden interview requests from my own bosses in the past, you're not going to see a lot of Republicans speaking out because, you know, you see members speaking out in favor of Trump, members look at that negatively and say, I don't want to do that. And they are very mindful that you don't score points with Donald Trump.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Heye:] Donald Trump doesn't give points, he only takes them away, one at a time.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Doug Heye, you never his requests from Poppy and I, I assume? No interview
[Harlow:] I used to like you, Doug.
[Heye:] Never, absolutely not.
[Harlow:] All right, let me get
[Heye:] And I don't say that to everybody.
[Harlow:] Let me get your take fingers crossed behind your back. Let me get your take on this. The "L.A. Times" piece this morning was striking. It was interesting to me, the headline, why Republicans may want a House vote on an impeachment inquiry, and Pelosi doesn't. And it reminds us of the history, that in the Nixon and Clinton impeachment proceedings, the majority gave the minority the right to subpoena. Now, those subpoenas were also party to a vote. But it gave them that power. And what it's suggesting here, is that Nancy Pelosi is essentially scared of giving that power to the minority because they could
[Heye:] Yes.
[Harlow:] say, subpoena Joe Biden.
[Heye:] Yes. I think that's a fair point to make. And if you look at you know, it's troubling when you have people not showing up, when they've been subpoenaed to hearings, and it should be troubling whether that's a Republican House or a Democratic House or regardless of what party the administration is in. But also, I think if you looked at hearings over the past few weeks, they've been terrible for Democrats, they've been terrible for Republicans, obviously terrible for the country. We've not learned the information that we need to. I'd love to tell you that there's a good clear path forward, but I just don't see it right now.
[Sciutto:] Yes, yes.
[Harlow:] OK. Goodness gracious, as Jim says.
[Heye:] Uplifting, sorry.
[Harlow:] Doug Heye, thank you.
[Scuitto:] That's my mantra. Goodness gracious.
[Harlow:] That is his mantra.
[Heye:] Thank you.
[Harlow:] All right. Coming up, much more on that breaking news, the Trump administration's blocking the testimony of a key witness in this impeachment inquiry of the president. Stay right there.

[Lemon:] Here is a question: Do presidential candidates need better security? That is a question raised by this moment. It happened over the weekend when a protester rushed Sen. Kamala Harris and grabbed her microphone.
[Unidentified Female:] Hey, hey, hey Hi, hi, hi. Wait a minute, sir.
[Unidentified Male:] We were protesting just a few minutes ago asking for your attention to a much bigger idea
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you so much, sir, for your big idea.
[Lemon:] So, I want to bring in now Joan Walsh, Keith Boykin, and Tara Setmayer. Good evening. I need Karine Jean-Pierre. I'm hiring her as my security She was not having it. Good evening. So, Joan, give me your reaction to seeing a protester getting so close to a U.S. senator and a presidential candidate.
[Joan Walsh, Cnn Political Commentator:] It was terrifying. It was crazy. I mean, also, he was wearing a press badge under. He had a bunch of stuff. So, somehow he must have lied and said he was press, which is a terrible thing to see. But they obviously need better security. I mean, I do want Karine on my squad
[Walsh:] clearly, but that isn't her job.
[Lemon:] It did take a while for the security to get there.
[Walsh:] It really did. I wasn't even positive who was security, you know.
[Lemon:] Should we be, Keith, more worried about the dangers candidates potentially face while campaigning, especially candidates of color with the craziness going on and the racism?
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you so much, sir.
[Keith Boykin, Cnn Political Commentator:] Oh, yeah, absolutely. I admire Kamala Harris for her composure.
[Walsh:] Absolutely.
[Boykin:] This is a very dangerous situation for any candidate. I remember when Barack Obama was running for president in 2007. He had early secret service protection because of the possibility that something might happen to him. You go back in history. Look at what happened to Bobby Kennedy when he was still a candidate, before he actually won the nomination, and he was assassinated. I don't want that to happen to anybody in our country. I think that we need to have good security for every candidate out there, especially for people of color because there are so many threats against people of color
[Walsh:] Right.
[Boykin:] and women of color as well.
[Lemon:] I think everyone on the campaign trail, but you're right. Tara, I want to bring you in here. Let's talk a little bit more about Karine Jean-Pierre. She was the moderator there. We all know her. She has been on CNN. She was the first to put herself between the protester and the senator. This is what she said about the incident.
[Karine Jean-pierre, Nbc News And Msnbc Political Analyst:] It was a scary moment, you know. At the time, I wasn't thinking that. At the time, I was thinking, gosh, the Virginia Beach massacre just happened the day before where we lost 12 souls. I was thinking, you know, white supremacy. You know, hate crimes have increased in the last couple years.
[Lemon:] Tara, I think she really was heroic. What do you think?
[Tara Setmayer, Cnn Political Commentator:] Oh, yeah, kudos to her. I mean, that takes a lot of courage. It is interesting to see that it was three women that were
[Walsh:] Right.
[Setmayer:] that were there protecting her first before anybody else was able to get between the senator and this protester, so good for them. But the idea of having more security, I think, is something that we haven't really addressed or had to until more recently, more recent election cycles where so many candidates are involved and who qualifies and who doesn't. Keith brought up President Obama. When he declared in 2007, he received secret service protection in April of that same year because of the threat level which was the first time ever a candidate had ever received secret service protection that early. And it was after the Bobby Kennedy assassination of Bobby Kennedy assassination that the law was changed that make candidates eligible, vice presidential and presidential candidate eligible, and it is supposed to be not until 120 days before the election. That has changed. So, you know, right now, there is other threshold that has to be met for secret service protection to kick in and it's too early at this point unless there is a significant threat to Kamala Harris's life or someone else's. I think that is something that is going to have to be looked at. It has to get approved by the Homeland Security secretary, then there's the committee with the speaker of the House, the minority leader, the Senate leaders. They all get together to decide and then they approach the candidates. So, it's not so easy to just say hey, this little incident happened, we need secret service protection. But I think that the candidates need to before they get to that level definitely need to have situational awareness because there is a lot of places out there
[Lemon:] And their own security.
[Setmayer:] That's right.
[Lemon:] They need to have some of that money that whatever they are collecting
[Setmayer:] Yeah, use their campaign money.
[Lemon:] Yeah. Keith, Sen. Harris's husband, Doug Emhoff, was also rushed to wrestle the protester. He shouldn't have been put in that position. They have to go up there and do that.
[Boykin:] No, you're right. I mean, he shouldn't be in that position nor should any of those other people be in that position. This is why you should have trained professional security staff to take care of these situations. This is also the second incident which happened to her when just a weeks ago. There was an incident when someone approached her at an airport and accosted her. She had to have someone push that person away. When you a presidential candidate, you're a public figure out there, especially if you're a black woman. You are a subject in this climate that we live in today, you are subject to attack or accost or whatever might happen to you. So, I think it's important that we take this issue seriously.
[Lemon:] Joan,
[Unidentified Male:] Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a big Toronto welcome to the 44th president of the United States! It's Mr. Barack Obama! Welcome. Welcome.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] Once again, they are doing us dirty. That's all for us tonight. Time for watching CNN Tonight with the man, D. Lemon right now.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] That's the solution? Lower the bar? That's the solution? How many more excuses are you going to so don't change the behavior, right? Just how do we
[Cuomo:] Hide.
[Lemon:] hide or how do we change things around? Don't try to curb the behavior or say something is wrong. You just keep allowing the behavior to continue, and then you scurry around and do everything, make excuses so that he can continue to do things that are wrong.
[Cuomo:] Not illegal, arguably within their power. They can do this. But dirty.
[Lemon:] It's not within your power if you possibly doing things that are
[Cuomo:] The word you're looking for is dirt.
[Lemon:] against the Constitution.
[Cuomo:] Rhymes with purdy. Dirty.
[Lemon:] Is that your saying now, dirty Donald?
[Cuomo:] Hash tag dirty Donald.
[Lemon:] But seriously, to have fewer people on the call
[Cuomo:] I am being serious. That's the defense of him.
[Lemon:] Here's what it says. So, it says, it says it amounts to a concerned effort a concerted effort to prevent Trump's conversations, these officials sometimes veer off into unguarded or undiplomatic territory from becoming known to those even inside the administration. I mean, why?
[Cuomo:] You are accused of handling the country's business the wrong way with the example being a phone call. Your response is to deny the allegation and limit transparency on those phone calls.
[Lemon:] Wow.
[Cuomo:] That is dirty, and the Republicans will say, but, Don, that's who he is, and people knew that when they voted for him. So, it's OK. And I have never heard a rationale like that let alone from the party of character counts, who went after Bill Clinton not because they were so impressed with the criminality but because they needed to cleanse the office. Now hash tag dirty Donald is OK.
[Lemon:] Wow.
[Cuomo:] Did I stump you?
[Lemon:] No, you didn't. I just I just
[Cuomo:] Overwhelmed?
[Lemon:] I was wondering how many mirrors. I guess everybody has a mirror. It's just the audience. If you think that behavior is OK, I just turn on your phone and put your turn it on or go look in a mirror because you need to
[Cuomo:] And I'll tell you what it plays to. It plays to our cynicism. I hear it all the time, especially on my radio show. People say this is what they do, man. This is who they are. They're both the same. They're all terrible. They're dirty. But until you start
[Lemon:] That's not true.
[Cuomo:] demanding better, that's all you're going to get.
[Lemon:] That's my whole point. I'm just speechless because I can't believe that people are allowing for this behavior to occur and making excuses for it. How many how many more excuses can you make? I really don't understand it.
[Cuomo:] Look at
[Lemon:] I understand listen, I understand left versus right. I've been deal I've on this earth for a long time. I understand that. We can deal with that. I don't understand making excuses for someone who is not abiding by the Constitution, not abiding by presidential norms, not respecting the office of the presidency. It is just beyond belief. We have gone so far into the looking glass that we're coming out, we're in Willy Wonka land now. It is it's crazy.
[Cuomo:] It's a naked play to power.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] It's fealty over loyalty to the oath. Look at the Greta Thunberg thing. The problem with that is a week ago you were saying, hey, let's not talk about kids in here. Let's keep it to the adults who were in office. Don't mention Barron even as a joke.
[Lemon:] We said that. I understood the analogy. She wasn't actually talking about him. She was actually she was actually it was meant as a hit on the president, not on Barron.
[Cuomo:] True.
[Lemon:] I got it. I understood. But she shouldn't have done it.
[Cuomo:] True. But even then
[Lemon:] Right.
[Cuomo:] I'm OK with that rule.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] I say, yes, they were right. But where are they now? Where are they now?
[Lemon:] Yes. But there's no I don't think there's a difference between her and Barron. He should not have done it either. And especially someone who is reportedly, and I think by her own admission, her parents, has Asperger's, right? He should not be doing that. And the first lady should not be making excuses for her, whether she's in the public eye or not. It is just not done at all, just like Matt Gaetz should not be talking about someone's personal life, meaning Hunter Biden yesterday. It just should
[Cuomo:] On two levels, one, he's got his own vulnerabilities like all of us. We're all fraught. And, two, if you care about mental health like they all say they do now, thank God finally at least they say it
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] then don't weaponize it. Don't try to play to the stigma of it that somehow something's wrong with Hunter Biden if he's dealing with those kinds of issues.
[Lemon:] Especially addiction. What family in this country has not been touched by addiction? And you know you said that you
[Cuomo:] Only ones that aren't being honest about what they've been touching.
[Lemon:] You said that you were surprised that Democrats didn't, you know, talk about the what was it? The Barron thing? What was it you said that you were surprised the Democrats
[Cuomo:] Several things.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] That they didn't bring up the fact that the dossier guy was friends with Ivanka.
[Lemon:] That thing, right.
[Cuomo:] That they didn't bring up this thing and jump on it that you know, you were saying earlier at dinner, Biden should have jumped all over this.
[Lemon:] What family when I heard that coming out of Matt Gaetz'mouth, I was shocked. I was like, he just -he just lobbed a softball at the Bidens because almost every single family in this country has been touched by addiction. And Joe Biden has lost two children and a wife, and he has one child left. Regardless of what happened in you know, with Burisma and with Ukraine, does it look bad? Yes. Was it nepotism? Yes. But look at the nepotism that's happening in the White House. That's a whole other issue. Go ahead and deal with that. But every single parent who is dealing with addiction can understand what it's like to wait for a family member all night long who is dealing with an addiction, who has not come home, to worry about a family member or a child who is dealing with addiction. And he has one child left, and I'm sure that he is concerned about that child. And so, you know, I'm sure it is concerning to him, and he's worried. He worries, and he still loves that child regardless of, you know, what Hunter has done or has not done. So, I just think that Joe Biden has a case to be made there, and I'm just surprised that he hasn't, you know, talked about it and Democrats haven't talked about it. And I think that families can come out and discuss it, and it is something that he can use as a platform and make good of it to the people in America. And I just I don't you know, I don't get it.
[Cuomo:] I think you're 100 percent right, and I think it really showed how dirty this process has gotten.
[Lemon:] I'm sorry. He has a daughter as well. I'm sorry.
[Cuomo:] Yes. You know, Biden has a daughter as well.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] But he's worried about you know, he had two sons.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] He has one now, and he's dealt with his problems. And that's not the issue. The issue is not what happened with Burisma. It's what you're using as a tactic here.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] We say we're trying to get rid of the stigma. Then you weaponize the guy's frailty and illness for political effect. And it's shameful.
[Lemon:] With opioid, heroin, and if you ever had a family member who has been addicted and you wait, are they going to come home tonight, you don't know what they're doing.
[Cuomo:] And we're trying to move past this stigmatization of this.
[Lemon:] Yes. I got to
[Cuomo:] That's why people don't get help.
[Lemon:] I got to go. You know the thing we're getting tight
[Cuomo:] Yes, I hear you. I love you. Happy Friday.
[Lemon:] Happy Friday. Happy weekend. I'll see you guys for dinner tomorrow night. See you later. This is CNN Tonight. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us. You know, this has been a week of history in the making. It is a boy, what a long, exhausting week. The Judiciary Committee voting today to approve articles of impeachment against the president, charging that he abused the power of his office and that he obstructed Congress' investigation of Ukraine. The next stop, the full House, which could vote as soon as Wednesday. This is huge. The president is all but certain to be impeached by Christmas, which a Senate trial is likely to happen in January. This is his reaction. Watch this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] It's a very sad thing for our country, but it seems to be very good for me politically.
[Lemon:] So, if you think this president is going to suddenly start to care about, well, I don't know, the norms of government, abuse of power, what's good for the country instead of what's good for Donald J. Trump, here's a spoiler alert for you. He is not because as far as the president is concerned, all of this is working for him, and his party is all they're doing is enabling him. He's got no problem with foreign election interference. In fact, he encourages it. He's been doing it for years.
[Trump:] Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing.
[Lemon:] They were listening all right. On the same day, the very same day, a group of intelligence officers in Vladimir Putin's military launched their efforts to hack Democrats' e-mails during the 2016 campaign. And then there's president Trump shamefully taking the word of Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence community. Nope, nothing to see here. No Russian attack on our election.
[Trump:] My people came to me. Dan Coats came to me and some others. They said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this. I don't see any reason why it would be.
[Lemon:] Even joking about it, again, side by side with Putin.
[Unidentified Female:] Will you tell Russia not to meddle in the 2020 election?
[Trump:] Yes, of course we will. Don't meddle in the election.
[Lemon:] And let's not forget this stunning moment when the President of the United States says he doesn't see anything wrong with taking election help from a foreign source.
[Trump:] OK. Let's put yourself in a position. You're a congressman. Somebody comes up and says, hey, I have information on your opponent. Do you call the FBI? I don't think
[George Stephanopoulos, Chief Anchor, Abc News:] If it's coming from Russia, you do.
[Trump:] I've seen a lot of things in my life. I don't think in my whole life I've ever called the FBI in my whole life. I don't. You don't call the FBI. You throw somebody out of your office, you do whatever you
[Stephanopoulos:] Al Gore got a stolen briefing book. He called the
[Fbi. Trump:] Well that's different. A stolen briefing book. This is somebody that said we have information on your opponent. Let me call the FBI. Give me a break. Life doesn't work that way.
[Stephanopoulos:] The FBI director
[Lemon:] He said all of that out loud, right out in the open. And when you look at the time line, it is crystal clear exactly why the president keeps inviting all of this. He keeps getting away with it. That's why. The day after Robert Mueller testifies to Congress in the Russia investigation, the president launches the Ukraine shakedown with that infamous call. And here's a quote. "I would like you to do us a favor, though, because our country has been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about it. I would like you to find out what happened with the whole situation with Ukraine. They say CrowdStrike. I guess you have one of your wealthy people. The server, they say Ukraine has it." And this. "I would like to have the attorney general call you or your people, and I would like you to get to the bottom of it." And this. "There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution, and a lot of people want to find out about that. So, whatever you can do the attorney general would be great with the attorney general would be great." And despite team Trump's efforts to bury the transcript of that call on a highly classified server, the president says it out loud again, this time on the White House lawn, speaking to reporters. And just for good measure, asks China to investigate the Bidens too.
[Trump:] Well, I would think that if they were honest about it, they'd start a major investigation into the Bidens. It's a very simple answer. And by the way, likewise China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine.
[Lemon:] Just when I said that about the server, hiding it on the highly classified server, and, you know, when Chris and I talked about how they're going to limit the phone calls. So, if the call was perfect, why do they try to hide it? Why did they put it on that server if it was perfect? And then why would they limit his phone calls, people who can listen to it, and who they have distributed to if it was perfect? Why would they make changes? It was perfect. But hearing him right there, like I said this president has no problem with foreign election interference. He didn't think it's wrong. He said to China, do it. The party is enabling him. They didn't think it's wrong, then why change anything? They're enabling him, telling him exactly what he wants to hear. He's right, and everything he's doing is OK.
[Rep. John Ratcliffe:] Is it ever OK to invite a foreign government to become involved in an election involving a political opponent? The answer is yes. It better be. We do it all the time.
[Lemon:] Sometimes the truth just slips out, like it does when Fox News correspondent Geraldo Rivera concedes there was probably a Ukraine quid pro quo. Listen to this.
[Unidentified Male:] Can you agree that of course he was withholding the aid and the White House visit?
[Geraldo Rivera, Fox News Correspondent-at-large:] Probably.
[Unidentified Male:] Right? I mean
[Rivera:] Probably.
[Unidentified Male:] I mean probably?
[Rivera:] Probably.
[Unidentified Male:] I mean, is there any other rational explanation?
[Rivera:] I think when you look at how foreign policy is made, how foreign aid is distributed and dispensed, if you don't think there's this kind of back room wrangling almost every time with Israel or with Albania or with Australia, of course there is.
[Lemon:] Good job. That was Dan Abrams' radio show. Good job. And is it any coincidence that this morning, moments before the House Judiciary Committee voted to send articles of impeachment to the full House for a vote, the president apparently was at it again. Would you look at that. There's Rudy Giuliani at the White House. What are the odds, the president's loose cannon attorney was there to peddle his discredited conspiracy theory, seemingly discredited by everybody except Giuliani and the president, that Ukraine was behind the interference in the 2016 election, not Russia? I'd say those odds are pretty good. But let's remember it was Giuliani's pot-stirring in Ukraine that kicked off the whole impeachment inquiry. Now the Wall Street Journal is reporting that as Giuliani was returning last Saturday from a trip to Ukraine, while his plane was still taxing down the runway, the president called to ask, quote, "what did you get?" Giuliani's reply, more than you can imagine, which seemed to please his client.
[Trump:] He says he has a lot of good information. I hear he's found plenty.
[Lemon:] Another thing that's likely to please his client, Giuliani is not just digging for dirt in Ukraine. He's reportedly working on a TV series about it because as far as the reality TV president is concerned, if you didn't see it on TV, it didn't happen. So, to recap, one day after Robert Mueller testifies on the Russia investigation, the president makes a call that launches the Ukraine shakedown. And now on the very day the Judiciary Committee votes to approve articles of impeachment, the president has Rudy Giuliani come to the White House to report on his efforts to double down on the investigations in Ukraine. Seeing a pattern here? A president emboldened every time he breaks the rules and gets away with it. A president facing the looming prospect of impeachment before Christmas. But John Dean says the House shouldn't hand off to the Senate just yet. He's here to discuss along with Susan Glasser, next.

[Anderson:] It's just after half past 7:00 in the evening in the UAE. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. It's been a year of will they or won't they. The world's biggest oil company Saudi Aramco teasing investors with if and when they'll go public. Its CEO now says it could be happening very soon. And let me tell you, this will be a very big deal. The Saudis believe the company is worth $2 trillion. Yes, you heard me right, $2 trillion. While some insiders say it's closer to $1.5 trillion, that is still an awful lot of zeros. Aramco is the world's most profitable company, surpassing Apple and Google. Its listing could make it the largest IPO ever by some distance. Now the IPO, the centerpiece of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030. He plans to diversify the Saudi economy. We've seen big moves in the last week. John Defterios has been working his sources at the World Energy Congress here in Abu Dhabi. You couldn't have been in a better place. What are you hearing?
[John Defterios, Cnn Emerging Markets Editor:] Yes, this is a pretty massive scrum that we got right in front of the CEO. The narrative has changed radically since we had the conversation on Sunday with Abdulaziz taking over as the minister of energy. Amin Nasser has always told me we're ready because Aramco has its books in order and it's ready to go for the IPO. It has changed to we'll be ready very soon. Then he popped in on the same answer and suggested that Riyadh is not only the preferred market, it's the primary market. They're going to go out domestically but perhaps with the biggest share offering in Riyadh itself, which is a home field advantage. Take a look at the gigantic scrum we had and the interchange we had in that crazy pack of oil journalists I see very often around the world.
[Amin Nasser, Aramco Ceo:] That's a shareholder decision when it comes to this, as I always say, the decision is with the shareholders. From Aramco side, we always say we are ready for whatever the decision is locally, which is going to be the primary listing, it still is locally. But you also ready also for listing outside the in other districts.
[Defterios:] Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt. The other jurisdiction would be a Tokyo preference so there's less litigation?
[Nasser:] It's a shareholder decision.
[Defterios:] Do you have a preference for that?
[Nasser:] We are ready, as I say, to list wherever the shareholder decides. We are
[Anderson:] The very fact they're going for a Saudi listing in the first instance is to sop up the liquidity that exists in Saudi and there is some liquidity there. But they've not
[Defterios:] No resistance to Riyadh, too, which I think is
[Anderson:] Right. But they must be disappointed. The idea of this was to get Saudi Aramco into New York or London. Why what's been the problem? defense There's a couple key points on that. I'm glad you brought it up because New York, you're opening yourself up to potential litigation, both from the 911 victims, of course
[Defterios:] always been
[Anderson:] Fascinating. Stay with it. I think a pack of oil journalists is known as a slick of journalists.
[Defterios:] This is a group that travels around the world. We all know each other so it gets fairly aggressive but fun.
[Anderson:] Yes. All right, well, you stood your ground. We're going to take you to the country of Georgia now. It's a nation of medieval castles, religious shrines and the stunning beauty of the Caucasus Mountains. It's in those mountains you can experience a brand of adventure tourism that's truly special. It's the latest edition of what is our series, "Destination Georgia." Have a look at this.
[Unidentified Male:] Nestled among the great Caucasus Mountains, this is Stepantsminda. The town is located on the foothills of Georgia's third highest peak, Mt. Kazbegi. Now this is a thrill seeker's paradise. In recent years, paragliding has really taken flight in Georgia.
[Alexander Iskandarov, Paraglider:] Paragliding is one of the best way to exploring and
[Unidentified Male:] Alexander Iskandarov is an adventure guide and one of Georgia's pioneer paragliders.
[Iskandarov:] Paragliding in Georgia is very important, because my aim is to share this experience to new people, inspire people to explore Georgia in a different way.
[Unidentified Male:] Early afternoon, as the winds pick up, it's time to take to the skies.
[Iskandarov:] When I'm paragliding, I feel only freedom because I can control the speed, I can control the space and motion.
[Unidentified Male:] Starting out when he was 16, he got the flying bug from his grandmother.
[Iskandarov:] Back in the '60s, she was a skydiver in Georgia. She was about 23 years old. At this time it was a very unique experience, especially for women.
[Unidentified Male:] An increasing number of tourists are coming to Georgia specifically to paraglide. One of them is Christine Gschwandtl from Austria.
[Christine Gschwandtl, Paraglider:] There is a lot to explore here, paragliding into
[Unidentified Male:] As the day of flying comes to an end and the adrenaline rush subsides, for Alex, one last pleasure remains, to sit back and delight in the view of these rugged mountains.
[Iskandarov:] Georgia is amazing because here is everything is wild. Amazing for all activities.
[Unidentified Male:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Anderson:] I want to get you to Israel. We've got some news from Benjamin Netanyahu, who just has made an address to the nation on prime-time TV. I want to get to our correspondents. Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem; Sam Kiley, for all the right reasons tonight, is in the West Bank. Oren, what did we hear from the Israeli prime minister?
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has certainly talked about and promised annexation of the settlements in the West Bank before but never quite like this. In the past, he's talked in vague terms and general areas. Today, he put forward a specific map, saying if he wins the election, if he gets a clear mandate from the public, he'll pursue annexation of not only the settlements but also the Jordan Valley, saying it's the eastern border of Israel and that it's vital to Israel's security and for its strategic depth. But he made it clear that this was at the top, essentially, an election speech. He said, look, President Trump's peace plan is coming forward soon, perhaps even right after the election. And for that, to handle that, who would you prefer handle that? Netanyahu or his rivals? There, he said, he's the only one who can handle it. Shortly thereafter, he'll immediately pursue, if he has a clear a mandate from the public, annexation, Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, again, calling it crucial for Israel's strategic needs. He did say that he would not be annexing some of the major Palestinian areas there, such as Jericho, Nujan, some of the smaller villages there.
[Liebermann:] He tried to hedge there, pointing out that Palestinians would have access to go whichever way they wanted. But if his plan were to come to fruition, they would be going through what Israel would consider sovereign Israel. You have to believe this was in coordination with President Trump, who has been quiet throughout most of this campaign. We'll look to see either a response from Trump himself or perhaps the U.S. ambassador to Israel or others who are working on the peace plan. What's new here is that Netanyahu was specific. He put out a map, he showed the Jordan Valley, the Israeli settlements. Let's look at the context in which this happens. We're one week out from the Israeli elections. There's some polls that suggest that Netanyahu may have fallen behind his main rival and this is an attempt to kickstart the right-wing voter base. We'll see if Trump responds. That would be a major political gift to Netanyahu to try to help him win the election, which we saw before the last election in April. So we'll follow how this plays out. And, of course, how it affects the voter base here. Crucially, Netanyahu going for that rightwing voter base, saying if he gets a clear mandate from the public, he'll pursue annexation of the Jordan Valley, again, calling it crucial for Israel's security and strategic needs and other areas as well.
[Anderson:] An issue he discussed in the days in the run-up, of course, to the election four months ago, an election he won and wasn't able to build a coalition on the back of. Sam, we won't annex a single Palestinian, is what the Israeli prime minister said in his speech as he pointed to the map, which shows Jericho. Your analysis?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] First of all, this is a restatement of Israel's very long-standing position in terms of negotiations over a two-state solution. Previous Israeli proposals have been to have some kind of security control, as they used today call it, over this landscape below me, the Jordan Valley. This is the southern end of the north if you like. The northern edge of the Dead Sea. That city down there is Jericho. Under any Israeli plan that we've seen over the last 20 or so years, that would remain Jericho, a Palestinian territory. The Israelis have always wanted some kind of control over the rest. What Donald Trump has done, though, he is both as Oren was rightly saying, pitching, saying elect me and I'll go ahead with it. He was also stating pretty boldly that this is going to be endorsed by the Trump administration. So there's this actual threat of unilateral action to take over not only the Jordan Valley but the Jewish settlements on the West Bank, which was to be negotiated as part of the two-state solution. With every day that passes, a one-state solution or no two-state solution looks more and more likely.
[Anderson:] The breaking news this hour, the Israeli prime minister announcing plans to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank should he win the next election, which, of course, is seven days from today. Thank you, Sam. I'm Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching.

[Berman:] This morning, new details about the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The FBI says the suspects conducted extensive surveillance of Whitmer's vacation home and they held multiple training sessions at this home in the rural town of Munith. 13 men have been charged, including the founders of the armed extremist group, Wolverine Watchmen. Joining us now is Mary McCord. She is a law professor at Georgetown and a former Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Department of Justice. Professor, I'm so glad you're with us this morning, because you write extensively about something that I think is so important to understand. People incorrectly use the phrase, militia, to describe some of these groups that do this. This isn't a militia. This is, you know, a bunch of criminals, you know, a bunch of criminals acting as terrorists. And the distinction there is important. Why?
[Mary Mccord, Fromer Acting Assistant Attorney General For National Security, Justice Department:] The distinction is important because in federal law and state law and according to our history, militia, the only lawful militia is a state militia. Militia, as a term, refers to the body of people, able-bodied residents that are available to be called forth by the government in defense of the state. So back before even our independence, there was an antipathy towards having standing armies. Instead, the colonies, and later, eventually, the United States and the individual states preferred to have this available of body to be called forth in service of the state and in defense of the state. But once called forth, they report through the state. Now, over the course of time, we, of course, have developed our National Guards, which every state has, which is, in fact, the state militia. But there is no authority under federal or state law for groups of individuals, such as these groups in Michigan and elsewhere around the country, to sort of self-call themselves forth or self-deploy as a militia.
[Berman:] Yes. And I think they do it to wrap themselves in this sort of quasi-legitimacy. And I think it colors the overall discussion and it may add to the danger.
[Mccord:] I think you're right and I think it's a term we should really stop using. I don't use it without saying unlawful before it. We could call them vigilantes. We could call them paramilitary groups. And in some cases, like the cases of the Wolverine warriors and others that were involved in this plot, they certainly were plotting terrorist activity. So there's many other terms that I think would be more appropriate. And sometimes they do rely also, you know, falsely, on the Second Amendment to suggest they have authority, because they have a right to bear arms under the Second Amendment and maybe they're in an open carry state like Michigan. But the Second Amendment also doesn't provide them with that right. The Supreme Court says it projects an individual's right to bear arms for one's own individual self-defense. The Supreme Court, as far back as 1886, has been made clear that it does not protect the right to group together as paramilitary organizations and thought it was without question that states can prohibit that, and they have.
[Berman:] Why then does it seem that, in some cases, that these groups are allowed to exist for a time?
[Mccord:] It's frustrating to me as somebody who has been looking at this for several years now, that so many of these unlawful armed groups have been sort of allowed to engage in training and exercises. And we've seen them deploying more and more, particularly in the face of racial justice protests, ostensibly to protect property against what is often false rumors of violent anarchists coming. But they have no authority to do that. They have no authority usurp that legitimate law enforcement power. And I think part of the problem is that there has been such incredible mythology about the Second Amendment and a mythology that's widely and deeply held, including among law enforcement, that somehow this is actually constitutionally protected. And it's time to correct the record on that, particularly as we're seeing more and more of these groups come out very publicly in ways that could be very dangerous.
[Berman:] Look, it's a blatant misreading on the Constitution and the Second Amendment, a well-regulated militia. The very first words, modify it right from the beginning. There is no ambiguity there at all. I want to ask you about the attorney general, William Barr, who has not spoken publicly as far as we can tell about this. He did finally have an aide come out and say, oh, he condemns all of these groups, but he hasn't and said squat about this since they were arrested for a plot to kidnap a sitting governor. And this is not a shy attorney general, professor. This attorney general will go anywhere in the country, you can see pictures on the screen here, to announce action against urban violence or what he considers to be leftist violence. But what's the impact of his refusal to take make a public voice or a public statement here?
[Mccord:] Well, I have to say, as somebody who spent almost 25 years at the Department of Justice, it's very disappointing to me that the attorney general would be so silent about this very, very serious plotting. And, you know, as you just indicated, he has been very vocal about the left and violence from the left, proclaiming almost from day one after George Floyd that all any acts of violence at any protest activity had to be the result of Antifa or the left. And, yes, there is violence on both sides. There have been, you know, individual acts of violence, but there have been thousands of peaceful demonstrations across the country with no violence, whatsoever. And more importantly, to your point, currently, this plot is the most significant plot that we've seen over the course of many months now. And it's as you indicated, it was to kidnap and kill a sitting, elected governor. That is something that would have been, the investigation of this, in my experience, when I was the principal deputy and later the acting assistant attorney general for National Security, this is something what we would have been discussing and we would have been briefed by the FBI for months before the actual takedown.
[Berman:] A plot to kidnap a sitting governor, that in and of itself is just such a stunning statement. Professor McCord, a pleasure and real education to speak with you this morning. Thanks for your time.
[Mccord:] Thank you. A pleasure to be here.
[Berman:] Republicans racing to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett by Election Day. We're joined by one of the senators on the Judiciary Committee, next.

[Tapper:] Welcome back to STATE OF THE UNION. I'm Jake Tapper. President Trump says he could quickly deploy U.S. military police to try to quell violence in Minnesota, as cities across the nation deal with protests that, in many cases, have gotten out of hand. And joining me now, the national security adviser, Ambassador Robert O'Brien. Ambassador O'Brien, thanks for joining us today. First off, does President Trump have any plans to address the nation during this time of crisis?
[Robert O'brien, U.s. National Security Adviser:] Well, I think he made a very eloquent speech last night at NASA, as we celebrated the launch of two heroic American astronauts to space. But, before, as he prefaced those remarks, I think he made very eloquent comments and expressed our condolences and our sympathy to George Floyd's family. Our prayers are with Mr. Floyd and his family for that horrifying event that took place. And so we're with him. The president also said, we're with the protesters, who are who are demanding answers, just like we are, the peaceful protesters. But we have got to stop the mob violence that is taking place in the country.
[Tapper:] OK, but no no other plans right now to address the country beyond that?
[O'brien:] Well, the look, the president addresses the country almost every day. He's been very accessible to them. And I think he's made it very clear in his initial Twitter responses to the terrible killing and death of Mr. Floyd and his common sense that he's he's accessible the country every day. So, whether he has an address from the Oval or he speaks to the press, he's accessible and will continue to be accessible to the country and give his views on these events, which are which are tragic for the country.
[Tapper:] Let's talk about the violence that we're seeing from coast to coast. Attorney General Bill Barr is blaming quote "far left extremist groups" for using Antifa-like tactics for the violence that we're seeing. A top Minnesota official says that investigators are looking into whether white supremacists and far right groups are involved. The acting Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, Senator Marco Rubio, says that social media accounts linked to at least three foreign adversaries are stoking violence. As the national security adviser, what can you tell us about who is perpetrating and promoting this violence?
[O'brien:] Well, first of all, I want to separate the violence from the peaceful protesters. One of the things that makes this country great, as you know, Jake, is the fact that, when something horrific happens like the killing of George Floyd, Americans can go to the street and protest and petition their government for redress. And we want to know why that officer, who had so many complaints against him, was allowed to stay on the force, why local prosecutors and the mayor and police commissioner didn't do anything about it, and how this happened. And so peaceful protesters are are part of a great American tradition. What we don't want to see are the armed protesters, the those committing violence, those who were throwing bricks at Secret Service officers and Park Police last night in front of the White House, those who have been burning down our cities and attacking the most vulnerable minority communities. And we're going to get to the bottom of it. And I think we're going to the president and the attorney general want to know from Director Wray what the FBI has been doing to track and dismantle and surveil and prosecute Antifa. And if that hasn't been happening, we want to know what the plan is going forward. These Antifa militant radicals who come into our cities and cross state lines, and they're organized, and use Molotov cocktails and fireworks and gas to burn down our cities, especially businesses in minority neighborhoods, it's got to be stopped. And we expect law enforcement to get to the bottom of it, for sure.
[Tapper:] OK. And what can you tell us about any of the far right groups that might be trying to use this as a predicate to prompt a race war, as VICE News reported, that they are also part of some of the unrest, some of the violence we're seeing, and then, of course, Senator Rubio saying that foreign adversaries, through social media, are trying to stoke violence as well?
[O'brien:] Well, I I have not seen those reports. And I haven't read I generally don't read VICE, so I haven't seen the reports on far right groups. This is being driven by Antifa. And they did it in Seattle. They have done it in Portland. They have done it in Berkeley. This is a destructive force of radical I don't even know if we want to call them leftists. Whatever they are, they're they're militants who are are coming in and burning our cities, and we're going to get to the bottom of it. And as far as our foreign adversaries, look, we always have foreign adversaries who are on Twitter and Facebook and other places trying to sow discord among Americans. And the difference between us and our foreign adversaries and I want to send a message to the Chinese or whoever else are taking satisfaction of this. When we have an event like like happened to George Floyd, which was just horrifying and and, again, our hearts go out to his family we mourn and grieve with them we're going to investigate it. We're going to get to the bottom of it. We're going to prosecute him. And we're going to get to the bottom of what those other officers who were standing around while George Floyd was killed, what they were doing. And, if necessary, they will be prosecuted. And we're going to follow that very closely. That's the difference between us and our foreign adversaries. When this happens in America, those those those bad apples who give all of our law enforcement, who are great Americans, a bad name, they're going to be prosecuted. We're going to allow people to protest, and we're going to get to the bottom of it. And that's the difference between us and between the authoritarian countries around the world.
[Tapper:] You talked about the president's response to this and his comments standing with the family of George Floyd. The president has also been on Twitter quite a bit, as you know. He tweeted overnight Thursday night, in part quote "These thugs are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let that happen. When the looting starts, the shooting starts." That's a comment that Senator Cory Booker called racist. The governor of Minnesota, Governor Walz, and the governor of Maryland, Governor Hogan, suggested that the president's language was inflammatory. The president had also invoked vicious dogs and ominous weapons being wielded against protesters outside the White House. Do you think messages like that are helping to unite the country and calm fears?
[O'brien:] Well, I think what the president said and he and he spoke about that tweet when some of those comments were made, and he said, look, I don't want he was trying to de-escalate. He didn't he didn't want violence. He's trying to stop the violence that we saw that took place overnight. And the message to and it's a strong message, that we want law and order in this country. We want peaceful protesters who have real concerns about brutality and racism, they need to be able to go to the city hall. They need to be able to petition their government and let their voices be heard. And they can't be hijacked by these these left-wing Antifa militants who are burning down primarily communities in the African- American sections and the Hispanic sections of our city, where immigrants and hardworking folks are trying to get a leg up. And they're having their businesses burned by these radicals, many of whom are imported from Seattle or Portland or who knows where they come from, and cross state lines, and they're hurting our people. So, the president is going to take a strong stand for law and order.
[Tapper:] Right.
[O'brien:] I can tell you, I was with the president on Air Force One when we watched that that horrific video of what happened to George Floyd. He was moved by it. He was disturbed by it. It's awful. And, look, he stands with the family.And we want to get to the bottom. That's why he ordered the FBI and the DOJ Civil Rights Division to get involved immediately. We're going to get to the bottom of what happened there.
[Tapper:] But he's out there also talking about how protesters outside outside the White House, how the Secret Service is going to sic vicious dogs on them, has ominous weapons, how the young Secret Service agents want to get out there for practice. This is not calming language. I don't doubt that President Trump was disturbed by the video of George Floyd. It's horrific and obscene, frankly. But the president, his passion has not been about the way you're speaking this morning, about what happened to George Floyd, and the indecency of that, but about the protesters and the violence that some of them are causing. And we have government officials, Democrats and Republicans, saying that the president is using inflammatory language.
[O'brien:] Well, I think that passion comes from the fact that we have got great law enforcement officers, not not the few bad apples, like the officer that killed George Floyd. But we got a few bad apples that have given given law enforcement a bad name; 99.9 percent of these guys are heroes. They're the ones who are running towards the danger, who are saving our lives. And a bunch of them were outside the White House last night, Park Policemen on horseback, and uniformed Secret Service officers who are having bricks thrown at him. There was a Federal Protective Service officer in Oakland, Patrick Underwood, who was shot and killed.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[O'brien:] And our hearts go out, and we mourn with his family, just like we do with George Floyd's family. So, these these these protesters and the president is very passionate about it.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[O'brien:] The legitimate protesters have a right to be on the streets, and the president defends that. But these Antifa radical militants, who are using military tactics to kill and hurt and maim our police officers...
[Tapper:] Yes.
[O'brien:] ... they need to be stopped. And I think that's where the passion from the president is coming.
[Tapper:] OK. I mean, just for the record, he made the comment about the ominous weapons and the vicious dogs before last night. But let me ask you a question, because you're talking about police. George Floyd is...
[O'brien:] Well, Patrick Underwood was killed Patrick Underwood was killed before last night as well.
[Tapper:] I understand that. Right, but he was talking about when he talked about vicious dogs and ominous weapons, that was at the White House. But I want to ask you about the police, because George Floyd is hardly the only unarmed black American killed recently by police. Do you think systemic racism is a problem in law enforcement agencies in the United States?
[O'brien:] No, I I don't think there's systemic racism. I think 99.9 percent of our law enforcement officers are great Americans. And many of them are African-American, Hispanic, Asian. They're working in the toughest neighborhoods. They have got the hardest jobs to do in this country. And I think they're amazing, great Americans, and they're my heroes. But you know what? There are some bad apples in there. And there there are some bad cops that are racist. And there are cops that are maybe don't have the right training. And there are some that are just bad cops. And they need to be rooted out, because there's a few bad apples that are giving law enforcement a terrible name. And there's no doubt that there's some racist police. I think they're the minority. I think they're the few bad apples. And we need to root them out. But I will tell you, I'm just so proud of the way our law enforcement professionals are protecting us and handling this situation with restraint. And we love our law enforcement. But we do have to get rid of those that are like like the dirty cop that killed George Floyd. I mean, we need to get rid of those people.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[O'brien:] By the way, where were the local prosecutors and where was the police commissioner? That guy, apparently I'm told he had a long record of this sort of conduct.
[Tapper:] It's a good question. It's a good question.
[O'brien:] Why was he still on the force?
[Tapper:] It's a good question. And I'd like to have you back to talk more about the issue of systemic racism vs. bad apples, because I think that there's a lot we could talk about there. But I do want to ask you about the president's announcement to terminate the United States' relationship with the World Health Organization. The president has repeatedly criticized the Chinese government, saying officials ignored their reporting obligations to the World Health Organization and pressured the WHO to mislead the world. But I have to say, WHO leaders claimed they were they were listening to Chinese authorities. And that's what they were doing, which is, by the way, exactly what President Trump was doing during that same time, January and February. Take a take a listen.
[Question:] Do you trust that we're going to know everything we need to know from China?
[Trump:] I do. I do.
[Question:] Are you concerned that China is covering up the full extent of coronavirus?
[Trump:] No. China is working very hard. They're working very, very hard. And I think it's going to all work out fine.
[Tapper:] Why should the World Health Organization be criticized for taking President Xi's word for it, when President Trump did the exact same thing?
[O'brien:] Well, there's a big difference between the health experts, who are supposed to be in on the ground and have the expertise to figure out what's happening with this pandemic, and world leaders, who are being told one thing. So, the World Health Organizations should have been on the ground. They should have been they should have found out what happened. They were repeating not just information, like the president said, that things will be OK, but that there's no human-to-human transmission. They criticized the travel ban that probably saved a million Americans, when President Trump courageously banned travel from China early on in the crisis, when many people were against it, and he was called a racist for doing it. But that's not the where it starts with the
[Who. Tapper:] It wasn't a full travel ban, of course.
[O'brien:] Well, no, we let Americans come home. So, you're right. We did let Americans come home. And I think I think everyone agrees with that. But but, look, this is not the first time the WHO has bungled a pandemic response. They have bungled things going all the way back to AIDSHIV in Africa. And that's why the United States has spent over the past 20 years $142 billion on public health, especially the PEPFAR program that's literally saving the lives, with antiretroviral drugs, of millions of people in Africa.
[Tapper:] Yes. It's...
[O'brien:] And we're going to do the same thing. We're just not going to run that money through the corrupt WHO. We're going to make sure it goes to the Red Cross, to front-line hospitals all over the world. So, we're going to spend the same amount of money on public health.
[Tapper:] So...
[O'brien:] We're just not doing it through the corrupt WHO for now.
[Tapper:] The Republican senator who runs the Health Committee in the Senate, Lamar Alexander, said in a statement that withdrawing from the WHO could potentially lethal consequences for the American people, saying quote "I disagree with the president's decision. Withdrawing U.S. membership could, among other things, interfere with clinical trials that are essential to the development of vaccines, which citizens of the United States, as well as others in the world, need." Couldn't this decision hurt the American people?
[O'brien:] No. Listen, we're going to spend the same amount of money. And the clinical trials that are going on for the vaccine for COVID are not being done under the auspices of WHO here in America. They're being done by great American companies and great American researchers. And we're going to get a vaccine. We're going to go therapeutic. And we're going to beat this COVID disease that was unleashed on us and came from China. But the WHO needs to reform. And what the president said is, the WHO reforms and ends the corruption and ends the reliance on China, the U.S. will very seriously consider coming back. But, in the meantime, we're going to take that $440 million that the U.S. spends, compared to the $40 million that the Chinese spends on the WHO, and we're going to make sure it gets to front-line health care workers, just like we're doing with PEPFAR in Africa. The WHO isn't saving lives for for AIDS and HIV victims in Africa. It's the United States and our generous taxpayers who are saving those lives in Africa.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[O'brien:] And we're not doing it through the WHO. We're doing it as the United States of America. We're going to take that same money and make sure it gets to the Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross and the hospitals all over the world that need it, and doesn't go through a corrupt international organization that's controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. That's for sure.
[Tapper:] OK, PEPFAR, a wonderful program started by President George W. Bush. Ambassador O'Brien, thank you so much for your time this morning. We really appreciate it.
[O'brien:] Thanks for having me, Jake.
[Tapper:] My next guest is a Republican governor who led his state during racial tensions after the death of Freddie Gray. What Maryland Governor Larry Hogan thinks of President Trump's leadership during this period of crisis that's next.

[Gov. Brian Kemp , Georgia:] We took measured steps to get to the shelter in place. And now we're taking measured steps to come out of that. This is not a giant leap forward.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] That's Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp defending his decision to reopen barbershops, nail and hair salons, bowling alleys, gyms and massage parlors this Friday. Restaurants and theaters can reopen there on Monday. So, joining us now is Chris Clark. He's the president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Clark, we're really happy to have you here. And I know that you support the governor's decision. But just explain to me, why now? I mean, just in the past 48 hours, Georgia has seen another spike in cases. You all haven't hit your peak of cases yet. So why not push this reopening for a few more weeks?
[Chris Clark, President & Ceo, Georgia Chamber Of Commerce:] Well, Alisyn, thank you for having me on this morning. We appreciate the coverage. I think you have to understand how Georgia businesses have been operating for the last six weeks. We've really had three different categories of businesses. You've had your essential businesses like our UPS, our healthcare systems, our utilities. They've been operating with a dimmer switch and basically following the CDC guidelines. And you've had 13 business sectors, some of which you mentioned, barbershops and others, that have been completely shut down. That's about 20,000 businesses. And then you've had the rest of Georgia businesses that have been able to continue minimum operations if we follow 20 guidelines. And that's worked extremely well with the shelter in place. And so, this order is in my mind a baby step at a marathon, to allow 20,000 businesses to at least start planning. But make no mistake: since April 11th, according to our director of Health and Human Services in Georgia, we have seen a decrease in cases, and our shelter in place is in effect until the end of the month.
[Camerota:] Yes. Well, I just want to I just want to jump in there for a second
[Clark:] Yes, sure.
[Camerota:] because that's different than what Johns Hopkins is looking at. So, Johns Hopkins looks at your state and they count the cases, and they also count the suspected cases of people who showed all the symptoms but weren't able to get a test. And what they show is that two days ago, so on Monday, you had a big spike in cases of more than a thousand cases that day. Just yesterday, 767 cases. And those are going in the wrong direction. So I know that on the website of the Georgia Public Health, the numbers are different. But this looks troubling enough to just rethink it. But let me just move on to this, because I want to hit something else that you said, which is, these businesses that you're talking about, these are high touch businesses hair salons and nail salons, massages. How on earth can you abide by the guidelines of staying six feet away from people when getting a haircut?
[Clark:] Sure. And our department of cosme our Cosmetology Board in Georgia, they've been meeting all night to put together rules and regulations. Listen, this is not a mandate. Not every business has to open. Some won't. But I think you have to understand who those 20,000 businesses are. You know, those are small mom-and-pop, most of them have run out of capital 14 days ago. Many of them are minority and immigrant-owned businesses and most of them are sole proprietors who were not able to
[Camerota:] Yes. And I certainly understand the economic devastation that families are feeling, I mean, all around the country.
[Clark:] That's right.
[Camerota:] For sure, people are desperate to get back to work. But what happens, Mr. Clark, if cases go up? If cases spike after
[Clark:] Sure.
[Camerota:] let's say people go back to work this Friday and then over the next three to four weeks, in Georgia, you see cases spike? What's the plan then?
[Clark:] So, the governor has been very clear that this is a dimmer switch. He can turn it back up if we need to. He's going to extend regulations and protocol and orders. But I also think that businesses around this country have to think long-term. We're never going to go back to a normal for at least the next 18 to 24 months. And so, I think it's incumbent upon every business in this country to make sure that they're taking care of the safety and well-being of their employees and customers because quite frankly if the public doesn't feel comfortable going to get their haircut or flying on a plane, or going into a shop, then the free market is going to take those companies out in the short-term. And so, I really do think we are not just planning for a spike in the next few weeks, we're having to plan for what a spike might look like, as your earlier guest said, maybe this winter. And I think that's part of what we have to do is to preen our process and to take that responsibility to care for our customers and our employees.
[Camerota:] Yes. Well, we're all watching to see what happens over the next few weeks in Georgia. Mr. Chris Clark, president, Georgia Chamber of Commerce we really appreciate all the information.
[Clark:] Thank you, Alisyn. One of baseball's biggest stars is talking about when he thinks it will be safe to play ball again. World Series champion Ryan Zimmerman joins us next.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] new twist for the White House. The texts show how the U.S. leveraged a possible meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to push for an investigation into the 2016 election. The texts were provided by former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, who testified behind closed doors yesterday.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] On July 25th, the morning of the now- infamous call between the presidents, Volker texted a top Zelensky adviser. "Heard from White House. Assuming President Z. convinces Trump he will investigateget to the bottom of what happened in 2016. We will nail down date for visit to Washington." A source tells us the Ukrainians responded by drafting a public statement committing to investigate corruption. The statement ultimately made it to President Trump's personal attorney and point man on Ukraine, Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani said that statement didn't go far enough and suggested adding references that would imply investigation of Joe Biden and his son Hunter and the 2016 election.
[Briggs:] The newly-released texts also show a top U.S. diplomat was concerned President Trump was withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid would amount to a quid pro quo. On September first, the senior U.S. diplomat in the Ukraine, Bill Taylor, texted Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union. Taylor wrote, "Are we now saying that security assistance and a White House meeting are conditioned on investigations?" Sondland responded, "Call me."
[Romans:] There it is there.
[Briggs:] Yes.
[Romans:] On September ninth, Taylor spelled out his concerns. "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign." Four and one-half hours later, Sondland replied, "I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The president has been crystal clear no quid pro quos of any kind."
[Briggs:] Sources say Volker told investigators yesterday he urged Ukraine not interfere in U.S. politics. "The Washington Post" reports Volker said he warned Giuliani that Ukrainian claims were unreliable. Today, the inspector general for the Intelligence Community, Michael Atkinson, will testify to House panels behind closed doors.
[Romans:] All right. The texts capped a whirlwind day of developments on the impeachment front. Perhaps the most shocking, that President Trump, already under investigation for secretly asking a foreign government to interfere in U.S. elections he did it again for all the world to see. CNN's Jim Acosta is at the White House.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Dave and Christine, it was a remarkable moment one for the history books as President Trump stood outside the White House and called for foreign interference in the 2020 election. The president asked China to dig up dirt on former vice president Joe Biden. Unlike his conversation with Ukraine's president, no call transcript is necessary here. The president said the quiet part out loud.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened to China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine.
[Acosta:] It's become more difficult for the White House and its defenders to accuse the whistleblower complaint of relying upon hearsay to accuse the president of asking a foreign government to interfere in the upcoming election, as the president did that in front of the cameras Dave and Christine.
[Briggs:] Jim Acosta there at the White House. The president also saying yesterday that he had not spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping about investigating conspiracy theories about the Bidens. That is not true. CNN has learned exclusively Mr. Trump did raise Joe Biden with President Xi in a June phone call. The president's suggestion that the Chinese investigate the Bidens thrust his political grudge into the world's most complicated and consequential relationship. Kylie Atwood, part of the team that broke the story, has more.
[Kylie Atwood, Cnn National Security Reporter:] Christine and Dave, now, during a phone call between President Trump and President Xi in June, we are learning that Trump did mention Joe Biden, the former vice president and now his most formidable Democratic opponent leading up to 2020. He also mentioned Elizabeth Warren, according to sources familiar with this phone call, and it was in the political sense that they were doing well in the polls and that they were the ones opposing him when it comes to 2020. We are also learning that the transcript of that call was put in the highly sensitive server the same server that the Ukrainian transcript was put into that we have consistently reported on over the last few weeks. I did speak with one Chinese diplomat today who said it was chaotic as they saw these media reports coming in, but also said that China wasn't interested in getting involved in the domestic politics of the U.S. But we are still waiting to see how the Chinese government officially reacts to those statements from President Trump today.
[Romans:] All right, Kylie. Thank you for that. Amid the avalanche of Ukraine-related news Thursday, there was new damaging information about Vice President Mike Pence. Two sources tell us the vice president was told about the July 25th call between presidents Trump and Zelensky the day after it happened. Those two and a third source confirmed Pence was provided a transcript of the call. It's not certain whether the vice president read it, but CNN has reported that Pence prepares and relies on briefings before meetings with foreign leaders and he did meet with President Zelensky weeks after the July 25th call.
[Briggs:] Several key subpoena deadlines today. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said he intends to respond to a congressional subpoena calling for documents related to Ukraine by today. And, House Democrats plan to subpoena the White House if it fails to comply with broad requests for documents, but the White House may have another idea. Axios reports the White House is planning to send House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter as soon as today arguing President Trump and his team can ignore lawmakers' demands until Pelosi holds a formal House vote approving an impeachment inquiry. Axios reports a letter has been drafted but has not been finalized or signed as of last night.
[Romans:] All right, much more on this. Plus, it could be one of the biggest movies of the year, but social media threats have the Feds warning about safety at theaters showing "Joker."

[Cabrera:] Possible 2020 candidate Michael Bloomberg is apologizing today. He told an African-American church congregation he was wrong to pursue that controversial stop and frisk policy as mayor of New York City. It is a critical step if Bloomberg hopes to garner minority support for a Democratic presidential bid. CNN's Cristina Alesci has more.
[Cristina Alesci, Cnn Politics And Business Correspondent:] Ana, a surprising about face for the former mayor of New York apologizing for a policing tactic that he's defended for years, even as recently as this year. So the timing of this apology on the eve of potentially announcing a presidential run does open him up to criticism that it's too little too late. Now opponents are already questioning whether the apology is genuine. Let me put some context around stop and frisk. It was a major NYPD tactic while Bloomberg was mayor, empowering police officers to detain, question and frisk people. And at its peek, police stopped more than 200,000 people during the first three months of 2012. Now, the New York Civil Liberties Union estimated that Blacks and Latinos accounted for more than 50 percent of the stops in 70 out of 76 New York precincts and more than 90 percent in 32 precincts. Activists, no surprise, called the measure racist. Now, Bloomberg has denied that accusation and touted the rereduction in crime and incarceration rates. Still, after intense and sustained backlash at the time, the stops started to decline until they were ultimately reduced by 95 percent by the end of Bloomberg's administration. Now Bloomberg, however, continued to defend the tactic as recently as January. Now, it's hard to tell whether an apology will help Bloomberg win over Democratic primary voters but we'll have to wait and see, Ana.
[Cabrera:] All right, Cristina Alesci reporting. Thanks. Back with us now, Patrick Healey, Joe Lockhart and Shermichael Singleton. Guys, let me play for you what Bloomberg actually said today. Okay, we're working to get that sound so stand by for that. We just summed it up though. I'll actually just read it to you. He says, "I was wrong and I'm sorry" and now we have the sound. Let's listen.
[Michael Bloomberg, Former Mayor Of New York City:] I got something important really wrong. I didn't understand back then the full impact that stops we're having on the Black and Latino communities. Now hindsight is 2020, but as crime continued to come down as we reduced stops and as it continued to come down during the next administration to its credit, I now see that we could and should have acted sooner and acted faster to cut the stops. I wish we had. I'm sorry that we didn't.
[Cabrera:] Patrick, this apology on stop and frisk, is this maybe the most important trial balloon for Bloomberg should we decide to run?
[Healy:] I think that's a good way putting it, Ana. He's been taking several steps over the last 10 days leading up to an announcement which I think is pretty imminent at this point. The reality is that Black voters are, you know, the backbone of the Democratic presidential primary process. And for Mike Bloomberg to go into that process and to have really any kind of chance, he had to address stop and frisk. Now, the problem here, Ana, is that Mike Bloomberg is data guy. The data has shown for years that stop and frisk disproportionally targeted Black men, Latinos. The data was always there. You had judges. You had a key judge ruling against the program. And time and again, Mike Bloomberg has defended it. Not necessarily by citing empirical data that he could sort of argue about, but making that case that he, you know, wanted to reduce violence, look out for public safety. Those were goals of his administration clearly.
[Cabrera:] And crime did drop
[Healy:] And crime did drop.
[Cabrera:] but it's also dropped when stop and frisk left.
[Healy:] Exactly, continued to drop afterwards. So this is very much something that he to have any sort of a chance in the presidential primary process, he really needed to do. His aides said that he look, they realize he's 77. The notion that Mike Bloomberg would just suddenly flip on stop and frisk simply to go from zero percent in the polls to maybe 2 percent in the poll, that doesn't make sense. I think the regret was genuine. The question is why didn't it come real soon.
[Cabrera:] And now Joe, is it smart for him to be starting a campaign with that apology?
[Lockhart:] Well, I think he had to. I think once we get out of Iowa and New Hampshire, the real Democratic base emerges. You have Blacks and Latinos, nonwhites and going into South Carolina or Nevada, you know, he would talk about stop and frisk. So, I think doing it at the outset and I think trial balloon is right. I agree with both of you. He wants to see how these things play out before he gets in. And he wants to make sure that this, you know, doesn't blow up in his face. It doesn't appear. I mean, I agree that it seemed genuine in his speech at the church, but this was something he had to do and it actually is not surprising at all.
[Cabrera:] Shermichael, though, is this apology enough to make stop and frisk a nonissue for minority voters? Should he jump into the race?
[Singleton:] I mean, I don't think so. I mean and we've talked about how Bloomberg defended this as recently as January. There was an article that was actually posted and published on CNN.com where Bloomberg stated and I quote, "We certainly did not pick somebody by race" despite all of the facts and data and even court cases that suggested that. And so this notion and idea that African-Americans are somehow foolish people and are merely going to take this apology at face value without asking further questions is a bit naive I would argue. And I think for Bloomberg, someone who has been very philanthropic in the past. He has contributed a lot of things to our society. I would argue and urge him instead of running for president, use some of your money to figure out better ways to improve policing in communities of color. Use your money to figure out better ways to give opportunities for some of those very young Black and Hispanic men that were targeted during his administration as mayor so that they have opportunities instead of being targeted by police. That's something that I think would have a far more positive or net positive impact on society at- lager versus Bloomberg jumping in this presidential contest.
[Cabrera:] Okay, I want to get to a couple of other issues so kind of tight answers if you will guys. But let's talk about Mayor Pete Buttigieg and his surge to the top in Iowa. In the last four presidential elections when no Democratic incumbent was running, the winner of the Iowa Democratic caucuses went on to become the nominee. So Patrick, do you think he can sustain this trend?
[Healy:] I think he can. He's got a very good playbook that he's working right now in Iowa. He's spending a lot of time there. He delivers the kind of I think sort of direct thoughtful answers that John Kerry did in '04, Barack Obama did in '08, and Hillary Clinton did in '16. They all won in Iowa and that was key. So right now, the question is, you know, I think we'll see at Wednesday's debate does Elizabeth Warren, does Joe Biden, you know, does Bernie Sanders, are they concerned enough that they start going after Buttigieg and question things like experience.
[Cabrera:] And the fact there's almost a 10-point gap and we saw Joe Biden in particular go down. Elizabeth Warren is going down too. But when it comes to Joe Biden, he and Buttigieg seem to be a little more in the sort of that same moderate bubble. So should he be worried here?
[Lockhart:] Well, I mean, I think one of the things that we've seen is as someone emerges as, you know, Biden started on top and everybody went after him and he came down a little bit. Elizabeth Warren, you know, raced to the top in Iowa and she was attacked and came down. So I think he'll get a lot of attacks. I think Buttigieg has the opportunity to kind of transcend these labels of lanes. He's got he reminds me a little bit of early Obama in the campaign where he goes in and people like him but they're not they don't like him because they consider themselves a moderate or they consider themselves as progressive. They like him because what he's saying makes sense. The question he's got two questions. One is how will he take, how will he handle when everyone comes after him? And two, what does he do after New Hampshire, because again, he does not have a connection with the Black community in this country. And they're going to play an essential role in picking the next nominee, which is why, you know, Joe Biden is sitting there thinking, you know, let this all play out but let's get through the first two and then I go to my strength.
[Cabrera:] Quick final thoughts Shermichael.
[Singleton:] I mean, quickly I think a few variables that could determine this thing. It depends on where Joe Biden ultimately finds himself after the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. I also think Mayor Pete has to figure out a way as Joe just pointed out, a way to connect with African-American voters. And I would finally add that despite the poll numbers, Joe Biden remains who Democratic voters believe as the best individual to defeat Donald Trump in November of next year.
[Cabrera:] All right, Shermichael Singleton, Patrick Healy and Joe Lockhart, tank you all. And just a quick note, New York mayor and former presidential candidate Bill de Blasio will join us live at 7:00 p.m. tonight. We are also following breaking news back to Hong Kong now with more pictures from a university there where students are barricading themselves, shooting Molotov cocktails and arrows at heavily armed police we are told. We'll take you live, next.

[Blackwell:] More than two weeks ago, Amanda Eller went for a hike in the Maui forest reserve. But it wasn't until last night that her friends and family knew that she was alive.
[Dean:] This is a picture of Amanda taken moments after a group of rescuers tracked her down. It turns out the 35-year-old yoga instructor had gotten lost while hiking through the forest. Here's how that rescue played out.
[Unidentified Male:] And there she goes. And there she goes. Yes. And now we can celebrate. Memorial Day weekend. We did it. Oh, my god.
[Dean:] Just ecstatic to have their friend back. And as you can imagine, her friends and family are calling this all a miracle. Missing more than two weeks, Amanda Eller is found alive in Maui, Hawaii. Her rescue was announced on this post on a Facebook page set up by family and friends. "Urgent update, Amanda has been found. She got lost and was stuck and slightly injured in the forest way, way out, somewhere way far above Twin Falls between two waterfalls down a deep ravine in a creek bed."
[Unidentified Male:] You can cry now. It's awesome, man. That's like the best. You got a good Memorial Day now.
[Dean:] A photo on the page showed Eller just before the air evacuation surrounded by members of a search team. She appeared to be only slightly injured. And this picture of the ravine where she was apparently found.
[Julia Eller, Amanda's Mother:] I was crying with tears of joy.
[Dean:] Her mother, Julia Eller, told CNN affiliate KHON, Amanda used water sources and ate the berries she found, strawberries, guava, and other items to sustain her.
[Eller:] I never gave up hope for a minute, and even though at times, I would have those moments of despair, I stayed strong for her because I knew that we would find her if he we just stayed with the program. Stayed persistent.
[Dean:] Authorities said Eller, a 35-year-old yoga instructor, disappeared after going on a hike May 8th. Her car was found with her cellphone inside at a forest reserve parking lot. A last image of her was captured on surveillance video buying a Mother's Day gift the day before she was reported missing. A $50,000 reward was being offered for information regarding her disappearance and possible abduction. But now there's an ending that some are calling miraculous.
[Unidentified Male:] Unbelievable. If you believe in prayer, folks, thank your Lord, because this is an answer.
[Dean:] So great to see that happy ending. Now earlier this morning, we spoke with Javier Cantellops, the lead rescuer on the helicopter to find Amanda Eller. Listen to how he described finding they are.
[Javier Cantellops, Lead Rescuer Of Amanda Eller:] We're in an open air helicopter, no doors, and we're all hanging out, and we're going up this one particular gulch. We're right as the crow flies about seven miles east of where her car was found. But if you walked it, it would be more like 25 miles, just because of the up and down terrain. But we're flying up this gulf, we're flying up this ravine, and as we're looking down, man, we're passing waterfalls and going up and the river continues, and we're passing waterfalls and the river continues up, and we're all looking around. And at the same time, we all look to our right, and it's like a movie, man, like a double take. We all look to our right, and it's like, look at that hiker. What? And out of the woodwork, you see Amanda Eller, man, my friend, coming up, waving her hands. We're about 200 feet up, 250 feet off the canopy, so it was unbelievable, dude.
[Blackwell:] Now, we understand Amanda Eller spent the night in the hospital and is receiving treatment for her injuries. Good to know she is back home with her family and friends.
[Dean:] Officials in Oklahoma say at least two people have died after a week of severe weather slammed that state and another round of severe storms are expected this holiday weekend. That means more than 40 million people are under severe weather threats. And that threat is extending all the way from the Central Plains to the Great Lakes.
[Blackwell:] So look at this video from earlier this week, two homes hanging over the water in Oklahoma, hanging over because the flood waters wiped out the ground underneath them. Officials say more than 10 inches of heavy rain has led to widespread flooding there and it's impacted at least 1,000 homes. Let's go now to CNN International Correspondent Omar Jimenez who joins us from Tulsa where you have been talking to people who say that they're really shocked by all of this flooding. Understandable.
[Omar Jimenez, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes, Victor, Jessica, it's no secret that when you live alongside a river, there's always a risk of flooding, but for a lot of people along the Arkansas River here in Oklahoma, they knew that but felt they were far enough inland where they wouldn't be affected by major situations. But this is not the case. This is the scene that a lot of people across the Tulsa area are waking up to this Memorial Day weekend, and it's a scene they have grown accustomed to over the course of the week. This spot in particular, our crew was able to drive through here two days ago with no problem, and with no water. You can see it is a completely different story now. You can't even tell where the river begins and where the dry ground is supposed to begin. And you mentioned some of those residents we have been speaking to. One in particular said that she has been here for more than 30 years and has never seen anything like this.
[Ana Hall, Tulsa Resident:] This is the highest I've ever seen the water, and I have lived here over 30 years, with my husband, and I bought the house 31 to 32 years ago. I walked to the end of the street and then everything is under water, and I wasn't going to go wading through because I didn't know what I might step on.
[Jimenez:] And another person we spoke to, we actually caught him only moments after he learned for the first time that his home did not survive the flooding. He was pretty emotional, almost didn't even have words to spit out as we caught him in those moments there. And now moving forward, this isn't just a Tulsa problem. It's a statewide issue they are looking at right now. State emergency operations center still activated. State of emergency for all 77 counties across the state as well. The big question now is what is the outlook moving forward? Well, the good news is the sun is expected to be out over much of the state over the course of the day today. But that is a little deceptive because a lot of this flooding is coming from the fact that, no matter what happens upstream from where we are here in Tulsa, all of those rivers and tributaries flow into this one spot and funnel down, and that is what we are seeing happen here in Tulsa. Specifically, you look at the Keystone Dam which is what controls the waterflow here for the city. They're letting about 250,000 cubic feet per second of water through. That's the equivalent of 1,000 school buses per second of water letting through, just to keep up with how high the water is.
[Dean:] All right, sending our best to all of those people and hoping that those waters recede soon. Omar Jimenez, thank you so much.
[Blackwell:] President Trump has approved selling arms to Saudi Arabia, and he's deploying troops to deter Iran. CNN National Security Analyst Samantha Vinograd will join us next to tell us how this could end up. Plus, 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg's message to fellow veterans on President Trump possibly preparing to pardon U.S. troops accused of war crimes.
[Mayor Pete Buttigieg,  Presidential Candidate:] He is eroding the integrity of the military and insulting the Constitution.
[Dean:] President Trump is approving the sale of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan. But to push through the $8.1 billion sale, the president is using a rarely used federal law that allows him to bypass Congress. His actions come on the same day he approved sending 1,500 troops to the Middle East to deter Iran. Joining me now, CNN National Security Analyst Samantha Vinograd. Sam, thanks for being with us.
[Samantha Vinograd, Cnn National Security Analyst:] Good morning.
[Dean:] So the president is using a loophole for this arms sale, and he clearly wants to get this thing done. Do we know what these weapons are going to be used for, what his reasoning is here?
[Vinograd:] I think that's a great question, because aside from the fact that the president is really creating an emergency to bypass having to uphold something called the Arms Control Export Act, these weapons are going to be used by Saudi Arabia and potentially the UAE as part of a war that both Republicans and Democrats have expressed opposition to. That is the coalition led by Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. There are a few things that have bipartisan support in Washington these days, but Republicans and Democrats have called for an end to U.S. support for the war in Yemen. President Trump unfortunately vetoed a resolution that would have halted our support for that war. If these arms sales go through, which includes things like munitions that are being used if for this effort in Yemen, our weapons will continue to be used by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to do things like kill civilians. So Secretary of State Pompeo, who notified Congress about this emergency yesterday, needs to own the fact that the United States is going to be selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and the Emirates and others that are going to be used to continue to target civilians in Yemen.
[Dean:] And I want to take a moment to talk about the troops in the Middle East as well. President Trump saying that we need additional troops there because Iran is such a threat. Has the threat from Iran actually increased? What is driving that decision, do you think?
[Vinograd:] I think it's very likely that the threat has increased. I think that it would be unlikely that the State Department would withdraw such a significant amount of people from Iraq if the threat hadn't increased. I think it's unlikely that the Pentagon would recommend the reallocation of assets to the Middle East theater if the threat hadn't increased. But the question, Jessica is why has the threat increased. Iran has always been a threat. They were a threat in 2007 when I lived in Iraq and they used to lob rockets at us, but they're more of a threat today, not only because President Trump has made himself really the escalator in chief. He has chosen to take a series of steps that increase rather than decrease the threat from Iran. He has withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal. He has engaged in a war of words with the Iranians unnecessarily that have escalated tensions, and his administration has done things like designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, which the military reportedly warned would increase the risk to U.S. assets. So the threat has increased, but that is partially because the administration has taken steps that have increased it.
[Dean:] And do you think there's anything they could do to deescalate at this point, or is this just a train that's going to continue down the tracks?
[Vinograd:] I think we don't really know whether the administration has given any kind of diplomatic opening to Iran. President Trump engaged in a PR stunt when he invited the swiss to Washington. The swiss have represented our interest with the Iranians. That's a public play. We don't know if there is any backchannel diplomacy underway. My sincere hope is that there is and that the Iranians are in some way engaging with the United States privately about how we can deescalate that situation. That would not be something that would be playing out in front of the cameras, and my hope is that that is occurring.
[Dean:] And before we go, we also know that the National Security Adviser, John Bolton, told reporters today North Korea tested ballistic missiles earlier this month, and that the nation is, quote, "violating Security Council resolutions, there's no doubt about that," referring to the U.N. Is he getting ahead of President Trump here? And also what about him talking about these tests that he said happened?
[Vinograd:] He said the b-word, ballistic missiles, which is something that President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo have not said. When he said that they violated U.N. Security Council resolutions, that includes a resolution in 1965 which condemns the use of ballistic missiles no matter what the range is, short range, intermediate range, or otherwise. And Bolton has gotten ahead of the president in the past. So it is very unclear to me whether he's in fact really talking about an administration decision here or he's just adlibbing and saying what he thinks. We do know that President Trump is in Japan, Prime Minister Abe of Japan has previously said these tests violated U.N. Security Council resolutions. And the question, Jessica, now is what are we going to do about it? President Trump is more focused on the fact that Kim has upheld his supposed promise to not test intermediate range missiles or nuclear weapons, but the fact is that Kim continues to break international law. And for the time being, we're sitting back and taking it.
[Dean:] More to come on that. Samantha Vinograd, I have to let you go. But thanks so much for being with us.
[Vinograd:] Thanks, Jessica.
[Blackwell:] The president is in Japan for a mostly ceremonial visit. He's meeting the emperor, he's hitting the links with the prime minister, watching a little sumo wrestling. Where are trade, North Korea, China on the itinerary? Or is this the art of the deal? I'll be asking our political regulators Maria Cardona and Alice Stewart, next.
[Dean:] And Sunday on the new CNN original series "The Redemption Project" with Van Jones, see what happens when victims and offenders of violent crimes meet face-to-face. "The Redemption Project" airs tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern followed by "The United Shades of America" with W. Kamau Bell at 10:00 right here on CNN.

[Sciutto:] Of course, we are still in the midst of a pandemic, but there is potentially promising news in the fight against coronavirus. Eli Lilly, the drug company, has begun the first human trial of an antibody treatment.
[Harlow:] Elizabeth Cohen, our senior medical correspondent, is with us. So how good is this potentially good news?
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] So it's not just Eli Lilly. There are now several companies that are moving towards doing human clinical trials. Eli Lilly appears to be the first. Monoclonal antibodies appear to be a potentially promising treatment. What they do is they take antibodies from people who've recovered from COVID. And instead of just giving those antibodies, you know, in the right to other people in the form of convalescent plasma which we've all heard about they cull the very best of them and use the strongest ones, and turn it into a drug. And so it's really hoped that this is going to work because we're not going to have excuse me a vaccine immediately, so it's hoped that this might be in addition to a vaccine, or a bridge to a vaccine. But there are several companies doing monoclonal antibody research, it's worked well for other diseases like cancer.
[Sciutto:] OK. Hydroxychloroquine, there have been so many confusing messages about this from the president, politicians, et cetera. The science has been very clear on it as a treatment. No sign of benefit, even some sign of negative consequences. But the commissioner of the FDA, sending mixed messages. Tell us what he's doing at this point, and what Americans at home should take from all this.
[Cohen:] OK. So first of all, I'm going to try to give a clear message here, since you're right, there are so many voices.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Cohen:] The clear message is that if you are already sick with COVID- 19 and in the hospital, it does not appear that this works and it might hurt. And that is why the FDA, the NIH, other groups have said, you know what, let's not use this on hospitalized patients unless they're part of a study and we're trying to answer questions and monitor them closely. Does hydroxychloroquine prevent people from getting sick in the first place? That's an open question and several people are studying this. What the FDA commissioner talked about recently was, he said, We don't regulate the practice of medicine. Because people were saying to him, wait a minute, doctors are still prescribing this in ways that they've been told not to. The answer is that doctors can pretty much do whatever they want with a drug that is already on the market. If a drug is on the market for toe fungus, they can use it for cancer if they want to. I'm being silly, but that is literally true. Doctors are allowed to use off- label prescribing. You've had it done to you, I've had it done to me, we've all had it done, it's perfectly legal.
[Harlow:] But make sure it's the best call, right? Thank you for the
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] clarifying note, Elizabeth.
[Cohen:] That's right.
[Harlow:] Thanks so much. We will be right back with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

[Sanchez:] An update now on the breaking news out of Georgia. You might remember this viral photo showing students packed into a hallway at North Paulding High School with very few masks visible. Tonight, we learned that the school is actually shutting down for the next two days to disinfect after nine people tested positive for COVID-19. And just in to CNN. A middle school student in that same district testing positive for coronavirus. Natasha Chen has more.
[Natasha Chen, Cnn National Correspondent:] That's right. We just got a copy of this letter from the superintendent of Paulding County public schools who says that they are going to have to have kids at home Monday and Tuesday doing virtual learning to disinfect the school, to give the district time to consult with the Public Health Department on how they are going to proceed after this. This letter comes one day after the principal told families of that high school that at least six students and three staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. And this letter tonight from the superintendent acknowledges that there could be more people who are still awaiting test results. And so, when you think about at least nine people knowing they are positive with maybe more people waiting to see if they are, this was the move that they thought would be safest. Now they are also saying that by Tuesday evening, they should be able to tell families how they are going to continue classes in the days after that. Whether the virtual learning continues or if they go back to the school building. Now keep in mind, the school district had already determined that for the first week of class, they were going to have students in the building for three days and at home virtual learning for two days. Now that of course has been extended an additional two days into Monday and Tuesday.
[Sanchez:] Thank you, Natasha Chen for that. It's not just the United States dealing with this issue. Around the world, parents and government leaders are weighing options when it comes to sending children back to school. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging that children return to the classroom. He says, quote, "economically unable and morally indefensible." Here's how other countries are looking to reopen their schools.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] I'm Fred Pleitgen in Berlin as Germany continues to reopen schools and bring children back into classrooms. Now, all German states have opted for in-classroom learning, but of course all of this is happening under special pandemic measures. Most German states are making masks mandatory for both students and staff when they enter school buildings. And all of this is happening as Germany is dealing with a new spike in coronavirus infections. The country recording more than a thousand new infections on two subsequent days this past week.
[David Mckenzie, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm David McKenzie in Johannesburg. Here in South Africa, they have closed schools for at least a month to try and curb COVID transmission. In Kenya, they took an even more drastic step. They've shut down the entire school year of 2020. They said this was to stop COVID-19, but also because they saw during the lockdown that online learning was impossible for many of the poorest students. Despite charities and teachers doing what they could, it was just not fair. So, they took that drastic step. All of the students, millions of them, the entire school year is over. They will have to do it all again next year.
[Elliot Gotkine, Journalist:] I'm Elliot Gotkine in Jerusalem, outside one of the country's most famous schools. Back in May when the education system was reopened here, Israel had managed to push the number of daily COVID cases down to single digits. Schools were reopened across the country and then began Israel's second wave. In fact, when on a per million population basis the country now has one of the worst outbreaks in the world. Disease experts say that the reopening of the school system was largely to blame.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani live in Brussels with special coverage of the European parliamentary election. Polls are closing today across the continent in this decisive election that will shape the future of the European Union. More than 400 million people from 28 countries were eligible to cast their ballots this go around. Many E.U. countries saw a particularly strong voter turnout, which is unusual normally for European elections, up from the last election five years ago in 2014. Exit polls have been trickling in over the past couple of hours. In Germany, the Greens celebrated some big gains. We're keeping an especially close eye on how populist and in some cases anti-E.U. parties are doing because they're expected to do well this time around. We are expecting exit polls from France, Denmark, and Spain. Now, just to set the scene for you, here's a look at how parliament looked before these elections. The makeup is already changing. We'll get an update and look at these seats coming up in the next 15 minutes. And the big question is, will these establishment parties, these pro-E.U. parties, maintain their majority or will they be threatened by the populous, the far-right and the anti-E.U.? We have more reporters stationed around Europe to cover these decisive elections. Melissa Bell is in Paris. Atika Shubert is live in Berlin. We start with Erin McLaughlin at E.U. headquarters in Brussels. Erin, talk to me about early exit polls. What do they tell us?
[Erin Mclaughlin, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, Hala. Well, here at the election headquarters, parliament has just released the figures for voter turnout and those figures show a turnout that's the highest in at least 20 years. And this is a big deal because ever since the E.U. has first held the European elections in 1979, voter turnout has steadily declined 42 percent in 2014, but we've seen a spike in 2019 to 51 percent for 27 E.U. countries. The 51 percent voter turnout figure excluding the U.K., if you include the U.K., that figure is at 49 percent to 52 percent. So this is seen as an indicator of the overall health of the European project and it's a good sign for pro-E.U. officials. Now, other trends we've been seeing based on the first national estimates released for six countries, Germany, Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Cyprus, and Malta, big gains for the Greens. Now, the Green Party is all about climate change. They have the very pro-E.U. stance. They're pro-humane migration policy as well. Their scene is very attractive party to the youth vote. In Germany, they're up 22 percent taking second place behind Angela Merkel's party. They've gone from 13 seats in 2014, according to these preliminary estimates, to 23 seats. In 2019, Greens also making gains in the Netherlands, increasing one seat, and in Ireland going from zero seats to two seats. Now, all eyes also on the Euro-skeptic parties here in the E.U. showing Euro-skeptics losing ground in Germany, losing ground in Austria, and holding firm with the same number of seats they had in 2014 in the Netherlands. Hala?
[Gorani:] All right. Erin, we're just actually starting to digest some of these exit polls coming from France, because Melissa Bell who's in Paris, you can add to this, obviously. The big battle here is between Marine Le Pen's new rebranded National Front, the RN. And Emmanuel Macron has really put a stake into this election. He made it personal, Melissa. And according to exit polls, it seems as though they're neck and neck, but Marine Le Pen's party is ahead. That cannot be good for the French President.
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Paris Correspondent:] Hala, it was a crucial test, one in which both Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron had invested an awful lot of time in political capital and energy. Because here in France, of course, we're talking about a political landscape that was entirely redrawn, you remember Hala in 2017. So on one hand, an untested political force electoral since Emmanuel Macron's La Republique En Marche Party, and on the other, as you say that rebranded party of Marine Le Pen. And it was this battle that was going to allow us after all of these months of
[Gorina:] All right. And Atika Shubert in Berlin, talk to us about what you're hearing in Germany, the Greens. And this is something we'll be discussing with my next guest, by the way, but the environmental parties are doing extremely well. They have a clear message on Europe and it appears to me, looking at some of these exit polls early days, but it appears to me as the other parties with clear messages on Europe, whether it's anti or pro, have done quite well. Talk to us about what the Greens what their performance is like in Germany.
[Atira Shubert, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Absolutely. I mean the story of the night for Germany is this Green surge coming in at more than 20 percent. That's a huge win for them, gaining by 11 percentage points. The only the other big party that gained was actually the far-right of the AFD.
[Shubert:] They did gain 3 percentage points. However, they actually did less well than they did in the national election, so that is a disappointment for the far-right populous. The big losers, however, are those establishment parties, the Christian Democrats, the Social Democrats. They lost quite a few of votes, 7 you know, 7 percentage points for the CDU losing and 12 percentage points for the Social Democrats. Even though the so the Christian Democrats do reach got the most votes overall, it clearly shows that voters are not happy with the performance of those big centrist parties. They voted far more to the fringes. But, again, it's the Greens that really took it here and it's probably because of a youth vote. What we saw was a lot of first-time voters coming out and they overwhelmingly seemed to vote for the Greens Party. And we actually spoke to a number of climate change activists, they really made a big push. The Fridays for future protest just before the vote saying this election is the climate election and they do seem to have mobilized a lot of voters, Hala.
[Gorina:] All right. Melissa, Atika and Erin, standby, we'll get back to you very soon. Germany's Greens Party, as we were discussing there with Atika, celebrating some big gains in this European election. They say today was a Sunday for the future. They are vowing to be the voice of the climate movement in parliament. It's not just about the environment, though, if you're with the Greens, it's also about what it means for Europe. And that's what this election is about in many ways. Philippe Lamberts joins me now. He's the President of the European Greens. He's a Belgian member of the European Parliament. First of all, you're quite happy with the performance of your party.
[Philippe Lamberts, European Parliament, Greens Party:] You bet I am.
[Gorina:] Yes.
[Lamberts:] You bet I am.
[Gorina:] Why do you think they did so well?
[Lamberts:] Because I think increasingly the Green Parties are perceived as parties that have comprehensive responses to the challenges of this century. We used to be seen as French Parties or Niche Parties. But in countries like Germany, like the Benelux, like France, et cetera, we are increasingly seen as parties who basically can govern. And that is the result of 40 years' work and that means being strong on the environment, of course, strong on economic and social policies, strong on civil liberties and democracy, and in a very pro-European stance. That must be very clear for everyone. We are committed to the deepening of the European project.
[Gorina:] Now, those parties that also did well according to these exit polls are the anti-E.U. parties that have very clear anti-E.U. messages, whether it's Marine Le Pen's RN in France or other populist movements across Europe. What do you make of that?
[Lamberts:] Well, that indeed, there's a choice to be made. Either it's to retrieve behind nationalist attitudes and borders or it's embracing the European Union as the leader that we have to reconquer sovereignty. Because what they they speak a lot about sovereignty. But what is sovereignty? It's the ability to make the choices that shape your future. And we say, as Europeans, the only way to do that is together. And that resonates with many voters. So, now, the next five years will be decided either we can shift the European policies in a way that gets wider acceptance by our fellow citizens or the national populist will win next time.
[Gorina:] Now, here's my question. You are going to be taking your seat in a parliament. There are 751 seats that will be less when the U.K. leaves the E.U., but right its 751.
[Lamberts:] Yes.
[Gorina:] Were you're going to have probably a record number of very anti-E.U. MEPs
[Lamberts:] Absolutely.
[Gorina:] who ran in order to get into that building behind us to spread an anti-E.U. message? What is this going to do to this parliament?
[Lamberts:] Well, actually, it will it may be a blessing in disguise. In a way, that's what Archimedes once said, give me a lever and an anchor point and I will lift the world. Well, actually, the two big parties, Social Democrats, CBP, no longer have a majority between them. They will need pro-European partners to gather a stable majority in the parliament. They might end up needing the Greens. And if they need us, we are going to leverage the power that our citizens gave us to really enact change in E.U. policy for the next five years.
[Gorina:] Currently you have 52 seats?
[Lamberts:] Fifty-two, and we are, I think, going for 70 also.
[Gorina:] Now, again, as we were saying, this is the big contest, this election, between the establishment and the smaller parties. This appears to be a big win for the smaller parties.
[Lamberts:] I agree. I agree in a way I think that people no longer feel owned by the big parties.
[Gorina:] Yes.
[Lamberts:] So their loyalty is more shifting
[Gorina:] Yes.
[Lamberts:] to places. So basically you have to earn that trust much more than before. You know, back in time, people were voting socialist from father to son. This is not over.
[Gorina:] Yes.
[Lamberts:] So you have to earn them and that's building trust takes time. And this is why maybe it's only now that you see 20 plus results for the Greens. We've been around for 40 years.
[Gorina:] And that yes. And I was going to say, sorry to jump in
[Lamberts:] Yes.
[Gorina:] the Greens did well in France as well. But the socialists that you mentioned, this is an establishment party that for decades as you were saying
[Lamberts:] Yes.
[Gorina:] made big scores or achieved big scores.
[Lamberts:] Yes.
[Gorina:] The projections are 7 percent in France.
[Lamberts:] Yes.
[Gorina:] It's the disintegration of the socialists.
[Lamberts:] Yes. But the best way to lose the trust of the people is not to know what you want to do. And the socialists in France have been formed by disputes about what they wanted to do. Did they want to be a socialist party? Did they want to be a Neoliberal Party in disguise? Did they want to be a national a Nationalist Party like Manuel Valls in disguise? They didn't know what to do. That's the best way to lose the trust of the people.
[Gorina:] So it's a bit of an alphabet soup all these acronyms for parties and this parliament behind this. What we're going to try to do over the next hour is explain to our viewers essentially the big trends, because it's about big trends, this election. It's about the establishment parties. It's about parties like yours doing better than expected. And then it's about the populist parties as well making big gains. But we want to thank you Philippe Lamberts for joining us.
[Lamberts:] My pleasure.
[Gorina:] I really appreciate having your perspective. As we continue to cover this story, we are following breaking news on European elections. What will the next parliament look like? What are the powers of the MEPs anyway? We'll tell you all of that after a short break.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Anchor:] death toll ever, with 779 people dying in one day. That number, part of an overall death toll that continues to climb, nearly 1,300 people have now lost their lives to COVID-19. And there are currently more than 400,000 cases in the nation. In a significant shift, one prominent model cited often by the White House is projecting fewer overall deaths from the coronavirus. That's according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which now estimates it will be roughly 60,000 U.S. deaths, down from 81,000 just a few days ago. All of that as a new CNN poll shows that a majority of Americans, 55 percent, say the federal government has done a poor job in stopping the virus' spread. Our Shimon Prokupecz and Elizabeth Cohen join me now. Shimon, Governor Cuomo is saying that deaths in New York are up, but how are the hospitals doing?
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Correspondent:] So, the hospitals are still obviously very, very busy. There's a lot of sick people still in the hospitals, a lot of people on ventilators. These are people who have been in the hospital for quite some time now, and unfortunately not getting better. I spoke to an emergency room doctor this morning who said while they're not seeing the same number of people that are coming in to the hospital, they're still very busy. There's still a lot of patients at the hospital, a lot of patients on ventilators, a lot of patients who they're really trying to save their lives, some experimental treatments that they're trying. It's really busy inside New York City hospitals. Also, think about the number of dead, you know. That number continues to climb. And as the governor said, that's to be expected, given the fact that a lot of the people who are dying have been on ventilators for quite some time, have been some of the most critical ill in all of this. And also think about this, Anderson, we're now at the point where there have been nearly half the deaths in this country are in this state, and that number is expected to climb. You know, we keep hearing that this week is going to be bad. We could see another bad next week. And steadily, as these days go by, we are seeing that the number of dead is climbing. It's still really tough on the hospitals, the frontline nurses, the doctors who are still trying to save so many lives, dealing with the stress. The other thing I want to point out, I was talking to someone this morning who said the transfers, what the governor has been doing and moving some of the less critical ill, some of the people who have coronavirus, critical care, the ventilators, are moving them to facilities like the one behind me here at the Javits Center. That is helping the hospitals because they are now able to focus on more of the critical patients, which is what they've been asking for and which they really need right now, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Yes. And the governor talked about flattening the curve, which is certainly a positive trend, but that it's important that social distancing has to continue. He talked about doubling down on social distancing. Elizabeth, the new projection from the IHME, it's a departure from just a few days ago. I talked to Dr. Murray from the organization who puts these out. I think it was 81,000 just yesterday or two days ago. Can you just talk about we know that all these models change as new data comes forward and often changes daily. This is certainly a good trend that it's gone down. Can you explain why it has and how?
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Right. Largely, it's because of social distancing. Well, hopefully, most people are doing what they're supposed to be doing, Anderson. And so, that means that the virus isn't spreading at quite the rate that we thought it might. So again, if you look at those numbers, they thought it was going to be 81,766 deaths by August 4th, and now they're saying 60,415. Two things to note on there. One is, that's just through the beginning of August. Many experts are talking about this going on, that there may be a second wave, and this doesn't account for that second wave. Also, I'm very, very cautious about saying anything positive about 60,000 dead Americans. Is this going perhaps in the right direction? It appears that it is, but still, this is very, very serious.
[Cooper:] Those numbers are also contingent on social distancing efforts being in place until at least the beginning of June, I believe. Is that correct?
[Cohen:] That's right. That's right, through May. That's a very good point, that these numbers, seeing these numbers go down, as we've just discussed, is if we all keep social distancing through the end of next month. So if things start to fall apart, these numbers won't be as good as we hope they are. And certainly, it will be interesting to see they may not have modeled this far out yet, but what happens if social distancing has to continue through June or even later? We still don't know how long we need to be doing this for.
[Cooper:] Yes. Elizabeth Cohen, Shimon Prokupecz, thanks very much. I want to dig deeper on the new projection that U.S. deaths from COVID-19 could be significantly lower than previously thought. Again, these are models. Dr. Carlos del Rio is Executive Associate Dean with the Emory School of Medicine. He is also Global Health and Epidemiology Professor. Thanks so much for being with us, Doctor. Is what you're seeing around the country and the new data in line with these new projections?
[Dr. Carlos Del Rio, Executive Associate Dean, Emory University School Of Medicine:] Yes, I think so. I think we're beginning to see, you know, what's happening across the country because different places have established different times when they went into lockdowns or into stay-at-homes or into shelter in place, we're seeing different models at different places. We almost I tell people that in the U.S., we almost have multiple Wuhans, right, multiple outbreaks happening at different times, not one coordinated, national outbreak. And as a result of that, it makes it incredibly challenging to model because you really need to model at the local level.
[Cooper:] That's the thing. I mean, you have, you know, rising death toll in New York, even with these projections, you know, which are I mean, again, as Elizabeth said, 60,000 dead is horrific. But you still you have areas that, while New York may be coming to the apex now and there's been this kind of leveling off, other cities are expecting to reach the apex several weeks from now or days.
[Del Rio:] That is correct. That is correct. And, Anderson, what I remind people is, people say, well, we'll get to the apex and we're done. No, I remind people we're getting to the apex a little bit like going off Everest. Once you get to the apex, you still need to come down, right? So there's still a lot of deaths that are going to happen as you're coming down. And the apex simply means the peak of the infections, but it doesn't mean the peak of the deaths or overall number of deaths because that may happen later after the infections occur. So we are going to continue seeing deaths. But again, the more we implement social distancing, the more we can try to decrease transmission, the lower the impact and the more we're doing this flattening of the curve. And really, flattening of the curve is a key component, because if we have people sick but we don't overwhelm the healthcare system, then mortality is much, much better. Part of the high mortality in places like Italy is in part related I mean, yes, they have an older population impacted, but quite frankly, it's also because the health system was overwhelmed. I've talked to colleagues in Spain, in Italy, and the overwhelming of the healthcare system makes the outcomes not be as good. So if we're able to flatten the curve, our outcomes will be so much better than if we get overwhelmed.
[Cooper:] In terms of testing, which, you know, maybe people think, well, the time, you know, testing is not as important as it once was that's really not the case. And from my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong and maybe you could illuminate this little bit, in order for all of us to come out of this, or at least be able to return to some sort of, you know, work, greater work volume, go back to offices, go back to schools, there needs to be far more accessible and extensive testing and ongoing testing. Is that right? The governor of New York has described it as kind of as a bridge.
[Del Rio:] It's absolutely necessary. It's almost, actually, more than a bridge. Testing is the key that opens the door to get us out of where we are right now. And the example I put, and the reason I say this, Korea has done a tremendous job of testing. South Korea has done a tremendous job. South Korea is testing at a rate of about 8,000 tests per million population. We're currently in the U.S. close to about 4,000 tests per million population. So we still have to double the amount of testing we do. And we need several things. We need to increase the amount of testing we're doing, but we also need to very, very rapidly get the test results to people. Because the key here is you get tested, you find your result and then immediately get isolated and you don't infect others. The problem we're having is somebody gets infected, they don't know about it, it takes five or six days to find the result, and then during that time, they're in their household and they're infecting other people in the household. And we know from colleagues in China and in Italy that household transmission is incredibly efficient. And it's a way that even with the lockdown, the epidemic will continue. So finding people early, isolating them and preventing household transmission is a key to getting us at to where we are right now.
[Cooper:] And it's not just testing to see if somebody's positive or not. It's also testing to see if somebody had the virus and, therefore, has developed antibodies to it.
[Del Rio:] And correct, Anderson. That's the other test that we need to even start scaling up, which is the antibody test, the serological test. Many places are beginning to work on serological tests. But at this point in time in the U.S., we only have one serological test to prove, we have many others testing for the virus, but serological is we only have one. So it's going to take us a while to scale up serological testing. But I think once we scale up serological testing, it would also allow to know who has already had this disease. And I will tell you, there're a lot of people who had very minimal symptoms who probably had the disease who weren't incredibly sick. I know somebody in their 30s who just had one day of fever and they're positive. So, the disease could be extremely, exceedingly mild, and serological testing is going to help us identify who those people are and truly give us an idea of what the extent of the disease in the population happens to be, and knowing that it's going to be critical to get us out of where we are right now.
[Cooper:] What does opening up look like to you? President Trump said last night he'd like to open the country with a big bang. That's certainly kind of aspirational. You can understand, you know, a lot of folks would like to see, you know, roaring back of the economy, certainly. But is it something that happens right away or is it something that's sort of gradual and ramps up?
[Del Rio:] I think it's this is not like turning the light switch on. This is going to be very slow and is going to be very local. I mean, I think one of the most difficult places to open up, quite frankly, is going to be New York City, because, you know, it's very hard to socially distance with public transportation and with the amount of people that live in New York. But, again, once we know serological testing, you will be able to do many things. I would envision something like this happening. We'll know serological testing. So at some point in time, let's imagine at the university. You can say, well, the people that already have it can come to class, but the people who haven't had it maybe need to come to class, but wearing a mask and they need to practice social distancing. And maybe professors over the age of 65 or people that have underlying conditions, if they already had it, fine, but if they haven't had it, maybe they need to continue teaching through Zoom and other long- distance, online methods, as opposed to coming and teaching in person. So, I think it's going to be a series of different steps, and I don't think it's going to be one solution. There's going to be a multiple set of solutions, very well thought of that allow us to be where we need to be. But, again, I remind people, it took China 67 days to open Hubei. That just gives us an idea of how long it's going to take us to begin to start opening the country.
[Cooper:] And we're almost out of time, but I just want to get this, because I think it's really important. Are we set up is our public health system set up to do this level of testing, state by state, you know, all the different kinds of testing, in order or is that something that needs to somehow be formed? And I assume contact tracing is going to be an important part of that, which I'm sensing is not being done at the height of this to the extent that ideally epidemiologists would want.
[Del Rio:] Contact tracing is going to be critically important. And, no, Anderson, at this point in time, I think we're not set up. Very few, if any, health departments are ready to do this. But, again, we're a country of smart people. We have resources. And we just need to decide, this is what we're going to do and we're going to get it done. So it's a matter of putting the money in the right place and getting the people and letting them start doing it, and I'll bet you they can do it.
[Cooper:] Dr. Carlos del Rio, hopeful. Thank you. I appreciate it. Coming up, a new report shows the Trump administration was warned about the virus long before it hit the U.S. Did they just miss it or ignore the early red flags? Plus, President Trump blames a new target for mishandling of the coronavirus. We're live at the White House with details.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] For three weeks of nationwide protests demanding an end to police brutality, the U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order on police reforms which critics are calling lukewarm at best, basically an empty gesture. His order does ban chokehold, except when a police officer's life is at risk. However only the departments that have certified have to obey this ban. The order also says financial incentives for departments be followed best practices. And it creates a national database of officers with a history of using excessive force. The reforms are meant to make police more accountable but the President's remarks sounded more like a tribute to all of the men and women in blue.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I strongly oppose the radical and dangerous efforts to defund, dismantle, and dissolve our police departments. Without police, there is chaos. Law and order must be further restored nationwide. And your federal government is ready, willing and able to help. In many cases, local law enforcement is underfunded, understaffed, and under supported. Americans want law and order. They demand law and order. They may not say it, they may not be talking about it, but that's what they want.
[Vause:] Joining us now Ike McKinnon, the chief of police from the city of Detroit. Chief McKinnon thank you for being with us.
[Isaiah Mckinnon, Former Detroit Chief Of Police:] Thank you for inviting me today.
[Vause:] just heard a public statement I guess on police reform from the President that could I guess be seen as progress because a week ago it didn't seem likely The executive order which he announced though, it seems very police- friendly, some may say. Seems to fall way short of what protesters have been demanding. Here's a little more from the President. Listen to this.
[Trump:] That is why today I'm signing an executive order encouraging police departments nationwide to adopt the highest professional standards to serve their communities. The standards will be as high and as strong as there is on earth.
[Vause:] There's a lot of recommendations, a lot of encouragement, nothing really mandatory in the executive order. But I guess that's what because policy for police is made at a local level. Trump's plan tends to focus on leveraging federal spending, to encourage those reforms. Is that about as good as can be expected from the White House?
[Mckinnon:] Well, let me say this. As a person that has been involved in law enforcement for 50 some years and as an educator and so forth there are so many things that we have to do but we have to look at people who are serious about what they should be doing. To me it was a step but it's not enough to stop some of the things that we've seen here in the United States over the x number of years.
[Vause:] Well, it's
[Mckinnon:] I've seen the public saying look, you are policing but who are you policing, and what are you policing, and what are you doing there? Are you there to serve and protect us? Are you doing the proper job for us? Are you being clear and square with us? And most of the people who are protesting is certainly, in my years, most people are saying no, you guys aren't doing exactly what we want you to do. And so as a person who has done this for a long time, I would look at number one, study the people that we recruited for this field and make sure they are there to serve and protect. And number two, I would look at having them go through a serious series of mental health checkups to see that they're doing the right job and using this as
[Vause:] And just to pick up on that list, because you started it and you outlined a lot of that in your op-ed for the "USA Today". So just speak up on the point the third point which you believe needs to be addressed a nationwide database to prevent bad officers from what is called department jumping. They get fired from one department, move on to another so that they don't have a, you know, blotch on their record. End senior promotions for officers who have multiple disciplinary complaints. And then this is the big one, rehabilitating police unions. We'll get to some of this in a moment. But out of all these points, is there one which is more important than all the rest?
[Mckinnon:] To me, they're equally important because if we take one without the other, I think that we are not doing a true service. For instance, if we don't look at the officers jumping from department to department I had an officer when I was chief who had come from another community in another state who had been charged with rape. And the charges were dropped, but it was so serious that he left the department. And the officers who did the review of him did not turn this up until later. I had to terminate this man because just imagine someone like that. Then we had other officers who had beaten people up in other departments and it turns out there's been two or three series like that. And this becomes a horrible situation for everyone that's involved. And so we as police people have to make sure, certainly as leaders, we have to make that that does not happen within our department.
[Vause:] In that same op-ed, you wrote your background and your motivation for becoming a policeman. And you recalled a moment, you were 14 years old I think when a group of police officers pulled you to one side began beating you because you were an African-American kid, I guess, and you wrote this. "The more I screamed, the more they beat me. I saw the anger on their faces, the horror on the faces of black people who gathered around us yelling for the police to stop. I was scared, angry and confused. Why did they hurt me? That day I promised myself that I will become a Detroit police officer and change the Detroit police force from the inside." So you are someone who has lived both sides of this divide. Why is it so difficult to get reform here? And why is it so hard to get police to stop shooting and killing African-Americans?
[Mckinnon:] Because of the dehumanization of people. Those people who beat me up, they didn't see me as a human being, I don't think. And later on when I was an officer, I had two years as an officer, I was shot at by federal officers. And I've seen these kinds of things, the beatings of people and the language that they use, is just atrocious. So if you don't see someone as a human being, you dehumanize them, and you don't think of them as being someone that's equal to you certainly or someone who's just a human being. And that's why they do this things exactly.
[Vause:] Chief McKinnon you are someone who has served your country, your community, you know, for a very long time and a very senior role. So thank you very much for being with us. We appreciate your time.
[Mckinnon:] Thank you so much.
[Vause:] Thank you sir. Well, the death of George Floyd has reverberated in cities and countries around the world, including the African nation of Ghana. But the country's tourism minister is inviting black Americans to quote, "Leave where you are not wanted and come home". Here is Stephanie Busari.
[Stephanie Busari, Cnn Producer:] One African nation is sending a message to African-Americans in the wake of George Floyd's death.
[Unidentified Female:] We continue to open our arms and invite all our brothers and sisters home. Ghana is your home. Africa is your home.
[Busari:] Ghana recently unveiled a monument to Floyd and is openly calling for black Americans to move there. The country has courted the black dollar for some time. Last year, the president launched the year of return initiative, marking 400 years since the first documented arrival of west African slaves to America. Young and old flocked to the country for a number of cultural events, such as Accra Fashion Week and a music festival Afrochella. Ghana's finance minister hailed the scheme a massive success, saying it recorded as much as $3 billion in added GDP. The government of Accra is now building on that momentum, with another initiative called, "Beyond the Return", which aims to encourage investment in Ghana.
[Akwasi Agyemang, Ghana Tourism Ceo:] The clarion call now for the "Back to Africa" to be reignited is really something that is natural. Africa is home and we are hoping to open our arms to our kith and kin to come back home.
[Busari:] One African-American man who came for a business trip in February says he chose to stay and see the pandemic through there. And he urges others to follow in his footsteps.
[Rashad Mccrorey, Founder, Africa Cross-culture:] Really consider moving to Africa. Really consider moving to Ghana. This land, the resources, the riches everything is here for you to succeed.
[Busari:] A country once central to the transatlantic slave trade now offering a safe haven for those looking to restart their lives. Stephanie Busari, CNN Lagos.
[Vause:] Well, in the coming hours, the U.S. will slap Syria with new sanctions which will target the central bank and allies of President Bashar Al-Assad. Doing business with the Assad regime especially in the banking and construction industry as well as oil could be impacted. They'll face travel bans, be denied capital, even face arrests. Still to come, Brazil doubling down on an unproven drug for treating COVID-19. Now, it's pushing Hydroxychloroquine for pregnant women and children who have the virus.

[Lemon:] The coronavirus pandemic exacerbating issues facing the black community in the U.S. Issues like basic access to healthcare. Economic security and fair policing. I want to bring in now CNN's Van Jones and Dr. Camara Jones, an epidemiologist and family physician. Thank you both. Good to see both of you again. Van, I can't wait to see you for our special on Friday coming. So, Van, I'm going to start with you. Another black man shot dead broad daylight, another video. A family seeking justice at the same time, black Americans are getting pummeled by the coronavirus. Again, how much of this how much more of this can we take all at once?
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator:] You know, it's just horrible. You ask the question, what is it OK for us to do? What is it OK for a black man to do? You say, well, you know, we have poor underlying health conditions, it's our fault. You know, we should be in better health. OK, fine. Go jogging. Get in better health and then get killed. You say you have to wear a mask now. I have two teenage boys, they put on a mask, they take the mask off. I'm more afraid of somebody shooting them or arresting them for looking like quote and quote gang members than I'm afraid of this virus. What is it OK for us to do? What is allowed? We're crushed between police violence, vigilante violence. This virus. And anyway we move we feel trapped and nobody has an answer. You know, the last segment I just appreciate you, Don, for being able to hold that space. And for really starting this movement in the way you did. But is it very, very tough right now to be African-American in this situation.
[Lemon:] Yes. Dr. Jones. You know, you have seen that disturbing video as a mom, what goes through your mind when you see a young black man out there jogging? I mean, today it would have been his 26th birthday.
[Dr. Camara Jones, Epidemiologist And Family Physician:] Yes, he's just two years older than my son. And every time I see one of those videos then my first impulse is to call my son and say again, be careful. I worry about my husband going out in our neighborhood which is a predominantly white neighborhood at night to take the trash down to the street. And I say, well, let me do it. You know, it is our lives are not valued in this country. And our stories are not believed in this country. Our reality is not believed. Our voices are not heard. It's an invisibilization of our full humanity.
[Jones:] I was talking to a
[Lemon:] That plus hang on the one second. Let me get this in and you are going to that plus the pandemic. What is the impact to the African-American community aside from the sheer exhaustion of having to deal with these things?
[C. Jones:] Well, I think that the impact is that we realize that our lives aren't valued by the meat packing plants. You know, our lives aren't valued or don't seem to be valued by these governors that are opening prematurely. That are essential roles have not been fully recognized or valued. Because we still don't have the PPE. We still don't have hazard pay. We still are not it's as if we are really, really, really seen as dispensable as animals. And what it reflects is white supremacist ideology. I'm just going to say one thing about that. White supremacist ideology is the idea that there's a hierarchy of human value with white folks at the top. And what we have in this country right now is that people at the top have said these are very fine people. These are good people. You know, encouraging people to bring out their I don't know if I want to say this. But I will just say that many of our leaders at the top are surrounding themselves with other people who have a vowed public white supremacist ideas. And so it's a signal to us that white supremacist flags has been waved is being heeded.
[Lemon:] Yes. Van, I have to run. But I'll give you the last word. Quickly please, you have been in the seat. You know how that works, can you.
[Jones:] Yes. I'll just say I was talking to a very prominent rapper today who said, he lives in a very wealthy neighborhood and he's afraid to leave his own house. He's spent all his money to live in a very wealthy neighborhood. But as an African-American young man he's afraid to leave his own house in that neighborhood for these reasons.
[Lemon:] Thank you both. We are going to talk more and make sure you watch next Friday, when Van and I will host another special on the color of covid. That will be here at 10:00 p.m. on Friday. So make sure you tune in. We'll be right back.

[Cabrera:] Harvey Weinstein trip to a comedy show ends in a Me Too confrontation that's gone viral. CNN's Brynn Gingras reports.
[Zoe Stuckless, Actress:] Nobody's going to say anything, nobody's really going to say anything.
[Brynn Gingras, Cnn National Correspondent:] 21-year-old, Zoe Stuckless, enraged at the sight of Harvey Weinstein at a private event in New York City.
[Stuckless:] I'll get out of here and that's fine. I am happy to leave. But nobody is going to say anything.
[Gingras:] And unleashing their fury at the crowd.
[Stuckless:] I'm going to stand four feet from a rapist and nobody is going to say anything.
[Gingras:] Weinstein among those in attendance at Actor's Hour, a monthly event in New York City that's dedicated to artists. He's accused of sexual misconduct by more than 80 women and set to go to trial on sexual assault charges in January. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty in the criminal case and maintains the sexual encounters he's had with women have been consensual. Stuckless told CNN they needed to confront the disgraced movie mogul after other people in the room seemed to welcome him being there. "I kept thinking about the fact that we were in a room full of young artists, young women creating art and being vulnerable on the stage and this was the very community that Weinstein was able to terrorize for so many years." The video shows Weinstein listened to Stuckless but didn't react. In a statement provided to CNN through his spokesperson Weinstein said, quote, "I am happy to address anyone's questions. We should all be offered the courtesy to voice opinions and be heard and to even get answers. I am glad we all still have these rights." Stuckless wasn't alone in the protest. Comedian, Kelly Bachman, who says she is a rape survivor, addressed the, quote, elephant in the room during her act calling Weinstein, Freddy Krueger.
[Kelly Bachman, Comedian:] I didn't know that we have to bring our own mace and rape whistles to Actor's Hour.
[Gingras:] Some guests booed Bachman, even told her to shut up.
[Unidentified Male:] Shut up.
[Gingras:] But she kept going.
[Bachman:] I've been raped surprisingly by no one in this room but I've never got to confront those guys. Just a general
[Gingras:] Bachman walked out of the club when Stuckless was asked to leave by the venue. It's unclear whether Weinstein was invited to the private event. The event organizer told CNN, "I am deeply saddened that his presence was not only a trigger point for some attendees but that some women ultimately felt unsafe when a safe environment is what I set out to create for the acting community."
[Cabrera:] Our thanks to Brynn Gingras for that report. With us now is Kelly Bachman, the comedian you saw confronting Weinstein from the stage. Thanks so much for being here, Kelly.
[Bachman:] Thanks for having me.
[Cabrera:] What's it like to watch that back?
[Bachman:] It's very surreal. It happened on Wednesday night and there's been such an outpour of support since then that I haven't really re-watched the video in a while. So it was just kind of surreal to think how recently that happened.
[Cabrera:] When you first saw Weinstein sitting there, what was your first thought?
[Bachman:] Shock. I was just I did a double take, triple take. Like is this really Harvey Weinstein? I went around and asked people, like every person I could find, I was like, "Is that really Harvey Weinstein? Is that Harvey Weinstein?" And some people were, like, "Yes. Yes, it is." And others were as shocked as me. But I found out pretty quickly that he was invited and no one was going to ask him to leave. So I was totally shocked by that that he seemed to just be accepted as like a normal presence in this space.
[Cabrera:] You mentioned as we saw to the audience that you are a rape survivor you say.
[Bachman:] Yes.
[Cabrera:] And this must have been traumatizing for you.
[Bachman:] Yes. It was really triggering and the feeling of being triggered, it feels like your body you feel like you're in danger like your body is going into fight or flight protect yourself mode. And seeing him and seeing everyone treat it so normally, I think how people react to it is the most triggering aspect. And so when someone says, shut up, that to me reminds me of being silenced as a rape victim or not believed as a rape victim. And so it's very jarring and I was sitting on the side of the stage just staring at my phone asking friends what I should do. I didn't know if I should leave or should I just do my regular set or do I need to say something. And I was really kind of in a panic. But right before I went up, I decided I definitely needed to say something. I wasn't sure what it was going to be.
[Cabrera:] And that's what we came out, what we saw. You also saw that other audience member who was clearly upset about Weinstein's presence there.
[Bachman:] Yes.
[Cabrera:] Let me read you the statement from a spokesperson for Harvey Weinstein. "Harvey Weinstein was out with friends enjoying the music and trying to find some solace in his life that has been turned upside down. This scene was uncalled for, downright rude, and an example of how due process is being squashed by the public, trying to take it away in the courtroom, too." Your response?
[Bachman:] I think it's fun that he thinks I'm rude. Like that's fun. It's fun to me. But
[Cabrera:] You find that a good thing.
[Bachman:] Like if Harvey Weinstein thinks I'm rude, like that's, I don't know. That's cool with me. But the due process part, I think that whether or not you're invited to a private event for artists has nothing to do with due process. This is about protecting the artists and the space and making them feel as safe as they're supposed to feel to perform. This is supposedly an organization designed to create a space for artists, so bringing someone that has a reputation for destroying the careers of young women and lives to have a room full of young women exposed to that person in a way where it's treated as normal and maybe even welcomed, I think to me that is a completely separate conversation than the conversation about due process.
[Cabrera:] It's hard to believe that the Harvey Weinstein story broke two years ago already.
[Bachman:] Yes.
[Cabrera:] What would you say to his accusers who may have watched this video?
[Bachman:] I would say, I hope that I said enough because, you know, I really I was thinking I was speaking for myself. But, you know, I know I think as a survivor myself, when I think about the idea of standing up for myself to people who have hurt me, it's sort of like you think about what you might say or what you could say or you should have said. And I was really trying to just say something. And in the moment, I really felt like I could have said more and I really felt like I had let down other survivors by not saying more. And to me, I felt like the woman who screamed out was the real hero. I thought she was so brave. And so I would just say to them that I'm they're my heroes for speaking out and I hope that I, you know, did right by them in some way.
[Cabrera:] Thank you, Kelly Bachman, for speaking out, for sharing with us tonight. We appreciate it.
[Bachman:] Thank you for having me.
[Cabrera:] We'll be right back.

[Michael Smerconish, Cnn:] Can a patchwork work? I'm Michael Smerconish in Philadelphia. Catastrophe has a way of suspending ideological conflict. In the modern era, 911 brought us together. In 2008 when the Bush administration needed to bail out the banks, ideology went out the window and recently when coronavirus showed signs of crippling the economy, the Senate mustered a 96 to 0 vote for relief. Sadly, the ceasefire, the kumbaya never seems to last and so it was this week. As John Harris wrote in "POLITICO Magazine" magazine, "Ideology hasn't been suspended. It has been forcibly suppressed in ways that inevitably will come roaring back, sometimes in highly toxic ways." Last weekblue state divide. Well, consider that in Michigan protestors gathered in the State Capitol to voice their opposition to stay-at-home orders issued to slow the spread of coronavirus. There were similar protests in Virginia and Kentucky and this image from Ohio of an angry crowd at the window of the Statehouse, it went viral. In Utah, protesters held signs that read, "Resist like it's 1776," and, "America will never be a socialist country." A "Reopen North Carolina" Facebook page quickly attracted 42,000 members. Even in New York, some residents took to the streets on Thursday, despite the Empire State being the epicenter of the virus. Yesterday in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott encouraged state retailers to begin operating next Friday as retail-to-go. Customers can order items ahead of time and take curbside delivery. On Friday, the president fired off a series of tweets, "Liberate Minnesota," "Liberate Michigan," "Liberate Virginia," among them. Different states have sliding standards for what businesses and activities are deemed essential and some do seem inconsistent. Ground Zero has been Michigan. Governor Gretchen Whitmer added more restrictions. You can't travel to a second home that you own, you can't take out a boat or a jetski on the water, but kayaks are fine. She also ordered all large stores to cordon off their garden centers as part of a larger crackdown on activities deemed not necessary to sustain or protect life. Curiously, the state's list of not necessary items doesn't include lottery tickets and liquor or cannabis which stores can continue to sell. Michigan State Republicans are introducing bills to strip some power from the governor, which she says she'll veto. Likewise in Pennsylvania, the Republican-controlled legislature passed an attempt to overturn restrictions imposed by Democratic Governor Tom Wolf. Here, state-run wine and liquor stores are closed, beer distributors are open. You can't buy a book, but you can buy a gun. Golf is a no-no, but trout season opened early. Real estate agencies are closed even though some people have signed contracts and they can't move in. In Florida, the WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, which was initially closed, is now deemed essential by the governor as part of a group of sports and entertainment media with a national audience. The events will continue without an in-person audience of course. In Nevada, Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman pushed back against the state's shutdown saying this.
[Mayor Carolyn Goodman , Las Vegas:] This shutdown has become one of total insanity in my opinion for there is no backup of data as to why we are shut down from the start, no plan in place how to move through the shutdown or how even to come out of it.
[Smerconish:] Friday, when the president was asked about the lockdown protests, he said this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think elements of what they've done is too much. These are people expressing their views. I see where they are and I see the way they're working. They seem to be very responsible people to me, but it's you know, they've been treated a little bit rough.
[Smerconish:] The president had just announced guidelines for the nation's governors regarding the restoration of American society. These guidelines were a reversal from his stance earlier in the week when he declared that the president's power over states' responses to coronavirus is, quote, "absolute." Instead, we saw a tacit acknowledgment that it's the governors who will now be calling the shots in the days, weeks and months ahead. That's probably the best outcome where government often functions best when it's closest to the people, but this ensures we're about to see a patchwork response to a virus that didn't respect international borders and will likewise transmit between states if everyone doesn't act responsibly. It remains to be seen whether the governors are going to demand the same degree of rigor from their medical advisers in justifying continued restrictions on personal liberty and economic well-being as they demand from their citizens in complying with these restrictions. Are governors going to diligently examine each restriction to determine if it's still justified and only maintain those restrictions that are clearly necessary? Perhaps a patchwork process is akin to what Winston Churchill once said about democracy, it's the worst approach except for all the others. I want to know what you think. Go to my website at Smerconish.com this hour. Answer this week's survey question. Restoration of American society should take place state by state, regionally or nationally? Joining me now, the senator from the great state of Minnesota, recent presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar. Senator, thanks so much for being here. First thing's first
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar:] Thank you, Michael.
[Smerconish:] how's your husband? Thank you. He's been fighting COVID-19.
[Klobuchar:] Well, he's doing so much better. He was out of the hospital a few weeks ago after coughing up blood and having a really bad case of pneumonia, low oxygen and one day after about four or five days, he just it turned to the better and I learned from that, Michael, one, to follow the rules. He didn't go to things even when he felt a little sick and he actually would have exposed people at his work and other places and he didn't. And then secondly, you know, you can't be there, you can't hold their hand, you can't hug the healthcare workers that are taking care of them and we all know for some of the worst cases, it's those healthcare workers that are holding up the phone when the family tries to say the last words to their loved one. It is a very horrific disease.
[Smerconish:] So Godspeed to John Bessler and thanks for the update. Your governor just announced that he was reopening golf courses and bait shops, outdoor shooting ranges, marina services where people are supposed to adhere to proper distancing and other measures meant to stop community spread, but like other states, Minnesota doesn't have enough testing, the tracking capacity yet to figure out where things stand. What reservations, if any, do you have about that move?
[Klobuchar:] Well, I trust what our governor is doing here. He cares so much about the people of Minnesota. Name's Tim Walz. He was in Congress, a veteran and there's a lot of faith in what he's doing. Everyone is not going to be happy with everything these governors do. I think it was Andrew Cuomo who said sure, I know I'm not making you happy. If you're mad, call me. You know what? Does the President of the United States say that? No. He starts out his political career at the Republican convention by saying I alone know how to fix this. Then the next thing you know when we have a crisis, he says he's back up to the governors. Then he flips the other way and says he's in charge and now he says, which is correct under the Constitution, that it's up to the governors. I think it's OK that we have different governors making different decisions in different states, but let me tell you what isn't OK and that is that there was never a national strategy for testing and there was never a national strategy to prepare our country. This is a global pandemic and national pandemic and if we had not lost those precious months when Donald Trump was worrying about his rallies and other things, we could have been in a better, better shape right now for the testing. And then that would have helped governors, it would have helped businesses, everyone to gradually reopen because if you have the testing, as we've seen around the world, you're in a much better place to control those hotspots and especially when we start seeing drugs and other things and promising therapies, you want to be able to know where the hot spots are and immediately attack them.
[Smerconish:] I'm worried about our election. What went on in Wisconsin a week ago was a bit of a cluster. How do we ensure that doesn't happen nationally in November?
[Klobuchar:] That answer is more straightforward, Michael. That answer is about making it safe for people to vote so they don't have to choose between their health and voting. I will never forget that image, and I don't think any American will, of those people in Wisconsin bravely asserting their right to vote in garbage bags and masks when it didn't have to happen and one of the most interesting things in that case was the voters voted, a lot voted by mail and that is your answer. Make it easier for people to vote by mail and that's the bill I lead with Ron Wyden. We got $400 million. We need much more to make this big scale for the country and you see Republican governors, Republican secretaries of state rolling this out all over the country. They need the funding because you're going to have postage, envelopes, new workers and at the same time, making sure our polls can be open 20 days in advance across the country, making the training of new poll workers a priority. All of this can happen. They just had a successful election in South Korea despite having the pandemic there. You can do this, but you have to have a will and I'm just excited that there's growing support across the country for this and Wisconsin is the symbol this should never happen again. By the way, you know who voted by mail? Donald Trump. He requested
[Smerconish:] Is there not
[Klobuchar:] a mail-in ballot at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. So why couldn't those people
[Smerconish:] To vote in Florida.
[Klobuchar:] in Wisconsin have the same right. Mm-hmm.
[Smerconish:] Understood. Is there not a Tenth Amendment issue here? Isn't it isn't it the business of the states to determine and set their elections? Wherein lies the authority to do what you'd like to do?
[Klobuchar:] Sure it's the business of the states to have elections. That's why they have their own ballots, that's why they have their own voting equipment. There's all kinds of things, but this is a national election in the middle of a pandemic. So number one, getting the money, no one has raised issues about that. Almost every secretary of state wants this funding for early voting, for mail-in voting. Two, all we're doing is setting standards nationally and think about it, 20 days early for polling locations. A lot of Republican governors are ready starting to waive requirements and do that anyway. Number three, making sure that we break down some of these barriers. In six states, you have to get a notary or two witnesses in order to get a mail-in ballot. Sixteen states, you have to have an excuse to get a mail-in ballot, but four states, including two Republican governors, have already waived those requirements. So you're starting to see action across the country, but I think it is much easier if we at least have some minimal standards for the entire country and that's what the bill
[Smerconish:] Senator
[Klobuchar:] that Senator Wyden and I have does.
[Smerconish:] There's a word that the TrumpPence campaign is now using to describe that which you'd like to see come to fruition, harvesting. In fact, put on the screen a fundraising pitch that I've just seen where they're encouraging folks to pony up money so as to stop what Senator Klobuchar and others, we must get rid of ballot harvesting. Will you respond to the criticism that mail-in voting is at a heightened subjectivity to fraud?
[Klobuchar:] You know what? Maybe President Trump should ask some of his own Republican officials, such as the Republican secretary of state in Washington State who has made it very clear that this is a safe way to vote and in fact, you have paper ballots when you vote by mail, something we don't have in a few of our states right now. Ask the governors, Republican governors in Maryland and in New Hampshire and in Ohio that want to transform their elections into mail-in ballots. I don't think he's attuned. I think he's using it to raise money from his base, but when he does that, he's messing with people's health and I think the best answer is how those people in Wisconsin voted in that judge's race. They were mad. They saw through it. They saw that the Republican legislature was not just messing around politically with their right to vote, they were literally putting their lives at risk
[Smerconish:] Well
[Klobuchar:] and look what happened.
[Smerconish: I -- Klobuchar:] So I think there's going to be a huge backlash if they don't help us with the funding for this.
[Smerconish:] I think that there's a perception on the Republican side of the aisle that this benefits Democratic candidates, but the data, when you delve into it
[Klobuchar:] Yes.
[Smerconish:] is much more complicated than that and it's not a clear answer.
[Klobuchar:] You know what the mail ballot states are that have like over 90 percent, over 85 percent? States like Utah. That is not exactly a blue state, although we're doing better and better there. States like Arizona has actually a high rate, not the highest, but a very high rate of people voting by mail. Colorado, which is a purple state, they have nearly all voting by mail. Now, let me make clear, you still want to have polls open for people with disabilities, for people that maybe forget to get their ballot and there's all kinds of things, but the less people you have congregating at the polls, the better off we all are.
[Smerconish:] Senator Klobuchar, Senator Warren was asked a direct question this week and she gave a very direct answer, which is if asked, would you accept a position on Vice President Biden's ticket. What's your answer to that same question?
[Klobuchar:] My answer has been the same from the very beginning, which is right now I am focused on my state, I am focused on our country, leading the effort so that we can vote in November and I'm just not going to engage in hypotheticals and I know one thing for sure Joe Biden was a great vice president. He knows what it takes to be a good vice president. He's going to make that decision.
[Smerconish:] I'll put that down as a maybe. Thank you for being here.
[Klobuchar:] Thank you. It was great to be on, Michael.
[Smerconish:] What are your thoughts? Tweet me @Smerconish or go to my Facebook page. I'll read some throughout the course of the program. What do we have? From Twitter I think, "As for the protesters who are saying, "We will never be a socialist country," I would like to ask them if they will be returning their stimulus checks soon?" Look, folks are pent up. I've got cabin fever myself. I don't want to paint with a broad brush. You can always find one sign that's objectionable in that crowd and then try and characterize the group. I get it. My commentary at the outset was simply designed to illustrate what I fear is coming, which is a patchwork approach that the virus is not going to respect, but I don't have a better solution. I think it's probably the best that we can do and, you know, hope that it works. I want to know what you think this hour. Make sure you're going to Smerconish.com and answering the survey question. Restoration of American society should take place state by state, regionally or nationally? Up ahead, whose name will be at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket with Joe Biden? I was just asking that subject of Senator Klobuchar. Well, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been a contender, but could fallout in her state this week make the Biden team think twice?
[Unidentified Female:] It's time for our state to be opened up. We're tired of not being able to buy the things that we need, go to the hairdresser's, get our hair done. It's time to open up.

[Keilar:] The Trump administration is under fire for refusing to reveal the names of companies on the receiving end of billions of your dollars in coronavirus relief funds. Millions of businesses were recently given loans as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. Back in March, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin promised this is his, quote "full transparency," end quote, about who was receiving those emergency PPP loans. Well, now Mnuchin and the Trump administration are completely breaking that promise. The administration now argues that the identity of those companies is, quote, "confidential." Steve Mnuchin, the same person who promised transparency, and he said that the loan amounts are quote, "proprietary information."
[Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary:] In so far as naming each and every company, I don't think that promise was ever made. And I don't think it's necessary.
[Keilar:] Congresswoman Katie Porter is a Democratic representative from California. She's joining us now. She serves on the Financial Services and Oversight and Reform Committees. Thank you for being here.
[Rep. Katie Porter:] Absolutely.
[Keilar:] So you are we should also mention a law professor. You disagree with Steve Mnuchin. You co-wrote a letter with Senator Kamala Harris demanding transparency and you also gave the treasury secretary's legal argument an "F." So on the legal argument part of this, explain why you give it an "
[F." Porter:] Well, because he doesn't have any legal argument. This isn't something where we can see some interpret this way or that. He's making an assertion that this information is somehow confidential or proprietary. And hasn't offered anything to back him up. In fact, every point of law we would look at points the other direction. So, the Paycheck Protection Program is a $650 billion program. The applications that borrowers fill out implicitly tells them this information may be disclosed. So there's no argument that it's confidential. In fact, to the contrary, he told borrowers they may have to give the information up. And regular ABA loans have to be disclosed. So that argument that now that we an even larger program and a more powerful program, the Paycheck Protection Program, it's all the more important to have that transparency and that disclosure. And the treasury secretary had been ignoring and refusing to respond to FOIA requests from those trying to understand were our taxpayer dollars have been used wisely.
[Keilar:] Yes. And the application says the identity of the recipient and the loan amount are basically FOIA-able, subject to the Freedom of Information Act. When you look at this, what is your fear about why the administration has broken its promise on transparency and is saying we're going to keep this secret?
[Porter:] So, one possibility is there's a lot of abuse, a lot of things they don't want the American public to know. We saw some of the abuses of the Paycheck Protection Program, Steak Shack, Barratone. But that's because they were public companies. I would suspect if the secretary of treasury doesn't want this information public, it's because he thinks the public may be outraged with what they see. But this is our tax dollars being spent in this program. It's not Secretary Mnuchin's personal war chest. It's our tax dollars. And we, in Congress, can't evaluate if the program is working or not without this data.
[Keilar:] So, we've learned now that Secretary Mnuchin could be open to striking an agreement on greater transparency for the Small Business program. I wonder what kind of deal would you be open to, short of all these names and they got this amount each?
[Porter:] I've written in that letter I wrote with Senator Harris, we called for getting this information out. But also I have a bill, the Paycheck Protection Program Transparency Act, that would require the disclosure. And it's clear what they have to provide and don't have to provide. And I think that bill lays out what we need to get Secretary Mnuchin to agree to in this negotiation. Frankly, we have the upper hand here. The law is on our side. And the will of the American people, across the ideological spectrum, is on our side. They want oversight and they want transparency.
[Keilar:] Congresswoman, thank you. Congresswoman Katie Porter, we appreciate you joining us.
[Porter:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] The man in this powerful image here, seen carrying an injured white protester to safety at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London, will join me next.

[Lemon:] CNN learning tonight that the CDC is recommending communities be evaluated for four consecutive weeks before returning to some aspect of community life. It is unclear if the White House has approved those recommendations or when the evaluation period would start. Andy Slavitt is here. He's a former acting head of the health care for the Obama administration and the host of a new podcast In The Bubble and Dr. Mark McClellan, he is her as well the former FDA commissioner under President George W. Bush. Gentleman, thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us. Dr. McClellan, I'm going to start with you first, because you coauthored a report that provide a road map for getting the country back on its feet with phase one, slowing the spread, you said. Phase two, reopening state by state. Phase three, establishing protection, and lifting all restrictions. What is it going to take to get to phase three? And how long do we have until then?
[Dr. Mark Mcclellan, Former Fda Commissioner:] Don, we have a ways to go. We are in phase one now. In fact, the next few weeks are going to be really tough in many parts of the United States. So, to get past that, we need to keep doing all of the distancing measures, all the things that every one of us needs to do to help slow down the spread of this virus. We need to keep helping hospitals with the surge capacity they need. We need to keep increasing testing so we can identify cases earlier. After we bend the curve and have a sustained reduction in the number of new cases and the number of hospitalizations in an area, that's when you can think about moving on to the next phase. And that next phase is not back to normal. It's a new normal with considerable attention to the need for distancing. People can go back to work, can do more activities, but not big crowds, and respect for the fact that this virus could come back. Along with that is a need for what we'll call surveillance. So, a lot of testing to make sure if someone does have if there is a new outbreak for the condition, if someone does have coronavirus we're going to identify it quickly and can isolate and keep it under control. That along with enough hospital capacity, if there is another surge are the prerequisites for opening back up. But that could happen in matter of weeks. That all depends on what we do, all Americans and our policy leaders.
[Lemon:] OK. That was I was going to ask you within a matter of weeks but we don't know it. Or it could take longer depending on if we do.
[Mcclellan:] That's right. It depends on all of those markers. So we've got to go by results. We've got to make progress in bending down the curve, controlling the outbreaks, and we can take more steps.
[Lemon:] Got it. All right. Andy, you have outlined 20 points of the administration should pursue to fight the coronavirus. What are the most important ones and which ones will be will best help us get on to on track to reopening the country?
[Andy Slavitt, Former Acting Head Of The Health Care For The Obama Administration, Host, In The Bubble:] First of all the paper that mark co-authored is an outstanding paper and it's quite readable by anybody. So, I suggest people take a look at it. It is, I think, the best road map we have today of our path back. In the meantime, the 20 recommendations I spelled out are things we need to do to organize better and get things done because while all these things are happening, we have front line workers that need much more protection. We need to treat them as a special class. We have people that are going hungry, and we have people that are worried about their jobs. So, Congress and the administration have to do a lot more and are going to have to put more money in the pockets of states. I know $2 trillion sounds like a big number, but it's a lot less expensive than a full-fledged depression and losing people. So, I think these 20 points that I put forward are points that are going to help us drive the ship through the process of getting to the paper that Mark put out.
[Lemon:] Yes. But what happens if we backslide, and what does that mean for our economy? Could we go into a depression? We'll talk about that right after the break.

[Vause:] Britain's opposition Labour Party is planning no confidence vote in the new Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the latest move to try and stop a no deal Brexit. In a letter to opposition minority party Labour's Jeremy Corbyn wrote "This government has no mandate for No Deal and the 2016 E.U. referendum provided no mandate for No Deal. Corbyn said he created a strictly he would create a strictly time limited caretaker government to replace Boris Johnson's delayed Brexit and hold a the second referendum on leaving the E.U. On Twitter Boris Johnson accused Corbyn of trying to circumvent the results of the 2016 vote. He reiterated his commitment to leave the E.U. by the October 31st deadline. The Italian city of Genoa is pausing to remember a deadly bridge collapse that killed 43 people one year ago. CNN's Nic Robertson was moments away from crossing that bridge before the disaster. As he reports, there are still no answers for what caused the collapse.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] At the foundations of Genoa's now infamous Morandi Bridge, commemoration for the 43 lives lost when it collapsed a year ago. Victims came for a salve from their suffering. Politicians too, Italy's president, prime minister, the local mayor but none with answers on why it collapsed.
[Marco Bucci, Mayor Of Genoa, Italy:] I'm not supposed to make any comment about that. I'm here also to promise to the relatives of the people that died and that passed away, that Genoa will become a great city and we will remember forever that we will never forget that.
[Robertson:] Prosecutors are still investigating why the half-century old steel and concrete suspension bridge suddenly snapped without warning, sending 200 meters of roadway crashing down, cars and truck cascading to the ground below. I was here that day close to crossing it myself. The rain was torrential, the thunder echoed all around. Who lived, who died was not in the hands of any driver, but somebody, some people are culpable for the calamity. And until now, that's a problem, because nobody has been held to account. At the commemoration, representatives of Auto Strada Del Italia charged with the upkeep and inspection of the bridge left before the service began at the requests of families of victims, some families even stayed away all together. The collapse has become a symbol of corrupt business practices. The operator who's in charge of safety inspections and of endemic political infighting, in this case, over infrastructure investment, a lightning rod that today threatens to split Italy's fragile coalition government apart. The populist right wing nationalist leader, Matteo Salvini, who threatens to bring down the government unlike the other politicians here pausing to pose for photos with construction workers, riding high in the polls, choosing his words carefully.
[Matteo Salvini, Italian Interior Minister & Deputy Prime Minister:] I know this will never bring back to life the young people who died. But this is the symbol of Italy looking to the future.
[Robertson:] And within hours of the commemoration, construction of the new bridge pours for the service restarted, opening as planned for April next year. Nic Robertson, CNN Genoa, Italy.
[Vause:] There are new details about the cause of the January's plane crash which killed Argentine soccer player Emiliano Sala. Investigators have discovered Sala and the pilot were exposed to high levels of poisonous carbon monoxide. CNN's World Sport's Don Riddell has details.
[Don Riddell, Cnn World Sport Anchor:] One of the saddest stories I can remember covering at CNN was the death of Emiliano Sala in January. And today we have learned more about how he died. And it's pretty shocking. A toxicology report has revealed that he'd been exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide. You may recall he was being transferred from Nonnes in France to Cardiff in the Premier League and was flying to join up with his new club when the plane in which he was traveling crashed into the channel where he and the pilot David Ibbotson were killed. Sala never got to play in the Premier League. And for everybody involved it was just devastating.
[Neil Warmock, Cardiff City Manager:] I've been in football management now, 40 years I think now. And it's by far the most difficult week in my career, by an absolute mile. It's the trauma, you know, I can't even now I can't get my head around the situation.
[Riddell:] Well, on Wednesday we learned more about the circumstances of his death and the carbon monoxide was an unexpected twist. The levels actually were so high that could have caused a seizure, unconsciousness or a heart attack. And it is assumed that the pilot would also have similar levels of carbon monoxide. But we don't know because his body has never been found. At the time of the accident there was fevered speculation about the condition of the plane particularly since Sala made a phone call to one of his friends where he expressed some anxiety about it.
[Sala:] So guys, I'm on the plane and it looks like it's going to fall down in pieces. If in an hour and a half you don't have news from me, I don't know if they would send someone to look for me because they won't find me but you will know. Dude, I'm so scared.
[Riddell:] Air accident investigators are working to establish how carbon monoxide could have entered the plane's cabin. His family back home in Argentina is now demanding a detailed examination of the aircraft. Cardiff City says that those who booked the flight should be held accountable for this tragedy. Back to you.
[Vause:] Don Riddell thank you. We'll take a short break. When we come back two television commercials banned in the U.K. for featuring what regulators say is powerful gender stereotypes. Really? We'll look at that controversy in a moment.

[Blitzer:] In global coronavirus headlines late this afternoon, Brazil's President told our sister network CNN Brazil, he has taken a second coronavirus test and it came back positive. CNN's Bill Weir is outside the presidential palace for us. Bill, tell us more?
[Bill Weir, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, as the COVID-19 numbers in Brazil reach around 2 million infected and 75,000 lives lost, President Jair Bolsonaro confirmed today that he tested positive for a second time. In as many weeks, he remains in some isolation here in the presidential palace and says it's horrible. He's itching to get up and out and back to work, has no symptoms of fever or loss of taste or smell. This is a man who famously said he'd rather has son's die in a car crash than come out as gay. That the military dictatorship of years past in this country didn't go far enough and murdering dissidents. So he already has a fierce opposition in this country. The question is whether his pandemic management will erode his base about 30 percent, 35 percent of the country. There have been 51 separate formal requests for his impeachment to the lower House of Congress. But the folks there, the politicians say that's all political. And the last thing they need in the middle of a pandemic is more politics. Wolf?
[Blitzer:] Bill Weir, reporting from Brasilia. Thank you. The British government now plans to require mask to be worn in stores and shops but not in offices. Let's go to CNN's Max Foster. Max, tell us more.
[Max Foster, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, the British government pushing back on calls to make masks mandatory in offices after they made them compulsory in shops and on the public transport system. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said they looked at the idea, but then rejected it. The thinking is that masks might help when you're in front of someone for a short amount of time, but they don't necessarily help if you're next to someone all day. There are certain exemptions for people that don't have to wear masks, but smokers aren't amongst them, despite complaints from many smokers that they find masks uncomfortable. Interestingly, a government study found that a million people had actually given up smoking since the pandemic hit the U.K. and more than 400,000 had try to give up particularly young people. It seems they've heated efficient advice, which says that smokers suffer more severe symptoms than others when the virus hits. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Max Foster reporting, thank you. CNN, meanwhile, has learned the U.S. Canadian border will remain close to nonessential travel for at least another month. CNN's Paula Newton is in Ottawa for us. Paula, what are your sources telling you?
[Paula Newton, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, the spiking coronavirus cases in the United States has been unnerving here in Canada as well, and for that reason, Canadian government sources tell CNN that by mutual agreement, the U.S.-Canada border will remain closed until at least August 21. Now, right now is open to only essential traffic. And key here is that Canadian public health officials tell me that they will be placing additional personnel at those land border crossings to make sure that people with symptoms of COVID aren't getting into the country. Remember, there are exemptions for health care workers, truck drivers, flight crews, but also to make sure that anyone entering Canada is adhering by that strict 14-day quarantine. And it's not hard to see why there is a concern. I want you to take a look at the numbers here. If you look But also to make sure that anyone entering Canada is adhering by that strict 14 day quarantine. And it's not hard to see why there is a concern. I want you to take a look at the numbers here. If you look at the United States and Canada, New positive cases, they couldn't be diverging more. Canada has less than 400 new cases each and every day. The United States, of course, upwards of 50,000 or 60,000 each and every day for the last few weeks. You know, that means that in just two days in the United States, they are seeing more cases than Canada has seen in the entire pandemic. And that's why it's not hard to see that in one recent poll, 80 percent of Canadians say they want to see that border closed for quite some time. Wolf?
[Blitzer:] Yes, not a surprise. All right, Paula Newton, thank you very much. In Hong Kong, experts say a new wave of coronavirus cases probably is linked to the easing of social distancing restrictions. So guess what, the restrictions are now coming back. Let's go to CNN's Will Ripley, he's on the scene for us. What's the latest, Will?
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, here in Hong Kong, public health experts are warning. This third wave of COVID-19 could be by far the most devastating this city has seen since the start of this pandemic. The reason is that the cases are no longer coming in from the outside. They're being spread within the community and more and more cases being reported every day. When just two weeks ago, they were not they're not exactly sure how this happened. But I spoke with three infectious disease specialists who say the numbers started ticking up like clockwork as social distancing measures were eased. So now the city is reimposing even stricter social distancing measures, and they're shutting down a lot of businesses that had just started to get back into the swing of things, gyms and bars, schools, Hong Kong Disneyland and restaurants during dinnertime. The hope is that they can try to find as many people who have this and get them out of the community before the numbers really skyrocket because experts are also warning that the virus is mutating, which could make it more contagious. Wolf?
[Blitzer:] Will Ripley in Hong Kong, thank you. Coming up, how long do antibodies from coronavirus actually provided unity? The answer could be key to fighting the pandemic. We'll be right back.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] A very good Thursday morning to you, I'm Jim Sciutto. Poppy Harlow is on assignment today. We begin with chaos in Memphis. At least two dozen police officers and two journalists are recovering from injuries this morning following violent clashes with protesters. People flooded the streets after officers with the U.S. Marshal's Service shot and killed a man in North Memphis earlier this day. Authorities have identified the man as Brandon Webber. Memphis police were not involved in that shooting in any way, but they were caught in the tension that followed. Some people threw bricks and rocks at the officers, police cars were vandalized, windows were broken out. In a fire station a concrete wall completely demolished. CNN correspondent Martin Savidge has more details on the story. What more can you tell us about the root of this and are things calmed down now?
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, emotions are still very raw in the Frayser neighborhood which, as you point out, is in North Memphis. It started around 7:00 last night when U.S. marshals were moving in, attempting to serve warrants on the man they were going to arrest on federal charges, but things turned, they say that the suspect attempted to flee, got into a vehicle, used that vehicle to ram a number of police cars then got out of the vehicle with a weapon, and that's when U.S. marshals opened fire and killed him. And that is what sparked a protest that then started shortly thereafter. A crowd gathered and some in that crowd began throwing bricks and rocks. You had 24 police officers that were injured. At least six of them had to be transported to hospital to be further checked out. And a number of civilians, including two journalists that were on the scene covering the situation there. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been brought in now to investigate the shooting here to determine exactly how it went down, but right now the mayor is asking for calm in the community there, saying that people shouldn't react until they know all of the facts. Police eventually wearing riot gear and using tear gas were able to disburse the crowd late last night, but again tensions are going to remain in that neighborhood. Most of all people want to know exactly why was this person targeted and did they or did they not have a weapon as the authorities allege Jim.
[Sciutto:] Well, just the reaction out of control. Martin Savidge on the story, thanks very much.
[Savidge:] You're welcome.
[Sciutto:] Also breaking this morning, the U.S. Navy is now responding to a suspected attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Navy officials say it received two distress calls less than an hour apart, flames, billows of black smoke, you see it there, pouring out of one of those tankers, a serious attack. A source tells CNN the incident is very similar to an attack just last month when four tankers were targeted in the United Arab Emirates port. News of the alleged attack sent oil prices soaring, worries about supply there sending prices up. Let's bring in CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr and CNN international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson. Nic, looking at this, they appear to be connected in some way, similar M.O. to these attacks. Is there any evidence now as to who is behind them?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] What we can say at the moment, Jim, is this is a clear escalation over and above those previous attacks. The previous attacks were mines attached to the rear, the sterns of vessels while they were at anchor. These ships were moving, they were heavily ladened with oil and chemicals, and they were targeted while they were on the move. And that is different to the previous attack. So this is an escalation, it's an escalation as well, of course, because one person was injured, that the fires broke out and that the crews were forced to abandon ship. What we what has been described by the master on board one of those vessels is some sort of shell hitting the side of the vessel and you see the vessel on fire, the broadside of the vessel is on fire rather than either end. So this is unlikely it appears unlikely that this was that the vessel was struck by a mine and certainly from the accounts on board the vessel that there were two strikes of some sort of shell. So this gives us an indication of an escalation. Now the Iranian Navy initially, according to Iranian media, rescued all 44 of their crew members aboard and took them to an Iranian island in the vicinity. Now this was the early reporting, of course, but this seems to be a much more serious incident targeting heavily ladened vessels on the move that now have no one on those ships Jim.
[Sciutto:] Barbara Starr, U.S. Navy responding, providing assistance, but I also imagine concerned about the safety of U.S. naval vessels in the same area.
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, it's one of the reasons, of course, they need to find out as fast as possible what exactly happened here and who may be behind it all and what their intentions are. You know, there were two Navy warships that received the distress calls early today, but it was the USS Bainbridge that was closest and was able to move in. A tug, a Netherlands tug actually picked up 21 crew members from one of the stricken ships. They got on to the tug and then the tug transferred them to the Bainbridge where they are now at this hour. No firm word on the other crew from the other vessel. But these are waters that the U.S. Navy consistently operates in, many of the allies operate in them. The fate of these commercial mariners is very serious because these are people who have no means of defending themselves. They man these ships up and down these waters, they carry vital cargo and they just have no means of defending themselves when they come under attack. So there is going to be a lot of concern as you mentioned already, oil prices spiking, we will have to see if the market calms down. This is likely potentially to raise commercial brokerage insurance rates for these commercial ships at some point. So there is a lot of economic impact. We are already hearing from the tanker industry about how concerned they are and we will have to see how military forces in the region, if they do respond.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Starr:] What may happen next Jim.
[Sciutto:] Nic, that economic impact may very well be the intention of an attack like this, is it not? In other words, to show the kind of trouble a state actor or non-state actor can cause in the event of bigger hostilities. Of course it happens at a time when the U.S. and Iran and the U.S. and its allies in Iran ramping up the rhetoric and the tension in the region.
[Robertson:] Jim, there's a very clear cause and effect here. The attack off the coast of the Emirates four weeks ago on those four ships, the U.N. said that a state actor was most likely behind it. Both the United States and Saudi Arabia said that they believed Iran was behind the attack. Well, in the wake of those attacks noticing that Iran is under tougher and tougher economic sanctions and wants a way to get out from under those sanctions, you have right now the Japanese prime minister in Iran talking to the president and the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. So if you've got a cause which is that spike in tensions because of the attacks four weeks ago and the effect is the Iranians get a senior figure on the global stage to come and talk to them about their concerns.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Robertson:] This seems to be, you know, amplifying that message, turning up the heat.
[Sciutto:] Yes. These things often are very much connected. Barbara Starr, Nic Robertson, thanks very much. It's a busy morning, we have this breaking news now, on Capitol Hill the House Intelligence Committee has just subpoenaed both former Trump deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates, and former White House National Security adviser Michael Flynn for documents and testimony related to the Mueller report. Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill with more. Lauren, these are two key figures in the investigation, another sign that the investigation from the Democrats' perspective in the House is not over.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Politics Congressional Correspondent:] Well, that's right, Jim. And we think that this is a very key indication of that. They have subpoenaed Rick Gates and Michael Flynn for testimony and for documents. And I just want to read a little bit of Adam Schiff, who is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, here is a little bit of his statement. He said, "As part of our oversight work the House Intelligence Committee is continuing to examine the deep counterintelligence concerns raised in the Special Counsel Mueller's report and that requires speaking directly with the fact witnesses. Both Flynn and Gates were critical witnesses for Mueller's investigation, but so far have refused to cooperate fully with Congress." And obviously this gives an indication, they are looking to get to the bottom of Russian interference in the 2016 election and I just want to put this a little bit in context for you, Jim. You know, this is exactly what House Democrats have been doing across the board. We heard yesterday the House Judiciary Committee will speak with Hope Hicks, the former White House communications director, behind closed doors next Wednesday and they will release a transcript afterward. There are still questions about specifically what she will be willing to answer, whether she will be able to comment on her time in the White House, but that just shows you Democrats digging in, they want to get to the bottom of the Mueller report from Russian interference to obstruction of justice. They're not done with their house oversight just yet. Of course, this could be a long road ahead Jim.
[Sciutto:] It will be a long road ahead. Thanks very much, Lauren Fox on the Hill. I know you'll stay on top of it. If any leading Republicans are outraged this morning or alarmed, even mildly concerned, that President Trump is inviting foreign governments to interfere in upcoming elections including the 2020 election, they're certainly keeping it to themselves. So far the outage, the alarm bells, any objection whatsoever coming solely from Democrats after the president's casual admission to ABC News that he would, quote, "listen if a foreign country once again offered dirt on a political opponent." Listen to his words.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think you might want to listen. I know there's nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, we have information on your opponent, we'll, I think I'd want to hear it.
[Sciutto:] Nothing wrong with listening, the president says. Now the president attempting to clean this up it appears now with tweets now where he says the following, "I meet and talk to foreign governments every day." He mentions the Queen of England, the prince of Wales, prime minister of Ireland, et cetera. "Should I immediately call the FBI about these calls and meetings?" I just want to be clear here. That is not what the president was asked about. That is not what he spoke about in that ABC interview. He was asked specifically about foreign governments offering damaging information on political opponents in reference to 2016 interference by Russia in this election when his campaign was offered dirt on Hillary Clinton. That's what the question was about, that's what his answer was about. These tweets are frankly misleading. My guest now, Bob Baer, former CIA operative, a lot of experience covering Russia and its interference in U.S. political process, Susan Hennessey, a former NSA attorney. So, Bob and Susan, I'm going to ignore the president's tweet here because it doesn't align with the facts of what he said yesterday. So let's talk about what he did say yesterday, Bob. A U.S. president saying that if a foreign government or foreigner offers information on a political opponent that he would listen. It would be very easy for him to say, I will not accept any foreign help, that's interference. He did not say it. Is that cooperating with foreign interference in a U.S. election?
[Bob Baer, Cnn Intelligence And Security Analyst:] Oh, Jim, absolutely. That's an open invitation, especially for hostile governments, to hack the elections. That means get in the cell phones remotely from abroad of all the Democratic candidates, anything they pick up, fragmentary or not, give it to the president and he will do them a favor in the future. He's
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Baer:] Asking for the KGB, for Russia, to interfere again in our elections. There is no question about it. This is flat-out against the law. I've you know, of course, this has never happened in American history. It truly, truly worries me what this president is about because he doesn't understand foreign influence in our elections.
[Sciutto:] Susan Hennessey, Bob Baer mentions the law, you're a lawyer. Let's read the law, federal law. "It shall be unlawful for a foreign national directly or indirectly to make a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value in connection with a federal, state or local election." I should note that in the special counsel's report Robert Mueller and his legal team mentions that damaging opposition research is surely valuable to a campaign here. Is the president endorsing breaking U.S. campaign finance law?
[Susan Hennessey, Cnn National Security And Legal Analyst:] I think potentially he is. So one thing that the Mueller report does make clear is that Robert Mueller believes that things like opposition research, the kind of dirt that was offered in that Trump Tower meeting to Don Jr. and Jared Kushner, does qualify as a thing of value under campaign finance law. Now the reason why Mueller declined to press charges was because he said, look, there is a knowledge requirement. You have to know that it's illegal at the time. He didn't believe that he could show that about the participants in that meeting. He also said they weren't sure how exactly they would prove that it was worth $25,000, which is that threshold, you know, that threshold to actually pursue felony charges. One reason why the president's comments is so alarming his comments yesterday are so alarming is not just because of the disregard of the law, but also because he's now the president of the United States. We saw what he was willing to do as a candidate, but now as president he wouldn't necessarily have to violate campaign finance law because of the very reasons that he mentioned in his tweets this morning. He has all kinds of contacts with foreign governments. It's very, very difficult to sort of disentangle these issues, you know, what is related to helping him politically and what is in the interest of the United States. And that's why we really should expect and demand a president to be absolutely crystal clear about representing the interests of the American people and not his own political interests.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Hennessey:] In engaging with foreign countries.
[Sciutto:] You think that wouldn't be a lot to ask. But, Bob Baer, as always happens with this, a statement like this is politicized, we've heard widespread criticism, condemnation from Democrats, not a peep from Republican lawmakers yet on it. But you served overseas, you served doing intelligence on hostile foreign powers, including Russia. Just for someone who has been in effect on the front lines of this kind of conflict, explain to our viewers why this matters or why it should matter to them if they're tempted to say, it's just Trump talking again.
[Bob Baer, Former Cia Operative:] It's because it's the whole question of free and fair elections in this country. Our democracy is based on that of not having hostile in governments in the middle of it. And if I were sitting in Moscow in the FSB office, I would start right now
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Baer:] Involving myself in American elections. Start hacking phones, e-mails and the rest. And they can influence the outcome of it. Do we really want a president of the United States who is backed by a hostile foreign country? I don't. I mean
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Baer:] Seriously, I've been talking about this. This should be impeachable. Cooperating with a hostile government, and this is what Trump asked for yesterday.
[Sciutto:] Susan, the politics of this, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker, has resisted so far opening formal impeachment proceedings, preferring the investigative route with the powers they have, also the courts. Does this put her in a greater political bind here when the president today is talking about ignoring a U.S. law?
[Susan Hennessey, Former Nsa Attorney:] Look, I think it does demonstrate that this is just going to get worse and worse and worse, and so sort of this reluctance to not pursue sort of even opening an impeachment inquiry. You know, Trump really is demonstrating in real time, you know, the harms that he could inflict by remaining in office, and especially remaining in office without sort of the symbolic at least sort of messaging of this behavior was unacceptable, this is impeachable conduct. You know, the founders of the U.S. constitution thought a lot about foreign interference. They were really concerned about it. And that's because we want Americans whenever they vote to be voting based on what they believe is in America's best interest, not what's in the best interest of a foreign country. We also don't want elected officials to be doing things either because they are beholden to foreign powers or because they want to curry favor and have other countries interfere in elections in the future. So, this is a really perilous
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Hennessey:] Thing. It's also surprising to not see Republicans sort of speak out at this point.
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Hennessey:] Look, the Russians happen to favor Trump, next time, China might favor a different a different candidate, a Democratic candidate.
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Hennessey:] They aren't always going to be on the winning side here, and so this really is a moment that calls for a bipartisan
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Hennessey:] Condemnation and say, this really is about the fundamental norms and protection of democracy.
[Sciutto:] The information is the interference. It's why Intel agencies call these information ops. That's the interference. See Podesta's e-mails, Hillary Clinton's e-mails, it was weaponized. Bob Baer, Susan Hennessey, thanks very much. Still to come this hour, Hope Hicks on the hot seat, one of the president's closest former aides say she will sit down with the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions. I'm going to speak with a member of that committee coming up. Plus, more arrests in the shooting of Red Sox legend David "Big Papi" Ortiz, police say the suspects were offered money, what was the motive? We're going to be live in the Dominican Republic. And happening right now, a hearing on Capitol Hill to discuss the threat of deep fake videos in the 2020 election. Manipulated videos that can make anyone seem to say anything. It's frightening.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] We begin this hour with the major breaking news, a day for the history books, with President Trump's quote "misconduct" detailed in more than 300 pages by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, who argue that President Trump personally, and with the help of multiple senior administration officials, solicited the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, in the upcoming 2020 election to benefit himself. Democrats are making the case that, by doing so, President Trump put his own interests above those of the United States of America, undermined the integrity of the upcoming election and endangered U.S. national security. The report also underscores what Democrats view as a quote "unprecedented effort" to obstruct an impeachment inquiry. President Trump, of course, refused to comply with the investigation, to provide any subpoenaed documents or allow top aides to testify. In the report, Democrats also pointedly accuse the president of attacking and intimidating witnesses who did comply with subpoenas, making note that it is a federal crime to do so, carrying a criminal sentence of up to 20 years in prison. For his part today, President Trump referred to the chairman of the committee before this was released as deranged. But as CNN's Alex Marquardt now reports, Democrats argue that the evidence of the president's misconduct and obstruction of Congress is quote "overwhelming."
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Security Correspondent:] Overwhelming, the amount of evidence House Democrats said today, of the president's misconduct with Ukraine and his obstruction of Congress. The new report from the Intelligence Committee stating: "The president placed his own personal and political interests above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process, and endangered U.S. national security."
[Rep. Eric Swalwell:] The evidence is overwhelming that he abused his office to leverage your taxpayer dollars to have a foreign government try and cheat an election.
[Marquardt:] The 300-page report details the committee's findings after an eight-week historic investigation. Their blistering conclusion? That it would be hard to imagine a stronger or more complete case of obstruction than that demonstrated by the president since the inquiry began.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] This is the result of a president who believes that he is beyond indictment, beyond impeachment, beyond any form of accountability and, indeed, above the law. And that is a very dangerous thing for this country, to have an unethical president who believes they're above the law.
[Marquardt:] Chairman Adam Schiff launched the investigation in September, prompted by the whistle-blower's complaint. That complaint centered around the July 25 call in which President Trump asked Ukrainian President Zelensky for a favor and investigations into a 2016 elections conspiracy theory and the Bidens. "Our investigation determined that this telephone call was neither the start nor the end of President Trump's efforts to bend U.S. foreign policy for his personal gain," the report reads. "Rather, it was a dramatic crescendo," an effort, Democrats argue, that included Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, saying they were either knowledgeable of or active participants in an effort to extract from a foreign nation the personal political benefits sought by the president. Pompeo was on that July 25 call, and Mulvaney famously admitted to the quid pro quo before walking it back.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief Of Staff:] I have news for everybody. Get over it. There's going to be political influence in foreign policy.
[Marquardt:] The committee report alleges that the president's misconduct in Ukraine was not an isolated occurrence, nor was it the product of a naive president. Trump, according to the committee, benefited from Russian interference in the 2016 election that the then candidate welcomed. Now, they say, the president is soliciting China and Ukraine to interfere, which presents a clear and present danger that the president will continue to use the power of his office for his personal political gain. The central role of Rudy Giuliani in Ukraine policy runs throughout the entire report. It details his calls with the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes. In April, the report says, Mr. Giuliani had three phone calls with a number associated with OMB and eight calls with a White House number. Giuliani had been pushing for the ouster of U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. She was recalled in May after what the committee called a baseless smear campaign. The report reads: "Her ouster set the stage for other U.S. officials appointed by President Trump to work in cooperation with Mr. Giuliani to advance a scheme in support of the president's reelection." The committee also detailed the lengths the administration went to not cooperate, saying not a single document was produced by the White House. Officials were also blocked from testifying or handing over records. In the end, the committee does not recommend impeachment, saying that will be left up to the full House, whether the president shall be held to account, they say, and whether we as a nation are committed to the rule of law, or instead whether a president who uses the power of his office to coerce foreign interference in a U.S. election is something that Americans must simply get over. So this report is now the baton that is being handed off to the Judiciary Committee to serve as the basis for the articles of impeachment that they will draft. Now, the White House issued a quick response to the report, saying in part: "This report reflects nothing more than Democrats' frustrations. Chairman Schiff's report reads like the ramblings of a basement blogger straining to prove something when there's evidence of nothing" Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Alex Marquardt, thanks so much. Let's talk about all this. Paul Begala, as the Democrat the table, let me ask you. I know you believe the president committed impeachable offenses. But let me ask you, do you think the Democrats have done an effective job of making the case to the American people? We see support hovering around 50 percent for impeachment and removal from office. That's not overwhelming.
[Paul Begala, Cnn Political Analyst:] It's overwhelming compared to what? It's much higher than Nixon, for example, except Nixon's final days. With Clinton, it never got above 30. By the way, 30 wanted Bush and Obama to be impeached too. There's always 30 percent wants to get rid of a president. And it was around 30 percent a few months ago for this president. It's gone from 30 to 50. So, I guess a long way of saying yes. Adam Schiff just he gave a long statement, he issued a long report. There's six words that I think Democrats ought to keen on. "No one is above the law." That's something everybody can understand. That goes back to 1215 and the Magna, long before even there was an America, that notion that no one's above the law. And when you read this report, you see again and again and again this president putting himself above the law. The laws don't apply to me, whether it's the laws about bribery, whether it's the laws about obstruction of justice. They make a really compelling, overwhelming case on it.
[Tapper:] Scott, let me ask you. So, Congressman Schiff says this in the summary of the report. This is a question three, full screen number two. "Is the remedy of impeachment warranted for a president who would use the power of his office to coerce foreign interference in a U.S. election? Or is that now a mere perk of the office that Americans must simply get over?" I mean, they're trying to make Schiff is trying to make it a larger question. Is this going to be what we accept in U.S. presidents?
[Scott Jennings, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, I think this is one of the great weaknesses that the Democrats have run into here. And that is that everything either has to be fully support this or we have to impeach the president, when I think a lot of Republicans are going to land on some degree of, I don't love this. It was bad judgment. I'm not all that worried about it, but largely in the bucket of it's not impeachable, especially when you consider that we're heading for an election. I don't think most Americans want to say that presidential conduct, whether you judge it to be something worse than bad judgment or not, has to go immediately to the level of impeachment. We have never thrown a president out of office. And I don't think people on the cusp of voting for the next president want to throw one out now. I think they want to have a say in the matters. I just I have always thought one of the biggest challenges for the Democrats here was forcing this into a binary choice, you either condone it or you want to impeach, when most people I think are somewhere in the middle.
[Tapper:] Well, that may be true. And points for being in the reality- based universe, but we do hear and you do on your beat as well hear from a lot of Republicans, especially House Republicans, who also seem to see it as binary. And they support President Trump. The Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee issued a report that said President Trump did nothing wrong. And Schiff addresses this almost directly in his preamble, saying: "Perhaps even more corrosive to our democratic system of governance, the president and his allies are making a comprehensive attack on the very idea fact and truth. How can a democracy survive without acceptance of a common set of experiences?" There are a lot of Republicans, maybe not in the country, but on Capitol Hill, that are not even agreeing to the idea that the president did anything objectionable.
[Laura Barron-lopez, Cnn Political Analyst:] Or they're also furthering conspiracy theories that have been debunked. Your reporting yesterday on the Senate Intel Committee saying that there was no evidence to suggest that Ukraine meddled in the election for Hillary Clinton, and yet Republicans have further pushed that. There's and, yes, you're not seeing many of them have a nuanced debate about this. It's very much tethering themselves to Trump, because a lot of them do see their reelection futures tied to Trump and that if they split from him in any way, shape or form, that it could hurt them in the long run.
[Tapper:] And get that. I get that it could hurt them and their own political ambitions. And it could even hurt President Trump. But there's a future beyond that I think the Democrats at least are trying to bring some attention to.
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] Yes. And you hear Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi and other members talk about that all the time, this idea of them not wanting to set this as a standard for American presidents, that they can get away with this going forward, be it a Democratic president or a Republican president. But you do have, I think there are folks who are thinking about their reelections and then folks like Will Hurd, who doesn't even have a reelection, who's just sort of looking at I guess his future in the Republican Party. It's also just true that this Republican Party is owned lock, stock and barrel by Donald Trump. I mean, these are Trump's people. I mean, that has been a kind of the remarkable story of these last three years, a bit surprising, if you saw how he ran in 2016, that somebody like Lindsey Graham, for instance, would be his biggest cheerleader. But that has happened on the Senate side, as well as on the House side. Now, listen, the House side is probably a little bit more conspiratorial, some of the folks on the panel. It probably won't be like that on the Senate side. But, by and large, I mean, the overwhelming leadership of the folks on the Hill, they're with this president. They have been. And that's unlikely to change.
[Tapper:] And, Laura, a name in here quite a bit is Devin Nunes, the congressman from California who's the ranking Republican on the committee And he's not in there just because he's the ranking Republican on the committee. He's in there because the committee goes into all sorts of phone records detailing conversations that he had with Rudy Giuliani, with Giuliani's indicted associate Lev Parnas, a lot of stuff. Schiff wouldn't explain what he thought Devin Nunes had done, but, obviously, it's in there for a reason.
[Barron-lopez:] Right? What Schiff kind of explains is that these new phone records, which we hadn't seen before, show a coordination of a smear campaign, not only when it came to Ambassador Yovanovitch, but also just this larger conspiracy. And, yes, Schiff didn't go into potentially what was discussed in those phone calls that appeared very short. But it's surprising and a bit ironic that here we had a few weeks ago Nunes on the committee saying blowing up this big idea that Schiff knew who the whistle- blower was, that Schiff was communicating directly with the whistle- blower, and yet Nunes appears to be at the very heart of what this investigation was about.
[Tapper:] All right, everyone, stick around. We got a lot more to talk about. And we're going to have much more on our breaking news. We're going to hear from a member of the House Judiciary Committee that will take over the impeachment inquiry with a public hearing tomorrow. Republican Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner from Wisconsin is live next.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] A 10 minute objective explanation of news events and I`m Carl Azuz. Happy to be starting a new week with you. First story takes us to Afghanistan, a nation in south Asia that`s been racked by war for decades and who`s future, even now, is unclear. U.S. President Donald Trump has called off peace talks with the Taliban and to explain why that`s significant we`re taking a look at the three major players, the Taliban, the United States and the Afghan government. First the Taliban, it`s an Islamic militant group that used to rule Afghanistan. After taking control in 1996, the Taliban established its strict interpretation of Islamic law in the country and it allowed terrorist groups like Al-Qaida to live and operate there. The United States faced off with the Taliban in 2001 after Al-Qaida carried out the September 11th attacks on America, the U.S. demanded that the Taliban turn over Al-Qaida and its leader. The Taliban refused and the U.S. led a group of countries to remove the Taliban from power. That happened quickly, but Afghanistan has remained unstable and thousands of American troops have been stationed there ever since though their number has increased and decreased over the years, today there are about 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan. The country held its first democratic elections in 2004 and it`s had a couple more since but the Afghan government is fragile. The Taliban never went away and they`ve continued their violent attacks throughout the country including one the killed an American soldier last Thursday. Before that happened, the U.S. government was scheduled to hold secret peace negotiations with the Taliban. Talks that some officials indicated could lead to U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan. After the bombing though, President Trump called off the meeting though both the U.S. and Afghan governments have left the door open for more negotiations. On the ground in Afghanistan, a CNN team was allowed to enter Taliban controlled territory earlier this year. They found that the militant group hasn`t changed much. The Taliban is still very strict and it`s still wants to be cut off from the rest of the world.
[Unidentified Female:] We wanted to see what life is like under the Taliban. We traveled to Afghanistan and managed to spend two days in Taliban territory. We kind of often do this when we`re working together. We start off with, OK, what`s the dream and let`s break it down and try to do it.
[Unidentified Male:] [inaudible]
[Unidentified Female:] This was an assignment where they said, listen we`ve decided to allow you into these areas. We will answer your questions. We don`t like you. We don`t love you being here but we recognize that in this moment in time it is political expedient for us to do - to do this. We were obviously wearing the full facial veil, the niqab. On the one hand it allows me to be invisible, on the other hand it inhibits the way you interact with people. They don`t want us to walk outside because I`m a woman. And we weren`t just wearing it for security reasons, that was of course a part of it, but we were wearing it because we were required to wear it and that was something our host very much wanted to make sure that we understood. We worked very closely with an Afghan filmmaker Anaji Bulacrashi. He was really the one with the stellar reputation that allowed him to bring myself and Selma into Taliban territory. I fundamentally believe that this story could not have been done by a man. No one would ask your name. No one would really ask where you were from because you were [inaudible] with an Afghan man and it would be rude, in a sense, to that Afghan man to ask personal questions about who you were or where you were from. It was interesting though as women to be in those women`s quarters and have that, you know, that distance that the men have to create. They were so polite and they - and they wanted to keep speaking to us. They brought us out the best food they have. The best bedding they had. It was just really kind to see that very familial part of Afghanistan.
[Azuz:] Hundreds of thousands of people in far eastern Canada are waiting for the power to come back on. And cities along the U.S. eastern seaboard are busy cleaning up all because of Hurricane Dorian. It made landfall at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina Friday morning as a Category 1 storm and what was left of it after a little weakening rolled into Nova Scotia over the weekend. It`s still bringing rough surf to the Canadian province and threatening Newfoundland. Dorian has been blamed for five deaths in the U.S. but its impact on the Bahamas may not be known for a while. At least 43 people were killed there and as many as 70,000 were left homeless. A cruise line offered Bahamians a free evacuation to Florida. Some had literally nothing to go home to.
[Unidentified Male:] Washington Smith, "Smitty" to his friends, no longer recognizes his back yard or the island where he`s lived all his life. Hurricane Dorian stalled out over the eastern end of Grand Bahama Island ravaging everything and everyone in its path. Dorian punched holes in concrete, tore houses from their foundations and flung Smitty`s 6,000 pound humvee through a wall. The damage to Smitty`s home defies description. A wall of water crashed over this part of the island. Smitty and this teenage daughter survived. Many others did not. This is the hole that Hurricane Dorian punched in the house of Washington Smith, I should say one of the holes. Tore off his roof. Sent boards with nails flying at over 100 miles an hour through his house. Everywhere you go you see - you see damage. You see how the shrapnel shredded the ceiling, be careful of this. You see a nail sticking out a board that came flying through and then the most frightening thing you see where the water rose to, all along here. Came up, up, higher and higher until here. This is over 20 feet high and it stayed this high for 50 hours he said that it was 50 hours of pure torture. Little aid has reached this area and many places the only road in is blocked or underwater. As they wait for government assistance, some residence like Marilyn Ling in the town of High Rock have taken it upon themselves to organize a relief effort. Distributing supplies donated by friends and family. Staying busy, she tells us, keeps her from reliving the horror of the storm.
[Unidentified Female:] I have no words to - to say how bad. Maybe one in 10 houses standing.
[Azuz:] 10 Second Trivia. Geography edition. Which of these bodies of water is located the farthest north? Caspian Sea, Lake Michigan, Loch Ness or Lake Baikal? Located in the Scottish Highlands, Loch Ness is the northern most location on this list. But is it the most monstrous? The legend of the Loch Ness Monster has endured for centuries and starting last summer a new study was carried out that took 250 DNA samples from the lake. So what did scientists find? Evidence that around 3,000 species live in Loch Ness and that included a bunch of DNA from eels. Is Nessie an eel? We don`t "eely" know. Scientists couldn`t say whether what they found was from one giant eel or a bunch of small ones but they did say they were fairly sure there is probably not a giant, scaly reptile paddling around the lake because they found no reptile DNA. Fans of "Nessie" may not be too "pleasiasourd" with these results. But researchers say there may still be a monster in Loch Ness, they just didn`t find it. Here`s a court case that`s for the birds. Maurice the rooster crows at dawn. A couple that owns a vacation home nearby want to sleep in. They accuse Maurice of noise pollution and requested that he be put inside at night so he doesn`t crow in the morning. The rooster`s owner says the complaining couple would not negotiate. Well a court in France decided in favor of Maurice and fined the complaining neighbors $1,100 in damages. Could they appeal? I don`t know they might be too "chicken". They cried uncle but the rooster didn`t "careuncle". They could take their house to market but the crowing could effect its "Mauricesale". They can "talk a doodle doo" about it but they "pecked" to fight it lost so "waddlest" is there to do but cry in your corn flakes, at dawn. I`m Carl "Aroost" for CNN. END

[Blitzer:] We are standing by for special counsel Robert Mueller to file court paper ahead of the sentence for Paul Manafort, expecting that momentarily. We'll get that to you as soon as it comes in. Also breaking "The New York Times" reporting right now that President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen met with federal prosecutors in Manhattan last month. "The Times" said Cohen offered information about possible irregularities within the president's family business and about a donor to his inaugural committee. Susan Hennessey, "The New York Times" report which all of us have now read, suggests that the U.S. attorney for the SDNY in Manhattan now going directly after the Trump business empire that Michael Cohen, who worked for Donald Trump for 10 years as a lawyer and fixer, has already been questioned.
[Susan Hennessey, Former National Security Agency Attorney:] Right. I think this once again reveals why individuals close to the president are so concerned about the Southern District. They believe they it might represent more of a risk for the president than the Mueller probe. They don't have any kind of jurisdictional limit here. Michael Cohen doesn't have a formal cooperation agreement. But prosecutors can recommended a reduced jail sentence within one year of his sentencing. So essentially, he has a really, really, strong incentive now to cooperate as much as possible, tell absolutely everything he knows. It is interesting that every time, sort of, prosecutors look under a new rock they appear to find a brand-new set of possible crimes, now we're hearing that there's some question about insurance claims. This is sort of, this is a brand-new thing on the table. I think that ultimately, this really, really raises the political importance and potential importance of Michael Cohen's public testimony. He has said from the beginning that he has a story to tell. He clearly believes the story is going to be incredibly damaging to the president. And so, I do think that it's going to be really, really important to see what is he willing to say under oath and before the American people about Donald Trump's facility.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] And that would be Wednesday morning, Gloria, starting at 10:00 a.m., when Michael Cohen does appear before the House Oversight Committee. And presumably, they're going to ask them about this development.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] Sure. Look, I mean, this goes into the whole broader aspect of the Trump organization, as Susan was saying. And I think
[Blitzer:] Including the president's family.
[Borger:] Including the president's family, including potentially the president. We don't know. But if Michael Cohen is talking about, according to the Times, potentially, a regular insurance claims, if he was talking to them about the $900,000 donation to the inaugural committee by Mr. Zuberi, according to the Times. Then, these are things that prosecutors want to know about. We know that they're investigating the inaugural committee and we know that Michael Cohen has been on the inside of the Trump War for more than a decade. And CNN, as you'll recall, was the first to report that prosecutors wanted to interview people who worked for the Trump organization. So, now we know exactly what they're pursuing. And we know that Michael Cohen is such an important link in all of this. Yes, his credibility will be questioned, sure, but he has said publicly: I have a story to tell; I'm not going to be the villain here anymore. I want to set the record straight.
[Phil Mudd, Cnn Counterterrorism Analyst:] Wolf, one quick comment on this. The president already told us this. He's not a great poker player, he played his hand already. Look at his Twitter feed. How many times has he gone after campaign people? Manafort, Gates, Flynn. Flynn was the first cooperator the number of times that the president has gone after Flynn. I could probably count on one hand. How many times has he gone after Cohen? Countless times. What's the difference between Manafort, Gates, Flynn and Cohen? Manafort, Gates, Flynn know about the campaign in Russia, not so much. Cohen, knows about money. I think the president is worried because he knows he's got a vulnerability on this issue, and he told us.
[Blitzer:] Remember that interview last year the president told the New York Times that going after his family or his business, that would cross, Joey, a red line.
[Joey Jackson, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, it wouldn't cross a red line in as much as remember the special counsel has a very specific mandate relating to and dealing with Russia and collusion, Southern District does not. Their mandate is to investigate criminal activity in the event that this criminal activity that it becomes problematic. But something very important, and that's corroboration. The White House will savage Cohen as they have on the issue of his incentive and bias to lie. As Susan mentioned, right, because the substantial assistance within one year of sentencing, if you assist enough and if you're on team America and you do it right, here's the carrot, here's the stick. We'll going to do good things for you and we'll going to reduce your sentence because you're cooperating. But it's more than that, Wolf. In the event that Cohen is able to give reliable information to the southern district who's not bothered by a mandate about Russia; they're bothered by a mandate about a crime, whether it involves your family or not. If it's in this district, we're going to root it out and find it. And so, in the event that Cohen gives then information, and the Southern District is able to get information that substantiates, corroborates, and otherwise supports what Cohen is saying, that could lead them to this other fruit and that can represent problems for the president of the United States.
[Blitzer:] Yes, more legal headaches, no doubt, for the president. And his family, potentially has very significant, you know Susan, Bloomberg has been reporting a new
[Hennessey:] All right. So, it's pretty unusual to see this degree of, sort of, leaky kind of law enforcement. These reports don't just describe that the prosecutors are sort of about the set of backup charges. But it also shows quite a bit a leg on what they are actually thinking about going after him. And so, these are really, you know, relatively harmful leaks. Now, there might be double jeopardy issues. The laws are pretty complex in terms how they related between the state and federal government. You know, that said, I do think that we're seeing a little bit of a lack of discipline, a loosening as the Mueller investigation potentially heads into the home stretch. We are seeing a lot of leaks out of other investigations, right, sort of the Southern District and now the New York District Attorneys' Office. But also, sort of a flurry of leaks about the special counsel's office. Now, we've seen a lot of reporting but most of that has come from defense attorneys and people that the special counsel's office has interviewed. Now, we see DOJ, not just leaking a lot about whether or not the special counsel is about to, you know, hand over these reports to Bill Barr, but also not getting its story straight as today.
[Blitzer:] Clearly, the district attorney in New York thinks a presidential pardon of Manafort is possible, what do you think, Gloria?
[Borger:] Well, the president has called Paul Manafort a very brave man. The word to that effect, "brave," being the important part of it. He has said publicly, he thinks that he's been treated badly. And while they were not particularly close during the campaign, I think that the president has watched what Paul Manafort has gone through and feels like he hasn't betrayed him in any way shape or form. And so, it is completely possible that the president could pardon him. He has said various occasions, I didn't take that off the table. So, we don't you know, we just had no idea. And I think what they're saying in New York as well, you may have authority over that but you don't have authority so far as the state is concerned.
[Blitzer:] The president has a lot of legal headaches beyond Robert Mueller and the special counsel investigation.
[Borger:] Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
[Blitzer:] Everybody standby. Much more on all of the breaking news right after this.

[Vause:] Beijing says it has nothing to hide but Muslim families claim they are being torn apart by a crackdown carried out by Chinese authorities. The U.S. says millions are being held in the northwest of the country and that's where Uyghurs are being placed in detention camps, something China calls vocational training centers. CNN's Matt Rivers and his team traveled to some of the most remote parts of China for a rare look at these camps. Here's the report.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] The bedroom hasn't changed since they left, stuffed animals on the bed, their clothes in the closet. Their grandmother won't change it. She says it still smells like them. Onseela and Nuseela, ages 8 and 7, left their home in Kazakhstan to go to China with their mother, Adeeba in 2017. Adeeba grew up in China so she went back for a short visit to see some family and take a few classes in Northwest China. Her husband and young son stayed home. But shortly after they arrived Adeeba and her daughters disappeared because they went back at the wrong time. Xinjiang is the region where the U.S. says China put up to 2 million people, nearly all Muslims, in detention camps over the last few years. Activists say Beijing has done that to try to eliminate Islam within its borders. Detainees told CNN they were tortured inside while undergoing political indoctrination. Adeeba and her family are Muslim. Her husband says a relative told him his wife was put in such a camp while his daughters were sent to live with distant relatives. He hasn't heard from any of them in nearly two years. "When he sees young women in the neighborhood he calls them 'Mama'" Esten says. "He doesn't even know what his own mother looks like." China says these camps aren't prisons but voluntary vocational training centers that are being used to not eliminate Islam generally, only Islamic extremism that the government has linked to past terror attacks in the region. So authorities play propaganda videos like this one on state run TV to show happy Muslims cheerfully learning. They interview some who have been supposedly been, quote, "reformed," steered away from a life of terrorism. But even if that's true, Esten says that still does not explain why his wife was locked up. "My wife is not a terrorist," he says. "She has nothing to do with it. I can't express with words how much pain I feel when I think of her there." We asked Chinese authorities what happened to Adeeba. They did not reply to our question. So we went to Xinjiang ourselves, to some of the most remote parts of China, traveling thousands of miles in all. We went to six places, both to see what is happening here and, in one town, to try to find Adeeba. Ethnic Muslim minorities have lived here for centuries; Uyghurs, Kazakhs and others, culturally distinct from the Han Chinese who dominate the rest of the country. But now, every day, they're forced to prove that they're not a threat to the state. Cameras watch their every move, in some places positioned every 50 meters. While Han Chinese regularly breeze through the myriad police roadblocks, anyone we saw who appeared to be a minority got stopped. Racial profiling appears rampant. But all of that is likely still better than life for those that end up in places like this, detention camps designed for Muslim ethnic minorities, like this one outside the city of Kashgar, what China calls a job training site to us looked a lot more like prison. High walls, barbed wire, guard towers, things multiple experts told CNN are telltale signs of detention centers. Images like this are rare. Few people have seen camps like this up close because China's government tries to prevent reporters like us from seeing them. A police officer soon reminded us of that fact.
[Rivers:] What's happening here is that this police officer doesn't want us to film but we believe that's a camp right there. This is as close as we're able to get. And right over there we believe are family members, who could have family members inside that camp and they're waiting to see them. China says it has nothing to hide here but not only do they obstruct attempts to film or go inside the camps they also prevent us from speaking to those that know anything about them. We tried to talk to this man that just brought food to his brother, who he says is being held in the camp. But before we can ask about life inside, plainclothes security surrounded us and told the man to be quiet. There are camps like these all across Xinjiang; nearly 1,000 miles away, we took a train to the city of Turpan to see another, same type of prison-like walls, some kind of secrecy. And the minute after we arrive, some kind of police harassment. Ma'am, can you tell me what that is? Is this something you don't want us to see?
[Unidentified Female:] Why are you here? You come here. Why are?
[Rivers:] We're here to film what we believe is a camp for Uyghurs and for Kazakhs and for Kyrgyz and for all ethnic Muslim minorities.
[Unidentified Female:] Who told you that?
[Rivers:] She threatened to arrest us and demanded that we delete our footage so we had to leave. Our last stop is the town of Ghulja, where Adeeba's family says she was detained. Her husband, Esten, believes she has since been let out of the camp and is back living with her daughters. They have been told they can't leave China because officials took away her passport. He has no way to contact her and fears he could end up in a camp himself if he went to find her. So we tried to find her ourselves. But as soon as we arrive in town, traffic police block our way and officials following us insist on a group dinner. We declined strongly, saying no, no, no. But in the end, we got no choice. As Muslim minorities languish in camps not far away, government officials drink liquor and dance to folk music. It is an absurd scene but we can't leave. So we were unable to find her and we couldn't deliver this message, what Esten wanted us to share if we found her, quote, "Our son and I have been waiting and will always wait for you. You are the love of my life."
[Vause:] Matt Rivers joins us now live from Beijing. The sitdown for the official dinner, that's a new one. That's a new tactic being carried out. But we heard for a long time that Uyghurs have been the victim of the majority of this crackdown. They want to make it part of China. It's very much not part of China in the way it looks, the way it sounds and the way it smells. But they have complained for a long time. It seems it has accelerated though in recent years. What is the reason for that? Why are these crackdowns getting tougher?
[Rivers:] There's a number of reasons. Some people point to the fact that a new party secretary in charge of the region came in in 2014. And that's when we started to see an acceleration of these camps building. You can also point to the fact that Xi Jinping took over in early 2013 and he has overseen a number of different crackdowns on religious groups, against Christians and other types of ethnic Muslim minorities. So there's a lot of different reasons that you can point to. But it is staggering the scale at which these camps were built and speed at which they were built. Think about the infrastructure that was needed to eventually house 2 million different people in one region. It is staggering how quickly they have done this. And what you hear universally from advocates to human rights groups, to critics here in China, is the reason they're doing this is to Sinicize this population. They do not want anyone in China to model the ethnic Han Chinese people that really dominate the government here. And the result, like we showed in our story, is that families are absolutely been torn apart and the story that we showed of that one family has been replicated countless times in this very unique part of China.
[Vause:] Yes. It's been going on for a while and it's one which obviously needs attention. Tomorrow, Matt will travel to the western part of the Chinese province. His crew meet with around the clock government surveillance that made it so difficult for them to do their job.
[Rivers:] He and at least a dozen others followed us every single hour of our six-day trip, never more than 20 feet away. In the car, in the train station, in the hotel, in the room next to mine. So it's a bit of an odd feeling to be in your hotel room at 1:00 in the morning and knowing that, on the other side of this connecting door that leads to the room next door to mine, there's at least three or four of the guys that have been following us around over the past couple of minutes.
[Vause:] Be sure to watch Matt's report Wednesday. Tax records obtained by "The New York Times" show Mr. Trump in the early '90s was less qualified to host "The Apprentice;" more like "The Biggest Loser." The documents from 1985 to 1994 show Trump's businesses lost nearly $1.2 billion in 1990 and '91. His core business losses were more than double the next closest taxpayer. "The Times" report says Mr. Trump paid no income taxes for eight of those 10 years.
[Susanne Craig, "the New York Times":] Every year that we looked at, he lost money and the losses grew as he went further into the casinos and the losses that happened there. But it's unbelievable. We would have thought at least in one of the years that we saw, maybe the year he wrote "Art of the Deal," he would have made money. He didn't. He was just bleeding money every year that we looked at in his businesses.
[Vause:] The president says "The Times' " information is demonstrably false but failed to provide any specifics and prove that it was in fact demonstrably false. Democrats in the U.S. House could vote to hold attorney general William Barr in contempt of Congress. They have been asking the Justice Department for the full unredacted Mueller report but to no avail. Now the White House is extending the stonewalling strategy to another key player in this investigation. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] The White House is stopping Don McGahn from turning over documents to House Democrats, the latest jab in the oversight showdown with the administration. In a letter, current White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, telling the House Judiciary Committee, that the former White House counsel will be ignoring their subpoena, arguing that President Trump may want to assert executive privilege in the future and McGahn does not have the legal right to disclose these documents to third parties. House investigators subpoenaed the documents as part of their investigation into obstruction of justice and were hoping to make McGahn their star witness.
[Kellyanne Conway, Trump Senior Adviser:] It's harassing and embarrassing. Eating fried chicken and acting like fools is not part of the oversight function, the last time I looked.
[Collins:] Republicans are urging Congress to move on.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell , Senate Majority Leader:] We had two years for Mueller to take a look at this. He filed a report. It's on the Internet. Everybody can see it. It's over.
[Collins:] But the gap between them and Democrats is wide, with Democrats still trying to gain access to the full, unredacted Mueller report. Today, staff from the House Judiciary Committee met with Justice Department officials to try to reach an agreement on the matter. But the committee is preparing to hold attorney general Bill Barr in contempt of Congress if he doesn't turn it over. Democrats had a blistering response to McConnell's claim that the case is closed.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer , Senate Minority Leader:] So our leader says, let's move on. It's sort of like Richard Nixon saying, let's move on at the height of the investigation of his wrongdoing.
[Collins:] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump is making his own case for obstruction of justice.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , House Speaker:] Trump is goading us to impeach him. That's what he's doing. Every single day, he's just like, taunting, taunting, taunting, because he knows that it would be very divisive in the country. But he doesn't really care. He just wants to solidify his base.
[Christopher Wray, Fbi Director:] I'm honored to be here today.
[Collins:] And today the FBI director breaking with the attorney general.
[William Barr, Attorney General Nominee:] Yes, I think spying did occur.
[Collins:] Chris Wray telling lawmakers he doesn't agree with Bill Barr's use of the word "spying."
[Wray:] Well, that's not the term I would use. Look, there are lots of people that have different colloquial phrases. I believe that the FBI is engaged in investigative activity and part of investigative activity includes surveillance activity of different shapes and sizes and to me the key question is making sure that it's done by the book.
[Collins:] Barr said last month the Trump campaign was spied on during the FBI's investigation into potential collusion with Russia, an assertion Wray said he couldn't back up today.
[Sen. Jeanne Shaheen:] And at this time, do you have any evidence that any illegal surveillance into the campaigns or individuals associated with the campaigns by the FBI occurred?
[Wray:] I don't think I personally have any evidence of that sort.
[Collins:] Now Democrats have not said whether or not they're going to move forward with those proceedings to hold McGahn in contempt of Congress for defining the subpoena. But we're told by source we can expect the former White House counsel to issue a statement on the developments soon Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
[Vause:] Take a short break. A lot more on the looming China-U.S. trade war and the very subtle message coming from China: don't even think about it.

[Ana Cabrera, Cnn:] Thanks for joining me on this Sunday. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. And we begin this hour with new and harrowing milestones in the coronavirus pandemic. At least 140,000 Americans are dead. More than 3.5 million that we know of have been infected and in some of the nation's had hotspots the numbers are especially grim. In Florida, no ICU beds are available at 49 hospitals statewide. Arizona is reporting the highest one-day death count since the pandemic began. And we just learned both Georgia and North Carolina set record daily highs for new cases. The numbers can't be denied. But yet the president continues to push the debunk claim that cases are up because of testing.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Cases are up. Cases are up, many of those cases should even be cases. Cases are up because we have the best testing in the world and we have the most testing. No country has ever done what we have done in terms of testing. We are the envy of the world.
[Cabrera:] Again, the numbers don't lie. In Arizona Saturday a staggering 39 percent of test results came back positive. 39 percent. Other states are also reporting record high positivity rates. Health experts argue the increased rate of infections far outpaces the increased rate of testing. Despite those facts the president is making an astonishing prediction. One we've heard from him before. That this virus is just going to disappear.
[Trump:] I will be right eventually. You know, I said, it's going to disappear. I'll say it again, it's going to disappear and I'll be right.
[Chris Wallace, Fox News:] Does that discredit you?
[Trump:] I don't think so.
[Wallace:] Why?
[Trump:] I don't think. You know why it doesn't? Because I have been right probably more than anybody else.
[Cabrera:] Straight to the White House now and CNN's Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, I just played a couple of moments there from the president's appearance on FOX News this morning. Another claim he made has to do with how much other countries test their citizens, versus the U.S. Give us a fact check.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] That's right, Ana. What we saw from the president in this interview is more of what we more of the same of how we have seen him handle this pandemic from the very beginning. And that is, the president downplaying the threat of the virus and deflecting responsibility for what is going on as well as fighting with the science and the facts. And one of the facts that the president continues to tangle with is this notion that testing is responsible for the surge that we are seeing in the United States when we are not seeing that kind of surge in the European Union, for example. Listen to how the president sees the difference in what's happening.
[Trump:] They're having surges.
[Wallace:] Their surges are 6,000 in the whole European Union.
[Trump:] They don't test. They don't test like we do.
[Wallace:] Is it possible that they don't have the virus as badly as we do?
[Trump:] That's possible that they don't test. That's why it's possible. We find cases and many of those cases heal automatically. We're finding in a way, we're creating trouble. Certainly we're creating trouble for the fake news to come along and say, oh, we have more cases.
[Diamond:] You wanted the fact check, Ana, here it is. Cases are up 194 percent while testing is only up 37 percent. So clearly the rate of positive cases is rising much faster than testing. As it relates to the United States and the European Union, the U.S. is currently experiencing a positivity test rate for coronavirus of nearly 9 percent, compare that to European Union countries, most of them are under the recommended 5 percent positivity test rate Ana.
[Cabrera:] We know the president really wants to reopen the country. That perhaps is one of the reasons he keeps on trying to downplay the coronavirus. And a lot of Americans are wondering about this because their concern about their financial situation, Jeremy, is more help on the way in terms of stimulus payments? What do you know?
[Diamond:] Well, there have been informal conversations between the White House and lawmakers on Capitol Hill for the last couple of months and the last few weeks in particular. But the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said today in an interview that tomorrow those discussions between the White House and in particular Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill will begin in earnest. Now the question is what will be included in this bill. It's expected to have roughly $1 trillion price tag based on what Republicans are at least looking at. But even between Republicans on Capitol Hill and Republicans at the White House, before they even get to the part where they're negotiating with Democrats, there have already been some disagreements, one of them in particular is over the question of whether or not to add funding to the CDC. The White House somehow is arguing that there should not be additional funding for the CDC. That's a position that's opposed by many Senate Republicans. This bill is also going to have some economic components to it as well. At least that's the expectation. It will have some protections for businesses. That is one thing that the White House is looking for and that President Trump in particular has talked about. And Democrats are also looking to add those to get those unemployment benefits, the supplemental unemployment benefits for Americans amid coronavirus to have those extended. They are expected to expire soon. So that is something that lawmakers are looking to have included in this next relief package Ana.
[Cabrera:] Nothing obviously a done deal yet. Jeremy Diamond, at the White House, thank you. Today, Florida reported another 12,000 new COVID-19 cases. It's the fourth time Florida has reported such high numbers. And as we also learned, 49 hospitals statewide have no ICU beds available right now. CNN's Randi Kaye is in West Palm Beach, Florida. Randi, we know the governor still refuses to issue a mask mandate, but the numbers aren't heading in the right direction, and it's not because we're testing more.
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] No, absolutely not. We know that nationally and also as well here in the state of Florida, as you mentioned, more than 12,000 new cases, 12,478 new cases in the last 24 hours. That brings the total to more than 350,000 cases statewide. Also another 87,000 deaths so we're looking at just under 5,000 deaths statewide here in Florida. This is also the fourth day this month, and since the pandemic began, that we've seen more than 12,000 new cases in a single day. So the numbers are certainly alarming. Statewide, Ana, 9300 people hospitalized across Florida. In Miami-Dade, one of the hardest hit counties certainly here in southern Florida, ICU capacity at 127 percent. They have zero ICU beds left and they are in such demand that they are now converting regular hospital beds to ICU beds. In fact, more than 2,000 people are now hospitalized in Miami-Dade County, 507 patients in ICU beds, and 286 patients requiring ventilators. So certainly a lot of concern there. But statewide as you said also, 49 hospitals now at last check without any ICU beds, Ana. So the numbers are not good, but they are getting some Remdesivir here in the state of Florida. We know that does help COVID-19 patients so they are bringing that in, 30,000 vials apparently, in the next few hours, going directly to the hospitals. The governor said he went straight to the White House. He knew that we needed it. And he does hope that it could help and possibly save 5,000 to 6,000 patients here in the state, Ana.
[Cabrera:] Right. That's one of the only proven treatments right now. Randi Kaye, thank you for that update. The president also made another misleading claim in his interview with FOX News. This one is about the mortality rate. Listen.
[Trump:] I heard we have one of the lowest, maybe the lowest mortality rate anywhere in the world. Do you have the numbers, please? Because I heard we had the best mortality rate.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] Sir, this
[Trump:] Number one low mortality rate. I hope you show this on air because it shows what fake news is all about.
[Wallace:] OK. I don't think I'm fake news, but we'll put up
[Trump:] Well, yes, you are.
[Wallace:] We'll put our stats on.
[Trump:] You said we had the worst mortality rate in the world, and we had the best.
[Wallace:] I said we had
[Cabrera:] With us now is the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, Dr. Ashish Jha. Doctor, great to have you with us on this Sunday. What do we know about the mortality rate in the U.S. right now? And how does it compare to other countries?
[Dr. Ashish Jha, Director, Harvard Global Health Institute:] Yes, thank you for having me on. Mortality rate is a bit of a funny statistic. So let's talk about what most public health experts actually track. I mean, certainly we've had more Americans die of this disease than any other country. Even if you do, Ana, per capita basis, you know, just based on the fact that we are a bigger country, we still have one of the highest numbers of deaths. You know, I think what the president may be alluding to is number of deaths over number of cases. And that's actually a hugely misleading statistic because when you get a massive outbreak like what we're having in the south right now, your cases go way up. Deaths tend to lag and your mortality starts looking better in the short run. So nobody tracks short-term mortality rate because it can be very, very misleading. If the question is on a per capita basis, how's America doing in terms of deaths, the answer is well, we are one of the worst in the world.
[Cabrera:] OK. Those are the facts. Thank you for all of that. This weekend, the CDC updated some guidance for self-isolation if you test positive saying you don't need to isolate more than 10 days if symptoms have improved and you don't have a fever for at least 24 hours. This at least sounds like some good news, especially when you think people may not have to take off a full two weeks of work.
[Jha:] Yes, look, I think we're learning a lot about the virus. I think that's an important update. I have looked at the underlying data behind their new recommendations and what we find is that a vast majority of people stopped shedding the virus by about 10 days after their symptoms, especially if they've stopped having fevers. So I like that update on the recommendation. It does make it a little bit shorter. I will add one caveat which they acknowledged, too, which is if you are going to be working in a high risk situation, so if you work in a nursing home or if you're a health care worker taking care of patients, you should probably continue a slightly longer duration of isolation because a small percentage of people will continue shedding virus and obviously if you are in a high risk situation, we really can't afford that. But for most people I think that's probably right.
[Cabrera:] This is another update because we heard the White House testing czar say this week you don't need to repeat tests if you've tested positive for COVID-19 saying the two negative test standard is no longer needed. One, do you agree, and two, can that make a difference now with the testing shortcomings here in the U.S.?
[Jha:] Yes, so we really have a pretty substantial shortcoming of our testing. So we are starting to ration and we're trying to figure out where can we cut back on testing. I think it's reasonable, again, if you're not in a high risk situation, work situation, let's say, it is reasonable that after 10 days of no or after the onset of symptoms, if you want to get back to work, and again, you are not working in a high risk situation, you may not need negative tests. And again, that's just based on the data that we're learning that most people stop being infectious, so I do think it's progress. It should save us a few tests. It's not going to get us out of the testing quagmire that we're in. We will still need to fix it but this could help on the margins.
[Cabrera:] Why do we have a testing quagmire still? And what would fix this?
[Jha:] You know, there is this kind of world view in the White House which baffles every you know, every doctor, every medical expert I know, that they have I think they really believe that more testing is bad for America. And they I don't understand, of course, we know that because of a lack of testing, outbreaks are getting worse. We know that because of a lack of testing, it's going to be hard to get kids back to school. There's all sorts of costs of not having enough testing, but the White House does not seem motivated at all to try to fix it.
[Cabrera:] The conversation about reopening schools obviously is a big one and it continues, it will continue until the fall and there's this new study out of South Korea finds children older than 10 spread as much as adults, but children younger than 10 transmit far less. You called this one of the best studies we've had to date on this issue. What do we need to know?
[Jha:] Yes. So it is a really high quality study. It's large in terms of its sample size. It's carefully done. South Korea does a really terrific job of testing and tracing which is why they have such low numbers of cases. And what they find in this study is that older kids seem to essentially transmit the way adults do. But younger kids do transmit a lot less. Is this the final data point? No. And there have been a lot of other studies that have found similar effects. Some studies have found that even older kids transmit less. I guess I would say two things. One is, we're not sure yet. We're still learning, but I think the data is becoming pretty clear that the young kids really do transmit less and that to me means one more reason to think about how to get younger kids back to school, assuming you are not in a hot zone with wild outbreaks of virus in the community. I think we can really start thinking about is there a safe way to get the young kids back in.
[Cabrera:] OK, Dr. Ashish Jha, that's good news. Thank you for being here. We appreciate it.
[Jha:] Thank you. Thank you.
[Cabrera:] The battle between the governor of Georgia and the mayor of Atlanta just intensified with accusations of racism and sexism, and it couldn't come at a worst time. The state just set a new record in daily cases. We'll take you live to Atlanta next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Whitfield:] President Trump's team has a rebuttal to the Mueller report ready to go, but president's attorney Rudy Giuliani said today on CNN that they won't release it until they have to. Giuliani on the one hand is calling the report an unfair one-sided assessment while also claiming it's a total vindication and exoneration of the president, and today he had this to say about the links between the Trump campaign and Russia detailed in the Mueller report.
[Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's Attorney:] There's nothing wrong with taking information from Russians.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor, "state Of The Union With Jake Tapper":] There's nothing wrong with taking information
[Giuliani:] where it came from. It depends on where it came from. You're assuming that the giving of information is a campaign contribution. Read the report carefully. The report says we can't conclude that because the law is pretty much against that. People get information from this person, that person.
[Tapper:] So you would have accepted information from Russians against against a candidate if you were running in a presidential election?
[Giuliani:] I probably wouldn't. I wasn't asked. I would have advised out of excess of caution don't do it. I'll give you another thing though.
[Tapper:] But you're saying there's nothing wrong with doing that.
[Giuliani:] There's no crime.
[Tapper:] You just said you wouldn't accept help from the Russians
[Giuliani:] I don't know if I would or I wouldn't. The legal advice I would give is out of an excess of caution don't do that but maybe that's informed by what's going on right now and what we've learned since then. The reality is you're picking on a minor point when the major point is he was pursued for years for a false charge, two FBI investigations one with four affidavits for electronic surveillance that turned out to be fraudulent. That's a big crime. Now it turns out he didn't do it.
[Whitfield:] Let's check in with CNN's White House correspondent Boris Sanchez. He's live in West Palm Beach, Florida, near Mar-a-Lago where the president is spending Easter weekend. So, Boris, the president spent this morning you know slamming the report on Twitter and then he was at Easter service, so what about this additional messaging coming from his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, Rudy Giuliani echoing a lot of what we heard from other Trump supporters, Fred, essentially touting the results of the Mueller report, accepting the results of the Mueller report but then refuting the portions of it that they don't like. Giuliani here, making a curious argument. He's essentially saying that no one on the Trump campaign did anything illegal. The president didn't know about anything unethical that may have happened though he acknowledges that certain actions were taken that may be deemed unethical, yet he says that he believes that unethical things happen in all political campaigns. On top of that, Giuliani went after the former White House Counsel Don McGahn. You'll recall, Fred, in a portion of the Mueller report, McGahn told investigators that President Trump effectively told him to get rid of Robert Mueller as special counsel, the president citing certain conflicts of interest that the Department of Justice did not take seriously. McGahn at that point threatened to resign. In this interview, Giuliani effectively says that McGahn's recollection is wrong. He cites different recollection that McGahn had. To be clear, McGahn spoke about those accusations this weekend. He cleared it up saying that he stands by that recollection that he basically threatened to quit if he wanted if President Trump wanted him to carry out that order to fire Robert Mueller. We should also point out that's one instance of an attempt at an obstruction of justice. There are at least 10 in this report, Fred.
[Whitfield:] So, tell us more about, you know, what's unfolding behind the scenes in terms of the president checking on who is loyal, who is with him, et cetera.
[Sanchez:] Right, yes, that's one of the key takeaways from the report. We've learned from sources that President Trump was fuming when he saw depictions coming from former White House officials of an unhinged president, someone who is paranoid and angry and that people weren't following his orders. They were either ignoring them or refusing them all together like we were just discussing with McGahn. So what we've heard is that since the release of the report President Trump has been seeking assurances that people are actually following his commands and doing what he asked to be done as president. Really an interesting dynamic to come from that report, Fred, that so many people basically told the president that they weren't going to do what he was asking because of the danger that it could pose for them.
[Whitfield:] Boris Sanchez, thank you so much. All right, let's talk further. Joining me right now to discuss, CNN's Marshall Cohen who has been closely following the Mueller probe for the past two years, former Obama Homeland Security official and CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem and former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst Shan Wu. Good to see all of you. All right, so Julie, you first, you know your reaction to Giuliani saying it's OK you know for a campaign to get information from Russia.
[Juliette Kayyem, Cnn National Security Analyst:] I mean, it's so shocking at this stage, but I think it's worth saying that it is shocking, and I think it shows the struggle that the Trump White House is going to have, and for that matter all Republicans in defending volume one. I've been making it clear that there's volume one to me is the heart of the matter. It is about the Russia attempts or not even attempts but success during the election, and shows even if it's not conspiracy does show activities between the Trump campaign and even Trump to try to work with and at least grease the runway for the Russians to engage themselves in our campaign. So, remember where we started. There was no contact with Russia. We then move to the contacts they were with the coffee boy, remember that defense. Then contacts didn't matter, right, because they had no influence to now the only defense they have left which Giuliani was clearly put out to say which is the contacts themselves with Russia are OK. Every Republican is going to have to either agree or disagree with that at this stage because that's their only defense to the volume one accusations as compared to the obstruction of justice accusations or list from volume two.
[Whitfield:] And many Democrats are calling for impeachment proceedings to begin. Here's House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler's take.
[Chuck Todd, Msnbc Host, "meet The Press Daily":] Do you think this is impeachable?
[Rep. Jerry Nadler , Chairman, Judiciary Committee:] Yes, I do. I do think that this if proven if proven which hasn't been proven yet. Some of this if proven, some of this would be impeachable, yes.
[Todd:] All right.
[Nadler:] Obstruction of justice if proven would be impeachable.
[Whitfield:] So, Shan, you're among those who say you know obstruction was a slam dunk legally. So what would stand in the way of impeachment proceedings to get underway?
[Shan Wu, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Nothing except the law stands in the way which is whether there is the political will to do it, and I think that Speaker Pelosi and the more senior folks are very well aware of the fact that their jury pool, which is the Senate right now, they don't have the votes on their jury. So I think that's the concern that they have. But legally as a former prosecutor, I certainly think that if you have sufficient evidence that you could have charged criminally, which I believe there was, I think the only reason they didn't charge is because of the Justice Department opinion in existence from the Nixon era, from the Office of Legal Counsel, that says don't charge sitting presidents. But if there's sufficient evidence to charge criminally there would be enough evidence to go forth with the impeachment. I'm not exactly sure what Nadler means says if proven because there's not going to be a proven case in court criminally so I'm not sure what that level would be though.
[Whitfield:] And Congressman Elijah Cummings who is chairman of the House Oversight Committee says this report was a real road map. At the same time he says Congress does not need more information about the president's conduct in other matters. Take a listen.
[Rep. Elijah Cummings , Chairman, Oversight Committee:] I'm not there yet, but I I I can foresee that possibly coming, but, again, the fact is that I think we have to do be very careful here. The American people, a lot of them, clearly still don't believe that President Trump is doing things to destroy our Democracy and has done a lot of things very poorly. And so I think that we need to make sure the Congress has all the information.
[Whitfield:] So, Marshall, you know Congress does have this duty of oversight, and we know that Nadler has, you know, put in a subpoena. He has subpoenaed for the unredacted report. Will that help fill in any blanks to allow them to know how to move forward?
[Marshall Cohen, Cnn Reporter:] Yes. As a journalist I would love to see every single word that's in that report. I'm sure everyone else agrees with that. Whether or not Democrats are going to be successful with this effort will be determined far down the line, and probably if I'm guessing by a federal judge. Some of this stuff in there that was redacted has to be redacted by law, like the grand jury stuff. That didn't really come into play in the obstruction portion, but the first volume on collusion, potential collusion, did have stuff redacted on the grand jury. A federal judge could lift those redactions, but it's going to take time, and whether or not they get it, you know, that's that's not a sure thing.
[Whitfield:] Yes, in terms of the next year and a half.
[Cohen:] Right.
[Whitfield:] You're talking. OK. So, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, he's had a lot of thoughts this morning. He also said today, you know, he plans to call former White House Counsel Don McGahn to testify before the committee. Meanwhile the president's attorney, Giuliani, says the former White House Counsel McGahn has other questions he needs to answer.
[Tapper:] Are you suggesting that McGahn is lying?
[Giuliani:] No. I'm telling you he's confused. He gave three different version and the special prosecutors
[Whitfield:] So, Shan, what does Congress want to know from McGahn?
[Wu:] I think they want to, first, try to ask him some clear questions to go over what's already in the Mueller report and then, second of all, I think they want to have him expand on the context of what was his impression of what the president was asking him to do, why did he refuse to do it, and I think that's going to shed a lot of light, not very favorable light, upon the president's actions. And
[Whitfield:] I mean, he would have to further explain what's already in the report which is, you know, he didn't feel that that was the right thing to do, wasn't the legal thing to do. He would need to elaborate on that impulse.
[Wu:] If I were the one doing the questioning, absolutely. I would want him to elaborate on that and to fully explain, what are your concerns? You know, what's not legal about that. It's one thing to conclude that what looked like the Saturday Night massacre. It's another thing to explain what's in his mind because I think what was in his mind was that's committing obstruction of justice, and for him to say that that's going to be very, very negative for the president.
[Whitfield:] And, Juliette, Giuliani says the rebuttal to this Mueller report you know if it's going to be released. And if there really is one, he does say that it's ready to go but they are waiting for the right timing. What would that be timing isn't this right now on display sort of a rebuttal and the president's tweets and all that?
[Kayyem:] Absolutely. And and, you know, this is this is the scorched earth rebuttal. It's Trump saying some things, Giuliani saying another. We love Mueller. We hate Mueller, but it's to obfuscate or to sort of confuse viewer who is not watching it or reading it as much as we are that the facts are unclear. So let's just make it clear here. In volume one and volume two the facts are not in dispute. What is in dispute is the legal conclusions from those facts, whether there was collusion with the Russian or whether there was in fact obstruction of justice or because he was the president based on the OLC memo that they could not prosecute him. So I think that their strategy has got to be done to confuse people about the facts and just going back to my first point which I made you know just volume one issue, the Russia issue. There's no defense to it because the White House doesn't seem is able to sort of ignore the facts in volume one which is they just did have all of these contacts with the Russians that they lied about over years. And so I think that's going to be they are just going to go after the facts and then, of course, the witnesses because reality is just not on their side at this stage.
[Whitfield:] Except the White House likes that you know there's no collusion is what the White House wants to stick with, you know, on the Russia involvement, and doesn't seem to be very distracted, nor concerned about all the evidence of possible obstruction.
[Wu:] I think it's really important that distinction that was just made about the legal versus the factual. They are trying hard to blur up the facts, and they are worried about that, but it's real important to remember that this was an exercise of prosecutorial judgement, discretion. A different prosecutor, different department might have come out differently on this. Because it was a big legal decision for Mueller to decide not to charge on the first of all, not to charge because he could have said I would charge but for the OLC opinion. And then second of all for him to decide not to reach a conclusion on obstruction. Those are exercises of discretion. He was off the beaten path. No one had told him exactly how to do that, so that's a real problem in terms of us understanding what happened, and what the Trump folks want to do, of course, is spin that as a factual fait accompli and the reason that didn't happen is because the facts don't support it. And that's simply wrong.
[Whitfield:] Yes. And Marshall, what's at stake particularly for members of Congress? While there's going to be a conference call tomorrow involving you know Democrats, how to proceed, et cetera. What is at stake for Congress if it doesn't pick up the ball, so to speak, from this Mueller report and do what it is constitutionally, you know, permitted and obligated to do in terms of having all of these facts and then following through with it? If it does nothing, what's at stake for Congress?
[Cohen:] Well, as Shan pointed out, impeachment is a calculation. It's a political calculation, right? If the Democratic leadership, if Nancy Pelosi and the others thought that impeaching Trump would help them next year in 2020, help them maybe recapture the Senate, they would be rushing to do it right now. You would have heard everyone this morning on all the shows saying I'm for it. Let's do it. We're starting tomorrow. Clearly, impeachment is political. It's not a criminal trial. It's a political endeavor. The political calculation appears to have been made, although there are some cracks, Elizabeth Warren right out there on the trail saying that she's for it. Maybe there will be more splintering, Fred.
[Whitfield:] Right. We shall see. Go ahead, Julie, real quick.
[Kayyem:] I just wanted to add to Marshall's. I think one of the things that's changed for a lot of national security folks, I've changed my mind about impeachment over the last 72 hours has certainly been that it's also a security decision given what Giuliani said today. We just have the no assurances that this group won't do it again or other other people won't do it again. The Russians are empowered by what Giuliani said today, what Trump is saying on Twitter, and that to me makes it not just political but also just thinking about the security aspects and why more cautious people seem to be like myself for honestly a little bit, you know, much more accepting of the impeachment process than I was even last Wednesday.
[Whitfield:] All right, Shan Wu, Juliette Kayyem, Marshall Cohen, good to see all of you. Thank you.
[Wu:] Good to see you, Fred.
[Kayyem:] Thank you.
[Whitfield:] We'll be right back.

[Holmes:] Welcome back. China's tough new ban on most foreign visitors kicks in today. The government tries to keep out what they call imported coronavirus cases. Only foreign nationals who were granted visas after March 26th will be allowed entry. Officials say people who traveled into the country from abroad account for all 54 of the new cases reported on Friday. The government reported 3 additional deaths from the disease, by the way, taking the country's death toll to nearly 3300; the official death toll, anyways. CNN's Will Ripley watching developments today, joining me now from Tokyo. An uptick in the number of cases there in Japan. Give us a sense of why that might be?
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] I think it is a symptom of what we are seeing around the world. As more countries start testing more people, they find more cases. Here in Japan, they're testing a tiny fraction of other countries.
[Ripley:] They've only tested 27,000 people in the entire coronavirus crisis as of Friday, compare that with the United States or South Korea, certainly China and you can understand why Japan has a low number of confirmed cases. On the Diamond Princess cruise ship, it's more than 2000 but the government has pointed at that case number for a reason why there's not a need for a state of emergency. Now just after the postponement of the Olympics, the government's tone is drastically changing. They're seeing an uptick in cases, particularly here in Tokyo. And the governor of Tokyo is saying that a lockdown of the city may be necessary in the coming days if they continue to see cases accelerated as they have been.
[Holmes:] Very quickly, why the change in tone? Is there a sense that perhaps the postponement of the Olympics and the change in tone, perhaps, might be connected?
[Ripley:] There are certainly talking Japanese media. Some are speculating that the government wanted to make things look like they were just fine on the ground pre-Olympic postponement and, now all of a sudden, they are striking a much more serious tone. Or it could be a coincidence. It could be a matter of timing. But I do know this, we are hearing more and more cases, parks are starting to close after people were ignoring social distancing guidelines, they were out viewing cherry blossoms earlier this week. Some major department stores are closing, a lot of tourist hot spots are now empty, we are also learning that this is affecting U.S. service members here in Japan as well. At the naval base, it is now in a modified lockdown after 2 sailors tested positive for coronavirus. That makes 3 active duty service members who have tested positive here in Japan.
[Holmes:] Confined to base. Will, good to see you, thank you so, much Will Ripley, appreciate it. From the dark clouds of the coronavirus outbreak, perhaps a couple of rays of light. How this school choir and many others are trying to brighten the day amidst the pandemic. We'll have that when we come back.

[King:] It seemed like a miracle, or at least a piece of extraordinary good luck, an offer to write for a new online publication not long after losing his job because of the coronavirus. Aspiring writer, Jack Delaney, jumped at the opportunity, not knowing he was being used, according to the FBI, in a new Russia propaganda operation aimed at interfering in the 2020 election. CNN business reporter, Donie O'Sullivan, is here with the details. It's literally feels like a spy novel.
[Donie O'sullivan, Cnn Business Reporter:] Hey, John. Yes, that's right, it does. Jack Delaney was over the moon when he heard from an editor from what looked like an independent and legitimate left-wing news Web site. But all was not what it appeared to be. Have a listen.
[Jack Delaney, Freelance Journalist:] The message was, you know, saying, hey, we like your work. We've seen your work before. Would you like to write for us? Would you like to be a part of our publication? We can offer you about 200, 250 per article. And at that time I was like, sound like a food opportunity for me. I can make money, get my work published.
[O'sullivan:] It must be quite surreal to hear about this and say, oh, my god, I'm am I part of a Russian disinformation campaign?
[Delaney:] Yes. Totally surreal. I was completely unwittingly doing it. I had no idea they were linked to the Kremlin or anything. You know, obviously, if I had known, wouldn't have done that. But, you know, I mean, it seemed like it seemed legitimate from what I saw. I'm obviously no fan of Putin or Russian government. So it's it was concerning. Obviously, you know, I I don't want to have any association with an authoritarian regime. So it was it was I can't put it in any other words, like it was one of the strangest experiences of my life.
[O'sullivan:] And you might wonder, John, you know, why would Russia go to the trouble of doing this. It's all about adding fuel to the fire and inflaming existing divisions here in the United States, using real unwitting Americans to make it seem all the more credible. This particular Web site, it was a left-wing Web site. And it was using the sort of tactics that we saw the Russian troll group use in 2016, which was essentially trying to split the Democratic vote, attacking Joe Biden, Kamala Harris from the left, accusing them being basically too conservative to be Democrats. For its part, the people behind this Web site posted an anonymous post after Facebook and the FBI revealed this earlier this week denying that they were Russian trolls. The Russian government has not yet responded to this. But, John, as we know from U.S. intelligence officials here in Washington, Russia is trying to interfere in this year's election. And they are using social media to do it. And this is just one of the examples of the tactics that they are using.
[King:] Donie O'Sullivan, as always, grateful for the reporting. Very important that we keep reminding people of what's happening out there. And Facebook says it's working harder this election cycle to identify foreign actors and remove or flag misleading information. The CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, says the social media giant now also working to stop the spread of misinformation about the voting process and the integrity of that process. Because, with a surge in mail-in voting, it could take several days to fully count ballots.
[Mark Zuckerberg, Ceo, Facebook:] There's, unfortunately, I think, a heightened risk of civil unrest in the period, you know, between between voting and a result being called or after that. And I just think that we need to be doing everything that we can to reduce the chances of violence or civil unrest in the wake of this election.
[King:] Still, there are many critics who say Facebook simply isn't doing enough. Joining us now is Nick Clegg, the vice president of global affairs and communications at Facebook. Mr. Clegg, grateful for your time. Let me pick up where Donie O'Sullivan was talking, first, about this tip from the FBI about this Russian group that was pretending to be a left-wing media site essentially. Can you talk to me about without, you know, taking us too far behind the curtain. I know there's sensitive intelligence matters involved. Is there communication with the FBI and other law enforcement officials about foreign interference, is it far superior now than it was four years ago?
[Nick Clegg, Vice President Of Global Affairs & Communications, Facebook:] Yes, I think it's transformed out of all recognition. In 2016, Facebook didn't remove a single foreign network seeking to interfere in elections, both in the U.S. and elsewhere. Over the last two to three years, we've removed about 100, about 12 of those related to Russian organizations, including the IRA, the one that was involved that was in Donie's piece earlier. And we I think the the thing that is really equally transformative is that we work hand in glove with other with other tech companies in the same sector so we share intelligence, we share data. And so because, you know, almost always these kinds of interference network don't play out on Facebook. They play out on Twitter as well and YouTube and so on. And so the level of cooperation across the industry, the scale of things that we're blocking. And just to give you an example of how we're getting better and better at getting these and identifying and removing these networks earlier, I think in the case of the network that was just described in your piece, the English-speaking page, I think had only about 200 followers. So it had almost no meaningful impact whatsoever because we were able to get at it early. But it doesn't mean, that, you know, we're complacent. And it doesn't mean that there aren't attempts being made that ourselves, intelligence services and other parts of the industry are not yet aware of. But the level of cooperation and the amount of the resources going into it. I mean, Facebook is a company, over the last year or so, that now spends new invests billions of dollars into integrity security, not least to safeguard the integrity of our elections. To the amount, the amount that is now invested, and that's about slightly more than the total revenues of the company when it was floated back in 2012. So that shows a huge shift in resources and technology, personnel and efforts to do a lot, lot better this time than happened in 2016.
[King:] Let's try to go through some of this. We heard Mark Zuckerberg talking about the fear of civil unrest if we have a delay between Election Day and certified results. A lot of that fear is a lot of people in the town I work in, Washington, is that the president of the United States will declare victory on election night if he's leading in the vote in some states but they haven't counted millions of mail-in ballots and it could be some time.
[Clegg:] Right.
[King:] If the president of the United States, if he is the one spreading misinformation, if he says, I have won the election, stop counting ballots, it is a rigged system, what will Facebook do?
[Clegg:] So, firstly, what we are going to do is, starting very soon, at the top of the feed, millions of Americans will see on an almost daily basis huge amounts of very granular detail of the voter information center, not only explaining exactly the deadlines for mail-in ballots, when to fill them, when they have to send them, when they have to be received. Because as you know, the rules differ from state to state and county to county. But crucially, also, seeking to accustom American voters through the voter information center at the top of their feeds, in Instagram, as well, to the idea that they will not take the results soon. It might take weeks, days. It might take weeks. But there is going to be a significant time lag
[King:] But will you Will you Will you block the president? Will you block the president? Will you block the president? Take his content down, knock it down, forbid it, if it is wrong and misleading?
[Clegg:] We'll do something very specific. If Donald Trump or anybody prematurely declares victory, we'll put a prominent label on the post, no one can miss it. You can't read the post without reading that label. Saying that that's declaration is premature. And that we will provide people with the real result. We're working with Reuters and others to make sure that our users, that our platform are not susceptible to people declaring victory without that being labeled and get the result when it's fully certified.
[King:] There's been there's a new policy announced that you can't launch a political ad in the final week of a campaign. Facebook is not going to allow that because you know think there's enough time for people to fact-check it and the like. But if I buy the ad 10 days before the campaign, it is OK. The current policy implies I'll call you a reform politician. You know how this works. You know what it's like to be on the end. So if Nick Clegg is running for office, and he's a working-class guy, he's the candidate of the working people. If I, in the last week of a campaign, I buy an ad. But 10 days out, I can buy an ad that says Nick Clegg is lying to you, he's on the take of the billionaires, he drives out to the countryside on the weekend and shoots bunny rabbits. Why would that not be taken down as false, no matter when I buy it?
[Clegg:] So, look, the reason we have put the guardrails in and by the way, they're part of a sort of bunch, about 10 ten extra measures, including a tightening of voter suppression policies that will lead to more posts being taken down. We have taken, by the way, a number of posts down from the president himself, not least and just recently, last month, about a post about COVID, which we have taken down. So we remove content when
[King:] But people see forgive me for interrupting. Forgive me for interrupting. But people see a double standard there actually. But you mentioned that point. And good for Facebook. The president said something that's not true about COVID and children whether or not children So you take down the medical information, which is good. But political junk can stay up. Why? Seems like a double standard. If it is not true, it is not true.
[Clegg:] Let me explain. Let me explain. Let me try to explain why that's not a double standard. We take stuff down where we think there's a very clear and imminent harm to people. Around COVID where we feel that information will lead to people being believing that COVID is not serious or a hoax. Or in the case of voting, if there's a clear falsehood about where, when and how to vote, which will lead to people forfeiting their right to vote. What we do not eliminate, but in some cases, we do, if it is from PACs, super-PACs. We fact-check it. Or in other cases, we will label a post from Donald Trump just yesterday, about mail-in voting. In those other cases, we don't want to eliminate I don't think anyone wants us to eliminate legitimate, often aggressive, hyperbolic debate about different voting methods. That's happen it is as old as the hills in America and elsewhere. We cannot, as a private company by the way, not a single tech company I'm aware of fact-checks or vets politician speech at scale with any precision. No one does for the simple reason, all politicians exaggerate their own virtues and exaggerate the vices of their own opponents. All politicians indulge in caricature, hyperbole, exaggerations and selective facts. The idea that a private company can vet everything that comes out of a politician's mouth as absolutely gospel accuracy is not something that any tech company has tried. We, on the other hand, have removed a huge amount of content where it poses real harm. We have 70 fact-checkers around the world who fact- check, not politicians themselves but a lot of political organizations. And we put these new guardrails in place at the very end of the campaign so no one can run an ad which hijacks the whole campaign unchallenged at the very last minute.
[King:] Nick Clegg, appreciate your time today. I hope you'll come back. This is going to be an issue obviously for the election. And a lot of people kicking the tires. And we'll give you a platform to explain it. And we may kick back a little bit, too, as we go through. But that is part of the process. Appreciate your time, sir.
[Clegg:] It is.
[King:] Thank you.
[Clegg:] Thank you.
[King:] Thank you very much. And before we go to break, more than one million people in Africa have been infected with the coronavirus. And experts warn that number might be much higher because of low testing and a struggling health care system. Anderson Cooper tells us what three "CNN Heroes" are doing to slow the spread of the virus across Africa.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Host:] These "CNN Heroes" are hard at work, temporarily transforming a business to provide and push for safety measures in Ethiopia.
[Unidentified "cnn Hero":] We have produced over 50,000 clothes masks to help out the most vulnerable women and children in our community. And I speak out to the need to wear mask and social distance.
[Cooper:] Bringing medical care and crucial awareness to remote areas of Kenya.
[Unidentified "cnn Hero":] There's a lot of misinformation that it's a disease that's not going to come all the way to the rural areas. Information sharing is a number one key. We set up all the billboards on the entry ways covering the messaging around COVID-19.
[Cooper:] And providing supplies and protective gear to those that need it most in Cameroon.
[Unidentified "cnn Hero":] We focus today, International Express Coalition, due to the crisis in Cameroon. We focus to orphanage. And I hope this will reduces the number of people that die due to coronavirus. That's my dream.
[King:] That's remarkable work. For more details on the work these heroes are doing, go to CNN heroes.com.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] All right. We got special coverage for you. Multiple breaking stories on our watch, tonight. You got this monster hurricane, Laura. You got unrest over police shootings. You've got the coronavirus death toll, now, nearing 180,000 while, at the Republican National Convention, they're saying the pandemic is over, essentially. All going on during the convention but certainly on the watch of this president who wants your vote.
[Don Lemon, Cnn Anchor:] And don't forget, you got NBA players saying, you know what, we're not going to play in the playoffs. We've got a lot going on. We're tracking all of it and especially, we are tracking Hurricane Laura. All night. The dangerous category 4 storm. Look at your screen now. It is barreling toward the Gulf Coast. Up to 150-mile-per-hour winds. Here's what the National Weather Center is warning of. OK? And I quote here. Pay attention. "Unsurvivable" storm surge. More than 4 million people are in this hurricane's path. Landfall getting closer and closer and closer, Chris. And CNN is on the ground covering all of this for you. It's happening, right now, as we're on the air. We're going to take you through it.
[Cuomo:] Yes. We'll be keeping up, on our watch, with what's happening with Laura and this breaking news of what's happening on our watch in Kenosha after the police shooting of another Black man, Jacob Blake. But the story is, now, bigger than that because you now have this second set of shootings, allegedly, by white militia people, who may have been getting comfort from the police, not for the shooting but for their presence. One of them actually walked down the street, towards the police, after the shootings.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] With hands raised but with a long gun across his chest. And they just drove right by.
[Lemon:] Well, we got let's show this because we have a this is what it shows. The social media accounts believed to be from the suspect in last night's shooting that left, as you said, two people dead, another injured. Look it. That's him on your screen. It shows 17-year-old white teen who posted about guns.
[Cuomo:] "4doorsmorewhores."
[Lemon:] Yes. Well, there you go. Again, and he posted about his support for police, posting, Chris, about his support for President Trump. Social media revealing that he attended a Trump rally. This was back in January. And then, this is the thing that we have been talking about because there is this new video that is out. Now it's believed to be from the suspect's Snapchat account, places him at the protests in Kenosha, last night, Chris.
[Cuomo:] Yes. All of that, coming as the vice president looked very earnest, into the camera, and said, Joe Biden doesn't want to talk about what is happening on our streets. Well, he didn't mention this. Is it because it's one of his supporters? Is it because he is white? Or is it because, even though it is happening on his watch, he has no answer for this division? And nothing about Jacob Blake, either, who is now paralyzed from the waist down, or the protesters, who were shot to death last night. But he did bring up that the riots, as if they were the problem, not a symptom of a problem that he still refuses to acknowledge. And, in fact, says doesn't exist. There is no systemic racism in America.
[Lemon:] And every single one of them have been critical of the former Vice President Joe Biden, saying that he hasn't mentioned, you know, about what's happening in American cities and the rioting and the unrest, that he hasn't mentioned it. He he has mentioned it. Again, today, putting out more of a message, which we encouraged him to do on this very program last night. But you can't be hypocritical and say, well, the former vice president didn't mention it during the Democratic convention last week. And then, you don't do it at at as well and you are the current vice president? Hypocrisy, at its finest. So let's let's talk more about this Hurricane Laura. Just making landfall in southwestern Louisiana, Chris. So that's very important. And that's where we'll find CNN's Martin Savidge. Just across the border from Beaumont, Texas, right now. He is in Lake Charles and there oh. What do you have, Martin? What's going on? OK. So listen. We lost we lost the IFB. Martin, did we get it back?
[Martin Savidge, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes, you did. We got it back.
[Lemon:] What you got? What you got?
[Savidge:] So this is probably the last time we're going to be down here. But it's always a challenge in the night to try to show you what this storm is doing. So take a look at where I am. And now, we can ask Stuart to sort of pan the camera off into the parking lot here. And that's really where you get a sense of the volume of water and the amount of wind load that is blasting across the landscape here. And again, we are in a sheltered area so we're not getting the full blast of this storm. But the eyewall's really close to us now. You can tell that you can hear a lot of things banging around in the darkness. And we've had the power go off and on. They say it never goes out here. We'll see. Tonight is really going to be a test. But you know, this storm is clearly roaring. And you're reaching that critical moment here. For anybody who is hunkered inside their home, you have a dual worry here. It's, of course, the wind. But it's the storm surge is the other one you've got to worry about. Plus, the tremendous volume of rain that's now falling down. You know, we have slight damage on the property here. But in the exposed areas, especially right down at the coast, they would be getting hammered by all of this. And it's going to continue for some time now. But the blast does sting. It's hard to stay standing and it's definitely a lot of wind and rain that is coming down. It's going to continue like this for the next hour to two here. In fact, I think I'm going to get out of it and send it back to the two of you.
[Lemon:] I got to say, Martin, keep walking. We'll keep the shot up as we talk about this, Chris. You we've both been in these situations. And you know, right now, once it starts to make landfall, this is just the beginning. And something that you have never heard, I've never heard and I'm sure Martin Savidge and our meteorologist who we're going to get to never heard, "unsurvivable" storm surge surges.
[Cuomo:] Yes. I mean, look, they were trying to encourage evacuation. And, look, you know, growing up there, you know. People, when they're not in that lifestyle, they are like, why would you not leave? People are afraid they won't be able to get back. People don't have places to go. They don't have money.
[Lemon:] You got COVID this time.
[Cuomo:] And now, you got COVID. People are afraid of it. And you know, the vice president, tonight, said we're in a time of testing. Yes, but we don't have the tests. During this time of testing, we don't have the rapid tests so that people, like your family down in Baton Rouge, can have the confidence that they'd be able to get quick feedback about where they're going and if they're
[Lemon:] Who wants to go to a shelter when you may become exposed to a deadly virus?
[Cuomo:] So the idea the pandemic is over, no, it's actually affecting people's choices, in real time. But we got to say. You know, Martin Savidge has preternatural calm in that situation. This shot from his photographer that they're working with, this is the perfect shot. Look at the wind through the light. And that is what is going to change the surrounding there, even in somewhat of a sheltered area. Don't let his calm belie a sense of calm in the situation. You know, it takes a real seasoned pro to be that calm in that kind of situation. And that shot really shows, even on the outer bounds of a storm, does not mean you're out of trouble and often the duration is longer in the outer bands.
[Lemon:] Hey, real quick before we get to Tom Sater. I know that Martin is there because I hear him talking. Martin, can you still hear me?
[Savidge:] Yes, I'm here. Yes, I can.
[Lemon:] Even in just the couple of minutes that we've had you on the air here, have you noticed the winds pick up in just that small amount of time?
[Savidge:] Oh, yes. No, no, it's I mean, with every gust that you get, you can tell that it's much more violent. You can actually sense it. And you guys know all of this. You've been out here. But you feel the pressure, which is the indication that a big blow is coming. So it's sort of a the whole body senses this storm. And then comes a huge blast. And then, you see the trees bend and snap. And just to watch that water go by the lights. That's why we had to come up here. Most of the area around us is black. So it's clear, you've been watching transformers blow. And you've been watching sort of the electrical grid around us begin to dissolve, hopefully, just temporarily. But it has stayed on here, which is that's what gives you this tremendous view. Otherwise, you would be in the dark. And that's what's terrifying about these storms. If you can't see it and all you can do is hear it, your mind goes to its darkest and worst places. The visual isn't too far from that, either. This is why you need to leave. Of course, you can't now. But it's a stunning thing to watch.
[Lemon:] Hey, Martin. I want you to stand by. Chris, as we keep Martin and this shot up, what do you say we bring our meteorologist in?
[Cuomo:] Tom Sater. He is in the Weather Center.
[Lemon:] Tom, I want you to stand by because we've got Martin Savidge who is there, on the ground. We got Tom giving us the deal here. He's the expert. But I also want to get back to the ground. Chris, help me out with this and bring in the storm chaser who is out there tonight, and that is
[Cuomo:] Aaron Jayjack.
[Lemon:] He joins us now. He's a MyRadar Storm Chaser in Sulphur, Louisiana. Aaron, you're familiar to both of us here. You're in Sulphur. What's the play? What's up?
[Aaron Jayjack, Myradar Storm Chaser:] It's a big-time storm's coming through right now in Sulphur. We've been getting battered. Hurricane force winds now for probably the last hour, at least. I was up on the fourth floor of this hotel and it's a very harrowing ride up there on the fourth floor. So I'm down here on the ground level. Behind me, here, you can see power flashes going off. Power's already out here in Sulphur. It's only going to get worse. We're not even in the worst of it, yet.
[Cuomo:] What have you been seeing in terms of what you have been posting tonight?
[Jayjack:] Mostly, it's been a lot of strong winds and rain. I don't think the winds have gotten quite that strong, yet. Where the damage is happening but those winds are just a few miles out. And it's really starting to roar out there. Just a few miles, now, to my south. Coming this way. The eye's already made its way on shore. It's moving toward Sulphur here. We're about 30 miles inland. So it's quite a ways inland. So it takes a little bit once it crosses shore to get here but it's going to be a wild night, tonight.
[Lemon:] Storm surge. Anything you can tell us about it?
[Jayjack:] I haven't seen any surge here, yet. But I talked to some folks earlier today, talked to some sheriffs and they were referencing Rita and whatnot. And I was trying to do some recon about the surge so I could simply ride this out. And they're saying the surge hasn't really come up here in the past, with past hurricanes. But this is a different you know, every hurricane's different. This is a different beast right now. This might be the strongest one to hit this location, ever. So you you got to be you got to play it safe. And I've got some options here. I've got the interstate if I have to, I can get up on that. That's pretty well above sea level. I think we're about 60 feet above sea level here in Sulphur. Power flash. I'm not too worried about the surge, here. But there could get, you know, a couple feet of water in the parking lots here and around this area.
[Lemon:] Aaron, be safe. Aaron's out there all the time for these, Chris, and has helped us out many times. But he is showing you the danger and why people should be evacuated and heed the warnings.
[Cuomo:] Right. Look. I mean, it's good to have eyes on the ground. It's just so dangerous. I know he and guys like him and their teams, they're ready for this. But you can only prepare for so much. But it is a valuable service so people can understand what's happening to their communities. And sometimes, it makes it easier for them to evacuate. All right. Let's add to the mix, now. Let's bring in Tony Guillory. He is the jury president of Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana. How are you doing there, sir?
[Tony Guillory, Jury President, Calcasieu Parish, La:] Oh, we fighting this we fighting this hurricane out here. Very big one.
[Cuomo:] What are you seeing, so far, where you are?
[Guillory:] A lot of winds. A lot of big, heavy winds. It is blowing really hard, right now. The building that we are in, you can hear it outside. Sounding like a train is coming.
[Cuomo:] Were you able to get the people out and get people to safety that you needed to? What do you know about who got out and who stayed?
[Guillory:] We called a mandatory evacuation, yesterday. Most of the people got out. But a lot of 'em did not. We, also, had a bus bringing them to another area in Louisiana for their safety. But some people did not get out. They're we are getting calls in today tonight, I mean we're getting calls in, saying people that are out there. So there are some people still out there.
[Lemon:] It's too late now, though, Tony, right?
[Guillory:] It's too late. It's too late. Only thing we can tell them is find a place in their house where they could go to a good safety place.
[Lemon:] Tony, let me ask you because I know COVID is a big concern. Did you get a lot of people and I know Calcasieu Parish is vulnerable for hurricanes, all the time, any sort of storm. Were people concerned about COVID or going to shelters and any of that?
[Guillory:] Yes. We're doing on the bus, they only allow like 30 on the bus. The bus will seat 50 but they will space them out. So we were looking at COVID concerns, also, in that. Over here, in the building, everybody's walking around with their mask on. So that's one big thing also because Louisiana was high at one time for
[Covid. Lemon:] Wow. Tony Guillory, thank you, sir.
[Guillory:] Thank you, all, for everything you do. Thank you all.
[Lemon:] We really appreciate you joining us. Be safe.
[Cuomo:] Also, as you figure out what you need there, Mr. Guillory, know that if it's on our watch for the next hour or so, we're here and for days to come. What you need, let us know; we can get word out. OK?
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Guillory:] Thank you all. Thank you.
[Lemon:] Here we are, Chris. Monster Hurricane. We've got unrest in Wisconsin. Unrest in the Midwest. A deadly pandemic. All of that, hanging over the third night of the Republican convention. A night full of misleading claims. It's fact-check time. It's a very serious time in this country and we've got to fact check it. We're going to do it all for you, next. Don't go anywhere.

[Quest:] Hello, I'm Richard Quest. There's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for you in just a moment. The European economy commissioner will be here talking about Apple, and how it's had a victory over the Commission on Taxation in Ireland. And the Mayor of Chicago joins us, keeping her city safe in an era of COVID when there are dangers from states and regions all around, just how far can you actually go? All of that is still to come. This is CNN, and on this network, the news always comes first. President Trump says trade advisor Peter Navarro was wrong for writing an op-ed, criticizing the country's top infectious disease expert. He insisted that they all on the same team. The White House has told CNN that Navarro was told to deescalate tensions with Dr. Fauci before releasing the article on Tuesday. Walmart will require all customers at its U.S. stores to a facemask starting from next week. It says it will enforce the policy by stationing employees called "health ambassadors" near entrances. Walmart is now the biggest retailer to mandate facial coverings as, yes, Coronavirus has continued to rise. A law enforcement source says a man found dismembered in his New York apartment was Fahim Saleh, the head of a Nigerian ride hail company. Saleh's assistant found his remains partially bagged up at the luxury address. They say surveillance footage shows a suspect dressed in black entering an elevator with Saleh. In the market, Apple shares were hurt after the general court of the European Union ruled that the aid given by Ireland was not illegal, and that Apple did not have to repay $13 billion as previously been ruled. Now, of course, the commissioner says it is looking to see whether it will appeal to the highest court. However, that is still to be determined. It's a big blow to the commission, which had worked to crack down on U.S. tech companies. I spoke to the European Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni, who told me the ruling doesn't take away from the fact big tech still pays too little taxes.
[Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner For Economy:] This ruling is going against our decisions. I would say that this is not canceling the problem, because the problem in a nut is very simple. Apple, a giant, is having profits for 16, 17 billion per year and paying taxes for 50 million. So, it's less than one percent of taxes.
[Gentiloni:] Oh, well, we will see. Actually, we have the summit meeting this weekend. And I am quite confident that despite the divisions, the differences that are there, we all know that at the end, we can reach an agreement. And this, if we consider how Europe reacted to the previous crisis, the financial crisis. I think this would be a great success.
[Quest:] But there have already been several goes of this already. And you're right, so it's the Frugal Four, and it's the Netherlands that are the holdouts at the moment. But so far, they have not shown willingness. There were plenty of chances for them to sign on to the plans, but have not chosen to do so. Why are you more confident now?
[Gentiloni:] Well, because I know that what we are proposing what we propose as European Commission is quite unprecedented. Someone called it a Hamiltonian moment. So, you are proposing to have a common to issue a common debt of 750 billion for financing common purposes, which is really unprecedented in the European Union. So, the story is a very important one. What makes me confident on the possibility to reach an agreement is the fact that, despite this real, new proposal, we didn't have slamming doors.
[Quest:] The E.U. or the structures and the decision making of the community and the commission, it wasn't built for crises, was it? It wasn't it wasn't built for moving fast.
[Gentiloni:] No, not at all. But indeed, as Germany said some long time ago, Europe is indeed then growing through crisis. Building capacity through crisis. It is you're right, it is a rather Baroque building.
[Quest:] The numbers are coming in on the economics. And the recession is deeper than first thought. All right, it'll be short lived in terms of technicalities, but the recovery is looking more L-shaped or than U, and certainly not V-shaped. What this is getting to be the crisis.
[Gentiloni:] Yes, we are we are, in fact, very worried. What I repeat always is that recovery is underway. But the road to recovery is paved with uncertainty. And until you have uncertainty uncertainty is not about, at least not in Europe, about second waves of the pandemic, we have only limited outbreaks in very limited dimension, but this is still conditioning the atmosphere, the moods of investors, of communities, of consumers, and we need to restore confidence.
[Quest:] The European Economics Commissioner talking to me earlier. In the United States, Chicago has placed two more states under emergency restrictions. Now by that, I mean, that they are telling travelers from up to 19 states now, that they can that if they travel to Chicago, the city, not necessarily in Illinois, the state, but if they go to Chicago, then they need to quarantine for two weeks. I think that it's 17 states now on the list of hotspots. Arizona, Florida, California, of course, as the case has surge around the United States. Look at that map. Extraordinary. New cases in the past week versus previous week. The city is revisiting the list. The mayor of Chicago is Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who joins me now via Skype. Mayor, you would you admit, don't you, that at best, these restrictions of visitors from elsewhere from effective states is a best an honor system that can have no real enforcement mechanism?
[Lori Lightfoot, Mayor Of Chicago:] But it's not unlike what we've seen in European countries and also other states here in the United States. The people who are adhering to the public health guidance and have been all along, I think are taking this very seriously. But it applies with equal measure to people who live here in Chicago, and that are going to those states, and then coming back, they're also required to quarantine. And I do think people who are residents of Chicago leave and then come back are taking this very seriously. But it does have an also another, I think, effect, which is to raise the consciousness of people, both here and elsewhere, that if you're coming from a state that has, for example, four times and in some instances, eight times the amount of new cases that we do have here in Chicago, that we need you to be careful because we are trying to make sure that we contain the spread in my city.
[Quest:] Chicago and Illinois was at the forefront along with New York at the beginning of the crisis. I wonder when you look at the situation in your city now, how close to the edge are you? I mean, are you I'm not suggesting complacency, or anything like that. But what I mean is, how risky is the current situation? How close do you believe you could be to another full-throttle outbreak?
[Lightfoot:] Well, look, because of the hard work and sacrifice of so many here in my city, we're not on the precipice that we feared back in March or even April, but that's only because we remained diligent. But what we're seeing is, for example, an uptick in new cases in the cohort of 18 to 29- year-olds, across all races, all ethnicities, particularly in some northern parts of our city. So, what the lesson of this is, we can never not be diligent. COVID-19 is very much a part of our present and will be part of our future. So, we've got to remain diligent and continue to follow the public health guidance that has gotten us to this point, where we have a semblance of normalcy in our city.
[Quest:] But, Mayor, you're using scientific advisors will have told you that, yes, when the reopening happens, you should expect a certain rising in numbers of cases. That's just a straightforward public health fact. We've seen it everywhere. The trick here or the difficulty is to ensure the management of that number of cases, so that it doesn't, obviously, put your healthcare surfaces at risk. And masks, for example, and the significance, can you understand those can you have any comprehension of those who are against wearing masks?
[Lightfoot:] No, no, it's quite foolish. And look, you're right, the brightest minds really in a world that we've had access to showed modeling that all of it showed a slight surge. Now, whether or not that surge became extreme, and whether or not we were able to manage it, is wholly dependent upon social distancing, adherence, wearing face coverings when you leave your home, and making sure that you continue to engage in the hand hygiene regimes that we know are important. Plus, making sure that our older residents and those with underlying medical conditions continue to stay home. So, no, I don't understand people who have unfortunately politicized the wearing of face coverings in public is essential. We know it works. And so, we are really trying to drive that home as much as possible. I don't want to get to a situation where we've got to fine people or worse because they refuse to wear face coverings, but it is taking an unnecessary risk, not only with your own health, but the health of every other person that you literally come into contact with, including your loved ones. This virus is vicious, it is ruthless. And as we know, there's significant asymptomatic spread here in across the country, across the world.
[Quest:] Mayor, as somebody as I'm sitting here in London, in a two-week quarantine, having arrived from the United States, which is not on the U.K. list, I can only agree and sympathize and say, your message is well-heard. Mayor, thank you for joining us. Now, we can, in a moment.
[Lightfoot:] Thank you.
[Quest:] This is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. We're back in a second.

[Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Correspondent:] Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Amanpour." This Holiday Season, we're dipping into the archives and looking back at some of our favorite interviews from the year. So, here's what's coming up.
[Karen Armstrong, Author, "the Lost Art Of Scripture":] People don't read the Quran, they recite it. And so, reading the bible or reading scripture is very like reading the libretto of an opera. You are missing a lot of it.
[Amanpour:] Karen Armstrong, the former nun who's become our most important interpreter of religion. I speak with her about her new book, "The Lost Art of Scripture." Then
[Brendan Simms, Author, "hitler: A Global Biography":] So, it's a trauma for him and that's what then drives this quest for living space in the East. He says, we need space like the Americans have.
[Amanpour:] A new biography brings fresh revelation about Adolf Hitler's rise to power. What it means in our current era of nationalism. I speak with the author, Brendan Simms. And
[Thebroadlist:] They use it first order network. And if this first order networks are white and male, well, then, how do you find trusted people?
[Amanpour:] Taking on structural discrimination in corporate America. Our Hari Sreenivasan sits down with the president of StubHub, Sukhinder Singh Cassidy. Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. We live in irreligious time so often defined, nonetheless, by religion. In the United States, Pew Research estimates that the number of Americans who identify as Christians has declined 12 percentage points in the past decade alone, to about 65 percent. And yet, religion has an incredible on impact of our lives, from the American Evangelical Movement and its role in politics to the rise of militant groups like ISIS. Enter Karen Armstrong, the religious scholar is, herself, a former Catholic nun who left the
[Armstrong:] Thank you.
[Amanpour:] I just want to start by asking you because you really did become very, very prominent after 911 because you were there to interpret essentially Islam. Then and now, does this seem sort of ironic or weird or just unbelievable that white former Catholic nun, a woman, was the only person really that the world sort of gravitated towards to understand Islam?
[Armstrong:] I think there were many, many people in the United States who would have been able to do this. And at the time, I was a resident Harvard University where there were scholars galore. The problem with some scholars is that they can't make things simple enough for the average listener or viewer. They get stuck in a small academic quandary, and they weren't able to say just give people grassroots facts. And they also said it was helpful that I wasn't an American for some reason.
[Amanpour:] Now, that's interesting.
[Armstrong:] Yes.
[Amanpour:] But I wonder whether because it is counterintuitive, a woman explaining a religion that is highly patriarchal, for a start, and a Christian woman. But you also happen to have written several books. But you had written just before 911, the book that was your exploration of Islam. What brought you first, what made you sit up and take notice of that religion?
[Armstrong:] First of all, my visit to the Middle East. Years before when I was doing a television program actually with an Israeli film company on St. Paul. But in Jerusalem, for the first time, I met both Judaism and Islam. And I began to explore those religions because and I at that point, I'd had enough fake Catholicism and Christianity. But I began to see in these faiths things that I could relate to and they've helped me to see my own tradition differently. So I and then at the time of the Rashidi crisis.
[Amanpour:] That's Saman Rashidi, the novelist who the Iranian put a famous Fatwa against?
[Armstrong:] Yes, exactly. And there was awful but I was also worried about the fact that the greater the good here in this country, novelists, philosophers were coming in print and saying that Islam was an evil and violent religion environment. And I thought we can't have this. This is how Hitler began with a media campaign in the 1930s. We can't afford this. And so, I wrote my biography of the prophet. And I didn't expect Muslims to read it, but they did read it because many of them are westernize. So, they have the same kind of questions and want the same kind of answers as I have, and it speaks to them in a way that some of the traditional texts don't.
[Amanpour:] It's really interesting because I find it fascinating that you came to Islam with your visit to the Middle East but also by seeing and absorbing this vilification of a religion. And yet, you don't shy away from criticizing
[Armstrong:] No.
[Amanpour:] the way it distorted religion and the way it used religion as a tool for justifying or enabling terrorism and extremism.
[Armstrong:] Well, some have do that and others use the tradition to counter that. But all our traditions are flawed. All our traditions are patriarchal. And women are beginning to make a comeback. And we're beginning to because we are a violent species, and our scripture reflects us. We are the only species, I believe, that kills its own kind and we've got devised with our huge brains, we've devised extraordinarily, effective and horrible ways of killing people or mass. And so, the scriptures reflect us. They are not just all holy. Every single scripture, it contains violent passages as well as those that speak of compassion.
[Amanpour:] Yes. Because in your new book, "The Lost Art of Scripture," and this comes after your 2009 book, "The Case for God," I mean, you've really, obviously, been digging into this so seriously. But you do talk about equal opportunity problems, if I can put it that way, with extremes in all the major religions. For instance, one of the quotes from the book you write, militant atheists have condemned the bible as a pack of lies, while Christian fundamentalists have developed a creation science. Jihadis cite passages from the Quran to support their acts of criminal terrorism. Religious Zionists quote "proof texts" to assert their claim to the holy land and justify their enmity towards the Palestinians. So, it's these constant crosscurrents of claiming sort of ownership over the texts for whatever. I guess, political gains.
[Armstrong:] But there are also those that insist that this is wrong and we can't do that. I was interested when I was researching this, for example, to find the so-called Jihad texts, which are quoted so often by Islam expert, also by critics of Islam, did not figure at all in the first four centuries of Muslim life. The leading
[Amanpour:] I just want to ask you because it's obviously not the same, and we always have to say this, you can't create a moral or a factually equivalence. But there are quite a lot of texts that are used, even by American Christians, American evangelicals to justify what we might find, you know, really appalling issues. So, Jeff Sessions, who was Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in June of 2018 used the bible to justify separating children from their parents at the U.S.Mexico border. This is what he said.
[Jeff Sessions, Then-u.s. Attorney General:] I would cite, due to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God had ordained the government for his purposes. Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves. Consistent fair application of laws is in itself a good moral saying and that it protects the weak, it protects the lawful.
[Amanpour:] I mean, I don't know whether you remember it at the time. But, you know, it got a lot of Christians upset actually
[Armstrong:] Yes.
[Amanpour:] because they saw what was happening. And, you know, many, many, you know, analysis have said that that book, that chapter was used also to justify slavery in the United States. What do you think when all religions use these extremes?
[Armstrong:] Well, because they're just using it to further their own policies. But you've got if you look at the whole St. Paul, he's very much almost an anarchist. He does not believe in government. And what he's doing here in Romans, he said to obey the government. But in the whole context of his work, what he's saying is, don't mess things up because Christ is coming back very, very soon. So, just stay quiet for a while, he tells the Thessalonians. Love one another but we wait for Christ, he's coming to change everything.
[Amanpour:] Your book, "The Lost Art of Scriptures," why what is lost and what is the art?
[Armstrong:] When you read "Pride and Prejudice," you are not particularly disturbed to discover that Mr. Darcy or Mr. Bingley never existed. But it is still a form that is telling you something very profound about the human condition and helping us to live in that condition fully. And scripture has its own art form. First of all, it was a performative art. It was always sung or recited. The Quran means recitation. People don't read the Quran, they recite it. And so, reading the bible or reading scripture is very like reading libretto of an opera. You're missing a lot of it. Secondly, scripture was not attempting as with the issue from "Pride and Prejudice" to write writing history. The writing of history, accurate history, was just not possible until the 18th century when we developed modern archeology and developed our knowledge of ancient languages.
[Amanpour:] So, let me talk about your life experience. I mean, you grew up in Birmingham. And I think at the age around 17, you told your parents, and you were in a Catholic family, you are a Catholic obviously, that you wanted to become a nun. And you write in your first book, "Through the Narrow Gate," "My parents could not really understand my decision. They were Catholics and knew that if I had a religious vocation, it was their duty to let me go. But for them, religion meant Sunday morning mass and a decent morality. They were bewildered by my decision to abandon all the good things of life and embrace an asceticism that they could only see as impoverishing." How did you explain to your parents and why do you think you chose that role?
[Armstrong:] Oh, it's a complicated thing. It's never a whole thing.
[I -- Amanpour:] But as a woman and now, delving in also to we've just talked about women in Islam and how their reality has been prescribed as a modern patriarchy rather than the book. And this Catholic women are very frustrated too, that they don't get equal treatment.
[Armstrong:] Yes. And I remember my mother telling me quite late in her life, this is a man's world and you just have to deal with it. And in a sense, I wanted to extricate myself from that because all the women that I could see were dusting and cooking and cleaning, looking after men. And the irony is that when I got into the convent, all I did was sew, cook and clean for but I expected it to make me calm, serene and Buddha-like and spiritual. And, of course, it didn't quite happen that way. But I don't regret it because I wouldn't be here today. It has put me on a certain path.
[Amanpour:] It certainly has. I mean, you also then write about how some, for instance, Buddhist traditions, whether it's yoga, whether it's mindfulness, these were spiritual religious traditions and actions in Buddhism. But now, you write that they sort of been taken by a modern consumer stressed out society as almost self-help wellness, that whole doctrine that's going around right now.
[Armstrong:] One of the things that all the scriptures say is that you must lose yourself. And actually, I had to let my ego go and in the signs of compassion, to go with the other. And a lot of these mindfulness, for example, I am sure it doesn't do anybody any harm. When Buddha devised this for his monks, the whole object of it was you discovered you didn't have a self at all. But the self was a fiction because you realize how many thoughts and impulses actually thrown through your heart and mind in the course of a single minute, and you should let all of this go. And so and yoga, too, was a devastating assault on the ego. It wasn't about sort of an aerobic exercise. So but we don't to let our egos go, we want mindfulness to make us more so. And indeed, I think a lot of religiosity, certainly a lot of my early Catholicism was all about getting into heaven and avoiding hell or polishing my soul and we were always thinking about my thoughts, where as they are not important. And religion is about a loss of ego. It's not about ensuring its surviving in heaven in optimum condition forever. And so, once you got that idea of letting the ego go, you begin to see the texts in a different way. That's why the Muslims bow there to the ground. It's a sign to let that promising ego that's constantly preening itself and drawing attention, let it go and tuck your head to the ground like a servant.
[Amanpour:] You talk about how television presenters are often presenting, some of the most difficult aspects of our human culture at the moment. And you say, television presenters now seemed to be required to warn viewers that spectacles on the evening news may be distressing, giving them the chance to close their eyes or switch to another channel lest they see yet more disturbing footage from war-torn Syria or Yemen. We have become expert in refusing to allow the suffering of the world to impinge on our cocooned existence. Well, obviously, I find that very relevant and I don't like warning people. I never used to have to do when I was in the field. And I also feel that it's a convenient message to turn away.
[Armstrong:] Yes. You see the scriptures tell us that they're not just about me, they all tell you, again, Chinese, Indian, the monotheisms, you must go out and work for a better world. In the monotheisms, they emphasis is on equality, justice. The prophets of Israel had no time for people who said their prayers nicely in the temple but neglected the plight of the poor and the oppressed. Jesus, those who come into the kingdom are those who fed the hungry and looked after the poor, visited those sick and imprisoned. The Quran is simply a cry for a just and decent society where poor and vulnerable people are treated with respect. And so, it demands that we act and that we see such inequity in our world at the moment. In London, here, 25 percent of Londoners are living in poverty in one of the richest countries in the world, record numbers of people are sleeping in the streets. I don't hear the archbishop of Canterbury crying out against this injustice. Now, in the so, it's a very relevant thing because we in the old days, the aristocracies kept their wealth to themselves. The poor people never saw their beautiful homes and wonderful riches. Now, we advertise them, everybody sees how we live, our privilege and they want it. But the other great problem we're looking at the moment is climate change. And the Chinese and the Indian, particularly from the very beginning insisted on the fragility and sacrality of the cosmos and said that we must work with it. This was an essential thing. And the group of Chinese people who now call themselves the New Confucianists, philosophers who've studied all the Western philosophies said that our contribution from our Chinese Confucian scriptures is to emphasize the importance of climate change.
[Amanpour:] So, it's really interesting because let's just finish back in the United States where you say you have a better reception there because of the seriousness with which so many take their scriptures and their religion. A lot of climate denial has come from the religious right, from the evangelicals. Now, yes, they've done this creation signs but they also have accepted as a person who they supported, a president who flaunts
[Armstrong:] Yes.
[Amanpour:] his own privilege, his own, you know, status, as he puts it, pretty much above everything else, not to mention the moral issues that we've all been reporting on. How do you explain that?
[Armstrong:] Because they're thinking all about themselves. Again, it's self, self, self. Ego. They're thinking of their comfort, their central heating, their oil, their cars, their airplane rides, their convenience. And anyway, it's all supposed to be a lie anyway they say, it's not true. So, it's a massive denial. And similarly, the there's also but also worrying is a new sort of an anti-racial thing too. Remember when the Berlin Wall came down and there was dancing in the streets. And now, there was cheering at the prospect of a wall between Mexico and the United States. After the Brexit referendum in London, hate crime increased by 48 percent. And again, the scripture speaks out against this kind of this behavior, and honor the stranger. Reach out to all tribes and nations, says the Quran. This is not a popular message. And I think it may be a sign in the West of a society in decline, a society that's lost its way because these are this is such massive denial of facts that are staring us in the face. And the scriptures do speak to us and they do jolt us out of our certainly, of our selfishness. But only if we let them. We can easily find some texts because the scriptures are very multifarious to cocoon us in our little in our world that is it's comfortable for us at the moment but doomed.
[Amanpour:] On that note, that's a good place to end, Karen Armstrong, thank you so much indeed.
[Armstrong:] Thank you.
[Amanpour:] We turn now to a historian of a darker period of our past, no less relevant to our world today. How could a man as demonstrably evil as Adolph Hitler come to power? As population around the once again turn to authoritarian leader, the question is not academic. Brendan Simms is out with a new book, "Hitler: A Global Biography." And I've been speaking to him about how it's not just the times that could give rise to the worst type of leader. Professor Simms, welcome to the program.
[Brendan Simms, Author, "hitler: A Global Biography":] Hello.
[Amanpour:] So, look, there have been a lot of biographies on Hitler, but yours and a couple of others are creating, you know, new interests and some headlines, of course, and some awareness because you are writing about this dastardly figurine history at a time where we're seeing rising anti- Semitism, increasing authoritarianism and some of economic conditions. Why did you think now was the time to revisit this figure?
[Simms:] Well, because I think that the American dimension through his thoughts has been completely overlooked. I think the question of migration, which is now obviously very current is central to his thinking. And I think that international capitalism is a world view, which was something that he challenged, is also very much under threat today.
[Amanpour:] So, just describe that. When you say the American dimension to his thinking, what did you mean?
[Simms:] Well, Hitler was exercised by the fact that the German rise, German empire couldn't feed his population in the 19th century. And many of the millions of them immigrated mostly to the United States. And Hitler was very worried that they came back as enemy soldiers in times of world war. And I quote an incident which has not been spotted any of his biographers before, which is his encounter in July 1918 with the first American prisoners. And later in the 1920s, he says, these are all blond blue-eyed German either German immigrants or the sons of German immigrants. And so, these are people we've exported for decades and now, they're coming back to fight us. So, it's a trauma for him and that's what then drives his quest for living space in the East. He says, we need space like the Americans have and then we won't need to export our population.
[Amanpour:] So, you know, one of the headlines that described your theory as a provocative departure is that Hitler was obsessed by the danger, in his view, of Anglo-American capitalism even more than what history has generally thought was his big fear of Soviet communism.
[Simms:] That's correct. In fact, he saw Soviet communism and Bolshevism as a subordinate threat. He was obviously very concerned but he saw communism as an instrument that international capitalism used to break down successful national economies. So, his analysis of German's predicament was that Germany had a successful national economy but that's the powers of international capital by which he meant both Jews and non-Jews, so people like J.P. Morgan, for instance, really the captains, the lords of industry and the lords of capital in Wall Street and in London, that they were jealous of the German rise and therefore, you know, subjugated it in the first World War and then put various subversive elements like trade unions or like communists on to disrupt Germany internally
[Amanpour:] So, this was his kind of distorted world view, very paranoia, that the whole sort of victim persona that he had. And you have said, the question that Hitler, inequality, migration, the challenge of international capitalism, they're as salient as they were when he set out to provide his procurely, destructive and demented answers. In a very alarming and upsetting way, Hitler is actually less strange today than he was 20 or 30 years ago. Explain.
[Simms:] Well, 20 or 30 years ago, the notion that the Jews around the world, which we'll now find all over the blogosphere, you'll find in newspapers and media in the Middle East, for instance, but also in Eastern Europe, that notion 20, 30 years ago was much less current or the idea that faceless international capitalist corporations are running around the world. Obviously, it was there. But even its stronger now than it was then. So, a lot of the rhetoric that I quote Hitler as indulging in the book against international capitalism is rhetoric you can find today everywhere.
[Amanpour:] Well, let's just go to an immediate situation. You discussed at the beginning the rise of anti-Semitism and, frankly, around the world including in the United States with the attack on synagogues there. We just saw one in Germany again. And we saw this past Sunday an election in which yet, again, the AfD, the far-right Alternative for Deutschland, are showed very well. It got about a quarter of the vote in the regional election. It didn't come first, but by a point, it beat Angela Merkel's CDU. And he, the leader, Hocke, Bjorn Hocke, has been described by opponents as a Nazi, people have even compared him to Hitler. I mean, he obviously denies that, but nonetheless. Give us the significance of him, AfD's continued presence in a significant way and the sort of Nazi parallels.
[Simms:] Well, the AfD's view is that Germany is in the grip of international powers, that Germany is not free, that Germany is run by outside capitol. I wouldn't say it's anti-Semitic in every respect, but certainly people like Hocke and others have had made remarks, which one can construe as anti-Semitic.
[Amanpour:] For instance, like the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, as he has said, is a I believe, a monument to shame.
[Simms:] For example.
[Amanpour:] But not shame because what they did to the Jews but shame to have put it up to commemorate that terrible crime.
[Simms:] Absolutely.
[Amanpour:] So, that's way out there.
[Simms:] That is completely off the spectrum, particularly for Germany where this source of think has, for very good reasons, been put beyond the pale. But what I think is particularly interesting is that this is coming as part of a general world view which is embedded within the idea that the Jews run the world and that international capitalism runs the world. And this is something you find very strongly in AfD reference.
[Amanpour:] Can I just play a part of an interview that I had with Angela Merkel when I spoke to her about the threat to Germany and to other democracies with this not just populism, the nationalism but also anti- Semitism.
[Angela Merkel, German Chancellor:] We have always had a certain number of anti-Semite amongst us. Unfortunately, there is, to this day, not a single synagogue, not a single daycare center for Jewish children, not a single school for Jewish children that does not need to be guarded by German policeman. Unfortunately, over the years, we have not been able to deal with this satisfactorily that we can do without this. But we have to face up indeed to the specters of the past.
[Amanpour:] So, that was Chancellor Merkel admitting this terrible reality in Germany today. And, you know, you have said, Hitler's long shadow is therefore still with us. And we'll have to go on defeating him for some time to come. How does that work? What does that look like, this effort to defeat him?
[Simms:] Well, I think what's really important is that this effort is not just directed to people like the AfD and those even further to the right who were pretty open in their attitude. A lot of the problem is that anti- Semitic attitude persists among people who don't actually realize that their world view is structurally anti-Semitic. That if you know, they find other phrases, for example, anti-Zionists or anti-capitalist or whatever, to support positions which are actually structurally anti- Semitic. And that, I think, means that a lot of intellectual broadcast to take place to combat that and to show its roots, how far this goes back in the discourse of 20th century sort.
[Amanpour:] I am going to get to the specifics of Hitler and the mechanics that allowed him to become so successful in perpetrating his message and his evil deeds. But I want to first ask you something, because you just talked about all different forms of anti-Semitism. I don't know whether you've been watching, but in the impeachment hearings in the United States, a Colonel Vindman was testifying lately on Capitol Hill. He is the army colonel who was on the call. He says he was on the call between the president and the president of Ukraine. And Trump's backers, people who don't like this impeachment have cast dispersions on Vindman's credibility by saying that he's a Ukrainian, by saying that he's Jewish. For instance, Vindman has been accused of Jew loyalties. These are also classic anti-Semitic tropes, right? Does that concern you that this is even happening, you know, in a court of law, so to speak, in the United States right now.
[Simms:] Very much so. And what's interesting is you find these tropes not merely in the United States on the old right, but also, of course, in this country, particularly on the side of the Labour Party where you have Labour Party politicians being criticized in very similar terms. And that shows, to my mind, the ubiquity of this message. You find this on both sides of the Atlantic. You find it right and left. And what holds it together is the sense of hostility towards something faceless and international which is controlling their lives.
[Amanpour:] So that brings me to another reason that your book and the book of a colleague, or a fellow writer, Peter Longerich both of you have written these new tomes on Hitler. "It's not the case that dangerous development only stems from social movements or structural trends," said Longerich. "It can also be simply that a person has the abilities to use a certain political situation to set a new agenda." I find that fascinating, because the mainstream or whatever you want to say, the centrists, over the last three years of this rising nationalism within Western democracies, as well as elsewhere, the move from freedom back to authoritarianism in the form of communist states, they're all self- flagellating and saying, it's because of us, it's because of globalization, it's because we've missed the boat, because we've kept people uncovered and unprotected, while a small elite benefits. But here, in your books, you're saying that it's not just those facts. It is the people who profess to be the prophets to lead them out of that. Tell me how Hitler did that. And then we get onto today's.
[Simms:] Well, it's an extraordinary story. Hitler is effectively discovered by the German army in 1919, for whom he works as a propagandist. Then he is sent along to monitor
[Amanpour:] And, again, there are many people who are very skillful, whether they have a certain voice and a certain pitch, and a certain what some might call charisma, for good or for bad. And they use technology incredibly carefully, like we understand that Goebbels made sure that every household in Germany, at that crucial time, had this newfangled technology, which they called, I think a Volks radio. It was a people's...
[Simms:] Volksempfanger.
[Amanpour:] There you go.
[Simms:] Yes.
[Amanpour:] And it was specifically designed to impregnate Hitler's voice into people's minds. Talk a little bit about the use of that technology.
[Simms:] Well, Hitler was very much ahead of his time in that sense. So, for instance, he used the airplane to move between electoral meetings. That was new at the time. Of course, he use amplification. That's less new. He tried to break into radio before he took over power. He didn't succeed. And the Volksempfanger certainly had a strong propaganda dimension. But the radios were also and I think primarily intended as items of consumption. This the idea was Germans should have radios, because British and American people have radios, just like they should have cars. So I think the propaganda and consumption worked together hand in hand. That's part of a vision of the new society which he was offering German people.
[Amanpour:] And when you see and you've written all of this, and you see what's happening around us right now, do you see a parallel or a symbolic referral also to the use of the latest technology by some of those authoritarians and the like?
[Simms:] I think there are obvious there are parallels. But I think they're more superficial. That's what you would expect to find, that political leaders will attempt to use new technologies. What I find more concern is what we're talking about earlier, which was the revival of a very old pattern, but very potent patterns of thoughts, of conspiracy and world view. That's really where I think the lesson from Hitler lies, rather than into technology and in the charisma.
[Amanpour:] So the idea that a certain person would use these facts on the ground, these historical moments to benefit themselves or whatever their agenda is, there could be a flip side to that. There could be people who have the same set of facts, the same set of historical realities, but don't have evil intentions and don't pander just to people's fear and their lowest common denominators and fears and hatreds. That could also have happened, right? It wasn't absolutely inevitable that Hitler would come to power and be this effective.
[Simms:] Yes, you're absolutely right. In fact, he was in some ways facing a situation where his tide was going out. He was actually losing. Between July and November 1932, he lost a few million votes in the two Reichstag elections in 1932. So he made his deal with the conservative elites around President Hindenburg, almost at the last moment when he could have done it. It's perfectly possible, had there been another election, a free and fair election, which, of course, the one in March 1933 was not but, even then, he didn't get more than 43 percent of the votes. Had there been another election under free circumstances, he might well have lost even more votes, and then we wouldn't be having this conversation.
[Amanpour:] To what do you attribute, not only the well, the authoritarian trends that we see today, but also 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, you see these former Soviet states, Warsaw Pact states having gone from dictatorship to freedom and now back to authoritarianism, not all of them, but the trends are there, sometimes even more than trends, using democracy as the vehicle, in fact.
[Simms:] Yes. I think a real opportunity was missed immediately after the fall of the wall, at the time of the enlargement of Europe, both in terms of NATO and the European Union, actually to create a full political union of mainland Europe, because what we now have is very fragmented states. And then it provides breeding ground for people like Viktor Orban perhaps also the current government in Poland to play on nationalist fears. Very often, on issues of migration, where the European Union has simply failed to guard the border, external border, the union or has failed, if was to determined to let in larger numbers of people, which I can understand, you would then have to have some kind of mechanism to redistribute them. But one way or the other, we don't have a single European state, which would have made this possible. And I think this is a large part of the story of the travails we have in Europe today.
[Amanpour:] The worst single European state will set Boris Johnson's hair on fire and all the hard-line Brexiters.
[Simms:] I hope so.
[Amanpour:] But it looks like they're going to get their project through, and he's called for an election, and, finally, he's managed to get one through Parliament. It's going to be in the next couple of months. What do you think? What is your prediction where British politics is going?
[Simms:] I think the really interesting question will be, how will the United Kingdom play the role that it has historically played over hundreds of years in Europe after it has left the structures of the European Union? So, according to the European Union, that role will be greatly diminished, or possibly zero. Now, anybody who has studied the history of this country over hundreds of year would find that surprising. Has the world changed so much that the U.K. will be of no account? At the same time, I think this would be my message to Boris Johnson, if he were listening I think that notions of global Britain are actually exaggerators and, thus, European Union will now be the near abroad of the United Kingdom. Europe will be more important to the United Kingdom than it was before, because it now has to find a way back into Europe, having left the structures of the European Union.
[Amanpour:] Which means that Britain will be less important than it was before?
[Simms:] Well, it will be, in my view, important. But the problem is, we don't have a mechanism to enable that role to be played. There's no structure. We're in a totally new situation. So, probably, we need to develop some form of confederal structure, by which the European continent will be co-managed after Brexit. But that's something that I don't think the British are thinking about and the Europeans want to countenance.
[Amanpour:] Brendan Simms, author of "Hitler: A Global Biography," thank you for joining me.
[Simms:] Thank you.
[Amanpour:] And, next, we turn to the effort to launch structural reform of corporate America. It is now widely accepted the diversity of gender, race, and background is, in itself, a valuable goal, not just morally right, but something that makes any organization perform better. It's something that Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, president of the ticket marketplace StubHub has been thinking a lot about, even finding a talent recruitment forum, Boardlist. She sat down with our Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how you increase that vital diversity.
[Hari Sreenivasan, Cnn International Correspondent:] You grew up in Canada, the daughter of a couple of doctors. What made want to go into business?
[Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, President, Stubhub:] They talk about entrepreneurship running in families, and I believe it. I say believe it because, although my parents are both doctors, my father loved running a small business. So, they had come from East Africa and resettled in Canada late in life. They ran a medical practice together. But, I mean, at 7 or 8, I was help like, learning how to do his books. You know, by 12 or 13, I knew how to do his taxes. My father always told me to work for myself. And he loved business as much as he loved serving people, which he really did. I often tell people the story. I think he was, you know, and my father was older. So he was in his 70s when I was in high school. And I remember being 15 or 16, and he would call his broker and look at the paper every deciding what stocks to pick.
[Sreenivasan:] Because you had to do that back then.
[Singh Cassidy:] Because actually, you, had to do it. And his eyesight was going. So he had this gigantic magnifying glass. And he would look at the paper, and I remember he would call his broker. He would be like: "Tom, some RBC Securities." And he'd be like: "Tom, let's buy some AOL." I didn't even know what AOL was. But here was my father in his late 70s, who loved innovation, business, serving people, told me to work for myself. And so, you look back, and I'm like, well, in hindsight, it's probably not a surprise that, by my mid-20s, even though I was in investment banking, I was in London, and I worked for BSkyB, which is part of News Corp. By my mid-20s, I was like, I want to start a business. And I didn't know how. But I really credit my dad. I sort of feel like I did grew up in an entrepreneurial family. And I feel like I saw it firsthand.
[Sreenivasan:] How did you get to the StubHub? How did you get to this position in tech in the Bay Area?
[Singh Cassidy:] Oh, you know, you grind. You grind for 20 years.
[Sreenivasan:] Yes.
[Singh Cassidy:] I started a few companies. I spent the majority of my career building my own companies, and the other half helping to scale larger companies. So I ended up at Google early on and helped build their local and maps business before building their international business. I went back to being an entrepreneur again. And so I think my career has been a journey of big and small companies, but always building, some serendipity and luck hopefully in there, and awesome people who gave me some good chances.
[Sreenivasan:] Yes. As you got into these companies, what about those kind of different glass ceilings? What did you find as you went from company to company?
[Singh Cassidy:] So, it's interesting, because I'm kind of I have these dichotomous views on this. On the one hand, over a long period of time, I feel like Silicon Valley has been a place where I found my tread, right? I say that because I arrived. By my late 20s, I got to be a founder. I enjoyed a relatively exciting career.
[Sreenivasan:] Yes.
[Singh Cassidy:] I was supported well. You know, I was given tremendous opportunity everywhere, wherever I was, including at Google. And, obviously, I got to be a CEO. So I think for me to say this is a poor me story on either being a person of color, a woman, feels like a fallacy. However and there is a big however if I think back to my first job in the Valley, I had arrived out of investment banking and News Corp, both of which are aggressive cultures, largely been awarded for aggressiveness, right, been promoted, all I have gotten, great projects. In my very first job in the Valley on the second day I'm in the office in my late 20s, my boss tells me that I have scared the secretaries, I mean, on day two. And I said, what do you mean I have scared the secretaries?
[Sreenivasan:] By doing what?
[Singh Cassidy:] By doing what? Exactly. I didn't know. And over the ensuing six months, in my first job in the Valley, I become increasingly less confident of my ability to succeed, despite having come from these hyper-aggressive, male-dominated cultures in banking and media. I get told that I'm the rookie on the team, even though I see this volatile very senior male colleague, not my boss, but somebody else he managed, who takes tantrums in the office, who gets what he wants. And I'm asking for more responsibility, and I'm getting increasingly diminishing tasks. I mean, I'm writing marketing collateral, not that there's anything wrong with writing marketing collateral. You know, I have been used to being this, like, hot shot who gets to like help take companies public and is trusted. And I challenged him on that. And I again, I kept getting these sort of rookie statements. By month six, I quit. And, luckily for me, instead of leaving the Valley, which I really thought about I really thought, like gosh, maybe I'm just not meant to be here I ended up at a start-up called Junglee, right, with five computer scientist founders, out of Stanford, all kind of a tribe of the Indian mafia at the time, right?
[Sreenivasan:] Right.
[Singh Cassidy:] They've all gone to be very successful. And they gave me a shot at a job at company called Junglee. And I think I was hired as product manager. By day two, they put me in a business development job. And my very first day in the job by the way, that was same job I had at the company that I just left, feeling very insecure. I then go into this other start-up. And, like, my career takes off. They give me, again, incredible amounts of responsibility. Amazon buys the company six months later. You know, I'm part of the key team that goes to Amazon. My reputation is built, and away I go. And I have a very successful career, as it turns out, in business development, before becoming a general manager.
[Sreenivasan:] So tell me a little bit about Boardlist. Why did you start it?
[Singh Cassidy:] I came back to sort of an idea I had discussed with the V.C. when they came to me and said, Sukhinder, how do we solve the women in tech problem? In a private conversation, I said, well, you guys always talk about this as a problem of women in STEM. I'm like, you realize you can solve a lot of the problem without having to wait two generations. I'm like, you've got every Series B company and beyond and they don't even have a single woman on their board. So if you really wanted to change the game, I said to V.C.-X in question, why would you just declare and get your some fellow V.C.s to declare that every Series B company and beyond has a woman on its board? You could change the culture right now, and you could start at the top. And the V.C. said in question, said, hey, that's a great idea. Six months later, I was like, did you do anything with that idea? They're like, no. So maybe I should just go straight to founders again and people I have respect and say, hey, why don't we just build a product that helps get more women on boards? And why don't we use technology to do it? And the Boardlist was born from the idea that you can crowdsource a number of amazing women today and make available a curated marketplace, where people can discover great board talent that's diverse. And you can solve that sort of myth, mythical problem that there are not enough women who are great.
[Sreenivasan:] So, how many women are in that network now?
[Singh Cassidy:] So, the Boardlist today has about 14,000 members, organically built over the last three years.
[Sreenivasan:] How do you get on the Boardlist?
[Singh Cassidy:] You have to be nominated by somebody with board experience. That network includes amazing endorsers. That's what we call them, people like Reid Hoffman or Zander Lurie, who runs SurveyMonkey, people who have board experience who nominate people they know from their networks to serve on boards. And then the other half of the marketplace is women who seek to serve. Today, we've had 1,400 different companies, from private to large global public companies, use the Boardlist to find the diverse board talent. About almost 50 percent of the placements onto boards that are influenced by the Boardlist are of women who have never served on a board before, but who are eminently qualified, right? You just want to solve the problem of discovery.
[Sreenivasan:] That's part of the problem, is that most of these people in their personal networks don't include women in the first place.
[Singh Cassidy:] Look, it's not that founders are mal-intended. I don't even think it's the average board director is mal-intended. I think it's that they use their first-order network. And if those first- order networks are white and male, well, then, how do you find trusted people to bring into your company or to your board?
[Sreenivasan:] The S&P 500, there was a recent number that just said it was about 25 percent of the composition of the S&P 500's boards are women. You still have...
[Singh Cassidy:] A long way to go.
[Sreenivasan:] Right.
[Singh Cassidy:] Yes.
[Sreenivasan:] And that's with something like the Boardlist that exists.
[Singh Cassidy:] Yes.
[Sreenivasan:] That's with at least a national conversation about this bubbling...
[Singh Cassidy:] Yes, without a national mandate. Obviously, California has one. But on private companies, that number drops to about 11 percent of all board seats, and that includes investors, right? If you have a female investor, that counts towards a board seat vs. independents. The numbers are still low. You're right. And, look, I think it's not just a question of making women great, with female talent or diverse talent, known. As you know, board tenure, it was a big part of the issue, right? So if you look at the stats what's encouraging is, more recently, on open board seats, you find, I think, a pretty significant number and we can come back with the exact numbers of open board seats going to diverse talent. So, that is certainly kind of a portion of what's open. But the issue is, if you don't have board terms, and any requirement to refresh your board, and to bring in the skills it needs to be successful and the diverse perspectives, there's just no room.
[Sreenivasan:] So what's the kind of easiest business case that you can make? I mean, is it just that it's good for business to have a more diverse set of leaders?
[Singh Cassidy:] Absolutely. I mean, look, I think that you probably you've probably seen all the research. There's no doubt that diverse teams outperform, at both the executive level and the board level. And there's plenty of data, whether it's from Catalyst or others, that supports that fact. That's the business case, right? I think the I think the imperative for boards today goes far beyond that. You've got disruptions from technology. You've got a changing consumer, right, whether that's millennial consumer, whether that is the female and household being sort of the chief purchaser. You've got a changing demographic of employees. So you can say the base imperative is business performance. But if you look at the level of change that most companies are going through and they're customer-based, they're employee-based, and technology why wouldn't you rush to the doors to create those sets of perspectives on your board?
[Sreenivasan:] So, last night, I went on the app. I tried to find some Lizzo tickets in
[D.c. Singh Cassidy:] Yes.
[Sreenivasan:] And the Lizzo tickets, it was a pair of tickets. I didn't even know it was this expensive to go to her concerts. But two tickets for her are 150 bucks a piece, $300. And then all of a sudden, by the time I get to the very end of the transaction, it's $400, right? And that's one of the concerns that people have had, is that why isn't that greater transparency in the very beginning? And I would know, OK, if this is for $400, I can't afford it. So why not put the full all-in price up front in the transaction?
[Singh Cassidy:] Back in about 2013, I think it was, 2013 or 2014, StubHub, in fact, tried what you're suggesting. We took the all-in price of the ticket, and we moved it all the way up to the beginning of what we would call our buy flow, right, so very up front. At the top of the flow, you saw with the all-in price was. Unfortunately, the rest of the industry didn't follow. What does that mean? It meant that, for the customers, there was confusion, because they looked at StubHub and they looked at other marketplaces and, in fact, believed we were 20 percent more expensive than our competitors because we actually took the action to give them transparency first. So for a feature like the one you're talking about to kind of work, we want it to work for everyone. We would love to see all boats rise. We would love to see every ticketer get to the same level of transparency and trust at the same time, because we live in an environment where the customer is comparing apples and oranges and isn't even aware. So, today, as you know, everybody puts their buy fees towards the bottom of the funnel. If everybody in the entire industry went to the top of the funnel, that would be a great way to make sure that the consumer was able to compare apples to apples. But that would need to happen across the industry.
[Sreenivasan:] Well, this seems like a failure of the market to regulate itself. I mean, this seems like a case where somebody in the government is going to step in with a piece of legislation based on a bunch of complaints and say, hey, enough people are angry about this that as an industry you all have to do it.
[Singh Cassidy:] Well, interestingly, that speaks to another point. We spend a lot of time in D.C. working, in fact, with regulators, because we actually do want to see a fair and equivalent marketplace for consumers for tickets. So there's the BOTS Act, which you may or may not be aware passed that really was about consumer protection on one side. There's a proposed new piece of legislation called the BOSS Act, which, in fact, contains thoughts around fan transferability of a ticket, which I noted earlier is a really big and important issue, particular as tickets become more mobile, ideas like all-in pricing, what you're talking about. Do you move the kind of where in our buyer flow do you show the all-in price of the ticket, display fees and fees? And, in fact, I think the government does think about how to help this industry regulate itself. And we think of the most important thing is what I talked about before, which is, we offer higher standards, but we want those higher standards equivalently applied to every player in ticketing.
[Sreenivasan:] A lot of tickets are coming from Live Nation and Ticketmaster. What if those guys just say, you know what, if you want to deal with tickets, it's really got to be our own marketplace; you can't buy it on StubHub?
[Singh Cassidy:] Yes.
[Sreenivasan:] What happens?
[Singh Cassidy:] We believe any market, including ticketing, thrives when fans have choice of where they buy and sell. To your point, why do I worry about how sellers might interpret our fees or on one side or the other?
[Sreenivasan:] Yes.
[Singh Cassidy:] Because my entire reputation of this business is built on fan trust and transparency. So, we know we are held to that standard every day. And if we need to go back and figure out what else we need to do to create a better experience, I live and die by that sword.
[Sreenivasan:] Yes.
[Singh Cassidy:] But when we talk about Live Nation and Ticketmaster, I think you point to sort of an important thing in this ecosystem, which is, if you control the venue, and you control the artists, and you control the ticketing or the place they get the original ticket, oh, and now, you also have a business that's competitive with StubHub, because you also have a resale marketplace, your ability to try and control the value chain is pretty significant. So, I think when you ask sort of ask the question, well, what happens if Live Nation says, gosh, we want everybody to transact on our platform? I would say, well, that's a pretty anti-competitive environment for the fan. And I would go at it the other way, which just says, there are millions of tickets that are being moved and bought and sold by fans everyday around the country. And the first and foremost thing we need to ensure is, they can take that ticket and transfer it and go to the venue they intended, or I can sell it to you, and you ought not be turned down at a stadium by virtue of who controls everything in the ecosystem.
[Sreenivasan:] Yes.
[Singh Cassidy:] So we believe pretty strongly that, whether you're Live Nation and Ticketmaster, whether you're StubHub, the number one responsibility is the right of fan is the right for fans to buy and sell what they choose, and to freely and safely and trustedly interact, right, and be able to get into any stadium, any concert venue if they have bought a legitimate ticket.
[Sreenivasan:] Sukhinder, thanks so much for joining us.
[Singh Cassidy:] Thank you.
[Amanpour:] That's it for now. Thanks for watching this special edition of AMANPOUR. And, remember, you can always listen to our podcast, see us online at Amanpour.com, and you can follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Goodbye from London. END

[Stelter:] We're back on RELIABLE SOURCES. Awaiting New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's daily briefing on the coronavirus crisis. It's scheduled to start in just a couple of minutes and we will take you there live when it does. Photos have great power to help us feel socially connected during this period of physical distancing. Photos can show us where crowds are absent due to social distancing. Here you go. These are churches across America, sadly empty today on Easter Sunday. Photos can also show us where crowds are forming, also for sad reasons. Take a look at this front page from the "San Antonio Express- News," "food lines so long it just breaks your heart." This was taken from a drone camera to show the scale of the need at the San Antonio food bank. That's an example of local news outlets stepping up to cover the crisis in their communities, but those same outlets are struggling. The pandemic has exacerbated the problems in local news. What we've seen since the beginning of march is, according to this count, at least 28,000 people working in the news media have been laid off, furloughed or faced a pay cut, a story that, of course, mirrors what's happening across America and around the world as unemployment rises due to the shutdowns. Kristen Hair of the Poynter Institute's been keeping track as well. He has a long list of the cuts to local news rooms. She calls it devastating. So, some lawmakers here in the U.S. are thinking about what to do and whether to step in. This new letter to Senate leadership calls for targeted funding to local journalism in the next stimulus package. Right now, 19 Senators have signed on to this letter, all of them Democrats with one exception. The exception is Senator Angus King. He's an Independent, who caucuses with the Democrats. He's Joining me now from Maine. Senator, thank you for being here.
[Sen. Angus King:] Absolutely, Brian. Good to be with you.
[Stelter:] Tell me why this is needed. Why should local news be supported financially in the next stimulus package?
[King:] Well, local news, this is a time of particularly important for local news. You guys do a great job, but you can't tell us here in Brunswick where to go for testing, what the situation is at our local hospital or when the grocery store is going to be open. Local news has a critical information function in this particular situation. The problem is they're also being hammered because they rely on advertising, automobiles, local restaurants, those kinds of things, all of which are also down. So that's why we felt that this is really a critical source of information beyond what can be available through a national outlets, that's really important to people to provide what they need when they need it.
[Stelter:] But what should the federal government be doing? Why is it appropriate for federal dollars, taxpayer dollars to go to news outlets?
[King:] Well, I hate to break it to you, but taxpayer dollars are going all over the place right now, to small businesses, to individuals, to states to large businesses. And what we're saying in this letter, and I give a lot of credit to my colleague Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut for bringing this forward, but what we're trying to do here is saying, look, this is an important part of the national infrastructure. In a in a pandemic, information is one of the absolute key resources, and we need to be sure it's still going. I mean, I don't view this as long-term support for local journalism, but we're talking about getting through a crisis here. And we just spent you know, $2 trillion, there's going to be more coming in the COVID four bill that's being worked on now. And what we're saying is, this is this is part as I say, this is part of the pandemic of infrastructure that we have to have in place. And if we don't, then local people aren't going to know where to turn, and they're going to be that much more in the dark.
[Stelter:] You know, the pain is very real, especially local newsrooms. And look at this new polling from Knight and Gallup. It shows that news consumption is up, which of course makes sense, people are paying more attention to the news because of fears about this virus. But at the same time, revenue is down for all the reasons you just cited, because advertisers don't have anything to advertise when their businesses are closed. So that the problem is very
[King:] And if
[Stelter:] Go ahead.
[King:] And if you look at that data, Brian, you will see that attention to local news media has doubled in the last three weeks. So to me that's as good an indication of how important this is, as anything you could possibly find. And there's also an underlying problem here of a loss of local resources across the country. There's a wonderful Web site called USNewsDeserts.com.
[Stelter:] Yes, it's a great resource.
[King:] You could look in each county. And this situation where all the ad revenues is drying up could only accelerate that trend which is which is just no good for the country.
[Stelter:] That's right. Senator, thank you very much. I'm going to pause here and take it to Albany. Governor Cuomo is speaking now.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] great fear for us was always overwhelming the hospital system, the capacity of the hospital system. And we've added capacity, we've moved equipment around, but the great fear was always overwhelming the just raw capacity of the hospital system, the number of beds. So the number of additional net beds was always important to track and that's what we see here. The net bet is down to 53 which is the lowest number since we started doing these charts. So that is a good number. Three-day average, which is a little more accurate than the day to day which tends to fluctuate is also down as you see. Total hospitalizations 18,700, but you see the 18, 18, 18, 18, that's the so-called flattening of the curve. The apex isn't just an apex, it's a plateau. You see that line flattening, and that's what the experts were talking about that it might have been a straight-up and then rapid down, or it might be up to an apex and the apex becomes a plateau. That's what these numbers suggest. Changing ICU admissions ticked up. Again, the ICU admissions is a little questionable now because almost all the beds in the hospital have turned into an ICU bed. So how hospitals classify ICU admissions is a little dubious to me, but that's my personal two cents. The three-day average on ICU admissions is the same thing, tick up in the intubations, which is not good news. But you see, yesterday was great news that may have been a blip in the overall. The intubations are very relevant because people come into the hospital, they get treated. Hopefully, they get discharged. If they don't get discharged, they stay in the hospital. They decline, they become intubated. If they become intubated, the longer you're on a ventilator, the less likely you will be to get off that ventilator. So that's the trajectory we see, right? And the intubations, most people who are intubated will not come off the ventilator. So that's a troubling number, the intubation number, which is real. But the three- day intubation rate, again is a down relative to where we were. So all the numbers are basically saying the same thing. Number of discharges goes up because we have that high hospitalization rate. People stay for a week, two weeks, they get discharged. That's why the discharges are a function of the hospitalization rate. Three- day average of the discharges, you see, again, basically flat, so it's all reinforcing the same thing, a flattening of all these numbers. You're not seeing a great decline in the numbers, but you're seeing a flattening. And you're also seeing a recurrence of the time terrible news, which is the number of lives lost, which is 758. Somebody asked the question once, can you ever get numb to these seeing these numbers? Unfortunately, no. 758 people lost their lives in a 24-hour period. I speak to many families who are going through this, many people who lost loved ones. Everyone is a face and a name and a family that is suffering on this weekend, which for many people in this state and in this nation is a high religious holiday, which is already distorted because we have churches closed, we have temples closed. So this is truly tragic news. And I want every family to know that they're in our thoughts and prayers and we're sorry that they had to go through this. And I want them to know that New Yorkers did everything humanly possible to be there for their loved ones and try to save those lives, and we're proud of that. You see also a flattening in the number of lives lost at a terribly high rate. But if you look back over the past several days, you see there's a certain continuity to that number. Again, that's the one number that I look forward to seeing drop as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, and it is been flattening, but flattening at a terribly high level. Again, to put it in context, 9,385 lives lost, when you were those from yesterday. But in the context of 911, which was Supposed to be the tragedy of my lifetime, 2,753 lives lost, we're now at 9,385. The big question for everyone is when do we reopen? People want to get on with their lives? People want to get out of the house, cabin fever. We need the economy working. People need a paycheck. Life has to function. When do we reopen? When do we reopen? Look, the answer is we want to reopen as soon as possible. Everyone does on a societal level, everyone does on a personal level. Let's just end this nightmare, right? Groundhog Day, you get up every day, it's the same routine. You almost lose track of what day of the week it is because they don't even have meaning anymore. And there's all sorts of anxiety and stress that we're all dealing with. So we want to reopen as soon as possible. The caveat is we need to be smart in the way we reopen. What does smart mean? It means a coordinated approach, a regional approach, and a safe approach. Nobody wants to pick between a public health strategy and an economic strategy. And as governor of the state, I'm not going to pick one over the other. We need a public health strategy that is safe, that is consistent with an economic strategy. How do you reopen, but how do you do it in a way that is smart from a public health point of view? The last thing we want to see is an uptick in that infection rate and an uptick in those numbers that we work so hard to bring down. So we need a strategy that coordinates business and schools and transportation and workforce. What New York pause did is it stopped everything at the same time. It was a blunt device, but it shut down everything at the same time. We're going to need testing, more testing, faster testing men we now have when you start to move people back to work, and we're going to need federal help. There is no doubt about that. I did a joint statement with Governor Hogan, who is the chairman of the National Governors Association. He is a Republican. I am the vice- chair. I'm a Democrat, for those of you who don't know. And we did a joint statement that said, look, the federal government did a stimulus bill, a bill that was supposed to help move the economy along, called the Federal Cares Act. The Federal cares act, just almost ignored state governments. When you ignore a state government, you ignore our situation. We have a $10 to $15 billion deficit. We got a budget done, but our budget was basically contingent on what happens going forward. And without federal assistance, how does this state economy come back? How do we really start to fund schools etcetera? And that's going to happen that has to happen from a federal level. There is no level above a state government that can make a difference besides the federal government. We did a statement on a bipartisan basis that said the federal government has to fix this in the next bill. And we called $500 billion for funding for state governments. And again, we did that on a bipartisan basis. From New York's point of view, the past bills were like most federal passed bills. They were went through the political process. And to get a bill passed in Washington, everyone has to get there piece of the pie to pass a bill. I understand politics. I understand it very well. That's not how they should be operating here. And you did an injustice to the places that actually had the need, which from an American taxpayer point of view, that's what you were trying to correct. You were trying to correct the devastation of the virus. Well, then correct the devastation of the virus. Not everything has to be an opportunity for pork barrel, right? You look at where the money actually went. Theoretically, the bill distributed funding to states for corrective action and expenses on handling the virus. Kaiser Health, which is a very notable organization, said that Nebraska, Montana, for example, Minnesota, are getting approximately $300,000 per COVID-19 case. New York state gets approximately $12,000. How can that be? It can be because in the Senate, it became a game of political pork, and I want my share, as opposed to where is the need genuinely. And New York is vital to this Americ1an economy. It's not just about New York. Our economy is vital to this country. You want New York's economy up and running, not just for the good of New York but for the good of the nation. So that was the purpose of the legislation. It missed the mark. I hope they do it next time. A simple easy way to help New York is right the wrong that the federal government did when it passed the SALT tax, State-Local Tax Deductibility. That was just a political maneuver in the first place. If you're trying to help places that are suffering from the virus, repeal the SALT Tax which should have never been done, as I said, in the first place. We are going to work with our neighboring states because this is the tri-state area. It's a regional economy. I'm going to speaking with Governor Murphy and Governor Lamont later today on coming up with a reopening plan. That is a public health plan, safeguards public health, but also starts to move us towards economic activation. We'll also do an executive order today, which directs employers to provide essential workers with a cloth or surgical facemask to their employees when they are interacting with the public. And they should provide those masks cost-free. New Jersey did a similar order, and I think Governor Murphy was right, and I want to do that here in the state of New York. We have to also expand testing. One of the ways we want to do that is by executive order. We're going to expand the number of people who are eligible to do the antibody test. We have state regulations that say who can actually do the antibody test. There are two tests. One is the diagnostic test, one is the antibody test. The antibody test tells you if the person had the virus and got over the virus. That would be a prime person who could go back to work because they theoretically have an immunity to the virus for a period of time. They're not sure what the period of time is. There aren't a tremendously large number of people with the antibodies, which is good news, because we kept down the infection rate. But that is an important test, and we have to get that test the scale and this executive order will help do that. Happy Easter for all those who are celebrating. Happy spring for those who aren't celebrating. Spring is my favorite season. What spring says to all of us is it's a time of rebirth. That no matter how cold the winter, no matter how barren landscape got, the earth comes back to life. And it was flat, and it was barren, and it was closed down, and then it comes back to life. And for me this spring especially, we have been closed down. We have locked the doors. We've isolated, we've hunkered down, we've closed down in a way we've never closed down before. We want to talk about a cold winter with the earth becomes barren. This has been a cold period from a societal point of view. And we've closed down in a way we've never closed down. But we will come back to life and we will have a rebirth, and that's what spring is all about. And the rebirth is primarily about our people and about our spirit. It's the spirit lives. There have been a couple of moments through this that will stay with me for all time. And a couple of moments that were really dark periods. Looking at that number of deaths is a dark period. The phone calls with families or dark periods. The fear of the worst- case scenario of those numbers going through the roof and overwhelming the hospital capacity was a dark period. Fears of seeing what happened in Italy and how their healthcare system got overwhelmed and it could happen here. That was dark. The number of conversations with people who lost their father, their spouse, their brother, their sister, out of the blue. But there's also been some moments that just were so inspirational to me, that just showed such a positive spirit. You know, it's when things are at their worst is when you will see the good, the bad, and the ugly, right? When people are under pressure, you see, like their true essence will come out. And some people will break your heart. People who you expected to react differently will just break your heart and disappoint you. But then other people who you expected nothing from, will show you a strength and a resilience that just is an inspiration. We were going through a period where we were afraid of the hospital capacity peaking, and we needed equipment, and we were focused on ventilators, because ventilators for this disease, it's a respiratory disease, you need ventilators. Nobody ever anticipated this kind of situation so we're in a mad rush for ventilators. And we're shifting ventilators all over the state. And I'm asking hospitals to cooperate with each other and lend each other equipment including ventilators. And some hospitals were great and some hospitals were less great which you expect. But then out of the blue, a phone call came where a nursing home in upstate New York said we understand downstate may need ventilators, we want to let them borrow 35 ventilators, unsolicited. They just called and offered the 35 ventilators. And we went, we picked up the ventilators, and we brought them downstate. But I remember when they came in and they told me, a nursing home in upstate, a nursing home is one of the most vulnerable places in this entire situation, right? Elderly populations and in a confined area of a nursing home. And here a nursing home comes forward and says we want to lend you 35 ventilators to bring downstate. I tell you for me when I heard that news, with all this bad with all this negative, something inside me said you know what, we're going to be OK. We're going to find our way through this because there is an inherent goodness in people that will surprise you, and they will rise to the occasion. And at the end of the day, good will win against bad. I believe that. And love will conquer all. So, I went, we brought the 35 ventilators back to Pathways, which is a nursing and rehabilitation center. I went by this morning when they were returning the 35 ventilators just to say thank you, thank you on behalf of all the people of the state, thank you for their generosity. Thank you on behalf of downstate New York. We're in a position now where we're not going to need the ventilators. We're going to be okay equipment-wise unless things changed dramatically. But thank you on behalf of the people of the state as a governor of the state of New York, and thank you for myself, because the people from Pathways who are watching this broadcast, I couldn't go inside. So I didn't really get a chance to talk to them, but I wanted to say thank you for me, from me, because they brought me inspiration and hope and energy at a time when I personally really needed it. And that call and that generosity and that love buoyed my spirit and my feelings and was such a lift for me. And I remember I went and I talked to the team. I said, can you believe how beautiful a gesture this is. So, I wanted to say thank you. As governor, and for me, myself, and I, Andrew Cuomo, thank you to the people of Pathways. Questions?
[Unidentified Male:] Governor, are there any updates on New York City schools? Have you had any discussions with Mayor de Blasio about the path moving forward on that issue?
[Cuomo:] Yes. We are where we are. We are where we were. The schools first, we have to have a coordinated approach on the reactivation, if you will. Schools, businesses, workforce, transportation, it all has to be coordinated. Number two, it all has to be coordinated regionally. We closed everything down in a coordinated fashion, and we did it regionally. We did it with New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, that tri-state area. That partnership is very, very important for our individual states and our collective states. And we did it with Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, the hold downstate region together in the tri-state with the tri-state partners, and that's how we will go forward together. So we'll have a coordinated plan, we'll have a regional plan. Hopefully, we can get on the same page with New Jersey and Connecticut. We're going to try. That is the optimum situation. I don't know if we can achieve it. States are a little different demographically, a little different places, but the optimum that we're still trying is a wholly coordinated approach. Part of that process, not only will I be working with Governor Murphy and Governor Lamont, New Jersey and Connecticut respectively, also work with Suffolk County in Nassau county, and Westchester County, and New York City, but we will do it in a coordinated regional approach.
[Unidentified Male:] Just to extrapolate from that, are you suggesting that New York City schools could reopen this year?
[Cuomo:] All the schools are closed. All the schools in the downstate and upstate area are closed. They will remain closed. We're not going to open any school until it is safe from a public health point of view. We won't open schools one minute sooner than they should be opened, but we won't open schools one late minute later than they should be opened either. And that has to work in a coordinated plan with businesses. Am I, as I sit here, prepared to say what we'll be doing in June? No. I do not know what we will be doing in June. Nobody knows what we will be doing in June. As I said, I talk to the best experts around the globe on this, and the smartest ones all start by saying, I don't know, we have to watch and see and follow the signs, follow the data, and see what happens. So I'm not prepared to say what we will do in June. We whatever plan we come up with will be driven by data and science. It will be coordinated to do all those functions at once because you can't do one without the others. If you say the schools are closed through June, you're effectively saying businesses are closed through June because you can't put the restart the economy fully without restarting schools. Schools also provide not just education, but they're also in many ways childcare for people can then go to work. So coordinate all of that, do it regionally. And June is a long way from now. We go day to day to watch those numbers, and we'll work with Jersey and Connecticut and our local governments in each state to come up with a coordinated plan.
[Unidentified Female:] Does it make sense to open schools even if it weren't due to start for a couple of weeks or do you think people can just kind of assume that school isn't happening till September?
[Cuomo:] Well, I wouldn't assume anything. Because, Karen, if you say schools aren't going to open, you're saying businesses aren't going to open. Now, do you is anyone prepared to sit here today and say, businesses are not going to open through June? You know, that's June is a long way away. I've said from day one, all these predictions we're going to open businesses in May, we're going to do this in May, or this in June, I think that's all premature. I don't think anybody can make an informed decision right now. And look, every informed projection by experts, by the way, has not turned out correct, which is good news, right? Our policy
[Stelter:] Governor Andrew Cuomo speaking in Albany. And as he said, it is good news that these models have been overstating what is actually happening inside the hospitals and in these major metropolitan areas. Still, the death toll has been dire, this virus taking a terrible toll. Governor Cuomo announcing the New York State is nearing 10,000 deaths, the current total in New York State 9.385. Governor Cuomo saying 785 New Yorkers died in the past 24 hours. Still he is saying that flattening the curve is working. He says Now is not the time to stop. Governor Cuomo cautioning people who seem to want to reopen everything right away. He's talking about May and June and beyond, and that is very notable from New York's governor there speaking in Albany. We're going to take a break now and head over to CNN "STATE OF THE UNION" with Jake Tapper.

[Church:] Thousands of protesters were back out in Belarus Sunday demanding President Alexander Lukashenko's resignation. They scuffled with police and protest that began, in part, over the president's dismissal of the coronavirus. Protesters also claimed the August 9th election was rigged. A convoy of at least eight military tanks moved through Minsk on Sunday amid those protests. And in another sign of the president's unease, he was seen again on Sunday holding a rifle. He and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Moscow in the coming weeks. Well, a day after the world topped 25 million COVID-19 cases, the worst hit country is fast approaching another milestone. The U.S. is closing in on the six million case mark. That's according to Johns Hopkins University. This, as several prominent U.S. physicians are calling for an independent commission to review potential COVID-19 vaccines. They fear that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could give the OK for one before it's safe to do so. But while the White House Coronavirus response coordinator is hopeful for a vaccine, Dr. Deborah Birx says she is convinced community spread can be stopped right now.
[Deborah Birx, Coordinator, White House Coronavirus Task Force:] Don't wait for a vaccine to do the right thing. Do the right thing today. If we do the right thing today because if we do the right thing today, we go into the fall with much fewer cases. Right now, we gained freedom through wearing our masks, and socially distancing. With a vaccine, it's a very different potential interaction for all of us. And so, yes, I'm hopeful for a vaccine, but I'm also very convinced right now that we can stop community spread by wearing a mask, socially distancing, and avoiding crowds.
[Church:] Meanwhile, colleges are struggling to contain outbreaks of COVID-19, and some return to in-person classes. The University of Alabama alone is reporting 1,200 cases since classes last started little over two weeks ago. CNN's Natasha Chen has more.
[Natasha Chen, Cnn Correspondent:] It's now been more than seven months since the first coronavirus cases reported in the United States. And since then, more than 180,000 people in this country have died of COVID-19. If you look at the newly reported cases in the last seven days, compared to the previous week, 18 states in the United States are seeing an increase, 23 states are holding steady, and nine states are seeing a decrease. One of those nine states is Florida. Their seven-day average of new cases has come down significantly since mid-July. And on Sunday, the state reported its lowest daily death record since late June. And Georgia was blasted by the White House Coronavirus Task Force report earlier this month for not doing enough to curb the spread of the virus. But Georgia now has also seen a significant decrease in its seven-day average of new cases since early August. And on Sunday, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported under 1,300 new coronavirus cases, the lowest since late June. Now last week, the CDC revised its guidance raising the bar on who should get tested for COVID-19, saying, that some people with no symptoms they may not need a test. Still, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control release a statement on Sunday emphasizing the importance of testing, saying that people with mild or no symptoms should still get tested as they could easily transmit the virus to other people. Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.
[Church:] Australia's worse hit state reported a record daily rise and COVID-19 deaths on Monday. Health officials in Victoria say 41 additional people have died there. The new deaths come as Victoria posted its lowest daily rise in new coronavirus cases since July 3rd. Only 73 new COVID-19 infections were reported in the past 24 hours. Well, India has just surpassed Mexico for the third highest coronavirus death toll in the world. And as CNN's Vedika Sud reports, the battle against COVID in India is far from over.
[Vedika Sud, Cnn Producer:] India has surpassed 3.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. Over the last five days India has been reporting more than 75,000 new infections on a daily basis. We know that India stands at the third position when it comes to the most affected countries across the world, but it is now reporting the third highest number of confirmed deaths across the globe as well after the U.S. and Brazil. Now one of the main reasons why we're seeing a surge of new infections in India is because of the aggressive testing that is taking place. [Technical difficulty] remain grim, the government of India has announced that reopening, phase four of reopening across the country, which means the easing of restrictions that have been in place. Now one of the main announcements made is that the metro rail services will resume in a graded manner. In the capital of India, New Delhi itself, 1.5 million people on an average use the metro rail service on a given day. But since it's going to be reopening in a graded manner, of course, the number of people operating through the rail services, the metro services will be less. Now India has a fatality rate which is below 2 percent, when compared to other countries it is relatively much lower. One of the reasons according to medical experts for this is that India has a relatively younger population than most countries. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
[Church:] Meanwhile, in Brazil, a case study in how Latin American countries are finding it hard to get a handle on the pandemic. It's reporting 16,000 new cases, bringing its count to nearly four million along with more than 120,000 fatalities. Only the U.S. has more of either. Brazil is one of five Latin American countries currently among the 10 hardest nations in the world. Well, other Latin American countries also reported high number of infections on Sunday. In Columbia, more than 8,000 new cases and 300 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours. The country now has the third highest infection rate in Latin America, surpassing Mexico. Meanwhile, over 4,000 new cases were reported in Mexico bringing the country's total to nearly 600,000. Well, the city of Portland is on edge after violence erupted over the weekend. Both U.S. President Donald Trump and his rival Joe Biden are weighing in on the growing unrest. Their messages, next. Plus, White House senior adviser, Jared Kushner in the Middle East. How he might be looking to boost his father-in-law reelection efforts. That's ahead. And we are looking there at live pictures.

[Burnett:] New tonight, Dallas County, Texas, announcing a 5-year-old boy has died from coronavirus, the country's first or the county's, I'm sorry, first pre-teen death. Now, we don't know yet if the child had underlying issues. But the county has announced 1,450 children under the age of 18 have tested positive for coronavirus this month. And this comes as parents across this country are preparing to make big decisions on whether to send their kids to school this fall. And right now, two children in one family in nearby Arlington, Texas, is battling the virus. This is 11-year-old Scotty Carlton. He has fought underlying health conditions since his birth. He was hospitalized earlier this month and tested positive for coronavirus. One day later, his nine-year-old brother Jeffrey also tested positive. He did not have to be hospitalized. Luckily, Scotty has since been released from the hospital. OUTFRONT now, their parents Jeff and Catherine. And I really appreciate your time and both of you, you're talking to all of us. I know it's got to be hard, as a parent myself, for you to do this. But, you know, Jeff, let me start with you. We know that out of the hospital and back home, how are Scotty and Jeffrey both doing today?
[Jeff Carlton, Father Of Two Covid-positive Sons:] They're definitely better. Thank you for asking. There are still complications, right, to deal with
[Burnett:] And complications like you mentioned things like headaches and things like that, Jeff?
[J. Carlton:] Yeah, Scotty has been this is how it started. He's the oldest. Jeffrey was feverish and fatigued for the first few days of this thing, and now, he's having kind of mysterious, debilitating headaches that come on quickly, they for 10 or 15 minutes and they tend to go away. And so, that's new and it's obviously concerning.
[Burnett:] Of course, of course. I mean, Catherine, I know you are both really worried about this virus. From the beginning you were cautious because of Scotty, because he has the underlying conditions and you did everything you were told to do. You did everything right. So, when you first learned that he and then Jeffrey tested positive, I mean, you know, as a mother, how terrifying was that for you?
[Catherine Carlton, Mother Of Two Covid-positive Sons:] It was crushing. Since March when we first heard about the virus, you know, we started making our plans and following guidance of how do we how do we protect Scotty. And we did what we thought and could do as best we could and it still happened to us, you know, four months in. And that first call was crushing. He was in the hospital and really thought if he got this, it would be a death sentence. So, we are in disbelief that he got it. We're in disbelief that Jeffrey got it. We're in disbelief then given his underlying conditions that he was able to come home and he's doing well. But I'm still worried. We're still worried because they still have symptoms. So, short term, we have concerns. I wish them both having it meant we didn't have to worry about them getting it. And we don't know the long-term effects of this virus on them, let alone that we have a third kiddo here that we have tried our best to keep safe. And so far, no symptoms for the three of us, and just the concern as a mom of, hey, I wish I could take it from them and have it myself and then be how do we care for them if we both get it. It's so complicated. Let alone quarantining within the house and keeping three kids separate to try and prevent the spread in our house.
[Burnett:] So, let me ask you about a couple of things you mentioned. I mean, Jeff, you know, you have not shown any symptoms of the virus and obviously, Catherine, you have tested negative. Your daughter, you mentioned your other child, your daughter is negative. So, do you think that this is because of a result of all the things you've done? I see these pictures of your boys wearing masks and all these precautions that you've taken, or do you think that this is possibly because it is hard for kids to spread it? I mean, you're in the midst of this. Nobody knows the answer to that. What do you think?
[J. Carlton:] You know, I think one of the more concerning things about this is that we just don't know. We don't know the answers to some of those questions. When we were leaving the hospital with Scotty, they told me to sort of presume that I was positive. They've also said that even though Catherine and our daughter tested negative initially they could, you know, be a false negative. They could test positive a few days later. There's an awful lot of unknowns with this illness.
[Burnett:] All right. Well, I appreciate both of your time very much. I hope they keep getting better. I know you've got to be so worried with those continuing symptoms. But I really, as a parent myself, appreciate you're sharing all this with us. Thank you so much.
[C. Carlton:] Thank you.
[J. Carlton:] Thank you.
[Burnett:] And next, going backward, Washington state seemed to have a grip on COVID-19 early in the pandemic. Tonight though, deaths are on the rise and at alarming rate. So, what happened? And a major university announcing it is going to have thousands of students back in class in weeks. I'm going to ask the president of the University of Arizona who is also a medical doctor why he made this decision.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The job they are doing, they are apprehending. Call it whatever you like to use. But they are apprehending thousands and thousands of people a month. And we are catching them and keeping them. We are not doing release. At a certain point, we will have to do some release because we don't have the bed space, we don't have the room, and we don't have the funds to build this space because we have ridiculous laws. In other countries, when you have somebody come in illegally, you say, sorry you have to leave. In our country, because the laws are so ridiculous, so stupid, we have to give them a trial. So we send them into the country and then they are supposed to come back, but they rarely come back. Very rarely do they come back. The most ridiculous set of laws. The Democrats' fault. We want to change them. Unfortunately, we need their votes, too. And I think it's going to be a great election issue. OK, anything else?
[Trump:] Say it.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Are immigration policies cruel?
[Trump:] No, I don't think they're cruel. I think they're the opposite of cruel. They have become cruel because they are so ridiculous and it hurts people. It does the reverse of what they are supposed to be doing. No, they are actually meant to be the opposite and they are hurting people. They are really hurting people. And, and I think that we have done an incredible job. We are apprehending record numbers of people. If we had border security and the wall, a proper wall, which we are building now as we speak, and we are getting a lot more funding for it in what we are talking about. Whether it is positive or not, I'm vetoing it. Unless I don't have to veto. I think that is likely. I'll do a veto and it is not going to be overturned. But we have done a great job at the border through apprehension. We shouldn't have to be put in a position of apprehending 75,000 people a month. We shouldn't be in that position. Thank you all very much. Thank you very much. We are doing very well with China talks. China talks have been very well. We'll see what happens. If it's not a deal that is a great deal for us, we are not going to make it. But I would say that we are moving along at a very high level. We are getting what we have to get. I think we are getting it relatively quickly. So the China talks are moving along. As to whether or not we will strike a final deal, that I would never want to say, but they are moving along very well. Thank you very much.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] President Trump speaking in the Oval Office just moments ago. Let me bring back in Nia Malika Henderson, who was kind enough to stick around. Nia, he talked about Beto O'Rourke, and I guess his style, his hand movements. And maybe, importantly, the president also seems to be clarifying and renewing his veto threat when it comes to the vote coming up today in the Senate about the national emergency declaration that he made to get more funding for the border wall.
[Nia Malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] That's right, because it looks like they got enough Republicans on board to have the resolution of disapproval. Mitt Romney is signing on with the Democrats. The president is steadfastly saying he plans to veto it. It doesn't look like there will be enough Republicans with whatever happens with this thing to override his veto. So in the House or the Senate there. He sounded pretty confident there and pretty strongly saying that he planned to veto it and there was nothing to be done. But he is also suggesting that there's already wall being built, which I'm not sure there's actually wall being built. There certainly wasn't additional wall a couple weeks ago. Yes, this is going to be a fight that the president wants to have. He thinks about it in the context of 2020. We, of course, see Beto O'Rourke out there today. He at some point, before he announced, said he would be open to tearing down some of the wall that's in El Paso, specifically. And the president there saying pay attention to Beto O'Rourke's hands movements, that he had never seen anything like that. I think if he looked at himself, often times, he would say some pretty wide-ranging hand movements from himself.
[Bolduan:] I can see where the nicknames will be starting already.
[Henderson:] Right.
[Bolduan:] Keep your hands to yourself. Thank you, Nia. Really appreciate it.
[Henderson:] Thanks.
[Bolduan:] I want to bring back in Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. Thank you, Congresswoman, for sticking around. I really appreciate it. I would like, if we could, to pick back up where the conversation was about the House Judiciary Committee because the question at hand is, did Matthew Whittaker, the former Acting Attorney General, did he have conversations with President Trump about Michael Cohen's criminal case. And my question, at its heart, after the bit of confusing statements coming out from the top leaders of the committee from yesterday, do you think there were conversations between Matt Whittaker and the president about Michael Cohen's case at the end of the day?
[Rep. Madeleine Dean, , Pennsylvania:] We don't know. What we do know is an important revelation from yesterday's meeting with the ranking member and Chairman Nadler. Acting attorney general Whittaker before the full committee when pressed said he had not spoken with the president about the Cohen investigation. When pressed he said no he had not been talked to about the Southern District of New York. We wanted clarity so the chairman of the ranking member and others had acting attorney general in yesterday. What happened was he walked that back. He is now refusing to deny I think it's important. He went from no communications to now refusing to deny that he had conversations, which obviously leaves the door open to the president. He maybe had conversations about the Cohen investigation in the Southern District of New York. That would be a very important set of conversations that we would want to know about.
[Bolduan:] It sounds like what's the next step with that that you would like to see happen?
[Dean:] We will continue our robust oversight. We rolled out documents request from 81 persons or entities. We have a really important constitutional oversight role to do to collect the facts and the data before jumping to any conclusions. I'm a lawyer by training, and I really like to be guided by actual evidence, facts and data. So we will continue robust oversight and find out was the president acting to obstruct justice? Was the president acting to abuse his power? Was the president acting in self-interest? The American people have the right to know. We will continue robust investigation there and oversight. We are also doing substantive work. I know people are paying an awful lot of attention to the notion of impeachment and not. We just passed a resolution to make sure we have transparency of the Mueller report.
[Bolduan:] I do want to ask you about just that. And not just a vote. It was an overwhelming vote of support to have the Mueller report released to Congress and to the public. Republicans joining Democrats. It was 420 to zero, a few people voting present in this vote. That's a real statement. This is just a statement. It's not enforceable by law. You can't force the Justice Department to do anything. With a statement like that coming from a bipartisan House that is very often very divided, what message does it send if then the Justice Department doesn't release the Mueller report?
[Dean:] I think the American public will be very upset. They will be upset if this administration in any way tries to darken this report. I was like you really hardened by the overwhelming support for the resolution for transparency, accountability and getting the information in front of the public. And that compares with another pattern. You see that the Senate is going to take up our bill that would stop the emergency declaration by the president. If the Senate passes that, the Senate that is Republican led, notice what it says the House and the Senate, both chambers of the Congress agree that the president has overreached. We are in the right space where we get that we have a constitutional obligation to fulfill our duties and that the president cannot overreach and take on the duties.
[Bolduan:] Let me also ask you, Manu Raju, my colleague was able in Nancy Pelosi's press conference, he was able to ask you talked about impeachment. He was able to ask her again almost to clarify if the Mueller report would come back suggesting criminal activity on the part of the president, of course, that is a big if, would that change her mind in what she had said recently about impeachment not being worth it, that he is not worth it and she is not for impeachment. She argues that it is not worth our time for Democrats to do anything that would take attention away from the policy agenda. Do you agree with her?
[Dean:] What I agree with is, really what she is saying is we need to do our job. Judiciary has 81 requests for documents out. We have hearing after hearing that we will be scheduling to get at the facts and evidence. I agree with the speaker when she says impeachment is not right and not right now. That doesn't mean that down the road once we have done our homework and collected the information and see the findings of the Mueller report are and impeachment might not be an option down the road.
[Bolduan:] Do you think that's what she's saying Congresswoman? Do you think she is saying it's just not right now or do you think she is now taking the position of it's not worth it at all? It's not worth it. She said in that interview to the "Washington Post," "I'm going to tell you news right now that I haven't told anybody. I'm not for impeachment."
[Dean:] And she's operating with the facts and the information that she has now. As you well know, Speaker Pelosi is masterful at both legislator and strategizing. So what I think that signals is she wants us to do our work. We have committees that are poised to do important substantive and oversight work. We need to do that before any conversation on impeachment. Imagine if she just jumped in and said, yes, we need to go for impeachment now? We don't have the information that would actually convince the American public of that. It would be a fool's errand. I utterly support the speaker and her comments. And I'm just looking forward to doing the work that the American people deserve.
[Bolduan:] Congressman, Thank you for coming in. Thank you for sticking around. I real appreciate it.
[Dean:] Thank you very much.
[Bolduan:] Thank you. Coming up for us, more than 1,000 drivers in Colorado are stranded in their cars due to a massive winter storm. Look at the conditions in Denver yesterday. Rescue teams are struggling to get cars off the roads now as conditions are finally beginning to improve. We will have a live update, coming up next.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back, everybody. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour. The impeachment report of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee has found overwhelming evidence President Trump abused the power of his office and obstructed Congress in an attempted cover up. The report has new details of phone calls between Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and other officials including Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the committee. Democrats accused the President's allies of coordinating efforts to present false narratives. NATO leaders are hoping cool heads will prevail on Wednesday, a day after a tense round of talks between the U.S. and French presidents on the sidelines of the
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] They are furious. There is no question that the Chinese foreign ministry is reacting strongly, swiftly, and the timing of it we also have to look for it about 45 minutes away from their daily press briefing. Well, this came out hours ago, within roughly one hour of that vote happening in the U.S. House of Representatives. So they wanted to come out in front as strong as possible. And of course this has been echoed in perhaps even stronger words by some of the state media publications, and even some of the government entities. Now, let's look at this bill because right now it's been passed by the U.S. House. It then moves into the Senate. And if it passed there it goes to President Trump, where it can be signed into law. And as you pointed out, John just last week it was the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act that was signed into law. China's response to that was that they banned U.S. war ships from going into Hong Kong and they also threatened sanctions on certain NGOs. It was unspecified. They did not go into many details. But if you look back at the statement that they put out with regards to this most recent act that was just passed it's a lengthy statement. But it is the last line actually that stands out. I will read the first part of it. This one says "Chinese government and people are unwavering in the determination to safeguard the national sovereignty, security and development interests." But then they go on to say that China will have further reactions according to the development of the situation. That is interesting to me, John, because they are clearly standing by not only for how the President may act that's assuming it gets to his desk, because passing it is one thing, enforcing it is another. Where does it go from here? That remains the question. And China is watching very closely.
[Vause:] Yes, essentially they kind of backed down on the issue over the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong with a, you know, strong statement that certainly did not go anywhere. I guess we will see what happens this time. David appreciate the live report. Thank you. A gruesome rape and murder is sparking new outrage in India. Protesters are demanding swift and deadly justice. Here is CNN's Scott McLean.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] In a country where some 100 sexual assaults are reported every single day, one case has struck a nerve.
[Unidentified Female:] We want
[Crowd:] Justice.
[Mclean:] Last Wednesday in the central Indian city of Hyderabad, police say four men dragged a stranded women to a hidden area near a road where they raped and strangled her. Police say the man who confessed conspired to attack her. One of the men had deliberately let the air out of her scooter tire. Later they dumped her body under a highway overpass and set it on fire. As word of the crime spread, so did the protests.
[Unidentified Female:] Things were not getting better at all, but this case has triggered the outrage that you are seeing today.
[Mclean:] Days later there was another horrific case in a northern Indian village. A drunk man allegedly lured a six-year-hold girl out of her school with candy, then raped and strangled her. Suspects in both cases have been arrested but that has not dulled the public outrage.
[Unidentified Female:] Every girl is suffering from this. Every girl scared to go after night. Even after 9:00, every girl is like scared to go out.
[Mclean:] A women's rights activist had vowed to go on a hunger strike demanding that all rapists get the death penalty. "How can we sit silently when there was no one to listen to her screams," she asked on Twitter. The crimes have caught the attention of the Indian parliament where one member said rapists "need to be brought out in public and lynched". Another lawmaker suggested offenders should be castrated. India has had this debate before. In 2012 a woman was gang raped on a bus in New Delhi and died from her injuries two weeks later. The case set off national protests and prompted stricter penalties for rape. Then last year after an eight-year-old girl was raped and murdered, the law was changed again to allow the death penalty in cases where the victim is under 12.
[Unidentified Female:] If women chop off the heads of a few of these rapists, then automatically we will see the society change for the better.
[Mclean:] But no matter the punishment with tens of thousands of rape cases piling up in Indian courts, justice won't come easily or quickly. Scott McLean, CNN London.
[Vause:] They're stepmother and daughter first lady and first daughter. Both glamorous and fashionable and both have their own influence over the 45th President of the United States. When we come back, a closer look of their sometimes complicated relationship.

[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] It certainly seems like the players and owners are still far apart in trying to get a deal done. They said originally they wanted to try to start the season July 4th or that weekend. It doesn't seem like that's going to be realistic at this point.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anhor:] Yes, at this point. Good to see you. Thank you, Andy. And thank you all so much for joining us. Brianna Keilar continues our coverage right now.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] I'm Brianna Keilar and I want to welcome viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. The public visitation for George Floyd has just begun in hometown of Houston, where the city is expecting thousands of mourners to pay their respects to the unarmed black man who was killed at the hands of police. His death exactly two weeks ago today has sparked nationwide protests and calls for change in police departments around the country. CNN's Sara Sidner is at the memorial and she joins us now. Sara, several people from the Floyd family are expected to be there. Tell us who else is attending.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes, the Floyd family, a heavy burden going to three public memorials trying to help people get through their own grief and then having to deal with their own grief in a private memorial that will happen on Tuesday. But we are seeing hundreds of people already showing up at the church in the middle of oppressive heat here in Houston as is normal in during the summer time. We are watching families, a lot of families with children come in here saying their final goodbyes to George Floyd. This is his he's a hometown boy from here and a lot of people wanted to come and not only sort of give their condolences but recognize what his life has meant for the entire country. They are seeing in their minds change and they're hoping it's going to bring change that they have never seen before. They can feel a difference that he has already made, unfortunately, because of his death and how he died. I do want to mention to you, I want to take you inside the church where you're seeing mourners one by one coming into the church. Now, because of coronavirus, this is a very different scenario than you would normally see for a final goodbye. There are about 3,000 people can fit into this church but the way they have done it to keep people in a more self distanced situation is they have one by one, let about 15 people at a time come into the church, they are allowed to go up to the casket, not too terribly close, they pray and then move on. And you will also notice that as they're come into the church, their temperatures are checked and they are asked whether or not they have any symptoms and you also see that people are wearing masks as they walk in. I did manage to have a conversation now showing you the shot that Michael Humphreys, our truck operator, is showing you from above the church and the hundreds of people that are here waiting to get in. There are a lot of families. And I was able to talk to one of the families. It was a mother and her 14-year-old son, a black woman and her young black child. And I talked to them about what this meant to them. They said, look, we just want to come here to show our respect to this man who has really brought out again in this country some of the difficulties that it means to be black in America and the difficulties between the relationship with police. What we want to say is we want people to know that we are still going through that and that we want Americans to understand the pain that the black community has been through. Her 14-year-old son said, I'm afraid to go outside now. And I said, because of coronavirus or because of something else? He says, no, because after seeing that video, I know that could be me, and he's 14 years old. These are lessons being learned over and over and over again and the people that are here want it to stop. They simply want it to stop. We also hear that the governor is going to be speaking shortly. The mayor is here and talking to folks, as well. This is bringing out all of the top brass but it is also bringing out the everyday man who just wants to say goodbye and thank you to George Floyd and his family. Brianna?
[Keilar:] Sara, thank you so much. We really appreciate that report from Houston. And also breaking this afternoon, the fired senior police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes will make a first court appearance this hour. Derek Chauvin's charges were upgraded to second- degree murder and manslaughter. CNN Security Correspondent Josh Campbell is outside of the courthouse there. And, Josh, tell us what we're expecting from this hearing today.
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Security Correspondent:] Yes, good afternoon, Brianna. I'll be heading in there in just a few moments. We're are expected to get our first look at this fired police officer. Now, he will be appearing via video link to one of the courtrooms behind facing those second-degree murder charges, as well as third- degree and then manslaughter. And what we're waiting to see is whether or not we get any indication from his attorney on what his defense strategy will be. We expect this hearing to be very short, bail hearing. But, again, we want to know what that strategy is, because just last week when were in the court for the first appearance of the three other officers that were involved, at least two of those officers, their attorneys were actually pointing to Chauvin and saying that he was the senior officer, he was responsible for Floyd's death. So we're waiting to hear that. Of course, this prosecution here in its early stages, but as this happens, we're learning now also that the Minneapolis City Council is moving for dramatic reform for this police department. I spoke to the president of the city council who says they want to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a new public safety model. Now, the mayor of Minneapolis not appearing to be on the same page as the city council. He was asked whether he would defund the police and said that, no, he's not going to abolish the police department. He was in favor of reform. And he's not alone. Just this weekend, the chair of the congressional black caucus, Representative Karen Bass, spoke with our own Jake Tapper and weighed in on the idea of defunding the police in her view. Let's listen.
[Rep. Karen Bass:] You know what I think is really needed and I think that part of the movement around defunding is really about how we spend resources in our country and I think far more resources need to be spent in communities to address the number of problems. Now, I don't believe that you should disband police departments but I do think that in cities, in states, we need to look at how we are spending the resources and invest more in our communities.
[Campbell:] Now, that is the debate that is being played out across the nation, how far do you go? Do you defund police? Do you dismantle them? Do you reform them? A lot of unanswered questions here in Minneapolis about just how far the city council will go. But, again, a busy day mot only on that front where the city council is looking for wholesale change but the officer that at the center of this controversy, Brianna, he will have his appearance behind us. And we hope to get more on all of those fronts and we'll get those back to you. Brianna?
[Keilar:] Great, Josh. We'll be watching with you. I want to ask you a question about defunding the police, because it seems that we spoke last week with the owner of Cup Foods, the store in front of which George Floyd died. And they said they're implementing where, essentially, if it's a non-violent concern that they have, they're not calling the police, because they feel like the problem that they need dealt with is actually going to be kind of eclipsed by the force that might come in from the police. There does seem to be a demand from this when you have store owners, you know, at least anecdotally saying we may not call the police.
[Campbell:] Yes. And that's what the city council president here was trying to get at, that not only are there people here in certain communities that are distrustful of the police department and the protection that they expect, but also, she said they looked at the data of 911 calls and most of the calls for service were not actually violent crimes in progress. It was more for those types of issues to that could be handled perhaps by mental health providers or emergency medical technicians, that kind of thing. So they're trying to look for a different model that the public will actually trust. Of course, the question is for those who are saying, let's abolish the police, what do you do about crime? Murders are not going to stop. You're going to see violent crimes and you're going to need some type of force that would help protect the public. But, again, those are all the unanswered questions that we don't have yet here from the city council, where they're saying they want to dismantle the police. Right now, it's an idea, Brianna. We haven't yet seen a plan about what that would look like in the long run. Brianna?
[Keilar:] Josh Campbell in Minneapolis, thank you so much. An angry white man confronts a group of Black Lives Matter protesters, see what happened. And I'll be speaking with the African-American woman who stared him down. Plus, despite the history on race, President Trump is considering a speech on race as his approval rate falls 7 percent over the last month. And as coronavirus cases rise in several states across America, a new warning from health experts today, why they're worried that President Trump will release a vaccine too quickly to help his campaign. This is CNN's special coverage.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. At any moment, we're expecting President Trump to sign the $2 trillion stimulus bill into law. We are going to bring that to you when it happens. An aide telling CNN that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not, not been invited to the ceremony at the White House. We learned earlier this week that she and President Trump have not spoken in at least five months. But now to the coronavirus pandemic itself and a turning point in the United States, the U.S. now reporting the most coronavirus cases in the world, more than 97,000. That is more confirmed cases than Italy, which has so far seen more than 8,000 deaths, though a top Italian health official is warning today that Italy has not yet even hit the peak of the pandemic in that country. That is also more confirmed cases than the Chinese government is reporting, though, of course, an important caveat, the Chinese government has not exactly been a paragon of transparency and candor for facts during this crisis. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has now become the first world leader to be infected with the coronavirus that we know of, along with the U.K.'s health secretary. Both are in self-isolation as of now. In the U.S., the death toll currently stands at 1,495. That is up 44 deaths in just the last hour. We have already surpassed the record set yesterday for most coronavirus deaths in the U.S. reported in just one day. The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, today saying that quote "This is a moment that is going to change this nation" unquote. Hard to argue with that. And, as CNN's Nick Watt reports, now U.S. Navy ships are lending additional support in the battle against coronavirus.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] With 1,000 beds on board, the Mercy docked in L.A. this morning. Confirmed cases here are climbing.
[Eric Garcetti , Mayor Of Los Angeles:] That, if this rate of increase continues, in six days, we will be where New York is today.
[Watt:] A second Navy hospital ship, the Comfort, expected to dock in New York City Monday, where the mayor believes more than half the city's population will catch this virus.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] We're going to seek to build another four temporary emergency hospitals.
[Watt:] More than 500 now dead in New York state, among them a nurse at Mount Sinai and an NYPD employee. The governor says the rate of increase now falling, peak infections still three weeks away, and more ventilators still needed. His advice to the rest of the country?
[Cuomo:] Get the equipment and get it sooner. And if you don't get it now, you're not going to have it when you need it.
[Watt:] Detroit now among the nation's emerging hot spots.
[Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Chief Medical Executive:] We think we're still on the aggressive upslope. And we still have several weeks to go as far as when we hit that peak.
[Watt:] More than 500 new confirmed cases Michigan in just 24 hours. Do health workers there have what they need to stay safe?
[Khaldun:] Absolutely not. I have now got doctors and nurses on the front lines who are using one mask for their entire shift.
[Watt:] One Detroit hospital system is preparing for possible life-and- death decisions ahead. A letter ready to send to patients and families reads in part: "Because of shortages, we will need to be careful with resources. Patients who have the best chance of getting better are our first priority." A company spokesperson telling
[Cnn:] "This letter is part of a larger policy document developed for an absolute worst-case scenario. It is not an active policy."
[Mike Duggan , Mayor Of Detroit:] Every major hospital system in New York and Detroit and Chicago and Seattle are having exactly these same conversations internally.
[Watt:] Chicago, another growing hot spot, a refrigerated trailer now at the Cook County morgue increasing capacity. The president still talking about opening up at least parts of the country for Easter.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Niaid Director:] Well, I think that the president was trying to do he was making an aspirational projection to give people some hope, but he's listening to us when we say we really got to reevaluate it in real time. And any decision we make has to be based on the data.
[Watt:] Now, that is the 1,000 bed Mercy hospital ship behind me, a strange sight for peacetime. The governor and the mayor are visiting it this West Coast lunchtime. The plan is to get regular patients out of Los Angeles hospitals and put them on the ship to clear space for the expected COVID-19 wave. And we just got some updated numbers from L.A. County. They say that confirmed cases here tripled in just the past six days. And those numbers are expected to continue to climb Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Nick Watt, thank you so much. And we should just note, we started this broadcast, the death toll was 1,451. The death toll is now 1505. We have passed the grim milestone of 1,500, as the death rate from this virus keeps going up. Let's bring in CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining me now. And, Sanjay, an internal memo from a Michigan hospital system has been getting a lot of attention. It details and the hospital has confirmed it's real it details how, in a worst-case scenario, they are preparing protocols for life-and-death decisions that might have to be made during an emergency. Who gets a ventilator? Who does not? How long does somebody get to stay on a ventilator? Part of the letter says to quote from it quote "Some patients will be extremely sick and very unlikely to survive their illness, even with critical treatment. Treating the patients would take away resources for patients who might survive." Now, I should underline that the Henry Ford Health System told CNN that none of their hospitals are near anywhere near having to enact such protocols, and none of them are at capacity with coronavirus patients. But, I mean, we have seen what happened in Italy, and we're tracking we're about the U.S. has been following Italy by about 10 or 11 days. It could happen. I mean, we need to be honest about that.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Yes, look, I think we do have to be honest about that. And I can tell you, Jake, first of all, Michigan's my home state. I know many of the doctors there. I have been speaking to some of them off the record on background today. And a couple things really struck me. One is that, as you point out, this is a real letter. They all they all knew about this. They all knew that this letter was being circulated. And they weren't there was no degree of surprise by this at all when I talk to these physicians. Based on what they're seeing, and the projections that they're hearing, when you hear a doubling rate that happens every couple of days, the numbers double every couple of days, I mean, it goes that's exponential growth. So you really can't sit here at any point really in Michigan, or many of these places around the country, and say things look OK for now. You just can't think that way, I think, when the numbers are growing back quickly. So they are talking about this. Many physicians, many physician groups are talking about this. These are real conversations that are happening in the country right now. It is challenging, obviously, because a lot of people, who especially those not in the health care profession, are hearing about rationing decisions, which is what this is. They're hearing about rationing decisions up front in a way that they have never probably ever heard before. And it's jarring, I admit it, but it's real, Jake, and not just there, but in many hospital systems.
[Tapper:] Yes. And I have seen some people criticize members of the media for even covering this, covering it as if we're fear-mongering. It's very clear we're not at that point. But it's also clear other Western countries like Italy have reached that point. I want you to take a listen to the mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan. He applauded the approach and the forthrightness from of this health care system talking about a worst-case scenario.
[Duggan:] Henry Ford is one of America's great health care systems. And what they put out was honest. We're trying to bend the curve. The governor of the state has put a shelter-in-place order in, and where everybody is doing everything we can to stop it. But you would be irresponsible as a health care system CEO if you weren't planning for that eventuality.
[Tapper:] Do you agree? And do you think most hospital systems and hospitals have plans like this in place, whether or not they acknowledge it publicly?
[Gupta:] Yes, I think most hospital systems do have plans in place. And I can tell you that what I have been doing is spending a lot of time talking to people in various places around the country to really get a sense of how things stand. And you do hear about this. In fact, Jake, in "The New England Journal of Medicine'this week, there was an article this is a journal that many people in the medical community read and they basically talk specifically about what might rationing look like? Should there be independent committees that are set up in a hospital, for example, so that the treating physicians and nurses don't have to be the ones that are there can be an independent body helping make these decisions? I mean, these are real discussions happening. And, Jake, look, of course, no one wants or hopes that this will happen. But this is the sort of preparation that has to take place, because, all of a sudden, if people are confronted with it, and they have no sort of plan or idea or sort of way of thinking through this, that's tough on everybody as well. It's tough no matter what. But that makes it even tougher.
[Tapper:] And, Sanjay, you and I have been yelling this now for weeks and weeks, if not months, at this point. The hospitals do not have what they need. They don't have the personal protective equipment. They don't have the ventilators. Now, in terms of the PPE, according to the Italian Association of Doctors, 51 Italian doctors who tested positive for coronavirus have now died. That's a lot of people to die. And that's a huge shock to the health care system.
[Gupta:] Look, I mean, this was tragic. I saw that alert come across, 51 physicians, 32 of them in this northern area. I mean, these are entire communities of medical professionals that are whose lives are being lost right now. It's really sad, Jake. I think that the this idea that people have been screaming, the Italian Medical Federation screaming as well for some time, that they needed more PPE, this wasn't a precaution. It's protective equipment. But it was essential. And I think, just as many countries around the world did not pay attention to Italy, you hear from people in Spain that I have been talking to: Yes, we thought that it was over there, it's not really going to come here. They were watching what happens in Italy. And still some of the same precautions were not being taken. This what happened to these doctors, 51 doctors who've now passed, 32 in just the northern region of Italy alone. I mean, everyone should listen to this, because we can learn a lesson. We can better prepare. It was not just precautionary sort of principles. It was essential principles. And it's also a reminder that, in health care settings, in hospitals, that's where people are most likely to get sick. The virus is clearly circulating even more robustly there. You can't keep safe distance away from each other. The patients are aerosolizing more likely to aerosolize the virus in those settings. So
[Tapper:] So and lastly, Sanjay. It's been made very clear by not only Dr. Fauci, but even Vice President Pence, that this goal of opening up America, so that church pews can be crowded in Easter, which is just two weeks in a couple days away, that that's aspirational, which is another nice way of saying, President Trump's push for that is that's what he wants to happen, but we're not going to be able to do that, and also save lives. When do you think there will be at least some ability for the nation to think about a return to normalcy?
[Gupta:] Well, I have asked just about everybody that question, including Fauci, including Bill Gates last night. I have talked to various hospital systems. You probably saw Governor DeWine in Ohio, who was very aggressive early on, closing Ohio State University early. People thought, what are you doing? He did that very early. And he even is saying, look, it's looking like maybe end of April, May. Nobody knows for sure. We don't know exactly where we are on that curve. I think if we see a few days where that doubling number starts to come down, that's going to be a good sign, sort of saying that we have gotten close to the peak. But, I mean, I think most people are saying that the entire cycle is probably eight to 10 weeks. So, the peak may be four or so five weeks into this.
[Tapper:] Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much, as always. We will have this conversation again on Monday. Have a great, safe and healthy weekend with you and your family.
[Gupta:] Absolutely. You too, Jake.
[Tapper:] Coming up, we're continuing to monitor the White House, where President Trump is about to hold a signing ceremony for the stimulus package. We will bring that to you. He did not invite the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Even though the president is constantly talking about the need for the country to pull together, he's not inviting the person who got the bill through the House. Plus, breaking news on the Defense Production Act. We will bring that to you next. Stay with us.

[Keilar:] A San Francisco nurse who contracted coronavirus is sharing what it did to his body after being hospitalized for six weeks. This is Mike Schultz about a month before he got sick. On the left, of course, right in the recovery ward, several weeks later. He used to work out and a healthy 190 pounds and now 140 pounds and his lung capacity slowly coming back but took a hit through this. Schultz said he felt so weak he could barely hold the phone to take that picture on the right. And when he woke up, he thought he'd only been in the hospital for one week, when he had been in the hospital for six. Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, CNN medical analyst and chief clinical officer of Providence Health System. And she's joining us now to talk about this. Doctor, that change, this is getting so much attention because it's just undeniable. He looks like a different person, right? He was intubated for 4.5 weeks. What does that tell you about the toll this virus takes on your body and I know you've seen some of this.
[Dr. Amy Compton-phillips, Cnn Medical Analyst:] Thank you, Brianna, for asking. And it's not just the virus but staying in an ICU is really hard on the body and we've known for a long time there's a condition called ICU associated weakness people are prolonged on a ventilator. And by the way, they're put into a medically induced coma because it's not a pleasant sensation to have to live through. Two big things happen. One is that you get something called a catabolic state where you break down your own muscles and deconditioning. You are at complete rest. You're not moving around. So your muscles get super, super weak. And at the end of that, what happens is what my Kentucky father-in-law would describe, weak as a kitten, and you really have no energy left to move because you have basically really removed most of your muscle strength during that time while you're in bed.
[Keilar:] And can you speak to something we've heard more experts talk about, for people like this nurse, he wakes up, thinks he's on the vent for a week, he's been in the hospital for six weeks instead. The long-term mental health implications of going through something that is arguably for so many people, very traumatic.
[Compton-phillips:] It is very traumatic. The other thing people in ICUs get besides incredibly weak is PTSD because they lose chunks of their life and the trauma on the body of being put on a ventilator and some people having to be put on blood pressure support medicines, that you can actually have lasting damage to both the brain as well as your ability to regain your strength long-term. And so it is a long road back. So not only the nurse that you have shown pictures of, but every single person in the ICU, getting out of the hospital is step one on the road to recovery.
[Keilar:] It's not just the end of it, right? It's the beginning of a new thing for them. The mayor in New York, Bill De Blasio, just reported childhood vaccination rates in New York City have been falling dramatically, down 63 percent overall, especially among younger children. I think we I think we can understand that some parents have been hesitant to take their kids to the doctor's office for their normal well child visits, but what would your advice be to them and what are your concerns about this?
[Compton-phillips:] My advice now is now that we're on the backside of wave one, now is the time to go catch up, catch up with all the care you need. And it's not just childhood vaccines that we need parents to get their kids in and get them now. But it's people who need their blood pressure, saying come on back. Don't let a second wave of catastrophe from this virus be that all the other preventative conditions we know we can help get out of control because we've put off things that we know we should. So time to go in and get those shots.
[Keilar:] Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, thank you.
[Compton-phillips:] Thank you so much.
[Keilar:] A dire warning from the World Bank that this crisis could push 60 million people into extreme poverty around the world. Plus, Russia is set to receive a major shipment of ventilators from the United States. One of the world's most iconic theatres could be forced to shut down.

[Paul:] I want to talk about the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks. CNN has learned that a majority of Atlanta police officers in two precincts did not show up for work yesterday. That's the third day in a row that the departments experienced their shortages.
[Blackwell:] You know, prosecutors have charged two Atlanta officers in Brook's death. Reverend James Woodall is the president of the Georgia NAACP. He led protests in the wake of Brooks' shooting. Reverend, good morning to you. And you say that you and protesters will take over the Georgia capitol every single day until legislators do their job. What's your definition of their job here? What do you want them to do?
[Rev. James Woodall, President, Georgia Naacp:] So, we will- we've asked them to pass a very healthy hate crimes legislation here in the state. We've also demanded that they repeal citizen's arrest as well as stand your ground. And then, to pass Senate Bill 414, which is a moral turpitude law that will re-enfranchise 275,000 Georgians due to the racist and outdated statute of the moral turpitude clause in Georgia constitution.
[Paul:] So, we know that in changing people's minds, we believe that policy will help do that but not fully. I want to show you some numbers here from a poll last week that 67 percent of people polled say they support the Black Lives Matter movement. Compare that to 40 percent in 2016, what do you think has contributed to this change?
[Woodall:] Well, one, I think the reality of people seeing that black people's lives are literally under attack, we had three general assembly members just this week, entertaining conversations on social media, saying that protesters who were marching to the state capitol last week should be shot down, you know, with one man in machine gun in the helicopter. We have we have, you know, people all over the State of Georgia, are having the level of uprisings, we haven't seen sustained in years. And so, you know, their presence alone is enough. But secondly, that the amount of and the volume of death that we're seeing literally day-to-day basis is contributing to that increase.
[Blackwell:] All right, you might have heard, Christi mentioned the sickouts at Atlanta police department at the top of this segment. I want to read this to you. It's a 24-year Atlanta police veteran told my colleagues, Dianne Gallagher and Pamela Kirkland that "the mayor has come out and said, "our use of force policies basically, we're going to do away with them. No new policy or information has been put in. So, what are we supposed to do? No one knows what we're supposed to do. We're in a dark gray area right now as far as what we're supposed to do. So, I am scared." The Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms came out and said she would sign some executive orders. But there's 14 days until initial guidance, 45 days until a recommendations. Officers say they're in this great area. What's your response to those officers who feel like, you know, they're they are bit lost now?
[Woodall:] My response is, I served eight years in the United States Army, and I stand with my brothers and sisters in arms. But let us be clear that, you know, this is about black people literally being murdered. This is not about officers being attacked and that was the same conversation we saw yesterday in the state capitol when, you know, we had the opportunity to pass the hate crime law, instead, they added law enforcement protections. This is about black people being murdered. Ahmaud Arbery was murdered. Rayshard Brooks was murdered. And so, any narrative that suggests that this push is a black versus blue kind of question is out of order. This we stand with them. We'll make sure that our people are protected. We'll ensure that our law enforcement is protected. But we need to get the same kind of courtesy and duty to be able to say, I can walk outside on my street and not be afraid because of a white racist or even a police officer, and that's just the reality that Georgians are facing every day, and yesterday, we saw it again, where there was a protest happening downtown Atlanta, and then, literally somebody ran into the protest, opened fire. And so, this is not, you know, some political conversation, these are people's lives that we're having to deal with.
[Paul:] Real quickly, when we talk about the walkout part of the walkout to from police, as we understand it is because of the charges that were brought against Officer Rolfe. One of them could make the death penalty could put the death penalty on the table. Do you believe that is the right course?
[Woodall:] Well, one, we I personally do not support the death penalty. So, I would not advocate for that. What we're asking for is just simple accountability. When there is, you know, crimes committed people should be prosecuted and held to the highest standard of the law. That's what the State of Georgia is endowed with, with the responsibility of making sure that these kind of the crimes are held accountable for. And so, you know, if the crimes fit, then they have to proceed forward. But I'm not going to get into the back before the well what should the penalty be, our main thing is just accountability and ensure that the process is thorough.
[Blackwell:] I've already got the wrap here, but I want to get an answer to this. We understand from reporting that Georgia NAACP hired a private investigator. This was the day before the charges were announced. Do you have reasons not to trust the D.A.'s investigation?
[Woodall:] Well, we fully support the D.A. Howard in this case. However, we do want to ensure that the information that's being shared is not only accurate but we have access to it as a public, and we've seen these kind of cases happen where there's not a release of information. There, there, there are certain thing that happened, you know, and we're like, kind of left out of the loop. And so, we just wanted to make sure and also want to lift up is not just the Georgia NAACP, but it's the just Georgia coalition that is working in tandem with one another to ensure that justice truly is for Georgia.
[Blackwell:] Reverend James Woodall, president of Georgia NAACP. Thank you so much.
[Paul:] Thank you, Reverend.
[Woodall:] Thank you.
[Blackwell:] So, for the companies that want to support the Black Lives Matter movement, it's more complicated than just issuing a statement or tweeting out a black box. Just ahead, we're going to talk about what companies should do from an expert who knows this well to prove their commitment.

[Robyn Curnow, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back, I'm Robyn Curnow. You're watching CNN. It is 5:32 in the morning here on the east coast. So, the U.S. President Donald Trump says the White House will announce in the coming hours the creation of a committee focused on reopening the country for business. Mr. Trump also insists that as president, he has the ultimate authority to reopen the U.S. But governors in at least 10 states disagree with that assertion. On Monday, states on both coasts announced they've created their own regional pacts to work together on how to reopen their economies once it is safe to do so. Alison Kosik joins me now with the latest from New York. And how are markets reacting to all of that? Hi, Alison.
[Alison Kosik, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Good morning. I think right now, you're looking at markets focusing more on earnings season, which kicks off today. It's when we're really going to get the first glimpse as to how American companies have been impacted by the coronavirus crisis. And first up we're going to be hearing from JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo as well, and Johnson & Johnson as well. And S&P 500 companies are expected to show a 10 percent earnings decline for the entire earnings season. Already, we've seen warnings coming from companies. They're also not issuing forward-looking guidance because of all the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the coronavirus on the U.S. economy. So now we see this pivot ready to happen. We don't know which day this will happen, but a pivot from the unprecedented closing of the U.S. economy to the opening. And you mentioned the state-by-state approach and now we've got the federal approach. The White House announcing this council to focus on the reopening this council called Opening Our Country Council and they're going to be tasked with just how to go ahead and reopen the U.S. economy. It looks like there aren't going to be any business members in this anyone from companies in this. It looks like it's going to be filled with a lot of administrative administration officials led by Mark Meadows. He's the chief of staff. It will include Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin, Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross, along with advisers Larry Kudlow, Peter Navarro even Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. They are expected to be part of this council as well. Now, there are questions, though, how this council's going to work with the Coronavirus Task Force. It's not clear how the two panels will wind up interacting. But one official said reopening the reopening council would likely focus more on economic measures to stimulate the economy and less on public health. That would be left to the Coronavirus Task Force. So we will get more word today from the White House we're expected to get, at least on who will fill up this council and what the next steps will be Robyn.
[Curnow:] OK, thanks so much. Alison Kosik there. Have a lovely week.
[Kosik:] Thank you.
[Curnow:] So around the world, medical workers are facing new challenges as they fight the coronavirus. Dr. Matt Morgan has been describing what it's like on the front lines in the U.K. and has also got a message an open letter for the U.S. president saying quote, "Intensive care can save thousands of lives, yet the true power in this global health threat lies not with the doctors but with the people. Simply staying at home, socially distancing and reducing transmission will save far more. So, too, in politics. Giving your power to the people around you, the experts in truth, the experts in science, and the experts in health is how you, too, can save millions." Well, that's a powerful message there. Intensive care Dr. Matt Morgan joins me now from Cardiff. He's a consultant at the University Hospital in Wales. Powerful letter you wrote there to the U.S. president and you wrote it on behalf of patients, globally. But you also asked for time. Why?
[Dr. Matt Morgan, Intensive Care Doctor, Consultant In Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Of Wales Cardiff:] Well, time is really the most important tool we have in the intensive care units. Yes, we've got machines and powerful drugs but especially in this COVID epidemic, the thing which helps people is time and their own body. And I hope the letter I've written aren't the words from me. They are the words from the founder of the NHS in the U.K. who was a coal miner's son who lived just an hour away from where I live Aneurin Bevan. And he really had three powerful phrases which I've used in this letter. This is my truth, tell me yours. The purpose of power is to give it away. And the final one, especially for America, is no society can call itself civilized if the sick are denied through lack of means.
[Curnow:] OK. So, really quite foundational stuff, particularly for health care and as a doctor for you in the U.K. And I know that doctors across the world have all been facing these challenges. When you look at your day in the ICU and you talk about time, how difficult has it been for family members not having that connection with people in the ICU, particularly those that die not having the time to say goodbye?
[Morgan:] I must say after all the changes over the last month or so, the things we can cope with are the changes in machines, the changes in area, the changes in workforce and in medicine. The things I've struggled with the most, and certainly families have struggled with is that time to be there when people are critically ill. That's something that's engrained normally in our practice and now we're having to work around new ways to support patients, especially those that don't make it. My last shift, for example, was with patients who despite all of the things we were doing were sadly going to die and in that time he could not be alone. And so I was there I was there with nursing staff, holding his hand, playing his favorite song, actually, on an iPad that his family asked us to do. So my plea to the people
[Curnow:] What was his family's favorite song?
[Morgan:] I think I'd rather keep that to him, actually
[Curnow:] OK.
[Morgan:] because that's something for him and his wife. But it was something which brought tears to all of our eyes. It was very poignant. But that's some of the small little gestures that we can do at that time. And it may not seem much but I think for that family member knowing somebody was holding his hand, knowing that he was listening to something that he loved, hopefully will bring some solace.
[Curnow:] What has the death rate been and have you been overwhelmed by just the amount of saying goodbye that you and your nurses and the staff where you work have had to do in the past few weeks?
[Morgan:] Well, certainly in intensive care, end-of-life care and that support is fundamental to what we do every day we are still coping with the results locally in Cardiff. So if people are at home feeling unwell we still have the ability to care for them and that's really important to know. We also have a psychological team locally that is there to help support families and to support staff, actually. But you're right, this is something new for us to go through as health care providers, being one step back from that family support.
[Curnow:] Have you had to make difficult ethical choices? I know that a lot has been talked about you know, doctors have to make these hard choices about who to save and who not to. Has it come to that where you are?
[Morgan:] We are not in a resource-limited setting at the minute, so the decision-making that we make shared decision-making with patients, families, and caregivers is the same as we do every day in intensive care. And I've written another letter, actually, to the elderly, the frail, and those with chronic health conditions to explain and frame some of that decision-making. But as of now, here where I work in Cardiff, that decision-making is exactly the same as it is every day.
[Curnow:] You're a dad, as well. How are you managing? This is this is a life-changing experience for doctors in many ways. How do you balance all of this?
[Morgan:] Yes, that's a great question. You're right, I'm a researcher, a scientist, a doctor, but I'm also a son, a dad, a husband. It was my wife's 40th birthday yesterday. And I think it's important to remember for viewers that even though things are tough, it's still important to find joy and to find happiness in the things you can. It's a lovely sunny day here. It's one of my off days today so in between these phone calls I'm going to sit in the garden, I'm going to talk to my children. I'm going to do those normal things and find joy in those things, and it's OK to do that.
[Curnow:] Yes, I think we all need that space. Thanks so much. Dr. Matt Morgan there. Appreciate you and all of your staff. And thank you for sharing some of those moments with us appreciate it. Have a lovely day
[Morgan:] Thank you.
[Curnow:] in the garden. So, you're watching CNN. Still to come, the pandemic has already forced dozens of countries to postpone upcoming elections, but South Korea refuses to be one of them. Take a look at these images. How the country plans to vote without spreading the virus, hopefully.

[Camerota:] A New Jersey man died suddenly on vacation last week in the Dominican Republic. He is the ninth American tourist to die there this year under mysterious circumstances. Fifty-five-year- old Joseph Allen was found dead last Thursday in his hotel room. His family is demanding answers as to exactly what happened. So joining us now is Joseph's brother, Jason Allen. Jason, we're glad that you're here, but we're so sorry for your loss and how sudden and what a shock it was.
[Jason Allen, Brother Died In The Dominican Republic Last Week:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] What do you think happened to your brother there?
[Allen:] I think that maybe my brother was either he either was given something to drink or he ate something that didn't wasn't what it was supposed to be. And that might have caused his death.
[Camerota:] Was your brother sick? Did your brother have any health issues, any heart issues of any kind?
[Allen:] No, ma'am. He had just gotten a physical prior to his trip. He had a clean bill of health. And there's no reason we have no reason to believe that his death was of natural causes.
[Camerota:] You know, there's been this spate of mysterious deaths in the Dominican Republic. And these are not deaths that have easy answers. I mean, for instance, there was this couple just a couple of weeks ago who both died at their resort. There have been other visitors to the Dominican Republic who had said that they felt that they were poisoned somehow, not intentionally, but when they came they got so sick that they felt that they were even unintentionally poisoned. Is that the theory your working theory?
[Allen:] That's what I'm thinking. You know, I know that my brother had a fever. He complained about being really hot. His friend looked at him. He was sweating bullets. Took a shower, cooled off, said he felt a lot better. He was going to hang out that night, decided, you know what, I feel better but I don't feel well enough to hang you know, to go hand out, so I'm just going to relax in the room and read. And, so, like you said, I don't believe it was something intentional per say, but there's something that's off. I have no reason to believe my brother was very healthy, just got a clean bill of health from his physician, and I have no reason to believe that he just dropped dead for no reason.
[Camerota:] Did all of the news reports of what had been happening in the Dominican Republic for the past few weeks, did that give your brother any pause?
[Allen:] It's funny you ask that. I had mentioned this to him, and because he had been to this place so many different times
[Camerota:] This resort in particular?
[Allen:] This resort in particular. He knew the owners. This was like his "Cheers." Like, he knew the owners. He knew the workers. My brother was a working man. He treated the workers kindly, with respect. So everyone knew my brother, loved my brother. So he and I mentioned it to him. I even sent him and he was in the DR at the time when David Ortiz got shot. I said, man, the DR's kind of crazy right now, you sure you want to be there? And he just assured me that nothing would happen to him. He knows everybody. He's not a tourist. He's going to be here. He's going to be in this place and this is and he'll be fine.
[Camerota:] So you're asking for help. You you need the embassy's help. I mean what are you I know the State Department has reached out to you now. What do you need their help with?
[Allen:] Right now my goal is to, one, get my my brother back get my brother's body back to the United States.
[Camerota:] So you can do an autopsy?
[Allen:] Well, they actually performed an autopsy when on the Friday.
[Camerota:] And what did they find?
[Allen:] We don't know. We haven't gotten any information as far as their the findings of the autopsy, and they actually were told that they had to embalm they told us that we they had to embalm my brother so that he could be sent back to the states. We later learned that that was not accurate, that there's other ways to transport a body from the states to the states from the Dominican Republic. So we'd like to try to if if we don't feel like we're getting the help we need from them and answers that we need from them, we'd like to get some kind of testing done on American soil by American doctors to help us to understand what could have been the cause of my brother's death.
[Camerota:] Understood. Of course you just want answers and you need help with the investigation. Jason Allen, thank you so much for being here. We're really sorry about the loss of Joseph. Please keep us posted as to what you find out.
[Allen:] We'll do. Thank you so much.
[Camerota:] OK, we'll be right back.
[Berman:] Our heart goes out to that family. Some news just into us, Hope Hicks, the president's former aide, just arrived on Capitol Hill. She will testify behind closed doors to the House Judiciary Committee. There is a conflict already over claims of executive privilege. We'll bring you the very latest developments as we get them in, next.

[King:] Today, Senator Amy Klobuchar's staff says the senator was, quote, simply sharing a memory about the late Senator John McCain and that she, of course, has a deep respect for the McCain family. This comes after McCain's daughter, Meghan, tweeted asking for Senator Klobuchar to, quote, leave my father's legacy and memory out of presidential politics. This all started when Klobuchar told a story in the campaign trail this weekend. She says that the late Senator McCain kept reciting the names of dictators to her when they were seated side by side at the Trump inauguration. It is interesting to have the late senator's daughter poke a Democrat here. We've seen the pictures, was seated next to him at the Trump inauguration, they're clearly leaning over and talking on several occasions. Was this story offensive?
[Zeleny:] I think it sort of strange. I mean, Senator Klobuchar traveled extensively and often with Senator McCain so she was friendly with him, she knew him. Of course, Senator Klobuchar was, you know, perhaps trying to, you know, express to the voters in Iowa there, you know, that she knew McCain, she was trying to, you know, sort of furnish her own credentials perhaps. But I don't see how that's offensive in any way. If John McCain would be alive watching this campaign unfold right now, what would he be saying day by day? So, I thought it was a little odd of Meghan McCain but clearly, she is showing that she, you know, wants to or she's not afraid of getting involved herself in this in the dialogue.
[King:] Although she is a cast member of "The View" obviously.
[Zeleny:] Right.
[King:] One of the cast members of "The View" and she didn't say anything about this today. It could have been an opportunity if she wanted to continue this conversation.
[Davis:] It's interesting what Klobuchar did, I remember I'm sure Jeff remembers this too in the early days of Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, he would often talk about his travels with Republican senators on CODELs to try to burnish his own credentials and to try to show that he was willing to work across the aisle. You don't actually see that in Democratic presidential politics especially in this primary that much. The idea of working across the aisle in some cases is actually frowned upon. Klobuchar is one of those exceptions who does want to show that she has relationships. Joe Biden, of course, is the other notable exception.
[King:] And to that point though, one time, sometimes it does come up and it's interesting that it is him with John McCain where several Democrats have mentioned John McCain as they try to make their points. But sometimes to your point, it's not about bipartisanship, it's about Trump and healthcare.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] That early morning hour in your United States capitol when the late great John McCain walked in and with that thumb pointed it down and said no, enough.
[Unidentified Male:] John McCain was a valuable ally.
[Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] He showed civility and a commitment to service in the country above party that is absolutely missing at the highest levels of power today. So, God bless John McCain.
[Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand , Presidential Candidate:] He maligns John McCain. That is a man of fear.
[King:] At the beginning and the end there, more of an attack on Trump if you will in mentioning.
[Knox:] Yes, and Trump refers to that vote but doesn't usually call out McCain by name. I'm interested in the fact that most of these Democrats if they were voting on a piece of legislation, would probably not vote with John McCain on many of them.
[Kim:] And what's interesting, too, is even in polling, you saw among Democratic voters, John McCain was actually more popular among Democrats than he was among Republicans, particularly after that thumbs down vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act.
[King:] And Meghan McCain objected to what Senator Klobuchar said and we'll see if that conversation continues. Cindy McCain has been silent on this, the late senator's wife. There were some questions when Joe Biden got in the race, there was some chatter whether she's going to endorse Joe Biden. The last time she has spoken out about presidential politics, this was April 24th tweet where she said, "Joe Biden is a wonderful man and a dear friend of the McCain family. However, I have no intention of getting involved in presidential politics. And then on May 9th to the Washington Post, she said, "I think what's best for me is to not just stay out of it but make my own self happy. And presidential politics is combat." So Meghan McCain is joining, Cindy McCain at least for now just trying to say no, thank you.
[Davis:] And there were some questions I think that the reason that this came out is because Biden and John McCain and their families are incredibly close. They've bought gone through these horrific personal experiences with cancer, and so they've really bonded not about politics but about their families and about these health issues that they had. And so there was some question about whether that closeness would translate into politics. I think Cindy McCain is saying something that actually is quite healthy, that you can have personal relationships and they don't have to necessarily also be political always.
[King:] But if you think about that, that is a time that's gone, disappeared, and that Biden and McCain think about partitioning Iraq, and things like that. They, boom, in the Senate over many foreign policy issues. They were on the opposite sides but they were able to when the committee hearing was over, the speeches were over, they were friends and then later bonded over the personal troubles of the family. But the president has from time to time, you're right, sometimes he's been told if asked, begged, not to use the name, but sometimes he can't resist.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] And I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted. I didn't get a thank you. That's OK. We sent him on the way, but I wasn't a fan of John McCain. John McCain went thumbs down. He did the Republican Party a tremendous disservice and he did the nation a tremendous disservice. We had one man that after campaigning for eight years, he decided to go thumbs down at 2:00 in the morning. That's all right, but we'll end up with even better.
[King:] And we know that Meghan McCain has objected repeatedly to that calling it classless and tasteless and more.
[Zeleny:] As she had, and she's also said it's very sad that he can't sort of spend time with his own family and talk about positive things. So look, I think John McCain, there's no question whoever brings him up, perhaps both sides will bring him up. He is going to be one of the many towering figures, sort of hanging over this election. But if he was here, if he was watching, he would want to be involved I think here. So I think his memory will be in either case.
[King:] He said he enjoyed the arena. That was the way will put it. Enjoyed being in the arena. Up next for us, the early frontrunner back in the public eye. What's the campaign strategy behind Vice President Biden's low profile?

[Blitzer:] With just three days left until the Iowa caucuses, presidential candidates from both parties are making their last minute pitches to voters. Republican
[Tapper:] The former Illinois Republican Congressman Joe Walsh joins us now. Congressman, thanks for joining us as always. First, I want to get your reaction to Republicans saying that they are going to vote against having new witnesses, specifically we have heard from Senator Lamar Alexander that he is going to vote no. He says that the Senate doesn't need to hear any witnesses because the House impeachment managers have already basically proven their case, he said. President Trump withheld that Ukraine that aid for Ukraine at least in part to try to get them to conduct the investigations into the Bidens, but he says it does not rise to the level of impeachment.
[Fmr. Rep. Joe Walsh , Presidential Candidate:] Hey, Jake, Wolf. Just cowardly, I mean, absolutely cowardly. I'm a Republican running for president. This is a difficult thing for me to say, but these Senate Republicans are going to pay a big price in November for what they're about to do. And they deserve to pay a big price. I mean, think about it, think about I don't think any of us sufficiently understand how profoundly wrong it is what they're about to do. These Senate Republicans are going to render a verdict without demanding a trial, no witnesses, no evidence, no documents. They're going to decide acquittal or removal without a trial. I mean, that's profoundly wrong. And most of your polling and most of the polling around the country knows that most of the American people know that that's wrong. And Senate Republicans are going to pay a price for that this November. It's so disappointing.
[Tapper:] Who do you think is going to pay a price? I mean, obviously, Lamar Alexander is not running for re-election. Most Republican voters do not support impeachment. And so, I mean, obviously, Susan Collins who says she's going to vote for additional witnesses and additional documents, you're not talking about her. Mitt Romney says he's going to vote the same way. But who are you talking about?
[Walsh:] Any Jake, I think any Republican up for re-election this November in the United States Senate is in real trouble. And they will lose, and people like Cory Gardner and even Thom Tillis and Susan Collins. Look, I was campaigning yesterday in Iowa. I was working the line outside of Trump's rally before they went into the rally. And, yes, most of those folks in line to go listen to one of Donald Trump's lie- filled rallies, they're not going to abandon the Republican Party. But Cory Gardner and Republicans need more than just that base to win. The polling shows that 75 percent of the American people wanted witnesses, wanted evidence, wanted an actual trial. And for these Republicans to just not even ask for I mean, sit through John Bolton, sit through Mick Mulvaney, and then if you want to acquit the president, do it. But to not even demand a trial, the American people know that's wrong, most of them do.
[Blitzer:] I want you to listen, Congressman, to the warning that former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie aimed at Republican senators who might actually go ahead and vote for witnesses.
[Fmr. Gov. Chris Christie:] You could very well see the president encouraging or creating primaries against senators that are up this year if they went and voted the other way. I can definitely see him attempting at least attempting to do that.
[Blitzer:] Do you agree?
[Walsh:] No. Look, Chris Christie is doing Donald Trump's bidding. Chris Christie will say whatever Donald Trump wants him to say. Wolf, Jake, I look, I don't recognize this Republican Party. Again, this is such a weird feeling. Because I'm a Republican challenging the sitting president, these Republican senators who I mean, think about this. Trump's defense team the other day pretty much said that Donald Trump can do whatever he has to do to get re-elected. The defense team said in essence that Donald Trump is a king. And tonight, Senate Republicans will go along with that. They will embrace Donald Trump as a king. That's not my Republican Party. And I think for a lot of Republicans out there, that's not our party at all. I think what the Senate Republicans are about to do is going to form a permanent split in this party.
[Tapper:] Former Congressman Joe Walsh, coming to us from Des Moines, Iowa, thank you so much, good to see you, sir. Let's get back to Dana Bash on Capitol Hill. Dana?
[Bash:] Thank you, Jake. And I'm here with Senator Kevin Cramer from North Dakota. Thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate it. Let's start with what your Republican colleague, Lamar Alexander, said very late last night in a statement. I'm going to read part of it to you. He said it was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation. When elected officials inappropriately interfere with such investigation, it undermines the principle of equal justice under the law. Do you agree with him that what the president did was inappropriate?
[Sen. Kevin Cramer:] It was unartful, for sure. But I don't think he did anything wrong. No, I think Lamar makes an interesting point. And what I like about what Lamar is saying is he illustrates the diversity of opinion within a range that leads to the same conclusion. And I think that's the honest answer from him. I think he drew a conclusion, same conclusion I'm going to draw, but I probably don't share that harsh a view or criticism.
[Bash:] You called it unartful, but he's very harsh, saying it's not impeachable. But what but he says flatly that the House made its case already successfully that there was a quid pro quo.
[Cramer:] But they didn't make a case for impeachment. And I would
[Bash:] But just on the quid pro quo, whether it's impeachable, do you agree with that?
[Cramer:] I don't. I don't think that I'm not saying there wasn't a quid pro quo, but I don't think they made it a compelling case that they could prove that it was a quid pro quo. We could argue that whether or not John Bolton would have secured that conviction or not, but, again, I think you still have the same outcome, which is part of the formula we all have to consider whether we want to extend this or not, because there are other ramifications.
[Bash:] Okay, so if you're not it sounds like you're not totally convinced that the House Democrats couldn't have made that argument with John Bolton. So why not hear from John Bolton then? Why not vote yes when this vote comes this afternoon?
[Cramer:] I think there are a couple of reasons. Because contrary to what Adam Schiff may say, calling one more witness doesn't mean we're only going to have one more witness. That would be so unfair to the president and to his team to not let them call any witnesses while Adam Schiff goes on a fishing expedition in the Senate. Second of all, the ramifications of going through this and still not removing the president means the Senate doesn't work, means we don't continue with legislation, it means the divide gets wider, not narrower, and there is an election in a few months. So let's get on with the work of the people and put this behind us.
[Bash:] Let's go back again to the crux of what Senator Alexander said, which is that he thought it was inappropriate and kind of game it out. It sounds like based on what he's saying and you're sort of saying, it's okay for any president to make the ask that the president made asking a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and withhold aid in the meantime. So what happens when the next president does that?
[Cramer:] That argument in a vacuum is one thing. But in a broader case, it is very different. Because, remember, the political opponent that you speak of was the vice president of the United States perhaps caught up in corruption in a very corrupt country with a son working for a very corrupt company. That's not irrelevant.
[Bash:] When you were in the House, you were the Republican leader
[Cramer:] We may never want to go into that. I know.
[Bash:] But, no, you didn't investigate. If it was such a big deal, the Republicans, when they had the majority, they would have investigated. It wasn't until the former vice president became a real potential opponent that
[Cramer:] Well, other things happened as well. There was a new a new leader, president of Ukraine, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, who had then now just recently won a majority in parliament. And so there wasn't a moment in an opening and an opportunity. And that gets to the argument, what was the motive of the president, and then we have to get inside of his head and we're talking about impeachment and removal.
[Bash:] So one last question. What does your gut tell you about Senator Murkowski?
[Cramer:] Yes, you know, my gut tells me that she probably will be a no vote on more witnesses. However, you talk about Lamar Alexander and his thoughtfulness, Lisa is equally thoughtful and Susan is thoughtful, Mitt is thoughtful, and I think everybody else that have a different opinion on various things are all thoughtful. And that's why I tend not to especially in the situation like this, where we all have all of the information, it's not like there is an expertise in a particular committee or something with legislation, we all have all of the information. I trust the integrity of everybody who comes to the same conclusion and who comes to different conclusions.
[Bash:] Senator, thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time.
[Cramer:] It's my pleasure, thank you.
[Bash:] Thank you. We'll take a quick break. The CNN coverage of the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump will continue in a moment. Stay with us.

[Richard Quest, Host, Quest Means Business:] Hello, I'm Richard Quest, a lot more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS as we continue. The Chief Executive of Saudi Aramco will tell us the biggest IPO in history may be coming very soon. And U.S. politicians are lining up to call for regulations on e-cigarettes. I'll be joined by top executive from British-American tobacco. And before all of that on this network, it's CNN, the facts always come first. President Trump has abruptly fired his outspoken National Security adviser John Bolton. The two have clashed on a number of key foreign policy issues, including North Korea, Venezuela and Iran. Now, we're learning they had a bitter argument last night over Donald Trump's plans to invite Taliban leaders to Camp David. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank if he wins next week's general election. He says the annexation would apply to the Jordan Valley and the Northern Dead Sea. He says Donald Trump will announce the Middle East peace plan after the election. At least 31 people were killed during a stampede at a celebration of the Muslim festival Ashura. Ashura is the holiest day on the Shiite calendar. Hundreds of thousands of people got to Karbala, Iraq to market. More than a 100 people were injured during the stampede. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dismissed claims his decision to suspend parliament is anti-democratic, calling it a load of nonsense. The comments come a day after lawmakers heavily rejected his latest bid to hold a snap election, now a controversial five-week suspension of parliament is under way. MPs are due to return to work on October the 14th. The CEO of L. Brands, the parent company of Victoria's Secret says he's embarrassed by his ties to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Les Wexner says he was taken advantage of and betrayed by Epstein who was his personal money manager for years. Wexner calls Epstein's behavior abhorrent. Epstein killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on new charges of sex trafficking. Will they or won't they? And if they do, when will it happen? Saudi Aramco and WeWork could be some of the biggest IPOs of the year, but there's huge confusion about the "ifs", the "whens" and the "hows" and the "wheres". Saudi first, the chief executive says it will be very soon. Which is going to be very soon. Well, how long is that? How long is a piece of string? We'll hear from him in a moment. Saudi Arabia is trying to lift oil prices, if more so, after today is full. WeWork is a lot more complicated. Because WeWork has we're hearing conflicting reports. Now, the "Financial Times" says that SoftBank, a major earlier investor is urging WeWork to shelve the IPO because valuations have fallen so much, and indeed, the latest thinking is it's at the absolute lower end of the range. However, "CNBC" is saying WeWork IPO is full speed ahead. Paul La Monica is in New York. Where do you stand between these two views?
[Paul La Monica, Cnn Business Reporter:] Yes, Richard, I don't think when you read the stories that they are as conflicting as they might sound at first. I think it is true that SoftBank is scared about how WeWork might do if it goes public because of all the criticism of the company's unconventional business model and the concerns about unicorns in general, the lower valuations. "CNBC" is just reporting that they're going full steam ahead, but it's probably going to be at a lower valuation, $15 billion to $20 billion. SoftBank may not want them to do it, but I think WeWork is intent on getting this thing done.
[Quest:] All right, so, they're going to get it done or they're intent on getting it done. But what's the risk? What's the fear? I mean, we've seen IPOs, a good example is Uber which IPO-ed and fell, but the CEO has made it clear time and again, look, we're in this for the long run and it doesn't really matter to the day-to-day running of the company if we are below our IPO price. So, what's the fear here for WeWork?
[La Monica:] I think the fear is that you have a company that is just ripe for criticism because of their business model. They're losing a lot of money, nearly 2 billion last year, almost 700 million more in the first six months of this year. There are questions as to whether or not WeWork is really a viable business model. They talk a lot about wanting to elevate the world's consciousness, but I think, you know, people that look at the numbers, you know, old-fashioned people like you and I, you know what? This is really nothing more than a glorified real estate company that isn't making money and isn't going to be paying you a hefty dividend yield like most REITs do. So, I think the question here is whether or not any of these companies that have recently gone public have a path to profitability. Remember, everyone is trying to compare what happens now with WeWork and what happens with Slack and Uber and Lyft and their post-IPO, you know, time, to Facebook a couple of years ago oh, Facebook stumbled there after the IPO and then they wound up rebounding. Facebook was profitable when it went public. None of these companies are.
[Quest:] And as I see it, none of them I mean, I shudder, every time I hear the phrase, path to profitability because I'm afraid, Paul, you're as old no, not as old as me, but you certainly remember the dot-com boom and bust of the '90s, and you certainly remember being tried to be told that the path to profitability was there.
[La Monica:] Yes, the path of profitability is there that always raises the alarm bells. The other one, this time is different. No, it isn't. Make some money and then we can talk about how your companies are going to be eventually the next big FANG stocks like a Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google. Those companies graduated to where they are because they are profitable. And again, I mean, Uber may eventually get there one day, same thing with Lyft and some of these others. But these companies had the benefit of staying private for a lot longer and they're still not profitable. And I think that's staggering.
[Quest:] Paul La Monica, thank you. Saudi Aramco's CEO says the company's IPO will happen very soon. It's a critical part of the country's massive plan to diversify the economy. The kingdom is targeting $2 trillion valuation for Aramco would absolutely blow away anything else. Getting it would require oil prices to rise significantly though. Saudi's leaders are hoping installing a new oil minister will make it happen. The kingdom has now had three oil ministers in three years. John Defterios spoke to Aramco's CEO who said the company is ready for its debut.
[Amin Nasser, Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Aramco:] That's a shareholder decision with the point of council is together with you know, the decision is with the shareholders. For Aramco side, as I said, we always say we are ready for whatever the decision is. So locally, which is going to be the primary listing is to list locally. But we're also ready also for listing outside in other
[Unidentified Male:] Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt you. Other jurisdiction would be a Tokyo preference or is less litigation?
[Nasser:] It's a shareholder decision, not a
[Unidentified Female:] Mr. Nasser, how will the separation
[Unidentified Male:] Do you have a preference for that?
[Nasser:] We are ready as I said to list shareholder decide. We are within for different decisions.
[Quest:] Prepared and very soon, but what do they mean? We'll wait and see. Coming up, vaping is facing a backlash, e-cigarettes are being called a public health epidemic by some. The chief marketing officer at British American Tobacco is with me after the break.

[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] President Trump embedding seeds of doubts about the election results in the minds of Americans. It could be working.
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Anchor:] And an erosion of trust at the state hardest hit by coronavirus says you cannot trust a vaccine approved by the Trump White House. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Abby Phillip, in for Christine Romans this morning.
[Jarrett:] Abby, so great to have you.
[Phillip:] Hey.
[Jarrett:] I'm Laura Jarrett. It's Friday, September 25th. Happy Friday, everyone. It's 5:00 a.m. here in New York. Thirty-nine days until the election. And we begin this morning with President Trump escalating his threat to topple a pillar of American democracy. After first refusing to peacefully commit to the transfer of power, he loses the election. The president dug in.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] So, we have to be very careful with the ballots. The ballots, that's a whole big scam. We want to make sure the election is honest, and I'm not sure that it can be. I don't know that it can be with this whole situation, unsolicited ballots. They're unsolicited, millions being sent to everybody.
[Jarrett:] OK, here's the thing. These are not unsolicited ballots. In 41 of 50 states, voters have to request a mail-in ballot before one is set. Only a handful of states automatically mail ballots to all registered voters. Even the president's own FBI director say mail-in ballots pose no real threat to a free and fair result.
[Christopher Wray, Fbi Director:] Now, we have not seen historically any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise.
[Phillip:] And, remember, 25 states are already voting despite President Trump's continued baseless warnings about voter fraud. Republicans seem compelled to respond to the idea he wouldn't step aside peacefully if not re-elected.
[Rep. Kevin Mccarthy , House Minority Leader:] No questions. No qualms. No concerns. It's going to be peaceful.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] People wonder about the peaceful transfer of power. I can assure you, it will be peaceful.
[Unidentified Male:] There will be a peaceful transfer of power. There will be a peaceful transition of power no matter what anybody says.
[Phillip:] This from the same Republicans who just did a complete reversal on whether to hold a vote on a Supreme Court justice in an election year and they said little to nothing about the steps this administration is currently engaged in. CNN has learned that the Trump campaign and Republicans at the state and local level are trying to make it harder for voters to cast a ballot, harder for states to count them and more likely that the final counts will be challenged in court. That includes key swing states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
[Jarrett:] And in an extremely unusual move, the Justice Department announced Thursday it's investigating a handful of military ballots that it says were discarded in Pennsylvania. But what's even more unusual about this is that the press statement revealed seven of the nine ballots were cast for Trump. Meanwhile, election officials and voting experts want to make sure the president's baseless claims don't take hold.
[Jocelyn Benson , Michigan Secretary Of State:] We need voters of all backgrounds to know that whoever they cast their vote for, their ballot will be counted and their vote will be secure.
[Benjamin Ginsberg, Republican Election Lawyer:] I spent 38 years as a Republican lawyer going into precincts looking for evidence of fraud. There are to be sure isolated cases, but there is nothing like the widespread fraud that would somehow invalidate an election.
[Jarrett:] The truth is, the system has never been tested like it will be. It already is. 25 states already have ballots in the mail, including Florida where the president has actually been encouraging people to vote by mail. A CNN tally shows a whopping 71 million ballots nationwide either requested or set to be mailed automatically. That's far more than the 50 million pre-election day ballots cast in 2016.
[Phillip:] President Trump's threat to intervene in vaccine approvals is already having real effects. New York state will create a task force to conduct its own review of coronavirus vaccines.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo , New York:] Frankly, I'm not going to trust the federal government's opinion and I wouldn't recommend to New Yorkers based on the federal government's opinion.
[Phillip:] New York officials don't generally play a role in approving drugs or vaccines, but they could delay distribution in the state if they believe the vaccine was not safe. This erosion of trust is already having big consequences.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] How big of a problem is growing skepticism?
[Unidentified Male:] Oh, it's enormous, because once we do develop a vaccine, obviously, we want people to accept it. What's not represented is the skepticism and the concern in the medical profession, they're very concerned. I hear that almost literally every single day.
[Jarrett:] A key model used by the White House now projects more than 371,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S. by January 1st. That's 7,000 lest than before yet still there could be 3,000 deaths a day by the end of the year. Nearly 100,000 people could be saved if most people would just wear masks. Right now, about half of them are wearing them. The average immune cases are up 27 percent in two weeks. Now when people are heading indoors for the season, a reality check from Dr. Anthony Fauci.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director Of National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] Given the fact that we have never gotten down to a good baseline, we are still in the first wave. Rather than say a second wave, why don't we say are we prepared for the challenge of the fall and winter?
[Jarrett:] Now a big loss in all of this, America's children. Remember what President Trump said earlier this week.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Nobody young, below the age of 18, like, nobody. They have a strong immune system. Who knows? Take your hat off to the young because they have a hell of an immune system. It affects virtually nobody.
[Phillip:] So, let's take a look at what happens as he said that. Up to 27 colleges and 15 states have now switched from in person to remote learning. Just yesterday, the ruby red state of Tennessee released data showing significant learning losses for K-12 students following school closures. This week, CNN reported that a number of people needing food assistance has tripled since the pandemic began. In the New York area alone, the New York City area, the campaign against hunger this year compared to 3 million in a typical year. That is a lot of hungry children. And unemployment remains staggeringly high. Families have faced job losses and eviction. So, that idea that the virus affects virtually no one except for the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions really does not hold up.
[Jarrett:] All right. Breaking overnight, a federal court ordering the Trump administration to drop plans to rush the census to a conclusion and extending counting for a month. Now, the Census results determined future congressional districting and how federal funding is divvied up across the country. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had ordered the Census Bureau to finish counting by September 30th, one month earlier than originally planned so the first set of results could be delivered to the president by the end of the year. The ruling is expected to be appealed.
[Phillip:] Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be laid to rest today. First, she'll be moved from the U.S. Supreme Court steps to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, becoming the first woman in history to receive the high honor. Joe and Jill Biden are expected to pay their respects today. And you can hear President Trump was greeted with jeers and boos as he paid his respects on Thursday. He's expected to nominate her replacement tomorrow.
[Jarrett:] New overnight, more protests in Louisville after a grand jury failed to indict a single police officer in Breonna Taylor's death. An unlawful assembly was declared last night but the protests were peaceful. Some vigilantes did clash with demonstrators at one point, risking a repeat of the deadly violence we witnessed in Kenosha after Jacob Blake was shot. There are growing calls for more information about the Breonna Taylor investigation. The city of Louisville said they're working with Kentucky's attorney general and the FBI to determine what can be released without interfering in the ongoing investigations. Still, representatives for Breonna Taylor's family are running out of patience.
[Benjamin Crump, Attorney For Breonna Taylor's Family:] We do believe it was a cover-up from the go. They always intended to sweep this under the rug as if Breonna Taylor's life didn't matter, and it continues a long pattern in America that they disrespected and tried to marginalize the lives of black women but Breonna's legacy will be that black women lives matter, too, America.
[Jarrett:] Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor's mother, posted an illustration of her daughter on Instagram with the hashtag, #thesystemfailedBreonna.
[Phillip:] You may have predicted it, Florida would be the focal point of this election, but you may not know how. CNN reports coming up next.

[Curnow:] So the coronavirus has not only taken hundreds of thousands of lives around the world, but it's also robbed many of their livelihood. Well, Phil Black now has a look at how people in the U.K. are grappling with the economic and emotional strain of the virus. Here's Phil.
[Phil Black, Cnn Correspondent:] Tourists don't come to Trafalgar Square anymore, but there are still crowds. The vast space is now being used to feed the homeless, while ensuring social distancing.
[Unidentified Female:] Come that way, please.
[Black:] Most of the people who've stayed in London's streets through the pandemic are long-term rough sleepers. But the charity still working here report a recent trend. There are many new faces. People, suddenly homeless, because of COVID-19. There are the obvious economic courses. London's lockdown made lots of already insecure, casual work quickly disappear. But vulnerable families have also splintered under the emotional strain of living through this pandemic. Right up until lockdown, Colin Reynolds lived with his elderly parents. [on camera]: What did they say to you?
[Colin Reynolds, Homeless:] They asked me to leave. So I left. Because my parents are high-risk, it wasn't a good idea for me to stay there. So I left and come to London, because there's more hope here.
[Black:] Life for Cohen, and his family, was never easy. He has a long history of crippling depression and anxiety. Now, the further pressures of this crisis have torn him from support that he desperately needs. On Weymouth Beach, along England's southern coast, there's no obvious sign people in this community are struggling, but Andy Price knows the truth. His community cafe, set up to help traumatized military veterans, has quickly embraced a new purpose.
[Andy Price, Helping Feed Needy:] They'd been like parcels parcels of milk, lots of cereal.
[Black:] The isolated, the poor, the suddenly jobless, owners of what were recently thriving businesses, anyone who needs it. And the need is great. As he hits homes across Weymouth, Andy knows many of those he now helps, bristle against the idea of receiving charity.
[Price:] They think you've gone and failed. You're failing as a parent. You're failing as an individual. And really, like like we're kind of discovering now, you're only one paycheck away from needing support.
[Black:] Carrie Watts, and her husband, Michael, are grateful for Andy's help, but accepting it is hard.
[Michael Watts, Mk Classics:] I should be earning, providing for my family. But I'm I'm just not. I'm just I've just sat, doing nothing, pretty much. Just sat here, wondering, if one day, I'm ever going to be able to go back to what I love doing. And genuinely, that upset me.
[Black:] Soon after lockdown, people stopped ringing Michael to fix their cars, and Carrie needed hospital treatment for COVID-19. They almost lost everything. CARRIE
[Watts, Treated For Covid-19:] Dear, just what you can do? Just to see how how long things can go before maybe you just hit rock bottom.
[Black:] In the northern city of Sheffield, we see the same pain. People who, just a few months ago, had independent lives and plans for the future. Now, patiently waiting in the rain for handouts. Phil Barrett is a self-employed electrician.
[Phil Barrett, Electrician:] In the initial start of the lockdown, we were selling food up here for people, and we never expected that we'd be on the receiving end of some of it towards the end of this.
[Black:] Back in central London, Colin Reynolds goes back to his sleep swap, in the entrance of one of the city's iconic theaters. He doesn't know when he'll sleep in a bed again, when, or how, he'll see his parents. [on camera]: You haven't known a chapter of your life this uncertain before?
[Reynolds:] Nope. Not this bad.
[Black:] One day at a time?
[Reynolds:] Yes, yes. And that's all I can do.
[Black:] COVID-19 has killed more than 40,000 people in the U.K. It's stolen the emotional and financial security of many more. Phil Black, CNN, London.
[Curnow:] A powerful piece. Thanks to Phil and his team for that. Now, in Columbia, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is steadily rising. The pandemic is adding to the misery of many Colombians who are already struggling with income inequality, unemployment, and homelessness. Stefano Pozzebon reports, right now.
[Stefano Pozzebon, Cnn International Correspondent:] Three months ago, Lilibeth Fiore had a job and a House, but the pandemic took nearly everything away from her. Like almost half of the entire Colombian labor force, Lilibeth worked informally, first as a caregiver in private homes, and then, as a street vendor. Lockdown measures against coronavirus meant she has seen no income since March. And to make things worse, her House was bulldozed at the beginning of May. The city says it was unsafe. But now, she can't find a home. She has no job, and rental accommodations are sparse during the pandemic. Now she can only look at what remains of her House.
[Lilybeth Fori, Informal Worker:] Before the virus, we had a life. Now, we don't. We don't know what we're going to eat, or what will happen to us.
[Pozzebon:] Colombia may have been spared the worst of the health crisis, but the economy is suffering. Unemployment almost doubled in Columbian cities since the beginning of the lockdown. And without a job, the people who are displaced from these areas, are saying that they're facing life on the street. [voice-over]: Lilybeth and 60 other people now live in tents, an impromptu settlement just meters away from their houses used to stand. Now, the pandemic has only added to the frustration of people like Lilybeth, who says she took to the streets in November last year, to demand social change. It has also increased the disparity between those who can afford the quarantine, and work from home, and those who cannot. By one estimate, as many as 7 million Colombians could fall back below the poverty line by the end of the year. A level not seen since 2002. Fabian Marroquin also took part in the protests last year, when he was working as a cook. Now unemployed, his home near Lima also demolished, he thinks a return to the streets is the only way for things to change for the better.
[Fabian Sergio Marroquin, Informal Worker:] The government's slogan is stay at home, but where should I stay if they took away my home?
[Pozzebon:] The Colombian government has so far pledged $74 million to prevent lay-offs, but little of those resources are designed to help the informal economy. Colombia is now lifting some quarantine measures, while still trying to control the virus. It's a thin line between a health crisis and the economy collapse. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota.
[Curnow:] From the main streets in the U.K. and Columbia, to Wall Street now. The growing concerns of a second wave of the coronavirus, in the U.S., has sent Wall Street plunging. The Dow sank more than 1,800 points on Thursday. Take a look at these numbers. That is the largest set-off since mid-March. The fall also comes on the heels of a dire outlook from the Fed. It warned the U.S. economy has a long road to recovery. Well, let's go to John Defterios, who joins me now from Abu Dhabi. John, hi. I know you're on the line.
[John Defterios, Cnn Emerging Markets Editor:] Yes.
[Curnow:] What do you make of these latest figures coming out of Wall Street?
[Defterios:] Well, I think there's a reassessment of the valuations we've witnessed since March. We have to look that we went up more than 40 percent on the broader index, the S&P 500. But the good news is, we started off terribly in Asia, but there's been a slight rebound of sorts linked to U.S. futures. So let's take a look at those Asian markets, and you'll see what I'm talking about. The Nikkei index was down better than 2 percent. Now it's down about 8 tenths of 1 percent. Hang Seng has been holding pretty steady, with that lose of about one of the 3rd percent, but the one and soul, with like the S&P 500, rose for a very long time, now if you look at U.S. Futures, this would give some solace to the Asian market. We're up right across the board, better than 1 percent. The hardest hit has been Seoul, and that's because it was very much like the S&P 500, rising for a very, very long time. And then if you look at the U.S. futures, this was giving some solace to the Asian markets. We're up right across the board better one percent. One and a quarter percent, to 1.4 percent. So that is, if you will, the good news. The challenge is, though, this is a wake-up call because of the potential damage here from COVID-19, with the benchmark crossing two million cases in the second wave. Larry Kudlow, economic advisor to the White House, tried to play it down, saying it's a bad day in the markets. We've had a great run before. Our medical system can handle it. And then the treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, was suggesting we can't go back and go back to a lockdown at this stage, because we have additional medical needs that need to be addressed, and the economy is opening it up and that we can handle it. Let's take a listen to Mnuchin.
[Steven Mnuchin, U.s. Treasury Secretary:] We can't shut down the economy again. I think we've learned that, if you shut down the economy, you're going to create more damage, and not just economic damage, but there are other areas. And we've talked about this, medical problems, and everything else, that get put on hold. I think it was very prudent what the president did, what we have learned a lot. And I also would just the fact that Congress, the House, the Senate, responded with the administration in an unprecedented way to put $3 trillion in the economy.
[Defterios:] You know, there's a question mark whether that $3 trillion is going to be enough going forward into 2021, Robyn, and 2022. Right now, the administration is suggesting there's plenty of liquidity. But there we have this break, as we talked about in the last two weeks. Wall Street's been going up, because interest rates are low. Main Street is suffering. I mean, you still have an unemployment rate of 13 percent. And the Federal Reserve was saying, Look, we're contracting nearly 7 percent this year, 6 and a half percent, which is astronomical. So you cannot expect a smooth road to recovery here. And this is a reassessment that we're seeing this week.
[Curnow:] OK. Thanks for that analysis there. John Defterios live from Abu Dhabi. So coming up, the White House is also trying to explain President Trump's controversial decision. His first post-lockdown rally is set to happen on a day that has a deep meaning for African-Americans.

[Gorani:] Well, with tensions soaring between the U.S. and Iran, Donald Trump says if there is a war, there wouldn't be American boots on the ground and it wouldn't last long. CNN's Fred Pleitgen was the only international journalist to interview Iran's foreign minister a short time ago, in Tehran. He asked about President Trump's warning that an attack on the U.S. would mean obliteration for his country.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] What do you make of President Trump's threats of obliteration, and that war with the United States won't last very long?
[Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister Of Iran:] Well, he's certainly wrong. But that statement indicates that the United States' intentions are certainly illegal. The United States is not in a position to obliterate Iran. They do not have the capability, other than using prohibited weapons to do this. The Iranian people are prepared to resist any aggression. But we're not seeking war. We don't seek war. We do not seek a confrontation. The actions by the United States over the past few weeks have been confrontational, provocative. Particularly the imposition of sanctions on Iranian leadership, has been an additional insult by the United States against the entire Iranian nation. Iran has been implementing its rights under the nuclear deal. And under Security Council Resolution 2231, the United States is in flagrant violation. And I think President Trump should remember that we don't live in the 18th century. There is a United Nations Charter. And threat of force is illegal under the U.N....
[Pleitgen:] How do we get out of this? How can the world, how can the U.S. walk back from this?
[Javad Zarif:] We did not walk into anything to walk back from it. The United States, trying to undermine the Iranian government, walked into it based on a wrong analysis. I think the B-Team gave President Trump wrong information, wrong analysis. And now, President Trump finds himself in a situation where he believes that he needs to get out.
[Gorani:] All right. Meantime, Iran could be just hours from breaking the nuclear deal that the United States walked away from. Tehran says as early as Thursday, it will speed up the process of enriching low-grade uranium and it will have bigger stockpiles than it's allowed under the terms of that deal. Karen Pierce is the British ambassador to the United Nations and she joins me live from New York. Ambassador, thanks for being with us. What are we first, let me ask you for your reaction to Donald Trump tweeting out that if Iran attacks any U.S. asset, that it would mean obliteration for Iran. How do you react to that type of rhetoric from the U.S. president?
[Karen Pierce, British Ambassador To U.n:] Well, I think the first thing to say is that it is Iran who shot down an American drone. So there was, in that sense, an attack there. And I believe that's what the president was responding to. But I think the most important thing is that there's de-escalation on all sides. And that we find a diplomatic solution to the current problems and tensions. That's certainly what the United Kingdom is trying to do, along with our partners in the
[E.u. Gorani:] How are you trying to achieve that, a diplomatic solution? Because there's more and more worry in the region that there could be open conflict here.
[Pierce:] Well, I think this is a very crucial week for Iran, as your introduction implied. We don't want to breach the nuclear deal, the so- called JCPOA. We want it very much to stay within that. We have created some incentives on the economic side, to encourage Iran to stay within the deal. But there's no doubt that there will be consequences if he breaches the deal, and we will have to think with the rest of the people in the nuclear deal, what those consequences might be. But the most important thing is to keep talking and to try and find a way to de-escalate. I can't stress enough how vital that is at the moment.
[Gorani:] And what consequences are you are Europeans considering here, if Iran does not abide by the rules of the deal, the JCPOA, and starts enriching more than is allowed under that agreement. What types of consequences?
[Pierce:] Well, there are a number of mechanisms in the deal itself that one could look at. There are various economic measures that one could look at. I don't want to go into too much detail because we wouldn't want to signal in advance, our hypothetical response to what is still, even at this late hour, a hypothetical problem. But we would want to get together and think what the consequences should be in practice.
[Gorani:] So from the Iranian perspective, obviously, they're saying, "Why would we, you know, follow the rules when it's the U.S. that walked away? We were basically" I mean, you know, "We were not enriching uranium beyond the point that we'd agreed with Western countries. We were not on a path to a nuclear bomb, and it's America that walked away." How do you respond to that?
[Pierce:] Well, I think you have to remember that this all started because Iran was making a nuclear weapon. And when the nuclear deal, the JCPOA, was agreed, it really was a landmark achievement. And it remains in place, even though America has left it and we regret that. So we really would urge Iran to stick with it and stay within the deal. As I say, this began with an illegal Iranian campaign to make a nuclear weapon. That's why the deal itself is so important.
[Gorani:] Right. But I mean from their perspective, they are saying, "We were doing everything that we promised we would do. It's America that broke that promise."
[Pierce:] I don't think that changes the fact that the nuclear deal is very important for regional security, it's important for our own security. it's important for global nonproliferation. And if Iran wants to be a responsible member of the international community, and having agreed to the deal and the fact that the other five countries remain in the deal, we very much encourage her to stay in.
[Gorani:] So it's really but time is of the essence here. What are your are you optimistic that a diplomatic solution can be found in just a matter of days?
[Pierce:] I don't want to be optimistic or pessimistic. I think we've just got to put our shoulders to the wheel. We sent a minister to Tehran recently, Dr Andrew Murrison, to talk to the Iranians about staying in the deal, talk to the Iranians about de-escalating. I think these steps become all the more intense, they become all the more pressing. I wouldn't want to characterize it one way or another, but obviously we hope everything can be done to avoid a real practical conflict.
[Gorani:] So but you're neither here nor there on whether or not you believe this will be a successful mission with the U.K. sending a representative, trying to calm things down and de-escalate?
[Pierce:] Well, obviously, we hope for success. And obviously, we work really hard for success. But I don't at the moment, I think we take it step by step. We respond to what we see. We continue our efforts with our European partners on de-escalation, and we continue to urge all sides to look for a diplomatic solution. I'm not going to as I said, I'm not going to characterize that. But obviously, we believe it can be successful and therefore, that's what we're working hard for.
[Gorani:] So we'll see if some of these incentives that the Europeans are proposing will have an impact. Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the United Nations, thanks so much for joining us from New York. Very tense times
[Pierce:] Thank you.
[Gorani:] in that part of the world. Meantime, Mr. Trump has just left for the G20 summit in Japan. Iran will likely overshadow that gathering, but CNN's Nic Robertson tells us the U.S. president and his fellow world leaders will have their hands full with many other crises as well.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] In Osaka, President Trump will be busy. His overseas entanglements are troubled, threatening global markets. He'll have meetings with President Xi of China, tariffs and the elusive trade deal on the menu. With President Putin of Russia, topics a mystery. But likely Mideast, missiles and maybe election meddling. And with Turkey's populist president, Erdogan, not so popular now, weaker, a troublesome ally, buying weapons from Russia. Then, there'll be time with Saudi's crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, MBS, giving Saudis a hand up in their post-Khashoggi murder rehabilitation. Running through all these conversations? Iran. Tensions rising, ships attacked, a U.S. drone shot down, Trump threatening Iran with oblivion, slapping on sanctions but holding back from missile strikes.
[Trump:] I decided not to strike. They shot down unmanned as you know, an unmanned drone
[Question:] think they take your threat seriously now, Mr. President?
[Trump:] I think everybody does.
[Robertson:] Not so much, according to Iran's president.
[Hassan Rouhani, President Of Iran:] The White House is suffering from mental disability.
[Robertson:] Trump's Osaka challenge? Prove Rouhani wrong. And when over, G20 leaders. But President Xi buys a lot of Iranian oil. Putin backs Iran in Syria. Erdogan is a quite ally of Iran. But MBS should be easy. He wants Iran contained or crushed. Trump won't meet the Iranians. They're not here, not a G20 nation. But host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, will talk a lot about them. He's trying to defuse tensions. He went to Tehran recently, met the leaders. He buys a lot of oil from them, too. If Trump is to avoid war with Iran, Abe could well fix the formula to make it happen. In the space of two days, there's much else for Trump and this elite club of the world's wealthiest nations to discuss, much of it not to Trump's liking. His America First clashes with their multilateralism. On trade, specifically the reform of the World Trade Organization and sustainable development, meaning climate issues. A farewell to the British P.M. too, her last global shindig before being replaced next month. No one-on-one goodbye scheduled with Trump just yet. And as for Iranian tensions, if the door to diplomacy opens despite Iran's threat to shut it, then that will be a success of sorts. If the door to diplomacy opens despite Iran's threat to shut it and that will be a success of sorts. Trump will leave Japan with North Korean nukes on his mind. He's next stop, Seoul, and keeping the plate spinning on another of his stalling overseas initiative, signing Kim Jong-un up to denuclearization. Nic Robertson, CNN, Osaka, Japan.
[Hala Gorani, Cnn International:] Still to come, we'll have more on the humanitarian crisis at the American border and that heart wrenching tragic photo of a father and his daughter. As we ask, will this image lead to any meaningful change? We'll be right back.

[Paul:] 33 minutes past the hour. So, glad to have you with us here. You know, the Huffington Post is reporting, for women who accused actor Danny Masterson of raping or sexually assaulting them, have filed a lawsuit. Now, Masterson and the Church of Scientology are accused of stalking, physical invasion of privacy, conspiracy to obstruct justice. Masterson calls the accusations, "ridiculous". But Joey Jackson, CNN legal analyst and criminal defense attorney is with us now. And I have to ask you, Joey, considering that there is a documented history of intimidating by the Church of Scientology when you're talking about an organization that has as much power as they do, what does what does a case like this look like against them?
[Joey Jackson, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Christi, good morning to you. And so, starting with the case itself, of course, we know it's a civil complaint. Now, that's an important distinction because the allegations are very troubling, very serious. And they arise to the level of criminality, right? They were reported to the Los Angeles Police Department, the district attorney is investigating. And, of course, if it's a crime, it's another matter. It has not gotten there yet. And so, right now, what it looks like is that it's a civil complaint, making all the allegations you mentioned. Right? Which are horrific in nature about the stalking, the intimidation, the false imprisonment, the human trafficking, the controlling, the abuse, et cetera. And so, what occurs in the details that they layout as these woman's essentially suggest that this place, Scientology has run a mock. Right? So, the lawsuit focuses on Scientology itself is an organization. It focuses on the leader and it focuses on the gentleman we just saw, Madison in terms of the misconduct. And so, if these allegations are proven in a court of law, not beyond the reasonable doubt like in a criminal law, but by preponderance of the evidence. Is it more likely than not that you did this, then, it looks like ultimately a money judgment? But, still, with the investigation of the LAPD, nothing has come forward yet in terms of criminal allegations. That's not to say that it could not happen moving forward.
[Paul:] Well, the LAPD in L.A. County D.A., as I understand, they say they have investigated multiple allegations of rape against him for the last three years.
[Jackson:] Right.
[Paul:] Here is what he is saying about this. This is a statement from Masterson, who says, "This is beyond ridiculous. I'm not going to fight my ex-girlfriend in the media like she's been baiting me to do for more than two years. I'll beat her in court, and look forward to it because the public will finally be able to learn the truth and see how I've been railroaded by this woman. And once her lawsuit is thrown out, I intend to sue her, and the others who jumped on the bandwagon, for the damage they caused me and my family." What evidence needs to be present, Joey?
[Jackson:] So, what happens is, is that we should mention that of the four women, three are three were in Scientology themselves, right?
[Paul:] Scientology. Yes.
[Jackson:] So, they were involved in it.
[Paul:] And two were ex-girlfriends.
[Jackson:] Yes, and two were ex-girlfriends. And so, the issue becomes look, does that muddy the waters to the extent that there was some consensual relationship? Though Scientology and apparently its teachings, would suggest that you don't go forward with the police, you keep it internal. So, the evidence to your point is being stymied in some ways because if there are other people who've witnessed this, apparently, they're not saying much. And so, then, does it become a he say, she say. You know, if there's physical evidence, would that suggest then, was it consensual, was it not, they were ex-girlfriends. So, it could become complicated than you know, like that. But there could be other things out. There we don't know, perhaps, e-mail exchanges, text mail exchanges. We don't know what surveillance or other type of cell phone video footage or anything is out there. And so, ultimately it's going to be won by the evidence if there is evidence to come forward. But I would not look, for again, witnesses who are Scientologists to be supporting this lawsuit, the laws of Scientology, apparently, teach very much against that.
[Paul:] All right. Hey, let's switch gears here to this other case. This family of a man shot in the back by police in Colorado. Well, the family's calling for an independent investigation. The body camera video that was just released yesterday shows two officers firing their weapons as 19-year-old De'Von Bailey is running from them. I want to just give you a heads-up here, this is hard to watch. But you need it for the context of what we're going to talk about. Take a look.
[Sgt. Alan Vantland, Colorado Springs Police Department:] Put your hands up. All right. So we got a report of two people, similar descriptions, possibly having a gun, all right? So don't reach for your waists, we're going to just check and make sure that you don't have a weapon, all right? Hands up! Hands up! Hands up! Get your hands up! Get your hands up! Get your hands up!
[Paul:] Joey, I want your reaction first and foremost to what you see there.
[Jackson:] It's horrifying. It's just unbelievable. Now, here is the point. The point is this, yes, a gun was found after the fact, and they'll make hay about that. You don't, and you're not subjected to the death penalty for having a gun. The critical question becomes what was being done with the gun in the event he had one, which they're suggesting he did at the time of the shooting. Was the officer in imminent danger? Was the gun brandish? Was the officer in fear in any way? You don't shoot at someone in the back and kill them just because they run away from the police officer. That is not a death penalty case. I should hasten to add, yesterday, Eric Garner's stepfather was buried. Was at the services yesterday and looking at the front row, right? With all the moms. Tamir Rice's mom, Michael Brown's mom. You name it. You know, Sean Bell's mom. Just all of them there. It's sickening and it's saddening, and I mention that because yet another mom will be there. Now, the Bureau of Investigations of Colorado which is the state entity has been asked to investigate in this case. I would hope that they do that. Because I believe local officials are too close involved and too closely connected to the district attorney's office, in my view, to make a sound judgment that would be objective and non- biased. But I am horrified by what I see. It looks like it did not need to happen at all.
[Paul:] Police may argue that he ran.
[Jackson:] Right.
[Paul:] Yes, I mean they were right there and that the officer did not seem to be out of control. I mean, he seems to be giving him the information that he needed and just said, "Just hold still, we're going to do this," and then he ran. To that, you say what?
[Jackson:] So, let me say this. A couple of things. The first thing is, is that I always when I speak to people, I say, comply now grieve later. Whatever your grievances may be, don't run from the police, comply with the police, do what they tell you to do. Having said that, right? That's textbook, but in real life, things happen, and that happened. The issue is not whether you run. People run from the police every day. The issue is where the officers in immediate fear for their life? And if the answers to that question is no, how do you justify the shooting? The officers will also argue, Christi, that we were informed that one of the gentlemen had a gun, that they were involved in a robbery, where they brandished the weapon, and all that informs their judgment as to whether they should be in a heightened state of alertness. I get that. Again, it turns on what they did when they were there, and the reasonableness of their conduct. And when you shoot someone in the back three times as the apparent autopsy indicated, and once in the right elbow, that suggests to me, they're running away, not approaching you, where's the imminent fear, where is the reasonableness, this is a travesty, needs to be investigated thoroughly.
[Paul:] Joey Jackson, always appreciate your insight. Thank you, sir.
[Jackson:] Thank you, Christi.
[Paul:] Absolutely.
[Blackwell:] So, high water levels across the Great Lakes are threatening homes, and businesses, and lives. We'll talk to the Fishtown Preservation Society which is struggling to keep its town above water.

[King:] For the first time in our country's history, both candidates for president facing accusations, they are in mental decline. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Regardless of who wins the election in November, a record will be broken either 74-year-old Donald Trump will become the oldest second term president in U.S. history or 77-year-old Joe Biden will be the oldest first term president. And questions of age, health, and most notably cognition, have started to emerge.
[Unidentified Male:] If I may start respectfully, in the "Fox" poll, they asked people, who is more competent? Who's got whose mind is sounder? Biden beats you in that.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well, I tell you what, let's take a test. Let's take a test right now. Let's go down. Joe and I will take a test. Let him take the same test that I took. But I guarantee you that Joe Biden could not answer those questions.
[Joe Biden , Presumptive Democratic Nominee For President:] I've been testing and constantly testing. Look, all I got to do is watch me and I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I'm running against. [voice-over]: Biden's advisors say he was referring to the everyday rigors of being on the campaign trail. But according to researchers, it is true that the average person's acquired skills, memory, and knowledge, known collectively as crystallized abilities tend to improve until we're about 60 years old, and then plateau till about age 80. But they also caution to not read too much into age alone.
[Unidentified Male:] I don't think it's responsible or entirely factual to just use age as a decision point on whether or not someone has a true cognitive impairment. [voice-over]: And of course, neither candidate is your average person. Americans have seen these two candidates aged, not just over the last several years, but over the last several decades, watching their careers play out on the national stage.
[Unidentified Female:] Campaigning for Eric
[Trump:] The first time that I've been involved in a convention.
[Biden:] Got to bounce that ball.
[Unidentified Male:] T.V. star.
[Trump:] I never thought this was going to happen. [voice-over]: But lately, these are the moments that are getting a lot of attention. No collusion, no obstruction. I hope they now go and take a look at the oranges, the oranges of the investigation.
[Biden:] We tried it in Iraq is not working. So now we're going to try, I mean in Iran, excuse me. We tried in Ukraine.
[Trump:] We've performed 1.87 million tests today. So that's 1,870,000 tests.
[Biden:] All men and women are created by go, you know, the, you know, the thing. [voice-over]: It is true that everyone's sharpness changes a bit day to day could be a poor night's sleep, being distracted, low blood sugar, dehydration.
[Unidentified Male:] It's very dangerous to over interpret mental slips when you see it in an older person. We know that there are many factors that affect our mental acuity. They may look like they're not functioning as well cognitively, but they may be perfectly normal. [voice-over]: And as much as we think we know them, to diagnose a true cognitive problem is quite challenging even for a professional. The way that a physician makes a clinical diagnosis is to have a clinical relationship is to do a very comprehensive medical workup to order specific imaging, brain imaging when needed. And then order specific cognitive assessments, a more, you know, elaborate battery of cognitive tests in order to really have any degree of accuracies. [voice-over]: So then, what do we really know about Donald Trump and Joe Biden's health. Based on the medical records released by the White House, President Trump is on a Statin medication to manage his cholesterol. He is clinically obese. In 2018, the White House said Trump scored a 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which doctors use to screen for mild cognitive dysfunction. That same year, White House records indicate the President underwent a coronary calcium CT scan and scored 133, indicating that plaque is present and that he has a common form of heart disease. This past December, Biden released a summary of his medical history, which noted that he also takes a Statin to lower his cholesterol and triglyceride levels. And he also takes Eliquis to prevent blood clots. He has an irregular heart rhythm known as non-valvular atrial fibrillation or AFib. And he is of normal weight. Most notably, in 1988, Biden suffered a brain bleed due to a ruptured cerebral aneurysm and underwent two separate brain operations. His doctors say he hasn't had any recurrence of aneurysm since.
[Biden:] I got hospitalized years ago with cranial aneurysm. I was hospitalized the couple of times. They took the top of my head off the second time, said they could not find my a brain the first time. [voice-over]: It's worth remembering there is no requirement for a presidential candidate to release any of their medical history. So we may never have a complete picture of their overall physical and cognitive health. It's the campaign itself that is the ultimate test, leaving the voters to decide whether or not age really matters.
[Unidentified Male:] Even if it's in the most powerful position in the land, what I would say is you have to pick the best person for the job.
[Gupta:] Well, John, no one knows campaigns better than you. But I think even you'd be surprised that how much cognitive health has become an issue in this campaign. It's not like we haven't heard about this sort of thing before, but it's really become something that both candidates are talking about quite a bit. We'll see how this sort of turns out. I do want to point to this Montreal Cognitive Assessment, that's the test that I think President Trump was talking about. Take a look at, John, you may have seen some of these images before. But it's a fairly simple test, a 10-minute test, it's 30 questions. You're looking at visual spatial relations, you're looking at fluency of speech, you're looking at attentiveness, and then just plain memory. You're asked to remember five objects that are recited to you and you have to recite them back at some point later in the test. It's really considered more of a screening test, John. As you heard, it's very difficult to actually do a diagnostic test that requires time and requires a lot more sophisticated understanding of these tests. So there you have it, John, we'll see how much of an issue this continues to be, but clearly, both candidates talking about it for now. John?
[King:] Dr. Sanjay Gupta, appreciate the detailed look there. I like any test that has a rhinoceros on it. Thanks for joining us today. I hope to see you back here same time tomorrow. Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now. Have a great day.

[Lemon:] White supremacist and alt-right groups taking their message of hate online using social media to recruit kids as young as 11. After seeing the social media account of her young son filled with sexism and racist content, one mother posted an open warning to parents. The overwhelming response proves she is not alone. Sara Sidner has more now. Sara?
[Sara Sidner, Cnn National Correspondent:] Don, it's been nearly 75 years since the end of World War II and the Holocaust. So why it is that Nazi culture is seeping into American youth culture now? A mother of teen and twin boys says she has the answer, and she has a warning for parents.
[Joanna Schroeder, Mother And Writer:] Do you have white teenage sons? Listen up.
[Sidner:] Joanna Schroeder has a message to moms just like her of teen and twin boys. Pay attention to your children's online gaming or social media because even if you aren't, white supremacists are.
[Schroeder:] Everywhere from the alt-right which is kind of a more comfortable way of saying, not quite a Nazi to true neo-Nazis, they have studied the way that our young men interact online, they have looked at what these boys need, and they have learned how to fill those needs in order to entice them into propaganda.
[Sidner:] As a writer of online content, she was surprised when she heard some of the coded language she was often confronted with coming out of her own sons' mouths. [On Camera] What are some of the warning phrases or words?
[Schroeder:] The first word I heard was "triggered." And this is a tough one because you will hear this from your conservative uncle and you may also hear this from a kid that is getting a lot of alt-right messaging online. That's everyone is too sensitive today.
[Sidner:] There is whole Lexicon shared by members of these online communities. One common thread among the words and ideas they favor, she says, are complaints about people who are too sensitive.
[Schroeder:] And that's a very alt-right talking point. That is an entry way kind of terminology. It's not racist. No, it's not. But it's often used against people who are calling out racism or sexism or homophobia as a way to imply that, you know, those of us who don't accept that language are just too sensitive.
[Sidner:] Her teen like others we've talked to was drawn in by snarky memes. She and her son scroll through his Instagram explore feed which recommends content based on what it thinks a user will enjoy. She was stunned.
[Schroeder:] And I saw an image of Hitler. And I stopped him. And I said, was that Hitler?
[Sidner:] It was a meme implying a time traveller would have tipped Hitler off to keep him alive.
[Schroeder:] I know my kids understand Hitler. But as I scroll his, I saw more memes that joked about the Holocaust and joked about slavery.
[Sidner:] So normalizing.
[Schroeder:] Yeah.
[Sidner:] Horrible things.
[Schroeder:] And desensitizing or kids to things we should be sensitive, too.
[Sidner:] She decided to take to Twitter to warn other parents and it went viral.
[Schroeder:] I've been watching my boys' online behavior and noticed that social media and bloggers are actively laying groundwork in white teens to turn them into alt-right white supremacists.
[Sidner:] The reactions were strong. One self-described gamer said, "This exact thing happened to me in high school in this exact way." Others attack Schroeder, calling her all the names she warned her kids about. It clearly hit a nerve because her thread ended up being posted and criticized on one of the most virulent neo-Nazi sites. The white supremacists' propaganda is on just about every popular social media site.
[Schroeder:] It's just the door that opens for the white supremacists to walk in and take your kid's hand. It's your our kids inability to sniff it out propaganda.
[Sidner:] Ultimately, she says parents need to educate themselves about their children's online life.
[Schroeder:] I'm sorry, parents. You have to have a snap chat account.
[Sidner:] In Instagram, Reddit, and Discord. Then talk about it.
[Schroeder:] The kids and I are conspirators together. These alt-right guys are trying to trick you, like they think you're dumb, and you're smart, you're smart.
[Sidner:] Now, she says that she has been attacked online for trying to brainwash her kids or trying to bend her children's mind. She says, of course, I'm trying to bend my children's minds. I taught them to cover their mouth when they cough or to wash their hands before they eat. All I'm doing now is trying to teach them analytical skills when it comes to the internet. She says she wants her kids to know the difference between right and wrong. Don?
[Lemon:] Sara, thank you very much. I appreciate that. So take this video. A coach is disarming a student at school and moments later enveloping that student in a hug. We have that story, next.

[Whitfield:] President Trump says Kim Jong-un wants to restart nuclear negotiations once joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea are over. Trump tweeting out today that the request came in a new letter sent to him by the North Korean dictator. Those tweets coming just hours after North Korea conducted another round of short-range missile tests. Sarah Westwood is in New Jersey for us, near where the president is vacationing at his resort in Bedminster. Sarah, what else are we learning about this letter?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Fred, President Trump said this letter he received from Kim Jong-un was mostly about Kim Jong-un's frustrations with the fact that the U.S. and South Korea are conducting joint military exercises in the region. Trump yesterday said this letter was about three pages. And in his tweets this morning, he described it as being a very long letter. But he said that the North Korean director expressed a promise that those short-range missile tests would end after the end of the joint military exercises. Those are something that the North Korean leader has long disliked. He's pressured the U.S. to end them, but they're part of a very strong demonstration of the U.S.South Korean military alliance. But those drills, which have been scaled back this year on orders from President Trump, come as Trump is channeling his frustrations into the relationship with South Korea. Just this week, for example, we saw him demand that Seoul contribute more to its defense, contribute more to the cost of basing thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea. And aides say President Trump has expressed frustration with the fact that Seoul hasn't done more to contain the aggression of Pyongyang. Trump also mentioned in that letter, Fred, that he would like to sit down with Kim Jong-un, but the North Korean leader wants to wait until those military drills are over before restarting denuclearization talks.
[Whitfield:] All right. Sarah Westwood, thank you so much. The U.S. attorney general says investigations will take place after Jeffrey Epstein died by an apparent suicide in his New York jail cell. Stay with us.

[Keilar:] There is no question that everyone wants to get back to some semblance of normalcy. The question is when. And one global health expert is warning that it could take two years until the summer of 2022 for Americans to truly experience normal again. That is what Lawrence Gostin is tweeting and he warns that we still don't fully understand this virus six months into it. Lawrence Gostin is a Professor of Global Health Law at Georgetown and he's joining us now. Thank you so much for being with us. This is unwelcomed news. You know this is not popular for people to hear you saying this. Normalcy won't return until summer 2022. Explain this timeline to us.
[Lawrence Gostin, University Professor, Georgetown University:] Well, I'm often asked this question and I've never been able to figure it out and I don't think anyone did and then it became more clear to me that the probabilities are that the total course of the pandemic would take about two years. We are already nearly six months into it. The reason is that if you look back at pandemic influenza in 1918, it was about a two-year trajectory. The other flu and other similar kinds of pandemics tended to have that and we do have an epidemic curve that I would expect to happen. Most people are just thinking either one of two things. They think, well, it will either go away the way SARS did, but it won't go away. I think we are going to be with it, with COVID, just living with it, forever but coping and managing with it forever after a couple of years. But the reason that SARS left or MERS or other kinds of diseases or Ebola is that they were so terribly lethal. They killed their hosts. But with COVID, it's a kind of perfect virus. It's really significantly harmful to us but doesn't have a high enough fatality rate.
[Keilar:] Yes. So the spreading continues on with people who obviously are surviving with COVID. And, you know, one of the things I've read about you that I found most alarming was that you were part of an international panel last year that evaluated the pandemic readiness of every country in the world and you found that no one was as prepared as the U.S. So what happened here?
[Gostin:] Yes. I mean, that's a real we have learned a lot. We found that our very high functioning countries, the ones that have really good health systems and preparedness, the U.S. was first, Europe was close behind, and yet they were all devastated. And, really, what it boils down to is whether or not we have the kind of government that can actually execute the plan, whether they can actually unleash all of the capacities in the health system and we haven't done that. We also haven't realized that it also takes a trusting population. It takes a population that will socially distance, that will wash their hands and most importantly that will wear a mask. And if you can get universal coverage on all of those, you do much better. So it turns out that the countries that really were highly functioning didn't do well at all. And so the lesson learned is that we actually need leadership. It matters and it matters a lot.
[Keilar:] Yes. And, look, we have seen for years and years an eroding of faith in institutions by Americans and we are seeing that play out here and also just it is a difficulty that people have in trying to figure out where to turn for answers. You mentioned masks, Professor. I want to listen to what the director of the CDC is saying.
[Gostin:] Yes.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Cdc Director:] Actually, face coverings work. It's our major defense to prevent ourselves from getting this infection. If all of us would put on a face covering now for the next four weeks to six weeks, I think we could drive this epidemic to the ground in the country.
[Keilar:] Do you agree with that? Four to six weeks if everyone in the country wore a mask that this epidemic could be driven into the ground?
[Gostin:] Well, I agree, absolutely, that if everyone wore a mask, we would see a very significant reduction in cases and hospitalizations and deaths. That was one of the core components in the countries that have done well, like South Korea or Taiwan. But it's not the only one. And I don't think we're going to drive this epidemic to the ground for the reasons that I have said. Also, a lot of people think that, well, once we get a vaccine, it will all go away. And I don't think that's true either. We have to remember that we're not going to have enough doses of vaccines to go around and it's probably a global public good that is the world owns the vaccine, as Tony Fauci said. And in addition, it's not going to be fully effective. We have a vaccine for influenza but we still get influenza every year. And so I expect that to happen. But mask use, absolutely, we must do it. It's critical and I'm actually talking with states and CDC and WHO and others to see whether or not we can recommend a national mandate for a vaccine. I think just like we did
[Keilar:] For a mask? A national mandate for a mask, you mean?
[Gostin:] Yes, of course. I appreciate that.
[Keilar:] That's okay.
[Gostin:] National mandate for a mask. If you think about seat belts, they weren't popular at the beginning and people were saying, well, I have got my freedom and you can't take away my freedom and I can just do what I want. But if you pass a law, the public understands that we're a nation that abides by the rule of law. So not only do people have an ethical obligation to do it, you know, you help me by wearing a mask and I help you and our families and our communities. But also, I think, the law would be a useful way of actually driving home the message that, yes, folks, we do have to wear masks and we have to wear them all the time when we're in public.
[Keilar:] Professor, thank you for joining us. Professor Lawrence Gostin, we really appreciate your insight.
[Gostin:] Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
[Keilar:] One county's board of education is defying the rest of the state that it is in voting to reopen schools without social distancing, full attendance, no masks. Plus, the president's former chief of staff sounds the alarm on testing even though he called it a hoax when it counted. And anger at Florida's governor, who is calling the state's surge in coronavirus cases that has made it the epicenter of coronavirus a blip.
[Unidentified Male:] Over 4,000 people have died and you are blaming at protesters. You guys have no plans and you're doing nothing. Shame on you.

[Church:] Well, two women who broke down barriers in the United States are becoming Barbie dolls. Toymaker, Mattel, says Sally Ride and Rosa Parks made the world better for generations of girls. And they hope the dolls will inspire girls to pursue their dreams. Astronaut Sally Ride was the first American woman and youngest American to fly in space. And Rosa Parks is known as the mother of the modern civil rights movement. The dolls made their debut on America's Women's Equality Day. And when you think about traveling from Europe to the United States, an airplane is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Well, not if you're Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teenager raising awareness of the climate crisis. More now from CNN's Michael Holmes.
[Michael Holmes, Cnn International Correspondent:] The world's most famous teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, set sail from New York two weeks ago. Choosing to go by sea rather than flying to make her trip emissions- free. And now, her epic journey across the Atlantic is about to be over. She documented the trip on social media, tweeting on Monday, "Rough seas south of Nova Scotia. But conditions closer to New York will be slower than predicted and weather updates suggest Wednesday arrival." It is difficult to say exactly when Greta will actually get to New York, rough seas would further delay the arrival. This digital map captures the trip in real-time. It's not been all smooth sailing for the 16-year-old and her team. The sea hasn't been too kind to them in some areas.
[Greta Thunberg, Student And Climate Activist:] We are turn to doing between 20 and 25 knots. Last night we hits 30 knots, and that we are about 300 miles away from Nova Scotia, and it's very rough and very high waves. And yes.
[Holmes:] Rough seas are not all that Greta has to contend with. Conditions on this old racing yachts, the Malizia II are not ideal. There's no toilet or running water. The yacht fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines to generate electricity. But before leaving, Greta said, she was prepared to face these conditions.
[Thunberg:] It's not going to be comfortable, but that I can live with.
[Holmes:] The 16-year-old Swede became famous by staging a weekly Friday strike outside the Swedish parliament in 2018. To protest what she called the Swedish government's inaction on climate change. She since inspired young people around the world. Many of whom have organized their own protests against climate change. While in New York, Greta will address the United Nations climate summit. She will later travel around the Americas campaigning for stronger action against climate change. She's taken a year off school to focus on her campaign. Michael Holmes. CNN.
[Church:] Well done there. And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter @rosemaryCNN. And I'll be back with more news in just a moment. You're watching CNN. Do stick around.

[Jim Sciutto:] Very good evening to you from the CNN Center in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN's Democratic presidential town hall event. I'm Jim Sciutto. Of course, we've heard from tonight from Congressman Seth Molton and Tim Ryan. Now it is Congressman Eric Swalwell's turn. The California Democrat, he kicked off his run near Parkland, Florida. Why is that? Because he vowed to make gun control a central focus of his campaign. That, of course, an issue very much in the news this weekend. The 38-year-old Swalwell would be the youngest president ever elected in this country. And tonight, he's going to be taking questions from Democrats and independents who say that they plan to participate in the Democratic primaries and caucuses coming up next year. Please give a warm welcome to Congressman Eric Swalwell.
[Rep. Eric Swalwell , Presidential Candidate:] Hi, sir. How are you?
[Sciutto:] Good to have you...
[Swalwell:] How are you doing? Thank you. Thank you.
[Sciutto:] Congressman, thanks for joining us tonight.
[Swalwell:] Of course. Of course. Thank you.
[Sciutto:] Of course we had news this weekend of yet another shooting in America, Virginia Beach. 12 killed. Four people still injured, recovering from their injuries, the deadliest in the country in the year 2019. You're of course wearing a ribbon tonight which commemorates, intended to draw attention to gun violence. And you also said that you were interestingly recording a video about gun violence as this news broke.
[Swalwell:] I was.
[Sciutto:] I want to ask you this because folks in the audience here, they have heard politicians talk about gun violence before. Why are you the person who is actually going to make a difference as president?
[Swalwell:] Well, thank you, Jim, for convening this. Thank you, CNN. Thank you to the people of Atlanta. For me, it's a very personal issue when it comes to gun violence. And I first just want to say my heart breaks, as I know all of yours does, for the victims in Virginia. When you look at those pictures, right? Black, white, young, old, it looks like America. For me, it's personal because I worked as a prosecutor in Oakland, and I saw shootings in the streets. From a father who is sending my son to school for his first day tomorrow at preschool, and my wife and I, we worry about whether he's going to come home. But also, I went to congress when Sandy Hook happened. That was my coming to congress moment. And I just happened to believe we love our kids more than we love our guns. And that we can do something.
[Sciutto:] We do want to stay on the issue of guns. A lot of folks in the audience have been very interested in this. We'll start with Jason Poe. He has a question on that topic. He works as an environmental specialist for the General Services Administration Jason.
[Jason Poe, Environmental Special, General Services Administration:] Hello. How is it going? Good evening. Happy to be here participating in some democracy tonight. My question is about the gun debate. So do you think that you can win in places like the south and Midwest, leading your campaign on the gun question? And what do you tell those constituents in those areas that you aren't out to, quote, take their guns?
[Swalwell:] Thank you, Jason. I tell them keep your pistols, keep your rifles, keep your shotguns, but we can ban and buy back the most dangerous weapons. And there's a new gun safety majority in America, and it's time that we lean in and negotiate up. So here's what we can do and again, I'm informed by this as working as a prosecutor. I have seen the shootings in our communities. I've seen the fear that parents have for their kids. But I've also gotten frustrated in congress. When I went to congress, Sandy hook happened. Then there was nothing. Then Charleston. Nothing. San Bernardino. Nothing. Orlando, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs. Nothing, nothing, nothing. There is this ritual: grief, anger, moments of silence as an alibi for doing nothing. Tonight, I brought as my guest Tamar Manasa from the south side of Chicago. She's doing something. Block by block, she's bringing people together so that the kids can have education and hope where there's no hope. We need a lot more Tamaras across the America to invest in every community, not just the ones that have school shootings and have church shootings. But something happened after Parkland that inspired me that I could do something and lead on this issue. Out of unimaginable grief, the students and the parents picked themselves up and they organized, and they marched, and you told them you had their back. And they beat 17 NRA-endorsed members of congress. We did that. So as president as president, I'm not going to negotiate down anymore. I'm going to negotiate up. So, yes, we'll pass background checks. We already did that in the House. I'll come here to Georgia, you'll get sick and tired of me because I'm going to help you elect a senator so we can pass it in the senate. I'm the only candidate calling for a ban and buyback on every single assault weapon. But I also believe that's investing in jobs and education block by block. But here's the question we face: I was in Philadelphia a couple weeks ago talking to a trauma counselor named Scott Charles. He's said he's counseled thousands of gun violence victims at Temple Hospital in Philly. And I said, Mr. Charles, what is one thing you would do if you could do anything to save more lives? He said I already know the answer to that. We're working on it right now. We're trying to put block by block different tourniquets at the Chinese walk-up restaurants, at the liquor stores, so we can suppress the wounds faster and people can live longer. It wasn't a failure of imagination to do something bigger, he just thinks there's a failure of courage in Washington to do so. So the question is, do we want to stop the bleeding, or do we want to stop the shootings? I'm running for president to stop the shootings.
[Sciutto:] If I can, because, of course, you mentioned your plan for a mandatory buyback of assault weapons, weapons of war, as you call them. You told my colleague Jake Tapper that you'd be willing to support criminal prosecution of people who don't follow if that that requirement, if it were to become law. So under President Swalwell, you are saying that some Americans would, indeed, have to give up their guns?
[Swalwell:] Yeah, and I'm proposing something that Australia did in the '90s. And they haven't had a serious shooting since the dozens of people who were lost then. New Zealand New Zealand was still mourning their dead and they passed an assault weapons ban. So, my ban would buy back assault weapons. There's about 15 million of them. If you want to still possess them and not sell them back, you can keep them at a hunting club or shooting range. I just don't think they belong at our churches, our theaters, you know, at our shopping centers, at our concerts anymore.
[Sciutto:] And people would go to jail if they didn't bring...
[Swalwell:] We're not going to send cops, you know, house to house, but like any other contraband if you have it and you're not supposed to, yeah, you would go to jail.
[Sciutto:] OK, let's go back to the audience now. Let's bring in the Irene Camara. She's the assistant secretary with the NAACP here in Atlanta Irene.
[Irene Camara, Assistant Secretary Naacp:] Yes. Good evening, Representative Swalwell. Given all of the references in the Mueller report regarding the obstruction done by the White House, what is your line in the sand regarding the impeachment of Trump?
[Swalwell:] Thank you, Irene, for the work you do in this historic city for civil rights. The way I approach this as a prosecutor is that the rule of law is everything in America. It's the key ingredient. Without it, we lose free speech, free press, free markets, freedom to dream. We have a lawless president. First things first, I think we should move immediately to impeach the attorney general and Secretary Mnuchin. They're front door obstructors. I'm on the Judiciary Committee as well. And on the Judiciary Committee, I'm the only candidate in this race who would actually have to prosecute this case. So, when I would go to court, I would make sure my subpoenas were ready, my pencils sharpened, my exhibits ready to be displayed. We have to get ready for impeachment with this president. And here's why, and I think about it the way I'm raising my 2-year-old right now and our 7-month-old. We're during the 1, 2, 3 method. You count to three when your son is bad, take a toy away. If you don't, he's going to get worse. With this president he has to see consequences. He's a really bad kid. But the other thing, Irene, the other thing is that the other part of this is, I think of my daughter who is looking at how I discipline my son and if I do nothing, the standard of conduct is lower. So future presidents will look at doing nothing as lowering the standard of conduct. Let's impeach Barr and Mnuchin and let's get ready for impeachment of this president because he's put us in no other position.
[Sciutto:] OK. You say you say let's get ready for impeachment, but you have not come out publicly to say that the congress should begin impeachment proceedings. A short time ago, your colleague, Tim Ryan, made news on CNN saying that he now is joining the call of, I believe it's now 11 Democratic candidates in 2020. 76 percent of democrats in the latest CNN poll, they support impeaching the president. Will you take that step? And if not, why not when you have virtually 8 in 10 Democrats supporting that move?
[Swalwell:] I don't think anyone is going to question my vigor in holding this president accountable. You know, I think the work that we did in the first two years when our democracy was under attack when I was on the intelligence committee, wanted people to care so we could get a majority to put this balance of power on abuses of power. But, again, as someone who really respects the rule of law, I want us to get it right, because we only get one shot. But, again, that's where we're headed. I want to be backed into it showing that we've exhausted every other remedy, and have the American people with us. I think that's where we are right now. I'm ready to try this case. Again, I think you have to make an example out of Mnuchin and Barr first, though. You can't let them off the hook.
[Sciutto:] All right, let's go back...
[Swalwell:] We'll go back to the audience. I want to bring in Melissa L'Abate. She's a homemaker and is planning to re-enter the workforce soon Melissa.
[Melissa L'abate, Georgia Voter:] Thank you. And thank you for being here. The current administration has left us wide open to hostile foreign attacks, meaning cyberattacks and even cyberterrorism, threatening our security. In your first 100 days, what will you do to fight back at Russia's success in weakening America, other Democratic institutions, and key alliances such as NATO? And, obviously, this includes other foreign countries such as China.
[Swalwell:] Well, thank you for your question. Thanks for caring about our democracy. People get sick and tired around the country when they hear pundits in Washington saying that anyone outside Washington doesn't care about what the Russians did. I know you care about what they did to our democracy. So day one, I will stand up to Vladimir Putin. I will put back in place sanctions until the behavior changes. I will go on a global affirmation tour. So I'm going to take the oath and catch a plane. I'm going to go around the world to assure allies we're still with them. I'm going to assemble the best and brightest cyberwarriors in our country. I think there are a lot of people who want to serve the federal government, but they don't necessarily want to do a lifetime of service. And so we can have like a cybersecurity national guard to defend against what the Russians are doing. But your real question, I think, goes to how can we defeat Russia and other threats in the world when we've alienated ourselves? And when I look at foreign policy today, I look at it the same way a parent looks at their child on the playground. And the last couple of years, your kid has gone from hanging out with the honor roll crew, the Brits and the French and the Australians, to today, we roll with the detention crew the Russians, the North Koreans, the Saudis. And what it costs us is we've ripped up treaties. We've pulled ourselves out of the Paris Climate Accord, and we can't necessarily count on NATO, because the president diminishes their role. I'm going to help us get our friends back. I've been on the intelligence committtee. I've with foreign leaders. I've gone to war zones. I know the cost of not having friends. And I know the benefit to our country. We'll spend less on defense when we get them back.
[Sciutto:] Everybody, congressman, stay with us. Everybody stay with us. We're going to be right back with more from Congressman Eric Swalwell. A very warm welcome back to you. CNN democratic presidential townhall. We're live with Congressman Eric Swalwell of California. So Congressman Swalwell, you and I have talked about this a few times. You were born in Iowa, conservative upbringing. Both your parents are Republicans, as well as two of your brothers. What's what's thanksgiving dinner like in the Swalwell house?
[Swalwell:] Well, I don't even know if they're watching tonight. They may be watching a different news network. That's why sometimes I have to go on there just so they can see me on TV. But, you know what, my parents, they are Reagan Republicans. They want taxes low. They want us to be strong in the world. And I think I can appeal to a lot of people like that when you talk about what this $1.6 trillion tax cut has done to our deficit, what our strength in the world is when we draw ourselves closer to Russia who Ronald Reagan worked to defeat during the Cold War rather than our traditional allies. My wife was also she's from Indiana. I was educated in the south. I'm elected in a diverse part of California. I can add states in the general election.
[Sciutto:] OK. Let's go back to the audience now. We're joined now by Jeff Todd. He works for the Georgia Department of Public Health. Jeff, what's on your mind today?
[Jeff Todd, Georgia Department Of Public Helath:] Good evening. You have spoken about your family being police officers.
[Swalwell:] Yeah.
[Todd:] And my question is, how would you address these incidents we're seeing of overt aggression, hostility and bigotry by certain police officers that are tarnishing the reputation of those who serve honorably as well as build the trust of these communities who are experiencing it?
[Swalwell:] Thank you for your question. First and thank you to any law enforcement officer, you know, who is serving. I know, as the brother of two police officers and the son of a police officer, the sacrifice that they make. And I think about their safety every day and I tell them my proposals on gun violence are in part to make them safe. But I also recognize the experience in America, especially for young black men and the fear they have of police because of abuses against that community. And I have a perspective I think that can reverse that, working with others to reverse that. First, here's what I would do. Here's what we can do as a country. When it comes to community oriented police grants, cops grants, I would only allow those grants to be dispersed to communities if their officers wear body cameras, this is for their safety and community accountability. Second, I would only give those grants out if the departments looked like the communities they patrol. I think that's really, really important. I am just, you know, convinced that we have to address racial injustice in this country. I saw it on the front lines as a prosecutor. I still see it today. That also means sentencing reform and decriminalizing marijuana and investing block by block in communities that are too often forgotten. They don't need a crime bill, they need a hope bill.
[Sciutto:] Let's go to Taylor Manhart. She's a veterinary assistant Taylor.
[Swalwell:] Hi, Taylor.
[Taylor Manhart, Veterinary Assistant:] Hi, congressman. How are you? Thanks for being here. I, as well as many other Americans, believe health care is a right and not a privilege. Do you support Medicare for all? And if not, what are your plans to combat the outrageous rising costs of health care and prescription drugs so that Americans like myself can live without fear of not being able to receive the health care that they need?
[Swalwell:] Thank you, Taylor, for your question. Just by a show of hands, who else agrees with Taylor that prescription drugs cost so much and health care is eating up your paycheck? You expressed a real life concern that's only getting worse. I support Medicare for anyone who wants it. And I'm of a and part of the reason I'm running for congress running for president now, ran for congress, was because I see that these health care costs keep going up and up and up. And that the costs of prescription drugs for our 2-year-old keep going up and up and up. We stand in line. We see the anxiety it brings to other families. So, here's what we can do. We can have a health care guarantee. If you're sick, you're seen; if you're seen, you don't go broke. To me, that's a public option, a government responsibility to have a wider plan that's affordable, accessible and protects against pre-existing conditions. I don't want any more GoFundMe plans. We should not have a GoFundMe plan health care in the United States of America. But as president, I want to challenge us to think beyond just coverage. What we do best as Americans is find the unfindable, solve the unsolvable and cure the incurable. Instead of putting $1.6 trillion towards the wealthiest in the last tax cut, imagine if we invested a fraction of that in genomics research, in data sharing, and targeted therapies, and using innovation as a way to bring down the cost, innovation as a way to extend the quality of life and innovation as a way to create a lot of new jobs not in Washington but across the country. I see this issue. And again, I want us to look forward on it and bring cures in our lifetime and a health care guarantee for every person.
[Sciutto:] OK. Forgive me here, because your position on Medicare for all might confuse some members of the audience, because it sounds like you're trying to have it both ways. You're for Medicare for all, which as it's written now, eliminates private health insurance, including employee insurance. And I'm sure a lot of folks in the audience have or union plans, a lot of union members have. How can you support a plan that eliminates those things and say at the same time you're not get rid of them.
[Swalwell:] I think people should have choice. The Medicare for all bill that's been written, I think I agree with 90 percent of it. I don't agree with the part that ultimately would get to a point where we don't have have private health insurance. A lot of people who are on a union, they like their union plan. If you like that plan, you should be able to keep that plan. I think engrained in our DNA is choice. People want to have choices, but they also expect the government should offer an affordable plan if their employer is not providing it.
[Sciutto:] So you'd negotiate a different Medicare for all proposal, in effect, to make it an option, a public option?
[Swalwell:] Yes. And in my plan we'd be able to negotiate for prescription drug costs, not just for the VA but also for a Medicare for anyone plan, have prescription drugs imported if they're safe and you can hold the manufacturers responsible, and put the Department of Justice back to work to prosecute any anti-competitive practices that are bringing up the cost of prescription drugs.
[Sciutto:] All right. Our next question is with Courtenay Taylor. She's a multimedia marketing strategist. Courtenay, tell us what's on your mind tonight.
[Courtenay Taylor, Multimedia Marketing Strategist:] Thanks for being here.
[Swalwell:] Of course. Thanks.
[Taylor:] So, you have strongly opposed the president's views on immigration. Seven children have now died as a result of the humanitarian crisis at our southern border and too many families are still separated. Why isn't congress doing more to ensure the health and safety of immigrants in U.S. custody and more specifically, what is your role as a member of the House in finding a solution? And then as the nominee, how will you help reach bipartisanship on immigration reform?
[Swalwell:] Thank you, Courtenay, for your question. It is a humanitarian it is a humanitarian crisis. And in congress, we are working right now to pass the DREAM Act. That is one piece of what we can do to bring a certain fate for people who came here with their parents. We I'm a co-sponsor of comprehensive immigration reform. But the real challenge here, what's so frustrating, and I went to the San Diego sector a couple weeks ago, and a young border patrol agent showed me around. And in a room half the size of this, I saw dozens of people and young kids crammed in there with no showers, no beds. They're wearing these space blankets. And what frustrates me is the person who is leading our country, on this issue, he doesn't know those people. He doesn't know why they came here. He brings us showmanship when we need leadership. He goes and points at a wall and says that people that don't look like us are causing all of our problems. I would bring leadership. Leadership means you don't go to the border, you go beyond it. You understand that when a mother leaves Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, goes a 1,000-plus miles without food, without water, without much clothing and knowing that you may be separated, she must believe that that is better than where she's leaving. I would put forth... ...leadership to me, Courtenay, is having a Marshal Plan in that region, convening the presidents of Mexico and South American countries, and all of us investing in security and economic opportunities so people can stay where they want to stay and put the resources also on the border in the short term. I'll bring leadership, no more showmanship.
[Sciutto:] All right. Please stick around. Stick around all of you. We're going to be right back with more. The Democratic presidential town hall. Congressman Eric Swalwell. Welcome back, everyone. We are live in Atlanta for a CNN presidential town hall with Congressman Eric Swalwell of California. Let's start now with Amber Dos-Hunter. She's currently a candidate Georgia state representative in district 65.
[Swalwell:] Good for you.
[Amber Dos-hunter, Candidate For State Representative, Georgia:] Hi. How are you? Prisons and jails are currently crowded with black and brown people who have lengthy sentences for minor marijuana charges. What is your stance on decriminalizing minor nonviolent marijuana offenses and releasing those incarcerated back into society?
[Swalwell:] Yeah, thank you for your question. Thank you for running. I really mean it. Thank you for running. No more private prisons. No more private prisons in the United States of America. If you took the entire prison population in America today, it would be five times larger the city of Atlanta. That's wrong. That's because we have over-criminalized drugs when it should be a health care crisis. And I'll tell you, I have a family member who has struggled with addiction. And the last place for that person to go was jail. The best place to go was to resources in the community because we had a place whether it was a fire station, at a school, at a church or a nonprofit that could help serve this person. That's the way to address this issue. On marijuana, yes, of course, I support decriminalizing marijuana, descheduling it so that we can use it for medical purposes, so that you can bank it, so you can get tax deductions for it, and to expunge the records of anyone who had a marijuana conviction in the past.
[Sciutto:] Related topic, because as you know, fellow candidate for 2020, Bernie Sanders, he has publicly stated that he would support restoring voting rights to felons currently serving in prison. That's a position you say you oppose. So tell us, tell the audience, under what circumstances would you restore voting rights to convicted felons?
[Swalwell:] First, we should send fewer people to prison. People who commit nonviolent crimes, people who commit non-serious, nonsexual crimes, we should find ways to get them retraining, find them a way to have the dignity of work so they don't even become felons who can't vote. Second, immediately restore every person's right to vote once they serve their time. But, no, I do not believe that the Boston marathon bomber or the last person I prosecuted who shot a 17-year-old a week before he was to graduate in Oakland Detayon Franklin is the victim's name a week before he was to graduate in Oakland, California, I don't think the person who shot him who is still serving time and took his life should be able to vote right now.
[Sciutto:] Back to the audience now. Our next question from Karen Atkins-Hastings. She is a former public school counselor, currently teaches English as a second language Karen.
[Karen Atkins-hastings, Teacher:] Hello, congressman.
[Swalwell:] Hi, Karen.
[Atkins-hastings:] As senior citizens, my husband and I have already faced the issue of deciding whether to pursue treatment of a medical condition or pay for prescription drugs we can't afford. Friends have suggested the option of turning to Canadian pharmacies to fill our prescriptions. Why can't American pharmaceutical companies sell medicines as cheaply as Canada? And what would you do to ensure that this happens?
[Swalwell:] Kraen, I appreciate your question. I know your struggle. And I'll share with you an insulin vial that I carry around with me for the last three months. Someone came up to me in California, one of my constituents, and gave me this vial and he said, I can't afford to give this to you. It costs about $15 a day. But unless you carry it and know how much it means to me, you're not going to be able to fight for people like me. I think about that every single day. Here's what we can do, negotiate and have more competitive pricing when it comes to Medicare for prescription drugs. Second, allow the importation of prescription drugs to bring down the cost that way if they are safe and you can hold the manufacturer liable. But I also believe that investing in basic research, investing in our public research universities and find cures that are affordable for everyone, not just wealthy persons. Again, this has to be about addressing the need today but having a candidate who believes in what technology and innovation can do tomorrow. It's really important to me. I want to be the cures candidate. And I know that at the end of the day, that's a way to bring down what you spend when you go to CVS and you're at the checkout counter.
[Sciutto:] So, congressman, I wonder if that issue is an opportunity to make nice at the Swalwell thanksgiving table, as we talked before.
[Swalwell:] My parents are feeling it, too.
[Sciutto:] A lot of republicans in the family. Because as you know, President Trump has made controlling drug prices also an issue. He says he wants to address it.
[Swalwell:] I've heard him talk about it.
[Sciutto:] Yeah, but is there an issue where you can find common ground on addressing it?
[Swalwell:] Yeah, I believe on this issue, especially, that prescription drugs, Republican or Democrat, it hits you. The problem, though, right now in Washington, and being there for the last seven years you know, the Hamilton son "The Room Where it Happens?" I'm in the room where it doesn't happen. Nothing happens. It's the outside spending, you know, it's the corporate spending. It's the super PACs, it keeps people from coming together on issues where you, me, all of us have already reached consensus.
[Sciutto:] So, you'd work with President Trump on it, if there was common ground?
[Swalwell:] Absolutely, yes.
[Sciutto:] Let's go back to the audience. Tiffany Moore-Springer. She's an attorney here in Atlanta Tiffany.
[Tiffany Moore-springer, Attorney:] Good evening, congressman.
[Swalwell:] Hi, Tiffany.
[Moore-springer:] It is no secret that many Americans are saddled with crippling student loan debt. There are candidates who wish to offer a free college education to prospective students; however, what plans, if any, do you have to provide relief or assistance to Americans who have completed their education, but cannot afford their student loan payments under the current repayment options, because in spite of their high levels of education?
[Swalwell:] Tiffany, thank you. The way I see it is that the lessons and memories of college should last a lifetime, the debt should not. But that's the real for too many people in America, including me. I'm paying off just under $100,000 in student loan debt. My wife still married me. She knew before. Don't feel sorry for her. But every month, every month I click that link and I know 40 million other Americans do, too. And it's deferring the dreams of our generation buying our first home, starting a family. It's like a first date conversation now for young people what your student loan debt is. I'm serious, like that's now on Tinder, I think. Taking a good idea and starting a business. We're deferring those dreams. So, here's what we can do, a college bargain, if you do work study all four years through, you learn and you earn, and then you come out and you take your first job and do volunteer service hours for communities and people that need it, it's debt-free education. College should work for you if you work for college in America. And for the 40 million people with student loan debt, we can do two things immediately: bring the interest rate down to zero. Government should not make a single penny. And speaking of bipartisanship, I'll give them credit, Rodney Davis, Republican from Illinois. I've been working with him on this bill. It would allow employers to contribute tax-free to their employees' student loan debt. I would sign that into law.
[Sciutto:] Again, on that issue, so debt-free education, but not free college education, because again, some of your fellow contenders for 2020 on the Democratic side have come out for it. You're not for it. Tell us why.
[Swalwell:] I'm for free community college for the first two years. I believe that you still want to be able to show you're working for it. Again, you show that you work for it, do work study, pay down what the tuition is and then if you do volunteer service hours, that creates a whole new service generation and I think that would be respected among people who are going to to college or never went to college. And I think we need the community service again and just bring community and people together. That's one way to do it.
[Sciutto:] All right. Thank you, congressman. We're going to be right back with more from CNN's Democratic presidential town hall. Please stay with us. Big welcome back to CNN Democratic presidential town hall with Congressman Eric Swalwell of California. I think a question on a lot of voters' minds, because a lot of folks have Democratic and Republican voters in their family, as do you. What is going to be your approach to winning over voters who supported Donald Trump in 2016?
[Swalwell:] Yes. Well, it's I know why you work hard and what you expect it to add up to. I'm not going to dismiss someone who just wanted higher wages, lower health care costs and a brighter future. I'm going to be in Alabama in two weeks. I'm going to the places that I think have been neglected in the past. But I will dismiss, put me on that debate stage, and you can do that, ericswalwell.com, but put me on that debate stage, make me nominee, and I will dismiss the person who has utterly failed to deliver for so many people who were counting on him.
[Sciutto:] You said earlier that if you were the nominee, you would put into place states that were not previously in play for Democratic presidential candidates. Which states?
[Swalwell:] Indiana. We won Indiana in 2008. Iowa, I was born there. I feel comfortable there. But I went to Alabama a bunch during the midterms. And people there like when you show up. And they don't see us as the enemies of each other that the president wants us to be. So, we just got to show up more.
[Sciutto:] All right.
[Swalwell:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] We want to go back to the audience now.
[Swalwell:] And Georgia. We're going to win Georgia.
[Sciutto:] Tina Sarkar is with us tonight. She's an attorney and a consultant. Tina?
[Swalwell:] Hi, Tina.
[Tina Sarkar, Attorney And Consultant:] Good evening, Congressman. Women's reproductive rights are under attack in this country, as my home state of Georgia and other states around the country try to undermine Roe v. Wade. How will you ensure that a woman's right to autonomy over her own body and access to care is not determined by the state in which she lives?
[Swalwell:] Well, first, my wife and I really deeply believe that it's her body, her choice. And that should be for every woman in America. Here's what I'll do as president. As president, I would only appoint justices who upheld the law, including the precedent that is Roe v. Wade. But I don't want us to aim so low that we just protect what so many women, generations ago, marched and worked really hard to make sure was there. I want us to repeal the Hyde Amendment that says that only a woman with private health care insurance can make that decision. But I also I also want to tell every young man in America today, you have a duty and a responsibility right now to link arms with young women in America and make sure that we're all in this, to make sure that a woman has a right to choose. It's her decision. The government is never a part of that right. That's a responsibility that young men have, too, right now. So find young women, march with them.
[Sciutto:] On that topic, as folks here in Atlanta know very well, it's now become an economic issue because you have companies particularly in film and television, a lot of films and television shows shot in the Atlanta area. But you have Netflix, Disney, NBC Universal, Warner Media which owns CNN. They've all warned they may halt business here if that law goes into effect. I wonder, do you support that kind of economic boycott?
[Swalwell:] Yes, if that law goes into effect, I absolutely do. And CNN may have to move. There's a lot of young women who work at CNN who will be affected.
[Sciutto:] A lot of women in the audience tonight. We're going to go back to the audience here. Next question from Kuniki Lockett. He's an intellectual property attorney. Kuniki?
[Swalwell:] Hi.
[Kuniki Lockett, Intellectual Property Attorney:] Good evening, Representative. Many economists suggest that by as early as 2020, independent contractors and workers in the giga economy will represent up to 40 percent of the U.S. workforce. Many are advocating that we make federal employment benefits like disability and unemployment insurance, flexible spending accounts, health insurance and workers' comp insurance portable and tied to the individual rather than the business. Also, some billion-dollar corporations are proposing rules where they pay independent contractors and freelancers 90 days after they submit an invoice. Can you imagine being paid in September for work you did last week?
[Swalwell:] Yes.
[Lockett:] How do we update federal labor laws to protect the rights of these workers, and how do we make employment benefits portable?
[Swalwell:] Elect a president who understands the future of work. But thank you for your question. This is something that so many workers are experiencing right now, which is that their employers are changing the nature of their employee contract. And that that means they don't have health care protections. They don't have retirement security. They don't have other benefits. And again, put a young president in the White House, experienced in Congress but a young president in the White House who sees this change in the economy and you'll have a voice for the future of work. So, yes, I believe that first and foremost having health care for all will protect independent contractors to make sure they don't have to worry about where they'll get their health care. Second and foremost, I also believe that employers have a responsibility, if you don't provide a pension to your employees to provide some retirement security. Retirement security in America used to be a three-legged stool. There was Social Security, there's an employer provided pension, and there was personal savings. Social Security is about to go insolvent by 2033. Fewer and fewer employers provide pensions and personal savings, two-thirds of us have less than $1,000. I support a guaranteed savings account. Where if you don't provide a pension to your employees, like in the case you just described, employers contribute 1 percent, government contributes 1 percent and employees put in 1 percent. So, you have more retirement security in addition to making sure that we protect Social Security, raise the cap there so that it is solvent beyond 2033.
[Sciutto:] All right. Our next question comes from Jessica Weinstein. She's a clinical social worker. She's also a volunteer for Pivot Blue. It's a grassroots organization for women here in Metro Atlanta. Jessica?
[Swalwell:] Thanks, Jessica.
[Jessica Weinstein, Clinical Social Worker:] Hi, Congressman Swalwell. The Anti-Defamation League reports near record levels of anti-Semitism in Georgia, as well as the U.S. What will you do to address anti- Semitism, as well as other hate crimes?
[Swalwell:] Yes. I will denounce anti-Semitism, even if an anti-Semite praised me. That seems like something really easy to ask, but we can't even get that from the president of the United States. Leadership starts at the top. So, denouncing anti-Semitism, firmly speaking out against it. Second and foremost, I will put at the Department of Justice a division to counter the extreme violent white nationalism in America. Put FBI agents and prosecutors on the path. Also, it comes and it starts with education. So, funding through the Department of Education, programs in our schools so our students at the earliest of age ages learn to be more tolerant, more inclusive and recognize that the beautiful thing about this country is that we all come from different places. So, my case tonight to you on that issue is put a young father in the White House, experienced in Congress, connected to the way that you live and the reasons that you work hard. We fight insurance companies in my house. We pay expensive prescription drugs. We worry about our kids' safety when we send them to school, and we pay my student loan debts. Put a young, experienced president in the White House and you'll have a voice on all of those issues that matter to you, too. Thank you.
[Sciutto:] Don't go anywhere, anyone. We're going to be right back with more from CNN's presidential town hall with Congressman Eric Swalwell. A warm welcome back to everyone. We are live in Atlanta with Democratic presidential candidate, Congressman Eric Swalwell, still with us tonight. We're going to go back to the audience. We're going to bring in Alicia Scarborough. She's the founder of a management consulting company. We should also note, she's chief of staff to a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Alicia?
[Alicia Scarborough, Founder Of A Management Consulting Company:] Hi. Thank you for being here tonight.
[Swalwell:] Thank you.
[Scarborough:] You talked generally about immigration reform.
[Swalwell:] Yes.
[Scarborough:] But I'd like to know specifically, with children being separated from their parents and now the sixth deceased, reported deceased child in ICE custody, as president, what will you how will you ensure that this atrocity never happens again?
[Swalwell:] I'll bring leadership rather than showmanship. We'll never have a separation policy. We'll devote resources to the border so you can adjudicate refugee cases immediately. For the 12 million Americans who are living in the shadows and just working hard and want to contribute to our economy and be a part of this great American tapestry, we'll give them a pathway to citizenship. We'll past the Dream Act so that young people can have a certain fate. Yes, of course, we'll have security on our border, but we're the country that has its symbol as the Statue of Liberty. We're not going to have a border wall. Thank you.
[Sciutto:] This is a story, of course, CNN has covered very closely. There are now a record 80,000 people in custody of U.S. immigration authorities. That's, of course, a record. A report found just the facilities overflowing. One border facility meant to hold 129 people has got 900 people.
[Swalwell:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] I've spoken on our broadcast to the chief of the Customs and Border Patrol, she told me, listen, we want more resources from Congress to handle the problem today.
[Swalwell:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Why hasn't that help come yet?
[Swalwell:] Well, we don't have a leader who can do that. I mean, this leader, look, he's negotiating a trade deal with Mexico and then, all of a sudden, throws immigration in the mix and blows up the trade deal. I mean, that's what we have right now in Washington. We have a corrupt childish president, a corrupt childish president. We should be real about that. Leadership can change that, but it doesn't matter how much we spend on the wall that he wants to build, if people don't believe that they're safe in their own countries, they're going to keep coming here. That's why we have to look at.
[Sciutto:] But I'm talking about spending money on a wall. I'm talking about spending money on detention facilities, for instance, so children can be taken care, so you don't have, you know, nine times as many people in a facility that's meant to be there.
[Swalwell:] If the president came to us and said I want to address the humanitarian issues in, only that, he's going to get as much support as he needs. But again, he always mixes in his own childish vanity projects like this wall. And as long as he's going to do that, it's only going to make the audience worse.
[Sciutto:] OK. Let's go back to the audience. Amy Peskin, she's a music teacher.
[Swalwell:] Hi, Amy.
[Sciutto:] Amy?
[Amy Peskin, Music Teacher:] Hi.
[Swalwell:] Hi, Amy.
[Peskin:] OK, just nervous. What regulations would you support to prevent another president andor campaign from breaking so many norms as the current one has? I think it needs to be codified at this point.
[Swalwell:] On the first day of my presidency, I will tell the attorney general to get rid of the policy that a president cannot be indicted. Also, I have written legislation that would make it a crime if you benefit from a gift from a foreign national. Right now, the Emoluments Clause says you can't do it, but there's no penalty for it. There has to be a penalty for it. I'll tell you, my earliest memory as a child in western Iowa, my dad was a police chief, and I remember him and my mom talking one day about my dad getting fired. And I was scared because I didn't know what it meant. I later learned that as the police chief, he had come to this town, he put a boys and girls club in, he'd started a Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter. DUI arrests went from like four the year he got there, and like 40 the next year. Not just because they developed a drinking problem, he just enforced the law. It all came to a head at the county fair when my dad got a call from the fire chief saying, chief, I got a mayor and a council member parked in the fire lane and they won't move. What do you want me to do? My dad said, you got to treat them like everyone else. Ticket and tow them. At the next council meeting, the mayor in an open meeting told my dad if you don't reverse those tickets, I'm going to fire you. My dad held firm. He got fired. We packed up our little family. We moved out west. So whether you're the mayor of a small town in Algona, Iowa, or the president of the United States, as far as I'm concerned, no one is above the law.
[Sciutto:] Let me ask you, 2016, of course, we're well aware, you worked on as part of the Intelligence Committee about Russian interference in the election. Should folks here be confident that the results of the 2020 election will be sound and not interfered with? Even down to the vote counts, free from Russian interference.
[Swalwell:] Folks folks here, especially in a city where leaders like John Lewis marched to make sure that we have that right to vote, they have to do what Dr. King called upon us to do. March on the ballot boxes. Overwhelm it so much that you can't deny the result. Because here's what Republicans want us to do: they want us a way of suppression is to not do anything on election security and have us worried about whether the vote will be counted. That's a tactic of theirs. We're in a better position than we were two years ago because we can actually now fund election security, where they took $350 million and brought it to zero. We're not going to let that happen again. But the best thing we can do is just overwhelm the ballot box.
[Sciutto:] Our thanks to Congressman Eric Swalwell. Our thanks as well to the studio audience. You've been great to be here the whole afternoon, asking very thoughtful questions of the presidential candidates tonight. "THE REDEMPTION PROJECT" with my colleague, Van Jones, starts right now.

[Cabrera:] Breaking news in the controversial case of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, a senior defense official telling CNN, Navy secretary Richard V. Spencer has been fired for going outside his chain of command and proposing a secret agreement with the White House. According to this official, Spencer proposed a review of Gallagher's case with a secret guarantee that Gallagher would be allowed to keep his status as a Navy SEAL. A quick reminder, Gallagher was convicted of opposing with a body of an ISIS detainee. President Trump reinstated his rank after he was demoted as punishment. CNN Pentagon reporter, Ryan Browne is following this for us. And Ryan the official says Spencer was fired for circumventing his own chain of command. What more can you tell us?
[Ryan Browne, Cnn Pentagon Reporter:] Well, Ana, we're hearing three kind of very different stories about exactly why the secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer was fired from his job. Now, the Pentagon issuing a statement saying that the secretary of defense, Mark Esper, had found out that Spencer had conducted these secret talks supposedly with the White House about the fate of Eddy Gallagher who was due to face a review board about whether he would keep his status as a Navy SEAL. Now, according to the Pentagon, Spencer had made a secret deal with the White House and that he intended to keep Gallagher in the Navy SEALs to allow the review to go forward. Now, we're hearing two very different stories. One from President Trump who says Spencer was fired in a tweet, said that Spencer was fired because of how he handled the Gallagher case overall. And because of cost overruns in with regard to Navy contracting. And we got a letter from Spencer himself. He says he was fired because of his refusal to follow an order that he thought would violate good order and discipline that was unethical, that is likely referring to the Gallagher case here. And President Trump clearly stated desire to keep Gallagher in the Navy SEAL. So it's very unusual to have such three kind of conflicting stories about a senior member of the Pentagon, the Navy secretary. Of course Spencer has been one of the longest serving members of the Trump administration. He joined very early on in 2017. He's a former marine. He's actually served as a brief time as acting secretary of defense. There hasn't been much controversy surrounding his time in post. But this Gallagher case which has been prominent on "Fox News," which has been prominent in President Trump's twitter feed has seemed to call his downfall.
[Cabrera:] And on that note we're going to talk about the President's latest tweets on this. Ryan Browne, thank you for your reporting. President Trump is responding to the navy secretary's firing, and he's also naming his replacement. Let's get straight to CNN's Jeremy Diamond at the White House. And Jeremy, the President's tweets don't exactly line up with the reason the Department of Defense gave for Secretary Spencer's firing. What do you learning?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] That's right. As Ryan just laid out, there are three different versions of this story out there right now, three different versions why Richard Spencer was forced to resign in the wake of this Eddy Gallagher controversy. Let's read what the President is saying. He says, I was not pleased with the way that Navy SEAL Eddy Gallagher's trial was handled by the Navy. He was treated very badly. But despite this was completely exonerated on all major charges. He says, I then restored Eddy Gallagher's rank. Likewise, large cost overruns from past administration's contracting procedures were not addressed to my satisfaction. Therefore, secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer's services have terminated by secretary of defense, Mark Esper. He then goes on, to thank Richard Spencer for his service and he says he plans to nominate the ambassador to Norway, Ken Braithwaite who is a retired rear retired admiral of the Navy. The President calls him a man of great achievement and success. Now, what's also notable in to President's tweets here is that he says that Eddy Gallagher will indeed retain his trident pin, which signals his membership as a Navy SEAL. That is notable because that is what defense officials had been raising concerns about. In fact, the Defense Department says that Richard Spencer was fired because he tried to work out an arrangement with the White House going around Mark Esper to allow exactly this to happen, to allow Eddy Gallagher, to retire while maintaining his membership in the Navy SEALs. So this is really quite remarkable circumstance that we're seeing particularly because the President is ultimately getting the exact outcome that he wanted despite all of those concerns and even in the wake of the firing of in the Navy secretary.
[Cabrera:] Jeremy Diamond at the White House for us, thank you. I want to get a military voice in here now. Joining us is retired U.S. army lieutenant general Mark Hertling. General, what's your reaction to all this?
[Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling , Cnn Military Analyst:] Confusion, Ana, complete confusion.
[Cabrera:] Me too.
[Hertling:] There's so many stories involved with this. I think Ryan and Jeremy just brought up the different aspects of this. In reading the resignation letter or the termination letter if you will of Secretary Spencer, there was a whole lot more to this than what's being reported right now. You know, it's certainly understandable that Secretary Spencer went to the President behind the Secretary Esper, the defense secretary's back as he, Secretary Esper and General Milley were petitioning the President to back off of this case and let it go through the administrative processes of determining whether or not Chief Gallagher should retain his pin. That's understandable. You don't go to your boss's boss and petition without letting your boss know. So if that all happened, that's true. I can understand Esper being pissed. But the other piece of this is for the last three days there has been reporting, good reporting, about the fact that Secretary Spencer is prepared to resign, prepared to offer his letter of resignation because he's defending the Navy SEALs, the command of the Navy SEALs. And he understand what Admiral Collin Green, the commander of the SEALs is going through in this situation in terms of an administrative elimination of Eddy Gallagher's trident pin. This is so extremely confusing. It's just another night in Trump world. And it's unfortunately bad for the civil-military relations and an understanding of what command authority has to do within the military.
[Cabrera:] Without trying to figure out all those pieces who knew what, why, and what was going on exactly just answer this question. What kind of an impact can an abrupt shake-up like this have on the stability, on the readiness, and even just the morale on the rank and file?
[Hertling:] Well, all indicators. And I'm not a sailor so I don't know this for sure. But I've heard that Secretary Spencer's reputation was extremely good as a secretary of the Navy. He was well-liked and well-admired by those in that service. So that will cause a shakeup. The actual act of this back and forth between the secretary of defense, the President, and the secretary of the Navy, and you have to understand also the fact that Secretary Spencer cited good order and discipline within the service was what he vowed to defend, and he's saying in his letter, I can't agree with the way the President is handling these things. So one has to question the fact of what good order and discipline is he talking about, and it's certainly a result of these pardons and the interference in a command authority relationship within the SEAL and other communities. So there's that. There's also just the shakeup of the civil-military relationship between Secretary Spencer, Admiral Green, others within the Navy who supported at the higher ranks this action that has been denigrated on the likes of "Fox News" with various correspondents there, attacking the secretary of the navy, attacking the commander, in fact, that occurred this morning where Admiral Gallagher actually attacked as a guy wearing the uniform in violation of the military uniform code of military justice, he attacked in public his superior officers.
[Cabrera:] Yes.
[Hertling:] So this is. I mean, this is another part of crazy town that we're just starting to see that will have deleterious effects on the military in my view. Certainly not catastrophic, but certainly some questioning of civil-military relationship and command and control within the force.
[Cabrera:] Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, always good to have your perspective. Thank you.
[Hertling:] Thank you, Ana.
[Cabrera:] A new report alleges U.S. Intelligence agencies briefed lawmakers that Russia is behind a year's long effort to wrongfully frame Ukraine for the 2016 U.S. election meddling. So just how deep does Russia's disinformation campaign go?

[Romans:] Investors hoping for markets to stabilize after two days of historic declines but it's all red arrows again over night. Taking a look at futures right now, you can see Asia closed lower. European shares opened down. Big losses again for Frankfurt. And Wall Street, futures also learning lower here. They have been really wobbling all over the place but leaning lower. Markets plummeted for the second day in a row as coronavirus fears rattled investors around the world. Look at this, the Dow fell another 879 points. That's more than 3 percent. It makes it the worst two-day drop in history. The Dow is now off more than 8 percent from its recent high, putting it close to what we call a correction, that's when it falls 10 percent. About $1.7 trillion wiped off the S&P's value in just two days. Look at entertainment and leisure stocks. American Airlines down 9 percent. People worried about spending money in group activities and travel. Still, White House economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, doubled down on the U.S. response.
[Larry Kudlow, Director, National Economic Council:] We have contained this. We have contained this, I won't say airtight, but pretty close to airtight.
[Romans:] A day before that, he told long-term investors they should buy this. If they did, they would be losing money today. Important to note, the rush into the safety of bonds pushed down the ten-year note to a record low, reflecting deep concerns about global slowing economic growth.
[Jarrett:] It looks like the president is choosing happy facts over talk about the coronavirus. Remember yesterday when President Trump had this to say.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We're fortunate, so far and w think it's going to remain that way. I think it's a problem that's going to go away.
[Jarrett:] Turns out his own government disagrees with him. One of the top officials at the Centers for Disease Control warned it is not a question of if but when novel coronavirus will spread in this country. Other crucial unknowns, when, how many Americans are going to get sick? The president also insisted a vaccine is close but most experts say it is roughly a year away.
[Romans:] Publicly, the president projecting optimism but sources tell CNN privately, he is frustrated by some of the ways his administration is handling the outbreak. On Capitol Hill, even some Republicans raising concerns about the lack of alarm.
[Sen. John Kennedy:] You're supposed to keep us safe. And American people deserve some straight answers on the coronavirus. And I'm not getting 'em from you.
[Chad Wolf, Acting Dhs Secretary:] I disagree.
[Kennedy:] That's all I have, Madam Chair.
[Romans:] In contrast to the administration's low-key response, San Francisco has declared a state of emergency. As of now, there are at least 57 coronavirus cases in the
[U.s. Jarrett:] Meanwhile, coronavirus is not stopping preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, at least for now. CNN's Will Ripley is live in Tokyo. Will, what is the game plan here?
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, Tokyo 2020 organizers are telling CNN, Laura, that the Olympics are scheduled to go on, as planned. But there are new questions because a senior member of the International Olympic committee, Dick Pound, gave an interview where he said they might have to make a decision by the end of May whether to keep the games here on schedule, or postpone them, or even potentially move them to a new location, which would be an absolute nightmare for Japanese officials. I lived here for four years. I have seen the blood, sweat, tears, and tens of millions of dollars that have gone to this country's most important sporting event in decades. They haven't had to cancel the Summer Olympics since World War II. But some people are saying this is a new war. This is a public health crisis. And given the Japanese government faced so much criticism for the way it handled the Diamond Princess, what many consider a failed quarantine, think about their credibility when you have hundreds of thousands of people coming from 200-plus countries, all staying in close quarters here in Tokyo for a few weeks and then going back out to their home countries. If they don't get this under control, the potential public health crisis and outbreak is huge. But Tokyo 2020 is saying this, and I'll read your portion of their statement to us, to CNN. They said: Tokyo 2020 will continue to collaborate with all relevant organizations which carefully monitor any incidents of infectious diseases and will review any countermeasures that maybe necessary with all relevant organizations. The rest is speculation. They don't want speculation. They want people to feel safe when they come here. To give you a sense, Laura, of how seriously Japan is taking this. This is a country with a salary-man culture. People expected to come in the office and sit in the office for very long hors, Monday through Friday, Monday through Saturday. Japan is actually advising people, and this is a tectonic shift, they are telling people they should work from home, because they're trying to avoid that public gatherings. They're encouraging social They say the next one to three weeks are going to be critical on the ground here because, frankly, they don't know how many people might have the virus right now and could, unknowingly potentially, spread it to others.
[Jarrett:] Sure because it takes so long, in some cases, for you to actually show symptoms even though you do have the virus. Will, thank you so much for being there for us. See you soon. And we will be right back.

[Howell:] Good early Monday from the West Coast to the U.S. to the East. You're watching "CNN Newsroom." I'm George Howell.
[Church:] I'm Rosemary Church. We want to check the headlines for you this hour. British Airways says it has cancelled almost all of its flights as pilots begin a 48-hour strike. B.A. says the biggest impact will be felt at its Heathrow hub, but flights worldwide will also be affected. The British Pilots Association is calling on the airline to share more of its profits with its pilots. B.A. has countered that a pay increase that has been offered was fair.
[Howell:] We continue to follow the devastation in the Bahamas. Take a look at this. We now know the death toll from Hurricane Dorian has climbed. Forty-five people lost their lives. We know that number could rise over the weeks and months to come. Hundreds of people are still missing. Seventy thousand people in the hardest hit areas, they are now homeless. Many of those people are trying to leave.
[Church:] Rescue crews are searching for four South Koreans on board a cargo ship that overturned off the coast of Georgia on Sunday. Twenty other crew members, including other South Koreans and Filipino nationals, have been rescued. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
[Howell:] The peace deal that fell apart. The U.S. secretary of state says the U.S. still wants a peace deal with the Taliban. But those talks won't move ahead until the Taliban deliver on a number of commitments, one of them reducing the violence. President Trump says he cancelled a secret meeting with Taliban leaders at Camp David in the U.S. after the militants took credit for a bombing, a bombing that killed a U.S. soldier.
[Church:] Jessica Levinson joins me now from Los Angeles. She is a law professor at Loyola Law School. It is always great to have you with us.
[Jessica Levinson, Professor Of Law, Loyola Law School:] Good to be with you.
[Church:] So President Trump just cancelled a secret meeting at Camp David with Taliban leaders after they claimed responsibility for bombing that killed a U.S. soldier. Critics, many of them Republicans, are asking why Taliban leaders were ever scheduled to meet on U.S. soil just days before the 911 anniversary11 attack on this country. What was the president thinking?
[Levinson:] Well, I think the president was thinking that he is a master dealmaker and that he could make the deal with the Taliban. I think he was thinking that he could announce that we are going to draw down troops. You know he is famous for that. He thinks it is absurd and that there is no reason that there are all those U.S. troops there. I think, you know, at least he could get in there. He could use the negotiation skills that he claims he has. He could talk to the Taliban and say that they needed to reduce their violent attacks, which of course they've only actually ramped up recently. And he could announce, you know, I made this huge deal on the world stage. Now, of course, as you said in the introduction, optics of this is horrible. It is September 8th. We're coming up on the anniversary in 72 hours of September 11th. The idea that you would invite the leaders of the Taliban, that members of this administration have called the terrorist Taliban to Camp David, I think it's done something that President Trump really hasn't been able to do for much of his presidency, which is unite both Republicans and Democrats in their criticism of this decision.
[Church:] Yeah, it has many scratching their heads for sure. And, of course, with Congress poised to reconvene after their August break, what progress, if any, will likely be made on gun control legislation, particularly in the wake of multiple deadly mass shootings in this country?
[Levinson:] Yeah, I mean, I think that the real answer is no progress. This time for the first time when I started my semester, we talked about the fact with my undergraduate students that people are advertising backpacks that are bullet-proof backpacks. We talked about what type of country we are living in now. And I think the response is that the people our behavior is changing. We're sending kindergartners who are coming home from school talking about shelter in place drills. We're sending middle schoolers who are talking about lockdown drills. And yet our representatives really I think it's almost guaranteed will not act on this issue. Mitch McConnell has been very clear that he will take President Trump's lead on this issue. I think President Trump has shown absolutely no appetite, although he has waffled at times, but really no appetite for gun control. I think this will continue to be an issue in the 2020 election, and I think it is one much those issues that could really motivate voters because it hits a lot of people where it matters. It hits them at home. It affects their daily lives.
[Church:] Yeah, all this when the majority of Americans want to see some sort of progress on gun control legislation. I also want to ask you this because with the House Judiciary Committee preparing to vote to define a Trump impeachment inquiry, some Democrats feel such a move will only embolden the president politically, while liberal Democrats say it has to be done, it has to be done now. Where is this all going and where will it likely land, do you think?
[Levinson:] Yeah, I think that both are true. So, I think that critics of President Trump will say we absolutely need to go forward with impeachment. This is our job. This is our constitutional duty. Robert Mueller wrote us basically a letter saying, "Congress, I don't have a role here. I just have an investigatory role. It's up to you." I think that supporters of President Trump will say I cannot believe the Democrats can't just go to work for the American people. They keep beating this dead horse. And, you know, why are they such sore losers? Where is it going? I think we really have to look to the leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi, very careful about wanting to start and initiate impeachment proceedings. I think she's going to have a talk with the caucus to see who is vulnerable in 2020. I think largely this will be not just a moral calculation, but of course it will be a political calculation to determine whether or not it is palpable to go forward.
[Church:] We'll see where that goes. I did want to just very quickly ask you, former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has announced he plans to challenge President Trump for the republican nomination next year along with two other Republicans. But given Mr. Trump enjoys what, about 90 percent approval rating within his own party, what's the point of doing this and what impact might it have?
[Levinson:] I think the impact is very little. I feel like this has been the answer that I've had to all your questions, which is nothing is going to happen. The impact will be little. I think it's largely true. Mark Sanford is not a strong candidate. He's not a strong candidate against this president who, as you said, enjoys large support in the Republican Party. This challenge is going nowhere. I think largely it is either just a vanity exercise or it's for people who want to set up a run for 2024. But if you look at the primary states, if you look at how energized the republican primary voters are, I don't think this is going anywhere.
[Church:] All right. Jessica Levinson, always a pleasure to chat with you. Many thanks.
[Levinson:] Thank you.
[Howell:] One of the president's big campaign promises was to make Mexico pay for a border wall along the southern U.S. border.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We are going to build a great border wall. And who's going to pay for the wall?
[Crowd:] Mexico!
[Trump:] Who is going to pay for the wall?
[Crowd:] Mexico!
[Trump:] Who?
[Crowd:] Mexico!
[Church:] But despite that promise, he made so many times as a candidate, Mexico still isn't paying for the wall. Instead, the Pentagon is diverting about $3.6 billion in military construction funds to help build that wall. It's sparking bipartisan anger from lawmakers and others. CNN's Alex Marquardt has more.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior U.s. Correspondent:] Norfolk, Virginia is home to the U.S. Navy's Atlantic fleet and the largest naval base in the world. The area's central and vital role, the military operations and national security, hasn't stopped the Trump administrations from naming four different military projects here, whose almost $80 million in funding will be diverted to pay for the border wall.
[Rep. Bobby Scott:] All of these projects are being lost for a wall that makes no sense and everybody knows it.
[Marquardt:] Democratic Congressman Bobby Scott has represented the district for almost three decades and says President Trump's decision is costing his constituents jobs.
[Scott:] It means that the jobs that could have come to the area won't come to the area. Tens of millions of dollars-worth of construction. That's a lot of economic impact to this area that we're going to lose for a wall that is not needed.
[Marquardt:] In all, $3.6 billion in military funds are being taken to help pay for the wall, 127 projects, from firing ranges to aircraft hangers to child care, both at home and abroad, whose budgets are being gutted. In Virginia, the four that are losing $77 million in funding are: A naval ship maintenance facility, two hazardous materials warehouse projects, and cyber operations facility. In a place with such a historic and important military heritage, where 40 percent of the economy is related to military funding, that hurts both financially and emotionally.
[Bruce Sturk, Retired Colonel, Federal Facilities Support:] Our community is the fabric built on military veterans and very healthy military population here in Hamptons region, so I think there's a general sense of disappointment.
[Marquardt:] Bruce Sturk retired from the Air Force as a colonel, last serving at Langley Air Force Base, which is now being stripped of $10 million for that cyber operations and training facility, at a time when cyberattacks are one of the greatest threats to national security, along with others that will now be ignored, says Democratic Congresswoman Elaine Luria, a retired naval commander whose district is also affected.
[Rep. Elaine Luria:] I know firsthand from having spoken to the commanders at the bases where this impact is going to happen that is going to impact our mission and our security.
[Marquardt:] Not just the security of the nation but those serving it, whose priorities now may not be addressed.
[Luria:] It's like your husband, it's your neighbor, it's your wife who is going on a deployment and you don't want to think that their ship wasn't maintained properly or they didn't have the right tools that they needed to do their jobs. So, it hits home a lot in a community like this where everyone is so tied to the military.
[Marquardt:] The Pentagon is pushing back on this idea that these projects have been defunded. They say they have just been deferred for now, that they will get their funding back at a later date. But this $3.6 billion had been specifically appropriated by Congress for these projects and so it is getting political. Democrats say this is exactly why you have congressional approval. And now, to get those projects refunded, the money needs to be reapproved by Congress, which is far from certain. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
[Church:] We will take a short break. Still to come, a controversial layover by U.S. Service members is raising ethics questions. How the Air Force is responding after crew members booked to stay at a Trump resort. We will be back in just a moment.

[Soares:] Now ants are often misunderstood creature. They frequently overlooked, stepped on, or even seen as a pest. But one young scientific researcher in Mozambique is testing how a particular species of ant can be used as a form of pest control themselves and it's changing our understanding of the ecosystem right around us. Eleni Giokos has more for you.
[Eleni Giokos, Cnn Business Africa Correspondent:] Norena Vicente is a pioneer in bringing Africa's biodiversity science to farming.
[Norena Vicente, Researcher, Gorongosa National Park:] I am doing a research about biological control using weaver ants to reduce the pests in agriculture.
[Giokos:] That's right, ants. They're often seen as pests themselves, but ants are the cleaners and engineers of the ecosystem. Vicente is testing whether these insects can actually be used as a natural pest control for coffee plants.
[Vicente:] Their community use chemicals to control the insects, but what they don't realize it's using chemicals. They are not just killing the pests, but also, they are killing those that provide a good ecosystem service.
[Giokos:] She does a research at the Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, working alongside local coffee growers. Her study involves relocating entire colonies of ants to coffee plantations, then collecting data on how effective they are at removing insects like caterpillars and stink bugs. From her research, she found that the weaver ants is perfect for helping cashew and coffee crops because they provide a shady environments that ants thrive in when building their colony and spring the nutrients in the ground to the surface of the soil. Vicente is fascinated by science and is now working towards her master's degree.
[Vicente:] The main reason that I want to get deep in science, it's because I want not just tell the people the importance of the ants, but also solve problems and also help in terms of conservation of these species.
[Giokos:] She hopes that through research like hers, we can preserve and conserve the ecosystem while being an inspiration for many young innovators in her community and around the world.
[Vicente:] I'm really proud to be a scientist using science. We cannot just discover a new species, not just discover habitats, but also, you can understand how the entire ecosystem work. Eleni Giokos, CNN.
[Soares:] And still to come tonight, a slugfest in South Carolina. U.S. democratic presidential candidates come out swinging in the final debate before Saturday's crucial primary. We break it down for you, next.

[Church:] Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM I'm Rosemary Church we want to check the headlines for you this hour. U.S. President Donald Trump is back in Washington, after a NATO meeting in the U.K. that was heavy with confrontation. A video surfaced of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders gossiping about him, apparently mocking him behind his back. President Trump called Mr. Trudeau, two-faced. Mr. Trump later cancelled a news conference and came home early. France's transportation system is expected to be at a standstill, as thousands of workers go on strike to protest the government's plan to reform the pension system. The strike is expected to paralyze the city for days. Huawei says it's suing the U.S. government over new restrictions that further limit its business in the United States. The Chinese company says it's unlawful that American carriers are now being prohibited from using subsidies to buy Huawei equipment. Huawei denies it's a U.S. national security threat. Four constitutional scholars appeared on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, to give their expert opinions about whether President Trump should be impeached. Three of them said he should without a doubt, while the fourth argued the process was moving too quickly. Our Cyril Vanier recaps the highlights of their testimony.
[Cyril Vanier, Cnn International Anchor:] Wednesday was all about interpreting the U.S. constitution. Did Mr. Trump's conduct reach the level of impeachment? Yes or no? Three out of four of the top constitutional experts in the country say yes, and they came from the top universities, Harvard, Stanford, University of North Carolina, George Washington University. So, let's hear from them. First, Harvard law school professor, Noah Feldman, he said the words, abusive office are not mystical. And that the President has committed "impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors by corruptly abusing the office of the presidency. Then, we heard from Michael Gerhardt, professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law and he gave Democrats what for them, will be the quote of the day. He says, Mr. Trump's actions are worse than any president ever. If what we're talking about is not impeachable, he argued, then nothing is impeachable. Now, Stanford law professor, Pamela Karlan, she also gave a stinging statement. She said that the president's conduct is a cardinal reason why the constitution even has an impeachment power. She warned that this is not politics as usual, at least not in the U.S. or in any other mature democracy. One legal scholar disagreed with the others, however, George Washington University professor, Jonathan Turley, he was invited by the Republicans on the committee, while the first three were invited by the Democrats. It's worth noting that. He argued Mr. Trump should not be impeached because there isn't enough evidence. Here's the quote, if the House proceeds solely on the Ukrainian allegations, this impeachment would stand out among modern impeachments as the shortest proceeding, with the thinnest evidentiary record, and the narrowest grounds ever used to impeach a president. A shot on the arm for Republicans on Wednesday, but ultimately, Democrats got what they wanted out of the day. A strong majority of legal scholars backing impeachment. Now, based on this, they will decide whether to draft articles of impeachment and proceed with this. The safe money at this stage, is that they will. Back to you.
[Church:] Thanks so much for that. And since the impeachment inquiry began about two months ago, three different women have given some of the most forceful and memorable public testimony against the President. We get more on that from CNN's Athena Jones.
[Unidentified Male:] Do you swear or firm under penalty
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Stanford Law School professor, Pamela Karlan, was fired up right from the start.
[Pamela Karlan, Law School Professor, Stanford:] Mr. Collins, I would like to say to you, Sir, that I read transcripts of every one of the witnesses who appeared in the live hearing.
[Jones:] Pushing back at the suggestion by the House Judiciary Committees' top Republican, that she had not followed the impeachment testimony and the evidence laid out so far.
[Karlan:] Because I would not speak about these things without reviewing the facts, so I'm insulted by the suggestion that as a law professor, I don't care about those facts.
[Jones:] Karlan, the latest in the line of women to deliver a powerful message to lawmakers. Part of a panel testifying about the constitutional grounds for impeaching President Trump. Using analogies to make the case to viewers, in plain English, that Trump abused his power.
[Karlan:] Imagine living in a part of Louisiana or Texas, that's prone to devastating hurricanes and flooding, what would you think if you live there? And your governor asked for a meeting with the President to discuss getting disaster aid that Congress has provided for. What would you think if that president said, I would like to do you I would like you to do us a favor. I'll meet with you. And I'll send the disaster also the disaster relief once you brand my opponent a criminal. Wouldn't you know in your gut that such a president had abused his office? If you conclude that, as I think the evidence to this point shows that the President is soliciting foreign involvement in our election, you need to act now to prevent foreign interference in the next election like the one we had in the past.
[Jones:] Before Karlan, it was former White House Russia expert, Fiona Hill, who turned heads, blasting the debunked conspiracy theory the President and his allies continue to promote that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election.
[Fiona Hill, Former White House Russia Expert:] This is a fictional narrative that is being perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.
[Jones:] Hill testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, on which she viewed as an irregular second channel of policy for Ukraine, led by U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland.
[Hill:] He was being involved in a domestic, political errand. And we were being involved in National Security, foreign policy, and those things had just diverged. And I did say to him, Ambassador Gordon Sondland, I think this is all going to blow up, and here we are.
[Jones:] But it was Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine and the first woman to testify in public hearings that marked one of the most memorable moments so far. A long-time diplomat known for her commitment to fighting corruption, who was suddenly recalled by the President, after a month-long smear campaign led by his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
[Marie Yovanovitch, Former U.s. Ambassador To Ukraine:] How could our system fail like this? How is it that foreign corrupt interest could manipulate our government? Which countries' interests are served when the very corrupt behavior we have been criticizing is allowed to prevail?
[Jones:] Her testimony sparking this remarkable response in real-time, from the President, on Twitter, prompting Democrats to accuse Trump of witness intimidation. Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
[Church:] And as all this is going on in Washington, the middle man, Rudy Giuliani, was in Ukraine and Hungary. The New York Times is reporting that President Trump's personal lawyer went to meet with former Ukrainian prosecutors to help defend President Trump in the impeachment inquiry. His spokesperson told CNN the trip's purpose is to prove his client's innocence. "He will prove that this latest farce is even more baseless and malicious than the first attempted coup takedown. Once all individuals have returned safely to the United States, we will reveal the significant witnesses involved. Well, meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani has been talking to a mysterious caller identified as "-1". It's raising red flags among Democrats. CNN's Rene Marsh has the details.
[Rene Marsh, Cnn Government Regulation And Transportation Correspondent:] Newly revealed phone logs show repeated calls and text messages by Rudy Giuliani to the White House and the Budget Office. But one number stands out, an obscure single digit caller noted as "- 1", on phone records.
[Unidentified Female:] Who do you think Giuliani was talking to who was number one?
[Unidentified Male:] Probably somebody in the White House.
[Marsh:] House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff points to evidence shown during the Roger Stone trial, including these phone logs, showing a call from "-1". The implication at trial, it was probably Trump. President Trump, Wednesday, brushed it off.
[Unidentified Female:] Mr. President, can you explain why your personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, would need to talk to the Budget Office?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I really don't know you have to ask him. Sounds like something that's not so complicated, frankly, but you'd have to ask him. No big deal.
[Marsh:] Giuliani took a similar tone via Tweet, the mere fact I had numerous calls with the White House does not establish any specific topic. Remember, I'm the President's attorney. And in a text message, Giuliani told CNN he didn't remember calling OMB and not about military aid. Multiple calls between Giuliani who is not a government employee, and the White House, including the Situation Room and the Budget Office, came just days before the President's first call with Ukraine's new president on April 21st, and a few days after that call. The records only showed the calls and not the content. But Giuliani speaking directly to the agency that in June, instructed the State Department and the Pentagon, to freeze military aid to Ukraine, is raising concerns.
[Rudy Giuliani, Personal Attorney Of Donald Trump:] Pay attention to Ukraine.
[Marsh:] April 12th, eight hours before this FOX News appearance, a short call from someone using the Office of Management and Budget phone number to Rudy Giuliani. Then, seconds later, another call, lasting more than 12 minutes. This time, from the mysterious "-1". After the FOX interview that night, Giuliani is back on the phone with the White House for more than five minutes.
[Giuliani:] I think it get some interesting information about Joe Biden from the Ukraine about his son, Hunter Biden.
[Marsh:] The same morning of this FOX News appearance on April 24th, records show three phone calls between Giuliani and a number associated with the Office of Management and Budget. Throughout the day, there were eight calls with someone at the White House. One of the calls between Giuliani and "-1', lasted more than eight minutes. Later the same day, the state department recalled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch over concerns from the White House. And August 8th, Giuliani text a White House number at 8:53 p.m. A little over an hour later, he misses five calls from the '-1'number, placed to both of his cellphones. Sixteen minutes later, '-1" calls him back and they talked for more than four minutes. This call came as Ukrainians were pushing U.S. diplomats for a meeting between Zelensky and Trump. Democrats say the call logs show the extent to which Giuliani was running the show on Ukraine matters, conspiracy theories and the push for investigations.
[Rep. Jim Himes:] It does tell a story of Giuliani really being the guy who is doing all of these things and driving the stuff in Ukraine. And as we know, Rudy Giuliani is not an employee of the federal government.
[Marsh:] What this phone records reveal are highly unusual. As a formal OMB official said, there is no reason the President's personal attorney should be calling people at OMB regarding budgetary matters because that's what OMB handles. Now, the Budget Office says that no one at the agency ever spoke to Giuliani. There is, though, some speculation that some of the calls may have been to Mick Mulvaney who had moved earlier that year, from OMB to the White House. A White House official is telling CNN that Mulvaney and Giuliani have not discussed Ukraine. And Mulvaney's call records show that he did not speak to the President's personal attorney by phone on the dates listed in the report. So, despite what the phone records show which, by the way, they all came directly from the phone companies, the White House and OMB says they never spoke to Giuliani. Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.
[Church:] And when we come back, Jewish gravestones defaced with swastikas at the cemetery in eastern France. How authorities are vowing to respond. And after more than a year of protest, a bishop in Buffalo, New York resigns. The allegations against him plus the Vatican report that ended his career. We're back with that in just a moment.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, Cuomo Prime Time:] Hello. I am Chris Cuomo and welcome to PRIME TIME. Today was another day that this President failed to take charge of the pandemic. And we have to track it every day because every day costs lives. Just today, cases of sick Americans in California, Florida, Texas, all broke their daily Coronavirus death counts again. And yet, the biggest concern in the country right now is Arizona. It's leading America in new cases. ICU beds are running dangerously low there. This is no secret. And yet, there has been no offer of help from the Federal government. Why not? More than two dozen other states are facing similar reopening resurgences, and there is still no plan to help them. The only plan is the President's plan to spread false claims of victory.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] What we do have is we have perhaps the lowest, but among the lowest, but perhaps the lowest mortality rate, death rate, anywhere in the world. We did it right. We shut it down. Now it's time to get back to work.
[Cuomo:] Shut it down? How can anybody believe that brand of dishonesty? It's making us sick, literally and figuratively. One question destroys the entire figment of his imagination. If the rise is just about us testing so much, why are hospitalizations spiking? Debate over! But it's not about a debate. It's about a deception. The truth is we are at great, great risk. It's not about what I think. This is coming from America's top expert.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] When you compare us to other countries, I don't think you can say we're doing great. I mean, we're just not.
[Cuomo:] But for Trump, it's not about the truth, and it sure as heck is not about the health of you and your kids. It is and has always been about only his political health. And so, he is doubling down on forcing things despite the risk of more cases.
[Trump:] We have to get our schools open and stop this political nonsense. And it's only political nonsense. It's politics. They don't want to open because they think it will help them on November 3rd. I think it's going to hurt them on November 3rd. Open your schools.
[Cuomo:] Help them open the schools. What is your plan to help them? What will you do to help them? That's your job. Do your job. Are all the facts of cases and hospitalizations and deaths and states going backwards from following his "Open up, ready or not," dictate nonsense, is that all nonsense? Is that politics? Or is what he is doing politics? Now, the good news, the CDC says it's not going to change its rules for reopening guidelines. In fact, experts were already questioning whether the current CDC guidelines were too lenient. The President is complaining about them because he wants no rules, just like his life. Now, the White House says "The costs are too high to keep schools shut down." Nobody wants them shut down. Help figure out how to open them up. The cost to what is too high? Your ability, to tell people, that you made things great, when you're actively doing the opposite? How about the human cost to reopening them the wrong way? To my kids? To people's kids? To their lives? Look, Dr. Fauci isn't wrong. We're all paying the price with this toxic partisanship.
[Fauci:] You'd have to make the assumption that if there wasn't such divisiveness, that we would have a more coordinated approach.
[Cuomo:] Now look, Fauci is in a tough spot, they all are, because to tell the truth is to lose your position to help the rest of us. That's the reality. Every time he says something that isn't lockstep with Trump, where does he go? Gone. Look, there is toxic partisanship. But be honest. Trump is motivating this. He did it with the reopening. He did it with the testing. He did it with the PPE. And he's doing it with schools. We're likely to pay even more this fall, if we don't need do what we need to do right now. So, what can we do? What should we do? Let's turn to another top Infectious Disease Expert, friend of show, Dr. William Schaffner. Good to have you as always, Doc.
[Dr. William Schaffner, Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Cdc Adviser, Infectious Disease Expert:] Hi, Chris. Good to be with you.
[Cuomo:] Practical effect of the mixed messaging? The experts saying, "Go slow. Wear the mask. Socially distance. Wash your hands. Don't reopen if you're not right. Back up, if you're doing it wrong," and Trump saying, "That's all politics. Open up ready or not. We got to get back. We're on top of it now," what's the net effect?
[Schaffner:] Well, the net effect is confusion, of course. And people, in their confusion, really don't know what to do. And we have this crazy quilt of recommendations and ordinances and other circumstances, around the country, so that it's so different. We really need national authority, good good modeling from the top, and everybody kind of doing the same thing. There's too much virus out there. It's spreading in essentially every State, some more than others. But we haven't controlled this at all. The virus is still ahead of us, and we are rushing to catch up. As you know, I think, we squandered the time where we were locked up. We should have done much more and prepared everyone to the to the effect that the new normal will require all of us to participate in, exactly as you said, wearing the mask, six-foot distancing, going about things cautiously, not going into large groups. If we do the opposite, the virus will spread even further.
[Cuomo:] Now, I know you believe that the President's proposition that the only reason we have so many cases is because we test so much more than everybody else. Well, you know, you gave me the hospitalization rate as a metric, early on, to cut through all that BS. Forget about the case the cases from testing. If there are more people in the hospital, you've got more sick people. Period! That debate is over. In fact, it really isn't a debate. But when you look at what is happening now, in the big states, and in Arizona, have you ever seen anything like this, in this country, where the Federal government was as absent, and during an emergency, and they declared it an emergency, as they are in Arizona and these other states?
[Schaffner:] No, of course, I haven't seen anything like that. And the vacuum at the top is being felt down below, as each of the states tries to fashion its own recommendations, and its own approach, to try to do things rather than working together. You know, I've talked about orchestras with all their different instruments. If they're all playing separately, you get dissonance. If you have a leading Conductor, then you get good music. What we need is a coordinated, national plan. I don't think it's going to happen frankly.
[Cuomo:] Me either.
[Schaffner:] I think we are all muddling through, struggling, each in our own way.
[Cuomo:] I mean that's why I call it out every day because I think that it would fundamentally change our fate. And the only reason not to do it is bad reason. I mean, you know, you came up with the music metaphor. I added Captain Cacophony to it. Still doesn't meet your "Interdependence Day." That was one of the best things I've ever heard related, in terms of messaging, in this moment. And it resonated all over the country, Doctor. I got to thank you for that. Let me ask you something else. One more reason to stop the spread is not only do you not want to get sick, not only can it stink when you're sick, God forbid, can it be worse, and you can go to the hospital, or maybe even die. But even if you're one of the lucky ones, and you make it through, after being sick, Dr. Fauci started talking today about what he is calling long-term fatigue syndrome. More and more mounting anecdotes of "I've got brain fog. It's not going away. I have malaise. I can't sleep. But I'm always tired." And there are these common combinations. Are you seeing this as well, and how serious is it, in your opinion?
[Schaffner:] We're just starting to define these problems. And it's clear that there are long-term effects, just as you described. And some people who've had serious lung disease, we are afraid, are left with some scarring in their lungs from which they will never recover. So, the acute problem is bad enough. But long-term effects, we'll also have to contend with. And there were people who were kind of on the edge of frailty, particularly older people, they may never come back to the same vigor, that they had, the same level of day-to-day competence that they had before they got COVID, and they will start the slide into disability. So, all of those things, we have yet to define. But we know they're happening because we're seeing it around us.
[Cuomo:] The key is the "We." Socially distance. Wash your hands. Wear a mask. The power is within us, to make the change, even if we're not getting help, from above, on the Federal government. Dr. William Schaffner, can always count on you. Be well.
[Schaffner:] Yourself, too. Bye-bye.
[Cuomo:] All right, so Joe Biden says he has a plan to make things better, and he'd be doing things differently, right now, if he were President. We have someone, who could be in the running, to go on that Biden ticket, here, to comment on the way forward, his new economic plan, and the state of the crisis that is upon us. You see her there, Senator Elizabeth Warren, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Church:] Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church.
[Howell:] And I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this morning. U.S. forces struck five facilities in Iraq and Syria linked to an Iranian-backed militia. The United States says the air strikes are in response to recent attacks on Iraqi bases that host American troops, including the one that killed a U.S. contractor on Friday. The U.S. warned it would take further action if necessary.
[Church:] The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Trump Sunday for helping to prevent a terrorist attack. Russia's intelligence agency said a tip from Washington led to the arrest of two Russians suspected of planning attacks in St. Petersburg during New Year's celebrations.
[Howell:] In Texas, police are trying to find out the motive behind a deadly church shooting there just outside the city of Fort Worth. Two people were killed during a church service on Sunday. Authorities say two parishioners who were also volunteer members of the church security team returned fire, killing the shooter. A resilient Jewish community in Monsey, New York, will be celebrating Hanukkah on Monday despite a terrible attack at a rabbi's home. The suspect, Grafton Thomas, is accused of stabbing five people on Saturday. His attorney says that he has a history of mental illness, and he's pleading not guilty.
[Church:] We now have video of the moment he was arrested in New York City. Two officers stopped his car, and he was handcuffed without a struggle. Meanwhile, New York City's mayor is promising to increase security in front of homes and worship centers so people feel safe.
[Howell:] And we're hearing from the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, telling CNN that the Jewish community just wants to feel safe, but he says it appears anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio:] I think it's a combination of real fear that we've seen these attacks now all over the country, most horribly at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. And there's a fear that anti-Semitism is growing in America and becoming more and more violent. And for folks, that's very personal. It's literally if their kids go out in the street, are they going to be endangered? If they wear a symbol of their religion, will they become a target? It's getting very, very personal. What the Jewish community is asking for is support and protection, and what I announced today was three things. One, more NYPD presence in Jewish communities, more security cameras, the physical measures, but also the community-based measures. We're going to have patrols of community folks who go out, working with the NYPD, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds to make sure particularly if young people are in any way, shape, or form thinking of getting involved in hate crimes and anything negative, that there's intervention, that there's community members out there to find them and put them on the right path and stop them from doing the wrong thing. And then lastly in our schools, we have to continue to improve our curriculum to talk about the consequences of hate. If someone commits an act of anti-Semitism, well, they may think that's against a different community, but you know what? That's eventually going to come back to hurt you and your own community because that hatred spreads and never ends up in a good place.
[Church:] Joining me now on the phone is Cedric Alexander. He is the former chief of police for Dekalb County in Georgia, and he was a member of President Barack Obama's task force on 21st century policing. He's also author of the book "The New Guardians: Policing in America's Communities for the 21st Century." Thank you so much for being with us.
[Cedric Alexander, Law Enforcement Analyst:] Thank you for having me.
[Church:] So, New York's governor says words are not enough, and it's time for action. He's calling this attack domestic terrorism. Do you agree?
[Alexander:] Well, certainly. I think New York is probably better than anyone in terms of having to have dealt with a great deal of terrorism, and certainly I think the governor's move to put into effect his hate crime task force was clearly evident of them taking this attack upon the Jewish community last night very seriously. So, I think you're going to see a lot of cooperation there between the state and local and federal law enforcement who are going to seek out as much information and intelligence information as they can as to what was the motive behind this attack. And even just as importantly, to begin to look at other attacks to the Jewish community around this country, and particularly around the New York community over the last week, over the last month, and a number of years.
[Church:] Right.
[Alexander:] Because there's clearly an uptick in attacks towards our Jewish communities here in this country. But we can also note that other communities of color and those in the gay and lesbian and transgender community have also seen an increase in violence.
[Church:] Right.
[Alexander:] And that is something that is just not going to be tolerated here in the United States.
[Church:] And I do want to read you a statement from the anti- defamation league saying, this is at least the tenth anti-Semitic incident to hit the New York area in just the last week. When will enough be enough? It's time for leaders everywhere, Jewish and non- Jewish, to recognize that additional actions to protect the Jewish community are urgent. The Jewish community is under assault. All of America must hear our cry. So, Cedric Alexander, how should law enforcement agencies, especially on the local level, respond to this?
[Alexander:] Well, not just local law enforcement, but how do we as a community as a whole, both public safety at our local, state, and federal level have already begun to investigate. They're doing things to add patrols to Jewish communities there in and around New York. But in addition, you have a governor and a state government there that is certainly going to do everything that they can to keep the Jewish community and other communities safe. And the Jewish community is absolutely right. An attack upon their community is an attack upon all of us. And as a nation, it's something we cannot stand for. So, it is incumbent that all of us in this country speak out publicly, verbally, public, not just at home, but speak out against this type of violence that is currently occurring in our Jewish communities across this country. And it's something none of us can tolerate, and it puts all of us at extreme risk.
[Church:] Yes, and certainly the governor of New York has made it clear he will not tolerate this. So how much cooperation is there between the Hasidic Jewish community particularly and police, and could a better relationship between the two perhaps help prevent more violence and attacks like this?
[Alexander:] Well, you know, I don't I can't you know, I don't know the history between the Hasidic community there and NYPD. But I do know this, that I have a number of friends and colleagues within NYPD, and they work diligently every day to make sure that they establish and maintain relationships throughout that entire community. So, I am pretty confident that the Hasidic community and NYPD are working together collaboratively to make sure that that community remains safe. There's reports that are currently going out today, and we heard them from the governor, is that there are going to be increased patrols in and around certain Jewish communities and in certain locations. So, it is just not incumbent upon police. It's incumbent upon all of us, the citizens there in New York and across this nation to do what we can to keep those in the Jewish community and those that are part of other groups that may feel that they are being threatened and have experienced violence. It is just something that none of us can tolerate and we must stick together, do this, and stand with those in the Jewish community who are certainly seeing this type of violence being imposed upon them for the last number of days. It is just absolutely unacceptable for any of us to stand on the sidelines.
[Church:] Cedric Alexander, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.
[Alexander:] Thank you for having me.
[Howell:] The latest battle for a U.S. Civil Rights icon is personal. Congressman John Lewis opens up about his health and what lies ahead.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] As far as I'm concerned, if you hate our country if you're not happy here you can leave.
[Rep. Ilhan Omar:] This is the agenda of white nationalists.
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Anchor:] The defense of racism now an ironclad part of the president's playbook. His rhetoric met with mild criticism from the Republican Party he reshaped.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] The transition of dropping 300 million people on a new plan is a little risky.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] The system that Joe and others are trying to prop up is the most wasteful, bureaucratic, and expensive system on earth.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders squaring off on health care, the pivotal issue now dividing some Democrats.
[Dean:] Joy and relief after a missing hiker is rescued in California. Sheryl Powell went missing for four days. We'll tell you what happened.
[Deputy Will Kimbro, Berkeley County Sheriff's Office, Berkeley County, South Carolina:] There we go, there we go. Come on come on, baby. She's breathing. As long as she's crying like that, she's breathing.
[Briggs:] A heart-pumping rescue in South Carolina. A deputy pulls a car over for speeding and saves a baby in distress. Welcome back to EARLY START on a Tuesday. I'm Dave Briggs.
[Dean:] Good morning. I'm Jessica Dean in for Christine Romans. It is 31 minutes past the hour. President Trump escalating the ugliest of ugly politics. Instead of apologizing for his racist attack on four progressive House members, he justified it at a White House news conference. Trump sparked the controversy Sunday when he tweeted the congresswomen, all of them U.S. citizens, should, quote, "Go back where they came from." John Roberts, of Fox News, put this question to him yesterday.
[John Roberts, Chief White House Correspondent, Fox News:] Does it concern you that many people saw that tweet as racist, and that white nationalist groups are finding common cause with you on that point?
[Trump:] It doesn't concern me because many people agree with me. And all I'm saying they want to leave, they can leave.
[Dean:] The episode reflects the president's certainty he won't lose the support of his base or the Republican Party he's reshaped.
[Briggs:] Most GOP lawmakers kept silent, but a number of prominent Republicans did come out against the remark, if not against the president. Here's the only black Republican in the House, Will Hurd, of Texas.
[Rep. Will Hurd:] The tweets are racist and xenophobic. They're also inaccurate. It's behavior that's unbecoming of a President of the United States and a leader of the free world.
[Briggs:] George Conway, a conservative prominent Washington lawyer, Trump critic, and husband of Kellyanne Conway, wrote a blistering op- ed for "The Washington Post" saying, quote, "Sunday left no doubt. Naivete, resentment, and outright racism, roiled in a toxic mix, have given us a racist president." Now, the women Trump painted as the America-hating face of the Democratic Party are pushing back. So let's bring in Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of "Inside Elections" and a CNN political analyst. Good to see you, sir.
[Dean:] Hey.
[Nathan Gonzales, Cnn Political Analyst, Editor And Publisher, "inside Elections":] Good morning.
[Briggs:] All right, let's play a little game of then and now with Sen. Lindsey Graham.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] He's a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot. He doesn't represent my party. He doesn't represent the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for. We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of communists. They hate Israel. They hate our own country.
[Briggs:] OK, Nathan, so what's the calculation for Republicans, like Graham? Is it about tax cuts, and conservative judges, and deregulation or is it about those few names Jeff Flake, Bob Corker, Mark Sanford and maybe you could throw in Justin Amash who was forced to leave the party that they cannot survive after criticizing the president? Is there any room for true criticism of this president? And then, that question is can Will Hurd stick around?
[Gonzales:] Well, yes. I don't I don't think there's a universal reason why for the lack or delayed response from the Republican Party. I mean, specifically, with Sen. Graham. He went from someone who was running against candidate Donald Trump to someone who is up for reelection in a very pro-Trump state in South Carolina in 2020. And so, I think that he started to make that transition a while ago you know, really interjected himself in the Kavanaugh hearings and now he is definitely as pro-President Trump as it gets. You know, I keep coming back to a piece on cnn.com that Scott Jennings, a CNN contributor, wrote about attitude and gratitude, and that you could put a lot of the Republican support for the president into either they like when the president talks this way or tweets this way or they have gratitude for those judges. And I think there's another category, though, of candidates and Republicans who don't want to have to answer for every tweet. I mean, these have been going on for four years now from since when Trump was a candidate. And but and so their initial response is I'm not going to respond because if I respond to this one, then I'm going to get asked about all the others, even though this one, I think, is different than a lot of the other tweets.
[Dean:] Yes.
[Briggs:] Yes. Mark Meadows said that he doesn't respond to tweets. But let's just be clear, as the courts have made clear. These are official statements from the President of the United States. You can couch them as tweets that is not what they are. But it is a nice duck for some of those that don't want to comment.
[Dean:] And if we turn to the Democrats involved in all of this, I want to listen to the congresswomen. They responded yesterday. Let's listen to that, first.
[Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez:] Weak minds and leaders challenge loyalty to our country in order to avoid challenging and debating the policy.
[Omar:] This is the agenda of white nationalists, whether it is happening in chat rooms or it's happening on national T.V. And now, it's reached the White House garden.
[Dean:] And, Nathan, we've seen that fracture within the Democratic Party between those four particular congresswomen and Nancy Pelosi. There was all of this back-and-forth. Did the president turn around and unify the Democratic Party? In a way, does this affect the party in any way, politically?
[Gonzales:] Yes. Well, just a couple of days ago you're right we were talking about the rift between Speaker Pelosi and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. And now, look what we're talking about.
[Dean:] Yes.
[Gonzales:] In a few hours, we'll probably have more tweets
[Dean:] Yes.
[Gonzales:] and we'll see we'll see what the president tweets today. But, I think this is a microcosm of what we're going to see over the next year and a half, meaning I think the Democratic primary and the rift in the Democratic Party is actually going to get larger and bigger and nastier as the presidential race continues. But when we get to November of 2020, we're going to see a unified Democratic Party against President Trump getting a second term. I think that all the Democrats are going to come together and try to defeat the president, and then we're going to see a rift again about where the party should go, and what it should look like, and what it should stand for.
[Dean:] Yes.
[Briggs:] And the central issue that probably decides this election is not these four House members or racist statements from the president, but health care. And that's the issue, really, they're talking about on the campaign trail that people are asking about. Joe Biden unveiled his health care plan yesterday. He and Bernie Sanders, obviously, very contrasting versions of what's ahead listen.
[Biden:] The transition of dropping 300 million people on a new plan a totally new is, I think, kind of a little risky.
[Sanders:] The system that Joe and others are trying to prop up is the most wasteful, bureaucratic, and expensive system on earth. And when you talk about subsidies, what you're talking about is spending even more money in this case, taxpayer money on a dysfunctional, wasteful, and bureaucratic system. We need a simple system.
[Briggs:] Say for the irony of Bernie Sanders talking about excessive spending, where is the party on this central issue? Joe Biden is the only the only Democrat, according to the latest polls, that leads Trump with Independents. What's the winning plan ahead?
[Gonzales:] Well, I think we saw from the debates the initial debates that there's not a clear consensus on the issue. I think that there's a clear consensus on the Democratic side against what Republicans on the Hill and what President Trump have tried to do. Kind of a coalition behind initially helping the Affordable Care Act Obamacare and making that better. But, you know, everyone didn't raise their hand when the question was asked about abolishing private health insurance. But I think it's an important issue because Democratic primary voters do care about it. But there's also a concern on the Democratic side that the Democratic nominee is going to define the Democratic Party for the general election. And so, whether it's defined doesn't want to be defined as the party that wants to
[Dean:] Yes.
[Gonzales:] abolish private health insurance
[Briggs:] Yes.
[Gonzales:] or defined as something else. And I keep you know, that clip of Bernie Sanders talking about what wasteful, bureaucratic, expensive I could just see Republicans playing those exact words over and over in their ads, even if Joe Biden or someone who has a more moderate position on health care ends up winning the nomination.
[Dean:] Yes.
[Briggs:] Yes. On the flip side, if someone like Sanders or Warren gets the nomination and you have Republicans suddenly in the position of perhaps defending Obamacare, you could have a very interesting optic ahead. But health care will be the central issue. Nathan Gonzales, good to see you, sir. Thank you.
[Dean:] Thanks so much, Nathan.
[Gonzales:] Thank you appreciate it.
[Sheryl Powell, Missing Camper Found After Four Days:] I'm so happy. I can't believe it.
[Dean:] Tears of joy after a missing camper in California is found alive. Sixty-year-old Sheryl Powell, of Huntington Beach, disappeared Friday near the Grandview Campground in the Bristlecone Pine Forest. She'd taken the family dog for a bathroom break and her son believes someone threatened her, forcing her to run down the hill where she got lost. This is a photo of Sheryl reunited with her husband and her children, Greg and Darrah.
[Unidentified Female:] Magnificent. Magnificent. We were so It's a miracle. It's a miracle after so many days gone.
[Dean:] Powell's son tells CNN his mother was dehydrated but is otherwise doing well.
[Briggs:] Netflix has removed a controversial suicide scene from its hit teen drama "13 REASONS WHY". The move follows a debate over whether the show increased the risk of teen suicide among its viewers. "13 REASONS WHY" is the story of a depressed high school girl who takes her own life and sends a classmate a tape explaining why she did it and who she blames. In the first season's final episode, the story is told in flashback. Creator Brian Yorkey says, quote, "No one scene is more important than the life of the show. We believe this edit will help the show do the most good for the most people while mitigating any risk for especially vulnerable young viewers." Coming up here, Huggies diaper boxes getting a much-due makeover. That story ahead in "CNN Business".

[Cabrera:] The Trump administration doesn't know how many families were separated at the border when it implemented its Zero Tolerance Policy. And they still don't know just how many families have been reunited. A new Homeland Security inspector general report shows widespread errors prevented officials from being able to properly collect and track the data. CNN's Natasha Chen is following this story for us. Natasha, what were these errors and will the government be able to find and reunite these families?
[Natasha Chen, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Ana, a lot of these errors point to software problems and the systems from different agencies not talking to each other. The report says this caused a lot of extra work and overall this policy ended up costing more than a million dollars in overtime. We're talking about five different IT systems across three different agencies mentioned in this report. For example the Border Patrol system did not even have features in its software to mark that a child was separated from its from his or her family until nearly two months after the Zero Tolerance Policy ended. And as of February of this year, that system still couldn't automatically tell Health and Human Services about a separated child. HHS had to manually check a box that a child was separated from a family based on e-mails from Border Patrol. Here are some quotes from the report to give you an example. CBP adopted various ad hoc methods to record and track family separations. But these methods led to widespread errors. Without a reliable account of all family relationships, we could not validate the total number of separations or reunifications." And they continue then to say that they then cannot tell how many separated families were actually reunified. Here is what they do know. They say CBP estimates during that six and a half week window of the policy there were about 3,000 children separated from their families, an estimated 2100 reunified, but they found 136 children with potential family who were not accurately recorded. And when they extend those dates wider to October 2017 through February of this year, they found an additional 1200 kids not accurately recorded. They say that the agencies were aware of these problems since November of 2017 but did not address them before the Zero Tolerance Policy took effect the following year. And they say, like we mentioned, this cost more than a million dollars in overtime and did not achieve the original goal of deterring catch and release, and ended up resulting in these kids being held for longer than the 72-hour legal limit. And the inspector general did make about five recommendations for fixes, updating systems, automatically sharing data between agencies, and they did acknowledge that most of those recommendations, Ana, are being addressed right now.
[Cabrera:] Wow. That story just never ends. Natasha Chen, thank you for that update.
[Chen:] Thank you.
[Cabrera:] Thank you for joining us. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Wishing you the very best today. I'm Ana Cabrera. "AT THIS HOUR" starts now.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, the coronavirus spread to the Pentagon. All but one of the most senior U.S. military commanders are in quarantine, another senior aide to the president tests positive. And Trump tells America, no financial help unless he is reelected. The president kills the stimulus bill in Congress and along with it tens of thousands of jobs, maybe more. And Hurricane Delta just hours away from landfall, beach resorts in Mexico are packing up and heading out.
[Vause:] Right now, no indication just how far the coronavirus has spread into the White House. We do know it has now breached the Pentagon, with senior military leaders from the Joint Chiefs, including the chairman, now self isolating after exposure to the virus. We know many who work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are staying home because they are infected, are terrified of being infected or exposed in order to quarantine. Senior adviser Stephen Miller is the latest of more than a dozen senior aides who have tested positive. He, too, is now in quarantine. Miller traveled with the president on Air Force One last week. And as CNN's Jim Acosta reports, none of this carnage has changed the president's position on the virus.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] With the president's heath cloaked in secrecy, Mr. Trump's lead physician Dr. Sean Conley released a statement claiming the coronavirus patient and chief is doing just fine saying "The president reports no symptoms, overall he continues to do extremely well." Back at the White House, Mr. Trump is throwing his weight around announcing he's ending talks with House Democrats over a new coronavirus relief bill, tweeting, "I've instructed my representatives to stop negotiating until after the election. When immediately after I win we will pass a major stimulus bill. Sources tell CNN there are still lingering concerns inside the White House about the president's health after he appeared to be having trouble breathing as he stood on the balcony following his return from Walter Reed Medical Center. In a White House video, Mr. Trump downplayed the virus yet again.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I know there's a risk, there's a danger but that's OK. And now I'm better and maybe I'm immune. I don't know. But don't let it dominate your lives. Get out there. Be careful.
[Acosta:] The president is still super spreading misinformation about the virus tweeting "Flu season is coming up, many people every year, sometimes over 100,000 and despite the vaccine die from the flu. Are we going to close down our country? "No, we have learned to live with it just like we are learning to live with COVID, in most populations far less lethal." Twitter slapped a warning label on the tweet saying the post violated the Twitter rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19. The fact is more people in the U.S. have already died from coronavirus this year then from influenza during the past five flu seasons combined. Aids to the president are making blatantly false claims as well and defending Mr. Trump insisting he was all alone when he removed his mask on the balcony.
[Hogan Gidley, Trump Campaign Ntional Press Secretary:] The president is alone on the balcony, outside he takes his mask off.
[Acosta:] But that's not true. There are White House staff photographers and other aides nearby. The Trump campaign is also claiming the president is a leader on wearing masks.
[Gidley:] This president has led on the issue at every single turn. And right now is no different.
[Acosta:] But that's also false as Mr. Trump has mocked Democrat Joe Biden for using them.
[Trump:] Every time you see him he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from it. He shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen.
[Acosta:] The president is sounding more desperate for a coronavirus vaccine. CNN has learned Mr. Trump has been pressuring some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies to speed up the development of a vaccine as he keeps promising Americans one is coming quickly.
[Trump:] We have the best medicines in the world. And they're all happened very shortly and they're all getting approved. And the vaccines are coming momentarily.
[Acosta:] But the virus is still taking its toll even at the Pentagon where the vice Commandant of the US Coast Guard has tested positive, forcing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military leaders to isolate at home. As a defense official said in a statement, "Out of an abundance of caution all potential close contacts from these meetings are self- quarantining and have been tested this morning. No Pentagon contacts have exhibited symptoms and we have no additional positive test to report at this time." As for the spread of COVID at the White House, more staffers including a third press aide are coming up positive. Still a federal health official tells CNN West Wing aides have been rejecting help from the Centers for Disease Control to do contact tracing after a rash of positive test following the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court, though the White House is dismissing the notion that the event was a super spreader.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] Certainly several of the people who tested positive were at that event, but many of these individuals interact routinely on a daily basis, certainly when it comes to White House staff. So, there's no way to put a pinpoint on it.
[Acosta:] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just slammed the president's decision to pull the plug on the stimulus talks, saying clearly, the White House is in complete disarray. The president moved to end stimulus talks and had an immediate effect on the financial markets, as the Dow posted a big drop, 375 points after the announcement, an indication that the president's decisions, which are coming as he is battling a deadly virus on intense medications, can have a major impact across the country Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
[Vause:] Saskia Popescu is a senior infection prevention epidemiologist and she is joining us this hour from Tucson in Arizona. Welcome back, it's been a long time.
[Saskia Popescu, Senior Infection Prevention Epidemiologist:] Thanks for having me.
[Vause:] I'd like you to listen to more from the COVID carrying White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany. Here she is being asked about the future masked gatherings at the Rose Garden and she is very noncommittal. Listen.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, Trump Campaign Spokesperson:] It was an event outside, some people wore masks, notably several photographers there wore masks. And they all tested positive. So with any event, you take a certain amount of risk
[Unidentified Female:] That's interesting.
[Mcenany:] nominating a Supreme Court justice
[Unidentified Female:] That's true.
[Mcenany:] Article 2 Section 2 power that is an obligation of the president to do this and will continue to fulfill his constitutional duties.
[Vause:] There is a lot there. I mean any event, there's a certain amount of risk but a lot you can do to minimize the risk that was not done. Also, should you risk your health by attending a Rose Garden event? And, on top of that, there is no 100 percent certainty that this was a superspreader event. But there's no 100 percent certainty that it was. Given how contagious and dangerous this virus is, the sensible and right thing to do with to say, for now, no more gatherings at the Rose Garden.
[Popescu:] I couldn't agree more. On top of that, the fact that they're not allowing the CDC to do contact tracing means there is no way to understand how far this is going to go and where it originated from. But it's very dangerous and almost negligent to say we are not going to halt events when we know that they are dangerous.
[Vause:] That's the thing. In any of these events, there is a logic here that you follow the path and trace it and work out, this is where it most likely happened. When you deny that, this is when it leads to a situation that we have in the White House, right?
[Popescu:] It almost seems like they don't want to know how bad it is and where it came from so they don't have to have any responsibility for it, which is a really discerning [sic] and very concerning from a public health standpoint to not acknowledge that there was an outbreak. This clearly acted as an event that amplified transmission and to have no desire to understand what went wrong and how you can improve it is not a very good approach during a pandemic for the White House.
[Vause:] And as this virus continues to spread to the White House, listen to the deputy press secretary on CNN a little bit earlier. And the message he had despite everything we have been seeing in reality is that, hey, we have got this. Here he is.
[Brian Morgenstern, White House Deputy Press Secretary:] Obviously, we've been dealing with this for a number of months now and we know what to do. We are isolating when necessary, we have our hand sanitizer everywhere and we are distancing, we are going about the work of the American people, Kayleigh and others and Stephen working remotely.
[Vause:] OK, so they may know what to do but the positive tests which are coming out each in every day seems to suggest that those guidelines are not being followed.
[Popescu:] They can say they know what to do but unless they actually follow it, it is a moot point. so the reliance on testing and saying you have hand sanitizer is a very small percentage of what needs to truly happen. And they have proven that they are not following public health guidance.
[Vause:] What was interesting is that during the interview he talks about a lot of measures that were taken, the hand sanitizer. He did not talk about the importance of wearing a mask when it comes to transmission. Hand washing is effective for stopping the virus from spreading from surface transmissions but it's the mask that stop the airborne transmission. So out of those 2, which is more important when it comes to contagion?
[Popescu:] We know how this disease is transmitted by droplets and aerosols and environmental transmission does occur. But it's much smaller of a percentage. So realistically, I'd rather have you invest in all of them. But if you're going to pick one, then masks for sure.
[Vause:] So hand sanitizers the wrong bet. Thanks for speaking with us and I appreciate it. Stocks on Wall Street plummeted on Tuesday after President Trump ended negotiations for a new stimulus bill until after the election. All 3 indexes fell more than 1 percent with the Dow losing close to 400 points. The president's announcement also dealt a heavy blow to the airline industry, which could've received $25 billion and saved thousands of jobs with the package. But airline shares saw some of their biggest losses on Tuesday. The U.S. president's move is having less of an impact in Asia, where markets have been mixed throughout the day. John Defterios is following the story for us from Abu Dhabi. So along with the fall in the markets, here's more reporting from Bloomberg about the immediate impact. American Airlines and United Airlines holdings said they will start laying off a total of 32,000 workers, blaming expiring government aid. While Disney is slashing 28,000, jobs, the fourth largest U.S. current share cutting 3,800, roughly 8 percent of its workforce. Incomes fell in August a little less than 3 percent because of the stimulus running out. So there will be no stimulus until after the election. How much worse do these numbers get between now and then?
[John Defterios, Cnn Emerging Markets Editor:] We're already living on borrowed time. The package expired on September 30th and the market has been pretty patient, thinking Trump is being Trump here. But it could knock the legs from underneath the recovery. This is the reality, retail sales are up in the last month by 1.2 percent. But they dive considerably from what we saw in May and June. You talk about corporate layoff, 75,000 jobs in one week alone last week because of the uncertainty. And the airlines even said we are planning to furlough our workers but we need clear indications. So everybody thought by Friday we would have a deal. This changes the game and what is most shocking from Trump is that this is not a poker game where you bluff or walk away from the table because there are so many lives dependent on the stimulus package. If you look at the unemployment rate, which is just below 8 percent, we have 26 million Americans, one in 7 in the working population, taking unemployment benefits right now. That tells you a great deal, 26 million people. And even in this case, Donald Trump was saying that I have a 1.6 trillion dollar package on the table. Nancy Pelosi said this not true. Let's look at the major players which is Steve Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary, Pelosi, the Democratic leader, and Mitch McConnell in the Senate. The Republicans have wanted something all along much lower but did not start focusing on this until the end of August. The House passed the package at the end of June and the White House has been trying to play the honest broker here, putting something on the table for $1.6 trillion. But as Nancy Pelosi was suggesting, it looks like a Hail Mary. You're not getting what you want and the Senate Republicans are not behind the White House. So we just leave the table. It's extraordinary and I cannot see how Donald Trump thinks this will help him on Election Day on November 3rd, all this bravado. And the markets are taking it in stride but it doesn't seem like this is going to play out neatly going to the elections for the Republican Party.
[Vause:] With that in mind, we also had this warning just before the president decided to end the negotiations. It came from the chairman of the Federal Reserve about other factors. Listen to this.
[Jerome Powell, Chairman, Federal Reserve:] The outlook remains highly uncertain, in part, because it depends on controlling the spread and effects of the virus.
[Vause:] In other, words the way they control the virus is still going to have a massive impact on the economy. That's not even under control and the stimulus not going through. It looks like there is an economic nightmare coming out in the months ahead.
[Defterios:] We don't even overplay it but this is the timeline people were looking for. You get the second stimulus package in October. And we are running late already. That carries you for 6 months, gives you line of sight with hopefully the vaccines coming onto the market by the end of the second quarter. And then the second half of the year for the rest of the world, that gives corporations an opportunity to say, look, I see where the growth is coming, this stabilizes us for 6 months, we know how much money is in the package. This is gone now, John. The other thing that people have overlooked in the U.S. is the unemployment benefits on a weekly basis were paying around on average $900 a week, that dropped to $300. So not only do we have the uncertainty with regards to the stimulus package itself. But Americans on benefits, 26 million as I noted, are getting a lot less. This is a very fragile time. And the head of the central bank, a very centrist person, played it right down the middle during this whole debate and said, this is not the time to retreat and worse yet, walk off the table with your cards and say I'm not playing anymore.
[Vause:] Thank you for being with us, John Defterios, we'll talk to you next hour. Thank you. British prime minister Boris Johnson is speaking out about his own bout with COVID-19. In a speech, he denied the virus has robbed him of his mojo and he dismissed claims he is still suffering from the effects. CNN's Scott McLean has details.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] British prime minister Boris Johnson is one of the few people on Earth who knows what it's like to walk in President Trump's shoes right now, the world leader battling the coronavirus in full public view. The coronavirus almost killed Boris Johnson. It also led plenty of his detractors to say that it robbed him of his mojo. In an interview this weekend, the prime minister pushed back saying that it would be inappropriate for him to bring his usually buoyant style and energy to a public health crisis. And now, in a speech to his own Conservative Party, he called the assertion nonsense. Listen.
[Boris Johnson, U.k. Prime Minister:] And of course this is self- evident, driven by the kind of seditious propaganda you would expect from people who don't want this government to succeed. And yet I have to admit, the reason I had such a nasty experience with the disease is that, although I was superficially in the pink of health when I caught it, I had a very common underlying condition, my friends. I was too fat.
[Mclean:] Since then the prime minister said he has lost 26 pounds. He's also launched a government campaign to tackle obesity. He may also soon have to make some difficult decisions about how to respond to this country's coronavirus outbreak. The U.K. is now recording more new cases of the virus per capita than the United States. Meanwhile, the Scottish first minister is set to announce her own new coronavirus restrictions Wednesday afternoon Scott McLean, CNN, London.
[Vause:] Many major European cities are seeing renewed coronavirus restrictions as the number of countries battle a second wave. Italy's health minister wants masks to be required The mandate will likely begin this coming Friday. In Paris, bars are now closed for the next 2 weeks and restaurants will have to follow new sanitary guidelines if they want to stay open. The city is under the maximum COVID alert. In the German capital, bars, restaurants and stores will have to be shut down between 11 pm and 6 am beginning on Saturday. We will take a short break. When we come, back Hurricane Delta on a collision course with Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. When we expect landfall, those details, in a moment.

[John King, Cnn:] There are more than 100 possible vaccines being researched. One of the newer projects is taking cues from successful gene therapy treatments. Dr. Mason Freeman is part of that project. He's director of Translational Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. Doctor, thank you for being with us today. Walk us through why your research using gene therapy might be different from some of the other vaccine efforts?
[Dr. Mason Freeman, Director, Translational Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital:] Good afternoon, John. Thank you for having me to present about our vaccine therapy. The vaccine is different from all of the other vaccines that are currently in process, in development, particularly with those that have commercial partners, in that we use a adeno-associated virus, abbreviated AAV. The other vaccines that you're seeing out there use something called adenovirus, so it's pretty close and can be confusing. And then many of them are using more traditional vaccine techniques, such as just injecting protein with an adjuvant, no virus. And then there are interesting and newer ones, like the one you probably talked about before, called Modera, where there's no viral vector delivery in the vaccine into the body, but it's just RNA attached to an agent made up of lipid that helps it get into cells. Ours is unique in terms of the delivery vector that's being used, which makes is very efficient at delivering the vaccine into the body where the antibodies can then have an immune response to it.
[King:] I was reading your work. One of the things you're concerned about is that everybody's in a rush here, for good reason. Everybody's trying to hurry, but you worry about something called disease enhancement. Explain to someone without your expertise what that means.
[Freeman:] Well, for most of vaccine development in the history of vaccine development, this hasn't been an issue that's been of much concern. But in recent years, we've seen this process whereby you create a vaccine. The goal of the vaccine is to have the person who's being vaccinated generate an immune response, typically an antibody response. There are other responses, but that's the typical response you want to see. And what we've seen with dengue fever and with something called respiratory syncytial virus is that the antibodies themselves can actually enhance the ability of the virus to get into cells, when is a prerequisite for the virus to be able to divide and replicate and cause disease. So, this is a significant concern to make sure that the antibodies that we raised to the coronavirus don't actually make the patients worse after vaccination but actually provide the immunity that we're seeking.
[King:] And in terms of your work using gene therapy, where are you on the trajectory in the sense of when do you think you'll be testing in humans? And when is your most optimistic hope of, if things go well, where you might have something to say, hey, this works?
[Freeman:] Well, just yesterday, we got data back from the animals that we've been testing our viral vector system in and had just an enormous increase in the antibody response. So that's very exciting and I'm propelling our team, which is led by Luke Vandenberghe, from Mass Pioneer, creating the vector in his laboratory. So, we think we will be in a position to ask the FDA to allow us to go into human beings by the end of June. We would hopefully then be in the clinic by late July. And we would have answers as to the first response from the antibodies within about a four to six-week period. So, we think that we will have good evidence that we are producing a vaccine that has real benefit by the first month or two of fall. All of that has to be approved by the FDA. So when I say we think that we still have a very important step, which is to go through the FDA and get approval for the plan we put forward. But that's the plan we're working on right now, John.
[King:] Dr. Freeman, appreciate your expertise and insights. And I wish you the best of luck in the very important weeks ahead.
[Freeman:] Thank you so much. Appreciate the opportunity to be on your show.
[King:] Thank you, sir. Coming up for us, a violent arrest in New York now adding questions about how law enforcement, other communities should enforce social distancing orders.

[Cooper:] Well, we have more breaking news. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting tonight that Michael Bloomberg's campaign has reached out to former democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, courting his endorsement and floating the possibility of Yang being his running mate. If only we had Andrew Yang here oh, hi, Andrew Yang.
[Andrew Yang, Cnn Political Commentator:] Hi, Anderson. How are you?
[Cooper:] Andrew is now a CNN Political Commentator. Obviously, I know the kind of person you are and you're probably not going to talk about a private conversation. What can you say about this or what would you want to say?
[Yang:] What I can say is that multiple campaigns have reached out. And it's flattering to be considered for a V.P. role or any role in someone's campaign. I made clear to every other candidate that I ran on a set of issues, automation of jobs involving economy that we need to humanize and a dividend of a thousand dollars a month for every American. And I said that if a candidate were to make a significant commitment in those directions, then I'd be much more enthusiastic about considering an endorsement.
[Cooper:] So you didn't really indicate yes or no to anybody on anything other than these are the issues I'd care about? I'd like to see those issues?
[Yang:] I publicly said a couple of things. Number one, I will support whoever the nominee is. And number two, I am very enthusiastic about having the democracy the democratic process play out and to decide who the nominee is. But also, if someone decides to support the ideas that were central to my campaign, that would go a long way towards making me consider an endorsement.
[Cooper:] All right. Andrew is going to stay here. Van Jones is here as well. Gloria Borger as well. New reporting in "The Times," Van, that I want to ask you about, that the Democratic Party officials appear ready, essentially, to risk intraparty damage
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator:] Hiroshima.
[Cooper:] I don't know what you would call it
[Jones:] Yes.
[Cooper:] to stop Bernie Sanders getting the nomination.
[Jones:] Yes.
[Cooper:] Superdelegates coming. How serious is this?
[Jones:] Well, look, I mean, it's hard to know. Most of these people are not being quoted on the record but
[Cooper:] They're also saying that, look, these are the rules, and its rules that Sanders wanted and
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] Wrote.
[Jones:] Yes, sure. Well, listen, here is the deal. There's the rules and there's the norms. The rules are that on the first ballot, if you don't get the majority, there is something called the second ballot. And the second ballot, you will get a chance to vote. But what is usually happened is if you're close you know, Hillary was close in 2016, and then Bernie gave her the delegates to get across the finish line. They didn't end up it didn't go into a brokered convention. I think Obama was in a similar situation and Hillary helped him. So the norms are if you're close then, you know, everybody gets across the finish line. What's going to be interesting is, yes, Bernie did agree to these new rules, but there is a new set of norms that may show up that may make this convention very, very interesting.
[Cooper:] Gloria, I mean, if Senator Sanders has a leading plurality of delegates going to the convention, the nomination goes to someone else, I mean, I guess it depends how close they were and how close is close.
[Borger:] Right.
[Cooper:] But, I mean, doesn't the Democratic Party risk alienating all his supporters who could every well, you know
[Borger:] Absolutely.
[Cooper:] just say I'm staying home?
[Borger:] Absolutely. And of course, a lot of this then would depend on how the candidate behaves. If the candidate says for the good of the country and Bernie Sanders, by the way, if I don't know if it would be Bernie Sanders doing this, or would it be Joe Biden doing this, or would it be Bloomberg doing this, but Bernie Sanders has publicly said he is going to support the Democratic nominee, period, because beating Donald Trump is more important. But it does depend on what the candidate does. So Bernie Sanders, say it is Sanders, and he were to say to his folks, you know, you've got to do this. This is for good of the country. He can't make them go out and vote, and I think that would be a real worry. But he could make a convention a little calmer. But if it does go to a contested convention, I'm with Van. There is no you know, there is no way to avoid what could be a very, very ugly situation that could be ultimately damaging in the fall.
[Cooper:] Andrew, if Vice President Biden wins in South Carolina, comes in first, how big a help is that for him for Super Tuesday? And conversely, if he doesn't win, I mean, how bad does that hurt him?
[Yang:] If Joe did not win South Carolina, it would be devastating to his campaign.
[Cooper:] He would still stay in for Super Tuesday, I would assume.
[Yang:] Yes, it's only three days away, but it would be devastating. But I know Joe is very, very confident and every indication is that he is going to win South Carolina. The two factors are what's his margin of victory if he does win. And number two, how much press coverage and momentum does that give him heading into Super Tuesday three days later. I would expect that he does win. I think he wins significantly. And I think it does give him a burst of momentum heading into the 14 states on Tuesday.
[Cooper:] Van, I mean, it certainly gives him something to argue, which is, you know, the most diverse race so far. I'm, you know
[Jones:] I mean, look, he's done this rope a dope strategy. I'm just going to get beat up in all these other states. But in South Carolina, I'm going to show you what I'm made of. And so if it comes true, and he does great and he wins by 10 points, it can't help but give him a little bit of a boost.
[Cooper:] It really rope a dope strategy?
[Jones:] I mean, this is the way they're getting beat up, man.
[Cooper:] But why not to let the other guy get tired out?
[Jones:] Let's find out. Listen, I'm doing the best I can. Nobody can figure out this guy's strategy until now, so hopefully he wins South Carolina.
[Yang:] The close a thing to the rope a dope was when he said in the New Hampshire race, yes, I'm probably going to lose here too.
[Borger:] Anderson.
[Cooper:] Yes, go ahead.
[Borger:] You know, I was talking to somebody who is very close to the campaign and involved in the campaign who said to me here is their strategy, which is they have to win big in South Carolina, and that means double-digits. So it depends on how everybody ends up defining big. But then going into Super Tuesday, they have to come in second overall. Because what they want to do is do better than Bloomberg, and they want to be the alternative to Bernie Sanders and they figure out that is a way to do it. They believe they can win a couple of states, maybe Alabama, maybe North Carolina, who knows. But they have no money, Anderson. I mean, no money, and they're hoping that the momentum they would get out of a win in South Carolina would also come with a lot of money attached to it. But don't forget, Bloomberg has unlimited money and Bernie Sanders does too.
[Cooper:] Yes. Gloria Borger, thank you. Van Jones, Andrew Yang, thanks very much. Coming up, more on South Carolina next. And joining us, one of the state's and the country's most influential lawmakers, House Majority Whip James Clyburn.

[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Have a great afternoon. Dana Bash is in for Brianna Keilar. She starts
[Right Now. Dana Bash, Cnn Anchor:] I'm Dana Bash, live from CNN's Washington headquarters. Underway right now, in today's episode of season three, a president denies a temper tantrum, the speaker is concerned for his well-being, and their feud may signal the point of no return. And accusations of a different cover-up, this involving the death of a sixth migrant child in U.S. custody, which the Trump administration kept a secret. Why? Plus, he was the face of the enemy early in the Afghanistan War, and today the American Taliban walks free amid fears John Walker Lindh is still radicalized. And Harriet Tubman won't be on the 20 dollar bill while President Trump is in power, but is the administration's excuse legit? We begin with the speaker of the House riding the Trump elevator and pushing every single button. Lighting him up not just on his inability to work on bipartisan legislation, she says, but on his capability, even asking his family and aides for an intervention.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] So so but the president again stormed out, and I think well, pound the table, walk out the door. What? Next time have the TV cameras in there while I have my say. That didn't work for him either. And now this time another temper tantrum. Again, I pray for the president of the United States. I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country.
[Question:] Your prayer comment almost suggests your concerned about his well-being.
[Pelosi:] I am. And the well-being of the United States of America.
[Bash:] As you've likely heard by now, this all comes after the president walked out of a meeting with Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi, yesterday. It was a meeting that was supposes to be about infrastructure. Instead, he headed right to the Rose Garden, told reporters that he refused to work with Democrats until they stopped investigating him. Now, behind the scene a source who spoke with the president about all this yesterday tells me that he was furious, saying privately he believes the Democrats are trying to ruin his life and the lives of his family. Now, notable, this all comes on the backdrop of not one but two federal judges siding against him and with Democrats in their quest to get his financial records. Let's get straight to the White House, to White House correspondent Abby Phillip, who is live there. Abby, the president has been listening, I'm sure, to the House speaker. Before that he sent out a series of tweets. What are you hearing from your White House sources today?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Dana, this is a White House trying to change the narrative around what happened yesterday. Yesterday unfolded in such a dramatic fashion that the president now seems irked by the perception that he was angry, that he stormed out of the room with Pelosi and with Schumer. And White House aides are now doubling down on that, saying that that is all false and that this was a calm, deliberative decision on the president's part to reframe the conversation on Capitol Hill, giving congressional Democrats an ultimatum. Listen to Kellyanne Conway, counsellor to the president, downplaying the president's mood as it relates to what happened yesterday.
[Kellyanne Conway, White House Counselor:] It's nonsense and then think you're going to come here and get productive work done. Let me just also say, as somebody who was standing right there, it is nonsense and inaccurate for anybody to say the president is fuming, temper tantrum, stormed out, he's in a rage. If you report that, you don't have your facts right. He was very calm, very deliberative. He walked in walked out the way he walked in. Never raised his voice. He wasn't the one, frankly, who looked shell-shocked.
[Phillip:] Well, Dana, as you know, President Trump was, in fact, angry angered by what Pelosi had to say. But it has been building for some time. He started that day tweeting angrily about the Mueller investigation and the fact that Democrats seem to want to try to, in his words, have a do-over. And so all of this had been building until that comment really tipped him over the edge, our sources have been telling us. And so, you know, the White House is trying to reframe this. But President Trump, this morning, also tweeting and doubling down at his ultimatum to Democrats. He says, when the Democrats in Congress refinish for the fifth time their fake work on the very disappointing Mueller report finding, they will have time to get the real work of the people done. He adds, move quickly. The question now turns to, how far is the White House going to go with with this ultimatum? Are they really going to halt everything on Capitol Hill until these investigations end? And we kind of got mixed signals this morning. You know, the White House is also saying President Trump believes that Democrats simply can't do both things at the same time, but you also have some aides, including Kellyanne Conway, Marc Short, the vice president's chief of staff, saying they still want to do USMCA, they still want to do all these other priorities, including the budget deal. And so there is the possibility that they will absolutely need to work with Democrats on some of these things if they want to get them done. Dana.
[Bash:] And that's absolutely key. It's one thing to find common ground on infrastructure, it's another thing to deal with must- do legislation, like the debt ceiling, never mind the budget, which is a basic function of Congress that the president is supposed to be working with them on. Thank you so much, Abby. Appreciate it. And the president suggested that Democrats in Congress aren't getting anything done while they investigate him, as Abby just reported. It was echoed by his press secretary this morning.
[Sarah Sanders, White House Press Secretary:] I think it's a complete lie that Democrats in Congress think they can do two things at once. So far we haven't seen them do anything. Nancy Pelosi has had the majority in the House for months and has yet to accomplish a single thing. They haven't gotten they literally haven't gotten anything done since she's taken over.
[Bash:] So, is the White House right about that? Well, let's bring in a man with the answers, CNN's Tom Foreman. Tom, you have a fact check.
[Tom Foreman, Cnn Correspondent:] Dana, you just heard that. Sarah Sanders says House Democrats literally having gotten anything done. And the president has echoed that thought, tweeting, it is not possible for them to investigate and legislate at the same time. Let's ignore for a minute that history says, yes, it's absolutely possible. It's all, obviously, an attempt by the White House to shut down these congressional probes into the president's actions, but here is the problem. While Democrats in the House are pursuing 11 investigations related to the president, they've also been plenty busy passing 235 pieces of legislation since January. Now, sure, some of these are smaller matters like naming post offices, but they've also taken on some major issues. Among them, sweeping bills to address ethics and campaign finances and government reforms and bands on discrimination, universal background checks, the Paris climate agreement, just to name a few trying to keep the U.S. in that agreement. Now, grant, many of these items are things that the president and his Republicans do not want, and many of them ran into a stone wall when they went over to the Senate and they were met by the Republican control there under Mitch McConnell. But to say the Democrats did nothing with their control of the House is categorically not true. What's more, 17 items approved by the House were also passed by the Republican-controlled Senate, including legislation to end the government shutdown, address a drought out west and deal with conservation issues. So a do-nothing Congress, hardly. Dana.
[Bash:] At least not at do-nothing House since they've had the majority. Tom Foreman, thank you so much for that. As we mentioned earlier, House Democrats are one step closer to getting a look at Donald Trump's financial records because for a second time this week a federal judge sided with Congress against the president. In the latest ruling, a judge in New York is upholding subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capital One for financial records tied to the president and his family. Meanwhile, Democrats in New York State Assembly passed a pair of bills that will allow Congress to obtain President Trump's state tax returns. I want to bring in CNN's legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Laura Coates. How are you? Thank you so much for joining me.
[Laura Coates, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Good. Thank you, Dana.
[Bash:] I want to talk about the legal argument or the legal ruling I should say that we heard from these two judges. Why legally have they said, no, the president is wrong, the Democrats are right, these subpoenas are legit and they should go through and be adhered to?
[Coates:] Why, because the Constitution and separation of powers, which essentially says, listen, Congress has oversight authority. They have to hold accountability hearings and testimony
[Bash:] OK. So you mentioned a little bit of this, the White House strategy that's to lengthen this. This is just the first stop. Do you have any sense, based on, you know, what you've seen in the past, maybe there isn't a recent precedent to this, I don't know, of whether or not this is going to get up to the Supreme Court, whether the Supreme Court will have to take these cases if it does?
[Coates:] Well, the Supreme Court's prerogative is they don't have to do anything they don't want to do.
[Bash:] Exactly.
[Coates:] But if there is dissension around the lower courts to say may one is upholding it and the appellate court says, no, we think that that that this court got it wrong, it may go up to the Supreme Court faster. The issue here, of course, is that, remember, this happened before, where the courts had weighed in to say there's a subpoena for the member of the executive branch, you must comply. Operation Fast and Furious is one example of this. Of course, Harriet Miers and George Bush.
[Bash:] Which took a very long time.
[Coates:] It took a long time, Dana, until this next presidential administration.
[Bash:] Yes.
[Coates:] Remember, it was Obama who handled the Harriet Miers issue. It was Trump who handled the Operation Fast and Furious issue. So we're talking about a delay tactic that actually makes a lot of sense to go to the next term. Now, if you're a first-term president like Trump is, going to the next term would not remove it from your actual lap if you're actually voted in again, but that's the strategy there.
[Bash:] Laura Coates, always good to see you.
[Coates:] Thank you.
[Bash:] Thanks for breaking that down. Appreciate it. OK, so here's where we are. The president's legal problems are piling up. We just heard some of it from Laura. That is despite and separate from the Mueller investigation, which came to an end. But, meanwhile, the House speaker is calling the president's mental stability a problem. She suggested his family stage an intervention and even kind of questioning his abilities, more broadly, saying she knows the real reason he stormed out of yesterday's meeting. Listen.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] I can only think that he wasn't up to the task of figuring out the difficult choices of how to cover the cost of what the important infrastructure legislation that we had talked about three weeks before. He obviously did not was not prepared. By
[Bash:] Chief political analyst Gloria Borger is here with me now. Gloria, I mean, it's there's there are no lines to read between here with the House speaker.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] No, not at all.
[Bash:] What she is trying to do on a political level, but then just on a raw strategy level with the president. I mean she's I'm just going to say it, she's questioning his manhood. And I don't mean that in the, you know, in the sexual way, I just mean in the in the you know, with the ability to man up and get things done. That is no accident.
[Borger:] Right. She's not backing off. The president tried to clearly to get her to back off after he stormed out or walked out or however you want to characterize it in the meeting yesterday, and Nancy Pelosi is doubling down and tripling down. Not only is she sticking with the fact that she says there's a cover-up, but she's also saying we all ought to pray for him, implying, and, again, you don't even have to read between the lines, implying that there's something wrong with him and we all ought to pray with him and his family. I mean that's not delicate.
[Bash:] And part of this right. And part of this, don't you think, is also her trying to assuage her own caucus
[Borger:] Yes.
[Bash:] And the voters out there who want her to hurry up on impeachment. She's trying to make clear that she's she hears them by using that tough rhetoric to make them happy on that level.
[Borger:] Right. Well, she wants to keep the left part of her caucus in line. She may also be trying to garner support in the country if impeachment were to occur because she has always said, you know, we can't get out in front of the American public. And right now under 40 percent of the American public wants impeachment. They have no appetite for it. I think the number's like 27 percent. So she's walking this fine line here and not and not backing down on her major premise, which is that he's not qualified to be president and that he obstructed justice and you ought to think about that.
[Bash:] OK, I want to turn to Rex Tillerson, remember him?
[Borger:] Yes, I do.
[Bash:] So, of course, the president fired him in an unceremonious way. He's one of many that happened to.
[Borger:] Yes.
[Bash:] He told lawmakers in a private session that Vladimir Putin was more prepared than Donald Trump for their meeting at the G-20 Summit back when he was around. He said that this put the U.S. at a disadvantage, and he also asked whether questioned whether the president was guided by American values. What are you hearing from your sources about this?
[Borger:] Well, I spoke with somebody who's close to both Tillerson and to the president, who said that Tillerson hasn't gotten over the way he was fired, unceremoniously, former CEO of Exxon isn't used to that, and hasn't gotten over the way, quite frank, he was treated inside the White House. Tillerson was a complicated guy. We know he didn't get great rates as secretary of state internally from people who work at the State Department, but he felt that Jared was kind of freelancing foreign policy, and he let him do it for a while because he didn't want to get in a fight with him, but at the end it made it difficult for him to do his job. And so, at this point, Tillerson isn't giving major media interviews and all the rest. But when he was asked to come in, he sort of said, OK, I need to set the record straight. And that's what he's doing.
[Bash:] And you've been you've been working the phones, like you always do.
[Borger:] You, too, dear.
[Bash:] Working on another another issue, which is, the president's mood. I reported at the top of the hour that somebody who talked to him said that he was really angry that Democrats are coming after his family, but your hearing more broadly his mood is not anger.
[Borger:] Well, I was told that he was on fire and that he was in good spirits. And can I say, both of these things can be true at the same time.
[Bash:] Yes. In the same minute sometimes.
[Borger:] In the same minute with Donald Trump and that he believes, this source said to me, his frame of mind is bold is the way he put it. So I think you're going to see him continuing to take on Nancy Pelosi, continuing to take on the Democrats. He's thrilled he's got a large Democratic field that's going to go against him. And, yes, of course, he was probably furious at what she said yesterday, which is why he threw everything upside down, and there was no discussion about infrastructure because instead he wanted to talk about himself and how she had insulted him as somebody who doesn't engage in cover-ups, which we also know is not true, paging Stormy Daniels.
[Bash:] Yes.
[Borger:] So I think both of these things may be right, Dana. He changes from moment to moment.
[Bash:] Gloria Borger, thank you so much.
[Borger:] Thanks, Dana.
[Bash:] Reporting, always. Up next, the sixth migrant child died while in U.S. custody and now the Trump administration is accused of covering it up. Plus, in the 2020 race, a second candidate is now making videos with freshman Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. How they're trying to get in on the AOC buzz. And, devastation across the central plains as tornadoes rip through the region. We'll take you live to one state where families are seeing what's left of their homes.

[Camerota:] Breaking news, more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last six weeks. The coronavirus pandemic is creating an economic crisis in the U.S. Joining us now to talk about this and more is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Good morning, Madam Speaker.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] Good morning.
[Camerota:] So that was the breaking news that we just had moments ago. And, of course, these are jaw-dropping numbers. I mean 30 million Americans in the past six weeks, 18.6 percent of the U.S. workforce has now filed for unemployment. I mean so that's basically the unemployment rate. What when you hear these numbers, when do you think that those numbers of jobless people will start going down instead of up every week?
[Pelosi:] Well, if I knew that, it would be a great thing if any of us knew that. But the fact is we have to do everything in our power to make a path for that to happen. I myself think that the path to our re-entering the economy is testing, testing, testing. It all comes back to science and the health and well-being of the American people. So we're talking about people's lives and the jaw-dropping figure of over 60,000 Americans already lost their lives to this to the coronavirus. And now we have these numbers, which are only increasing by the week. Hopefully, if we have my I believe that we have to have a path that is about testing so that there is confidence for people when certain opportunities open up are there, that they have the confidence that they can join the workforce because other people there have been tested as well. You cannot you cannot turn the economy around without the scientific leadership on it. And, again, testing, testing, testing, contact tracing, isolation, treatment and the rest, so that people will go forward, because God bless the American people. This is about workers and their families. And if you want to go into the workforce and take a risk, and then bring that home to your family, you have to think many times over about that.
[Camerota:] I also want to ask you about states and about the federal aid, you can call it federal aid, you can call it a bailout, whatever you want, but what the governors say they need. And as you know, a week ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell basically suggested his preference for to allow some states to go bankrupt over bailing them out.
[Pelosi:] Yes, well
[Camerota:] I mean I'll just quickly let me quickly quote him. He said, we're not interested in solving their pension problems for them, we're not interested in rescuing them from bad decisions they've made in the past. It sounds like he has softened his rhetoric since then. So are states going to get federal money?
[Pelosi:] Yes, indeed. Let me just say that what the distinguished leader said was an excuse, not a reason, to do something. Everything we have done in the four bills that we have passed, all of which have been strongly bipartisan, and I'm very proud of that, has been about the coronavirus. It's not about one thing or another, it's about the coronavirus. So, when we're looking at the states, and municipalities and counties, and the assistance that we give them, we're looking at, what are your outlays for the coronavirus and what is your revenue lost because of the coronavirus? Has nothing to do with anything that went before. Same thing with the hospitals. It's about what what have you spent on the coronavirus, and what have you lost on the coronavirus? All of it that. So when he says that he references Illinois, all the troubles in Illinois came by a republican governor. So he's making it look like there's some blue statered state thing here that we're bailing out has nothing to do with any other issues of the budget of any state. It only has to do with the coronavirus. And the governors are united, Democrats and Republicans. The mayors are united, Democrats and Republicans. County everybody is united in saying in order for us to survive, we need to have these resources, and they will.
[Camerota:] And how much money will they get? Governors want $500 million.
[Pelosi:] Billion.
[Camerota:] Of course, thank you. And so, I mean, I'm and I'm talking about the National Governors
[Pelosi:] We could do that in a second.
[Camerota:] Yes, I mean, the m, b, t, I mean we're at we're also talking a trillion. But I mean the Governors Association, that's the figure they've used. So what figure are you using?
[Pelosi:] Well, I'm looking to them for the assessment they have about the expenses that relate to outlays for corona and revenue lost. We're not going to be be able to cover all of it. But we'll be able to enable them to have sustainability. But understand this, that $500 billion, should that be the number, is not for one year. That's more like three years over a three-year period. And then same thing with state and local excuse me, municipalities and counties. We want to have a separate account for them because many of them don't get really get what they need from the state. Sometimes the governors are not inclined to do that. Other times they just fiscally are unable to do it. And so we want to have separate, direct support for townships, even as low as 50,000 and below. And this is a very big change. But, again, coronavirus revenue lost and we're waiting for their figure. It's approaching 500 billion too. But, again, over a at least three, perhaps four years.
[Camerota:] OK.
[Pelosi:] But, again, we want it to be based on the numbers and very clearly relate to revenue lost and expenditures made from the virus.
[Camerota:] Understood. OK. Good to know. You have set up a coronavirus oversight panel.
[Pelosi:] Yes.
[Camerota:] To figure out how these trillions of dollars will be spent. Your Republican colleagues seem wary of this panel.
[Pelosi:] Yes.
[Camerota:] They think it's a setup of some kind. Impeachment 2.0 some have called it. Are there any Republicans on the committee? What do you say to them to assuage their fears about this?
[Pelosi:] Well, the appointments that I made to the committee are, I think, create a chemistry of working in a bipartisan way. Our distinguished chairman, Mr. Clyburn, has a record if his state of South Carolina of doing these oversight kind of activities under Democratic and Republican governors to much acclaim. This is about waste, fraud, abuse, profiteering, price gouging. Where there's money, there's mischief. There's just no question about it. And, again, as we review all of that, to take us to where you began this conversation, how do we get to a place to open up the economy to, again, save lives, but also save livelihoods as we go forward? I'm very proud of it. It is modeled after something Harry Truman did when he was a senator at the beginning of World War II. He said, World War I, they had 116 committees after the fact, after the war to examine how the money was spent. He said, I think I'd like to have one during the war as we go forward and it will save lives and save money and it did indeed do both.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Pelosi:] So it's modeled on and that was under a Democratic president at the time. So it wasn't about the administration. It was about, we don't want people that we've have examples of people trying to sell masks that they don't have, trying to abscond with the checks of people who are need to receive their direct payment.
[Camerota:] Sure. Corruption. Yes. Understood.
[Pelosi:] Yes.
[Camerota:] OK, Speaker, I also want to ask you about former Vice President Joe Biden and about this allegation that is being made by one of his former Senate staffers. Do you think that it is time for Vice President Biden to address this head on himself?
[Pelosi:] Well, I have great sympathy for any women who bring forth an allegation. I'm a big, strong supporter of the Me Too movement. I think it's been a great made a great contribution to our country. And I do support Joe Biden. I'm satisfied with how he has responded. I know him. I was proud to endorse him the other on Monday. Very proud to endorse him. And so I'm satisfied with that.
[Camerota:] I mean he hasn't, to be clear, he hasn't addressed it. His campaign has addressed it, but he has not directly addressed it. Should he directly, publicly address it?
[Pelosi:] You know, it's a matter that he has to deal with. But I am impressed with the people who work for him at the time saying that absolutely never heard one iota of information about this, nobody ever brought forth a claim or had anybody else tell them about such a claim. But, again, we have an important election at hand. One that is, I think, one of the most important ones that we've had. We say that every election, but I think this one is the most crucial. And I I supported him because he's a person of great values, integrity, authenticity, imagination, and connection to the American people. He understands the kitchen table issues of America's working families. His father lost his job when he was a boy. He knows what that feels like for a family, how they're going to pay their bills, their health bills, education of their children, supporting seniors and their families and the rest. It's just he's the personification of hope and optimism for our country. And I was proud to endorse him. America needs a person like Joe Biden with his, again, his integrity and his vision for the future.
[Camerota:] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, we really appreciate you being here on NEW DAY. Thank you for your time.
[Pelosi:] Thank you. My pleasure. And thank you for what you're doing to tell the story of this. That information is so very, very important.
[Camerota:] Thank you.
[Pelosi:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] We'll be right back.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] The top diplomat in Ukraine has given lawmakers a detailed account of an obvious and brazen quid pro quo. We're going to tell you what we're learning from the transcript of his closed-door testimony. Trump team's heartburn. We're told White House officials are more anxious about some impeachment witnesses than others, as public hearings are about to begin. Who do they fear most? And Stone on trial. As a longtime Trump ally faces criminal charges, prosecutors accuse Roger Stone of lying to protect the president. We will have the latest on the trial, including plans for former Trump strategist Steve Bannon to testify. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in
[The Situation Room. Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Blitzer:] Breaking news, the case for impeaching President Trump is about to become a live TV blockbuster. House Democrats announcing that public hearings will begin in one week, with star witness Bill Taylor among the first to testify. We're getting new insights into what the top diplomat in Ukraine will reveal to a nation about a quid pro quo from the just-released transcript of his closed-door deposition. Taylor spelled out and I'm quoting now a clear understanding that President Trump wanted Ukraine to announce investigations of his political opponents in exchange for U.S. aid. Tonight, CNN has learned there's a heightened level of concern within the White House about the potential impact of Taylor's public testimony. I will talk with a U.S. congressman who questioned Taylor, House Intelligence Committee member Sean Patrick Maloney. And our correspondents of analysts are also standing by. First, let's go to our congressional correspondent, Phil Mattingly. Phil, House Democrats, they set the date now for the biggest moments yet in the impeachment investigation.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Wolf, that's exactly right. There's been months of speculation, weeks of closed-door depositions. Now everything is about to spill into the public sphere. And the stakes couldn't be higher. This is as big as it gets, the Democrats scheduling two public hearings, more to come after that, according to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff. Those two hearings next week with three career diplomats, including, as you noted, Ambassador William Taylor, whose closed-door deposition became public today, with explosive testimony related to his understanding of a quid pro quo related to U.S. funding to Ukraine that was held up in exchange for potential investigations into political rivals of Donald Trump. Also, George Kent scheduled to testify, and, on Friday, Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador the Ukraine, who multiple officials have testified was deliberately undercut by people outside the Trump administration who believed she was not working for President Trump in the proper manner. In all, when you look at the big picture of what we're going to see next week, Democrats are going to attempt to paint a picture of a U.S. foreign policy that was essentially operated through rogue channels, outside the traditional way foreign policy is run, with a heavy emphasis on Rudolph Giuliani, the personal attorney for the president, and an acknowledgment that, based on what they are seeing, they believe they already have enough evidence for an impeachable offense. You're also going to see Republicans make very clear some of the defenses we have seen over the last couple of days, that they don't believe any of the witnesses, no matter how damning their testimony, have a direct link to President Trump. There will be a lot of that as we look forward, but bigger than anything else, Wolf, this is spilling into the public sphere, which means, more than anything, while impeachment is obviously part of what Congress has in its set of duties, it is also very much a public sentiment type of exercise. You talk to Republicans and Democrats, they acknowledge that fact, the public hearings a real opportunity to start to sway public opinion, which has largely broken down on partisan lines, into their favor as they move forward in this process. And also worth noting, the public hearings making clear this is moving forward, and it's moving forward quickly. After those public hearings, likely a full report. Then it gets kicked over the Judiciary Committee. Those articles of impeachment will come, and then a House vote before it moves to the Senate, Wolf. Very clear Democrats are moving forward and moving forward fast.
[Blitzer:] Very fast, indeed. Phil, we also have new information about another witness, a top aide to Vice President Pence.
[Mattingly:] That's exactly right. There will be one more, at least, closed-door deposition where somebody actually shows up. Look, there have been a series of depositions where top career officials have come, even some top White House officials have come to testify. But over the course of the last week, official after official, as the closer they get to the White House, as closer they get to the president, they have declined to show up. That will change tomorrow. Jennifer Williams, a top national security aide to Vice President Mike Pence, an individual who was on that July 25 call between President Trump and President Zelensky of Ukraine, is expected to testify, if she is subpoenaed, according to a source. And she will likely be subpoenaed, as everybody has been up to this point. One of the big questions lawmakers have is, sources say she was concerned or did express concerns about the content of that call. It's unclear how high up the food chain she took those concerns to. But she is now scheduled to testify behind closed doors underscoring there's a little bit of a dual track here. While they're scheduling public hearings, while Democrats are ready to move forward, they're still trying to pull threads and make sure their case is as solid as they can make it before they reach that public sphere Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Yes, they want to get as many facts as possible. Phil Mattingly, thank you very much. Let's break down the testimony of one of the most important impeachment witnesses, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine offering a very detailed and damning account of a quid pro quo. Our senior national correspondent, Alex Marquardt, is joining us right now. Alex, the transcript of Bill Taylor's closed-door deposition is now out.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Security Correspondent:] And it is very long, hundreds of pages' long. And, Wolf, in page after page of this transcript, Taylor makes it clear that he did feel that there was a quid pro quo. Now, Taylor told lawmakers in his testimony that he hesitated to take this job as the U.S. senior diplomat in Kiev because he had heard about what Rudy Giuliani was up to in Ukraine. He says that, during his time there, he took meticulous notes and repeatedly described what he called an irregular channel with Ukrainians that was led by Giuliani that in the end to get Ukraine to meddle in the 2020 presidential elections.
[Marquardt:] It's among the most explosive testimonies yet in the impeachment inquiry. Now the transcript of the deposition of Ambassador Bill Taylor, the most senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, gives a damning on-the-ground perspective. Taylor told lawmakers it was his clear understanding security assistance money would not come until Ukrainian President Zelensky committed to pursue the investigation, meaning into the Bidens and the 2016 election. Taylor added: "It was also clear that this condition was driven by the irregular policy channel I had come to understand was guided by Rudy Giuliani." It was also Giuliani, according to Taylor, who came up with the idea of demanding that President Zelensky publicly declare he would investigate the Ukrainian company Burisma that Joe Biden's son Hunter had been on the board of, an idea that former National Security Adviser John Bolton described at the time as a drug deal.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] I think you will see in the transcript what a dedicated public servant Ambassador Taylor is, someone who graduated from West Point, someone who served in Vietnam, someone who is, I think, performing another vital service for the country in relating the facts that came to his attention.
[Marquardt:] Taylor testified that he was told about a meeting on September 1 between the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, and a top aide to President Zelensky, in which Sondland told the aide: "The security assistance money would not come until President Zelensky committed to pursue the Burisma investigation. Everything was dependent on such an announcement." Days prior, Taylor had written a rare so-called first-person cable to his boss, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, "describing the folly I saw in withholding military aid to Ukraine at a time when hostilities were still active in the east and when Russia was watching closely to gauge the level of American support for the Ukrainian government." Taylor was embarrassed he couldn't tell the Ukrainians why the aid was being held up, and he prepared to resign. Despite these concerns, Taylor admitted he had never talked to the president. Ambassador Taylor's testimony is full of references to Rudy Giuliani. And Taylor says that Ukrainian officials listened to Giuliani because they knew that he was working at the president's direction. Tonight, we have learned that Giuliani has hired himself a team of lawyers, tweeting out the names of three of them, Giuliani certainly feeling the heat, Wolf, as this inquiry ramps up.
[Blitzer:] Yes, he's under investigation, as we know as well. Alex, thanks very much for that report. Over at the White House, we're told there's heightened concern right now about Bill Taylor's public testimony next week. Let's go to our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. He's joining us from Louisiana right now, where the president will be holding another political rally later tonight. Jim, even as Mr. Trump hits the campaign trail, he's clearly beefing up his so-called impeachment defense team.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] He certainly is, Wolf. The president is on his way to Louisiana right now to campaign for the Republican candidate for governor in this state. But you're right. The White House is very much focused on impeachment right now, bringing on some new staffers, announcing those staffers today to message countermessage the impeachment inquiry that's playing out up on Capitol Hill. But there is a lot of jitters. There are plenty of jitters inside the Republican Party right now about some of these elections that are playing out, not just here in Louisiana, but in Kentucky and other states. As one source close to the White House put it to me, Wolf, they're calling these elections that have played out this week a bad omen for the president.
[Acosta:] President Trump is escaping to the campaign trail with the cloud of impeachment hanging over his every move.
[Question:] Are you concerned about the hearings next week?
[Acosta:] The White House is bracing for the upcoming public hearings and the inquiry, and getting more nervous about the newly released testimony from senior officials, like the top diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, and European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland, who revised his recollections to say there was a quid pro quo with the Ukrainian president. But aides to the president say they still don't see a quid pro quo.
[Kellyanne Conway, Counselor To The President:] That is the White House's position, and I don't think that his latest revisions change that.
[Acosta:] The White House is bringing on new staffers to beef up the counterimpeachment message, despite Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham's claim last week that Mr. Trump can handle all that.
[Stephanie Grisham, White House Press Secretary:] He is the war room. The difference between Clinton and Nixon, which is what people constantly compare us to, is that those two did something wrong. The president has done nothing wrong. So, at this time, he feels confident with the people that he has in place.
[Acosta:] The president's loyalists are changing their tune on the inquiry, now claiming the administration was too incoherent to engage in a quid pro quo.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] What I can tell you about the Trump policy toward the Ukraine, it was incoherent. It depends on who you talk to. They seemed to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo. So, no, I find the whole process to be a sham, and I'm not going to legitimize it.
[Acosta:] Contrast that with the excuse that the whistle-blower's account was all hearsay.
[Graham:] This seems to me like a political setup. It's all hearsay.
[Acosta:] Other Trump loyalists are saying they no longer believe what Sondland says, preferring the account of former Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker.
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] You all want to make a big deal out of Mr. Sondland's presumption that he had in his statement yesterday, but Mr. Volker is the one who has, in my mind, the definitive account.
[Acosta:] But hold on. The president once said Sondland could be trusted.
[Trump:] The text message that I saw from Ambassador Sondland, who's highly respected, was, there's no quid pro quo. He said that.
[Acosta:] The president is licking his wounds after campaigning for Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, who lost a close battle for reelection.
[Trump:] If you lose, they're going to say Trump suffered the greatest defeat in the history of the world. This was the greatest. You can't let that happen to me.
[Acosta:] One of a slew of contests to swing to the Democrats from Kentucky to Pennsylvania to Virginia. A source close to the White House told CNN the results were: "Totally bad. Kentucky and Virginia signaled to the GOP they are underestimating voter intensity against Trump, and it could be terrible for them next year. Bad omen for impeachment." The president is spinning it all as a big win, tweeting: "Our big Kentucky rally on Monday night had a massive impact on all of the races. The increase in governor's race was at least 15 points and maybe 20. Will be in Louisiana." The president is betting his most vocal supporters will remain loyal, no matter what he does.
[Question:] If he shot someone on Fifth Avenue, would you vote for him?
[Unidentified Male:] We would have to know why he shot him.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes, why did he shoot him?
[Acosta:] Now, one very important thing to note, the president did not talk to reporters as he left the White House for this rally in Louisiana later on this evening. That is notable because, as the president heads out of the White House for these rallies, he typically talks to reporters. That may mean he's saving up his energy and what he has to say for later on tonight. But, Wolf, I talked to a campaign official senior official with this campaign, who did not rule out the president may be talking about not only the whistle-blower, but other officials who have been testifying in this impeachment inquiry Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, we will monitor that, together with you. Jim Acosta, thank you. But joining us now, Democratic Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. He is on the Intelligence Committee, which is taking the lead in the impeachment investigation right now. Thanks so much, Congressman, for joining us. So let's get right to Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine. He laid out a quid pro quo in his closed-door testimony. What sort of follow-up questions do you think you're going to have for him?
[Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney:] Well, it's very important that the American public see for itself Ambassador Taylor's testimony. I'm glad the transcript is out. I'm glad he will be in public session soon. This is an infantry officer who served with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam. This is a graduate of West Point. This is a guy who spent 40 years serving in the military and in the Foreign Service in some real hot spots, some hardship posts around the world. And he knows right from wrong. And when he saw what was happening and, remember, he replaced Yovanovitch and came to the party a little bit late. And he, at first, tried to read the best intentions into what he was seeing. But then it became unmistakably clear that an improper political objective was being pushed on the Ukrainians, a quid pro quo. He lays it out very clearly. He's a key witness to what happened.
[Blitzer:] In the transcript that was just released, the ambassador, Ambassador Taylor, answered one of your questions by saying and I'm quoting him now "The reason for investigating Burisma was to cast Vice President Biden in a bad light." Is it plausible that key players didn't make the connection to the Bidens?
[Maloney:] No, it was their purpose. The reason I asked that question is because it detonates this Republican talking point that this was a generic concern about corruption or a request for investigations generically of some type of wrongdoing in Ukraine. This was always and explicitly about the Bidens and about the 2016 campaign. And the only other thing it was about were the shabby financial interests of Rudy Giuliani's now indicted clients. But that toxic mix of financial shenanigans and political gain was at the heart of this. And guys like Bill Taylor, thank God for them, don't pull their punches. And when he saw it, he did everything to bring it to his superiors to do the right thing, to try to stop it within the system. And he came and responded to a subpoena and told the truth. And I'm glad the public's going to hear it for themselves. And the State Department should release his notes and the other documents that he kept. This is a copious notetaker. And the State Department has refused to release those documents, which is which is wrong.
[Blitzer:] After hearing Ambassador Taylor's closed-door testimony and you heard it you asked questions as well how certain are you that President Trump was actually directing this quid pro quo?
[Maloney:] Oh, 100 percent. I mean, this is this starts and stops with the president. This is not some rogue project being done by others. There's no question that the president was personally, with Rudy Giuliani, directing this quid pro quo. And I want to say, Wolf, it's heartbreaking to realize that. I represent a district that voted for the president. I don't take any pleasure in reading or hearing about the president's explicit wrongdoing in linking foreign assistance to helping him in a political campaign. It's heartbreaking that any American president would engage in this type of activity. But it is unmistakable. And we must not shrink from it. We must hold him accountable.
[Blitzer:] Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, thanks, as usual, for joining us.
[Maloney:] My pleasure.
[Blitzer:] The breaking news continues next. And we're going to have much more on the White House. And Rudy Giuliani, he is now lawyering up, as the impeachment probe picks up steam. We're going to talk about that, the upcoming public testimony, and a lot more with the former U.S. attorney there, you see him Preet Bharara.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think we did it all right. We did a great job. We're credited with doing a great job.
[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] Not in reality. A new record number of new coronavirus cases. Hospitals preparing for another surge as the president fails to face the facts.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] And never lead with Russia. Why the president's national security team shied away from briefings on threats from a major adversary. Good morning, this is EARLY START. Nice to see you all. I'm Christine Romans.
[Jarrett:] Great to have you back, Christine. I'm Laura Jarrett. It's 30 minutes past the hour here in New York. The president loves to talk about numbers, crowd sizes, ratings, the stock market, the most powerful, the greatest, the biggest numbers of all time, he says. This is not what he had in mind. The U.S. setting a new single-day record on Wednesday with more than 50,000 new cases of Covid-19. Yet, here's how President Trump sees things.
[Trump:] I think we're going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point, that's going to sort of just disappear, I hope.
[Romans:] He has said that for months and he's wrong. Sources tell CNN there's a split in the White House over whether he should turn back to the pandemic that has killed 128,000 Americans or he should continue to focus on reopening the economy. Now, the president's focus has not been on the pandemic. It's been on monuments, Black Lives Matter, Joe Biden, military base names, white power, T.V. ratings, and more.
[Jarrett:] The president has been following a familiar playbook all week, complaining about names on buildings, fair housing rules, and calling Black Lives Matter a symbol of hate. Literally, a movement about equality a non-stop barrage retreating to his safe space because he knows his support is fading. With the Fourth of July coming this weekend it's once again up to the states to decide how to beat the kind of rapid spread of the virus we've seen after Memorial Day. Cases per day have almost doubled since then.
[Dr. Joshua Barocas, Infectious Disease Physician, Boston Medical Center:] It's set up a perfect storm. The combination of travel, the combination of opening reopening perhaps, in some cases, too early and the combination of people not necessarily following some of these preventive guidelines.
[Romans:] Now, some states are taking new action. California, the first state to lock down, is now reimposing many of those same restrictions. The governor shutting down all indoor activities in counties on the state's coronavirus watch list. That affects 28 million people.
[Gov. Gavin Newsom , California:] In restaurants, wineries, and tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment [broadly defined by guidelines that we have previously put out], zoos, museums, and card rooms in the state.
[Jarrett:] Other parts of the country are taking their own steps as well. Miami-Dade County is limiting pool hours and alcohol sales at hotels for the holiday weekend. New York City delaying the return of indoor dining. In Texas, where there are still long lines to get tested for Covid, the governor has already scaled back reopening. But some states like Florida, where the vice president will be later today, refusing to take action statewide. Hospitals, both there and in Texas, stretched for beds and critical supplies.
[Erin Bromage, Associate Professor Of Biology, Umass Dartmouth:] The dimmer switch approach works when you have case numbers under control. When you get into Arizona numbers, Texas numbers, Florida numbers, that tiny adjustment that you make is not going to have the effect on turning those new infections around fast enough. You've got to come in with more of a hammer rather than a switch to control this now.
[Romans:] Governors, who Trump pressured to reopen, are now being forced to retreat. Twenty-three states are rolling back reopening. Top medical officials overseeing the government's response say they have not spoken to the president in weeks. After days of Republicans saying the obvious wear a mask the president now gives masks a lukewarm endorsement.
[Trump:] Well, I don't know if you need mandatory because you have many places in the country where people stay very long distance. I'm all for masks. I think masks are good. I would wear if I were in a group of people and I was close
[Blake Burman, Washington Correspondent, Fox Business Network:] You would wear one?
[Trump:] Oh, I would I would oh, I have. I mean, people have seen me wearing one.
[Jarrett:] The fact is, this is just not an issue where he's led by example. We've seen him wear a mask only once because he was asked to and because a photographer captured the moment. Now, coronavirus cases in the military have more than doubled in the last three weeks. The president has had nothing to say about that either. As commander in chief, he's responsible for the lives of vulnerable service members at home and abroad.
[Romans:] The Republican Party he reshaped in his image is now embracing more fringe ideology. Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top health officials are being targeted because they gave medical advice some Republicans just don't want to hear, like not reopening while cases were climbing.
[Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick , Texas:] Fauci said today that he's concerned about states like Texas that skipped over certain things. He doesn't know what he's talking about. We haven't skipped over anything. The only thing I'm skipping over is listening to him.
[Romans:] Now with Mr. Trump's reelection on the line, Covid cases, unemployment, racial tension are all sky-high. Only his poll numbers are down. So, how does the president view his own performance?
[Trump:] I think we did it all right. We did a great job. We're credited with doing a great job.
[Jarrett:] A record daily number of cases and he calls it a great job, but barely a word about the pandemic he's convinced is over but the nation knows is just not. CNN has reporters covering this pandemic across the country.
[Lucy Kafanov, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Lucy Kafanov in Houston, Texas. The state breaking another single-day record more than 8,000 new coronavirus cases reported. This, as Texas sees its second-deadliest day since this pandemic began. Hospitals, for now, able to deal with the current crisis but they are worried that they won't be able to cope if these trends aren't reversed.
[Evan Mcmorris-santoro, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Evan McMorris-Santoro in Scottsdale, Arizona. We are inside of the debate over the pandemic in Arizona. This is one of 18 locations of the Mountainside Fitness gym chain, which is currently suing the state over new regulations calling for gyms to shut down as cases and deaths rise in Arizona. People, as you can see, are still working out and the gym is remaining open despite an order from the governor that gyms, movie theaters, and other gathering places shut down as the state tries to deal with a resurgent pandemic.
[Pete Muntean, Cnn Aviation Correspondent:] I'm Pete Muntean in Washington. And this is the start of what would typically be one of the busiest holiday weekends for air travel, but the TSA had to close part of security at the world's busiest airport in Atlanta. Security at the main domestic terminal closed for deep cleaning after a worker there tested positive for coronavirus. TSA numbers show that more than 860 TSA workers have tested positive for coronavirus since this pandemic began. The head of the TSA says the agency is opening more lanes at all airports across the country to keep wait times low and to limit exposure.
[Jason Carroll, Cnn National Correspondent:] I'm Jason Carroll in New York. New Jersey casinos are set to reopen today. New Jersey's governor says that the casinos will self-monitor, also adding there are, quote, "enormous amounts of protocols being put into place, including social distancing, sanitization, and hygienic barriers. Face coverings required by people entering. Anyone not wearing one will not be allowed inside." Some of the other spots set to reopen include amusement parks, bowling alleys, and water parks.
[Romans:] All right, great reporting there. Thanks, everybody. CNN has learned President Trump's resistance to intelligence warnings about Russia has led his national security team to brief him orally on Russia-related threats less often. The White House denies the president was briefed orally about Russia offering Taliban proxies bounties to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. CNN has confirmed that intel was included in his written daily briefing this spring. A former senior intelligence official tells CNN the president's briefers had one simple rule, never lead with Russia. But the real question is why? What's behind the president's persistent reluctance to stand up to Russia?
[Jarrett:] Multiple sources say early in his term, officials realized that when the oral briefing included unfavorable intel on Russia, the president would blow up at them and often question the intel, itself. Again, the question is why? Yesterday, top aides defended the way Trump's intel is handled.
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] When the threat is sufficiently serious the scale of the threat is of such importance that there's an action that I think that the president needs to be aware of and the information that I've seen is sufficiently credible, then we make sure that the president is aware of that.
[Robert O'brien, National Security Advisor:] We brief him on everything that he needs to know to keep the country safe. So any thought that we wouldn't brief him on something because it would anger him is just I don't even know how to respond to that question.
[Jarrett:] The House Intelligence Committee will be briefed later today on the Russian bounty intelligence issue. That's on top of a Gang of Eight briefing delayed from yesterday.
[Romans:] All right. Advertisers have Facebook's attention. Hundreds of companies have pulled ads over the last few weeks over their concerns about misinformation on Facebook and hate speech. So what do these companies want? Some answers this morning. They want broad changes touching almost every aspect of how Facebook operates. That includes the ads allowed to run, the makeup of Facebook leadership, how Facebook polices content on the platform. Supporters of the boycott also demand Facebook hire a top executive with deep civil rights experience. Mark Zuckerberg has now agreed to meet with the civil rights organizers behind the boycott Even though household names have joined have joined this high- profile Facebook boycott, a CNN business analysis reveals most of the 100-biggest Facebook ad spenders haven't changed course. Of the 25 largest spenders last year, only three Microsoft, Starbucks, and Pfizer have publicly confirmed they paused marketing on Facebook.
[Jarrett:] A potentially deadly weather pattern is developing in parts of the central and southern U.S. for the holiday weekend. Here's meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.
[Pedram Javaheri, Ams Meteorologist:] Laura and Christine, good morning, guys. Let's show you what's happening here because big-time heat, the story. And, of course, we know for early July, a pretty impressive run of heat, too, across parts of Oklahoma, Texas, on into Arkansas, and along the Gulf Coast as well. That's where heat indices are around 105 to 110 degrees for a large area. About 20 million people underneath heat advisories. And you'll notice Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City we're talking 107 to 108 in some of these regions what it will feel like into the afternoon hours. Now, they're not alone in the excessive heat. Miami climbing up to 98 degrees on the final day of June. That tied an all-time record for the entire month of June. And what's most impressive is what's at the bottom of that screen here, is that the last 10 consecutive days, heat indices or what it feels like have all exceeded 100 degrees across that region. Now, heat is the deadliest weather element. A lot of people give attention to tornados and hurricanes, and rightfully so when it comes to destruction, but heat that kills nearly twice as many people as tornados and three times as many, nearly, as hurricanes. It's certainly a serious situation developing across a large area of the country. In Chicago, and even to the north, you're not excluded. Look at the low temperatures this time next week, into the middle-70s with highs climbing up into the middle-90s at this time next week guys.
[Romans:] All right, careful there with that heat. Pedram, thank you so much. One of the most inspiring things you will ever see. A 5-year-old raises serious cash for a hospital that saved his life. And, it's a Fourth of July like no other an evening of fireworks and an all-star musical lineup. Don Lemon and Dana Bash host CNN's "FOURTH OF JULY IN AMERICA," live, starting at 8:00 eastern Saturday. We'll be right back.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn International:] One hundred countries are demanding an investigation into how the pandemic started and spread so quickly? This as Europe slowly emerges from lockdown. I'll speak to the Norwegian Prime Minister about her country's experience. And we will have an update on a cyclone with winds the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane or super typhoon headed for parts of Asia. Well, it is all being done virtually but leaders around the world are joining in on the 73rd Annual World Health Assembly and this year all eyes are on the WHO and China. More than 100 countries are pushing for an independent investigation into the global response to COVID-19. Now, China has faced some pretty intense scrutiny over its handling of the outbreak but the Chinese President Xi Jinping told the Assembly his country acted openly and transparently. Let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson he is live in Hong Kong with more on what's being said during this virtual summit, Ivan.
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes. You couldn't have something more important than this kind of summit focusing on the biggest public health crisis in generations. Of course, this is an annual meeting but nobody can actually go to it because of the threat of travel right now. So it's been a little spotty with video conferencing and some bumps and snags along the way. The initial request was for an investigation into the origins of the Coronavirus which was first detected in the Chinese City of Wuhan last December. The Australians pushed for it. The Chinese absolutely blasted Australia for suggesting this. In the end more than 100 countries including close Chinese ally Russia signed on to a watered-down version that called for an impartial independent and comprehensive evaluation of the lessons learned from this terrible pandemic. And then the Chinese Leader gave his own speech in opening remarks to the Assembly and celebrated what he said was China's in his words honorable response to this crisis. Take a listen.
[Xi Jinping, Chinese President:] All along, we have acted with openness, transparency and a responsibility. We have provided the information to the WHO and relevant countries in the most timely fashion. We have released the genome sequence at the earliest possible time. We have shared control and treatment experiences with the world without reservation. We have done everything in our power to support and assist countries in need.
[Watson:] The Director of the World Health Organization in his speech he said that he would welcome and initiate an independent evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment. Xi Jinping for his part said he would be open to a review if it's science and fact based and only after COVID-19 had been brought under control, Hala?
[Gorani:] Yes. This would require cooperation and even access potentially to labs, institutions inside of China. Do authorities are they signaling that they'd agree to this?
[Watson:] We did not get more specifics. He did talk in specific terms about a $2 billion pledge to help the global fight against COVID-19. He did talk about the need for unity and support to African states. And those kinds of themes were echoed by other leaders who gave speeches, as well. Emmanuel Macron of France, Angela Merkel of Germany and another a number of other heads of state notably absent was a top official from the U.S. addressing this body and that's another part of this is that the U.S., of course, the Trump Administration, has vowed to withdraw funding from the WHO. And the State Department, the U.S. Secretary of State published a statement some hours into this virtual assembly slamming the Head of the WHO saying that he lacks independence and that he did not allow Taiwan which China refuses to recognize to be an independent state claiming it to be a breakaway part of China that Taiwan was not invited to this important gathering. And Taiwan has 23 million citizens and has done quite well battling the coronavirus even though its right next to China where this terrible disease was first discovered, Hala?
[Gorani:] Thank you, Ivan Watson. Let's check in with CNN reporters all across the United States now to see how various communities there are dealing with the Coronavirus. We'll get to Europe in a moment after that but let's start with one of the hardest hit places in America, the home of the Navajo Nation.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Sara Sidner in Window Rock, Arizona the tribal headquarters of the Navajo Nation. This nation now has the highest rate of infection per capita for COVID-19 in all of America. But the President of the Navajo Nation says there's a reason for that. They also have done more testing than any state in the nation with 11 percent of its people tested. 3,900 plus people tested positive for COVID-19 and they have had a spike in deaths this weekend. And so, they also have one of the strictest stay at home orders, masks are required in public and there's a curfew every night at 8:00, on the weekends especially this week, there was a 57-hour complete lockdown, no stores open, not even gas stations.
[Natasha Chen, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Natasha Chen in Atlanta. Governor Brian Kemp allowed gyms and fitness centers to reopen more than three weeks ago but many of those businesses have decided to take it slower. L.A. Fitness says Georgia is one of its' first markets to reopen. All of its Atlanta locations are offering a staggered start to full services with no group fitness classes until June 1st. Planet fitness opened many of its locations this past weekend and Atlanta based crunch fitness opened its gyms last week.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Sarah Westwood in Washington. Ivanka Trump is expected to join President Trump today in a meeting with members of the restaurant industry to discuss the impact of Coronavirus. The meeting is expected to include well-known chefs and restaurant executives as well as members of the independent restaurant coalition, a group that was formed during the pandemic to advocate for restaurants. And that group has expressed concerns about the Paycheck Protection Act they're expected to bring this up during the White House meeting. It also praised the newly passed House Democrats bill the Heroes Act which Trump has already vowed to veto. The meeting comes during a week when Trump is expected also to speak about the food supply chain on Tuesday.
[Evan Mcmorris-santoro, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Evan McMorris-Santoro in Brooklyn. This is Domino Park, a popular spot in the Williamsburg neighborhood. Authorities were concerned by overcrowding so they created a social distancing scream. Circles painted on the ground six feet apart keep people divided. Masks are requested and handed out. A steady presence of the New York Police Department enforces it all. It is a sign that the pandemic story isn't changing that much for this city even as the weather improves. On Sunday the Mayor Bill De Blasio said all New York City beaches will remain closed for the foreseeable future.
[Gorani:] All right. That's a clever idea with the circles. Thank you very much for that. There are new concerns today about how the U.S. President Donald Trump is treating the people tasked with watching over the U.S. government. On Friday he fired the State Department's Inspector General, the Fifth Government Watchdog to be ousted in recent weeks. CNN's Alex Marquardt is following that and he joins me now from Washington. Talk to us about the latest dismissal Alex.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior U.s. Correspondent:] Hala, as you know, this is a disturbing trend and the latest most controversial evidence of that example of that is Steve Linick as you mentioned. And Hala we've just learned from Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Elliott Engle that Steve Linick had was wrapping up an investigation into the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expediting arms sales to the tune of $8 billion to Saudi Arabia. I want to read you part of the statement that Engle just put out moments ago. I have learned that there may be another reason for Mr. Linick's firing. His office was investigating at my request Trump's phony declaration of an emergency so he could send weapons to Saudi Arabia. We don't have the full picture yet but it's troubling. That Secretary Pompeo wanted Mr. Linick pushed out before this work could be completed. Hala, we also know of another investigation that was in the works, Linick looking into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's use of a political appointee for personal tasks. Taken altogether the removal of all of these inspectors general, critics of the Trump Administration are calling this an unprecedented purge of watchdogs. In just six weeks, a purge, one watchdog removed after the next. In total, five inspectors' generals or officials acting in that role since the beginning of April all but one dismissed late on a Friday night as the weekend began.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , Speaker Of The House:] Well, this is new to us and typical of the White House announcing something that is very unsavory. They would do it late on a Friday night.
[Marquardt:] The latest to draw a controversy is the Friday night firing of the State Department's Inspector General, Steve Linick. He had launched an investigation into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and according to two sources whether Pompeo and his wife had used a politically appointed staffer for personal tasks including dog walking, picking up dry cleaning and making dinner reservations. Linick who had previously issued two reports critical of the State Department also played a small but key role in the impeachment inquiry? Another likely strike against Linick was that that had been named by Barack Obama, many of whose appointees had been seen by the Trump Administration as insignificantly loyal and part of the so-called deep state. White House Economic Adviser Peter Navarro said there's no room for anyone not loyal to the Trump agenda.
[Peter Navarro, White House Economic Adviser:] I support whatever this President does in terms of his hiring and firing decisions.
[Marquardt:] Also Friday night the Transportation Department's Acting Inspector General was replaced and a new one nominated. Inspectors General are vital to keeping agencies and departments in check, watching for wrongdoing and reporting it, oversight that the President has bristled at.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] Did I hear the word Inspector General? Really? It's wrong.
[Marquardt:] The Former Inspector General for the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson had taken a whistle-blower complaint about the President and Ukraine to Congress angering the White House and leading to the impeachment proceedings. Atkinson was fired last month. Just days before, the Pentagon's Acting Inspector General Glen Fine who was overseeing spending on the Coronavirus response was also removed. And two weeks ago the officials serving as the watchdog for the Department of Health and Human Services was replaced after investigators found shortages of testing kits and masks along with delays in Coronavirus test results.
[Sen. Robert Menendez:] When you fire them with impunity, you are sending a chilling message to every Inspector General of every department that, in fact, when you step on the administration's toes then you are fired. That cannot stand.
[Marquardt:] Leading House and Senate Democrats quickly announced an investigation of Steve Linick's firing saying it may be an illegal act of retaliation. Few Republicans have spoken up. Senator Mitt Romney called it unprecedented and without good cause. Senator Chuck Grassley saying the President's explanation simply is not sufficient. President Trump wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the State Department firing. It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as Inspectors General. That is no longer the case with regard to this Inspector General. Pelosi responded that the White House has yet to provide an explanation.
[Pelosi:] The President has the right to fire any federal employee but the fact is if it looks like it's in retaliation for something that the IG, the Inspector General, is doing that could be unlawful.
[Marquardt:] So as you can hear there, Democrats are questioning whether or not the firing of Linick was legal in fact Democrats in both the House and Senate have launched an investigation and demanded records from the State Department. We now know that Linick will be replaced at the State Department by Steven Attker. He has served around the world and a number of diplomatic posts as well as most recently as the Director of Foreign Missions at the State Department. He's also close to Vice President Mike Pence having worked closely with Pence when Pence was the Governor of Indiana. We have reached out to the State Department for a request for comment from the Secretary of State. So far Hala, we've not heard back.
[Gorani:] Thank you, Alex Marquardt, for that important reporting. Now, how's Norway dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic? It has a relatively low number of deaths, 232 so far. I'll be speaking to the country's Prime Minister after the break. And the U.K. has added another symptom to its official list of Coronavirus symptoms months after doctors first alerted it. Why so late? We'll be right back.

[Ana Cabrera, Cnn Anchor:] Pete Buttigieg makes it official this weekend and move from the exploratory phase to a full-blown presidential campaign. Recent polls show Buttigieg running third in the all-important states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Right now, there's a tidal wave of attention and hype focused on the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Buttigieg is a Rhodes Scholar, served in the Navy during the Afghanistan War and, if elected, would become the nation's first gay president. "Washington Post" opinion columnist, Ed Rogers, says Buttigieg's time in the spotlight, "What is happening is a naturally occurring part of the campaign season referred to as the Cinderella cycle. Every candidate wants to be the chosen one, who will turning out to be the desirable princess. All candidates want the slipper to fit. At any given time, one candidate has the slipper and is trying it on. Soon it will land in another candidates' hands." With us now, Brian Stelter, CNN's chief media correspondent and anchor of "REALIABLE SOURCES." Brian, granted the media cycle moves so fast and the campaign season is so long.
[Cabrera:] How has Buttigieg's media strategy allowed him to seize this Cinderella moment?
[Brian Stelter, Cnn Chief Media Correspondent & Cnn Host, "reliable Sources":] Because he's been seemingly everywhere, willing to go on lots of television shows, comedy specials, podcasts. He has found a way to introduce himself to the country. And it is unlike a lot of the other candidates, field of 20, we've seen. Mayor Pete, says he's OK being called, since it's hard to say Buttigieg, was relatively unknown until a few months ago. He's willing to say yes to almost every request. On the cover of "Time" magazine. Been on FOX News, despite the Democrat National Committee's aversion to FOX News. And he made a choice to be as visible as possible to get name recognition leading up to tomorrow's event.
[Cabrera:] He doesn't seem to be worried about a potential gap and hasn't stayed away from FOX News. The day of digital media, and the ability to put mistakes out there, to be exploited, to be shared, to amplified on social media, he doesn't back down away from that challenge?
[Stelter:] The more confident you are about your positions and your identity or brand as a politician, the more natural you can be giving these kinds of interviews. You're right. He hasn't had those moments where he's had to walk things back or regretted various interviews. He's had a very strong rollout. I spoke with one of his advisers, who said, we're willing to go on podcasts, on usual formats like the breakfast radio show, a lot of attention among Democratic contenders. Been on "The View." He's been on a lot of these shows introducing himself. In an interesting way, his odd, funny name, hard to say, helps him. Makes people curious. How do you say "Buttigieg?" Curiosity about that. There's been a lot of factors that helped him out. And more importantly, he comes across on television and radio that is personable and warm and that's
[Cabrera:] He seems sincere and not so calculated, perhaps.
[Stelter:] Yes
[Cabrera:] One other thing that has given him a lot of media attention, the back and forth with the vice president. Let's watch.
[Pete Buttigieg, , Mayor Of South Bend & Presidential Candidate:] I'm not critical of his faith. I'm critical of bad policies. I don't have a problem with religion. I'm religious, too. I have a problem with religion being used as a justification to harm people, and especially in the LGBTQ community.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] I think Pete's quarrel is with the First Amendment.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] How so?
[Pence:] All of us in this country have the right to our religious beliefs. I'm a Bible-believing Christian.
[Bash:] Is that belief that
[Pence:] My wife and I my wife and I are Bible-believing Christians. We cherish or faith. We put our trust in God's word. As do tens of millions of Americans. And I think, as he seeks the highest office of the land, as he seeks to be that person that takes oath of office to uphold the Constitution, he'd do well to reflect on the importance of respecting freedom of religion of every American.
[Cabrera:] Brian, Buttigieg later admitted to CNN's Dan Merica this back and forth with the vice president has been good for his candidacy. But are there any downsides?
[Stelter:] I think that's true, there has been boosting Buttigieg among the Democratic base. I think what he's trying to do is create contrast. President Trump is not the only person that he can contrast with. Pence is another. Buttigieg later said my issues is not with the vice president's faith but with bad policies. I wonder if this will continue or not at this point, if there's any more to say about it. The challenge for Buttigieg is it's only April. At this point in 2015, President Trump wasn't even in the race yet. A long way to go before the first primaries. What will he do to keep building his identify, keep building momentum is another question? He's seized the moment so far. At the CNN town hall, for example, he seized that moment and people talking about it. He raised more money off of it. It'interesting to see how he's built this up, step by step, leading up to tomorrow's announcement.
[Cabrera:] You mentioned town halls. Glad you did. I have one this weekend with some lesser-known candidates. We have Marianne Williamson with Dana Bash, who is hosting that one. And then Andrew Yang tomorrow at 7:00. I'll be hosting.
[Stelter:] I'll be watching.
[Cabrera:] And don't forget to watch Brian's show tomorrow morning, "RELIABLE SOURCES," tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m., here on CNN. Thanks, Brian.
[Stelter:] Thank you.
[Cabrera:] Presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, has his own idea of what campaigning for 2020 looks like holograms. The Democratic candidate says he wants to use the technology to reach multiple audiences in battleground states at the same time. And he debuted what it could look like with this video. This on TMZ Live. He shows a hologram of himself alongside he was rapping there alongside a hologram of Tupac Shakur.
[Unidentified Male:] It is you, sort of performing with a Tupac hologram, a very famous Tupac hologram forming America's Most Wanted. Can you explain I was asking the producers what's the the plan here?
[Andrew Yang, , Presidential Candidate:] Well, if you look closely at that footage, you'll see that actually not me performing with hologram Tupac. That's a hologram of me.
[Cabrera:] I hope that piqued your curiosity. Again, I'll be moderating a town hall featuring Andrew Yang tomorrow night at 7:00, here on CNN. It follows a town hall moderated by my colleague, Dana Bash, featuring Democratic candidate, Marianne Williamson. Coming up, Amazon eavesdropping. A new report about thousands of people listening to what you tell your Alexa devices. And it's raising a lot of questions about privacy.

[Cooper:] Appreciate it, Randi. Thanks very much. The news continues. Want to hand it over to Chris for "CUOMO PRIME TIME." Chris?
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, Cuomo Prime Time:] Thank you very much, Anderson. I appreciate it. I am Chris Cuomo and welcome to PRIME TIME. Literally, if this were a fight, this campaign, we are now in the last round. These three weeks, this is it. You're going to see both campaigns coming with everything they got. So, what do we see? Biden is making sure he doesn't get put in a corner, right? He's moving around the ring. He's going to the places he needs to be. His hands are up, at all times, because he believes he's ahead on points. Trump, on the other hand, knows he needs a knockout. He is going for broke. Every punch is a haymaker. He's swinging wildly. Every line is an insult. Every rally is likely to get someone sick. And you will not hear him say to put on masks, even though followers tell us they would do it, if he asked. Like I said, he's going for broke. But here's Trump's problem. Here's his problem with the analogy. He's not fighting one opponent. He's fighting two. He's swinging at Biden, but he keeps getting hit by the pandemic. America went from first to worst in terms of cases and deaths. And leadership has to be a reason why. Florida and, now, Pennsylvania, two places that Trump needs, Pennsylvania tonight, Florida last night, going back to Florida, why? They are crucial. He won them. Now, they're up for grabs, at best. The pandemic, that he is saying is no big deal, that he actually caught, and needed to get two experimental treatments, in the hospital to beat, is not only not going away, it's in full effect in both of those states. So, his rallies may have thousands cheering in his corner, but there are millions in those states who are feeling the beating from the virus and the failing economy as a consequence. Now, the irony is if Trump actually took on the pandemic that is punching him in the face, he might win the election. We would surely be in better shape. Instead, he's running away from the opponent. He's pretending it's not even a real fight for us that Coronavirus will just magically leave the ring. He says he's going to give you a big fat kiss, but he's not doing anything to get you the medicine that made him healthy again. Why isn't it for everybody? Why isn't he all-out on production of that? Why doesn't he have the wall mentality about getting us well? He thinks he's past the test of leadership, but he's not getting us the testing we need, at work, in schools with our kids. It's a mess. We can't get back to business. We can't get our kids on the right track, because we can't protect the right people the right way. But instead of throwing everything we got at the virus, he's throwing everything at the one man that you really trust when it comes to the pandemic, Fauci. He is actually once again he didn't learn his lesson, right, that's Trump, double down on dumb attacking Tony Fauci again for his prognostications. The President literally told us it would disappear like a miracle that we'll be down to zero cases in February. You said it affects no one, ignoring the millions of us, who have died or lost someone or been sick. It affects no one? You and your wife got it. The White House is a cluster. You're still telling us it's not worth attacking with everything we got? Look at it in terms of the numbers. 68 percent believe in Fauci. And let's be honest. That number is low because Trump keeps giving him a beating, and so do his whole emissaries over on State TV. The President's credibility has been like half that in the polls. What he should do is carry a picture of Fauci with him, show it to everybody, because saying you're with Fauci is a way better way to get votes than the flailing at everyone that you're doing. Think of this. Think about it. This is the only time I can ever think of when the challenger in an election, Biden, right, is running in support of the policies that the President's own Task Force is proposing, and the President is running against his own people's recommendations. Think about how crazy that is. Lucky for us, Fauci says, "Let him say what he wants. I'm in for the long haul."
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director Of The National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] I'm not going to walk away from this outbreak no matter who's the President.
[Cuomo:] Good! False promises of disappearing pandemics, magical economic rebounds, pretending you can only trust him, when more of his people have been forced out or indicted than anybody, including Watergate, calling himself the greatest in the ring, when he can't float or fly. He can just lie and deny. We are on the ropes, in this fight, thanks to pure Trumpery. No, I'm not making fun of the President's name. That's his game. "Trumpery" is a real word from long before Trump. It means worthless nonsense, as in all flash, no cash, all show, no go. It derives from old English, trompery, deceit, French, tromper, to deceive. This President's name could not be a better fit. He and his people like to play with mob references, right, especially when it comes to me. Well there's one that applies to him, and his desperate last round of antics. When he says he wants to go out into that crowd and give everyone the kiss, remember "The Godfather?" He's giving you a kiss, all right? It's "YMCA." Is he dancing or is that some of the long-haul COVID symptoms I haven't seen yet? Is he all right? He's all right. 215,000 dead, he's doing his whatever, happy dance, masquerading as if you don't need masks. Not once has he done a moment of silence for all of those who have been lost, all those families, at any of his rallies. But soon enough, he's going to be done doing the talking. The fight is going to end, and soon, and he will listen to your decision because ultimately, you are the judge. So, the question for us tonight, as we begin, is what does the present tell us about where we're heading between now and this election? We have Dr. Leana Wen and David Gregory. Thank you both. Doctor, the idea that he is going to places like Florida and Pennsylvania, and saying, "We are turning the corner," not true.
[Dr. Leana Wen, Cnn Medical Analyst, Former Baltimore Health Commissioner, Er Physician, Public Health Professor, George Washington University:] Not true at all because we are seeing surges all across the country. This is exactly not where we wanted to be heading into the colder months. And I look at all these rallies. Any of these events could be the next super-spreader event. And it's not even what happens so much at the event. We all know it's not good for all these people to be gathering together, not wearing masks, flouting restrictions. It's also what happens around the event, too, because these same individuals, attending the events, are probably also not following public health guidance. They're probably also going to indoor bars. And then, when they get home, they're probably not going to get quarantined and test themselves. And I just really worry about this because you can make a decision for yourself. But I don't think you should get to commit others to a sacrifice that they did not make. What about hospitals and healthcare systems and public health infrastructure? That's going to get overwhelmed and other people are not going to be able to get the medical care that they need.
[Cuomo:] Hospitalizations are on the rise. That's always the most important indicator. Quick follow, many people have optimism because he's giving it to them. "Look at me, I beat it. I feel amazing. I'm immune, they say." Nobody's saying that. Nobody told him he's immune. But that's OK. He doesn't tell the truth. But he's also not telling the truth about people being able to get access to the drugs that he got that apparently made him better, right? Is there any reason to believe that any time soon, anyone who gets sick is going to get either of the experimental treatments he had?
[Wen:] Look, Regeneron, the company that manufactured the antibody cocktail that he got, it's not even authorized for use by the FDA. And so, we are a long way off from people getting the same kind of treatments that the President got. And, by the way, we still have to do the scientific research, because an anecdote of one is not science, it's not research.
[Cuomo:] Now David, good to see you, brother. Thank you for joining us on PRIME TIME tonight. DAVID GREGORY, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, AUTHOR, "HOW'S YOUR FAITH?": Good to see you. The idea of him going for broke, and his main bet is, "I can beat the pandemic. I can keep people off of me of blaming me for how it is," why did he choose that as his strategy, when saying, "I'm going to take it on a 100 percent" would have been the more likely strategy?
[Gregory:] Well you alluded to this in your "Fight" metaphor. I think he just fights. That's his one reaction. It's not a thoughtful reaction. It's just instinct for him. It's just fight whoever or whatever is coming at him. But he didn't fight the pandemic, and the virus with anything he had. Now he's fighting the idea of it. And I think he's going for something else, and I frankly think it's more desperate, even though there is a real argument there. He's basically saying Biden and other of his opponents are want to overreact. They want to overreact to the virus. They want to shut the economy down. Today, we heard Pence say that on the stump today, that Joe Biden would shut down the economy again, and Donald Trump is opening things back up. It's the same message he makes about, "You got to find some way to live with the virus that it can't overwhelm you, it can't defeat you." He gets in his own way, but there's still an argument to be made that I think a lot of Americans agree with.
[Cuomo:] That's a good argument, by the way.
[Gregory:] Which we got to find a way to live with this.
[Cuomo:] Yes.
[Gregory:] And follow the rules.
[Cuomo:] Yes. I mean here's the problem. I agree with you, David. Here's the next step I want you to take on it. I agree with you. I think there are a lot of people, who when they hear "Shut down again" they are like, "No way." I know, Dr. Wen.
[Gregory:] Right.
[Cuomo:] I'll get to you in a second because I know you see it through a different lens. But they say, "I'm not doing that again." So, when they hear Biden say, "Yes, I'd be open to it," it frightens them. The problem is, is that that has to go hand-in-hand with seeing that the government is doing things to keep it from happening. See and that's-
[Gregory:] Right.
[Cuomo:] -the President's problem is that where is his strategy to keep it from happening?
[Gregory:] Right. And I don't think he has one, and I think that's the problem. We spend a lot of time talking about things that Trump could be doing. Even Mike Pence, in the debate, could defend what the Administration did to combat the virus a lot better than Trump. He knows it better, and he can get out of his own way. Trump only wants to fight. He wants to talk about personally overcoming it, how strong he feels, saying things that just don't make any sense and being a bad example, on top of it, and not using the bully pulpit to actually get people to change their behavior, and to simply follow the rules. But again, but I do think there's a lot of people, who still have their kids at home, who don't see their schools, trying to figure out how to get to yes, how to get to re-opening. You had Tony Fauci on last week. This is very confusing. I got to tell you. I follow this every day. The data are confusing about where cases are going up, where they're going down. I know that I know that daily cases are too high, over 40,000, but there are parts of the country that are handling this virus much better than other parts. And I know the fear of our healthcare professionals and our public health specialists is that if we continue to have people letting their guard down, as it gets colder, then you're in for real trouble.
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Gregory:] But again, I think he's trying to exploit the idea that he'd say, "Look, we're doing the best we can. It's getting better, and the other guys are just going to shut everything down."
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Gregory:] And that gets some people afraid.
[Cuomo:] See, the problem is, is that the roles are reversed, Dr. Wen. Biden should be making the case that Trump is making, which is "He's going to screw it all up. Hey, look how bad it is. This is really, you know," and instead, you hear Trump saying, "No, no, everything everything is, you know, it's fine. Biden is a panicker." He's the one in charge. He's the one, who has to own the reality. He's trying to make Biden own the reality, in the eventuality. Now, what that gets us to is strategy. And you and I talked the other night with somebody coming at the data from a different direction, which is this mode of selective protection. Some people need more protection than others. Certain areas are dealing with it better than others because of their population and how they're doing it. We don't have any central plan. So, how do we replicate what's working in some places in the places where it isn't working with no central planning?
[Wen:] Yes, that's a really good question, Chris. This is what happens when all along we know that we have not had a national strategy. There have been pieces of a national strategy, as in there's actually a good plan around vaccines, so let's give the Trump Administration credit for Operation Warp Speed, although there have been some problems about politicizing that process. But still, there have been some good work around vaccine and therapeutics. Some initial work now being done around testing, although, I will say that getting 150 million tests out, that sounds like a lot, but that's a press release. That's still not a national strategy. And now we're seeing what happens when basically we're playing whack- a-mole across the country. We're seeing one part of the country do well, but then another part of the country becomes a problem. And then that does OK, then another part becomes a problem. And so, I do think that having a national plan makes sense, but these principles, upon which the national strategy is based, we actually know what to do at this point. We need to stop talking about public health as somehow the enemy of the economy, or the enemy of school re- opening. If we can just say something like, "Look, wearing a mask is what will allow us to keep our businesses open," or "Let's focus on restricting small gatherings, informal gatherings," that's what will allow our students to get back in school, if we don't also have play dates and birthday parties at the same time. I mean, we can take sensible steps that other countries have taken, that do allow us, I think, to David's point, of getting life back to normal, as much as we can, and continue to socialize, not be isolated, reduce the burden on mental health, on the mental health system, and actually try to get back to normal, but with few of these public health strategies that we know are effective.
[Cuomo:] David, last word to you.
[Gregory:] Well I just I agree with so much. I do think part of the problems with Trump not taking this seriously, and being in denial, and then being political, it was your point. He should be holding Tony Fauci so tight so that they're shoulder-to- shoulder, because then the American public can see, "Well I may have my problems with Trump," but they have been shoulder-to-shoulder in fighting this virus. That has not been the case. The President has denied, he's lied, and he's been inconsistent, and hasn't even followed his own advice. The strategy and the key for Biden, at this point, is to recognize how hard it's going to be, if he becomes President, and that he's got to really paint a picture of how he leads, and how it would be different, under his leadership. Because the reality is that the reaction to Trump is also strong. And you see it with schools. There's a lot of schools who are in communities, like Washington D.C., that's doing a good job. And people are following the rules. And they are still so risk-averse to opening schools, in large part because their teachers don't want to do it, and a lot of that is reaction to some of the politics. "So, if Trump says, "Reopen," then we should stay closed." There's all of this that's coursing through the response to the virus that is a reflection of how it's been politicized, and it's and it's really unfortunate.
[Cuomo:] Three weeks, and the pandemic will tell the story. We've been doing this a long time. I'm actually older than David, but I look up to him as a journalist, because we have never seen a president whose fate hinges on a situation that he is refusing to confront. And this is the first time we've seen it. And we'll see how it plays out, and soon. Dr. Wen, thank you. D. Gregory, as always, love you thank you.
[Gregory:] Love you, you too.
[Cuomo:] Big day on the Hill. SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett just made it through an intense round of grilling by Democrats. How did she do? Look, she did the way they always do, OK? We have one of the senators here who pressed her about one word that the Judge used more than once. Senator Hirono is here, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Paul:] Dozens of women you see, they are protesting sexual assault, staging a flash mob outside movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's trial last week, chanting there, it's not my fault, not where I was, not how I dress. This trial is set to resume jury selection tomorrow. Over 100 potential jurors were called in. By the end of the week, 30 to 40 people were prospects, 47 people were dismissed because they outright said they couldn't be impartial. Weinstein is facing charges for allegedly raping a woman in 2013 and sexually assaulting another woman back in 2006. He's pleaded not guilty to all counts and now is facing new sex crime charges in Los Angeles. We've got Joey Jackson with us here, because it was a crazy week, Joey. Monday, those sex crime charges in L.A. were filed. Tuesday, the judge scolded Weinstein for using his cell phone in court. And then Wednesday, Weinstein, his team tried to get the judge to recuse himself and bar Attorney Gloria Allred from the courtroom. By Friday, there was a battle with the judge and Weinstein's attorney about the process of choosing the jury. Is what we've seen so far this week, and let's make a point of this, it hasn't even really started yet. This is just jury selection. Is this common aggression from a defense team that just wants to make sure they're protecting their client, or is this an expectation of what we're going to see?
[Joey Jackson, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Christi, good morning to you. Wow, what a week, huh, a week of drama and we haven't heard testimony, nor has there been any opening statement yet, and so a number of things. I think, first, it's important to keep in mind that this trial is not like a typical trial, right? The stakes are enormous. It's in light of certainly a movement, a national movement concerning MeToo, concerning TimesUp, concerning a new era of accountability. And so we have to keep that in mind as we look at the fireworks of the week. And so, therefore, given the dynamics of this case, given the publicity in this case, no, it's not normal. But certainly, the defense wanted to do everything they could do to preserve their client's ability to get a fair trial. And that's why you saw the fireworks there with respect to the judge saying, hey, look, recuse yourself, how dare you, judge, tell my client that is this the way you want to spend your life in jail because he's on a cell phone? So they had to do that. And then you saw more motions that were predicated upon. Look, let's talk to jurors individually, let's not have them give these statements in front of an international media. Let's make motions so that we can preserve our client's right. And the other thing that does, even though you might anticipate the judge would deny those motions, as the judge did, it lays a foundation for appeal in the event he's convicted. So much more to come, right, as we proceed further with jury selection. But certainly, these are different times so there's nothing normal about this case.
[Paul:] There has been a lot made about the fact that he's using a walker to get into the courtroom. We do need to point out, as I understand it, and correct me if I'm wrong here, he did have back surgery. So it's necessary at the moment. But how strategic was that for him to have that surgery at this time so he could walk into a courtroom as some people say and look less dangerous?
[Jackson:] Yes, and more sympathetic, right? And so that's the point. And so it depends who you ask, obviously. And so there are two sides to it. The one side, hey, he needed the back surgery now. As a result of that, he got it and he is suffering from whatever debilitating conditions he was, so therefore, the walker, et cetera. To your point though about timing, understand this, Christi. Everything in a courtroom is designed to ensure that your client appears in a way that they should, right? You want people to have empathy. You want people to have sympathy. And you certainly are looking as a defense attorney and monitoring everything. It's about demeanor, it's about comportment, it's about what you do in a courtroom, what you do on your way into that courtroom. It's about, look, don't speak to me now, don't smile at me now. Just have sort of your game face on so that the jury can know and understand you're taking it seriously and perhaps be empathetic to you as they're rendering their ruling if we ever get there, because we're just during jury selection now.

[Marquardt:] We're following breaking news. Baton Rouge police have made an arrest in the death of a beloved community activist. Police found Sadie Roberts Joseph's body in the trunk of her car. That was last week. An autopsy showed the 75-year-old civil rights icon died of suffocation and her death has been ruled a homicide. Just moments ago Baton Rouge police announced they now have a suspect in custody.
[Chief Murphy Paul, Jr., Baton Rouge Police:] Today the Baton Rouge police department arrested Ron Germane Bell and charged him with first degree murder for the homicide of Sadie Roberts-Joseph. We believe based on our investigation at this time that Ron Bell was a tenant in one of her rent houses. We believe that he was behind several months on his rent. We believe around $1,200 was owed for rent. We still don't have a complete solid motive at the time. And the motive is still under investigation.
[Marquardt:] C. Denise Marcelle is a Louisiana state lawmaker from the Baton Rouge area and has known Roberts-Joseph for years. And Pat McAllister-LeDuff is a niece of Sadie. Pat, let me first say that we are so sorry for your loss. And I would like to ask what your reaction is from the police there, that an arrest has been made in this homicide.
[Pat Mcallister-leduff, Niece Of Slain Activist Sadie Roberts-joseph:] It's a great relief, just to know that that part of the journey is over. That was the most important thing at that particular time, was just who did it, why, and where were you where are you? So that part we can sigh a little bit in terms of what actually happened and who did it.
[Marquardt:] Well it certainly doesn't ease any pain. But I imagine it does helps to start answering some of the questions that you may have. Do you know, Pat, the suspect or why he may have harmed your aunt, that we heard the police talking about rent and money?
[Mcallister-leduff:] Well, money is the root of all evil, so I would think that I would hate to think that I would be necessary to kill your landlord because you can't pay her. But it seems that that could very well have been the case.
[Marquardt:] And Denise, I want to know more about what Sadie meant to the Baton Rouge community. We know that she founded an African- American museum as well as a nonprofit organization against drugs and violence. But what did she mean to that community to her community?
[C. Denise Marcelle,  Louisiana State House:] Well first of all, she was an icon. She meant so much to this community, to so many different people. Young people, older people, just people. It's very hard to describe Sadie's reaction with the community because she was on every level. She was an activist. She was a historian. She was an amazing woman, and I'm certainly glad that someone's in custody for this crime. And the city is relieved at least that we have someone behind bars. And I certainly I want to thank the Baton Rouge community for coming together on this. It's very important to the family. I've been with the family for several days and it's a relief, but it's tough. It's going to be tough on them. We're continuing our prayers and certainly for our community.
[Marquardt:] Pat, we have heard that word icon used quite a bit. Not just by Denise but by a lot of people in that community. But you had a much more personal relationship of course with aunt. What do you want us all what do you want the world to know about her?
[Mcallister-leduff:] That she was all about peace. She was as an icon in the community and she was also an icon in our family. So she's always been the strength. She's always been the person that keeps you corrected. She's always been that person that will always want you to shoot for excellence. And so peace is what it's all about, coming together. Learning about each other. Having awareness of each contribution that's made to the nation by people, by the community and to embrace that. That's what she always said, embrace what each of us bring to the table. So that we all can get along, and there will be peace.
[Marcelle:] And we certainly want to highlight the museum and keep her legacy alive. So they're establishing a fund to do just that. And we're asking people from around the world to certainly support that effort as she has carried this museum on her back for many, many years. We're saddened by her death but we're glad that it is brought Baton Rouge together. And we certainly hoping that we're going to commit to keeping the museum alive and open. And so we're certainly looking for contributions to do that.
[Marquardt:] Well, peace and
[Mcallister-leduff:] She would want that. That's exactly what she would want.
[Marquardt:] Thank you for joining me this afternoon. Once again, Denise and Pat, I'm so sorry for your loss. Sadie sounded like an absolutely remarkable woman, thank you for coming on to tell us about her today.
[Marcelle:] And she was.
[Mcallister-leduff:] Thank you.
[Marcelle:] Thank you.
[Marquardt:] All right, we'll be back in a moment.

[Berman:] So with most of the country still locked down, Americans have never been so isolated. How can we maintain connections with all this social distancing? Joining us again, former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. He is the author of a new book on this exact subject, "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World." We should note he's also a public health adviser for the Biden campaign. Look, you wrote this before social distancing and the pandemic. That's how much of a problem it was even without this. Now you say we are suffering from a social recession. What do you mean?
[Dr. Vivek Murthy, Former U.s. Surgeon General:] Well, John, long before Covid-19 was on the scene, I was realizing when I traveled the country as surgeon general that many people were struggling with loneliness. And I had seen loneliness in my own life, in the lives of my patients as I cared for them in the hospital. But I hadn't appreciated just how common this was. People would often say to me, I feel I have to shoulder all these burdens alone. I feel if I disappear tomorrow, no one would even notice. I feel invisible. And I was hearing this from moms and dads in the Midwest, from people in small fishing villages in Alaska and from members of Congress as well. And what I learned, you know, during that time, John, is that not only is loneliness incredibly common, but more than 22 percent of adults in the United States is struggling with loneliness. But it's also consequential that people with loneliness, you know, noting that that's associated with a greater risk of heart disease and dementia, depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances. My worry about right now, about Covid-19 and this physical distancing we're being asked to observe, is that if we're not careful, if we don't act differently, then we are putting ourselves at risk of deepening loneliness. Something I think of as a social recession. But I don't think it has to be that way. I think we can change that.
[Berman:] To be clear, we are faced with unprecedented challenges here and being put in situations we've never been put in before. Just talk about people in the hospitals. They can't be visited. At the very time when I think being with sick people would be most advantageous, we can't be with those who are sick in the hospital. No, I haven't seen either of my parents who live alone in months and I won't be able to, in all likelihood, in months. These are the types of challenges we face now. And you say it can have real medical implications.
[Murthy:] Well, it can. If we're not careful, chronic loneliness can create chronic stress. It creates a physiological stress state in our body. And when we are in that stressed state for a long period of time, it can lead to increased inflammation and increase our risk of chronic illnesses. But I do think that ultimately this topic, and the reason I wrote about it is, I think that it there's this source of hope here because I what I realize is, in our relationships that we find one of our greatest resources, a resource that can help us be healthier, perform better in the workplace and at school, and even help heal our dialog and our politics. But here's what we can do right now to avoid that social recession. We can make it a point to spend at least 15 minutes a day talking to ideally video conferencing with people we love. And that's a way of staying connected to the outside world. Second, we can make sure that the quality of the time that we have with them is high. And we can do that by eliminating distraction when we're talking to others, particularly from our phones. And, third, we can look for ways to serve. One of the great realizations I had in writing this book was that service is a powerful antidote to loneliness. It shifts the focus to someone else in the context of a positive interaction. It reminds us that we have value to bring to the world. These three simple steps can be powerful in terms of the impact they have on us in keeping us more connected at a time when we desperately need it.
[Berman:] We can put up this list so people can see exactly the advice you're giving here of things you can do to deal with loneliness. Yes, stop texting. Start calling. Video calls really, really good. I also think that you need to be focused not on Instagram while you're on those calls as well. But one of these things is interesting. You say practice moments of solitude. So how can practicing moments of solitude help you from being lonely?
[Murthy:] Well, John, it turns out that our ability to connect with other people is very much influenced by the space that we're in, by our ability to actually connect with ourselves and be grounded and rooted in the moment. And right now there is so much turmoil in the world around us, by taking just a few minutes of solitude where we sit on our stoop and feel the breeze against our face, where we remember three things that we're grateful for, where we use those few minutes to take a walk in nature, to meditate, to pray or just to reflect, that is time where we let the noise around us settles, where we can ground ourselves and center ourselves. And when we approach other people from that place is centeredness, our conversations are better. We can listen more deeply and we ultimately can feel more connected to them. Look, overall, if we approach this Covid-19 pandemic with an eye towards strengthening our connections, if we recommit to the people in our lives and our relationships, I think we can actually use this moment to
[Berman:] What are the limits, though, of say Zoom or Facetime?
[Murthy:] Well, Zooming and video conferencing with people is not the same as being in person. Nothing is. And that's why I think for so many of us being physically distanced from others is so difficult and painful. But it is far better than the alternative, which is not having any contact with anyone. In '92, I lived through Hurricane Andrew and we lost power and phones for weeks and weeks and weren't able to really see anyone. That was a very difficult time. This is a moment where we can use technology for our benefit to stay connected to others and that's a real blessing in this time.
[Berman:] All right, Dr. Vivek Murthy, thank you so much for being with us. Let's put the book on the screen so people can see it. The book's title is, "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World." What incredible timing. Thanks so much for being with us and thank you for your work.
[Murthy:] Thank you, John. Appreciate that.
[Berman:] NEW DAY continues right now.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Coronavirus Task Force:] If we are unsuccessful or prematurely try to open up, it could be a rebound.
[Unidentified Male:] Around businesses, our schools and child care centers. We believe we are weeks, not months away from making meaningful modifications.
[Unidentified Female:] The plan I'm unveiling today puts the power of a decision-making into the hands of the people.
[Unidentified Male:] I just don't feel comfortable opening up. The president now expected to sign an executive order forcing the plants to remain open. Workers need proper sanitation. They need constant testing. This is a very high priority issue for our government, as well as for our consumers.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Camerota:] We want to welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. And as of this morning, there are more than one million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States. At least 58,000 Americans have died because of the virus. So, this morning, we want to look more closely at those numbers and at the projections because if 2,000 Americans are still dying a day, that means this summer will look different than we've thought. It's true, the number of deaths is no longer growing exponentially, but it's also true the daily

[Savidge:] Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow feeds hungry school children in 18 countries around the world through his non-profit Mary's Meals. He was honored as a CNN Hero in 2010, an even where he met and befriend fellow Scotsman actor Gerard Butler. And the two recently visited Haiti where they met some of the 1.4 million children being fed every school day.
[Unidentified Male:] It's what we're doing this for, just meeting those children who are eating these meals. The numbers become just mindboggling after a while. The real beauty of it is watching those children become the people they are meant to be. I remember we went just before lunch. And they were tired. Then they had lunch. And oh, my God, it was like different people. And then you realize the simple value of this program.
[Savidge:] To nominate someone you know to be a CNN Hero, go to CNN.com.
[Paul:] In just about an hour the Notre Dame Cathedral will hold its first mass since it was nearly destroyed by fire two months ago. That service is going to be small. Only 30 people allowed to attend. And they're going to have to wear hard hats when they enter the building because there are still safety concerns.
[Savidge:] CNN International Correspondent, Jim Bittermann joins us now from outside the church. And Jim, I know it's going to be a small service, but I bet the significance is huge.
[Jim Bittermann, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Absolutely, Martin and Christi. That's exactly what it's all about that is I think to show symbolically that the church still exists, the cathedral still exists, and that masses will go on here. In fact, they wanted to hold a much larger kind of service in front a vespers service in front of the cathedral. But local authorities would not allow them to because the building, and especially the basements, the vaults underneath the cathedral, are still in a very fragile shape. So they weren't very happy about the idea of a lot of people gathering even out in front of the cathedral. They thought it would be too dangerous. In any case that mass will go on in about an hour or so from now. It will be just a normal mass. It will be conducted, except one of the things that will be exceptional about it is that it will be conducted and celebrated by the cardinal archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit. And so it's going to be a very special occasion I think for the people that get to participate, and those people are going to be mainly priests, about half of them will be priests. But there are also people who were involved, one of the firefighters, for example, who saved some of the relics, and, in fact, will be I think for most everybody a very emotional occasion. Martin and Christi?
[Paul:] No doubt about it. I want to talk to you about the money that's been raised, $17 million already donated to the church. Hundreds and millions more we understand have been pledged. What do we know about where that money is, what they are doing with it, and the restoration process itself, how long it will take?
[Bittermann:] Well, Emmanuel Macron would like it to take five years. Whether it can to be done in that short of time remains to be seen. They still haven't really started reconstruction. They are basically working on consolidating the building and making sure it's safe. And yes, there's $850 million that has been pledged, but it hasn't really come in yet. It's being used, the workers, there are 60 to 150 workers working on this site at any given time. Christi, Martin?
[Paul:] My goodness. Jim Bittermann, thank you very much for bringing us all the information there, and really the beautiful views.
[Savidge:] It is, and a very positive way to end the show.
[Paul:] Thank you so much for being with us. We hope you make good memories ahead.
[Savidge:] There's very much more ahead in the next hour of CNN's NEWSROOM. Fredricka Whitfield is up next.

[Tapper:] Breaking news just in, "The New York Times" reporting that President Trump has discussed with aides whether he should fire the intelligence community inspector general, Michael Atkinson, according to four people familiar with the discussions, because Atkinson reported the whistle-blower complaint involving the TrumpUkraine scandal to Congress. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is at the White House. And, Kaitlan, "The Times" reporting that President Trump has said to aides that he believes Atkinson is disloyal.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes. And, Jake, keep in mind, this is someone President Trump put in this job. But now, this is someone who had and read this whistle-blower complaint deemed that it was credible and then, of course, shared it with Congress which has led to where we are now. The president has been venting publicly about Michael Atkinson, questioning his loyalty and hinting at times he believed he was working with Democrats to sabotage him. And now, "The New York Times" is reporting that the president has been in discussions about firing the inspector general for the intelligence community and, of course, this all comes as the president has also been frustrated privately about those public hearings that are starting tomorrow which, of course, this whistle-blower's complaint is at the center of at.
[Collins:] With the public impeachment hearing said to begin, there was a head-spinning move by the chief of staff today. Mick Mulvaney is reversing course and now saying he'll no longer file a lawsuit asking a court to decide who to listen to when it comes to a subpoena from House Democrats.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Acting Chief Of Staff:] Get over it. There is going to be political influence in foreign policy.
[Collins:] Last night, his attorney said he would file his own lawsuit after the former deputy national security adviser said he didn't want him piggybacking off of his. The move adding to the impeachment drama since it was Mulvaney who played a role in drafting a White House letter telling aides not to cooperate. It also comes amid a simmering feud between Mulvaney and the White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who Mulvaney believes is trying to take his job, though Cipollone believes Mulvaney has made impeachment matters worse.
[Mulvaney:] Did he mention to me in the past the corruption related to the DNC server? Absolutely.
[Collins:] The White House is bracing for what they fear could be damaging public testimony. Though publicly the president said today he wasn't worried.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Outrageous hoaxes and delusional witch hunts which are going absolutely nowhere. Don't worry about it.
[Collins:] He complained from behind his keyboard that Democrats were relying on second and third-hand witnesses. All of this as new reporting from CNN's KFILE team shows that Trump interacted frequently with two men he claimed not to know.
[Trump:] Again, I don't know how he knows these people.
[Reporter:] They're his clients.
[Trump:] OK. Well, then, they are clients. I mean, you know, he's got a lot of clients.
[Collins:] Prosecutors allege that Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Rudy Giuliani's, illegally funded Republican politicians and campaigns with money from foreign nationals, in attempts to buy influence.
[Trump:] I don't know those gentlemen. That was possible I have a picture with them because I have a picture with everybody.
[Collins:] Not only does he have one picture with them, he has several. Ranging from VIP campaign events, high-dollar fundraisers and even an intimate dinner with the president. Now, Jake, the in-fighting between Mick Mulvaney and Pat Cipollone is more than just that, because they are two key figures in this impeachment inquiry that is unfolding before us with these hearings getting underway, of course, because of Mick Mulvaney's role in a lot of this as the officials have testified and, of course, Pat Cipollone has been the one leading the impeachment defense strategy behind the scenes along with Jared Kushner. So, that is something to keep an eye on that as you're watching the president's reactions to these hearings as they start tomorrow, we should note, those are going to be going on as he's welcoming a foreign leader, the Turkish president, to the White House.
[Tapper:] All right. Kaitlan Collins, traveling with the president, thank you so much. So let's talk about this big news "The Times" is reporting that President Trump has discussed firing the inspector general for the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson, for basically doing his job, and letting the Congress know this whistle-blower complaint existed and moving on it after he found it credible. It says that the aides the story says that one of the reasons it hasn't happened is aides think it would be a horrible idea for him and would erode the Republican support for him on Capitol Hill.
[Barron-lopez:] Yes. The inspector general, a part of any agency is supposed to be a check on that agency. It is supposed to be nonpartisan and not political. So for the president to retaliate against that because he fears this report said that the I.G. is working with Democrats to sabotage his presidency, even though there is no evidence to suggest that, it's a classic Trump move. So it's not that surprising that he would be considering this given that he has retaliated against former officials for like Sessions for recusing himself and then he's been fired.
[Tapper:] So, what do you make of the fact that it fits in perfectly with the reporting that President Trump doesn't think that Michael Atkinson, the inspector general, is loyal to him. We've heard President Trump say similar things about James Comey or about Jeff Sessions. And I don't doubt it. It doesn't sound like he's loyal to him. It sounds like he's loyal to what he's supposed to do for his job.
[Dent:] Yes, inspectors inspectors general guard their independence zealously and jealously, and they do not take loyalty oaths to the president but to the Constitution. And I've dealt with these guys and I'll tell you what, if the president thinks these guys are disloyal, an I.G.'s nose is not a heat-seeking missile to the president's back side, he should know that because this is serious stuff. But these I.G.s are some of the most independent people, thoughtful people, and I think this is almost the equivalent of trying to fire Don Don McGahn being asked to fire Mueller.
[Tapper:] Mueller, yes.
[Dent:] It's similar to that. Again, you know, some of these people have backbone.
[Karen Finney, Cnn Political Commentator:] But this is the way Donald Trump has operated all of his life, right? He even in government, he doesn't understand it is not about loyalty to him, it is about some people have jobs where they're supposed to be loyal to our foreign policy of the United States of America or to what they believe is the right thing to do. I will tell you what the story does, though. This is going to be the problem for Republicans throughout this hearing. Every little this is clearly not on the GOP strategy. This was not part of the what they just put out, right, and every single thing
[Kucinich:] It looks like the president didn't read the memo.
[Finney:] I don't think he did. I don't think he knows. So, right, the GOP on the Hill is trying to do one thing and they're going to be sabotaged by every little bad instinct that Donald Trump has and I suspect he'll get more whipped up the more the testimony goes on.
[Tapper:] But that whatever you want to call it revenge, anger, whatever is motivating President Trump to fire Atkinson, although he has not done so, that wrath is something that House Republicans and Senate Republicans are more than aware of.
[Kucinich:] But no less able to handle, because it changes, right? I mean, this week, the president was saying that Adam Schiff somehow altered the transcripts being relied.
[Tapper:] Right, it's a lie. A lie.
[Kucinich:] Which is a lie.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Kucinich:] And so, they're not which is why they have these talking points so they can come to the table with something. But it is always changing.
[Finney:] That is right.
[Kucinich:] And how do you defend that?
[Finney:] Right.
[Tapper:] He also said he signed the Whistle-blower Protection Act into law and it is like 30 years old. But I mean, I guess here is the question, Congressman, do you think it would erode Republican support if he had fired Michael Atkinson? I have to say I'm skeptical that there is anything the president could do to erode Republican support in the White House.
[Dent:] At this point, why fire him now. The act has already been done. Because of the politics of this country are so tribal, I think many Republicans, you know, are tell me privately they're just disgusted with the behavior of the president but I think many of them are more worried about their elections than they are legacy
[Kucinich:] And that is why they do it. I mean, they would step away from the president if they could.
[Dent:] Watch the retiring members because they could be worried about their legacies.
[Tapper:] All right. Everyone, stick around. We've got more to talk about. The damning information about president Trump unveiled today at his former adviser Roger Stone's trial which could prove President Trump lied to special counsel Robert Mueller. Stay with us.

[John Vause, Cnn International Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world. I'm John Vause. Coming up this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, back to square when with record highs. Never before have so many people in the U.S. tested positive for the coronavirus in one day, a sign the outbreak is once again spiraling out of control. Pandemic? What pandemic? Tens of thousands head to the beach in the U.K. A chance to relax and forget about that global health crisis which has killed almost half a million people and counting. And former Formula One boss and father to be, 89-year-old Bernie Ecclestone talks to CNN about racing and racism. The United States is once again in the midst of the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. For weeks, the rate of transmission has been accelerating, and on Thursday, Johns Hopkins University reported 37,000 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, the highest daily total since the pandemic began. And chances are, it's much worse than that. The Centers for Disease Control says the actual number of infections is likely 10 times the official number. That would mean 23 million people. Dr. Robert Redfield says, now that there is more testing, it is clear a large percentage of the population have either mild or no symptoms at all. Young people, 18 to 44-year-olds, are testing positive at a higher rate.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Cdc Director:] This virus causes so much asymptomatic infection. We probably recognized about 10 percent of the outbreak.
[Vause:] Infections are rising in 31 U.S. States. Texas and Florida are reporting new daily records. Hospitalizations in California are up 32 percent in the past two weeks. And the head of the CDC says social distancing remains, quote, "the most powerful tool we have to fight the virus." Chicago is deploying social distancing ambassadors in parks and other public areas. And in one British beach town, not so much a pandemic but rather pandemonium. Thousands of sun seekers crowded the shores of Bournemouth on Thursday with little regard for the virus. The local council declared it a major incident urging the public to stay away. Get off the beach. The surge of new cases in Texas is forcing the state to put on hold plans to reopen some businesses. And California's governor is declaring a budget emergency to free up $16 billion to fight the pandemic. We have more details now from CNN's Nick Watt.
[Nick Watt, Cnn International Correspondent:] Partiers backed this Fort Worth bar Saturday night, but the reopening of the Lone Star state is now on hold, as case counts climb at record rates and hospitals fill up.
[Ron Nirenberg, San Antonio, Texas, Mayor:] If this acceleration continues unabated, we will find ourselves overwhelmed.
[Watt:] Nevada, North Carolina and Louisiana also now pumping the brakes on reopening.
[Gov. John Bel Edwards:] I think these numbers meet crystal-clear the correctness of the decision not to move forward.
[Watt:] In California, Disneyland now won't reopen July 17 as planned.
[Gov. Gavin Newsom:] That is an example of the data informing decision-making.
[Watt:] California and Florida, along with Texas, are reporting record high new case counts. Our three most populous states are going in the wrong direction fast. They are home to more than a quarter of all Americans.
[Gov. Ron Desantis:] We've seen most of this case growth in those under 40 category.
[Watt:] A focus now on efforts to staunch the spread, younger asymptomatic spreaders.
[Erin Bromage, University Of Massachusetts, Dartmouth:] We're seeing the infection rates, especially in Texas, Florida and Arizona, just skyrocketing that demographic.
[Watt:] Arizona now has the most cases per capita in the entire country.
[Doug Ducey:] There is no consideration of increasing activity. Arizona is on pause.
[Watt:] The CDC just added pregnant women to the at-risk demographics. They say just over 5 percent of women with COVID-19 require hospitalization. For pregnant women, that soars to over 30 percent. They also now say our actual infection rate might be 10 times the confirmed cases, so not around 2.4 million, but around 24 million. And they say that social distancing is now our most powerful weapon.
[Dr. William Schaffner, Vanderbilt University School Of Medicine:] The time to normalize wearing masks and social distancing behavior is now so that we get used to it by the time the fall arrives. And I'm very concerned that the second wave this fall will be substantially greater than what we have experienced so far.
[Watt:] The number we've really got to keep an eye on moving forward is hospitalizations. How many COVID-19 patients are in the hospital? And here in California, that's gone up by a third in just the past two weeks, a trend that the director of public health here in Los Angeles calls extraordinarily worrisome. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Vause:] Dr. Shoshanna Ungerleider is an internal medicine physician at California Pacific Medical Center and founder of EndWorldProject.org, and she is with us from San Francisco. Doctor, thank you for being with us. We take we appreciate your time.
[Dr. Shoshanna Ungerleider, Internal Medicine Physician, California Pacific Medical Center:] Thank you for having me. OK. So so much for that second wave towards the end of the year. Clearly, the virus never went away. I want you to listen to the governor of Arizona with a grim statement about the weeks ahead.
[Gov. Doug Ducey:] I don't want there to be any illusion or sugarcoated expectations. We expect that our numbers will be worse next week and the week following in terms of cases and hospitalizations.
[Vause:] OK. So bad times ahead. The reason why we had the national lockdown, it was to buy us some time so the health system wasn't overrun, so that hospitals could keep up with the people who were infected. Essentially to get ahead of this and to prepare, I guess, for this moment which we were expecting a little later. But are we prepared to deal with this now?
[Ungerleider:] Gosh, John. You know, it's in some places yes, in other places no. I think hitting another record in the number of new cases just today in the U.S. is extremely distressing and points to the fact that maybe we're headed in the wrong direction. Young people are now the biggest source of cases, as was pointed out, and hospital beds in places like Texas and Arizona are are filling up. There still isn't enough testing and contact tracing happening to find these new cases and isolate them from the general population. So there's really no question about what's needed here. We need mask wearing in public to be mandatory. We need more testing and contact tracing all over of cases, to find their recent contacts. And anyone with even a slightest COVID-19 symptom or with close contacts with a known case needs to get tested and self-isolate immediately. And most of all, we need clear, consistent messaging from all of our government officials that supports these efforts.
[Vause:] Yes. That is something which you know, we hope for that. It's just not going to happen, it seems, at least on the federal level. The CDC dropped a few headlines on Thursday, including you know, this belief that the number of real cases in the U.S. could be 10 times the official number of 2.3 million. That's 23 million people. On the one hand, it's a staggering number, considering what this 10 million cases worldwide, 23 million would be in the U.S. But isn't it in line with expectations? Isn't that a formula they do for countries which have inadequate testing?
[Ungerleider:] Well, you know, John, I think from looking at the blood samples across the country for the presence of antibodies to the virus, which was what was done, so for every confirmed case of COVID- 19, as you pointed out, 10 more people had antibodies. So these are the proteins in the blood that indicate whether a person's immune system has previously come in contact with coronavirus. So, you know, estimating that around seven percent of the U.S. population or more like 23 million people are walking around either with active infection or recent infection, you know, is really significant. I think looking at these numbers, taking them very seriously, and then planning accordingly for an increased number that were playing planning to see going forward, is really what we need to be doing right now.
[Vause:] Yes, this time around, compared to the last time with the surge in cases, it seems to be coming with a twist. I want you to listen again to the director of CDC. Here it is.
[Redfield:] I think, obviously, what we're seeing right now, infections that are targeting younger individuals.
[Vause:] It seems young people were spared for the most part. In Europe they became vulnerable. They're vulnerable as anybody else. Here in the U.S., it seems that they're the ones who are, you know, bearing the burden of the infections. Is there a simple way to explain how that has transitioned?
[Ungerleider:] You know, not really. I mean, I think that, with widespread sort of community spread, as it's happened here in the U.S., I mean, it makes sense that there are many more cases of young people that are that are turning up. And, you know, the best possible way for young people, for older people, for everybody to reduce the spread of infection is to stay away from other people. So this social distancing being so important. And, you know, I understand it's summertime. People, young and old, want to be outdoors, enjoy themselves, be with friends and family. People, I think, are tired of staying home. But the stakes are just so high. We need we need people to know that, of course, the virus is invisible. It spreads so easily from person to person via droplets from talking, or from breathing. And when people congregate, even outdoors, much like, you know, what we saw at the beaches in the U.K., and they don't wear masks, this is a recipe for disaster. I think your behavior, every moment, matters. And our actions today put the lives of the people that we love in danger. So I think
[Vause:] I'm glad you mentioned sorry, I'm glad you mentioned beaches in the U.K. Because here's part of a report from CNN's Nic Robinson. Sorry to interrupt, but listen to this.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Here in the U.K. authorities have declared a major incident at one of Britain's seaside holiday towns. Why? Because it's not holiday time, but the beaches were absolutely crowded with thousands of people flocking out from what has been a very hot couple of days here. The concern is that they're not social distancing and the people in that town are not ready for people from other parts of the country to come on vacation.
[Vause:] You know what if I really incredible? Is that the number of young people I know who heard the initial report that came from China that young people were sort of almost immune to all of this, but they've heard nothing since.
[Ungerleider:] Yes, I mean, I think seeing situations like this, we're probably, in about two weeks, as is the typical lag time between people, you know, congregating and seeing spikes of infections of somebody. You know, if people who are on those beaches, in fact, do have COVID-19, that is the perfect storm, the perfect recipe for disaster. People being close together, despite them being outdoors, but not wearing masks. Talking, laughing, spending many, many hours with one another. That is how this virus spreads. And so we need to be talking about what everybody, including young people, should be doing to prevent the spread. Our behavior absolutely matters, and we all have the power to save lives if we if we listen and pay attention.
[Vause:] Yes. As you say, just looking at the beaches, it's understandable why people want to be there, but this is not 2019 anymore. So Shoshanna Ungerleider, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.
[Ungerleider:] Thank you for having me.
[Vause:] Well, the World Health Organization is warning the coronavirus could still overload healthcare systems in parts of Europe.
[Dr. Hans Kluge, Who Europe Regional Director:] In 11 of these countries, accelerated transmission has led to very significant resurgence that, if left unchecked, will push health systems to the brink once again in Europe.
[Vause:] Dr. Hans Kluge says the risk of a resurgence in Europe in Europe has now become a reality. The 11 countries he mentioned stretch from Sweden in northern Europe, down to Albania in the south, Kazakhstan to the east. WHO's European region includes central Asia. In the U.K., a southern coastal town we've been talking about flooded with thousands of people, throwing caution and social distancing to the winds and the waves and a good time, raising fears that a surge of COVID-19 cases in England now seems more likely than ever, especially if the lockdown is relaxed in two weeks, as planned. ITV's Julia Bremner explains.
[Julia Bremner, Itv:] The plea was to stay away, but nobody seemed to be listening. Tens of thousands from across southern England and the Midlands descended on Bournemouth today. It was impossible to keep a safe distance from strangers. And there was little or no awareness of any health risks.
[Unidentified Male:] Why did you come to Bournemouth today? Why? I'm enjoying today. It's really nice weather. Yes.
[Unidentified Female:] It was a really hot day. I thought I'd take advantage of it by the time the rain goes back. And all of the rules of the lockdown has just been kind of, like, eased on.
[Bremner:] With the town overwhelmed and police apparently powerless to intervene, by early afternoon, the council declared a major incident.
[Vikki Slade, Leader, Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council:] What's very obvious is that people don't believe COVID is a problem anymore. That's very obvious from people's behavior.
[Bremner:] The M3 was close to a standstill as sun seekers drove from as far away as Birmingham and London. The local conservative MP told me police must be given more powers to deal with the deluge.
[Tobias Ellwood, British Conservative Mp:] Dorsett can't cope with this. If we need messaging of Waterloo Station or Birmingham's National, or indeed on the M3, there's big signs on the motorway to say Bournemouth is now closed. There is a major incident in play. Please turn around or go somewhere else. If the police doesn't have the necessary powers, we should be operating very quickly in Westminster to give them those powers to deal with this enduring emergency.
[Bremner:] To people living close to beauty spots like Durdle Door in Dorset, it feels like an invasion. One councilor trying to turn back vehicles was physically and verbally abused.
[Laura Miller, Dorset County Board:] Unfortunately, he then came back at me through his car window, and fortunately, it landed at my feet. See, the main problem is, the aggression. People traveled four or five hours in a car. And they're hot. They're grumpy.
[Bremner:] Along the south coast, they're attempting to stop the crowds, and a second wave of COVID, but it's a battle they fear they may be losing. Julia Bremner, ITV News.
[Vause:] Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who's spoken out often about the threat of the pandemic, spoke to CNN's Anderson Cooper, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta about this latest coronavirus outbreak, just a few hours ago. You can watch that interview and more during CNN's global town hall, "CORONAVIRUS FACTS AND FEARS," a little less than two hours from now, 7 a.m. in London, 2 p.m. Friday in Hong Kong. Only here, on CNN. Well, the coronavirus did not stop thousands of fans from celebrating in the streets of Liverpool. Well, Liverpool ended their 30-year-long wait for the lead title after winning the English Premier League for the first time ever. CNN WORLD SPORT's Alex Thomas has more now from a joyous Anfield Stadium.
[Alex Thomas, World Sport:] Liverpool's footballers celebrating a moment of history: the club's first Premier League title. Social media video shows them gathered to watch together, as their closest challengers, Manchester City, lost to Chelsea. If they were happy, the fans were ecstatic. More than an hour after clinching the title, without kicking a ball, the party is in full swing here at Anfield Stadium. We've heard car horns beeping, flares and fireworks being set off. You can see how much it means to these Liverpool fans to be champions of England after an agonizing wait of 30 years.
[Unidentified Male:] Long, long wait. It doesn't feel real yet. I mean, obviously, it is real. It's amazing. Just to see it, given we couldn't be on the ground to see us winning it. And hopefully, we'll get to see them lifted up after the game. But it doesn't matter. We're champions, and no one's taken that away from us, now Premier League champions. It's the super club. Is when the young people, 2019. Now, it's just the icing on the cake, winning the Premier League is the run of the moment,
[Thomas:] Manchester City had to beat Chelsea to take the Premier League title race into next week, but fell behind to a goal from U.S. Star Christian Pulisic. City equalized with a stunning free kick from Kevin de Bruyne, regaining the momentum. But Chelsea refused to give it in, winning a penalty, when Fernandinho was sent off for handball. Willian, scoring from the spot to seal a 2-1 victory that ended City's reign, and gave Liverpool their 19th English championship title, but their first in the Premier League era. Boss Jurgen Klopp telling Sky Sports he did it for the supporters.
[Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool Manager:] It's for you all there. It's for you. It's incredible. I hope you stay at home, or go in front of your house if you want, but not do not more, and celebrate it. It's all here, and it's all here. We've been doing it together in this moment, and it's a joy to do it for you, I can tell you.
[Thomas:] The local authorities did warn fans to try to stay away from here because of the threat of coronavirus. But you can understand why they wanted a party after waiting so long to be champions of England once again. The team that dominated European, and English football, throughout the 1970s and 1980s are back where they, feel they belong. The best team in this country. Alex Thomas, CNN, Liverpool.
[Vause:] Well, Formula 1 working to improve its record on diversity. The former boss didn't help a whole lot. Listen to this.
[Bernie Ecclestone, Former Formula One Chief Executive:] In a lot of cases, black people are more racist than what white people are.
[Amanda Davis, Cnn Sport:] What makes you say that?
[Vause:] Yes, what does make him say that? We'll find out in our interview with Bernie Ecclestone in a moment.

[Berman:] This morning new questions about job security for FBI Director Christopher Wray. That is the director handpicked by the president after he fired James Comey. The president was asked if he has confidence in Director Wray, and in an interview published by "The Hill" overnight, the president responded, well, we'll see how it turns out. Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Jim Himes. He's a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, well, we'll see how it turns out. If you're Christopher Wray this morning, do you feel good about your job?
[Rep. Jim Himes:] I think you do, John. And the reason you do is the president's opinion of you has nothing to do with how you have done your job. In fact, if you have done your job and been fair and been thoughtful and abided by what the American people want rather than what Donald Trump wants, you probably get targeted. It's not just Christopher Wray, right? It's the chairman of the Federal Reserve. It was Jeff Sessions. The president's opinion of you depends entirely on whether you are serving his interests 100 percent. So if I was Christopher Wray, I'd say you know what, I've established myself as something of an independent director of the FBI, and I've got the president's tweet to prove it.
[Berman:] It is interesting he says Christopher Wray says he wouldn't call it spying what investigators were doing during the Trump campaign in 2016, and also Christopher Wray has said he does think if a politician is offered dirt on an opponent by a foreign government, say the Russians, Director Wray says you do think he does think you should go to the FBI. It's interesting those are the areas where he splits with the president.
[Himes:] Well, it's also interesting that it's sort of subject for debate. I mean, yes, when a foreign country, especially a foreign country that is something of an enemy, or at least an antagonist to the United States offers you something, of course, you go to the FBI. This is not a debatable proposition anywhere but inside Donald Trump's head, you know? And you know, the notion that Christopher Wray by objecting to the use of the term spying, John, I sit on the Intelligence Committee. Spying is what we do to other countries. Investigation is what you do when you have some evidence that a presidential campaign maybe compromised or maybe attempting to be compromised by an antagonistic foreign power. We've got to keep some clarity on these debates. Christopher Wray is not taking some heroic stand here. He's just saying what is true everywhere except in Donald Trump's brain.
[Berman:] And so, your personal position has changed. You are now supportive of the beginning of an impeachment inquiry. This is different from you a month ago or several weeks ago, you were not. So, what is different now?
[Himes:] Yes, John, this is not an easy decision for me. You know, as I said in my statement yesterday, an impeachment inquiry, starting an impeachment, of course, is divisive. It'll consume an awful lot of public attention. It is a very serious thing to do. It took me some time to get here. But, John, you know, there was a week, two weeks ago when the inspector general came out with an impressive recommendation that Kellyanne Conway had clearly broken the law and that she would be removed from office and the president said, heck, that doesn't matter. That, of course, was the same week that the president said, I'm not sending any information to the Congress on the question of the Census citizenship question. So, there's a moment where the president one week it has nothing to do with Russia, it has nothing to do with his credibility or legitimacy as a president basically says screw you to the Congress. And, John, you know, our system is built around the idea that the president would be differential to the Congress. If doesn't exist, we essentially have a king. The other thing that changed for me, John, was I listened to my constituents. And my constituents said, look, we get it. We understand that you sort of playing this through and, you know, the impeachment is not going to result in the removal of the president, so you're thinking about 2020. What my constituents said was this country changes when people are willing to speak with clarity and conviction and strong moral terms. If all you're doing is kind of playing the odds and figuring out the statistics in the face of appalling behavior, we won't be galvanized if you will if you speak clearly. And Congress can speak no more clearly when it engages in an impeachment investigation.
[Berman:] I get that you're hearing that from your constituents. The part I'm not sure I fully understand is when you're talking about Kellyanne Conway and you're talking about the census. As you said, that has nothing to do with the Russia investigation. Are you suggesting there should be some punitive measure how the president is reacting there? I don't understand why that would change your view of an impeachment inquiry on Russia. Either you see evidence of obstruction that you think is worthy of investigating or you don't.
[Himes:] John, that's a small part of it. That there is evidence of obstruction is not sort of debatable proposition anymore. The Mueller report, of course, offers up ten instances of possible obstruction. So, let's tick that box. But remember, the legal standard or at least the constitutional standard for impeachment isn't just obstruction, it's high crimes and misdemeanors. I just listed for you the treatment of Kellyanne the complete disregard for the law.
[Berman:] But do you want an impeachment inquiry into that. Do you want the articles of impeachment to be Kellyanne Conway's violation of the Hatch Act and the president's failure to reprimand her?
[Himes:] I want the president's treatment of the recommendation, the unprecedented recommendation around Kellyanne Conway is yet one more example of a total disregard of the laws of the United States. And I see total disregard of the law as something that should be investigated by the Congress.
[Berman:] I want to ask you about the immigration discussions that took place last night or more accurately the border security and the crisis, the humanitarian crisis at the border. Were you part of the meeting Nancy Pelosi was in talking about the funding, the $4.5 billion of funding up for grabs right now?
[Himes:] I was not in that meeting, John. I heard about it. Obviously time is short for us to get to a deal and they're not there yet. But I wasn't in the room.
[Berman:] Do you anticipate voting to support the measure? I know you don't know exactly what's in it yet, but assuming it does come to the floor soon, would you support that? Do you think there's a need to vote on something soon?
[Himes:] Yes, I think I will. And I want to hedge that a little bit, because I haven't actually seen final language. I want to hedge that a little bit. But, John, part of the dynamic around here, you know, my colleagues are human. They have emotions. They have moral sensibility. My colleagues look at what's happening at the border, particularly with children being forced to sleep on concrete floors, being treated worse than prisoners who have been convicted of serious crimes. These are children, and a lot of my colleagues say we have to start from scratch here. Now, I'll make the argument, and again, I want to leave myself some room because I haven't seen what the final proposal is, I'm going to make the argument that I make a lot around here which is I get the moral outrage but please let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If we can make progress and get 65 percent of what we want, if we can fix an awful lot of the problems at the border, let's not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Let's make some progress.
[Berman:] Congressman Jim Himes from Connecticut, thank you for your time this morning. I do we appreciate it.
[Himes:] Thank you, John.
[Berman:] Alisyn?
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] OK, John, a pivotal vote today that could make San Francisco the first U.S. city to ban e-cigarettes. CNN's Scott McLean is live in San Francisco with more. What's the plan, Scott?
[Scott Mclean, Cnn National Correspondent:] Hey, good morning, Alisyn. According to the latest CDC survey, more than 3.5 million middle and high school students in this country use e-cigarettes regularly. The team vaping problem is not at all unique to San Francisco. What is unique is how they're planning to deal with it, by outright banning e-cigarette sales in this city. That is a big problem for small businesses. One local smoke shop we spoke to said that vaping accounts for about 30 percent of its sales. Now, technically, this proposed ordinance would apply to e-cigarette products which have not been reviewed or cleared by the FDA. But that is all of them. One of the biggest companies, Juul, is actually headquartered here in San Francisco. It says it actually advocates for raising the age to buy its products to 21. It says that more regulations, not a ban is going to keep it away from critics. Other critics say banning e-cigarettes will just push people towards traditional cigarettes or create a black market for e-cigarettes in San Francisco. I asked one member of the city board of supervisors, Shamann Walton, about that. Listen.
[Shamann Walton, San Francisco Board Of Supervisors For District 10:] And we're going to continue to work hard to make sure that that does not happen, and that's why we'll have enforcement strategies. If you look at, you know, just for an example, Cuban cigars are prohibited here in the country and you don't see people running around doing crazy things to obtain Cuban cigars.
[Mclean:] So, again, this is about keeping a harmful substance away from kids unless it has been reviewed or clear by the FDA. And you might be thinking well, marijuana has not been reviewed or cleared by the FDA either, yet you can legally buy that in many places across the city and statewide and California. So, why then is San Francisco not looking to also ban marijuana? I asked that question to supervisor Walton, you saw there, and the city's attorneys office. Neither would answer the question on the record. This proposed ordinance goes to a final vote this afternoon, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Scott McLean, thank you very much. So, President Trump uses a familiar tactic to deny another sexual assault allegation. He insults the woman. We discuss if it'll work this time. That's next.

[Sen. Kamala Harris:] that we the change the law would you support that?
[Michael Horowitz, Justice Department Inspector General:] Yes, absolutely. In fact there's legislation Senator Lee has sponsored, several members have cosponsored, the House has passed this unanimously.
[Harris:] And you would support it?
[Horowitz:] Absolutely, 100 percent.
[Harris:] So it was recently reported that the President's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, asked Ukrainians to help search for dirt of the political rivals of the President in exchange for the help Giuliani offered to help fix criminal cases against them at DOJ. Giuliani and his associates, two of whom have been indicted and are now in federal custody, allegedly reached out to a Ukrainian energy tycoon who faced legal problems in America. In exchange for helping find dirt on the President's political rivals Giuliani's associates reportedly connected the Ukrainian with lawyers who could get a top-level meeting at the United States Department of Justice. In essence, Giuliani's scheme was an attempt to trade, get out of jail free cards for political favors. As part of Giuliani's plan, Attorney General Barr met with the Ukrainian's lawyers who asked that he Department of Justice withdraw evidence in the tycoon's bribery prosecution. Earlier today you said you are not investigating matters related to ongoing Ukraine issues, does that mean that you have decided not to investigate these incidents?
[Horowitz:] No. As I think mentioned in a recent letter, and I've been in touch with fellow IGs who've been asked by members to look at knows issues, we've been in communication with each other. I think as Mr. Fein, the Defense Department IG, wrote to several members of Congress, he was forgoing at the time undertaking any work while the House investigation proceeded and any matters here in the Senate. And as I mentioned, we will look accordingly at any action that we have the jurisdiction to review getting back to the Section 80 discussion. No other IG has that limitation, by the way. So they can investigate their secretary, deputy secretary, administrator, whomever. I just point that out because that's important to keep in mind as we get requests and why are we different than the State Department IG? The EPA IG?
[Harris:] Couldn't agree with you more. Couldn't agree with you more. Do you agree that if true, Giuliani's scheme is alarming?
[Horowitz:] I think anything like that would be very concerning.
[Harris:] And Mr. Giuliani recently returned to Ukraine in search of dirt on the President's political rivals apparently in order to cook up a dossier of his own. Yesterday, he told reporters that President Trump asked him to brief the Justice Department and Senate Republicans on what, if anything, he finds. Do you and are you concerned that the Justice Department would coordinate with the President's personal lawyer on a scheme clearly designed to benefit the President's political campaign?
[Horowitz:] I'm going to look at the evidence myself and facts I've learned to before taking any action to not just rely on news reports or other allegations, but to actually spend the time to look at them. So I'd ask to take a look at that and, again, happy to come in and meet and talk with you.
[Harris:] Please do. I'd Appreciate that. Is it appropriate for the Attorney General or anyone at the Department of Justice to take actions that are slowly or solely designed to benefit the President politically?
[Horowitz:] I think that would create questions about, on various rules of the department and practices of the department.
[Harris:] During Attorney General's Barr last appearance before this committee I asked him has the President or anyone at the White House ever suggested you open an investigation of anyone? After pondering the word "suggest" the Attorney General declined to answer. The Attorney General's non-response suggested to many that he has opened politically motivated investigations. Indeed we know that during a call with the President of Ukraine, President Trump said that Attorney General Barr would follow up regarding the quoteunquote favor that the President demanded. Did the Attorney General or anyone at justice follow-up with the President's call?
[Horowitz:] I don't know the answer to that question. And again
[Harris:] Does anyone in your office know the answer to that question?
[Horowitz:] I don't believe anyone in my office would know it and frankly then it gets to the question of a decision by the Attorney General whether to open an investigation or not, which in most instances I won't foreclose it completely, but in most instances would fall squarely within the prohibition on my jurisdiction.
[Harris:] President Trump's phone conversation was an apparent effort to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election and the call involved officials at multiple agencies including Department of Justice, the State Department, the Office of Management and Budget and the others. Are you working with the Inspectors General of these various agencies on that issue?
[Horowitz:] As I mentioned on you know allegations have come in. We'll talk with our fellow IGs.
[Harris:] On that specific one, are working with other IGs?
[Horowitz:] I'd don't have any ongoing work at this point. Again, I'm not sure what my legal, if I have statutory authority to look at actions by lawyers at the department related to misconduct.
[Harris:] Have you been approached by any other IGs to work with them on an investigation that related to that phone call?
[Horowitz:] I'll say we've had discussions generally. I don't know what whether other IGs at this point have or do not have ongoing investigations.
[Harris:] You've had conversations generally about this phone call?
[Horowitz:] About about generally Ukraine-related matters and discussions generally.
[Harris:] How about specifically about this phone call?
[Horowitz:] I don't recall as I sit here discussions about it, but again I have to I have to
[Harris:] You have to refresh your memory?
[Horowitz:] Refresh my recollection on this issue. I've been spending a fair amount of time preparing to deal with the 400-plus page report that we're talking about today.
[Harris:] Involving Ukraine.
[Horowitz:] Yes. No. I'm sorry, right. This report.
[Harris:] OK. The American system of justice was founded on the principle of equal justice under the law and that principle obviously mean that there cannot be one system of justice for one group of people and a different system of justice for others. And I have spent my career fighting for equal justice and I'll tell you that everybody in a Department of Justice obviously has a duty to make sure people get a fair shot. Unfortunately recent reports suggest the actions taken by the Justice Department leaders fall far short of their obligation to pursue equal and evenhanded justice. For example in 2011, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion that paved the way for states to legalize online gambling. This opinion was opposed by Sheldon Adelson who is a major donor who spent millions of dollars to support President Trump. And his lobbyists also sent a memo to top DOJ officials asking that the opinion be reversed and of course then the OLC reversed the 2011 opinion in January 2019. Has your office investigated whether political considerations motivated the Department of Justice's abrupt reversal of online gambling?
[Horowitz:] I'm fairly confident that we would be barred from doing that by the statutory prohibition. I don't think we would have legal authority to look at why the Office of Legal Counsel made a decision one way or another unless there was a criminal allegation connected to it.
[Harris:] My time is up. Thank you.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] Senator Cramer.
[Sen. Kevin Cramer:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I join with everybody else, Mr. Horowitz, thanking you
[Baldwin:] So I've got with me now, we've been listening to Senator Harris questioning the IG of the DOJ. CNN legal analyst Anne Milgram once served at New Jersey's Attorney General she's been sitting here listening with me. And you know we were just sitting here chatting about the two points that really jumped out at you. One, her questions about Giuliani. And as we well know as all this has been swirling and the reason why this impeachment proceeding is under way and here he is over in Ukraine stirring it up. And number two, your point about, why don't you make your second point.
[Anne Milgram, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Yes. So a lot of the back and forth, it seems a little wonky. Their talking about the Office of Professional Responsibility at the Department of Justice.
[Baldwin:] Yes.
[Milgram:] But what Senator Harris was going to was sort of who polices the actions of Attorney General Barr and also U.S. attorney John Durham, who Barr has personally appointed to do his sort of private Ukraine investigation.
[Baldwin:] Separate investigation.
[Milgram:] And so like who's policing them? And it's a really interesting point, because what the Inspector General is saying, is that he doesn't legally have jurisdiction, which is true. That something called the Office of Professional Responsibility at DOJ would but that directly reports to Attorney General Barr. And if you and I sit here and think about within the last week, Barr's statements and John Durham's statements about the Inspector General's report they directly talk about an ongoing investigation.
[Baldwin:] Which is totally against policy.
[Milgram:] And I'm also a DOJ alum and I can tell you, if any lawyer there did it, they would potentially lose their bar license. It's a very, very serious thing to do. They would be reprimanded at least.
[Baldwin:] Let m come back to you. I've got more. Let me pivot now to some breaking news we're getting in the impeachment of President Trump. We're learning now that the whistleblower's team is preparing for the possibility of having to testify before the Senate. So for that let's go to White House reporter Sarah Westwood. And so, Sarah, I mean, this is a very real possibility, this has been something that's been floated by the President, Republicans on the Senate side. How are they preparing?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] That's right, Brooke. The whistleblower's legal team is preparing for what they call a serious possibility, and that's appearing before lawmakers in the Senate impeachment trial. Not in person but perhaps in written answers. That was an offer that the legal team had made to House Democrats, but Democrats felt that they had enough evidence gathered independent of the whistleblower, enough corroborating evidence that they did not need to subject the whistleblower to whatever kind of testimony was offered. But now the whistleblower's legal team is looking at precedence specifically the Clinton impeachment trial, to see if there is any kind of mechanism that they could use to block testimony from the whistleblower if for example a subpoena was issued to try to compel the whistleblower to testify. An in-person interview is really off the table. Obviously, they want to protect the whistleblower's identity. But answering written questions that is a possibility. Even though Senate Republicans are signaling they may not acquiesce to all the President's demands for witnesses which does include the whistleblower, does include Adam Schiff for example, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Bidens. But there is this possibility that Republicans could call the whistleblower. Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, for example, has consistently expressed the desire to interview the whistleblower as part of the Intelligence Committee's probe of the events surrounding the handling of the whistleblower complaints. So this is something that we could see as the structure of the Senate trial is hashed out in the days ahead between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Brooke.
[Baldwin:] All right, Sara. Thank you for that. And so, Anne, you heard her reporting. So this whistleblower is preparing for this possibility. What's your read? Could this person submit written answers? Would that be sufficient?
[Milgram:] So I mean I think the first thing to say, it's so hard to know what the rules of evidence are going to be at the trial because essentially the Senate Republicans who are in the majority will decide what witnesses are called. Who has to come testify. Who can submit written information. So I think it's right that the whistleblower is preparing for this, because even though the whistleblower should not have to testify, should be protected by the law. It's very possible that they will say the whistleblower has to come forward. Then I would expect that to be litigated in court if they wanted it to be in person. But remember, the other piece of this. It's a little bit of a smoke screen, too. Because the whistleblower comes forward, has some firsthand information, but much of it is secondhand, and all of those individuals who provided that information to the whistleblower, it appears that they've already testified or given evidence or refused to come forward potentially. So it's sort of irrelevant right now in my view to have the whistleblower.
[Baldwin:] But again certain people may not see it that way.
[Milgram:] Absolutely, absolutely.
[Baldwin:] Getting another piece of information. So hang with me Anne Milgram, Phil Mattingly and Lauren Fox are reporting that Senate Republicans are coming around to the idea not having witnesses in the Senate trail. That is significant since it is exactly the opposite of what the President wants. We know the President wants a spectacle, he wants a show.
[Milgram:] Yes. What's interesting when you think about the hearing, the committee hearing, the Judiciary Committee hearing this week. It was a mess. Right? It was everybody screaming and yelling, and interrupting each other, and arguing about
[Baldwin:] Partisan
[Milgram:] Yes. It's very partisan. And frankly I don't think it furthers the interests of the country. And so it's an interesting thing about the people who've already testified and who have a record. Where I think it become as question, though, what about all the witnesses who didn't testify? I mean obviously the majority can control and say, no, we're not going to subpoena John Bolton but there are definitely witnesses who we haven't heard from yet who could absolutely have relevant information and that would mean none of those folks come. So it would mean no John Bolton but also no whistleblower, no Hunter Biden.
[Baldwin:] Just when you think, you know, you hear from the President, you hear from Republicans and I know a lot of them really respect the decorum in the Senate what they would and actually wouldn't want to do. But you hear there's just two very different ways how they could go about on the Senate side. So we have just to watch and wait to see which way they go. Anne Milgram, thank you very much for that. Also just into us here at CNN, a second federal judge ruling that the way President Trump has tried to pay for his border wall is against the law. We have those details, ahead.

[Brunhuber:] Several countries this week have hit milestones in the coronavirus pandemic. India has now become the third nation to surpass two million confirmed cases. It's a sobering number that only the U.S. and Brazil, had reached until now. On Thursday, multiple Latin American countries also saw record highs. Columbia's health ministry also announced almost 12,000 new cases. And Argentina recorded more than 7,500 new cases and 145 deaths. Peru had the highest jump with almost 7,800 new cases. The country has the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in the region with more than 20,000 and almost 200,000 deaths. And as of Friday, Africa surpassed one million confirmed COVID-19 cases. And South Africa has more than half of them, more than 538,000. So, let's go to CNN's David McKenzie in Johannesburg. David, last time we spoke, you know, it was a good news, bad news story, lots of cases in South Africa and rising but relatively few deaths. Is that still the case?
[David Mckenzie, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, it is certainly more pressure on the health system, and a very scary scenario for any country. And many countries have experienced this kind of surge, Kim. South Africa's health minister saying yesterday that their hospitals are just coping. That they've seen much better results since about mid-June where they started giving steroids to all severe patients. They said that's what led to fewer deaths than they were seeing before that. So, I think because the pandemic hit here later, there are some tools in the tool kit now to deal with these surges. But still, a very scary prospect. And health officials here expect the cases and deaths to continue surging. A WHO surge team, as they call it, more than 40 public health professionals, are headed to South Africa. Some of them are already here, to help the country cope as the fifth worst hit country officially in the world. Kim?
[Brunhuber:] As you say, you know, South Africa a huge case count. Is that just because other countries in Africa aren't testing as rigorously, and are there other sort of, hotspots of concern out there?
[Mckenzie:] Well, there is other ways of seeing what the rates are, including hospital admissions and deaths in countries other than testing. But yes, a big issue, a big reason that some other major countries in terms of population across Africa aren't seeing the numbers is because of a lack of testing. The World Health Organization yesterday sounding the alarm about the lack of testing on the African continent. They said it's, quote, "a constant and concerning challenge." That there aren't enough testing. They're kind of pulling their resources to try and get more testing into the continent. But, so, it's kind of impossible to know really how many cases are transmitting in many parts of the region because of that lack of testing. As of now, they haven't seen hospital systems being completely overwhelmed. But the worry is, many parts of Africa will follow South Africa's example in spike in cases, though those countries don't have the infrastructure that this country does. Kim?
[Brunhuber:] All right. Thank you so much for the update on the continent. We appreciate it. David McKenzie in Johannesburg. Well, a greater percentage of Americans are testing positive for the coronavirus. So later this hour we'll see why health experts say that's a key predictor of trouble ahead. But first, we're live in the Middle East with the latest on the investigation into the Beirut explosion. Why so few people in Lebanon trust their government. This is the CNN Newsroom. Stay with us.

[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] A revitalized field of Democrats putting the pressure on Senator Bernie Sanders. Did they do anything to slow him down ahead of Super Tuesday?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] And it's not if, it's when. The CDC says Coronavirus will spread in the United States. The President appears to be fudging facts on the health crisis in an Election Year. Well, world's matters credibility very important in a crisis. Welcome back to "Early Start." I'm Christine Romans.
[Jarrett:] And I'm Laura Jarrett. 31 minutes past the hour here in New York. It was a wild free-for-all brawl last night at the final Democratic debate before Super Tuesday. Six candidates all are trying to blunt the momentum of front-runner Bernie Sanders in Charleston now just three days before South Carolina's primary. Candidates took aim at each other over socialism, electability, race and the issue you did not see coming a week ago, Cuba.
[Bloomberg:] Donald Trump thinks it would be better if he is President, I do not think so. Vladimir Putin thinks that Donald Trump should be President of United States and that's why Russia is helping you get elected so you lose to him.
[Warren:] I dug in, I did the work and then Bernie's team trashed me for it.
[Buttigieg:] You think the last four years has been chaotic, divisive, toxic, exhausting, imagine spending the better part of 2020 with Bernie Sanders versus Donald Trump.
[Biden:] Progressive is getting things done and that's what we got done.
[Sanders:] I've been hearing my name mentioned a little bit tonight. I wonder why.
[Warren:] I don't care how much money Mayor Bloomberg has, the core of the Democratic Party will never trust him. At least I didn't have a boss who said to me, kill it the way that Mayor Bloomberg alleged to have said-
[Bloomberg:] I've never have said that.
[Warren:] -you've said to one of his pregnant employees.
[Bloomberg:] I never said that and for the record if she was a teacher in New York City she would have never had that problem. We treated our teachers the right way.
[Klobuchar:] Instead of just reviewing everything from the past, let's talk about where we're going to go forward.
[Warren:] No, the math does not add up.
[Buttigieg:] I think we were talking about math and it doesn't take two hours to do the math.
[Sanders:] Let's talk about math.
[Buttigieg:] So here's the math. It adds up to four more years of Donald Trump. Kevin McCarthy is Speaker of the House and the inability to get the Senate into Democratic hands. The time has come for us to stop acting like the Presidency is the only office that matters.
[Biden:] Bernie, in fact hasn't past much of anything. I'm not out of time, he spoke over time and I'm going to talk. There is the deal.
[Steyer:] I have worked for racial justice completely and that is an absolute unfair statement-
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you Mr. Steyer.
[Klobuchar:] All I know if we spend the next four months tearing our party apart we're going to watch Donald Trump spend the next four years tearing our country apart.
[Bloomberg:] The debt is at $20 trillion going up to 21. We just cannot afford some of the stuff people are talking about. Bernie will lose to Donald Trump and Donald Trump and the House and the Senate and some of the Statehouses will all go red and then gerrymandering and appointing judges for the next 20 to 30 years we're going to live with this catastrophe.
[Sanders:] Mayor Bloomberg has a strong and solid and enthusiastic base of support. Problem is they're all billionaires.
[Bloomberg:] You read about the virus what's really happening here is the President fired the pandemic specialists in this country two years ago. So there's nobody here to figure out what the hell we should be doing.
[Sanders:] Cuba made progress on education. Yes, I think, really?
[Buttigieg:] I'm not looking forward to a scenario where it comes down to Donald Trump with his nostalgia for the social order of the 1950s and Bernie Sanders with nostalgia for the revolutionary politics of the 1960s.
[Sanders:] This conception and you're hearing it here tonight is what the idea some talking about are radical. They're not in one form or another they exist in countries all over the world.
[Biden:] China prevents North Korea from launching missile to take them down, and if we don't why am I stopping? No one else stops.
[Unidentified Female:] Okay.
[Biden:] That is my Catholic school training.
[Jarrett:] He stopped because it was so chaotic on that stage. Let's talk to CNN Politics Senior Writer Zack Wolf joining us live this morning from Washington. Good morning. I mean the first question the top question of the morning did anybody blunt Bernie's momentum?
[Wolf:] I don't know if they did. Particularly because he's been saying so much of this stuff for so long that if you've been paying any attention, none of its new. I mean, he's been offering praise-
[Jarrett:] But he wasn't a front-runner before and now he's legitimately the front-runner and suddenly it's caught moderates and the establishment by surprise.
[Wolf:] Right. And that's why it is so important that Democrats are reexamining all of these things, putting together all those proposals and seeing you know 50 or $60 trillion over ten years, these things that he's proposes like Medicare for all you know added to free college, added to Green New Deal added to free housing added. To all these other things it would be a dramatic restructuring of the U.S. economy in such a way it is just so fanciful to think that one of these things could get through much less all of them. So it's important that everybody is reexamining all of this, but are Democrats essentially going forward with him because they like him? Is it his base of support that likes him and expecting him not to accomplish any of this stuff? If so, then I'm not sure that last night would stop him at all.
[Jarrett:] Zack, obviously Bloomberg not on the ballot in South Carolina but is on the stage. He took a lot of heat last time. I think you know he spent a lot of time preparing for this debate. Clearly not a perfect performance but I want to play for you a moment where he's trying to make a joke that doesn't quite come off.
[Wolf:] Oh, God.
[Bloomberg:] I really am surprised that all of these, my fellow contestants up here I guess would be the right word for it given nobody pays attention to the clock. I'm surprised they show up because I would have thought after I did such a good job beating them last week that they'd be little bit afraid to do that. All of the new Democrats that came in, put Nancy Pelosi in charge and gave the Congress the ability to control this President, I got them.
[Jarrett:] He caught himself, he caught himself though but you know at the end of day he still has these huge ad buys. And so even if the debate performance may be he is lacking in some areas. You know does it matter?
[Wolf:] Even during the debate you saw Michael Bloomberg commercials at least on my TV you saw Michael Bloomberg commercials and he looks a lot different in those commercials.
[Jarret:] He sure does.
[Wolf:] He's been there cuddling up next to Barack Obama and saying very inspirational things and he looks a lot different on the debate stage. I don't know ultimately if he's going to be able to the quality of these debates is not so much in people who watch them from start to finish, it's how they sort of eke out into the either, and is that enough to- You know we've already seen him, he was ascendant in polls and then after that first debate performance he started to crater a little bit or at least in the ones that have come out since then. He's not on a ballot until Super Tuesday and people are voting right now. So that will be the first test just as it will be I think you know after South Carolina the true test of whether Sanders, this reexamination of him and all the things he promises, you know, if it's going to make any sort of dent in him because otherwise he could walk away with the thing.
[Romans:] Were there any missed opportunities last night? I mean, Laura was keeping track 83 minutes until anyone mentioned Coronavirus and it was Michael Bloomberg who brought that up. Two terrible down days in the stock market a President who was saying one thing speaking optimistically about Coronavirus and his CDC much more concerned. Were there missed opportunities here to sort of go after the President?
[Wolf:] They did mention him I think a lot more than they did in the debate last week where he was almost a nonentity and then they were just beating up on each other. You heard a lot more Donald Trump is winning because we're arguing with each other kind of thing and then they would go back to arguing with each other. I think part of the problem for Democrats is they are having this identity crisis in do you go with the person who has all of the momentum and the buzz but only about a quarter of the country agrees with him and Bernie Sanders? Or do you try to pick somebody who might appeal to the middle to some of the, you know, disaffected Republicans or moderates who might be afraid of Bernie Sanders quite frankly and the things he's putting forward? Do you pick the excitement or do you pick the safe bet, and that they have clearly not made up their minds in.
[Romans:] And there's also this subtext of can there be a Biden reset after South Carolina? A lot of people are talking about that.
[Jarrett:] He needs one. And obviously the endorsement of Congressman Clyburn is expected later today. We'll see who he picks it is widely expected that he would choose Biden. He could use a boost like that, but we will have the wait and see. Zack Wolf, thank you so much.
[Romans:] Nice to see you.
[Wolf:] Thank you.
[Romans:] All right is the President of the United States risking public health with his optimistic outlook on the Coronavirus?

[Whitfield:] All right. Welcome back. Tomorrow begins a new session of the U.S. Supreme Court and justices face several highly contentious cases and that includes cases on abortion, immigration, the second amendment, and LGBTQ rights. And with the majority of justices appointed by Republican president, conservatives are hoping for some big wins. It was just one year ago today that Justice Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in replacing the often deciding swing vote of Anthony Kennedy. And a short time ago, activists protested Kavanaugh and the conservative direction of the court by assembling outside the Washington, D.C. home of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. All right, let's discuss this new term with CNN's Ariane de Vogue. Ariane, good to see you. Just looking ahead at this new session, it is expected to be tenuous. How will the newest Justice Kavanaugh possibly play a role here?
[Ariane De Vogue, Cnn Supreme Court Reporter:] You're right. It was just one year ago that protesters stormed the steps of the Supreme Court. They were so furious that Brett Kavanaugh had been confirmed after allegations of sexual misconduct that had occurred when he was a teen. Those came out during his confirmation process. He has always adamantly denied that it took place. But they're also furious about the direction of this court because the Supreme Court, like you said, is just about to start this new term. And the issues are really big issues this term. They'll be talking about gun rights and LGBT rights, abortion, and immigration. And they are fearful that Brett Kavanaugh, who took the seat of Anthony Kennedy, is going to move the court to the right on some of those issues because Kennedy, Fred, he served as the swing vote on so many of those issues.
[Whitfield:] And then, you know, just as his term is about to begin, we've heard from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, again, 86 years old, saying she's in good health, but also taking questions. Listen to one that stood out in particular.
[Unidentified Male:] How do you think people will characterize this period in American history?
[Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.s. Supreme Court Justice:] As an aberration.
[Whitfield:] As an aberration, she says. Why is it so important and vital? I mean, she sees it as important and vital for people to see her interacting with audiences and speaking out and speaking her mind like that.
[De Vogue:] Right? She speaks up there. She tries in her speaking events not to ever directly criticize President Donald Trump lately. But there she was talking broadly. And look, she is this four-time cancer survivor. She is the liberal lioness on the Supreme Court. She was diagnosed with her last bout of cancer last August. And she has gone on this extraordinary speaking tour since that diagnosis, since she said she'd gone through treatment. And she wants to send a strong message that she is in charge of the Liberal wing of this Supreme Court. She is ready to take the bench, to take this momentous term head-on. And that she will be there. And that she will be voting in these cases. So, it's been an extraordinary few weeks for this justice who has just captured the Liberals' attention as she does so many of these speaking events, Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right. Ariane de Vogue, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
[De Vogue:] Thanks.
[Whitfield:] We've got so much more straight ahead in the "Newsroom". But first, meet this week's "CNN Hero", Robbin Carroll.
[Robbin Carroll, Founder, I Grow Chicago:] I started coming out to the community. The lots were all empty. The houses were getting boarded up. People were not coming outside. I stood on the corner and just asked anyone that walked by, are you interested in taking back your community? And everyone said absolutely yes. We are really brave space and courageous space. We're going to get there. We will work through all of what is holding you back to becoming the person and the potential that you have to be.
[Whitfield:] To learn more about Robbin's work, go to cnnheroes.com.

[Unidentified Male:] It's like I'm still dreaming.
[Becky Anderson, Cnn International Anchor:] You'll never celebrate alone. Absolutely mental, Liverpool fans going wild, and they have every reason to do it, as European champions. Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson live from Abu Dhabi. We've got lots of news for you at this hour kicking off what will be a very, very busy week with the U.S. president in the U.K. All the details on that in a few minutes' time. But we begin with simply fantastic news, at least if you are a Liverpool fan, devastating for the unlucky Spurs fans out there, such as myself. Well, celebrations as Liverpool comes to dominate European football, notching up at 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday's champions league Champions League final. We've been covering this through the season. It seems like the whole world was watching. Check out the bitter disappointment for these Tottenham fans in Seoul. Well, I feel your pain, lads, but this lodge won't. Pure joy and adulation, Reds fans watching it all go down in the hometown of Liverpool super striker and friend of this show, Mr. Mo Salah. Well, the team about to take a victory lap around Liverpool and that is where CNN's Alex Thomas is right now. He's feeling the energy in the thick of the madness. Has the city slept yet, the red side of it, that is?
[Alex Thomas, Cnn Sports Anchor:] the young lad
[Anderson:] All right, well it sounds as if we may have lost that shot. I'm going to get you back to Alex Thomas just as soon as we can. As I say, the team will be doing a victory lap, starting around now in Liverpool. What a season for them. Let's get you to Charlie Gibson, who is a video producer at the bleacher report. He showed a video last night at Saturday's big game. He joins me now via Skype from Madrid. And just before we speak, Charlie, I want to show our viewers this video. Well that video going viral, already watched by nearly six million people, and counting. Charlie, what were you thinking as you shot that Pitt's side?
[Charlie Gibson, Video Producer:] Becky, why so many people related to this video is as you see a child and his father embracing. I mean, people all around the world put so much time and effort into taking their kids to sport, and you see that this is the pinnacle of Jordan Henderson's career and he's come running across. And I just felt lucky to be there. The pure emotion was just incredible to capture to catch.
[Anderson:] Jordan Henderson, of course, the captain of the Liverpool team. Just describe the atmosphere Pitt's side, when that final whistle blew last night, Charlie.
[Gibson:] I'm lucky enough to have covered Liverpool a few times this season. They're a fantastic club and you could see what it meant to those players. Of course, last year they had the heartbreak in Kiev against Madrid, and you could see just what it meant to someone like Jordan Henderson. You know, he's been told by so many critics that he's not good enough for this team. He's not your MO Salah type of player. And could you see the pure emotion and passion that got this one across the line and it was just it was a joy to watch.
[Anderson:] Not the greatest game of football, but a fitting end to an unbelievable season for the club that many call football royalty.
[Gibson:] Yes. I mean, obviously, I must pass my condolences to you, first of all, Becky, in the sense of being a Tottenham fan. I know it wasn't too great to watch. But Liverpool has had such an incredible season and I mean, they came so close in the premier league and I think Jurgen Klopp spoke about how many finals he's lost, and this now, the European Champions, you need to say no more. They've had a fantastic season.
[Anderson:] They have. And you're right to name check Jurgen Klopp, finally shedding his nearly man reputation. It is rare these days that a manager makes the headlines as often as these extremely well-paid footballers you know, these footballing stars, but he's really something special, isn't he?
[Gibson:] He is. I mean, he really has this rock star feel about him. He spoke about how he almost wanted to play rock music when he came to Liverpool. And he just ooze his confidence. And he can see that players, they look up to him. And I think that's really Liverpool, you know, that they're a working-class club. And you see the fans connect to him every time at the end
[Anderson:] That's right. And I've watched him in training. We did some programming with Mo Salah last year. And I watched Jurgen Klopp in training and his attitude with those players is unbelievable, and the sense of this being a sort of family, the togetherness that you see in training - not because we were there. I genuinely don't believe because we were there filming. I mean, you can just see they're really, really tight group. Let's talk about Mo Salah because we opened the show with some video from his hometown. We also, of course, showed some video that's in Egypt, we showed some video of Spurs fans in Seoul, big supporters of the Spurs player Son. You know, lest we forget, this was an all-England final, played in Madrid, which is no stranger, of course, as a city to success. But I think last night seeing these fans in Egypt, seeing the fans in Seoul really sort of reinforces how big the game is and how important Champions League is to millions of people around the world, Charlie.
[Gibson:] Yes, it's as I said, I've been lucky enough to cover the Champions League for the last six months. And just the global size of it and seeing in front of the Tottenham fans as you saw those flags, you saw the connection. And these players are they almost they represent the club in the sense of like Mo Salah is Liverpool, Son is Tottenham, Harry Kane, it's quite incredible where they've taken their clubs to. And now it's a case of this is the prime time, this is the global competition, and I just think it's going to grow and grow really, Becky.
[Anderson:] Yes, fantastic. Charlie, always a pleasure. I'm not sure how Madrid cope with the celebrations. I'm sure they did. It sounds as if it was all very it was all very jovial. I'm sure they'll be pleased when the fans leave, though. Thank you for that. Charlie is in the house, from the bleacher report, of course. Now, you know it wasn't just last night. Being a Spurs fan can be a bit of well, a bit of an exercise in self-flagellation, really. Take my adorable little nephew, Theodore, a really white fan, since he was a nipper, very proud he was then of his new kit that his auntie bought him. But the more things change well, the more they don't. Now a strapping young man, almost 30 years, as ardent a fan now as he was in short trousers, despite the fact the team hasn't actually won anything in Theo's lifetime. Yes, we Spurs fans are long-suffering but a merry band about it. What can we say, we love it. And Theo head eye onwards. The U.K. is also abuzz over a big state visit this week. U.S. President Donald Trump will be in town with his family. Mr. Trump set to touch down in London on Monday morning but he's already rustling feathers after a wide-ranging interview with the British newspaper The Sunday Times. The President talked about the price for leaving the E.U. and how the U.K. should negotiate with Brussels.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well, if I were them, I wouldn't pay $50 billion. That's a big number. I wouldn't pay $50 billion if that's me. I'm only saying this from my standpoint. I would not pay. That's a tremendous number.
[Unidentified Male:] Some of these candidates are saying they'd walk away if they don't get what they want, others are disagreeing. I mean, presumably, do you think they get a deal
[Trump:] If they don't get what they want, I'd walk away. I would walk away. This is their decision. You're just asking my opinion. I would not if you don't get the deal you want, if you don't get a fair deal, then you walk away.
[Anderson:] Meanwhile, London mayor and longtime Trump critic Sadiq Khan slams Mr. Trump in a scathing op-ed titled "It's un-British to roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump." Khan described the president as a growing global threat and says his behavior flies in the face of the ideals that America was founded on. The London mayor isn't the only one opposing Mr. Trump's visit. CNN's Phil black with this report.
[Phil Black, Cnn Correspondent:] It is no secret that the American president and the mayor of London don't think much of each other. They've been Twitter feuding for years. On this occasion, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London has written a lengthy argument in Britain's Observer newspaper explaining why he believes Donald Trump does not deserve the honor of a state visit to the United Kingdom. He has a long list of policies, comments, and behavior which he says ultimately are not compatible with British values, including using xenophobia and racism as electoral tactics. He says Trump is the leader of the global far-right movement, one that is a growing threat and one that is built on the tropes he says, that fascists used in the 20th century. Now, Sadiq Khan is not alone in opposing this visit. There will be protests during Trump's visit here, and other senior politicians, notably the leaders of main opposition parties, including the Labour Party's Jeremy Corbin, essentially the alternative prime minister here. They've said they are going to stay away deliberately from the state banquet at Buckingham Palace where Trump will be the guest of honor. There is a convention with state visits where the guest doesn't get involved in the domestic political affairs of the host. But Donald Trump has already defied that convention through interviews given to British newspapers ahead of the visit where he has essentially given his take on all the big political issues in Britain right now, including criticizing Theresa May for her poor handling of Brexit negotiations, essentially saying she was too soft. And he's also backed one specific contender to replace her now that she has admitted she must leave office in the coming weeks. Trump says that Boris Johnson would make an excellent prime minister. These comments aren't a surprise. He's made them before but this is a different time in Britain, a time of greater uncertainty, a time of greater political turmoil, where anything other than polite respectful language by the American president during his visit could trigger political shock waves that will continue to be felt here long after he leaves. I'm Phil Black reporting from London.
[Anderson:] Let's get the view from both sides of the Atlantic, shall we? CNN Political Analyst, Julian Zelizer, regular guest out of this show live out of New York for you this Sunday, and joining us from London Chief Political Commentator for The Independent John Rentoul. Donald Trump's offering advice, John, on U.K. politics may not be conventional but we've heard it from him before. Probably he doesn't surprise us. Should we be at all concerned?
[John Rentoul, Chief Political Commentator, The Independent:] No, we should we should be rightly outraged, and indignant that he's sticking his nose into our affairs. But actually, I mean, it's not going to the way we carry out our politics. I mean, the conservative leadership election is a rather peculiar Democratic event in any case. And I don't think Donald Trump's intervention is going to change anybody's mind.
[Anderson:] Julian, according to The Daily Telegraph, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton says the Trump administration wants Britain to honor the results of the Brexit referendum and leave the E.U. Bolton also getting involved saying the U.S. preference is for Britain to follow the course of what the people ask for leave and the E.U. It's a lesson for everyone in the triumph of democracy. Does John Bolton and the U.S. president, do they genuinely believe that they should be getting involved, and that the British people care about what they say?
[Julian Zelizer, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I think President Trump likes to get involved in many things, and the reaction isn't always his primary concern. From the start, I think Trump has seen himself as connected to Brexit, as part of some global populist movement rejecting the status quo, rejecting political elites, so it's not a surprise that right now, on this visit, he will double down especially as politics over there are more uncertain.
[Anderson:] John, describe, if you will, the atmosphere ahead of this trip in the
[U.k. Rentoul:] Right, it's very partisan and very divided. I mean, most people in Britain are not are not Donald Trump supporters, not even conservatives, which is why his intervention on behalf of Boris Johnson was not particularly helpful to Boris Johnson, I mean, because he needs the votes of conservative MPs in the first instance. And you know, they're not they're not really Trumpy people, most of them. I would have thought most of them would probably be sort of moderate Democrats if they were forced to take a position on American politics. But so, yes but it gives a chance for Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London and it gives Jeremy Corbin, leader of the Labour Party the chance to get on their high horse about a right-wing foreigner intervening in British politics.
[Anderson:] Yes, I mean, Sadiq Khan going so far as to say it's un-British to roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump. That came a little bit far. What does he mean by that?
[Rentoul:] Well, indeed, and lecturing Americans on what values their country was built on, which is which is tit-for-tat. I mean, if Donald Trump is going to tell us how to run our affairs, then Sadiq Khan is perfectly entitled to tell Americans how to run theirs. I mean, the problem with Donald Trump is he's very interested in British politics because as the professor just said there, you know, he regards Brexit as part of an international movement of which is he part of the national populist movement but he's not very well informed. I mean, he has no idea whether the $50 billion exit fee is too much or too little or what he would have negotiated if he'd been in Theresa May's place.
[Anderson:] And Julian, the British Home Secretary, interior minister, for what it's worth, in other countries Sajid Javid told the BBC he welcomes Mr. Trump's visit. He side-stepped any question over the President's controversial travel ban. Have a listen to this.
[Unidentified Male:] Donald Trump has said in his very interesting interview this morning that lots of Conservatives have been asking for his support. Were you one of them?
[Sajid Javid, Home Secretary, United Kingdom:] No.
[Unidentified Male:] You haven't find out the
[Javid:] I don't think I'm one of them.
[Unidentified Male:] That's very interesting because obviously if you become prime minister, you know, as the Disraeli was the first Jewish prime minister, so you will be the first prime minister from a Pakistani background, Muslim background. Have you're going to be seeing the president very shortly, I'm sure. Are you going to raise to him the Muslim travel ban?
[Javid:] What I would raise with the president and his team first of all, I'd welcome him to the U.K. I think it's great that the president of the United States is coming here and I thank him for all the cooperation especially on security that i see day in, day out, which saves lives in Britain.
[Unidentified Male:] So the words Muslim travel ban don't appear in that in that opening thought.
[Javid:] I'll be thanking him for all that United States does to help Britain.
[Anderson:] Julian, exercise perhaps in the art of diplomacy from a man who is we have to say a contender for conservative leader, which in this current era means that he would also be prime minister going forward. Look, what does Donald Trump want to get out of this trip, do you believe?
[Zelizer:] I think this is more about his own political standing in the United States. He wants to turn attention from a lot of the controversies that have really been accelerating in recent weeks. He wants to put himself on the international stage to look presidential going in to a presidential election season. And again, he wants to make himself part of a movement. Rather than this just being Donald Trump, he wants to elevate himself and Brexit offers a way for him to do that. But he will be greeted with lots of protests, a lot of non-diplomatic moments. And the question is, does he elicit more of that than any positive benefits he can gain politically from this visit.
[Anderson:] Well, we've got three days of it starting Monday. Julian Zelizer In New York, John Rentoul in London, we'll have you back. Thanks for joining us.
[Zelizer:] Thank you.
[Anderson:] Well, still to come, another mass shooting in the United States. Authorities gave an update a short time ago. I'm going to get to that next. Plus, Israel and Syria trade fire. We're going to get you the very latest as each side blames the other, the escalating conflict. And Jeopardy drama playing out behind the cameras as each game show host battles for his life. I'm going to get you the very latest on his condition later this hour. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. This is from our Middle East broadcasting hub in Abu Dhabi. You are more than welcome to stay with us.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] Welcome to CNN 10, I`m Carl Azuz introducing Part 2 of our theories on Facebook. The highly successful and controversial company is celebrating its 15th birthday and on the heels of yesterday report that focused on its founder, today`s special examines the decisions that were made that grew the company into what it is today and contributed to some of the challenges its faced. The social media application didn`t always look like we know it today. It used to be more static. If you wanted to see what someone was up to, you had to click on his or her profile. Now, of course, information is fed to you but what`s become a defining part of the product has had a bumpy road. Breaking and developing new stories are just a click away at CNN.com, meantime for us Laurie Segall takes back inside a social media behemoth.
[Laurie Segall, Cnn Journalist:] It was June 2006. Yahoo offered $1 billion to buy Facebook. At the time it seemed almost incomprehensible.
[Mark Zuckerberg:] Most of the management team really thought that we should sell. I remember I had one late night conversation with one of my closest advisors where he sat me down. It was probably 11 o`clock and he said Mark, if you don`t sell the company you are going to regret this decision for the rest of your life. And it was just really intense.
[Segall:] What`d you think when he said that?
[M. Zuckerberg:] When Dustin and I made the decision to not sell the company, within 18 months every single person on the management team left.
[Segall:] Did you ever question yourself? That you were making the right decision?
[M. Zuckerberg:] Oh yes. Because, I mean, I was - I was 22. I didn`t - I didn`t have an exact plan of what was going to happen. It was incredibly scary.
[Segall:] Was it crazy, arrogant, confident?
[M. Zuckerberg:] It`s all of those things and that is the curse of the autocrat. It is this wild cocktail of vision, will power, a little bit of arrogance, a little bit of confidence and saying, you know. Thank you but I believe something else.
[Segall:] In arrogance or perhaps hubris that many have said led Facebook into some of the serious trouble it`s facing now. But then it was the vision for what would come next that played out three months later. September 2006, the birth of Newsfeed.
[Unidentified Male:] People would simply go to somebody`s profile, then they would go to the next person`s profile and the next person`s profile and Facebook`s like, ah ha. We need to actually bring this all together and just show you what`s going on with your friends especially those friends that are most important to you and that was of course the dawn of the now famous algorithm.
[Segall:] Newsfeed would completely overhaul the site giving a real time feed of your friends and your family.
[Caryn Marooney:] Here I am gearing up for this fantastic launch and all the engineers are so excited.
[Segall:] Facebook`s former PR director remembers how everything changed in a minute.
[Marooney:] We saw these - this group that became a million people protesting against Newsfeed using Newsfeed.
[Segall:] The backlash was extreme.
[Marooney:] The phones started ringing off the hook. Thousands of emails of people saying what have you done, what have you done, what have you done to my Facebook.
[Unidentified Male:] I think they were sort of alarmed by Facebook taking their activity and publishing it. You know, it was one of these first privacy scares on Facebook.
[Segall:] But Newsfeed survived and it thrived.
[Unidentified Male:] Ultimately became the thing that is of core of Facebook, the Newsfeed. It`s not one of the core of Facebook but it`s the core of every social media application we used.
[Segall:] It was Facebook`s first hint of privacy issues. Down the line the stakes only got higher as the platform connected the world. Welcome to December 2007, also known as that time Facebook ruined Christmas.
[Unidentified Female:] There was a guy who put a diamond ring for his wife and all of his friends, it flashed up on their screens.
[Unidentified Male:] Including his wife.
[Unidentified Female:] And his wife. Christmas ruined he said.
[Segall:] It was Facebook`s first big privacy scandal.
[Unidentified Female:] Thousands were outraged. People were really ticked off.
[Segall:] Ticked off by Facebook`s first real attempt at making money. It was an ad product called Beacon.
[Unidentified Male:] A Facebook user can log into e-commerce sites using your Facebook identification and then when you buy something all your friends are going to find out about it. And Facebook was like this is such a cool, innovated way to get, like, involved in commerce and not be doing boring old advertising.
[Segall:] To say they got it wrong was an understatement. This, soon after the Newsfeed outrage, but like many bets Zuckerberg made that paid off. This was different.
[Unidentified Male:] The story of Facebook Beacon is the time where Facebook got really [inaudible].
[Segall:] It was a privacy and PR disaster. It took the company a month to react.
[Unidentified Male:] Facebook yesterday apologized and said that now you can entirely opt-out of this program.
[Segall:] But the loss of trust was damaging. It was officially time to bring in the operator that many believed Zuckerberg needed to help run Facebook. That person was Sheryl Sandberg. At the time you`re 38 years old, you`re managing 4,000 employees at Google. Leaving for a company that barely had any revenue and you felt like this was the opportunity.
[Sheryl Sandberg:] I felt like this was a great opportunity. A lot of people said to me, what are you doing? Facebook was really small. It didn`t seem to be growing that quickly and I told them I`m going to work with and for someone I really believe in who I think is trying to do something really important.
[Segall:] Those early years with Sheryl at the helm would lead to tremendous growth. As would Facebook`s next move, it would eventually be called Platform.
[Unidentified Female:] It was the first time that Facebook was opening the site to allow outside technology companies andor in certain cases individual developers to build something that would work with the site.
[Segall:] It would prove to be one of the most important moves the company made and down the line would lead to fundamental questions and concerns about how the company handled user data. Giving third party developers the ability to create their own applications by accessing Facebook user data.
[Sandberg:] Facebook Platform is why you can follow your friends play lists. It`s why you can see your friends birthdays on your calendar and remember. I think the early form of Platform was sharing more data.
[Segall:] The architects were focused on the good as it went live in 2007. It was money maker the moment it went live and would lead to tremendous innovation and growth. But years later, it would become the root of one of the company`s biggest scandal.
[Sandberg:] And so there`s always, you know, a "Catch 22" whenever you`re giving a voice to people that didn`t have a voice before.
[Segall:] They soon discovered policing content was complicated. An issue that would only grow as Facebook grew. And moving into 2012, Zuckerberg was close to 1 billion users and gearing up for the company`s massively anticipated
[Ipo. Unidentified Female:] Questions are coming out, is Facebook really living up to the hype.
[Segall:] But there was a problem, smartphones were on the rise and Facebook wasn`t a mobile first app. It was easier to access it from a computer. So Zuckerberg did something atypical. He bought a company during what was known as the quiet period. Why the need to go on a buying spree?
[M. Zuckerberg:] It was really connected to this whole transition to mobile phones being the main way that we use technology.
[Segall:] Instagram was one of the most downloaded applications on the I- Phone.
[Unidentified Male:] Zuckerberg went out and just put like a humongous money - amount of money on the table and bought Instagram and everyone said, you`re crazy. What are you doing? That`s a bad idea and actually though it turns out to be a brilliant idea.
[Segall:] $1 billion. They got it cheap.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes. Yes. They did get it cheap.
[Unidentified Female:] I think there were a lot of people that doubted whether or not this was really a good acquisition and if you look back now it makes so much sense.
[Segall:] It was an investment in Facebook`s mobile strategy and it helped the company bolster its portfolio ahead of the
[Ipo. Unidentified Female:] Facebook is set to go public this week in what could be the biggest IPO in history.
[M. Zuckerberg:] Going public is an important milestone.
[Segall:] With the world watching, everything that could go wrong, went wrong.
[Unidentified Female:] Stock that maybe picked a bad week to go public. Facebook, [inaudible].
[Unidentified Male:] The beginning of the wildest period -
[Segall:] The stock tanked and continued to for 109 days.
[Unidentified Male:] So I mean it was the definition of rollercoaster in every way.
[Segall:] And during all of this, the one person we didn`t hear from was Mark Zuckerberg.
[Unidentified Male:] It was echoed a tiny little bit, you know, when Mark and Sheryl were quiet for three plus days after the Cambridge Analytica crisis. I think Mark at the time just very firmly believed that we`re going to focus on building our stuff instead of talking about our stuff.
[Segall:] Until Zuckerberg spoke for the first time. At this point, it was a highly anticipated interview.
[Unidentified Male:] Welcome to Techrush Disrupt and thanks for coming.
[M. Zuckerberg:] Thanks for having me.
[Unidentified Male:] This is, you know, a defining moment. You`re an ice skater stepping on for the long skate and you know you got to nail it.
[M. Zuckerberg:] Performance of the stock has obviously been disappointing. We already see that mobile users are - are more likely to be daily active users of Facebook.
[Unidentified Female:] He said, you know, we`re going to be focused on mobile and anyone who doesn`t bring to my office mocks, prototypes that are based on mobile rather than desktop will be kicked out.
[M. Zuckerberg:] We have almost 500 million mobile users.
[Segall:] They made the shift and it would pay off. Eventually the stock price went up. Zuckerberg`s bet on Instragram also paid off in a big way.

[Lemon:] Now, we have a CNN TONIGHT exclusive. My sit-down interview with the former CIA director General Michael Hayden. I talked to him at his home earlier this week. It is his first interview since his stroke last November. In a wide-ranging conversation, we talked to him about what happened that day, about his recovery, about the state of our nation and the world over the past seven months. And if there is one thing you'll learn from our conversation, is that you can't keep a good man down. So good to see you.
[Hayden:] Good to see you again.
[Lemon:] How are you doing?
[Hayden:] Better.
[Lemon:] Yes?
[Hayden:] A lot better.
[Lemon:] So, let's talk about what happened.
[Hayden:] Sure.
[Lemon:] Take us through what happened that morning?
[Hayden:] Well, Jeanine was in the basement doing exercises, and I was actually right there. And suddenly, I fell, and I couldn't get up. Nothing would happen to me. And so, I called Jeanine, but she couldn't hear me. And so finally, after three or four times getting up, I couldn't do it, I fell frankly at the bottom of the stairs. I just fell down to Jeanine.
[Lemon:] You went all of the way down the stairs?
[Hayden:] Halfway down the stairs.
[Lemon:] Halfway down the stairs?
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Wow.
[Hayden:] I called and called and finally she answered and said, what's wrong, what's wrong, and then she saw me.
[Lemon:] Were you worried in those moments? Can you remember if you were going to make it?
[Hayden:] You know, I didn't. No, I didn't. Later on, I did, OK, in the hospital. But not right now, because everything was a blur.
[Lemon:] A blur?
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] And had Jeanine not been here?
[Hayden:] An hour after she was gone. And so, I was there three or four or five hours, and I would not have her to help.
[Lemon:] She had an appointment an hour later?
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] And you would have been here by yourself.
[Hayden:] That is exactly correct.
[Lemon: Lemon:] Do you remember what Jeanine did? Did she immediately call 911?
[Hayden:] Yes. Exactly.
[Lemon:] You could hear?
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Was she talking to you?
[Hayden:] Yes, but I can't remember the details, but she was talking to me. And then the people came very quickly.
[Lemon:] Being in the hospital.
[Hayden:] Sure.
[Lemon:] In your recovery.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] What was that like?
[Hayden:] Well, first of all, two months.
[Lemon:] Two months.
[Hayden:] Yes. And it's hard and you go from the very basic things. And the people were wonderful. OK? And they are patient. God, thanks God for that.
[Lemon:] How frustrating is it?
[Hayden:] Very frustrating. And by the way, there's some things that are not coming back, OK. And so, I have to deal with that. OK?
[Lemon:] Are you talking about that?
[Hayden:] Sure. I this well, parts of my right here is very difficult. And so, I don't know whether it will be back later on or not. And so, I try. I exercise. But, you know, move on. I'll do the best I can.
[Lemon:] And you have a brace. Do you wear a brace?
[Hayden:] I have one brace, yes, on my foot.
[Lemon:] And has that come back your foot?
[Hayden:] Yes. Watch this.
[Lemon:] Wow.
[Hayden:] Which is like amazing. Three months ago, I couldn't do that at all, but here, there you go.
[Lemon:] So, you are on a recumbent bike, who do you think you are?
[Hayden:] Well, there are some people who Gabby Gifford was in to say hi to me, and
[Lemon:] You said say hi to you, but she they visited you, right?
[Hayden:] Yes. That's exactly right.
[Lemon:] And they saw you the day you were on the bike.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] And they said, well
[Hayden:] I have a bike here. You can have that one.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] So, you are a lefty now?
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] You weren't a lefty before?
[Hayden:] I'm bad left-handed.
[Lemon:] But your dad was a lefty.
[Hayden:] Because yes, that's right.
[Lemon:] So that helped you out?
[Hayden:] Yes. And now everything is there. I am going, OK, that's going to be it.
[Lemon:] Can you write?
[Hayden:] Sometimes, a little bit like my name. I can do that now.
[Lemon:] Right.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Listen, I think that you still have your higher level of thinking.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] You still have your analytical abilities.
[Hayden:] I can try.
[Lemon:] But none of that, and the reasoning abilities and all of that.
[Hayden:] Yes, that's right.
[Lemon:] But physically, it's an issue.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Is it frustrating because you know what you want to say.
[Hayden:] God, yes.
[Lemon:] But it doesn't come out the right way.
[Hayden:] That's exactly right. Now Jeanine is very good at saying what I am trying to say, the kids are good. But people come and talk to me, and it's hard for me to do it.
[Lemon:] Well, I know what you are saying now.
[Hayden:] yes. And for example, the DNI would come every now and again, and we'd talk and would go all of the time, but it's hard for other people to do that.
[Lemon:] The DNI?
[Hayden:] Jim Clapper.
[Lemon:] He would come over.
[Hayden:] Yes. All the time.
[Lemon:] Yes. We talk as well.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] We have this running conversation about you in text message. How is he doing.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] What's going on. You know, it's a frightening experience.
[Hayden:] Yes, it.
[Lemon:] What do you say to people who have dealing with this, either they have suffered a stroke.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Or a family member or loved one or friend, what do you say to them?
[Hayden:] Well, you know who you love. That's really important. The wife and kids and family. That's really, really important now. The kids come over a lot. And they do a lot of things for me now.
[Lemon:] Including your grandson?
[Hayden:] Yes. All of them. The little grandson, the little one. That's right. Because, I can't read really well. And so, he'll help me with the letters.
[Lemon:] So now, did you, were you teaching him at one point?
[Hayden:] Yes, of course.
[Lemon:] And now he is teaching you.
[Hayden:] Exactly.
[Lemon:] How old is he?
[Hayden:] One, two, three, four, five.
[Lemon:] He's five.
[Hayden:] Five. I got to do that in order to do that.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] So, you know, obviously, Director Clapper wants, visit visited you, your friends, he wants to have you back.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] General, there are other people who want to have you back, I would love to have you back on
[Cnn. Hayden:] Thank you. I would love that.
[Lemon:] We would love that. And many important voices would love to have you back, General Hayden.
[Hayden:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] So, we're going to get Mrs. Hayden to come in and share some of those voices. Do you mind?
[Hayden:] OK. That would be great. Thank you.
[Zakaria:] Mike, you are the great the greatest guest that we can get, because you are always smart, you are always articulate, you're always wise which is even more important than being smart. And you have always been a pleasure to deal with. So, from my point of view, we just, you know, you are the A-team, and we just need to get you back as soon as we can.
[James Clapper, Former Director Of National Intelligence:] The role model he is setting is really courageous and inspiring. And that has actually deepened the already great respect and admiration that I have always had for Mike Hayden. Also, I'd like to say a word about the pillar in the family right now is his wife, Jeanine, who is absolutely phenomenal.
[Nicholas Burns, Former Ambassador To Nato:] Welcome back. Mike and I worked together in the George H.W. White House
[Hayden:] That's right.
[Burns:] that's how old we are, but I've always admired him, I've admired his intelligence, his patriotism, the fact that he is great human being. I know he's had a tough time.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Jake Tapper here. General Hayden, I just wanted to say I'm thrilled to hear that you are doing better. We've all been concerned about you. We missed you on The Lead and we look forward to seeing you soon.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] You're such an important part of our CNN family, and we're looking forward to seeing so much more of you very soon including right here in the Situation Room. Your expertise is so vital with so much news going on right now.
[Christiane Amanpour, Cnn Anchor:] General Hayden, welcome back to CNN. So glad you are doing so much better. And I'm looking forward to getting yet another opportunity to keep grilling you on the issues.
[Lemon:] What do you think when folks do that? I know you don't like to be feted over.
[Hayden:] Yes. Well, I can do it a little bit.
[Lemon:] So, you enjoy that?
[Hayden:] Yes. Very much.
[Lemon:] It's nice to be wanted. Right?
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] You know, Director Clapper calls you the pillar of the family, and I notice the times that we've been talking and you've been very instrumental and you've been helping him out. What do you think when he says that? Do you feel like you are the pillar right now?
[Jeanine Hayden, Michael Hayden's Wife:] I feel like I have to be for sure. But, you know, I'm just doing what I signed up for. All of those many years ago, in sickness and in health. And so, it's just the way it is.
[Lemon:] What do you want people to know about this experience?
[J. Hayden:] Well, here's one thing. If you have conceded to your spouse all the financial stuff, sit down and get it all figured out now. Because, you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow and that's one of the things I have had to learn. Big time.
[Lemon:] Yes, but that's an important practical thing, because I remember when my father passed and my mom, there were things that she had never seen, and you know, mortgages and all sorts of things that she had to sort of find her way through it.
[J. Hayden:] Right.
[Lemon:] And I actually think that's really good advice.
[Hayden:] Jeanine and the kids are, that's everything to me. And so, they from very first moment, she was there, and the kids were there to meet me. And so, with that, I can do anything.
[Lemon:] With your family and your loved ones.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Thank you, Mrs. Hayden, I appreciate that. So, now that we've talked about your experience and I appreciate you sharing it. Let's talk some issues.
[Hayden:] OK.
[Lemon:] Let's do what we did in the good old days.
[Hayden:] Yes.
[Lemon:] And not so long ago. We'll talk about world issues.
[Hayden:] OK.
[Lemon:] When we come back.
[Hayden:] OK. Thank you.

[Curnow:] So in Hong Kong, many students are going back to school for the first time in four months. Students are having to come to terms I suppose the teachers, too with new realities in the classrooms. That includes social distancing, masks and many, many new rules. Kristie Lu Stout shows us what it's like now.
[Kristie Lu Stout, Cnn International Correspondent:] Familiar feelings for 11-year-old Hanna on her first day back at school.
[Unidentified Female:] social distance learning.
[Stout:] Sorry to say good-bye to her mom, excited to see the other kids and get back to doing well in class. But it's not summer break or Christmas holidays that she's had away from her teachers. Hanna's school is reopening after a pandemic shut it down.
[Hanna, Student:] I'm very excited, but I'm annoyed that we have to wear a mask all day.
[Stout:] Despite its border with mainland China, Hong Kong has come through the pandemic relatively unscathed. Like other parts of the world, social distance has been the watch word. But here, there have been just over 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in four known deaths. When Hanna's school reopened, the territory had not recorded a case for over a week.
[Hanna:] The hardest part was keeping one meter away, and, like, every time you leave the room and come back in, you have to put hand sanitizer on. And some people are forgetting.
[Stout:] Students here at Hong Kong's peak school are finishing up their first week back in this brave new world of socially distanced learning. And this is what a lunchroom looks like in this type of pandemic. Once lunch begins, students will be spaced 1.5 meters apart, facing the same direction. It's the one time in the entire school day when they're allowed to take off their masks.
[Unidentified Male:] And just sit where you are.
[Stout:] New school rules are strict. P.E. class turns a team sport, hockey, into individual practice. The kids wipe down their sticks. There is no sharing of water bottles. Classes are separated, half in one room, half and another. The teacher uses Zoom to be in two places at once. The toughest part is to ask kids to stay apart from one another, that according to Principal Bill Garnett, but anything to start getting things back to normal.
[Bill Garnett, Hong Kong School Principal:] Communities across Hong Kong have been waiting to have the children return, and to have them turn up on the bus and walk through the gates on Monday morning was some amazing feeling. To see they've all got masks on, but you could see the smiles. You could see in their cheeks and you could see in their eyes. Everyone is just elated to be back.
[Stout:] But being back means bringing the worries of the world into the classroom. Some of these kids have been cooped up in notoriously small Hong Kong apartments since January, when schools decided not to return after the Chinese new year break.
[Garnett:] We're confident that we've reduced the risk. You cannot eliminate the risk, and we made that point to the parents, that we've done everything we can to reduce the risk. But you know, year ones, 5-year-olds, who want to going to want to hold hands when they arrive at school. So it's a bit of mitigating that risk but not we can't eliminate it.
[Stout:] The question is, will school ever be how it was before COVID-19 hit, here at Hong Kong or anywhere?
[Garnett:] Hong Kong, as a city, this is an opportunity to really show the rest of the world that you can get through this. That we are leading the way. And we can demonstrate that this is something we can do. It is possible. We can keep the children safe, and we can have them in school.
[Stout:] Parents around the world wait anxiously in hope that their kids can go back to class, too, and like Hanna's school, the lessons of COVID-19 will keep them safe when they do. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
[Curnow:] Well, you're watching CNN. Still to come, museums are looking at ways to remember the coronavirus pandemic for future generations. We look at how they plan to do it and what items they want to display.

[Allen:] India's top court says the fiercely contested holy site in northern India should be given to Hindus who want to build a temple there. Muslims were handed a separate plot of land. Both groups have been fighting for ownership of the land for decades and it sparked deadly riots back in 1992. Let's get more about it from Vedika Sud, joining me now live from New Delhi. Talk to us about the reaction to this decision.
[Vedika Sud, Journalist:] So it's a significant and landmark achievement, really. The going ahead with this verdict by the supreme court has been a good one as far as the Hindus are concerned. The Hindus constitute 80 percent of the population in India and they are extremely happy with this verdict. Muslims, not so much. They considered about 14 percent of the percentage of population in India. The representors in court are upset with this verdict. They are not satisfied. They might even be fighting for a review petition in the Supreme Court. They claim five acres of land in an alternate land property is not what they're looking at. They want to fight this further and that could be an option that they're looking at in the near future. As far as the prime minister is concerned, moments after this verdict was out, he has lauded the verdict, hailed the court for coming to an amicable solution as far as the longest legal battle over a title suit in India is concerned. So politically, as far as the affiliates of the main Hindu party in India, they're extremely happy. Muslim political party, not so much. If you remember the 1992 destruction of the Barbary Mosque, the court has also called that illegal today. That was another significant order that the supreme court had spoken about while reading out its landmark verdict.
[Allen:] Thank you, Vedika Sud, for us there in New Delhi with the latest on this decision. Thanks. We want to turn now to the story we continue to follow out of Mexico. A remote Mormon community there is under heavy protection after nine Americans, including two infants and three mothers, were massacred in an ambush. The family continues to bury their loved ones and they have not given up on the search for answers. The questions, were the killings random or were the Mormons targeted? Our Patrick Oppmann is in Mexico City.
[Patrick Oppmann, Cnn Correspondent:] It was another day of funerals and heartache for the family of nine Americans who were cut down, murdered by members of a Mexican cartel, as they were driving to a wedding, supposed to be a celebration for this tight-knit Mormon community that lives on the other side of this Mexican border. Why these three women and their children, six children who died altogether, were targeted by this cartel is still a mystery. The Mexican government says it may have been a case of mistaken identity, as cartels battle over this territory that is used for drug trafficking by the cartels. But members of the Mormon community said they didn't understand how that could have taken place, that they're well known in this community and that they had stayed out of the cartels' way, for the most part, over the years and there was no reason that members of a cartel would come into the area and fire over 200 rounds at these unarmed women and children. All the same, though, they said even though their hearts are broken, they're just now begin to go fight for answers and for justice.
[Lenzo Widmar, Victims' Relative:] While we feel fire inside, if we felt the need for justice before, well, now it's multiplied. We have a desire to find, to put an end to this atrocity. We will continue to seek justice.
[Oppmann:] Right now, the community is being protected by Mexican military and police but it's unclear how long they will be able to stay there. Mexican government officials admit that this area is lawless and they do not have the resources there to keep residents safe. And even though members of this community have lived there for years, some are saying they are considering leaving, that it is no longer safe for them and their children. And the fact that six children, as young as 7 months old, could be murdered in cold blood perhaps it's no longer safe to live here for anyone. The final funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Mexico City, Mexico.
[Allen:] Again, it is a historic day in Berlin, Germany. We're revisiting the day the Iron Curtain began to fall apart and Europe began counting down to the end of the Cold War. We'll continue our live coverage as we push on here.

[Baldwin:] The man who took a gun into Walmart just days after a shooter murdered 22 people at the Walmart in El Paso says he is foolish but not evil. 20-year-old Dmitriy Andreychenko says he is thankful he did not get shot when he openly carried the rifle into a Springfield, Missouri store just days after back-to-back mass shootings. He also was wearing body armor. He was arrested and charged with terrorist threats in the second-degree.
[Dmitriy Andreychenko, Arrested After Bringing Gun Into A Missouri Walmart:] I called a Walmart to make sure this was allowed. And they said it was. So no one looked like they were scared, no one looked frightened. There was no one screaming, no one was getting trampled, it just looked like a very civil evacuation of the building. I just want people to know that I'm not a bad person. I would never, ever hurt anyone. It was foolish. I didn't give it thought.
[Baldwin:] Well, his lawyer told our affiliate that he is a permanent resident and faces deportation if he is convicted. And that does it for me. I'm Brooke Baldwin, thanks for being here. "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper starts right now.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Is President Trump's best re-election argument slipping away today. "THE LEAD" starts right now. The Dow dives. Hundreds of points in the fallout of President Trump's trade war with China and a new warning that we may be heading for a recession. What the red arrows could mean for your household and the next election? Leaving the race to win a marathon. The new buzz that some Presidential candidates could do the Democratic Party better by dropping out and running for Senate instead. Plus, the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, tearing into the Senate Majority Leader using a nickname she must know he hates, Moscow Mitch, after a new report claims McConnell let one Russian oligarch slide on sanctions to benefit business in his state.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Breaking news New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has just announced that he will allow women to be released from their nondisclosure agreements with his company if they want. Bloomberg says that they have identified three such NDAs. And he says that he's done a lot of reflecting and has decided going forward, his company won't offer confidentiality agreements to resolve claims of sexual misconduct. This, of course, comes after Senator Elizabeth Warren called out Bloomberg at this week's debate for his use, his use of nondisclosure agreements, more than three of them we should note. Let's let's discuss this. And I'll start with you. Is this going to be good enough? I suspect for Elizabeth Warren, it will not, if there's three NDAs that he's allowing.
[Sabrina Siddiqui, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I think it really shows, first and foremost, the impact of Senator Elizabeth Warren's attacks on Mayor Bloomberg during this week's Democratic debate with respect to his initial refusal to release these women from the NDAs. And I think the broader point that not to Senator Warren but some of Mayor Bloomberg's other Democratic rivals were trying to make is when it comes to taking on President Trump at the top of the ticket, they feel that if it's someone like Bloomberg who has come under scrutiny for prior comments about women, who has faced discrimination lawsuits at his company, they'll undercut their ability to go after President Trump over those very same issues. And so, I don't think that releasing them from the NDAs will take away scrutiny over his record.
[Tapper:] Alexandra, I want you to take a listen here at the CNN town hall last night with Senator Elizabeth Warren. She went a step further with her demand for Bloomberg releasing women from their NDAs. Take a listen.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] I used to teach contract law, and I thought I would make this easy. I wrote up a release and covenant not to sue, and all that Mayor Bloomberg has to do is download it. I'll text it. Sign it, and then the women or men will be free to speak and tell their own stories. I think that the mayor should sign this and that we all have a right to see.
[Tapper:] Now, that's obviously not what he's done, although we're told he's identified three such NDAs that he's willing to waive.
[Alexandra Rojas, Executive Director, Justice Democrats:] Yes, I think cherry-picking is a bad look when we're talking about, I think, what, is it over 40 women, have complained about
[Tapper:] Forty people, employment problems, yes.
[Rojas:] Employment problems, or pregnancy discrimination, what-have- you. But that's not the only thing here. As recently as 2016, he was supporting Republican members getting elected. As recently as 2016, he's helping Republican get to the Senate. And so, I think there's a huge problem that ultimately speaks to the broader problem you were making that if we want to defeat Donald Trump as Democrats, we have to be able to take the moral high ground. We have to be able to bring out the best in the Democrats and not con draw the biggest contrasts, which is not a billionaire that kind of switches party, whenever it's convenient.
[Tapper:] And we also have some more breaking news, which is that "The Washington Post" is breaking and the Bernie Sanders campaign is confirming that he's been briefed on the fact that the Russian government has apparently been attempting to help his campaign in the election interference. One quick quote from Bernie Sanders' campaign: Unlike Donald Trump, I do not consider Vladimir Putin a good friend. He's an autocratic thug who's attempting to destroy democracy and crush dissent in Russia. Let's be clear, the Russians want to undermine American democracy by dividing us up. And unlike the current president, I stand firmly against their efforts and any other foreign power that wants to interfere in our election. Bill?
[Bill Kristol, Conservative Columnist:] Yes, the Mueller report had quite a lot actually about Russia's interference in 2016 and trying to whip up Sanders supporters against Hillary Clinton both in the primary and I think even onto into the general election. Some of that might have worked. There were some Sanders, Trump voters and some Sanders voters stay at home. So, I mean, just on the Bloomberg thing for a minute
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Kristol:] -it's unclear to me how many he's releasing. Whether he'll release
[Tapper:] It says three NDAs. I don't know if that's more three women or three people or
[Kristol:] Or whether he will release if they wish to come forward. I would say this, Bloomberg is not a very good I hate NDAs. I really wish the whole law change on that. I refused to sign one when our owners closed "The Weekly Standard" and gave up a little bit of income, there were severances a result, it's just terrible. I mean, really, you think it's been so now abused. It's bad for the country. Leaving that aside, Bloomberg is not a very good candidate. He has a pretty good campaign. They move pretty quickly if you think about it. If these and people can still say, well, he did this. And it's not admirable what he did, but he can now say, look, I came under pressure, I rethought it, I released the people. What about Donald Trump? You haven't released anyone. So, I think I'm sort of impressed by the despite that pretty miserable debate performance Wednesday night, I think the Bloomberg campaign is adjusting to what happened pretty quickly.
[Rojas:] I think it's also important to remember that he has also spent $464 million so far and is definitely going to be spending hundreds of millions more to erase people remembering the debate performance
[Kristol:] Yes.
[Tapper:] We're going to keep talking about this. We're going to squeeze in a quick break. We'll be right back.

[Allen:] Welcome back. 40,000 riot police are on standby in the capital of Indonesia following deadly post-election unrest. At least six people were killed, hundreds injured, when protesters faced off against security forces. More than 250 people were arrested during a night filled with tear gas, rocks and fireworks, as you can certainly see there. The violence was triggered when election officials certified president Joko Widodo as the winner of last month's election. Opposition leaders allege the voting was rigged and say they plan to file a lawsuit challenging the results. The results of India's six week national election should come into sharper focus over the next few hours. The main question, will prime minister Narendra Modi and his party, the BJP, keep their majority in Parliament when the final tally is announced. CNN's Sam Kiley is live for us at BJP headquarters. Hello to you, Sam. When are the results expected and what is the anticipation where you are?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, Natalie, no official seats declared but all the indications are coming from the Indian electoral commission that the BJP is well in the lead with some 290 seats drifting their way; none formally declared, as I stress. But they are in the lead in 290-plus constituencies, which means that they are well over the 272-seat threshold that they need in the Indian parliament to form an absolute majority. Back in 2014 it was the BJP which won the first outright majority in about 30 years with Mr. Modi at the helm. Over the last election, we have seen this very much concentrated in an American style election, if you like, with Mr. Modi being the center of attention rather than focus being on his party. He has managed also to duck some of the failures, the opposition would have said, in terms of his economic policies, with declining support in the rural areas, for example, where a lot of his support traditionally came from mainly because of a bump in his security credentials as a consequence of India's reaction to what they say it was a Pakistani inspired bombing in Kashmir when 40 security forces were killed. And India struck back inside Pakistani territory with airstrikes, allowing him to campaign with the slogan that he is the guardsman, the watchkeeper, if you like, for the security of the nation, very much focusing attention on himself rather than the party. And that seems to be paying off with him in a clear lead, not only in the exit polls, Natalie, published on Sunday but now in the early stages of the actual results coming out, though, as I stress, no seats have actually been declared but the broad trajectory is for an overwhelming BJP majority here in the Indian parliament. This is the biggest exercise in democracy in the history of mankind. More than 600 million voters turned out, 900 million people potential, 67 percent of the population, a big turnout in this country of 1.3 billion people Natalie.
[Allen:] That is an impressive turnout. All right, we will wait and see the results. Sam Kiley give us the perspective. Sam, thank you. The U.S. blacklisting of Huawei is already having a global domino effect. Mobile networks in Europe and Asia are dropping deals with the Chinese telecom giant. This comes after Google says it can only service existing Huawei phones for the next 90 days. And popular apps like Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps will not be accessible on Huawei's new phones. That freezes out ride hailing and food delivery apps, which rely on services like Google Maps. China has accused the U.S. of bullying Chinese companies for political reasons and is demanding fair treatment from its trading partners.
[Lu Kang, Chinese Foreign Ministry:] We have repeatedly expressed China's position as opposing the United States' abuse of national power, to willfully smear and suppress other countries' companies, including Chinese companies. China has always required Chinese companies to abide by international norms when investing abroad but, at the same time, we always demand that other countries give Chinese enterprises fair and nondiscriminatory treatment.
[Allen:] Our Sherisse Pham is in Hong Kong with more on the wide- reaching impact of the U.S. blacklisting that Huawei is having.
[Sherisse Pham, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Global companies are pulling away from Huawei. Top mobile carriers in Japan and the U.K. delaying the launch in sales of new Huawei phones. EE and Vodafone in the U.K. pressing pause on Huawei's new 5G phones, Vodafone saying in a statement today, "We are pausing preorders for the Huawei Mate 20X 5G in the U.K. This is a temporary measure while uncertainty exists regarding new Huawei 5G devices." Over in Japan, NTT Docomo has stopped taking reservations for Huawei's P30 Lite phone. KDDI and SoftBank saying they will delay the launch of that phone. Now these moves come after Google signaled that Huawei's latest smartphones will not have access to Google's popular apps and services. That makes Huawei phones a lot less attractive to international consumers. It means they won't have Google Play or Gmail or YouTube. Also a lot of third-party apps, like Uber and Deliver Route, rely on services like Google Maps. Without access to Google's ecosystems, Huawei phones lose a lot of their functionality. Huawei is the world's second largest smartphone seller. They said they were going to overtake Samsung in the top slot by next year. All of that now in doubt, as the Trump administration cuts off access to U.S. tech and products. Beijing defending Chinese companies today, calling the U.S. actions "an abuse of state power meant to smear Chinese companies" Sherisse Pham, CNN, Hong Kong.
[Allen:] Coming up here, a sharp jump in cases of the flu is raising questions about how migrants are being cared for in U.S. processing centers. A tense exchange about it on Capitol Hill.

[Blitzer:] It was the first day of open, public, live on television hearings in President Trump's impeachment inquiry, two senior lifelong American diplomats taking serious questions on whether the president of the United States abused his office. And there were some very striking and surprising moments. John Dean is here, he was the White House counsel to President Nixon. Also with us, Paul Rosenzweig, senior fellow at the R Street Institute, a former Homeland Security assistant secretary. Guys, thanks very much for coming in. So, John, what was the most striking moment for you?
[John Dean, Cnn Contributor:] I think the bombshell, obviously, that very early, the testimony that that one of Taylor's aides had heard the conversation with Sondland, thrusting Sondland, who's a volunteer witness, right back in the middle of this. I think he'll probably regret having come forward and not claimed this absolute immunity because he's now a key witness.
[Blitzer:] What do you think, Paul?
[Paul Rosenzweig, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary For Policy, Homeland Security:] I think that that was certainly a bombshell. I think the other really significant factor that showed up yesterday was the utter inability of the Republicans to kind of find a consistent factual theme, and to essentially be erecting fake legal arguments as their defense. It shows the kind of weakness of where they are right now.
[Blitzer:] Where do you think, Paul, this is all heading?
[Rosenzweig:] Well, I think it's inevitably going to head to a vote on the House floor for impeachment. The main question there is going to be whether or not any Republicans break ranks, especially some of the people who are retiring like Representative Rooney, Representative Hurd. And then to the Senate, where who knows what's going to happen.
[Blitzer:] Listen to this clip. You know, John, this is a Republican congressman, Jim Jordan. Let me play it.
[Unidentified Female:] the point that these are secondhand witnesses, but the White House isn't
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] Not secondhand. It's Sondland talked to Yermak and then Sondland Yermak and Sondland have a conversation, then Sondland talks to Morrison, and then Morrison talks to Taylor. And this all happens in Warsaw, where Vice President Pence is meeting with President Zelensky and nothing happens there.
[Blitzer:] So he's saying none of these witnesses
[Dean:] Thank you for that.
[Blitzer:] had any firsthand information.
[Dean:] Thank you for that, thank you for that. Paul and I were talking about that in the green room. It is the biggest bogus claim, that there's no proof of the president's involvement. There are exceptions to the hearsay rule. There are more exceptions that play out every day in courtrooms criminal, civil and that's the way we communicate. When when my wife tells me that my dogs are doing something or my son is doing something, I don't have direct information, but I rely on it. It's the way we operate as a society. This is bogus.
[Rosenzweig:] Well, I think that the to bring it to the legal framework, there's a clear exception to the hearsay rule that says the statements in furtherance of a plan in the criminal context, a criminal plan, a criminal conspiracy but here, a plan to withhold evidence are admissible as evidence of the existence of the plan. I have clients who are in jail today based upon that very sort of testimony. To say it is inadmissible is wrong. To say you don't want to believe it? That's what Jim Jordan's really saying.
[Blitzer:] Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, he said this in his opening statement. I'll play the clip.
[Rep Devin Nunes:] After the spectacular implosion of their Russia hoax on July 24th, in which they spent years denouncing any Republican who ever shook hands with a Russian. Anyone familiar with the Democrats' scorched-earth war against President Trump would not be surprised to see all the typical signs that this is a carefully orchestrated media smear campaign.
[Blitzer:] So what do you think? You're shaking your head.
[Dean:] Not even close, not even close. What happened is, Trump forced this issue on us. As the as the Russia investigation was wrapping up, this man is plotting his next activity that is illegitimate. To get a foreign country to do the dirty work of opposition research in exchange for foreign aid is outrageous. This is Wolf, to me, this is so much more serious than Nixon's activities, it's more serious certainly more serious than Bill Clinton's activities. It's in the area of Iran-Contra, which was settled behind closed doors. But this is this is something that affects our national security.
[Blitzer:] More serious than Nixon, more serious than Bill Clinton?
[Rosenzweig:] Oh, certainly more serious than Bill Clinton, who's I mean, I worked on the Clinton campaign and I Clinton impeachment, and I still feel as though that impeachment was was well-founded. But whatever you think of that, it involved misconduct that arose at a personal level, not the misuse of presidential authority for personal gain. And I have to say as well, that buried in yesterday's news was the was the Roger Stone trial and Rick Gates. And so anybody who actually goes and reads that testimony knows that Mr. Nunes' characterization of what happened between the Trump campaign and Russia is false. There was direct testimony there of what amounts to collusion. It may very well not be prosecutable criminally, but there's no doubt at all that this is part and parcel of the president's playbook, to see Russia, to seek foreign influence on American electoral campaigns.
[Blitzer:] The tone of the hearing so far, what do you think?
[Dean:] What happens is, they're faster with less information than historically. When I say "faster," events are occurring. Maybe it's social media, maybe it's more media today than there were with three or four networks in the past. But less information in the fact that Clinton, for example, turned over information; Nixon actually turned over more information; Andrew Johnson turned over more information. So this in this White House, they've just closed the door. And but for the foreign service having a spine and coming forward, we wouldn't know what was going on.
[Blitzer:] John Dean, Paul Rosenzweig, guys, thanks very much for coming in. Still to come, the Trump organization is now courting new investors for its hotel here in Washington, D.C. But the hotel's biggest draw for foreign government-related business? That's a subject that presents potentially a serious conflict of interest for the president. We have an exclusive CNN report, that's coming up.

[Phillip:] As we await official word on the funeral arrangements for the civil rights icon John Lewis, people across the country are making time to say their own final farewells.
[Blackwell:] Take a look at this mural of the longtime congressman, several stories high here. This is in Atlanta's Sweet Auburn neighborhood. It's a place where people are coming to. You can see under the banner there, they've come to place flowers and gathered to discuss the late congressman. We know that the Georgia Democratic Party executive committee will meet tomorrow to discuss who will run for his seat in November. He held that seat for more than 30 years. And today, take a look at the front page of the "Washington Post" featuring the congressman, calling him a faithful saint of civil rights.
[Phillip:] One way to pay tribute to John Lewis is gaining momentum is to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in his honor.
[Blackwell:] Now, the bridge is the site of the brutal crackdown by police on Lewis and other civil rights foot soldiers in 1965. It carries the name of former Alabama senator, Confederate general, KKK leader. Michael Starr Hopkins is the founder of the John Lewis Bridge Project. With us also, Caroline Williams, a poet and author and descendant of Edmund Pettus. Michael, let me start with you. I just want you to make the case for changing the name of the bridge.
[Michael Starr Hopkins, Founder, John Lewis Bridge Project:] You know, it's time to take down the name of Edmund Pettus. Edmund Pettus was a Confederate general and was a senior member in the Ku Klux Klan. If we ever truly want to wipe away the scene of bigotry, we have to wipe away the names of men like Edmund Pettus. To honor Edmund Pettus by keeping his name on a bridge is antithetical to everything that this country should represent. So, if we want to live up to obligations, live up to who we say we are, then we can start by removing his name and putting up the name of someone who has been a hero, someone who has stood for what's best in the country. Not what's worst.
[Phillip:] And a couple of weeks ago, Caroline, you wrote an op-ed that got attention. It was entitled in part, my body is a Confederate monument weighing on this issue. I just want you to read a little bit of this op-ed where you explain your connection to Edmund Pettus and to this bridge.
[Caroline Randall Williams, Poet:] I would love to. Thank you so much for having me. My blackness does not put me on the other side of anything. It puts me squarely at the heart of the debate. I don't just come from the South. I come from Confederates. I've got a rebel gray blue blood coursing my veins. My great grandfather Will was raised with the knowledge that Edmund Pettus was his father. Pettus, the storied Confederate general, grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, the man for whom Selma's Bloody Sunday Bridge is named. So I am not an outsider who makes these demands. I am a great, great granddaughter.
[Phillip:] What do you make, Caroline, of this push to rename the bridge?
[Williams:] It's honestly exactly what I, you know, wanted, hoped would be an outcome of having the conversation the way that I meant to have it when I wrote the article because the whole point was people who are related to the people that are honored in these monuments, they have to be part of helping tear them down. I was sort of feeling an absence of white voices doing that work, but I thought I know I'm related to one. So I will model the behavior that I'm hoping to see and learn that from teaching and be my role as an educator. So, I am so excited that I know my roots enough to be able to help with the charge to rename something named after the ancestor that I don't wish to honor.
[Blackwell:] Michael, let me ask you. Joanne Bland, there are some people who disagree with the move to rename them. Joanne Bland was 12 years old when she watched her sister be beaten there on Bloody Sunday. An she opposes the renaming. We spoke with NPR. Here's ha she said what she said.
[Joanne Bland, Co-founder, National Voting Rights Museum In Selma, Alabama:] I loved him with all my heart. A great man, who loved
[Blackwell:] What's your response? The juxtaposition of his name being there and what happened there that the world saw is the reason to keep the name.
[Hopkins:] At the end of the day, this should be up to the people of Selma to make this decision. But what is the most important thing is taking down Edmund Pettus' name. That's what I believe. And so, we're trying to work hand in hand with the Selma community to move this forward, because honoring Edmund Pettus is the first step in the problem. But taking down his name, then the community, in tandem with the country, can talk about how we best move forward. Whether it's the John Lewis name or whether it's other names. But I think fostering this dialogue, communities having reconciliation is so important. It's why that article is so moving. When I started this process, I said I wanted to see John Lewis one last time be able to walk under that bridge and see his name. Unfortunately, that won't happen. But I do know he's watching us from above and hoping that we will continue his work. By continuing that work, that means working to improve Selma, to build it up, to build tourism, to build education, and to bring our country together, because this has been a hard year. And the best way that we can serve 2020 is to find a way to come together and rebuild this country.
[Blackwell:] So, quickly, before we move on, you although you lead the John Lewis Bridge Initiative and started this petition with 450,000 signatures now, I checked this morning, you are OK with it being named with more than just John Lewis. Because there are some in Selma, descendants of people who were there and people who are actually foot soldiers that day who think it should be more inclusive than just the congressman.
[Hopkins:] I support the people of Selma and what they decide the name should be. I put forth a name as a suggestion. I think the John Lewis Bridge is a great name. But the people in Selma are the people whose voices need to be heard the most. And this can be a collective effort. This doesn't need to be one where people who aren't from there are coming in and tell them what to do. This is one where we can have our voices heard. As we continue to have that dialogue, we're going to come together and really shock the world.
[Blackwell:] OK.
[Phillip:] And, Caroline, one of the things that's at the epicenter of this debate, what do you do with the bad parts of history? I mean, what do you think should is the value of removing a name of someone like Edmund Pettus? Do you think there's any risk of losing the context even if it is awful and negative and nobody wants to be associated with it?
[Williams:] I'm so glad you asked that question. I think the word context is critical to the answer. I think that I'm so excited by Michael's initiative. I actually put my petition during the commercial break before we came on this morning. I want I think that when we take the name down, we have to know what's going up, because I think that taking leaving just gaps that can be filled in with something innocuous or something that feels maybe not attached to the point at all is always a risk if we don't have a plan for what's going up when we take it down. I do feel urgently, that if and when the name comes off, because we know how swiftly and efficiently erasure has worked in the past in this country. I think some markers saying it was the Edmund Pettus Bridge but that in a step toward progress, we renamed it. And I think about the woman who spoke about not wanting to rename it because how transformative that social justice happened because it was named that and John Lewis, you know, made his life's work about rectifying some of the wrongs that were part of the groundwork of things that Edmund Pettus did. I think that that is so visceral and complicated, but I also think that part of the next step of that transformation is to find a way to not have to live walking under the name of a man who committed those kind of crimes against humanity is what I'd call them. And so, I do want the name to be revised. I do think that we need to have a plan about what the name will be before we move forward.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] Well, this initiative is certainly getting a lot of support. South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, Terry Sowell there in Alabama, Senator Doug Jones supporting it, several celebrities. Thank you so much for the conversation, Caroline Randall Williams and Michael Starr Hopkins. Good to have you this morning.
[Michael Starr Hopkins, Founder, John Lewis Bridge Project:] Thank you.
[Williams:] Thank y'all.
[Blackwell:] And we'll be right back.

[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] We're about to go into a dark winter, a dark winter. And he has no clear plan. And there is no prospect that there's going to be a vaccine available for the majority of the American people before the middle of next year.
[Kristen Welker, Debate Moderator:] President Trump, your reaction? He says you have no plan.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I don't think we're going to have a dark winter at all.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Well, lots of big moments including that one, of course, to discuss with the last presidential debate. Let's get some thoughts from really smart people. Three of the smartest people I know on politics. It's Nia-Malika Henderson, Mark Preston, and S.E. Cupp. Hello one and all. We'll say good evening, but good morning to all of you. So let me just say this. Mark, I know you think that's part of the reason that Biden did well in the debate tonight, because of his honesty with the coronavirus.
[Mark Preston, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Right.
[Lemon:] You think that the president was not so honest when it comes to that. But at least, I hear people saying the president was trying to be somewhat positive about the time we are going into, and you are not buying that.
[Preston:] No. Not at all. I mean look, the fact of the matter was, with the clip we just showed right there, it's the closing argument for Joe Biden. I don't know much more that he would have to say at this point. We are at a very, very bad point right now with the coronavirus. And what scares me Don, and I think it probably scares everyone else on this panel and yourself and Chris and just about anybody who has any kind of sense, that we are kind of giving up. There are folks who are just buying into the idea of open up the economy, full-blown, don't worry about it. And I think that there was an interesting moment tonight, Joe Biden had a lot of interesting moments tonight but when he'd look straight into the camera and said to all the teachers out there, hey don't worry about it, only x amount of you are going to die. That was very compelling.
[Lemon:] S.E., so I got a note from someone saying why are we giving President Trump so much credit because he didn't behave like a zoo animal tonight? He was forced not to behave that way because they had to mute the mics on him and then his people told him, if he did not, you know, if he didn't calm down a bit, he was going to lose it. What do you think about that?
[S.e. Cupp, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, I think we need to be rally careful with the way we described Trump's debate performance. You know, by our own Daniel Dale standards, he lied more in this debate performance then in the quote,-unquote "crazy debate". And the bar is so low that it's on the floor. And so I get what we talk well, he was better this time. But that bar is so incredibly low, and I think we do a disservice when we talk about it in those terms. This was a terrible debate for the president of the United States to get on a national stage, and then tell millions of Americans that COVID isn't so bad, and it's going to be gone soon. Winter's going to be fine. To look in the camera and express absolutely zero compassion for kids separated from families. I mean I could go on and on. It was a terrible debate performance, and very, very sad for our country. so I do think our language around his performance matters.
[Lemon:] At least he was thinking though, Nia, and I'm doing what S.E. said I shouldn't do right here. But at least he was thinking you remember the low IQ part. I mean the very least, you remember the low IQ part? I mean I guess, it's like oh my gosh. But he did say, maybe I shouldn't say this, but he did say it out loud.
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] He did say it out loud. The president has been saying terrible, racist things out loud for many, many years. Particularly over these last many months. You know I think he did well in the sense that he did, I think advance this argument about Joe Biden being in Washington, all of these years, and not being able to get anything done particularly on criminal justice, particularly on immigration reform. So those moments were good. Joe Biden, you're just a politician, you are all talk, no action. But it turned around when Joe Biden looked into the camera and said listen, this isn't about our family. This is about you at home, and all of your struggles. And you know, you had Donald Trump essentially say listen, who cares about those families? You are being a phony by looking into the camera, and talking to Americans directly. So I thought that backfired on him. Joe Biden had, I think, some good one-liners about this idea that he doesn't want to shut down the economy. He wants to shut down the virus. I thought that was good.
[Lemon:] Do you think he was clear enough on that?
[Henderson:] Listen, you know, Joe Biden is not the clearest talker and neither is Donald Trump. And he got himself into trouble, particularly down the stretch, because he gets a little tired down the stretch. In particularly got himself in trouble I think with his answer on fossil fuels and in the oil industry. So I think they're going to have to do some clean up on that. I think they already are doing that this one. But listen, I think Democrats went into tonight seeing that these polls were tightening in some of these battleground states and I think, with that, this debate will probably continue that trend of tightening polls in these battleground.
[Lemon:] Let's continue on because you mentioned the racist stuff and then we're if we have time, we'll talk about the fossil fuels stuff. Because he has the same refrain, any time someone brings it up, right saying that he's the least racist president and even first looking out in the room saying I can't see. He said that exact same thing to me in 2015. For the undecide does this lineup that this line, I should say, help or hurt him. Let's listen and then we'll discuss.
[Trump:] As far as my relationships with all people, I think I have great relationships with all people. I am the least racist person in this room.
[Lemon:] Are you racist?
[Trump:] I am the least racist person that you have ever met. I am the least racist person.
[Lemon:] Are you bigoted in any way?
[Trump:] I don't think so, no. I don't think so.
[Lemon:] Islamophobic?
[Trump:] I'm the person no, not at all.
[Lemon:] Ok. The first one was tonight, and then in 2015 same thing. I have listen, I've got to ask people are saying to ask me Nia when you talk about race, I'm not going to ask the African American person. I will later. But I want to ask does that, for white folks who are out there watching that, do they believe it? Mark? S.E.? Do they Mark, go first.
[Preston:] No, no. As a white person, let me say, that I'm probably the least racist person watching tonight. You know what's interesting?
[Lemon:] Well done.
[Preston:] No, I do think
[Lemon:] Well done, Mark.
[Preston:] this is important. I do think that this is important though. If you look at his debate performance tonight and how he answered questions, he clearly did not prepare at all for this. And if you looked at Joe Biden, how he answered questions, he totally prepared. He knew what to say. He knew to keep it short. He knew not to say racist things. And that wasn't the only racist thing that he said. He also said he also about folks coming back in, that he shouldn't really say this, but you know, basically, folks who come back across the border are stupid, you know.
[Lemon:] Come back to court, to show up for their show for the court hearing is that's low
[Iq. Preston:] Right. Right, right, right. Low IQ. And this is what he also said too Don, when he's talking about the HBCU, historically black colleges and universities, he said, you know, I like them. You know, I thought they liked me. And it's just he was not talking in a way that was one-on-one with a person. He was describing them as all of these college administrators as one just big block. It was very, very telling.
[Lemon:] What do you think, S.E.? Did you buy it when what do you think when he says that I'm the least racist person alive.
[Cupp:] It's absurd. I mean it's an absurd claim. I think thought he's definitely convinced that that's true. They really can justify a lot of both his policies and rhetoric. And I think, they believe, that he is not coming from a racist place. But I think anyone looking at this honestly, over not just the years he's been president, but his lifetime of doing racism, whether it is birtherism, or bigotry, xenophobia, Islamophobia I think anyone would have to acknowledge, no, a lot of what you have done, and said, has not just been a dog whistle, but a foghorn, to racists. He has courted white supremacists, racist voters, and racist hate groups. To the point that, you know, the group I am looking at the most right now are white suburban women voters. I think they might actually end up deciding the next president. And to them, to us, we hear and see the racism loud and clear. It is not coded, it is not a dog whistle. And I think that has been is part of what has turned so many of us off from Trump and the Republican Party.
[Lemon:] So Nia, you said cleanup on aisle one, and S.E. was shaking her head in agreement about fossil fuels, and oil and gas jobs. Listen to this.
[Trump:] Would he close down the oil industry.
[Welker:] It's false, it's false, it's false
[Biden:] By the way, I will transition from the oil industry, yes.
[Trump:] Oh, a transition. A big statement.
[Biden:] It is big statement because I would stop
[Welker:] Why would you do that?
[Biden:] Because, the oil industry pollutes, significantly. I said, here is the deal.
[Trump:] That's a big statement.
[Biden:] Well, if you let me finish the statement because it has to be replaced by renewable energy, overtime. Over time. And I stopped giving to the oil industry. I'd stopped giving them federal subsidies. You won't give federal subsidies to the gas excuse to the solar and wind. Why are we giving it to oil industries?
[Trump:] We actually do give to solar and wind and all right. We have one final question. And that may be the biggest statement in terms of business. That's the biggest statement
[Welker:] Ok. We have one final question
[Trump:] We have one final question, Mr. President.
[Bartiromo:] Is he's going to be the oil industry. Will you remember that, Texas?
[Welker:] Ok.
[Trump:] Will you remember that Pennsylvania? Oklahoma?
[Welker:] Vice President Biden, let me give you ten seconds to respond. And then I have to get to the final question. Vice President Biden.
[Biden:] He takes everything out of context, but the point, look we have to move toward net zero emissions. The first place to do that, by the year 2035, is an energy production. By 2050 totally.
[Lemon:] So listen Nia, he's not off on that's a democratic policy, right. I don't think that Democrats say that. But it was at the right moment to say I talked with the president saying, you know, are listening Texas, are you listening Pennsylvania? Are you listening Oklahoma? It may have been very effective.
[Henderson:] Yes. I think it was. The Trump campaign, Donald Trump himself knew that that was a real moment. And you see Joe Biden say now well he really meant that he wants to gain subsidies. So in those states that you mentioned Texas, Pennsylvania. Most of all, I don't think Joe Biden is really going to win Texas but some of those down ballot people in Texas and other states like Oklahoma. They're already having to distance themselves from the statement that he made. So that was a real flub. Again, it was down the stretch. We know Joe Biden gets a little tired. But, you know this is where got to play error free every or ball so big so particularly in these battleground states that he's trying to win down the stretch.
[Lemon:] S.E. I know you want to weigh in on this, go ahead.
[Cupp:] Well yes, it was just messy. And what's unfortunate is Joe Biden has answered this question before and he's done it in a much neither way. He has talked about training people out of certain manufacturing jobs, and into new kinds of new jobs. He has good answers for this, but yes, that was a very messy response, that opened a door that Trump walked right through. And I could see I could feel some nervous campaign aides, sort of, you know hearts aflutter backstage, and in their offices when he said that.
[Lemon:] Well, that's it. Mark, you don't get to talk about this in this time. The ladies have spoken.
[Henderson:] The least racist person.
[Lemon:] The least racist person doesn't get the last word.
[Cupp:] He's just a white guy. He doesn't matter, obviously.
[Lemon:] You don't get to mansplain right now, Mark. Thank you all Good to see you all, I appreciate it. So we're just getting started here. Our special coverage of the 2nd and final TrumpBiden showdown continues with another power trio. Plus, you know, Chris and me.

[Robyn Curnow, Anchor, Cnn Newsroom:] Hi, welcome to all of our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world, you are watching CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Robyn Curnow. So, just ahead on the show, the White House extends social distancing measures. This as one of America's top doctors predicts that the number of those infected with the coronavirus could reach into the millions. Also, New York is the U.S. epicenter, but the virus is spreading far and wide. We have reports from growing hotspots across the nation. And we'll also hear stark warnings from those who know the virus better than anyone, the patients. So at this hour, the surge in coronavirus cases continues, nearly three-quarters of a million people around the world have the virus. Now, that is according to Johns Hopkins University. It's Monday morning here in the U.S. and the rates continue to spike. There are about 140,000 cases in the U.S. with nearly 2,500 deaths. Most of those people are likely to die alone, without friends and family around them. As one doctor told CNN in the medical version of solitary confinement, because that's all because of the fears of infection. Now, we know that New York, those numbers have reached a new high as well. Nearly 60,000 cases and nearly a 1,000 deaths. And the state has received 2,500 ventilators from the federal government. They distributed millions and they've distributed millions of face-masks and surgical gloves. But despite all of this, a doctor tells CNN there's still not enough of anything. Meanwhile, the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has paid homage to the first responders lost to the coronavirus. Take a listen.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] I'm not afraid to go everyone is afraid. You think these police officers are not afraid to leave their house? You think these nurses are not afraid to go into the hospital? They're afraid, but something is more important than their fear, which is their passion, their commitment for public service and helping others.
[Curnow:] So the U.S. President Donald Trump is no longer planning to reopen the country by Easter, extending his social distancing guidelines until the end of April because his top medical adviser warns there might otherwise be millions of cases in the U.S. Take a listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] So, you're talking about 2.2 million deaths, 2.2 million people from this. And so if we can hold that down as we're saying to 100,000, it's a horrible number, maybe even less. But to 100,000, so we have between 100 and 200,000, we altogether have done a very good job.
[Curnow:] So CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro has more on President Trump's coronavirus guidelines. Take a listen.
[Evan Mcmorris-santoro, Cnn Correspondent:] For Americans still self-quarantining to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, word that the new normal will continue for at least another month. At a press conference, Sunday, President Trump says despite his initial hope that restrictions would lift by Easter, the pandemic's growth requires Americans to stay put through at least, April 30th.
[Trump:] We will be extending our guidelines to April 30th to slow the spread. On Tuesday, we will be finalizing these plans and providing a summary of our findings supporting data and strategy to the American people.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] The worst of coronavirus is yet to come. Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN's Jake Tapper, that based on modeling, 100,000 or more could die.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy & Infectious Diseases:] The number I gave out is, you know, based on modeling, and I think it's entirely conceivable that if we do not mitigate to the extent that we're trying to do, that you could reach that number.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] More states across the country now preparing for a surge in cases. New York remains the national epicenter, 59,313 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Sunday with 965 dead of the disease. Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state has not yet reached the apex of coronavirus cases. A moment he is planning for by adding medical beds, equipment, and personnel to the state at a break-neck pace.
[Cuomo:] They still forecast the apex to be 14 to 21 days.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] Four new 1,000 bed field hospitals across New York City to help alleviate the taxed hospital system, approved by a federal government over the weekend. But even as the pandemic surge spreads to new cities and new states, much of the focus of this weekend was on sniping between governors and the White House. On Saturday, Trump caught state leaders in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York by surprise when floating a vague quarantine of the New York metropolitan area.
[Trump:] Some people would like to see New York quarantined because it's a hotspot. But there's a possibility that sometime today, we'll do a quarantine short term, 2 weeks on New York, probably New Jersey, certain parts and Connecticut.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] Before finally revealing new travel restrictions from the CDC, warning residents of the New York area to stay home as much as possible and to quarantine themselves for 14 days if they do leave. Guidelines are largely echo existing regulations set down by state governments weeks ago. Trump suggested to that evidence, something nefarious behind medical workers ongoing demand for more medical equipment despite the supply chain the president insists is up and running.
[Trump:] It's a client, and they're going from you heard it, 10,000, 20,000 tops to 300,000? And that's a hospital that's always full. So, I think people should check that because it's something going on well, it's not I don't think it's hoarding, I think it's maybe worst than hoarding.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] "The Washington Post" reports that Florida, Trump's official state of residence since last year and home to one of America's most pro-Trump governors has said all of its request from the federal government fulfilled. Other states continue to beg for supplies and equipment.
[Unidentified Female:] Is that everything
[Trump:] Well, smart look, they're very aggressive in trying to get things and they're doing a very good job.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] Throughout the country, the strain on the health system is beginning to show. Nurses in the Bronx protests lack of supplies to protect them from the coronavirus as they work on patients. With the president telling Americans to prepare for a long fight against coronavirus, continuing questions for medical workers about whether they'll get the right equipment they need to get that job done. [on camera]: Behind me is the Aqueduct Raceway and Casino Complex in Queens, one of the four field hospitals being set up here in New York to help to confront the apex if and when it comes.
[Curnow:] So as hospitals across the country cope with the surge of patients, doctors, nurses, and other medical staff are pleading with the public to just stay inside and help stop this spread of the coronavirus. They even began filming their experiences on the front lines to give us a better sense of what they're going through. Take a look at this.
[Monalisa Muchatuta, Emergency Medicine Doctor:] Hi, everybody, my name is Dr. Monalisa Muchatuta; I'm an emergency medicine doctor in New York City. I'm making this video with my colleagues here in New York to try to help you understand how serious COVID-19 is, to encourage you to stay safe, to stay home. And to kind of give you a better idea of what's going on in New York City, just so you can really take this seriously. Hospitals are running out of medications. Some hospitals don't have protective gear for staff or family members or patients that come to the hospital. We're running out of medications. We're running out of equipment and we're even running out of oxygen which is something that patients that have COVID-19 need.
[Unidentified Male:] We don't know who is going to do well and who is not going to do well. It's like you hit a tipping point, you start drowning. We do really poorly and we're running out of equipment in the hospital. Nearly everybody comes in the emergency department has this, and we're getting completely overwhelmed.
[Benjamin Obaseki, New York Doctor:] And there's a common misconception going around that it's only the elder people in our population that's being affected. This is simply untrue. Every day, we are having people, younger adults come in who have very little co-morbidities and other illnesses going on who are being seriously affected by this illness.
[Unidentified Male:] Because it's really killing a lot of people.
[Elizabeth Stachtiaris, New York Doctor:] Hi, I'm Dr. Stachtiaris and I work at an ER in Brooklyn. Today has been crazy. We're very short staffed. We're short supplied. For the last few weeks, every day the charge nurses are giving us a baggy of goodies essentially, personal protective equipment that we're to make last throughout the day. I currently did not get one today because we are out.
[Curnow:] So we're joined now by Dr. Saju Matthew; he's a primary care physician and a public health specialist with Emory University School of Medicine. Doctor, good to see you again, thanks for joining us. You just heard some of your colleagues there, they were pleading, they were begging people to stay at home, but also outlining the basics that are missing from American hospitals right now.
[Saju Matthew, Primary Care Physician:] Crazy time, Robyn, good day to you and to all of our viewers across the world. You know, when you're in a crisis like this, you can only do the best that you can. I know that sounds almost borderline pessimistic, but really in so many ways, when you're in a crisis and you're running out of masks, you're running out of, you know, personal protective equipment, basic necessities. And when you're talking about emergency room doctors and nurses, respiratory therapists scared to go into work because they don't feel protected. And if they're not protected, who's going to take care of our patients?
[Curnow:] Yes, and we're seeing some images here. I know, there have been plans and there are plans currently to put up field hospitals in Central Park, we've obviously also got these refrigerated morgues because there are just so many people dying that have been parked outside hospitals. It is Monday morning here, it is another week beginning in the U.S. and around the world, people are really getting to grips with the idea that this is no way near over. In the U.S. here, estimates 100,000, 200,000 people potentially could die, and the U.S. President saying that's a good case scenario.
[Matthew:] It's an awful situation. You know, what I tell all of my patients, my family members and friends listen, yes, it looks like there's very little we can do, but there's still a lot that each individual person can do. And I want to talk to people all across the world. You know, there are cultures where if a doctor gets on TV and says, listen, socially distance yourself, that's confusing. I heard from a Nigerian viewer the other day, listen Dr. Matthew, I live in a family of six people. How am I going to socially distance myself from my grandmother, from my uncle, from my nephew, from my niece? So what I tell a lot of our people is, listen, do the best you can. If you live in a family of six or seven, let that one person be the only one that has to step out of the house. In some communities, Robyn, you have to work, where you say, listen, work from home, not everybody has that luxury, but eventually this is the goal. The entire family unit should act as one person. And I know it's difficult, but in our mind, if you think about it that way, that is exactly the way that you can decrease the number of cases and cut down on that asymptomatic transmission.
[Curnow:] What about a lot of people who just have to go into hospital, and I'm talking here particularly about pregnant women who are having babies, they're having to go into hospitals or to clinics. I know in New York initially, some of the hospitals said no woman can come in with a partner. You have to give birth alone. Andrew Cuomo; the governor has just overturned that saying, you can have one person alone. But we see a number of cases of people who are dying alone or birthing alone. This is this is scary stuff for many people.
[Matthew:] Really scary, you know, I was so happy, Robyn, when I heard that they overturned
[Curnow:] Yes
[Matthew:] That almost mandate. I mean, come on, when you're pregnant, you know like you think you're dying, you know, what you want is comfort. You want somebody to touch you, to hold you. So, you know, this is the way I look at it. If you're pregnant and you're about to deliver a baby, you can take in one person with you. That absolutely should be a consolation to all of our pregnant patients across the world. Unfortunately, Robyn, you can't predict what's going to happen with COVID-19. If you're short of breath, and you're whisked into an ICU, you may have little time to call your loved ones. But I'd still like to believe that the healthcare providers and the people that are there with you will comfort you and make you feel better and comfortable.
[Curnow:] And what advice also do you have for folks here in the U.S. and around the world, for folks who have elderly grandparents, parents who are alone at home or in retirement homes. How do you, A, keep them going with social with comfort? And, B, get food to them or make sure that they're safe?
[Matthew:] Good question, Robyn. You know, I tell a lot of my patients, listen, if you have elderly people living in your house, they should not be stepping out of the house. They should not be going to church. They should basically be sheltered in place. And also, you know, we need to check on our elderly. Nursing homes should have no visitations. Only the appropriate healthcare professionals that need to visit our elderly should be in the building. And I was also talking the other day on "CNN USA", that when it comes to groceries, listen, if you can help an elderly, you know, drop off some groceries right there at the doorstep, do that. My parents are elderly, Robyn, and I have done my best to socially distance myself from them. We're ordering groceries and they're not going to church, they're trying to do more Face-Time. And that's basically how we should proceed, we should really protect not only our elderly, but we should also remember Robyn, the number of young people out there that are also, you know, compromised. It might be asthma, it might be somebody recovering from cancer. These are all different types of people that we should really be taking care of.
[Curnow:] OK, thanks for your perspective and your advice, Dr. Matthew, appreciate it.
[Matthew:] Thanks
[Curnow:] And still to come, the three American cities quickly becoming major virus hotspots. That's just ahead here on CNN.

[Bolduan:] As the first possible case of community spread of coronavirus is found in the United States, President Trump has appointed Vice President Mike Pence to lead the coronavirus task force. And now with that in mind, the vice president's track record on public health issues is under scrutiny and being questioned. CNN's senior political analyst, John Avlon, joins me now. He's looking into this. John, one of the things folks are looking into now that they might not have known about is that Mike Pence doesn't have a good track record when it comes to health crises. The worst outbreak of HIV in the history of my home state, Indiana, happened under his watch. What exactly happened? Explain to folks?
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] So you have to go all the way back to his Indiana governorship. Scott County, the Planned Parenthood was shut down, the only place where folks for HIV testing. It was shut down, in part, because Mike Pence was governor. You had an outbreak of HIV because of people shooting up drugs, and Mike Pence didn't want to take the advice of the federal government and health experts that there should be a needle exchange. As a result, the number of infections basically quadrupled. Some studies said it was about the worst response you could have. Prayer didn't work. Other aspects of things didn't work. What really worked was once they finally conceded you need to get on the ground. So public health is a tricky thing when your politics are done through the filter of social conservatism or religion.
[Bolduan:] Needle exchange programs have been proven effective
[Avlon:] Correct.
[Bolduan:] over and over again.
[Avlon:] And I understand why they're unpalatable to conservatives. But public health requires something more than playing to the base.
[Bolduan:] That's an interesting point. So what then I didn't know about this one. Mike Pence in a commentary he wrote about smoking, what are we talking about?
[Avlon:] Mike Pence, a former radio guy, he always likes these short, pithy columns. He wrote one that didn't age terribly well from when he was a member of Congress. Saying, in part, "Despite the hysteria from the political class and the media, smoking doesn't kill. In fact, two out of every three smokers don't die from a smoking-related illness. And nine out of 10 smokers do not contract lung cancer." Now, he's quick to say, to be sure, that smoking isn't good for you. But his attempt to give sort of an anti-P.C. reality check by saying smoking doesn't kill, well, that hasn't aged too well because it's wrong.
[Bolduan:] When was that done? 2000?
[Avlon:] Yes, this was when he was in Congress, 2000, 2001.
[Bolduan:] So it was not
[Avlon:] Old enough to know better.
[Bolduan:] If we can, we can all be honest that this isn't just about Mike Pence. The administration has there have been examples of the administration where they have not taken the advice or expert advice of scientists in their own administration. We have seen that time and time again.
[Avlon:] Yes. It's a consistent theme. This administration has a war on science, often for political reasons. It is really gutted expertise. And particularly on the issue of public health. President Obama put together a special task force on the National Security Council to deal with these kinds of pandemics when it looked like Ebola was coming to our shores. That group of folks has been summarily dismissed. There was an anti-science perspective related, of course, to climate change issue where climate change denial has been part of public policy. And cuts, including the CDC, cutting 84 percent of its budget to deal with foreign pandemics before they begin, including pulling folks out of China. So I think this is part of a legacy they have created, and now they have a responsibility. Those two things are in conflict. That means we're vulnerable in a way we didn't need to be, and now they have to play catch-up.
[Bolduan:] Can I just say, when it comes to Mike Pence leading this, so far he just got the gig, if you will. We haven't seen that Pence is resisting guidance from CDC experts
[Avlon:] No.
[Bolduan:] or other medical health experts in the administration that are advising them. But this clearly just shows that this is something folks are going to closely, closely watch.
[Avlon:] And they should because this is a responsibility of the government. However, it appears to have been news that to Health and Human Services secretary, that he wasn't going to take the lead. Now this is on the vice president's plate. He has to show he puts public health over anything resembling political consideration.
[Bolduan:] Thank you for coming in, John.
[Avlon:] Thanks.
[Bolduan:] I really appreciate it. We'll be right back.

[Cabrera:] They are the two women who have the President's ear, but what is the relationship actually like between first lady Melania Trump and first daughter Ivanka? The new book, "Free Melania," is pulling the curtain back. And as Kate Bennett reports, it's complicated.
[Kate Bennett, Cnn White House Reporter:] Unprecedented describes most things about the Donald Trump administration. One unique element? The presence of the President's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her relationship to first lady Melania Trump. Glamorous stepmother and stepdaughter since 2005. But it was 2016 during the Presidential campaign
[Ivanka Trump, Daughter Of President Donald Trump:] My father, Donald J. Trump.
[Bennett:] when the dynamic between the two women shifted to politics. Most times on the campaign trail
[Melania Trump, First Lady Of The United States:] Hello, Iowa.
[Bennett:] Melania Trump not interested in doing traditional spousal appearances, so it was Ivanka Trump, as surrogate, who stepped into the role.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I just want to thank you, honey, because, great job.
[Bennett:] Staying on as the female face of the administration and the family after Trump became president.
[I. Trump:] This is the first U.S. government, all of government, approach to empowering women in the developing world.
[Bennett:] Taking on, as senior advisor, some of the more traditional first lady issues involving women, child care credit, and female entrepreneurship.
[Trump:] A real power named Ivanka. And she would call me and she would say, Daddy, you don't understand, you must do this, you must and I said, OK.
[Bennett:] Creating an odd dynamic, switching off front seatback seat as the two women in Trump's orbit. A relationship that one source with knowledge of the relationship says has created a, quote, cordial but not close dynamic and, at times, friction. There are similarities that have reportedly caused static.
[M. Trump:] This is a very special place. I will never forget.
[Bennett:] Melania Trump's first big solo trip was to Africa, and Ivanka's first big solo trip was also to Africa. Melania Trump was the first to introduce highly produced mini videos of her events for public consumption. Ivanka now makes her own short films with voice-overs and music. On trips with Trump when Melania goes, Ivanka's profile diminishes. When she doesn't
[Trump:] Mike, "Beauty and the Beast."
[Bennett:] Ivanka often steps forward. In a way, splitting the traditional norms but sharing one key component.
[M. Trump:] I give him many advices. But, you know, sometimes, he listens; sometimes, he doesn't.
[Bennett:] They both have the ear of the President.
[I. Trump:] I'm candid in my opinions and I share them, solicited or otherwise.
[Bennett:] Kate Bennett, CNN, Washington.
[Cabrera:] As Democrats are huddling this hour on the Hill, mapping out the next stages of the impeachment inquiry, Republicans are continuing to push a Kremlin-created conspiracy theory. So what does that mean for our security? That's next.

[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Do you even have to ask that question?
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] The right answer would be the same thing would have happened. But with don't believe that.
[Lemon:] I was going to say, do you really have to ask that question? I'm not calling you out for that but do we really have to ask that question, do we know what would happen? Let's be real.
[Cuomo:] We know.
[Lemon:] We know.
[Cuomo:] But we watched a convention tonight.
[Lemon:] They know.
[Cuomo:] Where people listen, I'm telling you. They're blowing up my phone right now.
[Lemon:] No. Just because they talk about it, they know.
[Cuomo:] But they're blowing up my phone saying, isn't that what you want to happen? Did you want the cops to shoot him? No, I didn't want the cops to shoot him. But the reason people are angry in the streets
[Lemon:] That's ridiculous. Whoever's blowing up your phone saying that
[Cuomo:] is because people keep getting shot.
[Lemon:] Whoever's blowing up your phone saying that is ridiculous. That's not by saying that there is, as we said, a double standard or you saying the standard doesn't mean that you want the guy to get shot. We're pointing at the hypocrisy in all of this. That a person walking down the middle of the street with that much law enforcement on the street and the situation that's happening there with a long gun in full sight, people are yelling, "This guy just shot someone." And that person doesn't get thrown to the ground, doesn't get beaten up, doesn't get shot at, doesn't get shot, doesn't end up losing his life, is not in a hospital really? And you're saying did you want no, no one wanted the guy to get shot. That's not what we're saying and you know that. And if you don't know that then really?
[Cuomo:] But do you think it's a coincidence that state TV's play on it is what did you to expect?
[Lemon:] No. I think it's embarrassing for them.
[Cuomo:] These people are going to be out on the streets like this, are you surprised that this young man had to take matters into his own hands? That's law and order. That is law and order. As reflected by the mouthpiece for the party of Trump. That is the message to America. They think this is OK.
[Lemon:] Only if law and order looks like you. If that's what you mean by law and order, that's then looks like you. What they're saying is, is that the people who have the right to be out on the street at that hour look like them. They're saying that tacitly. Right? That's what their actions are showing. They must be a good person and on our side because they look like us. That's what they're saying. Because if the person didn't look like you, where would you where does your mind go?
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Lemon:] Where do your actions go? Automatically it is this person is a threat.
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Lemon:] They didn't think that person was a threat that person can't be a threat. Why? Because it's a young white guy.
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Lemon:] That is the truth. And when you look at when we talk about implicit bias or unconscious bias, black men are deemed to be more threatening just from their look, just from their presence
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Lemon:] just from their being. Young men. Children. They think they're older than they are, black boys especially. They're taller. "I thought he was" we've seen in cases were black children were shot. Black boys. "I thought he was older, he looked older, he was taller." Why is that? Because that's what we're taught to think. That's what
[Cuomo:] But this is what the election
[Lemon:] That's what
[Cuomo:] This is what the election is about.
[Lemon:] this society and the country teaches us this.
[Cuomo:] This is what the election is about. When we say COVID and Kenosha, it's not because it's alliterative, it's because it's illustrative. Kenosha is a metaphor for what's happening with systemic racism and the application of justice in the society. And again, Mike Pence made his stand tonight and he's getting a lot of kudos for an eloquent speech. But let me tell you being articulate and well spoken is not the same thing as being a leader. The words that come sliding out of your mouth matter with such grace matter. It's not a style contest, it's a substance contest. And for him to say Joe Biden says that our police have implicit bias and I say no. Then what was that that we saw in Kenosha?
[Lemon:] Implicit bias.
[Cuomo:] And why didn't you say anything about it? They may well wind up winning this election and have to lead this country. This this is happening on their watch now. Don, what do you think? Let's play this Pence speech because I'm telling you, this is what the election's about.
[Lemon:] All right.
[Cuomo:] There is no coincidence that state TV is saying what did you expect them to do? We have to take matters into our own hands. That's what was going to happen. Nobody's keeping the streets safe so he had to do it. Listen to Mike Pence tonight.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The Usa:] Now Joe Biden says that America is systemically racist. And that law enforcement in America has and I quote, "an implicit bias" against minorities. When asked whether he'd support cutting funding to law enforcement, Joe Biden replied, "Yes, absolutely." Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to violence in America's cities. The hard truth is you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America. And under President Trump, we will always stand with those who stand on the thin blue line and we're not going to defund the police. Not now, not ever.
[Lemon:] So where is wait a minute. So Joe Biden's the president right now? This is Trump's America. What is he talking about? This completely dystopian speech and convention that's happening. What is he talking about? This is Donald Trump's America right now. Joe Biden's not the president, Joe Biden is not in power. They keep they criticize him on one hand says he's not getting out there, he's in the basement, he's whatever. He is too far left and then he's too far right when it comes to police. Make up your mind. Which is it? But he didn't address what you and I talked about.
[Cuomo:] And it's happening on his watch.
[Lemon:] His watch. And this is also Mike Pence's America
[Cuomo:] Yes.
[Lemon:] because he is the vice president of the United States. But let me ask you, what is the difference? What is the difference between those militia guys out there and Jews will not replace us, blood and soil, tiki torches or Ku Klux Klan? What is the difference? It is the same mentality. My America, this This is how it should be. I have authority even though I am not a sworn law enforcement officer I would imagine who were in the sheets or whatever back in the day or even now are law enforcement officers we just don't know. But the thing is what is the difference? What's the difference? You should not be out there. It's not your business. Why are you doing it? Why are saying out there you are a Blue Lives Matter supporter, you're a Trump supporter, you do all of these things. Why are you out there?
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Lemon:] How is this your business?
[Cuomo:] And so look, you've always had the threat. The question is why do those people find comfort in this administration? And they say, "Oh, you can't call the president that." I'm not calling the president anything. You tell me why do people who favor white nationalism favor this president? I'll tell you. They don't want Don Lemon to be president. Why? Now that's something for Trump to explain to America. But for Mike Pence and again, you can look the part and you can sound the part Mike Pence is out of central casting. Good for him. Effective political tools. But on your watch and you are thanking God for the privilege to accept the nomination and serve again you better speak about what's happening on your watch, brother. Especially if you want to call yourself a man of God. You tell me how it squares with your faith to look past implicit racism because the white guy with the gun with people saying he just shot people got a pass. "No, he didn't. He was arrested." I'm talking about the matter of apprehension. You've got a guy in the hospital who walked around a car after for some reason the cops couldn't keep him on the ground. And they shoot him in the back seven times.
[Lemon:] And now they're saying well, we believed that there was a knife in the car. That's what they're saying. You believe. Did you believe the guy carrying a weapon? Do you believe he had a weapon or did you see he had a weapon?
[Cuomo:] So you shot him the seven times because you believed it. You see a weapon on a guy with a gun walking with his hands up
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] and you give him a pass. We're not saying he should have shot him, God forbid.
[Lemon:] No yes.
[Cuomo:] But have one standard that has fairness on all color band. That's all. And speak to it as a leader. You're the vice president of the United States.
[Lemon:] It's not just Kenosha where you had we saw Minneapolis. Once people get to dig into the videos, once the investigations, the results of the investigations are made public you see in a number of these incidences there are, as you say, outside agitators. Or people who are coming in, a number of them militia people, white guys, who come in and start situations. Right? And then run away. Or continue to do it. Some people believe I don't know if this is true look at the fact checks that there are paid actors. I don't know that. I'm always suspicious of the guys with the skateboards. Always suspicious. Because they used to brick windows or they use it as shields. And if you look in the crowd and you see those guys with the skateboards, just be weary or leery of those guys because usually many times they're up to no good. Look, I'm a skateboarder, I'm not going out there to a riot though. But I know how you can use it to protect yourself and if you need it you can use it as a weapon.
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Lemon:] So
[Cuomo:] Right. I'm just saying look, this guy was apprehended, there are charges, the system is working.
[Lemon:] What I'm saying is I want people to be clear of what I'm saying. Do not say these are scary black people out there rioting. Look at the diversity in that crowd. This is not what is, it should not be portrayed that way. And if you portray it that way and if you believe it then shame on you. Look at the people who were the person who was arrested for what happened.
[Cuomo:] Right. And look, the riots are symptomatic of the problem. They're wrong. People who riot and commit crimes surrender the high ground and they become what they oppose, which is lawlessness. We always say that.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Because that's the truth. And we've both experienced it in person and it's scary to be in the middle of it. And I guarantee you, you don't favor anyone who's doing any of that stuff.
[Lemon:] This is a disaster that will continue until we figure it out. There's an earthquake
[Cuomo:] Deal with the problem. But what we saw tonight with those videos
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] that's the problem.
[Lemon:] But we have a natural disaster that's happening right now, Chris.
[Cuomo:] All right. We got the storm circle going. And things are starting to heat up with Hurricane Laura. It's going to happen on our watch as Don has been telling you. So let's start the loop. I'll start with CNN's Martin Savidge live from Lake Charles, Louisiana. We'll be to Van Dam in Beaumont, Texas in a second. All right. I see you got the helmet on, your pants are whipping around. What's the situation now, my friend?
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, the National Weather Service now has reported the first 100 mile per hour gust. That was down in Cameron which, of course, is right on the coast. But that means it's not that far away from us here. There's already tree damage that has happened on the property here so stuff is starting to fly in the air. When it's reaching highway speeds, it's best to put head cover on. It's a combination of the wind speeds here and this was a storm that's clocked at 150 miles an hour as it approaches shore. That's sustained winds, gusts could be higher than that. The wind loads on the building here are extreme. I should tell you that we're actually sheltered So what you're seeing maybe with me or with the rain or anything moving in the background, it's actually a protected area. If you are out in the brunt of it right now it would be hard to even stand up. And then the next thing we're going to worry about is, of course, storm surge. And even though were 30 miles away from the coast storm surge could be going as far as 40 miles inland. Part of the reason for that is the topography around here. If you've been around St. Charles, flat. There is hardly a tree to even stop that kind of a storm surge coming ashore and preventing it from reaching this far in. That's why Lake Charles, they're fearing that much of the downtown area and many of the surrounding communities could be inundated with as much as nine, maybe even 12 feet of water. Twenty feet is the projected absolute height of that storm surge. And remember you're going to have high tide around six o'clock in the morning. So that's another problem. And when the water's there it gets whipped up by the wind and it becomes a liquid battering ram. So that's why they had to tell people to get out. It was mandatory. They can't drag you out of your house here in Louisiana, that's not the law. They can just try to scare you within an inch of your life and say you should leave. Hopefully many people did. But others said, you know what, they weren't going to leave because they feared coronavirus in the shelter more than they feared the storm. That's really a mix up. The storm is going to be much more dangerous people if you're going to try and ride it out, something like this in your home. You'd be much safer in a shelter. But that decision's already been made for you by nature. Chris.
[Cuomo:] All right, Martin. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Stay safe.
[Lemon:] Yes. Stay safe. Let's get to Derek Van Dam, he's in Beaumont. Because we need to know get to our expert here. He's our meteorologist. So Derek, walk us through this. Give us the numbers, what you expect as someone who has done this. This is your forte. Walk us through what's happening on the ground right now.
[Derek Van Dam, Cnn Weather Anchor:] Yes. Conditions in Beaumont Texas are deteriorating quickly, Chris and Don. We just started to experience really the persistent tropical storm force winds edging closer to those hurricane-force gusts. Now we know that the potential exists for the landscape here to change completely as we know it from this storm. And people here are scared. And that's saying something because residents of southeast Texas and Louisiana have been through a lot. They've been through so many hurricanes; Harvey, Rita, Ike; the list goes on. So they know what to expect and how much devastation these storms can bring. Now the I-10 corridor, it's open behind me but just 10 miles to my east, it's shut down. That's a major evacuation route from the border of Texas and Louisiana all the way to Lafayette. And that area, that evacuation center evacuation area is no longer an option for people. That ship has sailed. We have updated power outage numbers here, Chris and Don. We have 10,000 people without power in Texas, 25,000 customers in the state of Louisiana. And we know that number is going to skyrocket because of the extreme wind warnings that are in place. Something in my professional career I have never experienced before from the National Weather Service. So that is a first for me. We have to treat it like it's a prolonged tornado warning, for instance. Now we have the safety of cover at the hotel that we're at right now. And I am a veteran storm chaser so I know the dangers that are to my left, I know the dangers that are to my right. But we're going to take you through this storm hour by hour as it continues to ramp up because we know the eyewall is approaching the coastline and will get that left quadrant here in Beaumont, Texas where we anticipate winds in excess of 100 miles per hour. And a grown man, 150 pounds like myself, you cannot stand up in those winds. People ask me why do we send our teams in the middle of these storms? Well, my answer to that and to our viewers at home it's because if you're asked to evacuate, it is my job as a journalist and a meteorologist to show you what you evacuated from, why did you put in all that effort? These are the potential missiles that come flying at you when the winds start becoming persistent, 75 miles per hour. So we will not stand here during those moments but you can see just how ferocious things are starting to pick up across this area. And it is only going to get worse from here. In fact, the authorities here have told us that with sustained winds over 35, 40 miles per hour that means that they have removed the ability of search and rescue. And with the duration of this storm we could be talking about the next 12 to 15 hours without having fire and police services available here in extreme southeast Texas and Louisiana. That is because the winds are just simply too strong. Also spoke to a Beaumont police officer earlier this morning. She told me that previous hurricanes had knocked out power in some of the rural parts of this area for over 30 days. So we should anticipate that because this is one of the strongest storms to reach the coast of Louisiana. So if that's any kind of tale sign of what's to come, we need to be prepared to be in the long haul for this one. Chris, Don, back to you guys.
[Cuomo:] All right. Appreciate it. Look, I'll be saying it all morning long. Keep the team safe, that comes first. We'll get the information one way or another. We're monitoring it. It's starting to go, the picture tells the story. It's Don's hometown so we obviously have heads and hearts invested in this up to now.
[Lemon:] I'm a little distracted. I keep looking at the text texting about that and also my friend who died, COVID. If you listened to the convention tonight, if you listened to Larry Kudlow, it's in the rearview mirror, in the past tense. It's not. I just had a friend who died, tonight. From complications from
[Covid. Cuomo:] And they were speaking to a crowd tonight. No masks, nobody had to be tested. I don't know how they can believe that's the right message.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] I really don't. But look, we're watching everything tonight, we're reporting on everything. And we're going to talk to a storm chaser who is flying over this monster storm and get that perspective for you. Right after this.

[Bolduan:] After over two years of investigation, after more than 440 pages of a report, and a whole lot of debate over it all, the man at the center of it all, the man who has said the least, has finally agreed to answer questions. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is set to testify before two House committees next month. And it will be a key moment for House Democrats who have been torn over the question of impeachment. Joining me right now is one Democratic lawmaker who will be questioning Mueller come July 17th, Democratic Congressman Jim Himes, of Connecticut. He sits on House Intelligence. Congressman, thank you for being here.
[Rep. Jim Himes:] Hi, Kate.
[Bolduan:] So Mueller testifying before your committee next month. What is the most important question that you want to ask him, do you think?
[Himes:] Well, that's an interesting question, Kate. Here's why I say that. I believe Bob Mueller, having watched him and known him for a long time, when he says that his testimony is his report, you should not expect, and nobody should expect that Bob Mueller is going to make any news in either of the testimonies he gives to the Congress. Now, you might ask, what's the point? The reality is that very, very few Americans have read the report. Very few Americans are familiar with the conclusions of the report, in particular part two of the report where Bob Mueller elaborates on ten possible examples of obstruction of justice. I expect that he will be willing to discuss, using the words of the report, those examples. But of course, my colleagues are going to spend a day trying to get him to say things outside of the report. I think he's unlikely to do that.
[Bolduan:] So wait, are you you're doing in not expecting to learn anything new?
[Himes:] I would not expect to learn a lot new. Again, he's going to abide if you know Bob Mueller, you know that of all the people in Washington, this is a man who means what he says and says what he means. I would be shocked if he goes too far from the language of the report. That said, he may be able to he may be willing to answer factual questions that maybe aren't directly in the report. What I'll be interested to see I mean, here you have a guy I've just told you what I think about him who is universally respected in Washington and has been for decades. Of course, the Republicans are going to try to slander him. They're going to try to say you were biased. They're going to come up with notions that he couldn't have been a fair arbiter of this report. It's going to be interesting to see how he parries that. Bob Mueller is concerned about his legacy. He doesn't want to get drawn into a partisan food fight. But he's going to stand up for his own integrity.
[Bolduan:] That raises an interesting point. If these hearings become about how many members of Bob Mueller's team are Democrats or if this becomes about Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, and why Mueller when Mueller pulled Strzok off the case, do you consider that would you consider this kind of backfiring on all of you, calling him before you to answer questions?
[Himes:] Well, again, I don't think it's going to so much backfire. If you go into this believing what he has said, which is his report is his testimony, I think the only, you know, risk is that there's going to be a feeling of letdown.
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Himes:] Again, I don't think he's going to make a lot of news. The Republicans, as you point out, are going to try to slander the guy. They're going to come up with absurd ideas, despite the fact already no facts out there to suggest anybody in this was biased. They're going to say, well, you had a guy on your team who was a registered Democrat. The interesting question will be, will Bob Mueller give the obvious response, which is, hey, everybody is registered in a party. That doesn't mean they can't do their job with objectivity. The cop that pulls you over for speeding is registered in a party. Are we going to say that you only pull someone over in your own party? I mean, that line of argument is absurd. And I'll be sort of interested to see if Mueller points out that absurdity.
[Bolduan:] I find your position on this fascinating because what we heard from Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, we heard from him today, is he said if Mueller would just sit there basically and read from his report, that is worthwhile. Do you think that's the case?
[Himes:] Well, I think we're saying the same thing, right? What I've said twice now
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Himes:] is that his testimony will be his report. Jerry Nadler
[Bolduan:] No, here's what I can't get. Jerry Nadler thinks that's worthwhile. I'm having a hard time understanding if you think this is worthwhile at all.
[Himes:] I absolutely think it's worthwhile. I know from my own constituents that a small minority of people out there have actually read an almost 500-page report. I don't blame them for that. I read it. But an awful lot of people obviously watch live testimony when it's heavily covered in the media. Again, I don't think the content is going to be any different than what was in the report, but the media, by which it gets presented to the American people, is going to be very, very different. I think very impactful.
[Bolduan:] Do you think you are now into a place of supporting launching an impeachment inquiry into the president, but your reasons go beyond the Russia investigation. Talk about fascinating, I thought it was fascinating, you had a very long list outside the Russia investigation why you think you're to a place of wanting to support an impeachment inquiry. With that said, with that in mind, after you hear from Mueller, the definitive voice on this investigation, if you don't see a flood of Democrats moving towards the position of saying now it's time to launch an impeachment inquiry, is it fair to think the House is never going to get there?
[Himes:] Well, I keep trying to sort of say this, but because the media is sort of fascinated with the notion of the number of Democrats who support an impeachment inquiry. Speaker Pelosi is going to listen to her caucus. Most of us acknowledge she's been doing this a lot longer and a lot better than most of us representing our individual constituency. I said in my statement supporting an inquiry, look, all I can do is tell you what my constituents want in southwestern Connecticut.
[Bolduan:] Right.
[Himes:] Speaker Pelosi, of course, is thinking about the whole country, thinking about her legacy, thinking about the divisiveness of an impeachment. So she's factoring in a lot of things that some of us whose job it is to represent our constituent perhaps don't see. So again, I think, you know I don't know where Speaker Pelosi is going to wind up on this. She's very, very attuned to popular will and to where we go in the coming months.
[Bolduan:] So I was just handed this, Congressman. Sorry. I'm looking down reading it. This came through from Ted Barrett and Lauren Fox, our amazing reporters on the Hill, that you voted for the House version of the border emergency funding bill last night. We just learned that Senate Republican leaders are saying they have decided they will not negotiate over differences between the bill in the House and what they're looking at in the Senate, which now will force Pelosi's hand and all of a your hands, if you will, to take it or leave it because the president has indicated he's supportive of the Senate bill. Just go through all of that parliamentary whatever.
[Himes:] I'm not surprised by that. That's typical inside-the-capitol grandstanding. But it is kind of interesting, because, if I heard you right, and I've not seen that right, you said the Republican leader of the Senate doesn't want to negotiate with the Democratic House. The president's story, remember, including tweeting today, was that it is the Democrats that are obstructing action objecting the border. We passed a bill yesterday, and it's apparently Republican Leader McConnell and the president who are unwilling to negotiate. Look, I think what you're seeing is grandstanding. My guess is everybody around here understands that we need more resources on the border to take care of what is a moral abomination. Whatever you think about the wall, whatever you think about the future of our immigration system, children do not sleep on cold cement floors in the United States of America. I think people of both parties want to solve that. If the president says, it's my way or the highway, he'll own that, as he does, but he'll continue to own that, as he does. But he will continue to own that. I think that's a pretty difficult position to be in.
[Bolduan:] Let's see what the next 24, 48 hours brings with this crisis we're looking at, at the border, and what Congress can do. Congressman, thank you for coming in.
[Himes:] Thanks, Kate.
[Bolduan:] Really appreciate it. All right, guys. Breaking news coming up. We're going to put it together. We'll be right back.

[Unidentified Male:] Governor, talking about additional Federal Funding presumably to kind of help reopening and restart the economy. Do you have any idea what that number is? Are we talking tens of billions of dollars hundreds of billions of dollars what would you like to see come from Washington?
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] Well, we know what we proposed right? National Governors Association which represents Governors all across the state country. All the Governors are part of the National Governors Association Democratic and Republican. National Governors Association Chairman is Chairman Larry Hogan Republican Chairman. I'm the Vice Chairman I'm a Democrat. We have publicly requested 500 billion for states we publicly done that. So that's the number that's public put out in a press release and that's what it is.
[Unidentified Male:] -New York specifically.
[Cuomo:] We didn't get into the allocation. But the allocation should be proportionate to the need right? This allocation 500 billion for the states well, how do you allocated among the states? Allocated proportionate to need you know where the COVID cases are. You can look at a map you see the cases you know that because you see when the President talks about reopening different states are in different places. Yes, different states have radically different situations when it comes to number of cases. So allocate the funding where the problem exists. You're trying to solve the COVID problem. Allocate the funding to where the COVID problem exists? Pass the bills where they've done health care funding for quoting for COVID. You've seen the numbers. Some states that about $200,000 for every COVID case New York got about $12,000 for every COVID case. How do you justify that? Well, because it's the Senate they wanted to give every state money so every Senator had something to go home and do a press release about. Yes I know but if the state didn't have any COVID cases how much did you give that state of tax payers money just so that Senator could go home and do a press release? Give me a break. You can go press release with you know you don't need billions of dollars to the press release.
[Unidentified Male:] Very quickly to follow up. The President said yesterday that some states with those start to go into Phase 1 almost immediately. How far away do you think New York is from something like Phase 1 or even Phase 2?
[Cuomo:] Well, Phase 1, Phase 2 it's what he's saying is depending on where that state is? But the President saying is it's up to the states. It's up to the Governor's. The Governors who have states that have fewer cases can reopen faster. Yes, that's that has nothing to do with the President or federal policy or anything. All he is saying is it's up to the states and your C states that have less of a problem opening sooner. That is undeniable and totally logical. So it depends on that state where it is and it depends on the numbers. And the Governor's relying on numbers and has nothing to do with the Federal Government.
[Unidentified Male:] -system we said that we've-
[Cuomo:] I've taught when do we reopen? We are now 0.9 on the infection rate. 1.12 is the tipping scale with the numbers start to go up again right? So your margin of error right now is between 0.9 and 1.2. You have many states with the infection rate is the minimum. We're at 0.9 we're right up to that line of possible outbreak. So the states that will open first by the data will have much lower infection rates than we do. We were over the line. We were in outbreak territory right? We've gotten that down to a 0.9 but your margin of error is between 0.9 and 1.2 and what the experts will tell you is 0.9, 1.2 you're right on the line it's not that precise to science.
[Unidentified Male:] No doubt hospital rate that seems to be stabilizing and ticking down. A few questions are you there for stopping some of the things you've done to increase capacity like the field hospitals on the island? And then is there any thought particularly in upstate areas of reopening hospitals and facilities to elective procedures there are reports that workers are being laid off? And then finally you know we have to reduce PPE standards we have a bunch of requirements to increase this capacity will any of that be now rolled back? And is there any concern that reducing the standard PPE may infraction or cost problems amongst healthcare workers? You know there are lots of infections there.
[Cuomo:] The CDC reduced the PPE guidelines not that their office alphabet soup but it was the CDC that had federal guidelines on the personal protective equipment. And they have different guidelines apparently when you're in a crisis than normally they went to crisis guidelines. And that's what many of the nurses especially are complaining about.
[Unidentified Male:] -guidelines you sets the policy here.
[Cuomo:] I don't know.
[Unidentified Male:] Since the policy we use the CDC guidelines on these issues where about use of masks PPE equipment accounts we continue to use. But the issue is how and when can a health care worker go back to working with the mask? So are we thinking about changing any of this? And do you have any concern that this may have caused higher infection rates? I don't feel it costs higher infection rates at all we've very health care workers worked extremely hard to protect give themselves and make sure there isn't any further infections. -in the hospitals?
[Cuomo:] We are not. First you take all these numbers with a grain of salt right? Caution is you could have a surgeon could have a second wave look at Wuhan look at China look at Italy went up went down went back up be careful. But are we at a point where we are now immediately in danger of exceeding the hospital capacity we developed? No that's why we're in a position to give back giveaway ventilators or lend ventilators to New Jersey and other states et cetera. So I don't believe we are in a place today where we are I'd risk of going over capacity.
[Unidentidfied Female:] I want to talk to you about the rate of infection. Have you calculated the rate of infection forecasting in New York specifically with -?
[Cuomo:] We have not done those calibrations yet. This is all the rate of infection analysis is very difficult and there are a number of premises that they're making in the calculation. So we don't have discrete rates of infection yet now.
[Unidentified Female:] It would appear that we have lower rates in our State of New York and you know our area has made strides and in the economy in the past few years it's been devastating. We've already seen some small businesses go under. Is it important to find out what that rate of infection is to try and get parts of upstate open that are not seeing those numbers?
[Cuomo:] Look, it's important to get the economy open wherever you can as soon as you can whenever you can. People had a nice break and they were in their homes. I think everybody is well past. I had a nice break. I want to get back to work. I have to get out of the house. I love my family but I have to now get out of the house and I need a paycheck and I needed yesterday. So everyone is in that same position. At the same time people will say I don't want to go out and get sick and die right? So that's death is bad and even though staying at the home and not getting a paycheck is bad. It's not as bad as death right? The young and the young here so as soon as we can and lower infection rates places and lower death rate places are in a better position than places with a higher death rate and higher infection rate. So yes, calibrating those differences is important and balancing the economic need and the personal need with the public health need and death that calibration is everything.
[Unidentified Female:] When do you think you'll start to make that separation is what I'm asking?
[Cuomo:] I think you'll see it clear. You know we're right on the line now across the border. You'll see clusters in upstate also. You'll see nursing home issues in upstate one of the reasons they keep asking about nursing homes. Nursing homes are the vulnerable point. The vulnerable population in the vulnerable sets a nursing home. And we've seen that across upstate. So it's not just about yes, everybody wants the economy running. But everybody wants to be safe at the same time and that's what we're working through.
[Unidentified Female:] -outbreaks we're seeing some numbers that is about to you know 55 deaths at just one nursing home and there are 21 facilities on this over 20 dozens. My first question is why you know the to inform the public about deaths happening in their communities? Why are the public not known about all of these new risks outbreaks?
[Cuomo:] Yes. I think they have. We've been talking about nursing homes every day for the past 30 days. The first outbreak was in Seattle, Washington which was a nursing home that's how this country was introduced to it. We said 157 times the most vulnerable population are seniors the most vulnerable place are nursing homes. So I think we that had and we've special precautions for nursing homes. I think we've been talking about it all along.
[Unidentified Female:] -to say the network-
[John King, Cnn:] Andrew Cuomo the Governor of New York giving his daily Coronavirus briefing. The Governor on the one hand saying he is encouraged the state appears to have hit a plateau in terms of Coronavirus deaths. Coronavirus patients Coronavirus intensive care units and intubations but noting the death total still in the 600 on a day to day basis been averaging 665 or more. The Governor saying it is a sad plateau for the state of New York. And then talking at the end about a couple of key asks of the Federal Government. He says as the state begins to think about re opening New York State not there yet he says. But as it begins to think that it needs Federal help with testing and he says he needs Federal money to help with his state budget crisis as well. Let's discuss the situation in New York what it means for us as we look nationally? Dr. Glenn Wakam is a Resident Physician at the University of Michigan. He was working at community hospitals in the Dearborn area when the Coronavirus pandemic hit us. Dr. Wakam appreciate your perspective today. And so you look at a New York where again there's no good news here there's less sad news. But you see the plateau at the top and the Governor making the case that he can see the beginning of a decline perhaps. He's at a plateau now he's hoping it does this. He's wrestling with the balance between safety economic reopening making sure you don't overwhelm the hospitals. From your perspective in Michigan where you have had to deal with a spike as well mainly in the Detroit area but an issue statewide where are you today?
[Dr. Glenn Wakam, Resident Physician, University Of Michigan:] Yes. Thank you for having me John. I really appreciate the opportunity. That's a great question and you know I don't really want to go above my pay grade speak for the State of Michigan or the area of Detroit. But I think from my personal experience and I see that spent time with. We've had some encouragement in terms of the trends of the pace of admissions. We've had some more wins than losses in terms again some excavations. But again that's my one experience where I personally worked and I know there's very much places in Detroit specifically but in the whole state that are in the full throws of this. And so I think the encouraging signs are great. And you know that's a real testament to Governor Whitmer's leadership here. But I still think we need to be cautious.
[King:] Cautious is a good word and we're just showing the trend in the cases there in Michigan and you do see a you're beginning to see what looks like a downward trend. Again the question is do you get a spike? We'll continue to watch as Michigan one of the many states now trying to figure. Your Governor says she's going to wait at least a couple more weeks before she starts thinking about reopening. She hopes that line continues. You wrote a very moving piece about what you're learning as a doctor. You're giving medical care but you also learning a lot of other things as you go through this crisis. I want you to listen, this is the Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker a couple of days ago raising a point that you have been quite poignant about. Let's first list of the Governor.
[Gov. Charlie Baker:] It was an extraordinarily painful process for their family to go through this loss of our critical ritual that people believe in and hold on to this chance to say goodbye.
[King:] The Governor talking there and choking up about a friend's mother going dying and you're not there. One of the cruelties on top of the cruelty of COVID-19 is the isolation and the separation for everybody but especially for those who have a loved one who is in peril in a hospital. Walk us through some of that?
[Dr. Wakam:] Yes. You know it's very heartbreaking and that sort of was the crux of the piece that I and my co-authors wrote. And it stemmed from the one experience I had of taking care of patient with a terrible prognosis after suffering from COVID-19. And during this decline I was speaking with this family member and it really struck home that she was not able to see him before he died. And you know he ended up dying when she was just outside the hospital. And it was just a really jarring experience for me and that's you know not even to touch on how dramatic it was for her? And so we sort of put that into words sort of a cathartic exercise and fortunately the New England Journal thought it was worth publishing and it's really resonated with people. Because I think no one can imagine the fathom the pain of not being able to see a loved one that's dying.
[King:] And you talk about maybe trying to make advances in technology. So at least they can there could be some more presence you can obviously be as close. That's a very important piece and I hope people read it. Doctor Wakam thank you for your perspective and thank you more importantly for the work you're doing every day.
[Dr. Wakam:] Yes, thank you John for having me. And if I could just also really thank the nursing staff in the ICU and the respiratory wards and everyone who's doing like the hard work every day I would really appreciate the opportunity. And thank you for having me.
[King:] I meant. I meant, thanks for adding that in and not only to your colleagues there but across the state and across the country as well. It's an important point we cannot say thank you enough at this moment. Doctor Wakam again thanks so much. When we come back the President puts out its new guidelines telling states here's a road map to reopening holiday following that's next.

[Nobilo:] NATO's Seventieth anniversary meeting is shaping up to be quite a gathering, and front and center of it all is the U.S. President Donald Trump. Mr. Trump called the President of France insulting for saying that NATO is experiencing a brain death. He then offered to send ISIS fighters over to France. Macron said, "Be serious." Mr. Trump then praised Turkey's President, who's recently bought a missile defense system from Russia, bearing in mind that NATO was established to defend against to be a bulwark against the Soviet Union. He denied knowing that the embattled Prince Andrew, despite the photos evidence, otherwise had been involved with Epstein and Trump had met him in a similar situation. And he has promise not to weigh in on the British election, which is playing out currently in the United Kingdom and is only nine days away from taking place. President Trump, himself, hasn't been the biggest NATO fan. Here's what he said on the campaign trail.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Do you think the United States needs to rethink U.S. involvement in
[Nato. Trump:] Yes, because it's costing us too much money. Number one, NATO is obsolete. Number two, the countries in NATO are not paying their fair share. It's obsolete and we pay too much money. NATO is obsolete. In my opinion NATO's obsolete. So here's the problem with NATO, it's obsolete. It was 67 years or it's over 60 years old. When I said that NATO to Wolf Blitzer it's obsolete, I got attacked. Three days later people that study NATO say, you know, Trump is right.
[Nobilo:] Well, speaking of people who might study NATO, let's break all this down with CNN Political and National Security Analyst, David Sanger. David, good to have you on the program.
[David Sanger, Cnn Political & National Security Analyst:] Thank you, Bianca.
[Nobilo:] We were just listening to several snippets from a few years back when President Trump was talking about NATO being obsolete. Now he seems to be trying to rally the NATO members around, and get them to increase their defense spending and to revitalize the organization. Do you think that he has had some success in that, in having an impact on getting the countries to pay their fair share?
[Sanger:] Certainly, Bianca, I think his jawboning has resulted in their willingness to step up with a bit more money. The administration maintains that they are now paying $130 billion more. That's true. If you add it up back to 2016 when Barack Obama was still President, there was more probably upwards of $400 billion more on tab if they deliver it. But what was striking in that rather tense exchange that you heard with President Macron was that the two leaders are talking past each other about what central to this. To President Trump it's all about who pays for NATO, and that's an important topic. You may remember President Obama beat up on the NATO countries as well for not contributing enough. But the second issue is what is NATO's mission supposed to be? And here you saw President Trump talking about everything except containment of Russian aggression, including in Ukraine. And you heard President Macron doubled down on that and some other areas, including cyber and other new technologies where NATO got a long way to go.
[Nobilo:] Yes, that was really striking when you saw the two of them together. That the President Trump's focus, as often is, was on the financial aspects of this and then it seemed Emmanuel Macron was focusing on the strategic aspects of this and the evolving nature of the threats and subsequently the objectives that NATO should be pursuing. When it comes to that, when it comes to the strategy, where do you see the biggest divides between the President and the other members of NATO?
[Sanger:] Well it's probably over Russia, most of them, with the possible exception oddly enough of President Macron himself has been fairly strong on the question that Russia does not get back into the G-7 what became the G-8 until they resolve the issues that led to their ouster in 2014, which was the invasion of the eastern part of Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea. The President seems to just want to get them back in without having reached any particular agreements or concessions there. Most of the rest of NATO considers, particularly the eastern countries in NATO, consider Russian aggression to be their number one issue. But president kept talking about having missions elsewhere in the world, including some vague idea around China. It wasn't clear from what he said that he understood that NATO had been an active participant in Afghanistan and, of course, in the Balkans and so forth. This whole idea of being out of area is not exactly new, it's more than 20 years old.
[Nobilo:] And in the back of the President's mind, presumably all the time, at the moment is the specter of the 2020 election. How invested and interested are Americans in NATO and in America's role in it?
[Sanger:] Not especially. I think that for Mr. Trump's base he wants to be able to do two things. He wants to go out and say I've gotten European countries to pay more so you don't have to and that gets big cheers. And he talked about going into stadiums and getting cheered on these issues in his sit down with President Macron today. But I think the second issue is, he wants to be able to cite some foreign policy wins. It's unlikely to get much out of North Korea and Iran. So he does want to say I revitalized NATO. I turned it from an obsolete institution into an active one. But these divisions about what NATO should be doing, which is by the way a fight that precedes Donald Trump by many, many years, is hardly one in which the President's taken the lead. And when Macron said that NATO was brain dead, what he meant was that, this was a criticism of the United States and President Trump for pulling back, and for the uncertainty about whether NATO whether the United States would be there if NATO countries were attacked.
[Nobilo:] David Sanger, thank you very much for joining us to break all of that down.
[Sanger:] Great to be with you.
[Nobilo:] When THE BRIEF returns, how some grammar enthusiasts are admitting defeat, saying, ignorance and laziness have won.

[Cabrera:] After a weekend of back-to-back mass shootings followed by a week of grieving, Democratic presidential hopefuls are taking on President Trump and the gun lobby. And 17 candidates are in Iowa right now taking part in a gun control forum. Live pictures right now. You can see Senator Michael Bennet is the latest. Here's some of what we've heard so far.
[Rep. Tim Ryan:] In Dayton, when we were hanging out after, I can't tell you the number of Republicans that came up to me and said, Congressman, please, please, this has gone on long enough and it's time for us to act.
[Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand:] President Trump tried to go to these two places, tried to go to Ohio and Texas, and was yelled at by activists, "Do something! Do Something." People are tired of the
[B.s. Pete Buttigieg, , South Bend Mayor & Presidential Candidate:] I trained on some of these weapons. A.K.'s, A.R.'s, they have no business in our neighborhoods, in peacetime in the United States of America. They are for war zones.
[Julian Castro, , Former Housing Secretary & Presidential Candidate:] What's happened with each of these incidents as Americans have seen them over and over and over again is that more people have woken up, more people have woken up and said, that could be my family, that could be me.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren:] If 90 percent of Americans want to see some basic sensible changes, why do they not happen? They're out there talking about it. I'm out there talking about it. I'll tell you why it doesn't happen, corruption, plain and simple.
[Joe Biden, Former Vice President Of The United States & Democratic Presidential Candidate:] We talk about post traumatic stress. Why do we think it does not impact on our society today and our children today? There's serious, serious post traumatic stress going on for all of these kids who witness this, or even don't witness this, know of it.
[Cabrera:] This gun forum is being hosted by Every Town for Gun Safety, the non-profit founded by former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg has personally invested tens of millions of dollars into gun control advocacy and research into gun violence and prevention. He joined me just a short time ago to talk about whether things are different this time when it comes to actually seeing tangible changes at the federal and congressional level on gun violence. So when we talk about that sense of hopelessness or cynicism or skepticism about anything being done when it comes to gun violence, you know, there was a crowd of people who fled Times Square this week because a motorcycle backfired and their first thought was that it was someone shooting. What did you think when you saw that video of people running for their lives because they heard a loud sound?
[Michael Bloomberg, , Founder, Every Town For Gun Safety & Former New York City Mayor:] Well, it's not unexpected that when you read about the chaos that's been going on elsewhere in this country that your first thought might be I wonder if it's happening here. I think it's also true that we tend to overdramatize that. Not everybody in Times Square ran. It was one bang, and it didn't sound like a rifle bullet or anything from what I read. I wasn't there. That's what people said, they thought it was a car or bike backfiring. Let's not say that the whole world and America is ready to commit suicide
[Cabrera:] No.
[Bloomberg:] because they think they're going to get killed. That's not true.
[Cabrera:] But it is true, people are on edge and people are scared. That's a reality right now for people right now who think it could happen anywhere.
[Bloomberg:] I think that's true. But what do you mean a lot? What percentage of the public do you think is worried? I don't get that when I talk to people. I think they understand that it's a dangerous world, but if you live in cities with good police departments that are in control, you're pretty safe. And if you live, for example, in New York, and in New York City, the crime rate is so low, it's almost impossible to measure compared to any other city. We still have crime in New York. A little under 300 people get killed every year, but that's a very negligible number compared to any place else. So where you live should impact your interest in jumping or getting out of the way. If you live in some of these cities with a very high crime rate and you hear a gunshot, or it sounds to you like a gunshot, it probably is. And if you live in a city with a very low crime rate, it's probably not.
[Cabrera:] But I don't want to downplay the fear, and I understand what you're saying. But if it could happen at a Walmart, a concert, a bar, a school, all of these places where we've seen mass shootings now, I think the feeling is it could happen anywhere, even in cities where there isn't a high crime rate. That is why people are so jumpy. And that is perhaps why there's this new sense of urgency to accomplish something when it comes to gun control or gun violence safety.
[Bloomberg:] I agree with you. There's a new sense of urgency. And it's wonderful it's happening because maybe we finally will get the legislation we need. If we do, your coverage of these events will have been helpful. But it's also true that we live in a society where there's a small number of people who have access to guns, and if we could take away their access to guns, we will all be a lot safer.
[Cabrera:] And let me ask you about that specifically because, in the cases of El Paso and Dayton, background checks wouldn't necessarily have prevented those shootings because the two people who are either dead now because they committed the crime or accused of the crime, as in El Paso's case, they were able to get guns they passed background checks. What would be the solution in those types of cases?
[Bloomberg:] There's nothing that is going to guarantee 100 percent safety in life. Life isn't that way. But background checks would reduce dramatically the number of suicides and significantly the number of murders. Red flag laws don't always make a difference. But if you save one life, isn't it worth it? I think you got to be careful here in saying, oh, there's no solution because nothing works all the time. The bottom line is, you can, if the public gets behind their city government and their police department, bring down the crime rate such that most people don't worry about it. And if you look at New York 20 or 30 years ago compared to today, I think most New Yorkers will tell you that they feel very safe and that crime is not one of the things that they worry about generally.
[Cabrera:] And there's overwhelming support across the country for some gun control measures. Recent polling shows 94 percent of Americans support universal background checks. And that includes nine in 10 Republicans and nine in 10 gun owners. And more than half of Americans support a ban on assault weapons.
[Bloomberg:] Right.
[Cabrera:] So when we talk also about how the NRA has so much power over the president and others who may be afraid of their political future for acting in, you know, some capacity on gun control, should they be more afraid of not doing something than of acquiescing to the demands of Wayne LaPierre and the NRA?
[Bloomberg:] Ana, in 2018, I supported 24 congressional candidates who were good, my definition, good on guns and good on climate. And 21 of them won and beat almost in every case an A-rated Republican, A-rated by the NRA. That goes to show you that the NRA does not have the power and not everybody is running away from them. And now, you you're starting to see more and more Republican congressman and Senators saying, I don't want to be on the wrong side of this issue. If you survey NRA members, as you yourself said, the NRA members want background checks. And the NRA does not have the power that they had before by any stretch of the imagination. And it defies logic as to why the president and Mitch McConnell seem to still be somewhat influenced by the
[Nra. Cabrera:] I want to get your reaction to this news, this breaking news, apparent suicide of accused sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. Multimillionaire with a New York apartment who associated with many of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country. What was your reaction when you heard the news?
[Bloomberg:] It was interesting. I think I met him once 30 years ago. I certainly haven't seen him sense then. And I don't know what happened. You'll have to ask the government. He was in a federal penitentiary or federal jail, as I understand it. And they'll have to do an investigation and see what happened. And I'm sure they'll do it.
[Cabrera:] More of my interview with Mayor Michael Bloomberg in just a moment. But let's go live. Senator Kamala Harris speaking at that gun forum in Iowa. Let's listen.
[Sen. Kamala Harris:] We need a president of the United States, who on related topics such as the hate that we are also seeing being displayed, which is manifesting itself in lethal proportion like we saw in El Paso. We also need a president of the United States who understands in a one of her greatest powers is to use this microphone in a way that is not about beating people down but lifting people up. People say to me
[Harris:] did Donald Trump cause those folks to be killed? Well, no, of course, he didn't pull the trigger. But he was certainly tweeting out the ammunition.
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you so much, Senator. And we have a question for you from the audience from Sara Dubois, who is a volunteer here in Iowa with Moms Demand Action. SARA DUBOIS,
[Volunteer, Moms Demand Action:] Hi, Senator Harris. You've spoken out about how gun manufacturers and that NRA are able to influence Congress and keep them from passing strong gun safety laws. But the gun lobby has been able to get Congress to give gun manufacturers special protection from civil liability unlike anything and any other industry in the form of
[Plcaa. Harris:] Right.
[Dubois:] As a former attorney general, how would you work to hold the gun industry accountable even while PLCAA is still on the books?
[Harris:] One, I believe we actually have to work to repeal it. And I have been an advocate for that for a long time. Because there needs to be an opportunity for people to have a day in court to litigate these issues and a court will decide. But to have this shield against responsibility is not in the best interest of justice. So that is how I think of this issue. The other issue I'll say is this, we need to also as president, I will ensure that the CDC, Centers for Disease Control, can study the effect of gun violence as a public health issue One of the related issues that I talk a lot about, and you all know, is the reality of the trauma that is resulting from this in a number of ways. One, a child having to go sleep each night having to hear gunfire. Where that child is taught, honey, if you hear the guns firing, jump in the tub, because that's a safe place to avoid a stray bullet. The trauma resulting from exposure to gun violence, the trauma resulting from having a protocol around how to honor a child under the age of 18 who has been killed by gun violence. There are whole protocols in communities around our country, around how to mourn a child who has been killed because of gun violence in their own community. Let's also talk about the trauma experienced by our babies, elementary, middle, high school students, who are going to school every day to endure a drill during which they are taught about how to crouch in a corner or hide in a closet in the event there's a mass shooter roaming the hallways of their school. I talk about this publicly all the time. I can't tell you the number of 8 and 9-year-olds coming up to me and tugging at my jacket and say almost in a conspiratorial voice, really low voice, I had to have one of those drills. Our babies are sitting in classrooms where they should be focusing on their teacher and the wonders of science and math and art and instead half their brain is concerned about what might come running through that door carrying a gun. There's so much trauma that our children are experiencing because of this that has is having profound and severe consequences to their life even if a bullet never actually touches them. So we, who are supposed to be responsible, we, who are adults, have a primary responsibility to ensure and think of the safety and well- being of our children. I will tell you, I strongly believe you should judge a society based on how it treats its children. And on this issue, we are failing. We are failing.
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you, Senator. I would now like to turn to a gun violence survivor
[Ana Cabrera, Cnn:] You've been listening in, live, to Senator Kamala Harris taking questions from the audience about her gun safety plan. We know, in her plan that she's put out, she's talked about taking executive action in the first 100 days she takes office if Congress does not act when it comes to gun control. Again, she's one of 17 candidates today in Des Moines, Iowa, taking part in this forum about gun safety and gun laws. Up next, much more of my interview with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who, again, is the founder of Every Town for Gun Safety and the host of this town hall. Today, he'll talk about whether he's ruled out his own run for the White House. Stay with us.

[Kim Brunhuber, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back to you, our viewers, in the United States, Canada, and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber and this is CNN NEWSROOM. England and Israel are both dealing with recent spikes in coronavirus cases. And it's forcing the two countries to re-evaluate their reopenings. England has seen a 167 percent surge in cases since the end of August and as the government faces criticism on testing, it's imposing new restrictions in the coming hours in the northeast. On Thursday Israel closed schools as infections climbed past 4,500 just a day before the entire country goes back into lockdown. So, for more on this we're joined by CNN's Scott McLean in London and Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. So, let's start with you, Scott. Local lockdowns set to expand. What's behind this surge?
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey, Kim. Well the government here in the U.K. is going to have to figure out that question in a hurry because it is really struggling to get a handle on this second wave of coronavirus cases. And in fact, they're starting to translate into hospitalizations which are now doubling every eight days or so. The government just announced 1.5 million people living in parts of northeast England will face severe new restrictions that actually took effect starting today which effectively ban almost all socializing with people outside of your own household. The health secretary is also promising more announcements of localized restriction or lockdowns today. The U.K. is also facing a shortage of tests. Despite the fact that its doing more testing than any other major European county. The health secretary said yesterday that it's setting aside more than 13 of all daily tests for people in care homes alone. Because, again, they have to prioritize who gets one and who doesn't. So, if all of these measures that they're putting in place, these local restrictions, these broader restrictions, this test and trace program, if all of these things can't work, well the government is going to have to figure out plan B. Here's the health secretary earlier today.
[Matt Hancock, British Health Secretary:] But a national lockdown is the last line of defense. It is, as we saw in the spring, it is the thing that we can do, to keep people safe if that's needed. So, we're watching vigilantly but we can see this number of cases accelerating, as you say, and we're prepared to do what it takes to both to protect lives and to protect livelihoods. And of course, both are so important.
[Mclean:] So national lockdowns certainly not off the table, but obviously not preferable by any stretch either. The preference would be to have people simply follow the rules. Like for instance, the ban on gatherings of groups of more than 6 people. The WHO says this trend that we're seeing across Europe, not just in the U.K. but particularly acutely in France and Spain, is very serious. They said that these latest numbers ought to serve as a wake- up call. Context is important here. While the second wave of the virus is definitely eclipsed, the first wave, this is nothing like we saw in the spring. More testing is obviously picking up more cases. And take this example, for instance, in Spain they're seeing two or three times more daily cases than they were back in April and yet they only have 16 the number of people in hospitals Kim.
[Brunhuber:] All right, so a very worrying situation in Europe and in Israel as well. Let's turn now to Oren. A second lockdown and over a festive period as well. Lots of consternation and anger I imagine, right?
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Frustration as well because of the way this lockdown was introduced and because of the apparently almost apparently haphazard way in which the restrictions were communicated to the public and then changed at the last second in some cases. Israel with 5,200 more cases yesterday, according to the ministry of health data. So, its number of coronavirus cases, its new daily cases continue this upward trend as does the number of serious cases and the number of patients on ventilators. All of that a worrying trend here as that second general lockdown set to be imposed in just about 2 12 hours now. Perhaps the first country in the world to reimpose a general closure because of how bad the coronavirus situation is. Schools were closed a day early because of the number, entertainment venues, leisure venues, those closed as well for a period of at least three weeks, perhaps more, experts warn if the numbers don't go down. People are restricted to within 1,000 meters of their home. But even that was a last-second change. That was only 500 meters yesterday until it was changed at the last moment. That, again, raising fears because it's a loosening of restrictions that it may not be enough to contain these coronavirus numbers. Gatherings are limited to 20 people outdoors, 10 people indoors. Health experts saying these restrictions can begin to be eased when there is a sharp, perhaps very sharp decline in the number of new cases. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he said yesterday after a meeting with health experts, that one of the keys to doing this, one the keys to stopping the spread of coronavirus throughout the country, will be social distancing and wearing masks. That's noteworthy because those are two things, he did not do at a packed White House ceremony earlier in the week when he was signing the normalization agreements with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. That's part of what's leading the frustration, the confusion, I would even say the chaos as this lockdown is set to begin in a short time Kim.
[Brunhuber:] All right, a warning for other countries as well there. Thank you so much, Oren Liebermann, in Jerusalem. Well, as university students across the U.S. get settled in, COVID-19 cases are spiking. CNN's Omar Jimenez visited the University of Wisconsin Madison campus where more than 2,000 students have tested positive.
[Omar Jimenez, Cnn Correspondent:] In 2019, this would have been a typical college Saturday night. But in 2020, it's a nightmare for universities across the country, trying to gain control as coronavirus cases continue to increase on America's college campuses. [on camera]: This is where students here at the University of Wisconsin, Madison get taken when they test positive for COVID-19 to isolation housing. Nobody goes in. Nobody comes can out. It's all part of the University's effort to try and get a handle on the outbreak here on campus where it took just five days to go from the first day of classes, to students restricted to essential activities only. [voice-over]: Since move-in started at Wisconsin in late August more than 2,000 students have tested positive for COVID-19.
[Keir Metter, Freshman, University Of Wisconsin, Madison:] They sent me an email, pack your bags and be out of there as soon as possible.
[Jimenez:] Freshman Keir Metter is one of them. [on camera]: Why do you think it's so difficult to contain COVID-19 outbreaks on college campuses?
[Metter:] You could say like don't do this and don't do that, but it's very difficult to enforce all of that. But that's probably why they can't send everyone home. That's what I think because we're just going to spread it all across the country if we do.
[Jimenez:] Metter says he's had mild to no symptoms so far and he's been in isolation housing for days as he waits out his two- week period. In total, more than 350 students are in isolation at the University with another 100-plus quarantining. The rest of the undergraduate campus has been restricted to essential activities only. A move students say they only learned about last-minute rushing to grocery stores as cases continue to climb.
[Peter Girzadas, Freshman, University Of Wisconsin, Madison:] You're standing in the elevator with people that might have it. Of course, you have your mask on. And you're like, well, that does something but not 100 percent of, you know, everything.
[Jimenez:] Across his dorm and another, roughly 20 percent of the students have been infected, according to the school. Residents in those dorms have been told they can leave the building for 30 minutes, three times a day, to secure meals, and get a breath of fresh air.
[Rebecca Blank, Chancellor, University Of Wisconsin Madison:] We're almost certainly going to see significant case numbers continue over this coming week. We're identifying people who test positive and moving them into isolation.
[Jimenez:] The school says they're investigating more than 380 student violations and reviewing 12 students for emergency suspension. A step that's been taken at other schools. The University of Missouri expelling two students for disregarding COVID rules. And at the University of Kansas, large gatherings like these leading to public health bans at off-campus residences, according to a statement given to the "University Daily Kansan." A concern at schools across country.
[Unidentified Male, Student:] We're in the middle of a pandemic. And the fact people think it's OK to party right now is the biggest mistake.
[Jimenez:] It's all part of a reality some students say they assumed would come with back-to-school.
[Metter:] Obviously, I don't want to have COVID. But it seemed kind of inevitable.
[Jimenez:] And at the University of Wisconsin Madison, at least one student has been hospitalized as a result of complications from COVID-19. And when we look at campus as a whole, their positivity rate for students tested has been tight around 8 percent. And the school's hope in trying to drive that number down is that it's going to come from testing, which is now required for everyone living in the dorms and for those living in fraternities and sororities and from limiting student interaction. And it's also important to note, Wisconsin isn't alone in this. We look at the entire country, we have now seen more than 50,000 cases reported at colleges and universities spanning all 50 states. Omar Jimenez, CNN, Chicago.
[Brunhuber:] Joining me now from Knoxville, Tennessee, Dr. Scott Miscovich. He's a family physician, national consultant for COVID-19 testing and pioneered pop-up COVID testing in Hawaii. Thank you very much for joining us. I want to start where we left off here with COVID and college campuses. I was reading at one university they were looking at how students were getting infected and it wasn't necessarily through the big gatherings and frat parties and so on that we see in the news. It was the smaller gatherings of a couple of students, study groups, dinner with friends, board games. What have you seen?
[Dr. Scott Miscovich, Family Physician, National Consultant For Covid- 19 Testing:] It's exactly the same. As you know, I'm traveling college campuses right now working on testing programs. It's exactly that because the smaller confined spaces of the room, where you're in a dorm room, where actually, you know, playing video games, or hanging out talking to your friends, there's not as much air movement. The respiratory droplets are much easier to spread and a lot of times they take their masks off. Right, that's when you're with friends or you're in a comfortable setting, you take your mask off. That's where it's occurring. It doesn't occur outside as much. It's not occurring like in the big basketball arenas or, you know, open air dormitory or open air gymnasium, it's in small rooms.
[Brunhuber:] Well, speaking of gymnasium and so on, you know, college sports, very controversial. You know, just recently the Big Ten football conference went back on its decision not to play after considering new medical information and testing possibilities. They'll now be playing games. So, you're in charge of testing in one of the biggest football conferences in the country, the SCC. This first of all, you know, some experts are still saying we shouldn't be playing football at all given the likelihood of spread and the potential of damage to the heart. We saw recently, you know, another study looking at the hearts of two dozen Ohio State University players, found that 15 percent of them had heart inflammation consistent with a rare but potentially fatal condition. So, I want to ask you, you know, can this be done safely and from your perspective, how is it going so far?
[Miscovich:] Yes, I believe it can be done safely. Because I've been involved with many conferences and been involved in many of the medical advisory meetings. And I'm very proud to be involved with physicians who are really taking the time to look at all of the evidence, look at the best practices and are focused on first and foremost, the safety of the student athletes. So, it can be done safely because of the fact that there are really strict testing protocols in play and the whole idea is to find this disease before it is becoming contagious. As we just talked about, it is much more common they're going to get this disease when they're with friends in a dorm versus the environments being in the locker rooms. Those are so regulated. There is so much more control set in the universities that I feel very solid that across the country the programs will allow safe return of college athletics and as long as we continue the testing and
[Brunhuber:] How exactly are you going about it? Give us a sense of, you know, you're in a school right now that you're visiting. What do you do? What's the protocol?
[Miscovich:] Well, again, the general protocols that are happening across the country are two there's two protocols I'll describe. Number one is many of the schools are doing three time a week testing, that includes two of the deep PCR tests which are very sensitive. And then everyone is instituting the final test called the antigen test. Remember the antigen test is available in 15 minutes. And it can be something that you can immediately tell if someone is contagious and pull them out right away, so they don't go on a bus and travel. They don't go into the locker room. They don't go into the sideline. So, most teams are using that antigen testing at the very time of the game day or before people would enter a bus.
[Brunhuber:] We'll have to leave it there. Thank you very much, Dr. Scott Miscovich. Appreciate you joining us.
[Miscovich:] Thanks for having me, Kim.
[Brunhuber:] Still ahead, it could have been contained in Wuhan. That's what America's Ambassador to China has told CNN. We'll hear from him in an exclusive interview next. Do stay with us for that.

[Marquez:] Guilty pleas from two men who admit acting as illegal agents of the Iranian government. According to the Justice Department and the FBI, 60-year-old Majid Ghorbani, and a 39-year-old Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar conducted surveillance on a Jewish center in Chicago. They also admit monitoring members of an exiled Iranian opposition group. Ghorbani is charged with violating U.S. sanctions. Mohammadi-Doostdar pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of acting as an undeclared agent of the Iranian government.
[Romans:] An Ohio woman who was found dead in her home last week was likely killed by her own dogs. Police say 49-year-old Mary Matthews suffered multiple cuts and puncture wounds to the lower half of her body. She was discovered unresponsive by her husband. Investigators found two large Great Danes at the home along with bloodstained clothing throughout the house. The family says they rescued the dogs two years ago, and even though one was vicious, his wife refused to part with them because she loved animals.
[Marquez:] Now, a school resource officer in Broward County, Florida has been suspended without pay after being charged with child abuse. Deputy Willard Miller turned himself in Tuesday. The incident occurred back in September and was captured on surveillance video. A 15-year-old female student can be seen lightly kicking the officer. A little more than a minute later the teen is thrown to the ground and handcuffed. Police say Miller's actions by any measure were unacceptable.
[Sheriff Gregory Tony, Broward County, Florida:] And whatever type of verbal dialogue was going on, it makes no sense and it wasn't necessary. I would hope that every cop in America would disagree with that type of response.
[Marquez:] Now, Deputy Miller is being held on a $5,000 bond.
[Romans:] All right, cold air now pushing into the U.S. from Canada, bringing heavy snow into parts of New England. Pedram Javaheri is in the CNN Weather Center.
[Pedram Javaheri, Ams Meteorologist:] Miguel and Christine, good morning, guys. Yes, the cold air beginning to filter in across portions of the Great Lakes and eventually, that is the story across the northeast. And wait until you see what the 7-day forecast has in store. But not too bad to get you started here on your Wednesday. Middle-50s out of Boston and New York. Same story out of Chicago. But you'll notice where all of the cold air is bottled up into the Northern Plains, struggling to make it to the freezing mark across Minneapolis. And then the story really shifts into a major cold air outbreak, potentially over the next week or so. So here we go. As we go into early to mid-next week, potentially dropping 30 degrees below average into portions of the northeastern United States. But it's trying to get in a few snow showers across the Great Lakes and get into the areas of the highest elevations of the New England region there. You could see some additional heavy snow showers as much as eight inches possible from tonight into early tomorrow morning. Again, you've got to get into the Adirondacks and the Catskills to see that. But the trend looks as such here with New York climbing up to 61. You notice the dive the trend there. Forty-two degrees come Friday afternoon. And if you think that's cold you look at the forecast into early next week. Potentially, a shot at wintry weather. Highs by Tuesday next week into the lower 40s guys.
[Romans:] All right. Pedram, thank you so much for that. A stunning vulnerability found in popular voice-controlled smart devices like Google Home, Amazon's Alexa or Apple's Siri. Researchers say hackers can use a simple laser pointer to take over devices, even from outside your home. They discovered it's possible to make anything that acts on sound commands to act on silent light commands. Since many systems don't require authentication, hackers would not need a password or a pin. They just need to be in the object's line of sight.
[Marquez:] I'm a junkie for that kind of stuff and I cannot bring myself to get those things because it's just -I just don't know where it's going to go. Now, she's not yet old enough to drive, but 14-year-old Alaina Gassler engineered a solution to eliminate car blind spots. The eighth-grader from Pennsylvania won $25,000 for her invention in a nationwide science competition. She first noticed the problem when her mom didn't like driving their family's Jeep Grand Cherokee because the A-pillars in it caused blind spots. Gassler tells CNN since you can't take it off the cars, she decided to get rid of it without getting rid of it.
[Alaina Gassler, Prize Winner, 2019 Samueli Foundation:] I did that by having a camera behind the A-pillar of a car. And the camera sent video to a projector that projected the image onto the pillar, essentially making it invisible.
[Marquez:] She gives us hope all across the board. Gassler says she was motivated to work on the design after learning how dangerous blind spots can be, and especially because her older brother just started driving. Very, very sensible.
[Romans:] Elon Musk or Mary Barra or someone, give her an internship, because she's good stuff. All right. Let's get a check on CNN business this morning, taking a look around the world at markets. A mixed performance really here on Wall Street. Looking at futures leaning down slightly. I would call that directionless. Look, this is just a step back after another record high day for stocks, as hopes for a pause in the trade with China boosted investor sentiment. The Dow finished up about 30 points. The S&P 500 closed down. The Nasdaq inched up just a little bit. New overnight, "The Wall Street Journal" reports Xerox is considering a takeover of printer and computer maker HP, a market value of about $27 million. Both companies are in cost-cutting mode and a deal could afford new opportunities to shed expenses. AT&T will paycheck a $60 million settlement over claims it misled customers about unlimited data plans. The settlement resolves a 2014 lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission. AT&T, which is CNN's parent company, allegedly charged 3.5 million customers for unlimited plans while reducing their speeds when their usage exceeded a certain amount in the year 2011. An AT&T spokesperson says: Even though it has been years since we applied this network management tool in the way described by the FTC, we believe this is in the best interest of customers. The money will be used for partial rep funds to select customers who signed up for unlimited plans before 2011. All right. You heard about the Turducken, right? Pringles is releasing its Friendsgiving feast Turducken kit complete with turkey, duck, and chicken-flavored kits and you can stuff them and eat. It also comes with pumpkin pie and stuffing.
[Marquez:] I want them right now! Why don't we have those now?
[Romans:] There are no shortage of holiday flavors for shoppers. Coca- Cola cinnamon and Sprite winter spiced cranberry are already on the shelves. And IHOP has partnered with elf in the shelf for a holiday inspired menu. The Turducken Pringles kit will be available online starting tomorrow. Yummy.
[Marquez:] Thank God. You really you know, that just really makes my day. Coming into the weekend, I know exactly what I'll be eating while watching
[Romans:] And serving for Thanksgiving.
[Marquez:] Exactly. Now, thanks to our international viewers for joining us with Turducken in mind. Have a great rest of your day. For our U.S. viewers, EARLY START continues right now.
[Romans:] Big blue wins in ruby red states, where power is shifting and what it means for 2020.
[Marquez:] The big revision from a top witness in the impeachment probe, what Gordon Sondland suddenly recalls and how it wrecks the White House defense.
[Romans:] An arrest after nine Americans were massacred in Mexico. The families said they were targeted because of past conflicts with cartels.
[Marquez:] And we've all been thrown off by a blind spot while driving. Now a teenager has a solution and a $25,000 prize for her work. Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Miguel Marquez.
[Romans:] Nice to see you this morning.
[Marquez:] Good to be here.
[Romans:] Dave is off. I'm Christine Romans. It's Wednesday, November 6th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the east. Breaking overnight, an ominous election night warning for President Trump as reliably Republican seats go to Democrats. In ruby red Kentucky, Democrat Andy Beshear claiming victory in the governor's race. No CNN projection yet, but Beshear leads Republican Matt Bevin by several thousand votes with 99 percent of the votes count. Bevin refuses to admit to defeat.
[Beshear:] It's a message that says our elections don't have to be about right versus left. They are still about right versus wrong. I haven't had an opportunity yet to speak to Governor Bevin, but my expectation is that he will honor he will honor the election that was held tonight.
[Bevin:] Would it be a Bevin race if it wasn't a squeaker? I mean, come one. I mean, really and truly, this is a close, close race. We are not conceding this race by any stretch. Not a chance.

[Harlow:] All right. Well, welcome back. If you missed this story, listen up. Scathing accusations against the biggest utility company in the state of California. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that PG&E knew for years that its power lines could fail and spark fires, but did not take the necessary steps to repair them. One of PG&E's failed lines is blamed for starting that huge fire in Northern California last November that killed 85 people and completely destroyed the entire town of Paradise. The utility company says it disagrees with the report's conclusions. One of the reporters the dogged reporters who broke this story for the "Journal" joins me live. Good morning to you. Katherine Blunt is with me. Good on you for digging, getting these documents through a Freedom of Information Act request. What do they tell us about over 18,000 miles of power lines that PG&E operated?
[Katherine Blunt, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal:] Sure. Well, first of all, the transmission line that failed in November and sparked the Camp Fire is incredibly old. And it shines light on just how old a lot of this infrastructure is. This is a line that was built in 1921 to carry power from the Sierra Nevada range to San Francisco. And like I I mean, these towers are a century old. That's one thing. And it also showed the extent of the age of the overall system that it was a part of. I mean, the entire system is that old. And we also received other documents as well, through a few other means, that show that the company had been trying for a number of years to get a handle on the extent to which its system was aging. And
[Harlow:] Right.
[Blunt:] it's not just this system. It's this particular system that I referred to it is a number of it is
[Harlow:] Right.
[Blunt:] a substantial amount of the company's infrastructure.
[Harlow:] I mean, you write about some of these towers, right? That are 108 years old. When at 60 or 65
[Blunt:] Right.
[Harlow:] they have to be replaced. So four decades of going on in dangerous conditions. One of the things that struck me is you write, PG&E, quote, "knew that 49 of the steel towers that carry the electric lines that failed, needed to be replaced entirely. But then they ranked improvements to their transmission lines as low-risk and spent billions of dollars instead on other projects like substation upgrades." I mean
[Blunt:] Right.
[Harlow:] I guess the fundamental question is, why? Did they truly think
[Blunt:] Right.
[Harlow:] nothing like this would ever happen?
[Blunt:] Right. And, I mean, that's a question that we're still trying to get at, as to why exactly a lot of these projects had been delayed. Let's just go back to the line that started the Camp Fire.
[Text:] "Camp Fire" By the Numbers: Deadliest, most destructive fire in California; 85 people killed; Nearly 14,000 homes destroyed; Entire town of Paradise destroyed; Overall losses estimated at $16.5 billion
[Blunt:] We actually first reported in February that the company had delayed necessary upgrades to this project. We ended up getting these documents by asking federal forest managers to share with us the correspondence they'd had with the company, as the company was saying that it needed to upgrade these lines. And, you know, in these in this correspondence, they state very clearly, "We need to replace 49 towers because of age. We need to replace conductor and hardware because of age and integrity." And
[Harlow:] Right.
[Blunt:] you know, it is difficult at times to permit in these forests. And so that could be a cause for this particular delay
[Harlow:] Right.
[Blunt:] but I mean, they first proposed this work in 2013.
[Harlow:] Wow.
[Blunt:] And this isn't the only project of this nature that they're continuing to delay.
[Harlow:] Yes. Six years ago. Before you go, Katherine, obviously, you report out here how it appears regulators totally dropped the ball in holding PG&E accountable and making them do these repairs as well. A federal judge yesterday ruled that PG&E has to, paragraph by paragraph that is the judge's wording reply to your reporting. What does what does that feel like?
[Blunt:] Oh, Judge Alsup is a really fascinating person. He's extremely frank and colloquial. He's been overseeing the company's federal probation after a 2010 pipeline explosion south of San Francisco. And what he's tasked with is essentially trying to ensure that the company is a good corporate actor going forward, and doesn't commit any more crimes. And so to probe this in this way is going to be very interesting. I am certainly curious to how the company responds. We have, of course, given them the chance to respond to our reporting before we published, and they didn't dispute our conclusions. So we'll see what they file.
[Harlow:] So you have not heard yet, but you do expect to get more answers from PG&E because of what this judge has called for?
[Blunt:] They have to. They have to file a public statement in court. And
[Harlow:] OK.
[Blunt:] and we'll see how they answer these we'll see how they answer.
[Harlow:] All right. Well, again, this is a fire that cost 85 American lives. Thank you very much, Katherine Blunt, for your important reporting. We appreciate it.
[Blunt:] Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
[Harlow:] Of course, of course. Thanks so much for being with me today. I'll see you back here tomorrow morning. I'm Poppy Harlow. "AT THIS HOUR WITH KATE BOLDUAN" starts right now.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good evening. We begin tonight with breaking news on President Trump's signature issue, the border wall with Mexico. As you know, he's been trying to use money from the Pentagon budget to build it. Late today, in the Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote gave him the green light, at least while a lower court challenge to it proceeds. Our Pamela Brown joins us now with reaction from the White House. I would certainly imagine the president has got to be very happy about this ruling.
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Oh, that's right, Anderson. He immediately hailed it as a big win for him. This is what he tweeted not long ago saying: Wow, big victory on the wall. The United States Supreme Court overturns lower court injunction allow southern border wall to proceed. Big win for border security and the rule of law. This is a significant ruling by the Supreme Court along ideological lines and the president's favor, allowing those funds from the Defense Department to be used to build the wall. You'll recall, Anderson, that the president directed those funds to be used for the wall after he didn't get what he wanted from Congress. As you'll recall, that led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and the president ended it when he called for a national emergency and diverted certain funds to be used for the wall. So, after that, groups immediately challenged it in the courts. A lower court agreed with the group's challenging it, saying that Congress has the power of the purse and that the president didn't have this authority. The groups argued violated the law what the president did. But today, the Supreme Court overruled that, saying that the government showed that these groups challenging it didn't have sufficient standing. That the government did a good job showing that. And so, this is certainly a big win for the president, at least for now. This is not over yet, though, Anderson. As you pointed out, this can still play out in the lower courts, but the wall continued to be built with those Defense Department funds. We should note, though, that some of those funds will go toward replacement fencing, as well Anderson.
[Cooper:] Right, and it's replacement fencing which is all that's been build or that's been done so far, which is just I mean, they have been characterizing it as a new wall but replacing existing fencing.
[Brown:] Yes, that's right. The president tries to frame it certainly most of it has been this replacement fencing. The president argues that this is all about protection because the fencing was crumbling and it needed to be replace for the there to be a secure barrier there to prevent people from trying to cross. But, you know, on the campaign trail, politically, Anderson, this hands the president a big talking point because now he can tell his supporters that he promised in 2016 on the trail he would build the wall and that the wall is being built even if a lot of these funds are going toward replacement fencing Anderson.
[Cooper:] All right. Pamela Brown, thanks very much. More now on the legal and political dimensions. Joining us is Elliot Williams, former deputy assistant attorney general in the Obama administration, Karen Finney who served as senior spokesperson on the 2016 Clinton campaign, and Scott Jennings, former special assistant to President George W. Bush and longtime political leader to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Both he and Karen Finney are CNN political commentators. Elliott, the president certainly understandably views this as a big win. Do you see it as a win for him because as Pamela said, litigation challenging had to pay for it is still on going?
[Elliot Williams, Principal, Raben Group:] Yes, litigation challenging it, but look, in effect, if now the construction can be completed, if he ultimately loses in court, some of this construction will have already been in place. I think the loss here is for the relationship between the president and Congress. Congress explicitly made a determination not to fund this project of the president, which is largely a political project of the president. Forty-eight hours later, the president went again and went ahead and proceeded with an executive order to get this built. So, really, the question here, Anderson, is, is this a reshaping of how presidents of the United States are going to regard Congress and disregard them as this president has largely done throughout administration, or is this an aberration that ends with the presidency of Donald Trump? That remains to be seen. But I think that's the bigger question and problem here and it's something that haunts this administration. It's just an utter disrespect for Congress as a co-equal branch of government.
[Cooper:] Scott, certainly for the Republican side, this is clearly a win. There is no, you know, there's no other look at it any other way.
[Scott Jennings, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, there is a lot of dimensions to the victory, Anderson. Number one, it's a political victory when the president came under some attack for not building the wall so he'll be able to check the box. Number two, it comes at a time when the most recent Gallup poll shows immigration has gone back to the top of the list of the issues that the American people care about the most. So, this is kind of riding the wave of public opinion right now showing the president being responsive to that. Number three, I think it validates the president's position. He said the border issues are a crisis and national emergency all along. Since he declared national emergency, and everybody howled about it, what has happened? Thousands of more people have come. We all seen it's an actual emergency. So he's validated on that. And one final political win here I think the Supreme Court decision based on my Twitter feed is going to bait the Democrats into saying some pretty dumb stuff at this week's CNN debate. They have become extremists on immigration, and I think it's going to get worse on your debate stages this week, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Karen, do you expect that to be the case? Because, certainly, you know, Tom Friedman of "The Times" wrote about his surprise at how I mean, to the left, some of the last debate comments about immigration were.
[Karen Finney, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, look, a couple things. Number one, I don't think you're going to see that and remember when we're talking about the border and we're talking about the border wall, there is a whole other part of that conversation we are then talking also about kids in cages and family separation policy. And so, if we're going to go back to that conversation, part of that conversation is not a politically good conversation for the president. I think, quite frankly, over the last couple of weeks, part of his going after the squad has been to move away from the conversation because you have so many members visiting those conditions.
[Cooper:] Right, but, Karen, if he ran on build the wall and Mexico would pay for it. That's not happening. But he ran on build a wall. He can say the Supreme Court is going to let me do it and I'm going to do it.
[Finney:] Absolutely. Look, it's a victory for him and we've seen that in his Twitter feed tonight. He should take the victory lap. I think obviously this ongoing question between the relationship between Congress and the president and the power of the purse that is going to continue. And I think to some degree also, the back and forth between Congress and the president on this part of it gets a little murky given there is politically so many other fights between Congress and the president right now. But you're right. It gives him a great political talking point. But again, that issue of the wall and the border is not without a flip side that is not good for the president to be talking about.
[Cooper:] Yes, that I hear you on that. Scott, to Elliot's point about kind of being a new model for things, do you is there any Republican concern that, you know, there is an executive order this is a national emergency if a Democrat comes into office and says climate change is a national emergency and does it by executive order, I mean, does this set a new president?
[Jennings:] Oh, there is huge concern about that. I mean, this is one of the down the road, you know, I told you so that could happen if Democrats win the White House. I have no doubt that guns, you know, the truck that sits in my driveway, you know, all kinds of things
[Cooper:] They're going to go to your truck?
[Jennings:] On executive orders. Hey, I don't have one of the new models with all the fancy whatever pollution controls. I mean, I'm just telling you, they will declare a national emergency on anything. So, absolutely, there is concern about that. In the moment, politically, though, I mean, there is no question. This is one of Donald Trump's best days.
[Cooper:] Yes. But, Elliot, certainly, I mean, this president has used the idea of executive orders in ways that, you know, if he was a Democrat or Barack Obama, the Republicans would be very upset about it.
[Williams:] Oh, the intellectual dishonesty is staggering in terms of what Republicans will tolerate from this president of the United States and look, let's talk about the underlying policy of the wall. Remember, Anderson, I worked at ICE for five years. The policy is flawed because most people that are unlawfully president of the United States under stayed their visas. So building a wall, while I can certainly agree that there is a room for barrier fencing in the debate over border security, but most of the people here didn't cross the southern border. So, what you're doing for scoring political points. And that's what this is about. This is about whipping people up at rallies. But as a means of scoring political points, he's built this or seeking to build a big extensive wall that isn't going to solve the underlying problem.
[Cooper:] Right.
[Williams:] I would be the first person at the table to have a conversation about border security and immigration, if that's what Republicans and the president wanted to do but that's not what this is about.
[Cooper:] But, Karen, again, on the campaign trail or debate stage when it gets to be the Republican or Democrat, the argument I built I said I'll build the wall, Supreme Court agrees aggress with me, I'm doing it is clearer and understandable than a nuanced discussion about barrier fencing has a role but, you know, the ramifications about building a wall, and it's less effective and it's not as powerful as what the Democrats previous argument could have been, which was you promised to build a wall and Mexico to pay for it and neither has happened. They can't make that argument anymore.
[Finney:] No, you're right. I think there is probably one other line in there, Anderson of the president's talking points. I would envision him saying something along the lines of, you know, the Democrats tried to stop me and the Supreme Court says I win, right? So, but, look, again, from the perspective of the president, it is a great talking point. We have a talking point, though, on the Democratic side to talk about OK, but what about the people who are here? If we can all agree that there is now a crisis at the border, build your wall if that's going to keep people out, but I suspect part of where this conversation is going to go on the context of this election because it is very dire and grave, and we have all of these children and families that at some point we have to figure out how to reunify them, what do we do with the people who are here? We've been so focused on the wall we move aid way from that part of the political conversation. And I assure you, people who live on those border states, they are interested in having that conversation and they're also interested in understanding how the wall will affect the land that they live on.
[Williams:] Oh, yes.
[Cooper:] Scott, I mean, it is a more I don't know, it's a tougher discussion for Democrats after today.
[Jennings:] Oh, look, this is a very simple thing now. Donald Trump ran on border security. He is securing the border. Democrats are running on decriminalizing border crossings. They are running on free health care for people who come here illegally. They look like they are inviting the entire world to come here illegally and they have no interest in securing the border and Donald Trump is going to say, I ran on securing the border, I fought all the way to the Supreme Court. It's happening. If you go with their policies, we'll have no borders at all. And all you got to do, Anderson, is turn on your TV. It's a crisis, just like he said it was. This is as clean as it gets for a political argument.
[Finney:] OK. But, Scott, again, part of the crisis, there is a manufactured part of this crisis, which is, what are we going to do with these children? What are we going to do with these families? It is the case that under Donald J. Trump, we're seeing children in cages. We're seeing men and women in cages so packed they can't lie down. So, there is another part of that, too. He delivered on conservative judges. He delivered on border security, but this other part is not going to go away and I think he's going to be as much of a liability for him or much more of a liability for him than I think he imagined.
[Cooper:] Elliot, do you give him anything on boarder security? Or to your point, which is, you know, statistically correct about people over staying their visas, again, it's a more nuanced part of that?
[Williams:] How do you define border security, Anderson? Again, if, you know, the administration came, we're going to make the border safer. And so, our means of that doing will be deterring people from coming to the country by ripping their toddlers away from them. That's not actually securing the border. And again, if you wish to have a conversation about border security, it needs to be a holistic conversation. It's not just about building barriers and yes, I'm not making a moral point about walls being moral or soon. And I'll agree that San Diego, California, needs to have hard border barrier fencing, but I just think this idea that immigration is exclusively a function of boarder security and nothing else and that no other parties in government or the NGO community or whatever else need to be part of it. That is a false binary that we've been sold by the president.
[Jennings:] But we don't have to accept the binary, Anderson, because the Congress thinks the United States Senate just passed a massive humanitarian piece to this immigration crisis, which this president signed into law. So, he just put billions on the humanitarian crisis, and now, he's got billions for the wall, this is a great day if you're Donald Trump making an argument about a holistic approach.
[Finney:] Let's see the action before we start let's see what really happens to those families.
[Williams:] I don't think $4 billion toward a hemisphere wide crisis that deals with starts with corruption and crime and violence in Guatemala and El Salvador is the perfect solution or total solution to fixing what again extends the length of the hemisphere and is a much bigger problem than
[Cooper:] I got to leave it there. Elliot Williams, thank you. Karen Finney, Scott Jennings, as well. Coming up next, House Democrats take a big step toward impeachment while trying not to make what some fear politically would make one leap too far to actual impeachment. Later, going into the CNN Democratic debates in Detroit. See, what undecided voters are saying. The state went narrowly for President Trump the last time around. The question tonight, will this time be different?

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] President Trump often tweeting once again today mostly about the ongoing Senate trial, but they a lot he'll have to go a long way to beat the record he set yesterday. Look at this, 142 tweets and re-tweets. That's a single-day record for the Trump presidency so far.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Congratulations to him for that. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is at the White House with the latest on how President Trump is focused on what's happening just down the street. Kaitlan, apart from social media, do we know and that's not a small thing, by the way, that's like a window into what is on his mind.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes.
[Tapper:] But beyond that, do we know what the President has been doing behind the scenes during the trial?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, this is what's interesting about today, because the first two days is all this was getting underway, the president had been out of the country, he was getting back yesterday. But today is the first day he's going to be here at the White House as these arguments are getting underway, under day two of these opening statements from the Democrats. And the president doesn't have a lot on his public schedule, just an intelligence briefing and then he's not leaving the White House until later this afternoon about two hours after the Democrats started speaking, to go speak at the Republican National Committee's winter meeting. So there is a lot of opportunity for the president to be keeping a close eye on this, and based on the people that he's been speaking with, he has been paying close attention. Remarking on certain things that the Democrats have said, talking about points that they've made as he's having to sit back and watch them make their statements without any Republicans or any his own legal team being able to rebut them in real time since they've got the floor to themselves. And we're told, Jake, that's actually irritated the president a little bit, because his team is not going to get able to start speaking until Saturday at the earliest.
[Blitzer:] You also, Kaitlan, have some news on yet another prohibition on cell phone use today. It's not just the Senate floor we're talking about. Tell us about that.
[Collins:] Yes, speaking of that Republican National Committee meeting that the president is going to, he's going to deliver a speech this afternoon. It's going to be held at this resort in Miami. But we are now getting a glimpse of the memo that the RNC sent out to those attendees who are going to be there, telling them that any phones or devices that have the capability to record audio are banned from the event, and not only are they being encouraged not to just record the president, which is typically standard for some of this speeches that he has with the RNC. They are not going to let them bring their phones into the room per this memo. They say they're going to have somewhere for them to store them and keep them until the end of the event, which is notable because, of course, in the past a lot of audio from these remarks, these closed door events the president has done where no press will be in the room, often it leaks from someone in there who's recording the president or taking notes and later let the press know what it is he says, which sometimes often mirrors what he says publicly. But this is pretty notable that there will be no phones allowed in there. And they say that if they break the rules, Wolf, they will are threatening to essentially remove them from the room if they do bring phones in there.
[Tapper:] Well, Kaitlan, is this voluntary, is this honor system, and how will they going to know if somebody has a cell phone in their pocket? Are they going to frisk them?
[Collins:] So that's the question. When they go into the room, are they going to be actually checking them like they would in any other events like this? Typically, Jake, it's the honor code. They just say, do not record the president or X, Y, Z, and they essentially leave it up to the discretion of the attendees at this event. But reading this memo, it's pretty harsh. We actually have a screen shot of exactly what they say, and they are threatening them that if they break the rules, they will not be allowed in the room. And then they're saying, we're going to have somewhere for you to keep your phone, which does make it seem like they are going to be taking them from them before they come into the room. That of course we'll have to wait until about 3:00 this afternoon to find out how that actually goes down.
[Tapper:] All right, Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Senators right now are arriving for the Senate trial. Democrats are trying to build their case against President Trump. And just moments, standby we'll be right back.

[Keilar:] The Trump administration's top infectious disease expert is alarmed where the United States is in the fight against the coronavirus. Dr. Anthony Fauci says the numbers of new cases that the country is reporting is a serious new problem, especially as we head into colder months.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy & Infectious Diseases:] I'm disturbed and concerned about the fact that our baselines of infections is still stuck at around 40,000 per day. That's no place to be when you're trying to get your arms around an epidemic and get it to a very low baseline as you get into a situation where you're going to be more indoors than outdoors.
[Keilar:] The big picture right now, you have 22 states that are reporting an increase in cases. And 23 are holding steady. Only five states are reporting fewer cases than last week. And 23 states are reporting an increase in the numbers of COVID-19 deaths. There are 10 holding steady there. And 17 are reporting a decrease. Wisconsin is one of the 22 states where new cases have been on the rise. This state is, reporting a record high of nearly 2,900 new cases on Saturday. Governor Tony Evers is urging people to get back to the basics of fighting the virus. This includes, of course, wearing masks. Over the weekend, several county health departments issued public health emergency COVID-19 alerts because of the, quote, "very high levels of cases which were and are resulting in increased hospitalizations." My next guest is Dr. Tom Nichols. He is vice president of medical affairs for Ascension St. Elizabeth in Appleton, Wisconsin. And he's also the surge section chief for Ascension Wisconsin. Which, as I understand it, sir, means you are overseeing 24 hospitals across the state. So you really have a good look at what's going on. Can you tell us why you're seeing this surge?
[Dr. Tom Nichols, Vice President Of Medical Affairs, Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital & Surge Section Chief, Ascension Wisconsin:] Thanks for having me on, Brianna. I think we're seeing it because we're seeing exponential spread in the virus in our communities here in Wisconsin. As we have a month ago, we had 12 patients hospitalized in our communities. Today it's 130. It's not just impacting our hospitals. It's also impacting our staff. As it spreads through the community, it's impacting the staff that need to come to work but can't because of exposures in the community.
[Keilar:] Have you been able to pinpoint it? Is it schools reopening? Is it colleges? Is this people just getting tired of being kind of shut in more than they're used to for several months now? Have you been able to get a hold on what the behaviors are behind this?
[Nichols:] Yes, I think people are getting tired of it. I'm getting tired of COVID. But what we have seen is, as people start to drop their guard down, the infection takes hold. The virus doesn't seem to care whether we're tired of it or not. And so we need to keep reinforcing those same basic behaviors of washing your hands, avoiding crowds, wearing a mask, and staying home when you're not feeling well.
[Keilar:] Yes, it's incredibly opportunistic, right? That's what it does. Tell us the adjustments that hospitals are having to make now.
[Nichols:] Well, I do feel fortunate to be part of Ascension, which is a national health
[Keilar:] Oh, no. We lost Dr. Tom Nichols. We'll try to reestablish that. Thank you so much, Dr. Nichols, just in case we don't. I do want to let out viewers know we're following breaking news that is coming to us out of the White House. And this has to do with the continuing spread of the coronavirus and the outbreak there. Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, the latest testing positive after spending time with journalists without wearing a mask yesterday. Why did she do that? She should not have done that. We'll have a live report, next.

[Bolduan:] This week, we have been bringing you stories of exceptional people who are making a lasting impact around the world. The series is called "CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE." This year, we had a chance to revisit some of the extraordinary people we covered that not only leave a mark on the world but have left a lasting impression on us. For the one and only John Berman, that's a group of citizens who rock to their own beat. John has been kind enough to bless us with his presence today. Good to have you here.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] It is so nice to see you.
[Bolduan:] Good to have you hear. You have traveled the world. There's not a story you haven't covered, which you love to remind me of all the time. What is it about this group that left a lasting impression on you?
[Berman:] You can get cynical in this line of work. When I first met this group, it was 2008. And you'll hear me say this. I had been covering war. I just off covering Eliot Spitzer and his prostitution scandal, and so I was in a dark place. They are the antidote to cynicism. We did a documentary, which was a big hit. People might remember the documentary from 2008. When I met them, I was blown away. They honestly brighten my life. So, watch. The Young at Heart Chorus has a unique membership.
[Bob Gilman, Director, Young At Heart Chorus:] It's a performance group of older people, ranging in age now from 75 to 90.
[Berman (oc0:] And how young are you?
[Unidentified Chorus Member:] Seventy-eight. I will be 90 in November.
[Berman:] You're up there, singing. Do you feel 90?
[Unidentified Chorus Member:] No. I don't feel any age.
[Berman:] And the chorus has a unique repertoire. [on camera]: Seniors singing rock "n" roll is a simplistic way of saying it, yes?
[Gilman:] It is. It's a very limited way of saying it, yes.
[Berman:] Why limited?
[Gilman:] There's more to it than that. For older people, it's a joy to see older people on the stage rather than in the seats. That breaks a lot of rules. And the music we choose to do breaks a little bit of the mold as to what seniors are used to seeing.
[Steve Martin, Member, Young At Heart Chorus:] Don't give up when you get older. Don't be afraid of getting old. Because you have so much to offer. You have so much to give.
[Berman:] The first time I visited with the Young at Heart Chorus, it was 2008. I had spent much of the previous five years going back and forth to Baghdad, covering the U.S. war in Iraq. I meet Young at Heart and what I need more than anything is a story that's not violent and will just make me smile. And man, did I find it. When I first met you, which was 11 years ago, you told me that it's super bold, like the world's best bar mitzvah and being ordained as a pope.
[Martin:] I still feel that way. It gave me a purpose to want to wake up in the morning and come to rehearsal and participate in something that just was great.
[Berman:] And everyone needs to participate, as I learned, even a reporter can't stand around and watch. [on camera]: We were pretty much getting ready to go and you said to me, no. Wait a minute. [voice-over]: So I sang Barry Manilow's "Copacabana." You told me the chorus is 25, 26 members, and it changes.
[Gilman:] Yes.
[Berman:] The membership changes?
[Gilman:] Yes. We lose a lot of people. We've lost a lot of people. There's four or five people left from the chorus you saw in 2008.
[Berman:] So 11 years ago, Young at Heart had performed in a prison. Basically, once or twice. They went in and they sang before the prisoners and it was a very moving experience, but it was performance. Now, 11 years later, it's part of their program. They're inside the prisons, singing with the prisoners. When you hear Young at Heart is coming, when you see on the calendar
[Aaron Fogg, Inmate:] I get excited. I get excited. It will be like the night before and I want to go to bed early.
[Gilman:] They know it's an hour, hour and a half where they'll be able to express themselves in a way they feel comfortable doing.
[Anthony Rodriguez, Inmate:] Out of my comfort zone. I'm just doing this because, I don't know. I want to change. You know what I mean? I want to be a new person.
[Berman:] Do they inspire you?
[Rodriguez:] Of course.
[Martin:] It's a blessing to both of us, the prisoners and to us. We mix between the grandfather or the grandmother that they can't see or may not even have. We're saying to them, look, you're OK. You're going to be all right. Don't quit.
[Berman:] What's changed for you since we first met?
[Gilman:] My age. I have become one of them. You know, I'm now 65, you know. I get Medicare. The average age of this group is 84. And I can't imagine what I'm going to be doing when I'm 84. I look at what they're doing and I have deep appreciation for it all.
[Berman:] And I do, too, because if they can do it, who am I to say no to a little James Brown.
[Martin:] This chorus, some day, people will look back and they'll say they did good things for people of all ages.
[Gilman:] Don't quit your day job.
[Berman:] I'm not going to have a day job after this.
[Bolduan:] I mean, best part, not only seeing John Berman singing but the entire newsroom was right with him on this one. Nice. Rock stars. You're amazing. You know I love you and love anything you do. But they're mazing.
[Berman:] They're so inspiring. That's the point. The only reason I agreed to sing is because, how do you say no when they're laying it all out there, when these 90-year-old people are out there, laying it on the line? It proves you can do anything.
[Bolduan:] That's amazing. Thanks for bringing that.
[Berman:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] Nice to see you.
[Berman:] Nice to see you.
[Bolduan:] Back together. We'll be right back. Oh, after this. We'll continue sharing these inspiring stories all this week. Tune in on Saturday 8:00 p.m. Eastern for an hour-long "CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE" special. We'll be right back.
[Berman:] Now we'll be right back.
[Bolduan:] Now officially.

[Berman:] New scrutiny this morning for one key component of the testing in this country: the antibody test which helped determine if you have had coronavirus. Real questions this morning about whether they work. One researcher says the accuracy is, quote, "really terrible." CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has the latest.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Antibody testing to check for past infection. Officials have said these tests are critical to reopening the economy. But there are concerns many of them don't work very well.
[Fauci:] The problem is that these are tests that need to be validated and calibrated. And many of the tests out there don't do that.
[Cohen:] So scientists in California, including at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, decided to see how are they working. Out of the 12 tests they looked at, several had frequent false positives. One got false positives more than 15 percent of the time. Three others, false positives more than 10 percent of the time or more. One of the researchers calling these results really terrible. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration relaxed their standards for these tests, allowing them to be sold without submitting any data showing that they work. For weeks, the FDA and other federal agencies have been saying they'll figure out which tests work best. But the FDA telling CNN they have nothing to share on this effort. While government scientists try to work this out, doctors at Texas A&M announcing they're going to start a clinical trial of a 100-year-old tuberculosis vaccine. It can help boost the immune system, and they hope it will work for COVID-19.
[Dr. William Schaffner, Infectious Disease Specialist:] Sometimes we have found that an old drug, one that we've used for years, can serve a new purpose.
[Cohen:] An advantage of old drugs for new purposes: they've been used before, so doctors know a lot about their safety profile. Hundreds of millions of doses of the BCG vaccine are given every year, mostly in developing countries. A disadvantage: since it wasn't designed specifically for COVID-19, it might not work for COVID-19, and it could be harmful to some.
[Schaffner:] Seems a bit of a stretch. But it's very novel. And desperate times demand desperate measures. It's worth a clinical trial.
[Cohen:] In the end, it could be a combination of old and new drugs that get us out of this pandemic.
[Schaffner:] We need a multipronged approach, because we need help here; and we need to go down every trail, investigate every possibility.
[Cohen:] Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, reporting.
[Berman:] All right. Thank you very much for that update. Back with us, Dr. Vivek Murthy and Dr. Colleen Kraft. Doctors, I want to show you a picture from last night that caused quite a stir here in New York City. This was at a funeral in Brooklyn for a rabbi. You can see many, many people there, Hasidic Jews, largely, showing up for this funeral, not social distancing. I mean, that's just crystal-clear from this picture. The New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, went to help break the gathering up, and he said things in response that offended many people, over generalizing about the Jewish community in general. We'll talk about that later. What I want to tell you, Dr. Kraft, though, again, we're talking about this tension between what people want to do and really should do. A gathering like that in the epicenter of this pandemic right now in the United States, that has to be dangerous.
[Kraft:] Yes, I agree with you. I think one of our concerns is that we are getting such mixed messages, and we are sort of making our own choices that it's really difficult to know how this is really going to be controlled as we continue to sort of ebb and flow on some of these gatherings that happen and events that are happening. And so I think it just brings us back to the same message, which is we really have to work ourselves, and it's within our own control, to prevent this transmission for ourselves and our loved ones. So hand hygiene, face hygiene, you know, doing physical distancing when you're in public, don't trusting surfaces don't trust any surfaces you haven't cleaned. And if you can't kind of create that scenario for yourself, then you may want to avoid this interaction. There are lots of things that are important to many of us. We want to all of us want to get back to doing what we were doing before. But it's going to be very difficult to get there if we continue to practice kind of sort of haphazard infection prevention practices.
[Berman:] You know, Dr. Murthy, I put this in same category as the vice president not wearing a mask at the Mayo Clinic. We all want an exception. We all want to find someplace where maybe we can do something that's not necessarily advised, but it's OK, because I think I'm doing it responsibly. Or it's OK, because I really want to do it or need to do it. Mourning is very difficult. Right? We all want to mourn. We all want to go to funerals. I get that. But still, it's hard to know what is right when there is so much mixed messaging around the country.
[Murthy:] Well, this is why communication is so essential during pandemics like this. And there are some core principles in how you communicate during a pandemic, which it's essential that we observe. For example, you always have to be transparent and truthful. You always have to lead with science and with scientists. But you also have to be empathic in your communication. And that might seem like a soft thing, that's not important, but it actually is. Because people need to know that you understand the challenges that they're facing, that you feel the pain and the struggle that they're enduring. And right now there are millions of people around America who are not able to say goodbye to their loved ones who can't go to ICUs and nursing homes to visit their elderly relatives. This is extremely painful. And if people don't think that their leaders understand that, they're not getting clear, consistent messages from them, then you run into situations where they're not they feel they don't need to observe their rules or they just can't anymore. We've got to be able to be able to support people, empathize with them but communicate clearly about what needs to be done.
[Berman:] One other key piece of news overnight, Dr. Kraft, was that Simon Properties, which owns shopping malls around the country, has now said it's going to reopen 49 of them, largely in states that are beginning to reopen themselves. Now, again, that's an economic story. But where it concerns you and public health, it's something you raised before that's fascinating to me. They may open, but are people going to go? That's what we don't know yet. Some stores in the malls won't reopen. Right now, Gap, which owns Banana Republic and a ton of stuff, says it's not reopening its individual stores. But the other question is, what will people do and how do people need to feel in order to reopen?
[Kraft:] Yes. And I think Dr. Murthy really said it really eloquently. That, you know, we our messaging is becoming is mixed. It's unclear what what is the appropriate course of action or not. And so I do think it comes back to, again, us taking within ourselves the the control to prevent the transmission. And so I will be very interested, as well, to see if people actually attend attend events and go to malls if they're if they're really concerned about their health, if they have a medically fragile family member, if they themselves have medical, you know, diseases. We want to prevent this transmission, because we want to save lives. And so I think it will it will unfortunately, we'll be seeing how we're going to balance that with some of these openings.
[Berman:] Dr. Kraft, Dr. Murthy, thank you both very much for being with us. Dr. Murthy, you're going to be back to talk much more about a subject that I think is of paramount importance that you just wrote a book on. And that's loneliness during this crisis. So thank you very much for being with us. President Trump ordering meat-processing plants to stay open, but workers are getting sick. So what's the answer here, so that we can get the food we need and keep workers safe?

[Lemon:] So, the president took to Twitter today to amplify an unhinged conspiracy theory about 75-year-old protester Martin Gugino. Tonight, Gugino has been upgraded to fair condition after he suffered a head injury when he was pushed to the ground by police officers. And in his tweet today the president alleging that the peaceful protester could be an antifa provocateur and suggesting that it might have been a setup. Let's discuss now with Vicki Ross. She is a close friend of Martin Gugino and the executive director of the Western New York Peace Center. Vicki, thank you so much. I know you're reading that. It sounds like a generic sort of hospital update on how he's doing. How is he doing?
[Vicki Ross, Martin Gugino's Friend:] Well, he has been in a lot of pain, and we've been very worried, but the fact he's now out of the ICU we're feeling very encouraged, but it's going to be slow. That's what they say, it's going to take a while.
[Lemon:] Well, we wish him well and we thank you for joining us. So, the president is
[Ross:] I'm
[Lemon:] Thank you. So, the president is smearing your friend. What did you think when you read that today, Vicki?
[Ross:] Well, of course I have to say not at all surprised because we have seen such lying and misinformation regularly, just ridiculous statement out of the White House. So, this is baseless, ridiculous. This man, Martin, truly his signature characteristic is nonviolent. His interest at the Western New York Peace Center where I'm the director or his devotion to the Catholic worker principles and people, to the Kings Bay Plowshares, et cetera, just show how much he's dedicated to true nonviolence of every kind. So, the idea that he is violent in any way is ridiculous. As we know, Vergil said, you know, the more outrageous the lie, effectively the more outrageous the lie, the more people will believe it.
[Lemon:] When did you first see this video?
[Ross:] I saw it at about two o'clock in the morning that follow on Friday, you know, two o'clock in the morning because I was so done in when I got home, you know, that I wasn't you know, I didn't see it until later.
[Lemon:] And then
[Ross:] And then it's been shocking and it's been crazy around here, you know, with the fall back fall out.
[Lemon:] Are you are you worried that the president may have essentially painted a target on your friend
[Ross:] Absolutely.
[Lemon:] and then he'll become the victim of threat to some sorts because that happens when the president tweets about you. I know that from experience.
[Ross:] Well, because when we talk about who are the people who are violent? It's the president who is encouraging violence. It is his followers who are walking around with guns and who don't get called to account for it. So, the racial difference, and also the firepower difference is incredible. But when we see the violence that has been fomented by the president in so many times and ways it's a very major concern. And he will be in the hospital, and he will be kept in the hospital until we can be sure that he's going to be safe and secure wherever he is.
[Lemon:] It's painful to put I have to turn away when they play that video. I mean it's painful. And just, again, you know, Vicki, you said the Erie County executive said that his condition has been upgraded from serious to fair tonight. And I read that earlier
[Ross:] Right.
[Lemon:] what the hospital said, but you are saying that he's been in a lot of pain. And the attorney says in a statement that Martin holds no ill will towards the officers. That doesn't surprise you, does it?
[Ross:] No, it doesn't because Martin is a loving person. And actually nonviolence, the way that, you know, Catholic workers or we try to practice it as Dr. King said, or as Gandhi said, you know, not hating or blaming. So that forgiveness, the fact that was done was like the military maneuver. The militarization of the police is a huge problem for us as a country, that the fact that tanks and all kinds of military equipment, apparatus, assault weapon and everything else are being held by our police on our streets, that is dangerous to us. That's the danger. That's where the violence comes. And in fact we've seen in Buffalo when things ramped up because there was too much police presence we never should have had all those extra officers on the first protest, and it just erupted because of the fights like trees, it hits the roof when there's too many police around with a lot of weapons of mass destruction or, you know, just
[Lemon:] With the tactical or riot tactical or riot gear. Let me ask you this, Vicki, the officers who pushed Martin they have been charged with felony assault.
[Ross:] Right.
[Lemon:] Do you have faith in that process? And what brought and what about broader reforms do you hope to see from policing and just come out of this incident?
[Ross:] Well, we're working very hard in Buffalo on that, and actually we were working on it very hard before this happened, the tragedy with George Floyd. So, we had our own incident in Buffalo and we had other previous history of incidents and death death and racist practices in Buffalo in the police department. Not that there aren't some good police. There are great there are some community police you know, some people know how to talk to people. But we are working for reform and for drastic change. We need some honestly, I believe we're at the fork in the road as Yogi Berra said. And when we take right now not just about the policing but in so many ways the way we handle things is going to make all the difference, and our democracy is certainly at risk, and our very survival is at risk with the nuclear weapons and climate catastrophe
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Ross:] and people are at risk with all the other things. So, I feel like we have we have a lot of work to do, but people are doing it. And one thing I say, restorative justice is a way to handle these issues
[Lemon:] OK.
[Ross:] because it is such a big problem. It's not just one people ask me what would Martin want to have done with these officers, and I want to say that's what restorative justice is about. It puts the victim, the offender and the community together to just discuss what happened, what was the damage done, how can the damage be repaired. And this is
[Lemon:] Your I appreciate your passion, and thank you for joining us. We are out of time, and I have to say
[Ross:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] that's a really lovely piece of artwork behind you. Thank you, Vicki, and give our best to your friend. OK?
[Ross:] I will.
[Lemon:] Thank you so much. And we'd love to have him on. Please invite him.
[Ross:] Sure. When that date comes, we'll be glad.
[Lemon:] Tell him we'd love to have him on the show. Thank you.
[Ross:] Thanks, Don.
[Lemon:] You take care.
[Ross:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] Dr. Anthony Fauci says the coronavirus is this is a quote from him "his worst nightmare" and he is warning it isn't over yet, his words. Next.

[Snell:] Welcome back to you now as we continue the countdown to football's next men's World Cup, which will take place in November and December of 2022. Now eight years ago, FIFA that's the sport's governing body declaring Qatar as the host nation and, fair to say, the spotlight has been on the Gulf state nation and the build-up to it all ever since. So that now extends to just how many countries will be competing in it. Not content with the current 32-team format, FIFA president Gianni Infantino wanting to expand it to 48 countries in '22, making Qatar co-host with, potentially, Oman and Kuwait. Now, an official decision will be made in June. Meantime, "The New York Times' " Tariq Panja breaking the story earlier, speaking with Don Riddell.
[Tariq Panja, Global Sports Reporter, "new York Times":] As far as the Qataris are concerned and most people are concerned, it's been 10 years of negative headlines. And they're almost there. They've been building these stadiums, spending billions over the last five years to prepare for what is supposed to be the last 32-team World Cup. But Gianni Infantino, for you know, the best part of a year, has been pushing this and pushing this, even even when we thought that this isn't going to happen. He's carried on. What I understand from the Qatari side, at least those who are part of the organizing committee. Very few speak about this openly or publicly. They just want to be left alone to get on with this World Cup, 32-team World Cup. And then and then everyone can see the back of it. But it's kind of like a zombie. It just this story just doesn't stop.
[Don Riddell, Cnn International Anchor:] The idea is they'd share it with Oman and Kuwait. Wouldn't it make more sense to be hosting it with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates?
[Panja:] Yes, absolutely. In a perfect world, it would make a lot more sense, because the infrastructure is there. It would kind of be a turnkey situation. They just hosted the Asian Cup. They've got the stadiums. They've got training facilities, and we've all flown through their airports. So they're kind of ready to go. But you know, the elephant in the room, and it has been for the past two years, has been the Gulf blockade, which has been jointly led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. We haven't seen many signs of that easing. It would be very hard. Can you imagine, under the current circumstances, for the UAE to fly the flag of a Qatar 2022 World Cup? And likewise, we just had the Asian Cup where the Qatari players were pelted with shoes and slippers and God knows what else when they beat the UAE in the Asian Cup final?
[Riddell:] A lot of people might be enthused about the idea of a 48- team World Cup, but I can think of a lot of people who would not be excited, particularly about this one at this time of year. Because we could be talking about 16 more national teams heading to a World Cup during the European season; and God knows how many players would be drawn from clubs who currently didn't think they'd be losing them.
[Panja:] Absolutely. When the plan was first voted the middle of last year, the stakeholders had the biggest gripes were the same clubs and leagues that you mentioned. Because obviously, the World Cup in Qatar, because of the heat, got moved to right in the middle of the European season. And there had to be some serious concessions, including limiting the number of days a tournament has to be played, within 29 days. That's what FIFA promised the European leagues, and that's what got this over the line. Now we're saying still in 29 days, a load more matches. Can we get can we get all of this done? Infantino certainly sees it as something that he wants to. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep pushing it. He hasn't been able to walk pasts a microphone for the past year without saying this is something that he would love to see happen, something that needs to needs to happen. Even though he could have just let it slide back in June when it appeared to be put on ice.
[Snell:] A case of watch this space. Well, 2019 also featuring a Rugby World Cup, with Japan hosting later on this year. But it now looks also as though we could be witnessing a rather radical shake-up to the international calendar as a whole. That's because the sport's governing body is looking to pit the top six teams from both the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres against each other. This would be in a 12-nation global event to be known as the Nations Championship. The idea is the core of the current Six Nations tournament and the Rugby Championship would be maintained, while adding two more countries. It would even feature promotion and relegation from a second-tier international circuit, which based on the current world rankings, would also also include Fiji and Japan, as it stands at the moment. World Rugby, which says it's looking to build a better and stronger game for all, will present its proposals at a key meeting in Dublin next week. Some other big news from the world of Rugby to tell you about concerning the future of New Zealand captain Kieran Read. The 33- year-old has revealed he's to retire now from international duty. This will be after the tournament in Japan, though Japan is a country he'll soon be starting to get used to. That's because Read will leave his current club team, Crusaders, to play for Toyota Verblitz in 2020. Read, who's played 118 times for the All Blacks, was part of New Zealand's all-conquering World Cup winning teams that triumphed in 2011 and 2015. Can they make it three straight titles? We'll see. Now, the next women's football World Cup, that's just about three months or so away in France. England will be heading towards it in pretty confident mood, I'd imagine, having just won the SheBelieves Cup for the first time ever. It's the first trophy, as well, as a manager, for former Manchester United and England player Phil Neville. The English knew that whoever won their final game against Japan would take the trophy, and England did so pretty comprehensively, as it turned out. Lucy Staniforth putting them one up by just past the ten- minute mark. And it would get better for them, before Karen Carney making it two just about ten minutes or so later. England had already beaten Brazil and drawn with the United States of America. This Japan team was young and inexperienced and didn't have too many answers but terrific finish from Beth Mead putting 3-0 up; and the game effectively over at that point. It's funny, a friendly tournament for the record. But nonetheless, it is a trophy for England and a major boost, too, ahead of the World Cup when they'll run into, guess who? That will be Japan again in the group stages.
[Toni Duggan, England Forward:] You know, the major tournament, the World Cup's going to be next level, so we need to go away now. We need to work hard because our job isn't done, you know. We want to go that one step more, and we know it's going to be a lot more difficult. So yay for the team. We're absolutely buzzing. We've won the SheBelieves, but the next one's the World Cup.
[Snell:] Well, thanks for joining us today. For the team here in Atlanta, we'll see you again next time. Bye for now.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] Breaking news on CNN 10. Fridays are awesome. I`m Carl Azuz. We`re glad you`re along for the ride. Herd immunity is a term that factors into our first story today. It`s when at least 60 percent of a population becomes immune to an infectious disease. This can happen in one of two main ways either people recover from a disease and then become immune to it or an effective vaccination prevents people from getting sick. There`s no vaccine for COVID-19. It could be another year or more before one comes out and doctors don`t know yet if someone is immune to corona virus once they`ve had it or how long they`d be immune. But a top disease specialist in the nation of Sweden recently told CNBC that the effects of herd immunity are being seen around the capital of Stockholm. Unlike it`s European neighbors of Finland and Norway, Sweden did not go on lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 though it banned gatherings of more than 50 people it still kept restaurants, gyms, schools and playgrounds open. And some health officials accuse Sweden of gambling with its nation`s health. The country has seen more than 2,000 deaths from corona virus while neighboring Finland and Norway have each recorded around 200 deaths though they also have smaller populations. Still, is herd immunity helping Sweden turn the page on corona virus. We don`t have the final answer on that but we do have a tale of two different Asian cities that had different approaches to the disease.
[Kristie Lu Stout, Cnn Correspondent:] It`s a tale of two cities amid one pandemic. Singapore and Hong Kong, two wealthy Asian societies that have launched aggressive virus fighting campaigns from the start. Both cities tightening borders in late January. Both turned away many visitors in March and as both faced a second wave of infections from residents returning home from overseas, cases spiked especially in Singapore. On April 13th, Singapore had more than 2,900 cases while Hong Kong had 1,009. So how can Hong Kong with a larger population sitting right next to mainland China manage to keep the numbers lower, at least for now. Well observers say it could be due to the people here and their collective memory of another pandemic.
[Unidentified Male:] SARS has remained very fresh on the memories of Hong Kongers and when COVID-19 broke out, the people immediately knew we need masks. We need to be away from one another. We need to start becoming very hygienic about things. We need to listen to the medical people. We need to borders. The basic protocol that I think are found in any government in cases of [inaudible] and crisis, the Hong Kong people knew exactly what to do and they did it.
[Lu Stout:] Nearly two decades ago, the SARS outbreak killed 774 people just under 40 percent of the fatalities in Hong Kong. So at the start of the latest pandemic, Hong Kongers were quick to wear masks. While in Singapore
[Unidentified Male:] They don`t need to wear a mask if you`re not sick.
[Lu Stout:] A government public service announcement said healthy people did not need to wear masks. Months later it is now mandatory to wear a mask outside. Another key difference, social distancing. In late January, Hong Kong closed schools and government offices pressuring private companies to work from home while Singapore left its schools and government offices open. After a sharp rise in cases including an outbreak among foreign workers in cramped dormitories, the city state changed course.
[Unidentified Male:] We have decided that instead of tightening incrementally over the next few weeks, we should make a decisive move now to preempt escalating infections.
[Lu Stout:] Singapore has closed schools and most workplaces and it has also banned all social gatherings as part of a circuit breaker to fight the virus. From the start, they have been screening, quarantining, contact tracing and yet months later the lion city is under virtual lockdown.
[Unidentified Male:] That is the price we have to pay to combat pandemics such as COVID-19. Social distancing will be in integral part of all the lockdown [inaudible] the circuit breaker measures but the critical thing is that the government and the people have to remain eternally vigilant because it may be COVID-19 this year and the next year. But there will be future pandemics.
[Lu Stout:] With an outbreak, there are no shortcuts only lessons learned from a still unfolding tale of two cities. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
[Azuz:] 10 Second Trivia. The largest snowflake on record fell on Fort Keogh in what U.S. State? Idaho, Montana, New York or North Dakota. A snowflake that measured 15 inches wide fell in Montana in 1887. There`s some great surfing going on in Montana. But Carl, Montana is landlocked and hundreds of miles away from the Pacific Ocean. Right. But you don`t need an ocean to surf. You need a wave and in the western city of Missoula a river runs through it creating endless waves.
[Kevin Benhart Brown:] When your standing out in the river with the power of these rapids, rushing down a - a canyon and somehow you`re able to harness that energy and all this water just, kind of, flowing under you. Just gives you a sense of empowerment. River surfing is simply surfing waves that are formed in the river. They`re standing waves similar to what you`d find in a wave pool but they are found out in Mother Nature. The sport river surfing is so new. We`re part of - of global explosion right now. The way I like to say it, we`re pioneers in the new sport. My name is Kevin Benhart Brown. Most people call me KB and I`m one of the first people here in America if not the first who build surfboards specifically for the river. When I got into the sport of whitewater kayaking I discovered these standing waves in the river and then I kind of opened up my mind to the possibility of riding actual surfboards on these waves. When we first started, we were riding surfboards that were made for ocean waves. We were like, we need some boards that are made for the waves that we`re surfing. So we built a shaping room and a glassing room and a sanding room down in the basement of our shop and it became the first Rocky Mountain Surf Shop. Surfing in the river is amazing because the wave is always there. It`s an endless ride and you can literally surf it until you can`t stand up anymore. You`re swimming through the rapids or through the currents and then you fall in and you`ve got to swim the rapid back to shore. Snow, things like that don`t - they don`t slow us down at all. We get out there year around. I mean, wherever there`s a river there`s a wave. Really the future for the sport is when we start designing and building waves in the river specifically for riding surfboards on them. That`s like the real future for the sport of river surfing but the whole point is to go surfing every day. We live to surf so our next step is to reach out to the rest of the world and, you know, kind of show that you can live this surfing lifestyle right here in the mountains.
[Azuz:] We`re not done virtually traveling yet. Picture Venice, Italy; the architecture, the history, the canals, the jellyfish, the jellyfish? Yes, the jellyfish pushing through the water right near St. Mark`s Square. Italy`s under lockdown. Traffic is light on Venice`s canals. A biologist says the sediment has sunk down to the bottom revealing clearer waters at low tide. So jellyfish and other marine life are easier to spot. Like mussels? Well you can see those at Venice Beach but the ones in Italy have "gondolota" attention because it doesn`t seem "realto" that such a grand display "canal" be seen. We`re thankful the jellyfish took the "ledo" on that showing us what`s beneath the surface. Hey, we hear the Mustangs are roaming wild in Massillon, Ohio doing a little distance learning there. Shot out to everyone at Tuslaw High School and thank you for subscribing to our YouTube channel. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN. END

[John Vause, Cnn International Anchor:] Tributes continue around the world to basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who was killed along with his daughter and seven others Sunday in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles. This visual went up outside his high school in Philadelphia, with flowers, thank-you notes, jerseys and basketballs. Meantime, investigators continue to collect evidence from the scene. They've recovered some of the victims' remains, as well as an iPad with flight plans and weather briefings. Investigators are trying to figure out if heavy fog and low visibility contributed to the crash. The pilot had been granted clearance to fly under what's called special visual flight rules, meaning he could operate in lower than normal visibility. Records show he was certified with commercial flights like this one and had years of experience. With us now from Denver, CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector, David Soucie. So David, good to have you with us.
[David Soucie, Cnn Safety Analyst:] Thank you, John.
[Vause:] The data released by officials shows that this chopper was descending at a rate of around 4,000 feet per minute before it slammed into the side of that hill. I'd like you to listen to Jennifer Homendy with the NTSB.
[Jennifer Homendy, U.s. National Transportation Safety Board:] There is an impact area on one of the hills, and the a piece of the tail is down the hill on the left side up the hill. The fuselage is over on the other side of that hill, and then the main rotor is about 100 yards beyond that.
[Vause:] So apparently, the wreckage is spread across this area of a couple hundred yards. There was no attempt at a mayday call. So what does this all say to you in terms of, you know, the way the chopper crashed, how it crashed?
[Soucie:] Well, what's unique about it for me, John, and the answers that still don't jive for me, is this rapid descent just before hitting the or impacting the ground. Because if it had been what we call CFIT, or controlled flight into terrain, in other words, if it was too foggy for him to see, and he had just flown directly straight into the side of a mountain, then this descent wouldn't be there. So it indicates to me that there was some kind of malfunction or something changed at that altitude for that aircraft to descend so rapidly down and then hit and contact the ground at that point.
[Vause:] OK. There's always this clip of audio which you've isolated from the air traffic control talking to the pilot of the chopper. It's brief, but listen to this.
[Unidentified Male:] Two echo X-ray, you're still two low level for flight following at this time.
[Vause:] So specifically, what was that warning regarding? Did the pilot need to climb, or was it an issue to do with tracking? What was the reference there?
[Soucie:] It simply was an issue of tracking. What they're referring to there is that the aircraft had to go below the cloud ceiling, which was at about 1,000 feet. So to go under 1,000 feet, to fly under 1,000 feet, you have to get a special VFR clearance. So you contact the tower and you say, "Yes, I'd like to get this." Now, what we don't hear is why that was transmitted. If the pilot had requested information about where he was, if there was anything like that, that's when you would typically see that kind of response. But basically, what he's saying is, you're not showing up on radar just because you are too low. It doesn't mean that he's too low for the safe flight or the aircraft or anything like that. It just says we really can't see you on radar right now, so we can't really help you with location or where to make your turns.
[Vause:] You mentioned the weather. There's been this question about how bad it was. There was dense, heavy fog at the time. That's according to many who were there, including this local resident. Listen to this.
[Unidentified Male:] It was extremely foggy. If you look at these hills behind me, you couldn't see the top of the hills. There was fog about halfway up to right where the crash site is.
[Vause:] So how big a factor is the fog and the weather in this investigation, do you think?
[Soucie:] I think it's going to be, it's going to play a part. I'm sure that the weather played a part in this. What the discussion is going to be around is was it the catalyst event? Was it the one thing that, without without which, it would have not crashed? I know I said that kind of awkwardly, but basically, the idea is that did the weather cause the crash, or did the weather compound the problems to a level where the pilot couldn't respond appropriately to another event? So those are the two questions that investigators are trying to answer right now.
[Vause:] The chopper didn't have a black box. Apparently, helicopters are not required to have them. Still, this model has a good safety record. This one in particular, we're told, was well-maintained. The pilot was experienced. So again, given all that, mix in the weather, the heavy fog, and where do you think they're going with the focus of this investigation?
[Soucie:] Well, to start with, on this helicopter, it's the only helicopter that I'm aware of that's ever been designed specifically for commercial or corporate use. The S-76 was designed for that purpose, with the paramount safety in mind, is to fly corporate executives. It's for that reason that they make it's a twin-engine helicopter, four blades. It's one of the safest helicopters, has the best safety record of any helicopter right now. It's it's designed for that. So to look for things that are anomalous, you kind of have to start with that in mind, that this helicopter is a safe helicopter, and something pretty extraordinary has to happen to bring it down.
[Vause:] Yes, I guess we'll find out, maybe some kind of preliminary assessment in the coming days. But the overall investigation will take, what, a year or so, maybe more?
[Soucie:] They typically say that they're going to take a year. They don't have to come out with the report for two years, by regulation, but typically, they do in about a year. However, there will be information released slowly during the investigation. They'll do other preliminary reports. A secondary report will come out in about 60 to 90 days. But there may or may not be any clues in that report. We may have to wait up to a year to find out, really, what happened.
[Vause:] Yes. It's a tragedy, no matter how long we wait to find out the the reason for it. But David, thank you.
[Soucie:] It certainly is.
[Vause:] It's good to see you.
[Soucie:] Thank you, John.
[Vause:] With a key Brexit milestone just days away, we'll talk exclusively with the president of the new Parliament about the biggest challenges ahead when we're back in two minutes.

[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] The first in the nation primary today in New Hampshire, candidates redirecting their fire at the 11th hour. The first votes already cast. Who has the most to gain and the most to lose?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] The deadliest day in mainland China from the coronavirus. Another case confirmed in the U.S. wait until you hear about the mix-up that sent the patient home from the hospital. Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
[Jarrett:] And I'm Laura Jarrett. It's Tuesday, February 11th, it's 5:00 a.m. in the East. It's primary day in New Hampshire. A pivotal vote in a wide open contest that could reshape the 2020 race. Democratic candidates made their final appeals across the state Monday, largely pivoting from attacking each other and turning their fire on President Trump.
[Romans:] Keeping tradition the first votes were cast overnight in three small towns. Taking an early lead in this very small sampling, Senator Amy Klobuchar. Big endorsements and strong debate performances that so far have vaulted her to the top nationally. Here was her closing argument last night.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , Presidential Candidate:] I know we are searching at kind of an interesting time. Time and time again, New Hampshire has surprised the nation by giving us incredible precedence. New Hampshire has surprised the nation by not always going with the most famous person or the person with the biggest bank account. What New Hampshire has done is given us leaders. So I'm asking you to do that for me today.
[Jarrett:] Also noteworthy in the early voting, Michael Bloomberg, he wasn't even on the ballot but got two write-ins from Democrats and Republican write in as well. A twist likely to get President Trump's attention this morning. CNN has full coverage of New Hampshire primary day. We're starting with Brian Todd this morning, live in one of those three early voting villages, Dixville Notch. Brian, it opened at midnight. What can you tell us?
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Right, Laura, very exciting opening to the primary. The first votes in the first of the nation primary cast just about five hours ago, and as you mentioned Michael Bloomberg was the surprise winner. You know, it may not be so much of a surprise when you think about the all undeclared voters in New Hampshire. The undeclared voters here actually outnumber Democrats about 2-1 and outnumber Republicans about 2-1. So, the undeclared vote very, very strong here, that could explain why Amy Klobuchar won in the other two precincts and has the cumulative lead at this hour in New Hampshire. She's coming out ahead in Millsfield and Hart's Location. She didn't get any votes here in Dixville Notch. But as you mentioned, it was Michael Bloomberg the surprise winner, the write-in candidate that got the votes here, three of the five votes went to Michael Bloomberg and he was on the so-called whiteboard that might get votes. They had to write him in. So that was a surprise at midnight last night. Another surprise here this year was this vote almost didn't happen here in Dixville Notch because under state rules in New Mexico you have to have at least five voters in a precinct to hold a vote. As of late last year, they did. They only had four. One of them, a gentleman named Les Otten who's a developer had lived on and off in Dixville Notch. He moved away for a time because he had projects elsewhere he was following. And as of late last year, they had to talk to him and say if you don't come back here we're not going to be able to hold a vote. So, he decided to comeback in late 2019. He established his residence here. And he's become a very passionate voter and a very passionate member of the Dixville Notch community. He talked to me just after the vote occurred at midnight and talked about what's really important to him is not so much they were first in the state, first in the nation, with votes at midnight, but the fact they really signified the importance of voter turn out. Here's Les Otten.
[Les Otten, Dixville Notch Voter:] I made my vote count and I did it with my fellow citizens, and 100 percent of us voted tonight and we are a democracy in action. I think as a country, we need to come to grips with the fact that in major elections, 50 percent or so of our population doesn't get involved and we can't expect to solve the country's problems without the involvement of our citizenry.
[Todd:] And Les Otten is actually here in Dixville Notch because he's got an important project. He's restoring this resort, The Balsams. This place has been around since 1865. It's had celebrities like Babe Ruth and Frank Sinatra come here for vacation, but it fell into disrepair. It closed nine years ago. Les Otten is restoring it. He hopes to have it back up and running in about two years Laura.
[Jarrett:] Les Otten saving the day there in Dixville Notch. Brian, thanks so much.
[Romans:] All right. Bernie Sanders working late into the night to get out the vote today. He won the popular vote in Iowa but trails the delegate race. CNN's Ryan Nobles on the campaign trail with Sanders in Durham, New Hampshire.
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Christine and Laura, it's a little ironic that we are with the 78-year-old candidate for president, Bernie Sanders, and we're on a college campus with a very popular band playing behind us and a very young crowd. But that has consistently shown to be the strongest base of support for Bernie Sanders. A new Quinnipiac poll that shows Bernie Sanders now in the lead nationally, shows that he overwhelmingly has the most support of people under the age of 35. And when you think about the issues that Sanders cares the most about Medicare for All, fighting climate change, eliminating college debt, making college tuition-free these are all issues that appeal to younger voters much more than they might appeal to older voters, and that's Sanders' strength. But the issue for Sanders is that often, younger voters are very unreliable, so he is hoping that they come out for him on Tuesday here in New Hampshire.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] This turnout tells me why we're going to win here in New Hampshire, why we're going to win the Democratic nomination, and why we are going to defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of America, Donald Trump.
[Nobles:] His campaign is a very robust get out the vote effort, specifically targeted at those young voters, part of the reason that he ended his campaign here on a college campus with a very big concert. All part of that momentum that he hopes pushes him to the finish line and provides for him his first full win of the Democratic primary season Laura and Christine.
[Jarrett:] All right, Ryan nobles. Well, Bernie Sanders closest competitor in New Hampshire is Pete Buttigieg. The former South Bend mayor making multiple stops across the Granite State yesterday. He says Sanders is not being clear about the cost of his plans which includes Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, universal child care and eliminating public college tuition. Buttigieg says Sanders all or nothing approach is not what most Americans want.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] He's proposed income over $29,000 being taxed to pay for health care plans. But on that, at least let's credit where credit is due because he's being honest about it. But here's the problem. There's $50 trillion worth of spending, so about half of it is unaccounted for and there's no explanation for where the other $25 trillion is supposed to come for. I'm concerned that the idea that you've got to either be for a revolution or you must be for the status quo paints a picture where most of us can't see ourselves where most of us don't know where we fit in.
[Jarrett:] Even if Buttigieg does well in New Hampshire tonight, his future in the race is still murky. He may have a hard time drawing minority support in upcoming states, and there's billionaire Michael Bloomberg lurking with big ad buys ahead of Super Tuesday.
[Romans:] Joe Biden has been trying to lower expectations in New Hampshire for the last several days now. Between campaign stops he spoke to supporters in South Carolina. That's a primary that can't come soon enough for the former vice president. Jessica Dean is on the trail with Mr. Biden in Manchester.
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Former Vice President Joe Biden closed out the last day before the New Hampshire primary talking about Donald Trump and why he is the person to defeat him in November 2020. Incidentally, Donald Trump just down the road from where Biden held his last big event for the night, just less than two miles apart from the two men. Here's what Vice President Biden had to say.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] Guess who else is in Manchester tonight? Donald Trump. What a coincidence. What a coincidence. I have to tell you sometimes it feels like he's following me around. You already get rid of a president who calls generals to their faces losers, dopes and babies. I know I am. Are you ready to get rid of a president who calls traumatic brain injury a headache? I know I am. Are you ready to get rid of a president who pins a presidential medal of freedom on Rush Limbaugh? Are you ready to get rid of a president who has marched a decorated war hero out of the White House for telling and truth and who has a real hero and has real courage and escorted him out?
[Dean:] Over the weekend, we saw former Vice President Joe Biden really sharpen his attacks against his closest rivals Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders. He really hopes for a strong finish here in New Hampshire but that's looking less and less likely as Pete Buttigieg continues to surge as a moderate there. His campaign, very ready to move on to Nevada, to South Carolina, where there's a more diverse electorate that will be participating in the Democratic nominating process. They're going to rely on African-American support there in South Carolina, on Hispanic support in Nevada. We'll see how that all plays out for them Christine and Laura.
[Romans:] Jessica, thank you for that. Some hidden but critical footnotes in the president's election year budget. What it could mean for student loans, vaping and pay for federal employees.

[Joe Biden, Former Vice President Of The United States & Democratic Presidential Candidate:] Notwithstanding the fact we're in the middle of a pandemic. That's how critical they think it is. On Monday, Donald Trump said, quote, "If we stopped testing right now for COVID-19, we'd have very few cases, if any." "If we stop testing now, we'd have very few cases, if any." The statement is not only absurd, it's absolutely tragic. Yesterday, the head of the White House task force on coronavirus, the vice president, claimed success in the fight because deaths are, quote, "down to fewer than 750 a day." So 750 fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, uncles, aunts, husbands, wives, children dying every day. More than 20,000 a month. That's greater than World War II-level of casualties each month. That's more than five 911s each month. And this administration is engaging in self-congratulations. It may be good enough for Donald Trump, but it will never, ever be acceptable if I'm you president. Researchers have shown that tens of thousands of Americans have died needlessly because Donald Trump was slow to respond to the crisis. And then when he did, he bungled the response. For weeks, in January and February, I was raising my concern said about how we need to take this virus seriously, all while Trump was ignoring the reporting from his own Intelligence Community in his daily briefings and the warnings of his closest advisors. All the while praising the Chinese government for being transparent in handling this virus, instead of demanding access for the CDC that Beijing was refusing to give in Wuhan. The American people have sacrificed so much to fight this virus. We've lost lives. We've lost businesses. We've lost paychecks. Now, thanks to Donald Trump's bungling, we may lose some of the progress we've begun to make, all because he's lost interest. He's once again ignoring the facts. The public health response is still woefully, woefully lacking from this administration. More than 117,000 people have died in the United States of America, with an average daily number of cases still climbing in 21 states. We still don't have what we need when it comes to rapid results testing. Contract contact tracing capacity. Widely available personnel, protective equipment for them or cleared nationwide guidance. Instead, President Trump pushes dangerous disproven drug, stands in the way of the CDC issuing guidelines on reopening. They had them, wanted to issue them, he wouldn't let them. He refuses to wear a mask. Failing the most basic tests for leadership. He scaled back meetings of the COVID-19 task force. I guess there's not much to do. In spite of experts saying testing and tracing is necessary for reopening, he sent his testing czar home. The money provided to the Pentagon for essential medical supplies, only 15 percent, only 15 percent has made it out the door. Donald Trump wants to style himself as wartime president against this invisible enemy, the coronavirus. Like any other war, he takes no responsibility. He exercises no leadership. And now he just is flat- out surrendering the fight. Instead of leading the charge to defeat the virus, he just basically waved the white flag and is retreating. He's going to get back to his campaign rallies that he'll put everyone at risk, as everyone has pointed out, in violation of the CDC guidelines. And still warned against long gatherings, as long as he's going to allow this to happen. But he's ready to do it as long as, notwithstanding CDC guidance, as long as the people showing up sign a waiver promising they'll not hold the campaign liable. Donald Trump's failure to fight the coronavirus with the same energy and focus he used to troll his enemies on Twitter has cost us lives and is putting hope for an economic recovery at risk. Job numbers and retail sales were better than expected in May and that's great news for the country. But now Donald Trump's desire to declare victory and be done with it is only going to imperil the continued progress we have to make. Our economy is still sputtering, with more than 20 million people unemployed. And no clear guidance from the federal government for what businesses need to do to reopen safely, efficiently, and generate a strong recovery. This isn't a debate about whether to reopen. It's about how we make reopening work for everyone. The employees at the White House, they get daily COVID-19 tests. They know they're safe before they go to work. And they know their coworkers are safe. They can resume their lives. But workers across the country, aren't asking for daily testing. They're just asking for regular, reliable access to tests. Don't they deserve that? It's not that Donald Trump doesn't recognize the importance of testing. It's that he's not up to the task or doesn't care. And now he's seemingly decided he doesn't even want to try. Just like he couldn't wish COVID-19 away in March, just like he couldn't tweet it away in April, he can't ignore it away in June. So, I ask basic questions for President Donald Trump. What are you going to do to make sure every worker has access to regular testing so that they have the same confidence to go into a store or go back to work that White House staffers have? Childcare centers can navigate uncertainty all on their own without guidance and resources to protect the kids and their communities? Why don't you enforce the OSHA standards for worker protection during this global pandemic? Why is it that mainstream lending program created more than two months ago by the Congress to help struggling small businesses only open for registration to lenders two days ago? And still hasn't distributed a single penny? Why don't you just disclose the name, Mr. President, of the businesses that received a total of $500 billion in tax-payers funding. Why are they being hidden? How many cronies got bailouts? How many donors? How many big businesses that didn't need it? What business had to shut down because they were denied funding in April? What businesses didn't get special approval that others got by a nod from the top? Why did you get rid of the watch dog, Mr. President? Why did you get rid of the watchdog appointed to oversee every dollar distributed, the inspector general? Why did you get rid of that person that Congress passed? What are you trying to hide? It's a bad management, on top of bad planning, on top of neglect. It's totally unacceptable for a great nation like ours. Folks, here's the truth. The pandemic is still here. It's going to be here for the foreseeable future until we get it under control or until we have a safe-and-proven, widely available vaccine. COVID-19 is a fact of nature. We have to deal with this virus and everything that comes with it. We have to deal with it head on, honestly. Tell the people the truth. To paraphrase Franklin Roosevelt in the depression, the American people can handle anything, just tell them the truth. We can't deal with the way you're doing it. The only way to deal with it, Mr. President, is we put in the work investing and building a dynamic, resilient economy and health system, capable of getting and then staying ahead of new outbreaks. We're at capacity and resources to do that. I've laid out baseline steps of what needed to be done. From make-it- work checklists for a successful accountable and recovery that I put out back in early April, to the steps for a strong reopening that I released last week. It's not rocket science. Granted, I have incredible scientists advising me on almost a daily basis on how to proceed. But it's not rocket science. It's common sense, straight forward. And that's why this is perhaps the greatest indictment of Donald Trump's complete compelling lack of leadership. He wasted months and months passing the buck, blaming everyone else. Refusing to act when he should have been preparing our country for a long-term response and building up our resiliency to respond to future flair ups. Yet, we still don't have a comprehensive system for collecting COVID- 19 case data. This is the basics. He should have been preparing us to weather the valleys and peeks of the virus. And he should have been working to shore up the vulnerabilities in our health care system that have been laid bare in the crisis and that he's trying to eliminate in court. He should have been working to bridge inequities and strengthen the cracks in the foundation of our economic systems exposed for everyone to see. He hasn't done any of it. Because of the depths of Donald Trump's failure, this pandemic will continue to be worse for all Americans. And much worse for black and brown Americans who have been hit the hardest. For folks in communities like Darby, Yeadon. Donald Trump thinks if he puts his head in the stand, the American people will to. But it doesn't work that way. Not with when hundreds are still dying every day and millions are unemployed, wondering how in god's name they're going to keep the lights on and food on the table. Not when workers are weighed down with worries about their safety or what happens if they get sick. There are the steps we need be taking now to steer in the right direction, see us through this time, to make a more resilient future for all. First, we have to do everything we can to avoid deadly spikes in infection as people start to go back out in the world. We're not that much better prepared today with the run of cases that overfills our intensive care units than we were three months ago. Second, we have to help give people the assurance and precautions that are necessary to restart the economy with confidence. If Americans lose what little faith they have left in the government's ability to manage this pandemic, we'll see much deeper and longer-lasting economic impacts than we even and even greater repercussions to peoples' wellbeing. Mr. President, don't leave the American people to face this threat on their own, with no guidance, resources, or leadership from the federal government. Don't let support from the CARES Act expire next month while people are still hurting. Don't leave our frontline workers exposed without the resources. And don't waste any more of our time, Mr. President. The American people need confidence and clear guidance, grounded in science, that's going to allow them to resume their daily lives. American businesses need the support of the federal government to continue to backstop them through this phase of reopening. And workers need assurances that your health is their first concern. Americans need a president who will put the American people first, not his or her own ego. America needs a president who will do the work. I'm ready on day one. After more than three years in office, why isn't Donald Trump ready? Mr. President, wake up. Get to work. There's so much more to be done. Thank you.
[Keilar:] Joe Biden there speaking in Pennsylvania and blasting the Trump administration's response to coronavirus. He said, essentially, it has surrendered the fight against it. He took on Vice President Mike Pence trying to declare victory over coronavirus. He said that this administration is engaging in self- congratulations. And Jessica Dean is joining me now from the event. And he, at the end, signed off there, Jessica, he said, wake up, which I thought was an interesting jab at President Trump considering the moniker that President Trump has for him. He's accusing President Trump of being asleep on the job when it comes to coronavirus.
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Correspondent:] That's right. We saw him go right after President Trump and his response to the coronavirus as you just saw there. This was all about lack of leadership that Joe Biden believes is being displayed by President Trump. To your point, he said, "Wake up, get to work." There's so much to be done. And said that the president has waived the white flag and is retreating when it comes to the fight with the virus. Former Vice President Joe Biden spending the day just outside of Philadelphia in the suburbs here talking to small business owners about how to safely reopen the economy and giving remarks behind us. And he's trying to make the point that Donald Trump is wrong when it comes to coronavirus in so many ways. But the biggest point is that Joe Biden believes that you could both reopen the economy and take care of public health. But it is not one choice or the other. But the stark words, we heard him go directly at the sitting president, at President Trump, Brianna, and telling him that he is just asleep at the wheel, that Americans are worse off because of his lack of leadership. So really direct words today from former Vice President Joe Biden.
[Keilar:] Jessica Dean, thank you so much. Out on the trail with Joe Biden. And this just into CNN. A passenger aboard an American Airlines flight from New York to Dallas was forced to deplane after refusing to wear a mask. I want to go to CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean. Pete, this is something we're just learning about. Tell us what happened here.
[Pete Muntean, Cnn Aviation Correspondent:] Well, Brianna, this is the first such incident we've heard like this. And it will unlikely be the last. Let me just sort of walk you through this. There was a tweet that went viral. At 12:30, American Airlines flight from LaGuardia to Dallas- Fort Worth, you could hear a conversation between flight attendants and a passenger who refused to wear a mask. We know from American Airlines that the flight did depart but the passenger was booted from the flight and is now being rebooked onto another flight. American Airlines notes that several times throughout the procedures of boarding the plane, once on board the plane, they reminded passengers to wear a mask. This comes at a critical time to the airlines when they've added teeth to their policies. United, American and Delta saying they will ban a passenger who refuses to wear a mask from flying on this carrier again. So we do not know in this case if the passenger was banned. That passenger was rebooked. This is during a time when there was a void of federal regulations on commercial airlines when it comes to wearing a mask. The FAA administrator on the Hill today said he supports CDC guidelines but stopped short of any new regulations. The industry, the airline industry is trying to enforce the policy on their own and there's a bit of patch work of policies. No federal rule about this yet, though Brianna?
[Keilar:] And it doesn't seem like we'll get one any time soon, Pete. Thank you so much, Pete Muntean. And our special coverage continues now with Brooke Baldwin.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] Hi, there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me. We wanted to take it a few minutes early because, any moment, we'll learn if there will be charges for the police officers involved in that fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. The district attorney will make the announcement any minute and we'll take you there live when it begins. The D.A.'s decision is expected to address both of those officers involved. Former Atlanta police officer, Garrett Rolfe, the man who shot and killed Brooks, was fired one day after the fatal shooting. And the second police officer on the scene has been placed on administrative duty. His name is Devon Brosnan. The incident was caught on multiple cameras. And before we roll the tape, I want to warn you that both videos may be disturbing.
[Unidentified Law Enforcement Officer:] Hey, stop fighting. Stop fighting.
[Baldwin:] So in the police body cam video, Brooks is seen resisting arrest after failing a sobriety test and scuffling with one of the officers as he got ahold of a taser. Let me show you this. This is the second angle. This is from an eyewitness. It begins with the struggle Brooks had with the officers there on the ground. One officer appears to fire his stun gun. And then later in the video, three gunshots are heard out of frame. This whole thing has sparked outrage and anger as protesters took to the streets over the weekend and now into this week demanding justice. And as we wait to hear from the Fulton County district attorney, let's begin the hour with CNN National Correspondent, Ryan Young, who there's at the courthouse in Atlanta, and CNN Correspondent Dianne Gallagher, standing by at the Wendy's where Brooks was killed. Ryan, I want to begin with you. The D.A., Paul Howard, what are we expecting to see here in a few minutes?
[Ryan Young, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, that is the big question. Obviously, we've been chasing after Paul Howard after the last few days to see what he would announce. But I could tell you the pain in this community is something that so many people have been talking about when you watch that body camera footage, so many people talked about how calm it was for some 30 minutes and then what happened afterwards is what people have been talking about. There are people who were obviously in this community to believe charges should come down on those officers. They want to know why it ended up the way it did. We're now in this courtroom, where they're going to do the news conference. People are filing in as we speak. They're trying to set things up to talk about what possibly could happen. I could tell you I've talked to some insiders who do believe there where charges coming for the officers. But this is set a line in this community. People wanting action. Of course, you have all of the things that happened across the country. Now here in Atlanta, this is a place known for the civil rights movement. And you heard the mayor talk about how she felt when she watched the video. That she was rooting for Rayshard Brooks and wanted him to get home. And that is the big question: Why did it end this way. The taser, whether or not it was considered a deadly weapon. The investigators have been working on this since after the shooting. So it is interesting to see how they move forward especially in the community filled with so much pain.
[Baldwin:] Let me stay with you quickly, Ryan, because it is my understanding we've heard that they want the officers in jail, right, period, full stop. But you have some intel on the moral at APD. What are you hearing?
[Young:] Yes, I've talked to 12 officers over the last 24 hours or so, black, white, male, female, long-time veterans of the police department. They have mixed messages about how they should act when the shooting occurs and when someone grabs a taser. That is happening throughout the community. We so see the line of people having arguments about what should happen next. What I can I tell you go out to that site, that Wendy's, and listen to the pain. The fact there's a steady flow of people going every hour to that Wendy's. And you know people in the community that want answers and they are demanding it Brooke?
[Baldwin:] Let's go to the Wendy's to Dianne. Dianne, what are folks telling you? What re the emotions they're sharing?
[Dianne Gallagher, Cnn National Correspondent:] Brooke, it's kind of what Ryan was describing there. There's this collective breath holding happening in Atlanta over the past few days.

[Fredricka:] Even after 49 people were brutally murdered in an terrifying anti-Muslim attack. President Trump says he still doesn't think the presence of white nationalism is growing.
[Unidentified Male:] Do you see today white nationalism as rising threat around the world?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I don't really. I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. I guess, if you look at what happened in New Zealand perhaps that's a case. I don't know enough about it yet. They are just learning about the person and the people involved. But it is certainly a terrible thing. Terrible thing.
[Fredricka:] New data from the FBI suggests domestic terror arrests have been on the rise in recent months. Let's bring in Josh Campbell, former Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI. Good to see you Josh.
[Josh Campbell, Former Fbi Supervisory Special Agent:] Hi Fred.
[Fredricka:] So what more can you tell us about the recent uptick?
[Campbell:] Yes, we're getting some new data from the FBI and first it's important to point out a caveat in what this information doesn't tell us. Now, what the FBI is essentially saying and I think with a graphic there is look at some of the numbers is looking at the last quarter, last three months of 2018, they saw what they are calling an increase in volume in arrests with approximately 25 domestic terrorism arrests in the last three months. And again, if you look at the past couple years that we can't yet draw a line as an annual increase, but as a snapshot in time as of today the most recent available information, they do see an increase in the arrests that spend across the ideological spectrum. One thing that's interesting that it tells us is that although so much focus is on international terrorism, groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, the FBI very much has a robust component both at headquarters and in the field that's focused on stopping these domestic terrorism threats that we've seen similar to what's going on right now in New Zealand, Fred.
[Fredricka:] And so what are authorities doing to mitigate domestic terror threats?
[Campbell:] So we're getting some new information from the FBI as far as their response to the attacks in New Zealand, an official was telling us that law enforcement officers are going through their intelligence databases looking for any possible information that might help authorities in New Zealand trying to identify in addition any U.S. based connections to that attack. And then also they're going through these systems looking for known subjects who might be in a position or prone to possible retaliatory attacks. So again, it's an all hands on deck approach here for the FBI. We're also told from a law enforcement official that agents in the field are being directed to proactively go out and talk to their human informants, people who are on the books reporting information and asking about anything that might help officials in New Zealand as well as here protecting the homeland. And lastly we're told that officials are closely lashed up with authorities over in New Zealand. They're part of an intelligence sharing arrangement that share information already daily, but really trying to ensure if there is anything that the U.S. Government knows, and anything the FBI knows domestically, that that information is quickly shared with authorities over in New Zealand both to protect them and also the homeland here. Fred.
[Fredricka:] All right, Josh Campbell, thank you so much.
[Campbell:] Thanks.
[Fredricka:] And we'll be right back.

[Nobles:] The 2020 Democrats are returning to the campaign trail after the thanksgiving holiday, but senator Kamala Harris does so while facing new claims of mismanagement and poor treatment of campaign staffers. The "New York Times" obtained a scathing resignation letter from her now former state operations director. In it Kelly Mehlenbacher writes quote "this is my third presidential campaign and I have never seen a staff treated so poorly. With less than 90 days until Iowa, we still don't have a real plan to win. Our campaign for the people is made up of diverse talent which is being squandered by indecision and a lack of leaders who will lead. That is unacceptable". Austin Herndon covered the story for the "New York Times." He is also a CNN political analyst. He joins me now to talk about this. And Austin, you talked to a lot of people close to the senator. What are they saying, I should say, is going wrong?
[Austin Herndon, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes. Me and my colleagues talked to dozens and dozens almost 50 or more of the allies, staffers and former staffers of senator Harris, And it paints a kind of complete picture what we have seen the trajectory of this campaign be. On one hand, this is one that entered with so much promised. Let's remember, there was the kind of historic entry, the large rally that happened in Oakland, the immediate thrust into the top tier and the big debate moment that happened in debate one. But have seen since the summer a consistent slide and kind of inconsistent messaging from the Harris campaign. And what you hear when you talk to different staffers is that that inconsistency reflects an organizational problem that there is a kind of lack of decision-makers, that there is kind of a flat organization structure, we are not one person is in charge and that can lead to messaging that can change from day to day. Policies that cannot be consistent with what they think the values are, and for voters, that is why they may be picking up a senator that may look different from one day to the next.
[Nobles:] So it is interesting. You guys were able to obtain this resignation letter from Mehlenbacher. She makes a lot of accusations particularly about this recent layoffs. Now, this is a campaign that is having a money problem. Right? It is a big operation. They expected to be running a national campaign. But if they don't have the money to pay staffers what other options do they have? How should it have been handled differently?
[Herndon:] Yes. There is kind of two questions at hand there. One is how did they manage the money to bring them to the point where they had to lay off staffers? But as that letter details, there is a separate question that was being asked in the campaign here. A lot of these staffers, some were brought on in New Hampshire were fired just weeks after they were brought on. And so the question is, why were they hired in the first place? What is the management level, what is the oversight level, that caused that to happen? And so, that is kind of what the letter accuses and that is kind of internally what some of the staff accuses particularly the campaign manager campaign chairperson of is mishandling those funds even if they weren't plentiful. Now going forward, let's remember we still have two months until the Iowa caucus. This is still someone who has been able to raise a fair amount of money on the grassroots and then kind of the larger donor level. And what they are going for now is Iowa or bust. To beat expectations in Iowa particularly to prove viability above Joe Biden. And they are hoping that they can unlock a well of support in South Carolina and black communities and in California. But as our story states today, that is an increasingly tight window.
[Nobles:] Yes. It doesn't seem like they are ready to go away yet. And there has been a lot of fluidity in this Democratic primary. Perhaps another opportunity for her to pop. But right now things definitely in a difficult position for Kamala Harris. Austin Herndon, terrific reporting. Thank you so much for being here. We appreciate it. And back to breaking news. The suspect killed in a terror attack in London, but not before he stubbed multiple people. Two of them have now died. We will have details, ahead.

[Camerota:] Sources tell CNN there is a messy debate behind the scenes over how to deal with controversial comments by freshman Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The in-fighting has kept a resolution to condemn anti- Semitism off the House floor. So joining us now to talk about this and more, we have Andrew Gillum. He was the 2018 Democratic nominee for Florida governor and is now a CNN political commentator. Mayor, great to have you here.
[Andrew Gillum, Cnn Political Commentator:] Good to be with you. Good morning.
[Camerota:] Where are you with Congresswoman Omar's comments? What do you think should happen?
[Gillum:] Well, I mean, obviously, all of us reject anti-Semitism; and she does, as well, and says so in her own words. What I really find really baffling is that it has this controversy over anti-Semitic or not, has really allowed to cover over and paper over, I think, some otherwise legitimate questions that are fair to be raised. She talked about the power of special lobbying interests in Washington,
[D.c. Camerota:] But she used, as you know, some tropes and "It's all about the Benjamins, baby." And she said, you know, "Why do people have" I mean, I'm paraphrasing "allegiance to a foreign nation?" And those things perked people's antenna up.
[Gillum:] That's true.
[Camerota:] Because those sounded like anti-Semitic comments.
[Gillum:] Well, rightfully so. And I will tell you, I have visited Israel three times. I had a sister-city relationship with Israel, a city called Ramat HaSharon, when I was mayor of Tallahassee. My support for Israel had nothing to do with money but deeply held beliefs and a relationship. That being said, I do believe that it is fair for to us engage in a real conversation and debate around special interests' influence on U.S. foreign policy. I think it is appropriate for the Congress and for a member of Congress to talk about foreign policy in the U.S. relationship with other countries. I think that's that's wholly appropriate. The problem, however, is I think we've got to do a better job of not allowing the name calling to distract from what are, I think, important public policy debates. She's got to make atonement and make sure I'm sure she has figured this out there are some supporters of hers that she's angered through this process and people who have been hurt by it. And if her intention was not to do so, you have to govern your language much more appropriately. But the response by Democrats, in my
[Camerota:] Has she for the second for the second comment, has she apologized adequately?
[Gillum:] Well, I think so one of the things she ought do is, I think, make very clear what was being said there. Now, what I heard was that U.S. members of Congress are, first and foremost, loyal to the United States of America and U.S. interests. I think you can say that and at the same time be supportive of Israel.
[Berman:] Let's play exactly what she said here.
[Gillum:] Sure.
[Rep. Ilhan Omar , Minnesota:] I want to talk about I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.
[Berman:] So the issue here is, and I think you're 100 percent right, no one would disagree with the fact that there needs to be a way to discuss the decisions that are made in Israel, and U.S. foreign policy toward Israel, and whether the Israeli government is enacting the best policies without questioning the motivations of Americans
[Gillum:] Yes.
[Berman:] who are giving their support or not support for those policies here. And what Representative Omar did for a third time, depending on how you count it here, was talk about the motivations of Americans here.
[Gillum:] Yes.
[Berman:] And there are American Jews, particularly in Congress, who have said, look, you know, "Don't tell me that I'm not loyal primarily to the United States of America." This sounds like people when they were saying John Kennedy would be loyal to the pope and not to the U.S. Constitution. And it's the fact that this has now happened again and again that I think people are drawing attention to it.
[Gillum:] Sure. Well, I think what she said is that she believes that these are conversations that should be had. And I think
[Berman:] Which conversation? The Israeli policy or what motivates Americans?
[Gillum:] Well, I will tell you what motivates me. I don't fit into a category that says I'm motivated by anybody's money when it comes to my support for Israel. That set to the side, it is important that we be able to have a full public policy debate around the U.S. role in those areas. And as I said before, the congresswoman, if her intention is not to be harmful, to a constituency that I think she cares about, and an issue she cares about, then she will have to govern her language appropriately. I find it, however, a quite different reaction from what is happening right now in Congress as it relates to this resolution and the continued sort of pushing by members of Democratic leadership on a resolution
[Camerota:] You do think they need a resolution or no?
[Gillum:] I don't. And I will tell you, I think this ought to be a conversation that is happening within our party without a doubt. I just have to say, when you consider the comments that have been made by members of Congress, some of the anti-Semitic, some of the anti the Islamophobic, the LGBT, antiblackness comments that you've seen from my own member of Congress in my own state, Matt Gaetz, where has been the resolution on that? Where's been the kind of, I think, sanctioning that we're seeing in this conversation happening there? And I don't mean to say that by any means to excuse comments that have come off as hurtful to a particular part of our constituency but also our country. And we have to be respectful and responsive to that. But we cannot allow our critique of that to dissolve of what is a much more important and deeper public policy debate around how it is U.S. policy affects the world.
[Berman:] All right. Let's talk about Joe Biden, because Joe Biden is talking about Joe Biden, perhaps getting in the 2020 political case. And Steve Ricchetti, who's his main political guy, calling people, telling them he's at 95 percent. You are part of the young new guard in the Democratic Party. How would you feel about Joe Biden, who is decidedly not part of the new guard of the Democratic Party, getting in the 2020 race?
[Gillum:] Well, we should ask him whether he thinks he's part of the new guard, as well. But in all seriousness, I think Vice President Biden will offer something very interesting in this race. He is, I think, in a lane largely that, if he gets in it, he could potentially own.
[Berman:] Which is what exactly?
[Gillum:] Well, I mean, I think he's probably one of the candidates that we would consider on our side on the more moderate end of the Democratic spectrum. He's someone who, I think, appeals across a range of voters who I think some in our party feel we must more actively go after. But the question will be, I think, is is the vice president prepared to offer a vision about the future of the country that people can wrap themselves around? Elections are always about the future, and if we fall into sort of just a throwback situation where we're not talking about big, bold ideas, I think it will be problematic.
[Camerota:] But what if his critics, or even just people who are scrutinizing him, insist on looking at his long past and his record through a 2019 lens? Is that fair?
[Gillum:] Well, I think it's fair. Obviously, if you've served in public office, there is a reckoning of your record; and you've got to be able to say where you were at the time on those issues. And I think this completely fair play. And I have confidence that the vice president will be able to defend or say, "You know what? I've evolved on this issue." And he should be allowed to do that in the context
[Berman:] We don't have time for this, but I want to give you credit where credit is due for this voter panel we had the other day.
[Camerota:] Thank you very much.
[Berman:] When you talked to Democratic activist voters about the possibility of Joe Biden getting in the race. Let's just listen to that.
[Camerota:] How many of you would like to see Joe Biden get in? Show of hands. What's happening, people?
[Unidentified Female:] His time is done.
[Unidentified Male:] I'll be honest. I used to think, like, you know, because obviously, he was riding kind of the Obama wave. And I thought he was the I thought he was the person that would unite the party. But to be honest, you know, Senator Biden really comes from the kind of the good old boy politics of the past.
[Berman:] All right. We're just about out of time, but that response surprises you.
[Gillum:] Well, I missed that. I'm sorry, Alisyn, but
[Camerota:] You need to watch every minute of NEW DAY every day.
[Gillum:] I you're right. I've got to do that homework. But I will tell you, as I've said, elections are about the future. And that group of individuals, I think, spoke to that in their own way, that they really want someone to be able to speak about where it is that we're going. Again, I don't think it's beyond Vice President Biden to be able to do that. But he will have some shortcomings to overcome, largely a record, a very long public record, that will be scrutinized to the hilt in the court of this primary election.
[Berman:] Andrew Gillum, former mayor of Tallahassee. Great to have you here with us.
[Gillum:] Good to be with you all.
[Berman:] Thank you very much. Greater scrutiny about what Michael Cohen said under oath about pardons and new documents that he gave lawmakers about his false statement involving the Moscow tower Trump Tower project. We're joined by Senator Tim Kaine next.

[Letitia James, New York Attorney General:] To come up with some legislative fixes and some solutions to address what we have been witnessing throughout the state of New York.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn National Correspondent:] Meantime, the witnesses, victims and Orthodox community at large say they are now forced to overcome fear in their daily lives like never before.
[Rabbi Yisroel Kahan, Community Liaison:] It's shock. It's terror. Kids were afraid to go to sleep. People were calling me frantic, crying on the phone.
[Sidner:] We spoke with Rabbi Shmuel Gancz, who had gone to visit two of the victims in the hospital after they were injured. He told us that the rabbi's son actually had a huge gash on his head. It had to be stapled. But he says it's a miracle of miracles that he is OK and only has minor injuries Jake.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Sara Sidner, thank you so much. Today, in a "New York Times" op-ed, the congresswoman who represents the New York district where the stabbing took place is asking two glaring questions. One, why are these anti-Semitic attacks, which she calls an epidemic, happening now? And, two, what can be done to stop them? She writes: "Anti-Semitism is not found in one party or group" and there are quote "multiple ideological sources feeding this paroxysm of hate. It is not a result of a single political outlook. There is no one-size-fits-all profile for the perpetrators of these attacks." Joining me now is the co-author of that op-ed, New York Congresswoman Nita Lowey. She's also the chair of the Appropriations Committee in the House. Congresswoman, Madam Chair, thanks so much for joining us. Anti-Semitic attacks in New York and the region are up. Police say they're not largely being carried out by white supremacists or the alt-right. Are these attacks all connected in any way and what's going on?
[Rep. Nita Lowey:] I think what's most important is that we all speak out forcefully, as I did at this event in Rockland County. I have represented all the good people, a diverse group of people, in Rockland for almost 10 years, and they work together, they live together. I am so disturbed that these attacks are increasing, not just here in New York, but all throughout the country. And it's important that we speak out forcefully and take action. I organize with my colleagues. There are about 100 of us who are part of a coalition to address the challenges that we have, both here and throughout the country. In fact, this is an epidemic throughout the world. So we each have to do our part in understanding this is real, and addressing it. I have organized in Washington an effort to fortify the synagogues, to fortify homes that could be attacked by vicious people who don't understand the great benefits of living together in a society. And for those of us who are in Congress or those of us in positions of authority must speak out forcefully. This epidemic has got to stop.
[Tapper:] Let me ask you. And it's not related, in the sense that you can't compare words to acts of violence. But there was a push earlier this year in the House to condemn anti- Semitic tropes that two of your colleagues had engaged in, ones that you condemned. Then that resolution was changed. And critics say that it was watered down. And, again, one can obviously not compare words that offend people with acts of violence. But did Democrats fail to take on this issue directly, the way that you're calling for it to be right now?
[Lowey:] Several years ago, I was an organizer of the caucus to deal with anti-Semitic incidents, to deal with those who are perpetrating these kinds of incidents. And I think it's essential now that we all work together from this point on to increase our oversight. I have funded certainly at synagogues and churches, all places of worship protective methods, so those within the buildings can be protected. And I intend to continue to do that.
[Tapper:] Before you go I only have another minute with you. I do want to ask you about impeachment. You're a close colleague and friend of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Is she close to sending over the articles of impeachment to the Senate? And, if not, is there a chance, if she cannot reach an agreement with Leader McConnell, that she will not send the articles of impeachment to the Senate at all?
[Lowey:] I think Nancy Pelosi, our speaker, has acted appropriately and fairly. Thoughtful people, such as Adam Schiff, have conducted a very in-depth investigation. Impeachment was voted on by the House. And I think the speaker is absolutely correct and wanting to make sure there will be an appropriate process in the Senate to deal with these serious charges.
[Tapper:] Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it. Mayor Pete Buttigieg is going after former Vice President Joe Biden again the new criticism about Biden's son. That's next.

[Nobilo:] Welcome back to CNN Newsroom, the U.S. President has pressed his Japanese counterpart to even out the trade balance with the U.S. Donald Trump is on a four day trip to Japan. Earlier, he and Shinzo Abe said they discussed economic relations, regional stability and North Korean among other topics. This what Mr. Trump had to say after their talks?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The Prime Minister and I continue our close consultation in pursuit of peace and security on the Korean peninsula. The essence of our approach is peace through strength and this is a strong alliance indeed, the U.S.Japan alliance is steadfast and ironclad. We want peace and we want stability. We continue to hope that Chairman Kim seizes the opportunity to transform his country through denuclearization. It is a country with tremendous economic and other potential.
[Nobilo:] Mr. Trump also said he would work with Abe to bring home Japanese citizens who were kidnapped by North Korean agent's decades ago. U.S. leader met with the families of Japanese [inaudible], saying their stories were very sad. CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson joins me now from Tokyo. Ivan, President Trump was underscoring the fact that the bond between the U.S. and Japan is ironclad, but the way in which both leaders saw North Korea and recent actions from the peninsula was not entirely consistent.
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] No, there were divergences there, and in particular, it revolves around North Korea's missile launches that took place twice earlier this month most recently on May 9th when North Korea fired two short range ballistic missiles. The Japanese Prime Minister who's hosting this whole affair said that those were direct violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions. President Trump was asked about this, and he had a different opinion. Take a listen.
[Trump:] He is going to try at some point. I'm in no rush at all, the sanctions remain, we have our hostage's back, we as you know, are getting the remains, continuing to get the remains. A lot of good things are happening, and very importantly there's been no nuclear testing for two years. I looked at a chart the other day. During the past administration, there were many numbers that were very high, like 10, 12 and 18 having to do with missile launches and nuclear testing and for the last two years on the bottom it had zero and zero. So, I am very happy with the way it's going and intelligent people agree with me.
[Unidentified Female:] You're not bothered by the small missiles?
[Trump:] No, I'm not. I am personally not.
[Watson:] For his part, the Japanese Prime Minister credited President Trump for as he put it, cracking the shell of distrust around North Korea with what he described as President Trump's new approach. Shinzo Abe added that he would be willing to sit down face-to-face with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions to try to pursue this diplomatic initiative that President Trump has led. So, even though there are some differences and there are also differences on trade, for example, this has been a big show and a celebration of the strength of the U.S. Japanese alliance, which Abe described as a corner stone of stability and prosperity in the region. There are probably going to be some eyebrows raised on the other side of the pacific, Bianca, because at one point President Trump agreed with Kim Jong-un who his news agency denounced the former American Vice President Joe Biden and candidate for president in the 2020 elections as a low I.Q. individual and President Trump stood on that world stage and agreed with the North Korean dictator, calling a former American vice president a low I.Q. individual. He argued that Biden was not smart, because he had agreed to an Iran nuclear deal and President Trump said that deal was terrible, but he also almost in the same breath said that he did not want regime change in Iran, and he believed Iran would like a new deal with the U.S. even though President Trump somewhat recently ripped up the U.S. commitment with the preceding Iran nuclear deal, Bianca.
[Nobilo:] Thanks, Ivan. Ivan Watson there for us in Tokyo. Let's get more perspective on this now with Leslie Vinjamuri, he joins me on set. Leslie is head of the U.S. on America's Program Act. Thank you very much for being with us.
[Leslie Vinjamuri, Associate Professor In International Relations At The University Of London:] Thank you.
[Nobilo:] Ivan was just mentioning how Shinzo Abe was saying it is so important to celebrate this alliance between the U.S. and Japan. It's the corner stone of much diplomacy, but I'm curious to know what the significance is from both of their perspectives and what you think each leader is hoping to get out of it.
[Vinjamuri:] Well, it's tremendously important, as we know, for Japan to keep America fully engaged in Asia to make it crystal clear to China and to North Korea that the U.S.Japan alliance is at the heart of that, that America is committed to Japan's security, that it's committed to the subjective of a denuclearized North Korea, and that it's engaged on trade, and remember, Japan has been disappointed that the U.S. under Trump pulled out of the transpacific partnership, hasn't been able to pull it back in and ends very nervous about where that trading partnership is going. For Trump, of course, you know, Abe has been brilliant about courting this president and it's a very good relationship for Trump at the same time that he is, you know, attempting to play hardball on the trade front, but beholding back a bit, as, you know, Japan is facing elections in July. The other thing to notice is that of course the U.S. and Japan have a common position when it comes to China, when it comes to tech, when it comes to a number of trade issues, they sort of broadly share a commitment to taking a harder line. So, I think this relationship is, you know, the symbolism is important, America's role in Asia is important, not without some very significant issues, but this particular visit I think is plays very well for the American president who as we know is one that really cultivates and admires, enjoys the state visits.
[Nobilo:] In the press conference which the two leaders gave a few hours ago, President Trump mentioned Joe Biden, referred to him as a low I.Q. individual and differentiated his own and Joe Biden's policies. How unusual is it for an American president to be so open about divisions internally among political parties on a state visit like that. Obviously you'd expected to see, you know, in presidential debates and so forth, but to be in that situation and then to be criticizing one of the Democratic front runner's policy in the region, is that unusual?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, most things about this American president when it comes to diplomacy are quite unusual, I would say, but clearly the standard for an American president for any state leader when they leave their country is to sort of protect and to stay away from partisan politics when they are abroad, but you know, this is the play book this president has pursued is very different on this dimension, so taking a swipe at former Vice President Biden is not something unexpected, but it is unusual.
[Nobilo:] You were mentioning as well as some of the significant activities that have gone on when President Trump has been on this visit. Talk to us a bit about those.
[Vinjamuri:] I think, you know, the symbolism of the visit is tremendously important. I think, one question is, you know, where are we going on trade, how much are they discussing trade? There are also trade talks that are going to be going on between the U.S., between Europe and Japan at the same time, but remember, again, that President Trump is being careful, right. He wants to signal to the Japanese public to the leader, to the world that that commitment on security and trade is crystal clear and that it won't go away in advance of those elections. The optics are just tremendously important, but I think that we will see a much harder line taken after the G20 at the end of June and after the G7 when Trump comes back to pushing a harder trade agenda.
[Nobilo:] Leslie Vinjamuri, thank you so much for joining us.
[Vinjamuri:] Thank you.
[Nobilo:] Now, Britain's ruling conservative Party is hoping for revival under a new leader after suffering a dismal result in the E.U. elections. The party the governing party of United Kingdom came in 5th place, securing less than 9 percent of the vote. A list of candidates vying to replace Theresa May at the helm of the party, and by exception, the country is growing. The biggest challenge remains unchanged. That would be sorting out Brexit. CNN's Phil Black is outside the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street. Phil, all eyes now in the U.K. on who's going to be living in that building behind you in a month or so time. Do you think that the results from the European elections are going to make the likelihood of a Brexiteer Prime Minister increase, somebody like Boris Johnson or Dominic Rob?
[Phil Black, Cnn Correspondent:] It does seem that way. Bianca, yes, even though these results were certainly no surprise, the Conservative Party saw them coming. They were expected for many conservatives, well, it was one of the reasons why they pushed finally for Theresa May to depart last week. That said, these results will still send a shockwave through the party, because they are absolutely terrible. Truly awful in a sense. So that is why you are hearing some of the contenders essentially describe these results as an existential threat to the party. The people who voted for the Brexit Party in such big numbers, many of them traditional Conservative Party voters who are simply angry and disillusioned that the conservatives have not been able to deliver Brexit yet, and so, that is why already you are seeing within the leadership contest something of a parade of characters who are going out of their way to show that they are willing to talk the toughest and the strongest on Brexit either in terms of being able to do a deal with the E.U. or being willing to accept, perhaps even enthusiastically embrace the ideal idea of a no deal scenario. But among those leading contenders, you see them breaking into two camps, those are talking in just very strong terms about exiting the E.U. on the next deadline, October 31st, doing it regardless of whether it a deal or not is in place, and doing so somewhat enthusiastically, you could put Boris Johnson, and Dominic. END

[Joseph Biden , Presidential Candidate:] In Western Pennsylvania.
[Biden:] With your help...
[Unidentified Male:] We want Joe!
[Biden:] With your help, we're going to be able to do that.
[Audience:] We want Joe! We want Joe! We want Joe!
[Biden:] Thank you.
[Audience:] We want Joe!
[Biden:] Well, with your help, with your help, I think we're going to be able to do that. We're going to be able to do it in Pennsylvania, in Western Pennsylvania, Northeast Pennsylvania, places where a little lately we have had a little bit of a struggle. But the truth of the matter is, I think I think we're coming back. So, please, please go to JoeBiden.com and sign up and join our campaign. We need your help. We need your help. And, folks... ... there are three basic reasons why I'm running for president of the United States. The first is to restore the soul of the nation. And the second is to rebuild the backbone of this nation. And the third is to unify this nation. We always do better when we act as one America. Today today, I want to speak about the second of these three, and that's rebuilding the backbone of America. And that is that we have time all my time in public life since I have gotten involved, I have been referred to as middle-class Joe. It's not always meant as a compliment. It's usually that I'm not sophisticated. That's why I'm middle-class Joe. But the fact of the matter is, I'm awfully sophisticated about why, how and who built this country. Let me say this simply and clearly. And I mean this. The country wasn't built by Wall Street bankers, CEOs and and hedge fund managers. It was built by you. It was built by the great American middle class. And America, the American middle class, was built by unions, by you. Look, folks, you know, that's the story of America, when ordinary people from neighborhoods like yours and mine where we grew go out and do extraordinary things. That's how it's happened. When I look out at this crowd, I see the folks in my neighborhood in Claymont and Wilmington and Scranton. And I'm not being solicitous. I mean it. I see people with physical courage and brains. I see people who have busted their backs their whole lives to care for their families. I see people like the millions of people across this nation who get up every single day, go out, work like the devil to raise their families, pay their taxes, volunteer in their communities to make this country work. I see people understand that being middle class is not a number. It's a value set. It's being able to send your kid to a park where you where they're to come home safely. It's being able to own your own home and not just have to rent it. It's being able to send your kid to a good school, and if they do well they can go beyond high school, to trade school or college or beyond. It's about being able to take care of your geriatric mom when your dad passes and hope your children never have to take care of you because you have earned a solid and decent retirement. That's middle class. That's not asking a lot.
[Audience:] We want Joe! We want Joe! We want Joe! We want Joe! We want Joe!
[Biden:] Look, everybody knows it. The middle class is hurting. It's hurting now; 53 percent of the folks in America don't think their children are going to have the same standard of living they had. To the best of my knowledge, that's the first time that's happened in a long, long, long time. The stock market is roaring, but you don't feel it. There was a $2 trillion tax cut last year. Did you feel it? Did you get anything from it?
[Audience:] No!
[Biden:] Of course not. Of course not. All of it went to the folks at the top and corporations that pay no taxes. The number of corporations that pay no taxes now has doubled since that tax. Look, guys, this is not good. What's happened here has happened for a lot of different reasons. But for me, one of them stands out. The basic bargain that used to exist that Republicans and Democrats used to agree to has been broken. And that is, if you contribute to the welfare of the enterprise you work for, you got to share in the benefits and the profits. If the enterprise sees hard times, everybody took a hit, up and down the line, from the secretary to the CEO. But that bargain has been broken. Now the only people benefiting when a company does well are the CEOs and the shareholders, the people at the top. And the only people that get hurt when the company gets hit by hard times are workers. It's a one-way street these days. Just look around. GM, I worked like the devil to see to it that GM stayed alive in the White House. Union workers, the UAW, took considerable cuts in their future and their pensions and the like to get GM working, to keep it alive. The taxpayers bailed them out. They paid it back and paid back with interest. But what happened, where the CEOs and the executives were the one that did quite well. And the second the second they hit hard times, what did they do? They closed plants. They announced they're going to lay off or transfer 14,000 workers. They also got that last year over $192 million in tax breaks. They could have given everyone they laid off severance pay if they had to, could have given everyone. They did nothing. They bought back their stock, raised their benefits, raised their salaries, announced they were going to build their new truck in Mexico. Folks, folks, no, I look, I just did a rally for the United Food and Commercial Workers in Boston; 31,000 workers went on strike to protect their wages, health care benefits and retirement benefits. Was Stop & Shop in trouble? No. Their parent company had made $2 billion the year before, $2 billion. So, what did they do? They were going to decide that, notwithstanding that, they are going to buy back their stock and try to cut wages or freeze wages for their people. It's not right. Now here, UPMC, UPMC, one of the largest employers in the state.... No, but but I think people have to understand this. You understand it. The SEIU is engaged in one of the most important organizing fights in this country. Folks, what was 200 years ago in steel mills and coal mines is true today in our big hospital systems. Right today, the same is happening in big hospital systems. And it's going to take a strong union to get justice for health care workers. So, UPMC, stop the union-busting. Stop. Stop trying to keep your workers from organizing. And I want you to know, UPMC workers, I am with you. I have your back. And if I am president, I will fight like the devil to make sure you are not blocked, unions are not blocked unfairly by this. It's economically wrong, and it's morally wrong. So what do we do? Folks, I think we have to I think we have to rethink how we define what constitutes a successful economy. It's not enough for the stock market to rise. That's not a bad thing, but it's just not enough. Workers feel powerless and too often humiliated. I call it an abuse of power. And I can't stand it. Never have been able to. And when I think about work, I think about dignity. I think about a lot about my dad, a proud, gentle man. My dad had an expression. He said, Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity. It's about respect. It's about your place in the community. It's about being able to look at your kid and say, honey, it's going to be OK, and mean it. But, folks, too many people, they can't look at their kids today and say it's going to be OK and mean it. And that's what we have got to change. I think about so many people across this country today who are just not getting respect, not treated with respect. How do you get to a place how did we ever get to here? We're a people who teach our kids, take care of our sick, transport our goods, build our bridges and repair our roof, keep our water system safe, people who race into burning buildings, people who race into danger to protect us, people who pick up our garbage off our streets, ironworkers, steel workers, boilermakers, plumbers, electrical workers, salespeople. How did we get to this place where they don't think we see them or hear them or know them and, maybe most importantly, respect them? Respect. And, folks, so I think the question of the day is, how did we get here, how'd it happen, what are we going to do about it? All across America, communities are hurting, with too many people left out or left behind. Our political system is broken. We're tearing America apart, instead of lifting it up. And the major in my view, the major moral obligation of our time is to restore, rebuild, and respect the backbone of America, the middle class. As we rebuild it, we need this rebuilding to be all-inclusive, opening the doors to opportunity for all Americans, no matter their race, their gender, who they love, no matter who or where they're from, no matter whether or not they have a disability. All America has to be included as we rebuild, all America. And I guarantee you, this is, remains, and will be my measure of what constitutes economic success. The dignity of work is my measure, which is about being able to provide security and share the joys with your families. How can a person's dignity be maintained if they can't afford to care for their sick child or a family member because of a preexisting condition, or because they have reached a point where their health care has run out, and the insurance company says no more? Jill and I, my family, like many of you, went through a year knowing our son was terminally ill. I could not image what it would be like if we were told that he'd run out of the amount of money in his insurance policy and they're going to cut him off of the palliative care he was getting. My lord, think about it. How can a parent maintain the dignity, their dignity, if their talented, qualified child wants to go beyond high school, and trade school, community college, or college and they can't afford it? How do you get them there? Folks, it's not just that that child is not going to have an opportunity to grow and be better, but think about it. Think about it. I will never forget the day my senior year in high school going down to my dad's office to borrow a car for the prom, driving down an old car to pick up a car for the senior prom. And I asked the secretary where he was. She said, he's out there in the alley there, honey, behind the office. And I walked out. And my dad, who was a gentle, decent man, was pacing back and forth. This is absolutely, I guarantee you, a true story. I walked in. He said: "Joey, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." And I thought, my God, what happened? Didn't something happen to my mom or my brothers or sisters? Before cell phones. I said I said: "What's the matter, dad?" He said: "I went to the bank, honey, today to try to borrow the money to help you get to school, but they won't lend it to me. I'm so ashamed." How many people in America today are in that situation, hardworking, decent people, because the cost of education has skyrocketed so badly and access is so difficult? Folks, dignity. Immanuel Kant, the philosopher, said dignity the definition of dignity is that people should never be treated as a means to an end, but an end in themselves. That's how today's corporate culture works. CEOs in this administration see it a different way. They see workers as just a means to an end, not the end in themselves in themselves. Look at look at the record. They treat their employees in a way that it's only about, how can they maximize their profit, not how can they maximize the circumstance for the employees who helped them build the operation. They're squeezing the life out of workers. You know, when you look under the hood of the labor market, you see how tough it is for workers to negotiate. I don't have to tell you union folks that. You see how companies have become so adept at squeezing every last penny out of their payroll, how good they have become at tilting the scales in their favor. But it's not only making it harder for harder and harder to meet our basic needs. They're doing it across the board, not only stripping away unions' rights to negotiate, but your personal dignity. Just take a look. They're not only going after labor and unions to try to take away and diminish the right to bargain. They're going after individuals, all to suppress their wages. Do you realize that why on earth would a sandwich worker, an hourly worker making sandwiches, have to sign a non-compete clause, promise, I will not compete with this, because and I know we laugh about it, but here's the deal, guys. They can't go across town to another sandwich place and get a 15 cent raise, if they could. They can't even advertise themselves. They can't move, because why? All to suppress wages, all to suppress wages. They have seen these agreements at least once during their career, 40 million or excuse me 40 percent of them. It's wrong. It's immoral. And it should be made illegal in the states where they try to do it. But they are doing the same thing with occupational licenses. Why should someone who braids hair have to get 600 hours of training? It makes no sense. It's designed to keep the competition down. Look, folks, you can't just transfer your licenses across one state to another. They're making it harder and harder in a whole range of professions all to keep competition down. Why should we get rid of these unnecessary hoops out there? Because we have to restore America's ability to individual Americans to be able to fight for their own dignity. You know we should stop companies from classifying low-wage workers as managers. You see it all the time. We tried it in our administration. Why they do that, so they don't have to pay overtime. It costs more than four million workers last year $1.2 billion in lost overtime pay, reclassification. And by the way, speaking of overtime it's well past time that the minimum wage nationally be a minimum of $15. It's time to start rewarding work over wealth. Just the first step is reversed President Trump's tax cut for the very wealthy and corporations. We need to eliminate these special tax rates in the tax code that reward special interest. Let's get rid of capital gains loophole for multimillionaires. Warren Buffett said it best. He should not pay a lower tax rate than the secretary has pay as well. That's because of capital gains. It's wrong. I'm going to change that so millionaires and billionaires don't pay lower taxes than firefighters, teachers, and I go on and on. We need to reward work in this country, not just wealth. But look, there's much more we need there's much more we need to do to build another class. In the coming weeks, I'm coming on a great deal more detail about this, but you've been standing too long. Look, it starts with access to affordable education so that everyone can get the skills they need. Twelve years of education in the 21st century is not enough. Simple, but it's got to be affordable. 65 under the 100 jobs today require training beyond high school, 65 out of every 100. But what, we have to make it post-secondary education, add trim, make training affordable, make sure an employee's the economy works not just for the wealthy forks, not just for people who get to four-year college degrees, but those who compete for job training and trades and programs. Look, guys, we can do all this. It means being able to have a quality healthcare, care for all Americans. Affordable health care was a huge step forward, the ACA in our country. We made historic progress by extending health care to 22 million people. Americans they don't didn't have it before, now have it 22 million. We have to stop this administration's effort to gut it first and then we have to move on and finish the job and make health care make health care right. Health care is a right not a privilege. We have to give everybody peace of mind they deserve. Whether you're covering it through your employer on your own or not, you all should have a choice to be able to buy into a public option plan for Medicare, your choice. And if the insurance company isn't doing the right thing by, you should have another choice. It means rebuilding America's clean renewable energy, cleaners, safer, faster transportation which will not only make us safer and make our community our children but to provide millions of good-paying middle- class jobs. It means investing much more in medical research to comfort to conquer devastating diseases like cancer, and addiction, and Alzheimer's. We have the ability to do that. Invest in it. Look, folks, we can do all of this without punishing anybody. You know, when Reagan was president, there were $800 billion in tax expenditures, meaning tax loopholes. Notice today, it's over $1,600,000,000,000. We could send everyone in America to a community college for free six million folks, six million folks new, by doing one thing eliminating one loophole of the $1,600,000,000,000 and only it robs the country's $17 billion dollars a year. It's called stepped-up basis. It's a fancy way if you get a capital gain, you're about to go cash it in, god forbid you get hit by a truck, you leave it to your child, they pay no tax. It's not an inheritance tax, it's $16 billion $17 billion owned five minutes earlier. If you eliminate that one, you can put every cut college cost in half and you could in fact in fact have $11 billion left to reduce the deficit. So, folks, quite frankly, the only thing that stands in our way is our broken political system that's deliberately being undermined by our President to continue to abuse the power of the office. Donald Trump is only president is the only president who's decided not to represent the whole country. The president has his base. We need a president who works for all Americans then we can afford this. We can do this. And I'm optimistic for two reasons. One, I know the history, the journey of this country. When ordinary Americans like my family are given an even chance, just an even chance, they do extraordinary things. They have never ever, ever let the country down. And the second reason I'm optimistic is that I know we are better positioned than any nation in the world to own the 21st century. We not only have the strongest military in the world, we have the most productive workers in the world, three times as productive workers in Asia. North American energy makes us independent. The U.S. has been the U.S. has more great research university where all these major breakthroughs come from than all the rest of the world combined. No other nation in the world can match us. We can we can bring and be a positive force for everyone. Folks, nothing is beyond our capacity. The only thing that can tear America apart is America itself. But folks, everybody knows who Donald Trump is. And I believe, I believe in hope they know who we are. We have to let them know who we are. We Democrats and we Independents who had the same view have to choose hope over fear, unity over division, maybe most importantly truth over lies, truth over lies. Folks, it's time it's time it's time to pick up our heads. Remember who we are. This is the United States of America. There's not a single thing beyond our capacity, not a single thing. So God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Former Vice President Joe Biden, a relatively concise 26-27 minutes speech. His first campaign speech. He was speaking in the Teamsters Union banquet hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Let's chew over this. Jen Psaki, he was a little rusty at times but overall what do you think of his message?
[Jen Psaki, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, it's definitely a throwback. I mean, he could have given that speech or a Democratic candidate could have given that speech probably 15 years ago and I think that reflects his message or his strategy which he is trying to appeal to this nostalgia, to you heard him talk about decency and respect. You heard him to kind of use a lot of language about labor unions and defending labor unions and standing up for workers. He's clearly trying to tap into the faction of the Democratic Party that Democrats lost in the in the 2016 election. They've kind of made that strategy clear and I think that was reflected in his speech. I think he's got some things to work out. He got to some of the best parts in the speech toward the end where he talked about millionaires and billionaires, where he touched on health care. I think as you see his speech coming together or his stump speech coming together, those pieces will probably be front-loaded or they should be. But you know, he's I think he seems happy to be out there. They he seem to be well-received and we'll see if his strategy pays off.
[Tapper:] David Urban, you helped run the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania or did run the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania. You have said for a year now on this show that you thought Joe Biden was the biggest threat to President Trump. He didn't go after Trump as much as I thought he might have. He it was an economic address. But even on that, he didn't really go into the message that I've heard from like Bernie Sanders who says to voters like this union white working class individuals mainly saying things like President Trump made a promise to you and he's a fraud. He didn't he didn't keep his promise. You didn't really hear that.
[David Urban, Cnn Political Analyst:] Right. And you know, you heard the vice president say why am I in Pittsburgh, because I need you guys here in this city, in this state to win. I can't win without you so I need you. I think that the vice presidents is looking at it and saying, what do I do not to alienate these folks. I got to I got to run through the raindrops or if there may be some Trump voters in his mind that he can win over. He's got to win all the folks, Democrat who voted for Trump. He's got to win those folks back. So he's got a play it moderate. That's kind of the that's the tough part for the vice president here I think. That again, the purity versus pragmatism. Are Democrats, they going to want to hear a message on you know, green new jobs and very progressive message. They're going to hear pragmatic message like he tried to deliver here. And you got unions and kind of old school. We talked about how that's kind of what you had heard growing up as a kid right, blue collar, Blue Dog Democrat. That was a message delivered by a Blue Dog Democrat, not by a Progressive Democrat.
[Tapper:] Yes. And that this is what I heard I mean, I'm from Philadelphia and this is the message that I would hear from Democrats growing up. It's different from what a lot of people in the Democratic base talk about and want to hear about when they talked about the Green New Deal, Medicare for all, things that Vice President Biden did not talk about today.
[Ayesha Rascoe, White House Reporter, Npr:] Yes. And there's this question of what is electability and will he and by going back to this kind of old-school style, is that what people want. Do they want to hear their politicians kind of just talking about those bread-and- butter issues and not all of the kind of more out there or more bolder ideals, I guess?
[Urban:] Right. No felons voting on this one.
[Tapper:] Right. Well, I don't know that that was an on message points the Democrats were talking about a couple weeks ago. Is President Trump the most threatened by Joe Biden?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Reporter:] You know, privately that's what we're told that the president has asked his advisers about Biden's strengths. He has Biden on his mind all the time. And we saw just this morning when he took to Twitter to hit Biden. Clearly, he was
[Tapper:] Four times, four tweets.
[Diamond:] clearly he is unnerved by Joe Biden's candidacy and it's for the reasons that Davis talked about many times which is Joe Biden's appeal in the Midwest and the industrial Midwest, and with those voters who flipped indeed many of them from Obama to Trump in the 2016 election. And so we're hearing Joe Biden make that appeal but I do think as far as him being a Blue Dog Democrat, I mean he is making a progressive case. So we heard him talk about health care being a right. So Joe Biden I think is going to try and play you know, play both sides of that. And we saw this week when he talked about both Charlottesville and he also got the support of unions and was talking about manufacturing. Those are two messages that are going to be very important to his chances not only of winning the Democratic primary but also the general election 2020 if he becomes the nominee.
[Tapper:] Let's go to Pittsburgh right now where Arlette Saenz, the reporter who has been assigned to cover the Biden campaign is standing by. And Arlette, the vice president the former vice president really just touched on policy in terms of what he wants to bring to the table. He didn't go into any deep proposals. Of course, this being his first kickoff speech.
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] No, Jake. He really didn't get too deep into policy, but he did offer a bit of a preview of what some of the main tenants of his platform could look like. Talking about a $15 minimum wage, saying that they need to build on the Affordable Care Act, and saying that people should be able to buy into a public option. He said that in the coming weeks, he's going to be speaking about all of those platform ideas in more depth. We're going to see him in Iowa tomorrow and Wednesday, and in South Carolina later this week. But here in Pennsylvania, Biden was making it very clear that this was about an electability argument. And Pennsylvania is later in the primary process, but he, as people have pointed out, was just making it clear this is about beating Donald Trump and this is a state where he thinks he can do it if he makes it to the general election. Jake?
[Tapper:] Arlette, he for Joe Biden, this was a relatively short speech, just about 26, 27 minutes. I've heard him talk for at least twice that, just for a speech in which he's talking about some sort of subcommittee measure. Were you surprised?
[Saenz:] I was a little surprised. I've been out with Joe Biden basically at every single stop that he's been at since September, and this was one of the more short speeches. He can sometimes go on for an hour. But it's very clear that they've been working on the messaging for this campaign. They've had a few months to get all their ducks in a row, as he's considered whether or not he's going to run. But today it was a much shorter, tighter Joe Biden. We'll see if that sticks going forward. We do know he often does like to talk a little bit longer, Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Arlette Saenz, keep up the great work. Thank you so much. And Jen Psaki, something you were talking about earlier, as you heard that the Firefighters Union is behind Joe Biden. They've been with him for a long time. They're very supportive. The head of the Firefighters Union was on CNN earlier and was very critical of Hillary Clinton.
[Psaki:] Yes, it was pretty harsh, actually. I mean, they didn't endorse in 2016. It was they didn't it was the first time they haven't endorsed in quite some time. They clearly had a history with Hillary Clinton, but there are still many Hillary Clinton supporters and advocates, and enthusiasts in the Democratic Party. I thought that was kind of an interesting shot out of the gate. They are clearly very behind Joe Biden. Part of the case he's making and why he was in Pennsylvania is that he is the one candidate who can appeal to blue collar workers. We'll see if that's the case, but that's what the firefighters were making and certainly, it's aligned with what Joe Biden's case is.
[Tapper:] And it's one of the arguments being made right now within the Democratic Party is the focus should it be on winning back these blue collar white working class voters in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, or should the party be focused on generating bigger turnout among minority voters and young voters. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. Thanks so much for watching.

[Whitfield:] Welcome back. The pregnant fiancee of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says she is, quote, on the mend after having coronavirus symptoms for a week. This comes a week after Johnson announced he tested positive for the virus. He has been in isolation with mild symptoms ever since. CNN's Bianca Nobilo is in London. So Bianca, give us the latest.
[Bianca Nobilo, Cnn Business Anchor:] Hi, Fred. Yes, we learned this evening in London that Boris Johnson's fiancee Carrie Symonds has been in bed for a week with coronavirus symptoms. She said that she didn't need to be tested. She is on the mend and she's feeling stronger. Adding to the anxiety here, of course is the fact that she is pregnant. She's expecting their baby in early summer. That was announced five weeks ago when Boris Johnson and Carrie also announced that they were getting married. After Boris Johnson tested positive for coronavirus, and that was announced eight days ago, Carrie Symonds moved out of 10 Downing Street where they were living together to another location in London. So she has not been dealing with these symptoms and the anxiety associated with the prime minister. She's been apart from him. Boris Johnson is still self-isolating because after seven days of having coronavirus symptoms he still maintained a temperature. So listening to medical advice, he now has to continue self-isolating until that temperature subsides. This all goes to underscore what we all know well at this point, that nobody is immune to catching COVID-19. Also, Britain has faced its deadliest day yet, recording 708 deaths in the United Kingdom. Now, scientists also caution that that number is likely to be an under report of the number of deaths that are happening, and that is because this is just the recorded deaths in the last 24 hours and not the actual deaths. So there's likely to be a lag on that, too. It is very important, therefore, that people in Britain abide by the new social distancing regulations. Where there has been concern expressed by the government, by the prime minister, by the health secretary that people in Britain are not abiding overall by their social distancing rules. In fact, I've even seen anecdotal evidence of that. About 10 meters from me, Fred, yesterday the police broke up a large gathering of young people that had been flocking to tourist sites and an uptick in motor vehicle traffic. So it is essential as Britain is reaching that peak that people in the country do abide by the social distancing rules.
[Whitfield:] All right, Bianca Nobilo, thank you so much from London. Appreciate it. On to Spain now, where the government says it will extend the country's nationwide state of alarm for the second time until April 26th. CNN's Scott McLean is in Madrid for us. So Scott, explain what this means.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey, Fredricka. First, the good news. The good news is that there are signs in Spain that the situation here is stabilizing. The number of active cases being confirmed every day is going down. And though the death toll is still remarkably high, more than 800, it is the lowest that it's been in a week. The concern now is what happens when Spain reopens its borders and lets everybody out of their houses. Will the lockdown, a real national sacrifice, be worth it? The prime minister today said that the situation, or that this country was at a historic crossroads. He announced, as you mentioned that he'll be asking the Spanish parliament to extend the state of emergency for a second time, which would mean that Spaniards would now be home bound until at least April 26th. He also signaled that when Spain does emerge from this sort of national hibernation, that it would be done in phases, that the restrictions would not be lifted all at once. He also promised that nonessential workers who were ordered to stop working just beginning this week would be allowed to resume at Easter. One of the biggest problems as well, Fredricka, in this country has been the health care system. Health care workers, more than 10,000 of them have been infected with the coronavirus. There has been a lack of personal protective equipment in the hospitals and a lack of ventilators for patients. And while the situation has undoubtedly improved over the last couple of weeks, Spain seems to still struggle with procuring the equipment that it needs. Case in point, 114 ventilators that were supposed to arrive in Spain from Turkey will actually be staying in that country after Turkey announced that it couldn't justify exporting the machines given the needs of its own population.
[Whitfield:] All right, Scott McLean in Madrid, thank you. As coronavirus cases spread in prisons across this country, U.S. Attorney General William Barr is ordering prison officials to maximize early release programs for a wide swath of vulnerable inmates. Several states have seen growing clusters of coronavirus outbreaks at prisons in states like Louisiana, Connecticut, Ohio. The move comes at the end of a week that saw eight federal inmates die from the virus. And two months after his impeachment acquittal, President Trump has fired the inspector general who alerted Congress of the whistle-blower complaint that led to the president's impeachment. The firing of Michael Atkinson took place, and it is the latest in a string of firings by the administration of those who played a role in the inquiry. CNN's Sarah Westwood joins us now. So Sarah, has the White House explained the reason behind this firing?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] Fred, we haven't gotten a lot of details yet about what led the president to take this move at this time, as you mentioned, two months after the end of the impeachment trial. But the president said in a letter sent late last night to Congress that he had essentially lost confidence in Michael Atkinson's ability to continue as the Intelligence Community Inspector General. He sent a letter to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees late last night, saying that at the end of the 30-day waiting period that he is required to take, to plans to remove Atkinson from that position. Sources tell CNN that Atkinson was informed last night that he would be placed on administrative leave. This naturally sparked outrage among Democrats who learned of the president's possible retaliatory move against Atkinson. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying in a statement last night the president must immediately cease his attacks on those who sacrificed to keep America safe, particularly during this time of national emergency. Of course, the timing of the president's move coming in the middle of his administration's response to coronavirus has been heavily criticized by Democrats, including the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, one of the first to learn of the president's move last night. Congressman Adam Schiff said in a statement "At a time our country is dealing with a national emergency and needs people in the Intelligence Community to speak truth to power, the president's dead of night decision puts our country and national security at greater risk." Earlier today the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaking to CNN said this is part of a pattern from President Trump firing people who were related to his impeachment inquiry. Take a listen.
[Schumer:] There's all too familiar a pattern in this administration. When you tell the president the truth, you get fired. This guy was a patriot. This guy stood for our intelligence agencies have done such a wonderful job. They don't make movies about them like about the military because, obviously, most of it is secret. But they risk their lives like our soldiers do, like our men and women in uniform do. They do amazing things to protect this country. And by politicizing it, dismantling it, not wanting to hear the truth, that's since World War II we have built up this fine, fine agency, and the president is undermining it.
[Westwood:] Now, recall that the president had fired two witnesses who testified against him. Alexander Vindman was reassigned from the National Security Council after testifying in the impeachment inquiry. Former U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland was fired. The president, Fred, did not name a permanent successor for Atkinson, said that nomination would come at a later date. But did name a career intel official, Thomas Monheim, to hold that position in the interim, Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right, Sarah Westwood, thank you so much. All right. From social distancing to stimulus checks, don't forget to send us your questions about coronavirus on CNN.com. Our panel of experts will answer some of them next. But first, Surgeon General Jerome Adams shows us how to make a facemask with items from around the house.
[Dr. Jerome Adams, Surgeon General:] Fold it to the middle from the bottom. Fold it to the middle from the top. Fold it again to the middle from the bottom, and again from the top. And then two rubber bands, one on one side and one on the other side. Then you fold either side to the middle, and you have yourself a cloth face covering. It's that easy.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Developing this morning, an FBI agent testified that the suspects accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer were also discussing kidnapping Virginia Governor Ralph Northam because of his coronavirus restrictions. This is what Governor Northam told us just a few moments ago.
[Gov. Ralph Northam:] I don't govern under a cloud of intimidation. That's that's not who I am. And this is not about me, it's not about the governor of Michigan, this is about this country and it's about a president that is emboldening these individuals, these white supremacists.
[Berman:] Joining us now, CNN contributor Miles Taylor. He's a former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security. Miles, thanks so much for being with us. It was interesting to hear from Governor Northam. And I will not get over the headline here that there were people arrested for plotting to kidnap two sitting U.S. governors. That's just something that shouldn't wash over you. Governor Northam makes the point that President Trump called on his followers last spring to, quote, liberate Michigan and also liberate Virginia. And now we see these allegations of plots to kidnap both of those governors. What's your takeaway?
[Miles Taylor, Cnn Contributor:] Well, look, John, I would say this, the big takeaway for Americans is that our city streets have now become the front lines in the war on terror. Now, in my time at DHS, I never saw anything like this on U.S. soil, right? The most insidious terrorist plots that we were tracking were hatched in overseas conflict zones, in war zones halfway around the world. Now we're talking about terrorist plots hatched in the back alleys and backyards of our own country. I mean, John, let's look at this, this was multiple U.S. individuals across multiple U.S. states with ties to multiple U.S.-based militias. This was not a lone wolf operation. This was a terrorist cell in our own country with our own citizens targeting our own elected official. My second point, John, would be that this is a serious threat and one that we need to take seriously. The light is blinking red when it comes to domestic terrorism in the United States and the expectation should be that the administration will take concrete steps to address it. They should release a domestic terrorism strategy, they should resource it with the people and dollars needed to go after these guys, but, unfortunately, this has been something I've been warning the White House to do for two years and they still haven't done it.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] And One the other things, Miles, that makes it so chilling is that this I mean as crazy as it sounds, this was not a half-baked plan. I mean the FBI had infiltrated, thank God, these groups and they moved in and arrested them and swooped in because they were on the verge, the next day, of buying explosives to start putting their plan into action.
[Taylor:] That's right. I mean it was stunning. If you look at the details of this plot, in many ways it echoes some of the serious terrorist plots that we saw planned by groups like ISIS or individuals inspired by ISIS. They consider doing, you know, weapons training, allegedly, you know, some consideration of explosives, multiple potential targets, details about how they would go through with the operation, but also very importantly the recruiting and the networking that happened. Additionally, there's some indication that these individuals were following operational security, you know, as they planned their plot as we've seen, you know, with other individuals from foreign terrorist organizations. So, yes, the sophistication here is what should be a major worry for us.
[Berman:] So, Miles, you worked inside the national security establishment as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security. This morning we learned that despite the cries from the president and his supporters and an entire television network for years that something untoward was happening in the Obama administration, about unmasking, unmasking is asking for names to be unredacted in intelligence documents, there was an investigation by the Justice Department, "The Washington Post" reports this morning, they didn't find anything illegal, no criminal charges, they're not even going to write a report. Nothing to see here. What's your takeaway from this, this morning?
[Taylor:] Well, I said this to someone yesterday and said it online, this really shows that the president of the United States has a pretty tortured relationship with masks. And we're not just talking about his unwillingness to wear masks with COVID-19. He's been so hyper focused on this practice of unmasking. But I'll tell you, as a former national security official, this is a very common practice. What happens is, you might get very sensitive intelligence information regarding very serious threats to the United States, and usually, and appropriately, the intelligence community redacts the names of U.S. officials and U.S. organizations. But if it's something serious that needs to be followed up on, oftentimes you might need to put in a request to find out who that individual was. There is a disciplined process for that, one that includes transparency, oversight, internal checks and balances because you don't want the names of U.S. individuals to be in intelligence that officials see all the time. But people follow that process so that they can make sure that Americans are protected. But, again, there's oversight and transparency in that process. So what I believe that John Bash found, who was investigating this, was, there was nothing wrong here and that this was all bluster on behalf of the president.
[Berman:] That's a lot of taxpayer dollars down the tubes on that. Miles Taylor, thank you for being with us this morning. Appreciate it.
[Taylor:] Thank you.
[Berman:] We have live pictures we want to show you this morning. This comes from Georgia. Just a sampling of the lines we are seeing. Election Day for the next 20 days in America.
[Camerota:] Where's your graphic?
[Berman:] Zero well, zero days until Election Day in America. We have a live report, next.

[Harlow:] The candidates for the Democratic nomination are spread out across the country as the campaign heats up. So which ones are making Cillizza's grade? Let's get "The Midweek Grades" with our very own Chris Cillizza, CNN politics reporter and editor-at-large. I'm just checking to make sure you're smart enough, Chris, to assess these candidates. It's clearly Congress isn't smart enough to look at the president's tax returns according to the White House.
[Camerota:] What are your credentials?
[Chris Cillizza, Cnn Politics Reporter:] Oh, I'm good enough. I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, gosh darn it, people like me.
[Camerota:] That's true.
[Harlow:] Gosh darn it, they do. Can you believe it? People like me. All right, Cillizza, who gets the A this week?
[Cillizza:] OK. Here we go. So I kind of tilted toward the positive this week. A lot of good news on the Democratic side. So let's start with Bernie Sanders. Without question, the big winner of the first quarter fundraising. We've got all the numbers now. And Sanders, $18 million raised, $50 million on hand, 84 percent of the contributions come from people $200 or less, which means he's got a massive fundraising base. And I think if you look at "The New York Times" yesterday, Democrats who don't want Bernie to be the nominee are starting to get worried because he definitely is in a place, especially with Biden not in the race yet, to be that nominee
[Camerota:] OK. You also give another A. Who gets that?
[Cillizza:] Yes. Mayor Pete, he's got a bunch of A's since we started doing this a month or so ago because he's doing everything right at this point. Again, he's the busiest candidate in the race. He had 1,600 people at an event in Des Moines last night despite the fact that he really has almost no staff in the state. So this is an organic gathering. He's also third in recent Iowa and New Hampshire polls behind Biden and Sanders, which is amazing given that he's the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who no one had heard of three months ago.
[Harlow:] He also is self-deprecating. Yesterday in the show calling himself from adorable to plausible.
[Cillizza:] Yes, he has a
[Harlow:] I mean the guy's got
[Camerota:] He's got a line.
[Harlow:] The guy's got a sense of humor.
[Cillizza:] Talk we Alisyn and I have talked about this before, Poppy, but he talks like a normal person, which do not
[Harlow:] But he's not normal. Harvard, Oxford, Rhodes Scholar. But he comes across like it, yes.
[Camerota:] He's tricking you, in other words.
[Cillizza:] Similar resume to mine, yes. But, yes, I get your point. All right, Kamala Senator Kamala Harris. OK, move yes, moving on. California Senator Kamala Harris. Look, has done nothing wrong. He's in a very good place. I give her a B only because polling now suggests she's kind of in the bottom end of that top tier. Buttigieg's rise has taken some support from her. I think if you asked her and her people candidly, they're very happy with where they are. They're sort of drafting in the front pack. They're not the frontrunner. They're fine with that. But given that she's dropped a little we dropped her just a little bit in terms of grades.
[Harlow:] All right.
[Camerota:] OK, we also had Cory Booker on the program this week, but you only give him a C. What's the problem?
[Cillizza:] Yes. Honestly, this was a little bit kind. I gave him a C because, look, the big news of this week is the fundraising numbers. We now know what everybody had. His numbers were very solid. Middle to higher end of the pack. Here's the problem. Cory Booker, this week, he didn't his campaign attacked John Delaney, the former Maryland congressman, for self- funding. That is punching down of the first sort. John Delaney is an asterisk in most polling. Why you would attack him, it worries me about where Booker's people think he is in the race. So a C, I think, is the right place.
[Harlow:] You've got to look up. I hear you.
[Cillizza:] Yes, always punch up.
[Harlow:] Always punch up. Julian Castro gets a D?
[Cillizza:] Yes, man.
[Harlow:] What's going on?
[Cillizza:] I still haven't given I still haven't given an Fs because Alisyn knows my past checkered academic career, I'm wary of giving Fs. But, look, he was no comment. Hello, high school teachers. He raised he raised about a million dollars total in the first quarter, $600,000 on hand. That's less than Andrew Yang. No one at the start of this race thought Julian Castro was less credible than Andrew Yang. You've got to get people to invest in your campaign. With that kind of money, that little money, you can't build any organizations. It doesn't matter how strong the message is.
[Harlow:] I was surprised seeing those numbers for Julian Castro too. Hey, what number do Andrew Yang's holograms what grade to Andrew Yang's holograms get?
[Cillizza:] I look, even before I worked at CNN, I loved the CNN holograms. I'm pro hologram. Everyone who knows me knows that. So I'm into that. I'm currently working on cloning myself, actually.
[Harlow:] Help
[Camerota:] We need two of you.
[Harlow:] Help us.
[Camerota:] We need two of you.
[Cillizza:] Two of me is probably at least one too many. It might be two too many depending on who you ask.
[Camerota:] I think that if we polled the audience
[Harlow:] no.
[Camerota:] OK, while we have you, Chris, very quickly
[Cillizza:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Bernie Sanders seems to have done himself well by going on Fox and doing that town hall.
[Cillizza:] Yes, absolutely.
[Camerota:] Though President Trump seemed quite confused by Bernie Sanders going on. In fact, he said, so weird to watch crazy Bernie on Fox News. Not surprisingly, Brett Baier and the audience was so smiley and very and nice. Very strange. And now we have Donna Brazile. Of course the president is confused. He thinks this is his pet network.
[Cillizza:] Correct.
[Camerota:] What is another candidate doing on there?
[Cillizza:] There's so much in the one tweet, Alisyn, the "we," right?
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Cillizza:] The sense that the president of the United States is with the network. The confusion of it, as you note. And also the fact that he's such he is at root a conspiracy theorist. The audience in quotes. The idea that the audience was loaded. He later tweeted that there were lots of Trump supporters outside trying to get in. Not accurate. As Fox News said, they sort of brought in local people. There were Trump supporters in there. He is remember, his candidacy began on the idea that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States. It's a largely a very circulated and very widely debunked conspiracy theory. This is who he is. The wire-tapping at the White House. The three to five million illegal votes, right, cast. This is what he does. It's who he is. He is a conspiracy theorist at heart and that's why he sees the world his way and doesn't understand when people see it differently
[Harlow:] Good on Brett Baier for responding. I think he
[Cillizza:] Totally agree.
[Harlow:] Said come on our network, right?
[Cillizza:] Yes. And Brett Baier has been asking for years. Donald Trump doesn't like him because Brett Baier isn't pro-Trump enough. So ask yourself if that's how you want your neutral journalists measured.
[Harlow:] Right. All right.
[Camerota:] All right, thank you very much.
[Harlow:] What grade does Cillizza get?
[Camerota:] Oh, Chris Cillizza, A plus.
[Harlow:] Obviously.
[Cillizza:] Hey.
[Camerota:] A plus. It's his first.
[Cillizza:] I'm putting that on my resume.
[Harlow:] OK, we've got to go. See you later.
[Cillizza:] Bye.
[Camerota:] All right, coming up in our next hour of NEW DAY, we will speak with two presidential candidates. We have Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan and Bill Weld, the first Republican to announce a run against President Trump.
[Harlow:] The attorney general makes the decision that could change the immigration process for millions of people. We'll tell you what it is, next.

[Marquardt:] About ten minutes from now, presidential hopefuls in the Democratic Party will be taking to the stage at the New Hampshire democratic state convention. There's the stage right there and voters in the audience will be taking their first to the nation responsibilities very seriously and giving the candidates a good listening to. Of course, the big draws today are going to be the top three candidates, former Vice President Joe Biden, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. But it's also an opportunity for those lower-polling candidates to stand out.
[Paul:] CNN political reporter sorry Arlette Saenz, joining us now from New Hampshire. Is this make or break for some candidates, Arlette?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Christi and Alex, this is certainly a very critical weekend here in the first in the nation primary state. You're going to see 19 of the 2020 democrats take the stage taking their pitch directly to New Hampshire voters. This convention is coming just after the Labor Day weekend after folks are starting to tune in a little bit more to the democratic primary race. So for lesser-known candidates, it gives them a chance to kind of showcase their message to these voters who've maybe not heard of them and then you have more established candidates like the neighboring candidates, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren bringing their pitch here to New Hampshire. Bernie Sanders, you'll remember, won the 2016 primary here in the state against Hillary Clinton. He's hoping he can try to capitalize on some of that support that he's had for a long time here in the state. Then there's also Joe Biden who is currently running at the top of most polls across the country, as well in states like Iowa and New Hampshire. And earlier this week, his campaign said that Iowa is not necessarily a must-win state for him and said that that's the same in New Hampshire, but saying both of those states bringing a dog fight; these candidates taking the stage here soon to take their pitch to voters. Alex and Christi.
[Marquardt:] All right, Arlette Saenz in New Hampshire. Big day up there; thanks very much. Well an American Airlines mechanic accused of trying to sabotage a plane says that he did it, get this, to get overtime pay. Investigators say that he tried to disable the system that reports the speeds and other critical data. I can't imagine why. He reportedly was upset over a contract dispute between union workers and the airlines and tampered with the plane using superglue, so he could work more hours. Thankfully, pilots in Miami noticed a problem before takeoff. This happened back in July.
[Paul:] Now, the man claims he didn't want to hurt anybody just to be clear there. In the meantime, there's an 8-year-old boy from Colorado recovering after he was attacked by a mountain lion. Look at this.
[Pike Carlson, Attacked By A Mountain Lion:] I just see this mountain lion jump on it and then it kind of kind of pounces on to me and he kind of rolled on the hill to a tree. And it tries to push me under the tree. I pick up a stick, trying to jab it in the eye. But then the stick breaks.
[Paul:] And his dad says when he found his son, the mountain lion was lying on top of him and his son's head was in that animal's mouth. Pike Carlson has undergone two surgeries. He has more than 60 staples in his head and he had to have his eyeball reattached. That mountain lion, by the way, has been euthanized.
[Marquardt:] Unbelievable. Thank you so much for starting your morning with us. We will be back at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time for "CNN Newsroom." "Smerconish" is up after a quick break.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn:] Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani.
[Richard Quest, Cnn:] I'm Richard Quest. And, again, we are live outside the Houses of Parliament because it's another extraordinary day at Westminster.
[Gorani:] There is a flurry of activity behind us in the House of Commons. At stake? Could the future of Brexit and also the future of the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, be in play? It's a race against the clock with just hours to go before the government suspends parliament so they won't be working for five weeks, Richard.
[Quest:] Now, at the moment, there's a sort of an end-of-school term feel about everything because there's an emergency debate under way that is seeking documents, looking at the suspension of the government's plans for a no-deal Brexit. They're hoping to get more information.
[Gorani:] Right. And so this is one of the debates. There will be a few others this evening, and it will all culminate in the very important piece de resistance moment for Mr. Johnson, who is seeking a snap election.
[Quest:] Which is extraordinary because he's expected to lose, so we'll be investigating why he's bothering to have a vote on something that he's going to lose. Also, despite a new law aiming to prevent that no deal. He does admit such a prospect amounts to failure.
[Boris Johnson, Prime Minister Of Britain:] I want to find a deal. I want to get a deal. Like you, I've looked carefully at no-deal, I've assessed its consequences, both for our country and yours. And yes, of course, we could do it. The U.K. could certainly get through it. But be in no doubt, that outcome would be a failure of statecraft, for which we would all be responsible.
[Gorani:] So what does it all mean? Bianca Nobilo joins us now. Why bother with a vote on a snap election if he's widely expected to lose it?
[Bianca Nobilo, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, he committed to holding this vote last week, that's when they announced it. So that was before the opposition parties even though we thought that they wouldn't back it before they officially came out and said, "We're not going to support this." Because ordinarily, an opposition party, the Labour Party, or the other smaller opposition parties, should back any opportunity to have a general election.
[Gorani:] Why not pull it? Why not pull it today?
[Nobilo:] Because it might be useful, even in terms of a campaign strategy, to be able to day, "Well, the Labour Party, you didn't have enough confidence to go to the polls when we asked you. We gave you two opportunities. The first opposition in history not to allow an election on their watch, and we were offering it to you on a silver platter." There could be a number of strategies at play, or it could actually not be conspiracy, it could not be strategy. It could be the fact that they've slightly fuffed up their hand here.
[Quest:] All right. Now, in the event that all this plays out, the really important question is what happens during this interregnum, when the this prorogation. Because he's got to go to, with the letter, sign the letter seeking a delay, by if he hasn't got another plan, by October the 19th.
[Nobilo:] That's right. So parliament is now scheduled to come back after it's prorogued tonight, on the 14th, giving him five days to bring back a deal that's approved by the House of Commons, or he has to write that letter, or he's breaking the law. So Boris Johnson now has two options in that situation. Either he goes back on his word, or he breaks the law.
[Gorani:] Well, and which is he going to choose or he resigns.
[Nobilo:] Or he resigns, yes.
[Gorani:] Would he?
[Nobilo:] It's being talked about today because he's
[Gorani:] Does he have any other options?
[Nobilo:] well, exactly. He's booked himself in. That's why
[Quest:] Well, I mean, you know, yes, he could send the letter and immediately rescind it, which
[Nobilo:] Or do this other option, of sending the letter and then sending an accompanying letter, undermining the first letter
[Quest:] Exactly.
[Nobilo:] saying that it would make
[Quest:] Exactly. Or sending a letter and basically not negotiating
[Nobilo:] Yes.
[Quest:] because, you know, he's obliged to accept whatever date comes back. But you could throw the ball into the European Court. And the French, tonight
[Gorani:] Well, it's not a given that the Europeans, especially the French, will grant an extension. Because I think from the point of view of Macron pardon my voice, and this is not helping, by the way, behind us, the fact that I've lost my voice from the point of view of the French and even the Germans, you can understand that this prolonged period of uncertainty is hurting them as well at this stage. And that they also might want to rip the Band-Aid, which makes sense.
[Nobilo:] And Leo Varadkar has said
[Gorani:] Yes.
[Nobilo:] in the press conference he gave with Boris Johnson this morning, that basically they're all getting fed up and he needs a good reason in order to warrant an extension. Now, the E.U. have always said that, granted. But for them, a good reason is usually an election or a second referendum. Those are the kind of terms that it's spoken about.
[Quest:] If Boris Johnson does try and play games with the letter and the rescinding or not negotiating, if he does, they might still grant him the - the delay because they know there's an election coming. You've sorry, that was my phone oh, no, it wasn't, it was yours. Never mind. I'll get it for you in a minute.
[Nobilo:] That's OK. But I agree. It's like game theory on steroids. This is just so difficult to predict. There are so many strategies that could be in play, but it really is not just a game of chicken any more. There are so many different outcomes. And I find it very hard to believe that this is the result of some kind of concerted strategy.
[Gorani:] Right. If there was a loss tonight for Boris Johnson, it will his how many, it will be his fifth loss in the House of Commons?
[Nobilo:] It would be, yes.
[Gorani:] In just a few weeks.
[Nobilo:] Yes.
[Gorani:] He if this is some high-level chess strategy, he's not very good at it.
[Nobilo:] Well, so the only way in which this might be electorally helpful for Boris Johnson is, on the weekend in Britain, this hashtag was trending, #PeoplesPrimeMinister. This idea that Boris Johnson is the prime minister that's trying to deliver on the popular result of the referendum, and parliament is stopping him from doing that. It's such a populist strategy, it's the establishment versus Boris Johnson, championing the people. That's how he'll want people to see it.
[Quest:] All right. Now, one of the most familiar faces in parliament to date
[Gorani:] People will be very sad around the world. Because even those who don't follow Brexit closely, know one thing about this whole story. And that's this man's "Order, order!" But yes, as you said
[Quest:] Speaker John Bercow says he'll leave his post by the Brexit date of October the 31st or even earlier, if snap elections are approved for then. This is how he said he was off.
[John Bercow, Speaker, House Of Commons:] I have served as a member of parliament for 22 years, and for the last 10, as speaker. This has been let me put it explicitly the greatest privilege and honor of my professional life, for which I will be eternally grateful. I wish my successor in the chair, the very best fortune in standing up for the rights of honorable and right honorable members, individually and for parliament institutionally, as the speaker of the House of Commons. Thank you.
[Quest:] So we know we knew he was going. He said he'd said earlier on, that he was going to leave us. But he's tightened it now. He will, despite the crocodile tears on the Tory side, will he be missed?
[Nobilo:] He has been speaker since 2009, so it was about time. But there was a grudging respect, and then a genuine heartfelt respect across the House, even those Conservatives that were very different from John Bercow when it came to Brexit and most other issues, and perhaps resented the fact that even though John Bercow started his career as a Conservative in 1997, he did migrate and then was considered to be maybe defecting to Labour, so they kind of resented him for that. But there was a respect for him. It's a tough job, trying to command that chamber.
[Quest:] Who gets the next one? Who do they go from either side, or do they
[Nobilo:] No, it can be
[Quest:] one of the
[Nobilo:] no, it's any it's in terms of who will actually get the -
[Quest:] Yes.
[Nobilo:] next role, so anybody who's an M.P. can put themselves forward. You need between 12 and 15 other M.P.s to back you from three different parties, and then it's an exhaustive ballot, I believe testing me this morning.
[Quest:] No, no. I
[Gorani:] And we'll get back to Brexit, of course, a little bit later in the program. But we have some exclusive CNN reporting I'd like to bring to you. Ever since Donald Trump became American president, he and his administration have been accused of mishandling classified intelligence. CNN has learned about a 2017 incident that is raising some new very serious questions. Sources say a high-level Russian government source, who had been spying for America, had to be pulled out of Russia partly because of CIA fears that Trump administration leaks could expose that person. Jim Sciutto is CNN's chief U.S. security correspondent. This is his reporting. He is standing by, live. Tell us more about this story Jim.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Chief U.s. Security Correspondent:] Well, Hala, multiple Trump administration officials with direct knowledge tell me that in a previously undisclosed secret mission in 2017, the U.S. successfully extracted, from Russia, one of its highest level covert sources inside the Russian government. Knowledge of the Russian covert source's existence was highly restricted within the U.S. government. According to one source, there was no equal alternative inside the Russian government, providing both insight and information on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. A person directly involved in the discussion said that the removal of the Russian was driven in part by concerns that President Trump and his administration repeatedly mishandled classified intelligence, which could contribute to exposing the covert source as a spy. Now, the decision to carry out the extraction occurred soon after a May 2017 meeting in the Oval Office, in which Trump discussed highly classified intelligence with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and then-Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. The intelligence concerning ISIS in Syria had been provided by Israel. The disclosure to the Russians by the president, though not about the Russian spy specifically, prompted intelligence officials to renew discussions about the potential risk of exposure. This, according to the source directly involved in the matter. At the time, I should note, then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo told other senior Trump administration officials that too much information was coming out regarding this asset.
[Gorani:] And, Jim, this wasn't the first time that there were concerns about this asset being exposed?
[Sciutto:] That's right, Hala. And this is important context. At the end of the Obama administration, so months before, U.S. intelligence officials had already expressed concerns about the safety of not only this spy, but other Russians assets, given the length of their cooperation with the U.S. This, according to a former senior U.S. intelligence official. Those concerns grew in early 2017, after the U.S. intelligence community released its public report on Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, which said that Putin himself had ordered the operation. The intelligence community also shared a classified version of that report with the incoming Trump administration, which included highly protected details on the sources behind that intelligence. Senior U.S. officials at the time considered extracting at least one Russian asset, but did not do so, according to the former senior intelligence official. Then, the meeting with the Russians happened in the Oval Office. That raised new talks, and concerns in the intel community continued to grow in the period after Trump's Oval Office meeting with Kislyak and Lavrov. Now, weeks after the decision to extract the covert source, the president met privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg. You may recall that at the meeting, he took the unusual step of confiscating the interpreter's notes. Afterward, I'm told, intelligence officials, again, expressed concern that the president may have improperly discussed classified intelligence with Russia. This, according to an intelligence source with knowledge of the intel community's response to the Trump-Putin meeting. So, Hala, it was not just one incident here.
[Gorani:] Yes. And the what has been the administration's response here?
[Sciutto:] So I've reached out to the White House, certainly also the agency and others. A U.S. official said that before the secret operation, there was media speculation about the existence of such a covert Russian source. And such coverage or public speculation poses risks to the safety of anyone that a foreign government may suspect could be involved. However this official did not identify any public reporting to that effect at the time, of this decision, and CNN could not find any related reference in media. As for comment, Brittany Bramell, she's the CIA director of Public Affairs, told CNN, quote, "CNN's narrative that the Central Intelligence Agency makes life-or-death decisions based on anything other than objective analysis and sound collection is simply false. Misguided speculation that the president's handling of our nation's most sensitive intelligence, which he has access to each and every day, drove an alleged exfiltration operation, is inaccurate." A spokesman for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to comment to me. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said, quote, "CNN's reporting is not only incorrect it has the potential to put lives in danger." I should note, this removal happened at a time of wide concern in the U.S. intel community, about mishandling of intelligence by Trump and his administration. Those concerns were described to me by five sources who served in the Trump administration, the intelligence agencies and Congress. I should also note that CNN is withholding several details about this spy, to reduce the risk of the person's identification.
[Gorani:] And that's understandable. And finally, can we measure the cost of losing this asset?
[Sciutto:] Well, I've spoken to a number of people in the intel community and formerly. This is key. It's left the U.S. without one of its key sources on the inner workings of the Kremlin and the plans and thinking of the Russian president at a time when tensions between the two nations have been growing. The U.S. intel community considers Russia one of the two greatest threats to U.S. national security along with China. A former senior intelligence official tells me, quote, "The impact would be huge because it is so hard to develop sources like that in any denied area, particularly Russia... because the surveillance and security there is so stringent." Adding, "You can't reacquire a capability like that overnight." Hala, in the simplest terms, this was a significant decision and a significant loss for the U.S.
[Gorani:] All right. Jim Sciutto with exclusive reporting. Thanks very much.
[Sciutto:] Thank you.
[Gorani:] Much more ahead tonight, including this, a firsthand look at one town in the Bahamas that was virtually wiped off the map by that Category 5 hurricane. Also, Benjamin Netanyahu has a message for Iran. "Israel knows what you are doing." More on the Israeli prime minister's new accusations about Iran's nuclear program. Plus a top-level meeting at the president's retreat between the U.S. and the Taliban has been called off. First, was it ever on? And then some lawmakers are furious that the Taliban were invited at all, just days before 91111.

[Stelter:] Imagine you just published a big story. You're feeling good after weeks of hard work. Then you peak your social media accounts and you are suddenly inundated, insults as far as the site can scroll, a troll army saying you're worthless, biased, fat, dumb, sick, evil, attackers are trying to get you fired, anonymous accounts are telling you to kill yourself we're offering to do the job themselves. Well, the Committee to Protect Journalists is out with a new report on this issue, this issue of online harassment. Showing how big this problem is, how pervasive it is especially for female reporters. CBJ has updated its safety kit as a result giving reporters advice about removing vulnerable personal data from the web and what to do if you've been doxxed with that data. And they've also shared information about addressing the psychological impacts of online harassment and threats. Here to discuss this new report in detail is Courtney Radsch. She's at CPJ. She's the Advocacy Director of the organization. So the report is up on CPJ.org, Courtney, why was it important for your group which focuses on press freedom to take a look at online harassment specifically?
[Courtney Radsch, Advocacy Director, Committee To Protect Journalists:] I think what we've seen with online harassment is that it is the biggest safety concern facing women journalists to be surveyed in the United States and Canada. So if there is a perception that online harassment is the biggest safety problem they're facing, we've got to address that because if journalists feel that they're going to get retaliated against or attacked or threatened because of the reporting they're doing, that could have a silencing and a chilling effect.
[Stelter:] And many people in social media, of course, not just reporters but people in lots of different professions, individuals who just try to share their political opinions get harassed on social media all the time. What makes it specific about reporting do you think that people should think about?
[Radsch:] I think that we have to think about journalists as really serving a public interest. They're there to help inform the public to dig out facts, to follow up stories, I mean, so much about what we know whether we're talking about you know economics, politics, you know, the scandal and USA Gymnastics, it came because journalists were digging, they were reporting. So when we hear that journalists, especially women journalists, are being faced with online harassment as an endemic part of their job, that is problematic and we need to address it because we don't want journalists to be fearful of reporting on issues.
[Stelter:] Right.
[Radsch:] And we know that. Our respondents said that reporting on extremism as well as national politics were some of the most concerning beats for them.
[Stelter:] Right, where people end up getting harassed even more than others by virtue of covering these important subjects. So your message is partly I think to newsrooms right, to editors to take this seriously, and also to the tech companies, right? They have a responsibility here.
[Radsch:] Yes. So both of those are important constituencies. We can't rely on just journalists. Yes, they need to take steps to protect our digital identity, to you know, do social media hygiene, but we also need newsrooms to take this issue seriously and realize that it is endemic to certain beefs, it's very likely in retaliation for certain stories, and that they need to address this proactively with their reporters both staff and freelance, and we need the technology companies to do their part because this is pervasive on their platforms. And it's not enough to mute or block somebody. You need to know if those threats are coming through and we need more proactive responses from the tech platforms.
[Stelter:] I agree. Courtney, thank you so much for being here. And please, everybody, check out the report on the committee's web site at CPJ.org. A quick break here, much more RELIABLE SOURCES including an unfortunate milestone at the White House in just a moment. [11:50:00]

[Lemon:] We know the president is awfully quick to condemn anybody he sees as an enemy or response to news he doesn't like. But there are some things he just doesn't want to talk about so much. Let's discuss. Keith Boykin is here, Alice Stewart, and Tara Setmayer. Hello, happy Friday to all of you.
[Alice:] Hi, Don.
[Tara:] Hello.
[Lemon:] Keith, Representative Steve King, perfect example. King was stripped of his committee assignments after wondering in The New York Times interview, when terms like white nationalist and white supremacist became offensive. This is the president's reaction in the news that King will seek re-election in 2020.
[Trump:] You know I don't know anything about this situation. When did he announce that?
[Unidentified Female:] Today.
[Trump:] I have not seen it. He hasn't told me anything. We'll have to take a look.
[Unidentified Female:] You haven't spoken to him?
[Trump:] I haven't spoken to him in a long time. I haven't spoken. I have not been involved in that.
[Lemon:] Another missed opportunity for the president to condemn Steve King's behavior?
[Keith Boykin, Cnn Political Commentator:] He knows Steve King very well. They are buddies.
[Lemon:] I don't know who you are talking about, Steve who?
[Boykin:] He did the same thing with David Duke during the campaign. I don't know who David Duke is. He did the same thing with Pat Buchanan. He called him a Hitler lover before and now he's like, oh, I'm going to tweet about him and endorse him. I mean, Donald Trump is playing footsies with the radical right, the far right, and pretending like he's not giving aid and comfort to them. And then when the time is convenient, he goes off and does more stuff to give them aid and comfort. This is just not helpful. It's typical for Donald Trump and sad.
[Lemon:] Alice, when Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar was reprimanded by Democrats and Republicans for using anti-Semitic language in a tweet, the president called for her resignation. He called for her he said her apology was lame. Watch this.
[Trump:] Congressman Omar is terrible, what she said. And I think she should either resign from Congress or she should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
[Lemon:] So he doesn't know about a fellow Republican but he knows about a Democrat. Why the double standard, Alice?
[Alice Stewart, Cnn Political Commentator:] It's a convenient amnesia, Don. Look, this is typical Donald Trump. He's been this way all along. He always has a tendency to elevate his allies and try to eliminate his enemies. That is exactly what he continues to do and he will always do that. That's part of his nature. Whether we're talking a political enemy or a personal enemy or a business enemy, he wants to do away with them. So I think it is not right for us to put them into any components, whether we are talking about race or religion or any type of specific issue. If someone is an opponent of this president, he will say and do anything to get them out of the way, get them out of their position, and this is a classic example.
[Lemon:] So after two days, the president finally reacted to the charges against a Coast Guard officer accused of being a white nationalist who planned to kill several high-profile journalists and also to kill Democratic politicians. Watch this.
[Trump:] I think it is a shame. Yeah. I think it is a very sad thing when a thing like that happens. I've expressed that. I'm actually getting a very complete briefing in about two hours.
[Unidentified Female:] Do you think you bear any responsibility for moderating your language when it comes to that?
[Trump:] No, I don't. I think my language is very nice.
[Lemon:] Very nice. Listen, according to court documents, this is very serious, Lieutenant Christopher Hasson did Google searches for "what if Trump illegally impeached" and "civil war if Trump impeached." Should the president have done anything differently in his response to this terror, you think?
[Tara Setmayer, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, of course, there were a lot of things he should have done differently, but, you know, we're talking about Donald Trump. He has the best words and the biggest brain. Don't you know that, Don? We're all the idiots because he uses very nice words. It was only a couple days ago that he tweeted out in all caps that The New York Times is the enemy of the people, the real enemy of the people. How many times has he done this? The Committee to Protect Journalists put out a report that showed that Donald Trump has tweeted negatively against the press 1,300 times since becoming a candidate, and that those tweets that increased versus his tweeting about other things has decreased, but his attacks against the media and journalists has increased. Do you that they also put out a report that said that there are 28 journalists jailed around the world this year because of fake news allegations in other places across the world, when there were only nine at this point last year? This is reverberating not only in the United States but across the world. It is making journalists and those of us in the media less safe. It is emboldening these crazies out here who are looking for reasons to do things they shouldn't be doing, like this guy, this Coast Guard. You know, who knows how long he had been plotting that? Or the guy that was sending the mail bombs in October where CNN was evacuated and there were other journalists targeted. Who knows how long they've been thinking about that? They see the president of the United States continuing to put these things out there like that. Words matter, especially coming from the president. Donald Trump is so irresponsible, and he is creating this environment where people think it is OK to target the media when that's not how we do things in this country. So yes, of course, Donald Trump could have handled it differently, but he is never going to change. This is who he is.
[Lemon:] I want to play this. This is something that he said. I think my language is very nice. Alice, this is someone with a nice language.
[Trump:] You are a rude, terrible person. What a stupid question that is. That's OK. I know you're not thinking. You never do. You know what? You're creating violence by your questions. Some of the media is terrific. But most of it, 70 percent, 75 percent is absolute dishonest, absolute scum. Remember that. Scum.
[Lemon:] Hmmm.
[Setmayer:] That's a short list, Don.
[Lemon:] I know that is a short list.
[Stewart:] Don, if anyone in this country knows that words matter, it is Donald Trump. And that is exactly why he uses the words that he uses, going all the way back to little Marco, lying Ted. You can go down the whole list of his Republican challengers. At the same time, on occasion, he does say some nice things. Let me just say this. When we are talking about the Hasson situation, what he did was terrible. I hate the fact that he singled out many people including you. It is despicable. But he did that in the name of hate. Also this week, we've been talking about the actor, Smollett, and what he did. Look, that was in the name we don't know exactly what happened, but it appears this was in the name of greed. And I think to take any of these instances and blame Donald Trump for grown-up people making terrible, hateful, awful decisions, I think, is irresponsible. Yes, Donald Trump
[Setmayer:] But, Alice, we can't
[Stewart:] has said some bad things. Yes, he has said I think to blame this president for
[Setmayer:] We can't blame him 100 percent, but he's responsible for creating an environment. He's responsible for creating an environment. Let's not give it a pass because
[Lemon:] Let's Keith jump in.
[Setmayer:] Donald Trump doing every day.
[Lemon:] Go ahead, Keith, quickly, because I got to go.
[Boykin:] OK, Alice, just real quickly, we had President Obama. He didn't spend every day in his office tweeting about people he disliked. We've had other presidents, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, other presidents who have never done this. This is unprecedented. What would really help, Alice, I know you're there sometimes, is if you would call consistently call out Donald Trump and not allow Republicans to give him cover when he does this
[Lemon:] OK, look
[Boykin:] He has created the climate, and he is the one who can help tamp down the atmosphere.
[Lemon:] If we care about someone else's language, someone who says, you know, this is MAGA country, we need to care about another person's language who says that journalists are enemy of the people. If we care about someone lying about a fake situation in Chicago, then we should care about the president of the United States lying. Both are liars. One is accused of lying. One is we see lying every single day and gets a pass from his supporters every single day. If you care about one lie, you got to care about the other lie, especially when the other lie is coming from the president in the highest office, the person in the highest office.
[Stewart:] I am not excusing the president at all. What he says and saying the media is the enemy of the people, it is absolutely completely wrong. I've said that numerous times. But you can't blame him for everyone else's actions.
[Lemon:] OK.
[Boykin:] But he can help create a better climate.
[Setmayer:] That's right.
[Lemon:] Thank you, guys. I got to go. Have a good weekend.
[Setmayer:] And take responsibility from self.
[Lemon:] Thank you, guys. We'll be right back.
[Setmayer:] See you, Don.
[Stewart:] Thanks, Don.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] Happening now, breaking news. Principal conclusions, the attorney general is now preparing a summary of the Mueller report for Congress. He may deliver it as soon as today. We're standing by for details on what the Special Counsel uncovered. Waiting game. President Trump is in Florida, huddling with his lawyers, gaming out responses once the headlines from Mueller's probe are revealed. Will he claim vindication or complain of a hoax? Demanding transparency, top Democrats are pushing for the full Mueller report to be made public and for the underlying evidence to be presented to congress. House Democrats are getting ready for a briefing on this turning point in the Russian probe and what lies ahead. And unanswered questions, Mueller's work is done but the scrutiny of his investigation is just beginning. We'll breakdown all of the unresolved legal issues and the new information we're looking to get in the coming hours. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in
[The Situation Room. Unidentified Male:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Blitzer:] We are following the major breaking news on Robert Mueller's final report now in the hands of the attorney general, William Barr. We could learn crucial new details about the nearly two-year long Russia investigation at any moment. Barr has told Congress he may share the principal conclusions of the Mueller report as soon as today. We expect those conclusions to be made public. Top House Democrats have scheduled a 3:00 p.m. eastern briefing for their caucus on what they know at that hour and what they do next. President Trump is at his home in Florida, surrounded by his lawyers. They're all waiting to learn specifics about the investigation into possible collusion and obstruction that has hung over Mr. Trump for most of his presidency. This hour, I'll talk with House Intelligence Committee member Chris Stewart. And our correspondents and analysts are also standing by for this special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM. First, let's go to our CNN political correspondent Sara Murray who has covered the Russian investigation from day one extensively. Sara, all eyes are on the attorney general, Bill Barr. We saw him leave his home just a little while ago. We are told he has just arrived over at the Justice Department, where sources say he is reviewing the report. Sara, he is preparing to prepare Robert Mueller's key findings, principal conclusions, as he calls them, and that presumably could happen very soon.
[Sara Murray, Cnn Political Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. A very busy weekend for the attorney general. It all began yesterday when we saw prosecutors in Mueller's office leaving unusually early. Just hours after that the attorney general announced that Mueller had completed his nearly two years of work. Now we wait to hear what the main conclusions are that Mueller reached.
[Murray:] Attorney General William Barr announcing the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 22-month Russian investigation in a one-page statement Friday evening. Barr wrote to leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees that he is reviewing Mueller's report, and "I may be in a position to advise you of the Special Counsel's principal conclusions as soon as this weekend." A Justice Department official tells CNN those conclusions are expected to be made public. A senior Justice Department official also added there will be no further indictments from the Special Counsel. In a major victory for the president, Mueller ended his probe without interviewing Trump. The president answered only a set of written questions about Russian collusion, none about obstruction of justice. In the hours before Mueller officially ended his work, Trump continued railing against the Russian probe.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] There was no collusion, there was no obstruction. Everybody knows it. It's all a big hoax. I call it the witch hunt. It's all a big hoax.
[Murray:] Friday evening, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted a more muted response. "The next steps are up to Attorney General Barr and we look forward to the process taking its course. The White House has not received or been briefed on the Special Counsel's report." While the formal investigation is over, speculation about what it found is only just beginning. Barr told Congressional leaders there were no such instances during the Special Counsel's investigation in which Mueller's proposed actions were overruled by leaders at the Justice Department. Barr plans to consult with Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Mueller to determine how much of Mueller's confidential report can be released publicly and to Congress.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] All I can say right now is my goal and intent is to get as much information out as I can consistent with the regulation.
[Murray:] But Democrats quickly demanded the report be made public in its entirety.
[Chuck Schumer,  Senate Minority Leader:] Now that Special Counsel Mueller has submitted his report to the attorney general, it is imperative for Mr. Barr to make the full report public, and provide its underlying documentation and findings to congress.
[Rep. Eric Swalwell,  California:] Trust, but we have to verify. So we will ultimately see the full report because the president is outnumbered. We have now the subpoena power.
[Murray:] Since being appoint in May of 2017, Mueller has remained silent and out of the public eye.
[Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General:] The defendants allegedly conducted what they called information warfare against the United States.
[Murray:] Mueller's investigation has led to charges against 37 defendants and netted seven guilty pleas, as well as one conviction at trial. And Trump's longtime political adviser Roger Stone is set to go to trial in November for lying to Congress. Also among those charged, 26 Russians and three Russian entities, many of whom Mueller says worked to manipulate social media and hacked Democrats to benefit Trump in the 2016 election. Mueller's probe has also swept up several key Trump allies and confidantes, including his campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and his personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.
[Michael Cohen, Former Trump Attorney:] I am ashamed of my own failings.
[Murray:] But Mueller never brought charges against anyone in Trump's orbit for colluding with the Russians to influence the election. It remains to be seen if Mueller found any direct evidence of collusion or obstruction of justice that may be detailed in the confidential report he delivered to the attorney general. Now, Justice Department guidelines say you cannot indict the president of the United States, but of course we don't know what all that is in Mueller's report. We don't know if the president could have been implicated in inappropriate behavior, Wolf, or even illegal activity. That's going to be the position Barr is in now, figuring out what he is going to divulge to Congress. And maybe it won't be that difficult a decision. Maybe he will find that the president did nothing wrong.
[Blitzer:] We'll soon find out, at least these principal conclusions that are about to be released. Sara, stay with us. Our Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash is with us, our CNN reporter Kara Scannell is with us. So Kara, you've been doing a lot of reporting on this. How much are we going to learn about the Mueller report once the so called principal conclusions are released, and the new attorney general Bill Barr says they could be as soon as this weekend. They might be released later today.
[Kara Scannell, Cnn Reporter:] That's right. Wolf, all eyes really are on Bill Barr. He is just a few weeks into this job. He has this historic decision before him of how much information he's going to release to not only Congress but the American public. He got the report from Mueller's security detail yesterday just before 5:00 p.m. He was reviewing it last night. He just arrived at DOJ to continue to review it, as did Rod Rosenstein. And one of the things in this one page letter that we have notifying Congress about the report being finalized, Barr said that he would consult with Robert Mueller and Rod Rosenstein about how much of this the can make public. One wrinkle, though, of course in this report is this is a counterintelligence, it's also a criminal investigation, so there are issues about what can be made public, both grand jury material and classified material. And as Sara was saying, I think once they get their arms around what is in the potential realm of something that they believe that they can make public, all eyes will be on what does that say about what the president did, about any his actions, the big looming questions of collusion and obstruction of justice.
[Blitzer:] We're showing our viewers video of Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, and Bill Barr, the attorney general, Dana, arriving over at the Justice Department. There are a lot of incredible details that Mueller over these nearly two years has collected, especially about Russian efforts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, which the U.S. intelligence community has concluded there's no doubt that the Russians tried to do that. Presumably, if all of that information is released, it could prove to be somewhat at least politically embarrassing for the president.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Absolutely. And that's an important point. Look, we have already seen by way of indictments the accusations and the evidence that Robert Mueller's team believes that it has about how aggressive Russia has been and was in 2016 to influence the election. And we should see more details about that in this report, assuming we see the details. I just also want to note that the fact that we saw both the attorney general and the deputy attorney general arriving today is another indicator that today is an important day, just like yesterday was, as you guys were saying, and Sara, you reported, that they are on high alert on Capitol Hill to get the so-called principal conclusions. I spoke to a source this morning, a congressional source, who has every expectation that that is going to come. Maybe in an e-mail, maybe it will be hand delivered. And that will be, now we have a one- page letter from the attorney general, that will be the first real substance that we are going to have on what this is, and the most important maybe, the conclusions. After all that, what did you learn, why does it matter?
[Blitzer:] And Bill Barr, the attorney general, says he will consult with Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, who is about to leave that position, and the Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is leaving that position, about how much he can make public in all of this. Let's not forget, Sara, and you've been doing a lot of reporting on this as well, that in addition to the Mueller investigation which we've spent so much time focusing in on, there are a whole bunch of other investigations not involving Mueller that are continuing.
[Murray:] Yes, I think that's an important point, and a point that's probably more concerning for the president in the long term. We have in New York, they're looking into Trump business, they're looking into the inauguration, they're looking into the presidential transition. And the thing to know about the Southern District of New York, and Kara knows this very well, is they're not just going to close up shop and say we have been looking into this for a month or two, haven't found anything, let's shutter this investigation. These investigations will be ongoing. They will probably be ongoing for the duration that Donald Trump is president, and so that means that when he is no longer president, when he is back to being a normal human being that could face indictment, that's certainly a possibility on the table down the road. We can't forget what Dana was pointing out, the president has already implicated in a crime, and that's what Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to, this illegal campaign finance violation in which he said and which prosecutors agreed was done at the direction of Donald Trump. So I think there's a lot for the president to still worry about, even if he does feel vindicated by the end Mueller's investigation.
[Blitzer:] Sara, Kara, Dana, don't go too far away. I know you're working sources, you're getting more information. At this pivotal moment, President Trump, he's down at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Palm Beach, Florida. He's also meeting with his lawyers and aides close by, awaiting the big reveal of Mueller's so-called principal conclusions. Let's bring in our White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, we saw the president go golfing earlier today. He is at his golf club now. Does his team see the Mueller report as victory based on what they at least know so far?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] It depends on who you ask. Some of the president's allies outside the White House are already framing this as vindication for the president. But some inside the White House are being a little bit more cautious. They know they still haven't read the report, and they're still waiting to see what Bill Barr has to say about this. But it's noteworthy that we haven't heard anything from the president yet since Mueller submitted that report to the attorney general yesterday. And he is down in Palm Beach at his golf course where the temperature is in the 60s. And we saw him this morning on his way to the golf course reading the newspaper. So presumably, Wolf, he's still paying attention to headlines and what's going on, even if he's not tweeting about them yet. We also know that not only is the president in Palm Beach, but he is also joined by several members of his legal team, including not only White House counsel Pat Cipollone but also Emmet Flood, who has been charged with really handling the response to all of this. and Emmet Flood is the one who got the call from Bill Barr's chief of staff yesterday to tell him that Mueller had submitted the report. Sources who talked to CNN saw the president and Emmet Flood talking yesterday at his Mar-a-Lago resort where they said the president seemed to be in a spirited mood as he was being kept updated on all the developments that were happening yesterday after Mueller submitted that report. Now, one thing that allies are framing this as a victory is because there were no more indictments. There had been widespread speculation, Wolf about people, not only including the president's son, Donald Trump Jr. He was not indicted, obviously, they said no more indictments are expected. And Donald Trump Jr. was just a few tables away from his father last at Mar-a-Lago resort, and he has been tweeting several times today, essentially framing this as an exoneration for the president here. So continue to expect to hear more of that, Wolf. And we'll be waiting to see what the president's initial reaction to all of this is going to be.
[Blitzer:] Just curious, Kaitlan, we saw the president reading a newspaper on his way to the golf course. Do we know which newspaper he was reading?
[Collins:] You couldn't tell exactly. We zoomed in on the president there, as you see him holding up the newspaper in the backseat of his motorcade on the way to the golf course. But we know based on what people who talked to the president have said, he reads "The New York Times," "The Washington Post," "The New York Daily News," several newspapers every single morning, and looks at the headlines. And of course, this is a president who watches television constantly. And Wolf, you've seen the president tweet so many times over the last week and a half, and behind the scenes he's been quizzing those members of his legal team, some of the ones who were down there with him about what the status of the Mueller report was. So he is very interested. We can predict what the president is going to say about this, but we're waiting to hear from him in person.
[Blitzer:] He has been silent so far, including on Twitter. We'll see if that continues. Kaitlan, thanks very much. I know you're working your sources as well. Let's go to Capitol Hill right now where Democrats are demanding that the entire Mueller report be made public, and they want to see all of the underlying evidence for themselves. Our Congressional Correspondent Sunlen Serfaty is joining us. Sunlen, Democrats are threatening subpoena power to get answers. House Democrats, they will be holding a call later this afternoon. Will there be a push to start that process?
[Sunlen Serfaty, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] There very well could be, Wolf, up here on Capitol Hill. Democrats have certainly been waiting for this moment, they have been preparing for this moment, and they're already signaling that they are certainly ready to fight for the information that they want. In just a few hours, the entire House Democratic Conference will hop on a conference call. That will happen at 3:00 p.m. eastern, not only getting prepared for potentially receiving that anticipated new information from the attorney general today, but also preparing essentially for what will likely become a very fierce, intense battle on Capitol Hill over access to this information. Democrats have already been very aggressive and very clear already that they are pushing not only for the full Mueller report to be released, but, as you said, the underlying evidence that Mueller used in the investigation. Jerry Nadler, he's the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he said in a statement last night, quote, "We look forward to getting the full Mueller report and related materials. Transparency and the public interest demand nothing less. The need for public faith is the rule of law, must be the priority." And notably, this is also a sentiment that many Republicans up here on Capitol Hill also share. The Ranking Member on that same committee, Congressman Doug Collins, he has called for the entire Mueller report to be released. He says, quote, "I expect DOJ to release the Special Counsel's report to this committee and public without delay, and to the maximum extent of the law." And there certainly will also be a push up here on Capitol Hill to bring not only the attorney general, Barr, but Robert Mueller himself to testify on Capitol Hill. At this moment, though, Wolf, it is fair to say that Capitol Hill is essentially stuck in a waiting pattern. They are waiting for any information, that new information that the attorney general will ultimately share, as he promised to do in that letter he sent to Capitol Hill last night. Notably, members and their staff are back in their home district. They have been out on recess all week, so very unclear at this point how and when that information will be communicated. Wolf?
[Blitzer:] We're learning, Sunlen, that the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will be handing over documents to Congress as requested by Congress. What's the latest on that front?
[Serfaty:] That's right, this is new information coming from my colleague, Gloria Borger and Manu Raju, the headline being that Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and top senior adviser, he has said that he will hand over and provide the documents that the House Judiciary Committee have requested of him. Keep in mind, you remember when that original request was made, that was from Jerry Nadler, he requested information from over 80 people in Trump's orbit. And so certainly significant that now Jared Kushner has agreed to comply, that's related to his time in the campaign, his time in the White House during the transition. So potentially a huge amount of information coming from Jared Kushner. And again, it all underscores that while we're talking about the Mueller report and what it could say or could not say, Capitol Hill has their own investigations going on right now, and they will continue doing that.
[Blitzer:] That's a significant development. The president's senior adviser, son-in-law Jared Kushner, getting ready to cooperate with Congress on this front. Thanks very much, Sunlen. Sunlen Serfaty up on Capitol Hill. Joining us now, Congressman Chris Stewart, he's a Republican. He serves on the Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks very much for coming in on this Saturday morning. So let's get your reaction to what's going on. I know you have been watching it closely as anyone. The principal conclusions, as Bill Barr says, could come out at any moment. He said sometime as early as this weekend, could be today, could be tomorrow. We're anticipating it will be today. What are the most important questions you're hoping he will answer?
[Rep. Chris Stewart,  Intelligence Committee:] We look forward to seeing the report, obviously. We haven't seen it yet. I don't think we're going to be terribly surprised by anything in that report. I guess my initial response is, first, I'm relieved. I'm relieved for the president. I'm relieved, importantly, for dozens of people who have had this cloud hanging over their head for two years now. Remember, we know that innocent people have been accused of treason, essentially. And I think in fairness to them, it is important to get this report out, and let the American people know that. I am relieved for the American people. But, again, Wolf, I'm not surprised. We have the House Intelligence report, the Senate Intelligence report. We had FBI agents themselves who were no friends of the presidential. Mr. McCabe has said he doesn't think there's anything there, and now it appears that Mr. Mueller has drawn the same conclusions.
[Blitzer:] But who has been accused of treason? Mueller hasn't accused he hasn't said anything except for the formal indictments that he's leveled and the convictions, he hasn't accused anyone of treason.
[Stewart:] He has not. He has acted very responsibly. But there have been dozens and dozens of politicians and other people and people in media who have made very serious accusations against Carter Page, for example. He's a great example of someone who has had the cloud of very serious accusations against him, and others as well, including the president and his own family.
[Blitzer:] And we learned yesterday there will be at least from Mueller's standpoint no more indictments coming forward, which is a very significant development. The Democrats, as you know, your Democratic colleagues, and they're the majority in the House of Representatives, they're not threatening to subpoena the full report if the new attorney general doesn't provide it to you and your fellow members of Congress. Would you support such a subpoena?
[Stewart:] Yes, I think the public has been clear on this, and we voted on this recently in the House, and I think it was unanimous.
[Blitzer:] It was 420 to zero.
[Stewart:] Yes, exactly. And I have been saying it for months, Wolf. National security isn't endangered here. These aren't nuclear codes, we're not revealing any sources or methods. This is a political conversation, a political debate. And I've always said this should be released. All of this information should be released. Much of our committee work should be released. I think it is important for the American people to have access to all of this. And one of the reasons is, if the Mueller report were redacted, if any paragraph or any sentence in that were redacted, I'm afraid that people would point to that and say, look, that's where the collusion is, they're not showing it.
[Blitzer:] Because you did tell me last month, and I'll quote what you said, I hope they don't redact a single sentence, a single paragraph. And you still stand by that?
[Stewart:] Absolutely.
[Blitzer:] What if they decide they are going to hold back on certain sensitive information for whatever reason?
[Stewart:] I would ask what is that information? and we should have access to that, especially those on the Intelligence Committee and members of Congress, we should be able to look at that and make a judgment. But I'm telling that almost in its entirety, this isn't anything endangering national security. This is just a political debate that we have been having.
[Blitzer:] Forget about the president, for a moment. As you know, the U.S. intelligence community, and you're on the Intelligence Committee, has agreed unanimously that Russia did interfere in the U.S. presidential elections. This is something that your committee is investigating. Do you want all the information that Mueller collected on Russian, this was his main charge, on Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election with the hope of helping Donald Trump as a candidate, that's what the U.S. intelligence community concluded, do you want all of that to be made available, not just to you and your committee but to the American people?
[Stewart:] Absolutely. Again, for the same reasons I've already expressed, all of that should be available. And for a couple of reasons. Number one is the American people want to know and deserve to know. Number two is they're going to do it again. When I say "they," I mean Russia. They're going to try to interfere again. And by the way
[Blitzer:] You accept the intelligence community's conclusion, even though the president very often expresses doubt about it.
[Stewart:] Yes. And I think there's some nuance there, but in its entirety, in the whole of it I do. But again, it is not just Russia that seeks to interfere. Other nefarious players do as well. China certainly has. North Korea and Iran certainly would try. And I think part of preparing on how to protect ourselves is to have a very open conversation about this is what we know happened, this is how they did it, this is how we think we can protect ourselves in the future, because, once again, we have an election coming up, we have this president who will be up for election. They'll certainly try to interfere once more.
[Blitzer:] Would you want Robert Mueller to appear before your House Intelligence Committee and testify in open session about what he's learned?
[Stewart:] Yes, I think that probably is a good idea, although I don't think it may be necessary.
[Blitzer:] He knows more about it than anyone.
[Stewart:] He does.
[Blitzer:] About his own investigation.
[Stewart:] And I think there's an implication in this, and that is for the last two years we have been told trust Mr. Mueller, trust Mr. Mueller, and I have, by the way. I have always said that I trust him, and I hoped he completed the work and I hope he did it quickly. But in some cases I think people are implying we don't trust him now. We want him to come before the committee and justify his conclusions. And I think that's unfair to him to think, OK, you didn't give us what we wanted, so now we're going to dive into it. But I think, again, on the whole, I think it is good for us to have him before the committee and be able to answer some of the questions
[Blitzer:] You know who said some of most nasty things about Robert Mueller over these past two years.
[Stewart:] Yes, I do.
[Blitzer:] That would be the president of the United States, very often tweeting about a hoax and a witch hunt and all of that kind of stuff, and that he just hired a bunch of Democrats to be his prosecutors.
[Stewart:] He's had concerns about him, no question about it.
[Blitzer:] Congressman Chris Stewart, as usual, thanks very much for coming in. Appreciate it very much. Chris Stewart of Utah. Up next, the attorney general is over at the Justice Department right now. He could share Robert Mueller's so-called principal conclusions with Congress soon. We're standing by for that.

[Allen:] Welcome back. Hundreds of Americans stuck aboard that quarantined cruise ship in Japan could be coming home earlier than expected. We've now learned the U.S. is preparing a charter flight Sunday for about 400 Americans still on that ship right there. They and other passengers, have been confined to their rooms for 11 days. And even though their evacuation from the Diamond Princess is voluntary, there are some caveats. First, they'll be quarantined in the U.S. for another 14 days. And if they choose not to leave the ship on Sunday, the U.S. embassy warns they won't be allowed back in the U.S. for an undefined period of time. Well, let's bring in CNN's Matt Rivers. He's in Yokohama. He's been covering this story from the start. You have been talking with people on this ship. Are you getting reaction now to these options they're going to have, Matt?
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes. And I think most people are certainly going to take the American government up on that option, especially because of some news we just learned about the disembarkation of the rest of this ship. Let me start first with these Americans. Interestingly, the State Department has not officially confirmed this is happening. We know that this is happening because of a letter that was sent to us by a passenger on board, that that passenger received from the U.S. embassy here in Tokyo. That letter lays out the plan, which would be for the Americans to send the plane to Tokyo on Sunday evening. People who want to get on that plane will leave the ship, get on a bus, go to the plane, fly back to the United States and do that 14-day quarantine period in one of two different American Air Force bases in California and San Antonio. If they choose to stay, though, well, that's when things would get interesting. What we also learned from the captain of the ship in an announcement is that this quarantine period that was imposed by Japanese authorities, which was scheduled to end on February 19th, well, that's going to go further and here's why. Starting on February 18th, so that will be Tuesday of this week, what's going to happen is that they're going to begin, Japanese authorities, testing all of the remaining passengers on board the ship. But they can only test so many people per day. And those tests take three days to come back. So if these passengers are tested on the 18th, the earliest they could get off is the 21st. And we know not everyone can get tested on the 18th. So that is the procedure facing all the other nationalities that are on board this ship, of which there are thousands of people. This quarantine period that was supposed to end on the 19th, now at the earliest for people, will end on the 21st. And how long it could go after that, Natalie, we're not sure.
[Allen:] There are some avenues for this to end. But it still, as you say, is complicated for sure. Matt Rivers for us, as always, thank you for bringing us the latest. Well, the coronavirus outbreak is giving all of us a crash course in how these diseases can spread and what could be done to counter them. As CNN's Lucy Kafanov learned, that's leading some patients under quarantine to question how experts are handling the crisis.
[Lucy Kafanov, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, U.S. officials are frustrated with a lack of information and data coming out of China. But some Americans under quarantine right here in the U.S. want more transparency from their own government.
[Kafanov:] As the coronavirus crisis grows, so are fears and frustrations among Americans in quarantine. At the Miramar Air Station near San Diego, evacuees from Wuhan increasingly worried after two were diagnosed with the virus. Now in isolation at a nearby hospital but not before spending time among the healthy evacuees. Jacob Wilson is among those in quarantine worried about the risk of infection.
[Jacob Wilson, Quarantined American:] We're all coming from the epicenter of this virus. And we were also exposed in Wuhan.
[Wilson:] So we wanted to get tested because in case the people that were within our facility that are walking around with us, going to meals with us, not wearing face masks with us, were infected. And if they just had mild symptoms or they even had a reason to hide their symptoms, they could potentially be transmitting the virus to us within the quarantine facility.
[Kafanov:] He and other evacuees sent this petition to the CDC, demanding what they call critical changes, including preventing people from gathering in small, enclosed environments and having protective gear delivered to their rooms. He shared this video, showing cleanup crews in hazmat suits, a new precaution. But the top request, for all evacuees to be tested for the virus, for now denied. The CDC saying it's not necessary.
[Wilson:] Our biggest concern, the first thing that we asked for on the petition, the ability to be voluntarily tested for the coronavirus has still fell on deaf ears.
[Kafanov:] A CDC spokesperson told CNN, "Several changes have been made to many of the procedures to address these concerns. We're doing what we can to make everyone as comfortable as possible." For Jacob, that's not enough.
[Wilson:] I have felt very troubled by the CDC's response. And I feel some of the lack of precautions that they had taken from the very beginning of our arrival had put us at risk.
[Kafanov:] That doesn't make you feel very safe.
[Wilson:] No. And I think that, you know, a lot of the people here's family don't feel safe as well.
[Kafanov:] Meanwhile, Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, reporting a record spike in the number of deaths. Chinese authorities resorting to wartime measures, barring citizens from leaving their homes. Beijing, revealing for the first time, more than 1,700 frontline medics are infected with the virus. Short on medical supplies, these doctors are creating protective gear out of garbage bags. American officials are frustrated with the lack of reliable data. There are only 15 confirmed cases in the U.S. so far. But that number could grow.
[Alex Azar, U.s. Health And Human Services Secretary:] Right now, the risk to Americans is very low. But that can change quickly. This is a virus and viruses don't respect borders.
[Kafanov:] We're learning now that five American cities will begin testing patients with flu-like symptoms for the coronavirus. The CDC says this was all part of an effort to determine whether that virus is spreading across communities in the U.S. Lucy Kafanov, CNN.
[Allen:] We want to remind you, you can get instant, continuous updates on the virus on our website, cnn.com. Next here, a step toward peace in Afghanistan. The U.S. and the Taliban have found some common ground. The specific ways we could see a reduction of violence in America's longest war. We'll talk about that. Also, President Trump is diverting billions of to his border wall. But we'll tell you why even some Republican lawmakers want to stop it.

[Barack Obama, Former President Of The United States:] And I think one of the biggest challenges all of us have this is not just progressives versus right-wing issue, this is really a genuine American society issue is, how do we reestablish some baselines of truth that at least the vast majority of people can agree to.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Joining me now is former FOX News chief political correspondent, Carl Cameron. He's currently the chief political correspondent for "Front Page Live." Great to see you, Carl. I wonder if you agree with former President Obama that this lives in the bloodstream beyond President Trump.
[Carl Cameron, Chief Political Correspondent, "front Page Live":] Sure it does. It has been made normal in a lot of parts of America to believe whatever the incoming conspiracy theory might be. It's worth noting that Barack Obama was a firsthand victim of that when it was Donald Trump who created the Birtherism movement, suggesting that he wasn't an American-born citizen. That kind of thing is very real for Obama and Democrats. It's important to remember that conspiracy theoryism is not new and not unique to Trump and to what happened to Barack Obama. In the modern era, all of this stuff really kind of started with the Kennedy assassination and the attempts to find out what really happened. Americans, coast to coast, were inundated with conspiracy theories. Then came Nixon. That wasn't a conspiracy theory. That was a conspiracy crime. And he actually left the office. So this has been going on for a long time. It is not the fault of free speech. It is the fault of vocabulary. Because too often people talk about the media and they lump in straight fact-based news with the media. There's a huge difference between Facebook and QAnon and various different platforms online and organizations that work to tell the public the truth. Fact-based news does exist. And unfortunately, the president has attempted to corrupt it by mixing it in with an awful lot of garbage on the Internet.
[Keilar:] When you think about some of that, when you think about some of the media that's not fact-based, there's never any accountability. Some things, say, pushed by FOX and the president is completely refuted, it's proven not to be truth. Like you had unmasking. You had the president's Voter Fraud Commission haven't to do with the 2016 election. It doesn't find fraud, they just kind of move on to the next thing. But here it is in the bloodstream. Is that the strategy, repeat, repeat, repeat, no accountability, just move on?
[Cameron:] Sure. But we can't just blame Trump for things that he says that aren't true, or the conspiracies that he concocts in order to take down an opponent. He's had help. He's had help from members of the U.S. Senate. He's had help from the Republican Congress, the Republicans in Congress. He's had help from Republican governors and Republican operatives all over the country. He has been saying forever that Obama-gate or the unmasking was going to be the biggest scandal of the century, bigger than anything the country has ever had. That has now been dismissed. It's gone. So those Senators, those House members, those Republican officeholders, who bought into the conspiracy theory, a false conspiracy, one that didn't ever exist, they have a lot to answer for. The news has a responsibility to talk about the falsehoods that politicians talk about on both sides. The media has become so bifurcated, such a Wild, Wild West, that it can often shout down facts. That's part of the problem. And American voters going to polls need to be discerning. Don't just buy into the stuff your family and friends send you to on Facebook. That isn't necessarily the news. It might be entertaining, but it isn't going to be educating for a good vote.
[Keilar:] Tonight, we have some dueling town halls. Are they going to be educating?
[Cameron:] Right.
[Keilar:] We'll see, right? You have Trump on NBC. Biden is on ABC. Do you think NBC deserves the backlash it's been getting for giving Trump a platform right opposite Joe Biden at the same time when he refused to debate Joe Biden as scheduled?
[Cameron:] Well, I don't understand the inside workings of either of those two networks. The fact of the matter is the president refused to take part in a bipartisan commission that's been around for almost half a century. And had said, look, we'll have a town hall meeting, but it will be virtual because of coronavirus. That's just good health regulation at this point. Trump said absolutely not. So, OK, then one network says, OK, then we'll give a town hall meeting with just Biden. It seems to me, now that they're both at the same time, those two networks ought to basically say, for the good of the country, they'll mesh the two together and make Trump and Biden talk to each other across networks. Of course, that's ridiculous and it's not going to happen.
[Keilar:] Yes.
[Cameron:] But that's what should have happened was the debate. The one that refused to do it was Trump, not Biden.
[Keilar:] Carl, you'll remember back to the primaries in 2016, Trump skipped a debate, a Republican debate in Iowa. And he actually paid for it, right? That didn't go his way in the end. He had a big veterans event. But, in the end, it wasn't good news for him. I wonder what you think the outcome will be this time. Is it going to cost him or this will this actually benefit him that he's not going to be debating?
[Cameron:] Well, that kind of depends on the questions that come from the town hall. If a well-spoken Democrat gets a question for Trump, and he doesn't like it, it will be interesting to see what happens. Chances are in a well-spoken Republican gives Biden a question, he'll give him a straight answer. The Republican may not like it. But it's not likely to be the kind of thing we have learned and seen from Trump over the course of the last four years. This is a really strange turn of events. And it's unfortunate the news operations are sort of caught in the middle of it. We should be having debates. We should be having a conversation about the possible instead of trying to break down the institutions and the norms of what the American election has been in the past. The fact that we have ballot issue questions and that Trump is saying that the whole thing will be a mess, it's never been like that. There's no evidence in our history of the kind of stuff that he's talking about. He's making the election sound like a conspiracy theory.
[Keilar:] Carl, thank you so much for joining us. It's great to talk to you.
[Cameron:] Thanks, Brianna. Hope we get in contact soon.
[Keilar:] All right, we will. Bye, Carl. Still ahead, Alabama's head football coach tests positive for coronavirus, but the team is still set to play this Saturday. Plus, an American tennis player is accused of going into hiding after testing positive for coronavirus while in Russia. We'll have details on his escape by private jet next.

[Anderson:] Rallying cries echoing across the Middle East. Scenes all too familiar emerging both in Lebanon where I am and in Iraq. Shared grievances over economic dysfunction and government corruption paralyzing both nations. But the mood in both countries, it has to be said, is very different. Here in Lebanon, protesters celebrating what many are calling here a revolution. Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigning, certainly submitting his resignation yesterday after nearly two weeks of nationwide demonstrations over government corruption and an economy in turmoil. But while protesters are happy to see Hariri's government go he, though, is likely to be running a transitional government they've promised not to back down until all of their demands are met. And in Iraq, there are no celebrations. Swarms of protesters defied a curfew Tuesday storming Baghdad's Tahrir Square. They are furious over the killing of at least 14 demonstrators a day earlier. Amnesty International says there is evidence security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters staging a sit-in, even trying to run them over with vehicles. Police deny anyone was killed. Well I want to bring in Laith Kubba, who is the independent adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister. Who says confronting corruption among Iraqi politicians is the only way to address these protests. He joins me now from Istanbul. And before we talk about that narrative, let's just talk about specifically what we've seen on these streets. The security services going after these protesters. This a report from Amnesty International. Is it true?
[Laith Kubba, Independent Adviser To Iraqi Prime Minister:] Well, yes, it is true because it happened already and over the last four weeks, the death toll now exceeded 270, and we're talking about nearly 10,000 injured people. Protesters in southern Iraq and many cities there has been violence. So, of course, it must be said that some of the victims were members of the security forces themselves. And sometimes a third party has been blamed for opening fire. But at the end of the day, putting the people in front of the army or security forces is really the fault of politicians. It's not the army who is the enemy. And certainly the people have legitimate demand. It's a dysfunctional political system.
[Anderson:] Well you are the independent adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister. You say confronting corruption among Iraq's politicians is the only way to address these protests. Should he resign?
[Kubba:] Well, I think initially everybody wanted to work within the system to bring change. It's been a year. But more importantly, because there has been such a high toll of people killed, over 270, now there is not trust between the people and the government. Something more fundamental needs to be brought to light. I think many people, including myself are now advising and thinking how transition should take place. I think steps are needed ahead of the demands of the demonstrators and the major bloc that brought the Prime Minister to power who does not have a political party. That main bloc has withdrawn its confidence and now it's looking at asking him to resign.
[Anderson:] Speaking in London at an event at Chatham House, you said recently and I quote, Iraq has 20 million young people aged under 20. They are raised with no memory of Saddam Hussein or the political issues. They are not getting the services in schools or hospitals or in the streets. And they are impatient. Well I think impatient is an understatement at this point. We have seen the successes of the protest groups here to the extent that phase one perhaps is complete and that the government has resigned. What happens next is very, very unclear. Demonstrators here calling for the entire political oligarchy as they call it to stand down. Is the Iraqi generation that you were speaking to when you made that statement at Chatham House, are they going to be the tipping point here?
[Kubba:] Their will has led the country, although they are young and they are unrelated to the past, but their bravely and their will had given the country a signal to move on. So they were joined by trade unions, by students, by many forces. And now I think the political class had put their weight behind them. The real challenge is how do you make the transition? Iraq cannot risk a power vacuum. We are neighbors to Iran. Iran feels it's under threat from America. It's hypersensitive about its security situation. But at the same time, regrettably, Iran is too close to some armed groups inside Iraq who are accused of corruption. Their centers have been burned. Some of their houses were attacked. So we are talking about a very tense situation that can lead either to more Iranian involvement or to more violence in the country. So all politicians, everybody is trying to find a way to meet the demonstrators demand. And I think it's a question no longer about economics. It's about dignity and independence and Iraqis have raised their expectations from those protesters, and I think they will win.
[Anderson:] I think the term dignity is one that we are hearing here on the streets as well, sir, and it is a good one. Just finally, according to state media, Iran's supreme leader has accused the U.S. and Western intelligence services for stirring up disorder both in Iraq and indeed here in Lebanon. Tehran's detractors will say that is ripe coming from a country that meddles in politics and more here. And certainly openly on the ground in Iraq.
[Kubba:] Well, I mean, Iraq understands fully Iran's concerns about its security. We observe the let's say the competition over power in the region and many countries. But the reality is on the ground. Those protesters went out to the street, out of their own will. Maybe politicians and others are trying to manipulate it. But the reality is, those protesters are Iraqis. And I think also, it seems not in the U.S. interest to create a vacuum or chaos in Iraq at the same time.
[Anderson:] We'll have to leave it there. We think you very much indeed for joining us. An important interview on what is a very important story. I'm Becky Anderson. I'm here in Beirut in Lebanon. We'll be back after this.

[Whitfield:] A bizarre war of words is breaking out between former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and current 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard. It all stems from a comment Clinton made Thursday suggesting that Gabbard, who has been accused of being cozy with Russia with the past, is a Russian asset and being used in the 2020 election.
[Hillary Clinton, Former Democratic Presidential Nominee:] I'm not making any predictions, but I think they have got their eye on somebody who's currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate. She's a favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far. And that's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not, because she's also a Russian asset.
[Whitfield:] Now, Clinton never used the word "Tulsi Gabbard", but the conventional wisdom has been people made their assessments and the inference is there that she was referring to Tulsi Gabbard. Meantime, Gabbard shot back in a tweet saying "Thank you, Hillary Clinton. You, the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party for so long have finally come out from behind the curtain." Gabbard also had this to say.
[Rep. Tulsi Gabbard , Presidential Candidate:] She is doing this because it's very clear to her that she knows she can't control me. That If I'm elected president, then she will not be able to come in and try to influence or manipulate me or the policies that I will lead forward for our country.
[Whitfield:] Let's talk about this. I'm joined now by CNN contributor Jill Dougherty. She's a global fellow for Woodrow Wilson Center and CNN's former Moscow bureau chief. Jill good to see you.
[Jill Dougherty, Cnn Contributor:] Hey Fred.
[Whitfield:] So let me have you listen to what CNN political commentator Van Jones had to say and how the comments of Hillary Clinton just kind of played into the hands of any objective that Russia may have had. Listen.
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator:] If you're concerned about disinformation, if you're concerned what the Russians do is they spread disinformation and get us divided against each other.
[Jones:] That is what just happened. Just throw out some information, disinformation, smear somebody. She's a former nominee of our party and she just came out against a sitting U.S. congresswoman, a decorated war veteran, and somebody who's running for the nomination of our party with just a complete smear and no facts.
[Whitfield:] So, Jill Russia, check, mission accomplished?
[Dougherty:] Well, often that is the case Fred. But I think here this is a complex thing because I understand on one level what Hillary Clinton is saying because many people know that in different elections, not just 2020 upcoming but in 2016 and even before Russia can use people. They can use, let's say, candidates in various ways. It could be like a Manchurian candidate. You remember that movie, you know, where there's a person who is I'm not saying that anybody is that, I'm just saying how they can use it. It could be a person who objectively is a willing agent of Russia and they sub rosa, secretly you know, run for office and then they get into office and they do what the enemy wants. Then there can also be useful idiots. And those are people it's actually a term, as you might know and that is people who espouse a certain viewpoint that's very useful to Russia. They are not objectively agents for Russia at all, but they are exploiting it. Then you have to add a third category of just people who have nothing to do with Russia or another force out there who can be used to deflect or pull away votes from another candidate. I think that may be what Hillary was talking about. However, I think that word, when I hear that word "groomed", that is, I think, a problem because to me that is an old Cold War Soviet term which to me implies complicity by the person who's being groomed. In other words, I'm being groomed to be a spy. And that if she is saying that, like if she has information this actually is going on, then she ought to provide it. But using that word to me is a red flag.
[Whitfield:] So the U.S. intelligence community has said, you know, Russia is likely trying it again to meddle into the 2020 election. Vladimir Putin himself joked not too long ago about meddling again in the upcoming election. So how seriously do you think national security officials take that comment? How concerned should 2020 campaigns be? How do they brace for, you know, potential Russian influence meddling?
[Doughterty:] I think obviously they would have to be looking at this as a technique among many different techniques. This is nothing new you know, using somebody, exploiting somebody, et cetera. You know, it's been done for a very long time. And I am absolutely positive that our intelligence services know how things like this could be done. We do know that the U.S. intelligence agencies, officials have said that there's no question that Russia will try to get involved and in fact use some new techniques perhaps in the 2020 election. So it is no secret to them. They would be ready if this should be used.
[Whitfield:] All right. Jill Dougherty thank you so much. Always good to see you.
[Dougherty:] Ok.
[Whitfield:] All right. Still ahead, chaos in the U.K. parliament prompts demonstrators to take to the streets. What's happening there right now could have a lasting impact on the United States as well. We're live on the scene, next.

[Hill:] "The Washington Post" reporting this morning President Trump's support for background checks following two mass shootings drew a warning from the NRA. Meantime, calls for Senate action on guns are now at Mitch McConnell's doorstep in Kentucky. CNN's Lauren Fox is live in Louisville with more for us this morning. Lauren, good morning.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Politics Congressional Reporter:] Good morning, Erica. That's right, pressure is growing on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. We expect Tim Ryan, a Democratic presidential candidates, will be headed to Louisville tonight with supporters from Ohio trying to pressure the majority leader to take action and bring gun legislation to the floor of the United States Senate. But, of course, he's not just getting pressure from Democrats. Yesterday, President Trump said he was open to doing something on background checks. And we know that privately and publicly he is putting pressure on Republicans to take action. He is having conversations with Senator Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania, somebody who has supported expanding background checks in the past. Now, behind the scenes, GOP aides say, look, their members are talking. They're having conversations. They're trying to figure out how to stop more mass shootings. But the reality is, a background checks expansion would be maybe too much for Republicans to stomach. So the big question is, is there something they could do on so-called red flag laws to incentivize states to pass more of those? They're also just trying to get a sense of whether Trump is actually serious about supporting something for the long haul. Look, they're all the way on recess and there's a big question whether or not the president is going to keep his focus on this issue moving forward. Now, I've been told from Republican aides that if there was ever a moment to do something, now would be it. There's a perception that the NRA is weak and I want to leave you with one thing that one Republican aide told me yesterday. He said, quote, there is a growing disdain for that part of the gun culture that thinks the essence of the Second Amendment is being able to walk around with a military grade weapon. So that gives you a sense of where the Republicans are at this moment. Erica.
[Hill:] Lauren Fox with the latest for us. Lauren, thank you. Sources close to the Trump administration tell CNN exclusively that White House officials rebuffed efforts by Department of Homeland Security colleagues to make combatting domestic terror threats a greater priority in the national counterterrorism strategy. Now, this reporting comes as the search for a new director of National Intelligence returns, of course, back to square one after President Trump's first choice, Congressman John Ratcliffe, abruptly pulled out of the running. Alex Marquardt is live here in Washington with the latest developments for us. Alex, good morning.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] Yes, good morning, Erica. That's right, there are big questions this morning over why the White House, for over a year, repeatedly ignored the Department of Homeland Security's calls for the Trump administration to focus more on domestic terrorism. Now, sources are telling our colleague, Jake Tapper, that the White House only wanted to focus on the jihadist threat while disregarding the rise of racial extremist violence here at home. Now, eventually, a paragraph about domestic terrorism was inserted into the official national counterterrorism strategy, but a source called that a throwaway line that does not mention white supremacists. Now, as you mentioned, all of this is happening as the White House seems to have hit the reset button really in its search to replace Dan Coats as the director of National Intelligence. The Trump administration, of course, suffered a huge blow when Congressman John Ratcliffe withdrew himself over a five-day firestorm over his lack of experience, his exaggerated resume and his noteworthy political partisanship. Sources are telling CNN that the White House is going through a more deliberative and diligent process, while also looking for someone who would be palatable to the president. Several administration officials are telling CNN that they are willing to take their time, they're consulting with the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, as well as others on Capitol Hill and various national security experts. Some of the names that we are hearing being floated are the former Georgia Congressman Saxby Chambliss, the former NSA director, Mike Rogers, and the current ambassador to the Netherlands, John Hoekstra. Time is very much ticking, though, Erica. Dan Coats steps down exactly a week from today. The White House still hasn't said who will be the acting DNI during that nomination process. Dan Coats' number two, Sue Gordon, would be the logical choice given her decades in the intelligence community and wide separate respect for her. The president recently said that he does like Sue Gordon but she is very much part of the intelligence establishment, which the president has repeatedly criticized. Erica.
[Hill:] All right, as you point out, the clock is ticking. Alex, thank you. Up next, living in fear. We speak with members of a Latino community to find out how the shooting in El Paso is now affecting their everyday lives.

[Blitzer:] An image that is now written forever in U.S. history, an American fighter who devoted his life to human equality in the iconic bridge where that fighter nearly died for the cause. This is the body of Congressman John Lewis crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama for the last time earlier today. It's a place of deep meaning in the storied life of John Lewis, an important part of the journey to his final resting place. Right now, he is being honored by the State of Alabama and the City of Montgomery, where he will lie in state at the State Capitol until tomorrow, then he'll be transported to the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol here in Washington to lie in state before being laid to rest in Atlanta. In just a few minutes, CNN will present the second installment of its series on systemic racism in America, Fredricka Whitfield is returning to host this one-hour special on implicit bias in our country. Fred, you'll be looking closely at bias in policing, for example, how are you approaching that issue?
[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn Anchor:] Well, right. I mean, two months now after the killing the police involved killing of George Floyd and now police departments across the country are re-examining themselves. They're re-evaluating, introducing or perhaps re-introducing to their departments police bias training. They're also looking at new training to de-escalate. And then of course, there are the arguments that many departments are making. There is reticence to even have bias training because they fear what it might do and how it might impact police morale. But then there are others in the business of policing who say, it's great to have police bias training, but you have to have follow up and if you don't have follow up, you're just going to return to some of the old methods or some of the old problems that are not encouraging better police community relations.
[Blitzer:] You're also I understand, you're going to take a closer look at how some of those same biases translate to sports. Tell us a little bit more about that side of this issue.
[Whitfield:] Right. And for the most part, we really are illuminating how elite athletes are using their power to promote change. That's nothing new. We've seen that whether it be a Muhammad Ali and the Vietnam War and the stance that he took, John Carlos and Tommie Smith, with a fist up in the air in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. But perhaps what is different today is an acknowledgement from many of today's athletes who are realizing that they actually can promote change within the organizations. I mean, Bubba Wallace, you know, for example, influencing NASCAR. And of course, everyone knows the story now of Colin Kaepernick, but we're going to have a spirited debate and discussion tonight about athletes recognizing the power that they have, the elevated influence they have, and how they are learning from some of their predecessors who made history.
[Blitzer:] We're grateful to you, Fred, for doing this. This is going to be a one-hour special coming up right at the top of the hour, "Unconscious Bias." That is next. Thanks very much for doing what you're doing.
[Whitfield:] Thanks, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Appreciate it very much. Fredricka Whitfield. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. I'll be back in one hour at 9:00 p.m. Eastern with another special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM. We're about to take a closer look at how the coronavirus pandemic could impact presidential politics as we are right now only 100 days away from Election Day here in the United States and just 54 days away from the first votes being cast for President. "UNCONSCIOUS BIAS" with Fredricka Whitfield starts right after a quick break.

[Martin Savidge, Cnn:] Hello, everyone, thanks for joining me. I'm Martin Savidge, in for Fredricka Whitfield. In just a few days, President Trump will likely become just the third President in the United States to be impeached. The full House expects to hold a vote on Wednesday if Congress passes the historic two Articles of Impeachment, then the Senate trial would take place in January. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is already calling for a quick trial to acquit the President with no witnesses being called. Democrats are now raising concerns about a possible rush to judge by some Republican senators. Today, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff urged the Senate to not only call witnesses but to also introduce documents, which the White House blocked during the Impeachment Inquiry.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] I think there are any number of witnesses that should be called in the Senate trial and many witnesses the American people would like to hear from that the administration has refused to make available; and perhaps of equal, if not greater importance are the thousands and thousands of documents that the administration refuses to turn over. I would hope that every senator of both parties would like to see the documentary evidence. They'd like to hear from these witnesses that haven't testified and I would urge Mitch McConnell to start negotiating with Chuck Schumer to make sure that those senators have a full record.
[Savidge:] CNN Senior Washington Correspondent, Jeff Zeleny joins us now and Jeff, good to see you. Both sides appear to be digging in, as this impeachment vote nears, but I guess that's really no surprise.
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Good afternoon, Martin. It is no surprise. Look, I mean, we've been building up to this really for several weeks and all sides are locked in their positions here. But the question about the shape and scope of that Senate trial is still very much up in the air. The President is, you know, of course on Friday, he said he would be okay with a long or a short proceeding, but it really is a subject of a big discussion, who is going to represent him? You know if there are going to be witnesses? But there really is a lot of fire now being directed at Senate Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying he is working hand in glove with the President with the White House that drew a sharp rebuke today from House Judiciary Chairman, Jerry Nadler.
[Rep. Jerrold Nadler:] The Constitution prescribes a special oath to the senators when they sit at a trial and impeachment, they have to pledge to do impartial justice. And here you have the majority of the Senate, in effect, the format of the jury saying he is going to work hand in glove with a defense attorney. And that's a violation of the oath that they're about to take, and it's a complete subversion of the constitutional scheme.
[Zeleny:] So certainly, this is going to be the subject of much discussion as we head toward that expected vote on Wednesday, but particularly as this moves toward a Senate trial in January here. Republicans are saying that there is simply is not enough evidence, but there is a question for those Republicans in the middle, those one or two who are up for reelection next year, Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado; others Mitt Romney of Utah, of course has been very critical of this President and that Ukraine phone call. So this is very much still an it's up in the air how this is going to resolve itself, but much criticism, of course, going into this very important week as the vote comes on Wednesday.
[Savidge:] I want to ask you about this interesting development. There are some Democrats reportedly who are pushing for Michigan Congressman Justin Amash, the former Republican, now turned Independent representative to be a House manager for the Senate impeachment trial. What's the thinking behind that?
[Zeleny:] Well, this is very interesting, and if this would come to pass, this is still just in the wish phase, if you will. Some freshmen House Democrats are urging Speaker Pelosi to put Justin Amash as one of the impeachment managers and that would mean one of the most conservative members of the House. He is one of the few House Republicans, he is now an Independent, but former House Republicans who have spoken out against this President. Imagine if you have a sharp firebrand conservative leading this Impeachment Inquiry in the Senate, it certainly would change the conversation about that. But we do not know yet if Speaker Pelosi is actually going to sign on to this or not or if she wants to keep more control over this by having Democrats as impeachment managers. But look what Justin Amash said yesterday to Senator Lindsey Graham about his, you know, the idea that there is, you know, essentially not an impartial proceeding here in the Senate. He said this, "Senator Graham has chosen to violate his oath to support and defend the Constitution, his oath to impartial justice in an impeachment trial and his duty to represent all the people of his state, not just those who share his political views or desire a particular outcome." So Justin Amash there going after Lindsey Graham, so if this would come to pass, if he would be one of the impeachment managers, it certainly would add, you know, some fireworks and perhaps some credibility to those Independent voters in the middle who will be watching all of this proceed in the Senate. But we still aren't sure if Speaker Pelosi will sign off on this. So we'll certainly keep our eye on this Martin.
[Savidge:] Yes. Just when you thought you knew everything that was going to happen.
[Zeleny:] Right.
[Savidge:] There's that.
[Zeleny:] We do not.
[Savidge:] No, we don't. Jeff Zeleny. Thanks very much.
[Zeleyn:] Sure.
[Savidge:] So what's the White House strategy going to be? Let's bring in CNN White House Correspondent, Jeremy Diamond and Jeremy, the President's special adviser on impeachment, Pam Bondi spoke about the impeachment this morning. What did she have to say about the White House strategy?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Reporter:] Well, Martin, with the House of Representatives, all but certain to impeach President Trump within a few days, the White House is really shifting its focus to the Senate, where of course the President will face a trial if indeed he is impeached by the House of Representatives and White House lawyers are busy preparing for that the potential of that trial in the Senate and the White House's messaging operation is also in full force, and that is where we find Pam Bondi, a special adviser at the White House over this impeachment matter. And she said that the White House and the President himself see the Senate trial as an opportunity for a fair process.
[Pam Bondi, Impeachment Adviser To Donald Trump:] We weren't given a fair trial in the House at all. Now, it goes to the Senate and these senators the President deserves to be heard. We should be working hand in hand with them. The rules of evidence will apply. These are the senators who will decide if our President is impeached, which will not happen, we should and will work hand in hand with them.
[Diamond:] And those comments, of course, come despite the fact that Democrats have been extremely critical of both the White House and the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for talking about that coordination that is already taking place between the White House and Senate Republicans over the trial that the President would face in the Senate, and they are not backing down because essentially, both Senate Republicans and the President see this Senate trial as an opportunity for the President to be vindicated, despite the allegations that he has faced, including from members of his own administration. And despite Pam Bondi there suggesting that the President wants to be heard, there is no indication that the President or any of his advisers, frankly, will take the stand in a trial in the Senate. Instead, the President seems much more content to continue flinging allegations on Twitter. This morning already, he was coming tending to attack this impeachment process as a hoax, and I think, we'll be continuing to see more of the same as this process moves forward Martin.
[Savidge:] All right, Jeremy Diamond. Thanks very much. And we have New Jersey's democratic Governor on later in this hour. He'll be talking about the case of Jeff Van Drew. He is the Democratic congressman who is now upset about the impeachment process and he says, so much so he may change parties. We want to find out about what is going on there. With me now, though, is Shan Wu. He is a former Federal prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst. And Shan, always good to see you. Thanks for joining us.
[Shan Wu, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Good to see you, Martin.
[Savidge:] How can Senators McConnell and Graham honor their oath to do impartial justice when they both appear to have basically decided what the outcome of this case is going to be already?
[Wu:] Well, they certainly don't seem to be very impartial, Martin. I think for them, the legal escape hatch here is that unlike the oath that jurors take in a courtroom, this one is a little different. In the courtroom, there's a lot of scrutiny. The judges asked the jurors, lawyers asked the jurors, have you already made up your mind before you hear the evidence? This oath is very different because the emphasis is on impartially do justice. So the legal minds that can advise McConnell and Graham can tell them well, that's a question of what does the word justice mean? You think you are being impartial. I'm sure they would say it's the Democrats who are being partisan about the justice aspect of it. So they're interpreting it that way. Does it violate the spirit of that oath? Probably yes. But legally, that's the way that you would parse it. And that, again, is one of the crucial differences between having a trial in a courtroom versus having this very historical trial in the Senate.
[Savidge:] I want to get your take on, you know, the President is saying that he would prefer a longer trial. He would love a number of witnesses to be called. But of course, we already know rank and file Republicans such as Lindsey Graham want a short trial with no witnesses, basically going on what was testified to in the House. What legal strategies do you think the Republicans and Democrats are trying to pursue here?
[Wu:] Well, there are quite different ones. The Republican legal strategy has got to be to go short on this. They don't want witnesses. There's no witness testimony that will be helpful to them. All witness testimony is harmful to them. The President is not known for his legal strategy. He may be rather good at media strategies. But his idea of prolonging and having more witnesses would just be a catastrophe for the Republicans. The Democrats, on the other hand, they want to go long and deep. The more evidence, the more witnesses they can put on, the better it is. And also they have an advantage, which is again, because it's not in the courtroom, they are not constrained by typical rules of evidence. There's also usually a lot of rulings by the judge to make sure that it's a narrow band and evidence only relevant to the charges. They have a lot of wiggle room here. They can try to bring in a lot of misconduct that is not actually "charged," quote-unquote, so that they can portray the full amount of the misconduct. And that may really go towards their real jury, the real audience.
[Savidge:] Well, who wins the real jury in an impeachment trial? I mean, we know it's the senators. But how much of a factor is the public?
[Wu:] I think the public in this instance is the real jury. I think, the Senate has a foregone conclusion which way they're going to come out barring something really unforeseen. So for the Democrats here, besides doing their constitutional duty of prosecuting the impeachment, they need to get the word out to the American public to show the full problem with this President. And in so doing, they probably won't affect the diehard cadre of Trump devotees, but they could whittle down the edges, Independents and maybe if they do a really good job, some of the more moderate Republicans may begin to feel a little bit ambivalent and maybe stay at home and thus voting with their feet Martin.
[Savidge:] Right and it could be just a narrow margin that makes all the difference in the outcome of the next election.
[Wu:] Oh, absolutely.
[Savidge:] Shan Wu. Good to see you. Thank you very much for being here.
[Wu:] Good to see you.
[Savidge:] Coming up, James Comey says he was overconfident and wrong. The mistakes the former FBI Director admits were made in the agency's Russia investigation, up next.

[Whitfield:] Soon the president will be leaving the White House and everyone's waiting to see if he'll be addressing reporters on his way to the AlabamaLSU football game today. All of this comes ahead of what's expected to be another busy week in Washington as the impeachment hearings go public. First up, on Wednesday, lawmakers will question the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor. CNN's Jessica Schneider looks at this week's biggest developments in the Democrats' impeachment inquiry.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] Testimony unveiled from two key witnesses point to White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney as the one who coordinated the quid pro quo demand with Ukraine. Fiona Hill, the White House's former top Russia adviser telling lawmakers last month that E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland made Mulvaney's instructions clear when they met with Ukrainian officials July 10th at the White House. Hill testifying, Ambassador Sondland in front of the Ukrainians as I came in was talking about how he had an agreement with Chief of Staff Mulvaney for a meeting with the Ukrainians if they were going to go forward with investigations. The White House's top expert on Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, echoed that. Saying investigations by Ukraine were the deliverable coordinated by Mulvaney. Sondland just said that he had a conversation with Mr. Mulvaney and this is what was required in order to get a meeting. Vindman adding, "There was no ambiguity that a White House meeting was contingent on Ukraine opening an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter." Several witnesses have testified that the holdup of military aid for Ukraine was also directed by Mulvaney. Hill recounted how the proposed deal alarmed then-National Security Adviser John Bolton, who she said immediately stiffened and ended the July 10th meeting. Last month, Mulvaney admitted there was indeed a quid pro quo before he later walked it back.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief Of Staff:] I have news for everybody. Get over it. There's going to be political influence in foreign policy.
[Schneider:] Vindman discussed how he drafted talking points ahead of that July 25th phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky and said his suggestions definitely did not include anything about investigations into the 2016 election, the Bidens or Burisma. When Fiona Hill finally read the rough transcript of the president's call with Zelensky, she said she was very shocked and very saddened about Trump's pretty blatant push for politically motivated investigations. Hill also recounted how Gordon Sondland made clear he was in charge of Ukraine affairs describing a blowup with him. When she later asked, who put him in charge, he said the president, Hill testified. Well, that shut me up because you can't really argue with that. [on camera] Fiona Hill also disclosed that she received death threats and hateful calls during her year at the National Security Council before she left in August and she says many of those threats have now continued now that she is front and center as a key voice in the impeachment inquiry. Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
[Whitfield:] All right, with me right now, Michael Zeldin, a former federal prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst. Always good to see you, Michael. So, let's talk about the White House Chief of Staff Mulvaney. He's claiming he has absolute immunity when it comes to testifying in this impeachment probe. Is the law on his side?
[Michael Zeldin, Cnn Legal Analyst:] I don't think so. There's been very little law that addressed this issue. The most recent case was a case where the House asked for the testimony of former White House counsel under George Herbert Walker Bush George W. Bush rather, Harriet Miers, and the court there rejecting this absolute immunity argument said that it would make the branch of government the non-co- equal. I'm trying to think of the exact language. He said it would put the House at a disadvantage to the executive branch, and he rejected that argument. So the only law on this rejects the executive branch's absolute immunity position. I think Mulvaney is in a worse case than Harriet Miers was because this is in the context of an impeachment where the House has even more powers than it did under the other scenario.
[Whitfield:] So that is the opinion that if there was that kind of absolute immunity, then that really undermines congressional oversight authority. I mean, the whole checks and balances, if that body cannot talk to people around the president.
[Zeldin:] Exactly. And especially so in an impeachment context where the House is, you know, essentially proceeding as if it were a judicial body. So that gives even more impetus to the House's argument.
[Whitfield:] Interesting. All right, so far, you know, no one has testified that they received orders directly from President Trump, but there is this. Take a listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened to China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine.
[Mulvaney:] We do that all the time with foreign policy. I have news for everybody, get over it. There's going to be political influence in foreign policy.
[Whitfield:] All right, so with that, in addition, you know, do lawmakers need, Michael, you know, direct orders from the president in order to establish an abuse of powers?
[Zeldin:] No. They can get that information derivatively from the president through his advisers. You know, it was quite clear in the Nixon impeachment that Nixon spoke to Ehrlichman and other advisers, Mitchell and Haldeman to give the directions and there was no immunity from President Nixon for that criminal behavior. And so likewise here. If the president is behind this scheme to extract a favor from Ukraine before anything would proceed militarily or as a matter of White House appearance, then it doesn't make a difference that it didn't come directly out of the mouth of the president.
[Whitfield:] OK. And that perfect call transcript, I mean, he used the words, you know, do me this favor. So attorneys for the president's former national security adviser, John Bolton, you know, are dropping hints to the White House and to lawmakers saying, you know, that Bolton has relevant information to share but he'll only testify if forced to. So how important, a, could, you know, Bolton testimony be, and, you know, can he set this kind of conditions like that?
[Zeldin:] Well, he shouldn't be able to set these sorts of conditions. Bolton who's an honorable guy, a conservative thinker but nonetheless honorable, should understand that the president's adviser does not enjoy absolute immunity as we just discussed, and in the context of impeachment he should come forward. That said, if he doesn't choose to do so, the House should enforce a subpoena against him and try to require his testimony. I think that this gambit of waiting for the judiciary to decide is a delay tactic and should not be acceptable.
[Whitfield:] All right, Michael Zeldin, thank you so much.
[Zeldin:] Thanks, Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right, coming up next, Berlin celebrates 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. CNN is near what is left of that wall.

[Michael Dolan, Attorney For Demetrus Anderson:] Drop the ball.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] It wasn't him. It wasn't Demetrus.
[Dolan:] It was not him.
[Berman:] They blew it. Someone either the state of the federal government blew it. And, Demetrus, this is an important point I want to get to before I bring Van in. How have you lived your life in the years since you have been released from prison?
[Demetrius Anderson, Could Be Sent Back To Prison Over Clerical Error:] Like an American, law abiding citizen, doing everything right, working, gainfully employed, involved in my community, involved in my church found a church home. Just doing everything that I was supposed to do.
[Berman:] Now, Van Jones, I want to bring you into this conversation because I think you all saw this story, like so many of us did, in the New Haven papers and in the Yale papers. You look at this and you think this runs counter to the idea of the justice, in quotation marks, system that we have in place.
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, I mean, absolutely. The whole point of the corrections system is to correct people. How can you say at this point 13 years later this man needs correction when he's done everything right? As best we can tell, he hasn't he doesn't even have an overdue library book. He's living better than me. He's living better than you. He's doing all the things you want someone to do. And if you're going to say this person, after 13 years of doing nothing wrong, of rebuilding his life, has to go back and do and do time, you have literally millions of other people who are out here who are supposed to do the right thing. What's to say that in five years, 10 years, 20 years, somebody's going to go back through the sock drawer and find something to put them back in jail? This doesn't make any sense. When somebody has actually rehabilitated themselves, that's the whole point. He's already done time for this crime and he should get credit for that. And he's he should get more credit for 13 years out of trouble. You know the statistics. When people come home from prison, the vast majority, unfortunately, wind up back in trouble very quickly. He has not been back in trouble for 13 years. The only trouble he is in now is because of a bizarre clerical error that could destroy his life.
[Berman:] And, Van, you worked with Jared Kushner at the White House on criminal justice reform and prison reform. Do you intend to reach out personally to the White House to see if the president will get involved?
[Jones:] I have already done so. And we'll see what happens. Here's the deal. I'm going to personally ask President Trump to do something. I'm going to ask everybody I know in the White House to do something. But I think everybody in America should get involved in this case. This is the kind of stuff that's so demoralizing and debilitating for people who are trying hey, listen, you let me talk about a role model. This is a guy that everybody coming out of prison hopes they will be. You don't grab your role model and throw your role models in jail. You should put your role models on your shoulders and parade them around. And so I'm going to ask, but, you know, also, cut50.org is doing something. I'm a part of the reformalliance.com. We are getting involved. Please reach out, help us make this a big issue. It's very rare, obviously, for the president to get involved in something like this, but we think the judges involved should give him credit for time served. We think the president should get involved. We think everybody should get involved.
[Berman:] Demetrus, you have an April 4th court date.
[Anderson:] Correct.
[Berman:] And this is very soon. You could end up back in federal prison in a week. Are you scared?
[Anderson:] I'm very scared. I'm very scared.
[Berman:] What do you think is going to happen?
[Anderson:] I'm optimistic that justice will prevail. I still have faith in the judicial system. So I'm just praying and, you know, leaning on my faith that this could be, you know, vindicated.
[Berman:] Well, Demetrus Anderson, Mike Dolan, thank you very much for being with us. Van, thank you for bringing this to our attention.
[Anderson:] Thank you, Van. Thank you so much.
[Berman:] And we will follow this over the next ten days. It is a very important story. Thank you. Be sure to watch Van's show tomorrow night. 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg is Van's guest. How does he plan to break out of a crowded Democratic field? There's evidence he may have found a bit of a way already. That's 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on
[Cnn. Camerota:] All right, some school shooting survivors in Parkland, Florida, are finding help inside an unlikely place. We'll take you there, next.

[Cooper:] Two new reports say a major boost in testing is in need of handling the pandemic. One calls for a three to 30 tests a day are needed. The other says 20 million tests a day are needed. New York's governor says that'll be the biggest topic of conversation when he meets with President Trump at the White House today. Meantime, the FDA just approved the first at-home coronavirus test for emergency use. CNN Senior Medical Correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is with us. Some study results or lack of effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine.
[Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] That's right, Hydroxychloroquine you may remember is the drug that President Trump has been touting, calling it a game changer. This study, done by Veterans Administration doctors, found that those who took Hydroxychloroquine, the drug that Trump likes. had more than twice the death rate compares to patients who did not take it. One note of caution, this study was published on the preprint Web site. It has not been reviewed by other physicians and not been published. Hydroxychloroquine is one of this drugs that are being studied. Also. at the same time, doctors are really trying to get antibody testing going. That's testing that can see, it is not about treatment but testing to see how may already possibly have antibodies to coronavirus and may be immune.
[Cohen:] Antibody testings, we can't get back to normal without it.
[Deborah Birx, Coordinator, White House Coronavirus Task Force:] The antibody piece is critical.
[Cohen:] These tests shows whether you have been infected with COVID-19 and develop antibodies and may be immune. This week, we are learning there are several problems. One, some of the tests don't work.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy & Infectious Diseases:] The problem is that these tests need to be validated and calibrated. Many of the tests out there don't do that.
[Cohen:] Two, the tests need certain materials to make it work. Many officials say it is not enough of these supplies.
[Anthony Cuomo, , New York Governor:] Those labs can only run as many tests as the national manufactures provide them chemicals, reagents and lab kits. The national manufactures say there are supply chain issues. I would like the federal government to help on those supply chain issues.
[Cohen:] Even if you have antibodies, it is not clear what it means.
[Fauci:] There's an assumption, a reasonable assumption that when you have an antibody that you're protect against reinfection. But that has not been proven for this particular virus.
[Cohen:] While work on antibody testing continue, researchers are working on a drug that'll fight COVID-19. Novartis announces it will begin new clinical trials to study Hydroxychloroquine. President Trump has touted this drug. And there are 25 other studies that are getting started. The University of California, San Francisco, is recruiting 6,000 patients with COVID to see if the anti-inflammatory will treat it. It is used now to treat gouts. Hoping one drug or another will save people from dying during this pandemic. Looking again at Hydroxychloroquine, that's the drug that Trump has been touting, it is a mystery here. Anderson, we were told yesterday to expect results from a New York study of preliminary results of a large study we are looking to see what that would find. It was not released and not exactly clear why Governor Cuomo talked about having to share some information with federal agencies. We don't know when we are going to be getting those result Anderson?
[Cooper:] Thank you, Elizabeth Cohen. Appreciate it. President Trump comes to the rescue of oil and gas companies today after an historic drop in oil prices and as the pandemic continues to torpedo demands. Plus, U.S. official monitoring that Kim Jong-Un may be in a grave condition after a surgery. We'll tell you what we know about the North Korean leader's health, coming up.

[John Delaney,  Former President Candidate:] And I've had some amazing supporters here in Iowa and I want to thank them all. And of course, most importantly, I want to thank my amazing wife and my four daughters. It's been an amazing journey. We've made a difference. And now we've got to win in November and actually start governing in this country.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Congressman Delaney, thanks so much for being with us. And thanks to our international viewers for watching. For you, CNN Newsroom with Max Foster is next. For our U.S. viewsers, this is the day, the final day likely of the impeachment trial. NEW DAY continues right now.
[Unidentified Male:] Republican Senator Lamar Alexander says he This will be the most significant vote he makes in his career. And one of the last votes he'll make. The president's impeachment trial could be over.
[Donald Trump,  President Of The United States:] I call it the impeachment hoax. And that's what it is, it's a hoax.
[Unidentified Male:] I'm gravely concerned about what this means. We are likely to move on Saturday at the end of the day the president will be acquitted.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi,  House Speaker:] He will not be acquitted. You cannot be acquitted if you don't have a trial. And you don't have a trial if you don't have witnesses and documentation.
[Unidentified Male:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Berman:] Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Friday, January 31st. It is 8:00 in the east. And this morning, here's a question. What is to keep a presidential candidate from opening an office of foreign interference outreach going forward? Maybe nothing, because the breaking news overnight, a no from Senator Lamar Alexander. No witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial, and he is almost definitely the deciding vote. It's very revealing. Listen to this. He says, quote, "There is no need for more evidence to conclude that the president withheld the United States aid, at least in part, to pressure Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. The House managers have proved this with what they call a mountain of overwhelming evidence." The Democratic House managers have proved their case, Alexander says. He even concedes that he believes the president acted inappropriately, but he says not enough to remove him from office or hear from any more witnesses. Now Democrats would need four Republicans to vote with them to force witnesses. Senator Collins and Mitt Romney just moments ago officially announced he officially announced he is a yes vote on witnesses. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski says she will announce her decision this morning. We're waiting for that. If she is a yes, it would be a 5050 tie. Then what happens? Well, it would be up to the chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, to step in and break a tie if, if he wants to. That would be unchartered historic territory. Unclear he wants to dive in and cast that tiebreaking vote.
[Camerota:] The impeachment trial continues at 1:00 p.m. eastern. If witnesses are blocked the senator ahead of them, a potential vote to convict or acquit the president could take place late tonight or early Saturday morning. Joining us now is Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. He's one of the House impeachment managers and chair of the Democratic Caucus. Good morning, Congressman.
[Hakeem Jeffries,  House Budget Committee:] Good morning.
[Camerota:] Let me read a little bit more of that late-night statement from Senator Lamar Alexander. He says "It was inappropriate for the president to ask a foreign leader to investigate his political opponent and to withhold United States aid to encourage that investigation. When elected officials inappropriately interfere with such investigations, it undermines the principle of equal justice under the law. But the Constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the president from office and ban him from this year's ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate." What do you think of Senator Alexander's position?
[Jeffries:] It's disappointing. I think that Senator Alexander has clearly indicated we have presented an overwhelming case to prove the guilt of Donald Trump as charged. The facts are largely uncontested, and the president must be held accountable. He solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election. Most people who have been reasonably following the case presented by the House managers will come to that conclusion. And if you come to that conclusion, that Donald Trump tried to cheat, he got caught, and then of course, he worked hard to cover it up, he should be held accountable, and the Constitution indicates that accountability means conviction and removal.
[Camerota:] Doesn't look as though that's the way it's going to go. And Senator Lamar Alexander, it was interesting his statement last night. This happened at 11:00 p.m. last night. Some people are just waking up right now and hearing it. And as you say, he points out that you did the House impeachment managers did prove their case, but it wasn't enough. And so what do you think you and your fellow House managers did wrong to not convince him to want to hear from witnesses or see more documents?
[Jeffries:] Well, I don't want to play Monday morning quarterback because it's not Monday morning yet. We still have a case to make on the floor of the United States Senate. There will be four hours of debate as it relates to the need for relevant witnesses. And we will make the best use of our time led by our lead manager Adam Schiff who has been doing a phenomenal job. What is clear is the American people overwhelmingly understand there should be a fair trial. The president deserves a fair trial. Our democracy deserves a fair trial. The Constitution deserves a fair trial. And a fair trial means witnesses. A fair trial means documents. A fair trial means evidence. And for the first time in American history, the Senate may conclude that it's going to conduct an impeachment trial in the absence of a single witness. So we're going to make our case.
[Camerota:] Well, OK. When you make your case, you have been making your case, but today when you continue to make your case you might be able to sway Senator Lisa Murkowski who we according to our reporting is still on the fence this morning. If you do, it becomes a 5050 tie. Do you believe that Chief Justice Roberts should step in and be a tiebreaker?
[Jeffries:] Well, we'll see if we get to that moment, because there are several other senators who haven't announced their decision as it relates to whether they're going to support witnesses or not.
[Camerota:] Like who? I'm just curious, Congressman. Who do you think is still a possibility?
[Jeffries:] Well, listen, I mean, I don't want to get into the business of calling the names of individual senators, but you've got a senator in Arizona, you've got a senator in Colorado, you've got a senator in North Carolina, you've got senators all over the place who haven't indicated one way or another where they're going to go on the question of witnesses, particularly as it relates to John Bolton who had a direct conversation with Donald Trump apparently in the Oval Office where President Trump said to Ambassador Bolton that he was demanding these investigations and withholding $391 million in military and security aid from a vulnerable Ukraine to try and get him. That is presidential extortion. That's a geopolitical shakedown. That's an abuse of power. And hopefully there will be some senators who will come to the conclusion that, at minimum, witnesses should be heard so that the truth can be presented to the American people.
[Camerota:] Maybe. But again, this morning it feels less likely than it did last night at 10:59 p.m. with Senator Lamar Alexander coming out and saying he is now a no on witnesses. And so, I think what you keep saying is that all the polls suggest that a majority of Americans want to hear from witnesses. The Quinnipiac poll, the most recent, had it at 75 percent of Americans believe witnesses should be allowed to testify. And so what do you say to them this morning when they wake up and hear this news that it doesn't look as though it's going to go that way?
[Jeffries:] Well, I have great respect for the United States Senate, and I believe that both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans, have sat through the last two weeks attentively with dignity and respect, giving all of us the opportunity to make our case. And we have one last chance today at least on the question of witnesses. What I think the senators will be asked to consider in the context of the presentation made by House managers, are we going to normalize presidential lawlessness? Are we going to normalize presidential corruption? Are we going to normalize presidential abuse of power in the manner that Professor Dershowitz suggested that we should? That would be problematic for the country, for the Constitution, and for America, and God help us all if we go down that path.
[Camerota:] We just heard in our open there, maybe you heard it, that Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president can't be acquitted if there's no trial, and there can't be a trial if there's no witnesses. But that's not true. The president can be acquitted. And as you know, there a vote to convict or acquit. Maybe she means vindicated, but do you agree with the speaker of the House that the president cannot be acquitted?
[Jeffries:] Well, I'm not going to comment on what guilt or innocence will come out of the trial while I'm still in the midst of the trial. But I fundamentally and strongly agree with Speaker Pelosi's point, and she's been a phenomenal leader of the House at this very tumultuous time. I fundamentally agree with her point that in the absence of witnesses, in the absence of documents, in the absence of evidence, in the absence of a fair trial, how can the American people conclude that justice was done? Many will conclude that it was not.
[Camerota:] Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, we'll be watching very closely today. Thank you for your time this morning.
[Jeffries:] Thank you very much.
[Camerota:] John?
[Berman:] It was interesting, the congressman didn't want to jump ahead past today, but the outcome is essentially clear at this point. And it does raise the question, what next? What next? How does the country, the Senate, the Congress approach this? We are going to speak to a U.S. senator who will cast a vote today, several, in fact, next.

[Quest:] I can't beat Usain Bolt in a foot race, but this makes it a fair race. It is the QUEST MEANS BUSINESS e-scooter. Now, Bolt is also hopping on the craze for electric scooters. He's the co-founder of Bolt Mobility which is making its international launch in Paris today. But the 8 times Olympic champion has some fierce competition if he is going to out-run those who are already into the market. For instance, Lime has a hundred-plus different cities, from San Diego to Sidney. University Hubs from Georgetown in D.C. to the University of Nevada and Spain. Let's take Bird. Bird also is in a hundred-plus cities, mainly in North America, Europe and of course in Tel Aviv also targeting university towns. So the battle is clearly on in the e-scooter race. Which is why Anna Stewart has been finding out a little bit more about all of this and has been speaking to Usain Bolt in Paris. What have you learned from this investigation?
[Anna Stewart, Cnn Reporter:] Well, I have yet to actually challenge him to a race, Richard, but it is a really crowded space, particularly in the U.S. as you said, but also here in Paris, Lime's made headways in here. We've also got key but if you go onto one of those apps like city map where they integrate your whole transport from A to B, some of those scooter apps are already a part of that. So launching here is a pretty big risk. But I asked Usain Bolt, I asked him, what makes your e-scooter any different to the others? Take a listen?
[Usain Bolt, Olympic Champion:] When I go shopping, we have a storage area for your bags, especially for the ladies. And I mean, if you're having a bag, you have a scooter, you don't want to have a gun in your shoulder, you can place it in the area. And then we have a place for your phone, you know, I mean, for just the GPS because most people have their phones in their hands and they're listening to the GPS and struggling. So and then people who drink coffee, I'm not a coffee person, so I'd a water, so we have a storage area. So we try to think of things that wouldn't people consumers would really like and much easier.
[Stewart:] Paris is now talking about banning e-scooters from pavements, sidewalks in September. In London, you're actually not allowed to ride them on the pavement or on the road. So, how is this business going to flourish if no one can ride them?
[Sarah Haynes, Co-ceo & Chairwoman, Bolt Mobility:] We're investors in Uber and Piperloop, Virgin Hyperloop One, so we have a lot of experience and we've learned best practices of how to be able to work with city officials who works with us, and we have been really good citizens in the markets that we were we have launched in, for example, Fort Lauderdale. We are able to geo for instance certain areas for Spring break when there's big crowds coming or there's a festival, we can
[Stewart:] And governments there in Europe, are you speaking directly to them, to the French government, to the British government.
[Haynes:] Absolutely, we are actually meeting with city officials today to sign an agreement to be good citizens and good actors in France, and that's really important for us as a company.
[Stewart:] A lot of people I've spoken to, and I've said that I'm meeting you, I'm going to be talking about your e-scooter, say scooters are for kids, they're not cool
[Bolt:] No, these are grown-up, these are solid. We're talking about trying to get from place to place. You know what I mean, who's thinking about looking cool? We're trying to be efficient. I'm not saying it's not cool. But you're not thinking about that at the moment, I'm trying to get to the doctors right now, I'm trying to get out of this traffic jam, I'm not worried about that, this is what I'm focused on. How I'm going to be safe, how I'm going to get there on time. Come on, if I'm doing something, it's going to be cool.
[Stewart:] This is not just a solution in terms of transport getting from A to B, this is also environmentally friendly. And is that something, Usain, you think cities should be taking into account more?
[Bolt:] For sure, for sure. If you show the years even in London, you guys have so much taxes or congestion, taxes because of these problems. Because they're trying to get less cars in the cities. So for me, this is a big solution. This is what I'm talking about that we need to make a different to make changes. I'm a part of many charities. I try to do a lot of work with different charities just to help the environment in many ways. And for me to be a part of this company, to be a co-founder of this company and to help the environment is a big deal for me.
[Stewart:] Usain, how fast can it go?
[Bolt:] Not faster than me, so that's a good sign.
[Stewart:] That can still be pretty fast
[Bolt:] That's a good that's a good that's a good sign.
[Quest:] All right, Anna Stewart, Anna Stewart, I'm not I'm a sort of safe user of these things. I don't go very fast around the studio here, how good are you on them?
[Stewart:] Well, Richard, it's not particularly fair because I'm wearing high heels. But I think considering that, and guess we have to, a bit of a kick-start with this one in particular, I think I'm pretty good, but I've got a slightly terrifying ordeal tomorrow, I'm actually going on stage with Usain Bolt at the Viva Tech Conference in Paris. And we're coming on stage with a scooter. And I'm slightly worried I'll fall flat on my face. By also secretly, the competitive edge of me, I want to beat him.
[Quest:] You're barking mad. I assume you're practicing on this. Have you ever actually ridden one?
[Stewart:] I literally just had a go, Richard, and I'm editing something together for you, you're going to love it. You know what? Elon Musk said that the e-scooter or the scooter generally lacks dignity. And I haven't yet made up my mind. I'd love to know what you think. Can you can you make the e-scooter look cool? Usain Bolt says it is.
[Quest:] One of our colleagues rides it to work every day. Look, the real problem is that it's illegal in many countries in many cities. The places where you most need it, you can't use it. Yet, that but people still do. I don't see much enforcement.
[Stewart:] I mean, this is the big issue, and frankly, they're launching here in Paris out of all of the cities
[Quest:] Right
[Stewart:] In Europe. But Paris is going to ban e-scooters from the pavement. You can't ride it anywhere in London
[Quest:] Right
[Stewart:] And you don't they're talking to cities, they're talking to governments, but there isn't a solution yet, Richard
[Quest:] Right, Anna Stewart, thank you, we look forward to seeing your pictures tomorrow. Give it a good kick before you start. This is really a lot of fun.
[Stewart:] I will
[Quest:] Watch out. Here we go. A last look at the markets before we leave you today. Up 143 on the Dow, only 3 down, JPMorgan, Wal-Mart and another one which I couldn't see as I passed by. We'll have our profitable moment, watch out for the Jeep after the break.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Our special coverage continues now with Brianna Keilar. I will see you later tonight on "360" at 8:00 p.m.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Hi there. I'm Brianna Keilar in Washington on this Friday, April 24. Today, the United States death fold passing a grim and stunning figure, more than 50,000 people in this country lost to coronavirus. In Los Angeles County, coronavirus is now the leading cause of death. But in the state of Georgia, where daily cases appear to be on a decline, but deaths are still on the rise, you can now visit gyms and bowling alleys, as nonessential businesses reopen. But, first, health experts are rushing to clarify President Trump's latest medical suggestions that could kill Americans if followed. This is one, that sunlight or heat could be used to treat coronavirus, and, two, that disinfectants like bleach that's right, bleach could perhaps be injected into the body to kill the virus, these absurd comments following this statement by a senior Homeland Security official about how the virus responds to light and disinfectants in the air and on surfaces, not including the human body, to be clear.
[William Bryan, Director, Department Of Homeland Security Science And Technology Directorate:] Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus, both surfaces and in the air. I can tell you that bleach will kill the virus in five minutes. Isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds. And that's with no manipulation, no rubbing, just bringing it on and leaving it go. You rub it, and it goes away even faster.
[Keilar:] But the president made a cognitive leap that would be purely hilarious, if it weren't so incredibly dangerous, saying this to his medical advisers
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I would like to you speak to the medical doctors to see if there is any way that you can apply light and heat to cure. When I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs.
[Keilar:] President Trump has since claimed that he was being sarcastic. But if you look there at Dr. Deborah Birx, the head of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, she surely didn't pick up on the sarcasm, nor did most people with any basic grasp of science or household cleaners. So how bad is this? Well, the maker of Lysol issued a statement, saying quote "As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body through injection, ingestion, or other route." I want to go to CNN's Kaitlan Collins joining us now live from the White House. And, I mean, Kaitlan, of all of the unreliable and even wackadoodle stuff that the president has said in these briefings, this may really take the cake. And now the president is claiming this he wasn't being serious. What are you hearing?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes. So after there was a lot of criticism from these doctors, and, as you noted, Lysol had to put out a statement saying not to pursue this route, the White House first put out a statement this morning saying that reporters were taking the president out of context, and, of course, he always has said that people should consult with their doctors before pursuing treatments. What that statement did not say was that the president was being sarcastic, which is now what he is arguing, as he did here in the Oval Office not long ago.
[Trump:] No, I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you, just to see what would happen. Now, disinfectant or doing this maybe on the hands would work. And I was asking the question of the gentleman who was there yesterday, Bill, because when they say that something will last three or four hours or six hours, but if the sun is out, or if they use disinfectant, it goes away in less than a minute did you hear about this yesterday? But I was asking you to sarcastic, and a very sarcastic question, to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside.
[Collins:] Brianna, I was in that room. The president was not asking that question to reporters. He was turning instead to the officials to his right, Dr. Birx and Bryan, this official from DHS who laid out this presentation about it working on surfaces and in the air. And the president suggested at one point that doctors should look into this, noting that he himself was not a doctor. And so we should just note that as well. And now, this afternoon, the CDC has even put out a tweet talking about household disinfectants and the ways that they should be used, saying it is not proper for people to use them or they should not be using them improperly and to follow the instructions on the label.
[Keilar:] Yes, we lock them under cabinets, right, so kids don't get to them. Maybe we will do the same for adults now. Kaitlan, the president seems to be backing off this plan to reopen the country on May 1. Tell us about this.
[Collins:] Yes, the questions are really, what is everything going to look like on May 1? Because we know, internally, that is what they have been pushing for here at the White House. That is the really been the agenda when the Coronavirus Task Force has been meeting and the president has been speaking with executives. Today, the vice president said he believed that most of the country could be opened up by Memorial Day. Of course, that's at the end of May. And we're looking at these plans. But one thing the White House is watching closely today is, of course, the reopening that are happening in Georgia. The president has expressed his displeasure with that, believing that they are moving too fast. And, of course, they are still arguing over testing and whether or not there is enough in the country, as we have seen governors say they do not feel like they are there yet. You saw Dr. Fauci say yesterday he also agreed with that sentiment, and the president said he did not agree.
[Keilar:] All right, Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much at the White House. And joining me now is Dr. Vivek Murthy. He served as us surgeon general under President Obama. Doctor, thanks so much for being with us.
[Dr. Vivek Murthy, Former U.s. Surgeon General:] Thanks, Brianna. Good to be with you again.
[Keilar:] I just wonder what you think of the doctor or of the president saying the doctors should look at sunlight or U.V. rays or bleach being injected into the human body to treat coronavirus?
[Murthy:] Well, just so everyone is clear on it and this has been echoed by others over the course of the day there is no indication and it is really not safe to inject household cleaners into your body in order to address coronavirus. That's not an approved treatment. It's likely to be extraordinarily dangerous to you. And what this episode illustrates is that you have got to be extremely careful with what you say in the White House Briefing Room and certainly in the middle of a pandemic. But to speculate on unproven treatments and during a time of crisis like this is really quite dangerous. And what it also has become is a distraction. We are finding that government agencies and private companies are having to now put out messages clarifying to people that they should not ingest or inject detergents and chemicals. What we really need to be focused on, though, is laser-focused on testing, because if we want to open up the country safely, which is an objective, I think, all of us share, we're not going to be able to do that if we don't get beyond the testing plateau that we're at now and dramatically increase the number of tests available, the distribution of those tests, and shorten the turnaround time to get real results.
[Keilar:] Do you see that happening anytime soon?
[Murthy:] Well, we are making progress bit by bit on testing, but it is incremental and it is too slow. And what we're finding is that it's not just the testing machines that you need and this has been obvious to people in the world for a long time but you need the chemical reagents that go with it. You need the swabs that are used to do the test. You need to have the cartridges and many of these machines require. And you need to have the protective equipment that you can wear to ensure that it's safe to actually administer a test. All of these are really important. And what we have been hearing is some arguments that, OK, these machines exist in states, they should just use them. But states are saying, we don't have the other materials. And to encourage people just to keep using the machine without the materials is like telling somebody to wash their clothes because they have a washing machine, even though they have no detergent and it's not hooked up to water. That just doesn't work. You have got to pull all the pieces together.
[Keilar:] Yes.
[Murthy:] That's why what we need to do now is, we need the federal government to step in, take over the supply chain, and ensure we can produce the testing materials and machines that are required and distribute them to places that have need.
[Keilar:] Let's listen to what the vice president said about timing on coronavirus.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] I think, by Memorial Day weekend, we will largely have this coronavirus epidemic behind us.
[Unidentified Male:] Well, from your lips to God's ear.
[Pence:] And state and local officials will begin to reopen activities. You're going to see you're going to see states in the days ahead here begin to do that.
[Keilar:] By Memorial Day, largely, coronavirus epidemic behind us. Do you agree?
[Murthy:] Well, I think there are some parts of the country where you may see a slight and gradual relaxation of restrictions, but those will be in places where you have had a sustained decrease in the number of new cases and where the ability to both test and trace and quarantine contacts is in place. To do so ahead of time would be, frankly, irresponsible. And to indicate that the entire country will be there, when we still don't have a clear pathway to achieving the levels of testing that we need, is just simply not realistic. If one wants to accelerate the timeline between where we are now and when we can safely open up, then you have to have a clear plan for how to reach the goals on testing that we need to reach, where it is available to everyone who needs it. But, right now, people who need to get tested who have symptoms, actually, many of them still can't get tested. So, we're nowhere clear near to where we need to be in order to open things up safely.
[Keilar:] Dr. Vivek Murthy, I should also mention you're the author of the book "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World." Dr. Murthy, thank you so much.
[Murthy:] Thank you, Brianna.
[Keilar:] Coming up: It's really like we're living in The Twilight Zone, right? That is the message from the Atlanta mayor, as Georgia allows visits to the gym, the hair salon and more. Plus, breaking news just in about the commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, who was ousted after raising the alarm about coronavirus on his ship.

[Keilar:] Just a short time ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a coronavirus briefing. And among the headlines, for every infection that has been detected, ten others have not been diagnosed, so that is 20 million Americans. Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining us now to discuss this. That number is I mean, it just bowls you over, it's huge, Elizabeth.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] It is huge and many people suspected this was the case. But, Brianna, to see this in writing, you know, from the CDC is really stunning. This was something that Dr. Redfield talked about today on this call. What that means is that ten times more people are spreading this virus around than we thought. That's huge. I mean, just the even the numbers, as we know them, that's a huge number. But to have ten times more people spreading this virus around than we thought tells you how difficult it is going to be to get this under control. And, Brianna, in that very eloquent essay that you just read, you talked about the mistakes we've made in the past. Moving forward, we now know that we are dealing with an even bigger challenge. We have ten times more cases to get under control.
[Keilar:] And as we see experts kind of they almost learn day-to-day of new information what is going on and the risks associated with coronavirus. This has to do with having coronavirus while being pregnant. What can you tell us about that?
[Cohen:] Right. There was a lot of question marks here, a lot of things that we didn't know. So this study has come out and this is a big deal. So this is a study of more than 90,000 women with COVID. When they look at women who were pregnant versus women who were not, all of them had COVID, but the ones who were pregnant, 32 percent were hospitalized. The ones who were not pregnant, 6 percent were hospitalized. So that suggests that there's something about this virus with pregnancy that it does not combine well. Now, when we look specifically about what is being affected, 46 percent of these hospitalized women were Hispanic, 23 percent were white, 22 percent were black. Those percentages that is way more Hispanic women and black women than you would expect to see based on the population.
[Keilar:] Yes, it is. Elizabeth, thank you for that. Iconic brands, Disney and Apple, struggling to reopen, plus dozens Secret Service agents and campaign staffers are quarantining right now after the president's rally in Tulsa. We'll hear why. And what we went wrong in California? The state that took some of the strictest precautions initially is now seeing a sharp rise.

[Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau Chief, "chicago Sun-times":] As if he can order them around as a personal investigative force. He also asked that President Obama be investigated. So we should take note too that in his response to Kavanaugh also reveals a not normal, not correct way of using the Justice Department.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Yes. To Lynn's point, Daniel Strauss, this is not the first time the president has called on the Justice Department to investigate a political opponent. And there's some evidence that the Justice Department has heeded hose calls at times. What's the significance?
[Daniel Strauss, Politics Reporter, "politico":] I mean, look, this is this shows that once again President Trump kind of views the Department of Justice as the White House's or his own personal legal arm. And that's not the DOJ's job. This is a continuation of that. This is what this is a lot like what he would urge Jeff Sessions to do with the Russia investigation. But I think for both Republicans and Democrats, there's a no-lose sort of situation here. On the one hand, as Lynn said, the 2020 Democratic candidates, there's really no downside for calling for Kavanaugh's impeachment, and for Trump and Republicans, who really galvanized around Supreme Court appointments, this is an example yet another opportunity for them to rally behind Kavanaugh.
[Sciutto:] Yes. The easiest thing to do in Washington is call for something with no consequences.
[Strauss:] Yes.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] There you go. I do think, Lynn, you know, it's not surprising to see the president this outspoken on it, taking to Twitter this much on this, because the Supreme Court was a big reason for and a big part of, you know, revving up his base for his win in 2016 and getting so many appointments, both, you know, the Supreme Court, but also federal judges, you know, is something the president's going to tout and tout very loudly as he continues his run for 2020.
[Sweet:] That's so correct. That is one of his bedrock achievements, indisputable, and he bragged about it again in a tweet this morning. It's an often it's an often cited accomplishment from the president of some hundred plus, maybe 150, judges, more in the pipeline. Confirming judges is just about the only thing that the Senate is able to do now. And the judges under the Supreme Court, the appellate and U.S. district court judges, in some ways are almost as important as the Supreme Court justices because they are lifetime appointments. Those people will endure and rule for decades after Trump leaves office.
[Sciutto:] Yes. And, Daniel, there's a reason the president tweets about that often, right, because he that is perhaps the most concrete takeaway from his presidency, is it not?
[Strauss:] Yes, look, I mean, the Supreme Court justices and judicial appointments are really what rallied evangelicals around to President Trump during the 2016 campaign. And he knows that is a key group he needs to secure and really maintain his popularity among Republicans. And it is really an accomplishment on his part. He's moved he's confirmed more judges than President Obama. And he takes great pride in that. And it's something that even moderate Republicans or Republicans who really wouldn't like President Trump otherwise see as valuable in his presidency.
[Sciutto:] Lynn Sweet, Daniel Strauss, good to have both of you.
[Harlow:] Thank you both.
[Strauss:] Thank you.
[Sciutto:] Could the attack on a Saudi Arabian oil facility draw the United States further into a growing conflict in the Middle East, perhaps even military action? We're going to speak to a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the dangers of all of this coming up next.

[Blitzer:] We have breaking news tonight. New details emerging right now of Joe Biden's change of position on the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for almost all abortions. Sources are telling CNN that top aides have made a forceful case directly to the former Vice President that led him to withdraw his longtime support for the Hyde Amendment. And, Rebecca, let me play a clip of how the former Vice President, Democratic presidential frontrunner explained his reversal.
[Joe Biden, Former U.s. Vice President:] I have supported the Hyde Amendment, like many, many others have. Because there was sufficient moneys and circumstances where women able to exercise that right, women of color, poor women, women not able to have access, and it was not under attack as it was then, as it is now. But circumstances have changed.
[Blitzer:] Circumstances have changed. Is that the full story?
[Buck:] Well, the circumstances that have changed, Wolf, are the political landscape for Democrats. And Joe Biden no longer feels comfortable politically being in the middle of the road, as he has said before, on abortion. So what's changed is that the whole Democratic field was going after him on this issue. He was in a politically unsustainable position. And he recognized and his campaign recognized that he was going to have to make a shift on this. Now, he's trying to say that the circumstances that have changed are all these states trying to roll back abortion laws. That's been happening for weeks. We have known this is coming. What changed it that he was in a political crisis.
[Blitzer:] Do you believe, Sabrina, that the former Vice President is making a good case that this was a principle evolution as his of his position instead of an overnight change of heart?
[Siddiqui:] Well that's a fairly difficult case for them to make when they took multiple positions in the course of 72 hours. Look, what's striking about this is that Hillary Clinton made the repeal of the Hyde Amendment a focal point of her 2016 campaign. It was actually part of the Democratic Party's platform in the previous election. So Joe Biden has had three years to rethink this issue as he's been weighing presidential bid. And as Rebecca pointed out, you've now had this debate over these extreme abortion laws across the country really playing out within the Democratic primary in particular, and so he could have also used that in his opportunity to come out and evolve on the issue, if that's what they want to call it. It was very clear, especially since his campaign made a point to say that he still supported the Hyde Amendment just earlier this week, that when faced with the backlash from progressives as well as other contenders in the field, that's when they saw that this would not be a tenable position for him and they had to reverse course.
[Blitzer:] Susan Hennessey, all these new laws being passed in these various states, anti-abortion laws, plus the new conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, do you think it's reasonable that the former Vice President changed his position because he sees what's going on?
[Hennessey:] Yes. So I do think that it felt safe for conservatives like Biden to want to stake out sort of a moderate position when it felt like Roe was solidly the law of the land and that pro-choice advocates had won on this issue. That's not the case anymore. The court is poised to, if not, overturn Roe directly to sort of chip away, to make the right fundamentally or as a practical matter inaccessible to women. I think Biden recognizes that this is going to be a major election issue for Democrats. If Donald trump wins re-election and gets another seat on the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade will be overturned in this country or abortion will be rendered practically inaccessible. That is an issue that conservative voters have been campaigning on the promise of for decades. They have captured court. That moment is now here. It still is they still do not hold the majority view. The overwhelming majority of Americans want Roe v. Wade to maintain on the books, they want abortion to be safe and legal. And so the question here is the challenge for the Democratic candidates is going to be how do they turn out that majority of voters who actually want to protect that right. And I think that Biden realizes that you aren't going to be able to energize people from sort of a position of compromise or hesitancy. But the person who's going to win the Democratic nomination is going to be someone who is an unapologetic defender of reproductive freedom.
[Blitzer:] How do you think Biden, Phil, is handling this?
[Mudd:] I find this really interesting. Just for me, you get one get- out-of-jail-free card. That is you get to say, I reconsider this and my judgment. I exercise good judgment. I can change. You do that a couple of times and then you instantly become a flip-flopper. He's got 18 months to go before an election and he's got to deal with issues like tariffs, immigration, universal healthcare. The next time he does this, and he's got a long lead time here, people are going to start to say, this isn't about good judgment. This is flip-flopping. I close by saying, it was 30 years ago that George Bush, the senior, said, read my lips, no new taxes. And then he imposed new taxes and people still haven't forgotten one flip-flop. I think he gets a pass here, but I don't know if he gets two or three in the next 18 months.
[Blitzer:] When some of these new Supreme Court Justices, as Susan say, and during their confirmation hearings that Roe v. Wade is settled law, it's the law of the land, what do you say?
[Hennessey:] Well, Roe v. Wade is settled law for the lower courts. And so it's a little bit disingenuous whenever we hear Supreme Court Justices say, well, Roe is the law on the books. The Supreme Court has the capacity to overturn Roe. They have overturned precedents that are as old as Roe. And so I don't think anyone should be fooling themselves that they really are prepared to overturn this rule.
[Blitzer:] Rebecca, what do you think?
[Buck:] Absolutely. And so the question is how urgent of an issue will this be for Democratic voters? I think what we're seeing in the polling suggests that because of the Supreme Court, this has become incredibly urgent, that's why Joe Biden.
[Blitzer:] It's going to be a huge issue in the 2020 campaign. All right, guys, thanks very much. Much more news coming up, a near collision at sea, the ships coming so close that American sailors could see their Russian counterparts sunbathing. Plus, new developments emerging right now in an alleged terror plot targeting Times Square in New York City.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] This just in, President Trump has signed the 911 Victim Compensation Fund. The fund was created to provide compensation to anyone injured or killed in the terror attacks and the aftermath: rescuing people, removing debris under what turned out to be hazardous conditions. Without reauthorization, the funding was set to run out next year. But you may remember, comedian Jon Stewart, dozens of first responders lobbied Congress hard to make the fund permanent. And this morning, we also have news a major Trump cabinet shake-up. The president nominated Texas congressman John Ratcliffe to be the senior-most intelligence official in the country, the director of National Intelligence. Ratcliffe is a Trump loyalist, a fierce critic of Robert Mueller's handling of the Russia investigation. That is spurring questions about Ratcliffe's nomination, given what is supposed to be a nonpolitical role of the DNI chief. Let's discuss now with Republican Congressman Chris Stewart of Utah. He sits on the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this morning.
[Rep. Chris Stewart:] Good morning.
[Sciutto:] As you know, you sit on the Intelligence Committee. The director of National Intelligence Committee the director of National Intelligence position, created after 911, the senior most intelligence official in the country. If you look at the resumes of prior DNIs James Clapper, he had served as director of two intelligence agencies, the DIA, the NGA, been in intelligence for 50 years. The DNI will oversee the heads of all the other intelligence agencies Gina Haspel, she's been at the CIA for decades. The head of the NSA, Paul Nakasone. He was with DOD. He commanded Cyber Command, he commanded the U.S. Second Army. You compare those resumes to Congressman Ratcliffe, he's been on the Intelligence Committee for six months. Is that the experience necessary for this role?
[Stewart:] Well, I think it is. And you have to remember, he has a very different role in the DNI. He's not a technician. He's not it's like the CEO of Home Depot isn't a plumber or an electrician. He's a business leader. And the DNI is essentially someone who works with Congress, works with the president. It's important that he has the president's trust. And he coordinates with all of these agencies.
[Text:] Rep. John Ratcliffe: Elected to Congress in 2014; Member of House Judiciary and Intelligence committees; Former U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Texas
[Stewart:] So it is a very different role. And I think Dan Coats, who did a remarkable job and let me take a moment just to thank him for his service. I met with him for an hour last Friday, and
[Sciutto:] To your
[Stewart:] the conversation we had reinforced what a great job he did. And he had a similar
[Sciutto:] And to your credit
[Stewart:] similar background to Mr. Ratcliffe.
[Sciutto:] Well, but to be fair, he was a sitting he was a sitting senator for a number of years
[Stewart:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Ratcliffe, only a couple of years. Let's ask about the politics here. Because as you know, you saw during the Mueller hearings. Ratcliffe, Congressman Ratcliffe delivered a very critical speech, you might say, of Bob Mueller. There wasn't really so much a question at the end. It's CNN's reporting that the president was impressed with that performance last Wednesday, and that put him over the top for this role. Again, I mean, you say it's an overseeing role. But listen, they're senior to the directors of 17 intelligence agencies with a great deal of experience. He needs their respect and their credibility. Are you concerned that politics made the difference here as opposed to experience? This is not supposed to be a political position.
[Stewart:] Yes. No, I understand that. And I promise you this. I know John. He won't make it a political position. And his role in Congress is different than it will be at DNI. And people adapt to different roles. My friend Mike Pompeo, for example, who sat with me again on the Intelligence Committee, went to the CIA, now secretary of state. In each of those three positions, he has a different role and he's intelligent enough and adaptable enough that he understands his role and then he begins to fill his role. I think John is the same way. His role and responsibilities as a member of Congress, member of the Intelligence Committee is very different than it will be at DNI. But he's very, very bright. He again, he has the president's trust. He understands how Congress works. And he understands the overall picture of how these 17 agencies work. And I'm very confident he'll be able to provide the leadership. And one other thing if I could, Jim, just very quickly I don't believe at all that it was his performance on Wednesday that made the difference. I think this is a conversation that's been going on for quite a while. And I think John has impressed the president for a number of months.
[Sciutto:] Well, it's CNN's reporting. We can disagree on how the president made this decision.
[Stewart:] OK.
[Sciutto:] I do want to get to the role of the DNI and the other intelligence officials. Because you deal with classified intelligence in your role on the committee. You and I have spoken about it. I know how seriously you take that role as part of the function of keeping this country safe. You know that in these positions, these officials have to have the confidence and the ability and the courage to sometimes tell the commander in chief things he doesn't want to hear. And there's a great deal of reporting from inside this White House Mick Mulvaney, we know, told Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen when she was at DHS, not to bring up Russian interference in the election because the president didn't like to talk about that subject. Is that something you're concerned about, that this president doesn't assign people to these roles who are willing to say, "Listen, Mr. I know you don't want to hear this, but this is a big deal." And do you believe that Ratcliffe
[Stewart:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] is the guy who can do that?
[Stewart:] Well, I once again, I believe that he will. Look, his loyalty, there's no question his loyalty is to the United States of America and the American people, and protecting and defending these people. And he's not going to ever turn that aside for any political considerations. And if you know John Ratcliffe, you know that that is true. And the second thing is, he does have the courage. And frankly, once again, all of these individuals do. Mick Mulvaney is a good example. He was a member of Congress. He was a partisan member of Congress. But he has served the president well in several roles. Mike Pompeo has done the same thing. There's a number of people who, while they're in Congress, they may take on a little bit more of a partisan a partisan tone and a partisan voice. But they adapt to that, to their new responsibilities. At the end of the day, it's about leadership. It's about serving the American people. It's about protecting the freedoms of the Americans. And I'm confident, John's going to be just serve that very, very well.
[Sciutto:] Well, you're right. That's the right standard. We'll see where the confirmation hearing goes. Congressman Chris Stewart, always good to have you on the program.
[Stewart:] Thank you, sir.
[Sciutto:] And we'll be right back.

[Church:] Well, as countries ease restrictions, they are keeping a close eye on what's known as the R-value or reproduction rate. That estimates how many people a sick person infects with the coronavirus. In Germany that number has now reached more than 1.1, indicating that infections are on the rise again. The federal public health agency says it's too early to draw conclusions but the number needs to be watched. Chancellor Angela Merkel has said restrictions that have been relaxed can be reimposed if the pandemic accelerates again. And Spain is keeping its hardest hit regions under stricter measures as cases decline elsewhere. More than half of the country's population will be allowed to visit restaurants and small stores in a limited capacity as the government takes steps to ease its very strict lockdown. Al Goodman is in Madrid for us. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Al. Good to see the mask. So while most of Spain starts to lift restrictions gradually, that's not the case yet for Madrid and Barcelona. What do the numbers look like in those two cities?
[Al Goodman, Journalist:] Hi, Rosemary. The numbers are everything. The numbers are the health indicators, the regions that are opening up this day, that's about 50 percent of the population in territories all over the country have the best health indicators according to the Spanish government and the experts. That means they have the lowest infection rates. That their hospitals have enough ICU beds and other types of facilities to handle any sort of second wave. That's not the case here in Madrid and the second city of Barcelona and in a couple of regions right around Madrid called the Castilla regions. So they will remain on a more limited thing. Now what's the difference? Over a 40-minute drive from where I'm standing in the provincial capital of Guadalajara, they're moving to phase one. So 10 people who don't live together remember people are separated to avoid the infections 10 people who don't live together, that could be relatives, that could be your friends, you could meet. OK. And in Guadalajara they could sit at an outdoor table like this. They could have a coffee or a beer. The stores are open and up to 30 percent of the store capacity. But here in Madrid as you can see, no outdoor tables. No restaurant service except takeout service over here at this place. And for stores, you still need an appointment to get something like I did on the weekend where I needed a light bulb. I had to make an appointment at the hardware store. They sent a text message to my phone so that I could go over and pick up a light bulb. So these are the kinds of differences the people who are not going to move over to phase 1 to be able to have meetings and be able to go to outdoor restaurants seating. There's a lot of complaints right now. Pressures building on health authorities to see if they can get these numbers right. But the Prime Minister has said the whole country was locked down at the same time, it's not going to open up at the same time. The priority is to maintain the health, keep people safe, masked, social distancing so that there is not a second wave Rosemary.
[Church:] That is critical and being led by the data and not by anything else. Al Goodman bringing us that update. Many thanks to you. Well, as countries in Europe start to reopen, children are now starting to return to school, but the classrooms will look entirely different once the students return. Melissa Bell has more on how countries are doing it.
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Paris Correspondent:] Some of those European citizens hardest hit by stay-at-home orders are finally getting back to something approaching normal. These teenagers in Germany were returning to their school building one by one. In Denmark primary school children were the first in Europe to get back to their classrooms on April 15th. Some less enthusiastically than others. With teaching staff facing a whole new set of challenges.
[Henrik Wilhelmsen, School Head Teacher:] We have soap, disinfectant all over the place. We have put lines in the floor to indicate two meters intervals so the children can see what is two meters.
[Bell:] Since the start of Europe's coronavirus outbreak in late February, Italy, then Spain, France, many other EU countries gradually put in place stay-at-home orders and closed schools. Only now are many countries beginning to reopen. And crucial to getting parents back to work is getting their children back into class. In the Netherlands, the classrooms that will open Monday will look very different. Here, as in France, some children have started early. Children of health care workers, for instance. This week other primary school children will return to class on a voluntary basis and classes will be smaller so priority will be given to the children of essential workers. In announcing the reopening of schools the French President explained it was a matter of social justice.
[Emmanuel Macron, French President:] Too many children, especially in poorer neighborhoods and in the countryside, are deprived of school with no access to digital learning, they cannot be helped in the same way by their parents.
[Bell:] As schools like this one gradually reopen their doors, it will be an important test. The government here has said it will not hesitate to bring in another stay-at-home order should those COVID-19 figures rise once again. So can kids inside schools be kept safe from one another and are parents happy to be sending them back?
[Unidentified Female:] I'm looking forward to them going back to school because I have to work. My husband is working also and it's very complicated to work at home with kids.
[Unidentified Male:] We have asked for our children to go back to school but first children from disadvantaged backgrounds. That's not our case. And since we work remotely, we are not the priority.
[Bell:] Many French school children will have to wait before going back to school, a reminder that closing down back in March was easy and not just enough, it is reopening that is harder even as the battle against the outbreak continues. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
[Church:] And you are watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still to come, a warning of a second wave. South Korea reports a surge in new coronavirus cases. Many linked to just one person. The details ahead.

[Asher:] The C.D.C. has suddenly issued new COVID testing guidance, quietly changing its website. C.D.C. guidance now says that people without symptoms may not need to be tested even if they have been in close contact with someone known to have had the coronavirus. The move has baffled some doctors as the U.S. continues to struggle with a high case count. A senior health official tells CNN the C.D.C. was pressured from the top down to change its testing guidance. Let's get to CNN's Nick Valencia in Atlanta for more on this. So Nick, I mean, how dangerous is this? Just walk us through the potential ramifications of this dramatic change in testing guidance.
[Nick Valencia, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, we are hearing from public health experts and professionals proximate to this coronavirus response who are calling it flat out ridiculous, saying this is another example of the White House putting politics ahead of science. And as you very clearly laid out there, Zain, a Federal health official telling me that the sudden change in C.D.C. guidance basically discouraging people from getting testing is coming from pressure at the highest ranks of the Donald Trump administration. The White House, to H.H.S. to the C.D.C. We did reach out to the C.D.C. for a statement about their sudden change in guidance. They were unwilling to provide a comment on their own change in guidance punting instead to Health and Human Services. It was just within the last hour that the Assistant Secretary for H.H.S. held a phone call with reporters in which he says that this is not to discourage testing. It is actually for more appropriate testing. You could really just characterize that as more spin. If this all played out the way Admiral Bret Giroir says it does or did rather, this was presented to the White House Taskforce on Thursday, the same day that Dr. Anthony Fauci was having surgery on his vocal cords. So the top doctor at the Taskforce seemingly unaware that these changes were coming. The C.D.C. again not commenting and again, Zain, you know, H.H.S. saying that this is about more testing. But really, this falls in line with what we have been hearing weeks during the pandemic directly from the President of the United States who has called for a slowdown in testing, saying that if there was less testing, there would be less cases. And it seems as though, Zain that this recommendation or these new recommendations last that President Trump will be getting exactly what he wants. No one, no public health expert in the country right now will say that this is a good idea. They will tell you we need more testing in order to control this virus, so very dangerous indeed Zain.
[Asher:] Yes, that's what happens when politics get in the way of health and safety. Nick Valencia live for us there. Thank you so much. The U.S. markets are up on Wednesday on some new and hopeful economic data. The NASDAQ and the S&P 500 are seeking a fourth straight day of record highs. The Dow is up two after a slight fall on Tuesday. Open Table is reporting a recovery in the restaurant industry, but it's a different picture depending on where you are in the world. The U.K. government has been offering a discount scheme all August to get Britons eating out, and that's led to a significant rebound among restaurants on the Open Table app. Compare that though to the U.S. where openings have plateaued between 6 to 7 percent for the past few months. OpenTable CEO Debby Soo joins us live now from New Hampshire. So just where are we, Debby in terms of restaurant bookings now compared to the start of the pandemic. What are you seeing in terms of trends?
[Debby Soo, Ceo, Opentable:] Well, the data really varies depending on what region or country you are looking at. In the U.S. like you mentioned, we are still seeing a drop year-over-year in terms of seated reservations. But there are countries like the U.K. or Germany for example, where we are actually seeing seated reservations up year-over-year.
[Asher:] So you take over at OpenTable as CEO during a relatively, I could say tumultuous time. It has been a very difficult time for the restaurant industry. You came from Kayak. You were an executive there. How has the recovery in the restaurant space compared to the travel space? What are you noticing?
[Soo:] Well, for both industries, they have been hit very, very hard by this pandemic. The restaurant industry has been hit particularly hard, I would say. Restaurants even before COVID were operating on razor thin margins, and now you add on top of that safety precautions and measures that restaurants have to be taking, the capacity restrictions that they are facing, it is becoming even more difficult. In terms of recovery, I would say, if I had to predict having been on both on the travel and the dining side of the business, I would predict that dining would recover faster. As restrictions loosen, as case counts stabilize or go down and people are feeling safer and more comfortable to dine out, they want to dine out. We recently conducted a survey at OpenTable and found that 25 percent of Americans now are dining out once a week. So the demand is there.
[Asher:] The demand is there now. I mean, obviously, it is going to take some time to get back to normal of course. But, you know, you alluded to this. Even before the pandemic that restaurant business as you know is quite a difficult one and it is prone to failure. Restaurants in general have a high rate of closures in terms of not being able to stay afloat and make it. So just walk us through what sort of what are the levels of permanent closures we are going to see as a result of this pandemic in terms of restaurants that stay shut for good after this?
[Soo:] We have predicted that one out of four restaurants will not make it through this pandemic. We came out a few weeks ago and said that. And now looking at the numbers, we think that that estimate might even be conservative. At OpenTable, our main mission right now is to help restaurants forge through this crisis and do everything we can to help them. We may have waved our subscription and reservation fees through the remainder of the year. We have launched features like safety precautions so restaurants can easily let diners know what precautions they are taking, whether their servers are wearing masks, or table spacing, disinfectant provided, all of that. So we are trying to do everything we can to keep restaurants open and surviving during this terrible time.
[Asher:] Not just OpenTable, but also various governments around the world are also trying to do their part. We touched on the fact that the U.K. has got this eat out to help out program, where if you are part of the scheme, if you are a restaurant and you are part of the scheme, the U.S. government will actually pick up 50 percent of the tab. I believe it is capped at ten pounds in terms of the meal price.
[Soo:] Yes.
[Asher:] So, what do you think in terms of where government policies around the world in the various countries that OpenTable operates in, where government policies have actually been that much more effective in getting restaurants back?
[Soo:] I think any aid that governments can be giving to the restaurant industry right now is necessary and welcome. You've mentioned some of the initiatives that the U.S. government and the U.K. government have done. The eat out to help out campaign, we have seen, and our data has really helped seated reservations go up. So that campaign if where if you dine Monday through Wednesday, the government will help foot part of the bill. And what we have seen in our data is that reservations during Mondays through Wednesdays are spiking through the roof. I believe that scheme or that program is over at the end of this month. So for those of new the U.K., I encourage you to take advantage. But again, anything the government can be doing to be helping this industry at this time I think is so necessary. And for all of us and all of you out there watching, what we can be doing to support our restaurants is to dine out at them, order delivery, or order takeout to support them.
[Asher:] Yes, my husband and I actually order takeout once a week just to support our local restaurants. So I am proud to say, I am doing my part. Debby Soo, live for us there, thank you so much. All right, coming up, we head back to U.S. politics. Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci is here with his take on night two of the Republican National Convention. Thanks next.

[Whitfield:] Welcome back. New Zealand synagogues have closed their doors today in the wake of two deadly mosque attacks. The sign of solidarity marks the first time the country's Jewish community has ever done that on the holy day of Shabbat. At least 49 people were killed and dozens more injured in the horrifying massacres inside two mosques in Christchurch. But as some religious communities ban together in the aftermath of the terror attacks, so are far-right extremists around the world. CNN chief international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, has more.
[Clarissa Ward, Cnn Chief International Correspondent:] Chants on the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, echoed in a suspected terrorist manifesto thousands of miles away.
[Unidentified Male:] We will not be replaced.
[Ward:] White supremacists and Neo-Nazis who believe their culture is being erased by a growing population of minorities. In chat rooms and on the dark web, they talk about the invasion of Muslim migrants who threaten to replace them. One of their greatest inspirations, the Norwegian white supremacist who murdered nearly 70 students as a summer camp in 2011. The massacre, he says, was intended to defend Western civilization from a growing policy of multi-culturalization. Across the West, the far right is on the rise, bringing with it a vicious uptick in hate crimes and terrorist attacks.
[Unidentified Female:] We can ever say, what the price.
[Ward:] Just in 2017, Muslims were targeted and killed in a Quebec Islamic Center, and in London's Amesbury park, and on a train in Portland, Oregon, a man shouting anti-Muslim slurs fatally stabbed two people. Last year, in Berlin, we attended a rally of hundreds of right- wing extremists. "Close the border," they shouted. "Resistance, resistance." Their hatred is not reserved for Muslim migrants. This man told us a shadowy cabal of globalist controls the world. [on camera]: When you talk about elites and you talk about finance, is that another way of saying Jewish people?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Ward:] Yes. It is? [voice-over]: "Yes. Let me say it this way, the banking system for sure," he tells us. "Banks, finance, the economy, mainly Jews." In his 87-page manifesto, the suspected terrorist praised his predecessors and made nods to the online community that nurtured and shared his extremist views. But their ideology of hate has creeped out of the margins into the mainstream and is growing. Clarissa Ward, CNN.
[Whitfield:] The New Zealand attack is the latest example of hate being disseminated online. Social media companies scrambled yesterday to remove any videos showing the alleged attacker's live-stream of the massacre. Let's bring in now our CNN Business reporter, Donie O'Sullivan. Donie, good to see you. This is a really huge challenge for all of these social media online companies. They are struggling, are they not, with the responsibility they have versus the technology to kind of stop, you know, people from live-streaming or, you know, really seizing on the opportunity to spread hate?
[Donie O'sullivan, Cnn Business Reporter:] Yes, I mean they absolutely are struggling, Fred. I mean, particularly Facebook, a platform of more than two billion people sharing billions of posts every day. And sort of now they are trying to figure out a way, well, how do we police that, how do we prevent somebody like this streaming live on their platform for more 17 minutes a massacre with gunfire and death and weaponry. And we've heard a lot from Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook's executives over the last two years, given how much scrutiny they have been under with disinformation and hate speech, about all the steps they have been taking to try to crack down on this. They say they have hired more than 30,000 contractors and employees to try and human moderators who are supposed to search for and remove this content. But also supposedly investing millions in artificial intelligence, computer systems that could detect videos like this. This week, that didn't work. It was the New Zealand police that told Facebook that something was going on, on their own platform.
[Whitfield:] And Facebook actually released a statement saying, "New Zealand police alerted to us a video on Facebook shortly after the live-stream commenced and we removed both the shooter's Facebook account and the video." So while Facebook did act as fast as it could, how concerning is it, I guess, for other media outlets or even consumers that police would be notifying these companies about the type of content that could be on?
[O'sullivan:] Sure. I mean, I think a lot of people do have sympathy in some ways for the social media platforms in that this is obviously not an easy thing to find. But at the same time, this is the platforms that they have built. Recently, in "Fortune" magazine, a technologist from Facebook, who is developing this artificial intelligence software to sort of figure out what is going on, gave an example of how their technology can determine the difference between pictures of broccoli and pictures of marijuana, with about a 90 percent accuracy rate. That is an example of how that technology could be potentially used to curtail the sale of narcotics on the platform. But even at a 90 percent success rate, 10 percent, when you are talking about billions of posts, that is a lot of stuff that this technology is missing. And experts are telling us that, in terms of A.I. being able to do what a human moderator could do, we're years away from that. Facebook says they have hired literally tens of thousands of people. But they haven't told us how many people they need.
[Whitfield:] All right. Donie O'Sullivan, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it. Still ahead, U.C. Berkeley is now considering revoking admissions offers and diplomas if any student is involved in that cheating scheme. Will students be forced to pay for the legal sins of their parents? We'll discuss, next.

[Hill:] Crucial talks are under way right now on Capitol Hill, lawmakers trying to come to an agreement on the next Coronavirus relief package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are meeting today to hopefully agree on some sort of a plan. Overnight, that $600 federal unemployment benefit expired leaving millions of Americans wondering how they may be able to make ends meet. Just moments ago, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Pelosi talked about the negotiations over the last couple of hours. Take a listen.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer:] -that a million people are without food, you don't say let's compromise and give half a million people food. If there are a million people, a million small businesses hurting you don't compromise and say we're only going to help half of them. But on the other hand, we had really it was the best discussions we've had so far. And I'd call it progress but a ways to go. Is that fair?
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , Speaker Of The House:] That's good.
[Chumer:] OK.
[Pelosi:] But the fact is this week for the 19th straight week, over a million Americans filed claims for unemployment insurance. Millions of people are food insecure in our country. Millions are on the verge of eviction. People need resources in order to meet the needs of their families. So it's very important as we come to this is not a usual discussion because the urgency is so great health wise, financial health wise and again, the health of our democracy because our elections will be affected by the Coronavirus and we must address that.
[Chumer:] Thank you, everybody.
[Pelosi:] Thank you.
[Hill:] CNN's Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill. So fairly positive, I would say. What we were hearing there. But is it your sense there's any real movement happening behind the scenes?
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Reporter:] Well Erica, I think the top line here is after three hours of negotiations, there still is not a deal to extend those unemployment benefits that, like you said, millions of Americans have been counting on. So I know that lawmakers are going to meet again on Monday. The hope is that they can continue moving closer. What you heard there was Chuck Schumer saying look, these are the most productive talks we've had. And that's significant. Because remember last week they continued to have these discussions, and every time they would come out of these meetings they'd essentially say the exact same thing. They didn't feel like the White House was serious. The White House would say they didn't feel like Democrats really wanted a deal. You are seeing there that there's a little bit different posturing happening and I think that that's still significant if we're reading the tea leaves. But look, the bottom line is that Democrats want a broad deal. They want to ensure that any discussion that they have includes not just an extension of unemployment benefits.
[Fox:] But also an extension of other key provisions, including small business programs, including state and local funding. Those are the items that they care about. There are lots of sticking points here. And remember Republicans aren't even all on the same page. The White House is negotiating directly with Democrats. You know who is not in the room is Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans. They are still deeply divided over how to address this crisis with many fiscal Republicans arguing they don't even think it's not time for another stimulus deal at all. They are arguing that there is still unspent money and that's what should be re-appropriated to finance the next stimulus bill. So you are getting a sense here that, yes, they are moving closer, but there are still so many disagreements, Erica.
[Hill:] Yes, still seems like there is a long way to go. Meanwhile, tens of millions of Americans are waiting and need answers and help. Lauren, thank you. A new study about children and Coronavirus more than 40 percent of kids at one overnight camp in Georgia tested positive for Coronavirus. So what could that mean? What could we learn from that as districts and states around the country put together their plans to reopen schools?

[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] Was that her wedding dress?
[Phillip:] Apparently. It must be pretty nice. I would take it.
[Blackwell:] I mean, she's kept it that long.
[Phillip:] I would take it.
[Blackwell:] All right. Next hour of your NEW DAY starts right now.
[Unidentified Male:] Another day, another incredible surge in coronavirus cases across the United States. There's a lot of frustration, a lot of anger that we're in this place. We shouldn't have been in this position. We are the example of why masks are important.
[Gov. Brian Kemp , Georgia:] Mayor Bottoms' mask mandate cannot be enforced.
[Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , Atlanta, Georgia:] The people in our state are dying. And perhaps didn't know anyone who've lost a loved one to COVID-19. I do.
[Rep. John Lewis , Georgia:] We cannot give up now. We cannot give in. Keep the faith. Keep our eyes on the prize.
[Unidentified Male:] I think he is probably one of the more greater titans of the last century.
[Unidentified Female:] His youthful spirit and his fight was very contagious and filled everyone up that was around him.
[Blackwell:] Top of the hour now. It's always good to be with you on a Sunday. I'm Victor Blackwell. You're watching NEW DAY. It is July 19th.
[Phillip:] And I'm Abby Philip, in today for Christi Paul. The coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 600,000 people all around the world. But the global epicenter is right here in the United States of America. COVID-19 is killing hundreds of Americans every day.
[Blackwell:] And for a fifth day in a row, Texas reported more than 10,000 new cases. In a try to speed up testing, the FDA has approved pool testing. That means that the samples from up to four people can be tested at once.
[Phillip:] And in an interview set to air today, President Trump says he will not consider a national mask mandate, citing personal freedom.
[Blackwell:] And a new Senate bill is creating some strife between the White House and Senate Republicans. A source tells CNN that the Trump administration wants to block funding for the CDC for contact tracing and testing in the next round of stimulus spending. Let's go to Florida first, though, where two counties, at least two counties are under a curfew to fight the spread. Governor Ron DeSantis, though, says that he's not going to implement that statewide mask mandate. There are alarming new coronavirus numbers coming from Florida. The latest from state health officials on Saturday. More than 10,000 new infections and 90 deaths in one day.
[Mayor Dan Gelber, Miami Beach, Florida:] All the mayors and commissions and managers are obviously troubled and we're all consulting with one another to figure out what the next step will be that will help us tamp this down and reduce the trajectory.
[Blackwell:] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters Saturday that the state will not prosecute people for not wearing masks. Texas is also reporting shocking numbers. More than 10,000 people tested positive in that state again on Saturday and health systems are being stretched.
[Mayor Steve Adler, Austin, Texas:] There are parts of the state that are seeing so many cases with intensive care units so stressed that are asking for the ability to exert some local control and make choices that are the right choices for their city and I wish my governor would give that to them.
[Blackwell:] Coronavirus cases are rising sharply in Georgia, too. The governor and the mayor of Atlanta are fighting over how to handle the pandemic.
[Mayor Hardie Davis, Augusta, Georgia:] With the governor's efforts around trying to mandate that, we couldn't enforce our local executive orders. Many of our cities across the state of Georgia exacted them anyway out of an abundance of caution and concern for our cities.
[Blackwell:] The CDC is offering new guidance for people who have tested positive for coronavirus, whether they have symptoms or asymptomatic. The CDC now says that those people may quit isolating ten days after symptoms first appeared as long as 24 hours passed since the last fever without use of fever medication, or if a fever has passed without use of meds and two tests taken more than 24 hours apart come back negative.
[Dr. Abdul El-sayed, Epidemiologist:] The CDC is giving us a better sense of the calipers around when that period is. The same point that the public should understand remain clear. Number one, everybody ought to be masking and staying socially distant because you may not know that you're spreading it even before or without symptoms. If you have symptoms, after they subside, we have a better sense of when you can assume that you're not shedding virus. This is really what the CDC is explaining to the public.
[Blackwell:] With the surge of cases over the last few weeks, models now predict more than 150,000 deaths linked to COVID-19 by August 8th, according to an ensemble forecast published by the CDC. And coronavirus is spreading around the world. The World Health Organization reported Saturday more than a quarter million new cases. Kristen Holmes is up next. She's live at the White House. So, we heard Governor Ron DeSantis will not be enforcing a statewide mask mandate and we know the president won't be enforcing one either.
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn National Correspondent:] That's right, Victor. And that's not surprising, Ron DeSantis and the president are very close and they have been really in lockstep for most of the response of this pandemic. Now, what was shocking about President Trump's remarks was not necessarily that there was not going to be a mask mandate. I think he has been clear on his feelings when it comes to masks. It was the reasoning why. He said that people need to have certain freedoms. The reason why that conflicts with what we've heard from the administration, that's why it's striking. I went to Louisiana with Vice President Pence this week. He wore a mask the entire time. He took it off to speak in front of people when he was socially distanced and then put it back on. He has encouraged wearing masks. All of the top health officials, part of the coronavirus task force, are encouraging wearing masks. But the president is still not on board. In fact, the director, Robert Redfield, of the CDC, he this week, if all of us would just put on a face covering for four to six weeks, we could drive this epidemic into the ground. Now, it was this remark that President Trump was responding to when he said there wouldn't be a mask mandate. Take a listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I want people to have a certain freedom. I don't believe in that, no. And I don't agree with the statement that if everybody wears a mask, everything disappears. Hey, Dr. Fauci said, don't wear a mask. Our surgeon general, terrific guy, said, don't wear a mask. Everybody was saying, don't wear a mask. All of a sudden, everybody has got to wear a mask. And as you know, masks caused problems too. With that being said, I'm a believer in masks. I think masks are good.
[Holmes:] So he ends with "I'm a believer in masks", but almost all of the context before that would suggest otherwise. I want to say two things here if there are viewers who are watching unsure of what to believe. Health experts have said that masks cannot cause problems. If you are breathing normally anyway, you can breathe normally with a mask on. Dr. Fauci and the surgeon general did, in fact, say not to wear a mask early on. It's important to note that. There are two reasons for that. There was not enough information about how the coronavirus actually spread. They didn't know that's how it spread. The other part, they were trying to reserve masks for medical professionals because there was a shortage of masks. So, two things to note. They're very important. And again, top medical experts in the country continue to say that people should wear a mask every single day, try to maintain social distancing as we try to get through this pandemic and continue to see cases surge across the country.
[Phillip:] And we'll talk to a couple of those experts just in a few minutes. Thank you, Kristen Holmes. And joining me now to talk about this is Dr. Raj Kalsi, board certified emergency medicine physician, and Dr. Bernard Ashby, a cardiologist in Miami and Florida State, lead for the Committee to Protect Medicare. Good morning to both of you. Look, I think you were both able to hear that clip from President Trump on this interview airing later today. He made a couple of claims. First of all, claiming that there were potentially problems associated with mask-wearing and also that, you know, that these doctors, Dr. Fauci and others, were wrong about mask wearing. We're seeing these numbers going all in the wrong direction. Dr. Kalsi, what do you make of the fact that President Trump continues to be so resistant to not just a mask mandate, but even just clear mask messaging at this stage in the pandemic?
[Dr. Raj Kalsi, Board Certified Emergency Medicine Physician:] I think we need to resort now, America, to listening to science and local governance that is supporting our safety. I'm struggling in the emergency rooms that I work in. I work in several. I'm trying to convince people who are nonbelievers. They're listening to leadership that are telling them that masking is an issue of politics and freedoms in this country. You have the freedom to die from COVID, the freedom to be with this disease for weeks and months. That's also your freedom. And all of us in health care will fight for that freedom to keep you alive and well. But unfortunately, we're running out of steam. We need help.
[Phillip:] Yeah. It doesn't seem to be coming from the federal government. Dr. Ashby, I want to talk to you about what's going on where you are. We're seeing some of these numbers in Miami-Dade County. Forty percent increases in a couple of weeks in coronavirus patients. ICU beds are filling up. More patients on ventilators than have been all month. What are you seeing in your practice and are these patients I'm curious about what you think about where we are in terms of the cycle between illness and hospitalization and then mortality.
[Dr. Bernard Ashby, Cardiologist:] So, great question. Thanks for having me on. Florida, in general, is doing poorly when it comes to controlling this virus, Miami-Dade in particular. We are at a point where there's a rapid rise in the virus, a rapid rise in the virus. The hospitals are overwhelmed at this point. The ICUs are over capacity. My hospital in particular is at capacity. And this virus spread is going on unchecked. We're doing piecemeal approaches to try to reduce the transmission. But it's not nearly enough. We need more backing from our federal, state and local officials to bring this virus to heal. But that's not occurring right now. So, the medical professionals, we're doing our jobs. The case fatality rates are decreasing because we are actually much better at treating the virus. We're using methods such as early use of remdesivir, dexamethasone, trying to avoid folks getting on the vent and using high flow oxygen. But we can only do so much. And so, now, you are starting to see an uptick in the death rate. So, over the past few days, we've been well over 100 until yesterday. And that's an ominous sign. The fact that we have no definitive plans to decrease the spread of the virus is very concerning to say the least.
[Phillip:] Yes, at the same time, back in Washington, we're reporting this morning that President Trump and the White House are at odds with Senate Republicans over this issue of whether the CDC and the states need more money for contact tracing and testing. We've been hearing these reports for days and weeks now. Testing in particular seems to be at an acute problematic level right now. People are waiting long periods of time for tests. Do you think there's more money needed, federal funding to go towards both of those issues? Will it help you at this point in time, Dr. Ashby?
[Ashby:] The fact at that that we're having the conversation is a problem. The answer is yes. We need resources and support. We need to treat this like a FEMA level disaster response. I'm a Florida boy. America is or at least Florida, we're in the eye of a hurricane right now. So, we need to have disaster relief kind of mentality. And the fact that we're talking about or debating whether or not we need funds and resources to support our ability to control the virus is, to me, is just, you know, insane. So, my message to the leadership is just do your job. Leave medical professionals to doing our job. Just do your job, have our back, have your communities back or have our community's back so we can bring the virus under control and people can go on with their lives and not worry about literally dying, because many of my patients, especially my clinic, they're literally worried for their lives and they've been on lockdown since February.
[Phillip:] Yes, Dr. Kalsi, just this weekend, the CDC put out some new guidance for what people should do if they're treating themselves at home. I know this is a real issue for so many Americans who are maybe not hospitalized but they've been diagnosed with the coronavirus. The what's key about this is they're saying after ten days of first showing symptoms and at least 24 hours have passed since your last fever, you can leave isolation, or if your fever passed without medication and you've taken into negative tests, and then for people who are asymptomatic, which we also are seeing a lot of, you can see people can discontinue isolation after ten days after their first positive test if they haven't had symptoms and they can also leave isolation if they have taken two negative tests. Dr. Kalsi, are we learning more about how you know, the duration of the virus, how contagious people are. It seems we went from 14 days to ten days. Is that significant? And do you agree with these guidelines based on what you're seeing in your practice?
[Kalsi:] You know, I trust that the CDC is using good judgment and good clinical data to make the decisions. But boots on the ground, this is entirely arbitrary to me. When they put out statements like this, that what's sort of imperative to making this happen is that people can get rapid tests. Rapid tests means same-day results or even same-hour results. We're just not getting results for days. So that breaks down the entire component of 10 to 14 days. It's a moot point for me because what's happening is that in that same household, if we don't know who is infected. Other people are getting infected. If people are waiting for this result and going on about their lives, they're infecting other people in the same time. So, 10 to 14 days doesn't make a lot of change for me. Boots on the ground, I'm still seeing people co-infecting other people in the household. People at work, and the blue collar community, my my community in particular, they're the ones coming in, getting admitted and having the worst symptoms of this disease.
[Phillip:] Yeah. It all does seem to come down to this issue of testing. Can we get people test results quickly enough that they can actually isolate themselves and not infect others? Dr. Raj Kalsi, Dr. Bernard Ashby, thank you both for joining us this morning.
[Ashby:] Thanks for having me.
[Kalsi:] Thank you.
[Blackwell:] Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is in the hospital. Department spokesperson says he has a minor non-coronavirus-related issue. There's no more information about his condition provided by that spokesperson. But they said that he, 82 years old, is doing well and should be released soon. All right. Still ahead, there's a growing push to rename the site of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, in honor of Congressman John Lewis. Up next, we're going to hear from a leader of this effort to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the message from the great, great, great granddaughter of the Confederate general and KKK leader on the real legacy of the Confederacy.
[Phillip:] Plus, millions of families all across the country will have to decide soon if they are going to send their kids back to school or continue with virtual learning. We've got the executive director of the National Home School Association with us this morning on advice for turning your home into a classroom.

[Whitfield:] Welcome back. President Trump is digging in on the cornerstone of his campaign, a border wall. After the House and Senate passed a resolution to block his national emergency declaration, the president used it as an opportunity to issue his first veto. His reasoning? The invasion that's unfolding at the border, his words. That invasion rhetoric eerily echoing that of the New Zealand gunman who killed 49 innocent worshippers at two mosques. CNN's Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta has more.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Surrounded by supporters, the president turned a veto into the day's main event, officially rejecting a bipartisan measure in Congress that rebuked Mr. Trump for trying to use a national emergency declaration to go around lawmakers to build his border wall.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution. And I have the duty to veto it.
[Acosta:] The president also sounded off on the mosque terror attack in New Zealand.
[Trump:] It's a horrible, horrible thing. I told the prime minister that the United States is with them all the way.
[Acosta:] Earlier in the day, the president offered his condolences, tweeting "My warmest sympathy and best wishes go out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the mosques." But the president's critics question whether that response should have been more forceful in condemning the attack, allegedly carried out by a rightwing extremist. Mr. Trump was asked by reporters whether he thinks white nationalism is a rising threat.
[Trump:] I don't really. I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems. I guess if you look at what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that's a case, I don't know enough about it yet. They're just learning about the person, and the people involved. But it is certainly a terrible thing.
[Acosta:] As a candidate, Mr. Trump once called for a ban on Muslims coming into the U.S., a campaign promise the administration later tried to turn into policy.
[Trump:] Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.
[Acosta:] Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke said thoughts and prayers are not enough, adding that attacks like the one in New Zealand are now all too common.
[Beto O'rourke,  President Candidate:] They're on the rise around the western world. They're on the rise right here in this country. They're part of a larger disease of intolerance that has taken hold in what was thought to be the most tolerant, most open, most welcoming country the world had ever known.
[Acosta:] Before the mosque attack, authorities say the killer in New Zealand wrote a long manifesto expressing his anti-Muslim and anti- immigration views, even describing the president as a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose. Top White House officials are blasting the notion that the president's rhetoric had anything to do with the violence in New Zealand.
[Kellyanne Conway, Counselor To President Trump:] He says I'm not a conservative, I'm not a Nazi, it sounds like be an eco-terrorist. And he certainly absolutely is a ruthless killer, and he's to blame.
[Acosta:] But just this week, questions are being raised whether the president's rhetoric simply crosses the line. In an interview with the conservative Breitbart website, Mr. Trump bragged about his support coming from, quote, "tough people," saying, "I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump. I have the tough people, but they don't play it tough until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad. Very bad." Democrats say the president is playing with fire.
[Sen. Richard Blumenthal,  Connecticut:] I interpret that kind of comment as a danger to peaceful transition of power in our democracy. That's one of the fundamental principles of our constitution, that we have that kind of peaceful transition of power, and respect for the rule of law, which that kind of comment utterly betrays.
[Acosta:] The president said he hadn't read the New Zealand killer's manifesto, so Mr. Trump declined to weigh in on that. But as for the president's claim that white nationalism is not a rising threat, he might want to consider recent FBI figures and other figures showing rightwing extremism is a growing concern, from the neo-Nazi violence on the streets of Charlottesville to the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh last year, and now the mosque attack in New Zealand, it is a threat that can't be denied. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
[Whitfield:] Joining me right now, CNN's political analyst and national political reporter for "The New York Times," Lisa Lerer, Washington bureau chief for "The Toronto Star," Daniel Dale, and CNN.com opinion contributor and "Daily Beast" contributor Dean Obeidallah. Good to see all of you. So Lisa, you first. What does it say, that the president has this platform to strongly condemn white supremacy, but his first response on Twitter to the attack used words like "warmest sympathy" and "best wishes" and didn't even say the word "Muslim," "Muslim community," "Muslim victims," anything like that?
[Lisa Lerer, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, look, this is not a president whose known for being cautious with his words, or not wanting to get out in front of an issue. He usually charges right in. So the fact that he didn't automatically jump in and condemn this as an attack of white supremacy is notable, but it is not surprising. We've seen the president condemn hate in the past. But he tends to condemn certain kinds of hate. He was really vocal after the Pittsburgh shooting at the synagogue about condemning anti-Semitism. He's talked about when there was an attack in Egypt against Coptic Christians, about attacks on Christians and condemned that. But when it comes to condemning attacks that are linked to racial issues, that are conducted by people who have ties to white supremacist organizations, he really has not condemned those attacks in the same way, certainly not forcefully, and certainly not without a wave of criticism first.
[Whitfield:] Why is he or even the White House not concerned more about that, I mean that avoidance, so to speak?
[Lerer:] Well, look, part of the the president has played footsy in a way with the groups, and not necessarily white supremacist groups, but people who may share some of those concerns, who may worry about the influx of immigrants coming into the country, or the changing racial composition of the country. So that is part of his base. Now, it may be a small part of his base, but it is part of his base. So it's hard not to see politics at play here. We are in an election year, or we're in his reelection cycle.
[Whitfield:] So Dean, in your latest piece for "The Daily Beast," you write, "At this point Trump lies somewhere between an apologist for white supremacist terrorism and a person who inspires people to commit such acts. While ultimately those who commit the violent acts are responsible for their crimes, we can't ignore the connection between people who support Trump and white supremacist violence." So expound on your thoughts there.
[Dean Obeidallah, Cnn.com Opinion Contributor:] Sure. Politicians can inspire good, bad, and ugly, and Donald Trump, he has continually inspired some of the worst in this country to commit acts. And, Fred, we talk about the big incidents. There is other ones that I note in my article, where people who were arrested who were self-avowed Trump supporters, self-avowed white supremacists, plotting to kill Muslims like in the New Zealand attack, but they thankfully were stopped. And in January, four young men were arrested who were going to New York state to a place called Islamberg, primarily a African-America Muslim community, to kill them. You had three men, self-avowed white supremacists, who were also Trump supporters, sentenced in January to 25 years in prison for plotting to kill Muslims in Kansas, Somali Muslim community. So these incidents are not getting the press they deserve so Americans don't see how dangerous this is. So they would push, I hope, Donald Trump to say, white supremacist terrorism. He called all of it to say radical Islamic terrorism, because you can't solve it if you can't say it, but Trump doesn't have the courage politically to say white supremacist terrorism, and he won't address it.
[Whitfield:] And then, Dean, you're particularly incensed that the president doesn't say anything compassionately about Muslim, the victims, the community impacted, particularly in this incident, and beyond.
[Obeidallah:] Absolutely. And in fact, we have the opposite with this man. I'm Muslim and this is a man who has demonized my community in ways that I only saw those on the fringe in the past, the real anti- Muslim bigots. Trump has amplified that, saying Muslims cheered on 911 in New Jersey, lying about us, too, Islam hates us. Calling for a ban of Muslims, we are navigating through a difficult time when we think the president of the United States hates us for our faith, but sadly that's where the Muslim community stands right now. It's heartbreaking. I hope things can change. But we are going into an election year. And I fear it is going to be get much worse going into now November 3rd, 2020, with this man.
[Whitfield:] So when asked whether white supremacy and nationalism is on the rise, this is just yesterday following the veto, this is the president's response.
[Unidentified Male:] Do you see today white nationalism as a rising threat around the world?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I don't really. I think it is a small group of people who have very, very serious problems.
[Whitfield:] So you just look back, you know, at when the president is asked about incidents like Charlottesville, Pittsburgh. Here's an example of how he has handled it.
[Trump:] I condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides, on many sides. It is a terrible, terrible thing, what's going on, with hate, in our country, frankly, and all over the world. And something has to be done. Something has to be done.
[Whitfield:] So Daniel, is there a pattern, is it concerning, if that is the case, that he is ambiguous about things, he is reluctant, he speaks in real vagaries here?
[Daniel Dale, Washington Bureau Chief, "the Toronto Star":] Sure, I think there is an obvious pattern, when there was a terror attack perpetrated by a Muslim, to him it's evidence of a group problem, it's a problem with Muslims more broadly. Where in many cases, when there is an attack perpetrated by a white person, especially a white person with rightwing leanings, then it is evidence that this individual person is sick, or demented, or weird. He does not describe it as a group problem in the same kind of way. And I agree with Dean. I think we have to be careful in trying to assert any kind of causality, but it is fact that the president campaigned on a campaign of promoting anti-Muslim bigotry. It was not only the Muslim ban policy. He enthusiastically told an entirely fake story about a U.S. general ordering a massacre of 49 Muslims, coincidently 49, with bullets dipped in pig's blood, and he enthusiastically cited that as a way to combat the terror problem. When a man asked him during the primary in September, 2015, how do we get rid of the Muslims from this country, he said, well, we're looking at a lot of different things. So he has made an active effort to promote this kind of sentiment.
[Whitfield:] So Lisa, you talked about potentially, it may not change because we're coming up on election year, but some of this began right after taking office, the Muslim ban, the travel ban. So is it election season that really is the explanation?
[Lerer:] Look, I think you can date it even further than that. Don't forget this is a president who became a national political figure, really, by pushing this birther conspiracy against President Barack Obama. So he is someone who has long dabbled in conspiracy theories, particularly those that have links to white supremacy, and those that are deeply tied to anti-Muslim and racial sentiments. So I'm not sure, we have a long pattern of behavior here. It's hard to imagine it changing in any dramatic way, particularly as we move into this election year where the president is going to be more and more eager to court and inflame his base. That is the White House's political philosophy. They believe that it is not about reaching out. It is about firing up the supporters they have. And this is a way that the president at least believes that he fires up a portion of his base.
[Whitfield:] Lisa Lerer, Daniel Dale, Dean Obeidallah, thanks to all of you. Appreciate it. We're also following this breaking news out of Paris. We're just learning that police have now detained nearly 200 people in the clashes with the yellow vest protesters. The protests turned violent as police used water cannons and teargas to disperse the crowds, as you see right there. Protesters could be seen throwing rocks, setting up barricades as well. Other groups have been demonstrating for months, starting with the protest on gas tax hikes and evolving into a push against French President Emmanuel Macron's policies. All right, still ahead, the ripple effects of that massive college admissions cheating scandal unveiled earlier this week. Universities now pledging their own investigations. And students now suing, saying they weren't given a fair shot.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you so much. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. Our thanks to the Larkin family for participating in that story.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. We're tracking two major stories tonight, new developments in the coronavirus crisis and a huge turn of events in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Financial markets tanking today amid growing concern about the economic impact of the outbreak. There are also new fears tonight about testing shortfalls here in the United States. Vice President Pence says there are currently not enough screening kits to meet the anticipated demand. The number of cases now stands at more 200 in the U.S. with 12 dead. Also tonight, another major shift in the race for the Democratic nomination, Elizabeth Warren dropping her presidential bid after a deeply disappointing showing on Super Tuesday. Warren declined to immediately endorse either of her main rivals leaving supporters up for grabs. I'll speak with Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, chief clinical officer in a major hospital group in Washington, a state where at least 70 people have the virus. And our correspondents and analysts have full coverage of today's top stories. First, take a look at this. New testing kits being dropped off by a helicopter to a cruise ship just off the coast of San Francisco where passengers on board are showing symptoms of the virus. CNN's Lucy Kafanov is joining us right now and she's got details. Lucy, give us the latest.
[Lucy Kafanov, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, that's right. They have dropped off those medical kits. Passengers also tell us that medical workers are now on board to help test for the coronavirus. But there are more than 2,000 people on board the ship. The question on everyone's mind is whether their ordeal is about to be over or whether this is the start of a new one. Will they be quarantined, and where? The answers might depend on those test results.
[Kafanov:] Tonight the Air National Guard air lifting coronavirus test kits to a cruise ship off the coast of California.
[Gov. Gavin Newsom:] We have a number of passengers and crew members that have developed symptoms on this cruise.
[Kafanov:] The Grand Princess was returning from it Hawaii. The voyage interrupted by the death of a 71-year-old California man, a coronavirus fatality. Health officials believe he contracted it on the same ship during a cruise to Mexico from February 11th to the 21st. Those on board now stranded. At least 11 passengers and 10 crew members exhibiting symptoms. Less than 100 will be tested for the virus, but thousands may have been exposed.
[Unidentified Male:] Is this your first Princess cruise?
[Sharon Lane-simon:] It is. Yes. And it will be the last.
[Kafanov:] Last month, more than 600 cases were reported on the Diamond Princess, quarantined off the coast of Japan. Passengers on the Grand Princess fear they're next.
[Lane-simon:] We're due to go home on Saturday but obviously, we don't know whether we're going to be quarantined for two week what's happening.
[Kafanov:] Thursday, lawmakers on Capitol Hill pressed Trump administration officials for answers on how they'll prevent a similar situation.
[Kenneth Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Secretary Of Homeland Security:] We don't want to obviously use one bad example to set the rule for everything else. And that's why we have flown test kits out to the ship literally as we're speaking. That's going out so that we have greater clarity on exactly what we're contending with.
[Kafanov:] Across the U.S., more than 200 cases of coronavirus reported in 17 states. The brunt of them along the West Coast with a total of 12 deaths reported, 11 in Washington State and one in California. Cases also rising in the east, doubling overnight in New York, largely as a result of increase testing from 11 cases to 22.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] The number will continue to go up. It must because we are continuing to test more and more. The more you test, the higher number you will have.
[Kafanov:] Now, the CDC is working around the clock to produce and send out more test kits. They say that by end of next week, they hope to have enough to test at least 1.5 million people. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, let's hope. Lucy Kafanov reporting for us, thank you. Let's go to our Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta right now. Jim, the Vice President is offering a rather candid assessment of a major short coming in the coronavirus response.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. The White House point man on the coronavirus outbreak, Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged today that the administration is still working to meet the demand for testing across the country. That acknowledgment comes as President Trump is coming under intense scrutiny for comments he made about the outbreak. The President appear to suggest that people can go to work after being infected with the virus even though the CDC is warning people not to do that. But the big worry for this administration is that they don't have enough tests for this virus.
[Acosta:] In the race against the coronavirus the Trump administration is still playing catch up to meet the demand for testing kits for people who suspect they've been infected. Vice President Mike Pence conceded to reporters that the administration is still working to make enough tests available.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] We don't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward.
[Acosta:] White House officials insist the administration will meet its goal of distributing more than 1 million tests by the end of the week. But those officials concede the government is still well behind anticipated growing demand for tests over the coming months. Earlier this week, Pence said the administration wants to have the ability to test any American.
[Pence:] Any American that wants to be tested for the coronavirus on their doctor's indications can be tested.
[Acosta:] The administration is also trying to contain an outbreak of sketchy information coming from the President. He told Fox News it was his hunch that the mortality rate for the coronavirus is much lower than what's been cited by the World Health Organization.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well I think the 3.4 percent is really false number. Now, and this is just my hunch, and but based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people that do this. So I think that that number is very high. I think the number, personally, I would say the number is way under one percent.
[Acosta:] Contrast that with what some administration experts have said.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] If you look at the cases that have come to the attention of the medical authorities in China and you just do the math, the math is about two percent.
[Acosta:] Even Mr. Trump's top allies are advising Americans to listen to the scientists.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] Listen to the scientist when is it comes to numbers.
[Acosta:] The President also suggested people infected with the coronavirus could go to work.
[Trump:] So if, you know, we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better, just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work, some of them go to work. But they get better.
[Acosta:] But the CDC website says don't to that, adding, "You should restrict activities outside your home except for getting medical care. Do not go to work, school or public areas. Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing or taxis." All week, the President has been playing fast and loose with the facts claiming a coronavirus vaccine could be ready in months.
[Trump:] I don't think they know what the time will be. I've heard very quick numbers, a matter of months. And I've heard pretty much a year would be an outside number.
[Acosta:] Only to be contradicted by the experts.
[Fauci:] So he's asked the question, when is it going to be deployable? And that is going to be at the earliest a year to year and a half no matter how fast you go.
[Acosta:] Democrats say the President should be more careful.
[Rep. Donna Shalala:] My chief concern is that we not politicize this. You know, fear is a virus as well. And it's very important that we stick to the facts.
[Acosta:] The White House is also advising federal workers to stay home if they are suffering from flu-like symptoms saying in an e-mail that they should not come into the office out of an abundance of caution. In the meantime we should point out the financial markets don't appear to be encouraged by the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Dow dropped just under 1,000 points, another wild swing in a very volatile week. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Volatile indeed. All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much. Let's get some more analysis right now from an expert right at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak here in the United States. Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips is joining us. She's the chief clinical officer at the Providence St. Joseph Health hospital group. Thanks so much for joining us Dr. Compton-Phillips. As you know better than anyone, 12 Americans have now died from coronavirus, 11 in your state of Washington alone. What are you learning about how to protect people who get this virus?
[Dr. Amy Compton-phillips, Chief Clinical Officer, Providence St. Joseph Health:] We're learning that we really need to be very cautious about how infectious this germ is because it's reasonably easily transmissible. And so we're doing everything we can not to focus on the outbreak of sketchy information, but on leveraging common sense and actually following evidence- evidence-based guidelines that say that you wash your hands often, that you use hand sanitizer, that if you're going to do anything that interacts with somebody who has the germ, that you use appropriate personal protection equipment so that you can minimize any risk of transmitting person to person.
[Blitzer:] Yes. Potentially life-saving advice for a lot of our viewers. The Vice President as you just heard says the country right now doesn't have enough testing kits to meet the future demand. How does that impact hospitals like yours trying to contain the spread of the virus?
[Compton-phillips:] It's a huge impact to have insufficient tests available because we any time there's an outbreak, you see the tip of the iceberg. You get the people who have the most severe symptoms coming in. But those people got that infection from somewhere. And we need to figure out in order to interrupt transmission of this infection. We need to figure out where that infection is coming from, which means you need to treat the less severely impacted. People who think they just have a cold, but they really have coronavirus. And if they happen to get around somebody that's, you know, 70 years old and has some underlying health conditions can be lethal. And so we've got to start actually testing those less severely impacted patients.
[Blitzer:] Yes, much worse for the elderly right now than for younger people. Your team has been treating coronavirus patients including some from the Diamond Princess Cruise ship. Tell us more about what that treatment looks like.
[Compton-phillips:] Well, it absolutely varies on the severity. So we've had people that really have had very minimal symptoms, more like your cold or flu symptoms. And we've had people who have passed away, unfortunately. And the big challenge is that if the virus goes from having upper respiratory symptoms, so headache and fever and congestion, to having a viral pneumonia, it can really impact the ability to get oxygen in the bloodstream. And so then we have to do everything from using extra oxygen, to using a ventilator. And in China they've even had to use something called ECMO, which is like a bypass machine that can oxygenate the blood outside the body. And so we're working hard to learn from the experience in other countries so we can apply those lessons here as rapidly as possible.
[Blitzer:] I'm curious, doctor, how these so-called isolation chambers, the negative pressure rooms, as they're call called, actually work.
[Compton-phillips:] They actually do work. And the reason we use those is that in a regular hospital room, if somebody coughs and then you open the door, if there's anything that's aerosolized in that room, the air can whoosh out of the room and into the hallway and infect the hospital, which is, of course, not what you want. And instead with the negative pressure room, you keep the atmospheric pressure in that room a little bit lower than the hallway. So when you open the door air rushes in. And that air is then all filtered through a specific HEPA filter that keeps the germs from going beyond. In fact, in one of our hospitals, in our Everett Hospital, we've turned an entire floor into a negative pressure floor so that we can actually manage the influx of people who are infected.
[Blitzer:] Well, thank you so much for what you and your team are doing. I know you're saving lives out there. Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, appreciate it very much.
[Compton-phillips:] Thank you so much.
[Blitzer:] All right. A quick and very important programming though to our viewers. Later tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, CNN presents a live global town hall, Coronavirus, Facts and Fears. Join our Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta live tonight at 10:00 Eastern only here on CNN. Up next, from today's big trop on Wall Street to the impact on Main Street and beyond, take a closer look at the financial fallout from coronavirus fears. Plus, today's big development in the presidential campaign, Senator Elizabeth warren drops out setting up a showdown between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

[Sciutto:] This morning, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is defending his actions and firing back at his critics over his handling of the Mueller investigation.
[Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General:] I did pledge to do it right and to take it to the appropriate conclusion. It's not our job to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it's appropriate to file criminal charges.
[Sciutto:] Joining me now to discuss, Susan Hennessey, former NSA attorney and CNN national security and legal analyst. So, a lot to unpack from Rod Rosenstein there because he made a lot of defenses took a couple shots as well. First on his answer there that it's not his job, meaning the Justice Department's job, to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it's appropriate to file criminal charges. That is true, but we also know, do we not, that Robert Mueller's decision not to indict the president on obstruction of justice was because of a policy not to indict the president based on what he cited in that report, do we not?
[Susan Hennessey, Cnn National Security And Legal Analyst:] That's certainly true that that was Robert Mueller's motivation. The other thing that's a little at tension with Rosenstein's comments was of course his decision to join Bill Barr in that original summary letter and not just letting the Mueller report speak for itself on obstruction of justice. Laying out the facts but declining to render a traditional prosecutorial judgment. But actually taking that additional step of saying we don't believe that this is obstruction of justice. I think anyone who has actually read the report now understands that decision and the decision to sort of insert themselves into that process was ultimately a politically and public relations motivated one. It's also hard to square that with sort of Rosenstein's account of how he viewed his role.
[Sciutto:] On his criticism of the Obama administration for not being more public about Russian interference in the election as it was happening, and it's my own reporting, I have spoken to folks who who were in the administration who said there was a debate inside about how public to go. Is Rosenstein's criticism there fair?
[Hennessey:] Certainly, there is fair criticism to be leveled against the Obama administration's handling of sort of the Russia situation in real time. That said, there's a single person who is responsible for the failure to warn the American people, it wasn't President Obama or anyone in his administration. It was Mitch McConnell. There has been lots of credible reporting that the Obama administration went to McConnell, laid out the evidence, and said we want to present this to the American people. Mitch McConnell in response made clear that if they did that, he would frame it as a partisan issue. And that ultimately was the reason why the Obama administration felt they couldn't move forward.
[Sciutto:] Final question. The president's threatening now to declassify the FISA warrants that led to the investigation. This is the special court that determines the ability to surveil U.S. citizens. He's done this before. Declassified documents that he found politically advantageous, but there are risks here. What would the risks be?
[Hennessey:] Over the long term, the risk is not just anything that might be revealed by this particular declassification, but over the long term, the government is actually going to erode the government's argument in needing to preserve these documents. All the time the government has to go to court to fight FOIA requests, requests by defendants to make these documents public. And what they say is if we were to disclose them, it would be harmful to the national security of the United States. If what we see is the president selectively declassifying information when it's politically advantageous or helped fuel a particular conspiracy theory, that's going to undercut the message of the Department of Justice. And courts might be less likely to defer to them in the future.
[Sciutto:] Susan Hennessey, always good to talk to you. Right now, federal judge is deciding the fate of the Russian agent Maria Butina. Today's sentencing comes after she pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy. CNN reporter Kara Scannell is live outside the courthouse this morning. What can we expect there and what do we learn from her about Russian efforts to interfere in the political process here?
[Kara Scannell, Cnn Reporter:] Yes. The sentencing hearing began just about 20 minutes ago. And the judge here will decide just how much time Maria Butina serves in prison. Now, prosecutors are saying that she was part of this conspiracy, this campaign to infiltrate conservative political circles while working with a Russian government official and then acting as a backchannel to get that information to the Kremlin. Now, prosecutors initially came out with a lot of salacious details saying that she once offered sex to have access to a special interest group. And they have walked to that back now. They have said that she actually was not using her graduate school study as a cover. She was a genuine college student, but and they've also said that she was not actually a trained intelligence officer and was not a spy in the traditional sense of seeking classified information that she would then peddle back to the Kremlin. But they're sticking very strongly with this notion that she's a national security risk working as what they called an access agent to spot and identify individuals who could be vulnerable for Russian interference and that information would still get back to the Kremlin as part of their overall effort to influence the U.S. political system. Now Butina's lawyer and prosecutors are saying they want her to get 18 months in prison. Butina's lawyers are saying that she should serve no more than the time she's already been incarcerated, which is just over nine months. We do expect to hear from Butina. She's expected to address the judge and make her best case. Now, her lawyer is saying that she was an idealized college student who just wanted and had a genuine interest in improving U.S. government relations. They're asking that she just be sent back home to Russia. Jim?
[Sciutto:] Well that's how Russian intelligence work. You have the company folks who work full time and you got the freelancers, part of the system. Kara Scannell thanks very much. Two U.S. universities are right now under quarantine because of a measles outbreak. We're going to have an update on this, just coming up.

[Laura Coates, Cnn Legal Analyst:] What you have strung together is a series of assumption, not prudence, not careful consideration of the facts of the case
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] Shoot. Let me try and get Laura back. Do you see what's on your screen? Put it back there for a second. We'll try and get Laura back. There's no substitute for her. Just look at this. If the offense is committed in his presence, OK, or within his immediate knowledge. So, let's say you say well they knew about this. No, they didn't know about anything on the 23rd. They think they knew about something about the 11th, but they don't know that that was Arbery. And even if it were Arbery, and we don't that it was, it wasn't a felony to trespass. They don't get the protection of this. Sore we lost Laura. She's always a value. But it's now time for D. Lemon anyway. Laura, I'm sorry about what happened with you. I'll get you back tomorrow night. D. Lemon's time is now.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Yes. Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. We're going to continue to follow this. Actually, we have a message from the mother tonight that you're you guys are going to want to hear about. Someone left a mysterious note on the makeshift memorial for Arbery, saying I wish I could have stopped this. Well, the mother has a message tonight that she wants to hear. If anybody in the sound of my voice, I have nothing up on the screen.
[Cuomo:] I hear you.
[Lemon:] In this room.
[Cuomo:] I hear you right now, Don. You sound beautiful. And it is very important to hear from the mother. And this is a really important context to add to that story. That we have a reasonable basis for belief now that the McMichael's thought they knew who Arbery was before the 23rd. That's why they took off after him outside their house. They thought he was the guy from the 11th, the surveillance video there. Even if they're right, and we don't know that they were, even if they were right, it changes nothing except probably makes it a little bit worse for them because they had no authority to do what
[Lemon:] For any of it.
[Cuomo:] they did.
[Lemon:] Again, as we said, even if he did do whatever they thought he did, it is still it does not condone the actions on that videotape. You don't have to be an attorney to see that. I know that you are a very smart attorney. Laura Coates
[Cuomo:] Is a genius.
[Lemon:] Very smart. Is a genius and she's telling you, doesn't warrant the behavior of that. So, we shall see.
[Cuomo:] Not even close.
[Lemon:] Not even close. Thank you, sir. We're going to continue to follow that. We've got the attorney on tonight and that new information, the new videotape and the member from the mother tonight. Chris, we'll see you. Thank you, sir. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. We have some breaking news as the death toll in this country tops 84,000. Dire warnings on the coronavirus to tell you about. That as sources tell CNN that this president is privately questioning whether the death toll is inflated. And tonight, taking aim at the top medical expert on his own task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci, accusing him of playing all sides of the equation and trying to shoot down his concerns about schools reopening in the fall.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States Of America:] I was surprised by his answer, actually, because, you know, it's just to me it's not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools. The only thing that would be acceptable, as I said, is professors, teachers, et cetera, over a certain age. I think they ought to take it easy for another few weeks, five weeks, four weeks, who knows, whatever it may be, but I think they have to be careful because this is a disease that attacks age. And it attacks health. And if you have a heart problem, if you have diabetes, if you're a certain age, it's certainly much more dangerous, but with the young children, I mean, and students it's really it's just take a look at the statistics. It's pretty amazing.
[Lemon:] Well, the president thinks it is not acceptable for Dr. Fauci to suggest that schools only open cautiously with the virus spreading. Not acceptable for a doctor, a scientist to raise concerns about keeping children safe at school? Not acceptable for him to tell the truth that there's a lot that we don't know yet about this virus? I think millions of parents, teachers, frankly, most Americans would take Dr. Fauci's concerns pretty darn seriously. But this is a president who just doesn't want to let facts stand in the way of his need to get America back to business. And he is 100 percent wrong when he suggests that children are not at risk because we are learning more and more that they can be. Doctors warning tonight that there will likely be more cases of a mysterious illness that is linked to coronavirus. That seems to be affecting children. It has sickened at least 100 children so far with fever, inflammation, poor function of the kidneys or heart, and other symptoms similar to toxic shock. So, children are definitely not immune. Dr. Fauci saying this today.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] I think we better be careful if we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune of the deleterious effects.
[Lemon:] But like I said, the president doesn't want to let facts stand in the way of getting America back to business. Which, yes, is something we all want. But if it comes down to the president versus Dr. Fauci, the president, he may not be the winner here. The new CNN poll finds 67 percent of Americans trust Dr. Fauci on the coronavirus. Only 36 percent trust the president. And listen to what Rush Limbaugh, you remember the president gave him the medal of Freedom. Listen to what he has to say about Dr. Fauci saying the quiet part out loud.
[Rush Limbaugh, Radio:] Let me tell you how you deal with Fauci. You praise him to the hilt. Exactly like Trump is doing. You praise him to the hilt. You talk about how brilliant he is and you say that we're so lucky to have Fauci. My God, Tony, you should run for office. And then privately you ignore every damn thing he says and implement your own policy. That's the only way you can now, don't repeat that because then the policy, the secret would be let out of the bag, but that's how you deal with these people.
[Unidentified Female:] Will President Trump do that?
[Limbaugh:] I think he already is.
[Lemon:] Get the Medal of Freedom for that, huh? That kind of stuff. OK. That as there are dire warnings tonight from someone who was inside the administration at the beginning of all of this, and that is Dr. Rick Bright, the vaccine chief who was removed from his post last month. Is set to testify before Congress tomorrow. And what he is planning to say is stunning, warning of what he calls the darkest winter in modern history without a ramped-up coronavirus response. Yes, here we are, 48 states in the process of reopening while the virus continues to spread, while the death toll continues to climb. That as Wisconsin's Supreme Court just hours ago struck down the stay- at-home order in a four to three decision. Wisconsin's Governor Tony Ever Evers is here to talk to me about that last-minute development. He's going to be here. So, make sure you stay tuned for that. We're abandoning the very things that have actually been working to flatten the curve, and that is social distancing and stay-at-home orders. And now here we are. More than 84,000 Americans dead. We've got a lot more to come on all of that tonight. And we have some new developments to tell you about in the case that we have been following now for well over a week and a half. The shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was gunned down while jogging on February 23rd. A new photo, a new video and a new 911 call all giving us leads to follow. CNN affiliate WJXT photographed this unsigned message in a car that was reportedly left at a memorial on the corner where Ahmaud Arbery was killed. The message reads, quote, "Ahmaud, I am so sorry. I should have stopped them. I am so sorry." The lead attorney for the family Lee Merritt tweeting, quote, "we need to discover who left this note." He's going to be here tonight with more. We might never have known about this case without the video of Ahmaud jogging in Georgia in that neighborhood where he was chased down, shot and killed. And there's another new video tonight, new surveillance video from a house under construction in that neighborhood. This was less than two weeks before Ahmaud Arbery was killed. The video shows an unidentified African-American man walking in the house. One of the suspects in Ahmaud's death, Travis McMichael, later had a confrontation with an unidentified black man that day. An attorney for that owner, for the owner of that house says he is, quote, "unaware for the confrontation on the property involved Ahmaud." The owner says he doesn't recognize the man in the video. Has no idea of his identity and nothing has taken from his was taken from his property. And tonight, we have the 911 call from Travis McMichael on February 11th. Listen.
[Unidentified Male:] I was leaving the neighborhood, and I just caught a guy running into a house being built two houses down from me. When I turned around, he took off running into the house.
[Unidentified Female:] OK. What did he look like?
[Unidentified Male:] It was a black male. Red shirt, white shorts.
[Lemon:] More to come on all of this. And as we said, Wisconsin now, stay-at-home orders? Not so much. The governor of that state joins us next.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause, live from Studio 7 at CNN World Headquarters. Coming up this hour on CNN NEWSROOM. On White House stationery, Donald Trump's letter of rage to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Six pages of anger, insults and threats. India pushes back on mass protests against an anti Muslim citizenship law deploying troops, ordering a curfew and shutting down the Internet. And welcome back, facts and science. For the first time in more than 20 years the U.S. Congress will fund research into gun violence. Why that could be a seismic moment for gun reform.
[Vause:] It could be the stigma, the reputational stain or perhaps just the shame of impeachment which is finally weighing on U.S. president Donald Trump. On the eve of his likely impeachment, Trump went into full victim rant mode, in a rambling six-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he cut loose. Think stream of consciousness meets Trump's Twitter feed. He was the victim of an attempted coup, the innocent victim of hateful Democrats and he warned that, come the 2020 election, they would come to regret this because Americans will not soon forgive your perversion of justice and abuse of power. In Trump's world, more due process was afforded to those accused in the Salem witch trials. Nancy Pelosi was offending Americans of faith, by continuously praying for the president when you know this statement is not true unless it is meant in a negative sense. Earlier on Tuesday Pelosi said she hadn't read the entire letter but called it "sick."
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Political Correspondent:] Your reaction to the president's letter?
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , House Speaker:] My reaction is it is ridiculous.
[Unidentified Male:] You have no reaction? Why not?
[Pelosi:] No, I haven't really fully read it. We have been working. I've seen the essence of it, though. And it is really sick.
[Vause:] Not long after that, the House Speaker wrote her own letter to Democrat colleagues. She reminded that oath makes us custodians of the Constitution, if we do not act we will be derelict in our duty. While Trump was raging, the business of impeachment was moving forward. The House Rules Committee outlined the rules for the impeachment vote. There will be six hours of debate divided equally between Democrats and Republicans, before they vote on two articles. CNN's Alex Marquardt has the latest.
[Rep. Tom Cole:] This is a day where we're going disagree and disagree very strongly.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] Partisan divide on full display, on the eve of just the third vote in history to impeach a president. The ground rules being seat by a House panel for tomorrow's final vote.
[Rep. Jim Mcgovern:] Now it's up to us to decide whether the United States is a nation where no one is above the law.
[Marquardt:] Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin representing the House Judiciary majority arguing that the president has been unrepentant.
[Rep. Jamie Raskin:] We believe this conduct is impeachable and should never take place again under our constitutional system. He believes his conduct is perfect and we know, therefore, it will take place again and again.
[Marquardt:] While House Judiciary Republicans represented by ranking member Doug Collins held the line for the president.
[Rep. Doug Collins:] The clear and present danger right now in this room is the pattern of attack and abuse of rules and decisions to get at this president.
[Marquardt:] A new CNN average of recent polls shows that Americans are split on impeaching and removing the president by a narrow margin more oppose it. All of this setting the scene for the Senate trial to come with leadership contentiously disagreeing today on the Senate floor over what the trial should look like. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shooting down Democrats' proposals which called for more high-profile Trump administration witnesses.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] If House Democrats' case is this deficient, this thin, the answer is not for the judge and jury to cure it over here in the Senate. The answer is the House should not impeach on this basis in the first place.
[Marquardt:] Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had requested subpoenas for, among others acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer , Minority Leader:] What is Leader McConnell afraid of? What is president Trump afraid of, the truth? But the American people want the truth.
[Marquardt:] For Schumer to win this argument, he needs four Republican senators to vote with Democrats. But so far, the eight moderate Republicans in Schumer's sights are showing little signs ever defecting.
[Sen. Mitt Romney:] I'm talking to colleagues, listening to the leadership and giving it a great deal of thought.
[Marquardt:] So Schumer and McConnell are no closer to agreeing how this historic trial will look when it's expected to start in just a few weeks. Now after speaking on the Senate floor today, Schumer said McConnell is using the Senate to participate in what he called a cover up while McConnell told reporters because this is a political process, he does not intend to be an impartial juror at all Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
[Vause:] Allan Lichtman, presidential historian and distinguished professor of history at the American University joins us now from Washington. Professor, thank you for coming back. It is good to see you. When it comes to all of, this, when it's one it's all said and done, you predicted Trump would win the election, you predicted he would be impeached. Look into the future. If this all goes according to the plan, he is impeached by the House, acquitted by the Senate, November 2020, who benefits the most from the impeachment? Does Trump make the case that they have been after him forever, I'm persecuted, vote for me, or do Democrats benefit from this?
[Allan Lichtman, Presidential Historian:] The history of impeachment is that it is not a happy event for the party of the president. Every president who has been impeached, been convicted by the Senate and Richard Nixon who resigned to avoid impeachment, in each case, their party lost the next presidential election. Andrew Johnson's Democrats lost in 1868. He was impeached and tried in an election year. Nixon's Republicans lost in 1976. And Bill Clinton's Democrats lost in 2000, in an election they could have easily won, at a time of peace, prosperity and domestic and foreign tranquility. So impeachment on my system has been correct since 1984, is one mark against the president and his party. But impeachment alone and the scandal that it involves is not enough right now to defeat Donald Trump. It is important that while the Democrats may have made a legal argument that the actions of the president rise to the level of impeachment, it seems to have not won that case with the American public. The opinion polls have flatlined. The country remains evenly divided. After a series of public hearings, it has been out there for the public to see, some polls are showing support for impeachment has declined.
[Lichtman:] It is been somewhere around the high 40s to 50 percent, that is 20 points higher than the high point on public sentiment to impeach Bill Clinton. And the Republicans went ahead and did it. I have always thought the time in which the public mind might be changed is not in the House hearings but in the Senate trial. People will follow the Senate trial. For the third time it happens in U.S. history, that is why Mitch McConnell and other Republicans are so desperate not to have a real trial. And they've made the most absurd argument, that all the evidence, the articles, of course, witnesses and documents and evidence is presented. Plus Republicans have given us what is going to be the ultimate in circular reasoning. They claim the Democrats don't have many witnesses in direct contact with the president. But of course, we are not going to let you hear from any witnesses that have contact with the president, like Mulvaney or Bolton.
[Vause:] Let's listen to the leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, on precisely the trial, which does sound as if it will be very favorable for the president.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell , Senate Majority Leader:] I think we are going to get an almost entirely partisan impeachment. I would anticipate an almost entirely partisan outcome in the Senate, as well. I'm not an impartial juror. This is a political process.
[Vause:] If this was a trial, McConnell would be forced to recuse himself, wouldn't he?
[Lichtman:] He would be booted out by the judge faster than you could say Andrew Johnson. He is fundamentally wrong about impeachment. Impeachment is a constitutional process. It stands equally with election as a way of deciding who should be president. And the framers put impeachment on an equal footing into the Constitution, as a legal, peaceful and orderly means for dealing with a rogue president, as opposed to the remedy of the 18th century, assassination or revolution. And they fully expected a real trial, in the Senate and they put it in the Senate, because they expected senators to be men of wisdom and circumspection, who didn't face election for six years, who are not elected directly by the people but by the state legislatures in those days. And they expected the Senate to be impartial, nonpartisan and have a real trial. It is a travesty what McConnell has said. He knows nothing about the Constitution and nothing about history or only cares about partisan affairs.
[Vause:] Democrats failing to make the case to win over the public. Is that testimony a smokescreen?
[Lichtman:] It has been very effective. What Trump does really well and his Republican backers have picked up on it, is distraction and deflection and that is what the Republican tactics have been all about. Complain about process, falsely say the impeachment, even though there is constitutional about it, is a cancellation of an election. Say the Democrats have always wanted to impeach him. Even though Nancy Pelosi, the leader, has resisted that and then blame it on everyone but the president. It wasn't anyone but the president, who started to shake down a vulnerable ally to help him cheat in the election. Go back to what President Clinton said during his impeachment. He said, I was wrong. And I apologize to the American people. I have real remorse for what I did. Trump takes responsibility for nothing. It is always someone else's fault. And the crimes he committed in the Ukraine? They are going on right now even as we speak here. His personal attorney, at his direction, is collaborating with the most corrupt, disreputable elements in the Ukraine to cheat in the 2020 election. The Republicans thought the dossier from trials like this using Russian sources was the crime of the century. But what Giuliani is doing in the Ukraine is 10 times worse. He is not just compiling information, he is collaborating with the corrupt elements in the Ukraine and promoting corruption in the Ukraine and the
[U.s. Vause:] Allan, thank you so much. Good to see you.
[Lichtman:] My pleasure, John. Take care.
[Vause:] And two sources have told CNN that the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine will be stepping down in the coming weeks. Bill Taylor was a key witness during the House impeachment inquiry and was labeled as the president as a Never Trumper. He came out of retirement earlier this year to fill the vacancy in the U.S. embassy in Ukraine after the former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was ousted. Taylor's appointment was scheduled to end in early January. Still to come, neither side willing to give in despite days of violent protests, India's government stands firm on a conversational citizenship law. Also ahead, record breaking heat and raging bush fires creating a dangerous mix across Australia.

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back, everyone. Well, the U.S. is seeing a dramatic surge in coronavirus cases. There were more than 67,000 new cases across the country Tuesday. In Florida, 48 hospitals have reached their ICU capacity. Texas reported more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday. And California's Los Angeles County had more than 4,200 new cases. All this according to data from local health officials. The top U.S. infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Is again weighing in. He says other countries were more effective at managing the pandemic because unlike the U.S. they shut down almost entirely during the initial outbreak. Well meantime, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is issuing a dire warning about the pandemic. Dr. Robert Redfield said this autumn and winter could be one of the most difficult times for the U.S. as the flu season is expected to further overwhelm health systems. In the U.K., a similar warning. Last hour I spoke to Dr. Stephen Holgate about his projections for COVID-19 and the flu. His team believes coronavirus deaths could reach nearly 120,000 by next summer.
[Dr. Stephen Holgate, Medical Research Council:] It was based really on looking at the additional factors over the winter that would accelerate the transmission of this virus between people. We have really a perfect storm in some respects and that the virus obviously likes colder weather. It lives longer. People become more closed in their environments, in their homes and offices and other spaces are less ventilated to keep down to keep the temperature up. And the other thing that is important here is that people themselves tend not to go out as much during the winter and are much closer to each other. I'm working then the same with the sort of other factors that are coming along, as you rightly mentioned, the Influenza, but also the backlog we have of all those surgical and medical problems that are accumulating in the health service that need attention. And also difficulties that we have had to create, in some respects, to cope with the COVID in our hospitals such that the staff and the wards and the various other parts of the hospitals aren't really fit or to be able to cope with the normal NHS, National Health Service functions has led to obviously, us being a little bit pessimistic in our view.
[Church:] Yes. Understood. And it is, indeed, an incredible concern. And perhaps there have been suggestions, if there could be a push to get more people across the globe to take the flu shot that would at least remove that element of it. Here in the United States, only 45 percent of American adults actually take the flu shot. That may change this time because of COVID-19. What is the situation in the U.K. when it comes to the flu shot?
[Holgate:] Well, of course, we don't have a COVID-19 vaccine yet, which is unfortunate, but it's coming along, we all hope. Yes, flu is the big issue here, and our figures of vaccinations I think is fairly similar to those in the United States, about 45 percent to 50 percent. So, it really got to push hard here to get the flu vaccine to the people who most need it. Those who have got conditions that predisposed them to influenza, the children, the elderly and of course the health workers, because we don't want them to get sick during a critical time when they meant to be coping with this extra resurgence.
[Church:] And thanks again to Dr. Stephen Holgate with the University of Southampton. Well, the director of CDC says masks are key if schools are to reopen safely in the coming months. The U.S. is still debating the best way to do that. One doctors believes teachers should have access to same protection as health care workers. Listen.
[Dr. Dimitri Christakis, Pediatrician:] Staff and teachers should be provided medical grade PPE. We should treat them as essential workers and we should give them all of the safety equipment they need in order to be safe.
[Church:] The CDC says face-to-face interactions are the goal for the new school year. But many teachers and administrators oppose to going back to classrooms before it's safe. Well, the Trump administration is resending its controversial policy barring international students who take only online courses from staying in the U.S. A number of states and universities filed lawsuits over the plan. Some major schools planned to move all courses online during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning the Trump administration's policy would have impacted many of the more than 1 million foreign students studying here in the United States. Well, what do you get when you take a large gathering of young people, loud music and partying, and a very highly contagious virus. Well in the U.S. you get a pandemic spike. One recent party in Michigan led to dozens of new cases which then spread across state lines as CNN's Tom Foreman reports.
[Tom Foreman, Cnn Correspondent:] The Fourth of July holiday fall out is landing hard in Michigan, where officials say a single house party in the town of Saline has exploded into at least 43 confirmed cases of
[Covid. Susan Ringler-cerniglia, Washtenaw County, Michigan Health Department:] It sounds like, from our investigation that there were some folks at the initial event with some mild illness and that's probably one of the reasons that we've seen it spread so quickly.
[Foreman:] Indeed, authorities say the party goers carried the virus to stores, restaurants, other businesses, a canoe rental place, camps, even connecting with athletic teams and a retirement community, triggering confirmed infections in all of those locations, some even went to other states.
[Ringler-cerniglia:] The case count does continue to go up.
[Foreman:] Most of those infections hit people between the ages of 15 to 25, raising new concern about that huge lake party on the northern end of the state, where health officials say people are also turning up with COVID, but Michigan is far from alone. In state after state, the warnings are stepping up from young people who have contracted the virus.
[Unidentified Female:] Take this seriously, it is not a joke.
[Foreman:] And officials who worry about environments that attract the young, tired of being locked down. Parties, bars and concerts.
[John Bel Edwards, Louisiana Governor:] There's just nothing about that environment that is conducive to slowing the spread of COVID-19.
[Michelle Zymet, Entire Family Contracted Coronavirus:] He went to a, you know, someone's home, there was a few people there, and I'm sure they were eating, drinking.
[Foreman:] Michelle Zymet's 21-year-old son went to a gathering of friends, came home, now her whole family is COVID positive. Her husband, John on a ventilator.
[Zymet:] And it is scary that he's there, all alone fighting for his life. And you let your guard down, just one time, that's all it takes. And look, you come home and you infect the entire house.
[Foreman:] This is precisely what health officials have worried about all along. People make a decision to do what they want to do and go where they want to go, and that potentially affects hundreds of other people, who did not make that choice. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
[Church:] National polls show that if the November U.S. election were held today President Donald Trump would lose to Joe Biden. CNN's Ed Lavandera visited a traditionally conservative city in Texas to hear how voters think Mr. Trump is handling the big issues.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] The quaint downtown square of McKinney, Texas promises historic good times. But the good vibes have been smothered by the historic coronavirus. The pandemic is casting a long shadow over the 2020 presidential election.
[Margie Schraer, Trump Supporter:] The whole COVID thing is being used as a tool to divide us as a country instead of us coming together. Which I think is really sad for our country
[Lavandera:] Margie Schraer and Kelly Tallo both support President Trump and say he's done an honest job of handling the pandemic.
[Kelly Tallo, Trump Supporter:] I think he's probably doing the best that he can right now. I mean, there's so much mixed information out there and trying to decipher what's fact and what's fiction and where it's coming from. I wouldn't don't be in his position.
[Schraer:] Although I don't always like his decisions, I think his intentions are always good. And his own, I think he gathers the information and he makes the decision for our country and not for an ulterior motive of personal gain.
[Lavandera:] McKinney, Texas is one of the historically conservative big city suburbs where political analysts say Trump is vulnerable. And it's the kind of area Joe Biden is now targeting with a new television ad.
[Joe Biden, Presumptive U.s. Democratic Presidential Nominee:] This virus is tough. But Texas is tougher.
[Lavandera:] Recent polls show Trump and Biden locked in a tight race in Texas. Of course, the idea of a Democrat winning Texas is still viewed with high skepticism. But there is a strong wave of anger towards President Trump among some Texas voters. [on camera]: How do you think President Trump has handled this pandemic?
[Greg Evans, Biden Supporter:] Failure. Total failure. His actions and lack of actions has exacerbated the effects of the pandemic on all Americans.
[Wanda Phillips, Biden Supporter:] He's not taken responsibility for anything that he does. He always blames someone else.
[Amir Hadad, Biden Supporter:] He said, you know what, there's no boundary at all, nobody has died. It's just going to going to go away by itself. But those are things, you know, which really bothers me as a citizen that he really takes it very lightly.
[Lavandera:] For some Trump supporters the President is a victim of unfair criticism, politically motivated in an election year.
[Cecilia Levings, Trump Supporter:] He had to hit the ground running in all of the unknowns. And I feel like he's been second guessed for the majority of it. It's easy now to become an armchair quarterback and to criticize what he's done.
[Lavandera:] Ed Lavandera, CNN, McKinney, Texas.
[Church:] And still to come the U.K. makes a big decision on a tech giant delighting Washington and angering Beijing. We'll explain.

[Allen:] Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Natalie Allen and this is CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. Tropical storm Isaias is not quite a hurricane but that could change soon. South Florida's East Coast is already experiencing wind and rain from the storm's outer band. Florida officials face the difficult task of trying to keep people's faith even as the world grapples with the worst outbreaks in the country. There is another emergency situation on the other side of the country. California's already dealing with a large number of coronavirus cases. Now they have to screen people going to shelters because of a raging wildfire. This is about 70 miles east of Los Angeles in Riverside County. Fire officials say the Apple Fire started Friday and exploded in size on Saturday, as these things do in California. The fire has now burned more than 12,000 acres and thousands have been evacuated. The combination of COVID-19 and economic hardship is pushing many to the margins. California just reported 219 related deaths Saturday. That is the most ever in a single day since this began. And with a number of cases rising, so are concerns about food and housing. Paul Vercammen visited a food charity in Los Angeles.
[Paul Vercammen, Cnn Correspondent:] They work late in the afternoon, cleaning up after a huge food giveaway in the First Unitarian Church. This is Koreatown in downtown Los Angeles. They served boxes of meals or sent them out to more than 2,000 people, 1,500 of them walked up here, some have been in line since midnight. And then they shipped out another 500 boxes to nearby churches as well as a grocery workers' union.
[Vercammen:] The workers here reflecting on just how trying it is for them to see the biggest numbers of people ever come into these food lines in the middle of a pandemic because a lot of renters' protection is running out, because unemployment benefits are running out. Some of these people without a job, something close to half a year right now.
[Unidentified Female:] It's surreal to see, you know, that many people standing in those lines for food and it's really a larger indictment of a failed system and of the federal government to take care of the people because at the end of the day, it's unconscionable to live in a world where people have to wait for 7 hours for a box of groceries.
[Vercammen:] Just boxes and boxes of food went out here, as we said, 1,500 people walked up to grab their box and another 500 boxes went out to nearby churches and a grocery store workers' union. And for people handing out the boxes, they said this was rather heartening because they could see the look of relief in people's eyes as they knew that many of them might not have any income right now during the pandemic reporting from Los Angeles, I'm Paul Vercammen, now back to you.
[Allen:] And that is just a microcosm of the larger picture of what so many Americans face right now. Saturday saw no agreement on new stimulus measures to help Americans forced out of work by the pandemic. According to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, there is an impasse over short term versus long-term provisions. The White House has offered a 1-week extension of the $600 unemployment benefit that expired Friday. Another Republican proposal would cut that payment to $200. The Democrats want to extend the $600 weekly benefit through January. But we will say, for the first time, both sides sound hopeful.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer , Senate Minority Leader:] This was the longest meeting we had. And it was more productive than the other meetings. There are many issues that are still very much outstanding where we're apart. But we had a serious discussion and we went down piece by piece and so where each side is at.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , House Speaker:] We have to get rid of this virus, so that we can open our economy, safely open our schools and to do so in a way that does not give a cut in benefits to America's workers.
[Allen:] President Trump, as you know, has had a testy relationship with some news organizations, to say the least. But now Republicans are doing something unprecedented in U.S. politics, banning news media from their convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The closed press event will be smaller, less boisterous and with fewer participants than the one in Ohio back in 2016. The party says that is due to social distancing rules the state's Democratic governor has imposed. A Republican officials says the vote to nominate Mr. Trump as their candidate will be livestreamed August 24th. In Jerusalem, the largest protest yet. Thousands of Israelis demanding prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu resign. Coming up, we'll go to Jerusalem live for the latest.

[Vause:] Well, the European Commission has unveiled what travel might look like for the coming northern summer. Sweeping new guidelines will be in place for social distancing, contact tracing across borders and travel bubbles between countries where infection rates are low. But the E.U. blueprint to save the summer holidays may have little impact. The International Air Transport Association says a return to 2019 passenger levels will take four years. Meanwhile TUI, the world's biggest travel operator warns it may lay off 8,000 employees. Ultimately the E.U. transport commission's message, "Travel at your own risk." Back on the ground the coronavirus has upended common rules and open borders across the European Union. Nic Robertson reports on how it's affecting one town partly in the Netherlands, partly in Belgium.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Once seamless borders, now controlled. Europe's unity facing new strains. And nowhere starker than the border enclave town of Baarle. This is Belgium over here and the Netherlands over here BNL. And the border crisscrosses this town right through the middle of the road creating a dizzying array of divisions. The coronavirus lockdown is driving to previously unseen proportions. Belgium's lockdown tougher than the Dutch. And here the border runs right into the school. I'm going in. Artist Sylvia Reijbroek loves her special border status but not the uneven lockdowns. Her shop, despite the obvious division, is technically Belgium.
[Sylvia Reijbroek, Shop Owner:] Now it's a big problem because the law said you can open only for the Belgian people.
[Robertson:] So you can only sell to Belgian people.
[Reijbroek:] Yes.
[Robertson:] But you're in Belgium.
[Reijbroek:] It is a really strange rule to ask people where you are from. So I have to boycott my customers? Who is paying my bills?
[Robertson:] In the weekly market, on the Dutch side the cheese seller is hurting, too. Normally you have a lot of people from Belgium coming here to this market to buy your cheese?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes at least 20 to 30 percent. And now we don't see a Belgian.
[Robertson:] Why not?
[Unidentified Male:] Borderline is closed so.
[Unidentified Female:] We're the most peculiar municipality in Belgium and Netherlands.
[Robertson:] Caught in the middle the town's twin mayors.
[Frans De Bont, Baarle-hertog, Belgium Mayor:] People are shocked out there personal but also the countries, Europe. I think they are shocked together.
[Robertson:] Both in lockstep about who is suffering most.
[De Bont:] In Belgium, it was stronger. The shops were closed. The playground for the children, they were closed. We closed the border over there.
[Robertson:] And both in agreement it's not right.
[Unidentified Female:] We tried to make them listen to us.
[Robertson:] She explains they pleaded with their own national governments and the E.U. to fix the imbalance now and make sure it can't happen again. For some here the fix can't come soon enough.
[Unidentified Male:] 90 percent of the house is Dutch. 10 percent, only the toilet
[Robertson:] It's Belgium.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, it's Belgium.
[Robertson:] So on coronavirus lockdown are you doing Dutch or are you doing Belgian?
[Unidentified Male:] Official, Belgium.
[Robertson:] Because his front door is in Belgium.
[Unidentified Male:] You see now, the difference from the countries about the corona. Belgium, Dutch, Germany, England
[Robertson:] All different.
[Unidentified Male:] all different.
[Robertson:] So is it a union anymore?
[Unidentified Male:] I believe not in a union.
[Robertson:] Experience has taught the townspeople a lot. When Europe is well, so are their lives. Now in its worst crisis since World War II, the evidence in Baarle shows how quickly fundamental of the European project openness can be undone. Nic Robertson, CNN on the Dutch-Belgian border.
[Vause:] Well, for 11 consecutive days, Russia has reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases. And now comes another setback. Russian made ventilators are being recalled and removed from hospitals after starting two fires which left six patients dead. The same type of ventilator was sent to the U.S. early last month, a goodwill gesture from Russia at the time. But apparently they were never used, and have since been sent back. Brazil reported its highest count of confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday more than 11,000. With nearly 200,000 cases in Brazil overall, the virus is proving to be more troublesome than a little flu as President Jair Bolsonaro has often dismissed it. Sao Paulo is the epicenter in Brazil and some of the worst hit areas are the crowded, sprawling favelas where social isolation is next to impossible. CNN's Shasta Darlington has more.
[Shasta Darlington, Cnn Correspondent:] Brazil is setting tragic new records every day. The health ministry reported a new record number of confirmed cases 11,385. But some communities are feeling it more than others.
[Darlington:] Offices in the heart of Sao Paulo shuttered. Bars closed and restaurants open only for delivery. But on the edge of the city in the precarious Favela Brasilandia, residents say they can't afford to stop working even if that means risking their lives. Nair Barbosa, a house maid who lost her job, waits in line for over an hour for an unemployment benefit worth $100 a month. The system crashes when she gets to the window. "I will have to go home and come back later today," she says. Sil Francisco keeps his bar open, defying a state order to shut all but essential businesses. "I have to pay the bills, the bills keep coming," he says. Dejair Bautista fishes for customers with the door half closed to his hair salon. "If you stay at home, you will just starve to death. We have to find a way to survive," he says. Bautista says he has to feed his sister and niece but business is down 60 percent. With 260,000 people Brasilandia is one of Sao Paulo's biggest favelas. Now in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, it's also the most deadly. Already more than 120 residents here have died from COVID-19, according to city officials. As with many Brazilian favelas, there are public clinics, but no big hospitals. And living quarters are tight, this woman says. "Isolation doesn't exist in our community, not even in our houses. It's just too small to remain in isolation." The Sao Paulo health secretary says coronavirus may have started with wealthy travelers bringing it home, but it is the poor who will be hit the hardest. "Where people are dying is on the outskirts of the city. That is why social isolation is so important," he says. But here in Brasilandia many people can't afford to do that. Others won't. The result? Too many people still gambling with their lives. And many are egged on by President Jair Bolsonaro by himself, who insists Brazilians must go back to work, or the economic fallout will be worse than the virus itself. Back to you.
[Vause:] Shasta thank you. We will take a short break. When we come back worldwide sporting leagues are eager to get back in the game. Just ahead, the novel approach taken by professional sporting teams in the age of the novel coronavirus. Also this
[Naomi Osaka, Tennis Player:] I actually did an Instagram live work out with Venus just now, and it was kind of more intense than I thought it was going to be.
[Vause:] Tennis champion Naomi Osaka on how she's dealing with the pandemic with matches on hold. Her interview with CNN Sport after the break.

[Lemon:] It's day break in Iran. And the funeral for the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is about to get under way. That after huge crowds of people jammed the streets of Iran's the capitol to mourn him and the others killed last week in a U.S. air strike. The Iranian government is vowing to take revenge saying it will attack U.S. military sites. I want to bring in George Packer, who has an article in The Atlantic about Soleimani's killing. George, thank you so much. I appreciate you joining us here.
[George Packer, Staff Reporter, The Atlantic:] My pleasure.
[Lemon:] This was a fascinating article. I'm going to read some of it. But the headline here is Killing Soleimani was worse than a crime, it was a blunder. You say it was possibly catastrophic? Why is that?
[Packer:] Because we don't know what's going to happen next. Anyone who goes on TV and says this is what will happen next is lying. Because it's all up to the Iranians now. The ball is in their court. And they have habit of calibrating responses to things like that. Because they don't want an all-out war with the United States. So, I don't imagine there's going to be a kind of retaliation that forces Trump to go to the higher level. But we don't know what they are going to do. We push them into a corner. And there's going to be more violence. And it will go out of control.
[Lemon:] I want to read this. We have a short condense version of what you say, but I think it's important just to read this part, the whole thing. You said, the main question about the strike isn't moral or legal, it is strategic. That's what you say. Soleimani was supremely powerful leader in the state's apparatus with his own cult personality. But he was not a terror kingpin. His death doesn't decapitate anything. He had the blood of 10's of thousands of people overwhelmingly fellow Muslims on his hands, but he was only the agent of a government policy that proceeded him and will continue without him. His deeds are [inaudible] the point. So, is the display of American resolve the only reason to kill Soleimani is to enter a new war that the United States can win. I mean, you go on to say killing Soleimani will only lead to more violence perhaps much more. How do you square that? How is it going to lead to more violence?
[Packer:] Because Iran has to answer. This man is so important. He was first of all a kind of cult hero in Iran and he was the key to their regional strategy. He was the guy carrying out for two decades a strategy of expanding Iran and influence. Creating a kind of a wider perimeter and security. So there would never again be an Iran-Iraq war.
[Lemon:] There's a rebuttal to that, he was a bad guy [inaudible].
[Packer:] He was a terrible guy. He deserved it. He had it coming. But does that mean as a government, as a super-power, we do something stupid in order to provoke a response which will come. Which we can't predict and which we are not in a good position to counter. Because we don't have any allies with us. The Congress wasn't consulted. The American people are very skeptical about this. We don't see any intelligence defending this. There is nothing there that a government that the Trump administration can say we need to come together as Americans in a cause. We are not together as a cause.
[Lemon:] OK. Why are you saying that this was not about deterrence? If it's not about deterrence then why would the president order this strike?
[Packer:] I don't know why he ordered it. Because someone put this options in front of him at Mar-a-Lago and said yes or no. And he was in the mood to say yes. I don't think it's any more complicated than that.
[Lemon:] We talked about this president's content earlier with his obsession, I should say, with the former President Barack Obama. You write about that. He has contempt for his predecessor. Does this have anything to do with that?
[Packer:] Yes. A lot. A lot, because he has undone every policy of President Obama that he could. And maybe none more significant than the Iranian nuclear deal that was negotiated in 2014-15 and finally signed by us, the Iranians and our allies in Europe. And the Russians and the Chinese. It was a global deal that would limit Iranian nuclear production. So, that for at least 10 or 15 years, Iran could not break out and have a nuclear weapon. Trump never liked it. As soon as he could he got out of it. And once that happened in 2018, we were on an [inaudible] bull path to where we are now. Because what did he have in place of diplomacy? He didn't want to go to war with Iran. So, he had sanctions and he imposed this choking sanctions which destroyed the Iran economy. And to them was a threat to their security, because they couldn't sell their oil. So, they began ratcheting up military action and it finally escalated to the killing of Soleimani and that's where we are.
[Lemon:] I know it deserves a longer answer, but the short as you can. If you can do it in ten seconds. Soleimani was in gun sights before, in an American gun sight before, and they decided strategically not to kill him. Because?
[Packer:] Right. Because it would lead to a potential war with Iran. And that's where we are tonight.
[Lemon:] Thank you.
[Packer:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] I appreciate your time. It's 2020 and that means the Iowa caucus are less than a month away. And the latest poll shows a three way tie state of the race. Next.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] And good evening, everyone. Today the death toll from coronavirus rose above 28,000, and state governors across the country grappled with the difficult question of when, how and to what extent they could begin trying trying to reestablish some kind of normalcy. Well today, the state governors also learned, once again, something about the President of the United States. And that's because once again today, the President spent a large part of what has become a substitute for his political rallies which supposed to be the coronavirus task force briefing he spent it boasting of his accomplishments accomplishments he's yet to actually accomplish and deflecting blame. He's eager, understandably, to reopen the country, as he so often says, and said so again today. What he did not do was provide any evidence that his administration has taken the steps needed for that to actually happen safely in a way that won't trigger new outbreaks and cost more lives. One such step is widespread testing, which the president has both derided and claimed that is currently happening. Keep in mind though there is not a widespread testing we will ultimately need to get back to business. There just isn't. And that's not just us saying so. It is scientists on the coronavirus task force, epidemiologists. It's also some of the country's top business executives. They told the President that today. And when he was asked about it at tonight's briefing, he first tried to claim credit where none is due, and then tried to put the responsibility elsewhere. First, though, the boasting.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] On a call with business leaders today, they said testing has got to be ramped up significantly before the country before they feel comfortable re- opening their stores, their restaurants, and what not. Isn't that what health officials and state governors have been saying to you?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] That's what I want too. We have great tests, and we want the states to administer these tests for the most part, but we're standing behind them. We have great tests. We've done more testing now than any country, as you know, in the world by far. We have the best tests of any country in the world. Nobody has the quality of tests.
[Cooper:] Great tests, best tests, most tests not true. Failed tests, delayed tests, not enough tests true. In fact, as has been reported for weeks now, this country is testing far fewer people as a percentage of the population than many other countries. And the number of tests being done has actually flattened out recently, not risen, due to shortage of swabs, chemicals or access to locations. As for federal responsibility though, here's what the President said in the very next breath.
[Trump:] We're not going to be running a parking lot in Arkansas. We're not going to be running a parking lot where you have a Walmart which has been great, by the way, Walmart has done a fantastic job but where you have a testing center and running that from Washington, D.C. The states are much better equipped to do it.
[Cooper:] Well the President nodded to the fact, which he acknowledged yesterday, that states will decide when and how to reopen, which we all knew all along would happen, except that's not what the President was saying. However, he also renewed his veiled threat if they don't do if the state governors don't do what he wants.
[Trump:] Well I think the companies will determine that, and the governors will determine that, and the federal government will. And if we're not happy, we'll take very strong action against a state or a governor. If we're not happy with the job a governor's doing, we'll let them know about it. And as you know, we have very strong action we can take, including a closedown.
[Cooper:] You do realize he repeats the word "strong" all the time and "power" or "powerful" in order to have people believe he is strong and therefore powerful by saying those words. Again, keeping him honest. The President of the United States does not have the power to tell a state to lift public health restrictions. That wasn't all. He also, again, blamed the World Health Organization, this time accusing the agency of a cover-up with respect to the outbreak. He also accused it of siding with China. He suggested that New York City is doing something wrong by reclassifying several thousand fatalities in people who had not been tested for the virus before they died as coronavirus cases. But then he quickly said, quote, "That's okay, that's okay," and, "Yes, there is controversy surrounding that, but no evidence of wrongdoing." But recall in the past, he made similar statements about medical supplies going out the back door of hospitals. What was missing in all of this was any sign of clear, achievable steps and plans for safely doing what the President and everybody wants so badly reopening the country some time. That, and taking responsibility for it for better or worse. If that weren't all, the President also lashed out at the Senate over not confirming his appointees. There's plenty to talk about tonight including with our public health experts, front line professionals.. Senator Kamala Harris of California also joins us about her state, which is formulating plans on how to reopen, but in a way that may look very different from the old normal. But first, let's go to CNN Chief White House Correspondent, Jim Acosta. So Jim, talk about what the President is threatening to do to Congress, because I didn't really mention it at this point. Because, to me, it seems like such an obvious and overused move by the President, which is, you know, terrible death toll today, divert attention away from that, and all the things that aren't being done or have been failed to do by lobbing a hand grenade, or trying to create some new villains to rail against and pretend as if you're going to be powerful and strong.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Right, Anderson. I think today the bright, shiny object of the president was dangling in front of the press corps in the Rose Garden was this little known part of the Constitution that he says would allow him to essentially unilaterally shut down the Congress so he can get his recess appointments for various nominations that he's seen languishing up on Capitol Hill. The problem with that, Anderson, is a couple of things. One is, it's never been done before and so there are constitutional scholars who are saying, "Hold on a second, Mr. President, what are you talking about here?" The other thing is, is that it also depends on what happens in the Senate which is controlled by the Republicans and the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell just put out a statement in the last several minutes essentially sounding cool to the idea. In one part of the statement, Anderson, the Senate majority leader says he's going to be working on some of these issues in terms of the president's recess appointments that he'd like to see go through, but he's going to be doing that with you know, working with the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer. And so, it sounds as if at this point Mitch McConnell is not onboard with this, which probably should give a lot of Americans reason to breathe a sigh of relief tonight, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Right. I mean, because he's the president, we all take it seriously as if it actually means something, but it's just like him saying he's going to order the governors and he's the one who determines when to reopen. As we were saying, that's not his role. He doesn't have that constitutional ability, but he dominates the news cycle for yet another night by this, you know, headline that he's going to adjourn Congress in the middle of the pandemic to appoint his nominees. I mean, do the bulk of these appointments have anything to do with the urgent needs during the pandemic?
[Acosta:] Well, he is mentioning the director of National Intelligence. He has an acting director of National Intelligence right now. But Anderson, he was also harping on the Broadcasting Board of Governors and talking about, you know, the people over at "Voice of America" and describing them as disgusting people who do disgusting things. This is another sign of the president's authoritarianism that is really coming out you know, out of the shadows to some extent during this pandemic. You know, he is essentially railing against the people at "Voice of America" because they won't put out propaganda, you know, about his administration saying what a wonderful job he's doing, a theme that we've heard before. But, Anderson, one thing we should point out is that right now there's an acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The president has had over a year now to put in place a permanent secretary of Homeland Security and hasn't done that at this point, and that has little to do with, you know, lawmakers not doing what he wants up on Capitol Hill.
[Cooper:] Yes. Jim Acosta, appreciate it. Thanks. As we said at the top, a lot to get to tonight, so we'll step away from the political and take a wider view. CNN's Erica Hill joins us now. So Erica, the CDC now changing the way they're counting coronavirus deaths. Can you just explain that?
[Erica Hill, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes. So now, Anderson, the CDC is saying they're going to include probable cases in their tabulations. That could add thousands, right, to the list that they have of patients and deaths. So what it changes is, not just counting those positive cases, but people who, like, probable case. And that's key, as we know, as we try to understand the breadth and the scope of this virus. How many people have been not only affected, but how many people may have been asymptomatic or may not have had a positive test. And all of that information is critical. We're hearing from officials as they make their decision on the next moves to reopen their states and their cities.
[Hill:] The iconic Hollywood Bowl will remain empty this year.
[Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles, California:] It's difficult to imagine us getting together in the thousands anytime soon. We've got many, many miles to walk before we're going to be back in those environments.
[Hill:] The mayors of Los Angeles and New York suggesting concerts and sporting events likely won't return before 2021.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio, New York City, New York:] We've got one chance. If we move too quick, we put 50,000 people in Yankee Stadium, and that's part of why you see a resurgence of the disease, that would be the worst of all worlds.
[Hill:] The mayor of New Orleans also recommending her city shelve major events like Jazz Fest until next year. As the president continues to push for a symbolic May 1 reopening, officials around the country are trying to adjust expectations.
[Gov. Jared Polis , Colorado:] We also know that we're in this for the long haul. The virus isn't going to disappear or go away anytime soon.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo , New York:] I say, personal opinion, it's over when we have a vaccine. It's over when people know "I'm 100% safe and I don't have to worry about this."
[Hill:] That vaccine likely at least a year away.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Director, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention:] We're going to have another battle with it, you know, up front and aggressively next winter. This is why it's so important that we take the time now to really improve our testing capacity, expand our public health capacity to do early case recognition, contact tracing and isolation. I call it block and tackle, block and tackle.
[Hill:] San Francisco is launching a partnership to tackle contact tracing. Los Angeles now offering same or next day testing to its 10 million residents. Anyone with COVID symptoms is eligible. In New Jersey, the nation's first saliva testing site, is now open. Major league baseball, pitching in for antibody testing. Players, their families, concession workers, some 10,000 volunteers in total, part of a nationwide study to better understand the infection and its spread. As Georgia prepares for a potential surge, Michigan's strict stay home orders brought protesters out in Lansing. New York and Connecticut announced new regulations for face coverings and in Massachusetts, which is now in the surge, the governor emotional talking about the 957 lives lost in his state.
[Gov. Charlie Baker , Massachusetts:] I pay attention to the numbers, but what I really think about mostly are the stories and the people who are behind the stories.
[Hill:] The story of Gregory Hodge, an EMT in New York, just one example of the many lives stopped short. The 24-year veteran of the FDNY assisted at the world Trade Centre after 911. He died as a result of COVID-19. Gregory Hodge was 59 years old.
[Cooper:] Erica, you mentioned New York and Connecticut having new regulations with face coverings. Explain the details on that.
[Hill:] So here in New York State the governor said he will be issuing an executive order, New Yorkers have three days to comply, but after that three-day period, anytime you're out, Anderson, you'll need to have your face covered. It can be a bandanna but your nose and your mouth must be covered. He says if you're the only person walking on the street, you don't have to have it on but have it with you because if you go to cross a street and there's someone else and you can't maintain that six feet of social distancing you need to have your face covered. In Connecticut the governor's saying similar things. He says he will likely order issue an executive order in the next 48 hours or so but just saying that in his conversations with several folks including Dr. Fauci he realizes that they really need to make a lot of these suggestions more permanent.
[Cooper:] Yes, and it seems like that's going to go on for a long time. Erica Hill, thank you. In addition to the sacrifices of New York's bravest and New York's finest, they have also paid a terrible price for their service. As of today, 25 members of the New York Police Department have lost their lives to the virus. Joining us now is CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. So, Sanjay, the President is saying that the country has probably pasted the peak. What does that mean really, you know, for people's everyday lives if that's, in fact, the case?
[Dr Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yes, I don't think it really means anything now. I think people have really paid a lot of attention to this peak and sort of imagined it as a, you know, binary sort of before the peak, after the peak. You know, we're going to have to see does these trends that we're talking about do they hold up. Some of them are encouraging, as you know, Anderson, but the problem is that right now we're looking at a snapshot that really reflects the time period about two to three weeks ago between the time someone was exposed to the time they become symptomatic, a small percentage go to the hospital, even a smaller percentage die. If we're looking at deaths it really reflects three weeks ago, so we really have to see how the next few weeks go. And, Anderson, you remember those initial models that people paid a lot of attention to from the University of Washington, they talked about, you know, even if the peaks were happening now that nothing should really change at least until the end of May, first week of June in terms of stay-at- home orders.
[Cooper:] Business leaders tell the President there have to be, you know, guaranteed increase in testing before people really can return to work. How close are we to wide scale testing because I'm still not sure I understand what it's going to look like and you know, you and I have tried to get numbers on the number of people needed to do contact tracing and, you know, we've heard figures of 100,000 and the governor today said it would require an army of people in New York to do contact tracing?
[Gupta:] Yes, no, the testing thing is still, you know, I think the primary issue and I think what's a little confusing about this is that I think clearly there's all this extra now testing capacity. You know, you talk to Quest and people at these big companies and they say, "Hey, we're doing all right. We don't have a backlog anymore. We're basically caught up." And yet the number of tests that are actually being performed has gone down. Now some of that could be because of the holiday weekend. But how could it be so many people still need to get tested and fewer tests are actually being performed? Where's the gap here? What's the problem? Part of it is I think, you know, it's still unclear that people who don't have symptoms should be getting tested. Right now there's places that say unless you have symptoms you can't get a test. That's not surveillance at that point, we need to be doing surveillance. The other thing is that even though the numbers have gone up, Anderson, I think the question that people ask themselves that I hear all the time is, "Look, if today I wanted to get a test, do I know where to go? Do I know how to get it, and could I get the results back today?" Could every person in the country say that? It doesn't mean that everybody needs to get tested, to be clear. But right now even though you have increased numbers, so to speak, there's not an increased practical availability of the test to the people who really should be getting tested. We probably need to be doing, you know, 750 to a million tests as day for a period of time to really get that surveillance. We're not doing that. I think we've done 3.3 million so far now.
[Cooper:] When you talk about surveillance why is that important?
[Gupta:] Surveillance is really important to get an idea of how widespread this is in the United States. If someone were to say, "How bad is Coronavirus in the United States?" we really have no idea how to answer that question. We have no context for that question still because we've only you know, we've had 619,000 people come back positive but we know there's many, many more people out there who either don't have symptoms or have minimal symptoms who probably have had the coronavirus or have it now and could still be spreading it. The other issue is, Anderson, this issue of asymptomatic spread. People who don't have symptoms or are about to develop symptoms, don't know it yet, they can still spread it. That's another reason you have to do this more widespread testing.
[Cooper:] Yes. Sanjay, appreciate it as always. Thank you very much. Sanjay, do you ever sleep?
[Gupta:] A little bit. Not as much as I should. I'm not practicing what I preach right now-
[Cooper:] Well, we appreciate it.
[Gupta:] -for sure.
[Cooper:] We appreciate it, thank you. More now on how the availability of testing might change the course of the outbreak as well as loosening distancing restrictions or, in California's case, maintaining significant limits on large gatherings in the months ahead. That's one of the projections in a new Harvard School of Public Health study. It's certainly the one getting the most headlines. Joining us is Marc Lipsitch, who heads the team behind a new study containing the headline-making projection that any emergence into some kind of normalcy may only be temporary and obviously Sanjay staying with us. Marc, can you explain in layman's terms how your research, which says things might not return to normal until 2022, squares with, you know, sort of the messages we're getting from elsewhere about, you know, things getting better sooner rather than later and getting back to work?
[Marc Lipsitch, Director, Harvard University Center For Communicable Disease Dynamics:] Yes, thank you, Anderson, and thanks for all you guys are doing to spread understanding on this complicated topic. I think the a lot of the confusion stems from the fact that we may be hitting something like a peak and we may be near a point where the number of cases might start to go down. As Sanjay Gupta said, we'll have to see but that is a possibility. That doesn't mean it's a permanent thing. What social distancing does is it slows the spread of the virus so that we can protect our health care system and that's very important. But when we let up on social distancing and when we begin to go back to normal, the likelihood is that the virus will begin spreading again. We our best estimates are that a minority of people in this country have been infected and that means that there are plenty of susceptible people around. When you have virus plus susceptible people you get epidemics.
[Cooper:] Sanjay, I know you have some questions.
[Gupta:] Yes, you know, I'm curious and, Professor, thank you. You're the guy I think we all certainly turn to and listen to on this stuff. You know, there's all these antibody testing sort of capabilities that are ramping up and the idea that people may have some immunity to this. Obviously we don't know how strong or how long that immunity might be. But if a lot of people out there do have antibodies, how much would that affect even short of a vaccine, how much would that affect your model of possibly needing intermittent distancing until 2022?
[Lipsitch:] Well, thanks. That's an important question. So if the number is still a small minority then the predictions are sound, but it is correct that we don't know whether there are actually possibly quite a number more. I think it would be surprising if more than half the population it would be very surprising if more than half the population, even in a hot spot like New York, had been infected. But if it's 30 or 40 percent, if we find that, and unlikely but possible, then that means we're much closer to the point where the majority of the population or enough of the population is immune to really slow spread even in the absence of social distancing or intense social distancing. So it's an interplay between how much we slow things down by immunity and how much we slow things down by our interventions.
[Cooper:] Marc, do you-
[Lipsitch:] So we need that data.
[Cooper:] Do you have a sense, Marc, at all and, I mean, it's not really your purview, but just have you imagined, you know, a year from now assuming there's not a vaccine yet? Say that a vaccine is 18 months away or more do you have a sense of what our life looks like on a daily basis, in terms of
[Lipsitch:] Yes.
[Cooper:] I assume we're wearing masks outside, just like it was the governor was talking about in New York today, wearing masks when we're around other people. Do you ever I mean, have you tried to visualize that at all?
[Lipsitch:] Yeah, a little. And I and I think I think masks are going to be with us for a while. If you go to many parts of Asia, if you went in the the 2000s, the experience of SARS left a mark there for many years after SARS was gone, and people were wearing masks. There are I I think that social distancing of the sort of physically stay at some removed from people, may last for a while. And I think what's most likely to happen because, to be clear, we were not endorsing in our study, the idea that social distancing for another couple of years is a pleasant idea or even a good idea. We were trying to understand the consequences of it. So, I think people are going to get tired of it in various ways, and and politicians are going to get tired of it, and the economy is going to need some relief. And so, different places, my guess is, will try different strategies for emerging, maybe with staggered working and staggered schools, maybe with with trying to test people for antibodies and see whether we can let people who are positive back into work and school, different strategies. And hopefully that will be done in such a way that we can learn what works and what doesn't.
[Cooper:] Yes.
[Lipsitch:] I think large gatherings are going to be among the last to come back, because I think those are potentially the most concerning.
[Cooper:] Yes, and and Go ahead, Sanjay.
[Gupta:] Well, you know, one thing, Professor, you know, we we are obviously all learning as we as we go along here. I think that a couple things that people remember early on was that this was pretty contagious, you know, maybe one person could spread it to two or three people, and that
[Lipsitch:] Yes.
[Gupta:] the that it was, you know, fairly deadly. Maybe, you know, if flu was.1 percent, this was maybe, you know, ten times that. Now that we're three and a half months into that, when you when you look at this, does it still sort of follow that same pattern of of contagiousness and and and the fatality rates?
[Lipsitch:] Yes, I think those numbers are are have settled down for for contagiousness. And, of course, as we put in interventions and as immunity builds up, that contagiousness goes down. In terms of fatality, again, we're really flying blind until we have good serologic tests to test for antibodies
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Lipsitch:] and a history of exposure to the virus. But I I think reasonable educated guesses at this point are that if you're symptomatic, you have a 1 percent or a little more than a 1 percent risk of dying, with a big age effect, and that probably half of people, or maybe a third of people, something like that, are symptomatic, so that the the risk per infection is probably around a half-percent
[Cooper:] Yes.
[Lipsitch:] which is still much higher than seasonal flu.
[Gupta:] Interesting.
[Cooper:] Yes, Marc Marc Lipsitch, I appreciate all your work and and your expertise and really appreciate you being with us. Thank you.
[Lipsitch:] Thank you.
[Cooper:] And, Sanjay, thanks very much. You'll see Sanjay tomorrow night at CNN Global Town Hall, Coronavirus Facts and Fears. Our special guest will include Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, who will take your questions. Also joining us, Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, on how Facebook and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative are working to try to combat the coronavirus. Two hours of guests, live reports, answers to your questions, that's tomorrow night, starting at 8.00 p.m. Eastern. I think this is our sixth global town hall. A lot more ahead, including a frontline physician in this fight. He'll we'll talk about what the World Health Organization does and the risk that he sees to all of us in taking funding away. Later, California U.S. senator and potential presidential running mate, Kamala Harris, on what her state may look like as it emerges into a very different kind of normal.

[Jessica Dean, Cnn Newsroom:] You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Jessica Dean in for Ana Cabrera in New York this afternoon. Breaking news right now on CNN, a terrifying plane crash, at least five people are dead, several others hurt. This is in Lafayette, Louisiana, a twin engine private plane had just taken off from Lafayette's Airport when it crashed and caught fire. And officials now confirming all except one person onboard the plane is dead, the one survivor and three people who were on the ground nearby were taken to the hospital. Now, the woman who shot the video you're looking at was just a short distance away when that plane hit the ground. Alexis West is joining me now by phone from Lafayette, Louisiana. Alexis, hi and good afternoon to you. Thanks for being with us. Tell us what happened. What did you see?
[Alexis West, Witnessed Plane Crash:] Hi, yes. So what happened was I was just outside, and I saw this plane coming in, and it was really low to the ground. And I was shaking, and I didn't really you know, it looked like it was coming to land. And then it just skidded through the parking lot at the post office. And then it floated. There was like a big wave of fire that just pummeled down the yard.
[Dean:] Wow.
[West:] And it was just horrible.
[Dean:] Yes, it had to be just like incredible to see and probably just so jarring to see. What did you notice about the plane as it was crashing? Did you see where the wheels were? Was it trying to fly level or did you hear engines?
[West:] It looked like it was coming down to land because it looked like it was having a little bit of trouble. I think it was really shaky. But it looked like it was just really coming down to land, to try to make like a safe landing.
[Dean:] So it looks a plane would normally when it was going to land, like it was coming down level. And then when did it when it crashed, when it came on impact there?
[West:] Whenever it hit the concrete, it just skidded and then it was just a big explosion.
[Dean:] Okay. And tell us a little bit about that area where you were, where this plane crash happened? What does it look like there? Are you seeing homes, businesses, a lot of cars? What's it like there?
[West:] It was a lot of cars. And then I just noted they took one guy from the plane and took him out from the fire and like saved him, and he was burnt really bad, like his clothes and everything was ripped. And it was just a horrible sight to see. I've never seen something like that. And it was just the fire and cars and people trying to save the people that were in the fire.
[Dean:] Yes. And it must I mean, obviously just a horrible thing to see, heartbreaking for the families of those victims, but also for you. Listen, it's not normal to see something like that happen. How are you feeling after kind of witnessing all of this? Is it replaying in your mind?
[West:] Yes, very much so. It was just it was a lot of anxiety and it just freaked me out. I was shaking so bad. Like I didn't know it was kind of like you watching a movie but in real life.
[Dean:] Yes, very, very jarring.
[West:] It was scary.
[Dean:] So scary. All right, Alexis West from Lafayette, Louisiana, we really appreciate you being with us. You take care of yourself.
[West:] Okay. Thank you.
[Dean:] All right. Thanks, Alexis. And joining me now, CNN Aviation Analyst and former NTSB Managing Director Peter Goelz. And, Peter, given the few details, we don't know a lot right now about all of this, but the type of plane, the weather conditions at the time of the crash, the proximity to the airport, what's coming to your mind as you're getting the small details we have and where do you think investigators are going to focus on first?
[Peter Goelz, Cnn Aviation Analyst:] Well, the NTSB and the FAA have a standard investigative procedure. They're going to look at the pilot, and he appeared to be a very experience the, certified pilot. They're going to look at the company. It looked to be, you know, a well-known and well-thought-of charter company, they're going to look at the aircraft, whether there's been maintenance on it, what kind of maintenance has been performed over the past year, whether all of the air worthiness directives that govern special maintenance were followed. The weather looked like it was a little over cast but nothing too challenging, if the pilot was IFR certified, which I understand he was. And then they're going to look at the engine and see how the engine performed. There was an eyewitness report that said one of the engines was smoking, and this was a turbocharged Piper, about almost 30 years old, they'll look carefully at the engine. 30 years old is not old for one of these types of planes, but they're going to look carefully at the maintenance on those engines.
[Dean:] And tell me, you mentioned it's the Piper Cheyenne is the plane that crashed here, what do you know about that particular type of plane? Do we know anything about its safety record for that specifically for that model?
[Goelz:] Yes, it's part of a family of two-engine planes, the broader family Piper probably made 5,000 of them of this specific type, maybe 450. They're considered workhorses but they have had problems with engines over the years. That will be looked at carefully. But it's a good, solid aircraft and it's a workhorse in the charter industry.
[Dean:] And the visibility at the airport this morning was less than a mile, because you mentioned there was dense fog there. In those conditions, who makes the call, go or no go? Is that the pilot, is that air traffic control? Who says it's good enough, we can do this?
[Goelz:] Well, it's the pilot's call first and foremost. And charter pilots understand that one of the gray things you've got to avoid is get their
[Dean:] All right. Peter Goelz, thanks for giving us that context, that background. We appreciate your analysis there.
[Goelz:] Thank you, Jessica.
[Dean:] Let's go now to politics, and new signs today. President Trump is growing frustrated with the uncertainty surrounding his Senate impeachment trial. Limbo it seems not to his liking. Check out his Twitter page. The president has now spent every single day of his vacation tweeting about impeachment, how unfair it is. He's been mocking the speaker of the House 20-plus times, re-tweeting bots and fan accounts of the conspiracy group, QAnon. He also re- tweeted and then have removed an attack that included the name of the purported whistleblower. And for more on all of this, we go to CNN's Kristen Holmes. She's in West Palm Beach near the president's Mar-a-Lago estate. Kristen, I'm curious what else we're learning about the president's state of mind on this Saturday.
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Jessica, the president might physically be here in Florida but it is clear his mind is back home in Washington D.C. and on impeachment. In addition to golfing nearly every day, as you said, he has been tweeting every single day, slamming Democrats, impeachment, Nancy Pelosi. And while we know that he has spent most evenings at Mar-a-Lago, mixing, mingling with members and guests, he's also been picking their brains. President Trump asking allies on the resort who exactly should be part of his defense team when it comes to impeachment and what his defense strategy should be. And I want to note here, we have had a lot of rumors as to who exactly would play a role here. Members of the House of Representatives, some of President Trump's staunchest defenders, including Jim Jordan or Mark Meadows, are all in the mix. But the only thing that is certain is that it's going to be led, the White House defense team is going to be led by the White House lawyer, Pat Cipollone. Now, at one point, he was expected to come down here and work with the president. But as of now, that seems to be up in the air. But it's clear the president cannot put this out of his mind. And despite the fact that he's on his golf course, he's at his resort, he's surrounded by people who support him, he's clearly elsewhere.
[Dean:] His mind is still there in Washington. Do we know, Kristen, if any White House officials have been down there with him over the holiday yet?
[Holmes:] Yes. It's been really a rotating cast of characters. The first couple of nights we saw the national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, we saw his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, we actually saw his former press secretary, Sarah Sanders was there as well as his current press secretary. And half of them are leaving, more of them are coming in. And they are expected to really rotate in and out here. We know that one of the biggest concerns of his White House aides was that a long time here, numerous hours, numerous days, which is what he's slated to be here for, could lead him to be more open to outside influence. They wanted to make sure that he had people around him who kept him focused on certainly parts of the trial that Republicans agree with, like the idea of having a shorter trial and less witnesses. Jessica?
[Dean:] Yes, reinforcing that White House strategy. All right, Kristen Holmes, thanks so much for your reporting there. Let's open this up to some conversation. Joining me now is CNN Senior Political Analyst and Senior Editor for The Atlantic, Ron Brownstein, and CNN Political Commentator and former RNC Communications Director, Doug Heye. Gentlemen, nice to have both of you. Thanks for being with us this afternoon. Doug, I want to read you how one Vox reporter has summed this all up, quote, the president of the United States has today alone re-tweeted two QAnon fan accounts, a Pizzagate account, an account that compared his following to a cult and an account that described Obama as Satan's Muslim Scum. And this insanity isn't even a blip on the news radar. Doug, remember those famous accounts of Nixon talking to the paintings on the wall, that's what I think. Is this Trump's version of that? And it is a good point. I mean, it's almost like this has come to be expected from the President of the United States at this point.
[Doug Heye, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes. I'm a bit reminded of George Costanza, the sea was angry that day, my friends.
[Dean:] Yes.
[Heye:] And we see Trump do this so often where he goes down into a tweet mode where that's all he does, sending some disturbing messages, that ultimately, as a Republican, I would say, don't help the president best make his case. It allows for a lot of re-tweets, it may be distracts from conversations he doesn't like, but shows him potentially as being unstable at a time where he needs to not only be stable but project stability and put forth the best case that he can as this process hopefully moves to the Senate.
[Dean:] Right, that he's in control of what's going on and moving forward in a meaningful way. Ron, for a man downplaying the process, the president talks about impeachment a lot. Do you think there should be somebody in his orbit or do you think there are people in his orbit that plead with him to focus on the economy, the focus on the Nasdaq soaring past 9,000, some of these things that he could go to the broader Republican Party out there, not just his core base, and say, look at all these great things the economy is doing?
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Look, I think we're long past the point where anyone can plausibly say that there's really any force within the administration over that matter within the Republican Party that is willing to truly try to constrain Trump's behavior. And you point to the economy and it really does kind of encapsulate why this political situation and this election is so on the nice edge. On the one hand, the president does have this enormous tailwind. I mean, in the CNN poll, the Quinnipiac poll this week, three-quarters of Americans call the economy excellent or good. And yet, despite that, there's this enormous headwind, which is these widespread doubts about his behavior and his values and the way he comports himself as president. I mean, the thought that his approval rating is somewhere around 43, 45 percent at a time when three-quarters of Americans say the economy is excellent or is good is really unprecedented. And as I said before on the air, I mean, if you want to know the cost of Trump's behavior, look at the way he is viewed by people who are satisfied with the economy. People who call it excellent or good in 2004, 90 percent of them voted for Bush, the incumbent president. 2012, same thing, roughly 90 percent of the people who have called the economy excellent or good went for Obama. Today in our latest CNN poll, Trump is polling only 55 percent against Biden among people who the economy excellent or good. And that really is the delta, that is the price of his behavior, and it is why we are kind of on this knife's edge between this powerful tailwind of the economy and this headwind, the doubts about the way he has conducted himself as president.
[Dean:] Yes, it's such an important point because to your broader point there, if this was any other president, they would be headed toward a massive re-election with these sort of economic numbers. Doug, we're still at an impasse over what the looming Senate trial is going to look like. It's not clear what Pelosi, Schumer, McConnell are willing to budge on. In the end, who do you think is going to blink here? What's the way forward?
[Heye:] I think we've learned one thing over the past decades. Is that when Mitch McConnell has a plan of action, he executes it, it's successful, he does not blink. So as this process, if it moves to the Senate, ultimately, it may not. If it moves to the Senate, it is in Mitch McConnell's hands and he'll proceed as I think we all expect, which is there's not going to be the there won't be the votes to convict Donald Trump. So we will have a trial, however it all shakes out, whatever the subpoenas may be, and I would say that Joe Biden made a strategic mistake by not saying, of course, I'm going to show up because subpoenas aren't optional and really put it back on the Trump administration and Trump officials who denied subpoenas. But, ultimately, Mitch McConnell, when he holds the cards, he plays them well.
[Dean:] Okay. So that's an interesting point you make. I want to talk about Joe Biden and the subpoena for just a second, because he did have to clarify a comment that he made to the Des Moines Register that he wouldn't comply with a Senate subpoena during Trump's impeachment trial. But today and just a few minutes ago this is what he said. Take a listen.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] Anyone subpoenaed relating to this investigation of a president has to be able to have some knowledge to shed on whether or not he committed the offenses he is accused of committing. I have no firsthand knowledge. There's no basis for that. So my point was there would be no basis upon which to call me as a witness.
[Dean:] He went on to say that he will do whatever is legally asked of him, but his whole point that he was trying to get to there is that he doesn't think it's going to get to that. Ron, what is your reaction to his clarification?
[Brownstein:] Well, I mean, I think as a reasonable argument he's making. But like Doug, I also think he should have waited to see whether in fact there would be 51 votes to subpoena him before ruling it out, complying with a subpoena. I mean, the idea that we would go through something as momentous as a Senate trial on whether to remove the president, something we've never done, we've never removed a president, we've had two previous trials, without hearing from John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, Mick Mulvaney, officials that would be the people who were directly involved in this. It's still astounding. I mean, the Republicans in the House uniformly were willing to support the administration's complete stonewall of the investigative process, Senate Republicans may be equally willing to do that. I mean, they are establishing precedents that will come back to haunt them unquestionably. There will be another Democratic president someday and maybe as soon as 2021. And Republicans m Congress are going to warrant to do oversight if they have a majority. They are essentially saying hear that they are willing to put their partisan loyalty over their institutional obligations and responsibility. And I think they are laying down some examples that will come back to haunt them in the years ahead.
[Dean:] The pendulum swings back and forth. Doug, going fully into 2020 here, there was an encouraging for the Biden campaign in The New York Times recently, the, But I Would Vote for Joe Biden, Republicans. It included several Republicans who were formerly in office all acknowledging his appeal. Former GOP Congressman Carlos Curbelo says Biden is one of the few candidates who could attract disaffected and centrist Republicans. Obama defense secretary, former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, saying other Republicans have actively told him, quote, if Biden is the nominee, I'll vote for him. What's your reaction to that? Do you think that's a real thing? Because back in present 2016 too, Hillary Clinton had some centrist Republican support, and we see how that worked out.
[Heye:] Yes, I think it's real, not just for Republicans but also for independents. We're talking about very small slivers of independents and very small slivers, excuse me, of Republicans. But why it's significant is if you look at some of those states that Trump flipped, he flipped them by small margins. And so if you're able to peel off a thousand votes here or 2,000 votes there from Republicans or independents who switch from Trump to Biden, well, then you get to a win maybe in Wisconsin or Michigan and that's how you beat Trump if Biden is the nominee.
[Dean:] Yes, I mean, when you break it down like that. And, Ron, Biden has been the consistent frontrunner and Bloomberg is going to have his billions and he has money forever. But for Buttigieg, Warren, Standers, is it must-win out of the gate for their survival or do you think that some of them can hang on? How does that work for them financially moving forward, Biden for that matter?
[Brownstein:] Right. I mean, that's a really good point. I mean, the ability to raise money online and the existence of all of us on cable and the internet covering these primaries has changed the dynamics of the primaries. It used used to be campaigns expire because they ran out of money and they ran out of attention. Now, if you're a reasonably plausible candidate, you have almost an infinite supply of both. So it's going to be harder to drive people from the race. What hasn't changed though, Jessica, is that voters don't like to waste their votes. And if you by definition, someone is going to come in fourth in Iowa, someone is going to come in fourth in New Hampshire. Biden probably has a second bite of the apple because he has a very strong base of African-American support that doesn't weigh in until South Carolina. But I think for other candidates, there is going to be a winnowing process. Bernie Sanders similarly has a strong base particularly among young people. But for Buttigieg and Warren, it's hard for me to see both of them being seen as fully viable after Iowa and New Hampshire unless they finish 1-2 in those states. So we have the potential for a longer race than in the past but it's not clear to me that all four will be viable by Super Tuesday.
[Dean:] We will see what 2020 brings us. Ron Brownstein and Doug Heye, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it.
[Brownstein:] Thank you.
[Heye:] Thank you.
[Dean:] Coming up, a jaw-dropping crash as emergency crews run for their lives as a semi-truck barrels out of control there in Texas. Plus, tragedy in paradise, search teams find that wreckage of a helicopter that crashed with tourists onboard, a recovery mission now underway. And that's 12 feet long, almost a thousand pounds, and hanging near South Florida? That would be ironbound, the great white shark.

[Tim Murtaugh, Director Of Communications, Donald Trump 2020 Campaign:] I think you've seen the president take appropriate steps today. I know you're reporting that the DOJ is conducting a civil rights investigation
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Yes.
[Murtaugh:] and the president spoke to the governor of Wisconsin yesterday and is sending in federal law enforcement just as he did to help with the folks in Portland. The president is determined
[Sciutto: Ok -- Murtaugh:] that law and order be restored and so that we can all enjoy peace and prosperity as Americans, that is the president's main focus on those things.
[Sciutto:] OK, as you're aware, there is now a 17-year-old boy, young man from Illinois who's charged with intentional homicide, part of a group of armed untrained civilians who answered a call to come to Kenosha, you know, it's something of a law enforcement role here. Does the president condemn the use of vigilantes, in effect, to respond to these protests and violence?
[Murtaugh:] Certainly. Look, American-on-American violence is not something that anyone can support or condone, and we condemn it fully. I think you heard the vice president last night say very forcefully that having Americans harm other Americans is not the way to go about this. We have to be able to move forward as Americans in a peaceful manner. And the police, the police have to be allowed to do their jobs and we've seen this over and over again in city after city, run by Democrats, Joe Biden's allies, where they have sided with the rioters instead of the police and instead of law-abiding citizens
[Sciutto:] Well
[Murtaugh:] and that's why you see police unions one after another lining up to endorse President Trump because they know that Joe Biden and the Democrats have turned their backs on law enforcement.
[Sciutto:] Fact check there, Joe Biden has supported peaceful protests, he has not supported violent protests. I do want to ask about the president's comments for the just for the environment here. In the wake of George Floyd's death, you'll remember, when the president said, "When the looting starts, the shooting starts." There are historical roots to that, very concerning to members of the black community. The RNC, as you know, gave speaking time to a couple, you know, who pointed their guns at protestors. I just wonder, is the president's message encouraging this kind of thing, people taking law enforcement into their own hands?
[Murtaugh:] I want to take a couple issues with what you just rattled off there, Jim. Joe Biden issued a statement about Portland last month that blamed the police for stoking this is a direct quote "stoking the fires of division," and referred to the rioters as peaceful protestors. And in the case of the
[Sciutto:] Well, some were peaceful,
[I -- Murtaugh:] McCloskeys
[Sciutto:] I witnessed and spoke to some of them, and trust me, we also reported on
[Murtaugh:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] the violent protestors there. But Joe Biden has not said, I support violent rioters and looting. He hasn't said that, and that's just a fact.
[Murtaugh:] Well, he misdescribed people and actually has, for three months now, ignored the violence that's been occurring night after night in Portland, which is why I think you see him out now, rushing to do so. Because I think he has seen that people are wondering even on your own network, Don Lemon in fact saying, boy, how much longer can Joe Biden ignore what's happening in these Democrat-run cities? And I would point out, Jim
[Sciutto:] I do want to ask, as I did about the president's
[Murtaugh:] I mean, respectfully, Jim
[Sciutto:] comments here because the president is arguing for four more years and the violence he described is happening he's been in charge for three and a half years or more at this point. Have his comments, have his policies helped to address these issues? And if so, where?
[Murtaugh:] I think absolutely you have seen his policies help. The president has provided more economic opportunity to people who live in inner cities, to people who live in the black community and for all communities, in fact: men, women, white, black, Latino, Asian, veterans, historic low unemployment for people all across the board, and economic opportunity is how
[Sciutto:] Wait, wait, wait wait. We just had another
[Murtaugh:] you solve a lot of these problems.
[Sciutto:] million people another million people, first-time unemployment benefits. I mean, during the financial crisis of 2008- 2009, the highest in a single week was 800-some thousand. We've had million a week for several weeks now. Where who does the president blame for that loss of jobs? I mean, the math is simple here.
[Murtaugh:] Jim, I think what would be blamed for the loss of those jobs is the global pandemic that is affecting every single nation on earth. I feel like you guys have probably covered the coronavirus crisis
[Sciutto:] U.S., worse than most.
[Murtaugh:] a little bit. And
[Sciutto:] The U.S. worse than most.
[Murtaugh:] in fact the president has led an unprecedented unprecedented response. The private sector and the federal government, joining together in really an unprecedented response to the coronavirus crisis, and we're seeing the economy
[Sciutto:] Why does the U.S. have so many more deaths than most countries then?
[Murtaugh:] already come back, 9.3 9.3 million jobs created in just the last three months, that is a record period of job creation in the history of this country.
[Sciutto:] That's because 25 million some-odd jobs disappeared, I mean
[Murtaugh:] You will hear the president tonight and see, this is this is exactly
[Sciutto:] the bottom line is still in the red.
[Murtaugh:] the president the president tonight Jim.
[Sciutto:] The bottom line is still in the red. So you know, that but let's talk about the pandemic, because you're claiming a successful response there. Who do you who does the president hold responsible for nearly 180,000 Americans who lost their lives to the pandemic? Who does he hold responsible?
[Murtaugh:] I think it's very important to pinpoint where this virus came from, and that is China. And it's also important to note that while the president has been leading the country through the coronavirus crisis, Joe Biden has been doing nothing on the sidelines but criticize. And we know that
[Sciutto:] Does the president accept any responsibility
[Murtaugh:] Joe Biden would not have restricted travel from China
[Sciutto:] for the loss of lives here?
[Murtaugh:] the president has been doing this job
[Sciutto:] Does he accept any responsibility? He's been in charge for four years.
[Murtaugh:] from the very Jim,
[I -- Sciutto:] He promised to be a wartime president here.
[Murtaugh:] will answer.
[Sciutto:] Yes, but so I'm just asking, does he accept any responsibility for the loss of those lives?
[Murtaugh:] The president has been doing his job. Remember, the projections were that more than 2 million people could die as a result of the coronavirus, and the president has been mounting the most aggressive
[Sciutto:] At the far end, the president said it was going to disappear months ago.
[Murtaugh:] to this in American history, facing any other crisis. Jim, early on, the Coronavirus Task Force has been meeting since January. The president restricted travel from China in January. At that time, Joe Biden
[Sciutto:] I'm aware.
[Murtaugh:] said it was fear-mongering and xenophobic. So we know that Joe Biden would not have restricted travel from China. And if he had been president
[Sciutto:] We don't know that. I'm just
[Murtaugh:] Joe Biden, we would be
[Sciutto:] just a very simple question. Because he's president
[Murtaugh:] Yes, we do know that because he said do, Jim. If
[Sciutto:] he's commander in chief. Does he accept responsibility for any of this loss of life?
[Murtaugh:] Joe Biden had been president, we'd be worse off today than we currently are. If Joe Biden had been president in January
[Sciutto:] Simple question.
[Murtaugh:] we would be worse off.
[Sciutto:] Just before we go, does the president accept any responsibility for the loss of life from the pandemic? Anything you want to change in your response?
[Murtaugh:] The president has accepted responsibility for being the one who's in charge of the unprecedented American response to this. We have never seen such a
[Sciutto:] Yes, all right.
[Murtaugh:] combination of the private sector and the government responding to a crisis of this nature as we have seen under President Trump's leadership.
[Sciutto:] All right, I'll take that as a no. Tim Murtaugh, good to have you on the program. Thanks for joining us.
[Murtaugh:] Thank you, Jim.
[Sciutto:] You can watch President Trump's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention tonight starting at 7:00 Eastern time. As CNN marks the hundredth anniversary of women's right to vote, check out what the White House looked like last night. Buildings across Washington were covered in purple and gold light in honor of the suffrage movement. For more on that 100th anniversary, you can go to CNN.comrepresented. It's really worth having a look.

[Richard Quest, Cnn Business Anchor, Quest Means Business:] All the major indices are lower. The Dow, as you can see has been down for the whole session. It's currently off the best part of 270 points, down just one percent. But it is a consistent down red day and that means the Dow could close lower for the first time in a week. The markets and how they're trading and the reasons why. The F.B.I. is now investigating Twitter's worst ever security breach. Russian hackers are accused of going after vaccine makers. I'll speak to Johnson & Johnson's Chief Financial Officer. And Chinese GDP is back in the black seven months from the start of the pandemic. Live from London on Thursday. It's July the 16th. I'm Richard Quest and yes, a busy day and I mean business. Good evening. We are talking a great deal about hacking tonight. In its various ways, it's become the news of the day. First with Twitter, where several top high profile celebrities and government officials found themselves hacked in Twitter's worst ever attack. The Twitter reputation is firmly on the line, and the F.B.I. is now leading the investigation. A stunning hack of high profile accounts, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Apple. Now at the best case scenario, this was a Bitcoin scam. People were asked to send Bitcoins on the promise of getting double back. On a worst case scenario, they accessed private data and direct messages. It revealed Twitter's inability to secure its own platform, which is significant, because Twitter is now an essential service for breaking news and government policy. The Twitter share price has recovered from its lows of three percent. As to what Twitter says, a social engineering attack. However, it means employees were targeted or involved and they lost control of their internal system. Donie O'Sullivan is in New York. So, first of all, I mean, what was the purpose of this? Because if it was a sort of scam revenue raising, they didn't get much, or was this something more sinister?
[Donie O'sullivan, Cnn Business Reporter:] That's the real question here, Richard. You know, if this was just a Bitcoin scam, a way to make a quick buck on cryptocurrency, you know, I think that's Twitter. That's everybody getting off really lucky. But these hackers really had the keys to the kingdom. I mean, if Biden had just got hacked, you know, his account, just one account, it would be a story of the day. We'd be talking about it right now. It's in an election year. But to have all these accounts hacked, and basically how it happened was that a Twitter employee or at least one employee was in some way compromised. Twitter is saying social engineering, which means that an employee was either tricked or bribed or convinced in some way to hand over their credentials. So meaning that Biden and Obama didn't just get hacked, Twitter actually got hacked and then that access was what allowed the hackers to do what they did. Was the Bitcoin stuff a cover for something else? We just don't know yet. Twitter has a ton of questions answer.
[Quest:] Donie, thank you. Donie O'Sullivan. We will keep it brief. We have a shortened program tonight, Donie. Michael Coates is with me, Twitter's former Chief Information Security Officer. Michael joins me from San Francisco. This is a big problem, obviously, stating the obvious for Twitter. How there was this wasn't somebody hacking the person. They hacked Twitter, how did it happen?
[Michael Coates, Former Chief Information Security Officer, Twitter:] Yes, the information we have so far really does stem around the social engineering attack, as you said, and I really do need to applaud Twitter in their transparency and speed. If you look at other data breaches that have happened, they're not reported on as quickly and you have no idea of the inside on what's happened. So it is great that they've come forward and shared what they have so far. But to that regard, yes, social engineering attack. This could be any number of techniques being used from phishing e-mails, from some sort of bribery or other and really targeting the internal employees. The thing to remember about this is this is a very prevalent attack method across numbers of companies, especially those platforms that have such impact on the world through their social platforms.
[Quest:] But these platforms, Twitter has had problems in the past with an employee and Facebook has had problems with an employee. They've all recognized that you're only as strong as your weakest link, and the weakest link is often an employee. So here surely, the question will be why there weren't layers of protection? Or maybe they were, and they too, were defeated?
[Coates:] Yes, that's what we really need to get to the bottom of because while I certainly can't speak to internal controls inside the company, I can confirm there are many layers of controls. There's analysis, there's logging, there's data science analysis, minimum privilege. All of these things that you would expect in these systems. And then the question does come to mind of when all is said and done, how did this attack get through those items? I do think that based on the prominence of these platforms, that it is a continual area of more security investment. Based on the role they play in the world, we just need to keep bolstering that security to no end.
[Quest:] Does it sound like it was private individuals or a group of private individuals or state sponsored?
[Coates:] Well, based on what we're seeing from the attack actually leveraging, you know, a Bitcoin scam. There is a question in your mind of is that really all they did with the accounts? Could there have been something more sinister? And looking at past attacks that have happened on the platform where a prominent account has been compromised? It is often just what you see. We've seen very prominent accounts be compromised just to spew vulgarities and you think well, wow, you could have done so much more with that account. Thank goodness you didn't. In this situation, the same sort of thoughts come to mind. So I do think that points to an individual where their MO is to extract money through a Bitcoin scam.
[Quest:] Which of course begs the question why anybody would ever spend money on a get rich quick scheme that supposedly came from a famous person. But that but the gullibility to one side actually, no, the gullibility is the crucial part because if you now start hacking Donald Trump or Joe Biden and start putting false statements, serious statements, geopolitical statements, then you could be hitting gullible people with true fake news.
[Coates:] There's certainly a threat in the information that comes across those channels and the importance of protecting them. There's also the other issue of, you know, politician that choose to use those for their official press statements, which I think is another issue to be discussed. But yes, in this situation in particular, we are fortunate that it looks like a Bitcoin scam. While there was money lost from those that are gullible, it appears to be from the outside, you know, the main attack approach used here.
[Quest:] Good to see you, sir. I appreciate it. Thank you. We'll stay with hacking at the moment. There was another major event. The U.K., the US and Canada are all accusing Russia of carrying out cyberattacks, this time on vaccine and pharmaceutical companies trying to get information and proprietary data on tests being done on COVID-19. The warning details of the activities by the group APT 29. It goes by then Cozy Bear. We've seen this a lot before. They're the same group believed to have hacked servers of the D.N.C. in 2016. Kremlin is denying any knowledge of this of course. A moment ago or two ago, I spoke to the Chief Financial Officer of Johnson & Johnson. The company had released its second quarter earnings. However, obviously, the earnings we talked about, but I was most keen to know about this hacking and whether Johnson & Johnson has never been the victim of such an attack that they knew about.
[Joe Wolk, Chief Investment Officer, Johnson & Johnson:] Cybersecurity is an investment that we've been making in an increasing rate. It's something that our management is very focused on and we have more than annual reviews with our Board of Directors on our preparedness for a cybersecurity attack. What I will say is innovation is really the lifeblood of our company, that innovation is tied from a financial perspective on the balance sheet to the intellectual property as an asset. So, we're very guarded and protective of that security.
[Quest:] What about the vaccine? And I mean, we've talked to Paul about when it's likely to be and trials likely to take place. How much money are you actually putting into the R&D on the vaccine?
[Wolk:] Yes, so the R&D and manufacturing capacity that we're building, which is more than what we have today is going to total about $1.4 billion before investments from other parts. It's like government organizations. So BARDA here in the U.S. has agreed to $450 million of funding. We haven't received other funding at this point, but we are in very good conversations with the E.U., the Gates Foundation and other major countries to ensure that should the science bear out, and we're moving as fast as we can there responsibly, that we've got the manufacturing capacity to put as many vaccine regimens onto the market as soon as possible.
[Quest:] You've already got the U.S. government saying we want some. You've got the E.U. saying we want some. As the money man, what is your role? What are you saying?
[Wolk:] Yes, so we've kind of taken that part of the discussion off the table. Given the urgency as you've noted, Richard, I think about the vaccine in three components. It's the science which Dr. Paul Stoffels and you have talked about on a number of occasions. It's the scale of J&J. So the clinical trials that we are running on platforms that are proven will be ranging from ages 18 to beyond age of 65, the most vulnerable population, and it will include all ethnicities. And then lastly, it's about access. And so when we identified our lead candidate on March 30th, we, at the same time announced that we would be distributing that at not for profit pricing. We have conviction. We're standing by that pledge. In fact, we're going to be very transparent as to how those costs are derived and have it audited by one of the public accounting firms that are well known.
[Quest:] So let's be clear, because this is the first time and I'm so glad that I'm talking to you because these are issues that I can't really talk about with others, because they go to the financing first, J&J is saying, you know, you want to recover your costs of a coronavirus, but you're not in it to make money. Is that what you're saying?
[Wolk:] That is exactly what we're saying related to the vaccine during the emergency period we realize the urgency, the need across the globe, and it's important for all businesses, not just J&J businesses, for all businesses that we are part of the solution here. So that was an early commitment made by our CEO, Alex Gorsky and we stand by that today.
[Quest:] How close are you?
[Wolk:] I would say we're moving as fast as we can 247. Paul Stoffels and his team have met, quite frankly exceeded every deadline that's been given to them. We will have a preclinical data published in a significant and prominent scientific journal in the coming weeks. We will start human testing next Wednesday, and we're also in discussions with the N.I.H. to see if we can start Phase 3, so measuring the efficacy of the vaccine in late September. So that's an accelerated timeline as well. Again, we're going to move very quickly, prove out the science, but we're going to do it ensuring that safety and tolerability remain of paramount importance.
[Quest:] If I look at for example, consumer health, one would have thought that would have done okay because people were buying more disinfectants, more house products, more bathroom products, except for the skin health and beauty care because they weren't going out.
[Wolk:] It's a tale of two cities. So in over the counter medicines and oral care, where you think about germs and reducing fevers, those businesses did really well growing two to three times faster than what they grew in 2019. But the skin and beauty, if you think about people staying at home a little bit more, not using some of the cosmetic products, sun care, right? We're taking less vacations, spending less time outdoors, and that has an impact on our business. So we're very bullish about the long term for our skin health beauty unit, but that was obviously a consequence of the pandemic.
[Quest:] The Chief Financial Officer of Johnson & Johnson. And when we come back after the break, the number of Americans filing for first claim jobless claims is stuck at 1.3 million. It's a very high number, but it does beg the question whether the situation is getting better. It's not getting it is worse, but after the break, we'll see just how it moves forward.

[Gov. Gavin Newsom:] the last number of weeks to protect themselves, to protect their families, and to protect the broader community.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Essential services will remain open, including gas stations, pharmacies, grocery stores, farmers' markets, food banks, convenience stores, and delivery restaurants. Officials project about 56 percent of California's population, more than 25 million people, will be infected over an eight-week period. The governor has asked President Trump to send a U.S. Navy hospital ship to give the state medical options and relieve pressure on a health care system already under stress.
[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] Nationwide, there are over 13,000 coronavirus cases in the U.S. and 195 deaths. This time last week, which now seems like a long time ago, there were 1,665 cases and only 41 deaths. Many hospitals already in dire need of medical supplies. There have been pleas from health care workers running out of surgical masks and there is fear there will not be enough ventilators we mean breathing machines as these cases continue to mount. President Trump says it's up to the states to obtain them.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Governors are supposed to be doing a lot of this work, and they are doing a lot of this work. The federal government is not supposed to be out there buying vast amounts of items and then shipping. You know, we're not a shipping clerk.
[Romans:] Vice President Mike Pence, leading the federal coronavirus task force, says the vice the private sector will meet the need for medical equipment. But, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that's just not enough.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] It would literally take the federal government to say to manufacturers stop what you are making or start making these machines. They're fairly technical as I understand it, but the supply chain issues are real.
[Romans:] New York City says it's two to three weeks away from running out of medical supplies. Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city needs millions more protective masks and 15,000 [audio gap] ventilators.
[Jarrett:] The FDA told to make hurdles to getting anti [audio gap] and he points to an anti-malaria drug that he falsely says has been fast- tracked to treat COVID-19.
[Trump:] We're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately. Normally, the FDA would take a long time to approve something like that and it's it was approved very, very quickly.
[Jarrett:] So he's just wrong about that. The drug is FDA-approved but not to treat coronavirus nor has any other drug been. The head of the FDA is tempering expectations as is the government's top infectious disease doctor.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases, National Institutes Of Health:] Today, there are no proven safe and effective therapies for the coronavirus. That doesn't mean that we're not going to do everything we can to make things that have even a hint of efficacy more readily available. But there's no magic drug out there right now.
[Romans:] There has been one promising step toward a [audio gap]. IBM's Summit has run thousands of simulations and identified 77 drug compounds that might effectively stop the virus.
[Jarrett:] Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are rolling out their $1 trillion economic stimulus plan. It's not in final form yet but it currently calls for direct payments to Americans under a certain income threshold; $200 billion in loans to airlines and distressed industry sectors; and $300 billion in forgivable bridge loans for small businesses. The GOP rollout sets the stage for negotiations with Democrats to reach a bipartisan deal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell exclusively tells CNN joint talks with Democrats were bypassed until now to speed up the process.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] The Republicans are in the majority in the Senate. We wanted to put forward our proposal. We feel like we have an obligation to do that as a majority. And the Democrats, of course, need to be given an opportunity to react to it. This is the quickest way to get it done. Trust me, this is the quickest way to get it done.
[Jarrett:] Democratic leaders are already saying not so fast. Overnight, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on first reading, the Republican plan is not at all pro-worker and instead puts corporations way ahead of workers.
[Romans:] All right, big layoffs are here. The government reported weekly jobless claims last week surged to the highest since September 2017. And, Goldman Sachs reports 2.25 million Americans filed initial claims probably this week. That would be the most on record. Numbers in California already up 33 percent. Ninety-six percent of small business owners already feeling the strain. More than half say they will not be able to continue operating more than three months like this. Wall Street closed up narrowly after a volatile day for investors the first time since March sixth the Dow closed within 1,000 points of where it opened. Taking a look at futures right now, they are bouncing here. Still, a lot of concern going forward. Two regional air carriers are ending operations soon as demand slows. Compass Air and Trans States Airlines operate flights on behalf of American and Delta. That's 2,700 employees there looking for work and six million passengers who aren't flying. Some relief for homeowners. Bank of America will let customers defer mortgage payments as part of additional support it's providing to its customers. But habits are changing for everyone. Domino's is looking to hire up to 10,000 workers as people shift their eating habits to take-out or delivery. Netflix and YouTube will reduce streaming quality in Europe for at least the next month to keep the Internet from breaking. No changes yet in the U.S. to streaming quality. Internet and wireless networks are coming under immense pressure to deliver reliable connectivity. Millions have shifted their day-to-day operations out of the workplace and into their homes.
[Jarrett:] The coronavirus has decimated one New Jersey family. Seventy-three-year-old Grace Fusco and her sons Carmine and Vincent, and her daughter Rita have all died. Two other relatives are in critical condition and a third is in stable condition. Nineteen other family members have been tested and they're worried the carnage is not over.
[Roseann Paradiso Fodera, Cousin Of Family Members:] Our biggest concern for the family right now is there are 19 family members that were tested last Saturday that do not have results.
[Elizabeth Fusco, Lost Four Family Members To Coronavirus:] To know that two of those women I sat with on Tuesday and nourished and promised everything's going to be OK to is gone. They were the root of our lives. That was my mother and my oldest sister. They were everything. Like, it's surreal. My two oldest brothers like, they were the core of our family since my dad's been gone. They've held us together like no other. And it's like the second we start to grieve about one, the phone rings and there is another person gone taken from us forever.
[Jarrett:] "The New York Times" reports a family dinner earlier this month may have spread the infections in that family.
[Romans:] Oh, just a tragic story. We certainly wish them
[Jarrett:] It's heartbreaking.
[Romans:] some healing in their grief there. All right. Demand is there, supply is not. Hospitals and doctors nationwide pleading for more medical equipment. How quickly can it happen?

[Church:] Well democrats in the U.S. congress are not giving up their demand for the complete version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report. They will meet with Justice Department officials in the coming day before voting Wednesday on a contempt citation for Attorney General William Barr. Meanwhile, President Trump isn't backing down either. CNN's Jim Acosta has our report.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Correspondent:] As the honor of the army football team at the White House, the president sidestepped the news that his former personal attorney Michael Cohen was heading off to federal prison. Instead launching a full scale blitz against the Mueller report, tweeting "there are no high crimes and misdemeanors, all the crimes are on the other side," a reference to democrats. But nearly 380 former federal prosecutors argue that's not true. Saying in a statement on the website media, "each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report would in the case of any other person not covered by the office of legal council policy against indicting a sitting president result in multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice."
[Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi:] Certainly the next step is we need to have Bob Mueller come to Capitol Hill and testify. I expect that's going to happen this month.
[Acosta:] But now the president doesn't want that to happen, tweeting, "Bob Mueller should not testify." That's a departure from what he told reporters that it's up to Attorney General William Barr.
[Donald J. Trump, President Of The U.s:] I don't know, that's up to our attorney general who I think has done a fantastic job.
[Acosta:] Barr told congress that's fine with him.
[Unidentified Male:] What about Bob Mueller, should he be allowed to testify before the senate?
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] I've already said publically I have no objection.
[Acosta:] The president is feeling cheated, retweeting Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. who said, "I now support reparations. Trump should have two years added to his first term as payback for time stolen by this corrupt failed coo." That won't sit well with democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the New York Times she si worried the president won't give up the White House if he loses in 2020, saying "we have to inoculate against that. We have to be prepared for that." As for Michael Cohen, he once said he worried about that as well.
[Michael Cohen, Former Personal Attorney For Pres. Trump:] Indeed given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power.
[Acosta:] The legal turmoil for the president comes as he's grappling with a range of foreign policy headaches with the administration sending an aircraft carrier to the Middle East. And a warning to Iran this happening amid a delicate ceasefire in the region between Israel and Gaza militants after a weekend of violence that left at least 23 people dead. And North Korea trying Mr. Trump's patience with a missile test over the weekend, the president may be causing some heartburn for his own team by failing to bring up election meddling with Russia's Vladimir Putin last week.
[Trump:] We didn't discuss that. Really didn't discuss it.
[Acosta:] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that's no big deal.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] We talk to leaders all the time; we cover a broad range of subjects. Sometimes conversations just aren't long enough to include every issue that might be brought up.
[Acosta:] Before bringing it up himself with the Russian foreign minister.
[Pompeo:] The same thing I've shared with them each time, we've had a chance to cover that particular topic, which is that it's not appropriate. And that we'll do everything we can to deter it.
[Acosta:] And there is one other foreign policy concern that could have a big impact on the U.S. economy, and the economy around the world and that is the president's continued trade war with China. The president's threat to hike tariffs on China rattled the markets earlier in the day but it seems those jitters have eased as of this evening. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
[Church:] Richard Johnson is a lecturer in U.S. politics and international relations at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. Thank you so much for being with us.
[Richard Johnson, Lecturer In U.s. Politics & International Relations:] Good morning.
[Church:] All right, so we just heard there, more than 500 former federal prosecutors signed this open letter saying Mr. Trump would have been charged with obstruction of justice if he weren't president. Does this make the need to hear Robert Mueller testify even greater to clarify some of these points? And ho likely is it do you think that will happen?
[Johnson:] I think it does make the case for Mueller to testify stronger. I think there's been a lot if dissatisfaction with the way in which the Mueller report has been presented and interpreted by the attorney general's office. And I think that people felt that the attorney general was very quick to draw quite strong positive conclusions in the president's favor from the Mueller report. That unhinged the context that the Justice Department's own guidelines about not bringing indictment through the Justice Department against the president. And so really this is a matter for congress to decide and therefore it's important for congress to have all the information available to it, including Mueller's testimony.
[Church:] And of course at this point President Trump is saying no, there is no need for Mueller to testify. The attorney general has said he doesn't object to that. We'll see what happens with that. But I want to ask you too about these two congressional deadlines. It came and went Monday with no compliance on the part of the Trump administration just as most people expected. So let's start with the democrats' request for the president's tax return. It's now up to the court. And this could take a while, couldn't it?
[Johnson:] Yes, I mean this tax issue is we've been talking about this since long before President Trump was elected president. And what's interesting also is not just the federal action which is being taken at the moment, but the way in which states are preparing themselves for the next presidential elections. There are a lot of discussions about how California may require presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to even appear on the ballots. And so what we've moved from as a norm of President's releasing their tax returns for many decades, since the Ford Administration, to moving to a period now where we have almost sort of force legal compliance for a norm. And I think that just speaks to what's happened in the last few years in American politics where sort of norms of good behavior have eroded and we've moved into a much more legalistic and hostile context. And so I think this is going to continue to play out for quite some time to come.
[Church:] Right and of course that other Congressional deadline that came and went. The Attorney General Bill Barr resisting providing an un-redacted Mueller Report but the fight continues to see that as well. But the Democrats will never see a completely un-redacted report will they? After all the Trump Administration does have the law on its side on this point because there're a number of elements that can't be revealed right?
[Johnson:] Well, that's what they're arguing and I think what will be interesting is that there've been discussion about a move to hold the Attorney General in contempt of Congress. Now on the face of it that's a serious move and what that would mean is that if the entire House of Representatives passed a contempt of Congress resolution that would be forwarded on to the US attorney for the District of Columbia. Who would be able to take legal action against the Attorney General and in theory could fine him or even imprison him. Because the US attorney for the District of Columbia is himself a Trump appointee it's unlikely that she would take action we think. Congress actually has quite wide ranging powers in these [inaudible]. Congress in the past used to be able, I think it still does but doesn't practice-exercise but could even imprison people using its own Sergeant of Arms and its control over the District of Columbia's jail. Now I'm not saying that I expect Congress to send the Sergeant of Arms off to arrest the Attorney General but we are in an increasingly escalating conflict between the Legislative and Executive branch. And so I think that we're going to see perhaps powers being used that haven't been exercised in quite some time. Where sort of kind of level of conflict that we haven't really seen since, probably since, Watergate.
[Church:] Interesting a lot of push back for sure. Richard Johnson thank you so much for bringing your analysis and perspective to this appreciate it.
[Johnson:] Thank you.
[Church:] Let's take a short break hear the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are now parents and we've got a line to England for the details of the newest addition to the royal family. Plus why millions of young South Africans are staying away from this week's national elections. We'll have a live report. Welcome back everyone, I'm Rosemary Church I want to update you now on the main stories we've been following this hour. Myanmar has freed two Reuters journalists jailed for their reporting on a Rohingya massacre in 2017. The men spend more than 500 days behind bars for violating the Colonial era Ofiicial Secrets Act. They were apparently released as part of a Presidential pardon. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will be heading Washington as the US and China continue their high level trade talks set for Wednesday. The Trump Administration is accusing China of reneging on its previous agreement and sys it will escalate tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. US war ships and bomber are being sent to the Middle East after threats from Iran and its proxies against US forces. That is according to US officials citing specific and credible intelligence. The White House announced on Sunday a carrier strike group was heading to the region. Well Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markel are now parents. The baby boy's birth on Monday was announced in the traditional way on easel outside Buckingham Palace. And then in perhaps a less formal more tongue in cheek staff, via town crier in the town of Windsor of course. And now there is a third way, Instagram. It's just one of the many ways the couple are doing tradition with a little twist. As for the baby we don't know his name yet but his father delivered the rest of the details.
[Harry Charles Albert David, Prince Of England:] Meghan and myself had a baby boy, early this morning. A very healthy boy, mother and baby are doing incredibly well. It's been the most amazing experience I could ever possibly imagine. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension but we're absolutely thrilled and so grateful to all the love and support from everybody out there. It's been amazing so I just wanted to share this with everybody.
[Church:] We have a very happy father there. Let's bring in CNN's Anna Stewart live from Windsor. So good to see you again Anna, he is so happy, so proud, and so thrilled isn't he. A great day for both Harry and Meghan and all the royals. How are their subjects responding to this happy news?
[Anna Stewart, Cnn Reporter:] You can see that Prince Harry was bursting with joy as is everyone here in Windsor and the next big question is what will the baby be called. And every one has an opinion on this. I've had some pretty strange names, unlikely names I'd say so far. But I'll give you the top bets at the moment. Cause the bookies opened their books months ago, we've been watching them very closely. At the moment, number one is Alexander at 72, now that is Prince Georges middle name also Alexandra is the queen's middle name so it's got a big royal tradition there. Next up you have James. A long history of Jameses in the royal family. Arthur again that is a middle name for Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Louis so that's already a very popular one. And then we have Spencer at 11 to two and this is kind of climbing the tables rather suddenly right near the end. I didn't see it in the top 10 a few weeks ago it would be a nod of course to the baby's late grandmother Princess Diana. That was her maiden name now it will likely have two middle names. So frankly, it could have all four. It could have four names. It could have five names. Traditionally royals do have quite a few so it could be a combination of all of them. Surnames, well royals don't need surnames but at school it's likely to use the surname Sussex because Prince George uses Cambridge at school we know that. It can also used Mount Boston Windsor if it needs to. And then there's a big question of the title, whether the queen intervenes and gives this baby the titles of Prince His Royal Highness, if she doesn't it's most likely to take Prince Harry's lesser title Earl of Dumbarton. Now in addition to that once we find out what the baby's called, what the title will be I expect we'll hear it as he said on social media through past statements but also from the town crier and there's not just one but two here in Windsor take a listen.
[Tony Appleton, Unofficial Town Crier:] Oh yay, oh yay, oh yay...
[Stewart:] He's a familiar face at royal events. Now you are the self appointed...
[Appleton:] Royalist town crier.
[Stewart:] You are the self appointed town crier for all royal events.
[Appleton:] All royal events and I done the three royal babies Charlotte...
[Stewart:] George, Charlotte, Louis, and...
[Appleton:] And now we're not sure but it's a boy. I forecast a boy. And not sure of the name yet but...
[Stewart:] Any guess on the name.
[Appleton:] Oh it might be Charles.
[Stewart:] Problem is there's another town crier in town. Royal bearer of Windsor made his-is this official.
[Chris Brown, Official Town Crier:] This is official.
[Stewart:] You are the official town crier.
[Brown:] The mayor appointed me in 2012 and I've worked with every mayor since. I am the official town crier for this town.
[Stewart:] Now is there a little bit of rivalry cause I've met Tony many times. Tony blocks in second royal crier. No comment, no not awkward at all.
[Brown:] None at all, I'm sorry. We have a rule, we are polite in this town we don't say nasty things about people.
[Stewart:] But unofficial town crier Tony has more royal feathers in his cap.
[Appleton:] I'm all over the world. I'm international.
[Stewart:] You're the international self appointed royal
[Appleton:] I'm international and the royal family do know me and royal family have actually called me to
[Brown:] God save the queen.
[Stewart:] There may not be room for a third town crier but just in case a back up is ever needed...what do I shout?
[Brown:] You have to start with, oh yay, oh yay, oh yay, what you say after that is entirely your problem.
[Stewart:] Oh yay, oh yay, oh yay, Anna Stewart, CNN, Windsor.
[Church:] Yes, he didn't give you a chance to finish your sentence. He felt threatened for sure. Thanks so much Anna Stewart. Appreciate it. all right let's get some perspective now on the new arrival from Royal historian Kate Williams. She is the author of the book Young Elizabeth: the Making of Our Queen. Good to see you Kate.
[Kate Williams, Author And Royal Historian:] Good morning.
[Church:] So Prince Harry understandably thrilled with the arrival of his new baby boy and of course proud of his lovely wife Meghan. So what all can you tell us about this royal baby's arrival and of course the history this little boy's making.
[Williams:] Well, it's just been a fabulous day and baby Sussex waking up I'm sure already awake a day old now and all of the newspapers are covering the royal baby. It's just so much excitement here in Britain. Anna was showing how excited people are there in Windsor and really across the country we've seen a lot of our big land marks including the London Eye girthed in red, white, and blue and blue for boy and everyone's so thrilled. And I think we've really seen that when Harry said how he was over the moon. Some of Harry's real magic, he was overwhelmed, so much emotion, paying tribute to women of the world for giving birth. He really was absolutely thrilled and we're all so happy for him. And this baby-it's really a very exciting moment. The first Anglo-American baby born into the royal family. It's going to be a duel US UK citizen we understand so theoretically it could one day stand for US President you never know. And it's also our first biracial baby in the modern royal family and that sends a powerful message to the world, to the country, a muliti- cultural country in Britain which still is to a large degree very white and the elites but it doesn't have the same role as George. It's seventh in line to the throne it may not as Anna was saying, it may not have a prince title, the HRH title, it may be Earl of Dumbarton. There is some talk in the newspapers about how it might even have no title at all. It might just be a mister like any normal citizen of the United Kingdom. So that we will find out hopefully tomorrow with a photo of mother, baby, and father which we can't wait for. And the title and then of course I'm dying to know who will be the godparents? Will it be Serena Williams who was looking fabulous at the MET Ball, will it be George Clooney who the baby shares a birthday with or will we have a lot of royals but well this royal will grow up to have not a life like Prince Georges but it will be a back up royal. We will see this royal having an important role as a backup royal. Helping out with the royal engagements. So...
[Church:] Yes.
[Williams:] ...it will certainly have a life in the spotlight.
[Church:] Very similar to his father right. So as you mentioned no name yet, no title, there has been rumor that the queen would probably not call him a prince so what's behind all of that chatter on name and title?
[Williams:] Yes well we think probably now the queen won't call him a prince because usually if she was to do that it would have been planned and issued a few months in advance. It would be quite last minute if she makes a decision now. And the reason really was, we go back to George V now, the queens grandfather who made a rule about who could be prince and who could be princess. And it's strictly was the grandchildren of the sovereign and those in the male line of the Prince of Whales. And Prince Harry of course is a grandchild so he is a prince but his son is a great grandchild. But that does have the strange possibility that when Charles becomes king this baby could now become a prince and sort of accelerate from mister or Earl of Dumbarton to prince. So at the moment it is all up in the air but I think probably we'll see the baby being Earl of Dumbarton for the meantime which is a pretty cool title I think.
[Church:] Yes it is. It's all very cool. And we'll see what the name is in a few days perhaps you don't know. It could take longer than that right. Kate Williams thank you so much for joining us appreciate it.
[Williams:] Thank you.
[Church:] And time for a short break here. Just ahead we will hear from South Africa's born free generation and why they have no interest in voting in this week's election.

[Baldwin:] Breaking news. The former girlfriend of accused sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested. We have heard a lot about Ghislaine Maxwell in connection with the Epstein investigation. She's expected to appear in court later today. Federal prosecutors in New York charging her with six counts for allegedly conspiring with the disgraced financier to sexually abuse underaged girls. Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial last year. The investigation into his accomplices is still ongoing. CNN's Kara Scannell is outside federal court in New York. Kara, prosecutors wrapped up a news conference. What did they say?
[Kara Scannell, Cnn Reporter:] Brooke, they're calling this a prequel, saying the new charges against Ghislaine Maxwell date back as far as 1994, almost 10 years earlier than they had previously charged Jeffrey Epstein with. Of course, Epstein died while in prison. The case that's remaining is the one against Maxwell. Today, prosecutors charging her with six criminal counts, including two of conspiracy, two counts of perjury for lying under oath while participating in civil depositions, and one count of traveling enticing minors to travel for illegal sex, and also for the transportation of minors to engage in illegal sexual contact. Prosecutors today saying Maxwell helped recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims, girls as young as 14 years old. Here is acting U.S. attorney, Audrey Strauss, describing Maxwell's role.
[Audrey Strauss, U.s. Attorney, Southern District Of New York:] Maxwell enticed minor girls, got them to trust her, then delivered them into the trap that she and Epstein had set for them. She pretended to be a woman they could trust. All the while, she was setting them up to be sexually abused by Epstein and, in some cases, by Maxwell herself.
[Scannell:] Maxwell will be in court in New Hampshire in about a half hour from now. Prosecutors asking for her to be detained, saying she's a flight risk. She has no ties to the U.S., has 15 bank accounts and three passports. We've not yet heard from Maxwell or her attorney, although, she has denied any wrongdoing. Prosecutors, Brooke, say their investigation is continuing.
[Baldwin:] We're going to follow it every step of the way. Kara Scannell, thank you so much, in downtown Manhattan. That's it for me. Thank you for being with me. We'll be back tomorrow, not quite the 4th. Tomorrow is the 3rd. Am I getting my dates right? It's 2020. That's what I know. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for being with me. Our coverage continues now on "THE LEAD" with Jake Tapper.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.

[Sciutto:] Breaking news this hour. Queen Elizabeth has approved British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's request to suspend parliament. Meanwhile, many throughout the United Kingdom are shocked and outraged. They say the suspension will shorten time officials have to attempt to block a no-deal Brexit. I want to get to CNN Correspondent Anna Stewart. She's outside 10 Downing Street, as well as CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson. He's outside parliament. Anna, if I could begin with you. Does the Prime Minister's Office have any other explanation for this unusual call to shorten debate on Brexit? What are they offering as justification here?
[Anna Stewart, Cnn Correspondent:] Jim, they say they didn't because they actually say that Brexit is not the driving force behind this decision. It's a new prime minister. And as is fairly usual, he wants to set out a new session of parliament to introduce his domestic policy and legislation. It's sort of, don't look here, it's nothing to do with Brexit. Of course, that is not how it's being seen by rebel MPs within his party, within the opposition parties. They see this absolutely as a way to remove valuable time for lawmakers to try and prevent a no-deal Brexit. And they are returning to parliament next week. Now, since her Majesty the Queen has agreed and she will be suspending parliament, that means they have much less time, not only potentially to debate any new Brexit deal before that end of October deadline, but to try and frustrate the whole process and prevent a no-deal Brexit. Today, opposition members, we got party members from within the conservative party all saying things like, it's a coup, it's an outrage, it's undemocratic. This is a prime minister who has not been elected, suspending parliament and removing their power to fully debate Brexit. Now, these lawmakers are now consulting on law or parliamentary technicalities to see if they can still frustrate this process. And they will return next Tuesday. And you can expect plenty of fireworks on their return. Jim?
[Sciutto:] Nic, has a practical matter, does this make Britain's exit from the E.U. without a deal by this October deadline, does it make it more likely?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] It does. It strengthened Boris' hands convincing the European Union, who he's negotiating with, that he will do this because there is less likelihood to be stopped. With Theresa May, the previous prime minister, they knew there was a likelihood that it could be stopped and blocked. Now, that seems to be removed or greatly reduced. That said, perhaps given this tougher position, although they haven't shown the willingness to do it right now, Boris Johnson, maybe his gamble is right, get tough with the E.U. and they might just cut you a better deal. But there's no indication of that at the moment. In fact, what we've heard from the man in charge of Brexit at the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, who said, the take back control and remember, take back control was the language that the leavers, that Boris Johnson and his group, used to convince people to leave the European Union, take back control, take back control from the European Union, that's being turned against them today. And at E.U., they are saying this take back control that Boris Johnson is doing looks very, very sinister. So at the moment, it seems we really are on a much harder and tougher wall footing, both Johnson here at home against the opposition here and some in his party here and with the E.U. The lines are drawn and the differences are getting much sharper.
[Sciutto:] There have already been economic costs in the U.K., the economy contracting in advance of this expectation, Nic. How are the British people, how is the economy, how is it responding to this march towards a no-deal Brexit?
[Robertson:] Well, the pound is weakening. It has done again today on news of this no deal becoming more likely, weakening against the dollar. The calculations and assessments have been made not just by civil servants working for the government but by other independent bodies, by the governor of the Bank of England as well, have all predicted that the British economy will be weaker. Its rate of growth has been slackening compared to other leading E.U. nations. It's been slackening against them. The expectation is that there will be you know, that there will be an economic price to pay. But Boris Johnson's position is, that in the long run, Britain will be better off. And there are a number of people who believe that. And that the I have to say that the sort of stock and trust placed in politicians here at the moment is so low. People will believe what they want to believe, even if politicians tell them one thing, they won't necessarily believe it.
[Sciutto:] That sounds familiar, Nic. I think I'm aware of that phenomenon somewhere else. Anna Stewart, Nic Robertson, thanks very much. We know you're going to stay on top of that story. The owners of a company accused of fueling a national opioid epidemic could be walking away from the family business. What that means, that's coming up.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn Anchor:] Underway right now, if the House won't take up impeachment, some Democrats revealing what they will do instead going forward. And the speaker meets the squad, or one of them at least. So what did Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez talk about? The tale of two detainees, a rapper and an 18-year-old, both American citizens, but the president is only vocal about one of them. Plus, the disturbing scene of white college students posing with guns in front of a memorial plaque for the young man whose murder helped propel the U.S. into the civil rights movement. And the powerful story behind this image of a Syrian girl's heroic attempt to save her seven-month-old sister after a bombing. But first, Democratic leadership on a collision course as the party struggles to decide on a path forward in the wake of the Mueller testimony. The House Judiciary chairman, Jerry Nadler, pushing for impeachment.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] We are going into court and asking for more information and for to enforce our subpoenas. We are telling the court that we are doing this not just as part of normal oversight, but also because it's part of our Article One authority and responsibility to consider all remedies, including possibility of articles of impeachment, and that's what we're going to do. Now, whether you call that an inquiry or whatever you want to call that, that's what we've been doing and we are doing and we'll continue to do.
[Keilar:] Manu Raju is live for us up on Capitol Hill. There have been some developments today, Manu. What's the latest?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, very significant development. The House Judiciary Committee announcing this new lawsuit to try to get the grand jury information from the Mueller investigation. But that is really not the headline here. The headline here is they took a pretty significant step towards possibly moving towards an impeachment proceeding because what they are arguing in this lawsuit is to that they need this information, this grand jury information from the Mueller probe in order to decide whether or not to recommend articles of impeachment against the president of the United States. That is cited in their lawsuit. And Jerry Nadler just announced that moments ago. I ask him, are you is there a difference in the investigation that you're having right now than what a formal impeachment inquiry is? Is there any difference whatsoever? He essentially said they're in effect the same thing. He said there is one difference, an impeachment proceeding, he said an impeachment inquiry is just geared towards deciding whether or not to formally recommend articles of impeachment. He said this is a bit broader investigation, but it could lead to a recommendation of articles of impeachment. A significant announcement there by the House speaker by the Judiciary Committee chairman, who has privately been pushing to move forward on impeachment proceedings. But he's been met with some resistance from one person in particular, Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, who believes the current course of action is correct. Fight the issues in court. Decide later on whether or not to move forward with formal impeachment proceedings. And when I asked her earlier today whether or not she's simply trying to run out the clock, as some Democrats believe given her resistance to opening up an impeachment proceeding, she denied it saying she's not trying to run out the clock.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] No, I'm not trying to run out the clock. Let's get sophisticated about this, OK? We will proceed when we have what we need to proceed, not one day sooner. And everybody has the liberty and the luxury to espouse their own position and to criticize me for trying to go down the path in the most determined, positive way. Mr. Mueller said the other day, confirmed, confirmed in the public mind that the president has obstructed justice. You know what he said. If he could have exonerated him, he would have, but he didn't. But he was not able to investigate the president's finances, personal, business or otherwise, and that is what we are doing in the courts.
[Raju:] But Democratic sources tell me, Brianna, that the speaker actually signed off on that language in the lawsuit saying they need this information to decide whether or not to move forward with an impeachment proceeding. Brianna.
[Keilar:] And, Manu, the speaker and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, obviously a very vocal freshman, had this face-to-face meeting today after weeks of public feuding. But now the speaker's denying there was ever a problem to begin with. Let's listen.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] I don't think there ever was any hatchet.
[Question:] Well, she called you downright disrespectful.
[Pelosi:] Well, that's that's that's we're in a political arena.
[Keilar:] There wasn't a hatchet. There was no hatchet to bury is what the speaker was saying. She's trying very hard to downplay any infighting.
[Raju:] No question about it. Of course, Ocasio-Cortez also suggested that the speaker was singling out women of color after the speaker had criticized her vote and other the three other Democratic congresswomen freshmen over that immigration the border spending bill. But, nevertheless, the speaker is trying to say that, look, we do have disagreements from time to time, but overall we're united and we're fighting the White House here. That's what we need to keep our focus on. And she needs to make that case, of course, because they're heading into a six-week recess and they want to project unity. But, of course, you look under the surface and things are a little bit more complicated than it seems. Brianna.
[Keilar:] They sure are. As always, Manu Raju, thank you so much. And here to talk this over now we have CNN legal analyst Carrie Cordero and "Washington Post" congressional reporter Karoun Demirjian. So, Carrie, we just heard from Chairman Nadler that they've told the courts the committee is requesting information from the Mueller investigation, not just as normal oversight but as part of their Article One authority. How is this different from saying that they've opened up an impeachment inquiry and that's how they should be getting information?
[Carrie Cordero, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, honestly, it's getting harder and harder to distinguish between the work that the committee is doing in their capacity of their overall rule of law oversight investigation and what they might be doing if they actually technically said now we're conducting an impeachment inquiry, because what they're doing today, they're going to court to try to get unsealed some of the grand jury information that was in the Mueller report, which, by the way, is a really small percentage of the information that's in the report. And then next week they're going to go to court to try to enforce the subpoena against witness Don McGahn, which is really goes to one of the most important fact patterns in the report demonstrating obstructive conduct on the part of the president.
[Keilar:] Nadler has this method that he can take, right, Karoun? He can introduce articles of impeachment in committee. He's at odds with the speaker on how he wants to proceed. She doesn't want to move forward on impeachment, at least not yet, but maybe not at all. He is pressing to do it. If he did that in committee, how much chaos would this throw the Democratic caucus into?
[Karoun Demirjian, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, you just saw Nancy Pelosi appearing with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to show this sign of unity, right? We assume that she already is unified with the two chairmen of the most powerful committees going after those three, frankly, Adam Schiff on Intel, Jerry Nadler on Judiciary and Elijah Cummings on the Oversight Committee. There were talks very at the very beginning of this and maybe there will be some turf wars and infighting and lack of unified strategy and they have really made a very, very concerted effort to dispel all of that and present a unified front. If they don't look like they have a unified front, that makes it much, much, much easier for supporters of the president to say what the heck is going on here, what are you doing and to say, if you don't even have the support of your speaker and you're going to try to get impeachment to get out of committee and onto the floor, good luck.
[Keilar:] The Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who's on House Intel, this is what she said about the timeline for impeachment.
[Rep. Jackie Speier:] If we don't take action come September 1st, then we should just shut it down because we're not going to be able to do anything at all. I feel strongly that we should, but I think we're running out of time.
[Keilar:] Speaker Pelosi, Karoun, said she's not trying to run out the clock. But make no mistake, she's not, at this point, moving towards impeachment. And there is a clock and it is ticking very loudly.
[Demirjian:] There is a clock. Exactly. You get into 2020, you get to start to get too close to the election. It doesn't look like it's actually an impeachment proceeding on the merits anymore, even if it is, by that point, by Pelosi's assessment. So really they have the end of this year. They have this fall, basically. And then if they get into the beginning of next year, it's going to look like a political craven type of a move to people who might have supported them otherwise.
[Keilar:] And then Nadler Jerry Nadler is saying right now that a win in court next week to enforce a subpoena for White House Counsel former White House Counsel Don McGahn is going to, quote, open open up the floodgates for more subpoenas.
[Cordero:] Well, I think because Don McGahn, because he was White House counsel, the White House has the strongest arguments in terms of being able to exert executive privilege over McGahn's testimony. So I think he's the he's both the most important potentially post one of the most important witnesses for the committee to get because he's so central to one of the strongest fact patterns on obstruction. At the same time, he's also the hardest witness to get because he was the White House counsel. If the courts can go with if the courts rule in favor of the House on McGahn, I think all of the other witnesses are going to be easier to get.
[Keilar:] All right, fact check true, you say, for Jerry Nadler, that this opens up the floodgates. And, Karoun, what did you make of the speaker trying to downplay? I mean you said here she is painting this picture of unity with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She was basically saying there was there was no hatchet to bury, even though Manu made it very clear that the things that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised about the speaker were pretty serious.
[Demirjian:] We saw the hatchet out in full forum, both on Twitter and in Pelosi's public statements behind that same podium. Maybe it wasn't a sharpened hatchet, but there was definitely something there that had to be addressed. That's why they did this. And, look, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez does not control a major, major faction of the Democratic Party in Congress. And what she does control is public sentiment in great regard. And that has effects both for the 2020 campaign, which Pelosi's still the top Democrat in office. And, remember, she is looking to the public to determine if there's actually a groundswell behind her of sentiment before she steps into this impeachment arena and other matters too. So she needs the people to be with her and Ocasio can punch above her weight when it comes to how much people out there, and in areas of the Democratic Party they want to win over, are paying attention to what happens in D.C.
[Keilar:] Definitely. And it's just sort of striking this image, Karoun, that we saw of the speaker, who has been around the block for so long, and this freshman congresswoman. This is I mean this is it's a striking situation that is happening up there where Nancy Pelosi is having to deal with the youngsters.
[Demirjian:] Yes, it's a striking situation. It tells you that there is a power that exists in this newest generation, this new class that's entered Congress and of the most diverse Congress that you've yet seen. And either this is a wake-up call to the older generation that they have to kind of govern a little bit differently, or seen from a more positive light. Maybe it's good that you can kind of have a unification across all generations of the Democratic Party. Now if they can sustain that in a way that where their people aren't talking about hatchets to bury, then that will work well for them.
[Keilar:] Karoun, Carrie, thank you so much to both of you. And we are, at this point, just four days away from the next Democratic presidential debates right here on CNN. The candidates are honing their messages on the campaign trail as they prepare to face off on the big stage. Several of the candidates spoke today at the National Urban League Convention in Indianapolis.
[Mayor Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] My own city has seen the limitations of the progress we can make as long as we are in the shadow of systemic racism. And my own city is not alone. It is a national problem that requires national solutions.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] Let's be bold. Let's move forward. And I'm pleased to also announce today that, as president, I will invest in black entrepreneurs and business owners by creating an increasing access to capital and credit.
[Keilar:] CNN's Ryan Nobles is here with us. So Harris talked about what her campaign says is really the next part of their agenda when it comes to black voters, which is centering on immigration. Tell us about this.
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, that's right. And, you know, there's no doubt that African-American voters are a key constituency in the Democratic primary, Brianna. And this is, obviously, an area that Kamala Harris would like to improve her position with in terms of the polls. And what she talked about today was this second phase of her black agenda. And it includes a big investment in historically black colleges and universities. Of course that, of course, personal to her as well. She's a graduate of Howard University. She talked about a $60 billion investment in STEM education for HBCUs. She also talked about a plan to generate more investment in black teachers through HBCUs. And she also wants to create a $12 billion program to help minority business startups. And this is about investing in the black community, trying to lift a lot of African-Americans out of poverty, which she thinks is going to be part of making things equal for them across the board. But, you know, it's interesting for her, Brianna, because this is an area where Joe Biden is very strong right now, the former vice president. Of course the former vice president connected to Barack Obama, the first African-American president, still enjoys a very wide margin of support in terms of black voters in South Carolina in particular, which is the first really big state where the African- American vote is going to have a major influence. This is an area where Harris thinks that she can improve, but right now the polls are not showing her making big gains. She's hoping this part of this agenda will help turn that around.
[Keilar:] It's I mean its stunning, that number, 51. And then, for Biden in 12 right behind him. Let's talk about Beto O'Rourke
[Nobles:] Right.
[Keilar:] Because he really didn't make much of an impact during this first debate when we saw him. Does he have plans to turn this around?
[Nobles:] He does. And, you know, I actually spoke with one of his advisers last weekend and talked about this at length. And, you know, Beto O'Rourke is obviously struggling right now. A huge drop in his fundraising totals. He's dropping in polls across the board. But his team really views the debate as an opportunity to kind of reignite his campaign. In fact, our colleague, Eric Bradner, learned that Beto O'Rourke and his wife actually sat down and watched the last debate and tried to break down exactly what went wrong. And even Beto himself described himself as being wooden during this debate and allowed the attacks to come without much of a response. I'm told things are going to be much different this time around. In their previous preparation, they didn't murder-board Beto O'Rourke, which means hammer him with areas where he could potentially be vulnerable. They did this, this time around. And the other thing they plan to do, Brianna, is they plan to engage, particularly with Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who they feel is one of these candidates that's kind of stealing their lane. One of the things they're going to attack him on, Brianna, I'm told, is his donations, where he is getting his money from. Of course, Beto O'Rourke, his campaign largely fueled by small dollar donations, where Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been willing to take those high-dollar fundraisers, which many in the Democratic field have not done.
[Keilar:] I want to know what his wife said. What Beto O'Rourke's wife said when she sat down to critique him. That would be the
[Nobles:] My wife is probably watching right now and will give me critiques afterwards.
[Keilar:] And I bet they'll be very interesting. Ryan Nobles, thank you so much.
[Nobles:] Thanks, Brianna.
[Keilar:] And CNN is going to host the next Democratic debates in Detroit. These will take place at 8:00 p.m. Eastern next Tuesday and Wednesday night right here on CNN. Mayor Pete Buttigieg rolling out his new economic plan today ahead of his speech in Indianapolis and ahead of the next debate next week. The plan is pro-union. It allows all workers the right to join a labor union. It also would impose costly penalties on companies that try to restrict that right. He also takes aim at companies like Google, Uber, Lyft, who get around offering benefits because they rely heavily on independent contractors. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is joining me now. Tell us about the goal, the messaging behind the mayor's plan here.
[Vanessa Yurkevich, Cnn Business And Politics Reporter:] Hi, Brianna. Well, as you mentioned, this plan is very pro-union. And one of the people that's been supported by unions in the past is President Trump. A lot of labor unions in the Midwest supported, voted for and ultimately elected President Trump to office. I asked Mayor Buttigieg about this in an exclusive interview I had with him on the phone yesterday evening ahead of this rollout and asked him, is the union part of this plan an effort to get those voters back over to the Democratic side? And he said in part that, yes, it was. Also in this plan, interesting, he called out big tech companies by name, Lyft, Uber and Google. He points out that many of them use contractors instead of full-time employees. Contractors are limited in terms of their rights and they don't get offered full benefits. Buttigieg, in this plan, wants to change that. He wants to allow independent contractors to collective bargain and to unionize. And I asked him, Mayor Buttigieg, are you really willing to go up against these big tech companies if it comes to that? And he said that, yes, he was. And finally, Brianna, it's interesting to note that that big fundraising haul that Mayor Buttigieg had in the second quarter, $25 million, a lot of those fundraisers were actually held in Silicon Valley. A lot of those donations actually came from Silicon Valley executives. So this proposal taking aim at those people that he's directly raising money from. Brianna.
[Keilar:] Awkward, right? Vanessa Yurkevich, yes, we'll see, it's very interesting to see how they respond to that. We appreciate the report. An American rapper detained in Sweden, an American 18-year-old detained by the U.S. So why is the president only speaking up about one of them? Plus, action taken against fraternity members who posed with guns at the Emmitt Till memorial. And the new British prime minister moving into 10 Downing Street, maybe with his girlfriend. So, who is she, and why these are uncharted waters for the U.K.

[Don Lemon, Cnn:] You're about to look at now a live shot of that area. And in few minutes, we're going to go live to our reporters there on the ground. There you can see Lafayette Park and our Kaitlan Collins getting into place for a report for us. Reporters told by the Secret Service to immediately leave the White House property. All that happening in the wake of protests that began with confederate statues and are now spreading across this country. It is a fast-moving situation. We're going to have a lot more tonight live from the scene. But in nation that has been tone deaf really about why these statues were erected and why many want them taken down it is no surprise today that even in Washington at the White House, that kind of attitude still persists. I want you to see what happened during the White House briefing today when the Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany dodged the truth about again and again refusing to admit that the president's use of the phrase kung flu is racist. You really need to hear this whole thing as CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang questions her.
[Weijia Jiang, Correspondent, Cbs News:] Last year President Trump declared himself the least racist person there is anywhere in the world. Why does he use racist phrases like the kung flu?
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] The president doesn't. What the president does do is point to the fact that the origin of the virus is China. It's a fair thing to point out as China tries to ridiculously rewrite history, ridiculously blame the coronavirus on American soldiers. This is what China is trying to do. And what President Trump is saying no, China, I will label this virus for its place of origin.
[Jiang:] That's what he's saying by using the racist phrase kung flu?
[Mcenany:] He is linking it to its place of origin.
[Jiang:] What does he have to say to Asian-Americans who are deeply offended and worry that his use will lead to further attacks and discriminations.
[Mcenany:] So, the president has said very clearly, it's important that we totally protect our Asian community in the U.S. and all round the world. They are amazing people and the spreading of the virus is not their fault in any way, shape or form. They were working closely with us to get rid of it. We will prevail together. It's very important. So, it's not a discussion about Asian- Americans who the president values and prizes as citizens of this great country. It is an indictment of China for letting this virus get here. And I would also point out that the media blames President Trump for using the term China virus and Wuhan virus when they themselves have used these very terms. The New York Times called it the Chinese coronavirus. Reuters the Chinese virus. CNN the Chinese coronavirus on January 20th. Washington Post January 21st Chinese coronavirus. And I have more than a dozen other examples.
[Jiang:] Category, Kayleigh, kung flu is extremely offensive to many people in the Asian-American community. To be clear, are you saying the White House believe it is racist?
[Mcenany:] To be clear, I think the media is trying to play games with the terminology of this virus where the focus should be on the fact that China let this out of their country. The same phrase that the media roundly now condemns has been used by the media. I can go more examples. Wuhan virus CNN said on January 22. I mean, we can go on and on. So, while the media wants to focus on nomenclature the president is going to focus on action.
[Lemon:] Not really an answer. Just a deflection to blame other people. And it's shameful. Really. Kayleigh McEnany who I would like to think knows better pretending over and over that saying Chinese coronavirus is the same thing as saying kung flu. It's not. She should know that. I would hope so. Kung flu is racist. Plain and simple. And just in case you missed what the president said on Saturday night about the coronavirus, which as of today, by the way, it shouldn't be a by the way, has killed more than 120,000 Americans. Here it is.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States Of America:] By the way, it's a disease without question has more names than any disease in history.
[Trump:] I can name kung flu. I can name 19 different versions of names.
[Lemon:] And they cheered. And they cheered. You know and I know, I'm sure he knows, and his representative. There's no reason for him to say that other than the obvious one. He wanted to get a reaction. From what turned out to be a very small crowd so he went right to something racist. Shameful. Kayleigh McEnany can't actually defend what the president said. So, she claim the media said the same thing which is a lie. And Kaitlan Collins of CNN called her on that.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] The media has never called it the kung flu. Calling it the Chinese coronavirus and calling it the kung flu are very different.
[Mcenany:] The media the media and your network specifically
[Collins:] CNN called it the kung flu?
[Mcenany:] The media and your network specifically have repeatedly used the term China virus and Wuhan virus and then gone onto derive the president as somehow using a term that they had themselves have never used. So, we can go through CNN's history.
[Collins:] It's not a medical term, Kayleigh.
[Mcenany:] I'd be more than happy to go through CNN's history. On February 9 you guys talked about the Wuhan coronavirus. On January 23 you guys talked about the Wuhan coronavirus. On January 22 the Wuhan virus. I can write it all up for you and detail it for you in an e- mail.
[Collins:] But the president is call it the kung flu, though, Kayleigh.
[Mcenany:] Yes, Justin.
[Collins:] You got to admit that. It's not the same thing as calling it the kung flu.
[Mcenany:] Yes, Justin.
[Lemon:] Again, didn't answer. Listen to Kellyanne Conway's reaction to reports that a senior official had used the phrase kung flu back in March.
[Kellyanne Conway, Counselor To President Trump:] That's highly offensive. So you should tell us who it is. I'd like to know who it is.
[Lemon:] Well, Mr. President, she wanted to know who said kung flu. Well, now we know at least one person who has said it. The person who told me this back in 2015. Are you racist?
[Trump:] I'm the least racist person that you have ever met. I am the least racist person?
[Lemon:] Are you bigoted in any way you think?
[Trump:] I don't think so. No, I don't think so.
[Lemon:] Is it, is anybody really surprised that this president's first instinct is to say something racist? This president who launched his political career with the racist birther lie that Barack Obama was not born in this country. Who said there were his words very fine people on both sides of the deadly white supremacist violence in Charlottesville? Who called NFL players peacefully protesting police brutality and racial injustice his words sons of bitches. And on and on, and on and on. Central Park Five, housing trying to get black people not to be in his he and his father's housing. Buildings. Is anybody really surprised when he says something like this? Something racist? but kung flu is hardly the only shocker from the president's unhinged Tulsa rally. He also said he told his people to slow down testing for the coronavirus because they keep finding more cases which is exactly what the testing is for, to find as many cases as you can. Given the chance today to walk back that completely ridiculous statement. The president did not.
[Unidentified Male:] Did you ask to slow it down?
[Trump:] If it did slow down, frankly, I think we're way ahead of ourselves if you want to know the truth. We've done too good a job because every time we go with 25 million tests, you're going to find more people. So, then they, we have more cases in the United States. The reason we have more cases because we do more testing than any other country by far.
[Lemon:] So, with more than 120,000 people dead, the White House wants you to think it was all just a big joke. Kidding. He was kidding.
[Collins:] On testing is you said the president made that comment just about having people slow down the testing. The vice president just said that it was made in passing. Peter Navarro said it was tongue and cheek. But when the president himself was just asked by our reporter like an hour ago, he did not say that he was just joking when he said that he told officials to slow down the testing.
[Mcenany:] The president said he used that opportunity to stall the fact that we've done more than 25 million tests. That we're finding more people because we're doing more testing. And I would not that what the vice president said and Peter Navarro whether it's in jest in passing or tongue and cheek, those are all synonymous.
[Collins:] But why is that funny?
[Lemon:] In jest and passing, tongue and cheek all synonymous. It's not funny. Not even a little bit. As I said, not with more than 120,000 Americans dead. But it is not the first time that this president has said something completely outrageous about this virus and then tried to tell you that he was just joking. Who can forget this?
[Trump:] I was asking the sarcastic, a very sarcastic question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside. But it does kill it. And it would kill it on the hands. And that would make things much better. That was done in the form of a sarcastic question to the reporters.
[Lemon:] Sarcastic, huh? Have a seat everyone, pay close attention. Roll tape.
[Trump:] I said supposing it brought the light inside the body in which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that too? Sounds interesting.
[Unidentified Male:] We'll get the right folks who could.
[Trump:] Right. And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning. Because you see it gets in the lungs.
[Lemon:] Yes. That's the defense this president, this White House is using. He's just kidding around. Being sarcastic about a virus that is killing more and more Americans every single day. A virus the Vice President Mike Pence said back in April could be in the rearview mirror by early June.
[Michael Pence, Vice President Of The United States Of America:] By early June we could we could be at a place where this coronavirus epidemic is largely in the past. And then we can move, begin to move our nation forward.
[Lemon:] Not even close. And that is from the head of the Coronavirus Task Force. Wonder where he got that rosy prediction from?
[Trump:] We have it under control. It's going to be just fine. We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment. Five. And those people are all recuperating successfully. By April, you know, in theory when it gets a little warmer it miraculously goes away. The coronavirus which is very well under control in our country. We're going down, not up. We're going very substantially down, not up. When you have 15 people and the 15 within a couple days is going to be down to close to zero. That's a pretty good job we've done. We're doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away. Some of the doctors say it will wash through and will flow through. very accurate. I think you're going to find in a number of weeks.
[Lemon:] So, none of that was true. None of it. None of this is a joke. Not with more than 120,000 Americans lives lost. None of it is a joke. We got to get you live to Lafayette Park where protestors are trying to pull down the statue of Andrew Jackson. They have been pushed back by police. And reporters have been told to leave the White House grounds. CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Boris Sanchez live on the scene for us right after this break.

[Sen. Kevin Cramer:] Donald Trump has been exactly covert about this. There's great integrity in his authenticity, which is something people in the heartland appreciate about him. So he has the discussions and wide open. I think he talks, he thinks out loud, he expresses whatever is on his mind. And people can take that and twist it any way they want to.
[Bolduan:] That was North Dakota Republican Senator Kevin Cramer's response when Jake Tapper asked if it is appropriate for a politician to use his position in foreign policy to push a foreign leader to investigate a political rival. The fact that the president said it out loud seems to make it OK. That is now the latest defense from one of the president's most ardent supporters on Capitol Hill. Joining me is former Republican governor of Ohio, John Kasich. He's a CNN senior political commentator. And he's the author of a new book out this week, called, "It's Up to Us, 10 Little Ways We Can Bring About Big Change." We're going to get to the book.
[John Kasich, Cnn Senior Political Commentator:] "Integrity in his authenticity." I have never heard wow. You have to be up late at night to figure that one out. How about having a little bit of couth? How about not being rude?
[Bolduan:] This is the latest defense that I mean, I was listing out this morning kind of like now if you say it out loud it's OK. To your Republican colleagues, what do you say to them in this moment? With so many of them most of them
[Kasich:] I'll tell you. How would you feel if your kids were that way? No, I'm serous. You know, people say
[Bolduan:] We have a timeout chair on the ready.
[Kasich:] I think most people would say, no, that's not the way to behave. You just don't go blurting something out. In terms of this phone call, that's outrageous. Here's what's amazing to me, Kate. I was in politics a long time. I understand the push and the pull. But why wouldn't they say the call was wrong? I mean, I don't
[Bolduan:] Stop reading my mind. Where is the line? Why isn't why have they not found a middle ground? I don't know if it's a middle ground. That it is wrong, it is not impeachable. I don't know why I haven't seen Republicans saying this.
[Kasich:] It's I don't understand it. Because it's simple to say this was wrong. Period. You didn't say, you should have an impeachment inquiry which, I think they should call for.
[Bolduan:] Right.
[Kasich:] You're not taking a position on impeachment. You're just saying, when a president of the United States calls a foreign leader and tries to get him to dig up dirt on their political opponent, it's just wrong. What do you have to do? You can't parse that. It's just wrong.
[Bolduan:] They apparently are trying. Let me play one more this is probably the most awkward example of Republicans facing these questions.
[Kasich:] All right.
[Bolduan:] Here's Cory Gardner in Colorado last week. Listen to this.
[Unidentified Reporter:] But the question is, is it appropriate for a president
[Sen. Cory Gardner:] Look, we are going to have an investigation and it's a non-partisan investigation.
[Gardner:] It's an answer you get from a very serious investigation.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] Would you be OK if it was a Democrat asking a foreign government
[Gardner:] a jump to a very partisan, partisan serious use of a tool in the Constitution. This is about an investigation taking place in the Senate Intelligence Committee. Where it should be.
[Mclean:] But you're not answering the question. We want to hear from you. You're a smart guy. You know
[Gardner:] This is about politics in the moment and that's why they're trying to do this now. The American people will have a choice.
[Bolduan:] He was asked seven times.
[Kasich:] It's the politics of survival. He's really at risk in his Senate race.
[Bolduan:] He really is.
[Kasich:] And John Hickenlooper will probably be his opponent and John doesn't stumble around like that. It's all about survival. He doesn't want to make his base mad. And, you know, Kate
[Bolduan:] Is that really survival though? I mean
[Kasich:] I think that's what he considers it. Here's the thing. When you're in, you have to look back and say, how did I do when I was in. I mean, if you don't have a good answer to that, what were you doing there? I would like to think people whether Republicans, Democrats, Independents, it doesn't matter when you had your hands on the wheel and you were driving the car, did you drive it in the right direction? Did you sell out your principles because you thought you were going to get somewhere? And I'm not trying to be wholly roller. All of us are hypocrites at times.
[Bolduan:] This really gets to one of the central themes of your book, which, to me, this is like all of the conversations that you and I have camera and off.
[Kasich:] Yes.
[Bolduan:] We end up here, which is, all great big change starts from the bottom up. Where did the motivation for this come for in this moment?
[Kasich:] It didn't come from what's happening. Except for this. People are frustrated, like, I don't know what to do, I'm wringing my hands. What's going to happen with Trump? What is going to happen with Congress. I'm like, wait a minute. It's like this one obit writer said in this book, if the secretary of state or your trash man went on vacation, who would you miss the most? Not the secretary of state. I want this is a manual for how people can have power, how they can be in charge of their lives, of how they can make a difference. Look, you're an Indiana girl. You understand that culture.
[Bolduan:] Yes, but I also read this and I thought, this is John Kasich giving up on Washington completely. Is that what this is?
[Kasich:] I know this. If people want change, it has to come from them to the top. The change is rarely going to come from the top to the bottom. Civil rights? People demanded it. Women's suffrage. Look how long it took. People demanded it. Ending the Vietnam War, people demanded it. So the key to this book is live a life bigger than yourself. And it's a handbook for personal power. And there are so many stories that can give people hope as to what they can do in simple and little ways.
[Bolduan:] As you said when you were coming on, this book isn't about politics. It is in red, white and blue. And it's up to us. I'll say, this does sound like a very good campaign slogan. I'm just saying that.
[Kasich:] It's not, Kate. You know that. We've talked so many times about what really matters in this country. And people have certain gifts. They need to use them. They can find them. You know, Martin Luther King said, if you can't do big things, do little things in a big way. Kate, this takes our country back.
[Bolduan:] Thank you. It's great to see you. Thanks for being here. Thanks
[Kasich:] It's so good to be on the set with you.
[Bolduan:] I know.
[Kasich:] You're the best.
[Bolduan:] Stop hiding from me. Even though that's where you should be right now because John Kasich. We'll be right back.

[Tapper:] In our politics lead today: President Trump has again completely reversed course, this time on the stimulus. He says he is once again willing to negotiate with Democrats on a big coronavirus relief deal. Not only that, but the president is claiming that he wants an even bigger relief package than either Democrats or Republicans have proposed, which is the exact opposite of what he said a few days ago. CNN's Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill for us. Manu, give us a reality check here. It seemed as though one of the issues for Republicans was that Democrats wanted to spend too much. Now President Trump is saying he wants to spend even more than Democrats?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, the president has been all over the map on this issue, Jake. Just three days ago, he pulled the plug, said he wanted to punt on the issue of these stimulus talks until after the election. That sent Wall Street panicking. But Republican leaders, including Mitch McConnell, told me he's agreed with the president's approach. Now, afterwards, after the backlash that president received, now he's back at the negotiating table. And, today, his Treasury secretary proposed $1.8 trillion in a package, moving much closer to Nancy Pelosi is $2.2 trillion. But, Jake, that is far more than what Senate Republicans are willing to spend. They have gotten behind a $500 billion plan. And when they talked about going up to $1 trillion back in late July, the party was badly divided over it. Now, despite all of those concerns on the Republican side, the president told Rush Limbaugh earlier today that he was willing to spend even more than the Democrats.
[Trump:] I would like to see a bigger stimulus package, frankly, than either the Democrats or the Republicans are offering. I'm going in the exact opposite now, OK? I mean, I'm telling you this. I'm telling you something I don't tell anybody else, because maybe it helps or maybe it hurts negotiations.
[Raju:] Republicans think it hurts negotiations, because Nancy Pelosi wants the administration to spend more money. And, as she's been holding out, Republicans have been the administration is moving closer and closer to her position. But, Jake, despite the close moving closer on the overall number, there are so many details they still have to iron out. And Mitch McConnell said in Kentucky today it was unlikely any deal will come together before the election.
[Tapper:] I mean, this is erratic, even for President Trump, who is an erratic leader. Speaker Pelosi, Manu, also publicly backed a push today that would give Congress a role in removing presidents from office. The 25th Amendment is the Cabinet and the vice president have to go along with it. This would allow lawmakers. Such a bill, though, would clearly be dead on arrival in Mitch McConnell's Senate. So this is just a stunt, I presume?
[Raju:] Yes, Republicans certainly see it that way. It has no chance of passing. Pelosi even herself indicated is not something that's going to come up for a vote this year. It's going to be probably wait until next year. But Democrats want to spotlight their concerns over the president's condition. They are pointing to language in the Constitution that allows a body established by Congress and the vice president to declare a president unable to serve and discharge his duties. And, in that case, the vice president would become the acting president. So, this legislation would essentially establish that body that is allowed for in the Constitution, but, again, Jake, as you mentioned, no chance of becoming law, but Pelosi, of course, getting behind this now, amid concerns about the president's condition.
[Tapper:] Yes, Manu Raju, thank you so much. Joining us to discuss, CNN's Gloria Borger, "The Washington Post"'s Philip Bump. Gloria, President Trump all over the map on the relief bill. Now he's back in them. He even says he wants to spend even more than Democrats do. He bounced back out of next week's debate because it was supposed to be held remotely for the candidates. Now he's calling for it to be reinstated. I don't know if it's the medication. The president has, of course, always been erratic. But he really I have to say, to put it nicely, he seems concerned about being reelected.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Yes, let's just say that. Look, it might not be the medication, but it certainly is desperation, Jake. This is a president who is flailing. He can read the polls. He is stuck at the White House. He sees that Joe Biden, ironically, is the one out on the campaign trail, and he's not at this point. So I think you have a president who has no clear message, beyond hurling insults, and he's full of grievance. But if you ask him what he wants to do for the next four years, you don't get any kind of a clear message out of him. So and I maybe we shouldn't expect it. But this is a president who every day does something, and then undoes it. So it's not whether you can believe the president anymore, but it's when you can believe the president. Do you believe him last Tuesday, when he pulled the plug on stimulus, or do you believe him today, when he wants a large stimulus? Who knows?
[Tapper:] And, Phil, what do you make of Speaker Pelosi publicly backing this effort to get legislators involved in removing a president from office, if he cannot faithfully discharge the duties of his office, what the 25th Amendment leaves up to the Cabinet and the vice president? Why I mean, there's no chance this is going to become law. There's no chance Mitch McConnell will even have a vote on it. Why do this?
[Philip Bump, "the Washington Post":] I mean, it seems like the obvious reason here is to try and have a conversation about whether or not President Trump is fit for his position, right? I mean, obviously, this is something that Democrats have been arguing, basically, since President Trump was elected, that there was some question about his fitness for the office. They're trying to highlight that. I mean, it's pretty clearly Donald Trump is not going to sign into law something which establishes a commission which could potentially throw him out of office, even if it were to move quickly. So, yes, I mean, it just seems it seems like a stunt. But, to be fair, we're talking about it, so I guess, to some extent, it worked.
[Tapper:] And we should note, Gloria, there is a Marine standing outside the Oval Office right now, which is another and he's wearing a mask good for him which is a symbol of the fact that either the president is in the Oval Office, or they're expecting him there any moment. The fact is, the president, as far as we know, is still contagious.
[Borger:] Yes.
[Tapper:] And 25 days until the election, these are just constant reminders of the fact that the president has been reckless, to the degree that he himself has contracted the coronavirus. And he almost seemed to be suggesting in his interviews with Hannity and Limbaugh that maybe he even was close to death, that it was very, very serious.
[Borger:] Yes. And now, of course, Jake, he wants to go back out on the campaign trail. The question is and we don't know anything much about his condition is he going to take another test? Has he tested negative? He couldn't answer that on his interview with Hannity. So, we don't we don't really know anything about what's going to happen in the future. And I might add that, every time he's in the Oval Office, people have to get dressed up in gowns and goggles to go in and see him. And yet he still insists that, for some reason, he can't do his work in his upstairs office, but he has to do his work in the Oval Office. And there are people working around him who are putting themselves at great risk. They're choosing to do so. But, for some reason, he insists that he needs to show the American public he's, what, Superman? I don't know.
[Tapper:] And, Philip, I should note, on the president's favorite channel just a few minutes ago, Secretary of State Pompeo was asked about Donald Trump's desire that he release more Hillary Clinton e- mails. I can't believe I'm even saying this.
[Borger:] Yes.
[Tapper:] And Pompeo said that they were working as fast as they can. And then FOX said, before the election? And Pompeo said, yes, before the election, we're trying to make that happen. I mean, what?
[Borger:] Right.
[Bump:] That's the key question. And it's the thing that's really baffling about this is, people may remember, not only did we spend a lot of time talking about Hillary Clinton's e-mails when Hillary Clinton was on the ballot, but we talked about the e-mails the State Department had, which were released in tranches over the course of the year, year-and-a-half prior to the election. We have already seen the vast majority. I don't even know there are any that we haven't seen. We have already seen so many of these e- mails. There was nothing interesting in them. And they have absolutely zero pertinence right now to this election, beyond that it gives Donald Trump a chance to talk about something which he equates to Democrats are bad. That's fundamentally what this is all about. He wants talk about Hillary Clinton, because people don't like Hillary Clinton. People like Joe Biden better than Hillary Clinton. So he'd much rather be speaking about Hillary Clinton. But to relitigate this now is just absolutely baffling. And it's there's I hate to go out on a limb. After 2016, I try not to make hard and fast predictions. This is not going to change the election. It's not going to there's no chance that's going to happen. I don't understand why he's doing it.
[Tapper:] And, Gloria, I mean, I have to say, at some point, people like Mike Pompeo, who has presidential aspirations of his own, need to start thinking about how much they're going to continue to enable this bizarre behavior.
[Borger:] Right. Well, Mike Pompeo got criticized by the president publicly the other night. So, clearly, he took it to heart, because he can't do that. And he wants to be he wants to run for president, I presume. So he wants to keep Donald Trump's base. I mean, somebody needs to remind Donald Trump, and perhaps Mike Pompeo, that this is 2020, and not 2016. And if Mike Pompeo desires to be president at some point, perhaps he ought to start saying, you know what, I have to establish my own base and not count on Donald Trump's base, because maybe they are there for just him.
[Tapper:] Gloria Borger, Philip Bump, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. President Trump says that he is getting lawyers lined up. Why? Stick around.

[John Berman, Cnn New Day:] All right. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is New Day. And breaking news, an armed attack on the home of a federal judge. This is very rare and cause for serious concern. The son and husband of this federal judge, Esther Salas, in New Jersey, they were shot. The son is dead, the husband critically injured. The judge was not hurt. A source tells CNN that the gunman appeared to be wearing a FedEx uniform and opened fire at the front door. And this federal judge has presided over several high-profile cases. We will bring you the very latest details. Also breaking overnight, tear gas fired at protesters in Portland, Oregon. Protesters and local officials there want answers about the presence of hard-to-identify federal officers. We have a live report from both scenes, ahead.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn New Day:] Also, John, overnight, 61,000 new cases of coronavirus in the United States. The death toll is now more than 140,000 Americans. Cases in Florida are still spiking, where dozens of hospital ICUs are beyond capacity. Arizona is reporting a record death toll, as well. And President Trump is reportedly bored with all of this. That's the quote in The New York Times from a Republican political strategist. The report goes on to say that Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and other top aides are on a mission to avoid drawing attention to this pandemic. But let's begin our coverage with CNN's Brynn Gingras. She is live in North Brunswick, New Jersey, at the deadly shooting at that federal judge's home. What have you learned at this hour, Brynn?
[Brynn Gingras, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, Alisyn. I mean, this is a neighborhood in disbelief. We just talked to a neighborhood who said that Esther Salas and her husband, Mark, were wonderful people. Their son, Daniel, just 20 years old, also just a wonderful man, who wanted to be a lawyer, just like his parents. Now, what we're learning from investigators here, what happened at this home behind me, you can see the crime scene tape still up. From sources, we're learning that a gunman came to the door of this home, the door answered by the judge's son, again, 20-year-old Daniel, his father, not far behind him, that gunman wearing a FedEx uniform. It's unclear if it was a disguise or actually a FedEx employee, but opened fire, killing the 20-year-old and injuring the judge's husband, who is now at the hospital. We hear that the judge was home at the time, bunt unharmed. But a lot of questions here. Of course, motive being the major one. Why did this happen? What are the reasons? Investigators including the FBI and U.S. Marshals are looking into that, as we speak. We know, that as you guys said, the judge, Esther Salas, she has presided over some really high-profile cases, including the fraud case and sentencing of The Real Housewives, Teresa and Joe Giudice, a couple of years ago. A couple of years ago also, she was involved in the sentencing of a very notorious gang member in Newark. And most recently, she was handed the case that involved Deutsche Bank and its handling of high-risk clients, including Jeffrey Epstein. So that was a class action suit with Deutsche Bank. So there are a number of things that investigators are looking into. And, again, as I mentioned, her husband, as well, a criminal defense attorney. So a lot here that investigators are sifting through. And it's a massive investigation. Neighbors telling us that the son was really the heart of this family. She recalled the story when he delivered chicken soup through the snow a couple of doors down just to make sure that the neighbors were well taken care of during a massive snowstorm, loved playing basketball and baseball with his father. It's just a heartbreaking story and so many questions still need to be answered this morning.
[Berman:] Indeed, indeed. All right, Brynn Gingras, in North Brunswick, thanks very much for being with us. Joining us now is CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Jonathan Wackrow. He's a former Secret Service Agent in the Obama White House. Jonathan, thank you so much for being with us. Look, as we said this judge was presiding over several high-profile cases, the husband also a criminal defense attorney, which raises questions. How are federal agents now going about investigating this case?
[Jonathan Wackrow, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] Well, thanks, John. Listen, this is a very complicated case. But let me just be clear, this was not a crime of opportunity. This was a premeditated attack. So when we look at, you know, from law enforcement's point of view, they're looking at the attack elements. They're looking at things like the cover, the recognition and accessibility. What does that mean, the cover that was used? This attacker used the cover of a FedEx delivery person to get close to the house. And think about how brazen this attack was. You could have attacked the judge or her husband or the son at any location. This attacker went right to the front door. They limited their recognition by the potential victim, by utilizing the cover. So being able to get right to that front door, have the front door open, and then launch this brutal attack. And then the accessibility, the ease of entering into the property and get out to the attack location. The fact that this was done in broad daylight, to me is an indicator that the attacker had no fear of being caught. So right now, this is the challenge for law enforcement. What is the motive? We know the intent was to kill, but what is the motive of this attack?
[Camerota:] And, Jonathan, if the intent is to kill, then is it common in these horrible cases for the shooter to leave after killing the wrong person? In other words, the idea people are looking at whether or not this federal judge, Esther Salas, was the target, but she wasn't shot, her husband was and her son was killed. What does that tell us?
[Wackrow:] Well, listen, I think this is the challenge right now. I know everyone is keying in on the federal judge, but we have two very prominent figures that were living in house at the same time. And there are various potential motivating grievances for both of them. I know just in the previous reporting, we highlighted some of the cases that the federal judge was addressing, but there's a lot of threat vectors that could come from the husband as well. As a prominent criminal defense attorney, there are a lot of people that could have a grievance towards him as to things that he may or may not have done to defend his clients. So this is where law enforcement has a significant job ahead of them to look at both the husband and the wife separately in terms of threats against them. Who had the means, opportunity and intent to cause harm? That's the underlying factors that they're looking for for both of them. And, you know, this is we're really at the infancy of this investigation. And there will definitely be more to come, very quickly.
[Berman:] In terms of the federal judge, one of the cases she was assigned to cover was involving Deutsche Bank and possible fraud on the handling of investments, including those of Jeffrey Epstein, which I know will catch everyone's attention and eyebrows here. How do investigators go about looking at past cases of the judge?
[Wackrow:] Well, listen, they have to look at everything. Obviously, that's a very prominent thing right now, it's just put on the docket. But they have to go back. Again, we don't know where this grievance came from. We don't know what the motivation was. This could be a case from five, six years ago. So what law enforcement has to do right now is gather all the facts that they have. They have to look at both the husband and the wife. They have to look at the entire digital domain, who were they talking to, did they receive any types of threats, did their staff receive any types of threats. A lot of times, the individuals may not know there were a lot of troubling telephone calls coming into an office location or hate mail or anything like that. So, again, law enforcement is going through they're going to put out a wide net to collect as much evidence as possible, as much information as possible to then start narrowing down the potential motivating factors for this attack.
[Camerota:] Jonathan Wackrow, thank you very much for all the expertise in law enforcement. We appreciate it.
[Wackrow:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] Now, to the surge in coronavirus cases. 31 states are seeing infections rise over the last week and Los Angeles and Miami- Dade counties hitting records for hospitalization as well. Joining us now is Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, the Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama and Birmingham, and Dr. Damian Caraballo, and Emergency Room Physician in Tampa Florida and Member of the Physicians for Patient Protection. Dr. Caraballo, I want to start with you because you are in the emergency room. What are you seeing today?
[Dr. Damian Caraballo, Member Of Physicians For Patient Protection:] Well, we've seen a real explosion in Florida in terms of cases. We started noticing in June. It was more 20 and 30-year-olds, initially. And what's interesting is as the months gone by, it's gotten older and older. We're seeing now more 40-year-olds, 50-year-olds, 60-year-olds with it. This is a big change from May. When May came around, what we were really seeing is the nursing homes. And that was pretty much the only spread COVID we saw pretty much after Memorial Day, about a week after, we saw a real explosion in a especially in a 20-something- year-olds. Concern is now, as it gets to older people, they tend to do more poorly and we're definitely seeing more and more admissions, which is definitely putting a strain on the hospital system here in Hillsborough County, as well as Pinellas county, our neighboring county. We've already seen 40,000 cases here in the area and we've had 500 deaths. We're I think past 350,000 cases total. So, it's exploded a lot, especially in June and July. And the concern we have is there's definitely a lag by about one to two weeks where we see hospitalizations and deaths that we see from it. So there's a concern that whenever we hit the peak, we're not going to see the peak in hospitalizations until one to two weeks after.
[Berman:] A couple of things that Dr. Caraballo said, which are of extreme concern, number one, that the patients are now getting older again, Dr. Marrazzo. We have heard that from doctors around Florida, particularly in Miami-Dade. And the other concern, if we can put this up on the screen, is the seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Florida, which is rising. I mean, it is rising and rising in pretty steep fashion, Dr. Marrazzo. So, look, I don't want to play the sound, even of the president talking incorrectly about the surge in cases in the country being just about testing because we can see the rise in daily deaths in Florida alone. What does that tell you?
[Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, Director, Division Of Infectious Diseases, University Of Alabama At Birmingham:] Yes, it's very disturbing, John. And as you note and as Dr. Caraballo mentioned very eloquently, the surge in death is a predictable trajectory of an increase in cases. And also an increase in cases that are occurring in the patient's most vulnerable to that really devastating outcome, right? We know that older folks are much more likely to die from this disease. And I think what we're seeing is this cycle of three weeks after, four weeks after we have this large community spread opportunity. First, it was Memorial Day. I'm sorry to say, almost certainly, July 4th weekend is probably going to be one of the focal points for this. So we're really just seeing these things play out, exactly as we might have predicted, which is really bad. It's really affecting our hospital capacity throughout the southeast, as was just noted. And that's really cause for concern.
[Camerota:] Dr. Caraballo, one of the things that I think we have a misconception about based on when I read your note, in terms of the younger people, the under 30, we have this vision in our head of the party at the Lake of the Ozarks and nobody is social distancing and they're all too close to each other and then we hear about a spike after Memorial Day, maybe they were all partying together in a backyard somewhere. But what you're seeing are that they are the essential workers, that these are the fast food workers, these are the responsible young people that are getting sick, because they had to go back to work, because they needed a paycheck.
[Caraballo:] Yes. One thing I've noticed, as I started asking people what they do for a living when they come in, and in early June, we were seeing a lot these are grocery store workers, these were people that work in restaurants, people who work at auto mechanics and stores and things of that nature. Unfortunately, it's a lot of these people are essential workers that we need, that who can't afford to take weeks off so might, you know, tough it out and go to work when maybe they should be going home or stuff like that. We're also seeing these are people who can't go on a Zoom call to do their job. They have to go into their job every day. Unfortunately too, these are people who might not have the best insurance or might be on Medicaid or might be in real tight budgets. So it's very unfortunate. And we've seen a seen a very disproportionate the people who tend to do worse, definitely minorities are doing bad here in Hillsborough. We have a pretty large Hispanic population. We saw initially with the migrant workers, we saw a lot of them were getting very sick. It could have something to do with viral load if they're in close quarters with each other. But we're seeing that it's been proportionately hitting people, people of color and minorities, more so than people who probably work desk jobs who can work from home.
[Berman:] Dr. Marrazzo, what are you seeing in the country now or not seeing, as the case may be, that will bend this steep curve downward?
[Marrazzo:] It's very hard to predict, John, as you know. One of the points that I think might be being missed that has just been mentioned is that the more epidemic the disease is in a community, that is the more sustained transmission there is, the more cases there are, the more opportunities there are for people to get infected. So you don't have to go to a pool party at the Lake of the Ozarks. You don't have to go to a crowded bar and have a drink and breathe on each other. You can become infected much more easily just by going to the store without wearing a mask and perhaps being very close to someone who's serving you or to a restaurant or something like that. So how are we going to bend the curve down? We need to reduce this rate of community transmission. The only thing we really have right now are those boring tools that some may be tired of hearing about, which are social distancing and mask-wearing. That's really what we need to do. Hand hygiene, as well. And then, when we get a little bit better handle on this, we can start to think about contact tracing again, isolation and quarantine.
[Camerota:] Dr. Marrazzo, Dr. Caraballo, Thank you very much for all the important information this morning.
[Marrazzo:] Thanks.
[Caraballo:] Thank you very much.
[Camerota:] Federal agents using tear gas again on protesters in Portland. Who are these officers and why are they there? We ask a top Trump administration official, next.

[Watt:] And with that, China's annual National People's Congress got underway. About 3,000 communist elite gather to vote on the party's policies and decisions, though, few, if anyone, uncorrupts to any of the proposals. China's premiere told party members to prepare for a tough struggle ahead especially when it comes to the slowing economy and the outlook for 2019. Let's go live to Beijing and CNN's Will Ripley. Will, economics, that's the big deal here?
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] Yes. Obviously, that is probably the biggest deal in terms of China's priorities because they want to try to figure out a way to navigate some rough waters economically and still keep China's economy plugging along, still growing albeit at a slower and slower pace every single year. Here in China it's kind of amazing. When the government sets its growth target it's always reached. The numbers always seem to match what the government predicted. Geez, you got to wonder how that happened. While some economists might estimate that there's a bit of cooking of the books happening, but nonetheless, last year's growth was officially reported at 6.6 percent. The lowest in three decades. This year, even lower, between 6 and 6 and a half percent. Still an enviable growth number for pretty much any of the developed economy, but here in China which remembers the days of double-digit growth that went on for years and years, obviously it's a dose of reality. The new reality for China. And then of course the trade war with the United States. Well, at this stage it hasn't had much of a noticeable effect on the Chinese economy. If they can't strike a deal, which it does seem ever closer, you know, a deal in this trade war, but if they couldn't it could have really catastrophic consequences for this country's economy. They are going to be voting on a bill to try to ease some of the concerns about trade brought up by the United States, it's called the foreign investment bill. It's going to try to, you know, crack down on things like intellectual property theft, force technology transfer and try to make the playing field more level for foreign companies when they are operating here in China. But of course, enforcement is going to be the key. you know, they talked about you know, getting rid of Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods. If the U.S. in turn gets rid of its own tariffs those are the things that will be discussed at the NPC. But in addition to the economy and Xi Jinping, the president's kind of strategic plan on that, they're also, you know, positioning themselves as a regional military power, they're boosting their military spending yet again this year. Last year was a little over eight percent. This year they're up it by 7.5 percent investing in things like their aircraft carrier. Their carrier killer missiles that could pose a strategic threat to U.S. military assets in this region. Given some of the escalating tensions as of late over the issue of Taiwan, which China considers to be a renegade province that they can take back at any time. China's continued bolstering of their defense budget and their military asset is a clear signal to the United States that they intend to defend what they view as their sovereignty in this region and really solidify themselves as kind of a regional military power. Nick?
[Watt:] CNN's Will Ripley reporting live from Beijing. Thank you very much. Now to Israel, where Benjamin Netanyahu is facing possible indictment on corruption charges and the prime minister is taking a page out of Donald Trump's playbook as he mounts his defense. CNN's Oren Liebermann reports.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Two leaders, one message.
[Trump:] Fake news.
[Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:] Fake news.
[Trump:] So, the attorney general is weak and ineffective and he doesn't do what he should have done.
[Netanyahu:] They, the left are carrying against us an unprecedented political witch hunt. Its only goal to overthrow the right-wing government under my leadership.
[Liebermann:] They favor social media to traditional news outlets with one American exception.
[Unidentified Male:] They have not been able to beat Bibi Netanyahu at the ballot box and so they're trying to beat him through these Trumped up, he calls it a witch hunt. He call what our president calls it Trump-up charges.
[Liebermann:] The two leaders share more than a message. Trump and Netanyahu are well-connected millionaires, the ultimate insiders who portray themselves as fighting a system rigged against them and standing up for the little guy. There is one big difference here. Trump keeps crashing in to the American political system. Netanyahu is a master of finessing Israel's system.
[Abraham Diskin, Political Science Professor, Hebrew University:] I think that Trump in his reaction definitely was very emotional. Very impulsive and I don't think that Netanyahu is either emotional. The thing is he is very calculated and he's definitely not an impulsive person.
[Liebermann:] Trump has made his admiration of Netanyahu clear.
[Trump:] I can say this, that he's done a great job as prime minister, he's tough, he's smart, he's strong.
[Liebermann:] Netanyahu has done the same.
[Netanyahu:] Israel has no better ally than the United States.
[Liebermann:] The mutual adoration has helped each leader's popularity. Ring wing Israelis celebrate Trump. Republicans here [Inaudible] Netanyahu. In a time of surging right-wing politics these two have risen hand in hand, they have supported one another as each leader faces the investigation that threatens to topple him. In the first election polls since the attorney general announced his intention to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader suffered a major blow, both polls showed that he would not be able to form a coalition government. he would not be able to essentially win the election. In response in a speech on Monday night he went on the attack. Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.
[Watt:] Next, it was a merger that President Trump opposed as a candidate and now there are questions about what he might have done about it after he took office. Plus, one of the darkest periods in world history, and we're still in the dark about what the Vatican knew. How the church could soon reveal Holocaust era secrets, that's coming up.

[Church:] Well, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements normalizing relations with Israel on Tuesday. The move brings into the open relations that had been covert until now but doesn't resolve Israel's conflict with the Palestinians. The Abraham Accords were brokered by the Trump administration. President Trump is calling it the dawn of a new Middle East. Here's what his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner had to say.
[Jared Kushner, Trump Senior Advisor:] I think we had a very good breakthrough. What's happened is in the Middle East, the deals have been so well received. That's what helped Bahrain go quickly. They saw how well the deal was received in the United Arab Emirates and throughout the Muslim world. The people in the region are tired of war, they're tired of conflict, they want to move forward.
[Church:] CNN's Sam Kiley is live from Abu Dhabi and Oren Liebermann joins us live from Jerusalem. Good to see you both. So, Sam, let's start with you. And of course, we heard from Jared Kushner there, but these countries aren't at war. So, what is the significance of all of this? And of course, the glaring omission of the Palestinians?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Kushner's words there, the people of the Middle East tired of war, tired of conflict, and he's right about that. The problem is the Bahrainis and Emiratis have never been at war or in conflict with the Jewish state. They have though over the last 40 years subscribed to, if you like, the Pan-Arab indeed, even more widely a wider Muslim world's desires to see an independent Palestine established next to Israel with its own ability to survive as a viable state. Now, what's interesting though, is in term of the domestic language, that's where really Kushner is addressing. They need to make this look like a peace deal so that they can win some domestic energy behind the November elections. But and this is an important but from the Emiratis and Bahraini perspective and arguably we're going to see other nations such as Oman and possibly even Saudi Arabia down the line normalizing relations with Israel. They are saying that they have remain completely committed to a two state solution. The Emirates have trumpeted the fact that this postpones almost indefinitely in their view a plan a plan by Israel to annex large sections of the West Bank, the Palestinian territories. And they also argue that this gives them influence with the Israelis. They have a voice where in the past they didn't have a voice. It gives them leverage. It gives them something to take away from the Israelis. Whatever that might be in terms of downgrading diplomatic relations or ending some kind of future commercial deals or whatever. The fact of the matter is the argument coming from the Emiratis in particular but also endorsed by the Bahrainis, is that it's better to talk. And also, assure Israel that it is no longer necessary for to it be a small paranoid nation. Arguing that it is surrounded by enemies. If you remove the enemies perhaps you might get a more benign dispensation for the Palestine's. And that's certainly something that Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, Rosemary, was keen to stress. He kept talking about this circle of peace. Again, an unnecessary misnomer. But it is very extraordinary to hear the Israeli Prime Minister talk about how Israel no longer feels feel isolated in the Middle East. That is a step change Rosemary.
[Church:] Right, and Oren Liebermann, let's go to you in Jerusalem. Talk to us about what's being said about this across Israel, and of course, what the Palestinians are saying.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, these are agreements that are welcomed across Israeli society pretty much. We saw the Bahraini flag, the Emirate flag not only on the walls of the old city of Jerusalem but also in Tel Aviv. Those flags as well flying above the Foreign Ministry, not very far from where we were sitting right now. So, this was truly celebrated in Israel. And you see it reflected in the newspapers with the headlines that's all about what we saw at the White House yesterday. This, for example, Salam Alaikum, is in Hebrew, but that is specifically in Arabic saying, "peace be upon you." And the entire newspapers are full of articles like this. So, it is being celebrated here. Of course, a lot of these are also talking about what was not at the White House and what's a problem domestically for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that is the surging coronavirus cases. The Health Minister who was on CNN last night, said that Netanyahu would be wearing a mask and there would be an attempt at social distancing. Neither of those happened and that will quickly overshadow what was very much a celebratory day for Israel and Netanyahu at the White House because of how bad it is with a record set as Netanyahu was at the White House. And that is the competing narrative here. Almost every front page makes at least some message of the coronavirus cases here and the impending closure. As for the Palestinians they remain furious about this. Accusing both the Bahrainis and the Emirates of betraying them, betraying Jerusalem and betraying Al-Aqsa. We saw that anger pouring over when Gaza militants fired a total of 15 rockets last night and overnight at southern Israel. Notably they fired the first of those rockets as the Emirate Foreign Minister was beginning to speak. So, that anger although generally pointed at Israel, also very much pointed at the Arab states they see as having betrayed them at this point. So, there is nothing about the Palestinian position at this point that is happy about what's happening here but is even trying to accept what's happening here. But it does put them in a very difficult position, and you see the Emirate and the Bahraini, the statements there that we're getting from them, urging them to if they're not going to come to table with the Trump administration, at least consider shifting their position as been absolutely against what's happening here.
[Church:] All right. Many thanks to Oren Liebermann and just before him Sam Kiley. Appreciate it. Well, coming up next on CNN NEWSROOM, U.S. President Donald Trump is defensive about his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Now a new survey of how he's viewed around the world is not likely to please him. Back with that in just a moment.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] 737 MAX starting next month. And that is it for me. Jessica Dean continues our coverage right now.
[Jessica Dean, Cnn:] Hi, everyone. I'm Jessica Dean, in for Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. We're so glad to have you with us this afternoon. Ninety minutes: That's how quickly the Trump administration moved to freeze military aid to Ukraine following President Trump's July 25th call with his Ukrainian counterpart, President Zelensky. New e-mail show the White House Budget Office directed the Pentagon to hold off on releasing that money pending a review. But there was also this instruction, quote, "Given the sensitive nature of that request, I appreciate your keeping that information closely held to those who need to know to execute direction." The man behind that request Mike Duffy, a Trump political appointee and Budget official and Duffy just happens to be one of several witnesses Democrats would like to see in person at an impeachment trial. This latest revelation sparked this reaction from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer:] If there was ever an argument that we need Mr. Duffy to come testify, this is that information. This e-mail is explosive.
[Dean:] CNN covering all angles from the White House to Capitol Hill, Sarah Westwood, traveling with the President. She is in West Palm Beach and Lauren Fox is in Washington. Let's start first with Sarah. The President may be on vacation, but impeachment clearly still at the top of his mind. He lashed out at Speaker Pelosi this morning for delaying sending those Impeachment Articles to the Senate. But is the White House at all concerned that these new e-mails could bolster the Democrats' case to call witnesses?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] Well, right now, Jessica, the White House is downplaying the revelatory nature of these e-mails with us spokesperson for the Budget Office telling CNN that it is reckless and misleading to connect the e-mails to the phone call that President Trump had with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Keep in mind that the e-mail was sent just 90 minutes after Trump hung up the phone with Zelensky. But nonetheless, the O.M.B. spokesperson noted that the hold on aid to Ukraine was announced a week before that phone call, July 18th, during an interagency meeting. And while it is true that some agencies were notified of the intent to suspend some of that security assistance to Ukraine, this was the first official action that was taken to notify the Pentagon that they needed to sit on those millions of dollars of funds to Ukraine. The person who wrote that e-mail, as you mentioned, Mike Duffy is someone that Senate Democrats are interested in talking to if and when the Senate trial starts. They also want to see documents. So the fact that these e-mails are coming out now after the House has already completed its inquiry sort of bolsters Democrats' argument that there is more investigating still to be done. Now, White House officials say that President Trump is eager to get to his trial. He doesn't just want to be acquitted, he wants to be vindicated. And so President Trump, eager to get that trial started. He is going after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for continuing to withhold those Articles of Impeachment from the Senate. This morning, tweeting that Pelosi was, quote, "breaking all the rules by withholding the Articles." Sources tell CNN that there are a number of decisions about the President's trial and the White House's strategy for dealing with it that are to be made while the President is down here in Mar-a-Lago. He'll return after two weeks to what will hopefully according to the White House, be the start of the Senate trial. Who will present opening and closing arguments? Who will be on that team? Those are things that the White House is sorting out. But Jessica, the situation remains very fluid with a lot of uncertainty surrounding the details of that trial at this moment.
[Dean:] Yes, just a lot of questions there. For more on that, let's go to Lauren Fox who is on Capitol Hill. Lauren, this morning, Senator Mitch McConnell, who's blasted House Dems for his words, a thin and deficient case for impeachment spoke out on a key sticking point for the trial. That's witnesses. What did he say?
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Politics U.s. Congressional Reporter:] Well, McConnell has been arguing for some time, Jessica that he does not think a decision about witnesses should be at the beginning of the trial. Instead, what he has been arguing is Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House needs to send over those Articles of Impeachment. Once she does that, then there can be a discussion about getting this trial started. So that was the key sticking point between the top Democrat in the Senate, Senator Schumer and McConnell just before this two-week recess. Now, lawmakers are gone, and McConnell earlier today had this to say about where a Senate trial stands.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] All I'm asking of Schumer is that we treat Trump the same way we treated Clinton. We had a procedure that was approved 100 to nothing, Schumer voted for it, to go through the opening arguments, to have a written question period and then based upon that, deciding what witnesses to call. We haven't ruled out witnesses. We've said let's handle this case just like we did with President Clinton. Fair is fair.
[Fox:] And McConnell has been making the case, Jessica, that what he wants to happen is he'll have the House managers, the Democrats present their case, then the White House would have an opportunity to respond on the Senate floor. Then there would be a decision about witnesses. Of course, this the key sticking point between Democrats and Republicans right now, as the standoff on Capitol Hill continues Jessica.
[Dean:] All right, Lauren Fox for us in Washington, Sarah Westwood in West Palm Beach. Thanks to both of you. And after criticizing Democrats for not going to the courts to force top Trump aides to testify in their Impeachment Inquiry, the Trump administration is now saying the courts should not weigh in at all, at least when it comes to Don McGahn. The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the former White House counsel earlier this year as part of a potential Impeachment Inquiry related to Trump's attempts to obstruct the Russian investigation. But the White House says now that impeachment has gone forward, there's no rush to settle the dispute over McGahn. The D.C. Court of Appeals is set to hear oral arguments in that case next month. Tim Neftali is a CNN presidential historian and the former director of the Nixon Presidential Library and Harry Litman is a former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, as well as a former U.S. Attorney. You guys are going to help us break down all this information here. Thanks so much for being with us. We're going to dig into impeachment in just a moment. But first, Harry, DOJ making the argument that there's no sense of urgency to resolve this case for two reasons. One, the House voted to impeach without hearing from McGahn on obstruction and two, the obstruction Article of Impeachment is focused on Ukraine, not that Russia investigation. Do you think this is a valid argument for them?
[Harry Litman, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General:] I don't. It's focused on, but they were very careful to add this as a continuing course of conduct and remember what Mueller found about McGahn, really classic obstructive conduct worse than I think anything we've seen with Nixon or past Presidents in which the President told McGahn to fire Mueller, and then told him to lie about it. Now, the House article specifically mentions this as a continuing course of conduct. So you have the Republicans talking about both sides of their mouths simultaneously saying, oh, you don't need it now. But also saying you should let the judicial process run its course. Then, of course, they run to the courts and say, bury this. So I think it's something any normal trial would certainly have.
[Dean:] And, Tim, I want to ask you, the President, we've heard is fond of saying over and over again that his top officials get absolute immunity. Don McGahn being one of them, they argue, that's why they don't have to testify and Mitch McConnell said today that Trump did what every President since George Washington has done when it comes to executive privilege. But what's the precedent for this in your opinion?
[Tim Naftali, Cnn Presidential Historian:] Well, there are two things or two issues here. One is whether you accept the proposition that the founders accepted, which is that an Impeachment Inquiry is different, that it's not the same as the natural push and pull between the two branches. If you accept their proposition, which George Washington explained in a letter to the House in the 1790s
[Dean:] Going back a little bit there.
[Naftali:] Going back a bit. Then you have to say that this is different. This stonewall by the President isn't something we've never seen before in an Impeachment Inquiry. So it is different. It is not the same.
[Dean:] It is not the same.
[Naftali:] It is not the same.
[Dean:] All right. Well, let's go back to Harry for a moment. Let's talk about impeachment. This morning, Speaker Pelosi tweeted, "The House can't choose our impeachment managers until we know what kind of trial the Senate will have. President Trump blocked his own witnesses and documents from the House and the American people on phony complaints about the House process. What is his excuse now?" That coming from Nancy Pelosi. So Harry outside of frustrating the President, what do you think is the strategic advantage of withholding these Articles of Impeachment right now?
[Litman:] I mean, it's totally clear, McConnell, here is you know, Lucy with the football and wanting to play Charlie Brown. This is not the same as Clinton and what the obvious point is, once it gets into his clutches, he'll be able to ram through whatever he wants on the barest of majority. So the real point as with Clinton, if you want witnesses, the Dems have only this barest of leverages to play. And they're playing it. They're saying we need witnesses, and by the way, Jessica, even more, they need documents. From a prosecutorial point of view, yes, you want to hear Mike Duffy, but that piece of paper which they just got, by chance, through a FOIA request from another group speaks volumes, and what puts the lie to the notion of this was just normal business is that last piece that you focused on saying, don't tell anybody about this, keep this quiet. That's the sort of thing that any prosecutor would put front and center before a jury.
[Dean:] Well, yes, that's I'm interested in your perspective because you spent a career doing this. It sounds like that would have stuck out brightly to you if you were looking at this case.
[Litman:] That's right. That would go immediately into in to a binder of sort of 20 hot documents. Documents are the real stock and trade here the gold standard. They don't lie. They don't go south on you on the stand. They really prove where things were at the time. Any juror reading this would know the story.
[Dean:] And Tim, to that end, Chuck Schumer has called these new e- mails, explosive. And he says that they show why witnesses why witness testimony is so very important in all of this. What do you think the chances are of them actually getting these e- mails into this trial, getting this witness testimony things that the Democrats are asking?
[Naftali:] Well, I would say it's very hard to put odds on this. It really in part depends on the American people. If the American people start asking their representatives, their senators to dig a little deeper, then we might see action. If the American people think that this is finished, that it's Kabuki Theater, I suspect most senators will just allow Mitch McConnell to decide that this is a show trial. Let me tell you one thing that's really important. In the Nixon impeachment, the evidentiary base kept growing. The famous smoking gun transcript, it comes out after the House Judiciary Committee voted. So it's not unusual that the documents get better and better and better. And as, you know, as we've seen as we've been saying, they matter. So it's up to A, the Senate the Democratic senators and make the case. B, Mitch McConnell has to listen to his base and C, those in the middle who haven't chosen, who haven't decided, they need to put pressure on their representatives to get the facts out. After all, if the facts are good to the President, let him be acquitted for the right reasons. If the facts are not good to the President, let the Senate do its constitutional duty.
[Dean:] Yes, and it's interesting because if you look at the polling on all of this, it seems that Americans really have chosen one side or the other. There aren't many that are kind of you know, undecided.
[Naftali:] Or they're not watching.
[Dean:] Or they're not watching.
[Naftali:] So after the Holidays, everyone have a great Holiday. Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy New Year. And then after the Holidays, look at this because it's the most important thing our country faces. And then tell your representative what to do.
[Dean:] Very interesting. And Harry, for you, you say for a prosecutor, you mentioned this, you just said it. It's always about those documents. Does this undercut the argument from Trump allies that the House failed to make a strong case since they were blocked from using these and other documents?
[Litman:] Yes, except the argument doesn't hold up. Anyway, remember just two weeks ago, it seemed overwhelming and clear. But this is like belts and suspenders and elastic waistband. I mean, the additional proof. And one quick point on your polls, you know, we've had again and again, an absolute stone you know, lock of his whole base. Seventy percent plus say let's have more witnesses. That means people even in the vaunted Trump base agree, and we're just talking, as Tim says about three senators or so, to go along with just having more evidence. They don't have to say that Trump should be convicted. That really there the Mitt Romney's of the world are really pivotal now.
[Dean:] Yes, it's going to be very interesting to see what he and others like him do. Harry Litman, Tim Naftali. Thank you.
[Litman:] Thank you very much. Thanks.
[Dean:] We appreciate it very much. North Korea sent the U.S. a warning for the Holidays. New CNN reporting on what Kim Jong-un may have meant when he talked about that Christmas gift. Plus, Donald Trump's takeover of the G.O.P. What keeps party members in lockstep with the President as we get closer to the Senate trial? And Eddie Murphy's return to "Saturday Night Live." A look at how the past and the present.
[Eddie Murphy, American Actor:] Who is directing this picture? Me. Who wrote this picture? Me. This is the Gumby story, damn it. And Gumby does not say damn it. How the hell are people not going to know who I am? I am Gumby, damn it.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] And you haven't heard about the whistleblower after that, have you? Because the whistleblower said lots of things that weren't so good, folks, you're going to find out.
[Becky Anderson, Cnn:] Mr. Trump says, stay tuned as the Democrats prepare to release more testimony from key witnesses in their impeachment inquiry.
[Jomana Karadsheh, Cnn Correspondent:] We're in the town of Tal Abyad and we're told by Turkish officials they are finding explosives on a daily basis and defusing them.
[Anderson:] CNN is embedded with Turkish forces as they continue military operations in northern Syria. A horrific attack in Mexico kills nine members of a Mormon family. And the U.S. begins its formal withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Agreement. We take a look at what that means with one of the people who put the deal together. Well it's 7 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. It's 10 the morning in D.C. I'm Becky Anderson with your newly expanded two-hour edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. And we begin for you in Washington. At any moment we could get our hands on the closed-door testimony from two key witnesses in this impeachment inquiry, now a former special envoy for Ukraine and the current U.S. ambassador to the EU. What do we care? Well their text messages have dragged them into the impeachment saga. Detailing how a shadow foreign policy was being run by Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. On Monday a slew of details emerged on the testimony transcripts of the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and a former high-level aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Both transcript paint a picture of an administration that broadly interprets the use of executive power. And had no reservations about using that power to advance the President's political agenda. President Trump, meanwhile, continues to go after the whistleblower. His campaign rally in Kentucky showed off new t-shirts saying "read the transcript" referring to the memo of Mr. Trump's call with the Ukrainian President. But for those who have read the transcript, many say it does the President more harm than good. Our Capitol Hill reporter Suzanne Malveaux has picked apart those early pages for you. Here is her report.
[Suzanne Malveaux, Cnn U.s. Correspondent:] With the first transcripts from the impeachment inquiry going public President Trump's intensifying his attacks against the whistleblower who started it all.
[Trump:] The whistleblower says lots of things that weren't so good, folks.
[Malveaux:] House investigators releasing hundreds of pages of testimony from the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. The career diplomat saying behind closed doors, she was warned to watch my back because of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his associates. According to the rough transcript of the July 25 phone call, President Trump told Ukraine's new president that Yovanovitch was bad news and warned she's going to go through some things. Yovanovitch telling lawmakers, I didn't know what it meant. I was very concerned. I still am. When asked, did you feel threatened? Her answer simply, yes.
[Rep. Jamie Raskin:] Obviously she was the object of a tremendous smear campaign. We want to know how deep that went.
[Malveaux:] Under pressure from the President's allies, Yovanovitch says she sought advice from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland. His suggestion, go big or go home. You need to, you know, tweet out there that you support the President. Yovanovitch also at the center of Michael McKinley's testimony. The former top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, explaining why he abruptly resigned just days before his deposition. He says the State Department did not support career civil servants caught up in the inquiry. And he was troubled by, quote, what appears to be the utilization of our ambassadors overseas to advance domestic political objectives. McKinley says he repeatedly raised concerns according to the transcript of his testimony and asked Pompeo to publicly state is support for Yovanovitch. That directly contradicts Pompeo's account in an interview last month.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] I never heard him say a single thing about his concerns with respect to the decision that was made.
[George Stephanopoulos, Abc News:] So you were never asked
[Pompeo:] Not once.
[Anderson:] Well Suzanne Malveaux reporting there. Joe Johns standing by live at the White House. Suzanne though is live for us on Capitol Hill. You report a fascinating insight into how the Trump administration runs its foreign policy given the release of this testimony. But his supporters insist that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by the President. What's your take?
[Malveaux:] This is their various attacks that they are taking. One of them Congressman Jim Jordan, very much a Trump supporter and defender in Congress and in this whole process. He was asked about the fact that Yovanovitch felt threatened by the President in his words, and he said that the President has every right. He can speak to any foreign leader and use the language as he wishes. And so, he really kind of dismissed that out of the hand. We have seen White House advisor, Kellyanne Conway, say while she doesn't know if there was any delay in the aid going to Ukraine. She almost kind of said, well what does it matter? Ukraine has the aid. And then finally you have this other tact which really seems to be a distraction from Senator Rand Paul and others who are echoing the President's call to unmask the whistleblower. I mean, this has led to an extraordinary split, if you will, among some Republicans who look at that as outrageous. The former Republican House Intel chair, Mike Rogers, just within the last hour, saying that he believes that this town has lost its mind because of those kinds of calls. And so, you can see where this is going. It's kind of all over the place at this point, but we will see as this unfolds in public, how this shifts. How this changes as we get more and more information Becky.
[Anderson:] Joe, this is as it's known the off-year voting day in the United States. Some states electing any governors. The governor in Kentucky has said a vote for him is a vote to punish the Democrats in Washington currently going after the President. How do you see this playing out?
[Joe Johns, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Well the short version is Matt Biven has an uphill climb down in Kentucky. The President went there just last night. And if you look at the video as you mentioned at the top of that appearance where the president was there speaking you see people standing behind the President wearing t-shirts that say, "read the transcript." The President apparently referring to the July 25th call with the Ukrainian President, of which the rough transcript was released. The President asserts again and again that that was an appropriate call. However, there's more than one transcript that is now being read in Washington D.C., including the transcript of the conversation between Ambassador Yovanovitch, and the impeachment investigators, and she paints a very different picture. A picture of a President of the United States and his lieutenants essentially undermining a member of the U.S. foreign service over in Ukraine for personal gain. So that tells you a lot about where we are on this off-year election day in Washington, D.C. Becky.
[Anderson:] Joe Johns is at the White House and Suzanne is at Capitol Hill where the impeachment inquiry looms large over the 2020 election campaign. But is it? Is it having an impact on voters? Who will of course go to the polls a year from today, November 2020. According to a New York TimesSiena College poll, in the battleground state of Wisconsin Democrat Joe Biden is at 47 percent ahead of President Trump at 43. Senator Bernie Sanders, two points up against Trump, 47 to 45. Senator Elizabeth Warren polling at 46. We should note these are all within the poll margin of error. CNN's Kyung Lah spoke with voters in Wisconsin about the 2020 race for the White House. This is her report.
[Begin Videotape) Unidentified Female:] Let's do this Wisconsin. Let's turn this around and we've got a year from now to do that.
[Kyung Lah, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] The 2020 battle for Wisconsin starts now.
[Unidentified Female:] Hi, good morning. We will get you clipboard and some lift.
[Lah:] Democratic foot soldiers fanning out across the badger state. [on camera]: Are people talking about impeachment here?
[Unidentified Female:] It's not what you are hearing at the coffee shop. It's not what I'm hearing when I'm at the hardware store.
[Lah:] A year from Election Day, this is a door-to-door mission to find out what matters most to voters here.
[Trevor Jung, Wisconsin Democrat:] My name is Trevor. So, what's important to you in the selection?
[Unidentified Male:] Jobs and environment especially.
[Lah:] Do you feel that it is a house to house battle?
[Jung:] It is, completely. You know, here you have a community that is in a county that voted for President Obama and also Donald Trump.
[Lah:] Racine, a swing county in a critical swing state. President Trump won Wisconsin by fewer than 23,000 votes. We need Democrat Bruce Dunn. [on camera]: How long have you work for Chrysler?
[Bruce Dunn, Wisconsin Democrat:] 36 years and two weeks. It's not too many jobs like that now.
[Lah:] He's live Racine's ups and downs during Trump's term, he seen some jobs come back, Dunn cares most about the economy and health care. [on camera]: What about impeachment? You didn't mention impeachment.
[Dunn:] Well, I kind of don't like the impeachment. You know the people that's on his side I don't think they're going to jump ship because of it.
[Unidentified Female:] Absolutely ridiculous.
[Lah:] Unlike the Democrats, Wisconsin Republicans are talking about impeachment. This Racine Packers and politics party is one of the 150 GOP events in Wisconsin just this week.
[Unidentified Male:] These Republican people are very enthused.
[Lah:] Is impeachment then helping you or helping you or helping the Democrats?
[Unidentified Male:] I think it's definitely helping the Republican Party right now. I say go for it, go bring it on.
[Sally Francis, Wisconsin Republican:] We're just digging in our heels deeper, to fight what they're going to do and we will do it by voting.
[Unidentified Female:] Hi, my name is Elisha, I'm with the Waukesha Democratic Party.
[Lah:] But driving Democrats, the bitter sting of 2016 and the determination to not have it happen again.
[Alicia Halvensleben Wisconsin Democrat:] If I can convince at least one maybe two. Every time I talk and I take a packet out, that's going to sway on election.
[Lah:] Were talking and it's snowing.
[Halvensleben:] I'm going to keep doing it through the snow. I've done it through worst. We're a swing state. We've been a swing state, but we can swing back.
[Lah:] Democrats say they knocked on more than 50,000 doors just this weekend. Now that is doubled the number of votes that President Trump won the state of Wisconsin by in 2016. Democrats say that margin is so slim it basically breaks down to less than two votes per ward. They feel they can flip the state, but it's not by talking about impeachment. Kyung Lah, CNN Racine, Wisconsin.
[Anderson:] Within the next hour we're going to the swing state of Michigan where voters there sound off on President Trump's performance and indeed on the impeachment inquiry. We are a year out, folks, from that 2020 election. Jury selection in the criminal trial of long time Trump advisor Roger Stone begins today. Stone arrived at court just a short time ago. He has pled not guilty to charges of obstruction of justice, witness tampers and lying to Congress. His indictment emerged from Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Which alleges that Stone lied to the House Intelligence Committee about the WikiLeaks release of stolen Democratic Party e-mails during the 2016 campaign. Well a raid in northern Syria may provide some clues as to what kind of threat ISIS still poses after the death of the terror group's founder. A senior Turkish official tells CNN that the sister of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been captured in northern Syria. She was detained, along with her husband and daughter-in-law. All three are now being questioned by Turkish authorities. And what that country says could be an intelligence goldmine. Well, meantime a car bomb in Zaher Jaber in Syria killed 19 people over the weekend. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is embedded with Turkish forces as they work to clear explosives in so-called safe zones where SyrianKurdish militia has been pushed out.
[Jomana Karadsheh, Cnn Correspondent:] We're in the town of Tal Abyad. As you recall, this was one of the locations that saw some seriously intense fighting when that Turkish offensive began on October 9. And it's been about three weeks since major combat operation came to an end here, but still we're seeing Turkish forces who are embedded with today carrying out clearance operations. They're sweeping areas and sweeping them multiple times checking for explosives, for devices that have been left. And we're told by Turkish officials that they are finding explosives on a daily basis and diffusing them. Anywhere between 10 to 100 devices on a daily basis, according to a senior Turkish official. And just a solar time ago, a car bomb we're told exploded in the center of the town of Tal Abyad. This just coming a few days after that devastating car bomb attack that you mention took place at a marketplace. A civilian area where at least 19 people were killed in that attack on Saturday. Now no one claimed that attack, but Turkey blames Kurdish fighters for that attack, the Syrian Democratic Forces that mainly SyrianKurdish fighting force have denied any responsibility for that attack. But these kinds of missions right now are critical. Especially as they're seeing civilians starting to return to their homes. According to the United Nations, more than 20,000 people have returned to the town of Tal Abyad in the past few days.
[Anderson:] That is Jomana Karadsheh reporting. And a programming note, tomorrow I will interview Turkey's defense minister at this time on this show to get the latest on their operations in northern Syria. And more on the allegations of abuse by Turkish backed forces. We'll also discuss their strategy against ISIS. Well still to come officials investigating an attack that left women and children dead near the U.S.Mexican border. Those details are up next. Plus after years of far-right extremism, an east German city declares a, quote, Nazi emergency. More on that, after this.

[Anderson:] We have breaking news out of Lebanon's Capital Beirut. Witnesses, including our own teams there on the ground, have heard an explosion and have seen what we are witnessing in these images now of smoke rising. No word yet on the cause. The CNN Bureau is about a kilometer from the port from where the smoke seems to be rising. This is an extensive area, and the entire area, it is reported, has seen windows blown out. These pictures just coming in to us. Apologies for the slight technical glitches on these, but this is as we speak, images today, this afternoon out of Beirut in Lebanon where a huge explosion has rocked the Capital. And this the aftermath of that as we see that smoke continuing to rise from what looks to be the port area in Beirut. We are, as I understand it now, able to contact Ben Wedeman who is on the line. He is in Beirut. Ben, if you can hear me, what can you tell us about these images? What do we understand to have happened?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, within the last hour, in fact, the reporter for the "Los Angeles Times" here in Beirut had tweeted a picture of the fire in the port itself. And just about 15 minutes later after he tweeted that picture, that video, there was a massive explosion.
[Wedeman:] I mean, something the likes I've never seen before. The windows of the CNN Bureau have been completely blown out. I'm looking at the buildings all around me. Many windows are also smashed. There is lots of glass and other debris in the street. There is still smoke rising from the port, and there was an odd red cloud hanging over the downtown District of Beirut. Now, we're seeing local media saying this was some sort of accident in the port, but the size of the explosion is hard to explain no idea at this point any casualties, fatalities. We know there are casualties, fatalities I haven't seen a figure on yet. But certainly this is something that really shook this city like I've never seen before, and I've been through wars and civil wars here in Lebanon, and this is something unheard of.
[Anderson:] Ben, can you just describe where you are, and then where the port is in relation to downtown Beirut?
[Wedeman:] Well, I'm in the wreckage of the CNN Bureau right now which overlooks what's known as the downtown. And to our left here is the port, which normally has five or six ships in it. It's an area where normally you're not you can't gain easy access to, but even though it's about a kilometer away, perhaps slightly less, the force of the blast was just massive, absolutely massive. I'm right now just treading on broken glass of what used to be the CNN office in Beirut.
[Anderson:] You're listening to Ben Wedeman reporting from Beirut where a large explosion has rocked the Lebanese Capital this afternoon. Lebanese state-run NNA news, Ben, reporting that a major fire has broken out in a warehouse for firecrackers where they report strong explosions were heard. I realize that this is early, just after this explosion. You've been explaining the aftermath and the effect and impact on the Bureau. Does that does what NNA is reporting tend to make sense to your mind?
[Wedeman:] I am looking at local television running pictures of the explosion itself, and that doesn't look like fireworks to me. I mean, it almost is a mushroom cloud when it goes off. And why there would be that amount of fireworks in Beirut port is beyond my level of comprehension.
[Anderson:] Can you just explain the atmosphere in the city at present?
[Wedeman:] At present its panic. People are driving around on their scooters. They're looking to see what happened. There was a large crowd earlier looking for injured. People are looking everywhere to find out if they can be of assistance in any way. Keep in mind, Beirut has seen its troubles in the past. It's certainly been an area of unrest for the last few months, but it's not of this nature, so this has really taken everyone by complete surprise, and people are really in a state of shock at the moment. I can hear sirens in the distance, no doubt going in various locations in Beirut at this point to find people who are injured, to perhaps try to put out this fire that is at this moment spewing black smoke into the skies over Beirut, over the port, and over the city as well. Becky?
[Anderson:] Ben, so those views, if you may just be joining us, can you explain as we look at these images coming in to us at CNN exactly what has happened and when in Beirut this afternoon, and what we understand, clearly, the details very, very limited at present, but what we understand to have happened?
[Wedeman:] What we understand, and as I was saying on the phone earlier, was that there was a fire somewhere in the port. This was video tweeted by the reporter for the "Los Angeles Times" a very reliable source, and within about half an hour, there was this massive blast, huge. You could hear glass breaking everywhere, not just in our office, but in the entire downtown area, which contains, of course, the prime ministry, several ministries, many five-star hotels, stores and offices. It's an area that on a normal day is quite packed, quite active.
[Anderson:] Clearly there will be much speculation as to what has happened here, and until we get confirmed details, we won't be part of that conjecture and speculation. But as we look at these images and as we await more information to confirm exactly what has happened, just describe if you will, just life in Beirut at present. These are difficult times, not just for the Capital City, but for the country as a whole.
[Wedeman:] The city is in a state of panic. The city is in a state of shock right now. People are trying to figure out what on earth has happened. But I think people's immediate concerns, and as I'm talking to you on the phone, I'm getting lots of missed calls because I think people are calling in. They're looking for their loved ones. They're looking for people who they can't get through to on the telephone at the moment, because either in some areas the cell phone system is down or the people they're trying to get in touch with may be injured or worse at this point. So it really just happened not long ago, and it's still very difficult to collect the sort of information that will allow us to get a very clear picture of what has happened beyond just this massive explosion and now the ongoing fire from the area of Beirut port.
[Anderson:] Before I let you go, just again, for those who may just be joining us and are eager to find out what these images are suggesting, you talked about a massive explosion, and you describe earlier the impact that you felt and the damage to the Bureau which is not very far away in downtown Beirut. If you can just repeat what happened, Ben?
[Wedeman:] Okay. I was basically at about 40 minutes ago, though at this point I can't keep the time completely straight in my head, there was the building shook like it was an earthquake. And I ducked down, and moments later the blast impact actually hit this area where we are, and I heard glass shattering everywhere. In the adjacent room, in the room after that, in the buildings in front of us, and very soon afterward, there was the wail of sirens as ambulances and fire trucks started, from what I could see from my vantage point, heading in the direction of the blast. And I saw many Beirut residents on scooters and cars looking around, checking for injured people. I had several people come into the shambles of our office asking if everyone here is okay. I'm the only one here. And right now people are really just trying to figure out where their loved ones are, how they are, and then people will hopefully start getting answers about what the hell happened in Beirut this afternoon.
[Anderson:] Ben Wedeman, who is speaking to us from the Beirut Bureau, the CNN Beirut Bureau, which is really just moments away from the port in Beirut where you are seeing images of significant smoke, huge clouds of black smoke after what was, as Ben described it, an enormous explosion which blew out the windows of not just the CNN Beirut Bureau, but homes and offices around the area. I'm reading on social media, for example, people have lost the glass in their windows and 7 kilometers away from where this blast happened. This is what we understand to have happened. Details are very, very slim at present. We are working every source that we have in Beirut to try and identify exactly what happened in Beirut in the port, as we understand it. That's certainly where this smoke appears to be coming from today, this afternoon and early on into the evening now in Beirut. As Ben described, panic in Beirut as people, quite frankly, try and get in touch with their relatives to ensure that they are okay as the details are as limited as to exactly what has gone on. Ben, I know that you are monitoring as we continue to look at the pictures coming in to CNN, you are also monitoring local TV. Is there any further detail on what, locally, has happened?
[Wedeman:] Okay, well, what it appears is that the authorities are saying there was an accidental blast of some sort. They are reporting that there is a large number the authorities are reporting that there was large number of injuries as a result of this explosion. That's really all we have in terms of people getting hurt. It would be a miracle of miracles if several people, at least, were not killed in this massive explosion. Becky?
[Anderson:] Does it resonate with you, as I look at social media comments suggesting that glass from this explosion, the impact glass shattering in people's homes some 7 to 10 kilometers away from Beirut Port? Does that make sense?
[Wedeman:] It's believable. It's believable. There's shock waves, and I said from where I am, it felt like an earthquake initially. And when I felt what I thought was an earthquake, I just ducked down and fortunately avoided any injury to myself. But yes, it's certainly absolutely plausible that 5, 6, 7 kilometers away that glasses might have been shattered. Because looking out the window here, I see almost only shattered windows. Not only shattered glass, but the actual frames of the windows are blown out as well in several locations of this building just across from where I am.
[Anderson:] Ben Wedeman on the phone from the CNN Bureau working on his own at present as our producer is out, clearly working our sources trying to identify the source of this explosion. Ben, there are reports that there was more than one explosion. Has that been confirmed at this point?
[Wedeman:] I only heard and felt one explosion. I mentioned the fire that was coming from the port, and it sounded like there were in the video that was posted by the "L.A. Times" Correspondent, you heard pops which sounded like not small explosions, nothing particularly noteworthy that one would have thought listening to them that they could have been just sort of commercial goods burning up and blowing up in a fire. But as far as I can tell, there was just one absolutely massive explosion which has caused all this damage in the Lebanese Capital.
[Anderson:] Ben, you have been around the block, as it you've been in war zones, you've been in situations where things have been very, very difficult. You described to me earlier how you felt when you felt this explosion? You said you had never felt anything like it, correct?
[Wedeman:] That's correct. You know, as you said, I've been around the block. I've seen some pretty large explosions, but this one was I was at Tora Bora when they were dropping Daisy Cutters. And this was bigger.
[Anderson:] If you are just joining us, you're listening to the voice of Ben Wedeman who is in Beirut at the CNN Bureau which is in downtown Beirut, very short distance away from Beirut port. The smoke that you see on your screens is smoke from a huge explosion from that port, which Ben has been reporting, blew out the windows of the CNN Bureau and the windows of those buildings around in downtown Beirut. As we assess the social media footage coming in on this, one line clearly resonating again and again, repeated by so many who are either in Beirut or in the suburbs of Beirut. This explosion had an impact 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 kilometers away, people reporting that their homes shook and their windows were blown out as much as 10 kilometers away from the source of this explosion, which, at present, is unclear. What we do understand is that this was in Beirut Port, and you are seeing evidence there of people who, it seems, have been injured as a result of this explosion. Ben is at present, as he speaks to me, also working his sources and keeping one eye on local media, trying to get a better assessment and detail on exactly what happened. Ben, we are going to have to take a very short break in a moment or so, so just before we do, at present, what is it that we understand to be the very latest on what has happened in Beirut this afternoon?
[Wedeman:] What has happened is that there was a massive explosion from the direction of the Port of Beirut. Buildings shook, glasses were broken for kilometers around, a huge cloud of smoke, which seemed oddly red, as I saw it drifting not far above our Bureau came from that direction. Immediately afterwards, there were sirens of ambulances and fire trucks as the ambulances go out looking for the injured and perhaps the dead, and the fire trucks are trying to put out this fire that still seems to be raging in Beirut Port. Now, the local news, the National News Agency of Lebanon is reporting some sort of accident in the Port. It's still not clear. Certainly if it was fireworks as some news sources are claiming, those were some damn big fireworks. The explosion that was videoed by eyewitnesses looked something like a mushroom cloud, briefly. And now people are still sort of driving around. I can see from my vantage point in the shambles of the CNN Bureau, just trying to figure out what on earth has happened. And I know from acquaintances here in Beirut, one of the first things or one of the things many people are still doing as we speak is trying to find out the whereabouts and the conditions of their loved ones.
[Anderson:] Sure. As local media reports multiple injuries at present. Those are reports from local media until we can sand up these reports. We will attribute them and thus, Ben, we are going to take a very short break. Stay with us as we continue to monitor these images and the sirens wailing there in Beirut as cloud rises from what has been described as a huge explosion from one of the buildings in Beirut port. More detail after this.

[Sen. Tulsi Gabbard , Presidential Candidate:] There's trillions more dollars, so means meeting with a dictator or meeting with an adversary. Absolutely, I would do it.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Bashar al-Assad is a murderer and a torturer. Do you not agree with that?
[Gabbard:] I don't dispute that.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] She's been criticized for not having sort of a full-throated condemnation of that, however. But again, here we have a moment that we didn't see on the debate stage, that might have been more effective on the debate stage.
[A.b. Stoddard, Associate Editor, Realclearpoltics:] Kamala Harris should have been ready for that. There's been a long-standing criticism of her record aside from Tulsi Gabbard. So she needed to be ready to defend her record on prosecutions of what other liberals believe are petty crimes. That's the first thing.
[Keilar:] But maybe she didn't think it would come from Gabbard, so she wasn't armed.
[Stoddard:] And she right. So she was surprised, and I should get out of the window.
[Wajahat Ali, Cnn Contributor:] She shouldn't have enough of surprise.
[Stoddard:] But she should have been ready for it to come from somebody.
[Ali:] She should have been ready.
[Stoddard:] Number one and number two, she should have been ready with her response about Assad. People were hoping that the moderators were going to ask about Tulsi Gabbard's relationship with Assad. And it is all over the internet today that the Russian bots are helping Tulsi Gabbard and going after Kamala Harris. And that Tulsi Gabbard refuses to condemn Assad because she's doing the work of the Russians and is going to run as a third-party spoiler and reelect Trump. There are serious knives out for Tulsi Gabbard. She didn't take anything last night.
[Ali:] Yes. And it was a huge mistake because you can simultaneously hold two positions at the same time. Tulsi Gabbard exposed Kamala Harris' troubling record as a prosecutor, which is very troubling to progressive voters. She did that, she was exposed. And that's going to make her vulnerable. At the same time, you can say that Tulsi Gabbard is a terrible candidate because of her promotion of Assad's talking points because she met Assad in secret, because to this day she has not called him out as a war criminal. It took Anderson three tries and the most he could get is, "I don't dispute that." In addition to the fact she's conflicted about torture. In addition to the fact that she, you know, it works with Hindu nationalists. In addition to the fact that MAGA seems to love her, I wonder why? And so that moment where Kamala Harris was after the fact talking to Anderson and took out Tulsi Gabbard, that should have been done on the debate stage. And if Gabbard is ever brought back on the debate stage again, this needs to be addressed. And you have to ask her, are you capable of actually critiquing Assad? And if you're so anti-war, how come you praise Russia's bombing of Syria, Tulsi?
[Keilar:] There you go, there's the question. Wajahat, A.B., thank you so much to both of you. Now, health care dominating the conversation at both debates but some of the candidates are having a hard time articulating their plans. The architect of Obamacare will join me next. And a rare and public rebuke after President Trump orders Navy officials to strip the medals of prosecutors who unsuccessfully tried a Navy SEAL for war crimes.

[Church:] Welcome back, everyone. The United Nations General Assembly gets underway in just a few hours. But on Monday, world leaders gather to discuss solutions to the climate crisis. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg gave a scathing reveal to the world leaders, scolding them for their inaction.
[Greta Thunberg, Climate Activist:] I shouldn't be up here, I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet, you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you? You have stolen my dreams, my childhood with your empty words.
[Church:] A powerful speech there. And among the world leaders was U.S. President Donald Trump who spent about 15 minutes at the meeting. He left before Thunberg spoke. But the 16-year-old caught up him in the corridor staring him down, Mr. Trump refused though to look her way. Well, as the U.K. works to bring home hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded by the Thomas Cook collapse, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is questioning why its bosses got substantial payouts and bonuses even as the company was nearing its demise. He visited the British consulate in New York on Monday to meet with staffers working to help many of the tour operator's customers still stranded abroad. And we get more now from CNN's Melissa Bell.
[Bell:] This was the last Thomas Cook plane ever to fly. It landed at Manchester airport from Orlando just hours after the world's oldest tour company has gone into liquidation.
[Peter Fankhauser, Ceo, Thomas Cook:] I want to apologize to my 21,000 colleagues, who I know will be heartbroken. You all fought so hard to make Thomas Cook a success.
[Bell:] With all of its flights grounded overnight, 600,000 tourists found themselves stranded abroad as British authorities prepared to get U.K. citizens home.
[Tim Johnson, Policy Director, U.k. Civil Aviation Authority:] This is a huge operation, 150,000 people currently abroad. We've charted over 40 aircraft and those aircraft are already in position, and in the next few hours will start bringing will start bringing passengers home.
[Bell:] Others who'd been schedule to start their holiday arrived at British airport where they heard the news that their trips, and even their honeymoons had been canceled.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, we're absolutely gutted. We've looked forward to this for a long time. had the wedding in July, so it's been another couple of months waiting for this. Yes, absolutely just totally gutted.
[Bell:] The company had been in talks with its biggest shareholder the Chinese firm Fosun over a 900-million-pound bailout package. But to request with the British government for an extra 250-million-pound contingency fund was turned down, leaving the British opposition and unions to lay the blame squarely at the British government's feet.
[Diana Holland, Assistant General Secretary For Transport, Unite Union:] Today, we have members who have woken up to the story that their company has collapsed. And they haven't got a job. It is absolutely shocking and they [Inaudible] fathom that this could have been allowed to happen.
[Unidentified Female:] Excuse me, what did you tell staff this morning?
[Bell:] But the government says that providing the money would just put off the company's collapsed, rather than preventing it.
[Grant Shapps, British Transport Secretary:] So the government obviously would do anything we could to support, but the reality is, I think that times had changed, and this is a business that was still, perhaps operating on the model that was good for the last century or the 1980s or something, but not for really, the internet age where people are booking their own holiday so much.
[Bell:] Online competition and political uncertainty in some of the company's key destinations have been blamed by Thomas Cook, but also Brexit for pushing people to delay, making their holiday plans. For years, Thomas Cook's advertising urge those looking to get away not to book it but to Thomas Cook it. This morning, hundreds of thousands of customers found that they were going to have to rebook it themselves. Melissa Bell, CNN at Gatwick airport.
[Church:] And still to come, Prince Harry and Meghan deliver a message of hope, the joyous turn they are setting on their South Africa tour. We're back with that in a moment.

[Kevin Hassett, Cnn Economic Commentator:] Going to address the problems you were talking about.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] But, Kevin but, Kevin, these this
[Hassett:] I agree that it's it stinks that the stuff expired. You go ahead.
[Harlow:] It's you and I don't rely on $600 in additional aid a week to pay our rent or feed our family. That's not our situation. But for millions of Americans, it is. And they stopped getting those checks on Friday. And that's why I don't think it's too far to say that it's a failure because for my I mean it was back in May that the House proposed legislation. And I get that the Republican-led Senate didn't doesn't agree with it, but they've known that Friday was coming for months and negotiation didn't really start until it was about to run out.
[Hassett:] You know right. You know you know what, it's it's the negotiation that's been going on and on and on. When I was still in the White House, Secretary Scalia and I were working with every state's UI program to try to think about a way that we could fix the thing so that we weren't paying people a lot more not to go to work than to go to work. And the thing is something that the White House worked on throughout. And they have a very strong position about how they want to do it. The House has their strong position. And what's going on, as always happens with legislation, is that they're arguing right up to the very end. But when the bill passed, I think the people who didn't get their checks, and who need that money I think they can fully expect that the money will be back filled in this sort of week where they're not covered will be filled in when the bill happens.
[Harlow:] I'm let's hope so. Let's hope so.
[Hassett:] It will be, yes.
[Harlow:] The moratorium on evictions also lapsing. So the question is, what happens to those folks? What would you what would you advise, Kevin, because you saw Moody's analysis that if the additional aid were brought down to $200 per week for unemployed people, nearly a million jobs could be lost to the end of the year and unemployment could be 0.6 percent higher. Do you think that's what will happen?
[Hassett:] Yes, I don't think look, the Moody's analysis, it's so Mark Zandi's team, you know, Mark is a big supporter of Nancy Pelosi. They put out analysis that I don't really trust sometimes. Sometimes they put out great stuff. But on this, if you pay people a lot more to stay home than to go to work, then the idea that there are going to be more people going to work, it just doesn't add up. And so I think that what Republicans are trying to do is fix the
[Harlow:] Well, but that's not true. The Yale you saw the Yale study from July.
[Hassett:] No
[Harlow:] I mean you saw the Yale study from just a few weeks ago.
[Hassett:] The Yale study was early data.
[Harlow:] And I'm just going to can I quote can I quote from it? Quote, we find no evidence that more generous benefits disincentivize work either at the onset or the expansion as firms look to return to business over time. It's wrong?
[Hassett:] Right. Well, that's based on no, that yes, it is wrong. And when we get the full data, that result is almost surely going to be reversed. But think about it, Poppy. Just think about the logic of it. If if I pay you so if you take a typical median family say in Tennessee, that if they don't go to work under the $600 plan, then they get about $90,000 a year. And if they do go to work, they get about $50,000 a year. And so the assertion that staying home and getting $90,000 or going to work and getting $50,000, that that's not going to have an effect on your decision, it just doesn't add up. It's not economics.
[Harlow:] Well, that's not true because
[Hassett:] And so, you know, I wonder you know, I haven't played with their data yet, but I really, really don't believe that study.
[Harlow:] All right, I believe and have heard from so many Americans that they that they want to go back to work and they want to go back to work and they want to feel safe.
[Hassett:] Sure.
[Harlow:] Even the University of Chicago numbers shows it's about one in five that are doing what you're saying. But let's move on. Larry Kudlow made this prediction about the economy just last week. And this was just before we saw those numbers that showed that in the second quarter economic growth in the U.S. contracted by almost 33 percent. Here's what he says is coming.
[Larry Kudlow, White House Economic Adviser:] I don't think the economy is going south. I think it's going north.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor:] Yes.
[Kudlow:] And I still think, Jake, there's going to be 20 percent growth rate in the third and fourth quarters.
[Harlow:] Should Americans, you know, prepare themselves for that, Kevin, 20 to 30 percent growth in the next two quarters or is that too rosy?
[Hassett:] Right. No, I think that Larry's about right, that's about what the consensus is. And, in fact, I think, Poppy, just because everything gets put through a political lens but not when you and I talk, of course, one of things that's going to happen is that you're going to see a third quarter that's about a 20 percent growth rate. So it's going to be about the biggest growth rate in U.S. history in the third quarter and President Trump's team is going to argue it's because of their sound policies. I kind of lean towards that argument. And President Biden's supporters are going to say, oh, no, no, it's going to happen anyway. But you could already see that people that support Vice President Biden, they're kind of getting out ahead of the really, really big third quarter number by sort of arguing that it isn't anything that the president did.
[Harlow:] But given
[Hassett:] But for sure I think everybody agrees the third quarter is going to be just a whopping number. Because if you turn an economy off and then you turn it back on, then it goes down a lot, then it goes up a lot. And that's something that is
[Harlow:] Well, the problem is
[Hassett:] You know, would have happened anyway
[Harlow:] The problem is, if you have to turn it off again. And this pandemic is just getting worse in many states, as you know, Kevin. You told me this spring, if we have another wave, that's going to mean another hit for the economy for sure.
[Hassett:] Sure.
[Harlow:] Listen to this from a Republican. This is from Neel Kashkari, who, as you know, is now the president of the Federal Reserve Bank in Minnesota.
[Hassett:] Oh, sure.
[Harlow:] He said that the U.S. economy will benefit only if we have a stringent nationwide lockdown for four to six weeks. Listen to this.
[Neel Kashkari, President, Minnesota Federal Reserve Bank:] If we don't do that and we just have this raging virus spreading throughout the country with flare-ups and local lockdowns for the next year and two, which is entirely possible, we're going to see many, many more business bankruptcies. That's going to be a much slower recovery for all of us.
[Harlow:] Is he right?
[Hassett:] Well, he's absolutely right that the recovery would be much faster if we control this thing and that the numbers for the economy have surprised on the upside really. Look at the jobs numbers and the unemployment rate and the numbers on the disease side have surprised really, really negatively. And the thing that surprised me really, Poppy, compared to the conversations we had even before I went back to the White House, is just that because you know, there is a second wave going on. And there really hasn't been much change to economic policy. And that's the thing that's surprises me. I think that what Neel is saying, you know, it's something that in pockets of the country absolutely might make sense
[Harlow:] OK.
[Hassett:] Because there are places
[Harlow:] That
[Hassett:] Where the positivity rate for the test is above 20 percent, where the cases are expanding quickly, you know, where basically everything that you saw in New York, you know, way back in March is happening. And so for me it does feel like there's some places that are too open.
[Harlow:] OK. Well, that's a that's a really big deal because you were senior adviser to the president. You lead the you know, the CEA and you're saying it might make sense to close down at least parts of this country for four to six weeks and that we are in a second wave, which the White House is not saying. Are you worried, Kevin, that they're not facing the reality here?
[Hassett:] If you look at the data if you no, they're they're getting the real numbers every day. And I think that, you know, there's like a heuristic question about what's a second wave. But if you look at the numbers, they kind of went up, they went down, they went up again and so, for me, yes, I would say that definitely in pockets of the country there's a second wave, or really I guess the see, here's the argument. The places that are having the waves now didn't really have a first wave. The places that had a first wave aren't really having a second wave. And so I think that that's the kind of thing the epidemiologists are talking about, about whether really it's a second wave or not. But if you look at the aggregate numbers for the U.S., there are two waves. It's right there in the data.
[Harlow:] Kevin, good to have you. We're out of time. We'll have you back very soon. Thanks so much.
[Hassett:] Thanks, Poppy.
[Harlow:] OK. We'll be right back.

[Baldwin:] To an update now on that mystery in Russia that had many U.S. officials worried about radiation levels. Today, 4 Russia based nuclear monitoring stations have gone quiet. Just 11 days after a deadly explosion at a missile testing facility at least five scientists were killed. CNN's Barbara Starr has this reporting. And so Barbara, what are officials saying about the four monitoring stations?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, what we know at this hour, Brooke, this is a group of stations that run under an international organization based in Vienna. And that organization is telling CNN that four of the five nuclear monitoring stations inside Russia went silent in the days after that August 8th mystery explosion in northern Russia of the so-called sky fall missile. This is what the U.S. believes is a Russian attempt to build a nuclear-powered cruise missile codenamed sky fall. Something exploded in northern Russia and in the days after that four of these five stations that would detect radiation in the atmosphere have gone completely silent. The Russians say there's no problem. The organization is telling us they are talking to Russian authorities trying to get an answer from them about what happened and to get these stations back online. But earlier today in France, Vladimir Putin said there is no nuclear radiation. There is no problem. Nobody needs to worry. But as you pointed out, five Russian workers died in this explosion. Whatever it was Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Barbara, thank you very much. Coming up next here on CNN, Democratic Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib break their silence after being banned from Israel at the President's urging. Stand by for their news conference coming up.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Stephanie Grisham can say whatever she wants from her perch on "Fox & Friends." But you know what? When she finally exits the stage, as all the President's people seem to do, whether they want to or not, let's see whether the President is in a tizzy or not when he delivers her review on the "Ridiculist." What will he say? The news continues. Want to hand it over to Chris for CUOMO PRIME TIME. Chris?
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] I have to tell you, as a student of Cooperology, it is hard to know from your sheer visage when you're in a tizzy and when you are not.
[Cooper:] Well I it's because I push my emotions deep down inside. So
[Cuomo:] I like that. I have no emotions.
[Cooper:] Oh, even better.
[Cuomo:] But if I did, I'd push them down also.
[Cooper:] I long to be you.
[Cuomo:] Anderson, have a great weekend, my brother. Thank you for the good work.
[Cooper:] All right, bye.
[Cuomo:] I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to PRIME TIME. Breaking news. New evidence of the depth of the efforts by this President to go after the Bidens, a CNN exclusive, and key players making the case, and trying to defend on the show tonight. Where do you stand? Let's get after it.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.
[Cuomo:] All right, so here is the latest. The President's personal lawyer pushed the State Department and the White House to get a visa for the ousted Ukrainian Prosecutor, who promised dirt on the Bidens. This comes in a CNN exclusive, from four sources, citing the testimony of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, George Kent, this week, to Congress. They tell us that, in January 2019, Rudy Giuliani tried to secure a U.S. visa for Ukrainian Viktor Shokin. You've heard that name a lot now. He was forced to resign in 2016, with the help of the United States, for failing to root out corruption. Now, as if the plot were not already painfully clear, President Trump's Acting Chief of Staff admitted to a quid pro quo, and then POTUS and company had him deny it. So, we know what happened. The question is what does it mean? Where do things stand? Let's ask a possible future juror, and top Democrat, Senate Judiciary Member, Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut. Always good to see you, senior Senator.
[Sen. Richard Blumenthal:] Good to see you.
[Cuomo:] Thank you for joining us, especially on a Friday night.
[Blumenthal:] Thank you.
[Cuomo:] So, we know what happened. It is inarguably wrong for a number of reasons. You can argue that it is abuse of power. But do you believe that you have reached a point with all that you have seen, to this point, that this is worthy of articles of impeachment and removal?
[Blumenthal:] It is unquestionably worthy of moving forward with impeachment proceedings, as the House is doing. It is unquestionably an abuse of power by the president of the United States, a betrayal of his oath of office. Let's remember, the commander in chief on that July 25th phone call is pressuring, indeed extorting a foreign leader to interfere in our elections, to try to sway our democratic process, and compromise our democracy. For the commander in chief to undertake that role, and then to engage his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and the Shokin efforts, and other efforts abroad, and as well as other members of his Administration, is absolutely an abuse of power.
[Cuomo:] So, a reasonable Republican is sitting next to you in the Senate. And they say, "Senator Senator, I hear you. It was bad. He shouldn't have done it. It's wrong. And I don't like that he they denied it. And I don't like a lot of things about it. But to nullify an election, the Founding Fathers wanted this to be such an overwhelming and flagrant wrong that two out of three of us saw it the same way. And I don't think it's worth nullifying an election with an election right around the corner. It was bad. But, you know, Ukraine's OK. We didn't compromise their efforts versus Russia. In fact, we gave them arms that we haven't even given them in the last administration. And they got the aid. And we've exposed this for what it is. That's enough for me. What do you say?
[Blumenthal:] I say it's not nullifying an election. It's removing from power someone who has abused that power, in fact, violated the Constitution. That's the reason that the Founders had the impeachment process because they wanted to protect our Republic. Remember, Benjamin Franklin Franklin's admonition. It's a democracy or republic if you can keep it. And the only way for us to discharge our obligation, as senators, is to protect our democracy against that kind of abuse of power. And again, it's the president's own words, Chris, in that July 25th conversation, "Do us a favor." He wasn't talking about a quid pro quo to benefit the United States of America. It was to benefit him personally, his political position. And what we're seeing more and more, of course, is that he wants favors from foreign leaders, to benefit his personal financial situation.
[Cuomo:] So, now we're at the end of the week. That's the state of play with the President. With his attorney, what do you think the likelihood is that Rudy Giuliani gets indicted?
[Blumenthal:] Well there is mounting evidence. And I'm obviously not in the prosecutor line of work, which I was once.
[Cuomo:] But you did these cases.
[Blumenthal:] I did these kinds of cases, not exactly prosecuting a President's personal lawyer. But what we're seeing here is potential conspiracy, to solicit, and pressure a foreign leader, to provide political campaign help, that's a violation of federal law, lying to the federal government, tax or bank fraud violations.
[Cuomo:] You worried about the money coming in and out from these two who were indicted and the other names that are getting listed?
[Blumenthal:] Exactly right. The associates, they are Giuliani associates who have been indicted and charged, certainly could be involved in a conspiracy, involving Giuliani and others in the Trump Administration. Remember, in Watergate, Nixon was pardoned. But the president's men went to jail. And my guess is that we're going to be seeing cracks in that wall, in so far impenetrable wall.
[Cuomo:] What would you do, if the president came out tomorrow, and said, you know, I don't like the way this is going. I pardon Rudy Giuliani right now for anything that he did in connection to what I did in Ukraine, anything to do with Turkey, even the bird, even around Thanksgiving. You cannot go after Rudy Giuliani for anything. There's a chance that could happen.
[Blumenthal:] It would spark an uproar, a an outrage. And I believe, talking about sitting next to a reasonable Republican that my colleagues on the Republican side, at some point, are going to have to look to history. They will be haunted by this era, if they feel if they fail to do the right thing. And clearly, the right thing would be to stop a pardon. President has very broad power. But Congress has some power to override it. And certainly, the President has no power to pardon for a state crime
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Blumenthal:] which then there could be a prosecution to do. And finally, I would say that kind of pardon itself might be an impeachable offense, and my Republican colleagues are going to have to regard this time in history as one that will follow them throughout their lives and through history beyond it.
[Cuomo:] You know one simple problem I haven't heard discussed yet is that Mr. Giuliani says that he represents the President pro bono. If that's true, and we have no reason to believe that it isn't, I haven't seen any proof otherwise, is a president or any official allowed to accept that kind of dollar value in pro bono service work from an attorney? And I've been looking through the law. And you guys have all these rules in Congress about it having to be for a committee and a specific purpose and a specific amount. Unless you accept the argument that Mr. Giuliani's legal advice is worth zero, this is hundreds of thousands of things wouldn't of of value. Wouldn't it have had to have been recorded?
[Blumenthal:] Well some might question whether Rudy Giuliani's legal advice, at this point, is worth what others might regard. But the point is that those services, if they are a gift, or if they are an exchange for something, could well be a violation of law.
[Cuomo:] You want to add using Doral for the G7 to your emoluments suit. The President's proxy, his acting chief of staff says, he's not going to make any money off it. It is the best place for it, so there is no issue.
[Blumenthal:] Our emoluments lawsuit says that the President repeatedly and consistently, throughout his term of office, has accepted payments, and benefits, from foreign governments, in violation of the premier anti-corruption clause in the United States Constitution. The reason for that clause, as you know, is that one of the Founding fears Father's greatest fears was in fact that the President or some other member of the Executive Branch would be beholden, would take favors from a foreign government, and here is a classic textbook example of the violation of that emoluments clause. So, we are definitely going to add it in our brief to be submitted this coming week. But even if there's no profit, there's clearly a payment or benefit, because at that time of year, as you heard earlier, during Anderson Cooper's show, the Doral probably is going to be largely deserted. The profits or financial situation of that hotel have declined sharply, as the Washington Post recently reported, by 70 percent. And even if there is no payment, and there will be payment, there is benefit in terms of the promotion of the property, and that is of inestimable value. Think of the the impact of having that brand shown all over the world, literally, all over the world, and, in effect, a an advertisement, unpaid for by any Trump entity, but of tremendous benefit to the Trump Organization, which this President still owns. He's never divested a single cent worth of that property.
[Cuomo:] Some heady efforts to come. Senator Blumenthal, thank you so much for joining us.
[Blumenthal:] Thank you.
[Cuomo:] Always a pleasure to have you on the show.
[Blumenthal:] Thank you.
[Cuomo:] Have a good weekend, Sir.
[Blumenthal:] You too. Thank you.
[Cuomo:] Appreciate it. All right, when not crying there was no quid pro quo, Trump defenders make a couple of arguments to defend the situation. And I argue they defy the facts, so let's do this. Let's lie out lay out that was not a Freudian slip. Let's lay out what they say and what the facts tell us right after this.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] Moments ago, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, just announced that, with the House set to vote on transmitting those articles of impeachment against Trump tomorrow, his chamber can now take its next steps.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] The House is likely finally send the articles over to us tomorrow, and we will be able to, we believe, if that happens, in all likelihood, go through some preliminary steps here this week. We hope to be able to achieve that by consent, which would set us up to begin the actual trial next Tuesday.
[Baldwin:] CNN's Manu Raju and Lauren Fox are both on Capitol Hill. And in just a matter of hours, we have gone from uncertainty about Pelosi's next steps to an actual date for President Trump's impeachment trial. Manu, the trial is likely to start next Tuesday. The White House wants it wrapped up by that State of the Union on February 4. You have learned that one Senate Republican says that probably won't happen. Who is it, and what is he saying?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, this is Senator Roy Blunt, who's in a key position. He's involved with a lot of the impeachment trial logistics, member of the Republican leadership. Just talked to reporters off the Senate floor coming out of this lunch where they discussed the impeachment process going forward. And he made it pretty clear that he does not believe that the impeachment trial will be wrapped up by February 4. I asked him directly about that, and he said it's quote "hard to imagine" that it could be wrapped up by February 4, that it would only last two or three weeks, and he said in part because of the delay in getting the articles of impeachment from the House, and all the steps, procedural steps that need to be taken on the Senate floor before they would actually begin the trial. It looks like they're also preparing to get out of town essentially this weekend, after the articles are delivered, probably tomorrow, after that vote happens, and the House names the impeachment managers. Then there will be the ceremonial steps. The senators will be sworn in. The chief justice, John Roberts, will preside over the trial, will be sworn in. Senators are expected to leave town for that Martin Luther King weekend. In the meantime, some of the trial work and preparations will begin behind the scenes, and then Tuesday is when they would actually vote on the actual formal procedures of the trial, and then the arguments will take place on both sides. The Democrat impeachment managers, who we don't know who those individuals are yet, will make the case, and then the president's defense team will make its case. And that could take a couple of weeks. And that's why Roy Blunt is making it clear, Brooke, that he thinks it's unlikely the president can be cleared by the State of the Union, which is exactly what the White House wanted. They wanted the president to have that nationally televised address making the case that he was exonerated. But it could be like what we saw in 1999, when Bill Clinton delivered his State of the Union during the Senate impeachment trial Brooke.
[Baldwin:] All right, so TBD on February 4, whether he can stand up there and say, hey, I'm acquitted. But in terms of the substance of this impeachment trial, Lauren, over to you, because, also, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just flip-flopped on the dismissal of charges. So, what is he now saying, and what's behind that?
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Reporter:] Well, Majority Leader McConnell for a long time has been making the case behind the scenes that a motion to dismiss is unnecessary, and here's why. Essentially, he knows he does not have the votes, the 51 votes that would be needed in order to just dismiss this case outright. Instead, the case he's been making to his own members and to the president of the United States has been, look, wouldn't it be better to hear the arguments and then acquit the president outright? So Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said today at the mic that that is his plan. He also walked his members through what this process is going to look like. Remember, Brooke, this is going to be very tough for lawmakers who are used to talking and kibitzing on the Senate floor who are going to suddenly have to just be listening to this argument without their cell phones, without any kind of technology to distract them. At least that's what the expectation is at this point. So McConnell giving them a little bit of a debrief on what that's going to look like, when this all gets started next Tuesday Brooke.
[Baldwin:] OK. Lauren and Manu, thank you. Once things do get started over in the Senate, the Democrats' push to hear from the likes of John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney may get an assist from a small, but potentially influential group of Republicans. Mitt Romney, Lamar Alexander, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins all say they are open to hearing from those at the center of the president's efforts on Ukraine, something Mitch McConnell addressed today as well.
[Mcconnell:] All 53 of us have reached an understanding, very, very similar to the one that was achieved at the beginning of the Clinton impeachment trial 100-0 that would set up the arguments by the parties, the prosecutors, and the defense, and then a written question period, and then after that the more contentious issue of witnesses would be addressed by the Senate.
[Baldwin:] Tom Foreman is with us there in Washington. And so walk us through what each of these moderate Republicans has said about this.
[Tom Foreman, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, the reason he says it's contentious, Brooke, is this. The White House, the president and his defenders, they not only want an acquittal. They want as little damage done as possible, meaning they don't want to lot of witnesses coming forward saying once again what was done and why that was wrong. But people like Mitt Romney from Utah said, I'd like there to be witnesses. So, there's one voice weighing in. Now, think about the numbers here. Lamar Alexander, you mentioned a moment ago. He's not standing for reelection. He says, yes, I am open to witnesses. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, she's had differences with Donald Trump on numerous issues. She says she's working to have a process for a vote on witnesses or documents. And then Susan Collins from up in Maine saying, I tend to like information. She's pushing for a chance to call witnesses. These are only four people. Why would that matter? It matters because the Republican advantage in this chamber is 53 people, 53 people. Now, for an impeachment conviction, you have to have a two-thirds vote, but for all sorts of procedural matters like witnesses, all you need is a simple majority. So this is more than enough to tip it over, if they were to go with the Democrats on anything, and say, yes, we're going to have witnesses. No, we're not going to move to a swift acquittal. There are all sorts of procedural votes they could weigh in on, and that's the rep right now for Republicans. Republicans in large part just want this thing over with. They want Donald Trump to be able to walk out there and say, I was acquitted. But some of them are saying, we don't think that represents a fair process, and we don't want our party branded as a party that railroaded the presidency, railroaded it further down into an exoneration here, when that's what they don't think is a fair process. So, only a handful of people, but, Brooke, this handful of people could make all the difference in the world as to the nature of the hearing that Donald Trump gets.
[Baldwin:] No. If Mitch McConnell is saying, hey, we will address potential witnesses as the trial rolls on, those are the four to be watching.
[Foreman:] Absolutely.
[Baldwin:] Tom, thank you.
[Foreman:] You're welcome.
[Baldwin:] Meantime, six Democratic candidates are making last-minute preparations for tonight's CNN presidential debate, in partnership with "The Des Moines Register." This is the final face-off before the very first votes are cast in the 2020 race in the Iowa caucuses. Two candidates everyone will be watching tonight, progressive senators, both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Here is Warren doing a final walk-through of the debate stage just a little white ago. Senator Warren confirmed a conversation she had with Senator Sanders back in 2018, where he allegedly told her that he didn't believe a woman could win the presidency in 2020. Senator Sanders has since called that claim, in a word, ludicrous. CNN's Leyla Santiago is live in Des Moines. And here's the question. If the senators, if Warren and Sanders are confronted about this, this evening, how do you expect that to play out on stage tonight?
[Leyla Santiago, Cnn Correspondent:] That's the big question. That is what everyone is waiting to see. As you mentioned, Senator Warren just had her walk-through just minutes ago here, and I know we have previously seen Warren and Sanders next to each other in other debates. That will not happen here. Biden will be right between them, but many people, before they even get to their podium, will be watching to see, how do they shake hands? How do they look at each other? Because that tension that has been rising, especially after yesterday's back and forth over that 2018 conversation that you mentioned, Brooke, is very much fresh on the minds of folks. And this is a bit of a shift, because, all along, Sanders and Warren as the two, you know, progressives in the race have sort of stuck together, really haven't bad-mouthed each other and have said they're friends, but then this happens, and that's quite a change in tone. So, how they handle it tonight, I suspect they will want to move through it quickly, but what each role takes in that, we will have to wait and see. That's something to watch tonight. Something else to watch tonight, foreign policy, see how Iran comes up. In the last Quinnipiac poll, 51 percent of registered voters said they're not happy with the way President Trump is handling Iran right now. So, it will be interesting to hear from Biden on that and how the rest of the Democrats also react on stage when it comes to foreign policy. And this is a big moment, Brooke, because we are three weeks away from the Iowa caucuses, so pretty soon it will no longer be that we're relying on polls or pundits. It will be the votes themselves that speak to who the Democrats want to put up against President Donald Trump, once those caucuses are here in Iowa.
[Baldwin:] February 3, the big day. We have been talking a lot of those Iowans are really indecisive, so many candidates. They're mulling through it all in the last couple of weeks.
[Santiago:] Right.
[Baldwin:] We will be watching tonight. Leyla, thank you. Make sure you watch tonight's debate, as the top Democrats square off in Iowa for the CNN debate, in partnership with "The Des Moines Register." Tune in 9:00 Eastern here on CNN. So much more to watch for tonight, including the fact that there won't be a single person of color on that debate stage. Let's talk about that, the impact that's playing. And they're doing it again. The same Russian military unit that tipped the scales of the 2016 election for President Trump, they're now attacking Burisma, the same Burisma at the center of the impeachment investigation. So what does that mean for 2020? That's ahead. And as the administration continues to change its story on the killing of the Iranian general, I will talk with a national security expert who says this is all because the president sees himself as the star of his own action movie. He will explain that. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will be right back.

[Don Lemon, Cnn:] I'm Don Lemon. Here's our breaking news. The coronavirus death toll in this country getting closer and closer to 90,000, but the fact is, by midnight tonight, at least 48 states will have started reopening to some degree. Pretty much everywhere you look this country is opening up, beginning to lift stay-at-home orders and sending businesses back to work: the president telling NBC Sports tonight he really wants to see tens of thousands of fans crowded together not wearing masks.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We really want to see it get back to normal, so when you have all of those thousands, tens of thousands of people, going to your majors, and going to golf tournaments, we want them to have that same experience. So we don't want them to be having to wear masks and, you know, be doing what we have been doing for the last number of months, because that's not that's not getting back to normal.
[Lemon:] We all want to get back to normal, no doubt about that, or some version of normal. But is now really the time to be talking about tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of fans crowded together, not wearing masks? And then there's the Health and Human Services secretary, Alex Azar, putting part of the blame for coronavirus deaths on the state of Americans' health.
[Alex Azar, Health And Human Services Secretary:] Unfortunately, the American population is a very diverse, and it is a population with significant unhealthy comorbidities that do make many individuals in our communities, in particular African-American, minority communities, particularly at risk here because of significant underlying disease, health disparities, and disease comorbidities, and that is an unfortunate legacy in our health care system that we certainly do need to address.
[Lemon:] There's no question that communities of color have been hard hit by coronavirus. We pointed out that disparity over and over. Remember, a recent study found African-Americans make up 27 percent of fatalities in communities where we are only 13 percent of the population. But it is pretty rich for Azar to point to underlying health conditions in minority communities while ignoring the fact that the president downplayed the virus for weeks: weeks when we could have been taking steps to protect all Americans, including in communities of color. We are also learning tonight that social distancing may have prevented tens of millions of infections that, as far as more people are looking for any excuse to abandon social distancing and masks. A recent study finds without any social distancing at all the number of coronavirus cases in this country could have been 35 times higher. But with the weather getting warmer in a lot of in a big part of this country, the country quarantine fatigue is really setting in. I'm sure you've seen it where you live. I want you to take a look at these crowds. This is in New York City, this is on Friday night, okay? Which is why talk like this from the president's son, Eric Trump, is not just idiotic: it's dangerous.
[Eric Trump, Son Of President Trump:] They think they're taking away Donald Trump's greatest tool, which is being able to go into an arena and fill it with 50,000 people every single time, right? So they they will, and you watch. They'll milk it every single day between now and November 3rd, and guess what, after November 3rd, coronavirus will magically all of a sudden go away and disappear, and everybody will be able to reopen.
[Lemon:] How low can you go? Seriously. That is stunningly callous, accusing Democrats of using social distancing to keep the president from holding campaign rallies, when nearly 90,000 Americans have died; and then echoing his father's absurd claim that the coronavirus will magically go away. But that's the story that this president needs to sell. He needs you to believe that we're on the other side of this thing, meaning the country the world, really. Even though we are not. He needs you to believe that the economy is going to come back roaring, come roaring back, just in time for election day. That's why he's saying things like this.
[Trump:] I just want to make something clear. It's very important. Vaccine or no vaccine, we're back, and we are starting the process. And in many cases, they don't have vaccines, and a virus, or a flu comes, and you fight through it. We haven't seen anything like this in a hundred and some-odd years. 1917.
[Lemon:] Well, the president flat out saying that we are opening the economy, even though we don't have a vaccine. His advice for Americans who get sick, just fight through it. Just fight through the virus that your own CDC director says could kill 100,000 Americans by June 1st, only two weeks away. I guess it should be no surprise that this president, and this is according to sources, has privately questioned whether the death toll is inflated. But here's the fact the fact is, people are dying, nearly 90,000 of them, yet the president wants you to think that this is all about politics.
[Trump:] People want to come back. You see what's going on at state houses all over the country. They want to come back. I think some people don't want it really to come back, for political reasons, which is sick. But the people, the real people, the people that want this country to be great and great again, we can say they want to get back. You look at some cases, some people think they're doing it for politics. Here we go again. But they think they're doing it because it will hurt me. The longer it takes to hurt me in the election, the longer it takes to open up.
[Lemon:] Me, me, me, me, me. It will hurt me in the election. Listen, I've said this before. Everyone wants to reopen the economy. That is a fight that he needs you to believe in order to win the election. There is not one person out there who doesn't want the economy to reopen. People need to feed their families. They need to pay their bills. We need the economy to open up yesterday, weeks ago. Everyone needs and wants that, but we have to be smart about it. That is a trick. Don't fall into it. It's not, we have to open the economy, and some people don't want the economy. Don't fall into that. What we have to do is be smart about it. We need the tools the right tools in order to do it, testing kits, contact tracing, all of that. He wants to get your mind off of that, but we have to be safe about it. Millions of Americans are hurting, so don't fall into the trick, everyone. This is not a political thing. This is about your health, your life, your safety, and also about your livelihood and taking care of your family. It's not about politics, OK? But millions of Americans have made a lot of sacrifices, staying at home, staying away from their jobs, their families, their schools. And in the face of all of that, I want you to listen to this is the former president, Barack Obama, who, in a virtual commencement address to high school seniors also seemed to have a poignant message for President Trump.
[Barack Obama, Former President Of The United States:] Doing what feels good, what's convenient, what's easy, that's how little kids think. Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grownups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way, which is why things are so screwed up.
[Lemon:] And if you thought President Trump would take the high road in response, well, you didn't think that, did you?
[Trump:] He was an incompetent president. That's all I can say. Grossly incompetent. Thank you.
[Lemon:] Incompetent? Remember, that was the president that saved you and this country's economy, your country from the brink. The one who really grew the economy and just handed it to this president. So let's not forget that former president Barack Obama warned of a pandemic like this. It was way back in 2014, and he was right.
[Obama:] There may, and likely will come a time in which we have both an airborne disease that is deadly, and in order for us to deal with that effectively, we have to put in place an infrastructure, not just here at home, but globally, that allows us to see it quickly, isolate it quickly, respond to it quickly, so that if and when a new strain of flu like the Spanish Flu crops up, five years from now or a decade from now, we have made the investment. and we're further along to be able to catch it.
[Lemon:] So incompetent that he was able to see into the future. Wasn't heeded. That warning was not heeded by this President and this administration. And here we are tonight more than 1.4 million cases of coronavirus, as the death toll gets closer and closer to 90,000. We've also got new developments on the case that we have been following we have been covering for you for more than two weeks. The shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. Ahmaud Arbery was chased. He was gunned down and killed when he was jogging in a Georgia neighborhood this was back in February. Former President Barack Obama talking about the case in a in that virtual commencement address in another virtual commencement address, this one to graduating seniors at historically black colleges and universities. Pointing out the inequities and extra burden dealt with by communities of color.
[Obama:] Just as we see it, when a black man goes for a jog, and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him if he doesn't submit to their questioning. Injustice like this isn't new. What is new is that so much of your generation has woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing. That the old ways of doing things don't work.
[Lemon:] We've got the very latest on Ahmaud Arbery's case for you tonight, including surveillance video showing that he wasn't the only person to enter that under construction house in Georgia in that neighborhood. But he's the only one we know of that was chased down. Definitely the only one we know of who was killed. But right now, I want to turn now to the coronavirus debacle in this country. CNN's White House Correspondent, Jeremy Diamond is here with more. Jeremy, good evening to you on this Sunday. You have new reporting tonight on the President, him traveling to the battle ground state of Michigan later this week. What are you learning?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] That's right, Don. A little moment ago, we reported that President Trump is expected to travel to Michigan on Thursday to visit a Ford manufacturing facility. This will be the President's third visit in three weeks. Not only going outside of Washington, but specifically going to battleground states. These are official White House visits that the President is making. This time it will be to a plant that has been producing ventilators. But, of course, the political ramifications cannot be understated. Michigan is one of those states where the President is currently trailing the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, and a state that was crucial to President trump's election in 2016. He won it by less than 11,000 votes. And now, Don, I do have a White House official officially confirming this visit. And it will be to Ford Motor Company's Rawsonville manufacturing plants in Ypsilanti, Michigan on Thursday. So that is the visit that we're expecting to see from the President. Of course, Don, this comes as we know, as you were just talking about as President Trump is talking about a return to normal. And he is talking about it not just in terms of him going out in the country traveling off and visiting these places without wearing a mask but, but also as he's talking about a return back to how things used to be. We heard the President on NBC Sports earlier today, during this golf tournament, talking about wanting to see stadiums filled to the brim once again. People not wearing masks. What the President, of course, isn't talking about there is what the time line is for that to happen, and specifically how that can happen. The President, it is said, recently has been focusing more on this on painting a picture of what a return to normal looks like, but not how exactly we're going to get there, and what kind of testing capabilities vaccines, all of these things are needed to actually get to that place.
[Lemon:] Yes. Listen, I would like to be in a stadium filled with people. I think a lot of people are ready to get out of their homes. You know, a lot of us are going to home and going to work. But I think we need to do it very smartly. You know, it's time to for many people, it's time to open up. They've got to they've got to pay their bills. They've got to earn a living. But, I mean, I think getting in the stadiums, crowding people in, especially without social distancing, and masks I don't know if we're ready for that part right now. Jeremy Diamond at the White House for us. Jeremy, thank you very much. Are we ready for this new normal in America's restaurants, in our churches, in our salons and our beaches? And as Jeremy was just saying, in our sports arenas sporting arenas as well? Well, time is closing in. And are we closing our eyes to the dangers? I'm going to ask a global health expert next.

[Robyn Curnow, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN. I am Robyn Curnow. Just ahead, a bleak winter in the United States.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention:] I do think the fall and the winter of 2020 and 2021 are going to be one of the most difficult times that we have experienced in American public health.
[Curnow:] A dire message as the country breaks another single day record for new coronavirus cases. Also, the U.S. president is punishing China over its new national security law. We will have a live report on that. And accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is staying in jail after being denied bail. We will speak to the attorney for some of her and Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims.
[Unidentified Male:] Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.
[Curnow:] The U.S. has reported a new daily record for coronavirus cases, more than 67,000 people confirmed on Tuesday alone. Overall, the virus has now killed over 136,000 people across the country. And according to a widely cited scientific model, the death could rise to nearly a quarter million people by November. But there is some promising news. Biotech company Moderna says its vaccine candidate was found to trigger immune responses from all its volunteers in a phase one study. The company will now begin final trials later on this month. And all of this comes as U.S. health care workers are being overwhelmed. In Florida, intensive care units at 48 hospitals have now reached their peak, their capacity. The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns hospitals could be further strained this autumn and winter if the outbreak isn't contained. He is encouraging all Americans to continue wearing masks.
[Redfield:] I'm glad to see the president wear a mask this week and the vice president. Clearly in their situation, they could easily justify that they don't need to because of all the testing around them and they know they are not infected. But we need them to set the example.
[Curnow:] For his part, the U.S. president continued to defend his response to the pandemic. In a press briefing, he once again touted America's testing capability.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States Of America:] And frankly, if we didn't test you wouldn't have all the headlines because we are showing cases, and we have just about the lowest mortality rate, but if we did, think of this, if we didn't do testing, instead of testing over 40 million people, if we did half the testing, we'd have half the cases. If we did another, you cut that in half. We'd have, yet again, half of that.
[Curnow:] The nation's top expert on infectious disease has disputed those claims, saying the high number of cases is largely due to more infections.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] Obviously, the more you test, the more you going to pick up. So increase in testing is going to give you an increase, but there is no doubt that there are more infections, and we know that because the percentage of cases of the cases that are tested that are positive is increasing. Therefore, unequivocally you are seeing, truly, more new cases.
[Curnow:] The U.S. has so far confirmed 3.4 million cases nationwide and the infection rate rising each day, more than half the country is now halting or rolling back some of their reopening plans as Nick Watt now explains.
[Nick Watt, Cnn National Correspondent:] More than 50,000 Americans are right now in the hospital, suffering with this virus. We are nearing the numbers from the dark days of April. The vice president was in Louisiana today, where the average daily case count already eclipsed April.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] Because of the unprecedented national response marshaled by our president, we have more resources today to deal with this pandemic than ever before.
[Mayor Dan Gelber , Miami Beach:] You can't keep telling people that everything is fine and not to worry because this is not a virus that responds to political speaking points.
[Watt:] At least 27 states have paused or rolled back reopenings but case rates are climbing in 30 states. More people were reported dead from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours in Florida than ever before.
[Gov. Ron Desantis:] Some of the metrics have risen.
[Watt:] But the governor did not specifically mention the deaths. A member of Florida's cabinet says he has lost control.
[Unidentified Female:] The governor continues to downplay the seriousness of what's happening in Florida. Quite frankly, we've seen very little to no leadership from Governor DeSantis.
[Watt:] North Carolina announced its pausing on phase 2 for another 3 weeks. Chicago just canceled its marathon, Philly canceled all big events for 6 months and in California, every bar and indoor restaurant just closed again. Los Angeles is currently threat level orange.
[Unidentified Male:] We are on the border of going to red. Red is when everything shuts down again, everything, to our strictest level.
[Watt:] We hoped warmth would bring respite.
[Redfield:] I was one of the individuals who thought we get a break in July in August.
[Watt:] It didn't. So the director of the CDC says he is reluctant to make predictions. But
[Redfield:] I do think the fall and the winter of 2020 and 2021 are going to be one of the most difficult times that we have experienced in American public health.
[Watt:] Here in California, a record number of people in the hospital, a record number of people in the ICU, which is why this restaurant is no longer allowed to serve anybody inside Nick Watt, CNN, Santa Monica.
[Curnow:] Dr. Esther Choo is a professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. She is with us this hour. Doctor, good to see you again. We spoke a few times in the past few months. It is still mind-boggling to hear these reports of America hitting record numbers, again and again and again.
[Dr. Esther Choo, Oregon Health And Science University:] Thanks for having me on, Robyn. Yes, I cannot believe we are here. talking about this again. I honestly thought when we first spoke that by this time, either you would not need to have me on or we would be on kind of celebrating some kind of victories and how we are headed into a much more promising trajectory going into the fall. That was my hope all along. But we are really experiencing Groundhog Day again here in the U.S., in many ways. It feels like it did back in March in New York state but happening around the country. I will be honest, I'm very nervous heading into late summer and early fall if we do not course correct. This is going to be terrible.
[Curnow:] A very bleak outlook. You agree with the head of the CDC then?
[Choo:] I do. But with the caveat that this is in our control. This virus and its spread are simply a function of human behavior. It really is a collective decision how successful this virus is. It really counts on us going out, there getting together, not wearing masks. If we do those things, it will proliferate. That's what it does very predictably. If we don't give it as much opportunity, we can have successes here. This is a decision to be made in our communities everywhere.
[Curnow:] There are a number of studies coming in from all over the world, looking at the way this impacts the body. That varies from person to person. But we are seeing a new study showing mother to child transmission and real concern about health problems with the fetus and then with the newborn. What do you make of that study? What advice or clues does it give to women who are pregnant right now?
[Choo:] This new study was a woman near the end of her pregnancy, who got COVID-19. They were able to find evidence of the virus in the placenta and the amniotic fluid and then in the baby's blood and then the baby became ill. There have been now a number of case studies showing the evidence of vertical transmission like that during pregnancy. But I think overall, I would say, first of all, being young remains protective against these serious consequences of COVID. And all the babies in which COVID-19 has been detected, the neonates have all done well. So I would say, remember for pregnant women out there, this should not raise your blood pressure. I don't want to add to the mental burden of women who are pregnant. We have seen many, many more healthy pregnancies. Pregnant women are not more likely to get COVID-19 or its complications than anybody else. I think pregnant women need to do the same things everybody else needs to, which is be careful, social distance, wear a mask, wash your hands. There is no special thing for pregnant women. Statistically speaking, bad outcomes are extremely rare. And you just need to do regular precautions.
[Curnow:] What about optimism on a vaccine? I know there have been a lot of wild timelines thrown about. But we are reporting that there has been some optimism on one vaccine in terms of the immune response.
[Choo:] It seems the most promising vaccine in the U.S. is from Moderna. They published the results of their phase one trial that showed it was safe in a small group of people, just 45 adults. And it seemed to stimulate at a mid-range dose a good immune response, at least comparable to what you would get with the disease. So that's very promising. They are currently conducting phase 2 trials. They expect to move on to phase 3 trials this summer. And let's hope for the best, which would mean that the trials would conclude later on this year and we can start to make vaccine available early next year. However, it's never a guarantee. Many vaccines that have gone through phase one never make it out of phase 3 and into clinical trials because when you test in a much larger population, you find you are able to find safety concerns or to measure efficacy and effectiveness. And you find it's not that effective. So I would say cautious optimism but so, far things have been going well and we can just cross our fingers for this one.
[Curnow:] Thanks so much, Dr. Esther Choo, we really appreciate you joining us. Thank you.
[Choo:] Thank, you Robyn. My pleasure.
[Curnow:] President Trump is taking aim at China, announcing new sanctions on businesses and individuals who helped Beijing restrict Hong Kong's autonomy. That's not all. Hong Kong will no longer enjoy special trade status with the U.S. The U.S. president ended that with the stroke of a pen on Tuesday.
[President Trump:] Today, I also signed an executive order ending U.S. preferential treatment for Hong Kong. Hong Kong will now be treated the same as Mainland China, no special privileges, no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies.
[Curnow:] Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you. What is the impact of this decision?
[Kristie Lu Stout, Cnn Anchor:] One impact, of course, is worsening relations. We already heard from China and it plans to retaliate. China says it is going to take necessary measures and impose sanctions against relevant U.S. personnel and entities on the back of what U.S. president Donald Trump just did, as expected. He signed the Hong Kong Economy Act into law, which effectively ends Hong Kong's special trading status and allows the United States to treat Hong Kong like any other Chinese city in regards to trade and commerce. Here in Hong Kong, everyone has been wondering, what does this mean for Hong Kong? Number one, it will jeopardize tens of billions of dollars' worth of trade between the U.S. and Hong Kong. In fact, one economist told us earlier that it will shave off 10 percent of Hong Kong exports, a pretty significant number. It will also create a lot of uncertainty for the 1,300 American companies that operate here, including major law and accounting firms. It will also dissuade people from choosing to invest in Hong Kong. It also hurts China. Hong Kong has been an east-west conduit for international trade and finance; a number of multinational companies and mainland Chinese companies have their international headquarters based here in Hong Kong. That's the reason why China says it is going to take action. But what will that action entail? I posed that question earlier to an economist. Take a listen to what he told us.
[Terence Chong, Economist:] In terms of the retaliation, China may not have a lot of choice because China does have a trade deal with the U.S. So China may not impose any counter action on the
[Stout:] So China could limit its exports to the United States. Analysts also said that this is a self defeating move by the Trump administration, because, ever since this pact was in place between Hong Kong in the United States for Hong Kong to enjoy the special trade status, the United States has been profiting from and benefiting from the favorable business conditions here. In fact, just last, year Hong Kong was the source of the largest U.S. goods trade surplus for the United States, valued at about $26.1 billion.
[Curnow:] Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thanks for that update. Staying in the region, a diplomatic win for the Trump administration with the U.K. now banning Chinese tech giant Huawei from having access to its high speed wireless network. Britain had said in January that Huawei equipment could be used in its 5G network on a limited basis but then it reversed course on Tuesday.
[Oliver Dowden, British Digital, Culture, Media And Sport Secretary:] The government agrees with the national security census advice. The best way to secure our networks is for operators to stop using new affected Huawei equipment to build the U.K.'s future 5G networks. So to be clear, from the end of this year, telecoms operators must not buy any 5G equipment from Huawei. Once the telecoms security bill is passed, it will be illegal for them to do so.
[Curnow:] CNN's Sherisse Pham is live for us in Hong Kong this hour. Good to see you. This is certainly an about turn, the decision coming after pressure from the
[U.s. Sherisse Pham, Cnn Business Correspondent:] This is an about turn and it is a huge loss for Huawei. This decision from the United Kingdom, even though it means it will cost billions of pounds to strip Huawei equipment from emerging 5G networks there and even though it will also delay the rollout of 5G, the fact that the U.K. took this decision, despite those high costs, it really sends a signal. Analysts I talked to today say the U.K. somewhat of a trendsetter in Europe because of its security assessment chops. The United Kingdom is able to examine lots of code and make really good and strong security assessment risks. And the fact they have made this decision that it's now too risky to use Huawei equipment and 5G networks, it sends a signal to other countries. It means other countries like Belgium and France or Germany could follow suit and also ban or further restrict Huawei from their 5G networks. While Huawei called the decision disappointing and said this is a decision because of U.S. trade policy and not because of security. And as you mentioned, this is a big win for the Trump administration.
[Curnow:] What do we know about the potential at least for retaliatory measures?
[Pham:] There is always a potential for that from China, especially when it comes to a big national tech champion like Huawei. Before the decision came down, China's minister of foreign affairs said that this will be something of a litmus test for Britain if Britain decides to ban Huawei from the 5G network. And in Germany, even though the debate about Huawei has intensified, German officials are also worried that, if they ban or restrict Huawei from the 5G network, it could mean retaliatory measures against German exporters. Of course, China is a huge car market for German cars. Now today, we just have a state run tabloid in China, perhaps one of these starkest warnings yet in an editorial, titled, "China won't passively watch the U.K.'s Huawei ban." Here is what they wrote. "It's necessary for China to retaliate against the U.K.; otherwise, wouldn't we be too easy to bully? Such retaliation should be public and painful for the U.K." So that in itself, is a warning to other countries that might want to follow suit and follow the U.K.'s lead.
[Curnow:] Thank you for that update. Sherisse Pham, we appreciate it. You are watching CNN. Still to come, Canada is not allowing U.S. visitors at all right now and neither is Mexico, for that matter. Find out how long they will be shutting out their neighbor. And after winning several legal challenges, Donald Trump's niece finally publishes her revealing book about the president and she is opening up about it for the very first time.
[Mary Trump, Donald Trump's Niece:] He is utterly incapable of leading this country.

[Baldwin:] The CDC says it is preparing for the possibility of a community spread of the coronavirus right here in the United States. Let me throw a map up on the screen and you can see just how many people in more than 30 countries and regions around the world have now been infected. And now let's talk about the U.S. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta just heard from CDC officials about the spread of the virus here in the U.S. And so Sanjay, we know there are now 57 cases of the virus here States side. How concerned should we be?
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Well, you know, Brooke, I think the concern level is still low, and take a look at the numbers where these 57 patients are coming from. You know, there's a significant number that are related to travel. There's only been two cases so far in the United States where it's human to human transmission. But as you point out, the majority of the patients here in the United States were repatriated, many from that cruise ship that we talked so much about. So when you look at 80,000 cases, Brooke around the world, 57 here in the United States, the concern level is still low. But we just did hear from the CDC and I think that they're starting to get into this mode, talking about the fact that if we start to see this transmission within communities here that's something we need to be prepared for. Let me tell exactly what they said. They said, "The data over the last week, and they're referring to countries around the world, and the spread in other countries has raised our level of concern, and raise our expectations that we're going to have community spread here." I won't to explain exactly what that means, Brooke, but I talked to the head of the CDC, Dr. Robert Redfield, specifically about specifically about the worst case scenario here in the United States, and here's how he put it.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Director, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention:] We've had a very aggressive approach to try to do early case identification, and then isolation and contact tracing that's enabled us to contain this at this point. But I think this virus is probably with us beyond this season, or beyond this year, and I think eventually, the virus will find a foothold and we will get community based transmission. And you can start to think of it in the sense like seasonal flu. The only difference is, we don't understand this virus. At least seasonal flu, we pretty much understand how it acts.
[Gupta:] So Brooke, to your question, 57 is the number right now, but Dr. Redfield and others are saying it's looking more and more likely this is going to gain a foothold here in the United States. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be something that is wildly lethal. We still seem to think that most people who get this infection have no symptoms or minimal symptoms, but the idea that it's going to start spreading more widely that seems to be the common consensus Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Then why is it that the World Health Organization will be the ones to declare this a pandemic? Why have they not taken this step yet?
[Gupta:] Some of this may be semantics, Brooke. I mean, there are some criteria to declare something a pandemic, and what it really means is that in several places around the world, not only do you have the virus spreading, but it's spreading generationally. So one person spreads it to three people. They spread it subsequently to three people each, and that sort of transmission happens four or five times, four or five generations of spread. That's what they mean by sustained transmission. But you know, we're not there yet according to the WHO, but it is possible that we're going to get there. We saw that with H1N1 for example, in 2009. SARS, Brooke, which it is often compared to was never declared a pandemic. So there are some criteria in place. And you know, the definition of this may change even over the next couple of days or weeks.
[Baldwin:] All right, Dr. Gupta, thank you. And thank you for the latest from the CDC We've got another doctor waiting in the wings here. Meantime, President Trump is downplaying fears about the virus's spread here in the U.S. He says it's very much under control. So with me now, Dr. Zeke Emanuel, former White House Health Policy adviser for the Obama administration. He is with me. He just returned from a WHO meeting of scientific experts on the coronavirus. So you, sir, are the perfect person to be talking to, Dr. Emanuel, welcome.
[Dr. Zeke Emanuel, Former White House Health Policy Adviser For The Obama Administration:] Nice to be here.
[Baldwin:] So you just heard from Sanjay that essentially the CDC is sounding the alarm when it comes to, you know, coronavirus here in the States. I've read that you had suggested that people in the U.S. may be overreacting to this outbreak. How so?
[Emanuel:] Well, I think if I would agree with Sanjay on two very important points. First, the current risk in the United States is extremely low. We have 57 cases. The vast majority of which come from that cruise ship in Japan. We've had, you know most of them have been travel related. Only a couple have been person-to-person spread. So I think in our daily lives, we need to be careful about not being hysterical about coronavirus for ourselves and not stigmatizing people who come from China. So that I think is very important. Will it likely spread? Will we have more cases, thousands of cases in the United States? Probably. That shows you that the quarantine and the travel ban we've imposed might delay the coronavirus coming here, but it's not going to prevent the coronavirus from coming to the United States and I think that's very important. We are obviously rapidly progressing on a vaccine and testing therapeutics, both of which are really important to see if we can block this virus from spreading through a vaccine.
[Baldwin:] You mentioned the vaccine. Let me jump to what the President said about a possible vaccine. Here he was.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] The coronavirus, which is you know, very well under control in our country. We have very few people with it. The people are getting better. They're all getting better. And I think that whole situation will start working out a lot of talents, a lot of brainpower is being put behind it. Two and a half billion dollars we're putting in. There is a very good chance you're not going to die. Now they have it. They have studied it. They know very much. In fact, we're very close to a vaccine.
[Baldwin:] So two questions, Dr. Emanuel coming out of that. Number one, just the point. I mean, I hear you laugh, and I want to know why. Is he true on the point is he correct on the point about the U.S. being close to a vaccine? And two, what do you make of how he characterized the virus?
[Emanuel:] Well, first of all, I would say it's going to get worse before it's going to get better. And we need to be well aware of that. We're going to have more cases before it's going to taper off and decline. And the idea that we're not going to have more than 50 or a few more cases that's just not likely. It is a low risk situation. Now, given what we know, the death rate is 2.5 percent, mainly among old people and people with other complicating diseases like diabetes or heart failure or emphysema. And that seems to be where the real problems are. But we're going to have a lot more cases in the United States and we should be prepared. We are close to having a vaccine three months or four months away, but then it has to go through a series of trials to assess whether it's safe, whether it actually does produce antibodies and whether it protects people from coronavirus. That's unlikely to be completed before the end of before the next season.
[Baldwin:] So it was funny? What was funny about the President?
[Emanuel:] This virus may well, because he was talking about we have it all under control. I might remind your audience, the President has suggested cuts in the CDC The administration fired Admiral Rimmer who was handling biosafety in the White House. They weren't prepared for this at all. We do have a lot of brains behind that, but that's not because the Trump administration was well-prepared, it's because the N.I.H. and the CDC, the career people there are very well-prepared, extremely well-trained and really know how to do this, but not because the administration itself, including its political appointees were prepared for this at all or even are now prepared for this. So I think it's a little humorous for him to authoritatively say we have this under control. That's only because of the government bureaucrats who we tend to dismiss, they have it under control. They have been working hard. They've been working with the scientific community to develop a vaccine. And I think that's important to recognize. We have to make these investments.
[Baldwin:] I appreciate you making that point. Dr. Zeke Emanuel, thank you, sir.
[Emanuel:] Great. Thank you for having me.
[Baldwin:] You've got it. The President of the United States is once again attacking the U.S. Supreme Court calling for two liberal justices to recuse themselves in cases that are, his words, Trump related. And disgraced movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein is now a convicted rapist. We will talk to a woman who helped expose his predatory behavior.

[Stelter:] What unites the leading candidates for the Democratic nomination right now? Is it screen time? Because Pete Buttigieg seems to be saying yes to every T.V. interview under the sun, national and local, and it's been working for him for a year now. Bernie Sanders has been on lots of shows lately too, even while leveling critiques of the media, and Michael Bloomberg, his television strategy is an ad campaign that is just unrelenting. You know, Twitter moments and Tick Tock memes are great, but the primaries are still won and lost right here on the tube. Let's talk about it with Philip Bump and JoanWalsh there back in the table, joined by New York Magazine's Irin Carmon as well. Let's take a sprint around the primary field. Six candidates, six minutes beginning with Bernie with Joe Biden who of course was buried by unflattering coverage as a result of the New Hampshire primary failures. But Philip, is that what's to be expected, you know, you come into place you're going to get scrutinized?
[Bump:] Yes. I mean, it was certainly was coming into both Iowa and New Hampshire. He knew he wasn't going to do as well as he would in later contest based on what his base was, but he did even worse than expected. And since his entire value proposition to Democratic voters was I'm the guy that can win the race against Donald Trump, losing two races very badly to, you know, four or five or three or four different Democrats didn't help that case.
[Stelter:] One of the other New Hampshire primary narratives was about Klo-mentum, am I pronouncing that right or
[Irin Carmon, Senior Correspondent: New York Magazine:] I prefer Klob- mentum.
[Stelter:] Klob-ment0m?
[Carmon:] Yes.
[Stelter:] Is she finally getting the attention she deserves? What's your view about how Amy Klobuchar is being covered?
[Carmon:] Well, because our industry has such a bias towards the recent, the novel, I think Amy Klobuchar really benefited from timing. She hasn't experienced the same level of press setting or scrutiny that's a Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden have already gone through. And so all of the sudden, folks who are maybe, let's say, college-educated white women in New Hampshire looking for a home, Amy Klobuchar, suddenly, she's tough in the debate. She had some incredible moments pushing back at Pete Buttigieg's lack of experience. And so all of a sudden, we in the media are talking up Klob-mentum, Klo-mentum, I think, Klobucharg, pick your pick your poison. But I don't think we've really had the depth of reporting or scrutiny on Amy Klobuchar as we have had on other candidates. She came in strong chest when she needed it, but we're I think we're going to see in the long term what that looks like.
[Stelter:] What about the other female candidate that's high in the race right now, and that's Elizabeth Warren, not a great performance in New Hampshire. And this Free Beacon headline is notable. She's on a fundraising pitch of supporters saying we can no longer count on the media to cover our campaign fairly. Is this just a typical bash the media when things aren't going well strategy, Joan?
[Joan Walsh, National Affairs Correspondent, The Nation:] No, I don't I don't think so. You know, she had a tough night in New Hampshire, and that made things a lot harder for her. But before New Hampshire, coming out of Iowa, where I was, Brian, I wrote a piece that said Elizabeth Warren is being erased by the media because she really was. The story was OK, Biden flopped. That was I admit, I'm a reporter. I understand some of why this happened. Biden was a big story as a flop, Bernie and Pete tied. Pete looked like baby he won. He's always a fresh face. But the woman who finished third, a decent third, not her not her dream, was really I was watching, you know, cable stations that were jumping around and skipping her. And you know, even on the night of the Iowa caucuses, lots of people cut from her to Biden because Biden was a bigger story and that it was a very sad performance. So I understand why she's upset. But I think having done as poorly as she did in New Hampshire, she can't just blame the media. I think that there's you know, there's stuff going on in her campaign and in her own approach to getting attention that she's got to address. She did not go out and grab attention and grab time in the debate when she really should have and Amy certainly did. I think she's got to be tougher, quite honestly.
[Stelter:] And Bernie Sanders also has complaints about whether his campaigns being overlooked. That this has been a topic for a long time at this point, Philip. Is that fair?
[Bump:] You're setting me up here. I mean, look
[Stelter:] In ten seconds.
[Bump:] Right. Now, I mean, Bernie Sanders' campaign is doing well. He's at the front of the pack right now. You know, they a lot of his supporters want to call them front runner. He has a very avid base of support that wants to see him treated as the sort of go-to eventual nominee, the only person who can beat Donald Trump. And so we get a lot of pushback in the media when we report on Bernie Sanders because there is an expectation of how he will be covered that I don't think applies to other candidates and doesn't come from other candidates basis in the same way. And I think they're effective at pushing people to ask questions like is Bernie Sanders being treated fairly? I think, generally speaking, he was. And now my mentions on Twitter will be a mess for a week.
[Stelter:] OK, let's get to a couple more candidates after a quick break. Everybody stay with me. And a quick plug here as well. We have an election night coming, another election caucus night at least this Saturday. CNN is starting the race for the White House. The new season starts tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time here on CNN. More here on RELIABLE SOURCES in just a moment.

[Sciutto:] Welcome back. One by one, a small number but a growing number of Republican lawmakers are demanding action on gun reform legislation. Sources tell CNN that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent three committee chairmen to find a package of reforms that could get bipartisan support and be signed into law by the president. Those are two difficult things, remember that. Proposals could include limiting guns for people with severe mental health issues these are known as red flag laws as well as studying the impact of violent video games, red flag laws at the top of the list. A short time ago, the president said that he's at least open to the possibility of background checks. Of course, that's something the president has said before and not followed through on. I want to speak now to Dennis Willard. He's the spokesman for a citizens' group here in Ohio called Ohioans for Gun Safety.
[Dennis Willard, Spokesman, Ohioans For Gun Safety:] Thanks, Jim.
[Sciutto:] You've been fighting this issue here for a long time.
[Willard:] For years.
[Sciutto:] So you know when hopes get raised and dashed. Tell me about this moment, particularly in Ohio. Is it a different moment? And do you see the potential for real action here, in the wake of these shootings?
[Willard:] I think Governor Mike DeWine's announcement yesterday, that he supports background checks, is a major step forward for us. But we have a very conservative pro-gun legislature, so we're going to have to go to the people, collect signatures.
[Sciutto:] Right.
[Willard:] If the legislature doesn't act, we'll go we have direct democracy here in Ohio. We'll go directly to the voters and we'll ask them
[Sciutto:] To do a referendum, you mean?
[Willard:] and we'll do a referendum. That's what
[Sciutto:] I see.
[Willard:] that's what our group, Ohioans for Gun Safety, is doing. We're collecting signatures. We'll collect 133,000 signatures this year. The legislature will have four months to act on our proposal. If they do nothing, we collect an additional 133,000 signatures
[Sciutto:] And you go right
[Willard:] and right to a vote. Yes.
[Sciutto:] towards the vote. I should note for our viewers, this is Air Force Once landing here in Dayton, Ohio right now, taxiing down the runway. This is, of course, the president visiting when he comes. If he gives comments, we will give you those comments live. Let me ask you, as the president arrives here, does that help or hurt the cause of gun safety?
[Willard:] I really think that the president has a bully pulpit. But unfortunately, he's been using it to bully the underdog, the working person. I think that it would be wonderful if he would use the bully pulpit for good. But as you mentioned earlier, Cory Booker said, "You reap what you sow." And he's been, you know, sowing hate. What we're going to do is be positive, go directly to the voters and get them to sign these petitions, and then force the legislature either to act, or the voters will enact this law themselves.
[Sciutto:] As you noted, big conservative majorities in both houses here, and they won't even hold hearings on some of these
[Willard:] That's right.
[Sciutto:] things. That's of course, a backstop? Sounds a little bit like Mitch McConnell in the Senate. Dennis Willard, we appreciate your time. Tonight on CNN, Chris Cuomo will moderate a live "
[Cuomo Prime Time Town Hall: America Under Assault:] THE GUN CRISIS," airs tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, right here on CNN. As we noted, the president has just landed in Dayton, Ohio. Our special coverage from Dayton continues in just a moment.

[Van Jones, Cnn:] Good evening. Good evening, good evening. I'm Van Jones. Welcome to "The Van Jones Show". We are coming to you tonight from Los Angeles, California, and we've got two pretty important California residents in the studio with us tonight. One happens to be the Governor of the State. My friend Gavin Newsom is here tonight. Oh, my god, we've got the Governor. We also got one of the biggest celebrities in the state, in the country, on planet Earth, you may have heard of her Kim Kardashian West is also in the house tonight on "The Van Jones Show". So much to talk to them about. But first let's talk. This week the Mueller redacted report was finally released, but instead of closure guys, the report actually opened up another round of outrage and exasperation and division in the country. Far from exonerating Trump, Mueller practically invited Congress to step in and do something. And now some Republicans want retaliatory investigations to go after the other side. So we are off to the races again.
[Rep. Steve Cohen:] I believe impeachable offenses have been committed.
[Rep. David Cicilline:] No new indictments, no sealed indictments, no collusion, no obstruction.
[Hogan Gidley, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary:] It's a complete and total exoneration.
[Unidentified Female:] This report does not vindicate President in any way. It turns your stomach.
[Nicolle Wallace, Anchor Msnbc:] Is Sarah Sanders smearing Jim Comey from the podium.
[Sarah Sanders, White House Press Secretary:] I'm sorry that I wasn't a robot like the Democrat Party that went out for two and a half years and stated time and time again that there was definitely Russian collusion between the President and his campaign.
[Rep. Eric Swalwell  Presidential Candidate:] I think Attorney General Barr should resign. He can join the President's legal team if he wants, but that's what he's doing right now.
[Jones:] If Attorney General Bill Barr had wrapped up this process in a neutral professional way then maybe, just maybe, we could have come together as a country to confront Russia's ongoing attack on our democracy. Slim chance I know, it could have happened. But by acting more like Trump's personal attorney, than the Attorney General of the United States, Barr, has made any kind of national unity even harder. And you know who's got to be thrilled? Vladimir Putin. He wanted to see America divided, weakened and tearing itself apart, and that's exactly what he is getting. Still more partisanship, more confusion, more division and it looks like we're going to be stuck in this situation for a very long time, and that kind of stagnation, sadly, is becoming the new normal in America. We are paralyzed on major issues. For instance, today marks the 20th Anniversary of the Columbine Massacre. 20 years since two gunmen shot and killed 12 students and a teacher in a school. Now that was supposed to be the tipping point that united shocked nation to do something about guns and school safety. Now here we are 20 years later, what's changed? Not enough. And sadly the biggest difference we have now is more victims and sometimes less outrage, because we're almost used to these kind of attacks now. Same thing with immigration. We have needed meaningful reform for decades and nothing, nothing. So we've got this ugly partisan battle now about how to treat thousands of people coming to our country for a better life. And Trump is snatching babies from their mothers at the border. Same thing with climate, how long have we been talking about climate disruption? And how many unprecedented floods and fires and hurricanes that we lived through even recently and what's been done? Almost nothing. In fact, at the federal level, we're going backwards. And some people are so frustrated they're protesting in the streets and getting arrested. So as a nation, we are stuck, and I am frustrated, but there is hope, because of the progress that is happening at the state level, especially right here in California. So let's talk about all of this with the leader of this great state, please welcome to "The Van Jones Show", Governor Gavin Newsom.
[Gov. Gavin Newsom:] There is hope.
[Jones:] There is hope.
[Newsom:] There is hope.
[Jones:] Hey, listen, I know we're going to get into it, but before we get into that, this whole Mueller thing, how do you think about this?
[Newsom:] Look, I thought you said it well. Forget Rudy Guiliani, who needs someone better than the AG himself as a defense attorney. I mean, that was a remarkable display of preemptive strategy. That is, you know, become normalized. And the challenge is, we can't let it be normalized and I think that's where we have to express the outrage. You framed that whole start of the show it's a perfect frame, even on Columbine. What we've accepted as normalized and we can't do that. We're capable of doing so much more and so much better, but only if we have a courage to express that.
[Jones:] Yes,
[Newsom:] And not allow the normalization of this.
[Jones:] And that's I think, that becomes a big challenge for Democrats. What should be done? I mean some people are saying that Congress should take Mueller's hints and go for with impeachment. I mean do you think that the impeachment is the right way to go? Should we wait for 18 months? I mean, just how do you think about this?
[Newsom:] Well, you got an election coming up next year at this stage and I think we have more than enough to go on the obstruction charges. I mean those seem fairly overwhelming. I mean, you just read some of those I mean one of those charges would be it's just jaw- dropping. I mean, the fact that there's a dozen plus. So Congress has plenty to do. But there also is a lot of work to be done on behalf of the American people that it has not part of this report.
[Jones:] Do you think Democrats be better off focusing on that and avoiding the impeachment thing or-
[Newsom:] People need to be held to account. This report is an indictment of the current administration and many members of the administration, we need to pursue that. We would not be doing our job. We won't be doing justice or advancing justice without doing. But you have to do that and focus on the issues of affordability and housing and homelessness, the issue of education and obviously deep issues related to climate change and the like.
[Jones:] Well, I believe you when you say it, because you do it every day. You've got the biggest you've got the fifth biggest economy in the world-
[Newsom:] Right.
[Jones:] right here in California. 40 million people, dozens of languages spoken. Do you feel like a Governor, or are you actually running your own country out here, it's so big.
[Newsom:] So it is I mean, I do feel like it's a nation state. I mean, that's one of the reasons I visited El Salvador last week, because we had the current President elect of El Salvador who campaigned in California. And you'd say why would a President aspirant someone who is aspiring to be President of a foreign country campaign in because half the El Salvadoran population in United States is in California. 27% of this state is foreign-born. We are a majority minority state. Truly a universal state. We're a state of refuge. We're state of asylum. It's a remarkable experiment at scale of people living and advancing together across every conceivable difference. It's a special place. And at our best, not just as Californians, but I'd argue as Americans, we're at our best when we don't tolerate our diversity, but we really celebrate it. And I think in California we do that about as well or better than most. It makes me proud. Well I think you should be proud. Let me ask you, though, the President sees it somewhat differently. And in fact, you guys have been kind of going back and forth at each other on the question of immigration. I mean, the President said that he's going to let all the people who you want in the country to come into the sanctuary cities in California. Would you welcome that? You love immigrants that much? So what is that, I'm trying to figure out? So he campaigns saying he was going to detain people to deport them. And then a week ago he says, no, no we're going to detain people to then send them into the United States into sanctuary cities. And then the AG, a couple days after that, says no, no, we're going to detain people, but for a longer period of time. I mean, which is it?
[Jones:] Right.
[Newsom:] I mean they're flailing. He's just a punch-drunk boxer. He's just sort of throwing punches and jabs. Everything he's done on immigration is an abject failure. Meanwhile, there are states like California that are trying to pick up the pieces, including pick up and lift up people that are being dumped on the streets and sidewalks already in sanctuary cities like San Diego and throughout this state. Hundreds of legal asylum seekers, their children are being dumped out of bus stops with no place to go. They can end up homeless, in emergency rooms. And you know what, I'm proud of my state. We opened an asylum center to allow people at least the dignity of some stability and some encouragement that this is not who we are as Americans. And we have principles and values that stand up.
[Jones:] Yes. Beautiful. A lot of people love what you're saying, but we have now you're starting to see some cracks so even on the Democratic side. Cher, herself, tweeted. "I understand helping struggling immigrants, but my city Los Angeles, is not taking care of its own. What about the 50,000 citizens who live on the streets and below poverty line? If my state can't take care of its own, including veterans, how can it take on more?" That's not a right-wing person, that's a liberal progressive Cher-
[Newsom:] Yes.
[Jones:] saying that.
[Newsom:] Who I know and respect and like. And so let me be respectful, but also responsible to that critique and make this argument. California has the nation's largest homeless population, so I understand where that comes from. It's out of control, it's unacceptable and we are working aggressively to address that. But let me just make this point. I come from San Francisco, and I come from a city whose past is not as proud as its present. I come from a city that advanced the Chinese Exclusion Act. I remember the exact same language in the late 1800s where a guy named Denis Kearney who would make Donald Trump blush. He's original Donald Trump. That began and ended every speech by saying, whatever else we do, the Chinese must go. We've had enough. They're taking away jobs and they're diminishing your capacity to live your lives. This is old rhetoric. The fact is we have a population of that actually is getting a little older. We need a population that's reinvigorated and I'll tell you immigrants reinvigorate our society, and these are some of the hardest workers in this country. And interestingly, some of the same people criticizing are net beneficiaries of these same immigrants.
[Jones:] Listen, I appreciate your passion and you've always been passionate about this stuff. Are you the anti-Trump? I mean, how do you think of your role as a Governor in Trump era.
[Newsom:] I don't wake up every morning trying to find a crowbar to put in the spoke of the wheels of the President of United States to trip him up. But I'll tell you, I'm going to have the backs of our diverse communities the attacks, our diversity, attacks people, demeans them and dehumanizes people, I'm going to stand up for them. I mean, if he attacks our clean air and clean water, I'm going to stand up for clean air and clean water. If he wants to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and increase premiums for millions of millions of Californians, I'm going to stand up against that. Look, I do govern the most un-Trump state in America, there's no doubt about that. But I also see my role is not just the center of the resistance, but a positive alternative to Trump and Trumpism. And I think in many ways we are we're running a 20-plus billion dollar operating surplus. We are paying off our debt, paying down pension obligations, leading the nation. I mean, you talk about the green economy. California is leading the world, not just the nation, in low carbon green growth and changing the way we produce and consume energy. We have progressive values that are at play at scale and we're producing real economic results.
[Jones:] Let's talk about them. I one of the first things we ever did together back in 2005, you did the UN World Environment Day, the "Green Cities"
[Newsom:] Right.
[Jones:] all that stuff almost 15 years ago, so it's not new to you. But, listen, some of the stuff that California says is going to do going to half renewable energy in 12 years.
[Newsom:] Easy.
[Jones:] Easy?
[Newsom:] Easy.
[Jones:] OK. Now, look, I'm going to tell you right now that you going to have people saying now this makes no sense. How is it easy
[Newsom:] Well, if you can argue that or you can prove it and we're proving it. We're at 34 percent today renewables. Now, if you consider non-carbon sources, which is hydro and nuclear, we're at 55 percent today. We're not asserting a paradigm. We're proving a paradigm at scale. And by the way, as we've advanced our carbon goals, we've grown our economy at a faster clip than the United States of America itself. I don't think we can do this. I know we can do this. The Green New Deal, come to California, you'll see it being advanced at scale. It's a point of pride and principle.
[Jones:] I've always liked you. When you talk, I start to hear, a little song in the back of my head, "Hail to the Chief" kind of a song. So, again it's am I wrong? Did anybody hear that? Anybody else hear that?
[Newsom:] No.
[Jones:] it was me.
[Newsom:] Not a chance.
[Jones:] Talk to me about whether or not you got a White House running your field.
[Newsom:] Oh, no. Literally I'm so proud of the folks coming from California. We got Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. I mean, that's about as good as it gets right now. So I sleep well at night, Adam Schiff from an oversight perspective, Kamala Harris who's ascended. It's just remarkable.
[Jones:] Why you endorse it well, you got 30,000 people running for Democrat, you endorsed Kamala Harris-
[Newsom:] 40.
[Jones:] Well, why did you endorse Kamala Harris?
[Newsom:] Because I've known her for 25 years. I worked with her when she was a DA and I was Mayor, when she was Attorney General, I was Lieutenant Governor, when she became U.S. Senator and I'm Governor. I've seen her firsthand. I seen her mature and grow. I know her character. I know her conviction. I know her capacity. She's the real deal. Look out. She's the reason she's where she is, as quickly she is, because she deserves to be there.
[Jones:] Well, do you think we got too many candidates? I mean we got so many people running, doesn't that advantage maybe a Bernie Sanders that already got a baked in thing.
[Newsom:] You know what, there was five or six years ago people said, the Democratic Party has no leadership, well, there's no bench. Boy, we're proving that wrong. Remember, I come from California. This is a state where the Republican Party was the dominant party in the 1990s. Their third party status today, one reason the xenophobia, the nativism-
[Jones:] It killed them.
[Newsom:] the politics of fear and anger and grievance, it's the same politics being spewed by the President of United States. Republican Party, pay attention, he's walking you off a cliff.
[Jones:] Awesome. Well, listen, coming up, we got a lot more to talk about with Governor Newsome, including his major move to put a stop to the death penalty in California. Why did he do it, and how does he respond to the backlash coming from President Trump and bunch of other people, that's next when we get back.

[Tapper:] A disturbing projection in our health lead. The United States could see more than 200,000 coronavirus deaths by October. That's according to a new model often cited by the Trump administration. The IHME model points to states such as Florida which is seeing a record of new cases daily and blames officials who relaxed social distancing measures too early. CNN's Erica Hill now takes a look at what we need to do to prevent this.
[Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Chief, Division Of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital:] States are not opening gently. They're opening with lots of crowds. They're opening with lack of face masks.
[Erica Hill, Cnn National Correspondent:] Those behaviors could lead to more than 200,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. by October, according to a key model. The science is clear, wide use of face coverings can help slow the spread. Airlines taking note. United warning refusal to wear one could land you on a restricted travel list. Speaker Nancy Pelosi might make them mandatory on the House floor.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allerlgy And Infectious Diseases:] The best thing, don't gather in crowds. But if you are going to, please wear a mask consistently. Keep it on, don't take it off.
[Hill:] The Trump campaign says masks are not required at this weekend's indoor rally in Tulsa.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] We're also looking at another venue. We're also looking at outside activities.
[Hill:] North Carolina weighing new rules for the entire state.
[Gov. Roy Cooper:] We want people voluntarily to do this. But we are looking at additional rules to potentially make these mandatory.
[Hill:] It's among 18 states reporting an uptick in new cases over the past week. Florida, one of eight shown in deep red, numbers there up more than 50 percent. Athletes at Indiana University and Ohio state must now sign a pledge acknowledging the risks of the virus and agreeing to certain health safety measures, as hope dims for return of Major League Baseball.
[Rob Manfred, Mlb Commissioner:] It's just a disaster for our game.
[Hill:] The league and the players union still at odds, "USA Today" reporting several players and staff have tested positive. Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle the timing of this leak is suspicious. The NBA is scheduled to return without fans on July 31st. The head coach for the Denver Nuggets revealing he had the virus in March.
[Michael Malone, Denver Nuggets Head Coach:] I got coronavirus and I kicked its butt.
[Hill:] New York will host America's tennis major, the U.S. open, later this summer.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] The tennis authority is going to be taking extraordinary precautions.
[Hill:] And Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest will also be back this July 4th, though no spectators this year, which may be for the best. As we continue to look for treatments, some interesting news out of the U.K., Jake. A preliminary finding from a study there found that a commonly used steroid actually did really well for some of the sickest patients, some of the most severe patients. They are reducing their risk of dying by a third. Now, it's important to point out, these were patients who needed to be either on a ventilator or also have oxygen, but, again, encouraging news there, especially given that this is a common steroid that in some cases can be just $8.
[Tapper:] All right, Erica Hill in New York, thank you so much. Joining me now from across the river is the Democratic governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, who dined with President Trump over the weekend. Governor Murphy, thanks for joining us. "The New York Times" obtained audio of a phone call between Vice President Pence and governors yesterday. The vice president said in part, quote, I would just encourage you all as we talk about these things to make sure and continue to explain to your citizens the magnitude of increase in testing and that in most of the cases where we are seeing some marginal rise in number, that's more result of the extraordinary work you're doing, unquote. But, health experts say that's not necessarily the case, that positive tests in many states are increasing more than the testing is increasing so that there is spread. Were you surprised when the vice president said that?
[Gov. Phil Murphy:] Jake, good to be on with you. I have to say I wasn't terribly surprised. I actually didn't read it that way. We lived through hell and back, and we're finally coming out of it. We've got almost 13,000 lives lost. At the very peak of this, when we were ramping our testing up aggressively, and positive cases were going through the roof, we were very clear that it was both because of community spread and because we were testing more. So I know New Jersey well. I can't comment on the other states. But my gut tells me if a state's cases are on the rise and they are ramping up testing, it's probably partly due to both community spread to some extent as well as wider access to testing.
[Tapper:] According to "The Times," the president also told governors to consider any new outbreaks embers, in other words, small issues that can be handled and are not part of a larger problem. This feeds into a perception that the Trump administration is trying to downplay threats that states such as New Jersey are still facing.
[Murphy:] Yes. Listen, we're not done I know what we're doing here and we're not downplaying it. Again, we've had an overwhelming loss of life. But the curves, all the metrics that we look at, the rate of infection, the positivity rates in terms of how many folks who were tested are positive, new hospitalizations I'm knocking on wood here, Jake those are all going dramatically in the right direction allowing us to slowly but now surely open up. But we've got our eyes wide open. Could this by opening up even if we bat a thousand and do everything the right way, could this still come back? And sadly, the answer is, it's probably a question of when as opposed to if. So ramping up testing and contact tracing and isolation, all of that, to have that in place to give folks confidence that we can quickly spot it, surround it, drive it to the ground, that's where we're spending a lot of our energies these days.
[Tapper:] And, as you know, New Jersey, even if the numbers are going in the right direction, your state lost 51 people to coronavirus. Just yesterday with nearly 500 new cases, just yesterday and you have not ruled out shutting down businesses and restaurants and other places again if social distancing isn't followed and cases begin to spike, go in the other direction. What would make you shut down businesses in New Jersey for a second time? What's the standard there?
[Murphy:] Yes. I think by the way, you're absolutely right. We have to reserve the right to hit the emergency brake here. I hope we don't have to and we went into this with a pea shooter in terms of our capacities for testing, for contact tracing, for isolation, for all of the ICU beds, ventilators, et cetera. We're much better prepared now than we were three or four months ago, not just our state but as a nation. I think if you saw a sustained increase over a number of days of rate of transmission, positivity rates, and new hospitalizations, if we saw a string that was a real trend, some number of rolling days on average, that would be very concerning. And we would we would need to consider action at that point.
[Tapper:] I do want to ask you while I have you here about issues of race and policing. You've said that you support the New Jersey attorney general's decision to publicly identify every officer in the Garden State who's been fired, demoted, or suspended for more than five days for disciplinary issues. Are you working on any other types of policing reforms?
[Murphy:] Yes. So last year, just to put a little history here, I signed an independent prosecutor's bill. And I'm very happy I did that. So if there's any death or shooting involving a law enforcement officer, that must go through an independent process ending with a presentation to a grand jury. The attorney general's reviewing all use of force. We haven't looked at that in 20 years in New Jersey. He has banned in all but very limited circumstances chokeholds. We are we are now going to be a state that licenses and goes through a process of licenses licensing rather all of our law enforcement members. And there's a whole range of other legislation that we're working on with our legislative partners including addressing our criminal sentencing and disposition laws. So, there's a lot of moving parts here, as there should be. Words matter, but actions matter even more. So that's what we're pursuing aggressively right now.
[Tapper:] All right. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat thank you so much for your time, sir. We appreciate it.
[Murphy:] Thanks, Jake, for having me.
[Tapper:] A new study showing children are half as likely to be infected with coronavirus. What might that mean for going back to school? That's next.

[Kim Brunhuber, Cnn Anchor:] We have breaking news for you now. U.S. President Donald Trump suffered a great personal loss. He says his younger brother, Robert Trump died Saturday in a New York hospital. So we're going to go right to Correspondent Kristen Holmes in Bedminster, New Jersey. Kristen, a real blow for the President here. We know his brother had been in ill health for some time. What more can you tell us about Roberts and his passing?
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, the White House hasn't given us an actual cause of death right now. But as you said, we didn't know that he had been seriously ill in and out of the hospital since last spring. He was 72 years old. And this came a day after President Trump made an impromptu stop in New York City. We knew he was coming here to New Jersey. The last minute they announced that he was going to be visiting his brother Robert in a hospital in New York. And he told reporters at that time that hopefully he would be OK but that he was having a really hard time. Now, he did pass away earlier tonight. And I want to read to you the statement that was released from the White House because this is really the most emotional and touching thing we've heard from President Trump. He said, "It is with a heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother Robert peacefully passed away tonight. He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He'll be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace". Again, a very emotional, very simple statement from President Trump. But it clearly goes to show you the relationship that the two of them have. We know that President Trump said that his brother supported his candidacy for President 1,000 percent. His brother had been a top executive at the Trump Organization. So they had a very close relationship. And recently, as we know, Mary Trump, who is related to President Trump had tried has written a book and Robert Trump was the one who put out the restraining order to try and block the book from being published. So clearly working on his brother's behalf, they had a strong relationship. And again, we are still waiting for some details here as to what exactly happened, what was this illness, but he did pass earlier tonight. And I do want to say that he even talked about his brother the last three days, quite often. Last night, at a police event with the New York police union. He said that his brother loved the police. He's referred to him as how close they are. And this is a man who doesn't have a lot of very close friends and very close family. He's very particular about who he keeps near him. And it's very clear that his relationship with Robert was something he valued deeply in something he cherished. Kim?
[Brunhuber:] All right. Since even though he supported his brother, he was very loyal, very different from Donald Trump. Not flamboyant, he didn't seek the limelight. So what more can you tell him tell us about his personality?
[Holmes:] Well, he was very behind the scenes. He had a role, as I said at the Trump Organization, but he was never one who tried to steal the limelight from Donald Trump. He always put his brother front and center. One of the iconic pictures of Robert Trump is him hugging his brother at the Republican National Convention in 2016. Again, he wasn't somebody who was out there doing interviews, the way we see so many associates of President Trump who really want that spotlight themselves. They crave that. We never heard from Robert Trump. I had a friend of mine who has been following the Trump candidacy very closely who said that he didn't even know that he was a brother of Donald Trump because he just wasn't out there. So, you know, it's an interesting dynamic the two of them clearly had.
[Brunhuber:] All right. Well, thank you very much for that. So once again, Robert Trump, President Trump's brother, dead at 72. We return now to our CNN Special Report, Counts on Controversy: Inside the Electoral College.
[Berman:] The silence, the rage, election year 2020.
[Alexander:] A lot of unprecedented things that have occurred. We have no idea yet how the pandemic will play itself out. And certainly the issues that we have seen with race over the summer will likely spill over into the fall. We're thinking about trying to eliminate chaos. Chaos in many ways will be baked in to the 2020 election.
[M. Baca:] So funny story, I was leaving Colorado after I voted to go spend some time with my family. And I was driving through some small little town in New Mexico and I stopped to get gas and I see on the newspaper in there says, no Hamilton electors here. I'm like I'm in this small little CALPHO town in the middle of nowhere and here they are talking about the Electoral College.
[Berman:] Former Colorado Elector Micheal Baca did more than just pull into a gas station. When he and fellow elector Bret Chiafalo started the Hamilton electors, they fuelled an argument that had never been settled.
[Chiafalo:] That we have the opportunity to get a question answered that should have gotten answered in the last 200 years. How do we actually elect our president? What our electors and what purpose do they serve? Bret Chiafalo voted for Republican Colin Powell. Micheal Baca voted for Ohio Governor John Kasich. Their idea, to vote for a more moderate Republican instead of the state's popular vote winner to prevent Donald Trump from winning the White House. Chiafalo's vote counted, Baca's did not. And the plan didn't work. But their decision to vote faithlessly, well, that would linger amid controversy in court filings for four years. Where this gets really interesting, really complicated and really to be, frank, combustible is what happens if a faithless elector were to shift the outcome of an election?
[Lessig:] Yes, that's right. In 2000 election, were two electors switching would have flipped resolved. I think begins a series of elections where we're going to see very close results going forward. So that makes this question much more important in the future.
[Weiser:] They are playing a very dangerous game. The American people have absolutely come to expect when votes are cast on Election Day. The presidential election is decided. To undo that 220 years of history, we defy expectations and constitutional tradition.
[Berman:] And that's why the Supreme Court added Baca and Chiafalo to its docket.
[Weiser:] The Supreme Court has never ruled on this. We are going to be in uncharted territory. This is a Pandora's Box.
[John Roberts, Chief Justice Of The United States:] Oh, yay. Oh, yay. We will hear argument first this morning in Case 19-465, Chiafalo and others versus the state of Washington.
[Chiafalo:] Listening to a Supreme Court case and hearing Justice Ginsburg say my last name was completely surreal.
[Berman:] What's that like, all of a sudden, you realize, hey, wait a second. The guys who wrote the Constitution, they wrote about me.
[M. Baca:] They didn't write about me, they wrote about the role of the electors. And I think that's what that's important that the court is going to address here.
[Lessig:] The question in these cases is straightforward, do the states have the power to control through law how an elector may vote? They do not.
[Berman:] Larry Lessig was one of four attorneys arguing the Colorado and Washington case is about faithless electors. Historic and unprecedented arguments about bribery and chaos, heard by the Supreme Court, by phone.
[Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court Of The United States:] Suppose an elector is bribed between the time of the popular vote and the time when the electors vote. Can the state remove that elector?
[Lessig:] Your Honor, we believe that prior to the vote, the state's power is to assure that the person who shows up has not engaged in the criminal activity. Of course, the claim someone has been bribed is a charge. It needs to be proven. And so we believe there's going to be a difficulty there with the bribery.
[Roberts:] Thank you, Counsel. General Purcell?
[Noah Purcell, Solicitor General Of The State Of Washington:] I'm somewhat confused about exactly what their position is on this, but it seems they're saying you cannot remove someone even if you know they accepted a bribe, unless you can somehow move through the criminal process before the electors meet. And that's just absurd.
[Alexander:] It's a great argument to eliminate elector discretion. However, when asked point blank, can you find a case where an elector has been bribed? The state could find none. And so as a hypothetical, it was very flashy. It was very sensational, but it's something real. It didn't really hold water.
[M. Baca:] It was rather interesting to hear the questions that the judges asked. They dealt a lot with hypotheticals, whereas, I wish that they dealt with the reality of the case.
[Berman:] On the subject of reality, some of the questions including those from Justice Clarence Thomas, seemed a little out of this world.
[Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court Of The United States:] Counsel the elector, who had promised to vote for the winning candidate, could suddenly say, you know, I'm going to vote for Frodo Baggins, and that's I'd really like Frodo Baggins. And you're saying, under your system, you can't do anything about that.
[Jason Harrow, Attorney:] Your Honor, I think there is something to be done because that would be the vote for a non-person, you know, no matter how big a fan many people are of Frodo Baggins.
[Alexander:] So when Frodo Baggins entered the Supreme Court, of course, you knew that that was going to trend on Twitter, as opposed to faithless electors. And to hear it come from Clarence Thomas was truly special.
[Chiafalo:] What stood out the most is the opposition argued mostly about the chaos in my costs, and not on any actual constitutional or legal standing.
[Alito:] Those who disagree with your arguments say that it would lead to chaos, where the popular vote is close and changing just a few votes would alter the outcome and there would be a long period of uncertainty about who the next president was going to be. Do you deny that that is a good possibility if your argument prevails?
[Lessig:] We deny it's a good possibility. We don't deny it's a possibility. And we believe there are risks on either side.
[Chiafalo:] We can't make decisions based on whether it's going to cause chaos or not, or else we'd be flipping parts of the Constitution right and left.
[Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court Of The United States:] Good morning, what is the purpose of having electors?
[Alexander:] There was a bit of silence with that. If we're going to bind electors, we're all they are, are automatons just casting a ballot, then what is their purpose? If it's merely ceremonial, is that something we really want to have in the American electoral process?
[Berman:] Bret Chiafalo and Micheal Baca have been fighting for answers for four years. A fight they want to win, but that's not their ultimate goal.
[Chiafalo:] I hope we win. But I've always said through this entire process from day one, I am against the Electoral College. It should not exist. It should be gone as soon as possible. I'm just simply trying to represent my duties under the Constitution as best I can. And it's the Electoral College that takes away the individuals vote, not the individual electors.
[M. Baca:] It wasn't my ambition to be an elector. This wasn't about me, this wasn't about my politics, this wasn't about my ideology. I'm just the guy who was trying to do what was best for the country.

[Jarrett:] Athletes across the U.S. are taking a stand after police in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back. According to reports, the L.A. Lakers in the L.A. Clippers voted to boycott the rest of the NBA season while other teams have voted to keep playing. It all began with the Milwaukee Bucks players deciding to boycott their playoff game Wednesday.
[Unidentified Male:] When we take the court and we represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard and in this moment, we are demanding the same from lawmakers and law enforcement. We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable.
[Romans:] The Bucks move cascaded three NBA playoff series put on hold within hours. WNBA, Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball games were called off, including the RedsBrewers game in Milwaukee. Long time NBA player and broadcaster Kenny Smith, he took a stand of his own.
[Kenny Smith Nba Analyst:] And for me, I think the biggest thing now is to kind of as a black man, as a former player, I think it's best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight. And figure out what happens after that. I just hope you all don't question that.
[Unidentified Male:] And I respect that.
[Jarrett:] What a moment. The Bucks ownership backed the move to boycott. The team, senior vice president tweeting. Some things are bigger than basketball. And former President Barack Obama praised the Bucks players for quote, standing up for what they believe in.
[Romans:] Investigators have finally released a rough timeline of what they say happened Sunday when Kenosha police shot Jacob Blake. Wisconsin's Attorney General says police were called by a woman who said her boyfriend was at her place who was not supposed to be. Officers arrived and attempted to arrest Jacob Blake although officials never explained if Blake was in fact the boyfriend who the woman had called about.
[Josh Kaul, Wisconsin Attorney General:] During the investigation following the initial incident, Mr. Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession and DCI agents that's the Division of Criminal Investigation recovered a knife from the driver's side floor board of Mr. Blake's vehicle.
[Jarrett:] Now a Blake family lawyer says Jacob Blake did not have a weapon in the car. The officer who pulled the trigger has been identified as seven-year veteran Rusten Sheskey. He is now on administrative leave. Meantime, a suspect has been arrested in the shooting that killed two people early yesterday. This's 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. He's been charged with first degree intentional homicide. He is accused of shooting two people with a long rifle. It's part of a vigilante show of force as protests grew in Kenosha.
[Romans:] All right, in Minneapolis, the National Guard is being deployed and a curfew has been imposed after rioting and theft at retail stores in the downtown area Wednesday night. The unrest was sparked by false rumors that police had shot a homicide suspect who actually took his own life. Police almost immediately shared surveillance video of the suicide. Though it did little to calm crowds. All right, 52 minutes past the hour. This monster storm made landfall just about three hours ago. We're going to get a live report from the National Hurricane Center soon here in about seven minutes, about what's happening with hurricane Laura.

[Sciutto:] This breaking news just in to CNN. An arrest has now been made following the cyber-attacks targeting Miami-Dade Public Schools which interrupted remote learning for thousands of children that they and their families are depending on. CNN's Rosa Flores following the story from Miami. Rosa, as we were talking about this yesterday, I asked, did they have a sense of where this was coming from. So who's been arrested here?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] You know, we just learned this from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. They say that a 16-year-old, a junior in high school, has been arrested here in Miami and on two charges, Jim. First of all, computer use and an attempt to defraud, a third degree felony, and also interference with an educational institution, which is a second degree misdemeanor. Now, according to the school district, this teenager admitted to at least eight attacks and, according to the district, these are distributed denial of service attacks and that this teenager used some sort of online application to execute these attacks. Now, just to give you an idea of what these are, imagine a million people knocking at your door at the same time trying to enter. That's exactly what these types of cyberattacks do, which then bottle neck the system and don't allow anyone to enter, in this case students and teachers trying to just learn, their virtual learning online. Now, according to the district, the FBI, the Secret Service and the FDLE, which is the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, are involved and they are helping with this investigation. Now, the superintendent said in this statement that we just received moments ago that other attackers are out there, Jim. And you and I talked about this yesterday. Where are these attackers coming from? We learned late yesterday that the that the police chief from the Miami-Dade County Public Schools say that they believe that they have traced some of those IP addresses to foreign and domestic sources. Now we know, of course, the breaking news coming out of Miami is that a 16-year-old has been arrested with two charges in this case. Jim.
[Sciutto:] Wow. Remarkable. Remarkable damage done there too. Rosa Flores, thanks very much. Well, health officials in Los Angeles County will now allow in-person learning for at least some students this fall. Public school buildings will be opened for those with individualized education plans and those with special needs. This as the education secretary, Betsy DeVos, says that parents have the right to choose the education option that is best for their families. CNN's Bianna Golodryga has more on what is a very tough choice for parents.
[Isabella Aybar, Student:] I feel so happy that I want to explode.
[Bianna Golodryga, Cnn Senior Global Affairs Analyst:] For five-year-old Isabella and her 13-year-old brother, Kelvin, going back to school is a long-awaited return to some form of normalcy.
[Kelvin Espinal, Student:] It's at the schoolhouse from 8-2:20. I think I'm going to learn more.
[Golodryga:] Like millions of other students across the country, remote learning has been a struggle for the Brooklyn, New York, siblings.
[Karla Moncada, Mother:] I had so much stress getting my daughter to learn in the remote learning. And she cried most of the time. My son, he distracted himself by talking to his peers and playing on the computer.
[Golodryga:] But returning to in-person instruction is not without risk. Their mother, Karla, suffered a improbable case of Covid-19 in the spring, when tests were scarce. She says her asthma made her recovery much more different.
[Moncada:] It was very scary. I thought I was going to die. So I don't wish that on anybody.
[Golodryga:] She worries about sending her children back to school, especially Isabella, who also has asthma, but says the alternative, another semester online, would be even worse.
[Moncada:] I don't have a choice. But it's either, you know, try to get her into this education phase that she is going through that is so essential, or, you know, just stay at home and do the same thing that we did last time.
[Golodryga:] Two-thirds of the 100 largest school districts in the country are starting the school year entirely online.
[Emily Oster, Author, "expecting Better":] School reopening is really important for our society. It's not that I think that we should reopen at all costs, but I think that trying to do this safely in places where we can do it safely seems just really important for kids, for getting people back to work, for the mental health of parents, for learning.
[Golodryga:] As doctors continue to study how susceptible children are to the coronavirus and whether they transmit the disease as easily as adults, dozens of schools that have reopened have already experienced outbreaks and thousands of students and teachers have been forced to quarantine just weeks into the school year. Some teachers unions have fought against returning to in-person learning, threatening not to return to the classroom unless additional safety measures are taken.
[Becky Pringle, President, National Education Association:] We cannot open our school buildings unless it is safe.
[Golodryga:] For parents like Karla, still haunted by scenes like this one in a Georgia high school, where packed hallways full of maskless students ultimately led to positive cases and a school shutdown, the decision to send her kids back to school wasn't an easy one, proof that there are no easy choices in a pandemic.
[Moncada:] And we tried this. Let's see how this works.
[Golodryga:] It's so difficult for so many parents across this country, Jim. And as you know, here in New York City, the mayor has delayed the start to in-person classes, which would be one to three days a week by ten days. So they will resume September 21st. This, of course, came from a lot of pressure from teachers unions who wanted more safety put in place and for ventilation and for nurses and for more testing around schools across the city. And this is just one example, of course, of one big city that the world whole and, of course, our country here will be watching closely as students start to go back to school. It does come with some risk, but we know the downside as well to online learning.
[Sciutto:] And New York has gotten its positivity rate down way down, which is one of those benchmarks for opening safely.
[Golodryga:] Right.
[Sciutto:] Bianna Golodryga, thanks very much.
[Golodryga:] Sure.
[Sciutto:] More than a dozen NBA teams are now planning to use their arenas as voting centers this November. How could this impact the 2020 race? How many voters will this be a service to? We're going to have more on this, next.

[Vause:] Just hours ago, crowds of Cubans welcomed home doctors who went to Italy to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic; 52 health professionals landed in Havana on Monday after spending more than two months in the Lombardy region. Cuba has employed health care workers around the world as part of their response to the outbreak. U.S. State Department has criticized the country's medical diplomacy as propaganda. The U.K. has imposed a mandatory two-week quarantine period for those who are arriving back. And now in some areas in the United States, we are seeing spikes of the coronavirus. This is not the U.K.; this is New York, where they're taking the first cautious steps toward reopening. CNN's Nick Watt has more.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] One hundred days since New York State's first case the Big Apple is back. Well, they're now allowing more retail, manufacturing and construction with some strict parameters.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio , New York City:] It is the day that we start to liberate ourselves from this disease the day we move forward. Phase 1, the restart begins today in New York City.
[Watt:] Let's not forget the terrible toll on this city. Nearly 22,000 deaths so far and black and Latinx New Yorkers dying at twice the rate of white residents. And it's not over.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] We're not out of the woods, but we are on the other side certainly.
[Watt:] The governor rode the subway to his daily briefing this morning. The message, it's safe.
[Cuomo:] We are continuing our decline. The rest of the country is still spiking.
[Watt:] Florida has added more than 1,000 new cases a day for five straight days. Texas, another early reopener, now adding an average of over 1,500 cases a day. That's up 50 percent.
[Unidentified Male:] Governor Abbott has had an inadequate and weak response that has been based more on politics than on science. He opened up the state too early.
[Watt:] Bucks County, Pennsylvania, announced 33 new cases Saturday, 11 of them tied to one person who they say has been partying down to the Jersey Shore.
[Unidentified Male:] It's kind of a coming together of a perfect storm, if you will. We had the Memorial Day weekend, a lot of folks were being very lax and relaxed about proportions. And we've been having a backdrop of states reopening. Plus, all the protesters in these mass gatherings.
[Watt:] Protests sparked by George Floyd's death might be spreading this virus around the country.
[Unidentified Male:] I don't want to catch it. I don't think anyone wants to catch it. But when it comes to issues of social justice, that takes precedent, I feel like. COVID-19 is going to be here for a little bit. Hopefully we'll get a vaccine.
[Watt:] The White House has a vaccine program.
[Trump:] It's called Operation Warp Speed.
[Watt:] But today, two prominent professors say they're scared it might move too fast. "Given how this president has behaved, this incredibly dangerous scenario is not far-fetched," they wrote in a "New York Times" op-ed. "In a desperate search for a political boost, he could release a coronavirus vaccine before it had been thoroughly tested and shown to be safe and effective." The big question, did lockdown work? Well, researchers from UC Berkeley say absolutely. They estimate that just the first few weeks of lockdown here in the U.S. might have prevented 60 million infections. But the price we are paying for that, the U.S. is now officially in a recession, as it has been since February Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Vause:] Meantime the U.K. is bracing for a grim milestone, which is a death toll that could be north of 50,000. CNN's Nina dos Santos is standing by in London. So this seems to be the British government moving too slow and acting too late. What are they saying?
[Nina Dos Santos, Cnnmoney Europe Editor:] Yes, that's what it seems to be the case. But to be honest with you these are figures that are likely to come up from the official statistics that are higher than the public health bodies here. And remember we have this idiosyncrasy here in this country; other parts of the United Kingdom, like Scotland and Northern Ireland and Wales, that have their own health bodies and they tally up their own numbers separately. They also count them slightly differently. It's the same situation we've seen in many European countries as well, when it comes to the overall statistics agency, that they are likely to report that we are at 50,000 or close to 50,000 for the bulk of the U.K., which is England and Wales. And this is a grim milestone, it is one of the worst death tolls anywhere. You can't say the British government was not warned here. But they claim they were taken by their own science advisers who briefed members of Parliament back in mid March when the virus was taking a grip here before the lockdown and saying that "a good outcome" for the public health officials in the U.K. for the death toll at that point would be only 20,000 people. And he was roundly criticized for those comments, being insensitive. But as you can see we surpassed our 40,000 and are set to hit around 50,000. The big question in this country and elsewhere, is how did we get here? It's a lack of testing; as we know, the government has had difficulty with logistical gymnastic maneuvers to try to meet its testing targets. Then there's been an embarrassment over the contact tracing apps and, as of yesterday, there is a 14-day isolation rule on new travelers traveling to the U.K. Many are perplexed, especially those who are coming from countries where the infection rate is lower and then saying, why wasn't any of this done earlier and the borders locked down sooner?
[Vause:] Yes, interesting times with the death toll so high and the infection rates continue, yet they're opening up. I guess a lot of unhappy people at the moment. Nina dos Santos live for us there in London. On Monday during the World Health Organization's regular press briefing, the head of the health emergency program dropped this new nugget about how the coronavirus spreads or doesn't spread.
[Maria Van Kerkhove, Who:] It is still appears to be rare that an asymptomatic individual actually transmits onward. What we really want to be focused on are is following the symptomatic cases. If we followed all of the symptomatic cases, because we know that this is a respiratory pathogen, it passes from an individual through infectious droplet.
[Vause:] Just
[Kerkhove:] It still appears to be rare that an asymptomatic individual actually transmits onward.
[Vause:] So everything we've been told so far, about social distancing because people could be infected and wear a mask because you could be contagious, well, it turns out that maybe not such a big deal after all. Dr. Neha Nanda is an infectious disease specialist in Los Angeles and joins us right now. Thank you for being with us, Doctor. Good to see you. I think most people understand here, that this new virus and we're learning as we go. But this seems to be a big deal on how everyone assesses their own risk when they go out if the risk of asymptomatic transfer is very rare.
[Dr. Neha Nanda, University Of Southern California Medical School:] So at this time, it is difficult to say what percentage of people actually are asymptomatic, depending on the study that you're looking at. Depending on the study, it could be anywhere from 10 percent to 50 percent. There's some studies saying more than that. The second piece, that you are alluding to is what is the risk of transmissibility. I think there is more to come on that. The WHO, just this morning or I think yesterday, said that the risk of transmission from asymptomatic people seems to be low or almost nonexistent. I think at this time, what I would say is that there is more to come on that because we have seen that happening in studies in Southeast Asia and experiences that people have shared.
[Vause:] I guess there's a lot of confusion and it confirms the fact that there's a lot we don't know. But we know that the New York City is starting to reopen, 100 days after its first case and the mayor had this message.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio , New York City:] This is a triumph phenomenon for New Yorkers, who fought back against this disease. This was the epicenter. And folks did the hard work. They sheltered in place. They did the social distancing, the face coverings and got us to this stage. So my message, John, is stick to it. Come back to work but remember to stick to those smart rules that got us this far.
[Vause:] But again, because of the confusion, stick with what? Wearing a mask, not wearing a mask, keeping social distancing.
[Nanda:] OK. I think this is a great question. And I have to emphasize here, the nonpharmaceutical interventions, like the mayor mentioned, the physical distancing and masking, are really the cornerstone. And there is not one tool that will get us through. It will be a combination of these. So that is physical distancing, then masking and along with that, testing and quick isolation. In fact, there was a recent study that was done and this is based on a mathematical models one of the most recent models that was share in a scientific
[Vause:] Even so and this is a very contagious virus it seems, because worldwide number of new cases continues to rise. Each day we saw 100,000 new cases of 9 of the past 10 days, more than 130,000 new cases reported on Sunday. So when it surges in one part of the world, chances are it will appear in another as well, right?
[Nanda:] So also when we talk about numbers increasing, keep in mind, as the testing capacity increases, that is a big confounder. So it's very challenging to say when the number of tests increase, the number of new cases and incidences increases, does that mean the disease is progressing? Or you've given more access to testing? To tell you the truth, at this time there is no one metric that can tell us whether we are moving in the right direction or not. It's a combination of all metrics. That's what will help us decide that.
[Vause:] One last question here. There's a report that U.S. hospitals have about three months to resupply and get ready for a possible second peak, round 2. "The New York Times" reporting 60 big hospital chains have received billions of dollars of government bailout money are sitting tens of billions in cash reserves that are meant to help them weather the storm. At least 36 hospitals have furloughed or reduced the pay of employees as they try to save money through the pandemic. So aside from what they do with the federal cash, if they are laying off health care workers now, how ready will they be for round 2 of the coronavirus? It seems they'll be further behind than they were when it first broke out.
[Nanda:] I will tell you is that in the U.S., in different parts, and I can speak really for California and specifically L.A., we are prepared for a surge. It didn't quite happen here and now we are in a situation where we are financially strapped. It is impacting our human resources. If there is going to be another surge, will there be another surge? We don't know that. But I think there will be more job creation. At that time we do have to get those resources back, though I suspect that, perhaps, if there is going to be another surge and another peak, it wouldn't be as high as it was because our belief is that, with time, the height of the peak will reduce because of our social distancing physical distancing and other nonpharmaceutical interventions.
[Vause:] OK, thank you so much, Doctor, appreciate the advice and your insight. Thank you.
[Nanda:] Thank you, John.
[Vause:] Up next, with Washington in the grip of protests, did the first family make a dash to the security of the White House bunker? Or was it just a quick inspection by the president? The attorney general and Trump loyalists set the record straight. As the world mourns the loss of George Floyd, newly released video shows a police chase ending in the death of a black man in the state of Texas. Details on that when we come back.

[Whitfield:] Today, Democratic Congressman and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff threatened to sue the Trump administration and subpoena Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report and bring Mueller in to testify. Schiff says he'll do that if the special counsel's report on possible Russian involvement in the 2016 election is not made public after it goes to U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr.
[Rep. Adam Schiff,  Chairman, Intelligence Committee:] We will obviously subpoena the report. We will bring Bob Mueller in to testify before Congress. We will take it to court if necessary. And in the end, I think the department understands they're going to have to make this public. I think Barr will ultimately understand that as well. Barr comes into this job with two strikes against him. He applied for the job by demonstrating a bias against the Mueller investigation. Indeed, that's part of the reason he was hired. He's also not been willing to commit to following the advice of ethics lawyers. Indeed, that was part of the reason he was hired. If he were to try to withhold, to try to bury any part of this report, that will be his legacy and it will be a tarnished legacy. So I think there'll be immense pressure not only on the department but on the attorney general to be forthcoming.
[Whitfield:] All right. With me now is Ross Garber, CNN legal analyst and an expert on Politico investigations and impeachment law. Good to see you Ross. So, is this
[Ross Garber, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Good to see you.
[Whitfield:] Schiff's idea of kind of strong-arming? You know, the attorney general ahead of time to say, you know, if you don't then we're only going to do this.
[Garber:] I think his message is, you know, clearly conveyed and probably clearly received. That doesn't mean it's going to be effective though. There are lots of hurdles I think to Congress getting this report or the public getting the report.
[Whitfield:] So is there a legal recourse to do that, to sue if, you know, a delicate request is not honored, then to sue, and is the law behind Democrats who do that?
[Garber:] Yes. So I mean, let's think about the impediments, the problems in the way. The first is that this report under Department of Justice regulations, this Mueller report is to be kept confidential. That's what the regulations say. It's a report from Mueller to the attorney general and it's to be kept confidential. The regulations say that it's up to the attorney general, at his discretion to decide what, if any, information is to be made public. So that's how the regulations are structured. Now, Congress certainly can issue a subpoena for testimony and for these materials. So Congress could issue a subpoena for this information. The problem is then the Department of Justice and the Special Counsel's Office could resist the subpoena and refuse to comply. And, you know, the House has difficulty enforcing its subpoenas.
[Whitfield:] So then will the House have to further justify why it's, you know, making the subpoena
[Garber:] Yes.
[Whitfield:] making its case to the Justice Department? And I imagine the case is going to be for the sake of transparency, especially heading into yet another presidential election.
[Garber:] Yes. So the House's argument is easier, exactly right? Transparency, these are super important issues to know about, for the American people to know about. What the Department of Justice might say is, yes, there are those regulations, there are also privileges, the executive privilege and also grand jury secrecy that might come into play and so they'll oversee this. Congress, the House could issue a subpoena for the information and then it could go to court. That's normally what happens with these subpoenas. The House says, you know, it's been a long time since they've arrested somebody and thrown them in the House jail. That's not going to happen. They're not going to have the Department of Justice prosecute anybody. So they're going to have to go to court and these cases tend to take a very long time. You know, President Obama
[Whitfield:] So that's not sounding like a long time, that's not sounding like a year, you know, before people go to the
[Garber:] Yes.
[Whitfield:] ballot and make their decision, you know
[Garber:] Right. Yes. That's going to be issue, Fred.
[Whitfield:] about whether Russia is influencing a candidate.
[Garber:] Yes. And President Obama's attorney general, Eric Holder, resisted a subpoena
[Whitfield:] Yes.
[Garber:] from Congress for information. He was held in contempt of Congress, and that case went to court, and it's taken years and years. I think about six years, for that to wind its way through the system. So it's a long process.
[Whitfield:] OK. And still under the umbrella of the investigations, although it kind of, you know, went off into another tangent involving the Southern District of New York, we're talking about the former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. Well, he's going to be on Capitol Hill this week, testifying before three different committees and Schiff believes that he has a lot to offer on the overall big picture. Take a listen to what Schiff had to say.
[Unidentified Male:] Michael Cohen is going to appear before your committee behind closed doors on Thursday. What do you hope to learn from him that you don't already now?
[Schiff:] Well, great deal starting with why the false statements before our committee when he first appeared. Did they go beyond what he told us about Moscow Trump Tower into other areas as well? Who would have been aware of the false testimony that he was giving? What other light can he shed now that he's cooperating on issues of obstruction of justice or collusion? What more can he tell us about the Trump Tower New York meeting or any other issues relevant to our investigation? We think he has a lot to offer.
[Whitfield:] So then, Ross, how does this, you know, advance a separate case as opposed to, you know, waiting to hear what the Southern District of New York has to say, waiting to hear what Mueller's report, you know, may shed light on as it pertains to Michael Cohen. How it- you know, what's the avenue for this and why?
[Garber:] Yes. So the first thing to keep in mind is one of these committees is going to have public testimony with Michael Cohen. That's a big deal. Most of what we've learned in all of these investigations has come through reporting, you know, reading it in newspapers or watching it on cable news or reading about it in indictments. This is really one of the first times we're actually going to get to see one of the players be questioned under oath about some key issues. Now, the public testimony is not going to include the Russia staff, but it is going to include issues of Trump's taxes, his business practices campaign finance issues, lots of stuff. And that's going to be very interesting. Now the closed door stuff will include Russia information and Michael Cohen, you know, that he was Trump's fixer, his lawyer, he was in a position to know a lot. The question is, does he know a lot and will he tell the truth?
[Whitfield:] Yes. All right, Ross Garber, good to see you. Thank you so much.
[Garber:] Good to see you.
[Whitfield:] All right. Still ahead, Pope Francis calls priests who abused children tools of Satan. But what is the Catholic Church going to do about all of it? We'll take we'll ask a former member of the Vatican Child Protection Commission, next.

[Burnett:] Breaking news. We now know Kim Jong-un personally supervised North Korea's missile launch overnight. These are the new images from North Korean state media which show Kim apparently overseeing the launch of two suspected short-range missiles. This comes as the United States says it has seized a North Korean cargo ship alleging it was in violation of sanctions. Trump and Kim who, of course, most recently met in person two months ago once again appear to be on a dangerous collision course. Michelle Kosinski is OUTFRONT.
[Michelle Kosinski, Cnn Senior Diplomatic Correspondent:] After two meetings with Kim Jong-un on the world stage, all that pomp and strange circumstance yielding very little and zero in the way of denuclearization. One of the few things the Trump administration could keep touting was at least they were talking and at least North Korea hadn't fired off any missiles since 2017. Well, no more. All in a matter of days, Kim Jong-un is back at it, testing weapons systems Friday and now launching multiple short-term range ballistic missiles. Trump's tone decidedly less glowing on the subject today.
[Trump:] Nobody is happy about it. I don't think they're ready to negotiate.
[Kosinski:] The other positive Trump could still point to is North Korea agreed to return the remains of U.S. soldiers from the Korean War. Well, they've stopped that too, stopped answering calls. Big setbacks to what Trump had hoped would be a foreign policy crowning glory.
[Trump:] I like Kim. He likes me. He's never had a relationship with anybody from this country.
[Kosinski:] From the early days of name-calling, Trump calling Kim a maniac, little rocket man. Kim calling the president a loser, lunatic, mean old trickster and human reject. In 2017, North Korea returned imprisoned American student Otto Warmbier in a coma. He died days later. Three months later, Kim tested a nuclear weapon. But then things started to change with North Korea invited to the Olympics in South Korea. Kim wanting to talk to the United States. There were letters, big oversized letters from Kim that Trump called beautiful.
[Trump:] He wrote me beautiful letters.
[Kosinski:] Missives back from the president. Trump sent Kim a CD of Elton John's "Rocket Man". The first TrumpKim summit almost a year ago, and Trump talking about Kim in over-the-top praising terms.
[Trump:] And then we fell in love.
[Kosinski:] There were ups and downs in this bizarro bromance. But without agreeing on even a definition of denuclearization, Trump's second summit with Kim in February all fell apart. No other meetings planned. Kim Jong-un looked thrilled and beaming in those pictures North Korea released of these latest missile launches, what are essentially a show of muscle and anger towards the United States for not lifting sanctions, and to South Korea for continuing military exercises with the U.S. So, yes, you could say that this provocation could have been much worse and much bigger. Still, though, the message here to Trump, of course, is the opposite of a love letter Erin.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Michelle. And next, breaking news. We are just hours from President Trump slapping higher tariffs on Chinese goods, which means higher prices here. Plus, a special week coming up on CNN, highlighting the champions for change who left an impact on us. Take a look.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Some people.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Some stories.
[Burnett:] Are so powerful.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] They leave their mark.
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Anchor:] Nobody has ever affected me the way your son did.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn:] Their work creates real impact.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] On their communities.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Chief National Security Correspondent:] On their country.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] On us all.
[Unidentified Female:] Meet the change-makers we have never forgotten.
[Unidentified Male:] What a difference seven years makes.
[Gupta:] This is the place where you jumped.
[Unidentified Male:] Yeah. This is the place where I live.
[Lemon:] Wow.
[Unidentified Female:] This is Bill from
[Cnn. Unidentified Female:] This is my first time today.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] These
[Unidentified Male:] Are the champions for change.
[Burnett:] It is amazing.
[Gupta:] I just get to tell you a story.
[Announcer:] "Champions for Change: A Week-Long CNN Special Event", all next week.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good evening. There is news just breaking now at the end of an already historic day. The White House appears to have just now blinked in the standoff that today that left President Trump facing the specter of impeachment. He's certainly not there yet, not by any means. But only two presidents have been impeached, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon resigned before the House could act. So, President Trump is in rare company. Today's action by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the president's own statements and actions over the past days and weeks, have now put the White House and Congress on a path rarely traveled in the 243 years of this country's existence. Whether you agree with what Speaker Pelosi announced today or not, today is significant. It was just after 5:00 Eastern Time that Speaker Pelosi in a rising wave pro-impeachment sentiment in her caucus made the day historic.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] The actions of the Trump presidency revealed the dishonorable fact of the president's betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections. Therefore, today, I'm announcing the House of Representatives moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry. I'm directing our six committees to proceed with their investigations under that umbrella of impeachment inquiry. The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law.
[Cooper:] Well, at immediate issue is the intelligence the whistleblower complaint which the White House has, so far, been keeping from Congress and the president's phone conversation with the president of the Ukraine allegedly to get Ukrainian help in damaging his leading opponent, Joe Biden. Now, the White House is now promising to release a transcript of the phone call tomorrow morning, which is not enough for House Democrats, who will soon get a chance to question the acting director of national intelligence who stopped the complaint from being forwarded to Congress, and the whistleblower. Nor is it enough for the Senate which took rare bipartisan action late today on the whistleblower's complaint. And as we mentioned at the very top, that is not even half of it. Let's begin with Jim Acosta with the breaking news. So, what are learning about the possible release of the whistleblower complaint itself?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Yes, Anderson, we understand White House officials are looking at this right now. It could come out as soon as tomorrow. My colleagues are reporting that the president weighed in on this and decided ultimately on his own that he wanted to see this whistleblower complaint released. We're not sure what form it will come in, whether we will see all of it. But there's a curious change of events. The White House essentially blinked in all of this. If we do see all of it, we're not sure if we will see all of it. But recall last week when the superior general for the intelligence community went on Capitol Hill talked to the House Intelligence Committee and essentially told the lawmakers we can't show you what's in this complaint. And so, this is a major reversal for the White House. No question about it, Anderson.
[Cooper:] What about the release of the transcript of the president's call with the Ukrainian president? And I'm not I mean, were there multiple calls? Do we know? Because the reporting for "The Wall Street Journal" initially was that there were at least eight mentions of or eight efforts of mentioning focusing on Biden. Do we know if that was all in one call?
[Acosta:] Right. I think that's one of the key questions in the whistleblower complaint. Remember, the whistleblower complaint dealt with multiple interactions and so that may get us to that answer, and whether or not we see all of the whistleblower complaint, that remains to be seen. But, Anderson, the president did authorize the release of that call transcript. He tweeted as much earlier this afternoon. He says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got permission from the Ukrainian side to go ahead and release this information. But very important for our viewers to understand at this point, Anderson, the White House is starting to downplay expectations as to what is going to be in that call transcript. I talked to two White House officials this evening who said prepare to be underwhelm, prepare to see the contents of that transcript and find those contents to be underwhelming at this point. That puts a lot of pressure on what is in that whistleblower complaint and, Anderson, as you know, as we've all been following this, the White House mass gone to great lengths, including the president, to call into question the credibility of the whistleblower. In the words of one White House official I spoke with this evening, they refer to the whistleblower as the so-called whistleblower. So, they're not putting a lot of stock in what that employee has to say at this point. But, Anderson, put all of that to the side. Keep in mind what happened when the president walked in the United Nations earlier this morning before he gave the speech to the United Nations General Assembly. He admitted to reporter that is he held up aid to Ukraine. This after he admitted to reporters that he pressured the Ukrainian president in a phone call to try to get dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden. That is what Democrats are focusing on at this point. And the president all day long was saying there was no quid pro quo. Democrats were saying you don't need a quid pro quo because the president was pressuring the Ukrainian president to try to get dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden Anderson.
[Cooper:] It's interesting, Jim, because President Trump and others in the White House have been saying well this was about overall concern about corruption in Ukraine. And what's odd about that is there are plenty of countries in the world that the U.S. has dealings with and sells military aid to and gives military aid to, which have widespread corruption. We haven't heard the president really talk about corruption
[Acosta:] Absolutely.
[Cooper:] in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else. And also, if he's very concerned about corruption in Ukraine, if the only example he is talking about and again it's totally an alleged example. There's no evidence if he is focusing only on the Bidens or Joe Biden's son, it's hard to imagine that that's the prime example of alleged corruption in Ukraine.
[Acosta:] That's right, Anderson. And it's interesting, over the last 48 hours, we have seen the president shift in his rationale as to why, you know, he isn't in any hot water in all of this. He was saying earlier that they were holding up the money to Ukraine because of his concerns about corruption. As you said, the United States has dealt with many countries around the globe that have corruption issues. Keep in mind, Saudi Arabia executed a journalist it appears in Jamal Khashoggi last year. We're coming up on the one year anniversary of that. That appears to be not a problem for the White House when comes to dealings with Saudi Arabia, and yet there's a concern about corruption when it comes to Ukraine. The other thing that the president was talking about was, well, the Europeans aren't donating enough money. They're not contributing enough money to help the Ukrainians in dealing with Russian aggression. That also was not the case. Europeans have been at the table contributing money to help Ukraine deal with Russian aggression. So, the president has been shifting this rationale. He's been dancing around all this issue all this week. The question is whether or not this is one of the episodes, Anderson, we have seen this movie before, whether the events and the facts and what the president said will eventually catch up with him Anderson.
[Cooper:] Yes. Jim Acosta, thanks very much. We have just heard from the whistleblower's attorney a brief statement which reads, quote, we applaud the decision to release the whistleblower complaint as it establishes that ultimately, the lawful whistleblower disclosure process can work. We await the release of the complaint in its totality. With that, let's go to CNN's Manu Raju at the Capital. Manu, do we know how the release of this complaint is going to affect the decision to move forward by Democrats?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] We don't know yet, because what the Democrats announced today was impeachment inquiry. What they didn't was actually voting to impeach the president. That would be presumably the next step. So, if the complaint doesn't show any wrongdoing or if the president the transcript that he eventually releases doesn't show the president doing anything wrong in the eyes of Democrats or if there is no evidence the president sought to hold up military aid to Ukraine in exchange for investigating the Bidens, perhaps they'll have a different tactic. But if there are significant concerns, red flags, a smoking gun in there, that could, of course, expedite the push to impeach this president because the Democrats have been demanding the information. But, Anderson, one of the reasons they were considering impeaching the president is because of the refusal to turn over this information. They say it would be obstruction of Congress. At least if that is provided perhaps that will be one less count to add to their impeachment inquiry, in putting articles of impeachment, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Yes. What Speaker Pelosi was saying today was that, you know, this is now under the umbrella of an impeachment inquiry and that the six investigations that are already underway will proceed under that umbrella. Does that actually really change anything? I mean, is this just you know, there was a lot of debate among Democrats well, it doesn't matter what you call it, it's an inquiry, it's investigation, whatever. Does that is anything really new here other than Speaker Pelosi is now calling it an investigation an inquiry?
[Raju:] In a sense, no. It's a essentially a continuation what have the Democrats have been doing. There are six committees that are investigating this president. There are including the House Judiciary Committee House Intelligence Committee, looking at all aspects of the president, his businesses and his past. And what they have said in the last several weeks, particularly the House Judiciary Committee, is that this investigation will ultimately decide whether or not to impeach the president. Democrats have been saying it's been impeachment inquiry because at the end of the day, they're going to make that decision. So what Pelosi said was the investigations will simply just continue, and ultimately, we will decide whether to impeach this president, which is the same thing essentially as what they have been doing. So, there is not a whole lot of change. But the significant thing of her announcing her support of actually calling it an impeachment inquiry, a lot of Democrats interpret that to mean that she is ready to move forward when the time comes to eventually impeach the president. Of course, that would be a historic move. Only the third president in American history to get impeached even if ultimately unsuccessful in the Republican-led Senate where two thirds majority would be needed to remove the president from office. But the Democrats are pushing to go forward in the speaker's blessing today makes it more likely that we could see articles of impeachment in the coming months, Anderson.
[Cooper:] So, what is the process in that inquiry from here on out?
[Raju:] Well, expect these committees to continue their investigations. And afterwards, if they do believe it's time to impeach the president, then the articles of impeachment will be drafted, then the House Judiciary committee will actually vote on those articles of impeachment. The full house then would vote soon thereafter. And then, it would go to the Senate where they would have the trial and presumably would acquit the votes at least on the votes they have right now, the president would not be convicted. But it's unclear exactly how long this will take. Speaker Pelosi behind closed doors, Anderson, I'm told, told Democrats she wants to be done, quote, expeditiously and Jerry Nadler has said that he wants this done by the end of the year. So, the question is, can they do that and then if it runs into the election year, how much does it impact things? Anderson?
[Cooper:] Yes. Manu Raju, a lot going on. Thank you, Manu. One of the Democrats who came to this reluctantly is Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey. She's a former Navy helicopter pilot, a federal prosecutor. She's one of seven members with national security background who wrote an op-ed in "The Washington Post". It includes the sentence: These allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect. Congresswoman Sherrill joins me now. Thanks very much for being with us. What is your reaction, A, to the breaking news that according to CNN the White House may allow the whistleblower complaint to be turned over to Congress and according to "The New York Times", the White House think they may also have to let the whistleblower talk to congressional investigators?
[Rep. Mikie Sherrill:] Anderson, the fact that we have gotten here, that we still don't have the whistleblower report shows that this was needed, this step was needed. We needed to pressure the president to turn that over. He should not have involvement in the whistleblower complaint. The statute is very clear. We did this to protect whistleblowers. He is undermining that. But we need the full report. We need the I.G.'s report, and then we need to keep pressure on the president, because we know he said in the past that he would turn over certain documents or do certain things and has not followed through.
[Coope:] So, if you know, there is Jim Acosta's reporting some people in the White House are sort of saying this is going to be underwhelming when this transcript is released, there's not really any "there" there. Others on Capitol Hill, Republicans are saying this whistleblower may not actually, you know, have direct knowledge. And are sort of questioning the White House is saying you know, calling a person a so-called whistleblower. If, in fact, the transcript is underwhelming and the whistleblower doesn't have firsthand information, does that end this inquiry? Or assuming something happened here, we know Rudy Giuliani, the president's attorney was going around the Ukraine, talked to Ukrainian officials, I think meetings you know, arrange through the State Department. There must be other people involved. With this continue then?
[Sherrill:] Well, Anderson, I think we know that the I.G. had- the ICIG had serious concerns. And that's why he felt it was so important that this whistle complaint go forward and Congress see it. So, even if it's underwhelming and it's drama, I think there are some concerns that relate to national security. That's what the ICIG said. And but we will go forward because we now know that the president held up support for one of our strategic one of our strategic partners Ukraine, as they were trying to deter Russian aggression, something we wanted them to do because we are concerned our national defense strategy cites problems with Russian aggression. So, we were supporting them, Congress was supporting them in a bipartisan move. The president withheld that much-needed support. We also know the president talked to shortly after withholding the support, talked to the Ukrainian president about investigating corruption related to Biden, the president said this. So, yes, certainly, there are grave concerns that need to be investigated.
[Cooper:] Are you worried that the president is set to meet with the Ukrainian president tomorrow at you know as part of the U.N. General Assembly. Are you concerned if the president meets alone with the Ukrainian president would just maybe a translator present?
[Sherrill:] Certainly, I would want to know what is going on in the meeting. I think we have seen already the president's conversations with the Ukrainian president have been incredibly concerning. I don't think the country wants to see him going forward continuing the threatening conversations.
[Cooper:] You were not publicly onboard with impeachment until yesterday as I understand it, when the you and some of your colleagues as I mentioned published the op-ed in "The Washington Post". Is the hold up for support of Ukraine, you just mentioned, what changed your mind to support impeachment? Or was there a particular something else in particular that changed your mind.
[Sherrill:] I think particularly the threat to our national security, the threat to our Democratic elections. We have seen now for 2020 going forward, a forward looking threat with the president withholding support for a strategic partner. We see the president then threatening another foreign power with that with the withholding support, and then trying to affect the elections, trying to get dirt on his opponent. That was simply a line that was crossed for many of us in the national security sphere. We have served all over the world. I'm a Navy helicopter pilot, former Russian policy officer. I have served all over the world, as have my fellow Democrats who wrote the op-ed with me. We know how important the replaces with the allies are. We know what it's like to be at war and to need support and to know that Congress gave that support to our strategic partner, to know the president withheld that at a critical moment when they're hot war in eastern Ukraine was unacceptable to us.
[Cooper:] It is extraordinary just the timing of that phone conversation, the one that the transcript will be released of, the day after Mueller testifies. The idea that the president feels he is cleared of any collusion on Russia and then if, again, if all of this bears out, this is essentially asking it's an attempt to collude with Ukraine and get them to collude to affect the next election.
[Sherrill:] Anderson, I think we see the president's behavior as we haven't as we have seen just getting worse and worse, more and more chaotic and reckless. And that's why we welt felt like it was time to step in, to operate as congress, as that check on a reckless presidency. We you know, we see him now really thinking that he is empowered not to turn anything over to Congress, to act in a way that really undermines our national security. And that's something that we saw as a real threat.
[Cooper:] Congresswoman Sherrill, appreciate your time. Thank you.
[Sherrill:] Thank you.
[Cooper:] Coming up next, our team of political and legal professionals here to put this in perspective. Also, late reaction from the acting director of national intelligence who's due before Congress on Thursday. And later tonight on this program, we'll talk to the former director of national intelligence, James Clapper. Certainly got plenty to talk about tonight.

[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] You're talking about a long time ago and again it was a decision made, I think, not by him but by a lot of people.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Can Alex Acosta survives? The embattled Labor Secretary has the President's support, but allies of the President aren't sure for how long.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Obamacare could be in serious jeopardy. Two judges suggest they may back a Texas ruling that says the law cannot exist without the individual mandate.
[Romans:] Some scary moments on a flight from Atlanta to Baltimore, forced to make an emergency landing due to engine trouble.
[Briggs:] And it's a beautiful day for a parade. The U.S. Women's National Team honored in the Canyon of Heroes right here in New York City in just a couple of hours. I can't wait for that. Welcome back to "Early Start," I'm Dave Briggs.
[Romans:] And I'm Christine Romans. 30 minutes past the hour. Nice to see you all this morning. A reprieve for the Labor Secretary, Alex Acosta, at least for now, he's under close scrutiny for a sweetheart plea deal he made with Jeffrey Epstein when the well connected financier faced sex abuse charges in 2008. Sources tell us, President Trump is saying, privately he has confidence in Acosta. Publicly, the President is down playing Acosta's role in the plea deal which his U.S. attorney he oversaw.
[Trump:] For 2.5 years he's been just an excellent secretary of labor. He's done a fantastic job. But you're talking about a long time ago. And again, it was a decision made I think not by him but a lot of people.
[Romans:] But CNN has learned that confidence could vanish in a flash depending on the news coverage. The President's longtime confidant Chris Ruddy told Don Lemon Acosta's future not so bright.
[Chris Ruddy, Ceo & President, Newsmax Media:] I think the plea agreement he did is indefensible. I think that he's not going to stay for long. I haven't spoken to the President about it, but I do think and we're reporting on NewsMax actually tonight, our White House correspondent, says he will be out in the next couple of weeks.
[Briggs:] Acosta for his part ratcheting up his defense of the Epstein plea deal saying he's pleased that New York prosecutors are moving forward with a case based on new evidence. That is not enough for the "Miami Herald" editorial board which is calling for Acosta's resignation. "The Herald" broke the story of Epstein light punishment. 13 months in jail and the freedom to work at his office 12 hours a day, six days a week. It's not clear yet what if any role Congress will play in investigating the 2008 plea deal which is now under intense scrutiny.
[Romans:] As for Epstein, the President is trying to distance himself in the wake of that new indictment in New York, charging him with running a child sex ring. This is the same Jeffrey Epstein. Mr. Trump once described as a terrific guy. Today, not so much.
[Trump:] Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him in 15 years. I wasn't a fan.
[Romans:] And the New York Times also has new reporting this morning suggesting closer ties between the President and Epstein. A 1992 party at Mar-a-Lago billed as a calendar girl competition. A Florida businessman who organized that party tells the Times 30 people were there, 28 women plus Trump and Epstein.
[Briggs:] There are signs this may be the beginning of the end for Obamacare. Two Republican-appointed appellate judges strongly suggesting they agree with a lower court judge who ruled last year the entire law should be struck down. Chief Justice John Roberts famously upheld the Affordable Care Act in 2012, declaring the individual mandate legal as a tax. Since Congress limited the tax for not buying insurance, conservatives believe the whole law is unconstitutional.
[Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, Appointed By President George W. Bush In 2007:] If you no longer have the tax, why isn't it unconstitutional?
[Samuel Siegel, Deputy Solicitor General For California:] Because it is possible to still understand this as a precatory position, that doesn't create any rights or obligation.
[Briggs:] Wiping out Obamacare could end coverage for millions of Americans and have a dramatic effect on the presidential race already focused heavily on health care. President Trump has repeatedly said people with pre-existing conditions would be covered even if Obamacare is struck down. But he has failed to offer any type of replacement plan.
[Romans:] All right, let's bring in CNN Politics Digital Director Zach Wolf live in Washington. Good morning, how are you?
[Zachary Wolf, Cnn Politics Digital Director:] Good morning. Great.
[Romans:] All right. Obamacare. Ten years on, this is still this fight. But for millions of people, millions of people this is their health care. What is the risk for this administration siding with essentially gutting the law when we know from the midterms that this is something that drove Democrats to the polls?
[Briggs:] Yeah.
[Wolf:] That's right. And it's interesting the administration actually signed on to agree with the judge after he originally, you know, ruled it unconstitutional. They sort of smelled blood in the water and jumped on board. Now the functional end result of, you know, undoing Obamacare essentially 10 years on would be that millions of Americans could lose their health care that's now provided either, you know, through Medicaid or through the private health insurance markets that were created. So it would basically create this chaos in the United States. And you have to wonder if John Roberts who has several times sort of saved Obamacare's bacon, if he would allow this to happen. But regardless, it's remarkable that it's, you know, 10 years later and we're still having these court battles about a law that is basically been woven into the fabric of society.
[Briggs:] Now the important part is the tens of millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. But politically, boy, this plays right into the 2020 Democrats' hands. But we want to move on to this Alex Acosta story, the President's Labor Secretary. Now why I emphasize labor is labor department actually oversees human trafficking. It appears that Alex Acosta overlooked human trafficking when he gave the sweetheart deal with Jeffrey Epstein back in 2007 and 2008. Can he possibly survive all of this?
[Wolf:] Well, I mean, you heard the President there. He feels very badly for the man. I think President Trump has enough scandals going around his administration that are caused by him, however, and he may want to sort of distance himself from his labor secretary. And also, I mean, this is an opportunity, you know, for absolutely no reason, other reason would we be airing pictures of him and Jeffrey Epstein other than his labor secretary was the guy gave him the sweetheart deal in 2008.
[Briggs:] Yeah.
[Wolf:] And Trump had nothing to do with that.
[Romans:] Right.
[Wolf:] But, you know, here we are in the situation where Trump is now, you know, mentioned in the same breath as Epstein. And I don't think Trump is going to like that.
[Romans:] But he doesn't like to be told what to do, though.
[Wolf:] No.
[Romans:] When everyone's saying one thing, the President zags. You know, when the media is zigging, he zags.
[Briggs:] But this will only increase scrutiny on the relationship between Epstein and Trump. And when you have a party with 28 women and two men and you were one of the men, that scrutiny is only going to get more intense as we got.
[Romans:] Yeah. The story also There's so many questions, how did Epstein make his money, you know, I only know of a couple of investors who worked with him. You know, does he industrial clients these days? You know, how close was the president to him? And why did they have the falling out? You know, the President said they had a falling out 15 years ago, why did they have that falling out.
[Briggs:] Yeah, a lot of questions. Zack, I want to ask you about your column, the only thing better than your scruff by the way is your column here on Ross Perot. The 1992 run, you say why it was so important. Tell us, for those that don't remember, why was that run so important? And could there be a Ross Perot in 2020?
[Wolf:] It's hard to imagine because people who are sort of like Ross Perot, like Donald Trump, they are going into the party system and taking over parties. Michael Bloomberg, if he had run for president, he would have done it as a Democrat. Howard Schultz thought about running as an independent. You know, we don't the story isn't over, but it certainly looks like he's not going to run. So people, these billionaires, very rich men and women, they don't want to run outside the party system. Ross Perot was the last person who did that and showed that you could get a lot of people to vote for you. 20 million people almost voted for him. But at the end of the day, he poured all of these millions of dollars in he didn't win. So he kind of also showed that you can't become president outside of the party system.
[Romans:] I mean, he was really, I mean, for today's electorate, too, I mean, he was talking about the unease among working people with about globalization. And he nailed it in '92. That's why he got so many votes and that you could argue that's what elected this president in 2016.
[Briggs:] Sure. Tom Steyer, the billionaire is running, but as a Democrat. Some feel Justin Amash, former Republican Congressman could be a spoiler at least in the State of Michigan but we shall see, a lot of time ahead. Zach Wolf, good to see you, sir. Thank you.
[Romans:] All right.
[Wolf:] Thanks.
[Briggs:] All right. Just in to CNN, Senator Kamala Harris teaming with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to help people with criminal records fairly obtained housing. The Democrats introducing a bill today to reform eviction and screening policies to allow people with a criminal past to apply for federal housing assistance. Harris is not the first 2020 contender to pair up with the progressive idol. Senator Bernie Sanders joined with AOC campaigned for progressive candidates in 2018 and Senator Elizabeth Warren partnered with her on a number of efforts.
[Romans:] All right. Steep decline in border crossings as Mexico's migration crackdown appears to be working. A U.S. authority is reporting a 28% decline in southern border arrests in June. Now border crossings typically, of course, rise in the spring and they drop in summer. But the decline from May to June was larger than in previous years. The acting Homeland Security Secretary telling Chris Cuomo the strategy at the border is working.
[Kevin Mcaleenan, Acting Homeland Security Secretary:] I think we can attribute it to the partnership with Mexico and our efforts to tackle the criminal organizations doing the smuggling. We can't stand pat. We're working further in the region. I've been in Central America twice in the last two weeks working with the governments of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras on the source of the migration and on the criminal organizations that are exploiting and incentivizing people to enter the cycle.
[Romans:] So the drop in border crossings has provided a small reprieve for U.S. border stations. Officials say they have been brought back from the breaking point and agents are improving care and processing times for children and families.
[Briggs:] Breaking overnight, Actor Rip Torn has died.
[Rip Torn, Actor:] I was doing a bob hope special at the time. And I was so screwed up I let it affect my work. I made Elke summer cry in the middle of A dance rehearsal. I'm not proud of that.
[Briggs:] Born Elmore Torn, the Oscar and Tony Nominee won an Emmy for his role as Artie on HBO's the "Larry Sanders Show." He had nearly 200 credits and a career that spanned seven decades. After that success on the "Larry Sanders Show," Torn's career picked up steam leading to a memorable turn in the "Men in Black" franchise.
[Torn:] Containment may be a moot point, old friend. The exodus continues. It's like the party's over and the last one to leave gets stuck with the check.
[Briggs:] It was terrific in that. Torn's publicist said he passed away peacefully at his home in Connecticut with his family by his side. Rip Torn was 88.
[Romans:] All right, 41 minutes past the hour. Can the British ambassador do his job after leaked cables showing him slamming this president? Perspective from other European ambassadors, next.

[Burnett:] New tonight, a federal judge slamming the Justice Department and ordering Michael Cohen be released from prison to home confinement. The judge ruling Cohen was sent back to prison in retaliation for writing a tell-all book about the president. OUTFRONT now, Jeffrey Toobin, chief legal analyst and former federal prosecutor. So, Jeff, you know, pretty amazing, right, that you get this you know, the judge saying this was a retaliation, right, from the president's Justice Department for writing a tell-all book. Can this order from the judge be seen as anything else but a stunning rebuke to the president and his Attorney General Bill Barr?
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] A total rebuke. Judge Hellerstein said I've been a judge for 21 years. I've released a lot of people from prison. I have never seen an order like this. And, you know, first of all, writing books is protected by the First Amendment. And second, why this prisoner out of all prisoners is subject to this? The only conclusion he could draw, and I think it's a correct conclusion, is that this was an attempt to silence someone who is now a critic of the president.
[Burnett:] So, Cohen's book, you know, look, this is the latest in a string of books the president has recently tried to fail to block from publication. There was his niece, Mary Trump, right? There was John Bolton's book. So, was what happened today a surprise, you know, or to you at all or did you you know, did you think this was going to end this way?
[Toobin:] I think, you know, it usually is the case that the Bureau of Prisons has a lot of control over people who are released from prison prematurely. They can insist on house arrest. They can insist on, you know, no communication with certain people. But this was such an outrageous and obvious restriction on his constitutional rights for no good reason. I mean, there is no public safety involved. This was solely based on the idea that the president shouldn't be criticized. And so, for that reason, it did seem like a pretty obvious call for the judge, and it turned out that it was.
[Burnett:] And they tried to say, oh, because he was, you know, captured by the "New York Post" having dinner with friends that this was all a violation. That was the original cover for why they had to send back, but it didn't add up.
[Toobin:] But there was there was no restriction on his ability to have dinner with friends. That was there was no basis for that. And, you know, a lot of people dislike Michael Cohen on the left, on the right. But the point is the law has to apply to everyone equally. And if you're going to release someone from prison, you have to allow them to have the same rights as everyone else and everyone else has the right to express themselves under the First Amendment, and so does Michael Cohen.
[Burnett:] So we'll be seeing that Cohen book?
[Toobin:] We will be seeing that cone book and people can buy it if they want.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Jeffrey Toobin.
[Toobin:] All righty, Erin.
[Burnett:] And next, Trump touting his performance on a cognitive test, that he keeps positioning, as you know, as an IQ test. So who gets this test? What you'll find out about the people who will get this test to begin with is really important, because the man behind the test is my guest, next.

[Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant's Widow, Gianna Bryant's Mother:] He was my sweet husband and the beautiful father of our children. He was mine. He was my everything. Kobe and I had been together since I was 17 and a half years old. I was his first girlfriend, his first love, his wife, his best friend, his confidant, and his protector. He was the most amazing husband. Kobe loved me more than I could ever express or put into words. He was the early bird and I was a night owl. I was fire and he was ice and vice versa at times. We balanced each other out. He would do anything for me. I have no idea how I deserved a man that loved and wanted me more than Kobe. He was charismatic, a gentleman. He was loving, adoring and romantic. He was truly the romantic one in our relationship and looked forward to Valentine's Day and our anniversaries every year. He planned special anniversary trips, and a special traditional gift for every year of our marriage. He even handmade my most treasured gifts. He just thought outside of the box, he was so thoughtful, even while working hard to be the best athlete. He gave to me the actual notebook and the blue dress Rachel McAdams wore in "The Notebook" movie. When I asked him why he chose the blue dress, he said it was because it was the scene when Ali comes back to Noah. We had hoped to grow old together like the movie. We really had an amazing love story. We loved each other with our whole beings, two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls. A couple of weeks before they passed, Kobe sent me a sweet text and mentioned how he wanted to spend time together, just the two of us without our kids, because I'm his best friend first. We never got the chance to do it. We were busy taking care of our girls and just doing our regular everyday responsibilities. But I'm thankful I have that recent text. It means so much to me. Kobe wanted us to renew our vows. He wanted Natalia to take over his company, and he wanted to travel the world together. We had always talked about how would be the fun grandparents to our daughters' children. He would have been the coolest grandpa. Kobe was the MVP of girl dads, or MVD. He never left the toilet seat up. He always told the girls how beautiful and smart they are. He taught them how to be brave, and how to keep pushing forward when things get tough. And when Kobe retired from the NBA, he took over dropping off and picking up our girls from school since I was at home pregnant with Bianka and just recently home nursing Capri. When Kobe was still playing, I used to show up an hour early to be the first in line to pick up Natalia and Gianna from school and I told him he couldn't drop the ball once he took over. He was late one time and we most definitely let him know that I was never late. So he showed up one hour and 20 minutes early after that. He always knew there was room for improvement and wanted to do better. He happily did carpool and enjoyed spending time in the car with our girls. He was a doting father, a father that was hands on and present. He helped me bathe Bianka and Capri almost every night. He would sing them silly songs in the shower and continue making them laugh and smile as he lathered them lotion and got them ready for bed. He had magic arms and could put Capri to sleep in only a few minutes. He said he had it down to a science, eight times up and down our hallway. He loved taking Bianka to Fashion Island and then watch her play in the koi pond area and loved taking her to the park. Their most recent visit to the koi pond was the evening before he and Gigi passed. He shared a love of movies and the breakdown of films with Natalia. He enjoyed running out theaters and taking Natalia to watch the newest "Star Wars" movie or "Harry Potter" films. And they would have movie marathons and he enjoyed every second of it. He loved your typical tear jerkers, too. He liked watching "Step Mom," "Steel Magnolias" and "Little Women." He had a tender heart.
[V. Bryant:] Kobe somehow knew where I was at all times, specifically, when I was late to his games. He would worry about me if I wasn't in my seat at the start of each game and would ask security where I was at the first time out of the first quarter. And my smart ass would tell him that he wasn't going to drop 81 points within the first 10 minutes of the game. [LAUGHTER] I think anyone with kids understands that sometimes you can't make it out the door on time, and eventually he was used to my tardiness and balled out. The fact that he could play on an intense professional level and still be concerned by making sure we made it to the game safely was just another example of how family came first to him. He loved being Gianna's basketball coach. He told me he wished he would have convinced Natalia to play basketball and said they could have spent even more time together. But he also wanted her to pursue her own passion. He watched Natalia play in a volleyball tournament on her birthday on January 19th, and he notice how she's a very intelligent player. He was convinced she would have made a great point guard with her vision of the court. And he told me that he wanted Bianka and Capri to take up basketball when they get older, so he could spend just as much time with them as he did with Gigi. And Kobe always told Bianka and Capri that they were going to grow up and play basketball and mix the asset. [LAUGHTER] Now they won't have their daddy and sister here to teach them and that is truly a loss I do not understand. But I'm so thankful Kobe heard Coco say "Dada." He wasn't going to be here to drop Bianka and Capri off at pre-K or kindergarten. He isn't going to be here to tell me to "Get a grip, V" when we have to leave the kindergarten classroom or show up to our daughter's doctor's visits for my own moral support. He isn't going to be able to walk our girls down the aisle or spin me around on the dance floor while singing "PYT" to me. But I want my daughters to know and remember the amazing person, husband and father he was. The kind of man that wanted to teach the future generations to be better and to keep them from making his own mistakes. He always liked working and doing projects to improve kids' lives. He taught us all valuable lessons about sports through his NBA career, his books, his show detail and his Punies podcast series and we're so thankful he left those lessons and stories behind for us. He was thoughtful and wrote the best love letters and cards. Gigi had his wonderful ability to express your feelings onto paper and make you feel her love through her words. She was thoughtful like him. They were so easy to love. Everyone always naturally gravitated towards them. They were funny, happy, silly and they loved life. They were so full of joy and adventure. God knew they couldn't be on this earth without each other. He had to bring them home to heaven together. Babe, you take care of our Gigi, and I've got Nani, Bebe and Koko. We're still the best team. We love and miss you, Boo Boo and Gigi. May you both rest in peace and have fun in heaven until we meet again one day. We love you both and miss you forever and always Mommy. [APPLAUSE]
[Jimmy Kimmel, Host, Jimmy Kimmel Live:] This speaker from whom we are about to hear is very special to the Bryant family. She is their dear friend, who's also a four-time Olympic gold medalist, a three-time WNBA champion, three-time NCAA champion, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer and if that isn't enough to convince you that she is one of the best of all time, Kobe gave her the greatest honor of all, he nicknamed her after himself. Please welcome the white Mamba, Diana Taurasi. [APPLAUSE]
[Diana Taurasi, American Basketball Player:] My name is Diana Taurasi. Thanks, Jimmy. You stole my first joke. I am the white Mamba. [LAUGHTER]
[Taurasi:] I would first likely to offer my deepest condolences to all the families who a lost loved one. In 1996, I was a lanky awkward freshman in high school, obsessively shooting night after night in my driveway. On the nights the Lakers played, I wouldn't miss a second of the game. Every time out, every commercial. I run to the front yard to imitate my favorite Laker, Kobe. On a few lucky occasions, my dad would come home from work. He was a metal sheet worker in Los Angeles, and he'd come home with Laker tickets. Watching Kobe play the Great Western form as a rookie made this little girl believe she could be a Laker one day. It was like getting to know myself every single day. He made it okay to play with an edge, that borderline crazy. Early onset Mamba mentality was in full effect. Years later, when I spent time with Kobe at the 2008 Olympics, I learned firsthand that it just wasn't limited to the basketball court. His competitive fire ran through his veins, just like many of us today. Every single workout, I end the same way with a Kobe game winner. Three hard dribbles going right. Left foot plant, pivot, swing right leg through, elevate, square up, follow through. Five in a row and I got to go home. It's that exact same shot that won us a championship in Phoenix in 2014. Kobe's willingness to do the hard work and make the sacrifice every single day inspired me and resonated with the City of Los Angeles. We struggled together. We grew together. We celebrated victories together. The same passion we all recognized in Kobe, obviously, Gigi inherited. Her skill was undeniable at an early age. I mean, who has a turn away fade away jumper at 11? LeBron barely got it today. [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE] But it was her curiosity about the game that was pushing her to pick up the basketball every single day. Gigi was in the midst of the best times in a basketball player's career. No responsibilities, no expectations. Just basketball with your best friends. Every weekend was a new adventure, an opportunity to learn how to work and grow together as a unit. As a young kid, there's nothing you look forward to more than long, hot summer days in the gym with your homies. The same way Kobe inspired a generation of basketball players, Gigi then turned Kobe's interest in coaching and teaching the game. I'm sure I'm not the only one who received a text from Kobe asking me what drills they were doing when they were 13. Gigi in many ways, represents the future of women's basketball. A future where a young woman aspires to play in the WNBA the same way I wanted to be a Laker. Gigi already had goals to play for UConn. That in itself showed her fearless mentality. She represents a time where a young girl doesn't need permission to play. Her skill would command respect. The last time I saw Gigi, the Mambas were in Phoenix for a big AAU tournament. Kobe brought them to the locker room to watch practice. I always remember the look on Gigi's face. It was a look of excitement, a look of belonging and look a fierce determination. As a daughter, a sister, wife and mother, we embrace Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We promise to carry Gigi's legacy. [Speaks in Spanish]. [APPLAUSE]
[Unidentified Female:] Just as her father was to our next speaker, our next speaker was to Gianna. Mentors know no gender or race. They just know they're here to help others. And one of Gianna's most impactful teachers and friends was Sabrina Ionescu. Following her parents here this morning, she'll fly back to the Bay Area to face Stanford, undoubtedly with thoughts of her time here ever present in her mind. Please welcome NCAA all-time leader in points, assist and three-point field goals, Sabrina Ionescu. [APPLAUSE]
[Sabrina Ionescu, Basketball Player:] Growing up, I only knew one way to play the game of basketball fierce with obsessive focus. I was unapologetically competitive. I wanted to be the best. I love the work even when it was hard, especially if it was hard. I knew I was different, that my drive was different. I grew up watching Kobe Bryant, game after game, ring after ring, living his greatness without apology. I wanted to be just like him, to love every part of the competition, to be the first to show up and the last to leave, to love the grind, to be your best when you don't feel your best and make other people around you the best version of themselves and to wake up and do it again the next day. So that's what I did. Wake up, grind and get better. Wake up grind and get better. A year ago, my team, Oregon, was playing at USC, the morning of the game, our coaches told us that there was a surprise for the day. I was thinking Nike sent us some new shoes or swag or something. The game starts and shortly after, Kobe walks in with his daughter, Gianna and two of her teammates. They sat courtside while my jaw sat dropped. They watched the entire game. And that was the first time I met Kobe. Kobe, Gigi and her teammates came into the locker room after the game. He congratulated us on the win that day in our season up to that point, but said, and I'll never forget, don't shoot yourselves in the foot. He meant don't settle to keep grinding, control what you can. The National Championship wasn't far and our goal was to win it all. I remember Gigi excited and smiling in the locker room. I'd always watch a ton of film of her playing basketball. She had a fade away better than mine. I asked her where she wanted to play ball in college and she said UConn. She had the will and determination to be able to play wherever she wanted. And if she wanted to go there, I wanted her there as well. She and her teammates hung out with us for a while, star struck and a little shy, but always observing. Whichever school she would come to choose, it didn't matter. If I represented the President of the women's game, Gigi was the future and Kobe knew it. So we decided to build a future together. I worked out twice with Gigi over the summer, I'd gone down to help Kobe coach his team. Gigi had so much of her dad's skill set. You could tell the amount of hours they spent in the gym, practicing her moves. She smiled all the time, but when it was game time, she was ready to kill. Her demeanor changed almost instantly when the whistle blew. I remember one time someone grabbed her jersey and she sort of just knocked them down and then stepped right over them. [LAUGHTER]
[Ionescu:] Me and Kobe looked at each other smiling and he goes, I don't know where she learned that from. [LAUGHTER] I laughed and said, I do. You can't teach that and definitely not at her age. Kobe was right. She had it. I loved watching how hard she worked and how much her teammates loved her, but also her own desire to be great. She always wanted to learn, to go to every game she could college, NBA WNBA. Kobe was helping her with that because he saw it enter. Just like he saw it in me. His vision for others is always bigger than what they imagined for themselves. His vision for me was way bigger than my own. More importantly, he didn't just show up in my life and leave, he stayed. We kept in touch, always texting, calls, game visits, a drop, a triple double and have a text from him, another triple double IC with a flex emoji. Another game, another text, yo beast mode or easy money. I felt some pressure early on in the season and he wrote to me, be you, it's been good enough and that will continue to be good enough. He taught me his step back. He told me that if I could bring that to my game, it'd be over for any defender trying to guard me. He told me how high my arc needed to be on my shot, how to angle my foot, which led to kick out, how much power to push off. Real sharpness comes without effort, he said. He was giving me the blueprint. He was giving Gigi the same blueprint. He united us. He made it so that the outsiders who had worked everyone else, who are driven to be just a little bit different every single day, to make those around them behind them and above them a little bit better every single day. And they weren't the exception. They were the rule. I wanted to be a part of the generation that changed basketball for Gigi and her teammates where being born female didn't mean being born behind, where greatness wasn't divided by gender. You have too much to give to stay silent, that's what he said. That's what he believes. That's what he lived, through Gigi, through me, through his investment in women's basketball. That was his next great act, a girl dad. Basketball in many ways was just a metaphor. I still text him even though he's not here. Thank you for everything. The rest is for you. Rest easy, my guy. The last one I sent him said I miss you. May you rest in peace, my dear friend. The text go through, but no response. It still feels like he's there on the other end, that the next time I pick up my phone, he would have hit me back. Sometimes I find myself still waiting. It's so strange to describe him or Gigi in the past tense. You don't get used to that. No one tells you that about grief. The week after the accident, I was in Colorado, I had a game and like I do before every game, I prayed. This time I was thinking about Kobe and Gigi. His voice is still in my head even if his body is not on this earth, and all I wanted was a sign that in some way he still heard me, too. I looked off into the sky and there it was, a beautiful golden sunset, the boldest yellow, Lakers yellow and further in the distance, a helicopter. There was my sign that he will forever be with me. I heard his voice in my head, the last line from one of his books. Walk until the darkness is a memory and you've become the sun on the next traveler's horizon. Today may feel like darkness, he was in so many ways, a sun, beaming, radiating fixed in the sky. I ask each of you, every girl dad, every human here with a voice, a platform and a heart to not let his sun set, shine for us for our sport where he wants to invest in us with the same passion and drive and respect and love as he did his own daughter. In the end, she was a sun just starting to rise and God, did she glow. May their light forever shine. Kobe and Gigi, I love you forever. Thank you. [APPLAUSE]
[Unidentified Female:] Among the many dreams that the lovely Gianna would have realized in her life was that of playing for one of the greatest women's collegiate basketball teams in history, the Huskies of UConn. One of the highlights of her and father's lives was a visit they made to the campus in March 2019. Here today to speak on his friendship with both of them is the 11-time NCAA championship coach of the Huskies, Geno Auriemma. [APPLAUSE]
[Geno Auriemma, University Of Connecticut Women's Basketball Coach:] There's some amazing women in this room, aren't there? [APPLAUSE]
[Auriemma:] And you just heard from three of them. I'm Geno Auriemma and I'm the coach of the UConn women's basketball program. And a lot of people want to talk about basketball today, and I don't know that that's why I'm here. I'm not here for the basketball part. I tried to write a long flowing speech about basketball and I can't do it. There's too many thoughts in my head ever since Vanessa asked me to speak. Too many things that made me realize more that I'm here as a father, not as a basketball coach and also tie ins as these just showed you, we're very we're very, very emotional people. Right, Mike? At least, half the time. So the thoughts that I started to have after I was asked to speak were obviously about all the people that were on board. And if you're a father, a grandfather, you feel a different a different kind of emotion when there's children involved. Because this is always about the children. We've lived our lives. We have a little bit left. They're just starting their lives. And then my next thought came to the original team that Kobe was responsible for, Natalia, Bianka, Capri, Vanessa because we're always teammates, you know, we're always on a team. Sometimes it's a big team. Sometimes it's a small team. And that's the most important team. And Kobe and I shared some history. He started in Italy, went to Philadelphia and then went to the limelight and the lights and glamour of LA. I was born in Philadelphia and went to Philly and went to the cows up in Storrs. That was a joke because there's no lights and there's no glitz and glamour and Storrs, Connecticut. [LAUGHTER] And how ironic that he would talk to me about coaching. The uncoachable one wants to talk about coaching. [LAUGHTER] Probably the most uncoachable player in the NBA during his career wants to know about coaching. And I wanted to know why, he said I'm coaching my daughter's team. I said, Oh my god, that poor kid. [LAUGHTER] So when I watched the highlights of her playing, and on about the third or fourth time she touched the ball, Gianna passed it when she was open. [LAUGHTER] I thought she's not listening to her father. [LAUGHTER] So he would call and say what kind of defensive drills should I do? We have practice tonight, we're going to work on defense. What do you think is the most important thing in teaching man to man? Further proof, he never listened to one word any of his coaches told him. [LAUGHTER] So I try to explain to him, I said, Kobe, they are 13 years old. I think you ought to just say hey, you know, see the kid with the ball, try not to let her go by you and see if you're guarding the other guy who see the kid with the ball over there. Don't let him throw the ball to your guy. Keep it kind of simple, you know? [LAUGHTER] He said no, I want to know like, what are the rotations when they drive? I said, come on, come on, come on. So these are the conversations that we have both as basketball people and as dads who have ever coached their kids. If you've ever been in that situation, like a lot of people here in this room probably have been. And I remember when Gigi came as you saw on that video, she came to the very first game that she came to, and she came into the locker room. And here she is, and the look on her face. The smile. The way her eyes just took everything in, how excited she was to be around in her mind, royalty. It's ironic. Her father is royalty.

[Berman:] Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin will appear in a Boston courtroom today where they may enter pleas in the largest college admission scheme in U.S. history. CNN's Brynn Gingras is live outside the Joe Moakley Courthouse in Boston with the very latest Brynn.
[Brynn Gingras, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey, John. Yes, Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin really have become the faces of this entire admissions scheme. I can tell you that there is media lined up all along the street waiting for their 2:30 court appearance. Let's quickly recap what they're accused of doing with this scheme. Felicity Huffman accused of paying $15,000 to alter the scores of her daughter to get into college. She researched a way to do it for her second daughter but never went through with a plan. We don't know if we'll see William H. Macy, her husband, here in court. He was mentioned in the criminal complaints but he was not charged in the case. As far as Lori Loughlin, her and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into USC as crew recruits, even though neither of them ever rowed in that sport. But they are just two-three people accused in this case that are going to appear in court today of about 13 parents in all who will appear before a judge. And really, we get a sense of how they might defend themselves against these charges. That's what we've seen with other parents because let's remember, they're only charged in a criminal complaint at this point. It's possible an indictment can come down or more charges for these parents in this case John and Alisyn.
[Camerota:] All right, please keep up posted, Brynn. This is certainly a story that has gotten the country's attention. Joining us now is Julie Lythcott-Haims. She is the former dean at Stanford University and author of "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success." Dean, great to see you again. We first spoke to you when news of this admission scandal first broke and now we've have a couple of weeks. So I'm just wondering what your perspective is now and if you think that this admission scandal the lengths that these parents were willing to go to are connected to how hard it has become to get your kids into college this year?
[Julie Lythcott-haims, Former Dean, Stanford University, Author, "how To Raise An Adult: Break Free Of The Overparenting Trap And Prepare Your Kid For Success":] I think the scandal is simply the latest evidence that some of the wealthiest among us will basically buy their way into the future they want for their kids or for themselves. But unfortunately, their behavior has contributed to the misperception that there are a limited number of spots for people applying to college. I mean, that is there's a frenzy out there that really needs to be tamped down and here's what's happening. It's not that there are more kids applying to college these days.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Lythcott-haims:] That number is staying pretty constant. It's not that there are fewer spots, it's that more and more applicants are applying to more and more schools and so it creates the perception that it's impossible to get in. If we could cap the number of schools a student could apply to right now, it's really unlimited. If we could cap the number at, say, seven or 10 we would instantly see admission rates at all of these schools go up.
[Camerota:] But, Dean, I want to challenge you on that for a second because the numbers do seem striking in terms of the acceptance rate this year at the elite universities. For instance, Yale has an acceptance of 5.9, OK? That's the amount of students that they accept out of the applicants out of the 36,000 applicants. At Stanford, your university, 4.3 percent are accepted. That is lower than when you and I were applying to college.
[Lythcott-haims:] It's lower because twice as many people are applying to say, so you apply to Yale. If Yale has 40,000 applicants they still only have 2,000 spots, right? That admission rate is going to be lower than if Yale had 20,000 applicants. My point is that students are applying to so many different every put it this way. Every student can only take one spot, OK? So if Yale had 100,000 applicants the admission rate would go even lower. But it's not that there are 100,000 more kids looking for spots. It's not that there are 100,000 more applicants. It's that each kid is applying to too many schools, OK?
[Camerota:] Yes, that's helpful. I hear you and I think that that makes sense. But hasn't it gotten harder to get into college than it was when you and I were 18 and trying to get into college?
[Lythcott-haims:] It hasn't gotten harder. There are plenty of great schools in the United States of America, OK? The problem is that most of us don't realize that there are so many options and so many great schools. We have this sense of scarcity that isn't true. "U.S. News" tends to report on the top 20 or the top 50 when in actuality there are 2,800 accredited 4-year schools in America. There is a Gallup poll in 2014 that showed that when it comes to whether a person feels they are thriving in every aspect of their life, from finances to intellectual development to their friendships to a sense of community, it doesn't matter whether that person went to one of the top 100 schools or the bottom 100 schools. What matters is whether faculty cared about them in college whether they had a mentor. And that kind of mentoring from faculty is available across the board. It's available at all the schools everyone has heard of
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Lythcott-haims:] and at all the rest of the schools. Schools with smaller brand names
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Lythcott-haims:] where you can get a fantastic education.
[Camerota:] That's a really important message.
[Lythcott-haims:] So
[Camerota:] I think that that's a really important message
[Lythcott-haims:] Yes.
[Camerota:] because people do attach, obviously, too much status to the Ivy Leagues and to just the top schools. However, one more question. Has it become too easy to apply to college with the common application? You know
[Lythcott-haims:] Well, that's what I'm saying.
[Camerota:] I mean, we had to do a separate
[Lythcott-haims:] Exactly.
[Camerota:] essay one or two for each different application that we did back then in the olden days. And now, has it become too easy for kids to apply?
[Lythcott-haims:] Alisyn, this is my point, OK? When you and I were applying, it just wasn't heard of that students would apply to 20 schools. Now you hear that quite commonly, which has artificially increased the apparent selectivity of schools. They have to deny more applicants because way too many people are applying to way too many schools. The common app is a wonderful thing when it comes to providing access to kids who are in underserved communities who might not otherwise really have the information available to them about how to apply and various schools that you can apply to. So it's given access to kids at one end of the spectrum. At the other end of the spectrum, the common app has made it so easy for kids who can afford it to just apply, apply, apply, apply to that many more schools really, with the touch of a button. It cost more money but in terms of effort the amount of effort doesn't really increase.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Lythcott-haims:] Let me say this. I'm a I'm a graduate of a highly-selective college
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Lythcott-haims:] and I'm proud to say that my son is a small liberal arts college many people haven't heard of Reed College in Portland. There are plenty of great schools and the more we can widen our blinders as parents and look at them, the more sane our family life will be.
[Camerota:] That is a very great message. Thanks so much for all of the perspective. You know it well. Dean Julie Lythcott-Haims, thank you.
[Lythcott-haims:] Appreciate it, Alisyn. Thank you.
[Camerota:] John
[Berman:] "INSIDE EDITION" host Deborah Norville is out of surgery following a cancer scare. How one of her viewers helped spot the trouble. That's next.

[Omar Jiminez, Cnn Correspondent:] But they'll all be united under and remembering Kobe and the eight who was killed here. Alisyn.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Omar, I mean I think that the words that you used, that people are trying to just creep forward is really apt. This is going to be a slow process. Thank you very much for reporting from L.A. for us. And we want to read that Instragram post by Vanessa Bryant. It's long, but we think it's important to hear in its entirety. So, let me read it to you. She writes, "My girls and I want to thank the millions of people who've shown support and love during this horrific time. Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them. We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe, the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna, a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately. There aren't enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon. I'm not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it's impossible to imagine life without them. But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless and that's to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever. Thank you for sharing your joy, your grief and your support with us. We ask that you grant us the respect and privacy we will need to navigate this new reality. To honor our Team Mamba family, the Mamba Sports Foundation has set up the MambaOnThree Fund to help support the other families affected by this tragedy. To donate, please go to MambaOnThree.org. To further Kobe and Gianna's legacy in youth sports, please visit MambaSportsFoundation.org. Thank you so much for lifting us up in your prayers, and for loving Kobe, Gigi, Natalia, Bianka, Capri and me." And John, I just think that that was a real gift that she gave to fans by posting that. Because so many people, myself included, have wondered if she can even function today. If she's even getting out of bed. And so, to hear her say, basically, that they're trying to put one foot in front of the other, I think really helps everybody's grief.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Look, I'm glad she took her time to collect her thoughts, that is her right and that was a beautiful note. I'm so glad she also focused on the other families that were affected by this. And she's so right, that Kobe Bryant And Gianna, their light is shining on that whole family.
[Camerota:] So, we want to remember all nine victims of the crash. We'll be right back.

[Zakaria:] 2020 has been a tough year economically. But not for Amazon, which has seen its market capitalization increase by $750 billion to around $1.7 trillion. That has taken Jeff Bezos's net worth to around $200 billion. Meanwhile, vast swathes of the American economic landscape have been devastated by the pandemic. How to make sense of it all and what to do about it. Joining me now is Larry Summers. He was treasury secretary under President Clinton, later served as president of Harvard University where he is still a professor. Welcome, Larry. Let me ask you first about this new study you've put out in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" where you estimate that the cost of this pandemic will be four times larger for America than the global financial crisis in '08, '09. And the number you put is $16 trillion. That is staggering.
[Larry Summers, Fmr. U.s. Treasury Secretary, Professor, Harvard University:] It is. And it's because the fatalities are a part of it. The disturbed, almost destroyed in some sectors, economy is part of it. The fact is that for a lot of people who get COVID there are going to be serious follow-on consequences and there's a tremendous amount of anxiety and depression. And if you put a dollar figure on that, as best economists do, you get to a quite extraordinary sum. And it points up the insane folly when this is costing us dozens of billions of dollars a week that we are investing so little in having a supply of PPE, and in having a competent testing regimen. The cost of incompetence here dwarfs the human cost of the Vietnam War in terms of fatalities that could have been avoided, in terms of financial costs. If we had run this as well as the average country has run it heck, if we had run it as well Pakistan ran the response, we would have saved in the neighborhood of $10 trillion.
[Zakaria:] And do you think at this point it is still important to try to get that testing and tracing system in place even if it involves spending a lot of money? It feels like there is still this follow-on cost that we are facing as these waves of COVID continue
[Summers:] The sums
[Zakaria:] to course through the country.
[Summers:] The sums of money in testing, Fareed, are trivial compared to the sums, compared to the cost of premature fatalities by the tens of thousands. It should be a matter of the utmost urgency. You should, in America, be able to walk in, get a test, and get an answer the next day that's reliable. No matter who you are, no matter where you are. The cost of that is not one percent of the $16 trillion that this whole thing cost us, not close to one percent. Our failure is almost unimaginable as a country.
[Zakaria:] Now, describe what we should do in terms of the relief. It feels like what you're describing is something that will need the expenditure not just right now but over the next year or two of trillions and trillions of dollars more. Are you comfortable with that kind of expenditure?
[Summers:] Look, Fareed, to be an economist for a second. The fact that we've got an interest rate that's essentially zero is telling us that the funds are available and they're not going to crowd out anything important. Instead, they're going to push the economy forward. All of the dangers are on the side of spending too little right now rather than spending too much. What we should do right now is beyond any question. We should be starting a process of renewing our infrastructure with maintenance projects that can operate quickly. We should be supporting state and local governments so they can do things like health and education and protecting security on the streets. And, yes, we should be helping the unemployed and we should be helping lower income families. It cannot be that the highest priority in the United States today is lending money to credit-worthy corporations.
[Zakaria:] Explain why you think that we have this leeway because of low interest rates? Because there are people look at it and say yes, but still won't the interest rates change and we'll end up with a huge debt-to-GDP ratio. There are still lots of people who worry about can we really add $5 trillion to our debt.
[Summers:] Fareed, it's always right to worry. But think about the situation of a person buying a house. You can buy a much bigger house on your income when the mortgage rate is 3 percent than you can when the mortgage rate is 13 percent as it was when I bought my first house. And the same logic applies to the government. The government can afford to borrow more when the debt service is going to be so much cheaper.
[Zakaria:] Do you worry that this will cause the dollar to collapse? I'm now, again, giving you all the arguments against big spending that people are making. This will plummet the dollar.
[Summers:] Fareed, you worry about everything if you're an economic policymaker. But for the dollar to collapse, it has to collapse against something. And I heard a wise guy say that Europe was a museum, Japan was a nursing home, China was a jail and bitcoin was an experiment. That may not be exactly fair, but it captures a real truth. Which is for all our problems and all its problems, the dollar is the world's safe haven. It's the place that money moves into when people get nervous about the state of the world. And as long as we don't screw up our political system even worse and there's certainly been people trying in the last including the president of the United States in the last few months, as long as we don't screw it up worse, the dollar's going to be okay.
[Zakaria:] Larry Summers, always a pleasure. Coming up in a moment on "GPS," the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to be the next associate justice of the supreme court. After four long days of hearings this week, the senate judiciary committee will vote on Thursday. Noah Feldman and Emily Bazelon will tell me what they learnt from the hearings when we come back.

[Kate Williams, Cnn Royal Historian:] And the final episode is about the future of the royal family and the path ahead, I think.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] For sure.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Kate, thank you so much. We're all looking forward to it very much. Be sure to watch "THE WINDSORS, INSIDE THE ROYAL DYNASTY," this Sunday, 10:00 eastern, only right here on CNN. Thanks to all of you for being with us I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Sciutto:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. "AT THIS HOUR" with Kate Bolduan starts right now.
[Bianna Golodryga, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Bianna Golodryga, in for Kate Bolduan. Thank you so much for joining me. We have breaking news this morning. Jessie Liu has just resigned. This development coming just days after President Trump withdrew her nomination to the Treasury Department. Now, remember, she is the former U.S. attorney who led the office that oversaw Roger Stone's prosecution. CNN's senior justice correspondent, Evan Perez, joins us now with the latest. Evan, we hear she submitted this resignation last night.
[Evan Perez, Cnn Senior Justice Correspondent:] That's right, Bianna. She submitted it to the Treasury Department. This is today was the day she was supposed to be before the Senate for her hearing for a new job at the Treasury Department. And she obviously was not going to get that job. The president withdrew officially withdrew her nomination yesterday. And so she submitted her resignation. But, look, all of this is on the heels of what the Justice Department did just a couple of days ago, which called into question whether or not the president was politically interfere and ordering certain actions to be done by the Justice Department, with regard to his friend, Roger Stone. The fact that the president was acting in this way and the Justice Department appeared to be following his orders in reducing, going more lenient in a sentence recommendation against Roger Stone, is what prompted four prosecutors there to announce they were resigning from the case. One of them is leaving the Justice Department entirely. And we also heard, Bianna, from our own sources that there are other prosecutors at the U.S. attorney's office in Washington this is the office that Jessie Liu was leading until recently that they are looking to make an exit. Again, one of the questions that people have is, what does this mean for some of the politically, you know, implicated investigations, some of the politically sensitive investigations that the Justice Department is doing. Some are being handled here in Washington. There's one involving Michael Flynn. He pleaded guilty. He's awaiting sentencing. And there have been some issues regarding that. There's also an investigation in New York against Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer. Everybody is sort of on edge trying to figure out exactly what does this mean for them, whether it means that the president and the attorney general, Bill Barr, are going to politically interfere in the work that they're doing, because obviously that makes their work impossible Bianna?
[Golodryga:] Evan, this comes in an hour after the president tweeted, "Drain the swamp, we want bad people out of government." So clearly a sign of more shoes to drop here. A perilous time in Washington, indeed. Evan, thank you.
[Perez:] Thank you.
[Golodryga:] President Trump is facing some very harsh criticism this morning from his former chief of staff. John Kelly is defending former National Security Council aide and impeachment witness, Colonel Alexander Vindman, who was fired by President Trump. According to "The Atlantic," Kellye had this to say about Vindman at an event last night: "He did exactly what we teach them to do, from the cradle to the grave. He went and told his boss what he just heard." CNN White House correspondent, John Harwood, joins us now, And, John, General Kelly was very candid at this event, also talking about North Korea as well.
[John Harwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] He was, Bianna. The statements that John Kelly made, they're not surprising, many of the observations were perfectly obvious to those of us outside the administration before. What is surprising is that someone, who once was the most the ultimate insider in the White House, is saying them. So he said, for example, as you noted a moment ago, that Alexander Vindman did the right thing by speaking up about the aid for investigations, quid pro quo that the president was imposing. The president, of course, has criticized him and fired him from the White House for doing that. He said that President Trump did the wrong thing for intervening in military justice and the military outcome of the court-martial of Eddie Gallagher, the Navy SEAL that had been charged and acquitted with murder, but later reduced in rank, and the president restored his rank. He also said the president was played by Kim Jong-Un in North Korea, because, Kelly said, it is perfectly obvious that the North Koreans have no intention of giving up their nuclear weapons. The president continued to claim publicly that's what he was going to make happen. Of course, he's not made it happen. And the White House is not pleased by what John Kelly said, which is not surprising.
[Golodryga:] Right, I was going to ask you what kind of response are we getting from the White House. What really stood out to me is that General Kelly said Vindman is, quote, "blameless," and also the fact that the president was played by Kim Jong-Un. Have we heard any indication they're going to release a statement?
[Harwood:] Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary, went on FOX, which is the equivalent of a White House statement these days, and said that John Kelly's remarks were disappointing, some were disingenuous because she heard him say different things about the media, for example, in these remarks. He also said the media is not the enemy of the people. She made that statement. But, again, John Kelly is liberated at this point and finally feels motivated to talk about what he saw.
[Golodryga:] Several times there were a round of applause he received from some of the statements. If that wasn't enough, we're also hearing the president's former communication adviser, Hope Hicks, is planning on returning to the White House from California. What role will she be taking now?
[Harwood:] Stephanie Grisham did put out a statement on that, praising Hope Hicks. We understand from the senior officials that Hope Hicks is not going to be in the communications chain of command. She is somebody who really is tantamount to family, having been with the Trump Organization before the campaign and the White House. She is going to come and assist Jared Kushner, who is sort of a minister without a particular portfolio but has a lot of things under his command. She is going to help him. She is somebody who the president feels comfortable with, who he was sorry that she left, and now she's coming back to lend a hand as he tries to win another term.
[Golodryga:] Really does feel like post impeachment. You've got a president who wants to purge those who he views as enemies and bring in those who he views he can trust. John Harwood, we appreciate it. Thank you so much. And just moments ago, Speaker Pelosi spoke about the DOJ reversal over the Stone case. Let's take a listen.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] Thinks he's above the law, he has no respect for the rule. But where are the Republicans to speak out on this blatant violation of the rule of law? A.G. Barr has deeply damaged the rule of law by withdrawing the DOJ sentencing recommendation, the act of interference, and Trump's retribution against the attorney in the Stone case. Imagine the four of the prosecutors separated themselves from the case when the president did that. Just days after firing Lieutenant Colonel Vindman for speaking truth to power. This all must be investigated. The American people must have confidence in our nation's system of impartial justice. And with the withdrawal of the four prosecutors, the case, what an act of courage on their part and must be commended. The Justice Department has this should be so above the political fray that people have the confidence in the rule of law in our country. The attorney general has stooped to such levels. He's lied to Congress for which he'll be in contempt. He has engaged in these activities. What a sad disappointment to our country.
[Golodryga:] You heard the speaker there ask, where are the Republicans. We're going to get answers to that question with our panel coming up. Meantime, President Trump has taken extraordinary actions since being acquitted by the Senate just eight days ago. Hard to believe that was eight days ago. Here is just some of the controversial actions that he's done in just the past 48 hours. First, he's used Twitter to attack the judge and prosecutors in the Roger Stone case. And then this morning, he went after the foreman of the jury. He withdrew the nomination, as we broke at the top of the show, Jessie Liu to the Justice Department. And as we told you just a moment ago, she has now resigned. He congratulated Bill Barr for, quote, "taking charge" in the Stone case. And when asked what he learned from being impeached, he said, quote, "Democrats are, crooked and vicious." What are Republicans saying about the president's actions? Take a listen.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] He has real concerns about overzealous prosecution more than anything else. If I thought he had done something that had changed the outcome inappropriately, I'd be the first to say.
[Sen. John Cornyn:] The president has First Amendment rights, too.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Do you believe the president did not his view of this did not influence the Justice Department in any way?
[Cornyn:] I don't any reason not to believe that.
[Golodryga:] And at this moment, we are just now getting reaction from the president in a tweet to the comments from General Kelly. Here's what he said: "When I terminated John Kelly, which I couldn't do fast enough, he knew full well that he was way over his head. Being chief of staff just wasn't for him. He came in with a bang, went out with a whimper. And just like so many exes, he misses the action and can't keep his mouth shut, which he actually has a military and legal obligation to do." "His incredible wife, Karen, who I have a lot of respect for, once pulled me aside and said strongly, "John respects you greatly. When we are no longer here, we will only speak well of you." Wrong!" With that, there's so much to talk about. Joining me, former U.S. attorney and contributing columnist for the "Washington Post," Harry Litman, CNN political commentator and former spokesman for the National Republican Committee, Doug Heye. We're also joined by CNN senior political analyst, Mark Preston. Where do we begin? Mark, I'm going to start with you. We shouldn't be surprised to see that the president responded so quickly to the comments from General Kelly. What is your take on what he just tweeted?
[Mark Preston, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Well, look, it is just continues to be a long line of intimidation that we have seen from the president. And really not following the basic structure that our government was founded upon. The separation of powers, the dignity that is supposed to come with the office, the moral obligation we have not only for our own citizens but around the world. He's thrown it all out the window. You see Nancy Pelosi up there, who Democrats wanted to do something, she finally did something, she did have the president impeached. Went over to the Senate and didn't go anywhere. You know, we heard for months now people saying, look, let's wait until November, let's see what the American people have it say. I kind of have to believe that now. I don't think anything else is going to matter at this point.
[Golodryga:] Nine months from now seems like an eternity given that last week seems like a decade ago. Harry, I want to turn to you because, yesterday, on this network, you said that what was taking place at the DOJ was a four-alarm fire. Now we have news of the resignation of Jessie Liu. One can only assume it is directly tied to her role in the Roger Stone case. What do you make of the developments there?
[Harry Litman, Former U.s. Attorney & Contributing Columnist, "washington Post":] The disaster continues to unfurl. And Jessie Liu, look, she was the head of that office before Attorney General Barr installed his own kind of person. And she is a "by the book." She is by no means a softie. By no means an anti-Trumper. But she takes her oath seriously. She had no choice, the way she was so poorly treated. It is almost as if she were directly ousted. And on top of everything else this is all banana-republic conduct. But on top of everything else, with the Vindmans and the Lius of the world, the government is losing some really good people. I mean, you have a general problem that the best are being ousted and don't have a role to play. That's in addition to the great demoralization that it leaves behind in her office. She was badly treated and really painted into a corner and had no choice.
[Golodryga:] Yes, we're getting word that there are more resignations potentially
[Litman:] Yes.
[Golodryga:] from prosecutors in the DOJ following what transpired. Doug, at the top of the segment, I repeated what the speaker said and her question of, where are the Republicans. I'm old enough to remember when the world almost blew up after President Obama commented on Hillary Clinton's character when she was under investigation. He was giving an interview, obviously, when her husband, President Clinton, met alone for a few minutes on a tarmac with Loretta Lynch. Now Republicans seem to not be bothered at all. How do you characterize this as anything other than shameless hypocrisy? DOUG HEYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR; Well, look, this is politics 101. If you're a Republican member of Congress and speak out against the president, you know you may get a tweet like the one you just read towards the former chief of staff. That means you're going to probably lose your primary or it hurts you in the general. While I've been disappointed that Republicans haven't spoken out more, also know that, if they do, they're signing a resignation letter. And politicians act in their own interest. It shouldn't be surprising that they do so. That's what we're seeing right now. As Manu or other folks are walking in the halls trying to talk to Congress talk to members of Congress, Senators, they don't want to talk, period. Upholding constitutional values and oaths as opposed to fearing a tweet doesn't seem like it is going to be a hard decision, yet it continues to be. We'll have to leave it there. Very busy morning. Mark Preston, Harry Litman, Doug Heye, thank you so much.
[Heye:] Thank you.
[Golodryga:] And coming up, key impeachment witness and ousted ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, is refusing to stay silent. And she has a warning for the State Department.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I look at the real estate. I'm always looking at the real estate. I don't know. I'll never get it out of my blood.
[Bolduan:] Reports are President Trump has a new piece of real estate on his mind. This time it isn't a skyscraper or golf course, but rather an entire country. Greenland. CNN has learned from sources that President Trump has on multiple occasions floated the idea of buying the island from the Danish government. Even so far as getting the White House counsel's office to look into the possibility. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more from Greenland.
[Fred Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Folks in the very beautiful territory of Greenland don't seem that interested in President Trump's alleged idea to buy this place. The official government of the semi-autonomous region said, quote, "Greenland is not for sale." They did say that they were willing to conduct cooperation between what they call equal countries. Now, local residents we spoke to here in this small village said the Americans tried to acquire Greenland in 1867 and in World War II and they failed. And one resident said it will not happen. There are some reasons why America might want to have Greenland. It certainly does seem to have a lot of natural resources. And the Chinese have been trying to get in on that business. That's not something the U.S. likes seeing with China trying to get a lot of the business here. Also, the U.S. has a big military base here in Greenland as well. So there are some good reasons why the U.S. might want Greenland. However, if these natural resources become exploitable in Greenland, certainly, the folks we're would want full autonomy and independence rather than becoming part of the United States. One of the things that President Trump would probably have to do if he were to acquire Greenland is finally acknowledge that climate change is real because Greenland, with its giant ice sheet, is certainly in the frontline in the battle against climate change. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Greenland.
[Bolduan:] Fred, thank you so much. So the possibility of Trump's interest in buying Greenland was first reported by the "Wall Street Journal." Joining me now is one of the "Wall Street Journal" reporters who broke this story, Vivian Salama. Thank you so much for being here, Vivian.
[Vivian Salama, White House Reporter, Wall Street Journal:] Hi, Kate.
[Bolduan:] How serious are you told that President Trump really is about this?
[Salama:] So there's always a caveat. I've been covering this administration since President Trump took office and he's the most unpredictable president that I have known in my lifetime. So it's really hard to say what he'll do. Most of the sources that we spoke to, my team and I, who worked on this story, said that there were varying degrees of seriousness when it came to it. Sometimes he was really curious about the possibilities of it, as Fred mentioned. And as we determined, he asked White House counsel to look into it. He's asked advisers numerous numerous times about it. But sometimes he just kind of says, when we buy Greenland everything is going to be great. He'll use these sorts of passing jokey references to it. But all we know, when I had originally gotten the tip, is we know that it comes up in conversation constantly because it's something that's always on his mind. That's how the original source told it to me, like the president just frequently references this desire of his to buy Greenland. So no one really thinks it's eminent or going to happen but, then again, he's going to Denmark next month and he might surprise us and bring it up. So who knows?
[Bolduan:] The timing of this is also fascinating. Look, it sounds out there, yes. You do remind people, though, in your piece that the United States has tried twice before to purchase the island. Do your sources know, was it one thing that sparked President Trump's interest here? Why does he want Greenland?
[Salama:] There are also varying stories as to where this idea came from, who planted it in his head in the first place. One person told us that he was at a round table and someone told him that Denmark was actually having financial trouble because it provides subsidies to Greenland. Denmark is a big reason why Greenland functions, it's economy functions. Otherwise, it would be a really poor country. Someone said, you should help them out, you should take it off their hands, and he started to ask around, can I do that. Greenland has also come up numerous times as far as any kind of military or national security strategy in the Arctic, as far as confronting China and Russia and their ambitions in the region. And so it gets the wheels turning in his head whenever those stories come up. So obviously, it's something that has been considered. And just as you pointed out, rightly, it has been done. And this is something that was really surprising over the course of your reporting this story.
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Salama:] When we first heard it, we were kind of laughing about it. Then the more we started to research this, we were like, hold on, maybe this isn't so off the wall. And a big reason that the U.S. wanted to buy it in 1946 right after World War II was that they wanted to pursue this possible Arctic exploration. In exchange, there was a quid pro quo for Denmark. They were going to give Denmark a chunk of Alaska in those days. They were going to give Denmark $100 million and a chunk of Alaska to let them do some oil exploration in Alaska and the U.S., in turn, would take Greenland. So I don't think any of that is going to happen or anything even similar to that. So we're probably a long way from any of this happening.
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Salama:] Also, there's the minor, minor point that the people in Greenland would probably have a say in the matter and
[Bolduan:] Right, minor point that Greenland says it's not for sale also.
[Salama:] Greenland is not for sale. And I think the U.S. Congress would also have to have a say in it. And I don't think they're too keen either. So we'll wait and see.
[Bolduan:] I did read that portion of your reporting three times. Like really? Really? This has come up twice before? I was fascinated by it. Thanks for bringing it to us, Vivian. Really appreciate it.
[Salama:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] Coming up, there's a measure this morning, a new measure this morning on the state of the 2020 race showing Senator Elizabeth Warren is on the rise, making some big strides. It also shows some big red flags for President Trump. That is next.

[Cabrera:] The Supreme Court this week handing down two major rulings with wide-reaching impact. First up, gerrymandering. Justices ruling five-four. That federal courts must stay out of disputes over whether politicians go too far in drawing district lines to ensure that their party wins. The ruling could fundamentally affect the balance of power in Congress and state legislatures. With us now, CNN Senior Political Writer and Analyst, Harry Enten and CNN Supreme Court analyst, Joan Biskupic, author of the book "The Chief: The Life and Turbulent Times of Chief Justice John Roberts." " Joan, to you first, give us some insight into why the Justice has ruled that courts cannot tear apart as in gerrymandering.
[Joan Biskupic, Cnn Senior Political Writer:] Thanks, Ana. This was a long time effort by Chief Justice John Roberts. For many years, he had been trying to get federal judges out of this business of reviewing extreme partisan gerrymanders. His argument is that when judges look at these, they're essentially getting involved in politics. So he batted back claims that these violate voters' equality rights, voters' first amendment rights of who they would associate with, and said, OK. Perhaps these kinds of districts do look unfair and unjust, but this is not the business of federal judges, it's a political question, not a legal question. And from the bench last week, Ana, he went on about the various tests that had been proposed by the challengers. And he just batted them back one after another, saying, they're impossible for judges to administer. But then, dissenting Justice Elena Kagan said, lower court judges have indeed been using these tests and they've been able to assess very extreme gerrymanders that essentially rig elections. So there was a real fundamental difference in what lower courts were able to do here. And it was a very sad, almost mournful dissent from Justice Kagan saying, now when people go to the ballot box on Election Day, they won't be choosing their representatives as much as representatives in a statehouse have already chosen them by virtue of how the lines had been drawn.
[Cabrera:] So the sort of the representatives, those who are seeking votes are now choosing their voters. Harry, explain now what the impact will look like when it comes to the political landscape.
[Harry Enten, Cnn Senior Political Writer And Analyst:] Yes, I think that there are a few different points I'd point out. Number one, there's no doubt, if in fact you had say fairer rules, let's say the number of votes you had in a state matched up with the number of seats that each party was going to win, Democrats would have benefited, let's say, there were fair lines that were put into place. I think that's one thing. Now, what how many number how many seats that would exactly be is a little bit unclear. Let's say back in 2016 have changed control of Congress, when republicans controlled it, if the Democrats controlling it. But it could have been, say, a dozen seats. The second thing I'll point out is the state legislative elections going into 2020 now take on a much more of an added importance. So Democrats are going to want to win more of those state legislative seats, because, of course, we have the census that will be coming up in 2020 and the lines will be redrawn in 2022 and 2021 and 2022. And the other thing I'll point out, is that this may move more states towards independent redistricting commissions. You may get it on the ballot and more states. We've seen a number of states adopt that. And could, in fact, help even out the playing field.
[Cabrera:] And so you mentioned the 2020 census. Joan, this week, the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration cannot add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, at least not yet. So, where does it go from here?
[Biskupic:] Right. That's right, Ana. And that caveat you added at the end is crucial, because the chief, again writing for the majority, a different five-justice majority, said that under the constitution, the president the administration has the right to add the question under the administrative procedures act, it can add it. But in this particular case, the reason that the commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, gave, the sole reason he gave that it was being added was to protect voting rights. The chief said that was contrived and essentially said, go back and justify on other grounds. Now, the key question is, because the chief wrote a very narrow opinion here that gives the administration some leeway, it's going to be what can a lower court hearing go on and the administration make its case quickly in time to try to get it, the citizenship question, onto the census.
[Cabrera:] OK. So this story is not over yet. Harry, I really wanted to ask you a question on this, but we ran out of time today on this segment today.
[Enten:] I got in one though.
[Cabrera:] So we'll leave it hanging for the next times because this is going to come back up. Joan Biskupic, Harry Enten, thank you both. We'll be right back.
[Enten:] Thank you. [COMMERCIAL BREAK
[Cabrera:] It has been 50 years since astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, took a giant leap for mankind on the moon. CNN's newest original film, "Apollo 11" takes you inside that amazing mission to the moon with never before seen footage and pristine audio recordings. Here's a preview.
[Unidentified Male:] Neil and Buzz, the president of the United States is in his office now and would like to say a few words to you. Over. It would be an honor. Go ahead, Mr. President. This is Houston, out.
[Richard Nixon, 37th U.s. President:] Hello, Neil and Buzz, I'm talking to you by telephone from the oval room at the White House. And this certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made from the White House. I just can't tell you how proud we all are of what you have done. For every American, this has to be the proudest day of our lives. And for people all over the world, because of what you have done, the heavens have become a part of man's world. And as you talk to us from the sea of tranquility, it inspires us to re-double our efforts to bring peace and tranquility to earth.
[Cabrera:] I recently sat down with the director of "Apollo 11" to discuss the making of the film. Here's our conversation. One of the things that makes it so spectacular is all the footage that you were able to uncover. How did you find it?
[Todd Miller, Director, Apollo 11:] Well, initially we just started with simple research project. So we were engaged with NASA and the National Archives, which is the repository for a lot of government records, film in this case, video, audio, stills, everything, it all ends up there. And several months into that research project, they discovered this cache of large format film reels that had been basically kept in cold storage for the better of 50 years. So it's just a real testament to archive preservation that it worked waiting for someone like our team to come along and utilize it. And when you found it, were you like, this is gold this, this is money?
[Miller:] Yes, it was some of the reels had Apollo 11 on them. Some of them, if you were lucky, had the date in and around the launch. And if you were really lucky, they had some shot list on it. But it wasn't until we actually got them heard in New York and tested them and the first reel I'll never forget it. The quality was just stunning and we all just sat there in stunned silence not really believing what we were seeing.
[Cabrera:] The iconic images and moments that we see in the film from the Saturn 5 rocket, mission control, the eagle landing, those first steps on the moon, obviously those are really important. But then there's also the audio, 11,000 hours of audio from these moments. It really do offer new perspectives on what the crew and mission control were experiencing in real time. Let's listen.
[Unidentified Male:] How far my feet from the OK. You're right at the edge of the porch. OK. Now, I want to back up and partially close the hatch. Making sure not to lock it on my way out. Good thought. That's our home for the next couple hours. We want to take good care of it. You've got three more steps and then a long one. Beautiful. Beautiful. Magnificent sight down here. Magnificent.
[Cabrera:] Todd, what did you learn about this mission you didn't already know?
[Miller:] A ton of stuff. You know, everyone on the team, we did our own research. So just hearing interviews, reading the astronauts' autobiographies, books on the subject, there was a lot of things that either fiction or nonfiction films hadn't told. So some of it was technical orientation of the spacecraft, exactly what they were doing. We worked very closely with NASA's chief historian, Bill Barry and his department to try to get all that stuff right. And then there was just the kind of human moments, because we had so much footage and so much audio that no one had ever heard. Our project really became part of the of contributing to the historical record. So working with historians, and researchers, and the astronauts themselves, and the families to try to get it as accurate as possible was paramount from the get go.
[Cabrera:] Is there one piece of footage or one moment that you may have come across in which you just said, wow?
[Miller:] Yes. The most stunning footage for me and I go to every single screening we have. I'll be watching it, you know, tonight. It is it's the suiting up shots of the three astronauts. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins being suited up the day of the launch. And I really didn't -it's stunning to see. But juxtapose that with a few days later we had some imagery from a test run that they did. And they're kind of joking around in the room. They do the exact same thing, they did the day of the launch. They get suited up. They drive out to the astro vans and a pad. They go up the elevator. They sit on top of the rocket, but then they just went home. On the day of the launch, completely different mood shift. You could just see that they were they had kind of this meditative state they were going in. You see it reflected in the film. And it just gets me every time I see it.
[Cabrera:] And CNN's film "Apollo 11" coming up next right here on CNN. That does it for me. I'm Ana Cabrera. I'll be back at 5:00 p.m. Eastern tomorrow here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Have a good night.

[Keilar:] A landmark ruling today for the LGBTQ community, the Supreme Court declaring the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay, lesbian and transgender employees from workplace discrimination. The Supreme Court now says employers cannot fire their workers for being gay or transgender. Irin Carmon is a CNN Contributor, also co-author of the book, Notorious RGB RBG, pardon me for that. We had a typo there and I just read the prompter. Irin, thanks for joining us. Two of the court's conservatives joined the four liberals in this decision. So tell us more about this significant ruling.
[Irin Carmon, Cnn Contributor:] Brianna, good afternoon. Today, LGBTQ activists have so much to be thankful for, but not just that. The larger argument here that was being made that all of these movements are intertwined, that LBGTQ rights can be found in existing civil rights legislation, which in turn was a provision of women's rights, discrimination on the basis of sex, which built on racial equality in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the argument that all of these rights are intertwined, that the movements all have to work together to make the legal arguments, has been validated by no less than two Republican appointees to the Supreme Court in an unequivocal clear decision today. This is even better than many advocates were expecting. We had Justice Neil Gorsuch, obviously, President Trump's first appointee, and Chief Justice Roberts, both joining an opinion authored by Gorsuch that made a very strong argument that you cannot discriminate on the basis of sex and specifically that that sex provision applies to LGBTQ individuals in a way that the Supreme Court has never previously recognized. Now, yesterday, 15,000 people marched in Brooklyn and said that black trans lives mattered. The woman who brought the case in the LGBTQ community, the trans rights aspect of this, Amy Stevens, did not live to see this day. But millions of people in this country will now see a bipartisan, cross ideological coalition saying that LGBTQ individuals are included in existing civil rights law and the impact is enormous.
[Keilar:] Yes. And it's so significant when you look at the breakdown on the court on this. Irin, thank you. President Trump calling them game changers in the fight against coronavirus, now, the FDA is sidelining them. The agency is ending the emergency use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine because the risks outweigh any known benefits. CNN's Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is joining me now. We have talked about this drug so much. This was an emergency use authorization, right? So tell us why revoke it now?
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] In some ways, you could ask the question, Brianna, why didn't they revoke a long time ago. This has been a long time incoming. Let's take a look at how at sort of the tick tock of how this all unfolded. So back in March, the FDA issued emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to be used for certain COVID patients. And then in April, just a month later, the FDA itself and the NIH come out warning against its use. And then the month after that, two studies in very prestigious medical journals came out saying it was ineffective. One of those two, the larger of those two studies said not only does it not work but it increases the risk of cardiac arrest by more than two times. And then today here in June, the authorization is revoked. Now, it's saying and the FDA is now says it is unlikely to work and there are concerns that it could cause problems, including heart problems. Now, it's interesting, Brianna, because the FDA has also said look, at the time we gave the authorization back in March, we were going based on the evidence at hand. Every expert that I've spoken with, and these are people who study hydroxychloroquine in COVID, said there never really was any evidence that this drug worked. Basically, what we had was a president who was pushing it. Brianna?
[Keilar:] And there was evidence from the beginning, from the very beginning, that it caused problems. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] He is the former Colorado governor. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me here on this Tuesday. Let's go to D.C. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts now.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor:] We're about to bring you maybe the first big surprise in the 2020 race. THE LEAD starts right now. Breaking news: one Democratic presidential candidate leaping higher in new CNN polls out this second, up 200 percent from December, and now in the top three. Should the familiar favorites start to worry? He just can't let it go. President Trump stomping on Senator John McCain's grave again, still simmering and ranting, as more signs indicate that possibly it will soon be Mueller time. Plus, Michael Cohen's call records, details on hush money and a half- mil in Russian money, just released documents laying out more of what the feds had on the president's former fixer.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Tapper:] Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin with breaking news in our 2020 lead. A brand-new CNN poll out right now painting a clear picture of where the 2020 race stands as winter becomes spring for Democrats who are just getting started and for President Trump. Nationally, among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, former Vice President Joe Biden is way out in front. And he's not even officially in the race yet. Senator Bernie Sanders, who ran in 2016, the closest behind him, but it's Senator Kamala Harris of California who has made the biggest gains with voters over the last few months, and climbing to double-digit support. The poll also shows almost unprecedented enthusiasm. Voters are more enthusiastic about voting for president than any other presidential race since the turn of the century. But in those enthusiasm numbers is a warning for Democrats and a good sign for President Trump. CNN's Phil Mattingly joins me now from the Magic Wall. Phil, let's start with the Democratic field and who voters want to see as their nominee.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, Jake, let's start digging in on the top-line numbers right now. And you noted the top two, well, they're pretty recognizable, Joe Biden not in the race yet, but still pulling up top at 28 percent, Bernie Sanders seeing a little jump from his numbers in December up to 20 percent. But it's the next to now in double digits they weren't there in December that are perhaps most noteworthy, Senator Kamala Harris and also Beto O'Rourke, up two points from he where was in December. And this poll was in the field the same day that Beto O'Rourke announced his campaign, perhaps the first seeds of a jump there. Then you have Elizabeth Warren, John Kerry, who hasn't declared his intentions yet, but still pulling up to this point. And then you can move down the field, Cory Booker, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, all kind of within the 1 to 3 percent. But who you want to dig into most interesting is who you already noted, Jake, and that's Kamala Harris. When you look at her numbers, up eight points overall since December, and perhaps what's more impressive, or at least more noteworthy at this point, she is up in every single demographic category that was polled in this poll that was over the course of March 14 through March 17. In particular, she showed the most strength among women voters, among minority voters and among self-identified liberal voters. There's no question about it. Obviously, the top tier, at least in the top two, Jake, is what we have seen over the course of the last several months, but Kamala Harris seeing major jumps, something we have seen in some other polls leading up to this point, but certainly eight points at this point in time, Jake, that's significant.
[Tapper:] Also, there's been a surge in voter enthusiasm. But in contrast with the 2018 midterms, it looks as though Republicans have the edge right now on enthusiasm.
[Mattingly:] Yes, Jake, a little twist when you get down to the details, but let's look at the top-line number first 40 percent of those polled were extremely enthusiastic. Now, to put that into context, CNN has been asking this question since 2004. Never has it been this high at any point, let alone March the year before of an election. The closest to this was 37 percent just shortly before the historic 2008 election. So people are very excited, just short shy of 600 days out, to actually vote. But when you dig into those numbers, it gets a little bit more interesting. Take a look at this. Republicans now, 57 percent say they are enthusiastic about the presidential vote. Pair that with Democrats, 46 percent. Now, it's the Democratic enthusiasm that really propelled Democrats to take control of the House back in 2018. You're going to see some seeds, perhaps a leading indicator of sorts. Back in the 2018 cycle, Democrats flipped 42 state legislative seats. Already this cycle, Republicans have flipped five, Democrats none. Perhaps that's why you see this Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Phil Mattingly, thanks so much. Let's dive into this with my experts that. You just heard Phil break down the increase in support for Senator Kamala Harris among virtually every demographic. Why do you think?
[Karen Finney, Cnn Political Commentator:] That's time. People have had more time to get to know her. And clearly she's been using her time well on the ground talking to voters and talking about getting letting people get to know her and get to know what she stands for.
[Tapper:] And we should always do this, the caveat, at this point in past presidential contests, Jeb Bush was ahead. Hillary Clinton was ahead in 2007. I mean, it's not necessarily indicative. Still, if I'm in Senator Kamala Harris' camp, I got to feel good that she's at least gaining on Biden and Sanders.
[Mike Rogers, Cnn Contributor:] Going the right direction. The one thing that I found interesting about the poll is 56 percent of Democrats said, we really don't care what policy they have. We care if they can be Donald Trump.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Rogers:] And so this is an audition. This is this is what you're saying. So she's out on the road, she's auditioning, saying, I'm the one that can be Donald Trump. And clearly that's where she's pulling her numbers on that rise. There's a lot of time, as a former candidate, a lot of time.
[Tapper:] Many, many lifetimes. Kirsten, take a look at how support is changed just over the last few months for the top finishers in the poll. Biden is slightly down, 2 percent. Not really a big deal. Sanders, Harris, Beto O'Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, they have all gone up. They have all increased their support among Democratic voters. Do you think there's a message here or a signal here as to what that means?
[Kirsten Powers, Cnn Commentator:] Well, I mean, people are getting more engaged and learning more about the people that are running. So, of course, the top two people are the people that are most well-known, a former vice president in Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders, who ran for president last time, so that makes sense. I think the happiest person has to be Kamala Harris, because her trajectory is clearly in the right trajectory. And I think that the most concerning thing is the 57 percent of Republicans being extremely excited, not just excited, extremely excited, and only 46 percent of Democrats. And it sort of jibes with what I hear anecdotally. I think Democrats aren't as excited because they don't really know who it's going to be and who should we support, and should we go with somebody who's safe or not safe or not well-known? And so I think they're kind of waiting to see do decide who they're going to get behind.
[Tapper:] I want to go back to the enthusiasm in a second, but before I do, I want to show you. This was really interesting. The poll asked Democratic and Democratic-leaning the voters if they thought the Democrats have a better chance of winning if Bernie Sanders is the party's nominee; 33 percent say that party have a better chance with Sanders; 56 percent said the party had a better chance with someone else. Same question about Joe Biden 51 percent say the party has a better chance of winning with Biden, 36 percent say someone else. So Bernie Sanders, number two, very strong, but a lot of skeptics among his voters that he can deliver them the White House.
[Amanda Carpenter, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, two things. Voters always want what they can't have. And Biden is not a candidate yet, but I would say Bernie Sanders' endorsement will be very coveted. So I wouldn't expect many candidates...
[Tapper:] His endorsement? He might get the nomination. We don't know that.
[Carpenter:] I understand. But if we're playing the long game, and people do not believe that he can beat Donald Trump and that is the most important thing to them it is unlikely he will make it. But I do want to say, going back to the enthusiasm question, what is also good for Kamala Harris is the enthusiasm among women. If you look at how that breaks down among women, women are 7 percent more enthusiastic than men, and Donald Trump's favorability rating with those women is in the 60s.
[Finney:] However, getting women to vote for women is like pulling teeth from a walrus with a toothpick, right? It's a very it's hard, right? Women are the hardest on female candidates. And so that's you're right. It's a great number. But two weeks out from Stacey Abrams' election in Georgia, you had that same group of college-educated white women saying, I'm just not sure if she's qualified. So it's tough. And I think Kamala's team knows, is very aware of how tough it's going to be to hold on to that support from women. And I would also say, though, for the other candidates, this isn't bad news necessarily. They still have plenty of room to grow and plenty of room to define themselves.
[Tapper:] Let's talk about the enthusiasm gap, because your party, the Republican Party, really has some good news here in this poll on that subject; 57 percent of Republicans say they're extremely enthusiastic about voting for president. Only 46 percent of Democrats say that. Maybe that's the Democratic angst. They don't know who to get behind; 76 percent of voters who lean Republican say they're proud to have President Trump as their president. That's up 10 percent from September. It does seem like Republicans are really getting ready for 2020.
[Rogers:] And I attribute this to the Democrats and how far left they're going in their campaign. That will take even the most moderate Republican and make them stop for a minute and think, I may not be happy with Donald Trump, but, boy, I sure can't cotton to that. And so I think that they're going to there's a lot that's going to happen in the next few months. And the farther they tack left and, remember, all of these folks are going for that 35 percent of that Democrat base that say, I want somebody that feels the way I do on these issues. And that part of the base tacks more left. So these candidates are running in that direction, and that will invigorate Republicans across the board. It will all change when there's two candidates. That will change.
[Tapper:] You look a little bit skeptical on what he was saying there in terms of the party going to the left too much.
[Powers:] Well, I mean, I don't think substantively, personally, I don't find them too far to the left. But I do think there's something to be said for the fact that it will drive enthusiasm for Republicans, because Republicans really do believe that Democrats are interested in ushering in a socialist government and these kinds of things that are real trigger words for them. And so I think that and I, again, sort of anecdotally have heard that from people who are like very alarmed by Ocasio-Cortez, and from Republicans. And so I could see it being something that definitely generates enthusiasm. And Democrats have to figure that out, because they need to generate with his enthusiasm on their side as well.
[Tapper:] Listen to the enthusiastic response that Senator Elizabeth Warren got at our town hall last night in Jackson, Mississippi, among an audience of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents when she talked about getting rid of the Electoral College.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] Well, my view is that every vote matters. And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting. And that means get rid of the Electoral College.
[Tapper:] That's raw meat for Democrats, but I don't know how it's going to play more generally.
[Carpenter:] Yes. I mean, I think it solidifies Republicans to the idea that the Democrats want to be a coastal party, because the only way to eliminate the Electoral College is go through the Constitution and to have an amendment to get rid of it. And, OK, so you do that. That means New York and California decides the nominee, which is what Republicans think the Democrats want to do anyway. And so you know what, Elizabeth Warren? If you want to pay attention to the rural states, go. You don't have to stop going to Mississippi if you get the nomination. That's on you. Don't put it on the Electoral College.
[Tapper:] Do you think that and other issues such as Democrats talking about getting rid of the filibuster, adding more justices to the Supreme Court, do you think that ultimately will help the party?
[Finney:] You know what? I think those are sort of more outlier issues. I think it is far more important to people, like we said before, can you beat Trump? Are you going to lower my taxes? Are you going to make my health care more affordable? And I hope that what Democrats do, I think they also part of this socialism thing, though, this is the GOP snow job, right? We're not socialists. There's one.
[Carpenter:] Bernie Sanders.
[Finney:] There's one. He's one. That's one guy.
[Carpenter:] We didn't make that up.
[Finney:] It's one guy. And, as your poll shows, maybe people don't think that's the guy. That was his argument in 2016, was that he could win as a socialist. OK, well, we will find out, but point being, I think this issue about the fact we have so many candidates, it's when it's more clear who's our nominee, are they able to beat Trump, do they stand for the things that I really care about? And all these other issues, they matter to people, as we saw in the town hall last night, but I don't think it's what people are going to vote on.
[Tapper:] Everyone, stick around. We're going to keep talking about this and other issues. President Trump first claimed his attacks on the late Senator John McCain were about policy, and then within a few seconds he proved it to the world it is in fact personal in many ways. We will show you. Then, it didn't take very long at all. Newly unsealed documents reveal just how quickly special counsel Robert Mueller turned his attention to President Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. Stay with us.

[King:] Today the president merging his re-election campaign and his White House in very big ways. This morning the president teased a Rose Garden press conference this afternoon. And he says they'll on the census and the citizenship question, his administration wants to put on the 2020 census. That will come minutes after a White House social media summit with a roster of attendees that doesn't include social media companies. Instead, it features presidential boosters, includes conspiracy theorists, who shape the online universe, to confine to the president's MAGA narrative. He spent much of his morning on Twitter. Nineteen tweets so far. Attacks on Robert Mueller and Democrats running for president. A familiar mix of bragging, themes, painting as fake any fact he doesn't like. He's going to come into the press conference this afternoon. He's going to say, we're putting census the citizenship question on the census. That's going to go back into the courts. But it's an immigration focus there. We're told that these ICE promised ICE raids to throw out people who have gone to court, been told they have to leave the country and that are staying here in violation of deportation orders, this is Rose Garden strategy meets Trump. Use the White House, use your events, use your platform, advance your campaign themes.
[Collins:] Yes, I think it's like an 80 percent chance of rain, so I'm not sure they'll be in the Rose Garden. But they may be inside. But you're going to have to picture what the president is going to have just done, sat through, met with and talked with before he comes out to do this make this announcement about the census, this executive action that we're expecting him to take, not necessarily an executive order, it's likely to be more of an executive memorandum which doesn't carry the same weight. But the president is going to have just met with people who on social media say that they've been essentially censored because of their politics, that they're right-wing supporters of the president. And that's something that the president himself has said that he feels. But he's going to come out and he's going to make this action on the census, something that he's been frustrated by for the past two weeks because they haven't been able to make any action on that. It's been a completely chaotic strategy on behalf of the administration. They use words inside the West Wing that you can't really say on TV to describe how this has been going on, either trying to change the legal team, being denied that change because of their reasoning, being denied able to add this. And then, on the other hand, the president is balancing these raids that are going to be carried out, that they've essentially are facing some issues with, not only because there are divisions within DHS, but also because the president has been telegraphing them, which could create logistical problems for the people who even do want to carry them out.
[King:] Right. And so as this plays out you mentioned this so-called social media summit. The president has issues with Twitter. He has issues with Google. He has issues with some of these companies, including FaceBook. Invite them in. If you have differences, invite them in. That's not the case. Instead, our Oliver Darcy doing some great reporting on this. Among those invited to this are Bill Mitchell, a radio host who's promoted the extremist QAnon conspiracy theory on Twitter, Carpe Donktum, an anonymous troll who won a contest put on by the fringe media organization InfoWars for an anti-media meme, and Ali Alexander, an activist who attempted to smear Senator Kamala Harris by saying she's not an American black following the first presidential debate. It's a much longer list. We're not going to give them time. What is the purpose here? Because these are people who, on the Internet, who say the president is right and that up is down and that east is north, even when the facts are not such?
[Kapur:] I think there's a lot of political power in the conservative movement and playing out the feelings of persecution and playing out the feelings of bias. And I think social media is just the latest flash point for that debate. And I think President Trump has been very happy to engage in that. There are other prominent Republicans, like Senator Ted Cruz, who frequently engages in that debate as well. I think it's a political rallying cry more than anything else.
[King:] Political rallying cry more than anything else.
[Hulse:] And we know we know about this because they're on social media. So we're not the censorship isn't all that extensive because they're extremely active.
[Kapur:] Right.
[Hulse:] And there are complaints today from some of the people who are censored, some of the even more extreme elements that they're not invited. So, you know, he's it's confused a thing. I totally agree with you. This is just one more area, like the census, that he sees this as a as a way to rally people. I'm really curious to see how far they want to go today in defying the courts. But the president has he wants this fight, even if he doesn't get his way, because it keeps everyone ginned up.
[King:] And his attorney general is going to be there with him for this. So we know internally, normally normally an attorney general will say, Mr. President, we tried. We went to the Supreme Court. We lost. So now they're going to do something
[Hulse:] Well, they did try that route for a while.
[King:] Yes. Right. So they're going to go the now they're going to go the executive route to try to press this question, which there are other ways to ask this question. In fact, the government does ask this question in other settings, but they want it as a signature issue on the census. They say they need that information. Others say they're trying to depress the Latino count.
[Bade:] Yes, and Barr's apparent presence, I mean this is just another example of, you know, the attorney general, who has become Trump's, you know, best friend. Somebody he didn't know and didn't have any relationship with who has turned out much better in terms of helping him politically than he could have expected. Not only the census, but this week Barr was talking about how, you know, if Robert Mueller didn't want to show up to Congress because it was going to be a spectacle, he would support him in doing that. But you're going to see, you know it will be interesting to see if Barr talks and, you know, what he says and how he can justify this in terms of, you know, going around what the Supreme Court had said.
[Hulse:] He's already said that he considered the decision to be wrongly decided. So what form is this going to take?
[Kapur:] The Supreme Court has left some a door open to an extent, right? They didn't say this entire thing is invalid, this is unconstitutional to ask this question, or anything like that. They said in the pretext, the reason that the administration gave was contrived and invalid. Now, it sounded to me like Chief Justice Roberts was sending the administration on a fool's errand, knowing that there's a deadline here and knowing that they can't really get around it. Kind of like he did to Congress on the Voting Rights Act when he lopped off that piece knowing that they wouldn't repair it. But now it seems like the administration is going to try. I don't know how they get around this legal box.
[Collins:] Well, you also have to keep in mind, it's not just the Supreme Court. They're also facing issues in New York courts, Maryland courts. And some people inside the West Wing think they've actually already achieved what they needed to because the president they've talked about adding this question so much that people who are undocumented are going to be more hesitant about answering the census. So they may have already gotten in a sense what they wanted to get before by adding this question.
[King:] Right. And so a bit earlier today, Speaker Pelosi, in the middle of all of this, the president's going to come out and say he's going to use executive action to put this census citizenship question on the census. Democrats oppose that. They're going to fight him in court. They've had disagreements with the president. They don't like these ICE raids that are coming out on Sunday. And yet Nancy Pelosi today said she had met with Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to talk about immigration issues and she thinks it's possible, possible, for some bipartisan progress.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] And there may be some possibilities of some things that we can do. It may not be the total comprehensive, but it would address some of the points. We have to we have to do that.
[King:] What does she mean? At a time when they disagree with just about everything, are there some small things that they might be able to agree on, Democrats and Republicans sending to the president something on immigration that he will sign?
[Bade:] I think that the Democratic leadership thinks there are some things in their bill that they passed, the emergency bill a few weeks ago, that they could potentially get the Senate to agree to, including say requiring the administration to tell Congress right away when a child dies in custody, requiring children to only be held for 90 days in these detention facilities that have been proven to be overcrowded and potentially dangerous. And so she was able to talk to Mike Pence, who agreed to some of these things. And so I think that they think maybe there's a couple of things they can do around the edges to get some Democratic wins in the future.
[Kapur:] That and Lindsey Graham is an eternal optimist I think on the issue of immigration. You know, he has a long history of a moderate record. But I'd be very skeptical of any kind of a big deal on immigration.
[Bade:] Yes, definitely not [Ph].
[King:] Have a big deal, especially given what the president well, we'll see. We'll see. That's off he's Mr. Unpredictable, I guess. As we go to break, Cory Booker is running for president. Guess what, that doesn't mean you get excused from normal civic duties, like jury duty.
[Sen. Cory Booker:] We're in jury duty tie and today's your birthday.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes.
[Booker:] And a whole bunch of people here on jury duty want to say what?
[Crowd:] Happy birthday!
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you.
[Booker:] This is the best jury room in all of America.
[Crowd:] Yes!
[Booker:] Yes!

[Cooper:] Keeping 'em honest tonight, a question, which will the world get to see first? President Trump's tax returns or closely guarded information that might jeopardize American intelligence agents and assets around the world, including perhaps inside the Kremlin. And despite how it sounds, it's neither a loaded question or a joke. Last night, the president gave Attorney General Barr sweeping powers to declassify any intelligence related to the beginning of the Russia investigation, including FBI surveillance of his campaign. He signed the order just hours after accusing the former top investigators of treason.
[Trump:] If you look at Comey, if you look at McCabe, if you look at probably people higher than that, if you look at Strzok, if you look at his lover, Lisa Page, his wonderful lover, the two lovers. They talked openly. You know, they didn't use their private server, because they didn't want to get caught. So they used the government server. That was not a good move. He talked about the insurance policy, just in case crooked Hillary loses. And what didn't work out too well for them. So, you look at them, they wanted an insurance policy, so that should she for any reason lose, remember? One hundred million to 1. Maybe he said 100 million to nothing. But should she lose, we'll have an insurance policy and we'll get this guy out of office. And that's what they said and that's what they meant. That's treason. That's treason.
[Cooper:] Well, that's the answer he gave, by the way, after being reminded by a reporter that treason can be punishable by death. And today, as former and current intelligence officials or professionals alike raise questions about the wisdom of it all and what the president's words on treason industrial fresh still fresh, the president was asked some tough questions about his motivations.
[Reporter:] It sounds like you want payback, sir. It sounds like you want
[Trump:] Let me just tell you, it's not payback. I don't care about payback. I think it's very important for our country to find out what happened.
[Cooper:] He also said he was doing this in the name of transparency, which to his critics, is kind of rich, given his unwillingness to answer Robert Mueller's questions in person or telling former White House counsel Don McGahn to defy a house subpoena or fighting one court subpoena after another to keep the financial entanglements out of the public eye or paying to silence Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Given all of that, is it any surprise the reporters asked him whether it's more about himself or the country? This time, the stakes couldn't be higher. Today, the director of national intelligence issued a rare statement reading in part: I'm confident that the attorney general will work with the I.C., meaning the intelligence community, in accordance with long established standards to protect highly sensitive classified information that if publicly released would put our national security at risk. Keeping 'em honest, this is the same attorney general who's now being accused of cherrypicking the Mueller report in his summary of it and doing it in a way that puts serving his boss above the truth. Now, the question now, would he do the same this time, selectively declassifying items to please the president. His defenders say absolutely not. But again, it's not an academic question, given the agents who could potentially be blown, even accidentally or incidentally in the process of declassifying what after all is very recent, very sensitive stuff, some of it from very highly placed individuals. Quoting from "The New York times" now, "The most prominent of those sources among them may well be a person close to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia who provided information to the CIA about his involvement in Moscow's 2016 election interference." One of the former intelligence chiefs squarely in the middle of all of this, of course, is retired Lieutenant General James Clapper. He's the director of national intelligence during the 2016 presidential election campaign. He's also the author of "Facts and Fears: Hard Truths from a Life in Intelligence." We're glad to have him on the program. Director Clapper, given how Attorney General Barr represented or misrepresented the Mueller report, is there any doubt in your mind that whatever he decides to do would be a cherry picked investigation that serves the President's interests? Or do you think it would be above board.
[Lt. Gen. James Clapper , Cnn National Security Analyst:] Well, I would hope it'd be the ladder, although I don't have you know, based on the history thus far, I'm not real confident in that. To me, Anderson, the bigger issue here, of which I'm unclear of on, is what exactly is the scope of this declassification authority? If it, in fact, means the entire Russia investigation, meaning the intelligence work done on the interference, which goes back years, or is it more narrowly focused on the origins of the counterintelligence investigation? And from the media reporting, it's not clear which it is. If you listen to the President, he's kind of all over the map on this. On one hand, he says it's everything. And he classifies millions of documents, which implies the broader scope. And in the segment you just showed, it seems to be more limited to the origins of the counterintelligence investigation, which is much more narrow. So it would be very useful for me, at least, and I think others, particularly in the intelligence community, to know what is the scope of this. But you're quite right about the potential for cherry picking. The bigger issue, of course, is potential as you alluded, potential compromise of some very sensitive sources and methods and the
[Cooper:] And that's real?
[Clapper:] Oh, yes. And the impact it's real in terms of potentially people's lives being at risk. And then, you know, ancillary effects like what do our both allies think about it and how confident are they going to be in sharing intelligence with us when they see potentially intelligence being used as a weapon, political weapon. And of course, adversaries are happy about it because they go to school on this so-called transparency. And then think about assets. Congressman Jim Himes from the House Intelligence Committee was on earlier today and he made a very good point about, you know, our great people, men and women out there in the field trying to recruit people. Well, how much confidence are potential recruits, intelligence recruits going to have when they see this sort of thing happening when we tell them, "Hey, you can trust us. We will protect you."
[Cooper:] You're talking about a foreign national working for a foreign government or whom ever who might be recruited by the CIA or intelligence agency, that they're going to be less willing to or potentially less willing to because they're afraid down the road, my name could be revealed.
[Clapper:] Exactly. I do take heart, by the way. I think I was really, really gratified, really pleased to see Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats' statement, which I thought was very balanced and tempered. Yes, we'll cooperate, but we need to protect some things here. And I am really glad he made those statements.
[Cooper:] Do you think he was sending a message to Barr or a message to the intelligence community to try to allay concerns?
[Clapper:] I think both.
[Cooper:] The and it's rare for him to I mean, that's not kind of a statement you hear very often from somebody like Dan Coats.
[Clapper:] Well, this is no, it's not. I mean, he's very selective when he makes public statements. And when they as a consequence, when he does make public statements, they count for something.
[Cooper:] What happens if Barr requests certain things to be declassified, but Coats thinks it's inappropriate to do so? I mean, has there been a situation like that before to your knowledge?
[Clapper:] None that I can think of off the top of my head. No. I mean, we're, you know, this whole situation here, we're in uncharted waters. And so I don't know how that will be arbitrated. Obviously, the senior classification authority in this country is the President of the United States. So I guess if it came to a dispute between the two and I think I could predict how it would be resolved.
[Cooper:] So just lastly, you were clearly on the President's mind today as he was flying to Japan on Air Force One. He actually tweeted out a cartoon of you and former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey. I'm wondering what you make of it? Either your actual physical portrayal or just the fact that the President of the United States on his way to, you know, an important stuff in Japan is tweeting out cartoons.
[Clapper:] Well, first of all, I thought the cartoon likenesses weren't bad. I don't know who the original artist was. It was pretty good. You know, I'm not sure what this is alluding to. There's been some discussion in some parts of the media about a discussion about whether or not to include the dossier or draw on the dossier as sourcing for the intelligence community assessment that we did in January of 2017. The important point here is it was not included as a source in the intelligence community assessment. So if there was you know, John and Jim have to speak for themselves. I wasn't aware of a debate or dispute between them. But I think the important point is how it all came out and the dossier was not included.
[Cooper:] General Clapper, appreciate your time. Thank you very much.
[Clapper:] Thanks, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Coming up, I'll talk with the father of Johnny "Mike" Spann, the CIA officer killed in the first weeks of the Afghan war, killed in an uprising of Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners. The man Spann interrogated just before his death was John Walker Lindh, the American who had joined up with al-Qaeda to fight alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan. Lindh was freed as you probably know earlier from prison. In a moment, you'll hear what Mike Spann's father thinks of that.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Democrats release closed-door depositions in the Trump impeachment inquiry with more expected coming in the hours.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Voters head to the polls for election- day match-ups that could offer hints about the 2020 race.
[Briggs:] A fight over a Popeyes chicken sandwich turns deadly in Maryland.
[Romans:] A transit worker's last-second save is caught on camera at a California train station. Right place, right time. Wow, that was close. Good morning and welcome back to EARLY START, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] Good morning. I'm Dave Briggs. Tuesday, November 5th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East. This morning, we finally know exactly what some of the key witnesses in the Trump impeachment inquiry said behind closed doors. Among the revelations, testimony that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was silent as Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani campaigned to oust then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Maria Yovanovitch. The president was asked yesterday about the effort by Giuliani and others to undermine Yovanovitch.
[Reporter:] Was Marie Yovanovitch the target of a smear campaign by your allies? She testified she was.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I really don't know her, but if you look at the transcripts, the president of Ukraine was not a fan of hers.
[Briggs:] Fact-check, the rough transcript of Mr. Trump's call with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shows Zelensky criticized the ambassador only after Trump called her bad news. Lauren Fox has more on the newly released transcripts from Capitol Hill.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Politics Congressional Reporter:] A significant day on Capitol Hill as we saw the release of the first transcripts from these closed-door depositions that have been going on now for the last month on Capitol Hill. It's a big opportunity for lawmakers who haven't been in the room over the last several weeks to see what has actually been occurring. One of the transcripts that we saw was from the former ambassador to Ukraine who grew very concerned that her reputation was being damaged and that the president was losing faith in her. There was rumors basically that she was not supportive of the president, and she essentially wanted the State Department to put out a public statement defending her. She was told that the State Department couldn't do that because there was concern if they put out a statement, that the president could potentially undermine it even with something as simple as a tweet. She said, quote: What I was told is there was concern that the rug would be pulled out from underneath the State Department if they put out something publicly. She also went to her colleague, E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland and asked him for some advice. His advice to her, go big or go home. Essentially, what he argued was that perhaps she should tweet her support for the president, say that these rumors weren't true. Now, Michael McKinley's transcript was also released today. He's a former top aid to Mike Pompeo. Essentially, he said he left the State Department because he believed the career diplomats were being used to advance the president's political agenda, something that he did the not support. But more testimony and transcript expected to be released this week, including that of Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland Christine and Dave.
[Romans:] All right, Lauren. Thank you for that. In his testimony statement, Michael McKinley gave another reason for stepping down as a senior adviser to the Secretary of State Pompeo, one that directly contradicts his old boss' version of events. McKinley told the lawmakers he felt the department, and especially Pompeo, were not defending Yovanovitch against that smear campaign. He testified: There were numerous media articles appearing about Yovanovitch and, frankly, I did grow concerned we needed to say something forceful on her behalf. Question, how many conversations did you have with the secretary about this matter? Answer, three probably. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remembers things differently.
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] From the time that ambassador Yovanovitch departed Ukraine until the time that he came to tell me that he was departing, I never heard him say a single thing about his concerns with respect to the decision
[George Stephanopoulos, Abc News:] So you were never asked to
[Pompeo:] Not once. Not once, George, did Ambassador McKinley say something to me during that entire time period.
[Romans:] So, note that Pompeo was giving a television interview and McKinley was testifying under oath.
[Briggs:] Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is joining a growing list of Republicans who are trying to reveal the identity of the whistleblower at the center of the impeachment inquiry.
[Sen. Rand Paul:] The whistleblower needs to come before Congress as a material witness because he worked for Joe Biden at the same time Hunter Biden was getting money from corrupt oligarchs. I say tonight, to the media, do your job and print his name.
[Briggs:] Senator Paul calling on every Republican in Congress to step up and subpoena Hunter Biden, even though there's no evidence to support the claims about Joe Biden's son. Paul also wants the whistleblower subpoenaed. The whistleblower's lawyer firing back. Mark Zaid says, quote, a member of Congress who calls for the identity of any lawful whistleblower to be publicly revealed against their wishes disgraces the office they hold and betrays the interest of the Constitution and the American people. Not all Republicans are on board with exposing the whistleblower. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says whistleblowers are entitled to, quote, maximum protection and it's up to them to decide if they want to come forward.
[Romans:] So, how is the impeachment inquiry playing in a swing district in a swing state? That defines Michigan's 11th congressional district just northwest of Detroit. No surprise then that voters there are split on impeachment.
[Unidentified Female:] I think it's a sham. OK? I think the president Horrible.
[Reporter:] Horrible?
[Unidentified Female:] It's horrible. Just horrible what they're doing. The president is doing a great job. I think it's an important that an inquiry be going on. I also think it's important we not be distracted by it and there's actually governance going on.
[Unidentified Male:] I think the Democrats are trying to overturn the results from 2016. And I think it's going to fail miserably.
[Unidentified Female:] I think it's heading in the right direction finally, the impeachment. We're getting the evidence we need. I hope he gets what's coming to him.
[Romans:] Michigan's 11th win for President Trump then flipped in the midterms, electing Democrat Haley Stevens to Congress.
[Briggs:] All right. Voters head to the polls just hours from now, for election day 2019. A look at the key races, next.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] The U.S. president flies south for the holidays as congressional leaders in Washington work on their impeachment strategy. Also ahead, it is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year and a whistleblower is warning about airport security. Also, warnings are in place across Australia as a blistering heat wave intensifies the bush fires. They're having so many fires. Ivan Cabrera will have that for us. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
[Allen:] Thank you for joining us. Donald Trump is escaping the impeachment frenzy in Florida with a two- week trip to Florida. The president, his wife and their son arrive in Florida on Friday. Along the way, Mr. Trump signed a bill creating the newest branch of the military, the U.S. Space Force. Not everyone is happy about the president's vacation, meantime. White House aides are saying they're concerned he might have too much unstructured time, susceptible to influence from outsiders and TV news coverage. CNN's Sara Murray has more.
[Sara Murray, Cnn National Political Correspondent:] President Trump's impeachment trial may be officially stalled, but, behind the scenes, House Democrats are getting ready. Staff for the key House committees are expected to work over the holiday recess, consulting with Democratic leadership and prepping for a trial as early as the week of January 6. But that depends on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who says she won't send the articles of impeachment to the Senate until parameters for a Senate trial are set.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , House Speaker:] When they wrote the Constitution, they suspected that there could be a rogue president. I don't think they suspected that we could have a rogue president and a rogue leader in the Senate at the same time.
[Murray:] In the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this afternoon arranged for White House staff to get a lay of the land in the chamber after failing to cut a deal Thursday with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on the rules for a trial.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] We remain at an impasse.
[Murray:] McConnell argued rules from previous impeachments should suffice.
[Mcconnell:] I continue to believe that the unanimous bipartisan precedent that was good enough for President Clinton ought to be good enough for President Trump. Fair is fair.
[Murray:] While Schumer pushed for an agreement to include testimony from witnesses, such as former National Security Adviser John Bolton and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer , Minority Leader:] Leader McConnell is plotting the most rushed, least thorough and most unfair impeachment trial in modern history.
[Murray:] The standoff means lawmakers are leaving Washington with the status of an impeachment trial in limbo until the New Year. But if Pelosi's power play was meant to unnerve McConnell, he insists it's backfiring.
[Mcconnell:] Other House Democrats seemed to be suggesting they'd prefer never to transmit the articles. Fine with me.
[Murray:] Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
[Allen:] President Trump is firing back at leading evangelical magazine "Christianity Today," which is calling for his removal from office. On Twitter, the president blasted the publication as, "a far left magazine... which has been doing poorly and hasn't been involved with the Billy Graham family for many years." "Christianity Today" editor wrote, "Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election. That is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments." He spoke on Friday with CNN's John Berman. Here it is.
[Mark Galli, Editor-in-chief, "christianity Today":] We're pretty centrist. We rarely comment on politics unless we feel it rises to the level of some national or concern that is really important and this would be a case. We wrote editorials about Clinton during his impeachment process. We wrote editorials about Nixon during his. This struck me as rising to that level and I needed to comment.
[Galli:] As a Christian, I like to think of myself as a person who has given my ultimate loyalty to Jesus Christ and the gospel he's called us to proclaim. So when Christians of any stripe support a cause that strikes me as manifestly immoral, it does damage to the cause that I've given my life to. So I think that's one part of the equation that all Christians, especially my brothers and sisters in the evangelical world, need to think about more seriously and more deeply.
[Allen:] A FOX News poll from earlier this month shows 67 percent of white evangelical Christians approve of the president, 32 percent disapprove. Not long ago, the Republican Party in America was a reliably vocal critic of Russia. But that has been muted under President Trump, who is now getting support from Moscow after his impeachment. Here the president retweeted a headline from the Associated Press in which the Russian leader called impeachment "farfetched" and predicted the United States Senate would reject it. CNN's Frederick Pleitgen has more from Moscow.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , House Speaker:] Article 1 is adopted.
[Fred Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] After his impeachment by the House, President Trump lashing out.
[Trump:] Well, I don't feel like I'm being impeached. It's a hoax. It's a setup.
[Pleitgen:] Vladimir Putin seems to feel the same way. Speaking at his marathon press conference, featuring reporters often praising their leader while asking questions, Putin blasted impeachment claiming Democrats made it all up.
[Vladimir Putin, President Of Russia:] It still has to go through the Senate. It's unlikely they will want to remove the representative of their party for some made up reasons.
[Pleitgen:] And those aren't the only talking points he was parroting.
[Unidentified Male:] When the Russia collusion deception didn't work, Democrats sought a new path forward to impeach President Trump.
[Putin:] One party that lost the elections, the Democratic Party, is now trying to achieve its goals with new ways. But it turned out there was no collusion and it can't be the basis for the impeachment. So now they came up with some pressure on Ukraine.
[Pleitgen:] While Democrats and even some Republicans were shocked when Giuliani recently went on a fact-finding mission to Ukraine, afterwards appearing on the right wing Trump network OAN, on Kremlin controlled TV in Russia, a very different tone. The hosts and most analysts often praising Giuliani and cheering him on.
[Unidentified Female:] I think Giuliani's trip is going to be a success. Trump's electoral ratings grow little by little, which is weird. We can conclude the goal has been achieved.
[Pleitgen:] Russia continues to back an insurgency that destabilizes Ukraine. While Ukraine grappled with Moscow's pressure, unsure of the Trump administration's support, Washington is divided over impeachment, Putin is sitting back and watching it all play out so far in his favor Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
[Allen:] Joining me now from London to talk about these developments is Leslie Vinjamuri from Chatham House. Good morning to you. Thanks for coming on.
[Leslie Vinjamuri, Chatham House:] Thank you for having me.
[Allen:] Thank you. Let's begin with Russia. Probably Vladimir Putin's response, really, no surprise. And then we have the comparisons to certain circles in Washington to Russia. Let's get your thoughts on it.
[Vinjamuri:] You know, this is a very tricky one because some of the backlash that the president is aspiring by critiquing and challenging impeachment, I think, does play well certainly with his base and with the Republican Party and possibly with some independents. I'm more skeptical of that. But I think the affinity to Putin, trying to get Russia behind them. I'm not persuaded that this has the same effect. We've watched this throughout Donald Trump's presidency at various points. The American public doesn't tend to follow the support that the president is getting from Putin.
[Allen:] All right. Let's move on to the impeachment itself. What of the impeachment trial impasse? Nancy Pelosi says she will not send impeachment articles until the Senate agree to the rules.
[Vinjamuri:] Nancy Pelosi is a very shrewd leader. But this is a very it comes off, I think, of these statements that Senator Lindsey Graham made at the Doha Forum not just a week ago, Mitch McConnell, indicating that they don't see themselves as impartial, that they're seeking to move very quickly. There is a question about whether witnesses will be called. In a recent poll, 64 percent of Republicans said they would like to see witnesses called. Those who surround Donald Trump such as John Bolton are people even the Republicans would like to see. So there's support for a process that actually brings leverage. But of course, it hangs over the president's head and I think it does make for potentially a very toxic atmosphere in January and in the Christmas weeks.
[Allen:] Americans and people around the world are looking to focus on Christmas. Hopefully they can, for sure. Mitch McConnell, he's controlling the Senate. And when you put Mitch McConnell versus Nancy Pelosi, what will happen?
[Vinjamuri:] Americans are very divided on this. I think one of the interesting questions is, less what happens, although that clearly is highly consequential; at the moment, Americans remain deeply divided over impeachment. A lot of Americans are watching it at the same time that they're tuning it out. But this deep contentiousness between the two leaders is going to carry on. One of the moves might be that maybe Nancy Pelosi decides, don't send the articles to the Senate because, leave this as a president who has been impeached by the House and don't allow the Senate to deny them the opportunity to have a president who has been acquitted. That is also one potential tool in the that's one possibility.
[Allen:] That sounds like something that can be in play, certainly. Meantime, you know, Mr. Trump is furious. He's been lashing out on Twitter. Now we a have Christian magazine saying that he should be put out of office for his immorality. Could this give the evangelical Right pause?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, I do think this is very interesting. The evangelical base has been important to Donald Trump and it's been strongly united behind him at least in terms of the polling that we've seen in terms of public statements. There's a little bit of a split or some noise after Trump made the decision to put America's troops out of Syria after that phone call with Erdogan. So this is a second, much stronger statement that we've seen indicating that, despite the polling, there might be a different message coming out of the evangelical community. Subsequent to that piece, we've seen the evangelical community publicly unite behind the president, it still creates a moment. It indicates in a very public way that there is the opportunity to push back. And I think, you know, when you see a statement like that made and then the response being unity, it still means that they were, at the beginning, potentially of some people having the opportunity to peel away their support from the president if they think his conduct is not appropriate.
[Allen:] We've got Christmas and New Year's. Hopefully we won't bug you again, Leslie, but we just might. Thank you so much for your insights.
[Vinjamuri:] Thank you.
[Allen:] North Korea has a new warning for the United States. It is demanding Washington mind its own business when it comes to human rights. The foreign ministry accuses a U.S. diplomat of making reckless remarks in a "Voice of America" interview this week, saying it's like pouring oil over burning fire. The statement goes on to say, quote, "If the U.S. dares to impair our system by taking issue over the human rights issue, it will be made to pay dearly for such an act." Just ahead here, the message, just sail back home. That is the message from Carnival after two of its passenger ships collide. More about it. Plus a whistleblower is sounding the alarm. Hear why they say it is becoming less safe to fly.

[Trump:] Where has the Democratic Party gone? Where have they gone where they're defending these two people over the state of Israel? And I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or a great disloyalty.
[Camerota:] Well, that was President Trump politicizing support for Israel while attacking two freshmen congresswomen who have been critical of the Israeli government. But his remarks is drawing sharp criticism from some Jewish leaders and the president's 2020 opponents for playing into anti-Semitic tropes. Back with us, CNN's Chris Cillizza and Kaitlan Collins. Also joining us is Arlette Saenz, CNN political reporter who is covering the Biden campaign. So, Arlette, what has the response been to what the president said about disloyalty on the campaign trail?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] Well, Alisyn, this really just plays into the arguments that a lot of these Democratic candidates are making out on the campaign trail, saying that President Trump is dividing the country. Former vice president Joe Biden tweeting overnight that these comments are inexcusable and intolerant. You had Bernie Sanders weighing in. He is Jewish himself saying that he proudly is voting Democrat and plans on voting for a Democratic candidate coming around this election cycle. But really this is just adding fuel to the fire for Democrats who are trying to paint the president as a divider right now in this country. That's one of Joe Biden's central arguments of his campaign that you saw play out from the very first day with that digital video where he talked about the clashes in Charlottesville, the president's response to that, saying that this is a battle for the soul of the country. So comments like this from the president just give the Democrats more animation for them to try to paint the president as a divider in this election.
[Berman:] Let me be clear. It is an anti-Semitic trope suggesting that Jews are disloyal if they don't feel a certain way on Israel, suggests that they have a duel loyalty, which is the anti-Semitic trope to the United States, but also a loyalty to Israel, is exactly what Republicans criticized Ilhan Omar for earlier this year. And by the way, the president has done this before. He told American Jews that Benjamin Netanyahu was their prime minister. Of course, he's not. President of the United States is American Jews' president. And Chris, there's a long record here of the president talking this way and it undermines, I think, even Republicans say this, their efforts to go after Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
[Cillizza:] Sure. I mean, if you're attacking people for saying that what they say really matters and what they say and what they believe means they can't enter a foreign country, then if you are then saying things that are decidedly controversial and not being kind as it relates to American Jews, well, aren't you doing the same thing? I mean, I think this is Donald Trump does not see gray area in the world. It is either for Trump or against Trump. You are either all in or you are all out. That's how he sees things. It's how he presents things. And it's how he talks. You know, this whole thing is simply about if you have the audacity, American Jewish person, not to view things this way, you are disloyal. Right? Those are the terms he talks in loyalty. I'll remind you, John, even though I know I don't have to, he sits down with Jim Comey two days after he gets inaugurated and he says, I need your loyalty. I expect your loyalty. It's a very big thing for him. And unfortunately, I don't think he doesn't define loyalty to the country or loyalty to serve the global world. He defines loyalty to Donald Trump. And that I think is the danger.
[Camerota:] Obviously, Kaitlan, Jewish people are not a monolith. There are lots of distinctions even political ones inside the Jewish community. And, you know, I always wonder, Kaitlan, how Jared and Ivanka feel when the president says something like this. They're Jewish, the president has called them reportedly the Democrats. They have fundraised money in the past for Democrats. So, you know, how can they not take this personally on some level?
[Collins:] And we should also note that they have not been in Washington over the last few days. They may have returned now recently in the last 24 hours or so. But they have not been in Washington when the president was making this remark and saying this now that he has returned from his vacation in New Jersey. They still haven't weighed in which is typically a pattern you see from the two of them when something like this happens. We've seen it in the past where it takes Ivanka or Jared Kushner a few days to put out a statement, typically Ivanka, on something that the president has said or done. But to be clear here, this is the way that the president operates because for the last several weeks, he's been trying to target these four Democratic freshmen congresswomen painting them as the picture of the Democratic Party saying that they're anti-Semitic, saying that the Democratic Party doesn't like Jewish people. So when the president goes and watches Rashida Tlaib's press conference which is what they were referencing when he made this remark about loyal yesterday, in his mind he doesn't see how any Democrats or how any Jewish people could vote for a Democrat in this situation now that he's been demonizing them for so long. And of course the numbers do back up and show that in the midterm elections that a majority of Jewish people did vote for Democrats. That's something that the president is aware of when he's looking toward 2020. So when the president makes a comment like that, he's essentially saying he doesn't see how the strategy over the last few weeks to demonize these congresswomen has not worked yet.
[Berman:] He's calling 70 percent of American jury disloyal. And it might be that he's as much of an American jury on American Jews. Just going to throw that out there. Another major development overnight in a long list is that the White House today is going to try to do a workaround on Flores which is a court case which establishes that children can only be held for 20 days. Immigrant children detained can only be held for 20 days. What they're going to try to do is make it so they can be held indefinitely. This is one of the court cases, one of the barriers the Trump administration has fell to in their immigration policy. It was one of the reasons why they had the child separation policy at the beginning. Now they're just going to ignore, I guess, a court case here and try to do a workaround. I know there will be challenges but, Chris Cillizza, I don't know if this is a distraction, but this certainly plays to the politics of immigration that the president likes to focus on.
[Cillizza:] Yes. You know, Kaitlan made the point earlier that everything Donald Trump does and I would say has done since being elected president is aimed at getting re-elected as president. Let's remember, on the day that he was sworn in, they formed the 2020 committee. So I think this is more of the same here, John. I think Donald Trump has a very clear theory of the case. I am going to placate and play to my base at all times. The walk away from guns is that. Some of his rhetoric vis-a-vis the rest of the world is that. Sort of taking his ball and going home from Denmark is that. Hey, you don't want to give us Greenland, even though we want it? We're not doing that. And I think Immigration has always been at the root of this base politic. Let's remember, first speech he ever gave, Mexico is sending America rapists and criminals, build that wall. This is fundamental to who he believes he is and how he believes he animates his base. Now, I continue to remind people Donald Trump won by 70,000 votes in three states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. He loses the overall popular vote by almost three million. He threaded a needle. Now to his credit, he thread the needle. I didn't think he could thread it, but he threaded a needle. This the ability to replicate that model by playing to your base I think is very, very a big gamble in 2020.
[Camerota:] Yes, I mean, I hear you. But I also think that we do need to later in the program talk about the real-life consequences of this because it's beyond just the base play. We already have overcrowded detention centers with filthy conditions as we know, inhumane. And so the idea that now you can keep children in there indefinitely obviously has all sorts of repercussions. So we have Jeff Merkley, Senator Jeff Merkley coming up. He has just written a book END

[Paul:] Well, today marks 75 years since Japan unconditionally agreed to accept the terms that would end World War II. A formal surrender was signed September 2nd. So in the United Kingdom and the U.S., today is known as Victory over Japan Day. A wreath laying ceremony was held this morning in London.
[Blackwell:] There was also a ceremony held at a shrine in Tokyo. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended along with Japanese Emperor Naruhito and grandson of Emperor Hirohito who ruled Japan during the war. An officer in Michigan is being called a hero after rushing into save the life of an infant. CNN's Ryan Young has the story of their call of duty.
[Ryan Young, Cnn National Correspondent:] Officer Cameron Maciejewski of the Sterling Heights Police Department in Michigan got a heart stopping call of a baby in distress.
[Cameron Maciejewski, Police Officer, Sterling Heights Police Department:] I was about a mile away from the house. I was right around the corner when the call came out. And the only information I got from our dispatch was there's a three-week-old infant not breathing, and everyone is screaming in the background. OK. Calm down. Calm down. Let me see the baby.
[Young:] Dash cam video picks up the next very tense seconds filled with fear.
[Unidentified Female:] Please, please, please.
[Maciejewski:] I was checking the baby's mouth to see if I could see anything. Didn't see anything. And then next thing after is trying to do some back blows to dislodge whatever might be deeper down in the baby's airway. And I gave her three back blows, and that third one I heard a faint cry come.
[Young:] Even before the ambulance could arrive, the baby was breathing on her own.
[Maciejewski:] Yes. There you go. OK. He's crying. He's crying. It was a sigh of relief. I think I actually before I spoke into my radio, I took one a deep breath and put that out over the air that baby is crying, which it brings joy to everyone. But that was definitely a giant sigh of relief.
[Dale Dwojakowski, Chief, Sterling Heights Police Department:] What was going on in the emotion in that moment, and anyone that has a child, any mother on the planet that watches that video, any family, you can just feel the pain, the confusion, the worry. It's all there in the moment, those two or three minutes. Very powerful.
[Young:] Maciejewski's chief couldn't be more proud of his young officer.
[Dwojakowski:] I've been a police officer for 25 years. The last couple months have been brutal, not just for me but every cop in the United States. What a lot of people don't see is what we do every single day. Our guys do great police work, including saving lives.
[Young:] Maciejewski got to meet the infant and the family as they thanked the officer for his calm under pressure. Police officers from around the world have reached out to say good job, but Maciejewski got the seal of approval from his hero and the man who made him want to be a police officer his dad, who also served as a police officer for 20 years.
[Maciejewski:] And he said, usually it's the dad that's the hero to the son, but he's like, you're my hero today. It hits home. It really does. It pulls on the heart strings, because I'm a human just like everyone else in this world.
[Young:] Ryan Young, CNN, Chicago.

[Gorani:] Welcome back, much we have an incomplete but very fresh idea of how the finances of President Trump stack up. He has released a disclosure that reveals he has made at least $479 million in 2018. This financial disclosure was released by the White House just minutes ago. This is not like releasing a tax return, it doesn't go into granular detail. It gives the headline number. And that's almost half a billion. He's maintained his interest in the Trump Organization. And as many of you know has not released his tax returns as has been custom for U.S. Presidential candidates to do over the last several races. Now, here in the U.K., it's the news that surprises no one. Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has publicly thrown his hat in the ring to become the next Prime Minister. With Brexit still in turmoil, the countdown is on to Theresa May's departure. May has been under a lot of pressure to quit. She finally it appears bowed to the inevitable. She now says she will confirm the details of her departure in early June, regardless of whether she gets her Brexit deal through or not. With British lawmakers arguing about when and how to leave the European Union. U.K. voters are getting ready to vote in next week's Parliamentary election. One of the candidates is the leader of the Brexit Party. Nigel Farage is using the campaign to press the case for a complete break with the EU.
[Nina Dos Santos, Cnn Europe Editor:] Back on the road and riding high in the polls. Nigel Farage is returning to the campaign trail with a more middle of the road movement.
[Nigel Farage, Leader Of The Brexit Party:] Thank you.
[Dos Santos:] Hoping to sway Labour and Conservative voters who feel betrayed over Brexit.
[Unidentified Female:] How are you?
[Farage:] I'm really good.
[Dos Santos:] The Brexit Party may only be a month old. But as central promise to respect the results of the referendum has one that loyal followers at the expense of Britain's two main parties.
[Unidentified Female:] I voted out anyway. It just happened, it's just become a complete shambles.
[Dos Santos:] If predictions become reality. He wants to have a say.
[Farage:] We demand space on the negotiating table. If people vote for this, they deserve to have their voice heard.
[Dos Santos:] Ahead of the votes, the Brexit Party is touring the U.K. and whether it's the working man's club or the conference halls of Peterborough.
[Unidentified Male:] Please welcome to the stage, Nigel Farage.
[Dos Santos:] The mix of personality and populism is popular. Even if the Brexit Party's only policy thus far appears to be Brexit itself. Are you going to be voting the Brexit Party?
[Unidentified Male:] I will, no question about it.
[Unidentified Female:] Most definitely.
[Dos Santos:] Part of what makes the Brexit Party a force to be reckoned with, is its ability to deliver its message straight to the people in rallies like these taking place up and down the country, it's all part of the strategy to get those who feel betrayed mobilized to the ballot box. Few U.K. politicians could join a crowd like this on a Tuesday evening to work. This is political star power coupled with words of warning for Westminster.
[Farage:] I thought we lived in a democratic country. I've learned that we don't live in a democratic country. And I made a promise that if I had to return to the front line of this, then next time I said it would be no more Mr. Nice Guy, and I meant it.
[Dos Santos:] That front line has shifted. The Brexit Party's next stop may be Brussels, but it's unlikely to be their last. CNN, Peterborough.
[Gorani:] Leading in many polls. Australia is saying good-bye to one of its longest serving Prime Ministers. Bob Hawke has died at the age of 89. He won four elections between '83 and '91. He's been described as a champion of labor to a lovable rogue. Simon Cullen has his story.
[Simon Cullen, Cnn Correspondent:] Bob Hawke is what Australians like to a Larrikin. He loves sport especially when Australia won, he loved to drink, he loved to joke, even at his own expense. The charismatic former trade union official went on to win four elections, cementing his position as one of Australia's longest serving Prime Ministers. He was as much add ease with voters on the street as he was with Presidents in the White House. In Washington, he advocated for stronger ties between Australia and the
[U.s. Unidentified Male:] Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister of Australia.
[Cullen:] Diplomatically, speaking truth to power.
[Bob Hawke, Former Prime Minister, Australia:] Trade issues must not be allowed to fester or to erode our wider friendship or alliance.
[Cullen:] In the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre, he tearfully condemned the Chinese regime, offering safe harbor to Chinese dissidents fleeing the violence.
[Hawke:] Thousands have been killed and injured, victims of a leadership that seems determined to hang on to the reins of power at any cost.
[Cullen:] It was on the domestic front that his most significant reforms will be remembered. After a turbulent start, he guaranteed the future of universal health care for all Australians, opened the economy to the rest of the world, and a lasting reconciliation between Australia and the population.
[Hawke:] The important thing is what's in our minds. And our hearts.
[Cullen:] He also spoke passionately in favor of feminism.
[Hawke:] A commitment to give women a full say, a real choice and a fair go.
[Cullen:] After 8 12 years he lost the leadership to his deputy. He retained a special place in Australian's hearts. And as an 82-year-old, cemented his place in Australian folklore by downing a beer to raucous applause. News of his passing was confirmed on Thursday by his second wife, who said in a statement, today we lost Bob Hawke. A great Australian. Many would say the greatest Australian of the post-war era. His death, just days out from Australia's national election, provided a rare moment of unity for the country's political leaders.
[Unidentified Male:] He had a great intellect, he had enormous passion. And he had courage. Bob Hawke loved Australia and Australia loved Bob Hawke.
[Cullen:] An affection that endured to the end.
[Gorani:] Still to come, it was the centerpiece of his campaign. Now in just moments, Donald Trump will tell us exactly what he wants to do about immigration. We'll have his comments from the White House live.

[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] Last week, in our view, the president the administration conducted a provocative disproportionate airstrike against Iran, which endangered Americans. And did so without consulting Congress. When I was informed of this attack that the administration took responsibility for over the weekend, I said, why did you not consult with Congress. Well, we held it in closely. We held it in closely. No, you have a responsibility to consult with Congress. No, we held it close. So whoever close means. As you see, there has been criticism from the Republicans about the briefing that was put forth yesterday by the administration on this subject. Some have asked, do you agree that this is the worst intelligence classified briefing that Congress has received from this administration. As some of you heard me say, there's stiff competition for that designation of worst. So here we are to protect American lives and values. We're passing today a war powers resolution to limit the president's military actions. The administration must de-escalate and must prevent further violence. America and the world cannot afford war. Some of you heard me say that, in December, a bipartisan delegation, 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge that was just so remarkable to meet our VIP, our veterans who served at the Battle of the Bulge. Some of them also at Normandy. Imagine the courage of teenagers, most of them, at the time. But the compelling message from the veterans who the veteran who spoke for them, along with the king of Belgium and the archduke of Luxembourg and the president of Germany, the veteran who spoke, he spoke about the Band of Brothers. He spoke about allies working together, multilateralism, spoke about the challenges they faced and those winters. Reminding me really of Washington crossing the Delaware because it was in December and it was snowing and they were not as prepared for snow and camouflage from snow as they needed to be. But just seeing their patriotism, their courage, those young people. And this veteran coming to speak for them, 90 some years old. At the end of his remarks, he said, I just want one message and I don't know if it is appropriate to say, but I will, pray for peace." Pray for peace. That's what we all do. Protecting the American people is our first responsibility. Protect and defend. An oath we take. Not only of our Constitution, but of the American people. Pray for peace. That's what we must do. And so what happened, in the view of many of us, is not promoting peace, but an escalation. Not that we have any confidence in the goodness, of the good intentions of Iran, and we certainly do not respect and from my intelligence background, know just how bad Soleimani was. It is not because we expect good things from them, but we expect great things from us. Now, in terms of impeachment, you all keep asking me the same question. I keep giving you the same answer. As I said right from the start, we need to see that the arena in which we're sending our managers. Is that too much to ask? In October, we put forth H.R.-660, which is a resolution, which talked about the terms under which we would proceed further to further proceed with the investigation. So the people knew what the battlefield would look like. We expect to see that here. I hear different things. I hear that they might want to you probably heard, one way or another, some of them suggested they might want to dismiss dismiss equals cover-up, dismiss equals admission that your fate of the fact, the truth, the witnesses and the documentation. We would have hoped that, like as with the Clinton process, that there would have been a bipartisan resolution determining how to proceed. Contrary to what the majority leader said, he says this is like the Clinton no, it is not at all. I sent our members yesterday six points in which it is six of the points in which it is different. But nonetheless, at some point, we would hope that we would see from them what the terms of engagement will be. We are ready. We are proud of our defense of the Constitution of the United States. We are concerned that the Senators will not be able to live up to the oath that they must take to have an impartial trial. So much for that. At the same time as this is all going on, it is important to note that there's so many other things of concern to the American people. One is the assault on the Affordable Care Act that the administration is engaged in, in the courts, in the Congress. And we are fighting them, in the courts, in the Congress and in the country. Right now, they're in the court, instead of defending the law of the land as is the responsibility of the Justice Department, this administration is fighting the law of the land. That means benefit for pre-existing conditions, no lifetime limits or annual limits, child staying on your policy until 26, being a woman, no longer being a pre-existing condition. The list goes on and on that they want to tear down. So with all of the other, shall we say, distractions going on, which are a collateral benefit to the administration because it is a distraction as they are masterful at of what is going on in addition to that and related to health is the statement from the administration that they're no longer going to enforce NEPA, National Environmental Protection Act. This means more polluters will be right there next to the water supply of our children. That's a public health issue. In their denial of climate, they are going to not use the climate issue as anything to do with environmental decision-making. Public should know this. Denial, denial about the climate crisis in the midst of fires in Australia, and we have them in our own country. And then I'll close by just talking about how proud we are of the work that our members have done for the people. We have moved to lower health care costs by lowering the cost of prescription drugs, H.R.-3, wildly popular in the country, hopefully, pass the House before we left. So we're proud to pass the Mexico-U.S.- U.S.MexicoCanada trade agreement sitting over in the Senate. It is sitting over there with 400 bills we sent over, more than 275 of them bipartisan legislation. One of them, we observed yesterday, the ninth anniversary of the assault on Gabby Gifford's life, it's a bullet, of the highest priority because if they would pass this bill it would save lives, the bill to have sensible background check legislation. So, again, we're proud of our legislative agenda to lower health care costs, to keep the American people safe, build bigger paychecks by building infrastructure. And this week, this coming week, in the next period of time our chairman, led by Peter DeFazio, Chairman DeFazio, the Infrastructure and Transportation Committee will be putting forth our most current initiative on climate on the I say climate because you can't do infrastructure without having a recognition of resilience and green technologies. So that's where we are there. Now, today, we again send sad condolences to the person who lost his or her life in Puerto Rico. Others whose homes were damaged. We call upon the White House to stop its unlawful withholding of funds from Puerto Rico. We also there are needs that need to be met. There has been a disaster designated, but the ongoing withholding of funds appropriated by Congress to Puerto Rico is illegal and we call upon the administration to cease and desist that illegal activity. So what else do we have here? Maybe we'll take some questions from all of you.
[Unidentified Reporter:] You say you need to know what the arena looks like.
[Pelosi:] Yes.
[Unidentified Reporter:] How long are you prepared to hold on to the articles of impeachment if you don't get the answers you're looking for?
[Pelosi:] It is interesting, just to listen to what they say, because they may the other day, probably heard the leader say I'm glad to show what it is when I'm ready. But we don't know when he's going to be glad to be ready to show it to us. So there's something that they will have. And then he says, well, we'll pass it once we get the the articles. In the past few weeks. since we have had this, shall we say, impasse because they won't reveal the terms of engagement, many things have been accomplished that are collateral benefit to the discussion. And they relate to on December 20th, new e-mails showed 91 minutes after Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president, a top OMB aide asked DOD to hold off on sending military aid to the Ukraine. Directly related to that call. On December 29th, a report, public revelations about Mulvaney's role in the delay of the aid, the effort of lawyers at DOD, DOJ and White House to justify the delay and the alarm the delay caused within the administration because not everyone was in agreement. Last Thursday, nearly unredacted Pentagon e-mails exposed serious concerns by administration officials about the legality of the president's hold on the aid. Legality of the president's hold on the aid to Ukraine. And just this week, Bolton announced he would comply with the subpoena, compelling his testimony. His lawyers stated he has new relevance information. These and other our investigation and our articles necessitate a fair trial with documents and witnesses. They don't want documents, the documentation. They don't want witnesses. They may want a dismissal, which is proof that they cannot, cannot clear the president of the wrongdoing that he has put forth.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Are the articles indefinite?
[Pelosi:] I'm not withholding them indefinitely. I'll send them over when I'm ready. That may be soon. He said, if you don't send them over, I'm going to pass a U.S.MexicoCanada trade agreement, OK. We want to see what they're willing to do, and the manner in which they will do it. But we will not let them say, this is just like Clinton, fair is fair. It is not. Documents, documentation, witnesses, facts, truth, that's what they're afraid of.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Speaker Pelosi, you call the the Democrats call him a clear and present danger to democracy. Shouldn't
[Pelosi:] You're talking about
[Raju:] House Democrats in the impeachment called the president
[Pelosi:] Oh, I thought you meant Mitch McConnell, OK.
[Raju:] So shouldn't you move more expeditiously, given the fact that you raised this serious concern of the president poses to U.S. democracy?
[Pelosi:] I think we should move smartly and strategically. Yes?
[Unidentified Reporter:] On Iran
[Pelosi:] Yes. Concurrent resolution, yes.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Some criticism from both sides that this should be binding. I know there's some questions about why not make this with real teeth like an AUMF?
[Pelosi:] This is with real teeth. If you are familiar with the War Powers Act and I'll get you the text. The war powers text enables two approaches to go forward. One is a concurrence resolution. And it gives the procedure for that, which we will be following today. And it gives a path for concurrent for a H-Con resolution. We're taking this path because it does not require a statement by the a signature of the president of the United States. This is a statement of the Congress of the United States. And I will not have that statement be diminished by whether the president will veto it or not.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Madam Speaker, your members raised serious concerns about the timing of the strike against Soleimani, the administration's justification. Do you think the administration misled the American people about
[Pelosi:] I think that it is very unfortunate that right now because I was briefed in the Gang of Eight and I was briefed in the what do they call it, demeaning, worst classified briefing that the Republican Senators ever heard yesterday. So at this point, in terms of what is in the public domain, difficult to address some of what they contended. However, I will say this. Because I was informed by phone calls, as I mentioned to you earlier, I think I did anyway, that when I was briefed by the secretary of defense, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs over the weekend, taking responsibility for the killing, that it was disdainful, in terms of not consulting with Congress, dismissive, we held it closely. Really? So if you want us to all join together, let us have a strategy that we work together on. I do not believe, in terms of what is in the public domain, that they have made the country safer by what they did. And that is what our responsibility is. We'll have more discussion of this on the floor today at some length. But it is real again, as I go back to the Battle of the Bulge, pray for peace. We must avoid war. And the cavalier attitude of this administration it is stunning. And the president said, well, I inform you by reading my tweets. No, that's not the relationship that our founders had in mind in the Constitution of the United States when they gave power to the president to the White House to do one thing in terms of our national security, and to the Congress to declare war and to allocate resources and the rest. So this is this is your question is an important one. We, again, we will have two hours of debate. An hour on the rule, two hours on the bill to put forth some of the factual basis of the concern that we have. And let me just say this, because you hear the administration say, well, we were justified because the office of legal counsel said. The office of legal counsel is a tool of the president of the United States. That's who that is. So whatever the president wants to do, to be declared legal, his office of legal counsel declares it. It is a misleading to the public as to what War Powers Act, Article II, that gives the president certain powers. Article I, that gives the Congress certain powers. It is a very big issue now because it is nothing less that preventing war as we honor our first responsibility to protect the American people.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Madam Speaker? yesterday came to the Senate, several people came out and said the briefers told them that putting out information, debating the War Powers Act would empower Iran. The House floor is debating war powers around Iran. What do you say to the Trump administration if they're telling you that's empowering Iran?
[Pelosi:] I don't spend a whole lot of time telling them anything because I don't know that their basis of judgment is to receive information. However, I will say this. If they think that any statement they make is there to curtail public debate on a subject as serious as this, it just explains to you the seriousness of the situation that we are in. We will debate on the floor of the House. Now, we are not going on the floor talking about what we learned in the and they said at the beginning, they said, even if you read it in the newspaper, if you hear it here, you can't talk about it. They proceed to tell us many things we have read in the local metropolitan journals that are seen on TV. But that's that's foolish. That's completely foolish. And the as I say, we have no illusions about Iran, no illusions about Soleimani. He was a terrible person, did bad things. But it is not about how bad they are. It is about how good we are. Protecting the people in a way that prevents war and does not have us producing again and again generations of veterans who are suffering because of let me just close by saying this. When we were there, and many of these veterans, 70th anniversary of Normandy. When I met them there, I said, my uncle was in World War II, close to the Battle of the Bulge, they said, we went there next. These were so brave teenagers mostly, 18, 19, some 17 years old. And when we talked to them this time, because deeper relationships over time, they said, you know, I never wanted to kill anybody. I didn't want to kill the Germans. I was incapacitating them. I would shoot them in the leg or something. One of them told me, I killed somebody and I found out later he was a doctor and I always carried that with me. I said, well, you were you were instructed to shoot him because a superior said, you take him, I'll take him, you know. And they said, I still never forget that. So we all would die for our country. We take pride in saying that. But to kill for our country is a pretty traumatic thing. So when we want to engage in these, whatever we want to call this that the president engaged in, have to be really careful about how we endanger our men and women in uniform, who courageously, patriotically put themselves out there to protect and defend. Any other questions? Yes?
[Unidentified Reporter:] Because the airstrike targeting Soleimani happened in Iraq, is it time for the House to consider a broader AUMF? I know that's the legal justification of the administration has put forward with this airstrike. Is it time for Congress to get rid of the 2001-2002
[Pelosi:] For sure. We did get rid of the AUMF of 2002. And it was in an appropriations bill and it passed in a bipartisan way. And in the dark of night, the then-Speaker Ryan just took it out. It was highly unusual. Highly unusual. They just went and took it out. That's ridiculous, but that's what he did. So Congress has already passed, rejecting after it passed both Houses. He took it out for what was signed. So we will have that resolution coming up soon under leadership of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, whose wedding we observed today. And then the question is, what do we do about AUMF. It is harder than you would think because an AUMF so who is president, Democrat or Republican, how much power, confidence do you have in that person, regardless of party to execute an AUMF. And the decisions that have to be made about AUMF, it is important to note, are what is the timing of it. This one is too long. It didn't have a date. Should have a date. Not one that couldn't be renewed. But nonetheless it should have a date. The timing, the geography. What are we talking about? This was to go into Iraq, used then to pursue al Qaeda, different places. And here we are. And, third, what is the scope. Are we talking about boots on the ground, talking about air cover? What are we talking about in terms of scope, timing, geography and scope? When you have that debate, it is, well, I want the president to have as much power or I want the president not to have as much power. So it is hard. It is harder than you would think. But we have to do it. And when we do it, we have to have it with enough time that is realistic militarily, but also not endless we we're not in the situation we're in now. So to your point, the argument would be made that, putting the shoe on the other foot, if the United States had a high level, maybe the second most important person in the country, assassinated, wherever, the United States might consider that assault on our country. Right? And the Iranians might, as well, even though this took place at the Iraqi airport. And so it is foggy. There are those who think, well, it was in Iraq, so it counts. But it was an assault on Iran, so it shouldn't count. I don't think there's anybody who thinks that that AUMF would apply in Iran. To your other point on it, though, it is it needs to be addressed, rewritten, because we have to have an Authorization of Use of Military Force, specific to the danger that we are addressing. One last question.
[Unidentified Reporter:] You had mentioned the Clinton impeachment trial agreement, the need for witnesses and documents. What other details specifically are you waiting to hear from Senator McConnell? And why not fully turn over these negotiations now to Senator Schumer?
[Pelosi:] Well, they are in the Senate's hands. This is the Senate they have tried to have a bipartisan approach to how they would conduct the investigation. What are we calling it the trial connect the trial. But feebly, feebly, the majority leader has said this is just like Clinton, except it isn't. It is exactly not like Clinton in that he won't do a bipartisan agreement on how to proceed. So that's very important. But it is not incidental to say, but for the documentation and the witnesses. Now what now, no, separate from all of that, under the House, Senate rules of 1986, what is allowed for the presentation from the House is one person to speak. One person to speak. So are those the terms? Is that what we should be ready for? Or is there something else that they have in mind? It is one person to speak for the House. And one person to speak for the White House. Did you know that? 1986. So is that the rule under which they're all we want to know is what are the rules? It doesn't mean we have to agree to the rules or we have to like the rules. We just want to know what they are. So getting back to sports because that's all we live, right, football, football, college, high school, professional. Do we send in our team or do we have to send in special team as well as the team? Because we have to know what is the what that trial is about.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Can you turn the whole negotiations over to Senator Schumer?
[Pelosi:] They had the negotiations. The Senator has said he has doesn't have to have witnesses and the rest. So that's you know, we may send them over. We have our I'm not responsible to Mitch McConnell or anybody else, except my members and the people that have worked so hard on this. Members and staff, patriotically honoring the oath of office, the Constitution of the United States. I will give them their our best shot to find the truth for our bosses, the American people. Thank you, all, very much.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Are you going to the Niners game?
[Pelosi:] It would be my intention to go. I went to one game in San Francisco. We watched altogether the second game in Seattle. I have, unfortunately, responsibilities to save our country from peril so this weekend, so on my Democratic of political leader this weekend, so my family will enjoy our season tickets at the 49er game. And then next week well, get one game at a time. And we'll see about the next week. We had the BaltimoreSan Francisco Super Bowl and that And that was hard because I had been rooting for both teams all along, right, and again going to the 49er games and watching the Baltimore games on TV right there at the stadium. So what happens, they both win, nobody was in a more difficult situation than I've been, as a mother of the coaches, brothers coaching the teams, and then you saw what happened at that game. But the D'Alesandros, from Baltimore, came all dressed in purple and the Pelosis from San Francisco all came in red. And we had a lovely family reunion. This time, I hope that we get a similar result that we have both teams in the I already, because of my, shall we say, responsibilities to win the House for the Democrats and, hopefully, the Electoral College for the American people, I was scheduled to be in Florida that weekend. So I'm all set. I'm all set. One way or another.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Do you think Harry and Meghan will move to California?
[Pelosi:] Who knows? We're talking about Tom Brady. Who knows? Who knows what happens with all this? But isn't it interesting? Wonderful because it is so unifying, you know. Whatever your politics, whatever forget it, it is about the team. And we all like to say and we all believe that we're all Team USA. So however it turns out. Thank you, all, very much. Thank you.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] All right, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi there. Family feuds aside, she was taking questions for first time since very clearly a lot has happened. Dana Bash is here with me. Let's start with impeachment. That was one of the big questions, really key question when she was going to face reporters was is she finally going to hand over articles of impeachment? Not budging. What did you think of what she said?
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Well, there's a couple of things. One is she said, I'm glad to send it over when I'm ready. I'll do it when I'm ready. But she also said it won't be it will be soon. She's going to do it soon. But the most telling part of her discussion about the fact she was prepared for the questions about when to send the impeachment articles is that she pulled out a piece of paper and she had a list of things that she called, quote, "collateral benefit," the collateral benefit that she insists has happened by holding the articles of

[Paul:] Sixteen minutes past the hour right now. So glad to have you with us here. So, Paul Manafort repeatedly, and this is a quote, repeatedly and brazenly violated the law and shows a lack of remorse. That is how Robert Mueller's team describes the former Trump campaign manager in this new sentencing memo.
[Briggs:] The special counselor's memo also says Manafort lied to several entities during the course of the investigation. Manafort is scheduled to be sentenced next month. Joining us now is CNN reporter Marshall Cohen who combed through most of this highly redacted 800-page memo.
[Paul:] Yes. So, what stood out to you, Marshal?
[Marshal Cohen, Cnn Reporter:] Good morning, guys.
[Briggs:] Good morning.
[Cohen:] As you mentioned, Paul Manafort will face a sentencing next month. The memo told us basically an overview of what he did and what he did wrong detailing his crimes from the past decade, his deceit to his own counsel, Congress, special counsel investigators, and how that should cause him to basically, if the judge agrees, spend the rest of his life in prison. He'll be sentenced in Virginia and in Washington next month in two separate cases. He was convicted on eight counts at trial and pleaded guilty to two more. The memo basically says he is unrepentant and if he ever gets out again, he probably would break the law again, suggesting to the judge put him away for a good amount of time. But, of course, as you know, the president might get the final say on this if he wants to. It's within his authority to grant a pardon to his former campaign chairman, and possibly give him some clemency from that potentially long prison sentence.
[Paul:] Marshal Cohen, we appreciate it. Thank you so much.
[Briggs:] If you didn't catch the lies.
[Paul:] Yes.
[Briggs:] The lies are spectacular and so vast, we had to make graphic who Paul Manafort was honest with we are not clear. But he lied to tax preparers, bookkeepers, banks, treasury, DOJ, special counsel, FBI, his own legal team, Congress and members of the executive branch. So, that's
[Paul:] And a pardon may not save him. Let's be very honest. We don't know yet.
[Briggs:] If "Bloomberg News" is right in that tax state charges are prepared in New York, those are not exempt. Those are exempt from a pardon.
[Paul:] We have to wait and see.
[Briggs:] Yes. We shall see ahead, though.
[Paul:] All righty. So, another big story we've been watching this week with you. R&B singer R. Kelly, you know, he is expected to be in court again tomorrow.
[Briggs:] According to his lawyers, he spent a second night in jail because he couldn't make bail. CNN's Sara Sidner has the latest on this case from Chicago.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn Correspondent:] A judge set R. Kelly's bond for $1 million, $250,000 in each of the four alleged victims' cases. Now, R. Kelly would only have to pay 100,000 of that after he has been charged with ten counts of criminal sexual abuse. The prosecution today laying out some very sexually explicit details in this case to the judge, including sexual and physical abuse of several of the women that are now alleged victims in this particular case. The case brought yesterday. There was an indictment from a grand jury first and then the prosecution filed charges against R. Kelly. The details include physical and sexual abuse against women who are now of age, but were minors at the time, under the age of 17 but older than 13 is how the prosecution put it. We also heard from R. Kelly's attorney Steve Greenberg. He came out and he said initially when R. Kelly was arrested and we saw him go in to be booked last night, he said that all of the women are liars and called them liars and called them liars very starkly and clearly. Today, he backed down a little bit from that but said, you know, you can't believe everything you hear, that he should be given, like any other defendant, the presumption of innocence. He also mentioned the 2008 trial where R. Kelly was put on trial for 14 counts of pornography, child pornography and he was acquitted in that trial. He says people should give him the same kind of presumption of innocence as other defendants. He did recognize that there was a lot of media attention here. He recognized that there were some women who were in the courtroom here today listening and emotional. We can tell you that one of the victims, the alleged victims in this case, was inside the courtroom. She was emotional herself. This has been a very difficult time for the women who have come out and accused R. Kelly of sexually abusing them when they were minors. Where do we go from here? Well, Steve Greenberg, R. Kelly's attorney, says that he does not think that R. Kelly has $100,000 just hanging around. So, the question is, will he be able to get that money and get out of jail before his next hearing, which will be Monday? Sara Sidner, CNN, Chicago.
[Briggs:] OK. Sara, thank you. Five people are dead as violent clashes continue on the VenezuelaColombia border. Will the U.S. step up its involvement in the growing crisis and what would that look like? We'll ask Democratic Representative Tom Malinowski, who's on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, next.
[Paul:] And catch the CNN presidential town hall with Senator Bernie Sanders live from Washington, moderated by Wolf Blitzer, that is tomorrow night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

[Holmes:] The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, due in court at the start of his corruption trial, which begins in just a few hours. For more, CNN's Oren Liebermann is live for us there in Jerusalem. What are we likely to see play out today? This is just the start of this, right?
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] It is very much the start and most of what will happen in court today will be technical matters. It's to make sure that Benjamin Netanyahu understands the charges against him. He doesn't have to enter a plea today and he probably doesn't have to speak. But it's still unprecedented, the State of Israel versus Benjamin Netanyahu. The rest of the day will be talking about scheduling and evidence and what's confidential and not confidential. The actual trial itself, still months away, perhaps even occurring next year. Make no mistake, this is a big day in the history of the state of Israel.
[Liebermann:] One week after Benjamin Netanyahu's swearing in for a fifth term as prime minister, he's facing a very different panel: three judges presiding over his criminal trial. The 70-year-old leader has been fighting this day for more than three years, ever since the investigations were made public. He's maintained his innocence, calling the probes an attempted coup.
[Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Of Israel:] This evening we are witnessing a governmental coup attempt against a prime minister by false libel and with a tenacious and contaminated investigation process.
[Liebermann:] Israel's longest serving prime minister faces prosecution in three cases. In case 4,000, prosecutors say Netanyahu advanced regulatory benefits for his friend, a multi-millionaire business man. Those benefits were worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In exchange, prosecutors say Netanyahu received favorable news coverage from a news website owned by that business man. In this case, Netanyahu faces the most serious charge of bribery as well as the charge of fraud and breach of trust. In case 2,000, prosecutors say Netanyahu was working on an arrangement with the owner of one of Israel's largest papers. Netanyahu sought better news coverage in exchange for limiting the circulation of the paper's rival. Netanyahu faces a charge of fraud and breach of trust in this case. Finally in case 1,000, prosecutors say Netanyahu received valuable gifts, such as cigars and champagne from overseas business men, gifts, they say, a public servant shouldn't have received. Here Netanyahu also faces a charge of fraud and breach of trust. I intend to lead the country as prime minister for many years to come. None of that has fazed Netanyahu.
[Netanyahu:] I intend to continue to lead you and the country as a prime minister for many years to come. Don't believe all the spins.
[Liebermann:] Netanyahu's best defense is his former political rival, Benny Gantz, who broke his campaign promise not to serve under an indicted prime minister. The coalition agreement between the two protects Netanyahu's position for the next 18 months, during which Netanyahu can pursue annexation of parts of the West Bank. All the while Netanyahu's corruption cases will proceed in the background, slowly. It took more than three years to get to this point, a trial with 333 witnesses isn't expected to move much faster. At this point, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying to show a business as usual perspective. A week after the new government's swearing in, today is the first cabinet meeting where Netanyahu didn't mention the trial at all. He talked about coronavirus and the budget and said now the country has to work together moving forward. It was Netanyahu's closest allies in the government, some of the minister's closest to him, who have continued to attack the judicial system and also the attorney general and the investigative process in general. The new justice minister who was from Blue and White has said he would defend the justices but that defense is being drowned out by all of the attacks that will play out today.
[Holmes:] Benjamin Netanyahu has fought this day for a long time. Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Appreciate it. Thanks very much. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

[Berman:] It took nearly a full calendar year with the Los Angeles Lakers celebrating their first championship in a decade. Carolyn Manno has more in the Bleacher Report. They did it.
[Carolyn Manno, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] They did it, John. You know, most teams want to go to Disney World, the Lakers spent just about a hundred days there. I think they're ready to go ahead and head home but punctuating historic season with the franchise the 17th title. That ties the Boston Celtics for the most in league history. It's been quite a year, it was an emotional roller coaster and what else would you expect from LeBron James and the kind of performance we've grown to, you know, know him to be able to do. The Lakers rather than the Heat by third end game. James earning his fourth MVP title. You know, when he missed the playoffs in his first season with LA, some questions whether the aging star still the best player in the league, and after the game, James sent a message.
[Lebron James, Los Angeles Lakers Forward:] We just want our respect. Rob want some respect. Coach Vogel want some respect. The organization want a respect. Laker nation want their respect, and I want my damn respect too.
[Manno:] The victory coming nearly nine months after the tragic passing of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others who were killed in that helicopter crash back in January. Fans chanting Kobe's names in the streets of LA late last night. And the NBA's bubble is a success story but coronavirus is plaguing the NFL right now. Positive tests from both the Titans and the Patriots creating a cascade effect there right now has forced the cancellations of eight NFL games. Those are rescheduled but things very much influx. The Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott undergoing successful surgery last night elsewhere in the league after suffering a gruesome ankle injury against the Giants. Prescott who has never missed a game in his five-year career is in the final year of his contract, he was hoping to sign a lucrative long-term deal in free agency. Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones calling the injury heartbreaking. And Rafael Nadal made history, Sunday, in Paris winning the French Open for the 13th time. Rafa now with 20 Grand Slam titles. tying him with Roger Federer for the
[Berman:] No. Look, I know there are a lot of Federer people, especially United States, but our Rafa guy. I mean, what he has done in the duration over which he's done it at the French Open, you know, it's not serving a volley. I mean, he's got to be so physically fit to do that. So hats off to him, well deserved. Carolyn, thanks so much. Alisyn?
[Camerota:] OK, John, a new PBS documentary on race in America takes a closer look at the danger to black families while traveling. It's called, "Driving While Black". Here's a look.
[Unidentified Female:] What it means to be American is to take to the road. Mobility is essential to freedom.
[Unidentified Male:] Discover freedom.
[Unidentified Female:] The notion of driving while black reminds us that that's not available to all Americans. To be able to move freely. We live in a country where it's never been There are still so many dangers.
[Unidentified Male:] We have to engage history with the kind of brutal honesty.
[Camerota:] We're joined now by Gretchen Sorin and Ric Burns, the co- directors of the film, "Driving While Black". It premieres tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Eastern on PBS. Great to have you both here. I've really been looking forward to talking to you about this. Gretchen, because both of you. Gretchen, because when I upon reading your research, it's the first time that it sort of the aperture opened for me and I realized how long the anxiety around driving while black has been going on in this country. You know, this may be a new term but the experience for black families is not new. And so just tell us what you've learned.
[Gretchen Sorin, Co-director, "driving While Black" Documentary:] Alisyn, thank you so much. Well, we really, as we look at this topic, Ric and I decided that we really had to go back to the beginning when mobility was first restricted. And because this is a real this is really a story about mobility and how mobility for African-Americans was denied from the time the first black person stepped foot in the new world. And so we start with restrictions on mobility as enslaved people, and bring that all the way up to the up to the present where that mobility continues to be restricted.
[Camerota:] And so Ric, is it, is it based on it is the all of the problems that we have seen play out in such vivid horror of, you know, blacks being pulled over? And then, you know, it resulting in a horrible, fatal deadly encounter with police. Is that does that stem in some sort of logical way from white people being uncomfortable, you know, hundreds of years ago with black mobility?
[Ric Burns, Co-director, "driving While Black" Documentary:] I think it does. I think that is exactly the right. I couldn't I think that puts it really, really clearly that it's not as if there hasn't been haven't been tremendous steps forward in 400 years in terms of mobility that African-Americans have seized for themselves in this country. But that sense of the suspicion that white people have, in general, not all white people about black mobility, and the desire to restrain it, and to hold it and to keep black people in place has been around for a long time. And so, we look at the, you know, news yesterday, more tomorrow sadly, and see some traffic incident that takes place
[Camerota:] And in fact, Gretchen, you talk about that, how it was freedom how black families, the relationship with the automobile, how that was this liberating point of pride for them but then it gets so complicated.
[Sorin:] Well, it was so much better to be able to take your own automobile than to have to depend on transportation that was controlled by others. So if you took a train, you would be in the Jim Crow car. If you took a bus, you had to sit in the back. And often this was accompanied by racial epithets as well. So it was it was humiliating for African-Americans to take public transit. So when they were able to get cars, they got cars in very large numbers, and they love their cars, because you had the freedom to go where you wanted when you wanted. But you also have this private, quiet space that took you out of the humiliation of public transportation.
[Camerota:] Ric, you know, in June, we had on an author named Tim White who has written, you know, a lot about white privilege. And he has he said that for his white friends, that he does this mental exercise for them. If they don't believe that there is a difference, you know, in driving down the road, if you're black or white, he asks them to think about all the times that they've been pulled over and what the outcome has been. And that is just so valuable that is such a useful exercise to think about how often I, for one, have been pulled over and it was always my fault, by the way, and I rarely get a ticket. And when you think about that, it just kind of, you know, blows your mind at what the different experiences. And so in producing this, in directing this, do you find that you have to still tackle the judgments and feelings of white people who may not think that there is such a phenomenon as driving while black?
[Burns:] I think that's really the case, Alisyn, and I think that, you know, people say what is structural racism. What is systemic racism? Systemic racism is when even before anybody does anything to anybody else, the fear is in your mind that something negative is going to happen. And that's something that white people just don't have when they get behind the wheel. You know, my father never told me the rules of the road in the sense that if I got pulled over, I had to keep my hands very, very still in where they could be seen. And that the job was for me as
[Camerota:] Gretchen, we only have about 30 seconds left. What do you want people to take away when they watch this?
[Sorin:] You know, the power the people in power have always been it's been important for them to hold on to the status quo. What I would like people to do this to me, this film is a call to action. It says we can join together and we can make things better in this country.
[Camerota:] Gretchen Sorin and Ric Burns, thank you so much. Great to talk to you. And "Driving While Black" premieres tomorrow night at 9 p.m. Eastern on PBS. Thanks so much for being here.
[Sorin:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] NEW DAY continues right now.
[Unidentified Male:] President Trump is heading back to the campaign trail. A lot of people have been with him said he's fine, he's peppy, he will go on ahead. I think it's foolish for him to do it. It's going to be hard for him and it might give him a big setback. We don't really know whether he is still infectious.
[Unidentified Female:] Lawmakers are kicking off those crucial hearings for Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court. The first opportunity Democrats have to grill this nominee and make the case Republicans need to slow her nomination down.
[Unidentified Male:] this proceeding is literally unprecedented because so many members of the Senate are afflicted with COVID. Whether they will be able to show up is uncertain. This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Camerota:] We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. And President Trump is returning to the campaign trail today. He plans to hold rallies despite the risk to public health. The president got out of the hospital one week ago after being treated for coronavirus. He claims he has now tested totally negative but the White House still has not provided any proof of that. So with just 22 days to go until the election, the president will hold four rallies over the next four days in Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and North Carolina. Joe Biden will head to Ohio today where early voting is already underway. Meanwhile, we are seeing an alarming increase in coronavirus cases nationwide. The U.S. is now averaging just around 50,000 cases a day. OK, that's the highest number in two months. Thirty-one states across the country are seeing a surge in cases, six states seeing record hospitalization.
[Berman:] I hope people are paying attention.

[Kate Bolduan, Cnn:] This just in, another new ripple effect from the coronavirus pandemic, the DNC has announced that the party's convention scheduled for mid-July now postponed. Joining me right now is CNN's Jessica Dean with all the details. Jessica, this is just coming in the DNC. What are they saying about this decision?
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Kate, they're saying that look, they took a look at what was going on in light of the COVID pandemic that they felt that it was the responsible thing to do to postpone this convention by roughly a month. It's now supposed to take place on August 17th in Milwaukee. Originally, it was scheduled for July 13th. So bumping it head ahead by about a month. This is something that we had kind of seen foreshadowed by former Vice President Joe Biden, who is leading in the delegate race right now. He has said over the last couple of days that he could foresee perhaps the convention moving into August. And now in fact, we are learning that is what's happening, as you mentioned, just one example of the ripple effects of this pandemic across the Democratic process as we move through 2020. Through an election year, we saw rallies come to an end for the presidential candidates, everything now being moved virtual. We've seen everything kind of come to a full stop and that in terms of the public events going all virtual right now. And now we learn that the convention has indeed been moved ahead. The Democratic National Convention has been moved ahead to or moved back rather to August 17th. As for the Republicans, they were always scheduled to go after the Democrats. They say right now, their plans are full speed ahead. They are scheduled later in August, Kate, in Charlotte, North Carolina. But this is of course, a very fluid situation for everybody, Kate. And probably just the first of a lot of changes we're going to see.
[Bolduan:] Yes, move back to August at least for now is I guess what we say.
[Dean:] Right.
[Bolduan:] Jessica, really appreciate it. Thank you so much. So just as quickly as the outbreak is intensifying, so is the race to find a treatment. We know doctors are on the hunt for possible antivirals. We also know that President Trump has been focused on one in particular, an antiviral drug. Here's what he said just the other day.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] It would be a total game changer. It's a malaria drug and also an arthritis drug. So it's been out there for a long time, very powerful drug. But it's been out there for a long time. So it's tested in the sense that you know it doesn't kill you.
[Bolduan:] For all the countries and here in New York, tests and trials are underway to find out just how effective and safe that drug is, and many others, quite frankly. And also new, we are learning early data from researchers in China is suggesting some promise. Let's get a view from the ground on these treatments and the situation. Joining me right now is Dr. Robert Brown. He is a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. He's the head of the liver transplant program at New York Presbyterian. He's also a doctor I've known for many years. It's good to see you, Bobby.
[Dr. Robert Brown, Involved In New York's Drug Trials:] Good to see you.
[Bolduan:] Thank you for being here. What do you take from this report out of China, this new trial, this new research on hydroxychloroquine?
[Brown:] Well, I think it adds to our knowledge. You know, the data from Europe seem to suggest that hydroxychloroquine either alone or in combination with the antibiotic, azithromycin might shorten the course of illness. And this randomized trial from China does seem to support that, that we can shorten the illness. And obviously shortening the illness would be of great value, it would improve health care workers returning to work, it would decrease the period of time that people were infectious, and potentially decreased spread. So I think that we're beginning to see some encouraging data on hydroxychloroquine. And obviously, the biggest advantage is it's available.
[Bolduan:] Right.
[Brown:] And so though we have a lot of hope for antiviral drugs that are being developed, this could be used broadly and we are using them.
[Bolduan:] Yes. And that's what I was going to ask you. I mean, you and I've talked about this that you said, almost all the patients we're seeing right now are COVID patients. And you're trying out some of this on your patients in real time. What are you seeing?
[Brown:] Well, you know, our hospital is seeing an extensive amount of COVID patients. And I, among the volunteers who agreed to go in and care for patients with COVID infection. And we are using it in most cases of moderate disease, mild disease, we're tending to leave at home if we can in self quarantine. And so, it's so hard to know because the course of this illness can be so variable and unpredictable. So what I'm hoping is that we're going to get a lot of data because we're seeing a lot of patients. And when the dust settles, we'll be able to look back and figure out which of the drug combinations we're trying are the most promising and need to be studied in more detail, which ones are complete duds. And we can hope that we're going to find in there the game changer that we're all looking for.
[Bolduan:] You know, I'm always struck, I mean as I mentioned, you're the head of liver transplant for New York Presbyterian. What does this entire crisis meant for liver transplants?
[Brown:] Well, you know, it's been challenging. We need to we needed to quickly find ways that we could screen donors for COVID infection. Nobody wants to do it. There have been places where they won't accept the donor team coming from New York City. And patients are scared to come to the hospital.
[Bolduan:] I think we just lost a connection with Dr. Brown. Bobby, thank you so much for joining me and for all of your work that you're doing for your patients and for the city, Dr. Robert Brown. Coming up for us, there is so much of the focus has been on major cities. But one community in rural Georgia has one of the most intense clusters right now. I'm going to talk with the top hospital administrator in that area about how they're coping.

[Sen. Chuck Schumer:] We, at the very minimum, will require votes.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] Look, we're at an impasse. We can't do anything until the speaker sends the papers over.
[Joe Johns, Cnn Anchor:] The impeachment standoff apparently going to last into the new year. What Democrats are demanding and why Republicans are not budging.
[Alison Kosik, Cnn Anchor:] Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? Well, keep on dreaming. But some parts of the country, they're going to be facing wicked weather for the holiday.
[Police Officer:] Get out of the car.
[David Ward, Suspected Carjacker:] All right, I'm getting out, I'm getting out. [Screaming]
[Johns:] New video of a deadly confrontation between California deputies and a suspected carjacker. It turns out the man was driving his own car.
[Kosik:] Good morning, this is EARLY START. I'm Alison Kosik.
[Johns:] And I'm Joe Johns. It is 30 minutes past the hour. Not much holiday spirit in Washington this morning. Congress seems to be headed toward a long standoff over the framework for a Senate impeachment trial. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer warning Democrats will stand firm on their demand for more witnesses and documents.
[Schumer:] We, at the very minimum, will require votes from all the senators on each of the witnesses and about each of these sets of documents. And I don't think my colleagues, Democrat or Republican, are going to going to want to vote to withhold evidence in such an important trial.
[Kosik:] It would take 20 Republican votes to remove President Trump but only four would have to side with Democrats to compel witnesses or documents. At the moment, though, it is unlikely Republicans will budge. Congress is not slated to return to Washington until January sixth. Officials are prepared for several weeks without any resolution to the face-off. Here's congressional reporter Lauren Fox.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Reporter:] Both sides digging in, in Washington, over when and if the Senate impeachment trial will start in January. There are still questions looming as everyone is waiting on Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, to send over those two articles of impeachment. And, Democrats still insisting on getting witnesses, even as majority leader Mitch McConnell makes it clear he needs Nancy Pelosi to send over those articles before he makes his next move.
[Mcconnell:] It seems to me a rather absurd position to say after you've impeached the president you won't send the papers over to the Senate for the impeachment trial mandated by the Constitution. And look, we're at an impasse. We can't do anything until the speaker sends the papers over, so everybody enjoy the holidays.
[Fox:] And there was more fiery back and forth in Washington on Monday. This, as Chuck Schumer sent a letter to his colleagues arguing that they need to be negotiating witnesses now and not wait until the start of the Senate impeachment trial. Of course, Republicans have been arguing that what they are going to do is something very similar to what they did during the Clinton impeachment trial. You have the House managers make their case on the Democratic side, then you have the president's lawyers defending him on the Senate floor. Then you would make a decision about witnesses. But all sides, at this point, digging in. No sign that the stalemate will break anytime soon Joe and Alison.
[Johns:] Lauren Fox on Capitol Hill, thanks for that. And there's more. House Democrats raising the prospect of impeaching President Trump again. The suggestion coming in a court filing from the House Judiciary Committee seeking to force testimony from White House counsel Don McGahn. The committee says McGahn could shed light on alleged obstruction of justice by the president in the Robert Mueller investigation. That charge was not included in the articles of impeachment passed last week.
[Kosik:] Earlier Monday, the Justice Department argued in its own filing the House impeachment ends any urgency to tie up the McGahn case and that the courts should not get involved. That's even though Republicans argue Democrats should have gone to court to resolve impeachment issues. The McGahn case is expected to be heard on January third.
[Johns:] So we're going to have more on this ahead. Plus, a tragic end to the search for a woman missing since October when she told a friend she was involved in a shootout.

[Sciutto:] Listen, you've seen the numbers, they're on our screen every day. Nearly 217,000 American lives lost, more than 1 million have died around the world. These are all real people with families, real loss.
[Harlow:] Totally right. But for one Arizona family, the heartbreak is almost unimaginable. They have lost eight family members from COVID, and their livelihood. Our national correspondent Miguel Marquez joins us this morning with their story. Good morning, Miguel.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn National Correspondent:] Good morning. It's so hard to make that connection between those numbers and real people because many of those deaths have been behind closed doors, they happened in hospitals. Here's what devastation looks like from the inside.
[Ricardo Aguirre, Lost Family And Business To Covid-19:] I don't want to cry just because I'm I know God has something better for me
[Marquez:] Ricardo Aguirre.
[Aguirre:] but it's hard not to it's just you know, the
[Marquez:] The coronavirus killed his father and seven other family members, he says. It took his business, it sickened him, his wife who was then four months pregnant and two of his kids.
[Aguirre:] I feel very incompetent, a man not being able to go back to where it was. I lost my dad. It's very hard, it's hard.
[Marquez:] He doesn't know how they contracted the virus. They wore masks and used sanitizer constantly. It swept through his family in May. His father fought the virus for months.
[Aguirre:] My dad, unfortunately, you know, he passed away on September 11th in my arms at 3:30 in the morning. It was very hard because we did everything together, 42 years being by his side.
[Marquez:] His mother is home and still fighting the effects of the virus. Now, he spends his days shuttling her to hospital visits, helping his wife now eight months pregnant dealing with an ever-increasing pile of bills, all this with little income and no health insurance. You don't have medical coverage?
[Aguirre:] I don't have medical coverage at all. It's just too much, it's
[Marquez:] Even Obamacare, even
[Aguirre:] No.
[Marquez:] You just can't afford anything?
[Aguirre:] I can't afford it, it's just too much. Literally, another house payment.
[Marquez:] Aguirre and his family built Tacos y Tamales Puebla. He had a food truck, a prep kitchen in downtown Phoenix, and a long list of corporate and wedding clients.
[Aguirre:] This is what's left of 10 years of hard work.
[Marquez:] You were living the American dream?
[Aguirre:] Yes, I was. Come visit us. As you can see, we are busy.
[Marquez:] When COVID-19 cases in Arizona jumped and the economy shut down, Aguirre watched all his catering jobs scheduled for the next year evaporate. His food truck was repossessed, he couldn't pay rent on his prep kitchen. When did it all come to a halt?
[Aguirre:] March 17th.
[Marquez:] COVID?
[Aguirre:] Yes.
[Marquez:] Overnight?
[Aguirre:] Yes, just like that.
[Marquez:] Aguirre would like the president to understand just how devastating the disease is for some. When he says, "Don't be afraid of COVID, don't let it dominate your life," what do you say to him?
[Aguirre:] May God continue to bless you and your family.
[Marquez:] But how does the real world deal with COVID?
[Aguirre:] It's bad, it's bad.
[Marquez:] Aguirre is now looking forward to the big day in November, November 7th, the day his first daughter is due to be born.
[Aguirre:] We felt that we were ready financially and we were ready, you know, emotionally, you know, to take care of another human being. Now, with this going on, I just ask God for strength to get me by another day.
[Marquez:] The real toll of the coronavirus on one American family. Now, since we shot that story a week ago, Mr. Aguirre has had his van repossessed, he is the story, thankfully, has helped I think, and he's trying he's raising some money. Also the name of his daughter, Guadalupe de Jesus, named after the Virgin Mary and Jesus. despite everything he's been through, his faith? Completely intact back to you guys.
[Harlow:] Unbelievable, Miguel.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] What a story. I don't know if you could send us where people could donate to help if they are raising some money, but we'd love to put that out there. So we'll try to do that, Miguel. Thank you
[Marquez:] Will do, will do.
[Harlow:] thank you for that reporting.
[Marquez:] You got it.
[Sciutto:] Just too much for any family to bear, heartbreaking to hear it.
[Harlow:] And yet still has blessings for everyone else. Thank you for being with us today. We'll see you back here tomorrow. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Sciutto:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. NEWSROOM with John King will start right after a short break.

[Church:] Welcome back, everyone. Well, Michael Avenatti, first came to media attention representing a porn star in her legal battle with President Trump. But now, he's facing his own court fight on extortion, bank, and wire fraud charges. Nick Watt, has the details of two separate criminal cases.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] While his frequent nemesis, President Donald Trump gleefully celebrated his claimed vindication by Robert Mueller, in a near Shakespearean twist, Michael Avenatti was arrested in New York.
[Geoffrey Berman, United States Attorney For The Southern District Of New York:] The charges are based on Avenatti scheme to extract more than $20 million in payments from a public company.
[Watt:] Charges were actually filed in two totally unrelated cases in New York and California.
[Michael Avenatti, Former Lawyer Of Stormy Daniels:] I am highly confident that when all of the evidence is laid bare in connection with these cases when it is all known when due process occurs that I will be fully exonerated and justice will be done.
[Watt:] California prosecutors say, their investigation began well before Avenatti lassoed the limelight.
[Nick Hanna, United States Attorney For The Central District Of California:] Agents has nothing to do with anything political, worth anything else. It's just the facts, in this case, speak for themselves.
[Stormy Daniels, Pornographic Actress:] Hi, everyone.
[Watt:] This Newport Beach-based lawyer first found fame repping Stormy Daniels in her legal tussles with President Trump. Avenatti cast himself as a resistance warrior, he even briefly flirted with a 2020 presidential run.
[Hanna:] But the allegations, in this case, describes something different. A corrupt lawyer who instead fights for his own selfish interests.
[Watt:] According to charges filed this morning in New York, in meetings, and on the phone just last week, Avenatti tried to extort more than $20 million from Nike. I'm not effing around with this. Avenatti allegedly told Nike lawyers also suggesting that he held their balls in his hand. This morning, shortly before his arrest, Avenatti had tweeted this. "Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., we will be holding a press conference to disclose a major high schoolcollege basketball scandal perpetrated by Nike.
[Berman:] A suit and tie doesn't mask the fact that at its core, this was an old-fashioned shakedown.
[Watt:] Nike issued a statement that reads in part, "Nike will not be extorted or hide information that is relevant. Nike firmly believes an ethical and fair play, both in business and sports and will continue to assist the prosecutors." An unnamed co-conspirator is mentioned but not charged. Identified by a source is Attorney Mark Geragos who was a CNN contributor, but no longer is as of today. He didn't immediately respond to CNN's request for comment. Here in California, Avenatti was also charged today, a charged with wire fraud and bank fraud for allegedly falsifying tax returns to secure $4.1 million in loans. And for allegedly delaying payment of $1.6 million he won for a client, using the cash for his own personal and business use. Stormy Daniels tweeting, "I am saddened but not shocked." Apparently, an entirely total coincidence that Avenatti was arrested just after the Mueller probe into President Donald Trump released its findings. Prosecutors in Los Angeles today saying, "Listen, we began this probe way back in 2015. That is when this investigation began, there is nothing political to see here." Now, Avenatti was released on $300,000 bail, and he's due back in the California court on April the first. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Church:] Thanks for that, Nick. And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter, and I'll be back with another hour of news in just a moment. You're watching CNN, do stay with us.

[Cooper:] As COVID-19 ravaged rural and underserved communities, California lawmakers call telehealth the pandemic silver lining. Virtual care visits quadrupled since the start of the pandemic, expanding to areas like New York and the Navajo Nation where language and access barriers proved difficult. Here's a look at more coronavirus headlines across the country.
[Alison Kosik, Cnn Business Correspondent:] I'm Alison Kosik, in New York City. AMC Theaters says it's opening some cinemas today. The world's biggest movie theater chain said it's celebrating the 100th birthday offering retro movies at 15 cents a ticket for the day. AMC has had to delay the reopening several times but will reopen theaters in almost a dozen states across the country. By the time new movies are released, like "New Mutants," AMC says it expects to have 400 of its more than 600 theaters opened. The theater chain says new health and safety measures include requiring guests to wear masks except when eating and drinking, lowering theater capacity, and upgrading ventilation systems.
[Dan Simon, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Dan Simon, in Vacaville, California, where a wildfire is raging out of control and happening during the middle of a pandemic. There are nearly two dozen major fires burning in the state and resources are stretched thin, in part, due to the virus. The state traditionally relies on prisoners to battle wildfires. But this resource is being depleted because of outbreaks within the prisons. Some 10,000 prisoners had also been released early because they were nonviolent. The state is trying to augment its firefighting force to make up for the shortfall.
[Omar Jimenez, Cnn National Correspondent:] I'm Omar Jimenez. A person who spent hours at a bar during the Sturgis motorcycle rally last week in South Dakota has tested positive for COVID-19. Now health experts were already concerned that this could turn into a super spreader event because it is one of the largest events and gatherings we have seen over the course of this coronavirus pandemic since it took hold here in the United States. Moving forward, this potential exposure at the Sturgis bar is one of several COVID-19 cases that are now being connected to bars and even concerts over the past few weeks in South Dakota.
[Cooper:] I want to thank all of our correspondents. L.A.'s mayor making good on a threat to turn off power to a Hollywood Hills home-turned nightclub. It's a violation of public health orders. Plus, a former DHS official says the president was serious about trading Puerto Rico for Greenland.

[Michael Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio 7 here at CNN Center in Atlanta. I am Michael Holmes. We begin with the breaking news. The U.S., on Friday, reporting the most new coronavirus cases, in a single day. Nearly 84,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Now again, this is the most since the pandemic began and shows that the U.S., clearly, it's not rounding a corner as the president likes to say. Rather, it seems as if it has taken a, wrong and very dangerous turn, at a critical time. When the weather begins to get cooler and people spend more time indoors. Experts worry that the worst is yet to come and warned that COVID-19 deaths will increase in the next few weeks. All of, this happening, with the presidential election of course. 10 days away. The 2 candidates couldn't be further apart, when it comes to dealing with the virus. Friday, President Trump, holding 2 big campaign rallies in Florida. We will show you the video there. What you don't see, is a lot of masks. You certainly don't see a lot of social distancing. And, there was a speech, that you could say masks the alarming numbers. Trump, even ripping Joe Biden, for trying to scare people about the virus.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] All he talks about his COVID, COVID, COVID. They want to scare people. We have done so well with it, now it is 99.8 percent. Look at what is going on and we are rounding the turn, we are rounding the corner. We are rounding the corner beautifully.
[Holmes:] Joe Biden's message was so starkly different, you may wonder if he is running for president of the same country. Have a listen.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] I will go to every governor and mandate mask-wearing in their states. If they refuse, I will go to the mayors and county executives and get local masking requirements in place nationwide. As president, I will mandate mask-wearing in all federal buildings and all interstate transportation because masks save lives, period.
[Holmes:] The top infectious disease expert in the U.S., warming to the idea of a nationwide mask mandate. For months, Dr. Anthony Fauci was not on board with that idea but, given the surge of infections, he thinks it may be time to take public health measures to the next level.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] More than 30 states are having upticks in test positivity, which is a pretty good predictor that you will have a surge in cases, which will lead to a surge in hospitalizations. The reason I am particularly concerned, as we get deeper into the cooler months of the fall and the cold months of the winter, that activities, out of necessity, will have to be done indoors. And that is going to be a problem. So that is the reason why, I say, we really need to double down on the kind of public health measures that we've been talking about so long.
[Holmes:] With the number of new COVID-19 cases skyrocketing in the U.S., the surgeon general is warning that this could be the worst week since the pandemic began. More than half of states now reporting infections increasing by 10 percent or more compared to the previous week. Nick Watt, reports
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] We are now in the fall surge, virus spread accelerating.
[Alex Azar, U.s. Health And Human Services Secretary:] We're in a very serious moment right now. We're seeing increases in cases. And what we're seeing is, through the Midwest, Upper Midwest and the Plains, a lot of cases occurring.
[Watt:] A dozen states are suffering all-time record high average daily case counts.
[Trump:] We're rounding the turn. We're rounding the corner. It's going away.
[Dr. Jonathan Reiner, Cnn Medical Analyst:] The truth of the matter is that we're turning the corner into a tsunami.
[Watt:] Nationwide, the three worst days for new cases were all back in ugly, ugly July, coming in fourth, yesterday, 71,671 new infections. And the number of COVID patients in our hospitals has soared by a third in just three weeks or so.
[Azar:] Then, we will see results from that.
[Watt:] Results means deaths, our average daily death toll already higher than it's been in a month. And another 160,000-plus Americans might die before the first day of February, according to influential modelers. They say, if 95 percent of Americans wore masks, 100,000 lives could be saved through the last day of February.
[Azar:] This is being driven by individual behaviors at this point.
[Watt:] Like going maskless, family gatherings, public gatherings, three cases now confirmed at this Los Angeles mega-church, which defies public health orders, meets inside.
[Unidentified Male:] We will obey God, rather than men.
[Watt:] Big Ten football kicks off tonight, very few fans. Still, "We are expecting some potential new obstacles as a result of the upcoming football season," says the mayor of East Lansing, home to Michigan State. We are in the fall surge. We know what we need to do.
[Reiner:] Mask up and we can turn this around.
[Watt:] Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Holmes:] The 5 countries in the world with the highest rate of infections per capita are all in Europe. That is what a CNN analysis found using data from Johns Hopkins University, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and France. France is actually reporting its highest number of daily coronavirus cases, ever. A French infectious disease expert says that the country is now paying the price for ending its lockdown over the summer, too soon. Slovakia, also reporting a record high of daily cases and is now announcing strict new rules for when people can leave their homes. The country now undertaking a massive campaign on what it calls blanket testing. CNN's Scott McLean, standing by for us in Berlin. We had just been talking about the trends in the U.S. but just as concerning where you, are in Europe.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] You are right Michael. So far, it seems like the government approach has been to make restrictions localized, with minimal impact on the economy and only put in place lockdowns as an absolute last resort. The trouble is, it's not entirely clear whether those are working. Case in, point German chancellor, Angela Merkel, brought in a series of restrictions aimed at virus hotspots, like Berlin, like most large cities in this country. But today, this country just reported a record high case count. She promised to revisit whether or not those measures were working 10 days later, this, weekend marking 10 days. So her government will have some decisions to make. Next, door in France, they are also seeing record high case counts. The president there saying, he expects to live with the virus, until at least next summer. A 9 pm curfew is now being extended, to most of the country, affecting some 46 million people. Again, in Italy, similar picture, record case counts. One regional governor says, these half measures are simply not working. There needs to be another nationwide lockdown. The Czech Republic, for its, part is already doing it. It is not hard to see why. It is the most affected country on Earth, it has the most cases, per capita, of any major country on Earth. That is 5 times more cases than the United States. What's very scary, while for most of Europe and the United States, the second wave of the virus has been much less deadly than the first, in the Czech Republic, it is a second wave we're seeing right now, which, so, far has been eight times deadlier. The health system, there is really on the brink of collapse. The health minister said, they can be completely overwhelmed, in a matter of weeks. But there is also a political crisis. The health minister was accused, yesterday, of breaking his own coronavirus rules. The prime minister asked him to step, down and he refused. The prime minister, says he will replace him anyway. If he manages to do, that, Michael, that would mean that the Czech Republic would be on to its third health minister and just the last 6 weeks. All at the height of the worst outbreak on planet Earth. You can understand why Slovakia, next door, is watching the Czech situation with real horror, as their cases also start to rise. They are trying to test the entire country. It will take a massive effort, some 20,000 health workers, 5,000 different sites, 8,000 members of the military, to do it over the next 3 weekends. It is not compulsory but if you do not get tested, you need to quarantine for 10 days. Michael?
[Holmes:] Extraordinary measures, extraordinary times. Scott McLean, thank you so much, there in Berlin. Manchester, in England, is also under new restrictions. The harshest in the U.K. The mayor, of Greater Manchester, publicly fighting the British government over the measures. But the talks with the government failed. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz joins us live from Manchester, tell us all about it..
[Salma Abdelaziz, Cnn Producer:] Ultimately, this big standoff between the prime minister and the mayor Andy Burnham has resulted in him not reaching a deal. The government has unilaterally imposed these restrictions, on the city.
[Abdelaziz:] Pubs and bars need to shut down. They are virtually banned for mixing together and it's an extraordinary week. We have seen the government, of this one city, trying to set a precedent for the rest of the country, that they can fight back, they can demand large financial packages for businesses and even if they fail, they've led an uprising against prime minister Boris Johnson that he's still trying to grapple with. I want you to take a look at how this played out for one business. In an age of isolation, you can still find a little community here.
[Unidentified Male:] Just going to have a few drinks during this tough time.
[Abdelaziz:] For nearly two decades, Manchester United fans have flocked to this pub.
[Unidentified Male:] This place has all the pictures and a real heritage of United fans.
[Abdelaziz:] To meet friends, grab a pint. But nothing compares to game day.
[Jack Tennant, Barman:] Every seat would be filled, everyone would have a pint. Everyone would be watching the match. And if we'd score on the day, noise like nothing you've ever heard before.
[Abdelaziz:] Owner Jamie Flynn hoped the football rituals would return.
[Jamie Flynn, Owner:] live to come out for those weekends and it's been
[Abdelaziz:] For days, local authorities refused to shut down businesses like this one in a bid to get more financial aid from the government. Do you know what help you're getting for the government?
[Flynn:] I have no clue, no. We're a bit in the dark a lot of the time.
[Abdelaziz:] Prime minister Boris Johnson ordered the social restrictions saying the situation was grave. The rebellion from city hall failed. But it showed the shortcomings of a regional strategy versus a nationwide one. The government can get locked into a dispute potentially for days with local authorities while businesses face uncertainty and infection rates multiply. The mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, told us he had no regrets.
[Mayor Andy Burnham, Manchester, England:] I'm confident beside myself that I did the right thing. In the end, politics is about representation, speaking up for people and particularly people on the lowest incomes.
[Abdelaziz:] Do you think that your decision will ultimately result in more lives being lost? For now Flynn is pouring his last pints.
[Tennant:] Everyone just needs to tighten, do what they need to do otherwise it'll be gone. And then that's all that history, all that, those memories are gone.
[Abdelaziz:] A plea for politicians to find the right strategy that saves both lives and livelihoods. Now there is a Manchester United versus Chelsea game today, so all of those people in the pub will be watching that alone, at home. In a way, this is the mayor's argument. It is not just about the disease, which is what the mayor says. It's about people's socioeconomic standing, mental well-being, ability to connect with friends and family, after we have already been through a first wave of this pandemic. His plea and what we heard from the pub owner and the people inside it is, if you're putting restrictions in place, don't do half measures. Make them efficient and effective, so we can tackle the virus, get a grip on, it and people can go back to their lives. Michael?
[Holmes:] All right, good to see you Salma, Salma Abdelaziz in Manchester. Countries in South America, also struggling to keep things under control. Colombia, fast approaching 1 million cases, when looking at numbers from Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths, nearly 30,000 people. The country's vice president, Marta Lucia Ramirez actually says she has tested positive for COVID-19. She's under quarantine and is urging people to follow the safety measures in place to stop the spread. U.S. presidential, race coming down to the wire, as the candidates fight for every last vote now. We have the latest from the campaign trail, when we come back.

[Hill:] Welcome back. We are just hearing from the president speaking moments ago. Let's listen in.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] ... a little better negotiating position. When they did that, they killed 12 people. One happened to be a great American soldier, a wonderful young man from Puerto Rico. Family's from Puerto Rico. And you can't do that. You can't do that with me. So they're dead, as far as I'm concerned. And we have hit the Taliban harder in the last four days that they have been hit in over 10 years. So that's the way it is.
[Question:  Trump:] Say it. What? No, actually, in terms of advisers, I took my own advice. I like the idea of meeting. I have met with a lot of bad people and a lot of good people during the course of the last almost three years. And I think meeting is a great thing. I think that meeting with you're talking about war. There are meetings with war. Otherwise, wars would never end. You would have them go on forever. We had a meeting scheduled. It was my idea. It was my idea to terminate it. I didn't even I didn't discuss it with anybody else. When I heard, very simply, that they killed one of our soldiers and 12 other innocent people, I said, there's no way I'm meeting on that basis. There's no way I'm meeting. They did a mistake. And, by the way, they are telling people they made a big mistake. They're saying it loud and clear that they made a big mistake. Go ahead. Well, Camp David has held meets with a lot of people that would have been perceived as being pretty tough customers and pretty bad people. There have been plenty of so-called bad people brought up to Camp David for meetings. And the alternative was the White House. And you wouldn't have been happy with that either. So, Camp David would have been a good place. But I don't want to meet under circumstances where they go around and try and make themselves a little bit more important by killing a soldier, by killing actually also a great NATO soldier, in addition to our soldier, and also a total of 12 people. I don't want that. But, you know, Camp David has had many meetings that I guess people would not have considered politically correct. Yes. Well, we're looking at that. And we're thinking about it. You know, as I have said, we have been policemen there for a long time. And the government's going to have to take responsibility or do whatever it is they do. I have been saying from the campaign that we want do get out at the earliest possible time. We're doing a very good job. Our soldiers are incredible. But they're serving as policemen, to a large extent. I just made a statement on it. Yes, we'd like to get out. But we will get out at the right time. What? Well, India and Pakistan are having a conflict over Kashmir, as you know. I think it's a little bet less heated right now than it was two weeks ago. And I'm willing to help them. I get along with both countries very well. I'm willing to help them if they want. They know that that is out there. David? You know, I don't even know who they are, other than I know that I guess you could say no, but I don't know them. I don't know them. I would say this. They're all at less than 1 percent. It's a I guess it's a publicity stunt. We just got right a little while ago 94 percent popularity or approval rating within the Republican Party. So, to be honest, I'm not looking to give them any credibility. They have no credibility. One was a person that voted for Obama, ran as a vice president four years ago, and was soundly defeated. Another one got thrown out after one term in Congress, and he lost in a landslide. And the third one, Mr. Tallahassee Trail or Appalachian Trail he's the Tallahassee Trail, right? The Tallahassee Trail is nice too, but I think he was the Appalachian Trail. But he wasn't on the Appalachian Trail. He was in Argentina. Yes, go ahead. Say it louder.
[Question:] [OFF-MIKE] you think the military as a police source on our southern border?
[Trump:] Well, right now, Mexico has been doing a great job for us. And, frankly, we're very appreciative. But we have also been very pretty rapidly changing the regulations, the rules, winning in court. We have had a lot of wins. We did it early on, but we're having a lot of wins in court right now. The courts are backing us up. And that has a lot to do with our success of the southern border. In addition, a lot of wall is being built. And every time we put up a mile of wall, that helps us a lot.
[Question:  Trump:] So, we're talking to a lot of different people on that. You know, we're recovering from the hurricane also. Florida did get hit, not as hard as we anticipated. And you look at Georgia, you look at South Carolina, North Carolina. I'm going to North Carolina right now, North Carolina, to have a rally for Dan Bishop. But before I go to the rally, we're going to be stopping at one of the sites that got hit very hard by the hurricane. So, we're also recovering from the hurricane. But we have to be very careful. Everybody needs totally proper documentation, because, look, the Bahamas had some tremendous problems with people going to the Bahamas that weren't supposed to be there. I don't want to allow people that weren't supposed to be in the Bahamas to come into the United States, including some very bad people and some very bad gang members and some very, very bad drug dealers. So, we are going to be very, very strong with that. Let me just explain. Large sections, believe it or not, of the Bahamas were not hit. And what we're doing is bringing the people to those sections of the Bahamas that have not been hit. We have done a lot of the USAID. We have done a lot of work with our U.S. Coast Guard, with our FEMA, who have been phenomenal. I mean, they have been phenomenal. So, we will see what happens. We will see what happens. Well, I saw a statement was just put out having to do with North Korea. And that will be interesting. We will see. It just came out over the wires a little while ago. So, we will see what happens. In the meantime, in the meantime, we have our hostages back. We're getting the remains of our great heroes back. And we have had no nuclear testing for a long time.
[Hill:] President Trump speaking there moments ago with reporters. Lisa Monaco is with us, Gloria Borger also with us this hour. I want to pick up on what the president was saying about this plan and the canceled meeting that we heard about with the Taliban. He said: I took my own advice. He didn't speak with any advisers who talked to him out of the meeting, saying, Lisa, that it was this attack that the Taliban has claimed responsibility for which killed 12, one U.S. soldier killed in that, and because of that attack and the people who were killed, then the talks, according to the president, that those talks are now dead. There is a question about the Taliban, Lisa, taking responsibility for this attack while they're supposed to be in the middle of some sort of negotiation with the U.S. What does that say to you?
[Monaco:] Well, it really makes you question their commitment to any of the commitments we're trying to get out of them, one, a cease-fire, which we know they haven't committed, two, renouncing, which they have never done, 911. So how can we trust that they will make good on their commitments if they continue if they refuse to agree to a cease-fire, and they continue these attacks, even while they're being invited to Camp David?
[Hill:] And we're hearing, Gloria, the president there. He was asked, did any advisers talk you out of this meeting? He said very clearly: I took my own advice. This was all my decision.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Well, that seems to be what the truth, because there are advisers, we know, who disagreed with him. There are advisers who thought, whatever you decide to do, even if you want to talk to the Taliban, you should not do it at Camp David. And what the president also said is that they have been hit harder in the last four days than in the last four years. And, Lisa, maybe you can talk to this, but what does that mean? Where does that put any kind of negotiation? And where does that put the notion about what we're going to do with our troops in Afghanistan?
[Monaco:] Well, a few reactions to both the president's comments and what Gloria just said. One is, what is this what is the strategy here, right? So I heard the president say he did not talk to anybody about this, he made this decision on his own. Well, that is really turning a national security policy process completely on its head. You're not getting an informed decision. You're not getting the best decision you can without having lots of voices in the room on this. And in terms of the Taliban's continued terror attacks, their continued violence in the region, I mean, we don't have a strategy, it seems, to have these talks, while also continuing to have a counterterrorism presence, continuing to prosecute the counterterrorism issues. The president said, what about the also, what about the security for our forces? What about security for our NATO presence? And the president said, we are the we have been the policemen in that region. Frankly, the mission in that space has been twofold. It has been to continue to prosecute the counterterrorism mission and to ensure another 911 doesn't emanate from that region, and, secondly, to ensure the Afghan security forces can operate there on their own.
[Hill:] And, real quickly, too, we had talked about this, but the president talked about Camp David. And he said: Well, I was also considering the White House. If I had done that, nobody would have been happy with that either. There have been, in his words, plenty of bad people there. Lisa, you were there with President Obama for that Mideast peace summit. Just I mean, just take us inside that room. How does this happen there when you're trying to bring sides together? And did it make sense for the president to consider Camp David?
[Monaco:] No, it didn't make sense for the president to consider Camp David, let alone the White House for this type of meeting. Camp David has been used historically to bring our allies together, to plan strategy, to bring partners together in a joint effort. Reagan famously met with Margaret Thatcher there. And, yes, as you mentioned, I was present in 2015 when President Obama held meetings with all of our Mideast and Gulf allies in the region to talk about the Syria problem, to talk about continued pressure on Iran. That's where you use a place like Camp David. And, very importantly, Camp David and bringing somebody there and bringing an ally and a partner there is a reward for that partner, for that ally. And this is not the type of thing we should be doing with the Taliban, who quite literally has blood on their hands from 911.
[Hill:] Go ahead, Gloria.
[Borger:] I just also want to ask and I don't know if there's any answer to this which is, why is the president tweeting about all of this? I mean, it's kind of stunning to me. And, again, I don't have Lisa's experience with national security. But why would the president be tweeting about a meeting he was going to have that was top-secret that he canceled and then today talk about, well, I was thinking about having it in this venue, and I was thinking about having it in that venue? I mean, is there any reason for him doing that, other than wanting to make it the reality show continue for another day? I can't figure that one out either.
[Hill:] It's a question that I can't either answer either. But it does raise significant questions, to your point, Gloria.
[Borger:] Yes.
[Hill:] Stay with us. The president also in that exchange earlier talking about the special election, which is being seen by many as a test for him in North Carolina, in addition to the controversy surrounding Air Force members staying at one of his resorts. We have more on that. Stay with us.

[Chatterley:] Welcome back to FIRST MOVE and a look at how social media is influencing election strategies and voter perceptions ahead of the U.S. Presidential Election. Our Donie O'Sullivan investigated the impact of misinformation on some Trump supporters.
[Audience:] [Chanting "Four more years. Four more years. Four more years. Four more years.]
[Donie O'sullivan, Cnn Business Reporter:] So we've come to a trump rally in Bemidji, Minnesota to ask from supporters what they see when they open their Facebook feeds.
[David, Trump Supporter:] No one has been more wrong more often than Biden.
[Carri, Trump Supporter:] The November 3rd election result may never be accurately determined.
[O'sullivan:] On that post, is there any label or fact check or anything?
[Carri:] Yes, they have a little thing at the bottom that says voting by mail has a long history of trust worthiness in the
[U.s. O'sullivan:] Are you a Facebook user?
[Scott, Trump Supporter:] I use Facebook, yes.
[O'sullivan:] Yes, so what sort of pages do you follow on there?
[Scott:] Anybody that agrees with me.
[O'sullivan:] Only people that agree with you? You don't want to hear
[Scott:] That would be a Republican and anti-abortion guy and pro-gun and pro-beer.
[O'sullivan:] But you're not thinking it would be good to follow pages of people you disagree with, see their opinion?
[Scott:] No, because they call me stupid, ignorant. Why would I follow people that throw rocks at me constantly because they don't agree with me? I've got tens of thousands of people that do.
[O'sullivan:] So Trump, his campaign, a lot of senior Republicans over the past few weeks have been sharing doctored and manipulated videos on social media. Now, the Trump campaign and Trump supporters will often say, these videos are clearly jokes. They are memes. People know they are memes. People know they are fake.
[Chris, Trump Supporter:] When they say, well, this is fact checked, it's wrong, because it's taken out of context. Like when Joe Biden fell asleep during a live interview on television.
[O'sullivan:] They claimed he fell asleep. I think that was an edited one, right? That was
[Chris:] I didn't think it was. It looked pretty live to me, with no cuts in it.
[Unidentified Female:] Live this morning, from New York, hey, good morning. Wake up. Wake up, wake up. He can't hear anything. This is your wake-up call.
[O'sullivan:] Is this the video that you are talking about.
[Chris:] Could be. Yes.
[O'sullivan:] Biden falling
[Chris:] Can I watch it really quick?
[O'sullivan:] Sure.
[Chris:] This is "The Washington Post."
[O'sullivan:] So an article there is saying that it was faked, but it looked real, right? I mean, it looked real.
[Chris:] Well, I mean I definitely wouldn't doubt that it would happen.
[O'sullivan:] Even if it is fake, does it change your opinion of Biden?
[Chris:] God no. You've got to sift through it. I missed that one, but it was a good laugh. It was a really good laugh, and like I said, I wouldn't doubt it.
[O'sullivan:] A lot of people we spoke to today are sharing posts on Facebook that later get fact checked by Facebook's third-party fact checkers.
[Mary Parsons, Trump Supporter:] Anything I put on there about our President is generally only on for a few minutes and then all of a sudden, they are fact checking me saying this, that and the other thing, which I know is not true. Their fact checkers are wrong.
[John Jenniges, Trump Supporter:] They will right away go to the conservative site and say that's wrong and then they pull it, and they're not going to the liberal sites, and them are the real lies. They are the real liars out there.
[O'sullivan:] Also circulating online, more insidious forms of misinformation including baseless claims about Vice President Joe Biden being a pedophile. Do you guys seriously think that Joe Biden is a pedophile?
[Unidentified Female:] Yes, I do, but that's my opinion. I feel he is. I feel he is part of the game of the whole thing.
[O'sullivan:] That baseless fabricated claim about Biden is circulating among supporters of QAnon, a conspiracy theory that the F.B.I. says is a potential domestic terrorism threat. Some of these false claims have been amplified by the President himself. The F.B.I. is saying QAnon is a dangerous conspiracy theory. Does that make you think should I be following this thing?
[Unidentified Male:] No, because QAnon is bringing up the bad things about the F.B.I. that's why they're saying it. That's why they're afraid of it.
[Chatterley:] Donie O'Sullivan reporting there. And that was just one side. It's clearly a problem for supporters of all both parties in the United States and it is just a small subset too of what users are facing. The question is how did we get here? Well, a new Netflix documentary says we're going manipulated. Here is a quick look.
[Unidentified Male:] What I want people to know is that everything they're doing online is being watched, is being tracked, every single action you take is carefully monitored and recorded. A lot of people think Google is a search box and Facebook is a place to see what my friends are doing. What they don't realize is, there are entire teams of engineers whose job is to use your psychology against you.
[Chatterley:] The director of "The Social Dilemma" Jeff Orlowski is now with us. Jeff, great to have you on the show. I have to say, I wasn't surprised when I watched this documentary but I know many people who were shocked, really shocked.
[Jeff Orlowski, Director, "the Social Dilemma":] Yes.
[Chatterley:] Was that the intention?
[Orlowski:] Yes. Well, when we were doing a research, it was very shocking to me, so I think for sure the hope was to share some of those revelations with the general public. I think there are people who it is kind of ironic, there's a conversation around filter bubbles, and there's a filter bubble of people who know about what's going on in tech and then, there is the rest of the population that kind of don't know what's going on behind the screen, and in many ways, the film was designed for that audience.
[Chatterley:] There was a brilliant bit at the beginning of the documentary, where a former employee said we were just 50 white guys in Silicon Valley, able to influence two billion people.
[Orlowski:] Right.
[Chatterley:] And I have to say the hairs on my arms rose. Because that's exactly what's going on in many different ways.
[Orlowski:] It is. It is. I mean, a handful of engineers are programming our entire society at this point, and that was one of the things I realized. We all interact with these devices every day and the phone itself isn't the problem in my mind. Screen time, like there's some concerns there, but that's not what's causing the real polarization and the breakdown in mental health and the breakdown in politics and civil discourse and conspiracy theories. Those are happening through these platforms that we don't pay for. There's a saying that we have in the film, if you aren't paying for the product, you are the product, and what that results in is this kind of domino effect of consequences, all through this one business model that is micro targeted advertising business model that is having impacts on teen mental health, having impacts on democracy, as a whole.
[Chatterley:] I mean, you do pay because you pay with giving your data and I think the documentary spells out very, very cleanly how this data is used.
[Orlowski:] Yes. Right, right.
[Chatterley:] It's manipulated. It is used to predict people's behavior and then it is used against consumers effectively to monetize them, but to your point, it has an echo chamber effect, where people only really see the views that they already agree with.
[Orlowski:] Absolutely, and the clips that you just played a second ago is a perfect, perfect example of what we're seeing for everybody. You know, when I was working on the film, I started to learn that Russia was pushing out anti-fracking propaganda, and I had a stance on fracking that I had to really question like why do I think what I think? Why do I believe what I believe? I've told many friends, if you are getting your news through social media, I'm not going to trust your opinion on news and politics. It is really, these platforms have broken and distorted our entire information ecosystem at this point. The way that news and information is distributed in our world has been morphed through these platforms.
[Chatterley:] It's interesting, because some of the employees as well were saying we started out just trying to connect people.
[Orlowski:] Yes.
[Chatterley:] There was a utility value, a good purpose for doing this and it almost became Frankenstein's monster and it got out of control. Social media is a drug. That was one of the other strong lines from this.
[Orlowski:] Yes. Yes. Absolutely. I don't I feel a lot of empathy for the tech insiders who went into this very innocently or very positively, trying to build tools that would help society, but they went down this path, this inherent vice of designing around a business model that was not compatible with society. I draw the same parallel to the fossil fuel industry. When we first discovered fossil fuels, it seemed like this great opportunity for humanity and civilization to travel farther and to have more power available to us and only years later did we realize, wait a second, there are some really bad consequences to burning fossil fuels. The same thing with our technology, we're realizing a decade into this, the consequences that this business model is having on breaking down the fabric of society itself.
[Chatterley:] Oh, speaking of that, former Facebook executive Tim Kendall in this documentary, he said his biggest short-term worry was Civil War.
[Orlowski:] Yes.
[Chatterley:] And I think you look at what's going on in the United States and the anger and the conflict between two political parties, two months out from an election, and...
[Orlowski:] Right.
[Chatterley:] ... it resonates.
[Orlowski:] It does. You know, we did that interview over a year ago and we were constantly asking ourselves, okay, if this thesis is correct, if this mindset here around what this technology is causing to society, happening - creating in society, what will this look like a year out or a few years out? And that was sort of this trajectory that we always had in mind. And Tim Kendall's line around this will lead to Civil War, it just it feels everything is boiling up more and more along those lines. It has been harder and harder to have conversations with friends that you might disagree with politically and just based on that clip from a few minutes ago, we're all operating off of different facts now. We have different facts that we're bringing to the table. How can we, as, a society possibly have a shared conversation when we are coming with a completely set of completely different backgrounds on an issue?
[Chatterley:] Jeff, we have about one more minute to discuss this. If I had to criticize, I would say it comes down to self-help, and users ultimately switching off notifications or fact-checking.
[Orlowski:] Right.
[Chatterley:] What about the tech companies? What about lawmakers, doing more?
[Orlowski:] Exactly. Exactly. For me, the self-help mindset is problematic just from the same perspective of climate change. To say that, oh, we're only going to solve climate change by you not driving or you not eating meat, it is missing the entire system at play. These are systemic problems and they need to be solved at the systemic level, with our the tech that we've created now, the only paths forward in my mind are either the tech companies changed their business model from the inside, where they can do it with their own control and power and can set up the terms of how they want to change or it's going to be forced to happen through regulation, and politicians are going to have to continue to learn more and more very quickly around what exactly is going on and how to regulate it to serve in society's interest. These things have become public utilities at this point. They have become a public square, and yet they don't have any of the regulations that we would, with any public utility. So I think there's a lot that individuals can do to sort of protect themselves. I've been suggesting that people do a reality swap, if there is the person you disagree with, look at their Facebook feed, show them your Facebook feed, swap Instagram or Twitter feeds so that you can see what facts they're being shown every day and they can see what you see every day, and you can start to have a more meaningful conversation and break down and fact check and get to the root truth of any particular issue. But those are all Band-Aid solutions. Right? That's all just like an individual, small thing to kind of protect yourself, protect your own mind and your own brain and your own family, but really this comes down to a huge systemic change needed to come from the tech companies themselves.
[Chatterley:] Yes, and regulators, though, I think social media needs regulating. I actually think all forms of media need better regulation, quite frankly, in this country, too.
[Orlowski:] Yes.
[Chatterley:] From the former employees that you were speaking to, we can pick out Facebook just because it's so topical oh, now I have to go. How depressing. We will reconvene on this conversation. I say that a lot.
[Orlowski:] Absolutely.
[Chatterley:] Jeff, we'll talk offline.
[Orlowski:] Well, thank you so much for the time.
[Chatterley:] Great to have you with us. Thank you so much.
[Orlowski:] Thank you so much. Bye-bye.
[Chatterley:] The director there of "The Social Dilemma." Everybody needs to watch this documentary. That's it for me. I'll have to be quiet. I am going to hand you now over to my colleagues, Jim and Poppy, for coverage of the Memorial for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
[Suzanne Malveaux, Cnn U.s. Correspondent:] ... first woman to lie in-state as well as the first Jewish person to lie in-state and she is also the second Justice to lie in-state as well. It was President William Taft who was first President before becoming Chief Justice who had that honor. We are just seeing the motorcade now as well as the hearse pulling up here to the Capitol as they move slowly along the procession here.
[Malveaux:] We are just seeing the motorcade now, as well as the hearse, pulling up here to the Capitol, as they move slowly along the procession here. You can see everyone standing at attention. There is the deputy sergeant of arms who will actually escort the family inside of the U.S. Capitol. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will greet the motorcade and greet the family as they make their way here. They are precisely on time. We are expecting that they will get out of the motorcade. There will be a group that will be escorted outside to the back entrance and then, of course, you will see the casket as it will travel up those east steps, up to the rotunda and through to the Statutory Hall. And at 10:00 is when that Memorial Service will begin. It is a private ceremony because of the coronavirus. That has been many many opportunities for the public, as I've seen thousands and thousands of people gather outside the Supreme Court since Friday to pay their respects. But this is really a moment, a journey, if you will, that is so appropriate for the Justice to simply make her way from the Supreme Court to the U.S. Capitol where so many of these legislate live battles have been fought and where there is one underway for her replacement Jim.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Suzanne, thanks so much. Of course, we noted that her dying wish, as recounted by her family, was that she be replaced by the next President Poppy.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] How appropriate and how perfectly said, Suzanne, I'm just thinking as we wait for her casket to emerge, how appropriate that the woman who called herself a flaming feminist litigator, as she was for decades before she sat on the high court, will also be the first woman ever to receive the honor of lying in state at the Capitol there in Statuary Hall. A woman and a Justice and a mother and a wife who contributed so much to this country and who, remember when she was nominated in that Rose Garden announcement, President Bill Clinton called her a person of immense character. Ariane de Vogue, you have a beautiful piece this morning on CNN.com where you and Joan looked at the life that she was living just before she died, a life that she expected would go on much longer and that she wrote to a dear friend recently, "I am looking forward to brighter days when this eerie time ends."
[Arian De Vogue, Cnn Supreme Court Reporter:] Right. You know what's interesting, it's almost remarkable that how surprised her former colleagues, her former clerks, even some journalists were by her death. I mean, after all, she was 87 years old. But this tiny woman had herculean strength. You remember she worked through those five bouts of cancer. I remember when she stayed up all night, pulled an all-nighter to write a voting rights dissent. And then, this last term was very brutal. There were big cases. She knew she had cancer. She continued to work. She was the dominant voice in an abortion case. And then after the term, the emergency petitions kept coming in. Meanwhile, she was communicating with friends. And, in fact, she was writing a book with one of her former clerks. So that's what was so extraordinary about her. And it was picked up a little bit by Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday because he seemed surprised, but he said finally, in the end, Poppy, fate won out on this remarkable life.
[Harlow:] Yes. Yes.
[Sciutto:] I spoke to one of her former clerks this morning who said that one thing he noted about her was that Ginsburg was every worked every bit as hard on the smallest cases as the biggest ones. She wanted to get everything absolutely right. What you're seeing there right there is the Military Honor Guard that will escort her casket into Statutory Hall in the Capitol. Each there are five guards of honor, each representing the five branched of the Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. And, again, one more sign of the special honor that this is, as we noted, first woman to lie in state in history, in the long history of this country, remarkable, and the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol. Suzanne, who's up there on the Hill as we wait for the casket to leave the hearse, this is an invitation only ceremony today. The invited senators have been requested to be in their seats in Statutory Hall. Tell us why. Statuary Hall, I should say.
[Malveaux:] Well, one of the reasons clearly is because of coronavirus. The Capitol has been closed to the public since the virus began and they are keeping the numbers quite small. They are trying to it's invitation only. And what you'll see is dignitaries. You'll also see the leadership in Congress. A small group. We will we do expect to see the Democratic nominee, the vice president former Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, as well as his running mate, Kamala Harris, that they will be attending this private ceremony. There will be some opportunities, however, for senators and Members of Congress to go by and pay their tributes and respects to the casket later after about 10:30 or so. Groups of 40 will be going from the House and the senators as well, and that will be about opportunity. But as Poppy had mentioned, you know, the history that's being made and Speaker Pelosi, as her peer, you are going to see at the very end as the casket is leaving the Capitol, a group of women, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress, who will be giving the final farewell.
[Harlow:] They were actually quite close friends. Speaker Pelosi remembered and said just a few days ago when the Justice told her before the public knew that she was battling cancer. So Speaker Pelosi there not only a peer, but also a close friend of the late Justice. Jeffrey Toobin, to you. The arc of her life. This is a woman, who other than the Chief Justice, argued the most cases before this court for decades before she sat on the court, who head the ACLU's Women's Rights Project. I mean, because of her, women could have credit cards. Because of her, women could sit on juries in all states. I mean so many things just in the early '70s women didn't have but changed because of her.
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] You know, she is the only member of the Supreme Court since Thurgood Marshall who would have been a major figure in American history, even if she had never served on the Supreme Court at all. Put aside the 27 years on the Supreme Court. That's how significant her contribution was. You know, I'm just I was sitting you know, I'm staring at the same picture that we all are and looking at the magnitude and the honor and thinking about where she came from.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] You know, she was born in 1933 at the peak of the Depression. When she was a little girl, her even younger sister died of leukemia. When she was 14, her mother died, you know? A transformative, horrific event that, you know, after a long bout with cancer. And, you know, her father tried to you know, raised the family by himself. He was a mostly unsuccessful furrier in New York City. I mean the distance she came from those really difficult, early days to a farewell like this is really one of the great American stories.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Toobin:] And it's just it's just the arc of her life is epic in its scale and importance.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Yes, you go to her high school in Brooklyn, James Maddison High School, you look at the alums from there. Bernie Sanders.
[Toobin:] Chuck Schumer.
[Sciutto:] Chuck Schumer. Norm Coleman. Chris Rock. I mean it's a cross section of America through the years.
[Harlow:] There you go.
[Sciutto:] Again, there's the Honor Guard waiting to escort the casket of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Joan Biskupic, you've covered the court. You've covered Ginsburg. I wonder if you could tell us the change that the court is about to experience as a result of her passing, and we should note the President has said, tomorrow, he is going to announce his nominee to replace her. And the Senate has said they will vote on that nominee.
[Joan Biskupic, Cnn Supreme Court Analyst:] We really can't overstate the transformation that's about to happen. We've already had a very conservative court, a five-four conservative court. It's about to go six- three conservative. And the equality rights that Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought for are just one of many, many types of rights and liberties that are now in the balance in a much more serious way. And she, you know, when she started, Jim, she was a much more measured jurist. She was she herself was more of an incrementalist from her time on a lower court. But through the years on the Supreme Court, as it became more conservative in the majority, she moved to the left and certainly had inspired the total of four Justices who are still liberals on the court and now there will only be three. And the contrast between a Donald Trump successor to Ruth Bader Ginsburg really takes us back to, you know, at minimum when Clarence Thomas succeeded another Civil Rights icon, Thurgood Marshall.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Biskupic:] So, so much ahead from immediately with the election to, you know, gun rights, Civil Rights, everything, Jim. Everything.
[Sciutto:] Yes. Poppy, you know, yesterday I got in a conversation with someone who studied her cases as a lawyer in law school waiting in line to view the casket and he made the point, which I had heard before is, part of her brilliance in arguing these equal rights cases early on was that she took on cases where men were impacted negatively by the law to argue for equal treatment under the law, knowing at the time she would most likely be facing only male judges, right? And that was her path to argue some of the cases early on, which is, you know, just one of those signs of her brilliance.
[Harlow:] You're so right, Jim. I'm glad you brought that up. And I love the picture you sent me yesterday while you were waiting in line. I just think it spoke it spoke a thousand words to see how long the line was for people to pay their respects and just to have a glimpse of her casket. And, Jeffrey Toobin, to you. I mean it was brilliant. You and I together interviewed Stephen Wiesenfeld, a case she took to the high court and argued before, guess what, nine male Justices. She knew to convince the men that things were unequal for women, she might need to use a man to make the case.
[Toobin:] I mean, the Wiesenfeld case is such an interesting and tragic story that really I think was her favorite case that she ever argued because the facts were so resonant. If I can just summarize it very quickly
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] Stephen Wiesenfeld was married and his wife died in childbirth. A terrible, terrible, sad story. He under the prevailing tax law at the time, as a widower he received less benefits than a widow would have received. And that was on the assumption that men make more money than women. But it was an explicit discrimination in the law. She took that case to the Supreme Court and she won. The Supreme Court said that there was no basis in the law to distinguish between men and women and they have to be treated equally. That principle was one that was used in several different cases where she and other feminist lawyers brought cases that where men were discriminated against. Another one of those famous cases involved beer, I believe it was in Oklahoma
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] Where there was a lower drinking age for women than there was for men
[Harlow:] That's right.
[Toobin:] For 3.2 beer, for low alcohol beer. That case, the court decided that that was unlawful discrimination. And there are two points to make about this. One is that these victories were, of course, later used to change laws that discriminated against women. But the other point and this is something Ruth Ginsburg often stressed was that she felt that when laws against discrimination against women were invalidated, were ended, it helped men as well as women. That equality was a value that wasn't just something women benefited from, it benefited everyone.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] And she always talked about how women's rights were actually human rights in a phrase that came to be used later by Hillary Clinton.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Toobin:] And I think history has proved her right about that.
[Sciutto:] Well, a message that still is so meaningful today in the midst of the racial crisis in this country. Suzanne Malveaux, of course, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a jurist. She was also a human being. A wife, a mother with loves. Tell us about her loves outside the law.
[Malveaux:] Well, Jim, one of the most interesting stories and passionate stories that she loves to tell, we will actually hear from Denise Graves. She is the soprano opera singer. It was it really is her love of opera and of music. And she tells the story of it was back in 1944, 1945, she was just an 11-year-old girl and she happened to meet a man by the name of Dean Dixon. And he actually was a train conductor. He was an African American man. He was a train conductor. But he was also a musician and he was a musical conductor. But at the time he couldn't find a job. Could not get a job in the United States at that time. So he went from city to city and specifically New York City, where he played these concerts, little, small concerts for children. And Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of those children. And she heard his story. She learned about his story. And she became keenly aware, even as a child, of the racial disparities and the inequality. And it really is an interesting intersection, if you will, of the two loves, the fact that she was very much aware of racial inequality and that it was, in fact, this African-American man who introduced her to music and to the love of opera, which, of course, she carried well into her adulthood.
[Harlow:] We are just seeing some of these first images inside there as they await inside the Capitol as they await the casket of the late justice. We know that the former Vice President and former Second Lady, Joe and Jill Biden, have arrived. You'll see them in moments. Joan Biskupic, I'm reminded of something she said there you see them right there as they're waiting I'm reminded of something she said. This was a while ago, 2002, at Brown University. Quote, "Do your part to help move society to the place you would like it to be for the health and well- being of generations following your own." She did that, as Jeffrey just explained, for women and for men on the equality front. And that is why, as you said, she has been compared so often to the late Justice Thurgood Marshall. But she didn't like that comparison. Tell us why.
[Biskupic:] Well, you know, it's interesting, she she had a certain personal wisdom about her. And she felt that all of us all of the Justices, all of the litigators came to the position with their own distinct empathies. And she really broke ground that was different than her predecessors. And, Poppy, earlier, when you were referring to that scene in the Rose Garden and what President Clinton said of her
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Biskupic:] I was reminded of what she then said in return that pulls together many of the strands we've been talking about here. She talked about her late mother who died right before her high school graduation and made it impossible for her to go and pick up all the honors she had won academically. And she said on national television that day in June of 2000 in 1993, "I just pray that I can be the Justice that my mother could have been if she had lived at a time when women were allowed to aspire and achieve and at a time when daughters were as cherished as sons."
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Biskupic:] So, you know, she all of these things that you're bring up here
[Sciutto:] Joan
[Biskupic:] Oh, pardon me, Jim?
[Sciutto:] Just as you mentioned daughters and sons
[Biskupic:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] At the top of the steps now greeting her casket.
[Biskupic:] Right.
[Sciutto:] Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, but also members of her family. Her daughter Jane, who is a Law Professor at Colombia, following in the family business, if you want to call it that. Her son James as well. Let's listen in as we watch this moment. So what's happening now is the casket being escorted there into Statuary Hall in the Capitol. Sergeant at Arms that will escort along with the Military Honor Guard. Already seated there, senators invited, also escorting the casket, we should note, the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's family, her daughters - her daughter Jane, her son James. She also has two grandchildren, Clara and Paul. One note, when she arrives in Statuary Hall there on that black platform, it's known at the Lincoln Catafalque. It was built for President Lincoln. And since then it's been something of the great unifier because Republicans, Democrats, nine Supreme Court Justices have lain on that same platform. Presidents, JFK, Eisenhower, LBJ, Reagan, Ford, Bush, all lain on that same spot. But what's unique about this, this is the first woman in our country's long history to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol building. Something reserved for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
[Harlow:] Jeffrey Toobin, one of the things that people may not know about her, who didn't have a chance to spend time with her, and you covered her just so closely, is that she really was also quite humble, didn't have the loudest voice, didn't speak the most words, but every word she spoke, people listened to intently, right? A precise jurist.
[Toobin:] She was a precise jurist and a precise person.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] And, you know, one of the one of the unnerving things about talking to Justice Ginsburg is that she was a person uniquely comfortable with silence.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] That when when you
[Harlow:] Epic silence, Jeffrey. Epic silence.
[Toobin:] Yes. And you would talk to law clerks and particularly people coming in for interviews with her to become law clerks, and they would be sitting, talking to her, and, obviously, they were nervous in such circumstances. And Justice Ginsburg was comfortable with pauses in conversation. But many of us are not comfortable with those sorts of pauses. So, particularly with these nervous recent law school graduates, they would often describe starting to babble like idiots because they were so anxious to fill the silence. But Justice Ginsburg didn't mind silence in conversation.
[Harlow:] Right.
[Toobin:] Another thing, though, about her personality that I think is worth pointing out, she had one of the great marriages that I think that any one of us, who knew them, you know, were aware of. Marty Ginsburg was a lawyer himself. They were, of course, law school classmates at Harvard and Columbia, and he was a very distinguished tax lawyer and tax professor. But he was a very outgoing person. He was very friendly. He was the life of the party. He was a famously great chef. Ruth Ginsburg was sort of in the background when they were together. When Marty died in 2010, that was kind I mean God knows it was a terrible thing for Ruth to lose her husband, but it also was a kind of social blossoming for her. And one reason why, you know, the cult of RBG, and notorious RBG, and all of the celebrity she achieved late in life, that was because she was much more of a public figure after 2010. But I will be quiet and let us see the proceedings.
[Harlow:] Okay. So you have her family members have come in. You saw Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader of the Senate Chuck Schumer. And now they will bring in the casket of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Again, let's just listen to this moment in history.
[Unidentified Male:] Mark time. Bearers, halt. Center face. Side step. March. END

[Burnett:] Tonight, a new report from The Associated Press shows more than 4,300 people were moved to New York's nursing homes as they recovered from coronavirus. Nearly, 6,000 people died in nursing homes across the state. And the real question now is could plenty of those deaths have been prevented? Jason Carroll is OUTFRONT.
[Cuomo:] Nursing homes are the single biggest fear in all of this. Vulnerable people in one place, it is the feeding frenzy for this virus.
[Carroll:] Despite those words, critics say one of the Governor's executive orders ended up hurting rather than helping those most in need. That former directive asked nursing homes to take recovering COVID patients even if those patients had not first been tested to see if they were clear of the virus. Now, The Associated Press reports more than 4,300 recovering coronavirus patients were returned to nursing homes in the state following the march 25 executive order. The State Department of Health says they're still trying to verify their numbers. CNN has not been able to independently confirm the number of patients discharged from hospitals to nursing homes. Stuart Almer is the CEO of the Gurwin Jewish Nursing Home in Long Island.
[Stuart Almer, President And Ceo, Gurwin Jewish:] It might have been more of a rush to find a solution during a crisis.
[Carroll:] Almer says under the Governor's directive, his facility had to take in 58 recovering COVID patients from hospitals.
[Almer:] The mandate came and it just took things to another level. It was almost a cascading effect of events.
[Carroll:] Palmer says 53 residents from his nursing died from COVID-19, but he says it's unclear if any of those deaths were a direct result from accepting recovering patients. Others in the long-term care industry not surprised so many recovering COVID patients ended up in nursing homes.
[Dr. Elaine Healy, Vice President Of Medical Affairs, United Hebrew Of New Rochelle:] The focus was really 100 percent on the hospitals and the nursing homes, I always feel that we're sort of an afterthought.
[Carroll:] Under intense criticism and almost two months after the governor initiated that controversial directive, he reversed it on May 10th and required testing of nursing home residents once a week and staff twice a week.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo , New York:] We're just not going to send a person who is positive to a nursing home after a hospital visit. Period.
[Carroll:] According to the state health department, over the past two months, there are more than 3,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths among residents at care facilities in the state. This week, the governor responding to critics saying the former mandate was partly based on not only a critical need for hospital beds at the time, but also on federal guidelines which advised nursing homes should accept COVID-19-positive patients if they could care for them.
[Cuomo:] Anyone who wants to ask why did the state do that with COVID patients and the nursing home, it's because the state followed President Trump's CDC guidance.
[Carroll:] The administration today showing troubling numbers of COVID cases at care facilities nationwide and again asking states to do more testing.
[Birx:] To encourage governors that test 100 percent of the nursing home residents and staff because many of our outbreaks that we have seen over the last two months have started in nursing homes.
[Carroll:] But some health care experts say looking forward, what is needed are more than CDC guideline, but a national policy addressing COVID-19 at nursing homes.
[Professor Don Taylor, Duke University:] What concerns me most is that the country hasn't learned enough from the mistake and we don't have a national testing strategy for nursing homes.
[Carroll:] And, Erin, those that we spoke to in the nursing care industry tell us that going forward what would really help them whether it be at the state level or at the federal level would be to have more of a seat at the table when policies about their industry is being made Erin.
[Burnett:] All right. Jason, thank you very much. And I want to go now to Democratic Assemblyman Ron Kim of Queens, New York, which has been battered with more than 900 confirmed or suspected coronavirus deaths in nursing homes. Assemblyman Kim, I appreciate your time tonight, and, of course, you know, you do represent an area with some of the most nursing home deaths in the state. When you hear that more than 4,300 people who are recovering from the coronavirus were sent back to nursing homes, what's your reaction?
[Assemblyman Ron Kim , Queens, Ny:] I was absolutely shocked that the state of New York sent so many people back to nursing homes when nursing homes aren't hospitals. These are COVID-positive patients that should have been treated at hospitals or other facilities that were equipped to take them in, and everyone was shocked at that time, and many of us pushed back, wrote letters to the Department of Health and asked them to stop the policy and transfer those patients out. And other states who initially put in those orders scaled back immediately, recognizing the mistakes that they made. But it took us about two months to recognize that error, and it cost a lot of lives in that time period.
[Burnett:] And, you know, when Governor Cuomo was asked about this, his office says that the state order they're saying was based on federal guidelines and it's almost identical to policies in other dozens of other states. It sounds like other states reversed course and New York didn't. I mean, what do you say to the governor?
[Kim:] I mean, other states not only reversed their course, they went the other way and banned COVID-positive patients from entering nursing homes. I mean, that is that was our duty as a state. The nursing home residents have fundamental rights that was protected by federal and state guidelines and state statutes. You know, there is a thing called the Bill of Rights for Residents as should have been enforced and strengthened during this COVID-19 crisis and you can completely waive those rights and violate a lot of people's ability to protect themselves. I told the governor that, you know, he should have he should have listened early on and he should have reversed the order early on and gone in a different direction. But, you know, there will be plenty of time to figure out why he did this and made the mistake, but right now we need to move forward and get this right because we could be potentially facing a second wave.
[Burnett:] Right.
[Kim:] And we need to get this right before the second wave hits our most vulnerable populations.
[Burnett:] But, you know, I guess I guess when you look at 4,300 people recovering from the virus and put in nursing homes and these outbreaks that happened, I mean, is it fair to say would deaths have been prevented had this been a different policy?
[Kim:] I think there are different factors that went into this decision making. Around the same time that this executive order was issued the state of New York also issued a blanket corporate immunity for nursing homes and nursing home executives. So, meaning, we were one of 12 states that gave them corporate blanket immunity. So while they're taking in COVID-positive, they knew they couldn't be prosecuted or they couldn't be sued by third parties. So, it's a combination of all those things that I think led to this tragic moment and now we must learn from the mistakes and stop, you know, passing the buck on to other people and we just need to have ownership as a state and we have different laws that we're proposing to achieve that. You know, let's make sure that the buck stops at some point with some leader that we can rely on and stop engaging in the blame game. Somebody needs to step up and take ownership. If we made a mistake we should admit it and move forward and make sure we get this right.
[Burnett:] Do you think bottom line it would help that Governor Cuomo admits more the mistakes he made?
[Kim:] I think it would be helpful to the thousands of lives including myself. I lost my uncle in April in the middle of helping hundreds of other, you know, local families who couldn't communicate with someone in the nursing home. I lost my uncle in that process. So, I share that trauma and pain and other thousands of families who lost loved ones and I think all of us all we are waiting for is the leader to step up and say, if they made a mistake, just admit, and I think we are willing to forgive the governor. We're all going to accept that no one is perfect in these places. But what's important is that we don't get fixated on bad decisions and that we need to grow out of this and learn immediately to move forward in the right direction.
[Burnett:] All right. Well, I appreciate your time, Assemblyman Kim. Sorry for your loss. And thank you very much.
[Kim:] Thank you.
[Burnett:] And next, where does the FDA draw the line between science and politics? And Joe Biden walking back this comment tonight.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] If you have a hard time figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black.
[Burnett:] The man he was speaking to, Charlamagne Tha God, OUTFRONT.

[Ana Cabrera, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. This is a country under a state of dire emergency right now for more than one reason. Police officials in several cities facing more, sometimes explosive, public protest this weekend and all of it happening at the same time as the deadly Coronavirus pandemic. On the East and the West Coast and in so many cities in between, community leaders are urging protesters this weekend to express their frustration and their pain and their fear and all of that emotion over the death of George Floyd. But they are making it clear that violence and destruction won't be tolerated. The governor of Minnesota today promising to, quote, "fully mobilize the National Guard," to watch over protests he says had nothing to do with a senseless death and everything to do with creating fear and disruption. And all of this as the cloud of Coronavirus has not gone away at all. Health officials are begging people to avoid clustering together, especially groups of strangers. But you can see, that's hard to do. This is Los Angeles today. Social distancing is, apparently, out the window. CNN correspondents and crews are all over the country. We will be checking in with those other correspondents after we talk with Omar Jimenez, who is live in Minneapolis for us this afternoon. What are you seeing? What are you hearing? What are the dynamics on the ground there today, Omar?
[Omar Jimenez, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Ana, so far, the dynamics have been largely peaceful protesting over the death of George Floyd and how it's been handled since. We are right outside the Fifth Police Precinct here in Minneapolis. And you can see the crowds that have gathered here with signs up. They, over the course of the day, have been chanting. There have been performances, even a little song as well. Again, this is part of what officials want to see, the peaceful side of allowing people's voices to be heard. What they haven't seen, in many cases, is when it comes down to nightfall. And, over the course of the past three days, the Governor Tim Walz here actually described yesterday what he had seen as 48 hours of anarchy. So, yesterday, when he came up, they added more state resources along with local law enforcement, as well on top of it instituting a curfew, to try and curb some of the rioting, looting, and the buildings being set on fire that we had seen night in and night out. Yesterday or last night, it proved that those efforts were not enough. So, we heard from them again today. And what we are learning is that they are deploying more National Guard members here in the state than they ever have in their more than 140-year history on top of the curfew they have. And what we are hearing from state officials is that a lot or based on the data they're looking at, a lot of the people that have been coming in have been coming in from out of the state. So, that is a factor that they are continuing to look at, as they try to get a handle on the contrast of what we see during the day, like what we're seeing now, and what we've seen at night Ana.
[Cabrera:] And, Omar, I know you've been there, obviously, for days now. What does it feel like today, at this time compared to what it felt like yesterday at this time?
[Jimenez:] Well, we're kind of in unprecedented territory, timing-wise, because this is the first weekend we have had since this actually happened. But I can tell you, around this time every single day, Wednesday through Friday, there always have been demonstrations. Either at the site where George Floyd was arrested, and where we saw that cell phone video unfold, or they have largely been outside the Third Police Precinct for Minneapolis police. But that one went up in flames two nights ago. So, this is the first time we have seen a steady collection of people building over the course of today. I can tell you, in this neighborhood that was affected by a lot of buildings burned, a lot of people were already out sweeping and cleaning up their community, trying to get things back to normal. But, again, I can't emphasize enough the contrast of what we have seen during the daytime hours versus the night. And Tim Walz, the governor here, has laid out what a path to restoration is going to look like for Minneapolis and for the state. He says it starts with regaining control. And that, again, is a process we have seen them struggle with this week. He then says it's going to come down to getting swift justice. And while we have seen one officer, one of the four arrested and charged, protesters and the family want to see all four. And then, he says, and this might be the most important one, regaining trust. Trust that he says was frayed not just over this the course of this past week, but trust that has been frayed over the course of generations Ana.
[Cabrera:] And it's good to see people wearing masks. It looks like people are being very calm and protesting productively today, at least, at this point. Omar Jimenez, we'll check back with you. Thank you for that reporting. Let's go from the heart of the country, and perhaps the heart of the emotion over all of this, to the West Coast now in Los Angeles, where leaders are urging calm right now, as that city braces for more demonstrations. And you can see quite a large crowd is gathering there. These are live pictures right now. Huge crowds already coming together. This is around the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. It has been largely peaceful so far. But, remember, last night, it was as chaotic and destructive there as anywhere. These protests, you can see, became violent and there's a lot of vandalism and there were officers injured and there were hundreds of protesters arrested. Let's go live to CNN's Paul Vercammen, joining us live in Los Angeles. Paul, what is happening there right now?
[Paul Vercammen, Cnn Correspondent:] A dramatic unfolding situation. I'm at the corner of Fairfax and Third. These are two main arteries that you take on surface streets through Los Angeles. And the demonstrators, well over 1,000 of them, have completely taken over this intersection. Cars are stopped in front of me. You can see people have jumped on top of a city bus. You can also see throughout, people have got on top of traffic light poles. And the chant is in unison. It's Black Lives Matter. They want their message heard and they've done some something here by sealing off this intersection. You can see there are people in these cars. We've been talking to people about what it meant to them to come down here. And we're going to talk to Marilyn London in just a second here. Marilyn, come on in. I know for you, that image of that officer's neck on Floyd's that officer's knee on Floyd's neck was just absolutely disturbing. Describe for me what your emotions were when you saw that.
[Marilyn London:] It was terrible. And when I seen that, I couldn't I couldn't go to sleep for two days. So, it was just embedded in my head. And I think we need reform justice in the police department.
[Asap. Vercammen:] And how do you feel about this scene that's now playing out before us, with this intersection sealed off. People on these traffic light poles, et cetera?
[London:] I think it's good. We're making a big statement.
[Vercammen:] I thank you for your sentiments. If you look around here, across the way, they've jumped on the roof of a neighboring business. And, as I said, you can see all of this completely sealed off. This started as a very peaceful demonstration. And we have not seen any acts of violence. It started in Pan Pacific Park. And then, it went down this street. And is it now sealed over. And we're looking behind us, as people are trying to get their cars out of here. Obviously, they've been stuck in this intersection for quite a while. I'm going to toss it back to you now, Ana. And we'll be sure to let you know if anything dramatic happens here. Dramatic enough that so many people came out with such loud voices in protest of what happened to Mr. Floyd in Minneapolis.
[Cabrera:] Paul, obviously, it's only 2:00 in the afternoon there in Los Angeles. And nighttime, when that sun falls, has been when problems have popped up across the country in the last couple of nights. Do you have a sense of what the plan is? What are protesters telling you their plan is?
[Vercammen:] They, basically, said that they want to hold a peaceful demonstration. They wanted to make a statement. So, this is a protest organized by Black Lives Matter and many cohorts, many like-minded groups. They have not said anything about going downtown. This is in the Fairfax district, by the way. They have not said anything about, you know, wanting this to turn violent. But, as you pointed out, and we've seen this in the past, when the sun's gone down, we have had incidents of violence. You may know, there were more than 500 arrests in Los Angeles last night and six officers hurt. But, so far, we have to compliment them. Despite sealing off this intersection, we've only seen decorum. And we have not seen anybody throwing anything, any acts of violence. And the police, by the way, as you can tell, are extremely hands off. In fact, since we've been in this intersection, we have not seen a single police officer. So, that might be a deliberate strategy. We'll just have to wait and see Ana.
[Cabrera:] OK. Paul Vercammen in Los Angeles for us. We'll check back. Thank you. CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro joins us now in New York and among the protesters there. We can see Evan. Where are you? And describe for us what you're experiencing there.
[Evan Mcmorris-santoro, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, hey, Ana, I'm in the West Village neighborhood of New York on Perry Street, just across Bleecker Street. If you want to know what kind of neighborhood this is, this street that I'm standing on is like the fictional home of Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex In The City". So, a nice neighborhood. This crowd that I'm on, they started marching from Union Square earlier today, where they had a rally, and then they've moved.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] They've, sort of, marched around Manhattan and are now marching here into the West Village. So far, and with no indication of otherwise, an extremely peaceful protest. There's been a lot of passion. A lot of, sort of, anger. But really just been very, very peaceful overall. We've seen even indications of you know, there's a police presence here. And we've seen some protesters yelling epithets at police and getting right in their face. And the police, sort of, not reacting and the police being able to cross through the crowd. So, this is a safe but angry protest. Obviously, the concern here in New York, it's a concern that we've had every else in the country which is that the nighttime tends to be a little bit more dangerous. Last night in New York, there were incidences of violence and protests in Brooklyn and other places that the mayor, Mayor Bill De Blasio, a Democrat, said today that, you know, he didn't want to see that happening and he didn't want to see another night in New York like he saw last night. But during the day today, where I am right now, we see no indication of that happening. But, of course, the sun's up and we haven't seen the you know, the crowd change yet Ana.
[Cabrera:] And who's in that crowd with you, Evan? What type of people are turning out? It looks like there's a lot of diversity among you.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] Yes, it's a very large crowd, a few hundred people, and very diverse. And it started out today pretty diverse and it got more and more diverse as the day went on, to be perfectly frank. This is a good mix of New Yorkers. This is a lot of what New York looks like. And people have come together, and they're marching together. You know, we've seen a lot of people from all over the all different ages and different colors and everything else, and that's not a surprise. The most amazing thing has been, as they march along, sometimes they run into traffic and the people in traffic. Rather than be annoyed that there's this crowd marching through them, end up honking their support, which has led to a lot of pretty interesting moments here Ana.
[Cabrera:] OK, we'll check back. As always, thank you. Evan McMorris- Santoro, again, in New York City. Let's go to Chicago now, where we know there was some intensity there already today. Ryan Young is joining us live. Ryan, it looks like things are relatively calm right now. What can you tell us?
[Ryan Young, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, absolutely. That's because the crowd is on the move. You can see this guy waving the flag, basically, in the officers' faces. But there was something that was a rallying cry. Because, up until now, there really hasn't been any organization. But I'm going to start walking down the street, because this is where everybody's headed. Ana, the entire crowd started walking this direction, and I'll tell you what got them all ready to go. Someone said, let's go to Trump Tower. And, at that point, the crowd said, yes. And now, they're marching toward Trump Tower, which is, of course, one of the tallest buildings here in Chicago. Look, this city's really a tale of two cities. On one side, there's not a lot of violence. On the other side of town, they've been ravaged by violence and there's people who are upset about the mistreatment from police officers in the city, not only what's going on in Minneapolis. But one of the things that we've noticed is this crowd is super diverse. There are people who are locked into this traffic ring throughout the city. They've been stuck here for over an hour, trying to get their voices heard. It's like a caravan. But they can't move because the protesters are shutting the streets down block by block. Now, the officers have been trying to do the best they can to make sure that they don't stop all the traffic. In fact, they've brought some buses in to sort of block some of the protesters, at one point. But then, what we started noticing was something different. Every time a group of officers showed up, the protesters would surge around the officers and start screaming at them. And this city's had a long history with protests, especially after the shooting of Laquan McDonald, and that's something that people have been talking about. So, as we walk toward Trump Tower now, this is what people have been saying. They want systematic change. Now, the mayor, for her part, has said she understands the anger in this city and why people are upset. But she wants to make sure they do it peacefully. Last night, for the most part, it was peaceful. Then, all of a sudden, people started rushing out and breaking windows. There's graffiti on some of the businesses here in town. I talked to one business owner today who said he was devastated because of the fact they've been closed for two months because, don't forget, COVID has hit this area hard. This is one of the few intersections that we've come across where traffic's actually working. But, at the same time, you think about it. COVID has hit Chicago hard, especially in the black and brown neighborhoods. So, you have that, combined with the idea that they're upset their voices are not being heard. If you put all that together, Ana, and you have people who are hitting the streets. And let's not forget last night, things didn't take a turn until after 2:00 a.m.
[Cabrera:] Right. And, already,
[Young:] 108 arrests were made.
[Cabrera:] Ryan, we are getting reports that, in broad daylight today, police vehicles are being vandalized already. So, it sounds like confrontations are already happening there. Do police have a plan? How are they going to prevent protests from getting out of control today?
[Young:] Well, Chicago actually does a pretty good job of handling large crowds. In fact, they handled the G-7 years ago. And even during the Laquan McDonald situation, they handled property damage OK. What we've seen so far is the officers haven't done anything to antagonize the crowd. What you see in some other places. The crowd, for its part, will surround the officers. They will yell. But, then, everybody seems to move on. So, there hasn't been a lot of those flashpoints. But what we did see is last night, after everybody went away, that's when another group came out and started throwing rocks into windows. So, that's the genesis of this worry about what could happen later. As you see now, people want their voices heard. And that's what the push is. And, again, we are probably about a half a mile away from Trump Tower. That has become the flashpoint for so many protests in this city. When people want their voices heard, they go outside Trump Tower. They start yelling and screaming and having choice words toward that building. So, you can understand that ground swelling of people who are moving this direction, at this point. The officers, for their part, most of them are back this way. Another group on bicycles went around this area to make sure that they are not seen as they're moving in position near Trump Tower.
[Cabrera:] OK, Ryan Young in Chicago for us. Thank you. I want to bring in civil rights icon, Jesse Jackson, joining us from Chicago as well. You have been fighting for equality for over six decades. You were with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the day he died, April 4, 1968, in Memphis. You've been arrested in sit- ins. You've marched in Selma back in 1965. Reverend, you called George Floyd's death a lynching in broad daylight. When you see some of the images of unrest in America right now, I mean, in what we've seen the last 24 hours, so horrible, and yet so familiar, what is your reaction?
[Rev. Jesse Jackson, Politician:] Well, the streaks of violence is unfortunate. It distracts from the agenda. The reality is the real violence is that a police officer with 18 citations still on the force. He killed a man. Three police looked on and nothing happened. All four of them should be charged with manslaughter. Eighteen citations. And now, the focus of the police in they're not leaving the city. The violence is unacceptable.
[Cabrera:] Civil rights leader, Andrew Young, reacted to the violent protests that we've been seeing, tweeting, we have to round up the reasonable young people that are part of their group and let them know they have made their point and now they hurt their cause. Reverend, when you see looting, buildings set on fire, an officer in Oakland killed, is this even about George Floyd anymore?
[Jackson:] The people's cup runneth over. I really do not encourage the violence, to the contrary. But think about the killing of Trayvon Martin. The police walked away.
[Cabrera:] If there are protesters or police listening right now, what do you want to tell them?
[Jackson:] First of all, while you folks on code blue, police behavior, don't
[Cabrera:] You know, it's been decades, as we mentioned, that you have been fighting for equality, for justice. The Reverend King said, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what and what is it that America has failed to hear? And I just wonder, what do you think? What is America not hearing?
[Jackson:] In Minnesota, there have been 11 cases of blacks shot by police and killed. Never an indictment. Be heard. We saw them we saw George Floyd suffocate to death on the and by the way, he knew Floyd. They had some relationship. I don't know what his motive was. He the police looked on and he walked away, not in handcuffs, walked away. Without these protests, he could be walking free today. The protests are why he's in jail. Without the camera to expose it, without the protests to further amplify it, all four would be walking the streets today. Just another day at the job. Eighteen citations, one guy, still has his job.
[Cabrera:] Reverend Jesse Jackson, I really appreciate you taking the time and offering your thoughts. I know so many people look up to you and are listening closely. Thank you for being with us.
[Jackson:] And the one thing for the people who are marching is please, if you march, you deal with the death of Corona, on the one hand. The death by police on the other. Do not mistake and contract Corona while fighting this fight. You have two death warrants at the same time and both of them matter very much.
[Cabrera:] Absolutely. You're absolutely right. This confluence of crises is happening in our country right now, and they're both very important stories and related, obviously, as well. Thank you for being here with us. We have much more on our live coverage. Protests across America from Minneapolis to Los Angeles this hour. I want to take you live to Baltimore right now. These are live images there. This, as the president is threatening the direct use of force on protesters at the White House.

[Text:] CLOSING ARGUMENT.
[Cuomo:] The argument starts here with Trump's Economic Adviser saying this.
[Larry Kudlow, Assistant To The President & Director Of National Economic Council:] I don't believe nowadays we have systemic racism.
[Unidentified Male:] You said you don't believe systemic racism exists in the United States?
[Kudlow:] I do I do not.
[Unidentified Male:] At all in the U.S.?
[Kudlow:] I do not.
[Unidentified Male:] You don't think there's any systemic racism against African-Americans in the United States?
[Kudlow:] I will say it again. I do not.
[Cuomo:] All right, this isn't believing in something like the tooth fairy, all right? It's about fact. He is wrong. It's not a matter of opinion. It's a matter of fact. And it is fact that you see everywhere you look in black and white. The immediate proof is in the Cabinet. Trump has one Black cabinet member and one Black Domestic Policy Adviser. Kudlow is the President's Economic Adviser. So, let's start with the economy. White people make more money than Blacks do. Period! Even if they have the same level of education, even if they're in the same jobs. In fact, that fundamental divide is as wide now as it was the year Dr. King was shot, so much for Trump's economy being the "Best-ever" for Black people. Not relatively. And relativity matters. Black people are not only more likely to be unemployed, they're also more likely to be underemployed. For all Mr. Kudlow's talk about the stock market, Blacks don't invest nearly as much as Whites. Even when you include 401 [k] s, systemic racism extends to government programs as well. Going back to the New Deal, the Federal Housing program that helped build the suburbs was often off-limits to Blacks. Lending practices, redlining, you know, drawing an area around Black neighborhoods, illegal, but their effects linger. Blacks are far less likely to own a home than Whites, a gap that's only widened since 2004. And those that do buy a home have to put down more money, the equity cushion it's called. And they have to pay for a higher mortgage, meaning what, that even when banks do lend to them, they have tougher terms, even when similarly situated to Whites. Then, there is the question of how you get between work and home? The highway system, this may not seem like a big deal, but just think about it, in terms of your existence, a marvel of American ingenuity by White America, but its design skipped over Black neighborhoods. Even if there were as many on-ramps in their communities, many people of color are less likely to own a car because of incoming credit challenges. Thus, they're more likely to depend on public transportation. We invest in buses and trains at a fraction of what we spend on the highway. So again, systemically, they are disserved. Then there is the question of what to do with your kids. Black families work more and, as we've seen, earn less. What does that mean? It makes taking care of your kids harder. You don't have the time and you don't have the money. Childcare, tough decision. Once they get into the school system, and this is big, because this is all about the roadway to opportunity. The impact of history still hangs over their head. 58 years between Plessy versus Ferguson, separate but equal, and Brown versus the Board of Education, mandating integration, that period wound up influencing how our school system works, more arguably than the 62 years since the Little Rock Nine. And here's the proof for that suggestion. Districts with mostly students of color get $23 billion less in funding than White school districts, despite serving about the same number of kids. Less money means less power, right, less pay for teachers, less access to extra- curriculars, and services and systems, right? We generally pay for schools with things like property taxes, right? And Black communities can't support the kind of tax base that power schools in many White communities. And even when you adjust for poverty, more is still spent on White students. Why? Systemic racism. Even how we discipline kids in schools is affected by systemic racism. How do we know? A White kid gets in trouble, a fight at school, the results often look like this, trip to the Principal's office. Black kid gets in trouble at school, more likely to be disciplined. How? Suspended. Wind up in juvenile justice. Why? Systemic racism, built into the fabric of the nation, is built in as the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. Why? Because they are all worse in places of poverty. Remember Flint, the faces of that suffering? They still suffer today. The faces are still the same color. Even how we connect, it doesn't matter how much you get paid. If you're Black, you got less access to the internet. It's quite literally a matter of life and death as well. Look at the Coronavirus pandemic. Who is getting sick the most? Who's dying the most? Who are the largest percentage of essential workers, working in the midst of this risk, in our healthcare system? Minorities. And they're less likely to have insurance. They're less likely to have access to good care. They have more premature births. They have shorter life expectancy. They check more of the boxes of chronic conditions. The American Academy of Pediatrics, last year, identified the root cause of health problems, over a lifetime, is racism, not race itself, the disparities caused by race-ism. Finally, the Black communities' ability to change these disparities should be through our democracy. But their voting rights are compromised. Gerrymandering, OK, voter suppression, this is what Trump should be talking about, but he doesn't. Not "Mysterious Illegals," but real legalities like we arguably just saw in Atlanta. And then, yes, there is policing. I don't say "The Police" because this is about more than people or bad apples. It's about the orchard. It's about the system. And again, systemic policies and tactics work against Blacks disproportionately. Cops are more likely to pull over Black drivers, even when you adjust for daytime and nighttime stops that may make it hard to tell who is driving. People of color are more likely to be searched while stopped, even though Whites are more likely to actually have drugs on them. Our prisons, overcrowded, filled with a disproportionate number of Black faces. END

[Berman:] We spoke in the last segment to the uncle of the man who was barely mentioned in passing by the President during his visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin today, Jacob Blake who was shot and is paralyzed from the waist down. He was shot by a Kenosha police officer. Joining us now, the President's top campaign spokesperson, Trump 2020 Director of Communications, Tim Murtaugh. Tim, I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for joining us. I want to play for you something that President Trump said.
[Trump:] And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs, wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that, and this person was coming to the Republican National Convention. And they were like seven people on the plane, like this person, and then a lot of people are on the plane to do big damage.
[Berman:] Tim, what specifically is he talking about there?
[Tim Murtaugh, Director Of Communications, Trump 2020:] Well, I don't have all the information that the President has access to. But we know that the people who have gone to these violent riots
[Berman:] I'm sorry, Tim. I'm sorry, Tim. I'm talking about a plane trip. I was talking about a plane trip that was coming to the Convention, which is a political event.
[Murtaugh:] I just John
[Berman:] Do you have any information about the people on this plane or the flight?
[Murtaugh:] I just told you I don't have access to the same information that the President has. But John, let me ask you a question about this. The people that we saw harassing folks outside the White House in Washington on Thursday night, those people knew the names of regular Americans who were coming out of the White House. The National Committee man from New Hampshire was harassed on the streets and the protester knew his name, John. How do you think that happened?
[Berman:] So Tim, I'm sorry. You're a spokesperson for the President
[Murtaugh:] How did these protesters
[Berman:] I'm sorry. I'm sorry because I'm asking you a question about something the President has now said twice. The President essentially described an airborne assault or at least an air transport assault on a convention. And you as a senior spokesman for the campaign says you have no information on it. How can it be that you have no information on it?
[Murtaugh:] Well, I don't work for one of the law enforcement agencies of the Federal government.
[Berman:] This was a political event.
[Murtaugh:] But someone is organizing someone is organizing these trips. Someone is transporting these people from other states into these other cities.
[Berman:] Tim, can you
[Murtaugh:] In Kenosha, 102 people who were rescued out of 175 came from a different state, John.
[Berman:] Can you give me one piece of evidence tonight?
[Murtaugh:] I can give you. I can give you statistics.
[Berman:] That there any flight that there was any flight carrying these people that the President is describing.
[Murtaugh:] John, why don't you explain to me how the protesters on the street knew the name of the National Committee man from New Hampshire. Would you know him if you saw him? Would you be able to identify him by name on the street and chase him down the street? Would you know that person?
[Berman:] I want to play you I want to play you, Tim I want to play you
[Murtaugh:] How do these people know the identities of the people that they are assigned to harass, John? How does that happen?
[Berman:] Tim, I want to play you something again, you're a spokesperson
[Murtaugh:] If no one is organizing these things
[Berman:] You're a spokesperson for the President's reelection campaign
[Murtaugh:] If no one is organizing them, how do they know who they are?
[Berman:] I'm talking about a flight.
[Murtaugh:] This is not John Legend coming out of the White House, John.
[Berman:] I am talking about a flight.
[Murtaugh:] This is a regular American
[Berman:] I am talking about a flight that the Commander-in-Chief has mentioned not once, but twice. Let me play this again for you. Listen.
[Trump:] And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs, wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that. This person was coming to the Republican National Convention. And they were like seven people on the plane, like this person, and then a lot of people are on the plane to do big damage. The entire plane filled up with the looters, the anarchists, the rioters, people that obviously we're looking for trouble. This was a firsthand account of a plane going from Washington to wherever.
[Berman:] So the first version of the story, he said the plane was going to Washington. The second version today. He said it was leaving D.C., which one is it, Tim?
[Murtaugh:] John, again, I don't know who told the President that but it is undeniable that these people, these rioters are coming from other cities and other states. The mayor of Minneapolis said that 80 percent of the people who were arrested in the Minneapolis riots came from other places. A hundred and two people who were arrested in Kenosha, Wisconsin, out of 175 were not from Kenosha. Someone is organizing. Someone is sending to them in these cities.
[Berman:] The President wasn't talking about people coming from other state lines.
[Murtaugh:] And let me tell you, John
[Berman:] I am sorry, Tim. But the President of the United States twice has told a very specific story albeit a contradictory story. I will state once again, he's the Commander-in-Chief. He controls the military. So when he says something about this, when he presents the idea of again this airborne assault, whether it be coming to Washington or leaving Washington, it's important. And all I want to know is if it's in any way tethered to reality. Did it happen? And I think what you're telling me, you have no
[Murtaugh:] It's absolutely tethered to reality, John.
[Berman:] You have no you have no proof.
[Murtaugh:] We know that all of these people are coming from other places.
[Berman:] Do you have proof that these flights happened?
[Murtaugh:] How do you suppose they traveled? Who is putting them up in the hotels, John?
[Berman:] Tim, did he invest this story?
[Murtaugh:] Who is paying all of their expenses?
[Berman:] Did he invent this story?
[Murtaugh:] How do they know the identities of normal Americans that they are supposed to seek out and harass on the streets, John?
[Berman:] Did he invent the story did he invent the story about the plane, Tim?
[Murtaugh:] How do they have all of this information? How can they have all of this information? We haven't
[Berman:] You can't give me evidence you can't you can't give me information.
[Murtaugh:] Listen, you know what we haven't heard?
[Berman:] You're talking about it but I am talking about
[Murtaugh:] And you're welcome to grill me, John. You're welcome to grill me. Have you ever asked Joe Biden why he hasn't denounced Antifa?
[Berman:] Joe Biden? You know, Joe Biden did not
[Murtaugh:] He hasn't singled out
[Berman:] Joe Biden, in the last Tim, you're not answering the question.
[Murtaugh:] These are leftwing violent protesters, John.
[Berman:] Tim, you're not answering the question.
[Murtaugh:] Why don't you ask the Democrats to condemn the Democrats? I have gone over this with you.
[Berman:] You're not answering the question.
[Murtaugh:] Four or five times.
[Berman:] And I have to believe, Tim...
[Murtaugh:] We know absolutely that they've come from other places.
[Berman:] ... that you can't answer the question.
[Murtaugh:] There are police arrest records for this, John.
[Berman:] Was there a flight, Tim?
[Murtaugh:] You think they just used the Star Trek transporter and appeared in Washington, John?
[Berman:] Can you point me to the flight that the President talked about twice? Can you talk to me
[Murtaugh:] How do you suppose they all arrived in Washington, John, if not from an airplane?
[Berman:] Tim?
[Murtaugh:] How do you suppose 102 people arrested in Wisconsin not from the area.
[Berman:] Let me ask you this, Tim. Let me ask you this.
[Murtaugh:] Eighty percent of the protesters arrested in Minneapolis are not from the area.
[Berman:] Okay, you can't you cannot
[Murtaugh:] Did they miracle themselves into those towns, John?
[Berman:] You cannot confirm to me, Tim.
[Murtaugh:] Did they miracle themselves there?
[Berman:] You cannot confirm to me
[Murtaugh:] How do you posit that they showed up?
[Berman:] Tim, Tim. Stop. Stop. Let me ask a question here. All right. Now, as you have so far not confirmed any specific flight either coming to or leaving Washington that the President mentioned. Let me point out to you that this mirrors this conspiracy theories that's been circulating online since June, a police department in Idaho even looked into it, this idea that people were being moved around the country in flights wearing all kinds of black t-shirts. Is it possible the President read this and he is just regurgitating and getting some of the details wrong? Is that possible?
[Murtaugh:] Look, Rand Paul has told a similar story and we have a Member of Congress who has called for congressional hearings to look in into who is funding these outrageous riots that by the way, Joe Biden has not identified as leftwing riots because that's what they are. He's too weak to stand up to the leftwing of his party and denounce these riots for what they are because he is absolutely in the control of the anti-police wing of today's Democratic Party.
[Berman:] Okay, None of that
[Murtaugh:] We know without a question of doubt, John.
[Berman:] None of that addresses
[Murtaugh:] That these rioters are coming from outside of the areas where these riots occur.
[Berman:] None of these addresses Tim, you've got no proof.
[Murtaugh:] We know it. Absolutely.
[Berman:] We just talked we just talked for minutes and you say you've got no proof.
[Murtaugh:] And you know it. Your own network has reported.
[Berman:] You've got no proof.
[Murtaugh:] Your own network has reported about there are arrests in Kenosha from outside the Kenosha area. Your own reporting shows that.
[Berman:] All right, Tim. Tim Murtaugh. Call us when you have information about these flights that the President has twice because as of now, we have got nothing.
[Murtaugh:] Call me when you will admit that these are leftwing rioters, John coming from outside the region where the riots are occurring.
[Berman:] Tim Murtaugh, thank you very much for being with us. Appreciate it, Tim. Perspective now from CNN political analyst and "New York Times" White House correspondent Maggie Haberman. Also with, CNN senior political commentator and former Obama senior adviser, David Axelrod and CNN political commentator, Bakari Sellers, who is the author of "My Vanishing Country: A Memoir," a country that you could reach on any number of flights in and out of Washington. No doubt. Maggie Haberman, I wanted to press Tim on that, because it's one of these things now that the President has mentioned twice. And, you know, he's done this for years. And people may toss it off as oh, it's just what the President does, it is just what the President does. It seems as we sit here tonight that the President has invented out of thin air this story of this flight coming in and out, and we've got no details here. So what do you make of it all?
[Maggie Haberman, Cnn Political Analyst:] Right. Look, John, officials of the White House say that the President has been briefed on concerns emphasis on concerns that there might be folks who are being paid to agitate and create unrest around the protest. That's not new. We've heard Bill Barr, the Attorney General say some version of that publicly. What is new is this this elaborate story the President tells about a plane and people boarding it down to the number of people boarding it. And then suddenly everybody realized they weren't looters and rioters. It's changed directions. The President has a history of making up stories, of manufacturing incidents and events that have happened. This may be one of them. It may not be one of them. But it's incumbent upon the White House or the President to say what he is talking about when he is the President and when he is talking about a moment of deep strife in this country.
[Berman:] You know, again, it's this conspiracy he has created which depicts this airborne transport of demonstrators around the country. If he's going to say it, he should come forward with proof, and David, there are moments when the President of the United States again, the Commander-in-Chief talks like a spam e-mail or a Facebook post that you might see from some crazy aunt or uncle. We all have them. I'm not speaking specifically of any of my relatives as far as you know, but some of these posts work. So do people hear this?
[David Axelrod, Cnn Senior Political Commentator:] Look, I think a portion of the public hears it and receives it. His base hears it and receives it. But you know, the thing that was interesting to me about that conversation other than his inability to answer your question was his continuing reference to out-of-state people coming into these cities to be disruptive and there was no mention of the 17-year-old kid from Illinois, Kyle Rittenhouse, who drove or whose mother drove him apparently over to Kenosha where he, with his semiautomatic weapon, killed two people and is now indicted for murder. The President of the United States more than having the responsibility to tell the truth really has the responsibility not to foment violence in a way that leads to loss of life. And you know, I think Joe Biden was pretty clear yesterday whether he mentioned Antifa or not that he was very, very strongly condemning violence. And he told people, if you think you're bringing about change by doing this, you're wrong. But we haven't heard that from the President. We didn't hear it yesterday. He defended this young man and made a self- defense argument for this young man. He didn't or rebuke, I should say, his supporters in Portland who drove in in a caravan and stirred things up the other night. He is not helping. He is stirring up conflict because he thinks it's in his political interest. And I must say, and this is not a criticism of you because I think you have to follow the story. But he you know, we are 30 minutes in or something and we haven't yet gotten to the coronavirus and that's the story he doesn't want to talk about. So he is revving up his base. He is diverting the story and I think he is getting what he wants out of it whether it leads him to where he wants to go, which is reelection is a different question. But this is a deliberate strategy, and it is very much in keeping with what we've seen from him for the last five years.
[Berman:] I'll take that criticism. It's a fair criticism. It's something I was on TV on morning long and we consistently pointed it out that coronavirus cases are actually rising in the Midwest. The president was in the Midwest today, but that wasn't what he was therefore. So there's clear juxtaposition there. He doesn't want to address that or even be seen addressing it in anyway. Bakari, we had Justin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake on, I think you had a chance to listen to that. You also saw what happened in Kenosha today. What is your big take away from today's vents?
[Bakari Sellers Cnn Political Commentator:] Well I know the president doesn't want to talk about coronavirus. He also doesn't want to talk about the problem we have with individuals like Jacob Blake, unarmed individual who come contact with law enforcement who do not deserve to be paralyzed or do not deserve to have lethal force used on them. You know, that's first and foremost. I think people often times forget why we are here. I talk to people often and I'm like, you know, if you don't want protests, stop shooting people in the back people in the back seven times. I mean that's pretty much the way we can nix all of this. If you don't want protests, don't put a knee in the back of George Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. We can nix all of this. But even more importantly, you know, if you want to come down on the side of law enforcement, which I do. I mean I'm speaking to the largest law enforcement agency in South Carolina tomorrow and happy to do it on how we heal our communities but I'm also going to point out which they agree with, that you have to condemn Kyle Rittenhouse. There is no way around that. And so you have a young man and while he's talking about an airplane that brought in people in all black that nobody can point to, I mean the United States senators that are going along with this, you know, fantasy that people are talking about, you can condemn this man, this 17-year-old man. I'm not calling to call him a boy but you can condemn this man and his mother who drove him. You can start there. And look, I want to be clear and I do know that my Twitter is going to blow up and everything else. I've never met anybody in Antifa, that's not something we have in South Carolina but hell, I condemn them, too. Like, it's not we violence does in an proportion does not do good for the movement, period. That's what Joe Biden said. That's what Democrats say. President can't say that.
[Berman:] So the Blake family just told us earlier in the show. Bakari Sellers, David Axelrod, Maggie Haberman, I do appreciate you being with us tonight. Thank you. A brief programming though, be sure to tune in for an exclusive interview with Attorney General Bill Barr with Wolf Blitzer tomorrow in the 5:00 p.m. hour of The Situation Room. So straight ahead, we are talking about coronavirus. There is breaking news on that and the use of convalescent plasma. The National Institute of Health has just released guidance on the treatment. The treatment promoted by both the president and the head of the FDA. We'll tell you what they had to say when "360" continues.

[Jay Sekulow, Outside Legal Counsel For President Trump:] Let me say that again. This, the Mueller report, resulted in this that for this. Ultimately the investigation did not establish that the campaign coordinated or conspired with the Russian government in its election- related interference activities. This for that. In his summation on Thursday night, Manager Schiff complained that the President chose not to go with the determination of his intelligence agencies regarding foreign interference and instead decided that he would listen to people that he trusted, and he would inquire about the Ukraine issue himself. Mr. Schiff did not like the fact that the President did not apparently blindly trust some of the advice he was being given by the intelligence agencies. First of all, let me be clear, disagreeing with the President's decision on foreign policy matters or whose advice he's going to take, is in no way an impeachable offense. Second, Mr. Schiff and Mr. Nadler, of all people because they chair significant committees, really should know this and they should know what's happened. Let me remind you of something, just six-tenths of a mile from this chamber sits the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court, also known as the FISA court. It is the federal court established and authorized under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to oversee requests by federal agencies for surveillance orders against foreign spies inside of the United States, including American citizens. Because of the sensitive nature of its business, the court is a more secret court. Its hearings are closed to the public. In this court, there are no defense counsel, no opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and no ability to test evidence. The only material the court ever sees are those materials that are submitted on trust on trust by members of the intelligence community with the presumption that they would be acting in good faith. On December 17th, 2019 the FISA court issued a scathing order in response to the Justice Department inspector general's report on FBI's crossfire hurricane investigation into whether or not the Trump campaign was coordinating with Russia. We already know the conclusion. That report detailed the FBI's pattern of practice, systematic abuses of obtaining surveillance order requests and the process they utilized in its order. This is the order from the court. I'm going to read it. This order responds to reports that personnel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation provided false information to the National Security Division of the Department of Justice and withheld material information from the NSD which was detrimental to the FBI's case in connection with four applications from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court. When the FBI personnel misled NSD in the ways that are described in these reports, they equally misled the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court. This order has been followed up. There's been another order. It was declassified just a couple of days ago. Thanks in large part, the court said, to the office of the inspector general's U.S. Department of Justice, the court has received notice of material misstatements and omissions in applications filed by the government in the above-captioned documents. DOJ assesses that with respect to the applications and it lists two specific docket numbers, 17375 and 17679, if not earlier. There was not there was insufficient predication to establish probable cause to believe that Carter Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power. The President had reason to be concerned about the information he was being provided. Now, we can ignore this. We can make believe this did not happen. But it did. So as we begin introducing our arguments, I want to correct a couple of things on the record as well. That's what we are doing today. We really intend to show over the next several days that the evidence is actually really overwhelming that the President did nothing wrong. Mr. Schiff and his colleagues repeatedly told you that the intelligence community assessment that Russia was acting alone, responsible for the election interference, implying that this somehow debunked the idea that there might be, you know, interference from other countries, including Ukraine.
[Sekulow:] Mr. Nadler deployed a similar argument saying that President Trump thought, quote, "Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in our last presidential election." And this is basically what we call a strawman argument. Let me be clear. The House managers in over a 23-hour period kept pushing this false dichotomy that it was either Russia or Ukraine but not both. They kept telling you the conclusion of the intelligence community and Mr. Mueller was Russia alone with regard to the 2016 elections. Of course, that's not the report that Bob Mueller wrote focused on Russian interference, although there is some information in letters regarding Ukraine, and I'm going to point to those in a few moments. In fact, let me talk about those letters right now. This is a letter dated May 4, 2018 to Mr. Yuriy Lutsenko, the general prosecutor for the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. It was a letter requesting that his office cooperate with the Mueller investigation involving Ukraine issues and issues involving Ukraine government or law enforcement officials. It's signed by Senator Menendez, Senator Leahy and Senator Durbin. I'm doing this to put this in an entire perspective. House managers tried to tell you that the importance remember the whole discussion and my colleague Mr. Purpura talked about this between President Zelensky and President Trump and the bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House. As if an article of impeachment could be based upon a meeting not taking place in the White House but taking place someplace else, like the United Nations General Assembly, where it in fact did take place. Now Dr. Fiona Hill was quite clear in saying that a White House meeting would supply the new Ukrainian government with the, quote, "legitimacy it needed", especially vis-a-vis the Russians and that Ukraine's view that the White House is a recognition of their legitimacy legitimacy of a sovereign state. But here's what they did not play. Here's what they did not tell you. And I'm going to quote from Dr. Hill's testimony on page 145 of her transcript. These are her words, this is what she said under oath. "It wasn't always a White House meeting per se, but definitely a presidential level meeting. You know a meeting with Zelensky and the President. I mean it could have taken place in Poland in Warsaw. It could have been, you know, a proper bilateral in some other context. But in other words a White House-level presidential meeting." That can be found on page 145. And contrary to what Manager Schiff and some of the other managers told you is this meeting did in fact occur. It occurred at the U.N. General Assembly on September 25th, 2019. Those were the words of Dr. Hill that you did not hear. This case is really not about presidential wrongdoing. This entire impeachment process is about the House managers' insistence that they are able to read everybody's thoughts. They can read everybody's intention, even when the principal speakers, the witnesses themselves, insist that those interpretations are wrong. Manager Schiff, Managers Garcia and Demings relied heavily on selected clips from Ambassador Sondland's testimony. I'm not going to replay those. My colleague, Mr. Purpura played those for you. It's clear. We're not going to play the same clips seven times. He said it. You saw it. That's the evidence. Miss Lofgren said that, you know, numerous witnesses testified and this is a quote that they were not provided with any reason for why the hold was lifted on September 11th, again suggesting that the President's reason for the hold, Ukrainian corruption and burden sharing, were somehow created after the fact. But again, as my colleague just showed you, burden sharing was raised in the transcript itself. Mr. Schiff stated here that just like the implementation of the hold, President Trump provided no reason for the release. This also is wrong. In their testimony Ambassadors Volker and Sondland said that the President raised his concerns about Ukrainian corruption in the May 23, 2019 meeting with the Ukraine delegation. Deputy Defense Secretary Laura Craft And according to her October 30th, 2019 testimony, the special adviser for Ukraine negotiations at the State Department, Catherine Croft, also heard the President raise the issue of corruption directly with then-President Poroshenko of Ukraine during a bilateral meeting at the United Nations General Assembly, this time in September of 2017. Special Adviser Croft testified she also understood the President's concerns that, quote, "Ukraine is corrupt because she has been this is her words tasked to write a paper to help then NSA head McMasters, General McMasters, make the case to the President in connection with prior prior security assistance. These concerns were entirely justified." When asked, and again a quote from Dr. Hill's October 14, 2019 hearing transcript. "Certainly these are her words eliminating corruption in Ukraine was one of the central goals of a foreign policy." Now, does anybody think that one election of one president that ran on a reform platform, who finally gets a majority in their legislative body that corruption in Ukraine just evaporates? That's like looking at this and it goes back to the Mueller report you can't look at these issues in a vacuum. Virtually every witness agreed that confronting corruption be at the forefront of U.S. policy. Now, I think there's some other things we have to understand about timing. This again is according to the testimony of Tim Morrison, his testimony. This is when President Zelensky was first elected. There was real these are his words concern about whether he would be a genuine reformer and whether he would genuinely try to root out corruption. It was also at this time this is before the election unclear whether President Zelensky's party would actually be able to get a workable majority. I think we're all glad that they did. To say that's been tested or determined that corruption in Ukraine has been removed, the anti- corruption court of Ukraine did not commence its work until September 5th of 2019 121 days ago, four months ago. We're acting as if there was a magic wand, that there were new elections and everything was now fine. I will not because we're going to hear more about it get into some of the meetings the Vice President had. You will hear that in the days ahead. Manager Crow said this, "What's most interesting to me about this is that President Trump was only interested in Ukraine aid his words nobody else. The U.S. provides aid to dozens of countries around the world, lots of partners and allies. He didn't ask about any of them, just Ukraine." I appreciate your service to our country. I really do. I didn't serve in the military. And I appreciate that. But let's get our facts straight. That is what Manager Crow said. Here's what actually happened. President Trump has placed holds on aid a number of times. We just take basic due diligence to figure this out. In September 2019 the administration announced that it was withholding over $100 million in aid to Afghanistan over concerns about government corruption. In August 2019 President Trump announced that the administration in Seoul were in talks to substantially increase South Korea's burden sharing of the expenses of U.S. military aid support for South Korea. In June President Trump cut or paused over $550 million in foreign aid to El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala because those countries were not fairly sharing the burdens of preventing mass migrations to the United States. In June the administration temporarily paused $105 million in aid to Lebanon. The administration lifted that hold in December with one official explaining that the administration continually reviews and thoroughly evaluates the effectiveness of all United States foreign assistance to ensure that funds go towards activities that further U.S. foreign policy and also further our national security interests, like any administration would. In September 2018 the administration canceled the $300 million $300 million in military aid to Pakistan because it was not meeting its counter terrorism obligations. You didn't hear about any of that from my Democratic colleagues, the House managers. None of that was discussed. Under Secretary Hale, again his transcript, said that, quote, "Aid has been withheld from several countries across the globe for various reasons." Dr. Hill similarly explained that there was a freeze put on all kinds of aid, also freeze was put on assistance because it was in the process at the time of an awful lot of reviews going on, on foreign assistance. That's the Hill deposition transcript. She added this was one of the star witnesses for the managers she added, this again not played, that in her experience stops and starts are sometimes common with foreign assistance. And that the Office of Management and Budget holds up dollars all the time including in the past for dollars going to Ukraine in the past. Similarly, Ambassador Volker affirmed that aid gets held up from time to time for a whole assortment of reasons. Manager Crow told you that the President's Ukraine policy was not strong against Russia noting that we help our partner fight Russia over there so we don't have to fight Russia here, our friends on the front lines in trenches and with sneakers. This was following the Russians invasion of Ukraine in 2014, the United States has stood by Ukraine. Those are your words. While it's true that the United States has stood by Ukraine since the invasion of 2014, only one president since then took a very concrete step. Some of you supported it. And that step included actually providing Ukraine with lethal weapons, including javelin missiles. That's what President Trump did. Some of you in this very room, some of you managers, actually supported that. Here's what Ambassador Taylor said that you didn't hear in the 23 hours. You didn't hear this. Javelin missiles are serious weapons. They will kill Russian tanks. Ambassador Yovanovitch agreed stating that Ukraine policy under President Trump President Trump actually got stronger, stronger than it was under President Obama. There were talks about sanctions. President Trump has also imposed heavy sanctions on Russia where President Zelensky thanked him. The United States has imposed heavy sanctions on Russia. President Zelensky thanked him. Manager Jeffries said that the idea that Trump cares about corruption is laughable. This is what Dr. Hill said, they didn't play this. "Eliminating corruption in Ukraine was one of, if not the central goal, of U.S. foreign policy in Ukraine." Let me say that again. Dr. Hill testified that eliminating corruption in Ukraine was one of, if not the central goal, of U.S. Foreign policy in Ukraine. You're taking notes. You can find that at the Hill deposition transcript 34:7-13. Dr. Hill also said that she thinks the President has actually quite publicly said he was very skeptical about corruption in Ukraine. In fact, he's not alone, she said this well, everyone has expressed again great concerns about corruption. Ambassador Yovanovitch, they didn't play this, she also said we all had concerns. National Security Director Morrison confirmed that, quote, he was aware that the President thought Ukraine had a corruption problem, as did many other people familiar with it. I'm not going to continue to go over and over and over again the evidence that they did not put before you, because we would be here for a lot longer than 24 hours. But to say the President of the United States did not was not concerned about burden sharing, that he was not concerned about corruption in Ukraine the facts from their hearing the facts from their hearing, established exactly the opposite. The President wasn't concerned about burden sharing? Read all of the records. And then there was Mr. Schiff saying yesterday, maybe we can learn a lot more from our Ukrainian ally. Let me read you what our Ukrainian ally said. President Zelensky when asked about these allegations of quid pro quo, he said I think you read everything. I think you read the text. He said, we had a good phone call. These are his words. It was normal. We spoke about many things. I think and you read it that nobody pushed me. They think you can read minds. I think you look at the words. I will yield the balance of my time to my colleague, the deputy White House counsel Pat Philbin. He's going to address the two issues. So we're going to try to do this in a very systematic way over the days ahead. One involving issues related to because this came up near the end of there so I want to do this in a sequence. Obstruction as relates to some of the subpoenas that were issued. He's also going to touch on some of the due process issues since it was at the end of theirs and freshen everybody's minds. Mr. Chief Justice.
[Patrick Philbin, Deputy Counsel To The President:] Mr. Chief Justice, Senators, Majority Leader McConnell and Democratic Leader Schumer good morning. As Mr. Sekulow said I'm going to touch on a couple of issues related to obstruction and due process. Just to hit on some points before we go into more detail in the rest of our presentation. I would like to start with one of the points that Manager Jeffries focused a lot on towards the end of the presentation yesterday, related to the obstruction charge in the second article of impeachment. Because he tried to portray a picture of what he called blanket defiance. That there was a response from the Trump administration that was simply, we won't cooperate with anything, we won't give you any documents, we won't do anything. And it was blanket defiance really without explanation, that that was all there was. It's just an assertion that we wouldn't cooperate. He said, and I pull this from the transcript, that President Trump's objections are not generally rooted in the law and are not legal arguments. That's simply not true. That's simply not true. In every instance when there was resistance to a subpoena, resistance to a subpoena for a witness or for documents, there was a legal explanation of the justification for it. For example, they focused a lot on an October 8th letter from the counsel to the President Pat Cipollone but they didn't show you an October 18th letter, which is up on the screen now, that went through in detail why subpoenas that had been issued by Manager Schiff's committees were invalid. Because the House has not authorized your committees to conduct any such inquiry or to subpoena information in furtherance of it. That was because the House had not taken a vote to authorize the committee, to exercise the power of impeachment, to issue any compulsory process. And I'm going to get into that issue in just a moment. Not only was there a legal explanation, a specific reason for every resistance, not just blanket defiance. Every step that the administration took was supported by an opinion from the Department of Justice from the Office of Legal Counsel. And those are explained in our brief, and the major opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel is actually attached in our trial memorandum as an appendix.
[Philbin:] Now, Mr. Jeffries and other managers also suggested that the Trump administration took the approach of no negotiation, blanket refusal and no attempt to accommodate. That's also not true. In the October 8th letter that Mr. Cipollone sent to Speaker Pelosi, it said explicitly, quote, "If the committee's wish to return to the regular order of oversight requests, we stand ready to engage in that process as we have in the past in a manner consistent with well- established, bipartisan Constitutional protections and a respect for the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution," end quote. It was Manager Schiff and his committees that did not want to engage in any accommodation process. We have said that we were willing to explore that. The House managers have also asserted a number of times this came up on that first long night when we were here until 2:00 as well that the Trump administration never asserted executive privilege, never asserted executive privilege. And I explained at the time that's technically true but misleading. Misleading because the rationale on which the subpoenas were resisted never depended on an assertion of executive privilege. Each of the rationales that we have offered and I will go into one of them today that the House subpoenas were not authorized did not depend on making that formal assertion of executive privilege. It's a different legal rationale. The subpoenas weren't not authorized because there was no vote, or the subpoenas were to senior advisers to the President, who were immune from congressional compulsion or the subpoenas were forcing an executive branch official to testify without the presence of agency counsel, which is a separate legal infirmity again supported by an opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. But let me turn to the specific issue of the invalidity of the subpoenas because they weren't supported by a vote of the House authorizing Manager Schiff's committee to exercise the power of impeachment, to issue compulsory process. Manager Jeffries said that there were no Supreme Court precedents suggesting such a requirement and that every investigation into a presidential impeachment in history has begun without a vote from the House. And those statements simply aren't accurate. There is Supreme Court precedent explaining very clearly the principle that a committee of either House of Congress gets its authority only by a resolution from the parent body. The United States versus Romley and Watkins versus the United States make this very clear. And it's common sense. The Constitution assigns the sole power of impeachment to the House of Representatives, to the House. Not to any member, not to a subcommittee. And that authority can be delegated to a committee to use only by a vote of the House. It would be the same here in the Senate. The Senate has the sole power to try impeachments. But if there were no rules that had been adopted by the Senate, would you think that the Majority Leader himself could simply decide that he would have a committee receive evidence, handle that, submit a recommendation to the Senate and that would be the way the trial would occur without a vote from the senate to give authority to that committee? I don't think so. It doesn't make sense. That's not the way the Constitution assigns that authority. And it's the same in the House. Here there was no vote to authorize a committee to exercise the power of impeachment, and this law has been boiled down by the D.C. circuit in Exxon Corp. versus FTC to explain it this way. To issue a valid subpoena, a committee or subcommittee must conform strictly to the resolution establishing its investigatory powers. There must be a resolution voted on by the parent body to give the committee that power. And the problem here is there is no standing rule, there was no standing authority giving Manager Schiff's committee the authority to use the power of impeachment to issue compulsory process. Rule 10 of the House discusses legislative authorities. It doesn't mention impeachment. And that is why in every presidential impeachment in history, the House has initiated the inquiry by voting to give a committee the authority to pursue that inquiry. So contrary to what Manager Jeffries suggested, there has always been in every presidential impeachment inquiry a vote from the full House to authorize a committee. And that is the only way an inquiry begins. There were three different votes for the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in January 1867, in March 1867 and in February 1868. For President Nixon, Chairman Rodino of the House Judiciary Committee explained there was a move to have him issue subpoenas after the Saturday night massacre, and they determined that they did not have that authority in the House Judiciary Committee without a vote from the House. And he determined as he explained that a resolution has always been passed by the House. It is a necessary step if we are to meet our obligations. There's been reference to investigatory activities starting in the House Judiciary Committee in the Nixon impeachment prior to a vote in the House but all that the committee was doing was assembling publicly available information and information that had been gathered by other congressional committees. There was never an attempt to issue compulsory process until there had been a vote by the House to give the House Judiciary Committee that authority. Similarly in the Clinton impeachment, there were two votes from the full House to give the House Judiciary Committee authority to proceed. First the vote on Resolution 525 just to allow the committee to examine the independent counsel report and determine and make recommendations on how to proceed. Then a separate resolution, House Resolution 581 that gave the House Judiciary Committee subpoena authority. And at the time in a House report, the House Judiciary Committee explained, and I'm quoting, "Because the issue of impeachment is of such overwhelming importance, the committee decided that it must receive authorization from the full House before proceeding on any further course of action. Because impeachment is delegated solely to the House of Representatives by the Constitution, the full House of Representatives should be involved in critical decision-making regarding various stages of impeachment." Here the House Democrats skipped over that step completely. What they had instead was simply a press conference from Speaker Pelosi announcing that she was directing committees to proceed with an impeachment inquiry against the President of the United States. Speaker Pelosi did not have the authority to delegate the power of the House to those committees on her own. So why does it matter? It matters because the Constitution places that authority in the House and ensures that there is a democratic check on the exercise of that authority, that there will have to be a vote by the full House before there can be a proceeding to start inquiring into impeaching the President of the United States. One of the things the framers were most concerned about an impeachment was the potential for a partisan impeachment. A partisan impeachment that was being pushed merely by a faction. And a way to ensure a check on that is to require democratic accountability from the full House, to have a vote from the entire House, before an inquiry could proceed. That didn't happen here. It was only after five weeks of hearings that the House decided to have a vote. And what that meant at the outset was that all of the subpoenas that were issued under the law, the Supreme Court cases I discussed, all of those subpoenas were invalid. And that is what the Trump administration pointed out specifically to the House. And that was the reason for not responding to them. Because under long-settled precedent, there had to be a vote from the House to give authority, and the administration would not respond to subpoenas that were invalid. Now, the next point I would like to touch on briefly has to do with due process. Because we've heard from the House managers that they offered the President due process at the House Judiciary Committee. And Manager Nadler described it as that he sent the President a letter, the President's counsel a letter, offering to allow the President to participate and the President's counsel just refused as if that was the only exchange and there was just a blanket refusal to participate. But let me explain what actually happened. And I should note, before I get into those details, there was a suggestion also that due process is not required in the House proceeding, that it's simply a privilege. But that wasn't the position that Manager Nadler has taken in the past. In 2016 he said, quote, "The power of impeachment is a solemn responsibility assigned to the House by the Constitution and to this committee by our peers. That responsibility demands a rigorous level of due process." And in the Clinton impeachment in 1998 he explained, "What does due process mean? It means, among other things, the right to confront the witnesses against you, to call your own witnesses, and to have the assistance of counsel." I think we all know that all of those rights were denied to the President in the first two rounds of hearings. The first round of secret hearings in the basement bunker where Manager Schiff had three committees holding hearings. And then around public hearings to take the testimony that had been screened in the basement bunker and have it in a public televised setting which was totally unprecedented in any presidential impeachment inquiry in both the Clinton and the Nixon inquiries. For every public hearing, the President was allowed to be present by counsel and cross-examine witnesses. But the House managers say that's all right because when we got to the third round of hearings, after people had testified twice, then we were going to allow the President to have some due process. But the way that played out was this. First, they scheduled the hearing for December 4th that was going to hear solely from law professors. And by the time they wanted the President to commit whether he would participate, it was unclear they could not specify how many law professors or who the law professors were going to be. And the President's counsel wrote back and declining to participate in that. But at the same time Manager Nadler had asked what other rights under the House Resolution 660, the rules governing the House inquiry, the President would like to exercise? And the President's counsel wrote back asking specific questions in order to be able to make an informed decision, and asked whether you intend to allow fact witnesses to be called, including the witnesses who had been requested by HIPC ranking member Nunes? Whether you intend to allow members of the Judiciary Committee and the President's counsel the right to cross-examine fact witnesses? And whether your Republican colleagues on the Judiciary Committee will be allowed to call witnesses of their choosing? Manager Nadler didn't respond to that letter. There wasn't information provided. And we had discussions with the staff on the Judiciary Committee to try to find out what were the plans, what were the hearings going to be like? And the way the week played out, on December 4th there was the hearing with the law professors, the first hearing before the Judiciary Committee. And on December 5th, the morning of December 5th, Speaker Pelosi announced the conclusion of the entire Judiciary Committee process because she announced that she was directing Chairman Nadler to draft articles of impeachment. So the conclusion of the whole process was already set. Then after the close of business on the 5th, we learned from the staff that the committee had no plans other than a hearing on December 9th to hear from staffers who had prepared HIPC committee reports. They had no plans to have other hearings. No plans to hear from fact witnesses. No plans to do any factual investigation. So the President was given a choice of participating in a process that was going to already have the outcome determined, the speaker had already said articles of impeachment are going to be drafted, and where there were no plans to hear from any fact witnesses. That's not due process. And that's why the President declined to participate in that process. Because the Judiciary Committee had already decided they were going to accept an ex parte record developed in Manager Schiff's process, and there was no point in participating in that. So the idea that there was due process offered to the President is simply not accurate. The entire proceedings in the House from the time of the September 4th press conference until the Judiciary Committee began marking up articles of impeachment on December 11th lasted 78 days. It's the fastest investigatory process for a presidential impeachment in history. And for 71 days of that process, for 71 days of the hearings and taking of depositions and hearing testimony, the President was completely locked out. He couldn't be represented by counsel, he couldn't cross-examine witnesses, he couldn't present evidence, he couldn't present witnesses for 71 of the 78 days. That's not due process. And it goes to a point Mr. Cipollone raised earlier. Why would you have a process like that? What does that tell you about the process? As we pointed out a couple of times, cross-examination in our legal system is regarded as the greatest legal engine ever invented for the discovery of truth. It's essential. The Supreme Court said in Goldberg versus Kelly for any determination that's important, that requires determining facts, cross-examination has been one of the keys for due process. Why did they design a mechanism here where the President was locked out and denied the ability to cross-examine witnesses? It's because they weren't really interested in getting at the facts and the truth. They had a timetable to meet. They wanted to have impeachment done by Christmas. And that's what they were striving to do. Now, as a slight shift in gears, I want to touch on one last point before I yield to one of my colleagues. And that relates to the whistle-blower. The whistle-blower who we haven't heard that much about, who started all of this. The whistle-blower we know from a letter that the inspector general of the intelligence community sent that he thought that the whistle- blower had political bias. We don't know exactly what the political bias was because the inspector general testified in the House committees in an executive session, and that transcript is still secret. It wasn't transmitted up to the House Judiciary Committee. We haven't seen it. We don't know what's in it. We don't know what he was asked and what he revealed about the whistle-blower. Now, you would think that before going forward with an impeachment proceeding against the President of the United States that you would want to find out something about the complainant that had started all of it, because motivations, bias, reasons for wanting to bring this complaint could be relevant. But there wasn't any inquiry into that. Recent reports, public reports suggest that potentially the whistle- blower was an intelligence community staffer who worked with then-vice president Biden on Ukraine matters, which, if true, would suggest an even greater reason for wanting to know about potential bias or motive for the whistle-blower. And at first, when things started, it seemed like everyone agreed that we should hear from the whistle-blower, including Manager Schiff. And I think we have what he said.
[Rep. Adam Schiff , California:] Yes, we would love to talk directly with to the whistle-blower. We'll get the unfiltered testimony of that whistle-blower. We don't need the whistle-blower.
[Philbin:] What changed? At first Manager Schiff agreed we should hear the unfiltered testimony from the whistle-blower. But then he changed his mind. And he suggested that it was because now we had the transcript. But the second clip there was from September 29th, which was four days after the transcript had been released. But there was something else that came into play. And that was something that Manager Schiff had said earlier when he was asked about whether he had spoken to the whistle-blower.
[Schiff:] We have not spoken directly with the whistle-blower. We would like to.
[Philbin:] And it turned out that that statement was not truthful. Around October 2nd or 3rd, it was exposed that Manager Schiff's staff at least had spoken with the whistle-blower before the whistle-blower filed the complaint and potentially had given some guidance of some sort to the whistle-blower. And after that point it became critical to shut down any inquiry into the whistle-blower. And during the House hearings, of course, Manager Schiff was in charge, he was chairing the hearings. And that creates a real problem from a due process perspective, from a search for truth perspective because he was an interested fact witness at that point. He had a reason since he had been caught out saying something that wasn't truthful about that contact. He had a reason to not want that inquiry and it was he who ensured there wasn't any inquiry into that. Now, this is relevant here I think because as you heard from my colleagues a lot of what we've heard over the past 23 hours over the past three days has been from Chairman Schiff. And he has been telling you things like what's in President Trump's head, what's in President Zelensky's head. It is all his interpretation of the facts and the evidence, trying to pull inferences out of things. And there's another statement that Chairman Schiff made that I think we have on video.
[Chuck Todd, Nbc News:] So you admit it's all you have right now is a circumstantial case?
[Schiff:] Actually no Chuck. I can tell you that the case is more than that. And I can't go into the particulars but there's more than circumstantial evidence now, so again I think Director Clapper
[Todd:] You have seen direct evidence of collusion?
[Schiff:] I don't want to go into specifics but I will say that there is evidence that is not circumstantial and is very much worthy of investigation.
[Philbin:] So that was in March of 2017 when Chairman Schiff, as ranking member of his HIPC, was telling the public, the American public, that he had more than circumstantial evidence through his position on HIPC that President Trump's campaign had colluded with Russia. Now of course, the Mueller report as Mr. Sekulow pointed out, after $32 million and over 500 search warrants, or roughly 500 search warrants, determined that there was no collusion. That that wasn't true. And we wanted to point these things out simply because for this reason. Chairman Schiff has made so much of the House's case about the credibility of interpretations that the House managers want to place are not hard evidence but on inferences. They want to tell you what President Trump thought. They want to tell you don't believe what Zelensky said. We can tell you what Zelensky actually thought. Don't believe what the other Ukrainians actually said about not being pressured. We can tell you what they actually thought. That it is very relevant to know whether the assessments of evidence he presented in the past are accurate. And we would submit that they have not been and that that is relevant for your consideration. With that, I will yield to my colleague, Mr. Cipollone.
[Pat Cipollone, White House Counsel:] Mr. Chief Justice, members of the Senate I have good news just a few more minutes from us today.
[Cipollone:] But I want to point out a couple of points. Number one, just to follow-up on what Mr. Philbin just told you. Do you know who else didn't show up in the Judiciary Committee to answer questions about his report in the way Ken Starr did in the Clinton impeachment? Ken Starr was subjected to cross examination by the President's counsel. Do you know who didn't show up in the Judiciary Committee? Chairman Schiff. He did not show up. He did not give Chairman Nadler the respect of appearing before his committee and answering questions from his committee. He did send his staff but why didn't he show up? Another good question you should think about. Now, they've come here today and they basically said let's cancel an election over a meeting with Ukraine. As my colleagues have shown, they failed to give you key facts about the meeting and lots of other evidence that they produced themselves. But let's talk about the meeting. They said it's all about invitation to a meeting. If you look at the first transcript, at the first transcript, the President said to President Zelensky, "When you're settled in and ready, I'd like to invite you to the White House. We'll have a lot of things to talk about, but we're with you all the way." And President Zelensky said, "Well, thank you for the invitation. We accept the invitation and look forward to the visit. Thank you again." Then President Zelensky got a letter on May 29th inviting him again to come to the White House. And then going back to the transcript of the July 25th call, again, a part of the call that that they didn't talk to you about, President Trump said "Whenever you would like to come to the White House, feel free to call. Give us a date and we'll work that out. I look forward to seeing you." President Zelensky replied, "Thank you very much. I would be very happy to come and would be happy to meet with you personally and get to know you better. I'm looking forward to our meeting. And I also would like to invite you to visit Ukraine and come to the city of Kiev, which is a beautiful city. We have a beautiful country which would welcome you." Then he said "On the other hand, I believe on September 1 we will be in Poland and we can meet in Poland hopefully." Now, they didn't read you that part of the transcript and they didn't tell you what happened. A meeting in Poland was scheduled. President Trump was scheduled to go to Poland. He was scheduled to meet with President Zelensky. What happened? President Trump couldn't go to Poland. Why? Because there was a hurricane in the United States. And he thought it would be better for him to stay here to help deal with the hurricane. So the vice president went. Why didn't they tell you that? Why didn't they tell you that President Zelensky suggested hey, how about we meet in Poland? Why didn't you tell them that that meeting was scheduled and had to be cancelled for a hurricane? Why? So that was our first question that we asked you. You heard a lot of facts that they didn't tell you, facts that are critical, facts that they know completely collapse their case on the facts. Now, you heard a lot from them. You're not going to hear facts from the President's lawyers. They're not going to talk to you about the facts. That's all we've done today. And ask yourself. Ask yourself, given the facts you heard today that they didn't tell you, who doesn't want to talk about the facts? Who doesn't want to talk about the facts. The American people paid a lot of money for those facts. They paid a lot of money for this investigation.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn International:] Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, the protests at the U.S. embassy in Iraq dies down, but the rhetoric between America and Iran ramps up. Then, breaking last hour, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially requested parliamentary immunity in the three corruption cases against him: what it means for Israel's political future. And a German zoo goes up in flames, all but two animals in an enclosure, lost: details of what zookeepers are calling their hardest day. It is 10:00 p.m. right now in Iraq. And after a second day of violent protests outside the U.S. embassy, the question is, what happens next? Here's what it looked like earlier. Supporters and members of a pro- Iranian militia threw stones at the embassy. They were protesting airstrikes launched by the United States. They also set fires. U.S. forces responded with tear gas. Most of those protestors, though, have now left. But the State Department says Iraqi forces are still working to clear any stragglers. CNN's Arwa Damon reported earlier, from the scene in Baghdad as the situation was quickly shifting.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] The situation does at least compared to the images that we have been seeing coming out appear to have significantly calmed down, although it may not necessarily be entirely resolved. We're standing just outside of this massive sprawling U.S. embassy complex. You can see one of the entrances there. If I'm not mistaken, that is where you would go through if you wanted to go to consular services. There's another entrance, further down the road, that also has been torched as well. You can see all of the anti-American graffiti that has been spray- painted on the walls. Supporters and members of what is known as the Popular Mobilization Force, the PMF, they are the ones that were part of this protest. These are not ordinary protestors. The PMF came together as a response during the fight against ISIS. And they have continued to be extremely powerful. The message here, obviously, is very clear. Even though, now, their spokesperson is saying that they will be withdrawing from this area, that they also will be pulling back because they say the message has been received, they continue to demand that the U.S. leave Iraq. However, what they are saying right now is that they are going to allow time for it to happen within the Iraqi legal process. Now, what makes this all so very complicated is that this paramilitary force, of which Kata'ib Hezbollah is an element, is underneath the control, ostensibly, of the Iraqi security forces you can hear them chanting now, "Down America." There is a sense, among those who are here, that they have the upper hand right now, they have won. They managed to come into one of the more fortified U.S. installations, to its largest embassy, and make this kind of statement. There is still a lot of concern, though, when it comes to what's happening here in Iraq. Not only have it becoming much more of a focal battlefield in this proxy war that's unfolding between Tehran and the United States. Many of these groups that are part of the paramilitary force are supported by Iran, very closely affiliated with it but then you also have the reality that the Baghdad government itself, at this stage, is extraordinarily unstable. So this most certainly, as many who are watching this situation will tell you, another extraordinarily difficult and potentially very dangerous chapter for Iraq. Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
[Gorani:] The U.S. is sending additional forces to the region. And the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, is postponing a trip to Ukraine and several other countries. He's staying home to keep an eye on the situation. CNN Pentagon Reporter, Ryan Browne is with us now. So what will these additional forces, what is their mission in Iraq right now, Ryan?
[Ryan Browne, Cnn Pentagon Reporter:] Well, this latest contingent of forces includes about 750 paratroopers, and they have deployed to the region, not Iraq itself but nearby Kuwait, we're being told, so they could respond in the event of a crisis, if there were some kind of scenario where the situation were to deteriorate. Now, of course, these forces were deployed before the kind of the dispersal of most of these militia protestors. But they were sent there to kind of help bolster U.S. forces in the region. That's addition to, of course, those Apache helicopters that were flown overhead in a show of force we just saw images of those and a contingent of 100 U.S. Marines, a crisis response force that was flown into the embassy compound, about 100 Marines trained in security duties, flown in immediately to help kind of secure that location in the face of those attempts to storm the embassy grounds. Now that you see Iraqi security forces back on scene, it will remain a question, whether or not the additional thousands of U.S. troops, based in the United States, that had been kind of earmarked to go to the region if the situation continued to unravel, whether they will actually go now. I think that's something they'll likely revisit. But, again, these tensions remain very much in place because we had this thing happened, with these airstrikes against this militia group, ostensibly part of the Iraqi security forces but seen by the U.S. as closely tied to Iran. They were blamed by the U.S. for a series of attacks on U.S. bases, one of which had killed an American contractor. Those fundamental foundational issues have not gone away, so the U.S. will very much remain focused on securing its position. And, again, the a sign that the U.S. is taking this very seriously, Secretary Pompeo, cancelling a very high-profile multi-day trip to Ukraine and other places in central Asia to focus on this situation. So, again, the U.S. taking this very seriously still.
[Gorani:] All right. Ryan Browne thanks very much at the Pentagon. Let's move on to breaking news. And a big announcement from Israel's prime minister. A short time ago, Benjamin Netanyahu said he is seeking immunity from prosecution in the corruption cases that he is facing. He just submitted the request to parliament. But because of Israel's political gridlock, an answer is not expected soon. That is putting criminal proceedings against Mr. Netanyahu on hold. Let's bring in Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem for details. So what are the implications of this request, Oren?
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, the key question now is, of course, how does this affect the election in March? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knew or it seemed was aware the fact that this could do political damage to him. A request for immunity, he tried to soften the blow by saying this is only temporary, I'd have to re-request it after the next elections. And then he tried to hype up not only his achievements, but say that he's requesting immunity so that he can to continue to lead the state of Israel and follow what he calls the will of the people. And that's how he tried to play this as he requested immunity. He said, "What's being done to me is a field court-martial by misleading the public. The immunity law is intended to protect elected officials from fabricated legal proceedings, from political indictment intended to damage the will of the people." Well, it's not a surprise here that Netanyahu's rival, Benny Gantz, immediately blasted Netanyahu's decision and said voters now have two options in March. One is the kingdom of Netanyahu or the state of Israel: an immunity government or a broad unity government. The real question at this point is, first, of course, can Netanyahu's immunity request be heard? That answer at the moment is no. The committee that has to hear this hasn't been convened since the April elections when there's been a state of political deadlock in Israel. Can it be convened in the near future? That's a key political question here. And then of course the second question since this is a campaign cycle and we're in an election cycle does this change votes, does it swing votes in either direction? And those will be the key questions here. Netanyahu has, of course, maintained his innocence all along, and he did say he does want his day in court, a chance to prove his innocence. But made it sound like just not now, as he's leading the country towards what he calls historic achievements Hala.
[Gorani:] Oren Liebermann, thanks very much. The leader of the Roman Catholic church has a confession of his own. Pope Francis is apologizing for slapping a woman's hand. The pontiff was greeting pilgrims in St. Peter's Square when a woman grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her. He slapped her hand, broke free. The pope, clearly irritated. He later apologized during a New Year's Day address denouncing violence against women, saying he set a bad example by losing his patience. Joining us now from Rome is our senior Vatican analyst John Allen. So we were talking earlier, and you were saying what makes this unusual is the fact that the pope apologized. Why do you think he did so?
[John Allen, Cnn Senior Vatican Analyst:] Well, I mean, I think the juxtaposition of this incident happening on New Year's Eve, and then him delivering a New Year's Day address, which was almost entirely dedicated to the scourge of violence against women. And you know, him making the argument that the way a society treats women is an index of its level of its level of humanity. You know, I think it just became unavoidable, that Pope Francis felt he had to deliver some kind of apology. And he did it in the context of his noontime New Year's Day address in Rome. And usual, when Pope Francis has something special to say in that noontime address, he will do it at the end. This morning, he did it at the very beginning, which I think is a reflection of how important it was to him, to get this out of the way.
[Gorani:] And he's lost his temper a few times before. I mean, nothing major, but we've seen him sometimes and maybe understandably lose his patience a little bit with people gathered to greet him and see him, who kind of become a little too enthusiastic, perhaps physically.
[Allen:] Yes, of course. I mean, look, I mean, you know, Pope Francis is well known for being a figure of deep compassion, deep mercy and so on. But, you know, he is also an 83-year-old Argentinian male who has a bit of a temper. And we've seen flashes of that before. When he was in Mexico in 2016, a kind of overly enthusiastic teenager sort of grabbed the pope, actually caused him to fall into a person who was in a wheelchair. The pope popped up and yelled at the kid, saying, you know, don't be so selfish. Earlier this year, in March, he was in Loreto here in Italy, visiting the Holy House there. People were trying to kiss his ring, Francis does not like that gesture. You saw him testily yanking his hand back. And all this, I think, just ends up humanizing the pope. Of course, in this case, he's apologized for it. But maybe, you know, one of his new year's resolutions for 2020 will be to try to keep that side of himself a little bit more comprehensively under wraps.
[Gorani:] All right. Well, I think if someone dragged me toward them in that way, I might also react that way. So I kind of understand how he how perhaps irritated he was
[Allen:] I'm with you.
[Gorani:] at that particular moment. Yes, exactly. Thanks, John Allen. Coming up, protests and some violence in Hong Kong on this New Year's Day. Stay with us for the latest. Also, Rudy Giuliani says he's willing to talk about the Ukraine scandal that led to Donald Trump's impeachment, but will anyone actually call him to testify? We'll be right back.

[Bolduan:] President Trump's constant attacks on the media, the cries of "fake news," and his disdain for tougher reporting, appears to be reaching a new and troubling level. The publisher of the "New York Times," A.G. Sulzberger, detailing in a new speech to students of Brown's University, what he considering the most stark and real-world example of the Trump administration retreating, quote, "from our country's historical role of defenders of the free press." He says this, in part, "The hard work of journalism has long carried risks, especially in countries without democratic safeguards. But what's different today is that the brutal crackdowns are being passively accepted and perhaps even tacitly encouraged by the president of the United States." Sulzberger is talking about is what happened when of his own reporters was in trouble. CNN chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter, host of "RELIABLE SOURCES," is here with more. This is getting a lot a attention. It should. What did Sulzberger reveal about reporter, Declan Walsh?
[Brian Stelter, Cnn Chief Media Correspondent & Cnn Host, "reliable Sources":] He talked about a case from two years ago, that "The Times" never shared until now. That Declan Walsh, a reporter based in Egypt, who had been writing stories, challenging the Egyptian government. According to Sulzberger, there was a phone call at the "New York Times" from an anonymous government official in the U.S. saying Declan Walsh is about to be arrested in Egypt, you need to do something. Typically, in a situation like this, the United States government, the State Department supports journalists who are working for American newsrooms who are in trouble. The embassy would rush to the aid of a reporter who in that situation. In this case, Sulzberger said, rather than try to stop the Egyptian government or assist the reporter, the official believes that the Trump administration intended to sit on the information let the arrest be carried out. The official feared being punished for alerting "The Times" to the danger. This was a whistleblower of the government saying, warning, your reporter is in trouble. What the "New York Times" did instead was call the Irish government, because Declan Walsh lives in Ireland as well. The Irish diplomats went and got him out of the country and out of Egypt. That's an example of the United States not necessarily being trusted to serve, to take care of news reporters the way they used to.
[Bolduan:] It's also an example, our boss made a really good point about this, this morning, saying there's many occasions, known and unknown publicly, where journalists from CNN and other news organizations have been in peril. And our bosses and other media organizations have been able to reach out for help from the federal government. Because of the U.S.'s long tradition of being the leaders and defenders of free press, more than anywhere else in the world. If that is no longer something that can be relied upon, what does that mean?
[Stelter:] That puts democracy at risk and it endangers reporting all around the world. It's very troubling. That's why I'm so glad Sulzberger spoke out about this. This case is two years old. It makes you wonder what has happened that we don't know about, other cases possibly like this. He also told a story about earlier this year, another "New York Times" reporter in Egypt, David Kirkpatrick, was detained and deported from the country. When the "New York Times" reached out to the embassy for help a senior official in the embassy, the U.S. embassy in Cairo, said this, according to Sulzberger: "Well, what did you expect would happen to him? His reporting made the government look bad." That's an incredibly cynical
[Bolduan:] That's terrifying.
[Stelter:] terrifying reaction to say, well, what did you expect. As you said, Kate, the United States has been standing up for press freedom and free press for many, many decades. If the U.S. isn't going to do it, who is?
[Bolduan:] And what message is it sending to leaders of autocratic countries and what they should be and what they can get away with.
[Stelter:] It makes the world less free, it makes the world less open when reporters are not safe to do their jobs around the world. And, unfortunately, every time President Trump says "fake news" or "enemies of the people," he endangers reporters around the world.
[Bolduan:] Brian, thanks for highlighting it.
[Stelter:] Thanks.
[Bolduan:] We really, really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Coming up for us, a former top Ukrainian official is speaking out to CNN about President Trump's controversial phone call in July. What he says about the president withholding military aid to Ukraine. And why he says Russia is celebrating.

[Gorani:] Just a couple of days ago the English Premier League returned. It is arguably the finest most powerful football league it's taking center stage without spectators and I know Patrick Snell for Liverpool fans the wait is almost over.
[Patrick Snell, Cnn World Sport:] It really is. Yes Hala, we've already seen some really powerful storylines have to say as far as the Premier League is concerned having resumed now. The support and the solidarity for the black lives matter movement the tributes to the National Health Service. Well all very powerful and resonating out worldwide too. But when it comes to pure footballing issues there is much still to be resolved and that applies especially to Liverpool supporters. That club it's a massive global brand is a huge financial resources as well. They have one of the sport's most popular manages Jurgen Klopp at the helm you know the rates of nothing I have never ever won the Coveted Premier League title. In fact their last top flight title that was 30 years ago when it was the old first division. All of the fact that was about to change barring the most unthinkable of circumstances that lead look at this over outgoing champs Man City 22 points right now.
[Snell:] So the question now is when will this true juggernauts of the game clinch? We know it can't be Sunday when they play local rivals Everton but depending on the results it could be Monday or more likely I feel Wednesday of next week we shall see. I mention Klopp there, in fact to say that German manager has been through the right emotional roller coaster especially during the times. It wasn't even certain this season was going to be completed.
[Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool Manager:] I became worried in the moment when people started talking about Dylan White this season because of a high mile. And reads out physically really and that it does look that would have been really, really, really hard. We don't expect to get it as a present so we didn't want to didn't want to have it on part of the game things were really happy I mean when it was decided that we can play again.
[Snell:] Jurgen Klopp spelling it all out force there and just too really highlight this. This one just be Liverpool's first even Premier League Title. It'll also be the Reds first top flight title got the date here the year 1990 that was before the Premier League even came into existence, Hala.
[Gorani:] All right. Thank you and we have time to talk about Manchester United? Let's talk about the spotlight these last few days on Manchester United's footballer who's been making a huge statement off of the field of play. Tell us about him.
[Snell:] Yes, no apology at all Hala for just continue the conversation about all things Marcus Rashford. Today's English Premier League fixture between Spurs and United that's a huge match in its own right but the build up to it all is being dominated by Rashford who, let's be honest he really has become a national treasure over there in the U. K. Really using his platform to great effect full perspective here it's just such a powerful stories isn't it? He's just 22; he plays for united one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the world. Already a multi millionaire but he's never ever forgotten his past Hala, after his heartfelt and determine campaign we saw in the last few days very publicly getting the UK government to extend free school meals right through the many weeks of the summer break why? It's simple he gets it. He cares. He's well aware of his own childhood struggles the sacrifices made by his mother Melanie in bringing him and his siblings up. When putting food on the table you know it was just never you could never take that for granted as far as his family was concerned. A local Manchester lad too is being with the club since 2005. 64 goals for United and 10 goals as well for England and something else that really, really struck home with me Hala, early this year Rashford had already helped raise some $25 million to supply millions of meals to people needing them during the crisis really powerful story Hala, back to you.
[Gorani:] I really love it just giving back to the community and forcing that change as well. Good for him. Great story Patrick, we'll see you soon. I'm Hala Gorani; I'll see you next time.

[Jarrett:] President Trump's former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, is trying to withdraw his guilty plea in the Russia investigation. He claims he was a victim of bad faith by prosecutors. Flynn pleaded guilty more than two years ago to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia's ambassador. His request to withdraw that plea means Flynn wants to take his chances in a trial. Last week, the Justice Department stiffened its position on Flynn's punishment, recommending he serve up to six months in prison. He's scheduled for sentencing on July sorry, January 28th.
[Romans:] All right. Let's go check on CNN Business's Wednesday morning. Taking a look at global markets, a mixed performance around the world. I would say narrowly mixed here. Futures Wall Street Futures right now are pull them up there are also barely moving here. Look, stocks wobbled ahead of the main event today, the signing of the U.S.- China phase one trade deal. This is not the big course correction the President promised. This is what he vowed he would never do, just do a small deal, leaving the big thorny issues for later, but that's what we're going to get today. The Dow closed up 32 points yesterday. The S&P and the NASDAQ both closed lower. The signing ceremony comes at 11:30 a.m. Eastern today, where the President, the Chinese delegation will ink this deal, and then, finally, the public and the press will get to see the details. A new eight-year labor deal for the WNBA. The deal would allow top players to earn more than $500,000; lesser stars will also see a bump in pay up to 300,000. It's not all about the money. The agreement also has initiatives designed to promote and support motherhood as well as an improvement to the players' travel situation. If the players and Board of Governors OK the deal, it will kick in this season and run through 2027.
[Jarrett:] Trying to level the playing field, always a good thing.
[Romans:] Literally level the playing field.
[Jarrett:] Literally. All right. Well, while you were sleeping, late night hosts delivered some post-debate zingers.
[Seth Meyers, Host, Nbc:] Democrats held their latest primary debate tonight, and former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders were placed at the center podiums, instead of where they're usually placed in the balcony.
[James Corden, Host, Cbs:] What happened? The field of candidates went from looking like a diverse representation of the country to looking like the front row of a Jimmy Buffett concert. Tonight's debate was so white, people who turned on their T.V.s were like, wait, I thought the Oscars were next month.
[Trevor Noah, Host, Comedy Central:] To a lot of young Democrats, the beef between Bernie and Warren must feel like seeing your parents getting divorced, you know, which is a situation that Bernie is too blunt to handle delicately. Can you imagine him be like, Daddy, is it my fault that you and mommy don't love each other anymore? He's like, well, we were happy and then we had you, you do the math.
[Jarrett:] He's got a pretty good Bernie impression.
[Romans:] He does. I didn't realize that. I didn't see that one coming.
[Jarrett:] He's so talented.

[Chris Cillizza, Cnn Political Reporter & Cnn Editor-at-large:] OK, did not give a green light. Let's go to the official White House statement. OK, here we go, statement from the press secretary October 6th. "The United States armed forces will not support or be involved in the operation. The United States armed forces having defeated the caliphate, will no longer be in the immediate area." If not directly contradictory, certainly not incoordination. Now, do another one, Brooke. Here is Mike Pence talking about whether Erdogan, head of Turkey, will be coming to the White House later this fall. Play that.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] There's been no decision made about a scheduled meeting next month. But
[Pence:] Well, let me say the president could not have been more firm with President Erdogan.
[Cillizza:] Got it. So no decision has been made. Just want to, for context, Donald Trump, October 8th also remember importantly Turkey is in good standing of NATO, "He, Erdogan, is coming to the U.S. as my guest in November 13th. Yes, anyway, Brooke, two examples.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] What about since the phone call with Erdogan and the violence that's erupted, what about the messaging there?
[Cillizza:] Right. OK now we have another example of mixed messaging. Again, Pence on one hand, Trump on the other. Go to Pence first.
[Pence:] And opportunities for us to bring troops home and to have American forces come out of harm's way has always been a priority for this president. But that didn't mean that this president, in any way, in any way, encourages violence anywhere in the world, let alone along the border between Turkey and Syria.
[Cillizza:] OK. Now, again, Donald Trump tweets October 14th, two this is "Anyone who wants to assist Syria for protecting the Kurds is good with me, whether Russia, China or Napoleon Bonaparte. I hope they all do great. We are sitting 7,000 miles away." Some people want to protect 7,000 miles away border in Syria. Are we protecting Syria? Do we not care? Is it a priority? Is the U.S. border more of a priority? Is Erdogan coming to visit with President Trump? Is Erdogan not? Again, these sorts of things, Brooke, you would think might happen, might happen, between the president and, let's say, a low-level cabinet person? Not between the president and the vice president who theoretically meet every week and maybe some things they should talk about are getting on the same page. The answer, quickly, is because Donald Trump changes his mind all the time. Mike Pence says something, Donald Trump undercuts him. Welcome to the Trump presidency. Brooke, back to you.
[Baldwin:] You got it. You hit the nail on the head. Chris Cillizza, thank you for all of that on the mixed messages coming out of the White House. Speaking of the White House, we have more news this afternoon on Rudy Giuliani's legal predicament, shall we call it? CNN's Michael Warren is with me now. Michael, you have scoop. What is it?
[Michael Warren, Cnn Reporter:] Right, Brooke. CNN reporting Rudy Giuliani is parting ways with his personal attorney shortly, Jon Sale. Rudy Giuliani telling CNN a few moments ago, "Jon was helping me assessing the congressional requests." That subpoena request from Giuliani, the deadline today. Giuliani continued, "He, Jon Sale, my lawyer, will submit his letter and he will be finished with what I asked him to do." Sale did not respond to multiple requests for comment here. But, Brooke, one more thing. We should note, people close to Giuliani are advising him to get a criminal attorney as questions are lingering about these two associates of his, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who were indicted last week. Giuliani did not directly answer a question of whether he's considering getting another attorney, saying, "If they take me to court, I would then have to get another lawyer" -Brooke?
[Baldwin:] They're saying lawyer up and specifically get a criminal attorney. Michael Warren, thank you for your reporting. Tonight is the first debate. A lot has happened since the last one, the impeachment inquiry, Syrian chaos, and Bernie Sanders's heart attack. What to watch for this evening, next.

[Cabrera:] Some good news. Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz has been released from a Boston hospital. This comes more than a month after a gunman shot Ortiz in the back in the Dominican Republic. Surveillance cameras captured the moment when Ortiz was shot as he was sitting at a crowded patio bar. Police have now arrested a handful of people in this case. They say they're still searching for others. Authorities say Ortiz was not the intended target. And an update on his condition is expected early next week. Turning to Canada where a massive manhunt for two teens suspected of killing three people is continuing. Police are now going door to door in rural north Manitoba after the pair were spotted there. Authorities also believe they may have changed their appearance. Officials initially thought the teens were missing after their car was found burning on the side of a highway in British Columbia but now investigators say they are the prime suspects in three murders and should be considered armed and dangerous. CNN Correspondent, Polo Sandoval is following all the details for us. Polo, where does this manhunt stand?
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Ana, put yourself in the position of some of the residents of Gillam, Manitoba for a second. They have been dealing with this already for several days now. They have been witnessing police now essentially going door to door in their search for these two gunmen, speaking to the deputy Mayor of that small community, they say that many of the residents there are certainly living in fear. But they're also struggling with a really high level of uncertainty, not knowing whether or not these two suspected killers are still in their community so what investigators are doing, they are releasing this surveillance video that we're told was shot on Sunday at a business in Meadow lake, Saskatchewan but it really gives people really a clearer view of these two men that are believed to have killed three people in British Columbia. Then you also have the elements that these two could potentially be exposed to in and around the Manitoba areas as you're about to hear from my local resident. Mother nature can be quite unforgiving especially if you don't have the training or equipment to survive.
[Dennis Champagne, Gillam Resident:] It's nasty. I worked out there I did some diamond drilling there 25-30 years ago and you know, if the bears don't get them, the bugs will. They're going to be wet and cold now, probably little bit desperate if they're still alive.
[Sandoval:] And as police continue the door to door search this weekend, they also say that they are looking into the possibility that a resident in and around the Gillam area may have unknowingly assisted these two in some way, shape or form. Investigators not going beyond that. But that's one of the main reasons why they're showing this video right now, hoping that someone, somewhere may be able to provide that crucial information on it that will eventually lead them to these two individuals, back to you.
[Cabrera:] Polo Sandoval, thank you very much. Now I want to show you dramatic video taken off the southern coast of California. It shows the Coast Guard closing in on suspected drug smugglers as their high speed boat careens across the waves near San Diego with federal officers in hot pursuit. The suspects can be seen tossing large bags overboard as they try to avoid being captured. In the end they were caught with agents seizing 2300 pounds of cocaine. That's for showing crazy video how about this. Las Vegas Strip under siege from massive swarms of grasshoppers. Some folks are getting a little spooked about it.
[Unidentified Male:] Duh.
[Cabrera:] As creepy as this may seem, experts say it is a common occurrence when there's been a wet winter or spring and this year Nevada has seen more rain than usual. Yoo-hoo. Coming up, not made for TV, Mueller's testimony and what the reviews may reveal about the rise of a reality show culture in the U.S. COMMERCIAL BREAK]
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] Some have argued that because Director Mueller was reluctant to testify and seemed older than some remembered him, his work is somehow diminished. It is not. That is House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler defending Robert Mueller's testimony before Congress this week as further proof, the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign power meddling in the U.S. election. For President Trump, his main take away was quite a bit different.
[Donald J. Trump, President Of The United States:] I watched Mueller for 2.5 years, we've watched this. And that's the best they have and it's a disgrace and the world is laughing at him. And unfortunately it's so bad for our country. It's bad in our relationships with other countries including Russia.
[Cabrera:] Joining us now, CNN Counterterrorism Analyst, Phil Mudd who previously worked under Robert Mueller at the FBI. Phil, the President says it is Robert Mueller's report that is hurting our relationship with other countries, specifically Russia. To that you say what?
[Phil Mudd, Cnn Counterterrorism Analyst:] A pretty simple answer. That is if you talk to the Europeans, they've suffered the same threat to their electoral processes and electoral systems that we have. It's not just America and the President who's trying to defend his legacy when he lost the popular vote a few years ago. It's not just America that's under threat. It's the countries in Europe are allies who've been our allies since World War II and before that are that are under threat. I think the question is if you want America first, you have to sit there and say, how do we acknowledge that we have a threat in this country so we can express American leadership overseas and talk to our allies overseas and say we're with you in acknowledging how Vladimir Putin is a problem. Let's work collectively to determine how we defend it. It's not just us Ana. Everybody is facing a threat.
[Cabrera:] Right and it's not as Russia necessarily that's also threatening America-
[Mudd:] Yes, that's right.
[Cabrera:] Because as we've also heard this week from leaders and the intelligence community, it's China, it's Iran that are also picking up for where Russia left up but I want to replay what Mueller did say about Russian election interference, let's listen.
[Robert Mueller, Special Counsel, Russia Investigation:] I hope this is not the the new normal but I fear it is.
[Unidentified Male:] Did you find evidence to suggest they'll try to do this again?
[Mueller:] Oh, it wasn't a single attempt. They're doing it as we sit here. And they expect to do it during the next campaign.
[Cabrera:] Doing it as we sit here. Going into the next campaign and now thanks to a brand new report from the Senate Intelligence Committee, we now know the Russians likely targeted election systems in all 50 states between 2014 and 2017. That's far more than had previously been disclosed. What worries you the most when you think of what Russia may have in store for 2020?
[Mudd:] I think people are viewing this too much as a national problem, that is the United States is under threat without looking at this through a lens that's local. Let me give you a simple scenario. You're in a district across America, your Congress person has opposed sanctions in favor of you name the country, Iran, China, North Korea, Russia. As we move down the road Ana, we talked about interference in the last election. This is going to get so sophisticated that a foreign adversary, in this case the Russians might say, the key congressman or congresswoman were worried about is in California, in New York. Our program of interference is going to be so sophisticated that we're going to target 200,000 voters somewhere that they're those voters are not even going to know it. I still think we haven't acknowledged the extent of what the problem will look like tomorrow. It's not just about America. It's about individual districts that I think are going to be attacked.
[Cabrera:] That's interesting thought. You're right. I mean, who's talking about that. You are now so you're planting that something for all of us to think about. Given your work relationship with Robert Mueller previously, I do want to ask you about this criticism that Mueller didn't have command of his own material because of moments like this.
[Unidentified Male:] Is it accurate to say your investigation found no evidence that members of the Trump campaign were involved in the theft or publication of the Clinton campaign related emails.
[Mueller:] I don't know. I don't know. What they have well-
[Unidentified Male:] On July 22 through WikiLeaks, thousands of these emails that were that were stolen by the Russian government appeared. Correct? That's on page 6 of the report. This is the WikiLeaks posting of those.
[Mueller:] I can't find it quickly but please continue.
[Cabrera:] Phil, you again, worked with Mueller. What did you see there?
[Mudd:] Let me be really clear on a Sunday on a Saturday evening. Look, the report has two basic components. American citizens involved in the campaign were willing potentially to accept information about an adversary, Hillary Clinton from a foreign from a foreign government. Inappropriate. American citizens including the President tried to obstruct a campaign. The report says that. Let's take that aside. Robert Muller is the best I ever saw. I did 25 years. He was decorated at Vietnam, let's forget that. He was nominated by Republicans and a Democrat President Obama, let's forget that. I saw integrity, I saw humor, I saw kindness, I saw a courtesy. I saw it in more than 2000 meetings. I'm going to tell Washington DC. There are 50 states but people in this town are obsessed with this. The man is an American hero. I never, never saw anybody better. Let him go. He was the best ever Ana and this just pains me. He was the best. He issued a report that's clear, read the report, let the hero go. I love that man.
[Cabrera:] I hear you. I hear you Phil, but what we just saw, did you see something different than the critics?
[Mudd:] I'm not going to take the question. Read the report and I realize Americans won't, that's their problem. The report may have hundreds and hundreds of pages but it's not subtle. We have an adversary that interfered with elections, the CIA, the FBI, the National Security Agency, the Homeland Security department talked about it. The President refuses to accept that. We have interference in elections and people in that electoral process from one campaign chose to accept information from that campaign. Unacceptable. We have instance after instance laid out in black and white where people in that campaign including the President said, why don't we attempt to remove the Special Counsel because we don't like the investigation. We call that obstruction. If we want to have a conversation about how an American hero maybe didn't bring an A plus game after 50 years of service, count me out Ana. I'm not playing, I'm done.
[Cabrera:] Let me ask you then about something that we saw on the Atlantic this week. This theory that the negative reaction to Mueller's testimony is maybe proof that we've all internalized Trump's own reality show standards for what counts as significant political development. And I'm quoting here, "all the world is trashy television and the President and his opposition are merely producers after three seasons Russia gate just got old and the critics got bored with it." Phil, is the bigger worry that Trump doesn't seem to care or that the public is not demanding action because they've been conditioned to expect a certain level of entertainment in Trump's America.
[Mudd:] You know, I think it's the latter. Look, the President has his own personality issues in terms of how he accepts negative criticism. If you look at Presidents during my not too lengthy life, Presidents who are honorable, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, the Senior. If you look at a present Obama, very honorable. President Carter who may not have been a perfect President but maybe the best ex-President in American history. If you had laid out this document during their administrations. If you had said their administration was involved in accepting that kind of administration, if you had said that President in the past was involved in trying to obstruct a federal investigation. People like me would have sat back and said, is this a Sunday morning cartoon Or is this reality? I think the issue is that Americans are so divided that when they see something about somebody they support, whether it's Hillary Clinton or whether it's Donald Trump, that they refused to accept the fact. That's not healthy and I don't think Republicans and Democrats would have accepted it earlier.
[Cabrera:] Phil Mudd, good to have you with us. Thanks Sir. We'll be right back.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] We're back with the politics lead. In an era of particular political nastiness, the White House and congressional aides from both parties have started talks about expanding background checks for gun sales. There is a lot of skepticism that a deal can ultimately be reached, but as CNN's Pamela Brown now reports for us, President Trump has been privately telling his team he thinks he needs to take a concrete step on this issue.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] We must pass gun violence prevention legislation. Every day we lose lives.
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today continuing to put pressure on the president and Senate Republicans to take up gun control legislation, following last week's two deadly mass shootings.
[Pelosi:] So we need to do that. And we need to do it soon.
[Brown:] Behind the scenes, CNN is learning the administration is quietly talking with Senate staffers about a bill that includes expanded background checks. A move the president seems to favor.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I would like to see meaningful background checks and I think something will happen.
[Brown:] The early talks which a source describes as informational, not substantive, involves staffers for Republican Senator Pat Toomey and Democrats Joe Manchin and Chris Murphy.
[Sen. Chris Murphy:] I know in the end, Republicans aren't going to support background checks legislation unless the president supports it. I remain pessimistic that that's how this is going to play out.
[Brown:] With the August recess dragging on, other Democrats on Capitol Hill are also skeptical. One Democratic aide saying, I don't feel like they're any more serious than the last ten conversations on guns.
[Ivanka Trump, First Daughter:] There is a strong pull
[Brown:] The president's daughter Ivanka Trump has also been actively involved, having several conversations with lawmakers about gun policy this week. And White House aides are expected to update President Trump later this week on any progress from these gun talks. President Trump has told his advisers in recent days that he does want to take a concrete step and do something meaningful, not just something that is symbolic. This is according to people familiar with the matter. So, Jake, it remains to be seen if that will actually happen.
[Tapper:] Pamela Brown, traveling with the president in New Jersey, thanks so much. The Democrats' best chances of winning control of the Senate could come down to three candidates already running but they're not running for Senate. Stay with us.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] You know, I get it now. And if you match that with chest constriction of people can't breathe, I totally get why we're losing so many people and why are hospitals are so crowded. So, here's the message, don't be me, but more importantly, be better than we're being right now. Care enough not just to stay home, but to stay on our leaders, to make sure that they're doing everything they can to limit this. I'm telling you this is the part of our lives we will live through and remember the most. How do you want to be remembered during this time? It's now time for Don Lemon. "CNN TONIGHT" right now.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Yes, but also care enough I said last night to that we should, Chris, cut each other some slack and just be human. And care enough to check on the people you love. I text you today. I knew something was wrong because usually you text right back. You call. You texted me and you said you don't want this. Last night was really bad. I love you. That's all I heard. I was like, something is not good. And I text Christine I didn't hear from her. And I said to Tim, I said, all right, let's get in the car. Let's go. So, we got in the car, went to the supermarket and dropped some stuff off to your house, and that was the end of that. So, I would say if if there's someone you're worried about, if someone you love or somebody even somebody you don't love so much or whatever, just check on them and say how are you doing? Even somebody you have some beef with. Just say how are you doing? I'm just thinking about you. I was worried about you. And I'm just checking on you and I hope you're doing OK. I think that's the time. This is the time when we can do that. Maybe you want to make amends with someone. I think we should all probably do that right now. Don't you think?
[Cuomo:] And we'll see you're 100 percent right, of course. But you know, when I've seen some of it. I'm surprised by how many people even in the evil places like on Twitter and stuff like that, where they're saying nice things even if they see you and me as representing something, you know, political poisonous to them. So, I think people are starting to get a sense of perspective. That you may want to kill somebody in a debate, but it doesn't mean that you want them to die of a disease. And I think that that's going to be good for this country. I think hard times make strong people. But you do not get through hard times if you don't make the right moves, and I can't believe that they're allowing anybody in this country to wait this out so that it just comes to their communities and devastates them like it's doing to us right now. I just can't believe we're allowing that.
[Lemon:] Yes. It's crazy. And your point about been making the same point. We cannot forget. Listen, we have to move on. We hope this president does well. We hope the administration does well. We hope the leaders do well. That's why it's important we hold them to account. We cannot forget the time that we lost. The time that we lost was so critical and so important. And as you said, you, you know, you got it. But you wished that if you were going to get it that you would have gotten it sooner so that you would have known what people were going through and that you could have call the president out in real time and said, hey, mister, this is no hoax, this is no Democratic hoax, no matter how you try to describe it, whether you're saying it's a Democratic hoax the Democrats trying to take you down or the media's trying to take you down. That's not what's happening here. This is absolutely 100 percent real.
[Cuomo:] Right. The new hoax is everybody's got a test now who wants it. Don, I'm telling you. I'm like plugged into a new network now, right, because of me having this. I have thousands of people around this country saying the exact same thing. Like, I'm looking at their accounts to see if they're copies. You know, I can't get a test. They got a test. I've been waiting 10 days, 14 days, 16 days, you know, I'm already better. So, these people, what are you going to do? You're going to go back out and start living your life if you're not sick anymore. You haven't even gotten the test results yet. How can we expect to get in front of this when we keep making the same bone-headed moves? I know people are tired of hearing it. But that's too bad because we are nowhere near where we need to be to beat two more weeks.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] I'm telling you, you and I will be talking about this well into late spring.
[Lemon:] Yes. Listen, so I socially distanced myself, I will tell them I saw Chris today through the window in a space through the glass.
[Cuomo:] Through glass like I was in a zoo.
[Lemon:] And your wife told me to go around the back if you want to see him through the glass. You were asleep on the coach. I knocked on the window and I said hello and we just walked away. But we delivered groceries. And I was so happy I put them by the door, and I walk back to the car and Christina opened the door and she said, you can come in if you want. We are all negative. No, we're going to stay, we're going to stay socially distanced just because we have to. And I just want to make sure I'm doing what everybody says I'm doing because I'm the man on the news at night saying you should do that. So, we did. She had the mask on. And we were so happy that everyone in your house tested negative for COVID-19. So, very happy.
[Cuomo:] I cried. I cried like I was you when I got that news that they were all negative.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] I was shocked that they're negative. And, look, I know that doesn't mean that they'll always be negative.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] But the idea that at least every day that they don't have this virus is a blessing for me. I don't want anybody to deal with what I'm dealing with now, let alone one of my kids. I don't know I'd handle it, having given them something like this. This is terrible.
[Lemon:] Mario hadn't been so happy to see me since I brought ice cream I don't think ever. So, anyway, enjoy the groceries. Enjoy the groceries. Enjoy the soup. Whatever it is I put in there.
[Cuomo:] They didn't bring me any of the ice cream. Sorry.
[Lemon:] You take care, buddy. I'll see you soon. All right. If you need anything give me a call.
[Cuomo:] I love you. I'll be watching.
[Lemon:] I love you too. All right. Take care. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. Here's our breaking news. The numbers are shocking and the fact is we are nowhere near the peak here. The coronavirus cases in this country passing the 200,000 mark today. More than 211,700 reported cases. More than 4,700 deaths. That number is soaring. One month ago, that was March 1st, today is April 1st. One person, one person had died of the coronavirus in this country. Tonight, just one month later, there are more than 4,700 deaths. And we have reached another grim milestone. At least 928 deaths reported in just one day today. The largest day total yet. I want you to take a look at how that number has grown over the last few days, OK? So just look at your screen, please. Saturday it was 394. That was new deaths reported. Sunday, 456 new deaths reported. Monday, that number was up to 575. Last night, at least 830 new deaths reported. And tonight, it is now 928 new deaths reported. The World Health Organization says, in a matter of days coronavirus cases will top one million worldwide. The president saying this tonight.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States Of America:] Difficult days are ahead for our nation. We are going to have a couple of weeks starting pretty much now, but especially a few days from now, that are going to be horrific.
[Lemon:] Well, that coming after the president began tonight's briefing not with important information about the coronavirus plague gripping the country, but instead, he used his time in front of a stricken nation to make a lengthy announcement about what appears to be an unrelated counter narcotics operation and to tout his border wall. There is a time and a place for that. There is. It's not now. Not when nearly 90 percent of Americans are under stay-at-home order orders. Not when it's the deadliest day in this crisis so far. Not when our emergency stockpile of medical supplies is nearly empty. Not when Americans want to know what their government is doing to save their lives and protect them and their loved ones. But instead, the experts like Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx waited in the wings while the president played politics. And with one medical expert after another telling us that staying at home is the best weapon we've got, there are 11 states that are so far refusing to order all of their people to stay at home. There are no statewide orders in Alabama. None in Arkansas and Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming. Though some of those states have municipalities and counties with stay at home orders, they do, but asked tonight why he doesn't just take things out of the hands of the states and issue a nationwide order himself? The president said this.
[Trump:] States are different, and I understand that the governor of Florida, great governor, Ron DeSantis, issued one today. And that's good. That's great. But there are some states that are different. There are some states that don't have much of a problem.
[Lemon:] Well, he just doesn't get it. There's no magical, invisible barrier. No border wall between Americans under stay at home orders and Americans still moving around freely. And with tests still not available to anybody who wants one, despite the president's false promise last month, there could be untold number of Americans who don't even know that they have the virus. It makes no sense to leave the decision to local governments like Tennessee. Where Governor Bill Lee is ignoring growing calls from inside his own state to issue a stay-at-home order. And as for the president's praise for Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis, he's late to the game. Only issuing a statewide stay-at-home order today, but insisting on exempting religious services as essential business. These states have had weeks, weeks when they didn't do what they should have done. If they had the courage to do something that might have been unpopular, maybe they wouldn't be facing these horrifying numbers today. And tonight, a source close to the coronavirus task force admitting what we can all see with our very own eyes, despite White House claims that the president and his administration did everything right. That source tells CNN tougher social distancing measures implemented earlier could have kept this crisis from getting as bad as it has. The source telling CNN the president, quote, "took a gamble and got it wrong." When he counted on warm weather to make the virus recede, ignoring predictions from his own experts, it's disturbing that in the middle of a crisis like this, the president just doesn't seem to know what he is talking about.
[Trump:] We have to get our country going again. We did the right thing. We had no choice. We did the right thing. Other countries tried to use the herd or the herd mentality.
[Lemon:] It's not herd mentality, it's herd immunity. Which is, what happens when enough people have immunity to a disease either through previous infections or vaccination that they indirectly protect people who aren't immune. And then there's this.
[Trump:] We're attacking the virus on every front with social distancing, economic support for our workers, rapid medical intervention and very serious innovation.
[Lemon:] Attacking the virus with social distancing, seriously? You call that social distancing? Look at the picture, everyone. That's social distancing? Night after night the president stands up there for a coronavirus briefing coronavirus briefings surrounded by advisers who are not even close to social distancing. This is part of a parade of misstatements and downright falsehoods at a time when we need facts more than ever. Just listen to what the vice president said today.
[Michael Pence, Vice President Of The United States Of America:] I don't believe the president has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus.
[Lemon:] Really? You don't think the president has ever belittled the threat of the coronavirus, the president who said the virus was totally under control, who said this is like the flu, who said it would disappear like a miracle, who called it a hoax, who said it would go for 15 cases to zero, from 15 cases to zero, who said he wasn't concerned about it at all? That's not belittling? Sounds like a whole lot of belittling to me. When what we need now is facts, honesty, credibility. And all of those are in short supply in this White House. Let's bring in now CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and White House Correspondent, Kaitlan Collins. Good evening to both of you. Dr. Gupta, thank you, sir, for joining us.
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Hi, Don.
[Lemon:] Today the U.S. reported more than 900 deaths. The death toll is doubling every three days, and yet the president defended not issuing a national stay-at-home order. Listen to this and we'll talk.
[Trump:] There are some states that are different. There are some states that don't have much of a problem. There are some well, they don't have the problem, they don't have thousands of people that are positive. If a state in the Midwest or if Alaska as an example, doesn't have a problem, it's awfully tough to say close it down. So, we have to have a little bit of flexibility.
[Lemon:] So, let's talk about the facts here. The White House task force models, Dr. Gupta, don't they depend on full compliance?
[Gup:] Yes. Yes. Yes, exactly. You know, the numbers, you know, sad, these projections in terms of the numbers of people who might die, obviously, you know, this is jarring for a lot of people to hear. But you're absolutely right, Don. They are dependent on the fact that by the end of this week. What is it, Wednesday? So, a couple of days, the entire country, every state in the country has to be in a stay-at- home order. And if you do that and you extend those to the end of May, which is also what the model said, then you might get to these numbers that are now considered the lowest possible number of deaths, 100 to 200,000 people. I can't believe I'm evening saying that but that's you have to do all these things and we're not there yet. And Don, I don't even know what to say about it anymore. You know, we've been talking about this for so long. The science is pretty clear, not only from other countries around the world, but here in the United States. Everyone knows it's a virus. It doesn't, you know, it travels, you know? It doesn't respect any kind of boundary or border of a state. So, I just I think the idea now that people who are not shutting down and staying at home are adversely affecting not only themselves but everyone else around them. Their communities and all of that is real, and I think most people fundamentally understand that. I really do. Even if they're not doing it.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Gupta:] I don't understand why they're not doing it. Maybe that will go down as one of the great mysteries for me in these last several months of reporting, but it needs to be done and I'm still hopeful that maybe it will be.
[Lemon:] Yes. Kaitlan, more than 900 American lives lost today, but for people tuning in to today's coronavirus briefing to hear about the outbreak, they got something else. What's going on here?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, that wasn't what you heard from the president. It really hasn't been the message that you've heard from the president as he's been talking, and that's what's so notable about those projections we saw yesterday where the president was saying, well, people were saying if I had done nothing, 2.2 million people could have died. But, Don, to be clear, we don't know of any public health experts that were suggesting that to the president. He said potentially some of his business advisers, some of his friends outside the White House were advising him doing such. We don't know of anyone who would advise that. And so, of course, you know, the fact that we are now dealing with this death toll that could potentially involve 100,000 people is really stark. And so that's what's so notable. Yesterday, you know, you heard so many people talking about the president's new tone. Talking about how somber he sounded, but that doesn't change the fact that he did downplay it for months. And when you see these people, these governors not issuing these stay-at-home orders, a lot of them are listening to what the president has been saying. We even heard the Florida Governor Ron DeSantis say as much today. One thing that led him to issue this statewide at home order or the stay- at-home order a little reluctantly, a little belatedly, I guess you would say, he was citing the president's change in demeanor at the briefing yesterday. So, some of these governors are taking their cues from the president, and that's why it's so important what it is exactly the message that's coming out of the White House about all of this.
[Lemon:] Yes. I was asking, why were we hearing about a drug task force when people at are home waiting to get information about how their government is saving their lives? Why didn't we hear about that at a coronavirus briefing instead of, listen, there is a time and a place for that. Why did we hear that instead of at a Pentagon briefing or something?
[Collins:] Yes, I think there was some confusion why that was the beginning message with the president coming out with the Attorney General Bill Barr right there next to him. Talking about this, talking about the measures that they're taking instead of talking about, of course, what people really want to know. Which is, they want to be able to tune into these briefings and hear, you know, what do I need to be doing now? What has changed? What's the latest on this? Not all of this other stuff sometimes that they're hearing. And so, people have tried to streamline those briefings. Sometimes of course they go incredibly long when the president is involved in them and they're not always exactly on what's going on with the latest on coronavirus.
[Lemon:] Dr. Gupta, Florida finally got on board today, but Governor DeSantis says in-person church services are OK. How dangerous is that exception that he is taking?
[Gupta:] Well, you know, look, Don, I mean, I understand that, you know, especially at times like these, I mean, people do turn to their faith and you know, we're really dependent on each other, and, you know, they want that sense of support. But this is dangerous. You know, I just want to be crystal clear on that. And, again, this is the science talking, not even necessarily me. You know, we've seen examples of this in South Korea. You know, where you had significant explosion of causes related to these gatherings. It's very difficult to socially distance. You're in prolonged contact with people, so it's dangerous. I mean, I think that it's not only dangerous for the individuals, but then they go home. They can spread it to their family members, they can spread it to their neighbors, their communities. I mean, I say it over and over again, but we're really dependent on each other right now. And, again, I don't in any way want to diminish the value of it, but you know, we also have these technologies where people are doing these organizations are getting together online in different ways now. There's different ways
[Lemon:] Streaming services, yes.
[Gupta:] Streaming service. I mean, you know, whatever it may be. But, you know, I hope people understand and it's not just in an act of defiance because it can really be hurtful, not just to them but to people they've never even met. People who they've never even met are dependent on their behavior. That's one area where, you know, the virus can more likely spread.
[Lemon:] Yes. And it's interesting that religious groups are I'm a person of faith, but you can't religious groups can't say it's an attack on religion because people aren't going to work, right? And if you aren't going to work, if you aren't going to the gym, it's not an attack on work, it's not an attack on exercise or an attack on gyms, it's not an attack on concerts. You cannot gather in places because it is a health risk or health hazard.
[Gupta:] Right.
[Lemon:] So, do what the experts say, what the science and medical folks say. Dr. Gupta, Kaitlan, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
[Gupta:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] And make sure this is a programming note for you. Tune in tomorrow. Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper host CNN town hall, coronavirus: facts and fear. Tomorrow night 8 p.m. right here on CNN. Listen, there is someone that I have been speaking with lately about the impact coronavirus has on our country on her state and on the communities we both care about. And I asked her to come on the show and talk with me about it, and that is Senator Kamala Harris. She's next.

[Whitfield:] We're also following new developments into the investigation into the mass shooting in Virginia Beach that killed 11 city employees and a contractor. Officials now say the gunman resigned just hours before he opened fire on his coworkers. The longtime city employee sent his supervisors an e-mail early in the day saying he was leaving his job. The city also confirming that one of the victims was a supervisor in the gunman's chain of command. Today police also release dramatic new details about the shooting. For more on these unfolding developments, let's bring in CNN's Miguel Marquez. So, Miguel, what more are we learning about the suspect, the possible motives and what's happening there now?
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn National Correspondent:] What may be absolutely disturbing about this, Fredricka, is that this is a person who everyone CNN has talked to, everyone that I've seen in other reports has said, he was a friendly guy, he was a quiet guy, he was an OK guy and then this. You talked about the resignation earlier in the day. His immediate supervisor was one of the people that was killed. It is not clear if he targeted that individual. Police have spoken about how all of this played out. I do want to show you exactly where we are right now. This is the police station on the other side basically of where all of this took place. This is the official memorial here that is being set up. Police pointing out that their officers moved from this area towards that building up into it and engaged him. The chief of police giving us a few more details about how that long gun battle took place.
[James Cervera, Police Chief, Virginia Beach:] Five to eight minutes after these officers began to enter the building and made contact and engaged with the suspect on the second floor of the building. I can't tell you how many minutes shots were being fired. I can tell that you in the police world, anything more than three to five shots is a long gun battle. As the suspect was firing he was moving. They were returning fire and at one point, the suspect was firing through the door and through the wall at the officers, and then the firing stopped. They eventually breached the door, and when they breached the door the suspect was then alive and was taken into custody and first aid was immediately rendered to him.
[Marquez:] And it cannot be emphasized enough that these police officers who rushed in there, one of them had the presence of mind to slap on a protected vest that saved his life because he was ended up shot by the suspect. And now, this, people coming here to hold hands, lay flowers, say prayers, get on one knee and hope and pray that the people who are affected by this will start to feel some sense of relief and to know that others are with them. Just absolutely shaking this community, like so many communities across the country. Virginia Beach, Virginia, now part of on a very grim list of cities across the United States that has suffered this sort of mass shooting. Fredricka?
[Whitfield:] All right. So tragic and so senseless, all right. Miguel Marquez, thank you. I want to bring back now Charles Ramsey, former Police Chief, Washington, D.C. and beyond, all right. So, chief, you know, city officials are saying they are still searching for a motive, you know, in the Virginia Beach shooting. They did admit that he sent a letter of resignation just hours before going on this deadly rampage. But do you feel like they, you know, they know more than they are letting on or is this an incredible mystery to all those involved?
[Ramsey:] Well, they might know a bit more than they are letting on, but it's also very possible that they are still struggling trying to find a clue as to what made this guy decide to do what he did. I mean, he submitted a letter of resignation or e-mail of resignation just prior to beginning this rampage. I mean, he's 40 years old. He's got 15 years I believe working there. Not old enough to retire or anything. Something must have happened to make him suddenly resign. It doesn't necessarily have to be just at the workplace, maybe in his personal life. I mean, who knows? They've got to continue to go back, they'll sort through everything that they can possibly sort through to find try to find a motive, that quite frankly they'll never know.
[Whitfield:] What are those things you believe that they are sorting through? I mean, we know the obvious in terms of the crime scene, going to their place of residence. But, you know, what's the spans in which they look?
[Ramsey:] Well, social media, friend, relatives, anything that might give them a clue as to what it was that was going on. I mean, you know, this is an unusual case, to say the least, simply because it doesn't seem to be any real indicators that we know of, at least as of now. Of course, we're always looking at red flags and hindsight is always 2020, so I don't know if any of his behavior would have been at a level where there should have been intervention by police or anyone else quite frankly that we won't know until more information is uncovered.
[Whitfield:] Yes. What do you assess about the planning? I mean, you know, clearly he had quite the arsenal, officials did reveal that, and the use of the silencer, then canvassing at least three floors of that workplace.
[Ramsey:] Well, he had it planned, there's no question in my mind just from his actions. I mean, he had two semiautomatics with magazines. He had a suppressor. He covered all three floors of that building which in itself is a bit unusual. But, you know, he knew the place. I mean, he work there forever, and we don't know if he was trying to hunt down certain people, was he just doing it randomly to kind of maximize the number of casualties? But that's not something that was spurred a moment, guaranteed.
[Whitfield:] Chief Charles Ramsey, thanks for your expertise, really appreciate it.
[Ramsey:] It's quite all right.
[Whitfield:] Coming up, the Trump administration threatens tough new tariffs on Mexico over the migrant situation at the border. The President's plans to stop what he calls an invasion, next.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good evening. We have a big night of breaking news, whether it's famous actors in court accused of helping cheat their kids' way into elite colleges, or the federal government refusing to ground the world's best-selling airliner, even though the rest of the world now is. We'll have that and more in the hour ahead. We begin, though, keeping them honest with President Trump. He intended to lead the story by saying that he'd gone the entire day without tweeting once about the Russia investigation or any other of more than half dozen inquiries now under way into virtually everything he's touched. That's what we were going to do. And then he tweeted just after 6:00 p.m. Eastern. Quoting the president: New York state and its governor, Andrew Cuomo, are now proud members of the group of presidential harassers. No wonder people are fleeing the state in record numbers. The witch hunt continues. He's talking about New York's attorney general doing what the president had once said would be a no-no, at least if Robert Mueller did it.
[Michael Schmidt, Nyt:] If Mueller was looking at your finances or your family's finances unrelated to Russia, is that a red line?
[Maggie Haberman, Nyt:] Would that be a breach of what his actual charge is?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I would say yes. I would say yes.
[Cooper:] Now, we don't fully know how far Mr. Mueller has gone in his pursuit of Russia evidence or whether he's crossed that particular line. However, New York state just did. The attorney general's office issuing subpoenas according to a sourse familiar with the matter for Deutsche Bank, seeking records relating to the Trump Organization and a number of high dollar loans and lines of credit. The attorney general also wants to see documents relating to a failed bid to buy the NHL's Buffalo Bills. And if that sounds familiar to you, there's a good reason why.
[Michael Cohen, Former Trump Attorney:] I'm giving to the committee today three years of Mr. Trump's personal financial statements from 2011, 2012 and 2013. Which he gave to Deutsche Bank to inquire about a loan to buy the Buffalo Bills and to Forbes. These are exhibits 1A, 1B, and 1C to my testimony.
[Cooper:] That obviously is Michael Cohen's opening statement to the House Oversight Committee just last month. He was talking about what he said was the president's habit of inflating or shrinking the declared values of assets depending on whether he was seeking loans, buying insurance for his properties or paying taxes on them. In short, if proven, it could amount to a whole lot of several types of fraud. During his questioning, several lawmakers asked him to elaborate.
[Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez , New York:] To your knowledge, did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company?
[Cohen:] Yes.
[Ocasio-cortez:] Who else knows that the president did this?
[Cohen:] Allen Weisselberg, Ron Lieberman and Matthew Calamari.
[Ocasio-cortez:] And where would the committee find more information on this? Do you think we need to review his financial statements and his tax returns in order to compare them?
[Cohen:] Yes, and you'd find it at the Trump Org.
[Cooper:] Or Deutsche Bank perhaps. The New York inquiry is a civil matter, it's not a criminal one it's important to point out, and it joins a long list of other investigations surrounding the president of the campaign, transition, inauguration, administration, as well as his now defunct so-called charity which the state of New York ordered dissolved. Like we said, he almost made it through a full day without tweeting about any of it, but he didn't. More now on this latest shoe to drop, as well as the widely attempted Mueller report, joining us is CNN senior legal analyst Preet Bharara, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. He's also the author of a book that's just coming out this week entitled "Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment and the Rule of Law." So, Preet, what does this mean? I mean, how concerned should the president be about an investigation in which Deutsche Bank records are subpoenaed?
[Preet Bharara, Cnn Senior Legal Analyst:] I mean, if you add it on top of all the other investigations, you put out a nice graphic, that basically, you know, every aspect of his business and foundation, life is being put under the microscope either by SDNY or the special counsel's office or other U.S. attorney's offices. And now, the New York attorney general's office. What's interesting to me is the degree to which there might be coordination between my old office, the SDNY, with respect to Michael Cohen, sharing him as someone who's provided information to SDNY and the special counsel's office and how much of that is being done with the state A.G.'s office. You know, obviously, Michael Cohen made his statements that look like they prompted these subpoenas that were issued yesterday in an open forum, out in the open before Congress. You would have expected there to be some behind-the-scenes proffering, interviewing, debriefing of Michael Cohen that would lead the New York A.G. to issue subpoenas and perhaps do other investigative work we still don't know about because it's being done behind the scenes.
[Cooper:] So you're saying that kind of interview would have happened before would have happened after his testimony?
[Bharara:] Yes, it could have happened before or after. I mean, ordinarily, and these are not ordinary circumstances and Michael Cohen is not in an ordinary circumstance because he's already pled guilty to two sets of crimes and has been sentenced already. But ordinarily, you have different units of prosecution. You have SDNY, the special counsel, you have the New York attorney general's office and they're all looking for evidence of crimes or civil violations in this case with respect to somebody, in this case the president and his organization and his foundation. And usually, you figure out a way to coordinate. If you have a witness that has overlapping information that could be useful to multiple jurisdictions, usually there's a lead office. I would imagine in this case it's the SDNY because they took the principal guilty plea from Michael Cohen. And they make that person available to other offices. And to the extent that some other jurisdiction has a different way of looking at the facts and has some other possibility of bringing a civil or a criminal case, then they get baby-sat by the feds and information comes out and they take note of it and they can take whatever action they can take but usually it's done in some kind of coordinated way. So I would expect that has happened but I can't be sure.
[Cooper:] But Michael Cohen never did a full cooperation agreement with the SDNY if I'm correct. So, would he be willing to cooperate on anything with any entity?
[Bharara:] Well, it looks like what Michael Cohen did is not fully cooperate, as you said, did not enter into a cooperation agreement. Michael Cohen's folks say that because he didn't want to do that at the time because he didn't want to delay I guess the moment of his redemption and paying his debt to society and getting on with his life. It may be that the Southern District folks didn't think that he would be a viable witness and he wasn't able to provide either substantial assistance, or he was violating the principle that the SDNY has gone by, which is you have to tell everything you know about everyone and everything you've done, you can't be selective in what you've put forward. Michael Cohen has also said in his testimony that notwithstanding the lack of a formal cooperation agreement, he's really excited about the prospect of what's called the Rule 35, which is essentially a cooperation agreement but done after the fact, after you pled guilty, after you've been sentenced in an extraordinary way. That's very uncommon but he's probably looking for some benefit in a Rule 35 by cooperating both with SDNY, special counsel's office and also potentially the state
[A.g. Cooper:] There are potentially severe penalties that could be imposed, even possibly dissolving the businesses that the president has, correct?
[Bharara:] Yes. I don't know all the different remedies that the state A.G. if they find certain civil violations could seek but they could be very serious. We've already seen with respect to the New York A.G.'s office and Trump organization, a very powerful petition that was filed some time ago to which the Trump foundation doesn't have much of a defense and has agreed to pay a lot of money. So, we should be clear, even if the penalties are severe in a financial way, it's not a criminal case according to reports. In a criminal case, it's a much bigger deal for a lot of reasons. In particular here, a criminal case is one in which you can't pardon people if you're president of the United States because it's a state crime. And there are other reasons to believe, and I don't want to get way, way ahead of ourselves, but if you had a state prosecutor who felt he or she had proof beyond a reasonable doubt of a crime by the president, I'm not saying this would happen. But if you did have it hypothetically, that person would not be subject to the guideline that's been subject to a lot of conversation that opinion in the office of legal counsel at the Department of Justice says a sitting president can't be prosecuted. So, there's a degree of peril because it's some entity outside of the Justice Department, outside of the federal system. But I think it's too early to see how serious a matter it is.
[Cooper:] All right. Preet Bharara, appreciate it. Thanks very much. Congressman Adam Schiff who chairs the House Intelligence Committee weighed in today on the Mueller report. He said he was concerned about the signals from the Justice Department suggesting they won't give Congress or the public full accounting of the findings, a thin report he said. It would cramp legislative efforts to find out what happened.
[Rep. Adam Schiff , Chairman, Intelligence Committee:] Congress' interest and the public's interest and an expeditious investigation by the Congress will be severely inhibited if we have to retrace all the steps that the Mueller team took with far greater resources.
[Cooper:] Let's dig deeper on this. Joining us is investigative reporter and author Carl Bernstein. He's a CNN political analyst. Also with us, senior political analyst and frequent senior White House advisor David Gergen. David, if the Department of Justice does not provide Congress with the entire Mueller report, should they retrace Mueller's steps here just for transparency's sake if nothing else? At least call him to testify?
[David Gergen, Former Presidential Adviser To Nixon, Ford, Reagan & Clinton:] Well, I think they will call him to testify if they can't get the report itself. And if the report itself is not issued publicly, then I think they have every reason to try to construct a narrative coming out of the Congress. After all, that's what the public has been waiting for for two years, for this investigation. I don't think the public is going to be very happy if what we have is basically a very short redacted piece of paper that tells us virtually nothing about what they really found. And so, I think Adam Schiff is on I think he will have a lot of strong public support if he gets to the point where he feels he has to subpoena or write up a narrative.
[Cooper:] Carl, where's the line, though? If the Department of Justice provides Congress with a summary but withholds the full report, is that reason enough for Chairman Schiff to reinvestigate the whole thing?
[Carl Bernstein, Journalist And Author:] I think it would depend upon the specifics of what was turned over. I think there is a general principle here that must obtain, and that is the American people be fully informed about the most important aspects of this investigation by the special prosecutor and what he has found. There is an ample precedent that Jaworski, the Watergate prosecutor, turned over to the House of Representatives actually a so-called road map of everything he found, stacked finding upon finding upon finding stacked up on top of each other. Not pejorative in the least, not accusatory, just factual. And I think that's what the American people deserve to see. There's no other way to judge the president of the United States short of an impeachment proceeding, and you can't have an impeachment proceeding without or even way of judging what the president may or may not have done without those relevant facts. I can't imagine that the new attorney general of the United States, Mr. Barr, wants to end his public career by suppressing what the American people need to know. I think we are getting a little ahead of ourselves. Let's see what happens. We keep saying we expect the report two weeks ago. We don't have it yet. Let's see what happens.
[Cooper:] Yes. David, to Carl's point, for all the speculation, the reporting, you know, it seems endless that Mueller is on the brink of delivering his report. The probe has reportedly been funded all the way through September. So, it's feasible, I mean, it's possible we won't know anything for several months more.
[Gergen:] Absolutely. And I think when it got extended to September, that sent a signal that this could go on a long time. So, I think Carl's counsel of patience is exactly on point.
[Cooper:] Carl, there are a lot of people out there expecting some kind of comprehensive 911 commission-style report. That's not what Mueller is required to produce for Congress or the public, right?
[Bernstein:] No. But he is expected, I think reasonably, to produce an account of what happened in regard to what the Russians did in terms of undermining our election in this country and what Americans did to help it, whether unwittingly, wittingly, half-wittingly, especially in the case of the president of the United States and whether or not he engaged in such conduct. We also have the question of the president's business interests and how they fit together with perhaps him furthering those business aims and in exchange whether wittingly, half-wittingly, unwittingly, purposely or not, providing information to the Kremlin in terms of the sanctions. We keep coming back to the question of why did Donald Trump go so hard to remove the sanctions on Russians? And we don't have a satisfactory answer to that yet. We also don't know what Mr. Manafort and Mr. Trump said to each other, which is of key importance here. Of course, Manafort is not talking. There may be a reason for that. And that might figure in some of what the special prosecutor lays out in terms of the facts. We need to see it all.
[Cooper:] David, you know, the president obviously is continually calling the Mueller investigation a witch hunt. He's calling what the attorney general is doing today part of the witch hunt as well. Is there should Democrats have a concern that all these congressional probes that are being launched right now, and you looked at the graphic we put up earlier of all the different aspects of Trump world that are being investigated, you know, somebody could look at that and say, well, you know, maybe it does maybe they are maybe that is a witch hunt. They're investigating everything. Is that really fair?
[Bernstein:] If the Mueller report basically does not address what the president has done or gives him some sort of clean bill of health, then after all of this time and this thorough investigation, I think a lot of people in the public and not just in Trump's base are going to ask the question why are you going to keep jumping on this guy? Why don't you get off his back and let's move on? You know, this was the heart of the collusion and the Russians was the heart of these investigations. Now, you've proliferated all these investigations. Is that really fair? Is that what we want? I do think there's a danger of the Democrats overplaying their hand. I do think they would be much better off with a small number of committees collapsing this half dozen committees into one or two that would investigate this in some fashion. But I do think, Anderson, in addition to that, the fact that the New York attorney general today issued these subpoenas with regard to Deutsche Bank underscores that even if the Congress holds back, there are going to be other bodies, such as the New York A.G.'s office and the southern district, the federal office in New York that are going to continue investigations. And it's especially important that the new A.G. investigation centers on the Deutsche Bank. You know, for a long time in circles around Washington, the Deutsche Bank has been at the heart of the conversations. Was there money laundering? We didn't think there were inflated assets, but many people in the financial community believe strongly that there's money laundering of some sort that went on here and the New York A.G. may find that. This woman, Letitia James, the New York attorney general, is quite something. She's a tough cookie. She said what Donald Trump has to worry about is Mueller, Cohen and Tish James.
[Cooper:] Carl, I'm wondering what you make of that risk for Democrats in appearing to or actually going too far and starting to look like they're just that there wasn't any there, there in collusion and now they're just going after whatever they can.
[Bernstein:] Two things. Yes, there's a risk. But the greatest risk of all is that the American people not find out what the answers are to the questions they need to know about the president of the United States and about the Russians and what they did in our elections. It is hugely important that we find that out. If it takes committees of Congress to do it, that is the job of the Congress of the United States as we learned in Watergate when we had one of the great investigations, a bipartisan investigation. And yes, as David suggests, let the Democrats be a little more clever about how they run their investigations and scale it down and make it more streamlined, but let's get the information. But one of the things Trump has been so successful in doing is to set down this marker of, quote, collusion, which is not a legal term to begin with. There are much larger questions about his conduct in dealing with the Russians than just, quote, collusions. Did he indeed make it possible for the Russians to further their goals by taking on positions and conduct that enabled the Russians to get their way on foreign policy matters and influence his presidency? That is relevant. And there are ways to get at it and that's what we need to find out whether it happened and how.
[Cooper:] Carl Bernstein, David Gergen, thanks very much. A quick note on something I said a moment ago, the Buffalo Bills are in the NFL, not the NHL. One of our writers is a Steelers fan which might explain the typo and the fact I know nothing about sports. Coming up next, breaking news on Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin, and everyone else swept up in what the federal government calls the largest college admissions cheating scam ever prosecuted. It is bizarre. We'll have the details on that. And later, new and even more inflammatory audio surfaces from Tucker Carlson's past. The question now, what will Fox News do, if anything, about it?

[Unidentified Male:] President Trump tweeting that he planned to be meeting with leaders of the Taliban at Camp David. He's committed to making sure that we reduce the risk that terrorists should ever strike the United States from Afghanistan again. As we head into the anniversary of 911, I do not ever want to see these terrorists step foot on United States soil, period.
[Unidentified Female:] I had a nephew. And three of his kids die in storm. I can imagine the terror that they were faced with before they passed.
[Unidentified Male:] Hurricane Dorian ravaging everything and everyone in its path. Everything looked totally different. You can't describe it.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Monday, September 9, 6 a.m. here in New York. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Yes, I did. Thank you very much.
[Berman:] You survived?
[Camerota:] Yes, it was great.
[Berman:] Mostly.
[Camerota:] And you had a great football game. Is that what you follow, the sport?
[Berman:] Yes. The New England Patriots are a football team.
[Camerota:] With that guy that you like.
[Berman:] That guy I like is on it. And they won in a big way. He looked fabulous.
[Camerota:] I'm sure he did.
[Berman:] All right. New this morning, impeachment, it's not just for kids anymore. Congress returns to work this morning after a six-week summer break, and they're bringing more than just brand-new Trapper Keepers. We have details of emerging plans from the Democrats to investigate new aspects of the president's behavior in new ways. The House Judiciary Committee could vote this week on a legislation that lays out the procedures for an official impeachment investigation. Also this morning, we're learning new details about the sudden breakdown of peace talks between the U.S. and the Taliban. President Trump announced it on Twitter, that he had invited Taliban leaders to Camp David for a secret meeting but then pulled the plug after an American soldier was killed in Afghanistan. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are blasting the president's decision to invite a terror organization to the U.S. on the week of the 911 anniversary. So let's begin with CNN's Joe Johns. He is live for us at the White House Joe.
[Joe Johns, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Alisyn. There is a lot on the table for Congress as they return to session, especially over on the House side. There's the issue of health care, possible gun legislation, also that trade deal with Canada and Mexico. But for many Democrats, the big focus right now is an impeachment inquiry into the president.
[Rep. Katie Porter , California:] For me this is about making sure that we're signaling that nobody is above the law, and that includes Donald Trump.
[Johns:] As Congress returns from recess, divided House Democrats are considering moving forward with an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. The House Judiciary Committee could hold a vote as soon as Wednesday on a resolution outlining procedures for its investigation. Sources say Democrats will focus on possible violations of the Emoluments Clause, reports of Trump dangling pardons to officials at risk of breaking immigration laws and his involvement in hush-money payments.
[Rep. Doug Collins:] And they just keep digging their hole. They just keep going after things, because they hate the president so much that they don't want to have anything happen.
[Johns:] It comes as President Trump is under fire after abruptly canceling a secret meeting with Taliban leaders and the Afghan president at Camp David, an apparent effort to help fulfill his campaign promise to end the nearly 18-year war.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] We could win it very quickly. If I'm I've said this many times. If I'm willing to kill 10 million people in the course of a week or two, we could win that thing very quickly. I'm not looking to kill people.
[Johns:] The cancellation came after the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack at a Kabul checkpoint that killed 12 people, including 34-year-old U.S. Sergeant First Class Elis Angel Barreto Ortiz. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defending the president.
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] President Trump made the right decision. Said that's not going to work.
[Johns:] But Trump getting criticism from members of his own party.
[Rep. Michael Waltz , Florida:] As we head into the anniversary of 911, I did not ever want to see these terrorists step foot on United States soil, period.
[Rep. Adam Kinzinger , Illinois:] The president did the right thing by walking away. I'm very concerned, though, that we were really close to having Taliban leaders there.
[Johns:] Some Democrats agreeing.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , Presidential Candidate:] This isn't a game show. These are terrorists.
[Sen. Chris Coons:] I'm concerned that our president isn't listening to his generals, to his diplomats, to the intelligence community.
[Johns:] Pompeo emphasizing President Trump is aware of the history.
[Pompeo:] If you're going to negotiate peace, you often have to deal with some pretty bad actors. While there have often been discussions about war at Camp David, there have been discussions about peace there, as well.
[Johns:] There have been nine rounds of talks so far. Many saw this deal as the best chance for ending America's longest-running war. Not clear how much this cancellation has been affected has affected the possibility, at least, for peace. Back to you.
[Berman:] All right. Joe Johns for us at the White House. Joe, we're going to much more on Afghanistan and these talks that fell apart, if they were ever going to happen in just a moment. Joining us now, CNN senior political analyst John Avlon and CNN legal analyst Laura Coates. And I want to begin with these new impeachment procedures or rules that the House Democrats are trying to institute. This is P-102. They want to pass a resolution in the House Judiciary Committee that will let them conduct hearings in ways different from most congressional hearings; authorize committee staff counsels to question witnesses; spell out how secret grand jury information can be reviewed; and Trump's counsel can respond in writing. What are they really trying to do? What do they get out of this, Laura?
[Laura Coates, Cnn Legal Analyst:] I think they're trying to avoid the exhaustion that the American people have already, thinking this is maybe a little bit too little too late. What happened, the momentum of the Mueller report, what happened before that. They also have learned their lesson. They're aware the American people don't want to see Congressmen, essentially, grandstand on the actual stand in the hearings. They want to be able to have a more structured way of asking questions. They've learned that lesson by having the counsel do so. They also want to know, OK, grand jury testimony, it's out there. You're able to avoid giving it over. How do you learn from that? Well, it's not in the rules. We'll make it part of the rules now. And so you have, essentially, Congress learning its own lessons from its own mistakes. The problem, however, is going to be trying to convince the American public that impeachment is now more than about political election interference. Now it's about the notion of having the presidency transformed into a cash cow for Donald Trump. Now, that's a very different story line that happened in the past year and a half. Whether they'll be nimble enough to pull it off is really the question.
[Camerota:] When the history books are written, does this week signal the official start of an impeachment inquiry?
[Coates:] Well, according to John, you may have Trapper Keepers coming up. That might be part of it. I don't know.
[Berman:] Well, no. The issue here the issue here is if you ask Jerry Nadler and other Democrats, they claim they've already been an official investigation.
[Camerota:] I know, but it's sort of a slow creep. And so nobody knows that an impeachment inquiry has been beginning. But now if they are doing an actual vote on a resolution on Wednesday, is this the official start?
[Coates:] It really would be. And here's the reason. Remember, up until now, it's really nebulous. The idea of, like, are you doing impeachment? The "what are we" conversation keeps happening. What are we doing here? Now they're saying before it was kind of this semantics thing. Whether we had it or not, whether we get to launch an inquiry. Now it's a matter of saying, "Look. Here is the clear line in the sand. We are moving ahead. We know that we have a deadline looming of called I don't know, a 2020 election. But we've got to keep moving forward at this point."
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Yes, but there's a significant thing that's happened over the course of the summer. Momentum has shifted while everyone was on summer vacation. In June, only 82 Democrats supported impeachment. Now it's 134. So for everyone who said that the Mueller report was a big nothing burger and that really, you know, this was all DOA, there's actually been a decided shift. Folks went home to their constituents, and they heard that they should stand on what they believe to be principle, as opposed to politics.
[Camerota:] Is that what's shifted it, or was, you know, Jerry Nadler working things behind the scenes?
[Avlon:] I don't think magical Mr. Nadler singlehandedly deserves credit for this political shift.
[Berman:] That's a great movie, by the way.
[Avlon:] You know, the sequel, actually, is underrated. all of it. But this is significant, because a lot of folks said that this was all this was all over, and Mueller was a great disappointment, but momentum is shifting beneath the scenes. And, as Laura pointed out, adding emoluments, profiting off the presidency, other significant questions and inquiries that are going to open.
[Berman:] Stormy Daniels. They want the Stormy Daniels thing to be part of this.
[Avlon:] Yes, and don't forget, folks will point to the politics and say, look, the poll numbers really aren't there. Well, at 42 percent, where it was earlier this summer, that's around the line where it was for Nixon in '74 at the start of the process. So everyone's and well ahead of the 29 percentage support during Bill Clinton's impeachment at the height of that.
[Berman:] I want to quote Jeffrey Toobin here, Laura, who I'm going to paraphrase him. Or misquote him, probably. He basically says the best way for Congress to hold hearings is for Congress to hold hearings. I mean, they've done a lot of talking about how they're going to do this without doing it. They've got to step up and open the door here.
[Coates:] I agree with Toobin. I don't know who he is, Toobin, but I've heard about him. Yes, he sounds like a fine gentleman. That's fine. He's right in this instance of saying, listen, the best way to start a goal is to actually start the actual goal. You have to do something about it. The problem is, remember, when you said Stormy Daniels, the American people may not be interested in that particular line of inquiry. You know
[Camerota:] I know the American people.
[Coates:] You know, all of them. They've called you, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] I know the American people.
[Avlon:] And the White House will now just sort of glide over the fact the president continues to deny that was ever a thing. Look, the hush money payments are comparatively small, but again, let's not forget we impeached Bill Clinton over an affair in the White House. And this actually could involve influencing an election by hiding it.
[Coates:] But that's why they're going to be tired of it, because they don't want the Clinton-esque thing. You know what? Clinton had this salacious affair. The more immediate matter, I think, is the idea of the emoluments issue. I mean, as sexy as emoluments are.
[Avlon:] And they can be.
[Camerota:] Well, I mean, it's funny you say that. Because there's new material.
[Berman:] You have naked emoluments.
[Avlon:] Naked emoluments.
[Camerota:] I mean, yes. You want sexy? OK.
[Avlon:] Bring it on.
[Camerota:] The Air Force has been apparently diverting, on its various missions to Kuwait and elsewhere, they have been diverting to President Trump's resort in Scotland. For no
[Avlon:] Much like Vice President Pence?
[Camerota:] Yes. I mean, Vice President Pence stayed something like more than a hundred miles away from where his talks were at President Trump's resort; that we have now learned that the Air Force has been diverting to stay there. Why? Why are they doing this?
[Avlon:] Why is the attorney general hosting a $30,000 Christmas party at the Trump Hotel? It's a part of a pattern. And it's part of the president elevating the profile of his properties. Spending over 200 days at them, by the way. And all of a sudden, tone comes from the top, and you've got people from the vice president to apparently folks in the Air Force taking advantage of something that is utterly improper on the face of it. And if a Democrat was doing it, folks would be screaming bloody murder.
[Berman:] OK. So the Air Force says this is a this is a base in Scotland. This isn't the same base that Mike Pence stayed at, or this isn't
[Camerota:] You have a different your choice of resorts.
[Berman:] You know, it's in the isles there. OK? And what the Air Force says what the Air Force says is it's near the base. The Trump property is near the base where they needed to refuel, and they got competitive rates from it. I'm just giving you their story of this. And they now say and this is a quote "We understand that U.S. service members lodging at higher-end accommodations, even within government rates, might be allowable but not advisable. Might be created through the appearance of air crew staying at such locations. Even when U.S. Air Force and aircrews follow all directives and guidance, we must still be considerate of perceptions of not being good stewards of taxpayer funds that might be of perceptions of not being good stewards of taxpayer funds that might be created through the appearance of aircrew staying at such locations." So that's not admitting to illegal activity, Counselor, but it's acknowledging this looks awful.
[Coates:] And optics are very important. We talk about the hint of impropriety. This is a, like, gut punch of impropriety. You want to have the commander in chief lead the forces, not for them to pander to him in his resorts. And when you have the appearance of saying, "Listen, of all the places, of all the bars you could go to in the world, of all the gin joints you could go to, somehow you happen to be at this one. And you have the appearance of saying, listen, what are emoluments about? And saying look, the president of the United States is not supposed to be able to use and profit off of his brand. The brand is the United States of America. And the hotels you use are the ones that taxpayers would allow you to stay at.
[Avlon:] And don't forget, look, this is in the Constitution. The founders weren't particularly ambiguous about this. You can't This is hard-baked by the guys back in 1789. So I think the other thing to remember is that statement from the Air Force, the Air Force is saying that service members should be held to a higher standard than the vice president of the United States. That's how endemic kind of things have gotten right now that we're not even noticing the fact that it's utterly absurd.
[Berman:] And to tie this up, what Laura was saying is that most political analysts on both sides, a strategist will tell you when you get to corruption and you get to money, that's something that stinks on both ends.
[Avlon:] Follow the money.
[Berman:] And people don't mind hearings on those things. So that'll be interesting.
[Camerota:] OK. Thank you very much. Stick around. We have many more questions. Peace talks with the Taliban abruptly broke down over the weekend. So why did President Trump first invite Taliban leaders to the U.S. during the 911 anniversary week? We discuss all of that next.

[Berman:] We have breaking news overnight. North Korea says it is considering suspending nuclear talks with the United States and, perhaps more importantly, is threatening to resume nuclear and missile tests once again. This comes after last month's failed summit between President Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. CNN's Paula Hancocks live in Seoul with these breaking details dangling the possibility of new missile tests, Paula.
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, that's right, John. We heard from the vice foreign minister just speaking to reporters based in Pyongyang. And what she said was North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is right now trying to figure out if he wants to continue these diplomatic talks with the United States. Also saying that he might lift the moratorium on nuclear and missile testing. Now, that was the one thing that the U.S. president said he did come away with after that Hanoi summit, that the North Korean leader had promised him that there was going to be no more testing. And that was important to him. She also pointed out, quote, "The U.S. were too busy with pursuing their own political interests and had no sincere intention to achieve a result," repeating the claim, as well, that the North Koreans never actually asked for all sanctions to be lifted, as the U.S. president had claimed, but only a few of them, those that were affecting the North Korean people. Interestingly, though, she didn't say anything bad about the U.S. president, saying that there was still a great relationship between Mr. Trump and Kim Jong-un. Also saying that the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful. Instead, she actually laid the blame for this all going wrong at the door of the U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton. Alisyn, back to you.
[Camerota:] Paula, thank you very much. We will check back throughout the program. Meanwhile, there's more breaking news. Israel is blaming Hamas for two rockets that were launched at Tel Aviv, but media reports suggest those may have been a mistake. Israeli Defense Forces responded by hitting about 100 Hamas military targets in Gaza. CNN's Melissa Bell is live at the Israel-Gaza border with all of these breaking details. What have you learned?
[Melissa Bell, Cnn International Correspondent:] Alisyn, that's right. A hundred Hamas targets that were targeted overnight, struck overnight by Israel, this in the wake of those two rockets landing in Tel Aviv, sent from Gaza, the first time that that has happened since 2014. And that really represented something of an escalation that no one had really seen coming at this particular stage, Alisyn. What we're hearing from Israeli media reports is that the Israeli Defense Forces assessment at this stage is that those rockets that were targeted at Tel Aviv could have been the work of some low-level Hamas operatives. That is, that they might not have been sanctioned. And so really a sense this lunchtime here along the IsraelGaza border of all parties seeking to de-escalate in the wake of this flare-up. We've been hearing from Gaza that the weekly protests along the fence for today, those Friday protests, have now been canceled. We've also been speaking to a spokesman from Islamic Jihad, one of the groups that functions within Gaza, saying that overnight, an Egyptian delegation present on the ground has really been trying to calm things down and that all parties inside Gaza are now looking for calm to be restored if Israel is prepared to look for the same John.
[Berman:] All right. Thank you so much for this report. We're watching this very closely. A very important day there, obviously. In the meantime, we're getting new information on the anti-immigration terror attacks at two mosques. Forty-nine people dead. We are at the scene of the shootings. We'll have the breaking news next.

[Cooper:] John King noted earlier Joe Biden is not just ahead, he appears comfortably ahead of fact confirmed by polls in the race for campaign cash. Yet few Democrats or analysts appear willing to make definitive predictions about the race just 11 days out for the ones when he made four years ago. Our next guest is the exceptions. CNN's Fareed Zakaria the headline of his new piece in The Washington Post, I was wrong that Trump would lose in 2016. I'm doubling down in 2020. He writes, quote, I will take my chances and once again predict that Trump will lose this election. Humbled as I am, after these four years, I would still rather bet on and believe in the best in America. Joining me now is Fareed Zakaria, host of "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" here on CNN. He's written the new book Ten Lessons For A Post-Pandemic World. So, Fareed, why do you think that the President is going to lose this election? If you look at polls in, you know, key battleground states? Hillary Clinton, actually, you know, is about where Joe Biden is now in many of those states? Or was that at this time in the race?
[Fareed Zakaria, Cnn:] Look, Anderson, you can you can argue it many different ways, right? There's no question. It's a tight race. We're a divided country, I guess I refer to imagine an alternative narrative, which is borne out by a lot of data. Donald Trump has never been popular. He has always had a majority of the country against him disapproving of him. He has the lowest approval rating of any president in recorded history. In 2016, he happened to run against the second most unpopular candidate in modern presidential history. And in three states with 70,000 votes, he was able to pull off an Electoral College victory. I'm betting that that doesn't happen again. Obviously, I don't know. But part of it is, you know, as an immigrant, as somebody who came to this country and felt like it was magical and was welcomed to hear Trump and his, you know, what is frankly, just naked racism and racial appeals. I want to believe that's not America, I want to believe and I want to bet on the America I know, and I'm going to do it, and maybe I'll be wrong, but I'm willing to put myself out on the line.
[Cooper:] If the person does win a second term. What do you think that means for the United States at home and abroad?
[Zakaria:] Well, you know, I talk a lot about this in my new book, which is the, you know, the part of the problem has become, this is very different from any experience America has had in the past. Because this is not about what America does. It's about who we are. You know, in the past, people have criticized American foreign policy, the Iraq War, the Vietnam War, but that was about what America did. What Trump has represented for a lot of the world, for most of the world, is the idea that America is not what it what they had imagined it to be the shining beacon of, of democracy, of pluralism, of diversity. You know, at some fundamental level, what everybody admires about America around the world is we're somehow able to bring all these people from all over the world together and make this first universal nation. Well, Trump is stands in fundamental opposition to that. He begins his political career with birtherism, he begins his campaign calling Mexicans rapists he announces to during the campaign, the Muslim ban to you as I remember Anderson. That is something so different and so alien from the America that everybody around the world admires. So, I think it would be probably an irreparable loss.
[Cooper:] I spoke to Tom Friedman of the times, a couple of weeks ago. And I mean, he was really concerned about the potential of civil conflict in the United States that a that our he believes that our democracy is in terrible danger, more danger than has been in since the Civil War, more danger than after Pearl Harbor, of Cuban missile crisis. Do you agree with that?
[Zakaria:] Well, I think that one of the dangers of Donald Trump is that he seems to recognize no limits, right? He's willing to do things that nobody else has ever done. And so, it's really that fear that like, if you face this danger, what happens? What happens if the President of the United States, simply, you know, challenges 20 different state elections? What happens if he asked the army to do things? I am fundamentally more optimistic than Tom Friedman is. And one of the points I try to make in my book is, look at the end of the day
[Cooper:] Yes.
[Zakaria:] the United States is always a mixed, messy country. But it has incredible dynamism. And it has this incredible value, that it places on diversity. As I say, I'm going to bet on the America I know, not on the other side of America.
[Cooper:] I want to talk about your book, because despite the President saying that we're rounding the corners, it's nowhere near over cases are obviously rising, the U.S. and Europe. In your new book you write this ugly pandemic has opened up a path to a new world. What do you mean by that?
[Zakaria:] So, there's no question that you're right. This is this is the biggest pandemic in a century, this is the most consequential event in you know, in our lifetimes Anderson, it has affected every single human being on the on the planet. In a way that 911 didn't, in a way the global financial crisis didn't. But in doing that, it's dislocated everything. So, as a result change is possible. Think about how much we've all changed in our lives, right? We've, we've agreed to isolate ourselves, we've agreed to spend hours, you know, having deep personal conversations with our laptops, we have been willing to change if politicians lead us and tell us in this moment of enormous change, here's the way forward. I think we would we would get to a better place. But we need leaders who are willing to embrace that positive change.
[Cooper:] Fareed, I appreciate. The new book, Ten Lessons For A Post- Pandemic World. I'm going to read it this weekend. Still to Come. Thanks very much Fareed, appreciate it. Coming up, did the debate leave an impact with early voters in the polls today in the must win state of Florida? What with Randi Kaye find out? Next.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] Fridays are awesome. And if you`re new to our show, you`ll probably hear me say that again. I`m Carl Azuz and this is CNN 10, your objective explanation of world events. The Democratic National Convention wrapped up on Thursday night and Former Vice-President Joe Biden is now the official presidential nominee for the Democratic party. His running mate, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris from California was nominated as the parties vice-presidential pick on Wednesday night. During this four day event, Democrats spoke out against incumbent President Donald Trump and promoted nominee Joe Biden as the best choice for voters in 2020. It will be the exact opposite next week when the Republican National Convention gets underway. These conventions are an American tradition. They`re where the countries major political parties nominate their candidates, to find what they stand for in an upcoming election and try to drum up voter support for that election. This what they normally look like. This is what they look like in this socially distant year with many of the speeches made virtually and no roaring crowds of conventions past. For the Democrats, speakers included former presidents and presidential candidates, current and former political leaders. The Republican National Convention is set to begin Monday. It will also run through Thursday. It will also be largely virtual and will promote President Trump as the best choice for voters. The election is scheduled for Tuesday, November, 3rd. The debates, when the presidential and vice-presidential candidates face off against each other are set to begin in late September. 10 Second Trivia. Aedes aegypti is a type of what? Carnivorous plant, paper, hieroglyphics, or mosquito. This is a species of mosquito that can carry deadly diseases. A controversial plan is moving ahead to release genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys. More than 750,000 of the insects are set to be introduced there. Why? The aedes aegypti mosquito can carry dangerous diseases like the Zika virus, Dengue fever and yellow fever. Officials are looking for new ways to kill of these insects without using pesticides and genetically modified mosquitoes might be a way to do this. Only female mosquitoes bite people. The altered insects that are set to be released in Florida are male. They`ve been modified so that the female offspring they produce will die before they hatch from their eggs and grow big enough to bite people. And the company that developed these GMO mosquitoes say they`ve been very successful in controlling mosquito populations in Panama, Brazil and the Cayman Islands. But there`s strong opposition among people in Florida to releasing the altered mosquitoes there. One technology and food safety advocate called it a Jurassic Park experiment and said there`s no way to know what could go wrong because government officials haven`t done enough to review the risks. Environmental groups are also concerned about what could happen to the birds, mammals and other insects that eat the GMO mosquitoes. The altered insects are set to be released in the Florida Keys in the years 2021 and 2022.
[Unidentified Female:] Have you ever notice that when you`re out on a summer evening that some of you get bit by mosquitoes much more than others? So what`s behind that? Well it appears that it might be our DNA. Researchers in London looked at identical twins and fraternal twins. Fraternal twins do not have identical DNA and when they took the mosquitoes and they exposed them to the fraternal twins. The fraternal twins were often bit in differing amounts. It wasn`t exactly the same. But when it came to identical twins, if one twin got bit quite a bit than the other twin got bit quite a bit as well. So what`s going on here? Well the researchers hypothesize that it has to do with how we smell. So they wrapped these twins in foil, this is, believe it or not, how you get body odors out so they could look at the body odors, and they could measure them. Now they`re going to analyze these odors and see what is it about each odor that mosquitoes like or dislike. So maybe one day in the future somebody who smells good to the mosquitoes could take a pill so they wouldn`t smell so good to mosquitoes.
[Azuz:] Genevieve is the name of a hurricane that passed near the coast of Baja California, Mexico this week. At one point, the storm was an intense Category 4 hurricane but it had weakened to Category 1 strength with wind speeds of 85 miles per hour when it spun off the Mexican coast. Still, strong winds and a lot of rain were expected on the peninsula. Aside from Genevieve, the eastern Pacific Ocean has been quieter than usual as far as hurricanes go this season. That may not be the case in the north Atlantic. It`s season officially started months ago but according to CNN 10 contributor Tyler Mauldin. It`s peak often coincides with the start of the school year. Tyler.
[Tyler Mauldin, Cnn Meteorologist Contributor:] That`s right Carl. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th and this week is when we normally begin seeing the number of storms increase. We see activity come to a peak on average around September 10th every year. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as NOAA, are expecting a lot of tropical storms and hurricanes this year. They think we could have 25 named storms. They`ve never forecast that many storms. There are several reasons for the forecast. One of the most important reasons is a potential La Nina but what exactly is a La Nina. In order to answer that question, we must first look in the Pacific Ocean because what happens in the Pacific Ocean actually effects what happens downstream in the Atlantic Ocean. Everything`s connected. When the ocean water`s cooler than it normally would be in the east central Pacific, than a La Nina has formed. This La Nina then reshapes the atmosphere creating a calm, comfortable home over the Atlantic Ocean for hurricanes to develop. Now hurricanes like that zen space because the winds tend to be lighter and coming from the same direction as you go up in the air. This allows the system to grow and develop. Hurricanes also like hot water and I mean really hot water, like bathtub hot. Hotter than 78 degrees Fahrenheit from the coast of Africa all the way to the coast of the United States. These bright colors on your screen indicates the Atlantic Ocean is way hotter than it should be. Unfortunately, we do have both ingredients coming together this year. NOAA says there`s a higher than normal likelihood that a La Nina could form and the Atlantic Ocean is extremely warm. Oh, the timing and now you have the science why this season could rewrite the record books and take the number one spot. Now Carl, in case you`re wondering, the year 2005 currently holds that top spot for the most tropical systems in a single season.
[Azuz:] Thanks Tyler. That`s when there were a record 27 named storms with 14 of them becoming hurricanes. Hurricane forecasting is not an exact science. Each year, NOAA`s prediction includes a range of named storms and hurricanes and it says these predictions are made with a 70 percent confidence that the actual number will fall within that range. But NOAA does not predict the number of storms that make landfall in the U.S. It says those can`t be predicted more than a week in advance and after that 2005 record season, the U.S. saw a hurricane drought when 12 years passed without a single major hurricane making landfall in America. A safe recently found in Barre, New York holds a secret that no one may know for a long time. It`s unknown where it came from and it included a note that says anyone who opens it can have what`s inside. Thing is, no one`s been able to do that. People have used sledge hammers. They`ve knocked off the dials and worked on the hinges but the safe still holds its mystery and the farmer who has it hopes it will stay that way to give people something fun to debate in troubled times. So for now, he`s hidden the 500 pound box. Where? Some place "safe". Of course, there`s "vaulted" interest in it. People are "dialed" in. Their curiosity "hinges" on what ever secrets are "unlocked" but it may take a "crack" team to do that. Southwest High School is in San Diego, California. They subscribed and commented on our latest show at Youtube.comCNN10 and that is how to get a mention. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN. END

[Blitzer:] Looking at live pictures coming in from the White House briefing room. Vice President Mike Pence and the coronavirus task force members, they're expected to walk in fairly soon, make an update, some statements on what's going on right now, the latest information they have and take reporters' questions. We of course will have live coverage of this briefing. We're bringing you special coverage of the coronavirus pandemic as only CNN can, with our worldwide resources. Right now I want to go to China, the epicenter of this crisis. CNN's David Culver is joining us live from Shanghai. David, what's the latest there?
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, I can tell you that they're showing some signs of progress here, and that's coming all the way from the top. Early on in this, we noticed that the President here, Xi Jinping, was keeping a very low profile, even as this thing got worse and worse and folks were getting more and more concerned. However, it marked a milestone this week, in fact just 24 hours ago we saw that the President made a visit to the epicenter of all of this, Wuhan, that's within Hubei Province, that's where this outbreak started, that's where tens of thousands have been infected by the virus. Now the most extreme lock downs are within that area. And it is fascinating, Wolf, for me to listen into how it's being handled in the U.S. in particular because you've got to wonder if they can do nearly the level of containment that has happened here. And containment, as your panel has been pointing out there, goes beyond just sealing off neighborhoods, which they have done here. Quite frankly, what I was hearing from New Rochelle as far as minimizing some of the mass gatherings, that's something that's happening in the city where I am, Shanghai, 24 million plus people. That is light lockdown compared to the sealing of communities within, for example, Hubei Province. But then the other aspect of this, Wolf, is tracking people. And they're doing that here through big data. They're trying to figure out who you were in contact with, perhaps were you exposed, and are you taking that to another area. How exactly is that happening? I wanted to show you this Wolf, this is a QR Code. Every one of us here has to check in when we travel into a city, when we go into a hotel, when we go into a shopping mall, and when we do that they're then able to know our location and figure out if perhaps down the line we are in an area that happened to have exposure, they'll be able to figure out where we are and they'll track us down and potentially put you in quarantine, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, be careful over there. David Culver on the scene for us in Shanghai. I want to go to Italy right now. That's seen the biggest increase in deaths due to the coronavirus crisis. At least 168 people have died over the past 24 hours alone. Ben Wedeman is on the scene for us in Bologna right now. It's a beautiful city. I've been to bologna. And the streets over there, Ben, clearly empty.
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes, they are empty indeed. The only traffic we've seen are some police cars and food delivery bicycles going around. Now, even though Italy is technically on a lockdown, it appears that the authorities are going about this rather gradually, keeping in mind that unlike China, Italy is a democracy, and the people need to be slowly eased into this new reality. But we were speaking with some people today who said that in order to contain this virus, which the numbers have really increased dramatically in the last two weeks, that they believe that Chinese style measures will have to be taken. There are some politicians who generally do support the measures taken by the government, who are suggesting that perhaps everything should be closed, bars and restaurants, which are open now from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., everything should be closed except grocery stores where people can at least get the food to eat, because what we have seen, we arrived here just 15 days ago, the number went from 322 recorded cases to now over 10,000. The number of deaths, there were ten when we arrived, now well over 600. So there is mounting pressure to try to get this situation under control, at a time when the medical services, the health services in this country, which are some of the best in the world, are under increasing strain, trying to treat those who are in the intensive care units. And as we've seen, most of those who have died are the have an average age of 81. The worry is that young people who only make up about five percent of those who have the disease, may be passing it to their older relatives. So the government here is struggling to get the situation under control. So far, with limited success, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, Ben Wedeman in Bologna, be careful over there as well. Thank you very much. It's a serious problem, Italy, 60 million people, as we've been reporting, on lockdown right now.
[Tapper:] Couple a week or one week ago we went from like two to 20 deaths over a weekend. And now they're in the hundreds. Let's talk about more of this with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Also joining us, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Dr. Murthay, let me start with you, what should people at home who are not over 60, do not have underlying health concerns, have not yet had it come to their community, in other words the vast majority of Americans, what should they be doing and how worried should they be?
[Dr. Vivek Murthy, Former U.s. Surgeon General:] Well, first of all we should recognize that what we're dealing with, with this novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is different from the flu. There are common questions that come up. Is this just a cold? Is this just the flu? And it's not. It's very transmissible, similar to the flu, but it is more deadly in the sense that it has a higher mortality rate. We're still trying to figure out exactly what that rate is. But by all estimates, it looks like it will be significantly higher than the mortality rate of the flu. But the good news is, there are steps people can take to protect themselves. Basic hand washing measures, making sure you're washing your hands frequently and using hand sanitizer, staying at home if you're sick, making sure you're not touching your face, especially when you're out and about and touching other surfaces, and decontaminating surfaces, including your keys and your cell phone. These are common steps we can all take. I also think now is the time for us to think about how we greet each other and to modify that so that we are minimizing contact. Instead of a handshake, we can do the elbow bump. We can also just use a hand over our heart as a simple greeting, which people do in many cultures around the world. But these are simple steps we can take that can reduce our risk of contracting this virus.
[Tapper:] And one of the things going on right now, Sanjay, as a lot of colleges are shutting down or changing to an online system.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yes.
[Tapper:] What about parents of children who are in grade school, middle school, high school? Should those parents be concerned? Should those schools think about closing if there is no confirmed case directly in that community?
[Gupta:] You know, it's interesting because I think the benefit of that has been largely modeled on the flu like Vivek was talking about. This coronavirus is different. With flu, I think it made a lot of sense. Kids get the flu, they can transmit it. And here we know that kids can get the infection and they can transmit it even if they're not developing symptoms. We know that, but it's a small driver of things. The bigger drivers, people who are sick. Coughing, sneezing, putting those respiratory droplets into the air. I do think you have a harder time justifying school closures for this reason, you know, actually trying to prove that it works. And obviously, everything in life is a risk-reward relationship. So the reward maybe you do decrease somewhat the number of your social distance little bit more as a result, but the disruption is pretty significant I think here. So, the other things, closing of mass gatherings, you know, possibly people working from home, these types of things, obviously identifying people through surveillance and testing and contact tracing, isolating people who have been positive, all those things, yes, I think and do it early, because that's when it seems to make the most difference. School closings, I think is still a little bit of a question mark, in terms of the real impact of that.
[Tapper:] So it makes more sense to you that they're canceling concerts than it does for Harvard or Princeton to cancel classes.
[Gupta:] You know, I do. And look, this is I don't think there's a right answer here. And people were going to have differing opinions on this I know. But what is the justification for what exactly are you getting by pulling all the kids out of Harvard and sending them home? What is the point? No question. Campuses can be a hotbed of various viruses, you know, the flu, meningitis, things like that. But again, we're talking about something that really doesn't affect young people that much. They seem to be fairly insulated from that. They are in the young and healthy sort of category so far less likely than the vulnerable populations to have any negative impact from this. And now you're putting them back into the community where maybe they're going to be back with parents or grandparents possibly taking a virus home. So I don't know. And I'm sure they gave it a lot of thought. But I you know, changeable benefits.
[Tapper:] I'm sure their lawyers played a role also.
[Gupta:] Yes, maybe is this more just let's be full of abundance of caution, or is there a bigger justification? I don't know.
[Tapper:] What do you think? I mean, is it overreacting for colleges to shut down given the fact that the average age of a coronavirus death in the United States, we were told yesterday, is 80? And certainly we don't mean to make light of that. Obviously, this is a horrible disease. And if you're 70, or 80, or 90, and you have it, it's horrible. But if you're a college student, you're at far less risk. Does it make sense to you that Harvard, Princeton, American and others are shutting down?
[Murthy:] Well, this is what I think they might be considering. I think they're looking at not only the risk to their students, but they're probably also recognizing that once a student contracts this virus, they may have the ability to transmit it to other people who may be more vulnerable, maybe that's their parents at home, whether it's other people in the community. But if you're a college making this decision, some of the data that you really need to know is how much local spread is there in the community around you. And the real challenge right now is because of the difficulty we've had getting adequate testing in communities across the country, colleges don't have adequate information. Whatever numbers they're seeing, they're wondering, are there many more cases and we just don't know about them. As we ramp up testing capacity, which I'm hoping we can do as quickly as possible, hopefully we'll get a better handle on this. But many institutions are worried that there are more cases out there than we're saying.
[Tapper:] And Sanjay, what about the doctor in China who died, who was one of the first physicians on the case, who was a whistleblower, this is back when the Chinese government was denying and very opaque about everything. I think he was something like 40
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Tapper:] and he died. And we don't know of any underlying health conditions he had.
[Gupta:] No. And, you know, and I talked to Dr. Redfield, specifically the head of the CDC about this. I think there's two things, you know, when you look at the even with flu deaths, you know, those are more likely to affect the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions, but you do get people. While the vast majority of people fall into those age ranges, there are some outliers every now and then. And also, as a physician who is taking care of these patients, is it possible that he had a much more significant exposure to this virus than other people? That's possible as well. So it can happen. It's far more unusual. I mean, you can actually put numbers behind this. The we talked about the fatality rates being around 2 percent, people in their 70s and 80s., it's closer to 15 or 16 percent. Still, look, it's still not, you know, it's not 100 percent people think is universally fatal, and people who are older, it's by no means 15 percent, 16 percent, but that's eight times higher than people who are who are younger.
[Tapper:] And then we just heard out of Children's Hospital Philadelphia, that a doctor there who just returned from a country where there are COVID-19 cases, not one of the ones on level three reconsider traveling their level from the State Department, but a place where there were sicknesses, came to the United States, saw about two dozen patients at Children's Hospital Philadelphia interacted with about 17 staff members, and then about four days into it realized his progressive symptoms meant that he should get himself checked out or herself checked out. This is going to spread in ways we cannot even anticipate.
[Murthy:] That's right. And this is why two things become really important here. One is that we have as much transparency into the situation as possible, which means that we not only testing but we all need to be aware of what the numbers are. But the second thing is that we have to get ahead of this which means not only practicing safe, you know, sanitation practices ourselves but also thinking about social distancing more now. We talked a little bit earlier about changing how we greet people, but social distancing also includes staying away from mass gatherings and involves shifting to telework instead of everybody coming in to a workplace. And in most extreme measures, that can involve closing schools. Now what we talked about colleges, the decision that affects far more young people is actually the closure of grade schools. So elementary school, middle school, high school. Some localities have made the decision that that's the right thing to do. But what this is highlighting is that we are woefully ill-equipped as a society to deal with situations where we may need to pull kids out of school. We don't have, for example, the safeguards to provide paid leave to parents who need to stay home. We don't have paid sick leave for those parents if they themselves become ill. So one of the things we're learning because of the coronavirus is that there are fundamental building blocks of a healthy and resilient society that we need now to build and put in place not just for now but also for future outbreaks.
[Tapper:] You sound like you're about to announce your presidential campaign. You have my vote. Thank you so much, really appreciate it, both of you doctors. So we're standing by for a coronavirus briefing at the White House. First, we're going to squeeze in this quick break. Stay with us.

[King:] The White House and congressional Democrats are set to resume talks next hour, but there are still giant differences over the size and the details of a new coronavirus stimulus package. CNN's Phil Mattingly live for us on Capitol Hill. He's been following these talks. Phil, they keep saying we're talking about they're making progress?
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] The short answer is, no. Look, the progress, the most progress they made out of the course of four separate meetings, closed doors, top White House negotiators, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on the other side was on Saturday where they met for three and a half hours. And I'm told, according to people who are briefed on that meeting, that the progress was basically understanding what they disagree on, understanding what both sides red lines are. And, John, I think what we're watching right now is something that, you know, if you look back to March and the understanding, the grasp of the crisis that was at hand in the massive $2.2 trillion package that was passed almost unanimously in both chambers, you recognize how very different the dynamics are. And one of those issues right now are the people negotiating, including where the President is. Take a listen to what Speaker Nancy Pelosi said when she was asked about that by Jim Sciutto this morning.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Is the President himself substantively involved in these negotiations?
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] I assume that he is. I trust that he is. And that they represent his point of view. And that they carried back our point of view to the President. I certainly hope he is.
[Mattingly:] It sounds like a resounding vote of confidence there. And I think part of the reason you see that right now is the President is on Twitter talking about a payroll tax cut. The White House is talking about moving forward on things unilaterally, none of which are really in play right now. You know, you mesh that with the fact Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not actually in the negotiations right now. He's aware of them but he's not in the room. And Senate Republicans themselves have had serious questions about some of the White House negotiators and where the President is. And you get to the difficulties right now, the complexities. It's not just policy. And look, on the policy, the goals are very significant and very real. Democrats obviously want to maintain that $600 flat rate on unemployment insurance, the federal plus up of that unemployment insurance. Republicans want to take it down pretty significantly, state and local, Democrats want nearly a trillion dollars more in state local funding. Republicans right now say there's enough leftover from that first package. They just want flexibility. There are a number of major issues that still need to be ironed out. I think the big question right now is, the impetus to get a deal, the recognition that there are deadlines, there are actual millions of people hurting when they lose that unemployment, when they lose the eviction moratorium. And the realities of there's politics coming up. There's an election in a couple months, will that start to straighten things out a little bit? We should know a little bit more after the meeting that starts at 1:00 p.m.
[King:] And Phil, on another topic related to the election that's coming up, it was two weeks ago yesterday in an interview on "Fox News" Sunday, the President said he was crafting a new health care plan. We know it's an election year. We know it is very unlikely that anything not related directly to the coronavirus is going to get done on Capitol Hill as you're there. Are there any of the Republicans on Capitol Hill have any idea what the President's talking about?
[Mattingly:] No, not at all. Look, I'm always very hesitant. There's way too much snark and I think how a lot of people cover a lot of things. But there's just a level of absurdity to the President talking about health care plan that doesn't exist, saying that it's coming in two weeks, which is kind of I think friend of Inside Politics, Toluse Olorunnipa of "The Washington Post" wrote a story about everything is coming in two weeks. There's nothing coming in two weeks. There's nothing coming yesterday or today when it comes to health care. Look, the administration on the administrative side over at HHS and CMS, has done a lot of things on health care. Obviously, they're also signed on to a lawsuit to completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act. But in terms of a new health care plan, at least as far as I'm talking to Republicans up here, nobody's heard about it. Nobody knows that it's coming. And frankly, if I'm going to be honest with you, given everything else that's happening right now, I don't think Republicans want any part of that, given how that debate generally plays out for them, at least over the course of the last couple cycles, John.
[King:] Yes. Repeal and replace didn't go too well, when they controlled everything. Phil Mattingly, appreciate the important updates there on Capitol Hill. When we come back, the President's back up on T.V. after a brief hiatus that would be his campaign. And the new campaign manager says he wants debates sooner.

[Don Lemon, Cnn:] It's been exhausted, it's all gone. This is what the president said about that tonight.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Exhausted is a good thing not a bad thing. It went quickly. It is so popular. The banks had been incredible. It was really executed flawlessly.
[Lemon:] So, listen, $349 billion gone in less than two weeks. I mean, it wasn't flawless. There are so many businesses that couldn't even get their applications processed. It's not a victory lap. With so many businesses in real trouble at this point.
[Austan Goolsbee, Former Chief Economist For President Obama:] Beyond real trouble. It is not a beauty contest. I mean, to say it was popular is an indicator that millions of businesses are losing everything. And what you saw happen here is they made the money first come first serve and then they piped it through the banks. And so, the banks immediately went to the businesses that they already had relationships with. So, your local restaurant and bowling alley and places that are going to have to shut down none of them got money. And if we come to find out now that who actually did got get end up getting the money were hedge funds and pass through entities of millionaires. I really think there's going to be grave outrage on the part of people because the $350 billion was meant to prevent small businesses in all sectors from shutting down. It wasn't meant to be reserve money, reserve for only the people who already had lines of credit at a bank.
[Lemon:] Austan Goolsbee, thank you so much, sir. I appreciate your time. This is CNN Tonight. I'm Don Lemon. It is 11 p.m. on the East Coast. And here are the latest on the coronavirus pandemic. Here's the latest information, I should say. There are now more than 670,000 cases of coronavirus in the United States. More than 33,000 Americans have died from the disease. Worldwide, more than 2.1 million cases. And more than 140,000 deaths. President Trump announcing new guidelines tonight for states to reopen their economies. But telling governors they will be the ones to call the shots on opening their individual states. And incredibly, saying that states which aren't being hit hard by the virus can reopen for business as early as tomorrow as long as they meet the new guidelines. That as the CDC is reporting cases of coronavirus in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. Joining me now to discuss is CNN White House correspondent, John Harwood, and our resident fact checker, Daniel Dale. Gentlemen, good evening. John, the president ceded to the medical experts in laying out a multi-phase approach for reopening the country. So, walk us through phase one and when this could begin.
[John Harwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] He did, Don. And it was a framework that made sense in theory. Without specifying how we're going to get there. First of all, the state has to pass through the gate, shall we say, to get to phase one. And through the gate you have to have 14 days of declining COVID-cases. You have to have a hospital system that can operate not in crisis mode. And you have to have enough testing and contact tracing to keep the new outbreaks under control. Not clear that any state can meet all those criteria now. But if they get to phase one here's what it shows. Under phase one vulnerable people will shelter in place, as they are now. Telework at workplaces is encouraged. Phased return of workers. Schools remain closed. Avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and minimize non- essential travel. That's for starters.
[Lemon:] So, OK, John, so even when we arrive at phase two and, you know, at phase three of these new guidelines, we won't be going back to normal. Will we?
[Harwood:] No. This is going to be a new kind of life in the United States for some time. Certainly, until we get the vaccine. To get to phase two and phase three, first of all states have to pass through the same gate they pass through phase one. Declining test. No sign of any rebound. But if you get to phase two, here's what it calls for. The vulnerable would continue to shelter in place. They would businesses encourage teleworks. Schools would now open. You avoid gatherings of more than 50 people. Up from ten. Non- essential travel is OK. So, vacations that sort of thing. Bars and gyms would be able to open. Although with practicing social distancing. To get to phase three, it's much more wide open. The vulnerable populations would be out and interacting with others. Workplaces would be unrestricted and those big sports venues that's one of the things that President Trump has been specially focused on. Baseball stadiums, that sort of thing could open with only limited physical distancing. That's one of the biggest questions that experts have about this framework is whether that is a safe piece of guidance at this stage in this crisis.
[Lemon:] So, Daniel, governors will decide when they're ready for these phases. But President Trump is claiming that coronavirus isn't an issue in some states. I want you to take a listen to this.
[Trump:] You have states without any problem. You have states with few cases and those few cases have healed. You have states with very little death. Relatively speaking. As I said, one is too many. But you have states with very little and frankly, they're at a point where they have almost nothing.
[Lemon:] What are the facts?
[Daniel Dale, Cnn Reporter:] Don, the president is a serial liar. But here's also within the category of serial lying. He's also a serial pointless exaggerator. It is accurate that some states are less hard hit than others. But the president said tonight that some states are not affected at all. That's not true. As of 10 p.m. the Johns Hopkins tracker had the least hit states in terms of cases as Wyoming with 296. We know that is an undercount because that's confirmed cases. Tons of people aren't being tested. And Don, the president tonight also said that some rural states won't even need to do testing and contact tracing because he said, they have a wide-open spaces and wide open plains. We know that even the most rural states, take South Dakota for example. We have an outbreak there because they have a pork plant where there were cases. So even those rural places have pockets of density, have factories, have places where people congregate. There is no state even the most wide open that is immune from this issue.
[Lemon:] Yes. We're going to talk to someone from South Dakota coming up in the show to talk them about the issues going on there. John, you know, the president isn't being truthful about the testing problem in this country. Isn't an important part of the states safely assessing if they can move into these phases?
[Harwood:] Maybe the most important missing piece right now, Don, and it's a little bit strange that the president is not recognizing this. He continues to assert we have the best test, that sort of thing. Now, Deborah Birx, his task force coordinator said tonight that she and her aides had gone lab by lab and identified some surplus testing capacity. We're now testing about a million COVID test a week. She said they have identified unused capacity of another million a week. Experts say that is still not adequate. And the question is how the states which are struggling to get not only testing kits but also the swabs and reagents and other supplies necessary as well as trained personnel to interpret the test and administer the test. How do they get to where they need to be so that we can safely reopen? Not clear. There are proposals on Capitol Hill for $30 billion from Democrats to be testing procedures and testing purchasing by states. But that has not past the Congress yet.
[Lemon:] All right. Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate it. I want to bring in now Dr. Syra Madad. She is a special pathogens specialist. So, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it. So, doctor, you know, I want to get your reaction to these new White House guidelines. We all want to get back to normal. People want to get back to work. This is aspirational plan, right?
[Syra Madad, Special Pathogens Specialist:] Absolutely. I mean, the guidelines that have been set out they're very vague. And you've heard so many people talk about testing. But you know, it's missing some of the core elements. We don't have a comprehensive testing strategy here in the United States. It's just patch work, unfortunately. And we really need to ramp up our testing. We've been saying this for months now. And it's unfortunate. And what goes along with testing is, you know, you've heard from other speakers, is we are having issues with the supply chain aspects. So, the reagents, the swabs, it's not just about doing broad scale testing. You need to make sure you have the supplies to do it. But then you also need to make sure that, you know, after testing the other cornerstone is isolating these individuals. And then doing contact tracing. You know, a whole army of public health soldiers to do contract tracing and then quarantining those contacts. So, there's an entire strategy that's missing from these guidelines.
[Lemon:] So, this whole idea about the president saying that some states can literally open up tomorrow. One of the benchmarks of the first phase is a sustained decrease in cases of over a 14-day period. How can a state accurately know if they meet that threshold without widespread testing?
[Madad:] That's exactly right. You know, you're basically operating in the blind if you can't do widespread testing. We need testing enable to be able to see what's actually happening in these states and then be able to go on to the next phase. And so, these are just arbitrary guidelines that really almost meaningless. I mean, governors are going to continue to do what they're doing regardless of this. They know what needs to be done. They need a federal partner in this.
[Lemon:] So, doctor, let's say that this summer some states are in phase three. Others are in phase one. What happens if someone who lives in phase three state travels to a phase one state?
[Madad:] That's a very good point. And that's something that needs to be considered. Because we don't want to have, you know, pockets of outbreaks anywhere. So, while you think that you may have you're in a state where you have things under control, you may have a resurgence of cases or clusters because people are moving in and out, not just domestically but internationally. We're seeing this play out in other countries that are starting to lift their social distancing restrictions and you're seeing, you know, flares in those particular areas. And so, we need to be very mindful of that.
[Lemon:] The creator of the coronavirus model cited by the White House says that there's been more social distancing than expected. And that will factor into new estimates that will come out tomorrow. If social distancing has been so successful, what will happen when we stop it?
[Madad:] Well, if we stop social distancing we'll absolutely rebound. We're going to go back to the state, to the state that we were and we're going to continue to climb. We're going to see a lot more morbidity, a lot more mortality. You're going to see healthcare systems continue to get overwhelmed. They're already overwhelmed. This is going to take it to a whole new level. And it's going to be unfortunate. And so, these are the things that we want to absolutely avoid. So, we need to make sure we're doing the right the right things and moving in the right direction. And we're absolutely not right now.
[Lemon:] So, listen, I know that you're not a political person, but there are people who have been critical saying that the models were off, right? And that and all of this was for naught. But when you look at what the creator of this model have cited, right. This is the White House model. When he is saying that there's been more social distancing than expected. Meaning that it is worked better than they expect it. So, doesn't that sort of refute what the critics are saying about this whole thing?
[Madad:] Well, models are, you know, they're models. You have best-case scenario and a worst-case scenario. And luckily in this case the models were wrong in terms of some of their predictions which is, you know, [Inaudible] we're seeing less morbidity and less mortality than estimated. But with the social distancing measures they're obviously working. We're able to flatten the curve in many parts, certainly here in New York City, though we're still seeing thousands of cases. We need to just continue on to do these measures and make sure that we have a bridge until we have a vaccine available. And so, within this bridge that requires testing requires a much broader public health strategy in place that we need to continue to world towards.
[Lemon:] Let's talk about Remdesivir, OK? Because there's a report that coronavirus patients receiving this experimental drug, Remdesivir, that they are recovering very quickly. With most going home within days after having severe respiratory systems. The trial is still ongoing. But how encouraging is this?
[Madad:] It is very encouraging. But at the same time, it is still a trial. So, we want to make sure that we actually have, you know, good data available. And that it can go through an FDA approval process fast to be able to be used widespread. But it certainly sounds very promising. And this is something we need we need more glimmers of hope, if you will.
[Lemon:] Yes, absolutely. Dr. Syra Madad, thank you so much. I appreciate your time. And I hope that you will join me along with my colleague Van Jones for a look at coronavirus in communities of color. We're going to have a special conversation and messages of hope from Sean Diddy Combs, Merica Ferrer, Charles Barkley, and many more. The color of COVID-19. It's live Saturday at 10 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. And across America everybody wants to know when the crisis will end. But the real question is, how do we continue? Is America prepared for what our lives will look or be like?

[Richard Quest, Cnn Business Anchor:] Sixty minutes to the close of business on Wall Street, and what an extraordinary session we have seen on the back of some remarkable jobs numbers. The market up over nearly three and a quarter percent, out like a rocket, never looked back, 800 points, who knows how the last hour will go as people go in and come into the final bits of trading. The markets and the reasons why, there is but one. Millions of jobs have been added in the United States. It's the biggest shock Jobs Report in history. Airline stocks are leading the charge. Boeing is up an extraordinary amount. Schedules are coming back to life. And in Europe, Spain is moving to the next phase of reopening, to lure back the tourists. It is Friday, it is June the 5th. I'm Richard Quest, and of course, yes, on this busy day, I mean business. Good evening. We will of course fully update you on what's happening with the outrages and the valiant policing later in the program in the United States. We'll have that story for you. We begin, though, with what has to be the most unbelievable May Jobs Report that we've ever seen. Investors had braced for the worst. The fear was that unemployment would go to some 20 percent. The reality was the opposite. Two and a half million jobs were actually added. It shocked the market, surprised beyond belief. The Dow, as you saw, now over nearly three and a third higher, and to give you a sense of how shocking it was, it's the way in which 20 percent was forecast for May and it turned out to be 13.3 percent, a fall from 14.7. So far from going up, it actually went down. Julia Chatterley is the anchor, of course, of "First Move." She joins me now. Julia, in a moment we'll discuss with Jason Furman why these numbers may not be right, but give me the nuts and bolts of what these numbers said.
[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Business Anchor, "first Move":] Well, it's great to be shocked when it's good news like this, and oh, boy, we take good news where we can get it. What we actually saw was 7.5 million people getting jobs, five million people losing jobs. So the net result here, Richard, as you mentioned, 2.5 million jobs gained. It was a huge surprise. It's great news. The jobs are coming back, I think, quicker than we thought. We always thought that we would see a spike back in jobs as states reopened. It's just kicking in sooner than expected. They were in leisure, they were in hospitality, construction, and manufacturing. All some of the sectors that were hardest hit as a result of the shutdown. Within this, there's bad news though that the government sector still will shed over 500,000 jobs. They have pointed that state and local governments still need support here, too. But you know, the key takeaway for me here, Richard, is that as states reopen, jobs are coming back, whether that's in part due to the support of the PPP, the loan program for small businesses keeping on their workers. What we don't know now is what the path forward looks like. How many staff do you need to keep as you get a sense of what pandemic employment looks like and how many customers you get through the door? There's still lots of unknowns. But we can't take away from the good news in this report. Jobs are coming back and they're coming back quicker than we thought.
[Quest:] Julia, let's do I want to delve into that. You alluded to it. Hospitality and leisure added 1.2 million jobs. That's the most of any sector. Mainly bars and restaurants. It was also construction, education, health services, and the like. And when you look at those numbers, now, retail, some shops are reopening. Hospitality, bars and restaurants and hotels aren't properly open. So, how do you square that circle for me that that was one of the better performers?
[Chatterley:] Well, if you remember, hospitality and leisure were 40 percent of the job losses in the prior months, so you would suggest or expect to see as things start to reopen some staff being required. What you've got to remember when we're looking at the bounce back that we are seeing as we see activity pick up and the shutdowns and lockdowns being reduced, is that you will expect to see people employed. We've still got more than 20 million Americans, Richard, out of work. If you add in things like discouraged workers, workers that would like to be working more than they are at this stage, we're still talking one in five American workers impacted. It's called the U-6 unemployment rate, which is still above 21 percent in America. Even the statistics agency that provided this data said, look, if everyone who said they were unemployed actually said that rather than being absent from the workforce, this statistic would be three percentage points higher. We would be talking around a 16.5 percent unemployment rate. So for all of the optimism and the jobs that we're seeing added back here, the complexities, the complications, the challenges here in the American jobs market remain, and we don't know yet whether we can sustain this pace of job creation and what the future looks like. And actually what the job market can withstand while keeping cases of COVID down. There are so many unknowns here, but hey, like I said to begin, we'll take good news where we can get it and today is good news.
[Quest:] Julia Chatterley. Julia, thank you. Now, with me is Jason Furman, the Harvard Professor, former Chair of the White House Economic Advisers. Jason, we'll come to your point that you've been writing about in just a moment in terms of the numbers. But did this morning's number take you by surprise, too?
[Jason Furman, Former Chair Of The White House Economic Advisers:] It took me by surprise, Richard. I was expecting to see millions of jobs added in the second half of May, which would have been too late to be captured by this report. It looks like I might have been off by about two weeks and you saw millions of jobs added in the first half of May.
[Quest:] So, you are of the opinion that, as Julia was alluding to, that the number the real number this doesn't reflect it because of the way the numbers are counted? Explain.
[Furman:] There's two issues. One is there's a set of people who were not working, not getting paid, but didn't really quite give a reason why that was the case. There were I think about four million of them. They probably were unemployed, but they weren't counted as unemployed. Another big issue is just millions of people left the labor force, they gave up looking for jobs because May did not seem like a particularly good month to be searching for a job. And if you count them as unemployed in the first group, the unemployment rate would have been 17 percent. Now, that still would have been down from a comparable unemployment rate for April. So no matter how you look at it, May was better than April. But no matter how you look at it, the economy was still in a very, very depressed state in the month of May.
[Quest:] So are you suggesting that all of these numbers I say all. It is a good news. It is a good number. But are you suggesting that what this number is really doing is borrowing or taking from later in the year and bringing it forward, which would be good news, but it doesn't tell us much about what the hardened level, the elevated hardened level of unemployment is in the United States?
[Furman:] Yes, that's exactly right, Richard. They report the number of people who are on temporary layoff. That number went down 2.7 million in May relative to the month before. In some sense, that was bad news because those were people who weren't actually fired from their jobs. They just temporarily weren't at their jobs. And so all 2.5 million new jobs we got, roughly speaking, were people who were taken off that temporary layoff. If you look at the number of people who have been fired from their jobs, not just temporarily but permanently, that actually went up in May relative to where it was before. That's what's worth looking at in terms of the longer-term trajectory that we're on.
[Quest:] Jason, we're going to deal with the politics of this in just a moment. But on the sheer economics, somebody hearing this news today would say, well, it's starting to look like a V-shaped recovery. Maybe it's a V that's going a little longer, it won't be identical V, but it's starting to look that way. Would we expect that to be reflected next in GDP? In manufacturing? In PPI?
[Furman:] I think we're going to see that in a wide range of data. You won't see it in GDP until we get the numbers for Q3, which is in October, the GDP that is still lagged. But absolutely, for the next couple of months, we're going to see, I would expect, very rapid growth in retail sales and industrial production, in new orders, in housing, and everything, and it will look like we're starting to go up a V. I'm just worried we're only going to go up half of it because the first half of the climb is the easy part. It's the second half that's much harder.
[Quest:] Feel free to steal this. I call it the reverse tick. We sort of come down. You know how a tick goes. It comes down, but just flip it around and that's what it is. Jason, we will talk more about it. I'm so grateful on a busy day that you found time to talk to us. I appreciate it. Thank you.
[Furman:] Great talking to you, Richard.
[Quest:] Now, President Trump, not surprisingly, has called it and I am going to quote, "probably the greatest comeback in American history." So, let's move from the economics and the numbers to the politics, because nothing this year, nothing at this time, in fact, nothing this year full stop can fail to be seen other than through the lens of the political election. This is what the President said about how this number reflected his policy of reopening America.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] When we had a problem, we were able to cut it off, stop it just like this, stop it. Keep everyone inside, keep them away, keep them together, away, uninfected, and we saved millions of lives. And now, we're opening and we're opening with a bang and we've been talking about the V. This is better than a V. This is a rocket ship.
[Quest:] Now, the White House correspondent John Harwood is in Washington. We have much ground to cover here, John, and I'm glad that you're with us to do so. All right, this is it, isn't it? This is the he blames the President blames China for the pandemic and he takes the credit for the recovery.
[John Harwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Richard, the President today was like a fighter who has been staggered, punch drunk around the ring by a series of blows. He lands one punch and all of a sudden he is intoxicated and completely exhilarated by what he has done. The President of course is exaggerating the situation, claiming victory prematurely, because as Jason Furman said, this was the low-hanging fruit. This is the easy part of the recovery that when you switch the economy back on, he did that so to that extent, yes, the President by pushing the reopening of the economy generated these gains. What we don't know, though, as you alluded to before is, what does the virus have to say about it? Did they reopen too early? Is the virus going to spike again and cause another downturn of economic activity? And then secondly, now that you've reconnected people who were temporarily displaced from the workforce, what about all of the others? The businesses that may have gone under? People who may have left the labor force? We don't know what the continued climb is going to be. You get a boost in the beginning, but we've got a long, long way to go, which is why economists in both parties who I talked to today were very cautious in interpreting this data.
[Quest:] But we know that the President is nothing, if not a superb salesman and the ability to spin. Now, if you accept he doesn't have to convince Democrats, hardened Democrats and all of those states that have borne the brunt of the losses, he only has to convince those in the middle and those on his side. I mean, this is exactly the news he needed.
[Harwood:] It's the news he wanted. I'm not sure it's what he needed, though, Richard. Remember, he's in a very deep political hole right now and just think back a little while ago before the coronavirus pandemic hit and we shut down the economy. Think about 2018, for example. The economy was booming in 2018 and Republicans were hammered. The President was trailing Joe Biden in the polls before the coronavirus pandemic. A lot of the negative judgments of the President have nothing to do with the state of the economy, they are about his personal behavior and how his approach to the office is and that's one of the things that people recoiled from this week in his response to the protests in American cities. So, it is certainly good news for the President. It's better than a much higher number. But 13 percent unemployment is still higher than we have seen since the Great Depression. And so the President still has millions and millions and millions of Americans who had jobs a few months ago who do not have jobs now and there's a political price to pay for that. It's better, but he needs a lot more than that.
[Quest:] John. John Harwood in Washington, thank you. We will talk more, that much I know about. Thank you.
[Harwood:] You bet.
[Quest:] As we continue on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS this Friday, we will watch the numbers and we'll watch the market very closely. The police tactics are now under the microscope in the United States. Police brutality, it's another important part of what is being seen following the George Floyd death last week.

[Vause:] Friday look to be another bad day on the stock market, the futures say, it could be down 295 points before the open. The DOW actually finished almost a thousand points lower on Thursday. That's 3.5 percent there, you see closing out just over 26,000 points. A big loss of ratings and all the gains from a day earlier. Now OPEC is looking to slash production crude oil after the biggest fall in demand on record. CNN's John Defterios, joins us now from Vienna, Austria. Also, John, the question is isn't just what OPEC plans to do, but what the group known as OPEC Plus agrees to do.
[John Defterios, Cnn Emerging Markets Editor:] You're exactly right, John. OPEC Plus led by Russia, which is the largest non-OPEC producer in this group of 23 producers. For a sense of play its right OPEC headquarters and the ministers are arriving now for a meeting that's going to start in 5 minutes. And they see the writing on the wall, if I can [inaudible], John because of the coronavirus and what has done to demand for jet fuel, for trucking, for manufacturing. And the pressure is on. We're below $50 a barrel in the international benchmark. So, the Saudi minister, who is the defacto leader of this group came out with a bolder proposal to cut 1.5 million barrels a day. Now through the end of the year, taken their total cuts over the last year, the 3.6 million barrels, John. That matches the drop that we've seen, because of the dropping demand from China and the other Asian countries right now. And we have a look at the barrel market in terms of prices, we've loss and we've talk about a correction on Wall Street about 10 percent over all, maybe 12 percent, it's double that in the oil market. That's why they need to move. The wildcard as you were suggesting, the lead into me, John is Russia itself. They believe and that's in the top of Vladimir Putin. They are giving too much space at the OPEC Plus and the discussions to the U.S. producers, Norway and Brazil. The U.S. is about 13 million barrels a day, they are not cutting production, but the idea stability going forward, they recalled back in 2016, John. From prices plummeted to $30 a barrel. Nobody wants to go through that yet again and that's why the Saudis said, look, we'll cut now 1.5 for the first part of the year and then they went back into a meeting last night and said, look, let's not play games, let's do it for all 2020. So, it is a day of reckoning if you will. I don't think that the OPEC Plus will fall apart from 2016 when they put it together. It's important to stabilize the market. They just have to find a compromise.
[Vause:] Yes. Compromise is a good word. We will see what happens, John Defterios there, live for us in Vienna. We'll see what happens. Thanks, John, I appreciate it. Well, weeks after announcing that his stepping down from royalty. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are back in London where they attended an event to honor wounded soldiers. Their first official appearance since they announced they are stepping down as senior members of the royal family. They have a lot more events appeared at least before ending their royal duties in March 31st. Well, [inaudible] on the International Space Station could have some visitors next year. Hi, I'm coming in. Elon Musk SpaceX struck a deal with Aerospace Axiom Space for their tourist, researchers and other very wealthy people to the orbiting platform. A four mete wide spacecraft would transport three passages for each trip, other they trained flight commander as well. The first mission could launch as soon as the second half of next year. The visitor would spend at least eight days on the station doing what? Returning to earth that is enough. Thank you for watching CNN Newsroom, I'm John Vause. Early Start is up next with Christine Romans and Phil Mattingly.

[Erica Hill, Cnn:] Hello, I'm Erica Hill, in for Brooke Baldwin. As members of Congress prepare for one of the highest stakes hearings of their career, CNN is learning new details about what Robert Mueller is requesting before he testifies. The former Special Counsel making an 11th hour appeal to the House Judiciary Committee. We want to get straight to CNN senior congressional correspondent, Manu Raju. So Manu, what is Mueller asking now ahead of tomorrow's hearing?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, this is a last ditch request that was made by the Special Counsel and that really caused a number of Republicans to raise alarms. What he is asking for is that his deputy Aaron Zebley, to be sworn in tomorrow to answer any questions that may come up that perhaps the Special Counsel cannot fully answer, and instead have Zebley answer those questions, instead. Republicans are saying this is not should not be agreed to. They're saying this is quote "unprecedented." The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee said it would undercut the integrity of the committee. Now, Democrats have not agreed to this yet. But I am told from a source familiar with the matter, who just messaged me just moments ago, that Zebley will be there as a counsel to Mueller for the hearing tomorrow. We will sit next to him during the hearing. It's not clear if he will be sworn in. That is the actual what the Republicans have been concerned about. But it shows how sensitive these negotiations have been in how it's high stakes this hearing is tomorrow. Already, Democrats have been preparing behind the scenes, mock hearings, Republicans have as well and some Democrats including Joaquin Castro, who is on the House Intelligence Committee believes that tomorrow's hearing could change the dial and raise the prospects of impeachment proceedings in the House.
[Raju:] Do you think that it could change the dial on impeachment?
[Rep. Joaquin Castro:] I think it certainly could. I think, for example, when people hear that Robert Mueller listed out 10 instances where the President may have obstructed justice and the fact that, I think a big part of the reason that he's not being indicted is because he's the sitting President. Yes, I think that's really important to people. Yes, I think that it's going to open a lot of Americans eyes to what exactly the President has done and what his circle did in the 2016 election.
[Raju:] So Democrats in the House Judiciary Committee this afternoon plan to have a mock hearing to lay out their areas of questioning. They point unlimited to a certain number of areas about obstruction of justice. They want their questions to focus in roughly five areas, they believe will really resonate with the American public. Republicans, on the other hand, want to focus about what they believe are bias on the Mueller team, the origins of the investigation, and their belief that the probe should not have been launched to begin with. Expect Mueller to deal with that. But this last minute request by the Special Counsel to have his deputy come in, to answer to be sworn in, to answer questions call it throwing a wrench and of sorts, and this is showing how reluctant Mueller has been as a witness for months as these negotiations have been going on. We still expect that hearing to happen tomorrow. And we do are now hearing that he's going to be this deputy will be a counsel sitting alongside with him at the hearing. We will see how Republicans react to this as this moves ahead Erica.
[Hill:] Absolutely. Manu Raju with the latest for us there. Manu, thank you. For his part, the President is also gearing up for tomorrow's hearing, launching a preemptive strike today attempting to discredit anything Mueller could reveal. His audience for that, a student summit in Washington. CNN's Abby Phillip is at the White House. Abby, the President saying yesterday, maybe a little, might watch a little of the Special Counsel's testimony tomorrow. Is that still the plan?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, as you said, Erica, he said he wasn't going to watch it and then maybe he will catch a little bit of it. I think most people in this building believe the President will be watching at least some of it as most of the TVs in the White House are trained to the news at all times. He'll also be heading to an event in West Virginia where he'll be on Air Force One, also full of televisions are trained to his favorite stations. So I think we can expect that he'll be monitoring it. And his tweets and comments in the last several days really indicate how irritated he is that this is all coming back. The President and his allies calling it an attempt by Democrats to have a do over of the Mueller investigation. He emphasized repeatedly in this lengthy speech this morning, that the Mueller investigation found no collusion. And he noted that his Attorney General Bill Barr found that there was no obstruction of justice. So the President is going back to his old talking points on all of this, but trying to make the case that he thinks this is going to be a political loser for the Democrats, saying that he thinks it will all backfire on them. What he would like to talk about instead are these four Democratic Congresswoman, the squad that he has been attacking for many days now and the President continue those attacks this morning, singling out a different Congresswoman.
[Hill:] He has usually talked about Ilhan Omar, now, he's talking about Rashida Tlaib and criticizing her at length in the speech. Listen.
[Donald Trump , President Of United States:] This Tlaib...
[Crowd:] [Booing]
[Trump:] I believe Honestly, I believe they hate our country, okay. I believe they hate our country. Cortez, you know I said I'm not going through them to these four people, the squad
[Crowd:] [Booing]
[Trump:] No, by calling them out because we don't like when they talk about evil Jews.
[Phillip:] So if anybody thought this was going away, they would be very wrong. This has become something of a staple of the President's public appearances in the last several days. And he did not give any indication that he planned to slow down. Those attacks keep coming day after day Erica.
[Hill:] Clearly the President seems to think they are working. Abby Phillip, appreciate it. Abby, thank you, Democrats who will be questioning the former Special Counsel are holding mock hearings today as Manu pointed out, and they've got plenty of history to guide them. Robert Mueller took over as FBI Director one week before the 911 attacks, answering of course, plenty of lawmakers' questions during his nomination hearings. In fact, over the past 12 years, he's testified before Congress roughly 50 times. My next guest watched more than 20 hours of Mueller's past testimony. Darren Samuelsohn is senior White House reporter for POLITICO. Darren, great to have you with us. You learn a lot in watching 20 hours of Robert Mueller testifying and I know, you said too in your piece. One of the most important things is that we watch it, that we all see if it would the sound up because so much of what we seen of Robert Mueller has been video, but we're not listening to him. So I want to get to some of the examples that I know you found the most significant, including pointing out how he's talked about asserting his independence from the DOJ, let's play this.
[Robert Mueller, Russia Probe's Special Counsel:] I'm not precluding the possibility that given the necessary independence of the Bureau in investigation that there might not come a time where one seeks and alternative, where one believes that a political pressure is being brought to bear on the investigative process. That may be somewhere else in the executive, beyond the attorney general, it may be Congress, but I would look and explore it every option if I believe that the FBI was being pressured for political reasons. And if that were the situation as described here, I would explore other alternatives or a variety of alternatives in order to make certain that justice was done.
[Hill:] What do you think that response tells us about how he could handle similar lines of questioning?
[Darren Samuelsohn, Senior White House Reporter For Politico:] Sure, that was back in 2001, as he was preparing to be the FBI director in the context of the Bush administration, where he'd be serving and looking back on the Clinton administration. Clearly, in the course of this investigation, there had been a lot of questions of whether there was any coming from the White House or coming from his Justice Department supervisors. We saw most recently as the report was submitted to the Justice Department, that letter that Robert Mueller sent to Bill Barr indicating that he was not satisfied. He didn't like the way Bill Barr presented the findings in that early conclusion that went out and changed or really directed the narrative of the public disclosure of the of the Mueller report. It gives us a sense, you know, tomorrow as we watch Robert Mueller, and we're watching really closely for any daylight with Bill Barr. Does Robert Miller actually throw, you know, his colleague, his former his longtime friend under the bus and largely some of the ways that Bill Barr did to Robert Miller when he testified up in the senate a couple months ago as well.
[Hill:] It's so interesting to see. We also have this clip from and this is from 2013. So this is Mueller being asked about the Boston Marathon bombings and specifically why the FBI didn't check out a tip that the Tsarnaev brothers had frequented a local mosque, here's that moment.
[Rep. Louie Gohmert:] Why did no one go to the mosque and say, "Who are these guys? They attend may attend here. Why was that not done since such a thorough job was done?"
[Mueller:] Your facts are not all together well...
[Gohmert:] Well, I point out specifically...
[Mueller:] May I finish my...
[Gohmert:] ... point out specifically. Sir, if you're going to call me a liar, you need to point out specifically where any facts are wrong.
[Mueller:] We went to the mosque prior to Boston.
[Gohmert:] Prior to Boston.
[Mueller:] Prior to Boston happening. We were in that mosque talking to imam several months beforehand as part of our outreach efforts.
[Gohmert:] So were you aware that that was a mosque were started by Al Amoudi?
[Mueller:] I have answered the question, sir.
[Hill:] Direct talking about the importance of facts, how much of that you think we'll see tomorrow?
[Samuelsohn:] That's a classic example. I love that clip. As Louie Gohmert, the Texas Republican who is on the Judiciary Committee and will be one of the members that will be questioning Robert Mueller tomorrow. Likely to come at Robert Mueller are some high and tight fastballs I can imagine. And Robert Mueller, if the facts are not there in the question whether they come from Louie Gohmert or any other member of Congress. I think he's going to fact check him. I think he's going to push back. If anything comes at him with respect to the integrity of his staff, the people that he hired, obviously, this has been a long time talking point of the President, talking about the quote-unquote, "Angry Democrats." I think Robert Mueller is going to push back pretty hard and an exchange like that with a Congressman it's not going to be the kind of thing where Robert Mueller, you know, sits back and just takes it. So I think that's maybe the best thing you take away from a clip like that.
[Hill:] We'll have a lot to watch tomorrow. Thanks for doing some of the early watching for us, Darren Samuelsohn, appreciate it. Thank you. And be sure to tune in tomorrow. Live right here on CNN. You can see us former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies before Congress. Our special cover begins at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. President Trump spending the day on the attack. You just heard what he had to say to a group of young conservatives earlier. The women who call themselves the squad though not backing down in the face of those continued attacks. Plus, Cory Booker ripping Joe Biden's new criminal justice plan released today. The Senator says, the former VP had 40 years to get this right. Biden campaign responds live. And new fears that a serial killer is targeting victims in Canada. Among those victims and American woman found shot to death along with her boyfriend.

[Bolduan:] Democratic presidential candidate, Beto O'Rourke, is looking to push the reset button and try to recapture the momentum he's lost since his highly anticipated campaign announcement. He's even been publicly admitting mistakes he's made.
[Joy Behar, Co-host, The View:] Would you say those are mistakes? Being on the cover of "Vanity Fair"?
[Beto O'rourke, , Presidential Candidate:] Yes, so
[Behar:] It looks elitist? What?
[O'rourke:] Yes. Yes, I think it re-enforces that perception of privilege. And that headline that said I was born to be in this, in the article is attempting to say that I felt that my calling was in public service. No one is born to be president of the United States of America, least of all me.
[Bolduan:] So he's got another shot tonight to make his case to voters, in a CNN town hall, 10:00 eastern, with chief political correspondent, Dana Bash. It's all happening in Des Moines, Iowa. Let's go there. CNN political director, David Chalian, is standing by. David, Beto O'Rourke, he started off with huge fanfare, huge fund- raising haul, lots of attention, and now all the talk is about Beto O'Rourke and his need to reboot his campaign. Where does he stand right now as he's about to go into this town hall?
[David Chalian, Cnn Political Director:] Yes, as you just pointed out with that clip from "The View" Kate, that talk isn't coming from some faraway place. It's coming from Beto O'Rourke himself who is out there talking about the need to regroup here and try a different approach. You know, he clearly, and his team around him, are trying to have him be a little less freewheeling and a little more focused on policy prescriptions, a little more presidential, if you will, in how he presents himself. But there's no doubt he lost some steam from where he was as you said in that very anticipated entrance. But you know, we should also caution, there's a long time from now until the Iowa caucuses. I think some 258 days to be exact. And to write him off or anyone off at this point would be a fool's errand.
[Bolduan:] What is at stake for him then tonight?
[Chalian:] Yes, this is a big moment. Because he's been hosting town halls in the early states, but this is getting up in front of a national television audience and really going to take questions on a whole host of topics. We have seen voters across this country through our entire series of town halls ask about everything from health care to reparations to criminal justice reform. And so he is going to have to sort of in this reintroduction to voters, and for many people getting their first impression with him, Kate, to really spell out his vision for the future of America, why he is the best equipped, of 23 Democrats, to stand on that fall debate stage in 2020 with Donald Trump.
[Bolduan:] So maybe tonight, what I have kind of been struggling with will be answered or maybe not. Here it is. With Biden holding a big lead right now, but a lot of time left, and 23 people in the field, is that more than enough time for a reboot or do you really only get one chance at a first impression?
[Chalian:] You know, Kate, I think it is more than enough time. Here is what I know. You're right. Joe Biden, formidable front-runner, no doubt about it. Surprised many people how strong his front-runner status is out of the gate. But I can't think of a time in modern presidential campaign history where someone just walks through with the nomination from beginning to end and doesn't get some sort of challenge. So there's going to be a battle for this nomination. It's not just going to be a coronation of Joe Biden. So I think there's plenty of time for some of these other candidates to make their case to these Democrats.
[Bolduan:] An important next chapter, though, at least beginning probably tonight with this town hall and that opportunity. Great to see you, David.
[Chalian:] Yes.
[Bolduan:] Can't wait to see you. I really appreciate it.
[Chalian:] Thanks.
[Bolduan:] You can watch it all happen tonight, the CNN town hall with Beto O'Rourke from Des Moines, Iowa. Dana Bash moderates, at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. We're following some breaking news. We're continuing to keep an eye on the skies and the water. Water rescues are under way right now in central parts of the United States after 19 tornadoes ripped through four states. We'll take you live to hard-hit Oklahoma to figure out what's the latest on the ground there right now. We'll be right back.

[M.j. Lee, Cnn Political Correspondent:] sent over around 3 million prescription pills to one single pharmacy here over a course of ten months. And that is especially stunning if you think about the fact that this is a small town of a population of around 400 people. So, yes, Senator Elizabeth Warren is here today trying to use this as a backdrop to promote her new opioids plan. This is an issue that a lot of the 2020 candidates are talking about, including Senator Amy Klobuchar. She told voters recently that this is an issue that she gets asked about way more than something like the Mueller report. Poppy?
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Newsroom:] Yes. You know what? I have been in those towns too, M.J., and I'm so glad that they are getting the attention they deserve. Thank you very much for the great reporting on both fronts. All right, good morning, everyone. Top of the hour. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Newsroom:] And I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington, where talks are still under way trying to avoid a trade war that is growing bigger and more costly than ever, including for you. U.S. and Chinese negotiators going head to head just hours after President Trump sharply increased tariffs on some $200 billion worth of Chinese exports. Those tariffs are effectively a tax on you. You pay those costs. By sharply, I mean tariffs that stood at just 10 percent yesterday now 25 percent.
[Harlow:] That is a really big deal. Again, this morning, the President is wrongly, falsely claiming that the tariffs are a big fat windfall for the Treasury when, in fact, the cost is born by American importers and, therefore, American consumers. And now, the President has added the completely unfounded claim, Jim, that, quote, tariffs, his words, tariffs will bring in far more wealth to our country than even a phenomenal deal of the traditional kind. It's just not true. Let's be clear. It's a tax, as you said, Jim, paid by the American people, not the countries doing the exporting. Our Business Correspondent, Christine Romans, is with us this morning to talk about all of this. So this is what everyone was worried about, and it happened.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Yes, it did. I mean, the President was not bluffing here. That's what we know for sure. The President wasn't bluffing, and those taxes are going to go into effect here very, very soon on dishwashers, frozen fish, baseball caps. Right now, about half of the products China sells to the U.S. carry an import tax. So how did this all happen, how did we get here? Well, you've got three rounds of tariffs that happened here in the last year. First, the U.S. put tariffs on all foreign steel and aluminum, including from China. But then in July, the U.S. singled out China further and put tariffs on $50 billion worth of high-tech chinese exports. China hit back with tariffs to the U.S. on $50 billion in goods. And this is mainly Ag products, that has been devastating for American soybean growers. But the biggest round was $250 billion in September. This includes consumer goods, then luggage, handbags and hats, and then Beijing hit back with $60 billion worth of U.S. exports in response. Now, that $200 billion there in September, that was originally taxed at 10 percent. Now, as Jim said, it is 25 percent as of midnight. Now, remember, it's not U.S. importers it is U.S. importers, not China, that pay all of those tariffs. This acts like a tax on American consumers. And experts warn that there could be a hit. It will disrupt smaller American companies. This analysis finds it could cost the U.S. about 900,000 jobs, raising prices for the average family of four by $767 a year. And this trade war is not over. There's a lot more the President can do here. He says he has started the paperwork for 25 percent tariffs on another $325 billion in Chinese exports, virtually, everything you put in your shopping cart. And here's another date to keep in mind. He has until May 18th to decide if he wants to put tariffs on autos. He could declare that car imports are a national security risk. This is a fight as well, especially with the E.U. at the moment.
[Harlow:] So, Romans, given all this and given the huge implications, negative implications for the economy, and I get they're trying to hold China accountable for its bad acts on this front, I get that, it's important, but the question is why is the market not in tailspin? Dow is off 136, but it's not worse.
[Romans:] So it's the worst week for stocks in, well, the whole year, basically, and they've erased three weeks of gain, but they still are close to record highs. Look, a couple of things, goods that are already in transit that tax won't apply to them. There's a little bit breathing room. Maybe there could be some last-minute negotiations. Also, there's this feeling that something could happen. There's optimism that perhaps something could get done here. But, overall, you know, I don't think that the markets have factored in the fact that if you were to tax everything, that could be pretty detrimental, overall, to the economy. The President with all of these Tweets today that I think are very interesting, one of them is a mystery that kind of the money minds are talking about this morning. Is he talking about a big public welfare plan for farmers to bail out farmers further, because his trade policies
[Harlow:] It's hurting them.
[Romans:] are hurting them. We need to see more clarification about what he means about farmers.
[Harlow:] If that's true, it's antithetical. We're going to talk to a farmer in just a minute, so we'll ask him about that. Romans, thank you very much. Jim?
[Sciutto:] So China is promising to hit back, to retaliate, after the U.S. raised tariffs on its products, but President Trump does not sound too concerned. Let's speak to Abby Phillip. So, Abby, the President is sticking to his belligerent tone this morning. He believes that he can browbeat China in effect to an agreement and feels he has the economic upper hand. What though is the White House strategy if China does not bend here, which it does not appear to be doing?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Jim, things really do not look good for a deal today. And even as talks continue as of this hour, there is still a sense among officials here that the Chinese are not in a position to actually make a deal. And officials are also preparing to put the blame on President Xi Jinping, saying he has simply come to the table without the ability to make some of the structural changes that he would need to make in order to strike a deal with the United States on trade. And if that is the case, certainly passing the blame is one option there. But the reality is that these tariffs have already gone into place. And as Christine pointed out, the President is eager to place additional tariffs on the table. And President Trump's Twitter feed this morning really revealed a president who seems to be perfectly comfortable with where things are right now. This is a man who has called himself the tariff man. He likes tariffs as an economic strategy. And he believes that it is working for the United States by bringing money into the U.S. Treasury. He also, as Christine pointed out, suggested that the damage that is being done to U.S. farmers could simply be solved if the United States bought products from American farmers to compensate them for the loss in the Chinese markets. And so you're seeing President Trump really doubling down on this strategy and sending a message to China that basically if we don't get a deal today, we will be okay. The problem though is that I think a lot of people here in Washington and on Wall Street do, in fact, want a deal, and there does not seem to be a lot of hope today that that will be accomplished.
[Sciutto:] Big question, what next. Abby Phillip at the White House, thanks very much. Poppy, to you.
[Harlow:] Okay, great reporting. Let's talk more about this because the trade war blew up last year. When that happened, American farmers paid a steep price. China slapped high tariffs on U.S. soybeans, among other items, and our next guest was forced to plow under a crop he could not sell. Richard Fontenot joins me now. $300,000 is what you were faced with here, sir. You grow soybeans, rice, you have crawfish farm in Central Louisiana. And I just want your reaction as a supporter of the President, as an American farmer, to what he is suggesting. Good idea?
[Richard Fontenot, Rice, Soybean And Crawfish Farmer:] Poppy, there's a lot, of source, to that particular question to it. 2016 was definitely a unique situation. We had a perfect storm as it relates to the tariffs that got imposed, the original trade sanctions and the fact that South Mississippi River was inundated with inventory. And, unfortunately, with that inventory, it prevented us from harvesting our crop and had a delay in harvest. The delay in the harvest allowed the weather to come in and deteriorate the crop to a unique condition that was unmarketable. So it was weather, inventory, tariffs, lag in exports, a combination of things resulted in my brother and I leaving a thousand acres of crops unharvested in the field last year, definitely. And it was a very dynamic impact.
[Harlow:] Okay. So speaking about the tariffs specifically, because, now, we have increased tariffs on China, which China has said overnight that they will retaliate for, what does it mean for you as a farmer? What is it going to mean for your soybean crops?
[Fontenot:] As it goes into the soybean crop, it provides uncertainty into the market, into our planning schedules. It's probably the biggest immediate issue. There's definitely we're faced with some economic deterioration in prices. As you can see on the boards today and since these discussions have deteriorated, about a 20 percent reduction. But the administration is looking to support us. You alluded to it earlier with some type of measure. Last year, they used a market facilitation program, which is an older program the USDA and Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, were able to put in place and pick up the economic impact last year. If I'm not mistaken, I saw somewhere where the Vice President this past Thursday alluded to the fact if we need to, and we do have impacts, they're looking at trying to provide something as well. I'm not familiar with the purchase of the products directly. But there's a market facilitation program they used last year and it might be the tool they anticipate using this year to support some of these offsets and of the economics based on these tariff issues.
[Harlow:] So the President this morning, you're right, I mean, there was that $12 billion aid package to farmers, essentially buying up the goods from you guys that China was no longer buying because of the tariffs. The President is now promising to do that again or suggesting to do that again, quote, in larger amounts than China ever did. I mean, is that what you want? Is that a long-term solution, Richard, to basically have the U.S. government become your biggest customer, because these tariffs are cutting off your ability to sell to big markets like China?
[Fontenot:] No, Poppy, definitely not. I mean, we grow the safest, most abundant food supply in the world. And we're competitive economically and production-oriented. We have the product to export. The problem is we are not able to export on the level playing field. And that's why I believe in my opinion the administration is trying to do and the fact that China is they're not a very good trading partner, as you have seen and you have discussed earlier today. To give you just a little bit of synopsis, rice is another main commodity of mine down here in Louisiana. And in 2001, China came into the WTO and was supposed to come in and open barriers and allow for trade. Well, it's 2017, and we just got a final sanitary clearance to trade with China. And as of 2019, we still have not moved a grain of rice to China. China consumes about
[Harlow:] I just have the final question to you, sir, on that, and we have to make it quick, is the President said this morning, quote, there is absolutely no need to rush to reach a deal. Same time, his income doesn't depend on the crops that he can sell, yours does. How long can you wait?
[Fontenot:] I do agree with the timeliness of it to a certain degree. But at the same time, I can't put a crop in the field because it's raining today. I've got seven inches of rain over the last several days. And I got my whole soybean crop in a warehouse in a seed bag and I have been unable to plant it. So, unfortunately, the weather is giving me a bigger hindrance than the tariffs are at this stage of the game. We live in cycles and, unfortunately, we have some limitations, and the tariffs and exports are one part of the entire equation. We look at long-term, you talked about long-term, we're a cyclist economy in terms of agriculture. We look at five to seven-year investment plans, we look at five to seven-year issues as it relates to the production cycle. So things evolve, things transpire. And I believe today, what we're going through is we're taking some medicine to cure us for the situation that we're in today.
[Harlow:] All right. Richard Fontenot, we have to leave it there. We wish you luck, you and your team, and I appreciate you joining us this morning. Thank you.
[Fontenot:] Thank you, Poppy. I appreciate it.
[Harlow:] You got it. Jim?
[Sciutto:] Still to come, Rudy Giuliani reportedly headed to Ukraine to try to dig up alleged dirt on the son of 2020 democratic candidate Joe Biden. Could that move help or hurt the Trump re-election campaign? We'll discuss.
[Harlow:] And as tensions rise between the U.S. and Iran, former CIA Director David Petraeus has a warning for Tehran. Starting a war with the U.S. would be, quote, suicide. You'll hear from him.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Is Iran backing down, or are they just taking the fight underground? THE LEAD starts right now. Breaking now, Iran tells the U.S. via back channels that their response is over, as President Trump claims the regime is standing down following last night's attack by Iran on bases housing U.S. forces. So, why is the FBI warning us about another kind of attack? The president also vowing Iran will never have a nuke, and that he will strangle the country with new tough sanctions. Is this the way to handle decades of aggression from the regime? A presidential candidate who served in Iraq weighs in live. Plus, the Senate majority leader essentially telling Speaker Pelosi to butt out, as pressure mounts on the House speaker from members of her own party to deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin with our world lead today. The escalating conflict between Iran and the United States looks to be on hold, at least for now. President Trump today said that Iran appears to be standing down after firing more than a dozen missiles on sites in Iraq where U.S. troops are stationed. CNN has just learned that Iran sent multiple messages through three different back channels to U.S. officials, all indicating the same thing, Iran saying, hey, we're done. But U.S. officials remain concerned about ongoing threats from Iranian proxies. Mr. Trump also confirmed today there were no Americans injured or killed during last night's attack. The Iraqi military says the same about its personnel. Multiple administration officials tell CNN that they believe Iran intentionally avoided hitting U.S. troops, hitting, as one Pentagon official told me quote "deliberate targets with minimum damage and maximum warning." President Trump today tried to blame President Obama for the Iranian attacks, repeating the lie that the U.S. gave Iran billions of dollars as part of the Iran nuclear deal. In actuality, that money consisted of frozen assets that already belonged to Iran. The president also claiming, with no proof, that that money was used to fund a terror spree. The White House has presented no evidence to back that claim. And experts say that, in fact, Iran's aggression accelerated significantly after President Trump withdrew from the Iran deal. The president today also claiming, falsely, that 100 percent of ISIS had been destroyed. According to his own Pentagon, that's not true. Either way, as CNN's Alex Marquardt reports, the 16 missiles that Iran launched might only be a retaliation in the short term.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The American people should be extremely grateful and happy.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Security Correspondent:] Surrounded by his national security team, the president today announcing a de-escalation, for now, in the crisis with Iran.
[Trump:] Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world.
[Marquardt:] The Pentagon waited until there was daylight in Iraq to determine officially that the Iranian missiles harmed no Americans and left no major damage at either of the two areas targeted. According to the Pentagon, over a dozen ballistic missiles were launched from inside Iran toward two parts of Iraq, in the west and north, where U.S. troops are stationed, in Irbil, at least one missile landing at the international airport, but didn't explode, and another hitting near the U.S. Consulate. Most were directed at the sprawling Al Asad Air Base 140 miles west of Baghdad, home to hundreds of U.S. troops. Satellite images obtained by CNN show the before and after. Here, a number of buildings appear to have been destroyed or damaged next to a row of helicopters. Other buildings were also hit. Of 16 missiles launched, sources say that four appeared to have failed in flight. The president gave credit to an early warning system that the short-range missiles were incoming. U.S. intelligence satellites had picked up early signs that they'd been fueled up and then launched. Iran had also warned the Iraqi government, likely knowing that it would be passed on to the Americans, which gave U.S. troops a chance to take cover. Some Trump administration officials now telling CNN that they see Iran's strike as intentionally missing areas where Americans were housed, so that they weren't killed, but a clear message was sent.
[Sen. Tom Udall:] We have a pause. We should be trying to de- escalate in any way we can, de-escalate the situation on both sides.
[Marquardt:] Immediately following the attack, Iran's foreign minister tweeting that Iran had concluded its response, but the regime later warning of crushing responses in case of new U.S. aggression. And, today, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, claiming, "We slapped them in the face," but saying it wasn't enough. And right after last night's attack, Iran did reach out to say they were done retaliating, a source now telling our colleague Pamela Brown that Iran used at least three of those back channels, including the Swiss and other countries, to convey that message. But multiple U.S. officials are also telling CNN that they're still concerned about Iran's proxies in the Middle East. And now the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the FBI, have just put out a bulletin about potential cyberattacks Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Alex Marquardt, thank you so much. Joining me now to discuss is retired Four-Star Marine General John Allen. He served in 2007 in Iraq and Fallujah, but near the base that was attacked last night, one of the bases. He also visited Irbil, I imagine. And you were deputy commander at CENTCOM, and led the formation of an Iraq War contingency plan. Thanks so much for being here. So, the president said today Iran is standing down. Is that how you see it? Do you expect further response from Iran or its proxies in the future?
[Gen:] Sure. First, let me say how glad all of us are, Jake, that none we had no casualties yesterday.
[Tapper:] Yes, absolutely.
[Allen:] And Iraqi casualties as well. And my thoughts and prayers are with the passengers on that airplane that went down, because it was not just Iranians. It was an international passenger list. So we should all be thinking about and praying for them as well. Look, the Iranians should know that the president has all the cards right now. The contingency capabilities of the United States gives him the capacity both to de-escalate, but, if necessary, to escalate in a very major way very quickly with overwhelming force. I think the Iranians know that. They had to do something. Whether those missiles were in fact targeted to not damage or kill any Americans, or they were just lucky that they didn't land on those targets, I think, remains to be determined. But they are the fact that they came through a series of multiple back channels trying to stand down any American retaliation for that attack, I think, indicates that they're desperate. And I think they understand that the United States has the capability of inflicting enormous battle damage on that regime. And right now, that regime can't afford to have an American slap in the face that they said that they had offered to the United States.
[Tapper:] But do you think that they purposely didn't kill anyone last night?
[Allen:] No, I don't think we know.
[Tapper:] You don't buy that?
[Allen:] No, I don't think we know.
[Tapper:] I know we don't know. But what's your suspicion?
[Allen:] My suspicions are they shut those missiles to those bases, hoping not to kill any Iraqis, but with the full intent of inflicting damage. And they have no idea in the end where those missiles are going to come down. So I don't buy the idea that they were pure in their targeting with no intention ultimately of hurting the United States or Iraqi forces.
[Tapper:] One of the ways that Iran has responded in the past has been to wait a month, and then some proxy stages some devastating terrorist attack with no obvious links to Iran. It happened when the Israelis killed the leader of Hezbollah.
[Allen:] That's right.
[Tapper:] And a month later, there was that horrible explosion, killing innocent Jewish civilians in Argentina, two years later, another one. It happened with the Israelis again when they after they killed a nuclear the Israelis are suspected of killing a nuclear scientist. They went after a month later diplomats in three different countries, a bus full of Israeli tourists. Is that what you expect?
[Allen:] I absolutely do, Jake. And you framed it perfectly. Look, the Iraqis the Iranians know that there is no way that they can compete with the United States in a conventional head-to-head symmetric conflict. So they will do what they have done always in that region, is, they will motivate the Quds Force, which is a special operations force which is largely a terrorist organization. But they will also unleash many, I think, of the Shia militia elements. Kataib Hezbollah, for example, has already threatened American troops. And we killed the commander of Kataib Hezbollah in the same blast that killed Qasem Soleimani. We should see other Shia militia elements also acting independently, or acting at the behest of Iran. We won't necessarily know. But your point is, there are unconventional capabilities available to the Iranians that we should anticipate. And the FBI warning is a good example of how that could unfold. And I will also add that the Iranian cyber army is something that we should be very focused on at this particular moment, because they can hit us in an unconventional way, but they can also hit us in the cyber domain as well.
[Tapper:] Let me play for you something that President Trump said about Qasem Soleimani.
[Trump:] Soleimani's hands were drenched in both American and Iranian blood. He should have been terminated long ago.
[Tapper:] Why wasn't he killed long ago?
[Allen:] I think there were strategic decisions that were made that were predicated on the sense that his being alive strategically was better than his being killed tactically.
[Tapper:] Because it would the situation might spiral out of control.
[Allen:] That is correct. And that's a difficult statement to make, because, of course, the president's right. His hands are covered with the blood not just of Americans, but of many Iraqis, as well as Iranians. So he, in fact as when I was the commander in Afghanistan, we perceived him as owning the foreign policy and security and defense portfolio from as far east as the western one-third of Afghanistan, all the way to the shores of the Mediterranean and into Gaza. It was an enormous portfolio. And he had largely singular sway, at the behest of the supreme leader. We had him in our gun sights on a number of occasions. And the idea of ultimately of killing him has to be taken as a strategic decision, because of, as you say, there's a potential really for the instability, the instability that would come from that, of destabilizing the region.
[Tapper:] Was it a mistake not to shoot him before, not to go after him before?
[Allen:] It's hard to say. Again, each one of those circumstances was different. Each one of those occasions provided different opportunities. The president weighed the intelligence that was provided to him for this particular attack, and decided to kill him and to take him out, but also took out a very senior Iraqi militia leader at the same time.
[Tapper:] General John Allen, always great to have you here. Thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.
[Allen:] Thank you, Jake. Good to be with you.
[Tapper:] President Trump is now asking help with Iran from the same organization that he has called in the past obsolete. And that's not all he's asking NATO for. Plus, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he will not haggle with the House over impeachment, as Nancy Pelosi starts to feel the pressure from her own party. Stay with us.

[Quest:] The multibillion dollar car share scheme, the former arch rivals Volkswagen and Ford are coming closer together to build electric and self-driving cars. Now, Volkswagen is putting up $2.6 billion into Ford's autonomous vehicle company Argo. Ford says it will use VW parts in its future electric cars. Julia Chatterley spoke to the CEOs of both firms.
[Herbert Diess, Ceo, Volkswagen:] Autonomous is really big thing for all automotive and also for the whole industry for transportation. And it's big investment. It takes a long time. It's huge resources being put in. It's a race. So you have to be probably not first but first, second or third. And it requires a lot of resources. We decided that it makes sense to join forces with someone first and then later, we decided that Ford would be the appropriate partner. Ford combined with the startup team makes us really competitive
[Julia Chatterley, Cnn International Anchor:] Ahead of the race, now, Jim, do you think in this?
[Jim Hackett, Ceo, Ford:] Well, I think the way you have to think of this technology is it learns. And so if you get it in a scale world, it is going to learn faster. So this is how platforms kind of win or lose. And so I'm really excited about the news that VW and Ford now have the largest platform potential with this emergent technology.
[Chatterley:] And then you said cars embedding this technology in Ford cars by 2021, Elon Musk said autonomous taxis by 2020, a million of them on the road. You're both smiling. Is that too ambitious? Or can we talk in this kind of timeframe? Where do we need to set our horizons here?
[Diess:] I would be bit more conservative. I don't know.
[Hackett:] I am nodding. I agree.
[Diess:] Many problems still unsolved. Weather conditions, complexity of environment. Safety, safety, safety. There's a lot in stake. And I think there's some progress made. Yes. But I will see. My estimation is that we will see two next hardware generation until we really succeed, so it's a long way to go.
[Chatterley:] There's many challenges for the industry. It's an exciting time. It's a challenging one. Trade of course and potential crossfire between the two nations. As a European car maker, do you see this move and the closer ties with a U.S. company like Ford as political insurance here?
[Diess:] It has a political aspect as well. Also, I have to say the business logic which drives us know combining our light commercial vehicle business worldwide, but focused on Europe, Latin America, South Africa makes a lot of sense. The rationale behind this is solid, I would say. Also joining forces on the EV business makes a lot of sense. This is going to happen here in America, combining our resources makes us hugely competitive and EVs, I would say we can disclose the same figures. But I have to say yes, we are relatively weak in America. We are a small player, about four percent market share. We are very big in China, 18 percent market share and becoming more American, more of an American player and also part of this American society is an important rationale for us.
[Chatterley:] Mary Barra over at GM came under severe pressure from President Trump, as a result of some of the cutbacks that she said were necessary in order to transition to meet customer demands in the future. Do you think his sort of big giants in this industry, the CEOs, that you kind of need to all stand together and defend the industry at this moment?
[Hackett:] Go ahead. I'm near that argument, you know, constantly inside Ford, because as we were changing the portfolio of products, we thought there's a number of interests that you have to balance not only shareholders, but the employees. We're an egalitarian culture. Ford has always kind of live this way. So we were able, as we were changing the portfolio to shift workers in production around so that there weren't any casualties of job loss there. The interesting thing in in Europe, though, as we've had to do the same thing, we've had to let go a larger group of people, it hasn't been dealt with for 30 years. So I'm hopeful that we get this right. This won't be the kind of thing that that persists in our industry. But I do think these are moments of inflection. And that's why there's stress on the production and employment is because the technology is changing.
[Chatterley:] Have they become a political football, too?
[Hackett:] There's so many jobs associated with our category. And I think that's where the President's got the right attitude is that, he is really, that constituent needs protection, because these are such important jobs.
[Chatterley:] Our next debate for CNN is going to be held in Detroit. What do you want to hear politicians, whether it's President Trump or whether it's the Democrats here saying about the industry, because we've had criticism from both sides, for U.S. companies trying to retrench here and trying to face the future?
[Hackett:] Well, from my perspective, I've looked forward to hosting them in Detroit because this is an important renaissance in our city there that Detroit has really come a long way. The automotive industry has had a big hand, of course, in its creation, and now its resurgence. For example, Ford has invested downtown, in the old train station. We're going to rehab that in an area called Cork Town. My message to them is, you really need to understand the kind of innovation investments that we face. And if we hedge any of that, you know, if we make it difficult, we will lose to countries like China or states in my case that are more technically savvy. So they've got to understand the degree of shifts that are happening with propulsion and autonomy, and make it easier. We have legislation that has to be passed to make the regulatory environment better. We have to have incentives, because some of this investment is way ahead of the demand. These are things that I hope they give.
[Chatterley:] And Herbert, as a European CEO that wants to sell more cars to U.S. consumers. What do you want to hear from these guys?
[Diess:] I would say, as a European CEO, our footprint is really global and free trade is what we need also to get the best cost for the best price to the customers. Customers will be very happy to get the best possible car, and also cars in the future, even if they are then being able to drive along autonomously or electric that doesn't change this role model, so free trade is really necessary to get the best cars and the most competitive industries.
[Quest:] Two CEOs talking to Julia Chatterley, CNN's Peter Valdes-Dapena is with me. This is the way in which these car companies and it's pretty much only in the car company area that we're seeing such tie ups of rivals, why are they doing it?
[Peter Valdes-dapena, Cnn Business Senior Auto Writer:] Well, the auto industry even in the best of times, ever is a tough capital intensive industry. We invest a lot in new products and new crossovers and SUVs. But now you have this other big change happening as well. You've got competitors like WayMo, Tesla, and tech companies out in California, threatening to take over the new generation of vehicles. So companies have to prepare for that while at the same time maintaining their investment in their current products. So in order to get to that future stuff that's not really profitable yet, but they need to do. Well, then it make sense to start doing team ups like this.
[Quest:] Yes, but it's you're teaming up with your competitor. I mean, at the end of the day all right, so I suppose you start looking at which competitor is least competitive in a particular market as such.
[Dapena:] Which one has the right kind of overlaps and not overlap, if you will, right?
[Quest:] Exactly. Because Volkswagen and Ford, arguably Europe and the United States, the VW does well in this country.
[Dapena:] The VW does okay in this this country. They're certainly doing better. They have a nice factory in Chattanooga. They've got some good products in Europe, but they could use some help in Europe with commercial vans, which you might remember was the first part of this tie up. Ford supplying commercial vans to Volkswagen, so it goes back and forth.
[Quest:] So why didn't the car companies get into bed more with the tech companies? Because there you have perhaps a natural alliance, where you do bring different skills, these two competitors just basically agreeing that my enemy, the enemy is my friend.
[Dapena:] Right. Well, you're right there, the enemy is my friend. But also there are more ways to work together I think, when you're talking about vehicle companies. There's more understanding. There's a sort of a common language that you both understand and speak. I don't mean English and German, but auto industry, language and production language. So I think there's a lot more synergy there than there is necessarily with a tech company.
[Quest:] Good to see you, sir. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you. Have a good weekend. It has been a rough week. Europe's economic powerhouse. Now, if you're just Germany we're staying with cars because particularly of course in Germany, if you look at the headlines, they make grim reading for Germany's once untouchable giants on the economy. Daimler, for example, profit warnings, the fourth in a year. Four from Daimler in a year and a massive quarterly loss. BASF says it's also losing and they're going to have huge and a huge embarrassing retreat by Deutsche Bank, not only retreating from equities, but also 18,000 jobs to go and add in Bayer, and you've also got facing more lawsuits over its subsidiary, Monsanto, makers of the famous weed killer Roundup. According to "The Wall Street Journal," a third of all DAX companies have announced profit warnings, job cuts and have legal or have legal issues. It's not surprising that over the course of a week that have seen markets rally on both sides of the Atlantic, the DAX has been down pretty much consecutively all week. If you add in the trade war, then when Germany suffers, so does everybody else. The 2020 Eurozone growth is now being cut. All right. It's not a huge from what 1.5 to 1.4 percent, but it is a bellwether, when Germany's economic machine suffers, everybody else does, too. Carsten Brzeski is the Chief Economist at the German arm of ING Bank. He joins me now from via Skype from Frankfurt. These warnings and this downgrade of growth. This is starting to get of great concern, because Germany is the industrial engine for a large part of European growth.
[Carsten Brzeski, Chief Economist, German Arm Of Ing Bank:] Definitely, I think it's getting bleaker and it's getting serious now. I think, you know, when you look back, Richard, a year ago, everything was still fine. Now, we've gone through a downswing, a downturn of the entire industry since the summer of last year until now. It started off with a couple of one-offs. Strange, strange apologies like in the car industry, too little water in the rivers. But now it's getting serious. We now start to see there are layoffs. And it starts affecting the domestic economy, which up to now has shielded Germany from a downswing. But we see a weakening of the labor market. We see a drop in consumption. And this is why I'm really getting worried about the state of the German economy.
[Quest:] Okay, so we saw a rebound in numbers in the last quarter, but I was reading your note on that, you said that's just a sort of a bit more of inventory buildup from a rundown, and actually, the improvement in the economic performance is not likely to be sustainable.
[Brzeski:] No, because up until now, we had solid domestic fundamentals and there was strong consumption. There was even the hope that companies would start to invest more due to digitalization, due to low interest rates, and they should have led to a pick up and the rebound in growth in the second half of this year. We now see that the structural problems in the industry, plus the continued uncertainty coming from trade means that companies and also households are somehow you know, drawing back their investment and consumption plans.
[Quest:] So what policies can be put in place? Obviously, the ECB is continuing its QE at a phenomenal rate and will do so for the foreseeable future. But if you look at fiscal policy, notorious, the Germans won't spend. Is it time to unlock some of that prudence?
[Brzeski:] Oh, it definitely is. I think in the short run, everyone will look on the ECB and I think Mario Draghi will once again deliver. We will see further easing like what had been announced from the Fed, probably I guess, a rate cut, maybe a restart of QE, but this one won't make a big difference. What could make a big difference in Germany and in the rest of the Eurozone would be fiscal stimulus. So Germany will have to change its mind. There still a high fiscal surplus in Germany. There are negative interest rates. So you know, investors are giving money to Germany in order to borrow from the government. So this will have to change, otherwise, we're going to see really a longer period of stagnation and they continue forward with recession.
[Quest:] But, Carsten, as long as I can remember, if you go back to the former Finance Minister, they didn't want to spend and every time you suggested fiscal stimulus, it was almost as if you'd suggested doing something indecent.
[Brzeski:] It is the holy black zero, the fiscal surplus. But listen, the situation is getting more severe. And now, really, once this industrial slowdown really hits the domestic economy, it starts hitting the labor market, count on it, the government will do something. It will never do as much as economists would like it to see. But I think we will see a gradual shift towards more fiscal spending.
[Quest:] Carsten, great to have you on the program. Thank you. We will need your help in the weeks and months ahead to understand what's happening in Europe's largest economy. Thank you, sir. It's appreciated. Have a good weekend. The stage of uncertainty of a trade is one of the factors that kept European markets well and truly under pressure this session. Well, the season overall. London and Frankfurt closed flat. But remember, that is I think, unless I'm mistaken the DAX has been down every day this week. Paris eked out a modest gain. Zurich was the worst performance by far. Investors reacted to soft data on Chinese trade. This is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, a day in which we are looking at potentially three records across all the major indices in New York.

[Allen:] Here's one we like. A 16-year-old boy is getting some much deserved attention after he came to the rescue of a man who really needed help.
[Howell:] You could say the teen was in the right place at the right time, just as that storm was moving in.
[Unidentified Female:] This is the noise we know means take cover fast.
[Gregory Beck, St. Louis Resident:] Everybody kept telling me the storm's coming, you need to kind of hurry up and get home.
[Unidentified Female:] Getting home isn't as easy for Gregory Beck.
[Beck:] I lost my right leg last July.
[Unidentified Female:] And his other one in March. Diabetes has also made him legally blind.
[Beck:] I can't see out of my right eye and everything in my left eye is mainly a fog.
[Unidentified Female:] He says he was leaving Schnuck's on St. Charles Rock Road in St. John Tuesday as the sirens were going off, getting honked and yelled at for trying to cross the street. He made it to this gas station when a car pulled up.
[Beck:] This lady and her son were hollering at me to, like, are you OK?
[Seth Phillips, Good Samaritan:] I was like, hey, Mom, can I help this guy out?
[Amber Gilleylen, Seth's Mother:] Without a second thought, Seth jumped out of the car and went over to him.
[Unidentified Female:] This video Seth's mom, Amber, shot on her cellphone, shows him pushing Gregory to his home up the hill about a quarter mile.
[Beck:] But it does take me probably 20-25 minutes if I do it by myself. I usually have to stop about 10 times.
[Unidentified Female:] Seth's great-grandpa was also a double amputee. But that's not why this 16-year old helped a stranger.
[Phillips:] We need to be caring for each other and we need to be helping each other out.
[Unidentified Female:] He certainly makes Mom and now this man he calls his friend proud.
[Beck:] The greatest people, just very concerned about other people, which America needs to start doing more of.
[Allen:] Well, said, that young man there. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen.
[Howell:] And I'm George Howell. The news continues right on CNN, right after the break.

[Lemon:] As we move closer to the election, millions of Americans are gearing up to vote by mail in the middle of a pandemic. And now CNN is learning that the Trump campaign is aggressively questioning local election officials in swing states on their processes for mail-in voting. More tonight from CNN's Pamela Brown. Pamela?
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, Don, election experts are sounding the alarm ahead of November's election, warning that unprecedented circumstances because of COVID-19 could lead to days and even weeks of legal battles, contested results, and now CNN is learning that the Trump campaign officials there, are grilling local election officials across the country who are already busy over mail-in ballots and preparations for possible future battles.
[Brown:] As President Trump continues to rail against mail-in ballots without evidence to support his claims.
[Trump:] They'll be dumping them in neighborhoods. There will be people are going to be picking them up. They'll be bribing.
[Brown:] CNN has learned the Trump campaign is bombarding local election officials in swing states with personal phone calls and questionnaires, digging for details on mail-in ballots. Apparently hunting for potential evidence needed to back up any future Trump claims of a rigged system.
[David Becker, Executive Director, Center For Election Innovation:] You would normally expect to see campaigns try to help learn about the process so they could help their voters. But this is at least as much focused on what happens after the election.
[Bergen:] In some states, local officials have received forms from the Trump campaign and obtained by CNN with detailed questions about how ballots will be verified, what is being done to store them and secure them. In Wisconsin alone more than 1,800 election clerks have received a two-page questionnaire, seeking personal information and raising specific questions about whether remote voting processes are trustworthy. And in Georgia, clerks received this long list of almost 60 questions, primarily focused on mail-in ballots with questions like what additional security processes are in place to protect mail-in ballots. Election experts say, the questions seem more like a deposition than an effort to collect basic facts.
[Becker:] They're looking to catch election officials may be in a gotcha or something like that, rather than to help their voters and their campaign navigate the process.
[Brown:] A Trump campaign spokesperson says quote, as part of the Trump campaign's efforts to ensure a free and fair election, we have asked County clerks for information so that we can gain a detailed understanding of absentee voting processes. Courting clerks and gathering information ahead of an election isn't unusual, but election officials tell CNN this is more ramped up, aggressive and targeted than in years past. The expansive effort comes as the White House indicates it may not accept results after Election Day.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] But we want election night to look like a system that's fair, a situation where we know who the president of the United States is on election night. That's how the system is supposed to work.
[Brown:] But election night results are never official. And if the election is contested in court, the responses to the questionnaires could be used by Trump's lawyers. Election experts say one possible election scenario is what is known as the blue shift. With Trump ahead on election night and Biden pulling in front after election night through mail-in ballots.
[Becker:] There is no thing as election night results. They're only partial results and they always have been partial results.
[Brown:] The Biden campaign is also engaged in early outreach to local election officials across the country, though it is more scaled back in the Trump campaign as of now, according to officials. A Biden campaign spokesperson told CNN in a statement, we've made a major early investment in putting voter protection staff on the ground to build relationships with clerks and also to ensure voting goes smoothly. It is clear, Don, that both sides are gearing up for potential battles down the road.
[Lemon:] Indeed. Pamela Brown, thank you so much. Team Trump is hoping Americans just won't notice how he is stoking racial divisions while declaring he is not racist in an attempt to win over black male voters. Plus, Joe Biden reacting to what the president told Bob Woodward about his nuclear system.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] He seems to have no conception of what constitutes national security. No conception of anything other than what can he do to promote himself.

[Michael Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] Thank you for joining us here in the United States, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. Coming up this hour, President Donald Trump now doing what some Americans have been doing for months now, while wearing a mask. He did it during a visit to a military medical center on Saturday. This is the first time he has been wearing one of these masks in front of the cameras. Doctors and scientists have been saying for months that wearing a mask keeps the virus from spreading, even if you don't know you have it. In fact, there is now a new estimate of how many people may be infected with the coronavirus while having no symptoms at all. The CDC says it could be as much as 40 percent. And it might be behind one of the reasons for this: 29 states now reporting a rise in coronavirus cases, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, Georgia, all reporting record or near record daily case numbers on Saturday. Now for months, President Trump has, of course, refused to wear a mask, despite the urging of his own team of public health experts. Kristen Holmes explains why he has decided to do it now and whether he might stick with it.
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn Correspondent:] President Trump wearing a mask for the first time in public Saturday, on a visit to Walter Reed Hospital. There he met with wounded warriors as well as some of those health care workers on the front lines. And we have learned that this was a result of a begging and pleading by aides and advisers who wanted him to have a photo op to in a mask, to endorse mask wearing. There are some questions to announce whether or not what it will work. It's become incredibly politically. He made a statement about why he was wearing a mask at this point. Take a listen.
[Trump:] Well, I will probably have a mask if you must know. I mean, I'll probably have a mask. I think when you're in a hospital especially in that particular setting, where you're talking to a lot of soldiers and people that in some cases just got off the operating tables, I think it's a great thing to wear a mask. I've never been against masks but I do believe they have a time and a place.
[K. Holmes:] See, here President Trump is giving a very limited setting, he's talking about soldiers coming off of the operating tables and that is not the same message that these health experts are saying. They're saying wear a mask anytime you cannot socially distance. They want people wearing masks indoors. They're saying wear them in grocery stores. It's unclear that this is going to send the message that his aides and advisers were hoping it would when he has himself limited it to such a small venue of when he believes wearing a mask is appropriate. And, just to remind our viewers, it's something that President Trump has really been against. He has said he hasn't been. But he said wearing a mask wasn't for him. We know behind closed doors he's said if he's seen wearing a mask, it might send a wrong message to his supporters as he's trying to move away from the virus. Whether or not we even see President Trump in a mask again, the likelihood of him going to another hospital to visit wounded warriors, that really just remains at this point unclear Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.
[M. Holmes:] And with me now to clarify some of this is Dr. Jacob Stephen, a cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine. Doctor, we appreciate your time. Rather than just talking about today, I wanted to ask you about the cases of those who died and what they went through. But there seems to be evidence of long term damage for those who survive this. What are you seeing?
[Dr. Jacob Stephen, Cardiologist:] Thanks for having me, Michael. Yes, as the pandemic is in its fifth month, we're starting to see patients come back who have recovered from the initial illness and they're having lingering symptoms. These are patients who have confirmed COVID positive, tested negative, have some type of immunity in their blood and now they have persistent symptoms, such as fatigue, some neurological symptoms, difficulty breathing. So I am seeing more of it, talking to my colleagues, and even in my own practice.
[M. Holmes:] What has surprised you most in terms of those, what sort of things we do not have expected?
[Stephen:] I really would not expect to see such lingering shortness of breath, especially with light amounts of activity. I really did not expect to see this generalized weakness or fatigue weeks, even a month after it had resolved.
[M. Holmes:] Is it surprising how broad the damage can, be? Not only the, lungs I mean we are hearing kidney damage, liver, heart, brain, nervous system, gastrointestinal, all of these, things all of these things were noted, Friday in a review about COVID patients, it's a very broad range of damage.
[Stephen:] Yes, I think the medical community, when the pandemic initially started, was kind of modeling it after flu infections, so primarily lung infections. But unfortunately we're getting a lot of data from autopsies. What it's showing is that people are dying of systemic inflammation, blood clots. It's a much more ubiquitous infection than a traditional flu.
[M. Holmes:] Yes, the blood clotting in lots of organs as well, I remember Chris Cuomo and Richard Quest, they talked about who had the virus, they've spoken about things like balance and brain fog and so on. What are you seeing in terms of neurological impacts, even among patients who didn't have respiratory symptoms?
[Stephen:] I actually read the piece that Richard Quest had put in. And that's a very apropos article. That's exactly what I'm. Seeing I'm seeing a lot of patients who are having chronic fatigue. Can't quite get their breath. Even with light amounts of activity. Generalized weakens, kind of a malaise feeling that does not go away. And sure enough the pandemic is still young, in its 5th month so we don't know if mostly symptoms would eventually recover down the road. But that's exactly what I'm seeing.
[M. Holmes:] Yes, and you touched on, this I mean we obviously what we're showing is how much we don't know. We have a lot to learn, as you say. What would you like to see done in terms of getting your hands around the wider impacts of the virus and those lingering affects going forward? What sort of needs to be done to study that and get our heads around that?
[Stephen:] Now that we're getting a lot of data, both here in the United States and around the world, I think the we should really focus on creating an international database, classifying these things for better targeted treatment for those that are affected. I don't think we have enough of an international cooperative database to start looking at these large volumes of patients that we have the benefit of studying.
[M. Holmes:] I wanted to touch on this, as well, I was seeing reports of people uninsured, under insured, getting massive treatment bills, given that the U.S. doesn't have universal health. Are you seeing stuff like that, what could we see in terms of the financial impact on people post-treatment or with ongoing treatment needs? The U.S. system isn't kind to people who are not uninsured and the unemployment issues only adding to that.
[Stephen:] Yes, I'm starting to see quite a few patients who have ended up losing their jobs and possibly losing their health insurance. I think it's affected the patients who have critical illness the most, people on ventilators for weeks to a month, they're going home, they recovered, then they're going home and they are being hit with these very large bills. So I really don't see that changing until Congress starts addressing that particular focus of the population.
[M. Holmes:] And just, finally what are you saying regarding non COVID emergencies? I guess in terms of people, perhaps not seeking medical treatment when they should because they are worried about, COVID and those with other conditions heart or whatever, those perhaps having to wait to be seen, is that a problem?
[Stephen:] Well, when the pandemic first started, we had to put off these elective procedures. So fortunately most of them were not, critical. As far as the critical cases people were initially afraid to come into the hospital in case they got COVID-19. So they were putting off symptoms related to heart, attack strokes, they just were not coming in. And by the time they just couldn't tolerate the symptoms anymore, much of the damage was irreversible. So we have these education programs in our system to make sure patients are vigilant about some of these symptoms and not stay away from hospitals. We have a lot of protections in place now. We are much better with protection to patients that have come into the hospital and we're better at treating COVID at this point.
[M. Holmes:] Much to, learn, much to be concerned about. Dr. Jacob Stephen, we really appreciate, it thank you so much.
[Stephen:] Thank you, Michael.
[M. Holmes:] Now the CDC estimates that 40 percent of people infected with the virus don't have any symptoms. And while they may not show any signs, they could, of course, still be spreading it to other people. CNN's Brian Todd has more on a new study of these so-called silent spreaders.
[Jason Hartelius, Recovered Coronavirus Patient:] I've had oxygen coming in, up my nose, coming out of the wall.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Before he was admitted to a hospital in Pennsylvania this spring, TV sports producer Jason Hartelius believes he carried the coronavirus in his system while he moved around and his work for about a week. A danger that Hartelius warned about as he was recovering.
[Hartelius:] You may say you're fine, you may say your low risk. You know what, you might get it, not know it. Go back to work thinking you're fine never have any symptoms. You could give it to people you work with who could get very sick or die.
[Todd:] That danger of silent unknown transmission of coronavirus is coming into greater focus. A new study published by the National Academy of Sciences says people who are so called silent spreaders could be responsible for about half of all coronavirus cases.
[Alison Galvani, Director, Yale Univ. Center For Infectious Disease Modeling And Analysis:] And this makes control of COVID-19 particularly challenging. With COVID-19, people are infectious before any symptoms. So most people who are transmitting the virus are doing so inadvertently without even realizing that they are sick.
[Todd:] Study author Alison Galvani says that means the silent spreaders are mostly people who are going through those few days just before symptoms show themselves or who are completely asymptomatic. And she says younger, seemingly healthy people are disproportionately responsible for silent transmissions. A key question now, given this new study, how do we combat silence spreading? Experts say it means doubling down on the basics.
[Jennifer Nuzzo, Epidemiologist, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health:] First thing is distance. Second thing is if you do have to go out, you know, try to physically separate yourself from others. And try to avoid those crowded indoor spaces and wear masks reduce the chances that you could transmit your virus to others if you have it and don't know about it.
[Todd:] And experts say this new information on silent transmission does not mean we should panic when we venture out or think that everyone we see, is a silent spreader of coronavirus.
[Nuzzo:] We still very much think that this virus is spread by close prolonged contact. So we shouldn't take from this that if you're just out in the streets or in the grocery store and you're maintaining distance from people that this puts you at even greater risk than we may have thought otherwise.
[Todd:] Still, tracking silent spreaders of coronavirus is going to be a huge challenge in the months and years ahead. This new study says more than one-third of silent infections would need to be identified and isolated in order to suppress any future outbreaks. And the author of the study says, we are not there yet. Pointing out there's not enough contact tracing available and not even enough tests for people who have symptoms, let alone people who are asymptomatic Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[M. Holmes:] Robert Mueller, the former special counsel who investigated the 2016 Trump campaign's ties to Russia, says the prosecution against Roger Stone was legitimate and his conviction, of course, stands. Roger Stone, President Trump's friend and political ally, was found guilty of lying to Congress, seven charges in all. Guilty verdicts were handed down. Now Mr. Trump commuted Mr. Stone's 40-month sentence on Friday night. And in a rare op-ed in "The Washington Post," Mueller defended his team against the White House cries that the investigation was a hoax and a witch hunt. He writes in part, quote, "We made every decision in Stone's case, as in all our cases, based solely on the facts and the law and in accordance with the rule of law. The women and men who conducted these investigations and prosecutions acted with the highest integrity. Claims to the contrary are false." The U.S. president putting pressure on states to get students back to class but can it be done safely? I talk with two teachers who know the dangers firsthand. That's when we come back.

[Whitfield:] In a new interview, President Trump is defending the U.S. drone strike that killed Iran's top Military Commander, Qasem Soleimani. The President claims Soleimani was planning to attack four U.S. Embassies, posing an imminent threat. However, the White House is struggling to offer any proof or a clear and concise explanation on what he means exactly?
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] When you say the attacks were imminent, how imminent were they? We're talking about days, we're talking about weeks?
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] If you're an American in the region days and weeks this is not something that is relevant.
[Mark Esper, Secretary Of Defense:] If you're looking for imminence, you need to look no further than the days that lead up to the strike that was taken against Soleimani.
[Unidentified Male:] Can you clarify, the attack Soleimani was planning, was it days or weeks away?
[Robert O'brien, White House National Security Adviser:] I think it is more fair to say days for sure. Strong evidence and strong intelligence, unfortunately we're not going to be able to gets into source and methods at this time, but I can tell you it was very strong.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] We did it because they were looking to blow up our Embassy. We also did it for other reasons that were very obvious, somebody died, one of our military people died, people were badly wounded just a week before. He was looking very seriously at our Embassies and not just the Embassy in Baghdad.
[Pompeo:] There is no doubt that there were a series of imminent attacks that were being plotted by Qasem Soleimani, we don't know precisely when and we don't know precisely where but it was real. We had specific information on an imminent threat, and those threats included attacks on U.S. Embassies, period, full stop.
[Unidentified Female:] So you were mistaken when you said you didn't know precisely when and you didn't know precisely where?
[Pompeo:] No, completely true, those are completely consistent thoughts. I don't know exactly which minute we don't know exactly which day it would have been executed.
[Trump:] I can reveal that I believe it would have been four Embassies.
[Whitfield:] CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House for us. So Kristin, what else did the President have to say about the attack on Soleimani?
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, Fred, it is not just the President, it is the administration as a whole offering these contradicting statements. You heard the President there in the interview last night saying that it was four Embassies that Soleimani had been planning to attack. But he then went on to say that it could have also been military bases it could have also just been U.S. personnel overseas. And so there are still a lot of questions here. The big focus is one of two areas. One is how imminent was the threat that Soleimani posed? And two, what exactly was the threat? Every person on both sides of the aisle agreed that Soleimani was a bad guy. No one is defending Soleimani. But the question is why did they choose to act at this time? And they still don't seem to have a consistent answer. You heard one of his officials essentially saying that it was weeks or days, the same as saying that we don't have a time line. So a lot of back and forth, more and more questions being raised particularly as to if the threat wasn't imminent then why didn't they approve Congress, or why didn't they at least brief some of the leaders in Congress Fred.
[Whitfield:] Still lots of questions. All right, Kristen Holmes thank you so much. So it is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prepares to send over the articles of impeachment to the U.S. Senate next week, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine says she's working on a deal to include witnesses at the impeachment trial.
[Sen. Susan Collins:] I am working with a group of Republican Senators and our leaders to see if we can come to an agreement on some language that would be in the initial resolution setting out the parameters of the trial in the Senate that would include an opportunity for the House to call witnesses and the President's Counsel to also call witnesses.
[Whitfield:] All right, Democrats have submitted a list of four witnesses they would like to hear. One of them, John Bolton, the President's Former National Security Adviser, who says he will testify if subpoenaed. But the President is now saying he would likely invoke executive privilege to block that from happening.
[Laura Ingraham, Fox News:] Why not call Bolton, why not allow him to testify? This thing is bogus.
[Trump:] I would have no problem other than one thing. You can't be in the White House as President in the future, I'm talking about future, many future Presidents, and have a Security Adviser, anybody having to do with security and legal and other things.
[Ingraham:] Are you going to invoke Executive Privilege?
[Trump:] Well, I think you have to for the sake of the office. I would love everybody to testify. I would like Mick to testify. I like Mike Pompeo to testify. I like Rick Perry to testify. I want everybody. But there are things that you can't do from the standpoint of executive privilege. You have to maintain that. So we'll see where it all goes.
[Whitfield:] Julie Hirschfeld Davis is Congressional Editor for "The New York Times," and CNN Political Analyst Michael Zeldin, is a Former Federal Prosecutor and a CNN Legal Analyst. Good to see both of you. So Michael you first, can the President exert Executive Privilege against John Bolton testifying when Bolton has tweeted after leaving his position and there was testimony from diplomats that's already happened involving their conversations with him directly but perhaps not necessarily about his conversations with the President. So where's the exerting of Executive Privilege in that scenario?
[Michael Zeldin, Cnn Legal Analyst:] So the privilege resides with the President of the United States. It is the President who asserts the privilege. Bolton cannot waive the privilege that the President possesses.
[Zeldin:] It is a qualified privilege. It allows the President to assert privilege to not have Bolton testify as to policy advice that he received, or he gave to the President. So it is a very qualified privilege. It's not absolute. In this case, the President could say ask the certain questions that you're asking Bolton, that calls for the revelation of policy advice and I assert Executive Privilege. If they ask Bolton what's his favorite color, or what did he have for breakfast, that has nothing to do with Executive Privilege and so he would be required to answer that question.
[Whitfield:] Or wouldn't a question be what did you mean by a drug deal? You didn't want to be part of a drug deal. Is that fair game?
[Zeldin:] That's right. I would think that that's fair game. That's not policy advice. If he says beware of Giuliani to Sondland or Taylor or anybody else, that's not advice to the President. So I think what you can have here is a question by question analysis as to whether the notion of this qualified Executive Privilege to protect policy advice applies complicated.
[Whitfield:] So I think I'm hearing from you there are conditions in which the President can exert Executive Privilege. So if John Bolton, for example is subpoenaed he really could honor the subpoena but he may have restrictions on answering some of the questions. So he could still testify.
[Zeldin:] That's exactly right. And the President's comments that you played where he gave the interview to Fox News about the need to protect future Presidents, the thing to keep in mind of course is that all Presidents faced with similar situations, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, they all waived Executive Privilege because of the importance of having the testimony be heard by the American public. There's a bit of a sort of a false claim of need here by the President in my estimation.
[Whitfield:] Okay, Julie, Republican Senator Susan Collins says she's working with a small group of GOP Senators and she says in other leadership on a potential deal allowing both sides potentially to call witnesses in President Trump's trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that he doesn't want to go that way, maybe on conditions there might be witnesses, but says he can do it without. And then you know Senator Lindsey Graham says it shouldn't even be on the table. So, has the fact that Senator Collins had this conversation or conferencing with other leadership changed things? Has the dynamic that there are reports about withheld emails, has that changed things, the fact that John Bolton says he is willing to testify, has that changed things for Mitch McConnell?
[Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Congressional Editor, The New York Times:] Well, I think clearly it hasn't changed McConnell's position that Bolton says he is willing to testify or that we've seen emails that have come out since the House Impeachment Vote that would indicate that there's more information out there that might be relevant to trial. That hasn't swayed Mitch McConnell from his position that he is not ready to commit to any witnesses. But what you heard Susan Collins say yesterday was essentially the reason that he is left the door open for potential witnesses in the resolution that he is drawing up that will probably be acted on next week. It doesn't say there have to be witnesses, but it also doesn't close the door to that Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, perhaps I've been saying you know we want to hear from people but we're willing to vote to move forward without a hard commitment to do that. What's interesting to me is how she is sort of spinning this, she is highlighting the fact that she's open to hearing from witnesses at some point, but clearly she is willing to move forward without that pledge. That's the important motivating factor for Mitch McConnell right now.
[Whitfield:] And then Julie, the fact that Speaker Pelosi has been holding on to these articles of impeachment for about three weeks now, may be handing them over next week, in the end, was there a real payoff for her strategy because there was an opportunity for other headlines to be made like withholding of emails that I just mentioned, John Bolton to similar and a little bit more and say okay, no yes, I am willing to testify if subpoenaed?
[Davis:] I think certainly you know the time that elapsed between the House vote and now her decision to send these articles over did leave room for some of those developments, and perhaps not ratchet up obviously enough pressure on Mitch McConnell to move his position, but put a lot of public focus on this issue of should this trial include new evidence and gave Democrats a chance to message to the public about why they will very likely argue that this trial is skewed in President Trump's favor unfairly because it is not going to include all of the information that they think is relevant. But I think she had reached by the end of the week the point of diminishing returns, and Democrats had started voicing some impatience to sort of get this going. It was very clear that Republicans were not going to move their position. And so I think she found the strategy, had sort of reached its logical. And that's why I think we're seeing her move forward.
[Whitfield:] And quickly Michael, yes or no, do you see witnesses will be called?
[Zeldin:] I hope so. I think both for the president's sake and for the sake of the American people understanding what happened here, witness testimony would be a valuable asset.
[Whitfield:] All right, we'll leave it there. Michael Zeldin, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, thank you so much.
[Zeldin:] Thank you.
[Davis:] Thanks, Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right, more danger, and damage in Puerto Rico. Another earthquake struck the island a few hours ago causing even more destruction. The latest on the race to restore power there, straight ahead.

[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn:] Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The Nevada caucuses are now less than a week away and Democrats are making a big push to gain last minute support, hoping it will put them over the edge to victory. Candidates are spread out across the state today hosting several rallies and events energizing voters as we enter a critical stage of this race. Their efforts seem to be paying off. There are long lines for early voting in Nevada, which kicked off this weekend, and at one voting precinct in Las Vegas, people had to wait in line for more than three hours. Democrats are determined, ready to put the chaos of the Iowa caucuses behind them. Early voters reflecting on their confidence in this process.
[Alex Harper, Nevada Voter:] I don't know if I'm ever a hundred percent certain that it's going to work out, but I do feel a lot better about it being done on getting back to basics paper and pen and just putting it into a box.
[Kimberly Martinez:] It was a really easy smooth experience. We came in, waited about 45 minutes, so I think it's a good sign. That means a lot of people came out to vote. Once we were in there, it was really easy and straightforward.
[Whitfield:] All right, CNN is there in Nevada on the campaign trail as the race begins to heat up. Athena Jones is at a Bernie Sanders event in Carson City where the senator is about to speak. Athena, how is Sanders planning to keep up his momentum after his big win in New Hampshire?
[Athena Jones, Cnn Correspondent:] Hi, Fred. Well, he hopes he hopes he can keep up the momentum and win here in Nevada. We're in Carson City. Bernie Sanders will be taking the stage very soon as he makes the push to get out the vote. Of course, early voting or early caucusing, I should say began yesterday here in Nevada and lasts until Tuesday, and Sanders and his campaign are hoping they can get supporters from rallies just like this one and drive them straight to the early caucus sites. I'm joined here by Shannon Taylor. She's a resident of Carson City. She's never been to a political rally before, and right now she says she's choosing between a few people. Who are you choosing between?
[Shannon Taylor, Carson City Resident:] Well, Bernie Sanders is one of the possibilities that's why we're here today. And then also tomorrow, I'm going to see Pete Buttigieg and he's one person that I'm interested in. Another one is Amy Klobuchar. And they're all very interesting. And I just want to hear about what their ideas are, see them in person and get a real feel for who they are and how I feel about them.
[Jones:] Now, tell me, what are some of the issues that are that are most important to you when it comes to choosing amongst the candidates?
[Taylor:] Right, well, the healthcare for one thing, and the immigration those are two important things to me and all the issues are important, but those are the ones I'm mainly eyeing.
[Jones:] Wonderful. And now you said you definitely plan not just a caucus, you plan to early caucus. So you're going to make a decision by Tuesday.
[Taylor:] Yes, by Tuesday. Yes. Early vote. Yes.
[Jones:] Thanks so much.
[Taylor:] Thank you very much.
[Jones:] So Bernie Sanders, one here in Carson City, Nevada. He also did well in the northern part of the state, even though he lost in Nevada caucuses to Hillary Clinton and so he's hoping not only to do well, again here in Carson City, but also to expand his voter base. And one thing that's going to be important here is the Latino vote. This is something that we haven't seen in the other states because they had such a small Latino population. Well, in Nevada, Latinos make up 30 percent of the population and last time around Bernie Sanders won 53 percent of the vote, so he'll be looking to increase it and to boost turnout among Latinos. And we'll also be looking during this rally to see how much he draws contrast with his rivals; folks like Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg down the line Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right, looking for a repeat plus. Athena Jones, thank you so much. All right, CNN's Arlette Saenz is in Las Vegas, where former Vice President Joe Biden is campaigning today. So Arlette, how is he preparing to bounce back following his disappointing results in the last two contests?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, Fred, Nevada is really the first test of Joe Biden's theory that he will perform better in states with a more diverse demographic and to that end, we saw Joe Biden over the weekend. He has been courting Latino and African-American voters. He even stopped by an AME Church and spoke this morning during their services.
[Saenz:] Biden has also been making stops back of house visits at some of the casinos here trying to get one on one face time with a lot of the workers in the hospitality industry here. Of course, unions have a very strong presence here in Las Vegas. And though the culinary union the biggest powerhouse union did not endorse, Joe Biden is still hoping he can woo some of those members to his side as he is hoping to perform well here Fred.
[Whitfield:] Arlette Saenz in Las Vegas, thank you so much. Former Vice President Joe Biden is telling Bernie Sanders to show some leadership, slamming the senator on "Meet the Press" today after several Sanders supporters targeted union members in Nevada who don't support his Medicare-for-All plan. Listen.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] Look, he may not be responsible for it. But he has some accountability. If any of my supporters did that, I'd disown them flatly disown them. The stuff that was said online, the way they threatened these two women who are leaders in that culinary union, it is outrageous.
[Whitfield:] All right, Biden is also tempering expectations for the South Carolina primary as there are new concerns this week that there are deepening cracks in his so-called South Carolina firewall. Joining me right now is Dalhi Myers, the Vice Chair of the Richland County Council in South Carolina. She is a former Joe Biden supporter who is now endorsing Bernie Sanders. Dalhi, good to see you.
[Dalhi Myers, Vice Chair, Richland County Council In South Carolina:] It's good to see you, Fredricka. Thank you for having me.
[Whitfield:] So explain why are you switching your support?
[Myers:] Well, first of all, let me just say that any one of the Democratic candidates now running would be a vast improvement over what we have in the White House. So that having been said, I switched my support because looking at the ground game in South Carolina, and the way that candidates were moving to inspire voters, to get out to the polls, with the messages that they were espousing after winning, I just decided that for the constituents that I represent, the 35,000 people in Richland County who elected me to office that the better choice was Bernie Sanders, whose programs are more prescriptive for their needs. The plan for rural healthcare, the plan for broadband access, those things matter to what I like to call little America and those are the people I represent.
[Whitfield:] So Senator Bernie Sanders lost South Carolina to Hillary Clinton, you know, by 47 points in 2016. You know, why do you think this time is different? What puts him in a better position to be more appealing to South Carolinians?
[Myers:] Well, I think anytime you run a campaign, you learn from that campaign. I think the Sanders campaign has learned a lot from its historic run in 2016. There are 1,700 Sanders volunteers on the ground in South Carolina, knocking doors and getting out to talk to people and to explain what the Bernie Sanders campaign is called, why Medicare-for-y'all, as he's called it matters to everyone in South Carolina, and I think that he's making an effort. Elections in South Carolina are won by hand to hand combat, every knock on the door matters. And I think the Sanders campaign is putting in the work and knocking on enough doors to make a difference this time.
[Whitfield:] So there's a new Quinnipiac poll, which finds that Sanders is third, when it comes to black voters nationally at just 19 percent. Do you see an opening for him in South Carolina, where, you know, the black electorate is a very powerful and sizable and you know, it's important to appeal to that state if you're a candidate.
[Myers:] So I'm glad you asked that question. I am in atypical according to the media Sanders voter, so I am an African-American woman who is prolife. I am fiscally conservative and I identify definitely as a Democrat. So to the extent that the media narrative is that Sanders only appeals to very leftwing members of the Democratic Party, I would suggest that perhaps that narrative is shifting when the more people learn about the programs and the prescriptive for big bold plans, the more attractive the plans are to people just like me. I do not identify as a socialist or whatever it is that folks want to label the Sanders campaign. Folks, I am not paid to work for the Sanders campaign, I chose to advocate for Bernie Sanders, given the programs that he is espousing. And what I know the needs are on the ground in South Carolina for the people I represent, so yes, I do think there's an opening here for Sanders or for any candidate who is willing to work hard and put forward programs that make meaningful changes in the lives of everyday people and I think his programs will.
[Whitfield:] So let's talk about another candidate, you know, Pete Buttigieg, you know, he has responded to, you know, conservative radio host, Rush Limbaugh this morning. And earlier in the week, you recall, Limbaugh made some controversial comments about Buttigieg being gay, and that, you know, people don't want to see, you know, a gay man who has a husband in the White House. South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, you know, told CNN in November that Buttigieg may have some trouble, particularly among black voters in your state because he is gay. Listen to what he told Dana Bash this morning about how voters are evolving.
[Rep. James Clyburn:] I think that we all grow, we mature, and I think that political calculations are changing quite a bit. You know, I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian Church. My father was a pastor there. My grandfather was a pastor. I know what takes place in fundamental Christian churches throughout the country. And so though, I may feel differently, I don't adhere to everything that was taught in the church I grew up in.
[Whitfield:] So Dalhi, what do you think about that? I mean, he was saying that, you know, there appears now to be some room among people who may have felt very uncomfortable, particularly the South Carolina constituency, you know, may have felt uncomfortable with Buttigieg whereas today, they might not be anymore.
[Myers:] So let me start by saying again, after reevaluating my own choice, I am a very proud Bernie Sanders supporter. But that having been said, I also would reiterate what I said earlier that any one of the Democratic candidates now running any one of them is an improvement over where we are now. As to the direct comments made by our senior, certainly representative for the State of South Carolina, Jim Clyburn, somebody that we all have great affinity and respect for, like Jim Clyburn, I am the child of a bishop in the Pentecostal Church. And so my background might be similar to his, but I would say this, Pete Buttigieg has been on the ground in South Carolina. He has been doing a lot of hard work. He has been trying to make his case to the voters of South Carolina and I think that the voters of South Carolina, the Democrats in South Carolina, are opening to are open to listening to anyone who effectively makes their case. So I think that Jim Clyburn is right. There are voters here to whom his message will appeal, and I don't think that the slurs and the slights that are coming from the rightwing of the Republican Party, frankly, are even worthy of much conversation. I think they don't deserve the dignity, polite conversation, and I think that they ought to reconsider the tone that they're taking. And I'll just be glad to have decency back in the White House, and I'm voting for that in the primary, and I'm going to vote for it in the General Election.
[Whitfield:] All right. Dalhi Myers, thank you so much. Glad you could be with us today.
[Myers:] Thank you.
[Whitfield:] And as we count down to the Nevada caucuses, Democrats are hitting the airwaves making sure voters know where they stand, heading to a critical stage of this race.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , Presidential Candidate:] The Midwest isn't flyover country to me. I live there. The people that work there, like they are poker chips since I'm in Vegas, at one of the President bankrupt casinos. They're not poker chips to me, they are my friends and neighbors. When it comes to a state like Nevada, they have two women senators, majority women legislature. I have an incredibly strong argument here, that this state, this state has put women in power really like no other state. And then finally, the work that I've done in terms of bringing people with me, and not just by running ads, but what we just saw in New Hampshire, moderate Republicans, Independents building a coalition, that's what we need to build a coalition to win.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] Part of what's at stake in this election is the idea, the idea I'm putting forward of delivering healthcare to everybody. So there's no such thing as an uninsured American, but doing it with Medicare-for-All who want it.
[Tom Steyer , Presidential Candidate:] I'm putting together a coalition of people, including specifically African-Americans and Latinos, who are responding to a message that is inclusive, and I'm putting together the kind of coalition that we're going to have to have in November of 2020 to beat Donald Trump.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] I'm fighting for myself. I'm fighting for kids who are getting crushed by student loans. I'm fighting for mamas who need childcare, so they have a chance to finish their education, so they have a chance to get a job. I am out there fighting for seniors who can't get by on the Social Security check, and so it's on me to fight as hard as I can to make that case as clearly as I can.
[Whitfield:] All right, being on the campaign trail, pretty fatiguing. But clearly, you can see from these candidates, they are all unstoppable. Joining me right now, Executive Director for Justice Democrats and CNN political commentator, Alexandra Rojas, and Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator, Hilary Rosen. Good to see you.
[Hilary Rosen, Cnn Political Commentator:] Hi, Fred.
[Whitfield:] OK. All right. So these candidates are working really hard to get out there a messaging, so you know, Hilary, you know, you just heard these Democrats talking about their messages, particularly ahead of the Nevada caucuses. Are those messages really resonating, particularly in a diverse state like Nevada?
[Rosen:] And we could see how exhausted all these candidates are especially. You know, I was fascinated actually, by your previous guest, because she kind of breaks all the rules, right? She is, you know, a pro-life conservative who is voting for Bernie Sanders and I think what we have seen across the board in this primary is that Democrats are really not breaking down entirely across ideological lines. They're really looking at all of these candidates and trying to sort of calculate, where is my best chance to beat Donald Trump? And I think that is the challenge. Yes, that's our dichotomy. We want to beat Donald Trump, but we want to a candidate who is going to give us some vision and excitement for the future in doing it.
[Whitfield:] And one person who hasn't appeared on any Sunday shows to this point as a candidate, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. He is facing criticism for you know, his past stop and frisk policies. He has also apologized quite a few times now. So here's what Senator Amy Klobuchar had to say about that today.
[Klobuchar:] I think he has to come on a show like yours here, Dana. He has not gone on any Sunday show since he announced. I've got to answer questions like I just did on my record, and he has to do the same thing. I don't think you should be able to hide behind airwaves and huge ad buys.
[Whitfield:] So Alexandra, you know, he is spending a lot of money, you know, trying to get out in front with a narrative. At the same time, he has received endorsements from Representative Gregory Meeks and a number of other Congressional Black Caucus members and even former Philadelphia Mayor Nutter. So does Bloomberg feel like people will dismiss, or you know, the stop and frisk or at least accept his apology and embrace him, like the people that I just mentioned, whose endorsements he is getting.
[Alexandra Rojas, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, I mean, I think there's no question that he is literally purchasing our democracy. He is purchasing the election for the presidency of the United States. But I want to go really quickly back to what my colleague, Hilary Rosen said, because I completely agree with her that voters aren't just looking at this election on purely ideological terms, they're looking at it as not only who is going to defeat Donald Trump, but who is going to put forward solutions and proposals that are going to prioritize the working class of this country, and also focus on leveling the playing field, which is why it's also extremely, extremely concerning that Michael Bloomberg is despite being on the debate stage, despite being able to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on TV ads is basically trying to erase his record. And if you look at not just the policy itself of stop and frisk, but some of the audio tapes that have come out about specifically comments made Michael Bloomberg, these are thoughts that were generated over a lifetime, and so just making an apology about a policy that not only hurt, but deeply ruined some lives of thousands of families, black and brown families in New York, is deeply, deeply disturbing, let alone from the fact that he is a billionaire heading up a Democratic Party that is supposed to truly represent the working class. And so that's right
[Whitfield:] Do you feel voters will take those things into consideration as they make a decision about whether to throw their support behind him or anyone of the others?
[Rojas:] I think that they definitely will be, but I think that they have to be able to make that case. And it's hard when, you know, there are billions of dollars being potentially spent on this election.
[Whitfield:] Hilary?
[Rosen:] Well, I don't disagree with that. And that's why I guess on balance, I'd like to see him in the debates, you know, I I'm for actually public financing of elections. I don't think people ought to be able to buy their way into just support and I think it is right that it would be great if he subjected himself to more media interviews where he could be challenged on things like stop and frisk and things like we saw the recent criticisms about his treatment of women at the Bloomberg companies.
[Whitfield:] Do you think he is intentionally avoiding that?
[Rosen:] Well, as I said, we don't really have any control over whether he does interviews, but one of the opportunities we have as Democrats is you know, debates and so while I on balance don't love the process by where we are with Mayor Bloomberg, I think the best chance of people actually getting answers from him, challenging him and having him be part of the discussion instead of just outside the system, telling us what he is doing with television ads is actually to have to be in a debate with other people running for the same office, having different ideas.
[Whitfield:] All right, we'll leave it there for now. Hilary Rosen and Alexandra Rojas, thanks so much, ladies. All right, right now, the U.S. is evacuating Americans quarantined on a cruise ship near Japan over the coronavirus. But some passengers aren't too happy about the timing of it all.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] As the second day of the Vatican summit on child abuse by clergy gets underway, we hear what survivors hope the church will do. Also, we're live in eastern Syria for the latest on the flight of civilians trying to get out as ISIS falls apart. Plus, from victim to villain, the American TV star charged with a felony after faking his own attack and calling it a hate crime. Police say he thought it would be a good career move. These stories, all ahead this hour. Welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. And this is CNN Newsroom. And thank you for being with us. Pope Francis said the people of God are watching and they want the Catholic Church to finally end the scourge of predator priest and bishops. And now, at 9:00 a.m. in Rome the second day of an unprecedented Vatican Summit to tackle the sexual abuse crisis is getting underway. The pope gave the leaders a 21-point guideline for addressing the crisis and taking concrete steps to handle things differently. Our Rosa Flores joins us from Rome. She's covering the story. Rosa, survivors gathered there and watching around the world are for action and not words from this meeting. What is expected today?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] You know the focus of today is accountability. We're expecting for the day to have a morning prayer and I believe we have live pictures of this because day two just kicked off. Some speeches and then the day will conclude with some survivor testimonies as well. So very dramatic testimony we're shared yesterday. And so, we're expecting some of the same emotion today as day two kicks off. Now, I asked survivors about what they thought about day one, their reaction. And for the most part I think it's safe to say that survivors agree with Pope Francis that concrete action should be taken. What they don't agree with is exactly what that means.
[Carol Midboe, Sexual Abuse Survivor:] I'm Carol Midboe. I'm a survivor from Austin, Texas.
[Peter Saunders, Sexual Abuse Survivor:] My name is Peter Saunders. And I'm a survivor of childhood abuse from the United Kingdom.
[Leona Huggins, Sexual Abuse Survivor:] I'm Leona Huggins. I'm a survivor from Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
[Flores:] Survivors from across the globe have descended on Rome for the unprecedented bishop's meeting on clergy sex abuse with high hopes that abusers and those who cover up abuse will be held accountable. Pope Francis kicked off the four-day event with a prayer and in short order set a firm tone asking for bishops to come up with concrete guidelines.
[Pope Francis, Leader Of The Catholic Church:] The holy people of God are looking at us and expect of us not simple condemnation but concrete and effective measures to put in place. We need to be concrete.
[Flores:] Normally we would need to read between the lines to figure out what the pope means by concrete measures. But this time he released a list of 21 guidelines.
[Huggins:] I'm disappointed by what we saw today on that list of reflection points. When number one is we're going to create a manual or a handbook. I thought they already had the handbook.
[Saunders:] Concrete measures means zero-tolerance be is not just a word. Zero-tolerance means excluding priests and other religious who rape and abuse children from ministry, permanently.
[Flores:] Behind the scenes, Pope Francis has been meeting with survives. In an encounter with Polish survivor Marek Mevlechek [Ph]. Pope Francis kissed his hand and looked visibly emotional.
[Unidentified Male:] He told CNN emotions rose up inside of me and it was like a roller coaster, I was able to say, I'm a child abuse victim from Poland. I was holding the photo of myself as a teenager. The pope took my hand in his hands. He looked at me and I could see he was teary eyed.
[Flores:] Survivors say they relived their trauma every time they share their stories. And hope this historic meeting means they never have to tell their story again. now here is the thing. Regardless of what comes out of this historic meeting, one thing that we have seen across the world is that civil authorities have lost patience. We're seeing investigations not just in the United States and Chile but also in other countries, Natalie. And with that means for survivors is a chance at real justice. We saw of course the Pennsylvania grand jury report in the United States and granted even though a lot of those cases were historic, so they could not be adjudicated because the statute of limitations had passed, the fact that those stories were acknowledged meant so much for survivors. It was a different type of justice. You know, it was different, but in a way, it was acknowledgement that for so many of these survivors had been decades in the making. Natalie?
[Allen:] You know, the way you began your story and talking with these survivors, and getting their names and where they're from. I mean, you could sense their pain and you could sense their hope. And their you can sense also from the people you talked with, they're concerns about people being held accountable and i's stopping now. What is at stake, Rosa, for Pope Francis in this situation? And what he wants to see happen.
[Flores:] You know, the stakes are really high. I've heard people say that the credibility of the church is at stake. It really is. Because I can tell you from traveling to multiple states across the United States and from talking to Catholics and advocates and survivors is, they're fed up. I covered one story in Buffalo, for example where in Buffalo, New York where people stopped putting money in the Sunday basket and they started putting notes for Pope Francis for the church. And those notes say until the bishop is removed, I am not donating money. I am not coming to church anymore because something needs to happen. And Natalie, what we keep in hearing a lot of the times from the church is that, for example, in the United States, that after 2002 there were reforms, and that most of the cases are old and you know, a lot of us in the press keep on pressing on this issue. And the thing is there was reform in 2002 in the United States. However, that reform held priests and deacons accountable. It did not say clergy which would include bishops. So that's the thing. I think what I keep on hearing is that the church forgot to hold bishops accountable. And this time, that's what survivors are asking for. Not just abusers to be held accountable but those who covered up the abuse.
[Allen:] Yes, absolutely. And that's what one of our guests said last hour repeatedly. That must be part of this deal. Rosa Flores, thank you for your reporting and your perspective. And later this hour, I'll speak with an abuse survivor who now leads the organization Snap, the survivor's network of those abused by priest. So more to come on this developing story. Well, the White House says the U.S. will keep about 200 troops in Syria despite President Trump's order for a full withdrawal. The troops who would remain will advise the Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF in the northeastern part of the country and near the border with Iraq and Jordan. Meantime, the SDF is bringing civilians out of the last enclave in eastern Syria, still held by ISIS. The U.S.-backed troops are expected to launch a final push to reclaim the territory any day now. Let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, live this hour in eastern Syria. And Ben, we've been saying any day now for a few days now. So, does it appear that these remaining ISIS combatants appear to want to fight to the death?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] That would be appear to be the case, Natalie. We were actually out near the front yesterday when it was expected that several thousand civilians including some fighters who had surrendered would be brought out. But what we saw was about 30 trucks going in the correction of this town of Baghouz al-Fawqani and then a little while later those trucks coming out empty. Now they're going to try again today to get more of the civilians out. It appears at this point they are leaving a voluntary and although it is believed that there's still some civilians left inside being kept as human shields. It's believed that they're also holding prisoners including fighters with the SDF and other groups. So, yes, we've been saying now for a very long time that this operation to finally eliminate the last pocket of ISIS in Syria is about to happen. We heard this morning yet again, the spokesperson for the SDF saying that they hope they will be able to get them out today and that the next step is either a surrender, a final surrender by those last ISIS fighters inside or there will be an assault to retake this camp which I must stress we have seen is not very big. It is somewhere between 600 and 700 by 600 and 700 meters square. So, it's not large but what has surprised us from the very beginning is that the number of people who come out of the area controlled by ISIS is always higher than anybody has estimated. So, there's no real clear idea how many civilians are left inside or how many fighters. Natalie.
[Allen:] All right. I want to ask you also, the ISIS fighters that are fleeing, that are running, do we know where they're going?
[Wedeman:] Well, they're not really fleeing in a sense. They're surrendering. They are received by the Syrian Democratic Forces. The first thing they do obviously is make sure that they don't have any weapons or explosives on them. And then they are tracked to a spot on the plains nearby where they are taken to American, Kurdish, French and British intelligence officers who are will try to identify them if it is believed that they are ISIS members. They are taken to a separate high security camp. And of course, beyond that, the question is what happens to them, what happens to their families? And what we have seen in the case of this one woman who claimed to have been American, the United States will not take her back. We know that the United Kingdom is not taking these people back. So, in the end it's a huge burden on the authorities in this part of Syria. They would like the countries from which these people come from to take them back but it appears that they're stuck with them for the time being. And we did hear President Trump in one of his tweets saying that if they are not taken back, we will have to release them, with the obvious consequences that that would bring. Natalie.
[Allen:] Absolutely. We'll have more on the female from the United States who joined ISIS in her quest to get back to the United States a little later this hour. Ben Wedeman, there for us in eastern Syria, thank you, Ben. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is trying to prevent aid from entering the country. He's been doing that for some time. He announced he is closing the border with Brazil where supplies are being stock piled and he's considering doing the same for Colombia. Along that border, Venezuelan troops are blocking roads to stop aid from coming in. The closures are creating major traffic jams as you can see right there. At one road block soldiers clashed with lawmakers trying to drive trucks to the Colombian border. You can see the tension there. Despite Mr. Maduro's refusal of western aid, he seems open to accepting Russia's help, a shipment carrying medicine has reportedly arrived in the country. In the meantime, a benefit concert for Venezuelans is being set up. Thousands expected to attend hosted by billionaire Richard Branson.
[Richard Branson, Entrepreneur:] We were asked to do this concert by Juan Guaido. And he will be coming to the other side of the bridge with maybe a million of his supporters. And I suspect both of us, both sides will be handing flowers to the military and the people guarding the bridge and seeing whether they can be persuaded to do, you know, what they must realize is the right thing. I mean, they'll have the military will have relatives that are suffering as well. And they'll know people who are suffering. So, we hope and pray that sense will prevail.
[Allen:] Well, Mr. Guaido of Venezuela self-declared president has promised to distribute the relief supplies on Saturday. We'll keep you posted on that story of course. Chicago's top cop said he's angry with American actor Jussie Smollett.
[Eddie Johnson, Superintendent, Chicago Police Department:] Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.
[Allen:] But the actor denies he helped orchestrate a hate crime in which he was the target. More on this shocking twist and turns right after this. Plus, actions have consequences for long time Trump advisor Roger Stone, the new restrictions ordered by a federal judge.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, millions of people on lockdown around the world. Borders closed from Eastern Europe to America's West Coast. As the coronavirus spreads, so, too, the drastic measures being taken to try and limit the impact of the virus. Countries also going to great lengths to stem the economic fallout. The Trump administration announcing a $1 trillion stimulus package to cushion our faltering U.S. economy. And Joe Biden sweeps key primary states, giving him a nearly insurmountable delegate lead, a turning point perhaps in the Democratic primary.
[Vause:] Two weeks. No more. That's all the time the U.S. has left to prepare for an approaching viral tsunami. In two weeks the number of coronavirus cases is expected to surge here. So, too, the death toll and the strain on an already stretched health care system because, in terms of preparation, the United States is a lot more like Italy, which saw the virus explode two weeks ago and is now in Europe's hardest hit country. The coronavirus is now confirmed in all 50 U.S. states. More than 100 people have already died. But the worst case scenario could see as many as 2 million dead. And right now avoiding Italy's fate rests on a response which varies from state to state, city to city, an inconsistent patchwork of measures, ranging from aggressive action, which changes daily lives, routines, the very fabric of society, to almost nothing. And the economic pain already being acutely felt and the Trump administration is proposing a trillion-dollar stimulus package. According to a congressional source, the Treasury Secretary has warned the unemployment rate could rise to 20 percent. Word of that possible massive stimulus spending sent stocks soaring. The Dow up 5 percent. The Nasdaq and SNP up 6 percent. And a sign perhaps of life to come in Northern California. A shelter in place order has left busy streets empty, 8 million people ordered to stay home. And the New York City mayor has warned he's considering issuing the same order. And residents should be prepared to shelter in place. The governor of New York state, though, says he does not believe at this point such action is necessary. As officials impose stricter measures to slow the outbreak, millions across this country are making big adjustments in their daily lives. We begin our coverage with CNN's Erica Hill.
[Erica Hill, Cnn Anchor:] Empty restaurants. Lonely streets. Millions ordered to stay in their homes without a clear end in sight.
[Unidentified Female:] These measures will be disruptive to day-to-day life but there is no need to panic.
[Hill:] The San Francisco Bay area's shelter in place order has prompted questions about whether similar measures could spread.
[Andrew Cuomo , Governor Of New York:] Part of the year, the anxiety, people spread rumors, well, maybe you're going to quarantine New York City. And I have no interest whatsoever and no plan whatsoever to quarantine any city.
[Hill:] And yet concern is growing by the day about how long any measure will last and what will be left when it's over.
[Unidentified Male:] Small businesses are calling into my office one after the other. People are not going to the barber shops, they're not going to the restaurants, restaurants are being shut down, et cetera. We are seeing a massive collapse in the economy around this country. The unemployment requests, first-time requests for benefits that are coming in literally this week as we sit here are overwhelming.
[Hill:] The White House today announced help is coming.
[Steven Mnuchin, U.s. Treasury Secretary:] We're looking at sending checks to Americans immediately. Americans need cash now and the president wants to get cash now. And I mean now in the next two weeks.
[Hill:] How much, when and who will be eligible remains unknown. The pledge comes as airlines are asking for an estimated $50 billion government bailout. And dozens of retailers announced nationwide closings, including Disney, Macy's, Nordstrom and Foot Locker. Supermarkets across the U.S. are adjusting their hours, opening early for seniors in an effort to minimize their exposure. State and local officials preparing for an anticipated surge at hospitals and medical centers as elective surgeries are canceled. Patients are discharged more quickly and new facilities are prepped to offer additional capacity.
[Dr. Jeremy Faust, Emergency Room Physician:] We can't do our jobs if we do not have access to our equipment and we don't have access to, you know, fresh supply lines.
[Faust:] And so we need to do everything we can to stave that off.
[Hill:] The government has yet to provide a clear answer on how they'll meet the need for life-saving ventilators, advising states to get their own while calling on other industries to help meet the need for industrial masks.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] We're asking them to donate their N-95 masks to their local hospitals and also forego making additional orders.
[Hill:] Questions about supply as the demand for answers grows. Testing is still a major concern across the country. Here in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio says as of Thursday they're going to be opening up more testing. In fact they're going to get to the point where they'll be able to do some 5,000 tests a day in very short order. And perhaps even more importantly those results will be back in just one to two days back to you.
[Vause:] Erica, thank you. The United States and Canada are considering suspending all non- essential travel between the two countries. A Trump administration official tells CNN an announcement could come in the next 24 to 48 hours. But the agreement is not yet final. Negotiators are working out the definition of non-essential and what kinds of vehicles would still be allowed back and forth. But they stress business and trade between the two countries will continue. In an unprecedented move, the European Union has closed its external borders to all non-essential travel. For the next 30 days, only goods and medical equipment will be allowed to cross, along with people deemed necessary to deal with the virus. The E.U. hopes to encourage members to reopen their internal borders, allowing a quicker response to the virus. France, Spain, Denmark, most recently Germany have all closed many if not all of their borders. The U.K. in its post-Brexit transition is expected to follow suit. Members of Europe's Schengen zone, like Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, are exempt from this agreement. We're following developments across Europe. Journalist Al Goodman is standing by in Madrid. Senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann is standing by in Paris. But first we go to Rome. Reporter Delia Gallagher is there. What is the latest there from Rome, Delia?
[Delia Gallagher, Cnn Vatican Correspondent:] Well, John, a couple things happening here. One is, of course, confronting the ongoing emergency numbers from yesterday. We're up to some 31,000 total cases with, you know, a jump in about 3,000 new cases. There is, of course, the acute emergency in the north for ICU beds, for ventilators. They have received some ventilators from China, for example. They are building out new temporary hospitals that will have some 600 beds in them in the Lombardy region with some more ICU beds. And an American NGO called Samaritan's Purse has come over to a town called Cremona, where they are also helping to build out some temporary hospitals to try and confront major emergency in the north, which has more than half of these 31,000 cases. The other thing that's happening here, John, is watching these numbers. We have been in lockdown for the whole country now for about 10 days. Experts are saying that's too soon to make any positive determination on whether the isolation is working. But of course, the towns in the north have been on lockdown for about three or four weeks now. Those red zones began much earlier than the rest of the country. So Italy is watching very closely its numbers to see if indeed some initial results from these smaller towns, John, that have been on lockdown for a longer time are showing a trend, in which the positive cases have slowed, which suggests, of course, that the isolation is working. So there's a lot of discussion right now to see whether or not in the next week they're saying will be crucial, the next 10 days to two weeks, to see if countrywide this major lockdown, which has been in place now, will have the desired effect on the numbers John.
[Vause:] OK. Delia, we appreciate that. Thank you, Delia Gallagher there in Rome. CNN's Jim Bittermann. It was just a few days ago when the president, Emmanuel Macron, was scolding the population for not taking this viral outbreak seriously enough. What's happening now?
[Jim Bittermann, Cnn Sr. Intl. Correspondent:] Well, now they are taking it seriously because, in fact, the real measures, the real lockdown measures took effect yesterday at noon. And the fines, if you're out and about without this special form that you're supposed to be carrying at all times, the fines start today. The police are going to start enforcing it; 100,000 police across France have been mobilized for this. One of the things that's interesting this morning, John, is our sister network, BFN, has done a poll just to see how the French are feeling these days about coronavirus and 81 percent, that's to say up 20 percent from just five days ago, 81 percent feel that it's a very serious problem and they're worried about it.
[Bittermann:] And even more importantly, 93 percent say they are in favor of the kind of lockdown measures that are being talked about and are now in place. So it is an amazing sort of cohesion here within the French population and right across the political classes, because I think there's some understanding that it's something that's bigger than everybody. So as these measures take place today, there's stories coming out of all sorts of problems everywhere. For example, on the eastern part of France, the military's been called in because the hospitals are overloaded. There was a report overnight that a prisoner in the main jail just outside of Paris died and that, of course, would be a really bad sign because it could spread very quickly within the confines of a prison. There's a lot of problems the French government has got to address, not the least of which is that they want to make sure people stay united over this idea that this lockdown is going to continue. By the way, they promised it's only 15 days but they're also saying it could be prolonged. If it was prolonged beyond 15 days, people might have a different attitude John.
[Vause:] I guess we'll see. Jim, 15 days seems to be the minimum. Others are saying it may be 28 days, maybe longer. But we'll see. Jim Bittermann, thank you for that report from Paris. Spain has the most cases in Europe behind Italy, more than 1,100 infections, nearly 500 deaths. Journalist Al Goodwin joins me now from Madrid. I guess for Spain the worst is coming.
[Al Goodman, Journalist:] The worst is just we're peaking now as far as we can tell. The figures you just gave, the latest figures we have, more than 11,000 cases and nearly 500 deaths. What's the change? Those figures are about 15-16 hours old, John, so we're waiting for new figures. But what we're seeing is the number of cases has gone shooting up like this. And now the deaths had been slowly increasing and yesterday started to shoot up. So the government on the health front is rushing resources in, 500,000, half a million surgical masks arrived from China to Spain yesterday. At the same time, the government, central government distributing another half a million masks out to the 17 regions. There has been vast calls all across the country, we don't have enough equipment, we need the masks, the gloves and the equipment to did the testing. I'm right at the very heart, the center of the Spanish capital. We see a military unit from a base on the outskirts of Madrid, patrolling this area to supplement the police, who've been issuing fines already. In France, they're about to start issuing the fines. In Spain they've been issuing the fines, hundreds of fines in the last couple of days, because the emergency, state of emergency went into effect here on the weekend. Now the Spanish government, while people are basically confined to their homes, they can only go out to buy food, to the pharmacy, a few other things, the government moving late yesterday to try to ease the anxiety over the economic impact, promising a 200 billion euro or about $220 billion aid package for things like suspending mortgage payments. You'll be able to get unemployment payment, even if you didn't work enough time in the temporary economy to collect. They're trying to ease the fears of the business owners, the workers, the unions. They've got a lot to handle now John.
[Vause:] To say the least. Al Goodman with the latest from Spain in Madrid. Thank you. A consistent message from elected officials has been that Millennials are the key to slowing the spread of the coronavirus. On Tuesday, the White House coronavirus task force once again urged young people to stay home, even if they do not feel sick or have any symptoms.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] Every single generation has a role to play. We're asking the younger generations to stop going out in public places, to bars and restaurants and spreading asymptomatic virus onto countertops and knobs and grocery stores and grocery carts.
[Vause:] So why is this so critical? CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains why.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Young people can be a risk to people with these pre-existing conditions. And even if there's higher populations of elderly people in some of these states, there are still elderly people in all these states and people with these pre-existing conditions in all these states. So that's the one thing I think we're going to keep coming back to, is that it has sort of felt like a patchwork thus far, one state handling it one way, another state another way. And I kept thinking that the federal government would come out with recommendations, which they have. But then still allowing some of these other states to follow their own recommendations; Alabama, for example, saying 25 people or more. It's not so much the number of people, Jake, to be clear. Those are arbitrary numbers. But I do think there needs to be national guidelines on this that everyone should abide by.
[Vause:] And Dr. Gupta will answer more of your questions at a third CNN global town hall. "Coronavirus: Facts and Fears." That's Thursday 10:00 pm Eastern here in the United States. 6:00 am in Abu Dhabi, 10:00 am in Hong Kong. The program will replay a few hours later, 8:00 am in London, 4:00 pm in Hong Kong. Still to come, the U.K.'s biggest pharmacy chain is facing unprecedented demand for things like hand sanitizer and other coronavirus essentials. We'll explain how they're fighting to keep their shelves stocked. Also ahead, more wild swings for markets around the world. Live in Tokyo, we'll look at stocks around Asia.

[Berman:] We're just about an hour away from when Michael Cohen, the president's former lawyer, testifies in public before the House Oversight Committee. We have this explosive look at his prepared testimony, which raises all kind of new questions. I want to bring back Jeffrey Toobin, Gloria Borger, Dana Bash and Joe Lockhart to discuss. And, Joe, the question that I raised before the break was this, you've been inside a White House facing scandal before. Michael Cohen, what he says out loud today to the American people and the world, the White House has no control over that.
[Joe Lockhart, Cnn Political Commentator:] Right.
[Berman:] So how do they deal with this?
[Lockhart:] Well, you know, we went through this a couple times in the Clinton administration. The video deposition was released while the president was addressing the United Nations. The day the president was impeached was also the day we finish prosecuting that airstrike against Iraq. What they should do is just keep their head down, stay after this, and say, we're doing the people's business. What we're doing here is more important than what happens in the swamp of Washington. And just go on.
[Camerota:] Isn't that what they're doing? I mean from what you've seen this morning, isn't that what they're doing with these meetings with Kim Jong-un?
[Lockhart:] Well, not really. Not really. Because the president's already tweeted. He's you know, if you look at his tweets over the last 48 hours, he can't resist injecting himself into this. And it undercuts the strategy of, I'm being the president. They're being politician. So their big Achilles heel through this whole thing has been the president's lack of impulse control, his, you know, his desire to get in, and his and his bullying kind of way and make his case. So it's very hard for them to prosecute a strategy that was similar to what I think some people have done in some other, you know, presidential scandals.
[Camerota:] Gloria Borger, you've already seen inconsistencies between what Michael Cohen is going to publically under oath testify to
[Borger:] Yes.
[Camerota:] According to his big, written statement, and what has been reported about what President Trump has said to investigators.
[Borger:] Well, CNN did a story, in fact, it was Dana was a part of that story, saying that the president denied to Mueller in writing that Roger Stone told him anything about WikiLeaks. And AP did another story in which they interviewed the president. Let me let me read you exactly what the president said then. He said, when WikiLeaks came out, never heard of WikiLeaks. Never heard of it. All I was saying is, well, look, if all this information is out there, this is pretty good stuff. And what Michael Cohen is saying is, uh-huh, I was sitting there while he was having this conversation with Roger. And Roger Stone said to him, I spoke with Julian, this stuff is coming out. And the president said, wouldn't that be great? So
[Camerota:] Yes, Gloria, just to stop you for a moment.
[Borger:] Yes.
[Camerota:] We're watching Michael Cohen arrive on Capitol Hill just moments ago. He is carrying documents with him. He seems to be in a relaxed stance.
[Berman:] He's smiling. There were smiles there. He's hobnobbing with the Capitol Hill Police who are walking him in.
[Borger:] You know, I can say that I think this is a moment for Michael Cohen that actually he has wanted for quite some time. He has said, I'm not going to be the villain in this. I changed my mind. He always uses the date, July 2, 2018, was my independence day. And I think in a way this is so cathartic for him that even despite, you know, Matt Gaetz's tweet and the threats he says he's gotten from the president and the strain on his family, I think this is something he actually wants to do and sees this as a moment in history for himself and for the country and is full of remorse as you can read from the opening statement.
[Berman:] He'll have a couple years of quite to think about what he does today.
[Borger:] Yes, he will.
[Berman:] Jeffrey Toobin, to the point that Gloria raised that Michael Cohen is going to testify he heard this conversation. President Trump has said in, you know, written statements that the conversation didn't happen. Both of these things can't be true.
[Bash:] Exactly.
[Berman:] So, legally, Jeffrey, where does this go?
[Toobin:] Well, and it's also worth pointing out that Roger Stone denies that it happened.
[Bash:] Exactly.
[Toobin:] Roger Stone says, first of all, he's never spoken to Julian Assange in his life. And, second, he never told Donald Trump anything about WikiLeaks. Period. I mean, I, you know, he sometimes says, well, I don't remember telling anything to the president or candidate Trump about WikiLeaks. But by and large he denies that this conversation took place. So you have three people
[Bash:] Right.
[Toobin:] Who are a party to this alleged conversation, Stone, Trump, and Cohen, and two of them deny that it took place. Now, you could argue that they are the ones who have motives to lie about it and Cohen now has the motive to tell the truth. But in the absence of further corroboration, I don't know where you go where prosecutors go with this, frankly.
[Bash:] Right. And, again, that is already what I am hearing from people who are associated with the Trump legal team this morning, that exact point. You have three people, two of whom are saying this didn't happen. One or at least two of them claim that they have said this people around them have said that they said this under oath. So unless there's corroboration, you can't prove it.
[Berman:] None of those three
[Borger:] Well, and the special counsel didn't did not use this. But, don't forget, one of them wants a pardon. Roger Stone. One of them is in the position to give it. And Michael Cohen is going to jail. So the question is the question
[Toobin:] What a crew. Wow. Yes.
[Borger:] So the question yes, but the question is, who has more motive to be truthful? I Cohen has nothing to lose at this point, quite honestly. He could get a reduction in sentence, I suppose, Jeffrey. But I think, you know, I think Roger Stone is still looking at that pardon from the president.
[Camerota:] Very quickly, Joe.
[Lockhart:] And on the corroboration, let's not forget that a counterintelligence investigation was opened in the FBI during the campaign. We don't know what corroboration came out of that. We don't know what phone records, what e-mail records, what, you know, intercepts. We don't we just don't know. We won't know until Mueller comes out. So we may get an answer to this. We may it may be unanswered.
[Berman:] We do know that none of those three people that were named there are in the honesty hall of fame. I will say, there are no busts of any of them.
[Camerota:] There will be no medals today given.
[Bash:] No.
[Camerota:] Thank you all very much. We will have much more on CNN's breaking news coverage next. Stick around.

[Blitzer:] We're going to get back to the breaking news tonight in just a moment. Three members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force now going into various forms of self-quarantine for 14 days after potentially coming into contact with at least one maybe two officials in the White House who have now tested positive to the Coronavirus, including Dr. Anthony Fauci the Nation's top Infectious Disease Specialist. But right now I want to go to Arkansas, one of the few states that did not implement a formal stay-at-home order. The Governor Asa Hutchinson is joining us now. He has been ordering reopening measures for a week now. He announced yesterday the pools, beaches, water parks will reopen with certain restrictions, all that on May 22nd. On Monday restaurants will reopen with limited capacity. The Governor is joining us right now. Governor thanks so much for joining us. I want to get to your experience what's going on in Arkansas. What's your reaction to the breaking news tonight that these top Coronavirus Experts from Task Force are now in self quarantine for 14 days?
[Gov. Asa Hutchinson , Arkansas:] I was going to be with you Wolf and what we learn from what's happened in the White House is that they should not be considered a surprise. We recognize from day one here in my office that if there was a positive test, we could have to self quarantine. We'll have to take the measures that are necessary to follow CDC guidelines and with the busyness of the White House with the exposure of people they can't be considered surprising. And it's an opportunity for America to see that you can continue to do business and take their proper safety precautions. This is whether you're talking about a meat processing plant or whether you're talking about any business or a school or the White House or the Governor's office this can happen and we can't shut down government, we can't shut down business. And so this is a teaching moment and something I'm sure that White House is planned for because it can't be considered a surprise. I think Doctor Fauci, I trust their judgment. I think they're doing the right thing. And I think that you'll see business to continue whether it's remotely whether it's by video camera or whether it's in person with the right protective measures in place. BLITZER Well, having said that Governor and you know I've known each other for a long time wouldn't it be prudent at least to err on the side of caution and the President meets with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as he did a couple hours ago in the cabinet room at the White House for all of them just out of an abundance of caution to be wearing a mask and sending that message to the American public? You know it's better to be safe than sorry.
[Hutchinson:] Well, they have to make their judge. I do think it's important and we tried to set an example by my leadership. And if you can't socially distance to wear a mask, the President's emphasizes show social distancing part. But I've made it clear that I'll wear a mask when I'm out in public. I've done that, I've had my photograph. I cross that bridge a long time ago. So I've been on the front page of the paper with a mask on, so you get over it. And it's important for Arkansans to see their leader taking this seriously. And you know the President obviously is taking it seriously. I think that you'll see continued social distancing in the White House and I suspect they'll be a lot more mask wearing going on in the future.
[Blitzer:] Yes, I suspect you're absolutely right. And as I say better to err on the side of caution and send a message to the American people. It's a smart thing to do. You don't take any chances with a contagious virus like this. So let's talk about Arkansas while I have you. What's going on right now? The White House says the benchmark was 14 days of declining cases, polling nationwide shows majority of Americans are still nervous they're afraid of that state's maybe re opening too soon? What are your fellow Arkansans think about the restaurants, the water parks all of them beginning in some form to reopen?
[Hutchinson:] Well, just like anywhere there's a divided opinion. But let me emphasize that we met the criteria for phase one. We had 14 days we've had 14 days of declining cases but also of declining positivity in our cases. We have adequate hospital space. Our hospitalizations have gone down. So we met the criteria for phase one. Now we're trying to get to phase two which you know there's you know I've told very beginning there's going to be ups and downs. There are going to be some spikes. You work through those and right now we've got concern in our prisons. We've had the spread of COVID-19 in both the federal prisoners and the state prison. But you manage through it you emphasize the contact tracing that were becoming more capable. And this month we're going to do 60,000 tests in Arkansas which is 2 percent of our population in one month. And so we're going to open up gradually and do business. Just like you mentioned but we're doing it May 22nd for some of our swimming pools. We're doing our restaurants, all gradually done with restrictions so we can measure and make sure that as we open more we can also keep safe. And I'm proud of Arkansas for their following the social distancing guidelines with a few exceptions but they need to do this. They're embracing it as well as the wearing of masks. And I think we're going the right direction Arkansas but there are going to be some ups and downs in the coming weeks we just got to work through.
[Blitzer:] Yes, you got to be careful but you got to be prudent. You have got a great state. I love Arkansas; I spend a lot of quality time there. Good luck to you Governor. Good luck to all the Arkansans. These are sensitive moments as we all know. Thanks very much for joining us.
[Hutchinson:] Thanks, Wolf. Good to be with you.
[Blitzer:] All right. We're going to get back to the stunning news out of Washington, a possible exposure to the Coronavirus for three of the top officials involved in the fight against the virus much more coming up right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

[Whitfield:] It's been one week since the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, that left those cities and the nation for that matter feeling shocked and reeling. But they are far from the only communities struggling with gun violence, an issue that's now front and center as the 2020 candidates campaign in Iowa. Every Town for Gun Safety is the name of the organization founded after the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. And that organization is hosting a forum right now where 16 of the 2020 Democratic candidates will be speaking, including Senator Elizabeth Warren. And their message enough is enough. You see Julian Castro on the stage right now. CNN's Arlette Saenz joins me right now from the forum in Des Moines, Iowa. So, Arlette, how hard are these candidates hitting that issue and what are they proposing they would do?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] Well, Fred, each of these candidates is saying that it is long past time that action needs to be taken to try to address the gun violence issue in this country. And you're hearing from multiple candidates this morning saying that part of the problem is President Trump, Republicans and the NRA, saying that they also need to come forth and try to work with Democrats to try to pass legislation. Take a listen to what two of the candidates had to say earlier today.
[Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand , Presidential Candidate:] If every one of you spends the next four weeks speaking out using social media to be heard, Tweeting at Mitch McConnell, saying, Mitch, call the vote, Mitch, call the vote, he could call us back into Congress today. We could pass universal background checks today.
[Mayor Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] Politically, my party's got to get out of the defensive crouch that has us thinking that we're in the minority on these issues. America is with us in demanding common sense gun safety.
[Saenz:] Now, in just a short while, we're going to be hearing from Senator Elizabeth Warren, who this morning released her own gun control proposal. One goal in that proposal is trying to reduce the number of gun deaths in this country by 80 percent. She's calling for an assault weapons ban, passing universal background checks, as well as instituting a federal licensing system. So we're going to be hearing from Warren in a short while. Each of these candidates really trying to hone in on this issue of gun violence and offer their proposals for how to stem this issue going forward. Fred?
[Whitfield:] And then, Arlette, what's the format there? You know, you see accompanying perhaps hosts or moderators on the stage with the candidate, but then are audience members asking questions? Are they also helping to drive the conversation directly with these candidates?
[Saenz:] The audience members are getting involved. So the candidates take the stage and they take an initial question, kind of laying out what they would do about gun control in this country. And then there have been audience questions where several audience members have shared their direct experiences with gun violence, either against themselves or potentially against a family member or a friend or loved one that they have lost to gun violence. So a lot of this is also the conversation has not just been political, but also very personal in tone as these candidates are trying to relate, not just on what they're going to do politically, legislatively through executive action, but also trying to emote and connect with these people who have been affected by gun violence.
[Whitfield:] All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Let's talk more about all of this. Joining me now from El Paso, Texas, is Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee. She is of California. But, Congresswoman, I understand this is where you were born and raised in El Paso. So this is home. This is personal. You have returned on the day that people are marching to celebrate the lives of the 22 that were killed and also pledging that this should never happen again. How important is it that you are there? What are you feeling right now?
[Rep. Barbara Lee:] It's really with a deep sense of reverence and humility that I am here in the town of my birth where I was born and raised. El Paso, Texas, to first, of course, send my condolences and sympathy to the victims' families, to the community, to those who were injured and to honor them and to bring condolences from my wonderful congressional district, the 13th congressional district of California. El Paso is a city where I was raised and a city where love always trumped hate. And what we see now through this horrific tragedy is the toxic combination of domestic terrorism, of racism and of gun violence. And so I'm here in solidarity with the people of El Paso honoring the lives of those we lost, but also to say to Senator Mitch McConnell to bring the Senate back and pass these very modest, but righteous in many ways, gun reform, gun safety measures. He should call the senate back immediately and do that. This is a call to action. And in their memory, and honoring their legacy, we must do this and do it right away.
[Whitfield:] So Senator McConnell has at least one bill that was passed in the House on his desk as it pertains to beefed up gun control legislation. Do you have any more confidence today that as a result of these massacres that there will be some movement in the Senate to have a vote to pass that legislation?
[Lee:] The House has sent him two measures with regard to background checks. And it's going to be the voice of the people. And that's one of the important moments that we're experiencing here in El Paso with this march for a united America, that the power of the people, the voices of the people, working for the people to get this done is what is going to make it happen. And so we always have to have hope and we have to be optimistic, because without home and without our work, then we could see this happen over and over and over again. Enough is enough. This has been such a horrific moment with Gilroy and Dayton, Ohio, El Paso, Texas. My own district in Oakland, California, cities, counties, communities throughout the country are experiencing gun violence each and every day. 100 people every day die of gun violence. We have to stop this. And so we can't give up. We've got to work hard and, again, for starters, Senator Mitch McConnell, call the Senate back in and pass these gun reform measures that are on your desk and ask the president to sign them.
[Whitfield:] So if Mitch McConnell was not inspired to do so within the last week. When the president yesterday said he was an advocate for meaningful background checks, was in your view, was that the president sending a signal to Senator Mitch McConnell that legislation he already has on background checks is something that needs to be addressed now? Or do you see them speaking in step? Or is this just more confusion about where is America right now in response to these massacres?
[Lee:] Well, for me, it's more confusion. It's more of this president's rhetoric because he has said this before. He has done this before. But we have not seen any action. So I hope that he's for real and I hope that the bills that are on Mitch McConnell's desk are moved forward. But with regard to Donald Trump and his hateful rhetoric and what has been unfortunately created the environment for this tragedy and other tragedies to happen, I'm not so sure if he really means what he says. But I hope he does because the NRA has got to understand and stop running with their agenda that's killing so many people in our country.
[Whitfield:] And then, quickly Congresswoman, you mentioned domestic terrorism, racism, gun violence. These are all the things, a confluence of events, these massacres have just underscored. Do you see that those things can be tackled legislatively? Or do you see a combination of other things on the horizon?
[Lee:] They've got to be tackled on all fronts. When you look at racism and when you look at the racist attacks against African- Americans, people of color, Latinos. Racism is alive and well in America. When you look at domestic terrorism, domestic terrorism has existed for decades. And in fact, it's really hypocritical that the president really moved to defund the offices that would address domestic terrorism. And when you look at gun reform efforts, Congress has been stopped dead in its tracks because of the unfortunate influence of the NRA. So all of these issues have come together now and have created a toxic environment for our future. So enough is enough, we have to move forward and we have to get this done.
[Whitfield:] Congresswoman Barbara Lee in El Paso, Texas, your birthplace. Thank you so much. I want to take you to Iowa. This is the issue that candidates are tackling. Those on the road to the White House. Here's Elizabeth Warren in Des Moines. Let's listen in.
[Unidentified Male:] You can just start off by telling us how you would prioritize the issue of gun safety if elected as president, including all forms of intersectionality.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] All right, so it's a wonderful question can I just stand up?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Warren:] You can always tell a school teacher. I've got to get where I can see everybody's face. But let me start with this. I come to you, I know, with these latest shootings in El Paso and Dayton at a time of sorrow in our country, but a time of real determination. We are going to make change. We are going to pass gun safety laws in this country. Now, the way I see this is we've been talking for a long time about what we need to do. We've talked about all the different pieces, all the different edges, and they're there. And I support them. But here's what I'm going to do as president of the United States. I have put out this morning a comprehensive gun plan that has a lot of details in it. I will introduce it in the first 100 days. And I will help repeal the filibuster so that we can actually get it passed in Congress. But I want to do more. I want us to change how we think about gun safety in America. It's not just about passing four pieces of legislation over there or changing two regulations over here. It's about reducing the deaths from gun violence. That's what our goal has to be. Forty thousand Americans died last year from gun violence. So here's my commitment as president. I will reduce that number by 80 percent. We will make change, we'll figure out what works and then we'll make some more change and some more change. You know, here's the thing. You look at that number and you say, wow, that's I saw your face when I said that. Wow. How does this woman plan to get this done? And I'll tell you the answer. Go back to 1965, and at that point, we have five deaths per million miles traveled on the roads in America. And people were using words like carnage. How many Americans were dying? As a country, we said enough. We are going to make changes. We are going to make ourselves a safer country. Some of it was obvious. Seat belts, safety glass. Some of it hasn't even been invented like airbags and automatic braking systems. But since that time, we have reduced the deaths per million miles traveled by over 80 percent in this country. I want us to do the same with guns. I want us to keep our eye on the ball. This is about death by gun violence. I want us to study what works. I want us to try. I want us to make change as we keep driving down that number. Now we've got two tools. The first one and I love saying this what a president can do all by herself. And I will do it. I will take executive action in every corner with the Department of Justice, with ATF, to move as much as I can. But, there's much that must go through Congress. So here is what I propose with Congress. And that is, start with the question if 90 percent of Americans want to see some basic sensible changes, why do they not happen? You're out there talking about it. I'm out there talking about it. I tell you why it doesn't matter. Corruption, plain and simple. The gun industry controls Washington. And we have to fight back against that corruption. Until we hit that corruption head on, until we disrupt the way they give money to folks in Congress, the way they put the lobbyists in the field. We're going to fight this fight and we're going to keep losing this fight. So for me, real change, meaningful change starts with breaking up the corruption in Washington, breaking the stranglehold of the gun industry and the NRA. It's time. It's time for real meaningful change and we can do it. What it's going to take is a leader in the White House and pressure, the fighters on the ground like you. It's an honor to be here with you today. Thank you. Thank you.
[Whitfield:] All right, you've been listening to Senator Elizabeth Warren there saying, you know, it's time for real meaningful change. And she's pledging as president she will reduce deaths by gun violence by 80 percent. Let's talk more about all of this and how much this issue is going to, you know, pepper the Democratic field in the race for the White House. With me now to discuss all this, Francesca Chambers, she is White House correspondent for the Daily Mail, also joining me is Seung Min Kim, a White House reporter for the Washington Post and a CNN political analyst. Thanks to both of you, appreciate it. So Francesca, you first. You know, let's talk about, you know, new sweeping gun control plans. This one namely coming from Senator Elizabeth Warren. She says, you know, if elected she will issue an executive order on background checks and push to pass a federal assault weapons ban. Very big ambitions
[Francesca Chambers, White House Correspondent, Daily Mail:] knows some of these gun violence victims, he's met with the families of people who were killed in the Pulse nightclub attack. He's met with the Sandy Hook families. But from that didn't really go beyond that to say what it is. He believes he would be able to do differently, considering the fact that Barack Obama and Joe Biden had the house, they had the Senate when they first took office and they weren't able to get anything like this passed. Meanwhile, you heard Kamala Harris here at the fair saying that she wants to just start with background checks. You said that Elizabeth Warren promoted an ambitious plan, you have on the opposite side of that Harris saying let's start with background checks. If we can get those, then we can move forward.
[Whitfield:] Seung Min, you know, the aftermath of these two mass shootings now. You know, that the president of the United States is claiming that he has strong congressional support from Republicans, you know, in Congress for strengthening background checks. Meaningful background checks he says. What are you hearing about the kind of support that he says he has?
[Seung Min Kim, Cnn Political Analyst:] I would question the president's definition of the world strong there. Because background checks, expanding background checks on gun sales is something that has been incredibly controversial among Republicans on Capitol Hill. Recall the last major gun debate we had on Capitol Hill. It was in 2013, it was in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. There were just four Senate Republicans who backed an expanded background checks bill at that time in a Democratic Senate. Two of those senators two of those four Republican senators are now gone. Yesterday, President Trump said Mitch McConnell is totally on board with background checks. We checked with Mitch McConnell's office, and McConnell's people made it very clear that the majority leader has not endorsed any specific gun legislation yet. And anything that restricts access to guns and gun rights whether it's expanded background checks, certainly a federal assault weapons ban, federal licensing programs like a lot of the 2020 Democratic candidates have announced is going to run into a lot of resistance obviously among Republicans on Capitol Hill. But even some of these conservative Democrats who still represent more of these rural areas, rural states. Now they are a diminishing number in the Congress and house Democrats have particularly aligned very heavily beyond stronger gun measures. But still this is a very difficult issue to move forward on Capitol Hill no matter who is in charge.
[Whitfield:] Seung Min Kim, Francesca Chambers, thanks to both of you, appreciate it. And we'll be right back. Welcome back. A short time ago, President Trump revealing the content of a new letter from North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Saying Kim wants to restart nuclear negotiations once joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea are over. The tweet also saying that Kim asked for another direct meeting and offered, quote, a small apology, end quote, for testing short range missiles. The president told reporters about the letter yesterday as he left the White House.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] He really wrote a beautiful three-page from top to bottom, a really beautiful letter. It was a very positive letter. I'd love to give it to you, I really would.
[Whitfield:] Trump's tweets come just hours after North Korea conducted its fifth round of short range missile tests in just over two weeks. Sarah Westwood in New Jersey near where the president is vacationing at his resort in Bedminster. So Sarah, what are we making of the timing of these tweets and what information we are receiving about them, the letter?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] Well, Fred, the president's tweets this morning come after a week of President Trump shrugging off more of those short range missile launches from North Korea. And as President Trump seems to be channeling those frustrations into the relationship between the U.S. and South Korea. This week, he's been demanding that Seoul contribute more in an exchange for remaining under the U.S. security umbrella. And administration officials tell CNN that Trump privately has expressed frustration with the fact that in his eyes, South Korea has not done more to contain the aggression of its northern neighbor. That's a frustration that President Trump had projected onto China at one point in his presidency. Now he's focusing that ire on South Korea. And his tweets this morning about that letter from Kim Jong-un also comes as North Korea continues to express its frustration with the joint military exercises going on this month in the region between the U.S. and the South Korean military. President Trump said that in that letter, Kim Jong-un expressed his frustration with the fact that those drills which have been scaled back this year are still going on. Trump's scaling back those military exercises in order to leave himself more room to negotiate with North Korea. But these short range missile tests could be a real problem for President Trump. He says he's OK with them because his agreement with North Korea was that they should stop their intercontinental ballistic missile launches. That they should stop their nuclear testing. But because President Trump hasn't been able to extract any real concessions from North Korea, all he really had to point to as a sign that his strategy of engaging with North Korea was working was the fact that those missile launches had stopped. Now that they are starting again, Fred, it could be harder for the president to justify his embrace of the North Korean dictator.
[Whitfield:] All right, thank you so much, Sarah Westwood, appreciate it. And we'll be right back.

[Marquardt:] Staying on top of the tragic mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, I want to get right to CNN Analyst Josh Campbell who has new reporting on the alleged gunman who took the lives of 20 people at a shopping center there in El Paso. Josh, what are you learning?
[Campbell:] Alex, we're getting our first look here of the suspect. Authorities believed was responsible for yet the latest mass shooting here in the United States. This one taking the life of 20 people behind me injuring over two dozen. This is a 21-year-old resident of Allen, Texas who was taken into custody by law enforcement officers after this shooting. Now, as they dig into this person's past and as we've been looking at available reports and talking to some of our sources, there are a couple things that stand out. First of which being this is a resident of Allen, Texas which is some 650 miles from this border city of El Paso. So there are questions out there about why did this person choose to come to this location and to attack this specific facility behind me, that's part of that investigation. We're told that he was taken into custody alive, a key aspect of that next step for law enforcement will be trying to glean from him during the course of an interview. Anything that can help them get to the motivation was this someone who was proud of what he did, is this someone who is willingly going to tell law enforcement step-by-step what he did and why he did it, that is yet to be seen. But again we're getting that first look here, a 21-year-old white male resident of Texas responsible here police believe for just the latest act of carnage here in the United States involving mass violence with a gun.
[Marquardt:] Josh, if this manifesto is connected to him, it would seem very evident what was motivating him and that was hatred. But who else would the authorities be looking to talk to you tonight?
[Campbell:] So right now they're orbiting this target right now. They want to talk to anyone who knew him, anyone that was associated with him, his family members. We can expect that as we speak right now, authorities are likely gathering search warrants to conduct searches at any residences or addresses that may have been associated with him, again, to gather evidence. Again, the FBI and local law enforcement, they have a procedure and process in place whenever there's a situation like this. The first thing they want to do is to cease any type of social media out there. They'll actually lock it down. Some of these accounts that are out there will all of a sudden disappear that's because law enforcement works with these companies to seize this evidence to get it down from public view as it becomes part of that investigation. We can expect that that's happening right now. Again, authorities want to get into not only his mindset, but try to determine was there anyone else who may have known, what was about to take place here, anyone who may have participated and just as important, are there any possible follow-on attacks. Again, if this was someone who is part of some group, that will be concerning to law enforcement. They really want to dig into this person complete 360 orbiting this target together as much as they can to get into that mindset and figure out what happened here in Texas.
[Marquardt:] And again if this document that's connected to him, the title said that he expected to die. He didn't, so we don't know really why that is, whether he had a change of heart. He wanted to be taken into custody alive. We really don't know. But he is in custody and he is alive and he is going to be questioned for a long time by these authorities. Josh, you were at the FBI, if you were sitting down across the table from this young man, what would you be asking him?
[Campbell:] So the key question is the why and again getting back to looking at past incidents, we've studied these. Oftentimes, you will have someone who has no qualms with admitting why they did what they did. They're sometimes proud of it and especially if this manifesto is indeed connected to him. We're told by our sources that authorities are working to determine whether they are associated. Someone who pushes that information out publicly obviously doesn't hide what they're trying to achieve and the hate that they're trying to spew. So if he admits to that then obviously that will be key to investigators. We're also told, Alex, we've been reported that the FBI has opened a concurrent domestic terrorism investigation. They're working alongside state officials. The state has the lead right now, but the FBI is pouring through this manifesto, trying to get to any type of ideology that may have motivated this attack. They have their profilers back at Quantico that are professionals at this again digging into the mindset of these people. But, again, should it be determined that he was motivated by either hate or some type of radical ideology that falls in the spectrum of domestic terrorism, we might see a greater role here for the federal government but again as of right now they are working behind the scenes. The state has a lead. It remains a very much an ongoing investigation.
[Marquardt:] All right. Josh Campbell there on the scene. Let us know what else you learned. Thanks very much. All right. As you can imagine, when the news of this shooting in El Paso hit, the relatives rushed to the scene, searching for their loved ones and family members. Take a listen to this man who was looking for his mother.
[Will Englisbee, Searching For His Missing Mother:] My brother spoke with her at 10:31. She was in the line at Wal-Mart in the checkout line. They spoke for four minutes till 10:35 and that was the last we've heard of her and that was that she was at that Wal-Mart right there and she told him, "I'm in line." My brother is on a flight back from Florida. He'll be here in a couple hours, but he was in Atlanta.
[Unidentified Male:] And you checked all of the sorry, apologize for making you repeat this, you checked all of the hospitals, you checked all of them.
[Englisbee:] Yes. Yes, we just don't know where she is and the buses haven't shown up at MacArthur. I guess there were some witnesses they're supposed to take over to MacArthur, I have two sisters over there, and no one has shown up.
[Unidentified Male:] You seem to be holding up all right there.
[Englisbee:] We're trying. We're trying. We just wanted to walk down here ourselves and take a look to try to find her. I mean, because she won't hold up without water. I mean someone needs to take care of her. She needs water, she needs to be taken care of. She's very...
[Unidentified Male:] And she's not answering her phone.
[Englisbee:] No, sir. It's actually turned off. We use the iPhone app to try to find her.
[Unidentified Male:] And Will, are you worried that she may have been hit?
[Englisbee:] Sir, I don't want to speculate. I'm hoping, I'm praying, I mean, please, God, bring her home.
[Marquardt:] Now, I want to bring in the Mayor of El Paso, Dee Margo. Mr. Mayor, first of all, our thoughts go out to you and to your community, to the families of those who are hurt and killed. Can you give us an update on the victims and the wounded?
[Mayor Dee Margo:] I don't really know anything more on the statistics of the numbers. The 20 dead and those that are in the hospital. They're still going through the process. The governor and I just visited with the families waiting on information over at one of the schools here in El Paso. It's tough. It's really, really tough.
[Marquardt:] It's extremely tough and extremely heartbreaking. What about the investigation? What our federal authorities telling you? What is the governor telling you about the suspect? We understand he's a 21-year-old man who drove all the way from Allen, Texas. What more do we know about the investigation into him and to his motive?
[Margo:] Well, there isn't much to update since we had the press conference. We talked about this gentleman, I shouldn't say gentleman, this murderer who came from outside of El Paso and as I've said before, no one in El Paso would have ever done something like this. This is not what we're about as a community. The investigations are still going through in identifying the bodies and they're going through their normal forensic work and then they're families will be notified. But nothing new was happening yet. We're here at the scene as it stands now.
[Marquardt:] Was the shooter, do you know, was he known at all to authorities?
[Margo:] I don't know that. I do not know that. He came from out of, I think, Allen, Texas, is where they think they said he came from.
[Marquardt:] Yes.
[Margo:] But my point is that just a real tragedy.
[Marquardt:] Can you describe the scene before the shooting? What would have been happening at a Wal-Mart in El Paso, Texas on a Saturday morning in early August?
[Margo:] A lot of shoppers. Everybody getting ready for back-to- school, normal routines, just a normal Saturday for people and yet this tragedy struck.
[Marquardt:] You and others have talked about how tight-knit this community is. What has been the reaction since this horrific massacre happened now just over nine hours ago?
[Margo:] Well, it's been reported, we've had significant blood donors. This is a very generous community. It is a community that goes back 350 years and people just don't understand. We are a close-knit, we are large and close-knit, we're the largest community of our type on the U.S.-Mexico border. There's nothing in North America that can equate to what we have here with El Paso, Juarez. So this is just totally unexpected and as I say probably never would have occurred within El Paso.
[Marquardt:] You must be heartened to see those long lines of donors, of blood donors coming out to donate blood. There have been calls for people to sign up online. What can people do to help the community right now?
[Margo:] Well, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation has set up a website for donations for victims and their families. And what we're telling other people is just continue to donate blood, that's what we need right now.
[Marquardt:] All right. Well Mayor Dee Margo, El Paso, Texas, our thoughts and prayers are with you in the coming hours and days which will obviously be extremely difficult. But we know that given how tight-knit and strong that community is that you will mourn together and then recover together and be stronger than ever. Mayor Dee Margo, thanks very much.

[Anderson:] Welcome back. Here are the usual headlines on Lebanon, economic crisis exploding in free-fall, the currency plunging, financial collapse. It is a laundry list of facts and cliches that doesn't cut it to getting you to what that really means. Let me show you. Over the last few months, the value of the currency has gone down, way, way, way down. It used to take 1500 Lebanese pounds to buy $1 of food or medicine or what have you. Now it takes that and that and that and that and that and five more of those. 8,000 Lebanese pounds to buy that exact same amount. No one is being paid anymore, they have the same salary to buy stuff that is effectively four, five, maybe more times more expensive. And do remember, Lebanon buys 80 percent of what it needs from the outside world. So it is affecting pretty much everything. And all that if you're lucky enough to even have a job. One in three people are out of work. The country was already seeing months of protests over the economy and corruption when the pandemic hit and now this. The devastation can be scaled down to just one scene. This is a cafe in Beirut, it is called "Home Sweet Home", it is full of customers. And this is the cafe following the blast totally destroyed windows blown out, seating area reduced to rubble and the back room completely full of debris. CNN's Nina Dos Santos is with us on the economic angle of this. And sometimes it is just easier it is such a big issue to get your head around when you talk about a country on the verge of if not in collapse that sometimes it is easier just to take a micro snapshot. But you've been looking at the bigger picture for us.
[Nina Dos Santos, Cnn Correspondent:] It is true Becky, when you put it in those stark terms of how much it costs to buy basic goods? This is the reality for so many Lebanese at the moment obviously coping with a twin tragedy now. One that was also just like the economic tragedy that has been unfolding there over the last couple of years entirely potentially manmade. That is why some people are saying that this could be the Chernobyl moment for a country like Lebanon, a manmade non-natural disaster that has pushed people past the brink when they were already economically exhausted. Beirut state the explosion could have not come at a worse time for Lebanon. The country has been in dire straits since last year when its banking system described as a Ponzi scheme began to disintegrate last year, pushing unemployment up, the currency down and bringing thousands on to the streets in protest. Even before the blast, half of Lebanon's population swollen by Syrian and Palestinian refugees was estimated to be living in poverty many were also living in the dark thanks to rolling blackouts. Now aid agencies are sounding the alarm.
[Tamara Alrifai, Spokeswoman, U.n. Relief & Works Agency:] It is an economic crisis, a financial crisis, a political crisis, a health crisis, and now this horrible explosion. So there are many layers to what is happening in Lebanon that is constantly testing the ability of the Lebanese and the refugees who live in Lebanon to be resilient.
[Santos:] Much of the immediate concern comes from the supply chain. The Port of Beirut where the explosion occurred is the main maritime hub for a nation heavily dependent on goods from abroad. 60 percent of all imports pass through it and it is where grain is stored, prompting food shortages in a market ravaged by souring prices and years of corruption.
[Alrifai:] In the last few months, the Lebanese society has suffered greatly from an economic and financial crisis. And the Lebanese and refugees who live in Syria have found it more and more difficult to buy food and to buy goods.
[Santos:] With financial support from gulf countries drying up, Hezbollah plays a more prominent role in its politic, Lebanon defaulted on some of its debt in March. At the time the Coronavirus also took hold. It tried to gain a $10 billion loan from the INF, but those talks stalled last month and Lebanon's credit rating was cut to the lowest rang by Moody's on a par with Venezuela now one revenue driver tourism has also been badly hit.
[Pierre Achkar, President, Lebanon's Hotel Federation For Tourism:] It is a disaster for Lebanon for the economy and especially for tourism. We were maybe 5 percent to 15 percent occupancy because of Coronavirus, because of the political problem with the Arab countries. And unfortunately what happened yesterday is a real disaster.
[Santos:] Straddling the geopolitical fault lines of the Middle East, Lebanese is no stranger to turmoil or tragedy. But the effects of this massive blast will shake this economy to its already fragile foundations. So Becky, how did Lebanon get to this situation? Well, a lot of it has to do with the legacy of the 15 year long bloody Civil War which ended three decades ago and since then extreme inequalities have been building up in the system and also what is said to be endemic corruption. As we just heard there, that had a big impact on the banking sector, also on the currency, the country defaulted on its debt. People had capital controls imposed meaning that they just saw their savings wiped out without being able to get access to that cash in the bank just as they were losing their jobs. And prices were rising in the hundreds of percentage points at one point. So all of this combined puts Lebanon in a very fragile position. Some people are indeed speculating it has come to the juncture where there is either revolution or reform. You saw the French President Emmanuel Macron there on the streets of Beirut speaking to people and facing down their anger. And he was very clear that when it comes to potential financial aid for this stricken country, yes, it could come from some quarters like France, but reform would have to be explicit as a result and part of that deal. Becky.
[Anderson:] Yes, fascinating. Well, we are awaiting comments from the French President who will be alongside his Lebanese counterpart at a press conference. That is set up that's the podium and we're keeping one eye on that for you. As soon as we see Emmanuel Macron, of course we'll bring you his words. Well, for one woman in Beirut, a day of celebration turned into a serious of terrifying moments all caught on camera. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh shows us a scene and talked to this couple.
[Jomana Karadsheh, Cnn Correspondent:] It was a perfect picture wedding shoot, the glowing bride posing for photos a short walk from the luxury wedding venue in downtown Beirut. As the smiling doctor Israa Seblani looks down at her bouquet, horror strikes, her big day blown away in an instant. The couple and the video crew run for cover, destruction all around them.
[Israa Seblani, Beirut Blast Survivor:] At that moment, one thing I thought about now I'm losing my life, I'm losing my husband, and now I'm going to be buried and they're now I'm going to die. Now I'm waiting the moment how I'm going to die. Is it going to be fast? Am I going to feel it? Am I going to be-
[Karadsheh:] 29-year-old Seblani a U.S. resident came back to her native Lebanon to get married. The original plan was to have the wedding party in the United States, but her husband Ahmad Sbeih he has been waiting for his U.S. visa for three years with immigration laws getting stricter by the day under the Trump Administration. The couple says they didn't want to be apart any longer. And finally settled on celebrating their marriage in Beirut with friends and family in the city where their love first blossomed.
[Seblani:] At that moment, that beautiful place I was in where the people were dining in the restaurant, shopping, walking, it turned out into a ghost town filled with dust, shattered glass. People yelling and bleeding it was a nightmare.
[Karadsheh:] Seblani did a final run through of the bridal suite where she inspires her husband in night after the party. When the couple returned, the red rose petals thrown off the bed were all that remained of the romance they had envisioned.
[Ahmad Sbeih, Husband Of Seblani:] Of course we are alive we can continue and don't be sad or anything, we will continue and we will make it.
[Karadsheh:] And Israa this is very emotional for you.
[Seblani:] I don't know what to tell but trust me, there is no word to describe really what I feel. No matter how I talk.
[Karadsheh:] In a city where life was turned upside down in seconds, Israa and Ahmad are just grateful to be alive. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
[Anderson:] Up next, a masked crusader visits a shattered Beirut. The French President brings a message of hope may be even change. We're expecting to hear from him in the next few minutes, I will tell you all about that just ahead.

[Lemon:] Election day just 21 days away and President Trump is trying to fit in as many rallies as possible. I want to you check out this event tonight. This is in Pennsylvania. No social distancing, very few masks. You would never know we're in the middle of a deadly pandemic where the number in the country are going up, but that's really part of the strategy here. Joining me now is CNN's White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins and our Senior Analyst, Mr. John Avlon. Good evening to both of you. Kaitlan, before we get to the rally, we have some breaking news tonight. Here's what the Washington Post is reporting that the unmasking investigation commissioned by the Attorney General Barr is over, no charges, no public report. This is a major development. How is the president going to react to this?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, he hasn't reacted yet, but Don, you can guess if you've judged his reactions lately it's not going to be a good one because he's already unhappy with the attorney general over that investigation into the beginning of the Russia probe. And this is an investigation that the president and his allies built up, basically alleging that they believe there were Obama officials that had inappropriately requested the identities of people in these intelligence documents, they have been redacted. People like Mike Flynn and others that were already in there. And so, they believed there was this wrongdoing, but according to this report in the Washington Post this federal prosecutor who was looking into this has now finished his investigation and there is no significant allegation of wrongdoing that's going to come out of this, again according to the Washington Post. And that is not news the president wants to hear. He was hoping it was going to be, you know, this kind of political boost that he and his allies were building it up to be with all of this, you know, hoopla around it, and now of course it's not going to live up to what they projected that it was going to.
[Lemon:] Well, they were saying that he was saying that President Obama and former Vice President Biden should be put in jail for whatever. I feel like we're back in 2016 again. So, John, they were looking at Obama era officials and whether they improperly requested the identities of people named in redacted intelligence documents. According to the Post, they found no wrongdoing. This is all part of their obsession with reliving the 2016 election instead of focusing on the issues that we face right now in this moment.
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst & Anchor:] A hundred percent. Look, Donald Trump and his supporters in media have been totally fixated on trying to relitigate 2016. We want to be running against Hillary Clinton. But this what he did here, threatening to jail his political opponents, all the hours spent, all the bluster, aided and abetted by hyper partisan media and senators in his own party who floated specific names, after all the slander and all the slurs and all the fear mongering, nothing. It was all a lie. It was all a fraud. Even his own DOJ couldn't bring charges because there was nothing there. And it's just a reminder that especially when someone screams a lot, it's because they're weak. They're in a weak position.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Avlon:] That's what's been revealed today.
[Lemon:] Amen, brother, and it was everywhere. Unmasking, unmasking, the unmasking and unmasking, the scandal, the unmasking. It's like, my gosh, really? Kaitlan's Kaitlan, let's talk about something new that's happening tonight. The Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia's wife tested positive for the coronavirus. She was at that Rose Garden super spreader event. This comes as the country is approaching eight million cases now. So how is the president addressing his failure on the pandemic at, you know, at this latest packed rally tonight?
[Collins:] Well, he's been defending it, but not in the way that advisers hoped he would coming out of this rally. They assume he would come with this, you know, relatable position of I'm someone who's had COVID-19 and instead he's been touting his own stamina, using those projection of strength than he's been talking about the last two nights. Not exactly what political advisers had hoped the president would approach this. But back to the labor secretary's wife. This is kind of unusual that we found this out in an announcement from the Labor Department tonight telling us that she had tested positive. And so, it doesn't say if they believe it's tied to this event, the event for Amy Coney Barrett in the Rose Garden where so many other officials have also tested positive we know, but she was there. She was seated right behind the first lady and next to Kellyanne Conway, both of those two individuals have tested positive, of course, we know. Though it does say that the labor secretary himself has still tested negative and doesn't not have symptoms. But of course, Don, you know, you're seeing how all of these officials around the president, including himself, got COVID-19, but has not changed the structure of these rallies at all as you were showing in those images at the top of the show. You're still seeing no social distancing and very few people wearing a mask.
[Avlon:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Let's Vice President Joe Biden, John, was in Florida today, the day after President Trump was there. Trump is holding packed rallies, few masks, zero social distancing. Biden had a drive-in event. Their campaigning couldn't be more different, don't you think?
[Avlon:] I mean, a hundred percent. I mean, they're fundamentally different human beings, but more importantly responding to this historic crisis in fundamentally different ways. Tone comes from the top. We're seeing it with Donald Trump and the way his entire support base and even his administration still after getting COVID doesn't want to wear masks as the president think it's weak and he keeps telegraphing that. Joe Biden is saying look, it's patriotic to wear masks. We've got to get through this together. And that floats down that floats down to the rallies. It's a complete contrast. One is responsible. The other is all about self-glorification at the expense of others.
[Lemon:] These packed Trump rallies, the president loves them. His die- hard supporters love them as well. But are they hurting him with voters who see these, you know, as Trump super spreader events and people who care that they, you know, can't see their family and their friends because of this pandemic, John?
[Avlon:] Look, as you pointed out, he's literally dancing on people's graves, you know, dancing to YMCA when we passed 215,000 deaths. His hard-core supporters love him. It is a matter of belief at this point. It's not a rational calculus. It's part of this identity. But for everyone who's been impacted by this, for everyone who's had family and friends impacted by this it's an insult to their memory. And Donald Trump has always been solely focused on playing to the base and his base doesn't seem to care, but they will when it affects them personally.
[Lemon:] Thank you both. I'll see you soon.
[Avlon:] Take care, Don.
[Lemon:] A second U.S. vaccine trial paused today because of an unexplained illness. A trial for an antibody treatment touted by the president also put on hold. All this as coronavirus cases surge in 33 states. Stay with us.

[Romans:] All right. A big blow to the world's largest maker of smartphone chips, a federal judge says Qualcomm has violated anti-trust laws by charging excessive fees to phone makers that license and use its technology. The judge wrote this, "Qualcomm's licensing practices have strangled competition for years and harmed rivals, including manufacturers and consumers in the process." The company makes computers and modems for smartphones but it makes most of its money from licensing technology that allows phones to connect to cell phone towers. The judge ruled Qualcomm should not receive a percentage of sales of each phone a company sells and ordered it to renegotiate license terms with customers in good faith. The ruling could drastically change how much phone makers pay for their smartphones to do basic things like making calls and connecting to the Internet. Qualcomm must also license its patents to rival chip makers. Qualcomm said it disagrees with the decision. Qualcomm will appeal.
[Briggs:] More legal trouble for lawyer Michael Avenatti. He's been charged with stealing $300,000 from his former client Stormy Daniels and using that cash to pay employees at his law firm and a coffee business he owned. According to the indictment, Avenatti has not repaid Daniels about half the cash he allegedly stole. Avenatti told CNN he will be fully exonerated. He's facing charges in two other cases in New York and Los Angeles.
[Romans:] All right. The first U.S. born detainee in the war on terror walks out of prison a free man today. John Walker Lindh, also known as the American Taliban, he was captured in Afghanistan after the 911 attacks. He has served 17 years of his 20-year sentence. His case is raising questions about radicalists reentering society. A small but growing number of Americans convicted on terror related charges, they're completing prison sentences in the coming years. There are calls for investigation into Lindh's time in prison. Two U.S. government reports say he made pro-ISIS statements that could land him back in detention.
[Briggs:] Charges are pending against the driver in one of the craziest high speed police chases you'll ever see. Julie Ann Rainbird was behind the wheel of a stolen RV Tuesday night. She crashed into several cars during the chase. The half-hour pursuit ending when she lost control of the RV, crashed into another car and hit a tree. The driver of that white car suffered major injuries. Rainbird's injuries were minor. She was arrested and faces charges that include evading police and causing injury. There is some good news here about the two dogs caught up in the high speed chase. One a Mastiff mix seen jumping out of the speeding RV. She suffered lacerations and soft tissue damage but is now in good hands.
[Dr. Hughes Sanders, Vca Mcclave Animal Hospital:] She let us clean her paws, she let us place the bandage on her paw. You know, she is really a she's really a sweet dog.
[Briggs:] Both dogs are now in the care of Animal Control. Officials are checking micro chips to see if they belong to Rainbird or someone else.
[Romans:] That was just wild, just wild. All right. Wall Street's love affair with Tesla appears to be over. CNN Business has the details on how much Tesla stock has declined, next.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] He welcomed his Brazilian counterpart, a man who is clearly singing from the same hymnal, to the White House.
[Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian President:] May I say that Brazil and the United States stand side by side in their efforts to ensure liberties and respect to traditional family lifestyles, respect to God, our creator, against the gender ideology or the politically correct attitudes and against fake news.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I call it fake news. I'm very proud to hear the president use the term fake news.
[Baldwin:] President Jair Bolsonaro, who is known as the Trump of the Tropics, has come under fire for language that is anti-immigrant, language critics say has led to a surge in violence against indigenous Brazilians. And that controversy is something similar to President Trump, who has been slammed for his rather tepid responses to the New Zealand mosque shootings, to Charlottesville and to more. So, let's start at the White House with our correspondent there, Abby Phillip. And, Abby, it is notable that both leaders stood up there and they talked about fighting terror, neither of whom mentioned, you know, condemning white nationalism, the threat globally, what happened in New Zealand, none of it.
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Political Analyst:] No, none of that was mentioned at all, Brooke. But it's kind of rare sometimes to see the president really feeling like he has a partner in crime in this world leader who is so similar to him in a lot of ways. President Bolsonaro saying at the end there at the press conference that he was confident President Trump would be reelected to another four-year term. But these are two men who came into the office on the backs of this idea that they flout political correctness, that they don't care what you want them to talk about. They are going to talk about what they think is important. And the use of that term fake news obviously was not an accident. It was definitely a nod to President Trump and a way of President Bolsonaro saying, I have got your back. And President Trump essentially said the same thing. So there was no discussion of some of these thornier issues, especially the ones that President Trump has been dealing with over the weekend, his failure to say more about rising hate, rising white nationalism globally, and say more about, you know, supporting the Muslim community in the face of an attack like the one in New Zealand. But he was also in pretty friendly company, and he got at least one set of questions that was also quite friendly as well from a conservative media outlet.
[Baldwin:] Speaking of, a turn to 2020 from said outlet, the president was asked about the idea from the Democratic side of this notion of expanding the size of the U.S. Supreme Court. So here was Trump's response.
[Trump:] No, I wouldn't entertain that. The only reason is that they're doing that is they want to try and catch up. If So, They can't catch up through the ballot box by winning an election, they want to try doing it in a different way. No, we would have no interest in that whatsoever. It will never happen. It won't happen. I guarantee it won't happen for six years.
[Baldwin:] So I suppose no surprise given the Supreme Court appointments are one of his biggest achievements and one of his biggest legacies of his time in Washington.
[Phillip:] Absolutely no surprise. That's what is almost like tee ball for President Trump. It's setting up a question for him that's actually really important to his base. As you pointed out, the issue of the Supreme Court is so central to conservative voters, that was one of the reasons President Trump has said this himself that he believes he was elected, because in the campaign he said, I'm going to stick to this list of potential judges and if I'm president I promise to appoint one of these people from this list. And that list had been vetted by conservative legal scholars here in Washington. So essentially President Trump is signaling to his base here that I'm not going to change my strategy and I'm not even going to entertain the possibility that the court could be brought further to the left by a potential Democratic president or by anyone really in the future. But, of course, these ideas are a little bit more complex than simply packing the courts. If you hear at least one of the Democratic candidates, they're talking about the idea of making the court a little less political, but that's not how President Trump framed it. He made it sound as if what this was, was an attempt by Democrats to really rig the court in their favor in the future by simply adding more liberal judges to the court, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Abby Phillip, thank you at the White House for us. And we will also talk in just a couple more minutes about the, again, president's new and harsh attack today on the late Senator John McCain. So we will talk about that coming up. But, first, it was the FBI raid that President Trump called a disgrace. And now we are learning from just released documents that the search of Michael Cohen's properties was months and months in the making. In fact, these documents show that Cohen, the president's former lawyer and fixer, was a target of Robert Mueller almost immediately after he was appointed as special counsel back in may of 2017. That raid of Cohen's office and hotel and apartment took place last April. The filings also reveal the feds almost searched the wrong hotel room, but citing the documents quote "Another law enforcement agent learned from a hotel employee that Cohen's room was eventually one floor below." Shimon Prokupecz is our CNN crime and justice reporter. And, Shimon, you have been going through all these hundreds of documents. Do they explain what it was that specifically led Mueller to want to look into Michael Cohen?
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Correspondent:] In very general terms, Brooke, it explains what the violations were, the crimes that they were investigating. And it's similar to what we have seen in the Paul Manafort case, bank fraud, also the fact that doing work for foreign as a foreign agent and not registering. So, it was along those lines. But exactly what specifically led them to start looking at Michael Cohen for these crimes is not clear. And keep in mind that Michael Cohen was never charged with any of the counts from the special counsel's office. Everything eventually moved over to the Southern District of New York, where he ultimately pleaded guilty and admitted to all these crimes. But it's probably a lot more involved. The reason we don't know is because the search warrants that the special counsel team obtained have not been made public. So we don't know what evidence they had to suggest that they needed these warrants. What did they tell the judge here in Washington, D.C., about why they need these search warrants to search his e-mails? That's what they were doing. They were going through tons of his e- mails. They were going through phone calls, contacts that he was having with people, so they were watching him for quite some time. And, as you said, Brooke, it was just months, about two months after the special counsel was appointed, that they went ahead and started getting these search warrants and trying to build this case against Michael Cohen.
[Baldwin:] OK. Shimon, thank you. I have got Elliot Williams and Elie Honig back with me. And let's just start by explaining what all this is. You have in your hot hands here all these documents. And I see the redactions. But, first, so, what's in those papers?
[Elie Honig, Cnn Legal Analyst:] So, this is 269 pages that a prosecutor walked over to a federal judge here in New York and said, I have probable cause to search Michael Cohen, his e-mail, his iCloud, his phone records, right? It's not the easiest thing in the world to do, but what you do is, you marshal all the evidence. I have done this a bunch of times. This is 10 times more evidence than I have ever presented to a federal judge to get a search warrant.
[Baldwin:] Wow.
[Honig:] And what this shows is that, even before they did those searches in April of 2018, which I think put Michael Cohen on the map...
[Baldwin:] The very public raid.
[Honig:] Yes, that's when we all started paying attention.
[Baldwin:] Right here.
[Honig:] He's in trouble. They already had this much evidence. So all this talk about conspiracy theory by Trump and by Giuliani is complete nonsense and sort of elided by this.
[Baldwin:] Let's remind everyone what President Trump said about those raids. Roll it.
[Trump:] So I just heard that they broke into the office of one of my personal attorneys, good man, and it's a disgraceful situation.
[Baldwin:] Elliot, broke into the office and disgraceful. So doesn't this prove that ain't true?
[Elliot Williams, Former U.s. Deputy Assistant Attorney General:] Right. They called it disgraceful. They called it unlawful. But what you see here is the meticulous work of prosecutors and FBI agents to go through and establish probable cause. It's not easy to do and this is I read through it this morning too. It is done effectively and done well. And it further highlights that Michael Cohen and frankly everything that's happening in the Southern District of New York is a far greater threat to the president of the United States than anything else he's facing right now, because this is the proof of what happens when the president and his folks are investigated.
[Baldwin:] Let's get into it. I want to get into the details, because I read through a ton of this earlier as well. So, Cohen was paid more than $500,000 from this company called Columbus Nova controlled by Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, who was close to Putin, subject of sanctions, because Cohen was consulting, right, and it was that money that he received that he then funneled through his LLC, Essential Consultants, which is how we reported months ago how he paid the hush money to Stormy Daniels.
[Honig:] Yes, heavy air quotes on consultants, right? It's unclear on what consulting he was providing.
[Baldwin:] We don't know.
[Honig:] Yes, but this is a shell company. This is why people create shell companies, because they want to move money in a way they hope they can hide from investigators. And that led to I think what a lot of people are noticing, which is all these redactions, right, 20 pages of this. It's kind of frustrating as a reader, but I think they're talking to us through these redactions.
[Baldwin:] How do you mean?
[Honig:] So, there's 20 pages of this, first of all.
[Baldwin:] Show what that looks like.
[Honig:] This times 20, right, a little dissatisfying to the reader.
[Baldwin:] OK.
[Honig:] Before 20 pages is an awful lot before they even raided Michael Cohen's home and office and hotel. So, that shows you they were well on to the campaign finance. And there's another clue too. Judge Pauley, who is the judge in the Southern District who's presiding over this, who I have appeared in front of many times, last week, when he was ordering the release of this document, said he said this. He said that the document includes a quote "catalogs and assortment of uncharged individuals and details their involvement in the campaign finance charges to which Cohen pled guilty." So, he has seen underneath these redactions and he tells us there's other people named in here who are part of it.
[Baldwin:] Spell that out. Spell that out.
[Williams:] Well, no, but, again, we know the judge knows what's underneath the redactions. And it's not good for Michael Cohen. Other individuals. Other individuals.
[Baldwin:] Currently under investigation.
[Williams:] Currently under investigation, wink, wink. The other thing that was interesting here, though, is that they make a reference to Michael Cohen being investigated, but not charged with this foreign agent registration stuff.
[Baldwin:] Yes.
[Williams:] And so when you're talking about this, let's use the air quotes again, the consulting company, it was seeded with a lot of Russian money, right, and he wasn't reporting some of the contacts he was having with individuals overseas. I think this is the first time we have seen Cohen brought into the international game that we have sort of heard Paul Manafort and others associated with. It was just striking to see, because we have associated him with these payoffs to porn stars and so on, but not these international deals.
[Baldwin:] And it was because of the legislation that the president signed into law, the CLOUD Act, that enabled the prosecutors to go back to the court and say, hey, we need to take a closer look at this because this president just created this law that enables us to look into Michael Cohen's bits and pieces overseas. There's so much more we can get into.
[Williams:] Sweet irony.
[Baldwin:] Right. Just wanted to point that out. Guys, stay with me. Thank you. Just ahead here on CNN, a "New York Times" report that lays out in stunning detail how Donald Trump worked with Deutsche Bank to get more than $2 billion in loans over the years often by inflating his own wealth. Plus, President Trump going after the late Senator John McCain again today, saying that he was never a fan of the late senator and never will be. And Senator Elizabeth Warren during a CNN town hall becomes just the latest 2020 Democrat to call for the elimination of the Electoral College. We will debate whether that idea has any traction.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Anchor:] Hey, everybody. I'm Chris Cuomo. We have a whole new day of arguments and newer surprises. Today as a main player comes back to potentially haunt the Trump defense. Our special impeachment trial coverage continues right now. The elephant in the room. What would the Trump defense do when it comes to dealing with the obvious elements of what's in the news about Bolton and what would they do. Here's a look.
[Alan Dershowitz, Trump Impeachment Attorney:] If a president, any president, were to have done what the "Times" reported about the content of the Bolton manuscript, that would not institute impeachable offense. Let me repeat. Nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true, would rise to the level of an abuse of power or an impeachable offense.
[Cuomo:] Now, I was surprised that you heard even that from the defense. I didn't understand why they'd want to introduce Bolton at all when it's just not good for them. Now you'll hear arguments that well, they talked about Bolton, they opened the door. That a rule of evidence that doesn't apply here. This is about politics. You talk about what's good for you and you try to ignore what's bad for you. And this Bolton situation at least optically is bad. If you're one of these senators who is nervous about what to do and now you hear that someone who's being kept from you as a witness directly spoke to the president about exactly what he's being accused of. That's tough. So, now we have even more news dropping on this about what is in the manuscript from Bolton. What is it? Well, not only does Bolton suggest that he spoke directly to the president, and we don't know if he can prove that and the president says it's not true, but he also says that he went to the attorney general, Bill Barr, and said that he felt that the president was effectively granting personal favors to autocrats in different countries. Not this wasn't about Ukraine specifically. Turkey, China. That's what he was talking about. And he says that the attorney general was equally concerned and pointed to investigations that were going on with specific companies in foreign countries and saying he was worried that the president was exerting undue influence. How come nobody had said anything at the time? Let's bring in the A team to weigh in on this situation. Andy McCabe, I'll start with you on this. They brought up Bolton. I didn't think they would. I'm trying to combine the idea of what he means in a case in terms of legalities and what he might or might not mean in this particular theater that we're in.
[Andrew Mccabe, Former Deputy Director, Fbi:] Well, Chris, in any normal case to find out on the eve of the defense presenting their case that there is another witness, a direct witness, who heard statements from the subject of the case, subject of the investigation, making incriminating statements especially in a situation like this where you had so much criticism that there isn't direct evidence, which of course we know is not true. But there's been so much criticism about the witnesses, it's all hearsay. Here you finally have a witness who is coming forth with direct information that is highly relevant to the one of the central allegations of this case. And the idea that that witness will not be heard from is ridiculous in the normal criminal case. Now as you said, this is not a normal criminal case. It is politics, it is a trial in Senate. Not in federal court. And so where this plane lands I don't think anybody knows.
[Cuomo:] Asha, what's being argued by the defense team and echoed by many Republican senators is even if this all happened and Bolton heard what he heard and Trump did what they say he did, they're not crimes. It's not impeachable. Dershowitz obviously accented that most heavily today. Your take.
[Asha Rangappa, Cnn Legal And National Security Analyst:] My take when I heard that, because it was appended on to the rest of his argument which is that any quid pro quo that's done with any kind of policy goal even if there's a personal benefit or there's some mixed motive, is not a crime. It's not impeachable. And my take away was then what is there to investigate with Joe Biden? Because he has the same defense. I mean, he can claim the same thing. He was working on behalf of the Obama administration. So Dershowitz actually kind of undercut everything that the other lawyers had been saying earlier in the morning. I think he threw that out there because he kind of had to address, as you said, the elephant in the room. But it actually destroyed the rest of the case they were making about why the Bidens needed to be investigated.
[Cuomo:] Jennifer, the defense we just talked about this before the show started obviously you don't bring in fact witnesses who can't know anything about the facts that you're looking at a trial. But again not that kind of trial. They want to bring in the Bidens, we hear, because well, if we can show that there's stink on the Bidens then what the president did is OK because he believed there was stink on the Bidens. We just showed you the stink on the Bidens. So the way he did it is irrelevant.
[Jennifer Rodgers, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Yes. It makes no sense at all, right? Because the issue here is why the president asked for that investigation, really he asked for the announcement. Why did he do that? Because he genuinely thought it was good for the United States or because he wanted as a personal benefit, right? Well, what is Hunter Biden going talk about? He's going to talk about what he actually did in Burisma and how much he got paid, et cetera. He doesn't know anything about what Trump was thinking or he doesn't know anything about what Trump was thinking other than what the rest of us was thinking from the evidence, right? But he doesn't have any special individual knowledge about that. So his testimony is entirely irrelevant here.
[Cuomo:] So, yes, but, if they wanted to and they vote for witnesses, and now there's going to be a process. Right? That process is entirely up to the senators, is it not? So, you know, Jennifer obviously making a very cogent argument, could be irrelevant. Right? Because the Republicans would say, no,
[Michael Gerhardt, Cnn Legal Analyst:] That's right. And so a lot of what's going on even today is political theater. The lawyers are trying to engage in political talking points, trying to make political case for themselves, appeal to the base, make the president happy. As they're doing that, they're also trying to argue about the law. And as somebody who cares about the law my concern is the more they push their political case, the more of a mess they make about the law. And it may succeed politically, it may get the acquittal as are they will, but at the end of the day if that's what happens, the law appears to be torn in pieces at the end of the trial.
[Cuomo:] You think part of this analysis, it doesn't seem to be. But do you think the Democrats should be thinking about well, what happens if we do have witnesses? Do we change votes? What do we expose versus what we could do in the house and what happens if they get Joe Biden on the stand for four, six, eight hours, asking him about things, the chance of a mistake? The chance he says something is not true. Should that be part of the calculus?
[Gerhardt:] That is part of the calculus. Of course everybody is playing to different audiences. The Democrats are only or the House managers are really only playing to the senators to some extent. They're really making the most important case to the American people. And if and when Joe Biden appears, I'm not sure he will but if he shows up, he's going to understand that this is a political trial or theater for himself as well. It's not just what's happening in that room. It's how it's going to play with the American people. So Joe Biden is going to keep an eye on that as well.
[Cuomo:] All right, let's take a break. And when we come back let's discuss, well, where are we now? What difference has this made? Even the Bolton, even these big developments about what could be in his book, or should he just give an interview? Come on down, we've got plenty of time for you, Mr. Bolton. You could make your case right here whenever you want. Or can he? We'll answer these questions, next.

[Avlon:] It's looking like a blue Christmas for the Cowboys as their playoff hopes dwindle with a loss to the Eagles. Andy Scholes here with more in the "Bleacher Report." Andy.
[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] Yes, good morning, John. Not a Merry Christmas for Cowboys fans. You know, Dallas could have won the NFC East yesterday, but they just had another classic Cowboys meltdown. Just really didn't show up for this huge game in Philadelphia. The shorthanded Eagles, meanwhile, seizing the day, jumped on Dallas early, scoring the game's first 10 point. The Cowboys failing to score a touchdown. In this one, Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball just 13 times as the Eagles would win 17- 9. Philly can now win the NFC East with a win over the Giants on Sunday. The Cowboys now need the Eagles to lose that game and then beat the Redskins if they hope to get into the playoffs. All right, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, meanwhile, putting a beat down on the Bears on Sunday night football. Mahomes throwing two touchdowns in the 26-3 win. And after this TD to Travis Kelce, Mahomes kind of trolling Bears fans, counting how many players on his fingers were taken over him in the 2017 draft. Bears fans, of course, never going to forget. They took quarterback Mitch Trubisky second. Mahomes then went 10 with Deshaun Watson being picked 12th. All right, finally, Christmas coming early for one lucky Bucks fan last night. Check out Giannis Antetokounmpo giving away his shoes after the game to a young fan. Her face, just priceless. She starts crying, she was so happy. Giannis then picked her up and then took a picture with her. Tell you what, guys, good luck to Santa Claus trying to top Santa Giannis this year because that present right there, pretty, pretty cool.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Avlon:] Yes, if you get that reaction under the tree, you've done well.
[Camerota:] Andy, thank you.
[Scholes:] Absolutely. Yes.
[Avlon:] Thanks, Andy.
[Scholes:] All right.
[Camerota:] OK, now, developing overnight, new details about the Christmas gift that North Korea is warning the U.S. about. CNN has learned that North Korea is planning to abandon negotiations with Washington. Instead, adopting a hard line policy and taking denuclearization off the table. Joining us now is Gordon Chang, a columnist for "The Daily Beast." Gordon, what's the what's the well, let me just read the let me read the statement about the Christmas gift. Here's what they said. It is entirely up to the U.S. what Christmas gift it will select to get. That's from the vice minister of the North Korean foreign ministry. What does that mean?
[Gordon G. Chang, Columnist, "the Daily Beast":] Well, my record of predictions is less than 50 percent. I tend to think with that warning, I tend to think the North Koreans aren't going to do anything really serious, at least for another couple months. And the reason is, they need some time to digest all the information they got from those two rocket engine tests this month. So it's going to take them time to actually launch an intercontinental ballistic missile or do something else. But, you know, they're great at misdirection, they fool us all the time and I'm betting about 10 percent on predictions.
[Camerota:] Glad we booked you. No, I'm just kidding, you are you are always a great voice to have on here because the messages out of the administration are confusing. And so John Bolton, former national security adviser, has just given overnight an interview to "Axios," and he sees real warning signs ahead. Here are some of the things that John Bolton is saying. He says, OK, Bolton does not think the administration really means it when President Trump and top officials vow to stop North Korea from having deliverable nuclear weapons or it would be pursuing a different course. So, Bolton doesn't think that President Trump is serious about stopping the nuclear weapons.
[Chang:] That's a really interesting comment about bluffing the North Koreans. In a sense he's right. I wouldn't have used that term. You know, President Trump, out of the Ottawa G-7 in June of last year told us what he's going to do. He said he was going to give Kim a, quoteunquote one-time shot to do the right thing. Now, Kim has had more than a one-time shot. And so Trump's policy is failing now. Now, Trump can turn it around if he start supplying pressure, but the president has shown no indication he's doing that. And that's the reason why Bolton has gone after him.
[Camerota:] John Bolton, to your point, said this in this "Axios" interview yesterday. The idea that we are somehow exerting maximum pressure on North Korea is just unfortunately not true. He went on to say, we are now nearly three years into the Trump administration with no visible progress towards getting North Korea to make the strategic decision to stop pursuing deliverable nuclear weapons. Was President Trump duped by Kim Jong-un into thinking that they were friends?
[Chang:] Yes, well, probably. I mean that statement from Bolton is 100 percent correct because the U.S., since May of last year, has not been applying quoteunquote maximum pressure. In May we did not go after almost 36 Russian, Chinese and other front companies that the North Koreans are using. And because the North Koreans change their front companies all the time, it means we're not really enforcing sanctions. We've allowed the Chinese to run over and violate all of those rules. So, yes, Bolton's right about that. But what Trump is doing is probably trying to give Kim an opportunity to sort of create this generous atmosphere. But Trump has been much too patient.
[Camerota:] But when you say maximum pressure, you mean economic sanctions. Is that what happens
[Chang:] Economic sanctions.
[Camerota:] Pressure from the U.S. would look like?
[Chang:] Yes. I mean basically we have up until May of last year, we cut off 50 percent of the international revenue to the Kims. Now the Kims are getting all that they need. Not all that they want, but all that they need. And China is openly violating those sanctions. And we're not doing anything about it. So Bolton is absolutely right, we are not enforcing sanctions. And and I think the American people need to have more candor out of the administration because they say, oh, yes, we're enforcing sanctions. Well, no, they're not.
[Camerota:] As you will remember, what President Trump has said is that he and Kim Jong-un, quote, fell in love over their beautiful quote, beautiful letters. I mean what's the point of having a great pen pal if they continue to test and build their nuclear arsenal?
[Chang:] Right. You know, the fault of the Trump administration is thinking that the United States could entice the North Koreans into good behavior. Nobody has ever been able to do that. Not the Chinese, not the Russians, not the South Koreans. We're not going to be the first. And so I think that the decision, what Trump is doing, is really strategically wrong. But, Alisyn, it mirrors what the United States did with China. In 2017, Trump's first year of the president, he gave free passes to the Chinese and Xi Jinping. March 2018, he starts to bring the hammer down on Beijing. Trump probably will do the same thing with Kim Jong-un, but, you know, right now there's no sign that the president is going to pivot to a more successful policy.
[Camerota:] But, I mean, isn't that the only thing that makes sense is to reinstate the economic sanctions?
[Chang:] Absolutely.
[Camerota:] Otherwise, what has the U.S. gotten out of these meetings of President Trump going there and having this, you know, this alleged like charm offensive?
[Chang:] Yes, we've gotten absolutely nothing because in this interim, since May of last year, the North Koreans have been making progress on both intercontinental ballistic missiles and on their nukes. They are rehabilitating their facilities, they're increasing their number of warheads, they're testing and we're doing nothing.
[Camerota:] Gordon Chang, always great to have you here. Thanks so much for all the insight.
[Chang:] Thanks, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] OK, so the battle over the Senate impeachment trial is heating up. NEW DAY continues right now.
[Unidentified Male:] White House budget official Michael Duffey ordered the Pentagon to hold the aid and signaled the decision could be politically explosive. There's nothing new in these e-mails about the timing truly.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer:] If there was ever an argument that we need Mr. Duffey to come testify, this is that information.
[Unidentified Male:] This impeachment has been a long, dark shadow on our country. What they're doing is injecting danger into the system.
[Unidentified Female:] TSA reduced the sensitivity on all walk-through metal detectors at airports across America.
[Unidentified Male:] My biggest fear is having something happen that costs American lives. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Camerota:] We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. John Berman is off. John Avalon is here. Great to have you on this holiday week.
[Avlon:] Good morning.
[Camerota:] Up first, Democrats are renewing their calls to have key Trump administration officials testify in the Senate impeachment trial. This comes after newly released e-mails show the White House Budget Office ordered that freeze on Ukraine military aid about 90 minutes after President Trump's July 25th phone call where he pressured Ukraine's new leader to investigate his own political rivals. One e-mail from the President Trump's budget office's appointee, Mike Duffey, asked the Pentagon to, quote, keep it quiet about the suspension of the aid because of the, quote, sensitive nature of the request. Duffey has defied the House subpoena, but Senate Democrats say this is further evidence that he should testify.
[Avlon:] Meantime, lawmakers are away for the holidays.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer:] If there was ever an argument that we need Mr. Duffey to come testify, this is that information. This e-mail is explosive.
[Avlon:] Meantime END

[Tapper:] The Trump administration is trying to rewrite the narrative, today canceling the planned coronavirus task force briefing and instead allowing cameras to watch the president meeting with various CEOs before what is now called a Rose Garden news conference. It's part of a larger strategy to try and shift the focus to rebuilding the economy. This comes, of course, after that disastrous briefing last Thursday where the president mused aloud about the possibilities of injecting disinfectant into the human body as a possible coronavirus treatment which prompted aides and allies to further try to convince the president to stop leading the daily coronavirus briefings. And as CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports for us now, the president made clear through an angry Twitter tirade that he's not happy about the backlash he's facing.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] As the president vents over media coverage, the White House scheduled, cancelled, and rescheduled his first appearance in front of cameras since Friday.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] We're not tracking a briefing for today because there will be a press avail at 4:00 p.m. with the president and retail CEOs.
[Collins:] The press secretary canceled the daily coronavirus task force briefing this morning only to announce hours later that Trump would hold a news conference in the Rose Garden this evening. President Trump hasn't taken questions since Thursday when he suggested injecting household disinfectants could help treat coronavirus.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] It would be interesting to check that so that you're going to have to use medical doctors but it sounds it sounds interesting to me.
[Collins:] The president's new communications team is looking to avoid a redo of that fallout and is hoping to scale back press briefings that go off-script as one of his top doctors spent the weekend defending his comments.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] It bothers me that this still in the news cycle because I think we're missing the bigger pieces of what we need to be doing as an American people to continue to protect one another.
[Collins:] The White House is also expected to scale back the task force meetings. The group did not meet Sunday or today despite meeting nearly every day for the last two months. Trump spent the weekend behind closed doors, lashing out as he vented about media coverage that he says has been unfair. Within 48 hours, the president said briefings weren't worth the effort because reporters only asked hostile questions. He deleted a tweet calling for journalists to return their Noble Prizes, criticized Fox News and "The Wall Street Journal" editorial board, said "Washington Post" employees were slime balls, and denied reports that he is considering firing the Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. At one point, he also retweeted a conspiracy that death numbers of coronavirus are being inflated to hurt him politically. Without his usual outlets like golf or having lunch with friends, insiders say Trump is frustrated by internalizing negative news coverage now more than ever, and he's frustrated by internal polls that show he's down among voters. Now, Jake, we should note in the Rose Garden today we are expecting the president to talk about testing. He's supposed to release two documents, one laying out what the administration has done so far to ramp up testing and another being really a blue print for what they see going forward. Now, the White House had a briefing on this earlier to give reporters a preview of what these documents. They did not invite CNN, but we obtained the documents anyway and really what it lays out is how they envision federal government, state government, and local governments acting in the weeks to come as these states do start to reopen, in addition to the private sector. And we should note under the federal government section of this blueprint, it says it should act as a supplier of last resort which, of course, has been a big point of contention between the governors and the administration so far.
[Tapper:] All right. Let's hope they get that testing up to speed. Kaitlan Collins, thanks so much. Joining me now, CNN's chief political correspondent Dana Bash. Dana, you have some brand new reporting about the conversations that the Trump administration officials are having with governors as they try to ramp up testing. Tell us about that.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] That's right, Jake. The vice president and other top officials had a call with all governors today. And as part of that call, they presented the documents that Kaitlan was just talking about. But more broadly, this was a follow-up to a series of phone calls, this is according to one of the governors on the call who I spoke with, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, where administration officials were data collecting from the governors, asking exactly what they believed they need when it comes to testing. So the call today was the vice president and others telling the governors, we hear you, we're culling the information, we're going through it, and we're going to get back to you in the next couple of days and let you know exactly what we think we can give you. And this according to the governor I spoke to is specifically about, you know, about reagents and about swabs, the materials that these governors are so desperately in need of in order to get the testing up and running. I should just add that the governor I spoke to said this is so key, having the visibility in what is coming is really critical to developing a testing plan. We can have any plan we want, but if we don't know what's arriving, we don't know how many sites to operate and so forth. So there's a lot of hope that this will work, asking the governors what they want and then delivering what they say they need.
[Tapper:] Let's hope so. Sources tell CNN in addition that some of the president's allies were worried that his comments in general at these long press briefings were hurting his chance for reelection. Now of course the Lysol-gate happened. Now the White House says the briefings, quote, might have a new look to them, a new focus to them, unquote. This isn't a president known to stay on message. What do you expect from the president in the rose garden in a few minutes?
[Bash:] I mean, it's really going to be the first test since he and his aides have telegraphed that there will be a change in how he presents his information and how he spars or doesn't spar with reporters. And I have heard, as I'm sure you have, Jake, from many Republican sources, allies of the president, they're breathing a sigh of relief that there haven't been a series of unwieldy press conferences over the past few days. They say it's pretty clear that the president, that he one source said to me that he, like a child, touched the stove, he was burned, because he was clearly embarrassed by all the fallout by his musings about Lysol. The question is, as you are clearly alluding to, how long is that going to last. And again, today's Rose Garden event will be one of the tests. It won't be a traditional press conference but he will be before reporters and we'll see if he can stay on message, as you said.
[Tapper:] We've gotten I wouldn't say used to but we have certainly noticed a pattern that the president tweets bizarre things, says bizarre things, and then, of course, there are all these bizarre retweets. This weekend was something else, a retweet suggesting
[Bash:] Yes.
[Tapper:] the president's rivals are inflating the death rates to hurt his reelection chances and a retweet of a deepfake which we have been warning about for years, people using images and technology to make it look as if public figures are doing things or saying things that they aren't. We expected it to come from Russia or China but this is President Trump putting it forward, a deepfake of Joe Biden. It's just indecent and obscene. I'm stunned to see it.
[Bash:] Stunned to see it when it is a president, but maybe not surprising that it is this president, because he has retweeted so many things that he should not have done, including something a couple of weeks ago that said he should fire Anthony Fauci which he clearly either realized or didn't realize. This is the danger of the president having his own megaphone with Twitter, especially when he's agitated.
[Tapper:] All right. Dana Bash, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
[Bash:] Months.
[Tapper:] Months of this nightmare with more than 200,000 lives lost around the world and there's still so much we do not know about the novel coronavirus. We'll dig into that with a former CDC disease detective. That's next.

[Hill:] More than 30 million Americans are unemployed and we'll learn in just a few minutes how many more filed unemployment claims last week. The struggle to stay afloat is even more difficult for single parents. CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich has more.
[Vanessa Yurkevich, Cnn Business And Politics Correspondent:] More than 30 million Americans are struggling right now to keep their families afloat. Single parents struggle alone.
[Chandi Bozeman, Applied For Unemployment:] I don't want to fail at not being able to take care of myself and my son.
[Yurkevich:] A quarter of U.S. children live with a single parent, more than three times the global average. Chandi Bozeman is one of those parents. She filed for unemployment for the first time after closing her salon in Dayton, Ohio in March. She was denied. Even as a teen mom, Bozeman said she never asked for help.
[C. Bozeman:] I've never filed for unemployment and the minute that I do the minute that I need the help, it's not there for me.
[Yurkevich:] Katrina Harvey knows what it's like to make tough choices. When she was homeless in 2015, she sent her then-11- year-old son Carson to live with relatives.
[Katrina Harvey, Applied For Unemployment:] It was absolutely the hardest thing I've ever had to go through.
[Yurkevich:] But in January, after years of saving, Harvey rented a new apartment in Orlando.
[Harvey:] I can finally start putting money away and get ahead and this happened.
[Yurkevich:] Harvey was furloughed from her restaurant job in March and filed for unemployment. She received her first check last month. The money helps but the fear of returning to her past never goes away.
[Harvey:] I didn't want it to affect my son because he went through all of those same struggles I did. And so, for him to be put back in a place where he feels uncertain, then that can be really hard for him to deal with.
[Yurkevich:] In Texas, Kim Willis is running a full household. She's taken in her twin daughters, back from college, and her 79-year-old mother who suffers from early dementia. Is that tough?
[Kim Willis, Filed For Unemployment:] It is tough but I'm the daughter for the job.
[Yurkevich:] But she was furloughed from her hotel job in March. It took 300 calls to unemployment, day and night, to get approved. Willis got her first check on April 17th.
[Willis:] I've been carrying the weight of being a single parent with my family. And so, my logic was OK, well, it looks like the government is the backbone to this family so I need to get through.
[Yurkevich:] Living quarters are also tight at the Bozeman's. Chandi and Jamel are sharing a one-bedroom, taking turns sleeping on the couch.
[Jamel Bozeman, Chandi Bozeman's Son:] As long as my mother is OK and if she's operating fine, I can adjust to anything. I'll sleep on the floor if I've got to.
[Yurkevich:] Jamel also applied to a grocery job to try to help his mom, but Chandi doesn't want him to take on that responsibility.
[C. Bozeman:] I'm not allowing him to work because I don't want my son subjected to the virus. He wants to help take care of me and I won't allow him because it's my duty as his parent to protect him.
[Yurkevich:] Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, New York.
[Berman:] What a revealing and sobering report. Our thanks to Vanessa for that. So this morning, why would the White House urge states to reopen but keep guidelines for doing so safely under wraps? CNN has learned that detailed guidance from the CDC is being kept from the public. Those guidelines were meant to ease the process for community pillars like schools, transit, restaurants all of them still dealing with the shock of coronavirus. So, one journalist is not shocked by the virus at all. She's been warning about a pandemic like this for decades. Joining me now is Laurie Garrett, the Pulitzer Prize, Peabody, and Polk award-winning writer and author of "The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance." She's also a columnist for foreign policy. Laurie, thanks so much for getting up and joining us this morning. It's interesting because you foresaw so much of this. And in just the last week, you've been talking about the CDC and the emasculation or the sidelining of the CDC. So I want to get your reaction to the breaking news this morning that these guidelines that they put out have been rejected.
[Laurie Garrett, Author, "the Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases In A World Out Of Balance,", Columnist, Foreign Policy, Pulitzer, Peabody And Polk Award-winning Writer:] Well, we don't know if they're rejected or just stifled, but the point is the CDC ought to be in leadership. In every past outbreak in my lifetime, the CDC has been in leadership. We've had daily press briefings from the CDC in the past. We've had every imaginable way that the CDC takes charge and that's just not the case now.
[Berman:] And you've been saying you've been hearing from people around the world from scientists and CDCs in other countries asking you where is the U.S. CDC? What's the impact of this retreat?
[Garrett:] Oh, it's overwhelming. I mean, the depth of the bench at the CDC is not mirrored by any other equivalent agency in the world. We have incredible talent, incredible skillset, and a lot of experience. You have people at the CDC who have been in command positions inside epidemics all over the world and they're sidelined. Meanwhile, we don't have any overarching way of controlling policy vis-a-vis what is public health in America unless we have guidance from the CDC. Otherwise, every state does its own thing. Every county within every state does its own thing. Well, here we are in a crisis unlike any we've ever faced before where every day we're faced with a mystery. Every day the virus throws a curveball at us. And instead of having a single agency that provided wisdom for all of the states and all of the public health departments across the United States and, frankly, the world, we have mum's the word and chaos.
[Berman:] Is that a choice? I don't really understand it. I don't understand why you would keep these guidelines from being released.
[Garrett:] Why would you keep any of the CDC's best advice from being released? Why would you not be holding daily briefings in the Situation Room at CDC headquarters in Atlanta? Well, the answer has to be that whatever the CDC is trying to tell the American people does not coincide with the appropriate messaging that the White House wants us to hear.
[Berman:] Choosing economy over health when, in fact, I'm not sure that has to be a choice. Do you think that has to be a choice or what do you think about the presentation of that as a choice?
[Garrett:] It's a false dichotomy. You can't pick up the economy if people are terrified to go to businesses, terrified to be customers, terrified to go to work. And they will be as soon as maybe they'll trot off to the hair parlor on Tuesday but when they find out their friend Suzy got COVID at the hair parlor they're not going back again. And I think that this is just madness. We're acting as if you can wish away an epidemic. You can just say I want the economy going and the virus will cooperate. It doesn't work that way.
[Berman:] We've been saying and you've been credited with predicting something like this for decades so I don't think the existence of it surprised you per se. But what has surprised you the most as America suffers under this pandemic?
[Garrett:] Oh, my goodness. You know, I'm accustomed to seeing America as the leader of the world as the country that says hey everybody, there's a problem here. You know, Hitler is bombing London or the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor or the communists have crossed a key line in Korea whatever. And that it was America that rallied the world and America that led the battle, and America that offered the best scientific expertise that the whole world counted on that we were number one. And now, we're the laughing stock of the planet. We're the only one that refuses to engage with everybody else in a cooperative agreement on developing vaccines and drugs. We're the only one that says we won't work with the WHO and we refuse to pay our dues. And we're the only one that's acting like whatever we do today may be different from what we do tomorrow. But it's what we do, so the heck with the rest of you. This is I mean, I can't even tell you how upsetting this is. This is as if we stood on the sidelines and watched somebody else make the first landing on the moon.
[Berman:] What's different because talk to me then about what exactly is different? We're looking at Germany, right now. And, Angela Merkel, the chancellor, yesterday, said we could afford a little audacity. They have begun to reopen. They're 10 days into reopening. They're going to have soccer games, albeit in empty stands, in a few weeks. So what have they done that's so different than what we're doing?
[Garrett:] Oh, well, most of the Northern Europeans have taken very strong steps, both lockdown and creative measures with testing, so that they have a pretty darn good idea of where are the pockets of transmission, where is the virus spreading the most, and where have they managed to take the right steps to control the spread to hold it down. And they I think they've done a really excellent job of getting that under control and having a knowledge-based set of actions so they have data to guide their actions. And, you know, they're not going to suddenly one day wave a magic wand and say hey everybody, olly olly oxen free, free, free let's all jump back in the pool. No they're going to step-by-step slowly open one kind of business after another, one kind of sporting event, one kind of public activity until they're sure that they have the virus under control.
[Berman:] You do say, though, that the idea of testing everybody and again, I think that's actually a false endpoint or a strange strawman but you say testing everybody is not realistic and maybe not necessary. Why?
[Garrett:] Well, first of all, we're never going to have billions of test kits that are valid, certified, and give us results that are predictable and that we can rely upon. We're not going to make that scale of testing capacity anytime in the near future. And so, if every country in the world tries to do the scale of testing necessary for every single workplace to know what workers are potentially infected, and every single airport, and every single point of contact to have testing all the time, we won't be able to do that. We're going to have to do testing that's really smart, that's targeted that follows basic principles of science to help figure out all right, I can't test every single child before they walk in the classroom every single day. But perhaps I can come up with a random correct sampling of students that I test every week to see if there's a trend to worry about or whether it's still safe to keep the school open. It has to be smart testing. They have to come they have to follow the right principles so that we can count on it as a good indicator a good way of advising the mayor, the governor, the city council, the Senate, the president.
[Berman:] More than now, though, in terms of testing?
[Garrett:] Oh, definitely more than we're doing now. We're not doing any smart testing. There's only a handful of places in the country where testing is following the kind of scientific principles that means that what the results of the testing are valid. I mean, to just tell all of America drive in to your Walmart parking lot and randomly get yourselves tested well, those results might mean something for the individual on day one; not necessarily the next day. They might get infected the next day. But it means nothing for a policy analysis. It's just totally random.
[Berman:] So, Laurie, you, I think, shocked a lot of people over the last few days when you said at a minimum, it will take 36 months to get back to normal. At a minimum even if everything with a vaccine goes correctly. Part of that reason, you say, is because even if we do get a vaccine quickly it will be hard to scale it up to get it everywhere in the world it needs to get to. So, in your scenario of 36 months being the shortest period of time, what does this country look like? What can we expect our lives to be like?
[Garrett:] Well, I think that we have to really pay attention closely to what's happening in countries that have managed to combine testing, walk down, and slow reopening to allow their economy to come back. And then been hit again with a second wave and taking a partial retreat. Then carefully lock down testing, et cetera, all over again to allow them to safely reopen again. Countries like Hong Kong a place like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea these places have figured out this virus will come in waves. It's not going to be a giant tsunami that just sweeps over America all uniform, all at once, then retreats, then it all comes back all at once across America again. It's going to be more like little brushfires popping up here, there, and everywhere. So, perhaps, Des Moines is hard-hit in August, just randomly saying that not predicting that.
[Berman:] Yes.
[Garrett:] Perhaps it's Des Moines in August and it might be San Francisco in September, and it might be Houston in October. Each community in each part of the country has to be ready and know. Yes, and maybe you've got things under control right now in May maybe in June. END

[Cabrera:] A stunning new report out today from "The Washington Post" unmasking just how easy it is for doctors to prescribe copious amounts of highly addictive pain pills which are fueling the deadly opioid epidemic. Get this, 76 billion in just six years. That's how many opioid pain pills America's largest drug company saturated the market with from 2006 to 2012. Those drugs resulted in 100,000 related deaths during that same time period. CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. Elizabeth, these numbers are astounding. What else was in the report.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Ana, they really are. And when you put them on a per person scale, they're even more astounding. "The Washington Post" said, if you look at that time period, 2006 through 2012, enough opioids were prescribed that every man, woman and child in this country would have 36 pills a year 36 pills per person for everyone in the United States. That's a stunning number. If you look at the growth from 2016 to 2018, 8.4 billion pills to 12.6 billion. That's a 51 percent increase in just those seven years. And there were certain parts of the country that were harder hit. West Virginia had the highest number of pills per person, 66 pills per person. Not surprisingly, also the number of the highest number of opioid related deaths.
[Cabrera:] Wow. While I have you, Elizabeth, I also want to ask you about Ebola. Because the World Health Organization just declared an outbreak in the Congo as a public health emergency of international concern. What exactly does that mean?
[Cohen:] What that means is that before it was sort of thought that maybe this would stay in the Congo. It was in the Congo. It was in the more rule areas. But over the weekend, they had a case in Goma. And they're concerned, because that's a particularly large city that has an airport. It's kind of a hub, transportation hub, that makes them worry this could go further than just the Congo.
[Cabrera:] OK, Elizabeth Cohen, we know you'll keep us updated on that. Thank you very much. Still ahead, a fact check on the White House cabinet meeting that you watched on this show yesterday. CNN has identified 13 lies that came out of the President's mouth. We'll debunk those for you when we come back.

[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Progress lost. The coronavirus threat is growing again. We are back to August levels here. The nation is in jeopardy, the president is in denial.
[Barack Obama, Former President:] Just basic competence can end up saving lives.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Anchor:] And President Obama going all in for Joe Biden, getting ready to hit the trail. And that's not the only big infusion for the Biden campaign.
[Romans:] All right. Welcome to our viewers in the United States, and all around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. And welcome to Boris Sanchez for sitting in. Hi there.
[Sanchez:] Thanks so much for having me, Christine. I'm Boris Sanchez, in for Laura Jarrett. It's Thursday, October 15, 5:00 a.m. in New York, and we are just 19 days until the election. The clock keeps ticking.
[Romans:] It is. And in the meantime, a painful reality in the U.S. once again. Almost 60,000 confirmed coronavirus cases yesterday, more than we have seen in a single day since August 1st. Another 985 Americans are dead with trends headed in the wrong direction in almost half the states. At that rate, another 40 families will lose a loved one during just this one-hour broadcast. Still, President Trump remains deeply committed to denial and distraction. He's pushing hard for a return to normalcy in order to keep his job. But for most of the country, normalcy is simply not an option.
[Sanchez:] Yeah, notably, Melania Trump revealing yesterday that their son Barron also recently tested positive for COVID. Fortunately, he's now negative. But his father used that to, again, down play the severity of the disease.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] He had it for such a short period of time, I don't think he knew he had it because they're young and their immune systems are strong, and they fight it off, 99.9 percent. And Barron is beautiful and he's free, free.
[Sanchez:] Remember, health experts say children are less likely to become severely ill than adults, but they can still be infectious and spread the virus to others. Now, the president clearly feels em emboldened, touting his recovery from COVID, helped by a cocktail of pricey, experimental therapies that are available to almost no one else. Not coincidentally, Minnesota health officials have traced 16 COVID cases to a Trump rally.
[Romans:] The CDC now posting an optimistic forecast about vaccines, promising something by the end of 2020. Dr. Anthony Fauci says we should know in the next few months if a vaccine could be widely available early next year as hoped.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseasses:] That will likely be within the first quarter of 2021, by let's say April of 2021, but that would be predicated on the fact that all of the vaccines that are in clinical trials have proven to be safe and effective.
[Romans:] Whenever a safe vaccine is approved, only a few million doses will likely be available at first, and Fauci says Americans may have to rethink large family gatherings this Thanksgiving.
[Sanchez:] Yeah, it's going to be a holiday season unlike any we have seen in a long time. Looking across the country now, Georgia's coronavirus executive orders are set to expire tonight including bans on some big gatherings and mandatory rules for businesses. North Dakota meantime reporting its highest number of daily cases since the start of the pandemic. This week, the state reporting fewer than 20 staffed ICU beds left available. And officials at Brigham Young University Idaho say they are looking into reports that students have been intentionally catching COVID-19 so they can then sell their plasma with antibodies for cash.
[Romans:] Oh, my. All right. Tonight on TV, it's the election version of anything you can do, I can do better. President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden participating in dueling town halls after their second debate was cancelled. Biden will be appearing on ABC from Philadelphia, the president on NBC from Miami. Both at 8:00 p.m.
[Sanchez:] Yeah. The president also holding a rally in North Carolina today where early in person voting begins and cases as you can see on your screen are spiking. That's after he took the stage last night in Iowa where cases are also spiking and he did next to nothing to protect thousands of Iowans in this crowd.
[Romans:] The Biden campaign finally playing its much anticipated ace in the hole against President Trump. Barack Obama interviewed by alums from his administration on their Pod Save America podcast. The former president telling the show's progressive audience, the first priority is winning and then to push for policy changes once Democrats hold the White House. He also talked about the pandemic and how governments should be able to respond if competent people are in place.
[Obama:] Just basic competence can end up saving lives, and so, you know, one thing I would say to anybody who's skeptical about what government can do generally is to just take the example of when we were in office. You might not have been happy with everything I did, all my policy choices. I didn't, you know, eliminate poverty in America, but when we had a pandemic or the threat of pandemic, we had competent people in place who would deal with it.
[Sanchez:] Not a subtle message at all. The former president also says if Joe Biden wins, he will have to rebuild the State Department and the rest of America's foreign policy apparatus.
[Obama:] It's not as if Trump has been all that active internationally. I mean, the truth is he doesn't have the patience and the focus to really substantially change a lot of U.S. foreign policy. What he's done is he's systematically tried to decimate our entire foreign policy infrastructure.
[Sanchez:] Obama is expected to be out on the campaign trail for Biden soon, and notably in states where early voting is already underway. Florida, North Carolina there. Former president trying to convert enthusiasm into votes.
[Romans:] All right. Concerns about a possible disputed election apparently have the Biden campaign wondering what to do if President Trump refuses to accept the results. Biden's running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, addressed it last night in an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
[Rachel Maddow, Msnbc:] Are you working on this kind of contingency plans in the case of a worst case scenario?
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Vice Presidential Nominee:] We are, but I also, to your point, I have faith in the American people. But I will say this, our democracy is always going to be as strong as the American people's willingness to fight for our democracy.
[Romans:] Harris did not specify exactly what those legal contingency plans are.
[Sanchez:] Well, if money is any measure, enthusiasm for Joe Biden is sky high as we approach Election Day. The Biden campaign announcing it raised a record breaking $383 million in the month of September. The fundraising haul surpassing it August record of $364 million. The Trump campaign has not released numbers for September. The august total, though, lagged the Biden campaign by more than 40 percent.
[Romans:] All right. It turns out even in the middle of a pandemic and a recession, some of America's biggest banks are still making money. JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and Citi, have all reported impressive third quarter results. JPMorgan reported $9.4 billion in profit. Goldman Sachs profit nearly doubled to $3.6 billion. Even Wells Fargo still dealing with fallout from various scandals, the bank still raked in $1.7 billion. Now, the profits run counter to what you would think would be a tough time for banks. Interest rates are historic lows, hurting banks' ability to make money lending. People are spending less on credit cards, uncertainty about the recovery, but banks have benefitted from the rebound in the stock market and from stimulus spending. Executives are calling for another stimulus package to help their customers.
[Sanchez:] A CNN exclusive to share with you now. Federal prosecutors including special counsel Robert Mueller spent more than three years investigating whether a last minute $10 million donation Donald Trump made to his 2016 campaign, flowed through an Egyptian state owned bank. Two sources told CNN the FBI first became interested after intelligence including from an informant suggested it was a real possibility. Among the questions prosecutors tried to answer but never did was whether Donald Trump was indebted to a foreign power possibly because of an illegal campaign contribution.
[Romans:] Ultimately, the Mueller team was unable to obtain the information it needed, nor could the U.S. attorneys in D.C., which investigated into the summer, and decided not to pursue charges. The investigation was one of 11 cases Mueller transferred to other prosecutors when he ended his probe. A senior adviser to the Trump 2020 campaign, Jason Miller, told CNN, quote, President Trump has never received a penny from Egypt.
[Sanchez:] Well, a curfew is coming to a major country in Europe. We'll take you live to Paris next.

[Anderson:] Remarkable scenes anywhere but in Lebanon, a country still scarred with division from a horrendous civil war 30 years ago, almost unprecedented. An ambitious human chain across the country, a show of unity, demonstrators joining hands, connecting the country from the north to the south on what is now the 11th day of paralyzing protests, one where you often hear, "For our revolution." It is a quote you can hear right behind me now right here in Beirut's Market Square, where anti-corruption protests continue to engulf the nation and this square just beyond me here. You can hear the soundtrack, music, there is still a celebratory atmosphere. These are still spontaneous protests. There have been clashes, Lebanon now a country in paralysis and at a political crossroads. Neither the political leaders nor the people it seems are willing to budge. It comes amid a season of discontent, with protests raging in countless countries across the world, not least here in this very region. We have seen protests in Egypt. We currently see what are sadly, deadly protests in Baghdad, in Iraq. Out senior international correspondent based here in Beirut is Ben Wedeman. He has been covering this turbulence as it has unfolded and joins me now. As I say, we are well into week two if. The government thought that by now this would be business as usual, they were wrong.
[Wedeman:] No business as usual. Banks are closed. Banks have been closed now for nine days. They will be closed tomorrow as well. The country is at a standstill. Now this has been brewing for quite some time. I live here. Every single day I speak to Lebanese, not the kinds you meet in bars and whatnot but ordinary hard working Lebanese people, who have been telling me day after day things are getting tougher and tougher and tougher. All of a sudden we saw these protests break out sparked by the WhatsApp tax, 20 cents per day for WhatsApp calls. Really it is much, much deeper than that. Now we are seeing these protests not just in Beirut, all over the country. It is important to point out these are leaderless protests. There is nobody sort of organizing all of that. Now for almost a week, there is a general strike which is bringing this country to a total standstill. The people want to topple the regime, they chant, and blocking roads, bringing Lebanon to a standstill, is how they hope to achieve it. The road they are shutting down is on what used to be known as the green line, which split Beirut during the 15-year Lebanese civil war. Today's uprising is, among other things, against the sectarian divisions that fueled the civil war and remain the basis of Lebanese politics today. A medical student, Muhammad Mazloum, wants the old system to go.
[Muhammad Mazloum, Medical Student And Protester:] We are trying to move the whole political class that's been ruling us for 30, 40 years. They caused the civil war. They caused corruption that cannot be described in any way.
[Wedeman:] Eventually the police try to remove the protesters using persuasion rather than brute force. The security forces have been given orders to remove all the people and things blocking the road. And that has happened in most of the country but clearly not everywhere. In the end, they gave up. For now. "Peaceful, peaceful," this protester shouts. "This revolution is peaceful." It wasn't peaceful everywhere, however. In the northern city of Tripoli, demonstrators clashed with the army, which fired tear gas and rubber bullets as well as live ammunition in the air, according to a statement from the army. Several people were injured. Back in Beirut, the protesters moved to block the so-called Ring Road, a major artery in the city. These tactics may or may not bring down the government but they are definitely making life difficult for some although they are letting vital traffic through. Ali al-Wed lives nearby and tells the protesters to be flexible. "Pregnant women need to get to hospital," he says. "My wife gave birth three days ago and I have come to be with you but people need to get to their homes." For now, Lebanon remains paralyzed. Neither the political leaders, nor the protesters, are budging. What's interesting about these protests, Becky, is that we are seeing people really tired of the confessional system that has been the reality here since 1943, the so-called national pact, the divided power between the various sects here. People have said we are fed up with this. We want real government that isn't sort of a division of powers along those lines.
[Anderson:] The question is how do they get that? These people who are in government are incredibly influential and they will be in this for the long game. Back after this.

[Keilar:] Breaking news. A brand-new study of patients at the Veterans Health Administration medical centers finds there is no medical benefit for patients taking that anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine which has been touted by President Trump as a treatment for coronavirus. Let's bring in senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, who's joining me now. And just not only is there no medical benefit, Elizabeth, this study shows, and we should be clear other studies need to be done here, higher death rates among patients who took it?
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Yes, much higher death rates. Actually, more than twice the death rate. And this was a lot of patients. This is a very large trial. Let's take a look at this. This was done as you mentioned at Veterans Administration hospitals and they looked at 97 patients who took hydroxychloroquine, they looked backwards at medical records and found that almost 28 percent of them died when they looked at records. 158 patients who did not take it had a death rate of 11.4 percent. Now, Brianna, I want to note caution just as you did, but in this particular case, this is a study on what is called a pre-print website. In other words, this study has not been reviewed by other doctors and it has not been printed in a medical journal. But it was done by respected doctors, University of Virginia and University Of South Carolina and a V.A. office in South Carolina.
[Keilar:] Yes, I mean that number disparity is just it is so stunning though. And I want to ask you, Elizabeth, about the FDA now authorizing this first at home test for coronavirus. People would collect their own samples. This would be in the privacy of their own homes and then they would mail them into approved labs for results. Is that how it works?
[Cohen:] Yes. This is actually well, it's exactly how it works, and this is a really interesting step forward. People are given the test which includes kind of like a Q-tip and you swap the inside of your nose and then you mail it back to the lab. Now, what's interesting about this is that I have personally have spoken to a couple of people who aren't feeling well, who want a test, but they don't know where to go to get a test or they're scared. You know, they don't want to get infected on their way to the test or infected by someone at the testing site. So, they don't really know what to do. I think they feel a little bit paralyzed. And if they could get a test at home, they would be more likely to take it. And, Brianna, as we've talked about so many times, this is all about testing, testing, testing. The more people we can test, the better. If some people are more likely to do that test at home, it is great that they could do that now.
[Keilar:] And Elizabeth, this antibody study that's out of L.A. County it found the actual infection rate could be 55 times higher and that 4.1 percent of adults in the count have or have had the virus. Tell us about that. And also, we spoke with an expert yesterday who said be a little wary of these antibody tests because as we know the antibody tests have not been particularly reliable, but that that they also think that there are a ton of asymptomatic people out there.
[Cohen:] Yes, absolutely. All of those things are true. So, let's take a look at numbers and then I'll go through those points one by one. So, we've been really relying on counties and cities to say how many people have coronavirus where they are. So L.A. County had thought they had about 8,000 cases of coronavirus but when they tested for antibodies and antibodies show if you had a past infection and got over it, they found it was more like between 221,000 and 442,000. That is obviously a gigantic difference. Now, Brianna, to your point about antibody tests not being so great. The FDA really loosened their regulations. Hopefully L.A. County used one that's good. I would think that they validated it first. There are good ones out there. I would hope that L.A. County I would think that L.A. County used a good one.
[Keilar:] OK because that's a very good point. Elizabeth, thank you so much. Live for us from Atlanta. We really appreciate it. And let's talk now about this state of testing with Andrew Brooks. He is a molecular neuroscientist and genetics professor at Rutgers University. He actually helped develop a COVID-19 saliva test. Andrew, thank you for joining us.
[Andrew Brooks, Helped Develop Coronavirus Saliva Test:] Thanks for having me.
[Keilar:] OK, so I want to get to your test here in just a moment. But first, what's your reaction to these stay-at-home tests. Because, you know, one of the big issues is there's currency in being someone who's immune. If you are someone who is presumed immune because you had it, you can possibly go to work. You can go out and do the things you need to do, whether it's for enjoyment or it's for your economic survival.
[Brooks:] Yes, I know, it's a great point. And I think that at-home testing is going to have to take into consideration not just the actual tests, the safety, the stability of the sample and going to the lab that's going to run it. But also, how to identify and also properly medically manage patients. So, I think that a real viable opportunity here is going to see a lot of telehealth companies step up in this process. Being able not just to make sure that the right person and you have the right questionnaire, but the right person is being collected through telehealth. These capabilities exist. And then the appropriate, you know, reporting of results for a number of reasons. If you look at the EUA documentation with our test and others, is that just because also you test negative doesn't mean if there's clinical significance that you still need medical care. Just because your COVID-19 negative doesn't mean that you might not be at risk in where you are in your infectious journey if you contract the virus later on or if you're asymptomatic.
[Keilar:] No, it is a very good point. And let's talk about your test. Because it actually does not rely on nose and throat swabs which we've been talking about, they're in short supply, right. There are the tests but there aren't the swabs to do it. So, tell us about how this works and tell us about how that would save things like PPE for instant.
[Brooks:] Sure. So, there are a number of factors. Like you had just talked about in the last segment, first off, why put medical professionals at risk or make people feel uncomfortable not knowing if the medical professional may, you know, be infected? So, keeping doctors and nurses, taking care of patients instead of administering tests is a huge priority. Second, all of the PPE that's being used is tremendous. You could reduce and we've seen in New Jersey, in Middlesex County where they've quadrupled their collections moving from swab to saliva at drive- throughs a reduction of 90 percent of PPE. You don't need to replace it with every patient that comes through. You hand them the saliva device, they roll up the window, they spit up to the line, they put the cap on, the preservation agent preserves that sample at different temperatures, through transit, transport until it's safely back in the lab and then it's tested. And the third is when you look at saliva, as being a good source, when you sneeze on someone, the reason wearing masks, things are expelled from your lungs, from your respiratory pathway but a lot of what is aerosolized, it's what is in your saliva. So, we looked at this as a tremendous source. We found a device in a solution from Spectrum in Utah that preserves this virus in a manner that allows it to be transported across temperatures, across states to be tested in any lab. And there is a huge savings in people and in
[Ppe. Keilar:] And if I could just ask you finally before we say good-bye, how accurate is it? Are you getting any false readings that are concerning?
[Brooks:] So, in the study that we submitted to the FDA, we see 100 percent correlation between nasal pharyngeal or pharyngeal swabs and the saliva test.
[Keilar:] OK.
[Brooks:] So, I think the false data that's being reported is a function of the timing of testing and not necessarily the test. But saliva is robust and more sensitive.
[Keilar:] All right, very interesting. We'll be tracking this. Thank you so much, Andrew Brooks.
[Brooks:] Great. Thank you.
[Keilar:] Some hospitals in the country were already struggling to survive. So why coronavirus is putting the future of badly needed rural hospitals in question.

[Lemon:] On the day the House sent the articles of the impeachment to the Senate, President Trump made sure he put the economy front and center, signing phase one of his trade deal with China. The agreement coming nearly two years after Trump launched a costly trade war that hurt American farmers and led to a $28 billion bailout by taxpayers. Joining me now to discuss are CNN political commentators Catherine Rampell and Mike Shields. Good evening, one and all.
[Mike Shields, Cnn Political Commentator:] Good evening.
[Lemon:] To both of you, I should say. Catherine, the Iowa caucus is less than three weeks away. Impeachment articles are headed to the Senate. And here is President Trump in a photo op with the Chinese counterpart, announcing a new trade deal. Timing of this, is it all about 2020?
[Catherine Rampell, Cnn Political Commentator:] I think it's not about 2020 at this point. He's clearly very worried about his constituents in red states being annoyed with him. Remember, we have had two rounds of bailouts for farmers as a result of his trade wars. That are now larger than the auto bailout that we have had under Obama that Republicans hated. So he is very clearly concerned about not losing these voters. Whether or not they actually came out ahead of where they would be in an alternate universe, we didn't actually start these trade wars, we didn't still have, for example, tariffs on $360 billion worth of Chinese goods, I think is an entirely different question. Maybe we're better off than we were three months ago, but maybe not where we would have been in that alternate universe without the trade wars.
[Lemon:] Mike, is it more of a political win for President Trump than anything else considering some experts point out not more was gained in this initial deal? Plus, American taxpayers have spent $28 billion bailing out farmers because of this trade war.
[Shields:] It's a huge win for the president. And I think it's just I mean, on its face, it's obvious it's a win. First of all, the timing of this, you know, the Chinese don't play games on how they negotiate things and how things get timed. There may be some countries where President Trump can sort of time something out. He was actually frustrated. There has been reporting on this, that he couldn't do one-on-one negotiations with the Chinese because they have a very formal traditional way of negotiating things. I think the timing of this coincidental. But secondly, look, this is $200 billion of goods being purchased by the Chinese, particularly in the farming and manufacturing sectors. That's great for the American worker. That's awesome. And look, the president said, I'm going to finally stand up to China. There are farmers today who are saying, I am glad that we took a little bit of heat to get to where we are. The last time anyone did anything on China was PNTR in 1998. Every politician gives lip service standing up to China. President Trump has created new leverage. And by the way, many of the tariffs, the original tariffs are still in place. He is still creating leverage for phase two and phase three. And what he is doing is standing up for the American worker. I think the Democrats would be better to talk about anything else other than this because the contrast between this victory and what is going on in the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue is really stark.
[Rampell:] You know, I'm old enough to remember when Republicans were protrade and premarket, and this is neither of those things. This is not capitalism. This is mercantilism. That is what Trump has implemented here. As you point out, we still have tariffs.
[Shields:] Explain that to a manufacturing worker who is getting a job from this.
[Rampell:] They are not getting jobs. You know why they are not getting jobs?
[Shields:] Don't say this is mercantilism to a farmer. They are going
[Rampell:] No. They are not getting jobs because Trump has kept in place tariffs on the inputs that manufacturers buy, including steel and aluminum, which is not even within the universe of what we are talking about here, but all sorts of other Chinese goods that are in the inputs that U.S. manufacturers buy and use to make goods that we then sell to American consumers and that we export around the world. So they are not doing well. That is why you see investment falling. That is why you see manufacturing in a recession. It's been in a recession for the past five months.
[Shields:] Eighty billion dollars-worth of manufacturing purchases from the Chinese is a massive victory. The idea that you can go to them and say, yeah, but this is really mercantilism, just ignore that fact. I think it's a great argument. I think Democrats should record what you said and play it to every farmer and every manufacturing worker in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Pennsylvania.
[Rampell:] Manufacturers are losing out on all sorts of business around the world. Their costs are higher as a result of this. We now have four studies in place. We have
[Shields:] Right. They have been left behind and this president ran
[Rampell:] Because of the tariffs.
[Shields:] to represent them and the Democratic Party doesn't care about it anymore.
[Rampell:] No, no, no. They are facing higher costs because of the tariffs. The tariffs are paid by Americans. They are paid by American businesses
[Shields:] The tariffs are creating leverage
[Rampell:] They are paid by Americans. They are creating leverage against ourselves.
[Lemon:] I have to go.
[Shield:] This is very
[Lemon:] Are farmers really happy about this? I don't know. Listen, I got to go. We are out of time. But I thank you both. We will continue this conversation because I think it's an important one. Again, this is phase one. There is a lot more to talk about. Thank you, Mike. Thank you, Catherine. Thank you for watching, everyone. Our coverage continues.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, predictions are not destiny. For a second day, the expected death toll from the coronavirus in the U.S. has been significantly scaled back. Social distancing appears to be more effective than they first expected it to be. The same pandemic model expects the U.K. to be the hardest hit European country, the virus claiming more than 66,000 lives. And pandemic politics: the U.S. president again tries to shift blame for his administration's feelings to the WHO, as almost 100 world leaders make a desperate plea for coordinated international action.
[Vause:] The latest pandemic model has some encouraging news for the U.S. But a grim outlook for the U.K. These are early predictions and are not written in stone but by using current data, Britain is on track to have the highest death toll in Europe, more than 66,000. It's important to know that the leading scientists in the U.K. don't believe the numbers are accurate. This same model predictions the death toll in the U.S. will also be around 60,000, where the rate of new infections has slowed. The White House says that that is because Americans have been vigilant in following stay-at-home orders, they need to continue to do so. There's now clarity about what will happen as the weather gets warmer. The U.S. president has said that it will disappear. It will not. The National Academy of Sciences says high temperatures and humidity may slow this virus slightly but not enough to stop it spreading. We get more from CNN's Nick Watt.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Anchor:] A glimmer of hope: a model used by the White House now predicts the nationwide death toll is down about 20,000, largely due to social distancing. But
[Andrew Cuomo , Governor Of New York:] Today is a day in the state of New York with very mixed emotions.
[Watt:] because day after day the state is still seeing a rise in reported deaths and
[Cuomo:] The number of deaths will continue to rise as those hospitalized for a longer period of time pass away.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] It is very sobering to see the increase in deaths. It's going to be a bad week for deaths.
[Watt:] about 60,000 Americans are still projected to die by early August. Right now, we are not even a quarter of the way to that grim total. And every number is a person, a story. Zenobia Shepherd's daughter, Leilani, just died, aged 27.
[Zenobia Shepherd, Leilani's Mother:] My husband and I both were in the room, you know, and I was able to hold my baby's hands for the last time. And it was so hard for me. It was my baby.
[Watt:] The new modeling also highlights regional disparities; projected deaths in New Jersey more than doubled to over 5,200; projected deaths in California down from about 6,100 to about 1,600.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] We are looking very carefully at California and Washington to really understand how they have been able, as a community of Americans, to mitigate so well.
[Watt:] A CNN poll shows the majority of Americans now think the federal government has done a poor job in preventing coronavirus spread. It's 55 percent, up 8 points in about a week. The administration also still watching hotspots popping up around the country.
[Birx:] We are concerned about the metro area of Washington and Baltimore and we're concerned right now about the Philadelphia area.
[Watt:] Some states now stockpiling a malaria drug to treat COVID-19. It's not proven to work; potentially dangerous. Florida expecting a million doses today; Georgia already given 200,000.
[Trump:] I really think it is a great thing to try, just based on what I know, again, I am not a doctor.
[Watt:] Adam Jarrett is.
[Dr. Adam Jarrett, Holy Name Medical Center:] So we are using hydroxychloroquine but we really don't know whether it works.
[Watt:] And still, we are told there is not enough testing going on.
[Birx:] All the lab directors could look in their laboratories, if they have an Avid M2000, if they could get that up and running, we could double the number of tests we're doing per day. Right now about 80 percent of them are idle. Over 1 million test kits sitting, ready to be run.
[Dr. Rob Davidson, E.r. Physician:] Well, I hope that the federal government is doing more than speaking this at the press conference.
[Davidson:] This is the key to opening us back up again, getting these tests online.
[Watt:] So are antibody tests; the White House says they'll be ready inside two weeks.
[Cuomo:] That is going to be the bridge from where we are today to the new economy. People who have been exposed and now are better, those people can go back to work.
[Watt:] But for now, still, this must be our normal.
[Bill De Blasio , New York Mayor:] We have to recognize the progress is because people are doing the right thing.
[Unidentified Male:] If you're watching from Jersey, please stay home.
[Watt:] A quick note on those models, they can change, they can go up or down, also the projection of a drop in the deaths in the U.S. is based on social distancing continuing through the end of May, that's another seven weeks or so Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Vause:] Dr. Ryan McGarry is in emergency medical physician, joining us from Los Angeles. Doctor, thanks for taking the time to be with us. There is relatively good news, the death rate in the United States is to be far less than previously thought. It's assuming social distancing measures, including closure of businesses and schools, will remain in place until August. Other measures could replace those measures, including mass screening, contact tracing and selective quarantines. But overall, does this give you hope? How do you read them in terms of what we have ultimately seen in the E.R.?
[Dr. Ryan Mcgarry, Emergency Medicine Physician:] Yes, cautious optimism. If you live in the States you don't have to go much further back to the 2016 election to know that modeling is frequently wrong. I think, yes, cautiously optimistic. Here on the front lines in Los Angeles, we continue to see a daily rise in both the volume and intensity of illness. Here in L.A. we have a very vulnerable population, our homeless population is high, over 50,000 in the city. It's a tinderbox that can go either way. Some of us think the story of L.A. will be told via that population, whether or not we can protect them or not.
[Vause:] It's hard to stay at home when you don't have a home.
[Mcgarry:] Correct.
[Vause:] All this is based on the assumption that restrictions of movement will remain in place through August. At the same time we're hearing from the U.S. president pushing for opening up of the economy. He wants that to happen in weeks. You can't have both, can you?
[Mcgarry:] You can't have both, I don't think. Driving down the streets in L.A., you see a lot of pain. There's a lot of dark windows, a lot of closed businesses. I understand that many of us would want a leader to be optimistic and push for an opening when we can do it. That said, we know that this is a very unpredictable and dangerous threat like we have never seen before in our lifetimes. I think it has been 100 years since the last major pandemic in the world, the flu of 1918. This requires a whole new level of thinking. It will change how we interact and look at the world forever. To end this early, just as we are seeing good progress, I get it is tempting; I sure hope we don't do that.
[Vause:] It seems to, me if there is one way you could do this and not have the virus come back is through testing. But the testing has to be widespread, everyone has to be tested. You also have to look at the antibodies, right?
[Mcgarry:] I think in the end, we know that there will be future waves. Even as we get through the best of those models, there is data that suggests that 97 percent of Americans will not have had any exposure to the virus. That is a huge wake up call that this is just round one. In the end, I think it will be a mixture of things, antibodies, testing, vaccine and possible hope with some of the medications out there that may reduce symptoms. You need all three to get after. This
[Vause:] A month ago Donald Trump made this prediction, based on no evidence whatsoever, here he is.
[Trump:] The virus, they are working hard, it looks like by April, as it gets warmer, it miraculously goes away.
[Vause:] The president was wrong. A scientific panel told the White House that there is some evidence that transmission might be lower with the high ambient temperature and humidity. But given the lack of host immunity globally, that reduction in transmission efficiency may not lead to a significant reduction in disease spread. If we look at Australia, where it's summer, or Iran and India, where the climate is hot, the virus continues to spread.
[Mcgarry:] Right. You don't have to look further than SARS and MERS, that share properties with this virus, to know those were horrible outbreaks that did not respect seasonal change. I think again, I understand the wish for optimism. You wonder if, in the middle of World War II, if our leaders said something as fantasy as that, I am not sure that would go over well with the troops at the front line. Those of us on the front line are going, well, OK, no, it won't go away.
[Vause:] Because L.A. and California would be looking at their peak just as the weather starts to get warm, hoping it would be mitigated, that's obviously not the case now. We're bracing for the peak expected in about two months or so from now. Is that right?
[Mcgarry:] Yes, some of the models think sooner. Again, it can be one or two weeks. Again these models are uncertain, uncertain times as we go further, process the data, that predictions ideally get better. But I think when you are on the front line and you know the variance of these things, you are best being prepared. That's certainly how I head to my shift every day, is just being ready for the worst.
[Vause:] Good luck. Stay well. Thank you for everything you are doing. Dr. Ryan McGarry in Los Angeles. We appreciate it.
[Mcgarry:] Thank you.
[Vause:] A nationwide looked in France is expected to be extended beyond April 15. President Macron is expected to make a televised address Monday, his third from the Elysee Palace since this crisis began. On Wednesday the government reported the 24 hour death toll was 562. But a lack of information from elderly care facilities, the number of dead is likely higher. Officials in the U.K. say there's a sign that new infections have started to plateau. Still the virus claimed 900 plus lives on Wednesday and the government says social distancing is critical for preventing surge in new cases. After three nights in intensive care, the British prime minister is in a stable condition. He seemed to be responding well to treatment for COVID-19. His condition has improved to the point where we're told he's sitting up in bed and engaging with his clinical team around him. Nina dos Santos is live in London. Boris Johnson is improving, so what is the latest on that?
[Nina Dos Santos, Cnnmoney Europe Editor:] Yesterday afternoon, evening, with the coronavirus press briefing, that senior members of government give to the public audience, the U.K.'s Chancellor of the Exchequer, the de facto finance minister, said that Boris Johnson was responding positively to treatment, sitting up in bed. We have been told repeatedly that the prime minister is breathing unaided, although he has required some extra standard oxygen support. Also the prime minister was engaging positively with NHS staff that were treating him. Essentially, the prime minister is conscious. He is awake and in command. He also does not need the help of a mechanical ventilator that might require far more drastic treatment options. We still don't know when he will be able to return to Downing Street. He has had coronavirus symptoms for 15 days so far. All of this was to try to alleviate concerns about whether or not his health was deteriorating. A lot of people in his age bracket, it can affect men disproportionately more than women, they can deteriorate quickly once they reach ICU. And the government is saying this was an abundance of precaution because he is the head of the government John.
[Vause:] Nina, thank you, with the very latest on Boris Johnson. There is a war of words in the midst of the war on a virus, between the U.S. and the head of the World Health Organization, the two men accusing each other of playing politics with this deadly virus. Also a big meeting today between Russia and OPEC, what it could mean for oil prices and for your wallet.

[Catherine Lucey, White House Reporter, The Wall Street Journal:] Well, certainly, we've seen the president use some of his sharpest words in some of these political foes and often on women. And he is concerned about Michigan. I think that's clear. But, of course, the question here is how this kind of rhetoric helps. One of the other things we've heard from the president in recent days is real appeals to women in the suburbs. He keeps telling women in the suburbs, you have to vote for me, I saved your neighborhoods, please like me. And it's not clear that saying those things and then you criticizing a female governor of the state that he only won by a handful of votes last time is necessarily going to be helpful.
[John King, Cnn Inside Politics:] And, Alex, as a flipside to this, of course, the president needs to try to get back that blue wall, back the states he flipped, he broke from the blue wall, Pennsylvania, 20 electoral votes, that's the biggest prize of those. Joe Biden is trying to block, if you will. If he can hold those states, if he hold what he has now, he's the next president. But assuming maybe something doesn't go your way, he's trying to find a block, North Carolina among them. Obamacare '08 with record historic African-American turnout, the Republicans carry it in '12 and then again in '16. Joe Biden was there trying to say, please, help me. Listen.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] We've got to keep the incredible momentum going. We can't let up. You can vote early in person, until the 31st, but don't wait.
[King:] The chance gets interesting right now and part of the calculation is which states do you spend your time and money in. Biden has money this year. The other parts, and Democrats are a little nervous this week, and that he has no public events scheduled. Maybe he will add them. But he has no public events scheduled right now, he's doing debate prep because of the final debate prep on Thursday. I know his message is, I'm being responsible if the middle of a pandemic, some Democrats are a bit nervous he might be taking it a bit too far.
[Alex Burns, Cnn Political Analyst:] That's right. You don't have the same kind of determination on the Biden side of this race to drive the news cycle nationally every single day. I do think it's significant that Senator Harris is headed to Florida and North Carolina in this sort of down period for the former vice president in that when you talk about states that Democrats hope to see as a kind of checkmate win on election night, those two both definitely fall into that category, where we may not know the result in a Pennsylvania or Michigan on election night. We're much likelier to know the result in a place like Florida or North Carolina. And so to the extent that you can drive upturn out among core Democratic constituencies in those states, that potentially serves an even more productive purpose because of the way votes are going to get counted.
[King:] That's an excellent. Our election night is going to be fascinating because of all the mail-in ballots. Some states might be able to help us, give us a good clue, anyway. And, Catherine, I want to come back to the point John Harwood was making, because the president does trust his instincts and we need to watch him because the president did mount an amazing comeback in 2016 and he's the president of the United States. But listen to this take on the road where he says, this is one reason you should worry about Joe Biden.
[Donald Trump, U.s. President:] If you vote for Biden, he will surrender your jobs to China, he will surrender your future to the virus. He's going to lockdown. He's going to want us to lockdown. He'll listen to the scientists. If I listen totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression, instead we're like a rocket ship, take a look at the numbers.
[King:] A few things here. We're not like a rocket ship, unemployment filings are going back up again. The coronavirus recovery has slowed, number one. Suburban one of the reasons Joe Biden's support is even bigger than 2018 Democratic numbers in the suburbs is because a lot of women especially wish this president would listen to scientists and they're not so afraid of any president listening to truth and science. But on that campaign call I was just talking about, the president of the United States just called his top scientist, at least on paper when it comes to infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, a disaster, a disaster. The president continues to do things that any polling data, any focus group, any conversations the three of us might have with voters in places that matter most with the president sure sound counterproductive.
[Lucey:] The president is continuing this kind of rhetoric about his advisers, about the virus and it's frustrating enough for a lot of Republicans running their own campaigns. Senate Republicans running for re-election in the states, folks who were working with them say that this makes their jobs a lot harder. You have a number of candidates who are running behind the president's say in their states. And this kind of rhetoric does not help them on the campaign trail either.
[King:] And, Alex, back to that point. I mean, just again, I just I don't get it sometimes and so I keep trying to find out, okay, is there some secret sauce to this strategy here. But for the president of the United States to call Dr. Anthony Fauci a disaster on a time when Dr. Anthony Fauci was on 60 Minutes last night, he seems determined to counter the president. He will not describe it this way. He will say he's just giving interviews, but he's out there saying, wear your mask, he's out there saying the president was reckless at the White House. Now the president attacking him 15 days out as a disaster, when we know Dr. Fauci goes back to the George H.W. Bush administration. He does not want to be a partisan. He's in the middle of this campaign right now. But he has high respect among the American people. I'm not sure I get the strategic brilliance here.
[Burns:] I'm not sure that there's a strategy of any particular kind here, John. I think we're hearing the president try to sort of just will an alternative reality into existence where the economy is surging and the virus is fading and the American people you look at any public poll and you talk to any Republican or Democratic strategist who is doing polling, and the electorates are just not buying it. And it's why you hear folks, not just like Anthony Fauci, but like Mitch McConnell, for crying out loud, saying, wear your mask. And you're going to need to wear your mask for the indefinite future.
[King:] They're not buying what president says because they're living something very different. You can tell people, don't believe what you live every single day and what you see around you. Alex Burns, Catherine Lucey, grateful for the reporting and insights. And this just in to CNN. We're getting some new information now about how the Commission on Presidential Debates is preparing for Thursday's debate between the president and Democratic Nominee Joe Biden. With me now is CNN's Dan Merica. And, Dan, this is a conversation the commission has to have because of what happened at the first debate. I'll say just it was a tad impolite. What are they working on?
[Dan Merica, Cnn Politics Reporter:] What happened at the first debate, that's a good way to put what devolved into pretty much utter chaos at the first debate. You're right, John. The commission is meeting this afternoon to discuss what possible rule changes to make for that final debate, what would have been the third debate, but the second debate was canceled between Trump and Biden. Now, it's important to note that there is a possibility that no changes could be made. One commission member told me that there is a chance that nothing could be changed. It's also worth noting that this meeting is also intended to verify that each of the candidates, Trump and Biden, have reached the 15 percent threshold to qualify for the debate, of course, they have. But as you note, this comes in the wake of that chaotic first debate where you saw President Trump routinely interrupts Joe Biden leading Biden to fire back against the president. And the commission admitted after that debate, it devolved into a bit of chaos. Now, that chaos has continued over the last few weeks for the debate commission. The second debate, which was meant to be a town hall debate, was canceled after Trump pulled out of that debate because it was going to have to be virtual because of his coronavirus diagnosis. And now that leads up puts a lot of pressure on this final debate in Nashville because it's going to be the final thought that a lot of voters have on their minds when they go to the polls in November or even during early voting. The Biden campaign came out after the first debate and said that they supported changes. Biden himself said that it was chaotic and he wanted changes. The Trump campaign has said they do not want changes. They accuse the commission of moving the goal post after the game has started, essentially. But this is an important moment for the Trump campaign. As you noted on your last segment, he is trailing the national polls and state polls. This is the best profile, the last best profile platform, excuse me, that he has to make the case to the American people. And if the debate rules change, if there's ways to curve the interruptions that he had in that first debate, that could impact his debate performance, John.
[King:] It certainly could. It might actually help him if he didn't interrupt so much but that's the president doesn't take advise from others, he does it his way. Dan Merica, grateful for the reporting. Let us know if the decision is reached to change anything. Up next for us, this matters to you and your wallet. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi says if there is to be a stimulus deal by Election Day to get it passed, well, they have to have an agreement by tomorrow.

[Nobles:] President Trump is standing by his labor secretary, Alex Acosta. This after a federal judge ruled that he and other prosecutors broke the law over a plea deal with an alleged sex trafficker back when Acosta was a U.S. attorney in Florida. Jessica Schneider has more.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Correspondent:] Jeffrey Epstein is the politically-connected Palm Beach billionaire who struck a 2008 plea deal with federal authorities who had uncovered evidence of him sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls. The U.S. attorney at the time, a current member President of Trump's cabinet, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, allegedly met up with a lawyer for Epstein and assured his legal team that prosecutors would not contact any of the identified individuals, potential witnesses or potential civil claimants. As the two sides hammered out an agreement that met Epstein, avoided trial and federal charges, and only served 13 months in a county jail after pleading guilty to two state prostitution charges. A judge has now ruled that pledge not to inform any of Epstein's accusers of the plea deal was illegal, violating victims' rights.
[Julie Brown, Senior Investigative Reporter, "the Miami Herald":] They felt elated that finally someone, you know, of authority conceded that they had violated the law and that they had treated these girls unfairly.
[Schneider:] Julie Brown exposed the agreement in a November story for "The Miami Herald." She's interviewed several victims who is detail their abuse. Everything down to how to be quiet, be subservient, give Jeffrey what he wants. And, you know, before you know it, I'm being lent out to politicians and to academics. Now, the real criticism is centering around Alex Acosta, who insisted in early February, he wasn't alone in approving this deal.
[Alexander Acosta, U.s. Labor Secretary:] The Department of Justice leadership, at the time, reviewed that plea deal. The Department of Justice has been defending the actions of the office over the intervening 12 years.
[Schneider:] Acosta has not commented, since Thursday's court ruling. But the Labor Department reiterated Acosta's stance, saying the office's decisions were approved by departmental leadership. The president appointed Acosta to his position and long before he ran for office, Donald Trump flaunted his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who has also socialized with former President Bill Clinton. This is a photo from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in 1997. And he told "New York Magazine" in 2002, I have known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. President Trump was asked about his labor secretary's role in the Epstein deal Friday.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I really don't know too much about it. I know he's done a great job as labor secretary. And that seems like a long time ago. But I know he's been a fantastic labor secretary.
[Schneider:] So, what happens now that the judge has ruled the Justice Department's failure to notify victims was illegal? It's unclear. The judge has asked both sides to weigh in on an appropriate remedy. But since Epstein has already served his sentence, it could be difficult to redo any deal. Now, as for the Department of Justice, its Office of Professional Responsibility has opened an investigation into whether Alex Acosta and others might have committed professional misconduct. And Acosta has told CNN that he will cooperate with that investigation. Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
[Nobles:] Jessica, thank you very much. And that does it for me. But I'll be back tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Coming up next is CNN's special report, Facebook at 15. It starts, next. Have a great night.

[King:] It is disappearing; those are the words of the President of the United States when it comes to the Coronavirus. Now the numbers that tell us something completely different from what the president tells you. If you look here at the 50- state trend map right now, orange and red are bad. You see all that orange and red. 31 of the 50 states reporting more new infections now compared to a week ago. 31 states. You see essentially the whole northern half of the country with just a couple of exceptions, other states as well. 31 states trending up right now. As the president says, we've turned the final corner. 16 states holding steady. Only three states reporting fewer new infections right now compared to a week ago, they are the green states on the map, 31 trending in the wrong direction. With higher cases comes traditionally, sadly more deaths. 21 states right now reporting more deaths this week compared to the data one week ago. 12 states holding steady. 17 states trending down. The projections or the death count will start to go back up at the moment; we'll show you the numbers in a minute. That is not the case, but 21 states reporting more deaths right now. You see the swathe of the big jumps in these states right through here, the deeper red. Positivity rate is what tells you that, one number; you have more cases today and the likelihood of more cases tomorrow because of positivity. The deeper the color, the higher the rate. 23 percent in Idaho, 23 percent South Dakota, 18 percent, Iowa, 16 percent Kansan, 20 percent Wisconsin, high positivity. Again in a lot of the states particularly, they are going through the cold earlier than the southern part of the country, a high positivity rate which just tells you more cases today, more tomorrow, community spread when the numbers are quite that high. Here's the case trend line in the United States. And again the president says it is disappearing, active voice. No, it is climbing right now. We are going back up, not down right now. Saturday, 54,000 cases, on Sunday that dropped to 44,000 cases. Let's hope it keeps dropping. But on Sundays, the weekends it tends to dip a little bit. We will watch this in the week ahead. But the trend line is what matters. The seven-day moving average going back up. Here's the worry public health officials have. If from 20,000 you got up close to 70,000, what happens if you start at 40,000 and start heading back up? That is the worry of public health officials as it gets colder. The death trend line right now as I noted is down. Plateaued down here, 398 deaths yesterday. Everyone is horrific. But 398 lower than what we saw back in August and September. The question is can you keep it here as the case count goes up? That is one of the big challenges. This is also a number we're talking about again; it's been months, but hospitalizations. Look, summer surge, came down, hospitalizations nationally starting to trickle up a little bit. And if you look at states right here, nine states had record hospitalizations. Nine states with record hospitalizations on Sunday, including my colleague Poppy Harlow talking earlier today to a Health Care Administrator in North Dakota who says, she's simply overwhelmed.
[Renae Moch, Director, Bismarck-burleigh Public Health:] Right now, our hospitals have less than 20 beds available across the state in North Dakota. We have some hospitals in very rural areas that are having difficulty meeting the demand and having to send patients to different areas across the state of North Dakota and even had to send out of state at some point to Sioux Falls and also Billings, Montana.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn:] To send people out of the State of North Dakota because you don't have enough resources to take care of them.
[Moch:] That's correct.
[King:] Sad to listen to that. Joining us, CNN Medical Analyst, Dr. Celine Gounder, she is the Former New York City Assistant Commissioner of Health, and Host of the Epidemic Podcast. To hear that, Dr. Gounder it's a flashback to earlier in this crisis, months and months ago when we thought maybe there would be a plan in place to help all states deal with this. But North Dakota is among states with record hospitalizations and yet, listen to the President of the United States. He says that we've got this wrong
[Trump:] Through the power of the American spirit, I think more than anything else, science, medicine will eradicate the China virus once and for all, we'll get rid of it all over the world, it's going to disappear, and it is disappearing.
[King:] It is not disappearing. And yet we hear that from the president. Instead at any detailed plan from the administration about how to deal with what is unmistakably a fall spike right now?
[Dr. Celine Gounder, Cnn Medical Analyst:] John, we are seeing an increase in particular in the upper Midwest and the Rocky Mountain States right now. And that's concerning, because these are areas that have fewer health care facilities, fewer doctors and nurses. And so, they're very quick to get overwhelmed. But it's not just about those rural parts of the country. Here in New York City where we were hit really hard in March and April, cases are on the rise, hospitalizations are on the rise. And just over the weekend, I was touching base with some of my colleagues around the country. And many of us are still in rationing mode with respect to personal protective equipment. We haven't learned the lessons from the spring. I literally have been using the same face shield since March. We still get three N95 mask at the hospital per week, and those are meant to be single use masks.
[King:] That is sad to hear that, again in the context of when the president speaks about Coronavirus, he says he is fine, he is going out on the road and it is disappearing. Not here is what the administration is going to do to help you deal with this next wave if that's what it is? And to that point, the IHME, the University of Washington has a projection. Now I was just noting one of the good, I'm going to use the term good, I don't like the term good, because any death is a sad death, the numbers have been down recently. But the IHME projects that we will get to 394,693 deaths, projected deaths by February 1st. You see the 214,000 where we are right now, just shy of 215,000. That would be a much higher daily average. Do you see that as inevitable now that we see the case counts spiking up at around 50,000 new infections a day?
[Dr. Gounder:] Well, a lot of this is being driven by the rate at which things are increasing and will health care systems be overwhelmed? Right now, we're at about 50,000 new cases per day. IHME is predicting 300,000 new cases by the end of December per day. 300,000 cases per day. And so, even if there have been attempts at least in some parts of the country to maybe scale up health care capacity, that's still woefully under prepared in terms of staffing, hospital beds and just basic personal protective equipment. When health systems are overwhelmed, death rates shoot up.
[King:] Well, the President of the United States instead of speaking to the issues you have just raised that is hitting back on the road today. And he says his doctors have said he is fine. This is from Dr. Sean Conley, the president's physician. In addition to President meeting CDC criteria for the safe discontinuation of isolation, this morning's COVID PCR sample demonstrates by currently recognized standards, he is no longer considered a transmission risk to others. That's what Dr. Conley says, he raises some questions here, more than he answers them. The president tweeting out a total and complete signoff from White House doctors yesterday that means, I can't get it, immune, and can't give it. Very nice to know. Is the president immune?
[Dr. Gounder:] The very short answer to that is no, we have no data to show that the president is immune. We're not even sure if anybody is truly immune, and if so, how to best measure that and how long that lasts? The only measure that's been recorded of any kind of immunity with respect to the president is his antibody levels. He was treated with antibodies. So of course you're going to see positive antibody results. Those are the antibodies he was given by Regeneron.
[King:] Dr. Gounder, grateful for your insights as always, I wish I didn't have to hear those answers after month's later still about PPE, about hospitals overwhelmed. Appreciate your joining us to help us understand these facts. Up next for us, Iowa one of the many states where Republicans are worried the president struggles will hurt Republican candidates from the Senate and down ballot.

[Camerota:] This morning, the congressional black caucus will unveil a new bill aimed at reforming law enforcement. It comes as the Minneapolis City Council proposes a plan to dismantle their police department. Joining us now is Cheryl Dorsey, she's a retired LAPD Police Sergeant. We also have Sean Smoot, he is the Director of the Police Benevolent and Protective Association in Illinois. He's also a former member of the Obama administration's Of Obama's task force on 21st century policing. Great to have both of you and both of your different perspectives. Ms. Dorsey, I want to start with you. When you hear about what the Minneapolis City Council is proposing, dismantling, I mean, it is more than reform. This is not just another word for reform. It is dismantling their police department. What are your thoughts?
[Cheryl Dorsey, Retired Lapd Police Sergeant:] Well, listen, this isn't the first time that a police department has been dismantled. That happened over in the Ferguson, Missouri, before Ferguson, it was another police department. And so if you have officers who are inclined to misbehave and you have a police chief who coddles, shelters and condones it, then it's time for a move in a different direction.
[Camerota:] And, Ms. Dorsey, before I let you go, what does that mean? What would dismantling a city police force mean? How could they continue to protect the public?
[Dorsey:] Well, it could mean a couple of things. It could mean giving jurisdiction to a neighboring county, sheriff's, certainly, that's happened in Los Angeles. There are parts of Los Angeles that are carved up and are serviced by L.A. County Sheriff's Department. So I would imagine that something like that could happen. I mean, you're not going to just dismantle it without having something to put in place immediately, so why not put something that already exists and is working efficiently.
[Camerota:] So, Mr. Smoot, is that how you interpret this also?
[Sean Smoot, Director, Police Benevolent And Protective Association Of Illinois:] Somewhat. I mean, I think when people talk about dismantling and use that term, it's a bit of a misnomer. I think what they're really talking about is reorganization and re-envisioning the way public safety services are provided. I will tell you that there are a lot of things that police are asked to do that they weren't asked to do 15 or 20 years ago. For instance, specifically, and this is a big issue in policing, is responding to people who are suffering from mental illness. And when that occurs, police officers would much rather have a community-based resource that could go respond to folks who are having a mental health crisis or are suffering from an addiction issue. It's really about adopting more of a revision of differential response and responding with the resources that can be best utilized to keep people safe, including the community members and police officers.
[Camerota:] That's a really good point. I mean, that is what they're talking about. That if they redirect funds to mental health professionals, away from police, then some of these issues could be resolved by the people who are steeped in the expertise rather than, as they say, strangers with guns showing up in the community. But, Ms. Dorsey, let's get to a dicier, an even dicier subject, if possible, particularly given you both here, and that's the role of police unions. From where you sit, do you believe that police unions have been an impediment to reform?
[Dorsey:] From where I sit, as I talk to those in my community and folks on the police department who look like me, absolutely. Listen, we've seen time and time again, presidents of the Fraternal Order Police, Officers Association, as well as of my own, Los Angeles Police Protective League, who seemingly have not seen the murder of a black man or woman that doesn't excite them. Police unions are lobbying arms of the police department and they put up great resistance. Whenever the community members along with legislators try to put forth anything that would curtail, rein in, or create accountability. And that's at the end of the day what folks want, accountability, officers to be held accountable when they violate policy or commit crimes. And, listen, I'm saying that's a small minority, but let's call a thing a thing.
[Camerota:] Mr. Smoot?
[Smooth:] Well, I think, certainly, some unions have. There are other unions that have actually been proponents of reform efforts, if you look at laws that were passed in 2015, both in Wisconsin and Illinois, for instance, requiring the independent investigation of an officer- involved death. In Illinois, we passed a tremendous reform package bill that included changes in training, requiring changing on things like implicit bias and cultural competence, dealing with people with mental illness and addiction issues. Those are things that were never in place before, and it was actually my organization and the Fraternal Order of Police in Illinois that drafted the legislation and lobbied to move it through Illinois' general assembly.
[Camerota:] Well, I mean, that's good to hear I mean, I hear that you're saying, obviously, I can't paint with a no one can paint with a broad brush stroke, but then when you hear this leaked email from the president of the Union the union president in Minneapolis, who is referring to the protesters as a terrorist movement, what do you say to those presidents of unions?
[Smoot:] Well, I would say that members of the police department in Minneapolis probably elected the wrong person to be their representative and their president. And I think what we're going to see as a result of that is some pretty severe reactions by the city, some of which one of your previous guests just talked about. I think, you know, leadership is an important thing, whether you're an elected union leader or whether you're a chief of police or an elected official. And leadership comes with responsibility and a responsibility is to do to in policing in particular, is to do what's best for your members and what's best for ultimately what their mission is, which is serving and protecting the community.
[Camerota:] Sean Smoot, Sheryl Dorsey, we really appreciate both of your perspectives on this. Thank you for being here.
[Smoot:] Thank you.
[Dorsey:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] John?
[Berman:] All right. A remarkable moment in Washington, D.C. Former Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney marched in this Black Lives Matter protest. The National Guard is withdrawing from the nation's capital this morning, as the mayor of D.C. and the president intensify their feud. CNN's Boris Sanchez joins us now live from what is now Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Good morning, John. And we are standing on the mural that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned by artists, clearly sending a message to President Trump, Black Lives Matter, right in front of the White House. But perhaps nothing speaks to their feud better than the barrier that's been erected around the White House complex. On one side, we've seen military police head-to-toe in riot gear. Our president tweeting that police should get tougher. On the other hand, we're seeing protesters use that barrier effectively as a canvas for their protest signs and a mayor who's willing to take their message directly to the White House.
[Sanchez:] Protesters flooding Washington, D.C. again this weekend, marching on the newly named Black Lives Matter Plaza, right across from the White House. Large yellow letters painted on the street reading Black Lives Matter, art commissioned by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, after days of feuding with President Trump.
[Mayor Muriel Bowser:] People from around the globe have called us and thanked us for acknowledging black humanity and black lives.
[Sanchez:] The feud erupting a week ago, on May 29th, after protesters clashed with law enforcement outside the White House. Mayor Bowser meeting with advisers the following morning and hosting a conference call with the police chief. Meantime, President Trump firing off a barrage of tweets, some directed at the mayor. One that particularly upset her, a tweet saying that if protesters breached the fence outside the White House, quote, they would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs and most ominous weapons. The language, a reminder of police attacks against civil rights protesters in the 1960s. The president also wrongly claimed that the mayor withheld D.C. police from assisting Secret Service. Bowser firing back with her own tweets, slamming Trump for hiding behind a fence in the White House. On Monday, June 1st, after a night of some unrest in the city, the president wanted to deploy up to 10,000 active duty troops to American cities, including Washington, but defense officials objected, sources told CNN. Attorney General Bill Barr now denying that claim.
[William Barr, Attorney General:] No, he did not demand that. The decision was made to have at the ready and on hand in the vicinity, some regular troops.
[Sanchez:] Bowser declaring a 7:00 P.M. curfew for D.C. that day, but before the curfew, military police used chemical gas and rubber projectiles, pushing back protesters to allow Trump to take photos at the damaged St. John's Episcopal Church. On Thursday, Mayor Bowser asked Trump to pull National Guard and unidentified federal law enforcement from
[D.c. Bowser:] What we saw last week was basically an invasion of our city.
[Sanchez:] President Trump finally tweeting on Sunday he was ordering the National Guard to start withdrawing from the nation's capital, but only after calling Mayor Bowser grossly incompetent in an earlier tweet. Now, John, just two quick things I wanted to point out. This portion of the mural was not commissioned by the mayor. It says, defund the police. It was added over the weekend by some activists. She has been unclear about whether or not she's going to have this portion altered or removed. And lastly, there was a very special visitor to the mural this weekend, Congressman John Lewis, who in December was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, came out here, the civil rights icon saying he wanted to see the mural himself, John?
[Berman:] Incredibly powerful to see the pictures of him, John Lewis, who has been through so much standing there. Boris, thank you very much. I appreciate it. A protester shot in the face with a rubber bullet by police is now considering legal action. She tells us her story, next.

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] The former White House counsel refuses to talk to Democratic lawmakers investigating obstruction. We will look at the political and legal implications. The U.S. president is making threats and sending mixed messages about Tehran. An Iranian official talked to CNN about the current tensions. And later, Cuba's economic crisis. How food shortages are impacting the daily lives of millions of people. Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
[Church:] The U.S. Congress may finally get a glimpse of president Donald Trump's finances. This after a federal judge ordered the accounting firm Mazars to turn over Trump's financial records, going back years. In his ruling, the judge said that the president is subject to the same legal scrutiny as anyone else and Congress is within its rights to investigate the president. The decision may set a precedent for other judges considering whether to release President Trump's records. The president's attorneys are likely to appeal the decision, which he calls crazy.
[Trump:] This never happened to any other president. They're trying to get a redo, they trying to get what we used to call in school a do- over. And if you look, you know, we had no collusion, we had no obstruction, we had nothing. The Democrats were very upset with the Mueller report, as perhaps they should be. But the country is very happy about it because there was never anything like that. And they're trying to get a redo or a do- over and you can't do that. As far as the financial are concerned we think it's the wrong, it's totally the wrong decision by, obviously, an Obama appointed judge. He was a recent Obama appointed judge.
[Church:] The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee promises Don McGahn will be held in contempt of Congress if he does not show up on Capitol Hill in just a few hours from now. The White House says the White House counsel has immunity from congressional testimony and that is why he has been instructed to ignore the subpoena. Jim Acosta has the report.
[Unidentified Male:] Mr. McGahn, was it a mistake
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Sr. White House Correspondent:] In a dramatic attempt to block Democrats from conducting their own Russia investigation, the Trump administration is rejecting the House Judiciary Committee's subpoena for the testimony of former White House counsel Don McGahn on Tuesday. In a letter to the committee's chairman, Democrat Jerry Nadler, the current White House counsel argues that McGahn is immune from that subpoena, adding, "In order to protect the prerogatives of the Office of the Presidency, the president has directed Mr. McGahn not to appear at the committee's scheduled hearing." McGahn has already infuriated the president, declining to state publicly that Mr. Trump did not commit obstruction of justice. He's also told federal investigators in the Russia probe that he refused to follow instructions by Mr. Trump to get rid of special counsel Robert Mueller. It's a charge the president has denied but he hasn't gone as far as to say that McGahn committed perjury.
[Acosta:] Mr. President, is there a situation that you could see where Don McGahn is charged with perjury? You seem to be contradicting what he is saying.
[Trump:] I don't want to talk about that now.
[Unidentified Male:] And that is better for
[Acosta:] The president has been busy beating back another member of his party, Justin Amash, the first Republican congressman to accuse Mr. Trump of impeachable offenses, who started this tweetstorm over the weekend, first tweeting, "Mueller's report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment." Then doubling down today, "They say obstruction of justice requires an underlying crime. In fact, obstruction of justice does not require the prosecution of an underlying crime." The president fired back, tweeting that he was, quote, "never a fan of Justin Amash, a total lightweight. Justin is a loser, who sadly plays right into our opponents' hands." GOP leaders are backing Mr. Trump.
[Rep. Kevin Mccarthy , Minority Leader:] Now you've got to understand Justin Amash. He's been in Congress quite some time. I think he's only ever asked one question in all the committees that he's been in. He votes more with Nancy Pelosi than he ever votes with me.
[Acosta:] The president is continuing another war of words with Iran, tweeting, "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again." Mr. Trump turned to FOX to justify the brinkmanship.
[Trump:] I just don't want them to have nuclear weapons. And they can't be threatening us. And you know, with all of everything that's going on and I'm not one that believes you know, I'm not somebody that wants to go into war, because war hurts economies, war kills people, most importantly, by far, most importantly.
[Acosta:] Iran's foreign minister responded to the president that military action against his country would be a mistake, tweeting, "Try respect. It works."
[Pete Buttigieg , Mayor Of South Bend, Ind., Presidential Candidate:] The tweets are I don't care.
[Acosta:] The president is also mad at FOX News for hosting a town hall with Democrat Pete Buttigieg, tweeting, "FOX is moving more and more to the losing wrong side in covering the Dems," though the president appears to be more concerned with former Vice President Joe Biden, who holds a commanding lead over the Democratic field.
[Joe Biden, Former U.s. Vice President And Presidential Candidate:] President Trump inherited an economy from Obama-Biden administration that was given to him, just like he inherited everything else in his life.
[Biden:] And just like just like everything else he's been given in his life, he's in the process of squandering that as well.
[Acosta:] Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
[Church:] Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen says that the president's lawyers told him to lie to Congress about the Trump tower Moscow project. That information comes from newly released transcripts of a closed-door session earlier this year. In it, Cohen told lawmakers Trump attorney Jay Sekulow told him to say discussions on the Moscow project ended in January 2016. The project reportedly went on longer than that and well into Mr. Trump's presidential campaign. Michael Cohen is now serving three years in jail for financial crimes and lying to Congress. Sekulow says Cohen is just trying to blame others for his bad decisions. So, let's a take a closer look now at these allegations. And we are joined by CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein, who is also the senior editor at The Atlantic. Good to have you with us.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Good evening.
[Church:] So, what do you make of these recently released transcripts that reveal President Trump's attorney, Jay Sekulow, told Michael Cohen, apparently to lie to Congress about the Trump tower Moscow project?
[Brownstein:] Well, you know, certainly, Michael Cohen has all sorts of credibility issues, but these kinds of revelations are exactly why so many Democrats in particular feel that, you know, the story is not over and that there are many aspects of it that need further investigation. And it is that belief that is running up against this stonewall that the administration and figuratively the attorney general is directing against the ability of Congress to conduct oversight here. And all of that is taking us into, what I think is accurately understood as a constitutional crisis that is going to involve lots of court decisions in the coming weeks.
[Church:] Right. And also, a federal judge has ruled that an accounting firm must turn over President Trump's financial records. How significant is this and just how big a blow is this to the president, who of course will appeal this?
[Brownstein:] Well, honestly, this is just the beginning up a long legal journey, it is just one of the subpoenas or requests for information like his taxes that are going to go into the courts. But Rosemary, I did think this was significant decision because of its breadth. I mean, the judge goes all the way back to James Buchanan in 1856 to make the argument that the courts traditionally have been very deferential towards Congress' authority to investigate the executive branch. And deferential towards Congress' own determinations about what it needs to undertake its legislative activities. At one point he talks about, it is not in the tendency of the courts to second guess whether Congress is acting out of some political motive. I think he has laid this judge has laid down a marker. Obviously, he's not the last word on this. Ultimately, it's likely that the Supreme Court will have to decide, but he has laid down a marker that I think other courts are going to have to reckon with.
[Church:] Yes. Certainly, the president was not very happy at all and of course, this ruling came just hours after the White House told former counsel Don McGahn not to testify before the House judicial committee, believing he has immunity, or that's what they say. But the chairman says if he doesn't appear, McGahn will be held in contempt of Congress. Who is right here and how would you expect this all to play out?
[Brownstein:] Well, look, there are many there are many aspects of this. I mean, the first and perhaps the most important is that Don McGahn is a former White House employee, so while the president can assert that he does not want him to testify, my understanding is that he cannot prevent them him testifying. We know that Don McGahn did testified to Robert Mueller's investigation. We also know that he rejected a request from the White House, you know, after the fact to declare that he did not believe the president committed obstruction of justice. What we don't know is whether he feels an obligation to explain to the public exactly what happened in the events covered in the Mueller report, especially now that the president is denying there. And the added twist here is that his law firm is a major contractor for the Republican National Committee, a major provider of legal services. And there have been reports that the president has mused about cutting them off in punishment for what Don McGahn has done. I mean, there are things in this presidency that are happening kind of in broad daylight that in the past if they were on earth, you know, behind the scenes would have been major scandals. I think this is this certainly qualifies as that, is the administration using the threat of the Jones Day law firm's work for the Republican National Committee to discourage Don McGahn from testifying and is Don McGahn going along with that?
[Church:] So, you don't think McGahn has immunity here because he was he's now a former counsel at the White House?
[Brownstein:] Well, there are two separate questions. Whether the whether they can defend the idea of him not testifying in court, in other words, does he have immunity. Possibly. I don't think I can answer that. I don't think we can answer that. I think courts are going to have to decide whether the president can claim immunity for his conversations with his former council, but a separate question is whether the president can prevent him from testifying if he wishes to. And I think on that ground the president is on much more tenuous footing. And again, the issue is where does Don McGahn feel his highest obligation? He said to his lawyers in a letter that he would respect the president's wishes. But is that what he feels his highest obligation is to, the president's wishes? Or is it to the country and to explain not only what he told Robert Mueller but now the discrepancies between his version of events and the president's version?
[Church:] Very quickly, Donald Trump appears to have anointed Joe Biden as his main Democratic rival, is that a good or bad thing for Biden?
[Brownstein:] I think it's a good thing for Biden because he is trying to lift above this 23-person Democratic race and focus it on Trump. When Joe Biden gave his kickoff speech in Philadelphia on Saturday, it was easy to fast forward in your mind and imagine that being a Labor Day speech in September of 2020. So if the president is elevating Biden into his principal rival, I think that plays into Biden's argument that he is the strongest candidate against Trump, whether or not that's empirically proven by his performance. But I think it does reinforce the argument and the focus of the campaign that Joe Biden is trying to create.
[Church:] All right, always a pleasure to have you with us, Ron Brownstein, many thanks.
[Brownstein:] Thank you.
[Church:] The U.S. president keeps sending threats and mixed messages when it comes to Iran. Mr. Trump has been on Twitter a lot these past few days. He wrote this on Sunday, "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again." Iran's foreign minister tweeted back, saying his country survived past economic Iranians have stood tall for millennia while aggressors all gone. #EconomicTerrorism & genocidal taunts won't "end Iran". #NeverThreatenAnIranian. Try respect it works! Then he spoke to reporters on his way to a campaign rally.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] So, with Iran, we'll see what happens. But they've been very hostile, they've truly been the number one provocateur of terror in this country and then you know, representing their country, but certainly, our country has been very much involved because we are trying to help a lot of people out and I don't mind that at all. We have no indication that anything has happened or will happen, but if it does it will be met, obviously, with great force. We'll have no choice.
[Church:] And all this comes after the United States sent warships to the Middle East, citing a Iranian threat. Iran responded by saying it would abandon parts of the nuclear deal and claims it has increased uranium enrichment capacity. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran and spoke exclusively with a senior Iranian diplomat.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] The Iranians have shown themselves to be quite angry at some of the bellicose tweets that Trump has sent out recently. However, they also seem to show themselves fairly unfazed by a lot of the rhetoric that as in those tweets. I spoke to one of Iran's most senior diplomats and he said that, at this point in time, Iran is not considering changing its ways. And certainly, at this point in time, does not want to go to the negotiating table with the Trump White House.
[Pleitgen:] President Trump last night tweeted that if Iran wants to fight it would be the end of Iran. What's your comment on that?
[Hossein Amirabdollahian, Iranian Parliament:] He's got no idea what the culture and the authority of the Iranian people. Trump wants to control us through tweets and threats. The Islamic revolution in Iran have shown that he cannot talk to Iran through threats. If he thinks by bringing in some aircraft carriers and bombers he can take advantage of Iran and to force Iran to negotiate for an unequal position, he's wrong. But when their ships get close to us, it's a threat to them. We never welcome war but we stand steadfast.
[Pleitgen:] What President Trump is saying is that he would like Iran to pick up the phone and call him. Why not?
[Amirabdollahian:] Trump can discuss talking to Iran through a phone when he does not use the language of threat and force. He can talk about phoning us when he goes back to the nuclear agreement. And he needs to ensure that neither know the next president will renege on the agreement. In his mind, Trump thinks he has a gun to Iran's head with sanctions and he is trying to shut down our economy. This is all in his imagination. Now he wants us to call him? This is a crazy president.
[Pleitgen:] So some pretty clear words come from one of Iran's most senior diplomats. The Iranian messaging has been fairly consistent over the past days and weeks, since this new standoff between the U.S. and Iran started. The Iranians are saying on the one hand they don't want an escalation, they don't want a war with the United States. But on the other hand they are saying that if it does come to that, that they are ready and that it will be painful, not just for the U.S. interests here in this region but for the region as a whole Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
[Church:] We will take a short break here. Still to come, the pressure is ramping up on Huawei. The action Google is taking and what it could mean to the Chinese telecommunication company's future. Plus how welfare cuts have left thousands of families in the U.K. without enough food to eat. We will be back with that in just a moment.

[Sen. Chris Coons:] What is striking to me, first, is the answers that we got to a question that was asked early this evening, which was, and this was a question I asked, if the president were to call witnesses which of his witnesses would testify directly to what the president said, what the president did around withholding aid from Ukraine that might exonerate him. The answer of course, was to change the subject and to talk about folks who couldn't directly testify to what the president did. Because, frankly, I think there are no witnesses who the administration can put on who will give foreign testimony to clear the president or they would have done that. It's striking. And so, instead, what the White House counsel repeated again tonight was a defense that said, even if everything argued by the House is true you can't impeach the president. That's a stunning position to take, a suggestion that it really is OK for the President of the United States to seek foreign interference in an election for his partisan political benefit. And I frankly think when Russia and China hear things like that what they're hearing is an invitation to interfere in our upcoming election.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] It does I mean, set a precedent, it seems, that whether it's future presidents or even this president could then continue could continue to do. Actually, I'm sorry. Manu I've got to run, got to Manu Raju for a second. Manu, what are you hearing?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. We got this statement from Lamar Alexander and he is a no. That means that he is going to vote against moving forward on witnesses and documents, and that could mean the swift end to the president's impeachment trial. He says this, I'll read you the statement that just came out. "I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and more witnesses but there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and does not meet the United States Constitution's high bar for an impeachable offense. The Constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the president from office and ban him from this year's ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate. The question then is not whether the president did it, but whether the United States or the American people should decide what to do about what he did. I believe that the Constitution provides, that the people should make the decision in a presidential election that begins in Iowa on Monday. Our founding documents provide for duly elected presidents who serve with the consent of the governed not at the pleasure of the United States Congress. Let the people decide." So, he makes very clear I am a I work with he says, I there's no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and does not meet the high bar for the Constitutions for impeachable offense under the Constitution. So, what does that mean here, Anderson? That means that the votes are simply not there at the moment to move forward on impeachment documents, and probably will not be there tomorrow, assuming there's nothing that happens to break a potential tie-breaking vote if it does come to that. Because looking at the math here, there are 53 Republicans, 47 Democrats. Two Republicans are expected to vote for moving ahead. They need Lamar Alexander is a no. So, the only person who there is still a question about is Lisa Murkowski. And if it's 5050, she votes to decide to vote with the Democrats, does the chief justice vote to break a tie. Expectation here is that's not going to happen which means that if he doesn't break a tie and she's a no, even if she votes for it that means that the president's impeachment trial could be over as soon as tomorrow night, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Yes. Manu, thank you. We'll come back to you. I want to go back Senator Coons. Senator, what do you what's your reaction?
[Coons:] Well, Anderson, I'm very disappointed to hear that. I have served with Senator Alexander for a decade and on many occasions have known him to be a thoughtful and seasoned senator. I disagree strongly with his conclusion tonight. But let me simply say this, and I'll say it to him when I get a chance tomorrow. If the conclusion he's reached is that what the president did was inappropriate, but that the people should decide in the upcoming election, the very least we should do is to make sure that the next election is a free and fair election, without foreign interference. And I frankly think if the American people are to make up their minds in this next election about whether or not to reelect President Donald Trump, they should know the facts. Getting John Bolton to testify was frankly an exercise in making sure the American people got to hear directly from someone who was in the White House and knew what the president had directed be done. If I hear what you just conveyed about Senator Alexander's statement, he essentially said that the House case has been proven, but it doesn't rise to the level of impeachment. And I hope everyone will reflect on what that means. Because what the House charged President Trump with was inappropriately using the powers of his office for his own partisan political advantage to try and coerce another country, Ukraine, into ginning up a fake investigation into his chief political rival. That's really a pretty stunning admission, and a striking thing to say it doesn't reach the level of impeachment. If all of us can agree that we want our elections to be free and fair then there are bills that Majority Leader McConnell has refused to bring up for a vote that would strengthen our election system and that would make it clear that it is illegal for foreign powers to interfere in our election and for candidates to seek and accept it. We could do more to make sure our next election is free and fair. And Anderson, I just can't tell you how disappointed I am this evening to hear that announcement from my colleague Lamar Alexander.
[Cooper:] And is it your understanding, as well, that now that Alexander is a no, if Senator Murkowski is a yes, and then it would be a tie, 5050, the chief justice could break that tie, but
[Coons:] He could.
[Cooper:] But chances are he would not if he's sort of going on the Rehnquist model. Is it your understanding then that it would just then
[Coons:] There is
[Cooper:] then the move, then it would be over, it would die there, because
[Coons:] Correct. Anderson, there is a precedent from the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson where the chief justice broke a tie twice. This was Chief Justice Chase. He broke a tie twice. And then there was a vote by the full Senate to invalidate the asserted power of the chief justice to break a tie. That vote failed. And so, the precedent is there, where a chief justice can rule, break a tie in a way that then has a significant impact on the trial. So, there is precedent if the chief justice should choose to rely on it. I can't predict how he might act in this case. We know the chief justice is quite concerned about the legitimacy of the Supreme Court, how it's viewed in history. And my hope would be that he, given that view, would side on openness, and witnesses, and making sure the American people know what happened in this case. But obviously we'll get a chance to see the outcome of tomorrow.
[Cooper:] Assuming this goes in the direction that certainly it's looking like it's going now based on Lamar Alexander's vote, is there anything to indicate to you that President Trump would not do this again, if this is OK with Republican senators
[Coons:] Yes.
[Cooper:] to have foreign interference in an election, or to have the request made by the president of the United States for foreign interference against his political opponents, is there anything to stop him from doing it again?
[Coons:] No, and that's the whole concern here is that impeachment is the ultimate constitutionally directed remedy for the Senate. There was some back and forth tonight on the floor with the House managers and White House counsel about what else could we do to constrain this president and they were suggesting some of the other powers of the Senate to hold up nominees, or to vote against his appropriations priorities. And Adam Schiff, the House manager, sort of I won't say he mocked that suggestion but he'll say that's a pretty thin read on which to stand in the face of a president newly emboldened and without any guardrails. I'll remind you, Anderson, one of the striking things about the alleged facts here is that it was literally the day after Bob Mueller, special counsel Mueller came and testified that this call with President Zelensky of Ukraine happened in which President Trump said do me a favor, though. So, my concern, the concern of many of my colleagues, is that President Trump will stand before us next Tuesday night in his state of the union, declare himself fully exonerated and promptly begin engaging in more inappropriate actions inviting foreign interference in our upcoming election.
[Cooper:] You think he will?
[Coons:] I certainly hope not, but there's nothing to suggest that he will feel constrained, in fact, as I'm sure you well remember it was in the middle of the 2016 campaign that he publicly invited Russia to interfere by searching for his opponent's e-mails. The later Mueller investigation, and intelligence community work concluded that it was literally exactly that day that Russian military intelligence, the GRU, began hacking into former Secretary Clinton's server. And in the middle of this impeachment inquiry President Trump went out on the front driveway of the White House and invited China to join in trying to dig up dirt on his leading rival for the presidential campaign here in 2020. So, I don't think President Trump will be restrained in any way going forward if the outcome in the next few days is as you were suggesting.
[Cooper:] If he went onto the front lawn of the White House tomorrow and said, again, you know, Ukraine, if you're listening, I'd still like you to, you know, announce an investigation, and China you too, and Bosnia and, you know, Serbia, and anybody else he wants, would I mean, do you think he'd here a peep from any Republican senators other than Mitt Romney or Susan Collins?
[Coons:] Anderson, that is that is exactly the burden on my Republican colleagues, if they are saying that they cannot move forward to even listen to witnesses, to even request documents, that they can't say or do anything to restrain this president then the burden is on them to take action, to be responsible, to act like senators to show that they have the best interest of our country at heart and to push back on an unrestrained and unconventional president. Look, it was Donald Trump who as candidate said I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone dead and get away with it. Sadly, predictions of his unrestrained behavior from his campaign are coming true. And while I understand some of my Republican colleagues may like the results of his policies, or may agree with some of his initiatives you certainly can't think it's good for the American people or standing in the world or rule of law to have a president who in such brazen ways just thumbs his nose at our Constitution and at the way that we all should conduct ourselves in public life.
[Cooper:] And it seems he has legal cover, at least from Professor Dershowitz as long as he personally believes
[Coons:] Yes.
[Cooper:] it's in public interest that he gets reelected and that there's a you know, that he believes it's good for the country and even if it's good for him in the mix, as long as it's a mix of rationales of motives, then that's not impeachable.
[Coons:] That was the jaw dropping argument made by Professor Dershowitz last night and then ultimately repeated by White House counsel tonight in response to questions, was that you cannot impeach a president for doing something where there are mixed motives and some of his motives are to advance the public good even if that's just true his own reelection. That is a wide-open invitation to interference in our election, to playing dirty politics and to further rigging the system of the upcoming election. I'm gravely concerned about what this means and that there was a serious assertion of that as a standard of conduct for our president.
[Cooper:] Senator Coons, I appreciate your time, thank you.
[Coons:] Thank you.
[Cooper:] Back with our legal and political team. I want to read this key line again from Senator Lamar Alexander's statement tonight saying he'll vote no on witnesses. Quote, "I work with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses but there's no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States' Constitution the United States Constitution's high bar for an impeachable offense. The Constitution does not give the Senate the power to remove the president from office and ban him from this year's ballot simply for actions that are inappropriate," unquote. Let's get reaction from the panel. It does seem, and Senator Coons seemed to believe that says that Alexander believes that the argument that the Democrats are making was proven. It's just not impeachable.
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] I think that's what it says. It's a little baffling. I have to say there are a lot of negatives in there and I mean, it's not a crystal-clear sentence. The only thing that's clear is that he's not voting for witnesses and that he thinks the president's behavior is inappropriate so he doesn't agree with the president that this was the perfect phone call and that his behavior was perfect. But, I mean, let's be clear, this means that this trial was a sham.
[John Dean, Cnn Contributor:] That's right.
[Toobin:] This trial was not a trial in any meaningful sense of the word. There is we know relevant evidence out there in the world. There are documents. There are e-mails. There are texts. And there are witnesses. Which could shine very clear light on what went here what went on here and the Senate says we're not interested. That's a disgrace.
[Cooper:] John Dean?
[Dean:] This was not a profile in courage by Lamar. And I'm a little surprised. Not totally. But I keep thinking this will be the most significant vote he makes in his career and is one of the last votes he'll make. And I obviously he's not standing for reelection. He's standing down. I think this is kind of a sad end note for his career.
[Mike Shields, Cnn Political Commentator:] OK. So, you disagree with him but why is it that a profile in courage
[Dean:] Because I'm
[Shields:] Do you disagree with him?
[Dean:] No, no, no. I think if he
[Shields:] He's not hang on, he's not standing for reelection.
[Dean:] That's right.
[Shields:] He's not a MAGA hat wearing Trump supporter, he's been a long-time public servant, he was the governor of Tennessee, he was the education secretary under Bush 41, he worked with you in the White House prior to that. And he just gave you a very principled statement saying I disagree with the president's behavior. He has no political reason to do anything other than his conscience. And you don't think that's a vote of courage. And he's going to be criticized by people on this station and all over the media. I think it's a huge vote of stand of courage on his part. He's going to get eviscerated by people like you.
[Toobin:] But is it right? I mean, you may be right on the issue of courage. I'm just talking about on the merits. Is it the right decision?
[Shields:] I think it reflects what a lot of Americans believe. And it certainly reflects what a lot of Senate Republicans believe. Which is this may have been inappropriate had this had the Democrats not overreached and perhaps brought censure is a vote to the Senate, maybe we would have voted for this. They went too far and tried to remove him in an election year. It doesn't rise to the level of impeachment. That's a principled thing for him to say. You may disagree with it but it's a principled thing for him to say and it's the view that a lot of Americans also hold.
[Kirsten Powers, Cnn Political Analyst:] They would not
[Cooper:] Kirsten, do you believe they would have voted for censure?
[Powers:] They would not have voted for censures. So, let's not sit here and pretend like
[Shields:] They would have gotten more bipartisan.
[Powers:] They would never have voted for censure. There's absolutely no way. Now I don't know whether you can call it a profile in courage or not a profile in courage, but let's also not pretend because somebody leaves office that they don't have a life in Republican politics afterwards. OK. So, everybody has calculations that they make. The issue is how can you sit and not watch what we have all sat and watched and merely think that something inappropriate happened? I mean, that's just not what happened. We heard from the lawyers over and over, the president's lawyers saying there's nobody who can say that they heard this from the president suggesting that if we could hear from somebody who heard it from the president that perhaps it would be relevant. We have somebody, and they have chosen to not have that and that's what this statement is about. That this statement is about not wanting to hear from the person that we kept hearing we needed to hear from. So, it's not a real trial and it's not a real exoneration.
[Carl Bernstein, Cnn Political Commentator:] And it's a cover-up. That's what the Senate has now done. They have covered up what the president of the United States has done in his grievous action when they had the ability to find out more. And reach a bipartisan, as it were, decision if we could hear from the witnesses, if Mr. Bolton could come in and tell us, is there anything else there? No. Maybe it would be exonerating. This is a cover-up. Plain and simple. And there has been no attempt throughout this proceeding by the Republicans in this Senate of the United States, the so-called world's greatest deliberative body, which we now known we now can see how deliberative it is, that we have seen now a really shameful episode in our history that's going to read down for many, many years, particularly because of the Dershowitz catechism for the cult of Trump. That is an astonishing assertion that Dershowitz made about what the president can do.
[Cooper:] Mike, I'm wondering what you think of Senator Coons saying, you know, that the president could do this again, I mean, that there's nothing to stop him, that there's no
[Shields:] One of the things that he said was it's up to my Republican colleagues to call him out. Senator Alexander called him out in that statement, he was it was inappropriate.
[Dean:] Wow.
[Shields:] I also think
[Dean:] Wow. That was vicious. Vicious.
[Shields:] I also think that it is dangerous and this is just where we are in our politics. Now what the Democrats are going to say all through the election is, Donald Trump is winning, well he's obviously getting foreign influence, he's stealing the election. that's what this is being tied up. So, if he wins
[Cooper:] Well, no. I'm just wondering
[Shields:] That is a very dangerous result of all of this if that's where the Democrats go.
[Cooper:] But my question was, would that be OK with you if he did it again tomorrow?
[Shields:] No, of course. You should not have foreign interference in our elections, of course, I don't believe we should have foreign interference in our elections.
[Cooper:] But if it's not it's not an abuse of power
[Powers:] What's the punishment for it?
[Cooper:] It's not an I mean, what's to stop it?
[Elliot Williams, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Impeachment. Under normal circumstances it would be impeaching a president who engage in that kind of you know
[Shields:] First of all, we had a Mueller report that said that he did not collude with Russia. So, first of all, that didn't happen.
[Cooper:] Well, I didn't say that just on this.
[Shields:] Secondly, it is debatable as to whether or not that's what happened here. I mean, and you and I have argued, we're in a different place on this. I believe that the president of the United States talking about the former sitting vice president to another country and saying we need to investigate what they may have done that is corrupt is who happens to be his political opponent is not something that
[Williams:] In exchange but conditioning aid in exchange I mean
[Shields:] Well, look, yes.
[Williams:] But again, it's the conditioning of the act on the official election, you know. But just on a different point, I agree with Jeffrey that the statement that we just heard was a little bit of gobbledygook and it was sort of all over the place. I think the most tragic part of it is how he hinges it on the fact that it's an election year. Because if that's the case, if we now have made the choice that we can never impeach another president in an election year he can't do it ever again and he should never have done that the three times
[Cooper:] So, what I guess I just don't understand. So, tomorrow Rudy Giuliani could set up an office, like two blocks from the White House, and hire Igor Fruman
[Williams:] Yes.
[Cooper:] and Lev if he's not sent to jail, or Lev Parnas, although I think he's done with Lev Parnas, and he could start doing this he could start operating for the president again overseas doing stuff, and that would be fine.
[Williams:] And something we've talked about, we talked about this thing just yesterday on the show, it would be foolish for him not to because the rules now say that it is very much, number one, it's perfectly permissible behavior for a president and his stooges to engage in, and number two, even if he does it and they know he does it he cannot be impeached for it and won't be removed for it. So why not?
[Cooper:] In fact,
[Williams:] Go ahead and invite the
[Bernstein:] This is a license.
[Williams:] Right.
[Bernstein:] This is a license.
[Toobin:] And remember who we're talking about. I mean, we're talking about Donald Trump who never feels chastened by anything.
[Dean:] That's right.
[Toobin:] And so, he will see this and I think he's probably correct, as a victory. That this the Democrats failed here, and, you know, I mean, you you're in Republican politics, do you think there is any chance on the state of the union on Tuesday he will say, as Bill Clinton did, you know, I sure screwed up but I didn't deserve to be impeached, do you think there is any chance you will see any humility?
[Cooper:] No, it's a perfect call.
[Toobin:] I mean
[Shields:] No, I don't.
[Toobin:] Yes, so?
[Shields:] And I think if he did, he wouldn't be rewarded for it and that's just not mean, he has not gotten to where he is by doing anything other than being who he is. So, he's not going to that.
[Dean:] I agree.
[Powers:] But hey the thing is they have Republicans have redefined what a president is and what a president can do. Right? I mean, even the they've even rejected the idea that you could impeach a president for an abuse of power. So, if you can't impeach a president for abuse of power what does that mean? What does it mean? A president commits abuse of power and what? There's no remedy. I mean, that is the Republican argument.
[Shields:] If a prosecutor brings if a prosecutor brings a case, that they're no they're not going to get 67 votes in the Senate. So, they teed this up. They went too far. They overreached. They contributed to this
[Powers:] What happens if
[Shields:] This is the interesting thing. Carl, and I respect what you were saying before about how partisan this is. It takes two to be partisan, both parties have to be partisan. Everyone has to [Inaudible]. In fact, when he's acquitted it will probably be a bipartisan vote, you'll probably get a couple of Democrats. So, the most bipartisan vote in this will be his acquittal.
[Cooper:] I guess I understand your criticism of the process, and just a totally valid argument you make. I guess I'm just wondering about tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the rest of this term and, you know, and onward, clearly, you're not comfortable with the idea of the president repeating that action.
[Shields:] I'm won't be comfortable with any president soliciting foreign aid if that's what they did. That is not been proven to be the case here. We have federal laws against people doing things like the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. There are things that you can't do that you can be prosecuted for in the Department of Justice has people to investigate you.
[Williams:] Michael
[Shields:] Suddenly tomorrow there's a you know, the Trump campaign is now free to just go and break the law left right and center because of what happened tonight.
[Powers:] But Mike
[Williams:] Presidents have individuals have been impeached, federals have been impeached for showing up to work drunk. Literally the idea that now abuse of power is not the kind of thing that you can be impeached for is foolish. Dozens of
[Cooper:] All right.
[Williams:] I'm sorry. go ahead.
[Cooper:] Let's take a quick break. There's a lot going on this late hour, including as we just mentioned, the real center figure in all of this, John Bolton. He is speaking out, that's next.

[Berman:] Former Defense Secretary General James Mattis slamming President Trump in a forceful rebuke of his former boss, calling him a threat to the Constitution. Joining us now, CNN Political Analyst David Gregory and Guy Snodgrass, a former speechwriter to Secretary Mattis, and author of Holding the Line Inside the Trump Pentagon with Secretary Mattis. Commander, let me start with you, and let me just read one quote here so people can hear it. I have watched this week's unfolding events angry and appalled. When I joined the military some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream the troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens, much less provide a bizarre photo-op for the elected commander in chief with military leadership standing alongside. I think calling this a forceful rebuke is sanitizing it, frankly. I mean, this is a punch in the gut. You worked with Mattis for a while. Why did he choose these words and why did he choose to speak them now?
[Guy Snodgrass, Former Speechwriter To Secretary Mattis:] Well, as you discuss at the top of the hour, you know, Secretary Mattis has caught some flack over the past few months because of his reticence to speak out. He has been very hesitant to say anything that might be construed or speaking against the president. And then he's made it a point he doesn't want to talk about a sitting president. So I think, in general, this just highlights for Secretary Mattis the seriousness of this moment in time and the concern that he has, which I share, and, in fact, as you mention, that's what my book talks about, is just when you politicize the military, you now degrade the trust and confidence with the American public. Mattis is concerned and he's ready to speak up.
[Camerota:] I mean, Guy, a lot of disturbing things have happened obviously of late and over the past many years. But this moment, this moment, there's something about it that is making that is changing General Mattis' , as you say, long held practice and belief in not speaking about a sitting president. And so, for instance, here is something that he says about the protests themselves. He says, we must not be distracted by a small number of law breakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values, our values as a people and our values as a nation. There seems to have been something about the president using the military or the attorney general to beat back those peaceful protests so they could cross the street and have that a photo op in front of a church that was General Mattis' tipping point.
[Snodgrass:] Right. And when you think about, once again, you're politicizing the military, something Mattis has been adamant about, and he was for the two years he served as defense secretary, is that you do not use the military in overtly political situations. When you do so, you erode the trust and confidence of the American public. So not only has this president used the military in a very politicized way over the last three and a half years, but we've seen, as you mentioned in the past week, that the military is standing guard on the streets, they're now the optics are incredibly poor that the military is somehow turning against the American public. And that's, of course, not the case but that's how people could interpret this. And that's not only Secretary Mattis, many have spoken out. I think the one who actually led the charge was former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. He is the first one who spoke out. And now, you have Secretary Mattis and subsequently General John Allen, another friend of Secretary Mattis' who have since come out very forcefully to say that this is the not the proper use of the military. And not only that, but it risks eroding that trust and confidence. And that's something that once you've lost that, it could take years, if not decades to rebuild that trust.
[Berman:] David Gregory, I'm glad that Guy pointed out that are seeing many military leaders come out, from Admiral Mullen to General Mattis to John Allen as well. But I think that their concerns are beyond just matters of the military. When General Mattis talks about dividing and conquering it, it's not just about that. It's something bigger. John Allen is talking about an assault on the Constitution and the beginning of the end of the American experiment here. There is fundamental concern among these people that something has gone terribly wrong.
[David Gregory, Cnn Political Analyst:] These are men who are valued, who are respected, who are honored in political circles, bipartisan political circles and in Washington for leadership. And so what Mattis is doing that is so stunning is calling out the president for lacking mature leadership for seeking to divide the United States, for raising the specter of the Nazis. That's General Mattis doing that, saying that their proposition, what they tried do in opposing forces of the United States was to divide and conquer. It's stunning as you sit back and think about that criticism and no tweet that the president, no criticism that he can level at Mattis will take away from the fact that he valued this man, he praised him up and down, there's always videotape when it comes to President Trump, and that Mattis saw him up close and has made this determination. And I think that's what I'm really sitting with this morning. The idea that you have somebody of the likes of General Mattis who is saying, in a time of pandemic, when you have 100,000 dead, when you have 40 million without jobs because of the coronavirus, when you have a stunning act of violence against an African-American man, George Floyd, a president's job is to bring people together, to lead the entire country. And what Mattis is saying is no, the president has never tried to do that. He's only tried to lead his political base. That's not what you do. That's not what the moment calls for.
[Camerota:] And just to remind people of what David Gregory was talking about in terms of all of the times, that President Trump heaped praise on General Mattis and how proud he was to have General Mattis on his team. Let's recap that and play a few moments.
[Donald Trump, U.s. President:] We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defense. I have a general who I have great respect for, General Mattis. Secretary Mattis has devoted his life to serving his country. I think he's a terrific person. He's doing a fantastic job. Mad Dog plays no games. He's a man of honor, a man of devotion.
[Camerota:] Guy, you would know better than us how General Mattis felt even on the receiving end of the positive stuff, never mind the today's negative stuff. What do you think this has been like for him? And in terms of the words, because you were his former speechwriter, when he goes after not goes after when he comments on President Trump's character, saying that, for the past three years, we've been without mature leadership, those are carefully chosen words. What is he trying to tell us?
[Snodgrass:] Well, I think he's sending a very clear and unequivocal signal that he has very clearly broken with this president, as has other senior military leaders. Just like David mentioned, it does go far beyond the military. It is about a lack of ethical leadership. It's about the lack of someone who is going to unify this country. Mattis, as you mentioned, chose those words very carefully because he wants to send a signal that he no longer stands with this president. He does not believe with the direction President Trump has taken certainly of late as he seeks to divide the country. But the biggest concern I would have at this moment in time is not only just here at home but it's also abroad. I mean, if you're an adversary, if you're a Russia, a China and you're looking at the United States right now, you're seeing a country that is openly divided and has been so for now three and a half years. So there's the risk of, one, do you lose Secretary Esper as the secretary of defense? Two, do you actually have your adversaries miscalculate and believe that because we're distracted here at home, that gives them an opportunity to maybe take advantage of the situation abroad? And I think that that would be a severe miscalculation, America's military remains ready. But you could forgive them for thinking that we are in a less than ideal situation. And certainly with Secretary Esper being the fourth secretary of defense under President Trump's tenure, if there was any risk to Secretary Esper's job, that could be one of the worst things that could happen to the U.S. military right now.
[Gregory:] Can I add one coda to all of this, because you have the White House trying so hard to counterattack and to try to bolster the president's image, the notion that his press secretary compared him to Winston Churchill touring bombing sites during the blitz, I saw that and I thought, you know what one major difference was? Churchill was willing to be vulnerable with the public. He would actually weep when he would go to those bombing sites. He was able to be compassionate, to feel the pain of what the people were going through, as well as show their resolve. The contrast is quite stark, I think, with this president at this time.
[Camerota:] Guy Snodgrass, David Gregory, thank you both very much. George Floyd is just one of so many unarmed black men and women killed at the hands of police. Up next, we're going to speak with the mother of a young man, Amadou Diallo, whose death sparked anger across the country more than two decades ago now.

[Lemon:] These protests are spreading tonight. I want to take you to Phoenix, Arizona, now. This is our affiliate, KNXV. Let's listen in.
[Unidentified Male:] non-aggressively the entire night, actually, blocking traffic as protesters march downtown. They really said enough is enough. They damaged property, and they are out in full riot gear right now. So you can see you can hear the shots firing in the air. Those are police rounds. Those are not from the protestors or any active firearms. Those are more disbursement [SIC] rounds. But as you can see, not everyone is dispersing. The crowd thinned some when those paintball rounds started to be fired, or rubber bullets, I should say. But they have not really administered a ton of tear gas or anything that would really lead to a large disbursement [SIC]. So right now, it's kind of this standoff. You can see people with their hands in the air, their fists in the air. And the vast majority of this crowd has been peaceful, but a few people surrounding that Phoenix police car, as I mentioned, smashing the back windshield out. And that's what what has led us to this situation, after a three- hour protest. Of course, if you've been following the news, you know what it's about. The death of George Floyd, an African-American man, at the hands of Minneapolis police.
[Lemon:] And you're listening to a reporter from our affiliate KNXV in in Phoenix, Arizona. And talking about the situation that we watched these pictures as we saw just moments ago. This crew and reporter, camera people, they had to be moved back several times because of the situation there in Phoenix, Arizona. Again, there are protests that are happening in a number of cities here in the United States tonight: Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Columbus, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and of course, St. Paul, Minnesota and Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well. I want to bring in CNN law enforcement analyst James Galiano. He is a retired FBI supervisory special agent who joins us now via phone. James, thank you for joining us here. As you're watching these pictures from all over the country and especially from Minneapolis, when you see a police precinct on fire, up in smoke because of frustration over this, the death of this man, what are your thoughts?
[James Galiano, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] Well, Don, first of all, I mean, just absolutely shocking images. I mean, look, I'm old enough to have been in law enforcement back in 1992, you know, when the riots happened in the wake of police officers being found not guilty in the Rodney King case. That wasn't that long ago. And you look to the summers of 2014 and 2015 and and some riots and uprisings that happened in American cities, in Ferguson and Baltimore, this is this is this is shocking. It's appalling. It's maddening, and it's it's deeply saddening. Don, think about where we've come in 72 hours. I mean, it has been 72 hours since George Floyd died in police custody. We all watched the video, some eight or nine minutes of a police officer with his with his knee in the man's neck. And Don, I'm going to tell you something. It is I cycled through the last 72 hours. That was Monday night. And moving into Tuesday, the four police officers are immediately fired. I thought that the Minneapolis Police Department, you know, handled that with great alacrity and did the right thing there. The FBI announced that they were going to be looking at this from a civil rights violation perspective. We had peaceful protests, relatively, on Tuesday night. You move into Wednesday night, all of a sudden last night, it looked like riots began, looting. And then moving into today, Don, I thought that that press conference that was held this afternoon that we all watched, that was sponsored, set up by the United States attorney's office, with the FBI special agent in charge speaking, as well as, basically, the district attorney there, I guess, for Hennepin County. And Don, I don't to point fingers, but I think that that press conference probably didn't have the intended effect, because some of the things that were said in that, I think, deeply people rightly interpreted as not being focused on bringing justice. I mean, I listened to the press conference, and and the Hennepin County attorney, Michael Freeman, says he watched the video. It was graphic, horrible and terrible horrible. He said his his job was to prove a violation of a criminal statute. And then he drops this bombshell. And I'm going to quote him here: "But there's other evidence that does not support a criminal charge." Now, I understand, you've got to look at this from all ends. I've got I understand you've got to give these police officers due process. They deserve it. But Don, we're sitting on a tinderbox.
[Lemon:] And just so you know, James
[Galiano:] We're sitting on a powder keg.
[Lemon:] Just so you know, about 90 minutes later, they had to release a statement
[Galiano:] Yes.
[Lemon:] from his office that he misspoke on that. And so my question is, I am wondering if if it was better off. As I have both of you here, I want to bring Laura in, Laura Coates in, as well, our legal analyst here, our senior legal analyst. I'm wondering if it would have been better off, if they had been better off had they not even had this press conference. Laura?
[Coats:] You know, it's hard to gauge. It was almost very palpable, the frustration in the room. You already heard the comments that were coming from people who were asking about the urgency or what more was needed. And I think the reason you're seeing all across the country, as James alluding to, as well and what you're seeing from Kentucky to all parts of the United States, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, is because unfortunately, there is a George Floyd in each of these jurisdictions. This is not an anomaly. It is not a one-off. It is part of a systemic issue that we're having where there is a combination of the devaluation of black lives in this country, combined with qualified immunity. The Supreme Court has articulated and emboldened and emboldened in many ways and disincentivized the police departments to do something about it. And so you're seeing a combination. And part of that powder keg, it's beyond Mr. George Floyd, and it's beyond. But it now, as you're seeing this devolving into the rioting and the looting that we have seen. And, you know, we all remember Watts, Baltimore, some of those places have never recovered.
[Galiano:] All right, brother. Thank you. Thank
[Coates:] And I'm wondering if we will have the same home I grew up in.
[Lemon:] Yes. That was James, Laura, who they was hanging up the phone. That wasn't me interrupting you. So but Laura, James Galiano brought up how much time do I have, guys? None. OK. But he brought up Rodney King. And I remember, I just started out in news when the Rodney King thing happened, in New York City. And I remember all the rioting happening across the country. And I couldn't believe couldn't believe that I was sitting there watching it and wondering what had happened to this country. And here we are, all these years later. Here I am, an old head who's been in the news for a long time, and we have riots, again, playing out in this country because of misconduct and a death from the police department from a police department. Laura, thank you. James Galiano, thank you. All of our crews who are out there in the field, thank you. Please stay safe. And thank you for watching. Our live coverage is going to continue with Michael Holmes.

[M. Holmes:] Welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S., I'm Michael, Holmes you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. There is a new estimate of how many people may have coronavirus while showing no symptoms at all. The CDC says it could be as much as 40 percent. It's one of the reasons why this virus has been so hard to contain. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide is now beyond 12.6 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. U.S. continues to rank number one for both confirmed cases and deaths; 4 percent of the world population with a quarter of cases and deaths. The cases in the U.S. now exceeds the population of 21 states. This, week 29 states are reporting a rise in cases, with South Carolina, Texas, Florida and Georgia all reporting record or near record daily case numbers on Saturday. And the governor of hardhit Florida says the state will not be moving on to the next phase of reopening, for now. He says he's working with the White House to get more testing capabilities. Saturday, Florida reported its third highest daily increase in cases, more than 10,000 new infections and officials saying nearly 4200 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic in that one state. CNN's Randi Kaye has an update.
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] Here in the state of Florida, we are getting word that the numbers just keep going, up more than 10,360 new cases in the last 24 hours and 95 deaths in the last 24 hours here in the state of Florida. We also know finally the number of hospitalizations here in Florida. Reporters have been pressing the governor's office for weeks to release those numbers of those who have COVID-19 and are in the hospital. We now know more than 7,200 people are hospitalized with COVID here in Florida; more than 560 of them are in Orange County, where Orlando is, where Disney World, and more than 1,600 in the hardhit Miami-Dade. And the news just keeps getting worse for Miami-Dade County in southern Florida, that is the hardest hit county. We are getting word today that 44 county bus drivers have tested positive for the coronavirus. One of them has died. It's unclear if that driver was symptomatic or what route that driver had taken. The others are quarantining at home. The numbers just continue to jump, since the state reopened on May 4th. We have seen more than a 1,200 percent increase in the average number of daily new cases here in the state. Back on May 4th the average number was about 680; now it's more than 9,000. But the governor did say he was going to get more self-swab testing in place to try and get faster results. He said that would be about 36 to 72 hours instead of several days that it's taking now I'm Randi Kaye on Singer Island, Florida, back to you.
[M. Holmes:] Arizona is buckling under the pressure of the coronavirus surge, officials reporting more than 3,000 new cases on, Saturday. The state now has fewer than 1,000 hospital beds available for inpatients and more than half of its ventilators have been in use this week. Arizona has led the nation for a month with the highest 7 day average of new cases per 100,000 people. Despite it all Evan McMorris-Santoro finds some people still seeing Arizona as a holiday destination where they can leave their cares behind.
[Evan Mcmorris-santoro, Cnn Correspondent:] This is the Grand Canyon, nearly a mile deep and 8 to 10 miles wide, depending on where you're standing. Should be a place where it should be easy to social distance. But it's also the south rim of the Grand Canyon, one of the most important tourist destinations in Arizona hotels, gift, shops gathering places, other places that officials are worried the pandemic could spread.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] There are new rules here about masks and socially distancing that they're hoping will help to keep things controlled. Vacationers say it's worth the risk.
[Unidentified Female:] Basically because it's the safest thing to do right now with COVID-19. You can still enjoy a good vacation. You are out with family, friends, still outside, a great view, good times.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] What's it like to go on a vacation in the middle of this? You are coming from one hot spot to another one.
[Unidentified Female:] Basically everything is different. Normally on vacations you are looking for the ability to go out, sit down, eat. Now it's kind of getting everything and bringing it back to your rooms. And you have to wear a mask and you wear it in this heat, that can be difficult.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] Let me ask you about that mask thing, yours is pretty direct, you read this, you're too close? I walk around here I see some people not wearing them. What do you say about that? What do you think about what you're seeing in terms of people doing the mask requirement?
[Unidentified Female:] To each his own. I personally believe we have to think beyond ourselves. I'm not just wearing a mask for myself, I'm wearing a mask for the next person. And I don't want them to take anything back to their house and infect their family.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] The story in Arizona remains one of the governor, who wants to keep things open versus local elected officials in the largest cities, wanting to keep things closed. Last week the governor kept the indoor dining capacity at 50 percent, which he said was enough to curb the pandemic. Local officials said they want more Evan McMorris-Santoro, CNN, the Grand Canyon.
[M. Holmes:] When we come back here on CNN NEWSROOM, COVID-19 cases in the U.S., soaring other countries have managed to stop the spread, though, just, ahead a shocking comparison the, U.S. versus other places around the world.

[Blitzer:] Thirteen hours in America, two mass shootings, 29 people killed. In the wake of the tragedies in both El Paso and Dayton, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are slamming the president for rhetoric they say is inciting violence.
[Sen. Cory Booker , Presidential Candidate:] I want to say with more moral clarity that Donald Trump is responsible for this. He's responsible because he is stoking fears and hatred and bigotry. He is responsible because he's failing to condemn white supremacy and see it as it is, which is responsible for such a significant amount of the terrorist attacks.
[Julian Castro , Presidential Candidate:] There's a toxic brew right now in the United States and this is just one more example of that, of white nationalism. The manifesto that apparently this shooter wrote that says that Hispanics are taking over the state of Texas and changing the country. This echoes the kind of language that our president encourages, talking about invaders.
[Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] We've got to acknowledge the hatred, the open racism we're seeing. There's an environment of it in the United States. We see it on Fox News. We see it on the internet. But we also see it from our commander-in-chief. And he is encouraging this. He doesn't just tolerate it. He encourages it, calling Mexican immigrants, rapists, and criminals, warning of an invasion at our border, seeking to ban all people of one religion. Folks are responding to this. It doesn't just offend us. It encourages the violence we're seeing, including in my hometown of El Paso yesterday.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Do you think President Trump is a white nationalist?
[O'rourke:] Yes. I do.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] We also have to acknowledge that we have a president of the United States who uses the microphone, which is probably one of the most powerful tools in the hand of the president of the United States, and uses that microphone in a way that is about sowing hate and division in our country. In a way that is about not acknowledging domestic terrorism when it occurs, and in a way that is highly irresponsible and not a reflection of the values and morals of who we are as the American people.
[Pete Buttigieg, , Presidential Candidate:] You don't have to use a lot of imagination to connect the dots here. It is very clear that this kind of hate is being legitimized from on high. And if that were not true, the president would be acting and speaking very, very differently than what he's doing right now.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] When you have language that is racist, that is virulently anti-immigrant, there are mentally unstable people in this country who see that as a sign to do terrible, terrible things. So I think the president has got to stop that racism and that xenophobia immediately.
[Blitzer:] We're also getting reaction from Congressman Steve Scalise, the Republican congressman from Louisiana, the House Minority Whip. As you'll remember, Congressman Scalise was shot in June of 2017 during a congressional baseball practice in Virginia, right outside of Washington, D.C. He was shot and spent many months recovering from that shooting. Congressman Scalise tweeted a statement this saying this, "There is a sickness in our nation. Our religious and community institutions, the glue that bonds us are declining as a central force in society while the politicization of every aspect of life rises. These shooters turn to hatred and violence. As a result, dozens are dead. These events should be classified as domestic terrorism, and I'm glad that in the case of El Paso, the FBI is treating it as such. We must better equip our law enforcement agencies to prevent these massacres before they happen. There is clearly a culture of death in America today. Violence is glorified and normalized on our screens every day. Instead of seeking professional help for mental health problems, men are being radicalized in online forums. This must stop. In a media culture that encourages viewing people solely through hyper-partisan lenses and not as neighbors and fellow citizens, dangerous division and hatred of those you disagree with is the outcome. This can often lead to violent consequences as I've personally experienced. These events are tragedies. Reducing them to talking points and name calling in support of narrow political agendas only further divides our country. Jennifer and I pray for the people of El Paso and Dayton. May god help us and heal this great nation." That statement from Steve Scalise. We're going to have much more on all the breaking news on the shootings in El Paso and Dayton right after this.

[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Look, this is where Mattis, the last secretary of defense, had to resign. He felt he couldn't live with what the president decided. What will be Shanahan's red line? How far is he willing to publicly differ with the president?
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] Got it. Barbara Starr, thank you. And thank you for being with me. I'm Brooke Baldwin. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts now.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor:] Bob Mueller did not specifically mention President Donald Trump by name, but he sure seemed to have a message for him. THE LEAD starts right now. After two years of waiting, the special counsel finally talks about the Russia probe publicly. He does not clear the president of a crime. And the White House is attempting an, eh, old news strategy. Mueller's between-the-lines message, it's up to Congress to take action against President Trump or not. So what will Democrats do? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just weighed in. What did she say? And some 2020 presidential candidates now calling for impeachment proceedings after Mueller's statement. One of the Democratic hopefuls who has not gone that far will join me live. Has he changed his mind? Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin today with our politics lead. Breaking his silence. After two years of quietly and methodically investigating Russian election interference, special counsel Robert Mueller today spoke publicly on the subject for the first time. And while Mueller did not specifically call out President Donald Trump by name, he did refute many of the false claims the president has been peddling, including the idea that the investigation should never have even begun, that it was a witch-hunt.
[Robert Mueller, Russia Probe Special Counsel:] Russian intelligence officers who are part of the Russian military launched a concerted attack on our political system. They needed to be investigated and understood.
[Tapper:] Or the notion that this was an investigation conducted by a partisan gang of angry Democrats looking to stage a coup against the Trump presidency.
[Mueller:] These individuals who spent nearly two years with the special counsel's office were of the highest integrity.
[Tapper:] Or, perhaps most importantly, Mueller totally exonerated the president on obstruction of justice, in President Trump's view.
[Mueller:] If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.
[Tapper:] Mueller also making clear today he views the 448-page report as his testimony and has zero interest in speaking further with Congress. As CNN's Sara Murray now reports for us, Mueller, a former FBI director, made sure to end his 10-minute statement where the investigation began, Russian election interference and the ongoing threat from the Kremlin.
[Sara Murray, Cnn National Political Correspondent:] After two years of complete silence on the investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller chose his words carefully, emphasizing he did not clear President Trump of obstructing justice.
[Mueller:] If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime.
[Murray:] Instead, Mueller says he was unable to make that decision due to Department of Justice regulations.
[Mueller:] Under longstanding department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. That is unconstitutional. Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider.
[Murray:] Mueller's own words a sharp contrast to Attorney General William Barr's earlier suggestion that the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, or OLC, guidelines did not weigh heavily on Mueller's decision.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] We specifically asked him about the OLC opinion and whether or not he was taking the position that he would have found a crime but for the existence of the OLC opinion. And he made it very clear, several times, that that was not his position.
[Murray:] Today, Mueller appeared to point the obstruction issue to Congress, ramping up the pressure on Capitol Hill for impeachment.
[Mueller:] The opinion says that the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing.
[Murray:] Mueller also making clear that his personal preference is not to testify, but, if forced, he will stick within the bounds of his report.
[Mueller:] We chose those words carefully and the work speaks for itself. And the report is my testimony.
[Murray:] After two years of attacks from President Trump...
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] When they talk about obstruction, we fight back. and you know why we fight back? Because I knew how illegal this whole thing was. It was a scam.
[Murray:] ... Mueller defended his investigation, saying the obstruction probe was paramount.
[Mueller:] When the subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of the government's effort to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable.
[Murray:] And despite Trump's constant refrain...
[Trump:] I call it the Russian hoax. It's a total witch-hunt.
[Murray:] ... Mueller's team found evidence that Russia did influence the 2016 election to try to benefit Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton.
[Mueller:] Russian intelligence officers who are part of the Russian military launched a concerted attack on our political system. The releases were designed and timed to interfere with our election and to damage a presidential candidate.
[Murray:] The president tweeting today: "There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our country, a person is innocent. The case is closed." But while Mueller did not charge the Trump campaign for conspiring with Russians, he did not say there was no evidence, only
[Mueller:] There was insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy.
[Murray:] Now, Bob Mueller said today that he was going to resign and he's going to go back to private life. We are now learning that it will be his last day today as special counsel. His spokesman, Peter
[Carroll:] , is confirming that. And, Jake, also, as he was giving this comments today, he was sure to go out of his way to thank the members of his team for their integrity, for their fairness. I have to imagine he felt that was important to do, in light of all of these attacks that the president has lobbed against them over the past two years.
[Tapper:] All right, and let's chew over all of this, but Sara, let me just ask you, what's the bottom line? What's the most important thing that Mueller said today?
[Murray:] I think the most important thing is, you know, if we could have cleared the president of committing a crime, we would have done that. He was very clear that he felt it was sort of out of his ability to make that decision, to be able to fully exonerate the president because of the evidence that he had available. And he felt it was out of his bounds to say that the president committed a crime. It would have been unfair. It would have been unconstitutional. And, you know, if you read the report, you can see where there were a number of instances where the president acted in a way that certainly looked like obstruction of justice.
[Tapper:] What do you think, Carrie? What do you think the bottom line was for Mueller? What did he want us to walk away with?
[Carrie Cordero, Cnn Legal Analyst:] I think, first of all, he wanted us to walk away and know that the Russian interference effort was serious. And he made that point specifically.
[Tapper:] And ongoing.
[Cordero:] And ongoing.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Cordero:] But on and so I think he wanted to make that national security point for the country and make sure that that doesn't leave our consciousness as we talk about the politics and everything else. But this obstruction point is also impossible to look away from, because I think what he was really saying is, Congress has a job to do. And he, as a prosecutor, as a Justice Department prosecutor, under the regulations, has done as much as he possibly can. He can't do more. It's not prosecutors' job to charge a president of the United States.
[Tapper:] And, Juliette, Mueller said nice things about Attorney General Barr, and said whatever suggested whatever disagreements he had were in good faith. But if you look at what Mueller said about how much he relied on the Office of Legal Counsel guidance that a sitting president cannot be indicted and what the attorney general said in April, there's a real disconnect. Let I think we have the sound of the attorney general, question three, if we can run that.
[Barr:] He made it very clear several times that that was not his position. He was not saying that but for the OLC opinion, he would have found a crime. He made it clear that he had not made the determination that there was a crime.
[Tapper:] Is that a contradiction, do you think?
[Juliette Kayyem, Former Department Of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary:] Absolutely. And I think people like to always say that Mueller is not political. I think he's incredibly political, in a good way. I don't mean that in a bad way, that he did not want the story to be Barr completely misled the American public. He wanted the story to be, basically, volume one and volume two. Volume one, the Russians, as Carrie was saying, do not forget volume one. It is the Russians. They will continue to do it. They will undermine our democracies, not just here, but, of course, in other democracies. And then essentially volume two, which essentially says, I'm done, right? I did what I needed to do. It is now a different sort of judgment, a different jury that has to determine where are you going to take the findings of volume two? So I viewed him as being very political. And that's OK, right? He wants there's other audiences. It's either Congress or the American public.
[Tapper:] And, Jeremy Diamond, you cover the White House. The White House put out a fund-raising e-mail declaring this as a hoax and a witch-hunt. And President Trump tweeted: "Nothing changes from the Mueller report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our country, a person is innocent. The case is closed. Thank you." A relatively strained comment from the president as of 4:09 p.m. Eastern.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn Politics Correspondent:] For now.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Diamond:] For now, yes. But, at the same time, I think there was also a lot of misleading commentary in both the president's tweet there, where he seems to suggest that the only reason that Bob Mueller concluded or couldn't conclude that he committed a crime on obstruction of justice was because of insufficient evidence. That was Mueller's justification on the question of a conspiracy with the Russians to interfere in the 2016 election.
[Tapper:] Right.
[Diamond:] As far as obstruction of justice, Mueller was very clear that it was because of the OLC opinion and because of this idea that he didn't want to accuse a sitting president of a crime when he didn't have the opportunity to defend himself in that way. But Sarah Sanders also today was repeatedly making this claim that it was a question of insufficient evidence. And I think that it comes back to the idea of, why did Bob Mueller want to deliver these remarks today? One of the reasons, clearly, is because he feels like a lot of the central points of his report were lost on the American public, in part because of the president's efforts and his allies' efforts to really obfuscate the general conclusions of that and to try to portray them in a much more favorable light to himself.
[Tapper:] And perhaps the other reason, Justin Amash, Republican congressman from Michigan, he tweeted: "The ball is in our court, Congress." That's his interpretation of this. A lot of House Democrats agree with that. Do you agree? Is that one of the messages that he was saying? The ball's in your court, Congress?
[Cordero:] Absolutely. What the special counsel was describing is constitutional responsibilities. He viewed it, as a prosecutor under Department of Justice regulations, that it was outside the bounds of his constitutional sphere to be able to make a recommendation to charge the president with a crime. But then it is Congress' job. And Congressman Amash is standing up and saying that, as a Republican, that Congress has a job to do. And they can't shirk their constitutional responsibilities. The other point is that the statement of special counsel Mueller shows that it is impossible to square that with what the attorney general said in his press conference and his letter, and that's just apparent now. The special counsel was specific to what he put in his report, and that is just not what the attorney general led the American people to believe.
[Tapper:] And Sarah Sanders was on a different channel, the president's favorite channel, saying there was no collusion, Mueller made it very clear, very specifically, there's no collusion. Actually, Mueller says, I'm not talking about collusion in this report, because it has no legal term. I'm talking about conspiracy. And the conclusion is not that there was none, but that there was insufficient evidence of it to bring a prosecutable case.
[Kayyem:] Right. Absolutely. If he could have exonerated the president and I thought that was just a key line if I could have exonerated the president, I would have.
[Tapper:] To say that out loud.
[Kayyem:] I know. Would have in heartbeat. Of course you would have. And the failure to do it, or then we're it's up to us to read the silences. Right? And Mueller has given us enough. He doesn't have to lay everything out. It means their failure to exonerate the president or their not exonerating the president means that there is something to move forward with. Now, whether that is the cases that are ongoing, whether it's impeachment, that's up to us. And I think, just going back to the Russia issue on volume one, because I just we cannot forget volume one, because we have an election coming up. He was clear to say that was the reason why he indicted all of these Russian entities, because, even if we can't get them into court, you're basically naming and shaming them.
[Tapper:] And they're doing it again.
[Kayyem:] Yes.
[Tapper:] He's made it very clear, as have Trump administration officials, if not the president himself. The White House says, bring on the impeachment proceedings. It could actually help the president, they believe. Should Democrats proceed with caution? Next, I will talk to presidential candidate, member of the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, Congressman Eric Swalwell. Stay with us.

[Romans:] Protesters taking to the streets in Dallas after former police officer Amber Guyger was sentenced to 10 years for murdering her unarmed black neighbor. The scene inside the courtroom was extraordinary with a stunning moment of forgiveness from the brother of the victim. We get more from CNN's Ed Lavandera.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] Dave and Christine, the drama that unfolded at the end of the Amber Guyger murder trial is unlike anything that we've ever seen. A range of emotions that went from anger to sadness to forgiveness.
[Judge Tammy Kemp, 204th District Court, Dallas, Texas:] We, the jury, find unanimously that the defendant did not cause the death of Botham Jean while under the immediate influence of sudden passion arising from inadequate cause and assess the defendant's punishment at 10 years imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
[Lavandera:] The words left Botham Jean's family appearing dismayed and shocked. Amber Guyger sentenced to 10 years in prison. She'll be eligible for parole in five years at just the age of 36.
[Protesters:] No justice, no peace. No justice, no peace. No justice, no peace.
[Lavandera:] Outside the courtroom, the sentenced angered protesters, sparking chants.
[Unidentified Female:] The police departments around the country this is not a joke. This is our lives.
[Lavandera:] But at the same time inside the courtroom, a dramatic scene was unfolding.
[Jean:] I forgive you.
[Lavandera:] Botham Jean's 18-year-old brother Brandt spoke directly to the former Dallas police officer who killed his brother. He told Guyger that he didn't want to see her rot in prison and that he had one request before she was taken to her jail cell.
[Jean:] I love you as a person and I don't wish anything bad on you. I don't know if this is possible but can I give her a hug, please? Please?
[Kemp:] Yes.
[Lavandera:] Guyger's attorney called it humbling and the most amazing moment he had ever seen in a courtroom. The emotion lingered long after the case ended. Judge Tammy Kemp hugged Botham Jean's family and in a rare move, also hugged Amber Guyger, the convicted murderer, and gave her a bible.
[Kemp:] You can have mine. I have three or four more at home. This is the one I use every day. This is your job for the next month.
[Lavandera:] Allison Jean, Botham's mother, shared her hope for how Amber Guyger spends her years in prison.
[Allison Jean, Botham's Mother:] That 10 years in prison is 10 years for her reflection and for her to change her life. If Amber Guyger was trained not to shoot in the heart
[Unidentified Female:] Right, right.
[A. Jean:] my son would be standing here today.
[Unidentified Male:] He was no threat.
[A. Jean:] He was no threat.
[Unidentified Male:] It's a shame.
[A. Jean:] To her. He had no reason to pose a threat to her because he was in his own apartment, in his sanctuary.
[Lavandera:] Botham Jean's mother says her family will never be the same but they must go on living. The hope is the composure and grace shown by her son Brandt in the courtroom today will be the first steps in that long journey Dave and Christine.
[Briggs:] Terrific reporting there, Ed Lavandera. At least people are dead after a World War II era B-17 bomber crashed while trying to land in Connecticut.
[Unidentified Female:] He was way too low. He was way too low. When I ran over to the field and actually a guy had turned around in his car and he was like oh, my god, I thought it was going to land on me.
[Briggs:] Six others on that plane and at least one person on the ground were injured. CNN's Athena Jones with more.
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Good morning, Christine and Dave. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what caused this fiery crash that killed seven. This was quite an old plane. A vintage Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. These were the bombers that helped Allied Forces win World War II. The plane was trying to land when it crashed at the end of the runway at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks just north of Hartford. We know one person on the ground was injured. There were 13 people on board altogether, 10 passengers and three crew members. We know that shortly after takeoff, one of the pilots had asked air traffic control to return to the airfield. Listen to the conversations the pilots had with air traffic control.
[Unidentified Male:] Boeing 93012, we'd like to return to the field. Number 93012, say that again? What is the reason for coming back? Number four engine, we'd like to return. I just want to make sure because we have jet traffic coming in. Can you go or do you need to be on the ground right now?
[Jones:] The B-17 soon crashed running into a deicing facility there on the ground off to the side of the runway. The plane belonged to a Collings Foundation, a private nonprofit foundation dedicated to the preservation and public display of automobile and aviation history. A Wings of Freedom Tour featuring the B-17 and other aircraft was scheduled to take place through Thursday, according to the foundation. The foundation said in a statement to CNN, "The Collings Foundation flight team is fully cooperating with officials to determine the cause of the crash of the B-17 Flying Fortress and will comment further when details become known" Christine, Dave.
[Briggs:] Athena Jones, thank you. Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib courting new controversy with her comments to Detroit's police chief. Tlaib told him he should hire only blacks as facial recognition analysts because she says people who aren't black think all blacks look the same. She made the remarks during a tour of Detroit's Real-Time Crime Center. Police chief James Craig had invited her after Tlaib tweeted her that facial recognition technology was, quote, "BS." Craig rejected Tlaib's suggestion saying he trusts people who are trained regardless of race or gender.
[Romans:] All right. Let's get a check on CNN Business this morning. Looking at markets around the world, you can see European shares have opened mixed here, although German stocks down almost 3 percent. That's a big move for one day. Asian stocks led fears about trade and the global economy grow. Chinese markets are closed for the holiday week. On Wall Street, we've got futures, it looks like they're going to try to bounce after what's been a rough couple of days for investors. The Dow fell about 500 points yesterday. It's down 3.1 percent in the first two days of the fourth quarter. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also closed lower. Good news for mom and pop regular investors. E-Trade is eliminating commissions for its clients. The online broker had been charging $695 as a standard commission but now it will be zero. It follows rivals Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade who both ended commissions Tuesday. The industry faces competition from startups like Robinhood with no or low commissions via popular apps. Zero commissions at E-Trade take effect October 7th. All right, Fortnite, one of the hottest games in the world. Its popularity is paying off. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has landed on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans for the very first time. Sweeney came in at the 150th spot with an estimated net worth $4.5 billion. Also on the list for the first time, MacKenzie Bezos. She came in at the number 15th spot with an estimated net worth of $36 billion. She became an instant billionaire after her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
[Briggs:] Fortnite is a free game, right?
[Romans:] It is a free game, but in his pocket, Mr. Sweeney has some of my hard-earned money because
[Briggs:] Oh, yes, an awful lot of both of ours. Wow. The staying power of
[Romans:] You're welcome, Sweeney. You're welcome.
[Briggs:] Thanks to our international viewers for joining us. Have a great rest of your day. For our U.S. viewers, EARLY START continues right now.
[Romans:] Just hours from now, the first witness in the impeachment inquiry faces Congress. What will the former special envoy to Ukraine have to say?
[Trump:] We have the president of Finland. Ask him a question.
[Mason:] I have one for him. I just wanted to follow up on the one that I asked you, which is
[Trump:] Did you hear me? Did you hear me?
[Briggs:] The president unleashing

[Whitfield:] Senator Bernie Sanders is campaigning this weekend in New Hampshire where he is hosting a series of ice cream socials. CNN's Ryan Nobles is traveling with the Sanders campaign right now in Hampton. So, what has been the message served up along with the ice cream?
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Yes. Well, Fred, the ice cream social just wrapped up here in Hampton and now Senator Sanders taking part in what's been kind of a new addition to his campaign strategy, the selfie line, which is kind of become standard operating procedure for 2020 candidates. Everybody that came to the ice cream social has an opportunity to get their picture with this presidential candidate. And you know, there's no doubt Sanders is putting a special emphasis on New Hampshire. In this event that just warped up, he talks specifically about how important the New Hampshire voter is in the presidential primary process. And he also talked about how, even though there are a lot of Democratic candidates, his brand of Democratic politics is different. These aren't just all different shades of the same color. He wants to make it clear that the things that he's talked about like a $15 minimum page, Medicare for all, getting out of unnecessary foreign policy entanglements is something that he's been talking about for a long time and the Democratic Party has just come around to in the last four years. So, that's the message he's driving home today, Fred. A lot of people responding well to it at least at these events and Sanders is hoping to carry that into Iowa next week with another big trip on his calendar. Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right, Ryan Nobles, thank you so much. All right, still to come, President Trump making history stepping foot in North Korea and meeting with Kim Jong-un. What does this moment mean for both countries and how will these impact nuclear negotiations?

[Baldwin:] The Texas Supreme Court, just hours ago ordered the release of that Dallas hair salon owner who was jailed for defying a statewide stay-at-home order. The state's high court stepped in after a Dallas County judge sentenced her to a week in jail. CNN's Ed Lavandera has been following this for us. And so, Ed, this woman's case has been really a flashpoint in Texas, with the governor and the A.G. siding with the salon owner. So tell me more about the latest development.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, she's become Shelley Luther has become a celebrity among the number of people here in Texas pushing to get businesses allowed to open up much faster than some people would like to see here. And as you mentioned, Brooke, the Texas supreme court ruled just a short while ago that Shelley Luther should be released from jail. She had been sentenced to a week in jail for civil and criminal contempt of court, of a judge's order. Last week, she had ripped up a cease- and-desist order from a judge here in Dallas County for keeping her hair salon open in North Dallas. And the move from the Texas supreme court comes after Governor Greg Abbott says he amended his executive order, his stay-at-home order, which prevented businesses like hair salons to open up during his coronavirus pandemic. He had amended that executive order to not allow confinement in jail for any violations of his order. Which really begs the question among many people here, as just exactly how do you enforce these orders if that kind of punishment is taken off the table? But nonetheless, Shelley Luther, about to be released from jail here, at some point this afternoon. There's a small group of supporters who have shown up here at the Dallas County Jail to see her walk out of this jail, where she has been just several days, serving part of that seven-day sentence. And all of this, ironically enough, happening as the governor here in Texas has decided to allow hair salons, barber shops, nail salons to open up, starting tomorrow Brooke.
[Baldwin:] DO you think, outside of those, you know, hair salons, barber shops, her release today, what do you think that means for other business owners there in Texas?
[Lavandera:] Well, you know, that's the question that many people have here at this point. You know, there are still a number of businesses that are technically under the stay-at-home order and aren't allowed to reopen. You have gyms, you have bars, you have office buildings and that sort of thing. So, you know, many people are asking, it's like, what happens if we just decide to ignore the orders altogether and just start opening up at will? There are fines and

[Baldwin:] Kicking off the second half of 2020, stocks opened higher an Pfizer reported positive data in its coronavirus vaccine trial. And as the economy continues to suffer from the effects of this pandemic, Wall Street experienced a strong close to second-quarter gains. But while Wall Street is rallying, Americans are hurting. So what's behind this massive disconnect? Here to help us understand it, financial expert, Alexis Glick. She's a former Wall Street executive and is now the CEO of the nonprofit, Gen Youth. Hello, my friend and thank you for coming on.
[Alexis Glick, Ceo, Genyouth & Financial Expert:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Why the divide between Wall Street and the economy?
[Glick:] Brooke, you and I talk all the time. I haven't seen anything like this in my career and I've covered or worked on Wall Street the last 20 years. The disconnect is the greatest disconnect I've ever seen. The market now is being buoyed by two things. The idea of the economy reopening. And number two, fiscal and monetary stimulus, which the government has been pumping into the market. But what we tend to do in the stock market is we buy on the rumor and sell on the news. We're buying on the rumor that the economy is going to come roaring back. But the reality is, with the escalation in COVID cases, we are far from roaring back. And very briefly, I'll tell you, the S&P 500 represents 500 of the largest companies in the worlds. And 200 of those 500 companies are no longer giving quarterly guidance into what their numbers look like. If that doesn't scare you, I don't get it. To me, right now, when those second-quarter results start coming out in the next couple of weeks, we're going to have a reality check in the stock market, and we're going to begin to see the economy reflected in the stock market.
[Baldwin:] I want to ask you about jobs because I saw this number. The payroll company, ADP, reported U.S. companies added nearly 2.4 million jobs in June. But total unemployment is very much below pre-pandemic levels. Alexis, what concerns you the most, particularly as it relates to jobs and we're seeing an uptick in COVID cases?
[Glick:] The thing that keeps me up at night is the federal assistance we've been receiving in unemployment benefits. As we sit here today, almost 48 million people filed weekly claims. Over 30 million Americans are receiving employment benefits. That $600 check given out in the March CARES Act, it actually expires on July 31. In some states, those checks stopped. The last check goes out on July 25th. The Senate is going into recess on Friday through July 17th. That means that when they return back from recess, we have about 10 days to address this problem. It's a lifeline for tens of millions of Americans. While I get there's a concern that that federal dollar on top of the states' dollars are basically people are making more money than they may make in a living wage in they do in their day-to-day job. The reality is, if we lose federal assistance in an unemployment benefits and we don't do something, very quickly and urgently, when those members of Congress go back and see their constituents, when they start to see second-quarter earnings, as these COVID cases begin to escalate, if we don't act and extends employment benefits to 2021, we're going to see a major pullback in the economy. And all these rose-colored glasses about the V-shaped recovery are going to dissipate before we know it.
[Baldwin:] We should talk again when Congress is back up against the clock on all of this. For now, I will say thank you, Alexis. Good to see you. Good to have you on.
[Glick:] Great to see you.
[Baldwin:] And coming up here, more of a personal piece. So many have watched and supported me when I was fighting coronavirus early back in April and my journey back to good health. So, now, I want to show you what I and so many other COVID survivors are doing next in the fight against the virus. So stay tuned.

[Don Lemon, Cnn:] All right. So, they're going to take the vote now. You're watching the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump. I'm Don Lemon. The debate running late into the night, they didn't expect this. They are voting now on a Democratic amendment to subpoena Pentagon records and documents. So far, the Republicans senators have been voting all night strictly along party lines against every request for more evidence, every request to subpoena witnesses and documents. And so, it's going to take a while to vote. We're going to get back to it when they get back to it. I have assembled a team of experts here. We have Frank Bruni, we have Max Boot, we have Laura Coates, and we have John Dean. So, let's get to it. John, I want to get to you first because you've been involved in impeachment of course with Nixon. Nixon, he resigned before the actual as the impeachment papers were being drawn up. Listen, they didn't expect it to go this way. This is a surprise. We don't know they're going to vote. But we don't know how long this is going to go on. We saw Chuck Schumer. We saw Mitch McConnell go at it. Mitch McConnell wanted to he said, listen, we can do all of this later.
[John Dean, Cnn Contributor:] This is going on because the minority leader and the majority leader are not communicating. And they refuse to cooperate with each other. They're pulling surprises on each other. So, Schumer said I'm not going to agree to stack all these together and I'm going to keep the voting going, just because you won't play fair.
[Lemon:] Yes. Laura, I want to ask you because the Supreme Court has oral arguments tomorrow at 10 a.m. And if this I mean, this is getting late. The chief justice is presiding over this tonight. Does he have to be there tomorrow, because this is really late night for him and it's going to be a really early morning? Do we know?
[Laura Coates, Cnn Legal Analyst:] I think you have to be there still. But remember, it's the last day for a while. He has no oral arguments for a couple, I think until February 24th after tomorrow's session. So, he may have just kind of suck it up because this is an impeachment after all. And he hasn't had to do a lot of rulings because of all 53- 47 sort of votes are taking place. But what you're seeing about this, these late nights all about perhaps a retaliatory strategy in part of somebody like Chuck Schumer to say, you want to streamline and facilitate the ability to end all this? You could have done this in the administration by giving us documents long ago. So, perhaps the way to expedite this entire thing would be, and in fact, to allow us to have some semblance of a transparent and public trial.
[Lemon:] Listen, and no one broke ranks. Everything has been 53-47. But let me ask you, ask you this, Frank. There were some surprises though from Mitch McConnell. Because House evidence will be, they voted to bring that in. I think he was surprised by some of that. They're going late into the night. And then instead of two days because we were sitting here saying wait a minute, why, yesterday going why two days? Why, you know, one in the morning? Here we are. At 10.26 Eastern Time and they're still going tonight. And then so there's a three-day concession now instead of two days. There were some surprises for him tonight.
[Frank Bruni, Cnn Contributor:] Right. And the reporting suggests that that three days instead of two is partly under pressure from some Republican moderates. That sounds if you're not thinking about it like a kind of random what does it matter. But if you have eight-hour days versus 12-hour days it means that more of the stuff will happen at an hour at the television hour when people might actually tune in. I think that we're seeing today though, is also really interesting beyond just the sort of retaliatory we're not going to do this quickly. They're kind of getting into evidence, the stuff they're arguing, would you please allow this in. So, you just heard if you're watching, Adam Schiff say to the senators, they don't want you to know that these notes exist. Well, now the senators know those notes exist because Adam Schiff just mentioned that.
[Lemon:] You just took my question to Max.
[Bruni:] Yes. I'm sorry.
[Lemon:] That's all right.
[Bruni:] But they're just saying, I mean, they're going on a great length. You can watch and say why are they doing it. They're doing it because if they never get any of this stuff in at least they've mentioned and described it all to the senators right now.
[Lemon:] Yes. The producers will let us know, we'll let us know when they get close to the vote. We pretty much know how it's going to go here. But the evidence thing by the way was a rule changed. But still, you know, I think that there were some surprises that didn't go quite as planned. But maybe there was, maybe, you know, Mitch McConnell said I'll give them the very least and then, you know, and then we can go a little bit larger here. All right. We're going to get back and listen in because they've now voted. There it is. Again, 53-47 along party lines. Let's go back to it. [PRESIDENT TRUMP'S IMPEACHMENT HEARING]

[Harlow:] All right. This morning Republican lawmakers face a crucial choice as the crisis in Syria grows by the minute. Do they trust that the president's new round of sanctions on Turkey will do anything to curb the bloodshed or do they work with Democrats to put forth veto- proof, much stronger sanctions on Turkey? Let's talk about that and a lot more with Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. He sits in the House Oversight and Intelligence Committee. Thank you so much for being here on specially on such a busy morning for you. Let's start there. So these sanctions from the White House includes raising steel tariffs. They include some sanctions on high level government officials. They include stopping trade negotiations with Turkey. Is it enough? Because when you look at steel imports, for example, they're down 76 percent in Turkey since a year ago, meaning are these real sanctions with teeth or just a show?
[Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi:] They don't look that significant to me. I think that Mr. Erdogan is coming to the White House in November still. I think that should be canceled. I don't think that we should be hosting this authoritarian Leader who's now attacking our allies. I think this is this all just rings so hollow after that October 6th phone call where he talked to the Turkish leader and basically gave him a green light to attack our allies.
[Harlow:] So to that point, here is what Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the U.S. could do in terms of sanctions. He said this just on Sunday.
[Steven Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary:] We could shut down all U.S. dollar transactions with the entire environment government of Turkey.
[Jonathan Karl, Abc News:] Is that something you may do?
[Mnuchin:] That is something we may do, absolutely.
[Harlow:] Would that be, Congressman, a more appropriate response at this point in time?
[Krishnamoorthi:] I think something like that would be more appropriate. I think right now these sanctions that the president announced or his administration announced sound hollow to me. You know, what he did was basically endanger national security. There are thousands of ISIS fighters who are now scurrying about in Syria because those Kurdish guards went to the front to fight against the Turkish forces. And so we're endangering national security and we're sending a horrible message to anybody anywhere in the world who would want to help work with us ever again on anything.
[Harlow:] I want you to talk a moment to listen to something from Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney. She has been very critical last week of the president's decision to pull back in Northern Syria, leading to what we see now from Turkey. But then she said this yesterday that was striking. Here it is.
[Rep. Liz Cheney:] What the Democrats are doing themselves to try to weaken this president is part of this. It was not an accident that the Turks chose this moment to roll across the border. And I think the Democrats have got to pay very careful attention to the damage that they're doing with the impeachment proceedings.
[Harlow:] She is tying the two together, Congressman, and blaming you guys. What's your response?
[Krishnamoorthi:] I strongly disagree with that. I think that, if anything, this phone call that happened on October 6 between Mr. Trump and the Turkish leader needs to potentially be examined. Like what the heck was going on? Why did he reverse course so suddenly? Charitably, his decision to abandon our allies was reckless and rash, but what was really discussed during that phone call? I don't know.
[Harlow:] Let me ask you one thing before we move on to the impeachment inquiry, which I want to get to. We just had Congressman Eric Swalwell on, your Democratic colleague in the House, and he just told Jim that he does not think that Turkey is an ally today to the United States. Their behavior could change and that could change. But given their actions and position now, they're not an ally. Do you still consider Turkey to be a U.S. ally at this point?
[Krishnamoorthi:] Well, they're not acting like an ally right now, Poppy. They're still part of the NATO alliance. But given their recent actions, they're not acting like our NATO allies. And so we have to act accordingly, and I think that measures to show our strong disapproval of what happened are appropriate and I hope are done on a bipartisan basis this week alone.
[Harlow:] All right. Let's get to the impeachment inquiry. It's a big week. I understand you were not in the testimony from Fiona Hill yesterday. But right after this interview, you are going to question George Kent, the deputy assistant of European and Eurasian affairs. He has been a defender of former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and defended her in multiple accounts. What is the most important thing you hope to learn from George Kent this morning?
[Krishnamoorthi:] I hope to learn I'm about to go there, and I'm hoping to learn what is his knowledge with regard to the central allegations in the whistleblower complaint, including those allegations Regarded to Yovanovitch. As you alluded earlier, basically, she was forced out of her position by Trump officials. We don't know exactly why. But if she was somehow an obstacle to their pressure campaign on the Ukrainian leaders to meddle in our 2020 election, and he has knowledge of that, we would like to know. But in addition to that, he also has knowledge about Mr. Lutsenko and others in the Ukraine who were just these fake prosecutors, I would say. And, you know, this is a man that the Trump folks like to elude to as somehow the paragon of prosecutors.
[Harlow:] His time as the deputy chief of the mission Kiev overlap with Lutsenko. So that will be an interesting line of inquiry. Finally, on Thursday you're going to now because of the subpoena, you're going to have the E.U. ambassador, Gordon Sondland testify. You said a week ago on this network that you believe that Sondland is at the heart of the president's pressure campaign on Ukraine. What is the number one question that you have for him?
[Krishnamoorthi:] Well, in a Wall Street Journal report, apparently he talked to Senator Ron Johnson. And he said that, basically, the reason why Ukrainian aid was being held up was because the Ukrainians had not yet agreed to an investigation of the Bidens, In other words, meddling in our 2020 elections. We would probably like to ask him more about as well as all the other text exchanges he had with others about the allegations of the whistleblower complaint. He knows a lot and we're hoping to learn more from him about the substance and voracity of those allegations in the whistleblower complaint.
[Harlow:] Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, thank you for your time. I'll let you get into that questioning now. We appreciate it.
[Krishnamoorthi:] Thank you.
[Harlow:] You got it.
[Sciutto:] He'll be a fly on the wall in that room.
[Harlow:] Yes. I wonder if we're going to get the transcripts.
[Sciutto:] Yes. And listen, there are even some Republicans, of course, calling for that to be released. A buck eye battleground. When the Democratic president candidates face off tonight, the will be fighting to turn Ohio blue again in 2020. Coming up, we will hear from Ohio voters about which way they are leaning now.
[Harlow:] Also there's new sanctions on Turkey, new trouble for U.S. allies in Syria, the U.S. is scrambling to remove troops from a very serious situation. We'll have a live report from the ground, next.

[Paula Newton, Cnn International:] Efficient little rally underway on the Dow. This is the final hour of trading on Wall Street. We'll see if we can push through to 27,000 in the next hour. As you can see there, stocks firmly in the green on this last day of the third quarter. Here is what's moving the markets. Christine Lagarde tells our Richard Quest that impeachment could create major economic disruption. I'll speak with Mohamed El-Erian to know what lies ahead. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince warns of a global economic collapse if the world goes to war with Iran. And this just isn't going to work. WeWork has finally postponed its IPO. Live from the world's financial capital, New York City. It's Monday, September the 30th. I'm Paula Newton, in for Richard Quest and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. Tonight, impeachment proceedings moving at a rapid pace in Washington. It's a city consumed by the investigation that House Democrats have opened into President Donald Trump who is now demanding to meet the whistleblower who outed his conversation with the Ukrainian President. Meantime, the outgoing head of the IMF tells CNN economic consequences could soon follow the political fireworks erupting in the U.S. Capitol.
[Christine Lagarde, Outgoing Managing Director Of International Monetary Fund:] It could very well create massive disruption, and I think it would undermine the U.S. leadership.
[Newton:] Okay, Democrats in the House can forget their congressional recess this week. The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says his panel is moving swiftly on hearings, and of course, those all-important subpoenas. Adam Schiff says the whistleblower will testify very soon. Lawmakers can also expect to hear from the former U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker. That's on Thursday, and on Friday, sources say the Inspector General who handled the whistleblower's complaint, Michael Atkinson, will testify to the Intelligence Committee in private and that is key. Now in the past few moments, Donald Trump went back on the offensive from the White House claiming that he was the victim of a conspiracy.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] So Adam Schiff made up a phony call and he read it to Congress and he read it to the people of the United States. And it's a disgrace. This whole thing is a disgrace.
[Newton:] Now, our Senior Congressional Correspondent, Manu Raju has been following all of this from Capitol Hill. I mean, Manu, the tick tock of this is moving very quickly and we know the Democrats are being very deliberate about this. And yet all are they convinced that this is still the right thing to do, because there is of course still that corner of Democrats saying, are we sure we want to go through with this? Will this be okay for the 2020 campaign?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Well, there are Democrats overwhelmingly in the House who do support an Impeachment Inquiry, but when it comes to actual Articles of Impeachment, actually voting to impeach this President, making this the third President in U.S. history to get impeached, now that is a different question that has not yet united this party, but in the matter of weeks ahead that could presumably change. Now Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee do plan to move forward rapidly. We could expect subpoenas soon for Rudy Giuliani, the President's personal attorney who went to and tried to reach out to Ukraine officials and urged Ukraine officials to investigate the Biden, someone who was mentioned himself in that whistleblower complaint. Also other officials consume be hit with subpoenas. Already, the State Department the U.S. State Department has already been hit with the subpoena from Democrats to turn over records and also scheduled depositions for five State Department officials who were mentioned in that complaint. Now in addition to that, I just had a chance to talk to Mark Warner, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating this matter saying that they want to get to the bottom of this issue.
[Sen. Mark Warner:] There are an awful lot of questions raised by the whistleblower's complaint. It touches on a wide variety of areas and wide variety of areas that if they all prove to be true, I think, open a whole lot of legal questions. But again, let's take this step by step. Let's I'm not going to jump to conclusions. I want to try to treat this process with the respect and fairness that everyone deserves. I wish we'd see that same kind of respect for the process coming out of the White House.
[Raju:] And when I asked the Senator about whether he is concerned about the whistleblower's safety he said, quote, "Any rational person would be concerned about the whistleblower's safety after the President's comments" and his committee along with the U.S. Intelligence Committee both want to talk to the whistleblower although that date has not yet been scheduled Paula.
[Newton:] It's certainly a point of concern when you start talking about all of that. It is quite serious. Another point of concern, of course, is the fact that the President is fighting back and fighting back hard. I've been interested
[Raju:] Paula, I lost your audio there. But I believe you're talking about what the House Democrats are planning on doing in the days ahead, but expect this investigation to move forward, to wrap up, presumably, by Thanksgiving time as the Democrats want to make a decision on whether or not to impeach this President Paula.
[Newton:] Manu Raju will continue to follow, as we say these fast moving developments for us on Capitol Hill. Appreciate it. And now the Impeachment Inquiry into Donald Trump does more than just threaten his presidency. It also raises new questions over the chance of the U.S.-China trade deal. Wall Street is busy trying to guess that the pressure on Mr. Trump to make some kind of a deal more or less likely. I don't need to remind anyone that the jury is out on that. The trade deal, the President already agreed with Mexico and Canada could be in jeopardy though. Ratifying it depends on backing from the Democratic-led House at a time when cross-party cooperation seems ever more unlikely. And major legislation could also get sidelined like the effort to reduce prescription drug prices for millions of Americans. Now with that deal in the balance and trade disputes growing ever louder. Christine Lagarde spoke to Richard Quest and had this warning.
[Lagarde:] You know, I lived through Watergate. And I was actually working on the Hill as a little intern of a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Bill Cohen. And I could see in those days, how much energy, focus, brainpower was actually spent on the Watergate issues. If this is going to be the same again, I can only imagine how much more energy, brainpower and focus there will be on those purely political issues, which will be a complete distraction from focusing on the economy, producing values, the wellbeing of people. I respect what is going on. And I have no opinion and no view because I'm not an American. But from an economic point of view and from the global economic point of view, it could very well create a massive disruption. And I think it would undermine the U.S. leadership.
[Newton:] Okay, some blunt comments there. Lagarde covered a lot of ground with Richard. You can see the whole interview on Wednesday's program, same time, same place, only right here on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. And we want to get, of course, our expert view on all of these matters. Mohamed El-Erian is Chief Economic Adviser at Allianz. Let's deal first with the impeachment. The market so calm about this, why?
[Mohamed El-erian, Chief Economic Adviser, Allianz:] Because it has seen political news before and the right trade has been to just sidestep that. The assumption is even if the House moves forward, the Senate won't. So right now the markets
[Newton:] To a real threat of impeachment as Manu was saying, we've got this inquiry, but the actual impeachment won't come to a head.
[El-erian:] Correct. And then there's a second view, and you mentioned it is that the market now believes that the likelihood of a trade deal has gone up. So put those two things together and the market is very relaxed about it.
[Newton:] And which would be good reasons at this point in time, except for the fact that we still don't even have a trade deal gone through on USMCA and that's already been negotiated.
[El-erian:] And except that the rest of the world is slowing very rapidly in Europe, in particular, to U.S. has to continue to be the engine of growth, and you need to put more gas in the growth, in that engine. And right now, we're looking at paralysis on Capitol Hill to really get through this. So I think in the short term, the market is right to be calm. But if you take it longer term, because there's real question marks about how we keep this rally going.
[Newton:] One way that some people believe to keep the rally going is of course that trade deal with China. Stephen Schwarzman says this is brand new territory for you as politics. He is the Blackstone CEO, of course, and he is known for his close ties with the Trump administration. I want you to listen to what he told, Richard.
[Stephen A. Schwarzman, Ceo, Blackstone:] It's been a sort of an unprecedented level of hostility. And you know, I've been around a long time, and I've never seen a situation where there was an election and the day after, you know, there's some outcry and, you know, attempt to sort of take down, you know, the next President and so I don't know what ever stops this over a four-year period, frankly.
[Richard Quest, Cnn International Host, Quest Means Business:] That's where I was getting at that of course is the important bit, isn't it because it may not be a full year period. It may be an eight-year period after next year. What's gone wrong here? I mean, why has the well become so poisoned?
[Schwarzman:] I have difficulty understanding it because in my life, you know, when your team loses an election, which happens with some frequency, it's a like a British system, the king is dead, long live the king, there's always a new king. In this case, it just didn't take and so we're in new territory. At least over the last more or less 50 to 60 years since World War II, and not having a significant part of a political establishment, not getting on board with a new administration.
[Quest:] You have been very closely involved with the administration, the President of China through your own work, of course, in China. I'm aware the last line of your chapter on this, is only time will tell.
[Schwarzman:] Yes.
[Quest:] The time honored phrase, only time will tell. Do you think the administration wants a deal?
[Schwarzman:] Well, I think yes. You know, they haven't explained their position extremely well. But basically, what they're looking for is equivalency, and right now, tariffs and taxes measured between the two countries, that it's about three times as much for the U.S. to bring goods into China, as it is for China to bring goods to the United States. And I think the administration just believes that's unfair. The reason they believe that is it is unfair.
[Quest:] But is the negotiating strategy, negotiation by tweet. Is that really working?
[Schwarzman:] Well, I guess the way to think about it, is that nothing's worked for 70 years. And so with that timeframe, you know, I think it's hard to know exactly what an optimum strategy is. I think, because I talk to, you know, the Chinese and they understand that there's a need for rebalancing, I think President Xi has said that publicly. And so the question is, how do you do that? How fast does it happen? And how, how impactful is it over what time frame?
[Newton:] You know, Mohamed, I'm glad he used the word impactful, because some people are trying to figure out what does the deal look like. Remember, that is a man who speaks to the President, sometimes two to three times a week. What do you take from his comments, and in terms of vis-a- vis the China trade deal?
[El-erian:] So I think he's right in terms of economics. But he didn't go into the other area, which is really complicated, which is national security. So in terms of the economics, it's very clear that there are genuine grievances, that it hasn't been a level playing field. There's the sense in Washington that nothing has worked to quote him, nothing has worked for 70 years, so let's try something different. And if it were just about economics, I'd be quite optimistic that we can resolve this through a durable trade deal. My worry is that the longer it has taken, the more than national security aspect has played in. And there's a feeling right now that this is about much more than economics. And it's that balance between economics where you could solve it relatively easily. And national security was a lot harder. And we're going to see as the market still believes this is an economic issue.
[Newton:] And you can see that the Trump administration is trying to straddle that as well. I have two words, right, Howdy Modi. That was the only thing you needed to say to understand that the Trump administration is grappling with that. What about this issue, Mohamed that we've entered a different time? A lot of people are talking about the decoupling with China, do you think that's a possibility?
[El-erian:] So think of us pressing a pause button on globalization.
[Newton:] Okay.
[El-erian:] And it's still an open question whether we are pressing the rewind button or not. We haven't yet. We've come close. So when you heard about the possibility of restrictions on investment flows, that's another step towards deglobalization.
[Newton:] And that was a rumor they wanted to put out there that Peter Navarro, the trade adviser to the President quashed today. He said, fake news.
[El-erian:] I know. And I think the reason why he said fake news because the market on Friday thought, okay, so we have a trade war, then you can have an overlay of an investment war, which means a currency war is next. And that's why the market reacted so negatively. And my understanding is, that's why they came out and squashed it today. But the market is very sensitive. Once the trade were to be contained, but it doesn't want it to expand on investment war and a currency war because that would mean global recession.
[Newton:] And let's talk a little bit about the I mean, other countries like Japan are watching the currencies as well, the currency war and how Trump has reacted to a strong dollar really worries him. Let's talk a little bit about the broader market, though. We've got a tidy rally, as I said, going on today, nothing seems to be affecting these markets. And yet what worries you now, is this money on the sidelines still?
[El-erian:] So what's amazing about what's going on is that whether you invested in fixed income, the safe asset, or whether you've invested in equities, the risky asset, you've made money on both. And that tells you that this is very unusual. So today, oil is having a horrible day, at a time when equities are doing great. So all the correlations have broken down. And I think that what's priced into markets is a hand off on policy. The market believes less in monetary policy, which is what has carried us so far and more in fiscal policy, they believe that we're going to get a fiscal package out of Germany. And that is what is being priced in.
[Newton:] Germany might work. But on that fiscal policy, I have less than less confidence that anywhere else, including obviously, the United States, given the paralysis on Capitol Hill, that there's going to be any fiscal policy, do you need that crisis to get a fiscal policy in so many different corners? And look what's happening in Germany. They are at a crisis level, right? We're at negative rates there. And that's what's motivated them to finally look at that fiscal piece.
[El-erian:] Yes. And the economy is contracting. The problem is that the argument isn't so straightforward, because they have a trade, or we have an economy that's doing really badly, and an internal oriented economy is doing great. The unemployment rate is still very low. Capacity utilization is stretched. So it is not obvious. If you're German, that fiscal policy matters, especially because who is going to benefit is the other European countries, and you don't want once again, to be carrying the burden for So it is not I don't think the fiscal policy is going to materialize as much as markets hope right now.
[Newton:] And before I let you go, we never asked you open-ended questions. Is there anything that you've been looking at in the last few days or weeks that you say, this is what people are missing?
[El-erian:] So I think people are missing that we are losing confidence in Central Banks. And I think that's a big issue, because Central Banks have carried us, and remember, they're not subject to the political mess. They can move interest rates without going to parliaments. You can't do fiscal policy without going to parliaments. And there's a sense that the Central Banks have carried the burden for too long. And now there's somewhere between ineffective and counterproductive. And that's a really scary concept.
[Newton:] Yes, counterproductive is a catastrophe. Really.
[El-erian:] Yes. And we are seeing that when the ECB itself says we've got to look into the effects of negative interest rates, you know, that they've realized that the unintended consequences of this medicine may be greater now than the benefits of this matters.
[Newton:] Yes, I don't understand why they didn't get that from Japan earlier. Right? Am I right or am I wrong on that, but okay, there we are. And Christine Lagarde gets to inherit all of that. Mohamed, thank you so much. So appreciate you coming in. Now it's decided WeWork doesn't work, at least not for now. The office sharing startup pulls it's much anticipated IPO. And Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince is calling for tougher international action against Iran, saying without it, oil prices will go sky high.

[Eric Sussman, Former First Assistant State's Attorney For Kim Foxx:] In essence fishing for information and then getting people like Michael Avenatti who come in with questionable video tapes and a lot of other questionable issues.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Eric Sussman, thank you so much for lending us your expertise. That is it for me. "NEWSROOM" with Brooke Baldwin starts now.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] Hi, there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Another day, another threat from President Trump and today he is threatening to shut down the southern border as early as next week. Speaking in Florida today, the President told reporters that he was ready to close the border completely, including to all trade with Mexico if the country does not immediately stop all immigration coming into the United States.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They have the strongest immigration laws anywhere in the world and we have the weakest, the most pathetic laws, number one, Congress has to act and number two, Mexico that makes so much money from the United States and so many other things, so many other assets, they have to grab it and they have to stop it and if they don't stop it, we're closing the border. We'll close it and we'll keep it closed for a long time. I'm not playing games.
[Baldwin:] This follows comments by Trump's top border security officials saying that the border is at a quoteunquote, breaking point. Ed Lavendera is our go-to guy on this. You heard the President say he's not playing games. He's made these threats before, ed, but what's different this time?
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, what's different is this is coming on the heels of what you're hearing repeatedly and the drumbeat you heard repeatedly hear from Department Of Homeland Security and Customs And Border Protection officials over the course of the last few weeks who say that there is essentially at a breaking point, that the system is completely overwhelmed with the numbers of people who are coming across. CPP commissioner says in March alone they're expecting as many as 100,000 illegal apprehensions along the U.S. southern border, which would be the highest number they've seen in about a decade or so, so that is what is different here. Although you will hear repeatedly from immigrant rights activists and critics of the Trump administration who insists that the federal government has plenty of resources and means in place to process the numbers that they're seeing and that is the struggle that you're seeing going on between these two sides.
[Baldwin:] Uh-hum. Ed, thank you. Trump is also going after asylum seekers at a rally in Michigan. He mocked their asylum claims and acted out how they might try to, quote, con their way into the U.S.
[Trump:] You have people coming up you know, they're all met by the lawyers, the lawyers and they come out, they're all met by the lawyers and they say, say the following phrase, I am very afraid for my life. I am afraid for my life. OK. And then I look at the guy, he looks like he just got out of the ring, he's the heavyweight champion of the world. It's a big fat con job, folks.
[Baldwin:] So, Angeline, thank you for being with me today. When you first saw the President say that, do that, what were you thinking?
[Angeline Chen, Immigration Attorney, Cofounder, Volunteer Group, Rise To Unite:] Well, you know, I'm a cofounder of a volunteer group called rise to unite. Volunteer for a nonprofit organization and this is preposterous that what we're doing, what other immigration attorney, mothers and lawyers are doing at the border and here in the U.S. that it's a big fat con job is absolutely ridiculous. I have personally seen thousands of refugees in Tijuana when the central American exodus arrived there with my own eyes. They were in a sports complex outside and they were stacked up like sardines on blankets, make shift tents, they were not, you know, individuals who looked like boxers or heavyweight champions of the world, they were malnourished, they looked like they had been traveling thousands of miles because they have been. I saw women and little babies I had held a 6-month-old in my arms who looked like he was two months old. This is what we're dealing with. People are fleeing poverty and gang violence and domestic violence. It's not a con job.
[Baldwin:] I hear you. It's preposterous, but what Trump said last night, it is gaining steam, you know. We've talked to local law enforcement officials and now you have the President of the United States last night saying that there are people now starting to question what they consider sob stories, stories quite similar to others that some local law enforcement think that maybe they are following the script. Is it possible that certain people know what works, what to say to get in? As an attorney who's licensed by the state bar and who's been practicing immigration for 15 years, I know many, many immigration attorneys. We do not teach them how to lie. We do not we're not allowed to. We can lose our license. We tell them what the legal process is and how to abide by the law, and when we're at the border, we specifically tell them, do not cross the border through the hills, don't climb over the fence. If you do, you will die or you will get raped or your kids will be taken away from you. We specifically tell them to go by the law which is to go to the port of entry, put your name on a wait list and wait possibly months to enter through the port of entry and seek asylum. We also ask them go ahead. How are there asylum claims verified?
[Chen:] So, what we do at the border, we first ask them a lot of questions about why they're here, what happened to them. It's required to show that to qualify for asylum that you fear being persecuted based on race, nationality, religion, a particular social group or political opinion. So, we go through that with them because if it's not a strong case, we tell them. This is a very weak case. You will most likely lose. Don't even try to cross. You will get detained and you may get deported. Now, we're not the official bodies who determine this, obviously, but based on case law and from the experience that we have, you know, we can give them a better sense whether or not they qualify or not.
[Baldwin:] I understand.
[Chen:] So, we're helping the government.
[Baldwin:] Sure, sure. Just to remind everyone watching, talking to ed down there reminding me earlier on the phone today, it's very difficult to win an asylum case, doesn't mean you request it doesn't mean you get it whatsoever. I would be remiss not to ask you about the reporting or the tweets from this President how he's threatening to shut down the U.S.Mexico border as early as next week. Can you just tell me what impact would closing parts of the border have?
[Chen:] Well, you have thousands of people waiting already in Tijuana to waiting in line to enter through the port of entry. The border is technically pretty much closed already because only 25 to 40 individuals come in every day and there are thousands of people waiting in shelters that are, you know, run by volunteers and churches. It's not government entities. This is going to be a serious problem. Where are these people supposed to go especially for unaccompanied minors who are not even allowed to get on this wait list and they're trying to, you know, seek asylum at the port of entry and they need to come to us to the attorneys to help them cross the to go to the port of entry, hopefully they will enter. I went with a group of seven immigration attorney mothers and we accompanied an unaccompanied minor and they made us wait seven hours.
[Baldwin:] We appreciate you and the work you do. Thank you.
[Chen:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Exactly one week ago today, Robert Mueller, the special counsel, wrapped up his nearly two-year investigation into Russian collusion, obstruction and handed over his findings to the Department of Justice in this lengthy report and just your daily reminder, we still do not know what is in that 300-page report. All we have is the four-page summary courtesy of the Attorney General, but despite that the President has been telling anyone who's willing to listen that he is completely in the clear.
[Trump:] After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is finally dead. Total exoneration, complete vindication. The Democrats have to now decide whether they will continue defrauding the public with ridiculous [bleep]. Robert Mueller was a god to the Democrats and they don't like him so much right now.
[Baldwin:] Elie Honig is a former district attorney and let me remind everyone, good to have you on again, just reminding this, this is the summary of this report. He writes, quote, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. So how does the President there claim victory when the Mueller report has not been released?
[Elie Honig, Cnn Legal Analyst:] It's still way too early to stand under banners and declare victory. There's a couple things that are very important to understand. First of all, there is a big gap between beyond a reasonable doubt which you would need to prove a crime in criminal court and exoneration, which I take to mean it's not a technical legal term, prove this person was innocent. There's a lot of room in there. You can still have evidence of a crime, plenty of evidence that falls well short of beyond a reasonable doubt. So, I don't know that anyone was exonerated even of anything. The letter's clear there's not enough in Mueller's estimation to charge conspiracy with Russia, but he also does not affirmatively conclude nothing ever happened. That's one part of it and, of course, obstruction is a whole different story.
[Baldwin:] That's the nebulous piece of the whole thing where Mueller didn't decide.
[Honig:] Obstruction is where the story will be told and that's why people need to see that Mueller report so desperately. There's clearly evidence in there.
[Baldwin:] How convincing do you think this President, Republicans have been in essentially telling the American public the four-page Barr report and the 300-page Mueller report is one in the same, and if they are convincing, why is that dangerous?
[Honig:] I think the messaging been fairly effective. A lot of people out there don't even recognize the difference between these four pages and the actual Mueller report, and we'll see how long that lasts, but I think when the Mueller report comes out so long as it's not sliced and diced to death by William Barr which he may be working on right now, but if and when it comes out, you think we'll see a pendulum swing back to, wow, look at the evidence Mueller lays out. We know there's evidence on obstruction and we know it was close enough to the line of being criminal that Mueller felt he couldn't make a charge. He went thumbs down on collusion. He said not enough there, but on obstruction he said it is close enough that I'm not going to make this decision. That tells me something.
[Baldwin:] But isn't it possible of how effective the messaging has been that they're one in the same, when it does come out and let's say it's not sliced and diced, 40 percent of the American population are like
[Honig:] Absolutely possible. It's exactly why William Barr's letter last week which, by the way, is not called for or required by the regulations. I think he overstepped in even issuing a letter especially where he said no-go on obstruction. This letter is going to end up being a political favor for President Trump because the longer this letter is the best we have to go on, the longer that message of nothing to see here is going to be out there.
[Baldwin:] "The Washington Post" also has new reporting on how Donald Trump inflated his net worth to both lenders and investors on multiple things using what Trump called a quoteunquote, a statement of financial condition. The statements which began in 2011 have examples like, claiming Trump Tower has 68 stories when it actually has 58. Saying an L.A. golf course has 55 home lots to sell there are only 31. There were documents provided to "The Post" that Trump did indeed inflate his assets. Congress and SDNY are investigating if it's fraud.
[Honig:] This is standard grifter stuff. True what you do is you tell your investors I have a much better product, I have a can't miss opportunity, I have a 68-floor tower when, in fact, it's 58 or the opportunity is not nearly at golden as the offer makes it out to be. That is a fairly standard fraud case. If this is all proven out there could be problems. Of course, look, DOJ, which includes U.S. attorney's office will not be indicting the President while he's in office. There could be indictments for people around him who are involved and there could be indictments after the term of office ends.
[Baldwin:] OK. Appreciate you.
[Honig:] Thank you, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Ahead here on CNN, an outpouring of anger when the administration announced funding cuts to the Special Olympics and now the President says he is overriding his Education Secretary blaming her, when, by the way, these cuts were in his budget all along. Plus, an update into what may have gone wrong on that doomed Boeing 737 Max 8, what preliminary findings from the Ethiopian Airlines black box is now revealing. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm John Vause. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, meet Czar Pence, the man who will save America from the coronavirus even though the U.S. president continues to downplay the threat, contradicting his most senior health officials. Military stand-down as South Korea declares the coronavirus threat severe; joint exercises with the U.S. put on hold. The worst religious violence in decades between Hindus and Muslims leaves dozens dead and hurt in the Indian capital. Mosques set on fire while a Hindu nationalist flag flies from another, sending an ominous warning to Muslims.
[Vause:] In Czar Mike Pence a nation trusts. Donald Trump has appointed his president to oversee the government's response to the outbreak of the coronavirus. On the daze of mixed messages with the administration playing down the threat, senior government health experts have publicly warned the country to prepare for an eventual outbreak on U.S. soil, the president made very appearance in the White House press room to try to correct the record. But he continued to undercut the warning from his own experts.
[Trump:] We are ready for it. It is what it is. We are ready for it. We are prepared. We have, as I said, the greatest people in the world. We are ready for it. We hope it doesn't spread. There's a chance it won't spread and there is a chance it will. That is the question about what level. So far we've done a great job.
[Vause:] Vice president Pence could be facing some difficult days ahead. Sources have told CNN the president is mostly concerned about the reaction on Wall Street, which has seen stocks down for three days in a row and the impact that could have on his chances for reelection. There are indications the outbreak may soon get a whole lot worse. The Centers for Disease Control says a patient in Sacramento, California, could be the first U.S. case of community spread; in other words no link to China. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] It's unclear how this person got coronavirus. Maybe they did get exposed to someone who was infected. We're not sure how this happened. But it could represent the first example of community transmission and that is something we've been talking about for some time. This idea you haven't traveled there, haven't come in contact with a known infected person yet you still have the coronavirus. That is an indication the virus is now here and starting to spread within communities. Again, the CDC is still going to chase this down. It's unclear if that patient represents this first evidence of community spread. But the president has been saying for some time it's not inevitable that this will happen. Maybe we don't have any community spread at all, which has been at odds with what we're hearing from the CDC, who has been saying is not a question of if community spread will happen, it's a question of when it will happen. That is why so much tension is going to be paid to that one patient and will give you details as we get them.
[Vause:] Joining us now from New York, Rana Foroohar is CNN's global economic analyst as well as a columnist and associate editor for the "Financial Times." Rana, good to have you with us.
[Rana Foroohar, Cnn Correspondent:] Thank you.
[Vause:] The reality is the number of cases in the U.S. is low. One of the reasons for that is because China acted quickly and decisively and slowed the spread of the outbreak, which is something the president seems to be taking credit for. Here he is.
[Trump:] Because of all we've done the risk to the American people remains very low. We have the greatest experts in the world right the people that are called upon by other countries when things like this happen. We are ready to adapt and we're ready to do whatever we have to as the disease it spreads if it spreads.
[Vause:] "If it spreads." What the Trump administration has done is cut the budgets, which we know will be on the front of the crisis like this. This has been in the past two years. His administration has eliminated funding and shut the entire global health security unit, which is part of the National Security Council and eliminated what was a complex crisis fund, $30 million. Which was money that could be spent by the secretary of state. In the past two years, cut the health budgets by a total of $15 billion. What is notable is that, yes, there is a plan in place for this crisis. But what about the next one and the one after that and after that?
[Foroohar:] Absolutely. They are coming. There's no question about. I find it so incredibly ironic that the president is taking credit for what China has done. Look, there has been criticisms and compliments about how China has handled the crisis. There was a lack of transparency in the beginning about the number of cases. But one of the ironic upsides about autocracy is you can order people to stay in their homes and apartments. We will not be able to do that here in the U.S. Meanwhile all the health experts are saying we are not ready. There are not the resources in place that there should be under this type of crisis. And you've got the president really underplaying that health officials are saying, get ready. This is going to be a big deal. It's so worrisome on so many levels.
[Vause:] This administration has been lying since day one about crowd sizes, about using a Sharpie to change the track of a hurricane; Mexico would pay for the wall, the White House has a total lack of credibility. Could this when all the lies come home to roost?
[Foroohar:] If you start to see schools being shuttered, we're hearing talk about large auditoriums, public gathering centers, getting ready for being intake centers, if the outbreak should get out of control. These are the things that the president is going to have to deal with. He's also going to have to deal with the market fallout. And I think that frankly that may be one of the reasons that he's underplaying this. As you well know, the markets are reacting very strongly and they are very worried that this could be not only a dip in stocks but it could be a synchronized global recession.
[Vause:] With that in mind, at a news conference on Wednesday night, the U.S. president continued to undercut the message, from his own senior health officials.
[Question:] Just in the course of the last couple of minutes, you have disputed some of what the officials that are working in your administration, behind you, have said about the risk of the coronavirus, that it will spread. Do you trust your health officials to give you the information?
[Trump:] They said it could be worse and I said could be better I don't think it's inevitable, I just don't think it's inevitable. I think you are doing a really good job in terms of letting people know and checking people and also that is one of the reasons that I'm here today, getting the word out, so people can know, they're going to know and I don't think it's inevitable. I think there's a chance it could get worse, their chance it could get fairly substantially worse but nothing is inevitable.
[Vause:] Let's be clear, they made the point, it's not if but when, this virus spreads across the United States. It's almost unbelievable, even for this president, that he would undercut the message coming from his own officials in the midst of a public health crisis because he wants to minimize the impact on the stock market. And that is where he sees the key to his reelection. But here we are.
[Foroohar:] You know I would like to say it surprises me. But it doesn't, the facts are known. The virus has spread to 10 times as many people as the SARS virus, which is the closest comparison at this time. It's killed three times as many. Public health official at the WHO say it's going to affect millions and millions more people before we are done with it. Those are the facts. This president however, is looking forward to a November election and a lot about the election and a lot of his case, for his handling of the economy, is basically his selling point, hinges on where the stock markets are. And you are seeing what I think is going to be a sustained dip. Because we are just at the beginning of seeing the effects on U.S. multinationals, on supply chains. And the longer term story, here may be that we see this moment as a line in the sand, with U.S. and China decoupling. A lot of big multinationals are going to look and say, this is one risk too many and they are really going to continue and prolong that process in the decoupling that we've already seen.
[Vause:] I want to finish up with a piece of information, a real gem that comes by "The Washington Post," which says part of the funding for the coronavirus emergency response, the money that they've asked for Congress to revive, part of the money that the White House has proposed, comes from a program which provides subsidies to low income families to heat their homes. According to "The Post," reporters said, "A document that the Trump administration sent to Congress, which we have seen, indicates that they are transferring $37 million to emergency funding for the coronavirus response from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which funds heating for poor families." The $37 million is not a lot but "The Post" reports up to three- quarters of a million families could be impacted. And someone actually thinks that's a good idea.
[Foroohar:] You know I see a talking point here for Bernie Sanders in the upcoming Super Tuesday primaries. I think we are just at the beginning of a lot of fallout and it's going to have a big impact on November and many things going forward.
[Vause:] Yes, it's been an incredible response leading up to this, because those budgets were cut, just as the coronavirus was emerging and now we're hearing of budget cuts in other areas, it's been incredible to say the least and it's just getting started. OK, Rona, good to see you, thank you so much.
[Foroohar:] Thank you.
[Vause:] The outbreak continues to rattle Wall Street, the Dow and the S&P ended Wednesday down less than 1 percent. It was 3 percent the day before. The Nasdaq posted small gains, in a four-day losing streak, Thursday could see big losses again with the futures down significantly for all three indexes. After several days of losses and all Asia markets, except Shanghai, are down, so Kaori Enjoji is live in Tokyo. What are we looking at here?
[Kaori Enjoji, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, John continued sell-off in the markets with the exception of Shanghai, ironically, here and we're looking at Tokyo down 1,500 points over the last four trading sessions. These are fresh 4.5-month lows, we are looking at trillions of dollars being wiped out of the markets globally. And investors are trying to insulate themselves from the business fallout, that is expected to come when businesses start to tally up the numbers for the end of February. Productivity must be down, lots of companies are announcing every day, telling their people to stay at home, to commute and not commute, consumption must be down when big events where people congregate, like concerts, working events, those are being canceled every day as well. And you are having schools, in areas where you see clusters of outbreak of coronavirus, saying that they are going to be closed, which fans anxiety and fear throughout the communities. You have to remember that this is the world's second largest economy in China, being paralyzed for a month now. And governments are starting to respond. Take for example New Zealand today, that said they might have to take some emergency measures, given the fact that 25 percent of their exports are headed to China. You have Korea, the central bank there, saying that lowered their growth forecast for the country slightly and other governments are saying that they are thinking about taking fresh emergency measures as well. So as the equity markets continue to fall, oil is continuing to fall, as demand is expected to remain fairly bleak over the coming months. Investors seem to be taking a little bit of safety into the U.S. bond market, so yields there on the Treasuries, continue to push to record low. We are seeing the markets not as jumping as we saw earlier in the week but still, with the exception of Shanghai, red across the board here in Asia.
[Vause:] Kaori, we appreciate the update from Tokyo for us, thank you. The virus has now spread to every continent except Antarctica. For the first time, we are seeing more new cases being reported outside of Mainland China. On Wednesday, China tallied 433 new infections, while the World Health Organization said there were 460 everywhere else. There's also a jump in South Korea to almost 1,600 cases, including South Korean service members and one American soldier stationed in South Korea. Now the U.S. and South Korea are postponing joint exercises until further notice. Live right now with Paula Hancocks in Seoul. What does this decision to postpone these exercises say about the significance of the threat from the coronavirus?
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn Correspondent:] John, it shows that both the U.S. and the South Korean militaries are taking it extremely seriously, this is really one of the last resorts, that they would consider the fact that they want to postpone the drills. We have been hearing from U.S. officials, that they were trying to figure out how to scale down the drills but still hold them. They did a similar thing in 2019, because of the diplomacy going on with North Korea. In 2018 they didn't hold the drills themselves; they tried to give diplomacy a chance. So this is the third year we are seeing these significant drills between the U.S. and South Korea in the springtime, being disrupted.
[Hancocks:] But it does show how what the officials are saying and the military experts are saying, you can't possibly have that many personnel together for such a large-scale drill, especially when you consider there's already one case confirmed within U.S. forces, a 23 year old male, who was on base near Daegu, southeastern city in South Korea, which is really ground zero for the fight against coronavirus in this country. Also when you consider the South Korean military, they have issues of their own. They have 20 personnel who are confirmed with the virus. Across the board in the navy, the army, the air force and also in the marine corps. This is something that the militaries are extremely concerned about, illness, disease, sweeping through. Because many of them will be living in close quarters; if you live on base, you're living in barracks as well and it's something they're going to make sure they can contain as soon as possible. So what we are hearing from the officials also from the South Korean defense ministry is that this decision was taken to try and prevent any further spreading within the military.
[Vause:] Paula, South Korea is being seen as taking extreme measures, being the best prepared out of many countries, trying to deal with this outbreak or prevent it from spreading extensively. There are 1,600 cases, which is a huge number and raises the question, what more can be done if it's like this in South Korea, what about other countries that don't have the same resources?
[Hancocks:] Good question, John. This was a massive spike in South Korea. Just last Tuesday, we had 31 cases here. It appeared to have stabilized. And right now we're almost at 1,600. South Korea has a good health system. They're able to cope with the number of people that have been confirmed with the virus at this point. And you're right, when it comes to less developed countries or less well-off countries without the medical infrastructure South Korea has, there is going to be a concern. With South Korea has, which is different to other countries, is there was one particular religious group that accounts for well over half of these cases. So this is something health officials are looking at, trying to contain any further potential spreads within that religious group, Shincheonji. So that is something at this point appears to be particular and unique to South Korea.
[Vause:] Paula, thank you, Paula Hancocks live for, us very appreciate it.. Well, as the coronavirus hits the Middle East, it's holding some religious festivals in Iran and concerns are growing that Tehran is not doing enough to try and stop the spread of the virus. Also parts of Delhi turn to rubble, the biggest explosion of sectarian violence in decades.

[Lemon:] All right, everybody, please listen to this segment because actor and activist Terry Crews is facing backlash for tweeting, "We must ensure "Black Lives Matter'doesn't morph into 'black lives are better." Here is how he explained it. "Are all white people bad? No. Are all black people good? No. Knowing this reality, I stand on my decision to unite with good people, no matter the race, creed or ideology. I have given the number of threats against this decision. I also decide do die on this hill." Terry Crews joins me now. Terry, man, you stepped in it. You say that you're willing to
[Terry Crews, Actor:] Yeah.
[Lemon:] You say you're willing to die on this hill. You have taken a lot of heat for this. Explain what you are thinking and why it's so important that you die on this hill?
[Crews:] Well, again, I wanted to bring up the fact that, you know, there are some very, very, you know, militant-type forces in Black Lives Matter. And what I was issuing was a warning. You know, it's one of those things where I have been a part of different groups, I've been a part of different things, and you see how extremes can really get, can go far and go wild. And then when you issue a warning, and when a warning is seen as detrimental to the movement, how can you ever, ever have checks and balances? You know, in the 60s and 70s, airplanes went down all the time. And the reason they found out why they did was because the pilots could never be questioned. And when you have the leaders of the black lives movement, who are now talking about, you know, if we don't get our demand, we are going to burn it down. Other black people who are talking about working with other whites and other races, being viewed as sell-outs or called Uncle Toms, it starts you start to understand that you are now being controlled. You're not being treated as loved. You're actually being controlled. Someone wants to control the narrative. And I viewed it as a very, very dangerous self-righteousness that was developing, that, you know, that really viewed themselves as better. It was almost a supremacist move
[Lemon:] Let me jump in.
[Crews:] where they view that their black lives mattered a lot more than mine.
[Lemon:] OK. So, let me jump in here. There's a lot that you said. You think that Black Lives Matter is you said it's you think it's an extreme movement? Because it's now part of the
[Crews:] No. This is the thing. It's a great mantra. It's the true mantra. Black lives do matter. But, when you're talking about an organization, you're talking about the leaders. You are talking about the people who are responsible
[Lemon:] OK, I got you. I got you. I got you.
[Crews:] for putting these things together, two different things.
[Lemon:] Terry, you realize that even during the civil rights movement, that Dr. King was seen as extreme. That movement was seen as extreme. To people who don't want to make change, movements are seen as extreme. You can paint them easily as an extreme when they are not.
[Crews:] This is very true. But also, you know, when you're talking about MLK, you're talking about Nelson Mandela, and even Malcolm X, they all realized that you had to have a non-racial component to these kind of movements or there will be resentment. There will be a get back. There will be one of these people will tend to say I don't want to move from one oppressor to the next. And one thing
[Lemon:] Who's the next oppressor? Who is the next oppressor?
[Crews:] When I when I describe this. When you look at the city of Chicago, there are nine children who died by gun violence, by black- on-black gun violence, with from June 20th all the way to today. And you talking about, even with the Atlanta child murders, there were 28 kids who died in two years. You're talking about a month and you have nine black kids. And the Black Lives Matter movement has said nothing about this kind of thing.
[Lemon:] What does that have to do with equality, though, Terry? I don't understand what that has to do with equality because listen, there's crime. There are people in those communities who those people aren't just being nonchalant about gun violence. I lived in Chicago. There are many people who are working in those communities to try to get rid of the gun violence. The gun culture in this country is prevalent. But I don't understand what that has to do with a movement that's for equality for black people. It's not mutually exclusive that you care about equality for black people that somehow you are going to stop random violence or unfortunately, kids from being shot. It just seems like apples and oranges.
[Crews:] You know, it's not that way. You know, this is the thing, Don. You know, black people need to hold other black people accountable. I said the same thing this is the black America's version of the Me Too Movement. If anything is going to change, we, ourselves, need to look at our own communities and look at each other and say, this thing cannot go down. This is the thing, too. There are a lot of great, great people there who are held hostage, who are held hostage by people who literally are running these neighborhoods with violence, and then claiming that black lives matter. When you look at the parents of these little kids who are mentioning and saying, hey, man, why aren't they speaking up for me, too? When I look at this whole thing about you know, it's about who is controlling the narrative. It's got to be all Black Lives Matter. And what's happened is that because I even challenged it, because I even questioned or and warned people, I became like, if I told you to wear a mask.
[Lemon:] I get it. Terry, you're a high-profile person. You're writing things out there. You know you're going to get backlash. You know people are going to respond to what you are saying on Twitter. So I don't think you should be surprised by that. You know, I have skin as tough as an armadillo because of what I do. I think maybe you should adapt that. But here here's what I have to say. The Black Lives Matter movement was started because it was talking about police brutality. If you want Black Lives Matter movement that talks about gun violence in communities, including black communities, then start that movement with that name. But that's not what Black Lives Matter is about. It's not an all-encompassing. So if you are talking about if someone started a movement that said cancer matters, and then someone comes and says, why aren't you talking about HIV? It's not the same thing. We're talking about cancer. So the Black Lives Matter movement is about police brutality and injustice in that manner, not about what is happening in black neighborhoods. There are people who are working on that issue. And if you want to start that issue, why don't you start it? Do you understand what I'm saying?
[Crews:] But when you look at the organization, police brutality is not the only thing they are talking about.
[Lemon:] I know that. I agree. But that's not what the Black Lives Matter movement is about, Terry. Black Lives Matter is about police brutality and about criminal justice. It's not about what happens in communities when it comes to crime, black-on-black crime, people who live near each other, black people kill each other. It is same as whites. Eighty-some percent of white people are killed by white people because of proximity.
[Crews:] Very true.
[Lemon:] It is the same thing with black people. It happens in every single neighborhood. But again, I'm not saying it's not important that those kids died, but it's a different movement.
[Crews:] Listen, I understand what you're saying. I totally understand. It is about police brutality. That should never be accepted. I am not saying that that's not it. But they are there's more there. And when I look if they have more on their agenda, we need to ask them about what else is on that agenda, other than police brutality. And that's all I'm doing questioning, warning, and watching. And if that bothers you now, that bothers me.
[Lemon:] I'm over. I'm over, Terry.
[Crews:] We're equal. I should be able to say something truthful.
[Lemon:] I got to go, Terry. I got to go. I got to go. We'll see you. Terry, thank you for coming on. I appreciate it. Thanks, everybody, for watching. I'll see you. Thank you. Our coverage continues.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Joe doesn't know too much. Unlike the Biden approach, our approach is guided by science.
[Kim Brunhuber, Cnn Anchor:] The candidates clash over masks. Donald Trump hits back hard after the Joe Biden attacks the President's pandemic response. Plus Russian officials tell CNN the U.S. declined their offer of help with the coronavirus vaccine. We're live in Moscow. And is it a diplomatic breakthrough or an historic betrayal? The White House brokers a deal to normalize relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, I'm Kim Brunhuber. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States took center stage in the 2020 election fight Thursday after attending a briefing with the health experts, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called for a three-month nationwide mask mandate. Listen.
[Joe Biden, Presumptive U.s. Democratic Presidential Nominee:] Every single American should be wearing a mask when they're outside for the next three months at minimum. Every governor should mandate, every governor should mandate mandatory mask wearing.
[Brunhuber:] But President Donald Trump says Biden is politicizing the pandemic and ignoring scientific evidence.
[Trump:] Today we saw Joe Biden continue to politicize a pandemic and to show his appalling lack of respect for the American people is what it is. At every turn Biden has been wrong about the virus, ignoring the scientific evidence and putting left wing politics before facts and evidence.
[Brunhuber:] All right. So let's look at the map. You can see right there all that red on the map is where cases are surging. The U.S. is reporting well over 5.2 million cases and more than 167,000 deaths. U.S. health experts are warning of even bigger trouble ahead if Americans don't do more to help get the virus under control. CNN's Athena Jones explains.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] Bottom line is, I am not pleased with how things are going.
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Tonight, Dr. Anthony Fauci, raising concerns about disturbing trends in parts of the country.
[Fauci:] This is the thing that is disturbing to me. Is that we're starting to see the inkling of the upticks, and the percent of the tests that are positive. Which we know now, from sad past experience, that that's a predictor that you can have more surges.
[Jones:] This warning comes as the U.S. confronts the deadliest day of the summer, 1,499 people loss to COVID-19 Wednesday. And as CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield makes this blunt admission.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Director, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention:] This is the greatest public health crisis that hit this nation in a century that we were under prepared. And we need to owe it to our children and grandchildren that this nation is never underprepared again for a public health crisis.
[Jones:] Redfield warning that if at least 95 percent of Americans don't follow basic public health recommendations like mask wearing, handwashing, and social distancing
[Redfield:] This could be the worst fall from a public health perspective we've ever had. I'm not asking some of America to do it, we all got to do it.
[Jones:] Well new cases are steady or falling in 43 states, deaths have averaged more than 1,000 a day for 17 days now. And COVID tests positivity rates are on the rise in 35 states with Texas leading the nation at nearly 24 percent even as the number of tests being conducted nationwide, continues to decline. Meanwhile, in Martin County Florida, north of Palm Beach, an entire elementary school classroom, and one bus route, were placed under quarantine one day after the district reopen for in-person instruction and a student began exhibiting symptoms. Nationally, more than 2,000 students, teachers, and staff members across five states are under quarantine due to COVID concerns.
[Dr. Peter Hotez, Baylor College Of Medicine:] There is just no way right now where this epidemic is raging across the South, in Florida, in Georgia, in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and much and much of Texas, that you can open up schools safely.
[Jones:] Still, it's game on in Utah tonight, a state with a positivity rate of almost 9 percent, two high schools facing off in the first football match of the season.
[Dr. Carlos Del Rio, Emory University School Of Medicine:] I feel like the Titanic. We have hit the iceberg and we're trying to make decisions on what times should we have the band play. Not having fall sports this year and controlling this virus, to me, would be the number one priority.
[Jones:] And we're getting more insight into the pandemic impact on Americans. A new CDC survey finding that 41 percent of respondents are struggling with anxiety, depression, increased substance use or suicidal thoughts. Athena Jones, CNN, New York.
[Brunhuber:] Meanwhile, Mr. Trump's new coronavirus advisors making claims about young people and coronavirus that don't line up with the facts. Dr. Scott Atlas first appeared at White House task force briefings Monday and on Thursday, despite medical evidence that children can develop serious complications from COVID-19 and transmit the virus to adults. Dr. Atlas said this on Fox News
[Dr. Scott Atlas, From Coronavirus Advisor:] It doesn't matter if children get the disease. They don't get sick from this and the data shows that they do not significantly transmit to adults.
[Brunhuber:] And deeper into all of this, I'm going to bring in Dr. Ron Daniels who joins us from Birmingham, England. He's the intensive care doctor for the U.K.'s National Health Service and also the founder and director of the U.K. Sepsis Trust. Thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it. I just want to start with what we just heard there, children and the virus. I mean, we know coronavirus doesn't affect most children as seriously as adults. But the President and some in his circle seem to be really downplaying the danger. So just what are the facts here?
[Dr. Ron Daniels, Nhs Intensive Care Doctor:] So the facts are clearly that children can develop symptoms as a consequence of coronavirus. And in a very tiny proportion of children and I stress a tiny proportion those complications can be serious. Including the disease that's a bit like this disease, Kawasaki disease, that we've seen in a very small minority of children. But what we do hear from parents who've had COVID-19 is that their children are developing symptoms. They're sometimes developing slightly different symptoms. They typically don't lose their sense of taste and smell quite so badly. They have a runny nose quite commonly. And they can develop red spots and chilblain like problems in their fingers and toes. So they can develop symptoms. They're not usually as sick as adults.
[Brunhuber:] And importantly, they can transmit it to adults as well, right?
[Daniels:] Yes, absolutely. Children can transmit it to adults. There are clear documented cases that that can happen. But the good news here is that we've seemed 110 as likely to do as adult to adult transmission.
[Brunhuber:] Something we're seeing in the U.S. as well as in Europe, more and more young people getting sick. Do we know why? Is it quarantine fatigue?
[Daniels:] Well, it could be quarantine fatigue and that's certainly likely to play a factor in it. And it's important in all countries as you've said that the public continue to behave in a responsible manner. This virus has not gone away. Now, there might be other factors for increased numbers of testing positive among the younger people. Certainly in many European countries, including mine in the U.K., the manner in which testing is conducted tends to favor the young accessing those tests. They're expected. We can post test out but that's not heavily taken up. They're expected to drive to a testing center. The access details for all those testing centers are only available on the internet. So that will tend to favor, not exclusively but tends to favor younger people and that might be a cause of this effect.
[Brunhuber:] All right, so all of this increase happening as schools are set to open or summer opening already and the percentage of people testing positive in some states is really high. Texas, for instance, you know, close to one out of every four tests is coming back positive. And even, you know, schools restarting sports. What worries you the most?
[Daniels:] So you know, and we've heard about states with 9 percent of the population testing positive for the virus. And that's a similar proportion to what we're seeing in some countries like Spain and so forth. You know, this is worrying. This virus does continue to spread through our populations, but what's really interesting is that people don't seem to be getting as sick. There are still some tragedies. There are still some deaths but they're very small in number. And certainly what we're seeing in Europe, countries like Spain and Portugal and France have had significant up swings in numbers based upon community-based testing. We've also seen this in the U.K. These up swings happened weeks ago. If this was making people very sick, then we'd be seeing hospitals begin to see admissions. And frankly, that's not happening. We've heard about deaths. That's not the right thing to measure. Because there's a huge lag time between people being admitted to hospital and sadly dying. For those who survive the inpatient stay is typically a couple of months. So it's wrong to look at deaths. What we need to look at in terms of capacity is intensive care admissions and hospital admissions and they're very low across Europe right now.
[Brunhuber:] All right, so that's some good news. I'm going to drag this down with more doom and gloom here. I just got my flu shot this week, well in advance of flu season in the fall. And I was inspired by warnings like the one from the director of the CDC who said the pandemic coupled with flu season could create, quote, the worst fall from a public health perspective we've ever had. Is that hyperbole or is that a realistic fear here?
[Daniels:] So look, we're talking worst case scenarios. We're talking about a second wave and we don't know how this virus is going to behave in the cooler months. So a second wave when people are inside, it's less easy to socially distance. The virus might transmit more regularly and we might see more cases. Now if that starts to make people sick and if it coincides with a bad flu season, that is really going to put a strain on health care systems. So it's absolutely right that if you are eligible for a flu vaccine, you should access that vaccine. Other vaccinations, like against pneumococcus and Hib vacs, really important. If you're offered those vaccines take them up. Because we need to stop as many people as possible becoming sick this winter just in case.
[Brunhuber:] All right, very good advice there. Thank you so much Dr. Ron Daniels in Birmingham, England, we appreciate it. Well a few days ago Russia announced that it had developed a coronavirus vaccine, cue the fanfare, but it seems not everyone was excited. Moscow says it has been offering the United States assistance and the response, well, it's been frosty. So let's head over to Moscow and to CNN's Matthew Chance. So Matthew, this vaccine reportedly confers two years of immunity and has no side effects. OK, it was only tested on, you know, fewer than 100 people. But still, why is the U.S. turning down such a generous offer?
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, I mean, look, the concerns that the U.S. has are, you know, legitimate of course. The vaccine that has been approved here in Russia they called it Sputnik V hasn't undergone crucial third phase human trials. These are the mass trials that are normally used to determine the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine before it's released for public use. Also the clinical data that they have accrued so far has not been made public. So it hasn't been subject to peer review. And so, these are two legitimate concerns which question whether this vaccine is effective or even if it is safe. About what the Russians have said is that look, you know, this is a chance to save American lives. You know, this is, you know, we're offering unprecedented cooperation with the United States to potentially manufacture this vaccine in the U.S. It could be a very effective vaccine if it is and the U.S. doesn't explore the option of the Russian vaccine any deeper. You know, that could cause, you know, some problems, but the United States, the Russians added, the U.S. has said this as well, are just not interested in Russian technological medical advances such as they are at the moment. What the Russians say is that there is a general sense of mistrust and that mistrust is preventing America and other Western countries as well from really looking with clarity at what Russia is achieving. The Americans have been, you know, much more explicit, much more sort of forthright in their rejection. One U.S. public health official telling CNN, there's no way in hell the U.S. tries this vaccine even on monkeys, let alone people. And so, that underlines mistrust, perhaps an understatement. The underlines just how deep that mistrust is.
[Brunhuber:] All right, thank you so much. Matthew Chance in Moscow, appreciate that. U.S. troops arriving in South Korea face two weeks of quarantine as soon as they hit the ground and for good reason. Paula Hancocks gives us a look at how one America base is tackling the coronavirus threat.
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn Correspondent:] Keeping fit with a five-month-old baby is a challenge. Working out when you whole family is in isolation with coronavirus is something else. Sarah and Lincoln Henjum, their infant and one of their 6-year-old twins tested positive shortly after arriving in South Korea from the United States. They are among of thousands of military personnel switching in and out of the country this summer.
[Maj. Lincoln Henjum, U.s. Forces Korea:] My wife has a little bit of chest congestion. So she's coughing a little bit. And myself, I just have a weird sense of taste. So everything I eat or drink tastes like burnt bread.
[Hancocks:] And they're all staying in two rooms in a special isolation facility on base, along with the family dog.
[Henjum:] So that's my son's bed here. All the beds are twins. And then there's my bed over here.
[Hancocks:] How are the children coping? I mean, how are you keeping them busy?
[Henjum:] We do get one hour of outside time between 3 and 4. We play kickball. We play some tag. We walk the dog a little bit.
[Hancocks:] Not the best start to a new posting but not unusual either. U.S. forces Korea say of 152 positive cases the vast majority have been incoming personnel since June when the Pentagon started to lift transfer and travel restrictions. The U.S. military in Japan is facing a similar challenge.
[Col. Lee Peters, U.s. Forces Korea Spokesperson:] When they come here, we can't control what happened where there at. We can control upon their arrival here.
[Hancocks:] The U.S. military insists once they're personnel land, they enter and remain in a bubble.
[Col. Michael Tremblay, Commander, U.s. Army Garrison Humphreys:] Depart the direct bus right from the airport. We're going to walk into the reception center, wash their hands. They signed in so we make a clear accountability of everyone we have here.
[Hancocks:] After a short briefing they have their first coronavirus test.
[Dr. Andrew Oh, Medical Department Activity Command Korea:] They sit down like this soldier is doing, fills this out and then we're preparing to do laboratory sample which is behind you.
[Hancocks:] From there straight into special quarantine quarters for 14 days.
[Peters:] Nobody is exempt, I mean, from a private to three-star general. Everybody goes through the quarantine process.
[Hancocks:] Everyone is allowed 90 minutes a day outside so long as a social distance. Colonel Peters says the second test before being released from quarantine is key. One fifth of those who tested positive then had no symptoms at all. The U.S.F.K says they haven't had a single local transmission case in more than 3 months. All cases have been reported. But the Henjum family, all they can do now is play games, watch television, work out and wait for recovery. Paula Hancocks, CNN, South Korea South Korea.
[Brunhuber:] Still to come on CNN NEWSROOM, the UAE, the United States and Israel finding common ground to forge a new partnership in the Middle East. But Palestinians call it a betrayal. We'll explain why just ahead.

[Tom Foreman, Cnn Correspondent:] Every day from these pills, both legal and otherwise, which means, Jake, that a little more than five have died since this show began.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Tom Foreman, thank you so much. Be sure to tune in to CNN tomorrow morning starting at 6:00 Eastern for our special coverage of the Mueller report. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. Thanks for watching.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Happening now, breaking news: preemptive strike. The Justice Department announces that the attorney general, William Barr, will hold a news conference on the Mueller report tomorrow morning and President Trump suggests he may do the same thing, as he launches a pre-emptive strike with a round of radio interviews and Twitter rants, attacking Democrats and the Russia probe. More Assange charges? New documents reveal an ongoing criminal investigation in the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Are prosecutors now looking into WikiLeaks' handling of Democratic emails stolen by Russia? Stonewalling: Democrats are poised to subpoena the full Mueller report and supporting evidence but the Trump administration is already stonewalling document demands in several investigations. How long can the standoff continue? And found dead: the woman who was viewed as a threat to Denver-area schools, including Columbine, is found dead. Now investigators are trying to learn if she had accomplices. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
[Unidentified Male:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Blitzer:] Breaking news. We're just hours away from the release of the Mueller report and the Justice Department now says attorney general William Barr will hold a news conference about it in the morning. President Trump suggests he may follow suit and, in radio interviews, the president says "You'll see a lot of strong things come out tomorrow," his words. It will be a redacted version of Mueller's report but administration officials are worried the president will explode in fury if it reveals their testimony to Mueller's team. A Republican source warns the president will, quote, "go bonkers." He's already been hyperventilating via Twitter, calling the Mueller probe a witch hunt, a total fraud, instigated and I'm quoting him now "by a bunch of dirty cops and Democrats." While he falsely claims exoneration, Democrats note the report does not draw a conclusion on obstruction and they're poised to subpoena the full report with supporting evidence. I'll speak with Congressman Andre Carson of the Intelligence Committee. Our correspondents and analysts will have full coverage of the day's top stories. Let's begin with the breaking news. Our CNN Justice reporter, Laura Jarrett, is joining us from the Justice Department. Things are moving dramatically right now just ahead of the release of the Mueller report, Laura. First of all, tell our viewers what you're learning.
[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, Wolf, while much of the report itself still remains a mystery, we've now learned that the attorney general, Bill Barr, plans to hold a news conference tomorrow morning at 9:30 here at the Justice Department. He'll be joined on stage with the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller and has been overseeing the investigation for much of its nearly two-year-long life. I'm told by a source familiar with the plans for tomorrow that Barr's expected to provide an overview of the report, sort of explain his thinking and also address some process related questions. Of course, the big issue is when exactly is the report coming out? The Justice Department still not saying that at this hour. But Barr clearly attempting to try to take the reins and control the narrative here Wolf.
[Blitzer:] This news conference in the morning, 9:30 am Eastern, in relation to when the report will be released, certainly is key. I assume that reporters, the public, will get a copy of the 400-page redacted Mueller report before he actually goes out and makes a statement and answers reporters' questions.
[Jarrett:] We just don't know yet, Wolf. The timing is very fluid and the Justice Department is being very tightlipped about it. I can tell you we do know at some point, Congress, reporters, the public will have access to the full report online. We know that it's going to be redacted, everything from grand jury information to ongoing investigations. We can expect to see those color-coded redactions. Remember what Barr said at his hearing last week, that we'll see more than just the gist. So we should manage our expectations on those redactions.
[Blitzer:] Stand by for a moment. I want to bring in Evan Perez and Jeffrey Toobin, who are also assessing what's going on right now. Give us your analysis, Evan. Obviously we want to see the actual 400- page redacted Mueller report before we can start asking serious questions of the attorney general.
[Evan Perez, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] Right. Well, Wolf, first of all, I'm not assuming that we are going to see the report before the attorney general does his press conference. I don't think that's an assumption anybody should make at this point. Secondly, the announcement of this press conference came from the president in a radio interview this
[Perez:] afternoon, which is definitely not the way the Justice Department planned for this to come out. And that's something that's important for us to underscore because this is an important moment for this attorney general, for this Justice Department. This is an investigation that's been independent. And this is an important moment for the Justice Department and the attorney general to show some distance from the White House. So it's problematic, at least from the optics, for the president to be making an announcement about something that the attorney general is going to be doing about this investigation that has centered on the president. So it's just not a good look. And it just really again, it helps further some of the accusations that people have been making against the attorney general, that perhaps he's playing a little bit of rear guard for the president. This is not the way this should have gone today. And you've got to think that the attorney general understands that.
[Blitzer:] Well, is he trying to control the narrative? Is that what
[Perez:] Sure, I think if you're him, this is the one opportunity you have to control the narrative. But I also do think, though, that this is the first time he's going to answer questions from us. So I think it's an important time for that. There are also big questions he needs to be able to answer, including, for example, did the Justice Department ever come close to subpoenaing the president over the obstruction investigation? That's something we don't even need to look at the report for. We know from his letter enough information that we can certainly ask some very good questions tomorrow, even if we haven't had a time to go through the report. I don't think the press conference is going to be a waste. There's going to be a lot of information there from him. I also do think that, given Bill Barr has a tendency to go off script, I think it's going to be something that perhaps he's going to have to live with for some time to come. I think you should pay attention to everything he says. It'll come back to haunt him.
[Blitzer:] I think he would get some praise, the attorney general, Jeffrey, if they release the report, let's say, at 6:00 am, even 7:00 am. Everybody can have a few hours to read it. Then he comes out, makes a statement and then says, go ahead, your best questions.
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Sr. Legal Analyst:] This is political news management 101. Most Americans are going to see William Barr describing what's in the report before they see anyone else describing it. And William Barr is going to say and I think it's safe to say he's going to say this I was right three weeks ago or four weeks ago, whatever it was, that the conclusions are as follows and no one will have the opportunity to say otherwise. Because the report either will not be out or certainly most of us will not and then the reporters in the room will not have a chance to have gone through it. So you know, I think the phrase that we've all started to use is controlling the narrative. This is a political judgment on the part of the White House and the Department of Justice that they are going to tell the American people what the report says before anyone can read the actual report.
[Blitzer:] And it is a sensitive issue, Laura, that the president is announcing there's going to be a news conference at the Justice Department by the attorney general on this really, really sensitive issue, the 400-page redacted Mueller report, even before the Justice Department makes it official.
[Jarrett:] It sure it. You know, this is one of the risks, I guess, when you tell the president something. There's a chance he might just tweet it out or might just say it on a local radio station. And we don't know all the background of what exactly transpired here. But clearly he's now saying that he may hold a press conference and may take questions. We don't know exactly when that will be. But to underscore Evan's point, this is certainly a time where the Justice Department is trying to hold itself up as an institution. It's obviously part of the executive branch. I think that's important to note. But at a time like this where the president is clearly implicated in a major portion of the report, meaning the obstruction of justice section of it, I think that there is some delicate balancing going on here.
[Blitzer:] Because the president also said in one of these radio interviews he did today that, we'll see, in his words, and I'm quoting now, "some strong stuff" come out tomorrow. Do we know if the Justice Department has briefed the president already or if the president has been allowed to see the nearly 400-page report?
[Jarrett:] The president and his legal team say they have not seen the report. Whether or not they've been given any tea leaves or any briefing or anything like that, I'm sure we'll find out in the days to come on that. But they say they have not seen the actual report. If you think about it, it sort of insulates them a little bit to be able to say that. So maybe they've gotten an briefing but having actually not had the physical report in their hand, allows them to have a little plausible deniability.
[Blitzer:] How do you see it, Evan?
[Perez:] No, I think Laura is right. I think they've been careful to tap dance around that very big question. But I think I can bet you that's one of the first questions we'll be asking of the attorney general during his press conference. Because obviously the president knows something. If he was told about the press conference, some information was passed on to the White House and to the president before he went on this radio show to be able to essentially break the news before the Justice Department had a chance to do it. And, again, it really creates additional problems for the attorney general. This is not a new problem he needed to have. The attorney general created some problems last time when he was in Congress, where he referred to spying on the Trump campaign. Then the president immediately goes out and not only endorses it but then sends out campaign fundraising, endorsing what the attorney general said. These are not helpful things for the attorney general because, if you want to show some independence that this is an investigation that's been done seriously and with some distance from the White House, then this is not the way to do it.
[Toobin:] Well, Evan's right, if you believe that the attorney general should have his role defined, as it's traditionally been defined by, which is a measure of some independence. This is a different administration. The president has been complaining since he appointed Jeff Sessions that he doesn't have one of his lawyers in at the Justice Department. Now what we're seeing is it looks like he does. It looks like he has someone who is the same as the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Commerce, someone who works for him, not for the institution. And that's how Barr has portrayed himself so far in his press conference, in his congressional testimony. So, yes, that's true in terms of the traditional role of the Justice Department but the Donald Trump Justice Department looks very different.
[Blitzer:] Rod Rosenstein, Jeffrey, the deputy attorney general outgoing, we assume fairly soon but he is still the deputy attorney general. He was the acting attorney general. He criticized James Comey at the time of the Hillary Clinton conclusion of her investigation for having a news conference and spilling all that information even though she wasn't going to be charged with any criminal wrongdoing.
[Toobin:] Rod Rosenstein has had one of the longest farewells since Cher, I think. But he has not I mean, I don't know what I think it's a little unfair to predict what Barr is going to say. I don't know what he's going to say, if he's going to embarrass himself, what he's going to do. The only thing I think you can assume he's going to say is that he was right before, that his characterization of the report as largely almost entirely exculpatory, was right. And now you can see for yourself, even though, by the time he speaks, none of us will have seen it or seen it for very long.
[Blitzer:] Laura, very quickly, does it create, though, an appearance potentially for the attorney general of impropriety?
[Jarrett:] I don't think of it as much as impropriety as much as what is the motivation and sort of setting the tone for the day. Again, we have to see when exactly the report is released in relation to this press conference. If we walk in, in the morning, and it's 9:30 and we still don't have a report, then the questions will be a lot less informed because we won't have the benefit of those 400 pages to pore through. So there will be a different tone. But I think as Evan said, we will still get information out of it. To the James Comey point, I think the situation is quite different. This is the attorney general making a statement, not the FBI director. He's not going to get out there and provide derogatory information about an uncharged process. He's going to talk about his thinking. He might talk about redactions. He could talk about a whole slew of things that don't have to do with the underlying charges. But I think we should wait and see and wait and see the report. We've made a lot of assumptions about what he's doing in terms of being the president's hand-picked attorney general. We may see a different report tomorrow.
[Blitzer:] And very quickly, once again, Laura, Robert Mueller, he helped the attorney general, the deputy attorney general decide what should be redacted, what shouldn't be redacted. Is there any indication at all we're getting that he may be at this news conference tomorrow morning as well?
[Jarrett:] That would be news. No, I do not have any indication we're going to have a rare Robert Mueller sighting tomorrow, much less take questions. Certainly that would be something. I think he's going to stay under the radar as he has continued to do for the past two years Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Should he stay under the radar, Jeffrey?
[Toobin:] I think it would be a bad look for him to be part of this press conference. He's going to have a chance to speak on his own if he wants. He'll undoubtedly be asked to speak before Congress. Given the contentious nature, it appears, of the relationship between the Justice Department and the special counsel, it doesn't seem likely he'll be used as a prop tomorrow.
[Blitzer:] And I speak for all journalists, we're happy when senior officials give us news conferences so we can ask tough questions. Everybody stand by. There's more urgent news we're following. I want to go to our chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta. Jim, the president is hinting, as we just have been reporting, he may actually hold a news conference later in the day tomorrow. What are you hearing?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Sr. White House Correspondent:] Wolf, it sounds like the communications director in chief over here is getting warmed up at the White House. President Trump told a local
[Acosta:] Washington, D.C., radio station this afternoon, as you were just saying that attorney general William Barr will be holding a news conference tomorrow to go over what's being released from the Mueller report, the president also hinted he might hold his own news conference. So fasten your seat belts for that. The president was also sounding off on the probe during this interview, at one point raising questions about former president Barack Obama's role in this investigation, a early warning sign he's not going to be pleased about what's coming out in this report. I've talked to people who have spoken within the special counsel's office. One former aide here at the White House says the White House told officials they had talked to investigators, raising the question why the president would be so upset with all of that cooperation. As the president tried to stay on script at the White House, current and former Trump aides were nervously anticipating the findings from attorney general William Barr's redacted version of the Mueller report. One former administration official scoffed at the notion that the president could be upset with what comes out in the report, as some Trump aides were told they had to cooperate and that, in some cases, their email addresses were handed over to the special counsel's team. Democrats are wondering why there's so much anxiety and are ready to review the findings.
[Rep. Ro Khanna , Oversight Committee:] I want to understand what the Mueller report found on the issue of obstruction of justice. We know that the Mueller report doesn't exonerate the president. The Mueller report refused to make a conclusion. We should see what evidence the Mueller team collected.
[Acosta:] A former Justice Department official who's familiar with the investigation says there could be embarrassing details about the president in the report. But this former official cautioned, the president is impossible to embarrass, despite the fact that he's already welcomed Mueller's findings of no collusion with the Russians during the campaign, the president is still trashing the probe, tweeting, "The witch hunt has been a total fraud on your president and the American people. It was brought to you by dirty cops, crooked Hillary and the DNC." As he awaits the findings, the president is weighing in on the Democratic field for 2020, tweeting, "I believe it will be crazy Bernie Sanders versus sleepy Joe Biden as the two finalists to run against, maybe the best economy in the history of our country and many other great things. I look forward to facing whoever it may be. May God rest their soul." Sanders fired back, "Looks like President Trump is scared of our campaign. He should be." In an interview on Sirius XM, the president relished the idea of running against a self-described socialist.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] But our country is doing so well and if we ever went socialistic, if we ever became a socialist country, you could write off this country. This country would go down so fast.
[Acosta:] The Trump administration is also finding new ways to crack down on the border with the proposal to detain migrants seeking asylum instead of releasing them as their cases are heard. Top Republicans say they're willing to accept the tough policy.
[Sen. Ron Johnson:] So we do need to address the problem in the here and now. I hear people, let's send billions down and repair the economies of Central America. That's not going to happen or repair those economies anytime soon. We have to address this problem.
[Acosta:] Now as for the Mueller report, the former official who spoke with the special counsel's office that I talked with earlier today, this person told me it may have been better to talk to the grand jury instead of the investigators with the Mueller probe as grand jury proceedings are expected to be redacted in the findings that come out tomorrow. According to this former official, the lesson learned after talking to Mueller's team is, quote, "Don't cooperate." And Wolf, getting back to the president possibly talking to reporters tomorrow, it does raise the question why the White House, why the president was in such a celebratory mood when the Barr letter came out, summing up the Mueller findings. The other question, of course, obviously, is why the president feels the need to try to reshape the news cycle if he has nothing to worry about. It certainly goes to this narrative that we've heard over the last several days, that anxiety levels are going up over here at the White House and, among those officials, those former officials who spoke with the Mueller team.
[Blitzer:] Going to be a dramatic day tomorrow for sure. Jim Acosta at the White House, thank you. Lets get more on the breaking news. Our senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju is joining us from Capitol Hill. If the Mueller report comes back heavily redacted, how do you expect Democrats to immediately react?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Political Correspondent:] Expect the House Judiciary Committee to issue subpoenas as soon as this week. They're not saying exactly when they'll issue subpoenas but they want to see exactly what is redacted. There's an expectation here on Capitol Hill that there will be a significant amount of redactions that will prompt a subpoena fight. Democrats will try to issue a subpoena for the full Mueller report. They're also going to try to go to court to demand that grand jury information be released to Capitol Hill. Also, Wolf, expect subpoenas to be issued to five former White House officials, who cooperated with the Mueller probe, who may have received documents from the White House as they cooperated with the probe's look into potential obstruction of justice. So on multiple fronts, subpoenas could be could be issued. But resistance from the Justice Department is certainly expected. That could mean court fights that could last for some time and what Capitol Hill ultimately sees
[Raju:] remains a big question.
[Blitzer:] Do these congressional committees have the time, the resources, the political will to keep fighting for these documents as they go through court procedures? It could take quite a while.
[Raju:] It could take quite a while. And Democrats are girding for a long fight. According to a senior house Democratic aide, there have been 35 requests for information to the administration that have either been slow-walked or gotten no response at all from the administration. They point to nine Trump administration officials where they've asked to testify who have not asked to testify. There are some outstanding subpoena requests that they're demanding information. Some of these could end up in court. The White House says the House Democrats are overreaching in their requests but, nevertheless, this fight could take up much of the next two years, could end up in court and could test exactly how much oversight Congress can give the executive branch.
[Blitzer:] Clearly the stakes are enormous. Manu Raju on Capitol Hill, thank you. Joining us now, Democratic congressman Andre Carson of Indiana. He's a member of the Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us. Let's get to the breaking news right away. The president says he may hold a news conference on the Mueller report tomorrow. We're already hearing from White House officials who are having some serious second thoughts about having cooperated with the special counsel. Does that tell you anything about what we should expect from this redacted version of the Mueller report?
[Rep. Andre Carson:] In many ways, yes. I think the president wants to get ahead of the media frenzy that will inevitably take place as a result of the full report being released. I'm concerned about the redactions in the report, what it means, to what extent are we protecting sensitive sources and methods and, hopefully as we go further, how much of it is how broad is it, how ambiguous is it? I'm hoping we don't get muddled with redactions that we can't get to the root of the report. And if the president really believes that no wrongdoing has taken place, he should feel OK. But I think what Director Mueller has essentially done since the president hasn't been indicted, he's really left the task up to Congress. After we review the legal nuance and comb through this report, he's left the task of indictment. If there's a cause for indictment, he's left it up to Congress.
[Blitzer:] The attorney general, William Barr, is going to hold a news conference at 9:30 am tomorrow morning here in Washington. We don't know if the full report will have been released by then. We hope it will have been released a few hours earlier so people could go through, read the 400-page document and ask tough, serious questions. But is he trying already there's some speculation the attorney general is trying to control the narrative. What's your reaction?
[Carson:] Of course he is. The attorney general was handpicked by the president, given his history, to essentially protect the president. So both the president and the attorney general are essentially working together in a very real sense to get ahead of the messaging, to get ahead of the narrative, to kind of frame this in a way that will not impact the president going into the 2020 election.
[Blitzer:] The report is supposedly close to 400 pages. We don't know how many of those pages will be blacked out or redacted. What specific information will you be looking for as you read through the document?
[Carson:] I think things that haven't been established. I'll be looking for things like the extent of the president's associates, even the president himself, in terms of the obstruction of justice, those persons who went before the House Intel Committee, of which I serve. To what extent did they try to obstruct justice or even lie to the Intelligence Committee? Those are the kinds of things I'll be looking for. Also, looking at things that are unredacted, certain individuals who have acted as sources, critical sources. But I understand, as being the chairman over the Counter Intelligence Subcommittee on Intelligence that there are serious national security concerns that probably should not be made available to the public, Wolf. So we have to protect those things as well. But in a very real sense, I want the American people to see to it that we're being good stewards over their taxpayer dollars and their personal interests as this report is released.
[Blitzer:] You don't want sensitive, classified information that could undermine sources and methods to be released to the public. But do you want your committee to have access to that information?
[Carson:] Without question. I think the committees who deal with that kind of information, the Intel Committee and certainly the Judiciary Committee and Democratic leadership will have that kind of information. But the law of averages, once you have so many human beings involved, that information will inevitably get leaked at some point.
[Blitzer:] Congressman Andre Carson, thank you for joining us.
[Carson:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] Up next, more on the breaking news. The attorney general will hold a news conference tomorrow morning to accompany the release of a redacted version of the Mueller report. President Trump says he may do the same thing. Democrats are poised to subpoena the full version of the report. Lots going on. We'll be right back.

[Bolduan:] Joe Biden had a rough night, finishing in fifth place in New Hampshire. But he is vowing to fight on. Biden and Elizabeth Warren, a Senator from the neighboring state of New Hampshire, both are getting exactly zero delegates from last night's contest. Now both are focused on South Carolina, Nevada and beyond. What does that look like for these candidates? Joining me now, Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic governor of Virginia and the former chairman of the DNC. Good to see you, Terry.
[Terry Mcauliffe, , Former Dnc Chair & Former Virginia Governor:] Kate, good to be with you.
[Bolduan:] Biden is entirely focused on South Carolina. They call it their firewall. Does he need to win huge or just win to stay in this now?
[Mcauliffe:] He needs to win. I'd make the argument the same for Senator Warren. They need to win in Nevada and South Carolina. The problem is, Kate, if you're putting everything on South Carolina, that's on February 29th. Three days later is Super Tuesday. You have 15 contests, big contests, California, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia. You can't raise money if you have a win on the 29th, you have Sunday and then Tuesday, there's no opportunity for you at that point to raise any money, go on TV. So they have to begin to show momentum. The debate will be important to both of them. They need to raise money. They need to show they can raise money by TV in these March 3rd states. But you can't just ride in South Carolina. There's not enough time to turn and put your operation in place.
[Bolduan:] That's an excellent place. Let's talk about cash. You're a money guy. What happens? A big unknown that is out there, hanging out there
[Mcauliffe:] Don't tell my wife that.
[Bolduan:] I won't, don't worry. Just you and me here talking. Nobody's listening.
[Mcauliffe:] OK, thank you.
[Bolduan:] What happens when Bloomberg and his millions and millions and millions drops into the race officially after South Carolina?
[Mcauliffe:] None of us have ever seen this before, Kate, in our party. I think it will have a big impact. There's no way a billion dollars or whatever his number is he has over 2000 staff. He's paying them all the way through November. I live in northern Virginia, in McLean. There's an ad every three seconds up in northern Virginia. So that's going to have an impact. It's fascinating. Usually, after Iowa and New Hampshire, this thing is beginning to be winnowed down. It's not. We have five, six candidates that are going to seriously play on Super Tuesday. I mean, you think of Amy and Pete and Bernie. Joe still in and Elizabeth in. Then, you have Steyer and Bloomberg, the two billionaires. But after March 3rd, we're down to two, if three. My guess, with Bloomberg, with his money, he will still be around. Bernie is going to be consistently getting his 25, 30 percent. And then it will be a battle when you have more moderate candidates fighting each other to continue on as we go forward.
[Bolduan:] You talked about Biden, and you mentioned Warren. What is a Warren campaign reset? What does it look like after Iowa and New Hampshire? Is it clear to you?
[Mcauliffe:] I think it's harder for her. Biden has made it clear. And he's leading with the African-American community. So that's a big opportunity for him in South Carolina. You know, it's harder for Elizabeth. I think she has to have a big moment, I think, in the debate. Listen, Amy Klobuchar had a huge moment in the last debate. Pete Buttigieg would have won in New Hampshire. But I think Amy a lot of people, folks in New Hampshire said, I'm either voting for Amy or Pete. And she had a great debate. She needs a great debate moment. I give her tremendous credit. No matter what happens to her, she changed the policy debate. All the candidates have looked to her and she has led on these. But at some point, you have to begin to win states. And now we're coming to a whole slew of states coming up. In the next three weeks from today, Super Tuesday will be over. We will have a much clearer idea. But we have a big muddled field. We have a lot of folks in this thing. This thing could go on for a very long time. Which I don't like. I'd rather see us get behind a nominee and focus on Trump.
[Bolduan:] At some point, it becomes a money problem, right? If don't win, people aren't going to be putting money in your campaign. And you cannot, no matter what kind of smiley face you put on it, you can't continue if you're just racking up debt and you cannot continue to put things on the airwaves
[Mcauliffe:] You can't pay your staff. You can't put anything on the air.
[Bolduan:] That's exactly right.
[Mcauliffe:] And look at California, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia.
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Mcauliffe:] D.C. is the media market. You can't buy TV. You cannot communicate.
[Bolduan:] That's right, expensive one. Good to you, Governor. Thank you.
[Mcauliffe:] Can't buy CNN TV ads.
[Bolduan:] That's right. Top dollar. Coming up, what about last night's top finishers? Can Sanders, can Buttigieg, can they hold their frontrunner status. Well, they have now Amy Klobuchar nipping at their heels.

[Kristie Lu Stout, Host, News Stream:] " It is one in the morning here in Christchurch. And later today, the Prime Minister of New Zealand will return to the city in mourning to meet with first responders and families of the victims as they prepare to lay their loved ones to rest. Fifty people were killed in the massacre on Friday when a gunman opened fire at two different mosques. Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister met with religious leaders in Parliament on Tuesday, giving embraces and offering a message of solidarity to the Muslim community. In an emotional speech, she urged the public to focus on the victims and vow to never utter the attacker's name.
[Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister, New Zealand:] He is a terrorist. He is a criminal. He is an extremist, but he will, when I speak, be nameless, and to others, I implore you, speak the names of those who were lost rather than the name of the man who took them. He may have sought notoriety, but we in New Zealand will give him nothing, not even his name.
[Lu Stout:] And joining me now is Azam Khan and Sahida Ali, two friends who were also at the two separate mosques when terror took hold. They are eyewitnesses to terror. They're survivors as well. Gentlemen, thank you for joining me and my condolences to you and to your community for what you've been forced to endure. Assam, on you were at the Al Noor mosque when the terror attack took place. What did you experience?
[Azam Khan, Survived Mosque Attack:] Well, I was the mosque at the time when the gunman came and he started shooting, and all of a sudden everybody started to run and in the process, I also ran towards my right and then everybody a lot of people fell down and I also fell in the process, you know and there was a lot of pile of people all on top of the other and the gunman started shooting everyone and then all of a sudden, everybody stood up and ran outside and not because not everybody was able to leave the mosque because some people was trapped by the door, so he came in and shot a lot of brothers, you know, while they were waiting to get out of the mosque.
[Lu Stout:] And Sahid, you were at the Lynwood mosque.
[Mohammed Sahid Ali, Survived The Mosque Attack:] Yes, we were already in the Lynwood mosque, already it's already after maybe three minutes later and the guy is shooting my best friend, it's the same place he already seat and that guy straight away die shooting in the head. And later already outside, shooting with three people die and inside shooting small kids, maybe five years old kids and fathers already sitting in those chairs straightaway die and I see inside and that guy, another of my friend already getting the gun and that guy already run away. Cops coming. There's a lot of help out for me and thanks, everybody is coming, a lot of people safe side is a lot of people is already in the hospital. And not found anybody they said, and I'm going already outside and I see already lot of people in the driveway already died. Two ladies and the driver already die.
[Lu Stout:] You witnessed so much senseless death. The murders of children, of friends. These are people you worshipped with in your mosques. It's been almost five days since the terror attacks, but you must still have traumatic memories, very vivid memories of what happened.
[Khan:] Yes, we do. You know, because we are a very close community, you know, we used to meet in the mosque on a daily basis, you know, and very good and very close friends. You know, and most of the time, they used to be in the mosque, whenever we go we used to find and we used to greet and hug each other. So it is very difficult now for us to move forward, but slowly we are, you know, we are. As a community, we are discussing and we are talking to each other. We console each other. We support each other you know and we grieve together, you know as a community. So this does help, you know, to move and yes, and the support we get is you know, there is a lot of support from the public and from the New Zealand community. You know, everyone is giving us that support so it helps us with the process you know.
[Lu Stout:] Sahid, how are you healing? How are you coping?
[Ali:] I am already everything is good and a lot of show a lot of people help out for Muslim people, outside countries people coming to help out for this and everybody is friendly and everybody is liking and I am stay here a long time. There is no anybody fighting this style and first time, I see these, people is killing here.
[Lu Stout:] And that was Azam Khan and Salid Ali, survivors of the mosque attacks. Two friends who were at two separate mosques when these attacks to place. Witnesses the terror and yet when I asked them the question, it's the question that we posed to many survivors here in Christchurch how would they react if they saw the suspect or the suspect's grandmother or mother? Their reaction was, that they would react with no hatred, they would react with compassion, because that is their belief system. Now, joining me now is CNN's Ivan Watson who is here in Christchurch closely following the story. And Ivan, there was an extraordinary moment earlier on Tuesday, it's already Wednesday here in Christchurch where the Prime Minister talked about the suspect. And she said, "He is an extremist, a terrorist, he'll be nameless."
[Ivan Watson, Senior International Correspondent, Cnn:] And a criminal and she doesn't want to say his name and wants to focus the attention on victims. Victims like Fareed Akhmed, whose wife was killed, he had to explain to his daughter about her mother's passing, and then said, "If I saw the suspect, I would hug him. If I saw his mother, I would hug him." And that is this message that we've been hearing here amid these flowers that love should conquer all. And we've seen the people coming up here and now it's Tuesday, it's been days since and they're still crying, as they lay their flowers and it was a Muslim community leader who made this very interesting point to me that it isn't just this tiny Muslim minority in New Zealand that makes up 1% of the population that has been traumatized. Take a listen.
[Aliya Danzeisen, Women's Organization Of Waikato Muslim Asssociation:] This is everybody in New Zealand, so there are over 4.5 million people impacted by this and it's not just the Muslims that are feeling, you know, hurt it's everybody and everybody is grieving here and from the Prime Minister down to young children in the schools who are aware of it, everybody has been impacted. And so, we're all in mourning.
[Watson:] And you're a high school teacher. So, let's just give you one example of that. The threat levels are still high here. The authorities say, they're concerned about the possibilities of some copycat acts of violence, so the police we see on the streets are carrying rifles. New Zealanders are not accustomed to their police being armed this way. This is part of how New Zealand, sadly, is catching up with the rest of the world. This new normal militarized police in response to atrocious acts of violence.
[Lu Stout:] Ivan Watson, we thank you for your reporting. The terror attacks that took place here in Christchurch on Friday, Javed, thank you very much indeed for joining us. My sympathies to you and your family. First, could you tell us about your cousin? Who was he and how will you remember him?
[Javed Dadabhai, Cousin Killed In Mosque Attack:] His name was Jinead Motella. He came from his family name is Motella so born and raised Canterbarian, so very, very proud to be from the city. He was father of three very young children. The youngest being one, the oldest is only five, still to start school. Birthday exactly is actually in a couple of weeks so, yes, quite to take. He is survived by a window who is going to take care of those three and a widowed mother who he has been the support for.
[Dadabhai:] He's been her guardian.
[Lu Stout:] He was a husband, a father, a cousin, a son, a brother as well. He had a twin brother.
[Dadabhai:] He has a twin brother. He has a twin brother. He has got an older brother and sister as well. So a fantastic family. They are all kind of rallying around each other. They're doing the best they can in these circumstances, but you know, it's obviously still a very trying time for them.
[Lu Stout:] Their trying time it's been five days since the terror attack. So the remains of your cousin has been returned to you and your family yet?
[Dadabhai:] No, unfortunately. We are hopeful soon because we're hearing of bodies obviously being having completed the process going through the coroners and reaching, I guess the community's hands because they're now going through the ablution stage. But it's early and it's kind of a luxury as to what number you know, your deceased is going to be between one and fifty.
[Lu Stout:] You're here to help with your family, but also with the wider Muslim community. You're here to help with the burials also.
[Dadabhai:] So I'm currently involved in the actual burial site. So just liaising with about a half a dozen individuals where we're trying to, I guess, manage what we foresee is going to be a very big event. We would never have in the past done this many burials in such a short time two or three years, you know, if it's a car accident or something of that nature, but nothing of this magnitude and also from the other point of the support that's coming down, the people that want to be involved, we envisage thousands to be there. And so just working with the ministry, working with the police to make sure that we can do everything to prepare for it and make sure it goes as easy and smoothly as possible.
[Lu Stout:] And the families, they want to see the return of the remains with their loved ones. So that they could say farewell, but also to prepare the body in accordance with Muslim tradition. What does that mean? What does that entail?
[Dadabhai:] I mean, as you may know, traditionally, the Muslim burial process is very quick. We endeavor to get the body to the families and then within the 24-hour space or you know, like over the next day or sometimes, two if there are circumstances, so this is very unusual, but at the same time you know, it's extenuating circumstances. We are quite aware of the difficulties that the police and the coroners face, and the resources being quite strict for them as well. But there is obviously within the community, a sense of urgency. They want to have it, they want to have the they will get back to them. And I think not just there's one aspect of the rituals but it ties into the fact that they probably cannot stop grieving properly until, until the bodies are in the ground. There's a sense of unfinished work to be done.
[Lu Stout:] And when the funerals take place, there will be a prayer. What is that prayer?
[Dadabhai:] Yes, in a general sense, it's a reminder to us that we all are going to be following this person. That we came into the world with nothing and we will be leaving this world with nothing. The Islamic practices that we are wrapped in a simple white cloth and that's it when we are lowered into the ground. There is nothing that goes on with us except for our good deeds and our bad deeds. So, you know it's every funeral is a reminder to each of us that we've all got to go through the same process.
[Lu Stout:] That's beautiful and also so deeply heartbreaking. Javed Dadabhai, thank you so much for joining us.
[Dadabhai:] Thank you.
[Lu Stout:] And just ahead, Prime Minister Jucinda Ardern is taking her call for gun control reform straight to New Zealand's Parliament and investigators find what they call clear similarities between the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes. Now, one aviation expert says Boeing could have done more to avoid this second disaster.

[Smerconish:] As scandal and countless investigations swirl around the Trump administration in Washington, the economy may be the president's saving grace. According to dozens of models, the booming U.S. economy all but solidifies a landslide victory for President Trump in 2020. In every single one, Trump wins. This makes Rush Limbaugh, for one, pretty happy.
[Rush Limbaugh, Conservative Radio:] And there's other polling data out there today, including three supposed experts at modeling future elections, turnouts and all that with computer models and all three of these guys are commie-based, left-wing types and they all three are in fact, one of them has 12 different models and Trump wins them all re-election.
[Smerconish:] Joining me now, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, Mark Zandi, who has analyzed 12 models for the 2020 election. I feel like my first question should be, Mark Zandi, are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?
[Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody's Analytics:] That's the first I've heard of that, Michael. That was pretty comical. Yes. No, I have not I'm not a commie and I've never been a commie. No. I'm an American.
[Smerconish:] What did you do here? Give us the overview.
[Zandi:] Yes. So this is a model. So we look at historical voting patterns. The model is based at the state level to account for the electoral college. It includes economic variables, things like unemployment, the change in unemployment, change in gas prices, house prices and also political variables, things like the president's approval rating, previous voting patterns, the benefit of incumbency. So lots of different factors. and of course, we test the model based on how well it has done historically. But you know, I should say the model is predicting these models are predicting that Trump would win if the election were held today, not, you know, 18 months from now. So there's a lot of economic script to be written between now and then and things will change, almost certainly will change. So the models are only as good as of today.
[Smerconish:] OK. So as not to repeat the mistake of pollsters in the last cycle, do you look at things nationally, I.E., popular vote or state-by-state?
[Zandi:] State-by-state. So state-by-state and actually it's quite interesting. I mean, if you look at it, it's intuitive. Pennsylvania, where I live and I think I think you live in Pennsylvania as well, Philadelphia...
[Smerconish:] True.
[Zandi:] ... that is the most swing state. It's right on the bubble and actually if you look at the counties within the state, and we actually model at a county level, the real battle is around Philadelphia in the Philadelphia suburbs. That's where the swingest of swing votes are and that's going to be key. And one other really important point, Michael. It's really about turnout. So one interesting thing is these models don't account for turnout. They implicitly assume that turnout is equal to the average turnout since 1980 when these models were the data that we're using. If Democrats turnout at high levels, say at the levels that prevailed back in the 2008 election, the first Obama election, then in fact the D candidate would win even with this good economy. So it's really going to be very important for Ds to turn out in big numbers if they if they want to win this election, if the economy still is good 12 months from 12, 18 months from now...
[Smerconish:] Without the economy, is it fair to is it fair to say is it fair to say that without the economy, if the economy should take a turn for the worse, then your models would all say that he's done? In other words, you're showing him in the best of circumstances according to the economic numbers.
[Zandi:] Yes. No, that's exactly right. So we have a three point nationally, we have a 3.6 percent unemployment rate. That's a 50-year low. What really matters is 12, 18 months from now, what is the unemployment rate? Is it is it rising or is it falling? If it if it's rising, even from a low level, then he's got a problem economically. And then if the Democrats turnout in large numbers, if they're really charged up, feels like they are, then these models will show something very different. It'll show that D wins, not Trump.
[Smerconish:] You know, the president has, I'll say it this way, an outsized personality which helps him with his base and harms him with his detractors. That's really what's offsetting your data. Let me say it more simply. Anybody else with these economic numbers, I think Mark Zandi would be going much further in saying, guy's a shoo-in.
[Zandi:] Yes. Yes. You got that exactly right. I mean, all the political factors, you know, favor him. He's an incumbent, right? An incumbent after their first term running again has an advantage. Of course, the way the electoral college is set up, that is an advantage to him. The one thing that's not working for him politically is his approval rating, but even there, right now, his approval rating we use the "Gallup Poll" for the approval numbers is relatively high. It's about as high as it's been since he's been president. And then you throw on this economy, particularly what's going on in the job market, there's a very low unemployment, you know, that gives him a lot of tail winds and that's why he wins, but even despite all of that, despite the great economy, you know, it's not a slam dunk. One other thing, Michael, I should point out, these are models, right? And models are wrong and we saw that in 2016. The models that now are predicting Trump would win are the same models that predicted Clinton would win back in 2016. So you have to take this, you know, with that in mind.
[Smerconish:] Got it. If we'd had this conversation before the last cycle, you'd have been speaking of Hillary, you commie-based...
[Zandi:] Yes.
[Smerconish:] ... left-wing type.
[Zandi:] Yes. You got it. Yes. YEs.
[Smerconish:] Mark, thank you. Appreciate it.
[Zandi:] Thank you. Take care.
[Smerconish:] Checking on your tweet and Facebook comments. What do we have, Catherine? "For who? People like me, middle class, have to look for second jobs to be able to make it." Marisol, you know, I hear that from individuals who are on my radio program running focus groups. Richard Vague is one of them who has come on and said, you know, when he's conducting focus groups, yes, people are employed, but they're holding two jobs just to make sure that they're able to pay for that which they need and they're still concerned about how they're going to be able to afford health insurance. I get your point. I want to remind everybody, answer the survey question at Smerconish.com. Do it now, OK? Will America's gun problem, my words, ever change? Still to come, in deciding not to charge the president with obstruction, Robert Mueller made his own interpretation of the law. Well, who voted for that?

[Soares:] Now we have some sad news to report here at CNN. Gloria Vanderbilt has died at the age of 95. She was an iconic fashion designer, an artist, writer, heiress to the Vanderbilt railroad Fortune. She was also the mother of our colleague, CNN anchor, Anderson Cooper. Of course our deepest condolences go out to him as well as his family. Anderson, in his own words, has more now on Gloria Vanderbilt's incredible life.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Anchor:] Gloria Vanderbilt, my mom, lived her entire life in the public eye. Born in 1924, her father, Reginald Vanderbilt, was heir to the Vanderbilt Railroad Fortune, but gambled away most of his inheritance and died when my mom was just a baby. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, her mother, wasn't ready to be a mom or a widow. My mom grew up in France, not knowing anything about the Vanderbilt family or the money that she would inherit when she turned 21. She had no idea the trouble that money would create.
[Unidentified Male:] And here's the first movie of little Gloria herself. Frightened by the curious crowd, she flees into her aunt's car. Money isn't everything.
[Cooper:] When she was 10, her father's sister, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, sued to have my mom taken away from her own mother. It was a custody battle, the likes of which the world had never seen. It was called the trial of the century, and it took place during the height of the depression, making headlines every day for months. The court awarded custody of my mom to her Aunt Gertrude, whom she barely knew. The judge also fired the one person my mom truly loved and needed, her nanny, whom she called dodo.
[Gloria Vanderbilt, Mother Of Anderson Cooper:] She was my mother, my father. She was everything. She was my lifeline. She was all I had.
[Cooper:] As a teenager, she tried to avoid the spotlight, but reporters and cameramen would follow her everywhere. She was determined to make something of her life, determined to make a name for herself, and find the love and family that she so desperately craved. At 17, against her aunt's wishes, she got married. She knew it was a mistake from the get-go.
[Unidentified Male:] Wedding bells at Santa Barbara's ancient Spanish mission. He is Pasquale DiCicco, Hollywood actors' agent, and he's 32.
[Cooper:] He was described as a Hollywood agent. Was he an agent?
[Gloria Vanderbilt, American Artist:] Well, maybe at one point he was. He had been married to Thelma Todd, who was quite a well-known actress, and she was died under mysterious circumstances. And there were sort of rumors around that maybe he had killed her, you know.
[Cooper:] Wait a minute. Wait a minute. So you got married to a guy who there were rumors that he had killed his former wife?
[Vanderbilt:] Yes, yes.
[Cooper:] Did that not seem to give you pause?
[Vanderbilt:] Well, I thought all he needs is me, you know, to
[Cooper:] Oh, God.
[Vanderbilt:] Sweetheart, I was only 17.
[Cooper:] OK. I know.
[Vanderbilt:] You know.
[Cooper:] At 21, she married again and had two sons with the legendary conductor, Leopold Stokowski. This is what he looked like when you first met him?
[Vanderbilt:] Well, it's a terrible photograph of him, but he was 63 when I first met him and married him.
[Cooper:] And was this something like as soon as you saw him, you thought
[Vanderbilt:] Instant.
[Cooper:] Really?
[Vanderbilt:] I knew him for a week and married three weeks later.
[Cooper:] Really?
[Vanderbilt:] Yes.
[Cooper:] I didn't know that.
[Vanderbilt:] Yes.
[Cooper:] And he was 63?
[Vanderbilt:] Yes.
[Cooper:] Wow. Did any of your friends think it was weird?
[Vanderbilt:] I don't know. I mean
[Cooper:] They didn't say anything to you?
[Vanderbilt:] It didn't matter to me.
[Cooper:] The marriage lasted more than a decade. Then she met and married director Sidney Lumet and then my father writer, Wyatt Cooper. Over the course of her life, my mom was photographed by all the great photographers, and she worked as a painter, a writer, an actress, and designer.
[Unidentified Female:] Gloria, you're terrific.
[Cooper:] If you were around in the early 1980s, it was pretty hard to miss the jeans she helped create. But that was her public face, the one she learned to hide behind as a child. Her private self, her real self, that was more fascinating and more lovely than anything she showed the public. I always thought of her as a visitor from another world, a traveler stranded here who'd come from a distant star that burned out long ago. I always felt it was my job to try to protect her. She was the strongest person I've ever met, but she wasn't tough. She never developed a thick skin to protect herself from hurt. She wanted to feel it all. She wanted to feel life's pleasures; its pains as well. She trusted too freely, too completely, and suffered tremendous losses. But she always pressed on. Always worked hard. Always believed the best was yet to come. You think the next great love is right around the corner?
[Vanderbilt:] Absolutely. Absolutely.
[Cooper:] Is there anyone I should know about right now?
[Vanderbilt:] No.
[Cooper:] I think Ben Brantley said he's never met somebody over the age of 16 who loves being in love as much as you.
[Vanderbilt:] That's true. I think we should always be in love.
[Cooper:] And she was always in love. In love with men, or with friends, or books and art. In love with her children and her grandchildren and then her great-grandchildren. Love is what she believed in more than anything. Earlier this month, we had to take her to the hospital. And that's where she learned she had very advanced cancer in her stomach and that it had spread. When the doctor told her she had cancer, she was silent for a while. And then she said, well, it's like that old song, show me the way to get out of this world because that's where everything is. Later, she made a joke and we started giggling. I never knew that we had the exact same giggle. I recorded it and it makes me giggle every time I watch it. Joseph Conrad wrote that we live as we die, alone. He was wrong in my mom's case. Gloria Vanderbilt died as she lived, on her own terms. I know she hoped for a little more time, a few days or weeks at least. There were paintings she wanted to make, more books she wanted to read, more dreams to dream. But she was ready. She was ready to go.
[Vanderbilt:] Once upon a time
[Cooper:] She spent time a lot of time alone in her head during her life. But when the end came, she was not alone. She was surrounded by beauty and by family and by friends. The last few weeks, every time I kissed her goodbye, I'd say, I love you, mom. She would look at me and say, I love you, too. You know that. And she was right. I did know that. I knew it from the moment I was born, and I'll know it for the rest of my life. And in the end, what greater gift can a mother give to her son? Gloria Vanderbilt was 95 years old when she died. What an extraordinary life. What an extraordinary mom. And what an incredible woman.

[Jim Acosta, Cnn:] Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Wolf Blitzer is off. I'm Jim Acosta in THE SITUATION ROOM. And we're following breaking news on the firestorm over mail-in voting ahead of the presidential election. The U.S. Postal Service is now warning states that it may not be able to deliver ballots in time for them to be counted. This comes after President Trump has been misleading Americans about the integrity of mail-in voting and refusing to support additional postal funding. Tonight, former President Barack Obama is weighing in, accusing Trump of trying to kneecap the Postal Service to suppress votes. This comes as worries about keeping voters safe in the midst of the pandemic are more urgent than ever. The U.S. coronavirus death toll just passed 168,000. And a new CDC forecast projects about 21,000 more deaths in the next three weeks. First, let's go to the White House. CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins is there. Kaitlan, as we're seeing this new warning from the Postal Service, the president still refuses support funding that would assist mail-in voting.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, he has. And this week, Jim, he acknowledged that in order for there to be widespread voting by mail this November, which experts are saying they're very well could be because of the pandemic, the president knows that they do need more money for that. But now he says he's resisting it. And, today, he revealed why, that he sees it as what could amount to basically a bargaining chip with Democrats, as they have been negotiating on Capitol Hill to try to get another coronavirus legislation bill signed, though, so far, those talks have completely collapsed.
[Collins:] Even though it could be critical to carrying out the November election, President Trump made clear today that his refusal to give the post office more funding is a direct shot at Democrats.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Because they want $1 trillion to go to their friends doing a bad job running certain cities and states that are doing very badly.
[Collins:] The president argued he wouldn't block new funding for the U.S. Postal Service if Democrats meet his demands in coronavirus legislation.
[Trump:] They're not giving it to me. They're giving it to the American people. I mean, giving it...
[Question:] But if they were to agree with that.
[Trump:] Yes, I would I would certainly do that. Sure.
[Collins:] The effort to sow doubt about mail-in voting isn't just coming from the president. His top Cabinet officials are also issuing their own warnings.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] The idea of conducting our elections by wholesale mail-in ballots is reckless and wrong.
[Collins:] President Barack Obama accused the Trump administration of attempting to suppress votes.
[Barack Obama, Former President Of The United States:] What we have never seen before is a president say, I'm going to try to actively kneecap the Postal Service to encourage voting, and I will be explicit about the reason I'm doing it. That's sort of unheard of.
[Collins:] Cost-cutting moves at the post office have come under scrutiny because it's causing delays in delivery and sparking concerns there will be widespread slowdowns. Trump recently claimed he hadn't spoken with the U.S. postmaster general, an ally of his and longtime GOP fund-raiser.
[Trump:] Well, I didn't speak to the postmaster general of the post office.
[Collins:] But the White House is now confirming Trump not only spoke with Louis DeJoy. He met with him last week ahead of the postmaster general's tense meeting with Democrats. Despite being the nation's most outspoken critic of voting by mail, Trump and first lady Melania Trump have requested their own mail-in ballots ahead of the election.
[Trump:] Absentee, good, universal mail-in, very bad.
[Collins:] The president also came under fire this week after he refused to knock down a racist conspiracy that Senator Kamala Harris may not be eligible to be vice president because her parents are immigrants, even though she was born in the
[U.s. Trump:] I heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements.
[Collins:] Today, he was asked if he saw her addition to Joe Biden's ticket as a threat.
[Question:] Do you have an issue with a strong woman of color being in this presidential race? Do you see...
[Trump:] None whatsoever.
[Question:] You don't see her as a threat?
[Trump:] As you as you know, none whatsoever.
[Collins:] The answer from Trump the day before wasn't surprising, given he built his political career in part by sowing doubt about President Obama's birthplace. Today, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, declined to denounce the move.
[Jared Kushner, Senior Presidential Adviser:] I personally have no reason to believe she's not, but, again, my focus for the last 24 hours has been on the historic peace deal that we have been able to achieve here.
[Question:] She was born in Oakland, California.
[Kushner:] Yes.
[Question:] Makes her a qualified candidate. Why didn't the president take the opportunity to debunk that theory?
[Kushner:] I have not had a chance to discuss this with him. But, again, I will let his words speak for himself.
[Collins:] It wasn't the only conspiracy the White House didn't disavow this week. Trump recently congratulated and endorsed a Georgia Republican congressional candidate who has openly embraced the QAnon conspiracy, a movement the FBI has labeled a potential domestic terrorist threat. Today, he avoided a question about whether he agrees with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
[Trump:] She comes from a great state. And she had a tremendous victory. So, absolutely, I did congratulate her. Please. Go ahead.
[Question:] But specifically specifically on QAnon...
[Trump:] Go ahead, please.
[Question:] ... and her decision to embrace that conspiracy theory, do you agree with her on that? That was the question.
[Trump:] Go ahead, please.
[Collins:] And, Jim, the president just arrived in New Jersey at his golf club, where he's spending the weekend. But, before going there, he made a stop in Manhattan, because his younger brother, Robert, who is 72 is in the hospital. The president hasn't said why he's in the hospital. He did say he was ill. He said he was going to check on him. He was seemed like he was still learning more information about it. And, so far, that's really all we know, is that he is in a hospital in New York. No further details so far, Jim.
[Acosta:] All right. Kaitlan Collins, thank you very much for that. Let's get more on that new warning from the U.S. Postal Service about potential delays in delivering mail-in ballots. We're joined by CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip. Abby, what does this tell us about how fast voters' ballots can be delivered, compared to the expectations that everybody has?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, everyone should know that requesting their ballot, receiving their ballot and returning their ballot can take a lot more time than they're probably expecting. The U.S. Postal Service is now warning dozens of states, according to "The Washington Post," that these ballots could take longer in the mail system. And some of that is because of recent changes, cost- cutting changes that have been made that have resulted in election- related materials being slowed through the system. Now, these warnings aren't necessarily entirely new. There have been, over the years, piecemeal warnings like that given to states about their deadlines and making them realistic. But what is different about this is that it is so widespread. And we are now expecting millions and millions of ballots to go through the Postal Service system this year because of expanded mail-in voting in a lot of states. It's also coming at a time as there are now questions about the USPS and whether there is political influence being exerted over that organization, due to the fact that it's being headed up by Louis DeJoy, who is a top Republican donor, a top donor to President Trump and his allies, who has led that agency since May. Now, DeJoy has said that these measures are being put into place because of the need to make the Postal Service more efficient. But I have already spoken to postal workers who tell me that these changes are having a deleterious effect on the ability of the Postal Service to do this very essential function that it has.
[Acosta:] Indeed. All right, Abby, stay with us, as we bring in CNN legal and national security analyst Carrie Cordero. Carrie, the Postal Service is warning that some voters may not have their ballots counted in time because of delivery time delays. But those delays are the direct result of cost-cutting measures by the postmaster general. In an election year, the timing just seems suspicious.
[Carrie Cordero, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Yes, well, I think there's a few different things going on here, Jim. So, on one hand, there's the Postal Service, which clearly needs an infusion of money. And Congress needs to act on that front to be able to help it get through this new additional increase in volume that it's going to have to support the election and make sure that the fall election can go through efficiently and smoothly. So, there's a legislative battle that has to do with money and the ability of the post office to function in that way. Then I think a separate issue is the fact that the president himself is trying to undermine confidence in the election. And he's doing that by talking about mail-in ballots as if they are corrupt or they are fraudulent, when there is a history of them not being. And I think what he's also doing is, he's laying the groundwork for potential legal challenges. And that's where voters are really going to have to be patient, because the combination of the increased use of mail-in ballots, the stress on the post office, and then litigation that we may have to wait for right after the election may potentially all delay the actual outcome and result.
[Acosta:] And we have been reporting in the last couple of hours that the inspector general is going to be looking into some of this over at the Postal Service. Are you concerned that this inspector general will face some of the same problems that other I.G.s and the Trump administration have faced? They have been thrown out because the president didn't like what they were up to.
[Cordero:] Yes, I am worried, to some extent, because this president has a very bad relationship with inspectors general. He doesn't want them to be able to do their independent job. They usually function in a very independent way. And so we will see whether he allows this particular inspector general. But he fired the director of national intelligence inspector general, and the State Department one has been released. Other throughout the government, other inspector generals have been removed from their positions. And so this is obviously an issue that is of the highest attention that the president has, which is a very difficult place for that inspector general to be.
[Acosta:] And, Abby, the postmaster general is a Trump ally and fund- raiser. When the president was asked, have you spoken with the postmaster general this was last Sunday he didn't tell he didn't tell the truth, either willingly or mistakenly. He had met with the postmaster general the week prior to that. Does this warning from the Postal Service actually play into President Trump's efforts to undermine voter confidence in this election?
[Phillip:] Well, that remains to be seen. It remains to be seen what the consequence of this warning will be. We have already seen in one state, in Pennsylvania, for example, where, just yesterday, there was a filing made by state election officials essentially saying that, because of these delays, they are going to try to accept ballots or they're looking for a court decision that allows them to accept ballots that are postmarked on Election Day. That's something that President Trump and his allies have actually been fighting against in the court. So, this could actually end up backfiring on the president. And, as you noted, it's prompted all these calls for an investigation that the inspector general is going to be looking at whether or not these delays that they're seeing are a result of the cost-cutting measures and what's been going on behind the scenes there. I do you think that, for Democrats I have already heard from many Democrats. They are urging their voters to use alternatives, to use ballot boxes to return their ballots, to go physically to polling places to return their ballots, instead of using the Postal Service, and they're upping those warnings to their voters, because they're concerned that these delays will continue or be exacerbated by the fall.
[Acosta:] And, Carrie, President Trump has now explicitly said he's holding up funding for the Postal Service to limit voting by mail. Do his actions amount to voter suppression, do you think?
[Cordero:] Well, I think what he's trying to do is, like I said, is, he's trying to undermine confidence in the election. And he's trying to suppress the vote. I mean, he's trying to discourage people from having confidence that, if they vote in a certain way, mailing in their ballot, that their vote will matter. And so, by doing that, he is discouraging he is just de facto discouraging people to exercise their right to vote. Now, whether his judgment politically is correct that that will help him or hurt him, I think, is up for debate. Some political observers observe that that might actually hurt Republican voters who might mail in their ballot. But what's clear is that he is trying to undermine confidence...
[Acosta:] Could any of this amount to fraud, do you think, Carrie? Could any of this amount of fraud, do you think?
[Cordero:] Well, I don't think he's not going to be charged with fraud. So fraud, as a criminal matter, I don't think he's going to be charged with. But I think what he's going to do is, he's going to use these allegations that he softening the ground for to then challenge the outcome of the vote, and he's going to be working behind the scenes to have those legal challenges ready to go.
[Acosta:] OK. Abby Phillip, Carrie Cordero, thank you very much for that perspective. Just ahead: The Trump team goes all out in its racist and sexist attacks on Kamala Harris, Jared Kushner joining his father-in-law in refusing to debunk a birther conspiracy theory that's a flat-out lie. Don Lemon, our Don Lemon, weighs in next.

[Mayor Pete Buttigieg , South Bend, Indiana, 2020 Presidential Candidate:] At this moment when they were going to take a victory lap, suddenly they're reminding us why so many of us are Democrats.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Democrats happy to oblige after the president shifts the focus from Russia to health care.
[Rahm Emanuel, Mayor, Chicago, Illinois:] This is a whitewash of justice.
[Eddie Johnson, Superintendent, Chicago Police Department:] Do I think justice was served? No.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Police want prosecutors investigated after they dropped all charges against Jussie Smollett.
[Briggs:] Boeing and the FAA coming to Capitol Hill today, the day after an emergency landing for a 737 MAX be moved into storage.
[Romans:] And the NFL makes the move it had to make after the Saints got robbed. Calls including pass interference can now be reviewed.
[Briggs:] It's a little too late for New Orleans but
[Romans:] But all right. Just to top of the hour, good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] I'm Dave Briggs. Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
[Romans:] Good to see you.
[Briggs:] Wednesday, March 27th, it is 4:00 a.m. in the East. By the way, three quarters of a billion dollars up for grabs tonight in the Powerball.
[Romans:] Oh.
[Briggs:] I'm playing, you're not.
[Romans:] No.
[Briggs:] Hopefully you are.
[Romans:] It won't change my life.
[Briggs:] We're still on Capitol Hill, though, Democrats moving fast in the shift from Russia to health care after the president gave the best birthday gift Nancy Pelosi could ever imagine. Leadership was looking to focus on issues that helps Democrats take back the house in midterms and they got their chance, when the Justice Department said it backed the judge's ruling, calling Obamacare unconstitutional. Hours later, Democrats including 2020 hopefuls pounced.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , Speaker Of The House:] The GOP will never stop trying to destroy the affordable health care of America's families.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , 2020 Presidential Candidate:] The idea that people are playing politics, yet again, with the Affordable Care Act is the height of irresponsibility.
[Julian Castro , 2020 Presidential Candidate:] This administration and the Republican Party want to go back to the bad old days where people couldn't get health insurance if they had a preexisting condition.
[John Hickenlooper , Former Governor Of Colorado, 2020 Presidential Candidate:] When you start taking health care away from people who have preexisting conditions it upsets whole family structures. And then look at the 20 million people that are suddenly going to be without health care. Is anybody thinking about what that what that does to their lives?
[Sen. Bernie Sanders ,  2020 Presidential Candidate:] Nothing Trump and his friends do surprises me. The idea, however, that they would ask the courts to say that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional I mean, it's an outrage, but we've seen this movie before.
[Buttigieg:] As a matter of policy, I'm not surprised because this seems to be the position they hold deep down. Just take this health care coverage away from millions of Americans. As a matter of political strategy, I'm a little bit surprised because most Americans want this. And so, at this moment when they were going to take a victory lap around what was happening in Washington, suddenly they're reminding us why so many of us are Democrats.
[Romans:] Twenty-one million will lose their coverage. A White House official tells CNN there's been a heated debate inside the Trump administration about whether the DOJ should support a ruling validating the Affordable Care Act. President Trump making the final call.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Let me just tell you exactly what my message is. The Republican Party will soon be known as the party of health care you watch.
[Briggs:] You watch. "Politico'reports Attorney General Bill Barr and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar argued against scrapping Obamacare because, well, Republicans don't have an alternative plan. The battle will play in Fifth Circuit in New Orleans. The Fifth Circuit is regarded as very conservative. The case may end up before the Supreme Court.
[Romans:] All right. In Chicago, questions mounting this morning over why prosecutors there dropped the charges against Jussie Smollett. A grand jury indicted the "Empire" actor, accusing him of staging a hoax hate crime against himself and then filing a false police report about it.
[Briggs:] The city's police union calling for the investigation of the involvement of the Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx in the case. This may be why. Text messages obtained by CNN through an open records request shows that Smollett family friend Tina Tchen reached out to Foxx on February 1st. Foxx later recused herself.
[Joseph Magats, First Assistant Cook County State's Attorney:] The only reason that it's getting the scrutiny that it is is because of who got the disposition. There are plenty of other cases, like I said over 5,700 that have gotten some type of alternative or deferred type of prosecution.
[Unidentified Male:] Do you think Mr. Smollett did what he was charged with doing?
[Magats:] Yes. We stand behind the CPD's investigation in this case the great work the tremendous work that they did in investigating this case.
[Unidentified Female:] Do you consider him innocent?
[Magats:] No.
[Briggs:] Wow. Overnight, the lawyer for the Osundairo brothers says they were fully prepared to testify. Smollett was accused of paying the Osundairos to stage the attack. They were captured on surveillance buying the materials used. City officials are fuming this morning. Ryan Young with the latest.
[Ryan Young, Cnn Correspondent:] In a shocking reversal, Chicago prosecutors, on Tuesday, dropped all charges against actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused last month of staging a hate crime against himself and filing a false police report about it. His attorney insisted he was, indeed, attacked and that the misinformation led to a rush to judgment against him. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel blasted the prosecutor's decision. Just watch and listen to how angry he was.
[Emanuel:] This is a whitewash of justice. A grand jury could not have been clearer. This is without a doubt a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you're in a position of influence and power you'll get treated one way; other people will be treated another way. There is no accountability than in the system. It is wrong, full stop.
[Johnson:] Do I think justice was served? No. Where do I think justice is? I think this city is still owed an apology. It's Mr. Smollett who committed this hoax, period. If he wanted to clear his name, the way to do that was in a court of law so that everyone could see the evidence.
[Young:] The Cook County State's Attorney's Office didn't immediately explain why the 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct were dropped, except to say the decision came after reviewing the case facts and in the view of Smollett's willingness to forfeit his $10,000 bond. After a brief appearance in a courtroom, Smollett told reporters he was grateful to those who stood by him.
[Jussie Smollett, Actor:] I've been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. I would not be my mother's son if I was capable of one drop of what I have been accused of.
[Young:] And, Christine and Dave, we may never know what was in that court file because it was sealed by the judge. Just a lot of questions still remain in this case.
[Romans:] All right. Thank you so much for that, Ryan Young. Seven minutes past the hour this Wednesday morning. A Boeing 737 MAX 8 forced to make an emergency landing in Florida.
[Pilot:] Tower, Southwest 8701, we just lost our right engine, need to declare emergency. Fly heading 020.
[Romans:] Now, there were no passengers on the Southwest flight. The plane was being ferried from Orlando to California for short-term storage. The global fleet of these planes, the MAX jet, was grounded indefinitely two weeks ago following crashes in October and earlier this month, killing 346 people.
[Briggs:] Transportation officials will be on Capitol Hill today. The acting FAA administrator expected to tell senators the agency's oversight approach needs to evolve. He also plans to defend the FAA's initial decision not to ground the 737 MAX fleet even after regulators worldwide did so. This week, Boeing will make its final submission to the FAA for proposed software update to the 737 MAX jets. Officials from the aviation industry convened and at Boeing's facility outside of Seattle today as the company tries to restore confidence in its safety protocols.
[Romans:] As he considers a 2020 run for president, former Vice President Joe Biden is addressing one of the most politically challenging parts of his legacy, Anita Hill. He says Hill paid a terrible price when she testified in 1991 that she has been sexually harassed by now Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. At the time, Biden shared the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has long been criticized for his handling of that confirmation hearing. Biden now says Anita Hill deserved the committee's respect but never got it.
[Joseph Biden , Former Vice President:] When Anita Hill came to testify, she faced a committee that didn't fully understand what the hell it was all about. And to this day, I regret I couldn't come up with a way to get her the kind of hearing she deserved.
[Romans:] Biden has twice publicly apologized to Anita Hill. The Biden team has not said if they've spoken in person.
[Briggs:] The drugmaker Purdue Pharma has agreed to pay $270 million to settle an opioid lawsuit brought by the state of Oklahoma. The suit alleged Purdue helped to create the nation's opioid crisis. It claimed aggressive marketing of OxyContin led to thousands of deaths in the state and that Purdue's deceptive claims downplayed the dangers of addiction. Nearly $200 million of the settlement will go towards establishing an addiction treatment and research center in Oklahoma State University. Oklahoma is one of the 36 states to file lawsuits against Purdue and other opioid drugmakers in connection with the growing national crisis.
[Romans:] Unvaccinated children are banned from certain public spaces in New York's Rockland County. A severe measles outbreak triggering a state of emergency there. Officials say the ban will remain in place for 30 days until unvaccinated children get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, the MMR. Worth nothing, outer spaces such as playgrounds are not part of this ban. Rockland County ban, rather. Rockland County is about 40 miles from Manhattan. It has seen more than 150 confirmed measles cases. Health officials say more than 82 percent of the patients had not received the MMR vaccine. Most of them are children.
[Briggs:] A federal judge ruling that a decades-old North Carolina law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional. The 1970 statute made some allowances for medical concerns but a 2015 amendment narrowed those exemptions, prompting abortion rights groups to file suit. The judge then siding with the advocacy group says court across the country have struck down weak or event-specific abortion bans and North Carolina is no different. The ruling will take in effect in 60 days pending an appeal from the state or revised legislation. Coming up, what do babies, Aquaman, space lizard and Ronald Reagan on a velociraptor have in common? And what do they have to do with the Green New Deal? The answer from Senator Mike Lee, ahead.

[Howell:] You may have heard of bubble boy disease. It's a rare genetic disorder that prevents infants from developing an immune system. Now doctors say they have found a new treatment for that condition and some are calling it a cure. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has this for us.
[Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent, Cnn:] Two-year-old Ja'Ceon Golden is a pretty typical toddler. Likes to play ball, plays peek-a- boo with the door. But when he was born, his aunt who takes care of him, Dannie Hawkins, thought moments like this might never be possible.
[Dannie Hawkins, Ja'ceon's Aunt:] What kind of life would that be, him not being able, you know, nobody touch him, he can't have friends. He can't go to the birthday parties, he can't swim, you know, how am I going to tell him as he gets older that he can't go outside?
[Gupta:] You see, when Ja'Ceon was born he screened positive for a genetic condition known as X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disorder. It basically means he has no functioning immune system. You probably know it as bubble boy syndrome. The condition became a part of pop culture after John Travolta play a boy with the same diagnosis in the 1976 movie, "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble." Now, while kids didn't actually live in hermetically sealed rooms, it was critical to keep patients as best protected from germs and pathogens as possible.
[Unidentified Female:] This babies are prone to severe infections, opportunistic infections. If they are not treated properly on time or early on.
[Gupta:] Current treatment requires children with the diagnoses to undergo a bone marrow transplant and a lifetime of immune boosting maintenance with antibiotics and other drugs. But just this week, there's new hope for children like Ja'Ceon, because of a new experimental gene therapy treatment development at St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis. Here's how it works, researchers harvest the stem cells of kids like Ja'Ceon and insert those cells with healthy genes. Those cells are then infused back into the children. Where they repopulates and boost the immune system. Dr. Mort Cowan oversaw Ja'Ceon's treatment at the University of California San Francisco.
[Dr. Mort Cowan, University Of California San Francisco:] Three to four months post the infusion, not only was he able to go home and you know, start to live a relatively normal life, but we were able to take him off all complete isolation and all proactive medications.
[Gupta:] Ja'Ceon is one of eight children who were treated with this experimental therapy. It's been about a year and half up to two years now since they were treated and all are doing well. The groundbreaking results were published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" this week.
[Cowan:] I don't use the cure word very often for these patients, but I have to tell you that I truly believe that we have cured Ja'Ceon of his severe combine immunodeficiency disease.
[Unidentified Female:] Say hi.
[Unidentified Male:] Hi.
[Gupta:] For Ja'Ceon, it's the chance to truly live the life he was meant to live Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
[Howell:] We continue to follow the breaking news out of Sri Lanka. Authorities there say at least 138 people have been killed in six different explosions, those explosions hitting three hotels and hitting three churches. This as Christians celebrate Easter Sunday on this day, keeping in mind more than 560 people have been wounded in what is being described as a coordinated set of attacks. Witnesses and survivors are describing the scenes of horror. The nation's prime minister has condemned the attacks as cowardly and urged Sri Lankan to remain united and strong. Reaction is coming in from around the world as we continue to monitor events at the Vatican this Easter Sunday. The pope has not yet spoken about the tragedy in Sri Lanka. These live images from the Vatican this hour. But we are told he may make some remarks at noon during his homily. That's this hour of NEWSROOM. More news after the break. Stay with us.

[Briggs:] All right. Bryce Harper with his signature moment as a member of the Phillies last night, and that wild card race is getting bonkers. Andy Scholes with more on the "Bleacher Report". Good morning. Happy Friday, my friend.
[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] Yes, happy Friday to you, too, Dave. You know, this is what Phillies fans were hoping for when the team signed Bryce Harper to that mega $330 million contract. They wanted big moments like last night. The Phillies were down 5-3, bottom of the 9th, bases load and Harper crushes this ball to right, watches it for a moment before he starts just sprinting around the bases. Harper wins it with the walk-off grand slam. He's pretty excited about it. Gets mobbed by his teammates once he gets to home plate, and Harper actually said this was the best moment of his life.
[Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies Outfielder:] That was sick. Wow! I don't even know. I mean, that was just that was awesome. Oh, my gosh. I saw my parents lights are off in the suite right now so they probably didn't see that. So thanks, mom and dad, appreciate you.
[Scholes:] Her parents can't hear about that for a while. All right. Top overall pick Kyler Murray getting action against the Raiders and it didn't go very well. He completed three of eight passes. He also had two false starts in the game and was tackled in the end zone for a safety. So, definitely room for improvement there for Murray. Redskins rookie Dwayne Haskins meanwhile looking much better than his rocky first game. He had pressure all over him, but he hit Robert Davis in stride and goes for a 55-yard touchdown. Haskins, he right now is competing with Case Keenum and Colt McCoy for the Redskins starting job. All right. Antonio Brown warming up before the Raiders preseason game last night. He's finally back with the team after his helmet grievance and frostbite injury to his feet. Brown making some young fans cheer before the game. Watch this. He meets them, gives them his gloves and his towel. The one kid on the left starts crying so happy and goes in with a hug for Brown. That's pretty cool. This pick was posted later of the boys holding all the items they got. Look at Brandon on the right. Still emotional. Tell you what, that's pretty cool. And finally, this is also pretty awesome. Wednesday night this little guy here named Samuel was wearing a jersey he made with Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro's number and name written on the back. Well, the Marlins noticed it, invited him back to the game last night and then Alfaro surprised Samuel, took some pics together and Alfaro giving him his own authentic jersey. Little Samuel so happy and grinning ear to ear, Dave. They took a bunch of pics and had hugs together. I'll tell you what, that's what sports is all about right there.
[Briggs:] It is, indeed, especially in the midst of a brutal season in Miami, nice to know he can still find some positives for the fans there. Good stuff, Andy Scholes. Have a good weekend, my friend.
[Scholes:] All right. You too.
[Briggs:] Alisyn, what's coming up?
[Kosik:] OK. The Israeli government will now allow a previously banned United States congresswoman to visit with conditions. We're live in Jerusalem next.

[Cabrera:] Breaking news right now from professional sports. The world's number one ranked men's tennis player, Novak Djokovic, is out of the U.S. Open. He wasn't beaten in the tournament. This all follows an incident on the court. Let me bring in CNN's Patrick Sell. And Patrick, this was a very bizarre series of events. Tell us what happened.
[Patrick Snell, Cnn Sports Anchor:] Yes, Ana. You're absolutely right. This is a huge story in the world of tennis. In fact, global sports as well, no question. Novak Djokovic, the Serbian superstar from the world of tennis, basically you can see the video there. He just lost a game in the first set against Spanish opponent Pablo Carreno Busta and basically sends the ball that way in the direction of a female line judge. You can see his reaction there. There was instant regret. No question about that. It was a gesture of frustration really at the way the match was going. And this is basically what's happened to him. The top ranked player in the world, the seed number one seed at this tournament, the overwhelming favorite to go on and win an 18th Grand Slam title and close to within two of the legendary Roger Federer. And now this happens, Ana, in the fourth round of play at the U.S. Open where he would have been quietly confident, as I say, of going on to win another career Grand Slam, and he is out of the tournament, disqualified [inaudible]. Let me give you an example, an analogy from the world of soccer. Think automatic red card for this kind of offense when you strike the ball like that and it hits an official, then the rules officials have no choice. I have a statement I want to get to you from the USTA, the United States Tennis Association, "In accordance with the Grand Slam rulebook, following his actions of intentionally hitting a ball dangerously or recklessly within the court or hitting a ball with negligent disregard of the consequences, the U.S. Open tournament referee defaulted Novak Djokovic from the 2020 U.S. Open. Because he was defaulted, Djokovic will lose all ranking points earned at the U.S. Open and will be fined the prize money won at the tournament in addition to any or all fines levied with respect to the offending incident." Huge story from the world of tennis, global sports, as I say. This is a massive talker, Ana.
[Cabrera:] Wow! And the video is just crazy when you see it. It appears to hit her right in the neck and it's good to see her walk away.
[Snell:] Yes. And of course it goes without saying we wish her well of course at this time.
[Cabrera:] Of course. Give us some history here, Patrick. How often has someone been disqualified from a tournament at this level and a player of this caliber?
[Snell:] This is absolutely very, very rare indeed. I'm sort of tempted to use the word unprecedented at least when it comes to a top ranked player. This is hugely, hugely rare. I think back to there was an incident with a ball kid at a Wimbledon tournament in 1995 and the British player, Tim Henman was involved in that. The Argentine, David Nabaldian, as well over the years as well. That was at the Queens Club in London. So two London incidents there. I think also the Davis Cup is at the top of my head. It was a Davis Cup match involving the young Canadian player, Denis Shapovalov as well when the ball was struck there and it hit the umpire in the eye area. Big story. We're following all the key developments you can be sure, Ana.
[Cabrera:] Okay. Thank you so much, Patrick Snell. And so good again to see that she walks away. She appears to be okay. Appreciate it. Up next, President Trump says he is optimistic a vaccine could be ready around Election Day. Would vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris take it?
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Vice Presidential Candidate:] Well, I think that's going to be an issue for all of us. I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump.
[Cabrera:] Our medical expert is here to give us the facts on a potential vaccine, next. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Cabrera:] Well, the majority of 2020 Democratic hopefuls are in Iowa this weekend demanding action on gun control in the wake of back-to- back deadly mass shootings. Take a listen.
[Julian Castro , Presidential Candidate:] I would maximize the executive authority because we know that we may face a Congress, a Senate that is still led by Mitch McConnell.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] If more guns on the street made everybody safer, we'd be the safest country in the world.
[Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] Assault weapons are not weapons used by the overwhelming majority of hunters. These are weapons designed to kill human beings in a rapid way.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] Who in god's name needs a weapon that can handle 100 rounds? For god's sake.
[Cabrera:] 2020 candidate Beto O'Rourke did not attend the Iowa gun forum in person so he could be at the funerals of shooting victims in his hometown of El Paso. He told CNN's Jake Tapper this morning that President Trump's re-tweeting of a baseless conspiracy theory on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's death is intended to distract.
[Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] He's changing the conversation and if we allow him to do that, then we will never be able to focus on the true problems of which he is a part, and make sure we get to the solutions. And whether that means legislation that keeps guns out of the hands of those who shouldn't have it or focusing on domestic terrorism of white supremacists that his own FBI director warned us about. And then you reported this week that his Department of Homeland Security has been begging the president to focus on the kinds of threats that we saw in El Paso and he's ignored them or willfully suppressed action on those ideas and those programs and those policies that could have saved lives in El Paso and across the country.
[Cabrera:] I want to bring in a former member of the crowded 2020 Democratic field, California Congressman Eric Swalwell. Congressman, good to see you. Thanks for being here.
[Rep. Eric Swalwell:] You too. Good afternoon, Ana. Thanks for having me back.
[Cabrera:] You just heard what a lot of your former rivals are saying about gun control. Here's what you told me back in June when you were still running for president.
[Swalwell:] And I stood today in front of gun violence survivors, trauma surgeons, community leaders, people from Chicago, Houston, Indiana and from all over our country who are saying enough is enough. Not only are we going to ban and buy back assault weapons under my plan. I'm the only candidate calling for that. We're also going to invest in the root causes of gun violence in many of our cities like just a lack of education and jobs or gang violence prevention programs. But also put in place a licensing requirement and an insurance requirement. Again, we believe we're the only campaign calling for an insurance requirement on all firearm purchases in America.
[Cabrera:] Congressman, I know how passionate you are about this issue. You built your campaign on the issue of gun violence and what to do about it. Do you feel like you may have dropped out of the 2020 race too early given this renewed focus now on this issue?
[Swalwell:] No, I feel great being out of the race. I'm sorry that, you know, I did have to leave it, but when there was no longer a path and it was only about, you know, just making the debate stage and not about winning, it didn't seem right to stay in. But the issue persists and I want to tell you that clip you just showed was before the Democratic debate. And at the Democratic debate, I was able to get Vice President Biden and Senator Sanders to agree that we should have, not just a ban on assault weapons, but a buyback. But a moment occurred on the commercial break during the debate that I'll never forget and I think says everything about this. My guest was Fred Guttenberg whose daughter Jamie died at Parkland. And he sat there holding my wife's hand as she nervously watched. And on the last commercial break when guns have not been brought up yet, I saw Fred jump out of his seat and run over to Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd and he was shouting something and security tackled him and took him back to his seat. And I walked to the end of the stage and said, Fred, what the hell is going on? What are you doing over there? And he said, Eric, they're not talking about guns. They need to ask you guys a question about guns. And fortunately, they did, but I think Fred represents all of us that this debate for the presidential campaign has to be about guns. It has to be a top tier issue. And, sadly, because of what continues to happen, it finally is.
[Cabrera:] Well, which of the 2020 candidates currently running has the best plan to address gun violence?
[Swalwell:] I really admire, you know, Cory Booker for putting out a comprehensive plan. Elizabeth Warren just in the last 48 hours put out a plan. The vice president has called for a ban and also a buyback. I think it's important to have the buyback component. And then Kamala Harris who I've worked with in the same district attorney's office, Alameda County District Attorney's Office, she gets this issue and has a good plan. But the buyback is an important component because it recognizes that if we ban assault weapons, that only bans future sales, but a buyback would take the 15 million that are on our streets off our streets immediately and keep us all safe where we gather.
[Cabrera:] Are you ready to endorse anybody yet in the 2020 race?
[Swalwell:] No, I'm still watching. I enjoy watching as a member of Congress who will work with the next president and also as a father who worries about his own children. I have a son in preschool and, you know, I think about things that my parents did not think about when I dress my son and send him off to school every day. And that's, you know, whether he's going to be safe, whether he's going to come home. You get that call from the school now and you no longer worry that, you know, he had like a small accident on the playground. You worry that a shooter may have come to the school. And that's every parent's real right now in America. And we don't have to live that way.
[Cabrera:] You sit on the House Judiciary Committee where the question of impeachment still looms. Here's what Chairman Jerry Nadler had to say just a few days ago.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler , Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:] This is formal impeachment proceedings. We are investigating all the evidence. We're gathering the evidence. And we will, at the conclusion of this, hopefully by the end of the year, vote to vote Articles of Impeachment to the House floor, or we won't. That's a decision that we'll have to make. But that's exactly the process we're in right now.
[Cabrera:] And here's reaction from Gerry Connolly, a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Listen to this.
[Rep. Gerry Connolly:] I'm not quite sure what Chairman Nadler meant because we have not launched a formal impeachment inquiry in the United States Congress.
[Cabrera:] Congressman, are you aware of a formal impeachment inquiry or proceeding?
[Swalwell:] Well, the House Judiciary Committee is undergoing an impeachment investigation. And, you know, what's clear here is that there are a number of remedies for the president's lawless conduct. The most extraordinary remedy of course is impeachment. There could be censure. There could be other remedies that we put forward. But the only way to recommend a remedy to the whole House would be for us to undergo what we're doing right now. You know, there's only been three other an impeachment inquiry or investigations in the history of our country. They all occurred in different ways, you know. And so this is, as far as I'm concerned and as far as the chairman is concerned, an investigation and impeachment is one of the remedies that we may recommend.
[Cabrera:] Well, why not make it official and call it a formal impeachment inquiry? I mean, Jerry Nadler seemed to go there, but it hasn't been announced in that way.
[Swalwell:] Well, we're calling it an impeachment investigation. You know, the constitution doesn't provide any mechanism for undergoing the investigation that we're doing. There's no prescription that you have to follow or that is laid out. Each congress has done it in a different way. The most important thing here, though, is that this president's conduct is no longer going unchecked. And doing nothing as far as I'm concerned and others are concerned would only see more lawlessness, and it would set a low are standard for future presidents. And we don't want either of those to occur.
[Cabrera:] Finally, I know you're there in Las Vegas for DEF CON this weekend. I want to ask you about something you talked about earlier today when you weighed in about the conspiracy theory and those that are being spread about Jeffrey Epstein's death on social media. You said it reminds you of third world countries. Congressman, was your comment referring to President Trump?
[Swalwell:] My comment was certainly referring to President Trump re- tweeting a conspiracy theory, but this president has really, I think, diminished the faith that people have in institutions and he's really peddling conspiracy theories. And I actually think your colleague, Jim Sciutto, characterized it best yesterday in a tweet that he put out that said, you know, this reminded him of the Middle East where there was a lack of trust in government, and every time an event happened, people always questioned whether the government was really telling them the truth. And I think that's where the president has really reduced the debate to in our country. And it also is Congressman O'Rourke has noted, he's trying to take our eyes off of what is really important, like gun violence. You see that he tweeted at Anthony Scaramucci yesterday. You know, he continues to tweet at Vice President Biden about, you know, just nonsense. And he's tweeting about conspiracy theories. It really leaves you with the question of, who is leading the country.
[Cabrera:] Congressman Eric Swalwell, we'll leave it there. Thank you very much.
[Swalwell:] Thanks, Ana.
[Cabrera:] New details on how an unarmed 65-year-old man tackled a gunman who opened fire inside a mosque in Norway, next.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] And while the camp did adapt some of the CDC's guidelines for camps, some key guidelines such as campers wearing masks were never implemented. The data is chilling and it suggests that children can indeed get infected and very quickly. Joining me now to discuss is a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Michael Saag. Dr. Saag, thanks so much. I as a parent I have to say I found this terrifying. Staffers wore masks but there was very quick widespread infection, including among young kids under 6. Of the campers and staff who they got test results for who tested positive, 51 percent were between 6 and 10 years old, 44 percent were between 11 and 17. And 33 percent, this is of staffers and aides, they were between 18 and 21 years old. How serious of a threat is it of kids getting this virus and infecting their parents and families?
[Dr. Michael Saag, Professor Of Medicine & Infectious Diseases, University Of Alabama At Birmingham:] Well, Jake, I think it proves exactly what we've been thinking about and leaning towards for a while now. And that is I don't think the virus cares who you are or even necessarily how old you are. If you give it a chance to infect, it's going to do just that. And when you put people together, especially in closed spaces like in the case of a camp a cabin or in the case of a classroom in a school we're going to see transmission. Another way to think about it, there are some data that show that if you're in one of the hot zones, the red zone states like Arizona, Georgia, Florida, et cetera, that if you have ten people in a room, there's a 40 percent chance that one of those ten will be infected. And if you have 25, it's a 72 percent chance that one of the 25 will be infected. So as we start thinking about going back to school, we might be surprised about the story with the campers. But we're going to see this happening over and over again as we re-enter into schools. It's just going to be something we should expect.
[Tapper:] Let's take a look at the CDC guidelines for summer camp so as to take some instruction about what schools could or should look like. It says stay at home when appropriate, use proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, face masks, ensure ventilation systems operate properly. Now, we should point out at these Georgia camp, campers did not wear masks. Staffers did but campers did not. Windows and doors were not left open for additional ventilation, and, of course, campers were group by cabins, and slept in the cabins, and they also participated in activities such as cheering and singing that may have helped the virus spread. Are is there something for us to learn in this that maybe suggests that schools could be reopened more safely than this camp was?
[Saag:] Yeah. I think the one thing it tells us is that business as usual isn't going to work. But like you're implying, if the students are wearing masks 247 while they're in school at least and the parents and teachers when they're at school are wearing masks, that'll help. The ventilation will help, and then, of course, the physical distancing which we know. So we're going to have to have mitigation strategies as each school opens, especially in what we would call the red zone states, those that have high rates of infection right now.
[Tapper:] In addition to opening windows and doors, are there air purifiers that can be used? Is there technology along those lines that schools should be considering if they can afford it?
[Saag:] Yeah. That may help. But I think what's more important is the immediate environment around each student. Because if like I was saying earlier, one in 25 is infected, the air purification is almost too far away. So students who are in their immediate vicinity to the right, left, front or in back who are the vulnerable ones. So if we keep distance between them and everyone's wearing a mask, that's our best chance to mitigate. Filters in the air might help a little bit but I don't know if it's really worth the expense to go to that. I think it's more important to focus on these other aspects.
[Tapper:] And, of course, if testing were up to speed and we could test students and teachers and parents, that would really help. But our testing is not up to speed. Of the 101 largest school districts in the U.S., 60 are starting their school year with all online classes. Do you think that's the right move?
[Saag:] It depends on where they are. But in some ways that might be the best way forward to start. There's going to be, whatever, 40 percent of the schools are going to be re-opening and they can watch and learn. But I think the key thing is if a school decides to reopen, the mitigation strategies that we just talked about, mask wearing, distance, ensuring ventilation, and making sure that everyone is not clumped together indoors in a crowded space is the best we can do. But to be honest, this is a giant experiment. We don't know exactly what to expect and I think that's what's unnerving about it for a lot of people.
[Tapper:] The nation's largest school district will be re-opening if the infection rate stays below 3 percent. That's according to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. And once those schools reopen, masks and social distancing will be required of course. Students and teachers will have access to free testing, and all classrooms must have the necessary protective gear. What do you think of that approach, and is that the one you think schools across the country should take if the infection rate goes down to where hopefully it will be in New York City?
[Saag:] Yeah. The New York story is a success story in the United States. And a 3 percent positive rate is remarkable compared to, for example, Alabama right now that's about 18 percent. So I think for a non-red zone state like New York, that seems like a reasonable way to start.
[Tapper:] All right, Dr. Michael Saag, thank you so much for your expertise. Hope to have you back again soon. New concerns after the mail after a Trump fundraiser takes over the United States Postal Service and the president starts griping about mail-in voting. Stay with us.

[Blitzer:] We have a new CNN poll out on the Democratic race for the White House, and we're counting down to the final face-off of the year, the PBS NewsHour Politico presidential debate tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, airing right here on CNN, and your local PBS station. Our senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny is joining us with a little preview from Los Angeles. Jeff, first of all, a new CNN poll has Biden in the lead. What will the other Democrats be challenging him on tonight?
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Wolf, so interesting this new CNN poll. It's really ending the year as it began at least for Joe Biden. Joe Biden is leading the way in the national poll. Let's take a look at those numbers which speak to the dynamics of the debate this evening. Joe Biden is leading the way nationally at 26 percent, followed by Bernie Sanders at 20 percent. Elizabeth Warren, 16 percent and it goes from there. Pete Buttigieg, also Mike Bloomberg, former New York City mayor at 5 percent. But, Wolf, that really sets the tone for Joe Biden is going to be center stage as he has been throughout the year. But perhaps the center of attention will be on Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg. Since the last debate, a month ago in Georgia, those two candidates have been going after each other in ways they have not the entire year. Senator Warren has been calling out Mayor Buttigieg on healthcare for a lack of transparency, in her words. He has been going after her on healthcare, as well. So, Wolf, that is going to be a central issue tonight at this debate. What is the size and scope of health care? Is Medicare-for-All the way to go or is it not? And Elizabeth Warren actually has been changing some of her language in recent weeks on that. Of course, she's been stung on the price tag for Medicare-for-All. So, those are some of the dynamics. But also look for Amy Klobuchar, the senator from Minnesota. She's been making some waves as well by going after Senator Warren. And then Bernie Sanders, of course, has been strong throughout the year. So certainly, seven candidates on stage tonight here and those are some of the top line, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Interesting number, about which candidate has the best chance to beat the president in this new poll? And that is the central question. Electability is on everyone's mind. Take a look at these numbers, Wolf. Joe Biden leading the way at that 40 percent of voters in our survey say they believe he has the best chance at beating Trump. Bernie Sanders right after that at 16 percent. A big drop-off there. So, electability center stage here. Are voters looking for a healer or a fighter? A pragmatist? A progressive? Those are some of the questions that are going to define this race. The debate coming up tonight just in here two hours, Wolf. We'll be watching. All right. Thanks very much. The PBS "NewsHour" Politico Democratic presidential debate starts actually in one hour from now. You can watch it on CNN and your local PBS station. To our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WolfBlitzer. You can tweet the show @CNNsitroom. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.

[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Business Anchor, First Move:] Live from New York, I'm Julia Chatterley. This is FIRST MOVE and here's your need to know. Paying the price. Dr. Anthony Fauci questions the health cost of reopening. Bye Amazon. The retail giant's working practices criticized by a resigning employee. And see you in September. The CEO of Slack tells staff, we won't rush back. It's Tuesday. Let's make a move. Welcome once again to FIRST MOVE. Great to be with you this Tuesday where we're very focused on FIRST MOVE to reopen global economies including positive signs and the challenges, too. Firstly, a shot of coffee here in the United States from Starbucks who say 85 percent of their stores will be back in action within days. Meanwhile, the world's fifth largest economy, California will allow some stores to open by the end of this week; and in New York State, they may start easing some measures and allow some reopening as of next Friday, too. For some of us, it comes as a relief after weeks of lock down as the economic cost mount, too; for others, it is a reason to be afraid. Reopening comes with renewed health risks and the number of U.S. COVID-19 cases has only plateaued, it's not come down. Investors though showing relief today, comforted, I think also by reports that U.S. Intelligence allies are playing down concerns that COVID-19 came from a lab in Wuhan. The hope, of course, being that it might reduce the risk of future punishment on China over the pandemic. European stocks, meanwhile, benefiting from a reduction in restrictions and recovery hopes in Europe, too. Oil giant, Total meanwhile being rewarded for maintaining its dividend. If you remember last week, competitor, Royal Dutch Shell cut their dividend for the first time since the Second World War. To Asia now and a quick look of what we're seeing there, I have to tell you, most markets were closed for a holiday. Hong Kong shares though gaining on news that gyms, cinemas and beauty parlors can now reopen there. Fingers crossed that where nations in Asia in particular, others will be able to follow safely. Let's get to the drivers on that point. So, how soon is too soon when it comes to reopening economies? The top U.S. Infectious Diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci put it like this.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] It's the balance of something that's a very difficult choice, like how many deaths and how much suffering are you willing to accept, to get back to what you want to be some form of normality sooner rather than later?
[Chatterley:] Christine Roman's joins me now. Christine, some might argue when you're talking about the cost being human life, there's no acceptable risk here. But I'm actually quite surprised that it's taken this long for states to start reopening measures given the sheer economic damage that we've seen.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Business Chief Business Correspondent:] And you know, I think that people have been pretty disciplined overall as well, right, that for these weeks, people have really maintained their physical distance. They have stayed away from their workplace or their workplaces sent them home and they've really been working hard to try to do their part for the better of everybody. Right? But now, we are seeing this thawing of this freeze in activity, of careful thawing. You've got Macy's opening some stores this week, Simon Property is a big mall operator in the U.S. opening in several states. You're going to see peeking out, consumers peeking out and deciding if they're really ready to go back to normal and I don't think they are.
[Chatterley:] Yes, I mean, this was highlighted in an Edelman Trust Survey that said and it looked around the world actually, but it looked at the United States in particular, and it said two thirds of people here are frightened that we're moving too quickly to reopen. In my mind to some degree, I think that's a good thing if it keeps us cautious. It keeps people wearing masks, it keeps them washing their hands. But at the same time, Christine, as you and I discuss confidence.
[Romans:] Right.
[Chatterley:] Consumer confidence is everything.
[Romans:] And I think companies know that, right? For example, Macy's is opening up stores. Its executive say there's no playbook for this. But there will be social distancing. There will be markings in these stores to show how far people should be staying away from each other. There will be no more ear piercings or you know, having somebody touch your face when you're going to the makeup counter. They know that the American public, the global public probably is not ready for that yet. And so they're going to have to tweak their playbooks with that consumer confidence in mind. When the consumer feels safe, and the consumer feels secure, that's when the consumer spends again.
[Chatterley:] This is interesting. So, you think actually from a business perspective, you almost have to be too careful, too protective of workers, and then you take the responsibility and reassure customers.
[Romans:] I think that if people look, I think people know that the new normal will not be like what it was in February. I mean, that's gone for now. So, how are we going to adapt? There's a lot of talk about restaurants moving outside of my town, for example. They're talking about closing streets and moving restaurant tables outside for the summer. And I think that you're going to be more likely to see people going back to restaurants, if there's a big distance between them, you know, contactless payments and the like, and you see business owners starting to talk about how they can transform their business for the cautious consumer to make the cautious consumer feel safe and secure, and then that will be the path back to a healthy and normal economy again.
[Chatterley:] Yes, it's just going to take time and for the travels, the tourism globally, this is yes, devastating. Christine Romans, thank you so much for that. Coming up in the show, we're going to be speaking to the Slack CEO. His message, as I mentioned at the top of the show was, we're not coming back to work until at least September. We'll talk about the psychology of that decision for workers and what led him to that. In the meantime, Intelligence shared by U.S. allies suggest that coronavirus is highly unlikely to have escaped from the Wuhan's Institute of Virology. A Five Eyes report contradicts claims made by the U.S. President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State. David Culver is in Shanghai for us. David, it's interesting because this is what of course the Chinese have argued the whole way along, look, you're getting this wrong. You're accusing us of the wrong things. They fought back. Important, if we look at the economics here and the fears that perhaps this could result in an escalation of trade tensions at particularly the wrong time for both nations and the world.
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] You're right, Julia. Trade tensions would be one part that could escalate here. In fact, even state media today suggesting in an editorial that maybe they put off discussions for a Phase 2 trade talk. Of course, Phase 1 was signed in mid-January just before this outbreak, but that would push things back further, and it would do damage to President Trump politically. So, that's something they floated around. But the other reality here is that this could lead to not just a trade war conflict, but an actual war conflict. And I say that based on a lot of the rising concerns that tensions here are increasing between the U.S. and China. Now, I want to go to that Intelligence report that you mentioned. It's the Five Eyes Intelligence Sharing Coalition. It's between the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand and essentially this suggests that it is highly unlikely that that virus started in a lab, in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which we traveled to just a couple of weeks ago. Instead, they say it's more likely that this was an animal to human transmission, and it happened at the market as was initially suggested by Chinese scientists. That's what they're assessing as of now. Of course, it contradicts directly what President Trump has said and what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been saying. And on that point, state media has been fueled once again to continue their attacks against the U.S., not calling out President Trump. They always avoid that strategically, and President Trump likewise avoids criticizing President Xi Jinping. However, they go right after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and they are continuing that rhetoric. And today, CCTV, the state-run broadcaster during their evening flagship broadcast suggested that the world should investigate the U.S. for what they allege to be its mishandling of this virus Julia.
[Chatterley:] A thing to watch the politics here, the messaging which we know for actually both of these leaders domestically and internationally is very important. There was also this report from Reuters suggesting that China is gathering intelligence of what their perception is around the world, and they're about as unpopular at this moment as the perception of China if you go back to the late 1980s in the Tiananmen Square tragedy. David, what does that mean for Xi Jinping and messaging internally in China?
[Culver:] Oh, I think this is really a rattling and worrisome report to come out. I mean, this suggests that this report showing the anti-China global sentiment, as they've characterize it, you know, worse than more than 30 years, went all the way to the top, went to President Xi Jinping, so, he is aware of that, and they look at the worst case scenario being armed conflict. So, it really does bring these echoes now of a U.S. Soviet Cold War era, and that's what is seeming to be suggested here as they put forward, you know this idea that perhaps the world is turning against China and that's the real concern that the Chinese are facing. And it's combined, Julia, with what we're seeing as a rising nationalism. So, the climate is very, very susceptible to falling into this if this war of words fuels emotions, which in turn could become action Julia.
[Chatterley:] Yes, an incredibly dangerous point in time. I think it's masked with domestic issues, be the economic and fighting the virus, but the geopolitical undercurrents here and really quite frightening. David Culver, always great to have you on the show. Thank you.
[Culver:] Thanks, Julia.
[Chatterley:] Meanwhile, here in the United States, the Vice President at Amazon resigns because the company fired staff who raised safety concerns. Tim Bray was a senior engineer in Cloud computing. He says, "I quit in dismay at Amazon's firing whistleblowers who were making noise about warehouse employees frightened of COVID-19." Clare Sebastian has more on this. Clare, this is the allegation coming from a former employee, a gentleman who resigned on Friday. What more do we know about the allegations that he is making here? And what is Amazon saying?
[Clare Sebastian, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Amazon is not saying anything yet, Julia. They haven't commented on this gentleman, Tim Bray's departure. He was a high ranking executive, the highest ranking, so far to speak out on these issues. Now, none of the cases that he talks about were new. We knew about several warehouse workers who were fired who had spoken out. We knew about a couple of corporate employees who tried to help the warehouse workers who spoke out, but Tim Bray, for him, he had been concerned about how the company treats its employees since last year, since employees started organizing to push for Amazon to take greater leadership when it came to climate change. He was one of those employees pushing. He said and we know there were reports at the time of employees who were within that group being threatened with dismissal. But he says that the COVID-19 situation and what he sees as retaliation against workers who spoke out really was the tipping point. This is what he said. Here is a quote from him. He says, "It's evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture. I choose neither to serve nor drink that poison." He says that he escalated his concerns within the company, but it got to the point where he felt that by staying on as a Vice President within the company, he was endorsing these concerns Julia.
[Chatterley:] This is a huge challenge for a company that's on the frontlines, providing essential services to people that are stuck at home ordering. They have thousands of workers they've hired what 175,000 people to try and cope with the demand. In the past, they've said look, we do not condone in any form attacking whistleblowers. But at the same time, if you're behaving badly as an employee, we reserve the right to challenge that. They find themselves under immense scrutiny at an incredibly difficult time.
[Sebastian:] Yes.
[Chatterley:] It's a tough moment, whichever way you look at this.
[Sebastian:] It's really tough, and I thought it was super interesting because, you know, in the past, Amazon has said, for example, in the case of Chris Smalls now, a fairly high profile figure who was an employee in a warehouse in Staten Island who was fired back in March. The company said that, you know, while they support the rights of employees to criticize workplace conditions, that doesn't come with blanket immunity. He, according to the company, was fired because of violating social distancing rules. But this is what was really interesting, Tim Bray says that he believes both things are true. The complaints of the warehouse workers and the statements from Amazon that showed just how much they're spending, how much they're investing on safety. For example, we just heard the company is basically plowing everything it's going to make in the second quarter back into safety measures, to higher wages for workers and things like that. But this is what he says about that. He says, "The big problem isn't the specifics of the COVID-19 response, it is that Amazon treats the humans in the warehouses as fungible units of pick and pack potential." He says, that's not just Amazon. That's capitalism in general. But I think the question here, Julia, is that yes, Amazon is going to emerge from this with greater market share, but it will also it's looking increasingly likely emerge with even greater questions around its treatment of employees. We know the New York Attorney General, for example, is looking at this.
[Chatterley:] Yes. Time to bring in monitors, I think. Part of being an essential business and I'd argue the government should be helping with this, too. But that's a whole different story. Clare Sebastian, great to have you with us. Thank you. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, I'm having a major rethink on investment following the collapse of its oil income and of course, the coronavirus pandemic. Although oil prices are off the lows, the world's largest exporter is set to slash spending one of the world's largest exporters. Let's not forget the United States. John Defterios has all the details on this. John, when I saw these numbers and these measures, I was completely astonished at the measures that they're taking. They chose to engage in a price war and oh boy, now people are paying the price. Talk us through some of the details.
[John Defterios, Cnn Business Emerging Markets Editor:] Well, the narrative certainly has changed even from Saudi Arabia in the last 10 days, Julia, and now the announcements are coming fast and furious.
[Defterios:] I think this is the key number, if we can put it up on the screen here. This is net foreign assets being held by the Central Bank at $465 billion. The problem is this key threshold is a half a trillion dollars. But if you go back to 2014, that was $750 billion dollars. So, that is cash burn in a period of six years and the lowest level since 2011. And this prompted the very respected Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan in an interview over the weekend with an Arabic broadcaster to say that everything is on the table all of a sudden, and we will cut, it will be painful except for critical needs of the citizens. So, that sounds rather dramatic and it brings into question the 2030 plan for the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman who is the son of the King, the neon futuristic city, what happens? The big tourist destinations in the mountains? The Red Sea Island resorts? This is all on the drawing board at this stage. The announcements aren't formalized, but you get the message. They are starting to retrench. SABIC, one of the biggest chemical makers in the world reported first quarter loss of $253 million, and that was before the coronavirus really set in said it is cutting all CapEx going forward unless it's essential. And then finally, late night last night, we heard word through a Ministerial Decree that private sector companies can cut salaries by 40 percent. That's extremely unusual because of the Saudi penetration in the private sector. Secondarily, if the pandemic continues for six months, they can lay them off. So, this is an oil crisis. And one would say on the positive side, this Crown Prince is not waiting. They're taking measures now to get ahead of the curve. But it almost sounds like a hint of panic, if you will Julia.
[Chatterley:] I was about to say that, John. I was about to say how did these kind of measures resonate domestically, and particularly for one, their handling of a crisis, but what we've seen in the ensuing three to four months in terms of the Crown Prince, what does this mean socially and domestically and perception of leadership?
[Defterios:] Well, he has the support at this stage, of course, as the Crown Prince, his father is the King. He has this roadmap to go forward. The challenge has been the level of spending and the lack of foreign direct investment, and then you have a price war, and then this oil crisis. So, clearly he needs to get that all shored up. Again, the Finance Minister was very direct with the language. Now, you have another benefit here, Julia. Saudi Arabia has some 30 million citizens so the job is tougher. You have states like the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar all slowing down, but their sovereign wealth is over $2 trillion. Now, the next level is the bigger states like in Egypt that has a population of 90 million consumers saw the worst PMI figures on record dropping to 29. So, they did all these reforms in 2019 with the International Monetary Fund, devalued the currency, stabilized the economy, and lo and behold, the Black Swan did arrive here. So, these are some of the major challenges in the Middle East. And all of these states are dependent on higher oil prices. Finally, the silver lining, if you will, UBS was saying, today, by the end of the year, we could see a rebalancing of the market, oil at $43.00 by the end of the year, averaging $55.00 in 2021. It even prompted a tweet from President Trump in the last half hour saying, I like the fact that the demand is rising, so to our oil prices. He doesn't want it too hot, not too cold, but clearly north of $30.00 a barrel is much better than where we are today.
[Chatterley:] Yes, but it's just one crisis that we're dealing with at this moment, and the broader concerns about demand in COVID-19 or another. When the likes of Saudi Arabia has to put a statement out saying it wants to maintain its peg against the U.S. dollar and not de-peg and allow the currency to weaken, you know there are challenges in this region. I think that was one of my big takeaways hereto. John Defterios, thank you so much for that. We'll keep an eye on some of these measures.
[Defterios:] You bet.
[Chatterley:] Great. Thank you. Coming up, after the break here on the FIRST MOVE, exclusive access inside the German airline, Lufthansa as it seeks for a bailout. And later in the show, as I mentioned already, the CEO of so-called e-mail killer, Slack, tells me why companies need to throw everything at communications at this moment. Stay with us, we're back after this.

[Harlow:] Well, we're all feeling it. Life as we know it has changed dramatically during this coronavirus pandemic. And amid the darkness, though, we have to remember to smile here and there when we can. There are rays of light, and our Martin Savidge has them for us this morning.
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] These may feel like dark days with headlines of contagion, fear and hoarding. But human sunshine still exists. Random acts of corona-kindness are everywhere. Like a front porch in Columbus, Ohio, where a young brother and sister put on a concert for a 78-year-old neighbor who had shut herself off from the virus and the world. Dressed in their best, the six- and nine-year-old delighted their audience of one.
[Unidentified Female:] Yay! Bravo!
[Savidge:] In Italy, where so many had died and so many more are isolated, they sing to each other from balconies. At night, voices echo through the streets with canine accompaniment. In Spain, where they're also suffering, to say thank you to doctors and nurses battling to save lives, people step outside and applaud everywhere. In Houston at Irma's Southwest Restaurant now ordered closed a couple left something behind: a $9,400 tip "to pay your guys over the next few weeks," the anonymous note said.
[Janet Montez, Assistant General Manager, Irma's Southwest:] This is beyond. I mean, I don't even have words for it. I just really don't.
[Louis Galvan, Owner, Irma's Southwest:] We have to let our staff know that we may be off of work for 15 to 30 days depending on how long that is. But the gift we got today should help soften the blow.
[Savidge:] At a Cleveland watering hole also closing a customer added a little something extra to his less than $30 bill: $2,500 for the staff. When the NBA stopped the games, Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star Kevin Love started thinking about the arena's staff without work. He donated $100,000 from his foundation to them, hoping others would follow his lead in their towns. They did. Teachers may not be rich like athletes, but they have a wealth of knowledge and on Facebook, many are sharing it to answer questions and help others learn. Elsewhere, the elderly are on the minds of many. People offer to grocery shop for those who cannot or may not want to leave their homes. Stores have begun allowing older customers their own exclusive shopping hours to limit exposure to crowds. And when coronavirus concerns prevented her from going into a North Carolina nursing home to show her grandfather something, a young women stood at his window, simply pointing to the engagement ring. The virus, forcing us apart, seems also to be bringing us together, closer than we've been in a long while. Martin Savidge, CNN.
[Harlow:] Thanks for that, Marty. In minutes, we will hear from the coronavirus task force at the White House. You'll see it live, right here.

[Howell:] A majority of Americans approve of the House of Representatives formally starting an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, this according to the new poll over his phone call with the president of Ukraine. That poll conducted by PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist finds 52 percent approve, 86 percent of Democrats approve, only 9 percent of Republicans want an impeachment inquiry and 54 percent of independents want the House to investigate the president. FOX News released a poll on Wednesday that found 51 percent of registered voters want Mr. Trump to be impeached and removed from office. That's a new high on FOX's polling. Up 9 points since July, increases coming across party lines. We wanted to gauge how voters are viewing all of this so we went to Florida. Our Martin Savidge went to see what President Trump's base thinks and what he discovered, well, it might surprise you.
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Welcome to Orlando, Florida, not the land of make believe, but where people really live and vote. And we're talking to Trump voters about impeachment.
[Richard Domzalski, Trump Voter:] I don't think he's getting a fair deal out of it. I think it's very political.
[Savidge:] Nearly three weeks into the formal congressional inquiry, polling shows a noticeable shift in the public's attitude towards impeachment. A Fox News poll released this week found 51 percent of registered voters supported President Trump's impeachment and removal from office. We wanted to see if shifting polls suggest Trump vulnerability among his base in the swing region of a key state. For most, the short answer is no. [on camera]: It doesn't change your opinion of this president?
[Brian Barnes, Trump Voter:] In this case, no. No.
[Savidge:] And you don't believe he's done anything wrong or broken any sort of oath of office?
[Barnes:] In this case, no.
[Savidge:] On camera, no Trump voter would tell us the president should be impeached. [on camera]: Do you believe this president has used his office for political gain?
[Domzalski:] In this particular case?
[Savidge:] Yes.
[Domzalski:] I don't think so.
[Savidge:] Most Trump voters we spoke with called the impeachment inquiry a sham put on by Democrats followed by unsubstantiated claims. They downplay the president's phone call with the president of Ukraine that seems to seek dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden. [on camera]: You've seen the transcript of the phone call: I'd like you to do us a favor.
[Domzalski:] I've seen the transcript, but I haven't read the whole thing.
[Savidge:] But off camera, we did find Trump voters troubled by the president's actions. In fact, two admitted it was wrong but stopped short of calling for the president's removal. At a "Latinos for Trump" rally outside Orlando, we found something that should concern the Trump administration. Though these Trump voters say they've heard nothing so far in the impeachment inquiry to change their support [on camera]: Has this caused you to question or second guess your vote in '16?
[Nancy Acevedo, Trump Voter:] Never, ever. We need Trump to be elected for four more years to make sure his agenda is completed.
[Savidge:] all we've spoke with did say the inquiry should continue. [on camera]: Do you want the process to at least go forward?
[Sergio Ortiz, Trump Voter:] I want the process to go through the whole shebang.
[Savidge:] Even as they work for Trump's reelection, these Trump voters say they reserve the right to change their mind. [on camera]: Is there something that come to light that would change your feelings?
[Maria Scotolongo, Trump Voter:] Maybe. It depends what it is, what is truth.
[Savidge:] There's no question that the impeachment inquiry has raised the level of political tension in this country to a whole new realm. We've been talking to Trump voters for years now on all kinds of topics in all different places. But never have we had as much difficulty engaging or getting people to talk on camera with us on a subject more so than this one, impeachment. People are either so angry or so over it, they simply just don't want to talk Martin Savidge, CNN, Orlando.
[Howell:] Martin, thank you. CNN's election team projects that Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards has been forced into a runoff vote. Edwards, seen here on the left, was the top vote-getter on Saturday but will fall short of the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff,where he'll face Republican Eddie Rispone in a runoff election on November 16th. Police in New Hampshire are investigating what led a man to barge into a church during a wedding and then to open fire. The shooter injured the bride and the bishop presiding at the ceremony just before wedding guests tackled him. Polo Sandoval explains.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn National Correspondent:] An intimate wedding in a small New Hampshire town came to an abrupt and violent end on Saturday. Police say 37-year-old Dale Holloway walked into the New England Pentecostal Ministries in Pelham after the wedding began and opened fire. He is accused of shooting two of the nearly 40 people inside, including Stanley Choate, the 75-year-old bishop officiating the ceremony. According to the town's police chief, Holloway was arrested on site after being wrestled to the ground by guests.
[Chief Joseph Roark, Pelham Police Department:] From my understanding is they basically gang tackled him. There was a struggle ensued. Minor injuries occurred to the other guests, who were in the struggle with the shooter.
[Sandoval:] Others were making their way inside the church, adds Police Chief Joseph Roark. An afternoon funeral for the church's former pastor, Luis Garcia, shot and killed last week, was scheduled to begin later in the day.
[Unidentified Male:] We were not inside. No, we just got here. And this is what we found. So we're just waiting to find out what to do now.
[Unidentified Female:] It's just surreal. Luis was shot and now there is a shooting at his church.
[Sandoval:] Investigators now looking into whether both incidents could be related, authorities believe Saturday's groom is the father of the suspect charged in the death of Pastor Garcia.
[Roark:] This does not seem to be a random event at this point, at least that's what preliminary investigation is telling us.
[Sandoval:] Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
[Howell:] Still ahead, following the situation in Ecuador where more violence has erupted. The streets of the capital city now resemble a battlefield. What the government there is doing to curb the violence.

[Blitzer:] We have breaking news on a major problem for thousands of Americans and other travelers trying to enter the United States. The computer system for Customs and Border Protection has crashed at some major airports. Our aviation correspondent, Rene Marsh, is here in THE SITUATION ROOM. What are you learning, Rene?
[Rene Marsh, Cnn Aviation Correspondent:] Well, I can tell you it's a nightmare situation for these international travelers at various airports throughout the country. Again, this Customs and Border Protection computer network, it is out at several airports. It's affecting arriving international customers. So they are unable to process them using these computers. They now have to do this manually. So important to note, operations have not ceased, but it is literally moving at a snail's pace at a time where traffic and volume is very high. Obviously, we're in the midst of summer travel. You're looking at video there. That is from Dulles Airport. And you can see how long the line is there. No telling how long those people will be waiting. And then there's this other layer of this problem, which is missed connections. So I know that a lot of airlines are working to rebook these passengers, but the big question tonight is, what caused this outage? We know this has happened to the agency before. They have experienced outages with their computer systems, and they have caused this sort of delay before. It happened in 2017. It happened in 2018. We know in 2017 it was a software glitch. Is that the same sort of situation that we're looking at here? We simply don't know. CBP saying that they are currently investigating the cause, but one thing is certain. If you are one of those international travelers, this is no fun. You're going to be waiting there for quite some time because, again, they are forced to do this all manually.
[Blitzer:] Those lines in Washington and Dulles incredible right now.
[Marsh:] Yes.
[Blitzer:] Rene, stay on top of this. We will get back to you, very disturbing development. Also tonight, a new twist in President Trump's efforts to punish two Democratic congresswomen. Israel has backed off its refusal to let one of the lawmakers into the country, citing humanitarian reasons. But Representative Rashida Tlaib is refusing to accept Israel's terms. And joining us now, Democratic presidential candidate Senator Cory Booker. He's a member of the Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committee. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. I want to get through a bunch of issues, but let me get your reaction. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib now says she won't be visiting Israel and the West Bank after Israel placed restrictions on her trip. She says quote "Visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions meant to humiliate me would break my grandmother's heart." What do you make of this?
[Sen. Cory Booker , Presidential Candidate:] Well, I think that she should make the decision that she believes is personally right for her. But I think the outrage here is the president United States, the language he uses to talk about two sitting congresspeople, the lies that he tells that are so venal, that they literally put their lives in jeopardy by whipping up the kind of hatred. And then for him to reach out for the Israeli government, have them change and capitulate to a president that pushes this kind of hate, is just wrong as well. So, this is an unfortunate situation and, again, just is another testimony to the moral vandalism of this president.
[Blitzer:] Like so many other members of Congress, the House and Senate, you called on the Israeli government to reverse its position and allow these two congresswomen to come in. But why do you think Prime Minister Netanyahu reversed Israel's original decision and apparently gave into pressure from President Trump?
[Booker:] I mean, that's something that he will have to answer to himself. What I know is that President Trump asked, and he complied. And I think that was a capitulation of the values that I know the Israeli people speak to. It's a violation of the values that we speak to, that here are two great nations, where we have a deep, deep relationship. And to deny two sitting congresspeople elected by their constituents and their communities entrance into the country is to me unacceptable. And on top of that, the way that President Trump is continuing to describe these women are patent lies, and they're dangerous lies, because they appeal towards hatred, they appeal to the kind of violent sentiments that we see, unfortunately, too often in our country now, where white supremacists are using the words of this president to attack a vulnerable population.
[Blitzer:] So that gets me to the new plan you have unveiled to combat hate crimes and white supremacy. Your plan would require the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI to focus more on this threat. When you look at the Trump administration's approach to this issue. What are your biggest concerns?
[Booker:] Well, first of all, we're not talking in any way about a proportionate response to the problem. International terrorism seems to have motivated the spending of billions of dollars. And it seems to have motivated a tremendous amount of bipartisan cooperation on this issue. But now we are, since 911, the majority of our terrorist attacks have been right-wing extremist groups, and the majority of them have been white supremacist actors. This is a major threat to national security. And this is the administration that even changed the categorization. It's no longer violent white supremacy. They now have an amorphous category of racially violent extremism. And so this is an administration that won't even focus on the issue, won't even talk to its proportionate challenge to our nation's safety and security and is not allocating the resources that they should. If I am president of the United States, I'm going to make sure, as we have with other major threats, that we create a White House office on hate crimes and white supremacist violence to make sure that we are prioritizing what has now become a challenge and a threat to thousands and thousands of lives in our nation. This kind of violence is on the rise. And we need to have a president that will focus on it with strategies to actually solve this crisis in our country.
[Blitzer:] Senator, on the issue of gun control, another 2020 contender, Beto O'Rourke, just proposed the national gun registry and gun licensing system, a mandatory buyback of assault-style rifles. You say your plan, though, on gun control, in your words, is the most far-reaching plan of any other candidate. Can you still say that?
[Booker:] Well, first of all, I'm really happy that there are presidential candidates who criticized my plan and now are turning to embrace it. The idea of gun licensing is something that I have talked about from the very beginning as a commonsense strategy, one that has in states like Connecticut, where you need a license to drive a car, Connecticut said, hey, you should have a license to buy and own a firearm. It's common sense. And they saw violence in their state drop 40 percent, 15 percent less suicides. When I first came out with that part of my plan, I took criticism from folks that are now moving to support and embrace my plan. This isn't about politics. This is about truly what is a threat to our nation. In the last 50 years, more people have died to gun violence than who died in all of our wars from the Revolutionary War to present combined. We have a government that was forming this nation, one of the fundamental reasons for the common defense. And this government now is failing to defend our country, and is so capitulating to fear that we're literally now sending kids back to school and telling them, we can't protect you, so we're going to teach you how to shelter in place and how to hide. That's unacceptable. We need bold vision and plans to do common sense things that are evidence-based like my plan that will reduce gun violence in our country and deal with this epidemic.
[Blitzer:] You addressed this crowd over at the Black Church PAC event, where you are right now. In the new Fox poll, by the way, you're polling at around 6 percent among black voters. Joe Biden is at 37 percent among black voters. What's your plan to win over their support?
[Booker:] Well, Wolf, you and I had been around long enough to know that polls this far out have never been actually predicted in our party since Carter about who's going to become president. And even in the African-American community, you know, even Barack Obama at this far out was polling behind Secretary, then Senator Clinton in the African-American communities. Polls are not, at this point, what's important. What's important is what you're doing on the ground. And everybody from the Des Moines register, even in The New York Times of recent have taken note that we are building the best organizations in the early primary states. In Iowa, we lead all of the top five candidates combined in endorsements from state legislators and activists. We are building an organization to win. And I'm confident in our pathway and there's more people, record numbers, now are going to corybooker.com to be a part of this movement. I'm very excited that we are going to continue with our message of healing, bringing people together to beat Donald Trump, but that's not enough. That's the floor. But to get us to the ceiling of actually addressing the injustices and expanding the opportunity of America.
[Blitzer:] And I know you've qualified for the next Democratic presidential debate next month in Houston. Senator Booker, thanks so much for joining us.
[Booker:] No, Wolf. Thank you, again, for having me on.
[Blitzer:] Now, there is more breaking news just ahead. Corey Lewandowski sounds reeling to testify in open session before the House Impeachment Probe. What might he reveal?

[Holmes:] Welcome back, everyone. The International Olympic Committee is reconsidering rescheduling the 2020 Tokyo Games. The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has had a staunch position in the past, and that is that the Olympics should happen on schedule. Now, he has now addressed the possibility that the games may be postponed because of the virus. For more, I'm joined by CNN's Will Ripley in Tokyo. Several countries now a little reticent about going ahead. Is it starting to feel a little inevitable it's going to be postponed?
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] It is, Michael. It does seem only a matter of time before Japanese Olympic organizers and the IOC announce that Tokyo 2020 will be postponed. A lot of people are saying it should be postponed for a year. But obviously, from the Olympics perspective, it's such a massive sporting event with so many stakeholders, they put out messaging within the last several hours saying that they need more time. They need more time to figure out things like changing venues, changing bookings, cancellation fees, all that sort of thing. But they are letting this growing list of athletes and countries from around the world know that they are listening, and that they understand that the health and safety of athletes, as well as, frankly, their time to prepare for the Olympics, is their priority. And so we are now basically in wait-and-see mode to see what solution they do come up with, which does seem likely to be postponement.
[Holmes:] You know, what are going to be the impact here, financially, logistically, for Japan, if it is moved forward? It sounds easy, but you know, apparently a lot of those stadiums are already booked for next year. I think the athletes' village has been presold. People are going to want to move in. It's going to be hard.
[Ripley:] It is going to be an absolute nightmare. And expensive. It could actually cost more, Michael, to postpone the Olympics than to cancel them altogether, according to a source of mine who works inside Tokyo 2020. That is because, as you mentioned, there are so many things that have already been lined up. You know, leases signed for the Olympic athletes village. Hotel rooms, millions of hotel rooms booked. Flights that will need to be canceled. Tickets that were, you know, sometimes $1,000 that will need to be refunded, or change fees. That sort of thing. Not to mention the fact that some of the venues might already be unavailable. And then, what if there's a conflict with other sporting events at whatever time they do decide to hold the Olympics? You know, they time these things and other sporting events schedule themselves around the Olympics. So there's not a conflict. Not to mention what will that mean for the training schedules of the athletes involved. So it is a huge undertaking, and that's precisely why Tokyo 2020 organizers and the IOC are saying they're working on it, but they might need up to four weeks before they actually make an announcement. It could actually take that long, they say, to sort everything out.
[Holmes:] All right. Will Ripley, thanks very much there, in Tokyo for us. Well, Wuhan, China, the center of the original coronavirus outbreak, has reported no new cases for five straight days. Meanwhile, Thailand seeing a spike in the pandemic. Public health officials reported nearly 200 new cases in a single day. The World Health Organization has recorded almost 600 cases of the virus in Thailand. One death there. CNN senior producer Steven Jiang joins me now from Beijing. What are we expecting to see in Wuhan as this moves forward? No new cases for several days, and are those numbers reliable?
[Steven Jiang, Cnn Senior Producer:] Well, Michael, the reliability of those numbers is very much a big question mark on the minds of many people, including residents, given the initial mishandling or even alleged the cover-up of this outbreak by local officials. In the past few days, we have seen numerous social media posts alleging the existence of new cases in Wuhan, some showing photos of public notices posted by property management officers at certain residential compounds. Now, these voices of skepticism have gotten so loud, the Wuhan government actually issued a statement on Sunday to deny these allegations. They say they have checked with all local hospitals and found no concealment of new cases. And there were no instances of coronavirus patients being denied treatment, because hospitals did not want to report new cases. But the authorities says some of these allegations were due to misunderstandings of earlier confirmed cases, be mistakenly thought to be new cases. At least in one instances, the authorities confirmed the discovery of one asymptomatic carrier of the coronavirus. But because of the national health authority's classification rules, carriers without symptoms are not listed as confirmed cases. And this, of course, has raised more alarm than calming things down, as you can imagine. But despite all these controversies and concerns, the Wuhan city government is moving ahead with its effort to resume some form of economic activities. They have removed checkpoints within city limits and also starting to allow people to come back into Wuhan if they're deemed healthy by the government Michael.
[Holmes:] Yes. Interesting how the numbers are run there in China. Given that the new cases in China, the Chinese authorities already are saying imported. Tell us more about how those new arrivals are being handled.
[Jiang:] That's right. That's, increasingly, their focus. We have seen officials around the country, but especially here in Beijing, take increasingly drastic measures. Now the government has ordered all Beijing-bound international flights to be diverted to 12 other cities in China. So passengers will clear immigrations and customs at their first point of entry, and then undergo very thorough health screenings. Only those deemed healthy and low-risk will be allowed to re-board their planes to fly into Beijing. And in Shanghai, for example, also, the authorities have ordered all arriving international passengers who will not go to government quarantine facilities to take a mandatory coronavirus test Michael.
[Holmes:] All right. Steven Jiang, good to have you there for us in Beijing. Appreciate it. All right. Another break. Now, when we come back, the most powerful woman in Europe going into self-quarantine. What that could mean for other European leaders. That and more, when we come back.

[John Vause, Cnn International Anchor:] Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour.
[Vause:] A major storm has just made landfall on India's east coast. Tropical Cyclone Fani arrived with winds of 240 kilometers an hour, the strongest in 20 years. Significant storm surges and wind damage are expected. Two hundred million people in northeast India and Bangladesh are in the path of the storm. An arrest warrant has been issued for Venezuelan opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez. He escaped house arrest earlier earlier in the week, just as anti-government protests were getting underway. Lopez and his family have now taken refuge inside the Spanish embassy in Caracas. The Spanish government says it has no intention of turning them over to Venezuelan authorities. And a second woman accused of using a nerve agent to murder the half- brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been released from prison in Malaysia. She's expected to return to her home in Vietnam. Lawyers for the woman argue they had been duped into carrying out the attack at an airport in Kuala Lumpur two years ago. Facebook says it's removing dangerous individuals and groups from its social media platforms. On Thursday the company banned several high- profile and controversial figures, like Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan; conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who'd already been banned from Facebook and is not out of Instagram; and Mario Yiannopoulos, a fringe right-wing personality, I suppose. The company explained the move to CNN Business, saying, "We've always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology. The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive, and it is what led to our decision to remove these accounts today." Now to the latest in the admissions scandal which is rocking the U.S. university system. A source tells CNN that the family of a Chinese student admitted to Stanford University paid $6.5 million to this man, William "Rick" Singer, who allegedly orchestrated the scam. The family and the student have not been charged. The student's mother says Singer told her she was actually making a legitimate donation to his foundation. Singer has pleaded guilty to charges that he worked with wealthy families to get their children slots at top schools, using bribes and false test scores. CNN legal analyst Areva Martin joins us now from Los Angeles with more. OK, Areva, so we know now just how far-reaching this scam was and how lucrative. Six and a half million dollars paid by a family in China to get their daughter into Stanford, or "Scamford" as "The New York Post" described it. And the university has issued this statement. "It's important to clarify that Stanford did not receive $6.5 million from Singer, or from the student's family working with Singer. Stanford was not aware of this report of $6.5 million payment from the family to Singer until today's news reports." You know, the university like Stanford continue to use the Sergeant Schultz defense: you know, "I know nothing, I see nothing." And it's fishier than the Dumpster outside Red Lobster.
[Areva Martin, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Yes, you know, John, one thing that's interesting about the scandal is that it's ongoing. We should not forget that the federal prosecutors have made it clear that, when they indicted those 50 individuals, that that was just the tip of this tip of the iceberg. We've been we've seen some reports that suggest that Singer may have helped over 700 students get into schools and colleges around the United States using this scam. So I don't think we should conclude anything by the fact that more college admissions, more college officials have not been implicated in this scam. I just think this investigation is going to continue, and we're going to see more shoes drop as they continue to get more parents, which we've seen over the last couple weeks, plead guilty. Because those pleading guilty are also cooperating with federal prosecutors.
[Vause:] Yes, that's the point. Just staying with this family in China, the lawyer for the mother of the student told CNN she thought that $6.5 million would pay "for the salaries of academic staff, scholarships, athletics programs, helping those students who otherwise will not be able to attend Stanford. And essentially, they just thought this was how it was done." Another Chinese family which paid more than a million dollars to Singer, they made a similar statement. Essentially, they just thought that this was how it was done. And to be fair, it is how it's done in China. But in China, there's one rule for the wealthy and the powerful and the elite, another rule for the poor and the powerless, but that's China. I'm just wondering, though: is this why prosecutors at this point don't appear to be bringing any charges against these parents?
[Martin:] In order for prosecutors to bring charges against anyone implicated in this scam, they are going to have to be able to prove specific intent to defraud. And I think what we're seeing with these two Chinese families is that they actually didn't know that Singer was engaged in this, you know, elaborate fraud that involved, you know, taking money from parents who thought they were legitimately donating to his non-profit organization and then, you know, pocketing that money or using that money to pay bribes to college, you know, admissions officials who were then doctoring applications, creating fake, you know, athletic profiles; and then getting these students into the colleges. So I don't think prosecutors believed that these two Chinese families had any indication that what they were doing was a part of this elaborate, you know, fraudulent scheme by the part of Singer. We have language differences and barriers. We have cultural differences and other things that I think caused the prosecutors to say that these two families are perhaps victims. Now, what's going to be interesting, John, is to see if any of the American families try to use the same defense in their cases. Because we know some of these families have pled not guilty. They want their day in court. And they may also say, "Look, we were just, you know, victims in this whole elaborate scheme. We thought our money, as well, was going to help disadvantaged students or to somehow, you know, benefit these colleges and not being used as bribes."
[Vause:] These are a much harder argument to make in the U.S. than it is in China.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Vause:] You talk about these parents who pleaded guilty. There are 17 parents, though, including actress Lori Loughlin, who have entered not-guilty pleas. But here's the thing: Back in 2011, an Ohio woman used her father's address to enroll her two kids in a better school district. She got a lengthy prison sentence. Ultimately, it was nine days in jail is what she spent behind bars. She was put on three years' probation. She was in the last semester before she graduated with her teaching degree, but because she was convicted of a felony, she could no longer go into that job. OK? And that's not the only story like that out there.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Vause:] So if these white rich parents are found guilty, what are the chances they'll do jail time just like the poor black woman raising two kids on her own?
[Martin:] Well, you know, that's an interesting question, John. We heard the federal prosecutor say that everyone involved in this scam was going to get jail time, but I have my doubts about that. And you mentioned that story. There's also the Atlanta cheating schedule [SIC] where scandal where African-American teachers were involved over ten years ago in, you know, doctoring standardized tests for students. And several of them I think over ten went to trial, and many of them convicted and got prison sentences as many as seven years. So there is precedent for, you know, non-affluent white, you know, teachers in this case and the parent in the case you just mentioned, who were involved in some kind of cheating scam; and they actually did get jail time. So it remains to be seen how tough these prosecutors are going to be with these wealthy families. We know Felicity Huffman pled guilty. And the recommendation so far is that she gets the lower end of the federal sentencing guidelines. And there's some rumors now that maybe she's going to do that time, you know, under house arrest. She won't actually go into a federal prison. It concerns me, John, you know, when we talk about celebrity justice
[Vause:] Yes.
[Martin:] when we talk about a dual justice system, one for the rich and one for the poor. And I think this case is the perfect case for federal prosecutors to send a message that, no matter what your ethnicity is, no matter what your wealth status is
[Vause:] Your bank balance, yes.
[Martin:] you cheat the system, you're held accountable for it.
[Vause:] You pay the same price, yes.
[Martin:] Absolutely.
[Vause:] You mentioned this before, but a lot more parents could be facing charges. "The New York Times" reporting this week the investigation is expected to grow significantly. Defense lawyers are being signed up at a great rate, apparently, around the L.A. area. At this point do you have a sense, you know, of how widespread this could actually end up being, how many families could be caught up in this scam? Because to me, it seems there's a growing sort of narrative here that this is just what everyone expected or thought this is how it was done. No one thought it was out of the ordinary. No one thought it was sort of, you know, illegal, you know, or doing anything majorly wrong. It was just sort of one of those things that everyone did.
[Martin:] Well, I'd have to push back some on that narrative, John. Because what we've heard from the prosecutors is that they have a lot of these parents on, you know, audiotape. They have text messages. They have e-mails where they're going to great lengths to hide what they're doing. If this is what everyone was doing, it wouldn't have been done, you know, in such the cloak of secrecy. They would have been talking openly about it. And what we know with the parents that have been charged, they were so careful and so cautious; and they asked, you know, Singer over and over again, you know, "Are you sure no one's going to catch me? Are you sure, you know, that we're going to keep this secret?" So I don't know buy that these parents didn't know what they were doing was illicit and, now, illegal perhaps not. But they weren't proud of what they're doing. They weren't willing to do this in the open. And of course, you can make a donation to a college. Put your name on a building. That's perfectly legal. But when you start doctoring test scores, when you start having people take the exam for you, when you create profiles, athletic profiles, I'm not buying that you don't know that you are engaged in some kind of illicit activity.
[Vause:] We're out of time. But I guess my point, more clearly, it's like cheating on your taxes a little. Everyone does it. It's all going to be OK. We know it's not right.
[Martin:] It's still a crime, John.
[Vause:] Exactly. Still a crime. Areva, thank you. Good point to finish off.
[Martin:] All right. Thank you.
[Vause:] Thanks a lot, Areva. Have a good weekend.
[Martin:] Take care.
[Vause:] Thank you. We'll take a short break. A lot more news when we come back. You're watching CNN.

[Sciutto:] This just in to CNN, the president's trip to the CDC in Atlanta today, which was off the president revealed, because there were concerns a worker there had contracted the disease that trip, his visit, is now back on. That worker tested negative. We will bring you that visit and his comments there as they happen. In other news, six states are now in focus as the 2020 Democrats campaign ahead of Super Tuesday part two which comes next Tuesday with 125 delegates up for grabs. Michigan's is the biggest prize on that day, and Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, they are ready to fight it out. Joining me now, Michigan's lieutenant governor, Garlin Gilchrist. Lieutenant Governor, nice to have you on this morning. You of course, the governor endorsed Joe Biden this week. What made you decide to back Biden this time around?
[Garlin Gilchrist , Lieutenant Governor Of Michigan:] Well, I'm proud to endorse Joe Biden because the vice president has been a friend to the entire state of Michigan, and especially to the city of Detroit. He has shown up over the years for the auto industry, he's shown up to protect health care, he's shown up to deliver on transportation and internet access. He has been a friend to this community. And people will win Michigan when they show up. And he's proven that, time and time again over the years. That's why I'm proud and I trust that he is going to do that for us as our nominee, and as the next president.
[Sciutto:] Who has the nominee? Because Sanders, he won Michigan in 2016. That was a big surprise, a big upset at the time over Hillary Clinton. Who has the advantage this year?
[Gilchrist:] You know, I think the momentum is building. You saw that Super Tuesday was a really important day for the vice president as he delivered off the strength of the black vote, and so a large part of the country, coming off of the South Carolina primary. And that black vote is going to turn out in big numbers here in Michigan on Tuesday. Governor Gretchen Whitmer and I, you know, we were able to perform well because we competed in every part of the state. I think the vice president's going to do the same, and that's going to deliver a victory for him on Tuesday.
[Sciutto:] As you well know, in 2016, Trump won Michigan. That was considered a firewall for Democrats, it did not hold up in 2016. What is the necessary message to Michigan voters who might have voted for Trump in 2016, but also other voters who just didn't turn up to vote in 2016? What is the message the Democratic candidate, the nominee has to get to them to win that state back for Democrats?
[Gilchrist:] Well, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and I laid the blueprint. Because while Donald Trump won Michigan by 10,000 votes in 2016, we won Michigan by 10 points in 2018. That's because we got to every part of the state and we listened to people, and we heard what they wanted us to focus on: roads and infrastructure, expanding and protecting access to health care, ensuring that we are investing in our education system. And that in Michigan, the Great Lake State, that we're protecting our environment and cleaning up our water. By focusing on the things that matter to people, how do we expand access to health care, how do we create and protect jobs by things like saving the auto industry. If we do those things, if Joe Biden is going to be the person who does those things for the people of Michigan, that's why I believe they're going to trust him on Tuesday and we can trust him as our nominee.
[Sciutto:] Elizabeth Warren has now suspended her campaign; she has not yet endorsed. Is her endorsement in your view powerful, going into the Michigan race? And what does Biden need to do, in your view, to win her support?
[Gilchrist:] Well, Senator Elizabeth Warren was here on the night of Super Tuesday. And she is an incredible leader, and an incredible spokesperson for just how we can have ideas lead us forward into the future. And I think she absolutely has a powerful role to play, to help shaping the future of the party and the future of our politics here in Michigan and across the country, so you know, certainly we would welcome her support as we're moving forward. Because we need everyone to defeat Donald Trump. Donald Trump's agenda has been dangerous and backwards-looking, but it's time for us to move forward and I believe that Joe Biden is the right person to lead us forward.
[Sciutto:] The country is now grappling with the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, and really just at the beginning of a sense of how many people in this country will be affected by it as they begin to test on a large scale. What are Michigan voters telling you about the federal government's response so far?
[Gilchrist:] Michigan voters are concerned, like people all over the country are, about how, you know, reckless the president has been with really not even funding and ensuring that the government has what it needs to provide basic public health and public safety protections. That is why in Michigan, we've taken action at the state level to ensure that we have what we need and what the people of Michigan need. We don't have any confirmed cases as of this point, but people want to know that their federal government is going to be there for them. And the way that you demonstrate that is by showing up, time and time again, and delivering for people. Joe Biden's done that, and that's why I think he is a leader that I'm confident in, and that people in Michigan can be confident in, will be able to step up to any challenge and deliver for people and deliver for public health. I mean, this is something that's super important. And we believe that our nominee will be Joe Biden, he'll do the right thing.
[Sciutto:] Big test coming up on Tuesday in the state of Michigan, and even a bigger one in November. Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, thanks so much for joining the program.
[Gilchrist:] Thanks for having me.
[Sciutto:] Well, you heard it just moments ago. The president's trip to the CDC in Atlanta of course, the focus here, the one organization in charge of the response to the coronavirus it is back on. We will bring you his comments there, his visit as it happens. Thanks so much for joining me today. I'm Jim Sciutto. "AT THIS HOUR" with Kate Bolduan starts right now.

[Vause:] Climate protesters in London have been trying to disrupt business as usual, as they call it. But the ones being disrupted seem to have had enough. This video on social media, which shows members of the Extinction Rebellion on top of trains during Thursday morning's rush hour, some of them glued to the carriages. But angry commuters pushed back, literally, shoving protestors off the train. As fights broke out, at least four people were arrested for what police call "obstruction incidents." But this is the latest instance by the movement, which has brought parts of London's transit system to a halt. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a rough ride on Thursday during their official visit to Pakistan. Prince William and his wife, Kate, spent a day meeting villagers, as well as touring charities in the city of Lahore. But on their return to Islamabad, the British Royal Air Force plane had to abandon its landing twice because of bad weather. There were some severe storms. The normally 26-minute flight turned into a two- hour-long ordeal. CNN's Max Foster was among the 48 40 media members on the flight.
[Max Foster, Cnn International Correspondent:] We knew there was a storm over Islamabad, and then we saw lightning. And there was some turbulence. And I think the pilot was trying to find his way through it, basically. But each time he attempted, there was some really sort of loud movement on the aircraft, and a lot of people, the nervous flyers, were very uncomfortable, indeed. And then he would the pilot would go back up and then try again to find a path through. But he was trying a few times, I don't know how many, exactly. And it didn't work, and eventually, he said, we just have to go back to Lahore. But you know, I think a lot of people were very concerned. They were the nervous fliers anyway. I think everyone in the staff felt very in control of the situation.
[Vause:] Despite the rocky end to the day, the duke, a former air ambulance pilot, said he and his wife, Kate, just fine. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. WORLD SPORT start after the break.

[Sciutto:] Well, John Kerry is back on the campaign trail for president no, he's not running again himself, but he is joining up with someone who is: fellow former Obama cabinet member Joe Biden, in Iowa.
[Harlow:] Yes. That show of support, coming hours after Biden's clash with an Iowa voter that many of you have seen. If you haven't, you will now. Our Jessica Dean was in the room, she's live this morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Quite the exchange, Jess.
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Correspondent:] Good yes. Good morning to you guys. Yes, if you haven't seen it, we're going to show it to you. This happened in New Hampton yesterday. And what happened is, a voter stood up and and started asking and repeating some of these false conspiracy theories we've heard from President Trump and other Republicans. Here's some of that exchange.
[Unidentified Male:] You're selling access to the president just like he was. So you got...
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] You're a damn liar, man. That's not true. And no one has ever said that.
[Unidentified Male:] I didn't say you were doing anything wrong. I said
[Biden:] You said I set up my son to work in an oil company. Isn't that what you said? Get your words straight, Jack.
[Dean:] And interestingly, I talked to some people at a Biden event after that one. One woman was undecided. I asked her what she thought about that exchange, and she told me, look, I think Biden has to stand up for himself, that's what she said. And that was kind of how it was playing in the room last night. And you can hear, in some of the other clips, the audience kind of clapping for Biden and booing that man. But certainly, an interesting exchange between voter and candidate here in Iowa, and definitely marking where we are in American politics right now for sure. Something else, guys, that I want to tell you about is, we're about to start seeing a new ad from a super PAC supporting Vice President Biden here in Iowa. It's going to hit the airwaves soon. He's a look at that.
[Biden:] The right to be educated, the right to marry who you choose, the right to live free from the threat of violence and fear, these
[Dean:] And there's your look at it, Jim and Poppy.
[Sciutto:] All right, stand by. We are getting an update from Pensacola, Florida on the shooting at the Naval Air Station there. Let's listen in.
[Timothy Kinsella, Captain, Nas Pensacola:] we got the call there was an active shooter in one of our buildings. The base is currently shut down. The active shooter has been neutralized. We are working with local law enforcement and with the FBI in our actions afterwards. As I said, the base is shut down. It will be shut down until further notice, until we can really understand the situation. But the important thing is that the it is no longer an active shooter situation. We do have several deceased and several wounded. My heart goes out to those families of the deceased and of the wounded. They're part of the Navy family. They are our they're part of us. And our heart goes out to those of you who have who may be affected by this tragedy. As I said, we're working with local county law enforcement and federal entities. And right now, I'd like to pass it over to the mayor, see if he has anything further to add Sir.
[Mayor Grover Robinson, Pensacola, Florida:] Captain. Certainly, this is a tragic day for the city of Pensacola. NAS is incredibly an important part of our community. For 200 years, this has been a part of the city of Pensacola. And our we're a military town. Our hearts and prayers are connected to all those that serve us every day, and certainly the expectation that this would happen here at home was unexpected. But I can tell you that all of our sympathies are with the men and women who are out here on this base. And we are we are currently in a support role, we will continue to do that. We are certainly thinking about all those individuals who are still hospitalized and our thoughts and prayers are with them. I will say, this is a resilient community, we will overcome this. But today, this is certainly a tragic day and our thoughts and prayers are with all of them. Let me say, for those of you locally, if you have no business over on this part of Warrington, please do not come over here. Everything is closed down. We will continue to have our police officers with the sheriff's officers, keeping people from over here at this particular time. So if you don't have business over here, please do not come over to this side of town. But, again, thank you very much for the opportunity to be here and just express how our condolences and our sorrows for those here at the Naval Air Station.
[Sheriff David Morgan, Escambia County, Florida:] Well, good morning, everyone. I'm Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan. At approximately 6:51 this morning, the call went out to the Escambia County Sherriff's Office Central Dispatch, that there was an active shooter on Naval Air Station Pensacola. We had two units immediately respond, you know, many to come behind, of course. While we would love to do a full disclosure with you this morning about everything that we are aware of, quite obviously, we cannot do that. There are things that we are now in the investigative process, that are required to be held back by not just the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, but our lead federal agencies, which of course are the FBI and the ATF and the associated federal partners that we have, and the U.S. attorney's offices also present. As the mayor said, I want to assure our community that the the threat has been negated. Our community is secure at this time. We have no reason to believe or are we looking for any additional shooters within Escambia County, not just within the parameters of NAS Pensacola. I will tell you, this strikes home particularly hard for me as a retired military member. Walking through the crime scene was like being on the set of a movie. And as the mayor eloquently put, you just don't expect this to happen at home. This doesn't happen in Escambia County, it doesn't happen in Pensacola. It doesn't happen to our friends and neighbors, who are members of the United States Navy. But it did, and it has. And so for now, we're here to pick up the pieces. We have two officers at the Escambia County Sheriff's Office in the initial response that negated the threat that are now in a local hospital. We expect them to fully recover. It was a member of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office that did negate the threat, I will share that with you. It was one of our officers that did that. As the captain said, we have to date excuse me. As of right now, we do have four deceased and approximately eight total that includes the ones that have deceased, by the way that are injured. The crime scene processing continues under the auspices of the FBI and the ATF. We are lending all local assistance that we have to this effort, everything from command buses to, you know, crime scene techs if they are so needed. We ask for the prayers of the community, and we ask for the assistance of the press. Please be patient. These things are ever-evolving. You may hear a misstatement from one of us at this juncture. Why? Because we've got a lot of moving parts in this machine, and we're all trying to get it in sync. And so if something comes back later that we have to correct, I would ask that you not be overly critical. The reason why I say that is this. Is, we have grieving families at this moment that the Navy now, with their grief counselors and with ours at the Escambia County Sheriff's Office, are going out to handle the human side of a police action. We need your assistance with that. We need your partnership at this point. And we have enough critics in our community, and we ask that you assist us. So if we reach out to you as a member of the press and ask for that assistance, I ask that you come forward with it. At this juncture, I will stop and I believe Captain Kinsella wants to open it for questions? All right, we'll answer any questions that we can.
[Kinsella:] Before it opens for questions, I just want to say publicly how grateful we are of the assistance from the Sheriff's department. As the Sheriff said, it was a couple of his deputies that neutralized the active shooter. It could have been a lot worse if we didn't have the response that we did from our local partners. So, sir, thank you. Thank you. And, Mayor, thank you for your support and thank you to the county for your support also. This is a this is a community effort. And so, any questions?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, was the shooter a military person? Can you say that?
[Kinsella:] I don't want to talk about the identity of the shooter at this time, I'm sorry.
[Unidentified Male:] Can we talk about where on the base it happened?
[Kinsella:] Yes. It happened in one of our classroom buildings.
[Unidentified Male:] Which classroom?
[Kinsella:] It was in I don't want to say at this time, because it's that there's a lot of worried folks out there that don't know if it was in where their people worked, and I don't want to unnecessarily worry folks at this time. So that will come out in time.
[Unidentified Male:] How's the process of notifying the families right now?
[Kinsella:] Again, I we're working through it, we're working through it. I appreciate the question, but we're working through it as best we can to make sure that the right people know at the right time. And we don't do it through the media, but thank you.
[Unidentified Male:] Do we know where the officers were shot or anything?
[Kinsella:] We sure do, yes, we do. They were if you want to take that one, chief?
[Chip Simmons, Chief Deputy, Escambia County, Florida Sheriff's Office:] Yes. The two deputies that initially engaged the suspect, one was shot in the arm and one was shot in the knee. The one that's shot in the arm is being treated at a local hospital, and the one that was shot in the knee is currently in surgery. Both expected to survive. Thank you.
[Unidentified Male:] What was the response time from when the shots first rang out to, you know, when the deputies engaged
[Kinsella:] Sir, I think you should be able to answer that.
[Morgan:] OK, Go ahead.
[Simmons:] Well, I can tell you we have a precinct nearby. We got the call, as Sheriff Morgan mentioned, about nine minutes before 7:00 and we had officers here within just a couple of minutes. They quickly went to the location, as the captain said, the building in which the active shooter was. And it covered a couple of different floors, this is a rather large building. The deputies and those assisting agencies from the Pensacola Police Department, FHP, FTLE and all that you see around here, all worked in conjunction to neutralize the threat, and that's why there was not more loss of life.
[Unidentified Female:] What is your name, sir?
[Simmons:] Chip Simmons, CHIP, S-I-M-M-O-N-S. I'm the chief deputy from the Sheriff's Office.
[Unidentified Male:] How long was the engagement, the total time?
[Simmons:] Again, I don't have the exact numbers, but I can tell you that it did cover two floors from that one building. As Sheriff mentioned, when you get into a scene like that, it is a bit like a movie because you have spent shell casings all over, but the first thing you want to do is make sure that the threat is no longer a threat. You neutralize that threat, and then secondarily what you want to do is, you present aid to the injured. And that's why what we have is, we have eight individuals that were transported to a local hospital. One of those later succumbed to the injuries, and then we have three others that remain at the building and that is part of the active crime scene.
[Unidentified Female:] Is this being regarded as an act of terrorism?
[Kinsella:] I don't even want to speculate on that at this time. I appreciate the question, but it's nothing we want to speculate right now. It's we're taking care of what we need to take care of, and
[Morgan:] I'll speak for law enforcement too. At this time, as the captain said, it's inappropriate to discuss that issue. And again, that would be more appropriately coming from our federal agencies. And when they're prepared to give you an update on the on the conduct of the investigation and those sorts of questions, they'll release that information.
[Unidentified Female:] Sheriff, can we get a little clarification on the numbers here? You said there were a total of eight people affected by this?
[Morgan:] Yes, that is correct.
[Unidentified Female:] How many victims are deceased?
[Morgan:] We have four deceased Chief? Yes.
[Unidentified Female:] Including the shooter?
[Morgan:] Yes.
[Simmons:] That is correct. There are four people right now, deceased. One is the shooter. And there are eight people currently at Baptist Hospital. One of them have deceased, and then there are three three remain at the crime scene.
[Morgan:] So you have
[Simmons:] So it was a total of 11 people, four of which have deceased. One of those four is the is the active shooter.
[Unidentified Female:] And two deputies are included in the wounded?
[Simmons:] That's correct.
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you.
[Simmons:] Go ahead, sir.
[Unidentifed Male:] Now how about NAS Pensacola, the security exercises throughout the year? I understand they may be they train for these exact types of situations?
[Kinsella:] Yes, you bet. We and we work with our local law enforcement partners to do that. We train on this regularly. Active shooter is something that's very in the front of our minds for our security department when they train. So yes, yes we do. We train pretty regularly for it.
[Morgan:] We we have an MOA with NAS Pensacola, of course, where we do joint training. And also part of that MOA is that we are a response unit to assist NAS. And of course, that's what was put in place this morning.
[Kinsella:] It was our security forces, they were the first responders there. And then the sheriff's department came and backed us up.
[Unidentified Female:] Can you tell us what kind of weapon the shooter was using?
[Kinsella:] I cannot, no.
[Unidentified Male:] Can you tell us about the you said it's a classroom, I believe? What building?
[Kinsella:] Well, this is a it's a training base, so almost all of our buildings are classroom buildings. So it would be hard for something like this to happen and not be in that type of environment. But I don't want to say which building it was, due to the sensitivity, still, of releasing information.
[Morgan:] And if I could, I'll expand on what the the reason why folks were reluctant to give some specifics, notification have not been completed. So if I or the captain speak any more specific and you're a mother or father that has a son or a daughter that's in the Navy and they're assigned to the Navy base and they're assigned to this particular training area, families know that. And so now you're going to create, again, panic within these families. And that notification needs to be measured, it needs to come from us or the appropriate agency, I should say at that time. So we're not trying to be evasive. There's a point to that. It's for our families.
[Kinsella:] Yes. Thanks for that, Sheriff. And, sir, you had a
[Unidentified Male:] Was the shooting confined to that building or classroom?
[Morgan:] That is correct.
[Unidentified Female:] Do you foresee this changing security protocol, going forward?
[Kinsella:] I will say security is an ever-changing, ever-evolving. And while we look at lessons learned from this and if necessary we will, we're not an organization in stasis. We learn from events like this to ensure that we do it better. But I will say that I'm very, very proud of the response that my security department had, and I'm very proud of the sheriff's department, what they did. So it's I think it could have been a lot worse if we didn't if we don't train the way we do, to try and minimize casualties in events like this.
[Unidentified Female:] And I know you're not able to say that much about the shooter, but did he have business being on the base? Was he supposed to be there?
[Kinsella:] Yes, I don't even want to I don't want to say. I'm sorry.
[Unidentified Male:] How heavily armed was he? What was he armed with?
[Kinsella:] I leave that to
[Morgan:] We're not again, we're not going to answer any of those specific questions. A press conference should be planned later on this afternoon. And I will also tell you, it's part of our protocol, stepping outside the Navy side of it. We have a governor and elected officials that we need to also brief to ensure that they're aware of what occurred at NAS Pensacola, so there's again, there's a lot of moving parts in this machine, that you will get the information. It's just you won't get all that information right now.
[Unidentified Male:] Captain, how and speaking to the governor and maybe even other federal officials up to president, have you heard from any of them?
[Kinsella:] I sure have. I've heard from multiple officials who have called to both the governmental, state and local, to offer their support in any way they can. It's been very comforting to have all levels of government reaching out to us to offer both comfort and support.
[Unidentified Male:] What kind of support's going to be given to the victims and their families?
[Kinsella:] We have procedures in place. We have things that we do to ensure that it is and again, I don't want to get too far into that. But we have procedures in place. We we are the military. We go through this, unfortunately, more often than we'd like for combat casualties or whatever it may be. So our casualty assistance officers will be following the necessary protocols to ensure that we take care of those people within our Navy family and beyond.
[Morgan:] Look, the mayor can update that question too.
[Robinson:] I do wish to say that the Governor's Office and the White House have contacted us, the city of Pensacola. I know they've contacted Escambia County as well, and said any assets that they have would be available to us. At this particular time, I think that we are we told them we're all assessing, we're supporting and we will we will inform them as soon as we know what those requests would be. But they haven't been in touch with us. And I know I talked with Commissioner Bender, he said they've also been in touch with Escambia County as well.
[Morgan:] Yes, I've received two calls from Senator Scott's office this morning. So I you know, trust me, the you know, the relationship runs deep here. And I would this is one of those times, anything we need, we're going to get. So.
[Unidentified Male:] For families who are split up right now there was a mother who had a three-month-old who's on the base, who was trying to get what information do you have for when people will be allowed back on-base?
[Morgan:] Again, the base is secure, the number of people that have been injured, transported, have been reported to the community now, not names specifically. But I would assure everyone that if you had a family member that's directly involved with this, that is local, you're going to be notified very quickly. And again, I want that's why we want to allay most of those fears. Those, again, who have suffered, you know, the deceased, if you will, and the victims, that will take a little bit longer. But I'd let Captain Kinsella speak specifically to
[Kinsella:] Thanks for asking that question. As I mentioned, the base is excuse me the base is shut down for until further notice. Sorry. The personnel that are on-base now, we're working at getting them off- base in an orderly manner. They are going to stay in place or remain in place until we can get them off the base in an orderly and safe manner, and we will be notifying those people building by building, using the appropriate chain of command to ensure that we have an orderly evacuation of the base so that those personnel that we need to get off, need to get home to their loved ones.
[Unidentified Male:] Sheriff, your two deputies who were hurt, were they shot?
[Morgan:] That is correct.
[Unidentified Male:] OK. By the active shooter?
[Morgan:] We're not prepared to release that information at this time. Shots were exchanged.
[Unidentified Female:] About how long will the museum on base be closed?
[Kinsella:] Until further notice. Yes, I can't say. OK? I think that'll wrap it up, anything else?
[Simmons:] I think that I think in relation to a question you asked about the deputies being shot. As horrendous as this event has been, and as much as our thoughts and prayers goes out to those victims, I think that it's also important to note the heroism that took place this morning, and that was from the Navy police, the DOD police, the Escambia County sheriff's deputies, again, two of which got shot doing this response. But also our partners with the Florida Highway Patrol, the Pensacola Police Department, obviously our state and federal partners. So again, I don't want to lose sight of the fact that they got here in short order, they neutralized the threat. And again, as I mentioned before, so that there's no further loss of life. So let's just keep that in the back of our mind, as well as the thoughts that to those that are injured, and certainly to the family of those who lost their lives this morning.
[Unidentified Male:] There was also a mother back there who has a three-month-old still on the base that she was trying to get to.
[Morgan:] Yes, he just asked that question.
[Unidentified Male:] She had a three-month-old she was trying to get to.
[Kinsella:] We'll I can talk to you after this and we will take care of that. Yes.
[Morgan:] Any other questions? All right. Thank you all very much.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor, At This Hour:] All right. Hello, everyone, I'm Kate Bolduan. Thank you so much for joining me. We've just been watching this press conference that's been playing out in Pensacola, Florida. And we are following the breaking news out of Florida, where the U.S. Navy is dealing with a second on-base shooting in three days, including one just this morning at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. Three people killed, several others were injured. The shooter is dead as well, according to, as we just learned

[Kinkade:] You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade, welcome back. Well, Venice has endured another day of exceptionally high tides just days after devastating flooding inundated the Italian city. This was the scene in St. Mark's Square again today. Officials closing the iconic plaza ahead of a high tide of 150 centimeters. That is lower than Tuesday's historic flooding, which was 187 centimeters. The worst the city has seen in 50 years. Well, the damage bill is estimated to be more than $1 billion. CNN's Scott McLean joins us now live from Venice. And it's just incredible seeing those pictures there behind you Scott, another high tide. Just take us through what people are saying there about this.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn National Correspondent:] Hey, Lynda, yes, it is been a pretty tough week for Venice. As you said, there was another exceptionally high tide today and this is all the while Venetians are still cleaning up from the last two.
[Mclean:] High tide on Saturday was actually welcome relief for Venetian struggling with the worst flooding in half a century. It filled historic St. Mark's Square but was not enough to do more damage than already done. This cafe opened for the first time since Tuesday's high watermark, sent more than a foot of water inside. Enough to break the dishwasher in the fridge. This waiter told us. We are Venetians. We roll up our sleeves and start working again. Venice is our lady, we will protect her. Meanwhile, at St. Mark's Basilica, the water at the door didn't knock before entering. But it still got their attention.
[Pierpaolo Campostrini, Board Member, St. Mark's Basilica:] We have we have a more than this level of water.
[Mclean:] It's not uncommon for water to enter the outer atrium, even a special drainage system to handle it. But Pierpaolo Campostrini, says it was just the second time there's been significant flooding in the main chamber. 10 centimeters there and another meter in the crypt. The water came and went quickly, but the salt in the water stays in the 900 old walls much longer. Eating away at the marble and a brick near the floor and even on the mosaic ceiling. And that's the damage.
[Campostrini:] And that's the damage there.
[Mclean:] The basilica has survived the centuries of threats but nothing like the one it faces today. It's harder to defend the basilica from the risk of climate change than it is from invading armies.
[Campostrini:] Exactly, and we went to the moon and we should be able also to defend this basilica from the climate changes, and we will.
[Mclean:] Just down the canal, you can still hear the sound of music at one of the most important conservatories in Italy. But the orchestra is being conducted by students and volunteers working to dry out some 50 meters worth of bookshelves that ended up partially submerged. But why were they ever on the ground floor? This could have been easily prevented.
[Campostrini:] And it is the first question. But the father this floor of the of the first floor was not strong enough to keep the weight. So, that's why we had to move them downstairs.
[Mclean:] The most valuable books and manuscripts are being packed up, sent away to be frozen to stop the fragile historic pages from deteriorating. They'll only be thought out when the conservatory has the money to restore them not anytime soon. Back at St. Mark, they're preparing for their first mass in almost a week. Praying the worst has come and gone as they wait for what's forecast to be another exceptionally high tide on Sunday. So, there is still water here in St. Mark's Square, though it should recede over the next couple of hours. There are some high tides expected this week, though they'll be enough to flood this Square, they won't be enough to cause any more damage than has already been done. Now, all of this flooding is quite frustrating for Venetians. You don't have to look hard to find one who will tell you that all of this seems preventable. That's because Italian authorities have been working on a barrier project a hydraulic barrier project that prevent those exceptionally high tides from flooding the city. It's been going on for 15 years now, the problem is it's been plagued by mismanagement and delays and corruption. The current mayor told me yesterday that he understands the frustration of the city. But says this project which is called MOSE is still the city's best hope for the future, Lynda.
[Kinkade:] All right. Scott McLean, good to have you there for us in the flooded city of Venice. We will speak to you again next hour. Thank you. Well, I want to get the latest forecast from meteorologist Allison Chinchar, who joins us now live. Good to see you, Allison. Just explain what people can expect there in the coming days.
[Allison Chinchar, Cnn Meteorologist:] Yes. So, good to see you too. Yes, the good news is the worst of it really has kind of crested at this point. We really should start to see things begin to decrease over the next 24 hours as that storm system finally begins to push itself away from this region. The problem is, there's another system on the heels of that and the question really becomes where do these levels go? Because when you look back at the last week, look at some of these numbers. There is 187 centimeters, that's from last Tuesday when we really hit the peak of this particular event. But you've also had three other where you can see the red color there. That's what we're talking about another very high level. Now, the good news is going forward. We're talking most of these to be between about 95 to 110 centimeters. But keep in mind that still puts them at that very high tide level. Level four out of five. So, again we need to start seeing these numbers coming back down. But Lynda, it may still take several more days before we can finally see those numbers coming back down to where they need to be.
[Kinkade:] Excellent. And Allison, I just want to move on to Australia now. Because, obviously, we continue to see those bushfires right across the East Coast. We there was that major fire in Bundaberg in the state of Queensland. And, of course, furthest south we've been watching that unprecedented number of fires tear across New South Wales. What can you tell us about the conditions that firefighters will be facing?
[Chinchar:] All right. So, the good news is, they really have been able to make big strides in the containment numbers in the past few days. The real big goal is getting them fully contained. The question is can they do that before conditions start to deteriorate in the coming days. For Queensland, we have about 75 wildfires out there right now. In New South Wales, we're looking at about 54 of those bush fires. The concern is going forward. Today and into Monday, the winds are starting to increase but not too high. The real big concern becomes Tuesday, Wednesday, and especially Thursday of this upcoming week. Look at some of these numbers. 50, 60, even 80 kilometers per hour. That's when the real danger really starts to tick in. So, the question becomes can they get those fires fully contained before we start to see those winds increase by the end of the upcoming week? However, in the short term, the big concern is going to be the temperatures. For Sydney and Canberra, again, we're talking about high temperatures, Lynda. 28 in Sydney. The peak will be about 37 on Tuesday. So, they've got very hot conditions and also dry conditions even before the winds begin to increase at the end of the week.
[Kinkade:] 37 that is a hot one. And not even summer yet. Allison Chinchar, good to have you with us. Thanks so much.
[Chinchar:] Thanks.
[Kinkade:] Well, a quick updates on one of our top stories in Hong Kong. Several pro-democracy lawmakers have arrived at the Polytechnic University to mediate between protesters and police. A tense standoff and skirmishes have been going on there for hours. Demonstrators have been hurling bricks and petrol bombs. Police have been responding to tear gas and water cannons. The Polytechnic University officials accuse protesters of stealing dangerous chemicals from labs and damaging the school. Hong Kong police have also fired tear gas, as I mentioned, at protesters at another location in the city as well. Well, the police have been widely criticized for how they've handled the anti-government protests. But firefighters have been applauded for their response. CNN's Will Ripley explains a growing number of firefighters admit that they actually support the protest movement.
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] A Hong Kong firefighter points to his swollen face. Riot police accidentally hit his fire engine with tear gas earlier this month. Tempers flare on both sides. Police pushed the firefighter into a corner before chasing and pepper-spraying a journalist. Police and fire services rushed to issue a joint statement within hours, calling it a misunderstanding. These men say it's more than that.
[Unidentified Male:] The power of police is like unlimited. They can do whatever they like.
[Ripley:] Two Hong Kong firefighters and one paramedic, all not authorized to speak to CNN. They'll only talk if we hide their identities. Can I ask, have any of the three of you ever participated in the protests - you know, covering your own faces?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Ripley:] Do you think you would be fired for if that ever came out?
[Unidentified Male:] Of course we will get fired.
[Ripley:] They say, many of their colleagues have also joined the protests, ignoring warnings like this.
[Matthew Cheung, Chief Secretary, Hong Kong:] You can't stand against the government, showing a negative image to the public.
[Ripley:] Videos like these show what some consider government-sanctioned police brutality. Skeptics argue they generally lack context about what happened before.
[Unidentified Male:] Police is using excessive violence when they are arresting those young people.
[Ripley:] Can you describe, like, what kind of excessive violence you've personally witnessed?
[Unidentified Male:] When someone is under arrest, and they didn't fight back, they are just lie on the ground, and the police were still beating them. And now it's like a common practice.
[Ripley:] Like every week?
[Unidentified Male:] Oh, it's Like every protest.
[Ripley:] This woman, pepper-sprayed and pushed to the ground. This office worker's head injury said to be from a tear gas canister. A protester shot in the torso with live ammunition. All in the span of two days. Amnesty International accuses Hong Kong police of being out of control.
[Kong Wing-cheung, Senior Superintendent, Hong Kong Police:] I do not agree that our officers is out of control in our use of force. But, of course, we're under great pressure.
[Ripley:] Pressure including violent attacks targeting officers. Hong Kong police sent us this video frontline protesters beating an off-duty cop. The firefighters watching said they tried to help, but were outnumbered. Bricks and petrol bombs are the weapons of choice against police. Others include an improvised explosive device, metal poles, and flaming arrows. This government supporter was even doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire.
[Carrie Lam, Chief Executive Of Hong Kong:] These rioters' act have gone overboard with their demands. And these acts are the enemies of the people.
[Ripley:] Would you dispute the fact that the protesters are also putting lives in danger through their behavior?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, you're right. Some small group of protesters are putting things in danger. That's undeniable. But for me, I understand what they are doing.
[Ripley:] So, are you saying that you if you had to pick a side, would you side with the protesters over the police as a firefighter?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, I will side with the protesters.
[Ripley:] Why?
[Unidentified Male:] They are desperate.
[Ripley:] They all say the biggest challenge facing Hong Kong right now is not violence, its lack of trust.
[Unidentified Male:] No one is trusting each other that's why we are hiding our face. People don't trust the government, we don't trust the police, and there's no way back.
[Ripley:] And no way forward for the 70-year-old man hit with a brick and 22-year-old student who fell from a parking garage. Two protest-related deaths in just one week. Will Ripley, CNN.
[Kinkade:] And just moments ago, I want to take you back to Polytechnic University there. You can obviously see water cannons have being deployed against the protesters. Obviously, quite a few spot fires there. Now, that standoff which it's just almost midnight there in Hong Kong. This has been going on for hours tonight as police clash where the protesters there. We're going to keep you updated on this story over the coming hours. So, don't go anywhere. For now, though, we're going to take a quick break. Still to come.
[Emily Maitlis, News Presenter, Bbc:] Are you saying you don't believe her? She's lying.
[Prince Andrew, Duke Of York:] That's a very difficult thing to answer. Britain's Prince Andrew going public to tackle allegations against him, and questions about his friendship with a convicted sex offender.

[Vanier:] A reminder of the breaking news that we're following. We are waiting for actor Jussie Smollett to speak after prosecutors have dropped all charges against him. Now you'll remember he was accused of staging a hate crime and then filing a false police report after he claimed that he was the victim of an attack back in January. In a statement just a short time ago, his attorneys said Smollett was the victim of an inappropriate rush to judgment and that he's relieved to have the situation behind him. We are waiting for Smollett himself to make remarks. We'll bring you those as soon as he begins speaking. The ride hailing app Uber is buying its biggest rival in the Middle East. Uber is shelling out more than $3 billion to acquire Careem. A Dubai based company with millions of users in the region. Uber is gearing up for an initial public offering expected later this year. Buying out Careem would give Uber dominance in the Middle East and help the American business expand overseas. John Defterios joins us from London. He's been following this. John, the biggest tech deal in Middle East history. Is this a total validation for what Dubai has been doing over years if not decades now?
[John Defterios, Cnnmoney Emerging Markets Editor:] Well I think that's in the affirmative, Cyril. This is the first tech unicorn to get bought out. That means a valuation of over $1.0 billion. And just over two years' time we've seen two major tech acquisitions. This being Uber for Careem. It's a premium price at $3.1 billion and five times the size of the major takeout by Amazon of Souq.com. Which is an online digital retailer for just under $600 million. So kudos for Dubai that these two major tech deals as the financial center of the region and expanded to become the technology center. And the ruler of Dubai singled this out in his Twitter and Instagram feeds today, suggesting people laughed back in 1999 when they decided to launch Dubai Internet City. But nobody is laughing anymore and that these two tech companies flourished in the desert of Dubai with a little bit of sarcasm from him. He put the deals there in dirhams but they are sizable. One of the thing that stood out for me, Uber is making the acquisition of Careem but will remain a wholly owned subsidiary and have its own CEO one of the cofounders of the group. Number two, as I suggested before, didn't go out cheaply at over $3 billion. This company was evaluated at $2 billion just six months ago. So Uber looking to expand. Get its own $120 billion valuation with a mixed track record in emerging markets having pulled out of China and Russia and Southeast Asia decided the Middle East, North Africa and stretching to South Asia and Pakistan was very important for its IPO later in 2019.
[Vanier:] Yes, I suppose their motto is, if you can't them or if you can't totally beat them, buy them.
[Defterios:] Yes.
[Vanier:] Look, there's one thing worth noting about Careem, it's interesting they taut their local advantage. Right. They know the ground, they know the region in the Middle East. But it's actually run by foreigners.
[Defterios:] Yes, run by foreigners but this is an interesting point that you raise, Cyril, because in the Dubai vernacular and I've talked to all the people that are running this division, including the minister of artificial intelligence. They have a minister of the future. They don't care where the person is from. They want it developed in Dubai. So they want the global citizen. This is an unusual combination. We have a photo here of the cofounders. In the center is one from Karachi, Pakistan and other is from the Nordic region educated in Sweden. And the third was born in Saudi Arabia but actually raised in Germany. The one at the center, Mudassir Sheikha, is going to be remaining as the CEO going forward. That's Mudassir Sheikha and Magnus Olsson, lives in Abu Dhabi and commutes to Dubai, will remain very involved in the company going forward. So indeed you are correct, neither one of them from Dubai or Abu Dhabi originally. But wanted to set up a base there and use it as a reason to expand through the broader region. This is a company that has exposure from Morocco all the way to Saudi Arabia. And it's also important for Uber to have one that has this local knowledge, can feel their way through what is a complex region. And these two consultants, formerly of Mackenzie, made it work with Careem and now selling out for $3 billion not bad after seven years in business I'd say Cyril.
[Vanier:] Not bad at all. John Defterios, live from London, thank you very much, John. And a first ever all female spacewalk at the International Space Station has been delayed because there aren't enough space suits onboard that fit them. Anne McClain and Christina Koch were supposed to go out on Friday to continue stalling the lithium ion batteries for on pair of the station's solar arrays. But because there is only one medium sized space on board, Nick Hague will accompany Koch to complete the work. All right, thanks for being with us today. I'm Cyril Vanier. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. See you tomorrow.
[Richard Quest, Cnn:] It's 4:00 in London. Now, let me bring you up to date with events that we're expecting to happen. END

[Berman:] We are learning more about the murder of a 21-year- old college student who got into a car she thought was an Uber. A New Jersey town will hold a candlelight vigil tonight to remember Samantha Josephson. CNN's Dianne Gallagher is live in Columbia, South Carolina, where this murder happened with the very latest. Dianne.
[Dianne Gallagher, Cnn Correspondent:] And, John, late yesterday evening we received some more information on how Samantha died. According to a summary of the autopsy report, she was killed with trauma due to sharp objects. Now, they have not gone into any details on exactly what weapon may have been used to kill her. But we'd learned earlier that she had wounds all over her face, her head, her neck, upper body, down to her feet. And if you remember, inside that car that you she her getting into in the surveillance video on early Friday morning, they found Samantha's blood in the trunk and in the passenger compartment area, along with cleaning supplies and her cell phone. Now, here in Columbia, they're still kind of trying to gather their grief while staying vigilant about ridesharing apps. In her hometown in Romeoville, New Jersey, they're going to hold a vigil tonight and then her family will lay her to rest tomorrow. Again, just 21-years- old. She should have been graduating from the University of South Carolina in about a month and a half and then going on to Drexel University Law School. Her father has said he wants to make rideshare safety his life's mission. And here in South Carolina, they want to work on that. Not only responsibility of the rider, but they want to focus on the companies themselves. And so today they're going to introduce two different lawmakers the Samantha Josephson Rideshare Safety Act. And the goal of that is to make sure that rideshares are visibly marked. And so they want to make sure there's an illuminated that it is required by law, illuminated signage on rideshares letting you know this is, in fact, an Uber or a Lyft or whatever app it is that you are using, instead of the optional way to use those in this manner right now. And so, John, Alisyn they're working to make sure, again, that other students don't potentially make the same mistake that so many of us commonly did. But unfortunately, for Samantha, it cost her, her life.
[Camerota:] Dianne, it is really remarkable how quickly her father has been able to, in his grief, shift the focus to helping other people. Thank you very much for all of the reporting. So Samantha Josephson's murder is raising questions about what you and all of us can do to stay safe when we're getting into cars with strangers, as so many of us do nowadays. So joining us with some life-saving tips is Robert Siciliano, he is the security awareness expert and CEO of safer.me. Great to have you here, Robert. Thank you so much. You have a list of things that we can do. And I just want to start with how frightening a story this is for so many of us because we are now using we're getting into cars with strangers all the time. Something that we didn't do, obviously, decades ago. And so I have learned through this horrible tragedy that I have to always check the license plate now of the Uber that I'm getting into, OK? Now, in South Carolina, they don't have a front license plate, so that's a tough one. You'll have to walk around to the back of the car. I also find it too small, frankly, on the Uber app sometimes to see. But, OK. What else do you recommend beyond checking the license plate?
[Robert Siciliano, Security Awareness Expert:] Well, so there's a number of things to do. But it's really important to understand right here and now that this is not a rideshare issue. This is this is not a rideshare problem. This is a predator problem. I don't think that Americans realize there are 859,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. 859,000. That's an average of 17,000, 18,000 per state, an average of 40 to 50 per town. These are living, breathing predators that live amongst us. There was an actual Uber driver in Boston that raped somebody just last week. So whether it's a rideshare or a non-rideshare, it's a predator problem. And people need to understand what their options are regarding self-defense and how to physically debilitate a bad guy in the unlikely event because it's unlikely
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Siciliano:] But when and if and when it does happen, you got to know how to defend yourself.
[Camerota:] Well, that's a really good point. Again, as I said, I mean, we are just getting into cars, whether it's taxis, Ubers, whatever, with strangers more than we used to. And so you recommend, beyond doing all of your due diligence, when you get into the car and checking the drivers name and checking the license plate, you recommend carrying a device.
[Siciliano:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Can you show us what that is?
[Siciliano:] Well, you have options. You know, first of all, your brain is your best defense weapon. Knowing how to physically defend yourself is first. Second, if you're going to carry a device, pepper sprays can be pretty good, but you take you should take definite training on that. And this right here is called a tactical pen. It's made of an aluminum alloy. It's designed so you can grip it and it can break glass also. Right there, that's a bad guy, OK? Right here, that's what you do to the bad guy. That's how you impale them. This goes right into their brain and it debilitates them to the point of no return. That's how you defend yourself. That's how you take down a bad guy. Otherwise, you end up as a victim. Prayers thoughts and prayers, candlelight vigils don't solve problems like this. The only thing that solves the problem is changing the fraternity culture. We live in a society where it's OK where a president says it's OK to grab a woman by her genitals. That is a problem.
[Camerota:] Yes. Look, I mean
[Siciliano:] This is how you solve that.
[Camerota:] OK. I I would like to believe that in a life and death situation I could puncture somebody's skull with that pen that I would carry, but I think it would help if I had some training. And so what are you recommending that everybody do?
[Siciliano:] So there are a number of self-defense classes out there that you can take that teach you how to impale somebody. Teach you how to break bones. Teach you how to take care of yourself. And when you understand life-saving techniques like that, every other decision in life is relatively simple. It gives you an enormous amount of life- saving perspective. You can protect yourself and you can protect others. We live in a Me Too culture where violence has become normal. Almost 900,000 sex offenders. It needs to change right here and now from the top down.
[Camerota:] I'm doing it. I'm going to call for a self-defense course. Honestly, I've been thinking about it for months. And so this is just a good way to light a fire. You also say use the buddy system. So what does that mean, that after some point at night we shouldn't get into a car alone?
[Siciliano:] Look, soldiers in the battlefield, they don't leave men behind. They don't leave women behind. Never ever separate. Look at, in the day that my daughters go out into the world and they're out there with their friends and they're at the bars, the rule is, you do not leave anyone behind ever. You always stick together. There's always strength in numbers.
[Camerota:] Last, we're out of time, but you also say security theater. And I just want to very quickly explain to people what that is. When you get into a car alone, pretend you're on a phone call, even if you're not.
[Siciliano:] Yes.
[Camerota:] So, in other words, just quickly, tell us how you simulate that.
[Siciliano:] Get on the phone and say, listen, I'm with an Uber driver, I'm in with a Lyft driver. Listen, we're going down main street. He's taking a left. I don't know where he's going. Listen, I just went by the McDonald's on main street. Something's wrong here. Maybe you maybe you should call for help for me or hit an app on your mobile phone that has GPS in it that can tell all your friends and family of your location so they can send law enforcement your way.
[Camerota:] Robert Siciliano, thank you very much for trying to get all of our attention this morning with your safety tips.
[Siciliano:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] John.
[Berman:] He got it.
[Camerota:] Absolutely.
[Berman:] He got my attention, that's for sure.
[Camerota:] Absolutely.
[Berman:] All right, we're not even four months into the year and already the number of measles cases has topped all of last year and it's approaching record modern levels. Why? Why the surge? Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us next.

[Church:] Coronavirus cases are surging across Europe, and some countries are now looking to curfews to help curb the spread. France has just surpassed 1 million total COVID-19 cases according to Johns Hopkins University. It is the 7th country to pass that mark. Ireland has just imposed Europe's toughest lock down and is set to remain there for at least six weeks. People are encouraged to stay home unless they're essential workers and they can't have gatherings in homes and gardens. But schools will stay open. In Germany, the country's Center for Disease Control is reporting a record high number of daily cases. That number just shy of 11,300. In Italy, a new curfew is set to begin at midnight on Saturday in the region surrounding the city of Rome. And for more on the situation across Europe, let's turn now to Scott McLean. He joins us live from Berlin. Good to see you, Scott. So, each European country struggling to come up with its own approach to containing this virus. What's the latest on that?
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey, Rosemary. So, we'll start in Germany where the health minister just tested positive for the virus, the same day that this country recorded a new record in daily confirmed cases, smashing the old record by more than 40 percent. You mentioned France hitting that 1 million confirmed cases mark. Spain also hit that mark yesterday as well. And I want to show you a chart that shows you the situation in Europe. You can see that Europe has surpassed the United States in new daily confirmed cases per million people, and you can see that trajectory really shows no signs of slowing down. But it gets even worse than that, once you add on Belgium, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, all of which are dwarfing the U.S. and Europe. Belgium and the Czech Republic are reporting five times more new cases per capita than the United States. The Czech Republic, in fact, has more new cases per capita than any other major country on earth. And here's why the situation in the Czech Republic is particularly scary. Most countries saw a high death toll early on in this pandemic in the first wave and their second wave, well, they may be seeing a lot of cases, not a lot of deaths. That's not true in the Czech Republic where deaths have really started to skyrocket, and hospitalizations are following as well. The government is setting up a field hospital in Prague. They expected to have about 500 beds in it. They're also bringing in doctors from the U.S. National Guard. The Czech Prime Minister was really praised for his handling of the situation in the first wave, but he's taken a lot of criticism as of late. Earlier this week one of his own cabinet ministers called him a moron on a hot mic. She was caught on a hot mic. He hasn't responded because he has much bigger fish to fry. After an emergency session of Parliament yesterday he conceded that the current measures in place simply were not working and he apologized for not acting sooner. So, starting today, the Czech Republic will go back into something that you might describe as a lock down. There will be only essential businesses that will be allowed to open, and there will be severe restrictions on movement as well. And Rosemary, I want to share with you one other pretty remarkable statistic. If you went to the Czech Republic today, one in every 85 people there would officially be infected with the virus right now. The official number or the true number, I should say, is likely much, much higher because more than one out of every four people being tested for the virus is actually turning up positive.
[Church:] That is very high. Scott McLean joining us live from Berlin. Many thanks. Well, in a break with the past, Pope Francis has declared support for civil unions of same sex couples, but the church's position on marriage between a man and a woman is unchanged. CNN's Delia Gallagher is joining us from Rome. She joins us now live. Good to see you, Delia. So, the Pope's now supporting same sex unions, but this will of course anger some Catholics. What are they saying?
[Delia Gallagher, Cnn Vatican Correspondent:] Well, that's right, Rosemary, because the Pope's comments about legalizing same sex unions are a departure from the teaching of his predecessors, John Paul II and Pope Benedict the XVI who were against the legalization of same sex unions. Now the Pope's comments came during a film documentary which was premiered yesterday in Rome. Let's take a look at what he said during that film, according to the Catholic news agency. The Pope said homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They're children of God and have a right to a family. All What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. And we should say, Rosemary, that in interviews in the past, the Pope has shown himself to be open to the legalization of the same sex unions. But this is the first time as Pope that he has directly come out in support of it. When he was Archbishop in Buenos Aires, for example, b he argued for same-sex unions to be legalized instead of same-sex marriage. So, the Pope in the past has made a distinction between marriage as between a man and a woman, but legal protection for gay and lesbian couples. Of course, this has been met with both praise but also, some criticism inside Catholic circles because of the change that this represents, Rosemary, in the past teachings. We should emphasize that these are comments from a film. So, we don't yet have any official document from the Pope or the Vatican. We'll see if that's coming Rosemary. All right, we shall indeed. Delia Gallagher joining us live from Rome. Many thanks. Well, in a time when the truth is under assault and facts are questioned, we want to mark the passing of one of truth's greatest champions. James Randi, the dazzling magician who became one of the great myth busters of our time has died. The Amazing Randi was 92 years old. In a career that spanned seven decades, Randi began as an escape artist and trickster, but soon turned to debunking the paranormal, religious deception and so-called magic. In 2004, he conjured this observation about ghosts in a conversation with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Anchor:] You're open to the possibility of there being ghosts, yes?
[James Randi, Magician And Myth Buster:] Well, absolutely, yes. I'm also open to the possibility that major Richard Nixon is alive and well and living in Argentina. I don't think it's very likely, nor do I think that ghosts are very likely.
[Church:] The Canadian born Randi was awarded a MacArthur genius grant for his investigative work, but he always enjoyed performing magic too. He once told "The New York Times" the difference between them and me is I admit I'm a charlatan. And we'll be right back.

[Bolduan:] Do you recall this wild moment that happened between Secretary Treasury Steve Mnuchin and the Democratic chair of the House Financial Services Committee not long ago? Watch.
[Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary:] If you wish to keep me here so that I don't have my important meeting and continue to grill me, then we can do that. I will cancel my meeting and I will not be back here. I will be very clear, if that's the way you want to have this relationship.
[Bolduan:] That was the threat. But today, the Treasury secretary is back on Capitol Hill, back before that very same committee. Again, facing questions about the president's tax returns and new pushback to his reasoning for not handing them over to Congress. According to the "Washington Post," there was a confidential legal memo written by someone at the IRS that said Trump's tax returns should be handed over to Congress. The 10-page memo stating that, "The law does not allow the secretary to exercise discretion in disclosing the information provided the statutory conditions are met." The secretary was asked about this just a little bit ago.
[Unidentified Congresswoman:] Did somebody make you aware that the memo states that the law does not require that the Ways and Means finance chair or the JCT staff include a reason or purpose for the request?
[Mnuchin:] Again, I haven't again, let me just say the legal advice that we've relied upon and, again, I understand there's three branches of government, and when it comes to constitutional issues, there can be different interpretations. And that's why there's a third branch of government to interpret
[Unidentified Congresswoman:] I'm sorry. Reclaiming my time. You are aware you are at least aware that the conclusion of that memo directly contradicts the conclusion that you're relying upon?
[Mnuchin:] No, I actually don't believe that's the case.
[Bolduan:] He also said that he hadn't even seen the memo until it came out from the "Washington Post." What does this memo now do to Mnuchin's defense that he's not legally obligated to hand anything over? Joining me right now is one of the reporters who broke this story, White House reporter for the "Washington Post," Josh Dawsey. He's also a CNN political analyst. Great to see you, Josh.
[Josh Dawsey, Cnn Political Analyst:] Hey. Thanks for having me.
[Bolduan:] Really great reporting coming out that you this morning. This memo, it does contradict that Mnuchin has said was the reason he doesn't have to turn anything over. He says that he hadn't seen it, this memo, until your report. How far did this memo go?
[Dawsey:] So Steven Mnuchin has said repeatedly he's not giving the documents over because there's no legitimate legislative purpose. What the memo says it came from the chief counsel's office in the IRS, was written late 2018 after it concluded Democrats were going to take the House and seek tax returns. It said the committees do not have to have a legitimate legislative purpose. What the memo says is that they can only not give the tax returns over by citing executive privilege and then it would be unclear if that would actually work or not. But what the memo says is, after studying the law, the IRS attorney decided that the only way to do it was citing executive privilege.
[Bolduan:] You write that this memo was a draft. Do you have a sense of why it was written in the first place and how widely this was debated I guess?
[Dawsey:] So it was written as the Democrats are taking over. Different agencies across the government, different departments, began looking at what potential oversight there would be, what requests they were likely to get, what demands they would probably get for documents, for interviews, who might be subpoenaed. In the IRS chief counsel's office, they began looking at the issue of tax returns. Now, the Treasury Department says repeatedly to us and now publicly to others, that Steven Mnuchin and top leaders at Treasury never saw this memo. It's unclear if anyone at Treasury did see it. But the IRS obviously would be the agency that keeps the tax returns and that's why they drafted it.
[Bolduan:] It also at least seems clear from his testimony today that, even if he had saw it, it wasn't changing his opinion on where he stood on this at the moment. You mentioned executive privilege. The memo does discuss, it seems, one way that the administration or the president would have to be can resist such a request, executive privilege. But it was complicated. There was more to it. What did you learn more about that?
[Dawsey:] Well, executive privilege, defined broadly, is protecting discussions between the president and his top advisers, sensitive internal matters that should not be disclosed to the public. It would be hard to figure out exactly how the president's tax returns before he came into office as president and even now would be define as executive privilege. I'm not saying that they couldn't, but the memo also shows, in some ways, it's dubious that they could.
[Bolduan:] Yes. Real quick, any sense from the White House and your sources there of how they're reacting? We heard how the secretary reacted. But how they're reacting to this this morning?
[Dawsey:] The president has said repeatedly that he's not going to give his tax returns over, that he will fight this all the way to the Supreme Court. That no matter what happens he's not giving these over. So for the White House, the outcome is already predetermined. Now it's just a matter of, what does a court battle do, if this gets to court? The White House has made clear, the president's personal attorneys have made clear that they don't care what the statute says, he's not planning to turn over these returns.
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Dawsey:] And what a judge will decide is still a ways away, I think.
[Bolduan:] This, certainly, though, is an interesting wrinkle on the path to the courthouse that we'll likely see.
[Dawsey:] Right.
[Bolduan:] It's good to see you, Josh.
[Dawsey:] Good to see you, too.
[Bolduan:] Thank you. Coming up, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that Donald Trump is engaged in a coverup. What's the message that members of her caucus took from this important meeting this morning? Democratic member, who was just in that meeting with Nancy Pelosi, joins me next.

[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] The president made a great choice when he picked Bill Barr to be attorney general, and I think the president should listen to his advice.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] The attorney general is lying to the American people under oath.
[Unidentified Male:] The number of confirmed cases, confirmed fatalities continues to rise each day. If we don't understand more about how they got infected, what happened, it's very concerning. This virus, you can start to think of it like seasonal flu. The only difference is we don't understand this virus. This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Friday, February 14th. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Happy Valentine's Day.
[Camerota:] It's 8:00 in the east. The attorney general criticized President Trump. That's the headline. The White House says the president is fine with it. What is wrong with this picture? Bill Barr delivering this rare rebuke for a sitting cabinet member. Listen to what he said.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] To have public statements and tweets made about the department, about people in the department, our men and women here, about cases pending in the department, and about judges before whom we have cases, make it impossible for me to do my job.
[Camerota:] He went on to say that he is, quote, not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody.
[Berman:] One of the key questions this morning, what exactly is the attorney general speaking out against? Is it necessarily leniency for the president's friend Roger Stone? Not so sure. Is he really just taking a stand against tweeting? Joining us now, CNN political commentator Ana Navarro, CNN political commentator Joe Lockhart, he was White House press secretary under President Clinton, and CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, a man I like to call captain valentine.
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] You and many others.
[Berman:] Jeffrey, what exactly is the attorney general saying? What isn't he saying? And what's the significance of the gap in between?
[Toobin:] The tradition at the Justice Department has always been that decisions about individual cases have been left to the Justice Department and not the political leadership of the country. The presidents do not get involved in who should be charged, who shouldn't be charged, what sentences they should get. What the president has done is violate that norm most dramatically with the Roger Stone sentencing issue this week. And the attorney general said yesterday, that's an impossible situation for him, that he can't be told by his boss how to handle these individual cases. It makes his job impossible, as he said. What happens now is what's really important. Does the president back off? His press secretary said he's behaving fine, and there is no reason to back off. We'll see. But I think what the attorney general was saying is that these comments on individual cases shouldn't go on anymore.
[Camerota:] Ana, was this
[Ana Navarro, Cnn Political Commentator:] I don't know that I buy this. I've got to tell you, we have seen over and over again Bill Barr carry Trump's water. We have seen the whitewashing that he did of the Bob Mueller report, how he manipulated the timing so as to help Trump. He has helped Trump. He has covered up for Trump. He has been complicit with Trump on so many occasions. And now he comes and protests? So it's very strange to see Bill Barr speaking out. It's even more strange to see Donald Trump not speaking out against somebody that's speaking out against him.
[Camerota:] So what do you think is happening?
[Navarro:] I don't know, but it almost feels like a synchronized swimming routine going on here between the two of them. And I do think there is a very unique problem for Bill Barr now, and that he's got people resigning on the spot. And the morale at the Justice Department, you probably know better than I do, has got to be on the floor.
[Camerota:] So maybe this was just that. Maybe this was just a face- saving measure on the part of Bill Barr and a department-saving measure.
[Navarro:] I think it was a face-saving measure. I think it was, also I suspect that Trump and the White House heard from some senators who have now enabled him and legitimized him and empowered him, and just one day, two days after the acquittal of the impeachment, he begins doing that. So I think they've got to be shaking in their boots thinking, what is he going to be doing between now and the election, which is going to impact us and people like a Susan Collins?
[Berman:] First of all, I'm never going to be able to unsee Bill Barr synchronized swimming with the president.
[Navarro:] I don't think they're up for a medal.
[Berman:] It is an Olympic sport. "The New York Times" reported overnight, "The attorney general had let the president know some of what he planned to say and is remaining in his job, a person familiar with the event said. But as with other issues, Trump's view may depend on how the news media, particularly FOX News, covers Mr. Barr's comments." Joe, I follow you on Twitter, and I think it's safe to call you skeptical about all this.
[Joe Lockhart, Cnn Political Commentator:] Listen, this was political theater. We don't know exactly who wrote the script or what part people are playing, but this isn't on the level. I think when you get into these things, we should focus more on what people have done rather than what they're saying. And what they've done, I think as Jeffrey was alluding to, is Trump, of course, can back off now. He got what he wanted. He wanted Roger Stone to get a less lenient or more lenient sentencing. He got that.
[Camerota:] Not exactly. The judge may not go along with it.
[Lockhart:] Well, but the one thing he has control over, or he thinks he has control over, is what the Justice Department recommends. That's the issue at hand. And he got Bill Barr to intervene in the case. Bill Barr has no business intervening in this case. Donald Trump has even less business intervening the way he did.
[Berman:] Barr claims that he had no contact with the president beforehand. So
[Lockhart:] But Bill Barr, he's been very careful, particularly if you go back to his confirmation hearing. He's very careful about the words he uses. So when he says the president didn't talk to me, he didn't say, I had no contact with anyone or no one on my staff had talked to me. So again, Donald Trump wanted something to happen. It happened. And now we're all sort of doing this little like, oh, Donald Trump is showing restraint here. Of course, he is. He got what he wanted.
[Toobin:] And one thing Barr did not answer or even was asked, I think, in the ABC interview was, why out of all the thousands of cases in the Department of Justice did you decide to intervene in the sentencing of Roger Stone, one of the president's old associates? That, to me, is the central issue. Whether it was because of the tweet, whether it was because of a phone call, when the president's associates get special treatment, that's the problem.
[Navarro:] Everybody knows why. Because it is public knowledge that Roger Stone is close to Donald Trump. Roger Stone knows where the skeletons are buried.
[Berman:] Roger Stone lied to Congress about exactly, about conversations with the president.
[Camerota:] And was convicted by a jury of his peers. Just to be clear. This was a regular jury. These are regular people. These weren't people who are the deep state. These are people who, off the street, just like all jury process, they were chosen. They convicted him on seven counts of lying to Congress and witness tampering.
[Navarro:] And to your earlier point yesterday, the D.C. court came out with a statement saying we are not going to be influenced by any of this. This is what we do. We are an independent branch, and I think it was a very strong statement.
[Camerota:] And a juror came out. She was so upset about what she's seeing, she came out and said these prosecutors made their case. That's why we voted for commission. But that didn't stop the president from trying to nullify it or whatever he is trying to do, certainly to not have Roger Stone go to prison. But in terms of why the president is showing restraint, isn't it that he needs Bill Barr in this job? Isn't that it?
[Lockhart:] The fact of the matter is Bill Barr is doing everything the president wants. Just look at the track record here. He basically nullified the Mueller report in a very dishonest way by two weeks before, saying, he's got nothing. And then by the time we got the report and realized there was something, everyone had kind of moved on. He's done the president's bidding all along. So I don't get the president needs Bill Barr because the president is getting what he wants. Bill Barr is his advocate.
[Camerota:] I mean like he can't be mad at him and fire him like
[Berman:] Also, this move has been blessed by the highest authority in the land. By that, I mean Sean Hannity.
[Toobin:] And Mitch McConnell. That's right. Sean Hannity said that this was appropriate. By the way, the president has not spoken personally yet about Barr's comments. We have this statement, this paper statement from the press secretary. Let's see when the helicopters he has one of his helicopter press conferences, whether he admits he did anything wrong.
[Berman:] Because there is an element of this that is infantilizing the president. It's basically saying William Barr along with Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham are out there saying, you know what maybe it would be better off if the young man didn't have access to his phone for a little while. We're going to cut down on his screen privileges for some time.
[Navarro:] I hate to break it to you, but it is not Lindsey Graham or Mitch McConnell infantilizing Donald Trump. He does a pretty good job of it himself.
[Camerota:] Here's what some other Republican senators had to say about all this, which you'll notice is different than the tact that Bill Barr chose. So listen when Manu Raju caught up with them.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Should the president even be weighing in on a case involving his friend?
[Unidentified Male:] I am not somebody who is going to tell the president what to do. He's going to express things that he's thinking about.
[Raju:] What do you think? Is that a smart idea?
[Unidentified Male:] I'm not the president.
[Raju:] Do you have concerns about what happened in the Roger Stone case at all?
[Unidentified Male:] It's not the kind of thing I've been following.
[Camerota:] He's not following it.
[Lockhart:] I tweeted the other day that Manu has become a national treasure. And if you are a good press secretary on the Hill you've got someone walking 10 feet in front of you, behind you, and taking a left or right turn if you see him. These guys do not want to go on the record. It's an impossible situation for them, because if they take on the president, all of a sudden, they become a subject of his ire.
[Navarro:] I find that embarrassing. I find it mortifying. It's almost like Republicans in Congress have been reduced to four words. I'm disturbed. I'm disappointed. I'm troubled. I haven't been following it. No comment.
[Toobin:] And I support the president. The fear of becoming Jeff Flake, the fear of becoming Bob Corker, the two senators Republicans who had to retire because they had offended the president, look at the cowering behavior that you see.
[Berman:] Manu is menacing. The real issue, though, isn't whether or not the president will continue to tweet or not tweet. It's will the president continue to behave in the way he has since he was impeached? Which is, will he continue to use his power in ways that have not been used before.
[Lockhart:] And will the Justice Department under Bill Barr continue to enable him to do that? Remember, Rudy Giuliani's adventures in Ukraine have been legitimized by Bill Barr. And by setting up, by assigning a U.S. attorney to this. The stonewalling of Congress, which was an article of impeachment, the legal foundation of that was provided by Bill Barr and the Justice Department. So he's getting everything he wants. That's why there's no problem here.
[Toobin:] That, and I think you are so right about the actual acts are so much more important. There is this ridiculous John Durham investigation going on now where they are trying to essentially prosecute John Brennan, the former CIA director, because the president doesn't like him because of his conclusions about Russia's involvement in the 2016 campaign. That's far more consequential than any tweet.
[Camerota:] Jeffrey, Joe, Ana, happy valentine's day.
[Lockhart:] Happy Valentine.
[Berman:] Captain Valentine.
[Toobin:] Yes, that's me.
[Camerota:] Now to something not romantic. The coronavirus, the head of the CDC says it will probably be with us beyond this year. So up next, we talk to the administration's top health official on how the U.S. government is preparing for this.

[Julia Chatterley, Cnn International Anchor, First Move:] Live from the New York Stock Exchange, I'm Julia Chatterley. This is FIRST MOVE and here is your need to know. Tariffs and tiaras. The Queen welcoming President Trump to the U.K. as the Mexicans arrive in the United States battling to avoid tariffs as a result of migrant flows. And is it second time unlucky? Google may be facing a second U.S. antitrust investigation. It's Monday, let's make a move. Welcome, once again to the show and of course, it's the first trading day of June, lots going on in the show today as I mentioned there, including the fact that President Trump is of course in the U.K. and meeting with the Queen. We've got plenty of pomp and pageantry coming up in just a couple of minutes' time. But I want to bring you back here to the global markets to the New York Stock Exchange where it's the President's alter ego, the so-called tariff man that's currently occupying the minds of businesses and investors alike. Right now, futures are low. We've got the NASDAQ off around a quarter of a percent premarket. We've taken back some of the earlier losses watching U.S.-Mexico trade talks today, well, talks not on trade, but on tariffs. The U.S. saying it's ending its special trade status for India as well, of course last week, and apparently the President discussed imposing tariffs on Australia last week, too. Clearly, that didn't happen. But all of the United States' trading partners right now must be on higher alert. Let's not forget China as well. In a press conference yesterday, on Sunday, Chinese officials saying look it was the United States fault, front and center, that we saw those trade talks breakdown. We are of course, still waiting for their corporate blacklist, too. This is taking a toll on markets. What can I tell you? We've got the NASDAQ right now approaching correction territory, off almost 9 percent from that last month's record high. Chip stocks, too, have been severely punished. We've got the Dow now falling for some six straight weeks. It's also taking a toll in the bond markets, too. The 10-year yield today has been close to breaking 2.1 percent. The warnings, too from the big banks coming thick and fast. Among them, Morgan Stanley warning that we could be less than a year away from a global recession if the trade war worsens. We will be talking this through throughout the show. But for now, the President is royally occupied over in London and Hala Garani is there for us, too. Pomp, ceremony and controversy, Donald Trump has only been in London for a few hours, but we've already had plenty of three. Hala Gorani outside Buckingham Palace for us. Hala, great to have you on the show with us. Talk us through what we're seeing so far.
[Hala Gorani, Cnn International Anchor:] Well, you mentioned the pomp and the ceremony, but there were insults and they began flying before the plane had even landed. Donald Trump has begun his first ever state visit to Britain. You'll remember last year in July, he also visited the U.K.; that was a working visit. Now, a short time ago, the U.S. President sat down for a private lunch with the Queen after a formal reading ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Well, there were no warm greetings for London Mayor though, not long before Air Force One touched down. The president sent out a tweet calling Sadiq Khan, a stone cold loser. He also made fun of his height. This after the Mayor slammed Mr. Trump in a scathing editorial calling him an example of a global far right threat. CNN's Nic Robertson joins me now with more. So today is a very, very busy day for the President. Today is royal day, tomorrow is politics day. We'll talk about that them. But right now, we expect the next event to be what?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] After the lunch is finished here, then they will go and review gifts. These are gifts that former U.S. Presidents, U.S. officials, dignitaries have given to the Queen over the years. These are held in the Royal Collection, one of the things that they might be able to see, in fact, I think we can expect President Trump to be shown a copy of the Statement of Independence from Britain over 200 years ago. But it's things of that stature that he'll be shown.
[Robertson:] This is again to sort of talk about the history and the strength of the relationship, and that it goes back many, many generations.
[Gorani:] Well, the U.S. President did not shy away from some might even say, meddling in U.K. politics by having kind words for Boris Johnson though perhaps he hasn't been reminded that Boris Johnson once said some not very nice things about him, and also engaging in this Twitter war of words with the London mayor. Telling "The Sun" political editor in an interview from the Oval Office, he didn't know Meghan Markle, Prince Harry's wife was nasty. What a controversy, which we've come to expect.
[Robertson:] We have and outside of the Meghan Markle question, which was something President Trump has later said that he didn't actually say, but it was there on tape and he did say it and it was to the editor as he was speaking to him before, Tom Newton Dunn who had told the President, reminded him that Meghan Markle during President Trump's election campaign, that if he got elected, then she would emigrate to Canada. So that's what he was commenting on. He was trying to make up for it. But the issues of Boris Johnson, of Sadiq Khan, of dissing in a way, Theresa May's own handling of Brexit, the things we saw when the President came here on that working visit last year, and he tried to make it up with Theresa May when he saw her after those comments became public, but it is par for the course. And I think that's what people here have expected. His Twitter spat with, the Mayor of London goes back to after one of the terror incidents in London. He criticized the way that the mayor was handling that. He seems to want to take it all on and do this again. And it diverts from some of the more substantive issues that he will be talking about while he is here.
[Gorani:] And there will be very substantive issues that the U.K. cares about deeply after Brexit. Because if they are and they are moving away from the closest of relationships with the rest of Europe, which is being part of the same E.U. club, they're going to have to develop some special - even more special relationships with the
[U.s. Robertson:] One of the strengths of being in the European Union is you're part of those 28 countries, 500 million people made up of all those nations. This is a powerful trading group that has clout around the world. As Britain alone, you like that clout. So you're more exposed to the leverage that the United States might put on Britain to, for example, take certain products from the United States or want access to markets in the U.K. There was a discussion over the weekend that, you know, Britain's health service could be opened up to U.S. medical interests in a way that it isn't today. But that would be a concern for British people, because they have some pride in what is a somewhat decrepit health service, but it is free to the user, and that's not the case in the U.S., that would be a concern. So these will be some of the topics coming up. But there will be a lot of businesses leaders that the President will be bringing with him that the British government is hosting as well, and this will be an important part of the conversation.
[Gorani:] Right. Some big business leaders, banking industry leaders, pharmaceutical industry leaders as well taking part.
[Robertson:] Military industry, yes.
[Gorani:] Thanks very much, Nic Robertson, we'll see you in a little bit. Jeremy Hunt was the first Minister to greet the U.S. President on his arrival. The Foreign Secretary told Mr. Trump that Britain will be putting on a great show this week to celebrate the "amazing partnership," quote, unquote, between the two nations. But speaking to CNN, the Foreign Secretary conceded that there are some big differences between the two allies.
[Jeremy Hunt, British Foreign Secretary:] But we don't agree with everything he says or does. We don't agree with, for example, his approach to climate change or the Iran nuclear deal. I've disagreed with him on the NHS before, but that doesn't mean that we can't celebrate the fact that this is one of the most important alliances in history. And it's not just about Britain and America did in the Second World War, is the international order that we created since then that has led to unparalleled peace and prosperity across the world. And in that, President Trump stands rock solid with the United Kingdom.
[Gorani:] Well, Peter Westmacott is a former U.K. Ambassador to the United States, and he joins me now. So let's talk a little bit of just about the first few hours and perhaps even the hours preceding the President's touchdown at Stansted Airport outside of London. Already controversy there preceding the U.S. leader.
[Peter Westmacott, Former U.k. Ambassador To The United States:] I think everybody knew that once the President of the United States this President of the United States was on his way or about to land, there were going to be tweets, there was going to be stories, there was going to be some sort of high risk stuff. One or two British politicians who are going to be in London have taken the opportunity to be critical of the visit, critical of him. The nature of the President is that he fires back. And of course, if he was going to give interviews which he did a day or two beforehand to a couple of the Murdoch newspapers, it was inevitable that he will get involved in British domestic politics. That's par for the course, nobody is really surprised.
[Gorani:] Right. No one is surprised, but what is significant then about this particular visit? Because this is post Brexit referendum Britain, and they know that their interests lie in developing closer relationships, even with traditional allies like the United States, but the President is talking about a trade deal that would involve access to the U.K. market even say for pharmaceutical goods. That may be some people in Britain wouldn't be comfortable with.
[Westmacott:] I think you're right, Hala. We have to remember that this State Visit goes back to the day when Theresa May rushed off to the Oval Office, to be the first person to congratulate the President on his election. And he had been saying Brexit is wonderful, and thanks to Brexit and the President, and he has been very supportive of Brexit. Now, we haven't done Brexit yet. Who knows? We might not even do it. It remains to be seen. It's extremely messy. He carries on talking about shiny, new free trade deals between Britain and America. But most of us who've done free trade negotiations know that it's much more difficult than that. It will take a long time and there will be some seriously difficult negotiations over I think long time, whether it's chlorine washed chicken, beef hormones, financial services, American by America Act, or state procurement policies in America. This will be difficult. So it's nice to hear that he wants Brexit to be a success. But you know, I'll believe it when I see it.
[Gorani:] And this will be the U.K. on its own and not as part of the E.U. Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, both men who are proponents of Brexit, of a hard Brexit were complemented by the U.S. President as being good leaders, and in the case of Nigel Farage, even saying he should be part of the negotiations.
[Westmacott:] I saw that, too. And, of course, Boris said a little bit earlier, he was extremely rude about the President when he was the candidate.
[Gorani:] He called him unfit.
[Westmacott:] Unfit for office. But he seems now to be very popular. For whatever reason, I don't know, he is being very complimentary, of course, about this President and he is a hardline Brexiteer, or he is for the moment until he is not. So we'll have to wait and see. But I think it's inevitable if this President is asked, "What do you think about the candidates for the race?" There's a dozen of them out there. It's hard for him not to answer the question to say which one he likes.
[Gorani:] Now, as far as the U.K. is concerned, I mean, this has been this honor has been bestowed on only three Presidents. I wonder why the U.K. felt the need, in your opinion, for such a lavish welcome ceremony because this is as incredibly lavish as it gets.
[Westmacott:] It is lavish. It is the full State Visit. I was Ambassador in Paris when we did the same thing with President Sarkozy. We went over to Buckingham Palace in the same way. We didn't have a helicopter on the lawn. But otherwise, it was very similar and it's spectacular. And I like to think we do these things beautifully. Why? Answer: Theresa May really wanted to make him this offer on day one. Normally, to be honest, you wait and see how the relationship goes. You wait and see how the President performs before you issue an invitation to something as lavish and as important as this. As you rightly say, not every President gets a State Visit. But this was promised and this President, even though he was here for a mini visit, last year, clearly wanted the full works, too.
[Gorani:] Right. We are expecting by the way a gift review to take place. It was meant to be done in private, but we understand we will be getting live images of that. Peter Westmacott, former U.K. Ambassador to the United States, always a pleasure. Thanks so much for joining us. Julia, back to you at the New York Stock Exchange. And we'll bring those live images to you when the event takes place in Buckingham Palace behind us. Back to you.
[Chatterley:] Gifting is definitely going to be a high point. I hope we do get to see those pictures and we will come back to you if we get them, Hala. Thank you for that. All right, for now though, let's bring it back to what we're seeing right now. Futures pointing lower, as the trade at war heats up. Talks, of course between the United States and Mexico taking place today. This in light of the threat from President Trump to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports, if they don't do something to tackle migrant flows into the United States. Christine Romans joins us now live. Christine, we can talk about Mexico, but it's not just Mexico. We have the Chinese overnight saying, look, it was the United States that blew the trade deal, not us. We have the reports of potential tariffs on Australia, too. I mean, we thought the President was choosing his battles here with China and there's all sorts of battles erupting, left, right and center.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Business Chief Business Correspondent:] Erupting the President igniting the fuse in each and every one of those, too, so it shows you this is a White House that feels confident that it can fight trade wars on multiple fronts opening new fronts all the time. "The New York Times" the front page of "The New York Times" this morning has a Maggie Haberman story about how the White House was considering putting tariffs on Australian aluminum. You know, there was an exemption that was granted by the President now thinking about maybe taking that away. So all of these things rattling investors, although I will say my gut is telling me you could see maybe some nibbling here today because you've got major stock market averages in the U.S. down 5 percent, 6 percent, 7 percent for the NASDAQ last month. Really kind of really rough month. So I think that you just watch to see what kind of volatility we see here today, but this is what we're hearing from the White House.
[Romans:] Mick Mulvaney, the President's acting Chief of Staff on Fox News Sunday, essentially saying that no, the rules of economics don't apply in the Trump economy. American consumers will not feel tariffs and they are confident of that. And they're going to keep going forward. Listen.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief Of Staff:] We put tariffs on China, we're putting tariffs on Mexico, and inflation is still under control. American consumers have gone to products that are made in the United States, for example, that don't carry those tariffs. We think the same thing will happen here, and American consumers will not pay for the burden of these tariffs.
[Romans:] Well, I mean, tell that to anybody trying to buy a car. I mean, Deutsche Bank says that if you have tariffs on Mexican imports, and whenever you have a risk of global auto tariffs; that will raise the price of a car. There are supply chains that are not as simple as Mick Mulvaney is making it sound that crisscross these borders. So it's not as cut and dry as he says it is. But they are holding firm that, you know, tariffs are not a bad thing in Trump world.
[Chatterley:] Yes, it's fascinating, isn't it? I think we're confusing the short term impact, which is that U.S. companies pay those tariffs in order to import those goods versus the medium to longer term if companies do decide not to manufacture in China, to do it elsewhere and ship them in from another country that then will hurt China. But you've got to keep the timings here, front and center. And right now, it is the United States that pays these tariffs. I mean, to your point, what we've seen now is banks falling over themselves to lower their growth estimates to say that the Federal Reserve is going to kick in here and be cutting rates, maybe two times, maybe three times. Jay Powell front and center this week, I think what he says this week about the trade impact, and perhaps whether or not he signals that they're more worried than they have been will be critical, I think for markets this week.
[Romans:] I think you're absolutely right. And don't forget, we end this week with the jobs report. I mean, is all of this tariff talk and tariff man running the United States, you know, the President as the President of the United States, as he has called himself, is that cooling hiring enthusiasm? We have seen a very strong jobs market. Are we going to see that maybe taper off here? I will say one thing, the trade hawks around the President for a year now have been telling me that the U.S. economy is so strong, and inflation so benign, that this is exactly the time to make a big move on trade vis-a-vis China in particular. Now, this move on the border using trade as leverage on the border is very new. It's a very new tactic and very concerning for a lot of people who watch the economy. You know, they want trade to be about trade. They don't want it to be about other issues, but that's clear what the President is making it here.
[Chatterley:] Yes, the firm politicization of tariffs here and not just to tackle trading balances. Christine, great point. Christine Romans joining us there. So actually, I said the tariffs and tiaras, but it's tariffs, tantrums and tiaras. I changed my mind on that. All right, let's move on. We're going to take a quick break here on FIRST MOVE, but so when we come back, Boeing, issuing a wing warning. How the plane maker's 737 problems just went from bad to worse. Plus, going after Google. The U.S. Justice Department gearing up to investigate the search engine giant on antitrust grounds. We've got all the details next. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

[Bolduan:] "I wouldn't wish this on anyone." That is how one man in the Bahamas has described living through Hurricane Dorian that is just now slowly starting to pass over. These are some new images that have just come in showing the devastation into CNN. You see all the boats in the harbor just piled up on the shoreline. And these are coming in from the U.S. Coast Guard who was able to do an aerial tour. Look at the water that's made its way on shore. Also some images coming in of the airport under water. All these new images are coming and this is as the storm finally is beginning to inch its way north. The focus now that happens in the Bahamas is search and rescue, getting to all the people that are trapped in their homes or at shelters or hospitals. Local residents have even resorted to calling into a live TV program to ask for help. One caller saying 20 people are trapped in one building, including two disabled residents, and that they need help. I'm going to bring in Kimberly Mullings and her mother, Janitch Mullings. They have been riding out the hurricane on the Grand Bahama. I'm thankful we have this connection. Thank you for speaking with me. You've been holed up in your mother's home, Kimberly, both of you since the storm made landfall. How are you doing all right now?
[Kimberly Mullings, Rode Out Hurricane Dorian In The Bahamas:] We're making it. We're surviving. We are blessed to be in a structure that is able to withstand the storm. We're also blessed to be in an area that does not have structural damage or any flooding, thankfully. I can't say the same for many others on the island, though.
[Bolduan:] Janitch, what has it been like? I mean, it must have been an exhausting 36 hours from what you guys were hearing outside and seeing outside your doors. Can you describe it to me?
[Janitch Mullings, Rode Out Hurricane Dorian In The Bahamas:] Thank you so much for having us. Right now, it is exhausting, but we are grateful because we're able to be in this structure. Outside right now, the wind is still blowing very hard and it's still raining in our area, but we're very, very grateful to be here.
[Bolduan:] Absolutely. Kimberly, one of the latest updates we heard from the National Hurricane Center was that the bottom of the eye of the storm is still sitting over freeport. Can you describe what it was like when the storm came on shore and what it was like for you guys? You've seen a lot of hurricanes, but what was this one like?
[Kimberly Mullings:] This one was something like we've never seen before and you're going to keep hearing that because parts of our island have flooded that has never flooded before. Parts that you didn't know could see flooding. It's been very hard to see images and videos are coming in. I've been trying to use social media to assist with the rescue efforts as best as possible because I still have power, I still have access to the Internet, I still have my cell service. So in any way possible, I've gotten my friends all over the Internet to assist those on other islands who can help, those in other countries who can help, even if it's making a phone call out. So it's been scary to watch, especially at night. We've had to go through two nights of this so far with tropical storm winds still hitting us until tomorrow. As you can imagine, it's scary. And seeing how many people are displaced as a result is something else. Like you said, the eye is passing now. Rescue efforts are now being made to assist those, especially those in east Grand Bahama who have had tremendous flooding. Some people in two story, three-story rooms, they were up in their roofs. Luckily, the water is now beginning to recede, so they are being rescued with jet skis. People are lending them out and donating gas. They have something going on now where just give them a towel and get them some vehicles to they're going to various shelters and people are opening up their doors to complete strangers. So it's bittersweet to see but, at the same time, we're so thankful that people are able to become their brother's neighbor in a time like this.
[Bolduan:] You see the best in humanity, but you wish that you didn't have to see it because you're seeing the worst of Mother Nature. What have you heard from your neighbors? I was talking to one of the members of parliament earlier and he said people are stuck in their roofs because the water has risen so fast and he's really concerned about a lot of folks because they've been basically cut off for 36 hours. What are you guys hearing, Janitch, from neighbors, from friends of yours?
[Janitch Mullings:] From some of our neighbors, well, not immediate neighbors, but we've heard from some people who have been stuck in roofs, stuck in roofs with babies, with their children. There are a number of stories about people waiting to get into shelter areas. We had one situation that we know of where a 3-week-old baby and the mom had to wade through two foot, almost three foot of water. But we are grateful that they were able to reach that area and to be accommodated. This is a three-part storm. We've had storms before where there's just the rain and the wind. But now we have the rain, the wind and the water. And that tidal wave is, you know, one that you could never prepare for.
[Bolduan:] Absolutely. Well, we're so thankful that you're doing well, both of you. That you're able to connect with us. We're thankful for your efforts in helping your fellow neighbors. Thank you so much. We'll check back in with you. Thank you.
[Janitch Mullings:] Thank you.
[Kimberly Mullings:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] We'll be right back.

[Blitzer:] President Trump has now gone on Twitter to deny reports of ongoing discussions within the White House to fire a critical number of his Cabinet, the Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. That's following a state of criticism over the administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic. Our national correspondent Kristen Holmes is joining us from the White House right now. Kristen, what do we know about these discussions? What's the latest information you and our colleagues are picking up?
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, look, there have been a lot of speculations among White House staffers for quite some time that Azar's head was on the chopping block. You have to remember that President Trump named Vice President Pence to be the head of the task force over Azar. We also know that Azar was butting heads with Seema Verma who is not only another member of the task force but most importantly a very close ally of Vice President Pence. And to note we have not seen Azar in any of these public briefings for weeks now. So this had been a conversation that had been going on. It was confirmed to us last night by a senior official that these White House officials were talking about how to replace Azar. But there's something here I really want to note and that is the timing of all of this. Take this into consideration. We know, as we just said, that the administration has gotten criticism about the handling of the pandemic since the beginning. But really these last few weeks have been arguably some of the worse. We are weeks and weeks into this pandemic and you are still hearing from not only Democratic governors but Republican governors who are begging the administration to get involved so they can get the testing that they need in order to reopen the economy. We know that President Trump called Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia and supported his decision to reopen the economy despite the fact that he did not meet his own task force criteria to actually open the state. And he received so much backlash from that that he actually then had to backtrack with the governor. And of course on Thursday now these comments about injecting or ingesting some sort of disinfectant to clean your body out of coronavirus. There is a lot of blame shifting and finger-pointing going on at the White House right now. And a lot of tension over this coverage. We know President Trump has been watching it non-stop and has been stewing, he's frustrated at what he is saying. He believes that he deserves better rewards, better coverage for his covering of all of this. So that's one thing to know, but it does appear that based on President Trump's tweet that as of tonight and pretty much I would say tonight for sure that Alex Azar is safe, he won't fall victim to that blame shifting or that finger-pointing, I will note that several sources told us overall there wasn't a huge appetite for some sort of massive shakeup during this pandemic response.
[Blitzer:] And it's also interesting, no White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing today and none yesterday, and a very short one, 22 minutes only, on Friday. And the president walked out with the others without answering questions at that briefing in the White House briefing room. Kristen Holmes, thanks very much for that report. Joining us now, one of Secretary Azar's predecessors, the former Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius. Madame Secretary, thanks so much for joining us. As someone who has held this critically important position knows its challenges, what's your reaction to this reporting back and forth that Secretary Azar could soon be replaced even though the president just tweeted he's doing an excellent job?
[Kathleen Sebelius, Former Health And Human Services Secretary:] Well, I find most of what's going on in the White House these days, at a minimum, baffling and, you know, the worst case scenario is terrifying. We know Dr. Rick Bright who was in a critical position as the head of BARDA which is our medical countermeasure department within HHS was removed from his job, leading that very critical agency at a time when we're trying to get to a medical cure and certainly get to a vaccine. BARDA is essential and he was just moved out of the way supposed for this feuding that president's allegations that people should be taking I'm sorry. Chloroquine
[Blitzer:] Hydroxy hydroxychloroquine.
[Sebelius:] Which has not been proven at all to be a successful medication so he's gone. We don't have any idea what's going on with Alex Azar. But what we know is Alex Azar is not the one who stood at the podium and told people that it was probably a good idea that he'd have some medical doctors look at disinfectant inside the body. So that the head of Lysol had to come out and beg people not to ingest Lysol.
[Blitzer:] Yes.
[Sebelius:] A lot of this is the president's doing. He insists on being the chief spokesperson at these briefings. He's taken up about 60 percent of the airtime, according to a "Washington Post" article since the briefings began. And I think if somebody gets fired it's really just an attempt to shift the blame at somebody else's fault. It's always somebody else's fault.
[Blitzer:] Today Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Response coordinator was given the opportunity to provide very detailed, accurate medical information on some of the president's claims. Instead, though, she defended the president. Do these public health experts risk losing their credibility with the public if they are avoiding, if they're trying to be overly cautious and perhaps disagreeing or being at all critical of what the president is saying?
[Sebelius:] Absolutely. I think the American public has gotten to the point where they want to hear from the scientific experts and they want to hear the truth. They don't want a glossy coverup. The president has said from the beginning the testing is perfect, everybody can get a test if they want a test. The public knows that's absolutely not true. Every governor in the country knows that's absolutely not true. Same with protective equipment. We still do not have enough, and now we're in a situation where most governors are feeling themselves in this position to try and to act on their own. The White House put out guidelines for what were the safe steps to reopen. Benchmarks, 14 days of disease declined, looking at appropriate testing, making sure you have surge capacity, and then immediately flipped around and began to tweet about states that should be liberating their population. There is no national strategy. There is no national framework and I think the American public knows very clearly. They believe in governors, they believe that the health experts need to speak up. They want to hear from Tony Fauci about what's happening. And I'm afraid if some of the experts who had brilliant careers begin to be too differential to White House's spin, they will lose all credibility.
[Blitzer:] If you were the secretary of Health and Human Services right now, and you were not really being seen at the briefings, you were not doing media interviews, it was being left to a whole bunch of others, but you were basically invisible, and you're the secretary of Health and Human Services, what would you do?
[Sebelius:] Well, I have not been in that situation. I don't even want to speculate how difficult it must be to be in that situation. I think you work at the pleasure of the president of the United States if you are any Cabinet official. How exactly anybody in this administration works at the pleasure of this president who seems to change his mind on an hourly basis and continue to push missed information to the American public, I don't understand how you could keep a job like that or how you would want to keep a job like that because it's right now risking people's lives. If we don't have a framework, if people don't have enough testing to understand when the disease begins to spread if social distancing comes to an end then we are really in serious trouble. In most states like mine, we are very far away from adequate testing. Our caseload is still on the uptick. We are still seeing big outbreaks in meat packing plants, in prisons, and home care centers. So we know we need more testing. We know we need more protective equipment and we want to follow the science and the data, but we need federal government help to do that.
[Blitzer:] Kathleen Sebelius, not only a former secretary of Health and Human Services, also a former governor of Kansas, we're grateful to you. Thanks so much for joining us.
[Sebelius:] Sure. Good to be with you.
[Blitzer:] Up next, one businessman is facing controversy by marketing UV scanners as a tool businesses could use when employees return to work. Is it safe? We have more information coming into THE SITUATION ROOM. We'll be right back.

[Riley:] Hello. We are back with news from the new Formula 1 season, which is back this weekend. As usual, the racing starts down under at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The big question is whether anyone can challenge Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, the Silver Arrows who have won the last five titles. Hamilton has won four of those. But Hamilton has been saying that this season he thinks it's going to be much closer. The teams behind him have upped their game over the winter break.
[Lewis Hamilton, 5-time Defending World Champion:] I got here a couple days ago. And I love it here. It's really, really beautiful. It's been a little bit cold compared to previous years I've been, but I love this. It's a really beautiful city. It's a lot of great restaurants, great energy. And it gets better throughout the week. So
[Sebastian Vettel, 4-time World Champion:] So far, you know, the spirit is right. The team is on track. The car feels good. So let's see how we start here.
[Riley:] All right. Well, Ferrari are just desperate to get back on top in F1. It's been more than a decade since they won their constructors or the drivers championship. But, in the last couple of years, they've looked competitive, only to go off the rails in the second half of the season. Well, they expect to win. One driver is just simply glad to be there. That's Poland's Robert Kubica. He was one of the more promising young drivers back in 2010. However, he never raced in 2011, because he was seriously injured in a rallying crash. The roadside crash barrier penetrated his car, trapping him in the wreckage for more than an hour. His forearm was partially amputated in the carnage. He also broke his shoulder, arm and leg and lost a significant amount of blood. It seems as though his racing career was over. However, eight years later, his comeback to motor racing's most prestigious series is remarkable. He is competing for the Williams team. And a recent interview, he has acknowledged that it will be emotional.
[Robert Kubica, Williams Driver:] Obviously, it will be an emotional day, but hopefully, those emotions will play a positive role and not giving additional, you know, aspects, which are unnecessary.
[Riley:] Good for him. And finally, the Women's World Cup this summer, there might cause for double celebration. Our congratulations go out to two players on the U.S. Women's team who announced their engagement earlier. The defender Ali Krieger and goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris just revealed that they've actually been dating for the last nine years, as well as being teammates. And back in September, it was Ashlyn who proposed to Ali, and of course, she said yes. The World Cup in France will be played for a month, starting in June. The pair told "People" magazine here in the states that they hope to tie the knot at the end of this year. This summer, the USA will aim for a fourth World Cup win, extending their record in the global tournament. All right. Time to pop the champagne. Congrats to them. And that happy news brings this edition of CNN WORLD SPORT to a close. Many thanks for watching. I'm Kate Riley. Stay with us, though. The news is next.

[Unidentified Protesters:] Home is here! Home is here! Home is here!
[Baldwin:] What they're chanting, "Home is here," an emotional scene there on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, justices heard arguments in this historic case that will decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants in this country. These people are among the roughly 700,000 young people who were brought to the United States by their parents as children. The fates of the so-called dreamers has been in limbo really ever since President Trump called for an end to the Obama era DACA program. And that gave them the right to legally work in the United States and shielded them from deportation. So, CNN contributor Caitlin Dickerson is with us. She is the national immigration reporter for "The New York Times." She's written extensively about this issue. And Pierre Berastain Ojeda is a DACA recipient ever since 2012. He came to the U.S. as a child with his parents from South America in the late '90s and was an undocumented immigrant for 14 years. So, welcome to both of you. And, Pierre, let me begin with you there in Washington. You are in Washington because you wanted to be there on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. We just played the chants, "Home is here." What was that moment like for you?
[Pierre Berastain Ojeda, Daca Recipient:] It was beautiful. I think that, Brooke, if I take you back to when I was some undocumented, I can think of the many sleepless nights and the times that I felt alone. And the only time that I felt that I was able to make it through the next day was when I was in community, when I was with people who understood it. And being around thousands of people who were chanting "Home is here" and "We belong," it was reenergizing. It just showed the resiliency of immigrant communities. And it was just a beautiful moment.
[Baldwin:] I want to come back to your story in just a second. But, Caitlin, hammer home the gravity of the Supreme Court's decision.
[Caitlin Dickerson, Cnn Contributor:] This case is huge, and not in terms of numbers. Like you pointed out, there about 700,000 people who have DACA out of at least 11 million undocumented immigrants living in this country. And yet they're among the most powerful political symbols that you can imagine, not even just with regard to immigration, but generally speaking. I mean, this is a group of people in the United States who've experienced and enjoyed widespread support among Republicans and Democrats for years. There's a very high bar in order to get this status. More than 90 percent of them have jobs. They're doctors. They're lawyers. They are people who are embedded into the fabric of American communities and who have a whole lot of support. So there's a lot of emotional weight behind this decision.
[Baldwin:] On the emotional piece of this, Pierre, I read that you came from Peru. Your parents brought you here in 1998. So that means you were how old at the time?
[Berastain Ojeda:] I was 10.
[Baldwin:] You were 10. And so fast-forward to, you went to school, you now have work. Tell me just a bit about your life...
[Berastain Ojeda:] Sure.
[Baldwin:] ... and, prior to DACA, how much of a struggle emotionally it was for you.
[Berastain Ojeda:] Yes. I mean, I got DACA, as you mentioned, in 2012, when President Obama announced that his administration was offering this path for temporary path for people like me. I was at the time at Harvard. I was I had been there as an undergraduate, and I had started my graduate studies at the

[Fareed Zakaria, Cnn:] Finally, something the American and Russian military agree on. Thanks to all of you for being part of my program this week. I will see you next week.
[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn:] Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Right now we are learning more about a devastating plane crash in Ethiopia with no survivors. All 157 people on board, an Ethiopian airlines flight, were killed when the Boeing 737 went down shortly after takeoff this morning. So how does a brand new airplane flown by a senior pilot with an excellent flying record suddenly crash into the ground? We will talk to an aviation expert. Plus, it's another busy day for the 2020 Presidential hopefuls. We have brand new poll numbers looking at the key state of Iowa to give us an idea of where everyone stands. And despite not officially being in the race, former vice President Joe Biden is leading the pack. Right now we are just hours away from three CNN town halls at the south by southwest conference. Tonight we will hear from former congressman John Delaney, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and South bend Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. First, let's start with CNN's senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny. So he is live for us right now from Austin, Texas at the south by southwest where the town halls also will be taking place tonight. So what are you hearing about these new polls, first off?
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Well, Fredricka, good afternoon. The Democratic field is descending on Austin, Texas this weekend for the south pass via southwest conference. But all eyes are of course on those early voting states, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina as well. And we do, as you said, have a poll out. The new CNNDes Moines register poll taking an early look at where things stand at this point in the race in Iowa. No surprise Joe Biden is on top of the list followed by Bernie Sanders as well. Let's take a look at those numbers there. Joe Biden has 27 percent support, Bernie Sanders 25 percent support. From there is falls off rather dramatically with Elizabeth Warren at 9 percent, Kamala Harris at seven percent, Beto O'Rourke not in yet, not a declared candidate at five percent, Cory Booker at three, Amy Klobuchar, three as well. But Fredricka, this is largely a benchmark if you will. A place where this the race is at the beginning of this contest as these Democrats start to introduce themselves. Joe Biden, if course, not in the race yet. We do believe he is going to get in. All signs are that he will likely announce his candidacy in April. But the question is can he hold this lead? Most certainly not. As other candidates start introducing themselves, they start eating themselves into that share. But one of those candidates, Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, the former HUD secretary in the Obama administration, he was on with Jake Tapper this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION." He has this to say about these polls.
[Julian Castro , Presidential Candidate:] I can tell that as I spend time in Iowa that I'm going to gain traction. And as you know, if we were to look at any presidential cycle over the last 40 years, oftentimes it's people that have started off at three percent, one percent, two percent, including Donald Trump at one point was at one percent right before he announced, that can win the nomination. And so this is a long road, a long journey, and I'm going to go out there and make my case.
[Zeleny:] Of course, Secretary Castro is right about that. These polls at this point are not a predictor of anything but they are a sign of the work that needs to be done in introducing themselves, these candidates in particular. But Fredricka, we are seeing this field divide between ideology and age. Of course, a party has been moving to the left on a variety of positions, Medicare for all, the green new deal. There are some people taking the middle lane as well. One of those is John Delaney, the former Maryland congressman. He will be speaking at the CNN town hall tonight as well as the Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and then the mayor of south bend, Indiana Peter Buggidieg. Those three will be making their case here this evening, Fredricka. So a big field, more candidates can still get in. But it certainly the buzz here in Austin, what this Democratic field looks like.
[Whitfield:] Right. A big night and potentially a lot to be learned. Thank you so much, Jeff Zeleny. Appreciate that. All right. The Trump administration is headed for another budget clash with Congress. President Trump will roll out his budget road map tomorrow. And it includes a request for at least $8.6 billion for the border wall. Trump's top economic adviser Larry Kudlow talked about the request this morning.
[Chris Wallace, Fox News:] So there's going to be another budget fight over the wall?
[Larry Kudlow, Trump Economic Adviser:] I suppose there will be. I would just say that the whole issue of the wall and border security is of paramount importance. We have a crisis down there. I think the President has made that case very effectively. It's a crisis of economics. It is a crisis of crime and drugs. It is a crisis of humanity. We have to be much tougher and have more constructive immigration policy, which we will be developing over a period of time. So yes, he is going to stay with his wall and he is going to stay with the border security theme. I think it's essential.
[Whitfield:] All right. CNN's White House correspondent Boris Sanchez is joining us live from West Palm Beach, California where President Trump will be leaving I just a few hours to head back to Washington. So, what more can you tell us about this upcoming request?
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Hey, there, Fred. Yes, President Trump is requesting some $750 billion from Congress for defense spending. That is a $35 billion from last year. And the President, specifically, is asking for $8.6 billion, as you said, for his long promised border wall on the southern border with Mexico. This is actually the first time the Trump organization is asking for border wall funding from more than one source. President trump requesting $5 billion from customs and border protection, another $3.6 billion for military construction funds at the Pentagon. And notably, Fred, in this budget, the President is also asking for an additional $3.6 billion to essentially reimbursed money that he spent through his national emergency declaration on the issue of immigration. So even though President Trump tried to get around Congress to get money for spending on his border wall, now he is requesting that they approve funds that he spent on that declaration. Democrats are not embracing this budget. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer put out a statement alongside House speaker Nancy Pelosi. They write in part quote "President Trump hurt millions of Americans and caused widespread chaos when he recklessly shut the government down to try to get his expensive and ineffective wall which he promised would be paid for by Mexico. Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government. The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again. We hope he learned his lesson." So Fred, both sides are digging in for what appears to be an oncoming slug fest, the Republicans begging the President to try to again and potentially face another government shutdown, Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right. Boris Sanchez in West Palm, thank you so much. All right. Let's talk more about this. Joining me right now Lynn Sweet, Washington bureau chief for the "Chicago Sun-Times" and Karoun Demirjian, congressional reporter for the "Washington Post" and a CNN political analyst. Good to see you both, ladies. So Karoun, you first. Why would the President try yet another one more route for $8 billion this time going directly to Congress after all that everyone has been through?
[Karoun Demirjian, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, they think this last push of that money will help them complete the 722 miles of board fencing that the President and the White House and his advisers have already said is a goal over there, is to try to get that much. And so, basically it's the double barrel approach of say, do what you are going to do with the emergency declaration, and announce early so that everybody including your base hears they are going to ask for a bigger number than you have been talking about before when it comes to actually spending for the next fiscal year, and that you are going to divert that and you have got a plan to actually complete the border wall or at least the part of the border wall that you promised on a timeline. Now it's not clear that he will actually get that money. These are budget requests. Congress gets to go over them with a fine tooth comb and usually there are many, many changes. But this is a presentation that the President is making. The fact that he is making is a one-two punch in the same week where he is probably going to have to veto Congress' efforts to stop his ability to use that emergency declaration and they cannot overcome that veto is his way of saying, I'm really doing this. For anybody who is listening, again, we don't know if that means it will actually happen on the border.
[Whitfield:] And Lynn, might just this really just be his reelection campaign strategy so that he can, once again, bring up the wall with a twist.
[Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau, Chicago Sun-times:] Yes, though he doesn't need the budget to do it, but a budget submitted by the executive branch is always seen as much as a policy and political statement as well as an actual financial planning document. There is a saying up on Capitol Hill, even in the best of times that the President proposes and Congress opposes. In this time and place, it would have been a setback for Trump if he did not at least make an opening bid in the next fiscal year budget for wall money.
[Whitfield:] So, Karoun, the new poll numbers that we are getting out of Iowa, the first states scheduled to cast, and you know, votes in the 2020 presidential race, and two senior white men are leading among Democrats. 76-year old Joe Biden who again hasn't officially thrown his hat into the ring, but he is on top there with 27 percent, and followed by 77-year-old Bernie Sanders with 25 percent. The rest of the field in the single digits. So what does this tell you about thus far this Democratic field and what is or isn't being promised?
[Demirjian:] Well, it tells you that at this juncture, which is early, very, very early, that people are comfortable saying that they will support what they know. Joe Biden has been around politics forever. He was a high-profile senator. He was vice president. He has been the subject of memes and other article. I mean, like people have an affinity with Joe Biden that is reflected in his name recognition and people being like, yes, OK, I would be comfortable with him being President. Same with Bernie Sanders. He made a big splash in 2017. It was controversial whether you really likes him or you really didn't like him, but the point is, he is a known quantity on the political presidential campaign circuit. And then others were entering the fray, even though if you heard their names before like Elizabeth Warren, they are not as well known in terms of having gone through that process and being, you know, in the running to be a standard bearer for the party in a major Presidential election year. So this is what we are seeing now. It reflects the fact that these candidates need to make themselves better known. But again, remember this is Iowa, which is not representative of the entire country and it doesn't look like the whole country even though it is first and makes a big impression on where things will go in the primaries. And also it is March of 2019, and there is over 18 months to go, and things can change. And numbers that are this large can shift. I mean, Hillary Clinton had huge numbers, too, when we were talking about, you know, the very early stages of the 2016 contest, and then she was eeked out the win very close to the convention. So it is where we are at this point but we don't even know everybody who is going to be running yet. And I think that we may see shift in the numbers in the month. And let's be honest, it's more than a year to come.
[Whitfield:] Yes. And Lynn, you know, that poll also asks voters, you know, how they would feel about a straight white male nominee. I mean, that was the question being asked. Just 38 percent of voters said they would be satisfied with that result while 21 percent said they would be dissatisfied, 40 percent unsure. So what do you make of those numbers?
[Sweet:] What I make is I have three quick points I would like to make. Maybe not so quick but I'll try. One, that the Democrats in Iowa just want to pick someone to win, and they kind of just don't care who. Two, the Democrats in Iowa on that ages because they are open to having candidates over 70. And three, the thing we have to look at the new context of what the Iowa vote means, and that it will not be as decisive as it has been because of the large number of candidates. Iowa will serve as a vetting process and actually coming in at the top you don't have to win Iowa anymore, you just to end up in the top three. And the poll tells us that there is plenty of room, then, for someone else to come in and show a strength if these numbers hold, which I agree with both, you know, with everything we have been talking about. They will not hold. People are going there to make their case.
[Whitfield:] All fascinating. All right. Lynn Sweet, Karoun Dimerjian, always good to see you, ladies. Thanks so much.
[Sweet:] Thanks, Fred.
[Dimerjian:] Thank you, Fred.
[Whitfield:] And now this breaking news from the borders of Syria. Dramatic pictures and sound as ISIS fighters try to keep control of one of their last strongholds. And CNN is the only U.S. network to witness what could be the final assault here. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in the thick of it all there in eastern Syria and joining us. Ben, what's happening?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes, Fredricka, this operation began about two hours and 13 minutes ago with a lot of gunfire, a lot of incoming, or rather, outgoing mortar fire. We have heard AC130 inspection gunships flying overhead and into this last sliver of lands still held by the state that called itself Islamic. It's only about a half square mile. We don't know how many civilians. We don't know how many fighters are still inside, but clearly these are the last ones, these are the holdouts, the ones who didn't surrender. We have watched over the last few weeks as thousands of fighters and have surrendered and tens of thousands of civilians, many of them families of these ISIS fighters, many of them from Europe and elsewhere, but it does appear that this is perhaps the final operation. Three times within the last month. This is the third time we have seen operations to try to clear this last pocket out, but officials from the U.S.-backed Syrian democratic forces have halted on several occasions to try to allow all these civilians to go out to avoid civilian casualties. But it does appear that this is perhaps the final operation. We don't know how long it's going to take. It is expected that it's going to be a difficult battle. It could take weeks, as a matter of fact. But it's a very small area. But given the intensity of the resistance, it could last a while. In fact, we were just outside that enclave one hour before the operation began and the gunfire was intense. Gun fire coming from within the camp. There were snipers firing in our direction. It's going to be a tough battle Fredricka.
[Whitfield:] So Ben, you talk about this half square mileage, you know, area which is very small, but the density of which these, you know, strongholds are maintaining the battle there. Through the elimination, we see mortars, you know, flying behind you, by this potential elimination or elimination of those last standing, would this means the end of the caliphate?
[Wedeman:] No, as a matter of fact, if will not mean the end of the caliphate. What we have seen, even in this part of Syria over the last month and a half, is a series of attacks: suicide car bombings, ambushes. They have managed many of the fighters managed to take refuge in the desert and mountain areas, some of them mixing in with the local population. And many of the fighters I spoke to who had surrendered made it clear that at the first possible opportunity they will take up arms again. So nobody in this part of the Middle East is under the illusion that this is the end of ISIS. It's merely the end of ISIS as a pseudo state, so to speak, as a state that had a bureaucracy and all that goes with being a country. But as a tariff insurgency, and this is how ISIS began, ISIS will return to being that, unfortunately Fredricka.
[Whitfield:] A battle, not the war. All right, Ben Wedeman, thank you so much. Still ahead, searching for answers after a deadly plane crash in Ethiopia. More than 150 on board all killed. The latest from the ground, next. And later, new questions about the woman who formally owned a spa where Robert Kraft allegedly solicited sex. How Cindy Yang is now facing accusations that she is selling Chinese investors access to the President of the United States. We are back in a moment.

[Cabrera:] We are six months into this pandemic now and yet according to one model cited by health officials, the worst may be yet to come, at least in terms of deaths. Unthinkable as it sounds, the University of Washington model predicts 410,000 Americans dead by the end of this year, meaning more than 220,000 deaths in the next 4 months alone after we've already endured nearly 190,000 Americans losing their lives. CNN Medical Analyst, Dr. Celine Gounder, is joining us now. She is the former New York City assistant commissioner of health, and the host of "The Epidemic" podcast. Dr. Gounder, thank you as always for being here with us. Labor Day weekend, we saw what happened over Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July, there were surges that followed both of those holidays, and we're seeing images like this today in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Does anything from the first six months make you feel it is safer now for Americans to go to the beach or the lake this holiday weekend?
[Dr. Celine Gounder, Cnn Medical Analyst:] Ana, we know that if you are outside, your risk of transmission or being infected is lower, but it's not zero, and so that's why, for months now, we've been saying, it's about face masking and being outside and maintaining social distance, and for many of these people, maybe they're outside now, but they might go to the local bar or restaurant after they've been to the beach. And so this is not a safe trend that we're seeing, and if the previous two holidays are any indication, we're likely to see an increase in transmissions as a result of this.
[Cabrera:] This model that now projects a death toll of more than 400,000 Americans by the end of the year in part because mask use is declining, researchers say, and yet instead of national leadership, here is the president again this week finding a way to undermine his own health experts' guidance pleas, at this point, for Americans to wear masks.
[Trump:] But did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him? And then he makes a speech and he always has it not always, but a lot of times, he has it hanging down because you know what? It gives him a feeling of security. If I were a psychiatrist right? No, I'd say I'd say, this guy's got some big issues.
[Cabrera:] No doctor has the megaphone that President Trump has. What would it mean, medically, if he lauded mask-wearing as the most patriotic act you could do right now to save the lives of other Americans?
[Gounder:] I think that many more Americans would start wearing masks if they felt like they could do so without betraying their party and their social circle, and so I really think that the president should be advocating the wearing of masks. I would ask the president, what do you have to lose by asking people to wear masks, by you yourself wearing a mask? Is it simply that you don't want to admit that you have been wrong?
[Cabrera:] Another dangerous factor right now, of course, the weather starting to cool down a little bit, at least in some areas, and it will be in months to come. We also have school starting up, so new groups of kids are mixing. That creates higher-risk situations, obviously. If you were to advise my family, for example, what would you say? How do we sort of recalibrate during this next phase that we're entering into?
[Gounder:] Well, I would first start by asking what does the transmission infection rate look like in my community? So, looking at New York City, it's very different from looking at Houston, Texas, for example, where my little sister is a high school principal. And so you really need to be looking at how likely is it that you're going to be to encounter somebody who's infected and then what are the what are the measures being put in place in schools? Is everybody going to be required to wear a mask? How are they going to enforce that? What does the ventilation look like? How crowded are the classrooms going to be? So, all of this is going to vary tremendously from school to school, from region to region, even here in New York City where I have been advising some of our local leaders. One school is not the same as another. And so it's a very different situation.
[Cabrera:] All right. Thank you so much, Dr. Celine Gounder. As always, good to have you here with us and happy Labor Day weekend. I hope you stay well and enjoy. All right. Up to 40 million Americans could face evictions during the pandemic. As CNN saw in Houston, no one is being spared, not the elderly, not those with young children. This emotional report and how you can help, next.

[Blitzer:] We're watching as the House debates a resolution condemning President Trump's racist tweets. And as the drama in Washington unfolds, the Democratic presidential candidates are sparring over their newly revealed health care plans. CNN's Ryan Nobles is keeping track of this part of the story for us. Tell us more.
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Well, Wolf, there's no doubt that health care remains a priority for these Democratic candidates. And this week, we're seeing many of them roll out policy proposals specifically aimed at that important issue. It is an issue that polls show Democratic primary voters care a lot about.
[Nobles:] Tonight, health care, once again, front and center on the 2020 campaign trail.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] We can't afford right now that the pharmaceutical companies have been jacking up prices over and over and over again. We have got to restructure the health care system of America.
[Nobles:] Kamala Harris unveiling a plan to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Calling for the federal government to set a fair price for prescriptions sold at cheaper prices in economically comparable countries and a tax of 100 percent on profits that drug makers collect from selling prescriptions above that fair price. The Harris plan comes just one day after Joe Biden released his comprehensive health care plan that includes a provision to lower drug costs. Biden is calling for an independent panel to review the cost of drugs that have no competition in the market and a tax on increased prices that exceed the right of inflation. The former Vice President is seeking to draw a contrast with others in the Democratic field by forcefully defending the Affordable Care Act passed during the Obama- Biden administration and warning about what he sees as the flaws with Medicare for all.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] But the transition of dropping 300 million people on a new plan, I'm telling you, is, I think, kind of a little risky at this point.
[Nobles:] Bernie Sanders returning fire this morning.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] I like Joe and I hope we will have this debate, you know. But when Joe says something to the effect that Medicare for seniors what did you say will end? I mean, that's just an obviously absurd situation.
[Nobles:] And as the candidates work to one-up each other on the policy front, the view of the money race is coming into sharper focus as campaigns finish reporting their second-quarter fundraising numbers. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg led the field in the second quarter raising nearly $25 million. The Midwest mayor also emerging as a Hollywood favorite, cashing checks from stars like Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, and "Star Trek" star George Takei. As for the most cash on hand, it is Sanders who still refuses to hold fundraisers but currently leads with more than $27 million. While Beto O'Rourke who raised $9.4 million in just three weeks in the first quarter brought in only $3.6 million over the past three months. And an early sign of a campaign's long-term viability is its burn rate. That's how much it spends versus how much it brings in. In the last quarter, 10 of the Democratic campaigns spent more than they raised. That was led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Wolf, she ended up spending twice as much as her campaign brought in.
[Blitzer:] Ryan Nobles reporting for us. Ryan, thank you for that. A quick reminder, find out which Democratic candidates will face-off on each night of the next debates in the special live event. Watch "THE DRAW" for the CNN Democratic presidential debates Thursday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Coming up, an ominous new warning from Kim Jong-un's regime. Is it a veiled threat to resume nuclear testing?

[Cabrera:] Breaking news right now on CNN. The U.S. military preparing to handle up to 1,000 people who may need to be quarantined after arriving in States from other countries. This is all over the concerns of infection by the deadly coronavirus. This temporary housing would be on West Coast military bases in Texas, in Colorado, as well as California. And again, it's an agreement from the Pentagon to help in the event they are needed. Meanwhile, today, the eighth case of the coronavirus has been confirmed here in the U.S., this time in Massachusetts. Health officials confirming it's a UMass Boston student. But they add the case poses no increased risk to other students on the university's campus. The student, a man in his 20s, is currently doing quite well and is being quarantined at his home. We're told and we are understanding he got this virus through traveling, not in infection that was transmitted here in the U.S. Now, beginning tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, U.S. citizens who have been in parts of China will be subject to up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine. And foreign nationals who have traveled to China in the last couple of weeks will be denied entry altogether. Meanwhile, Chinese officials are now deploying talking drones to scolds people from walking outside without masks. CNN's Polo Sandoval is joining us from Newark, New Jersey, one of the three major airports that serve the New York City area. And, Polo, we hear that Delta Airlines is so concerned they have moved up the date that they will stop flights to and from China altogether. Tell us what you know.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, Ana, some of what airlines are doing or in this case, not doing, they are suspending some of their service to various parts of China particularly those that have been directly affected. Yes, Delta Airlines have initially planned on implementing those kinds of policies next week. They moved it up joining American Airlines and also United. I look up the board, and there's still a couple of flights scheduled later tonight coming in from China. Passengers aboard those flights should not be surprised, Ana, if they are subjected to some of these health screenings. CDC officials have been looking out for some of those symptoms coughing, trouble breathing, fever. The way this works is that they do see some of the symptoms in some of these passengers and they're able to recognize they have been to some of those affected areas in China, that they would potentially be referred over to seek medical attention. If they don't, they are given cards that would potentially, that would effectively give them all the information they need since many of these symptoms begin to present themselves later on. Now, as what we can expect tomorrow, you just mentioned some of it, these foreign nationals would be essentially banned from visiting the United States in a temporary basis while authorities will try to get a fair grasp on this. And as for U.S. citizens who have travelled to affected areas and they would be potentially subjected to a mandatory quarantine, certainly something significant here, Ana, since we have not seen quarantine of this kind in the United States, the last five decades. And finally, starting tomorrow, there will be at least six airports that will be established from LAX to Seattle, JFK also among those six, Atlanta as well. But these are airports where many of the government resources will be focused, health resources to try to keep the spread of this virus. But we heard time and time again from authorities, at this point, the risk of contracting this in the United States remains low Ana.
[Cabrera:] All right. Polo Sandoval reporting from Newark, New Jersey, in the airport there thank you very much, Polo. We know you'll give on top of it. With just days until the Iowa caucus, two days to be exact, and the impeachment of Trump creating more divisiveness in this country, is there anything that can bring communities and families back together? Deepak Chopra is going to join us next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Whitfield:] The police force in Freeport, Texas, has gone beyond the call of duty to make a dying girl's wish come true. CNN's Ed Lavandera introduces us to honorary officer Abigail Arias.
[Unidentified Male:] The tattoo I'm getting in the Freeport, the police department badge. Get it on straight.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] Rammel Arias wants to always carry the shield of his hero, a Freeport Texas police officer, badge number 758, an officer on a mission fighting bad guys.
[Unidentified Male:] What's your name?
[Officer Abigail Arias, Freeport, Texas Police:] 758.
[Unidentified Male:] 758. I wanted to put that 758, because that's her actual badge number, and it's actually in her manned writing. Guess whose writing this badge number is?
[Arias:] Yours.
[Unidentified Male:] Yours.
[Lavandera:] The ink honors his niece, Officer Abigail Arias?
[Unidentified Male:] It is pretty cool?
[Arias:] That looks -.
[Unidentified Male:] Better.
[Lavandera:] The newest 6-year-old boot-strutting cowboy hat wearing Freeport police officer.
[Unidentified Male:] What an honor. I promise.
[Arias:] I promise.
[Unidentified Male:] To protect.
[Arias:] To protect.
[Lavandera:] In February Abigail was sworn in by a police by Chief Raymond Geragos, it was her dream.
[Chief Raymond Geragos, Freeport, Texas Police:] You couldn't have picked a better role model to put on that uniform and represent law enforcement and in general first responders.
[Unidentified Male:] Does the police uniform help you fight the bad guys?
[Arias:] Yes, sir. It keeps me brave.
[Geragos:] When she wears, it she wears it with pride. She wears it with dignity. She respects it the way we should respect it. On top of that she's fighting something that you and I are not fighting.
[Lavandera:] The dream is actually a dying wish. Abigail is battling a rare cancer that has spread through her body.
[Geragos:] I'm just blessed that we were the chosen ones to be able to do her life-long dream of wanting to be a police officer.
[Unidentified Male:] Her cancer right now is terminal. It derives from the kidney and is a rare cancer, but it's common in kids.
[Geragos:] She's fighting for her life.
[Arias:] So my bad guy is in the lungs.
[Unidentified Male:] Her cancer is the bad guys. And if you ask her, she will tell you that the bad guys are still in there. Oh my goodness. What do you do with those?
[Arias:] Arrest people.
[Lavandera:] Bryan Klevens is the owner of prison break tattoos. He calls it a safe haven for first responders. He has seen it all here with this work of art left him in tears.
[Bryan Klevens "bk", Owner, Prison Break Tattoos:] Never in my six years have I had someone come in to memorialize a child that is still here with us, something is giving her strength. Now that I got your badge, I'm always going to be fighting the bad guys with you. We are going to beat them bad guys, baby. Yes? You know I love you, right? You are the strongest, toughest little kid I've ever known. We have to pray that she beats this.
[Geragos:] She has work to do here. I know he wants her up there, but we are going to be selfish today. We need her here.
[Unidentified Male:] Lord, here we are in this special place with this special little angel.
[Klevens:] It's like a shield for me, too, man, and it's to be able to know that I'm doing this for her and that I have a piece of her for the rest of my life.
[Lavandera:] It's a permanent badge of honor.
[Arias:] Where do we go next, daddy?
[Lavandera:] Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston, Texas.
[Whitfield:] Still ahead, the President versus the U.S. Congress. Trump ramps up his attacks on Democrats demanding he comply with their subpoenas at the same time that he is trying to block more than 20 Democratic investigations. We are live from the White House next.

[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] These guys were attacking me and my family. I get it. And the press corps with me, they're all good people following me, they keep asking me, you know, they just brought up your son Hunter and they're doing this and that and the other thing. Well, guess what, I don't hold grudges because presidents can't hold grudges. Presidents have to be fighters, but they also have to be healers.
[Berman:] That's former Vice President Joe Biden responding, or in some ways not responding, after hours of attacks by President Trump's defense team, but his campaign, his staff, not being nearly so delicate. Arlette Saenz has been covering the Biden campaign on the trail. She joins us now live from Iowa City. And the campaign had a lot to say, Arlette.
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] Yes, they certainly did, John. And really this came as no surprise to the Biden campaign that President Trump's legal team would bring up Biden and his son Hunter Biden in their arguments. In fact, Joe Biden told me over the weekend he was expecting that they would become a focus. But you heard that very measured response from Joe Biden himself. But his campaign team did release a very pointed statement saying, we didn't realize that "Breitbart" was expanding into ted talk knockoffs. Here in planet earth, the conspiracy theory that Bondi repeated has been conclusively refuted. They added, Joe Biden was instrumental to a bipartisan and international anti-corruption victory. It's no surprise that such a thing an anathema to President Trump. Now, this is all coming as we are just six days out from the Iowa caucuses and those comments from Republican Senator Joni Ernst from here in Iowa, that's caught the attention of Biden's campaign, when Ernst said that she's interested to see if the Trump team's arguments is going to influence any Iowan's decisions as they head to caucus on Monday. And Joe Biden even responded directly to that late last night in a tweet. He said, Iowa caucus goers take note, Joni Ernst just spilled the beans. She and Donald Trump are scared to death I'll be the nominee. He added, on February 3rd, let's make their day. And this gets at the heart of what the Biden campaign thinks is going on here. They think that this whole episode shows that President Trump is most concerned about facing Joe Biden in a general election. And I have to tell you that here on the campaign trail, Biden's been getting a lot of questions from reporters about this, but we haven't heard questions in those question-and-answer sessions from voters directly about impeachment. And Joe Biden thinks this works to his advantage. He told us that every time Trump's team mentions his name in this trial, it gets him another vote here in Iowa. Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Arlette, thank you very much for the news from the ground there. So, we are six days away from the Iowa caucuses and Senator Bernie Sanders is surging. What's behind his rise in the polls? Let's get "The Forecast" with CNN's senior politics writer and analyst Harry Enten.
[Harry Enten, Cnn Senior Politics Writer And Analyst:] What is it? What is behind this?
[Camerota:] Don't pretend you don't know.
[Enten:] I you know, I like being a little coy. Don't you like being a little coy on a Tuesday morning? Take a look here. So
[Berman:] It's like the least alluring thing I have ever heard before 7:00 a.m.
[Camerota:] Oh contraire.
[Enten:] My girlfriend likes it in any event.
[Berman:] All right.
[Enten:] Iowa top choices for the Dem nominee. This is a "New York Times"Sienna College poll out this past weekend. Just take a look here. This is saying what we've been saying all along over the last few weeks. Bernie Sanders up to 25 percent. He was at 19 percent in October. He's up 6 points. Look at the slide for Elizabeth Warren from the last poll. She was at she's she's actually at 15 percent now. But whatever. She's at 15 percent now. She's down 7 points. Klobuchar up a little bit. But let's just take a look and sort of give you an idea of how the odds have shifted a little bit here and I think this is rather important. Adding that "New York Times" poll into the average, what do we see? We see Bernie Sanders chance up a little bit. Now he's at 6.5 out of 20 percent chance of winning. That's a little bit above Biden, 5.5 out of 20. But, again, here are the the key point here is Iowa polls are not necessarily that good. So even if Sanders is favored a little bit, he's not the overwhelming favorite.
[Berman:] Now, you've been digging, though, inside the numbers, because one of the big questions is why, what has Sanders done or what is happening that is leading to this surge in the polls?
[Enten:] So I think that there are two key reasons that Bernie Sanders has surged in the polls. He's getting his base back. Look here among very liberal voters. So back in September in our CNN"Des Moines Register"Mediacom poll, he was only at 20 percent among very liberals. Take a look at January, up to 38 percent. He's eating into Warren's base. She's dropped from 48 percent to 32 percent. Or take a look at the 2016 Sanders supporters. Remember, Sanders got nearly 50 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucus back in 2016. So just getting even half of that is a pretty substantial portion of the pot. And look at this, he was only at 25 percent in September. He's up to 44 percent now. Warren has dropped from 32 percent to 20 percent. So Sanders eating into Warren's base and getting a lot more support from very liberal voters.
[Berman:] He's winning back the people who supported him before at the expense of Elizabeth Warren. You get the sense the Warren campaign probably saw that before we did.
[Enten:] I think they almost certainly did. And that was with the attacks that you saw against Bernie Sanders over the last few weeks. Another key point here is that the moderate lane very, very tied up, very swished. They don't know exactly voters in those lanes don't know who to go for. So, look here, Biden at 23, Buttigieg at 20. You know, if Biden was basically cannibalizing that support, he'd be way up there. But the fact is, he's stuck there. And among the 2016 Clinton supporters, look at this, again sort of this clown car, 24, 19, 18, Sanders only at four. But when he's doing so well among his own supporters back in 2016, the fact that all these candidates are tied up together, it's just enough for him to do well.
[Camerota:] And aren't caucus goers notoriously hard to predict what they're going to do?
[Enten:] They are very they are very hard to predict, as you know. And I'll just show you this. I mean this is back on this date in 2016. Donald Trump led Ted Cruz by 6 points in the Iowa polling. Cruz, of course, defeated him. But, you know, it's so important to me, you know, the fact is that what we see right now in the Iowa polls, if Bernie Sanders were to win Iowa, he'd get a big bounce coming out of there. Winners get a medium 7 point bounce. But also expectation are a key thing that's going on here because for every point candidates outperform their Iowa caucus polls, they gain 0.7 points. For every point they underperform, they lose 0.7 points. And, of course, for Bernie Sanders, that's so important because right now he's just a little bit behind Joe Biden in the national polls. So winning in Iowa could, in fact, boost him up and he could take the lead in the national polls. But the fact is, because expectations are also higher for him right now, losing could really, really hurt him.
[Berman:] But he's leading in the polls in New Hampshire. He's strong in Nevada. It's possible Bernie Sanders it's not impossible for him the win the first three contests and then who knows.
[Enten:] Absolutely true. And then who knows.
[Camerota:] OK, Harry, thank you very much. You totally delivered on that.
[Enten:] Thank you. I try my best.
[Camerota:] Thank you. President Trump's plan for Mideast peace has been years in the making and today we will find out what it includes. But has a key player been left out of the process? That's next.

[Blitzer:] President Trump certainly hope to deliver a spectacle with a Republican presidential convention this week. And now, his campaign is helping a post-convention bounce in the polls will help close the gap with Democratic nominee, Joe Biden. Let's discuss with our White House correspondent, Jeremy Diamond. And our Washington correspondent, Jessica Dean. Jeremy, so what are the expectations at the White House? I think you're speaking to your sources over there. Do they think this fast- moving new cycle, 66 days to go, that the President will stay, first of all, on message and sustain any post-convention momentum?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, I think there's certainly a hope within the Trump campaign and inside the White House that the President can indeed take this momentum that he has coming out of the Republican National Convention and move that forward to tighten the race with Joe Biden in a meaningful way. Most of the President's advisors are under no illusions, at least privately, that the President is facing a deficit against the former Vice President, and he has a lot to do in order to tighten up that deficit. Certainly, they are more optimistic coming out of this republican national convention than they were in the weeks prior. But, of course, the question, Wolf, about whether or not the President can stay on message is an entirely different one. And nobody in Trump world is under any illusions that the President has trouble doing just that. Nonetheless, it seems that the President, so far, is intent on continuing to hammer some of the messages that we heard during the Republican National Convention, which is to say try and frame try and reframe at least his response to the coronavirus as something that was successful and also really hammer home this law and order message. Wolf, we have just learned that the President will, in fact, visit Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday, and not to meet, it seems as of now, with the family of Jacob Blake, who was of course shot by the police there, but instead to survey some of the damage that was incurred as a results of the riots that took place there and also to meet with law enforcement. So, I think you are going to see the president, once again here, mixing official and campaign events in the weeks going forward to try and hammer home that message and, of course, to try and tie Joe Biden to some of the protesting and some of the rioting that we have seen in American cities over the last several months.
[Blitzer:] Wisconsin, a key battleground state which the President narrowly carried four years ago. You know, Jessica, you cover the Biden campaign for us. The former vice president announced he would be returning to the campaign trail to stump in key battleground states after Labor Day in September. Normally, this would of course, be a given, but coming during this coronavirus pandemic, how big of a development is this? Because basically in recent weeks, in recent months, he's been stuck there in in Delaware.
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Right, Wolf, this is significant. He's really stayed in Delaware and Pennsylvania since COVID, really gripped the country back in March and he's done small events with small businesses and communities in Pennsylvania and Delaware. But this him traveling to these battleground states, he says he would like to do this after Labor Day, he mentioned Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Minnesota as states that he would like to visit. But you can make expect to see that this will be done very much like what we've seen in Pennsylvania and Delaware previously. They've always taken great pains to make sure that these events are socially distanced, that all the protocols are followed, people are wearing masks, that they're six feet apart. And we would expect to see that out on the campaign trail, as well. Wolf, and Vice President Biden saying himself, that he does not anticipate doing any sort of rallies, that he would only travel if he can follow the rules of each state and make sure that this is done safely. Interesting to note, though, the only other time we saw him travel outside of that Pennsylvania-Delaware region is when he went to Texas to meet with George Floyd's family in the aftermath of his killing. And he said last week that he would consider going to Wisconsin if he could do so in a way that was safe for everyone, and that made a difference. But, Wolf, as of right now, no specifics on that, no firm plans on that.
[Blitzer:] Jeremy, let's get back to the headline. You just reported that the President has flatly decided that he will visit Kenosha on Tuesday. This potentially is a very significant development indeed. Earlier today, he said probably he might be doing it, but now it's already a hard yes, right? Yeah, that's right. The White House Deputy Press Secretary, Judd Deere, issued a statement as Air Force One landed at Joint Base Andrews just a few moments ago, the president, earlier in the day, had suggested that this was a possibility. Now, the White House confirming that the President will indeed do this. And you have to wonder beyond, of course, the campaign message that the President is going to try and hammer here by trying to tie the Democrats to some of the violence that we have seen in those streets in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after, of course, many hours of peaceful protests in that city. That beyond that, the President is entering here a very combustible situation and is likely to really only inflame tensions. This is not a president who has been the consoler in chief that many presidents have tried to be in times of division and in times of national tragedy. Instead, this is a president who has chosen, time and again, to fan the flames of division and really to stoke those divisions for his political gain. And so you have to wonder, the president entering a situation like this, what is he thinking and what are his advisors thinking about some of the fallout that could come here, and particularly if he could only make if he might make the situation worse there in terms of the protests and in terms of some of the rioting that we have also seen in that city. We saw the president walking down the stairs over there at the Joint Base Andrews getting off of Air Force One. He got into the presidential limousine; they call it the beast. They're driving to the White House, Jeremy, because the South Lawn, where they have the convention, the rally and all of that, it's still not capable of allowing Marine One to land there, is that right?
[Diamond:] Yes, that's right, Wolf. We've seen the president because, of course, he used the South Lawn for this political convention over this entire week, they were not able to use the South Lawn, we're typically you see, Marine One actually landing there. And again, this is kind of, you know, going back to the president using the South Lawn of the White House for this political convention, this is how the president is campaigning in times of a pandemic. You have seen Joe Biden, try and kind of do these virtual events, try and do socially distance responsible events. The President is starting to beef up his campaign travel. But while he has not been able to do some of those campaign rallies, we have seen instead, the president use all of the trappings of the presidency, whether it is campaigning from the Rose Garden, or from the South Lawn of the White House, or really using official events travel outside of the country in order to hammer his rival Joe Biden. That is the strategy that we are seeing the president employ in these times. And I do think again, you're going to see that amplified and continue in the weeks ahead.
[Blitzer:] All right. Jeremy Diamond, Jessica Dean, guys, thank you very much. Let's get some analysis to discuss the state of the presidential contest. Joining us now, Ron Brownstein, CNN senior political analyst, senior editor over at the Atlantic as well. What about the news we just heard from Jeremy, Ron? The President will actually be traveling to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday. Is that a good decision?
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Well, it's interesting because it tells you two things. It reaffirms the message of the convention that they are all in on the argument that Joe Biden, you'll be less safe and Joe Biden's America as their path back in the election. It felt like the only thing that his heart was in, in that kind of interminable Castro-esque speech he gave Thursday night was that argument, but it also to me shows the challenge in trying to make that the center of the campaign because the convention really made two interlock arguments, you know, one, as I said, is that you will be less safe in Joe Biden's America and the other one is that the coronavirus is solved, you know, they talked about it in the past tense. They had a giant event on the White House lawn without masks or social distancing. In effect, the President is saying to people, you should be more concerned about something you're experiencing for the most part on your television than you are something that you are experiencing in real life. And I and that's a hard thing to do. And the fact that he's going to Kenosha just shows how much effort it takes to kind of keep the focus on that. I've just had one other point. It is not a given that even if you believe that disorder in cities is a problem that you believe the President Trump's iron fist is the solution. I think a big difference from the 60s is that when Richard Nixon promised law and order, most suburbanites thought he could deliver it. But if you look at polls, Wolf, there are a lot of people who think that President Trump's approach makes things worse, potentially makes them more vulnerable to violence, because he's so racially divisive, so belligerent. And as Jeremy said, you know, he tends to put out these fires with gasoline. So, again, not clear he can shift the focus to this on any sustained basis. And even if he does, not clear that he wins the argument, certainly by not any convincing margin. So, Ron, the conventions are now over in a normal election cycle campaigns look to capitalize on a post-convention bounce. Do you anticipate that the President is going to get a significant bounce out of what happened here in Washington over the past four days?
[Brownstein:] I would think he's going to get something. I mean, he's been polling at 41, 42, sometimes 40, against Joe Biden, and in our deeply polarized era, that is a very low number. So, it's hard to believe that four nights of kind of reminding Republicans why they don't like Democrats and painting him in a very positive light would not have some effect. But the long-term trend, Wolf, is precisely because we are so dug in the bounces are much smaller than they used to be. They were bigger in the 60s and 70s than they were in the 80s and 90s, and those were bigger than they've been in the last 20 years. And I think you saw that in the viewership, you know, I mean, there were a lot of voters who just did not tune in because they kind of have made up their mind about Trump. To me, the key question, the key challenge he faces is that you can go back in the history of polling, there are very few examples, maybe Harry Truman is the only one in 1948, a candidate from either party who was trailing in the polling immediately after their own convention and still won the popular vote. Like I said, I don't know if anybody has done that since Truman. And I think if Trump is still trailing in the polling, immediately after this convention, it would say he is highly unlikely to win the popular vote, doesn't mean he can't win the Electoral College, but it does mean he's in the same position of having to pull in inside straight for a second election in a row. So, I would be looking for that, not only the margin, but whether he's still behind after his own convention. That's often a high point for candidates.
[Blitzer:] Yes, good point, indeed. Ron Brownstein, as usual, thank you very, very much. This note to our viewers, disinformation lies, CNN Films presents "After Truth," a film that looks at how fake news is used as a weapon against democracy "After Truth," later tonight after
[The Situation Room 10:] 00 p.m. Eastern only here on CNN. We'll be right back.

[Gorani:] Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is in Saudi Arabia, days after his visit to Iran and an attempt to defuse rising tensions in the gulf. He is, in fact, not in Said Arabia. He was there previously. CNN's Max Foster sat down with him in Islamabad to talk about regional relations and what the U.S. president asked him to do.
[Max Foster, Cnn International Correspondent:] So you're working with President Trump on the Iran-Saudi situation. You had even empowered by him to mediate or facilitate there.
[Imran Khan, Prime Minister Of Pakistan:] Well, President Trump, when I was in New York, did say that we should try and be go between Iran and the United States. And I did speak to President Rouhani when I was in Iran about the U.S. offer. And that's an involvement situation. So let's see if it gets anywhere.
[Foster:] Are you able to say to President Rouhani that there may be a goodwill gesture at some point coming to the United States to help with that bilateral relationship?
[Khan:] But the U.S. is a little more complicated. So I wouldn't go into too much into details about it and to some response from both sides.
[Foster:] Are you positive?
[Khan:] I think so. I think there's a realization. I think President Trump, you know, say whatever people will say about him and criticize him. But at least, he what I like about him is he does not believe in wars.
[Gorani:] That was Imran Khan in Islamabad speaking to Max Foster. An update now on a story we brought you yesterday. Police in Texas say the white officer who shot and killed a black woman in her own home, is now facing murder charges. Authorities say Aaron Dean did not identify himself as police before firing his gun through a window and tragically killing 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson as she played video games with her nephew. Omar Jimenez has that story.
[Omar Jimenez, Cnn National Correspondent:] Less than three days after Atatiana Jefferson was killed in the bedroom of her own home, the officer who police say fired the shot
[Ed Kraus, Interim Police Chief, Fort Worth Police Department:] Aaron Dean, I.D. 4598, was the officer who responded to the call and fired the shot that killed Atatiana.
[Jimenez:] Aaron Dean, now charged with murder. But for the family of Jefferson, justice is still a long way off. The family's lawyer, civil rights attorney, Lee Merritt, tweeting, "The family of Atatiana Jefferson is relieved that Aaron Dean has been arrested and charged with murder. We need to see this through to a vigorous prosecution and appropriate sentencing."
[Adarius Carr, Brother Of Atatiana Jefferson:] I'm watching the video. I don't understand there's no way to go in thinking that you have to shoot someone every time you're on the call.
[Jimenez:] The call was for what was supposed to be a simple welfare check. A neighbor was concerned about open doors, so he called the non-emergency line.
[Unidentified Male:] Well, the front doors have been open since 10:00 and I haven't seen anybody moving around. It's not normal for them to have both of the doors open this time of night.
[Jimenez:] Police released edited body camera footage showing the responding officers moving through Jefferson's property in the dark with a flashlight. No announcement that officers were outside the window. Then, Dean quickly approaches a window with his gun drawn, yelling, and within seconds firing a single fatal shot.
[Aaron Dean, Fort Worth Police Officer Charged With Murder:] Put your hands up. Show me your hands.
[Jimenez:] Atatiana Jefferson was killed as her 8-year-old nephew in the room watched.
[Amber Carr, Sister Of Atatiana Jefferson:] The first thing he told me was he was sad. And I asked him why was he sad, and he told me because the police had killed his had shot his aunt.
[Unidentified Male:] Nobody looked at that video and said there's any doubt that this officer acted inappropriately.
[Jimenez:] Now, Dean is charged with murdering Atatiana Jefferson, killed less than 10 minutes after that initial call for a welfare check in the bedroom of her own home.
[Gorani:] Omar Jimenez reporting. After the break, racist chants at the England-Bulgaria football match. Now, European football's governing bodies has both teams will face charges. And in the Middle East, football as diplomacy? We'll be right back.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, Cuomo Prime Time:] All right, Anderson, thank you. I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to PRIME TIME, live from Washington D.C. As one of my guests said, there was this case before today, November 20th, and then a whole new reality after today. So, what mattered, and why? And what happens now? We have power players and people in power here to take it all on, so let's get after it.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.
[Cuomo:] Today left a mark in this impeachment inquiry. Why? Well, Gordon Sondland, the President's own hand-picked Ambassador, implicated him directly in the shakedown of Ukraine. And, by the way, that wasn't the end of it.
[Gordon Sondland, U.s. Ambassador To The European Union:] At the express direction of the President of the United States. So, we followed the President's orders. I followed the directions of the President. Was there a quid pro quo? The answer is yes. Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret.
[Cuomo:] "Everyone knew. It was no secret." According to the U.S. Ambassador to the EU, million-dollar donor to Trump's Inaugural, that means Pence, Pompeo, Bolton, Mulvaney, of course Giuliani, of course, of course, the President himself. The day ended with a different type of meaningful moment. The House Intel Committee Chair reflected on the anti-corruption narrative from the President and his defenders.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] And when Ambassador Sondland testified today that he could put two and two together, and so can we, that there was also a quid pro quo on the military aid that that aid was not going to be released unless they did a public statement, Ukraine did a public statement, of these political investigations, the President wanted, that's not anti-corruption. That is corruption. I want you to do a favor, a a favor. Investigate this crazy 2016 server conspiracy that the server's somewhere in Ukraine. And more ominously, investigate the Bidens. That's not anti-corruption. That is corruption. It's called hypocrisy.
[Cuomo:] An animated, unusually, Adam Schiff. Let's bring in our team, Jen Psaki, Rick Santorum, Michael Smerconish, Jeffrey Toobin. Jeffrey Toobin?
[Jeffrey Toobin, Former Federal Prosecutor, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst, Staff Writer, The New Yorker:] Yes, Sir.
[Cuomo:] At the end of today's testimony, largely on the shoulders of Ambassador Sondland, as a synthesis, it was obvious, it was wrong, it was known, it was worried about, it was arguably abuse of power, and certainly the stuff that was supposed to be investigated as potentially impeachable.
[Toobin:] This was it. I mean this every suspicion of Donald Trump was confirmed today. This was about abuse of power. The question at the heart of this inquiry has always been did the President use his power of the Presidency not to commit perjury, not to rob a bank, but to use the power that only he has in a corrupt way. And today, we know he did, because today we know that the President you held back a White House meeting, and nearly $400 million of taxpayer money, to get dirt on Joe Biden. That's what we learned today beyond any reasonable doubt. And, you know, the Senate and the House are going to have to decide what to do about them.
[Cuomo:] Yes, no, is it a bribe?
[Toobin:] Oh, absolutely.
[Cuomo:] Other poll of opinion, my head-shaking friend on the outside.
[Rick Santorum, Former U.s. Senate Member, Cnn Senior Political Commentator:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] How do you see?
[Santorum:] Look, I I think the Democrats had a had a good had a good morning. I don't think they're I don't think they had a good afternoon. I think what when when the Republicans actually started questioning Sondland about the details, I think it fell apart a little bit, I mean.
[Cuomo:] How so?
[Santorum:] Well he said, you know, the President never said any of these things to him. In fact, what the President said, he quoted what the President said is, "No, there's no quid pro quo." And the the what what he says is why I'm I'm surmising. This is what I'm just sort of gathering, he said, what "Did did anything come from the President?" "No, it came from Rudy Giuliani." Well I mean-
[Cuomo:] And Mulvaney.
[Santorum:] Well, I'm-
[Cuomo:] With the knowledge of Pompeo.
[Jen Psaki, Former White House Communications Director For President Obama, Former State Department Spokesperson, Cnn Political Commentator:] And Pompeo.
[Santorum:] Mulvaney said that, you know, the the-
[Cuomo:] He said exactly that and then hold it back.
[Santorum:] -which he which he walked back, as you know.
[Cuomo:] Well-
[Santorum:] So, the look, the the reality is that I'm just trying to play out what it what where I think the public is, where I think Republicans are, is this just is another example of someone giving their opinion as to what the President's position was. But the President's position clearly stated in the May meeting was, and clearly stated, period, which is he doesn't like foreign aid. He thinks the Ukrainians are corrupt. And he's tired of NATO not paying their fair share. And those are all legitimate reasons not to not to provide the aid.
[Cuomo:] Then-
[Toobin:] And and if you look at the emails, and the text messages, none of that is mentioned. All that's mentioned are Burisma and the and the server. That's the only thing any of these people cared about.
[Santorum:] Well-
[Toobin:] I mean the whole idea that the President is is-
[Santorum:] That-
[Toobin:] -worried about burden-sharing, which was last week's talking point, yes, it's true. But it had nothing to do-
[Santorum:] It's-
[Toobin:] -with his decision. It was not in any of the-
[Santorum:] Well, first of all, it's in it's in-
[Psaki:] And and here's what doesn't-
[Santorum:] -Ron Johnson's letter. It's in it's in the original meeting in May. It's in it's in plenty of places.
[Psaki:] Here's what doesn't make sense, I think, about your argument here.
[Cuomo:] That would be two places. Go ahead.
[Psaki:] A couple things. One is if Gordon Sondland who, as we all know, from all of the reporting, has been going around the world to Ukrainians, Members of Congress, people in the Administration, and saying the President were we're tying military assistance to these investigations, nobody's argued with him, nobody's refuted him, no he hasn't been fired. He's still in his job. He admitted to that today. If that was so wrong-
[Santorum:] Vice President Pence you know, Vice President Pence has pushed back saying that there established by saying-
[Psaki:] No, no, but I I have been a part of carefully writing many statements. That was a carefully written statement where he said they didn't have a private meeting, also that he didn't have a discussion, but he didn't say he didn't know, and he certainly didn't say he wasn't told.
[Santorum:] I look, and as I've said many times, I think there were multiple reasons why the President didn't want to release the aid. Was one of them kicking Joe Biden in the teeth? Probably. But there's nothing illicit about about the fact that all of these other things, which are legitimate reasons to hold back aid-
[Cuomo:] But you only need-
[Santorum:] -were also contemporaneous.
[Cuomo:] But if you rob a bank because you're hungry, because your mother needs something, and because you want to smash a window, and take jewelry, that's the one that sends you to jail, Rick.
[Santorum:] I disagree. I I don't think what the President did was illegal. I mean I've said that from the very beginning. I think it was inappropriate.
[Cuomo:] Well Jeffrey Toobin just said he thinks it could be a bribe.
[Santorum:] But I don't think-
[Cuomo:] But hold on.
[Santorum:] -it's illegal.
[Cuomo:] Let me bring Michael in here because we saw a lot today or heard a lot today on what the President said his main statement was on this. He even wrote notes about it that I want you to see. Listen to this.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] So, here's my answer. "I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing." Then he says this is the final word from the President of the United States. "I want nothing."
[Cuomo:] Now, his best defense in there is that he is so unfamiliar with the situation that he can't even spell the Ukrainian President's name. He wasn't even close. But-
[Michael Smerconish, Cnn Political Commentator, Cnn Host, "smerconish":] If I'm-
[Cuomo:] -if that's what he says his position is, how do you take it?
[Smerconish:] If I'm committing an act of murder, and shouting, "No homicide," at the same time, I'm not exonerated. Jeffrey's right insofar as all the boxes were checked today for the elements of what Democrats are trying to establish. Rick is correct in making a political argument that at the end of the day, the House, there's no reason why they will not continue with impeachment, and nothing that occurred today will cause 20 Senators, who are Republican to vote for conviction.
[Psaki:] I think that's totally fair. And actually, for Democrats watching today, there were people that I think Democrats were hopeful would be a little more effective, and a little more sympathetic to this.
[Cuomo:] Zero movement. You will get zero votes for articles of impeachment.
[Psaki:] Well-
[Cuomo:] Do you continue forward?
[Psaki:] I think they do because Democrats aren't doing this for political purposes. They're doing this because they don't think a precedent should be set that a President of the United States can bribe another country for a dirt on a political opponent.
[Cuomo:] Rick, do me a favor.
[Santorum:] Well the-
[Cuomo:] Pick your teeth up, and then answer the question.
[Santorum:] -the the the reality is the Democrats have been pushing for impeachment from the very beginning. They've been trying to find a reason. They went through they went through Russia. They went through collusion. They went through obstruction. They went look, they went through the 25th Amendment. I mean they're trying to do anything to get rid of this guy. That's what makes this such a hard reach for them. If this was a de novo type of a of they're they're proceeding along, working nicely with the President, they come-
[Cuomo:] So, if this was the first abusive thing he did-
[Santorum:] This is the first abuse of-
[Cuomo:] -instead of the 11th-
[Santorum:] Well no, but-
[Cuomo:] -they'd be better off?
[Santorum:] -but again, the "Abusive things" he did-
[Cuomo:] Listen, there's more-
[Santorum:] -he was found not to be abusive.
[Cuomo:] -to discuss in the context of what we heard, and what it means. And look, may not be comfortable for all of you. But the idea of where this goes from now, even though you checked the most boxes of wrongdoing today, than you have to date, is a real question. So, please, everybody stick around. You guys have no choice, you do, but please do. The President has a different take on Sondland's testimony. It's all over for him, he says, he was cleared today. We'll test that, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Paula Newton, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton. The headlines this hour. The free fall in global stock markets is only getting worse amid the uncertainty over the coronavirus. So far the Seoul Kospi has seen its largest decline in Thursday's trading in Asia. You see it down there, more than 7 percent. This follows another devastating day on Wall Street which saw more steep losses right cross the board. Italy's cases continue to soar. The Civil Protection Agency reported more than 4,200 new infections Wednesday alone, bringing its total to more than 35,000 cases and nearly 3,000 deaths. The government says on average, deaths in Italy are happening eight days after patients show their first symptoms. Now we know you have a lot of questions about the coronavirus. And we, of course, want to get you some of those answers. For that we turn to Dr. Anne Rimoin. She is a professor of epidemiology at UCLA.
[Newton:] We just went through Europe. it is clear how this virus is ravaging Europe. Is North America likely next? It doesn't matter how much shut down as we are going through that now. Do the spikes in the cases and the deaths alarm you here right now?
[Dr. Anne Rimoin, Professor, Department Of Epidemiology, Ucla:] Absolutely. I think we have to look at the global data which is very compelling. And countries that have not deployed rapid social distancing measures that have been very extreme in nature are suffering the same fate that Italy has suffered. And we in the Untied States having had major testing failures, not being able to ramp up quickly to be able to test people, to employ social distancing measures are far behind the curve. So I believe that we will be too, going in the same direction as Italy.
[Newton:] So you do expect hospitals to be overwhelmed? You expect a lot of suffering, in terms of people getting sick with this virus, and having severe respiratory illness?
[Rimoin:] I think you have to look at the global data. And the global data tells us what happens when we do not have the right methods in place. You know, the good news is that we have had a little bit of time to prepare. We are probably about 10 days behind Italy, as we understand it. And so hospitals are ramping up. They are doing the best that they can. But we do have major shortages with PPE, with the personal protective equipment that is really necessary, the masks, the gowns, the gloves. All of these things are in very short supply here. So, you know, the truth is, we will you know, it will really depend on how well the social distancing methods that are now in place are working, and how well the population sticks to it.
[Newton:] And to that end, something that is alarming we interviewed Dr. Steven Choi. He is the chief quality officer for Yale, New Haven Health System, right just outside of New York. And that is a hot spot right now. You know we asked him what is keeping you up at night. He said the lack of social awareness in the community. He says this battle will be won or lost outside of the hospitals. He says we have days to respond to this call for action, not weeks and certainly not months. How, Doctor do you then take that plea from somebody who is on the front line in a hospital in the United States? And really trying and get it through some people in the United States that, as you said, it's business as usual really in some communities.
[Rimoin:] I think that the reality hasn't set-in for the vast majority of the American public. I think what is different in the United States is that we haven't had to deal with these kinds of emergency situations before. You know, I've spent my career working in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places in Africa, you know, where epidemics have ravaged communities. And people understand what it's like to have to take action. And that actually, public health depends upon the community. And so I agree very strongly with that statement that the battle is going to be fought on the basis of how communities behave. And if people can take social distancing seriously and really limit the spread. I mean we keep talking about flattening the curve. And the only way to do that is with really community engagement. And you know, this is no different than any other outbreak that we'd ever seen. It all rests with the community.
[Newton:] I'm sure it is still possible to flatten the curve but do you believe this social distancing started too late to really get it to where we need it to be.
[Rimoin:] Well, what I would say is its' never too late to do something, to make it better. And we are really at a critical point. Could it have been better if we had all started earlier, had the testing ramped up earlier and we knew exactly what we were dealing with? Absolutely. But there is still time to make it better than it was going to be if we had done nothing, or if we had done a little. Every minute counts. And so that's the key thing I think people have to really understand. Every minute counts. Let's do the best that we can. Any social distancing that happens right now, will pay off two weeks from now. So I think we're the key.
[Newton:] And in terms of some of the problems that have happened happening in United States, one of them, of course, has been testing. I read in the Italian press that there was a community in Italy of about 3,000 people, so it was a small community. They decided, ok, let's just they could and so they did. They tested everyone. They then isolated the people that were positive. And then in the next week they had zero cases. Do you believe that, going forward, that as the testing ramps up, that that will also contribute?
[Rimoin:] Absolutely. We are able to test and really understand who has COVID-19, who does not. We will be able to do the same thing on a much larger scale. It is all dependent upon the testing that is available. However, we do know that it isn't just about getting the test kits. The test kits are one thing but there are other pieces of it that we need. There are all sorts of what we call re-agents which are basically the chemicals that make the test work. We need the swabs. There are shortages in many, many places so it is not just the test. So I think the people really need to understand that testing, while critical, is not just a magic kit that gets put in somebody's hand and it gives a result. So, I think that there are many complicated steps to putting it all together. But I do believe that with testing and with good social distancing, we will be much better off.
[Newton:] Ok. I have to go, but there is one thing that is top of mind, I know for many people right now. They are wondering if we get through this wave and people do get infected, can you get re-infected or does that give you the key to what we want right now which is some sort of immunity against this virus?
[Rimoin:] What we know about coronavirus, this coronavirus COVID-19 and other is based on what we know from other coronaviruses really. We do know that other coronaviruses can provide some protective immunity at least for a period of time. We don't know where we stand with COVID-19. What we think where we keep hearing about these issues of re- infection, they're likely to be relapses. So that the virus have been totally cleared from somebody's system and comes back again. And there have been this happened with SARS in fact. So this is not an unheard of phenomenon. I just think we're waiting to find out what it all means. And that's the tough part of where we stand with the virus right the novel coronavirus.
[Newton:] Yes. It really is tough the waiting, when even experts like you are saying you're still waiting for the data. Dr. Anne Rimoin in Los Angeles thanks for joining us. Really appreciate it.
[Rimoin:] My pleasure.
[Newton:] So you just heard her speaking there about how important testing is, right. Well, as the number of cases of coronavirus grow around the world, tests and even supplies for the test key are becoming harder to find. CNN's Drew Griffin spoke with experts who say preparations should have started the moment China experienced its outbreak.
[Drew Griffin, Cnn Special Correspondent:] In the cascading shortfalls of the national response to coronavirus, testing labs across the country are sounding the next alarm. Telling CNN there are shortages, not just in tests but the components needed to conduct the tests. The head of a 51 hospital network in the west says key parts are missing.
[Dr. Rod Hochiman, Ceo, Providence St. Joseph:] In certain cases, it's reagents for some of the chemicals that are used. And even in certain cases it's just availability of the appropriate swab in order to take the sample.
[Griffin:] It's the same story at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
[Dr. Yoko Furuya, Medical Director Of Infection, Prevention And Control, Ny Presbyterian:] There do continue to be some challenges around expanding the testing significantly at this point.
[Griffin:] And at the University of Nebraska's testing lab
[Dr. Mark Rupp, Infection Control Chief, University Of Nebraska Medical Center:] We're in the situation now where we actually don't have the reagents to do the extraction from the samples so that we can run the tests.
[Griffin:] Health officials in multiple states tell CNN they do not have enough tests for people who need them because of a shortage. In Minnesota, the state health agency is limiting testing to only the highest priority specimens, due to a national shortage of COVID-19 laboratory testing materials. The Ohio Department of Health told CNN, they are only testing our most vulnerable patients due to a global shortage of supply. And in West Virginia, the state health officer says she had to scrape together supplies from flu tests.
[Dr. Cathy Slemp, West Virginia State Health Officer:] There's all kinds in the chain of testing. There's swabs, there's extraction things, et cetera, et cetera. There are shortages on many pieces of it.
[Griffin:] West Virginia still has a critically low number of tests. Military veteran Kenneth Hawthorne says he's been to the medical room three times in the past two weeks, sick with a cough, fever but tested negative for flu. He says he cannot get tested for COVID-19.
[Kenneth Hawthorne, Veteran Unable To Receive Test:] They keep telling me that my wife and I were at low risk, so we weren't priority to take the test.
[Griffin:] A major test maker Roche Diagnostics Corporation tells CNN demand for its test is "greater than our ability to supply it". How did this happen?
[Dr. Rod Hochiman, Ceo, Providence St. Joseph:] Well, I think we needed to rethink how we're going to deal with an epidemic or a pandemic in this case. The minute there was an outbreak in China several months ago that should have started a whole sequence of events going. Now, as everyone would say, that's the history. But what are we going to do now?
[Griffin:] Industries are responding. Ramping up production and both Lab Corps and Quest tell CNN they are greatly increasing the number of tests they can process per day. But in the meantime, the CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories calls the situation a huge problem. "I am really concerned that we are not going to have the capabilities to test those who really need and should get a test. The Food and Drug Administration told CNN it's well aware of the shortages and is trying to provide information on alternative sources of re-agents, extraction kits, swabs and more. But as one lab official told me, this is analogous to the run on toilet paper. Labs now chasing dwindling supplies and hoping manufacturers can fill the void and soon. Drew Griffin, CNN Atlanta.
[Newton:] Ok. We know you still have lots of questions, right? Join Dr. Gupta and Anderson Cooper for a third

[Kinkade:] Welcome back. New tensions between Israel and its neighbors. The Lebanese army says an Israeli drone has breached Lebanon's airspace and started a fire at a farm while Israel says anti-tank missiles have been fired from the border from Lebanon. We are on the ground in both locations for you. Ben Wedeman joins us from southern Lebanon, Sam Kiley is in the north of Israel. I'll start first with you Sam. The Lebanese military managed to make a number of direct hits at an Israeli army base. Israel fired back. What is Israel saying?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, it wasn't the Lebanese army, Lynda. I think it was Hezbollah, a very important distinction there. Hezbollah had been threatening to retaliate for what they said was the attack they received from Israeli drones about a week ago inside Beirut. But according to the Israeli Defense Forces, they have confirmed that about two hours ago, an anti-tank missile missiles were fired across the border just about three or four kilometers from where I'm standing. If you look over just behind me there, the green area is Israel, the brown area effectively is a Lebanon. You can see how tight that border is. But they say we don't yet have any information on casualties. There are claims being made from Hezbollah but they'd hardly be in a position to know. What we do know is that the Israelis were very quick to retaliate. We suspect using artillery which has been very discreetly tucked into hillsides all along this border for just such an occasion following the Hezbollah threats and that the area civilians in the area have been told for in a four-mile or four kilometers back from the border to open their bomb shelters not to panic and not to go into the bomb shelters yet to stand by if there's any kind of red alert. There are concerns of course among the Israelis that this is the first of what may be more attacks coming from Hezbollah. There's also a hope that perhaps now that Hezbollah has struck back and taken its revenge, that tensions between the militant group in southern Lebanon and the Israelis can be dialed down because there is, of course, in the background people reflecting on both sides of the border on the disastrous for both sides war of 2006 which followed a similar incident as the one that occurred here about two hours ago. Lynda?
[Kinkade:] Thanks so much. And a good distinction you made there. Ben, I want to go to you because the Lebanese Prime Minister is calling on the French President and the U.S. Secretary of State to intervene. How is this playing out in Lebanon and what sort of international response can we expect?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, first, let me just give you a feeling, Lynda, for where I am. We're in Maroun El Ras which is right overlooking the border with Israel. And according to the Lebanese army I'm just going to step out of the way so you get a better shot of this 40 rounds were fired by Israel into this area below me, these fields right next to what's known as the blue line, the border between Israel and Lebanon. So 40 rounds landing in this field below me setting fire to the fields. And we're told by people in this town that the actual strike on the Israeli armored vehicle which Hezbollah has acknowledged it did, occurred also in the background here just a few hours ago. I think at 4:15 local time which is about two hours and ten minutes ago. And this was something that was not altogether a surprise because Hezbollah has made it clear through its secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah that Lebanon would respond to the drone strikes, not just a drone incidence in southern Beirut that happened very early in the morning on Sunday, but also to an Israeli strike on a facility outside of Damascus which Hezbollah says resulted in the killing of two of its fighters there In fact, the operation, the attack on the Israeli vehicle is being claimed in the name of a group that has been named after those two Hezbollah fighters. Now, as far as the chances of some sort of diplomatic solution, at this point, it's not altogether clear. We know that Rafiq al-Hariri, the Lebanese Prime Minister has been in touch with the Americans and the French but certainly given that Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, it's questionable whether the Americans will be willing to intervene to try to bring about some sort of calming of the situation. As far as the atmosphere here in the southern Lebanon, we did see people filling up at gas stations, others were in stores getting supplies, but in general, I think we just we can pan over again, lots of people have come here to take pictures and send messages to relatives. One man telling me that pointing to the fires behind me, that this is the price that Israel pays for what he called aggression on Lebanon. Lynda.
[Kinkade:] Right. Ben, just give us some more context here. Talk to us about the fears that this could become wider round of fighting here.
[Wedeman:] Well, you know, in Lebanon, Beirut, everyone is always predicting a war is about to break out. And certainly, this is the closest we've come since 2006 when a 33-day war resulted in more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians being killed in large parts of the infrastructure of the country being destroyed. The airport was knocked out of commission. And the worry is that this could be the beginning of a repeat of that. But it's important to keep in mind that unlike 2006 when the relationship between Hezbollah and the Lebanese government wasn't very good, at the moment Hezbollah is very much involved in the daily politics of Lebanon. It has a very good relationship with the Lebanese president and his political party. And what we've seen certainly in the last week is Lebanese politicians coming out to voice their support for Hezbollah because the Israeli drone operation if we can call it that on southern Beirut that happened a week ago came out of the blue. It was not something that was the result of any particular action by Hezbollah from Lebanon. Lynda?
[Kinkade:] All right, Ben Wedeman in southern Lebanon and Sam Kiley in the north of Israel, good to have you both with us. Thank you so much. Well, meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he wants to apply Israeli sovereignty to all Jewish settlements in the West Bank. He's not giving a timeframe. Mr. Netanyahu is speaking at one of those settlements marking the beginning of the school year. The vow comes ahead of elections this month and repeats a promise from the last vote back in April. Palestinian officials say Erekat has called for countries around the world to condemn Mr. Netanyahu's statement. Well, still to come, the northern Bahamas are in the path of an extremely powerful and dangerous hurricane. We will be live on the islands where hurricane Dorian is making landfall after this short break. Stay with us. Well, after the Bahamas Dorian is set to bring chaos to the eastern coast of the United States. Live reports also from Florida, South Carolina are ahead.

[Anderson:] Welcome back. Fans of English Premier League giants Manchester City will be breathing a major sigh of relief today, Monday, after finding out their club will, in fact, play in next season's Champions League. We're joined by World Sport Patrick Snell. And as I said Patrick, a great day, for City and their fans a terrible day it has to be said, for UEFA?
[Patrick Snell, Cnn Sport Anchor:] Yes, no question Becky. Thank you so much. I will say, this though, City supporters you know, this is the news they wanted to hear. Their club was facing a two ban from the prestigious UEFA Champions League an unthinkable prospect to a club of their desires and ambitions. Remember, City who would always deny any wrong doing, but originally punished by European football's governing body UEFA. Later these serious breaches of club licensing and financial fair play regulations. City appealed and the ban on Monday was overturn.
[Snell:] Now on a statement Manchester City saying the club welcomes the implications of today's ruling as a validation of a club's position and the body of evidence that it was able to present, the club wishes to thank the panel members for their due diligence and the due process that they administered. Meantime, UEFA saying it had noted the cast panel found there was insufficient conclusive evidence to uphold all these CFCBs conclusions in this specific case and that many of the alleged breaches were time barred due to the five-year time period foreseen in the UEFA regulations and we'll stay across all the key developments. Now once again, it is the ugly stain of racism in football after it emerged two Premier League players Sheffield United's David McGoldrick, Crystal Palace and Wilfried Zaha have suffered racist abuse online. And now one Premier League star is telling us he finds online racism worse than racist incidents actually inside stadium. The Watford defender Christian Kabasele saying that while all forms are reprehensible sending monkey and banana emojis to players on social media means that somebody has taken the time to think about their message before sending it. Well, Kabasele spoke to World Sport Contributor Darren Lewis back in March about the racism he has experienced and why he says social media platforms have failed to deal with incidents he has reported in the past.
[Christian Kabasele, Watford Defender:] When you're on stadium sometimes the fact that you are put down by other person, you just disconnect your brain and you do something stupid that when you write something on Twitter, you have time to think about what you are doing, and it's worse than something happen in a stadium.
[Darren Lewis, Cnn World Sport Contributor:] Now I know that you reported, when you received the abuse, and you were quite shocked by the response. Just talk us through that.
[Kabasele:] Yes. So I was abused in Belgium during a game, and after I went to my Instagram and I took a monkey picture, and I put next to a picture of myself, and I was asking am I looking as the same as the monkey? And I think the day after, Instagram deleted my post and just said that I broke the rules of Instagram that I was violent and I was spreading out cities spreading violence and the message on my Instagram. So I should stop it. That's quite unbelievable, because when I was abused again on Instagram, I reported the message that I received and after a day of investigation they found out that there was no violence message against me or break rules so it's quite amazing how you can have two kinds of reaction about this? It's unbelievable. It's difficult to understand and believe, but it didn't happen only once, several times because that day I received a lot of message, and I reported maybe for three or four of them. They said no violence in the account that you reported.
[Lewis:] Where do we go? What do we do with this? I can't see a situation where this is going to stop people or allowed to do all sorts of things on social media?
[Kabasele:] Yes, but I think the first step, maybe, is to obligate every person who is on Instagram, Twitter all those kinds of things do to use their ID. The system follows that. You put all the details of your ID on Instagram, like this doing something bad. We know who is behind this kind of thing and maybe it will make people think twice before making things like this. Maybe that's the first step, I don't know.
[Snell:] Well, Darren Lewis joining me now. Darren, I mentioned also there the incidents involving McGoldrick. Just how timely is your interview that, a powerful interview you had with Christian and the statements it's been making as well?
[Lewis:] Yes, we've done that interview before the lockdown, Patrick, and all of the issues that he raises in that interview are all relevant now that we've had the news today that the Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha and the Sheffield United's striker David McGoldrick who both received racist, let's not call them offensive, they're racists messages on social media, on Instagram. Now I want to read you something from Instagram. It's on their twitter feed which has 35.3 million followers says this. We started to get racism in all its forms. We started in solidarity with the black community. Real change comes through action that's the pinned tweet on Instagram's twitter feed with 35 million followers. Now if that's the case, why is it that so many footballers and people are failing to get them to say look, if there is racially offensive material on your twitter feed you will be removed. We will take action. Why is it taking Patrick, taking so long for footballers to get the kind of address that they're asking for because that would have undermine Instagram's message.
[Snell:] Yes, yes, you make an excellent point. And question so many out there that still need to be answered. But I want to kind of top into that and elaborate some more developing what we saw over weekend regarding Zaha and McGoldrick as well. Generally speaking and elaborating Darren, what did you make of the response we saw in the hour that ensued to the abuse they received?
[Lewis:] Well, the response we saw was always get, the cops were supportive and the football community was very supportive, but the players has a resignation just like you have from sports stars in the U.S. and just like you have from sports stars all around the world. David McGoldrick he tweeted 2020 and this is life, and that's the reality, if you're black and you're a footballer, if you're a sport star, if you perform around the world, you are likely to get that kind of abuse. You can post all of the black squares, you can kneel, you can wear badges and all those gestures of solidarity that you like. But if you can't take action when black people say, protect us from the abuse we're suffering when we go to work then none of it matters.
[Snell:] Yes. Darren, thank you very much for joining us, really important we stay across this every step of the way. Becky, I'm going to send it back to you. I want to tell our viewers that on Tuesday we will bring you part 2 of Darren's interview with Kabasele, recounting the abuse he suffered during his particularly in Eastern Europe. Back to you there Becky.
[Anderson:] Yes, thank you very much, indeed. And it is great to be back. We covered some essential stories for you this hour. That story of course Man City one of them for sure it matters and as America's catastrophic response to COVID. But spare a thought for Yemen. We heard that the mortality rate there as high as 25 percent with COVID. Imagine that you catch a virus, highly contagious and you have a one in four chance of dying is like playing Russian it appalling. We're in Lebanon where the county could finally be running out of luck falling of its own financial cliff that would be disaster for the entire region and contrast to other responses from countries well-equipped to handle it like here in the UAE and Gulf states. Not just a matter of money. It can't buy you way to safety. Jordan a poor countries, also managed to keep its outbreak under control. Even with all of this going on right here the Emirates preparing to the roam the solar system. This is a complex nuanced region. It's a complex world and we'll be connecting all of it for you. I'm Becky Anderson. For the time being, it's a very, very good evening.

[Camerota:] The number of homeless people in Los Angeles has spiked by 16 percent this year. Why? CNN's Maeve Reston is live in Los Angeles with more. What have you learned, Maeve?
[Maeve Reston, Cnn National Political Reporter:] Well, we've been chronicling this issue over the past year, Alisyn, and there are so many obstacles to getting these 60,000 people housed in L.A. County. And it's not just the fact that there's resistance in neighborhoods, but in many of the many of the folks that we've talked to who are living out on the streets, you know, are facing mental health issues, substance abuse issues. And this huge tent culture has really grown up here. And a lot of people want to stay in their tents, you know, feeling that that if they're put in housing, they'll be subject to rules, they'll lose their freedom. And so it's just a really difficult problem that they're facing. Some of the most vulnerable out here are women, obviously. And one of the folks that I spoke to, Officer Deon Joseph, who has worked with this population for two decades now, talks about how difficult it is to get some of these women into housing. And I think we have that sound, Alisyn.
[Deon Joseph, L.a. Police Officer:] A friend of mine named Lena, she was 70 years old. I tried to house her, tried to house her, tried to house her right there. And then one day I came back and someone found her dead in a pile of garbage.
[Reston:] Yes, so just a lot of tragic situations that we're seeing out here. And really there really needs to be a focus on getting community support to get these people into housing, as well as, you know, sending outreach teams out to deal with some of the mental health issues that they're facing, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Maeve, it's such an important topic, because as we've been discussing, it's not just L.A. It's San Francisco. It's New York. Something's happening. So, thank you very much for the reporting on it.
[Reston:] Thank you.
[Berman:] All right, up next, we're going to remember the extraordinary life of Gloria Vanderbilt, mother of our friend Anderson Cooper.
[Camerota:] But first, one in five people suffer from a mental illness in any given year, yet most do not seek help. In this week's "Impact Your World," a national program called Mental Health First Aid is training the public to recognize the symptoms and learn how to get people the help they need.
[Betsy Schwartz, National Council For Behavioral Health:] Our goal for Mental Health First Aid is to make it as common as
[Cpr. Unidentified Female:] I would like you to draw me a picture of what does anxiety look like.
[Schwartz:] Mental Health First Aid teaches people the basic signs and symptoms for major mental health and addiction problems.
[Unidentified Female:] Your heart racing, sweaty palms, shaking, racing thoughts.
[Schwartz:] For example, it might be depression or panic attacks or even psychosis.
[Unidentified Female:] In your groups of three, one person is going to be a hallucination.
[Karen Vondeylen, Maumee Valley Ohio Guidance Center:] How do we ask the right questions? How do we see if someone's suicidal? This class is not teaching people how to be a professional.
[Schwartz:] We're only teaching people how to be an empathetic friend or family member or coworker.
[Vondeylen:] We do role play. We can see someone really utilizing the skills.
[Schwartz:] Classes are offered in every community around this country. We've trained almost 2 million Americans.
[Peggy Oyer, Lost Brother To Suicide:] I lost my brother to suicide. I was very uninformed. I was one of those people who said, well, get over it, pull up your bootstraps and go on. If you know anyone that's struggling, it will give you confidence in how to show them the resources.
[Mary Kay, Pastor, Christ United Methodist Church:] Almost immediately, both times I took classes, I encountered people who needed help. There was a person who was contemplating suicide. I knew enough what to say. I think anybody in any position can use this because it's so practical.

[Unidentified Female:] Impeach the President Immediately the next thing for us will be when we see all the process that set forth in the Senate.
[Unidentified Male:] How long are you willing to wait? As long as it is. What they're proposing is incredibly dangerous. You can't be Speaker of the House and Majority Leader of the Senate at the same time.
[Unidentified Female:] Well, this teasing whistleblower comes forward because he says the agency is putting speed over security.
[Unidentified Male:] What they're doing is injecting danger into the system. Austin police said one of their tips led them to Northwest Harris County cracking the case. We did recover an infant female child that we do believe at this time is Margo. But outside in the trunk of her friend's car, Heidi Broussard, dead from strangulation.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Host, New Day:] Top of the hour now, always good to be with you on a Saturday morning. I'm Victor Blackwell.
[Amara Walker, Cnn Host, New Day:] Happy Saturday and Amara Walker in for Christi Paul.
[Blackwell:] President Trump is this morning at his Mara-a-Lago Resort in South Florida for a two-week holiday break.
[Walker:] The President, First Lady and their son Barren arrived in Florida late last night.
[Blackwell:] And he avoided a government shutdown yesterday by signing a $1.4 trillion spending bill.
[Walker:] The President may be officially on vacation, but his team will be prepping for the expected Senate impeachment trial during this holiday break.
[Blackwell:] And despite this volatile week, during which the President was impeached, President Trump did accept an invitation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to give the State of the Union address in early February.
[Walker:] CNN White House Reporter Sarah Westwood joining us now from West Palm Beach, Florida. So Sarah, President Trump begins his holiday in impeachment limbo, but he is also preparing as we were saying for a Senate trial that could happen in January.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] That's right, Amara and Victor. That is something that he and his aides will be discussing over the course of the two weeks that he'll be spending here in West Palm Beach because there are a lot of unanswered questions about what shape that defense will take heading into an impeachment trial that is expected to take place sometime in January. Still, despite the fact that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at this moment is holding on to the articles of impeachment, White House aides have to work out who exactly will be delivering the opening and closing arguments whether there is a role on that team for someone outside of the White House perhaps or some of the President's conservative allies in the House. But there are also concerns among the President's aides that the duration of this trip could affect how the President receives preparations for his Senate trial at Mar-a-Lago? As we've discussed, the President is able to talk to a lot of his friends, a lot of his informal advisers. They have an unusual amount of access to the President at his resort and some White House officials told CNN that they're concerned that some of those people might be able to influence the President's decisions about this trial. For example the President had previously expressed an interest in having a theatrical trial in the Senate. He did not just want to be acquitted, he wants to be vindicated. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had been able to convince President Trump that a shorter trial with no live witnesses could be in his best interest and in the best interests of Senate Republicans. There are some concerns among White House aides though Amara and Victor that perhaps this time at Mar-a-Lago could un-due the President's decision on that front.
[Blackwell:] Sarah, before you go, let's talks about this spending bill. $1.4 trillion gets the government through September but the President I mean, no one gets everything they want in these negotiations. What was left on the table?
[Westwood:] Well, certainly the White House wanted to see more in terms of border wall funding that what ended up in this bill. They wanted to see more than $8 billion in funding for the construction of a boarder wall. House Democrats did allow the funding to stay at current level so the administration will get about $1.4 billion to continue building the wall. There were some progressives who saw that as too big a concession from Speaker Nancy Pelosi. There are some things that both sides are touting as a win. For example, the fact that this bill will include pay raises for military and civilian federal workers, the fact that it will provide some funding for election security grants and for gun violence research so some things that both sides can be happy about. There was also a dispute about language that House Democrats wanted to include in the bill that would force the White House to adhere to a strict timeline in terms of releasing security assistance to Ukraine. White House officials were able to successfully negotiate that out of the spending bill Victor and Amara.
[Walker:] All right, Sarah Westwood, thank you live for us there from West Palm Beach.
[Blackwell:] Let's bring in CNN Political Analyst Margaret Talev, White House Editor for AXIOS. Margaret, welcome back.
[Margaret Talev, Politics And White House Editor, Axios:] Good morning, Victor. How are you?
[Blackwell:] I'm well. Hope you are, too. Let's start here and Leader McConnell on Thursday before the recess began said that he's not sure what leverage there is in refraining from sending the Senate something that they do not want. His play here, I mean, he ignored a Supreme Court nominee for almost a year for the rest of a term. Holidays now have come upon the country is split on impeachment. You'll turn to 2020 at some point. Is it plausible that he just holds out and that Pelosi will not get the concessions?
[Talev:] Yes, it is plausible. But Nancy Pelosi I think is playing sort of a couple of threads at the same time. One is to try to get the Senate to make some concessions the Democrats want in terms of witnesses. But the other is to sort of let the President stew a little bit and let things settle. The Democrats, I think, have been a little bit concerned, probably, about the fact that the American public wants to move on from impeachment and that some of the President's support has been shifting back towards the President on this issue and I think they understand that this is a period of time where they have very little to lose by saying we're not going to just expedite this over to the Senate when McConnell and Graham have both said we've made up our minds, we're ready to move on very quickly. I think McConnell and Graham were doing that to try to send the President a signal to say let's move this quickly. You don't have to worry, we're going to take care of this, but they opened up a gap that forced Democrats to say, wait a second, you're supposed to be impartial. So that is kind of the holding period that we're in right now. But most people think that Nancy Pelosi is not prepared to hold this out indefinitely that what happens between now and the winter holidays, at some point they'll come back in January and move forward.
[Blackwell:] Is there some anxiety from those purple districts from those Trump districts Democrats who I mean, the vote for impeachment was theirs but some anxiety that this strategy from Pelosi will hurt them?
[Talev:] Yeah. A lot of that anxiety was dealt with before the vote. Everyone sort of cast their lot and now they own it. I think if this process dragged on for months, if it was summertime and the House was still holding up those impeachment articles, you might have a real situation like that. But if this is a matter of waiting three or four weeks instead of one or two weeks, I can't imagine that is going to have much of an impact. By the time voters are voting, they might be thinking more about the economy or who the Democratic nominee is for President.
[Blackwell:] So let's wait from some of those vulnerable Democrats to the vulnerable Republicans especially in the Senate. Leader Schumer, obviously, Democrats do not have the majority, but can force a vote on some of those witnesses, some of those documents. What is the potency of just getting those vulnerable Republicans who are up in 2020 to say no?
[Talev:] Yeah. That's part of this calculation in terms of trying to get some of the Democratic terms witnesses and so on and so forth. I don't think the Democrats expect at this point, unless there are some major new revelation over the break that they're going to peel off that many Republicans who would then vote for impeachment or against acquittal. But there are questions about whether Senators like maybe Susan Collins or Cory Gardner will be bound by process questions. In other words, that their voters would want to say that they took the process seriously, that they wanted time for a deliberation rather than just to expedite this and get it over with. That is where Democrats have some of this leverage right now.
[Blackwell:] We know that House Democratic staff, they are working over the break. We'll see what happens when everyone comes back in January. Margaret Talev always good to have you.
[Talev:] Thanks very much.
[Walker:] According to AAA, a record number of Americans, more than 115 million, will take planes, trains and automobiles to get to and from their holiday destinations over the next ten days.
[Blackwell:] That is the highest number since AAA started tracking holiday travel almost 20 years ago. And a lot of people will be running into some terrible weather.
[Walker:] Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joining us live from the CNN Weather Center with what you need to know if you're going to be traveling. Hey, Ally.
[Allison Chinchar, Cnn Meteorologist:] Yeah. And we're not just talking air travel. We're also talking people that are going to be traveling on the roadways, even if it's a short trip. One to two hours, may be to your end destination. If it's in a couple portions of the country, you could be dealing with a much longer trip than you anticipated. Here is a look at the live rates, are you starting to notice this low pressure system. This is the one that is really going to develop and take shape later on today. And then it's going to start to push inland taking with it all of that moisture, meaning heavy rainfall across portions of the southeast. And here is what we're talking about notice again as we push late Saturday into Sunday, look into to a lot of those heavy rain bands because also notice the storm doesn't really move all that much in 48 hours. That allows it plenty of time to dump a tremendous amount of rain. How much rain? Widespread about 2 to 4 inches but you're going to have some spots that could pick up 5, 6 if not even as much as 8 inches of rain before this system finally does exit. We're not just talking Florida, but the Carolinas, Georgia, even across portions of Alabama and Mississippi. This is not good for travelers. Again here is a look as that progresses into late Sunday and then notice it becomes more of an issue for the Carolinas and even Virginia as we head into Monday. But another area that we're also looking at travel concerns, that's going to be on the West Coast. Look at how much rain has already fallen across portions of Washington State 7, 8, 9 inches of rain. You also have areas of Oregon that have picked up 5 to 6 inches of rain.
[Chinchar:] The concern, that's enough to trigger flooding alone. But we also have more rain that's going to fall. So you have flood watches in effect for both Washington and Oregon. The other concern is that system is going to start to push that moisture south as we go through the day today. So now Northern California also has the potential to pick up significant amounts of heavy rain. We're talking cities like San Francisco, even Sacramento so if you have some travel plans Victor and Amara to any one of these places here or even in the southeast, please check with your air carrier or may be just pack some patients if you're on the roadways in the next couple of days.
[Blackwell:] We'll do Allison Chinchar, thank you.
[Chinchar:] Thank you.
[Walker:] A whistleblower claims that the TSA is focusing on speed instead of security. Is that an opening for terrorists and putting you and millions of other travelers at risk? We will ask an aviation and transportation expert.
[Blackwell:] Also, the Pentagon is on alert for signs North Korea may deliver that Christmas gift that they promised. They've been threatening to send the U.S. that for some time, plus their new warning, that's next.

[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Joining me right now, CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, Shan Wu, is here. Shan, as Kara just laid out, the New York State regulator is asking for information going back a decade. What is it that they're looking for with this subpoena, do you think?
[Shan Wu, Cnn Legal Analyst:] So they're looking for misrepresentations, fraudulent statements. The key here is they have to be material. As a prosecutor, that's what you're going to look for. I'll give you a very sophisticated legal definition on how to tell the difference. If you claim your leg hurts from a car accident and the insurance company disagreed with you, probably not material. However if they catch you out dancing at night, jumping around that's going to be material. When a valuation of an asset goes up tens of millions of dollars, that's like being caught out dancing at night.
[Bolduan:] What reaches the level of turning an insurance claim investigation into a criminal investigation?
[Wu:] That's going to be up to the prosecutors. And although the insurance company has been open about the fact that they received the subpoena, which they're free to talk about, it's quite possible that the federal prosecutors or the state prosecutors have already issued subpoenas. Those tend to be secret and they ask the targets to keep them secret. Certainly as the report was saying, they can make a referral to the criminal prosecutors. But the prosecutors don't have to wait for referral. They're looking at this information, they heard the same testimony. They will open up something dependent and they could be doing that already.
[Bolduan:] While I have you, I want to ask you about Roger Stone. Stone is in trouble honestly this is bananas. Stone's in trouble once again with the judge again in his criminal case. He releases his book and in it, he calls the Special Counsel Robert Mueller crooked. Now the judge says that Stone needs to explain himself once again and explain why he thinks he is not in violation of the gag order she has set. And he has to do that by Monday. This is the second time she's hauled him into court over his public comments. We don't need to go back and talk about the Instagram posting and everything that surrounded that. When does it reach the point where this judge just simply says you've violated a court order and you're going to jail? I mean, where is the line? What is she considering?
[Wu:] She's considering making her record carefully and certainly in the court of public opinion, I mean my opinion too is he has crossed the line. But she wants to do it by the book. She is very by the book, controls her courtroom.
[Bolduan:] For our viewers for some perspective, you have been before this judge before. You know how she operates.
[Wu:] That is correct. I was subject to her gag order. I will say that we were much more careful about it than Roger Stone has been. She's giving his lawyers the full chance to make their record and she wants to make sure she has a proper record. Even though I have lots of rule number ones for a criminal defense, rule number one is don't surprise the judge. OK to surprise the prosecutors but don't surprise the judge. I cannot imagine why they would not have right away told her that this republication was coming out rather than trying to hide it. It makes no sense. It can only be poor legal advisor incredibly ignorant on his part to just ignore it.
[Bolduan:] On the theme of the problems and the risks of late-night dancing, dancing also on the line of, am I violating my gag order or not, is also never a good place to sit once, twice, at all. Good to see you, Shan.
[Wu:] Good to see you, Kate.
[Bolduan:] Thank you. Coming up, there's big pushback coming from the White House as lawmakers zero in on President Trump's inner circle. When it comes to the investigations, is this oversight or is this overreach? One top Democrat joins me, next.

[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Anchor:] You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Alex Marquardt in for Ana Cabrera on this Easter Sunday. We have breaking news right now. An entire country shaken after hundreds of people are killed in a wave of bombings. This is Sri Lanka. More than 200 people are dead, hundreds more wounded in three separate cities. There were at least eight explosions that went off in what authorities are now saying was clearly an act of terrorism. U.S. officials are confirming that several American citizens are among the dead. The places that were hit on this Easter Sunday are places where people gather, high-end hotels as well as several Christian churches that were full as they so often are on Easter Sunday. We have CNN senior international correspondent Sam Kiley live in the capital of Colombo. Sam, the entire country is locked down. It's under curfew for several more hours after this wave of explosions. What are officials now saying about what happened and who may be behind it?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, the as you say there, Alex, the entire country is under lockdown with 207 confirmed dead, including three policemen who were killed in two explosions during a follow-up operation. There have been at least seven arrests, among them, according to the local media, a whole family of people. There's no suggestion yet from the authorities as to who might be behind this, what is clearly a terrorist attack. The locations singling out hotels popular with westerners. Local authorities are saying there could be up to 30 foreigners killed. The Shangri-La is just about 150 yards down the road from where I'm standing now. That was hit in the teashop at the same time as this other explosions were going off inside churches, picking out for Christians for particular murderous treatment. But, Alex, there has been a very interesting development that might point to who was behind this because there's been a memo released, or at least leaked, written on the 11th of this month, nine days before the attacks, to a number of security officials around the country by the deputy inspector general of police in which he warns that, and I quote, the state intelligence services have stated that they have information regarding an alleged plan of suicide attack by the leader of Nations Thawahid Jaman. And they named the leader as Mohomad Saharan. Now, that is a militant organization that's associated with the ideology of al Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State. It goes on to say that he requires these different security organizations to up their security and pay special attention. And already, there are even cabinet ministers here excuse me complaining that no extra security efforts were made. So that will be part of what the Prime Minister here has already said will be an inquiry into what went wrong, Alex. But he also insists that the most important thing to do is to maintain peace and try and round up the rest of if there is, the rest of the group behind these killings, Alex.
[Marquardt:] So there is a name but no confirmation yet that they are behind it. Sam Kiley, live in the Sri Lankan capital. Thank you very much. Joining me now is CNN's religious commentator, Father Edward Beck. Father Beck, thank you so much for joining us on this Easter Sunday. First of all, what was your reaction when you heard that among those more than 200 victims today were Christians in what we now understand were three Catholic churches just celebrating Easter mass?
[Rev. Edward Beck, Cnn Religion Commentator:] Well, you know, Alex, of course, it's not the first time that people have conspired to make this week not Holy Week but an unholy week. Remember, there have been Easter attacks in Kenya, in Pakistan, in India, all in recent years. So the fact that, in these Christian minority countries, that on these major feast days, even the Christians show up in such numbers knowing the risk, I mean, that's just a testimony to me that people do believe in the power of goodness and the message of this season, of rebirth. That that's stronger than the evil and that's stronger than the violence and the death. And it's really the testimony of the faith. So my first response was, this terrible tragedy has once again befallen innocent people, Christians, on this High Holy Day, and yet it is the mystery that we're celebrating. It is the suffering, death, and resurrection that Christians are committed to and that they continue to show up to celebrate.
[Marquardt:] Father, we heard from Pope Francis today in the Vatican as we do every Easter, and he said in his speech that he was praying for, quote, all of the victims of cruel violence in Sri Lanka. As you've noted, it's been a grim week overall this week, not just the Sri Lankan attacks that we saw today. There is the historic fire at Notre Dame on Monday, the arson scare here in New York at St. Patrick's Cathedral, churches intentionally burned down three of them in Louisiana, as well. On top of all that is the ongoing sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. So, Father, after hearing that long list, does Easter Sunday feel different this year?
[Beck:] Well, I think Easter Sunday feels like what it's supposed to feel like. That that's not the final word, that even amidst I mean, Jesus goes to the cross. It's unjust crucifixion, unjust persecution. And the symbolism of that for us is it's not the final word. So you name all of these tragedies and, yes, terrible tragedies but at Notre Dame, I mean, that cross still stood. The wall still held. All of the donations have come in to rebuild. And it's people's testimony that this will not win. And so I think that the Easter message is just needed in the midst of such tragedy and that list. And I'm thinking, too, you mentioned about the sex abuse scandal. I mean, institutional religion is not doing well right now. And I think the point, though, that people are feeling, that's still a need for spirituality and a connection to some depth in their lives but maybe they're not finding it in the institution. But is it the buildings that matter? I mean, Notre Dame fell. These churches have been destroyed. But the people of God are the church. So that's the real message of Easter, that Christ lives in those believers who will continue on despite the destruction, despite those who would thwart that advancement.
[Marquardt:] And in the wake of these horrible attacks in Sri Lanka, we did saw the Eiffel Tower in Paris go dark as it so often does following tragedy around the world. Paris, of course, dealing with its own tragedy in the past week, that fire that you noted at Notre Dame Cathedral. Parishioners who might normally go to Notre Dame on Easter Sunday, they had to attend services at a nearby church. So for those non- Catholics or for those who don't know, what significance does Notre Dame hold for Catholics?
[Beck:] Well, it is the cathedral of Paris. So you have a hundred parishes but that is the seat of the archbishop. It's the most important church. And historically, it has held such significance, not only for tourists but for people who wanted to go there to pray. And, you know, I've heard some the critique like, well, it's just a building, and why are we spending all this money on a building? And, yes, it is that. But I think it's a testimony that the human spirit needs to be lifted up in some way. To know that all of that time and money and effort were placed in a building for God and that the human spirit might be lifted up to something higher, that's really why it's such an important symbol. It's not about the brick and mortar. It's about what the symbolism of that building, what people aspire to, what it helps them get to. And so I think that it's so important because, yes, it's beautiful. It has the paintings, it has the organ, it has those beautiful bells that toll, but it's because people have been baptized there, people have been married there, people have been buried there, people have gathered for prayer to go beyond themselves, to be lifted higher. And that's why I think it resonated throughout the world, even with nonbelievers who looked at it and said, you know, I don't know everything about what that's about but something special is happening there and it moves me even though I'm not Catholic or not Christian.
[Marquardt:] Yes. It resonated so much that there has been an outpouring of offers of funds to the tune of more than $1 billion that had been raised for the effort to rebuild the cathedral. Were you surprised by this response?
[Beck:] I was and surprised by it, first of all. And I was surprised that even non-Christians were donating to it. I think for the reasons I just enunciated.
[Marquardt:] Right.
[Beck:] And I was also not surprised, though, that people are protesting that. That, you know, you have protesters in France who've been protesting for a fair wage, against economic injustice, and saying, well, why aren't they spending the money on that? Why are they spending it on a building? And so I get that. I mean, people come first before buildings, and so I think we need to do both. And I think the protesters have a point, but I think the people are responding to the building, again, not for the brick and mortar but for what it represents. We need beauty in our lives to lift us up, to take us beyond ourselves. That's why people are giving to it, not because buildings are more important than people.
[Marquardt:] Well said. Father Edward Beck, thank you very much, and happy Easter.
[Beck:] Happy Easter, Alex. Thank you.
[Marquardt:] Coming up, the President's lawyer claims that there's nothing wrong with getting information from Russians. We'll dig in to his argument. Plus, a new Democratic call to begin impeachment proceedings. But will it impact Speaker Pelosi's hope to make to take, rather, a more cautious approach?

[Ana Cabrera, Cnn:] You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. As we continue to cover the breaking news here on CNN, President Trump making a surprise appearance outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center just a short time ago. This is the moment, one clearly designed for the cameras, that the president left the hospital in his motorcade. He has been at Walter Reed since Friday being treated for coronavirus. And his motorcade just went directly past a gathering of his supporters who were outside Walter Reed, the president waving to them. And now, we are told he is back inside the hospital at the presidential suite there. A few minutes before this very unexpected appearance, President Trump released a video on Twitter praising his doctors and his medical staff and teasing that he had a surprise for people gathered outside. I want to go straight to CNN's Jeremy Diamond, one of those who has gathered outside Walter Reed Medical Center. Jeremy, give us the latest and exactly what we know at this hour.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Ana, we know that the president is now back at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center inside, once again, after doing the surprise drive-by in front in the front entrance of Walter Reed, where we know that there have been dozens of the president's supporters here gathered all day cheering for him, cars going by and honking to show their support. Clearly, the president saw reports of that on the news. He tweeted earlier in the day thanking those supporters. But then perhaps the president also sensed an opportunity here, an opportunity to come out, show his face in public for the first time since we saw him board Marine One on the south lawn of the White House on Friday evening to come here to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he is being treated, we should remind people, for coronavirus, for significant symptoms, in fact, of the coronavirus. But the president, after several days of mixed messaging from the president's physicians, Dr. Sean Conley, the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, messaging gone awry, the messenger in chief decided to take control here and come out with his projection of strength at a moment where he is very weak, where he is dealing with these severe symptoms of this virus, the president wanting to send a clear and unequivocal message to the American public, specifically to the voting public 30 days out, as we are today from this presidential election. And I'm sure to people around the world who are wondering about the status of the president of the United States, arguably, the most powerful person in the world, who has been really beaten down by this virus over these last several days, so much so to the point that we know he is on several pretty hard and significant medications to treat the virus. The president also posted that video on Twitter that you referenced. I want to show our viewers a portion of that.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] It's been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school. This isn't, let's read the book school, and I get it, and I understand it. And it's a very interesting thing and I'm going to be letting you know about it.
[Diamond:] And you hear there the president talking about the fact that he is going to the real school and he is learning now so much about coronavirus because it has impacted him personally. But one thing that he isn't doing, and Abby Phillip made this point in the last hour that I think is so smart, which is that the president isn't doing anything to educate the public about what he has gone through. He isn't using this moment of him having the virus to make an appeal to his supporters, many of whom are out here today, Ana, without wearing any masks, without social distancing to take those steps, to take those common-sense steps that the president failed to take in so many instances before he contracted this virus. He is not using this moment as a teaching moment. And just the last point here is that what he is doing instead in doing this P.R. move to show his supporters that he is doing all right, is he is putting the lives of Secret Service agents at risk. We saw at least two Secret Service agents in the vehicle in which the president was riding in. They were wearing those N95 respirators, but that was it. That is not the kind of protocols that are happening at the building behind me at Walter Reed, where we've been told that the doctors who have to go into the room with the president to treat him, they are wearing the full suite of protective gear, which includes not only masks but some kind of a face shields, it includes gloves, it includes protective equipment on top of their clothing. So, obviously, there is some risk here that the president is willing to put these Secret Service agents through in order to get his public- facing objectives.
[Cabrera:] And bigger picture, Jeremy, we know the president is not healthy. We got an update from his doctors earlier today, and they painted a fairly dire picture as far as what the president has been through in the past 24-plus hours. Fill us in with some of those details of what we learned today. And, of course, there are still many more questions about just how bad his condition is.
[Diamond:] Yes. Listen, the president's doctor, Dr. Sean Conley, and the other physicians who are treating him, they tried to say today that the president is doing really well. But before they said that, they also talked about all the drugs that the president is on and the state of his condition over these last couple of days. What they did share is concerning. And every medical expert who has listened to those doctors briefing on the condition of the president have said exactly that. We know that the president's oxygen levels dipped below 94 percent both on Friday and yesterday, on Saturday as well, that he required supplemental oxygen. We know the president is on a trio of pretty significant drugs. He is both on this antibody cocktail, this experimental treatment from Regeneron, he is on the antiviral remdesivir, and he is also taking a steroid, which is typically reserved for patients with the most severe of symptoms. So there is obviously a question here of whether they are using that because this is the president of the United States. They've said they want to throw everything at the wall. But they've also described the president is someone who has needed supplemental oxygen, who has experienced some of the most severe symptoms of this coronavirus. And, Ana, we should point out, they are still withholding information, they are still withholding information about the president's health to the American public. Dr. Sean Conley was asked today what the president's lung scans and lung X-rays showed. He would only say that the results that they were seeing some expected findings but nothing of any major clinical concern. Does that mean that the president is showing signs of pneumonia, is he showing any lung scarring? Those are the questions that medical experts have been asking. And, unfortunately, Ana, even though we got more details today than we got yesterday, we got a little bit of a more complete picture, we got Dr. Sean Conley admitting essentially that he misled the American public yesterday when he withheld the information about the oxygen that the president was receiving. We are still receiving an incomplete picture of the president's health and that needs to be noted.
[Cabrera:] OK. Jeremy Diamond for us at Walter Reed Medical Center, thank you. Joining us now CNN Political Correspondent Abby Phillip and former White House Physician William Lang. Dr. Lang, I want to ask you about the drive-by. Did the president needlessly put the Secret Service officers at risk for this photo-op?
[Dr. William Lang, Former White House Physician:] Well, everything you do has risks and benefits. He wore a mask, the Secret Service agents who a mask, most likely N95 masks. By all of them wearing N95 masks, you couldn't tell exactly from the pictures but that's what you would expect to happen. That makes the risk actually very, very small. Is there an increased risk? Maybe tiny. But they took measures to reduce the risk and that's what it's all about, is risk management, risk reduction.
[Cabrera:] You've got to also wonder about the president's health and whether this was in his best interest. The president says in this video that it's been an interesting journey, almost like it's over. Doctor, based on what we learned from his medical team today about his oxygen saturation levels having dropped at least a couple of times below 94 percent saturation, and also the fact that he needed supplemental oxygen, that he had a high fever on Friday, the fact that he's on some very serious treatments, including an experimental treatment that hasn't even been cleared for emergency operation use, the fact that he's had remdesivir and continue those treatments. He's had two and we're expecting a five-day treatment, according to his doctor. The fact that he's now on this steroid that's only given to the most severely ill, is the president in the clear at this point?
[Lang:] Well, the fact is that he is the president of the United States. And, of course, they are going to throw everything at him to get him as well as they can as fast as they can. He has never been significantly symptomatic. One of the things that I find very interesting is when you talk to a patient who has any kind of respiratory illness, one of the first things you do is listen to them. You listen to the way they talk. When you listen to his tone, his ability to talk in complete sentences, how he sounded in the release just a few minutes ago, he sounded very strong. So that tends to that gives you a very, very good indication that he does not have significant, active respiratory disease. And throughout this, the only real complaint that the president has had has been the fever. Even when his oxygen saturation dropped below 94 percent, as Dr. Conley noted on Friday, which was the reason that they one of the main reasons why they decided they wanted to bring him to Walter Reed to watch more carefully, and then, again yesterday, he was never symptomatic. So that, as many docs will say, we're finding with a lot of the COVID- 19 patients, they don't get too symptomatic. But, still, he appears to be feeling pretty good. He sounded very good in that last release that we had. So he does seem to be on the mend. Now, can that change? Sure. And that's the reason why it's very, very important to maintain a close watch over where he stands.
[Cabrera:] Abby, as far as these proof of health stunts, you have to wonder about the riskbenefit analysis, somebody has to be with the president to record those videos in which he is not a wearing masks. And as far as that drive-by, he was in his car with Secret Service officers, and his appearances, no doubt, going to encourage more people to crowd outside the hospital. Why is it so important for this president to portray himself as healthy and strong?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, this is the entirety of his sense of self-image but also the image that he wants to project to the world. The president is fixated on looking strong, which is why when there were reports over the last couple of days that he was not on Friday, in particular, doing particularly well, he was furious with his chief of staff for letting that be known to the public. And you also can see in the way that Dr. Conley has tried to withhold information that might seem to indicate that the president had more rough episodes with this virus that even his doctors are trying to withhold information that they know the president may not want out there because it might make him look weak. Look, this is a president who wants to show to his supporters that he is going to bounce back from this. You see in the tweets from his aides and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, calling him relentless, calling him a warrior, his campaign is fundraising off of these moments. He has succumbed to a very serious virus that he's been saying for months would simply go away. And the way to spin that from a political perspective is to make his supporters believe that he is recovering rapidly and that he is actually not that sick and I don't get that
[Cabrera:] Abby, stand by. We have to go live to Kayleigh McEnany right now. The White House press secretary is speaking. Let's listen.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] No. There are privacy concerns we take very seriously safeguarding the information of the personnel here in the White House. So that's basically where we stand right now.
[Mcenany:] Yes, I'm not going to give you detail readout of the timestamps that every time the president is tested. He is tested regularly. And the first positive test he received was after his return from Bedminster. Again, I'm not giving a detailed readout of his testing. But it's safe to say his first positive test was on return or at least after Bedminster. Thank you guys very much.
[Cabrera:] Okay. Obviously, very, very little information there from the White House press secretary when she was pressed on when the president has been tested prior to his positive test, she didn't give any information. She repeated twice, I'm not going to give you a detailed readout on his testing but his first positive test was after he returned from Bedminster on Thursday. And, obviously, it's incredibly important to know when the president last tested negative. I want to bring back our analysts who are with us. And, Dr. Lang, let me start with you, because the fact that the president's press secretary, his doctors, his campaign is not, at this point, telling us when he last tested negative. What do you make of that?
[Lang:] Well, the press secretary said it's important when the positive was, so when there was a negative, it could have been a couple of days, it could have been more than a couple of days. I don't really make anything of that. But the important part of testing is not for clearance. The important part of testing is to identify if there is illness. A lot of people try to use testing for clearance, but it's more important for identifying illness.
[Cabrera:] But let me just ask a follow-up though to that, because when you're contact tracing and when you want to figure out who may have been exposed to the president when he was infectious, isn't it important to know when he first had symptoms, and wouldn't it be helpful to know he was tested on this day, this day and this day, these were all negatives tests? And so doesn't that help paint the picture as to how far along he might be in his illness?
[Lang:] Well, Dr. Conley was pretty clear that the symptoms started on Thursday morning. In fact, at one point, he said that he decided to test both because of the exposures, and we know about those exposures, but also because he was feeling somewhat symptomatic on Thursday. So we know his symptoms started Thursday. And when you go through the CDC guidelines on contact tracing, you go back to those who were within six feet and more than 15 minutes in the 48 hours before symptoms started. So, to be a little bit generous, you go back from Thursday to Wednesday, Wednesday to Tuesday. So you look at anyone who was within six feet for more than 15 minutes Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning.
[Cabrera:] And as far as the disease progression or this virus progression, my understanding is it doesn't typically go from 0 to 100 in a 24-hour period. So I wonder if it's possible the president could have had symptoms sooner. Because the fact of the matter is he had high fever on Friday and he needed supplemental oxygen on Friday, but he just tested positive the night before, does it make sense to you that he would go from having basically no symptoms before Thursday to needing supplemental oxygen by Friday?
[Lang:] Well, let's be careful about the he was he had a saturation that was low, so they gave him supplemental oxygen for about an hour, as they said. So he was not and he was not in any shortness of breath. So it was did he need it? Yes, technically, he did. But still one of the things we know about this virus is there's so much we don't know and it affects so many people so differently. So many people get symptomatic, very symptomatic two days after infection. Most people get symptomatic for five days after infection. Some people never. But then some people, as much as 14, or in very limited cases, even further than that. But that's the reason for the 14-day quarantine is this can be very different infection for different people.
[Cabrera:] That's right. Dr. Lang, thank you very much. Let me go back to Jeremy Diamond. I understand, Jeremy, you have some new information about some of the safety precautions or measures that were taken regarding this motorcade in which the president went to wave to supporters.
[Diamond:] Yes, that's right. Well, we were talking in the last few minutes about the precautions that they may or may not have taken as it relates to these Secret Service agents. I just wanted to clarify because we do now have a close-up image that shows those Secret Service agents in the vehicle with the president. I suggested earlier that it appeared they were only wearing N95 masks, which is what we could see from our vantage point. This close-up actually shows that they were also wearing, in addition to that, some protective eyewear and a protective gown over their clothing as well. So we should be noting that, of course. But, obviously, there are still questions about the additional risk that this takes. We know that there are some doctors who have worked in ICUs with coronavirus patients around them, they have protective gear on them and yet, still, sometimes they contract the coronavirus. So, obviously, they took some pretty significant measures here and we should note that to mitigate the risk to those Secret Service agents, but there is still a legitimate question that can be raised about the riskbenefit analysis here. And, obviously, the president prioritized at least here the public image that he wanted to put forth. And Dr. James Phillips, who is one of our CNN medical analysts, he was tweeting just moments ago pointing out that the presidential SUV is hermetically sealed and that is perhaps an environment where the virus would have an easy time passing around. So that's also something to keep in mind here. But we do know based on these close-up images that these Secret Service agents appear to be wearing eyewear, protective gown over their suits as well as this N95 respirator over mouth and nose.
[Cabrera:] Okay. Jeremy, stand by. And, Abby, I can't help but think of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have battled or are battling the coronavirus, they do it alone. They don't get to have people come visit them. They don't get to go for joy rides. Many don't get hospital care until they are critically sick. And I just wonder how does this play politically?
[Phillip:] I wonder exactly the same thing, Ana, and for those exact reasons. Obviously, he is the president of the United States. The standard of care for him is going to be completely different than for an average person. But I go back to what the president said in his statement, which is that he has learned through this illness a lot about the virus. I'm still wondering, and I think, in some ways, waiting to see whether he is going to put that knowledge in action, whether he will express to the American public how important it is to not contract the virus in the first place so that you don't end up in the hospital. Whether he will, you know, acknowledge the incredible loss of life that we've seen in this country, over 205,000 people dead from this virus, many others with long-term illness as a result of it, and whether he will acknowledge how many people are not getting the standard of care that he is getting. Obviously, you know, we are still in the middle of this. We have a long way to go on this. The president has a recovery that hopefully will be quick. He will hopefully leave the hospital healthy. But, you know, he's taking the opportunity to speak to the American public, and I do wonder where that message is to the public about what they ought to do to help this country get out of this situation with this virus. And it's just not really there. I do think what we see here is a president wanting to see his supporters, wanting to rally his supporters, wanting to lift his own spirits and project confidence, especially as, you know, 6:00, the top of the 6:00 hour, was when futures started trading, signaling to markets that he's here and he's strong. So I think there's a lot of symbolism in this. But I also think it's an opportunity for him to send a very strong public health message that the American public desperately needs right now.
[Cabrera:] Okay, Abby Phillip, thank you. Dr. William Lang, my thanks to him as well, and Jeremy Diamond, I appreciate all of you. And as you just heard, President Trump is back at Walter Reed Medical Center after this photo-op to supporters outside. We'll bring you an update from the White House. And senior adviser to Trump's 2020 campaign, Jason Miller will join us live next. You're live in the CNN Newsroom. We are back with breaking news. The president is back at Walter Reed Medical Center after a photo-op visit to supporters outside the hospital. CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins is joining us now. Kaitlan, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany just gave an update. What more do we know?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Not a lot from her update. But, first, let me start with what we just got from White House Correspondents' Association, which obviously works with the White House press office to make sure there are always reporters there when the president travels anywhere. No matter how small the event is, if it is a ride outside of the hospital where he currently is a patient, still, the White House is obligated to let the reporters that are supposed to be traveling with the president know. That is how the American people can find out what the president is doing and when. This is a longstanding practice of every single administration, that if the president is going to the golf course or if he is going to meet with Kim Jong-un, there are reporters to cover it. And they did not have reporters there for this, as we've noted. And so the White House Correspondents' Association said in a statement that it's outrageous for the president to have let the hospital, even briefly, amid a health crisis without protective pool present to ensure that the American people know where their president is and how he is doing. Now more than ever, the American deserves independent coverage of the president so they can reliably informed about his health. Just the videos coming out of the hospital are not acceptable coverage of the president at this time, and they should have let the reporters know that those reporters are back at the White House, which is, of course, far drive from Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland. Now, back to Kayleigh McEnany. She is obviously a taxpayer-funded press secretary. She just did an interview with Fox News. And as we do here at the White House, when an official comes out here to where I'm standing to do a television interview, the rest of the reporters who were here stand and wait by a camera for them get done, and, customarily, they gaggle. Some people decline, some people come by and take a few questions. Typically, the press secretary, who, of course, is accountable to the press to answer questions would stop and take several questions from reporters. However, she only stopped and took two questions. And in those answers, sort of answers, Ana, she declined to commit to how many people in the White House have tested for coronavirus. She also declined to say whether or not the president was tested before he went to the debate on Tuesday. A pretty simple, straightforward question, which, of course, the answer should be, yes, but when she was asked was he tested on Tuesday and was he tested on Thursday before he left to go to New Jersey, she would not answer and would only say that his first positive test came after he got back from that fundraiser on Thursday, which, of course, which was hours before we found out that the president actually had coronavirus. But, Ana, let me tell you, covering this White House, there has always been this relationship between the press office and reporters where, of course, they demonize or vilify our coverage at times. That happens. It's a political aspect to it. But the president is currently in the hospital. And they are not providing straightforward level of communication coming out of the White House, whether it's from the press secretary, who refused to take my questions there after her hit was over, whether it's on the chief of staff, who was offering conflicting messages from the president's physician or whether it's from the physician, who is giving these questions and, of course, evading some of the answers or having to clarify his information later on. It is an unacceptable level of what's happening right now and it's unacceptable not for me but for the people who need to know what is going on with the president. And all the questions that we do have for these officials, who, should I remind you once again, are paid by the taxpayers. We are not getting that level of communication out of the White House and it is incredibly frustrating to experience.
[Cabrera:] Okay. Kaitlan Collins, thank you for your reporting. Let's see if we can get some answers from Trump campaign senior adviser. Jason Miller is here with us. Jason, thanks for taking the time. First of all, why did the president leave the hospital for this publicity stunt?
[Jason Miller, Senior Adviser, Trump 2020 Campaign:] Ana, well, thank you very much for having me on this evening. Good to be back on with you here on CNN. A couple of things I want to tell you here. I want to tell you about two conversations I've had with the president. One is about 15, 20 minutes ago, and then I had a lengthy conversation with him yesterday. And when I had this half hour conversation with the president yesterday, he said two really important things. Number one, we're going to defeat this virus. He's going to defeat it. We're going to defeat it as a country, then we're going to go win this campaign. But he said another thing that I found important, and he said be careful. I want you to tell people to be careful. That means wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, if you can't socially distance, wear a mask. Be careful. Very important message from the president. And then, when I spoke to them a few minutes ago
[Cabrera:] OK. So let me stop you there because back to my original question which was about the publicity stunt of him getting in this vehicle, is that him being careful when he's putting these Secret Services members at risk when he has the coronavirus and is apparently, you know, very infectious given his symptoms?
[Miller:] Well, Ana, what I was getting to is, number one, President Trump was feeling very good yesterday. He's feeling even better today. And so it's good to see him on the mend, it's good to see him on the rebound. And he's really been buoyed by the show of support from people who've been outside Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda. And he wanted to, as a sign of gratitude, show folks that he's still fighting for them, he's looking forward to getting back out on the campaign trail. And so in a very safe way drove by and said hi. And again he did that in front of the cameras so the media was able to see it. And importantly when I was talking with the president just about 15, 20 minutes ago, he said another thing that I found very telling. He said, I know what it's like to go through this. We're going to beat this as a country. When I get out of here, we're going to be talking a lot about COVID and how we go and beat it as a country. And so I think there's a level of understanding as someone who has gone through it themselves, where he can relate with people, understanding the people who have gone through this COVID virus, this China virus, that has hit us. And this the most important thing facing the country and President Trump is ready to lead on it.
[Cabrera:] Well, I'm glad to hear that. And I'm glad to hear that he does appear to be feeling much better. To that point about being honest with the American people about this virus, hundreds of thousands of Americans have battled and they've died from the virus, Jason. They have had to do so alone. Families and friends aren't allowed in the hospital. They're not allowed to go on joy rides. Many, you know, can't even be treated in a hospital until they are critically ill. So I just wonder, how does a stunt like this, that not only put a spotlight on the inequities and the president's cavalier attitude to this virus but endangers the lives of others help his campaign?
[Miller:] Well, I want to push back a little bit there, Ana. I don't think this was a stunt at all. I think this is President Trump showing people that he's very gracious for the hospitality they've shown him, for the support that he has, for the hundreds of people outside Walter Reed Medical Center there, showing he's ready
[Cabrera:] But he has also done.
[Miller:] to get back into it.
[Cabrera:] He's also done that in videos that he's put out on Twitter without having to endanger lives of Secret Service members by being in a car
[Miller:] But we know that Secret Service always takes care of their agents. They make sure there's always an extra layer of precaution. Obviously, I'm not in the White House operations
[Cabrera:] We also know Secret Service agents have
[Miller:] Ana Ana, hold on.
[Cabrera:] Have contracted the virus in the course of their duty.
[Miller:] But we also know that Secret Service takes great care of their agents. They always take extra precaution. I'm not part of White House operations or in the White House medical unit. So the exact logistics I can't speak to but I know the Secret Service takes this very seriously. And I think it was great that President Trump was able to get out there and show he's ready to take on this virus head on. You can't just stay locked up, whether it be in the attic or in the basement forever. We need to go out there and lead. We need to go and defeat this virus, and show people around it. Now to your earlier comment, look, one life lost because of the China virus is too many. And I think President Trump has been very clear in articulating that over and over that we have to go and destroy this COVID-19 that we got, that our country has been attacked by. And that's a very clear focus from the president. You see it on everything, what he's talking about on the campaign trail, you see in his speeches from the White House. You see it in our advertising. This is clearly number one focus.
[Cabrera:] He's been downplaying he's been downplaying the virus. Let's just be honest. Let's call a spade a spade. He has not been speaking about the virus in a serious manner.
[Miller:] No. I would no,
[I -- Cabrera:] And yes, it's true. We've heard him on tape talk about how he intentionally has downplayed this virus. He hasn't worn a mask every time. He's been holding these rallies without social distancing when most of the people in the crowd not wearing masks either, which is an extremely high-risk environment.
[Miller:] So, Ana, I'm going to I'm going to fundamentally
[Cabrera:] And he knows it.
[Miller:] Yes. I'm going to fundamentally disagree with you on this. What the president has made very clear is that we can't stay locked up, we can't stay hidden in the basement forever. We have to take this head on. As the leader of the free world, he can't run away from this. You can't just stay locked up in the White House for six months.
[Cabrera:] OK. I'm going to but I'm going to stop you there.
[Miller:] We have to go out there and develop these things.
[Cabrera:] Because you're right. He could still go out there. But even as he goes out there, Jason, he is not taking the simple precautions that could save lives. And he's encouraging his supporters to come to these rallies
[Miller:] No, no, Ana. Ana, that's
[Cabrera:] To his campaign rallies let me finish, please.
[Miller:] No, Ana. Ana, you're misstating it.
[Cabrera:] Yes. We have video. Let me show you the video from his campaign rallies, guys. Let's play it. Let's show the crowds that are packed in to his rallies.
[Miller:] And show are you also, Ana, are you also going to show people having their temperatures checked?
[Cabrera:] Who don't have masks on. The campaign obviously has the ability to mandate masks and social distancing. And that hasn't been done, Jason.
[Miller:] Ana, for our rallies, we take temperatures of everybody coming in.
[Cabrera:] Will your rallies will your events Jason, hold on just a second.
[Miller:] All of our rallies.
[Cabrera:] May I ask the question? Let me ask the question and then I will stop
[Miller:] You're asking multiple questions, Ana, before I can respond to any of them.
[Cabrera:] But I haven't asked the full question. I'm making the point and showing the video with the Trump campaign supporters at these rallies without masks, without social distancing, in an environment in which you've set up for these rallies. Will you make changes now because the president has experienced this? He knows, you know, the reality of the virus, as you discussed. Will there be changes to his campaign events in which you will mandate masks and mandate social distancing?
[Miller:] So let me tell you what we're going to do. We're going to make sure that we take everybody's temperatures as they're coming into events. We're going to give everybody a mask, we're going to give everybody hand sanitizer.
[Cabrera:] Which is what you've been doing. Which is what you've been doing.
[Miller:] We're going to encourage meme to wear their masks. And you know what, that's been a very safe and very responsible thing to do. And that's what we've done from the beginning of this. We're taking this very seriously. And so we've always been leading from the front on that.
[Cabrera:] Jason. Jason.
[Miller:] And we're going to continue doing that.
[Cabrera:] Why do how is this very safe and very responsible? We just know from that Rose Garden event, for example, where people weren't wearing masks, where people weren't social distancing, there are multi people who've since contracted the coronavirus.
[Miller:] So, yes. So let me talk about that for a moment.
[Cabrera:] And the very same environment that we're seeing at your rallies except there were even more people who are packed in.
[Miller:] So everybody everybody who's around the president
[Cabrera:] And who have even fewer resources to make sure many of them have been tested.
[Miller:] Ana, everybody who is around the president OK. Everybody who's around the president is tested. People are kept a distance away from the president. Also, there's masks that are distributed, hand sanitizers passed out. There's a lot of things that we don't know about this virus. So for example, one reporter I know that contracted
[Covid -- Cabrera:] But we do that it is
[Miller:] Ana, you have to Ana, you've got to let me
[Cabrera:] transmitted by air, and people who wear masks
[Miller:] Ana, Ana, can I just please just let me finish this answer.
[Cabrera:] Yes.
[Miller:] Because I'm trying to be responsive to you.
[Cabrera:] OK. I'll let you finish. Forgive me.
[Miller:] OK. So one reporter who contracted coronavirus was wearing a mask the entire time and still contracted coronavirus. And so the important thing here is there are a lot of things we don't know about COVID. But what we do have to do is stay vigilant in developing these therapies and these vaccines to make sure that we defeat it. We can't stay locked up the rest of our lives. We're going to be smart, we're going to be responsible about this, but we're not going to hide in fear. We President Trump wants to get life back to normal for people. And that's a critical point. On the other side with Joe Biden, I think he wants to stay locked up forever. President Trump is going to lead us through this.
[Cabrera:] Well, Jason
[Miller:] And he's going to defeat it.
[Cabrera:] Jasen, let's be clear, the president is in the hospital right now because he contracted the virus. And he has put himself at risk by conducting the business the way he has.
[Miller:] Well, and
[Cabrera:] And conducting some of these events. But let me just come back to you
[Miller:] But hold on hold on, but wait but there's
[Cabrera:] You're part of his campaign, so let me just go back to the question that I asked earlier.
[Miller:] But hold on. Ana, you misstated
[Cabrera:] Excuse me.
[Miller:] You misstated just real quick, you misstated something before. President Trump followed all of the protocols.
[Cabrera:] No, he didn't.
[Miller:] Everybody around him
[Cabrera:] No, he didn't.
[Miller:] Everybody around him was tested. They kept distant and still somehow he contracted it.
[Cabrera:] OK. That's just
[Miller:] My whole point earlier is that there are a lot of things we just don't know
[Cabrera:] That's just not true, though, Jason. We have
[Miller:] But it is.
[Cabrera:] We have the videos in which the president is at events where people aren't following the protocols, where people aren't social distancing, where people aren't wearing masks.
[Miller:] Where everybody everybody has been tested.
[Cabrera:] Who aren't following the CDC guidelines or the Coronavirus Task Force guidance as to how best you could stay safe until we have a vaccine.
[Miller:] Ana, he's the most he's probably the most tested.
[Cabrera:] Jason, let me ask you, because you are on the campaign a few questions.
[Miller:] He's probably the most tested person on the plane.
[Cabrera:] When you talk about testing, we know testing is not prevention. But can you answer the question as to when the president's last negative test was?
[Miller:] Well, as I said earlier, I'm not part of the White House medical unit. So it would be unfair for me to go and start trying to speculate or give answers to things that quite frankly I'm not in the loop on. That's not my responsibility as someone on the campaign. My job on the campaign is to help the president communicate his message to the American people, to voters who we have coming up in four short weeks away. And that's exactly what I'm doing here, to tell you how the president is taking it seriously.
[Cabrera:] But, Jason
[Miller:] And, but, Ana
[Cabrera:] But Jason
[Miller:] Ana, you know you know as a campaign person
[Cabrera:] Just said a second ago everybody around the president is tested that the testing regimen is one of the reasons why it's proof of him
[Miller:] Because I can speak to
[Cabrera:] taking it seriously.
[Miller:] Because I can speak to from experience. So I'm someone he usually
[Cabrera:] But now you're saying you don't know when his last negative test was?
[Miller:] Ana, Ana, respectfully speaking you're a little bit silly here. I'm not part of the White House medical unit. What I can speak to from experience, someone who's around the president some four, five days a week, that every time I'm around him I'm tested usually about an hour in advance. Then there's usually an hour cooling off period to make sure that the test is clear, everything is good. Then when I'm in the presence of the president, I'm usually somewhere in the 10, 12 feet away. Never any closer than six to eight feet definitely. And so anyone who's ever in a room with the president has been tested, has been clear. Now what I can't speak to, again, I'm not on the part of the White House medical unit, I'm on campaign team.
[Cabrera:] Right.
[Miller:] So I can tell you
[Cabrera:] Right.
[Miller:] From my experience of being around the president the protocols that people go through. But I can't speak to the White House medical unit. But again, as we go back to the whole reason why I wanted to join you is to tell you since the president is in Walter Reed, he's in the hospital recovering from COVID, here is how he is feeling. Here is how we get back out there. Here is how the campaign this week will be out with operation
[Cabrera:] OK. I have a few questions that I still want to get answers
[Miller:] The vice president and the family that's what I can speak to.
[Cabrera:] Right. And you've said that.
[Miller:] Because that's again, that's
[Cabrera:] And you've said that multiple times.
[Miller:] We're going to
[Cabrera:] You've gotten that message out, Jason. Let me ask a few more questions because I want to try to get some more information while I have you here because you have been in contact and because you are part of this campaign, and you're anxious obviously to get back out there. And let's talk about the conduct that any kinds of additional protocols you may put in place moving forward. Will the campaign mandate people to wear masks at events for this president?
[Miller:] The campaign always has and always will hand out masks and make sure that people are told that they need to wear them. And I think we're going to
[Cabrera:] It's a yes or no question, though.
[Miller:] Ana
[Cabrera:] Are you going to mandate they wear the masks?
[Miller:] Ana. Ana. Ana, you have to let me finish just one of my answers.
[Cabrera:] It's a yes or no question, Jason. Are you going to mandate they wear the mask?
[Miller:] I'm answering
[Cabrera:] Yes or no?
[Miller:] We're going to tell people just like we always have that they need to wear the masks. We've always told people they need to wear the masks. And we're going to continue to do that. And that's why we've been doing it for since long before this.
[Cabrera:] OK. OK. So you're going to continue to do what you've done before is what I'm hearing you say you will not mandate them to wear masks. You will encourage them. But if they don't that's OK. Let me ask you a question about why the president
[Miller:] We're going to take their temperature and we give them the mask, and we're going to continue to be safe.
[Cabrera:] Can you answer the question as to, you know, why the president went to a campaign event in Bedminster on Thursday after Hope Hicks tested positive for the coronavirus?
[Miller:] So what I know is that the president did not have a positive test at the time he went to that event.
[Cabrera:] I'm not asking if he has a positive test before that.
[Miller:] Ana, I'm answering the question, Ana.
[Cabrera:] He knew Hope Hicks had a positive test.
[Miller:] So
[Cabrera:] You're not answering my question.
[Miller:] So that again that event
[Cabrera:] You're not answering my question.
[Miller:] I am answering your question. That was an RNC event. And so I did not have eyes on the exact logistics so I can't speak to the exact movements on that evening. But I do know that the president did receive his positive testing Thursday evening.
[Cabrera:] Right.
[Miller:] And then a number of different protocols were then put into place. Again, I'm not part of White House medical unit.
[Cabrera:] Right. I'm asking you about what happened before that, though? Before he received his positive test, which was
[Miller:] And again, I'm not part of the White House medical unit as you understand.
[Cabrera:] You know, he went to this Bedminster prior to go but this was a campaign event. You're the campaign senior adviser. I understand what you're saying that this was
[Miller:] It was an RNC event. It was
[Rnc. Cabrera:] So you're saying you have no control over that? You had no connection to that?
[Miller:] I'm saying what I'm telling you is that that was not something that I was part of the planning or part of the organizing for. And so I can't speak to that. What I can speak to are Trump rallies. Those are things that I have a granular level of understanding of how we go about doing those. And I've seen it in action where we're taking folks' temperatures and we're urging people to be safe, urge them to be careful. And that's, again, what the president told me yesterday in our conversation. Be careful. Make sure that people are washing their hands, using hand sanitizer, wearing masks. And I think what the president when he gets out of Walter Reed here, you're going to see him continue to express that and continue to share that with people. Having gone through this himself I think he can be an inspiration to people to get through this.
[Cabrera:] You know what, though, Jason? That just seemed disingenuous to say he'll continue to express these messages where he has been downplaying the coronavirus. He's been mocking people for wearing masks, not encouraging people to wear masks. Mocking people for wearing masks. And in fact, let's just play what he said at the debate on Tuesday night. Can you play it, guys?
[Miller:] He's worn
[Cabrera:] Listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think wearing a face mask I don't wear a mask like him. Every time you see him, he's got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from him and he shows up with the biggest mask I've ever seen.
[Cabrera:] Jason, that's not encouraging people to wear a mask.
[Miller:] He is exactly right. Ana, he was exactly right. When you're too often Joe Biden has used the mask as a prop. The mask when you can't socially distanced
[Cabrera:] Wait. Wait a minute. You think he's using the mask as a prop when we know mask save lives?
[Miller:] I think I think too often. I think too often.
[Cabrera:] Is that not important to this administration? That is not important to the Trump campaign?
[Miller:] Ana, if you're some 200 feet away from somebody, you don't need to wear a mask. You don't. And in fact, Joe Biden has flip- flopped so many times on this whole outdoor national mask mandate. He was for it, then he was against it, and he was for it. In fact, Democratic governors such as Evers in Wisconsin or Wallace in Minnesota have refused to go along with Joe Biden. So they, for example, have an exception for outdoor mask usage
[Cabrera:] Joe Biden is not the president of the United States right now.
[Miller:] Well, hold on.
[Cabrera:] President Trump is the president of the United States and he needs to lead by example.
[Miller:] You know, Ana, I'm not going to
[Cabrera:] What he is showing is not the example that scientists
[Miller:] I'm not going to let you off the hook on this.
[Cabrera:] and experts who are telling us what to do to stay safe would recommend.
[Miller:] OK. So he so President has to show Ana, Ana, you're trying to bail out Joe Biden. And I think that that's unfair. Why if he's
[Cabrera:] No, I'm not here to defend Joe Biden, I'm asking about President Trump's messaging and behavior.
[Miller:] And I'm telling you very clearly that Joe Biden, his rhetoric and his actions do not match up. So for example he says there needs to be
[Cabrera:] With all due respect, though, Jason, with all due respect.
[Miller:] an outdoor mandate.
[Cabrera:] Joe Biden is not the one in the hospital having contracted the coronavirus.
[Miller:] And President Trump and this is the whole point that you can have every safeguard in place, there's so many things we don't know about this virus. You can have everything in place and still contract it. So the whole point is we have to go and defeat this virus. We can't stay locked up in our basements forever. Americans
[Cabrera:] And I'm so sorry, Jason Miller, we just lost his satellite because that interview went longer than we had expected. Jason Miller, my thanks to you for joining us and taking those questions this evening. We'll continue discussing our breaking news that President Trump is back at Walter Reed just after a photo-op visit to supporters outside. Stay with us. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. More breaking news now. The Justice Department says Attorney General Bill Barr who was at the Rose Garden event last weekend has received four negative coronavirus tests since Friday, including one today. But we are told he will begin to self-quarantine for now. He does anticipate returning to the Justice Department midweek. A stunning moment, President Trump leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he is being treated for COVID-19, his motorcade driving by supporters outside the hospital and the president waving to them. This happened just a short time ago. The president then returned to his hospital suite. Margaret Hoover is a CNN political commentator and served on President George W. Bush's White House staff. John Avlon is a CNN senior political analyst. And also with us is CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter. Brian, let me start with you because this was just really a reality TV stunt of sorts in the middle of a surging pandemic by a president who is battling a deadly disease. What's your reaction to this?
[Brian Stelter, Cnn Senior Media Correspondent:] The worst kind of reality TV stunt, Ana. This is not Ronald Reagan waving from the window to reassure the American people. This was Michael Jackson holding a baby over the balcony recklessly. This was a bizarre publicity stunt that put others in danger and it's emblematic of the Trump years. Prioritizing photo-ops and fantasies and propaganda over cold hard facts. The photos the White House has been releasing, the videos, we have to show them because they're the only evidence we have of the president's condition, but they are propagandistic. That's unfortunately the situation we're in. And now the White House Correspondents Association is calling out the White House right now. This is the press pool that is supposed to travel with the president at all times. They were not informed about this photo-op. They were not with him when this happened. That is a grievous breach of protocol and the association is saying, quote, "It is outrageous for the president to have left the hospital even briefly amid a health crisis without a protective pool present to ensure the American people know where their president is and how he is doing. Now more than ever the American public deserve independent coverage of the president so they can be reliably informed about his health." That is absolutely correct. And by the way, Ana, if the president was feeling so well, why didn't he walk outside in the fresh air rather than get cooped up in that car. I mean, that's not a comfortable place for anybody to be in when there's a COVID-positive patient.
[Cabrera:] Right.
[Stelter:] He could have walked out on the lawn and waved to the public. But he didn't. He put Secret Service people in danger.
[Cabrera:] And he also was able to present his own message through a video which was maybe somewhat less of a risky situation, even though somebody had to record it.
[Stelter:] Right.
[Cabrera:] And he wasn't wearing a mask. But, John, you know, the president has repeatedly downplayed this virus from the beginning. Is he now still downplaying the virus and his own health status?
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Of course, he's downplayed it which is why there's a dark irony to his diagnosis and the infection is spreading through the West Wing. But what he said in the video and what Jason Miller just repeated to us seems to say that now that it affects him personally, Donald Trump is taking the virus very seriously. He wants other people to be careful. He's learning a lot. That's a symptom of the fundamental narcissism of the president at this time. That 210,000 Americans can die, that under his watch, this has gone on for more than eight months but it's only really real to him when he's personally impacted. That is just absolutely a dereliction of duty, but it's typical of this president.
[Cabrera:] And Margaret, we know the president likes to control the narrative. He likes to take messaging into his own hands. He clearly couldn't resist doing it despite being hospitalized with coronavirus. What do you make of that?
[Margaret Hoover, Cnn Political Commentator:] Look, Ana, as long as coronavirus is the lead story in this presidential election, 30-some days out, the president is losing. And this was his grasping attempt to try to insert himself in a positive way to try to tilt the coverage ever so slightly in his direction. Brian, he didn't tell the press corps that he was going out there. You know why? Because he was going to drive right in front of them. Right? He is trying to put himself front and center and make himself sort of the hero of the story as though he is the unfortunate victim of a virus and bad luck. That he knew nothing other than like this is some mysterious accident that he has contracted to this virus as opposed to having him flippantly avoided and ignored the real science and advice of his own White House Coronavirus Task Force and the rest of the country. You and I and Americans across this country are wearing masks, are being observant, are social distancing, are wiping down boxes with Clorox wipes, right, when the president himself knew this was airborne, not on surfaces, right? So we are all being responsible and heeding the advice. The president refused to do and now the story is all about him again. But he's losing it.
[Avlon:] Yes. And look, we all wish him and everyone afflicted a speedy recovery. But look, this was a feel-good parade. This was designed to make him feel good. That's its real purpose. Let's not pretend it's anything more than that.
[Cabrera:] So you don't think it was a show of strength for his supporters or perhaps America's adversaries? You think this was all about him?
[Avlon:] Yes.
[Hoover:] Well, look, there's no doubt there's a residual effect. It does communicate to the world the president is feeling well and he's getting out, and his supporters love it. You can't And we do wish the president a speedy recovery.
[Avlon:] Of course. Of course.
[Hoover:] Because that is what's best for this country. But it was his attempt to win the political narrative as you point out.
[Cabrera:] We can't ignore of course that we're just 30 days away from the election. How do you think this impacts the race?
[Avlon:] I mean
[Hoover:] Depends what happens tomorrow. I mean, look I mean
[Stelter:] Right. Remember the tax story? The taxes was one week ago.
[Avlon:] Yes, exactly.
[Hoover:] This time last week we were talking about $750 that Donald Trump had paid in federal income taxes last year, I mean, and then there was the debate on Tuesday, and now there's this. And so there is no way to know, Ana, because we're only how many days into October? Forget an October surprise. It's every 36 hours.
[Avlon:] Yes. And Margaret's right. I mean, it used to be a week is a long time in politics. Now it's, you know, a day is a long time in politics. But what fundamentally is true is that the president who has been in denial with regard to COVID for much of the time has now been personally impacted. It's going to take him off the campaign trail for at least a period of time. It also inevitably collides the two biggest stories of this monumental year, politics and COVID, in a way that are inexorable. And the Trump campaign does not want to be talking about COVID. They've made that very clear. They can't escape that now. They just can't.
[Cabrera:] Let me ask you, Brian, about what we heard from White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany because she was asked multiple times about when the president was tested and, you know, what specifically those results were and especially if he was tested before the presidential debate which was last Tuesday.
[Stelter:] Right.
[Cabrera:] Why do you think she continued to dodge this important question?
[Stelter:] I think because the answers are embarrassing for this White House. Look, when you and I come to work every day, Ana, we have to fill out a form, we have to take our temperature, we have to wear a mask in this building except when we're in these little studios. These corporations, non-profits, everybody else in the country has put in precautions that the White House didn't put into place. The White House was not prepared for this kind of outbreak. And so I don't think they're going to they know that the answer to the question of when the president was tested is an embarrassing answer. And when he called into Sean Hannity's show to have a chat with his friend at 9:50 p.m. on Thursday, he apparently had a test result, a positive test result, but he apparently lied and acted like he was waiting for the result and he didn't know it was going to happen. And we don't know that for sure. We haven't heard that exactly from the White House. But it seems like the president was misleading the country even then on Thursday night. It was like he was in denial about the pandemic right up until that very minute he had to admit there was a positive test result. I mean, for all we know, it was about to leak, the same way everything else is leaked just before we found out the truth.
[Avlon:] That's right. Look. Their impulse has never been to tell the truth. There's been a fundamental lack of transparency. And that's a lot worse than embarrassing. It appears to be reckless, reckless with other people's health, not just the president's, even though he sees everything through that prism. And so look, when you defend a liar, you frequently end up lying. But this administration has tried to stonewall the facts and the truth because they're frequently fighting them. And at this point, there's no spinning your way out of this because the COVID is in the building, people.
[Cabrera:] Guys, we only have
[Stelter:] By the way, I thought it was disturbing that Kayleigh says they're not going to say how many staffers have been testing positive. We need to know how many people around Trump are sick. I'm more worried I'm so worried about these White House aides and Bedminster workers who may be sick because they're not going to get the attention that the medical attention that the president is receiving.
[Cabrera:] It's been one heck of a day, amazing moments that we've experienced here in the last hour or so. Margaret, I'm going to give you the last word. We only have about a minute left in the show.
[Hoover:] Look, I pray the president a speedy recovery, and Mrs. Trump the first lady, as well and everybody who has gotten sick. And will they you know, pray that they will start communicating a message of seriousness to wear masks. Not just wash your hands. Wear the masks. It is considerate and safe to wear masks. This will bring the pandemic to a place where we can control it through the winter. And to the American people, we have seen on display the judgment of the commander-in-chief, we have an election in 30 days, this is up for a vote.
[Cabrera:] OK. Margaret Hoover, John Avlon, Brian Stelter, thank you all for being with us.
[Stelter:] Thanks, Ana.
[Cabrera:] And thank you at home for being with me tonight. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. My colleague Wolf Blitzer picks up CNN's breaking news coverage in a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM" right now. Have a great night.

[Nobles:] President Trump often touts his support from Latino voters, and according to a new CNN poll, the president does have a 34 percent approval rating among Latinos. In fact, that's the highest it's been since October. So who are the Latino voters supporting the president? CNN's Miguel Marquez went to Texas to find out.
[Marquez:] The U.S.-Mexico border in south Texas, dividing countries and Latino voters. [on camera]: You were born and raised in McAllen, Texas, correct?
[Rodriguez:] Uh-huh.
[Marquez:] And you live a mile from the wall?
[Rodriguez:] Uh-huh.
[Marquez:] And you want to see it not only taller but longer?
[Rodriguez:] Longer and taller, yes.
[Marquez:] How much?
[Rodriguez:] Twice, twice as much, at least
[Marquez:] You want the whole border, 2600 miles?
[Rodriguez:] Yes.
[Marquez:] Twenty-six hundred miles?
[Rodriguez:] Yes.
[Marquez:] President Trump, for years
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The Hispanics that are in the country legally, they love me.
[Marquez:] has touted how much Latino voters love him. Rolando Rodriguez is the one who likes the president's business acumen, religious alignments and border politics, particularly the wall.
[Rodriguez:] I don't think the wall is going to be a barrier, really, for the good people. It will be a barrier for the bad people.
[Marquez:] While, according to Gallup, a majority of Latinos disapprove of the president's job performance many angered by the family separation policy, focus on the wall and rhetoric about immigrants. The president still has some Latino support, about a third, which is on par with other past Republican presidents. [on camera]: You're working on your citizenship?
[Gutierrez:] I am working on my citizenship. Not yet.
[Marquez:] Mayra Gutierrez came to America from Mexico when she was three. She is working on obtaining her citizenship in hopes of when the president runs in 2020. Her top three issues, abortion, the economy, and immigration.
[Gutierrez:] We do have a lot of problems on immigration and I do support his stance for the wall.
[Marquez:] Trump-supporting Latinos here say the president has more support than many are willing to admit. Joachim Hernandez is president of the Hidalgo County Young Republicans. He says his membership has more than double in the last year. [on camera]: How difficult a sell is it for young Republicans, young people, to Latinos in this area to support a Republican Party president?
[Joachim Hernandez, President, Hidalgo County Young Republicans:] I'm actually kind of shocked, because the last time the president came to the valley, there was a lot of people out there supporting him.
[Marquez:] Hernandez and other Latinos we spoke to have no doubt that, with their help, Trump will win a second term in office and make good on his promise to fix an immigration system they view as broken. [oc0: Here in southwest Texas, this is what the barrier looks like in large part. Metal about five feet high, but to be fair on the other side there's about a 20-foot drop you can't see now. But most Latinos across the country say they do not agree with the president on I see immigration policies and his idea of building a wall. But those we spoke to in this area say there's a national emergency, and they would like to see this thing doubled or tripled in size. Miguel Marquez, CNN, Hidalgo County, Texas.
[Nobles:] Miguel, thank you very much. Coming up, the CEO of Boeing breaks his silence after two deadly plane crashes in just five months. Next, what he wants passengers to know and what he says the company is doing to keep them safe.

[Camerota:] The CDC says the number of vaping related cases is surging. More than 1,800 lung injury cases now and 37 deaths nationwide. The first death was reported in august, and now months later, health officials still do not know exactly what is behind this outbreak. In Georgia, vaping is thought to have caused one woman's death but officials determining that officially determining that is proving very difficult. So let's bring in CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who joins us with that story. What's the problem, Sanjay?
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Well, I mean, this is a complicated investigation. Keep in mind, as much as we've talked about this, what we're talking about is basically a new mysterious illness, and lots of different moving parts. We wanted to find out the same thing. What specifically is making this take so long but also see it from the perspective of a family who is dealing with tragedy that is now going through this trying to get some answers.
[Dr. Kevin Davis, Mary Kerrie Davis' Husband:] A 52-year-old healthy lady, that doesn't happen.
[Gupta:] Kevin Davis, a doctor himself, had no idea why his wife, Mary Kerrie, had suddenly become ill in early September.
[K. Davis:] I still can't believe it. Feel so bad and feel so guilty. You know, that how a physician, I can't take care of the people in my own house.
[Gupta:] A flu swab came back negative. Mary Kerrie's blood work was initially unremarkable. But her family had a suspicion. Vaping.
[Davis:] No idea the amount of vaping she was doing. According to her phone messages, the amount of things she was purchasing to vape.
[Gupta:] But proving that vaping was the cause was going to be much more difficult than they could have imagined.
[Maggie Davis, Mary Kerrie Davis' Daughter:] She sent me a picture of her in the ER. She said I'm on an IV. I have pneumonia.
[Gupta:] Just as she was admitted to the hospital, her daughter Maggie began hearing about an outbreak of a mysterious illness.
[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Anchor:] Doctors are reporting an uptick in the cases of severe lung disease which they say could be caused by vaping.
[M. Davis:] And I texted her back. I said, I hope it's not the vaping disease. Two days later, she had died.
[Gupta:] Wow, two days?
[M. Davis:] Yes, two days.
[Gupta:] Dr. Tom Karisni showed us her x-rays which tell the story.
[Unidentified Male:] The thing that was out of the ordinary was how quickly she deteriorated over the next 48 hours.
[Gupta:] Just take a look how much they changed. The one on the right is normal. Clear. But the picture on the left shows lungs that are totally obliterated.
[Unidentified Male:] We call that whiteout. It's a bad sign. Basically means air is not moving in the lungs at all.
[Gupta:] In the current outbreak, more than three dozen patients have died of vaping related disease. And Mary Kerrie may be counted among them. But nearly two months after she died, the family still doesn't know for sure. It shows how challenging it is to investigate a disease we're seeing for the first time. [on camera]: Are you hearing from the public health officials?
[M. Davis:] Yeah, we're hearing some from them, but it's just, you know, everybody in the different departments seems to have a different answer to these questions that we're asking.
[K. Davis:] It's so frustrating and I'm empowered. I can I have a status in the community. I know how to speak the language, and I couldn't get to anybody. Imagine how people who don't have any of those things, how would they ever make it known?
[Gupta:] And in Mary Kerrie's case, it's a complicated picture, because like so many of the people with vaping related disease, she wasn't just using nicotine but also THC, illegal in her home state of Georgia.
[M. Davis:] I think it was to a point where she was vaping more than she'd ever smoked cigarettes.

[Andrew Yang, Cnn Political Commentator:] This crisis. It doesn't solve many of the economic issues. But it's a stop-gap that we have to do. I certainly would never want to be, you know, proven right in this particular type of situation. You never wish this on our country. But putting cash into our hands is a must do and I'm thrilled that it seems like Congress and the administration are moving to do this as quickly as possible.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] But, Andrew, isn't it just a little crazy that when you first proposed it, people were, like, what? I mean it was jaw-dropping. It was so radical. And now the Trump administration is proposing it. I understand we're facing a pandemic. But the the speed with which your idea has caught fire, are you you find that remarkable?
[Yang:] Well, I never dreamed that I would suspend my campaign in February and then we'd be implementing universal based income in March. That was certainly never something I could have imagined to be possible. But I'm thrilled that my campaign might have advanced some of these solutions right in the nick of time to help us address this crisis.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] What's the level of contact you have with the White House on this matter now because you said there had been some?
[Yang:] Yes, my team has been in touch with their team. They have asked for resources that might help inform some of the policies and we're sending them any information they want in terms of the studies that show that cash infusions make people healthier, mentally healthier, more productive, more trusting. It's vital in this kind of situation. We just want to help the country move forward through this crisis and we'll do anything to help the administration implement the right policies.
[Berman:] One of the big difference not only is yours forever. I mean you're talking about $1,000 a month forever. But you also don't have any kind of means testing on purpose. Part of the economic theory behind your plan is that everyone gets it from Warren Buffett, you know, to the rest of us here. So, why? Why do you think everyone should get some kind of a check rather than just people making below $75,000 or $100,000?
[Yang:] Well, people's circumstances can change awfully quickly. I just heard from a restaurateur who made a lot of money on paper last year, but now their restaurant's closed, they plowed everything they have into the business and they're saying, look, like I know on paper it might look like I'm flush, but the truth is, like, I'm in desperate circumstances right now. I mean we're in a situation where it's all hands on deck, we should just be putting money into people's hands. And it's hard for the government to draw lines in the best of circumstances. Like, even if we had time, if you had to figure it out, we don't have time. We're much better off just putting money into people's hands and trusting that it's going to end up finding its way back into the economy, back into local communities to help keep us afloat.
[Camerota:] I mean very, very quickly, you know, one of the proposals is just $1,000, just a one-time hit of $1,000. So what do you think of that proposal?
[Yang:] Well, I think it needs to be regular and predictable, either $1,000 a month, because we're not sure or more per month because we're not sure how long this crisis is going to last. And if we put $1,000 in your hands at the end of March, you know, this could extend into April, May, June and that money is going to evaporate. So we either need to go much, much bigger overall, we need to think much, must bigger about the situation we're in. I mean when the house is on fire, you don't worry about how much water you're using. You have to put out the fire. We're in the precipice of a new, great depression and we need to act fast. So it should either be regular installments or very, very big I would I think big and regular is the right way to go.
[Camerota:] Andrew Yang, we really appreciate you sharing your expertise on this topic with us.
[Yang:] Thank you. It's great to be here.
[Camerota:] Stay safe. All right, now, oils, teas, solutions, even toothpaste, you won't believe the strange so-called coronavirus cures that are being pushed out there. We have a must see "Reality Check" for you, next.

[James O'neill, Nypd Commissioner:] He approached Mr. Garner to make an arrest. That offense could have resulted in a summons but Mr. Garner refused to provide identification which meant what have been brought to the precinct for processing. For several minutes on that widely viewed video, Mr. Garner makes it abundantly clear that he will not go willingly with the police officers. He refused to cooperate with the arrest and to comply with lawful orders. The video makes clear that Officer Pantaleo's original efforts to take Mr. Garner into custody were appropriate, and that he initially attended to two maneuver sanction by the police department. Officer Pantaleo first grabbed Mr. Garners' right write then attempted an arm bar technique in preparation for handcuffs to use. Mr. Garner immediately twisted and pulled and raised both of his hands while repeatedly telling officers to not to touch him. Officer Pantaleo then wrapped his arms around Mr. Garner's upper body. Up to that point and there's tense and rapidly involving situation, there was nothing to suggest that Officer Pantaleo attempted to place Mr. Garner in a chokehold. But what happened next is the matter we must address. The two men stumbled backward towards the large plate grass window at the store front behind them and Officer Pantaleo's back made contact with the glass causing the window to visibly buckle and warp. The person videotaping the episode later testified at the NYPD trial that he thought both men would crash through the glass. At that point in the video that Officer Pantaleo seen with his arms clasped together and his left forearm pressed against Mr. Garner's neck in what constitutes a chokehold. NYPD court ruled that while certainly not preferable that hold was acceptable during that brief moment in time because the risk of falling through the window was so high. But that
[Unidentified Male:] Mr. O'Neill,
[O'neill:] I'm not going to talk about rumors. Let's talk about the decision that Rosemarie made, the decision that was affirmed by Deputy Commissioner Tucker, and the decision I just made today. It's an extremely difficult decision.
[Unidentified Male:] When did you actually make this decision? Was this up to the wire or had you made this decision a couple days ago?
[O'neill:] Hey Mark, I think you know me long enough by now that this was not an easy decision. It's not something that I could make over a few hours. You know, I've been thinking about this since the day I was sworn in as police commissioner. So it's the decision was made in the last couple of days. Tony?
[Unidentified Male:] Commissioner, has there been any determination made about any mentioned rights or benefits?
[O'neill:] Yes. He's being terminated. So whatever contributions he made to the pension system he'll get back. Marcia? Hold on. So immediately, I'm sending out my remarks and the video of this press conference so they know what you all know. And I've been a cop a long time. And if I was still a cop, I'd probably be mad at me. I would. You're not looking out for us. But I am. It's my responsibility as police commissioner to look out for the city and certainly to look out for the New York city police officers. They took this job to make a difference. And you all know the city has been transformed, had a lot of help. But it's the cops out there right now and the thousands that have come before us that continue to make this city safe. Some will be angry. And I have a great executive staff. These police officers do a terrific job each and every day and we'll have to work through this. It's a resilient organization. I did this based on the evidence and testimony at the trial.
[Unidentified Male:] Commissioner, our understanding is that negotiations went back and forth Friday and Saturday and then at one point you were told or instructed by city hall the thing has to go a certain way.
[O'neill:] No. That's not this is my decision. There are a couple possible outcomes but this is the decision that the police commissioner makes. This is a disciplinary case like other disciplinary cases. And it's my decision. Rocco, I'm going to get to you in a second. Hold on. Rocco?
[Unidentified Male:] Did you follow the trial or did you wait until the end of the trial? And then can you talk about what you
[O'neill:] I did not follow the trial day to day. I waited for the testimony to come up and the evidence to come up. I have a staff that works for me up at my office. They do disciplinary cases. They reviewed it. We got Rosemarie's decision, we look at that and we moved forward. Right here, the blonde haired.
[Unidentified Male:] Have you spoken to the Garner family?
[O'neill:] I have not. Commissioner Tucker has attempted to reach out to them. A couple different phone calls. Didn't happen too long ago. We're waiting for a call back. Away in the corner over there.
[Unidentified Female:] Have you spoken to Officer Pantaleo
[O'neill:] No, this is the first time. This is the announcement it was from here. What's that? I talked to with Mayor de Blasio about process and possible outcomes.
[Unidentified Male:] Commissioner?
[O'neill:] Ashley?
[Unidentified Female:] Commissioner, in her decision, the Judge Maldonado indicated that Pantaleo was
[O'neil:] So this all this whole situation transpired in seconds. I'm sure no one in this room, if they were involved in no one in this room probably had to except the police had to arrest anybody in a physical struggle. And if they could recount step for step what they did, I think that would be nothing short of a miracle. This is the decision Rosemary made Rosemarie made. This is a was affirmed by the first deputy commissioner and I'm agreeing with that. Yes?
[Unidentified Male:] Sir, just to be clear. Are you making this decision to agree with the judge or are you making this decision because you believe it is also the right decision?
[O'neill:] I am this is there is a department trial. There is a process. Rosemarie made the decision again affirmed by Ben Tucker and I agree with both of their findings. Yes?
[Unidentified Male:] You spoke about wishing that Eric Garner wouldn't have resisted and would have just complied. You also said you wish that Officer Pantaleo would have waited for backup. So what is the lesson for your officers coming out of this decision?
[O'neill:] So immediately after this back in 2014, Ben Tucker was the deputy commissioner of training still at the time. We put all of our police officers through a three day course including deescalation. We've done a lot of other things that we've done fair and impartial policing and every police officer has wearing a body-worn camera now. There's a lot of things that come out of this incident. And every time there is an incident that affects that NYPD there's always something to learn. Right behind you? Yes.
[Unidentified Female:] Commissioner, you pointed out in the beginning of your remarks about Officer Pantaleo's good record as a police officer but he was also being monitored for
[O'neill:] Yes.
[Unidentified Female:] for using use of force. How do you square those two things? And is the monitoring working or should
[O'neill:] Officer Pantaleo had 289 arrests. As far as we can tell, searching through searching through all the records, no other person that he arrested was injured. He did have a number of resisting arrests which is not unusual. He had some CCRBs, the one that was where he was substantiated, that was a bad stop, not use of force. So all of these have to be taken in its totality. Out of that 289 arrests, there were a number of gun arrests. And what does the NYPD do each and everyday? We try to reduce gun violence in this city. So that I have to look at his record. That's part of the disciplinary system. Yes?
[Unidentified Male:] You had a decision not to discipline Officer Pantaleo impact on the community, have any factors in your decision making in this?
[O'neill:] So I'm not going to stand up here and say I didn't think about that. But I had to be guided by the facts that were brought out in the department trial and that was sent up to our office. I see a lot of journalists here that went through 2014. The protests, the murder of Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos to say that, you know, that's always that is never out of my mind. I think about that every day whether there is a department trial or not. So I can't stand up here and say I didn't think about that. But that's not what how I made my final decision. Right here.
[Unidentified Female:] Mayor de Blasio promised
[O'neill:] This is the outcome of our trial. We need it to be fair and impartial. And it was a fair and impartial trial. Right here with the glasses.
[Unidentified Male:] Has anyone spoken to the family to Mr. Garner yet? What would you say to them right now?
[O'neill:] There's from day one we said that there was going to be a fair and impartial trial and this is the result. Make no mistake about it, this is a tragedy for the Garner family. I fully understand that. Mr. Garner was somebody's son, somebody's dad. Everybody in the NYPD understand that's. Right here.
[Unidentified Male:] A couple questions. First when this termination effective, is it immediate?
[O'neill:] It's an immediate termination.
[Unidentified Male:] And second, reading Judge Maldonado's decision, was there anything in it that you disagreed with?
[O'neill:] I agreed with the content of her decision. Who didn't go yet? Right here. Yes?
[Unidentified Female:] Commissioner, during the department's trial, it came out that a lot of the partner
[O'neill:] Right after this,
[Unidentified Male:] Commissioner, you spoke a bit about your time as a cop. Would you approach this thing from a position of almost reluctance
[O'neill:] So I can't remove myself from the fact that I was a uniformed cop for 34 years. And I think that's what makes this so difficult that every member of law enforcement in this country that works and keeps this country safe and the city safe looked at that and said that could possibly be me. And that's it's in my DNA. It's who I am. It's but as police commissioner, I have to think about the city. I have to think about the rules and regs of the NYPD and make sure that people follow them. In the back. What did you say? I think I stated that. And I said if I were still a police officer, I would probably not be happy. But we've been through a lot of things with the NYPD and it's great history. I know that men and women that do this job are resilient. Somebody calls for help, dials 911, someone flags him down, they're not going to think about this decision. They're going to think about why they took this job and help that person no matter who they are. Right here.
[Unidentified Male:] Before you announce your decision, you said you were confident this was the right one. Was there something in particular? Was there a moment when you realized that? And what do you see as commissioner that the officer on the screen might be upset with the decision doesn't see?
[O'neill:] So as I said, I went through the testimony. I looked at the video a number of times. I know what the definition of a chokehold is. This is what led me to this decision. And again, a difficult decision. At the back.
[John King, Cnn:] It's the New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill explaining there. He's been going on for 20 minutes. Now, his decision, he says it was a painful decision but his decision ultimately to fire, to terminate Officer Daniel Pantaleo. He was the officer held accountable for the death of Eric Garner in a chokehold more than five years ago. Five years and one month ago. This case has dragged on for years because of Justice Department and other grand jury investigations. The police commissioner saying it was a painful decision but he had determined that a police trial judge was correct in saying that Officer Pantaleo, yes, put Eric Garner in a chokehold but then when they fell to the ground had every opportunity to move to what the commissioner called less lethal alternatives as he tried to bring him into custody. Eric Garner was resisting arrest. But the police commissioner saying that Eric that Officer Pantaleo should have stopped that prohibited chokehold. Our crime and justice reporter Shimon Prokupecz has been in New York tracking all this. Shimon, the commissioner saying he is sure a lot of men and women in blue in New York city police don't like this decision today but that he believes it's the right one.
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Reporter:] Yes. And, John, while you're seeing him stand there for so long now, some 30 minutes taking questions, he's really speaking in some ways to the rank-and- file of the police department. He knows that they're not going to be happy with this decision. And that is something that has weighed very heavily on the police commissioner. Look, I know from talking to people that this was not an easy decision for him because he was very concerned about the impact of this kind of a decision, firing this police officer, leaving him without a pension and essentially just saying OK, we're done with you. You violated some of the rules and regulations of the NYPD. You're now fired and you have nothing after your several years of being in the police department concerned him greatly. This was not a decision as we know and as we can hear from him, he was pretty emotional at times that came easy. The one thing we're not hearing in a lot of his statements so far is anything about the mayor. And we should not forget the role that the mayor had in all of this. Remember it was at a CNN debate that the mayor stood up and said that the Garner family would have justice at some point. It was after the Department of Justice issued its decision not to pursue charges, not to charge the officer in this case. And all that was left for the family was whether or not the police department, the NYPD was going to take action against Officer Pantaleo. And the mayor essentially promises to the community, promised it to the world saying that the family was going to get justice. And so we'll hear from the mayor in a little while. And in the coming days, we're probably going to hear stories about some of the pressure that the mayor put on the police commissioner to make sure that this officer is fired. And we'll see where it goes from there. Look, this officer will be able to sue. He's going to sue the NYPD to try and get his job back. They're going to argue in court that this is unfair. The Department of Justice did not bring charges. A prosecutor
[King:] And Shimon, in the moment we have left, just explain to anybody watching, this was five years and a month ago. There was an original grand jury that looked into this. They decided not to prosecute on local charges. Then it was held up, the commissioner said because first the Obama administration then the Trump administration's Justice Department was looking at it. So this is the end of any penalty punishment against Officer Pantaleo but not the end of this drama.
[Prokupecz:] It is over, you know, it is over for the officer obviously. There was a lot of end fighting even at the Department of Justice at the time between the FBI, between the Department of Justice. There were people at the Department of Justice who wanted to bring charges against Pantaleo that obviously after Trump came in, that did not happen. So but this is the end of the line here certainly for the family. I think this is going to be good news for them, for the mayor. He's going to be happy with this outcome. And now we see, you know, what this officer does and what the union does. And do they sue the NYPD?
[King:] All right. And we'll see that and we'll watch the legal fallout, we'll watch the political fallout. Brianna Keilar picking up our coverage after a quick break.

[Blackwell:] A bill to provide $25 billion to the postal service has passed the House and is headed to the Senate.
[Paul:] Yes. The measure passed largely along party lines with more than two dozen Republicans voting with Democrats. It's certainly almost dead in the Republican-controlled Senate. Sarah Westwood joining us now from the White House. So, we know the White House has already issued a veto threat there, Sarah. What are you hearing this morning? Good morning.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] Good morning, Victor and Christi. And, yes, the White House making clear that that bill would be dead on arrival if it were to reach the president's desk. But as you mentioned that's very unlikely. Because it's unlikely that the Senate will take up the bill as it is. They obviously have been pushing for postal service funding to be included in a larger stimulus package. And so there's very little interest in that bill advancing. But it did pass easily, 257 to 150, yesterday with as you mentioned more than 24 Republicans. Some of them in competitive races coming up this fall voting in favor of that bill. And, meanwhile, President Trump and the White House are preparing for the Republican National Convention to kick off tomorrow. Trump and Pence will travel to North Carolina for the roll call of delegates. The slimmed down 336 delegates that will be taking roll call tomorrow in Charlotte, North Carolina for the first big day of the convention. We know that President Trump wants a convention that doesn't look anything like what we saw from the Democrats last week. They want to have more live programming, more surprises. And we're told that President Trump will be involved in every night of the convention. But still, his big speech, his formal acceptance speech when he accepts the Republican nomination will be Thursday night from here at the White House. They're constructing a large stage behind me at the White House. So, that is something that the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign have been amping up hopes for. Now, also on that trip tomorrow the president will be going to Mills River, North Carolina to give a speech, and Greer, South Carolina, in addition to Charlotte. So, a very busy day tomorrow for the president as the GOP convention kicks off. And, again, the White House and everyone around it really amping up expectations for that event, Victor and Christi.
[Paul:] All right. Sarah Westwood, good to see you this morning. Thank you.
[Blackwell:] Thank you, Sarah. Now, the pandemic and some of the president's last minute calls have forced the changes in planning for the RNC. So, what will it look like? CNN's Ryan Nobles tells us what we know and really what we don't know.
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Correspondent:] Victor and Christi, President Trump really wants to outdo the performance that the Democrats put on with their convention last week. He wants it to look different than the Democratic convention. Of course, that was largely virtual. Hardly any of the speeches were in front of actual human beings. The Republican events will be a little bit different. In fact this auditorium behind me, the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., expected to host some of the speakers in front of live crowds. Among those speaking at this venue will be the second lady Karen Pence. Meanwhile, President Trump inviting people to the White House to be there when he delivers his acceptance speech on Thursday. Also, Melania Trump is expected to speak from the Rose Garden of the White House while Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Baltimore and speak at Fort McHenry. And, of course, many of the speakers that we're going to hear from at the Republican National Convention kind of reflect these culture wars that President Trump has been fanning since he took office. The McCloskeys, that couple from St. Louis that challenged Black Lives Matter protesters with guns out in front of their homes. And then Nick Sandmann, who is the young student from Covington Catholic School who got into a confrontation with Native Americans on the National Mall during the March for Life. He too expected to speak this week. The big thing that President Trump wants, though, is a show. He wants to outdo what the Democrats were able to do last week. But this is going to be difficult for President Trump and the Republicans because they had so many starts and stops to their convention planning, initially tried to do it in Charlotte, then move it to Jacksonville. They so much wanted to do it in front of a big crowd but were just were unable to pull that up because of coronavirus concerns. They've kept a lot of their planning under wraps. So, we'll have to see how it all plays out this week Victor and Christi.
[Paul:] Ryan, thank you so much. CNN political commentator Errol Louis with us now, host of the "You Decide" podcast. Errol, good morning to you.
[Errol Louis, Cnn Political Commentator:] Good morning, Christi.
[Paul:] OK. I want to read to you something from "Politico." Russ Schriefer, the veteran Republican who actually helped spearhead some past conventions said this about what's going to happen this week. He said, "I think the bar is really going to be set on the messaging and how well they message. Going second has a great advantage in that you get to kind of rebut what the Democrats did last week." There was a lot of praise we know from people on both sides of the aisle regarding the DNC. The expectation is that President Trump is going to talk about policy. But how does President Trump talk about character?
[Louis:] Well, yes, character is an important question that, of course, the president is going to try and move past. In fact, whenever asked about character, ever since 2015 when he began to run, he always went to performance. Judge me by what I do, the jobs that I create, the larger standing in the world that I'll create for you, the more firm security of policies that I'm going to put in place. And the reality is that this is not going to be easy for them to do. There's a much bigger problem out there, Christi, than just messaging. People know that when they turn on the screen just as you had not that long ago, 176,000 deaths, it's affecting everyone. Mass unemployment, it's affecting everyone. The inability to go out without putting on a mask. The social distancing requirements in so many places, including Washington, D.C. They're going if they are going if they think they're going to get people to forget all of that it's going to be much, much harder task I think than they realize. But the task is really going to be to skip over character, skip over mass unemployment, skip over the pandemic and try and spin a vision of the future that goes beyond all of those questions and that is going to be some heavy lifting, Christi.
[Paul:] Some people might look at this and think that it's curious the lineup that Ryan just went through. We know that we can assume what some of the intentions are of some of the people that will speak, right? I mean, when you talk about Alice Johnson who President Trump commuted her sentence, mostly speaking to criminal justice reform. When you've got the McCloskeys, most likely going to expect that there will be a Second Amendment conversation there. What is the value and I'm really not being flippant. I'm curious. What is the value of Nick Sandmann?
[Louis:] Look, Nick Sandmann for those who don't remember, was involved in kind of a one or two-day story, frankly where he got into a confrontation with some protesters, there were accusations of racism, further investigation suggested that it wasn't quite as bad as it has been first portrayed and so forth. And then he sued new organizations for making him look bad. It touches on a lot of what the Trump base wants to hear about. That racism accusations are overblown. That the media is on it. That people how were just kind of going about their business, trying to be good Americans are being unfairly maligned. But these are all very small questions, Christi. That's the thing that is striking. We're going to be on the small screen because of the pandemic and the fact that everybody has to watch this at home. That means that we're going to be on a small screen and the president and the programming for this convention seems to be a series of these little kind of one-day stories that have taken on some life in the world of Trump supporters and Fox News viewers and they want to sort of rehash all of those. And kind of stoke the fires of grievance and pull together his base around this kind of momentary bits of anger that have accumulated over the last few years. The problem with that, of course, is that there are much, much bigger problems out there. There are much bigger issues than whether Nick Sandmann was treated fairly by the media to say the least. You know, like I said, they've got a lot of work ahead of them. If they think they're going to take people's minds off the major problems that are actually confronting us.
[Paul:] OK. But what does it mean for people in the middle who may have been able to decide what they're going to do yet? They love maybe the character conversation of the DNC but they didn't hear enough policy. They'll certainly the expectation is going to hear some policy here. Can he do anything to attract someone other than his base? And is there any indication that he will try?
[Louis:] He almost never does that. He almost never does that. He didn't do it in Cleveland in 2016. He hasn't done it in the three and a half years since then. I'd be very surprised if he does make a genuine serious effort to reach beyond his base. So, that's the first thing. The second thing though, Christi, is when you say character really what you're talking about or I should say what the Democrats tried to focus on was not so much character as ability. Saying that he can't do the job because of character flaws. So, you have to kind of put those two things together. If Donald Trump wants to say, I have the character to lead this nation forward and I can do it, what the Democrats are saying, the last part of that is not in question. He simply can't do it. So, we can debate, this is the Democratic point of view. We can debate whether or not he's a good guy, a bad guy, a racist, so forth and so on. But what we can't debate is that he couldn't handle the pandemic. He couldn't handle the economy. He's unable to do the things that are needed to bring the country back together and move the country forward. If he's got an argument that he can do those things and he can be persuasive about it, well, sure, he can take everybody along. Beyond his base, anybody would vote for a leader who you sensed was both genuine and capable of doing what this country needs right now. The question on the table is whether or not Donald Trump is that person.
[Paul:] All right. Errol Louis, always appreciate getting your perspective. Thanks for getting up early for us on the weekends. You know we appreciate it.
[Louis:] Thank you, Christi.
[Paul:] Of course. The Democratic National Convention as we just said is behind us. So, all week long for the RNC. We're covering the big speeches, important moments and President Trump all starting tomorrow. Special coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern live right here on
[Cnn. Blackwell:] We've got two tropical storms that are positioned to make landfall along the Gulf Coast in the next few days. And we are now learning they could make landfall as hurricanes within 48 hours of one another. Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the storms next.

[Coren:] Welcome back to NEWS STREAM. Venezuela's opposition leader is admitting this week's protests haven't had enough military defectors to topple President Nicolas Maduro from power, but Juan Guaido is urging his supporters to protest for a third day and government employees to strike. Wednesday's demonstrations led to the arrests of 168 people according to Human Rights Watch. One of the group's officials said there are credible reports that Security Forces had fired shotgun pellets at demonstrators and journalists. Our CNN crews saw what appeared to be shotgun shells lying in the streets of Caracas after a protest, but it is unclear how old they were. President Maduro says he'll never surrender to traitors. CNN Senior international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from Caracas. Nick, as we know, Guaido jumped the gun. He overestimated his support, but so too did the United States, his number one backer with its Intelligence. How did they get it so wrong?
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] It's always difficult to tell really exactly why the U.S. thinks it will achieve by banging the drum so loud outside of Venezuela. I think they believe they put enough wind in the wings of Juan Guaido, the opposition leader who declared himself Interim President and was recognized by dozens of countries around the world. But it hasn't translated to the sea change they wanted on the ground, maybe people thought early Tuesday morning when he appeared, Juan Guaido with the military next to him and said that, "Today was the day," that maybe that was the start of something new. Sadly for him, on Juan Guaido, that didn't turn out to be the case. One thing that has perhaps happened and not received as much attention is one of the key members of Nicolas Maduro's security apparatus, Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera, who is the head of the Venezuelan National Intelligence Service, he left his job on that same day, the highest profile key security apparatus figure to leave Maduro since the beginning of this crisis, and he released an open letter getting a lot of discussion. Let me read a quote for you here from it. He says, "You cannot live in misery in a country so rich, this generation that is in childhood will grow up with the flaws that bad food producers, and that damage is irreversible." Echoing I think how many Venezuelans feel about the current man-made humanitarian crisis they're dealing with. As you mentioned, Anna, today is about trying to get opposition protesters back on the streets for the third day in a row. I have to say behind me here in central Caracas is business as usual. Maybe that will change as the day goes on. It doesn't reflect the poverty, the rolling blackouts and food shortages across the rest of rural Venezuela and its other towns and cities. Nicolas Maduro appearing on television marching with his Armed Forces trying to show they're still with him. It was clear on Tuesday, not as many as he thought. But as Juan Guaido admitted, not as many are with him as they would necessarily need to change the balance here. Is this continued U.S. pressure from outside and these defections going to change matters? We will have to see. Today is key really, if we don't see some sort of change on the streets, we're going to be looking really at another flare of activity from the opposition, followed by what often has been in the past weeks of them kind of gathering themselves back together again Anna.
[Coren:] Yes, I know you've been covering this story over the past three months from time to time, but what is it going to take for the military to switch sides considering that much of the top brass have profited from corruption and mismanagement of the country's natural resources and wealth?
[Paton Walsh:] The difficulty is as the screw tightens on Venezuela in terms of sanctions and its economic collapse that has two impacts. The economic collapse means the rank-and-file in the military are more likely to change sides simply for the benefit of their families and daily life here. But the turning of the screw of the sanctions, particularly against senior figures here means that their fate is kind of sealed if they leave Maduro's inner circle. Outside of Venezuela, some of them will potentially face indictment by the United States, they are certainly target of sanctions so and Anna, God knows what might happen if Juan Guaido did take power here, what he might do to members of the military. He has suggested an amnesty might be in place. So those senior figures will feel increasingly their backs are against the wall. But it didn't stop the head of Venezuela's National Intelligence for making that very public statement that he did. And this is the massive question really behind this kind of velvet curtain, if you like of Maduro's government here, what is happening in those rooms? Did what happened on Tuesday morning make people in the military think there are more with Guaido than we previously imagined? Those scenes frankly, shocked me. I hadn't expected to see Venezuelan military having teargas fired on them by their own Venezuelan military colleagues. That
[Coren:] Yes, you mentioned that humanitarian crisis and the majority of the 32 million Venezuelans certainly have lived a wretched existence for most of the past six years. Nick Paton Walsh, great to have you on the ground there in Caracas. Many thanks for your reporting. Well, India is bracing for what could be its strongest tropical cyclone in years. One hundred million people on the country's East Coast, they are preparing for Tropical Cyclone Fani, which is expected to bring storm surges, wind damage and inland flooding. Evacuations have already started. Well, meteorologist, Chad Myers is tracking the storm. Chad, how destructive are you expecting this storm will be?
[Chad Myers, Cnn Meteorologist:] You know, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center right now, Anna has it at 215 kilometers per hour, and I think that's a way underestimate of what happened now in the past three hours because that last update was three hours ago. So we are waiting now for what just happened which is now a clearly defined eye, a Dvorak satellite number significantly higher than 215. So what that means is seven to nine meters worth of storm surge. That's going to mean wind gust of 250 kilometers per hour. That's going to mean lots of rainfall damage and destruction along its path. Now, when it makes landfall in 24 hours, maybe a little bit less, it will be down to about 195, but still the surge with this storm is going to be tremendous, so everyone near the shore is going to need to get away. Water's power is just too strong when it is that high to stay here and if you're in the area around Puri, this is the area that is going to see the center of the eyewall. Now, obviously, left and right, 200 kilometers, you're still going to see winds over probably 100 kilometers per hour and that is still going to do significant damage here. It will get very close to Calcutta. This is the area here that has 14 million people in the way of wind at least 120 kilometers per hour and significant rainfall. It's that red area there that you saw, that is the area of the highest population density. Now, Puri down here, you're still looking at 1.5 million people in the way of the eyewall, so that's another thing we're worried about obviously here and then when it gets up towards Bangladesh, we are talking about significant rainfall accumulations. It could be 250 millimeters of rainfall, especially in the higher elevations and that will have to run downhill. That's what we're worried about. This is the strongest when it is going to make landfall, equivalent to a Category 3 almost Category 4 right now and the last one would have been 2014. So we're talking five years ago compared to the strongest storm here. I am going to zoom this in because I simply can and I think it's so very impressive to see what has happened over the past about six hours. From an eye you truly couldn't see to now one you could actually see the sky through, you could see the sunshine through the clouds in the eye if you were there and you certainly wouldn't want to be. An impressive storm still getting stronger and the people there are battening down because this is going to be a devastating storm for tens of thousands of people in the way and we know that a hundred million people are going to be impacted at some point in some way Anna.
[Coren:] Yes, that is a frightening forecast. We know that that storm is heading for some very poor areas with very poor infrastructure. Chad Myers, thank you for keeping an eye on that for us. Well, you're watching NEWS STREAM. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are bucking tradition in keeping details of the Royal birth close to home. The secrecy surrounding Baby Sussex, that's coming up.

[Anderson:] Royal romance turning into a crisis. Almost 100 years ago. Britain's King Edward VIII coming under severe pressure to abdicate the throne after falling in love with American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Sound familiar? Well, it ought to fast forward to today. Britain's most senior royals meeting to figure out how to handle a tough family affair of their own. Discussing plans for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan see in here to take a step back from their royal duties. CNN's World Correspondent Max Foster, he was sources through the royal court just outside with the meeting is taking place for is it one of the Queen's private houses. What do we know at this point, Max?
[Max Foster, Cnn International Correspondent:] We don't know whether it's started or not because we know the Duchess in Canada, we don't know which part of Canada
[Anderson:] This is massive, right? So who exactly is to blame for Harry and Megan's decision if anyone well, they believe as far as I understand it, the British tabloids have been vicious towards them and Megan, in particular. Peggy Drexler, Max, a research psychologist and author, wrote an op ed for CNN on exactly that subject in it. She writes, they ran her out of town and now they are mad, she is leaving. Are those accusations that she was or has been run out of town fair?
[Foster:] You know, a lot of Meghan in particular has got a huge online support base, and they certainly feel that the royal family didn't support her and forced her out, they didn't accept her, and that the Duchess simply wouldn't accept that. So therefore, she wants out and she wants to forge her own career outside the Royal folds. Obviously, within the family, they don't feel that that's the case at all. They very much did support her. And this just isn't the role for her. She perhaps misunderstood what it mean to join the royal family. It's not a celebrity culture. Yes, they're famous, but they're not celebrities. They've got public duties. And those duties fall above the individual. And I think that's the there is a clash there. I think actually, Harry is the one trying to bridge all of this because he does understand that public service aspect of it. And he does want to continue in a royal role. We just don't know how much the Duchess wants to continue. Some suggestion in the papers today that she's the one that wants out more than Harry.
[Anderson:] Yes. I mean, 2019 was another anisole
[Foster:] Well, you know, neither of them, I think necessarily damage the core monarchy, which is that direct line of succession because we've seen in both of those cases, we've seen the Queen and Charles and William lock horns and work together as one cohesive unit. And that's the direct line of succession on which the monarchy is built. So I think that part of it is strong. But obviously, in terms of family crises, we've had two very big ones, indeed, is whether or not they can get through this latest one. Andrew was very compliant effectively, he did step back immediately from a public role, which is what the Queen advised him to having taken soundings from William and Charles. This is going to be the test about today's meeting. If the Duchess, for example, says, I'm not accepting this new deal you're presenting today, they're an impasse, and that is a crisis and it could turn into a crisis for the monarchy or the monarch at least. But she might be left with some sort of she might have to choose between what Charles William I feel is right. And what Meghan and Harry feel is right. And that's going to be a horrible dilemma for her. But ultimately whenever we've seen her in these situations she put service above everything else. So I suggest that she would probably go with her direct as whatever they view.
[Anderson:] Picture of happier times for Meghan and Prince Harry. Their trip to South Africa late last year. Max was on that trip of course. So, Max, thank you for that. That's the summit at Sandringham and more on that as we get it. Well, still come this hour. We'll get back to one of our top stories. Protesters out in the streets once again in Tehran. Anger and grief escalating and spreading it seems after the government admitted to shooting down a passenger jet. More after this.

[Yovanovitch:] very, very difficult time because the president does have the right to have his own, her own ambassador in every country in the world.
[Sewell:] But does the president actually have the right to actually malign people's character? I mean, I may not be against any law, but I would think it would be against decorum and decency.
[Yovanovitch:] I mean, there's a question as to why the kind of campaign to get me out of Ukraine happened. Because all the president has to do is say he wants a different ambassador. And in my line of work, perhaps your line of work as well, all we have is our reputation, and this has been a is been a very painful.
[Sewell:] How has it affected your family?
[Yovanovitch:] I really don't want to get into that, but thank you for asking.
[Sewell:] Because I do care. I also want to know how you think it affected your fellow colleagues in the Foreign Service. My Republican colleagues have said that since you receive such adulation from and embracing from your own fellow colleagues, that what occurred, the incident that occurred with the president and his cronies, you know, maligning your reputation, how has that had a chilling effect on the ability and the morale within the foreign service? Can you speak to that?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes. I think that I think that it has had exactly that, a chilling effect. Not only in Embassy Kyiv, but throughout the State Department. Because people don't know, kind of whether their efforts to pursue our stated policy are going to be supported. And that is a that is a dangerous place to be.
[Sewell:] Now for the record, my Republican colleagues would probably try to paint you as a never-Trumper. Are you a never-Trumper?
[Yovanovitch:] No.
[Sewell:] As a Foreign Service officer, you took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States without regard for who is in office. Is that correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, that's true.
[Sewell:] have you also served your near 33 years for not just democratic presidents, but also Republican presidents?
[Yovanovitch:] For Republican presidents.
[Sewell:] For Republican presidents. In fact you joined the Foreign Service under Reagan, is that right?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, that's true.
[Sewell:] Now, why do you think it's really important that they Foreign Service officers are nonpartisan? Can you talk to us about why it's important for you to do your job and your fellow Foreign Service officers to do your job, that you're nonpartisan.
[Yovanovitch:] Because our work is essentially nonpartisan. And Senator Vandenberg, a Republican senator who partnered with President Truman coined a phrase that politics should stop at the water's edge. And I think that that's exactly right because while obviously the competition of ideas in a democracy, different parties, different individuals, is hugely important. But at the end of the day, when we are dealing with other countries, it needs to be about what is right with the United States. But those are our national security interests, and whether an individual works for the CIA or the military or the State Department, we've got a be nonpartisan and thinking about what is right for the United States.
[Sewell:] Well, on behalf of a grateful nation, I want to say thank you for your service. I yield back my time.
[Yovanovitch:] Thank you.
[Schiff:] Mr. Turner.
[Turner:] Ambassador, I want to say, I have a great deal of respect for what you do. I serve on the Armed Services Committee, the Intelligence Committee, I've worked with NATO Parliamentary Assembly, including being its president I know the complexity of what you do. I know you have little access directly to decision-makers, little resources, but have still a great deal of responsibility. It is a complex task and I want to take us from just the concept of one dimensional Ukraine to being corrupt to the other issues that you had to deal with as the Ukraine ambassador. You had to deal with more than just our bilateral relationship with Ukraine. For example, and I'd like confirmation that, I mean obviously I know that you know these, but these were on your portfolio. You had to deal with the issue of the OSCE and Budapest agreement and denuclearization of Ukraine and the issues of integrity of the signatories. Correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Could you run that by me again?
[Turner:] The OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation for Europe and the Budapest agreement under which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons and believed they had its territorial integrity guaranteed by the United States and Russia. You would have had that in your portfolio.
[Yovanovitch:] Well that...
[Turner:] It was an issue you would have had to deal with Ukrainians on.
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, when the Ukrainians would ask about our policy and whether it was in keeping with the Budapest agreement.
[Turner:] Excellent. NATO, Ukraine is an aspiring NATO country and of course, you know the Bucharest summit where the U.S. and the NATO allies made a statement that they would get membership; that would have been on your portfolio. They would have been discussing with you there...
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, certainly aspirations to NATO membership...
[Turner:] Right. And it's also consistent with U.S. policy that the U.S. supports Ukraine joining the E.U. and they have a great deal of interest and desire for joining the E.U., correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Turner:] And they just had a summit in Ukraine in July where they talked about the associated agreement on economic integration between the Ukraine's and the E.U. and they also had a discussion about the illegal annexation of Crimea and the blocking by Russia of the Ukrainian sailors that came out of the Assab sea that were captures. Those would have all been issues that would have been in your portfolio that were consistent with what the E.U.'s issues are, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes. We work closely with our E.U. partners.
[Turner:] In addition to Ukraine, you'd have to work with France and U.K. and Germany, all of which you have different ideas of those? The ambassadors to Ukraine, of French, Germany, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes. Did you they all have different ideas about these issues?
[Turner:] Some of them, yes.
[Yovanovitch:] But mostly there's a consensus.
[Turner:] You'd have to work with NGOs, non-governmental organizations, on issues that we heard about: legal aid, human trafficking, building democratic institutions and even HIV-AIDS, right?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Turner:] You've spoken at several NGOs while you were the ambassador to Ukraine?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Turner:] Now, the U.S. ambassador to the E.U., they would have under their portfolio aspiring nations to the E.U., would the not?
[Yovanovitch:] Yeah.
[Turner:] OK. So E.U. Ambassador Sondland, then, would have had Ukraine in his portfolio because they're an aspiring nation and he's our U.S. ambassador to the E.U., correct?
[Yovanovitch:] I think he testified that one of his first...
[Turner:] But you agree...
[Yovanovitch:] ... discussions was...
[Turner:] ... that it's...
[Yovanovitch:] ... with Ukrainians.
[Turner:] ... within his portfolio, correct? You would agree that it's in his portfolio, would you not? Yes?
[Yovanovitch:] I would agree that...
[Turner:] Yes, thank you. Now, I want to go to the next...
[Yovanovitch:] I'd like to finish my...
[Turner:] Richard Holbrooke is...
[Schiff:] The gentleman...
[Turner:] ... is a person who...
[Schiff:] The gentleman gentleman will suspend.
[Turner:] ... which I have a great deal of of...
[Schiff:] The gentleman will suspend.
[Turner:] ... reverence for. I'm not going to suspend.
[Schiff:] Ms. Yovanovitch had not finished her answer. You may finish your answer, Ambassador.
[Turner:] Not on my time. Your dime...
[Schiff:] Nope.
[Turner:] ... right?
[Schiff:] Ambassador? Ambassador will be recognized.
[Yovanovitch:] I would say that all E.U. ambassadors deal with other countries including aspiring countries, but the it is unusual to name the U.S. ambassador to the E.U. to be responsible for all aspects of Ukraine.
[Turner:] I'll take your initial answer. It's still in his portfolio, which was my question. You knew Ambassador Holbrooke probably. I did. He's a man of great integrity, one of our most successful ambassadors. You knew him probably by his reputation. You would agree that he was a man of great reputation, right?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Turner:] Yes. Madam Ambassador, would it surprise you if, in 2004, John Kerry had a member of his campaign who was a foreign policy advisor who traveled to the Ukraine in July and met with Ukrainian officials and the U.S. ambassador? Would that surprise you? A member of John Kerry's campaign team for president of the United States in 2004 traveled to Ukraine, met with the U.S. ambassador in July.
[Yovanovitch:] Not necessarily. What was the context?
[Turner:] Would you have taken that meeting if if a member of John Kerry's campaign traveled to the... ... Ukraine, would you have taken that meeting?
[Yovanovitch:] I guess it would depend on what the purpose of the meeting was.
[Turner:] Well, that meeting actually occurred and it was with John Holbrooke. John Holbrooke was a private citizen, traveled to Ukraine, met with the U.S. ambassadors, met with Ukrainian officials. He was also there about HIV-AIDS, which was in addition something that the Clinton Foundation was working on. So we have an official of the John Kerry campaign in 2004, is a private citizen, meeting with our ambassador in Ukraine...
[Schiff:] Time of the gentleman has expired.
[Turner:] Is that unusual?
[Yovanovitch:] We meet with private individuals all the time.
[Turner:] It probably wasn't unusual for Giuliani either.
[Schiff:] The gentleman's time has expired. Mr. Carson, you are recognized.
[Carson:] Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Madam Ambassador. Madam Ambassador, returning to the topic of corruption, we heard evidence that you were successful at promoting efforts to address corruption. On Wednesday, in testifying about your very sterling career as a champion of anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine, Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent said, quote, "You can't promote principled anti- corruption action without pissing off corrupt people," end quote. It seems that your efforts as ambassador to essentially reform the powerful prosecutor general's office in Ukraine, did exactly that. Madam Ambassador, what concerned you about the prosecutor general's office when you were the ambassador in Ukraine?
[Yovanovitch:] What concerned us was that there didn't seem to be any progress in the three overall objectives that Mr. Lutsenko had laid out. Most importantly for the Ukrainian people, but also the international community. So the first thing was reforming the prosecutor general's office. It's a tremendously powerful office where they had authority not only to conduct investigations, so an FBI-like function, but also to do the actual prosecution. So very, very wide powers, which is part of that Soviet legacy. And there just wasn't a lot of progress in that. There wasn't a lot of progress in handling personnel issues, and how the structure should be organized and who should have the important jobs. Because some of the people in those jobs were were known to were considered to be corrupt themselves. Secondly, the issue that was tremendously important to the Ukrainian people of bringing justice to the over 100 people who died on the Maidan during the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Nobody has been held accountable for that. And that is, you know, kind of an open wound for the Ukrainian people. And, thirdly, Ukraine needs all the money that it has. And it is there is a strong belief that former President Yanukovych and those around him made off with over $40 billion. $40 billion, that's a lot in the U.S.; it's a huge amount of money in Ukraine. And so again, nobody has none of that money has really been I think I think maybe $1 billion was repatriated. But the rest of it is still missing.
[Carson:] Madam Ambassador, was the head of that office corrupt?
[Yovanovitch:] We believe so.
[Carson:] And you got the sense, did you not, that he was a driving force behind some of the attacks against you?
[Yovanovitch:] I did.
[Carson:] Which ultimately led to your removal, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Carson:] But it wasn't just him. His allegations were picked up and spread by Mr. Giuliani and Donald Trump Jr., were they not?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Carson:] So let me get this straight. You were effective at fighting corruption in the Ukraine. Fighting that corruption was important to the national security of the United States. And you were punished for that, ultimately being removed from your post by the president of the United States. So in our opinion, Madam Ambassador, why is it important to have a nonpartisan career in the Foreign Services?
[Yovanovitch:] I I think it's important to have a nonpartisan career Foreign Service office or Service, I should say...
[Carson:] Sure.
[Yovanovitch:] ... because what we do is inherently nonpartisan. It is about our national security interests. It's not about what is good for a particular party at a particular time. It has to be about the greater interests of our security in, frankly, what is an increasingly dangerous world.
[Carson:] And could you briefly describe for us what broad U.S. policies you have sought to advance in your 33 years of service? And specifically in post-Soviet states like Ukraine?
[Yovanovitch:] Well, that's a broad question. But I think that certainly in my time in Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, all of these countries are very different as is Ukraine and but I think that establishing positive constructive relations to the extent that we can with with those countries is is really important. And that you know, I mean, there are three basic areas. One is security, the second is economic and the third is political. And so working all the sub-issues your colleague mentioned many of them you know, we certainly did that in Ukraine as well.
[Carson:] Thank you for your service. I yield to the chairman.
[Yovanovitch:] Thanks.
[Schiff:] Dr. Wenstrup?
[Wenstrup:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And, Madam Ambassador, thank you very much for being here. And I just want to start by saying I appreciate your years of service and enduring years of moving around the world to dangerous places. And hearing from you today, I realize that we share some of the same feelings and experiences. As an Army Reserve surgeon, I received a call on a Monday afternoon in March of 2005 that told me I was being deployed to Iraq, and I had to be out the door in the next two to three days. I I had patients scheduled for months. I had surgeries scheduled, and had to go. So I understand that shocking feeling that that can come with some abrupt change like that. And I was at processing a few days later. and I was told my orders would say you're going for 18 months, but it may be a little shorter than that. But I served a year in Iraq, 20052006, one of the bloodiest times of the war, and this is where I have another personal relationship with what you were talking about. I saw a nation in Iraq of people that craved a non-corrupt government. And sadly today, even though it it helped to remove Saddam Hussein, they still have corruption concerns in Iraq, and I can relate to what you said just a few moments ago; that it feels like an an open wound when it hasn't been resolved. But you might imagine, with that military experience and background, I take an interest in military strategy and capabilities, and the thoughts of those with boots on the ground like you and Mr. Volker and Mr. Taylor. In your deposition on page 144, you're quoted as saying, "In terms of lethal assistance, we all felt it was very significant that this administration made the decision to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine." Just real quick, who in general makes up "we all"? Would that be the team I mentioned?
[Yovanovitch:] Yeah, can I just just one sec. What what line is that?
[Wenstrup:] Well, I I have to move on. I only so you said, "We all felt it was very significant that this administration made the decision to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine." I assume that is those that have boots on the ground. And then "this administration", I assume you meant the Trump administration.
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Wenstrup:] Yeah, OK. In your deposition, also on page 144, you spoke about the generosity of Congress you've mentioned it today increasing aid to Ukraine. And part of your deposition after that statement that I quoted before you were asked, "Did you advocate for that?" You responded, "Yes". Then you were asked, "Did you advocate for that prior to the new administration in 2016?" and you responded, "Well, yeah." On page 148, you were the question was you were "Were you satisfied that the administration was doing what was necessary to support Ukraine?" You said, "In what respect?" then they said, "In, you know, helping them deter Russian aggression, helping them with foreign aid and foreign assistance," and you said, "Yeah". And I agree that that lethal assistance was very significant, as you said, and I thank you for that, and I thank Mr. Volker and I thank Mr. Taylor. You know, the you know, acting Ambassador Taylor was here Wednesday. He testified about the president's decision to withhold lethal aid, and he said the president felt it it might provoke Russia. And Mr. Taylor contested, then, that Russia has already been provoked and they have invaded the Ukraine. You know, President Obama had the right to make his own foreign policy and make his own decisions as president of the United States, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yeah. I mean, there's an interagency process, and obviously, Congress [inaudible], as well.
[Westrup:] But he he has the right as president. I respect the interagency process. I'm getting to that, actually. But he has the right to make his own foreign policy and make his own decisions as president of the United States, as do all presidents, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Wenstrup:] So we have one president, Obama, who denied lethal aid altogether, in spite of ambassadors and other boots on the ground recommending making that recommendation, such as you did. We have another president, Trump, who vetted those that were going to receive the aid and provided it consistent with your intra-agency recommendations, and that of your your colleagues. Let me just ask you from a military standpoint, without Javelins, would would you agree the Russians had much greater military offensive options and flexibility in their effort to attack the Ukraine, with without the Ukraine having Javelins?
[Yovanovitch:] Yeah. I mean, they had another option. Although the tank war has is no longer the war that is being fought in Ukraine.
[Westrup:] Yeah, but I'm just saying with the Javelins.
[Yovanovitch:] Yeah, it's another option.
[Westrup:] And there's a reason for that: because the Javelins are there.
[Yovanovitch:] [inaudible]
[Wenstrup:] And so I think that that changes the scenario. But I I just wanted to to make that point: that the president has a right to have their own foreign policy and to make their own decisions. And with that, I yield back.
[Yovanovitch:] Yeah. If I could just supplement one of my answers...
[Wenstrup:] Of course.
[Yovanovitch:] So I want to thank you for your service, as well. But what I'd like to say is while I I obviously don't dispute that the president has the right to to withdraw an ambassador at at at any time for any reason, but what I do wonder is why it was necessary to smear my reputation.
[Westrup:] Well, I wasn't asking about that that, but thank you very much, ma'am.
[Schiff:] Representative Speier?
[Speier:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ambassador, so very much. You were confirmed by the Senate on a voice vote, weren't you?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Speier:] So unanimous, Republicans and Democrats, correct?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes.
[Speier:] No dispute. You said that in summer of 2018, the smear campaign began in your testimony earlier today. Did Secretary Pompeo at any time come to your aid?
[Yovanovitch:] Well, my understanding from Assistant Secretary Phil Reeker and Deputy Secretary Sullivan is that, you know, this sort of the rumors about me, if for lack of a better word, the smear campaign, which was behind closed doors at that point, that there were a number of discussions between the president and Secretary Pompeo, and that he actually did did keep me in place for as long as he could. That's what I was told.
[Speier:] So it appears that back in 2018, the president was already making noises that he wanted you out of there. It appears that as early as April of 2018, Mr. Parnas was at a fundraiser for the president and recommended that you be removed, and then subsequently, in May of 2018, was pictured at a White House dinner with the president, and then later in May, made a contribution of over $325,000 illegally to the president's reelection campaign. Are you aware of that?
[Yovanovitch:] I I'm aware of the the the press about those things.
[Speier:] Does that help you understand a little bit more why this smear campaign was underway?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes. I mean...
[Speier:] All right. You made some very riveting comments in your statement this aft this morning that I just want to repeat, because I think we should have you expand on it. You said, "I've always understood that I served at the pleasure of the president. I still find it difficult to comprehend that foreign and private interests were able to undermine U.S. interests in this way. Individuals who apparently felt stymied by our efforts to promote stated U.S. policy against corruption that is, to do our mission were able to successfully conduct a campaign of disinformation against a sitting Ambassador using unofficial backchannels. Now, as I listened to you make that statement, I was thinking of all the other persons in the foreign service who now have to be concerned that it's not good enough to follow the stated U.S. foreign policy, but also to be aware that maybe the president has a backchannel of interests that he is promoting that is diametrically opposed to our stated foreign policy. Can you expand on that, please?
[Yovanovitch:] Well I think that it's important that whoever is representing the president, an ambassador, speaks with the full authority of the president and our foreign policy establishment, and if there are others who are also helping with with the responsibilities in that country, for example, Ambassador Kurt Volker, with his important mission to bring peace to the Donbass, that we all speak with one voice, that it's all about our common security interests, and that it's not about, you know, personal gain or commercial gain or anything else, that it's about our national security.
[Speier:] But in this case, the tres amigos appeared to be more interested in getting an investigation than into promoting an anti- corruption effort in Ukraine. Is that correct?
[Yovanovitch:] That appears to be the case.
[Speier:] You were told at one point in 2019, in February of early this year, you spoke to a minister in Ukraine who warned that, when it came to Rudy Giuliani, you needed to, quote, watch your back. What did you understand him to mean?
[Yovanovitch:] I I didn't exactly know, but you know, the the rumor was out there at that time, and in fact I think this minister also shared that information with me, that the mayor was working to have me removed.
[Speier:] Let me just say, to conclude, that you have endured an orchestrated character assassination. That it was hatched over a year and a half ago, and that it's laced with enormous campaign contributions to the president's reelection campaign. And you deserve more from the American people, and you deserve more from Congress in supporting you. I yield back.
[Schiff:] Mr. Stewart...
[Turner:] I have unanimous consent...
[Schiff:] Mr. Stewart, you're recognized.
[Turner:] I have unanimous consent, Mr. Chairman.
[Schiff:] We'll take that up later. Mr. Stewart, you're recognized.
[Stewart:] Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and others. And Ambassador, thank you for being with us here today. Welcome, as I said last a couple days ago to the witnesses, welcome to year four of the impeachment proceedings. I'm sorry that you have gotten dragged into this. For 3 years we've heard these outrageous and frankly unbelievable accusations regarding Russian collusion; accusations that we now are know are absolutely nonsense, that there was no basis at all, despite promises from some members of this committee that they had secret proof that would prove this collusion, and granted, we know that it was nonsense, but now in year four we apparently move on to Ukraine and quid pro quo, culminating yesterday when the speaker announced that the president would indeed be impeached and removed for office for bribery. And with that statement, I would now feel compelled to ask you, Madam Ambassador, as as you sit here before us, very simply and directly, do you have any information regarding the President of the United States accepting any bribes?
[Yovanovitch:] No.
[Stewart:] Do you have any information regarding any criminal activity that the President of the United States has been involved with at all?
[Yovanovitch:] No.
[Stewart:] Thank you. Thank you for answering that directly. The American people know this is nonsense. The American people know this is unfair. And I have a prediction regarding this. I think that public support for impeachment is actually going to be less when these hearings are over than it is when the hearings began, because finally the American people are going to be able to see the evidence, and they're going to be able to make their own determination regarding that. Now I want to ask you one thing very quickly, and you've been asked this again and again, but my question is slightly different. You've been asked, as you recognize, that the president any president has the ability to ask his ambassadors to serve at will. I'm curious, do you think that's the right policy?
[Yovanovitch:] Yes, I probably think it is.
[Stewart:] I I I do as well. It may be imperfect, there may be times when it's not used perfectly, but I agree with you. It is the right policy. I don't think that we should change that. Now I'd like to read from some previous statements, including one of your own, as as well as others, regarding the appropriateness of investigating corrupting in the UK. From Ms. Fiona Hill so again, the fact that there are investigations into corruption in the energy sector in Ukraine, as well as Russia and many other countries, is not a surprise. From yourself, your previous testimony, question, was it the general understanding that Burisma was a company that suffered from allegations of corruption? Your answer was yes. From Ambassador Sondland, I am I just am generally aware that Burisma is considered a potentially corrupt company. Would you agree then that it's appropriate to investigate corruption?
[Yovanovitch:] I think it's appropriate if it's if it's part of our national strategy. What I would say is that we have a process for doing that. It's called the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. We have one with Ukraine. And generally it goes to from our Department of Justice to the Ministry of Justice in the country of interest. And that's the usual path.
[Stewart:] OK, and I and I appreciate that. Regardless of the process, though, it's appropriate for us to investigate in in potential corruption, and especially, look, we're we are vowed to give these some of these countries hundreds of millions of dollars. The U.S. taxpayer said here's a dollar of mine, go ahead and give it to this other country, but please only do it if you know it's not going to be used for corrupt purposes or against our national interests. And and I'll I'll conclude with this, because I've promised my friend, Mr. Jordan, I would save him a little bit of time. We mentioned earlier that the vice president, when he was went to the Ukraine and called the specific firing of a specific prosecutor, that he was, as they say, completing official U.S. policy. But the interesting thing is this: the vice president had exactly two countries that were his responsibility at that time, China and the Ukraine. And he has bragged and been very proud of his influence in the previous administration. He says again and again that the Obama administration listened to him, so it doesn't surprise me that they would be fulfilling a policy that this vice president certainly helped to formulate. Mr. Jordan, I leave you... In Cyprus, I'm sorry thank you. Clarification. And I will yield to for unanimous consent.
[Turner:] I have unanimous consent, Mr. Chairman, that doesn't involve you this time. It's three articles, the New York Times article 2004 campaign, the advisors carry foreign policy crew has a Clintonian look to it...
[Schiff:] The time of the gentleman has expired.
[Turner:] ...Kyiv Post, Holbrooke to visit Kiev July 2004, and then [inaudible]...
[Schiff:] [inaudible] I may recognize you later...
[Turner:] ...Holbrooke meets with one Ukrainian American...
[Schiff:] The gentleman's time has expired.
[Turner:] ...Organization. I'd like to have that unanimous consent, Mr. Chairman...
[Schiff:] Mr. Quigley, you're recognized. Mr. Quigley, you're recognized.
[Quigley:] Thank you. Madam Ambassador, it's like a Hallmark movie. You ended up at Georgetown, this is all OK

[Cooper:] As the coronavirus death toll tops 40,000 and continues to climb and the governors from both parties say that testing is far from where it needs to be for the country reopen. Still, at least a few states are easing some restrictions this week. In Texas, state parks opened again today but plans to restart businesses wouldn't come until at least next Monday. My next guest says that lifting state home orders too soon could be incredibly dangerous. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Carlos del Rio joins me now. Dr. del Rio, thanks for being with us. What is your biggest concern about lifting the stay-at-home orders or what do you think needs to happen before some states can start kind of easing them open?
[Dr. Carlos Del Rio, Infectious Disease Specialist, Emory University:] I think we made a lot of progress. I think a lot of things have happened that was good. We are seeing a decrease in number of new infections. We are seeing an increase in the doubling time of infections, and that is all good. But I think, Anderson, that we still need to ramp up testing. As you mention, we still are not where we need to be in testing. And we need to be better prepared to do contact tracing, which is critically important to control this. And, again, it's not going to be the same in New York State or New York City as it is going to be maybe in Austin or Nevada. I think each city needs to be looked at a little different. And I think decisions have to be locally based. But they need to be locally based based on science and based on data. And I think looking at the what's happening locally, the doubling time is, the testing capabilities are and what the responses are at a local level is really good and informed where we need to be and what we need do.
[Cooper:] I'm wondering, the White House put out three stages essentially of kind of reopening. And, again, those are just guidelines. Obviously, even they finally came around saying it is totally it's up to the states. But were you concerned at all that there wasn't really a blueprint for federal support for testing, federal backing for getting all the things you need for testing, not just to test themselves and the ability to get the results but all the reagents and the swabs and all of that?
[Del Rio:] Absolutely. I think that while the decision has to be made on a local level, we really need everybody needs a lot of federal support and any support, I mean, industry, private partnership, academia, to really do the things we need to do. There is no way to do the kind of testing we need to be doing just by relying on our public health laboratories, just by relying on our hospital laboratories. We all really need to come together and to work together. And we need to get as much as support as we can possibly get from the federal government to really get those kits and get those supplies, such as swabs and reagents, ready so we can then go ahead and be where we are in testing. We are testing a lot of people. We have ranked the scale up has really happened, but we're not quite where we need to be. I would say, we're probably about halfway where we need to be. And depending on the state in some states, we're doing better than in others, depending on the number of tests we have. But, roughly, we need to be able to test about 3 percent of the U.S. population. And at that point in time, we'll be in a much better position.
[Cooper:] And in terms of temperature checks, obviously, some people are asymptomatic. Would their temperature read any differently? I mean, I guess one can't generalize, right? Do temperature checks, is that an efficient method or is that just one of several methods to try to kind of keep this monitored?
[Del Rio:] Nothing is going to be perfect. But I think if you think about if I was thinking about opening an industry, I would think an office, I would think about it the same way we are working right now, for example, at my hospital.

[Vause:] In a few hours, the once respected and admired Nobel Peace Prize winner whose name was often mentioned alongside the likes of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi will stand before the International Court of Justice, defend her government, her generals and her military against charges of genocide. The case began on Tuesday with graphic accounts of rape and murder carried out by Myanmar's military against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. And through it all Aung San Suu Kyi seemed impassive. There's been international condemnation of Suu Kyi's decision to defend Myanmar's generals, but it has put boosted her popularity at home. Thousands of her supporters rallied in Yangon on Tuesday. Yanghee Lee is the U.N. special rapporteur on Myanmar. And she is with us live from Seoul in South Korea. Thank you, ma'am, for being with us. Back in December of 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest. Her two sons, her husband accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Here's part of the reason why the committee chose her. In the good fight for peace and reconciliation, we are dependent on persons who set examples, persons who can symbolize what we are seeking and mobilize the best in us. Aung San Suu Kyi is just such a person That was 1991. In a few hours, she coming to defend her military against genocide. Defend them against well-documented accounts of systematic rape, mass murder and terror directed at the Rohingya Muslim for no other reason than the fact they were Rohingya. I mean I guess, you know, you can't fool all the people all the time but she came pretty close.
[Yanghee Lee, U.n. Special Rapporteur On Myanmar:] Absolutely. Absolutely. We have to be aware that there are effectively Aung San Suu Kyis in Myanmar. One Aung San Suu Kyi prior to 2015 elections and another Aung San Suu Kyi post-2015 elections. The one we are seeing in the Hague is the Aung San Suu Kyi post-2015.
[Vause:] Yes. I mean the main line of defense coming from Myanmar and Suu Kyi is this claim the military was just responding to a threat of domestic terrorism. And even if that is true, even if that's the case, there's still no legal or moral or ethical justification to the response by Myanmar's military. And not just in that instance with the Rohingya. It continues to carry out, you know, genocide as a tactic.
[Lee:] Absolutely. And I had conveyed that to her when I met her for the last time in the 2017. And she was not very eager to listen to what I had to say, or for that matter for whatever other people had to say. But today is a historic moment the past day and the next day. The neck of the following three days will be a historic moment for the Rohingya, for any possibility of accountability or justice for the atrocities that were committed in Myanmar.
[Vause:] I want to get to that in the moment, but when you interact with Aung San Suu Kyi, I'm just interested in how she deals with bad news because, you know, there is some belief that she genuinely believes the military has done nothing wrong. There is a report in the "Washington Post" which says she is taken to regarding factual reports about the 2016, 2017 ethnic cleansing campaign, directed at the Rohingya Muslims as a militant conspiracy theory targeting to undermine her and the country and perhaps so closely I should say. When confronted with critical challenge, she flies into a fit of anger saying these are all fabricated allegations. So you know, if she doesn't believe her military has carried out these atrocities, that has to be a conscious choice, right because the facts
[Lee:] Yes. And I think it is a conscious choice made by her. And I remember reading her before the elections, when she was just a parliamentarian, and hoping to become the leader of Myanmar. After her election she has been singing a different song from a different song sheet. And at the very end, she was telling me, when I was pushing her for the truth about Rakhine and how she needs to go to Rakhine to see what's really happened on the ground. She repeated the phrase that she's repeated to others, whereby she would say if you continue this U.N. narrative, you may not get any access to the country. That is when I was really appalled, so I really do feel that she feels that the military, that her dear late father had formed can do no wrong. But this is so different from what she had said in her that you can see in her video tapes about how the military has used rape as a tool in conflict. And so this is so different where she denies the fact that the technical or the security forces would ever rape or torture women and men and children.
[Vause:] She's making this appearance before the International Court of Justice with the full blessing of the military, which is notable in a number of ways, but it also seems that I think they're setting her up as a patsy, as the fall guy for genocide.
[Lee:] You know, I'm really saddened to see her leading this delegation. Normally an attorney general or a minister of defense would be in a perfect position to do this. You know, I've had enormous respect for Aung San Suu Kyi and this way she cannot erase the truth that she has been complicit with the genocide. And she is also responsible for genocide. Now she has no opportunity of turning around and slapping the military.
[Vause:] Very quickly. There seems to be two reasons why this matters, because genocide is still taking place as a tactic in Myanmar. And then there's the issue of international investment and foreign aid. Aung San Suu Kyi she is the face of Myanmar. That she is why investors put their money there. Why the international community helps out with financial aid. They need to be aware of what they are getting.
[Lee:] Absolutely. And I have repeatedly asked for the international community to reconsider investing in all the activities that the military has done and their businesses related associates and friends of the military, whereby the conflict is escalating and where they have really abused and violated human rights of, not just the Rohingya, but the Rakhine, the Kachin, the Chin and the Mon and the Cayenne and Karen Community. All of the ethnic minorities states that the military has been heavily involved in extractive industries and power industries.
[Vause:] Yanghee Lee, the U.N. special rapporteur on Myanmar thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm john Vause. "WORLD SPORT" is next.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good morning. It's 4:00 p.m. in Iran's capital, the middle of a sleepless night for some as they and we await for the next step in the crisis that escalated today, for the shoot down of an American surveillance drone. On the left is Pentagon video of it shortly after it was hit. On the right, what Iranian state TV is claiming to be the antiaircraft missile hitting its target. And we should point out we have not independently confirmed that, nor is there any independent assessment of where the drone actually was, whether it was an Iranian air space as Tehran is claiming, or not, as the Pentagon says. There is new reporting on that which we're going to bring you tonight. Either way, because this is, in fact, such a tense moment, we are taking extra care throughout the entire broadcast to clearly label any and all unverified claims as such no matter who is making them. We're making sure to bring you strong advocates on both sides of the debate over what to do next. The president today sent mixed signals, telling reporters he thought the shoot down was accidental, but also suggesting some kind of a response is in the works.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth. I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.
[Reporter:] Mr. President, how will you respond?
[Trump:] You'll find out.
[Reporter:] Are you willing to go to war with Iran over this?
[Trump:] You'll find out, you'll find out.
[Cooper:] A short time later, he briefed top lawmakers. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying the president is weighing, quote, a measured response. His words. His Democratic counterpart, Chuck Schumer, saying he worried about the president bumbling, that was his word, into war with Iran. We talked about that tonight, about the risk ahead and the possibility of escalation or de-escalation. We begin, though, with CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. So, Barbara, exactly what do we know happened here? Because the accounts coming obviously from the U.S. and Iran are very different.
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] They are different, Anderson, and perhaps that is not unexpected. The U.S. began the day saying that one of its drones, the biggest drone it's got actually, was shot down over international air space near the Strait of Hormuz by an Iranian surface to air missile some 20 miles or so off the coast of Iran, in that international air space. The Iranians a short time later saying that, no, the drone had strayed into Iranian air space and they shot it down. All of this resulted in the dueling videos you showed and dueling maps and graphics from both sides as to where exactly this occurred. It is going to be up to people to make up their own minds at this point who's got the better track record on truth, who they choose to believe. For the president, the challenge at this hour is what to do about it, whether to respond, whether there is something to be done about it. We know the president is very reluctant, as he looks at all of this intelligence, still to commit to a significant action in Iran. He has been for several days downplaying the tensions, if you will calling them minor, the attacks minor on the tankers, and trying not to escalate it. He has advisers who probably would like to see it escalated Anderson.
[Cooper:] Has the drone been recovered yet? Do we know? Can it be recovered?
[Starr:] Well, the Iranians are making some claims about that. But we checked a short time ago with the U.S. military. The weather out there has been bad today. We are told that the seas are very choppy. The winds are pushing towards the Iranian coast, and it is making it difficult for the U.S. to mount any efforts to try and get any of the debris back. The Iranians claim they have some, but they haven't shown it to the world yet.
[Cooper:] If the U.S. does decide to respond militarily, is there any idea what that might look like?
[Starr:] Well, we already are seeing, of course, the Pentagon put thousands of troops into the region for the current strategy of defense and deterrence against Iran. The Pentagon adamant it is not looking for war with Iran, but it wants to deter further aggression. So, the question it had now is if you want to respond with some kind of kinetic activity to this drone attack, if you want to bomb something, is there a limited strike option against Iran, against missile sites, against radar, some kind of limited strike where you do not risk an Iranian reaction that leads to a wider war with Tehran. And that is the calculation right now. We do not know exactly where the White House will come down on that Anderson.
[Cooper:] Yes, difficult calculation to make. Barbara Starr, thank you. More now on the messages coming out of the White House and briefing top lawmakers received there late today. Our Pamela Brown joins us with that side of the story. So, President Trump's message on Iran seemed to shift over the course of the day. Can you explain that or do we know what was behind the thinking?
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] That's right. We're seeing the president downplay this once again, calling it a big mistake, literally saying whoever did this was loose and stupid. All of this happening around the same time, Anderson, that congressional leaders were called to the White House for this emergency briefing in the Situation Room. GOP congressional leaders left, calling for a measured approach, Democrats emerged with a stark warning, that President Trump must get congressional approval before using military force with Iran. Senator Schumer, as you said, said he's concerned the administration, in his words, will bumble into war. But the president is sending mixed signals. He is remaining noncommittal on how this administration will act. In fact, Anderson, just moments after appearing to put Iran on notice, that is when the president made the statement that he thought it was all a big mistake. However, Iran contradicted the president saying it was intentional because it believes the U.S. drone violated its airspace. The Pentagon, as Barbara said, maintains it was over international waters and released video that it claims shows a smoke trail in international air space. But deliberations continue tonight, Anderson, over what the next steps should be on top of already sending 2,500 troops to the Middle East in response to the recent acts by Iran prior to this latest act, officials said the president resisted military engagement. Tonight, he faces pressure from allies, like Senator Lindsey Graham who said he risks looking like he's all talk if he doesn't take action. The president said we'll have to see if the U.S. decides to use military force. I'm told by an administration official he is constantly being briefed on Iran by his national security adviser John Bolton who is known to have more hawkish views on Iran. The president said today he is not being pushed into war by his advisors, Anderson.
[Cooper:] And do we know exactly the kind of advice well, you talked about John Bolton. What is the next step for this White House? Is there a sense of when a decision might be made?
[Brown:] It certainly feels like something could happen soon, Anderson. I don't know that, but it certainly seems in terms of the posturing with what the president has said that, look, we will have to wait and see if there will be a military strike. All of this pressure growing on him from his allies, like I said, Lindsey Graham, that he will look weak if he doesn't do something in response to this latest act by Iran. He has been downplaying it consistently. He is someone who has said repeatedly he doesn't like intervention. He campaigned on that. But there are several provocative acts by Iran with the latest one being the downing of the U.S. drone that has the president in a tricky situation here. He tried to, again, give himself some wiggle room by saying I thought it was an accident. Iran made it clear it was intentional, though. And so, we will have to see if the administration does choose to take any military action or look at other ways to respond, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Pamela Brown, appreciate it. Thank you. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is the only Western correspondent in Tehran where it's early in the morning right now. He joins us. So, President Trump is saying it couldn't have been a general or somebody who made a mistake and decided to shoot down this drone. Is that what exactly are the Iranians saying?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, the Iranians are pretty much saying the exact opposite of that. I've been looking for any sort of statements, any Iranian commander, anybody from the military or politics who might have said this could have been an accident or some rogue commander, or even the Iranians possibly trying to walk this back, Anderson. So far, there's been none of that. The Iranians are clearly saying this was a deliberate shoot down of the U.S. drone because they believe the U.S. drone infringed upon their air space, violated their air space. The interesting thing about this is I've been here I think 16 or 17 times, Anderson. And I have never seen the Iranians on all levels, the moderates, the hard liners, the military, the politics, come out with so many statements so quickly and pretty much all of them seem to be in sync. Iran's foreign minister is even getting involved in this. He pretty much tweeted a play by play of how he saw this drone flight unfold. He said it took off in the early morning hours from the UAE, then circled around. It had its transponder off. And it said it violated Iranian air space and even gave coordinates for where he said the drone was shot down. Now, we looked up those coordinates. That would put it about 9 miles off the Iranian coast. Again, the U.S., of course, has a very different view of where that drone was shot down. The Iranians for their part, however this is coming from the military, the Revolutionary Guard which is the unit that shot that drone down they're saying this is definitely a clear message to the United States that if you infringe upon Iran's airspace, this is what's going to happen. The Iranians are saying this is a red line. And, Anderson, the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard, he came out earlier today, also shortly after the drone was shot down and said Iran does not want any sort of war with the United States, but at the same time, they're also saying that Iran is prepared for a war with the United States. And one of the things that senior Revolutionary Guard, former commanders and commanders have told me, they said if this does get out of hand in any way, shape or form, the U.S. would not only be dealing with Iran's military but, of course, also with the many proxy forces that it controls throughout the entire Middle East, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Right. I mean, Iraq, there is obviously a huge number of proxy forces as there are elsewhere throughout the world. There's been any has there been talk of taking retaliatory action against the U.S., you know, if, in fact, the U.S. does respond in a military way?
[Pleitgen:] Well, yes and the Iranians, the way they're putting it, first of all, they said that if the U.S. does make a military move we've seen the U.S. say they want to deploy those thousand troops here. That's something the Iranians feel is a threat to them. But they say they are monitoring what the U.S. is doing. They've been saying that the past couple of days. And they say if the U.S. strikes first, there would be what they call a crushing response. They call it their iron fist. But the interesting thing that you hear from them again and again, Anderson, they always say it is going to be in a wide territory. So you can expect that to be in places like Iraq, possibly in Syria, possibly in Lebanon, all these places where the Iranians have their militias. The other thing that the Iranians keep talking about a lot is the fact that they've really advanced their ballistic missile program as well, and that's another thing the Iranians say they would use as well. So, they're saying, again, they certainly don't want this to escalate is the view from Tehran. They don't think President Trump wants it to escalate. But they say if it does, it's going to be painful for the U.S. Anderson.
[Cooper:] All right. Fred Pleitgen, in Tehran, thank you very much. Coming up next, a new up close look at one of the tankers allegedly targeted by Iran in the roundup to today, as well as a leading member of the House Intelligence and what we know on Iranian intentions. Two military analysts joining us as well. And later, breaking new in the wake of what Joe Biden said about getting along with segregationist senators. Dr. Cornel West joins us as well with his thoughts which is always worth hearing. We'll be right back.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] Dorian is now a category 4 hurricane as it powers toward the Bahamas and Florida. We have the latest on the storm's path.
[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] And protesters coming together right now in Hong Kong, this despite a police ban following the arrest of seven activists.
[Allen:] We're also learning more details about why President Trump's long-time assistant is suddenly out of her job. Welcome to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world, coming to you live from Atlanta. I'm Natalie Allen.
[Howell:] I'm George Howell from CNN World Headquarters. NEWSROOM starts right now.
[Allen:] People in Florida are preparing for the worst as a monster storm heads their way. In a 24-hour period, Hurricane Dorian went from a category 1 to an extremely dangerous category 4, with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles an hour or 220 kilometers.
[Howell:] It's still not known exactly where that storm will make landfall. But right now it's projected to hit near Melbourne, Florida. That's on Tuesday. And then go up the coastline. Here is a look at the storm from a hurricane hunter aircraft. A hurricane warning is already in effect for the northwestern Bahamas. The prime minister there has issued evacuation orders for some locations ahead of the storm.
[Allen:] Meantime, evacuations in two Florida counties take effect Sunday. The governor is warning people to prepare now.
[Rep. Ron Desantis , Fla:] We anticipate a lot of rain. Losing power is a big probability. You're also, if you're in an area prone to flooding, you're likely to see that with this storm. It's really, really significant and you need to take precautions.
[Howell:] The U.S. president is monitoring everything from Camp David. Here's what he had to say earlier as he left the White House.
[Trump:] The hurricane is roaring and it could be a big one. We're hoping it maybe makes a right and goes up north but that's about a 5 percent chance. It's not looking good. And it's one of the biggest hurricanes we've seen in a long time, a long time. So it could be very devastating.
[Allen:] With the uncertainty over where the storm might land, the entire state of Florida is preparing for the worst and, of course, hoping for the best.
[Howell:] That's right. Our Martin Savidge has more on the urgent preparations there.
[Unidentified Male:] Come on, guys, all the way down.
[Martin Savidge, Cnn National Correspondent:] All of Florida is under a state of emergency and the clock is ticking.
[Unidentified Male:] Biggest concern about this storm is the uncertainty of where it is going and the intensity of which it is coming in.
[Savidge:] Hurricane Dorian now expected to barrel head first into the sunshine state early Tuesday morning is gaining intensity and could now unload heavy rains, powerful winds and a strong storm surge on more than 20 million people.
[Unidentified Female:] I'm a little concerned that it's getting more and more concerned about what category and what is going to happen because I've never seen a hurricane.
[Savidge:] Florida's governor said he's contemplating ordering evacuations. But hasn't yet.
[Gov. Ron Desantis:] At the state level, you know we've been monitoring some of the decisions or contemplations about evacuations. It is something that we obviously believe, you know, for certain people it's going to be necessary and in certain communities they're going to need to do that.
[Savidge:] But getting out could prove difficult. While there are long lines at gas stations, there is little gas. The state says at times as many as half of the fuel pumps in Miami have run dry.
[Desantis:] Starting today implementing Florida highway patrol escorts for fuel trucks so we can facilitate refueling in critical parts of the state.
[Savidge:] Those who aren't gassing up are preparing to hunker down.
[Deborah Thomas, West Palm Beach Resident:] I live in a mobile home so I stand to be homeless but that is not really what is worried me. I have animals. I could replace my home but I can't my animals.
[Savidge:] In Miami, they're stockpiling food and water.
[Unidentified Male:] How are you doing?
[Unidentified Female:] How are you?
[Savidge:] Though at some stores that is also in short supply. Florida Power and Light says electricity could be out for days. The company is bringing in 16,000 workers, positioning them at 24 sites across the state.
[Desantis:] The damage that could be required will require extended repair work and at extreme cases it may require FPL to rebuild parts of the system here in Florida.
[Savidge:] And tonight, Florida's governor is warning those caring for the elderly to have a plan and a generator in place. 12 people died in 2017 after a nursing home in Hollywood, Florida, lost power in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
[Desantis:] These folks have got to have got to step up and protect these folks.
[Savidge:] More than a dozen universities preparing to shut down along with theme parks and other attractions. In a place that thrives on tourism, what should have been a busy Labor Day weekend is now a bust as the Sunshine State braces for days of rain.
[Unidentified Female:] We're hoping that everything comes out OK. But I'm kind of freaking out.
[Allen:] Joining me now by phone is William Capote, mayor of Palm Bay, Florida. Mayor, thanks very much for joining us because we know this is a very busy time. When you saw that this hurricane is now a category 4, what was your reaction?
[Mayor William Capote, Palm Bay, Florida:] Wow. Here we go again. Matthew, that's the first thing that came to mind. Not so much Irma, because Irma came from the Keys. But Matthew had the similar trajectory. And luckily, it veered into the ocean 25 and missed us. But we felt the winds then.
[Allen:] What's the trajectory as you see it now? Models have it going all over the place. It looks like much of Florida could be blanketed. But what is the trajectory for Palm Bay right now?
[Capote:] We're in that line, because that room for error, I think maps would show Brevard County in that red. That could be from south Florida to here. One time they were talking about Vero Beach all the way to Daytona. Now they've gone as far down as Jupiter and West Palm Beach. So it's all over the place at this time. But I believe that, to include my city, we declared a state of the city emergency today around 9:30. And we're buckling down to make sure that our residents are safe and that we're ready for whatever comes.
[Allen:] How have people been preparing? And do you think there will be a mandatory evacuation at some point?
[Capote:] The barrier islands, I believe they're going make that call rather quickly, because the storm now is at 4. And they don't want to risk anything. So I believe, by Sunday, the order will come through for mandatory evacuation of the barrier islands. We're more inland in a sense. We're right on the Indian River Lagoon. But then you have the barrier islands on A1A, the Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Satellite Beach.
[Allen:] Right. And what kind of weather are you seeing there right now?
[Capote:] Oh, right now, I mean, we've been getting a lot of rain lately but it's been sunny today but then you get little showers here and there. It's Florida. And it's rainy season. So you kind of take it as it comes. You have to take the sun with the rain. It's just when the hurricanes show up, it's a different perspective.
[Allen:] Right. And you're talking about you're a little bit inland. But we've been hearing over and over again that what could be really devastating about this storm is that it is a slow mover.
[Capote:] Yes. It reminds me of when Fay came here back in 2008-'09 timeframe. We've had our share of tropical storms, hurricanes. And it dumped a lot of water. I believe, if it stays around for that much, it's not so much the winds as so much the water. Where is the water going to go? And that's the question.
[Allen:] William Capote, thank you so much.
[Capote:] Thank you for having me.
[Howell:] At least 10 teenagers were hurt when someone started shooting at a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama. Five victims are said to be in critical but nonlife-threatening condition.
[Allen:] Police say one person suffered a seizure. Another was injured while trying to get away. Two people have been detained. They're being questioned by police. That's all we know right now.
[Howell:] Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, it is very much alive, despite some high-profile arrests that happened this week and now protesters have a message for Beijing, that they're refusing to be intimidated.

[Robyn Curnow, Cnn Anchor:] So the United States has overtaken China with the most confirmed cases of coronavirus in the world. They are now well over 82,000 infected people in the U.S. A staggering 15,000 new cases were confirmed just on Thursday. And it's worth noticing that the U.S. has just 14 of the population of China. Also globally the virus has spread rapidly in recent weeks. Johns Hopkins University NOW reports more than half a million infections in almost every corner of the world and more than 24,000 people have died. In hard-hit Italy meanwhile hospitals are overwhelmed by the crushing surge of infected patients. It could be a preview of what's in store for America's virus hotspots and the ethical dilemma doctors may soon have to face. Delia Gallagher has more.
[Delia Gallagher, Cnn Correspondent:] In some of northern Italy's cemeteries there's no space left for the dead killed by the coronavirus. Hospitals are crumbling under the sheer number of patients and U.S. experts warn if this disease could cripple Italy's strong health care system, the U.S. could be next.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] It essentially got out of hand and became difficult for them, as good as they are, and they're very good, to be able to contain it in a way that is contact tracing, all that kind of thing. It was more mitigation. How do we deal with what we have? They're in a very difficult position.
[Gallagher:] In this exclusive footage given to CNN, doctors show us operating rooms in a hospital in northern Italy turned into makeshift intensive care units. Barely conscious patients. Doctors and nurses pushed to the brink. They now have to choose who will live and who will die. Some medics have described it as war time triage. Patients with the highest chance of survival get priority, and it's doctors, nurses, and emergency workers who are exposed to the greatest risks. At least 39 medical professionals have died in Italy since the crisis.
[Dr. Angelo Pan, Head Of Infectious Disease, Cremona Hospital:] Even a smaller error can give you the infection and then you have to hope not to get any serious problem.
[Gallagher:] It's a stark picture for those in the U.S. now fighting the disease. America's doctors are already planning for the ethical challenges they will soon face. In Italy exhausted doctors struggle physically and mentally from the strain they hope other countries will learn from them.
[Unidentified Female:] We're not even counting the dead anymore. Look at the news that's coming out of Italy and take note of what the situation really is like.
[Gallagher:] A dire situation and a warning for the world. Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.
[Curnow:] Thanks, Delia. Now Spain is another country overwhelmed by the coronavirus. The number of dead there has exceeded 4,000 with more than 56,000 people infected. But Thursday's increase in the death toll was actually much lower than Wednesday's, which is lending a little bit of hope. Meanwhile, these pictures have come into CNN. It looks like a hospital ward, doesn't it, yes? But in normal times this is a huge Madrid conference center adapted for the country's new reality. So let's go over to Madrid now. Al Goodman joins us. Hi, Al. The country's health minister says the latest data on the virus suggests phase of stabilization. Are you feeling that on the ground? And that is a little bit of good news, isn't it?
[Al Goodman, Journalist:] It is, Robyn. If we just go back to the beginning of the week, Spanish officials may have been a little overly optimistic saying that the peak of the curve could be coming within days. One of them even said this week, but that hasn't happened. So now they're saying that it's coming soon. They're confident it's coming soon and the figures do seem to back them up. The fatality figure you just mentioned, the latest increase was a 19 percent increase but the previous day that was down from 27 percent. And for those going into the intensive care ward, the latest increase was 16 percent down from 20 percent a day earlier. So some encouraging information there but there have been ups and downs. For instance, on the medical equipment that Spain is trying to desperately get into testing kits, the government announcing Thursday they had bought a series of kits, a lot of them, from a Spanish company that imported them from China. It had the European Union quality symbol on it. But Spain following protocol tested it in their national reference lab and it didn't work. It didn't give the data that would tell you whether you have coronavirus or not in enough cases so that had to be discarded. That's one of the setbacks. Meantime, they are expecting $500 million worth of new testing equipment, masks, gloves coming in over the following weeks. Meantime, briefly, there's been just a terrible human toll here, especially in senior citizens homes. Most of the patients who have died are over 70. Officials say most of them in hospital. But several hundred have been in senior citizen homes including two dozen in just one home here. So we are seeing now Spaniards, including a friend of mine who on Thursday went with their family to get their mother, elderly, out of one of these senior citizen residences to bring her back home because she doesn't have the virus. They don't want her to catch it in one of these homes. Back to you, Robyn.
[Curnow:] A real concern for pensioners all over the world. And families as well. Al Goodman, thanks. Good to see you, my friend, live from Madrid. Thank you. So Japan is preparing itself for the economic impact of delaying the Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic. By some estimates it could wind up costing tens of billions of U.S. dollars as Will Ripley now reports Will.
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] No visit to Tokyo's Asakusa neighborhood is complete without a ride on a rickshaw, but this year almost no one's riding. [on camera]: This is a lot of empty rickshaws here.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes. We have to fight like you know, like a coronavirus.
[Ripley:] Finding customers is like fighting over scraps for rickshaw drivers like Yoshi Furuya [PH], and now that Tokyo 2020 is postponed at least until next year the road ahead is looking long and lonely. Japan's tourism industry is bracing for an economic bloodbath. Millions of jobs and billions of dollars are on the line. [On Camera] When you combine postponing the Olympics, and the coronavirus outbreak, can you put a price tag on how much that's going to cost Japan?
[Sayuri Shraishi, Keio University Professor:] It's likely that the loss will be around $36 billion
[U.s. Ripley:] $36 billion U.S.?
[Shraishi:] The damage is quite big.
[Ripley:] Keio University professor, Sayuri Shraishi, says that astronomical cost includes cancellation and maintenance fees for more than three dozen Olympic venues, compensations for thousands who's already purchased condos in the Olympic Athlete's Village, billions in broadcasting rights and prepaid advertising.
[Shraishi:] If we do it next year we don't know how successful it's 2000 all this will be.
[Ripley:] More than four million tickets are already sold, some seats costing up to $3,000. [On Camera] $800 for tickets?
[Kenji Fuma, Olympic Ticket Holder:] Yes. Yes.
[Ripley:] Wow. [voice-over]: Demand was so high, ticket holders like Kenji Fuma had to enter a lottery. He wonders if his luck has run out. [on camera]: Has anyone told you what's going to happen with your tickets?
[Fuma:] Nothing has happened yet. So even government didn't send any emails and didn't make an announcement. So we're just waiting for their next step.
[Ripley:] Fans are not the only ones waiting. Olympic organizers need to sort out a mindboggling jigsaw puzzle, resolving scheduling conflicts with other major sporting events, rescheduling Olympic qualifiers. Kaori Yamaguchi is a 1988 Olympic judo bronze medalist and a member of Japan's Olympic Committee. She knows postponement has a huge impact on athletes. "If the games are delayed by a year, their training schedule drastically changes," she says. "But I think the athletes can handle it." Yamaguchi says this is a marathon, not a sprint. The coronavirus crisis will end. The Olympics will go on. Japan will have its moment in the global spotlight. Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.
[Curnow:] Coming up next, we hear from doctors at one New York hospital. We'll take you inside to see what health care workers are facing as they struggle to cope with the surge of coronavirus patients. That's next.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] We're getting oh so close to a celebration for the ages. The World Cup champions with a ticker tape parade through the streets of New York City. The last few weeks really had been a whirlwind for the team with star player, Megan Rapinoe, tangling with President Trump while leading her team to victory. Listen to what she told to Anderson Cooper.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Anchor:] How do you do you phase out all the stuff that's swirling around you, all the stuff with President Trump, all of that when you're on the field and preparing to be on the field? Or do you use it as motivation? How do you do what you do?
[Megan Rapinoe, Co-captain, U.s. Women's National Soccer Team:] That's I don't know how I do it. I don't phase things out. I don't like go into a zone. Like I definitely am on the field at times like thinking about all of these things knowing the kind of impact but then in the same way, I'm just free and doing whatever.
[Cooper:] But you're aware because, you know, if
[Rapinoe:] Yes, I'm aware.
[Cooper:] if you hadn't won, there would have
[Rapinoe:] Yes.
[Cooper:] been a whole other sort of reaction and blowback and
[Rapinoe:] Yes.
[Cooper:] you know, who knows what coming out of Washington.
[Rapinoe:] Right. Yes, no, I'm very aware of that. I'm aware of not only sort of my position within the team, but the team and just all of the media and how everything affects each other. I just I think I sort of naturally just kind of feel that and have a kind of go with the flow attitude but, yes, I'm aware that this was a huge win for us in many ways.
[Cooper:] I want to ask about the stance that you famously do. And what do you call is there a name for that?
[Rapinoe:] I don't know.
[Cooper:] Because that was the subject of a lot of discussion. I'm wondering if there was a particular where that came from. Is there a name for it?
[Rapinoe:] I don't know where it came from and it just felt I felt the team had so much pressure on it and obviously, individually, we each have that pressure but more so as a team. And it was just like this like moment and it wasn't an "f" you moment at all. It was a moment, I think, for everyone to celebrate through that. Like, you're not going to take our joy from anything. And it was just this, like, we have arrived, sort of.
[Cooper:] That's the message?
[Rapinoe:] Something like that, yes. Like, are you not entertained by all of this? Like, the circus is here and we're here for it.
[Cooper:] It is a sort of very like circus entertainer
[Rapinoe:] Yes.
[Cooper:] sort of in the center ring. As far as I know, there is not an invitation from the president to the White House. He had said later on, well, you know, he'd criticized you but said that win or lose that he'd said that you should win before you talk and that win or lose, your team would be invited. There hasn't been an invitation publicly yet. Would you go, would your teammates go?
[Rapinoe:] I would not go and every teammate that I've talked to explicitly about it would not go.
[Cooper:] Everyone that you've talked to?
[Rapinoe:] Everyone that I've talked to, yes. I don't think anyone on the team has any interest in lending the platform that we've worked so hard to build and the things that we fight for and the way that we live our life, I don't think that we want that to be coopted or corrupted by this administration.
[Cooper:] And going to the White House would be, in your opinion, risk coopting or corrupting your message?
[Rapinoe:] Yes, I think so. I think it's an opportunity for this administration to sort of put us on display as their, you know, sort of guest for the day. And I don't think that that makes sense for us at all. I can't imagine any one of my teammates would want to be put in that position. There's so many other people that I would rather talk to and have, you know, meaningful conversations that could really affect change in Washington than going to the White House.
[Cooper:] There's a good chance the president is watching this interview or will watch this interview. What is your message to the president?
[Rapinoe:] Message to the president. I think that I would say that your message is excluding people. You're excluding me. You're excluding people that look like me. You're excluding people of color. You're excluding, you know, Americans that maybe support you. I think that we need to have a reckoning with the message that you have and what you're saying about make America great again. I think that you're harking back to an era that was not great for everyone. It might have been great for a few people and maybe America is great for a few people right now but it's not great for enough Americans in this world. And I think that we have a responsibility each and every one of us. You have an incredible responsibility as, you know, the chief of this country to take care of every single person. And you need to do better for everyone.
[Cooper:] The idea of make America great again if it means going back to an America from the '40s or '50s, that's an America where you could be imprisoned for being gay. Where you could be sent by your family to a mental hospital where you could not walk down the street holding hands with your loved one or I could not walk down the street or go dancing or anything.
[Rapinoe:] Yes.
[Cooper:] It's interesting how different people view things through a very personal lens. And as you said, maybe don't walk in the shoes of other people who, you know, did not have rights in a past America.
[Rapinoe:] Yes, it was not a great place for a lot of people. It was a very oppressive place. And that's not to say that it was the worst place in the world. I think that's one of the things that a lot of people go to. No one's saying that they want to leave America. But I think as one of the great countries in the world and for sure we want to see ourselves as that, we need to constantly look within and challenge ourselves to be better so everyone else can be better around us.
[Cooper:] Do you I know you've been invited by, I think, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I think Nancy Pelosi.
[Rapinoe:] Shout out
[Aoc. Cooper:] So is that an invitation you're taking up? Nancy Pelosi had said, you know, you're you'd be welcome to a bipartisan congressional thing. Do you plan on going to Washington in one way or another?
[Rapinoe:] Yes, definitely. And I think even just the conversations with the teammates that I've had, I think everyone is interested in going to Washington. I think we've always been interested in going to Washington. This is such a special moment for us. And to be able to, you know, sort of leverage this moment and talk about the things that we want to talk about and to celebrate like this with the leaders of our country is an incredible moment. So, yes to AOC. Yes to Nancy Pelosi. Yes to the bipartisan Congress. Yes to Chuck Schumer. Yes to anyone else that wants to invite us and have a real substantive conversation and that believe in the same things that we believe in.
[Berman:] A fascinating discussion with Megan Rapinoe. And there is more of that as well. But the breaking news, the British ambassador to the United States has just resigned, forced out essentially by President Trump after he criticized President Trump. We're expecting to hear from the White House for the first time. You're looking at live pictures. Stay with us.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We can't allow people to get sick, and we can't have our youth be so affected.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] The president vowing to get flavored e- cigarettes off the market to curb a growing epidemic among America's youth.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Ten Democrats, one stage. The third debate is tonight and we have what to watch for in Houston.
[Briggs:] Breaking overnight, restrictions to dramatically limit asylum seekers at the southern border can take effect thanks to a ruling from the Supreme Court.
[Romans:] And was there a cover-up at last year's Triple Crown? A bombshell report says Justify failed a drug test before winning horse racing's biggest prize. Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] I'm Dave Briggs, 5:31 Eastern time. Also, got our hands on a letter from 145 U.S. executives urging the Senate to do something on gun violence. More on that in a moment. But first, the White House taking a big step to curb the widening vaping epidemic among young people. The Trump administration moving to ban flavored e-cigarettes with specifics expected in the coming weeks. Today's teens are smoking less tobacco, using fewer drugs, and drinking less alcohol, but vaping is a growing concern. Federal health officials find that more than a quarter 28 percent of all high school students use e-cigarettes. That number nearly doubled from 2017 to 2018.
[Trump:] Vaping has become a very big business, as I understand it like a giant business in a very short period of time. But we can't allow people to get sick and we can't have our youth be so affected.
[Alex Azar, Secretary; Department Of Health And Human Services:] So we simply have to remove these attractive flavored products from the marketplace.
[Romans:] The CDC says there have been six deaths and more than 450 vaping-related illnesses across the country. One of those is 18-year-old Adam Hergenreder. He vaped nicotine and marijuana and the habit nearly killed him. And doctors now say his lungs he has the lungs of a 70-year-old.
[Adam Hergenreder, Vaping Illness Patient:] I had the shivers and it and I couldn't control it. So I would just randomly convulse and it was really scary. I knew it wasn't a stroke but I felt like that because I couldn't control myself.
[Romans:] And this week, the FDA warned leading e-cigarette maker Juul against marketing its product as a safe alternative to smoking. More now from senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Dave, Christine, the White House is calling for a ban on nearly all flavored e- cigarettes. These are the flavors that have started this epidemic among young people candy-like flavors, sweet flavors, fruity flavors, mint. That's what started kids vaping and the White House says that they want to stop this. Some important notes here. Companies can still sell tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes. Some people have found that tobacco-flavored e- cigarettes helped them quit regular cigarettes. They say that it's been very useful. Another important note is that after this ban is in effect, companies such as Juul which is, of course, the big player here they can then apply to the FDA to start selling these exact same flavored e- cigarettes again. Some people are concerned about this. Anti-smoking advocates say that they hope the Trump administration makes it clear that the answer to those applications will be no Dave, Christine.
[Romans:] Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that.
[Briggs:] All right. So that is bold action by the president, which we applaud, but the hypocrisy kind of stood out to a few people that 38 people in the last month have been killed in the gun violence epidemic in this country. Jimmy Kimmel pointed out that hypocrisy last night.
[Jimmy Kimmel, Host, Abc, "jimmy Kimmel Live":] Well, you know, the people who vape are young people, so Trump now wants to ban them to protect children from being harmed or killed. And I think that's good I'm fine with it. Hey, you know what else harms and kills children? Assault rifles do. So maybe if the NRA starts flavoring those he'll ban them, too.
[Romans:] We're starting to hear more from companies. We reported that Publix has said, you know, please do not in states where open-carry is allowed, we don't want you to carry your weapon in our grocery stores. And we've heard more and more from retailers like that.
[Briggs:] That's right. And now, "The New York Times" has their hands on a letter from 145 CEOs big businesses, small businesses, tech businesses, old businesses. Companies like Uber, Twitter, Yelp, Levi, Gap, Dick's, Airbnb 145 CEOs to the Senate, saying, "We urge the Senate to stand with the American public and take action on gun safety by passing a bill to require background checks on all gun sales and a strong red flag law that would allow courts to issue lifesaving extreme risk-protection orders." Bold action. We've often talked about business leading the way.
[Romans:] Yes.
[Briggs:] They are doing that on gun violence.
[Romans:] Let's talk about this. I want to bring in the editor and publisher of "Inside Elections," Nathan Gonzales. He's a CNN political analyst and he joins us live from Washington. Good morning. I mean, you will see these 10 Democrats on the debate stage tonight for three hours in a field that's tightening a little bit. Do you expect guns and gun violence to be a key issue tonight?
[Nathan Gonzales, Cnn Political Analyst, Editor And Publisher, Inside Elections:] Yes, I think it's going to continue to be. I think it's one of the top issues on the minds of Democratic primary voters and so it's going to be one of the top things that these Democratic candidates are going to talk about when they when they're on the stage tonight. You know, I think a lot of this I think this letter from the executives to Congress could shift things a little bit. I think, ultimately, this lies with the president. I think that the president has an opportunity to get something done on the gun issue. Traditionally, and one of the things that's been holding Republicans back on this is the influence of the NRA within the Republican Party, which has been a topic. But I believe the president actually has more influence within the Republican Party than the NRA. And if the president decides he wants to go in a certain direction on this issue and maybe be more moderate or progressive for a Republican on this issue, I think that would pressure Republican lawmakers to do something they haven't been they haven't wanted to do before.
[Romans:] Well, the presidential leadership, though I mean, he's been very clear where he stands on vaping, right? But on guns, he hasn't. Sometimes he says hey, you know, somebody who's got a mental problem should not have a should not have a gun, and then other times he talks about the slippery slope. And the president hasn't revealed what he what his moral compass is on this, right?
[Briggs:] Well, the president did
[Gonzales:] Yes.
[Briggs:] see, Nathan, the polling in the suburbs of North Carolina. That may explain some of the vaping moves there. But this is an eight out of 10 issue universal background checks in the Republican Party. Ninety percent issue in the country right now. Will that lead the way for this president to finally do something?
[Gonzales:] Well, I think the president cares about what people think of him and public opinion. He wants to be popular and well-liked. But it's viewed as a slippery slope within the Republican Party that they give a little bit of ground that all guns are going to be confiscated around the country. And so, that's why it's holding that's what I think that's holding this issue back right now.
[Romans:] Yes. Among Democrats, gun policy, gun violence is the third most important issue wait a minute, I'm looking at that wrong. The gun violence is 51 percent of voters very important to their vote. Let's look at the field of Democrats tonight because you're going to have basically the two liberal front-runners, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, together on the same stage with Joe Biden. Who's the target here? Is Warren the target because she's getting so much momentum out on the campaign trail?
[Gonzales:] Well, I don't know if there's a single target. First of all, it's going to be fun to have everyone on one stage even though it's still going to be a very crowded it's going to be a very crowded stage. But I think every each candidate is making a slightly different calculation. For someone like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, they might be still looking above them at Joe Biden because he's the one who is staying above them. For those that are in the second and their tier, they might not be trying to jump up to the first tier but say how can I continue to climb and get above? So they may not be may not try to punch up to the top and just try to get to the middle in a in a progressive way there.
[Briggs:] Yes. When you look at the best of the rest the lower tier if you will they've all had a breakout moment or so we thought Castro, O'Rourke. Certainly, Kamala Harris had that huge moment with Joe Biden Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg. It's not really resonated in the polls, though. How do they break out from the pack? Is that by attacking the top or making some "raise your hand" moment on gun violence or another issue?
[Gonzales:] Yes, that's very important. Tonight, there is going to be a winner that is declared by smart people on this network later. But what matters most is if whoever is declared the winner, they have to use this as an opportunity to gain support with actual voters and that probably means raising money and continuing to make their case. We saw in a previous debate when Sen. Harris had her moment. She did rise in the polls but it wasn't particularly it wasn't sustainable or she wasn't able to sustain it. She slowly came down from that moment. And so it's declaring who's the winner there are different definitions and I think we have to remember that tonight.
[Romans:] Enthusiasm numbers look interesting look at that. Forty- five percent of registered voters enthusiastic about voting for the president. It will be interesting tonight it certainly will.
[Briggs:] And it will be late. Nathan Gonzales, good to see you, my friend. Thank you.
[Romans:] And we'll be up early.
[Gonzales:] No problem.
[Romans:] All right, thanks, Nathan. All right. Breaking overnight, the Supreme Court clearing the way for the Trump administration to restrict asylum seekers at the Mexico border. The new rule dramatically limits the ability of Central Americans to claim asylum if they have not sought protection from another country on their way to the U.S. The move essentially bars people traveling through Mexico from claiming asylum. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented. The ACLU says it will continue to challenge the rule. All right, did the British prime minister lie to the Queen to get approval to suspend Parliament? And if he did, what's in store for him? CNN is live in London.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good evening. Just a day after he said that anyone who needed to get tested for coronavirus now could, Vice President Pence today acknowledged that at least for now, and perhaps the foreseeable future, this might not be possible.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] We don't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward.
[Cooper:] The vice president is now in Tacoma, Washington, where he and Washington Governor Jay Inslee are about to talk to reporters. We're going to be monitoring that news conference, bring you any late developments. In Washington, the death toll due to the coronavirus rose from 10 to 11. Nationwide in total, 12 people have died so far. The number of infected has risen as well. There are now at least 226 people who have tested positive with the virus in 19 states. Those numbers really don't tell the entire story because of how few Americans have actually been tested. We'll talk more than shortly. However, testing has begun on passengers aboard that cruise ship off the coast of California, you see it there. Authorities are using Coast Guard helicopters to fly testing kits out to the ship and then ferry them back to a lab. California's governor says the ship will not be allowed to dock in San Francisco until the results are in. And in other developments, the economic side effects are growing. The International Air Transport Association today raising its estimate of what this could cost the airlines. Last week, the prediction was $30 billion globally in lost ticket sales. Well, now, it's $113 billion, nearly four times higher. One airline executive today called the travel slump a, quote, gut punch. Another said, and I quote, we can discount prices tomorrow and it would not do any good. To some extent, that's because people and organizations are simply taking precautions and basing their decisions on good and timely information from government officials. However, some of what we're seeing across the board is driven by the opposite, by what people do not know, or what they're confused or unclear about, and that is certainly not unusual in a crisis. What is different this time is that on top of all of that, there is also, and we have to say it, the misleading or outright bogus information, if you can even call it information at times, coming from the president of the United States. Last night in the program, that key difference, that distinction prompted a pretty remarkable statement from a guest, a Democrat no doubt, but remarkable, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut. Listen.
[Sen. Chris Murphy:] It'd be better if the president didn't make statements about the coronavirus. It would be better if he remained silent and he let medical experts carry the message.
[Cooper:] I mean, just think about that. It would be better, he said, if the president remained silent. The reason he said because his misinformation might overshadow the truth. His own medical and health experts are trying to get out there. His own coronavirus task force. Now, you might think look, that's absurd or that's just political, but then you have to start to listen to what the president has actually been saying day after day. Just last night on Fox News, less than an hour after Senator Murphy's remarks, this is him talking to Sean Hannity. And he took estimate with the latest estimate from the World Health Organization of how deadly the virus may be. Listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well, I think the 3.4 percent is really a false number. Now this is just my hunch, and but based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people that do this, because a lot of people will have this, and it's very mild. They'll get better very rapidly. They don't even see a doctor. They don't even call a doctor. You never hear about those people. So you can't put them down in the category of the overall population in terms of this corona flu and or virus. So you just can't do that. So if, you know, we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better, just by sitting around and even going to work, some of them go to work, but they get better.
[Cooper:] OK. So, there is a lot to unpack in that long rambling sentence, and frankly, there is a lot to be concerned about. I'm not being flip here. Keeping them honest, first of all, the president, you don't hear about those people who do well with it, who don't die from it, who get over it. Actually you do. We talk about that all the time. More than 80 percent in some cases it seems of people who get this or will get this will be perfectly fine. It will be like for them like a flu perhaps, a little bit more serious. The president, though, says he is choosing a hunch. He is using a hunch instead of the global listening to the global authority on public health, the World Health Organization, and the president will not explicitly telling people with the virus to go into work. He is suggesting it might not be the worst thing in the world. In fact, people do it and they get better. And that goes completely against the message that his own Coronavirus Task Force with some great people on it is actually putting out, because the person going to work who is infected, that person can infect others at work. That's what the president doesn't seem to pick up on. He says that person feels fine. They get better. The person infected may feel fine, may be asymptomatic, may not show signs of having the virus. And that person may get better, even if they do have some aches and pains or fever or cough. The president said all that, but several others may get the virus as well from that person who goes to work. And then they may spread the virus on and so on and so on. Now, to be clear, experts do say that the World Health Organization estimate could end up on the high side. And the reason is that that 3.4 percent figure fatality rate, it's a percentage of the total known infected people around the world. And so with so few tests here and elsewhere, knowing the actual number of infected people, not just the people that have died, but the actual number, the true top number of people who are infected, that's impossible right now because there is not enough tests, not enough people have been tested. So, by saying what the president is saying there, if you think about it, that the 3.4 percent based on a hunch, that's a high number that the deaths, the fatality rate is going to be lower may well end up being true. But by saying that, the president isn't just saying it may be less deadly, he is also actually acknowledging that there are a lot more people currently infected than we think, which is the exact opposite about what he has been saying about cases here in America. Remember back, a couple of days ago he was saying well, there is 15 cases and they're getting over it and it may be done. This is one of the many statements that the president has made which are not based on any actual fact, like this one.
[Trump:] It's going to disappear. One day, it's like a miracle. It will disappear, and from our shores, you know, it could get worse before it gets better. It could maybe go away. We'll see what happens. Nobody really knows.
[Cooper:] So the president, as you know, has suggested a vaccine is just around the corner when every expert will tell you, people on his own task force will tell you it will take a year, a year and a half, and that's rushed. He suggested early on that the small number of cases at that point might quickly drop to nothing and contradicted immediately by his own experts. Late today the commanding general of the army's bio-warfare out of Washington said while the virus may let up during the warmer months, and it might, we don't know. Others have. Swine flu did, the way seasonal flu does, a second wave could hit by wintertime, according to this general. He said the country needs to be prepared for that, to which we might add prepare and armed with facts, not just hunches. To that end, I'll be hosting a CNN global town hall with Dr. Sanjay Gupta tonight at 10:00. Joining us will be Dr. Anthony Fauci and other leading medical experts, frontline doctors and patients as well, folks who currently have the virus and are quarantined. It gets under way at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It's a two-hour special. We think it's worth you watching. Joining us right now is CNN's Jim Acosta. He's at the White House. The White House acknowledging there is not enough kits for people to get tested, a day after he said anyone who need it could get tested with the doctor's recommendation. I mean, what's with the contradicting statements? Is it just, you know, they now realize how many kits could be needed? They were trying to paint a rosy picture? What do we know?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] It was a pretty candid assessment from the vice president earlier today, Anderson, no question about it when he said they don't have enough kits right now to deal with the problem. I did talk to the vice president spokeswoman Katie Miller who called me after the vice president made those remarks and said, listen, they still feel like they're going to meet the administration's goal of having a million tests distributed by the end of the week. But when I asked what about moving forward, she acknowledged they still need to ramp up production of those tests in order to meet future demand. And there does not appear to be a plan at this point as to how to get to where they need to be. I will tell you, Anderson, talking to people close to this Coronavirus Task Force, I talked to one source earlier today who said that there are times when the president is simply engaging in wishful thinking, and it's important to know what the president was saying at a town hall in Pennsylvania earlier tonight, that everything is going to work out, and everybody should be calm about what's happening right now. That sounds like wishful thinking.
[Cooper:] When the president goes on Fox and suggests that many people have coronavirus, some go to work and they get better, sounds like it's no big deal, he didn't say you should go to work, but he said people go to work, they get better.
[Acosta:] Right.
[Cooper:] Because he has a hunch that the numbers being put out by the WHO are wrong or false number, he didn't use the word "fake" but it is pretty much the same thing, what's the reaction of the White House to that?
[Acosta:] Right now, the White House reaction is not very much. I will tell you that the Trump campaign put out an email earlier this afternoon saying, well, there are some scientists who agree with the president. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is one of the president's top experts on this has said that the mortality rate is closer to 2 percent. And so, the president is obviously not on the same page as Dr. Fauci. One other thing we should point out, Anderson, when the president talks about people being able to go to work with the coronavirus, that is in direct contrast with what the CDC is saying. The CDC is putting out guidance saying do not go to work if you have the coronavirus. And in addition to that, Anderson, the White House has sent out an email to federal employees saying if you're showing flu-like symptoms, please stay home out of an abundance of caution. And so, the president is talking about people going to work while the White House is warning its own workers, federal employees to stay home if they're sick Anderson.
[Cooper:] Yes, Jim Acosta, thanks very much. Members of Congress were briefed today by members of the Coronavirus Task Force. Not everyone was satisfied by what they heard. Shortly before airtime, I spoke with Congressman David Cicilline, Democrat of Rhode Island. Congressman, the closed door coronavirus briefing on the Hill today, I know you asked Anthony Fauci a question about the president. What happened then?
[Rep. David Cicilline:] Well, I actually was asking about the statements the president had been made where he was attempting to blame President Obama for the problem with the tests. And the secretary interrupted and went let Dr. Fauci answer the question. And this is really a particularly serious problem. At a moment where we have a public health crisis, an epidemic, getting trustworthy, reliable information from the president is important. And so, you know, when the president first described this as a hoax and then said just as recently as yesterday, you'd be better you get better if you go to work, as well as challenging the mortality rates, that undermines the credibility of the president when he speaks about other issues related to this virus. So, the president needs to understand, let the professionals, let the doctors and scientists and medical experts lead this effort. You know, he tends to look at things through the lens of, is this good for me politically? This is not about him. This is about the health and safety of the American people, and every decision should be made to make sure we get accurate information to the American people so we can keep them safe.
[Cooper:] What was Secretary Azar's excuse for not letting Dr. Fauci answer the question?
[Cicilline:] I you know, it's a good question. Dr. Fauci has a lot of credibility in the caucus and in a bipartisan way, people really respect him. I wanted to hear from him. I think Secretary Azar did not want him to answer my question. And I made it very clear that Secretary Azar was not in charge of deciding who would answer the question that a member of Congress was asking, and it was kind of unpleasant exchange. But it was just an example of why it matters so much that the scientists and public health professionals, not only provide the information to the American people, but really lead the response. This isn't this shouldn't be politicized in any way. We passed a massive piece of appropriations funding to really address this crisis in a bipartisan way. And now the president needs to step aside and let the scientists and doctors and medical experts give the best advice to the American people.
[Cooper:] It's interesting that the president, I mean you know, just last night the president was saying he has a hunch that the more than 3 percent fatality rate is high. What's interesting about that is and again, we don't really know what the ultimate fatality rate is going to be because we don't know how many people have the virus and or are currently infected. We know how many have been currently diagnosed. But even if the president if the president is saying he doesn't believe the 3 percent, that means he is saying essentially he believes there are far more people who are currently infected with the virus than he has let on or that we know, because that's the only way that fatality number would actually go down.
[Cicilline:] That's right. And it's just another reason to make very clear that in a moment such as this, where you're confronting a serious epidemic with potentially, you know, deadly consequences for people who are affected who are in high-risk categories, you don't make hunches. You don't give suggestions that people do certain things or not do certain things. You leave it up for the Center for Disease Control, the NIH, the medical expertise, some of the best experts in the world, you know, are in those things. And the president saying things which contradict the advice that they're giving to the American people and it creates confusion. This is not a time to try to minimize the seriousness of this public health crisis because you think it's politically damaging to you. Let the experts who have both the experience and training to provide good information to the American people do. So, get out of their way. Congress worked in a bipartisan way to make certain they had the resources necessary to respond fully to this epidemic. The president, if you remember, made a proposal of $2.5 billion. Half of that was going to come from other accounts that are addressing current public health crisis like Ebola. Instead, we provided $8.3 billion of new funding for hospitals, for health organizations to accelerate the development of vaccine, to make sure that the equipment is available, masks and protective gear. So, we've provided the resources. The president now needs to let the experts do their work and stop confusing the American people by making statements that have no basis in fact.
[Cooper:] I talked to Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut last night. He said it would be better if the president didn't make statements about the coronavirus, which is an extraordinary statement to make, the idea that the president of the United States should not talk about the coronavirus. But do you agree with him in this case?
[Cicilline:] Well, certainly, if he is going to give misinformation. Look, my mother is 80 years old. She has chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease. She is very vulnerable to this virus, and she is terrified. And she has a right, as do every other American to get accurate information from the president of the United States. And if he can't do that, he should stop speaking about it and let the health professionals and experts do it.
[Cooper:] The vice president acknowledged today that there are not enough testing kits in the U.S., and I know we're going to talk more about that coming up tonight. But do you get any sense from officials today when more will be available?
[Cicilline:] Well, the representation that was made at the briefing today is that 75,000 were being shipped immediately, and that by the end of the week, which means tomorrow, I guess, up to a million would be available. So, you know, I hope that's true. There's lots of reasons to question whether that's actually going to happen. But that was the representation that was made yesterday at the briefing. But this is a real challenge. Not only making sure that people have access to the tests, that they're free or affordable, and second of all, that the results come back in a timely manner. I think there are a lot of challenges in that in terms of that capacity.
[Cooper:] Yes, Congressman Cicilline, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
[Cicilline:] Thanks for having me.
[Cooper:] Well, much more on the subject. Next, our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us along with a former CDC disease detective to talk about more about testing, prevention and some of the other questions people may have about what they can do to stay healthy. And later, another big shake-up in the Democratic presidential primary. Senator Elizabeth Warren, she is now out. The question now is, who will she and her voters support?

[Dana Bash, Cnn Anchor:] But look at who is right behind him, Andrew Yang, who was part of the CNN town hall here on Sunday, who I venture to say a lot of people say, who.
[David Chalian, Cnn Political Director:] Right.
[Bash:] And look at how well he did.
[Chalian:] And what is so important to understand about this, so this is people who contributor less than $200, right. The key about small donors is that you can go back to them again and again and again. So if you look at this graphic, look at this graphic and from Kamala Harris on down, where you have more than half or 60 percent plus of your donors are big-dollar donors, if you get somebody to max out at $2,800, you got to find a new donor to replace that donor next quarter. Not true if 80 percent of your money is $200 or less. And you just keep e-mailing those same folks and say, click and donate, click and donate, $5, $10. It's a really
[Bash:] And it also matters because I want to return to the Republicans about what is on the debate stage, or stages, right? This is an important criteria.
[Chalian:] This is a rule. So the DNC didn't want to do a poll. So you need 65,000 donors from 20 states to show grassroots fundraising ability and that is another way on to the debate stage.
[Bash:] So let's talk about the Republican side, which is one guy, Donald Trump. So far, one guy. We'll talk about who raised money. That's a fair point. He raised more than $30 million from January to March and he has more than $40 million in the campaign war chest. And I interviewed his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, last month, about how they are quietly building up while the Democrats fight one another. Watch this.
[Brad Parscale, Trump Campaign Manager:] It is much more efficient two years out to find a possible voter or donor. There are so much across the social network and capability to find somebody who is a prospect. I think that is a considerable advantage and getting that if we could get to 40 million, 50 million, 60 million prospects and that will generate millions of dollars in donations to spend in advertising and gives you direct contact via phone or text message or email. It is a considerable advantage that the other side won't have because you can't replace time. The fact is, when you build the army now, it gives you time and you only worry about activation and not trying to find them.
[Bash:] First of all, that was not July of 2017. Apologize. That was last month. What do you think about what he said in.
[Chalian:] Well, what Brad is saying that I think is so critical and we saw it play out somewhat in 2016 for the Trump campaign, they are expanding it now, not just using the small dollar donors, and that is it, it is your organization. It is your grassroots or groundswell of support out there. So to get them to donate in but to activate them to persuade friends to vote, that kind of a dedicated army of supporters is a huge advantage.
[Bash:] Because they are building not just donors but building people who could be volunteers, could be activists or all of the above.
[Chalian:] Yes.
[Bash:] So before we go, let's talk about Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. He admitted when he was in a campaign event in New York last night that he doesn't have a very diverse crowd or any crowds who come to his events. He talked about that and then asked about it this morning on "NEW DAY." Listen.
[Pete Buttigieg, , South Bend Mayor & Presidential Candidate:] I could talk until I'm blue in the face about how important that our campaign or base of supporters in the future administration reflect this country. We are very conscious and intense on building the most diverse possible base of supporters from every level, from the committee to the people who fill a room to help lift us up. I think we need to do better. As I've been on the trail, we found, to some extent, it depends on geography. And we had a diverse crowd in Nevada but less so in South Carolina. One of the most important things you could achieve in South Carolina is engage with African- American voters, in particular, which represent such an important part of our party's coalition.
[Bash:] This is so interesting. First of all, the fact that he's in the game enough that this is something that matters, who is showing up and not if anybody is showing up. It is a big deal, right.
[Chalian:] Yes.
[Bash:] But it does matter. As he said, so spot on and in a spot-on way, places like South Carolina that any candidate needs to win, you do need to tap into the African-American
[Chalian:] It's not just South Carolina. It is the Democratic Party nomination.
[Bash:] Yes.
[Chalian:] You can't become the Democratic Party nominee if you do not have a significant support from non-white groups, specifically African-Americans. And by the way, that video from him in Brooklyn last night, that question came from a member of the crowd, who said, look around here, should we be a little concerned that everyone here is white? Pete Buttigieg points out that south bend is 45 percent nonwhite. So he comes from a diverse city. But this is going to be a challenge for him. He's running against some African-American candidates and Latino candidates and there's diversity in the field. He'll have to find a way to diversify his coalition.
[Bash:] So fascinating. David Chalian, always good to talk to you. I could go for hours and hours and hours. We'll do that in your office later.
[Chalian:] OK.
[Bash:] Up next, she was a U.S. soldier and she was killed in Afghanistan and now her husband is back in the U.S. after being deported by ICE. There's an important back story here. That is next. Plus, Michelle Obama, she likened America under President Trump to living with a, quote, "divorced dad." We're going to talk about that later.

[Holmes:] Welcome back. Prisons are quickly becoming hotspots in the spread of coronavirus. Thousands of prisoners in both state and federal facilities have tested positive. More than 800 inmates testing positive at just one California prison complex, as did more than 2 dozen staff members. In Ohio, more than one in 5 cases in the state are inmates. Have a look at these signs in the windows of the Cook County Jail in Chicago. Inmates saying, "We matter, too," and, "Save us as the virus spreads." Back in April, Chicago's biggest jail released almost a fourth of its population over coronavirus fears. The focus on releasing those awaiting trial and low level nonviolent offenders. Joining me now from New York is Dr. Homer Venters, a former chief medical officer for the New York City jail system. Doctor, you are also the author of "Life and Death in Rikers Island." There has been a lot of talk about hotspots in meatpacking plants and cruise ships. But prisons have been a major issue because of close quarters. I've read of 2 facilities in Ohio and California where 70 percent of the inmate population tested positive. How serious is this issue in American jails?
[Dr. Homer Venters, Former Chief Medical Officer, New York City Jail System:] This is a grave issue. It is a life-threatening issue for people who are incarcerated and dying. It's also incredibly important for the nation as a whole. We have 5,000 jails and prisons in this country. Those places are going to drive the outbreak curve straight up for the entire nation. It will place the lives of those incarcerated in jeopardy as well as staff.
[Holmes:] As you said, you wrote a book about health issues at prison facilities. You were worried about this well before coronavirus. What is not in a prison in terms of facilities and supplies to stem off something like coronavirus, basic things like social distancing is impossible, obviously.
[Venters:] Two of the things that are in shortest supply are evidence based practices and transparency. We have spent decades in this country creating a silo around prisons and jails so the health care system in these places is grossly deficient. We do not know when bad outcomes occur. So when something like coronavirus hits, we cannot just copy and paste our community standards of care onto these places. The people who provide care and those who are incarcerated have not had access to evidence based care before. So you are correct to say the close quarters create a firestorm for this virus in particular. It's also important to know that groups like the CDC and states' Department of Health have been AWOL from these places for many years. So we have a lot of ground to cover just to get to barebones basics of being able to wash hands with soap and water and paper towels. Let alone figure out who is sick and who needs tests and who needs to go to the hospital.
[Holmes:] I think I read that you wrote about how, when you mentioned the CDC and major health authorities that look after people in society, it's not the case in prisons. Often it is the local sheriff who is deciding what can be life and death issues of health care.
[Venters:] That is right. To be fair to sheriffs and commissioners in correction, they are not doctors nor health administrators. But we have given them these critical jobs and often not the resources to do those jobs. But the groups that decide the quality of your care and my care are the community, they are essentially absent from these places and have been for many years.
[Holmes:] Of course one of the major issues is just how many people are incarcerated in American jails, more people per capita than any country in the world. What would you say is an immediate possible move during this current crisis? What kinds of things can be done, things like releasing nonviolent inmates, what would you recommend?
[Venters:] Sure. I think the first step is to release people who can be released because there are very high risk folks behind bars, people with health problems, if they become infected with COVID-19, will have a higher risk of dying. Secondly, in order to manage the outbreak behind bars, the facilities need space to move people around, to separate the sick people from the healthy people. Facilities cannot do that basic job if they are at 100 percent or probably 75 percent capacity. So release is job one. Not just to save the lives of high-risk people but to allow for effective management of the outbreak inside the facility.
[Holmes:] You have people who will say, they are in prison, they are there for a reason, they do not impact me. But of course, staff in these prisons have been heavily impacted as well. They go home and go back into communities. What kind of attitude would you like to see change?
[Venters:] You are right. Many of the people who have become infected with COVID-19 and who have died behind bars are staff, correctional staff. It's also important to remember that when people get sick behind bars, they go to local hospitals when they need higher level of care. This virus spreads like wildfire when it gets behind bars. So we've seen in multiple places around the country, one single jail or prison can completely overwhelm a local hospital. That is exactly the opposite of flattening the curve. When the rest of us are trying to engage in social distancing and taking all of these measures to flatten the curve, just one facility can completely overwhelm a local hospital. That is something that impacts everybody in the community.
[Holmes:] Just finally, speak to policy changes that are needed for infectious diseases. COVID-19 has highlighted some of these institutionalized issues. What needs to change after this as well?
[Venters:] Sure. Right now we have some fleeting attention from the CDC and state departments of health and other health structures that we think are evidence based. Those organizations need to stay. They need to help us improve the quality of health care but also the transparency of health services behind bars going forward, not just for COVID-19.
[Holmes:] Dr. Homer Venters, great to have you on and your insights into this, it is a important issue into the
[U.s. Venters:] Thank you for having me.
[Holmes:] When we come back, a musical legend has died. He gave us rock "n" roll, gospel, even a little bit of film. The life and times of the flamboyant, the one and only Little Richard, coming up next.

[Anderson:] Well, this hour, a manhunt for at least two burglars. You are watching here who with axes in hand, smashed their way to a treasure trove of priceless artifacts in an opulent German palace. Yes, you can see those shining jewels they snatched on the right of your screen. CNN's Melissa Bell joining us from right outside the museum where that theft took place. And, Melissa, as I understand it, we are getting more details on how this whole thing unfolded.
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Paris Correspondent:] That's right. We've had CCTV footage released that shows the moment when these thieves made their way to that glass case and smashed it with their ax to take the jewels out of it. Making their way out of Dresden castle just behind me within a few minutes. We've seen also Becky, a picture tweeted out of the jewels themselves but apart from that, precious little. Within the last hour, Dresden police, local police I'm sorry, Saxony police have announced the creation of a portal. Really, they are appealing for more witnesses to come forward to upload any photographs or video that they feel might be relevant to this investigation. But what that really tells us, Becky, is that a day and a half after this most audacious of heists, they really are no closer to bringing this manhunt to an end.
[Bell:] Their value cannot be calculated, we're told. Elaborate, diamond encrusted pieces. This is the antique jewelry stolen from the Green Vault Museum here in Dresden. And it's those very unique qualities that experts say will make it so difficult to sell. The robbery was smash and grab. Police say that it took just minutes. Two thieves moving through the gallery with flashlights. The thieves then violently smashing a glass display case with an ax. While the gallery has security, the guards are unarmed. Police now releasing new details saying that a nearby electrical fire knocked out streetlights and they think the incidents were related. The burglars made off in an Audi A6. A car of that model was found just hours later set on fire in an underground garage. [on camera]: Those perpetrators are still on the run from local and federal police. 20 criminologists are involved in the case and continue to examine the scene here. And the police have launched an appeal for any witnesses please to come forward. [voice-over]: The Green Vault is called the treasure chest of Europe, the continent's oldest public museum. The treasure collected here when the 18th century ruler of Saxony, Augustus the Strong, was hoping to make Dresden the Florence of the north.
[Marion Ackermann, Director General, Dresden State Art Collections:] I can also tell you that the importance and quality lie in the fact this ensemble as such was passed on. The material value as such not even that high. It's the fact that this ensemble exists. It could be described as the state treasure of the 18th century.
[Bell:] Nearly three centuries on, his Green Vault has become the scene of one of the most audacious robberies in the history of the European continent. Well, Becky, even as that manhunt continues this Tuesday evening, this is a story that continues to capture the world's imagination. And that is partly because of the value of the historical cultural value of those artifacts that are even now somewhere out there. But also in a sense the simplicity with which this burglary was carried out. Simply armed with an ax and breaking their way through the cages on the window on the outside of this building. These thieves managed to make their way into one of the finest collections of treasures anywhere in Europe. That's at the heart of an ongoing investigation. 20 officers trying to work out exactly how that breach of security could have happened here and precisely where that treasure is now Becky.
[Anderson:] Yes, it's unbelievable, isn't it? Melissa, thank you. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD folks. Still ahead Love and loathing. The U.K. Labour leader launches a race and faith manifesto as the country's chief rabbi warns Jeremy Corbyn is unfit for office. And the leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats is speaking out. And why she thinks canceling Brexit would not be a slap in the face to democracy.
[Unidentified Female:] 3, 2, 1 yeah.
[Anderson:] And an IPO that is a bit of an IP-whoa. We'll introduce you to what's set to be this year's biggest company listing. And it is in Hong Kong.

[Blitzer:] Moments from now, the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will speak from the Senate floor for the first time this year. We expect him to talk about impeachment and the airstrike killing Iran's top general. McConnell's appearance comes as new revelations regarding President Trump's role in withholding aide from Ukraine are coming to light. E- mails reviewed by the Web site, Just Security, shows that a top White House budget official made it clear that the order to halt the aid came directly from the president. The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, using the e-mails to justify his demands for witnesses during the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate. Saying, and I'm quoting now, "The newly revealed unredacted e-mails are a devastating blow to Senator McConnell's push to have a trial without the documents and witnesses we've requested. These e-mails further expose the serious concerns raised by Trump administration officials about the propriety and legality of the president's decision to cut off aid to Ukraine to benefit himself." Joining us now, our senior congressional correspondent, Manu Raju. Manu, what is the expectation of what McConnell will say about the impeachment and the U.S. airstrike?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] I just asked Mitch McConnell whether he had been briefed about the airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani and he said he would address, quote, "that issue on the floor," when he does open up the Senate chamber for the new session starting at noon Eastern time. So expecting him to address that. And also expect him to address the standoff that's been looming between him and Democrats that were moving forward on this impeachment trial. Democrats have been demanding a deal up front to get witnesses to agree upon, to get those documents released. But Mitch McConnell says those decisions should be punted until afterwards. There should be opening arguments first and, after that, the Senate can vote and make decisions on bringing decisions on bringing forward witnesses, on demanding documents. That's something Democrats are not agreeing to. Mitch McConnell is expected to make clear that he is not going to go forward on moving with the Senate trial until the House sends over its articles of impeachment, those two articles that passed the House late last year. McConnell, instead, plans to move forward on the agenda, President Trump confirming judicial nominees. I'm told he's open to moving the North American Trade Agreement, as well. So all those issues will come up. And expect Chuck Schumer to address the floor afterward, making his demands clear, as well Wolf?
[Blitzer:] How significant, Manu, are these e-mails? Could they potentially move the needle as far as some of the centrist Republicans are concerned? They need several of them, a few of them, at least four, maybe five or six, in order to get witnesses to appear in a Senate trial.
[Raju:] Yes, that's right, 47 Democrats unite. They need four Republicans to break ranks, to vote, to get those witnesses, to get those documents. At the moment, we are not seeing any mass defections happening. Some centrist Republicans, like Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, Susan Collins, of Maine, who are up for re-election, have expressed concerns about Mitch McConnell coordinating with the White House. But, siding with the strategy so far. And other Republicans, including one, Wolf, Joni Ernst, of Iowa, who is running for re-election, told me yesterday she's not there yet on demanding witnesses and certainly not calling for these documents to be released. So McConnell has his conference in mind Wolf?
[Blitzer:] These coming days will be critical, indeed, on several fronts. Manu Raju, up on Capitol Hill, thank you very much. Coming up, reaction to the strike now pouring in from around the world. We're live from the IsraelLebanon border. Also from Moscow. Much more right after this.

[Cabrera:] Breaking news today. California smashing its all-time record with more than two million acres burned statewide. Now, the state is reporting more than 20 wildfires right now fueled by a record heatwave with temperatures expected to top 120 degrees in some areas. Officials are warning some people are still trapped and the situation is turning into a mass casualty event, with more than a dozen people injured already. And more than 200 people were air lifted to safety after one wildfire cut off the only access road. Let's bring in CNN's Paul Vercammen in Venice, California. And, Paul, what actions are fire officials taking, at this point, to try to get these wildfires under control?
[Paul Vercammen, Cnn Correspondent:] Every single aggressive action that they can take. Aerial drops. Crews out on the line. And, in terms of rescues, they have gone to the National Guard. That's what happened at that fire that is northeast of Fresno. It was at the Mammoth Reservoir. People were ringed by flames. The National Guard came in and flew some 224 of them out, 20 of them had to be transported to the hospital with varying injuries from broken bones to burns. Now, other people left that fire. Drove themselves out. A harrowing odyssey. Through walls of flame. Let's listen to their tale.
[Juliana Park:] At the time, I was on a hike with just some hazy air that became, you know, soon, ash rain. We were wearing masks, but it was getting, you know, harder to breathe, harder to see. I would say between the time of 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., we could see that, you know, we needed to leave immediately. I think if we had stayed just 10 minutes more, we might not have been so lucky.
[Vercammen:] And there's a massive pyro cumulus or fire cloud erupting over this blaze, and some experts say it might have actually burned 100,000 acres. And it is causing havoc throughout the area. At nearby Bass Lake, midday, it looked like night fall. They've reduced the boats top speed, requested top speed, to five miles per hour, because people just flat cannot see. And in southern California, where there is this heat warning and advisory, we have temperatures of 118 degrees. The Eldorado fire is burning east of Los Angeles It's now at about 3,000 acres. So, it just doesn't stop here, Ana. It feels like a groundhog's day, if you will, of flame throughout California. Back to you.
[Cabrera:] Those images are really, really striking. Paul Vercammen, thank you for your reporting. Stay safe. And, of course, sending our well wishes and safety to all those in California. Meantime, the search for a Coronavirus vaccine is in full force. Health experts remaining hopeful we could have one by the end of the year. But a vaccine is only helpful if people opt to receive it, right? And, according to new polling, just one in five people plan to get it as soon as it's released. And vice presidential nominee, Senator Kamala Harris, is one of those who's weary.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Would you get it?
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Vice Presidential Nominee:] I think that's going to be an issue for all of us. I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump.

[Berman:] Breaking news. The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the execution of federal prisoners for the first time in 17 years. Daniel Lewis Lee, a white supremacist who killed a family of three, was scheduled to die by lethal injection yesterday afternoon, but a court order blocked the execution. Overnight, the court voted 5-4 to lift that order. The four liberal justices dissented. Two more executions are scheduled for this week.
[Camerota:] Also developing overnight, the U.S. military reporting a 60 percent jump in new coronavirus cases in the first few weeks of July. In Japan alone, nearly 100 military personnel and their families have been diagnosed in just the past week. CNN's Ivan Watson is live for us in Hong Kong with more. What have you learned, Ivan?
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Correspondent:] Alisyn, more than 35,000 U.S. Marines and their family members are under virtual lockdown on a network of U.S. bases on the Japanese island of Okinawa. And this is after the outbreak that you just mentioned across Japan, within the U.S. military and among dependents. Around 99 cases right now. And the outbreak is mostly centered on the island of Okinawa. And it's dramatic because for more than two months, all of May and June, Okinawa didn't see a single confirmed case of coronavirus, up until July 7th, and then this explosion within the ranks of the U.S. Marines. And that has prompted the governor, the Japanese governor of Okinawa, to express shock and some real doubts about what he says are U.S. preventive measures against the spread of the infection. The U.S. has a large military footprint across Asia. It's not just in Japan that it's struggling with the coronavirus. There were 11 cases involving U.S. military personnel arriving on July 7th and 8th in Korea that are being dealt with. And we've been following this. The U.S. military is taking this very seriously. On the Marine bases in Okinawa, a Marine spokesman just told me it is all masks all the time. You have to wear those masks all the time. And I spoke last week to the admirals of two in charge of two aircraft carrier strike groups that just conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea. They were taking the threat of an outbreak so seriously that they had brought microbiologists onboard their ships, they were spacing out meal times, they were wearing masks all the time. They hadn't had an outbreak aboard those ships, but they said they were constantly vigilant about the threat of this virus. And they know firsthand, because last spring an entire U.S. aircraft carrier was paralyzed off the coast of Guam. More than 1,000 of its crew members came down with the virus. Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Yes, I mean, if you're on a confined space, like a ship, of course they have to take it seriously, and that's really interesting to hear how they were trying to tackle it, Ivan. Thank you very much. So hospitals in Texas are being pushed to the brink as health care workers contract the virus. Up next, we're going to speak to an ICU nurse who got sick.

[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn:] Hello again, everyone, thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We continue to follow this breaking news today. President Trump is confirming the death of Hamza bin Laden in a U.S. military operation. He is the son of Osama bin Laden and was seen as an emerging leader of the terror group Al Qaeda. The president releasing a statement today that said bin Laden had been killed in a United States counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. CNN has team coverage on this breaking story. Let's begin with Sarah Westwood at the White House. So Sarah, what more are you learning about this development?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well Fred, this is significant because the White House is confirming for the first time that Hamza bin Laden is dead and acknowledging the U.S. played a role in that. It was a counterterrorism operation according to the White House that took place in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. But this does not appear to be necessarily a new or recent development. CNN reported on July 31 that the administration had intelligence that led officials to believe that Hamza bin Laden had been killed and just a couple of weeks ago in late August, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said during an appearance on Fox News, he said a comment that appeared to confirm that Hamza bin Laden had been killed. But I want to read you part of the statement the White House released this morning that seems to explain what the White House viewed as Hamza's view in Al Qaeda. The loss of Hamza bin Laden not only deprives Al Qaeda of important leadership skills and the symbolic connection to this father but undermines important operational activities of the group. Hamza bin Laden was responsible for planning and dealing with various terrorist groups. Now the State Department back in March had labeled Hamza bin Laden an emerging leader of Al Qaeda and had offered a $1 million reward for information that could have lead to his capture. The documents collected from the compound in Pakistan where his father Osama bin Laden was killed 2011 by Navy Seals seemed to suggest that Osama bin Laden was grooming his son to replace him as the leader of Al Qaeda, to take the reins of that group but it's unclear, Fred, why the White House chose today to confirm the death of Hamza bin Laden and what gave White House officials this certainty to circulate the statement from President Trump.
[Whitfield:] All right Sarah, let me also bring in CNN Pentagon reporter Ryan Browne. And so Ryan that it was a counterterrorism operation does not necessarily mean it was a military operation but what are the distinctions of the ways in which he could have been taken out?
[Ryan Browne, Cnn Correspondent:] Well that's absolutely correct Fred. I mean if you look at the statement, it's fairly vague and there's couple of interesting items there. One, that the site the Afghanistan Pakistan region. Now the U.S. military does not operate in Pakistan at all except for that, of course, 2011 raid against Osama bin Laden. So it's possible that this was a CIA operation. The Pentagon not commenting on the operation referring all comments all questions to the White House and again, also what's interesting, we're being told by defense officials that they've had this intelligence for some time. We reported in July but even before that for months, U.S. intelligence officials have been poring over intel trying to assess whether or not Hazma bin Laden was in fact killed. They've been looking into it. Now there's a lot of difficulty. There have been no official announcement by Al Qaeda that Hazma bin Laden was killed. That's unusual. Usually the terror group does announce an obituary when high profile leaders are killed. So there's been no official announcement by Al Qaeda. U.S. intelligence trying to make the assessments, trying to go over through the analysis to confirm that he was, in fact, killed in this counterterrorism operation, details of which are still not forthcoming.
[Whitfield:] All right Ryan Browne, Sarah Westwood, thanks to both of you; appreciate it. All right, let me bring in now CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman, so what kind of reaction is coming from this report that Hamza bin Laden is dead?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Correspondent:] I'll be honest with you Fred, not much. Al Qaeda is sort of a thing of the past in this part of the world, which for the last five years has been dealing with ISIS. Al Qaeda hasn't carried out any significant operations in years. And it is important to keep in mind that the Hamza bin Laden, the reward for him was a million dollars. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the actual current leader of Al Qaeda, the reward for him, $25 million. So I dare to suggest that perhaps the White House is making more of a deal out of this killing of Hamza bin Laden who is 30 years old the 15th of 20 children of Osama bin Laden, the third to be killed. He may not have been really quite as important as all this attention warrants. Fred.
[Whitfield:] Any idea what kind of role he may have had in the operation then?
[Wedeman:] We're simply depending on what we're being told by the White House, that somehow he was involved in Al Qaeda planning and coordination with other terrorists organizations but in terms of how Al Qaeda currently operates, you have it in parts of West Africa. You have it in parts of Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan but they're all working fairly independently and separately. It's no longer this sort of global network of terrorists that we were accustomed to say 10 or 15 years ago. So it's not at all clear really what role he played beyond what we're begin told by largely unnamed American officials.
[Whitfield:] All right, Ben Wedeman, thank you so much. All right, still ahead, as democrats debate over healthcare in this country, Senator Bernie Sanders faces the real life consequences some Americans face with mounting medical debts.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Democratic Presidential Candidate:] How are you going to pay off...
[Unidentified Male:] I can't. I can't. I'm going to kill myself.
[Sanders:] Hold it. Stop it. Stop it, John. You're not going to kill yourself.
[Whitfield:] How the Vermont Senator handled that situation plus the Bahamas bracing for a second major storm in just two weeks. We're tracking Tropical Storm Humberto coming up.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] That is the same facility where the woman who killed Grammy Award-winning singer Selena is housed. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks for being with me. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts now.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] A source says that the White House is done quote "playing nice" with Democrats. So, the past three years, they were being polite? THE LEAD starts right now. Breaking news: new details on the scramble inside the White House right after the president pushed the leader of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, as CNN learns that impeachment could go far beyond just the Ukraine scandal. A new twist. Trump allies in Congress now want a vote on the impeachment inquiry in the House, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi does not. Why? Plus: the Supreme Court debating the meaning of sex in a critical case of LGBTQ rights, and a justice that President Trump appointed could potentially be the swing vote. Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. And we begin with the politics lead. Today, House Democrats are saying they will issue a subpoena against a key witness in the Ukraine scandal for documents and his testimony, after the White House today blocked him from testifying on Capitol Hill, as Democrats probe details concerning President Trump using the power of his office to push a foreign country to conduct investigations to help him politically. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the president blocking this key witness a quote "abuse of power." That key witness is U.S. Ambassador to the European Union and major Trump donor Gordon Sondland. Republican Senator Ron Johnson told "The Wall Street Journal" that Sondland told him that U.S. military aid to Ukraine was tied to Ukraine agreeing to quote "get to the bottom of what happened in 2016." That is Trump-speak for a push to undermine the Mueller investigation and the larger conclusion by U.S. intelligence that Russia interfered in the election to help President Trump, that conversation on top of the recently released text messages linking U.S. aid to Ukraine to Ukraine investigating the Bidens. The top diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor,wrote to Sondland quote "As I said on the phone, I think it is crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign" unquote. Sondland waited about five hours and then replied quote "Bill, I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The president has been crystal clear, no quid pro quos of any kind." A source now tells CNN that, during that time gap, Sondland phoned President Trump himself. Now, the president has said publicly that the Ukraine conversation was quote "perfect," that there is nothing wrong with what he's done, that there is no quid pro quo. That is what he says. Now, what he and the White House have done, well, that is a different matter. They hid the rough transcript of the call with the president of Ukraine in a hyper-secure computer system. They tried to keep it from Congress after the whistle-blower went to the inspector general. They're attacking the whistle-blower. And now, as of today, they're blocking witnesses. We will leave it to you to judge if that is how officials with nothing to hide behave. CNN's Kaitlan Collins picks up coverage now with new reporting on how the White House immediately tried to bury that Ukraine call to keep it from the American people.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Today, the White House intervened for the first time to stop a key witness from cooperating with Democrats' impeachment inquiry, blocking top diplomat Gordon Sondland for showing up for his deposition, only hours before it was scheduled to take place.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] By preventing us from hearing from this witness and obtaining these documents, the president and secretary of state are taking actions that prevent us from getting the facts needed to protect the nation's security.
[Collins:] President Trump said he stopped it because the inquiry is illegitimate, calling it a "totally compromised kangaroo court." His allies signaling this could be a broader strategy to stonewall, with one saying the days of playing nice are done.
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] When you have a speaker of the House who says, we need to strike while the iron is hot, when you have a chairman of the committee who is so biased against this president.
[Collins:] The fight coming as CNN is learning more about the call that started it all. Sources say, as soon as Trump hung up with Ukraine's president in late July, a mad scramble began inside the administration. At least one National Security Council official alerted the White House's national security lawyers that there were concerns about what Trump said. Those are the same lawyers who later ordered the transcript moved to a more secure server in order to limit those who could see it. Several aides frantically asked if they should notify other senior officials who weren't on the call, like those at the Justice Department, since Trump had invoked the attorney general's name several times. The focus now turning to those who listened in during the call, including the secretary of state, top national security officials, and aides for the vice president and chief of staff. Democrats say, despite White House efforts to stonewall, they will continue their investigation of whether Trump abused the power of his office.
[Schiff:] Through this impeachment inquiry, we are determined to find the answers. Thank you.
[Collins:] Now, Jake, we're also learning that the White House has reached out to outside attorneys to get counsel on impeachment. One of those, according to what a source told my colleague Pam Brown, is a former congressman from South Carolina, Trey Gowdy. Now, that follows CNN reporting that the president had been initially resistant to the idea of performing an impeachment defense team or bringing in new attorneys, believing that doing either would make him look weak.
[Tapper:] Hmm. All right. Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thank you so much. Let's chew all over this with my experts. Amanda, I'm interested in your opinion on this. To me, just having covered enough of these things, Taylor's texts in which he says, just as I said on the phone call, blah, blah, blah, I don't approve of this, is what he's saying, read like somebody trying to establish a paper trail.
[Amanda Carpenter, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes.
[Tapper:] And Sondland's text, which came five hours later or so, to me, read like somebody who just talked to a lawyer and said, what should I write back? Do you agree?
[Carpenter:] Yes, I agree. And that's why I wonder why the House isn't going after Bill Taylor more. He is the key to this. He is the guy who clearly saw something was going wrong and tried to document it. And maybe they are trying to work something out behind the scenes. But this sort of goose chase to try to get Sondland and try to the president's lackeys, I don't understand that. Talk to people who want to talk. Talk to people who are trying to document this, rather than trying to go after hostile witnesses, in building up a case about obstruction.
[Tapper:] I'm sure they're I don't know. But I'm sure they're going after Taylor, too. Phil, I want to get your take on this? How does this read to you? Taylor says quote this is a text message on WhatsApp. "Are we now saying security assistance and the White House meeting are conditioned on investigations?" which was basically a quid pro quo. Sondland writes back, "Call me." What does that mean to you? Call me.
[Philip Mudd, Cnn Counterterrorism Analyst:] I only spent 25 years in government, just only.
[Carpenter:] He could have just called him.
[Mudd:] But this is pretty simple. You're correct. This is called record copy. That is, the appointed official, that is, the non-Trump official, the ambassador, is saying, I want it on the record what we're doing here, because phone conversations are going to be he saidshe said if it ever goes public. That individual on the other end of the line, in this case text messaging, is saying, I don't want that on the record. Call me, because a phone call is going to be, it is months ago, nobody both of them are trying to, as you suggested it is not what you think, Jake. This is a fact. It is what you suggested. They both want a record copy. Each of them, the career guy wants a record copy saying the president just screwed us. The political guy wants a record copy that says that never happened.
[Tapper:] And how is the White House preparing for this, other than mean tweets and just having their minions in Congress go out there and lie?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] It is very telling that even though Sondland's testimony has been scheduled for many days, the decision to pull his testimony only came last night. They are making a lot of these decisions on the fly, responding in large part to what the president wants. The president himself made it clear that he was the one who was not comfortable with Sondland testifying. Here is why all of this previous conversation we were just having and that question are related. Sondland is the person who was communicating directly with President Trump about all of this, all of it. So Bill Taylor knows what he thinks was going on. Sondland knows what was actually going on, because he was communicating with the principal about it. That is what makes him such an important witness. It's also what makes the White House and the president nervous about him getting in a setting where he's testifying under oath and cannot lie to Congress without risking potential jail time.
[Tapper:] And let's talk about Sondland for one second. OK? He's a very, very wealthy hotel guy. He was a Jeb Bush backer, then gave $1 million to President Trump's inaugural committee, got in that way. Now, he is the U.S. ambassador to the European Union. Now, I'm no expert on international affairs, but last I checked, Ukraine is not in the European Union. So what is he doing here, in your vie?
[Nayyera Haq, Former State Department Spokesperson:] Well, I think he's trying to execute the orders of the boss man. And that is the challenge with political appointees, often vs. civil service or career officials, who are dedicated to the cause, rather than to the person. The entire State Department right now has been rattled, not just by this incident, but previous I.G. reports from even this past summer about how political appointees have been calling holdovers traitors and questioning their loyalty to Donald Trump. And it underscores how important it is to have a service that is dedicated to American values and the Constitution. That is ultimately what is being tested here with this. Unfortunately, the Trump administration seems to be hanging their hat on this idea they argued in court today, that the Nixon impeachment process was improper. And that is your argument, that Nixon was railroaded. When you have gone that far down the line, it shows that you are far more interested in obstructing justice than you are in telling the truth.
[Tapper:] Geraldo Rivera told Sean Hannity the other day I'm paraphrasing but something like, thank God for you. If you had been around during Nixon, he never would have been impeached.
[Mudd:] This, to me, is kind of painful as a former government guy. When new people come into town, whether it is Democrats or Republicans, people like me reviewed a suspect. It's like two dogs at a fire hydrant. They're sniffing out each other saying, who is the other dog here? When the new guys come in, the political guys are saying, these guys know a lot at the CIA, the FBI and the State Department, but they are not reliable. This is a reliability test. The political guy is saying, I can't trust you. You better call me, because I'm afraid you are going to take these texts and give them away to somebody. Very simple.
[Tapper:] And, Amanda, I believe that has been reported that these texts were on personal devices on the WhatsApp app, which is to keep stuff from individuals.
[Carpenter:] This is clearly official communication.
[Tapper:] Yes. Obviously, this is about official stuff. And Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said today the State Department also has personal devices belonging to Sondland with more texts and more e-mails they want to see. I recall them being offended when somebody else had like...
[Carpenter:] What was her name?
[Tapper:] Yes, had a system for avoiding for avoiding this kind of way that the government could easily get to something.
[Carpenter:] Yes, these secret servers and secret messaging apps are going to come back to bite you. But there is an interesting talking point I'm seeing gain a lot of steam in conservative circles among Republicans who are really trying to rationalize this. They just come out and say, you know what? This is bad. All this is bad, the messages, the Secret Services, but it's not impeachable. We need an election to decide what's going on. And after the Mueller report, I thought that was a decent rationale, let the election decide it. But the thing that you have here, you have the president and a lot of his men participating in election offenses. So how do you ensure that you're going to have a free and fair election in 2020 when the president has shown a willingness three times, with Russia, Ukraine and China, to cheat? This is what it goes down to. People keep talking about election interference, foreign interference. It's cheating to win an election. So Republicans, if you don't want to impeach him, what are you going to do to stop it? I don't know that answer.
[Tapper:] All right, everyone, stick around. We got a lot more to talk about. The two moves congressional Republicans just made on the Hill in an attempt to push back against the impeachment inquiry. Plus, the NBA now saying that they're not sorry for that tweet that could cost the league billions of dollars in China. Stay with us.

[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] Resolution is adopted without objection.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Anchor:] A divided House taking a critical step the impeachment inquiry now official. So when will a private process go public?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] The president's namesake Tower losing its most-tenured resident. Why is Donald Trump moving to Florida?
[Sanchez:] And breaking overnight, a new wildfire growing fast in Southern California. Thousands forced to evacuate. Is relief on the way? Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez. It caught me off guard there.
[Romans:] Nice to see you nice to see you. I know, the pictures are beautiful and scary at the same time, right? I'm Christine Romans, 30 minutes past the hour. Just hours after the House officially made Donald Trump the fourth president in history to face impeachment, a defiant chief executive made very clear he has no plans to concede anything. In an Oval Office interview with the "Washington Examiner," the president said, "This is over a phone call that is a good call. At some point, I'm going to sit down, perhaps as a fireside chat on live television, and I will read the transcript of the call because people have to hear it." That's a reference to FDR's radio addresses from nearly a century ago.
[Sanchez:] With Speaker Pelosi holding the gavel, not a single Republican voted to support the impeachment inquiry. Two Democrats did defect, crossing over to vote against it. The vote paves the way for a very private process to go public in the coming weeks. And while that was going on, a top National Security Council official who was on that call between President Trump and President Zelensky of Ukraine testified to impeachment investigators. A source saying he told lawmakers his predecessor advised him to stay away from the shadow Ukraine foreign policy being pursued by Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. The NSC official also backed up damaging claims about the president. CNN's Lauren Fox has more from Capitol Hill.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Reporter:] Well, a huge day on Capitol Hill yesterday as lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, both forced to be on the record when it comes to where they stand on impeachment. The resolution they voted on yesterday sets out the rules for the next stage of this impeachment inquiry when these testimonies become public. Also yesterday, Tim Morrison up on Capitol Hill where he largely corroborated testimony from Bill Taylor. He was a career diplomat who told lawmakers last week in a 15-page opening statement that he had concerns when he had learned that the president was trying to use nearly $400 million in U.S. military aid to Ukraine as a way to try to extract investigations that he hoped the Ukrainian government would announce against his political rivals. Now, Morrison also testified yesterday on Capitol Hill that he didn't have any concerns about the legality of what President Trump said on that July 25th call, but he did say he had concerns about information leaking from that call because he said he worried that it could damage the U.S. relationship with Ukraine. He also said he was part of the conversation about what to do with the call transcript following the July 25th call Boris and Christine.
[Romans:] Thank you, Lauren. Lauren mentioned Tim Morrison testified he was not worried anything illegal was discussed on that call, and that statement was seized on by Republicans, including President Trump in a late-night tweet. "Thank you, Tim Morrison, for your honesty." A departure from the criticism of basically every other witness so far. Speaker Nancy Pelosi had said she would only move forward with impeachment if there was bipartisan support. Yesterday's nearly party-line vote was anything but.
[Pelosi:] I had not been, shall we say, enthusiastic about the divisiveness that would occur from an impeachment. But weighing the equities, I had said then he's not worth impeaching because it's even going to divide the country further than he has already divided it. But this was something that you could not ignore.
[Rep. Kevin Mccarthy:] Alexander Hamilton wrote, "There will always be the greatest danger that the decision to use the impeachment power would be driven by partisan animosity instead of real demonstrations of innocence or guilt."
[Rep. Steve Scalise:] This is Soviet-style rules. Maybe in the Soviet Union you do things like this where only you make the rules. Maybe you think it's fairness if you can run roughshod over somebody because you've got the votes. But that's not how impeachment was supposed to go.
[Sanchez:] It's important to remember this. The longer impeachment goes on the more complex it becomes for Democrats. A trial could disrupt presidential campaigns with candidates, who are also senators, required to stay in Washington as other candidates like Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg stay on the campaign trail. Also, vulnerable House Democrats may face new challenges after voting for an inquiry. Republicans will no doubt target those lawmakers, many who won traditionally red districts in that blue wave of 2018.
[Romans:] All right. President Trump giving up his namesake Manhattan tower as a permanent residence and declaring himself a Florida residence. Court documents and a series of tweets show the native New Yorker is moving to Mar-a- Lago whenever he's done in Washington. He writes, "I cherish New York but unfortunately, despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state, and local taxes each year, I've been treated very badly by the political leaders."
[Sanchez:] Yes, and note that he doesn't mention his federal taxes there. There's no way to check the others, too, since he's never actually released his tax returns. A source close to the president tells "The New York Times" the change was primarily for tax purposes. Remember, Florida has no income tax. The source says the president was also enraged by the Manhattan prosecutor's lawsuit to obtain Trump's tax returns. That case likely headed to the Supreme Court in an election year. You can sort of see the irony in the fact that the president is moving as so many other thousands
[Romans:] Yes, thousands.
[Sanchez:] of New Yorkers are also moving to Florida because of the tax bill that he passed.
[Romans:] Because of the president's tax, right. You can't write off state and local
[Sanchez:] Right.
[Romans:] taxes over like 10 grand or something. All right, much more on this. Plus, Halloween takes an ugly turn in Chicago. A 7-year-old girl is shot while trick or treating.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] A deadly shootout and explosions in Sri Lanka as police raid a home of suspected terrorist and uncover what could be a bombmaking factory. U.S. president Donald Trump is on the defensive again over his comments about the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017 because of what Joe Biden said about him. And later, a jailhouse interview: Russian national Maria Butina talked to CNN about her future behind bars in the U.S. The stories are ahead this hour. Welcome to our viewers around the world, coming to you live from CNN Center, I'm Natalie Allen. And this is CNN NEWSROOM.
[Allen:] Across Sri Lanka, authorities are carrying out raids to make sure those behind the Easter Sunday massacre are brought to justice. On the island's east coast, police came under fire as they approached a home and then three bombs detonated. At least 15 people were found dead inside, six were children. They say two suspects are now on the run. We're joined by Nikhil Kumar. I want to ask you first, what more can you tell us about these raids that took place? And what officials found there.
[Nikhil Kumar, Cnn New Delhi Bureau Chief:] Well, Natalie, today there have been warnings about potential attacks following those devastating Easter Sunday bombings. And last night there is this raid on the coast of the country, where as you said, 15 people were killed, among them six suspected terrorists and one of them identified as Mohamed Marr. he has been identified as a prominent member of the NTJ, the local Islamist group believed to have engineered those Easter Sunday attacks. And the brother-in-law, the spiritual leader, Zahran Hashim, killed himself when he blew himself up at the Shangri-La hotel on Sunday. So we are getting more of a picture of what the authorities are after. When they got to this place and they raided these locations, they discovered a huge cache of explosives, 150 explosive sticks and 100,000 ball bearings, a drones. A massive haul that explains that points to how large an operation it was. We heard over the past few days since the Easter Sunday bombings about the scale of what happened and about the concerns about just how well funded these terrorists were. And the raid yesterday further underlines that point, all these materials, flags as well, all this material points to a very well funded, sophisticated terror network that was out to cause potentially more havoc. For people here, now encountering as the raids take place, as the security forces trying to stem any further attacks and go after the two suspected terrorists who escaped yesterday and those are on the loose, people here are encountering curfews. They're countering the sorts of fears that they thought they had left behind, back when this country was locked in a violent and vicious civil war. This is very much a fluid situation as we come up to the one-week anniversary of the devastating attacks.
[Allen:] I'm sure all of this has people still on edge. You mentioned the two that got away during the raid. But the bigger picture, do authorities still believe that there are more terrorists out there in hiding and there still is a threat that is severe?
[Kumar:] There is still a continuing threat. Authorities have been emphasizing this point again and again in the recent week since those bombings. They were criticized a lot for the intelligence failures in the run-up to the Easter Sunday bombings. There were several warnings, including one just an hour before the first explosion on Easter Sunday. And since then, they've been trying to get ahead of the curve after failing to act before those bombings. And they emphasize again and again, that more people are believed to be out there, that more attacks would be in the works. U.S. authorities have made the warning earlier in the week, Israeli authorities say there was a high, concrete threat of further attacks in this country. So it's very much still a threatening situation over here in Sri Lanka.
[Allen:] All right, we appreciate it, Nikhil Kumar there, live from Colombo, thank you. Three of the six places the bombers targeted last Sunday were churches filled with worshippers celebrating Easter. Our Will Ripley went inside and showed us how the attack unfolded.
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm standing outside Saint Anthony Shrine, one of the three churches that was bombed here in Sri Lanka. You can see the clock there. It stopped at 8:45 when the bomb went off. Father Jude Fernando is going to take us inside the church. It looks pretty bad outside but I would imagine it's worse in there.
[Father Jude Fernando, St. Anthony's Church:] Yes. We just go in?
[Ripley:] OK. So he was only in the church for a few minutes?
[Fernando:] Two minutes, two minutes. This is the same place that he has exploded himself. And this is the area normally children they will play because there were children. Let's go around. Normally people want to stay in this area.
[Ripley:] So he chose the location nearest to the children?
[Fernando:] Because he, and I think people move in because this area is full of people.
[Ripley:] Most people who died were right in that area.
[Fernando:] In this area.
[Ripley:] I see the clothing and the shoes there.
[Fernando:] Yes, yes, yes, you can see where they took kids' bottles and the shoes and everything.
[Ripley:] Do you know how many people died in here?
[Fernando:] Of course, from here, they took 33 bodies out for the recognitions.
[Ripley:] Some of the bodies were in pieces?
[Fernando:] Yes, yes. This is the statue, which is St. Anthony's statue, which we take for blessings and everything. It was unharmed.
[Ripley:] That sad fact that the bomb didn't destroy these as well, what does that say to you?
[Fernando:] I mean, it's a real miracle, a miracle and the power of St. Anthony.
[Ripley:] Now are going to the roof?
[Fernando:] Yes.
[Ripley:] Pieces of the roof were thrown just all over the place.
[Fernando:] The whole roof is gone. Careful.
[Ripley:] Yes.
[Fernando:] People are here. The people were here
[Ripley:] The smell, I mean, you still smell the bodies.
[Fernando:] And you can see, the altar is still intact here. You see the image there.
[Ripley:] You just renovated this a year ago?
[Fernando:] Yes, a year ago.
[Ripley:] It makes you really wonder, when you walk around here, what kind of a person could ever do something like this.
[Fernando:] That is the biggest question that everyone in Sri Lanka has.
[Allen:] Will Ripley for us there in that report. U.S. president Donald Trump has a new talking point to try to fire up his base ahead of the 2020 election. He now claims he was the victim of an attempted coup, an apparent reference to the Mueller report. For more on the story, here's our Jim Acosta.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Sr. White House Correspondent:] Without providing any evidence, President Trump fired up a crowd of gay rights enthusiasts at the National Rifle Association's annual convention by alleging special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe was an attempted coup aimed at toppling his administration.
[Trump:] They tried for a coup, didn't work out so well. And I didn't need a gun for that one, did I? A disgrace, spying, surveillance, trying for an overthrow and we caught them. We caught them.
[Acosta:] It's an unfounded claim he also shared on one of his favorite TV shows.
[Trump:] Bigger than Watergate because it means so much, this was a coup. This wasn't stealing information from an office in the Watergate apartments. This was an attempted coup.
[Acosta:] The president also tried to knock down one of the most remarkable findings in the Mueller report, that he ordered former White House counsel Don McGahn to fire the special counsel.
[Trump:] I never told Don McGahn to fire Mueller. If I wanted to fire Mueller, I would've done it myself. And I'm a student of history. I see what you get when you fire people. And it's not good.
[Acosta:] Mr. Trump is now savaging Mueller, a man he called "honorable" a few weeks ago.
[Trump:] We had 18 people that were Trump haters. That includes Mr. Mueller. He was a Trump hater.
[Joe Biden, Former U.s. Vice President And Presidential Candidate:] Very fine people on both sides?
[Acosta:] The president is also relitigating his response to the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville after former vice president Joe Biden slammed Mr. Trump for saying there were very fine people on both sides.
[Trump:] And if you look at what I said, you will see that that question was answered perfectly. People were there protesting the taking down of the monument of Robert E. Lee. Everybody knows that.
[Acosta:] But that's not true. There were also neo-Nazis and other white nationalists chanting anti-Semitic slogans. CNN pressed Mr. Trump on this in the aftermath of Charlottesville. So the neo-Nazis started this. They showed up in Charlottesville. They showed up in Charlottesville to protest the removal of that statue.
[Trump:] But you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. You had people in that group excuse me, excuse me. I saw the same pictures as you did. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name.
[Acosta:] Still, the president seems to relish a matchup with Biden. The president would rather have the 2020 race turn on the economy, as he tweeted out the latest government data showing the nation's GDP grew 3.2 percent in the first quarter, far above expectations. He's also defending his handling of Otto Warmbier, the American college student, who died after imprisoned by North Korea. Despite Warmbier's death, the president is describing himself as "the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States." Mr. Trump weighed in on reports that North Korea asked for $2 million for Warmbier's release.
[Trump:] We don't pay money for hostages. The Otto case was a very unusual case. But I just want to let you know, no money was paid for Otto.
[Acosta:] As for the Mueller report, sources close to the president say he's not putting himself in any legal jeopardy in attacking the Russia investigation. One advisor went as far as to say that the Mueller probe has become a unifying force for the GOP, one that the president will continue to tap into heading into the campaign Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
[Allen:] The president and first lady are spending part of their weekend hosting Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and his wife. It's the third time that Abe's been to the White House in two years. A senior U.S. official says that the two leaders will discuss North Korea, trade and investment and other issues during the two day visit. They also celebrated Melania Trump's 49th birthday. Joining me now to talk about this is Paul Sracic, a political science professor at Youngtown State University and currently on Fulbright Award in Tokyo. Paul, thank you for being with us.
[Paul Sracic, Youngstown State University:] Thanks for having me.
[Allen:] Let's begin with Mr. Trump meeting with the Japanese prime minister and they're talking trade and the other issue, of course, security regarding North Korea and this comes after the North Koreans accuse the U.S. of acting in bad faith during the last summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, clearly a worrying turn of events for Mr. Abe, isn't it?
[Sracic:] Yes and no. You might say first of all, I think the Japanese were worried at the rapprochement going on with the United States and North Korea, concerned about whether their security concerns were being fully recognized, particularly the short-range missiles. I think they may have wanted things to slow down a little bit. But certainly, they wanted the situation in North Korea to be solved. They want denuclearization because the proximity of Japan to North Korea makes them extremely vulnerable to Kim Jong-un's weapons, his nuclear weapons. So they are nervous about that. So I think they'd like to see steps forward but to make sure we are going forward in total denuclearization.
[Allen:] We know Mr. Trump will be going to Japan twice in the next few weeks. Also to continued their discussions, we will follow that. I want to turn now to something else that happened on the campaign trail, Paul. And that is the president's comments on Charlottesville and what happened there with the rally. If he was going to respond to former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign, why do you think he chose to double down on his previous comments? Some might say rewriting history vis-a-vis Charlottesville.
[Sracic:] I think President Trump and certainly you hear these views coming from the Right in the United States is President Trump's words in Charlottesville or after Charlottesville, I should say, were misunderstood. It is something called the Charlottesville hoax when he said there were many fine people there, that he specifically excluded white supremacists and neo-Nazis. So I think he wanted to take that on directly. But also, I think he realizes, that Biden's campaign for the presidency is going to be about Trump from day one. That is Joe Biden's justification for getting a nomination. He is the one that could beat Donald Trump. I think Trump looks and says that Biden is his most serious competitor among those in the field, that one that will give him the most problems with working class voters in Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania and Ohio. So I think he wants to directly respond to that very quickly.
[Allen:] With his comments on Charlottesville, Joe Biden is getting under the president's skin, isn't he?
[Sracic:] I think he's provoking a reaction but it's not hard to get under Donald Trump's skin as we know. So I think whatever he's hit, this is how Donald Trump acts. He fights back. Right away. He hits back on Twitter or comments to the press. This is not surprising. We used to think that the best way to deal with these criticisms for a politician is to ignore them. And hopefully they will be talking about something else. But President Trump never does that. The minute he gets hit, he hits back. So I think you're going to expect see this over the next year and a half as we ramp up to the election in November 2020.
[Allen:] Meantime, candidate Biden has issues of his own. He addressed two on the program, "The View," on Friday. Getting too touchy-feely with women. He talked about that and the other, the Anita Hill hearings from the '90s for the confirmation of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Biden back then didn't call others to testify who could have reportedly corroborated her story about Thomas and sexual inappropriateness. He called chair recently, in his league. She said too little too late. But here he is talking about this issue today on "The View," let's listen.
[Biden:] I am sorry she was treated the way she was treated. I wish we could have figured out a better way to get this thing done. I did everything in my power to do what I thought was within the rules to be able to stop things. But there were a lot of mistakes made across the board. And, for those, I apologize.
[Allen:] So is this a topic that will continue to possibly hurt Biden on the campaign trail?
[Sracic:] I think so and maybe In the primaries. The problem Biden has is he's been involved in American politics for such a long time. And we've seen this big movement, whether on same sex marriage or on the #MeToo movement. The politics in the world has changed. While Biden has been in the public. He's going to be caught flat-footed on many issues and this in particular, I think, is going to bother women, particularly with the whole controversy over Brett Kavanaugh and that nomination and allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault and things like that. So this is something that Biden is going to have to figure out how to answer. And frankly, I don't think he did a great job on "The View," because his continual answer is he was sorry for the way she was treated by the committee. So he's not taking that full responsibility for this. He's leaving an opening for people for criticism because of that.
[Allen:] We will wait and see what the others in the field do when we get to the debate season, if they come after Biden on this. We really appreciate your insights, thank you so much, Paul Sracic.
[Sracic:] Thank you.
[Allen:] A powerful storm leaves parts of Mozambique in ruins but the damage could continue as the remnants of cyclone Kenneth still pack a punch. The second big storm in the past few weeks. Plus measles in the United States was eliminated almost 20 years ago. But now, the preventable disease is back and it is spreading.

[Sciutto:] Welcome back. We are waiting to hear from the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which, in just 20 days' time, will have a chance to question the special counsel, Robert Mueller. Our Manu Raju is on The Hill as we await Nadler to speak to reporters. Manu, what are we expecting him to address here? I imagine the scope of the questions he and the committee members will have for Bob Mueller.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, I think we'll hear more about what he expects out of this hearing. We tried to ask him this morning about the hearing. He decided to wait to make this public statement before his hearing that's about to begin at 10:00 a.m. this morning. Expect there to be a lot of discussion about the impact that this hearing may actually have. Already talking to Democrats this morning, some are saying that this could change the dynamics, for instance, on an impeachment inquiry. These two members who I spoke with who support an impeachment inquiry, Veronica Escobar and Jan Schakowsky, both told me they believe this could change the dynamic, shift public opinion towards their support for an impeachment inquiry. But Adam Schiff, the Intelligence Committee chairman, who will also question Bob Mueller, tamped that down. He told me just moments ago, Jim, that there should be realistic expectations about exactly what to expect. So we'll hear for the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, what he expects, what he wants Mueller to ultimately answer. Jim.
[Harlow:] OK. So, Manu, that's what we're expecting. Obviously your trying to figure out what he will actually be willing to say, if anything, going beyond the report, right, because he said he's going to stick to those 448 pages.
[Raju:] Yes, that's right. And Schiff told me last night when I asked him about whether or not you expects Mueller to stick to the four corners of the report, as Mueller said, he said he's going to ask questions outside of those four corners. So what Mueller will say, of course, is a completely different question we just can't answer at this point, guys.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] He's a public servant. They get called before HouseSenate committees all the time.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] He'll have to face those questions. Manu Raju, thanks very much.
[Harlow:] All right, happening now, member of the Trump administration this morning are in Bahrain. They're rolling out the first part of this Middle East peace proposal, spearheaded by the president's son- in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner. And the goal is to raise some $50 billion in investments for the Palestinian economy. Notably, though, not there in Bahrain this morning are Palestinian leaders, many of whom have rejected the plan. So let's talk about the man really at the center of this alongside Jared Kushner, and that is Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the White House Counsel of Economic Advisers. Kevin, in your final CNN interview, we thank you for being on this show and talking us through all of it.
[Kevin Hassett, Outgoing Chairman, White House Council Of Economic Advisers:] Oh, thanks.
[Harlow:] What you're what you're doing in Bahrain today is a $50 billion proposal. And you've made the argument, Kevin, in the presentation you just made, that looking at the data, per capita GDP in the West Bank and Gaza should be $8,700 higher. What's the plan?
[Hassett:] Right. So basically if you look at it, there are two relationships that we've studied. We've studied the relationship between education and literacy and GDP per capita, and also the relationship between capital, you know, how much infrastructure you have in a country and GDP per capita. And if you look at Gaza and the West Bank, then what you see is that given their very high level of talent and literacy, their GDP should be about three times as big as it is. And we understand that there are a lot of political problems that need to be resolved by non-economists. But what the president and Jared asked me to do is to just, you know, dream about a future in Palestine that was prosperous, to look at the economy, go down to the nitty-gritty detail and come up with a plan with lots of proposals, which could get them back to sort of where they should be given the talent level of the people.
[Harlow:] So
[Hassett:] And so today what we've been doing at the conference is laying out a plan that basically portrays a vision of a very positive, prosperous Palestine. And I think that that's a positive contribution regardless of the politics of it.
[Harlow:] So, Kevin, but the politics of it are really, really at the crux, right? I hear you on the economic argument and all of the people in need of a better economy there, but you don't have Palestinians at the table. They haven't come to the conference. The Palestinian Authority prime minister told my colleague Christiane Amanpour that this issue for Palestinians is 100 percent political before it is economic. That this is a, quote, intellectual exercise that you guys are engaging in. How can you make economic progress without any political solution?
[Hassett:] Right. So again, as you know, Poppy, I'm not a politician and I respect, you know, those comments. But the thing is that if I were, you know, the mayor of a town someplace in Gaza or the West Bank, then what I would do is I would go through our plan and look through the hundreds of projects that we talked about, like, for example, taking their power plant and moving it from using diesel fuel to using natural gas. And then I would take those ideas and I would start to act on them. And the Palestinian people, they want to be prosperous. They want to have an economy that's worthy of their talents. And we've laid out a plan to do that. And so the politics is another thing. It's not my lane really. But I think that it would be incorrect and wrong for Palestinian leaders not to look at the plan and then steal the best ideas, you know, at the very least.
[Harlow:] So, Kevin, you know the president on his way today to Japan for the G-20, right? He's going to meet with Xi Jinping.
[Hassett:] Right.
[Harlow:] Everyone wants to know, are they going to finally make progress again towards a trade deal? The president, just moments ago, said this, quote, plan b with China is taking in billions and billions of dollars with tariffs. Actually it's, you know, you know it's the taxpayer that pays those. But he also said, and doing less and less business with them. His plan b on China, if there's no trade deal, is doing less and less business with them. Is that a good idea when even, you know, big CEOs like Fred Smith, the CEO of FedEx, who's a Republican, said last night on the earnings call that America is becoming a protectionist country?
[Hassett:] Right, well I think that the, you know, first best for everybody is that we get a great deal out of the G-20 meeting. And that's certainly what we're hoping for. And, you know, I think that we were very close to a deal before that was a big positive for China and a big positive for U.S. workers in U.S. firms. And that's that's the president's choice. You know, that's what he wants. But if China continues to engage in some of the practices we're trying to, you know, convince them to change, then then, you know, I think the president's right, that the president's going to stick to his guns and there will be tariffs on Chinese products into the U.S. But, again, don't forget, the like the U.S. sells about as much stuff to China as they sell to us. It's just that, you know, if you're going to sell stuff in China, they kind of make make it in China. And so, you know, they sell stuff to us that they made in China too. And so we have this big trade deficit in part because they have this asymmetric trade policy. And so the president wants to fix that. And if doesn't get fixed, then he's right about what he's going to do. And that's what he's going to do.
[Harlow:] Well, those are tariffs that
[Hassett:] I know him well. That's correct.
[Harlow:] I hear you, those are tariffs that the American you know, Americans pay and then you do less and less business with China and that just blows up a lot of the business models of American companies. But I've got to get to you on a few other things before we go.
[Hassett:] OK. Sure.
[Harlow:] The Federal Reserve. We just heard the president say moments ago in this in this interview that Jerome Powell never should have raised rates and that, quote, he's trying to prove how tough he is. Do you think that the chairman of the independent Federal Reserve is just trying to prove how tough he is?
[Hassett:] Look, as you know, forever and ever I respect the independence of the Fed. And the president, you know, appointed a very strong, independent Fed, and he also expresses his opinions. You know, I think that most market participants look back at the move last year in December and they think that it wasn't the best move, but that's not my job as CEA chair to criticize it. But, you know what
[Harlow:] OK.
[Hassett:] Invite invite me back in a week or two when I'm on the outside and I'll speak more frankly about Jay Powell.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Hassett:] But I really like him a lot. I had lunch with him about once a month over my two years at
[Cea. Harlow:] And then let me ask you this let me let me ask you this finally because immigration is such an important issue right now, Kevin, as you know, and the crisis at the southern border. You have written extensively about this while you were at AEI and you've said that the U.S. economy would benefit from admitting more immigrants, given declining fertility in the U.S., U.S. labor shortages, et cetera. As you leave the White House, Kevin, and go on to the next phase, do you believe that the president could help the economy by letting more immigrants into the United States?
[Hassett:] Right. And that's why Jared and I and Stephen Miller worked so hard on the immigration reform plan that we rollout out few weeks ago. And, you know, Jared jokes that if Kevin and Stephen Miller can agree on illegal immigration reform, you know we do.
[Harlow:] But you do. That's a that's a yes?
[Hassett:] Yes, we could absolutely improve the economy with immigration reform. And that's why we rolled out we rolled out a plan to do that, you know, I guess a few weeks ago now.
[Harlow:] OK.
[Hassett:] And so absolutely 100 percent immigration needs to improve in the U.S. So we need a point space system like Canada or Australia.
[Harlow:] That well, but it's actually the policy no, I hear what you're saying, Kevin, it's just the policies of this administration have been to limit even legal immigration to this country. The antithesis of what you have made the economic argument for, for so long, are you are is the White House misguided on the immigration policy that you think could most benefit the American economy?
[Hassett:] If we move to a points based system where we're getting the workers that American firms need into the country, then, you know, I think that you could ask the president yourself, but I think that everybody would support expanded legal immigration in that circumstance.
[Harlow:] OK. Support expanded legal immigration. We'd love to ask the president. He's welcome to call in now, just as he did to Fox News. Talk to him about that and a lot more.
[Hassett:] Yes.
[Harlow:] Kevin Hassett, we're getting the wrap from your folks there.
[Hassett:] He's a big supporter of the plan. We yes.
[Harlow:] You have to go, I know.
[Hassett:] OK.
[Harlow:] I guess, just very quickly, what tropical island are you going to relax on, and are you writing a book at your time in the White House?
[Hassett:] Well, yes oh, cut it out. You know, that I can say as a last thought, Poppy, that I've really enjoyed our time together. That I know that there's not always the best relationship between the White House and folks in corners of the media, but you guys have always been fair with me. You've asked hard questions. I've probably made more news on your show than I wanted to. But, you know, thanks a lot for making the time available to me for the last few years.
[Harlow:] Oh, well, look, that's our job. Jim and I so appreciate you coming on. And anyone from the White House is welcome to join us every day on this program. Kevin Hassett, good luck. Enjoy some time with the family.
[Hassett:] OK.
[Harlow:] Thanks very much.
[Hassett:] Thanks. Thanks, Poppy.
[Harlow:] You got it.
[Hassett:] Yes, we'll do.
[Harlow:] All right, we'll be right back.

[Rene Marsh, Cnn Aviation & Government Regulation Correspondent:] So now that we know this, the big question is, why didn't they put those safeguards on the 737 MAX. they're going to have to answer to that to regulators as well Poppy?
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Absolutely. Rene, it's important reporting. I know you have been all over the story. Thank you very much. Thank you all for being with me today. Jim will be back with me tomorrow morning. We'll see you then. "AT THIS HOUR" starts now.
[Erica Hill, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I am Erica Hill, in for Kate Bolduan. Thanks for joining me today. President Trump lashing out as Democrats begin their push for a fast and focused investigation into his possible impeachment. The president firing off a barrage of tweets, some aimed at the whistleblower whose detailed complaint launched the impeachment inquiry. The president demanding, quote, "I deserve to meet my accuser." And threatening whoever gave the whistleblower information, tweeting, "Was this person spying on the U.S. president? Big consequences." Meantime, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's message to her party, keep it simple and sober. Saying in a private conference call with caucus, quote, "Our tone must be prayerful, respectful, solemn, worthy of the Constitution." And telling "60 Minutes," "This is not about politics."
[Scott Pelley, Co-host, "60 Minutes":] What is your message to the White House in terms of cooperation?
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] To the White House? Speak the truth. Honor your oath of office to the Constitution of the United States. Speak the truth and let us work together to have this be a unifying experience and not a dividing one for our country. Don't make this any worse than it already is.
[Hill:] House Democrats have several hearings and depositions planned this week. Adam Schiff says the whistleblower has agreed to testify very soon, while attorneys for the whistleblower say they have serious concerns of their client's safety. We are following all angles for you. CNN's Sarah Westwood is at the White House. CNN senior congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, on Capitol Hill. Manu Raju, let's begin with you. What are we looking at coming down the pipe this week?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Expect some subpoenas to come out in a matter of days. Adam Schiff made clear that he may subpoena Rudy Giuliani early this week to get documents related to the efforts by the president's attorney to urge the Ukrainians to investigate on the Bidens. Questionably, will they call Rudy Giuliani to testify? That's still an unsettled matter. Others are expected to come forward and brief the committee, including the inspector general of the Intelligence Committee, Michael Atkinson, who previously was to talk to the House Intelligence Committee. That was before the whistleblower's complaint had come forward. Now Democrats have specific questions they want to ask Atkinson. That's going to be behind closed-doors on Friday. Later this week, also Kurt Volker, who was the president's envoy to Ukraine, as agreed to come behind closed-doors to talk to three House committees about exactly what happened here. He was mentioned as well in the whistleblower complaint in relation to the Rudy Giuliani efforts. At the same time, Republicans are trying to push back and defend the president, including the House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, who said this on "60 Minutes" yesterday.
[Pelley:] What do you make of this exchange. President Zelensky says, "We are ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes." and President Trump replies, "I would like you to us a favor though."
[Rep. Kevin Mccarthy:] You just added another word.
[Pelley:] No, it's in the transcript.
[Mccarthy:] You said, "I'd like you to do us a favor though?"
[Pelley:] Yes, it's in it's in the transcript.
[Mccarthy:] When I read the transcript
[Raju:] Kevin McCarthy last week told me that he said that the Ukrainian president is the first person who brought up the Bidens in that phone call, but the transcript reveals that the president was the first person who brought up investigating the Bidens in that phone call. That's according to the White House rough transcript that came out last week. Nevertheless, Republicans are trying to push back and defend the president and calling it, in their view, hearsay from the whistleblower. The question though is, will the whistleblower come to Capitol Hill. Will that person come and testify? Adam Schiff believes it is going to happen. The attorneys for the whistleblower have yet to confirm that ultimately is going to happen. Nevertheless, Erica, expect this investigation to move in a rapid Democrats hope to wrap this all up potentially by Thanksgiving Erica?
[Hill:] Wow. That would be quick, indeed. Sarah, we mentioned we heard from Manu that the president threatening the whistleblower but he also suggested the country could actually be headed to civil war. What was that about?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] That's right, Erica. President Trump throwing out a variety of defenses on Twitter over the past couple of days as he pushes back this rapidly escalating impeachment inquiry. This morning continuing to attack the whistleblower, like many of his allies. He tweeted this morning, "#fakewhistleblower." Also threatening that there could be a civil war is Democrats remove him from office. Quoting a supporter, he wrote, "If the Democrats are successful in removing the president from office, which they will never be, it will cause a civil war-like fracture from which our country will never heal." He's quoting there Pastor Robert Jeffries from FOX News. That attack among others on Twitter over the past couple of days raising eyebrows. The president has been casting about for some kind of strategy. CNN is reporting the White House does not have that much of a strategy right now to defend President Trump against this impeachment inquiry. They have tried a number of different attacks, from going after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff to attacking the whistleblower to claiming that Ukrainian transcript was exculpatory. But they did not some overarching strategy to push back. CNN was told, in fact, President Trump was surprised by how quickly the Ukrainian controversy exploded into public view over the past week or so. There's no plans that have been unveiled to bring more lawyers or aids to handle messaging around the impeachment inquiry. This, as Democrats have appeared more and more unified as they pursue this impeachment inquiry and these documents and testimony related to the Ukrainian controversy. They are more coordinated than ever. The president, though, still not demonstrating any clear strategy heading into a key week on Capitol Hill Erica?
[Hill:] Sarah Westwood and Manu Raju, thank you both. Joining me now, former FBI special agent, Asha Rangappa, a CNN legal and national security analyst, and Nia-Malika Henderson, CNN senior political reporter. As we look at these developments of the last couple of days, Asha, when we see the president tweeting he wants to meet his accuser and calling this person fake, is that witness tampering?
[Asha Rangappa, Cnn Legal & National Security Analyst:] I think at this point it could be considered witness tampering. It is a violation of the Whistleblower Act. Remember, the Intelligence Committee Whistleblower Act is intended to provide a protected channel for whistleblowers to report misconduct, and specifically retaliation is prohibited. What we have is the president suggesting that he wants to retaliate. I will say that to the extent that he wants to confront his accuser, with the whistleblower meeting with the House Intelligence Committee potentially, he'll be able to give them the names of the actual people in the White House who gave them the report they found troubling. If impeachment goes through and a trial in the Senate, he would have all of those due process rights to confront his accusers.
[Hill:] As we look at this, we know, Nia, one of the Republican talking point is that this whistleblower did not have this information firsthand. It came from some of these other six White House officials as we learn. They're going back to the witch hunt, calling it political witch hunt. Again, this is based on hearsay. Then we have the Democratic talking points coming from Speaker Pelosi, saying keep it serious, keep it somber, keeping it apolitical. Which of those messages, Nia, is really breaking through?
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] The other message from Nancy Pelosi is to keep it simple, right? Stick to the transcript. Something or sort of a summation of this conversation. As you hear from Republicans we'll have them on air and they'll be on other channels they don't want to stick to the transcript at all. They want to go in every way and talk about the whistleblower and talk about the fact that this was a firsthand information. Listen, it was not firsthand information, but my goodness, you look at the whistleblower's complaint and the actual summation and memorandum of that call, the transcript, it essentially confirms what he heard from folks inside that White House, or in or around the White House. Those were his sources. Listen, I think it is troubling to Republicans that the White House itself does not seem to have much of a strategy other than throwing a bunch of stuff on Twitter as the president has been doing over these last days, and also troubling to the Republicans that polls seemed to be shifting in terms of how the public is seeing this. They are using the same Mueller strategy. But, listen, it is new information at this point. And it is very, very easy to understand. You can sum up what the president did and what he says he did on that call and in public in 30 seconds, right? He essentially called the Ukrainian leader and asked him to meddle in the 2020 election. Is that OK? That's a question that Republicans do not want to answer because it is an inconvenient set of the facts.
[Hill:] Obviously, condensed to read the rough transcript that the White House put out and the complaint. A lot less paper required than the Mueller report. For the first time, we are also seeing someone who worked for the Trump administration admitting that what the whistleblower is alleging is not OK. I want to play a little bit of that. This is the president's first Homeland Security advisor, now former, Tom Bossert. Listen.
[Tom Bossert, Former Homeland Security Advisor To President Trump:] Yes, I am deeply disturbed by it as well. This entire mess has me frustrated, George. It is a bad day and a bad week for this president and this country if he's asking for political dirt on an opponent.
[Hill:] Nia, is it your sense that he's an outlier or beginning of something?
[Henderson:] We've heard from a few other Republicans here and there. Romney last week essentially using the same language that he was sort of deeply concerned and found this call deeply troubling. But mostly you hear from Republicans either going down and wanting to talk about everything but the call, calling on the whistleblower saying it is a witch hunt or just silent. Listen, the silence itself isn't great either for this president. If you're the president who wants to create an echo chamber, you don't see a lot of people defending him. You don't see a lot of people saying, this is a president would never do anything like that. This is a president who is moral, who sticks to the Constitution, and would never ask a foreign government to interfere in an election. Because they can't do that. Again, it is inconvenient of these facts. They've got to figure out what they're going to do here. The Democrats clearly first time very organized on this and unified and they're moving fast on this thing. And you have a sense from the White House of the chaos that's we've seen emanating from this White House for years is catching up with them in crucial period.
[Hill:] Asha, a quick last thought?
[Rangappa:] I think you mentioned the same tactics being used as they did in the Mueller investigation. What we are seeing is one of the ways in which a criminal investigation actually advantage the president. Because it kept things in the black hole, where now everything is sort of just you know, the pandora box is opened and everybody sees it and people can comment in it and people who are involved in this, I.G., the people in the White House who, by the way, are all of Trump's own people. I think that gives lie to suggestions that this is just a partisan witch hunt.
[Hill:] Boy, things are moving quickly. Asha Rangappa and Nia-Malika Henderson, appreciate it. Thank you both. Coming up, Rudy Giuliani contradicting himself on whether he would testify about his role in all of this as questions grow over his interactions with the State Department. Those details ahead. Plus, House Democrats, as we have been talking about, moving at full speed on impeachment. Is the country behind them though? Stay with us.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] A new report says the U.S. president approved and then called off an attack on Iran. We're live on Tehran for reaction.
[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] For the third time in less than a week, thousands of people take to the streets in Hong Kong protesting the controversial extradition bill with China.
[Allen:] Also, this hour, a handshake that took 14 years to happen in North Korea. President Xi Jinping of China heads home after his historic visit to Pyongyang.
[Howell:] Welcome to our viewers around the world. We're live in Atlanta. I'm George Howell.
[Allen:] I'm Natalie Allen from CNN world headquarters. Newsroom starts right now. And we begin with a startling report from the New York Times that U.S. President Trump approved military strike against Iran but abruptly pulled back Thursday night. They were meant as retaliation after Iran shot down an American drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
[Howell:] That right. That report says the operation was underway in its early stages when it was called off. This according to a senior administration official who spoke with the Times. "Planes were in the air and ships were in position but no missiles had been fired when the word came down came to stand down," the official said.
[Allen:] The Times reports it is not clear whether President Trump change his mind or the strikes were called off for logistical reasons. It is also unclear if the operation might still go forward.
[Howell:] In the meantime, the military its released coordinates which it says proved the surveillance aircraft was over international waters at that time. But Iran says that the drone violated its airspace. Let's go live to the region, CNN covering every angle of the story with our correspondents around the world. Fred Pleitgen live in Tehran and Sam Kiley in the United Arab Emirates. Let's start in Tehran with you, Fred in Iran in Iran. So, to get a sense, Fred, is there any reaction given what we're hearing from the New York Times about the U.S. president of course, giving the go ahead for the strike but then it being pulled back?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn International Correspondent:] Hi, George. At least so far at least officially there hasn't been any reaction to that New York Times report. Obviously, it only came out a couple of hours ago. Plus, today it's Friday when most officials have their day off. So, news is going to be a little bit slower and reactions are going to be a little bit slower as well. But you could feel yesterday already, George, that the Iranians were ramping up their public efforts and their diplomatic efforts as well to really tell their side of what they believe happened there in the Persian Gulf as that drone was being shot down. It was interesting to see that the Iranians shortly after the U.S. released its sort of grainy black and white video showing that drone falling or allegedly showing that drone falling from the sky with the smoke trail behind it themselves release video which showed the missiles allegedly being fired at that drone and then hitting it shortly after they had been fired. And you know one of the things President Trump indicated last night when he was at his when he has the press in the Oval Office. He was saying, look, it might have been some sort of mistake that this drone was shot down, some rogue commander might have done it. The Iranians are saying that's not the case, they say they shot the shot drone down deliberately because they continued to say that it was over their airspace. It's something that Javad Zarif, the foreign minister even tweeted. Yet a pretty detailed tweet where he outlined what he said was essentially the entire flight of that drone. He said it took off shortly after midnight, he said it was flying in stealth mode which is something that other Iranian officials have said as well. Which seems to indicate they say that it had turned off its transponders so was not to be easily identified, he said that it violated Iranian airspace after several hours of flight. It was shot down at 4.05 a.m. Now the Iranian foreign minister like the U.S. gave coordinates about where this drone was shot down and that's really where the big difference comes between the U.S. and Iran. The Iranians are saying that the coordinates are about we looked it up, it's about nine miles from the shores of Iran which obviously would have put it in Iranian territorial waters and the territorial airspace. Of course, we know that the U.S. coordinates put it outside of that, I think about 20 miles off the coast. But that was really Iranian side of the story. So, they're not saying that this was some errant commander or some commander acting in a rogue way. They are saying this was deliberately done because the drone violated their airspace. Of course, we've heard already yesterday a lot of the pretty strong reaction is coming, for instance, from the Revolutionary Guard. Which is the unit that shot that drone down saying that this is the way that Iran deals with its enemies, saying that airspace is a red line. And then last night, George, you had the Iranians officially writing a letter to the United Nations condemning this incident and complaining about this incident, also saying by the way that they had allegedly tried to contact this drone several times and warn it off its territorial airspace, George.
[Howell:] The U.S. president opening the door saying it could have been a mistake. Iran insisting no, we did it, we did for a reason. Fred Pleitgen with the reporting. Fred, thank you.
[Allen:] Well, let's cross over to the United Arab Emirates now and CNN senior international correspondent Sam Kiley who is near the area where that drone did come down. Sam, are you hearing any reaction to this strike news that almost happened by the United States?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, the only reaction we've had since this incident or rather particularly since the New York Times reporting on this has been from the Saudis reiterating their support for action, any action taken by the United States. Really, the Saudis are in lockstep with the hard-liners really within the Trump administration, not yet siding entirely with John Bolton who wants regime change but very much in the camp that believes that very tough line indeed should be taken with Iran. But that's very different to the response or the attitude struck here in the Emirates which has been consistently ever since those four ships were attacked in the Emirati waters allegedly by Iran according to the United States and the United Kingdom, and indeed since the attack on two other ships in the Gulf of Oman behind me last week. The Emiratis have interestingly insisted that whist they believe a state actor was behind it resisted the temptation to point the finger at Iran because of the dangers of escalation. And in that context, the New York Times reporting that the mission of retaliation against Iran over the downing of a drone, an unmanned drone will be created in the Emirate with considerable relief since an escalation would have direct impact here not only on the potentially on the lives of individuals but of course on the economy of an oil exporting nation having to use into some degree the Strait of Hormuz to export the oil. So, there is a palpable sense of relief here in the Emirates but still a degree of pressure coming from the wider U.S. allies to continue to maintain pressure against Iran. I should also stress that on the street in the Middle East the downing of a drone is one thing. But retaliation that could've killed people inside Iran would have been seen as a very significant possibly even entirely unjustified retaliation for the shooting down of effectively as a flying robot, Natalie.
[Allen:] Absolutely. Very, very tense times here in the region. Thank you, Sam Kiley and to our Fred Pleitgen there inside Iran for us.
[Howell:] And again, we do want to emphasize it's not clear, you know, if these military strikes against Iran might still go forward, it's also unclear why President Trump called the mission off, whether he changed his mind or if it was for logistical reasons.
[Allen:] CNN's military analyst retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton provide some insight.
[Cedric Leighton, Cnn Military Analyst:] The reason I think that the president may have done this was basically he wanted to do this as a show of force. So that's on the positive side of things, you know, he wanted to show the Iranians what we could do without actually doing it, so that's one possibility. The other possibility is that he could have in essence gotten cold feet and decided that he didn't want to go that far because he became concerned after thinking about it, what Iran might do in response to this action. So, you know, the risk of ever-increasing escalation is extremely high in a situation like this and it's certainly a possibility that he may have decided that this was not worth doing it at this particular point in time. If I were in the Iranian shoes I would see it as a show of force, because it may even if it is a set of cold feet it could still be something that tells me that the Americans are coming in or doing these things that they have the capability of doing certain things. Their targets may have been command and control notes, radar sites and things like that. And so, I would certainly be very cautious at this point about we're sending Tehran. Now Iran is, you know, definitely has its vulnerabilities, has its weakness. But the Iranians are also very experienced fighters and they've been doing this for quite some time. They fought in Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war. They fought all kinds of paramilitary actions through their proxies as well as through the Revolutionary Guards. So, they're a very experienced fighters and they've also had a lot of time to develop tactics and techniques that they would not have otherwise developed had they had more, peaceful or amicable relations with the United States. So, the Iranians are not only a difficult foe but a very dangerous foe and that is something that people in the White House and throughout the corridors of power here in Washington will really have to take a look at. It's an opportunity for a reset if both Iran and the United States choose it to be that. It could, you know, in effect be a pause but the element of surprise is gone for the United States that we said at the moment. And that's a you know, it presents its own problems as well. So, when you look at exactly what the state of play is here it's definitely fluid. It could go in many different directions, but it's definitely very dangerous situation right now in the Persian Gulf and it's something that I think we're going to have to watch very carefully, you know, probably not just a few days but for the next few weeks.
[Howell:] All right. And also, this from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. That agency put out restrictions on U.S. airlines flying over the Gulf region.
[Allen:] They put out a notice saying this. "All flight operations in the over water area of the Tehran flight information region above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman only are prohibited until further notice due to heightened military activities and increase political tensions in the region which present an inadvertent risk to U.S. aviation operation and potential for miscalculation or misidentification." So, stay with CNN, we'll continue to follow this breaking story.
[Howell:] And of course, we will update you as we learn anything new. Right now, thousands of protestors are in Hong Kong, they are out in the streets.
[Allen:] Once again, they don't seem to be going anywhere and they want the government to completely scrap a bill that would make anyone in Hong Kong subject to extradition to mainland China. Police have strongly condemned the protestors for blocking the main highway near government headquarters.
[Howell:] And in the middle of it all our Anna Coren live in Hong Kong this hour. Anna, just about an hour ago, there is a lot of activity happening around you, what's happening at this point?
[Anna Coren, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, George, I've just going to show you from our vantage point these protestors are covering the CCTV cameras here and just applauded the guy who's covered them with plastic. They were taping ones further up. Look, the police I must say are being very, very patient. We are yet to see them come out in force. We saw the police officers beforehand with helmets, with batons and shields within the police headquarters. And I should add, this is police H.Q. here in Hong Kong and it is currently surrounded every entrance exit is currently blocked by protestors. And as you can see, they are continuing to cover each of those CCTV cameras. How long please tolerate this? This is anyone's guess. But I am sure that it is only a matter of time before there is some sort of reaction. As you can see there, they are putting the umbrella up there to stop it from viewing all these protestors. Look, these people have turned out in the thousands. And I just want to take you now down to the main protest. They've turned out in the thousands and it is one of those things that it started off with just a few hundred people, thousands have now gathered. They've walked from LegCo, the legislative council to where we are at the police headquarters and they have gathered here at the front. And it is a scene which is currently peaceful, but protestors are certainly prepared for the worst. They have come with their gas masks, they have their helmets, they've got cling wrap in case there is tear gas. So, this is a situation that could get ugly very, very quickly, and certainly if police decide to retaliate and they will need to clear out these public areas, I mean, that road that I showed you just beforehand, [Inaudible] Road. that is a major artillery road here in Hong Kong and that has been blocked. Steel barricades, plastic barricades were put onto the road by the protestors earlier this morning and they have stayed in place. Police are being very patient, obviously they have condemned these actions. They say they are highly irresponsible; they could cause serious problems if emergency services require. They've asked for the protestors to remain peaceful. But we have to remember, these are very busy areas. This is an international city. This is a major financial hub that needs to function. The protestors they are saying, they are not going anywhere, they are not going anywhere until their demands are met. Those demands being the complete withdrawal of that very controversial extradition bill that would allow for extradition to mainland China. The resignation of the city's chief executive Carrie Lam as well as those people who have been arrested to be released. They also want the police officer who were involved in last week's ugly clashes with police who used excessive force, they want those people charged. And they also want the government and police to revoke the claim that it was a riot. So, these protestors are saying they are not going anywhere until their demands are met. But George and Natalie, we should stress that the 1st of July, that is a major date in the calendar, not just for Hong Kong but obviously for these protestors. The two million people that we saw last Sunday they could very well turn out again on the 1st of July. That is of course the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China, it's one of [Inaudible] special administrative region and Hong Kong has enjoyed the freedoms under these arrangement for the last 22 years. Where the people here they say that they are fighting for their freedom, they want to continue enjoying these freedoms, they say they are fighting for their future.
[Howell:] Anna Coren, live. Anna, thank you.
[Allen:] We will of course stay in close contact with Anna in that situation. We turn now though to Georgia where the capital city of Tbilisi is on edge after a night of violent protests there.
[Howell:] Riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the crowd and several people were injured there. Our John Vause has this.
[John Vause, Cnn Correspondent:] Thousands gathered outside the Georgian parliament Thursday, protesting a controversial visit from a Russian lawmaker to the Georgia's capital of Tbilisi. The protest quickly turned chaotic, Georgians furious their parliament invited Sergey Gavrilov, a member of Russian communist party to their country. Some carrying signs saying, "stop Russia."
[Unidentified Male:] I think this is the expression of the peaceful expression of the protest to show to them that we will not tolerate Russia [Inaudible] to Georgia and we will not tolerate the rationalization of Georgia, which is happening unfortunately under this government for the last seven years.
[Vause:] Gavrilov told Russian state news he believed he was met with protest because of his alleged participation in the separatist conflict in Abkhazia in the early 1990s. Gavrilov denies ever being involved in any armed conflicts. Tensions flared between Russia and Georgia in August of 2008, when a Russian-backed separatist movement in the province of South Ossetia when Georgian troops tried to regain control over the self-proclaimed autonomous region. Russia responded by moving tanks and soldiers through South Ossetia further into Georgian territory. Opposition representatives even protested Gavrilov's appearance infuriated when he sat in the speaker's chair at the Georgian assembly session. Protestors were met with tear gas from police. Some seen holding bloody faces while officers fired rubber bullets towards the crowd. Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement calling on protestors to immediately stop the violations of law of violence. "Do not follow provocations, obey police request and leave the territory of the parliament. Otherwise, police will take measures provided by law." One protestor say, the government should be held responsible.
[Elene Khoshtaria, Member, European Georgia Party:] It's a big shame, and a big insult for Georgian society that the Georgian government has made it possible to see the Russian occupant, an enemy of this country in the chair of the chairman of parliament. This is not acceptable for Georgian public. You see so many people protesting this. And this is unfortunate, the result and responsibility of the government. The government has to pay the price for that.
[Cnn. Howell:] Rekindling an old friendship. China's Xi Jinping was in North Korea for an historic summit with Kim Jong-un. A summit that's taking place there. How these two leaders hope to benefit from stronger ties.
[Allen:] That's coming up here. Plus, meet the last man standing in the race for prime minister of the United Kingdom. When we come back, we explain what still ahead for these two.
[Howell:] And Ebola kills nearly 70 percent of the people who catch it and the terror of the virus spreads much faster, much further. Later, how the Democratic Republic of Congo is dealing with a fierce outbreak there.

[Pedram Javaheri, Cnn Meteorologist:] Pretty good bet it's going to happen again. Yes. And next year as well. We will break down all of this John because heat advisories have already been issued across a wide spread area of Europe in particular portions of Belgium. A high alert there for extensive heat in place at least the next couple of days. And we're not talking about five six degrees above average. We're talking about running 15 to nearly 20 degrees above average in some of these areas. So among the warmest ever observed. And climatologically, this time of year, third week of July into he beginning of August, that is what you expect for the northern hemisphere across the summer season to see the peak summer temperatures take shape that's falling in line with when you expect it. But the severity of it, the extensive nature of it is what's unprecedented. And of course, you notice a very large area of real estate there across the western, central, and southwestern Europe where the heat wave is going to be building over the next couple of days. In fact Brussels climbs up to 37, eventually just shy of 40 degrees. Notice 22 is what we expect for an average day this time of year. And it cools off dramatically come later into this weekend but still staying above that threshold going in towards the beginning of next week and that's across Brussels. But morning temperatures, the sun begins to rise in London, temps sitting at 20 degrees, that is closer to what you expect for the afternoon high this time of year around sunrise in Glasgow and we're seeing kind of low temperatures coming in at 21 degrees which is one degree warmer than what you're afternoon high should be this time of year. And if that's not all impressive, look at this London by Thursday expects to climb to 38 degrees. That would be warmer than the forecast high out of Cairo sitting at 37 degrees. So this ridge system plays and extends further going into this weekend, pushes the heat on into portions of Scandinavia for Saturday and Sunday. And then western Europe gets a brief break there going into this upcoming weekend. But Paris forecast highs somewhere around 42 to 43 degrees, the warmest ever observed in the city is 40.4 from 1947. And the United Kingdom, a 38 degree observation would come in very close to the all time high for the nation there 38.5 in that deadly heat wave of 2003 only edges that slightly and of course, this is a forecast that could be exceeded there depending on how things play out come Thursday afternoon. So really an incredible heat wave there in place John.
[Vause:] How excited are you about the Olympics next year? The summer games.
[Javaheri:] It's going to be a challenging one, yes.
[Vause:] Well, it's going to be hot I guess. But it's now as I said it's now exactly one year until the games play out in Tokyo. Good news the construction on the stadium which will be home to the track and field events is on schedule as you would expect. The host city is celebrating the milestone with a number of events to try and boost the enthusiasm and the interest ahead of the Olympics. Joining us now from Tokyo is reporter Kaori Enjoji. So this is everything that you expect from Tokyo. Little tiny, itty- bitty robots and stuff right.
[Kaori Enjoji, Cnn Commentator:] There's going to be a lot of that John. And I think there's a little bit of the Olympic carnival going on here in downtown Tokyo to give the public a little bit of flare as to what they can expect in exactly a year from now. This is going to be a logistical challenge for Japan as well. So all throughout the day this week and today, there are a bunch of dress rehearsals going on around the city. They're stopping the traffic on the highways. The people are being asked to stay at home and not work between 8:00 and 10:00 to try and ease up the congestion because Tokyo is already a pretty dense urban city. Japan knows that it's going to be in the spotlight and it's a lot of pressure too because they want to stage what they did they want to repeat what they did in 1964 when they wowed the world with the Tokyo Olympics back then. This was the big comeback story for Japan after World War II. So they want to make sure that this is a repeat and plus on that experience. The public is getting fired up. They have 100,000 volunteers already signed up for these events. They're also expecting a lot of people coming through, IOC president Thomas Bach was here in Tokyo to kick things off. There will be a count down later on tonight to mark the 365 days until the Olympics. And you're just seeing a lot of new technology here, virtual reality I think is going to feature well. You're going to see a lot of robots because this is being Japan
[Vause:] That's kind of cool. Thanks Kaori. And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Stay with us. The news continues with Will Ripley right after the break.

[John Vause, Cnn International Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Studio Seven at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, trading on emotion, fear. Wall Street plummets, with shares in banks and travel companies take a beating amid renewed concerns over the financial impact of a coronavirus outbreak which continues to spread. The ceasefire. Russia and Turkey agree to put on hold the fighting in the last rebel-held province in Syria, but for how long? And Elizabeth Warren bows out of the race for the White House. And once again, Americans will have a choice of an old straight white man in his seventies for president. Around the world, the coronavirus continues to spread faster than containment measures can be put in place. In less than three months, the virus was reach more than 80 countries and regions. Financial markets are gripped by fear over the economic impact and uncertainty over when the outbreak will come to an end. On Thursday, as test kits were airdropped to a cruise ship in the Pacific, the U.S. vice president, Mike Pence, warned there's not enough of those kits to meet demand in the United States. Almost 98,000 cases are confirmed worldwide. Most are in China. Nearly 3,400 people have died so far. Italy is dealing with the worst outbreak in Europe, and it's committed more than 7 billion euros to cushion the impact to business. In the U.S., Congress has approved more than a billion dollars to tackle the impact of the disease. We begin our coverage with CNN's Vedika Sud in New Delhi, India. And also, Ivan Watson in Seoul, South Korea. And Ivan, we'll head to you first. They are still closing schools there in South Korea. The number of cases continues to go through the roof. We're looking at more than 6,000. Most are in the southeastern part of the country, from what we're told. And it seems there are concerns now about community spread. What are the details there?
[Ivan Watson, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, first and foremost, one of the newest challenges that the government has is just trying to make sure that there are masks for everybody to protect themselves. The finance minister just announced that they would stop the export of masks from South Korea starting today. Previously, about 10 percent of those masks were being exported. And that, come Monday, there will be a new system implemented with computer tracking that would ration two masks per person around the country and that they're going to use a kind of app to try to track that. And they're going to try to use citizens' national I.D. numbers to stagger out the days when people can buy those masks to ensure that there's not a run on the stores that are selling them. So that's an example of how the government is kind of struggling to keep up, though it has been very aggressive with testing for coronavirus. More than 150,000 tests thus far. You mentioned community spreading. The southern city of Daegu has seen more than 70 percent of the infections of the more than 6,200 confirmed coronavirus infections that we have seen thus far. And that has prompted the government also to announce that schools will be closed for an additional two weeks, meaning that the people the students who went away for their winter break, it's going to be close to a month before they may ever go back to school again.
[Vause:] Ivan, thank you. Ivan Watson there in Seoul with the very latest from South Korea, which has the largest number of cases outside of China. Let's go to Vedika, who is in Delhi. What are the preventative measures being taken there by the Indian government? Because by the looks of things, it's seems a very low number of confirmed cases in India, at least at this point.
[Vedika Sud, Cnn Producer:] And India is the second most populated country in the world, John, so fingers crossed that it really doesn't increase the count as far as positive cases of coronavirus are concerned. As of now, 30 cases of have been reported of coronavirus, patients. What we also do know is 16 of these 30 cases are of Italian nationals. Fourteen of them are being treated in the national capital, New Delhi. Two of them are being treated in the northwestern state of Rajasthan. What is extremely interesting at this point and equally worrying is the fact that we've got to know from the state government of Rajasthan that those 16 Italian nationals were in touch with 215 people. They interacted with 215 people while they were in different parts of Rajasthan. As far as preventive measures are concerned, Prime Minister Modi was expected to travel for a meeting with the European Union in Brussels on the 13th of march. He is going to be re-scheduling that. What we also know from the health ministry is that all international passengers will be screened at the airports across India. They're also being asked to provide their travel history, along with a self- declaration form on their medical condition. Schools in the national capital are closed till the end of the month. This, again, is a preventive measure that the Delhi government is taking, keeping in mind that 30 cases have been reported as of now John.
[Vause:] OK. We appreciate the update. Thank you, Vedika Sud there in New Delhi, and also Ivan a lot earlier there in Seoul, South Korea. Thanks to you both. Well, the European Commission has warned of drug shortages after new cases were confirmed in the United Kingdom. And earlier, CNN hosted a global town hall. And Christiane Amanpour has details on what Europe is facing.
[Christiane Amanpour, Cnn Chief International Anchor:] Here they were talking about containment, but now the chief medical officer says they're moving into the so-called second phase, which is control. And then there's research and mitigate, but that's what's happening right now. The British National Health Service is one of the most known in the world. The officials here say that the National Health Service, you know, will be able to cope, but we know there's a massive shortage of nurses. We know, as David has said and as Gary has said, that the testing kits are in short supply, not just here but around the world. And so this is what's happening. There's not been any massive closures of schools here like we've seen in Italy. There's been one death and several dozen confirmed cases of infection. But there is a sense that they might have to go into, you know, methods such as controlling how people work, keep them at home more, and it's called, you know, social mitigation. So also, as you were talking about, how do people deal with each other? Social distancing, for instance. There's a huge amount of talk about should people shake hands? Should they hug, kiss? What we're being told it may sound basic, but you've been talking about it, and it's absolutely the case. The main advice that people here are being given is wash your hands and wash them over and over again. And if you use sanitizer, use something that's at least 60 percent alcohol contained. And that's another issue, because those are rushing off the shelves, and there's a lot of shortages in these in these things. But this is what we're seeing over here.
[Vause:] And you can watch the replay of CNN's global town hall on the coronavirus outbreak, 9 a.m. in London, 1 p.m. in Abu Dhabi, and 8 p.m. in Hong Kong. Just hours before a ceasefire between Turkey and Russia took effect in northwest Syria. Turkish forces killed 24 Syrian troops, destroyed two artillery pieces, and two missile launchers. Retaliation for the deaths of 2 Turkish soldiers in Idlib earlier this week, killed by Russian-backed forces. And an attempt to curb the renewed violence and bloodshed in Syria's last rebel-held stronghold, the presidents of Russia and Turkey agreed to freeze the advance of Russian-backed Syrian forces within the region.
[Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President:] The cease-fire deal will be effective as of midnight. In terms of making it lasting, all necessary actions will be taken fast and efficiently. Our goal is to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian crisis in the region.
[Vladimir Putin, Russian President:] We do not always agree with our Turkish partners in our view on the events in Syria. At this time in a critical moment, relying on the high level of bilateral ties we have reached, we have always managed to find common grounds on the disputed questions and find agreeable solutions.
[Vause:] Despite new hopes for peace in Idlib, hundreds of thousands have been caught in the crossfire of a relentless offensive by the Syrian regime. Many civilians have been forced to flee to an uncertain future, while others who have stayed behind are left living in fear. CNN's Arwa Damon takes us inside a humanitarian crisis.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Correspondent:] The children's smiles belie the depth of their trauma. This school is one of many sheltering the displaced, the blaring music temporarily drowning out the sounds of the explosions on the front line, just a 15-minute drive away. Even at their tender age, they know death can come in an instant. Thelat is trying to have fun, gingerly keeping her weight off her injured foot. "I was eating an apple with my sister, and then the rocket hit us," she remembers. "I looked, and I could only see dust and blood." That strike happened a week ago at the school just next door, where Thelat's family, along with others, were living. A rocket slammed into the school yard, killing seven children and wounding many more. Thelat's father shows us her bandaged foot, grateful his daughter is still alive, agonizing over how he is supposed to even protect his children. "I am used to the sounds of the planes heading," Thelat says, "but since we got hit, I'm scared of it." [on camera]: They've been training the kids on what to do if they hear explosions or the bombings come close. So one is shelter in place. And then the other is to follow the arrows painted on the walls to go towards the bunker. [voice-over]: It's not a real bunker, just a room underground that used to store the now dust-covered schoolbooks. The skies outside the town are painted with the streaks of fighter jets. In the early hours the next morning, a chicken farm being used to how the displaced was decimated, crushing many of those who sheltered their in their sleep, including children. Hospitals are overwhelmed, dealing not only with illnesses and disease, but the constant flow of the wounded. There is no sanctity here, least of all for civilian life. In the last month, Turkey has upped its military involvement, battering regime positions. This group of fighters we meet close to the front, is mostly made up of young men who were in high school when Syria's revolution turned into a war. "The Turkish presence is preventing the regime from advancing on the ground," 26-year-old Abu Saad says. "Our fight is about defending the population. My wife, my children." But how to truly protect this population. It's not really in these fighters' control. It's in Turkey and Russia's hands. They, the main two powers bartering for Idlib's fate. No matter what is negotiated, there have been too many promises, too many broken ceasefires, too many sham agreements. Pain haunts every street. [on camera]: His son died right here.
[Damon:] That's still his blood on the wall. [voice-over]: Mohammed was just 12. His older brother tells us they ran when they saw the plane, but Mohammed didn't make it. "I tried to pick him up, but I couldn't," Hussein remembers. Mohammed died in his arms. Even celebrations are bittersweet. These women are shopping for dresses for their relative's wedding, but it won't be a lavish affair. "It's not the sort of happiness where you invite everyone," the groom's sister tells us. "It will be small, with immediate family." There's just too much misery and fear that a big crowd will get bombed. Since December, around a million have been displaced, cramming into any empty space they can find, even this prison. The families here sleep with their clothes on, not knowing when they might need to run out. Mireen's father was killed fighting years ago. "He used to play a lot with us when he was alive," she remembers. As we leave, we come across what's known as the graveyard camp, for even the dead are displaced, buried as close as possible to the border with Turkey in the hopes that at least they can rest in peace. Arwa Damon, CNN, Idlib, Syria.
[Vause:] Michael Moran is a political analyst and lecturer in political risk. He's also the CEO and chief research officer for the business consulting group Transformative. He is with us this hour from Denver in Colorado. So Michael, one thing about this cease-fire which doesn't seem entirely clear is it's about a short term reduction in violence, just to cool things off? Is this meant to be the basis for a more permanent peace deal? I want you to listen to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Here he is.
[Putin:] I expressed hope that these agreements will serve as good ground for a cease-fire in Idlib de-escalation zone. We'll finally put an end to the suffering of the civilian population and the growth of humanitarian crises.
[Vause:] If you listen closely, assuming the translational is correct, it seems this is more of a a pre-step before, you know, they get into some kind of real peace deal for Idlib. Is this how you see it?
[Michael Moran, Ceo/research Officer, Transformative:] Yes. I think, you know, the British defense minister today said when you do a deal with Vladimir Putin and shake his hand, make sure you count your fingers on the way out. And I think that's a lesson the Turks are learning the hard way right now. They have tried very very hard to play a kind of middle game with the Russians on one side, the United States and NATO on the other. And it's not working out for them. They've been put in a very difficult situation in terms of not wanting Assad to the Assad government and Syria to take over this piece of land. But on the other hand, you know, Assad is aligned to Russia, and that has basically tied Erdogan's hands. And he's been in a very difficult situation ever since. He's burned some bridges with the west. So he's in a he's in quite a bind, and I don't think that I see a real kind of permanent cease-fire coming out of this.
[Vause:] Right. If It's all working out for the Turks. It's certainly not working out for, what, a million or so Syrian refugees who have moved to the Turkish-Syrian border. And so if this is just a short-term sort of solution, you also have, what, three and a half million refugees in Turkey who are now looking at a pathway through Europe from an open border in Turkey into Greece. This is not a good recipe for any kind of long-term solution.
[Moran:] No, and it's very cynical. I mean, you've got two very cynical governments involved in this in this cease-fire negotiation. The Turks are clearly using the refugees who, for to their defense, they've been sheltering three and a half million refugees for some time now. But they've opened that border specifically to put pressure on NATO and the United States to kind of come to their aid in some form. That's happening in terms of financials and supplies. But NATO is not about to come back. The United States under Trump has already made the decision to pull out. He's not going to reverse himself now in the middle of an election campaign, and so they they've put themselves in a terrible position. And of course, it's the human beings who pay the price. The people who are trying to escape the chaos that's sown by all of these egos and territorial interests, obviously, religious extremism, as well. And now, they are stuck in the middle.
[Vause:] We're increasingly seeing Turkey's president deploy his military across the region. It's the second biggest standing military force in NATO. It has a standing budget of about $18 billion, almost 700,000 military, civilian and paramilitary personnel. As well, we have two and a half thousand tanks. There's 1,300 aircraft. That includes F-16s. About 145 ships. But in the past few months, thousands of Turkish troops have been sent inside Idlib province in Syria. They've been sent to the border with Syria. There's Turkish forces in Libya. Now Erdogan says Turkish soldiers will be, you know, sent to the border with Greece, but those gates have been opened to Europe. So you know, a few thousand troops here and there, and a few thousand troops there. It starts to add up. It starts to take a toll. And the longer these commitments go, personnel need to be rotated in. They need to be rotated out. So is there a point when, you know, Turkey, I guess, becomes over committed? And is that a point of leverage that Assad and Putin are well aware of?
[Moran:] Yes. And we shouldn't be we shouldn't be deceived by these numbers. I mean, you could've said the same thing 15 years ago about the Iraqi army, and it was quite a paper tiger. The Turkish army would probably perform really well integrated into the NATO command structure. Alone, though, and that is very much what they are right now, they are certainly no match for the Russians. And they are having a tough time keeping the draftee army, which is what it is, you know, at the front, supplied and also, you know, motivated. Ultimately, the real problem with Turkey's commitment in Syria right now, is that they have to avoid precipitating a real conflict with Russia, a conflict they can't win. And they've obviously put themselves in a position where their long-term allies, treaty allies in NATO, are not keen to come to the rescue at the moment.
[Vause:] Yes. And you touched on this sort of already, but the Europeans have expressed some sympathy and some financial help for Erdogan and Turkey and the prospect of dealing, you know, with hundreds of thousands of more refugees from Syria. But this comes with a black, with some of this.
[Margaritis Schinas, European Commission Vice President:] Turkey is not an enemy, people are not weapons either. We now have a chance for a new deal on asylum, immigration, and this, I dare to say, this will be our last chance. Europe cannot fail twice.
[Vause:] That's the vice president of the European Commission. At the same time, publicly, though, as you said, there's been really nothing from the United States or either from NATO. And the Turks must be wondering, you know, what's the value of being a NATO member at this point?
[Moran:] Yes. You know, there is a real short-termism that's that's prevalent in the west right now. Obviously, politically, it would take a very brave and talented politician to do what Merkel did years ago and say, OK, bring them on. Bring the refugees in. That's clearly had a very strong, dramatic effect on European politics. It's the kind of effect that immigration has had on the United States, in terms of its politics. So that's probably not on the cards. So there's some cynicism on both sides. But it's also worth noting that, you know, 10, 15 years ago, an American president of any party would probably have seen this as a just a wonderful opportunity to go in there and stop the slide of a very important NATO ally toward the Russian camp. And ultimately, it doesn't seem to be within the capacity of any of the leaders of the west right now to think that way at all. Partly because their hands are tied by domestic politics, but partly because they're just not really that clever when it comes to diplomacy and geopolitics.
[Vause:] It should have been an easy game to play, and game is not the right word. But it's always been difficult. And even more so now, it seems. Michael, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate it. Thank you.
[Moran:] Thank you.
[Vause:] We'll take a short break, the ups and downs of Wall Street driven by fear of the coronavirus. We'll see how the Asian markets are doing when we come back in a moment. We'll have a live report. Also ahead, demand is up. Production is down, forcing medical supply companies to make some tough calls about who gets what.

[Burnett:] Tonight, a new survey revealing thousands of coronavirus patients reporting new and dangerous symptoms with long-term consequences concentration issues, memory issues, severe headaches, chronic diarrhea months after they had the virus. And most of the patients who are saying this did not have severe cases at the time, 91 percent of them did not go to the hospital when initially diagnosed. Joining me now, Michael Rutgers. He studies the long term effects of the coronavirus. He is the director of the Lung Foundation in the Netherlands, joining me from there tonight. Michael, I really appreciate you taking the time. I know it's late there. So, you've been looking at people who think they got away easy, mild symptoms, you know, they just barely even got sick. You're now finding thousands of them are reporting new and worse symptoms months after they had coronavirus, with 60 percent of them still unable to go back to work after 80 days. How shocked were you to learn this?
[Michael Rutgers, Director, Lung Foundation Netherlands, Studying Long- Term Impacts Of Coronavirus:] You know, we were surprised by that finding. I can't say they had mild symptoms. They had symptoms but not as bad that they had to go to the hospital. We set up this website to care for these people after their acute phase. But it turned out most people came to the website and whom we sent a questionnaire, most people had not be in the hospital. About 87 percent were not in the hospital. And had the same symptoms and the same number of symptoms and the same severity of symptoms as the people who went to the hospital and survived. So, it was quite surprising.
[Burnett:] And so, when you look at this, you say 87 percent of the people that you surveyed were not hospitalized. But many of them are now having these severe symptoms, right, including
[Rutgers:] Yes.
[Burnett:] you know, intense fatigue, shortness of breath, increased heart rate while they're resting, palpitations, elevated pulse, chronic diarrhea, severe memory issues to the extent that some of them have trouble, you know, feel they can't mentally be the same as they were before.
[Rutgers:] Yeah.
[Burnett:] I mean, what are the is there any part of the body that isn't affected? What stands out what you saw in people's responses?
[Rutgers:] Well, we were surprised that it was not only symptoms related to lung disease. It was also symptoms related to all kind of other organs, as you mentioned. So, we are surprised about it. The people were surprised about it as well. And that these symptoms, they keep ongoing for so long, at least 80 days. We're going to send them a questionnaire again in 1-12 months and find out how they are now. But we are not hopeful that we don't we are hopeful, of course, that they recover. But the speed of recovery seems to be quite slow. And that's a worrying thing, especially from our group. Six of them dozens haven't gone to work 80 days after the first infection which is really worrying, especially now in the U.S. I guess, if it happens to you, with thousands of people, if you translate our results to your country, then those people who are that sick, they can't go to work, it will cause bigger problems for them apart from the unemployment which is already soaring to your side.
[Burnett:] And, look, it's deeply worrying and troubling because we just don't know how long these last, whether these are life long for people.
[Rutgers:] No.
[Burnett:] Which is why it's so terrifying. You know, I've talked to a lot of coronavirus patients who told me some of their longer term effects that they've had. One of them is our Richard Quest, and here's what he said.
[Quest:] Suddenly, I was falling over in the street, tripping over a paving stone clearly in front of my eyes, dropping a bowl of sugar because when I went to get it, I missed it.
[Burnett:] Obviously, coronavirus is supposed to be a respiratory virus but you have also seen people talk about these sort of neurological effects.
[Rutgers:] Yep. We have. Indeed, we've heard from people who have memory loss, who have difficulty in focusing, concentrating, difficulties in putting a few sentences together. And it does improve, but it improves quite slowly. As this disease is developing now, we don't know what the disease will look like in the long term. We're monitoring those people. We're getting a lot of messages from these people. And together with them, we try to build up an idea on how to care for them because if we don't have the disease, we don't know how to care for those people and we don't know how to give them assistance to regain their life and their livelihood. So, it's important, I think to develop research, to get the care system in place to support people and to improving. Training will help. Nutrition will help. So, there are several things which we could do and can do, but we have to work our way slowly forward to develop proper care.
[Burnett:] OK.
[Rutgers:] Proper care for them.
[Burnett:] Well, Michael, I really appreciate your time. Thank you very much. And next Dr. Deborah Birx has become one of the president's most trusted advisers on coronavirus. Some of her peers are telling CNN that there are some questions now about her credibility. And W. Kamau Bell speaking with his mother about growing up black in America.

[Walker:] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is warning America's allies to steer clear of Huawei. Many European unions are turning to the Chinese tech giants to build their 5G cell networks.
[Blackwell:] Speaking in Munich today, Speaker Pelosi warned that using Huawei's technology would be choosing autocracy over democracy. Here's a portion of what she said.
[Pelosi:] Security, economy and values all come together on the Huawei issue. In terms of national security, I have very, very deep concerns about giving the information highway direction to the Chinese government. I also think it is a matter of not having economic threats be a reason why someone would choose Huawei. It is cheaper for the moment. It is cheaper. They don't have to pay a lot for their research and development because they reversed engineered many U.S. technologies and Western technologies. And third, it's about values. This is very dangerous. This is about choosing autocracy over democracy on the information highway. It's about putting the state police in the pocket of every consumer in these countries because of the Chinese way.
[Blackwell:] Now, earlier, Pelosi also spoke about the moment she ripped up President Trump's speech after the State of the Union.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Thank you. God bless you. And God bless America. Thank you very much.
[Walker:] Here's more of what the California Democrat told our Christiane Amanpour in Munich.
[Christiane Amanpour, Cnn Chief International Anchor:] Are you giving a signal that the Democrats will fight back hard, that you will not be constrained by what you believe to be insurgent behavior on the other side, and that this is, you know, a time to go mano-a-mano?
[Pelosi:] Well, let me say this I had no intention of doing that when we went to the State of Union, that was well into the past of the first third of it. Now, I'm a speed reader, so I was reading ahead. I knew what was there. I got past like about a third of it, and I thought this is terrible.
[Blackwell:] Well, some people call this NASCAR's Super Bowl. It starts today. Daytona 500 kicking off the 2020 season and President Trump will be there.
[Walker:] He is set to speak before the race and sources say discussions are under way over whether or not he will take a lap around the track. CNN White House reporter Sarah Westwood is in West Palm Beach with more. Will he?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] That is the question, Amara, whether President Trump will take a lap when he attends the Daytona 500 later today. That is a possibility. The White House possibly planning on having the president do that lap in the presidential limo known as "The Beast". The president will also be serving as the grand marshal of that race, which means he'll be giving that famous command, drivers start your engines. He'll make a little bit of history there. He'll be the first sitting president ever to say the words at the race. The last time a president served as grand marshal was 2004, President George W. Bush. The campaign is also taking advantage that's likely to be friendly to President Trump by running a campaign ad with themes that are likely to go over well with the president's base. Take a listen.
[Ad Announcer:] America is great. Better than ever. Under President Trump's leadership, we are racing to new heights. Millions of new jobs, rising wages, record low unemployment, securing our border, protecting our country, and respecting our veterans.
[Westwood:] The president is likely to get a warm welcome from the audience at this race today. It's keeping on a string of sporting events that the president has attended where he's gotten that warm welcome that he craves from the crowd. His attendance comes one day after he attended the most expensive fundraiser of his campaign so far here in West Palm Beach where couples paid upwards of $500,000 to attend that dinner with the president. It was expected to bring in more than $10 million for his campaign just in that one night. That comes after the RNC and his campaign posted pretty high numbers from January, $60 million in that one month. They attributed that to impeachment victory, Amara.
[Blackwell:] Five hundred thousand dollars a couple, you don't have to invite too many couples to get $10 million. Sarah Westwood, thanks so much.
[Walker:] It is a nasty battle of the billionaires that's getting worse by the day. As Michael Bloomberg spends millions on ads targeting President Trump and the president fires back on Twitter. But are they more alike than they are different? Next, we'll talk with somebody who wrote the book on Bloomberg.

[Bianca Nobilo, Cnn Anchor, Hala Gorani Tonight:] Welcome to the show. We begin with some breaking news, as U.S. President Donald Trump is speaking alongside the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte. Let's listen in.
[Mark Rutte, Prime Minister Of The Netherlands:] You're
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well, we're working
[Rutte:] so we have to bring that level up too.
[Trump:] we'll work on that.
[Rutte:] Absolutely.
[Trump:] So thank you very much for being here.
[Rutte:] Absolutely.
[Trump:] Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. Steve?
[Unidentified Male:] sanctions on Turkey. Have you ruled out sanctions on Turkey
[Crosstalk) Trump:] We're looking at it. Very, very difficult situation for a lot of reasons. Things could have been done better in the previous administration. The previous administration made some very big mistakes with regard to Turkey. And it was too bad. So we're looking at it, we'll see what we do. We haven't announced that yet.
[Unidentified Male:] Mr. President, could I just ask a follow-up question? What would your message be to your supporters who were making that chant and would you...
[Trump:] Well, these are people that love our country. I want them to keep loving our country. And I think the congresswomen, by the way, should be more positive than they are. The congresswomen have a lot of problems. When you look at the statements they made that were so bad and so horrible to our country, you look at what they said, John, what they said was something that is it's hard to believe that they could make statements like that. And I could go page over page over page, many, many statements, whether it's about us, whether it's about Israel, whether it's about the World Trade Center and all of the different things that were said, it was a very terrible thing. I'm not happy about when I hear a chant like that. And I've said that and I've said it very strongly. But I will tell you, the congressmen and women also have a big obligation in this country and in every country, frankly. But they have a big obligation. And the obligation is to to love your country. There's such hatred. They have such hatred. I've seen statements that they made with such hatred toward our country. And I don't think that's a good thing. They should embrace our country. They should love our country. And things would be a lot better. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. What?
[Unidentified Female:] With the Pentagon with the Pentagon's JEDI contract, is there any chance that you might intervene in that contract, in that...
[Trump:] Which one is that?
[Unidentified Female:] ... it's the Pentagon's...
[Trump:] The Amazon?
[Unidentified Female:] Correct. Amazon and Microsoft...
[Trump:] So I'm getting tremendous complaints about the contract with the Pentagon and with Amazon. They're saying it wasn't competitively bid. This is going on for a long time, I guess probably before this administration. And we're looking at it every seriously. It's a very big contract, one of the biggest ever given, having to do with the cloud and having to do with a lot of other things. And we're getting tremendous really, complaints from other companies and from great companies, some of the greatest companies in the world are complaining about it, having to do with Amazon and the Department of Defense. And I will be asking them to look at it very closely to see what's going on because I have had very few things where there's been such complaining. Not only complaining from the media or at least asking questions about it from the media but complaining from different companies like Microsoft and Oracle and IBM. Great companies are complaining about it. So we're going to take a look at it. We'll take a very strong look at it. Thank you very much, everybody.
[Nobilo:] You've just been hearing, there, from the U.S. president, who was speaking to Mark Rutte in the White House. Well, we want to take you back to last night. So to remind you, it began with a racist tweet. And it turned into a rallying cry. We begin with outrage over a scene at a Trump rally that critics are calling ugly and dangerous. Some are even warning the soul of America could be at stake. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke a short time ago at a White House event, distancing himself from what happened last night in North Carolina. He says that he was, quote, "Not happy" that his supporters chanted, "Send her back," after he riled them up with attacks on a Somali-American congresswoman. Here's what he said when a reporter asked why he didn't silence the crowd.
[Trump:] I think I did. I started speaking very quickly. It really was a loud I disagreed with it, by the way. But it was quite a chant. And I felt a little bit badly about it. But I will say this. I did and I started speaking very quickly.
[Nobilo:] Well, you can judge for yourself, whether or not he tried to stop the crowd or seemed unhappy with their outcry. Take a look.
[Trump:] And obviously, and importantly, Omar has a history of launching vicious anti-Semitic screeds.
[Unidentified Female:] Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back!
[Unidentified Male:] Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back! Send her back!
[Nobilo:] Our White House reporter, Stephen Collinson, calls it, "a moment of unrestrained demagoguery." He joins us now, live from Washington. Stephen, you have covered at least five presidential campaigns, I think. I'd like to know your take on what you saw at that rally last night. What did you gauge from the president's reaction? And how far does this depart from any other presidential rallies and performances that we've seen in the past?
[Stephen Collinson, Cnn White House Reporter:] I think it's stepped up a notch from the 2016 campaign. We saw, there, Donald Trump holding these big rallies, engaging in demagogic behaviors, stoking up his crowds. And then stepping back while they, for instance, demanded that one of his opponents, Hillary Clinton, be locked up. This went a step further because it introduced the racial themes that the president has been pressing over the last four days, into that febrile atmosphere of a crowd. And it was an ugly scene. Now, you saw that tape. It's not credible for the president to claim that he was upset about this chant. He clearly waited more than 10 seconds, let it ring out. We've seen him do that before in other rallies with other chants. And for him to now come back and say, "Well, I disavow that," I mean, it's not credible. He's spent the last four days, saying that these congresswomen and Ilhan Omar specifically, do not love their country and they should leave if they don't like it. The weekend, he tweeted, "They should go back," in quotes, to where they come from, even though they're all Americans. So the reason he's pulling back is because there was some backlash in the Republican Party. But the impact and the effect of that chant, the political effect, he's got that and that's something that's going to reverberate through the rest of this campaign.
[Nobilo:] Thanks, Stephen. And speaking of that response from some members of the Republican Party, some Republican lawmakers are criticizing the crowd's chant, while one who recently left the party warns, quote, "This is how history's worst episodes begin." But many Republicans are choosing to remain silent. Our Manu Raju tried to chase down some reaction from Senator Ted Cruz. Take a look.
[Unidentified Male:] you may faint with surprise. You know
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Senator Cruz? Senator Cruz? Senator Cruz, are you OK? Are you OK with the president, those chants at the Trump rally last night, saying, "Send her back"?
[Sen. Ted Cruz:] I'm not interested in giving running color commentary.
[Nobilo:] Let's get some perspective, now, from our CNN political commentator, Van Jones. He's the host of "THE VAN JONES SHOW" here on CNN. It's great to have you on the program. Thanks for being with us.
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes. Glad to be here.
[Nobilo:] Let's get into the most tangible impact that hearing the president of the United States, being present and not outright condemning this kind of chanting, might have, Van. What concerns you the most about the ripple effects and the immediate impact of this kind of scene being broadcast everywhere?
[Jones:] One thing people may not understand is that already, Ilhan Omar is subject to almost daily death threats. There have already been, I believe, two people who have been convicted for trying to for making threats on her life. She is one of the most vulnerable people in our country because of the level of hatred that right-wing media has flipped up against her. But to see a president of the United States stand the most powerful man in the world, standing, surrounding by tens of thousands of people, and for them to unleash that chant against an individual American citizen and lawmaker, "Send her back, send her back." I mean, I felt like I was being kicked in the stomach. I think people across the country were shocked and felt revulsion. This is a very dangerous slope that we're headed down. The president of the United States actually has a record to run on that does not require him to attack people of color, or to single out these women. The economy is strong, you could talk about that. He's done stuff on criminal justice, on addiction and other stuff. He could run a positive campaign. Instead, we are in danger, now, of the president of the United States either wittingly or unwittingly unleashing some kind of a white nationalist, white nativist jihad inside of our country. And he's got to pull back. I was glad, today, that he began to pull back. But this, he is playing with the kind of fire that not only have countries been hurt by, but, you know, almost every individual person who's a person of color in this country, victimized by a hate crime, one of the things that is in their repertoire is, "You should go back to your country." That's right before the punch is thrown. Right before the shot is rings out. And so this is very dangerous rhetoric and I'm glad he's pulling back from it.
[Nobilo:] And, Van, why is it that the president is tempted towards not outright condemning this kind of behavior quickly, or even indulging it for one moment? As you point out, there are positive aspects to his record, which he could be running on and emphasizing. What is it about his base, about how he perceives his audience or about the current state of America, that incentivized the president of the United States to occupy this kind of territory and this kind of rhetoric?
[Jones:] The Trump coalition is a complex coalition. It includes people who are, you know, completely honorable, decent people. Business owners, corporate leaders, faith leaders. But they are they've allowed their coalition to be marbled through with some of the most disgusting, despicable characters and ideas in the country. And for whatever reason, this president has decided that that nasty core is key for him. He's got to keep feeding that thing, the red meat, keeping them excited because I think he feels he can't win without them. I honestly don't think that if you look at where the country is right now, economically and otherwise, he has to do that. I mean, I would be more afraid as a Democrat if he just ran a straightforward campaign on his achievements and accomplishments. And it's very hard to un-elect a president in this country, as you know. W was re-elected, Obama was re-elected, Clinton was re-elected. So they tend to get re-elected. When you got an economy like this, why do you have to go and scrape the bottom of the barrel and come up with the splinters, and put that at the center of your campaign? It is bewildering to anybody who's watching this, but it's very dangerous.
[Nobilo:] Van, I'm speaking to you from London where, next week, in all likelihood according to polls, Boris Johnson will become the next prime minister. He's been under fire for making comments that have been racist about Muslim women wearing burqas, looking like letterboxes, saying things which are derogatory and racist about people from commonwealth countries. There's obviously Brexit, which was focused mainly around the arguments about immigration from other countries into the United Kingdom. How concerned are you that if the leader of the United States is taking this kind of tone, that it's having a ripple effect worldwide, upon other countries, and normalizing this rhetoric or facilitating leaders occupying positions of power who ordinarily wouldn't be able to do that?
[Jones:] Well, I mean, it's not a fear, it's a fact. I mean, that's happening around the world. Throughout the West, you see these nativist, populist parties rising up, leaders. And then even in the Philippines and other places, people kind of
[Nobilo:] Yes.
[Jones:] mimicking the Donald Trump approach. What's so amazing, though, is that even Boris said this was too far. Even he took a step back and said, "Hey, you can't do this kind of stuff." And so but maybe if Trump keeps moving the goalposts, others will continue to follow. But we listen, throughout the West, we have a crisis now. I think some of the demographic changes, the technological changes are putting stress and pressure on our societies. And the question is, are we going to turn to each other or on each other? Are we going to say, "Listen, yes, we're going to have, you know, more babies from other countries possibly, we may have other people, you know, praying with in different ways. But, jeez, these people could be amazing. They could bring great ideas and vitality. Let's figure out some way to all work together." Or we could turn against each other. And that is the the choice every country, now, is going to be faced with. And we'll be faced with that choice in 18 months in the United States of America.
[Nobilo:] Indeed. Van Jones, thank you very much for joining us on the program tonight.
[Jones:] Thank you.
[Nobilo:] Now, to escalating tensions in the Middle East. We're just getting new video purporting to show the seizure of an oil tanker by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is claiming that the seized tanker, which had 12 people on board, was carrying 1 million liters of smuggled fuel. It's just the latest in a series of maritime episodes involving Iran, as the world closely watches these waterways. CNN's been granted incredibly rare access to a U.S. patrol ship in the Persian Gulf, the USS Boxer. We have our team covering this for you. Frederik Pleitgen is in Bonn, Germany. But we begin with Sam Kiley in Abu Dhabi, who's back from being embedded on the USS Boxer. Before we get to all that, Sam, we're hearing that a U.S. sailor is missing after going overboard a U.S. carrier. What can you tell us about that?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, the carrier group has launched a search for this seaman who fell overboard from the Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln, of course, brought in earlier this year to augment the forces already in the gulf with regard to Iran. But this is a human tragedy. The name is, of course, being withheld until his family have been informed, and they're the whole flotilla, a number of ships, are now looking for the unfortunate sailor who went overboard in the Gulf of Oman. I was just south of that location in the Arabian Sea with the USS Boxer, another major ship of the line in the arsenal of the United States, as it was preparing to transit through the Straits of Hormuz, a transit that it has now completed. But it was a fascinating time and this is my report.
[Kiley:] It's all entirely routine, until it's not. A U.S. Marine expeditionary force at the ready, while world leaders wrestle with a tangled question, what to do about Iran. At the center of events, the USS Boxer, on its way to the already-tense Straits of Hormuz.
[Captain Ronald Dowdell, Commanding Officer, Uss Boxer:] Anything that's asked of us, that can make the situation, the geopolitical situation, more stable, they're chomping at the bit to kind of get after it.
[Kiley:] The U.S. has blamed Iran for alleged mine attacks on six oil tankers in this region, this year. Iran denies responsibility, but is furious at the U.S. withdrawal from a deal to lift sanctions in return for suspending its nuclear program. In June, President Trump called off air strikes in retaliation for the downing of a drone by Iran over the Straits of Hormuz. The USS Boxer is technically an amphibious assault ship. What that really means is that it's an aircraft carrier packed with U.S. Marines, a means by which the United States can project real muscle, real power, sending an unmistakable signal in this region right now. And a routine transit to protect shipping lanes through the straits, that brings a ship this size, carrying 1,500 Marines within the sight of Iran's coast, will inevitably be seen as provocative in Tehran. A small error as the Boxer threads through the straits could spell disaster. When these sorts of operations are going on, I mean, there is a potential for a strategic effect from a small error.
[Brigadier General Matthew G. Trollinger, Commander, Task Force 51/5::] That's absolutely accurate. And all of the training that we do, all the education that we do is the express purpose of getting after that.
[Kiley:] Iran's leaders say they want to keep the nuclear deal alive, and the U.S. to end trade sanctions that are crippling its economy. They see the U.S. presence here as potentially explosive.
[Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister Of Iran:] The United States is intervening in order to make these waters insecure for Iran. You cannot make these waters insecure for one country and secure for others. You cannot simply disregard a possibility of a disaster. But we all need to work in order to avoid one.
[Kiley:] The Boxer's flotilla got through the straits without a hitch, its air squadron keeping watch overhead, has a nickname that, coincidentally, reveals how Iran and the U.S. see each other: "Evil eyes." Now, Bianca, this region, though that passage went off peacefully, does remain incendiary. And every small development now seems to have geopolitical consequences Bianca.
[Nobilo:] Thanks, Sam. Fred, let's go to you. Last time I spoke to you, you were in Tehran. You obviously spent a lot of time there. Based on what Sam just said in his embed with this huge amphibious assault vessel and its flotilla, how is the presence of something like that being received by Iran? And also to where you are right now, how is Europe trying to
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent: Yes. Nobilo:] respond to these rising tensions?
[Pleitgen:] Well, I would certainly say, Bianca, that the USS Boxer, going through the Strait of Hormuz and going there, into the Persian Gulf, will be seen as a provocation by the Iranians, especially at this, of course, very tense period of time between the U.S. and Iran in that specific area. It's quite interesting, though, because over the past couple months, I've been speaking to a lot of members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is, of course, the unit that has the Navy that's first and foremost responsible for projecting Iranian power in that region. And they've been telling me, quite frankly, look, they've had aircraft carriers pass through the Strait of Hormuz in the past before. It's not something that is happening for the first time. So certainly, the Iranians do have a little bit of experience with all this. But on the other hand, if you see some of the things that the Iranians have been doing over the past couple of years, some of the military maneuvers, for instance, they've been conducting, where they've hit mock-up versions of American aircraft carriers with bombs and rockets, then certainly you could see that this is something that the Iranians would see as a provocation. At the same time, of course, you do have the international community that is trying to react to this very specific situation. Of course, we've been talking about the fact, Bianca, that the Iranians now, apparently, have taken control of a tanker, there in their territorial waters. Very interesting to see some of the things that the Iranians have been saying about that. Because they seem to be indicating that taking that tanker ship has nothing to do with trying to sow instability in the Strait of Hormuz. They say that ship was smuggling fuel from Iran. They say it was taking on fuel from Iranian dowels, that they believe it was then trying to sell it somewhere else. Now, the Americans have condemned the fact that this happened. They say the Iranians are making things more insecure there. But then and that's where we get to Bonn, where I am right now. Because I did ask the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, and also the German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, how they felt about this recent incident. Neither of them wanted to comment about this incident in particular, but both said that they had had extensive talks about the situation in Iran, and that they had extensive talks also specifically about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and in the Persian Gulf. And it's no secret that they don't necessarily see eye-to-eye on this. The Germans, a little more critical of the Iranians, saying they need to do their part to make sure things are secure there as well. The Russians, for their part, of course, full-on on the Iranian side, saying they believe that it is America that's sowing instability by, for instance, some of the things that Sam has been witnessing there, with the USS Boxer going there, through the Strait of Hormuz and in to the Persian Gulf Bianca.
[Nobilo:] Fred Pleitgen in Bonn and Sam Kiley in Abu Dhabi, thank you both for giving us the American, the European and Iranian perspectives. Appreciate it. Still to come tonight, stirring images of anger and defiance from Puerto Rico, all of it started by some leaked chat messages. A live report in just a moment.

[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] OUTFRONT next, Trump's top Ukraine expert who was on the President's call with the Ukrainian leaders still behind closed doors at this hour. What more is he saying? Plus, more breaking news, democrats releasing their plan for how they'll proceed with impeachment hearings. Will they give the President a chance to make his case? And a 2020 sweep according to one report, Republicans are growing concerned, they could lose the Senate and the White House in the election and keep the House, really? Let's go out front. Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight the breaking news, new details at this hour about the explosive impeachment testimony from a decorated veteran. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the White House's top Ukraine expert defying President Trump, testifying before impeachment investigators for about nine hours. Shortly after he arrived this morning in full uniform, Colonel Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient delivered a devastating blow to President Trump, telling investigators that he twice reported concerned about Trump's behavior and his team's insistence that Ukraine investigate Joe Biden. Now, Vindman was on the phone call between Trump and the Ukraine President Zelensky. He testifies and I'm going to quote here from his opening statement, "I was concerned by that call. I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government's support of Ukraine." So Vindman reported those concerns to the lead lawyer for the National Security Council after that call. And I want to just emphasize that that is not a small thing to do. Colonel Vindman is a 20-year veteran. He is the National Security's top Ukraine expert. He testifies, "As an active duty military officer, the command structure is extremely important to me." So he's choosing to report what the President United States did on a phone call as inappropriate was not a small decision. In his testimony today, of course, totally refutes what the Commander-in- Chief continues to insist.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The conversation was perfect. I made a perfect call. Not a good call, a perfect call. This was a perfect conversation.
[Burnett:] But Vindman did not only raise concerns about that call and Trump's behavior on it, Vindman also reported a meeting that he had with Trump's Ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland. A meeting in which he testified, "I stated to Ambassador Sondland that his statements were inappropriate, that the request to investigate Biden and his son had nothing to do with National Security." That damning statement contradict Sondland's testimony, a Trump defender, a man who donated a million dollars to Trump's inauguration. Sondland under oath said that no one from the NSC where again Vindman is the top Ukraine advisor ever expressed any concerns. That's a quote from Sondland. As for Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, he says he raised his concerns out of duty. He tells lawmakers, "I am a patriot, and it is my sacred duty and honor to advance and defend our country, irrespective of party or politics." Yet, that has not stopped the President and his allies for trying to smear this Purple Heart recipient. Here are two of them implying Vindman is a spy working against the United States because he was not born here.
[Laura Ingraham, Fox News:] Here we have a U.S. National Security official who is advising Ukraine while working inside the White House, apparently against the President's interest and usually they spoke in English. Isn't that kind of an interesting angle on this story?
[John Yoo, Former Justice Department Official:] I find that astounding and some people might call that espionage.
[Burnett:] I mean, it is stunning. Of course, he came here when he was three years old. Trump himself is trying to say Vindman is a politically motivated liar, tweeting, "How many more never Trumpers will be allowed to testify about a perfectly appropriate phone call?" Now, there's no evidence Vindman is a never Trumper nor frankly would it matter to whether he tells the truth under oath as an American citizen. And this is not the first time though that Trump has gone after a member of the military for coming forward. Listen to how he referred to 30-year public servant Vietnam War vet Ambassador Taylor who served under presidents Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama.
[Unidentified Male:] Are you calling him a liar?
[Trummp:] Here's the problem, he's a never Trumper.
[Burnett:] Of course, Taylor also testified about a quid pro quo from the President. Phil Mattingly is out front live on Capitol Hill. And Phil, we are learning much more about what Vindman is saying behind closed doors on these nine hours and counting. What can you tell us?
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, and counting still behind closed doors. What we're learning right now from sources who were inside the room is that Alexander Vindman kind of addressed one of the questions people have had since the White House released that rough transcript of the July 25th phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president and that is, is it entirely accurate. Vindman who, as you'll recall, was actually in the situation room listening to the call. The first person to come to Capitol Hill was on the call to actually testify, said that he believed the transcript was mostly accurate, but there were two specific changes that he thought he would have made based on the notes that he had taken from that call. One of them related to a specific reference to the company Burisma that had hired Hunter Biden in the transcript related to something Zelensky said to Ukrainian President. It says just company. Today, he testified that he would have said or believed that the correct interpretation would have said to mention Burisma directly. He also noted during the testimony, we're told, that he raised some of the concerns. You'll note that he went to National Security Council lawyers twice based on concerns related to two separate incidents related to the Ukrainian funding. He actually told his brother as well, his twin brother who also works in the White House, also works in the National Security Council in the ethics office to raise some of those concerns as well. I'm also told that Republicans throughout the course of this testimony including very early on in the testimony when there's actually a shouting match that broke out between a Democratic member and a Republican member were continuously asking about specific names. Democrats interpreted that as an effort to try and surface who the whistleblower was. Vindman told lawmakers explicitly he did not know who the whistleblower was. But Erin, this is something that has come up on multiple depositions and looks like it's going to continue to as republican search for who made this initial complaint.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much. Of course, searching for who made it is not frankly relevant. As everyone should understand at this point what's relevant is whether what the person said is true, which of course, everything thus far has shown it to be. Kaitlan Collins is out front at the White House. And Kaitlan, the Democrats just released new details on the impeachment resolution that they've put out there. How is the White House responding now that they have seen some of the specifics?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Erin, they're not pleased and you can see why because of the White House's position so far. They said they were waiting to see what the text of this was going to be. And when you read this resolution, it shows that essentially they are handing the reins of this to Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Chairman who is going to have a pretty broad latitude here. And that is something that the White House is attacking directly tonight in a new statement going after this vote that the House Democrats have announced they are slated to vote on, on Thursday, this first impeachment inquiry vote that they are going to have. Something the White House has been saying for weeks that they need to have before they even consider cooperating or see this as legitimate, but now they're not pleased with the terms of what they're getting. In a statement tonight, the press secretary saying that essentially by voting on this, it shows that this has been quote an illegitimate sham from the start. They go after the fact that Adam Schiff is going to have so much power here, essentially, so really essentially holding the reins of this. And then, of course, Erin, they say that essentially they feel like they are not getting enough say here. This was kind of what we reported on last night that they felt they were torn that a vote would empower them to have counsel present to be able to review the evidence of this. But the White House is disputing that in their statement tonight, saying essentially they don't feel like they're going to be able to participate fully until more of this moves over from House Intelligence to the House Judiciary Committee. Now, this is something that you've heard from Republicans. You're going to see them start to turn their defense as the White House is essentially putting out this statement pushing back on this. But there are going to be questions about what they've been doing so far. Because you heard from one Republican today who is on one of those three committees that right now is allowed in the room for those closed door depositions, something that the White House has been complaining is being done in secret, Ted Yoho is saying he hasn't even attended any of the depositions so far. We're hearing from the White House tonight officials so far have not been pleased to hear that a Republican member isn't even sitting in on the room. The question is how they change their tactic if it all going forward after this vote on Thursday.
[Burnett:] All right. Kaitlan, thank you very much. And, obviously, you lose all ground to stand on if you say you're not getting access when you actually have access, you never bother show up. Out front now Democratic Congressman David Cicilline. He sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees. And Congressman, so let me just start with you with the impeachment resolution that Kaitlan was just talking about. In it in part it says, "Republicans may request witnesses to be called and issue subpoenas." But it continues to say those subpoenas can only be issued "with the concurrence of the chair", which, of course, means Democrats are the chairs that Democrats get to sign off on any subpoenas republicans want. So let me just cut to the chase, OK? If Republicans want to subpoena Hunter Biden, will you guys let him?
[Rep. David Cicilline:] Well, look, that will be a decision that the full committee makes by vote, but the reality is this resolution contains protections that are greater than the protections that were afforded to President Clinton and President Nixon. So this is a resolution that sets forth the procedures we will follow in the public hearing phase of the impeachment inquiry and ensures that the President has an opportunity to present witnesses that the Republicans have the opportunity to call witnesses. And so all of that is set forth in the resolution. There's even a process if they attempt to do it and it's not permitted by the chair to ask for vote of the full committee.
[Burnett:] Of course, the committee though, there's more Democrats than Republicans. What I'm just getting at, the Hunter Biden example would be basically no way, because the Chairman say, "No," they can appeal to the Committee, there's more Democrats, they build it down, there's no Hunter Biden.
[Cicilline:] Look, the Democrats have been the ones that have been leading the effort to collect evidence and to get at the truth. I think we will continue to behave in that spirit. We certainly don't want to waste time with witnesses that don't have anything to contribute. But if there are witnesses that the Republicans suggest that will actually contribute to the fact finding, I think the Committee will embrace it. But we shouldn't lose sight of what this is really about. This is about the President of the United States, getting on a telephone call, attempting to bully a foreign leader into ginning up a phony investigation of one of his political rivals and holding up military aid to that country and holding up a meeting with that President until that investigation is announced. This is a betrayal of his oath of office. It's a betrayal of the integrity of our elections and it undermined the National Security interests of our country. The conduct of the President is really our focus.
[Burnett:] OK. So you heard, obviously, the statement from the White House in response to the resolution thus far. They're not happy. I know that you all say the President's lawyers will have an opportunity to present their case, to attend the hearings, to raise objections, due process. It also says if Trump doesn't make witnesses available though and he doesn't provide all requested documents, then essentially all bets are off. So are you really giving him due process and the chance to make his case?
[Cicilline:] Of course. Look, we should remember we are still in the investigation phase. This is akin to the grand jury. I was a criminal defense lawyer, defendants don't have the right to cross examine witnesses or attend grand jury proceedings. These are done in secret to protect the integrity of the investigation, so witnesses don't align their testimony by reading the transcript or watching the testimony of other witnesses. This is standard procedure investigations. Due Process attaches at trial, so when the President is tried in the Senate, if in fact we move forward with articles of impeachment, he will have all the due process rights that anyone has. He will be able to call witness, he'll be able to cross examine witnesses, he'll be represented by counsel. It's in the trial proceedings that process applies and that's the case when he's tried in the Senate if we move forward on an articles of impeachment.
[Burnett:] In the Senate, OK. And before we go, Congressman, is it safe to say if you could just let me know if you're in the room today and did you learn anything specific from Colonel Vindman beyond what we have all seen in the opening statement?
[Cicilline:] Yes. I mean, Lieutenant Colonel Vindman was an extraordinary witness. A person of incredible integrity. He was a very credible witness. He was, of course, an eye witness in a sense, he was on the call in which the President asked the new President of Ukraine to investigate his political opponents. So he had firsthand knowledge which he shared with the Committees during his testimony. Again, when you hear these incredible patriots, these foreign service officers and military officers share information that they've learned in the course of their work, it's shocking. And this, again, is the President of the United States asking a foreign leader to interfere in an American presidential election. Our elections are decided by the American people. It's unpatriotic and unAmerican to have anybody else weigh in, particularly a foreign government, and that's what the President did in that phone call and he has to be held accountable for it.
[Burnett:] Congressman Cicilline, thanks for your time tonight.
[Cicilline:] My pleasure.
[Burnett:] And next, Trump has touted his EU ambassador's testimony.
[Trump:] He said by the way there is no quid pro quo.
[Burnett:] But did Ambassador Gordon Sondland commit perjury? Did he lied to Congress? Plus, the impeachment investigation descending into a shouting match, what sparked it? And new questions tonight about where President Trump got this information?
[Trump:] He died a coward. Crying, whimpering, screaming...

[John Avlon, Cnn:] It's time for RELIABLE SOURCES, our weekly look at the story behind the story. How the media really works and how the news gets made and how all of us can make it a bit better. I'm John Avlon, filling in for Brian Stelter. This hour, Jussie Smollett. Why it's the perfect storm of politics and pop culture, hate crimes and hoaxes. Also, one-on-one with Barry Diller, the media mogul talks Hollywood's identity crisis, Facebook regulation and his concern about Dems in 2020. And a new hire here at CNN spurs controversy and confusion. We'll try to clear it up for you. But, first, in an era where insane is the new normal, there's always a danger that nothing is shocking. Perspective is a thing we have least of in our politics. And that's why it's helpful to take a step back sometimes and do a data-driven reality check. A fascinating "New York Times" analysis this week showed that President Trump has attacked the Russia investigation more than 1,100 times. He uses signature moves of distraction, deflection and division. The larger goal, of course, is to discredit the investigation through reputation. It resonates with his base. But faced with a blizzard of lies and fact-free attacks, normalization starts to creep in. And we become numb to it as citizens and journalists. So when the president calls for someone to look into "Saturday Night Live" because he doesn't like their satire, it gets cursory coverage now. Over the past week, angry predawn tweets from the president calling journalists the enemy of the people received something close to a collective shrug. But what would be an extraordinary attack on the free press by almost any other president becomes just another day at the office. But every once in a while, we get a visceral reminder of the real cost of this talk. This week, it came in the form of a chilling indictment against a former marine who works at the Coast Guard headquarters in Washington. He's name is Lieutenant Christopher Paul Hasson. He's avowed white nationalist who actively plotting domestic terror attacks targeting the president's political opponents and cable news journalists, including CNN's Don Lemon, Chris Cuomo, and Van Jones, as well as MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, Chris Hayes and Ari Melber. This comes four months after pipe bombs were sent to prominent Democrats and journalists at CNN. Four months before that, the deadliest newsroom shooting in American history at the "Capital Gazette" in Annapolis. The point is not that there's culpability on the part of the president, but there is growing pattern of threats against the press, and that's nothing we can afford to ignore in a free society. Joining me now to talk about how to confront the numbing of the American mind and defend the free press, it's an all-star panel. "New York Times" columnist Charles Blow, CNN's SVP of news gathering, Mitra Kalita, and the former president of the Slate Group and founder of Pushkin Media, and, Yale profession of journalism, Jacob Weisberg. Thank you all for joining me. Mitra, let's start with you. There are choices we make in journalism every day, and one of the most difficult is how to cover the president's lies, mistruths, versus some of the other things happening in the world that are larger and bigger in some respects than holding him to account, Venezuela comes to mind. How do you make those judgments in the newsroom every day, between holding the president to account and telling people what's happening larger in the world?
[S. Mitra Kalita, Senior Vice President, Cnn Digital News & Programming:] So, thankfully, on Digital, this is not an either or proposition. It's very much both of those tracks are vital to our mission as journalists. Most of us got into this for both of the objectives you've mentioned. One, to inform a society, to be the underpinning of their information, and then what you're describing which is to hold power to account. And so when the president, you know, repeatedly says we're the enemy of the people, the question then becomes, how do we respond to that? One, response would be adversarially. The other would be to say, you know, this is what we do, we're here to serve the public. And to remind them of that not necessarily by only responding to the president's attack, but, you know, showing our importance during criminal investigations, during hurricanes, during
[Avlon:] It's a matter of
[Kalita:] the stuff that makes our news agenda, right
[Avlon:] It's a matter of walking and chewing gum and having a big enough newsroom to be able to do both. Charles, let me go to you because one of our former colleague and friend, David Frum, the smartest guy, had a tweet over the weekend, noting that in his local paper, the Coast Guard shooter in the indictment was in the local section. And he took that as a sign of kind of the normalization and numbing that we're confronting. Is this a case of us growing dangerously numb? Or is this a case of the difficulty covering the gun that didn't go off?
[Charles Blow, Op-ed Columnist, The New York Times:] I mean, I guess we are numb to some degree. But I think to put it in a larger context of what's happening is important. People consider the media the fourth estate, right? Basically a fourth branch of government. What you have now is if you take that context and that framing, one branch of the government attacking the other. And that is you know, it's a very difficult thing to defend against. And the media, unlike the other three branches, there's no election. There is no confirmation hearing. It is the media is enormous relative to the other branches. And as the definition of what the media is keeps expanding, you know, there become a lot of vulnerabilities both in terms of credibility but also physical personal vulnerabilities. There are no guards at my house like there are at the White House. There's no guards at my house like there are at the Supreme Court or Congress. And so, there are actual vulnerabilities to you as a journalist, but there are also credibility concepts around are we now lumping in everyone who blogs and does so seriously? And I think there's a lot of great journalism happening in that way, but also there's some journalism that I'd be more skeptical about happening that way. And so, the elasticity of the concept becomes a tricky thing.
[Avlon:] Jacob, you know, one of the real conversations is, is the president simply talking as he does, spouting off, and we shouldn't over-index the impact. But every once in a while, you start to see him change the terms of the conversation, and that seems striking this week when we saw an opinion from Judge Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court justice, picking up the mantel of the president's past claims that we should libel reforms, target the press, by saying that Sullivan v. New York, a landmark libel case, should be reexamined. What's your take on that?
[Jacob Weisberg, Former Editor-in-chief, Slate Group:] Well, I don't think it's plausible. Sullivan was a 9-0 decision. And I think conservatives have long realized that freedom of the press protects conservative views as well as liberal views. In that case, along with the Pentagon Papers case, which is at the time the United States, are the foundations of the modern interruption of the First Amendment. They're the pillars of what make the American press the freest in the world. That used to we an idea that the United States government had an interest in developing abroad, and in places like the Philippine where democracy was emerging, we were on the side of the free press. Now, we have a president who's giving a kind of permissioning to dictators who want to pull it back in the other direction, who are harassing the press, like Maria Ressa, this press freedom hero in the Philippines, and Duterte in the Philippines is an example of someone who does that, specifically citing fake news, enemy of the people. So, the concern is that what Trump does creates a kind of permissioning and creates a climate where these attacks violent attacks here are maybe not specifically attributable to Trump but are take place in the atmosphere that he's creating.
[Avlon:] It sets a broader tone. Mitra, I wonder if you put Sullivan v. "New York Times" in context because it happens during the civil rights movement
[Kalita:] Sure.
[Avlon:] where libel laws are being wielded for really specific chilling purposes.
[Kalita:] So, I think what's important to know about "New York Times" versus Sullivan is actually that the lawsuit was against an advertisement, right? When we see "New York Times", we'll just assume it was about the journalism, but that's this was actually an advertisement by a group of people trying to defend Martin Luther King and raise money for him. And I think what is borne out of this civil rights era decision is holding public figures such as the police, politicians you know, we see that redefined for celebrities and becoming more expansive. In the modern definition of media, "New York Times" versus Sullivan really is, speaking of how we cover and hold power to account, the underpinning of that belief in journalism.
[Avlon:] Jacob, just quickly, as one who's run an independent media outfit, I don't think folks appreciate how much the threat of lawsuits can have a chilling on speech.
[Weisberg:] Well, sure, and financially weaker news organizations, which almost all of them are now, are in a weaker position to stand up to wealthy bullies who may want to punish them because of something they don't like. What Times v. Sullivan protects is honest error. Error is part of journalism. Mistakes happen, and what that case says is that mistakes that aren't intentional, mistakes versus lies are protected by the First Amendment in most cases.
[Avlon:] We're going to have to live it there. But, Charles, stick around for the next weekend. Mitra, Jacob, thank you for joining us on
[Reliable Sources. Weisberg:] Thank you, John.
[Avlon:] Up next, Jussie Smollett. The story received wall to wall coverage and why both police are pointing fingers at the news media. But before we go to break, it's Oscar Sunday, so I thought it would be fun to have some fellow CNN anchors ask what their favorite movie is and here's John Berman.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] My favorite journalism movie is easy. "All the President's Men" because that's why we all gotten in this business, and side note, it's the coolest thing ever I occasionally get to speak to Carl Bernstein sometimes. Number two, "Up Close and Personal" only because it's top Michelle Pfeiffer filmmaking and there are no actual real parallels with television news inside that movie, which segues to number three, which is "Broadcast News," which isn't fiction. It's like a documentary. It is actual footage of what it is like in the television business. And let me tell you everyone's career in this business is a struggle between being Albert Brooks and William Hurt, and the dirty truth is, the William Hurt always wins.

[James Goodrich, Neurosurgeon:] but the problem is, I was in the military before college. And so when I came out, I had to go back, basically community college, then college, then I did an M.D.Ph.D. so then graduate school, medical school, then residency. And we kept talking about it, but just kept postponing it. Next thing I know, too old.
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] You've been busy taking care of the world's kids.
[Goodrich:] Seems that way at times.
[Gupta:] Next to him for the past 10 years, helping him take care of those kids, craniofacial surgeon Dr. Oren Tepper.
[Oren Tepper, Craniofacial Surgeon, Montefiore Medical Center:] We used to joke, we would call him the world's most interesting man because he was. He was a wine connoisseur, he was a surfer until his very last days, I imagine he was surfing.
[Gupta:] There will be too many cruel and unfair stories like this one. This new disease, thrust upon us: COVID-19 doesn't discriminate based on what you do or who you are. In this case, robbing the life of someone who had saved so many. This past Monday morning, he died.
[Nicole Mcdonald, Mother Of Twins Anais And Jadon:] He fought with a ferocity for my family in a way that I will never, ever forget, that I will forever appreciate. There will never be another James Goodrich, not even close. He will never be matched, let alone replaced in the world.
[Gupta:] We knew the losses would come, but they are no less painful when they do. I think, you know, Dr. Goodrich certainly inspired everyone that he met. And I think even now, you know, as I reflect upon his life, he makes you want to be better, do better. And I think we're going to, you know, hear other stories like that. Hopefully not too many, Poppy and Jim. I've got to tell you, I think his wife Judy is probably watching now and I got to say that the tributes, the hundreds of people who have e- mailed me, knowing that I knew him, over the last couple of days, have been remarkable. I mean, just wonderful things to say about him and a life too short and a remarkable man, but a real tribute as well.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] Listen, you know, the numbers are such you know this better than us that it becomes more and more likely that if you don't know someone, you know someone who knows someone as this spreads.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] Yes. I was just so touched, Sanjay. I mean, you know, he was never a father himself but he really was a father, right? To so many
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Harlow:] saved so many children's lives, and we're so grateful to him and to you and your whole team who brought us that amazing journey for the past few years. We're so sorry, Sanjay.
[Gupta:] Thank you, thank you. Appreciate that. And, you know, I'm glad we got to pay our respects that way.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Gupta:] Thank you.
[Sciutto:] Take care, my friend. And we'll be right back.

[John King, Cnn Anchor:] If you have a child I have a rising fourth grader and she's dealing with this. In the "Atlanta Constitution," there's a piece today about an Atlanta school board member saying she's received hundreds of e-mails from parents with questions about the reopening plan. It goes on to talk about it's very much a struggle for working parents across the city. They don't feel capable of being there and teaching their kids. This is complicated, I know, and you wrestle with it every day. How do you help the working parents who can't be home and now their children are home for nine weeks at the start of the new year or maybe they can be home but they're working from home and they don't feel they can give the time and resources necessary?
[Jason Esteves, Chairman, Atlanta Board Of Education:] Well, look, I am one of those working parents. My wife and I work full time and we have a kindergartner that's coming into Atlanta public schools this year. So I feel for those parents. And no decision that we could have made at this point would have satisfied everyone. But what the district is doing is that we are working with our community, working with partners to provide our family with resources. And not only that, but the superintendent, Dr. Lisa Herring, recommended that we push back the start date to August 24th and the board approved that recommendation on first read on Monday. And that's going to allow our teachers time to plan and to develop professionally in anticipation of a virtual start. But it's also going to allow the school district to focus on the students and families. Assess them and provide them with resources and train parents on virtual learning. And, John, one of the critical things that we'll be providing for our students during that time are the basic resources that we know that they rely on schools for, like food. Our food program starts on August 10th even though school doesn't start until August 24th.
[King:] Schools are a local decision. You're making a decision for Atlanta. You have other school boards around the state making decisions in their communities. This is a big national conversation. The federal government his more resources financially and access to the data. And I want you to listen to the president and to two of his top scientists. They sound different when they talk about the issue of schools.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United Stated:] We have to get the schools open. We have to get everything open. A lot of people don't want to do that for political reasons and not for other reasons.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy & Infectious Diseases:] We should try as a default to get the kids to stay in school.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Cdc Director:] Let's all work together and find out how we can find common ground to get these schools open.
[King:] Are you getting help? The CDC is right there in your hometown. Are you getting help, whether it's scientific data, whether it's other research, whether it's guidelines for safety in the schools or suggestions from the Education Department about how to improve the remote learning the last few months? Are you getting anything from Washington or do you feel you're on your own?
[Esteves:] Well, look, at the end of the day, every school district is different. Every city is experiencing the impacts of COVID-19 differently. And each local school system should make a decision that's best for their constituents. And in Atlanta, we are in substantial spread. If it was a situation where we were low or moderate spread, the decision and the recommendation from the superintendent would have been different. But at the end of the day, the governor in Georgia has supported local decision making. And Atlanta public schools have to place the safety of our students, our teachers and their families first. And that's what we're doing in Atlanta.
[King:] Of the many, many countless coronavirus challenges, you are dealing with one of the most important, our children. Jason Estevez, we appreciate your time and insights. Best of luck as you go through this in the weeks ahead. We really appreciate your time.
[Esteves:] Thank you so much for having me.
[King:] Thank you. Up next for us, the CDC director offers up a theory on what is causing that spike in southern states but does the data back up that theory?

[Unidentified Female:] No, I don't know.
[Becky Anderson, Cnn:] This hour, all roads lead to uncertainty. Britain just hours away from a once in a lifetime vote that will set the stage for generations to come. Plus it's going to be a long, long night in Washington as lawmakers from both sides pitch against one another to discuss the charges of high crimes and misdemeanors against the U.S. President. And
[Unidentified Male:] That menacing ash cloud started to roll over the cliff and engulf the island.
[Anderson:] We meet a man who barely scraped away from an erupting volcano in New Zealand. It's 7:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi, 10:00 in the morning in D.C., it's 3:00 in the afternoon in London. A very warm welcome to your extended CONNECT THE WORLD show with me, Becky Anderson. The big story this hour, almost everything you know about the U.K. could be about to change. The way it works with the world, its economy and who lives there and why. As we are in the final day of campaigning for an election that is going from the balmy to the downright shocking. And with so much at stake, the men who want to be the next Prime Minister are going all in on one last push to get their parties over the line. Boris Johnson's Conservative Party is still comfortably ahead in the latest polling. Jeremy Corbyn's opposition Labour Party is closing that gap hard and fast. It really could go any way on Thursday. And the pressure seems to be making things, well, just a little bizarre. Just hours ago, the Prime Minister apparently dodging a reporter's question about appearing on the morning TV show and then seeming to run off to take cover in a milk truck. Have a look at this.
[Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister:] Come on. Very good.
[Unidentified Male:] Tell me sir, will you deliver on your policy
[Johnson:] Of course I will. Thank you very much. Put that right there.
[Anderson:] Well this after an election that no one seems to have wanted in the first place except perhaps Boris Johnson himself. CNN's Matthew Chance starts us off this hour with two of the most marginal seats in the country to find out who, if any of the candidates, can win voters over. Have a look at this.
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Welcome to Dudley in the English Midlands where ancient traditions are being overturned. Don't worry, the old town crier is still going strong but the overwhelmingly Brexit supporting locals are questioning long-held political allegiances thinking of voting for the other side.
[Unidentified Male:] I would possibly vote Conservative now.
[Chance:] Conservative?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Chance:] This is a traditional Labour place.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, I know it is. But I would vote Conservative at the moment now. I'm going to change.
[Unidentified Female:] I've always voted Labour. I've always voted, but now I don't know.
[Chance:] What's making you you've always voted Labour. What's making you hesitant for voting Labour this time?
[Unidentified Female:] I don't know if Jeremy Corbyn is up to the job.
[Chance:] And it's not just the voters here turning their backs on Labour. In a local pub, we met the area's former Labour MP now urging the people of Dudley to vote Conservative.
[Ian Austin, Former British Labour Mp:] For the first time in my life, I've decided to vote for Conservatives. And I did that because I think that Jeremy Corbyn is not fit to run our country. And I don't think he can be trusted to defend our country. I don't think he's a patriot.
[Chance:] It's a big step to take, isn't it? I mean, for people around the world watching this changing support from Labour to Conservative is huge. Isn't it?
[Austin:] It's a massive thing. I join the Labour party at the age of 18 35 years ago here in Dudley. I've never been a member of any other political party. I've never voted for anybody else until this year, I could never have managed that this would happen.
[Chance:] What's happening in this constituency of Dudley is also taking place across the country. Brexit, disillusionment with politics and politicians are turning traditional party loyalties upside down making this British general election particularly tough to fight and hard to predict. [voice-over]: And, of course, the changes cut in all directions. Take the suburb of Kingston outside London where a mixture of disillusionment and anger at Brexit among remain voting locals like Rick the barber is threatening a long-held Conservative Party majority.
[Rick, Barber:] I'm not going to vote. I won't be voting, no.
[Chance:] Why?
[Rick:] I won't be voting because I don't agree with any of I think it's all corrupt. And whoever we vote for I don't even count it anyway. That's my view.
[Chance:] Are there any politicians in Britain that you think deserve your vote?
[Rick:] No.
[Chance:] No? No one? Boris Johnson?
[Rick:] Nope.
[Unidentified Female:] This year I'm changing because I heard it wasn't happening about the leadership.
[Chance:] It's a mood the local Labour candidate hopes she can turn her way in an area once represented by Winston Churchill himself, the doyenne of British Conservative leaders. She admits she's facing an uphill struggle to engage voters at all, especially in the dark winter months of this election campaign. [on camera]: To what extent are you hearing mad on the doorstep.
[Faiza Shaheen, U.k. Labour Candidate For Chingford And Woodford Green:] A lot of people are disillusioned with politics right now. And I don't blame them. You know, I think there's a lot of mistrust and they've seen so much misinformation and lies. People are really struggling to see who they can trust in this world.
[Chance:] And who in this most consequential British election deserves their vote. Matthew chance, CNN, London.
[Anderson:] Well CNN will have extensive coverage of the election in the hours ahead. Our reporters found out across the British Isles. This hour we get the story in Edinburgh and Scotland with Scott McLean and on some of the dirty tricks of the campaign, Hadas Gold standing by in London for you. And I'm delighted to welcome back to CNN a man who has forgotten more about British politics than many of us will ever know. He's taught me everything I know about British politics, Mr. Robin Oakley, our political analyst. Let's start with the story, if we can, at the top of the country as it were or the British Isles, and Edinburgh in Scotland, what's the story there Scott?
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey, Becky. The battle lines in Scotland are much less about party and more about Brexit and Scottish independence. That dynamic is more likely to benefit Conservatives in the Scottish National Party squeezing out Labour and Liberal Democrats. Even Liberal Democrat leader Joe Swinson is facing a serious challenge for her own seat.
[Unidentified Female:] Jean, why don't you go with four and I'll go to number two and Tom you can do five.
[Mclean:] At 27, Amy Callahan is young for political standards but has no shortage of life experience. The Scottish National Party candidate in suburban Glasgow has had to fight for her own twice. At age 19, she had a cancerous lump removed from her cheek. It came back two years later. She was treated by Britain's Public Health System, the
[Nhs. Amy Callahan, Scottish National Party Candidate:] My experience with cancer has only spurred a desire to make sure NHS is protected. And I'm not silent here as a candidate for the Scottish National Party. Five years cancer-free because of what NHS has done for me.
[Mclean:] It saved your life?
[Callahan:] Yes, it saved my life twice.
[Mclean:] In this election, though, Callahan has another uphill battle against Liberal Democrat leader Joe Swinson. Political heavy with the advantage of a national profile and 12 years as the MP for East Dunbartonshire. But she's been beat once before.
[Callahan:] No one has got a divine right to a seat here. You need to earn that right.
[Mclean:] From the outset of the campaign 39-year-old Swinson set her sights on Number 10. Boldness dwarfed only by her party's central campaign promise to cancel Brexit without a second referendum. After a strong start in the polls, Liberal Democrats have been on a steady slide. Katie Gordon is Swinson's longtime local campaign manager. She remembers how it felt to lose the seat in 2015 and to win it back two years later.
[Katy Gordon, Liberal Democrat Campaign Chair, East Dunbartonshire:] This time I'd say it's somewhere between the two. You know, there's warm support. There's also a lot of people fundamentally motivated by independents.
[Mclean:] Independents has transformed Scotland from reliantly Labour red to S&P yellow. Conservatives have since made inroads but Liberal Democrats who oppose a second independence vote have felt the squeeze.
[Gordon:] So if you have one dividing line that's about, you know, your loyalties to deal with independence or not, and then you have another dividing line about leave or remain in Europe, and so it's much harder to predict these days, I think.
[Mclean:] On the High Street in Kirk and Tele we found another dividing line when we asked [on camera]: how do you feel about Jo Swinson?
[Unidentified Male:] I cannot stand her personally.
[Unidentified Female:] Really.
[Unidentified Male:] Not a nice person. Doesn't deserve to be in power in any way shape or form.
[Unidentified Female:] So 17.4 million people who voted to leave would have no voice. So no, I won't be voting Lib Dem. She's not done much for this end. They say you're fine if you are for her at the other end of East Dunbartonshire in the very affluent end.
[Mclean:] But even seven miles west we found kind words.
[Unidentified Female:] She's been an excellent MP for the area.
[Mclean:] But not a lot of votes.
[Unidentified Female:] Jo Swinson, she started well but some of the things she said, like Article 50 revoking. I don't think she's got a good grip at the moment. She's lost the floor completely. I used to vote for her, but I don't anymore because I think she's just become too extreme.
[Mclean:] In Scotland, there are no safe seats, not even it seems for a national party leader. Now Jo Swinson is wrapping up her campaign in Conservative held parts of London. Meanwhile, the Scottish National Party currently holds 35 of the 59 seats near Scotland. Obviously, they would like to win more, but the former Scottish Conservative leader has promised to skinny-dip in Loch Ness if the party wins more than 50 seats Becky.
[Anderson:] Hadas, the Lib Dems not likely to win this by any stretch of the imagination, but there are appeals for tactical voting. Which may be one of the reasons we're seeing a narrowing in the polls between the two major parties that of Boris Johnson and his Conservatives and indeed the Labour Party run by Jeremy Corbyn. And if we thought that this campaign would be clean, well we were entirely wrong.
[Hadas Gold, Cnn Reporter, European Politics, Media And Business:] Yes, Becky, that's true. Campaign tricks are as old as a campaign buttons or slogans. But this election in particular has been very, very dirty. Some experts I've spoken to said that it's the dirtiest campaign they've seen. Especially when it comes to online information. So here are some of my top dirtiest tricks of the U.K. election. The first is the fake fact-checking Twitter account we saw from the Conservatives during the first live debate. They changed their party press account to make it look like a fact-checking account. The second is selectively edited videos on social media. This is for example, like we saw the video where it seemed as though Keir Starmer, the Labour Brexit secretary was not able to answer a question in an interview. When in fact, he did answer the question in the interview completely. Then we have the anonymous misleading briefings. This is when you get briefings from senior government sources or senior political sources to reporters. Reporters then get put that information online but it might not turn out to be true. We might see that later on the story is totally different. We've seen campaign pamphlets that look exactly like the local newspapers. These are pretty much fake newspapers. It might be hard to tell at first glance but they're campaign pamphlets. And then of course the classic dodging of the interviews or dodging a debate. We saw from Prime Minister Boris Johnson who failed to show up to the climate change debate by channel 4. And I think what these issues, especially around social media show, is that it's a wild west when it comes to online. Though we have regulations in the U.K. around for example political ads on broadcast, there are absolutely no rules or regulations when it comes to online. And all of the political parties, nobody has clean hands in this election when it comes to posting or using potentially misleading information online. And especially because these regulations can continue through polling day, the experts I've spoken to say the next few hours will be especially important to be vigilant about the information that people see online.
[Anderson:] Robin, we care about this election, not least because the outcome will effectively decide Brexit. Which, of course, is the biggest issue in at least a generation, facing not just the Brits, but Europe. So what's the latest polling suggesting at this point?
[Robin Oakley, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, the latest polling is suggesting it's getting a little bit closer. Early polling for most of the campaign, it appeared the Conservatives had a lead of 10 or 12 points over Labour. That seems to be squeezed a little bit. A little bit of tactical voting coming in. The Tories, the Conservatives have a lead of 10 or 12 points over Labour. That seems to be squeezed a little bit, a little bit of tactical voting coming in. The Tories are clearly worried that those polls will have made some of their own voters complacent. And some of the ones who voted remain in the referendum who don't like Boris Johnson's line on Brexit and have been tempted to vote Lib Dem, they're trying to bring them back into the Conservative fold by saying that a vote for anyone except Boris Johnson could put Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street. The thing is Boris Johnson has got to win a decent majority in order to be able to push through Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn, he doesn't have to win a majority necessarily to finish up at number 10 Downing Street because he could get help at a price from the Scottish National Party or indeed from the Liberal Democrats.
[Anderson:] This campaign began with reports of Russia trying to wield influence in U.K. politics. Now we see all the hallmarks of election meddling, fake news, social media and leaked documents linked to Russia. I can't now remember how many elections you've covered, but what do you make of all of this and who are you betting on at this point should you be a betting man?
[Oakley:] I think this is the most mendacious, dispiriting, depressing election I've covered and this is the 14th I think, Becky, actually. And there have been so many lies on both sides. The promises being made by the two major parties to a large extent unbelievable and both major parties, Conservative and Labour, have narrowed themselves into narrow sects of the faithful. When they both used to be broad-based parties with room for a range of opinions. That is completely gone in this election. It's a result largely on Brexit. And Brexit is now the biggest determinant I think of people's voting intentions. The tribal element in voting has gone. And of course, that's what Boris Johnson is counting on. He's hoping that he can breach the so-called red wall. That he can pick up Labour traditional Labour seats in the midlands and the north and in Wales on the grounds that a number of those seats were heavy supporters of leave in the referendum campaign in 2016. He's hoping that he can bring those people across. But will it happen when they finally get into the ballot box at the last moment. Will people who have traditionally vote forward one party all their lives, will they say, oh, you know, Brexit is the most important thing or will they revert to their traditional loyalties? That's a big question Becky.
[Anderson:] This was an election that Boris Johnson said nobody wanted. Sort of slightly slyly because many people said it's the election that Boris Johnson absolutely wanted. Whether he will get the result that he hoped for we will know in the hours to come. Thank you, guys. CNN is where it's at for the latest on what is this crucial U.K. election. We'll have special coverage on Thursday as the polls close. That starts just around 10:00 p.m. London time. Impeachment efforts against U.S. President Donald Trump move full steam ahead. What you need to know before the public debate in Congress on the charges against the president. That's next. \

[Harlow:] Welcome back. This morning, more than 100 students at a school district in Mississippi are under quarantine. This is after six students and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
[Sciutto:] And at least four cases have now been reported in the metro Atlanta school district since it opened on Monday. At least 61 students in Cherokee County, Georgia, now in quarantine. CNN's Dianne Gallagher joins us now with more. And Dianne, I imagine school districts expected this and they have some plan for how to handle it. I mean, is that plan kicking into action? Is it working?
[Dianne Gallagher, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, I think it might be too early to determine whether or not it's working, Jim. They still haven't finished the first week of school in Cherokee County and we're looking at more than 60 students that have been sent home for quarantine purposes because they've been exposed to a positive case. All of those on the first day of school, on Monday. We're talking four different cases of COVID-19. At four different schools, in one school district. And so, this is likely what we're going to continue to see happen at these districts that have chosen to allow parents to send their kids back to in-person classes. Again, we're just at this first week of school. And here in the state of Georgia, we remain at over a 10 percent positivity rate. It became just the fifth state to surpass 200,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Yesterday, and likely we'll close in at 4,000 deaths sometime this week. Dr. Birx herself saying that she is concerned specifically about the city of Atlanta because it remains high when we're talking about that positivity rate. So, it's something that parents have to consider that sending their kids in person while there are positives to that for many parents, there's also an extreme risk that we're seeing play out in schools across the state right now.
[Sciutto:] Yes, no question. All experiments here that we're watching. Dianne Gallagher
[Harlow:] Yes
[Sciutto:] Thanks very much. Let's go to CNN's Rosa Flores, she's in Miami, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is now asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit over his executive order, forcing schools to open for in- person classes this Fall. Rosa, how is the lawsuit impacting reopening plans?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] You know, Jim, it's not. Schools are moving forward with their plans, but here's what's at the center of this lawsuit. The teachers union is claiming that it is unsafe for children to walk into a school for face-to-face instruction, and that the emergency order that was issued by the education commissioner of this state that forces schools to reopen brick-and-mortar style is unconstitutional. Governor Ron DeSantis' attorneys of course disagree with that. Here are the facts. According to the Florida Department of Health, there are more than 39,000 children who have contracted this disease, more than 400 have been hospitalized and seven have died. And new this morning, we're learning more about the two teens who recently died who were reported by the Florida Department of Health. Now, according to the M.E.'s office here in Miami-Dade County, this includes a 16-year-old girl with multiple chronic conditions including spina bifida, and according the medical examiner of Pinellas County, a 17-year-old boy from Manatee County also died, who died at a hospital in Pinellas County. This little boy also had multiple chronic conditions including cerebral palsy and asthma. Now, when you look at the total cases in the state of Florida, Florida has surpassed 500,000 cases. More than 7,600 people have died and the hospital system in this state continues to be tested. This morning, there are 53 ICU hospitals at zero capacity. Meaning, they have zero ICU beds. And so hospitals are having to do things to make hospital space. We're learning this morning from Baptist Health, south Florida, Jim and Poppy, here's what they're doing. They're allowing COVID-19 patients to go home and recover at home. If they do not need acute care. And what the hospital is doing is they are monitoring them remotely, using technology to make sure that they have bed space for those patients who need critical care. Jim and Poppy?
[Harlow:] Rosa, thank you for that reporting on both fronts. Let's get to Stephanie Elam now in Los Angeles. Good morning, Stephanie, the Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti with a unique move to try to slow the virus, the spread of the virus, actually threatening to cut off water and power supplies to houses that host big parties?
[Stephanie Elam, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, and Poppy, this has been done. The mayor has done this to businesses that were repeat offenders that kept operating. When we were at that stay-at-home order earlier in the year, well, after we saw some large parties over the weekend earlier this week, where you could see people standing very close together. Many of them without masks on, this became an issue. And so the mayor is now saying, starting tomorrow night, Friday night, if anyone were to have a party, they will go ahead. These repeat offenders, they will cut their power, cut their water, really hard to have a party if you don't have water, especially if you have bathrooms, right? So, this is a way to mitigate these people getting together. The other issue, and the reason why this is important is because here in Los Angeles County, health officials are pointing out who is contracting the virus. And they're saying that of the new cases that they announced yesterday, which there are more than 2,300 that they announced. They're saying that 76 percent of those new cases were in people who were under the age of 50. And to drill into those numbers, taking a look at the people under 30, they represent 54 percent of those new cases. So these young people are the ones that are driving these cases and they're asking them to continue to do what they need to do, socially distance themselves, wear those masks. I talked to a woman yesterday who at 30 got the coronavirus. She had a stroke. She's now walking with a cane. Her younger sister who is 12 also had the virus, but was asymptomatic. This is what we're talking about here. This is very serious. And even though young people have that invincibility feeling, it's not the case, and that's not what we're seeing playing out here in Los Angeles, which is the worst
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Elam:] And hardest hit county in California right now. Jim and Poppy?
[Sciutto:] Yes, listen, no one is immune. That's a fact. Some people are at greater risk than others in terms of getting truly sick from this, but no one is immune. Stephanie Elam, thanks very much. Can the White House and Congress reach a stimulus deal by tomorrow when insiders say both sides are still far apart? We're going to be live on the Hill with the latest.
[Harlow:] We are also just a few minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street, taking a look at futures, pretty flat here. Looks like a mixed open as another 1.2 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week. Stocks closed higher across the board yesterday, the Nasdaq once again finishing at an all-time high. We'll keep a close eye on the markets. Stay with us.

[Berman:] A potentially major new development in the impeachment proceedings. We have learned that House investigators are now examining whether President Trump lied in his written answers during the special counsel probe. Joining us now is CNN legal analyst Jim Baker. He's the FBI's former general counsel. Jim, thanks so much for being with us. And this has to do specifically with whether President Trump lied in his written answers about what he knew about WikiLeaks. And let me read you the answer that has the flashing lights surrounding it. The president said, "I do not recall being aware during the campaign of any communications between the individuals named in question II [c] and anyone I understood to be representative of WikiLeaks or any of the other individuals or entities referred to in the question." He's referring to Roger Stone there. We now know from testimony in the Roger Stone trial that Rick Gates testified that Roger Stone
[Jim Baker, Cnn Legal Analyst, Director, National Security And Cybersecurity, R Street Institute, Former General Counsel For Fbi:] Right.
[Berman:] talked to the president about WikiLeaks. And there's some other testimony to that effect as well. Now, you've told me the issue here might be the president's wording "I do not recall." Why is it difficult to disprove that statement?
[Baker:] It's difficult because you're going to have to produce evidence well, let me back up. In a normal criminal case, right in a normal criminal case where someone's accused of perjury or obstruction of justice in this kind of a setting where they have said I do not recall, the government would have to come forward with evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that that was false and that the person, at the time, actually did recall and knew full well exactly what the facts were and then intentionally lied by saying that they did not recall. Of course, here, we're in a different setting. We're in an impeachment setting and so the standard is, frankly, mushier. It's not exactly clear what standard the House or, if we get to a trial, the Senate is going to is going to follow. But, you know, the president is going to have to lean heavily, even in this setting, on those words 'I do not recall.'
[Berman:] Because the way you fight it is by showing evidence. How could he not recall that everyone in the campaign knew that WikiLeaks was producing these documents everyone in the campaign? I'm using that word loosely there. Many people
[Baker:] Right.
[Berman:] in the campaign knew that there were conversations going on, and that's why House investigators want to get the grand jury material from the Mueller investigation. Why is that significant and what might it show? And what are the chances they'll actually get their hands on it?
[Baker:] Yes. Well, it appears that Paul Manafort, who was not heard from in the in the Stone trial but Paul Manafort, the former campaign manager for the president, he appears to have testified about this exact subject as well. And so, that could be very damning evidence and could counter this notion that the president did not recall if the House can get its hands on it. But there is in the Mueller report what appears to be Manafort's statements about all of this they're all blacked out. You can't you can't see exactly what it is that he said. So it makes sense that the House would be trying to get this. And they almost they almost can't not do it, right, because
[Berman:] Yes.
[Baker:] it was so blatant, what Mr. Gates said. It's in blatant contrast to what the president had testified. And this goes to you know, what Mueller was trying to figure out at this point in time goes right to the core of the question that at least the president said this was all about which was quote-unquote "collusion" or really, conspiracy, right? What were the links between the campaign and the Russians through WikiLeaks? What did they know? Mueller was trying to figure all that out and the president said well, I don't recall any of that.
[Berman:] Yes. And again, it's very significant whenever the House is investigating or Congress is investigating whether the President of the United States lied under oath. We know this president lies. Doing it under oath is a completely different thing. And, Robert Mueller, in his public testimony one of the strange moments was when he seemed to indicate that he did not think the president was being fully truthful in these answers, which I guess gets me to where we are this morning, Jim. And this some people looked at this yesterday as the president just trying to distract which, frankly, it very well might have been. But the president suggesting that he would strongly consider answering questions to the House impeachment investigators maybe in writing. How seriously do you take that? And he'd obviously be exposing himself to enormous risk there.
[Baker:] Yes, he would. And, you know, if he were to answer those questions and if he were to lie, and if the House could prove it in a trial in the Senate, then that might be something that would turn enough senators against the president. So, it's perilous, I think. Any lawyers who should be advising or who are advising the president, I think they should you know, if they're trying to figure out how to help him, should dissuade him from doing that. Now, that doesn't help the House, it doesn't help the Congress, and it doesn't necessarily help the country. But from his own very-narrowly viewed personal interest, the president would probably be making a mistake to fill out to provide written answers to the House.
[Berman:] And it's also there's no reason to believe that he is strongly considering it based on what we went through with the Mueller investigation when he claimed he wanted to answer questions to Robert Mueller and he ultimately didn't. But we will see.
[Baker:] Never did, right at least in person, right, yes.
[Berman:] Jim Baker, great to have you with us. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
[Baker:] Thank you.
[Berman:] Alisyn.
[Camerota:] OK, John. Wisconsin was one of the crucial states for President Trump's election, so how do voters there feel today about the impeachment investigation? CNN went to find out and that's next.

[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn Anchor:] Now the White House is vowing Democrats will never see the documents. This follows Democrats' unprecedented request to the IRS for six years of Trump's personal tax returns. Here is how acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is responding to that.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief Of Staff:] Keep in mind, they knew they were not going to get these taxes. They know what the law is, they know that one of the fundamental principles of the IRS is to protect the confidentiality of you and me and everybody else who files taxes. Not
[Bill Hemmer, Fox News:] To be clear, you believe Democrats will never see the president's tax returns?
[Mulvaney:] No. Never, nor should they. That is not going to happen and they know it. This is a political stunt by my former colleagues.
[Whitfield:] Never is a big shift from this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] If I decide to run for office, I will produce my tax returns, absolutely. I'm releasing when we're finished with the audit. I will release my tax returns against my lawyer's wishes when she releases her 33,000 e- mails. I'll release them when the audit is completed. As soon as that's finished, whenever that may be, and hopefully it's going to before the election. I'm fine with that.
[Whitfield:] This comes as Mulvaney reveals the White House will release a healthcare plan before the 2020 election so Republicans can tout a counter to Obamacare. And as pressure builds on the U.S. attorney general William Barr to release the Mueller report, as we near his mid-month promised release dare, Democrats are doubling down on calls for the unredacted report right now. Let's start first with the fight for the president's tax returns. CNN White House correspondent Boris Sanchez joining me now. So tell us more about this escalating fight.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, Fred. The president and some of his allies essentially are saying that this is an illegitimate political stunt. Democrats trying to open up a new front in their battle against the White House, specifically for transparency on this one. The House Ways and Means Committee demanding six years worth of the president's tax returns and tax returns related to some of his business interests. The White House knew this was coming. Sources indicate that they're preparing for this for some time. They immediately took a defensive posture. The argument from the White House is that the American people elected President Trump without ever having to see his tax returns, therefore, they say, that Democrats are trying to use this as a political weapon against the president that they do not like. We should point out the president has talked several times as you just heard about potentially releasing his tax returns once an IRS audit is completed. That IRS audit has taken up quite some time several years now, and there's no sign that it's going to be completed any time soon. In fact, it's been difficult for reporters to confirm with the IRS that such an audit is taking place. This will likely turn into yet another legal battle for the White House, one that the president is apparently prepared to take all the way to the Supreme Court Fred.
[Whitfield:] So Mulvaney also discussed this meeting, you know, held at Camp David this weekend about healthcare. What more are we learning about that?
[Sanchez:] Yes, the acting chief of staff hosting White House staffers and cabinet members at Camp David over the weekend to plot out a path forward for a Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. This would be the third such attempt by the administration to do so. Mulvaney said that he would have a plan for Congress before the 2020 election. Listen to what he said on one of the Sunday morning talk shows.
[Mulvaney:] We spent the time this weekend saying OK, what have we done, what can we talk about that's a success, what do we need to work on going forward? We talked about the individual marketplace, we talked about how we're protecting Medicare, we're talking about getting drug prices down. And I do think you'll see a plan fairly shortly.
[Hemmer:] Will you see it before the 2020 elections?
[Mulvaney:] Yes. No, we want to run on this. We're a firm believer you can't beat something with nothing. We have Republicans have better ideas than Democrats. We should not be afraid to talk about that.
[Sanchez:] You can't beat something with nothing. Mulvaney echoing what we heard from President Trump last week when he publicly told Republicans that they needed to come up with a plan to combat Obamacare. Again they have tried to repeal and replace twice already. They haven't been successful. The president telling the world he wants Republicans to be the party of healthcare Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right. Boris Sanchez, thank you so much. All right. So now we're one day closer to U.S. attorney general William Barr releasing the redacted Mueller report, which he said he would do by mid-April. But Democrats are not willing to wait. They want the unredacted version and they want it as soon as possible.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] If Republicans think that's perfectly fine because it doesn't amount to the crime of conspiracy, then we're going to part company, and I'm not going to stop making the point that we should hold our president, our campaigns, our elected officials to a higher standard than mere criminality.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor:] And you have no regrets of anything you've said in the last couple of years?
[Schiff:] I don't regret calling out this president for what I consider deeply unethical and improper conduct, not a bit.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] You can commit shameful acts, you can commit complete betrayals to the public interest without committing impeachable acts. And if you did that, the public ought to know that, too. And the standard here is not an impeachment. The standard is what was the standard is we have to protect the public from presidential misconduct from anybody else and the public has to know about it. And we have to get all the evidence so we can subject to protecting certain classified information decision that the Judiciary Committee has always made in the past and can make now, the public ought to know all of it.
[Whitfield:] Joining me right now Democratic congresswoman from Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee, member of the Judiciary Committee. Good to see you.
[Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee:] Thank you, Fredricka.
[Whitfield:] So members authorized Chairman Nadler to issue a subpoena for the full report and the underlying evidence. But as far as we know, you know, he hasn't actually, you know, received, you know, executed that request for the subpoena. So President Trump is already lashing out, he has all weekend, you know, about the investigation on Twitter. In your view is this kind of an indication that the president is particularly nervous about that report as we approach that mid-April point, according to, you know, Barr, he would be releasing at least the redacted version?
[Lee:] Well, Fredricka, before I start, we are here in Houston under a tornado watch and heavy thunderstorms. After Hurricane Harvey, I just want to encourage all of those in the region surrounding counties to please be careful and safe. There are downed power lines and to pay attention to emergency notices that are going to come through. Thank you for letting me do that. We have gone through a lot here in Houston and the surrounding areas. But this is clearly a presentation or an effort by the administration that has gone very wrong and very bad. And it started with Attorney General Barr trying to interpret and distort and direct in another direction the straightforward report that was submitted, 445 pages, by Director Mueller and the summaries. All Attorney General Barr had to do as the Starr Report was done the Starr Report, under an independent counsel, sent the report to the Congress, a Republicans Congress, and obviously I believe a slanted effort, but to Republican Congress with a message that said you have in here matters that may have relevance that are classified, sources and methods and also 6-E material, that's the criminal materials under the grand jury provision. And he said be careful of it and handle it appropriately. That's all General Barr needed to do.
[Whitfield:] And how
[Lee:] He did not do that.
[Whitfield:] Right. And how is that precedent different from circumstances today in your view? Why is the attorney general interpreting the responsibility and the information differently?
[Lee:] I think the attorney general and in this instance the Starr Mr. Starr sent these directly to the Congress following the law, that a report should be rendered to the Congress and to the American people in the public interest. Attorney General Barr already indicated his bias that he didn't think a president could be indicted by a memo or an opinion that he wrote some years ago before he became attorney general, and so he what he did is he intercepted the report and the American people don't want his intercepting and his interpretation, and it made it worse because the investigators under Director Mueller told us the truth. They said there are summaries that should have been rendered to you and Mr. Barr did not render them to us. So here's where we are. We want them immediately released. We've given him the time. He's talking about doing it in mid-April but he's also talking about redacted. We want the complete unredacted copies with the summaries, with the documentation and we in Congress who have the highest secret clearance, and Judiciary Committee that is a designated committee to do these investigations under the rule of law will appropriately handle all of this material and we will present it in the appropriate manner to the American people. But it will allow us to go on with our version, particularly about the obstruction of justice, Fredricka, where the president was not exonerated, of which he indicates that he was.
[Whitfield:] And in the meantime this week Barr is scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee and that would be, you know, Tuesday on the budget. Is it your expectation that he in some fashion might be asked about the handling of the Mueller report, content of Mueller report, his summary versus other summaries by the investigative teams? Do you see that that may happen and if it would be appropriate?
[Lee:] I can't project what the appropriators will ask. They have every right to determine how practices are utilized in the Department of Justice and as relates to their appropriations. In doing that, there may be those kinds of questions. As you well know, we intend to call General Barr and Director Mueller and a number of other individuals who we think have handled or are aware of the materials relevant to the Mueller report. In addition you well know we sent out 81 letters of materials from others who we believe had some knowledge about the Russian interference in the election and as well matters dealing with the obstruction of justice that we believe has not been fully vetted under the Mueller report or at least it has not been there have not been conclusions on who obstructed justice or who did not obstruct justice and particularly as relates to the president of the United States. So we want to, again, follow the rule of law. We want to adhere to our duties as an oversight committee dealing with the Department of Justice. We want to ask the questions about abuse of power, public corruption and obstruction, that's our job. And we want to do it without the attorney general interfering. And you know what, I have been home in my district unsolicited people have come to me and said I want this report. 56 percent of Republicans want this report. 81 percent of the American people want this report, or at least 56 percent around that number of independents want that report, 56 percent of the American people believe that they're not satisfied by the initial conclusions not because they don't believe Director Mueller but they want to see it for themselves.
[Whitfield:] And now turning to the fight over the president's tax returns. What is your reaction to the acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney who says, you know, Democrats will never see those returns?
[Lee:] Well, it clearly highlights what Democrats have been going through with this administration. First as the minority party for the last two years of the beginning of his administration, not one single thing was done to hold the administration accountable. Not one single thing was done by the Republican majority. They did spend a great deal of their time on Benghazi finding nothing. They've spent a great deal of their time trying to dig up again Secretary Clinton's e-mails which was well vetted and indicated there were no criminal acts occurring. So we had no rule of law proceeding under the past two years. Now all of the issues before Democrats are simply what the responsibility of Congress is. It is not a foot stool for the administration. It's an Article One body. We have the responsibility to do our job. This is allowed under 6103, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee has the right to ask for the tax filing of any American, and he or she, in this instance, Chairman Neal, would hold it confidentially and he has a right to determine whether or not the IRS has been effectively reviewing andor enforcing tax laws. And also
[Whitfield:] So at the same time do you run the risk of looking
[Lee:] to determine whether or not the president
[Whitfield:] Sorry to interrupt, but do you run the risk of looking overzealous, that you're trying to make up for lost time?
[Lee:] Absolutely not. And I think that's a very good question. And what I was saying is that it will also determine whether the president was under audit. Remember he was saying that throughout the entire time.
[Whitfield:] The campaign.
[Lee:] That he was running his campaign. He wasn't under oath but he was making a statement to the American people. No, I don't think that is the case because I think in the instance of Chairman Neal and the Ways and Means Committee, they have been particularly deliberative in reviewing how the knowledge of his tax filings would help them in making the IRS more effective for all of the American people. I think that's important. As relates to the Judiciary Committee, we have been studious in everything that we have begun to do. We have not had hearings that have been directly on the issues that we are concerned about. We are now investigating, studying, reviewing documents. If we were being reckless, we would immediately have hearings with no facts and make accusations against the administration. We have not done that. Our committee under Chairman Nadler does not intend to do that but we intend to do our job. And this administration has just made so many blatant statements and blatant and taken blatant actions, all of that impacts the good welfare and health of the American people. We think we have the responsibility to let them know whether their government is being run correctly, particularly under the Article Two executive.
[Whitfield:] OK.
[Lee:] Because they have a lot of power.
[Whitfield:] We'll leave it there. Thank you so much, U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas. And of course, we wish you and your constituents well with this impending storm. Thank you so much.
[Lee:] Thank you for having me.
[Whitfield:] All right. Still ahead, new breaking details on the American found alive after she was abducted by an armed gang overseas. What we're learning about the paid ransom next.

[Lemon:] The final impeachment vote set for Wednesday afternoon after a 51 out of 53 Republican senators voted today to block witness testimony in the trial. Let's bring in Democratic Senator of Maryland now. Senator, thank you. Busy, busy times. I'm so glad that you're here. So, let's talk. Why do you think your colleagues ultimately voted against having new witnesses and documents in this trial?
[Sen. Ben Cardin:] Don, this is very disappointing. The Senate under the Republican leadership has failed to carry out its constitutional responsibilities to conduct a trial. It's in the Constitution that we're required to have a trial for the articles of the impeachment. But you have to have witnesses and documents and now the Republicans have blocked the opportunity for witnesses and documents to be made available in the Senate trial. So, this is a pretty sad day. Why did they do this? It's really hard to understand. You would think it's just common sense tells you this is a matter of basic fairness, it's not a matter of whether you decide to vote for or against the impeachment. It's a matter of conducting a trial in a fair way and they have failed in that test.
[Lemon:] You know, I've been saying that it seems like new information comes out every single day. It's coming out every day. Would you like to see the House pick this back up?
[Cardin:] Well, whether the House picks it up or not the information is going to come out. We're seeing as you're right, every day. There's another bit of information that's coming out. We know that the information ultimately will get out. And then those who voted to deny the Senate the opportunity to have the information before our votes are going to be in a pretty difficult position. The House can try to do what it can on oversight with the president but recognize the president will provide no help whatsoever. We had it was a blanket defiance in the impeachment proceedings. I think the House can expect a blanket defiance by this president in any effort they have when they preside.
[Lemon:] Well, listen, the being the majority leader in the Senate is pretty powerful. Right? And being the leader of the House, the House speaker is pretty powerful as well. And I'm going to ask you, you know, get to this at end of the question. But I'm asking because sources are telling CNN that the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke by phone with the president tonight before introducing this resolution that would extend that final vote until Wednesday. The president apparently signed off. So, here's the question. What does it say about our system that the president is actually signing off on his own impeachment trial decisions?
[Cardin:] Well, I don't know if that's true or not. But we do know that
[Lemon:] If it is true. That's the reporting. That's the sources are telling
[Cnn. Cardin:] We do know we do know that Mitch McConnell was working with the president's lawyers and setting up the ground rules for the trial. He acknowledged that. He wasn't talking to the House managers. He was only talking to the president's lawyers. They coordinated everything with the president's lawyers. That's outrageous. We took an oath to be impartial in this proceeding. How are you impartial when you only talk to one party? It's not up to the president on how the Senate conducts its trial. It's up to the Senate. The majority leader should be representing the Senate not the president of the United States.
[Lemon:] Right. John Cornyn who is a Republican senator said that Democrats are trying to embarrass the president by delaying acquittal until after his State of the Union. Is that true? Is that what you're trying to do?
[Cardin:] Not in the least. What we wanted to have was a fair process. And we were not part of a process that was developed. We're not happy by how this thing is being handled next week. We would have preferred to have the debate in open session with the chief justice presiding and to give each of us an opportunity to debate the production of more documents. We didn't have a chance to debate that before the vote were place
[Lemon:] Well let me ask you this.
[Cardin:] among their selves.
[Lemon:] Then why are you postponing? Why signing off? Why not just they made their bed they lay in it. Why give the opportunity to have them speak to the American people to try to sort of assuage their own guilt about how they voted or to, for some reason to explain to them. Why not just move on?
[Cardin:] That really wasn't our choice. The majority leader has set up an opportunity which called morning business during the regular business of the United States Senate. It's not during the impeachment trial.
[Lemon:] So'what do you think of that?
[Cardin:] Well, you know, first of all, I don't object to members trying to explain their votes on this important thing as part of the record. That's perfectly fine. My objection is that we didn't have chance among ourselves to try to convince each other of our position. Debate the issues. That's what the Senate is supposed to be doing. We should be debating before the votes. But quite frankly the members had their minds made up and it had everything to do with the influence this president has and it's just wrong to conduct a trial without witnesses.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cardin:] And I'm extremely disappointed.
[Lemon:] Well, I'm just
[Cardin:] I think what happens next week will not correct the mistakes that were made in process.
[Lemon:] OK. So that was my point.
[Cardin:] This process does not pay us the constitutional
[Lemon:] Well, that was my point. And listen, I've to run because, and Laura Coates brings up a point. Brought up a good point earlier.
[Cardin:] Sure.
[Lemon:] You are going to wait six days so you can explain yourself to the American people but you couldn't wait one more day after that to hear from witnesses. I don't know if that actually makes sense.
[Cardin:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Thank you, Senator. I appreciate your time.
[Cardin:] It doesn't.
[Lemon:] All right. Thank you, sir.
[Cardin:] Thanks, Don.
[Lemon:] So, thank you for joining us. I know it's been a long day for him so we appreciate him joining us. With today's vote has the Republican Party given the president absolute power? John Kasich is here. We're going to talk about that, next.

[Sensenbrenner:] high crimes and misdemeanors. Unlike the Nixon and Clinton cases, there are no allegations that the president has committed a crime. We've had almost three years of nonstop investigations, we've had the Mueller report, we've had the Schiff investigation, we've had the Nadler investigation, and at no time is there any evidence that indicates that Donald J. Trump violated any criminal statute of the United States. So why are we here? We're here because the majority caucus, the Democratic caucus has been hijacked by the radical left. They have wanted to reverse the course of the 2016 election ever since Donald J. Trump won that election. So let's look at these two phony articles of impeachment. First of all, abuse of power. The phone call in question had the president say, "Our country has been through a lot. I want you to do us a favor" not me a favor, us a favor. And there he was referring to our country, the United States of America; not a personal, political gain. He was not afraid to let this transcript go public, and he released the transcript almost immediately after the call. Now the second Article of Impeachment, obstruction of Congress. It basically says that unless the president gives us everything we want and when we want it then he's committed an impeachable offense. That's a bunch of bunk. The president has certain individual privileges by virtue of his office. Whenever there has been a dispute between the executive and legislative branches heretofore they've gone to court. And the Supreme Court a couple weeks ago said they would take jurisdiction over deciding whether the president had to comply with one subpoena relating to his tax returns. Now here, the Democrats have been bent to impeach the president of the United States before the court decides this. And this means that there is a rush job to do this. And why is there? Because they want to influence the 2020 elections. And they've spent three years doing it, they've spent millions of taxpayers' dollars, including the Mueller report, putting together this impeachment. And they also have had this Congress wrapped around impeachment and not doing their jobs until the dam broke this week. Stop this charade. Vote no. And I yield back.
[Speaker:] [OFF-MIKE] yields back. The gentleman from New York.
[Nadler:] Sir, Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Wisconsin knows full well the president asserted no privileges here. He simply ordered complete defiance of the impeachment inquiry. I now yield two minutes to the gentlelady from Pennsylvania, Ms. Scanlon.
[Speaker:] Gentlelady is recognized.
[Scanlon:] Thank you, Speaker. And thank you, Chairman Nadler, for your leadership as we navigate this challenging time, not just for our committee and Congress, but for our country. It's with profound sadness that I stand here today in support of these Articles of Impeachment. President Trump's behavior is exactly what our founders feared most. They knew that with the awesome power of the presidency came the risk of a president abusing that power for personal gain. They were particularly concerned about an executive who became entangled with foreign governments, corrupted our elections, or sought to avoid consequences for his own misconduct in office. That is why they included impeachment in the Constitution, to protect our republic. Our colleagues across the aisle have claimed that we're impeaching the president because we don't like him, because but this moment is about more than disagreement with the president's policies or personality. Those issues belong in the voting booth. Our task here is not to judge the president himself. Instead we must judge his conduct and whether his actions have undermined our Constitution. The president has committed the highest of high crimes under our Constitution. He used the highest office in our government and taxpayer dollars to pressure a foreign country to interfere in our elections. He undermined our national security. And when he got caught, he tried to cover it up, obstructing our investigation and refusing to produce subpoenaed documents and witnesses. A government where the president abuses his power is not of the people. A government where the president pressures a foreign country to undermine our elections is not by the people. And a government where the president puts his own interests before the country is not for the people. This isn't complicated. You know it. I know it. The American people know it. President Trump's wrongdoing and the urgent threat that his actions present to our next election and our democracy leaves us no principled alternative but to support these articles of impeachment. Our Constitution, our country, and our children depend upon it. I yield back.
[Speaker:] The gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from Georgia.
[Collins:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish as the gentlelady just said, I wish they would examine the factual conduct but I guess that's not going to happen. So at this point I yield two minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Johnson.
[Speaker:] The gentleman is recognized.
[Johnson:] Thank the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Speaker. The founders of this country warned us against a single-party impeachment, because they feared it had would bitterly and perhaps irreparably divide our nation. The truth is, in the 243 years of this republic, there has never been a single-party fraudulent impeachment process like the one being used today. Our Democrat colleagues have weaponized the impeachment provision of the Constitution to nullify the votes of 63 million Americans who elected President Donald J. Trump. This is not about a phone call or Ukraine or even his use of the executive privilege. You have to remember that 95 of the Democrats on this floor today voted to impeach Donald Trump before the July 25th phone call ever happened between President Trump and President Zelensky. And not only is this a single-party impeachment, it's also evidence- free. After all their herculean efforts, they could only come up with two short articles of impeachment. On the first, the Democrats know there is zero direct evidence in this record of these proceedings to show that President Trump engaged in any abuse of power. As you'll hear today, their entire case is based on hearsay, speculation, and conjecture. And there is not a single fact witness that can provide testimony to support their baseless allegations. The Democrats' second claim is that President Trump obstructed Congress by simply doing what virtually every other president in the modern era has also done, and that is to assert, Mr. Chairman, a legitimate executive privilege, which protects the separation of powers. And you know what, if they disagreed with that, the Democrats could and should have just simply gone a few blocks away to a federal court to get an expedited court order compelling the extra documents and information they requested. That's what has always been done in the past, but they didn't do that here because these Democrats don't have time for it. They are trying to meet their own arbitrary, completely reckless and Machiavellian timeline to take down a president that they loathe. The real abuse of power here is on the part of the House Democrats. They have feverishly produced and pursued this impeachment 20 times faster than the impeachment investigation of Bill Clinton. They are trying to reach their predetermined political outcome and along the way they have steamrolled over a constitutionally guaranteed due process...
[Speaker:] Gentleman's time has expired.
[Johnson:] ... previously sacrosanct House rules, and the federal rules of civil procedure. This must fail.
[Speaker:] The gentleman's time has expired.
[Johnson:] This is a shameful day for the country. I yield back.
[Speaker:] The gentleman from New York is recognized.
[Nadler:] Mr. Speaker, the gentleman knows that impeachment was put into the Constitution as a defense of the republic in between elections. I now yield two minutes to the distinguished gentlelady from Washington, Ms. Jayapal.
[Speaker:] The gentlelady is recognized.
[Jayapal:] Mr. Speaker, this is a day of accountability and defending our democracy. The facts in front of us are clear. This president, Donald J. Trump, coerced a fragile foreign ally to investigate his political opponent and interfere in our elections. And he leveraged critically needed congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine. The president's allies want to claim that he did this because he cared about corruption. But if President Trump truly cared about corruption, then he would have listened to the talking points that were prepared by the National Security Council on anti-corruption. He did not. In fact, on those two calls with President Zelensky he never mentioned the word corruption. He did not abide by the Department of Defense's own recommendation that Ukraine had passed all the anti-corruption benchmarks. And he didn't listen to the unanimous conclusion of all of his top advisers that he must release that aid to Ukraine. He did release the aid in 2017 and 2018, but not in 2019. Why? Because in 2019, Vice President Joe Biden was running for president. Because this is not hearsay. We have a responsibility. The president told us himself on national television exactly what he wanted from the phone call with President Zelensky. He came onto the White House lawn and he said, I wanted President Zelensky to open an investigation into the Bidens. He solicited foreign interference before. He is doing it now. And he will do it again. The president is the smoking gun. Our founders, Mr. Chairman Mr. Speaker, entrusted us with the awesome responsibility of protecting our democracy which gets its power, not from the bloodlines of monarchs, but from the votes of we the people. Without that we are no longer a democracy. We are a monarchy or a dictatorship. And so today, to uphold my oath to Constitution and country, I will vote to impeach Donald J. Trump. I yield back.
[Speaker:] The gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from Georgia.
[Collins:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also remind my chairman that impeachable was never meant as a political weapon in between elections when you can't win the next one. And with that, I yield two minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Conaway.
[Speaker:] The gentleman is recognized.
[Conaway:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Other than authorizing an act of war, impeachment is the gravest item that we as Congress can consider. The decision to move forward with impeachment of a United States president is so consequential that it has only been done three times previously in our nation's history, all based on legitimate evidence of criminal behavior. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues have diminished what should be a solemn and grave proceeding into an absolute political circus simply because they don't like the man occupying the White House. The Democrats have been intent on impeaching the president since the day he took office. Their actions are clearly motivated by hatred for President Trump. This impeachment vote today is the next step in their long-held plan to remove him from office. The partisan impeachment investigation run by the House Intelligence Committee was unnecessarily held behind closed doors in a room designed to be shared as a room designed to share classified information. Nothing classified was shared during these meetings, but the result of this decision was that most members of Congress and all Americans were blocked from hearing the facts for themselves. Chairman Schiff repeatedly withheld crucial information from the Republicans, including the ability for anyone but himself and his staff to speak with the whistle-blower at the center of the investigation. He was even called out by liberal media outlets for spreading misinformation and falsehoods throughout the impeachment process. The public hearings were a complete disregard for the House rules and the decades of precedent. Republicans were not allowed to call witnesses or to make basic, basic parliamentary motions. In fact, the only witnesses allowed to testify publicly were those who fit neatly within the Democrats' predetermined narrative. Mostly importantly, we have not been presented any real evidence that proves the president is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors that is required by the Constitution to remove a duly-elected president. If there were criminal activity, as many of my Democrat colleagues claim, then where are the why are there no crimes listed in the articles of impeachment? We are forever weakening this body by turning impeachment into a political weapon. This impeachment scheme is nothing more than an attempt to conduct taxpayer-funded opposition research and damage a president's electability heading into 2020. The American people see right through this charade and are fed up. It's time for this madness to stop and for us to get back to the important work the American people sent us here to do. And I yield back.
[Speaker:] The gentleman yields back. The gentleman reserves. The gentleman from New York.
[Nadler:] Mr. Speaker, I now yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California, Mr. Lieu.
[Speaker:] The gentleman is recognized.
[Lieu:] Thank you, Chairman Nadler, for your leadership. Let's start by making this very simple. No one in America can do what Donald Trump did and get away with it. No American elected official can call up a foreign government and ask for an investigation of a political opponent. No member of Congress can call up a foreign official and ask for help in our re-election campaign. If we did that, we would likely to get indicted. No one is above the law, and the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. I first swore an oath to the Constitution when I joined the United States Air Force on active duty. An oath I took was not to a political party or to a president or to a king. It was a document that has made America the greatest nation on earth. And that document contains a safeguard for when the president's abuse of power is so extreme that it warrants impeachment. We are not here because of policy disputes. While I disagree with the president, I acknowledge that he has a right to restrict a number of refugees entering our country. He has the right to eliminate environmental executive orders. He has a right to sign a bill that has given tax breaks to the wealthy. But the president does not have a right to cheat and to solicit foreign interference in our elections. That is illegal. It is not what the voters elected him to do. And we will not stand for it. The president's actions in this case were particularly insidious because he also used our government for his private gain. He conditioned taxpayer-funded military aid and a critical White House meeting with the Ukrainian president on the requirement that Ukraine publicly announce an investigation into his opponent. And by harming Ukrainian national security, the president also harmed U.S. national security. And then the president solicited foreign interference again on the South Lawn of the White House when he again asked Ukraine to investigate his political opponent. And then he asked China, our peer competitor, to do the same. That abuse of power is not acceptable. Whether or not the Senate convicts, the House has an independent duty to do the right thing. That's why we have passed over 275 bipartisan bills that are stuck in the Senate. Whether impeaching or legislating, we'll continue to be faithful to the Constitution regardless of what the Senate may or may not do. Moreover, impeachment is a form of deterrence. Our children are watching. No president ever wants to be impeached. And whether Donald Trump leaves in one month, one year or five years, this impeachment is permanent, it will follow him around for the rest of his life, and history books will record it. And the people will know why we impeached. It's all very simple. No one's above the law; not our commander in chief, not our president. I yield back.
[Speaker:] The gentleman yields back. The gentleman from Georgia.
[Collins:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time it's my pleasure to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. McHenry.
[Speaker:] Gentleman is recognized.
[Mchenry:] I thank my colleague. In 2016, 63 million Americans went to the polls and elected Donald Trump president of the United States. House Democrats have been trying to overturn the election ever since. In fact, they've tried five additional times to the one where that's before us, to impeach the president, including the vote in May of 2017, just five months into his term. In January of this year House Democrats took control of this chamber and they were faced with a choice. They could use the tools of the majority to pursue legitimate priorities of the American people, policies that can impact their lives, or they could use the tools to undo the 2016 election. They made their choice. Since then, House Democrats have issued more subpoenas than bills have been signed into law. That tells us all we need to know about this Congress and that party. Rather than launch a legitimate investigation, Democrats turned to focus groups to workshop their language to see if they could sell this to the American people. And the American people have rejected it. Instead of negotiating with the executive branch, for instance, and allowing the courts to resolve any legitimate disputes, House Democrats rushed an impeachment vote. So here we are 12 weeks later voting whether to impeach the president based off the thinnest record in modern history. It's no surprise that the Senate is already asking for additional witnesses and more documents and real evidence. The body of evidence is weak and woefully insufficient for impeachment. And with that, I yield back on this sad day for this institution.
[Speaker:] Gentleman yields back. The gentleman from New York, Mr. Nadler.
[Nadler:] Mr. Speaker, I now yield two minutes to the gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Raskin.
[Speaker:] Mr. Raskin is recognized.
[Raskin:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. American elections belong to the American people, not the American president and not foreign powers. No president may cheat the people by working with foreign governments to steal from us a free and fair election. And no president who attempts it may cover up that cheating by systematically obstructing Congress in our work. Article II of the Constitution does not authorize a president to do whatever he wants. The reason we have a Constitution is to keep government officials from doing whatever they want. If we the people lose the certainty of free and fair elections to presidential corruption and foreign manipulation, then we lose our democracy itself, the most precious inheritance we have received from prior generations that pledged their sacred honor and gave everything they had to defend it. The struggle for democracy is the meaning of America. That is why we remain the last, best hope of a world ravaged by authoritarianism, violence and corruption. We must act now to protect our elections and safeguard constitutional democracy for the enormous and unprecedented challenges that still lie ahead of us. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
[Speaker:] Gentleman yields back. The gentleman from Georgia.
[Collins:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time it is my pleasure to yield a minute and a half to the gentlewoman from West Virginia, Ms. Miller.
[Speaker:] Gentlelady is recognized.
[Miller:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition of H.R. 755. Today is a disappointing day. It is the day my colleagues from across the aisle cast the vote that they have spent the last three years obsessing over, the vote to impeach our duly elected president. There are two charges claimed by House Democrats, and there is zero cause for either. While President Trump has led, our country has thrived and Washington liberals have failed. Despite the commitment of many of our colleagues to obstruct the Trump administration's agenda at every turn, our country continues to succeed. In this body, however, we have not been able to deliver on what Americans want and need. We still have not finished securing our border. The opioid epidemic still rages in our communities. Our infrastructure is still in dire need of an overhaul. And we still have not reached a bipartisan resolution on drug pricing. If Congress hadn't spent the last year stuck in a divisive, ugly, partisan impeachment debacle think of what we could have done, the lives that could have been saved, the communities that could have been improved, the crisis on our southern border ended, and the positive work that we should do for our country but we didn't, all because of divisive political theatrics. Congress can do better than this, and America deserves better. I yield back my time.
[Speaker:] The gentlelady yields back, and the gentleman from Georgia reserves. The gentleman from New York.
[Nadler:] Mr. Speaker, I now yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Rhode Island, Mr. Cicilline.
[Speaker:] Gentleman's recognized.
[Cicilline:] Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Articles of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States. Mr. Speaker, no one runs for Congress to impeach a president, but this president has left us no choice. President Trump abused the enormous powers of his office when he solicited foreign interference for the purpose of helping him in his reelection campaign in 2020. The president betrayed our national security and undermined the security of our elections when he put his own personal, political interests ahead of the interests of our country. He tried to cheat to win reelection. And this wasn't an attack on Vice President Biden. This was an attack on our democracy. And if we do not hold the president accountable today, we will no longer live in a democracy. We will live in a dictatorship where any future president will be free to abuse their office in order to get reelected. So today every member of this chamber faces a choice, whether to do what the Constitution demands and the evidence requires, or to turn a blind eye to the president's grave misconduct, blind eye to the overwhelming evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors. To my friends on the other side of the aisle I say this: This is not about making history, this is about holding a lawless president accountable in the way our framers intended. This is a time to put our country over your political party. Do not seek safety in the high grass of a vote against these articles. We are all Americans; show the American people your devotion to your country is more powerful to your loyalty to your political party. United we can defend our democracy from all enemies foreign and domestic. Divided we risk losing our democracy. All you have to do is look at the evidence, because it will leave you with only one answer: The president of the United States must be impeached. Remember these facts: He tried to cheat, he got caught, he confessed and then he obstructed the investigation into his misconduct. For our democracy, for our Constitution, for the people you represent, and for all who will inherit our country from us, I pray you will do the right thing. And I yield back.
[Speaker:] The gentleman yields back. The gentleman from Georgia.
[Collins:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this point it gives me pleasure to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Rogers.
[Speaker:] Gentleman's recognized, Mr. Rogers.
[M. Rogers:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in complete and total support of President Trump. The matter before the House today is based solely on a fundamental hatred of our president. It's a sham, a witch hunt, and is tantamount to a coup against a duly elected president of the United States. This is a sad day for our nation when one political party, along with their cohorts in the deep state and the mainstream media, try to hijack our Constitution. The Democrat majority has irresponsibly turned the impeachment process into a political weapon, something that Republicans refused to do when our base was calling for the impeachment of President Obama. It is well past time for the House to move beyond this hoax and put our nation first. That's exactly what President Trump is doing. The United States has record-low unemployment, historic performance in the stock market. President Trump is rewriting failed trade deals with of the past to put America first. He's rebuilding our military. He helped create the Space Force. And the list goes on. I implore my colleagues to end this spectacle now. I yield back.
[Speaker:] Gentleman yields back.
[Off-mike) Speaker:] The gentleman reserves. Gentleman from New York, Mr. Nadler.
[Nadler:] Mr. Speaker, I'm hearing a lot from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, except a defense of President Trump's conduct, which is indefensible. I now yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida, Mr. Deutch.
[Speaker:] Gentleman from Florida is recognized.
[Deutch:] Some say this impeachment is about eight lines in a call transcript, but there is so much more. This is about a scheme that lasted months and involved dozens of Trump administration officials. Look at the evidence. Look at the direct evidence: text messages, e-mails, calls, and meetings. Way back in May, the president told his team, "Talk to Rudy Giuliani." The president's message: no White House meeting unless Ukraine helped him in the 2020 election. Ambassador Sondland said there was a prerequisite of investigations into the Bidens and announcement of an investigation was a deliverable. Ambassador Volker said the most important thing for the Ukrainian president to do was to commit to an investigation of the Bidens. Just before the July 25th call, Volker told the Ukrainians, "assuming President Z convinces Trump he will investigate, we will nail down a date for a visit to Washington." The direct evidence kept coming after the call More texts, more e- mails, more calls, all with the same message: if Ukraine didn't announce an investigation into the president's political rival, then they wouldn't get the White House meeting that they had been promised and they wouldn't get the aid that they needed in their war against Russia. American presidential power comes from the people through elections, and the Constitution requires that we protect those elections. But when the president abused his power to solicit foreign interference, he was cheating American voters before they even had a chance to vote. President Trump's actions force us to protect our elections and the Constitution. I urge my colleagues to defend the Constitution, support these Articles of Impeachment, and remind the world that in America no one is above the law. I yield back.
[Speaker:] The gentleman yields back. The gentleman from Georgia.
[Collins:] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I would remind this whole body that there is more than eight lines. In fact, there's four facts: There was no pressure, there was no conditionality, they did nothing to get it, and they got the money. With that, I yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Spano.
[Speaker:] Gentleman's recognized.
[Spano:] I rise in opposition to this political effort to remove President Trump from office. I'm not surprised this day has come, but I am disappointed. Disappointed because impeachment's one of the most consequential decisions that we can make in this body, and this impeachment is based purely on partisan motives. Speaker Pelosi said we shouldn't go down this path unless there was something compelling, overwhelming and bipartisan because of how divisive it would be. Unfortunately, it's clear the majority has had laser focus on one thing for three years: impeaching the president. The majority's failed to deliver for the American people. They failed to pass a budget on time. Failed to pass the spending bills on time. And failed to deliver bipartisan solutions that will actually help improve the lives of Americans. But the American people see through this sad charade to what it is: an attempt to undo the 2016 election based on hearsay and opinion, not fact. The transcript of the call showed no conditions were placed on the aid. President Trump and Zelensky have said there was no pressure. And Ukraine received the aid without taking any actions. The Constitution is clear: The president may only be impeached for committing treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Nowhere in the two Articles of Impeachment brought today does it argue that the president has committed treason, bribery or any crime under the law. This is not overwhelming. It is not compelling. It is not bipartisan. But the speaker has right she was right in one way: This is incredibly divisive and has lowered the bar for what future presidents will face. I strongly oppose the articles before us today and I hope that we will finally move past this nightmare and get to work to deliver results for the American people. I yield back.
[Speaker:] Gentleman yields back.
[Off-mike) Speaker:] Gentleman reserves. The gentleman from New York is, again, recognized.
[Nadler:] Mr. Speaker, the evidence is clear that President Trump took advantage of Ukraine's vulnerability and abused the powers of his office to pressure Ukraine to help his reelection campaign. This is the highest of high crimes and President Trump must be held to account. And I now yield two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California, Mr. Correa.
[Speaker:] The gentleman is recognized.
[Correa:] And I thank the gentleman for yielding. As a member of Homeland Security Committee, I know firsthand the dangers that foreign interference in our elections present to our democracy. As a member of Congress, it is my sworn duty to ensure that our nation is secure from all threats, foreign and domestic. And Congress has a constitutional job to investigate allegations of misconduct by the executive branch, including the United States president. The Constitution is the highest law of the land, created a system of checks and balances to prevent the creation of a king. And Congress is a coequal branch of our nation's government equal with the presidency with duties that are given to us by the framers. This is a very sad day, and I do not take impeachment lightly. Yet I'm here to do my job as a member of Congress.

[Paul:] So, 25 minutes past the hour right now, and recent poll show support growing for President Trump's impeachment and removal from office but that same vulnerability doesn't seem to be as clear with his base. Are they sticking with him as they have during past scandals? Well, CNN's Martin Savidge asked voters in Florida, which is a key swing state, whether the ongoing impeachment inquiry has any real effect on their opinion.
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Welcome to Orlando, Florida, not the land of make-belief, but where people live and vote. And we're talking to Trump voters about impeachment.
[Richard Domzalski, Trump Voter:] I don't think he's getting a fair deal out I think it's very political.
[Savidge:] Nearly three weeks into the formal congressional inquiry, polling shows a noticeable shift in the public's attitude towards impeachment. A Fox News poll released this week found 51 percent of registered voters supported President Trump's impeachment and remove from office. We wanted to see if shifting polls suggest Trump vulnerability among his base in the swing region of a key state. For most, the short answer is no. Does it change your opinion of this president?
[Brian Baines, Trump Voter:] In this case, no, no.
[Savidge:] And you don't believe he's done anything wrong or broken any sort of oath of office?
[Baines:] In this case, no.
[Savidge:] On camera, no Trump voter tells us the president should be impeached. Do you believe this president has used his office for political gain?
[Domzalski:] In this particular case?
[Savidge:] Yes.
[Domzalski:] I don't think so.
[Savidge:] Most Trump voters we spoke with called the impeachment inquiry a sham put on by Democrats full of unsubstantiated claims to downplay the president's phone call with the president of Ukraine that seems to seek dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden. You've seen the transcript of the phone call; I'd like you to do us a favor.
[Domzalski:] I've seen the transcript. I haven't read the whole thing.
[Savidge:] But off camera, we did find Trump voters troubled by the president's actions. In fact, two admitted it was wrong, but stopped short of calling for the president's removal. At a Latinos for Trump rally outside Orlando, we found something that should concern the Trump administration. Though these Trump voters say they've heard nothing so far in the impeachment inquiry to change their support Has any of this caused you to question or second-guess your vote in '16?
[Nancy Acevedo, Trump Voter:] Never, ever. We need to elect Trump for four more years to make sure that, you know, his agenda is completed.
[Savidge:] All we spoke with did say the inquiry should continue. Do you want the process to at least go forward?
[Sergio Ortiz, Trump Voter:] I want the process to go through the whole shebang.
[Savidge:] Even as they work for Trump's re-election, these Trump voters say they reserve the right to change their mind. Is it something that could come to light that would change your feelings?
[Maria Sotolongo, Trump Voter:] Maybe. It depends what it is, what is truth.
[Savidge:] There's no question that the impeachment inquiry has raised a level of political tension in this country to a whole new realm. We've been talking to Trump voters for years now on all kinds of topics in all different places, but never have we had as much difficulty engaging or getting people to talk on camera with us on a subject more so than this one, impeachment. People are either so angry or so over it, they simply just don't want to talk. Martin Savidge, CNN, Orlando.
[Paul:] Martin, thank you. And there is growing concern this morning that Turkey is looking to gain more control in Syria. A U.S. official tells CNN, Turkey could be trying to push further into an area mainly occupied by Kurds.
[Blackwell:] That official says Friday's strikes which landed near U.S. troops is evidence of their move. The Pentagon confirmed U.S. forces came under fire from Turkish artillery. They say no one was injured. CNN Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon is following the latest from the TurkishSyrian border. Arwa, what are you learning this morning?
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, Turkey has made its intentions from the beginning quite clear, starting with the map that President Erdogan showed at the U.N. general assembly that depicted a push by Turkey some 18 miles into Syria and extending along hundreds of miles along the border that would encompass the area where the strike took places that was quite close to where U.S. forces are located. One of the areas where they are located near the town of Kobane. And of course, all along this area that is right now behind us where the smoke is rising, that is Syrian territory. And as this offensive has gone forward, hundreds of thousands of civilians on the Syrian side, Syrian Kurds, most of them have had to flee this fighting. On the Turkish side, there has as is to be expected a reaction. And we have had some artillery strikes happening also mostly in civilian areas here. And because of the way the population is split and what the demographics here are, a fair number of those strikes have, in fact, killed Kurdish civilians inside Turkish territory, people who live here. And we went to the funeral for six of them earlier this morning which was quite devastating, especially when it comes to the fact that they're not just burying their loved ones, their friends, their relatives, but because of the fact that they are pained by all of this in ways that are very difficult for many of them to describe because many of the Kurds who live here in Turkey have historic ties to those who live in Syria. They are relatives their extended families are over there. One of Turkey's aims, President Erdogan has said is too then once they've secured the safe zone, as they're calling it, to move some of the millions of refugees who live inside Turkey into this area upwards of two million mostly Syrian-Arab refugees. Turkey is saying could potentially be resettled in this area, problem is that's not where they're from, and it is potentially going to significantly change the demographic along this border. It's also highly unlikely that this fighting will remain will remain neatly contained into this border zone. And so, there are some foreseen consequences of this that we're hearing many warning about like the resurgence of ISIS, and the loss of the gains being made about ISIS. And then, there are, of course, unforeseen ones as well.
[Paul:] Arwa Damon, good description for us. Thank you so much.
[Blackwell:] Well, the Pentagon is deploying extra troops to Saudi Arabia. Multiple U.S. officials tell CNN, the leading commander in the Middle East requested the extra troops and the U.S. Navy needs help to turn potential Iranian aggression.
[Paul:] President Trump says they're being sent because Saudi Arabia is a "good ally". And the move comes as the president is facing bipartisan criticism for pulling troops out of northeastern Syria. In the last month, the U.S. has deployed an additional 3,000 forces to the area sending a clear signal that the security of Saudi Arabia is a top priority for the
[U.s. Blackwell:] With us now is Colonel Cedric Leighton, retired U.S. Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst. Colonel, welcome back.
[Col. Cedric Leighton , Cnn Military Analyst:] Thanks so much, Victor. Good to be with you.
[Blackwell:] Let's start at the Turkish-Syrian border and then moved to Saudi Arabia. Officials tell CNN that there's a growing concern with the scope of this of Turkeys operation even the artillery that was the strikes near Kobane, near where U.S. troops were that's outside of the zone. According to this official, the Turkey said that they would operate. Can Turkey be pushed back restricted now?
[Leighton:] Only diplomatically. So, what you're looking at is, in essence, as Arwa was reporting, a move forward into an area that goes beyond the 18 miles that Turkey said that it would take as part of their Operation Peace Spring, which is this operation that's going on right now. So, what the Turks will probably do is move a little bit beyond that, at least, initially in order to secure their forces. They'll, at least, try to do that but they're going to meet some resistance from Turkey from, excuse me, from Kurdish forces. And those Kurdish forces could very well make it a little bit more difficult for the Turks to realize those goals.
[Blackwell:] So, the president suggested on social media and his rallies this week that mediating a ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurds that that's possible. What's your degree of confident that that's plausible and why would the Kurds now trust the U.S. again after working with U.S. military for so long, and now the military is leaving?
[Leighton:] Well, the factor of trust among the Kurds for the United States has hit really an all-time low. So, to have us play the role of mediator in a situation like this, I would be great except I don't find it to be very realistic. I think it would be highly unlikely they'd probably turned to another player such as Russia or even Iran before they turn to the U.S. And that's a real danger for U.S. foreign policy going forward especially in this region.
[Blackwell:] And Moscow is saying that they're going to try to get a deal. So, that is on the table as well. I want you to listen to President Trump here. This is at one of his rallies this week talking about his decision to pull U.S. forces out of northern Syria.
[Trump:] We don't have any soldiers there because we've left, we won, we left, take a victory United States. We left, take a victory. Take victory.
[Blackwell:] Well, there are still U.S. troops elsewhere in the country but SDF, the Syrian Defense Forces reported that five ISIS militants have escaped prison. ISIS called or claimed response SDF the Syrian Defense Forces reported that five ISIS militants have escaped prison Isis called or claimed responsibility for a car bomb. I want you to reconcile what you heard from the president there and what still has to be done in Syria?
[Leighton:] Well, what the president said is actually factually incorrect. You know, we yes, we defeated ISIS in terms of their Caliphate, their physical Caliphate, the actual territory that they controlled. But this is not about territory; this is about hearts and minds. And it's really irreconcilable with the reality on the ground. The ISIS fighters, the ones you mentioned that escaped, as well as, those that are hiding in sleeper cells throughout this region, I can very well be activated very quickly. And the minute that you take the pressure off of them, they can become very real, real fast, and they can do some very bad things not only to the Turkish troops that are coming in, but also to the Kurds and to American forces if they if they encounter them.
[Blackwell:] Saudi Arabia now and I want you to listen to the president, this is in Minnesota on Thursday.
[Trump:] And all of the blood and treasure we sacrificed made the Middle East left it's really it's less safe, it's less stable, and it's less secure. And I say it all the time, the single greatest mistake our country made in its history was going into the quicksand of the Middle East.
[Blackwell:] OK. So, he says the single greatest mistake was going to the quicksand of the Middle East. Department of Defense says 3,000 troops Saudi deployment have been authorized or extended in the last month. Across the region, the U.S. has increased forces into about 14,000 since May. Now, some of the Saudi deployment is because of mechanical issues, but this seems to contradict the president's rhetoric against what he calls the policing. But is this in the best interest of the U.S. this additional deployment to Saudi Arabia??
[Leighton:] So, yes, you can definitely make the argument that it is in the best interest of the U.S. And if I were advising the president, I would say this is the right thing to do. The rhetoric on the other hand from his rally in Minnesota presents a false picture of what's really going on here. What we're dealing with is the need to defend certain areas in the Middle East. And you see the issue, you know, you take some troops off the table, the 50 or so that left northeastern Syria. But you put about 3,000 as you mentioned back into another part of the Middle East to different missions, different types of weapon systems that these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines use. But, still, you're putting more forces in there, and they're serving basically a traditional function of a tripwire against anybody who wants to attack Saudi Arabia. So, it's a very traditional role for the United States to play in the region. And it's not very much different from things that we've seen before, even before the first Gulf War.
[Blackwell:] Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you, sir.
[Leighton:] You bet, Victor, anytime.
[Paul:] Well, the White House is stonewalling the impeachment inquiry and Democrats say the administration's failure to comply is "further evidence of obstruction". Our next guest says, he doesn't believe any president should be impeached in their first term.

[Ripley:] Remember how President Trump said that the North Korean short-range ballistic launches don't really bother him? Well, now, a top North Korean official is using the president's own words to justify the repeated provocations that are in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. North Korea also threatening to freeze South Korea out of the talks with the U.S. This is according to North Korea's state-run news agency. Pyongyang also escalating its effort to stop joint military drills staged by South Korea and the U.S. even though their own drills continue unabated. On Saturday, President Trump tweeted that he received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a letter complaining about the exercises and saying that Kim wants to restart negotiations, which President Trump is apparently open to. For the latest on all of this, let's bring in CNN's Paula Hancocks live in Seoul. Not a great time for South Korean President Moon Jae- in, who has staked his claim on being a mediator. Now, North Korea is saying they could freeze him out.
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, that's right, Will. I mean, North Korean Foreign Ministry, speaking and writing in state- run media, has slammed South Korea, saying that they could cancel all talks with Seoul if they decide to carry on with these joint military drills or if they don't give a valid excuse for why they're carrying them out. Now bear in mind, these drills they started yesterday, officially. They'll be going on until the 20th of August. They are not the large field exercises that you usually see at the end of some of those who have been downsized significantly, officials say, so that they can give diplomacy a chance to work. What we're seeing is soldiers sitting at computers and simulated exercises, but still enough to annoy North Korea. And we've only seen that over recent weeks. Five missile tests in 2 12 weeks. The U.S. president, Donald Trump, as well, is downplaying the fact that these drills are going these launches are going ahead. He has said they are not nuclear tests, they are not long-range ICBM missile tests so he's OK with it. He also talked over the weekend and tweeted about the letter that he received from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling it very beautiful, calling it very positive, and also saying that Kim Jong Un has said that he is willing to meet and start negotiating as soon as these joint military drills are over. But, of course, bear in mind just a couple of months ago when he met President Trump at the DMZ, he said that he would start negotiations within a couple of weeks. So, once again, North Korea pushing back the start of those negotiations. Now, President Trump also saying there was a small apology within that letter for the short-range missiles Will.
[Ripley:] But, President Trump essentially giving his permission for those launches to continue all but guarantees we'll see more as these drills go on in the coming weeks. Paula Hancocks live in Seoul. Thank you.
[Kosik:] OK, let's get a check on "CNN Business" this morning. Taking a look at global markets, it looks like Asian stocks are recovering after a volatile week last week. China set the reference point for the yuan at just over seven for per dollar today and that's the third session in a row it's above that psychological that psychologically important number on Wall Street. Checking out futures here, we're seeing red arrows before the opening bell. We've seen futures a little choppy this morning as the yuan is slightly stronger than expected. And markets are closely watching the exchange rate after fears last week that the trade war could become a currency war. Universal Pictures pulling its release of the movie "The Hunt". The decision comes a week after the two deadly mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. The movie depicts strangers who wake up and discover they are the target of a violent hunt. The studio said in a statement that now is not the right time to release this film, but it did not address whether the decision was directly related to the two tragedies. The film was set to be released on September 27th. The hard seltzer market having a movement here and it's about to get even bigger. Brewing company AB InBev launching a new line of spiked seltzer. It will be made under the Natural Light brand, which is known for its affordability. The new drink will face off against category leader White Claw. That drink saw its sales grow 283 percent in July compared to last year. The new Natural Light seltzer will be 20 percent cheaper than White Claw and sold in larger packages. You're going to be first to drink it, I know it.
[Ripley:] I had no idea hard seltzer was even a thing. I leave the U.S. and look what happens.
[Kosik:] All right, we'll be right back.

[Camerota:] Remember the horrible stories of all the children who were separated from their parents at the border by immigration officials at the direction of the Trump administration? Well, if you think that all of those kids have been reunited with their families, you're wrong. Five hundred and forty-five children are still without their parents. It turns out that hundreds of those parents were deported without anyone knowing their address. The American Civil Liberties Union has been trying to reunite these families along with the organization called Justice in Motion. And joining us now is Cathleen Caron, the founder of the executive director of Justice in Motion. Cathleen, thanks so much for being here. It got all of our attention when we saw 545 kids still not reunited with their families. How can that still be the number all these years later?
[Cathleen Caron, Executive Director, Justice In Motion:] Well, there was a huge batch of parents that weren't revealed to the ACLU and the steering committee members that were court appointed, along with Kinds and Women's Refugee Commission and the law firm Paul Weiss. These numbers and people were not revealed to us. So it wasn't until an internal government report revealed that there were 1,000 more families separated. And then the government refused to hand over the money, the ACLU had to sue and finally get the information and now we're searching.
[Camerota:] Where have these 545 kids been?
[Caron:] Well, we're trying to figure that out. I mean we, Justice in Motion, focuses on what we call the unreachables, the hardest of them to find. So once the rest of the steering committee partners have determined we can't find them, they're unreachable, they turn to Justice in Motion and the Justice in Motion Defender Network. We have over 46 organizations and human rights lawyers we collaborate with in Central America and we're deploying them to do arduous searches to find those parents and to figure out what is happening with their children.
[Camerota:] But, I mean, in terms of these 545 kids, some of whom were under five years old, have they been in shelters? Have they been with relatives? Where have they been since 2017?
[Caron:] All of the above. We're trying to determine that case by case, family by family. But what we're finding are some are in foster care in the United States, some have been released to family members in the United States and a small amount have been returned. But they're not with their families. And this is why it's so important that we find them all, talk to the parents and figure out if what the parent to help the parent gain control over the future of their children, because kids can never be taken away from their parents.
[Camerota:] Well, what the DHS is suggesting is that these parents don't want to be reunited with their kids. They brought their kids here to the U.S. They were seeking a better life or they you know, sometimes the DHS suggests that they were somehow trying to scam the U.S. Either way, they don't want the kids back is what the DHS is suggesting because they made it here to the U.S. and that was their plan. Here's the statement from a spokesperson. The simple fact is, after contact has been made with the parents to reunite them with their children, many parents have refused. Is that your experience?
[Caron:] No, it's not. Its' the experience is that these parents are making really difficult, desperate decisions to protect their family members. The Trump administration purported to claim that this decision to separate families was to deter migration. If you want to deter migration, you support the rule of law and democracy in these countries. People are fleeing because there's desperate they're desperate to protect their families. They had no choice but to go north and that they don't necessarily some of these families want the kids to come back because it's too dangerous. They want to be reunited in the United States, which is never their plan to leave them behind.
[Camerota:] Right, so they some of them, most, wanted to apply for asylum because they were coming from violent situations and they still want to be with their kids. And, in fact, I know that you have witnessed some of these reunifications.
[Caron:] That's exactly right. We had, in January, there were nine parents who the ACLU successfully won the right to return and we accompanied, along with our partners in the steering committee, accompanied these families back and they came into the L.A. airport. And seeing them reunite with their kids, after many, many months, sometimes years being separated, it's, you know, you feel it. It hits you right in the heart because we all know kids, right? And to have kids forcibly taken away from you and then witness the joy of their reunification, I mean, it makes you keep going to keep doing this work, to find these parents. We really know why. We see it, how important it is.
[Camerota:] Are you going to be able to reunite all of these 545 kids?
[Caron:] Well, we're doing our best. We're finding them, figuring out where the what the situation is, where their kids are, telling the court what should happen, you know, what the parents want to happen with these kids. And we're pushing forward for the ones that we can fight to get back to be reunited in the United States with their families.
[Camerota:] Cathleen Caron, thank you very much for giving us this update. Obviously, we will stay on this. The your organization is Justice in Motion. Please let us know how all of these reunification efforts go.
[Caron:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] Thank you. And CNN's debate coverage continues, next.

[Ivan Cabrera, Cnn International Meteorologist:] a threat will continue to move further to the east.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] Ivan Cabrera, thank you so much.
[Cabrera:] You bet.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They want more people in their sanctuary cities well, we'll give them more people. We can give them a lot. We can give them an unlimited supply.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] When we see those nations engage in activities that reduce the outflow of migration from nation, the American people will continue to be incredibly generous.
[Unidentified Female:] There are women and children being held in cages. I held a 2-month-old baby. This is just as un-American as you get.
[Rep. Ilhan Omar:] Cain was founded after 911 because they recognize that some people did something.
[Unidentified Male:] She just called it "something." It wasn't even something terrible. It's obscene for the president to try to take that pain and make a political gain from it. You'd think that the world would be different if it were led by women?
[Hillary Clinton, Former Democratic Presidential Candidate:] Of course! I don't just say that, I believe it.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.
[Blackwell:] Good Saturday morning to you. Top Democratic presidential candidates are calling a video shameful, Islamophobic and dangerous in their defense of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar against the president's latest tweet.
[Christi Paul, Cnn Anchor:] So, President Trump tweeted a video of Omar that was intercut with images from 911. The Minnesota Democrat is one of the first of two Muslim women elected to Congress, remember.
[Blackwell:] There's also a reversal for the White House, another one a day after an official told CNN the idea was quickly rejected. The president confirms that he is considering moving migrants to sanctuary cities. Critics call that playing cool and unworthy of the presidency possibly illegal.
[Paul:] And 100 million people under the threat of severe weather this weekend. We're talking about strong tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds could sweep across several states. The president confirming, he is considering moving detained migrants to sanctuary cities. The acting Secretary of Defense says, he expects to send more troops to the southern border as well.
[Blackwell:] All right, let's go now to CNN's White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins, she has the latest on the president's plan.
[Trump:] We can give them an unlimited supply.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] President Trump is touting a proposal to place undocumented migrants in sanctuary cities to retaliate against Democrats shattering his own administration's denials of the policy.
[Trump:] So, we'll give them to the sanctuary cities, maybe, to take care of if that's what they want.
[Collins:] Trump, making the threat in person, after tweeting earlier that because Democrats are unwilling to change our dangerous immigrations laws, we are indeed giving strong considerations to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities only. Those remarks, coming just hours after a White House official said the idea was briefly and informally raised and quickly rejected. No one at ICE was pressured by anyone at any time. But sources tell CNN, the president pushed former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Neilsen to carry out the proposal. She resisted and the plan was scrapped for legal reasons.
[Unidentified Female:] This is an outrageous abuse of power and public resources.
[Collins:] the president's warning coming as CNN has learned that during his trip to the border last week, Trump told Kevin McAleenan, now the Acting DHS Secretary, that if he were jailed or faced legal issues because he blocked migrants from entering the U.S., he would pardon him. It's unclear if Trump meant it as a joke. But the episode revealed the boundaries the president is willing to push to stop a recent rise in immigration numbers, making his frustration clear today.
[Trump:] If they don't agree, we might as well do what they always say they want.
[Collins:] News of the attempted sanctuary city proposal infuriated Democrats.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] thinking about it. But again, it's just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespectful of the challenges that we face, as a country, as a people, to address who we are a nation of immigrants.
[Collins:] A spokesman for House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who is from one of the highest profile sanctuary cities in California saying in a statement that the extent of this administration's cynicism and cruelty cannot be overstated, using human beings, including little children as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants is despicable and, in some cases, criminal. But Trump seemed to relish the outrage from Democrats.
[Trump:] Let's see if they are so happy. They say, we have open arms. They're always saying they have open arms. Let's see if they have open arms.
[Collins:] The drama coming amid an upheaval at DHS, which is now being run by an acting secretary, acting deputy secretary, acting customs and border protection commissioner and an acting ICE director. A border official announcing that starting today, they'll release immigrants in El Paso to local organizations because ICE is at capacity. And six of the major border check points are currently understaffed because agents are being sent to parts of the border that are facing a surge in migrants. Now, the president made clear that he believes the sanctuary city proposal would be a punishment for Democrats. But Jim Kenney, the Mayor of Philadelphia, which is considered a sanctuary city said they would welcome all immigrants with open arms. He said, he believes this latest proposal just shows "the utter contempt for human dignity that the Trump administration has, and he added, and I'm quoting him now, that it's just "Trump's desire to flout the rule of law to appease his political base. Kaitlin Collins, CNN, the White House.
[Paul:] And thanks to you, Kaitlan Collins. So, critics are calling the plan cruel and unworthy of the president. The question is, is it legal? John Bresnahan, Capitol Bureau Chief for Politico with us now, as well as Page Pate, Federal and Constitutional Attorney. And Page, I want come to you about, first, General Counsel at DHS, John Mitnik, as we understand it, quoting to CNN reporting, our Jake Tapper, sent legal guidance to the White House back in February saying: look, you cannot do this. What authority, Page, does the president have to make this happen?
[Page Pate, Federal And Constitutional Attorney:] Well, Christi, there's no clear authority for the president to take this type of action. I mean, aside from the political and logistical challenges of trying to do what he's suggesting, there is nothing in the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows the White House, the executive, Department of Homeland Security to take people who have pending asylum applications and disperse them in cities across the country. Now, having said that, because there's nothing specific in the law that says you can do it or not do it, the president here is clearly trying to push the envelope, saying look: I have some discretion here under this law that Congress passed a deal with asylum seekers, how I want to deal with them. So, since there's nothing saying I can do it and there's nothing saying I can't do it, I'm going to try and I'm going to leave it up to the courts. Of course, that makes it very difficult to enforce the law and that is clearly not what Congress intended when they passed this statute.
[Paul:] And you know, John, the interesting thing is, there's an argument that this, actually, if he would do this, it makes it more difficult for them to attend deportation hearings, which means you cannot monitor where they are. They may not show up. And doesn't that counteract what the president keeps saying he wants to do is deport immigrants?
[John Bresnahan, Capitol Bureau Chief, Politico:] I mean, this would be a disastrous policy. I mean, you are talking about sending detainees, hundreds and many thousands of miles from where they've been picked up, and where their hearings would be for asylum. So, I just think this is just something that just, you know
[Paul:] But it's counter of the president's promises, right?
[Bresnahan:] Exactly! I mean, this would be go exactly against what the president has said he wants to reduce immigration, he wants to make sure the people here legally are forced out deported. And this would work exactly the wrong the opposite way which is why you're seeing members of Congress, especially Democrats freaking out about this. And the Republicans, you can tell how unpopular this is on Capitol Hill, by the fact that Republicans are saying nothing. I can't even get a response out of the Republican leadership about. This is how unpopular this move is.
[Paul:] All right. Let's listen to Mazie Hirono, a member of the Judiciary and Armed Services Committee. This is what she said last night about it.
[Sen. Mazie Hirono:] He doesn't think immigrants are human beings. And two, he doesn't have to apply the law with regard to his treatment of them. There's a level of uncaring cruelty to the president that is off the charts.
[Paul:] John, do you get the sense that some Republicans somewhere is going to have to speak up about this?
[Bresnahan:] I think, at some point there will be. And some of the hardline Republican Conservatives will defend the president on this. But I think you look at the Republican leadership on both sides of the House and Senate, they have nothing to say about this. Kevin McCarthy, the House Minority Leader, is from California. The idea that the federal government would be sending detainees, immigrant detainees to California, Kevin McCarthy's own state has got to be offensive to him except, they don't want to talk about it right now. What they're saying is they support President Trump on the border, on strong enforcement. You know, they're just trying to make very general answers and trying to stay as far away from this as they can.
[Paul:] So, Page, as I understand it, the DHS money can only be spent to transport migrants if the criteria meets their purpose, saying if there's overcrowding which we know that there is. If there's medical care that is needed by some of these people. Is this, however, if you send them far away from where they have been apprehended, is it a violation of due process?
[Pate:] It could be, Christi. I mean, understand, though, that people entering the country who have not received the proper documentation ahead of time, they come in under a certain different status. And the Immigration and Nationality Act, sets forth very clear circumstances under which they can apply for asylum, under which they can be removed either expedited removal or regular removal. A whole complex set of laws and regulations to deal with this issue, but it all depends on everyone acting in good faith. And in this case, instead of acting in good faith and following the intent of Congress, the president said, I'm going to do it my way, I'm going to ignore all of the protections, all of the procedures that we've put in place over the past several decades, and I'm going to do this for political reasons, not because I think it's the best way to handle immigration policy and certainly not because I think it's giving due process to people who are legitimately seeking asylum.
[Paul:] So, John, the San Francisco mayor said that he believes this is just another scare tactic from the president. Does this point the finger, now, to some degree, back at Congress? They've had years to come up with a plan that is sufficient, that is workable. Why can't that happen?
[Bresnahan:] I mean, there have been numerous attempts in Congress to revise immigration laws in 2013, the Senate passed a bill that, of course, eventually stalled in the house. There is talk about putting the 2013 bill, the Senate bill up for a vote again in the House. The Democrats have talked about House Democrats have talked about that. I mean, immigration is a hugely complex issue that has, you know, cultural, social, economic impacts. And the idea that Congress is going to rush into this, even both sides say they want to do something is hard to see. But I do think there is, you know, you've seen the president really move over the last four or five months and put immigration is in the middle of his re-election campaign. Now, every Republican is going to have to run on this in 2020. And they saw in 2018 that they this is not a winning issue for them. So, I think this is a really tough place the president is putting his party in.
[Paul:] John Bresnahan and Page Pate, appreciate both of you being here, gentlemen. Thank you.
[Pate:] Thank you.
[Blackwell:] North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-un, says he is open to a third summit with the U.S., but with some conditions. Speaking before the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang, he said the U.S. must stop "its current way of calculation to continue talks." He added that if the U.S. does not change their approach, the prospects for problem solving will be dark and very dangerous. Kim Jong-un sorry will give the U.S. until the end of the year to decide how they want to proceed.
[Paul:] President Trump attacking Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with images of the Twin Towers crashing down. There are several Democrats now coming to her defense overnight.
[Blackwell:] Plus, the fisher-price rock 'n play sleeper on the recall list. Consumer advocate say, the product is linked to the deaths of more than two dozen children over a ten-year period. What parents need to know if they have one of these sleepers in their home.
[Paul:] And do stay with us; the survivors and families who lost the people that they love in the Parkland Shooting Massacre are suing Broward County school district now. One of the fathers of the victims is with us next. Stay close.

[Cooper:] Breaking news tonight in the Russian investigation. A source familiar with the matter telling CNN the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein intends to stay on until Robert Mueller makes his report. A source saying that Rosenstein sees him as the, quote, heat shield, unquote, someone who can take any hits that may be coming when the report comes out. News came at the end of a day that saw some relate in the Michael Cohen case, the release of documents relating to the search warrants for the raids that at the time the president obviously was very upset about. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz joins us now with the latest on both those stories. So, what are you learning about why Rosenstein is staying at the DOJ? What does it mean to be a heat shield exactly?
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Reporter:] Well, certainly, he wanted to make sure the incoming deputy attorney general and that the now Attorney General Bill Barr kind of would have a clean slate, that is, they would come in, they wouldn't really have to deal with any of let's say the punches that are thrown at them because of the Mueller report or any political issues that are a result of it. Rod Rosenstein was there from the beginning. He really is the person that was responsible for appointing the special counsel, because you'll remember that Jeff Sessions recused himself and then Comey gets fired and then this whole thing ensues where they decided they need a special counsel to take over this investigation and it was ultimately Rod Rosenstein who made that decision. So, in order to sort of see this thing through, Rod Rosenstein for whatever reason is staying it's clear that things are perhaps not wrapping up as quickly as we all thought and that look, this could come at any day, but for now, Rod Rosenstein, which he always had intended, he always wanted to stay this see this through, he kept delaying his leaving the Department of Justice and now it just seems that that's continuing, we really don't know when the special counsel will finally deliver the report to the Department of Justice. Once that happens, we certainly expect for Rod Rosenstein to leave shortly thereafter.
[Cooper:] Just for clarification, the source, are they using the term heat shield of their own or is that a phrase that Rosenstein himself has used? Do we know?
[Prokupecz:] That was a phrase that was told to my colleague Pamela Brown in a source close to Rod Rosenstein who said that to her essentially saying that he, Rod Rosenstein, wants to take the punches, if there are any punches as a result of the report, it could be a while before the entire thing is made public. So who knows what will happen? But certainly I think everyone expects there to be some political fallout once this thing gets landed on the attorney general's desk.
[Cooper:] In terms of the release of the Michael Cohen raid documents today what's the headline from that? What did we learn from it?
[Prokupecz:] So, I think one of the things we really saw for the first time is the Mueller team started looking at Michael Cohen just months after Robert Mueller was appointed. About two months or so after that they started getting search warrants for his e-mails, other information, subpoenas that they were issuing to really get an understanding of what was going on with Michael Cohen, his business interests, whether or not he was making money off of foreign countries, whether or not he was doing any work for foreign countries and not reporting it. And that essentially is what started all of this. It is then all of that information and plus other information that the Mueller team and the FBI learned. That is after then is when they send everything to the Southern District of New York where obviously the campaign finance laws were investigated.
[Cooper:] And everything about the campaign finance violations, that was redacted?
[Prokupecz:] It was. And that's significant, Anderson, because what it tells us is that a lot of that is still under investigation. There's about 20 pages in the search warrant affidavits that are completely blacked out, where we can't even read anything on them, which indicates that there are still portions of that investigation that are ongoing and that we could see more people being charged in connection with the campaign finance laws. As you know, the president, Donald Trump, was implicated by Michael Cohen, by the Department of Justice in that crime. Michael Cohen has said that he was directed by Donald Trump to make those payments. There are other people in the Trump organization that perhaps are facing some scrutiny. So that tells us that that very much is still under investigation.
[Cooper:] All right. Shimon, appreciate it. Shimon Prokupecz. Joining me now is Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, member of the Judiciary Committee. So, if what do you if the idea of Rod Rosenstein staying is to be a, quoteunquote, heat shield as this source has said, who is he staying to be a heat shield for?
[Sen. Richard Blumentahal , Judiciary Committee:] Well, Robert Mueller is a prosecutor with vast experience in very heated prosecutions. And so he's pretty combat tested. The idea that he needs a buffer or a heat shield is somewhat surprising. But the fact is politically, he needs some backup. And I will tell you, members of Congress will have his back, if the president goes after him, as is likely to happen. We've seen what the president did when the offices of his lawyer Michael Cohen were raided. We've seen some of his remarks about resisting the prosecution. There is a credible case of obstruction of justice right now, a powerfully credible case against Donald Trump. And he is clearly feeling the heat himself.
[Cooper:] And in terms of the Michael Cohen court documents, the idea that special counsel Mueller zeroed in on Michael Cohen and started investigating Michael Cohen much earlier than anyone realized is interesting.
[Blumenthal:] Not only interesting but profoundly significant. That document, more than 800 pages long, contains a wealth of detail, factual precision, that was collected by this prosecutor in just two months and is only part of what he knows at that point, which is almost two years ago. So, think of how much he knows now. I've said all along we know only a fraction of what Robert Mueller knows.
[Cooper:] If there's 800 pages of documents from two years ago and Mueller does actually write out a report, there's no I mean, it will be interesting to see if we can learn how long that report actually is.
[Blumenthal:] The report hopefully will be long enough to contain the incriminating information that he has gathered about Donald Trump. Not accidentally, Donald Trump was named in fact as an unindicted co- conspirator in the prosecution of Cohen. And the reasons for his becoming individual number one, he's not named by actual name but by clear reference as individual number one.
[Cooper:] But if he's not going to be prosecutor for a crime, isn't it entirely possible that Robert Mueller would not go into detail? I mean, if the person is not actually being charged with a crime as one of the criticisms of Comey's press conference about Hillary Clinton.
[Blumenthal:] That's the reason for transparency. If he's not named as a crime, the facts and evidence have to be presented. That's the reason that I've authored a bill with Senator Grassley, its bipartisan now joined by another Republican, another Democrat that would require a report with those factual findings and evidence that includes all of the facts that implicate Donald Trump. The public has a right to know. And if he's not going to be indicted because the Justice Department policies, they're not rules, they're not regulations prevented and if Mueller is not going to present into a court the facts that he knows that are relevant to the potential criminal charges, there is a right on the public to know and I think that Robert Mueller has that obligation and the attorney general has the obligation to make it public.
[Cooper:] If and obviously if that doesn't happen, you would want to see we also now have, you know, reporting that the White House wants to review those documents before their and whatever he's handed over to Congress to, you know, look for executive privilege, you are fully prepared, I mean the Democrats are fully prepared to challenge each case?
[Blumenthal:] We will challenge it. I think that document will be suspended. There is no legitimate claim to executive privilege here. There's nothing
[Cooper:] None?
[Blumenthal:] There is nothing in a regulations that justifies the President of the United States concealing criminality in the name of candid discussions with his advisers on policy. We're talking here about an effort to hide criminality, obstruct justice in the name of executive privilege. And the purpose of executive privilege is to enable candid discussion about policy among his advisers. So I see nothing in those regulations that would justify a broad claim of it.
[Cooper:] But if it's not found to be obstruction of justice by Mueller, then you can't really make an obstruction of justice argument to stop executive privilege from being claimed, no?
[Blumenthal:] I think that the claim of the White House to review this report should not be upheld. The Department of Justice has a claim to review the report, the White House does not. And the Department of Justice should not cut out to the White House. And after all, the President has his lawyers, not even his White House counsel, potentially reviewing it, to protect him, not to enable the public to know.
[Cooper:] Right. And it's not the job of his lawyers to declare privilege, it's the White House.
[Blumenthal:] Exactly.
[Cooper:] Yes. Senator Blumenthal, thank you.
[Blumenthal:] Thank you.
[Cooper:] Appreciate it. The President as you know has gone after Democrats claiming they're anti-Semitic. He's not commented on the racially charged remarks Republican Congressman Steve King has said, of course. The Iowa Republicans now caught up in a new controversy and the reporter caught up with him to get some answers, that ahead.

[Vause:] Protests continue around the United States. Just hours ago, demonstrators gathered in Lafayette Park across from the White House and attempted to topple the statue of former president Andrew Jackson. That led to police trying to push protesters back amid the yelling and chaos. Members of the White House press corps were told to immediately leave the grounds. Oddly, there was no official reason given for the order and we are following this developing story. In Atlanta, tensions are high, after a district attorney charged two police officers in the recent shooting of Rayshard Brooks. One of them is facing 11 charges, including of felony murder. That's not sitting well with many members of the Atlanta police force and a Georgia congressman says the charges are politically motivated. All this as Brooks' family lays his body to rest this week. CNN's Natasha Chen has details.
[Natasha Chen, Cnn Correspondent:] Some of the people who paid their respects to Rayshard Brooks today may not have known him personally but they say they're all too familiar with his experience.
[Unidentified Female:] I feel like the soul of America is really sick, that they have desensitized when it comes to crimes against people of color.
[Chen:] Outside the church today, not one police officer in sight. A spokesperson for the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church said the Brooks family asked Atlanta police not to be involved in the security for the event. Streets the city planned to shut down to traffic were opened and a private security team escorted the hearse carrying brooks to the church followed by his family. A few hours earlier a full report from the Fulton County medical examiner officially determined his cause of death as homicide. It described two gunshot wounds to the back and said toxicology results are still pending. Also pending is the Georgia Bureau of Investigation report on what happened the night he was shot to death even as the Fulton County District Attorney's Office has done its own investigation and charged the two officers he encountered last week.
[Unidentified Male:] We are being attacked. These guys are our brothers. We're being attacked by Paul Howard. We do the job to protect. We expect to be protected by our leaders and they've all failed us, all of them.
[Chen:] Critics including Congressman Doug Collins questioned the felony charge against former officer Garrett Rolfe seen on surveillance video shooting Brooks after Brooks aimed a Taser over his shoulder when he ran away.
[Gov. Doug Collins:] What has happened over the past couple of weeks has been wrong. It is time for the district attorney of Fulton County to step aside and have someone and to allow the attorney general to appoint an independent prosecutor. You cannot prosecute cases until the investigation is over. You don't do it for politics.
[Paul Howard, District Attorney:] I think what those protesters and all over the country, they're not demonstrating because they thought Paul Howard did something political. They're demonstrating because citizens in our country continue to die and a high number of those citizens are African Americans.
[Chen:] But attorneys for Rolfe insist that not only were his actions justified under Georgia law because he was acting in self-defense but that the D.A.'s, quote, "choice" to charge him is justified only by his hopes to improve his performance in the upcoming run-off election. A private funeral will be held Tuesday and the police are being asked not to be involved in security for the event. The family has invited the Atlanta mayor, along with district attorney Paul Howard, to the funeral Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.
[Vause:] And we are learning more about the New York City officer suspended without pay after apparently using a chokehold over the weekend. Chokeholds were banned in New York City last week. This latest incident was recorded on video. And a warning: some viewers may this find this disturbing.
[Unidentified Male:] Stop choking him, bro! Yo! Stop choking him! Yo, he's choking him. Let him go, bro. Let him go! Look, look. Back up. Back up. Back him up.
[Vause:] Sources tell CNN the officer has been on the police force for 15 years and, according to the Civilian Complaint Review Board records, he is described as Hispanic and has eight civilian complaints on his record. He was exonerated in seven of those. One case where he allegedly used a gun to hit someone in the mouth there was a settlement with no admission of liability. Well, fans and drivers came out to support NASCAR's Bubba's Wallace on Monday after they found a noose hanging in his crew's garage. Before the race, Wallace drove onto the track surrendered by the other racers, a powerful display of support for the only person of color in NASCAR's top circuit. Wallace's car was placed symbolically ahead of the other racers and led for one single lap. He finished 14th after running low on fuel it was in Florida, I believe. In the U.K. the English Premier League Club is strongly condemning an offensive banner that flew over Monday night's football match at Etihad Stadium in Manchester. CNN's Don Riddell has the information for us.
[Don Riddell, Cnn Correspondent:] In the English Premier League, Black Lives Matter. Around the world, those three words have come to represent an awakening. A powerful movement in response to racial injustice, police brutality and oppression. Those words, Black Lives Matter, are on the shirts of the players and on the minds of many. Before Monday night's game at the Etihad Stadium, all players from Manchester City and Burnley took a knee in support of the movement. But before the game had begun, their eyes were drawn to the sky. And the sight of a banner being towed by a plane. The message, white lives matter Burnley. The players could hardly believe what they were seeing. Afterwards, Burnley's captain, Ben Mee, told Sky Sports of the team's disgust.
[Ben Mee, Burnley Captain:] I am ashamed and embarrassed that a small number of our fans have decided to pull that on the stadium and completely miss the point. People are ashamed and embarrassed to see that. And it's not what we are about at all. Missed the point of the whole thing trying to achieve, trying to do. I think these people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves.
[Riddell:] Burnley Football Club condemned the banner and the stunt in a strongly worded statement, saying the side strongly condemns the actions of those responsible for the aircraft and offensive banner that flew over the Etihad Stadium. "We wish to make it clear that those responsible are not welcome at Turf Moor." For the record, two goals each help Manchester City to a 5-0 win. The result will extend the title race for at least a few more days. Liverpool, denied the chance to clinch their first Premier League title on Wednesday. But none of that really seemed to matter on Monday. And while the game and the positive protest movement were only briefly upstaged by a banner in the sky, it goes to show you the extraordinary lengths that some will go to try and silence their voices Don Riddell, CNN.
[Vause:] Isaac Bryan is director of public policy at the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American studies, he's with us from Los Angeles. Thank you for joining us.
[Isaac Bryan, Director Of Public Policy, Ucla Bunche Center:] Thank you for having me, John, good to be with you.
[Vause:] I just want to pick up the conversation, with reaction to the two racially inflammatory incidents that we've seen, first being the noose left in the garage of the only African American driver at NASCAR, Bubba Wallace. I want you to listen to his reaction and the support he received from race organizers, from pit crews and fellow drivers and fans. Here he is.
[Bubba Wallace, Nascar Driver:] All in all, we won today. The pre-race deal
[Wallace:] the pre-race deal was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness in my life. From all the supporters, from drivers, from crew members, everybody here, the baddest fan base thank you guys for coming out here. This is truly incredible and I'm proud to be a part of the sport.
[Vause:] And then there was the plane flying a banner, that said white lives matter. It was over an English Premier League match and there was a definitive statement from Burnley captain Ben Mee. He said in part, I'm ashamed and embarrassed that a small number of our fans have decided to fly that around the stadium. It does not represent what we are about, the club is about, the players are about and the majority of fans are about. There is always that moment when black society will no longer tolerate something that's been tolerated for a very long time, the N word and desegregation. It could be difficult to judge how genuine the sentiment is. But nonetheless, when it happens, it becomes the norm and those moments tend to be a signpost of cultural shifts. Are we there now?
[Bryan:] I think that we are and first of all I would like to call out Bubba's professionalism. He's a standup guy and the way he has been leading that sport, the only black man in the top circuit, has been admirable. He wore an "I can't breathe" T-shirt. He pushed for the Confederate flag, to not just be requested not to be brought to events but to be banned by NASCAR. And I think athletes in general are finding this moment to speak out and they are becoming a catalyst for the change that we would all like to see. I think the National Basketball Association, the NFL, Colin Kaepernick and others that really have led this push, laid the platform for others to be vocal. And that is really a special thing, so my heart goes to Bubba seeing that noose but the way he is reacting and the sport behind him is definitely something that inspires us all.
[Vause:] And that is the key I think, the leadership within the African American community as well, how they deal with these incidents as they come up and the examples that they set.
[Bryan:] Yes, I mean the grace of black folks, in the United States and around the world, is unmatched. Especially in moments like this. We really find a way to overcome and we are hoping I think that there is enough solidarity in this moment to push for the change that we all deserve.
[Vause:] On Monday there were hundreds of people that turned up at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and there was a public viewing of Rayshard Brooks. But I want you to listen to part of the service, here it is.
[Raphael G. Warnock, Ebenezer Baptist Church:] It is a tough moment but it is only when it's dark that you can see the stars shine. And in a moment like this, I am seeing a coalition of conscience, of people of all races, who are rising up and saying that we are one people. We're one American people, we are all children of God and we have to not simply say it with our lips but we have to see it lived out through our public policy.
[Vause:] And that is the key. There is this movement and then an understanding within the general population but in terms of public policy and lawmakers, especially Republicans in Congress, they seem to be way behind here, way behind the changes which are being demanded.
[Bryan:] You know, I think that is for sure true. And I think especially at this moment, historically, you heard a lot of, you know, it's time for us to change our heart and change our minds. But now people are really talking about the systemic issues and the public policies that need to be addressed. Republicans are behind for sure. Their are all lives matter in Congress refuse to acknowledge the need for black lives. But even more important than that, is that it is bipartisan, the lack of support, for black lives, are bipartisan. We have a Democratic candidate for as president who adopted the crime bill but he still has not apologized for it. So I think we should call on all of our elected officials and to step up to the plate and give us policies we deserve.
[Vause:] We are also hearing from the lawyer for the officer who shot Mr. Brooks. And the defense seems like the officer had feared for his life and the lives of other people, as he was running away without any kind of weapon. It's a pretty standard defense and in the past it would almost be a guarantee to get out of jail, right?
[Bryan:] Right, we are seeing way too many of these murders, let's call it what it is, these murders on camera, on video, livestreamed, for our entire conscious to be shocked over and over again. I think at this point we are past that. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired and it's time to hold folks accountable and shift the systems to ones that are more equitable that don't result in these lethal outcomes, especially for black people.
[Vause:] You know one of the arguments we hear of reform of the police, in terms of the funding, you know, because there are good cops, good guys, just a few bad apples. That doesn't really say why there's a protest in Atlanta, where police are refusing to go to some 9-1-1 calls. In Buffalo, the rest of the riot response team walked out in solidarity when two of their members were suspended after they knocked that 75 year-old protester to the ground. This is, you know a few bad apples but they also have their support with these acts.
[Bryan:] We are past the individual officer analyses and conversations. This is a systemic problem and it is rooted in the formation of our police departments here in United States. It is rooted in slave catching, in the protection of property rights at the same time as black folks were considered as property. This has been maintained for over 400 years. To the officers that refused to do the job they claim that they are doing, that speaks more broadly to the chokehold that our police unions have on our public officials, our public conscience and our municipal budgets. And we need to hold folks accountable and we need to think at a system level about how we not only reform but divesting from law enforcement and reinvesting in systems of care and opportunity for our communities.
[Vause:] We are out of time but I'm curious as to how long this will go on before there has to be some type of real change for the people on the streets. But I guess that's a conversation for another time. Thank you for being with us, I really appreciate it.
[Bryan:] Thanks for having me, John.
[Vause:] Pleasure. Well, days after the U.S. president said he ordered a slowdown in coronavirus testing, White House officials have been downplaying those remarks and saying he was joking. Health experts say the crisis is nothing to laugh about. Then India's dramatic surge, over 100,000 new coronavirus cases have been reported, in just over the last week. More on that in a moment.

[Cabrera:] Welcome back. Before the break we heard part of a conversation between Ken Starr and Joe Lockhart. They applied what happened in the late '90s to what we're seeing today as President Trump faces multiple investigations. With us now to discuss, CNN legal analyst Carrie Cordero. And John Sale. Carrie, I messed that up both times. Jon Sale is with us as well, a former assistant special Watergate prosecutor, both of you very great legal minds. I'm happy to have you with us. Ken Starr offered the moral view of obstruction and the legal view, do you agree with that distinction?
[Jon Sale, Former Assistant Special Watergate Prosecutor:] My first impression was, that it was nice to see Judge Starr and Joe Lockhart sit down together and respectfully agree to disagree because I remember when they were at each other accusing each other of the worst kind of misconduct and we need more people who disagree who can have such sit-downs. I think I know a lot about obstruction, unfortunately, but it's the first time I ever heard Judge Starr's expression moral obstruction. There's no such thing. There's legal obstruction where we can debate what that means. The statute requires a corrupt intent and the Constitution Article 2 does give the power certain unlimited powers to the President. You might call it political obstruction and that's a matter of counting votes. Whether or not you want to indict a President for something like President Clinton did when you don't have the votes to convict him. Moral obstruction, I'll defer to people wiser than me to define what that is.
[Cabrera:] John, is Trump lying to the American people and abuse of power even though it's not a crime?
[Sale:] If there are majority plus one votes in the Congress, it's impeachable. It's not a crime. There's nothing in Title 18 or any other applicable United States statutes that makes lying to the American people a crime. Lying to a grand jury, lying to a federal agent, those are crimes, which is probably why the President did not go in and give a statement to the special counsel.
[Cabrera:] Hum. Here's something else I want you both to hear on whether a President can be indicted.
[Starr:] No person is above the law means that a President can be indicted but that's not the Justice Department policy and Robert Mueller as you know is an officer of the Justice Department and is therefore required to follow that policy. He cannot indict
[Carrie Cordero, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, there is a legal opinion, several legal opinions that have been issued over periods of decades from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and the position that those opinions take is that a sitting President cannot be indicted. What's interesting is that both under Ken Starr's service as independent counsel and in the prior generations Presidential scandal in Watergate, fresh legal opinions on that specific issue were drawn up. We have never heard and so we are operating on the assumption that in the current environment neither the Justice Department nor the special counsel's office has drawn up fresh legal memos looking at the current situation and whether or not a President could be indicted. We're just assuming, because the Justice Department hasn't said otherwise, that those memos have not been written in present times and that therefore the Justice Department is following its historical practice and the special counsel is obliged to follow that precedent.
[Cabrera:] Jon, another topic. Is dangling a pardon illegal? Starr says not unless it includes an actual bribe or quid pro quo, what's your take?
[Sale:] The President undoubtedly has the unlimited power to pardon, but if the pardon is done with a corrupt intent, that is unclear and those are the type of things which we'll have to be tested in court if it happened, but the person pardon would be fear and clear forever, the issue would be to look at the President's conduct and that would be tied up in the courts forever.
[Cabrera:] Carrie, on whether Mueller is doing it right by not holding news conferences, not releasing info to the public as he's going through this investigation, Lockhart says yes, that's correct, Starr says he thought it was more important to be more transparent. He was always putting himself out there. Whose side are you on?
[Cordero:] This is an area where I really think the analogies between the Clinton years' experience and the Starr investigation and the present are very limited. Ken Starr was operating under a completely different environment. He had an independent counsel statute that gave him a level of independence where he could make decisions like that to be more transparent where he could write a big huge narrative report that simply don't apply to the current special counsel. There's different regulations now. The special counsel reports to the Attorney General. The Attorney General has a level of authority to supervise what happens and that was done specifically, those new regulations in reaction to the experience under Ken Starr's effectuation of the independent counsel's statute. In addition, I want to say with respect to your earlier question, the fundamental issue on the President is whether or not he's abusing his executive authority. So, when it comes to an issue like a pardon, many legal scholars will say, look, that is a complete authority that the President has. The question with this President, and this is why we're seeing Congress open a rule of law investigation, is whether or not the President is going beyond his exercise of executive authority and he is doing things that are abusing that authority.
[Cabrera:] All right. Carrie and Jon, I learned a lot. Thank you. Up next, Nazi symbolism and hateful rhetoric caught on tape among high school students. Details on the disturbing trend we should not ignore.

[Berman:] President Trump back this morning from the G-20 Summit. He's at the White House. He spent much of this time over there cozying up to dictators and strong men.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, a friend of mine, he sent me a very beautiful birthday card. A lot of friendships have been made. And this is been, in particular, a great friendship. We've had a very, very good relationship. And we look forward to spending some very good time together. A lot of very positive things going to come out of the relationship.
[Berman:] I want to get "The Bottom Line" with Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS." And, Fareed, before we get to that, I want to start with breaking news in "The New York Times" this morning that the administration is reportedly considering accepting North Korea as a nuclear state. I mean I think that's the headline there, the tacit acceptance that North Korea has nuclear weapons and instead agreeing on some kind of nuclear freeze going forward. It's not unrelated, by the way, to the idea of cozying up to dictators because it gets to the idea of, what is the United States getting in return?
[Fareed Zakaria, Cnn Host, "fareed Zakaria Gps":] Right, the entire way that Trump has handled the North Korean negotiation seems bizarre. He has now met three times with the dictator of North Korea. This has always been a prize. The North Koreans always wanted to meet with the president, always wanted to be invited, obviously, to the White House. And this was always left hanging because the feeling was you're a rogue regime, you're a nuclear power, you're proliferating nuclear weapons, as the North Koreans who provided much of the nuclear technology to Pakistan, we're not going to give you these prizes, meaning the president, you know, White House visits, until you do something that suggests that you're, you know, moving back to at least denuclearizing a certain amount. Trump has given away these prizes for nothing. So that's the puzzle here. As far as what the eventual deal will look like, yes, it's highly likely that we have to accept some kind of North Korean nuclear arsenal. But it should be small. It should be verifiable. It should be inspectable. There should be restraints that make sure they don't proliferate to others, as they have in the past. So what's worrisome here is Trump seems so eager to get a deal, he's given away so many concessions, is the deal he's going to get going to be a good one? Is it going to be bad for America? One thing we can be sure, whatever he gets, he'll claim as the best deal ever. But in reality, if we end up with a bad deal with North Korea, it affects the stability of Asia.
[Camerota:] But isn't there something else that's quite puzzling about this? And we heard it in those sound bites there. Why is a U.S. president so interested in having a great friendship with murderous dictators?
[Zakaria:] Well, this is the puzzle about about Trump, you know, which is highlighted in this G-20 because there were also at that meeting the democratically elected leaders of our closest allies, Germany, France, Britain. And you notice that he never he never speaks that warmly about Angela Merkel or about Macron or about Justin Trudeau. In fact, he often has negative, nasty things to say. Again, what's striking about it is, it seems so easy to game, to play Donald Trump. He mentions that MBS sends him a birthday card. He mentions that Putin flatters him. You know, he's so taken up by that kind of personal flattery that it seems a pretty easy path to, you know, to getting in on his good side. Now, some Democratic leaders have tried it, Abe in Japan, Moon in South Korea, and it works. But I think that the strong men have the ability to, you know, maybe go one step further and also he likes the strength that they present.
[Camerota:] He respects them more than his allies
[Zakaria:] He finds democratic leaders constrained. You know, they have to be worried about democratic constraints.
[Camerota:] Human rights.
[Berman:] And that's the thing is, look, I'm not naive, we're not naive here. The United States has long dealt with regimes that have questionable human rights records or regimes that might be autocratical or something like that. It's just that he seems to enjoy it. He seems to he seems to relish in these relationships somehow.
[Zakaria:] And it minimizes a core element of U.S. power, which has always been that the United States stands up for human rights, for values. You know, that has been something that even the most realist of American presidents have always recognized is an important component. It's why people listen to us around the world. It's why we have gotten to set the agenda for so many international meetings. So even Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, who were regarded as the most realist of all of all administrations, they got the Soviet Union to sign the Helsinki Accords, which forced to Soviet Union to accept certain human rights standards. I think understanding how to do that is not kind of peripheral to American power, it's what makes for the best use of American power because ultimately, you know, we're the largest country economy in the world, but we're not going to be that forever. But we will be the spokesman, the spokesperson for rights, values, democracy, freedom, if you handle it correctly.
[Camerota:] Very quickly, it's all it was also just so strange to see President Trump and Vladimir Putin. And President Trump behaving so obsequiously on Friday towards Vladimir Putin, not admonishing him for election interference, instead saying this. Watch this moment.
[Question:] Will you tell Russia not to meddle in the 2020 election?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Yes, of course I will. Don't meddle in the election, please. Don't don't meddle in the election.
[Camerota:] Don't meddle in our lection, please, he, he, he, he, laughing. Matthew Chance, our correspondent in Moscow, after that said that Vladimir Putin was visibly uncomfortable with the obsequiousness. As you see Kim Jong-un also looks sort of baffled by much of this.
[Zakaria:] And you notice Kim Jong-un didn't reciprocate it at any point. Trump keeps saying how fantastically they had gotten on
[Camerota:] Their friendship is.
[Zakaria:] And the warm friendship and
[Camerota:] He's looking away. Kim Jong-un looks away.
[Zakaria:] Right, and and Kim Jong-un just pockets the concessions one by one. I think that, you know, that's the larger and more worrisome point is, Putin gave an interview in the FT, in "The Financial Times." And I was reading it and it was an attack on western liberalism, it was an attack on the decadence of the west. And I was thinking to myself, most of this stuff Donald Trump agrees with. You know, to be reading the dictator of Russia, giving an interview and thinking to yourself that the president of the United States has at in various points said almost all these things.
[Berman:] A remarkable moment in time. Fareed Zakaria, great to have you with us. Thank you.
[Zakaria:] All right.
[Camerota:] Thanks.
[Berman:] All right, so he voted to fight for 911 first responders until the very end. UP next, we're going to remember and honor the life of New York City Police Detective Luis Alvarez.

[Vause:] 500 additional U.S. troops are being sent to the southern border with Mexico. Americans say they're being deployed to help border enforcement agents with coronavirus related issues. With the latest now from Mexico City, here's CNN's Matt Rivers.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, the number of cases and the number of deaths continue to rise here in Mexico. The new case total as of Tuesday evening, 25 people have died as a result of this virus, while some 1,215 people have tested positive so far. That's about three times the amount of positive cases as compared to this time exactly one week ago. As a result, Mexican health officials, federal officials, have put in place a health emergency at this point. That means shuttering all non- essential businesses, government offices, all schools are closed, and everyone is being asked to stay at home and to properly social distance with other people around them. This is going to go through April 30th. And it's a good thing because I was speaking to one doctor here in Mexico City last week and he was telling me that there is no way that the public health system here in Mexico could deal with anything remotely close to what we're seeing going on in places like the United States at this point. And perhaps that's the reason why we heard from the deputy health secretary here in Mexico over the weekend where he said that Mexico this would be its last chance, as he put it, to stop this outbreak from spreading. And yet despite all those warnings, we're getting mixed messages from the president of Mexico. So on the one hand, over the weekend, he posted a video about 15 minutes long, telling people this is serious, telling people they need to stay at home. And at the same time, another video went viral over the weekend, and that would be of the president in the western Mexican state of Sinaloa where he briefly met and shook hands with the mother of famed drug lord and former boss of the Sinaloa drug cartel Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. He met her briefly during his trip out there. Now, aside from the obvious questions that that encounter brings up, he also was very clearly not following the safety protocols that he's been promoting, stay at home and socially distance. He didn't do that and clearly shook her hand. Now asked about that, asked about the criticisms that really sparked online after that video spread, the President said that as far as the woman goes, he would shake the hand of any 92-year-old woman who wanted to shake his hand. And as in regards to the criticisms, surrounding him, touching another person, he said that it would have hurt his heart not to shake someone else's hand. That has been very difficult for him not to hug and shake people's hands. So clearly, the President of Mexico saying one thing when it comes to this outbreak, and doing another. Matt rivers CNN, Mexico City.
[Vause:] Officials in China are changing the way they count the number of coronavirus cases. Patients showing no symptoms will now be included. According to Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 82,000 confirmed cases in China. Even so, officials are now starting to ease containment measures and some restrictions. For more, live to CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing. So what is behind this decision to change the way this count is being done, to include those who are asymptomatic?
[Steven Jiang, Cnn Senior Producer:] Well, John, there was some confusion over their language of what they announced this new way of counting cases. But they just released their latest figures for Tuesday. Now we know they're still not counting these asymptomatic cases in the total of confirmed cases. But what they are doing is now they're updating these numbers on a daily basis. So the asymptomatic cases are now being included in their daily reporting even though even though they're still not part of the total confirmed cases. So, for Tuesday, for example, now the government said they added the country added 36 new confirmed cases, but also adding 130 new asymptomatic cases. Now, these cases and they're close contacts according to the authorities will be placed under a 14-day quarantine. Now, if you're in this window you're in this window, if they develop any symptoms, they will become confirmed cases. And there were apparently two such cases on Tuesday. So there is still a bit of confusion here, but it seems they're sticking to their guidelines in terms of not counting people who have tested positive but without any symptoms as confirmed the cases, but they're also at the same time at the same time saying we are being more transparent addressing growing public concern over these cases. Because there was one recent example of a woman in central China become infected of this of this virus after she came close after she came into close contact with a local friend who turned out to be one asymptomatic case. So John, so there was still a bit of, you know, game here in terms of how they account these cases. But at least, right now, from today onwards, they're going to include these cases in daily reporting. John?
[Vause:] We shall see. Steven, thank you. Steven Jiang live in Beijing. China is preparing for an influx of imported cases. Officials in Beijing are now rerouting all international flights to other cities in a bid to streamline strict screenings. As CNN's David Culver reports, so he's returning to the mainland, can now expect many hours of testing once they've landed.
[David Culver, Cnn International Correspondent:] China taking no chances when it comes to people entering the country, shutting down its borders this past weekend to nearly every foreigner. Those who managed to get in before the closure and during hours of screening, mandatory testing, and for some, immediate quarantine.
[Elaine Chow, Traveled From Japan To Shanghai:] So this is me before in my tiny little room here in Osaka.
[Culver:] Elaine Chow, an American living in Shanghai chronicled her journey back into Mainland China from Japan.
[Chow:] When I first landed, seeing all of those people and hazmat suits, they come up to you and you know, hold like a temperature gun to your head, was quite like unsettling but at the same time, you're like, OK, they definitely take this whole not getting infected thing pretty seriously. [02:50:03
[Culver:] It is a time-consuming process. As passengers go through a health screening, a detailed interview about their travel history, and finally customs. Three and a half hours later, and Chow boarded a bus to her district's testing center. The nasal and throat swab done under these tents. About eight hours after that, she got the all-clear, negative for the coronavirus, and then began her 14 days at-home quarantine. Kim Wong is also mid quarantined after flying in from New Jersey to Shanghai. She takes her temperature twice a day and sends it to a community doctor by WeChat. Outside her door, sensor to make sure she does not break quarantine.
[Kimberly Wong, Traveled From New Jersey To Shanghai:] Going through the U.S. and Japan, like I thought by far this was the most organized and streamlined process that I've seen.
[Culver:] A very different experience returning to China for American Michael Rosenblum. After crossing over from Hong Kong, he says he was forced to pay for this government designated quarantine hotel stay.
[Michael Rosenblum, Traveled To Guangzhou, China:] Every layer of the process, I was voluntarily confined because obviously A, they're trying to protect people. And B, you know, that's the law.
[Culver:] Rosenblum says he had already tested negative not once but twice. He later learned it was his neighborhood committee that determined he should be in quarantine before returning to the community.
[Rosenblum:] In so many words, somebody basically said to me, look, you know, they're not going to allow you to leave. Like well, I was told I could go home if my test result was negative. How long am I expected to stay? And they said, well, at least for 14 days.
[Culver:] After six days, the local health officials finally allowed him to go back to his home and Guangzhou. China says it's bolstering of its borders is a direct result of more imported cases of the virus getting into the country. As locked down restrictions within China ease and people start to move around again, there's also a growing concern here that asymptomatic carriers could expose others to the virus, potentially leading to another spike where the outbreak began. David Culver, CNN, Shanghai.
[Vause:] And when we come back, a tasty tribute to the man leading the fight against the coronavirus in the United States.

[Blitzer:] Breaking news: CNN has learned that federal prosecutors are taking a very close look at a business owned by the president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Meanwhile, in his first interview since cooperating with federal prosecutors, an executive of Ukraine's state-owned gas company now tells that Giuliani associate Lev Parnas and another Giuliani associate were seeking corrupt deals in Ukraine. Andrew Favorov talked to CNN's Senior Investigative Correspondent, Drew Griffin. Here's his report.
[Drew Griffin, Cnn Senior Investigative Correspondent:] Andrew Favorov thought it was a joke. The two shady businessmen from South Florida had no backing, no experience, but what they did have, they said, was the Trump administration's ear, and they wanted a cut of Ukraine's national business.
[Andrew Favorov, Naftogaz Senior Manager:] This was completely crazy. It was the first time in my business when two private actors were offering or discussing the issues that are supposed to be part of U.S. foreign policy.
[Griffin:] He says what Parnas and Fruman were proposing was a takeover of management at the Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company, Naftogaz. Favorov would be their new CEO. Parnas and Fruman would then get sweetheart deals and anyone who got in their way, like U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch who opposed this old style corruption would be removed.
[Favorov:] Honestly, I didn't take it seriously at first. You know, crazy old
[Griffin:] Did you fear that they really were connected to the Trump administration and had the power to carry out what they were doing?
[Favorov:] After the events transpired with Ambassador Yovanovitch, yes, I thought that it was distant possibility.
[Griffin:] Parnas and Fruman have been indicted for violating federal campaign laws. Federal prosecutors in New York allege the two men illegally funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign funds into Republican Party candidates and a Trump super PAC in an effort to buy political influence for their new gas company called Global Energy Producers. They have pleaded not guilty. Igor Fruman's attorney declined comment for the story and attorney for Lev Parnas has yet to respond. Favorov says he immediately turned down the offer Parnas and Fruman were making to him this past March and reported their actions to the U.S. embassy in Kiev. He is also cooperating with the federal investigation which CNN reports is also focusing on the actions of President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. [on camera]: Hi, Mr. Giuliani. [voice-over]: A source familiar with the matter said federal prosecutors are investigating Giuliani's possible business ties to Parnas, Fruman, and their company Global Energy Producers. An attorney for Giuliani told CNN Mr. Giuliani had no interest in GEP at any time. Earlier this month, Giuliani vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
[Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's Personal Attorney:] And the reality is that everything I've done is totally legal.
[Griffin:] Favorov says he never met or discussed anything with Giuliani but says the two men who came to him with a corrupt plan used their association with Rudy Giuliani as proof they could carry it out. [on camera]: Did they mention Rudy Giuliani?
[Favorov:] Yes.
[Griffin:] As their conduit?
[Favorov:] They mentioned that, yes, he's one of the channels of communication and getting the right message across to the decision- makers within the U.S. administration.
[Griffin:] They thought they could remove the ambassador of the United States?
[Favorov:] To this day, I find it hard to digest how it's possible.
[Griffin:] Favorov says what's at stake is much bigger than just Naftogaz or even Ukraine. Russia, he says, is hoping Ukraine will fail and that Russian style and even Russian-supported corruption will creep back into Ukraine's struggling economy helping Russia to further destabilize Europe. Rooting out corruption is the best way for the U.S. and the West to fight back. He only hopes the leader of his adopted country still believes that.
[Favorov:] That's why people all over the world look to the United States to set the standard, to show how things can be done in a moral and ethical and a transparent way and I certainly hope as a U.S. citizen that this beacon does not lose its value because of some bad actors and because of some greed and, you know, opportunism.
[Griffin:] Wolf, Favorov spoke with prosecutors and the U.S. attorney's office this past week. He wouldn't give us details. But as we've learned in details about the sweeping subpoenas in the case, Rudy Giuliani's business appears to be a major part of the investigation into whatever deals were being cooked up in Ukraine Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Very important reporting. Drew Griffin, thanks very much. Finally tonight, President Trump has often questioned the conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, a view held by the entire U.S. intelligence community. Some of the president's GOP allies including most recently Louisiana Senator John Kennedy are now pushing the debunked theory that it may have been Ukraine.
[Chris Wallace, Fox News Anchor:] Who do you believe was responsible for hacking the DNC and Clinton campaign computers, their emails? Was it Russia or Ukraine?
[Sen. John Kennedy:] I don't know nor do you nor do any of us.
[Wallace:] The entire intelligence community says it was Russia.
[Kennedy:] Right. But it could also be Ukraine.
[Blitzer:] But we do know that the president's own top national security officials say it was Russia, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General William Barr, former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coates, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former homeland security advisor Tom Bossert.
[Christopher Wray, Fbi Director:] As I have consistently, Russia attempted to interfere with the last election.
[William Barr, Attorney General:] I am sure that all-Americans share my concerns about the efforts of the Russian government to interfere in our presidential election.
[Dan Coates, Former Director Of National Intelligence:] We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States.
[Sen. Mark Warner:] Do you accept the conclusions of the I.C. regarding Russia's measures?
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] Senator Warner, I do.
[Tom Bossert, Former Homeland Security Adviser:] It is not only a conspiracy theory, it is completely debunked. The United States government reached its conclusion on attributing to Russia the DNC hack in 2016 before it even communicated it to the FBI.
[Blitzer:] Now, all of these officials were appointed by President Trump. None of them are Never Trumpers or members of the so-called deep state. In fact, the president's own intelligence community recently briefed senators that Russia was promoting this conspiracy theory to shift blame away from Moscow and now to Ukraine. We invited Senator Kennedy to join us. He declined. We hope he will join us soon. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.

[Bianna Golodryga, Cnn Anchor:] We are following some breaking news now over in Europe where a manhunt is underway as we speak after what's being called one of the largest art heists in post-war history. Police say the thieves targeted priceless treasures at the 300-year-old Green Vault Museum in Germany's Dresden Castle. A display case was smashed that contained about 100 pieces. One estimate says the 18th century diamonds, rubies and pearls that were stolen could be worth more than, get this, a billion euros. Police say two suspects were spotted on security camera slipping in through a window. The museum's director says the works are so well-known that it would be impossible to sell them on the open market.
[Berman:] Wow.
[Golodryga:] Let's hope they retrieve that as soon as they can.
[Berman:] All right, this morning, an extraordinary controversy at the Pentagon. Varying accounts of why the secretary of the Navy was fired for his handling of a war crimes case involving a Navy SEAL. But on his way out the door, Secretary Richard Spencer is accusing the president of undermining the idea of military discipline. He writes, quote, I no longer share the same understanding with the commander of chief who appointed me in regards to the key principle of good order and discipline. I cannot, in good conscience, obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took. Joining me now, CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. It's a complicated case, Barbara, but at the end of the day, to have a secretary of the Navy say the president doesn't understand or agree with me on military discipline is really stunning.
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, it is not something I remember happening around here any time recently. The closest we came, of course, was former Defense Secretary James Mattis resigning because he felt he couldn't follow the president's orders on withdrawing troops from Syria. And that's what happens, if you're a seen official, senior military or uniformed or civilian, if you cannot follow the president's orders in good conscious, you have to step down. But this case is so wacky. I don't think there's any other way to put it. Spencer, at the same time, according to Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who fired him yesterday, was engaged in a back channel negotiation with the White House to try and resolve the Gallagher case, to let a review of his status as a Navy SEAL go forward but somehow have a guarantee ahead of time at the end of that review, which was supposed to be impartial, that Gallagher would get to remain a Navy SEAL and retire honorably. You know, if you're following all of that and it's confusing to you, it is confusing up and down the hallways of the Pentagon this morning. But the real issue, kind of the bottom line, is how did we get here? And there is a good deal of dismay that President Trump, while he had the authority to intervene in these war crimes allegation cases, that maybe he should not have, according to many officials, and he should have just let the military justice system take its course. John.
[Berman:] In the case of Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL, a petty office with the Navy SEALs, he was accused of war crimes. He was accused of killing an ISIS prisoner, also shooting innocent civilians. He was acquitted on every charge except one, which was taking a picture with a corpse, which is actually a very serious charge inside the Navy SEAL community. But he was acquitted of almost everything. He was demoted. The president reversed the demotion, right? But then the SEALs said, we want to take away his trident. We want to make a proclamation basically that Eddie Gallagher may not have been guilty of a crime, the court said, but he is not he should not be declared a Navy SEAL. He should not have the honor of being considered a Navy SEAL in his retirement. Now he will be allowed to retire with his trident as a Navy SEAL, which is exactly what the president wanted, correct?
[Starr:] What the president wanted, and let us be blunt, it is what Fox News wanted. Gallagher and other military personnel involved in these cases have been going to Fox News and have been on their air for a considerable period of time advocating for their cases. The president, we know, listens to Fox News, was listening to what Fox News was saying. This is not an opinion. This is a fact. The president listens to Fox News. So the bottom line concern this morning is very significant, which is the next time someone misbehaves in the military, if they put their case on Fox News and the president hears it, who is the president of the United States actually going to believe? You know, the issue of good order and discipline in the ranks really is sacrosanct. It is supposed to be maintained independently, impartially without outside influence. Mr. Trump had every right as commander in chief to intervene. He had the legal right to do so. But the question is, should he have done so and where did he get his information and did it all really come from those troops making their case on Fox News. John.
[Berman:] Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you very much for being with us this morning and making sense of what is a complicated story.
[Golodryga:] And Barbara makes such an important point, where else did we hear the president turn to Fox News for information on one of its hosts bashing somebody, Ambassador Yovanovitch, right?
[Berman:] Yes.
[Golodryga:] And you saw Mike Pompeo having to reach out to Sean Hannity asking what's going on here. So history repeat itself once again. Well, the race for president, a big endorsement is coming for Joe Biden today.
[Berman:] Don't say OK.
[Golodryga:] Right?
[Berman:] You just gave away the mystery right there.
[Golodryga:] I'm just reading what's in front of me, John.
[Berman:] You just gave

[Allen:] All right. Time is ticking for Britain's candidates to get out the vote ahead of a crucial general election with just days to go before voters head to the ballot box. The leaders of the U.K.'s two largest parties went head to head one final time. CNN's Anna Stewart breaks down Friday's debate.
[Anna Stewart, Cnn Correspondent:] With less than a week to go before Britons head to the polls to elect a new government, this last head- to-head debate brings much anticipation. But there were no knockout blows of facts. Leaders repeated many of the same claims, promises and attacks they have in recent weeks. Whether it was domestic policy, trust in politicians or that divisive topic, Brexit.
[Jeremy Corbyn, Leader, U.k. Labour Party:] No one voted to lose their job or lose trade with Europe. They voted for many reasons. But I think we have to come together and bring this issue to an end. Not go down the road of sweetheart deals with the
[Usa. Boris Johnson, U.k. Prime Minister:] Actually what should we should do is respect the word of the people. People do not trust in politics. Look at the promises made by Corbyn and all the other parties that they would honor the referendum result. And they are refusing to do it.
[Stewart:] Ahead of this debate two former prime ministers Conservatives John Major and Labour's Tony Blair spoke at an anti- Brexit rally and endorsed candidates outside of their own party. Current party leaders were asked their reaction.
[Johnson:] I have the respect for all former Conservative leaders and
[Corbyn:] A vote for Labour is to invest in the future of this country. So Tony Blair and John Major are welcome to make the comments that they do. I urge them to think for a moment. Think for a moment at the reality of what nine years of austerity has done to the people of this country.
[Stewart:] The Conservative Party leading polls with six days left is a very long time in politics. Campaigning will not let up until the nation goes to the ballot box on Thursday Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
[Allen:] Let's talk about it now, Quinton Peel, associate fellow with Chatham House joins us, he's also been a top journalist. Hi, Quinton, good morning to you. All right. At this juncture how ready or how sick are voters of this process? We'll break down the candidates next but talk about that first.
[Quentin Peel, Chatham House:] Well, I think voters are pretty fed up with the whole subject of Brexit. And yet they know it's absolutely central. The thing is that Boris Johnson's slogan, get Brexit done, which is pretty meaningless but, nonetheless, it's having an effect across the country. It's the one thing that people seem to be relating to. So even if they know that electing Boris Johnson won't get Brexit done, because this is going to drag on for months, if not years in negotiations, we will be out on January 31st, if Boris Johnson wins the majority.
[Allen:] I want to ask you, how should the world be watching this, first, the U.S.? What would a win by Boris Johnson, the Conservative, who wants to push Brexit through, with what you just said, we might not see a Brexit for ages, oh, my goodness, what would that mean to Britain's future?
[Peel:] Well, Britain outside the European Union is undoubtedly going to be much more dependent on its relationship with the U.S. So those arguing for this process have been really pushing to get a swift trade agreement with the U.S. And they say that's going to be a wonderful thing. The problem is, I'm not sure; I think they're exaggerating the benefits. And they're also exaggerating the speed with which you can do these things. We all know that trade negotiations are fantastically complex. You get every lobby group in the country, on both sides, trying to get their special interests taken into account. And you're not going to be able to do that where the British are negotiating at the one time with the whole of the European Union, which is after all where 45 percent of their trade goes, and on the other hand, trying to do simultaneous negotiations with the U.S. I don't think it's going to work.
[Allen:] And Boris Johnson chummy with President Trump, many Brits don't like Mr. Trump. And we'll see if that can have any kind of impact when they go to the polls. I don't know about that one. But I want to ask you about position Labour Party candidate Jeremy Corbyn now. He would hold a second referendum on Brexit. He's been critical of NATO. If he came out how would that affect relations with the U.S.?
[Peel:] He's undoubtedly a very skeptical politician as regards the entire transatlantic relationship. He's always been skeptical about the purposes of NATO. He is fundamentally deeply skeptical of Britain still having nuclear arms and the Trident nuclear missiles. So I think he would be a very difficult person for a U.S. administration to deal with. Having said that, the chances of him emerging with an outright majority are very, very small. If Boris Johnson doesn't win the majority, then the chances are we're going to have a hung Parliament again, in which case, there will be some sort of coalition of interests to get this whole Brexit exercise done. And we will drag on, I suspect, for months more. The Labour Party says they can do it all in six months, have another referendum. But I think both the Conservatives and the Labour Party are profoundly unrealistic about the process.
[Allen:] Enter the wild card, a young female candidate, a Liberal Democrat, if she wins, she promises to cancel Brexit. How about that chance? I mean, I'm not sure if she has a chance but what if that were to happen?
[Peel:] Well, you know, it would actually be the simplest solution just to say, we're not going to do it any longer. Because I think throughout this process, it's been absolutely clear that trying to extricate yourself from a very integrated trading system, this single market that there is in Europe, where we have no barriers, where we recognize all each other's standards across borders. So you have no cross-border checks and so on, all of that's got to go and be replaced by something else. Now I think Jo Swenson's idea of saying we just revoke it and stop it is brilliant at a logical level. The problem is, it's not popular politically because people say, we voted in a referendum to leave, you just can't revoke it. And she's not managed to win that argument. So we're back to a country which is divided between remain or leave and also desperately wanting the whole subject to go away.
[Allen:] All right. We've got to go. But can you just wrap up in one sentence that defines where the U.K. is with all of this?
[Peel:] It's in a complete muddle. We're utterly divided. We don't know who is running country. We're probably still going to have Boris Johnson, who is a man deeply mistrusted by voters to carry on as prime minister. It's not a happy situation.
[Allen:] Got it. Quentin Peel, we appreciate your insights. Good luck.
[Peel:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Uber releases a highly anticipated report that reveals just how prevalent cases of sexual violence have become at the firm. Also a thick layer of smoke is choking, yes, that city right there, Sydney. The flames are still burning. We'll have the latest as we watch CNN NEWSROOM.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] ... UNTOLD STORIES OF AMERICAN SPIES with Mike Rogers. That's at 9:00 pm Eastern, Sunday nights, followed by new episode of THIS IS LIFE with Lisa Ling. That's at 10:00 pm Eastern Sunday night. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] OUTFRONT next breaking news, the White House just subpoenaed. Democrats say the President's actions have left them no choice, the impeachment probe escalates tonight. Plus, Mike Pence slamming a request for Ukraine documents from him. The Vice President's office says it doesn't appear to be serious. Really? And the other breaking news this hour, doctors are revealing moments ago Bernie Sanders did have a heart attack. Let's go out front. And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, the breaking news, President Trump's White House subpoenaed. House Democrats issuing a subpoena to the White House moments ago. This is part of the impeachment inquiry. They say they are left with "no choice" after the White House refused to hand over documents related to Trump and Ukraine. This as Congress this hour has obtained new documents in the whistleblower complaint against President Trump. The Intelligence Community Inspector General deemed that whistleblower complaint both urgent and credible today. Spent nearly seven hours behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. Sources tells CNN that he gave documents showing how he work to corroborate the whistleblower complaint which, of course, alleges Trump tried to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden while he held up military aid to the country. Now, the story is moving very quickly at this hour. Of course, the big question now will Trump order his team to defy a subpoena? Because tonight the President himself is defiant saying that all of this had nothing to do with Joe Biden.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I don't care about Biden's campaign, but I do care about corruption. His campaign, that's up to him. Politics, that's up to them. I don't care about politics.
[Burnett:] Well, we know he does care about Biden a lot and goodness knows he cares about politics. I mean, first Biden, Trump mentioned him by name in his phone call with the Ukrainian president multiple times, specifically asking the Ukrainian president to investigate him even though there is nothing to show Joe Biden did anything wrong. In fact, President Trump's own former envoy to Ukraine told Congress in his newly released opening statement and I quote, we just got this today, it's important to hear, "I have known former Vice President Biden for 24 years, and the suggestion that he would be influenced in his duties as Vice President by money for his son simply has no credibility to me. I know him as a man of integrity and dedication to our country." Well, look, we know Trump cares about Joe Biden and one of the reasons we know is that he singles him out for insults all that time.
[Trump:] I'd rather run against, I think, Biden than anybody. I think he's the weakest mentally. Joe Biden has truly lost his lost his fast ball. Joe Biden is not playing with a full deck. I mean, you look at a guy like sleepy Joe Biden...
[Burnett:] He brings him up all of the time. He cares about Joe Biden and he cares about politics. I mean, nobody, nobody cares about polls, and who is up and who is down more than he, Trump loves polls.
[Trump:] I got great poll numbers. Our poll numbers are through the roof. Every poll that I see and every poll that we have, I'm winning by we're doing well.
[Burnett:] OK. Trump's polls explain his obsession with Joe Biden. The most recent head to head matchup was a Fox News poll, one the President would listen to, Joe Biden 52, Trump 38, ABC News; Biden, 55, Trump 40, Quinnipiac; Biden 54, Trump 38. Biden currently trouncing Trump in the polls Trump adores and that is why Trump care so deeply about taking Biden down. Kaitlan Collins is out front at the White House tonight. And Kaitlan, obviously, the subpoena very significant, any response from the White House? Obviously, the subpoena came just moments ago. Have you heard anything yet?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] No, they haven't gone back to us yet, Erin. We've reached out for comment and they haven't said anything. Of course, as you noted it just came out a short time ago, but we should note the White House was expecting this. Democrats signaled as much just a few days ago essentially saying that they were sending a warning shot to the White House that they weren't messing around in this impeachment inquiry that they've been pursuing. But people back here at the White House have a very different view of that. They essentially have been arguing that not only are they going to keep their distance and they've been pretty dismissive of these requests so far. But they say that's because Democrats didn't vote to hold this formal impeachment inquiry. Democrats just said they don't need to, to pursue this impeachment inquiry that they're moving forward with that Nancy Pelosi announced last week. But that is not the view here at the White House and that's why right now we've been in these discussions with the White House about this draft of this letter that they're expected to send early next week right now is the time we're hearing though that's still unclear. Basically, this letter that's going to dare the House Speaker to bring a vote to the House floor to have her caucus vote essentially, formally and officially doing this impeachment inquiry. The White House says they're not going to cooperate essentially until they get that. Right now they're still waiting on it.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Kaitlan, and certainly a showdown in the offing. Out front now Democratic Congressman Denny Heck, Member of the House Intelligence Committee. He was inside today's meeting with the Intelligence Community Inspector General. And I want to ask you about that, Congressman, but first, I want to start with the breaking news, this subpoena. Obviously, there's a game of chicken and I don't mean to play light with it, but this is escalating and it's a standoff. I mean, what happens if Trump's White House defies you?
[Rep. Denny Heck:] So I think Chairman Schiff has made it abundantly clear that defiance of this act constitutes obstruction of a legitimate congressional inquiry in pursuit of impeachment. And as a consequence of that, we will assume or infer that he is not innocent of whatever it is that we're out to verify with the documentation. There is no other reason for him to withhold it, to hide it, unless, of course, he's guilty.
[Burnett:] So when does a vote happen? With this whole they're trying to say, oh, you have to do a vote before they do anything, what's your sense of when a vote would happen for actual articles of impeachment?
[Heck:] Oh, we have some more work to do. We have some other people that I think can add, frankly, materially to our understanding of what went on here. We have several of them scheduled for next week. As you know the former Ambassador to Ukraine is among them. We would hope that at some point we're able while taking into account appropriate security precautions, an opportunity to talk to the whistleblower himself or herself. So we have some more work here to do to understand completely in all three dimensions the actual story and narrative of what's going on here.
[Burnett:] And I want to ask you about what you're going to ask them in a moment, because there are some crucial testimonies coming up. But I want to ask you about today, when you met with the Intel Inspector General. Again, that's the person, Atkinson, who evaluated the whistleblower complaint, deeming it credible and urgent, gave you documents today, I understand, laid out his thinking and what he knew and when he knew it. What did you learn new?
[Heck:] So first of all, I want to say that my reaction to Inspector General Atkinson was much the same it was the first time. The man is incredibly thorough, approaches his job with professionalism and integrity. And in fact, the very fact that we are able to, at this point in time, be able to evaluate the whistleblower complaint is because he had the courage to come forward with it. So look as a matter of fact, since the Inspector General issued his report and with the issuance of the call report, they have verified everything that the complaint put forth. So we now know, in the President's own words, that he actively solicited in violation and clear violation of federal law, the assistance of a foreign national government in support of this campaign in 2020.
[Burnett:] So we also saw the text messages that Volker provided to Congress in his testimony this week. Volker, of course, Trump's envoy to Ukraine, former, he has now resigned. Perhaps the most damning message that we all heard though or saw came from the top diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor. Bill Taylor in this text which came out in the Volker testimony says, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with the political campaign. OK. This is the top American diplomat in Ukraine, a stunning text and I think it's important, Congressman, to make sure our viewers know that was sent before anyone. Anyone in America knew there was a whistleblower or any issue with Ukraine. No one knew there was a story. That's what people who were involved thought this was. They thought it was a quid pro quo. What was the most powerful evidence you've seen in the past couple of days between the Inspector General testimony and Trump's now former envoy? Was it that text or were there other things as powerful?
[Heck:] So I think the two most powerful things that have occurred are, first of all, the call report, the President's own words in which he said directly after a discussion about the sale of Javelin missiles to Ukraine, I need a favor I need you to do us a favor though. And that combined with what Ambassador Taylor said about it being crazy to withhold security assistance I think are incredibly damning, their own words. And in fact I would respectfully suggest to you that's why everybody on the Republican side seems to be in full blown attack mode. I've said to you before that they only have four plays; deny, attack, play the victim and change the subject throughout outrageous pronouncement. They're in scorched earth attack mode. They're attacking the process. They're attacking the whistleblower. They're attacking the Inspector General. A Republican Senator today attack President Obama. They're attacking Chairman Schiff. They're doing everything except defending these words, which are unbelievably in and of themselves incriminating.
[Burnett:] Before we go, obviously, you've got the subpoena to the White House and I know you're giving them a deadline, I believe, two weeks from now. Your committee also gave though a deadline tonight for the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. That's the subpoena deadline for them tonight. They've got a few hours. Where do things stand?
[Heck:] Well, I just don't have much optimism whatsoever that they're going to comply with the law. They show no regard for it thus far to date. What's really at trial here isn't just the narrow behavior of the incumbent President of the United States and his violation of this particular federal statute. It is the very principle of rule of law and whether or not it is the who hold public trust, those of us that are privileged to occupy these positions are obligated under our constitutional oath of office to adhere to the law. We are and those who aren't are going to be held accountable sooner or later.
[Burnett:] Congressman Heck, thanks very much for your time.
[Heck:] You're welcome.
[Burnett:] Next breaking news, Democrats want Ukraine documents from Mike Pence. The Vice President's office now slamming that request this hour. Plus, Republicans, so many are so silent about what the President asking from foreign governments, but some are now speaking out, that ahead. And more breaking news, doctors saying minutes ago that Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack.

[Whitfield:] First on CNN. CNN's Jake Tapper is reporting that the White House is announcing the first part of its Middle East peace proposal. The plan is led by senior White House adviser and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and focuses on economic development. It includes four major components infrastructure, industry, and empowering people and governance reform. The plan also calls for a meeting of Middle East countries to be held June 25th and 26th in Bahrain, the much stickier political component of the plan will be announced later on this year. CNN diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson joins me from Abu Dhabi and in Washington, D,C., Aaron David Miller, a former State Department negotiator for both Republican and Democratic administrations. Good to see both of you. All right, so Nic, you first, you know, this is purposely being called a workshop, not a summit. Finance Ministers will be invited, but not Foreign Ministers. Why the distinction?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Well, I think from what we can see from the contours and the way it's being announced and shaped already, that this is an idea to sell the aspiration of what a peace deal and the contours of that are still shrouded in mystery, that this is an idea to sell the economic benefits of what may be tacked on at the end of it. And of course, when I say tacked on at the end of it, that's the real heavy lift. The details of what any kind of political settlement might be. So you know, if we compare this, for example, to the way that President Trump tried to deal with Kim Jong-un when they had that first Summit in Singapore, there was that that video that sort of video of a brave new North Korea with economic success and building and all the aspirations of what can be achieved. And it seems that Jared Kushner is trying to sort of set out his stand in this way to bring people on with a vision and buy into the economic benefits, before they have to bite down on the political reality. I have to say, at this stage, it is hard to say it's hard to see if you're going to find willing partners in the Palestinians for this, but this is how he is attempting to begin the process it appears.
[Whitfield:] And so Aaron, and this is what Jared Kushner told CNN in a statement, and I'm quoting now, "People are letting their grandfathers' conflict destroy their children's futures. This will present an exciting, realistic and viable pathway forward that does not currently exist." How do you believe that will be sold?
[Aaron David Miller, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] You know, it's a nice line and it embodies the reality that you cannot allow the past to imprison the present or the future. I think the reason they did this partly for it, and I think Nic had it exactly right. First of all, it's proof of life. There's been a lot of speculation that in fact, this plan will never come out. And there was a fairly compelling analysis that supported that argument. So this demonstrates that, in fact, something is going to come out. Number two, I think it front loads as Nic suggested the economic benefits, which are necessary but not sufficient to solve the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Look, I've seen, helped craft, watch peace plans come and go most of which I might add over the course of 20 years under Republican and Democratic administrations have failed. But you cannot buy a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yes, improving the quality of people's lives is critical and I applaud them for doing this. But a chicken in every pot, a computer in every house is not going to substitute or frankly compensate for the incredibly difficult issues of statehood, Jerusalem, refugees, and the whole conception of how you reconcile Israeli sovereignty, excuse me, Palestinian sovereignty against the necessary requirements of Israeli security.
[Miller:] So I think they've got the horse a real horse, perhaps, before the card, but we'll see one additional point. You notice where this is taking place. It's taking place in the Gulf. And frankly, to their credit, they didn't have I use the word "chutzpah" to stage this in Saudi Arabia, largely because of our policy in respect to Jamal Khashoggi's murder, but it will bring Israelis and Arabs, Palestinian participation yet to be seen. I suspect they probably will come together and frankly it is a good thing.
[Whitfield:] And does it tell you because there is a date of June 25th and 26th, that there are commitments coming from some of those Middle Eastern countries to be in Bahrain at that date?
[Miller:] I suspect they wouldn't have put this out if they didn't think that at a sufficient level, we get serious Arab states, Saudis and Emiratis to participate in this. The question is whether the Gulf is going to not just show up. But frankly, put the money up that is going to be required for all of this. So one last point, you know, it's paradoxical, because they have now gotten dates for the economic component of the plan, which allows them, frankly, a certain amount of flexibility to delay andor defer the truly controversial elements of the plan, how to reconcile Israeli and Palestinian needs on Jerusalem, territory, borders all the issues that the rest of us couldn't sort out over the course of the last 25 years.
[Whitfield:] So Nic, Jared Kushner, has said that he believes this peace plan will be a real test for Arab nations in particular. So what might be the biggest challenge?
[Robertson:] As you know, I think to get to the Palestinians engaged in a meaningful way right off the bat is going to be the toughest issue here. You have the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN recently describing this peace plan as dead on arrival. You have just a couple of days ago, the Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister speaking in London calling this a consecration of the century long ordeal of the Palestinian people no sovereignty, no freedom, no independence. This is going to be the heaviest lift to get them engaged. And of course, they've stopped engagement with the White House since the end of December 2017 when President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. So I think getting real meaningful engagement at the beginning that seems to be the biggest challenge where we stand today. And that's just the beginning.
[Whitfield:] Yes, all right, Nic Roberson, Aaron David Miller. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
[Miller:] Thanks, Fred.
[Whitfield:] Still ahead, severe weather continues today and it's about to get worse in the U.S. At least 49 tornadoes have been reported since Friday, a live update, next.

[Camerota:] It's a new morning and that means another allegation from John Bolton's unpublished book manuscript. According to the New York Times, the former National Security Adviser says now that the President directed him to help pressure Ukraine to dig up dirt on Democrats back in May of last year, that's earlier than previously revealed. But here's where it gets really interesting: Bolton also says that Patsy Baloney, the lawyer representing President Trump at the impeachment trial, was also in the Oval Office at the time of this conversation, and so was Mick Mulvaney. Back with us: John Avalon, Joe Lockhart, Charlie Dent and Laura Jarrett. Laura, I'll just read a portion of this from the New York Times: "Mr. Trump gave the instruction," Mr. Bolton wrote, during an Oval Office conversation in early May that included the acting White House Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, the need the President's Personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and the White House Counsel Patsy Baloney, who is now leading the president's impeachment defense." Patsy Baloney, correct me if I'm wrong, had said that the President didn't do anything wrong, and he didn't know anything about this.
[Jarrett:] Well, there you go. I think I think two things about this. One, the fact that it happens in May is notable. We can all remember that Giuliani had gone out to tell the New York Times he was going on this adventure in the Ukraine, he eventually doesn't go after all the hoopla about it. But that was what the purpose of this was and why in the world is the president directing Bolton to send Mulvaney on I mean to send Giuliani on this excursion? If he really was so worried about corruption, there are so many other ways to go about it, but instead, he used his fixer, Giuliani, to do his
[Camerota:] His personal lawyer who has nothing to do with the U.S. government as Giuliani himself tells Ukraine that, too, is
[Jarrett:] And then, at the same time, Patsy Baloney is in the room. So, as you mentioned, he is now a fact witness to some key events, while at the same time being an advocate for his client, but really the presidency is his client. And so now, I think there are fair questions about whether the D.C. bar should look into this. I am not confident that anything will be done about this, even though I know John Avalon has some strong feelings about this, but I don't think that we have seen any suggestion that there are going to be any repercussions for this whatsoever.
[Avalon:] Well, look, in the political realm, we've seen that people are willing to allow hypocrisy and partisan self-interest and polarization to cause them to abandon anything resembling a principle that they've advocated for decades. But there's still the hope that the law retains a degree of integrity beyond politics, and there is a thing as you know, called the witness advocate rule. It's an ethical standard in place but you can't be an advocate in some place for you should be witness. And this is the White House Council got the floor of the Senate in front of the Chief Justice and appears to have lied, and a lot, and that should matter. That should matter. This is not simply Lionel Hutz, making a case on it and an infomercial on T.V. This is this is a very serious moment. And if he knew he was lying, advancing an argument to the American people, there should be, there should be a recourse.
[Berman:] Let me just read a little bit more of what the New York Times reports, it says: "Mr. Trump told Mr. Bolton to Zelensky who had recently won election as President of Ukraine to ensure Zelensky would meet with Mr. Giuliani, who was planning a trip to Ukraine to discuss the investigations that the President sought in Mr. Bolton's account. Mr. Bolton never made the call, he wrote." Now, the President put out a statement overnight saying that he never told John Bolton to do this. And Rudy Giuliani put out a statement which denies nothing, as far as I can tell. Giuliani says, "I think he's making some of it up. He's sure making up. Well, I wouldn't call it making it up, but he's acting like a real scumbag by never telling me that he objected once and then saying, I was a time bomb or a firecracker or something." It was a hand grenade but, but we'll give him that one. So, look, you have the President denying it, you have John, you have John Bolton telling one story and the President telling another. There is a way to find out the truth. Sometimes you can put someone under oath, right? But the Senate's not going to do that. And now from a political standpoint, Joe, it is interesting, because there's the Alexander, Lamar Alexander, doctrine now, which is Republican senators can say: Oh, I believe all this happened. I believe John Bolton story here. I believe it could get even worse than that. But I still don't think the President should be removed, and I still don't want to hear everything John Bolton has to say under oath.
[Lockhart:] Well, I mean, that that's the hard part. for them. It is it is legitimate to say something doesn't reach a threshold. And that's a decision a senator has to make, you know, with his own conscience and having talked to his constituents. You can't then extend that and say, there's evidence out there, there are witnesses out there, but we don't want to hear it. That, that what they're saying, in effect is there is no threshold. There is nothing the President could do that would make me want to remove him. And that's an abdication of their responsibility as a United States senator.
[Avalon:] This president, because he's popular with the base, despite the fact he's massively unpopular with the American people and 75 percent of the American people want witnesses and the founding fathers were incredibly clear about the fact that foreign interference, asking for foreign interference in a domestic election was exactly the kind of thing they were worried about.
[Camerota:] Hey, Charlie, how are your Republican friends, your colleagues in Congress that you, I assume, are still in touch with? How are they wrapping their heads around that this is what they'll get for the next five years, if they have their way in the election, that the President doesn't think what he did was wrong with foreign interference and he'll do it again?
[Dent:] This is they're being tortured by all this. And that's why so many have retired. Let's face it, I suspect you're going to see more retirements. I mean, this is I've said this for since Trump's been the president, this has just been simply exhausting. And they're very frustrated by this whole thing. I mean, it's they don't I think their silence speaks louder than anything. They're silent. They can't explain it. They can't justify it. And they, they just, they just muddle through. And I think it's I don't know, when it breaks, I really don't. But somebody should talk to the members who lost in 2018, because I can tell you what they'll tell you why they lost their elections, for the most part is because of the President. And that's where we are again.
[Avalon:] But, but silence is total cowardice. I mean, you've got people with real power acting completely impotent. I mean, Senator Murkowski's statement was nonsense. The Senate's broken, I'm very sad. I'm a member of the Senate and I could help make it better by voting for witnesses to make the system work. But instead, I'm going to feel overwhelmed about how broken the system isn't very sad. What the hell is that?
[Lockhart:] In their defense, they're stuck, Charlie, you know, this, which is if they, if they cross the president, they lose their base voters. They lose they'll most likely lose their seats. If they defend the president, they lose 60 percent of their constituents.
[Avalon:] She got re-elected as an independent candidate.
[Lockhart:] He has put them in this situation. And I think this one of the things that was behind extending this beyond the State of the Union was their little feeble attempt to say, you can't tell us what to do, Donald Trump. We're going to we're going to do this to you. It was feeble.
[Berman:] The witness vote was the way to do that. That's
[Lockhart:] Yes, of course.
[Berman:] That's why the witness vote was important here to a lot of people because you can say, you know, what, removing the president is an incredibly high bar. But I will call witnesses as a middle path here to signify that what the president is saying here is not OK with me, and I want to hear a different story. They did not choose that route. They did not choose a route that was available to them.
[Lockhart:] But it was they were motivated by fear. They were motivated by the fact that the President would retaliate against them and, and, and it's cowardly, but it is these it is a state of
[Dent:] Most of them represent very safe districts. So, they have to really cater to their base. There weren't many guys like me who represented swing districts. I always had to be thinking about those independents, I ended 25 percent of Democrats to win. I just couldn't speak to a base and most of them don't have that experience. So, you've got to and they're in this no one situation if they crossed the president, they lose the base. And if they, if they step, step away from them, they needed the independents and moderates.
[Berman:] I am very interested about how the President will treat the State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, because if he does walk in there and say I made a perfect phone call, right? Does the Lamar Alexander clap? Do all the senators who have said that it was inappropriate? Are they going to cheer everything he says there? He asked
[Jarrett:] Probably. Probably. I mean, to the extent that their judges are getting cleared, and to the extent that Elizabeth Warren doesn't win? I think the answer to that is yes.
[Camerota:] I mean, the chances that President Trump doesn't say that he's completely vindicated and that all this was a sham are zero, of course.
[Jarrett:] That's what he's been saying.
[Lockhart:] It's not likely, he's not given a major speech recently off a teleprompter, a big policy speech. He's been doing rallies, so it's really hard to think that he'll be disciplined and read the words in front of them. He's going to, at some point slip, and tell us what he really thinks. And it going to be, you know, I'm persecuted. They tried to get me. They didn't do it. I'm protecting you from them and just all the nonsense you hear in these rallies.
[Berman:] All right friends, thank you for being here on Saturday morning, much more to come. The first vote inside the Democratic nominee, the Iowa caucuses.
[Camerota:] Is that what you're calling it?
[Berman:] I'm calling it the Iowa caucuses.
[Camerota:] The Iowa caucuses, got it.
[Berman:] 48 hours away now. The candidates are in Iowa.
[Camerota:] For the caucuses.
[Berman:] For the caucuses. Campaigning. We're going to go live next.

[Sciutto:] Soon, the Senate will vote on a resolution restricting the president's ability to use military action against Iran without congressional approval.
[Harlow:] The measure was expected to pass with bipartisan support. But now, if a Republican-sponsored amendment passes, the bill could lose support from Democrats. CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is on Capitol Hill. It was a rare showing or expected to be a rare showing of bipartisan support in the Senate for something that actually constrains the power of the presidency. What's going on with it now, though?
[Suzanne Malveaux, Cnn National Correspondent:] So, Poppy, this is really a chance to see how the sausage is made here on Capitol Hill because this is the process of introducing these amendments, and some of them are call poison pills because they are just so bad that this is not something that Democrats can swallow. So you have Senator Tom Cotton who's introducing an amendment that essentially says, yes, OK, you could limit the president's power, war powers in Iran, but you have to make some exceptions for foreign terrorist organizations. Well, there are at least 30 designated foreign terrorist organizations, so essentially it would make it null and void and this resolution would be blown up. And so we're Democrats would not support it. Let's say let's put that aside and say it's not an issue here, that perhaps they do go to that vote that was expected this afternoon. If they do that, then it is expected that you will have at least eight Republicans joining 43 Democrats for this particular resolution. And these are very similar, familiar names that we've heard: Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul. You've got people who are veterans, and you also have constitutional conservatives. How are they signing onto this in light of the environment of retribution from this president? Well, I had a chance to talk to Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, a Democrat who's the author of the resolution. And he says one thing that they are doing is they are not assigning the president's name to this War Powers Act Poppy.
[Sen. Tim Kaine:] They don't see it as crossing the president. If it was crossing the president, they might not get on board. But my resolution doesn't say anything about the doesn't mention President Trump, it just says we're engaged in hostilities with Iran that are not subject to a statutory authorization. Congress needs to authorize them.
[Malveaux:] And so, Poppy, Jim, we'll see how this all plays out this morning, whether or not we get to that vote for the resolution. Right now, it's still up in flux here, whether or not these poison pills will kill this from the very beginning.
[Harlow:] OK.
[Sciutto:] Suzanne Malveaux, thanks very much. We have some breaking news now, just in to CNN. This from the Treasury Department, Jessie Liu submitting her resignation to the Treasury Department yesterday, CNN is learning. Our Evan Perez here. Liu, of course, caught up in the prosecution of the Roger Stone case, which is was her prior position, correct? So now she's stepping down.
[Evan Perez, Cnn Senior Justice Correspondent:] That's right, Jim. She was supposed to be today, actually was supposed to be before the Senate for this new position at the Treasury Department. And obviously, now, the fact that the president has pulled her nomination, this is the second nomination that she's had to withdraw from. She has now officially submitted her resignation. She did so yesterday, to the Treasury Department, and that was that resignation was accepted, according to an administration official who talked to Kaitlan Collins over at the White House. Look, I think it's very clear that she needed to do this, given the fact that it is now twice that she has she has failed to win these two nominations.
[Harlow:] Yes. Evan, thank you very much. Obviously, this just crossed. We'll try to get some more info when we can. We'll be right back.

[Jarrett:] All right, welcome back. Protests flaring up overnight in New York City where there is no curfew. In the SoHo neighborhood people were captured ransacking a watch store. There were several arrests at protests across the city including the daughter of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. She has since been released. We get more now from CNN's Shimon Prokupecz.
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Correspondent:] Christine and Laura, it's been a mostly peaceful day here in New York City as protesters in the thousands took to the streets, marched from Times Square to Union Square, down to lower Manhattan and Foley Square and have been mostly peaceful. It's in the thousands. Probably the largest group that we have seen here since demonstrations began a couple of days ago. And then of course in the evening unfortunately things got a little violent. There was a fire set. Police having confrontations with many of the protesters who came from Brooklyn. There were a couple of arrests. A little different than what we saw Saturday night. Here on Sunday not as many breakouts, not as many confrontations with police but there were still some. The other thing I want to point out is that along Fifth Avenue we walked through the Flat Iron section a lot of stores, a lot of stores vandalized, glass broken. We have seen some looting. The police are continuing to be out here and protests are expected for the next several days Christine, Laura.
[Romans:] All right, Shimon, thank you for that. Violence moments ago on the West Coast. Demonstrators broke windows at a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon. Officers responded with riot control measures. There were also hundreds of arrests and pockets of violence alongside peaceful protests overnight in parts of California. CNN's Kyung Lah has more from Long Beach.
[Kyung Lah, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] Christine and Laura, what we are still seeing in especially the beach communities in California and Southern California are the police departments still trying to clear the protestors off the street. What you're seeing here is the Long Beach Police Department. They have their batons out. We have seen them firing rubber bullets into protesters who are marching in the streets after the curfew. I should point out, these protesters have been largely peaceful from what we have seen here in Long Beach, but there have been reports of looting and we saw it in Santa Monica. We saw confrontations with the police where some people were throwing bottles at the police. It was tense standoffs and then when it came to the looting, people were breaking into windows, walking out of stores with their arms full of stolen merchandise and it was just a surreal scene. Here in Long Beach though as the night fell and curfew passed, protesters peacefully still marched the streets. Listen to this woman about why she wanted to keep marching.
[Unidentified Female:] Because I'm matter. My family matter. My friends matter. I got nephews. I got nieces. I got sisters. I got a mama. I got a daddy. I got friends. I got peers. I got all these people standing right here that
[Lah:] Shortly after we did that interview police did stop those marchers. They took some into custody. A lot of others went home Christine, Laura.
[Jarrett:] All right, Kyung. Thank you so much. Only business owners and residents will be allowed to enter Chicago's central business district this morning. And commuter rail service is being suspended all day. Ryan Young is on the ground in the windy city.
[Ryan Young, Cnn National Correspondent:] Laura and Christine, it was definitely a different tactic here in Chicago, especially on Sunday. They decided to bring in heavy trucks like this one to block the way into the downtown district. They did this because the night before was so difficult in the city of Chicago. More than 130 businesses were damaged in the business district. Six people were shot. One person was actually killed. It was a completely different story the next night here in the city because not only was the National Guard here but they brought in heavy equipment to block off the district. That's one of the things they're doing. They're hoping they were able to quell some of the issues they did have throughout the city. We did see more looting on the south and west side. Christine and Laura, back to you.
[Romans:] All right, Ryan in Chicago. Thank you for that. You know, an army of volunteers from around Minnesota pitching in to help with the cleanup in Twin Cities neighborhoods this weekend after the mass protest and violence that followed the death of George Floyd. Hundreds of volunteers were out sweeping the streets, cleaning up debris, and broken glass with brooms, garbage bags, and buckets wherever they needed to help. We'll be right back.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] The results from New Hampshire are in and they`re our first topic today on CNN 10. I`m Carl Azuz wherever in the world you`re watching, thank you. Here`s what happened on Tuesday night in the Granite State. Senator Bernie Sanders came out on top in the Democratic primary. The lawmaker from Vermont received 25.8 percent of the vote followed by Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana who got 24.5 percent. Senator Amy Klobuchar who represents Minnesota came in third with 19.8 percent. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Vice-President Joe Biden rounded out the top five though they didn`t win any pledged delegates. And that`s really the name of the game here. Whoever wins a majority of delegates through these state primaries and caucuses is likely to become a party`s nominee for president. So far Senator Sanders and former Mayor Buttigieg lead in the Democratic delegate count but the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries are only the first two contests. There`s still a long way to go. After the results from New Hampshire came in, a few Democrats left the race. Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, businessman Andrew Yang and former Massachusetts Governor Duval Patrick all suspended their campaigns. They just weren`t getting the votes they needed to stay in. So now there are eight Democrats still in the race and the next contest for them will be a caucus on February 22nd in Nevada. On the other side of the political aisle, there`s one candidate former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld who`s challenging incumbent President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. Former U.S. Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois suspended his campaign after the Iowa caucuses last week. But in New Hampshire like in Iowa, President Trump easily won getting around 85.8 percent of the vote there. The next contest for Republicans take place in several states on Super Tuesday, March 3rd. 10 Second Trivia. Which of these African countries has the most official languages? South Africa, Egypt, Libya or Nigeria. With 11 official languages including Zulu, Afrikaans and English, South Africa has the most on this list. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the conservation group, South Africa is one of the four main countries in Africa where you can still find rhinoceros. All but one species of these animals are endangered. Thousands of them have been poached, illegally hunted because their horns are used in traditional Asian medicine. Even the sanctuaries that are designed to protect and preserve rhinos are under threat but they have a new weapon in the fight against poaching and believe it or not it`s a type of market.
[Unidentified Male:] I first saw a rhino when I was probably six-seven year olds in the Kruger National Park and then I knew I wanted to protect rhinos. To be leading the project that protects so many rhinos and you`re so successful in doing that. You know it`s an absolute privilege [inaudible]. We are building a smart park based on technology that enables our rhinos to be able to secure the area. We saw [inaudible] tourists even realizing what is happening. The post code meerkat was a [inaudible]. If it is a specific time, there are people in the park who have not used the gate our system will be able to pick those up. It`s difficult to find a person after [inaudible]. It`s like finding a needle in a stack of needles and then getting to him and fetching him and people think well that`s easy. It`s not easy. What the meerkat has effectively done since its - its first deployment into these parts of Kruger has - has decreased poaching by 95 percent. Everyday that meerkat is working we are saving rhinos. Technology makes things possible but people makes things happen. It replace people but it can make it much easier for the people to do their job. It`s also exciting to start using technology in a useful way because often we feel that we do technology for the sake of technology but now we actually doing technology for the sake of saving a - a species. You need to be able to sense and you need to make sense of what you`re sensing and the third thing is you need to be able to respond to that. There systems all need to talk to each other. The boundary detection system alerts the meerkat. The meerkat alerts the rangers and alerts the helicopter, the reaction crew. It`s the [inaudible] able to transfer the acquisition of the poachers over to the aircraft. People come from all over the world to come and see the wildlife in Africa. If we`re not able to conserve that, than that means people will not come here. The keystone species such as the rhino will be [inaudible] for [inaudible] appreciate as well. Maybe the next generation that follows them. We enter a new era of conservation with various forms of technology enable us to secure big areas and are [inaudible] better to what we need to do.
[Azuz:] Avocados, kale and now mushrooms, the fungi are increasing in demand, price and production. In fact, the American Mushroom Institute says the U.S. is producing more mushrooms per month than it ever has before. The industry trade group credit`s the increasing popularity of plant based diets for the "mushrooming" changes but they`re not just for salads. Mushrooms can be used to make everything from furniture to clothing to shipping materials. Mycelium foam like what`s made by a company called Ecovative isn`t always the most cost effective option for shipping. But it is changing the way some people think about mushrooms.
[Unidentified Female:] Since the 1950s, humans have produced over 9 billions tons of plastic. Most of that is ending up in landfills and could take centuries to decompose. A miracle material found in nature could be the key to reducing plastic waste. It`s called mycelium and it comes from mushrooms.
[Eben Bayer, Ceo Of Ecovative:] Mycelium is like the root structure of a mushroom. You`re used to seeing a mushroom above ground, mycelium is like the roots beneath it. But no one that ever tried to use them to make materials.
[Unidentified Male:] Eben Bayer is the CEO of Ecovative. A company that has developed a way to grow mycelium into specific shapes and sizes. They start by taking organic plant waste and mixing it with mycelium cells which act as a sort of natural glue.
[Bayer:] The mycelium grows through and around those particles and it binds them together and you`ve got a grown product.
[Unidentified Female:] Ecovative mycelium products provide a natural alternative to packaging materials made out of plastic and Styrofoam.
[Bayer:] At the end of its useful life you can actually break it up and you can put it in your own garden. So it`s - it`s a nutrient not a pollutant.
[Unidentified Female:] Ecovative wants to take mycelium to the next level.
[Bayer:] Our current technical focus is evolving the next generation of mycelium materials from self-scaffolding, to leather like materials, even knee replacements.
[Unidentified Female:] AKA, mycelium bacon which is still in its testing phases. The company thinks mycelium can also play a major role in construction and even in regenative medicine.
[Bayer:] It really has boundless possibilities and it comes from its ability to move from the micro scale to the macro scale.
[Azuz:] Time to turn up the radio to CNN 10 because scientists say they`ve detected some mysterious radio signals from outer space. Radio signals are nothing new but what was picked up by a radio telescope in western Canada is a pattern of these signals that repeats every 16 days. Scientists don`t know why. They think it`s coming from a galaxy that`s about 500 million light years away. So like outside our neighborhood and it could be coming from a star. Well of course, all radio hits come from stars. It`s really not transforming information. You just need to have the capacitor to keep your antennas out and tune into whatever`s dialed up and amplified across the universe and you`ll "knobt" be disappointed in what`s "speak ring" to your earphones. Radio puns. They`re "eartransistable" ya`ll. I`m Carl Azuz. Timberland High School is listening today. Shout out to our viewers in St. Stephen, South Carolina. Though I don`t personally pick the schools we mention. On Friday, I`ll be giving a tip on how they`re chosen to subscribers of our official You Tube channel. That`s all for CNN. END

[Sen. Doug Jones:] I've been trying to read this. I'm trying to see if the dots get connected. If that is the case, and I think it's a serious matter, I think it's an impeachable matter. But if those dots aren't connected and there are other explanations that I think are consistent with innocence, I will go that way, too. I've got to make sure that what I really want to see, though, is to fill in the gaps.
[Avlon:] All right. That's Democratic Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, raising the possibility that he could vote against convicting President Trump. Jones is facing a tough re-election battle in his home state, which he narrowly won last time around. Back with us, Joe Lockhart and Laura Jarrett. Laura, let me start with you. Folks look at this, and they say, look, Doug Jones has been a pretty straight shooter, but he represents Alabama. And is he going to vote his conscience or vote his district? And what are the implications for his reelect? Does this have an implication beyond Doug Jones or is this just about Doug Jones now?
[Jarrett:] He's in he's in a tough spot, right? He's facing a re- election in 2020. Jeff Sessions has re-emerged from his stint as attorney general, running again, he's now announced. So I think it's reasonable to say, I have questions. I think, you know, we always jump to the cynical view, which is obviously that he's just doing this to kowtow to voters. But it's reasonable to have questions. But it might be so specific to Alabama that you're not going to see a lot of other Democratic senators out there mimicking Doug Jones on this.
[Camerota:] Doug Jones says he wants the answers to fill in the gaps. That's his quote. Without witnesses at a trial, how do you how are you going to do that?
[Lockhart:] Well, he's not going to be able to. So I think it's a very effective argument for just before Christmas on, you know, a Sunday show to say, I want all the facts so I can make a reasonable decision. So it puts more pressure on getting the facts. You know, I think all of this involves several levels of politics. And we shouldn't shy away from that. Democrats have a chance to retake the Senate. They don't want people to do things that will mean they'll lose. On the other hand, one of the main thrusts of the Democrats' message over the next month of two is this shouldn't be about job security. It should be about the Constitution of the country. So they're in a tough spot. I didn't read Jones as saying, I'm not going to vote
[Camerota:] I didn't read it that way either.
[Lockhart:] for guilty. And and he has had a couple of tough votes already since he's been in the Senate. And he's voted his conscience rather than, you know, looking at what helps him for re- election. But this is exactly the argument we're going to be looking at from both sides over the next couple months of, you know, am I doing this for the country or am I doing this for me? And so far, Republicans have been arguing, I'm doing this for me. In fact, you know, Roy Blunt couldn't even say yesterday that the president made a mistake on the call. Couldn't even answer that question. So we know where they are. I think Democrats need to be a little bit careful that they don't fall into the same trap.
[Camerota:] OK. This just in.
[Avlon:] Got some breaking news.
[Camerota:] This is late night court filing from the Department of Justice. And they are making the argument to that this federal appeals court that's trying to decide whether Don McGahn, the White House counsel, has to testify, that they should the federal appeals court should stay out of it, because this impeachment is underway. Here's what it says: "If the court now were to resolve the merits questions in this case, it would appear to be weighing in on a contested issue in any impeachment trial. That would be a question of propriety, whether or not such a judicial resolution preceded or postdated any impeachment trial."
[Avlon:] I mean, just to put that in plain language, what they're saying is, because one of the charges is obstruction of Congress, if the court were to weigh in on obstruction of Congress and, effectively, force or compel McGahn to testify, that it would complicate that charge. This seems like pretty circular logic.
[Jarrett:] So that's what courts are for, to weigh in on contested issues. And they're right, that there are federal questions that sometimes courts are weary [SIC] of stepping in on. But on this one, I mean, it's beyond just McGahn. If the court weighs in and says, White House, your immunity defense is bunk. It doesn't matter. The president is not king. If they were to weigh into this, it could mean something for Bolton, Mulvaney, Pompeo, all of the people that the White House has blocked. It's much bigger than the McGahn question.
[Camerota:] Doesn't this also put the lie, Joe, to the Republicans' talking point of why aren't they going through the court system? Why are Democrats rushing this?
[Avlon:] How dare you search for constancy?
[Camerota:] They're not even trying to fight this in the court in the court system.
[Lockhart:] It's you know, it's that's just a plain Republican lie. Let's make matters worse here. This is the same White House Counsel's Office that was arguing six months ago that this isn't serious, because there's no impeachment process going on. We shouldn't have to turn anything over, because there's no impeachment. And that there's an impeachment process going on, and they're saying, we shouldn't turn it over, because there is an impeachment process going on. That's not circular logic. That's 3-year-old logic.
[Avlon:] Well, look. You know, and moving the goal post is a sport in Washington, but before we go, I've got to get your take on something Ken Starr, former independent counsel against Bill Clinton, who obviously you worked for, said this weekend. I want to get your reaction. Let's play it.
[Ken Starr, Former Independent Counsel:] So this is a chapter in our history. It's already proving to be a very ugly chapter in our constitutional history.
[Unidentified Male:] Do you think this is an effort to overthrow the president?
[Starr:] Absolutely.
[Avlon:] Joe?
[Lockhart:] Well, speaking of ugly chapters in our constitutional history. Let me just on the merits there, this is the Constitution working. This is the Constitution working exactly the way the framers said. Ken Starr's chapter is exactly the way it wasn't. Ken Starr empaneled a grand jury and investigated 15 different things, found something to get the president on, and then proceeded to, over the next six months, leak selectively information every single week. And his entire and his one of his prosecutors quit, because he because he said what Ken Starr and his team is trying to do is force the president to resign, to overthrow the will of the people through embarrassing him and shaming him. So if anyone says that, it's you know, it's wrong. For Ken Starr to say it, well, it's Ken Starr.
[Camerota:] On that note
[Avlon:] All right, then.
[Camerota:] Joe, thank you very much. Laura, thank you. So now to this. This massive 69-car pileup in Virginia has left dozens of people hurt. Miraculously, when you look at your screen, no one died. That story and what you need to know if you are traveling this holiday week. Next.

[Don Lemon, Cnn Anchor:] I'm Don Lemon. We have got a busy hour coming up and here are tonight's big headlines. We're going to begin with the breaking news, a source telling CNN that the Attorney General Bill Barr says he has considered resigning over President Trump's interference with the DOJ, especially, no surprise, his tweets. Is he trying to send a message? The President declaring himself the nation's chief law enforcement officer, which might come as a surprise to Bill Barr, community the prison sentence, the President that is, of a former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of attempting to sell the Senate seat of Barack Obama. And pardoning among others, former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik who was convicted of fraud and lying. Is Roger Stone next on the list? Democrats take to the debate stage in Nevada in less than 24 hours with just days to go until the Nevada caucuses. Two national polls show Bernie Sanders surging with double-digit leads. But those polls also show Michael Bloomberg's candidacy is on the rise among Democratic voters and he's going to take part in tomorrow night's debate. With the Democratic race heating up, what are Barack Obama's thoughts on the candidates and their positions? And as a nation's most influential Democrat, what role is he likely to play moving forward? Well, we're going to take a look at that. Plus, President Trump courting black voters and he may find some success. But why are African-Americans, for the most part, rock solid in their support for Democrats in the voting booth? We're going to get some answers in the hour ahead. We want to get right to our breaking news right now. CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins has the very latest on Bill Barr for us. Kaitlan.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes. Don, what we're being told tonight is that the Attorney General Bill Barr is telling people that he has considered resigning from his job if the President does not stop getting involved at matters at the Justice Department, namely pointing to the President's tweets, the ones that you saw from not only last week after that sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone, but also going through today, even after Bill Barr gave that remarkable interview where he essentially said that the President's tweets do not help him do his job and actually make doing his job harder. Something that President openly acknowledged today, when reporters asked him about it. The question, of course, and there are skeptics who are going to question Bill Barr's motives here because he is someone who people close to him described as extremely calculated. We know that he has had a tough time inside the Justice Department with the rank and file members. And you saw over 2,000 former federal prosecutors and Justice Department officials calling on him to resign after the Justice Department overruled the prosecutors on that recommendation. But what we also know from sources is that the tension between the President and Bill Barr over these tweets is real. Bill Barr has made this clear pretty privately as well as publicly to the President that the tweets do not help him do his job. But, of course, what people are going to say in response to that is that Bill Barr knew who the President was when he took this job. He knows he's a frequent tweeter. He knows he's someone who tweets about Justice Department and how his relationship with the last Attorney General ended as well. So, of course, the question is whether or not Bill Barr is actually willing to resign over this, whether or not it would actually come to that because the President is unlikely to stop tweeting. So if that is actually something that is going to drive him to resign from this job, that is something that still remains to be seen. But what we can say is that the tension here is real. We do know Bill Barr is at the White House and briefly for a few minutes at the same time as the President today and did have a previously scheduled lunch with the White House Counsel Pat Cipollone. And right now the Justice Department is saying he has no plans to resign, which of course is not a denial that he has told people he is considering doing so.
[Lemon:] Kaitlan Collins, thank you very much. All right. Joining me now, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman and former Federal Prosecutor Renato Mariotti. Hello, gentlemen. Welcome to the program. Renato, give me your reaction to this news. So now Barr cares about the DOJ's independence all of a sudden?
[Renato Mariotti, Cnn Legal Analyst:] I'll believe it when I see it. I don't believe that [inaudible] I certainly saw Barr move his lips and say that he didn't want Trump to tweet. But I don't really view that as more than him being upset that Trump is telling him what to do and it's making it too obvious that he's essentially doing Trump's betting. I think this is a smokescreen and Barr will be back to doing Trump's bidding soon enough.
[Lemon:] Do think he's delusional to think that he can get this president which no one has been able to do to stop tweeting, Renato.
[Mariotti:] I'm surprised if he's actually trying to convince Trump to do something. I don't really believe anyone can move him and I don't think Barr is foolish enough to think that. He's seems like a pretty clever guy to me.
[Lemon:] Harry, how much of this you think is because Barr is potentially facing a rebellion within the department?
[Harry Litman, Former U.s. Attorney:] Yes. I think that puts your finger on it. I take Renato's point, but I think it's a real indication of the depth, of the outbursts in the department, the possibility there would be more. I mean, the department is looking at actual sort of paralysis, 2,000 former prosecutors, all of the judges, that would be a very hard thing for Barr to have on his watch. And, well, I take the point that he's, as Laura Ingraham put it on another channel, say, don't worry, I got this. He'll still do what Trump wants. I do think he's trying to push back and his hope I agree also whether or not you can't make him stop completely, but the goal and this is why he sat down with Cipollone, who's his acolyte, by the way, and he hopes can influence Trump is to try to get him to do it less in the context of specific cases, specific judges, specific sentencing. We'll see if it works. But that's his hope, because that's what really puts them between a rock and a hard place.
[Lemon:] All right, let's take a listen to the President. This is earlier today.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country.
[Lemon:] OK. So Renato, the President has been called out by former Justice Department officials, he is frustrated with the DOJ. Is this just a way of showing that he is the boss. He's like, listen, he's the chief law enforcement officer, shouldn't Bill Barr hey, wait, buddy.
[Mariotti:] Yes. Well, not only that, look, we saw Trump saying I have the authority to get involved in investigations. He said that recently. Trump likes to think that he's all powerful. He said that Article Two lets him do whatever he wants. And frankly, I think, he doesn't like being told that there's things he can't do. He doesn't like being told that there are limits to his power. I think that this is his way of expressing that.
[Lemon:] Yes. So listen, Harry, we have to get to the President's 11 pardons and commutations today.
[Litman:] Yes.
[Lemon:] What's going on here? Is he trying to send a message and what is that message?
[Litman:] I think they're exactly have a piece with the Stone debacle. Yes, his power is strong and plenary, but all presidents have exercised it in ways and procedures designed to be fair. And here, Trump has completely bulldozed the pardon attorney, all the regulations, the applications you make, the showing that you're contrived and you've changed her life. All of that, he's jettison to just basically pick whom, guys he kind of likes that sort of are good old Trump guys.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Litman:] And so that kind of exercise of the power by fiat and caprice, he may assert that he can do it, but it's anathema to how it's always been exercised. And of course, it doesn't at all take into account how like Blagojevich and Kerik, how they compare with the 10s of thousands, many of them black and brown, of course, defendants who are right now in federal prison. Their kids don't like seeing them in orange jumpsuits either. Trump doesn't think about that. He just goes to his guys.
[Lemon:] Yes. But, Harry, we're talking about people convicted of fraud, of extortion, false statements. People in Trump's orbit have been accused or convicted of similar charges. Is he trying to desensitize the public to more pardons, potentially Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn?
[Litman:] Yes. Right. So look, that's a theory. I see that is happening if it happens after the election and he'll do it if he wants to. But I really think these are the guys you're 100 percent right, they're sort of in his own image. They're not only corrupt, but they're unapologetic and they're high status guys who do whatever they want. I think the bigger thing is he thinks it'll play well with the base and these the guys he wants to exercise this power on. Is it may be softening the ground for the Stones and Manaforts? Yes. But I see that it's coming in awhile anyway and I think he's got he wants to do it, because he wanted to do it.
[Lemon:] Renato, here is the former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, what he said in NBC. We called him Blago when I worked in Chicago.
[Litman:] Right.
[Lemon:] This is him heading home to Chicago after his pardon, watch.
[Rod Blagojevich, Former Illinois Governor:] I want to express my most profound and everlasting gratitude to President Trump. He's got like, obviously, a big fan in me and if you're asking me what my party affiliation is, I'm a Trump-ocrat.
[Lemon:] Shocking to see his gray hair this big head of black hair, but now it's all gray. That's just what President Trump will want to hear. But what about the people Chicago, what do they think of Blagojevich?
[Mariotti:] Rod Blagojevich is the one person who's managed to unite Illinois Republicans and Illinois Democrats. We literally had the Governor who's a Democratic and the entire Republican congressional delegation condemning this move today. Blago is pretty much disliked by everyone across the spectrum here in Illinois. I think people want to see less of him. He's somebody, you said, people in Trump's image. Blago is someone very much in Trump's image and that he sort of lived in his alternative reality where he's still [going adding]. Now that he's out of prison, he's still trying to win over voters and build a base of support. He's sort of living in his own universe and here he's pretty much hated around here.
[Lemon:] Renato, the selling of the seat was just the topping on the sundae. I mean I remember all of the other reporting and stuff that he did when he was Governor. I mean, yes, it is Chicago politics, Illinois politics season, whatever. All right. Thank you both. I appreciate it.
[Litman:] Thanks. Thanks Renato.
[Lemon:] In less than 24 hours, Michael Bloomberg will be on the debate stage for the first time in the 2020 race. He's been on a roll lately, but how will he do against more seasoned candidates? We shall see.

[Don Lemon, Cnn Tonight:] Welcome, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. A big news night. Our breaking news on the coronavirus, there are now more than 964,000 cases in this country, almost a million. Total getting closer and closer to a million cases. More than 54,000 people have died, that as states across the country are being are beginning various stages of reopening this week even though a model used by the White House suggests that it is not safe for any state to reopen its economy before May 1. And as some mayors are grappling with the decision of their own governors, and there are mix messages tonight on just how badly the American economy will be by all of this, the White House Economic Advisor, Kevin Hassett, saying today we could see an unemployment rate comparable to the great depression.
[Kevin Hassett, White House Economic Advisor:] This is the biggest negative shock that our economy, I think, has ever seen. We're going to be looking at an unemployment rate that approaches rates that we saw during the Great Depression. During the Great Recession, remember that was a financial crisis around 2008 that we lost 8.7 million jobs in the whole thing. Right now we're losing that many jobs about every 10 days.
[Lemon:] And that is coming from the top White House Economic Advisor. The Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, painting a rosier picture.
[Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary:] I think as we begin to reopen the economy in May and June you're going to see the economy really bounce back in July, August, September. And we are putting an unprecedented amount of fiscal relief into the economy.
[Lemon:] So listen, I think everyone knows. Everyone feels this way. It would be great of the economy to bounce back that quickly after a whole lot of economic pain for a whole lot of people, but the fact is reopening even for states that are starting already, it's going to happen slowly. It's not going to be like flipping a switch. And in the face of all that with more than 54,000 Americans dead, with each day bringing us closer to a million cases in this country, Dr. Deborah Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Task Force, is trying to clean up a mess of the president's own making. Yes, someone is talking to me. Thank you, Director. Now, I've said before I respect Dr. Birx for her work on HIVAIDS, but what she said to Jake Tapper today was, frankly, ridiculous.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] There was an odd moment on Thursday when President Trump mused aloud about whether injecting UV light or disinfectant into the human body is a way to treat coronavirus. Could be something that you look into. You were sitting right there as you know. Take a listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body what you can do either through the skin or in some other way. Then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning because you see it gets in the lungs.
[Tapper:] Dr. Birx, I just want to give you the opportunity right now. What should the American people know about disinfectants and the human body?
[Birx:] Well first, that was a dialogue he was having between the DHA scientists and himself for information that he had received and he was discussing. We have made it clear and when he turned to me I made it clear, and he understood that it was not as a treatment, and I think that kind of dialogue will happen.
[Lemon:] And that kind of dialogue should not be happening at a press briefing in front of the American people, and you would think that the President of the United States wouldn't be dense enough not to understand that you can inject something into a persons body like that and would be smart enough to know that you shouldn't have that conversation in front of the American people. You should be having that behind closed doors if you're going to have it at all, if you are not smart enough to understand what he had just said what he was just suggesting. And for Dr. Birx to try to brush off the president's claim the dialog when he asked whether a powerful light or a disinfectant could be ingested into the human body as a treatment it's just really beyond belief. I mean, I just I've been watching this. It's beyond belief. This is twilight zone stuff. It's very clear what the president said. He was not asked a question about it, like he said for about a reporter. He wasn't even talking to a reporter. Some people are taking what president said seriously. Maryland governor, Larry Hogan, a Republican, saying today that his state's hotline gotten hundreds of calls from residents asking whether ingesting disinfectant could be a treatment for the virus. The Illinois governor, J. B. Pritzker, saying his state is also getting a lot of calls. Let me just repeat I can't believe I have to do this. Ingesting disinfectant is not a treatment for the coronavirus or anything. Do not do it. Don't even think about doing it. Serious stuff. Just listen to how the president tried to cover up this outrageous and dangerous nonsense the very next day.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I was asking a sarcastic in a very sarcastic question to the reporters in the room about disinfectant on the inside. But it does kill it, and it would kill it on the hands. And that would make things much better. That was done in the form of a sarcastic question to the reporters.
[Lemon:] Sarcasm sarcastic questions to the reporters. We all heard what the president said. There wasn't a slightest bit of sarcasm. By the way, this is no time for sarcasm of any kind. Not while Americans are dying. And think about it. Why would he be sarcastic about the information he was being given? If you really think about it, what reason would there be to be sarcastic about the information that was being given? There is none. He's lying. Because he didn't understand it. He's just dumb. And then there is this. The president asking about the effects of heat and light on the virus.
[Trump:] Deborah, have you heard ever of that? The heat and the light? Relative to certain viruses, yes, but relative to this virus?
[Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator:] That is a treatment. I mean, certainly fever
[Trump:] Yes.
[Birx:] is a good thing. When you have a fever, it helps your body respond. But not as I've not seen heat or light
[Trump:] I think that's a great thing to look at.
[Lemon:] Dr. Birx saying that they're that heat and light are not a treatment for the virus. The official White House transcript originally quoted Dr. Birx as saying that that is a treatment. The transcript was later revised to accurately reflect what she actually said, that heat and light are not a treatment. And all of this is really, really, really important. It's not a gotcha to call the president on his question about possibly ingesting disinfectant. That's not a gotcha. Stable genius? He said it on live TV in a task force briefing, with millions of Americans listening. But what is the president's reaction to all of this? Not saying, "I misunderstood." Not saying, "Well, maybe I should have done it," "It was an error. You took me" I don't know. Just didn't take responsibility. Not making sure that Americans would try to ingest disinfectant that could be deadly no, none of that. He shut down the briefings, last night and tonight. Claiming they're you know, these are his words, "Not worth the time and effort." Though they just, moments ago, added a task force briefing to the schedule tomorrow. Not sure if he's going to take the stage or take questions. But, you know, he can't never met a camera he didn't like. So we'll see. But we'll see if he takes questions. His aides still have been his aides have been urging him for weeks to stop doing daily briefings, believing he was just making matters worse. So now the president is taking his ranting straight to Twitter. The fact is, we're better off without the President's bragging and his misinformation. I have been saying this for weeks and weeks and weeks now, let the experts do the talking. He's not an epidemiologist, he's not a virologist, he's not a doctor, he's not an expert on anything. It would be a lot better for everybody if we could hear the facts directly from the smart people in the room, the experts. But the president is just taking his ball and his bat and he is going home now because he thinks questions about his own dangerous ramblings and not smart ramblings are his word, "hostile". Those questions are not hostile, this is about people's lives. The President insists on making it all about him. He was at it again just today falsely claiming that he hasn't left the White House in many months. He has, including several rallies last month and a weekend at Mar-A-Lago. Remember his dinner with the President of Brazil and remember how several of the Brazilians later tested positive for the virus. President Trump claiming a New York Times story about his schedule was inaccurate. Inaccurate railing about whether or not he was having a hamburger and diet coke in his bedroom and quoting people that know him saying he is the hardest working President in history. Me, me, me me. Not to mention an epic rant about, quote "noble prizes for Russia." Reporting that he thinks that reporters should be given back, its "Nobel" not,"Nobal", but maybe it is, whatever, there's a whole lot there, I'll just keep moving on. And then trying to use sarcasm, again, as an excuse. An excuse for something absolutely no one else is obsessing about in the middle of the pandemic that has killed more than a that has killed more than a 54,000 Americans. Doesn't even know the difference between noble and Nobel and reporters don't really get Nobel prizes. Stable genius? How much longer is this going to go on? Kristen Holmes is at the White House. Hi Kristen, good evening to you. Thank you so much for joining us. So, Kristen, the President seems to have one person most on his mind and of course that is himself. We see him fuming on Twitter, they have just announced that there will be a coronavirus task force briefing tomorrow at 5:00 pm, will the President be there and will he make another dangerous and irresponsible pronouncement, that seems to be the question.
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, Don, it seems that he will be there, this was on his schedule not the Vice President's and it says it is a briefing. And I just want to go over what you said because I think this is really important to note, aides and allies for weeks have been telling President Trump that they are concerned about these briefings they believe that he should stop doing them or limit to times where there is just some positive news. Maybe it's new numbers, maybe it's the ventilators announcing the DPA to get those delivered across the country. But yet even though we heard that was likely going to happen, seeing him less, we're already seeing briefing after two days on Monday. So we'll of course be watching to see what happens there and I want to note one other thing you said about letting the experts do the talking because that was very close to something Dr. Birx said today, or at least it was related. She said that she was worried that some of the critical information that was in that presentation on Thursday got lost in all of the conversation about his side comments and I think that it is important to note, being that it was given in a medical briefing, and as you said, those ponderings, those musings, those were not medical grade. So people are watching this to learn information about what it is they need to do and the messaging then changes from this study that they were presenting to companies, to health care clinics, to poison control saying, please do not ingest disinfectants we are getting calls about this, this is incredibly dangerous. So that's why that message shifts because it is done in a medical setting. Now we have heard from officials that they are going it try to shift the messaging out of the White House, really getting President Trump away from the medical part of it and moving it more into the economic part of it. Trying to get some positivity in there, maybe bring in people who benefited from the stimulus checks or the small business loans, since he is a businessman and not a doctor. But again, even after all of this, even after saying that we believe President Trump will do less briefings, it's already been announced that there's one Monday. just two days after we heard that from officials.
[Lemon:] All right, Kristin Holmes, thank you so much. I appreciate you reporting from the White House for us this Sunday evening. I want to bring in now Dr. Jonathan Reiner, the Co-director of the Cardio Catheterization Program at George Washington University Hospital. Doctor, always a pleasure to have you. Thank you for joining us on this evening.
[Dr. Jonathan Reiner, Co-director Cardio Catheterization George Washington University:] My pleasure.
[Lemon:] Yes. Listen, a recent model of the White House relies that they rely on at the White House, had a death toll of 66,000 by August, but it's only April and there are sadly over 54,000 deaths already. Are you expecting the death toll to climb, especially with the restrictions starting to ease in some states?
[Reiner:] Yeah, you're referring to the IHME model from the University of Washington, which the last update, about a week ago, predicted 67,000 deaths in the United States on April 4. You know, that model uses sort of a symmetrical curve, so meaning the uptick in deaths in the United States is mirrored by the downtrend on the backend, but it doesn't have to be that way. But, China instituted incredibly austere quarantine and isolation procedures that are really only available in an authoritarian regime. A better model might be what happened in Italy, and in Italy the downtrend in deaths was much more gradual. You know, when you look at these models they come along with something called a confidence interval, which is basically the range that the true answer should be in. So, while the most recent point estimate for the number of deaths was about 67,000, the upper limit, of what they call the 95 percent confidence interval was 128,000, meaning it could be as high as 128,000. Right now, we're seeing mortality that has sort of plateaued at about 2,000 deaths per day. On Tuesday we'll see us pass the number of soldiers who died in Vietnam, so I think that it's likely that we'll go past 67,000 maybe as early as 10 days from now.
[Lemon:] Listen, all states want to reopen, you know, but but
[Reiner:] Yes.
[Lemon:] we're already seeing huge differences in how they do it and how fast they do it. If you look at a state like Georgia, where a hair salon is now open, or a state like Tennessee where restaurants can welcome customers 50 percent capacity, that starts on Wednesday. Would you advise people to run out and do either of those things?
[Reiner:] No, of course not. And what's unclear is whether people are going to do that. There's a lot of trepidation in the community about being in large crowds. So, even though Georgia may allow restaurants to open this week, I'm not sure how many people are going to, you know, go out for dinner. Think about theaters and other, you know, large venues, who wants to sit in a in a crowd now. So, although states may open up the opportunity to do this, I'm not sure how many people are going to do that. But it's it's way too early to do that. There are really only a handful of states that are really approaching the legitimate thresholds to consider opening up their businesses. Georgia is not one of them.
[Lemon:] Dr. Reiner, always a pleasure to have you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
[Reiner:] My pleasure. Sure.
[Lemon:] Governors across in states in across the country beginning to loosen restrictions and open some business, but mayors, they aren't really all on board. Some Minnesota businesses can begin reopening tomorrow. I'm going to ask the Mayor of Minneapolis what he things. That's next.

[Vause:] Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause with the headlines this hour. The U.S. president, Donald Trump, has wrapped up a four-day state visit to Japan by addressing American sailors and Marines on board the USS Wasp, docked near Tokyo. He thanked them for their service and marked the U.S. holiday, Memorial Day, which honors fallen troops. Two more climbers have died on Mt. Everest. One, a 62-year-old American on his way down. The other, a 64-year-old Austrian man. In all, at least 11 people have died this year trying to summit the world's tallest mountain, the most in four years. Many say overcrowding is making the climb even more dangerous. The Israeli military says it struck a Syrian anti-aircraft system just hours after the IDF says that system fired at an Israeli jet. Syrian state-run news says one soldier was killed, another was injured in the strike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will respond with strength and firmness against any aggression. A recent escalation in violence in Syria's last rebel-held province has killed hundreds of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. The airstrikes have destroyed schools, hospitals, and most recently, an open-air market, which left dozens wounded. International organizations believe some of these airstrikes may have been aimed intentionally at civilians, which could amount to war crimes. Just some of the many committed by all sides in the Syrian conflict over the past eight years. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and her team were granted rare access to a clandestine operation by a group of investigators risking their lives to collect evidence of alleged war crimes committed by the Assad government. And a warning here that some of the images in her report are disturbing.
[Jomana Karadsheh, Cnn International Correspondent:] In a nondescript building in Europe is a room called the Vault. Nearly 800,000 documents smuggled out of Syria are here, logged and translated, stored and preserved. Chris Engels heads the regime crimes unit at the Commission for International Justice and Accountability, known as CIJA, a nonprofit organization funded by western governments. In these boxes is potential evidence of alleged war crimes that could one day be used against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
[Chris Engels, Director Of Investigations And Operations, Cija:] The documents cover a wide range of information and levels of command. They start from the highest levels of command, that include information on the president and the policymakers at the national level. We're able to get quite a lot of clarity on how orders went up and down the chain of command, how the responsibility at the highest level for policy is implemented in a way that we can see criminality actually take place on the ground.
[Karadsheh:] There is no one document here that's a smoking gun. But in international criminal justice, it's about linking the crimes to those responsible. Documents like this 2011 order, authorizing pay raises for military personnel, signed by President Assad, the commander in chief of the armed forces, may seem innocuous. But Engels says even this is crucial evidence.
[Engels:] We have several documents that are similar to this, naming Assad and others, that demonstrate that they are in control, and they have the power to direct the army and security services. And it is a fact that the army and the security services are continued to commit crimes, and these individuals aren't doing anything to stop it.
[Karadsheh:] CIJA has built dozens of cases against the regime, most relating to the early days of the revolution; the violent repression of protests; and the alleged torture and killing of thousands of demonstrators detained across the country. Since 2012, in the shadows of a war that's unleashed some of the worst atrocities of our time, a network of more than 100 Syrians were recruited, vetted, and trained by CIJA. We get a rare opportunity to meet one of those document hunters. Hadal, as he wants to be called, was a lawyer. Now he heads this team that has risked everything to save the evidence. HADAL,
[Document Hunter For Cija:] All members of our team, men and women, have been subjected to arrests, or beatings, or humiliation, or danger. We are operating in a war zone. In most cases, we would enter areas as airstrikes would be ongoing. But we have to go in to collect the evidence before it's damaged.
[Karadsheh:] For Hadal and his fellow evidence hunters, a treasure trove of documents has been left behind by the regime's infamous bureaucracy. HADAL [through translator]: After the free Syrian army captured locations from the government, LIKE military or intelligence sites, OUR teams would be ready, and they would enter these sites. Their primary task: to preserve these documents, or what is left of them. Because in many cases, these documents would be destroyed. CIJA has not only relied on evidence collected by its own network of investigators. In a number of cases, they've combined that with some of the most damning visual evidence of this conflict. Twenty-eight thousand horrific photographs of dead detainees smuggled out in 2013 by a military defector, code named Caesar. CIJA has been able to cross reference the identifying numbers seen in these pictures with ones in the smuggled documents, allowing them to identify some of the prisoners, and link them to specific facilities and the security apparatus who were holding them. One of those photos of those numbers was 30-year-old Hamad Kholani, a newlywed law student detained in April of 2012. His sister, Amana, a survivor of government jails, now a refugee in the U.K., is a living testimony to the Syrian regime's brutality.
[Amina Al-kholani, Syrian Activist:] When the Caesar files came out, Mohammad's photo was the first one. We went to issue a paper from the civil registry to confirm his status. They told us he died as a result of a heart attack. Our 34-year-old boy died of a heart attack.
[Karadsheh:] Documents issued by the regime claimed thousands held in its facilities all died of natural causes. Three other brothers from the al-Kholani family were also detained. Only one of them, Ilal, emerged alive, his gaunt face testament to the horrors inside government jails. According to CIJA's investigations, it's a story replicated thousands of times over in Syria, where torture is rampant and systematic and forced confessions are the norm. Syrian government officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment. But the regime has repeatedly dismissed evidence as fake and insisted it he was fighting terrorists, not peaceful protestors. Amina Kholani still desperately calls for justice for her brothers, but like so many other Syrians, she fears she may never live to see the regime held accountable for its crimes, as Bashar al-Assad seems to have defied the odds for now, surviving a revolution, and is on the verge of winning the war.
[Engels:] The tide's changed. And what we're making sure, is that when the shift does come, when the discussion about justice does appear, in five, or ten, or 20 years, that there will be evidence there.
[Karadsheh:] Evidence collected by CIJA has already been used in individual trials in the United States and Europe. It has also led to the arrest in Germany of at least one mid-level regime member accused of torture. For Hadal, this is just the start. HADAL [through translator]: I said good-bye to my wife and children and told them, "I am no longer yours. I am now owned by Syria and justice." Justice, he says, is a duty from which there is no turning back. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN.
[Vause:] The U.S. heartland continues to be battered by severe weather. Take a look at this video. It's a tornado about eight kilometers from Charles City, Iowa. An emergency official says 11 buildings were damaged, three of them homes. But no reports of injuries or any deaths. But in Oklahoma, which has been inundated by severe storms since last month, the governor is warning flood waters will continue to rise, and every single county, all 77, remain under a state of emergency. Six people have reportedly died in the flooding. More than 100 hundred inured. We'll take a break. When we come back, cameras in China capturing a rare sight. An endangered animal, never recorded in the wild before now. So what is it? And what makes it so unique? We'll tell you. But maybe you can guess.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] Welcome to our viewers worldwide, I`m Carl Azuz and this edition of CNN 10 begins with news of a tornado and an avalanche. First in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, rescue crews are searching through the wreckage left by an EF 4 tornado. According to one of the people helping out, the homes in its path didn`t stand a chance. We told you yesterday that a string of twisters killed 23 people in Lee County, Alabama. When this show was produced, officials said several more as many as eight were still missing. There wasn`t an official count of how many were injured but nearby hospitals said more than 70 people have been treated there with injuries ranging from minor to serious. One woman who wasn`t in her home when it was destroyed described how her boyfriend barely survived.
[Unidentified Female:] He seen the porch fly up. The front porch is like a patio. He seen that fly up and he said he had just enough time to dive to the couch which the couch was about a foot away from the screen door and he just held onto the couch for dear life.
[Azuz:] Alabama`s governor extended a state of emergency there. It was originally issued last month because of tornadoes and severe weather and one was also declared in three nearby Georgia counties. That states governor says more than 20 homes and a couple businesses were completely destroyed and dozens more houses were damaged in some way by the storm. A sheriff in eastern Alabama said it looked like someone had taken a blade and just scraped the ground. What kind of disaster would have this kind of power?
[Unidentified Male:] Technically a tornado is just a violent, rotating column of air coming out of the bottom of a thunderstorm but it takes a lot to get that violently rotating column to come out. All you need for a tornado really to form though are thunderstorms and a jet stream. That jet streams aloft and makes the energy. If you have moisture at the surface dry air, cold air pushing that moisture up you can get a tornado to form in any state. Those days where all the ingredients combined. You get the humidity. You get the dry air. You get the jet stream. You get upper energy in the jet stream. You get winds turning as you go aloft. The higher you go the winds actually change direction that can cause storms though those things all cause storms to exist and get big. Those are the ingredients that cause a big tornado day. So now the EF scale Enhanced Fujita Scale starts at zero and goes only to five and everything above 200 miles per hour is considered a EF5 tornado. If you have a zero, you`re going to lose shingles. A one you may lose a couple of boards on the roof. A two you lose all the windows and maybe even a wall. A three, EF3, you will lose a couple of walls on the outside but there will still be a part of the home standing. An F4 most of the home is gone but you`ll still see the refrigerator. You`ll still see a closet and you`ll still see the bathroom. An EF5 you cannot find the house. It`s completely gone. We don`t know how big that Fujita scale will be, how big that tornado will be literally until after we look at the damage. We have this - this almost this triangulation that no other in the country in the world, no other region in the world has. We have the Rocky Mountains to our west. We have the Gulf of Mexico in our south. We have Canada and very cold air masses coming down from the north. All of those things combined make tornado alley, technically the plains. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska all the way to Chicago, as far south as the southeast including Georgia and Alabama, that`s basically the new or the bigger tornado alley. The greatest threat of a tornado is being hit by something that the tornado is moving. If you`re outside or if you`re not protected inside, if you get hit by a 140 mile per hour 2`x4` you`re going to be killed. So you need to be inside on the lowest level. Somewhere in the middle of the home away from windows. When you hear the word warning and you hear your county, that`s when you need to take cover. When you hear the word watch, that means something might happen today. Let`s have a plan. When you hear the word warning, it`s too late to make a plan. You need to already have the plan. Warning`s the long word. It`s the bad one.
[Azuz:] A little more than 24 hours after launching from Florida`s Kennedy Space Center a capsule made by Space X successfully docked with the International Space Station. Here`s why this is significant. This was a test. The company Space X was working to prove that its new capsule, the Crew Dragon Capsule, was capable of ferrying astronauts safely from earth to the ISS. No one was actually aboard the Crew Dragon when it launched. Only after it docked with the ISS did the people who were already aboard the space station go inside the Crew Dragon. Since NASA retired its space shuttle program in 2011, the U.S. has paid for astronauts to hitch a ride on Russia`s Soyuz spacecraft to get to the ISS. Space X could get them there on American vehicles once again. Space X is considered a private company while NASA is an agency of the Federal government, though Space X has received billions of dollars in funding from NASA. Assuming the rest of its current mission goes well, Space X plans to use its Crew Dragon Capsule to ferry two astronauts to the ISS this July. 10 Second Trivia. Which of these U.S. bridges was completed in 1937? Golden Gate Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, Mackinac Bridge, or Seven Mile Bridge. It`s neither the oldest nor the youngest on this list but the Golden Gate Bridge is the only one that was finished in 1937. At that time it was the world`s tallest and longest suspension bridge and two of the elements that challenged its construction storms and fog continue to test the Golden Gate Bridge today. Part of it had to be closed to traffic recently after a lingering thunderstorm damaged its northbound lanes and protecting it from corrosion and rust is a never ending battle.
[Unidentified Male:] The Golden Gate Bridge gets its name because it spans what`s called the Golden Gate Straight. This is a three mile long and one mile wide body of water that connects the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay. Before the Golden Gate Bridge there was a bustling ferry system that ran people and commerce between San Francisco and the Redwood Empire to the north. It`s actually unknown how many people worked on the Golden Gate Bridge at the time of construction because records were - were scarce from that time. Today we have close to 200 employees who work to maintain, to paint, to weld, to make sure that the bridge is in - in good and safe operating condition. So, we`re right now getting sand blasting on the outer part of the bridge which is up underneath. Right now where - where the walkway is, where the pedestrians ride after 3:30pm. So the cars are probably just 15 feet out. You can`t feel it but the bridge is probably moving, you know, like this as we`re standing. In a containment like this, a rough estimate, 16 people sandblasting for a month and a half. Our painters will go out to the most critical, you know, structural areas of the bridge where the fog and the salt and the wind has corroded the paints. The salt eats this bridge up. The fog eats this bridge up. If we don`t continue to paint it, its just going to rot away.
[Azuz:] Having the right tires can make a car fly and in this case we mean that literally. This is a tire company`s concept. It`s not real, yet. It would have tires pull double duty as propellers that could reposition upward to take a car up, up and away. It`s being pitched as part of an autonomous car of the future. No idea how much something like this plus the flying car would cost, but if you`re asking why do you need four of them? It`s because half that many would be too "tired" to fly. I thought that was a "wheely" good pun. You could almost hear the "rim" shot afterward. It`s fun to take ideas like that for a spin. Not every pun has been "spoken" for and we`re always "driven" to "ride" out some more. Even if that means sounding a little "lug nutty" at the end of the road. I`m Carl Azuz and that`s CNN 10. END

[Coren:] British prime minister Boris Johnson and fiancee, Carrie Symonds, announced their son's name on Saturday on Instagram. It is Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas. The name Nicholas is to honor the two doctors who Mr. Johnson says saved his life during his recent bout with coronavirus. They are both named Nick, the other names are the grandfathers of the couple. We're learning more about Boris Johnson's time in intensive care. He told "The Sun" that he was given liters of oxygen to keep him alive and officials were putting together strategic plans in case he did not make it. Joining us now is our Nick Paton Walsh from London. Nick, it would appear that Boris Johnson's condition was even more serious than many realized.
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn International Security Editor:] When the prime minister, despite his office's own attempts to minimize how serious his condition was, he has returned to the near-death nature of this experience, saying how it was a old tough moment, I won't deny it. They had a strategy to deal with, quote, "a death of Stalin" type scenario. Obviously you would expect a government to have contingency plans in case their leader who's in intensive care succumbed to a disease. I'm sure there's a bit of a hyperbole flourish there by Boris Johnson. Again an attempt by the prime minister to remind people in the United Kingdom how lethally serious this disease is, too. Possibly to also take away the headlines from a story here increasingly pointing to how Britain being slow in the early days ahead of the worst death toll in Europe. Very close to overtaking Italy's horrifying toll there. This is drawing increased scrutiny as to exactly what it was the United Kingdom did and when. Boris Johnson has always said he was happy with the timing of the lockdown. But there's a lot of focus now on exactly what happened before that and quite what the exit strategy is now for the U.K.
[Walsh:] Britain is close to having Europe's worst death toll. So what did it do wrong or differently? When global alarm bells were ringing loudly, the U.K. was clear it would not lock down too early and that some spread was unavoidable, even desirable.
[Patrick Vallance, U.k. Science Adviser:] If people go too early, they become very fatigued. It's not possible to stop everybody getting it and it is also actually not desirable, because you want some immunity in the population.
[Walsh:] Hindsight always gives a clearer, unfair verdict. But new, updated government figures show the death toll, just in England, was a lot larger than known at the time in the days leading up to the lockdown. And the prime minister said he was still shaking hands...
[Boris Johnson, U.k. Prime Minister:] I shook hands with everybody, you will be pleased to know.
[Walsh:] and no deaths were announced; four had already died in England when Cheltenham horse races were criticized for going ahead, ended the U.K. toll was officially 10 when really 58 had died. And when the lockdown slammed pub doors shut publicly, the toll was 359. But really 847 had died in England alone. Should the U.K. have moved faster?
[Nigel Edwards, Nuffield Trust:] It is too early to tell. But there are some early signs looking at experiences in some other countries that if we'd gone a bit earlier, we might be looking at slightly better results now.
[Sian Griffiths, Cjhk:] It's more likely to be next year when people in the cold light of day can look back at all the different countries and
[Keith Neal, University Of Nottingham:] If you take different measures at different times, then different people would become infected. If we had come in a week earlier, then probably less people would have died up until now. But as the disease continues to spread to the population, the differences are that people will die.
[Walsh:] Testing and contact tracing was a problem from the start partially dismissed and then heavily embraced.
[Unidentified Male:] 100,000 tests per day.
[Walsh:] Many grand schemes were announced, home antibody tests, apps, a volunteer army. But this one actually happened, nearly on time, albeit late. It can't have helped decision-making that Boris Johnson was nearly killed by the disease, too, at its peak.
[Edwards:] Some of the messaging has not been as consistent or as clear as might have been helpful. I give the government a bit of the benefit of the doubt. These are somewhat unprecedented times.
[Walsh:] Still, despite the huge toll, the U.K.'s health service was not overwhelmed. Even huge overflow hospitals like this one in London were barely used. Half of those who died in England, so far, were over 80. Did U.K. not protect them enough? Or was there little that could be done? Tough questions that time and grief will answer. Some introspection already underway here. You heard what could've been done differently, perhaps not to score political points, although that is already happening in some parts of British society. It may be also to see if that could inform the measures coming ahead, how to get Britain out of a lockdown. Some polls are suggesting that Britons are reluctant to return to normal life and still fear the disease. So much is not known here. Yes, the U.K. has a larger population than Italy but I think many are looking at it having the largest death toll in Europe, maybe that happening in the days or hours ahead and seeing that as a moment in which Britain should reflect on. How has it managed to have a health service, which many feared would strain under the burden of people needing intensive care. But it performed remarkably so far. Yet still so many lives were lost. I think many will look at how half of the dead in England appeared to be over 80. Whether that informs future policy and quite how fast Boris Johnson in between his own extraordinary narrative of becoming a father, surviving the disease himself, previously winning a landslide election and finalizing a divorce, whether he can bring the focus of the British population as to how they can get through the messy months ahead and keep the death toll as low as possible, even though, at this point, it is still often over 700 a day reported dead, startling numbers still.
[Coren:] Yes. Staggering indeed. Nick Paton Walsh, as always, many thanks. Israel, meanwhile, is letting some schools reopen this Sunday but some local leaders are taking no chances. CNN's Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem and joins us right now. Oren, are there concerns that authorities are reopening schools too soon?
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Anna, the answer is yes but perhaps not from a health perspective. That is because Israel's numbers when it comes to coronavirus have been relatively good, compared to much of Europe and the United States. There are about 16,000 cases of coronavirus and 230 deaths as a result of the virus. At this point there are more recoveries than there are new infections. The government sees those numbers positively. Why is there concern it's too soon? Because the decision was made on Friday afternoon and confirmed that some schools would open on Sunday. Some of the biggest cities in the country said, you did not give us enough of a heads up. We're simply not ready. We will open later this week. That's why there's some concern that they are not ready after such a quick notice to reopen. What schools and grades will reopen? It will be first, second and third grade as well as 11th and 12th grade. Kindergarten and daycare will not reopen and the grades that to reopen will look very different. Temperatures will be taken, masks will be required, a max of 15 students per class, there will be social distancing. Because of those numbers, school may have to happen in shifts. They are still grappling with how to make this happen but they've looked at the number of coronavirus cases here and the number of deaths and decided it is OK to move forward. It is gradual and it will continue to be gradual. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that restrictions could be put back in place if the numbers start growing to avoid a worst-case scenario.
[Coren:] Oren, shifting gears, Israel's political saga continues. The high court will hear challenges this week to the formation of the Netanyahu-Benny Gantz government. Tell us about what we are expecting.
[Liebermann:] These are high court hearings about the coalition agreement between Netanyahu and his former rival, Benny Gantz. It requires changes to Israel's basic law which is as close to its constitution. There have been questions about whether someone under indictment like Netanyahu can form a government. But the high court has put that off, saying now is not the time. With only a few days left here with having to make a decision. The high court will hold a few days of hearings and decide what happens here. The coalition agreement requires fundamental changes to Israel's law, including can someone under indictment form a government? There are other questions about the makeup of some of the committees, do they include enough of the opposition members, all of that will be tackled over the course of the next 48 hours. And then we wait for a decision from the high court. It will be an expanded panel of judges, 11 judges will hear this because of the significance of this. It's clear at this point, it's written into the coalition agreement that if the high court says you cannot have this coalition agreement, that Israel could very well go to a fourth election, as crazy as that sounds. That means Israel's political saga keeps ongoing.
[Coren:] Another election, hard to believe. Oren Liebermann, joining us from Jerusalem, many thanks. At this time of year in the Nigerian state of Kano, it's common for people to contract any of a number of infectious diseases. But this year, there's been a spike in fatalities. Even as the coronavirus spreads around the world, some are calling these deaths mysterious. CNN's David McKenzie has more.
[David Mckenzie, Cnn Correspondent:] The gravediggers in Kano are revealing a hidden truth, an awful toll. "The day before yesterday, we buried 18 bodies," he says. "Yesterday we buried 20 people and today we have received 14." Locals call this extreme hot season the merger, the time each year when malaria and other infectious diseases converge. This year is worse. "The numbers are double unusual," he says. "Normally we bury only six or seven a day." The government denies that a COVID-19 outbreak is the cause. But their toil raises questions. The dead are mostly elderly and the numbers are rising fast. In Kano, dread is rising with it. This video shows the region's mega hub of commerce and trade as it once was. It is not where Nigeria and surrounding countries can afford to have infections spread unabated.
[Dr. Ibrahim Musa, Epidemiologist:] We're testing
[Mckenzie:] Kano physician and epidemiologist Dr. Ibrahim Musa says many doctors have no protective equipment. With clinics closed due to COVID-19, they are forced to treat patients for just a few hours before sending them home.
[Musa:] What we are seeing is just the tip of the iceberg. So in the next 2-3 weeks, that is when the clear picture will emerge whether we are dealing with a fairly massive spread of COVID-19.
[Mckenzie:] Kano's lockdown came later than elsewhere in Nigeria. The federal government promises to scale up tests and send equipment. Even before COVID-19, health here was never a guarantee. But there were some hard-fought gains. In June, the U.N. says it could be declared polio-free after decades of education and immunization. But humanitarian officials fear that that success could now lost.
[Maulid Warfa, Unicef:] In any humanitarian situation, the world needs to offer a lot of support. But now, the dust is almost everywhere and everybody is trying to protect their own eyes. The world might be forgotten as the countries fight the coronavirus on their own.
[Mckenzie:] COVID-19 is global and state officials promised an investigation into the rise of deaths. But valuable time has been lost and the impact is already devastating David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
[Coren:] The race to find a vaccine, a magic medicine to make this all go away. Ahead, how the U.S. is injecting a fortune into a company that has never brought an approved vaccine to market.

[Becky Anderson, Cnn:] for weeks. That the sectarian political oligarchy, as they call them, is responsible for endemic state corruption. Which has pushed this country they say to a state of economic collapse. Well, two weeks of unprecedented government protests have paralyzed this country. Let me get you to Ben Wedeman who is standing by for you at our Beirut bureau which is just moments away from where I am here on Martyrs' Square in Beirut. Ben, we don't know what he's going to say as of yet but these calls have been thick and fast and no protesters standing down. What can we expect at this point?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Certainly we understand that Prime Minister Hariri is really at the end of his tether. He's tried last Monday to put forward this reform program which actually was supported by his allies within the cabinet. But the country has been paralyzed now since the evening of the 17th of October by these nationwide protests. And what we've seen today is, really, the second major outbreak of clashes in downtown Beirut where we are seeing some divisions among people here. Right near where I'm standing is a place called the Ring Road. A major artery in Beirut and we were there while there was a bit of a confrontation between local residents. Many of whom are Shia, many of whom are supporters of Hezbollah and Amal, the other large Shia political party, and they were demanding from the protesters who had blocked that road for days that they leave. Because we spoke to some of the local residents. One man, for instance, said he's a driver. He has not been able to work a day since the protests hit Beirut's streets for real on the 18th of October. These are people who live hand to mouth. They depend on what they earn every day to feed their families. So there's a lot of anger in some of the working-class neighborhoods, the disruption, these road blockages are causing. So very quickly, it descended into rock throwing. The local residents were pulling the barricades out of the street and very quickly it descended into a battle in which the security forces were trying to keep the two sides apart, but they failed. In the end, these people, many of them chanting pro-Hezbollah chants made their way to Martyrs' Square where they essentially trashed the tents, ripped down posters and we had just below me here in the Riadh Solh Square near the Prime Minister's office, they got here. There was almost a clash between them and the anti-government protesters. The riot police intervened to keep the two sides apart, but they did fire tear gas and they did, we see, we have it on video, they did have OK, Ben. Stand by. Stand by. We need to listen to Saad Hariri who is speaking now.
[Saad Hariri, Lebanese Prime Minister:] I've taken a decision to stop the downturn in the political, economic situation. I asked for time to listen to the people and to protect the country from dangerous economic, political matters and social events. Today we have reached into a blocked road. It is a big shock. I'm going to the palace of Baabda in order to hand over the resignation of my government to President Michel Aoun and to the people of Lebanon in all areas. And that's what the majority of the population that came to the main square have demanded. And also to ensure that there is a framework to protect the security of the country. I call on all Lebanese to put Lebanon's interests and the security of Lebanon and the protection of the civil population of Lebanon before anything else. Regarding my all my partners in
[Anderson:] We were listening to Saad Hariri who is saying that he has resigned from the government here. He was speaking after weeks of demonstrations throughout the country. Let's see if we can get that back for you. OK. Let's get you to Ben Wedeman. Ben, you were listening to that. And as we try to get that speech back, Ben, your thoughts at this point.
[Wedeman:] Well, we heard Prime Minister Hariri say we've reached a dead end. And certainly for this government, that definitely is the case. He said he's going to go to the Baabda palace, which is the President's palace, just outside of Beirut and will hand in the resignation of his government. Which and he didn't indicate what comes next. They're not clear what is going to happen. Really a great big power vacuum has just been opened up. He clearly expressed a certain amount of understanding and sympathy for the protest movement. And we understand that he has been supportive of the basic demands of the protesters to crack down on corruption, to see some sort of new political arrangement here in Lebanon where the government is not based upon a sectarian division of power. Now so his political bloc, the Mustaqbal Future party, perhaps is going to come down on the side of the demonstrators. But what we have clearly seen now is that Hezbollah and Amal, the two main Shia parties are clearly on the opposite end in this situation with him. This was a government that had three ministers, two Hezbollah ministers, one who is affiliated with Hezbollah, the health minister. And it was an odd arrangement, but this is the only way you can run this country is you have to bring everybody into a big tent. That tent, like the tents in Martyrs' Square have now been ripped down, and there's probably a lot of scrambling going on in the presidential palace in Baabda to figure out what is the next step. Because not only is Lebanon in political turmoil, it is in economic turmoil. The banks in Lebanon have been closed since the 18th of October. They will be closed again tomorrow. We heard Riad Salame in that interview with you, Becky, yesterday saying that Lebanon is days away from collapse. And I think we're a day closer to that now Becky.
[Anderson:] Ben, let's just repeat what we heard. The Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri says he going to submit his resignation, and I quote him here. I have reached a dead end. No one is bigger than the country, was the translation. He gave that speech in front of a portrait of his late father, Rafik Hariri, who was himself Prime Minister, of course, assassinated. Just give us some context to who Saad Hariri is.
[Wedeman:] Well, Saad Hariri became Prime Minister after a rather, he became the leader of the Future Party after the assassination on the 14th of February 2005 of his father Rafik Hariri who was the Prime Minister who really ran Lebanon for much of the immediate post-civil war era. Much of the reconstruction in this part of Beirut was done under his rule. But he was somebody who had very close relations with Saudi Arabia. Rafik Hariri, the father is. But we saw that in November 2017, Saad Hariri was essentially held hostage by Saudi Arabia when he went to visit there. The Saudis very unhappy that Saad Hariri has several times included Hezbollah in the government. And as I said before, Hezbollah, like it or not, the United States considers it a terrorist organization. But here in Lebanon, it is a very large and well-organized political party that simply you can't ignore it Becky.
[Anderson:] Sure. We heard a lot of cheering here. You probably heard it yourself on the square and in the streets. Erupting as that announcement came in that Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister here, is submitting his resignation, having it, as he explained it or put it, come to a deadlock. To a dead end. Is this a victory for the people Ben?
[Wedeman:] At this point, I'd say it's a mixed victory, at best. Because what we are seeing that this revolution or October revolution as some people are calling it, which initially began with a surprising amount of cross-sectarian unity. Where people were united in their grievances against the government. But we have seen with these road blockages in particular a lot of people who initially supported the protest movement have become disillusioned. And, therefore, I think those who were cheering the downfall of this government are also well aware that there are many people who are opposed to this protest movement as it stands today given the amount of disruption it has caused. And Lebanon is now sort of in political limbo, economic limbo waiting for somebody else to take the helms of a state that is listing very seriously Becky.
[Anderson:] I interviewed, as we were discussing, I interviewed the Governor of the Central Bank here yesterday. And in that exclusive interview when he told me that it was this was a country just days from economic collapse, unless immediate action were taken. I also asked him whether Saad Hariri should resign. This is what he told me just 24 hours ago.
[Riad Salame, Lebanese Central Bank Governor:] Prime Minister Hariri wanted to resign to form a new government. He doesn't want to resign and leave the country in a vacancy because it will worsen the situation. But I believe that what he has all his political movement now is to try to get a consensus on a new government or changes in the present government in a way to satisfy the people of Lebanon and to regain a certain trust.
[Anderson:] Well, that was Riad Salame speaking to me yesterday. 24 hours later and we have the announcement that the Prime Minister here is submitting his resignation. The Central Bank Governor there making the point that he believed that Saad Hariri had wanted to resign earlier but that he didn't want to leave a vacuum here when things are in such crisis. The point is, there is now a vacuum, correct? What happens next?
[Wedeman:] Yes, there's a vacuum. There's a vacuum. And sources close to Saad Hariri have told us that, in fact, he wanted to resign much earlier after the outbreak of these protests on the evening of the 17th of October. But the worry is that in the absence of sort of any cohesive government that the country could veer off into chaos. Unfortunately, perhaps the clashes we saw today were perhaps the final straw for him given that it does appear that there's just a complete lack of unity among the political leadership of this country as to how to move forward and god help whoever succeeds Saad Hariri.
[Anderson:] Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, here on Friday had warned the government not to resign. He said if it did, his party would bring its supporters into the streets saying and I quote him here that would change the equation. The government's refusal to relinquish power some say has only boosted that movement. I want to take a short break. I just want to give you sort of 60 seconds, though, just to sort of wind up where we are at this point. So final thought just for the moment. Saad Hariri has gone. We know where Hezbollah stands. You've alluded to what has happened just here in Beirut today with supporters as we understand it of the other Shia block, the Amal. Things are very much on edge here. This resignation is, by no means, giving Lebanon any closure at this point, is it?
[Wedeman:] No, no. It just opens up so many other possible avenues for I don't want to say chaos, but disruption and certainty. And as Riad Salame told you in his interview, what Lebanon needs, it's not only its financial system, its political system is confidence. And what we see as confidence is evaporating. Confidence in the government's ability to somehow take advantage of this protest movement to perhaps create a better political system. One that is less corrupt, one that is more representative. One that is more responsive. And at the same time, confidence in the economy. And every single day the banks remain closed, confidence evaporates just as quickly as it does on the political side. We don't know when the banks are going to be reopened, but the worry is when they do, there will be a run on those banks. People want to get their money out. They would like to get their dollars out because many people have dollar accounts. But what we found is even those who have dollar accounts, when they go to get their money out of the ATM, what they can only get is Lebanese lira and the Lebanese lira is slowly showing signs of weakness. It has been relatively stable since 1997 at about 1,500 lira to the dollar. That stability, that stable exchange rate is starting to waver and that could set off a whole series of catastrophic changes for this country. Where even though there are some people who are very rich and have gotten much richer in recent years, there are many, many more people who have gotten poorer and poorer. And that's part of the fuel for this protest movement Becky.
[Anderson:] Yes, yes. By a number of reports, there is a 30 percent poverty rate in this country. And with the numbers of Syrian refugees over the past years coming into this country, of course, the impact on the infrastructure and the economy, even worse, as a result of those the extra numbers in here at this point. Banks closed. Shops closed. It's relatively quiet out here at present. There's that kind of sense of unease. What happens next? We do know this hour is that after nearly two weeks of unprecedented anti-government protests that have paralyzed this country of Lebanon, the Prime Minister Saad Hariri has announced that he is submitting his resignation. That we know. What we don't know, here is what happens next. Stay with us.

[Dean:] It is the Fourth of July holiday weekend across America, which for many means fireworks, cookouts, and celebrating freedom. This week's CNN Hero is helping refugees who come to America seeking safety and freedom get one step closer to achieving the American dream. Meet Kerry Brodie.
[Kerry Brodie, Cnn Hero:] What we're teaching our students isn't just knife skills, and it isn't just cooking. It's the idea that you are a human and you have value, and that's something that people have tried to strip away from others for such a long time. What's the dream team cooking up?
[Unidentified Male:] Samba cake.
[Brodie:] Samba cake, awesome. That experience of watching our students transform, of seeing our students really come into their own inspires me.
[Dean:] To get the full story about Kerry's program and to nominate someone you think should be a CNN Hero, go to CNNheroes.com. Team USA is one day away from going for back to back World Cup titles.
[Blackwell:] But they just cannot seem to escape the controversy and the criticism. Vince is back.
[Dean:] Why?
[Vince Cellini, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] Well, the 13-0 Victory over Thailand and the White House, we're not going to the White House, so there's a lot going on there. But I don't know. It works for them. You could say no women's soccer team has faced more scrutinycriticism than Team USA has at the Women's World Cup this year. But the team seems to thrive on it. Not afraid to face it head on no matter what it is or who it comes from because they have been there before.
[Alex Morgan, Uswnt Co-captain:] We understand that the eyes are kind of on us, and it's kind of in a magnified situation. So in that case we've had a will the a lot of team conversations about keeping that bubble tight and making sure that everything outside is just noise, and at the end of the day, we're here to do a job, and a job that we've like dreamt of and worked our entire lives for.
[Cellini:] Team USA to play the Netherlands, big underdog in the World Cup crown, for that 11:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow morning. The news NBA fans have been waiting for, Kawhi Leonard is heading to Los Angeles, but he won't be a Laker. Instead signing a four-year $142 million contract with the Clippers. This according to ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. Leonard had also considered the Lakers and returning to the Raptors after winning a title in Toronto. The Clippers also reportedly trading for Oklahoma City star forward Paul George in exchange for two players, five first round picks, thus giving the Clippers that most precious of things, hope. Well, we've seen the tennis phenom Cori "Coco" Gauff at Wimbledon cruising through the first two rounds. And now we know she's a warrior too. She proved that. Down five-two in the second set yesterday, the 15-year-old American faced two match points against Polona Hercog. She battled back, winning both of those pants, went on to capture the second in a tiebreak, and in the third staved off a comeback from Hercog, pulling out an impressive and grueling three-set win. With all this attention, you have to remember she's just 15 and was virtually unknown a week ago.
[Coco Gauff, Tennis Player:] It's just crazy how like I remember before I played Venus, as you know, when you walk to leave the practice courts there are people waiting, and one little kid asked me for a picture, and then after the next day after I played Venus, everybody was screaming my name. So it's just pretty surreal how life changes in a matter of seconds.
[Cellini:] Surreal, but this is very real. Look at the crowd going crazy back in Delray Beach, Florida, where her family lives, brothers and grandmother are watching. It was so cool to see them all together and support her. But I tell you what game she has, poise and moxie and certainly talent on top of all that. She's been a fun one to watch.
[Blackwell:] Just a week of dreams to start by winning over her idol Venus Williams in the first round, and now going on against Halep up next.
[Cellini:] And this run continues, see how far it can go.
[Dean:] She's got a long future.
[Blackwell:] It's fun to watch. It's fun to watch her for the first time doing all of this.
[Cellini:] She's electric, that's for sure.
[Blackwell:] Vince, thanks so much. So Royal watchers, this one is for you.
[Dean:] The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's baby boy will be christened at Windsor Castle today, two months to the day after he was born. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have planned a private ceremony for Archie attended by fewer than 25 people, which means the media will not be allowed in. But the royal couple does plan to share photos after the event. Some of the British press, though, are criticizing the move, pointing out that since taxpayers paid for renovations to the couple's new home, they deserve more access.
[Blackwell:] And just a little time to show you this video from Los Angeles, and we can sympathize here, two news anchors duck for cover during last night's powerful earthquake.
[Dean:] That epicenter of the quake was 125 miles from their studios in the L.A. area, but the power of the tremor was evident.
[Unidentified Female:] We're making sure that nothing is going to come down in the studio here.
[Unidentified Male:] And it is going for quite a bit, everybody.
[Unidentified Female: I -- Unidentified Male:] It continues to rattle pretty strong here.
[Unidentified Female:] This is a very strong earthquake. It's 8:21 here on the air, we're experiencing very strong shaking. I think we need to get under the desk.
[Unidentified Male:] We're going to go to break. We'll be right back after this.
[Unidentified Female:] We'll be right back.
[Unidentified Male:] Wow.
[Dean:] That was very real there.
[Blackwell:] She did the right thing. By getting under the desk. I don't know if I would get under the desk just because
[I -- Dean:] This is glass, well, plexiglass.
[Blackwell:] That's enough.
[Dean:] Hopefully we never have to find out.
[Blackwell:] Yes.
[Dean:] Thanks so much for starting your morning with us.
[Blackwell:] Fredricka Whitfield is up next with CNN's continuing coverage of that 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit California overnight. We'll be back tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. Eastern for CNN NEW DAY. We'll see you then. Stay with us.

[Bob Keiser, Founder, Apk Charities:] We have folks all over the world, you know, serving our nation. So...
[Erica Hill, Cnn:] And we were we were reminded that, of course, again this week with what we learned of with the killing of al-Baghdadi. Bob Keiser, Captain Reese, appreciate you both taking the time to join us and appreciate everything that you are doing. Thank you.
[Keiser:] Well, thank you.
[Hill:] "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts right now.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] It could be the first fireside chat where someone says out loud, "dot, dot, dot." THE LEAD starts right now. Story time with Trump. President Trump saying the whole impeachment push will backfire on Democrats, as he plans to take the fight right to the people and read the Ukraine call on live TV. Plus, Mayor Pete's moment. An unknown until a few months ago, now in a tie for first in a brand-new Iowa poll and tonight what could be a make-or-break moment. And he's here, there and everywhere. Vladimir Putin's growing influence around the globe, including on a possible collision course with the U.S. troops that Trump left in Syria. Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Jake today. And we begin with the politics lead. President Trump making a pitch to defend against impeachment and make the case for his reelection in 2020. President Trump seemingly arguing that not only did he do the do nothing wrong when it comes to the Ukraine scandal, but that it is just part of his unconventional style as a tough leader who gets things done. As CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports, the president is now even suggesting that he may read the transcript of his infamous call with Ukraine's leader in a quote "fireside chat" on live television.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] Those in favor, please say aye.
[Unidentified Males And Females:] Aye!
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] On the heels of a House vote that could lead to his impeachment, President Trump is taking the defense strategy into his own hands.
[Stephanie Grisham, White House Press Secretary:] He is the war room.
[Collins:] Telling "The Washington Examiner" he's considering reading the transcript of his call with the Ukrainian president as a fireside chat on live television. His own aides have testified that they were alarmed by that call. Asked if he was being serious, Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham declined to offer any specifics.
[Grisham:] Sure. Absolutely.
[Question:] When?
[Grisham:] I don't have any timing.
[Collins:] Trump believes reading the call aloud will show people he acted appropriately. And as Democrats move to the next phase of impeachment, his campaign is fund-raising off it, bringing in $3 million online as the House of Representatives voted Thursday. Trump says he believes this will backfire on Democrats. But a new poll from ABC and "The Washington Post" reveals Americans are sharply divided; 49 percent say he should be impeached and removed from office, while 47 percent say he shouldn't. Despite those numbers, the White House says impeachment appears inevitable.
[Grisham:] We are prepared for an impeachment to happen, yes.
[Collins:] Exasperating his Republican allies, the president says his one-man war room doesn't need any help, telling "The Examiner": "I already have good people." He's hired no new communications aides since Democrats launched their probe. And it's been 235 days since the last press briefing.
[Grisham:] Whenever it's time. I think, right now, we're doing just fine.
[Collins:] The stall in strategy is coming as House Democrats are preparing to take their investigation public, and Speaker Pelosi is defending her decision to move forward.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] We have no choice. We took an oath to protect and defend our democracy. And that is what he has made an assault on. And if the Republicans have a higher loyalty to the president than they do to their oath of office, that's their problem.
[Collins:] Now, Brianna, in that interview, Pelosi emphasized that she doesn't think Democrats have made a decision yet about whether or not they're actually going to impeach the president. That is something that seems to be a foregone conclusion back here at the White House. And all of this comes as the president is getting ready today for his first rally since the vote on the impeachment inquiry. That will happen in Mississippi tonight.
[Keilar:] All right, we will be watching. Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much at the White House for us. And this new ABC News"Washington Post" poll finds that the country is divided, it's pretty evenly, on whether President Trump should be impeached and removed from office, 49 percent saying yes, 47 percent saying no. So let's discuss this. Jen Psaki, to you first. How much work do Democrats have to do to convince Americans here?
[Jen Psaki, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, I think, from where Democrats are sitting, 50 percent of the public or almost 50 percent of the public thinks the president of the United States should be impeached and removed from office. Sometimes, we lose perspective, but that is a huge number. I think the question for them is, what is their ceiling? How high can they grow approval for impeachment and removal to be? And Donald Trump certainly still has his loyal supporters, a percentage of the public. They're betting on the public hearings being an opportunity for the public to understand and learn and get to know what this is all about and for those numbers to rise. But if it rises five points, five to 10 points, I mean, that's a huge number for the Democrats. It certainly wasn't where it was under Clinton impeachment, even though it's a different time.
[Chris Cillizza, Cnn Political Reporter:] I'm with Jen. The one thing I would say is, I think that the Clinton impeachment, while it's not apples to apples, because that was Ken Starr primarily driving the investigating, as opposed to the House. It showed that an investigation that began with the continuation of the Whitewater investigation that's why Ken Starr was named independent counsel and went through Vince Foster and eventually wound up at Monica Lewinsky. If you focus on trying to focus on too many things at once, you can lose the public.
[Psaki:] And that's a good lesson.
[Cillizza:] It's not an 8020 issue, 80 percent of public I would be stunned if it was but 80 percent of public wants impeachment. It's 49-43, 49-47, 50-43, which means it can change. It's not overwhelming. So I think you saw Nancy Pelosi say that to Bloomberg today. She said there's a law of diminishing returns, which is, how long do you keep this going? And how many strands do you try to pull in? Because you can lose the public on something like that.
[Keilar:] Let's talk about this poll. If we try to compare best we can apples to apples, it's never exactly apples to apples. But in this same poll taken in December 1998, only 33 percent said that Clinton should be impeached and removed. So, Bill, this 49 percent number is pretty significant. And yet I wonder if what's the critical number? What's critical mass?
[Bill Kristol, Director, Defending Democracy Together:] Yes. Well, who knows? I mean, the thing is, it has grown over the last three, four months. We're so used to poll numbers not changing much. Trump's numbers have been so sticky. And on typical issues, gun control, taxes or whatever, people have been talking about them for 10, 20, 30 years. So, of course, they don't change their mind overnight on them. Impeachment, the Ukraine story broke, what was it, mid-September, right? And in those seven, eight weeks, seven weeks, I guess, it's the public opinion has moved more than one would expect, more than we have seen on most issues. And why? Because people Democrats have done OK, I think, in terms of their messaging, and I think Speaker Pelosi has managed it well, but mostly it's the facts. Mostly, people keep learning new things. And it turns out, gee, it is kind of as bad as I thought. And, secondly, I think it's the witnesses. We haven't heard the witnesses publicly yet. But this is not like Clinton and Lewinsky, where it was kind of a sordid tale, and not to blame other everyone involved, but, I mean, no one really felt good hearing about more details about that. Here, you have Colonel Vindman testifying that he was doing his duty as a military officer. You have Bill Taylor, a 72-year-old extremely respected diplomat, testifying that he was doing his duty as they were all appalled by what they were seeing. These aren't flaky people, people with grudges, people with partisan inclinations. So, if the entire national security apparatus of the government, the Defense Department lawyers are saying, where's the aid, we need the aid, if everyone is concerned, it makes it at least something worth being concerned about. Whether people ultimately get to impeachment and removal is another question.
[Keilar:] Seung Min, what do you think?
[Seung Min Kim, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I think that that was sort of the case that Democrats who had been for impeachment far before the Ukraine issue broke had been making, that the most Democrats explain what is happening to the public, they could actually turn public opinion to their side. And, now, it took something like this Ukraine issue to persuade Nancy Pelosi and a critical mass of House Democrats to get on board with, first of all, an impeachment inquiry, and it looks like an inevitable impeach or perhaps an impeachment at this point. But it's going to be really up to Democrats to just keep making that public case. And, meanwhile, you're going to have President Trump out there making his political case with the unique megaphone that he has, starting at the rally tonight, and continuing with a series of rallies next week. Now he's talking about a potential reading of this transcript in the fireside chat sorts, which is such an interesting thing, because we were I spoke...
[Keilar:] Interesting is one way to...
[Cillizza:] Very political.
[Kristol:] It's not going to happen.
[Kim:] But the transcript is something that he is fixated on right now. I talked to a lot of Republican senators who were at this lunch with the president yesterday at the White House. And one consistent message from the president that the senators relayed to us was that he was really proud his decision to release that transcript, because he believes it exonerates him.
[Kristol:] Except here's the kernel of truth in it.
[Cillizza:] I mean, I think that is Seung Min is exactly right. I think that is crazy. If you look at it, the only thing I can see is,it doesn't say, hey, man, this is a straight of a quid pro quo. Short of that...
[Kristol:] But the sophisticated defense of Trump is going to become, he shot his mouth off. He blustered.
[Cillizza:] He was just talking.
[Kristol:] He's just talking. You can't impeach the guy on an offhand comment. Some other president probably made a comment to a foreign president. But that's an attempt to therefore obfuscate the fact that there were a lot of deeds, a lot of actions that happened before and after that phone call, right? He fired the ambassador. He delayed the military aid, contrary to the recommendations of all the departments. I think it's important that people keep their focus on the broad spectrum of what Trump did, as well as said.
[Psaki:] And I think, as Trump just keeps driving the public narrative here and the communications strategy, Republicans are going to become more and more uncomfortable. They do not want him to do a prime-time reading of the notes of the transcript. They are not willing to they may make exactly the case Bill made, but they're not going to stand by the substance of this. This becomes more and more difficult for them.
[Keilar:] Even if he is he is the one-man war room, but you can now also call President Trump Florida man. The lifelong New Yorker says he's moving to the Sunshine State. Will Fifth Avenue ever be the same? And then, is Vladimir Putin playing a game of Risk with real consequences? The move that he's making even on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

[Romans:] The full House set to vote this week on impeachment as Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer now laying out his vision for the Senate's all but certain impeachment trial. He says he wants new documents and testimony from a number of administration witnesses, including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Now, that's different than the plan top Republicans are putting forward, featuring a short trial with no witnesses.
[Briggs:] And coordination as well. Joining us here, Princeton University historian and profession Julian Zelizer, a CNN political analyst. Good to see you, sir.
[Romans:] Good morning.
[Julian Zelizer, Cnn Political Analyst, Historian And Professor, Princeton University, Co-author, "fault Lines: A History Of The United States Since 1974":] Good morning.
[Briggs:] In terms of Mitch McConnell what he said to Sean Hannity over the weekend and Lindsey Graham over the weekend as well, how far are we in terms of what the framers intended when it comes to an impeachment trial in the Senate, specifically?
[Zelizer:] Very far. I mean partisanship is Trump being over triumph I mean, over governance. And so far what the Republicans are signaling is they're not open to a trial. Their position is already set they will defend the president and this isn't really an open- ended part of the inquiry.
[Romans:] I mean, you're a historian, right, so the Republican Party coordinated Republican leadership coordinated with the president and with the White House for how it will respond in this in this trial. What happened in the Watergate days? Did the Republican Party traditionally, does the party stick with the president?
[Zelizer:] Republicans stood by the president pretty long during Watergate more than we remember. But they did start to break with the president when he started to obstruct. It was pretty notable in the House Judiciary Committee, Republicans who were loyal to the president. When the president said I will not turn things over
[Romans:] Yes.
[Zelizer:] they said you have to follow the process. We have a constitutional system. We are far from that.
[Romans:] Yes.
[Zelizer:] Right now, the process has been put to the wayside.
[Briggs:] And I hate to again fast-forward through this dramatic week in the House because it is historic and it is important.
[Zelizer:] Yes.
[Briggs:] Again, in the Senate, how central a role could Justice Roberts actually play here?
[Zelizer:] Well, very important. He's the one who can fast-track some of these decisions. He has the authority if Democrats are insisting on trying to call witnesses or get more documents to make that happen. It's unclear if he will. He might defer to the courts. But he will have significant power to actually change what the president can or can't do.
[Romans:] What's so interesting to me is that there you hear the Democrats saying that the Republicans have prejudged how they're going to handle this. And the Republicans saying the Democrats have preloaded this and prejudged how they're going to handle this. And the American people have not changed their opinions along the way here. This Fox News poll on impeachment and removal 50 percent said yes, 46 percent said no. And when you look from poll to poll to poll to poll you really haven't seen movement. What does that say a] about the process and importance of the process and the constitutional sanctity of the process of impeachment, and the American public?
[Zelizer:] The process is more important, not less important now because if we are that polarized and if public opinion doesn't shift, it makes it even more important that Congress goes through with this if they think a president has abused his power. They can't do this based on public opinion and in this era, public opinion doesn't shift much. So it's about laying a case out for history and laying a case out for the public, and they have to follow through with that.
[Briggs:] Congressman Jeff Van Drew switching parties, going from Democrat to Republican. Will that have any impact on the proceedings, on the perception?
[Zelizer:] No, it won't. It won't it won't have any impact on the vote. It will be a talking point for the president. It's small potatoes compared to the damage Republicans have suffered in the midterms and with retirements and with Amash, so we have to put that in perspective. But it will be a talking point that the president talks about.
[Romans:] It looks to you like he's avoiding a primary challenger because he supports he supports the president, is against impeachment, and is a Democrat?
[Zelizer:] It's not about principle, it's about he was about to lose and that's why he's doing this. It's unclear what his future will be, but a lot of Democrats are obviously unhappy that he's made this decision.
[Romans:] It sure is nice to have a professor on the set first thing Monday morning, right? How did we do?
[Briggs:] It is always
[Romans:] Did I pass that test?
[Briggs:] Julian Zelizer, good to see you, my friend.
[Zelizer:] Thank you.
[Romans:] Thank you, sir.
[Zelizer:] Thank you very much.
[Romans:] All right. The Democrats' final debate of 2019 is set for Thursday but candidates are looking to diversify the stage in 2020. Nine of the candidates are calling on the Democratic Party to ease the standards for qualifying in the January and February debates, Sen. Cory Booker leading the charge. He failed to qualify for Thursday night's event and is quick to point out that those who did are all white, with the exception of Andrew Yang.
[Briggs:] He and other candidates want the DNC to use polling or fundraising thresholds. Currently there are both are required. DNC chairman Tom Perez has already decided that the January debate will continue to require both, he tells "The New York Times." He believes everything the committee has done has been quote, "completely fair and transparent." In the meantime, all seven Democrats who qualified for this week's debate at Loyola Marymount University in California are threatening to boycott if an ongoing union dispute at the venue is not resolved.
[Romans:] All right, so stay tuned to that. A trade truce. China has scrapped new tariffs on U.S. goods. The two countries are pulling back from a trade war that has gripped global markets. On Friday, Washington and Beijing said they had finally reached the first phase of an elusive trade deal. China promises to buy more farm products. The U.S. will roll back some tariff rates. Businesses want to see the fine print. U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer claimed a major Trump victory.
[Robert Lighthizer, U.s. Trade Representative:] Friday was probably the most momentous day in trade history ever. That day, we submitted the USMCA the Mexico-Canada agreement which is about $1.4 trillion worth of the economy I mean, of trade, and then in addition to this, which is about $600 billion. So that's literally about half of total trade were announced on the same day. It was extremely momentous.
[Romans:] That North American trade deal may have hit a snag just days after it was assigned. Mexico is angry over a clause allowing U.S. labor inspectors into Mexican factories. A House vote to approve the deal is expected as early as Thursday. Now, global markets right now are mixed. One economist saying this. Phase one picked the low-hanging fruit; now for the hard part. All right, winter weather across the Heartland. Nearly 40 million people under some type of advisory from the Rockies to the mid- Atlantic. I-70 is closed or blocked in several locations by accidents, and weather conditions in Missouri and Kansas. Near Greenwood, Nebraska, three people died, four were injured in a weather-related crash on I- 80. There's also the risk of severe today for 10 million people in the southeast. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has more.
[Pedram Javaheri, Ams Meteorologist:] Yes, good morning, guys. A lot of weather to be had across the country today, and even notice across the Gulf Coast some severe weather here along a frontal boundary where an enhanced risk is in place, which on a scale of one to five is a three, and it includes cities such as Jackson. And work your way just into western areas of Alabama there. Enough of a risk in place for not only strong winds and some large hail but maybe a few possibilities of tornadoes across that region. But again, the active weather skirts off towards the east. A very quick mover here so expecting some wintry weather across portions of Missouri, Illinois and certainly, into the Ohio Valley, and parts of New England as well. But notice much of this is generally two to four inches. A few isolated pockets where we could see more than, say, four to six inches. But, about a 1,700-mile stretch of land stretching out of, say, eastern New Mexico and Colorado all the way into areas of New England where winter weather advisories and alerts have been prompted. And, of course and fortunately here for New York City, temps just a little too warm to support much in the way of snow showers. Maybe you'll see a flurry mixed in but highs on Tuesday climb up to about 40 degrees and notice it kind of hovers around that range and then drops off sharply with some colder air coming in as we approach this weekend. Still, though, a warming trend into the weekend across the northeast guys.
[Romans:] All right, Pedram. Thank you so much for that. We'll be right back.

[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] Well, even William Barr, the attorney general, who is usually very differential to the president, has said he thinks it was an appropriate prosecution. He think the the revised sentence that the that Judge Berman imposed was correct. So this would not just be swampy, it would be against the wishes of his usually subservient attorney general. That's how outrageous a pardon or a commutation would be of Roger Stone.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] But there's every reason to believe it's coming. Let's just be clear. The president is hinting at it and it will probably come in the next few days if we take the president at his word here because Roger Stone, the Justice Department wants him to report to prison on Tuesday.
[Toobin:] I don't see how you could interpret the president's words as anything other than a commutation or pardon is imminent. And Roger Stone will never spend a day in jail because he's the president's friend, period.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Jeffery, the president, last night, was on "Hannity" and he was bragging about this cognitive test that he recently took. We don't know why he took it. We don't know the results of it. He claims he aced it. Sorry, that's a funny word for a cognitive test. In any event, when you hear his answer to this next question about the IRS audit, you will have reason to wonder if he actually aced a cognitive test. Listen to what he tries to say about whether or not he's still under audit.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] And I'm under tax audit. I have been for a long period of time. We made a deal a long time ago and once I ran for politics, that deal was like we didn't make it. So I'm under a continuing audit. And anybody that did that or showed that before you have it finalized, but they treat they treat me horribly, the IRS, horribly. It's a disgrace what's happened. We had a deal done. In fact it was I guess it was signed even. And once I ran or once I won or somewhere back a long time ago, everything was like, well, let's start all over again.
[Camerota:] What was he saying there, Jeffrey?
[Toobin:] You know, Alisyn, I've spoken English since I was a little boy, and I I think I'm fluent, but but I don't understand one word in that that answer. So you tell me. I have no idea. I mean the what he's saying is he's still not releasing his tax returns. That's what he's saying. But that statement was complexly meaningless as far as I can tell.
[Berman:] I think there's an attack there on the government, which he is the figurehead of at this point. I've there was that. There was some lie about why he hasn't turned over his taxes already, which he could do even if he is under audit. That seemed to be in there as well. First of all, all of this, and the
[Toobin:] Right.
[Berman:] A major ruling. A major ruling. A landmark ruling on presidential rights and power, but one that may not have an imminent impact on this president, this president. Can you explain?
[Toobin:] Well, I think it's it's helpful to divide the two cases that were divided that were decided yesterday and treat them separately. In the case of the subpoena by the New York City District Attorney, the Manhattan D.A., Cyrus Vance. Vance won that. Vance is going to get the president's tax returns and various financial documents from his accountant. When he gets it is not settled, and those documents will not be made public. That's part of a secret grand jury investigation. But there is no doubt that that that case, that investigation, will go forward. Whether it results in any charges, I don't know. The president did better in the congressional case. That case was sent back for more proceedings and it's not at all clear that Congress will ever get the financial documents it's seeking. And it certainly will not get them before the election. But the both cases were a clear statement that the president of the United States is not above the law and can be investigated. But because these cases took so long to get through the judicial system, the president is safe from disclosure, so he will again face the voters without having released his tax returns, as the only candidate who have done so in the modern era.
[Camerota:] I mean, generally we were looking back at the research, and, generally, if you're audited, the general resolution time is three years. That has passed since the president claims, without offering any evidence, that he's being audited. It can last longer. But, again, everybody's just having to take him at his word, and his word is, as you point out, often unintelligible on that subject, Jeffrey.
[Toobin:] It certainly was yesterday.
[Camerota:] Jeffrey Toobin, thank you.
[Toobin:] All right.
[Berman:] So, new this morning, Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient who lose her legs in Iraq, fighting back against Fox host Tucker Carlson and President Trump after Carlson said she, quote, hates America for saying there should be a national dialogue about removing statues of the founding fathers. Duckworth wrote an op-ed in "The New York Times" and said she will not be deterred by, quote, self-serving, insecure men who can't tell the difference between true patriotism and hateful nationalism. She noted, while I would put on my old uniform and go to war all over again to protect the right of Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump to say offensive things on TV and Twitter, I will also spend every moment I can, from now until November, fighting to elect leaders who would rather do good for their country than do well for themselves. So, after closing for 116 days, Walt Disney World reopening to the public tomorrow, even though coronavirus cases are soaring in Florida. We have details and a live report, next.

[Baldwin:] What Russia did during the 2016 presidential election and how they did it. Florida's congressional delegation just finished a briefing from the FBI, being told how Russia hacked voter databases in two Florida counties in its effort to influence how the election turned out. But it is classified, so they cannot tell us. But when the briefing ended, those Florida lawmakers told reporters they are worried that the FBI is holding back critical information from voters as we now approach 2020.
[Rep. Stephanie Murphy:] We can now confirm that a second county was breached. And I find that more than two years after the 2016 election, the public still doesn't know the names of these counties and what the government is doing to prevent it from happening again. I think that is unacceptable. Because we received a classified briefing, we will be restricted in what we will be able to tell you. But rest assured we are working hard to continue to demand that the FBI reconsider their classification, so that we can provide more information to the public.
[Baldwin:] Evan Perez is our CNN senior justice correspondent who was in the briefing. Two counties. What else did they say?
[Evan Perez, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] Well, Brooke, one of the really interesting points that these lawmakers are making is that, look, you're undermining the faith that the voters have in the system and in the confidence that they have in the system and the election results, really, if you don't provide the transparency, you don't provide that information. They said that the FBI told them that they cannot tell them more because it is classified. Some of it is protection of sources and methods, the way in which the FBI determined all this. Some of this involves the NSA, and some of these, obviously, are classified tools. But also they said that, essentially, these counties are victims, and under the FBI's rules, they can't identify victims. Now, we did learn, Brooke, that the FBI told the lawmakers that these counties in Florida were told at the time, in 2016, that there was an issue. Two of them came back and said that they noticed suspicious activity. So, the question is, how are we going to prevent this from happening in 2020? That's the big question.
[Baldwin:] What are they saying about that?
[Perez:] Well, that's the thing. I mean, the Russians were in there. They say that they didn't change any vote tallies, they didn't change they didn't tamper with the voting rolls. But what's to say that they can't come back, try another way...
[Baldwin:] Exactly.
[Perez:] ... to get back into the system, and then do something in 2020? I think that's the big question that everybody's raising, including these lawmakers, who are very, very frustrated with the FBI at this time.
[Baldwin:] Understandably. They got to make sure they don't do that come 2020. Every vote needs to matter.
[Perez:] It's always Florida, right?
[Baldwin:] Always Florida. Evan Perez, thank you very much. Appreciate you. The president's Twitter guru playing a major role in relaying Trump's message to the masses. Dan Scavino is one of Trump's closest confidants. As Politico is reporting today, Scavino is one of the last original and completely trusted insiders still at the president's side. So, let me read this for you from Politico's new piece on Scavino's growing influence quote "Oftentimes, I will go through Dan," Trump said. "You know, I will talk it over, and he can really be a very good sounding board, a lot of common sense. He's got a good grasp." Daniel Lippman just co-wrote that piece for Politico. Daniel, welcome back to you.
[Daniel Lippman, Politico:] Thanks, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] First of all, just on Dan Scavino and his staying power, the fact that, as you write, he's the last of the original four Trump insiders sort of still standing. Why? Is it all about Twitter?
[Lippman:] Yes, so people like Hope Hicks and Keith Schiller and John McEntee, Trump's former body man, have all left the White House. And we talked to more than two dozen close to Trump and also White House officials. And they say that Scavino's positive reinforcement and the fact that Trump trusts no one else to manage his Twitter feed is a big part of the reason why he has stayed. And this is a guy who holds what would be a second-tier job in any other White House, and yet he makes the top White House salary of almost $180,000 and is with the president more than any other aide besides his family members.
[Baldwin:] And how did Trump and Scavino first meet?
[Lippman:] So, he met Mr. he met the president when Scavino was 16 years old. He was his golf caddy, later became his general manager of the Trump Golf Club in Westchester. And so he's been by his side for a couple decades. And he seems to have a very good grasp of Trump's voice. And he can mimic it very well. And he knows what stories are going to play well on Twitter. But a lot of people say that he's kind of a yes-man and an enabler of Trump's tweets. They used to, in the early part of the administration, try to tamp down Trump's tweets. They have completely given up.
[Baldwin:] That's interesting. How much influence does Dan Scavino have in Trump's tweets? And how integral will his role be we know about it in 2016 but going into 2020?
[Lippman:] So, the president allowed to us that Scavino plays a role, but Trump likes to write his own tweets himself. And he likes to see cable news cover it within 15 seconds. And so, if they're only presenting drafts of tweets, and then Scavino types them up, then, for Trump, that doesn't actually give him the thrill of making markets go up and down. And so and but this they have to kind of modulate Trump's Twitter presence, because a lot of those moderate suburban women voters are kind of turned off by the constant chaos in Washington, which is primarily derived from Trump's tweets, where he's undermining his staff and Republicans on Capitol Hill, where they don't even know where the White House stands.
[Baldwin:] We will see if we see less of that as we go on, and closer to the election.
[Lippman:] I don't expect it.
[Baldwin:] I don't know about that. Daniel Lippman, great to have you on. Thank you very much for that. Coming up next: Televangelist Pat Robertson says Alabama's new abortion law, the most restrictive in the country, may not go far enough details on the looming battle in the U.S. Supreme Court.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] We're back. Right now President Trump and the First Lady are arriving at University Medical Center in El Paso where he is expected to meet with some of the victims of the horrific, racist El Paso shooting. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. Thanks for watching.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Happening now, El Paso visit. Air Force One just touched down in El Paso. President Trump will be meeting with victims of the mass shooting and thanking first responders. His visit is sparking protests from El Paso residents who don't appreciate his anti-immigrant rhetoric. But will the President see or hear them? "Nice job" earlier the President visited shooting victims and officials in Dayton, Ohio. The city's mayor tells CNN he did a nice job of consoling people but added she's disappointed because he offered nothing concrete about stopping gun violence. Her news conference sparked a Twitter attack from the President as he headed to El Paso. Why can't he resist getting political? In isolation as the President visits survivors of the attack, sources tell CNN the alleged gunman is on lockdown and in isolation. What are investigators learning about the murderous plot that led him to El Paso? And fan the flames former vice president Joe Biden aims a blistering attack at President Trump accusing him of aligning himself with the darkest forces in this nation and fanning the flames of white supremacy. Stand by for more of what Biden and other 2020 Democrats are saying about the President. I'm Wolf Blitzer. And you're in THE SITUATION ROOM. Breaking news. President Trump arriving in El Paso just moments ago. Earlier he and the First Lady stopped at a hospital in Dayton, Ohio to thank first responders and meet with some of the shooting victims and their families. The President spent his flight between Dayton and El Paso tweeting attacks on the mayor of Dayton and Ohio's Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown even though when he left the White House this morning, the President told reporters he thinks his rhetoric brings people together. This hour, I'll speak with El Paso City Council Member Cassandras Hernandez. And our correspondents analysts are standing by including CNN crews covering the President's trip to Dayton and El Paso, then back to the White House. Let's begin with our Chief White House Correspondent, Jim Acosta. Jim the President Trump can't seem to resist mixing politics with his role as consoler-in-chief.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right Wolf. President Trump just arrived in El Paso, Texas to meet with law enforcement officials and some of the victims from last weekend's massacre. He is heading to the hospital in El Paso right now as we speak. But the President just spent the last few hours blasting away at his critics on Twitter including some on the ground in Ohio while the President was flying on Air Force One. Even when the cities of El Paso and Dayton are grieving, the President is airing his grievances.
[Acosta:] Facing what is shaping to be a critical moment in his administration, President Trump arrived in El Paso, Texas to try to comfort another U.S. city traumatized by a mass shooting. Earlier in the day he spent times with massacre victims in Dayton, Ohio where he was pressed by lawmakers to do something about gun violence.
[Sen. Sherrod Brown:] We can't get anything done in the Senate because Mitch McConnell and the President of the United States are in bed with the gun lobby.
[Acosta:] As the President was flying from Ohio to Texas, he was live tweeting a speech from former vice president, Joe Biden as he ripped into Mr. Trump.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] How far is it from Trump saying this is an invasion to the shooter in El Paso declaring, quote, this attack is a response to Hispanic invasion of Texas. How far apart are those comments?
[Acosta:] The President tweeted he was watching and said Biden was so boring. The White House insisted the President would play the role of consoler-in-chief but President Trump sounded at times as though he was consoling himself.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] So my critics are political people. They're trying to make points.
[Acosta:] Dodging questions about his incendiary rhetoric and making the head scratching claim that his language has somehow unified the country.
[Trump:] No, I don't think my rhetoric has at all. I think my rhetoric is a very it brings people together.
[Acosta:] Mr. Trump was pressed on the El Paso gunman's manifesto which appeared to be inspired in part by the President's use of the term "invasion" to describe migrants. He side stepped that one too.
[Unidentified Female:] You and the shooter in El Paso used that same language. Do you regret that?
[Trump:] I think that illegal immigration you're talking about illegal immigration, right? Yes. I think illegal immigration is a terrible thing for this country. I think you have to come in legally.
[Acosta:] The President then proceed to spread the blame around for the outbreak of violence under his watch.
[Trump:] Ip don't like it. Any group of hate, I am whether it's white supremacy, whether it's any other kind of supremacy, whether it's Antifa, whether it's any group
[Acosta:] Just as he did after Charlottesville.
[Trump:] And you bad some very bad people in that group but you also have people that were very fine people on both sides.
[Acosta:] Despite striking a tone of unity earlier in the week, the President lashed out at Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke tweeting, "Beto, [phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage] O'Rourke should respect the victims and law enforcement and be quiet." O'Rourke fired back, "22 people in my home town are dead after an act of terror inspired by your racism. El Paso will not be quiet and neither will
[I." Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] We will proudly stand together for one another and for this country and that is what I'm doing with my community right now.
[Acosta:] After some elected leaders in El Paso urged the President to stay in the White House, the city's main newspaper published an open letter to Mr. Trump that reads, "Mr. President the hatred of the El Paso shootings didn't come from our city." Residents in El Paso remember the President's visit to the city in February when he painted migrants as criminals.
[Trump:] Murderers, murderers, murderers, killing, murders. We will. We will.
[Acosta:] And we should point out right now the President is on the ground in El Paso. He is visiting a hospital there in El Paso to meet with some of the victims there after last weekend's massacre. There is a large police presence as you could see on the ground right now outside of that hospital, trying to make sure everything stays safe in that area. We should point out White House officials earlier in the day, Wolf lashed out at Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and the mayor of Dayton as the President did on Twitter accusing those two elected leaders of quote "disgusting behavior for not acknowledging the reception Mr. Trump received at the hospital in Dayton, Ohio earlier today. But Senator Brown, we should point out for the record Wolf, told reporters the President was, quote, "received well and did the right thing at the hospital. So it is not exactly clear what the White House what the President is talking about. As to whether the President will take action on gun violence, a source tells CNN Mr. Trump is looking at some kind of executive order to tighten up the nation's background check system Wolf.
[Blitzer:] We'll see if that happens. Jim Acosta, at the White House for us thank you very much. Also tonight, we're learning more about what has happened to the El Paso suspect who gave himself up after Saturday's massacre. Let's go to CNN's Brian Todd. He's getting new information. What are you hearing Brian?
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf we have new information tonight from the investigation on how police tracked the shooter's alleged manifesto and new details tonight on his conditions inside a local jail cell.
[Todd:] Tonight law enforcement officials tell CNN suspected shooter 21-year-old Patrick Crusius is being held on lockdown in isolation inside this detention center in downtown El Paso. A sheriff's Department Official said he's being held in a single 7 by 11 foot cell away from other inmates. Law enforcement veterans tell us his possible interaction with other inmates is a major concern.
[Carlos Leon, Former El Paso Police Chief:] Just moving him from his area to another area, just to make sure that he's not attacked. There is all sorts of things when you transfer, they've got to ensure that that person makes it to trial. So as I understand, he's been held in an area where he will be safe from other inmates and safe from himself.
[Todd:] But a sheriff's department official tells CNN the suspect is not on suicide watch. The El Paso police lieutenant leading the team which track down what they believe is the shooter's racist manifesto tell CNN affiliate WOI, police had to sift through a lot of false information and panic to find that clue.
[Lt. Dustin Liston, Director, El Paso Fusion Center:] We were able to uncover this manifesto relatively quickly. But we weren't able to attribute it to the suspect until later.
[Todd:] Tonight investigators are piecing together information on the shooters alleged planning, including his 10 to 11 hour journey to El Paso. Key questions they're looking at
[Leon:] Did he talk to anybody. Did he indicate anything at all? Do you have tape on that?
[Prof. Daniel Lieberman, George Washington University:] You never know who it is that is going to see the signs. And people who see the signs might assume, well, I don't know this person very well, someone else is going to report it. That is not a great idea. If there is a problem, anyone who sees it should get involved and report it.
[Todd:] Former El Paso police chief Carlos Leon is confident this resilient community will recover but he says residents will have serious security concerns going forward.
[Leon:] There will be a fear factor in all of us as we go to these larger stores, large events. Of course we're going to be thinking in the back of our mind, hey, am I safe here? And you start looking around.
[Todd:] And tonight Walmart itself is having to address a lot of those security concerns. The retail chain under scrutiny for not having any security guards whatsoever here on Saturday and for the policy of selling guns. Walmart officials telling CNN tonight they are reviewing their security protocols at all of their stores and taking a very deliberate measure in reviewing their policy on selling guns Wolf. And to set the tone more of what is going on on the ground, as President Trump right at this moment is at that University Medical Center here in El Paso, still a lot of raw emotions and frankly a lot of tension here on the ground. Behind me is this memorial area where people have come to pay tribute to the victims but on occasion you've had sporadic protests her behind plus heated street arguments here between Trump supports and others. Also, as we've been reporting, a protest at a nearby park here in El Paso where people are being very, very passionate about just, you know, what is going on her and about President Trump's visit. So as the President visits that medical center, just a lot of raw emotion here on the ground.
[Blitzer:] Brian Todd reporting for us in El Paso. Thanks Brian. Let's go to Dayton right now where the President met with shooting victims, their families and local officials. CNN'S Jason Carroll spoke with the Dayton's mayor. What did she tell you about the meeting with President Trump?
[Jason Carroll, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, a couple of things. She was very honest about the meeting Wolf. She said that the meeting initially went well in terms of how Trump had responded to some of the victims at the hospital from this terrible shooting. But she also did not hold back her impressions of how she feels as though the President handles the issue of gun control. She said, quote, "She does not believe the President is capable of having a real conversation about gun safety."
[Mayor Nan Whaley, Dayton, Ohio:] he was there to comfort the those injured and those victims and he and the First Lady did a nice job of that. I would say no. There was nothing concrete that we got out of it but, you know, we got to speak our mind about this issue which I think is so important to Daytonians. And so that did happen. It's disappointing. It's disappointing when your community has gone through this much and, you know, there is no discussion really about what needs to change, what policy matters need to change. It's disappointing. Well I mean he just uses words that don't really mean anything. So we're going to do something. Because I was really like, you know, Mr. President, we need to see action. We need to see something done on gun control, specifically on gun control. We're going to do something.
[Carroll:] So what you're hearing from there Wolf, is Mayor Whaley very frustrated, very disappointed overall about that meeting with the President. She really feels as though was hoping that the President would at least commit to something when it comes to gun safety. She said she came out of that meeting with nothing Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Jason Carroll in Dayton for us. Jason thanks very much. Joining us now, the El Paso City Council Member Cassandra Hernandez. Cassandra thanks so much for joining us. And I know these are difficult days for you, for everyone in El Paso, for so many people around the country. You joined a protest today against President Trump. He's in your city right now. What is your message to the President?
[Cassandra Hernandez, El Paso City Council Member:] My message to the President is that he is not welcome for many reasons. Because he has dehumanized immigrants and Mexicans, people of my community. He has taken no action on gun reform and diverted that blame. And worst, he has awakened a hate deep within white supremacists that has caused shootings like we have seen tis weekend.
[Blitzer:] On his way to your city, El Paso, the President criticized the mayor of Dayton who had just hosted him in the aftermath of her city's mass shooting and last night the President tweeted that your former congressman from El Paso, Beto O'Rourke, should be, quote, "quiet". Are you concerned about what he might say about El Paso following his visit there?
[Hernandez:] No. I'm not concerned. But I have some advice for him. How about he instead celebrates American El Paso heroes that we see here in El Paso. Like two African-Americans, Christopher Grant who was throwing bottles at the shooter to distract him from shooting a newborn baby. Like Army Serviceman Glendan Oakland who had carried children to keep them from being shot by the shooter. And like U.S. CBP agent for helping bring aid to Chris Grant. And like our first responders and thanking the people who supported this tragedy and the hospital staff and so many more. So I would like to see the President honor our heroes before criticizing our leaders in El Paso.
[Blitzer:] Some El Paso residents actually put out signs for President Trump. I want to read one of them. This is translated from Spanish. It says, "Mr. Trump, no more acts of racism, acts of hate, acts of terrorism. We are a Hispanic country and the hate towards Mexicans is not fair. We are three girls, American citizens, our parents are Mexican. And we are afraid to go outside," end quote. Does that line up, Cassandra, from what you're hearing from your constituents?
[Hernandez:] I hear a variety of things. But I think what saddens me the most, Wolf is how parents are trying to talk about this to their children. Are they next to be shot for being Hispanic or migrants? And that is very unfortunate that this is the America that we have created. And Trump has had no has not brought us the words to comfort us, has contributed to the problem. He is part of the problem. He needs to take back his evil words about migrants, about asylum-seekers, about refugees, about Mexicans, about Hispanics people who look like me. And I'm so I'm so sorry to the people who are living in fear. But this evil act will not define us. We are more united than I've ever seen before. We're El Paso strong. And that is the message that we are sharing with everybody, those who are fearing to live in their own skin.
[Blitzer:] President Trump says he's looking at background check legislation. But CNN has also learned that top White House officials have held conversations with the National Rifle Association, the NRA, since the shooting in El Paso. What is your reaction to that?
[Hernandez:] I think it is a good first step. I'm not I'm not confident but I will be optimistic that something comes from that. Until we ban assault rifles weapons of war, high-capacity magazines, universal background checks, we're not going to see the end of these mass shooting. This has been normalized and this is commonplace in our nation. And he needs to do more than just meeting with NRA members who give money and lobby and give millions of dollars to congressmen and to senators. We need more than just talk. We need action. We need policy today.
[Blitzer:] What does your community right now need most to begin healing?
[Hernandez:] I think we need to hear President Trump apologize to Hispanics who look like me, to the immigrants. I think what we need is for President Trump to denounce some of the executive orders and some of the practices of the border patrol and homeland security, leaving migrants in Mexico so that they can't seek asylum here. We need to see him reverse a lot of his actions and to apologize to the American people, to the Hispanic and Latino communities and to immigrants of the United States.
[Blitzer:] Cassandra Hernandez thanks very much. We'll stay in very close touch with you. Once again we're monitoring the President. He's in El Paso right now. Very, very heavy security surrounding the President. He's over at the University Medical Center where he's meeting with first responders and hospital staff and, most importantly, victims. Much more of our special coverage right after this.

[Brian Morgenstern, White House Deputy Communications Director & Deputy Press Secretary:] Over history, there have been 19 such vacancies. Seventeen of them have been confirmed. It is just a fundamentally different situation this time than it was last time. Of course, President Obama was term limited out, as well. President Trump is on the ballot again this year, as well, along with a number of Republican Senators, who, again, ran on the platform of confirming conservative constitutionalist judges, as did the president.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] I understand the logistics here that you can do this. Right? It is possible because you as a party control the Senate and the White House. The question is: Should you? On the question of should you, then Donald Trump was clear, no.
[Morgenstern:] Well, but President Obama made his nomination, as has ever single president 29 times throughout our history with a vacancy, the president makes a nomination. That is his job. It is his constitutional obligation. The Senate has a job to do, which is to consider a nominee, vetting them and rapidly. When the Republican Senate decided that they were not going to proceed in 2016, that was a constitutional prerogative, just as it is now if they wish to proceed.
[Keilar:] But it is hypocrisy.
[Morgenstern:] It is not hypocrisy because the facts are fundamentally different. As I noted, this president and the Senators were elected on a platform of confirming constitutionalist judges. It was a different political makeup at the time. And now, the Republican majority elected, in part, for the purpose of confirming justices and judges is in charge of the Senate. And President Trump was elected on the same principle. And he is in the White House.
[Keilar:] Let's see if GOP Republicans agree with you on that. I'd like to roll some tape.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] I want you to use my words against me. If there's a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Graham said, let's let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination. And you could use my words against me and you would be absolutely right. We are setting a precedent here today, Republicans are, that in the last year, at least of a lame duck eight-year term I would say it's a four-year term you won't fill a vacancy of the Supreme Court based on what we are doing here today. That's going to be the new rule.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] The next justice could fundamentally alter the direction of the Supreme Court and have a profound impact on our country. So, of course, of course, the American people should have a say in the court's direction.
[Sen. Marco Rubio:] I don't think we should be moving forward on a nominee in the last year of this president's term. I would say that if it was a Republican president.
[Sen. Ted Cruz:] President Obama's eager to appoint Justice Scalia's replacement. In the last 80 years, not once has the Senate confirmed a nomination made in an election year. And now is no year to start. This is for the people to decide. I intend to make 2016 a referendum on the U.S. Supreme Court.
[Keilar:] Brian?
[Morgenstern:] It was a referendum on the U.S. Supreme Court in that President Trump released his list of well-qualified, constitutionalist judges, the Republican Senators ran on confirming such judges and justices. So this is about fundamental rights, a right to free speech, to practice religion, the right to bear arms, about really the Bill of Rights and preserving the God-given rights. Especially at time now, Brianna, where, in our country, we have a radical left that seems intent on destroying the institutions, on burning down small businesses, on talking about defunding the police, on really disregarding the constitutional norms.
[Keilar:] I don't, I don't Brian, that has nothing to do with the hypocrisy of Republicans. But talk about something that I think is clear that we probably agree on, which is the consequences of this vacancy on the direction of the country could be huge. Because you fill this vacancy Obamacare is likely dead. So where is your plan to replace it?
[Morgenstern:] The president has taken a number of steps in the health care space. I would not agree, by the way, with your premise on hypocrisy, but we have gone through that. So I'll move on to your health care question. With respect to Obamacare, the president is committed to protecting preexisting conditions. He's alluded to his executive actions he can do in that regard. He has also taken steps to reduce drug prices, on making different types of plans, more affordable plans available to the American people, like association health plans. He's made telemedicine more available. So he's about reducing costs, expanding access, especially with the measures he's already taken. And he has said in the media in recent weeks to have more to say on health care as well. But he is 100 percent committed to protecting preexisting conditions.
[Keilar:] People are already voting. Where is the plan?
[Morgenstern:] He has said the people can get a pretty good preview of the way the president views health care in this country and how to expand access and reduce costs because he's taken a number of steps already. He will take a number of additional steps
[Keilar:] But Brian, Brian, listen, listen. Listen to what he said less than a week ago. This is what he said about having a plan ready.
[George Stephanopoulos, Abc News Anchor:] You have been promising a new health care plan. I interviewed you in June of last year. You said the health care plan would come in two weeks. You told Chris Wallace this summer it come in three weeks. You promised an executive order on preexisting
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I have it all ready. I have it all ready.
[Stephanopoulos:] You have been trying to strike down preexisting conditions.
[Trump:] It doesn't matter. I have it all ready. And it is a much better plan for you.
[Keilar:] It is all already. That was six days ago. Where's the plan, Brian?
[Morgenstern:] The president will roll it out when he is ready to do so. But it will focus on expanding access, reducing costs
[Keilar:] Brian, Brian, it doesn't matter. Where is the plan? We are six weeks from the election. He'll roll it out when he is ready? People are voting. He's been promising this over the summer. He's been promising this for years. He is asking the Supreme Court, in a moment that it will get soon, to get rid of Obamacare. He has to have something to replace that if he's going to make good on the promises. Where is the plan?
[Morgenstern:] He's already eliminated the individual mandate, lowered prescription drug costs, expanded health care options and insurance options. He's already expanded telemedicine. He'll have more to say on the subject very soon. I understand
[Keilar:] People with preexisting conditions no. Well, there's no plan. These are executive orders. And on the issue of preexisting conditions, this isn't when the president talks about a plan, that it seems to be is a comprehensive plan. People are concerned. You heard this last week from voters. They're concerned about their preexisting conditions. You're looking at an estimated 12 million people in this COVID pandemic, it becomes increasingly important, who may be losing their employer-provided insurance. So where is the plan that they need and that they should have if we listen to what the president has said? Where is the plan?
[Morgenstern:] I appreciate your persistence. You now asked me the same question a number of times. And I'll give you the same answer
[Keilar:] I have gotten the answer no times. I have not gotten an answer. That's why I'm asking again.
[Morgenstern:] a more comprehensive view. But as I said, you can get a preview already from the many comments he's made and the many actions he has taken.
[Keilar:] When?
[Morgenstern:] He is committing to protecting preexisting conditions. He is committed he's already lowered costs. He's already expanded access
[Keilar:] When will he release the plan? Brian, when?
[Morgenstern:] He'll release it very soon, Brianna. And
[Keilar:] He's been promising very soon and he's blown past his own deadlines. Before the election?
[Morgenstern:] He will be very soon. He'll be very transparent on this policy as he is with all of his other policies. The American people will never have to guess where President Trump stands on a very important issue.
[Keilar:] They will have to guess where he stands on this issue. Let's listen to what he's said over the summer about the timing of his plan.
[Trump:] I'm signing a health care plan within two weeks, a full and complete health care plan that the Supreme Court decision on DACA gave me the right to do. We're going to solve we'll sign an immigration plan, a health care plan and various other plans. And nobody will have done what I'm doing in the next four weeks. I want to say that we will be introducing a tremendous health care plan sometime prior hopefully, prior to the end of the month. It is just about completed now. Over the next two weeks, I'm pursuing a major executive order requiring health insurance companies to cover all preexisting conditions for all customers. That is a big thing.
[Keilar:] I'll ask you again, Brian. The plan is long overdue. Why is the plan not out?
[Morgenstern:] Brianna, it will be out very soon. I don't know if you expected me to bring it with me here to this interview. But the president will release it on his timeline, very soon. And he, again, will
[Keilar:] No, no. Brian, he's not released Brian, to be clear Brian, he put his timeline out there. That's completely false, what you're saying. He is not releasing it on his timeline. He's blown past his timeline. I mean, is there even a plan?
[Morgenstern:] It's his timeline. So there is a plan. He will describe it clearly to the American people. It will reduce costs and expand access and protect preexisting conditions. And the American people will have a good look at it and they will be very pleased with it because
[Keilar:] How will he protect preexisting conditions, with an executive order? You know that's not how it works. He can't do that.
[Morgenstern:] He's already
[Keilar:] He's asking the Supreme Court to get rid of Obamacare, which protects people with preexisting conditions.
[Morgenstern:] I think some of the best lawyers in the world and in the country have looked at this and helped him with it. And he's very confident that with executive action, he'll be able to do that as he has already publicly stated.
[Keilar:] If that were the case Brian, if that were the case, then Presidents Obama and Clinton wouldn't have gone through that rather pleasant process of going to Congress to get preexisting conditions protected. You can't just do that with an executive order. That's what the experts say. This is something that requires something more.
[Morgenstern:] I think other experts say differently. I'm not here to speak for President Obama or Clinton. I'm here to speak for President Trump. And what his lawyers have looked at, given the current state of the law, they believe they're on sound footing to do that. So he will do what it takes to protect preexisting conditions. It would be better if we get Congress on a bipartisan basis to help pass a comprehensive health care plan to do all these things that the president wants. But to the extent they're not willing to play ball, he'll use the authority to expand access and lower costs and protect preexisting conditions.
[Keilar:] People are already voting. We're just several weeks here to the election. So we'll be awaiting that plan that is long overdue from the president. Brian Morgenstern, thank you for being with us.
[Morgenstern:] Thanks for having me. Take care.
[Keilar:] More on the breaking news. The CDC abruptly reversing new guidance of how the coronavirus spreads in the air. This includes how droplets can travel farther than six feet. Plus, a serious crisis unfolding in the U.K. as a massive new wave of COVID takes hold. And what Joe Biden is proposing to change about your 401K.

[Michael Holmes, Cnn International Anchor:] More than 16 million cases of the coronavirus worldwide. The U.S. alone, home to more than a quarter of them. Also, fight or flight. When one mistake can mean their life or yours. We'll explore the stress facing doctors and nurses on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19. And stars and stripes no more. An American consulate closes as China retaliates for the loss of one of its consulates in the U.S. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I am Michael Holmes. Hello. Welcome, everyone. Coronavirus cases are climbing. The crisis is deepening, and time is running out for millions of jobless Americans. Now just days away from losing special unemployment benefits they've been relying on during this pandemic. Senate Republicans are sent to roll out a trillion-dollar relief package on Monday, but they've been fighting for weeks over the size and scope of any new unemployment aid. And there could be a lot more wrangling before any money actually gets to the people who need it. The U.S. has about a quarter, as we said, of the 16 million COVID-19 cases worldwide. And this week, the country could hit another mark no one wants to see, as it marches towards 150,000 lives lost to the virus. On Sunday, Texas announced it had topped 5,000 deaths. And now parts of the state are facing yet another disaster, reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna. Florida is the second biggest epicenter in the U.S., just behind California. For 23 days this month, the state has reported more than 9,000 new cases Sunday. No exception. Intensive care beds in the state are filling up. And despite that, officials are still looking for ways to continue to reopen. Randi Kaye tells us the state of play.
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] Here in the state of Florida, another 9,259 new cases and 77 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths for Floridians to more than 5,800 now. And Florida now has the second highest number of COVID deaths in the country. Meanwhile, statewide, still about 9,000 people are hospitalized. And the there's about 18 percent of adult ICU beds left in the state. Meanwhile, in Miami-Dade, one of the hardest hit counties here in southern Florida, they're looking at a daily positivity rate there of 18 percent. And the ICU beds also running low. They're at 146 percent capacity, so now they are converting regular beds to regular hospital beds to those ICU beds so they can help treat those patients with what they need. Meanwhile, people in Miami-Dade still not paying attention to that mask mandate and social distancing. They're supposed to wear a mask when they can't safely social distance inside and outside. Miami-Dade Police Department telling me that they've issued 115 citations for businesses. That's a $500 fine. And also, another 174 citations to individuals. That's a $100 fine. Meanwhile, bars and breweries could soon reopen in the state. Here in Palm Beach County, the restaurants are already open. They're open to about 50 percent capacity. But the bars and the breweries were closed at the end of last month. So now the chief business regulator is saying they could open soon. He's looking for a safe and smart way to do so. Meanwhile, the Florida Brewers Guild certainly on board with that. They say that they represent about 300 breweries. They wrote a letter to the governor and the business regulation chief saying that 100 of those will close if they don't reopen soon. And they also say that the industry gives about 10,000 jobs to the state, and a third of those jobs could be lost. I'm Randi Kaye reporting on Singer Island, Florida. Back to you.
[Holmes:] Doctors, nurses, they are all, of course, constantly reinventing the medical emergency playbook as coronavirus throws ever more challenges at them. Now, you're about to get a look inside a hospital in Georgia that has been slammed with new COVID-19 patients and taking extreme measures to try to save lives. Here's Gary Tuchman.
[Kristine Haben, Registered Nurse:] I'll be with you all in a second.
[Gary Tuchman, Cnn Correspondent:] She is not doing well. A female COVID patient being transferred from her room to the intensive care unit at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Georgia, a state where COVID deaths have nearly doubled since earlier this morning.
[Haben:] It's exhausting. It has pushed me to my limit. It has shown me that I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was.
[Tuchman:] Kristina Haben is an RN at this hospital, which is in a part of Georgia that was a hot zone earlier on in the COVID crisis. But numbers started dropping. The state started reopening, leading experts say, to what's happening now.
[Haben:] Just when you think that we might be getting ahead of this thing, it's going to come back, and we're starting all over again.
[Tuchman:] This used to be a corridor for regular hospital in-patients. It has now been transformed into an additional intensive care unit just for COVID patients. Dr. Stephen Morgan is treating many of them.
[Dr. Stephen Morgan, Northeast Georgia Medical Center:] Yes, I have to admit, I thought we were probably clear. You know, I think a lot of us did.
[Tuchman:] Dr. Morgan says the rising COVID numbers make the job more difficult, more fatiguing. He checks on a middle-aged COVID patient and is gratified by his progress.
[Morgan:] A real strong guy. Got started out on some Remdesivir as soon as he can to to the hospital.
[Tuchman:] But it's a very different feeling as registered nurse Haben walks into this room. This man is being treated in a specially- designated COVID unit. This is not the ICU, but there is worry that he might end up going there. [on camera]: This patient has been here for two days. There's a lot of concern, obviously, for anybody in the COVID unit, but particularly for this man, because he's very ill. [voice-over]: He has been given sugar water to keep his blood sugar up, as well as insulin.
[Haben:] One of the hardest things is knowing that the last time that that patient's family saw them could possibly be the last time that they get to see them.
[Tuchman:] This medical center is prepared for more and more patients being admitted. This unusual-looking structure sits in a hospital parking lot. Patients will soon start getting moved inside. [on camera]: This rapidly constructed hospital addition consists of 44 shipping containers piece together. There are 20 rooms for COVID patients.
[Betsy Ross, Nurse Manager:] Everything that you would get in a traditional hospital room inside the hospital, we are capable of doing here in this unit.
[Tuchman:] Everyone we talk with here expresses pride at what we are doing, but as the numbers go up, so does the concern and, in some cases, fear.
[Tamika Johnson, Charge Nurse:] Well, I guess you know what post- traumatic stress is. That's how I feel. I mean, it's like, I feel like something that we should be able to prevent from happening. It's like we have no control over it in reality. And the patients pass away. It's almost like, we get so close to them, it's like losing a family member.
[Tuchman:] These doctors and nurses also consider each other family members. People they work with, fight this virus with, for as long as it takes. Gary Tuchman, CNN, Gainesville, Georgia.
[Holmes:] Now, that's the situation facing medical professionals in Georgia. Now a quick look at conditions in Miami, one of the worst hotspots in the U.S. Healthcare workers out of Miami Hospital are suiting up every day like this: layer after layer of personal protective gear to keep themselves safe. But a growing numbers of doctors and nurses say they need more than just physical protections. One doctor who had the coronavirus himself says it's the unknowns of the virus that are taking a big toll on him and his colleagues.
[Dr. Mark Supino, Jackson Memorial Hospital:] In Florida, we are used to hurricanes, right? So you've got the warning the hurricane's going to hit. The hurricane hits, and then you have the aftermath. But a hurricane tends to be sort of a finite amount of time. And this is infinite. And so you don't have this knowledge of an aftermath, when you have no idea how long the hurricane is lasting. So that definitely makes the day-to-day difficult AS healthcare workers, is not knowing when is the end.
[Holmes:] More now on the mental and physical burden facing doctors and nurses, I'm joined by Dr. Dhruv Khullar. He's a physician and assistant professor of health policy at Weill Cornell Medicine. Such an important issue. I think for those of who have never been in such situations, it's impossible to know the real level of stress and trauma that healthcare workers are dealing with. Just try to explain the visceral nature of that experience.
[Dr. Dhruv Khullar, Assistant Professor Of Health Policy, Weill Cornell Medicine:] Yes, thank you for having me on. And I think it's such an important issue to understand what healthcare workers are going through on the ground right now during this pandemic. You know, I think it's been overwhelming in a lot of areas. At the beginning, particularly of the pandemic, a lot of folks did not have personal protective equipment. They didn't have the resources that they needed. I think we're at a different place now, but nonetheless, seeing the number of COVID-19 patients come in, caring for them day in, day out, is a struggle for a lot of healthcare providers. And it continues to be that way.
[Holmes:] You know, for many of these workers, I mean, and young doctors and nurses and therapists, and the like. They would never have seen anything like this. And by that I mean, the volume of patients, the deaths, the suffering. And on top of that, the fear that they could contract the virus themselves. How widespread do you think post-traumatic stress issues are or might be for the frontline workers?
[Khullar:] You know, it's a great point. I think one thing to recognize is that medicine has always been a demanding profession. There's always been a lot of challenges that people have had to go through as they're caring for patients. So there is that baseline. Those things have been exacerbated during the pandemic. It's been challenging for a lot of folks. We're seeing some studies that are coming out of China, coming out of Italy, places where the pandemic hit early and hit hard. Some of those studies are suggesting that people have symptoms of PTSD and depression, up to 50 percent of frontline clinicians. Now, I don't think that it will continue. My hope is that some of those symptoms will improve over time and particularly as we're getting better, more experienced at caring for patients, as we have the resources that we need to do so. My hope is that clinicians now don't have those high levels of PTSD or depressive symptoms, but it's certainly an ongoing issue that we need to be aware of and that we need to help people through.
[Holmes:] And you know, I've covered a few wars and conflicts over the last 40 years. And I know with the impact can be. That sense that if you are not there, no one can understand what it is like. Is what these brave people experience akin to a war-like war zone- like experience. And what help are they getting, and what do they need?
[Khullar:] Yes, you know, I think things have evolved a lot over the past few months. I think at the beginning of the pandemic, there were real fears about not having adequate PPE, about not having the number of oxygen delivery devices that folks needed. Those things have improved, thankfully. We're doing a much better job with having testing, with having PPE, with having oxygen delivery devices and ventilators that we need. But nonetheless, the number of patients that are coming in, particularly in hard-hit areas where this pandemic is continuing, where where there's not great adherence to masks and physical distancing, it still feels like a deluge of patients and challenges for healthcare workers, doctors, for nurses in some of these areas. You know, one thing that I would say is that, you know, I worked in New York City at the height of the pandemic here in April. Nearly every single patient I cared for had COVID-19. We implemented the right public health guidance. People adhere to it. By mid-June, there were times where I had no patients who had COVID-19. So I want to also give hope to doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists that are out there right now and struggling in some really hard-hit areas, that things will get better. That we need to continue to work on public health and communicate effectively about the importance of these issues. And my hope is that things will continue to or at least start to improve in the coming weeks.
[Holmes:] When it comes to the stresses of the impact and I think, you know, there have been suicides among healthcare workers and even doctors and so on. When it comes to the levels of stress and what they are up against, what would you like people to know about what is happening in these ICUs? What message do you want them to take from the conversation we've just had and the article you wrote in "The New Yorker"?
[Khullar:] I think the the main thing I want to communicate is if you're feeling stressed, if you're feeling anxious and depressed there's help out there. Your peers are there for you. COVID-19, for all sorts of reasons, can be a very isolating illness, both for clinicians, doctors, nurses, as well as patients and families. And so we need to make extra efforts at this time to stay connected with one another. That might be through facetime, through support groups, through phone calls, through text messages. Whatever it might be in your case. Given the need for physical distancing, even from one's own family in a lot of cases, a lot of my colleagues are not staying with their families right now, to make sure that they're not passing on the virus to their loved ones. So we need to make extra efforts to stay connected with either healthcare workers, with our friends, and with our families.
[Holmes:] That really is an important point. Doctor Dhruv Khullar, thank you so much. I really appreciate you doing what you do. And the article in "The New Yorker," people should check it out. Thank you.
[Khullar:] My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
[Holmes:] While Brazil now has more than 2.4 million coronavirus cases. And it took only five months to get there. A coalition representing more than a million healthcare workers in the country says President Jair Bolsonaro is responsible for, quote, "crimes against humanity" for how he's responding to the epidemic. Nick Paton Walsh is in Brazil. Here is his report.
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn Correspondent:] A slight respite, perhaps, in the numbers Brazil recorded in 24 hours that ended on Sunday. Only 24,000 new cases. I say only because in the three days previously, every 24 hours had seen over 50,000 new cases. Terrifying numbers, frankly, for a country whose president's tested positive for two weeks, despite playing down the severity of the disease, and emerged on Saturday morning on Twitter to say that he, in fact, tested negative, essentially giving himself a clear bill of health. But brandishing like he has done over the past months, particularly during his illness, the medicine hydroxychloroquine. Now that's, according to doctors and scientists globally useless if you have coronavirus and possibly even dangerous. Yet still, he continues to tout it, particularly here in the seats of government, the capital, Brasilia. In the day, Saturday, in which he declared himself negative, he went to a motorcycle show and talked about he wouldn't even have known that he had the coronavirus, had he not tested positive, in stark contradiction to his earlier statements that, in fact, he had felt he had a slight fever. And has seemed more focused on an ongoing battle over freedom of speech in social media in the country, than necessarily fighting the virus that's sweeping across the country. Stark criticism leveled against him, though, by medical professionals, who put together a 62-page document that they're sending to the Hague, to the international court there, to essentially accuse President Jair Bolsonaro of crimes against humanity, suggesting that his rhetoric playing down the disease. The failure of his government to act decisively may well have contributed to so many of the deaths still surging here in Brazil. A slight respite to those numbers on Sunday, only 24,000. That's after a horrifying week, frankly, where most days saw 50,000 new cases. The surge still continuing here. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Brasilia, Brazil.
[Holmes:] Well, days after the U.S. forced a Chinese consulate to shut down, Beijing retaliates by closing an American consulate. We will take you there live when we come back.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Thank you very much, everybody.
[Trump:] Thank you. Please, thank you. Thank you very much. We're here on this very beautiful spring day in the Rose Garden to unveil our plan to create a fair, modern and lawful system of immigration for the United States. And it is about time. If adopted, our plan will transform America's immigration system into the pride of our nation and the envy of the modern world. Our proposal builds upon our nation's rich history of immigration, while strengthening the bonds of citizenship that bind us together as a national family. Throughout our history, we have proudly welcomed newcomers to our shores. Out of many people, from many places, we have forged one people and one nation under God and we're very proud of it. We share the same home. We share the same destiny. And we pledge allegiance to the same great American flag. Our policies have turbo-charged our economy. Now we must implement an immigration system that will allow our citizens to prosper for generations to come. Today, we are presenting a clear contrast. Democrats are proposing open borders, lower wages and, frankly, lawless chaos. We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages and safety of American workers first. Our proposal is pro-American, pro-immigrant and pro-worker. It is just common sense. It will help all of our people, including millions of devoted immigrants, to achieve the American dream. We are grateful to be joined this afternoon by a tremendous number of people from the House, the Senate, and my cabinet. And I love you all, but I won't introduce you all because I'll be here all day long. But you're all here. Our plan achieves two critical goals. First, it stops illegal immigration and fully secures the border. And second, it establishes a new legal immigration system that protects American wages, promotes American values, and attracts the best and brightest from all around the world. The proposal begins with the most complete and effective border security package ever assembled by our country or any other country, for that matter. So important. This plan was not developed, I'm sorry to say, by politicians. We have a lot of politicians. But you respect the people, and you know the people that have developed this plan. It was designed with significant input from our great law enforcement professionals, to detail what they need to make our border, which is 100 percent operationally secure, 100 percent. Everyone agrees that the physical structure on the border and the ports of entry are gravely underfunded and woefully inadequate. We scan only a small fraction of the vehicles, goods, and all of the other things coming across, including people and, sadly, the drugs pour across our border. We're going to stop it. Investment in technology will ensure we scan 100 percent of everything coming through, curbing the flow of drugs and contraband while speeding up legal trade and commerce. It's the most heavily traded monetarily border anywhere in the world and it is not even close. To make certain that we're constantly making the upgrades we need, our proposal creates a permanent and self-sustaining Border Security Trust Fund. This will be financed by the fees and revenues generated at the border crossings itself. Importantly, we're already building the wall and we should have close to 400 miles built by the end of next year, and probably even more than that. It is going up very rapidly. And I want to thank the Army Corps of Engineers, who are doing a fantastic job on the wall. And that is a wall that is desperately needed. As we close the gaps in our physical framework, we must also close the gaps in our legal framework. Critical to ending the border crisis is removing all incentives for smuggling women and children. Current law That's right. That's right. Women and children. People have no idea how bad it is unless you're there and unless you are a member of law enforcement. They see it every day and they can't believe what they see. Current law and federal court rulings allow criminal organizations are encouraged to smuggle children across the border. The tragic results is that 65 percent of all border crosses this year were either minors or adults traveling with minors. Our plan will change the law to stop the flood of child smuggling and to humanely reunite unaccompanied children with their families back home and rapidly, as soon as possible. We must also restore the integrity of our broken asylum system. Our nation has a proud history of affording protection to those fleeing government persecutions. Unfortunately, legitimate asylum asylum-seekers are being replaced by those lodging frivolous claims these are frivolous claims to gain admission into our country. Asylum abuse also strains our public-school systems, our hospitals and local shelters, using funds that we should and that have to go to elderly veterans, at-risk youth, Americans in poverty, and those in genuine need of protection. We're using the funds that should be going to them. And that shouldn't happen. And it is not going to happen in a very short period of time. Have to get this approved. My plan expedites relief for legitimate asylum asylum-seekers by screening out the meritless claims. If you have a proper claim, you will quickly be admitted. If you don't, you will promptly be returned home. Crucially Our plan closes loopholes in federal law to make clear that gang members and criminals are inadmissible. These are some of the worst people anywhere in the world, M.S.-13 and others. Inadmissible, not coming in. And we're taking them out all of the time by the thousands a year. But they come in. They are no longer admissible. And for criminals already here, we will ensure their swift deportation. We will keep our communities safe. Americans can have complete and total confidence that, under this plan, the borders will finally be fully and totally secured. And I know a number of our Republican friends and others Lindsey, I see you sitting right there, and Steve. You're working on a plan, an immediate plan. A smaller plan, but a very immediate plan to stop it as of this afternoon. So as fast as you can get something done. This is the big, beautiful bold plan. But we need something very quickly. And if you can get it done, that would be fantastic. OK. Thank you. Appreciate you working on it. A topic of less discussion in national media, but a vital importance to our country is our legal immigration system itself. Our plan includes a sweeping modernization of our dysfunctional legal immigration process. It is totally dysfunctional. The system will finally be fair, transparent, and promote equality and opportunity for all. Every year, we admit 1.1 million immigrants as permanent legal residents. These green card holders get lifetime authorization to live and work here and a five-year path to American citizenship. This is the most prized citizenship anywhere in the world by far. Currently, 66 percent of legal immigrants come here on the basis of random chance. They're admitted solely because they have a relative in the United States. And it doesn't really matter who that relative is. Another 21 percent of immigrants are issued either by random lottery or because they're fortunate enough to be selected for humanitarian relief. Random selection is contrary to American values and blocks out many qualified potential immigrants from around the world to have much to contribute while countless and you wouldn't believe how many countries like Canada create a clear path for top talent. America does not. Under the senseless rules of the current system, we're not able to give preference to a doctor, a researcher, a student who graduated number one in his class from the finest colleges in the world. Anybody we're not able to take care of it. And we're not able to make those incredible breakthroughs. If somebody graduates top of their class from the best college, sorry, go back to your country. We want to keep them here. Companies are moving offices to other countries because our immigration rules prevent them from retaining highly skilled, and even, if I might, totally brilliant people. We discriminate against genius. We we discriminate against brilliance. We won't anymore once we get this passed and we hope to get it passed as soon as possible. Some of the most skilled students at our world-class universities are going back home because they have no relatives to sponsor them here in the United States and that is the only way. We want these exceptional students and workers to stay and flourish and thrive in America. Thank you. As a result of our broken rules, the annual green card flow is mostly low wage and low skilled. Newcomers compete for jobs against the most vulnerable Americans and put pressure on our social safety net and generous welfare programs. Only 12 percent of legal immigrants are selected based on skill or based on merit. In countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and others, that number is closer to 60 and even 70 and 75 percent in some cases. The biggest change we make is to increase the proportion of highly skilled immigration from 12 percent to 57 percent and we'd like to even see if we could go higher. This will bring us in line with other countries and make us globally competitive. At same time, we prioritize the immediate family of new Americans, spouses and children, the loved ones you choose to build a life with. We prioritize and we have to do that. They go right to the front of the line. Right to the front of the line where they should be. America's last major overhaul of our legal admissions policy was 54 years ago. Think of that. So a major update. And that is what this is, merit system and a heart system. Is long overdue. The millions of legal immigrants who have come to America over the past half century are now cherished members of our national family. Going forward it is their interest and in their interest and their children's interest to adopt a green card system that promotes a rising standard of living for all of our citizens. Three and four new jobs at the end of the last year went to Americans previously out of the work force. Our economy is better probably than it ever has been in the history of our country. And because of that great economy, we're able to do things that nobody ever thought possible before, and that is what we're going to do for immigration finally. Wages are rising. But our current immigration system works at cross purposes, placing downward pressure on wages for the working class, which is what we don't want to do. Last year, we also passed historic criminal justice reform. And we had tremendous backing, bipartisan, from Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals. I guess we could also use the word progressives. A new word that has come about. Americans with criminal records are getting a second chance at life in higher numbers than ever before. Unfortunately, the current immigration rules allow foreign workers to substitute for Americans seeking entry-level jobs. So, foreign workers are coming in and taking the jobs that would normally go to American workers. America's immigration system should bring in people who will expand opportunity for striving, low-income Americans, not to compete with those low-income Americans. Our proposal fulfills our sacred duty to those living here today while ensuring America remains a welcoming country to immigrants joining us tomorrow. And we want immigrants coming in. We cherish the open door that we want to create for our country. But a big proportion of those immigrants must come in through merit and skill. The White House plan makes no change to the number of green cards allocated each year. But instead of admitting people through random chance, we will establish simple, universal criteria for admission to the United States. No matter where in the world you're born, no matter who your relatives are, if you want to become an American citizen, it will be clear exactly what standard we ask you to achieve. It will be made crystal clear. This will increase the diversity of immigration flows into our country. We will replace the existing green card categories with a new visa, the Build America Visa, which is what we all want to hear. Like Canada and so many other modern countries, we create an easy to navigate points-based selection system. You will get more points for being a younger worker, meaning you will contribute more to our social safety net. You will get more points for having a valuable skill and offer of employment and advanced education or a plan to create jobs. We lose people that want to start companies and, in many cases, they're forced to leave our country, go back, usually to the country where they came from, and they'll start-up companies, and some of those companies are among the biggest and most successful companies today in the world. They could have started them right here in the United States where they wanted to do it in the first place. Now they'll have a chance. Priority will also be given to higher-wage workers, ensuring we never undercut American labor. To protect benefits for American citizens, immigrants must be financially self-sufficient. Finally, to promote integration, assimilation and national unity, future immigrants will be required to learn English and to pass a civics exam prior to admission. Through these steps, we will deliver an immigration system that respects and even strengthens our culture, our traditions and our values. Four months ago, I had the honor of participating in a swearing-in ceremony for new Americans right here in the Oval Office. It was a beautiful reminder that American citizenship is the most precious gift our nation has to offer. When we swear in new citizens, we do more than give them a permit, we give them a history, a heritage, a home, and a future of limitless possibilities and potential. Our nation used to pride ourselves on this capacity, our unique ability to instill the spirit of America into any human heart, into any human being. Many of the Democrats have claimed to be for these concepts at different times in their careers and, in many cases, in very recent history. And I hope that they will end up joining me and all of the people gathered together today, and putting politics aside, putting security and wages first, and pursuing these historic reforms. It's time. And if, for some reason, possibly political, we can't get the Democrats to approve this merit-based, high-security plan, then we'll get it approved immediately after the election when we take back the House, keep the Senate and, of course, hold the presidency. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. But wouldn't it be nice to do it sooner than that? But it is not a very long time, is it? Sixteen months. One of the reasons we will win is because of our strong, fair, and pro-America immigration policy. It's time to restore our national unity and reaffirm our national purpose. It is time to rebuild our country for all Americans. Together, we will create an immigration system to make America safer and stronger and greater than ever before. Thank you. God bless you all. Thank you very much. Thank you.
[Baldwin:] So there you have President Trump on immigration.

[Michelle Kosinski, Cnn Senior Diplomatic Correspondent:] We'll see some other sort of launch. We'll just have to wait and see, Kate.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] No, that's exactly how it how it always ends with these government with this when it comes to North Korea. Thank you so much, Michelle, I really appreciate it. Thank you also for joining me this hour. "INSIDE POLITICS" with John King starts right now.
[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Thank you, Kate. And welcome to INSIDE POLITICS. I'm John King. Thank you for sharing your day with us. The House votes this evening on a resolution condemning President Trump's racist tweets and words attacking four Democratic women of color. The president is showing the very opposite of remorse, or pause, insisting today he is not racist and tweeting that if you don't like it here, you can leave. Plus, a new CNN poll releasing this hour shows more warning signs for the one-time frontrunner Joe Biden. The former vice president narrowly leads a very tight race in the first primary state, New Hampshire. And voters there do not see Biden as the best candidate on health care. And, a little levity here. I think we could use some. Biden says he has a plan to prove his fitness on the presidential debate stage and, Bernie Sanders, not quite sure what to make of it.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] I say, come on, Donald. Come on, man. You it's how many pushups you want to do here, pal, you know?
[Mika Brzezinski, Msnbc:] Right.
[Biden:] I mean, jokingly.
[Unidentified Male:] Warning he may challenge the president to pushups.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] I have no comment on that.
[King:] We begin this hour, though, with the president, who won't back down, won't back away from his racist tweets, communicating quite clearly this morning. The four congresswomen of color, the president thinks are whiners and complainers, the president says they can opt out of America. If you hate our country or if you are not happy here, you can leave. That a tweet from the president. Today, the president facing a resolution in the Democratic majority House condemning his racist tweets from Sunday. This morning, the president tweeting that telling four American congresswomen of color to, quote, go back to their countries was, in his view, not racist. The president says there's not a racist bone in his body. Read deeper into the president's Twitter feed today and listen to the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill, their objective, more than clear, try to morph this now into a debate about socialism or impeachment. Try to leave the president's racist words behind. The four congresswomen at the center of this, though, think the focus should stay squarely on the president and his go back demand.
[Rep. Rashida Tlaib:] The recent tweets and words from the president are simply a continuation of his racist, his xenophobic playbook.
[Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez:] Weak minds and leaders challenge loyalty to our country in order to avoid challenging and debating the policy.
[Rep. Ilhan Omar:] This is the agenda of white nationalists. And now it's reached the White House garden.
[King:] CNN's Manu Raju live for us on Capitol Hill. Manu, the divide here getting wider, if that's possible.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, absolutely, because what we're seeing is Democrat after Democrat condemning the president's tweets, saying very clearly that they are racist. Elizabeth Warren, the presidential candidate, just told me moments ago that these words of the president, the behavior of the president is racist. She renewed her calls to begin impeachment proceedings. Democrats are planning to bring this resolution to the floor this evening in the House, to condemn the president for making those statements over the weekend. But we expect most Republicans, if not all Republicans, except for a few, to vote against that resolution in the House, showing the party line. A number of Republicans are starting to defend the president more vocally, while some are making it very clear that they're not comfortable with the president's remarks. For the most part they're saying what the president did is borne out of what they say is frustration at inaction over immigration. One Republican senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who's up for re-election in 2020, who needs the president's support in a primary in his state, criticized those Democratic congresswomen, would not say if he had any concerns with the president saying that those congresswomen who are American citizens, three of the four born in this country, that they should go back to their countries. He would not say if he had concerns. He sized up when I pressed him on that on multiple occasions. So, John, you're seeing this divide play out pretty clearly here and silence from some quarters on Capitol Hill. We have yet to hear from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on this topic. We do expect to hear him from him this afternoon when he addresses reporters. But for the most part, Democrats are trying to express their outrage in this vote this evening. Republicans are saying this is what they're criticizing the Democrats and we're probably going to see no resolution on this any time soon. John.
[King:] It's going to be interesting to see that Republican number, how big it is or how small it is when that resolution is voted on this evening. Manu Raju, appreciate the live reporting on The Hill. It's a busy day up there. With me here in studio to share their reporting and their insights, CNN's Abby Phillip, Jonathan Martin with "The New York Times," Asma Khalid with NPR, and Julie Hirschfeld Davis with "The New York Times." So the Democrats are going to have their motion to their resolution to condemn. If you look at the president's tweets this morning, he likes this fight, which is sad, sad for the country, but he likes this fight. Why?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] It's a two-pronged fight for him. One, it's about consolidating his party in the in consolidating his power in the Republican Party, making sure all Republicans know that in order to be comfortable in the Trump Republican Party, they must be willing to defend him in this particular case. He will not accept anything other than that. He's been actively praising Kevin McCarthy for his comments this morning. He is taking note. He's watching TV. He's paying attention to who's saying what on the Republican side. But he's also trying to completely rebrand and, frankly, rewrite history around these tweets, saying that this was always about socialism and always about ideology, when, in fact, his tweet absolutely had nothing to do with ideology. If had everything to do with assuming that these four individuals were not Americans because they did not look like Americans and, in his view, because they criticized America.
[Jonathan Martin, National Political Correspondent, "the New York Times":] His view.
[Phillip:] And I think Lindsey Graham said it yesterday to a reporter, that if you if you are wearing a MAGA hat and you support President Trump, all of this would be fine. But, in this country, I think a lot of people believe that the right of Americans is to criticize the country without being criticized by the government.
[King:] That's why they threw the tea in Boston Harbor. It's kind of the very beginning the very beginning of the American experiment is that you have the right to complain. It is the very beginning of the experiment that you have the right to complain against authority and against power. Our president seems to forget the history. Maybe that was something to do with the airports.
[Asma Khalid, Political Correspondent, Npr:] But, I mean, but Donald Trump, I would say has has essentially based his entire career off of the idea recently that that America has not been great and that there is a right to criticize. I think the argument is, he's made it very clear who has that right to criticize, right? And you go out and you talk to his supporters and this is largely a fairly popular belief. I mean in some ways the the comments he made I think were sort of these old, very generic, racist comments. I mean anybody who's not white has largely heard these comments. And we've often heard them even from his supporters. So, I mean, he believes, whether or not it's successful you can debate, but he believes that the more he goes to this cultural-based conversation, it's what he did ahead of the midterms that it it's going to be a good playbook for him.
[Martin:] Let me jump in there. I to that end, I actually think it's more indulgent than it is strategic. And I'm reminded of the midterms, actually. I think he's watching TV and wants to get into the conversation and wants to be on TV. And he knows that this is his very incendiary way of doing that. And so he does it. I don't think there's a lot of grand strategy involved. And you think back to the midterms and the way that he flogged the so-called caravan of the migrants coming up north. That wasn't helpful to his party. I don't think the NRCC was calling him and saying, we're trying to win in upscale suburbs around Houston and Dallas and Kansas City. Can you race bait Central Americans in the final weeks of the campaign and make and basically make this about race and identity instead of the booming economy because the folks are going to love that in Kansas City. Of course not!
[Julie Hirschfield Davis, Cnn Political Analyst:] I think
[Martin:] And I think that's his challenge, is that it's an indulgence that drives away voters his party needs to take back the House and keep the presidency.
[Davis:] I think you're right that he is that this isn't necessarily a strategic call. But I also think that Asma's right, that this is clearly where President Trump is comfortable. This is the terrain
[Martin:] Absolutely, yes. Totally.
[Davis:] This is the terrain that he wants to play on. And I think you're right that he wanted to inject himself into the conversation. There had been this very sort of well-publicized fight going on between Nancy Pelosi and these four congresswomen who are freshmen, who are women of color, who had started to suggest that they were being targeted by their own leaders because they were women of color and he wanted to jump into that. But once it got to the point where he is tweeting these things that are clearly offensive and that clearly have to do with their race and their country their families' countries of origin, that is terrain that while other politicians might shy away from, he is very happy going. And I think he does believe, on some level, that the more he can get Democrats to rise to their defense
[Martin:] Yes.
[Davis:] The better that is for them because then they can paint all Democrats as socialists and they can, right, paint them all as extreme. And, in his mind, sort of dangerous. And that is messaging that, I think, while maybe not strategic is his favorite kind of messaging.
[King:] I think it's it is important to note, to the point being made around the table, the president, after Charlottesville, when you had the neo-Nazis and nationalists marching in the streets, did not tell those people to go back anywhere.
[Martin:] Right.
[King:] When he engages Bernie Sanders, he calls him a socialist, he calls him things he doesn't tell Bernie Sanders, a white man, to go back anywhere.
[Martin:] Yes.
[King:] He only uses that language in this case. So anyone who says this is not racist, this is not targeted is not willing to accept the facts of the full context that the president is speaking
[Martin:] It's clearly driven by race and that's why I think it is so lacking in strategy because a lot of voters who otherwise would be happy to vote for the Republican president, because, heck, they're doing pretty well right now. They're going to have pause because they don't want to side with somebody who's a racial demagogue. And that's why Democrats won 40 seats in the House because of where they want those people who are doing great in the economy. They can't abide the demagogic behavior and the bigotry and just the sort of chaotic conduct in general. And that's what I think is the real danger here for Trump is that he needs people who are not his base. It's not the guy in the diner, OK, but
[King:] He doesn't I'm not sure he doesn't think that. He thinks I he's president and you're not.
[Martin:] OK.
[King:] And he did it in 2016 and he thinks he can do it again.
[Davis:] Yes.
[King:] Every second we sit at this table
[Martin:] Yes.
[King:] America becomes more brown, American becomes more diverse.
[Martin:] I know.
[King:] Every second we sit here. But he thinks he can put his map together one more time.
[Martin:] Yes. I've got two words for you
[King:] If you talk about the go ahead.
[Martin:] Gretchen Whitmer.
[King:] Right.
[Martin:] The governor of Michigan who ran and won overwhelmingly in a state that Trump carried. And, by the way, Macomb County, home of the Reagan Democrats, she flipped it in overwhelming fashion. And so I think the point being the 2016 election is it doesn't tell us everything about where campaign and the politics are. 2018 can be very, very informative as well. And if Democrats offer voters an option that I think can bring them in and make them feel like I'm not siding with someone who's engaging in racial bigotry, that's going to be pretty tempting, you know?
[King:] Which which is why, to the point, and no offense to the squad, they're four activist, liberal women who believe what they believe and they're pushing their agenda. They have not been able to convince Nancy Pelosi to impeach President Trump. They have not been able to convince Nancy Pelosi to bring Medicare for all to the House floor for a full vote. So, as the president says, this is your Democratic Party, they are activists, they're important to the Democratic Party, but they have not had a policy influence as yet. But today last week we were talking about Nancy Pelosi's war with the squad, her fight with the squad, her effort to manage, if you will, and contain the vocal opposition. Today she says they are our sisters. And other Democratic members of Congress, this is Tom Suozzi from New York, who often take issue either with their policy or with their tactics, today say I'm with them.
[Rep. Tom Suozzi:] This is the problem of what Donald Trump does. He completely shifts the focus away from important policy issues to this racial divide in our country. I don't agree with all the politics of the squad. I'm a Democrat. I don't I don't agree with a lot of their politics. But, today, I want to be an honorary member of the squad because I want to fight against this un-American, racist type of behavior. This is not what our country wants.
[King:] But is there a risk for the Democrats? They do all come together today for good reason, good reason. The president used racist language against these four women, period. Is there Cornell Belcher, the Democratic strategist, himself an African-American, says the president's trying to pick the battlefield here. Is there a risk for Democrats in this fight?
[Davis:] There absolutely is a risk for Democrats. And one of one of the risks is that they will all be painted in this with the same broad brush as the women in the squad whose politics not all of them shared and are not as broadly popular with the electorate as sort of the Nancy Pelosi agenda that she's trying to push on the House floor. But the other but the other danger is that he is sort of leading them into this very kind of balkanized dynamic where they they are going to have trouble showing that they have an alternative to his policies because they're going to be so busy potential hitting back against all of these offensive things that he says. And if they spend all of their time talking about Trump, they understand that is not going to be an appealing message to give people an alternative against, you know, what he's putting out there.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Phillip:] I think the debate the debate has already been reduced to buzz words. It's already been reduced to anti-Semitism, socialism, communism.
[Martin:] Right.
[Phillip:] That is what the president has been trying to do all along. There is no nuance in this, and that is to the detriment of Democrats. As long as that's going to continue, it's going to be very difficult for them to elevate the debate back up again and say, actually, we're not all the same. We're not even within the squad they're not all the same, even though they're getting painted by the same brush.
[Martin:] Right.
[Phillip:] But that's the president's skill here. He is breaking this down into tweet-size a tweet-sized debate about all of these really, really big issues.
[King:] But part of that is him trying to get there now. I'm going to stick with where he began. Go back. You can have a debate about socialism. You can have a debate about anti-Semitism. You can have a debate about Medicare for all. You can have a debate about liberalism. He started with the words go back. That's a different debate. Up next, we'll continue the conversation. The Republican leadership this morning lining up to defend the boss and try to deflect his words.

[Allen:] Welcome back. Diplomats and world leaders are tackling the issue of international security right now, the final day of the Munich Security Conference. And one topic garnering major attention, the war in Afghanistan. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says a plan by the United States and the Taliban to scale back the violence has a, quote, "moving date." And also House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Nic Robertson's at this security conference. Nic, Nancy Pelosi spoke a short while ago. What did she have to say?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Well, very interestingly, interesting for a lot the delegates that have come here from European capitals, that she was quite aligned with Mark Esper and some of the other government officials from the Department of Justice, from the Department of State, from the State Department and even presidential adviser here, briefing journalists about the concerns about China's Huawei's 5G technology and the U.S.'determination to protect its national security by not aligning with countries who are going to use Huawei's equipment. That means a lot of European nations. So what we heard from Nancy Pelosi and the congressional delegation, saying they've been engaged in similar discussions with European partners here and they say these European partners are going to do some deep and hard thinking about the Huawei 5G issue. There really seems an alignment between the Democrats and what President Trump's officials are pushing and telling European partners and is that 5G equipment made by Huawei is damaging for these countries.
[Robertson:] It's not
[Allen:] Go ahead, Nic. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt.
[Robertson:] It's damaging for the national security of these countries. The United States isn't going to use it and won't partner with those countries in the future because they believe the values of China are autocratic, they're using 5G technology against people, to violate the human rights of people in China. And to use that technology in any way potentially opens the door to China to harvesting data from these nations and stealing intellectual property.
[Allen:] All right, that's something that the United States as you say has been staunchly opposed to there. Now let's talk about Afghanistan. And how major is this, what we're seeing as a potential breakthrough with the Taliban?
[Robertson:] Yes, Mark Esper said very clearly that he believes this is an opportunity for politics to take hold in Afghanistan, from the talks directly between the U.S. government and the Taliban. It doesn't involve those talks haven't involved the Afghan government. But the Afghan government here have been speaking here with Mark Esper and the president's special representative, who has been negotiating with the Taliban. It's a reduction in violence, is the agreement that the United States government has with the Taliban; the Afghan government supports that. The Afghans saying they'd like more detail on how to implement this reduction in violence. What would the rules of it be? All these technical details. So it seems we're on the verge of a potential transition to a reduction in violence, which could lead to ultimately to reduction in U.S. forces in Afghanistan. But it seems that it's not buttoned up entirely and it hasn't gone into force yet.
[Allen:] Right, as you said earlier, that reduction could take quite some time up to a year. All right, Nic Robertson following two different stories there. Thanks so much. CNN's Christiane Amanpour is also there at the Munich Security Conference, she's conducted two major interviews including with president Volodymyr Zelensky and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
[Volodymyr Zelensky, President-elect Of Ukraine:] When I had meeting with Mr. President Trump and he said about that he said that, previous years, it was so corrupt, his country, Ukraine. I told honestly and I was very open with him, I told him that we fight this corruption, we fight with this, fight each day. But please, please stop to say that Ukraine is corrupt. Because for now, it's not true.
[Allen:] Mr. Zelensky also spoke about his newfound fame in the United States after his country was at the center of the impeachment trial.
[Zelensky:] Now I'm very popular in USA. But I didn't want to find such way. But you know but if this wave will help Ukraine, I'm ready for next call with Mr. Trump.
[Allen:] Now Nancy Pelosi also spoke about the impeachment trial in Christiane's interview and that moment right there, the House Speaker explained that moment that made headlines around the world, where she very publicly ripped up President Trump's State of the Union address.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , House Speaker:] I had no intention of doing that when we went to the State of the Union. Now I'm a speed reader, so I knew what was there. I got past a third of it and I thought, this is terrible. A couple of pages, thinking, I ought to remember on this page and then I realized almost every page had something in it that was objectionable. So it wasn't a planned thing but it was one of my disappointments, with all of that we have done legislatively, whether it's equal pay for equal work, raising the minimum wage, gun violence, the list goes on, climate action now, we have very little press on it. And it seems that, if you want to get press, you have to get attention. So I thought, well, let's get attention on the fact that what he said here today was not true.
[Allen:] For our international viewers, tune into "AMANPOUR" for the full exclusive interview on Monday 6:00 pm in London and 10:00 pm in Abu Dhabi. Basketball's All-Stars are honoring one of their own, how fans and professional players are paying tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter. Plus this is ahead.
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] Getting a bed in a hospital shouldn't be contingent whether patients test positive for the virus or not but you look online and you see a different, disturbing reality.
[Allen:] People in China desperate to get medical attention for themselves or their loved ones. Our David Culver reporting straight ahead here.

[King:] The social unrest across America is colliding, sadly, with the coronavirus crisis. Large crowds chanting and shouting in close quarters. Yes, we do see masks in a lot of these protest scenes, but public health officials also see the possibility these events become what they call super spreaders of infections. It was already a challenging moment as the reopening accelerates. The coronavirus reopening. Let's take a look now. Just some of the latest numbers. This is just the country ranks globally. The United States approaching 1.8 million confirmed cases you see well ahead of any of the other leaders, if that's what to call them, on the global case count board. If you look at the map where are we right now in the United States. 18 states heading in the wrong direction. That's orange and the darker orange. That means your case count is going up 10 to 50 percent this week compared to last week, if you're the lighter orange. 50 percent plus if you're the darker. Those states concerned. Relatively low case count in Montana but still now going way up. Nine states, that's the beige there are holding steady. 23 states, green, heading in the right direction. Their case count heading down. But you do see a swath here especially across the southeast. Little dots southwest as well of states heading in the wrong direction at the moment. Illinois, seen a lot of protests has also been a major coronavirus hot spot. Look at it. Its seven-day moving track has been going down. The high level of case. But Illinois has been heading in the right direction. Oregon a relatively low case count, but you see here in recent days that curve starting to go back up. Something you want to keep an eye on. Could just be a couple of days of a blip, but you don't want your average spinning that way. California, the most populous state. A lot of protests out there. You see again the seven-day moving average which is the red line started to trend up again. That is not what you want at any moment, especially now that you have so many people out in the streets. CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me now. And, Sanjay, it will be a few weeks before we know because you're out in public if you contract a coronavirus. It takes a while for it to show up. But at this moment when people already going back to work, when you look at these scenes, some of them are pretty troubling.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yes, I think so. I mean, you know, there's a few different factors you have to consider. One is, obviously, the distance that people are between each other. A lot of people have heard you know this physical distancing of six feet. But also, there's a few other things like, John, what constitutes a close contact? For someone like you if you had coronavirus, what would constitute a close contact? Distance, yes, but also duration longer than 15 minutes, environment inside or outside. Are you wearing a mask? These are some of the things on the screen that people should be doing to try and reduce their risk. What we don't know, John, and again, this is a new coronavirus. We know it's a very contagious virus, but it will be it will be something to see over the next few weeks just how much of an impact this has. Were people spending a lot of time right next to each other? How much of a difference does the mask and outside environment make? I think it's going to be a significant impact. People do worry about these super spreading events, a few people being the cause of most of the spread of the virus, and we don't know if that's going to be an impact amongst these protests, but we never experienced anything like this. The closest thing, John, I was reading throughout the weekend was probably back 100 years ago when there were parades during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 at that time. So, maybe there's some parallels there. But as you point out, there is a lag time. We'll see in the next few weeks.
[King:] Yes, it's interesting. You watch the images on television. I'm just holding up the Seattle newspaper here. You can't see this. I'm holding up on television, but I'm just telling you, if you look at it, it's remarkable. Most of the protestors here are wearing masks, in other scenes they are not. Sanjay, this is just an unprecedented moment. We're in the middle of a pandemic. Now we have the social unrest across the country. I was struck. I heard you talking about it a little bit earlier today. The American Academy of Pediatrics which you would assume would be focused on the healthcare crisis right now, deciding it wanted to weigh in.
[Gupta:] Yes.
[King:] As we've seen athletes. We have seen other people weigh in. I just want to read this tweet. "Racism is a public health issue. The AAP condemns violence, especially when perpetrated by authorities, and calls for a deep examination of how to improve the role of policing. Systemic violence requires systemic response." How unusual is it for a major medical association to decide we need to add our voice in the middle of all this unrest?
[Gupta:] A few years ago, it would have been considered very unusual, John. I mean these are typically, you know, they focus on medical issues, very, very concrete medical issues over the last bit of time and especially now. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, other big medical organizations, all releasing statements sort of conveying this same message. And it's striking because these are typically just very straightforward medical organizations. But also, we're in the middle of a pandemic, so most of the messaging has been around infectious disease, curtailing the pandemic things like this. But taking timeout to say, hey look, we recognize the fact that there are protests going on in the middle of a pandemic and here's what we're choosing to say. You know, talking about racism as a public health issue, talking about police brutality as a public health issue as well. So, I think it was quite striking. And frankly, John, quite important as well to hear from them in this way.
[King:] Quite important as well. Dr. Gupta, really appreciate your insights. Thank you. Just ahead for us, Philadelphia among the cities facing major protests. An NFL running back turned pastor joins us to share his thoughts.

[Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Correspondent:] Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Amanpour." Here's what's coming up. As the battle to contain coronavirus struggles with the shortage of protective gear, simple, effective steps still count. The acclaimed American surgeon and author, Atul Gawande, who pioneered hand washing in hospitals joins me. Then, I ask Facebook communications chief and former deputy British prime minister, Nick Clegg, about miss information spreading faster than the virus. And
[Jon Meacham, Author, "the Hope Of Glory":] Presidents of the United States who get in trouble are the one who don't level with us.
[Amanpour:] Leadership in times of crisis. Presidential historian, Jon Meacham, puts it in perspective with our Walter Isaacson. Plus, I speak to the head of the World Food Program, David Beasley, about his recovery from COVID-19. Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour working from home in London. This was the week that saw coronavirus infections top the 1 million mark worldwide and it was the week that saw the economic devastation caused by trying to cure this virus. In the United States, over 6,000 people have lost their lives and the shortage of supplies is taking a heavy toll. While President Trump is warning a very painful weeks ahead. Dr. Anthony Fauci on the White House Task Force is now calling for all states to issue stay at home orders. Here in the U.K., the stark reality of this crisis takes hold as Prince Charles virtually opens a new 4,000-bed emergency hospital in a converted London conference center. The heir to the throne is recovering after he himself was infected with COVID-19. From the death toll to the unemployment numbers to medical shortages, important debates are now taking place as governments try to figure out strategies. But our first guest has some simple advice and that is keep washing your hands. Indeed, Dr. Atul Gawande's own research showed that hospitals could lower infection rates by simply reminding doctors to constantly wash their hands. He is a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and staff writer at "the New Yorker". And he's joining me from home in Massachusetts. Dr. Gawande, welcome to the program.
[Dr. Atul Gawande, Surgeon, Brigham And Women's Hospital:] Thank you. Glad to be here.
[Amanpour:] Let's just start with some of the numbers. I know you're in Boston but we have had the single biggest jump in overnight deaths in New York, over the last 24 hours. And as you know, both the governor and the mayor of New York City saying that this weekend, Sunday, will be D-Day if they don't get the supplies that they need for their health care workers. What do you think that exactly means? What does D-Day mean and what's the fallout of that if they don't get what they need?
[Gawande:] Well, what we are seeing, New York is earliest hit with the largest numbers where they are the admissions to the hospitals, especially into the ICUs are exceeding their capacity and they just they're hitting the point that they will no longer be able to keep up. And we've seen that happen, we saw it in Wuhan early and then we saw it in Italy. We saw it in Spain. Now, it is happening in New York and it is going to happen you know, continuing West into other places and we have seen it happening in the U.K. This is critical. It's basics. And you know, you said I pioneered hand washing in the hospital. I didn't pioneer it. I will give credit to
[Amanpour:] You know, it is extraordinary to hear you say there are, for those front-line health care workers, some basic precautions that they can take. But what happens when they don't have the special masks? What happens when they don't have the protective gear? You know, you say what's going to happen in New York when they, you know, run out is going to happen all over the country. What does that look like? They are going to die? Patients are going to die? What do you foresee?
[Gawande:] Well, there are a couple of things. One is, it's a fork in the road, right. In Italy, the hospitals became a source of infection. Where in other places like in Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, the hospitals were a protected space where they were able to take care of people and not transmit the infection. I actually think that we're we know what worked and here are the basics. Number one, you mentioned hand washing, and that's critical. We cannot forget that component but that is not going to be enough. Second in Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, it was that every worker had masks like these. This is a simple surgical mask. This is not the complicated harder to get particle respirators, particle filtering respirators called N95s. For every day work, you know, we've instituted at my hospital here in Boston, Brigham and Women's Hospital, very early on that all of us would wear masks just like they did in Asia. And the combination of that, hand washing, separating the respiratory patients, those who have respiratory issues, into separate wards, separate clinics, separate teams made a huge difference. And then, finally, making sure that we are keeping six feet away from one another just like everybody else is doing when they're at home. And that combination meant that there were no transmissions of infections in places like South Korea, Singapore when you're able to follow those basics. I'll add one more thing, which is you do need those heavier duty, bigger deal masks, the N95s, in supply for people who are undergoing surgery. You need the anesthesiologist to be protected when they're putting a tube into the airway and other people who are sick. I'll say that the breakthrough thing that's happened just even today is that a technology out of a group called Batel in Columbus, we got delivered a machine that just uses hydrogen peroxide as a mist to reuse those M95 respirators, it can refurbish and enable 80,000 of those respirator masks for the people in the highest risk situations to be able to protected. I think that kind of innovation is going to keep us ahead of the game here.
[Amanpour:] Well, that's really important news. Really, really important news. Because, again, it is a fairly simple intervention so that you can reuse infected gear. So, it's really, really important. The other thing that's important is Dr. Fauci, I mean, who is, let's face it, a world expert here and on the Presidential Task Force saying basically, why isn't there a nationwide stay at home order? Mandated nationwide stay at home order. Do you agree with that? Should there be?
[Gawande:] 100 percent. I've been calling for this for some time now as have many public health experts. There's a lesson out of Italy. Why did things go differently in Italy than in Asia? And there were a few things, partial measures don't work. They did a lockdown in just the north, around Lombardy, and then people fled to other parts of the country and it spread the virus elsewhere. If you don't take the national approach, it does not work. And we're seeing that happening, the places that have been late to this are seeing much, much higher rates coming in the next two to three weeks including levels that are like 500 to 700 to 800 percent higher volumes of cases than their ICUs can handle. On the other hand, you have places like Ohio that acted at the very, very beginning, even before they had significant rates of cases, and they're going to get through this in next two, three weeks without ever exceeding their hospital capacity. I'm worried about the U.K. You are you have one of the highest death rate rises in death rates of any other country in the world. And in the U.K. and some other parts of Europe, that same pattern holds. Partial measures do not work.
[Amanpour:] Yes. I mean, it is clear. And one of the things you say is that the hopeful part of all of this is that there is the playbook. You see it, you've seen what other countries have done, you have had experience in the past, not with this virus, but with other deadly viruses. I just want to ask you, because you mentioned Singapore a couple of times. Just now, the prime minister there has talked about starting another month shutdown of nonessential businesses, most schooling because they have 1,000 new cases having got it under control but they're seeing nationals come back to Singapore and bring it with them, probably from here or from wherever else it might be, here in London. So, just talk about that because, you know, everybody was happy or relieved that Wuhan and South Korea and Singapore were seeing some resilience and bounce back.
[Gawande:] Yes. No question about it. First, the playbook is pretty simple. You have to close the nonessential businesses. You have to do travel restrictions. You have to ask people to shelter at home. And it takes about four weeks after in Wuhan, it took four weeks after the lockdown to see you hit the peak of the death rates and have it drop. Now, you have places coming out the other side and their challenge is the rest of the world is getting infected and bringing infection back into their societies. They have to quarantine everybody coming in to their countries and they have to have methods to be able to make sure you really are able to track and test those people, and that's what they're learning about now. They they are acting again early to keep the playbook in place. We all hope we get to the other side where we're able to dial the pieces off. And I think what we're going to find is as we re-enter the world, we will have a little bit of this back and forth as we learn where does the virus start cropping up again and then we have to dial back. But we do see like South Korea will be opening schools next week and seeing whether they're able to start returning to some degree of normalcy.
[Amanpour:] I was going to ask how you are because you are a front-line surgeon, you've been in the hospital today. I know you conducted surgery today. But we hear so much, obviously, about all the medical workers who are so stressed all over the world. And just hear this quote from an intensive care physician in Seattle, you know, everyone is worried about not having sufficient ventilators. I'm worried about not having sufficient compassion and not having sufficient people. Do you see that a lot, Dr. Gawande?
[Gawande:] There's a lot of concern that all of us have. And, you know, I feel that we're prepared as best we can be. It's frustrating that the supplies are not assured to be there. In Boston, we have had, you know, a few days ahead of New York and I think we're still about 10 days away from our peak and we feel prepared. We have really worked to put in the model that is there in Asia. Other places are may not have the same level of resource that is we are lucky to have here. We will see. We have projections that in our community we will exceed our capacity for ventilators by about 300 percent. One of our solutions is, you know, we have shut down all operations except for the very, very necessary ones, all my cases were canceled today except for one patient with cancer that couldn't wait. And then otherwise, we'll turn the operating rooms into intensive care units since we have the ventilators down in the ICUs. We have ways we will we've opened a field hospital in the Lowell convention center. More that we'll be doing. And that's going to happen across the U.K., across the rest of the United States. In Europe, you know, we are thinking, in my public health side, about what happens in Sub-Saharan Africa where this kind of shutdown needs to happen if they're going to be staying ahead.
[Amanpour:] Obviously, this brings up a whole load of questions about the U.S. health care system. We have talked endlessly how is it that the health care system in the richest country in the world is clearly unable to keep up with this kind of situation. But the other question being asked is, what about this very harsh cure, the lockdown, the economic impact? We see these incredible graphs, we see these, you know, amazing statistics about jobless in the U.S., here, this week. And we also know that the side effects of pushing millions and millions of people into poverty could be even more death. So, I want to ask you to talk about that. But also, what if because you do a lot of thinking about this. What if there's a resurgence after this wave is controlled? What if there's another epidemic, another time down the line? Is closing economies the only way to do this or have we learned something different?
[Gawande:] So far, there is no way around this. There is only through it. The ways that people have gotten by closing avoiding the lockdown has been mainly that they've been able to act early, test early, have those steps in place and begin to suppress and contain it. But, you know, we still have you know, against a virus, that's still just these basics that you have to keep people from transmitting from one to the next to the next to the next person. There is hope in that, though. I mean, we do know how to walk our way through this. I agree that the damage to the economy from acting so late is horrendous. I think we are going to learn from this. Where pandemic preparation, we have talked about it again and again, and yet, we do not get prepared. Our health system not having universal coverage for people puts us at risk that people won't show up for testing when they need it and are going to be afraid of the bills and everything else that comes along with it. That's a unique problem in the United States. But worldwide, we have many places didn't act early. It's telling that the places that acted early have the trauma of SARS and then of MERS infections that made them prepared to realize you have got to do this. There's no way around it. You walk through it. But then you also move quickly to mobilize like the world is doing in as it never done before to identify treatments, to get vaccines moving and to make sure that testing happens.
[Amanpour:] There's so many lessons to be learned and let's hope they are learned. Dr. Atul Gawande, thank you for joining us. Now, as we've said, coronavirus is having the most devastating impact in New York in the United States and that state is by far worst hit with more than 100,000 confirmed cases. Mayor Bill de Blasio is warning, as I said, that New York City is days away from D-Day if it doesn't get more supplies and personnel. Here's a peek at the front lines at Mount Sinai Hospital.
[Dr. Matthew Bai, Mount Sina Queens Hospital:] This is our A.D. You can see all the rooms are filled. Usually, these halls are very neat and empty. And now, you can see there's patients everywhere because of this. Makes it very hard to work and we're trying our best to treat everyone that we can all these patients here. Even though we're overflowing, we're trying our best to still provide them care, which we are doing. The patients have an oxygen tanks that they need. I don't know if you can see the marks of wearing the PPE all day and my nose is a little red from the mask the mask, but that's what we're doing to protect ourselves. It's been a tough day. The A.D. has been really full and everyone's trying their best to get room and the treatment that they need. I mean, I'm tired. I want to say that I mean, the things that I see in the E.R. are scary. I'm a little scared myself.
[Dr. Umesh Gidwani, Mount Sinai Hospital:] It's been a long day. My cap is askew. One patient expired. It's very hard to lose a patient that you have been fighting for. The day's coming an end, at least the 12-hour shift of the day shift is coming to an end. Soon I'm going to change back into my street clothes and have a quick shower. Hopefully, scrub the coronavirus off my body if not off my soul.
[Amanpour:] Tested like they have never been tested before. It really is devastating. And with most of us staying at home and not able to see our friends and family, it is boom times for social media networks like Facebook which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp. But the same old question keeps coming up, what are they doing about misinformation? How do you stop the spread of false and dangerous posts when it comes to a global pandemic where lives are at stake? Nick Clegg is the former deputy British prime minister and he's now a vice president of global affairs and communication for Facebook. And he's joining me from Menlo Park in California. Welcome to the program, Nick Clegg. Let me ask you because, you know, Facebook has taken a huge number of slings and arrows over information, data, as you very, very well know over the last years. What have you put in place to help those who we just saw, the doctors, the people who need it the most, the researchers, everybody who needs the most information they can possibly get right now?
[Nick Clegg, Vp For Global Affairs And Communications, Facebook:] So, the most important thing we are trying to do is to give users of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and then so on as much reliable and credible information from the experts about this pandemic. So, for instance, we have created a coronavirus information center, which you will see at the top of the newsfeed and about a billion people through that information center and more and counting have seen some of that reliable information from the World Health Organization and other experts. 100 million of that billion have already then clicked through to find more detail. And we are doing innovative things. So, for instance, health ministries around the world, Pakistan just started to doing this, I think, yesterday, are using WhatsApp to communicate with people in their countries with very specific information about what they should do to keep themselves safe. W.H.O. has a bot which is available on WhatsApp, so you can receive information directly from the W.H.O. And about around 100 million people, and again, it increases every day, have been receiving messages from health ministries and other experts through that WhatsApp route as well. So, that's one thing we do. Then, of course, you also have to work hard we have to work hard to identify and suppress misinformation about the virus. So, anything we find, and it is a constant battle to find the misinformation that might be circulating. But when we find it, if it poses any real-world harm, in other words, if that information could lead people to being more vulnerable to of being infected by the virus and otherwise, would be the case, we remove it. And then for things which are just misleading but are not, in that sense, sort of dangerous, we will try to refer it to around 55 independent fact checkers we work with around the world who operate in over 40 languages which will then identify whether something is misleading or inaccurate. It will then be downgraded on your newsfeed so it's much harder to see and a filter put over it, identifying it as having been to be wanting by fact checkers. So, those are the kind of things that we do in all of those fronts to make sure that our platforms are a force for good at this very difficult time.
[Amanpour:] Because many have said that, frankly, the platforms have been a force for bad in many situations, propagating lies and conspiracy theories. I mean, in the past, you've talked about Pakistan. We know about India and Myanmar and these places where, you know, some really very difficult issues have been exacerbated by lies and misuse on Facebook, not to mention, as we all know, you know, data harvesting and the whole, you know, election interference of 2016. So, you are facing a really important moment right now. So, I'm trying to figure out why is it that Facebook can do the measures that you're describing right now, which are pretty intense, and not do it in the other issues? What is the difference between intervening now for good and not in the past for like politics or lies or any other such thing?
[Clegg:] I think the first and perhaps most important thing to say is that we're able to do the things now because we've learned from the mistakes of the past. So, you know, since 2016, the U.S. presidential election, when not only Facebook but no one was aware at that time that there were attempts, Russian attempts to interfere with the elections, there's been a complete transformation the way in which Facebook tries to protect elections from foreign interference. There have been around 200 elections since 2016. Just in recent months, you have European elections, British elections, elections in India and Brazil. And we now employ an army of around 35,000 people who help us to keep our platform safe. We deploy industry to leading machine learning tools to identify sort of nefarious attempts to interfere with elections or manipulate people on our platform. So, I think, in a way, having learned from those mistakes in the past now investing I'm talking about billions of dollars to correct those previous mistakes that allows us to use those same tools that we use increasingly effectively to, say, protect elections from foreign interference to keep the platforms as safe as we can at this time. I have to stress however I'm not going to pretend to you that we are always going to get this 100 percent right. Just the sheer volume of information that is now being conveyed on our platforms by billions of people around the world and because, as you said in your introduction, that's happening at a much more intense level because people want to, of course, keep close to family and friends and they're finding our apps a great way to do that, it does, of course, mean that we're never going to find 100 percent of the bad things. But we do try to sort of mitigate that as much as possible so we can amplify the good things. And I would say that on the whole, people have been using Facebook services for really good purposes, whether it's and I was reading today of a Belgian priest who now, you know, communicates his weekly services on Facebook Live and is getting a bigger audience than he did in his church or whether it's musical concerts live being streamed live or teachers reaching out to pupils on our platforms. Or I was reading today about Facebook group which is getting nurses in the United States to be to help them find RVs as well as camper vans so that they can keep themselves isolated and safe. On the whole, I think the use of our services for good outweighs the use of the services for bad.
[Amanpour:] I mean, you must be relieved though to see that Facebook is suddenly occupying a place that it was made for, for communication, for getting together and as you say, it's very, very vitally needed right now. But I want to ask you very quickly, you know, what you make of still the echo chamber. You know, whether it's Facebook or any other news, you know, certain Americans or from whatever country getting their news from, you know, their own echo chambers and some of them just completely and utterly false, talking about all the, you know, exploiting and price gauging of masks and other equipment, you know, false medical, you know, advice on what drugs or solutions to drink.
[Clegg:] Sure.
[Amanpour:] I mean, it is still very bad in terms of polarizing people's access to truth.
[Clegg:] Look, I think echo chambers would exist whether Facebook exists or not. I mean, you know, people like particular cable news outlets or particular newspapers or particular point of view. And in fact, quite a lot of academic research has suggested that because, at least on Facebook, if you have a diversity of friends and contacts who share information with you, you'll tend to consume quite a mix and an array of different points of view. But I think in terms of some of the specific issues you raise about, I don't know, advertisements, advertising false cures or very products like filters, masks that we want to make sure are principally allocated to health workers, we really try to kind of clamp down on that. And so, we don't allow ads for goods which are, you know, in short supply like masks to be played out on our platform. We do, I should stress, rely on users to point out where they think things are happening on our platform that we haven't spotted or that our automated systems haven't spotted. So, encouraging users to, you know, show us what they see is a component in all of this.
[Amanpour:] All right. So, before you went to Facebook, our last encounter is when you were deputy prime minister. And I wonder what you make of the government's handling, the British government's handling. You just heard Dr. Atul Gawande, you know, say the obvious, that Britain is in a really bad state right now, with the levels of death, with completely failure over testing, availability and all the rest of it. And I wonder what you how you assess the government's handling of this crisis. And also, just reflect on when you were deputy prime minister after austerity, there was massive draconian deep cuts into the national health service that, you know, weakened it before this crisis and now, we see the results of it and these terrible, you know, plaintiff pleas from all the front-line health workers.
[Clegg:] I think the pressure's on health services are great, whether, you know, almost regardless of how much funding has gone into health services in recent times. I think as your previous guest suggested, the key thing in all of this, the key variable is being how soon shelter at home and lockdown provisions have been introduced, and that's been the key, key difference from one country to the other. I mean, look, I have my own personal views but I'm here on your show on behalf of Facebook. So, I'm certainly not going to pass any political comment on what the government in the United Kingdom or, indeed, any other government is doing. What we are here at Facebook to do is to work with governments, support them where we can, crucially support the W.H.O. and the international health authorities, because what we can do through Facebook is reach a lot of users with the right kind of information at the right time and in the right way.
[Amanpour:] In one word, though, as a policy person yourself, don't you believe that this whole thing is exposed the shortcomings in health services and maybe one of the lessons coming out of this is to beef up, you know, national money and resources into this vital, vital public good?
[Clegg:] I think, to be honest, there's a slight tendency for people in the middle of terrible crisis, and this is an unprecedented crisis, certainly, I think since the Second World War, I can't think of anything analogous to this, to reach to, you know, their favorite solutions and to sort of confirm their own views about what should or shouldn't happen more generally. Clearly, once the world has got through this, we will need to look as a world at re-architecting completely how nations cooperate together and do we have the international institutions. The W.H.O. is doing an extraordinarily effective job, but do we need something much, much more authoritative and muscular and properly resourced at the international level? And do we have the sort of early alert systems so that societies can react more promptly and more quickly to the early signs of a pandemic than has clearly been the case on this occasion?
[Amanpour:] Right. Nick Clegg, thank you very much, indeed, for joining me. Vice president of global communications for Facebook. Now, how they tackle coronavirus will shape the legacies of today's leaders. How are they stacking up, though, against presidents and prime ministers of yesteryear? We get some perspective with our next guest, the Pulitzer prize-winning historian and presidential biographer, Jon Meacham in a candid conversation. With our Walter Isaacson, he dissects the performance of President Trump in this crisis and they discuss sacrifice, and Meacham's latest book "The Hope of Glory."
[Walter Isaacson, Cnn:] Jon Meacham, welcome to the show.
[Jon Meacham, Author, "the Hope Of Glory":] Thanks, Walter.
[Isaacson:] Jon, give us some perspective on the coronavirus crisis. When has our nation been tested this way, and how did we respond?
[Meacham:] Really, we haven't been. It is a unique moment. The flu pandemic of 1918 has been widely discussed. John Barry, your colleague, has written wonderfully about it. I think this is more like because of the modern era, because of globalization, this is more like a war situation where all of us are combatants. It is as if we were in London in 1940 during the Battle of Britain. And to some extent, it's even more insidious because of the infectious nature of the crisis.
[Isaacson:] Your biographies are great lessons in leadership. What do we have to learn? Let's start with Franklin Roosevelt.
[Meacham:] The key thing about FDR, I think, is, he was as straightforward as we could be in terms of public leadership. He had a few moments in the run-up to World War II where he was not. But if you go back to 1933, when some people think 40 percent of the country was unemployed. The number was 25. But it's hard to figure out. He laid it out, right? He said, we have nothing to fear but fear itself, which is the great line we all remember. But the line that got the biggest cheer that day was when he said, "I might require executive powers to act as if we had been invaded by a foreign foe." And the crowd roared. Mrs. Roosevelt wrote that that chilled her to the bone, because she worried that people were ready for a dictator. But he was straightforward. He said during the war, the news is going to get worse and worse before it gets better and better, and the American people deserve to have it straight from the shoulder. He learned some of that from Winston Churchill, who said wonderfully that the British people can face any misfortune with fortitude and buoyancy, right, Churchill goes, fortitude and buoyancy, as long as they are convinced that those who are in charge of their affairs are not deceiving them or are not themselves dwelling in a fool's paradise. Interesting two-prong test, right? We want to make sure they're not deceiving us, they're not lying to us, and they're not dwelling in a fool's paradise, they're not lying to themselves.
[Isaacson:] Expand on that. You talk about candor. You talk about not deceiving us. You talk about living in a fool's paradise. Where has Trump sort of gone on the wrong side of those leadership...
[Meacham:] Well, he I think we look at the history of statements when this first emerged, right? It's all been it's going to be a miracle. It's all going to disappear. We have 15, it's going to go down. And then the capacity to me, what's so fascinating and the other thing that FDR said, famously remember, was, we have to have a spirit of bold, persistent experimentation. Try a method, and, if it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But, above all, try something. President Trump, if you just watch these press conferences which is kind of like a car wreck, you got to watch, right? The endless need, the insatiable need to justify and rewrite the immediate past to make himself look better is overwhelming. He won't acknowledge that any mistake was made. And so, therefore, he's always right. And the problem with that is that all of us know at some level that nobody is perfect. We all know. Presidents of the United States who get in trouble are the ones who don't level with us, right, Johnson in Vietnam, Nixon in damn near everything. We know he you just look at the tape. He was wrong. It's OK. The point is, we have to look forward. We have to move forward. So say you were wrong and push forward. And the person who did that better than anybody was John Kennedy. After the Bay of Pigs, he said, in a parliamentary system, I'd have to resign. So what does he do? He reaches out to Eisenhower, remember? Ike comes over from Gettysburg. They meet at Camp David. He talks through this. Kennedy was 44 years old, 43 years old at that point. He was trying to learn how to be president. And you cut to the Cuban Missile Crisis. We came through that not least because Kennedy had had the capacity to admit he made a mistake and to learn from it.
[Isaacson:] You have written a magisterial book on George H.W. Bush, and you knew him. What would he be thinking at a time like this and urging us to do?
[Meacham:] He believed so strongly in the basic constitutional system that, at the age of 18, he signed up on his 18th birthday, he signed up to go defend. In the depths of Watergate, he wrote his kids a letter. He was chairman of the Republican National Committee. He wrote them about how important it was to make the system work. And so he would be deferring to experts. Bush loved listening to the experts, because and he would reach out to mid-levels of the NSC, to the mid-levels of the CIA. He would ask them to come in, because he knew there was an immense amount of expertise there. So he would follow the facts, and he would believe ultimately in the system.
[Isaacson:] If you go back to the Civil War in 1864, the country was as probably in bad of shape as it is now, even worse. And yet Abraham Lincoln, who thought he might lose the election, goes ahead with the election of 1864 and makes sure that people understand that, if he loses, they will transfer power to the person, McClellan, who actually wanted to stop the Civil War and perhaps let the nation be divided.
[Meacham:] I think there's a great case to be made that that moment is the one where we knew finally that America would endure, because it's to imagine a commander in chief of a nation in facing an armed insurrection. Where else in the world would he put his fate in the hands of voters and acknowledge and say that he was going to take it? So, when you're looking for a moment where, at what point was it pretty clear that this experiment would last, I think 1864 is a good candidate.
[Isaacson:] You have written this fascinating book that's just come out about Jesus' words on the cross. Why, in this Lenten season, as we head towards Good Friday, should we be thinking about what Jesus said on that Friday?
[Meacham:] Well, it's the hinge of history in many ways. as you know. The West is oriented around the Judeo-Christian story, the question of ancient the story of ancient Israel and the outgrowth of Christianity in the after the first century. So, to me, anything that determines how we tell time is intrinsically worth paying attention to. My own view I'm an Episcopalian, so we count as Christians, but only barely. We have to reengage with that story, in order to understand who we are, and in many ways who we ought to be.
[Isaacson:] When you reflect on Lent, and what we sacrifice for Lent and somebody down here in New Orleans said, we give up things for Lent, but I'm not ever given up this much.
[Meacham:] Right.
[Isaacson:] Do you think this notion of sacrifice that we're facing now during this Lenten season will cause us to reflect more?
[Meacham:] I hope so. I one of the things we have been discussing in our house is one of the frustrations about the current crisis is, it's so hard outside of if you're not a doctor, outside of sharing your means, it's very hard to go out and help people. There's this great instinct, right? And it's a great human and American instinct to help the least of these. And because of the nature, the insidious nature of an infectious disease, it's hard to do. So, absolutely. To me, the central part of bad drama on Good Friday is when he says, son, behold thy mother, mother, behold thy son. He's saying it to John, the disciple. He's trying to arrange things. He understands that it's cataclysmic. And the sense that we are here for each other, and the best we can do to make the earthly kingdom like this ideal kingdom is our profound duty.
[Isaacson:] One of the doctrines that you write about in your book "Hope of Glory," is this notion of empathy, this notion of that which you do to the least of us. How is that something that you feel President Trump and his movement have perverted?
[Meacham:] Well, we have children in cages at the border, right? We have a rhetoric of members of, Congress should go home, when home is their district, not their family's country of origin. Leave aside the religious part. America has always been stronger when we have not been isolationist, when we haven't built walls, when we have opened our arms and opened our hearts. And that may sound sentimental and all that, but it's not. It's a simple fact. Our apex of power, would you agree, was probably 1964-'65, right? And what is what characterizes that? What characterized it was the implications of World War II, which helped fuel the civil rights movement. Slowly, but surely, women were brought more into the mainstream of American life. By 1965, President Johnson had signed an immigration act to undo the 1924 restrictive act, a 1924 act which had kept us from receiving refugees from Nazi Germany in the late 1930s. There was this moment of openness. And in 1964-'65 I think I'm right about this that was the highest number Gallup ever found of faith in the government to do the right thing some or most of the time. It was something like 77 percent. That number is now down around 12 percent. And so what you have to look, what characterized that? Well, what characterized it was, we are, in fact, one nation, indivisible. We are, in fact, stronger because of our diversity. And, fundamentally, yes, that's an American virtue, yes, it's a secular virtue, but it's also a religious one.
[Isaacson:] I have known you, Jon, for almost going on 40 years now.
[Meacham:] Yes.
[Isaacson:] It's hard to think we're that old. And I have never known your political orientation. I have never known whether you felt more of a Republican or a Democrat.
[Meacham:] Yes.
[Isaacson:] And yet right now, you said you would favor Joe Biden because he has certain character traits. Explain to me why you came to that conclusion.
[Meacham:] I think that we are seeing, in the most elemental way, the significance and relevance of a fact-based, enlightenment-driven, empathetic presidency of the United States. I wrote the piece about Vice President Biden because it seemed to me that, at a certain point, if you have any claim on people's attention, however minor, you have a moral obligation to say what you think. And I believe that, as we read more and more of these reconstructions, as we look at more and more of what we used to call the ticktocks, we will see that the Trump administration, because of the character of the person at the top, created a reality distortion field that slowed and warped a response that is going to kill more people than the Vietnam War did. And in that case, given those stakes, and if there's a choice at hand, I don't mind saying who my choice would be.
[Isaacson:] Given the many missteps in the mishandling of this crisis that have led us to where we are today, why hasn't there been more of a hit on President Trump's approval ratings?
[Meacham:] I think I accept the conventional explanation that you rally around the president in a crisis. President Carter, same thing happened with the hostage crisis. I also think it's a reflection of the divided nature of the country. We are living through not only a rare pandemic, but perhaps our first partisan pandemic. Our partisanship is now part of the air we breathe. It is there's a vanishingly small number of people who are reachable by data, fact and argument. And I think that I bet you, by the end of this, at least at some point, basically, the president's approval ratings on the crisis will end up falling into a very traditional pattern over the last three years.
[Isaacson:] I think people would have been appalled a few years ago or a few decades ago to think that even a pandemic would have a partisan response. Even the facts would be viewed in a partisan way, like how many people might get it would be considered a partisan argument. How did we get here so that even pandemics are viewed in a partisan way? And how do we get out of this?
[Meacham:] I think what we're living in is the great test of whether the enlightenment lives, right? The enlightenment was about, you follow reason, data, contrary fact, and you reach conclusions based on reality, not preexisting theological views, right? I mean, that's the basic definition. Interestingly, our partisanship has become almost a religion for us, right? We have our own prophets. We have our own martyrs. We have our own holy books. Some people have written about this. It's a great sociological insight. And I think, to some extent, I mean, for all the obvious reasons, the media, the partisanization of the media, all that, but there's something in the human spirit, there's something in the human condition that appreciates certitude and rushes to embracing almost a kind of fundamentalism. It's easier. If you pick a team and you don't have to think anymore, that's easier than having to think and then figure out which team is closest to what you think. It may be here's an overly grand point. It may be that the enlightenment era, the Lockean era of thoughtful republican democracy may be the exception, and not the rule. I mean, maybe we maybe the last 300 years or so will end up being a different chapter, as opposed to an ongoing one. I hope not. But that's not unlike that's not impossible.
[Isaacson:] Jon Meacham, thank you for being with us this evening.
[Meacham:] Thanks, Walter.
[Amanpour:] Always fascinating when it's a conversation between Jon Meacham and Walter Isaacson. Now, there is still so much we don't know about the coronavirus, from the effect of the asymptomatic carriers, to patients with no underlying conditions having to be put on ventilators. My next guest recently contracted it. And, fortunately, he's recovered. David Beasley is the head of the World Food Program. And he's a former Republican governor of South Carolina. And he's joining me from there right now. David, I am so pleased to see you. We have been tracking your illness with you. And I just want to know how you are right now.
[David Beasley, Executive Director, World Food Program:] Well, it's I'm doing great. It was a few weeks of some tough go. Every time you and I get together on television, it's always a bad story. But the good news is, I am feeling so much better. And I'm glad to have it behind me.
[Amanpour:] So, tell just so that we can understand, because it's rare to actually talk to those who've had it, how did you know you had got it? How did it manifest for the past several weeks?
[Beasley:] Well, about five weeks ago I travel quite a bit in war zones, in complex areas, and donor capitals around the world. And so I was traveling throughout the Middle East, and I was meeting with leaders. And I actually did a couple tests just to make sure I was in fact negative, so I can meet with leaders without any concern, and they were negative. And then I traveled back to the United States and was still making some trips abroad. And I came back home about three weeks ago today, back to my home in South Carolina for the first time in many months, and that Friday evening, I started feeling a little bit not quite right. But I thought it was allergies, because the pollen is out among the
[Amanpour:] Yes. Yes.
[Beasley:] But thank the good lord, I'm doing good. I'm healthy, and back on back in the saddle and trying to help people around the world now.
[Amanpour:] Well, yes, and you have a very big job. And, of course, you were still trying to help people around the world, the most needy. The World Food Program helps, I think it's somewhere around 87 million people around the world. But I just want to ask you first, because you're in South Carolina, and you have heard Dr. Fauci, who's on the president's task force, say that there should be a mandatory nationwide stay-at-home order. And it hasn't happened in South Carolina. Your governor there has called a state of emergency. Some towns and counties have done their own thing, but there hasn't been one. Do you think there should be? And we have heard yesterday from the former surgeon general that, in Louisiana and other places in the South, they are still busy enjoying communal activities.
[Beasley:] Well, everybody's got to make their own decisions. One thing I have learned, having been a United States governor, I don't want to second-guess the leadership now. They have got enough hard decisions to make on their own. And so I will trust them to make those decisions. I have enough on my plate trying to keep 87 million to 95 million people alive, with a downturn in the economy, and money looking looking like we could have some issues. So, we have got a lot of issues ahead of us, but we're prepared to work through them. And, of course, we're going to be hopeful countries will take advantage of all the data that we bring to the table, because we are in 80- something countries, and that data can be extremely important for decision- making for leaders around the world.
[Amanpour:] So, what are you able to do right now? Because there is going to be all sorts of, I guess, food insecurity, clearly, right, if this already, because of war and refugees and that but if this pandemic hits those countries that you service, what are you planning for? What do you envision?
[Beasley:] Well, it's a worst-case scenario. We're supporting literally between 87 and 95 million people as we speak before COVID hit in a pandemic way. So, you can imagine. I would say 25 or 30 million people would probably be in famine conditions if we weren't on the ground now. So, first, if there is an economic downturn, which everyone is expecting that there will be, let me put some pretty difficult numbers right to you. So, about out of the 87 to 95 million people that we support every single day, week, month throughout the year, about 27 million of them, that's lifesaving food. So if we lose the funding or the access we need, we're talking about 150,000 people dying per day over a six-month period, 150,000 people per day. That's if we have an economic collapse, downturn in the economies, and we don't receive the monies that we need. That doesn't even take into consideration what we see to be a spike in hunger rates in countries because of COVID. For example, we're expecting about as we're feeding, assisting about 87 to 95 million, that that could go up to 120 million people just in the next couple of months.
[Amanpour:] All right. You have really laid out the problem there I'm just going to give you one last chance. If you were governor of South Carolina today, would you tell people to stay at home, don't go to church, don't meet in pubs and cafes and bars?
[Beasley:] Well, I would tell people, be careful. Isolate yourself. Wash your hands. And if you start getting symptoms, go home. But let me just say this, Christiane. Thank you for helping us get the message out, because the World Food Program, we're providing equipment, medical supplies all around the world. We're not just food. We're delivering medical supplies all throughout Africa, millions of pest kits, millions of professional and personal protection equipment, millions of masks. We are the supply chain for the humanitarian and the medical system WHOUNICEF around the world, and our teams are putting themselves, lives on the line.
[Amanpour:] Right.
[Beasley:] And these supply chains are critical over the next few months, because millions could die.
[Amanpour:] Yes.
[Beasley:] And we're working through this from country to country to country. And I want to thank you for helping us get the message out. You remember I told you before, a year ago, that everybody was talking about Brexit, Brexit, Brexit, Trump, Trump, Trump. Well, now it's corona, corona, corona and Trump, Trump, Trump. But thank you for helping us get the message out about the people that need our help.
[Amanpour:] Well, I'm glad to do that. And we care very much about all of that as well. So thank you, Governor, former Governor David Beasley, head of the World Food Program. We're glad you are better and can continue with this really important work. Thank you.
[Beasley:] Thank you.
[Amanpour:] Now, finally, tonight, let us take a moment to remember the legendary 1970s solo singer Bill Withers, who has died of heart complications, not because of the virus, according to his family, who announced his death today. He was 81 years old. The three-time Grammy Award winner brought us iconic ballads, such as "Ain't No Sunshine." In the current coronavirus pandemic, his hit "Lean On Me" has become a bit of an anthem, as we continue to lean on our key workers in hospitals and supermarkets. Withers was originally inspired by the community spirit of the West Virginia coal mining town where he grew up. And, as that's it for our program this week, we leave you with that inspiring piece.

[King:] The president this week picking a new immigration fight despite loud warnings, very loud warnings that could have a damaging economic impact. The administration says it is pulling aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras on grounds those countries are not doing enough to stem the flow of migrants heading toward the United States. The president is also poised to close parts of the U.S. border with Mexico so that he can redirect resources to stop illegal crossings. It's the latest sign he likes immigration as his lead re-election calling card, even though many Republican strategists worry closing the border could hurt what they see as the best White House political asset, the strong economy. CNN's Christine Romans here with the details of the dollars and cents with the president's big gamble.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Business Correspondent:] John, an economic calamity. That's what the Chamber of Commerce says would happen if President Trump shuts the border with Mexico. Now, the chamber says it is would tank the markets and hurt the U.S. economy even if this were just a short closure. Here's what is at stake. Truck and rail routes carry $1.7 billion in goods every single day back and forth across that border supporting five million American jobs. U.S. manufacturers have supply chains that crisscross Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Shut down the Mexico border, you hurt American factories, and American workers. But this president has a very simplistic view of trade. Imports are bad and the trade deficit means the U.S. is losing money. The U.S. ran a trade deficit last year of $81 billion with Mexico. Here's the president, Friday.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] With the deficit like we have with Mexico and we had for many years, closing the border will be a profit-making operation.
[Romans:] John, think of that a moment. The president advocating shutting the border to balance the trade deficit. It just doesn't work that way. The Chamber of Commerce points out that the U.S. exports more to Mexico than it does to China. Think corn, soybeans, beef, dairy, pork, it's a long list, and those imports from Mexico are parts and tools that feed America's factories. Now, American manufacturers and farmers are already reeling from higher costs because of tariffs and retaliatory tariffs in the president's trade war with China. This move now on the Mexico border, many business experts say is just the wrong call. John?
[King:] Christine Romans, appreciate that. So let's dissect that. The Chamber of Commerce says it would be a calamity. Many business experts say it would be wrong. Political advisers in his own party say, Mr. President, please, no, which means he'll do it. I don't mean it to even sound that way because it's trademark Trump. He says these are the same people who told me I can't win the nomination. Stop talking about immigration, stop talking about trade that way. You'll never be president. Don't impose these tariffs. It will tank the economy. Don't stand up to China, it will ruin everything. So the president says, no, I'm going with my gut.
[Raju:] It feels a lot like the government shutdown fight in some ways because
[King:] Which Republican people said would hurt him.
[Raju:] Exactly. Republicans were warning him not to go this route, not to demand money for the border wall, saying that he would we were going to lose that fight. The president dug in. Of course, that led to the longest government shutdown in history. The president ultimately had to reverse himself and agree to re-open the government. That's the thing that concern for people who are advising him not to is that, what do you really get out of this? You know, probably going to have to backtrack anyways so what's the point of getting into this messy fight, to begin with. But the president has always been further than most of his party on to the right on immigration, these launched fights that they have not been willing to take. The question will be how much of his party will ultimately stick with him if he does, in fact, goes this route? I think you'll see a divide.
[Pace:] From a political perspective, it's not surprising that the president would sort of brush off these warnings because he's heard this over and over again and the bad, you know, impact on the economy hasn't really happened, and his poll numbers have stayed remarkably stable. On the economic side of this though, the thing that his advisers worry about and the thing that Republicans worry about is that he's testing his luck. That, you know, if you just look at cycles of the American economy we actually are probably due for a downturn at some point and he just keeps putting more and more pressure on that economy. And at a certain point, it's going it is probably going to to show an impact, and he's only going to be able to kind of hold that off for so long. He just keeps going forward and forward and pushing that as far as he can right now.
[King:] And you have this intersection of two issues where the president has very strong feelings, trade, and immigration, where he does trust his instincts over what the experts tell him. Listen to here's a debate here, Mick Mulvaney and Dick Durbin, the chief of staff to the president and a Democratic senator on this idea, do you cut off the aids to these countries. Mulvaney says yes, they're not doing enough to stop the flow of migrants. Dick Durbin says, no, you're going to make it worse.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief Of Staff:] Mexico could help us do it. They need to do a little bit more. Honduras could do more. Nicaragua could do more. El Salvador could do more. And if we're going to give these countries hundreds of millions of dollars, we would like them to do more. That, Jake, I would respectfully submit to you, is not an unreasonable position.
[Sen. Dick Durbin , Illinois:] What we need to do is focus on what's happening in Central America where three countries are dissembling before our eyes and people are desperately coming to the United States. The president is cutting off aid to these countries will not solve that problem.
[King:] Mulvaney says to use a stick, Durbin says well, use that stick, you make all those problems worse and more people will flee.
[Kane:] A week ago Mick Mulvaney was encouraging Trump to be the party of healthcare, to make the Republicans the party of healthcare. He walked over to us at the Senate luncheon, Trump declared the party of healthcare. He always comes back to immigration, trade, America first, nativist views.
[King:] Well, let's see what happens, and we're still waiting by the way on that healthcare plan. Yes, we're still waiting for that one. Up next, another public split between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the House Democratic leadership.

[Whitfield:] All right. Welcome back. Voters in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania helped President Trump win the swing state in 2016. He may need them even more in 2020. So how is impeachment playing there? Here's CNN's Miguel Marquez talking to voters in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn Correspondent:] What one thinks of impeachment
[Unidentified Male:] I think he deserves to be impeached, absolutely.
[Marquez:] often tracks with what one thinks of Donald Trump. What do you think of impeachment?
[James Dillie, Trump Supporter:] It's bull.
[Marquez:] James Dillie, a coal miner and his stepson Roc Dabney are huge supporters of the President. Proudly displaying Trump flags like this one. They see impeachment as Democrats trying to reverse the outcome of 2016.
[Dillie:] I think they're just headhunting. They're mad they lost and just trying to get him out.
[Roc Dabney, Trump Supporter:] I think it's something the Democrats are doing right now. They're just like grabbing for straws really.
[Marquez:] Washington County, south of Pittsburgh has trended Republican for years. In 2016 Donald Trump beat Clinton here by more than 25 points.
[Unidentified Male:] Aren't you excited for the first female president?
[Unidentified Female:] No.
[Unidentified Male:] I am.
[Marquez:] CNN was here on election day in 2016. The Krachalas then married 37 years and diametrically opposed on candidates. Today You voted for Donald Trump, you voted for Hillary Clinton. Has anything changed?
[Unidentified Female:] No.
[Marquez:] Now both of them 90 they still lovingly bicker.
[William Krachala, Anti Trump Republican:] I think he's a crook and I think he's going to get us into a war.
[Jacqueline Krachala, Trump Supporter:] None of that. Well, you're not dead and we had wars before that.
[W. Krachala:] We're not done yet.
[Marquez:] Jacqueline couldn't be clearer on impeachment.
[J. Krachala:] Well, that's ridiculous.
[Marquez:] Bill a lifelong Republican, is as opposed as ever to Donald Trump. But impeachment?
[W. Krachala:] I don't know whether impeachment would solve anything or not. It would just create a lot of upheaval, but I'm hoping to hell that he gets elected out of office.
[Cody Spence, Trump Voter:] My health insurance alone
[Marquez:] Cody Spence, a registered Democrat in 2016 was struggling to pay for health care. Today his financial situation has improved. He credits Donald Trump.
[Spence:] I don't think at this point there is a reason to impeach him. If you get some hard evidence that the people of the country can see, that is a different story.
[Maruqez:] Some moderates question the wisdom of an impeachment fight now.
[Susan Luisi, Moderate Democrat:] Well, we've already gone pretty far into this presidency, so do we really want to spend the last time of it impeaching someone who may or may not be elected again.
[Marquez:] More progressive Democrats say full steam ahead on impeachment regardless of the outcome.
[Andrew Gmiter, Democrat:] It probably still favors the Democrats.
[Marquez:] And then if he goes on to win the election?
[Gmiter:] It's going to be it's going to be a rough another four years.
[Marquez:] Democratic officials here in Washington County say that not only does dislike of Donald Trump help him, but impeachment does as well. They have an off-year election coming up in just a few days and they say impeachment and the dislike of Trump is already driving voters and raising enthusiasm among the Democrats here. and they expect that trend to continue through 2020. Miguel Marquez, CNN Washington County, Pennsylvania.
[Whitfield:] All right. On now to Major League Baseball. The Washington Nationals celebrating their historic win. Why one of the team's pitchers is reportedly saying, thanks but no thanks, to an invite to the White House.

[Cooper:] We continue to follow the breaking news. We are still awaiting a press conference. We're told it's moments away. We've been told that several times. This is a press conference from law enforcement with the latest on the investigation. We know one person has died, a female, one of six, who were taken to area hospitals. Two others are said to be in critical condition at this point. I want to play some sound just in. The mother who you heard from a little bit earlier, if you were listening, talk to her son on the phone. Right now, there are thousands of students waiting to be reunited with their parents. Part of the problem is, and the holdup is, all the students at the school, some 3,000, have to be interviewed by police just to see if they witnessed anything, if they saw anything that might be important for an investigation later on. It's a laborious process. It's going to take time. This is one mom who has just been reunited.
[Unidentified Reporter::] So you heard the shots. Did you know they were shots?
[Unidentified Student:] Yes, because it was really loud. I didn't know if it was anything else. I thought they were shots so I just went to the classroom.
[Unidentified Reporter::] So you were in what area and where do you think the shots were coming from?
[Unidentified Student:] I was walking towards the quad, which I guess is where it happened. That's where I normally hang out and I was just going in there. I heard the shots so I ran back to the room that I was.
[Unidentified Reporter::] You've been on lockdown for a long time this morning.
[Unidentified Student:] Yes.
[Unidentified Reporter::] What was going on there? What were the kids saying and doing?
[Unidentified Student:] We were just all texting our parents and calling them, telling them we were in a room and we were fine. We were just trying to keep quiet and not make noise.
[Unidentified Reporter::] Because you weren't sure if you were safe yet?
[Unidentified Student:] Yes. We weren't sure until our coach got a call that the gunman left campus and they're just trying to clear the buildings out, and they cleared our building out. After that I felt safe, you know, just knowing we were around all the cops, so it was good.
[Unidentified Reporter::] You're still shaking and it's not cold out here.
[Unidentified Mother:] Yes.
[Unidentified Reporter::] You're still shaking. Why?
[Unidentified Mother:] I am. I don't know. I think it's just relief. Like I said earlier, there's no real sense of knowing that your child is safe until you have your child in your arms and know that they're safe. I think I was just trying to calm down now. Yes.
[Unidentified Reporter::] Do you feel like you have comprehended what happened here? We don't know who has been hurt or what exactly happened, but it's still kind of hard to even make sense of, isn't it?
[Unidentified Student:] Yes, I don't know what happened. I don't know why these things happen. They just do. It was just the comfort of having my teammates and my coach around us. We ended up all joining hands and praying in the room with our coach. He led us in a prayer to just calm us down and have the comfort of just knowing we were OK. So that was nice.
[Unidentified Reporter::] There was a little bit of confusion to get to your mom. Your mom and I walked back and forth trying find you. What happened with all that?
[Unidentified Student:] Well, they took us to the gym, and then they said we're going to the church, and then they said we're going to Central Park. It was just all confusion until they let us on the bus and we ended up getting dropped off here. So, yes.
[Unidentified Reporter::] When you saw your mom, tell us what that was like.
[Unidentified Student:] I felt happy. I felt relieved that I could see my mom and let her know I was safe. I just love her so much, you know. I didn't know what to do. Honestly, I was a little scared at first, but just having the comfort of teammates calmed me down. We settled down we went through it together, so.
[Unidentified Reporter::] You have your tough 16-year-old son. They're always your baby, aren't they? Right?
[Unidentified Mother:] Yes. He'll be my baby forever.
[Unidentified Reporter::] I'm glad you're OK. Thank you for talking to us.
[Unidentified Student:] Thank you.
[Unidentified Reporter:] is OK. We'll be thinking about you guys, OK?
[Unidentified Mother:] Thank you.
[Unidentified Student:] Thank you.
[Unidentified Reporter::] Take care, Sean.
[Cooper:] One family, one reunion that is happening. And thousands of moments like that. Josh Campbell, at this point, we don't there's conflicting information about the shooter, the condition of the shooter. There were earlier reports several scene reporters got from several sources that the shooter had died of a self-inflicted wound. The police put out a report saying the shooter was in custody in the hospital. We're waiting for the latest information. Regardless of that, the investigation is already well underway and will continue regardless of the condition of the shooter.
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] That's right. They presumably positively identified this person. They start that investigation into him. If the person is alive, then it gives him the potential opportunity to question the motive. There are questions I have, which may or may not be answered at this press conference. The first being, were there any witnesses that provided information to officers about what the person may have said in the moments before the shooting. Was he there to target a particular student, just random, or was he there to cause massive loss of life? If they were able to interview witnesses, that information may be gleaned. Also the type of weaponry that was used. That's something we need to know. We've seen this through line of past incidence, types of high- powered weapons used in others. And we don't know if this was a rifle or a pistol. But that's something that law enforcement officers know right now. But I think it's incumbent upon them to get that information.
[Cooper:] We also know there was multiple weapons. The sergeant I talked to at the L.A. County Sheriff's Office said that they had recovered a weapon at the scene. At that point, the shooter was still unaccounted for. So if there was some sort of injury or wound, it wasn't clear if the shooter had another weapon on him. At this point, the people who are in the hospital, will they have already positive identifications on them so their families can be notified? I hate to think of these kids in the hospital and their parents don't know.
[Campbell:] We don't know the answer to that question. That's the problem. As you mentioned, there's some 3,000 students here. The undersheriff was tweeting earlier that all of those people have to be interviewed and we don't know who all the victims are. We don't know their current state, if they're lucid and can provide their names and information. If they're in a worse state, it's more difficult for officers to try to identify them. That goes for the shooter as well. But a lot of unanswered questions now as it relates to what's occurred. Again, this conflicting information. Presumably, officers know right now what the status of this person is. And I expect we'll hear that when we hear from the officers at that press conference.
[Cooper:] We're still waiting for the press conference. We'll take another quick break. We'll be right back.

[Gorani:] Well, it's a very busy week in European football, I'm being told. Don Riddell is here with that. Hi, Don.
[Don Riddell, Cnn World Sport Anchor:] It absolutely is, Hala. Thanks very much. We are now actually just hours away from the first UEFA Champion's League quarter final between Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta. But first the semifinals are now set for the Europa League, and a very familiar side is, they have a chance of winning the tournament that they have dominated over the last few years. The Spanish side Sevilla has won this trophy five times since 2006 and they're now just two wins away from doing it again. These have been a very long campaign for Wolverhampton Wanderers, they began playing more than a year ago and they had a chance for an early lead against Sevilla, but the penalty of Raul Jimenez was saved. The game was goalless and looked to be heading into extra time, but a glancing header from Lucas Campos edged it for the Spaniards, they will now play Manchester United in the semis on Sunday. If that game was closed, this was anything about Shakhtar Donetsk thrashed Basel on Tuesday and the Ukrainian side wasted absolutely no time in getting started. Junior Moraes are scoring with a header in only the second minute and the goals kept coming. Twenty minutes later, Shakhtar with 2-0 ahead, Malas collected the ball on the edge of the areas squaring it to Tazon he smashed it into the top corner. Shakhtar scored another with the penalty before Dodo completed a full one round with another goal two minutes from time. They will now play Inter Milan on Monday to take a place in the final. Now after resuming their season in a bubble at Disney World, the NBA is now approaching the playoffs, and the Philadelphia 76ers are in contention. Their star guard, Glenn Robinson III, has been adapting to life away from his family, but he's been telling our Amanda Davies why this time is so important. He's been working on a foundation to empower fathers. He also responded to President Donald Trump's remarks that he won't be watching if basketball players kneel in protest.
[Amanda Davies, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] Lebron says basketball is not going to miss Donald Trump. Will you miss Donald Trump?
[Glenn Robinson:] I agree, I don't think we will. I'm not losing sleep over it. I know we're doing the right thing. The black community, the basketball community, everyone who is watching us on TV and supporting us, we're not mad about losing that viewership.
[Davies:] Does the NBA itself as an organization get it? Do they do enough as an organization?
[Robinson:] I don't think any of us do enough. Our leadership, our players association, the way that we understand our role in the sport as well as players is so important to know we're not just a piece, and this relates back to everything that we're talking about social injustice, about everything that's going on in the world right now. We're not just basketball players at the end of the day, and I think that's what Lebron, that's what Chris Paul are doing with this situation. We'll never get an opportunity like this again to show how strong when we feel about certain situations, and I think we shouldn't back down now. And for me it's about action, it's not about words, it's not about a post, it's not about a black post, it's about actions. What are you doing at the end of the day to do your part on these issues? My mom taught me how to hold your hands on the steering wheel when you get pulled over. That's been passed down generation and generation with every black family that I know. So, I'll have naturally had to teach my daughter those things.
[Davies:] Why has it been important for you to set up the foundation?
[Robinson:] It's been important for me as I wanted to leave the legacy for my daughter. I wanted to create something. I'm a natural giver. I know that my purpose is to help the masses and that's why I'm a professional athlete or basketball player. And I think that as long as we're doing the right thing and sticking to our mission of empowering other parents and fathers and fatherless families, you can't go along and I think there we consistently just try to help. Everyone is a father or has a father, and I think that we can definitely impact a lot of lives.
[Davies:] How close did you come to not joining the bubble?
[Robinson:] My two-year-old daughter, Aryana, who is at home, it was a very tough decision for me to leave her knowing that I would be gone for three or four months. So that definitely weighed on me heavily, but at the end of the day, she's the reason why I do everything and why I was so excited to get here and continue to represent her and my foundation and also help this team win a championship? That's my number one goal. If we're here, we might as well win it.
[Davies:] Do you think this has arguably made winning the championship tougher?
[Robinson:] Yes, it's definitely made it ten times harder, I think. There hasn't been a championship like this. We never had to tell guys, hey, you got to stand one in room confine yourself in one room during the playoffs. I think that it's going to be so interesting that winners should probably get ten trophies. Everybody on the team should get a trophy, honestly.
[Riddell:] The NBA is known as a very progressively league. Glenn Robinson III, one of many players doing his bit to make the world a better place. Hala, back to you.
[Gorani:] All right, Don Riddell, thanks very much. I'm Hala Gorani. We'll take a quick break and we'll be right back on CNN. Do stay with us.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Well, let's hope this ends and ends quickly and no more inquiries, no more people shot in the process. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] OUTFRONT next breaking news, President Trump growing more frustrated tonight, the Dow drops 800 points in fears of a recession. Why the president should be concerned? Plus, the 2020 candidate seizing on remarks, the President's top immigration official said on this program that the poem of the Statue of Liberty refers to people from Europe. And Republican Congressman Steve King appearing to defend rape and incest. What was he talking about? Let's go out front. And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT this evening, the breaking news. Trump's market meltdown. The President frustrated and concerned tonight, worried about reelection. Sources say as he watched the Dow freefall today. You see the number, 800 points down. The reason, a fluorescent red recession warning light now flashing for the first time since 2007 which was just before the great market crash and recession. A recession which it is important to remember was the worst since the Great Depression in the 1930s. The stock drop today the biggest this year, the fourth largest point drop in American history.
[Unidentified Male:] ... joining us, we close at the session lows down 800 points on the Dow.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] ... fears of another recession causing panic.
[Unidentified Male:] Breaking this evening, the big sell off on Wall Street today. The Dow average plummeting 3 percent.
[Burnett:] Trump took to Twitter, sending nine tweets today about the economy, including trying to spin the plunge in interest rates into a positive. The president tweeting, "Tremendous amounts of money pouring into the United States. People want safety." Well, the President is right about this, money is pouring into U.S. Treasuries but that as he well knows is not a sign of strength tonight. That is a sign of deep recession fears. The lower the yield on benchmark treasuries, the lower the interest rates, the higher the fear of economic crisis. And today, the 30-year yield fell to its lowest level in history. Markets also afraid of Trump and China's trade war and Trump took that head on today too. The tweet, "We are winning, big time, against China." Well, only time will tell on this, but as for winning right now Trump's war with China is hurting the United States, big time. Trump first slap tariffs on Chinese goods in June of 2018 and compared to a year ago, U.S. exports to China fell 19% this July, bad for us. Meantime, Americans bought more from China than they did a year ago. Trump knows the economy can make or break him. He knows this all too well, just listen to Trump.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Last year for the first time in a decade, the United States was ranked the most competitive economy anywhere in the world. That made the economy so strong that nothing is going to stop us. We have the number one economy on earth. Our country now has the hottest economy anywhere in the world. Our economy is fantastic.
[Burnett:] That's not what the markets are saying tonight. And so Trump is blaming someone else, one of his favorite boogeyman, the Fed Chief Jerome Powell for the market freefall. Another tweet moments ago, "China is not our problem, though Hong Kong isn't helping. Our problem is with the Fed. Why blame China when you could blame someone in the United States? Pamela Brown is out front live tonight in Berkeley Heights. Pamela, so the President obviously watching the markets extremely closely.
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] That's right. He's been watching the markets extremely closely all week during his working vacation here in New Jersey, Erin. We're told that just as the markets have been on this roller coaster ride this week so have the President's moods as he's watched the Dow go up and down. Sources familiar say that initially yesterday the President was pleased when his decision to back off those tariffs on China led to a bounce in the markets. But as we saw, that did not last long, Erin. The President today has been airing his grievances on Twitter directing his ire at the Federal Reserve. But were told by sources behind the scenes that the President has been expressing concern, frustration that his negotiating team has not been able to strike a deal yet with China. There is concern that China is waiting to see who is going to be elected next year. And also the President has been expressing concern that the trade standoff could hurt the economy and even his reelection chances. So certainly there are some generous going on behind the scenes. I've been speaking to White House sources today who do say that there is some anxiousness about what is going on. And while we may not be feeling the immediate repercussions that what is happening right now in the world economy and in the markets could be a warning sign of what's to come, Erin.
[Burnett:] So Pamela, let me just ask you. Obviously, the President knows this is crucial for his reelection, the economy. He looks at statistics, he knows full well a recession could doom his reelection chances and he brags about the economy every chance he can get. So what does do from here?
[Brown:] Well, that's the question and I've been asking White House sources that today because the President hasn't really provided concrete solutions of what to do and he hasn't taken responsibility or acknowledged how the trade war with China might be playing a role in what we're seeing with the markets in the economy. I'll tell you, Erin, that some officials I've been speaking with are sort of downplaying what's going on. They're saying, "Look, it's August. A lot of people are working right now." I don't know that this is a good way to look at what's to come. But in terms of what the President does next, that remains to be seen. A lot of it could hinge on how he deals with China and whether a deal can be reached, Erin.
[Burnett:] And Pamela on that deal, what happens next on that? Obviously, as you say he's frustrated with his negotiating team, but he's between a rock and a hard place. He threatened these tariffs and now he said, "Oh, I'm going to delay them." He can't be the President who cried wolf.
[Brown:] Yes, that's exactly right. And it's interesting initially when the President imposed the tariffs he said, "Look, the cost isn't going to be felt by the consumer here in the U.S." But then as we saw clearly, he acknowledges that it could impact the consumer and that is why he held off on some of these tariffs on China for the Christmas season. But certainly the clock is ticking for a deal to be reached with the negotiating team. The President tried to downplay even if a deal isn't reached that it's going to be OK that China really is the one suffering. You saw just in the last hour, I believe, he tweeted about China saying that they're really the ones suffering and all of this. And so we don't really know what is going to happen. It's sort of unpredictable. The President hasn't really laid out a plan for what he's going to do and how he's going to deal with the situation with China if a deal isn't struck. Again, sources I've been speaking within the administration say there is this real concern that China doesn't want to strike a deal right now because China wants to wait and see who wins the election, whether President Trump is reelected or if someone else wins, Erin.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Pamela Brown, live from where the President, of courses, tonight. I want to go down to Larry Summers, former Treasury Secretary under President Clinton. And Secretary Summers, it's great to have you with us. I know we had a little trouble with the connection, but I think having your perspective tonight is crucial. How dangerous is this moment?
[Larry Summers, Former Treasury Secretary Under President Clinton:] Most dangerous moment in terms of recession since the 2008 financial crisis. That's not to say we're going to have another version of the 2008 financial crisis. But if you look at developments in markets, you look at business expectations, you look at indicators of the behavior of consumers, I think you have to be worried that there's a much greater chance of recession than what we want to have and that we're very much without tools if a recession were to come. Without tools, because interest rates are so low. Because, frankly, the federal government is so disorganized and because the spoke for fiscal stimulus given the resources [inaudible] less than it's been at most moments in the past.
[Burnett:] Right. It's important for people to understand, you usually give a tax cut when the economy gets weak. Well, the tax cut is already come. Interest rates are already at rock bottom to your point about where there is to go. Secretary, look, the President tweeted today about the selloff, "Tremendous amounts of money pouring into the United States. People want safety." I don't know if you heard his tweet, but obviously he knows the money is coming out of fear not out of something to celebrate. Does he think that people will believe him that enough people will believe him that this is good news?
[Summers:] I have no idea what the President is thinking. He complains about a scrolling dollar and then money flows in picking up the dollar and he celebrates that as a great achievement. He complains about a trade deficit and then we [inaudible] which is the other side [inaudible] a wonderful thing. There's no consistency to the thought from, frankly, hour to hour, let alone week to week, let alone month to month. And it has to be said that the uncertainty and doubt about the competence of the U.S. economic authorities is one of the things that makes this situation more dangerous.
[Burnett:] So I want to ask you one other important thing, Secretary, and that is, I don't know if you heard Trump bragging about the economy. We certainly have heard it in the past, but we had just put up some of that together and there are some things that are certainly when you look at them right now very good for the U.S. economy like this.
[Trump:] We have a very low unemployment rate. Unemployment has reached the lowest rate in over a half a century. I imagine you've all seen the incredible job growth.
[Burnett:] And unemployment secretary is at 3.7 percent. Even with today's plunge, stocks are up 40 percent since Trump won the White House. Is it possible, Secretary Summers, that the President will be proven right?
[Summers:] I don't think so. I think there are plenty of strengths that the American economy has an unbelievable capacity for entrepreneurship, essentially all of the world's leading technology companies, a set of natural resources, set of institutions of higher education, hard working people, we have a system that's second to none. So there's resilience and there's, A, good things that are happening, not because of what the President is proposing but frankly in spite of what the President is proposing. It's not that growth has been particularly more rapid than one might have expected three years ago or that there's been any substantial acceleration in the trend of growth in so far as we've been [inaudible] to what's happening before. It's a sugar high from the tax cuts.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Secretary Summers. And next, the 2020 Democratic candidates tearing into Trump over remarks. His top immigration official told me about the poem on the Statue of Liberty.
[Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Director, U.s. Citizenship And Immigration Services Office:] That poem was referring back to people coming from Europe.
[Burnett:] Plus, Republican Congressman Steve King facing new calls to resign now from his own party after his remarks about rape and incest. And breaking news, a dangerous standoff underway in Philadelphia, six police officer shot. The President has now been briefed. We have new details on this ongoing situation ahead.

[Avlon:] All right. It's back to the future on the campaign trail with Senator Kamala Harris talking about busing in Iowa. Now, her position sounds a little different than what she said at last week's debate.
[Harris:] I think of busing as being in the toolbox of what is available and what can be used for the goal of desegregating America's schools. I believe that any tool that is in the toolbox should be considered by a school district.
[Avlon:] Harris and Biden, two of the many, many Democratic candidates criss-crossing Iowa this holiday weekend. Joining us now from Iowa, CNN Political Reporter, Arlette Saenz and Brianne Pfannenstiel, Chief Politics Reporter for The Des Moines Register. Good to have you both. All right. Brianne, you are at the Des Moines Register. I'm wondering what your the Iowans are making of this fight over busing between two of the leading candidates?
[Brianne Pfannenstiel, Chief Politics Reporter, Des Moines Register:] Well, I think a lot of Iowans who are tuned into the debate are really looking at this through the lens of who can take on Donald Trump. And so on a national stage, they saw Kamala Harris land a punch against Joe Biden against the frontrunner right now in the polls. And so I think they're seeing Senator Harris as a really strong competitor right now and her poll numbers are surging. And so this kind of aftermath that's playing out right now is still playing out and I think voters will see what they think about whether she's waffling, whether she's walking this back. But we're still waiting to see how this is playing in Iowa.
[Camerota:] And yet, Arlette, this whole busing thing has become so strange basically for the irony of all that. Kamala Harris had that breakout moment during the debate where she turned and confronted the former vice president on his stance on bussing and then yesterday is revealed, she has the same position that he does on busing which is doesn't believe in a federal mandate. Thought it should be up to I think in what she's saying from what I'm interpreting her words, thinks this should be up to the local jurisdiction which is what happened in Berkeley, which is how she was bused, which is what she brought up her personal story. So it's the Biden campaign head exploding?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] Yes. I mean that's what the Biden is taking issue with...
[Camerota:] Oh, I'm sorry.
[Saenz:] ... I mean, the Biden campaign was taking issue with her answer yesterday. The deputy campaign manager essentially saying that she distorted the former vice president's view and now she is tying herself up in knots, trying to respond. But one big question is this issue about busing really going to resonate with voters? I think for Joe Biden the bigger concern is that Kamala Harris chipped away a little bit at his the aura of inevitability that has been around him that she was able to take him on and kind of put him on shaky footing in that debate exchange. But going forward, our voters really going to care about Biden's positions in the past on busing or where Kamala Harris stands on busing. That's something that currently remains to be seen. Now, we'll see if the candidates themselves decide to further engage on this issue today here in Iowa. Biden and Kamala Harris are going to be about 150 miles apart as they start their days. Biden will be at a parade in independence and Kamala Harris down in Indianola. So we'll see if there's any kind of exchange between the two of them over this very issue that their campaigns seem to be taking aim at each other about.
[Avlon:] And Brianne, that's what I want to hammer home is what folks in Iowa are talking about because busing doesn't seem to be at the top of the list. We've got a new Suffolk University USA Today poll that does delineate the top issues for Iowans and they say it's health care at the top with 29 percent climate change, immigration, income inequality, the economy, National Security and trade policy all the way at the bottom. Brianne, what I'm fascinated by is that given the pain that a lot of Iowa farmers have felt from the trade war with China that trade is such a low issue, does that track with what you've been hearing from folks on the ground?
[Pfannenstiel:] It does track. And remember these are a lot of Democrats right now who are who are talking about these issues. And they're talking about health care, they're talking about access for their families and expanding access to Medicare. They're talking about climate change. So this really does track with what we're hearing on the ground. I would also point out that this poll also shows that 60 percent of Iowa Democrats say that defeating Donald Trump is their first priority and so this is really topping every other issue that we're seeing right now. And I think that's why we're seeing, back to Kamala Harris, why she is doing so well in the polls because she had that moment where she's perceived as someone who can take on the President.
[Camerota:] In the latest poll among caucus goers, we'll just take a snapshot of where Iowans are right now, Arlette. Biden is at 24 percent. Harris is at 16 percent. Warren is at 13. Sanders is at 9 percent and there's so much talk about women and if the female candidate is seen as electable, but maybe the media is really driving that conversation, because when you ask caucus goers and regular voters, they are happy to say that one of the women is their top choice. And so, I mean, you tell us since you're on the ground in Iowa, the voters that you talk to, do they think that that gender affects electability?
[Saenz:] No, I think that voters are very open right...
[Avlon:] Arlette.
[Saenz:] ... apologies, I think that voters are very open to having a female president and you're seeing that in the polls. You've seen both Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren rising. But a lot of the voters that I've talked to over the past week, especially I've been at a lot of Joe Biden events and they are putting electability as their number one concern when it comes to who their nominee is going to be. There were several attendee I spoke to you last night who said that they are still considering a lot of the candidates; Biden, Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg among them and they are all concerned about electing someone who can take on Donald Trump. Health care was also another issue that was at the top of their minds. So we'll see going forward whether that electability argument is one that candidates, both the men and women on this race are going to be able to meet and effectively meet their voters.
[Camerota:] Yes. I mean, Brianne, the problem is that that's just a nebulous term, electability. Now, some people think that that's code for some sort of sexism that women aren't as electable as a man. But again you have your finger on the pulse there, what are you hearing?
[Pfannenstiel:] I mean you do hear occasionally from people who will say, "I don't think a woman can be elected," or, "I don't know that a gay man right now could be elected." But that's really the minority. I think most people are kind of projecting and trying to figure out what the electorate at-large will support. They're kind of playing pundit a little bit, trying to get a sense of who can be electable. And so a lot of people say, "I support a woman. I support a person of color, but I'm worried that the rest of America might not."
[Avlon:] Well, Iowa certainly changed the game in 2008 by propelling Barack Obama to victory. Thank you both very much. Much more to come from the great state of Iowa in the coming weeks and months we know. All right. A quick programming note, a CNN exclusive tomorrow as Chris Cuomo interviews former Vice President Joe Biden. So how does the 2020 Democratic frontrunner plan to stay ahead of the pack? The interview airs tomorrow morning right here on NEW DAY at 6:00 am and 8:00 am Eastern.
[Camerota:] That will be so interesting.
[Avlon:] It'd be great.
[Camerota:] I think he's only done three interviews, I think, since declaring his candidacy, so it'd be really interesting.
[Avlon:] It'd be fascinating. A must watch.
[Camerota:] A judge in New Jersey said that a teenager accused of rape deserves leniency because he, quote, comes from a good family. We discuss this next.

[Jon Meacham, Presidential Historian:] And now we have a de facto systemic racism that continues to shape who we are, with a structural partisanship. So the search for a more perfect union was framed the right way, "more perfect." Perfection is not possible. And people like Senator McCain, people like Joe Biden, people like George Herbert Walker Bush, these were people who didn't get everything right, but when they had power, when they had influence, they tended to get more right than they got wrong. And I think that's the test, do you trust this person at the pinnacle of power to think more about you than about himself?
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Jon Meacham, we often use the word "unprecedented" with this president in terms of statements, attacks, moves, decisions, et cetera. I want to ask about one in particular as we're 50-some-odd days out from the election that's his repeated attacks on the election as being credible. You know, again this morning he says, "We may never accurately know" the outcome of this election, deliberate, constant. You're a historian.
[Meacham:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Is there any precedent for that in this country, a president
[Meacham:] No.
[Sciutto:] repeatedly calling into question the credibility of the process?
[Meacham:] The very legitimacy of the process. There's really not. In fact, quite the opposite. In 1960, President Eisenhower and Vice President Nixon thought about challenging the Kennedy result, and decided that that would be disruptive and there was there were plenty of grounds to do so, there were a lot of folks in Illinois who voted beyond the grave. They were so civically minded that they voted even though they were dead. So there's really not and "unprecedented" is a tricky word because there's always something. But President Trump is this singular phenomenon in many ways. But here's something that I think everybody should bear in mind as we go through the next couple of months. He is a manifestation of perennial American forces that we should do all we can to force into an ebbing mode: racism, extremism, hyper-partisanship, a grasp an elemental grasp for authority, which is what your question alludes to those are always going to be with us because we live in a fallen, frail and fallible world. But what we had done at our best, is we have forced those impulses into abeyance, and we've managed to focus on pushing ahead, expanding the Jeffersonian promise of equality and embracing what Lincoln called "our better angels." It hasn't been perfect, it will never be perfect. But that's been the story of the country when we've been at our best. And you don't have to have unanimity, right? Thirty-four percent of the country approved of Joe McCarthy after he was
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] Always pushing. Thank you, Jon, it's nice to have you and I hope people tune into your podcast, "It Was Said." It's powerful. Thanks so much. [0:33:46] We'll be right back.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] All right. Thank you so much, Dr. Lisa Dabby. And thank you for the work that you and the healthcare workers around the country are doing. We really appreciate it.
[Dr. Lisa Dabby, Emergency Medicine Physician, Ucla:] Thanks. Jake.
[Tapper:] While the Trump administration is now focusing on a claim that the virus originated in a lab in China, we're going to take a look into some of the deceptions that we've heard from Chinese officials about the virus. Stay with us. Health officials around the world say there is no question coronavirus outbreak began in China, but today, U.S. intelligence and national security officials say they're investigating the possibility the virus spread from a Chinese laboratory and not as originally believed from a market in Wuhan, which is what the Chinese government originally claimed. U.S. officials do not say they believe the virus was spread intentionally or purposefully in anyway, but they are looking into whether it originated from the lab and then spread accidentally. It is, of course, premature to draw any conclusions. But the Chinese government's lack of transparency and its sharing of erroneous information, not to mention its cover-up has certainly not inspired confidence among world leaders. Today, the U.K. also called for a, quote, deep dive review of the Chinese government's early handling of the pandemic. CNN's David Culver reports from Shanghai.
[David Culver, Cnn International Correspondent:] At the start of the outbreak, this is where China directed the world's attention, suggesting that this Wuhan seafood market was the source of the novel coronavirus outbreak. CNN even traveled there just before the city locked down in January. Officials had shut down the wet market, and security told us to leave. U.S. intelligence officials tell CNN they are investigating another possible source, suggesting the virus may not have originated naturally as China has advertised but rather that it possibly started in a Wuhan lab. Sources say it is one of many origin theories the U.S. is looking into. Chinese officials pushing back against that claim on Thursday. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissing that the virus started in a lab, instead stressing that, quote, this is a scientific issue that should be studied by scientists and medical experts. Yet, it is the same spokesperson who last month floated a controversial theory, tweeting that it might be the U.S. Army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] China tried to say at one point, maybe they stop now, that it was caused by American soldiers. That can't happen. It's not going to happen. Not as long as I'm president. It comes from China.
[Culver:] The latest debate over the virus' actual origin coincides with a damning "Associated Press" report. It claims China sat on critical information for six full days from January 14th until January 20th, downplaying the outbreak in public before finally revealing the full scope of the threat. The "A.P." report is based on what they characterize as a memo from a January 14th confidential teleconference involving the head of China's National Health Commission. CNN has combed through the government's public report of that teleconference which was released more than a month after it took place. It says a, quote, sober understanding of the situation was made known to top Chinese government officials, adding that, quote, clustered cases suggest that human-to-human transmission is possible. But that was not the message shared publicly from health officials at the time. In fact, as hundreds of millions traveled, leading up to the lunar holiday, mass gatherings at airports and railway stations, the Wuhan Health Commission maintained that outbreak was controllable and preventable and that this was not contagious. It was not until January 20th that leading health officials acknowledged, publicly, cases of human-to-human cases and they stated medical personnel had gotten infected. CNN spoke with one of the doctors who early on tried to sound the alarm and contracted the illness.
[Dr. Le Winliang, Ophthalmologist:] I can barely breathe
[Culver:] Wuhan ophthalmologist Dr. Li Wenliang was reprimanded in early January by Wuhan police. They accused the 34-year-old of spreading rumors, after he had messaged friends, warning them of a SARS-like illness going around. Instead of listening to his warnings, police silenced Dr. Li and other whistleblowers. He died of coronavirus in early February. CNN's early had an underreporting of case, Wuhan residents telling us that their loved ones were never tested despite suffering from coronavirus-like symptoms, instead their deaths listed as severe pneumonia, whether it was interpretational or due to a lack of testing. For some, China's reported numbers of coronavirus tests and deaths does not add up.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] The mere fact that we don't know the answers, that China hasn't shared the answers I think is very, very telling.
[Culver:] China has repeatedly maintained that they have been opened and forthcoming in their handling of this outbreak. On Wednesday, China's foreign ministry said that in an open, transparent and responsible manner, China has kept the WHO and relevant countries updated on the outbreak. But, Jake, if the early cover-up and the mishandling at the local level was, in fact, known by top officials here, their delayed action might overshadow the massive containment effort that China so proudly promotes.
[Tapper:] David, great reporting. Stay with us. I want to bring CNN's Kylie Atwood who comes to us from the State Department. She's our State Department reporter. And, Kylie, let's play a little bit more of that clip from Secretary of State Pompeo last night on Fox.
[Pompeo:] The mere fact that we don't know the answers, that China hasn't shared the answers, I think is very, very telling. We really need the Chinese government to open up. They say they want to cooperate. One of the best ways they can find to cooperate would be to let the world in, tell the world scientists know exactly how this came to be, exactly how this virus began to spread.
[Tapper:] Now, Kylie, obviously, Trump and his administration are reluctant to accept any blame for their handling of the pandemic. But two things can be true at once the Chinese government mishandling this, covering it up, lying about it, and the Trump administration being too slow to taking as to protect its citizens?
[Kylie Atwood, Cnn National Security Correspondent:] Yes, that is a point worth making, Jake, because it is true, the context in which we are learning that the U.S. government is looking into the possibility that the coronavirus did potentially leak out of a Chinese lab instead of from a wet market has to be considered in the same context of the fact that the Trump administration and Trump's allies have been trying to deflect the blame for how they have handled the outbreak of this pandemic in the United States. But the bottom line here is that we do not know what the precise origin of this novel coronavirus really is. And U.S. government officials have told me that they do want to get to the bottom of that. Now, intelligence officials, national security officials are looking into this. The lab is one of the possibilities that they are looking into. But nothing is yet definitive or conclusive about what they have found.
[Tapper:] And, David, from the offset, the Chinese deposit was silencing whistleblowers, withholding crucial information from the Chinese population, from the international community, we can't even trust the number of cases and deaths reported by the Chinese government. How are they responding to the U.S. saying it's going to investigate this?
[Culver:] Yes, there is a lot of skepticism here, Jake. They're dismissing this as nonsense. They go back to the lean this is a scientific issue and they say that they need to leave it to their open experts, even some of their diplomats have theorized about the origins as we pointed out. China says that the countries ultimately need to ban together to win this fight. It sounds great. Honestly, Jake, I don't think it's feasible. I mean, what we are seeing here are deepened tensions now that are coming out between the U.S. and China. We're seeing an increased distress of foreigners here, in part because of what health officials labeled as imported cases. But there is this intensified blame towards the other. We see that rhetoric on social media, both here, in China and the U.S., it just makes it seem like you will not come to an agreement between the two countries on really anything let alone an end of this epidemic.
[Tapper:] And speaking of othering people, we should note what the Chinese government the guilty of not the same thing what Chinese people are guilty of, that population was victimized more than anyone.
[Culver:] Right.
[Tapper:] Not even talking about Asian-Americans. Kylie, "The Washington Post's" Josh Rogin reported on State Department cables in 2018 showing concerns about the safety and management of the Wuhan Institute of Virology bio lab that David refers to. What do you know about the lab?
[Atwood:] Well, this is one of China's most advanced labs. It's operated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. And in 2015, it's worth noting it was the first Chinese lab to achieve the highest level of international bioresearch safety. But at the same time, what "The Washington Post" revealed in these cables from State Department officials is that there were concerns about research happening in that lab with regard to coronaviruses and bats. So, there were alarms being raised about what was happening there.
[Tapper:] All right. David, Kylie, thank you so much for your excellent reporting. I appreciate it. Coming up, it seems Ivanka Trump is familiar with the phrase "do as I say, not as I do". Why is this family different from all other families? That's next. Our money lead now. Today, more hard numbers to showcase the ugly economic reality of today; 5.2 million Americans filed for unemployment for the first-time last week. That now makes 22 million out of a job in just the last month, about 13 percent of the American work force. And keep in mind, those numbers do not include furloughs and pay cuts, adding to widespread economic pain, or folks not eligible for unemployment benefits. CNN business anchor Julia Chatterley joins me now to discuss this and more. And, Julia, you have looked into the unemployment numbers. What states and what industries are taking the hardest hits?
[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Business Anchor:] Hey, Jake. Well, it began in restaurants, bars and hotels, as you can imagine, but it's far more broad-based now, the health care sector, construction, administrative services. What we saw in the last week were claims ramping up in states like Georgia, Arizona, and Texas. But we know it's broad-based across states as well that are all struggling at this moment. What we're looking at in the United States now is a potential unemployment rate of 15 percent. That dwarfs anything that we saw during the financial crisis. What we're also looking at potentially is giving up all the job gains that we have seen since then. And we have done it in, what, just the past four weeks. And the worst news about this is, we know states are still struggling to process all of these claims, and we're not yet capturing the gig economy workers, the freelancers, your Uber drivers. That's a potential 23 million more workers. The news is going to get worse, Jake.
[Tapper:] I wanted to I have been meaning to ask you, because, in the stimulus package that we have been covering, there was a provision tucked into the bill that offers a huge tax break to the nation's wealthiest individuals, especially people who own real estate. Tell us more about this.
[Chatterley:] Let's use New York as an example. When the city that never sleeps, sleeps, like it is now, every business, every tenant goes to their landlord and says, I can't pay rent. We saw this happen. It happened a few weeks ago, and it continues. What that did was shake the foundations of the real estate market in similar ways to what we saw in the financial crisis. What this tax change does is, it allows these real estate players to not pay so much tax now and offset the cash that isn't coming in. In the end, is it a tax change for the 1 percent? Yes. Does it potentially help players like Donald Trump, like the Kushner family? That's the fear. As a result, does it feel stinky? Yes, it does. But the argument could be made here that it prevented a bigger collapse that could have had housing and rent implications for many of us.
[Tapper:] And, Julia, you and I have been talking for weeks now about the small business loan program. Today, it officially tapped out. They don't have any money. Moments ago on the Senate floor, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed Democrats for stalled negotiations. Any signs of a deal, given how badly small business businesses need this money? Any hope there?
[Chatterley:] Mitch McConnell also called it an emergency. And I agree with him on that point. The negotiations continue. Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri said, look, he believed that the impasse could be overcome by the next session. That's Monday. He also suggested that the president on a call with senators today, he said that perhaps money could be found for other things. We have got a timing issue. The Republicans believed that more money was needed for the states and for health care, but they wanted to give it a bit of time. The Democrats want it all to happen now. The hope is that this gap can be bridged, because, Jake, this is an emergency for small businesses. And the job claims numbers tells you that. More jobs will be lost, more businesses will fail if they can't agree this money now.
[Tapper:] All right, CNN business anchor Julia Chatterley, as always, thank you so much.
[Chatterley:] Thank you.
[Tapper:] President Trump's guidelines to avoid discretionary travel apparently did not apply to his daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump and her husband, senior adviser Jared Kushner. The two, along with their children and Secret Service protection, despite their own admonitions to the rest of us to stay home and stay safe, drove from Washington, D.C., to the Trump property in Bedminster, New Jersey, to celebrate Passover last week. A White House official defended the Kushners' trip, saying the facility in Bedminster is closed down and is considered a family home, and that Ivanka Trump's travel was no different than going to and from work outside of the populated D.C. area. We should note, New Jersey is one of the worst-hit states in the nation, with 71,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 3,100 deaths. While the United States figures out how and when things will start to reopen, one country just announced they are extending their stay-at- home order. Stay with us. In our world lead today: Singapore, held up by many as an example of how to deal with COVID-19, is now seeing its largest one- day increase in cases, reporting 728 new coronavirus patients just today, most from a cluster of foreign workers in dorms. Last week, the average number of new cases was just 48. Some European cities are seeing dramatic drops in a specific pollutant during this lockdown, Paris seeing a 54 percent decrease, Madrid, Rome, Milan all sitting around a 45 percent decrease. The United Kingdom announced today that they will be extending stay- at-home orders until at least May 7. CNN's Nic Robertson joins me now to discuss. Nic, is there any indication of what it will take for these stay-at- home orders to begin to be lifted?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Yes, Jake, the government's been under a lot of pressure here to give an idea of what it will take. And we got the first indication of that today, a five-point plan laid out, number one, that the Health Service here can cope, meaning that they have got enough critical care beds, secondly, that there is a sustained decrease in the number of deaths, thirdly, that there is reliable data. And I think this is critical as well, that they have reliable data that the number of infections are decreasing. So, what they're telling us here is, this is going to be numbers-led. The fourth point, again, that's something that government has come in for a lot of criticism for. The fourth point is that there's enough personal protective equipment, PPE and, critically, tests, enough tests available in the country. This country has been woefully short of tests to detect the presence of the virus. So, that's the fourth thing. And the fifth item is the piece of greatest concern for the government, that it doesn't do something, it doesn't have a strategy that allows a second wave, a second spike of infections that could come that could overwhelm the Health Service Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Nic Robertson in London, thank you so much. Appreciate it. President Trump will release his guidelines on attempting to reopen the country, at least to a degree, soon.

[Tapper:] In our politics lead today: Coronavirus cases in the United States have increased 75 percent compared to just two weeks ago, but you will find little mention of this deadly pandemic on President Trump's Twitter feed, where, instead, he is stoking the flames of racial division, today calling the phrase Black Lives Matter a symbol of hate, where he's defending Confederate monuments and statues, and suggesting the 2020 election is a quote "battle to save the heritage, history and greatness of our country" unquote. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is live for us at the White House. And, Kaitlan, what do we know about why the president is so focused on these divisive issues, instead of paying attention to the pandemic that is killing tens of thousands of Americans?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] I think, most simply put, Jake, he just feels like it's more comfortable territory for him. And that is why that's something he's been digging in on Twitter, while he's ignoring those grim assessments that we heard from his own health officials, people like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said the U.S. is headed on the wrong direction coronavirus. And instead of talking about that, matching that public messaging, at least, the president has instead focused on pursuing these cultural battles ahead of his election. He's talking about Black Lives Matter and the decision by New York, the lawmakers there, to slash the city's police department by their funding by a billion dollars. And he's saying that they should not be painting Black Lives Matter on Fifth Avenue. Of course, it's also painted right out in front of the White House as well. And then not only that, Jake. He's also targeting a Fair Housing Act regulation, saying he might do away with it because he believes it targets suburban people who live in the suburbs. He's also going after this defense spending bill, saying he may not sign it because it includes that provision that would allow for the renaming of those military bases that are named after Confederate leaders. So he is threatening to veto a defense spending bill that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he's fine with over this one provision that, of course, we should note passed a Republican-led committee.
[Tapper:] The politics of division. And, Kaitlan, another issue the president likes to divide the country on, he's been reluctant to wear a mask during this pandemic. He was just asked minutes ago about wearing a mask. He said he had no problem with them?
[Collins:] Yes. Even though he has refused to wear one publicly, the president said he has no issue with masks. Listen to what he just told FOX Business a few minutes ago.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I'm all for masks. I think masks are good. I would wear if I were in a group of people, and I was close...
[Blake Burman, Fox News:] You would wear one?
[Trump:] Oh, I would. I would. Oh, I have. I mean, people have seen me wearing one. I sort of liked the way I looked.
[Collins:] He says he has no problem wearing one, though he has refused, he has said it's unpresidential. He's gone to places where masks are required, and the president has not put one on. There's only one occasion when he's worn one briefly. The only reason we know that is because we later saw a photo of him wearing it. And, Jake, he's been in situations where masks have been required or they would be recommended by health experts, and he's refused to do so, though he seems to be changing his tune on that, as you're seeing more and more Republicans tell him to just wear a mask. But I want to point to something else he said, which is, back in February, the president claimed, one day, coronavirus is just going to disappear. Here we are in July, with cases reaching record numbers, and the president repeated that sentiment in this interview with FOX Business. And when he was pressed, do you really think it's still going to just disappear, and he says, yes, that one day, he believes it will.
[Tapper:] Well, existentially, Kaitlan, at some point, all of us are going to disappear. Maybe that's what he meant. Thanks so much for that report. Today, President Trump also claimed that intelligence reports that Russian officials offered Taliban terrorist bounties to kill U.S. and British soldiers are all just a hoax, made up by the lamestream media. Obviously, that's a lie. The facts are this. There is disagreement within the intelligence community about the information, but the intelligence was serious enough that sources confirm U.S. intel leaders brief their counterparts in the United Kingdom about the threat. And President Trump's National Security Council held a meeting in the spring about possible response options to the intelligence. CNN's Kylie Atwood is at the State Department for us. And, Kylie, you asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about this intelligence today. What did he have to say?
[Kylie Atwood, Cnn National Security Reporter:] Yes. Well, throughout his remarks at the State Department today, Secretary Pompeo repeatedly defended how the White House, this administration has responded and handled this intelligence, saying that they took it seriously and they responded in precisely the correct way. But when I asked the secretary if he thought, in his opinion, as the former CIA director, as a former soldier, if the president should have been made aware of this intelligence, even if it wasn't fully verifiable, he didn't answer the question. He took issue with the premise of the question, saying it was based on some assumptions. But, as you said, Jake, just earlier today, the national security adviser acknowledged that this intelligence had been received by the National Security Council. They had been working on interagency responses, if the intelligence proved to be true. And what Pompeo did in responding to the question is talk about broadly when he decides to bring threats and make them aware to the president. Let's listen.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] When the threat is sufficiently serious, the scale of the threat is of such importance that there's an action that I think that the president needs to be aware of, and the information that I have seen is sufficiently credible, then we make sure that the president is aware of that. The president has been consistently aware of the challenges that Russia presents to us, and he is aware of the risk in Afghanistan.
[Atwood:] Now, he said that President Trump is made aware of the risks posed by Russia in Afghanistan, but still begging the question, why wasn't the president made aware of the risks posed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan by Russia, Jake?
[Tapper:] Yes. And, Kylie, a Pentagon report released today found the Russia has been working with the Taliban, in an attempt to speed up the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Tell us more about that.
[Atwood:] Yes. So, the U.S. has long known, Jake, obviously, that Russia had been supporting the Taliban over the last few years. This report puts a bit of a finer point on it, saying that Russia was doing that in order to speed up the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now, this is significant, given the context of the conversation we're having today, this criticism about how the administration handled this intelligence regarding Russian threats on U.S. troops in Afghanistan. And, of course, it's important, given the context of the continued U.S.-Taliban negotiations Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Kylie Atwood at the State Department for us, thank you so much for that report. With a lack of statewide measures, the city of Sarasota in Florida is now implementing a mask mandate. I'm going to talk with the mayor, who is preparing for a visit from the vice president. That's next.

[Hill:] The United States, nearing 100,000 deaths due to coronavirus. The crowds, though, were out over the Memorial Day Weekend, leaving many to ask if it's all too soon. I'm joined now by infectious disease specialist Dr. Carlos Del Rio. He's also the executive associate dean at Emory University Medical School for the Grady Health System. Doctor, always good to talk to you. You know, I'm curious, we saw these crowds out over the weekend. There are some concerns, even out of Arkansas, from the governor about a second wave. Vice President Pence, though, the other day, praised Georgia's efforts of course, where you are, in Atlanta saying that Georgia was leading the way. Is that what you're seeing in your state? Is Georgia leading the way as an example for reopening?
[Carlos Del Rio, Infectious Disease Specialist:] Well, you know, it's too soon to know. I think after the governor made the you know, opened the state, people still stayed at home. There wasn't this huge amount of people going out. Now, we'll see, after the Memorial Day Weekend, what happens. But we are beginning to see an uptick in cases in Georgia, and I think it's clearly a result of people relaxing social distancing. And I think we need to remind people, this virus is still around. It hasn't gone away, and you can still get sick, you can still die. So we need to be careful, and I think reminding people that, no, it's not over, it's not yet over. And we need to you know, while we're relaxing measures, we still need to continue thinking about social distancing, we still need to wear a mask, we still need to wash our hands.
[Hill:] There's also the question of, as there are more cases popping up and as you point out, there are a lot of folks looking at, OK, so when are we starting to see this spike? And then we'll backtrack a couple of weeks and see how it all coincides with easing of restrictions. There is more testing going on as well. How do you look at the numbers and square where we're at? Is it more about testing from around the country? Is it more about easing restrictions?
[Del Rio:] Well, I think testing is important, that it goes up. And I think we all are wanting to see about 30 tests per thousand population in every state, and I think a state that achieves that is doing a good job. So testing is critically important because you're going to have outbreaks, there's no doubt about that. If you're having as you're easing restrictions, you will see these outbreaks. But what you need to be able to do is rapidly identify them, rapidly contain them and prevent that they spread further. It's almost like a fire department strategy, you need to contain the fire before it breaks into an entire neighborhood or entire forest being on fire. So the sooner you pick up cases, the sooner you identify them and isolate them, the better it is. Now, cases will go up. So I don't worry that much about cases, I worry more about ICU and hospital bed capacity. We need to monitor those things.
[Hill:] And that's
[Del Rio:] And again, if you look at those, those are critical components because the cases that go into the hospital and go into the ICU is really where we have our limited amount of beds. And where we need to be careful that we not exceed our bed capacity.
[Hill:] And that is so important, to make sure that if there is a spike, if there is a surge in cases, that the hospitals in the area are equipped to deal with that, as we're seeing the concerns come out of Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. Carlos del Rio, always appreciate your insight. Thank you.
[Del Rio:] Thank you, Erica.
[Hill:] Brazil's president, greeting supporters while not wearing a mask despite the growing outbreak in that country. Overnight, the U.S., also announcing a travel ban for folks flying in from Brazil. Details and a live report, that's next.

[Blitzer:] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offering new guidance on people who have tested positive for coronavirus, whether they have symptoms or asymptomatic. Let's get details and analysis with Emergency Room Physician, Dr. Megan Ranney and Epidemiologist Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. Dr. El-Sayed, let's start with people who are symptomatic. The CDC now saying they may quit isolating ten days after symptoms first appeared as long as 24 hours have passed since last having a fever, without use of any fever meds, or if a fever has passed without use of meds, and two tests taken more than 24 hours apart come back negative. How significant potentially is this change? What's the bottom line?
[Dr. Abdul El-sayed, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, look, the bottom line is that if you have symptoms, stay away from folks. And we're starting to get a better picture of just how long people may be shedding virus after their symptoms are subsiding. And what the CDC is giving us is a better sense of the calipers around when that period is. But, you know, the same points that the public should understand remain clear. Number one, everybody ought to be masking and staying socially distant because you may not know that you're spreading it even before you have symptoms or without symptoms. But if you do have symptoms, after those symptoms subside, we have a better sense of when, then you can assume that you're not shedding virus. And this is really what the CDC is explaining to the public now.
[Blitzer:] Because people who are totally asymptomatic may not even know they have coronavirus. They can easily spread it to their parents, their grand grandparents, or strangers on the street for that matter if folks don't wear masks. Dr. Ranney, the CDC also updated some guidelines for asymptomatic people who've tested positive. It's recommended that they also wait 10 days after the first positive test if they haven't developed symptoms or if two tests taken more than 24 hours apart come back negative. Do we have any indication at all of how many people might be asymptomatic, completely without symptoms, but still able to spread this potentially deadly disease?
[Dr. Megan Ranney, Emergency Physician, Lifespan/brown University:] So, Wolf, this is one of the big questions that we're exploring right now within public health and medicine. And just to break it down, what asymptomatic means is that you have no symptoms. No sore throat, no fever, no cough, no fatigue, nothing. There's also mildly symptomatic and pre-symptomatic, which means it's a day or two before you're going to develop symptoms. Depending on how it's measured, studies say anywhere from 15 pecent to 50 pecent of people who are infected may be asymptomatic. What that means for you and me is two things. First, as Dr. El-Sayed said, it is critically important for us to always behave as if anyone who were around could be infected and asymptomatic. That's why that mask wearing and physical distancing is critical, no matter how much you trust a person. The second place that it really matters is around testing, because if we're only testing symptomatic people, it means we're missing the folks who are super spreaders. There have been a bunch of reports in the news about those asymptomatic people sickening whole churches or choirs. And so, as we move forward in this pandemic, we have to start thinking about having enough tests to test for asymptomatic people who may be spreading the virus.
[Blitzer:] You know, Dr. El-Sayed, the guide relies on testing in some cases, yet unfortunately, it's still so hard for a lot of people to get tested and get results back in a timely fashion, within let's say two or three days. Some folks have to wait a week, ten days. How useful is that information and why are we still lagging so far behind a whole bunch of other countries in testing and reporting capabilities?
[El-sayed:] Well, I'll tell you, what this really shows is that, we could get such a better handle on this virus if we had the testing to be able to do that. And the fact of the matter is, is that we just not have had the federal leadership that we've needed to be able to clear the way to get all of the components of a test together at the scale that we need to be able to provide it to the general public. And this is frustrating because, of course, we've been dealing with this virus now in earnest since March. And frankly, we should have been dealing with it in earnest since January. So we got behind from the jump and haven't caught up. Meanwhile, you have very well meaning protocols coming out of public agencies. The problem, though, of course, as you've noted is that we just don't have the testing available to be able to activate those for enough of the people who may in fact be exposed and potentially ill. And just to put an exclamation point on Dr. Ranney's excellent point, we don't know if we are carriers of this disease. And so, it is absolutely critical not just to pay attention to what happens when you have symptoms but to assume that even if you don't have symptoms, you could be one of those people who spreading it.
[Blitzer:] Yes, that's really important as well. Dr. Ranney, what are we learning now, some new information about reinfection rates? Are people getting coronavirus more than once?
[Ranney:] It is too early for us to see for sure whether people are being infected by coronavirus more than once. There are a few anecdotes or case studies of people who have been infected, gotten better and then been infected again. There are other studies showing that somewhere around two-thirds of people develop antibodies or immunity to COVID-19 and that about half of those, their immunity disappears within a couple of months. Those studies are concerning to us, but there's no definite evidence one way or another whether people can be re-infected at this point. It is simply too early in the course of this virus for us to know for sure. Time will tell, and we hope to goodness that people will not be able to be infected more than once, but we're waiting and seeing and watching.
[Blitzer:] Yes. The doctors, the medical experts, the scientists, they've learned a lot about this virus, but they all acknowledge there's still a whole lot more they still have to learn. To both of you, doctors, thank you so much for joining us. Dr. Ranney, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, appreciate it very, very much. Stay safe out there. Thanks for all the good work.
[El-sayed:] Thank you for having us.
[Blitzer:] A crisis unfolding in Portland, Oregon, right now. The city's attorney general is demanding an investigation after video surfaced online that showed masked and camouflaged federal agents detaining peaceful protesters, but are there legal issues for these kinds of arrests? We'll discuss that and have much more on the coronavirus when we come back.

[Camerota:] President Trump's racist tweets providing a test for Twitter's new stance to label and down rank tweets that break their rules on hateful conduct. The social network says the president's latest remarks do not meet that threshold. But how is that possible? Joining us now is Donie O'Sullivan, CNN politics and technology reporter. Here's what their written policy is, Donie. We prohibit targeting individuals with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category. Twitter goes on, we are committed to combatting abuse motivated by hatred, prejudice or intolerance, particularly abuse that seeks to silence the voices of those who have been historically marginalized. How does the president's tweet not fall into that category?
[Donie O'sullivan, Cnn Politics And Technology Reporter:] I know, especially when you hear the mention the "trope" there. I mean if the phrase "go back to where you came from" can't be understood as a trope, I mean what is. I think Twitter and many people, I think, would be uncomfortable with the idea that a platform could just take down the tweets of the leader of the free world. That is why just three weeks ago Twitter brought in a new policy whereby they said if a world leader like Trump is to break our rules, we will label it. We will say this we have he has broken our rules but we are leaving the tweet up because it is in the public interest and so people can hold him accountable. But even here we say the company is reluctant to do that.
[Camerota:] They're not labelling it.
[O'sullivan:] No.
[Berman:] They they OK, they didn't label it?
[O'sullivan:] No.
[Berman:] The bottom line here is that the notion of President Trump has created so many challenges for Twitter. It's just clear they don't know what to do it with him.
[O'sullivan:] Absolutely. And, I mean, if you think about, in 2016, we saw the role social media played between the rise of Trump and also how Russia used it to interfere in the election. With these policy decisions, when you think about Twitter leaving this up, FaceBook leaving up the Nancy Pelosi video, you can see how policy decisions made in Silicon Valley could have a real impact on the 2020 election. And there's no transparency around it. I mean we ask we point to Twitter to their own policies and said, is this not a contradiction of your policies.
[Camerota:] And what did they say?
[O'sullivan:] They did not elaborate on it. They said it didn't break our rules, that's it, and they would not explain it. I mean there's they go to Congress, they say, we are being transparent, we are, you know, reforming, we are putting in place these new rules but then they'll give us no insight into the decision making process around that.
[Camerota:] So
[Berman:] What are they being transparent on?
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Berman:] I mean what are they even claiming to be transparent about?
[O'sullivan:] I mean I think they do a victory lap every time they say, we've implemented this new policy. Take a few weeks ago when they said, we're going to label these tweets in the public interest to say, you know, we we want to be transparent, that this is the reason why we are leaving a tweet up even if it violates our standards. So they announce that, pat themselves on the back and then they come back three weeks later, we have an incident like this, and they won't even explain how, when it clearly seems to contradict their policy, why they're not acting on it.
[Camerota:] So isn't the bottom line, really, that Twitter is a sham?
[O'sullivan:] I think Twitter is extremely sensitive towards the claims of perceived anti-conservative bias, which you see from Republicans pretty much every week. Senator Ted Cruz is even holding a hearing on that very issue today of perceived bias against conservatives.
[Camerota:] But, I mean, let but forget forget Democrat, forget Republican, forget liberal, forget conservative, weren't they going to label falsehoods? And this tweet is rife with inaccuracies. These women are U.S. citizens. They were the three of them were born here. So it's wrong. So were they going to also label things that were this much in the public interest that were inaccurate?
[O'sullivan:] Well, that is, again, another massive challenge for them. That is something Twitter has been far behind FaceBook on. Facebook has been labeling false information, Twitter not so much. But, again, another challenge, and particularly as we see in the lead up to 2020.
[Berman:] Unwilling or unable to curate in any kind of way it does seem.
[Camerota:] Donie, thank you very much for all of that.
[O'sullivan:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] OK, now to this. There's an update. You remember author E. Jean Carroll. Well, she is now considering legal action against President Trump for an alleged sexual assault in the 1990s. But are her options limited? We're going to ask E. Jean Carroll and a top lawyer straight ahead.

[Berman:] President Trump begins 2020 facing several crises. Escalating tensions in Tehran after pro-Iranian protesters tried to storm, and they vandalized the U.S. embassy in Baghdad in Iraq. And this new threat from the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, that risks the prospect or really or throws open the question of what's going on with the U.S.-North Korea relationship and the nuclear development inside North Korea. Joining us now, CNN political and national security analyst David Sanger. He's national security correspondent, "The New York Times." And he has a great piece on all of this in this morning's paper that includes this quote, David. Let me read this. "Both the Iranians and North Koreans seem to sense the vulnerability of a president under impeachment and facing re- election, even if they're often clumsy as they try to play those events to their advantage." Let's start with North Korea this morning. Kim saber rattling again. How is it that President Trump so misjudged his relationship with him?
[David Sanger, Cnn Political National Security Analyst:] John, I think the core of it is that the president believed that the force of his personality, the personal relationship that he put together with Kim was going to do it. And that that, combined with the economic lure of of development in North Korea, would make this happen. You know, remember that in Singapore and then at some later meetings, the president delivered these videos that showed, you know, hotel
[Harlow:] On the iPad.
[Sanger:] On the iPad. That's right. That showed hotels they were going to build along the beaches, the east coast of North Korea. By the way, I've been on some of those beaches years ago. They're all mined. They may want to de-mine them before they they get kids out on the beach there. But the truth of the matter is, in the end, the president didn't get to the core issue, which is that Kim views the nuclear weapons as his great insurance policy.
[Harlow:] So given that, I'm really interested in what you make of the White House response, because from the president, it has been very subdued, sort of we hope for the best. No "fire and fury." No "Little Rocket Man." From Mike Pompeo, "Chairman Kim will make the right decision, and he'll choose peace and prosperity over conflict and war." Is that a strategy, or is that cross your fingers and hope?
[Sanger:] That's a hope. It's not a strategy. At this point, the president is so invested in this policy, Poppy, that I don't think there's a way he can really go back to "fire and fury." Because it would be acknowledging that everything he's been putting together for the 18 past 18 months has failed. And, you know, his base believes that he actually disarmed North Korea.
[Berman:] Well, he I think he believes it. I mean, what's the tweet?
[Harlow:] Yes, that's a good point.
[Berman:] What's the tweet he's saying? He said and this was from June 13, 2018 "There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."
[Sanger:] That was just as he was leaving Singapore.
[Berman:] And it wasn't true then, and it's not true now.
[Sanger:] Well, it's less true now than it was then. Because the fact of the matter is, what he failed to get in Singapore was a freeze
[Harlow:] Freeze.
[Sanger:] on any of their nuclear development.
[Harlow:] Right.
[Sanger:] So we think that, at the time of Singapore, Kim had 20, 25 weapons or, at least the fuel for those nuclear weapons. The best guess now is 38 to 40.
[Harlow:] Yes. As you as you point out in your piece, you know, rightly so, they even have the president and Kim fundamentally different understandings of what denuclearization on the peninsula even means. They're not even on the same page there. And you talk about the vulnerability that the president is in and viewed as vulnerable by Chairman Kim but also by Iran. And how that vulnerability, you believe, fueled what we saw play out in Baghdad over the last few days.
[Sanger:] First of all, these leaders, they all read "The Times." They all watch CNN. They know what's going on. They understand the president's in a very sensitive year. The president knows they know it. That's why he said a few weeks ago that Kim shouldn't interfere in the presidential election. What does interfere mean? It means create a crisis, OK? The Iranians get that, too. And so all the Iranians were doing, I think, in stoking these protests in Baghdad was making a point that your diplomats, your troops, are vulnerable. Anybody want to drop by and tell the president about the hostage crisis, you know, in Iran exactly 40 years ago?
[Berman:] Yes. Look, I mean, this is the U.S. embassy in Baghdad or outside the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. One of the most secure structures in the world. But still, it's remarkable to see the damage that can be done. And I wonder, David, just big picture. What does this do to the U.S. position in that part of the world and our strategy to fight ISIS, for instance? You know, our presence in Iraq is crucial
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Berman:] now as the U.S. withdraws from Syria. If we can't be in Iraq safely, the U.S., how are they going to battle ISIS?
[Sanger:] Well, one of the great oddities here is that the U.S. and Iran were on the same side of the ISIS battle. And after the 2015 nuclear agreement, President Obama had hoped and really did not follow up to try to make it happen that the Iranians would make fighting ISIS their next common move with the United States. Obviously, we went in different directions on that. But I think the Iranians clearly understand that the president's view of American troop presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and every place else is get them out. And if they can just push that along a bit, they might actually get the withdrawal they want in the midst of a presidential election. I mean, it happened in Syria with much smaller numbers. It would be a harder thing to do in Iraq. But the president's overall instinct is, Why are we there?
[Berman:] Watch this space. David Sanger, terrific piece this morning.
[Sanger:] Thank you very much.
[Berman:] I'm sure we're going to see you again soon.
[Sanger:] I suspect we will. Happy new year to both of you.
[Harlow:] Happy new year.
[Berman:] Happy new year.
[Harlow:] Enjoy.
[Berman:] All right. There's this brash move from Israel's embattled prime minister. What he is now asking lawmakers as he faces corruption charges. That's next.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Breaking news just in, a White House official tells CNN that President Trump, despite being infected with coronavirus, is expected to host an event at the White House tomorrow. CNN's Kaitlan Collins joins me now. Kaitlan, this doesn't sound safe.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, I think it depends on who you ask, because the President's doctor issued that letter but didn't take any questions, saying the President was cleared to do public engagements starting on Saturday. Though, of course, that conflicts with a timeline he previously gave to reporters, Jake. But my colleague Jim Acosta says a White House official is telling him there will be an in-person event at the White House tomorrow where the President is going to be speaking. And what that means for viewers at home is that's the first time we'll have independently seen the President since he returned to the White House on Monday. Yes, the White House has published these edited videos of the President, but we haven't laid eyes on him as reporters since then, though he has been in the Oval Office a few times this week, and we believe he's there again now because the marine is standing outside the West Wing. But, of course, Jake, it's going to raise all kinds of questions about whether or not the President has even gotten a negative test result yet. Now White House spoke
[Tapper:] All right, Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much. In our 2020 LEAD, 25 days until the presidential election. And already more than 6 million ballots have already been cast. President Trump is continuing however to sow doubt about the integrity of the election, making all sorts of wild claims, including in the last hour false claims about mail-in ballots, and before it's even happened, he's called the election a scandal.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] But they're sending out millions and millions of ballots. Are they sending them to all Democrats? Who are they sending them to, where are they going, you know, et cetera, et cetera? This is going to be the second biggest political scandal in history.
[Tapper:] No, it won't. I want to bring in CNN's Pamela Brown. Pamela, completely untrue. Americans have been voting absentee since the Civil War. Many states have been voting absentee, vote by mail for a decade. The ballots don't just go to Democrats. There's no scandal. Certainly not anything we know of right now.
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] That's right, there's no scandal, and sources tell me that the President is essentially laying the groundwork to claim that the election is rigged so that if he is ahead on election day, he can try to preserve his victory and claim it was stolen from him if Biden pulls ahead through mail-in ballots. But of course, the polls are showing now that it's not as close of a race as it was before. That is not stopping the President from pushing out this false messaging, even saying that we should know the results on election night. That is something contradicted by officials, and his own administration in a video this week. They said we may not know results on election night, and that's OK.
[Brown:] After stopping a domestic terrorism plot to kidnap Michigan's Democratic governor, renewed worries that armed people at the polls could intimidate voters or worse as tensions are rising.
[Dana Nessel  Michigan Attorney General:] It's not just a Michigan problem, it's an American problem, and I think there's going to be more incidents to come.
[Brown:] Michigan's Attorney General is working on guidance for law enforcement on how to handle guns at polling places. In 11 states and D.C., there is a ban on firearms at the polls. But many swing states, including Michigan, don't have strict rules against it. Officials are concerned about potential voter suppression.
[Jocelyn Benson  Michigan Secretary Of State:] It is an intimidation tactic to have, you know, people at the polls, you know, with weapons.
[Brown:] At the same time, there are some new developments for voters mailing in their ballot. Some clarity in Ohio where a federal judge blocked an order limiting ballot drop boxes to only one per county. Writing that it was a, quote, very serious looming problem that could jeopardize the right to vote, especially in cities like Cleveland. And Wisconsin Democrats are wanting to extend the deadline lost in federal appeals court. The judges said all ballots have to reach officials when polls close on election day.
[Claire Woodall-vogg, Executive Director, Milwaukee Election Commission:] Unfortunately, the constant changing of the election laws is nothing new in Wisconsin. If you know how you plan to vote, there's no time to waste. Go ahead and vote.
[Brown:] And now both parties are gearing up for the possibility of a contested election, with no clear winner on November 3rd or weeks beyond. The "Washington Post" reports Speaker Nancy Pelosi has discussed the issue in meetings. One scenario involves invoking the Electoral Count Act, an unobscured untested 19th century law which gives Congress the power to settle state level disputes. Last week Nancy Pelosi acknowledged any Congressional involvements would be messy.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi  Speaker Of The House:] If all that chaos takes us to a time that could be past the date when the electoral colleges must meet, we will be ready.
[Brown:] But one area, Jake, Democrats are not necessarily ready on is messaging, countering the President's false claims that he's making today that we were just talking about. I just spoke to Congressman Gerry Connelly. He is a Democrat. He said, we need to step up our messaging, there is not an organized effort. We're going to have to really move into hyperdrive. Of course, we're only a few weeks away from the election, Jake, and he said he is setting up a strawman and it has to be knocked down. The President clearly wants to influence public perception even before the election happens Jake.
[Tapper:] And also, I mean simultaneously his campaign is putting out messages encouraging Republicans to vote, vote early, vote by mail if they want to, et cetera. I mean it's completely contrary to what his campaign is saying.
[Brown:] Absolutely.
[Tapper:] Pamela Brown, thank you so much. In our 2020 LEAD today, Joe Biden continues to refuse to answer the question if he would add justices to the nine-member Supreme Court if he becomes President. He says, you'll just have to wait until after the election to find out.
[Joe Biden, Democratic Presidential Nominee:] You'll know my opinion of court packing when the election is over. The moment I answer that question, the headline in every one of your papers will be about that, other than other than focusing on what's happening now.
[Tapper:] CNN's Arlette Saenz joins me now from Las Vegas, Nevada. It's a critical swing state. What's the pitch that he's making to voters there?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] Well Jake, Joe Biden, when he landed here in Nevada, he made his first stop in east Las Vegas trying to court Latino voters. Latinos made up about 18 percent of voters here four years ago and that is a group that he is hoping to drive out to the polls heading into election day. And we're reaching that point in the campaign where Biden is not just making his pitch on why voters should choose him over President Trump, but he is also focusing on turnout. Yesterday he went to Arizona on the second day of early voting there, and here today in Las Vegas, in Nevada, which early voting starts here in eight days. He was already talking about the importance of people heading out to the polls. Take a listen to what he said a short while ago.
[Biden:] He's trying to scare us. He's trying to convince everybody there's ways they can play with the vote and undermine the vote. They can't. If we show up, we win. And look what's happening in early voting all across America. Long lines, long lines. We can't just win, we have to win overwhelmingly, so you can't be in a position where you can put the phony challenges that he's talking about.
[Saenz:] Now Biden is heading here to Las Vegas where in a short while he will hold a drive-in event, as you can see behind me. They've been turning to these drive-in style campaign events due to the coronavirus pandemic, trying to follow all the health and safety regulations in the states that they visit Jake.
[Tapper:] All right. Arlette Saenz in Las Vegas, thank you so much. When you make thousands of students and professors follow strict COVID guidelines, but you don't follow them yourself, there is bound to be a backlash. What could be next for the President of Notre Dame University. Stay with us.

[John Vause, Cnn International Anchor:] A day after his impeachment acquittal came an hour-long rambling stream of consciousness. And Hollywood rolls out the red carpet for its biggest night of navel- gazing and sell congratulations. Plenty of drama expected that this year's Academy Awards. The Chinese doctor who was among the first to sound an alarm about the Wuhan virus died on Friday from that disease. Li Wenliang died at the same hospital were back in December, he recorded several patients with a new coronavirus similar to SARS. But after he posted his findings on social media, Chinese authorities accused Li of spreading rumors and warned him not to speak out. Less than a week after being diagnosed with the virus, Li died. His death adds with ever-increasing number of victims. At least 638, all but two from mainland China. Chinese health officials now say more than 31,000 people are infected, an increase of more than 3,000 from a day before. And that's despite about 60 million people in China under lockdown that's now heading into its third week. Beyond Mainland China, there are now more than 300 cases worldwide, including at least 61 people on board a quarantine cruise ship just off Yokohama, Japan. Let's get the very latest now. Steven Jiang is standing by in Beijing. We have Matt Rivers in Yokohama, Japan. We want to start with Steven Jiang because Steven, this death of Dr. Li, this whistleblower if you like, it's actually getting a lot of play on social media, which seemed a little unusual when you consider the you know, initial reaction by the authorities was to close him down. And now they're allowing people essentially to blow steam, to talk about this, to call him a hero, to say he deserves an apology. What's going on here?
[Steven Jiang, Cnn Senior Producer:] Well, John, the story has literally lit up all social media platforms here in China for hours. But before get to that, there was a late-breaking development. The country's top anti-corruption agency, the National Supervisory Commission has just said they will be sending a team to Wuhan to investigate issues raised by the masses in their words related to the death of Dr. Li. Now, this vague, one-line statement didn't say what kind of issues they will be investigating. But this is obviously the government's attempt to respond to the to the raw emotions unleashed by millions across this country since the death of Doctor Li. Now, remember, this outpouring of grief and anger started Thursday night when news first emerged about the death. But of course, then we had a few hours of confusion. And many people suspected that the authorities did not announce his death until Friday, early Friday morning, in attempt to lessen the impact. But if that was their intention, they have failed miserably. As I was saying, social media platforms across the country, this is the only topic people seem to be caring people seem to care about. I was looking at my own social media feeds, talking to people across the nation. You know, you have government officials, and also police officers, social state media workers, as well as dissident activists really united in this one rare occasion posting the same image of this young doctor, and sending their condolences and asking really hard questions of why did this happen, and who was to blame. And as you said, this doctor when he first sounded alarm about his virus, he was only warning his college friends, as he told my colleagues last week. But by doing such as simple act, he was questioned by the police, threatened, and forced to sign a confession, basically. And then, of course, he passed away two weeks after he was admitted into a hospital. So, this was such a soul-searching moment for this nation. And people are now of course also demanding not only government accountability, but also freedom of speech, as you were saying sensors have been working overtime to fanatically delete all posts about this doctor. And John, just to tell you one surreal moment. I just watched the main news the new cast on the main channel, CCTV. 30 minutes they didn't mention Dr. Li's name a single time. Instead, they had 30 minutes of self-congratulations of how well they have been doing fighting this virus and the praise they have been getting from the rest of the world. John?
[Vause:] Sounds familiar. Steven, thank you. Matt, to you in Yokohama with the situation onboard this quarantine cruise ship. We're hearing from some passengers about conditions on board, that they're only let outside the cabins for fresh air for an hour and a half at a time to get some daylight, that kind of thing. Others say they're running short on medication. What do we know about the conditions onboard the cruise ship there, and how much longer are these people expected to be quarantined?
[Matt Rivers, Cnn International Correspondent:] It's a really tough situation, John, for the people that are onboard the ship behind me here. And we know they're going to be in that situation for at least two weeks according to the Japanese government. They say they are doing that out of an abundance of caution saying that they can't let the people on board that ship, some 3,700 including 1,000 staff members because they don't want them coming onboard or onshore. And when you when you think about the number of cases that have increased, it's hard to blame the Japanese government at least at this point. It was just yesterday, it was 20 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on board. Well, today that not increased to 61, an increase of 41 patients including eight Americans, we're told, and a number of other nationalities including Argentinian people, Japanese people, a number of different cases. And so you can expect that number to continue to go up. And you know, and that's what these cruise ships are in such difficult situations. There's a ship just like this one that's been quarantined off of Hong Kong. These are people that have been in close contact with each other for a long time now, and that's how these viruses spread. And we've been in contact for a few days now with an American couple who are on board that ship right now who were on their honeymoon which definitely turned in to a nightmare. And earlier today, they messaged us saying they're not doing so great mentally but they feel good health-wise, but they're afraid that's not going to last. "We just want to get the hell out of here. We're deathly afraid we're going to catch this virus being trapped on this ship." And I can only imagine what is going through the minds of these people who got on that ship hoping for a nice vacation. And now they're essentially in a floating prison.
[Vause:] Wow. OK, yes, a floating prison indeed. The holiday from hell is another interpretation. Matt, we appreciate your report, and also, Stephen, we appreciate the update from you there in Beijing as well. Thanks to you both. Within days of being told he faced certain impeachment for Watergate, Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, in his words, for the good of the country.
[Richard Nixon, Former President Of The United States:] I regret deeply any injuries may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision.
[Vause:] After his impeachment acquittal, a solemn and contrite Bill Clinton apologized to the nation for the Lewinsky affair.
[Bill Clinton, Former President Of The United States:] I want to say again to the American people how profoundly sorry I am for what I said and did to trigger these events.
[Vause:] And then there's Donald Trump acquitted after the impeachment trial, which for the first time in U.S. history, called no witnesses and saw no new evidence.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We first went through Russia, Russia, Russia. It was all bullshit.
[Vause:] The President unloaded what seemed to be three years of pent up anger and rage, bitterness, and Fox News talking points, a rambling monologue lasting an hour and two minutes. By contrast, Bill Clinton's apology, one minute 36 seconds. We get worn out from White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
[Trump:] This is what the end result is.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] One day after he was acquitted, President Trump touted the headlines and expressed no remorse as he claimed vindication.
[Trump:] I never thought a word would sound so good. It's called total acquittal.
[Collins:] From the East Room of the White House, the President lashed out at the Democrats he says tried to bring him down.
[Trump:] Adam Schiff is a vicious, horrible person. Nancy Pelosi is a horrible person.
[Collins:] Trump repeated a jab he made it the House Speaker Pelosi during the National Prayer Breakfast, accusing her of being dishonest when she says she prays for him.
[Trump:] I pray for the President. I pray for the president.
[Collins:] Pelosi who was four seats away from Trump at the breakfast later hit back.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] I don't know if the President understands about prayer or people who do pray. But we do pray for the United States of America, pray for him.
[Collins:] basking in his victory while surrounded by Republican allies, Trump also denounced the one member of his party who voted to convict him on the abuse of power charge.
[Trump:] And then you have some that use religion as a crutch. They never used it before. Say hello to the people of Utah and tell him I'm sorry about Mitt Romney.
[Collins:] Some Republican senators have claimed Trump learned his lesson after being impeached. But today, he insisted he did nothing wrong.
[Trump:] And some has said, I wish you didn't make the call. That's OK. If they need that. It's incorrect. It's totally incorrect.
[Collins:] During the at times rambling remarks, Trump appear to undermine aides who claimed earlier in the day he would express honesty and humility.
[Trump:] We first went through Russia, Russia, Russia. It was all bullshit.
[Collins:] Instead, he lashed out at the investigations against him, which he dismissed as efforts to take him down.
[Trump:] It was corrupt, it was dirty cops, it was leakers, and liars, and that should never ever happen to another president ever.
[Collins:] Now, the President's legal team who led his impeachment defense got a standing ovation in that room today. But even though the President spoke for over an hour, there was one attorney he didn't mention, his own Rudy Giuliani. Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
[Vause:] We're live to Los Angeles now with Michael Genovese, president of the Global Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University. Good to see you.
[Michael Genovese, Political Analyst:] Hi, John.
[Vause:] I was watching the president in the East Room of the White House, notably. What seemed such a contrast to the president who turned up at Congress to deliver the State of the Union, that president was on message. He stuck to the script. It was a script which was filled with misleading statements and outright lies. But the address to Congress didn't unravel into this bizarre mix of self-pity, victimization, and conspiracy theories. What we saw Thursday, was that a lot closer to Trump's real state of the union compared to what we heard on Tuesday?
[Genovese:] In a State of the Union Address, he stuck to script. He rarely does that. And that was, I think, one of his great strengths. And that's why this speech was more well-received than what you saw today. Today, it was unvarnished, unhinged, unplugged Donald J. Trump. He missed a great opportunity to press the reset button to say, all right, we're moving on, we're going to govern the country, we're going to lead for America. Instead, it was an orgy of revenge and anger. And it was
[Vause:] And if you look at the stuff that he was saying, so much of it has just been debunked over time again, and again, and again. But it's this part of this narrative, which has now become sort of Trump law.
[Genovese:] Well, Donald Trump says what he wants to be true, says it convincingly. He's got an experienced you've got an experienced entertainer who's had years and years on television. He knows how to work a camera. He knows how to speak to an audience. And his view is what I believe to be true is true, alternative facts being what they are. And you know, there are fact-checkers out there, but he's not talking to people who listen to fact-checkers. He's talking to his base. And in his base, this is red meat. It works. It's powerful. And it's going to get him to the polls, and that's his strategy for winning in 2020.
[Vause:] If there was one message from whatever that was in the East Room today on Thursday, it is this.
[Trump:] I mean, it worked out. We went through hell unfairly, did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong.
[Vause:] I did nothing wrong. Two Republican senators voted not guilty and justify that by saying the president had learned a valuable lesson. Where are they left now?
[Genovese:] Egg on their face. And I think the hope and it was a hope that the President would come through this humbled and would learn a lesson and that he grew up. Who believed that who could believe that? There is no evidence to support that or to believe it. It was wishful thinking on their part. They were trying to find reason and excuse to support the president because they know that the base will go after them if and when they go against. Look what look what the treatment of Mitt Romney right now. I mean, at the Prayer Breakfast, Donald Trump weaponized religion, used it against Mitt Romney, used it against Nancy Pelosi, when he said, oh, she doesn't really pray. I don't believe she prays. Well, I come from a same tradition, Catholic tradition as Nancy Pelosi. I was Catholic grade school, high school, college. When you were raised in that tradition, you pray for the sinner. You may hate the sin but you love the sinner. And when Nancy Pelosi says, I pray for the president. It rings true. I pray for the President. I do it almost every day, because I pray and prayer is important to me. Donald Trump seems not to understand that. And so, he weaponizes religion, uses it against people in a way that is unbecoming. And to me, it's an attack upon my faith.
[Vause:] Yes, let me stop you there because this is exactly what he actually did say in that National Prayer Breakfast which happened before he went on this rambling speech in the East Room. Listen to this. This is Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney.
[Trump:] I don't like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong. Nor do I like people who say, I pray for you when they know that that's not so.
[Vause:] But after he said that, not immediately but very shortly after he said that, he warned that will be retribution for those behind the impeachment. Now, surely a religious man as Donald Trump says he is, whose favorite book is the Bible, he would know Romans chapter 12, verse 19. Do not take revenge my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge. I will repay, says Lord. Let's be honest here. This is the President who has almost zero understanding of basic Christian teaching. It is beyond shameless what he said to Pelosi and Romney, and he seems to be totally and blissfully unaware of it.
[Genovese:] He may be unaware of it, but his constituency, the Evangelical Christians ought to see right through this. The fact that they don't is a function not of their belief that he is a good person, but his standard on abortion and on judges. They're willing to sell their position very cheaply to Donald J. Trump, and say, whatever you are, whatever you say, whoever you may be, we don't care. What we want you to do is give us A, B, and C. And that's what he's done. He's given them something very important to that constituency, that base, but it's a base that many people now say is too political, a little bit hypocritical, and they wonder if that Christianity that they are supposed to believe in applies to people who as Nancy Pelosi and Mitt Romney don't agree with the president.
[Vause:] We should note, there has been a lot of anger from religious leaders, from traditional churches, but nothing from you know, the evangelical supporters of Donald Trump. And as always, Michael, a good way to end of the week. Thank you for being with us.
[Genovese:] Thank you, John.
[Vause:] And the winner of the Iowa Democratic caucuses is we just don't know. All precincts have reported in and the former South Bend, Indiana mayor, Pete Buttigieg is locked in a virtual tie with Senator Bernie Sanders. He leads in the overall vote count, but the real battle, the real action is the state delegates. And now the Democratic National Committee Chair is calling for a recanvas of all results. Tom Perez tweeted, "Enough is enough." He wants all the numbers released by the state to be checked against results recorded at the caucus sites, and that could take forever. Well, still to come, the Trump Administration's Middle East plan for peace may be backfiring as violence ramps up between Israelis and Palestinians. We'll look at what's fueling the anger. That's in a moment. Also, Indian police make an arrest in a shocking crime against a five-year-old girl allegedly happened on the grounds of the U.S. Embassy. A live report from New Delhi. That's next.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] seem behind the ball on a lot of these issues. It's moving faster than they can do it.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] We'll watch where this goes. Brian, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Thanks to all of you for joining us. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Sciutto:] And I'm Jim Scuitto. "AT THIS HOUR" with Kate Bolduan starts right now.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. Thank you so much for being with me. Any moment now, hundreds of pages of testimony are about to drop, transcripts from the closed-door testimony of two of the so-called three amigos who were running President Trump's policy toward Ukraine, current U.S. ambassador to the E.U., Gordon Sondland, and former special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker. What details will emerge? We will see. But a large focus is likely to be on the contradictions Sondland's testimony have already presented, contradictions on whether he knew Trump wanted investigations into the Bidens specifically. And whether he knew that military aid was part of the quid pro quo. And whether anyone involved in these talks raised an alarm to the ambassador in real time. Plus, a short time ago, the Justice Department is weighing in on another aspect of all of this testimony, issuing a new memo to say that witnesses called to Congress that currently work for the administration must be allowed to bring a government attorney along. What does that mean for the list of officials who are refusing to appear before Congress this week? Again, we will see. So let's get to it. Let's begin with CNN senior congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, on Capitol Hill. Manu, what are you hearing about the transcripts set to be released today and also the fallout already from the transcripts released yesterday?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Well, there's a lot of interest in what Gordon Sondland said behind closed-doors. In his opening statement, he made clear that he was disappointed by the president's ask to involve Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, as part of this effort on Ukraine. Sondland said in that closed testimony that he tried to push for a meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky of Ukraine, but President Trump essentially said deal with Rudy Giuliani instead. And he says in his testimony, Sondland, that he didn't learn until much later that Giuliani was working on something that, quote, "involved Ukrainians that may directly or indirectly affect the president's 2020 campaign." And also, contradictions of other witnesses who have said things differently than Sondland, namely what happened in a July meeting over the push apparently by Sondland to push for these investigations that could help the president politically, complaints that were raised directly to him. He denied all of that. So it will be interesting to see the exchanges there and how he interacted with the president, how he described interactions with the president. Now, Kate, today, there were two other White House officials who were scheduled to come behind closed days today. Neither have appeared yet. One was supposed to come this morning. Wells Griffith, National Security Council official. This comes after four White House officials did not come behind closed-doors and talk to impeachment investigators yesterday. So emerging from the closed-door session in which the witnesses were supposed to attend, I asked a Democrat Jamie Raskin if they are prepared to go public despite these officials not testifying, not providing information that the committee needs. And he said this.
[Rep. Jamie Raskin:] If a bank robbery takes place and you have eight or 10 witnesses to it, that is great. It is better if you have 20 witnesses to it. But if you have eight or 10 witnesses who are telling you the same thing and it is uncontradicted, that will be enough to ascertain that there was a bank robbery.
[Raju:] So Democrats are signaling with the release of these transcripts with the push for public hearings as soon as next week that they are ready to move to the next phase. Even though a number of White House officials continue to stonewall the request to defy subpoenas and not show up behind closed-door, something that Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chairman, says could be used as evidence of obstruction of Congress Kate?
[Bolduan:] Let's see how those mount up. Manu, great to see you. Thank you so much. So it is easy to get bogged down in the hundreds of pages of transcripts that were already released from these closed-door interviews. But do not lose sight of a key part of the story that is unfolding here. At the core of it, witness after witness is backing up the claims first laid out in the whistleblower complaint. CNN's Tom Foreman is joining me with a closer look at that. Tom, connect the dots from these transcripts to the whistleblower complaint. What do they show?
[Tom Foreman, Cnn National Correspondent:] They show that the who and the how are really there. That there's proof of this. Let's start with the first claim that was raised about Giuliani. "The president's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, is a central figure in this effort. Attorney General Barr appears to be involved as well." This effort meaning this effort to get Ukraine involved, to put pressure on U.S. officials dealing with Ukraine. Why do we know this? Because Yovanovitch in the testimony on Giuliani, said, "Well, in retrospect, that characterization seems to be correct. At the time, we weren't seeing all the pieces. You could feel there was stuff out there but we had to put it all together." Remember, this is a woman who lost her job, according to her and the whistleblower, because of pressure from Rudy Giuliani to get her out of there because she was interfering with some kind of deal they were trying to strike. So she has confirmed that part of it.
[Bolduan:] And to what you were just saying, the whistleblower complaint also focused in on the reasons why Ambassador Yovanovitch was abruptly removed and obviously Yovanovitch was asked about that. What did she tell lawmakers?
[Foreman:] Exactly. Let's look at another part of the whistleblower's statement. The whistleblower said, "On or about the 29th of April, I learned from U.S. officials direct knowledge of the situation that Ambassador Yovanovitch had been suddenly recalled to Washington by senior State Department officials for consultations and would most likely be removed from her position. Several U.S. officials told me, in fact, her tour was curtailed because of pressure stemming from Mr. Lutsenko's allegations." And Mr. Lutsenko is a Ukrainian official tied to the two men arrested a short while ago who were clients of Rudy Giuliani. So it gets complicated but the bottom line, again, we have a witness saying, look, this is what happened. Yovanovitch herself responded to what the whistleblower said by saying, "There's a lot of concern for me, that I needed to be on the next plane home to Washington. So I was like what happened? And she said I don't know, but this is about your security. You need to come home immediately. And she, physical security?" And on and on it goes. The bottom line, you can see the confusion that Yovanovitch was raising, saying, I don't understand why I'm suddenly being yanked out of this job. But you pair that with what the whistleblower says, and says, yes you're being yanked out of that job, if you believe, their account, because she was standing in the way of something that the people's people wanted to do in Ukraine. Again, supporting the idea that there was this sort of shadow State Department action going on through his private attorney, not through the official channels that are sanctioned by the government and by proxy by the taxpayers Kate?
[Bolduan:] And side note on all of this, just an aside, is, by all accounts, Ambassador Yovanovitch was doing the job of trying to push Ukraine to root out corruption. I need to remind folks of that. But at the core of the impeachment inquiry is one question, was military aid withheld from Ukraine to pressure Ukraine to investigate political rivals of Donald Trump. When it comes to the aid, do these interviews offer clarity?
[Foreman:] They do. Look at what the whistleblower said about the aid. "On 18 July, an Office of Management and Budget official informed departments and agencies that the president earlier that month had issued instruction to suspend all U.S. security assistance to Ukraine." The White House, of course, will say, well, this isn't really related or it is related in a different way. They have given a lot of different explanations. But listen to what Michael McKinley, who is an aid to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, listen to what he said about it. "I'd say release of assistance has a very irregular pattern around the world. Question, there's always prospect of a hiccup with release of aid, isn't that fair to say? He said, there is, it is just a fact." But then he goes on to say in regard to this, "My concerns aren't put in the context of our policy toward Ukraine, whether we should give aid, who we should work with and so on. It is the way the system was used in the context of Ukraine." Sweep all of that aside, Kate, and what you have here is the whistleblower saying, look, I think that the White House pushed a U.S. official out of her position in Ukraine to promote a private agenda that was being pursued through Rudy Giuliani. And these testimonies are saying, yes, we think so, too.
[Bolduan:] So important to break it down in this way. Tom, thank you so much
[Foreman:] Thanks.
[Bolduan:] for offering that clarity. Again, we are waiting to see what the next batch, if you will, of testimony transcripts will be. When they have them, we will of course bring it all to you. But joining me now is former spokesman for the State and Defense Departments John Kirby, Max Boot, a CNN global affairs analyst and senior fellow at the Council for Foreign Relations, and former U.S. attorney, Harry Litman. Great to see you guys. John, you heard there that we know from this these transcripts when it comes to Michael McKinley that he asked the secretary of state these times to speak out in defense of Yovanovitch and the ambassador to Ukraine. I want to play what Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, told ABC about this on October 20th. Because this is critical.
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] From the time that Ambassador Yovanovitch departed Ukraine until the time that he came to tell me that he was departing, I never heard him say a single thing about his concerns with respect to
[George Stephanopoulos, Abc News Anchor:] So you were never asked
[Pompeo:] Not once. Not once, George, did Ambassador McKinley say something to me during that entire time period.
[Bolduan:] I don't know if saying time period is a key kind of I don't know. Out there? But I mean, is this evasive, straight up lying? What does it mean for Mike Pompeo?
[Rear Adm. John Kirby, Cnn Military & Diplomatic Analyst:] It is hard to say what is in Pompeo's mind when he delivers a statement like that. You're right, I picked up on the time period thing too wondering if he is sort ever dancing on a dodge there. But regardless, only one of the two men testified to Congress about this exchange over the ambassador's further. Only one of two men, McKinley, who resigned in protest over the silence of the State Department to support Ambassador Yovanovitch. So the weight of evidence is clear on McKinley's side. What I worry about larger, Kate, for the State Department, Pompeo's silence and his clear indication that he will go all in on Trump now, he has really moved way over into Trump's camp on this whole impeachment inquiry and Ukraine business, once again, that State Department officials will feel undermined and won't have the support of the front office the way they thought they would when Mike Pompeo came in. And that's a real shame.
[Bolduan:] And, Max, to John's point, I always wonder if that is in the back Pompeo's mind. Why is this a problem for Mike Pompeo? He is asked to speak out in her defense. He does not. No matter if the ambassador deserved to keep her post or not, if Secretary Pompeo didn't want to speak out, why didn't he just say so, what is the sensitivity there?
[Max Boot, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] Clearly, Secretary Pompeo realizes that he should have spoken out. This is the right thing to do when you have a career ambassador under assault by these political goons with a shady agenda. The secretary of state needs to stand behind his people. But Pompeo is, above all, a political survivor. He is somebody who is said to have higher ambitions, including possibly the Senate or even the presidency. And he knows for his own political survival. He needs to stay on Donald Trump's good side and so he could not speak out to defend somebody who is being assailed by Donald Trump's own personal attorney. So he put his own personal ambitions and his desire to stay on Trump's good side above his duty to the men and women that he leads in the State Department. And, you know, something I would have never thought I could say after Rex Tillerson's tenure, but I think that Mike Pompeo is actually a worse secretary of state than Rex Tillerson, who was disastrous. You don't get the since that Mike Pompeo is trying to do the right thing. You get the sense that it is all about him.
[Bolduan:] Harry, another thing that comes out in these hundreds of pages of transcripts that we've seen is the Republican concern about the process. But I would put this way, not in the way that they have been talking about the process publicly. You see this kind of line of questioning concern even from some key Republicans that the private proceedings be kept private. From Mark Meadows and Michael McCaul, both voicing concern about keeping the confidentiality of the proceedings, which is so contradictory when you see Republicans who staged that protest saying. let us in. You pair that with the number of questions that you do see Republicans asking in these transcripts, can they still argue that they aren't getting a fair time?
[Harry Litman, Former U.s. Attorney:] Can they argue? I mean they really couldn't before, but it didn't keep them from doing it. But this is as you say really a validation of the process. You're seeing the prosecutor, his art in practice here, these long winded 10 hours of testimony. You wouldn't ever want them in public. And you couldn't have them because otherwise people could dovetail their stories. Pompeo would have said something different had he known what McKinley said. You talk to witnesses, comprehensively. You get the main strokes and also many nuggets here. And that is when you come forward to the public and present it. It is always like that in any prosecution and any congressional investigation. So this really serves to validate and give credence to exactly the way the Democrats and Republicans, together, as you say, went about talking to the witnesses in the first instance.
[Bolduan:] John, what are you looking for then, what are you keying on in Sondland and Volker's transcripts here? It is almost with Volker he kind of laid the groundwork releasing the text messages, it has gone so far past that at this point. But what are you what is key about this?
[Kirby:] For me, I'm looking for two things. Obviously, I want to see differences and mismatches between Sondland and Volker, between themselves, but also between them and the other witnesses. I mean, we've seen almost everything coming out has verified the whistleblower's complaint. And it will be interesting to see the degree to which it lines up with Volker and Sondland. And number two, I'll be looking for how much detail and context is there in these testimonies about the role of Rudy Giuliani and what is clear some sort of shadow foreign policy. So how much did they know about it and, more importantly, how much did they enable it? Just initially. it looks as if both of them weren't just trying to sort of bound Giuliani in and sort of gain intel from him. It seems like they were actually trying to help him further his support for the president. And so that is obviously very troubling, and that's what I'm looking for, the degree to which they were enabling Giuliani.
[Bolduan:] That is interesting, John. Max, the president has been harping on exposing the identity of the whistleblower for quite in time. Rand Paul, Republican Senator from Kentucky, he took it a step further last night. Let me play this.
[Sen. Rand Paul:] The whistleblower needs to come before Congress as a material witness because he worked for Joe Biden at the same time Hunter Biden was getting money from corrupt oligarchs. I say tonight to the media, do your job and print his name.
[Bolduan:] Do your job. Max, when it comes to exposing potential wrongdoing, does the identity of the whistleblower matter when things as I'm looking at it, you've got claims in the complaint that are being vetted, that are being corroborated as we're seeing in transcripts that are coming out and the witnesses that are coming forward.
[Boot:] No, the identity of the whistleblower does not matter because, as you say, everything that the whistleblower has said has been amply corroborated not only by this parade of witnesses from Donald Trump's own administration, but by Donald Trump's own words in the rough transcript that was released of his phone call with President Zelensky. So there's only one reason why Rand Paul and Donald Trump the whistleblower's name out there, so they can smear this individual in the way that they have smeared other witnesses who have come forward to tell the truth. So they just want to drag the person through the mud. And what you are seeing is the transformation of the Republican Party into the party of banana republic. They are attacking the rule of law because what they are suggesting is in violation of the Whistleblower Identity Protect Act. So they are proposing to violate the law in order to smear and intimidate the president's critics and to smear and intimidate, in this particular case, a truth teller within the zika virus whose CIA whose testimony has been amply vindicated. This is just a disgusting assault on the rule of law and it is tragic to see this being done not just by President Trump but other Republicans like Rand Paul.
[Bolduan:] And it is yet to be decided if any of the claims and corroborations and facts that come out rise to the level of impeachment. Let's put that aside for a second. But the whistleblower complaint is basically, don't believe me, believe the seven other officials who have come out to corroborate quite a few or all of the elements of the complaint. It seems just kind of ridiculous journey, jaunt, red herring, a distraction to be harping on one person when it is now at least five who are saying the same thing. John, it's great to see you, Max, Harry. Thank you guys.
[Boot:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] Coming up, a horrific attack near the U.S.-Mexico border. Americans ambushed, burned alive. We're talking women, children and babies included. New details on how it happened. And what Mexico is promising to do about it now.

[Scholes:] Former UFC champ Conor McGregor arrested in Miami for smashing a fan's cellphone.
[Dean:] Andy Scholes here with more in this morning's "Bleacher Report". Hello.
[Scholes:] Hey, good morning, guys. Yeah, just another ugly incident involving the UFC star. According to police, McGregor was leaving a hotel early Monday morning when a 22-year-old man tried to take a picture of him. That's when police say McGregor slapped the phone out of his hand and stomped on it several times. McGregor then grabbed the phone and took it. McGregor was arrested Monday afternoon and charged with strong arm robbery and criminal mischief, both of which are felonies. McGregor was released on bail late Monday night. McGregor's attorney said in a statement to CNN Sports, Conor McGregor was involved in a minor altercation that resulted in a call to law enforcement. Mr. McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full cooperation. The United States women's soccer team prepared to defend their title at this summer's World Cup. They're also preparing for a legal battle over equal pay. 28 members filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation on Friday. And CNN spoke to two of the stars of the team, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, they say they just want what's right.
[Megan Rapinoe, U.s. Women's National Soccer Team:] I'm very confident winning the case. Like I said to even bring a lawsuit to the forefront, you have to be sure as hell that your claims are solid.
[Alex Morgan, U.s. Women's National Soccer Team:] What I look back on is the legacy that I leave and feeling proud of like the mark that I made on the sport, and I think that this will be just as great if not greater than the achievements we make on the field.
[Scholes:] Thunder at the Jazz last night. And Russell Westbrook is getting into it with a fan and his wife sitting near the bench.
[Russell Westbrook, Point Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder:] You think I'm playing? I swear to God. I swear to God. I'll
[Scholes:] The fans were issued a warning but not ejected from the game. And after the game, Westbrook, he addressed the incident.
[Westbrook:] Young man and his wife in the stands told me to get down on my knees like you used to. And to me, that is completely disrespectful. I think it is racial. I think it is inappropriate. There is no protection for the players.
[Scholes:] And the Jazz issued a statement saying they will continue to investigate what happened. But players and fans have a shared responsibility to create a safe and respectful environment. And this comes up quite often.
[Briggs:] With the NBA in particular.
[Scholes:] These fans, I don't understand how they just think that they can say whatever they want, because they are court side, it won't matter, because they never would say to them out on the street, you know?
[Dean:] Yes.
[Briggs:] You wonder if that court side access at some point is rethought. I guess it can't be. It is part of the game.
[Scholes:] Just unfortunate.
[Briggs:] Fans have to act more responsible as well. Andy, good to see you, my friend.
[Dean:] Thanks. More airlines and countries halting flights of a new Boeing model following another crash, but the FAA says the 737 MAX 8 can keep flying.

[Blitzer:] In New York tonight, an unprecedented new step to contain the coronavirus. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz is in New York. He's got details for us. Shimon, first of all, tell us what you're learning about plans to shut down the New York subway.
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Correspondent:] Yes, Wolf, as you said, this is unprecedented for the city, for the state. They're going to start shutting down the subway system and bus service all across the five boroughs of New York City starting at 1:00 a.m. And they're really going to be disinfecting every car. They're going to be disinfecting train stations, and really getting deep into some of the areas of the subway. And the police, the NYPD is going to be there, about a thousand officers. We just learn, they're going to be assisting the transit authority. One of the issues on the subways has been the homeless. So they need to get them off the subways. A lot of them have been spending their nights underground, in the subway cars. So they're going to use homeless outreach units to try and get them into shelters, to try and get them off the streets and to places where they can stay. This, of course, is all part of the bigger process for the city of reopening. The governor talking about the last few days, the different phases of which he's going to follow. According to the CDC, that first phase through fourth phase, the key really is a human lives and saving people's lives and making sure there aren't new infections. And he talked about that today, asking about what is the price, how much do you price, what is the price you pay for a human life. And here's what the governor said.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] How much is a human life worth? That's the real discussion that no one is admitting openly or freely. But we should. To me, I say the cost of a human life, a human life is priceless, period. Our reopening plan doesn't have a tradeoff. Our reopening plan says you monitor the data, you monitor the transmission rate, you monitor the hospitalization rate, you monitor the death rate. If it goes up, you have a, quote, unquote, circuit breaker, you stop, you close the valve on reopening.
[Prokupecz:] And all of the rates, Wolf, that the governor is talking about, that is all coming down. He said, we are now coming down the mountain. And those are going to be the key rates, the metrics, by which the governor ultimately decides whether or not to open up the city. Of course, the big question is, when does New York city open up, the five boroughs of New York city, and that still a big question. The governor really not willing to put a timetable on that. He wants to see the city continue to do what it's doing, he wants to see New Yorkers continue to socially distance and those numbers, the hospitalizations and the rates of infections need to keep coming down and then he will decide, Wolf, on when to open the city.
[Blitzer:] Yes, just taking a look at what's going on. All right, thanks very much, Shimon Prokupecz, in New York. Thank you. Let's go from New York to Georgia, where the Atlanta mayor is pushing back against the governor's move in that state, to reopen. We are joined by the Atlanta mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Mayor Bottoms, thank you so much for joining us. As Georgia reopens under Governor Kemp's orders, you've remained steadfast in your assistance that Atlanta, the largest city there, is not ready to ease restrictions. So what is your argument for continuing to urge your residents to stay at home?
[Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms  Atlanta, Ga:] Thank you for having me, Wolf. My argument is simple. Nothing has changed about COVID-19. This is still a highly contagious virus and it is hitting our community extremely hard, especially communities of color. We've talked about the numbers in Georgia, and we've talk about the underlying health conditions that make this virus even worse. And all of those conditions are present in our state. And what it really feels like to me anyway is that there is this testing of the orders and willingness to sacrifice people for the sake of our economy. And I'm not willing to sacrifice my mother, who is a senior, and certainly not my children all of whom are asthmatic. And I think that's the way that we have to look at across the board. Who would you be willing to sacrifice for the state of the economy, and I don't think any of us would be willing to do that, which is more reason for us to continue to stay home.
[Blitzer:] Yes, that's a fair point. After you saw residents gathering in crowds in Atlanta over the weekend, you tweeted this warning, quote, the only thing that's changed about COVID-19 is your chance of carrying it. Are Atlantans at greater risk now, because of the state's policy?
[Bottoms:] I really think so, Wolf. I mean, it's springtime in Atlanta. The weather is beautiful. People are tired of being in the house. And for some people, it is an economic consideration that they have bills to pay and they need to get back to work. But for those who don't have those concerns and can continue to stay home, they should, and at least be considerate when they go out. And I saw so many people over the weekend who just had no consideration for putting others and themselves at risk.
[Blitzer:] As you know, a CDC study of eight Georgia hospitals, most of them in your city, Atlanta, found that more than 80 percent of the patients hospitalized with coronavirus were African-Americans. How much of a glaring racial disparity are you seeing there and what, if anything, can you do to fight back?
[Bottoms:] Well, that's not a surprise to me again, Wolf. Because when you look at our underlying conditions that are prevalent throughout the south, they are above the national average. And then you layer on that, the African-American community, our numbers are even higher. So what we are continuing to do is to, one, ask people to stay home, but especially for our vulnerable populations, our senior communities, we are taking food to their doorstep so they don't have to come out. We are continuing to provide resources to people through our small business loan funds and our other assistance funds that we have created throughout the city. But so much of it really is about education, education, education. And that specially for our young people, reminding them that although they may not have any of these underlying conditions, which, by the way, they may because we have such high asthma rates in Atlanta, but even that they don't, that they can take them home to their parents and to their grandparents and it could be deadly.
[Blitzer:] It's a really, really disturbing development. All right, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, thank you so much for joining us. Good luck to all the folks in your beautiful city. Thanks so much for joining us.
[Bottoms:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] All right Just ahead, we're learning about U.S intelligence that apparently contradicts the Trump's administration theory that the coronavirus started in a Chinese lab. How much suffering are Americans willing to accept as the nation reopens? We'll take a deeper diver into that question posed by our own, Dr. Anthony posed by Dr. Anthony Fauci. Stay with us.

[Nobilo:] A giant new airport is now open to the international public changing how millions of people around the world fly. International flights took off for the first time from Beijing's Daxing airport, it's nicknamed the Star Fish, four of its reasons and it's huge. It's the size of 97 soccer pitches, to be precise. CNN got a chance to go and tour inside. Here's our David Culver.
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] When you think about the size of airport you think about getting around. That's always a challenge. Especially when you have arrived here at E 85 and you got to get to another concourse. The argument is because it's a star fish shape that essentially you can go from one tentacle and get to the main center, they argue, in about eight minutes time. That's what they say it will take on average.
[Nobilo:] The airport cost $11 billion to build. Its master plan is to see 100 million people pass through a year. But this isn't just about numbers. It's also about symbolism. It opened just ahead of China's 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic and Xi Jinping was there to do it. China is expected to pass the United States to become the world's top aviation market by the year 2023. As China looks to expand its influence around the world with Chinese corporations investing heavily in Africa, increased military activity in South China Sea, having one of the world's most impressive airports will only bolster its reach. That's it for THE BRIEF. I'm Bianca Nobilo. And "WORLD SPORT" is next.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn Host, Hala Gorani Tonight:] Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London on this Friday, I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, Donald Trump is claiming he's battling corruption, but new damning text messages about Ukraine may tell a very different story. Then, a controversial ban on face masks goes into effect in Hong Kong. Protestors are angry and say they will not back down. And later, Hollywood's woman of the moment. We have the story of Phoebe Waller-Bridge's meteoric rise. Let's get right to another incredibly busy day in Washington. The clock is ticking on a key deadline for the White House, to turn over documents in the impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump. But the administration suggests it will only comply if Democrats meet their demand to hold a House impeachment vote first. Mr. Trump confirmed today that he's sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The president also gave a fiery defense of his open call for foreign powers to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, insisting that it actually has nothing to do with politics.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] This doesn't pertain to anything but corruption. And that has to do with me. I don't care about politics, I don't care about anything. But I do care about corruption.
[Gorani:] Well, that was his defense. He repeated it, time and time again, in that Q&A with reporters before heading to an event in Maryland. In the meantime, the inspector general who deemed a whistleblower complaint against Mr. Trump urgent and credible, is talking to Congress right now behind closed doors. But some of today's biggest headlines are coming from a marathon deposition, Thursday, on Capitol Hill. Former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker had a lot to say, and a lot of documents and text messages as supporting evidence. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux tells us how they clearly show the Trump administration pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on Joe Biden.
[Suzanne Malveaux, Cnn National Correspondent:] Overnight, the three House committees, releasing an avalanche of new evidence after former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker met behind closed doors with investigators for more than nine hours. House Democrats, releasing text messages provided by Volker, showing President Trump wanted Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to launch investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden before meeting with the newly elected leader. Volker, texting Ukraine's top diplomat, Andrey Yermak, less than an hour before Trump's call with Zelensky, writing, "Heard from White House assuming President Z convinces Trump he will investigate'get to the bottom of what happened'in 2016, we will nail down date for visit to Washington." According to President Trump last month,
[Trump:] There was never any quid pro quo.
[Malveaux:] But senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor, questioning if that's the case. Texting on September 9th, "I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign." More than four hours later, Ambassador Gordon Sondland, responding, "I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The president has been crystal clear, no quid pro quos of any kind." The text messages, also revealing just how involved Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani was in setting up the call between Trump and Zelensky. The whistleblower complaint alleging Volker held meetings with Giuliani where, in one, according to "The Washington Post," he warned Giuliani "against trusting information he was receiving from Ukrainian political figures" about Biden and his son.
[Rudy Giuliani, Personal Attorney For President Trump:] If Volker had said to me that my sources were incredible or wrong, any of them, I would have immediately said, did you do an investigation? Because I really wanted them to.
[Malveaux:] Republicans, insisting Volker's deposition showed no wrongdoing by the White House.
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] Not one thing he has said comports with any of the Democrats' impeachment narrative, not one thing.
[Rep. Lee Zeldin:] The administration is in an even stronger place today than they were this morning.
[Malveaux:] Earlier, President Trump, making this stunning suggestion.
[Trump:] China should start an investigation into the Bidens. Because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine.
[Malveaux:] And doubling down on Twitter, despite his pending impeachment inquiry, writing he has "an absolute right, perhaps even a duty, to investigate, or have investigated, CORRUPTION, and that would include asking, or suggesting, other countries to help us out!"
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] The president has confessed to his violation of his oath of office, right then and there. So we don't need too much inquiry.
[Gorani:] And that was Suzanne Malveaux reporting. All this news surfacing, as this is surfacing the head of the Federal Election Commission is going on Twitter and television to remind Americans of one fundamental point. Quote, "It is absolutely illegal for anyone to solicit, accept or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with any election in the United States." Let's bring in CNN White House reporter Jeremy Diamond for more. Despite that, the president is doubling down, tripling down, quadrupling down on his defense that he is entitled to do this, that he can recruit the help and foreign government help, to help him investigate corruption even if it means investigating a political rival at home Jeremy.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Reporter:] That's right. We heard the president, once again today, insisting that this was a perfect call with the Ukrainian president, insisting that there was no quid pro quo whatsoever. And tried, once again, to make this about corruption rather than about his political rival Joe Biden. He said, this is about corruption, dozens of times today, during a 20- minute or so gaggle on the White House South Lawn this morning, insisting that this was about corruption and not about politics. But when he was asked about what other corruption investigations he has asked other countries to launch, he could not name any others but the one involving Joe Biden in Ukraine. So that much was clear. All of this, though, is happening the president's denials, the president's claims are happening as we're seeing these text messages between these U.S. diplomats, which, while you do see the pushback from Ambassador Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, that there is no quid pro quo. You do also have, in these text messages, first of all, concerns from career foreign service officer, an ambassador, Bill William Taylor. And you also have a clear sense that the Ukrainian government was under tremendous pressure by these U.S. diplomats, by the Trump administration, to deliver on the fronts of investigating the 2016 election, investigating the company on which Joe Biden's son sat on the board, and doing so would get them a better relationship with the United States, would get them the meeting that they had been seeking between the Ukrainian president and President Trump. So all of these pictures happening at the same time. But Congress, House Democrats are indeed moving forward with their impeachment inquiry, and the White House is simply daring them to do so, calling on Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, to hold a vote on the House floor to formally open an impeachment inquiry. This White House and the Republican Party certainly want many of those vulnerable Democrats in Trump districts, on the record about their position on impeachment Hala.
[Gorani:] And is that going to be the strategy, going forward? Just to keep on repeating that this is about corruption even though and it's important to remind our viewers that was not always the explanation Donald Trump gave for what he asked the president of Ukraine to do. Initially, it was that the European countries weren't paying their fair share and the United States was tired of always paying. Then it became about corruption, corruption, corruption. So this is another version from the one we heard early on.
[Diamond:] Yes. It's certainly true. And we have heard multiple explanations. And of course, it was the president, just yesterday, who was encouraging yet another country China, in this case to also investigate Joe Biden. We haven't heard the president make any other proclamations about corruption investigations involving anybody else but Joe Biden, who we know the president has been singularly focused on throughout this Democratic primary, believing that he represents the biggest threat to his re-election prospects.
[Gorani:] Jeremy Diamond, thanks very much. The person who got the whistleblower report and deemed it credible and urgent has been testifying in front of lawmakers today. Michael Atkinson is the U.S. intelligence community's inspector general. He's known as a straight shooter who is not involved in partisan politics. CNN will bring you details on his testimony as soon as we have them. Meanwhile, we're getting new details about yesterday's testimony from Kurt Volker, the former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine. Our congressional correspondent Sunlen Serfaty has the very latest on that, and those remarkable text messages as well, that are shedding light on what top diplomats were saying to each other, just a few weeks ago, about that phone call that Donald Trump had with President Zelensky of Ukraine Sunlen.
[Sunlen Serfaty, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] That's right, Hala. And those text messages reveal just how extensive the conversations behind the scenes were going, and the fact that there were many U.S. diplomats involved in these discussions. And certainly, we are hearing more of what the former special envoy to the Ukraine, Kurt Volker, told lawmakers behind closed doors, where he spent nine hours yesterday. CNN, as you mentioned, obtained the opening statement that he sent to the committee. I just want to highlight a few parts of that. In the opening statement, he said he was not aware of any effort to Ukraine to specifically investigate Vice President Joe Biden. He delineates, in fact, the investigation, making a point to distinguish between investigation for Joe Biden and that of into Burisma, of course, which is the energy company where Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, is a member of. And in that opening statement, he, in fact, says great things about Vice President Biden. He says, "Any suggestion that he would be influenced in his duties simply has no credibility to me. I know him as a man of integrity and dedication to our country." Now, perhaps more significant here, as we're seeing in this opening statement from Volker, a point that he's trying to defend himself, portraying himself as someone that was constantly trying to essentially tamp down the influence of Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer, and his influence over Trump about these investigations, trying to make sure that President Trump sees Ukraine as a new government, committed to reforms. And that reflected in what he told the committee here, yesterday, at least in his opening statement.
[Gorani:] All right. Sunlen Serfaty, thanks very much. Though many Republicans in Congress are sticking by the president, there are some conservative commentators who are concerned about the president's actions. Joining me now is S.E. Cupp, the host of CNN's "S.E. Cupp: Unfiltered." Thanks for being with us. First of all, your reaction to the president today, on the White House lawn, really just hammering this message that it was about corruption, that requesting of foreign governments, to help investigate a political rival at home, that there's nothing wrong with that. What did you what do you make of what the president has been saying just over the last 24 hours?
[S.e. Cupp, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, this is going to be a gut- check time for all of us. For voters on both sides of the aisle, for folks in the media, for partisans and nonpartisans. And also, for the global community. The gut check is common sense versus whatever spin the president is going to use. And he's going to use it all. And we've seen that over this week. We saw it today, but we've seen it ratchet up over this week, this strategy of inundating the field with information, with conspiracies, with personal attacks, trying to drown out the seriousness of each and every one of these developments, and normalize them. And the more he talks about having done it, the more he publicly says, I'm going to continue doing it and there is nothing wrong, the more he hopes you think it's normal and not that big a deal. And he might be successful in that. But it's
[Gorani:] Will that work
[Cupp:] up to all of us to trust our instincts here.
[Gorani:] but sorry to jump in,
[S.e. -- Cupp:] Sure.
[Gorani:] but will that work this time, though? Because this time, you have big-name Republicans I mean, granted, Mitt Romney has been a Trump critic in the past, he's run against him for the Republican nomination. He tweeted that the appeal to Ukraine and China is wrong
[Cupp:] Yes.
[Gorani:] we've heard from Representative Will Hurd of Texas, also saying this is wrong, China is an adversary. Will it, this time I mean, obviously, you know, most Republican elected representatives on Capitol Hill have remained silent
[Cupp:] Yes.
[Text:] Mitt Romney: When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China's investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated. By all appearances, the president's brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling.
[Gorani:] but some big names have not. Is it significant?
[Cupp:] Not yet. And I'll say I'll add to that: Mike Turner of Ohio, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Justin Amash of Michigan have also weighed in to condemn the president for what he has done, whether that's specifically through the texts or the phone call with Zelensky. But it's not enough yet. As you mentioned, the majority of elected Republicans have either been silent or some of them in the case of Jim Jordan, for example have defended the president and gone along with the spin that there was nothing wrong with the phone call, or nothing wrong with the president's actions. I saw Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, earlier, saying, when the president suggested China investigate the Bidens, he was joking. I mean, if we can't take the president at his word when it's backed up by phone calls and transcripts and text messages, I mean, what's the point of having a figurehead if you can't if you can't take him at his word.
[Gorani:] And these text exchanges, some of them are absolutely remarkable. One in particular has been quoted since yesterday. Bill Taylor, the top envoy to Ukraine: "Are we now saying that security assistance and White House meetings are conditioned on investigations?" And Gordon Sondland, who's the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, not saying yes or no but just saying, "Call me." You know? I mean, here this is this is just tangible evidence. These are not theories
[Cupp:] But this is what I mean
[Gorani:] that people are spinning, yes.
[Cupp:] this is exactly yes. Exactly what I mean, Hala. It is in black and white. And yet, Trump, his administration, congressional Republicans who support him, "Fox News" will spin this in multiple directions, and sow doubt in the American public. It has worked. And it helped get him elected, it helped get him through a Mueller investigation. It has worked to President Trump's advantage. And so we shouldn't underestimate how formidable an advantage Trump will have through this. That doesn't make anything that he's doing right. But we have to acknowledge that when it comes to Trump versus reality, Trump versus common sense, sometimes Trump wins. So, like I said, this is a call for all of us to trust common sense and everything that we're seeing come out of this.
[Gorani:] But I was struck by that poll, the CBS YouGov poll, in which 55 percent of all Americans not Republicans, obviously, but of all Americans support the idea of an impeachment inquiry. But within the Republican respondents, there was a growing number of Republicans
[Cupp:] Yes.
[Gorani:] who were open to the idea of hearing more about what this impeachment inquiry might reveal. So I wonder, in a general election, that has to matter, right?
[Cupp:] Yes, yes. And I'm going to be watching for that Republican number as well, because we've seen in a few polls now, that the movement on an impeachment inquiry is coming from Republicans, and especially young people, young Republicans. So I'll be watching that too. But no question, in a general election, this could peel off some moderates or some people who were kind of holding their nose, saying, well, I don't like everything he's done but the economy's good for me
[Gorani:] Yes.
[Cupp:] this could peel some of them off, no question. But his base? His base is going to continue to defend this. We'll have to see whether enough congressional Republicans, Republican lawmakers, decide enough's enough, I want out, I can't do this anymore.
[Gorani:] All right. S.E. Cupp, thanks so much for joining us
[Cupp:] Thanks, Hala.
[Gorani:] as always. Still to come tonight, Iraqi people are fed up with their own government. Dozens have been killed as weary residents fill the streets to fight for jobs, basic services, and dignity. Plus, the government in Hong Kong invokes emergency powers: what it says will no longer be allowed during protests.

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church and this is CNN NEWSROOM. Just ahead, U.S. health officials issue a warning on the spread of the coronavirus but the White House downplays the threat. And showdown in South Carolina: front-runner Bernie Sanders under attack from rivals in the last debate ahead of Super Tuesday.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] Bernie and I agree on a lot of things. But I think I would make a better president than Bernie.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] Imagine spending the better part of 2020 with Bernie Sanders versus Donald Trump. Think about what that will be like for this country.
[Church:] Good to have you with us. And we start with fears of a potential coronavirus pandemic raging through the United States. Nearly 81,000 cases have been reported globally with more than 2,700 deaths. The vast majority are in Mainland China. But South Korea reports it has more than 1,100 cases. Publicly, U.S. president Donald Trump says his country has nothing to fear. But federal health officials are painting a very different picture.
[Trump:] Coronavirus, which is very well under control in our country. We have very few people with it, and the people that have it are, in all cases, I have not heard anything other. The people are getting better. They're all getting better. I think that whole situation will start working out. A lot of talent, a lot of brain power is being put behind it. $2.5 billion we're putting in. There's a very good chance you're not going to die. Now they have studied it, they know very much. In fact, we're very close to a vaccine.
[Dr. Anne Schuchat, Centers For Disease Control:] Current global circumstances suggest it's likely that this virus will cause a pandemic. In that case, risk assessment would be different. And new strategies tailored to local circumstances would need to be implemented to blunt the impact of the disease and further slow the spread of the virus. Now it's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will become infected and how many of those will develop severe or more complicated disease.
[Church:] Fears over the fast-spreading outbreak triggered another massive sell-off on Wall Street. The Dow fell almost 900 points on Tuesday after a 1,000-point drop the day before. The SNP and Nasdaq each lost about 3 percent. Meantime, in Asia, markets are still trying to rebound after falling sharply earlier in the week. Most indices dipped again on Wednesday. Well, the virus has now spread to at least 40 countries and territories around the world. Next to China, Iran has reported the most deaths, while South Korea has confirmed the second most cases. Among those infected, an American soldier stationed in South Korea. It is the first known infection of a U.S. service member. And CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me live from Seoul with the details on all of this. So Paula, what more are you learning about this infected U.S. service member?
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Rosemary, we're down at the Camp Humphreys base, which is the headquarters here in Korea. And this is where that particular individual has been brought, we understand from the commander, by ambulance so that he can be treated in a low- pressurized isolation facility. So they're saying he's getting the best care. He's a 23-year-old male. And he was based in Camp Walker sorry; he was based in Camp Carroll, which is very close to Daegu. This is the city in the southeast of the country where the vast majority of these cases are now emerging. It's really the area and the focal point of South Korea's fight against coronavirus. So we know that that individual did go onto a different base which is in the center of Daegu and just a mile away from a religious group which is also becoming a focal point of this coronavirus the numbers and the spike in cases. What the military's trying to do now is effectively trace his footsteps, find out who he came into contact with and to try to make sure that this doesn't spread any further.
[Hancocks:] Now there's 28,500 U.S. troops in Korea. This is obviously a concern for the U.S. military. And we also know within the South Korean military they have cases as well; 18 South Korean soldiers have been confirmed as carrying the virus at this point. And, of course, the concern is that there is a close proximity issue when it comes to any military around the world. They're living in barracks. You do not want this kind of virus being able to spread throughout. Now we've just heard from the commander, this headquarters here will be essential personnel only from Thursday. They're really trying to restrict soldiers' movements, they say. And all non-essential travel to Daegu, the area that's most affected, is not going to be permitted by the generals as well. So they're really trying to crack down and prevent this spreading any further Rosemary.
[Church:] Many thanks to our Paula Hancocks, joining us live from Pyeongtaek. And now Ben Wedeman joins us from Milan. Ben, after significant problems with Italy's early containment efforts, what's the latest on that?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Sr. International Correspondent:] Well, what we've seen here in Milan, for instance, Rosemary, is that, on a normal day it's just after 8:00 am In the morning this road would be full of traffic but now it is relatively quiet, if not somewhat empty. What we've seen is that, so far, the latest statistics are that 322 people have contracted the coronavirus. There was one new fatality yesterday, bringing that number to 11. The victim was a 76-year-old woman with previous medical conditions. Now just south of here about 60 kilometers, a so-called red zone has been set up, where nobody can leave or enter. The police and the army have been deployed to make sure that people stay in place. Here in Milan, we've seen a combination of sort of life as normal, oddly, and, in other respects, life completely changed.
[Wedeman:] The pigeons outnumber the tourists in Milan's Piazza del Duomo. It's less than an hour's drive from one of the so- called red zones, where more than 50,000 people are living under lockdown, as the Italian authorities struggle to halt the spread of coronavirus. "It's not normal that there are so few people," says this woman. "This is the week of Carnival and people usually bring their children here in costumes." Some tourists are still here but their presence belies the jarring reality of this crisis. Via the Internet we spoke with journalist Mario Borra, who lives in the red zone town of Codogno with his wife and two young children. "Normal life," he says, "has come to a screeching halt. The city is completely closed," Mario says. "You can't do anything, literally. The municipality, post offices, banks, any activity with a gathering of people has been suspended. Even funerals can only be attended by two or three close relatives." In this close-knit town, tragedy is felt by all. "We're a very small community," he says. "Everyone knows each other. Someone who died yesterday is the father of one of my friends." In Milan, museums, universities and schools are closed. The city's famous La Scala theater is shuttered. All bars and cafes are under orders to shut their doors at 6:00 pm, all these measures intended to slow the spread of the disease. This group of university students gets in their last drinks before closing time. Emma isn't worried.
[Emma, Student:] The death rate is very low and in the end people die always.
[Wedeman:] OK. That's fine. You're young. Not everybody is young.
[Emma:] Yes, I am worried for my grandparents.
[Wedeman:] Yes.
[Emma:] I already called them already, made sure that they have precautions and everything.
[Wedeman:] More "precautions and everything" may still be needed. And today is Ash Wednesday. Normally there would be services in all the churches in the morning. But all of those services, Rosemary, have been canceled.
[Church:] All right. Many thanks to our Ben Wedeman, joining us live from Milan. And just ahead, the top Democrats running for the White House took the stage in their last debate before some major primary races. And front-runner Bernie Sanders was under constant fire. We will look at the winners and losers next.

[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] One day out from a full House vote on two articles of impeachment against the president and Americans are really divided.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Yes. In fact, we're seeing support for impeachment declining in CNN's polling. Joining us now, CNN politics reporter and editor at large Chris Cillizza. Democrats placed a lot of faith in public hearings moving public sentiment on impeachment. Doesn't seem like we saw that.
[Chris Cillizza, Cnn Politics Reporter:] No, that's right, Jim. So let's run through just a quick a couple things. So, overall, 45 percent in our most recent poll, that's down 50 percent in the last two. Now, again, in here, this is a lot of Mueller, right? I mean you have to separate, this is the Mueller report and Russia versus Ukraine. So a little bit apples to oranges there. But these three matter, 50, 50, 45. There is a bit of a little decline. Let's go and look by party because that's always, I think, helpful. So this is totally fascinating. Democrats are the ones that have seen the biggest decline, 13 percent, just 2 percent independents. That's basically just statistical noise. Republicans, you know, a little bit, but they were never supportive of it. Denny Heck was on our air earlier, Washington Democrat congressman who's retiring.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Cillizza:] And he said something really interesting, which is, even he has grown weary of this impeachment stuff and he thinks maybe Democratic voters are, too. Maybe that explains that number, although never totally sure. Now, let's go to the broader the poll of polls that CNN does, which is essentially a look at all the polling we think is credible and serious on this question, which gives you a really good overview. Senator Casey, Poppy, said, one poll, I don't put any trust in. So let's look at a lot of polls then. Trump should be impeached, removed from office, 46 yes, 49 no. Again, a lot of that is about partisanship. You know, the it's just a very everything at this point is viewed through the lens of partisanship. You see these numbers, maybe 49, 46. This is statistical noise largely. Basically the country evenly divided on that question going into the vote tomorrow.
[Harlow:] Yes. So, Cillizza
[Cillizza:] Yes.
[Harlow:] Looking big picture here at the political implications for those in Congress, your piece was great last night laying out the facts of what we actually saw the last time a House moved to impeach a president back in '98, '99, Newt Gingrich thought that he would get his party would benefit, right, that he would get a net 40 seat gain.
[Cillizza:] That's exactly right.
[Harlow:] It didn't. And it cost him his job.
[Cillizza:] Yes.
[Harlow:] But there's a difference this time.
[Cillizza:] Yes, there is. I mean I'm old enough to remember that Newt Gingrich saying they're going to pick up 40 or 45 seats in the run-up to the '98 election, they lost five, they kept their majority, but Newt Gingrich was out because of it. OK, there is a difference, Poppy. And I think we miss this a lot of times. Jim is exactly right that impeachment support has dropped a little bit, down from 50 to 45. But, remember, 45 percent 45 percent support impeachment and removal of Donald Trump. I asked your amazing producers to get these numbers, which is, where were these number with remember, Obama, Bush and Clinton, we all talked about impeachment. Clinton was impeached. Let's just go to Clinton, because that's the one we talk about. Twenty in September 1998, 29 percent of people thought he should be impeached and removed from office. Reminder, 45 percent of people think that way about Donald Trump. So, yes, it is down, but it is down from half the country, right? This number really never got all that high, and it rebounded back very badly on Republicans. So if you're a Democrat and we saw lots of them moderate Democrats yesterday come out in support of these impeachment articles, people in Trump districts, this number and the 45 percent number, that's a thing you're going to highlight and say this is not that.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Right.
[Harlow:] There you go. Thanks for your brain, Cillizza. We always appreciate it.
[Cillizza:] Ah, well, it's in there, I might as well use it.
[Harlow:] We'll be right back.

[Briggs:] Just in to CNN, a court in the U.K. rules on Boris Johnson's move to suspend Parliament ahead of a no-deal Brexit deadline. Hadas Gold live for us at 10 Downing Street in London with the latest. Good morning, Hadas. What are we learning?
[Hadas Gold, Cnn Reporter:] Good morning, Dave. That court in Scotland ruled against an interim injunction to try to stop that suspension of Parliament, but that doesn't mean that the challenge is completely over. There will be a full hearing that will be heard next week. But opponents of the suspension of Parliament wanted the court to issue the injunction to stop the suspension right away. That has not happened but again, the court case will proceed. There are two other challenges working their ways through the court, both in the United Kingdom or both in England and in Northern Ireland. And most notably, Dave, is actually a former prime minister from the Conservative Party, John Majors, prime minister from 1990 to 1997. He has joined, just recently, one of those legal challenges the one in England being brought by businesswoman Gina Miller. He is going on board going against this conservative prime minister against the suspension of Parliament. This is incredibly notable. It's the equivalent of a former Republican president joining a lawsuit against Donald Trump, if that was to happen to the United States. This just shows you how unprecedented the situation is here right now and how much uproar there is over the suspension of Parliament and what could happen next, Dave.
[Briggs:] And the mad scramble is on. Hadas Gold live for us at 10 Downing. Thank you.
[Walker:] Breaking overnight, two high-profile, pro-democracy activists arrested by Hong Kong police, including 2014 Umbrella Movement leader Joshua Wong. According to the pro-democracy Demosisto Party, Wong was pushed into a private minivan on a street. Former Demosisto's legislative candidate Agnes Chow was also arrested. These two detentions coming at a tense time in Hong Kong. Months of pro-democracy protests and deteriorating into street battles with police. Reuters also now reporting China rejected Hong Kong's plan to appease protesters by pulling the extradition bill that sparked the demonstrations. CNN has reached out to Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam for comment. We'll be right back.

[Camerota:] The longest bull market in U.S. history appears to be over. U.S. stocks had their worst day since the Black Monday crash of 1987. Chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins us now with more. So, the fact that a bull market is over, we're in a bear market, can it bounce back out of that now?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] It doesn't look like it will in the near term because there are forecasts for a recession in the U.S. economy now right now, Alisyn, to be honest. And I want to look at the world markets and futures right now. Everything moving higher. In fact, futures up so high, they stopped the trading up 5 percent, it's called limit up. And that's because there are some hope, maybe there's going to be a stimulus announcement soon, maybe finding some common ground between the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the house. So, look for maybe some stimulus news today. But the story was the bear market now, a ferocious unraveling in the stock market. The Dow down 2,300 points yesterday, more than two and a half years of gains gone, more than 8,000 points in the Dow vanishes in a matter of weeks. The S&P 500, the Nasdaq both down at least 9 percent. OK, guys, think of it this way. The U.S. economy is grinding to a halt on purpose to fight the spread of coronavirus. In fact, managing yourself almost into a recession to prevent even worse public health crisis. Notable economist Mohamed El-Erian tells us a global recession is very likely. Here is how that would happen, let's use sports as an example, the NBA, NHL, March Madness, baseball canceled or delayed. Now, that's not just about players and fans, it's hotel cancellations, empty restaurants, the supply chain before the big events. The vendors, the ushers, the hourly workers who may have to go without pay, they intend have less money to spend, that hurts the economy far and wide. Social distancing has the travel industry in a rough patch, not seen since the days after 911. Airlines slashing flights as demand vanishes. Hotel and cruise line bookings have collapsed, some cruise operators are canceling their cruises through May. That means lost sales and likely lost jobs. United Airlines and Delta have hiring freezes already. Norwegian Air temporarily laying off up to half of its workers. Airline stocks this year, you can see it, decimated, major cruise lines down even worse there. Now, thousands of schools have closed, millions of Americans are working from home, when you avoid public places, you hurt sales at restaurants, retailers, malls, any public venues, and you idle the millions of Americans who work there. In short, a stopped economy cannot grow and that will likely lead to recession.
[Berman:] You know, I moderated a conference last night, it was initially supposed to be in person, but it ended up being virtual, talking to people in Asia who have been living through this. And there was one banker that I talked to from Hong Kong, they've been working from home for a month. And I said how efficient have you been during this working from home? He said, and he goes, you know, 75 percent, but the cases in Hong Kong are going down
[Romans:] That's right
[Berman:] So it's worth it.
[Romans:] This is telling the American public to do something different, to prevent, to flatten that curve. Everyone is talking about flattening that curve, but to prolong this so you don't have real stresses on the public health system. In a sense, it's almost like taking one for the team in a way, you know? I mean, you're trying to really step back now to make sure there's not something worse in the future. And that could risk recession. JPMorgan has a recession call for the first half of the year. There are other calls saying that maybe you see zero growth this year. But here is the important thing. This isn't a financial crisis. This is something we can see the end of this. We can see out to later this year and know that the economy is going to grow again and you're going to have some kind of a snapback. So there is
[Berman:] Oh, if we get our if we wrap our arms around the public health crisis
[Romans:] If we wrap our arm absolutely. And that's why you have all of this social distancing right now and so much work being done ahead of it.
[Camerota:] Can cruise ships see the end of this?
[Romans:] I'm not sure about cruise ships. And I know they're really working hard I mean, they're idled for two months, that is going to be devastating to earnings and sales. You have all kinds of companies who have just been pulling their guidance to Wall Street, saying we can't see how bad this is going to be. I will say, a lot of economists and companies even have first, second and third grade scenarios, right, of how bad this will be. You know, so when you look at the worst case scenario, they could have no earnings this year. But what if what if we do get our hands around this, and what if it's not as bad as we thought, then the snapback later this year will be as ferocious as the sell-off.
[Berman:] But plan for the indefinite.
[Romans:] Yes
[Berman:] I think
[Camerota:] Yes
[Berman:] Is the best advice. Christine Romans
[Camerota:] But so helpful, thank you, Christine
[Romans:] You're welcome
[Camerota:] You really explained that so beautifully to us. Thanks to our international viewers for watching. END

[Julia Chatterley, Cnn International Anchor:] Live from New York, I'm Julia Chatterley. This is FIRST MOVE and here is your need-to-know. Criminal conduct. Arrests in Hong Kong under the new National Security Law. COVID uncontrolled. Dr. Fauci warns the U.S. could see 100,000 cases a day. And Boeing backlash. New reports say the plane maker kept key information from regulators. It's Wednesday. Let's make a move. Welcome once again to FIRST MOVE, as we kick off the second half of 2020 after an extremely challenging start to the year, to say the least. One thing is certain, we'll be right here on FIRST MOVE to help you make sense of it all, if we can. Also here to help us on the path today, former U.N. Secretary General Bang Ki-moon with his views on Hong Kong, on North Korea and what a sustainable recovery from COVID-19 should look like lessons learned. But first, as always, a look at U.S. futures were softer after 1.5 percent gains yesterday. A strong finish for the quarter. Investors, I think, taking Dr. Fauci's grim COVID warning in stride, comforted by a reminder from Jay Powell and Secretary Mnuchin yesterday that yet more help for the economy is on the way. On that note, in a surprise move, too, the U.S. Senate voted to extend the Paycheck Protection scheme, loans to small businesses for a further month last night. A smart move, I have to say in my view with a recent survey from the National Federation of Independent Business saying two-thirds of borrowers could have used up all the loan money already, of course the economy, anything but normal, more help for many of those businesses will be required. Speaking of jobs, the private sector added some 2.4 million jobs last month, a hint that payrolls here in the U.S. tomorrow could be strong, too. Remember, we're expecting three million further job gains. Most of the gains, in fact, in that report coming precisely from small businesses. So, that program looking hugely important, as we've discussed in the past. To Germany now, the unemployment rate rising to a five-year high, but manufacturing there moving closer to expansion. In Asia, the stock market performance was mixed. In Japan, the TANKAN survey showed business confidence falling to an 11-year low. Meanwhile, in South Korea, factory activity fell for a sixth straight month. The challenges of export-driven economies in the current slowdown. Now, all eyes remain on Asia, of course, focused on Hong Kong, where a tough new security law has just gone into effect, and that's where we begin today's drivers. Police in Hong Kong making their first arrests under the law, at least nine people were arrested amid protests earlier today on suspicion of violating the law. Anna Coren is live in Hong Kong for us. Anna, we also need to underscore the importance of what July 1st is. Its establishment day, the handover day that's been celebrated since 1997. Talk us through what we saw today in terms of action and those arrests.
[Anna Coren, Cnn International Correspondent:] Yes, Julia, it's certainly a day of celebration for the Chinese regaining control of Hong Kong, but it's also typically a day of protests. Well, when protesters asked to have a permit to carry out a march that they've been doing since 1997, they were denied, and I can tell you that, despite that, thousands of people turned out onto the streets today and more than 300 have been arrested. You mentioned the nine under the new National Security Law, some have been arrested behind me and you can probably see just over my shoulder police there with protesters handcuffed on the ground. A few moments ago, a big bus filled with protesters was just taken away, people who had also been arrested. Now, those who have been arrested under this new National Security Law, Julia, some of them were just holding signs. Some of them were handing out fliers that said "Independence for Hong Kong." That is now a criminal offense. If you chant slogans, calling for freedom in Hong Kong, independence in Hong Kong, that is a criminal offense. It is such a stark contrast from what we have been seeing here in Hong Kong over the past year. But now with this new law that came into effect today, China is firmly in charge, and we heard from Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, she said the new law is going to restore stability to Hong Kong. She is hoping that it will act as a deterrent rather than having to prosecute all of these people. Here is another bus, which will no doubt be taking more of these protesters who have been arrested, taking them away. But protesters have only been out on the streets since 12:00 to 1:00 this afternoon, and they have arrested more than 300 of them is an extraordinary number and it just gives you an idea, Julia, that they are tolerating no protests, no dissent whatsoever.
[Chatterley:] I mean, the message from the Chinese side here has been, look, we are just specifically targeting a few troublemakers and we saw in the protests last year in particular that some of them got violent here. But to your point, now that we understand what this law contains and what it means, it gives the Chinese authorities huge scope here to step in and take very, very controlled and detailed action.
[Coren:] Yes, we do know what the law is about. It's banning sedition, subversion, terrorism, as well as colluding with foreign forces. Terrorism, Julia, is vandalizing public property. That has now been the definition of what terrorism here is in Hong Kong. As for sedition and subversion, I mean, they are extremely vague and broad terms. So really, it's up to interpretation; and no doubt, Mainland interpretation. Here we can see, police taking away more of the protesters that they have arrested and we've seen their faces. I mean, you're talking about young students, young Hong Kongers who are calling for greater freedom, something that they have been doing for the past year. But now, Julia, that is a criminal offense. Now, the maximum penalty, I should note, for this National Security Law, being in breach of this National Security Law, is life in prison. And whilst most of the cases will come under Hong Kong jurisdiction, the exceptional cases will be handed over to the Chinese and the Chinese will also be operating a security agency now in Hong Kong. So, it won't be just Hong Kong Police making these arrests for those exceptional cases, it will be Mainland Secret Police who are now allowed to operate here in Hong Kong. So for protesters, it is absolutely terrifying, and those exceptional cases will be taken to the Mainland where they will be tried, and if convicted, they will spend time in Mainland jails. And it's just ironic to think that this was what people in Hong Kong were fighting for this time last year over their Extradition Bill that had been proposed. Well, the fears of Hong Kongers have truly been realized, because China doesn't just have the Extradition Bill, they have so much more. You cannot speak out against the CCP. You cannot oppose them, and that is terrifying people here. If the aim is to fear and intimidate, it certainly is achieving that goal, except for the few that have taken to the streets today to protest about this new law Julia.
[Chatterley:] Incredibly brave, and we were just seeing them there being put onto the bus, and it was, to your point, young people. There were girls. There were all sorts of very young individuals here that have taken a stand, despite the risks and the potential high costs. Anna Coren, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for that. All right, let's move on. A stark warning from a leading member of the U.S. Coronavirus Taskforce. Dr. Anthony Fauci says if the current trends continue, he wouldn't be surprised if the country goes up to 100,000 cases a day. He spoke at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] I have to say, the numbers speak for themselves. I'm very concerned and I'm not satisfied with what's going on, because we're going in the wrong direction. If you look at the curves of the new cases, clearly we are not in total control right now.
[Chatterley:] Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen is with us. Elizabeth, we've talked about this nowadays after days, but this was, I think, Dr. Anthony Fauci being as alarmist as he felt he could be at this stage and saying, the situation isn't under control and actually, more action is needed now.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Yes, absolutely, Julia. You know, in a way when you hear Dr. Fauci's tone, he sounds very calm. I know Dr. Fauci well and I know that he always tries to put out a tone of calm, but when you actually just listen to the words, this is quite serious and his words are actually quite severe. He went on to say that right now, we've got about 40,000 plus cases a day in the United States, and he's thinking that we could go up to 100,000. That is a huge jump.
[Cohen:] He is not saying this lightly. He is saying this looking at the numbers as they grow. In the United States, we now have 36 states, 36 out of 50 states that are seeing spikes this week. Last week, it was only 23 states that were seeing spikes. That's an enormous jump in one week. So when Dr. Fauci says something, he is not being hyperbolic, he is doing it based on the data Julia.
[Chatterley:] Yes. Based on sheer concern. The Surgeon General also had some advice for Americans as well. I just want to play that for our viewers.
[Dr. Jerome Adams, U.s. Surgeon General:] Please, please, please, wear a face covering when you go out in public. It is not an inconvenience. It is not a suppression of your freedom. It actually is a vehicle to achieve our goals.
[Chatterley:] Elizabeth, even Goldman-Sachs weighing in yesterday saying, look, you can help with the health crisis and you can perhaps help with the economy, too, and avoid shutdown if you just wear a mask. This has become so politicized and it's so nonsensical, too.
[Cohen:] It is, Julia. I will have to say that I have tried to explain the reluctance to wear a mask to friends of mine who are not from the United States, and they are completely confused. It is as if I am trying to explain something preposterous to them. They say why aren't why is that such a significant proportion of Americans resisting this? And so part of it is, as you said, it's really a political statement. It's as if wearing a mask is admitting that somehow you are wrong or Trump is wrong, that there's something in your soul that is wrong. And of course that's not the case. We wear masks to protect the people we love and to protect the people we don't know. You wear a mask because if you're infected and you don't know it, and there's a reasonably good chance that you could be infected and not know it, you could get someone sick who gets someone sick who gets a child with leukemia sick and kills that child. Who would want to kill a child? No one would. But this has become so politically and emotionally charged, it is as if we are telling people you're wrong, you're a bad person, wear a mask. Of course, that's not what we're saying, but that is unfortunately how people are taking it. This has become very personal and very emotional.
[Chatterley:] Yes, we have to take the emotion out of it, just wear a mask. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much. We'll keep repeating it back and forth to each other, and know at least, we're listening. All right, for all the fears, investors continue to look at the positives, it seems, setting aside rising health concerns in view of the enormous scale of stimulus that's been provided and perhaps more to come, too. With now that the NASDAQ is just one percent off record highs, the question is what comes next in the second half of this year? Richard Quest joins me now. Richard, you've been too polite so far to call me out on this, because you called it. You called the lows of the market and I remained incredibly nervous and remain so. But what do we think happens next? And it is a balance between stimulus and science, I think, as we've discussed all along.
[Richard Quest, Cnn Business Editor-at-large:] It's more of the same. And the reason is the Fed put. The Fed as long as the Fed is fueling the market with cheap money, it continues to rise because two reasons, Julia. Firstly, search for yield. There's no yield in money markets, there's no yield really in bonds, there's no yield if you need to make yield, the only place to do it is in the market, in the stock market. And when you maybe get three percent, five percent, seven percent there, you could do even better. So that's going to push the risk premium up quite sharply. The second reason, of course, is that technology stocks are going to still be the future. Technology stocks are the way in which working from home, greater digitization, they are driving economic growth. You're seeing it as you see the NASDAQ powering forward. Everything else comes along in its wake. So I do think you're going to have a slow trudge in Q3, election time, no one wants to wake waves. I do think Q4 gets very difficult because you're based on earnings. And so I think more of the same. Now, can I just take a second, if I may, Miss Chatterley. Masks, masks, masks.
[Chatterley:] Oh, you got there before me. Go for it. Yes.
[Quest:] Goldman-Sachs go on, you tell the story.
[Chatterley:] No, no, you tell the story. I'll just sit comfortably in my chair. This, for me, is critical.
[Quest:] All right. Goldman has pointed out that masks can actually save five percent of GDP if used, and the way they've done it is, they've looked at different metrics and they've worked out that if we don't use masks, there will, de facto, inevitably be lockdowns. Therefore, the price of not having those lockdowns is about five percent or the benefit, I should say, of not having more lockdowns is around five percent of GDP. It's a long 13-page report with formula that you would understand that I don't. But that's the nub of it.
[Chatterley:] You're just being kind. The key, the ultimate key for me here is a national mandate on wearing masks.
[Quest:] Yes, yes.
[Chatterley:] It has to come from the top. Fifteen percent rise or increase in the number of people wearing masks. Yes, I don't like to make it political, but this is
[Quest:] I think that staggering statistic of five percent GDP is saved, because there will be lockdowns otherwise by a national mandate. It's not going to happen. But any rightwing conservative who likes to live their life by the fiscal nature of probity can't ignore that particular fact.
[Chatterley:] The fiscal nature of probity, I agree. Help on the crisis and help the economy at the same time. No brainer. Richard Quest, a pleasure, always. All right, coming up later on in the show as Hong Kong faces a new Chinese reality, the former U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon is here and we've got a pro-democracy campaigner on the ground to talk through their thoughts, and what next, too. And the CEO of the arts and crafts super site, Etsy is on a tear right now as sales face higher charges, though can we ask and we will ask, is it a stitch-up? That's next. Stay with us.

[Rep. Madeleine Dean:] Thank thank you. I wanted to ask you about public confusion connected with Attorney General Barr's release of your report. I will be quoting your March 27th letter. In that letter and at several other times, did you convey to the attorney general, that the quote, "introduction to the executive summaries of our two volume report accurately summarized this office's work and conclusions?" End quote.
[Mueller:] I'd have to say the letter itself speaks for itself.
[Dean:] And those were your words in that letter. Continuing with your letter, you wrote to the attorney general that quote, "the summary letter letter that the department sent to Congress and released to the public late in the afternoon of March 24th did not fully capture the context, nature and substance of this office's work and conclusions," end quote. Is that correct?
[Mueller:] I rely on the letter itself for its terms.
[Dean:] Thank you. What was it about the report's context, nature, substance that the attorney general's letter did not capture?
[Mueller:] I think we captured that in the March 27th responsive letter.
[Dean:] This is from the 27th letter. What were some of the specifics that you thought...
[Mueller:] I'd direct you to that letter itself.
[Dean:] OK. You finish that letter by saying there is now public confusion about critical aspects as a result of our investigation. Could you tell us specifically some of the public confusion you identified?
[Mueller:] Not generally. Again, I go back to the letter and the letter speaks for itself.
[Dean:] And could Attorney General Barr have avoided public confusion if he had released your summaries and executive introduction and summaries?
[Mueller:] I don't feel comfortable speculating on that.
[Dean:] Shifting to May 30th, the attorney general in an interview with CBS News said that you could have reached quote, "you could have reached a decision as to whether it was criminal activity," end quote, on the part of the president. Did the attorney general or his staff ever tell you that he thought you should make a decision on whether the president engaged in criminal activity?
[Mueller:] I'm not going to speak to what the attorney general was thinking or saying.
[Dean:] If the attorney general had directed you or ordered you to make a decision on whether the president engaged in criminal activity, would you have so done?
[Mueller:] I can't answer that question in the vacuum.
[Dean:] Director Mueller, again, I thank you for being here. I agree with your March 27th letter. There was public confusion and the president took full advantage of that confusion by falsely claiming your report found no obstruction. Let us be clear, your report did not exonerate the president. Instead, it provided substantial evidence of obstruction of justice, leaving Congress to do its duty. We shall not shrink from that duty. I yield back.
[Nadler:] The gentle lady yields back.
[M. Johnson:] Mr. Chairman Mr. Chairman, I have a point of inquiry, over on your left.
[Nadler:] Gentleman will state his point of inquiry.
[M. Johnson:] Was the point of this hearing to get Mr. Mueller to recommend impeachment?
[Nadler:] That's not a fair point of inquiry. The gentle lady from Florida is recognized.
[M. Johnson:] Mr. Chairman...
[Mucarsel-powell:] Director Mueller, I'm to your...
[Nadler:] The gentle lady from Florida is recognized.
[Mucarsel-powell:] I thank you for coming here, you're a patriot. I want to refer you now to Volume 2, page 158. You wrote that quote, "the president's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the president declined to carry out orders or exceed to his request? "Is that right?
[Mueller:] That is accurate, and that is what we found.
[Mucarsel-powell:] And you're basically referring to senior advisors who disobeyed the president's orders like White House Don McGahn, Former Trump Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski. Is that right?
[Mueller:] We have not specified the persons.
[Mucarsel-powell:] Well, in in page 158, White House Counsel Don McGahn, quote "did not tell the acting attorney general that the special counsel must be removed, but was instead prepared to resign over the president's orders." You also explained that an attempt to obstruct justice does not have to succeed to be a crime, right?
[Mueller:] True.
[Mucarsel-powell:] Simply attempting to obstruct justice can be a crime, correct?
[Mueller:] Yes.
[Mucarsel-powell:] So even though the president's aides refused to carry out his orders to interfere with your investigation, that is not a defense to obstruction of justice by this president, is it?
[Mueller:] I'm not going to speculate.
[Mucarsel-powell:] So to reiterate, simply trying to obstruct justice can be a crime, correct?
[Mueller:] Yes.
[Mucarsel-powell:] And you say that the president's efforts to influence the investigation were, quote, "mostly unsuccessful," and that's because not all of his efforts were unsuccessful, right?
[Mueller:] You're reading into what I what we've written in the report.
[Mucarsel-powell:] I was going to ask you if you could just tell me which ones you had in mind as successful when you wrote that sentence.
[Mueller:] I'm going to pass on that.
[Mucarsel-powell:] Yes. Director Mueller, today we've talked a lot about the separate acts by this president, but you also wrote in your report that, quote, "the overall pattern of the president's conduct towards the investigations can shed light on the nature of the president's acts and the inferences can be drawn about his intent." Correct?
[Mueller:] Accurate recitation from the report.
[Mucarsel-powell:] Right, and on page 115, again, I think it's important for everyone to note that the president's conduct had a significant change when he realized that it was the investigations were conducted to investigate his obstruction acts. So in other words, when the American people are deciding whether the president committed obstruction of justice they need to look at all of the president's conduct and overall pattern of behavior. Is that correct?
[Mueller:] I don't disagree.
[Mucarsel-powell:] Thank you. Dr. Mueller Director Mueller, doctor also I'll designate that, too I have certainly made up my mind about whether we what we have reviewed today meets the elements of obstruction including whether there was corrupt intent. And what is clear is that anyone else including some members of Congress would have been charged with crimes for these acts. We would not have allowed this behavior from any of the previous 44 presidents. We should not allow it now or for the future to protect our democracy, and yes. We will continue to investigate because as you clearly state at the end of your report, no one is above the law. I yield back my time.
[Nadler:] Gentlelady yields back. The gentlelady from Texas.
[Escobar:] Director Mueller, you wrote in your report that you, quote, "determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment," end quote. Was that in part because of an opinion by the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel that a sitting president can't be charged with a crime?
[Mueller:] Yes.
[Escobar:] Director Mueller, at your May 29, 2019 press conference, you explained that, quote, "the opinion says that the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing," end quote. That process other than the criminal justice system for accusing a president of wrongdoing, is that impeachment?
[Mueller:] I'm not going to comment on that.
[Escobar:] In your report you also wrote that you did not want to, quote, "potentially preempt constitutional processes for addressing presidential misconduct," end quote. For the non-lawyers in the room, what did you mean by, quote, "potentially preempt constitutional processes"?
[Mueller:] I'm not going to try to explain that.
[Escobar:] That actually is coming from page 1 of Volume 2. In the footnote is the reference to this. What are those constitutional processes?
[Mueller:] I think I heard you mention at least one.
[Escobar:] Impeachment, correct?
[Mueller:] I'm not going to comment.
[Escobar:] OK. That is one of the constitutional processes listed in the report in the footnote in Volume 2. Your report documents the many ways the president sought to interfere with your investigation, and you state in your report on page 10, Volume 2 that with a interfering with a congressional inquiry or investigation with corrupt intent can also constitute obstruction of justice.
[Mueller:] True.
[Escobar:] Well, the president has told us that he intends to fight all the subpoenas. His continued efforts to interfere with investigations of his potential misconduct certainly reinforce the importance of the process the Constitution requires to, quote, "formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing," as you cited in the report. And in this this hearing has been very helpful to this Committee as it exercises its constitutional duty to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment against the president. I agree with you, Director Mueller, that we all have a vital role in holding this president accountable for his actions. More than that, I believe we in Congress have a duty to demand accountability and safeguard one of our nation's highest principles that no one is above the law. From everything that I have heard you say here today, it's clear that anyone else would have been prosecuted based on the evidence available in your report. It now falls on us to hold President Trump accountable. Thank you for being here. Chairman, I yield back.
[Collins:] Mr. Chairman...
[Nadler:] Gentlelady yields back.
[Collins:] Just one personal privilege. You and I agree...
[Nadler:] One personal privilege.
[Collins:] I just want to thank the Chairman. We did get in our time. After this was first developed to us, we both didn't get in time. Our side got our five minutes in, also, Mr. Mueller, thank you for being here, and I join the Chairman in thanking you for being here.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] Thank you. Director Mueller, we thank you for attending today's hearing. Before we conclude, I ask everyone to please remain seated and quiet while the witness exits the room.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] More than three and a half hours after he walked into that room, Robert Mueller is now walking out. They're going to take a break for a little while. The next session will be the House Intelligence Committee. They will have questions as well. We expect at least another two hours there. You know, it's very interesting, Jake, on three major issues, he did make some significant news. He said that the report that he put prepared, 448 pages, did not totally exonerate the president, as the president has claimed. He says the president could be charged after leaving office, a sitting president, according to current Justice Department guidelines, can't be charged or indicted, but after leaving office potentially could be charged. And also that he wasn't charged specifically this time in response to questions from Ted Lieu, the Democratic congressman from California, because of the Office of Legal Counsel opinion that a sitting president can't be charged. That's going to be pretty pretty significant, that statement that he made there.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Yes, with debate about whether or not he meant I would have charged if he weren't the president
[Blitzer:] Correct.
[Tapper:] Or, no matter what I wanted to do, my hands were tied. It's unclear exactly what he meant. It was, at times, aggressive performance, often a halting and stilting performance. More than 100 times he either refused to answer the question or deferred. Let's check in with our legal experts about what they thought was the most significant. And, Jeff Toobin, let me start with you. You think the most important part of the hearing so far had to do when when the chairman, Jerrold Nadler from New York, asked Mr. Mueller whether or not he exonerated President Trump as President Trump repeatedly has claimed he did. Let's play that clip and then get your reaction.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] You were actually unable to conclude the president did not commit obstruction of justice. Is that correct?
[Robert Mueller, Former Special Counsel:] Well, we at the outset determined that we when it came to the the the president's culpability, we needed to we needed we needed to go forward only after taking into account the OLC opinion that indicated that a president, a sitting president, cannot be indicted.
[Nadler:] So the report did not conclude that he did not commit obstruction of justice, is that correct?
[Mueller:] That is correct.
[Nadler:] And what about total exoneration? Did you actually totally exonerate the president?
[Mueller:] No.
[Tapper:] Jeffrey Toobin, why is that significant to you?
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] Because if you remember how this report became public, it was put forward by not by Mueller himself, but by Attorney General Barr in the context of a letter that he wrote that gave the very strong impression that this gave the president a clean bill of health. And the president, since March, has been saying over and over again that there was no obstruction, there was no
[Tapper:] Collusion.
[Toobin:] Collusion and that there was a total exoneration. Right at the beginning of this hearing, the director, Mueller, said that is not true. This was not an exoneration. And I think that is a very significant statement since he's the one who ran the investigation.
[Tapper:] Although he did underline that the no collusion does seem to be generally correct. At one point a congressman pointed out that even though the report distinguishes between conspiracy and collusion, it also, at a different part, says that conspiracy and collusion colloquially can mean the same thing. And there was no collusion, at least according to the report.
[Toobin:] There was no criminal activity specifically
[Tapper:] Prosecutable.
[Toobin:] Prosecutable criminal activity involving the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russian interests.
[Tapper:] Right.
[Toobin:] That is clear. There was no crime committed there, according to according to Mueller. We'll hear more about that this afternoon.
[Tapper:] And, of course, obstruction and whether or not the president was exonerated, a different matter. And there was a significant part Lauren and Preet, I know you want to talk about when Congressman Ted Lieu, who I believe is a former JAG, a former Judge Advocate in the military, in the Air Force, I think, talked to Mueller about whether or not the the reason he wasn't prosecuted, the reason he wasn't indicted was because he was a president or not. Let's roll that and get your reaction.
[Rep. Ted Lieu:] So, to recap what we've heard. We have heard today that the president ordered former White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire you. The president ordered Don McGahn to then cover that up and create a false paper trail. And now we've heard that the president ordered Corey Lewandowski to tell Jeff Sessions to limit your investigation so that he, you, stop investigating the president. I believe a reasonable person, looking at these facts, could conclude that all three elements of the crime of obstruction of justice have been met. And I'd like to ask you the reason again that you did not indict Donald Trump is because of OLC opinion stating that you cannot indict a sitting president, correct?
[Robert Mueller, Former Special Counsel:] That is correct.
[Tapper:] And, Laura, why do you find that significant?
[Laura Coates, Cnn Legal Analyst:] He walked through each of the elements to prove what it took to actually cause an obstruction claim to be raised against a human being. He went through each of them. Mueller followed along and then said, yes, essentially, and it but for this report, I would have indicted the president. Now, that was the issue people think is ambiguous. But the idea here is, I walked through each of the elements. This OLC opinion tied the hands of the special counsel's office. It's not a it's not a common occurrence to say you have all the tools in your belt but you cannot use the ones that actually involve the hammer being thrown down. That's what Mueller was up against here. And he said, very clearly,
[Tapper:] And though there are people saying that Mueller cautioned after that answer saying the only thing I want to add is I'm not I'm going through the elements with you.
[Coates:] Right.
[Tapper:] That does not mean I subscribe to what you're trying to prove through those elements. He did say that. But you think that it was pretty clear?
[Preet Bharara, Former U.s. Attorney:] I thought it was the closest thing to to something that's a bombshell, both legally and politically. I mean what's the purpose of this proceeding? The purpose of this proceeding for the Democrats is to make some case that they need to take some additional action. And so the question is, is someone above the law or not? And if it is true that Bob Mueller thought there was no crime, then there's no argument to be made necessarily that the Democrats do anything. In response to Ted Lieu's question, which was which was pretty clear, he didn't say it was one of the reasons was a reason. He said, the reason
[Tapper:] Right.
[Bharara:] The reason why he didn't indict Donald Trump was because of the OLC opinion. And and Bob Mueller, who sometimes paused and sometimes hesitated and didn't go along with lots of things that were put to him by both Democrats and Republicans answered immediately, that is correct. Now, if it's the case that there's some ambiguity there, you would think that some Republican, given how I think significant that is, and how much of a basis it will give Democrats to decide, well, we can't have someone above the law. The only reason the president is not indicted is because of the OLC opinion, you have to hold him accountable. And we have impeachment as something as a backup for that. A Republican might have gone in and had plenty of opportunities to say go back to that and say, you know, I mean one one member, I think, tried.
[Tapper:] Congresswoman Lesko from Arizona, I think.
[Bharara:] Yes, and didn't succeed because there seems to be some conflict between this testimony that he gave to Ted Lieu and and a statement put out by Bill Barr, where Bill Barr said the the special counsel assured me that it was not but for the OLC opinion. I don't know how you square that. But I didn't see any Republican go in and try to, you know, muddy it up given how clear this was. And if they if they really thought that that Bob Mueller didn't mean to say this, you think they would have asked that question, because as it stands now
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Bharara:] The record as it stands now is, the reason he wasn't indicted, one reason, the OLC opinion.
[Tapper:] And
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] And the Democrats didn't want to touch it because they didn't
[Bharara:] They didn't have it.
[Bash:] Because they didn't want to they didn't want to ruin a good thing. But I just wanted to add underscore something that you said, Laura, because afterwards, this might be a close that, right, maybe Robert Mueller didn't realize what he was saying, maybe, because he sort of wrapped it all up by saying, I want to add, I'm going through the elements with you. That does not mean I subscribe to what you're trying to prove through those elements. It could be that when they see what Mueller sees, that this is how we are all interpreting it because that is what he said earlier, I would have indicted him if this wasn't the ruling, maybe they'll clarify.
[Tapper:] Garrett, you you interviewed Bob Mueller. How did you interpret his response to that? Because as Preet points out, the question was pretty direct. The reason, again, you did not indict Donald Trump was because of the OLC opinion? It could have been it could have been qualified. You could not. Your hands were tied. No matter what you no, it was very direct and he said, that is correct.
[Garrett Graff, Author, "the Threat Matrix: Inside Robert Mueller's Fbi":] Yes. And you saw throughout today that he was very quick to deflect or take issue with a question or try to clarify a question or sort of, you know, put put a box around an answer. That that was a case where and there were several others, including the Nadler exchange at the beginning where you really saw him take a very clear, definitive stance. And especially, I think, Preet, when you layer that answer upon sort of some of the other answers that he gave
[Bharara:] Right.
[Graff:] Where he said later in the hearing, you know, it's not that we declined to prosecute, it's that we decided not to prosecute.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Chief National Security Correspondent:] Well, I don't but to be clear, his actual was, we made a decision not to decide.
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Right.
[Graff:] Right.
[Sciutto:] And in an earlier exchange with Nadler, he said that they made that judgement at the beginning of the investigation.
[Brown:] Earlier.
[Sciutto:] So it seemed that he was saying they didn't go there. He didn't make a judgment. I mean and this was later. This was in the last hour. We made a decision not to decide. In other words, he didn't make that judgment. I defer to my lawyer what what my lawyer friends here whether that's the same thing as saying its the policy that was the reason.
[Bharara:] So so I'm not saying it's 100 percent definitive. And in in a real courtroom, you would have more back in a real courtroom, you might have a judge intercede and say, let me just make sure I understand this and that you're saying what it sounds like you're saying. But the other point I would make is, of all the things that people wondered what Bob Mueller thinks, of all the things that he was prepared for, of all the things that have been swirling around and confusing people, the central one was this, is the president not indicted because of that opinion, or is it something else? So it's hard to it's hard to imagine that on this one question where you'll be the most prepared and it's the most fraught question, you would misunderstand the question.
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Toobin:] And can I just say why this is a big deal? I mean why we are focusing on this exchange with Ted Lieu? What it means is, if any other person had committed the acts that Robert Mueller identified, that person today would be awaiting criminal trial.
[Tapper:] Well, and
[Toobin:] But because of the OLC opinion
[Tapper:] Yes.
[Toobin:] The opinion of the Department of Justice, that presidents are, in effect, above the criminal law while they are in office, he didn't he didn't and that's a big deal.
[Tapper:] And on that subject, Congressman Ken Buck of Colorado, Republican, showing why you don't ask a question in in a hearing unless you actually know the answer ahead of time, demonstrating that in the negative way. Asked a question about what could theoretically happen to President Trump were he to leave office. Well, let's play that clip.
[Rep. Ken Buck:] OK. But the could you charge the president with a crime after he left office?
[Robert Mueller, Former Special Counsel:] Yes.
[Buck:] You believe that he committed you could charge the president of the United States with obstruction of justice after he left office?
[Mueller:] Yes.
[Tapper:] Now, that it's theatrical, right, because there are no sealed indictments. So he did not charge the president. He could have done a sealed indictment, theoretically, no?
[Toobin:] I I I think the OLC opinion precludes sealed indictments of of sitting presidents as well.
[Coates:] Yes.
[Tapper:] OK. But so it's a theoretical
[Toobin:] There is no sealed indictment.
[Tapper:] It's a theoretical argument?
[Toobin:] Yes.
[Coates:] Well, it's actually he's quite direct. And that's why you don't ask the one question too many. The one that many Democrats avoided actually asking and sealing and putting a nice bow on their actual
[Blitzer:] Let's ask a former prosecutor. Would they preserve evidence looking ahead to after he leaves office?
[Bharara:] Yes, look, one of the things that Bob Mueller said in the report
[Coates:] Yes.
[Bharara:] Is we did our investigation while memories are fresh and documents are available
[Bash:] Right.
[Bharara:] For some future person. That's not hypothetical. The other thing I would say is, right now, the attorney general of the United States does not like this testimony that was given. It contradicts what he said that Mueller told him. It contradicts what the attorney general told the public. And it really undermines the position of the president. What is he doing right now between the time that that first hearing ended and the next hearing of the Intel Committee is beginning? Is he reaching out to Bob Mueller and asking to clarify? Is he writing a letter, is he putting out a statement, is the president telling Bill Barr to put out a statement? Because this testimony, as it stands, is really bad.
[Coates:] Yes, and
[Brown:] And a Republican congresswoman was pressing him at one point trying to get him to say it seemed goading him into saying whatever Barr said initially in the summary was accurate. And it was one of the more combative exchanges with Robert Mueller where he said, what you're not mentioning is my follow-up letter of the issues we raised with his characterization.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Tapper:] And there were times there were times in the hearing when he was sharp as a tack. But we can't avoid the fact that there were times in the hearing that he was not. There were times in the hearing when he didn't seem to either either he couldn't hear what the question questioner was asking, and sometimes they spoke very quickly and they were not particularly polite to the and and respectful of the fact that this was a 74-year-old who obviously was having trouble
[Blitzer:] Well, let's ask Garrett because he's written a book about him.
[Tapper:] Have you
[Blitzer:] You've watched him over the years.
[Tapper:] But what I was going to say is, there are also times when it seemed like he was unfamiliar with parts of the investigation. Like he didn't seem familiar with the name with the GPS, right, and he didn't
[Bash:] Or Corey Lewandowski.
[Brown:] Or
[Tapper:] Or he didn't when the when that name Lewandowski was mentioned, he didn't seem familiar with that. Now, I don't know if he couldn't hear or if actually he is not as well versed with this report as as many of the people on this panel are right now.
[Graff:] It yes. And I think that I also saw a slightly different Robert Mueller in the second half of the hearing than we did in the first, where you sort of almost wonder whether there was a half time locker room talk to tell him to be a little bit more forceful, a little bit more to take issue with some of the questions that Republicans, particularly, were lauding at him because he in the first hour, first hour and a half, was very reticent to say anything more than a one or two-word sentence. But, really, when you saw that second half of the hearing, that was when he began to sort of punch back a little bit more in the questions.
[Sciutto:] I was keeping track of some of the standard charges against Bob Mueller. And, granted, if you were looking for a made for TV kind of character, Mueller was not not that perhaps today. But on those issues, over time, if you kept track, he hit back at them, the 14 angry Democrat thing, which we heard frequently from Republicans. He said, no, I only chose based on ability. He and he said in very clear terms, I never asked their party affiliation. That's not done. On the idea that he wanted the FBI job, something the president has repeated without founding, that that's the reason he's conflicted, he said, no, I was asked to give input on what that job would take. He he contradicted that charge.
[Tapper:] Steve Bannon backs him on that, by the way.
[Brown:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Steve Bannon does back him on that. And on the Barr letter, and you you bring this up as well, it was again, it was a Republican congressman, I don't think meant to go here, but he reminded her, hey, look back at my March 27th letter where he said, Mr. Barr, your report did not fully get the context, nature and substance of his report. So, again, in the midst of this very long four-hour hearing, he did hit back at those frequent charges.
[Brown:] He did. It took him a while, I thought, to get there, to finally hit back. I think You make a good point. It seems like he had locker room talk and during the first break. But he was he was more emphatic when it came to how through his
[Bash:] Not that kind of locker room talk.
[Brown:] Not that kind.
[Sciutto:] Yes, watch the reference.
[Brown:] You know what I'm trying to say.
[Bash:] A pep talk.
[Brown:] A pep talk is what I meant.
[Bash:] There you go.
[Brown:] Exactly. A pep talk.
[Toobin:] A double espresso perhaps.
[Brown:] Exactly. But, you know, he became more emphatic in talking about how thorough his report was, how his prosecutors acted with integrity.
[Bash:] Yes.
[Brown:] And I think that's what we were expecting to hear early on. But he was pretty resolute in saying
[Bash:] Can I just point out something that I think is important about the very important discussion about whether or not the president can be indicted afterwards and whether or not there's evidence there? We're missing the interim time, which is now, which is the whole point that of Congress and the House Democrats wanting this hearing and wanting him to come testify, which is, the Constitution says it is the House of Representatives first and then, of course, the Senate who will take up the issue. That is why the OLC opinion is that it's not a court of law, it is the Congress. That's that's the way it's set up to deal with whether or not a president commits a high crime or misdemeanor. And those questions, the Democrats got some pretty meaty answers to, like you talked about Jeff on the issue of, no, I didn't exonerate the president. Yes, he did try to get me fired. And it was only stopped because the White House counsel said, no, I'm not going to do this. And several other examples, the five examples of obstruction of justice, the Democrats did go through. It took them a while. It wasn't obvious, but they did it.
[Brown:] Yes.
[Blitzer:] And, Jeffrey, you know, the he had gone into this testimony today, Mueller, saying he wanted to stick with the 448 page report. That was going to be his testimony. Did he do that? Did he stick to that or did he go beyond the words of the initial report?
[Toobin:] I think he overwhelmingly stuck to it. I mean I think you know, what was frustrating it seems to the Democrats was that as they went through these five what they consider the most important examples of obstruction of justice, they had to tell the story rather than have Mueller tell the story. And they would they they would read from the report. They would summarize the report. And and Mueller would agree that that was what was in the report. But if you are telling a story, particularly through a congressional hearing, what you really want is the witness to tell the story. And he was not up there to narrate his report. He was there to verify when it was summarized by the questioners, which I think made it a little harder to follow, if you weren't already familiar with the subject.
[Tapper:] And one other thing I want to bring up, which is, we've been talking about the substance of this hearing, the three and a half hour hearing. And there's obviously going to be another one in a few minutes. We've been talking about the fact that Mueller very clearly said the report does not exonerate the president. He's been he laid out a case that there was obstruction of justice, though he couldn't bring charges no matter what he would have wanted to do because of the OLC memo. Although perhaps he was saying as directly as that, that he didn't because of the OLC memo. And he also made the argument that they could not find any prosecutable evidence of conspiracy between the Trump team and the Russians. That said, there is another reality.

[Don Lemon, Cnn:] CNN Tonight, I'm Don Lemon, 11:00 p.m. here on the East Coast. Today marks a grim milestone in the worst in coronavirus pandemic in the United States. The nation passing 4 million officially confirmed cases. More than 144,000 Americans have now died from the disease today alone. Over 1,000 Americans died from COVID-19. And because of death toll is rising so fast, experts at the CDC telling CNN they now expect COVID-19 will end up among the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2020, the severity of the crisis forcing President Trump to do an about face. Tonight announcing he is canceling the parts of the Republican National Convention that were to be held in Jacksonville, Florida. As we know Florida is one of the hardest hit states. Today it's reporting more than 10,000 new COVID-19 cases and a record number of deaths from the disease. Joining me now is CNN's White House correspondent John Harwood and Dr. Jonathan Reiner, he is the director of the Cardiac Catheterization Program at George Washington University Hospital. Gentlemen, good evening to you. John, a big convention is everything Trump loves but today finally forced to really face reality. The virus is winning. He's retreating.
[John Harwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] No question about it. And I think this announcement today spoke louder than anything the president has said all week as he's resumed these briefings, you know, telling people to wear masks after not doing so, telling people it's going to get worse before it's get better. Then he had a different tone yesterday and said a bunch of things that were not true at the briefing. But this was the big event of these briefings this week. The president wanted that event. He was angry when the state of North Carolina under Democratic governor told him he couldn't have it in the way he wanted to have it. So, he said I'm going to go to a place that will let me have the kind of event I want. He found Florida, where he got a sympathetic Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican run city in Jacksonville. But, in the last few days, the sheriff has said that it was too difficult to do security given the resurgence of the pandemic. And so the president's position became increasingly untenable. Many Republican politicians said, they were not going to go to the conventions. So, he was faced with trying to put on this big event and it have it being potentially a disappointment in addition to a potential public health problem. And so he was forced to retreat today. I think that was a signal of the gravity of the situation that was stronger than we have gotten from anything else at the White House this week.
[Lemon:] This is how the president explained his decision Dr. Reiner.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I looked at my team and I said, the timing for this event is not right. It's just not right with what has happened recently. The flare up in Florida. To have a big convention, it's not the right time. It's really something that, for me, I have to protect the American people.
[Lemon:] OK, but Doctor, he still pushing to reopen schools. How do you square that?
[Dr. Jonathan Reiner, Cnn Medical Analyst:] You can't. This is the same president who, at the end of June, despite record daily cases in places like Tulsa and Phoenix, thought that having rallies with thousands of people was a good idea. But look, Don, there was no way this convention was going to happen. Florida has become the epicenter for the pandemic on the planet. And even under the best possible circumstances, where finally the virus starts to add in Florida and things get better over the next few weeks, there would be no way to bring 10s of thousands of people to Florida and then risk reigniting the virus back in Florida. So, it was destined to be canceled. I think people finally just got to the president and convinced him of that.
[Lemon:] It's interesting how he and the Governor, Ron DeSantis, or bragging about how reopening early did not hurt. And you know, everything was fine and then now, look at what happened. John, listen, President Trump is going to throw out the first pitch at the Yankees game on August 15th. That is what he said. This is what he said at Sean Hannity about that.
[Trump:] I hope everyone is standing. I hope they are not going to be kneeling when the flag is raised. I don't like to see that. That would hurt a lot of people in our country. They don't want to see that. With the NFL or baseball or basketball or anything else. We want to there are plenty of places you can protest, you don't have to protest on the raising of our flag.
[Lemon:] So, I said this in the last hour that all the nationals and Yankees players kneeled during the anthem. They kneeled during a pregame moment of unity, not during the anthem. So, however, in the Giants Dodgers game tonight, a manager and three players were seen kneeling during the national anthem. So, John, it is going to be interesting to see how this plays out when President Trump is around.
[Harwood:] Well, I think it's going to be difficult given the momentum for permitting this kind of a protest and accepting this kind of a protest. Which is much different from when Colin Kaepernick did it a few years ago. It's going to be very difficult I think for to get both teams to agree not to kneel when the president throws out that first pitch. When he says a lot of people in the country would be hurt by it, he's the one I think who is at risk of being hurt, being embarrassed. Being felt that he is being shown up if athletes do kneel during the anthem in the game where he's throwing up the first pitch.
[Lemon:] Just for him, kneeling at all. Even if it is not during the anthem. The fact that those players are all kneeling is, you know, to him, an insult. It's insult to injury.
[Harwood:] That's right. I think he would take that as a humiliation and I think the players are likely to feel it as a challenge. Like, are you going to back down from your commitment to protests? And obviously, every player is different. But surely among those two teams, there are going to be people who are supportive of protests. It is going to be very hard for them to resist expressing themselves in that way when this very unpopular president goes to throw out the first pitch.
[Lemon:] Yes. And the players now in all the major leagues are feeling powerful and they are standing up in the way that they didn't before this, before the death of George Floyd. Thank you both, I appreciate it. I want to get to the Trump fact checker and that is Daniel Dale. Daniel, good evening to you. You know, we reached a grim milestone that I mentioned, 4 million cases in the U.S. today. But here's what President Trump said about the pandemic earlier.
[Trump:] You also see a lot of the countries has no problem whatsoever. Most of the country actually. The country is in very good shape, other than if you look south or west. Some problems that will work out. It goes away and it goes away quickly.
[Lemon:] What's the truth?
[Daniel Dale, Cnn Fact Checker:] The country is in good shape, other than if you look south and west. That's like a self-fact checking statement. I don't need to say anything there. Beyond that though, Don. It is of course obviously untrue that most of the country has no problem whatsoever. This virus is everywhere. We have 23 states with rising cases. Week over week. And it's not just states on the West Coast and in the south. It includes states like North Dakota, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana. Dr. Deborah Birx listed a list of cities yesterday that she was concerned about. It included places like Baltimore, like Columbus, like Pittsburgh. So, the idea the president was propagating today, that this is confined to, you know, certain coast, certain spots, it's just not true.
[Lemon:] And even if it's in the south and the west, I mean, there are a lot of Americans who live in the south and the west.
[Dale:] Those are major population's centers. You can't say a lot of those major population centers are doing great. It doesn't make sense.
[Lemon:] Let's take a listen to what the president said about his decision to cancel the Jacksonville part of the convention.
[Trump:] They said sir we can make this work very easily. We have great enthusiasm, incredible enthusiasm. Even the polls say about the most enthusiasm they've seen. We can do it safely and we can do it responsibly. I said there's nothing more important in our country than keeping our people safe.
[Lemon:] You've noticed a pattern with the president's sir stories
[Dale:] Right. Yes, Don. Basically any time the president tells a story in which he hasn't unnamed person calling him sir. Something about that story is inaccurate. I don't have any proof that this particular story in inaccurate, but in my years of fact checking this man, almost every sir story is wrong in some important way.
[Lemon:] All right. Daniel Dale, our fact checker. Thank you very much, I appreciate it. The U.S. now officially recording more than 4 million cases of coronavirus since the pandemic took hold. More tonight from CNN's Nick Watt.
[Nick Watt, Cnn National Correspondent:] 173 people reported dead today in Florida. An all-time high for that state.
[Mayor Francis Suarez:] One person is getting exposed or sick and they are infecting every single member of their household.
[Watt:] Today, we passed 4 million confirmed COVID 19 cases across this country. Now getting to the first million cases took 99 days. The next million, it took 43 days. The next, 28. And getting from 3 million to 4 million, just 15 days.
[Dr. Peter Hotez, Vaccine Researcher, Dean Of The National School Of Tropical Medicine At Baylor College Of Medicine:] There's no end in sight in the sense that, if there's no plan to control the virus at a national level, it is not going to go away by itself.
[Watt:] We are now six months in and the president still thinks testing is overrated.
[Trump:] Instead of 50, we did 25. We would have half the number of cases. So, I personally think it's overrated, but I am totally willing to keep doing it.
[Watt:] Doesn't he realized that a case is a case whether it is found by a test or not? And unknown case can be contained. That is largely why we test.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] Finding and tracing those very early individuals is really critical.
[Watt:] So says Dr. Deborah Birx, who right now is privately worried by recent upticks and test positivity rates in these 12 cities. Among them, Las Vegas, St. Lois, Baltimore.
[Birx:] I know it may look small and you may say well that only went from five to five and a half. And we're going to wait and see what happens. If you wait another three or four, even five days, you'll start to see a dramatic increase in cases.
[Watt:] So in all of Oregon bars and restaurants must now close at 10:00 p.m. Anchorage Alaska now reintroducing restrictions on the size of gatherings. Listen to this from a just published study. If the United States had collectively waited longer, opened more slowly and then kept our gathering sizes small. We might have reduced case counts like Europe or Canada and experienced a relatively normal summer. Instead, baseballs opening day is today. Late July, with no fans and no spitting. Last year, opening day was late March. Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the first pitch at the Nationals. We have ever thought? A mild mannered 79-year-old immunologist would be on that mound? A sign of our times. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Lemon:] Nick, thank you very much. We all know by now that wearing a mask is one of the best weapons we have against the virus. But there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about masks. We will debunk them with an expert. Next.

[Lemon:] The great debate in this country. Which fast food franchise has the greatest fried chicken sandwich? Well, we probably won't settle that tonight, but my next guest took advantage of the frenzy and showed up at his local Popeyes in Charlotte, North Carolina to encourage people waiting in line to make a difference in their community and register to vote. He's 17-year-old David Ledbetter, and he joins me now. David, thank you so much. You were reading my mind. I put on Instagram, I said, "All these lines of people, is anybody registering?" Sure enough, everyone said, "Yeah, there's this guy in Charlotte and he's doing it."
[David Ledbetter, Registered Voters On Line At Popeyes:] Yeah.
[Lemon:] So tell me how you came up with this idea to register voters at Popeyes.
[Ledbetter:] OK. So, it initiated when I was working on a campaign with Ms. Stephanie Sneed. I was just trying to get engaged with the community, specifically in politics. And so we came with the idea of, you know, trying to get, you know, more voters and more people involved. And so I attended a caucus meeting, like a political caucus meeting here, you know, locally in Charlotte. I've seen it was like there weren't enough young people in there. So, I looked around. There were older folks. You know, I was just wondering, like, why was that? And so we've been seeing like the trend of, you know, Popeyes, you know, the debate, and individuals just going up and in the lines, you know, massive, and the waiting times are very long. And so I thought we thought that, you know, we should engage them. We should engage the community.
[Lemon:] Captive audience.
[Ledbetter:] Right, yeah. It was a good audience because I saw a lot of my peers and just a lot of younger folk, you know, going there. And I thought, you know, we should follow the trend, just register individuals to vote.
[Lemon:] Were they receptive to the information you were giving them?
[Ledbetter:] Yeah, like majority of them were, or they were either registered to vote, which I found was very good. But, you know, some individuals, they weren't as receptive. They were just like, "Nah, I'm good. I'm fine with it." A lot, you know, they were interested. We handed out a lot of information on early voting, you know, who is running for ballot here in Charlotte. And so, yeah, it was a good. It was good, positive feedback.
[Lemon:] How many people were actually registered to vote, and how many did you sign up? Do you remember?
[Ledbetter:] OK. So we didn't exactly, you know, tally up who we registered. It was more like it was more than 10 individuals, I believe, but we didn't exactly tally up the amount of people that, you know, we registered. So we don't have that exact count.
[Lemon:] You're only 17, David, but you are you're pre-registered to vote when you turn 18.
[Ledbetter:] Yes, sir.
[Lemon:] What are you looking for in a political candidate?
[Ledbetter:] What am I looking for? That's a good question. I'm looking for a candidate who is, you know, able to advocate for, you know, the less fortunate, all masses of people, every individual in America specifically and all over the world as well. I think just providing that extra support for those individuals who don't have the same opportunity as other individuals around or just other individuals like me. I think, you know, candidates who are, you know, for the betterment of society as a whole. That's what I look for in a candidate, someone who is willing to improve the economy, stimulate the youth, especially the youth because the youth is the future. That's what I stand on. That's what I firmly believe. I feel like we should be putting things in place to allow younger individuals to grow, be successful, and provide them with these resources and opportunities, you know, just to be great. And so, yeah, I look for candidates who are willing to stimulate people who don't have
[Lemon:] The young folks, the young folks and the people who are disenfranchised. But listen, you're already doing great things
[Ledbetter:] Right.
[Lemon:] in your community. I mean, as I said, you're 17 years old, you co-founded an organization called "Imagine This."
[Ledbetter:] Yes, sir.
[Lemon:] Tell me about that.
[Ledbetter:] So "Imagine This" is a non-profit organization geared towards high school students, and its main focus is on students from disenfranchised communities. And so me and co-founder, Jamie Bins, we founded it on four pillars: community engagement, health and wellness, peer mentorship, and education. So around those four pillars, we design activities and program activities for the students that, you know, we give them for them to engage on, you know, ultimately give back to the community. And so the mission of our program is to, you know, develop these students and to, you know, college-bound individuals and have them, you know, go to college, experience, develop their passions, and then come back to the community they're from and begin to serve it. And so that's, you know, the initiative of our organization and so that's the mission that we try
[Lemon:] You're a high school senior. You're going into your senior year right now, right? You're a senior?
[Ledbetter:] Yes, sir. I just started.
[Lemon:] So you'll graduate in May of 2020?
[Ledbetter:] Yes, sir.
[Lemon:] When I When I was a senior, I don't know I was who knows what I was doing. Probably just I don't know. So what do you plan to do after you graduate?
[Ledbetter:] So after I graduate
[Lemon:] Politics? Are you going to have politics in your future?
[Ledbetter:] I do, but that will not be my main focus. So my main focus is helping individuals, but I have a passion for science. So I want to go into medicine. Me personally, I just love science, and I think medicine and, you know, being a doctor is one of the best ways I could help people while still being engaged with my passion. I do plan on, like, you know, having some type of authority in politics. I don't know if that will be like my main career, but, yeah, I do plan on having a presence in that industry.
[Lemon:] So, when you're president one day, just make sure you invite me to the White House.
[Ledbetter:] I will. That will be yeah, I'll make sure I invite you to the White House.
[Lemon:] All this over a as we say, sandwich. By the way, did you get a sandwich?
[Ledbetter:] I did get a sandwich.
[Lemon:] And?
[Ledbetter:] A spicy chicken sandwich. You want me to tell you which one was better, don't you?
[Lemon:] Just tell me if you liked it. What did you think?
[Ledbetter:] Pardon? I'm sorry.
[Lemon:] Just tell me if you liked it.
[Ledbetter:] I liked it. I definitely did like it. I enjoyed it.
[Lemon:] You didn't think it was the best?
[Ledbetter:] No, it was. It was the best out of the two. It definitely was the spicy one.
[Lemon:] All right. David
[Ledbetter:] How do you feel about it?
[Lemon:] I haven't had it. I've gone to like five or six Popeyes and I can't get my hands on it. So, I'll let you know when I know. Thank you, David.
[Ledbetter:] Yeah, let me know.
[Lemon:] Best of luck to you.
[Ledbetter:] No problem.
[Lemon:] You're a good guy and be in touch, OK? Thanks so much.
[Ledbetter:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] We'll be right back.

[Cuomo:] That secret report prepared for the White House Coronavirus Task Force talks about 18 states in the red zones. I don't know why it's secret. I don't know why I'm calling it that. It should be public, shouldn't it? I mean, don't they work for us? Now, one of the biggest states in a red zone is Texas 174 deaths reported there alone. What is the number mean in context? Well, it's a new high. The previous high was just yesterday. What does that tell you? They're in a bad spot. You got well over 300,000 cases tonight after more than 10,000 more were reported. Some areas are ordering more body bags. In San Antonio, you'd seen images like this. We remember this from New York. Refrigerator trucks brought in to deal with overcrowded morgues. It's a terrible reality. Now the question is, does it have to be that way? Our next guest, the mayor of San Antonio, is Ron Nirenberg, and I want his take. Thank you for joining us. I'm sorry it's during this time, but I'm happy to afford you the opportunity.
[Mayor Ron Nirenberg, San Antonio:] Good to be with you, Chris. Thanks.
[Cuomo:] Why is this happening?
[Nirenberg:] It's happening because we're seeing an incredible acceleration of cases throughout our city, throughout our state, and that goes right into our hospital system and the cases are not only increasing in number, they're increasing in severity. So, we've had our hospitals begin to plan for their surge management, which means not only the work that's being done on the floor and in the ICUs and ventilators but also what happens, unfortunately at end of life, which we're seeing too much of.
[Cuomo:] Was it about the reopening? Everything is lag with COVID, right? Takes time for people to get exposed, to get sick, to get symptomatic if they're going to be, et cetera, et cetera, and to hospitalization and anything worse. So, you got lag. It can be anywhere from ten days to two or so weeks. Is this about reopening too quickly in the wrong way?
[Nirenberg:] We opened before the data suggested we should. We opened faster than the data suggested we should, and then we had political leaders in our state and obviously in our nation who were saying that, you know, wearing masks and other things that the public health professionals were doing were political statements. So, it created a perfect storm starting about Memorial Day, we saw a very swift acceleration of cases that tracked back to that particular date, and it has only increased the number just about every urban center in our state, as well as rural areas now are getting hit hard which ultimately impacts the hospitals and urban communities, as well.
[Cuomo:] You know how when you're in the middle of a crisis, people say there is no time for blame now. Let's just, you know, figure this out and don't let yourself be led by emotion. I disagree with both. I think right now is the perfect time for blame and the perfect time for outrage because those are the only two factors that will stop the status quo. Abbott pretending to have strength the governor of Texas pretending it's strong to say we won't go back. We won't close anything down. Don't worry. Shouldn't that be the worry that he is closed-minded to the reality that safety is strength?
[Nirenberg:] You know, I think you said it right on the last segment, Chris. We have to learn from our mistakes and being unable to admit mistakes, whatever level they occur, will only increase the misery that we're in. And so, you know, it is true. There is no there is nothing less useful than the runway behind you but if you're not able to assess what happened with the data and change your behaviors, then we're then we're up a creek. And so, you know, we're waiting for that kind of guidance at the federal level, obviously, with a mask order that I think would help and even here at the local level in a state that really is kind of wavering on school openings, we're just now beginning find some guidance and so it is all about making sure that we're listening to the public health professionals examining this and following their guidance, but also learning from the things that went wrong.
[Cuomo:] Schools. How is it looking?
[Nirenberg:] Well, we just issued an order today that there will be no in person instruction until at least after Labor Day. But most importantly, when schools begin to come back into session, they won't start until our health professionals suggest that the triggers that we need to see in place, such as positivity rate and our ability to track and test folks in the community has been hit. That's one of the things that has been lacking in our approach so far is we've got to go through some gating criteria, making sure that we have an ecosystem and environment that's ready to treat people and to identify infections that occur so we can keep healthy people from getting sick.
[Cuomo:] San Antonio is a thriving metropolis, lots of people, lots of land area. What is the response from the citizenry to that suggestion, breaking it into a very simple ratio, the "I hate you for doing this" versus "I don't like it but I get we have to do this". What's the ratio?
[Nirenberg:] You know, it's hard to say. I think if you're looking for public sentiment on social media, you can get a very dim view of the world, but if you walk around my city, people want to help each other. We're a city of compassion, of understanding, a place where people take care of each other, and they are able to see that with the increasing number of sick people and increasing number of deaths in our community, that represents, those represent lives lived, loved ones lost, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles that we no longer have with us. And if we work together on simple things, minor inconveniences of avoiding mass gatherings, of, you know, keeping six feet away from people and ultimately just wearing a mask, we can help save lives in our community.
[Cuomo:] I mean, look, if those tractor trailers don't send the message to people, nothing will. I hate you have to have those in your city. I understand what the calculus is. I understand the considerations and really the respect for the dead that they suggest in an unusual way, but that's what the situation is right now. You can only have so many people in the funeral homes, especially when you can't have ceremonies. So, I get it. But if that doesn't send a message, I don't know what was. Mayor Nirenberg, anytime you want to make the case for what's happening in San Antonio, it's certainly a laboratory for what's happening in this country. So, feel welcome.
[Nirenberg:] Thanks so much, Chris. Thanks for all you do, too.
[Cuomo:] God bless and be safe.
[Nirenberg:] You too.
[Cuomo:] All right. Ahead, this is a big interview with Mary Trump. She is responding to the president in real-time. He broke his silence. You have to admit, it was it was odd that he hadn't said anything about this book sooner but he slammed her tonight. What does she think is behind it? What does it mean to her? On COVID, don't let anybody mislead you, the record being set left and right for cases are real. The WHO says the number of cases worldwide reached a new high Thursday. Here, not only did we reach a new record for cases yesterday, it was the ninth record high in just the past month. What does that suggest? Chief Doctor Sanjay Gupta on this hidden task force report. What's that about? And numbers, what will make them move the right way, next.

[Briggs:] The deceased half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was an informant for the CIA, that's according to "The Wall Street Journal". A source tells the paper there was a nexus between the CIA and Kim Jong Nam who it says would meet with CIA agents in Singapore and Malaysia. CNN's counterterrorism analyst Phil Mudd says this whole thing may not be so black and white.
[Phil Mudd, Cnn Counter-terrorism Analyst:] Let me give you some other alternatives. I witnessed a lot of instances where somebody was talking to the U.S. government because they thought, for example and I don't know if this is the case, but for example, in this instance, they could improve relations between North Korea and the United States, or they were working with another government, a government in Southeast Asia, for example, and they occasionally met with U.S. officials. I don't know whether he met with U.S. officials or not, but there is a big distance between somebody who was favorable to his former half brother or to his half brother or somebody who was a spy. There is a lot of area in between there.
[Briggs:] Kim Jong Nam died in February 2017 after he was poisoned with a nerve agent at Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The two women behind the attack have been released from custody.
[Romans:] Customs and border protection officials say photos of travelers and license plates were stolen in a quote malicious cyber attack. The agency says the images were compromised as part of an attack, a cyber attack on a federal subcontractor. They're used as part of a growing facial recognition program designed to track the identity of people entering and leaving the U.S. Officials say they are working with the law enforcement and cyber security experts to determine the scope of the breach. Initial reports say fewer than 100,000 people were affected.
[Briggs:] All right. Coming up, the Golden State Warriors barely staying alive in the NBA finals, but they're once again without one of their superstars, Kevin Durant, will be for the foreseeable future. Coy Wire has that major sports in the "Bleacher Report", next.

[Burnett:] Breaking news, Republican Senator Mitt Romney saying the sudden firing of a top prosecutor who led probes into President Trump's allies "looks pretty swampy" that it does as the White House struggles to explain who and what was behind the removal of Geoffrey Berman as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
[Unidentified Male:] Why was Mr. Berman being dismissed in the first place?
[Mcenany:] Because Mr. Clayton wanted to go back to New York City. We wanted to keep him in government and therefore he was given the position at
[Sdny. Collins:] But why did the President say he wasn't involved in the firing of Geoffrey Berman when the Attorney General said the President was the one who fired him?
[Mcenany:] Because the Attorney General was taking the lead on this matter. He did come to the President and report to him when Mr. Berman decided not to leave. And at that point is when the president agreed with the decision of the attorney general to fire Mr. Berman and to promote Mr. Clayton.
[Collins:] So he was involved in it then.
[Mcenany:] He was involved in the sign-off capacity. He was not A.G. Barr was leading the way. But in a sign-off capacity, yes, the president was.
[Burnett:] Which means President Trump wasn't telling the truth to this question about why he fired the U.S. attorney.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Attorney General Barr is working on that. That's his department not mine. So that is really up to him. I'm not involved.
[Burnett:] OUTFRONT now, the former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Daniel Goldman, who was also the lead counsel to the House Democrats during President Trump's impeachment inquiry. So, of course, you know his face. All right. Thank you very much, Dan. So, you know, what do you what do you make of this? You know, sort of he was involved or he wasn't involved. Clearly, he was involved. It's a pretty easy thing to check and yet they aren't giving a straight story. Why is that so hard to do, do you think?
[Daniel Goldman, Former Federal Prosecutor, Former Assistant U.s. Attorney:] Well, it's hard to do because of a quirk in the law which actually because Geoffrey Berman was actually appointed by the district court in the Southern District and not confirmed by the Senate, he can only be fired by the president not by Bill Barr. And so that is why Bill Barr wrote the letter on Saturday saying the president has fired you and I'm relaying that message. The president, of course, wants to keep some remove from the termination of a U.S. attorney who is we know conducting investigations into associates of the president, including his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. But he was unable to keep that remove and he clearly didn't understand the legal ramifications of what was going on when he said on Saturday that he has nothing to do with it. Politically it will look very bad if it comes out the reason Geoff Berman was fired was because he was conducting investigations into the president or anyone around the president.
[Blitzer:] Is there how much of a question is there, I mean, that that isn't the motive? I mean, it seems hard to imagine anything else at this point. Why would you go in and fire a guy like that, and they are denying that it's because of those investigations. They're denying it, but does that add up at all?
[Goldman:] Well, their proffered reasons do not add up. The nation that Jay Clayton during a pandemic needs to get back to New York right now makes no sense when everyone is teleworking to begin with. It's also destabilizing to both the SEC and the Southern District of New York. It occurred late on a Friday night. Bill Barr lied about Geoffrey Berman stepping down. And then he changed course and put the deputy U.S. attorney in the southern district in charge rather than the U.S. attorney in New Jersey. There are so many reasons why this smells really bad. But we don't know what actually the conflict was or the reason was why Bill Barr wanted Geoffrey Berman gone and why Trump wanted Geoffrey Berman gone. That is why we really do need congressional hearings with Geoffrey Berman there, with his former deputy U.S. attorney Robert Khuzami testifying, with other people in the Department of Justice perhaps on Mueller's team. We need to understand how politicized the Department of Justice has gotten under Trump and Bill Barr.
[Burnett:] So, you know, I want to ask you about the former national security adviser John Bolton, because, obviously, as you know, you were in the middle of this, right? He resisted House Democrats' efforts to get him to testify during the impeachment inquiry and this morning, he came out this morning and yet again and slammed how Democrats conducted the impeachment inquiry. Here he is.
[John Bolton, Former National Security Adviser:] I think there were a lot of Republicans in the House that might have been open to a more reasoned, nonpartisan effort. They made it a partisan fight in the House. That guaranteed it would be a partisan fight in the Senate. And they lost. That is not a very good strategy.
[Burnett:] Of course you were sitting there day after day making the legal arguments in this case. What do you say to John Bolton?
[Goldman:] I say he's got very good talking points but not very good facts. The fact was this always was a nonpartisan, bipartisan investigation. It was, of course, led by the majority, which were the Democrats. But the Republicans had every right to ask as many questions and they did. They had the right to call witnesses. This was only partisan because the Republicans rallied around president Trump regardless of what his conduct was. So, to the extent it was partisan and that was problematic it was not because we ran a partisan investigation. We called nonpartisan witnesses and we asked them questions under oath and they gave answers under oath. If the facts were unfavorable to President Trump, and the Republicans wanted to defend President Trump, that is not because we ran a bipartisan or a partisan investigation. That is because they were partisan.
[Burnett:] So, why do you think John Bolton didn't testify? I mean, you know, he was subpoenaed and then, you know, said I want to wait for a court ruling. But he's come out and said all the damning things he would have said under oath, you know, to you in Congress there in a book. Why do you think he didn't do it then?
[Goldman:] I think there are a couple possible reasons. One is he saw dollar signs and he wanted to wait and make money off of the information that he had. And I also think John Bolton is part of the Republican establishment and he may have been a little reticent to come in and testify before a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. But that's all speculation. The fact of the matter is John Bolton had no good faith basis, no reason not to testify as was ultimately borne out by the fact that he was willing to testify in the Senate. There is no difference between the House and the Senate in terms of a congressional subpoena. Yet John Bolton's attorney told me directly that they would file a lawsuit in court if he were subpoenaed and we'd still be in court today waiting for a ruling on that lawsuit.
[Burnett:] Even as the book came out. It's hard to understand. All right. Daniel Goldman, thank you very much. I appreciate your time.
[Goldman:] Thanks very much, Erin.
[Burnett:] And next, the D.A. in the Rayshard Brooks case facing pressure to step aside after charging two Atlanta officers in his death. Why? And a New York officer suspended without pay after this video surfaced showing him using an apparent chokehold which has been banned. The attorney for the man you see in this video is OUTFRONT.

[John King, Cnn:] Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now. Have a good day.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] John, thank you. I'm Brianna Keilar and I want to welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world. We begin with a sober reality check from the head of the World Health Organization.
[Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director, World Health Organization:] This virus is proving exceptionally difficult to stop. What it has clearly demonstrated is take the pressure off the virus, the virus bounces back.
[Keilar:] But the situation is not hopeless unless we keep doing exactly what we're doing. If we want things to get better, it appears it is up to us as citizens to step up in the absence of a vaccine and a national testing strategy. Experts are clear. Follow the recommended safety measures, like wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing and we can dramatically cut down the transmission of the virus. And the numbers are showing just how important this is because right now the U.S. has more than five million coronavirus cases and almost 163,000 deaths. Schools are beginning their reopening plans and anxiety is already high among parents and educators. And now, there's an alarming new finding from the American Academy of Pediatrics that almost 100,000 children tested positive for the virus in the last two weeks of July. In Georgia, you will remember this picture from last week of students packed in the hallways of a high school. Well, that school is now shut down for at least two days after several positive cases. College football is likely done for. There are reports that the leaders of the Power Five Conferences may postpone or even cancel the football season. Over the weekend, the MAC, the Mid American Conference, announced it's canceling its fall season. But in the midst of the coronavirus chaos, the secretary of Health and Human Services is describing a pandemic response that is out of touch with reality.
[Alex Azar, Secretary, Hhs:] In terms of the president's historic response to the coronavirus crisis, a novel, unprecedented pandemic, we have actually been able to manage to ensure that the disease burden did not exceed our health system capacity.
[Keilar:] It's a historic response all right, but not in the way that Secretary Azar means. The U.S. has more than 5 million cases of coronavirus, almost 163,000 deaths at this point, as we mentioned. Comparing that to the rest of the world is actually many times more deaths than the U.S. should account for considering its population. And Tom Foreman is with us now on this. Tom, there are five states that are outpacing the rest of the U.S. Show us how they're doing.
[Tom Foreman, Cnn Correspondent:] If you look at the numbers, forget all your political apprehensions about this, just look at the numbers right now, California, Florida, Texas, New York and Georgia are really leading in the big bulk of the cases in this country. Don't take that to mean that this is not a real threat in every state because it is. But they are accounting for the really big numbers out there. Are they accounting in the same way? No, not necessarily. Some of them are simply huge populations that had big surges. Their trends are looking a little bit better now, New York being one of them. Some places, the trends are not looking good at all but they may have a smaller number of cases. But then it gives you a sense of how embedded this can be in a big population. If you look at the global picture, this is where you can really see the difference and the counter play to what Secretary Azar just said there. If you look at the global picture, the United States is still way up in the numbers there, massive numbers accounting for about a quarter of the cases in the world even though we are only about 4 percent of the population of the world. That is an equation that nobody really wants to see. The U.S. trend, because of people gradually accepting masking and social distancing, look at the trend numbers here, it has been slightly improving. That's possibly one of the reasons why the jump from 3 million to 4 million and from 4 million to 5 million looks a little bit more like each other in terms of the number of days involved because the trend with social distancing and everything else seems to be working in the right direction. But don't forget in all of this, the U.S. response is, no matter what you're being told by the White House, is, by the assessment of many others, far below standard. Look at this assessment from a Foreign Policy magazine, and they looked at this. Their take on it was that the United States simply belongs in the bottom of the countries in terms of responding to this virus for not really getting enough supplies, for not moving proactively enough. And key point here, again, going back to what Secretary Azar said, one of the big knocks against the U.S. response from the beginning, Brianna, is that the administration here has not been shooting straight with the American people about the number of cases, the import of that and how to deal with that. One of the key reasons why the U.S. response is being ranked so badly is simply that it has not been honest from the government level and that has made it worse. Brianna?
[Keilar:] All right. Tom Foreman in Washington, thank you. Texas and Florida have now topped half a million total cases each. They join California in hitting that mark. Texas experiencing another uptick of cases after seeing a bit of a drop there and Florida is reporting another 4,000 new cases, which is actually a drop there but it is the lowest daily case total it's reported since the end of June, however, that is still an extremely elevated number of virus cases. Florida is still a hotspot even as it is reopening more schools. Our teams are on the ground in both of those states, and I want to start with Ed Lavandera in Texas.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn National Correspondent:] Brianna, startling statistics emerging from Texas this weekend, the coronavirus positive infection rate in the state now tops more than 20 percent. That is a record high. Top health experts across the country say that this infection rate is one of the key indicators showing how quickly the virus is spreading through the state but it also comes as the number of tests being reported on a daily here in Texas has dropped significantly. About two weeks ago, it was close to 70,000 tests per day, now we're hovering around 45,000 tests per day. Brianna?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] Brianna, at least a dozen school districts in counties across the State of Florida are planning to reopen for in-person instruction this week. This is according to the Florida Education Association and also to these districts' websites. 9 of the 12 schools are in counties with positivity rates of 5 percent or higher. This is as of Saturday, according to the Florida Department of Health. Now, last month, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said that schools in counties with positivity rates of 5 percent or higher might consider not reopening. Brianna?
[Keilar:] Rosa and Ed, thank you so much. As Florida and other states reopening schools cases of kids with coronavirus are on the rise. In the last two weeks of July, more than 97,000 children were diagnosed with coronavirus, a 40 percent jump. And that is the finding of a study that was published by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. North Paulding High School in Georgia is temporarily moving to online- only. The school and its district came under scrutiny after this photo, which you may recognize, of students crowded in a hallway went viral. At least six students and three staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus and that has forced the school to close down for deep cleaning. Joining me now is Chelsea Lennon, she's a sophomore at the North Paulding High School, and her mom is with us, as well, Michelle Salas. Thank you so much to both of you for being with us today.
[Chelsea Lennon, Student, North Paulding High School:] Thanks for having us.
[Michelle Salas, Parent, North Paulding High School:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] So, Chelsea, you have spoken out about conditions at the school, which we should mention, so far, we do not expect to see a mask requirement when the school reopens as soon as Wednesday. I want you to listen to something that your classmate, Hannah Watters, said as she was talking about threats that she has received for making that photo available and it going viral.
[Hannah Watters, Student, North Paulding High School:] Some of the things are like, we're going to jump every girl named Hannah in the tenth grade or Hannah is going to have a rough day at school on Monday or someone even said I know where this girl lives because he lives in my neighborhood. So just not they're not entirely like something to worry about but we do try to take them seriously.
[Keilar:] Okay. Look, you hear what she is saying, Chelsea. You have spoken out yourself. I wonder, have you received criticism or threats and have you seen these threats that Hannah is describing here?
[Lennon:] Personally I have not received any threats from anybody in my grade or anybody at my school. I have seen the screen shots of Hannah receiving threats from the class of 2021 group chat because they have a senior group chat. I have seen those and I have seen adults, you know, on Facebook, Twitter calling out to Hannah, like threatening her or like starting rumors. But, personally, I have not received any threats myself.
[Keilar:] I want to ask you about the picture you saw that Hannah posted. Was that accurate of was that an accurate look at conditions at your high school?
[Lennon:] I would say that represents how North Paulding looks like pretty accurately especially during dismissal when most bus riders, they have to go out the front door of the school and it's crowded and no one wearing masks and, again, it's crowded and your next to people that aren't wearing mask, you are next to people who are and especially during class change, as well. That's how it looks. Sometimes it is crowded, sometimes it's not, but you are lucky if it's not that crowded.
[Keilar:] Okay. And, look, Michelle, as a parent, are you comfortable with the school taking these two days to deep clean and then having Chelsea return to school at the reopening? I mean, I think we may find out tomorrow exactly what they're doing. But as of now, it's two days of deep cleaning and a reopening Wednesday without masks required still. Are you comfortable with that?
[Salas:] No, no. And deep cleaning, I thought they deep cleaned before they started school and yet there was a spread of the virus anyway. It seems to me that the scientists and the medical people are telling us something that we should take note of whether you're a conspiracy theorist or believe in one side or the other. The fact is they have used the kids at Paulding County specifically as guinea pigs to try this out. So they got clapped back, they got caught that they weren't prepared. So now the schools rolling back and we're going to clean the school, we're going to do this, and no masks, so let's try it again. So it is like a really bad experiment, you know? They're trying to find some kind of fluency but they're using my kids and the kids that my kids grew up with as bait. So I don't appreciate that, no.
[Keilar:] Chelsea, would you feel safe? I think I know the answer to that question. So, I guess, I also want to know how others students that you talk to feel. Would they have the concerns you and your mom have?
[Lennon:] For most of the part, my friends that I hang around, they are worried about going back to school. The whole main goal of this was to bring attention to making mask mandatory instead of like going digital or online. It is very important to recognize that we are not trying to get rid of the school year. We are not trying to force everyone to go back to digital learning. We just want safer precautions to be taken if we go back to school. And as far as I know, 50 percent of the kids, you know, take this seriously and are like excited about this and then the other half is making a joke out of it or they're saying it is not that serious and saying that, like, it is not that important, that it shouldn't matter.
[Keilar:] Michelle, I wonder if you think the school or the district or the county is opening itself up to lawsuits by not taking precautions, like masks, which are something that you know, that's pretty easy to do. Are you hearing any talk among parents about that?
[Salas:] Lawsuits, you know, that might happen. But I'm more concerned about what's going to happen to bring on a lawsuit. I don't want some parent to lose their or some child to lose their mom who is a teacher, because they got a virus that killed them. And I think it's funny how you jumped to what about the lawsuits instead of thinking about what can we do to, you know, squash any possibility of anything happening to our students or our teachers.
[Keilar:] Yes. Well, look, Michelle and Chelsea, thank you for coming on. You're really in you're wading through this, as so many parents and students are, as our school year is set to begin all across the country. So, thank you for being with us.
[Salas:] My pleasure.
[Lennon:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] The rich are having parties and L.A. is trying to crackdown. We'll hear from someone who describes parties with caged lions and tigers. Plus, Bill Gates says the testing situation in the U.S. is mind blowing insanity. What he says can be done to fix it. And as Congress dithers on the next round of stimulus, the president signs a series of executive actions. The problem is no one can seem to figure them out.

[Mike Rogers, Cnn National Security Commentator:] And they should not take advantage of the news that we got today.
[John King, Cnn Inside Politics:] Chairman Rogers, I very much appreciate your important insights. I want to thank you for watching today. Thank you for your patience throughout all these breaking news. Don't go anywhere on this busy day. Brianna Keilar picks up right now.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn Rightnow:] Hello. I'm Brianna Keilar. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. The president of the United States has been infected with the coronavirus just one month before the election. He is now among 7 million Americans who have tested positive along with First Lady Melania Trump. The president who said that the couple would begin their, quote, quarantine process immediately is expected to work out of the residence. The stunning announcement following the revelation, Thursday, that one of his closest aides, Hope Hicks, had also tested positive for COVID. But while the nation learned about Hicks last night, she actually tested positive on Wednesday night after traveling with the president to his Minnesota rally earlier that day and to Cleveland for the debate on Tuesday, the day before. In spite of that, and with a small group of White House officials aware of her status, the president went ahead with his public schedule yesterday, including attending an evening fundraiser at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey. And with less than five weeks until Election Day, the president's diagnosis is throwing even more uncertainty into an already unprecedented campaign. Former Vice President Joe Biden wishing the 2020 rival a speedy recovery just days after the two squared off in a contentious and raucous debate. Biden's primary care physician announcing moments ago that Biden and his wife, Jill, have tested negative. And on Capitol Hill, Republican Senator Mike Lee announced he has tested positive just days after visiting the White House and meeting with Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett. A White House spokesman says that Barrett, who is tested every day, is currently negative. Let's get the very latest from the White House where the president and first lady are isolating. That's where CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is covering this story. And the president is experiencing symptoms, Jim?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right, Brianna. The president, according to a White House official, including the chief of staff, Mark Meadows, is experiencing some mild symptoms from the coronavirus, so is the first lady, Melania Trump. We are told by the first lady's office that Barron Trump has tested negative for the virus. But, obviously, this has thrown this White House into a tailspin at the moment, Brianna. We talked to the chief of staff, Mark Meadows, earlier this morning. He tried to insist that the president is doing well and he is on the phone talking to various White House staffers. And here is a bit of what he had to say.
[Mark Meadows, White House Chief Of Staff:] The president and the first lady tested positive for COVID-19. They remain in good spirits. The president does have mild symptoms.
[Acosta:] So, the chief of staff there, Brianna, is saying that the president is experiencing mild symptoms but yet, just a few moments ago, he was not able to chair a conference call that he was supposed to lead on vulnerable seniors and the coronavirus. Instead, Vice President Mike Pence, who has tested negative for the coronavirus, he was leading that phone call. We are going through the audio of that right now to see exactly what the vice president had to say. But we understand he told people on the call, essentially, the president would not be on that call because he has the coronavirus. In the meantime, what we understand is that White House officials are conducting and White House doctors are conducting contact tracing to try to get to the bottom of exactly who the president and Hope Hicks, who they have been around over these last several days. We have a graphic to show you of just how many various people the president has been around over this past week. Keep in mind he had that event on Saturday in the Rose Garden announcing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. Senator Mike Lee, who was there for that event, has since tested positive for the coronavirus. And so we're trying to isolate exactly when all of this might have started happening because we don't have an exact timeline. Mark Meadows was telling us earlier this morning that they discovered that Hope Hicks had tested positive for coronavirus as they were leaving for these events up in New Jersey yesterday, but that doesn't exactly distill for us, you know, precisely when all of this might have been passed from one person to another. The other thing we should point out, Brianna, and it's been shocking to watch this all morning, various senior White House officials walking around the White House grounds here without a mask. We saw Dr. Scott Atlas, I have some of video of that to show you earlier this morning, the controversial member of the coronavirus task force, who has been flirting with this idea of herd immunity and talking down the idea that young people can catch the coronavirus and so on, he was on the campus grounds this morning not wearing a mask, smiling and talking to people. I personally saw Johnny McEntee, who is a senior White House official over here, walk right past me, said he was on his way to get his COVID test, was not wearing a mask this morning, walked into the area of the west wing where the press secretary, Kayleigh, McEnany has her office. There were various White House staffers there not wearing their masks this morning. And so, Brianna, one of the things that we're experiencing over here at the White House is sort of just sort of dumbfounded disbelief that even after the president of the United States tests positive for the coronavirus, some people over here still haven't gotten the memo as to how serious this situation is. As I finish up this live shot, I'm putting my mask back on. Other members of the press are putting their masks on when they're around here. But White House staffers in some cases are not doing that, Brianna.
[Keilar:] Yes. It is I mean, it defies common sense, for sure. Jim Acosta, thank you so much for that update from the White House. Moments ago, we learned Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden has tested negative for coronavirus. CNN Correspondent Jessica Dean is in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Biden is expected to continue campaigning this afternoon. And, Jessica, President Trump, when he was very likely contagious, shared a debate stage with Joe Biden. Hope Hicks tested positive Wednesday, and yet the White House did not give the Biden campaign any information. How is the campaign reacting and mobilizing to monitor Biden's health?
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Correspondent:] Right. So there was a memo sent out early this morning from the campaign manager, Brianna, that said that the campaign is doing to the staff, saying, that the campaign is doing everything it can to make sure that everyone is as safe as possible. We did get those negative test results for Joe and Jill Biden just a little bit ago. They were administered the PCR test, which is considered really the gold standard of tests. It takes a little longer to get the results back, but those results are very good in terms of their accuracy. He was scheduled to be here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, starting 1:20 this afternoon Eastern Time. You can tell he has not left Wilmington yet, so you can tell that he is not going to be making it here on time, but we are told that he will travel here to Michigan after the delay this morning, waiting on those test results, and that he will give remarks. We're expecting later today, later this afternoon. If you zoom out kind of big picture, the coronavirus and the president's response to the pandemic and his lack of response to the pandemic has been the central theme of the Biden candidacy. And the Biden campaign has drawn contrasts at every turn. I mean, back in March, they called off all major rallies. He really did only virtual events for a long time and, really, has only resumed major travel since Labor Day with him going to the battleground states. We also heard yesterday from the campaign that they had planned, after months of staying away from it, they planned to go for in-person canvassing in these battleground states with volunteers door-to-door and reaching people that were hard to reach over the phone and online. The campaign saying that they had great success there but really felt like they could be safe and do this and reach these people they really wanted to reach before Election Day. And all indications are that that is all moving ahead, especially as we see Vice President Biden traveling here to Michigan today and continuing forward with the plans that he has in place. Brianna?
[Keilar:] All right. Jessica, following it all for us from Michigan, thank you. And we did just hear that the president is suffering mild symptoms from coronavirus several hours after announcing that he has COVID-19. I want to bring in CNN's Senior Medical Correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. And, Elizabeth, the president has risk factors here, right? He has several risk factors that could make him a candidate for more severe symptoms.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] That's right, Brianna. He is in a much higher risk category than most Americans. Having said that, I will say, the numbers tell us that chances are, thank goodness, he will be okay. He will recover just fine from this. However, he is at higher risk than most other people. Let's take a look at what puts him at higher risk. First of all, he is obese, and that triples the risk of hospitalization. Also, he's 74. People in the 65 to 74-year-old age range are at a five times greater risk of hospitalization than younger people, also a 90 percent greater risk of death. He is also a man and men tend to be more likely to die or get very sick from COVID than women do. He also has been treated for high cholesterol. We know that various medical conditions can put someone at a higher risk for getting very sick or dying. But, again, to emphasize, the numbers also tell us that he is most likely going to get through this just fine. Brianna?
[Keilar:] Which is very good news. Thank you so much, Elizabeth Cohen. I really appreciate it. Dr. Saju Matthew is a primary care physician, he's a public health specialist. Thank you so much for being with us. We are hearing from the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, a description of the president as having symptoms that are mild. So he has symptoms but they are mild. What does that mean considering the timeline for his announcement of his diagnosis and what does that mean, if anything, for the longer term? Can we tell anything from that?
[Dr. Saju Matthew, Cnn Medical Analyst:] Yes, those are good questions, Brianna. When you're exposed to COVID-19, on average, it takes about five days before you actually develop symptoms. But, remember, the incubation period, which is from the time you were exposed to when you develop symptoms, can be as long as 14 days. So if the president tested positive this morning and he has mild symptoms, you have to also remember that you are more symptomatic almost two days before you actually test positive, so a lot to digest. And I think the most important thing is the contact tracing that we have been talking about to make sure that people that he has exposed people to should be traced and they need to be quarantined.
[Keilar:] Yes, and there are a lot of them, right? And there is testing going on at the White House, so we're keeping our eye on that. What are the options for early treatment? There has been talk about remdesivir as an early intervention. There has been a lot of talk about how steroids can be helpful in treating. At what point would a decision like that be made and just how would a doctor be treating the president in these early stages?
[Matthew:] Right. So, if you really look at the numbers game, as Elizabeth Cohen just mentioned, 80 percent of people actually do well, Brianna, and they have mild symptoms. If you have mild symptoms, a runny nose, maybe some drainage, a sore throat, mild fever and chills, basically, we call that symptomatic treatment. There is not necessarily a specific treatment like an anti-viral or an antibiotic. Now, if the president should falls into the category of where his symptoms progress to now where he becomes what we call hypoxic, or the oxygen level drops, that's when we are talking more about a possible hospital admission. And God forbid this happens, but if he gets into the ICU and needs to be intubated, then at that point, Brianna, we're talking about remdesivir and possibly dexamethasone, which, by the way, would come a long way in treating the really patients with those two drugs.
[Keilar:] And so that's the point where those drugs come in, is actually a little later, is what you're saying, right? So right now, it's sort of monitoring and see where this naturally takes him, in which direction. We know the White House doctor has been using the Abbott Labs rapid test and we know that these are about 85 percent reliable even though they're very quick, which is why they're convenient, right? Would you expect that aides are now getting a different, more reliable test in light of the president's infection?
[Matthew:] So, you know, the testing, the rapid test you just mentioned is about 85 percent to 90 percent accurate and the PCR test, which basically looks at a genetic material. The rapid test just looks at the antigen, if you will, or a viral protein. The PCR tests are up in the 90-97 percentile, but the advantage of a rapid test is that come back fairly quickly. Quick thing also, Brianna, about the testing is we need to understand that from the time you've been exposed to somebody with COVID-19, it could take you, like I said, 5 to 14 days. So if you get tested early, a lot of people are panicking when they heard about President Trump turning positive and people have been in close contact with him want to get tested, I understand. But if it is negative today, like three days later, like for instance, the Biden's test, that came back negative today, technically, you should wait about five to seven days for a more accurate testing because you could be negative today and be positive three days from now.
[Keilar:] So, no one should be when we're talking about, for instance, Mark Meadows, he is standing in front of reporters, he's had exposure to the president, and he says, I have a negative test, so, essentially, he is communicating to reporters, also I'm socially distanced, I don't have nothing to worry about, that's not really the case. All of these that's what you're saying, right? All of these people who were saying, but I have testing negative, I'm at the White House because I have been testing negative, they can't actually hang their hats on that?
[Matthew:] That's exactly right, Brianna. If there's one thing our viewers should take from our conversation today is that a negative test doesn't give you the green signal to go out there and take your mask off and not socially distance. What a negative test should reassure you is that there's an 80 percent to 90 percent chance that I'm negative now. And if I'm going to meet people and be in close proximity, I need to still wear my mask and try to be six feet away from those people as best as I can.
[Keilar:] The president, shortly before announcing his positive test, still traveled and held an indoor fundraiser despite knowing that one of his closest aides who he had had considerable exposure to, had coronavirus. What is your assessment of that action?
[Matthew:] That's very dangerous, Brianna. It goes without saying that if you just follow the science, if you know that a close aide of yours tested positive, in my opinion, as a physician, that entire event should have been canceled and people need to be quarantined. You see, there's a difference between using the word, quarantine, that's where people that were exposed and isolated, like the Trumps are currently because they tested positive. But I would have canceled that event to be more cautious because, remember, there are so many people that are involved now in this web, Brianna, and contact tracing is going to be a nightmare, but you have to do it to make sure that you don't cause a surge within the White House and outside of the White House as well.
[Keilar:] Yes. And I think we are already starting to see that. The chief of staff has indicated that he expects there to be more. Dr. Saju Matthew, thank you so much for being with us.
[Matthew:] Thank you, Brianna.
[Keilar:] So what does this uncertainty mean for the election, what does it mean for national security? Carl Bernstein and Gloria Borger will join me to answer those questions. Plus, we'll look at the plans for the continuity of government and what plans are in place for every scenario. Also, new reaction from Capitol Hill, where a Republican senator tests positive after visiting the White House and meeting with the president's SCOTUS pick, Amy Coney Barrett. This is CNN's special live coverage.

[Church:] The United Kingdom will get early access to millions of vaccine doses. The British government announced a new partnership that has secured early access to more than 90 million vaccine doses. They will also get antibody treatments that neutralize COVID-19. The deal follows a global licensing agreement between AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford to research, develop and manufacture a vaccine for the public. Well, it is a race being run by countries all around the world. The scramble to find a coronavirus vaccine. Russia is no exception. Researchers in Moscow say they are on the brink of success. But their rapid progress is racing some serious questions. CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins us now live from Moscow with an exclusive report. Good to see you, Matthew. So, what are you learning about the serious questions being raised about how Russia has come so far, so quickly with its potential vaccine?
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Right. There are a lot of serious legal and ethical questions about that, but what Russian scientists say is that they're at the forefront of global efforts to find a coronavirus vaccine. They've reported rapid progress in human trials, and now Russian officials are telling CNN that they expect a virus to be in production, approved as early as next month, possibly possibly before anybody else can develop and produce an effective treatment. Well, those claims of vaccine success are emerging from one lab here in the center of Moscow. For the first time we can take you inside and give you an exclusive look at the kind of work that's under way there.
[Chance:] For Russia, the search for a coronavirus vaccine is a global race. It's at this research lab in Moscow where it hopes to win. Access to the Gamaleya Institute is tightly controlled. No CNN cameras were allowed through these doors, but they did give us exclusive footage of the sensitive scientific work taking place inside. A unique glimpse of Russia's rapid push for a coronavirus vaccine. They even sent recorded comments from their director who controversially injected himself before human trials officially began.
[Alexander Ginsburg, Director, Gamaleya Institute:] It has become a task of unprecedented complexity. In a very short time, we have to create a vaccine against this disease.
[Chance:] But that need for speed in Russia means corners may have been cut. Russian soldiers, all volunteers, according to the defense ministry, were used in the first phase of human trials. The now allegations denied by the Kremlin that Russian spies have been hacking U.S., British, and Canadian labs to steal their coronavirus secrets. Allegations also rejected by the head of the organization funding much of Russia's coronavirus research. Russia desperately needs to develop and wants to develop a vaccine. Isn't that one reason why the Kremlin would try and get ahead by stealing other nations' vaccine secrets?
[Kirill Dmitriev, Ceo, Russian Direct Investment Fund:] Well, first of all, Matthew, we are very surprised by the timing of this, because basically it happened the next day after we announced that we expect approval of our vaccine in August.
[Chance:] Sure. But how do you explain that extraordinary speed? I mean, other countries are working flat-out. Why would Russia be so far ahead? I mean, there are allegations, there are concerns that this country's been cutting corners when it comes to its research.
[Dmitriev:] Our vaccine is based on a proven vaccine platform. It was a vaccine against Ebola. It was a vaccine against MERS. And our scientists just substituted Ebola and MERS codes with the spike of the coronavirus.
[Chance:] Adjusting an old vaccine to work with the new coronavirus instead. Details remain sketchy, but it's that clinical strategy, not hacking, officials say, giving this Russian lab the edge. Rosemary, as a country with one of the highest numbers of coronavirus infections in the world, Russia is, of course, highly motivated to get their first and to find a vaccine for the disease. Latest figures just come through to us. More than 6,000 new infections reported in the past 24-hour period, bringing to just over 770,000 people who have confirmed with coronavirus in Russia alone. Rosemary?
[Church:] All right. Matthew Chance bringing us up to date on the situation there from Moscow. Many thanks. Well, confusion in Georgia at a time when clarity is needed. How Atlanta businesses find themselves in the middle of a political fight over which virus guidelines to follow. We'll have those details on the other side of the break. Stay with us.

[Berman:] Breaking overnight, North Korea says it is considering suspending nuclear talks with the United States and says it will soon decide whether to resume nuclear and missile testing. President Trump said he left the summit in Vietnam with a promise from Kim Jong-un that there would be no missile testing. So this would be a huge reversal. CNN's Paula Hancocks live in Seoul with the breaking details Paula.
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, John, this was a press conference that the vice foreign minister gave to reporters who are based in Pyongyang. And she effectively said that THAT Kim Jong-un is now deciding whether or not he even wants to continue diplomatic talks with the United States. And, as you say, whether he's going to respect and keep that moratorium on nuclear and missile launches. She also said, quote, "The U.S. were too busy with pursuing their own political interests and had no sincere intention to to achieve a result." They also pointed out once again, as they did at that midnight press conference in Hanoi after Mr. Trump had left the country, that they weren't asking for all sanctions to be lifted in return for giving up the Yongbyon nuclear facility. They were only asking for some of those that really affected the North Korean people. Now, we don't know for sure whether or not that is accurate. One interesting thing, though. The vice foreign prime minister did not criticize Mr. Trump himself, saying that the North Korean and the U.S. leader do still have a special relationship, talking about "The chemistry between them is mysteriously wonderful." Instead, what she did was lay the blame for this failure of the Hanoi summit at the doors of the U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and also the national security adviser, John Bolton. Back to you.
[Camerota:] Paula, thank you very much. Now to this breaking news. At least 49 worshippers murdered inside two mosques. Dozens more are injured in this terror attack in New Zealand. Joining us now to talk about this and more, we have Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. Senator Blumenthal, thanks so much for being here. Just another sickening morning, just another sickening mass shooting, mass murder at the hands of a white supremacist. We're seeing more right-wing extremism around the globe, as you know. What are your thoughts?
[Sen. Richard Blumenthal , Connecticut:] A heartbreaking day and, of course, our prayers go out to the people of New Zealand, particularly the loved ones and survivors and victims. But words do have consequences; and we know that at the very pinnacle of power in our own country, people are talking about good people on both sides.
[Camerota:] You mean the president talking about it. I mean, I know it's hard to even call this out. I've heard this from a guest this morning. They're having a hard time calling this out for some reason.
[Blumenthal:] I think it's more than the president. It's the people who enable him and who fail to stand up to him and speak out. And we're seeing some glimmers of spine now in the United States Congress, some of my colleagues in the last three votes standing up to him and saying no to his trampling on the Constitution. But it also more than words. The president has defied constitutional norms and principles in declaring a national emergency. Words have consequences, like saying we have an invasion on our border and talking about people as though they were different in some fatal way. I think the public discourse from the president on down is a factor in some of these actions.
[Camerota:] I mean, we don't have to guess, actually, at this. We don't have to connect the dots ourselves. This is what the suspects say. This guy put out, I mean, according to authorities, put out this manifesto where he connects the dots between the rhetoric that he likes to hear and his violent action. I'm wondering what you think of the president's quote to Breitbart that he said. And I just want to read it to you. This was from this week. He said, "I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump. I have the tough people. But they don't play it tough until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad." How do you interpret that?
[Blumenthal:] I interpret that kind of comment as a danger to peaceful transition of power in our democracy. That's one of the fundamental principles of our Constitution, that we have that kind of peaceful transition of power and respect for the rule of law, which that kind of comment utterly betrays. We are at a break-the-glass moment for our democracy. And so, on an issue like the transparency of the Mueller report, which I think is vital so that America knows the facts and evidence that are found there; on an issue like the declaration of a national emergency when there is one, usurping the powers of Congress on spending guaranteed by the Constitution. We need to speak up and stand out. And I think my Republican colleagues need to show a little bit more backbone.
[Camerota:] But if this is a break-the-glass moment, do you hear what President Trump said there as that he would not relinquish power, as that there won't be a peaceful transfer of power in 2020 if he loses?
[Blumenthal:] There certainly are glimmers and hints of that fact, and that's what is so, really, alarming, even terrifying in a remark of that kind. Because it encourages people who may, in fact, say, "We are going to resist. We're going to go to the streets. We are going to stop that kind of peaceful transition of power."

[Vause:] Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Thailand's government is banning governments of more than five in Bangkok, not because of the pandemic but to try and end months of pro- democracy protests. The announcement brought thousands to the streets of the capital on Wednesday, an unprecedented show of defiance. Jonathan Miller of the U.K.'s Channel 4 News is live this hour for us in Bangkok. So Jonathan, if this was an attempt at ending those pro-democracy demonstrations, it failed spectacularly.
[Jonathan Miller, Channel 4 News:] Well, look John, it's quite strange what happened here overnight. I woke up, as did most of the Thai people, to news that at 4 a.m., the government had issued an emergency decree which was announced on state television, and it says, as it appears, that there are many groups of people who have been cited illegal public assemblies in Bangkok. It is extremely necessary to introduce an urgent measure to end the situation effectively, and to maintain peace and order. Now, peace and order, of course, are the key words here. They're the watchwords of authoritarian regimes everywhere. But peace and order, ironically, were the very words that the junta which took control here in a coup six years ago said that they were coming in to restore then. And so, yes, in that respect they failed spectacularly. In that respect, Bangkok is no better off than the chaos of 2014. However, something is very different here now. That is that these protests are focused on the king. Or at least that's one of the focuses. Because the dictatorship, as the as the protesters call it, they want them out and a new constitution. But there are key elements who want to see reform of the monarchy. And this decree is trying to close them down. It's basically saying that they're banned from any public assemblies of more than five people, and from publications of broadcasts putting out anything that would create fear or affect national security. You've got to see this in the context of what has been happening here in the past few weeks. Yesterday I was out on the streets of Bangkok, and this will help you catch up fast.
[Miller:] In an ancient kingdom in the throes of authoritarian regression, they turned out in their thousands to march against dictatorship. For decades, Taiwan's been locked in a cycle of coups and regular spasms of violence. Now, with the economy in trouble and millions out of work, it seemed like the perfect monsoon storm. Battle lines drawn. Thousands of yellow-shirted ultra-loyalists trucked in to defend their unpopular king and his unpopular military-backed regime. The reformist protesters want the government out, a new constitution; and there are growing demands to reign in the power of the monarchy. At times, it was volatile. The protesters breaking through police lines, as they marched on Government House. [on camera]: So the crowd has been surging forward here. We're now just about 100, 200 meters from Government House. This is very symbolic, because this is the seat of what these people regard as the dictatorship. But of course, it's not just a dictatorship we're talking about here. This is a military monarchy complex, where these people arranged against exactly that. They want reform. They want democracy. And they want things to change in Thailand. So it's old Thailand against new Thailand. These people represent the new. The plan tonight is to make their way into the Government House complex, and to camp out for the night. But what they've done today is absolutely remarkable and never before seen in Thailand. I didn't see this with my own eyes, because we've been kettled in with the demonstrators but we know that the king's motorcade was blocked at one stage by demonstrators. We don't know if he was in it at the time, but he would have got the message that there are people in this country who desperately want change. And that change is something that he has the power to give them and hasn't yet. [voice-over]: Pictures of the royal convoy revealed a major security lapse, but it turned out the king wasn't in this car. It was the queen and the young prince. Protesters hurled abuse. As we left the scene, hundreds of riot police were moving towards the protests. They haven't gone in, but for a royalist regime feeling increasingly under siege, the use of force remains an option. Now, John, I'm standing outside government headquarters here in Bangkok, and last night the scene behind me was awash with thousands of demonstrators. You wouldn't believe it now with the traffic flowing freely. But for half an hour after the emergency decree was issued, the riot police moved in. There were arrests, including two key protest leaders; and another one, the one who'd led the calls for a monarchical reform, was picked up at 8:30 this morning. The question is whether Thais have the stomach to keep on going at this, calling for reform. Whether there are cracks in the edifice, perhaps. Everything is on the table right now.
[Vause:] Jonathan, thank you. Jonathan Miller there for us in Bangkok. We appreciate it. Well, now for months, President Trump and his allies have spoken in conspiratorial tones about the biggest political scandal ever in American history. It will blow your socks off. Precisely what they've been referring to is unclear. Apparently, it involves the Obama administration, Donald Trump's campaign, a domestic spying operation. And so Donald Trump asked his personal lawyer, who happens to be the U.S. attorney general, to investigate. But that investigation came up empty, and here's a shock. The Trump White House has not had a lot to say about it. CNN's Alex Marquardt reports.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Correspondent:] An investigation that an investigation that President Trump touted as a scandal has now quietly ended in a whimper. The months-long Justice Department investigation, which was ordered by Attorney General Bill Barr, into the unfounded allegations against the Obama administration in its final days has come up empty.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] There's a big thing going on right now, which is spying, and it's you can call it anything you want. The unmasking and the spying. And to me, that's the big story right now.
[Marquardt:] The president repeated accusations that his campaign was spied on by the Obama White House led to the investigation, which was launched this spring and led by a senior U.S. attorney. The goal: to look into the Obama administration's request for the revealing of American names, or unmasking, in intelligence reports. One name that was revealed was Trump adviser General Michael Flynn, who before the election had been speaking with the Russian ambassador, who was under surveillance. Earlier this year, Republican senators released a long unclassified list of Obama officials, excluding former Vice President Joe Biden, who had requested the unmasking, alleging that it showed the Obama White House was spying on Trump.
[Sen. John Cornyn:] This is a scandal of, really, if we weren't involved in the COVID-19 crisis, this would be a scandal, the biggest thing since Watergate.
[Marquardt:] But the the DOJ investigation found, according to "The Washington Post," that everything had been done legally, and there was no wrongdoing, resulting in no criminal charges and no public reporting. Unmasking is a standard part of intelligence gathering. If foreign intelligence reports contain the names of American citizens, those are always redacted. However, certain U.S. government officials have the ability to unredact, or unmask those names to better understand the report. And unmasking has actually gone up under Trump.
[Donald Ayer, Former Deputy Attorney General Under George H.w. Bush:] People who understand unmasking and what it is understood from the start that this was a complete nothing burger. And so it was trotted out as something that sounded sinister or could be made to sound peculiar and strange.
[Marquardt:] President Trump now clearly not happy with the Department of Justice or his attorney general, Bill Barr. He was asked by the right-wing news outlet Newsmax whether Barr would have a role in a possible second term. President Trump said he had no comment. That it was too early. He called the lack of indictments after this investigation a disgrace and ridiculous. Not the tone of someone who's going to let go of this idea that his campaign was illegally spied on. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
[Vause:] Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the management company of K-pop sensation BTS is making its stock market debut. It did pretty well.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Anchor:] This is CNN's continuing coverage with the global coronavirus pandemic. You can see the growing number of people who have lost their lives on the right of your screen, more than 143,000 cases and more than 2,400 deaths in the United State thus far. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading voice in the pandemic, again, warning that it could get much, much worse before it gets better.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] And we felt that if prematurely pull back, we would only form an acceleration or a rebound of something, which would have put you behind where you were before. And that's the reason why we argued strongly with the president that he would not withdraw those guidelines after 15 days, that they had to extend them. And he did listen. So would not be surprised. I don't want to see it. I'd like to avoid it. But I wouldn't be surprise if we saw 100,000 deaths.
[Cooper:] Well, there's some movement on the treatment front. The FDA has given an emergency approval for the use of a malaria drug as a treatment option for coronavirus, though there's no guarantee it will work. Other drugs are being tested right now as well. French researchers expect their first test results by the end of this week. And Johnson and Johnsons says they could have a vaccine ready for human trials by September. We're expecting to hear from the New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, any moment. We'll bring that press conference to you. Maryland's governor has now issued a stay-at-home order for his state. Arizona has closed schools for the rest of the year. And Texas now says anyone coming into the state from these areas must self- quarantine for 14 days, California, Louisiana, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and Miami. New York needs help as they deal with critical shortages of medical equipment. New York City's mayor, Bill de Blasio, is saying that the federal government has come through for the most part so far but also saying that they can't stop now.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio , New York City:] This is an entirely different reality than this country has faced before. This is battlefield medicine, a huge number of cases, life and death decisions all the time. We need what we need to keep going. This is going to be day-to-day, week-to-week. I need results constantly to be able to make sure we can save the lives that can be saved in this city. I've got no new assurances. I am going to keep demanding them. And I put that in marker. Sunday is D-Day, we need help by Sunday.
[Cooper:] Well, other headlines out of New York City, the hospital ship, the Comfort, arriving now. That's around 1,000 extra hospital beds. A field of hospital is set to open tomorrow in New York Central Park. And the New York Police Department, first responders are being especially hit hard right now. 13 percent of the New York Police Department force is out sick. I want to bring in our Shimon Prokupecz. We expect to hear, as I said, from Governor Andrew Cuomo at any moment. I might have to interrupt you, Shimon. Earlier, the mayor welcomed the Comfort ship. What does that going to mean to the efforts here?
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Correspondent:] It's going to be a huge relief for the doctors and the nurses who are operating all across New York City, various hospitals where we keep on hearing stories are inundated with patients suffering from COVID, from the coronavirus. And not only are they suffering from it, they're, in many cases, in critical they're in critical condition, needing ventilators and all of the equipment that goes with the ventilators. This is what the hospitals are now dealing with. So the Comfort is here as well as the Javits Center here behind me. These are going to be served as relief facilities, hospitals for other patients, patients that are not suffering from the coronavirus. Those patients will be brought to the facilities like the one behind me here at the Javits Center and then, of course, the Comfort. It's going to be an enormous relief for a lot of the doctors and the nurses and, really, the medical teams that are working so hard to try and save a lot of lives. We keep on hearing stories, Anderson, you keep hearing stories. I keep hearing stories from doctors and nurses who are dealing with so much right now. And any kind of relief that anyone can offer for them, they will take. And facilities, like this behind me, and, of course, the ship, the Comfort, and all of that is to help and bring some relief to some of these hospitals, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Shimon, I'm wondering the New York Police Department, as we said, with the high number of people who are out sick, is there any plan for that? I mean, if that increases, obviously, there would be concerns about just order in the city and the job that the police have to do.
[Prokupecz:] There's a lot of concern, and they're trying to figure out internally what to do and how best to address it. There are 5,000 members of the NYPD today that are out sick. That's about 13 percent of the police department. They are now dealing with members of the NYPD over 900 who are suffering from coronavirus. They have lost a detective. They were losing civilians. Two more civilians today, we were told, died as a result of coronavirus. One of the things they are doing, Anderson, at the NYPD, is that if there is an opportunity, if there is a way to keep some of these officers, some of these members off the streets because they may have underlying conditions, they're going to allow that. They're telling officers, they're telling the employees at the NYPD, let your bosses know and we will try and figure out a way how to get you off the streets so that you can stay home. They are concerned with officers and members of NYPD, the staff who have underlying conditions. So as a result, they're trying to first address that and hope that perhaps they can try to somehow prevent any more fatalities, any more deaths. The issues with a lot of these officers, as you know, is that they live in the community. Some of them, whether live within the five boroughs of New York City or they live in Long Island or parts of Westchester, they go home, they go back to their community. And, obviously, in many cases, that is how they are contracting the virus. It's a big problem for the NYPD, which is still trying to fight crime across the city and still trying to respond to people who are calling 911, record number of 911 calls every day from people in the city asking for help and from the fire department, from the police officers, they are dealing with that and they are still responding to those calls to try and offer the help that people here are going to need. And keep in mind, Anderson, it's only going to get worse in the days to come.
[Cooper:] Yes. It's extraordinary how empty New York City is. I bike to the office every day and, I mean, I've lived here my entire life, I have never seen it like this biking to work today. There was actually a school crossing guard, an elderly man who was wearing his school crossing guard uniform out on the street sort of directing traffic not because anybody told him to, he just is something he's just doing voluntarily. I just thought it was sort of one of those New York moments when people pitching in to try to help.
[Prokupecz:] It is. And also people are trying to find something to do, something to do with their daily lives, if they can be outside to try and help, as you said. I've lived here my whole life as well. I was here through 911. When I was standing before the ship as the Comfort was pulling in, I got a little emotional, because in so many ways, it brought me back to that day11, the way the city was. It's very different this time. Because after 911, we were able to go outside, we were able to be with people11. But you were able you could be with people. You can't be with people now. And that is one of the most difficult parts, I think, in all of this, certainly for people that live in this city. The other thing that's really striking, as you say, as you go around the city, we're used to hearing horns honking, we're used to hearing ambulances, we're used to hearing people just people walking on the street, cars driving. There is none of that. And it really is striking. Each day that goes by, it becomes a little more strange and weirder in some ways. But it's difficult but it is the reality that right now we're all living with in this city certainly, Anderson.
[Cooper:] Shimon Prokupecz, I appreciate it. The New York governor called the coronavirus pandemic and all hands on deck situation and its public and private hospitals that is especially true for one facility in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville, home to mostly African-Americans and Latino residents. Doctors there describe a medical war zone. CNN's National Correspondent Miguel Marquez takes us inside in this exclusive report.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn National Correspondent:] Every quarter, every corner, every ward, every inch of Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn now inundated with those suffering from COVID-19. What are you looking at on a daily basis? How difficult is this?
[Dr. Arabia Mollette, E.r. Doctor, Brookdale Hospital:] Well, this is war zone. It's a medical war zone. Every day I come in, what I see on a daily basis is pain, despair, suffering and healthcare disparities.
[Marquez:] Through Sunday afternoon, Brookdale said it had at least 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with nearly 80 awaiting confirmation. More than 20 people have died so far from the disease. On top of its normal emergency flow, coronavirus is pushing the hospital to the max.
[Mollette:] We are scared too. We're fighting for your lives and we're fighting for our own lives. We are trying to keep our head above water and not drown.
[Marquez:] Doctors, nurses, even those keeping the floors clean, they see a rising tide, uncertain how long it will rise, unsure this coronavirus won't sicken them as they struggle to stay a step ahead. What do you need right now?
[Mollette:] We need prayers. We need support. We need gowns. We need gloves. We need masks. We need more vents. We need more medical space. We need psychosocial support as well. It's not easy coming here when you know what you're getting ready to face.
[Marquez:] The deaths here keep coming while filming another victim of COVID-19 was moved to the hospital's temporary morgue, a refrigerated semi-trailer parked out back. The hospital's regular morgue filled to capacity. How much room do you have in your morgue?
[Khari Edwards, Vice President Of External Affairs, Brookdale Hospital:] Usually, we have around 20-plus bodies that we can cover comfortably.
[Marquez:] And you have gone over that.
[Edwards:] Gone over that. And they've the state has been gracious enough to bring us apparatus to help keep families and keep the bodies in comfortable areas because we didn't want bodies piled on top of each other.
[Marquez:] Brookdale needs more of everything today. Edwards said, the hospital has 370 beds. They would like to add more, many more. Two weeks ago, this was the pediatric emergency room. Now, it's dedicated to victims of COVID-19. Plastic tarp taped to the ceiling offering some protection and a bit of privacy. The intensive care unit filled to nearly capacity and sealed, so fewer doors and less traffic than usual comes and goes. This window is the only place as family members can watch their loved inside the unit as they chat with them via cell phone. It's sometimes as close as they can get as COVID-19 takes another life. As grim as it is right now. Dr. Mollette expects it will get worse.
[Mollette:] It can end in the fall. It can end at the end of the year. But this is why we're begging everyone not just to only put that pressure on the emergency department but also put everybody to help us to help them by staying at home.
[Marquez:] You think we're in it for the long haul? This is months, not weeks?
[Mollette:] Definitely.
[Marquez:] Another worrisome thing she is seeing coming through doors, not just the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.
[Mollette:] I work at two hospitals. So I work here in Brooklyn and then I work at another hospital in the Bronx, and it's the same thing. In the South Bronx, it's the same thing. I've had patients that were in their 30s and they are now intubated and they're really sick. I've had patients that are well
[Marquez:] No underlying conditions?
[Mollette:] No underlying conditions. So the thing is about between life and death, as far as this coronavirus, is that this virus, there is no difference, it has nothing to do with age, it has nothing to do with lack of access to healthcare, it has nothing to do with see socioeconomics, race or ethnicity. This virus is killing a lot of people.
[Marquez:] Brookdale has one advantage. Hospital officials say it can do rapid testing for coronavirus on-site. It's own lab right now, up to 300 tests a day. They hope to get 500 a day.
[Andrei Legoun, Lab Technician, Brookdale Hospital:] And right now, we have about 52 specimens in here about to that we are preparing to test at the moment.
[Marquez:] The hospital following Centers for Disease Control guidelines on who gets coveted tests. Patients admitted for possible coronavirus, healthcare workers showing symptoms and symptomatic long-term patients, each test, a laborious and time-consuming process.
[Legoun:] It's very easy to make a mistake, very easy. Just from an extra millimeter of reagent adding it to the machine can mess up the entire all the batch entire batch. All
[Marquez:] E.R. doctors are used to stress. Dr. Molette says she has never experienced anything like this.
[Mollette:] Yes, I don't really sleep that well at night. I'm worried about my family. I worry about my safety. I worry about my colleagues. I worry about how the shift is going to be the next time I come. I worry about if a family member is going to come and be a patient as well or fall victims to the coronavirus. I worry about a lot of things.
[Marquez:] The disease, a marathon that healthcare workers alone cannot win or even finish.
[Mollette:] It's not up to, just only to the emergency department to pull through and then make sure the curve is flattened. This is a responsibility for everybody in the country to help us pull through.
[Marquez:] So, stay the F home.
[Mollette:] Exactly.
[Marquez:] Is that literally I mean, how
[Mollette:] No, stay the F home, exactly. Because it's not just us that has to help flatten the curve and take care of everybody. Help us, help you.
[Marquez:] She says it will take everyone pulling together. The worse days she fears are still ahead.
[Cooper:] And Miguel Marquez joins us now. It's extraordinary to see inside that hospital. It's difficult to get inside a hospital, but I'm so glad you did. Just seeing all those patients in the hallways, it's like that everyday now?
[Marquez:] If you needed any more evidence about how bad this is and how bad it's going to get, the hallways in that hospital were as sobering a message as I have ever seen. It did strike me even though I consume everything about this and I am a news junkie. We are in the first inning. And talking to that E.R. doctor is very clear that this is going to be a very, very long game. Anderson?
[Cooper:] And Brookdale is one of the few hospitals serving historically an underserved community. It's you know, just what these doctors are going through every day, it is extraordinary. As you said, this is early innings and I think that's one of the kind of the sobering things. We heard Dr. Fauci saying he wouldn't be surprised by 100,000 deaths. He's said anywhere to 100,000 to 200,000. This is going to go on for some time.
[Marquez:] It's going to go on and on and they're already running short on supplies. I mean, we were dressed in full PPE or protective gear with the Tyvec suits, the proper white hooded suit
[Cooper:] Yes. Miguel Marquez, thanks for doing that. Be careful. I want to listen in to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in a news conference that he is just starting to hold.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] have been volunteering to help us here. Michael Israel, President and CEO of Westchester Medical Center Network, and Deanne Crisswell, Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management Department. Let me thank them all very much for being here. We just had a great meeting, which I will refer to in a moment. Let me wish everyone happy national doctors day. And this is a day that doctors are truly busy and truly stepping up to their oath and their passion and literally saving lives. So we honor all the doctors in the the State of New York today. Let me also thank the people from the Javits Center, Alan Steel, who is the director here. Javit Center has done many magnificent exhibitions and transformations and they never cease to amaze me. But this a transformation that I would think anyone could ever anticipate, 2,500 beds as an emergency hospital. it is a partnership between the state and the federal government. And I want thank the federal government very much for what they have done. The Army Corps of Engineers did a fantastic job and getting in here getting everything set up as quickly as possibly. It will become operational today receiving the first few patients. And we'll start to run the facility and then we'll take it from there. Let me go through a couple of facts to give you an update on where we are today and then we'll take your questions. In terms of the number of cases, you see the curve continue to go up, 71.95. You see the number of people tested continues to go up. This state is testing more people than any state in the United States, more per capita in China and South Korea. That is a good thing. We want to test and find the positives and we want to find the positives so we can isolate, stop the transmission. We tested 14,000 people yesterday. The number of cases continues to go up, 69.84. The total number of cases is 66,000 cases. And those numbers are daunting, to be sure. You see, it's continuing to move across the State of New York. There is only one county now that does not have a COVID case. Anyone who says the situation in New York City only situation is in a state of denial. You see this virus move across the state. You see the virus move across this nation. And there is no American immune from this virus. I don't care if you live in Kansas. I don't care if you live in Texas. There is no American that is immune. What is happening to New York is not anomaly. There is nothing about that's a New Yorker's immune system that is any different than any other American's immune system. So in many ways, New York is just a canary in the coal mine. What you see us going through here, you will see happening all across this country. So part of what we are doing here is not only serving New Yorkers but we believe that we are dealing with this pandemic at a level of intensity and density that no one has seen before. And, hopefully, we'll learn lessons here that we can then share with people across this nation. In terms of the overall numbers, 66,000 tested positive, 9,500 people are currently hospitalized, 2,000 ICU patients, 4,000 patients are discharge. That's an increase of 632. You don't often focus on this line when we have these conversations. But people go into the hospital and people leave the hospital. And that's important to remember. We've dealt with some really deadly viruses before. We dealt with the Ebola virus. That's not what this is. Most people will get sick, most people get sick and stay home and have some symptoms, as 80 percent. About 20 percent will get sick, need hospitalization, they'll feel better and they'll leave. It tends to be those people who are acutely ill, have an underlying illness who have the most problems. Most impacted states, New York, you see at 66,000, New Jersey is next to 13,000 and California is 6,000. So we have ten times the problem that California is dealing with, 2,739 deaths in the State of New York, a total of 148,000 cases, 2,739 deaths. That's a lot of loss, it's a lot of pain, that's a lot of tears, that's a lot of grief that people across the state are feeling. 1,200 is up from 965 deaths. Yesterday, what you are seeing is people who have been on ventilators for a long period of time, the longer you are on the ventilator, the less likely you will ever come off that ventilator. And as we have now some period of time when people first enter the hospital and were first intubated, we're seeing that death number go up as the length of time under ventilator increases. To keep it in perspective, the John Hopkins numbers are still instructive. We've been studying this since China, so 732 deaths, 34,000 worldwide. Total hospitalize, we are still looking for a pattern on these cases that are coming in. We're still looking for a pattern in the data. The number goes up and the number goes down. There is no doubt that the number is still increasing. There is also no doubt that the race has slowed. We had a doubling of cases every two days, then a doubling every three days, then a doubling every four days and every five. We now have a doubling of cases every six days. So while the overall number is going up, the rate of doubling is actually down. The daily intubation rate is way up. Again, sometimes it's just an anomaly. There is no clear pattern, as you can see from those past several nights. Discharge, again, that, by and large, is going up. People come into the hospital, they stay for a period of time, number of days and then they move on. But the big picture is the situation is painfully clear now. There is no question what we are dealing with. There is no question as to the consequences. There is no question as to the grief and the loss of life. And there is no question about what we must do. There are only two missions. There are only two operations that we need to perform. First, the public has to be responsible. Stay-at- home. When I issue the stay-at-home order, it wasn't it would be nice if you did. It is a mandate. Stay at home. If you are a non- essential worker, stay at home. If you leave the house, you are exposing yourself to danger. If you leave the house, you are exposing others to danger. You can get infected, go home and infect whoever is at home. So stay at home. I know the isolation can be boring and oppressive. It is better than the alternative. Life is options, right? Stay at home. That's the best option. If you are out, no proximity, six feet distancing. You don't want proximity to other people and you want to stay away from places that are dense. Still, in New York City, you have too many places with too much density. I mean, I don't know how many different ways to make the same point. New York City parks, we made the point there is too much density. You want to go to a park, go to the park but not in a dense area, not in playgrounds where you are playing basketball with other people. And I have said that New York City is trying to reduce the density in those playgrounds. Thus far, they have not been successful. If that continues, we'll take a mandatory action to close down playgrounds, as harsh as that sounds, but it can actually save people's lives. So that's mission one. Mission two, and this is going to be more and more clear as we go on, the frontline battle is in the healthcare system. The frontline battle is going to be hospitals across the city, across the state and across this nation. That is where this battle is fought. It's that simple. You know exactly where it's coming. You know exactly where the enemy is going to attack. They're going to infect a large number of people. That number of people descend on the healthcare system. The healthcare system can't deal with that number of people. You overwhelm the healthcare system. That is what's happening. So first step was flatten the curve, reduce the density, keep people home. We have done everything that we can possibly do there. Second step is don't let the hospital system get overwhelmed. The soldiers in this fight are our healthcare professionals. It's the doctors, it's the nurses, it's the people who are working in the hospitals. It's the aids. They are the soldiers who are fighting this battle for us. You know the expression, save our troops, troops, quote, unquote. In this battle, the troops are healthcare professionals. Those are the troops who are fighting this battle for us. We need to recruit more healthcare workers. We need to share healthcare professionals within this state and within this country. As governor of New York, I am asking healthcare professionals across the country, if you don't have a healthcare crisis in your community, please come help us in New York now. We need relief, we need relief for nurses who are working 12 hours shifts, one after the other after the other. We need relief for doctors. We need relief for attendants. So if you are not busy, come help us please. And we will return the favor. We will return the favor. New York, yes, we have it now intensely. There would be a curve. New York, at one point, will be on the other side of the curve and then there will be an intense issue somewhere else in the nation. And the New York way is to be helpful. So help New York, we are the ones who are hit now. That's today. But tomorrow, it's going to be somewhere else. Whether it's Detroit, whether it's New Orleans, it will work its way across the country. And this is the time for us to help one another. We need supplies desperately and we are working on that. We just had a very good meeting where we discussed supplies. I want to thank Michael Evans from Alibaba who's here with us today. I want to thank Elizabeth Jennings from the Asia Society, who is here with us today, who are helping us source supplies, because we are in a situation where you have 50 states all competing for supplies. The federal government is now also competing for supplies. Private hospitals are also competing for supplies.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] A quote, grave new chapter. The house speaker's blunt warning about what comes next if the White House keeps a whistleblower complaint under wraps.
[Christine Romans, Cnn:] The U.N. General Assembly kicks off today with Iran at the top of the agenda, is there a diplomatic path forward.
[Briggs:] Is there a new Democratic front-runner. A new CNN poll shows Elizabeth Warren surging in Iowa.
[Romans:] And Game of Thrones goes out on top of the prime time Emmy award, but which comedy dethroned the favorites? CNN has reports this morning from Kiev, Tehran, London, Jerusalem and South Africa. Welcome back to Early Start. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] A lot going on, good morning, 4:30 Eastern Time on a Monday. We start with the president acknowledging Sunday that he did discuss Democratic rival Joe Biden in a July call with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. That call now the center of a controversy over a whistleblower complaint. CNN has reported the president pressured Zelensky to investigate Biden as U.S. military aide to Ukraine was hanging in the balance.
[Romans:] Remember last week the intelligence inspector general told the House Intel Committee, the whistleblower was concerned about multiple actions by Mr. Trump. So it is unclear whether this conversation is just the tip of the iceberg. The issue now has two top Democrats going further than ever before on impeachment. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the latest.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Reporter:] Dave and Christine, the president on Sunday acknowledging for the first time that he did, indeed, bring up the former Vice President Joe Biden during that call with the Ukrainian president, which was of course now at the center of this whistleblower complaint alleging, among other things that the president pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. Here's the president on Sunday.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place, was largely the fact that we don't want our people like, Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in Ukraine.
[Diamond:] This issue is not going anywhere. We will see the acting Director of National Intelligence on Capitol Hill later this week. He is expected to brief Senate Intelligence Committee lawmakers on this whistleblower complaint. How much we will learn about this complaint remains to be seen however. What we do know is that Democrats are certainly ramping up their rhetoric as it relates to this, including the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who said in a letter just yesterday on Sunday, if the administration persists in blocking this whistleblower from disclosing to Congress, a serious possible breach of constitutional duties by the president, they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation. Dave and Christine, back to you.
[Briggs:] Jeremy Diamond, thank you. It's anyone's guess whether we will ever see a transcript of the phone call at the center of the whistleblower complaint, even President Trump and his top aides seem to disagree.
[Trump:] A very straight, very honest conversation. I hope they can put it out. We will make a determination about how to release it, releasing its saying what we said, it was an absolutely perfect conversation.
[Unidentified Male:] We will not release transcripts often, it the rare case, those are private conversations between world leaders and it wouldn't be appropriate to do accepting in the most extreme circumstances. I think that would be a terrible precedent. If every time, someone for political reason raised a questions and all of the sudden those conversation were disclosed publicly, and when you disclosed into Congress, lots of times they leak in the press, then why would world leaders want to have conversations together?
[Briggs:] President Trump is scheduled to meet with Ukraine's president at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
[Romans:] The fight between the president and Congress coming at a precarious time for Ukraine. It risks fracturing the bipartisan consensus in the U.S. since 2014 in favor of backing Ukraine against Russia. Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance live in Ukraine's capital with more. Good morning, Matthew.
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Good morning Christine, that's right. The Ukrainians are stuck between a rock and a hard place on the one hand they are concerned, that they are being dragged into these American political drama. I have to point out, that for Ukraine, United States is the singular most important strategic allied for the country that provides diplomatic support, economic assistance and of course, crucial military aide in Ukraine's battle against pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country. It doesn't want to jeopardize any of that. But it certainly it doesn't want to be drawn into parties and dispute in United States as well. Because even though sort of insisting or getting on the side of the incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump, maybe advantageous in the sort- term. The Ukrainians have got their eye, of course, on the longer game. And it's not that long. They have to cast their eyes in the future is it, because they are very aware, there's an election in the U.S. in 2020? It could be a Democrat that succeeds President Trump. It could even be Joe Biden, who knows? And so, they're treading a very thin diplomatic line. Indeed, all this as President Zelensky, the relative novice. A complete novice in fact that means politics. He is only inaugurated in May, he was a comedian on television before he came elected president of the Ukraine. He's heading now to United States, He's going to have his first meeting, which he has been lobbying for face-to-face with President Trump on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. He wants it to be about strategic issues between the two countries, but I'm afraid it is going to be overshadowed by this ongoing scandal. Back to you.
[Romans:] All right, Mathew Chance is in [inaudible], thank you for that, Matthew.
[Briggs:] More than 90 heads of state are in New York City for the start of the U.N. General Assembly. President Trump speaks tomorrow. The same President Trump who famously said this.
[Trump:] Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
[Briggs:] That same man chairing a meeting on religious persecution today and he is doing that instead of attending today's climate action summit, where the U.N. Secretary-general is calling on all world leaders to deliver a plan to combat the climate crisis. The focus will be on rising sea levels and record hot temperatures over the last four years. On Friday, millions of people worldwide joined marches and strikes to call for climate justice.
[Romans:] Also in the agenda, at the U.N. Iran. Tensions rising between Iran, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia after the Saudi oil facility came under attack. Iran now marking its annual sacred defense week, with military parades across the country. CNN's Fred Pleitgen live in Tehran for us. Hi, Fred.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi there, good morning Christine. The Iranians marking that holy defense, they are also taunting the United States as well. The head of Iran's elite revolutionary guard corps, he came out and he said quote, that any country that wants to take a swipe or attack Iran could quote, go ahead. He said, that any country that tries to do so, would then itself become a battlefield. Obviously the Iranians not just threatening the U.S, but of course, Saudi Arabia, as well. And this of course comes after Iran's Foreign Minister told CNN that if there was a retaliatory strike by the U.S., that this would lead to all-out war here in this region. Of course, between the U.S. and Iran, as well. Now, that foreign minister Javad Zarif, he is already in New York at the U.N. General assembly. And there in an interview he said, right now he is not confident that there won't be war between Iran and the U.S. Here's what he had to say.
[Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister Of Iran:] I'm not confident that we can avoid the war. I'm confident that we will not start one. But I'm confident that whoever starts one, will not be the one who finishes it.
[Pleitgen:] So some pretty clear words coming there from Iran's foreign minister. The Iranians by the way also ruling out speaking to President Trump or members the Trump administration on the sidelines of the U.N. general assembly. However more diplomatic note, the president of Iran, he said he had come out and he wants to start an initiative and announced that the U.N. general assembly will try to deescalate tensions here in this region. The other things that the Iranians has also said, is they want to very soon release a tanker that they had taken here in the Strait of Hormuz. A British flag tanker. So, maybe a little sign of de-escalation but certainly, still far too early to tell, Christine.
[Romans:] All right. You'll be watching it for us. Fred, in Tehran. Thank you for that. To U.S politics now, Elizabeth Warren is surging in Iowa, a new CNN Des Moines register poll with likely caucus goers has the Massachusetts senator leading Joe Biden for the first time by two points. It is essentially a dead heat within the margin of error, despite catching up to the former Vice President. Warren says, she is taking nothing for granted.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , 2020 U.s. Democratic Candidate:] I know two polls. We are still months away from the Iowa caucuses and the primary elections.
[Briggs:] To take a little deeper in the polls shows Warren is polling votes from Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton supporters from 2016. With Biden struggling to find any support on that far-left, a key issue for Iowans is health care, 41 percent say they want Medicare for all. And those voters clearly lean Warren, 24 percent say they don't want Medicare for all and they lean Biden, 28 percent like the idea, but fear it would hurt the Democrats' chances in 2020.
[Romans:] healthcare accused you from many Union workers and it's causing a potential problem for Senator Bernie Sanders. Health care benefits are really important to many union workers. Important enough to give up pay raises or even to walk off the job to keep the coverage they have negotiated. The future of those benefits is the center of a split among 2020 Democratic candidates over how to remake the healthcare system. Joe Biden says the union members shouldn't have to give up their employer plans if they like them. Sanders argues that members would still come out ahead under Medicare for all. The fight put Sanders at odds with some on the labor movement, 14.7 million people were union members last year. According the bureau of labor and statistics, 95 percent of union workers had access to employer medical benefits this year compared to 68 percent on non-union workers. Last month, Sanders issued his workplace democracy plan which would require companies to pass along savings from Medicare for all to workers in the form of raises or other benefits. Sanders is scheduled to join UAW members protesting in Detroit on Wednesday.
[Briggs:] All right, coming up, an influential Israeli leader refusing to back either candidate for Prime Minister. So who will get to form the coalition? CNN live in Jerusalem, next.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] Ten percent say she's the one to beat Trump same number for Sanders by the way. Biden much higher than that. Its 69 days from the first votes in the Iowa caucuses but this isn't what Warren wants to see, especially with Bloomberg now in the race and looking to make a lane. So be on the lookout. Thank you for watching. Want to get you quickly to "CNN TONIGHT" with Laura Coates, the upgrade for D. Lemon. And tonight especially, Laura, this timeline, you cannot like it, and it's one reason that the president may keep his defenders out of this judiciary proceeding because they have to have an answer. Why did you release the aid when you did because it looks like you released the aid because you knew you had to?
[Laura Coates, Cnn:] If it looks like a green cheetah print blouse, it is in fact a green cheetah print blouse. If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it is a duck. It looks like that, Chris, we're seeing more and more because you have eyes, you have ears, you have observational skills and we've got a great panel of people today to talk about why precisely this might in fact be an Achilles' heel. The obvious turn of events here. All this and that you got to wonder how much longer are people honestly going to be able to say it's pure coincidence, right?
[Cuomo:] And also, they kept complaining about the process. Now they have more rights than Clinton ever had. Still at this basic investigatory indictment basic phase and they're not going to take the option? Perfect show for you tonight.
[Coates:] Well, thank you and thank you for being a part of this experience in my green python dress. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Laura Coates sitting in for Don Lemon. And we're learning a whole lot more tonight about the shakedown on Ukraine and how all these dots are now connecting. The "New York Times" reporting that the president already knew about the whistleblower complaint, that complaint that set off the impeachment inquiry, before he ever released the aid to Ukraine. That's right around the time the president told Ambassador Gordon Sondland there was no quid pro quo, using that term, before people started using that phrase even publicly. It's in one of his favorite talking points ever since. He brought it up at his campaign rally in Florida this evening, the crowd chanting "no quid pro quo" along with him.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I want nothing. This is a quote. I want no quid pro quo. I want nothing.
[Coates:] We're also getting brand new information tonight from never- before-seen transcripts including this new detail. The White House never actually asked its own budget office about other countries contributing aid to Ukraine until September, which doesn't exactly jive with the president's claims that he held up the aid because he wanted other countries to pony up. We'll tell you what else is in those transcripts in a moment. But you've got to wonder, with all this new information still coming out, would it be smart for Democrats to slow down and see where all of this takes us? That as the House Judiciary Committee is taking over and holding its first hearing next Wednesday. And it sounds they're calling the president's bluff here, I mean, inviting him and his lawyers to participate and to question witnesses. You remember that's been an obsession for the president and his defenders, demanding to be able to question witnesses. A senior administration official telling CNN that the idea is under consideration and "likely to come up for discussion during the president's trip to Florida for Thanksgiving." I'll bet it will. Listen to this from the president tonight.
[Trump:] They're pushing that impeachment witch hunt and a lot of bad things are happening to them because you see what's happening in the polls? Everybody said that's really bullshit.
[Coates:] Not exactly presidential language, we know. And frankly, the fact is half of the American people think the president should be impeached and removed from office. You see it right there in the new CNN poll. And that comes on the day First Lady Melania Trump was booed by an audience of mostly middle and high school students at a youth opioid summit in Baltimore. A mix of boos and cheers as the First Lady finished her speech and left the stage. And she did respond later that everyone's entitled to their opinion, but let's remember this this is Baltimore, the city the president called, "a disgusting rat and rodent-infested mess" and going on to tweet, "no human being would want to live there." So, is it really any surprise that civility is losing out? We've got a lot of news on impeachment tonight and joining me now, Frank Bruni, Philip Bump, and Elie Honig. I'm glad that you're all here right now. Elie, I've got to start with you here because this new "New York Times" reporting is giving us a timeline that essentially says the jig is up, that you didn't just coincidentally insert the words quid pro quo in a conversation with Gordon Sondland, did he?
[Elie Honig, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Yes. So much for no quid pro quo, so much for I want nothing. I mean, I think it was five days ago that was what Donald Trump seemed to think that was the silver bullet defense, game over. He just said it in the rally. But now we know, as Adam Schiff told us by the way. Remember, Adad Schiff said he only said that after he got caught. Now it seems we're getting confirmation of that. That kind of denial after the fact carries no weight. If anything, it tends to be incriminating.
[Coates:] I mean after the fact conversations here, Frank, I mean, the idea of saying, hold on, let's figure out a way to make what has happened look good. Listen to what Ambassador Gordon Sondland had to say.
[Gordon Sondland, U.s. Ambassador To The European Union:] I finally called the president. I believe it was on the 9th of September. I can't find the records and they won't provide them to me. But I believe I just asked him an open-ended question, Mr. Chairman. What do you want from Ukraine? I keep hearing all these different ideas and theories and this and that. What do you want? And it was a very short, abrupt conversation. He was not in a good mood, and he just said, I want nothing. I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. Tell Zelensky to do the right thing.
[Coates:] All right. We got a bad mood. We got the no quid pro quo. Do we think we might know why he was a little bit angry?
[Frank Bruni, Cnn Contributor:] Yes. Well, he's doing damage control by [inaudible]. To your point, Elie he's doing damage control when he's saying no quid pro quo. He believes that he's been found out. You know, he believes that the scheme has been unveiled. He knows Congress may be getting involved at some point. He's probably turning to the news every day wondering when it's going to come out, and so he needs to be able to say, oh, I said to Gordon Sondland no quid pro quo. But this is directly contradicted by the transcript of the July 25th phone call.
[Coates:] That they provided of course, right.
[Bruni:] So nobody that they provided. It's contradicted by so much other evidence. You talked about connecting dots before. We're at a point now where you don't need to connect dots. You need to just let the dots wash over you. The picture is very clear. So, I mean, that no quid pro quo, that is damage control. That is because we now know that in late August, he had been told about the whistleblower complaint, and he knew that this was ultimately going to bubble into the public light.
[Coates:] You know, Philip, I want to read this from the "Times" reporting. They talk about how the intelligence I.G., Michael Atkinson, concluded the complaint needed to be sent to Congress. He said this, "But the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone and his deputy John a. Eisenberg disagreed. They decided that the administration could withhold from Congress the whistleblower's accusations because they were protected by executive privilege. The lawyers told Mr. Trump they planned to ask the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel to determine whether they had to disclose the complaint to lawmakers. A week later, the Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the administration did not have to hand over the complaint." So, Philip, are we thinking that they were trying to get ahead of it and just wanted to nip it in the bud before it ever got out?
[Philip Bump, National Correspondent, Washington Post:] Yes, I mean clearly. I mean, this is actually how this all came to light, was there was it was known there was this whistleblower complaint that was actually being held back from Congress. Congress found out about it and then Adam Schiff actually sent a letter demanding that this be released. And that was all shortly around the time they actually ended up releasing the aid. I mean, I think that there are a couple points I'd make on that. The first is that Eisenberg himself had twice already been contacted with concerns about this by Alex Vindman. Alone he had been contacted twice, including immediately after the July 25th call, saying, hey, I'm concerned about this conversation that has happened
[Coates:] That was the lieutenant colonel who said, look, I have a problem with what is being asked of here
[Bump:] That's right.
[Coates:] a quid pro quo. You might have a bipartisan issue for financial support for Ukraine. I mean, he was up on it immediately.
[Bump:] That's right. Yes, and that was his second time going to Eisenberg with concerns about how the administration was handling Ukraine. The second thing I'd say is to this new timeline with President Trump having known, the "Washington Post" editorial board actually on September 5th came out and said we are hearing from reliable sources that there is a connection between this aid and the fact that Donald Trump wants these investigations in Ukraine. So Donald Trump was already, no matter when he spoke with Gordon Sondland, it's not clear if it was the 7th or the 9th. Donald Trump was already aware and he was already public and out there that this was something of concern to him. So I think this is just sort of a complication factor.
[Coates:] Elie, where does Attorney General Barr come into this, because, I mean, he is somebody who essentially weighed in through the Justice Department about the idea of handing over the complaint.
[Honig:] Yes. Let's not forget the legal contortions they went through to try to keep that complaint under wraps. The law says if the complaint is found to be credible and urgent, which the I.G. did find, it shall be submitted to Congress shall, not negotiable, mandatory. Shall and so they went through this whole legal wrangling, and Laura, you and I know something lawyers unscrupulous lawyers can reach any conclusion that they want. It seems like that's what Bill Barr did here. Surprise, surprise. Guess how he came out the way of suppressing information that might damage the president? Oh Barr, could you delete it?
[Coates:] I'm going to move past the word unscrupulous as you looked me in the eye because I am not unscrupulous. How dare you
[Honig:] No, in contrast to us.
[Coates:] Of course, now that's clear. But Frank, why is this story not clear to other people? I mean is it a matter of people not understanding the nuanced timeline here, or is there something more to it? People's inability or refusal to say these dots are connecting or they're washing over us?
[Bruni:] Well, first of all, people are not paying nearly as close attention to the fine grain analysis of this as we are, right. A lot of people are tuned out. But I think the big thing to remember is we live in a time of such sharp political tribalism that most people decide what they want to believe before any of these hearings begin, and they do their level best to cling to that belief. And it becomes easy for them in our current news media ecosystem because they can watch, say, Fox news if they only want to hear stuff that flatters the president. They can set up their twitter feeds and their Facebook, everything they can do to curate information so that their beliefs are validated and echoed back at them. And so, we may be living in this sort of age of fixed opinion that's nothing like what the situation was in previous impeachment scenarios.
[Coates:] So, that's a great point. If he's right, Philip, I mean the idea that people have this entrenched tribalism when you need public opinion going forward in an impeachment inquiry, what are they to do now? Is that the reason we're going to have these hearings on next Wednesday to essentially illuminate and define what impeachment is about and how you define a high crime and misdemeanor?
[Bump:] Well, I don't want to get too ahead of the CNN poll results today but they were very illustrative of this exact point. Obviously, we saw the numbers up a little while ago saying that 50 percent support impeachment or removal. But what wasn't shown was that it was exact same number that we saw in October before the public hearings actually began.
[Coates:] Why is that so important?
[Bump:] Because the entire point of the Democrats holding these public hearings not the entire point, but a large part of the point was they wanted to move public opinion and what they saw is they didn't really move public opinion. They certainly got Democrats slightly more onboard. Republicans moved slightly more away. But I think one detail of the CNN polling that is really, really telling is CNN also shared past polling data from November 2014 when they actually asked the same question, should Barack Obama be impeached and remove from office. Now, Barack Obama in November 2014, nothing even close to this Ukraine issue. I mean, on the same page, Republicans were five times as supportive of impeachment in November 2014 as they are now.
[Coates:] At your same point, of course you got to think about the idea that we're talking about the Senate as jurors and the founding fathers said that they thought they'd be more sophisticated than the average juror, who you and I both know, Elie, are going to be a little bit fickle and not particularly precise in how they do the issues. But we have to keep going forward. I'll have you guys another day. I certainly hope because your minds collectively are great for this topic in particular. Thank you all. Appreciate it. New revelations in just the past few hours in the impeachment investigation, including testimony that despite the president's claims, the White House never actually asked its own budget office about other countries contributing aid to Ukraine until September.

[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] But, Jake, I also want to point out a few other things he says in this very lengthy statement, where he basically says that some of the drugs that they were pushing had potentially serious risks associated with them, including increased mortality observed in some recent studies in patients who had coronavirus. He says he was sidelined in the middle of a pandemic, and places and politics and cronyism ahead of science puts lives at risk and stunts national efforts to safely and effectively address this public health crisis. Here's what's really newsworthy. He says, at the end, he's going to ask that the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services investigate the manner in which this administration has politicized the work of BARDA, the agency he was leading. And then in his attorneys' statement, they say at the end that they are going to ask the Office of the Special Counsel to look into his termination, seek a stay on it, and they are trying to get him to stay in his position as the director of this agency. That's what his attorneys are saying here at the end. So, basically, what he is saying, he's not resigning from the administration overall, he's trying to actually keep his job as the director of this agency. And, Jake, there are going to be a lot of questions about this, if he is saying that the administration was pushing back on what he was trying to do as far as the purchase in the production of vaccines and treatments for coronavirus, and now he says he was pushed out in this job clearly against his will, based on the statement that he just put out.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] And the way he describes it in his statement, Kaitlan, it sounds as though he really was motivated, at least in his own words, by trying to protect Americans from what is an unproven drug. He says I quote "rightly resisted efforts to provide an unproven drug on demand to the American public. I insisted that these drugs be provided only to hospitalized patients with confirmed cases, while under the supervision of a physician." This is quite believable, because we heard President Trump, who we should note, has a long record of not believing in science and official medicine when it comes to any number of issues, ranging from vaccines to other things, climate change, for example, but beyond that, President Trump has been pushing this drug. Here is somebody saying, I don't trust this drug. We can't just say the American people should take it. And he's saying that, because he resisted that, he was pushed out basically of his job trying to protect Americans.
[Collins:] Yes. And just to give people insight, and because this is a really little known agency. A lot of people don't know exactly that much about it. And it doesn't generate a lot of news, typically. Of course, now that we're in the middle of a pandemic, it does. And if you're the director of BARDA, you have a lot of power, basically, to decide what vaccines you're pursuing. You basically pay for those studies. And then that's how that moves forward. So it's a really incredibly powerful position. It's got a lot of money. And so that's why it is so crucial to know who the director of it is at a time like this. And that's what we were so surprised yesterday when he was pushed out of this job. And it's not like they had someone else come in and replace him. It's just his deputy who is replacing him on an acting basis. And the question was, is someone else is going to come in? So he's basically in charge of making sure that these treatments are going to be safe and viable and effective. And so he basically seems to be implying that people were trying to get him to invest in these other efforts that he did not think were worth their time. So, of course, there are going to be a lot of questions about this. We have already reached out to HHS. They did not immediately respond with any kind of statement on his departure. But, Jake, it's also really notable that he's still working in the administration. And now he's put out this loaded statement, basically saying that he was pressured in his job to come up with things he did not think were scientifically ready.
[Tapper:] The idea of politics and the president's personal ego being placed above science reminds me of President Trump with the hurricane, but you can't sharpie a drug into acceptability and scientific acceptance to the American people. It doesn't work that way. Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much. I know you're going to be reporting much more of this later on. Some states around the country are now making moves now to reopen some businesses. Let's talk about the safety for customers and for workers. We're joined now by David Michaels. He's an epidemiologist at George Washington University. And David was also the longest serving head of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which you probably know better as OSHA. He did that under President Obama. David, OSHA is charged with protecting worker safety. And essential workers have been showing up to work every day since the coronavirus outbreak started. And I'm not talking just about doctors, nurses and health care workers, but also grocery store employees, food distributors. Is OSHA doing its job to make sure that they are safe.
[David Michaels, Epidemiologist, George Washington University:] That's right, Jake. Thanks for asking me to be on the show. Well, there are workers across the country, not just in hospitals, farms, meatpacking plants, grocery stores, who are terrified. And there is no federal agency telling them they must protect workers. That's OSHA's job. But President Trump and secretary of labor, Eugene Scalia, have said, OSHA is not going to play any major role in this. And OSHA is, frankly, missing in action.
[Tapper:] In Georgia, which is taking steps to reopen now, the Board of Cosmetology and Barbers issued guidance for a safe reopening of those kinds of stores. It includes temperature checks for every employee, every client, screening questions for clients, limits on the number of people that can be in the shops. Clients are being asked to wait in their cars, instead of in the shop. Employees are suggested to shower before a shift, keep their clothes in the shop each day, not to mention, of course, masks for everyone. Salons are being asked to consider divider shields between chairs. It sounds like a lot of steps being taken to protect people. Is it enough?
[Michaels:] Well, look, it certainly could be making things safer. But we don't know enough about this virus. And we know that, if you get within a few feet of someone who's coughing who's got the disease, you're getting exposed, and many of those exposed people get sick. What we need are very clear requirements. And everything we have seen coming out of governors, coming out the CDC, they're recommendations. There's no enforcement behind them. The only agency that has the authority to require employers to follow the rules is OSHA. And OSHA is not in the picture. It's been handcuffed.
[Tapper:] Are all businesses going to be in a position to make their own rules, or is OSHA going to should OSHA be setting rules for each individual kind of business?
[Michaels:] Well, each individual kind of business is going to have to follow different rules. But what OSHA needs to do and I have been advocating this for months if I were still running OSHA, I would have done this months ago is issue an emergency standard saying, every employer which has workers who work with other workers or next to the public has to follow OSHA recommendations and CDC recommendations. Different employers are going to have to do it differently. But every one of them has to follow those rules, or be subject to a penalty. Without that, it's the Wild West.
[Tapper:] Of course, the other point of view is that businesses that are allowed to open don't want to be sued for something that is going on that is an international tragedy, and not necessarily the fault of an individual business. How do you respond to those concerns?
[Michaels:] Well, unfortunately, what employers cannot be sued by their employees. Workers can't sue their employer when they get sick. They have to go into the exclusive remedy of the workers compensation system, which is a terrible system. There's been a race to the bottom, and benefits are terrible. So, because employers don't face that liability, you have employers like Smithfield Farms. Smithfield had hundreds of workers working elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder on pork processing lines. And hundreds of them have gotten sick. If they were facing liability, they might have done a better job. But they knew they didn't face liability. And they knew that OSHA is not going to come in and do anything. And we have disaster after disaster across the country because of this.
[Tapper:] David Michaels, thank you so much. We appreciate your time today. And we should also note that CNN has invited Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to speak with us on air. He has declined every one of those offers. Coming up: beaches in South Carolina also now back open, even as the influential model often cited by the White House warns that that state should consider its measures until June. We're going to talk to the mayor of Charleston. That's next.

[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] More than 200,000 people have died from coronavirus around the, sorry, two close to 3 million people around the globe. CNN has reporters across the globe to bring you the latest developments.
[Clarissa Ward, Cnn Chief International Correspondent:] I'm Clarissa Ward in London, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now back at work more than two weeks after being discharged from intensive care with coronavirus. Earlier today he told reporters standing here that essentially there are real signs that this country is close to defeating Covid-19, but he said this is a moment of maximum risk, and he said that those restrictions must stay in place in order to prevent a second wave of infection. The government in the U.K. has been coming under increased pressure from the public, who want to know when that lockdown might be lifted, and what it might look like.
[Frederick Pleitgen, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Fred Pleitgen in Potsdam, Germany, where most Germans are now required to wear face masks in many public places. Now, in most instances, it's usually on public transport and when going into stores. There are some exceptions, however. And all this comes after Angela Merkel has warned that Germany risks squandering some of the gains that have been made in combating the coronavirus, even as new cases continue to decline.
[Barbie Nadeau, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm Barbara Nadeau in Rome, where the Italian government has just laid out the road map for phase two, the reopening of the country. On Monday, May 4th, industries like construction and fashion production will be able to open up again. People will be able to go outside their homes and exercise within their cities and restaurants and coffee bars will be able to offer takeout services. Then, on May 18th, we'll see retail industries open as long as they can provide safe, social distancing and sanitize things like clothing and shoes between customers. Then, if all goes to plan, on June 1st, bars, restaurants will offer inside seating. Hairdressers, spas and other entities will be able to reopen.
[Camerota:] OK, so let me be more clear. There are 3 million cases of coronavirus around the world almost, well, now more than 200,000 deaths. Meanwhile, remote learning is part of the new normal here in America. So when schools do eventually reopen, how different will the school experience be? CNN's Laura Jarrett joins us with more. Hi, Laura, great to see you.
[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor, "early Start":] Hi, Alisyn. You know, there's been so much focus and debate about what it's going to take for states to reopen the economy, but schools are such a key part of this conversation because as long as kids are stuck at home, their parents are stuck at home. But when schools do reopen, it's going to look really different.
[Jillian Balow, Wyoming Superintendent Of Public Instruction:] I think we would be naive to ever think about American schools going back to the way that they were.
[Jarrett:] While the coronavirus has caused a majority of states across the country to keep schools closed for the rest of the academic year
[Unidentified Male:] We decided to continue remote learning.
[Unidentified Female:] I am confident it is the right decision.
[Unidentified Male:] We're not going to be able to go back to school.
[Jarrett:] Governors, school superintendents and teachers are trying to figure out how to safely reopen classrooms, whenever that may be.
[Balow:] Not only is this not a one size fits all, it's a brand new size for everyone.
[Jarrett:] An outlier, Montana, whose governor says schools may reopen as soon as May 7th. And those that do are being urged to disinfect door handles, keep playgrounds off limits and provide hand sanitizer and other precautions. In Florida, the education commissioner says the goal is to reopen schools this summer, using a hybrid format involving distance learning and classes on campus. Masks, deep cleanings, modified recess and PE all under consideration.
[Jeff Riley, Massachusetts Commissioner Of Elementary And Secondary Education:] What we've seen from other countries that have started the process of opening are things like temperature checking students, keeping desks six feet apart from students, some people are staggered schedules.
[Jarrett:] Officials nationwide all searching for methods that will allow them to reopen schools without putting students and their families at risk.
[Gov. Gavin Newsom:] We just need to do it in a safe way so that those kids are not going to school, getting infected and then coming back home and infecting grandma or grandpa.
[Jarrett:] But for younger kids especially, principals like Inas Morsi- Hogans in New York say physical distancing won't be so easy.
[Inas Morsi-hogans, Elementary School Principal:] When I think about our four-year-olds and everything that they do in the classroom, first of all, they're germ bubbles, right, and how would you even get them to school on a bus? Would you have one student in every seat, and then they'd come in. I mean they're just touching each other. They're hugging each other.
[Jarrett:] Still, states in the U.S. do have models abroad to turn to. In Denmark, schools have reopened their doors for students under 12 years old with new pandemic-minded rules. Desks separated six feet apart and hand washing at least every two hours. For first grade teacher Jill Fink in Los Angeles, having enough physical space is key.
[Jill Fink, Teacher:] My dream scenario would be that the class sizes would all be smaller. My fear, too, is it's going to take more money. Maybe we're going to have to build more buildings.
[Jarrett:] Her daughter, Sabra, an eighth grader, says she welcomes any new safety measures. She's just eager to see her friends again.
[Sabra Fink, Eighth Grade Student:] I want to be back into the action where everything is and I think I'm ready. And I think they'll like have all the necessities they need to get us back in.
[Jarrett:] John and Alisyn, all of the educators that we talked to when doing this story said figuring out how to configure the classrooms, how to make things safe is one thing. And that might actually be the easy part. The harder challenge may be, they say, is figuring out all the social and emotional issues that these kids have been dealing with over the past couple months and where the gaps may be, where they might have fallen behind with virtual learning. That's the next challenge. John and Alisyn.
[Camerota:] I certainly understand that eighth grader saying she is ready. I hear that from my kids as well. Laura, thank you very much. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is back to answer your medical questions, next.

[Blitzer:] Tonight, House Democrats are accusing President Trump of committing multiple federal crimes, including bribery, even though they were not explicitly referenced in the articles of impeachment. We're joined now by Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a member of both the Intelligence and Oversight committees. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.
[Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] And let's walk through what the House of Representatives is about to do. They will take a historic vote to impeach the president on Wednesday. Walk us through what will happen.
[Krishnamoorthi:] Well, as you know, there are two articles of impeachment, one for abuse of power and the other for obstruction of Congress. And so there will be a vote on these articles. Obviously, I don't think that the speaker is doing anything other than directing people to vote per their conscience and their constituents. And I think that's what people are going to do on Wednesday.
[Blitzer:] Your Republican colleague Will Hurd of Texas says, you can vote against impeachment, but still disagree with some of the president's behavior. How do you respond to that?
[Krishnamoorthi:] I respectfully disagree with my colleague, in the sense that this type of behavior is precisely why the framers of the Constitution incorporated an impeachment provision within the Constitution. The framers were deeply concerned about foreign powers getting involved in the domestic affairs of America. And, specifically, they would have been extremely concerned about pressuring a foreign power or getting a foreign power to get involved in our elections. In this particular case, that's exactly what the evidence shows that the president, over a pattern of over several months exhibited a pattern of conduct in which he pressured the Ukrainians to basically investigate his political rivals, thereby compromising national security and the integrity of our elections, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] What does it say to you, Congressman, that not a single Republican in the House is expected to vote for either of these articles of impeachment?
[Krishnamoorthi:] Well, as you know, Justin Amash, I guess, was a Republican before he disagreed with the president. I think that he will probably vote in favor of the articles. That being said, at this point, I think everyone has to vote their conscience and has to do the right thing and put the Constitution above party and politics. That's extremely important.
[Blitzer:] Should Justin Amash, who is now an independent member of the House, serve as an impeachment case manager, a manager in the course of the trial in the Senate, as some of your Democratic colleagues are recommending?
[Krishnamoorthi:] I don't want to speculate on who the manager is going to be. I know that Nancy Pelosi is going to assemble a team that knows the facts and brings credit to the House in presenting the case in the Senate.
[Blitzer:] In an interview, a new interview, as we have been reporting, in "The New Yorker" magazine, Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, made this admission about his campaign to push out the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. He says this. He says: "I believed that I needed Yovanovitch out of the way. She was going to make the investigations difficult for everybody." So, what do you think? How significant is that admission by Giuliani?
[Krishnamoorthi:] I think it's very significant. And that's what the evidence showed during the hearings, that Rudy Giuliani and the president basically pushed Ambassador Yovanovitch away to basically install Rudy Giuliani in charge of Ukraine policy, along with the three amigos, Ambassador Sondland, Rick Perry and Volker, Ambassador Volker. And, basically, what they sought to do was to basically commandeer Ukraine policy in favor of Donald Trump's political ambitions. And, as I said before, that's a shadow foreign policy. That is not necessarily in the best interests of the country, but maybe in the best interest of Rudy Giuliani's clients and Donald Trump's political agenda. But that's not the way that our foreign policy should ever be run.
[Blitzer:] Should Giuliani be called as a witness?
[Krishnamoorthi:] I don't know. We have never received the documents that were subpoenaed from Giuliani. I personally I'm speaking for myself. I personally believe that we should always view documents from a witness before they are examined in terms of their live testimony. And so I'd like to see those documents first.
[Blitzer:] Congressman Krishnamoorthi, thanks so much for joining us.
[Krishnamoorthi:] Thank you so much.
[Blitzer:] All right, just ahead, we're going to have much more on Rudy Giuliani unplugged when it comes to Ukraine. Why is he apparently admitting he wanted the former U.S. ambassador ousted, so he could freely dig up dirt for the on the Bidens? Plus, after two crashes, why is Boeing now halting, halting production of the 737 MAX?

[Keilar:] Missouri is looking to be the next state ready to enact harsh restrictions on abortion. The Missouri State House just passed their bill which bans abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy. As with the law signed in Alabama earlier this week, there's no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. The law is expected to be signed by the state's Republican governor. This law along with the restrictions passed in states like Alabama and Georgia could all end up at the Supreme Court. The Trump administration is said to be sending two Democratic strongholds in Florida an unexpected surprise airplanes of migrants from El Paso, Texas. The Palm Beach County sheriff says the federal government, the Border Patrol informed Broward and Palm Beach Counties that it will be sending more than 100 immigrants each week to each of these counties. That's a total of about 1,000 people per month. Palm Beach County Mayor Mack Bernard has grave concerns about the plan. He's with us now. Sir, thank you for coming on to discuss this.
[Mack Bernard, , Palm Beach County Mayor:] Thanks for having me, Brianna.
[Keilar:] This is set to begin here in two weeks. What are your concerns?
[Bernard:] This is totally outrageous that the Palm Beach County tax taxpayers are going to receive individuals from the border. We are not a border state. Palm Beach County is a coastal area where we have over 1.5 million residents. And now the president's made the decision that he's going to shift his responsibility in regard to dealing with the humanitarian crisis that's going at the border and shifting it to the taxpayers of Palm Beach County and that's not fair.
[Keilar:] I want to preface this question that I have for you by making clear that your county Palm Beach and also neighboring Broward County don't consider themselves to be sanctuary cities. Your county says you're in accordance with federal immigration laws. You are Democratic strongholds, though, no friends of the president. And the Trump administration considers these counties sanctuary cities. Do you believe that this move is politically motivated and that the president is making good on his proposal to send migrants to sanctuary cities?
[Bernard:] Well, first of all, Palm Beach County is not a sanctuary county and the sheriff's office has been very cooperative with the immigration enforcement in Palm Beach County. We hope that this is not politically motivated because of the fact that when we're dealing with the issues in Palm Beach County in terms of homelessness, housing, hurricanes, we don't look at political affiliations. We look at addressing the needs of our residents. And now the president wants to send his problems to Palm Beach County and that's not fair. And what we hope is that administration will create a plan to address this situation. We have no idea who is coming to Palm Beach County. Are there families? Are there kids and individuals? And we don't know their health issues at all. And this is not fair for the residents of Palm Beach County.
[Keilar:] Is the federal government going to step in and offer any assistance here?
[Bernard:] They have told us that they have no plans on providing us no assistance whatsoever. And this is totally ridiculous that you're going to send 135 people per week, which is 1,000 per month, to both Broward and Palm Beach Counties, 6000 per year, with no resources. What we hope is that the administration will reconsider their decisions. But if not, then Palm Beach County will have to address it, which means we'll ask the state probably have to declare a state of emergency or federal emergency so that way we can get reimbursement in terms of the costs that will be beared by the taxpayers.
[Keilar:] If the federal government would provide the assistant, if they would provide that information that you said you don't have about the makeup of who is coming, would you be open then to receiving folks from El Paso?
[Bernard:] Well, Palm Beach County would cooperate with the federal government if there's a plan. As we plan for hurricane season, we plan after hurricane season every year so that we can address our residents in Palm Beach County. If there's a plan in place, then Palm Beach County will address those residents that are coming because those people are going to need housing and food and everything that is needed, specifically health care. We don't know if those individuals are immunized. And if they're kids, how will that impact our school system in Palm Beach County?
[Keilar:] But you're saying, if you could have that information, those assurances and those resources, then that's something that you you wouldn't have these concerns about?
[Bernard:] We wouldn't have these concerns whatsoever because we want to work with the federal government in terms of solving this immigration crisis that's going on, the crisis at the border. What we hope is that our federal government will address comprehensive immigration reform. Our system is broken. However, this is a federal issue, not a local issue that should be addressed by the taxpayers of Palm Beach County.
[Keilar:] Mayor Mack Bernard, thank you for being with us.
[Bernard:] Thank you very much.
[Keilar:] We have more on our breaking news. The U.S. set to lift tariffs on Canada and Mexico. So what this means for the economy in the middle of the China trade war. Plus, the president question why he wasn't warned about Michel Flynn. The problem is, he was, many times, including by the sitting president of the United States.

[Blitzer:] We're following a very disturbing breaking news out in California where more rescues and evacuations are underway as dry windy conditions fuel more than 20 large wildfires across the state. Let's discuss with the chief of CAL FIRE, Thom Porter. Chief, thanks so much for joining us. How dire is the situation in California right now?
[Chief Thom Porter, Cal Fire:] Thank you, Wolf. It is really one to behold. We have now we were tracking this morning, 25 major fires. We've had an additional at least two that have occurred during the day today. Every one of those fires is being blown out by the east and northeast winds that we are seeing surface over the entire state. So, very dire situation. Our fighters, local government, CAL FIRE, and our federal partners are all fully engaged and really doing everything they can to protect lives and property. But these fires are going to continue to grow for several days.
[Blitzer:] Yeah, it's awful. More than 2 million acres have now been destroyed by these fires. These are the worst fires in California's history, we're told. What are the biggest obstacles, Chief, that you're facing right now as you're trying to get these historic fires under control?
[Porter:] Really it changes. I mean, we've got fires burning from in the north part of the state, all the way to the Mexican border, about 800 miles between the furthest distant fires. So, we're stretched across the landscape. But there's also been a persistent drought over many years. We've had a few wet years but not enough to really change the fuel consumption issues that we're having. Very dry fuels north to south. And then when we have winds and we already have fires going, they just spread very quickly. We do have 150 million trees in the southern sierra several years ago. Those are fuelling which is the biggest and most concerning fire to us right now, the creek fire near Fresno do I know, that is it's just it's uncontrollable until we have a weather change.
[Blitzer:] Well, good luck, Chief Porter. We're hoping for the best. These are awful, awful fires, as we've been watching. Thanks so much for joining us.
[Porter:] Thank you for your time.
[Blitzer:] All right. We're going to have more news just ahead. We'll be right back.

[Unidentified Female:] Which is interesting because of the later Friday he said it would be Mueller's principal conclusions. Well, that is not the case here. Page three, Mueller didn't have a principal collusion. It's Bill Barr and Rod Rosenstein's principal collusion without consultation with Mueller that there wasn't obstruction of justice.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Everybody stand by.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Blitzer:] The following major breaking news. I want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I am Wolf Blitzer in Washington. After nearly two years, we now know the main conclusions of Robert Mueller's Russia information. A four-page single-spaced summary was released by the attorney general of the United States, Bill Barr. Part of the report reading and I'm quoting now. The investigation did not, did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russians government in its election interference activities. The President's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani told us just a little while ago that the findings were better than he expected and President Trump just responded as well.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] It was a complete and total exoneration. It's a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it's a shame that your President has had to go through this. This was an illegal takedown that failed. And hopefully somebody is going to be looking at the other side.
[Blitzer:] It comes to the question of obstruction, the attorney general Barr said Mueller did not have enough evidence to prosecute but could not exonerate the President. This is all far from over. Right now top Democrats are already calling for the full Mueller report to be released immediately. And the House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler says his committee will be calling for the attorney general Bill Barr to testify soon. CNN's Laura Jarrett is over at the justice department. She has been watching all of this unfold. Laura, what's, first of all, the latest information you are getting?
[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Justice Reporter:] Well, Wolf, the latest we are getting is what happens next. Obviously, as Capitol Hill is champing at the bit to get every last piece of the underlying materials here, this is not Mueller's report. This is attorney general Bill Barr's report. And as he explains here, he is working with the special counsel as well as the deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, and another select group of advisers trying to figure out what else can be produced here. The main issue on that is the fact that there is grand jury material potentially exposed by just simply turning over the report. And so, I'm told by a senior justice department official that this team of advisers is already working. That process has begun to try to figure out how to scrub the report and figure out what really is left to be turned over to Congress and by extension, the public. The other interesting part about this four-page memo from Barr that sort of lays out the obstruction of justice case is to note how Mueller really punted on that issue even though he was the special counsel appointed in this case to try to figure out what gets to the bottom what the President's intent on that issue is. It makes it pretty clear that Mueller says there's evidence on both sides. He punted to the attorney general to get to that ultimate question. And the attorney general found that there wasn't a prosecutable case because there wasn't corrupt intent and they couldn't make a nexus to an actual criminal proceeding. But of course, he couldn't assess the criminal intent because Mueller never sat down with the President, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Indeed. Laura, stand by. Manu Raju is up on Capitol Hill for us. Manu, so are members of Congress reacting to this and the reaction is intense?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] Yes, top Democrats are not satisfied with this four-page letter. They are saying they can't trust what Bill Barr has said. They want to see all of the evidence that led Bob Mueller to reach these conclusions. They want to see the full report demanding the public release and release to Capitol Hill as part of as Democrats try to pursue their own investigations in the days and weeks ahead. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer just put out a statement saying there are raises as many questions as it does where you have answers as well as Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House judiciary committee made clear he wants to hear from Bill Barr in a public testimony before his committee. He said in light of the very concerning discrepancies and final decision making of the justice department following the special counsel report where Mueller did not exonerate the President, we will be calling attorney general Barr in to testify before a House judiciary in the near future. Now, Republicans have a much different reaction. They are saying this is a complete vindication for the President and exoneration. A great day for the President. They are saying it's time for the Democrats to move on, not retrace the same steps that Bob Mueller did as part of his Russia investigation and part of his obstruction investigation. Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee saying in a statement good day for the rule of law. Great day for President Trump and his team. No collusion and no obstruction. The cloud hanging over President Trump has been removed by this report. But, of course, a lot of questions about how Bob Mueller reached these conclusions. Will the justice department provide Congress with the full report or the underlying evidence? Bill Barr said in that letter, Wolf, that he would do his goal was to release as much as possible under the law, under the regulations and abiding by justice department policy. There is still a lot of questions tonight about exactly what that means.
[Blitzer:] We will see how much he releases and what the Democrats do about that. Manu, stand by. CNN's Abby Philip is over at the White House for us. Abby, the President clearly is feeling pretty good about these findings.
[Abby Philip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. Our sources are telling us the President who spent the weekend in Florida at Mar-a-Lago is in a fairly jovial mood as he returns back to Washington on air force one. He stopped and talked to reporters a little bit before he got on that airplane and he said this was a complete and total exoneration. His campaign and his aides are saying it is a vindication for a President who has been saying no collusion and no obstruction for two years now. Now, the White House is not making a distinction. That distinction you have been talking about between the findings on collusion and the findings on obstruction. Because they are focusing on how they can use this to move the President forward. They are thinking about 2020 and they are thinking about how to fire back at a Democratic majority in the House. Wolf, I want to point you to two things the President talked about in his comments with reporters. He talked about the many people that he said had been hurt by this investigation. Many of his associates who were charged with crimes, are facing prison time as a result of some of the findings of this investigation. And he also asked why the justice department or people are not looking into the other side. Now, it's likely that he is referring to the Clinton campaign which he has been saying where really the people colluding with the Russians. But these are just two points that we should focus in on as we look at the next steps for President Trump. President Trump at this moment is not backing down on this. He called this an illegal attempt at a takedown of his administration that failed. And I think he is really planning at this moment for fighting back. He is not going to just let the Mueller report go by the wayside. And it's worth noting, Wolf, he didn't talk about Russian interference that was part of the findings of the Mueller report. And he didn't thank Robert Mueller for his work. This is a President who is still pretty irritated that as he said, that he had to go through all this through over the first two years of his presidency, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Important points, indeed. Abby Philip at the White House. I know you are getting more reaction. The President on his way back to the White House from Florida. Air force one should be landing fairly soon, we are told. Our chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has been watching all of this. Step back a little bit, Jeffrey. Give us your perspective on what has just folded here in the United States over the last few hours.
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Senior Legal Analyst:] Well, this has been an enormous investigation. And the first part of Bob Barr's letter really sums up the number of interviews, a 500 interviews, hundreds of subpoenas, search warrants, foreign request, request to foreign governments for information. So the thoroughness of Robert Mueller's investigations can scarcely be doubted at least based on what we know now. And there were two general areas that Mueller was investigating. And they really never changed from day one. The first was what came to be called collusion which was the involvement of the Trump campaign or anyone connected to Donald Trump with the acknowledged efforts by the Russian government and people and entities affiliated with the Russian government to help Trump win the election and hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign. And there were two criminal cases brought as a result of that investigation. One involving the use of social media to help Trump and hurt Clinton. And another involving the hacking of emails of Democrats and people affiliated with the Democrats. And there have been a lot of suspicion about that, about people like Roger Stone and Paul Manafort with who had some interactions with the Russians. And of course, there was the famous Trump tower meeting in June of 2016 with Donald Trump junior and the Paul Manafort and the President's son-in-law was there as well. The conclusion for all of that for Mueller repeated by Barr today was that there was no illegal activity there. That no one affiliated with the President or his campaign directly or indirectly helped the Russians sabotage this campaign. And it's an enormously important point. The second general area in the investigation is the one that prompted the appointment of Mueller in the first place which is James Comey's firing by Donald Trump as FBI director, and the question of whether that action and other actions that the President took were an obstruction of justice, were a criminal act. And here the result of Mueller's investigation is sufficiently is considerably more ambiguous, because Mueller apparently, and this is a it's confusing as presented by Barr here, did not reach a conclusion about whether there was a criminal act by the President. He apparently sort of turned over the evidence both pro and con to Mueller himself, to Barr, and the attorney general himself to make that determination. Mueller did not make a recommendation about obstruction of justice. Barr in consultation with his deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein concluded based on the evidence that was presented to him from Mueller and he did it very fast. And he only got this evidence apparently on Friday. A two-year investigation, and he concluded today that there was no basis to pursue an obstruction of justice charge against the President. And it's very important that in Mueller's letter, and what is certainly to be a frequently quoted passage from Mueller's report that was quoted by Barr, he said while the report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him. Certainly, Congress is going to want to see the underlying basis for that conclusion and that is sort of where we go now. Congress is going to have to take over that part of the investigation if it's so inclined.
[Blitzer:] It's very significant, because the as you correctly point out, the special counsel said that while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him, but then the attorney general Bill Barr and the deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein in their analysis of what they got from Mueller, they say they have concluded that the evidence developed during the special counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction of justice offense. So that's what the conclusion of the attorney general and the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey, was the special counsel, he stopped short of that.
[Toobin:] That's exactly right. And what is different about what we saw and what we expected was that it was Barr and Rosenstein, the President's appointees who made the ultimate conclusion about obstruction of justice, not the special counsel, Mueller. And what's even stranger about that is that it was the whole reason why Mueller was appointed was that the hierarchy of the department of justice has an inherent conflict of interest when investigating the President of the United States. So the issue of how and why it was Barr and Rosenstein who came to reach this conclusion about obstruction of justice and not Mueller himself is something very much worthy of investigation. I'm not saying it's corrupt. I'm not saying it's improper. But it is certainly not required by the regulation under which Mueller was appointed, and how it came to be that Barr made the con reached the ultimate conclusion about obstruction of justice and not Mueller, that's something that Congress is certainly going to want to investigate.
[Blitzer:] Yes, very significant development indeed. Gloria Borger, let's get your analysis right now. He is very firm, Mueller in saying there was no collusion, not very firm on the whole issue of obstruction of justice.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] Well, and I think, you know, to add onto what Jeffrey is saying, I think what Congress is going to want to get the answer to is why did the special counsel pass on the question of obstruction of justice? Why did the special counsel, you know, we know that the from the Barr letter that the special counsel views the difficult issues of law. In fact
[Blitzer:] Gloria, hold on for one moment. We lost your mike for a second. We are going to fix that. I want to go to David Gergen who is watching all of this unfold as well. And David, you have a unique perspective. You have seen a lot of these activities over the many years you have worked for four U.S. Presidents. You have now gone through probably several times reading this letter for the attorney general to Congress. What do you think?
[David Gergen, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Well, I think overall it is very clear and very significant decision in favor of the President. And I think it's probably one of the most important things that's going to happen this term. It doesn't obviously change who he is. His temperament, his fitness for office on other issues, but this has obvious and clear implications for the 2020 race. Beyond that, though, Wolf, I think there are something else, two other things that are significant. This was also good for the country in one fundamental sense. And that is it's important for us to not believe our President is a crook. That our President and his team conspired. They didn't conspire. And that's a good thing. They did a lot of things that were suspicious, but they didn't conspire. And I think that's healthy for the country. There's another group that won a victory here in this, in my judgment, and that was the department of justice. The people have done this investigation and have been under enormous not only just pressure but just all sorts of attacks. They are angry partisan Democrats. They were trying to bring down the President. And low and behold, they defended the President and found him, you know, basically not guilty on count one. And I think that shows that this was an impartial group. Then we ought to show a lot of respect for their findings. Whether we like it or not, and you know, there are many, many people out there that are going to be extremely disappointed by this outcome. But this was a way, a good way a country settles significant disputes. We do it through the rule of law, and I think that's to be celebrated.
[Blitzer:] It's clear, David, that the Democrats on Capitol Hill are not happy with this conclusion that there was no collusion or conspiracy or cooperation between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
[Gergen:] Well, I can understand why they are disappointed. They thought this was, you know, there have been so many things that have been suspicious about this. And when the President today which I thought was an entirely inappropriate remark just a short while ago that this was an illegal takedown that failed. It's worth remembering that what cause, what set this investigation off, what triggered it was suspicious activity by people who worked in the Trump campaign. And that was picked up by our counterintelligence people. And that's when the ball started rolling toward this investigation. So I think we can question aspects of the investigation as Jeffrey did and is an admirable summary of what was found, what was stated today. But I think nonetheless, we have had a fair now and a very thorough investigation. And on the fundamental question of a conspiracy, they just didn't find the evidence. And by the way, that's what the House intelligence committee has said, and the Senate intelligence committee basically have said. They haven't found serious conspiracy.
[Blitzer:] Yes. That's an important point as well. We are getting new information, significant information. Pamela Brown and Laura are working their sources. Pamela, first to you. What are you learning?
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] We learned the special counsel's office deliberated with top DOJ officials about issuing a subpoena to interview President Trump which would have been a significant investigative step. Ultimately, the decision was made to not take that step and not issue a subpoena. We know that Robert Mueller and his team had asked the Trump legal team to interview the President on multiple occasions and they were rebuffed. And internally, they were the sensitive discussions between Robert Mueller's team and DOJ officials about whether it was necessary to take that step in this investigation looking at possible collusion and obstruction of justice. But ultimately we are told that the officials, they weighed everything. They looked at what they had, and they didn't believe that the evidence had the merits to pursue a subpoena. That this was separate from the notion that you cannot that a President cannot be indicted as is DOJ policy, but beyond that, we are told that they didn't feel like they had the evidence and the merits to pursue a subpoena. This is significant far couple reasons because the question has been raised by did Mueller capitulate and he didn't pursue the interview. He was able to wrap up this investigation without getting that sit- down interview. We know that written questions were submitted this last fall having to do with activity before the election, but nothing having to do with obstruction. But now we are learning, Wolf, our team, me and Laura and Evan Perez are learning that there were these deliberations internally to not issue a subpoena. Important to point out, though, Bill Barr in his letter to Congress on Friday said that there were no requests that were denied. That is because these were just discussions. Robert Mueller never made the formal request to issue a subpoena and was rejected by Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general at the time. Back to you.
[Blitzer:] Very significant development on a critically important issue why the President of the United States was not subpoenaed to actually sit down and answer questions orally. Did so in writing. Written questions, written answers but not an oral interview. Laura, what else are you picking up?
[Jarrett:] Well, it's clear, Wolf, you see a glimpse of this in attorney general Bill Barr's letter to Congress today. Obviously, he wasn't here at the justice department when all of these sensitive discussions are ongoing between the justice department and the special counsel's office on the other hand. But you see in Barr's letter how the justice department really didn't believe they had a prosecutable case on collusion or conspiracy issues between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, on the obstruction of justice issue either, at least from Barr's perspective. Now from Mueller's perspective, he thought there was actually evidence on both sides of the question and so he left the question unresolved, punting to the attorney general bill Barr because of their difficult issues of law and fact. So on the obstruction issue, he thought there was at least a close call there. And so, you see why they did at least raise the issue, the specter of the subpoena. It wasn't off the table. And that's something new. We didn't know before what exactly those internal discussions looked like, whether they thought it was even worth going down that road. Ultimately they decided not to pursue it. But the fact that it was even raised at all is significant, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] It certainly is. Evan, you are working your sources as well. This is an important new piece of information we are picking up.
[Evan Perez, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] It is, Wolf. And I think this is where certainly members of Congress will have to ask more questions of what exactly these deliberations look like. What exactly happened behind the scenes? Because we know that the President never sat down for an interview. We know that Mueller wanted an interview. We know all the way through October. Again, for about a year there was these there were these negotiations back and forth about sitting down, having the President answer questions. And it was the President's legal team that put rails around this. First they said he shouldn't have to answer any questions before his inauguration. That there was certainly a different standard with regard to a sitting President. And so one of the things that they did is again, some very, very good legal work from Jay Maskin, from Jay Sekulow, and even going back to John Dowd and Ty Cobb. There was some good legal work that protected this President from, frankly, some of his own behavior. In the end it looks like what happened here is Mueller raised the idea of a subpoena. Rod Rosenstein and his team looked at it. They had a back and forth, and Mueller never formally made a request for a subpoena.
[Unidentified Male:] That could be because there was potentially no charges to be brought. Right?
[Borger:] Right.
[Unidentified Male:] So because of that reason, what's the purpose of subpoenaing the President? It's significant that they even thought about doing this. I mean, we spent how many months trying to figure out, you know, if this was going to happen. Even up until I think last week we were wondering what could be the delay in this report. Is there some chance that they are still trying to subpoena the President? And this was something that the President's lawyers, you know, as Evan said, and people around him are always concerned. Then the issue is going to be well, does the President take the fifth? Do they allow him to go ahead into the grand jury alone without his lawyers and testify? But significant in that they even thought about it. Obviously we don't know the deliberations that went into it and ultimately what was decided and we may never know.
[Blitzer:] Are we going to get the Q&A, written Q&A that the President did with the special counsel Robert Mueller? It would be really important to see that.
[Unidentified Male:] Because this investigation technically now is closed, Wolf. We may see that. We may see that in some form as we did in the Hillary Clinton investigation.
[Borger:] You know, Wolf, I'm just communicating with some sources who were involved in this peripherally and directly. And I think the feeling is that if you have these informal discussions, and you are told informally you don't have enough for a subpoena, then you know you don't have enough to charge the President. And that if these conversations were going on, that helps explain why Mueller was so vague in his report, because clearly he wanted to interview the President. He wanted to interview the President. And he wasn't going to get to do that. And so he wasn't going to reach a conclusion, and he left it up to Barr, then, or the question that I have is did he really leave it up to Barr or did he want to leave it up to Congress to make that decision? And Barr and Rosenstein decided OK, they are going to make the decision. But it could have gone another way..
[Unidentified Female:] But in any situation, let's say he was trying to leave it up to Congress. Maybe that's technically his job, but in the real world levering it leaving it up to a partisan Congress is risky business.
[Unidentified Male:] the point that I want to make and maybe Evan to talk about this, too, is the idea that you are subpoenaing someone who is part who is a target of an investigation. You know, the department of justice, it's I don't know, it seems to me they don't normally do that.
[Perez:] Yes. You don't normally do that.
[Unidentified Male:] So would they have done that in this case given, obviously, he is the target. We know that he is the target -.
[Blitzer:] But they did ask written questions?
[Unidentified Male:] They did. Very different because it's not under oath. You can't
[Blitzer:] But if he would have lied in the written answers, that is under oath.
[Borger:] That was before that was
[Blitzer:] You can't lie to the
[Fbi. Unidentified Male:] Right. That is a good point.
[Borger:] But that was about collusion, Wolf. That was before he became President.
[Blitzer:] Phil Mudd is with us. I want to bring in Phil Mudd who used to work at the FBI. He used to work at CIA. He is our counterterrorism analyst. And Phil, remember what the first mission of Robert Mueller was when he received a letter on May 17th, 2017 from then acting attorney general Rod Rosenstein. His mission was to find quote "any links andor coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump." Well, we now know the answer to that. Mueller has concluded there was no such coordination or links.
[Philip Mudd, Cnn Counterterrorism Analyst:] That's sort of true. Let's step through a few pieces. Let me take three in particular. Number one, the Russian piece. The indictments by the Mueller team clearly indicate that at the Russian end there are people responsible for conspiring on the Russia side to interfere with the elections in America. As we have seen the last couple hours, the special counsel concluded that there are not individuals on the American side who are responsible for conspiring with the Russians to undermine an American election, but there are other pieces of this. One, did people obstruct? Obviously the special counsel came out in the middle and said we investigated this. We will leave it up to the prosecutors, that is the attorney general, to determine whether we should prosecute something that we think is a little bit questionable. And the attorney general said no. There is one final question, Wolf, and that is where I think the President has been genius. The question is not simply whether the law was violated in terms of whether people did things that were inappropriate with the Russians. The question for the American people is do you think that the activities undertaken by people in the circle of the President of the United States or for a candidate to be the President of the United States, do you think those activities were appropriate? I think if you look at everything we've seen with the genius of the President, it's been to raise the bar to say I don't care whether the activities of Don Junior or other people in my circle were appropriate. The only bar is whether they are illegal. I think that's the genius of the President. The bar is now whether things are illegal, not just whether they're inappropriate.
[Blitzer:] And the Congress can investigate inappropriate activities, but for all practical purposes, Phil, the justice department as a whole has concluded it's over.
[Mudd:] Sort of. I mean, if you look at the basic pillars of the investigation, collusion with the Russians, the special counsel says no. Obstruction, the special counsel as we just discussed says over to the department of justice and the attorney general, and I think he's supportable on this. I support him and Rosenstein said no. There is one word that doesn't appear significantly in the special counsel's final four-page document interpreted by the department of justice, money. What happened to Manafort? Money. What happened to gates? Money. What happened to Cohen? Dirty money. So when we are talking about exoneration of the President and his circle, we could talk about participation and conspiracy related to the election. We could talk about obstruction of the investigation, but if you look at indictments already, several of them, the most significant including Manafort are money. And if you look at what the southern district is investigating, I suspect money. I agree with the President, and I agree with the White House. This is a victory in a sense. I don't think it's a victory for the American people. But it's a victory for the White House, but there is still an outstanding question. How much dirty money are we going to find and are there further indictments on dirty money? I'm not sure.
[Blitzer:] There's a lot of other investigations that are still continuing. Phil, stand by for a moment. I want to play for our viewers what the President of the United States said as he was heading back from Florida to head back here to Washington as he was about to board air force one.
[Trump:] So after a long look, after a long investigation, after so many people have been so badly hurt, after not looking at the other side where a lot of bad things happened, a lot of horrible things happened. A lot of very bad things happened for our country. It was just announced there was no collusion with Russia. The most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. There was no collusion with Russia. There was no obstruction and none whatsoever. And it was a complete and total exoneration. It's a shame that our country had to go through this. To be honest, it's a shame that your president has had to go through this for before I even got elected, it began. And it began illegally and, hopefully, somebody is going to look at the other side. This was an illegal takedown that failed. And hopefully, somebody is going to be looking at the other side. So it's complete exoneration. No collusion, no obstruction. Thank you very much. Thank you.
[Blitzer:] All right. April, what's your reaction?
[April Ryan, Cnn Political Analyst:] Listening to what the President had to say yes, Wolf. Listening to what the President had to say, he is not fully exonerated. As we know, there are investigations still happening. But what we do know, over the weekend, is that the President and those around him were the mood was very victorious. We were hearing that there were high fives in Mar-a-Lago over the weekend. And today, even more so, the President feels that he has got a public relations victory. He has a brand victory. And he also has a public perception victory because the original mandate for this investigation was collusion. He is not found guilty of collusion in this report. But he was wrong talking about the issue of obstruction of justice. That is still lingering out there. And now the question is if the House Oversight and Government Reform, if Intelligence and if Judiciary will decide to take this up. And Nancy Pelosi could actually offer more money for these committees to actually investigate. But the problem is, and this is what the President is banking on and this is why he feels this is why he feels it could be a victory. Because the messaging. If there is an overreach or perception of overreach, the President wins because Mueller's report said that he was not found guilty of collusion, but there is still obstruction of justice. So the President is taking this as a big victory.
[Blitzer:] He certainly is. And I suspect, you know, Dana, we're going to be hearing a lot more from the President.
[Bash:] Yes.
[Blitzer:] He's still about to land here in Washington aboard Air Force One. He made that brief statement as he was boarding. He also made a quick little tweet, no obstruction, no collusion, and all of that. But I suspect we're going to be hearing more.
[Bash:] Yes. Somebody was asking before, well, why didn't he wait and do a big event? Why didn't he wait? Because he's the President of the United States who has been saying this mantra, no collusion, for so long, and now he has this, at least, summary to help prove his point. To vindicate him.
[Blitzer:] Yes.
[Bash:] And so he has been chomping at the bit to be able to say that with this report, and he has the chance to do it. And he is, no question, going to do it over and over again. And you know what? You can't blame him.
[Blitzer:] Yes. I always suspected that if he was going to be really happy with this report. And clearly, he is very happy with this report, Gloria, that there would be an Oval Office address to the nation.
[Borger:] Well
[Blitzer:] That he would call the White House would call the networks and say the President is about to make a statement.
[Borger:] Right. Well, that who knows? That didn't happen today. You know, I was sort of wondering on the whole witch-hunt question and the angry Democrats on Team Mueller and everything else, whether the President would actually say something about the Justice Department, but that didn't happen. He started talking about the illegal, you know, investigation.
[Evan Perez, Cnn Senior Justice Correspondent:] And it is not. I mean
[Borger:] Exactly.
[Perez:] To be clear, this was a legally
[Borger:] Totally.
[Bash:] Absolutely.
[Perez:] vindicated investigation. It was an important investigation.
[Borger:] Right.
[Perez:] An important investigation for us to follow.
[Borger:] But he would
[Blitzer:] The President, you heard he said it was an illegal takedown that failed.
[Borger:] Right, but, you know, he would not be so generous as to say that, in fact, the Justice Department had done its job.
[Perez:] Right.
[Borger:] That Bob Mueller had done his job, that Bill Barr had done his job, and that Rosenstein, whom he once tweeted a picture of behind bars, had done his job. But we you're not we're not going to hear any of that from the President. From the Democrats, it's very clear to me, though, Wolf, when you look at what Schumer and Pelosi released today, they do not believe that they have that this should end and that they're going to demand every piece of paper. Because the question out there and I keep coming back to this question about the interview with the President. The question that is out there is about obstruction. And Mueller did not come down, one way or another, and they want to know why, and they want to know why Barr did without interviewing the President. I think that is you know, the President's lawyers are to be commended on this for throwing themselves in front of this in front of a bus and saying, you're not going to interview the President here. But Mueller said, I can't decide on this, you know, whether he committed a crime
[Perez:] But especially
[Borger:] or exonerated him. And Barr and Rosenstein said we are deciding.
[Perez:] Especially if you consider that Donald Trump, for the better part of two years, has made so much about Hillary Clinton's interview and the circumstances. And even made up stories about how, well, the fact that she wasn't under oath, which, by the way, is
[Borger:] Right.
[Perez:] It doesn't matter, right? He's made such a big deal about Hillary Clinton's interview with the FBI on the Fourth of July in weekend in 2016. And now, this has become I think this is going to be a big focus for the Democrats.
[Borger:] It's going to be the big issue.
[Blitzer:] And you know
[Perez:] For the politics.
[Blitzer:] Right, that's And, Shimon, the statement from the President's legal team Rudy Giuliani, Jay Sekulow, Jane Raskin, Martin Raskin concluded with these words: this is a complete and total vindication of the President.
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Reporter:] For any attorney, you have to think of it this way. If you were if it wasn't Donald Trump, it was someone else being investigated, and you know your client has been investigated for two years, and prosecutors, top-level prosecutors at the Department of Justice, the Attorney General, comes in and says, yes, there's not enough here, we're not pursuing charges, yes, it's complete vindication in their eyes. The other thing I want to make a point in what the President said in talking about how people were badly hurt, he made a point to mention that in his remarks. And so now what we look forward to, when we talk about the future, is pardons and whether or not people even Michael Flynn. You know, the President has felt badly for what happened to him here, the President said. He certainly feels bad for what happened to Paul Manafort. And then Roger Stone. Obviously, that's still ongoing. But we've heard those him talk about them.
[Blitzer:] And Rick Gates, the deputy chairman of his campaign.
[Prokupecz:] Well, he is still cooperating and he is
[Bash:] Not so much but he hasn't been sentenced.
[Blitzer:] And he hasn't been sentenced yet.
[Borger:] Not so much.
[Bash:] Yes.
[Prokupecz:] He is
[Borger:] Not so much.
[Prokupecz:] Yes, not so much.
[Bash:] He never had a
[Prokupecz:] But you know that this is on the back of the President's mind. And his attorneys have done a tremendous job here in the end of trying to keep him from firing Mueller, trying to keep him from pardoning people, keeping him away from the FBI agents and the Special Counsel team when they wanted to sit and talk to him, so.
[Perez:] People a lot of people made fun of the President's legal team. I mean, obviously, you know, there's a lot of people who declined the offer when the President wanted to hire him.
[Prokupecz:] Yes.
[Perez:] Hire them.
[Bash:] A lot of people is generous, most people.
[Perez:] Right, exactly. But they ended up getting some very good lawyers who, frankly, protected this president, even despite the President's own efforts to hurt himself.
[Borger:] And don't forget, early on, an interview was scheduled with the President.
[Perez:] Yes.
[Borger:] Remember? We did that story at Camp David in January.
[Perez:] Yes. Yes.
[Borger:] They were all set to do an interview and then John Dowd pulled it back, who was the President's attorney at the time.
[Perez:] Right.
[Borger:] You have these new attorneys coming in, the Raskins, who have done a job and said, we're not going to let and Jay Sekulow, we're not going to let the President anywhere near an interview. So that was a moment when the President could have been interviewed and he wasn't.
[Bash:] You know what's interesting? There's the interview part, and then the idea of the President and his team, especially since it changed and they became so much more aggressive toward Robert Mueller, spent so much time trying to delegitimize his report and his investigation. Now, they're saying it vindicates him. Can they have it both ways?
[Perez:] They will.
[Borger:] Just wait.
[Bash:] Can it be an illegitimate an illegitimate investigation
[Blitzer:] Complete and total
[Bash:] that concludes
[Blitzer:] Complete and total vindication.
[Bash:] vindicating him?
[Borger:] Right.
[Bash:] I mean, I'm not sure.
[Blitzer:] We're also following we're getting reaction from the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Bernie Sanders tweeted this, quote, I don't want a summary of the Mueller report. I want the whole damn report. Kamala Harris tweeted, the Mueller report needs to be made public. The underlying investigative materials should be handed over to Congress, and Barr must testify. That is what transparency looks like. A short letter from Trump's handpicked Attorney General is not sufficient. David Gergen, what's your reaction so far to what we're hearing from these Democratic presidential candidates?
[David Gergen, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Well, I think the Democratic presidential candidates have been smart to issue those comments because the public does support giving over the report and making it public, making it transparent so that the underlying part of it can be examined. I think that's quite reasonable. But I must say, on both sides, some of the activists in Washington, it seems to me, are creating narratives that they may welcome to regret. It's totally understandable, as everyone is saying, that the Trump people are celebrating. I understand that. But when the President calls it an illegal takedown an illegal takedown that's a vindictive view. And they'd be well advised to remember Churchill who said, in victory, magnanimity. A little generosity, as Gloria just said, would go a long way here. But if they're going to come back and just be vindictive and sort of continue on that train, I think that there are going to be a lot of people in the middle, who would be open to coming over and be more supportive of the President, who are going to find that kind of argument pretty insufferable. Because, you know, this whole investigation started because of suspicious activities about people around the President, and so it was important and legal to do it. Now, the Democratic side, I must say, this obstruction issue, while I think it's important to get into it, I think you're going to have a hard the Democrats are going to have a hard time getting the public to swing behind this because there's no underlying crime. And they're going to say, well, what difference is it? So if he if there was partial obstruction, so forth and all, the critical question was, was there a conspiracy? And an exhaustive investigation has found there was not, and that's pretty darn important. I think the Democrats are going to have to start, you know, thinking more 2020 and about what they have to offer the country as opposed to making this simply a referendum on Trump.
[Blitzer:] Air Force One has just touched down at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington D.C. in suburban Maryland. The President should be getting off Air Force One fairly soon. We'll see if he stops and makes another statement to reporters who will gather at the bottom of those stairs and see if he says something before getting off and heading back to the White House. Jim Acosta, our chief White House correspondent, is joining us right now. Jim, are you getting any indication we're going to hear from the President again?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Not just yet, Wolf, but, I mean, it does sound as though he has more to say. You know, he didn't say very much when he got on the plane there in Florida about 1-12 ago, and so I assume he'll have more to say if and when he lands over here at the White House. In the mood to talk, I suppose. That really is the bottom line here and what his advisers have been telling him on Air Force One on his way back to D.C. But, Wolf, I just spoke with a Trump adviser in the last several minutes who said, listen, make no mistake, in the next several days, in the fallout of the release of this letter from the Attorney General about the Mueller report, expect Trump and his team to, as this adviser put it, slam and shame the media. They feel very strongly inside Trump world, Trump campaign, inside the White House, inside the President's legal team, that the media is culpable in all of this, and that they plan to make this very clear in the coming days. And you heard the President talk a little bit about his feelings a few a couple of hours ago when he got on Air Force One and said this was an illegal investigation, an illegitimate investigation. I think you're going to hear more language like that. In the words of this Trump adviser, Wolf, this is Al Capone's vault all over again. That's in reference to the Geraldo Rivera live T.V. expose about Al Capone's vault that ended up turning up nothing. And that is exactly how they feel at this point. Now, I did talk to a separate Trump adviser, a source close to the White House, who said, listen, in terms of the next coming steps, you know, they're just trying to enjoy this moment. They feel completely vindicated in all of this. There is going to be this question of pardons and will the President be issuing pardons in this investigation. According to the source other source close to the White House I spoke with, it's way too early to have that conversation in terms of how the President is going to be doing all of this. But in the words of this other adviser, you're much better off being a Paul Manafort at this point than you are being a Michael Cohen. As Paul Manafort demonstrated throughout his entire ordeal, he stayed very loyal to the President and, obviously, is in a much better position for a pardon if the President decides to issue one than Michael Cohen. And in the words of this Trump adviser I spoke with just a little while ago, nobody likes a rat in jail. And so I suppose they still have some pretty tough feelings about Michael Cohen, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is speaking.
[Acosta:] OK.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler , Chairman, House Committee On The Judiciary:] outlining his summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report while making a few questionable legal arguments of his own. I take from this letter three points. First, President Trump is wrong. This report does not amount to a so-called total exoneration. Special Counsel Mueller was clear that his report, quote, does not exonerate, close quote, the President. The Special Counsel spent 22 months uncovering evidence of obstruction and other misconduct. Attorney General Barr, who auditioned for his role with an open memorandum suggesting that the obstruction investigation was unconscionable and that a president and it was almost impossible for any president to commit obstruction of justice since he is the head of the executive branch, made a decision about that evidence in under 48 hours. His conclusions raise more questions than they answer, given the fact that Mueller uncovered evidence that, in his own words, does not exonerate the President. It is unconscionable that President Trump would try to spin the Special Counsel's findings as if his conduct was remotely acceptable. Second, given these questions, it is imperative that the Attorney General release the full report and the underlying evidence. The entire unfiltered report, as well as the evidence underlying that report, must be made available to Congress and to the American people. As much information as can be made public should be made public without delay. I intend to fight for that transparency. We will ask the Attorney General to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. We will demand the release of the full report. The American people are entitled to a full accounting of the President's misconduct referenced by the Special Counsel. Third, the Attorney General's comments make it clear that Congress must step in to get the truth and provide full transparency to the American people. The President has not been exonerated by the Special Counsel, yet the Attorney General has decided not to go further or apparently to share those findings with the public. We cannot simply rely on what may be a hasty partisan interpretation of the facts. Earlier this month, the House passed a resolution calling for the full and complete release of the Special Counsel's report by a vote of 420 to nothing. We now call on the Attorney General to honor that request to release the report and the underlying evidence and to appear before the Judiciary Committee to answer our questions without delay. That's the statement. Thank you. I'll take a few questions.
[Nadler:] I can't hear you.
[Unidentified Male:] Sorry. The President's legal team is saying this is an exoneration and, you know, it's going in opposite to what the Special Counsel is saying. You know, what's your reaction and what does this mean
[Nadler:] Well, as you point out, the Special the President and his people are saying it's a total exoneration. That contradicts with what the Special Counsel found. It's a lie about what the Special Counsel found, but we should not be surprised that they lie anymore.
[Unidentified Male:] And so you mentioned on Twitter you're going to ask the Attorney General to appear before the committee.
[Nadler:] Yes.
[Unidentified Male:] Would you be willing to use subpoena power if necessary?
[Nadler:] Sure. I would hope that it would not be necessary to use subpoena power to get the Attorney General to appear before the committee. We also want to see the full report, and if necessary, we'll use subpoena power to get that, too.
[Unidentified Male:] Are you worried that executive privilege could be exercised in some of these unknowns on the inside of this report?
[Nadler:] Well, the President could try to exercise executive privilege, but it won't be successful. Executive privilege must be asserted by the President personally. And as the Nixon case in front of the Supreme Court, which was decided nine to nothing, pointed out pointed out, executive privilege cannot be used to shield or hide wrongdoing. In the case of Nixon, the tapes of his personal conversations with people were ordered revealed by the court. And so I don't think that executive privilege will be a very successful defense here.
[Unidentified Male:] Can you talk to the side other side of your colleagues? OK, other questions? There's other questions? Anybody have
[Unidentified Female:] speaker and leader Schumer are answering questions when they say the Attorney General is biased? Is that fair and do you have a comment for the Attorney General?
[Nadler:] Well, it is fair. And, in fact, I questioned it if you listen to what I said. He auditioned for his job by writing a 19-page memorandum giving a very extreme view of obstruction of justice and the presidential power and saying, basically, that the that no president could
[Blitzer:] All right. It looks like we've lost that connection with Jerry Nadler, but we got the gist of what he's saying in New York. He is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He wants the Attorney General, Bill Barr, to come before the committee and testify. There you see the President of the United States. Air Force One has just landed outside of Washington, D.C. in Joint at Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland. I'm curious to see if the President, in addition to waving, is going to go over and speak to reporters once again as he did just before taking off from West Palm Beach earlier in the day. He's going to be heading over to the White House. He's obviously right now, Dana, a very, very happy man, given this report that his Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein have released. The President's clearly not going to be speaking to reporters. It looks like he's walking over to Marine One. That will take him from Joint Base Andrews over to the south lawn of the White House. Maybe we'll hear from him later tonight. Abby Phillip is over at the White House. What are you hearing, Abby?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, hey, Wolf. Just as the Air Force One landed a few minutes ago, we're getting a little bit more information from the aides to the President who were on the plane with him. The first thing is that they still, as of this moment, have not read or been briefed on the Mueller report. That was true on Friday when we first learned that the Mueller report was finished. And as of right now, they still have not seen that entire document or have been nor have they been briefed on it. But in the meantime, President Trump is in high spirits, according to his aides. He told his Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley, this is very good. You let them know it was good. That's the message he wanted his Press Secretary to deliver to reporters. And as he was flying back from Florida, the President was watching television coverage on all of this. He was talking to his aides about the findings. And interestingly, Wolf, he was rereading that Barr letter that outlined no collusion and, in his view, no obstruction. Although I have to repeat, that was not as clear-cut as the White House and the President want to make it. But the President is poring over that letter, according to his aides. And he's in a good mood. He wants that message out. And I think we can expect that this is going to be a constant, constant drumbeat. We'll be waiting to see if President Trump, once he lands here on the south lawn, will, once again, take an opportunity to talk to reporters, and we'll bring that to you if and when it happens, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, we'll see if he speaks to reporters, if he goes into the press briefing room, or if he makes a statement from another room over at the West Wing of the White House. We'll, of course, have live coverage of that. That Marine One flight only takes about 10 or 12 minutes to get from Joint Base Andrews to the south lawn of the White House. Carrie Cordero, you're our legal analyst. There is a lot of legal stuff going on right now. At least according to Mueller, vindication, no collusion; no vindication of obstruction. He left it up to the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General. They say there was no obstruction, but he was not completely exonerated by Robert Mueller.
[Carrie Cordero, Cnn Contributing Editor:] He was not. And so one point on obstruction and one on collusion. On obstruction, we've we're operating under, I think, a little bit of an assumption that the Attorney General made this decision on obstruction in the last 48 hours, from the time that he received formally received the Mueller report Friday evening to this afternoon when he released that letter. I think that's probably not likely. I think he was briefed. I think it's most likely the more likely process is that he was briefed on what the findings of the Mueller report were sometime over the course of whether the last week or the last two weeks or several weeks. And then he had already formed his decision and consulted with the Deputy Attorney General on his decision that the evidence that the Special Counsel had developed did not meet the statutory standards set for obstruction. On collusion, I think, clearly, the Special Counsel's report, according to this letter, is very clear that they did not think the Special Counsel's office did not think that the evidence established a criminal level of conspiracy. In other words, individuals on the Trump campaign being part of the Russian intelligence conspiracy to defraud the United States. But I think it raises a real question for 2020 about what is activity that is OK. Because Attorney General Barr's letter says that there were multiple offers from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign. It is silent as to whether they accepted some of that assistance. It just simply says that they didn't coordinate, and they weren't part of the conspiracy. And so I think one question that Congress is really going to have to wrestle with is, what level of activity is acceptable? Otherwise, we could go into the 2020 election with campaigns being under the impression that communication, some level of being in receipt of offers from foreign powers is OK, even if it doesn't rise to the level of criminal conspiracy. And as a national security lawyer, that doesn't sound right.
[Blitzer:] Because in the hold on one second. Because in the instructions that Robert Mueller received from the then-Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, his instruction was to investigate any links andor coordination. He used the word there wasn't a word collusion.
[Cordero:] Right.
[Blitzer:] It wasn't conspiracy. It was coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump. So they investigated that, and on the issue of coordination, he concluded, Mueller, there certainly wasn't enough coordination to justify criminal charges.
[Cordero:] To justify criminal charges. And so what I'm suggesting is that there may be some gray space in between activity that is offers from a foreign power to assist a campaign. There is some space in between that and what is criminal conspiracy. And I just think, as a country, we need to think more about that.
[Blitzer:] Yes.
[Bash:] Can I just back up what you just said with a sentence from this report? Because it's oh, not this report, the conclusions that Barr sent. That the Russians tried. They reached out.
[Cordero:] Oh, right.
[Bash:] And it says the Special Counsel did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts despite multiple offers from Russian affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.
[Perez:] And it's worth underscoring that we're not just talking about a foreign power. We're talking about a hostile foreign power, right?
[Bash:] Right.
[Perez:] That was trying to undermine our democracy. And the Trump campaign folks, they got these entreaties, essentially, from the Russians. We know President Trump was out there publicly encouraging it in essence by saying Russia, if you're listening to me. So, again, I mean, there's a lot of suspicious activity and some of it, frankly, improper for a presidential campaign to be doing.
[Borger:] Right. But we know they didn't dismiss but we but he also you know, he also writes that they didn't conspire.
[Perez:] Right.
[Borger:] So while, you know, Donald Trump, Jr. had the meeting in Trump Tower, he didn't dismiss the meeting. He took the meeting, but Mueller's finding is that he didn't conspire with the Russians.
[Perez:] Reach a crime.
[Borger:] And that didn't rise to the level of a crime.
[Prokupecz:] And we can't forget the fact that a lot of people lied about all of this, right?
[Borger:] Yes.
[Prokupecz:] I mean, Michael Cohen lied, Papadopoulos lied. In this, I think, we have to keep in mind what investigators must have been thinking when they're seeing all this suspicious activity and then when they start confronting people. And when they start asking questions, people are lying to them. So, of course, your antennas just go up as an investigator, well, there's got to be something more here.
[Bash:] Right.
[Prokupecz:] You know, it is this definitely is one of the things that the line that you read, Dana, goes to the Trump Tower meeting.
[Bash:] Sure.
[Perez:] And we from our own reporting in 2016, we know that this is what propelled the FBI's suspicion and why they were investigating this.
[Bash:] Not the dossier.
[Perez:] Not the dossier. It had nothing to do with it. It had to do with the fact that
[Borger:] And why wouldn't it?
[Perez:] these people were they were getting the Russians were talking about what they were trying to do. The FBI knew what the Russians had done to break into the e-mails to try to weaponize it, and then they're seeing the behavior of these people around the Trump campaign and it just raised additional questions.
[Prokupecz:] And the Russians are talking about doing this.
[Perez:] Right.
[Prokupecz:] They're talking about how they have people inside the Trump campaign that they can deal with and talk to. And the intelligence community, people who work for James Clapper, are sitting there, monitoring this, listening to this, and they're all, like, what is going on here? And that is what launches this entire investigation.
[Borger:] So, Carrie, are you saying that because they were willing participants in these meetings, even though they weren't conspiring, that something needs to be done legally to say, you can't do that? I thought you couldn't do that?
[Perez:] It seems obvious that they
[Cordero:] Well, I think the
[Bash:] Right.
[Perez:] Right?
[Cordero:] I think it's something for Congress to think about. Because, you know, remember when we all first started covering this investigation, there was the phrase, collusion is not a crime.
[Borger:] Right.
[Cordero:] Well, then the Special Counsel came up with a legal theory that conspiracy to defraud the United States was the legal mechanism that they were going to use to prosecute this case. Members of the Trump campaign clearly, according to the Special Counsel's office, were not part of that conspiracy that met the legal standard that they could prove, and they weren't part of that actual legal conspiracy. But what I'm asking is, from Congress' perspective and as a country, are we willing to go into another election cycle where it's OK to have meetings with a hostile foreign power, to take the meeting, to not report it to the FBI? That doesn't sound like
[Prokupecz:] I don't I mean, if you look at what the FBI did and the way this investigation was handled, I think if anyone just thinks about doing that again or I think people should be very
[Borger:] They would be a little wiser.
[Blitzer:] They would be very stupid.
[Prokupecz:] Very stupid, right.
[Blitzer:] Yes.
[Prokupecz:] And I still think the
[Fbi -- Perez:] I mean, it seems obvious.
[Cordero:] But isn't this perhaps a vindication that it's OK to do? That's what I'm suggesting. Isn't this result perhaps a suggestion that it was OK to take those meetings?
[Borger:] It wasn't. I mean, it wasn't. And without informing the counsel of your campaign.
[Blitzer:] But it wasn't a crime. It was not a crime.
[Perez:] It was not a crime.
[Cordero:] It wasn't a crime, but what we hear from this result.
[Borger:] But nothing happened.
[Cordero:] But what we're hearing from the President is that I'm 100 percent exonerated. That everything we did under the campaign was OK.
[Perez:] Which is not really true, right.
[Blitzer:] Yes.
[Cordero:] And what I'm suggesting is it's it may not have been.
[Blitzer:] And the question is, you know, Dana, very quickly, impeachment. Are they going to do anything, or are they going to listen to Nancy Pelosi and say, forget about it?
[Bash:] We're not there yet. I think the most important thing that we're going to look for next is what Jerry Nadler just said, which is he's going to have Barr come up. They're going to grill him on this, maybe even Mueller, and then they're going to take the next step.
[Blitzer:] And I promise there will be live CNN coverage. When Bill Barr goes up
[Perez:] We'll be here.
[Borger:] I don't even think we needed to say that.
[Cordero:] Yes.
[Borger:] Hearing it didn't hurt.
[Blitzer:] before the House Judiciary Committee and reports on all of this.
[Prokupecz:] Thanks, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Thanks very much for joining us. Our breaking news coverage continues right now.

[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Anchor:] Great in his debut, 138 yards and a score. Chiefs cruise to a 34-20 win over the Texans. And, John, this is the first game since the pandemic started. They had about 16,000 fans here at Arrowhead. It seats 76,000. They were really spread out. I spoke to some of those fans. They all said they felt safe, felt like they could have even packed in more fans safely into the stadium. The Chiefs, one of two teams along with the Jaguars this opening week that are going to have fans in the stands.
[John Berman, Cnn New Day:] Yes, best to be safe. Andy Scholes, glad you were there. Glad you got a chance to see it. Thanks so much for being with us. New Day continues right now.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn New Day:] We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is New Day. And this morning, one of the Trump administration's leading scientists expressing concern over the president's actions. This was a packed Trump rally last night in Michigan. You can see people mask-free, standing shoulder to shoulder and talking. The director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins, says he was puzzled and disheartened by these images. This is the 16th rally the president has held since he told Bob Woodward that the coronavirus is airborne and five times deadlier than the flu. And then he misled the American people about that.
[Berman:] And, look, Michigan is one of 16 states where deaths are rising this morning. The CDC overnight issued a new warning that 20,000 more people could die in the next three weeks. Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning Americans that the fall and winter will not be easy. He said, we need to hunker down. Colleges and schools across the country, we're talking about campus after campus at this point dealing with new outbreaks, many are linked to parties. There are some reports that students are going to parties knowing that they're positive for coronavirus. At least three teachers in three states have died in recent weeks, including this 28-year-old third grade teacher, Demi Bannister, we will speak to a friend of hers later this hour. Also, today is September 11th. It has now been 19 years since the terror attacks. And this morning, we are remembering the lives lost.
[Camerota:] Okay. Let's bring in to talk about all of this, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN Medical Analyst and Professor of Medicine at George Washington University, and CNN political Analyst David Gregory. Great to see both of you. Dr. Reiner, when we used to watch these Trump rallies, it seemed sort of confusing, maybe reckless. Now, now, in light of knowing that on February 7th, all of those months ago, President Trump knew that the virus is airborne and five times as deadly as the seasonal flu. Now, watching these rallies, I don't know, it takes on a sort of more sinister light that he's doing it while knowing all of that. What do you see in last night's rally?
[Dr. Jonathan Reiner, Cnn Medical Analyst:] Criminal endangerment. That's what I see. You know, when you listen to the Woodward tapes, what's clear is that the president knew with exquisite detail, with the surprising detail, in the beginning of February, exactly how this virus worked, how it was transmitted and how lethal it was. Yet, he still held rallies, he still doubted the severity of the disease and he basically cast doubt on measures like mask-wearing that would prevent its transmission. Do you think Herman Cain would have gone to his rally in Tulsa if he knew what the president knew? And I'm wondering, when I look at the pictures last night from his rally last night in Michigan, I'm wondering, how many people went to that rally and said to their spouse or significant other, look, he wouldn't hold this rally if it wasn't safe. It's safe for us to go.
[Berman:] Dr. Reiner, we actually happen to have some sound from people at that rally who did tell us why they were there. And I think you will find it to be almost exactly what you predicted. So let's listen.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Why are you guys not wearing masks?
[Tom Wood, Trump Rally Supporter:] I have one with me. It's my prerogative.
[Acosta:] But why not wear one to stay safe?
[Wood:] I have a hard time understanding people when they talk, so that's why I don't wear it.
[Acosta:] But you can hear me right now?
[Wood:] I can hear you.
[Acosta:] Sir, why are you not wearing your mask?
[Rod Beebee, Trump Rally Supporter:] Because there's no COVID. It's a fake pandemic created to destroy the United States of America.
[Acosta:] But the president said to Bob Woodward that there is a virus, the coronavirus, and that it is deadly.
[Beebee:] That's his opinion. The truth is is that the CDC said there's only less than 10,000 people die from COVID. The over 190,000 have 2.6 or 2.8 other mortalities.
[Acosta:] Does it worry you guys at all to be in this crowded space with all these people?
[Daniel Guilder, Trump Rally Supporter:] I'm not afraid. The good Lord takes care of me. If I die, I die. We've got to get this country moving. What are you going to do? Wear masks and stay inside for another year? Huh? Where will that get us?
[Berman:] What are you going to do? Wear masks? Where will that get us? David Gregory, interesting to hear that after what Dr. Reiner just said.
[David Gregory, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes. I mean, it's so unfortunate, you know. And, unfortunately, there's going to be people around the country who are willfully misinformed and who are going to make some kind of political statement by not wearing masks. You know, you mentioned colleges and universities and what we're seeing on some of them. I was on a couple of college campuses, touring around on the periphery over the weekend. And I just feel like all you need to know is what we're seeing on some of these college campuses. If you go to those campuses and you go inside and you don't follow rules, as unfortunately a lot of young people don't, because they feel like they're immune, there's going to be an outbreak. It shows you the prevalence of the virus, especially in indoor, confined spaces. So a rally, then, is also going to be dangerous, even if it's outside when you have that many people in that close proximity. And even if a lot of those people, this didn't come up in those interviews, say, well, wait a minute, what about the Black Lives Matter protests? Well, many of those protests, most of them, had people wearing masks, if they felt it was important enough to be outside and to congregate, which is generally something in close proximity even outside that you don't want to do.
[Camerota:] Well, I think that there is a nexus, actually, between what we saw last night at the rally and what we're seeing on college campuses. Dr. Reiner, how do you tell teenagers that they have to behave, you know, be really disciplined, when, of course, they watch the news, they see people shoulder to shoulder, thousands of people, together at the rallies. I mean, it is a mixed message.
[Reiner:] So, how do you teach your children? You model the behavior you want your children to adopt, right? That's parenting. That's and on a national level, that's leadership. So if you want the public to model behavior, you should model the behavior. Except, the president has done exactly the opposite. He's known the severity of the disease, he's known from the beginning how it's transmitted, and yet he's not modeled that behavior. So, imagine an alternative reality where the president did model that behavior and most of the people who hang on every word that he says are wearing MAGA masks for the last six months, right? We would have about 25 percent of the mortality that we have now, so about 150,000 lives would have been saved. He chose to do the opposite knowing full well what the stakes were. And I don't know, is there a better term than criminal endangerment for that?
[Berman:] And, again, I just want to go ahead, David.
[Gregory:] Well, I was just going to say, as a parent of teenagers, I think, you know, modeling behavior is important, but it doesn't always work. And I do think that the minds of teenagers or kids going off to college gives us some insight into other people, as well, which is, there's a willful disregard of what they're being told is the right information. And we're seeing that throughout society. So I agree with the doctor's point, which is that if we had people who en masse were following these rules and if they were being told by the president who is a political candidate out there is saying, hey, let's gather, it's important, but you've got to do it safely, that's what we're missing. And so people feel more emboldened to say, well, there's some subjectivity in all of this. You know, does it make sense? You know, I was watching football last night, as a lot of other Americans were, and my son came down, he said, I don't get it. Like why are the players not wearing masks and all of these guys on the sidelines are, and I tried to explain it, saying, well, look at their proximity, but, of course, the players had that proximity as well but it's not realistic for them to actually play and wear masks. So there are some questions about all of this. I just don't think it's a question going to a rally, standing shoulder to shoulder with people that you should wear a mask.
[Berman:] No. And there's another aspect to this, which is it's in direct contradiction to what the leading government scientists are saying. So while the president was at that rally, Francis Collins, the director of the NIH was on CNN saying he was puzzled and disheartened by it, so, again, directly contradictory. One of the things the president keeps saying now, Dr. Reiner, is that we've turned a corner. We've turned a corner somehow in the battle against this pandemic. And Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is, at this point, I think, incredibly careful about how he phrases things. He was at an event with Harvard yesterday, where he made clear he doesn't think we've turned any corner. In fact, he thinks we are at potentially a dangerous place as we head into the fall and winter. Listen.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] We've now come down a bit to about 35 to 45 and some days up to 50,000 cases a day. Still, an extraordinarily unacceptable baseline if you're thinking of so-called opening the economy and entering into the fall, and relatively soon, winter season.
[Berman:] Unacceptable baseline. In other words, we haven't turned any corner, according to Dr. Fauci, Dr. Reiner.
[Reiner:] Right, we haven't. And stubbornly looking all summer long, the case count has been pegged at about 40,000 cases per day, you know, plus or minus a few thousand. And with a crude case fatality rate of about 3 percent, that equates to about 1,200 deaths per day. And that's where we are. We're struck and plateaued at about 40,000 cases and about 1,200 deaths per day, which is why when you do the math going out towards the first of the year, which is why we get to, you know, almost another 100,000, 100,000 deaths, we'll exceed the number of soldiers killed in World War II before New Year's. We haven't turned the corner, but it's part of the president's pattern of trying to minimize this. What he should be saying is exactly what Anthony Fauci said, which is, look, you know, maybe we're in the fourth or fifth inning, but we have a ways to go. The winter is going to be hard, but we're going to get through it and this is how we're going to do it. Instead, the president yesterday tweeted that New York should open its restaurants quicker than it's opening. Based on what data? Why is he saying that? Because he's trying to create this false narrative that the sun is coming up and everything is fine, nothing to worry about. Where, in reality, that kind of willful sticking your head in the ground kills people. And he's done this since the beginning. And now, we know that with excruciating detail.
[Camerota:] David, last hour, I was telling this personal anecdote of one of my closest friends. She just sent her two boys off to school, one is a freshman, one is, I think, a junior, University of Arizona, he went last week, he's just tested positive. Now what? Her freshman at University of Wisconsin, last night they got a notice, an email that the dorm was going into quarantine from last night at 10:00 P.M. until 8:00 A.M. September 23rd. They are going to be quarantined in their room, in their dorm, for the next two weeks. Her head is exploding, because this is obviously not what she paid for and what she wanted. I'm interested what you said, that you've been touring around on college campuses, you have teenage kids. Are the administrators talking about what the future looks like or their plan for this year? I mean, does this come up on college tours?
[Gregory:] Yes, I mean, it certainly comes up. And you talk to college counselors. I mean, I think these campuses are trying to deal with it as best they can. But they're dealing with a population of people who are not paying attention to following the rules. And so, you know, I think there's a tendency to say, oh, look at all of these people at Trump rallies. It's not just them. There're young people, generally, and certainly the young people that I know only take it so seriously. They don't want it to interfere with the rest of their social life. And so, it's just not complicated to see what could happen at a college campus. It's a tremendous obstacle for these colleges, for boarding schools. That's another testing ground, if they have the ability to create bubbles and isolate young people, to see if they can get over this hump. And I think it's going to be you know, we're watching in real-time here to see if they can get over the initial outbreak, manage it and somehow level it off. Because whether, you know, dorms, residential halls, any kind of gathering place is going to be the real danger. And I think that when we're watching on television, we have in the president, someone who is behind in the polls and who will do anything to gin up excitement about his campaign to send a message that, hey, let's using his own words, let's play down the virus. Let's get the country going again, and let's show enthusiasm for my campaign. That's what his priority is.
[Berman:] David Gregory, Dr. Reiner, thank you both for being with us this morning.
[Camerota:] Okay. So, Microsoft is reporting that they have evidence that Russian, Chinese and Iranian hackers are all targeting the 2020 election. So we'll talk to a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee about what they're doing about this, next.

[Lemon:] All right, pay attention, everyone, because new polls are out in key states ahead of next week's CNN Democratic presidential debate. That as Joe Biden is signaling that the gloves are off as he prepares to go up against Kamala Harris and Cory Booker. Joining me now to discuss Joe Trippi, Angela Rye, and Tara Setmayer. Angela, why aren't you here in D.C.? Everybody is here in D.C. and you're off in Lalaland in
[L.a. Angela Rye, Cnn Political Commentator:] I didn't get the invite. I've been working with my working with my guys since I haven't been a lot of times with my guys.
[Lemon:] Well, good. Well, I hope to see you in person soon. So, let's talk about this.
[Rye:] Me too.
[Lemon:] Good evening. Hello, everyone. Tara, this new poll out in Ohio may strengthen Joe Biden's case heading into the debate. Let's put it up. In a head to head matchup Biden is the only candidate that clearly beats Trump. The others show no clear leader in the matchup against Trump. Give me your reaction.
[Tara Setmayer, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, obviously as someone who is supporting Joe Biden I'm happy about this and it goes to the argument that he really is the person out of the field right now that can connect with voters that the Democrats need to win back in order to win back the White House in 2020. Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Joe Biden has consistently polled well there because those are the people he speaks to the most and those are the Democrats lost. The Obama coalition, the lost those folks which allowed Donald Trump to win. So, I'm glad to see that, and you know, he's got to have a strong performance or he has to have a strong performance not one like he had last time in the debate coming up. And I suspect it'll be a different Biden.
[Lemon:] So, Joe, the polls also show that in this matchup between Trump and Biden, independents break for Biden by a wide margin as well. Do we there it is. How strong of a case do these numbers make for Biden to be the nominee?
[Joe Trippi, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, I mean, it's look, we're way off.
[Lemon:] It's early. Yes, it's early.
[Trippi:] Things are going to change.
[Lemon:] I mean right now in this time at this time.
[Trippi:] But Biden is doing two things. One, he still continues to lead with the African-American and with the black vote, that's a big deal in our party. And then at the same time to be able to do that and still maintain this lead with independents. You know, when you see this and he's doing it with better than Republicans with a Republican than everybody else in the field that's a prescription for winning in November, that's the case he's going to keep making.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Trippi:] And that's why he's going to have a target on his back in the debates.
[Lemon:] Angela, a new poll out in South Carolina shows that Biden way ahead with African-American voters there. He has a 51 percent and a 39 percent edge over Senator Harris. I mean, he maintains a very, very solid lead there which so far, it's been durable. Do you agree with that?
[Rye:] I think that it is really far-out. To echo Joe, I think the reality is Joe Biden spent two terms with the first black president who has sky high approval ratings not just with black voters but with voters across the country especially now, in case you missed it. So, when you think about Joe Biden and how he's performing of course he's going to do very well. A lot of these folks don't even know who Kamala Harris is yet. And I think that they'll soon be surprised. She's wonderful, she's great. This is going to be a competitive Democratic primary, and again we're not even at the second debate yet, Don, of which you are co-hosting.
[Lemon:] That is all true. Did you want to say something?
[Setmayer:] Well, I wanted to say something.
[Lemon:] Go on.
[Setmayer:] Coming up with the debate I think that Biden and Booker I mean Harris and Booker need to be careful not to keep honing in on racial issues from 40 years ago or things that happened all these years ago because you do not want to depress the black vote
[Lemon:] Let me just say this.
[Rye:] I disagree with that.
[Lemon:] And then hold on, hold on.
[Setmayer:] Because the guys the votes that you need
[Lemon:] You guys can you guys after this because you know this whole thing about Biden changing his tone, this is senior campaign official telling CNN, quote, and then I'll let you guys hash it out. "He isn't going to take hits from any of the candidates sitting down. He won't personally attack anyone, but he will be very clear about the contrast between he and other candidates in this race. Discuss.
[Setmayer:] Right. Right. And the reason why I'm saying this is because Joe Biden was his commitment to Civil Rights and his commitment to issues that affect the black community have never been in question when he was asked to be the vice president of the United States for eight years under Barack Obama. It wasn't a problem then. It wasn't a problem when Senator Harris ask him to come introduce her at the California convention. It wasn't a problem for the Democrats when he was asked to go for 24 states and campaign for 65 candidates during the midterm election. So now all of a sudden, he's someone out of touch with what Democrats want?
[Lemon:] All right. Angela?
[Setmayer:] I think that's the wrong the wrong tactic for the Democrats to say.
[Lemon:] Go ahead, Angela.
[Rye:] And I definitely appreciate you, Tara, saying that. But I think the reality of it is times have changed. That we have been through a hell of a lot since 2008. And so, what you're seeing is there's a new cadre of black voters who now, maybe some of them are voting for the first time. And they are saying, listen, there are some issues that didn't matter to you all that matter to me now. The very people who were locked up under the crime bill in 1992, not just at the feet of Joe Biden but certainly one of the leaders at the forefront of it were my parents, was my uncle, was my aunt, was my big brother, was my big sister and these are things that we care about and it's top of mind. Wages are at the top of mind. And so, Joe Biden is going to have to make a case but it absolutely is a different ball game than it was in 2008, in 2012, in 2016
[Setmayer:] But he's acknowledged his mistakes. But he acknowledged his mistakes with that. It could have a new criminal justice.
[Rye:] I understand that. But that doesn't mean that it's sufficient.
[Setmayer:] So why are we hammering things that happened 20 and 40 or 30 years ago?
[Rye:] Because they never had a voice, Tara, they're first time voters.
[Setmayer:] OK, great. And Joe Biden is going to have the opportunity to show what the future is going to be.
[Rye:] Exactly.
[Trippi:] But this is the
[Setmayer:] Instead of talking about what happened
[Trippi:] This is actually the split that you are seeing in the African-American community, though. It's a generational divide.
[Rye:] It's not just in the African-American community.
[Trippi:] No. It's a there's a generational divide in the party writ large for sure.
[Rye:] Yes.
[Trippi:] But you're also seeing it in the African-American community where Joe Biden, the voters that have lived through life with him saw you know, grew up with him, saw him make his mistakes, saw him become vice president to Barack Obama. He's got a goodwill with those people. And I agree, that then when you get down into the generation, he'll be voting for the first time or the younger generation across the board, they're not they're not really they're up for grabs and Joe Biden needs to win them.
[Lemon:] I'm out I'm out of time. Thank you all. I appreciate it. Don't miss the CNN Democratic presidential debates next Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Dana Bash, Jake Tapper and I are going to moderate. July 30th and 31st beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern. OK. Caught on camera. A white woman calls a group of black women at a North Carolina restaurant the n-word, and she insists she'd say it again. That story next.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Hello. Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm John Vause. It is great to have you with us. You're watching "CNN Newsroom." Ahead this hour, 20 times more deadly than the flu spreading around the world with a number of confirmed coronavirus patients in South Korea alone tripling in just days. Intelligence officials warn again Russia meddling in U.S. elections to help Trump win a second term. Now, we know why the acting director of intelligence was ousted. U.S. superstar is 50 now as she turns 50. Supermodel Naomi Campbell shares her thoughts on age equality on the tabloids. China news agency is reporting the coronavirus is now spreading within the prison system. More than 500 confirmed cases in prisons in three provinces, including Hubei. The overall death toll is well past 2,200. The vast majority are in Hubei province. Just 11 fatalities were not on the mainland. Of the 76,000 confirmed cases, more than 1,200 are outside of China. The number of cases in South Korea has tripled, most of them linked to a single church. Beyond mainland China, the virus is now being confirmed in at least 29 countries and territories. In Ukraine, an evacuation flight from Wuhan, China with more than 90 people on board was met by angry protesters who clashed security forces who try to block roads. CNN's Blake Essig is in Yokohama, Japan. The quarantine for the Princess Diamond cruise ship has now officially ended. That was on Wednesday, but it will be at least a few more days before they get everyone off that ship. They must be eager to leave.
[Blake Essig, Cnn Correspondent:] You know, John, I actually talked to a Canadian couple who said that they have been on the ship for 29 days before the 14-day quarantine even started. They actually both tested positive for the coronavirus. Now, they are having they are currently in a hospital about 300 kilometers away from Tokyo where they are trying to recover and then hopefully get home at some point. That has been the story from a lot of passengers on the ship. They have been on it for a very long time. They are very eager to get off. They thought that they everybody would be off today, but according to a Princess spokesperson, that is not going to happen today. Hopefully, all the passengers will have disembarked tomorrow. And according to the Princess spokesperson, the problem has been that there have been several issues. Even today, the Japanese health ministry has come out and said that anybody who has come into contact with somebody who has tested positive for the coronavirus, their clock actually restarts. So even if the people on board have tested negative, their clock has restarted to the last point where they came into contact with somebody who tested positive, so they either have to stay on board the ship, potentially, or go onshore here, and then go to a government health- run facility to finish out their quarantine. So, there were a lot of potential issues regarding the idea of how effective this quarantine truly was. We talked to infectious disease specialists, one of them was on the ship, said that this was not a true in a sense a quarantine. In fact, a failed quarantine as what he called it. He said he was very scared. We actually also talked to people on the streets who are also concerned about the way that Japan has dealt with these passengers aboard the Diamond Princess. Take a listen.
[Unidentified Male:] The Japanese health ministry failed to deal with this problem. They didn't have a clear measure to tackle the outbreak of infectious diseases.
[Unidentified Female:] I think the measure the government took made things worse and the lack of information was an issue, as well. It was totally misjudged of the government that thousands of people were trapped in a small space, quarantined for a long time.
[Essig:] John, when we talk about just how effective this so-called "quarantine," only time will tell as passengers continue to disembark. We were there earlier today watching passengers come off the ship from Hong Kong, as they boarded buses on the way to the airport, head back home, where they will then undergo 14-day quarantine. That has been the case with a bunch of countries around the world, including the United States and Canada. John?
[Vause:] Blake, thank you. Blake Essig is there live for us in Yokohama, Japan. I appreciate it. In South Korea, a church congregation has been linked to a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases. CNN's Paula Hancocks has details.
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn International Correspondent:] The number of novel coronavirus cases has more than tripled in South Korea since Tuesday. The country also is suffering its first fatality. A cluster of cases has emerged in the city of Daegu, a few hours south of the capital Seoul. In particular, among those who attended services are the religious congregation. One infected person attended the services. It has been described by Korea CDC as a "super spreading event."
[Kim Gang-lip, Vice Minister, South Korea's Ministry Of Health And Welfare:] With the cooperation of the religious group, we will determine its devotees and those who attended the service. We are promptly investigating all people who came in contact with the patient.
[Hancocks:] U.S. forces in Korea say any military personnel who attended the services are now on mandatory quarantine. Nonessential travel today has been prohibited and off-base travel minimized. The mayor of Daegu took it one step further.
[Kwon Young-jin, Mayor Of Daegu, South Korea:] Citizens, please refrain from going outside as much as possible today. Please wear your masks, even in your homes if possible.
[Hancocks:] Singapore, a city state of some five and a half million people, also has one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases outside mainland China. Many of the recent patients have no travel history to China, showing an increase in local transmission. Government workers in Hong Kong have been told to work from home until March 1st to help social distancing. Private companies are encouraged to do the same. Schools are closed until at least mid-March. Another fatality in Hong Kong this week is a 70-year-old man who was already suffering from chronic diseases. Outside of mainland China, there are now well over 1,100 confirmed cases in 29 countries and territories, stretching far beyond Asia. Deaths have also been recorded in Europe and the Middle East. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
[Vause:] Germany is once again being confronted by the rise of far- right extremism. The horrific end result of that hate, nine people were gunned down in a mass shooting near Frankfort. The victims all had migrant backgrounds, but some were born in Germany. That apparently had nothing to the government. The prosecutors say they had deep-rooted racist views. CNN's Melissa Bell reports.
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Paris Correspondent:] Mohammed first heard rounds of gunfire. Then, he saw a man entering the bar.
[Unidentified Male:] He shot straight to the head of everyone he saw. He lied down and then he fired at all of us. I hit behind the wall. As I was moving to hide, he shot me in the arm. I lied on somebody, somebody lied on me, and somebody else lied on him. We became a pile.
[Bell:] This is the man now identified as 43-year-old Tobias R, who police say shot nine people and wounded six others in two shisha bars in Hanau on Wednesday night. The diverse community in harsh of Hanau is shock by the attack.
[Unidentified Male:] It was a massacre, a killing spree. There was blood everywhere. People were lying on the ground. One of the young guys took a bullet in the shoulder, but he was taken to the hospital and he made it out. He managed to escape.
[Bell:] The police tracked the suspected gunman's vehicle to his apartment shortly afterwards. He along with his mother was found dead, a gun by his side. Investigators are treating the massacre as an act of terror. Prosecutors say the attacker's homepage posted videos to spread deeply racist ideas and conspiracy theories.
[Angela Merkel, Chancellor Of Germany:] There are many indications at the moment that the perpetrator acted on right- wing extremist, racist motives out of hatred towards people of other origins, religion or appearance.
[Bell:] The bloodshed cost Germany into mourning with condemnations coming from around the world.
[Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Of Turkey:] I believe that the German authorities will make every necessary effort to throw light on all aspects of the attack.
[Bell:] French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he supported Merkel in the fight for our values and the protection of our democracies. Germany's far-right extremism is on the rise. Only last week, a dozen people were arrested, suspected of having been plotting large-scale attacks on mosques.
[Merkel:] Racism is a poison. Hatred is a poison. This poison exists in our society and it is to blame for already far too many crimes.
[Bell:] It isn't just the German political class that have come out and condemned what happened in Hanua on Wednesday night but also ordinary residents, ordinary Germans who have come up and a with great deal of emotion this evening, attended this vigil that has turned into something of a demonstration, a demonstration against racism and the sorts of attacks. This is the third far-right attack in the country in less than a year that we have been seen happening over and over again. This, they are saying with their placards and their candles and their words here tonight, is not the Germany that we know, it is not the Germany that we love. Melissa Bell, CNN, Hanau.
[Vause:] Authorities in Britain say stabbing at 11 mosques was not an act of terrorism. The alleged attacker was arrested by police after being pinned down by worshippers at a mosque in Regent's Park on Thursday afternoon. CNN's Phil Black has more.
[Phil Black, Cnn Correspondent:] Emergency services got a call just after 3:00 p.m., reporting a stabbing here at London Central Mosque. Police and paramedics arrived soon after. They found a man in his seventies with a stab wound to his shoulder and a 29-year-old man pinned to the ground by other worshippers. Witnesses say afternoon prayers were already underway when the younger man suddenly pulled a knife and attacked the older man from behind. He was wrestled to the ground by other people nearby. Witnesses say he did not say a word, resist or fight back. The victim is well-known here. He leads the call to prayer at this mosque. He was taken to hospital. His jury isn't life-threatening. Witnesses say the younger man, the suspect, has been attending this mosque for several months. Police are working to understand the motive. They do not believe it was terror-related at this stage. Phil Black, CNN, London.
[Vause:] Well, jail time for the political adviser and longtime Trump friend Roger Stone. But still ahead, will we ever see the inside of a prison cell? Also to come, why Donald Trump lashed out after an intelligence briefing to lawmakers on Russian efforts to interfere in the next U.S. election?

[Lemon:] Well, it looks like this president may be president this the president may have us on the brink of war, as I should say. His trade war with China and his looming war with Iran. The president threatening to send, his words, "a hell of a lot more than 120,000 American troops to the region." Can the chaotic Trump administration manage on two fronts? Let's discuss now. Fareed Zakaria is here. He is the host of CNN's "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS." So much to talk about. Thank you so much for joining us here. You know, it's almost unthinkable but the Trump administration appears to be hurdling towards confrontation with Iran. Should Americans be worried now about this?
[Fareed Zakaria, Cnn Anchor:] I think so. I think so. I mean, I think that the thing you have to give Donald Trump on China is, he is in control of that policy. It is something he has long believed. he's been bracing the states. He's been raising the ante. It's difficult to know whether it's the right strategy or not but the Chinese have been bad actors in the international trade stage. This policy toward Iran, it seems almost like we're sleep walking into a war. The Trump administration does not seem to have a plan. Donald Trump seem to essentially have subcontracted this incredibly important policy, diplomatic political military to John Bolton, his national security advisor who has long believed that what the United States needs is an active, aggressive policy of regime change against Iran, like regime change in Iraq and Afghanistan has worked out so well for us. Right? I don't think that's Donald Trump's policy. But John Bolton is pursuing a very confrontational policy toward Iran. And it's quite possible that you add to that accidents, mishaps, signaling that goes badly and we do stumble into war.
[Lemon:] But the administration is saying that Iranians are that the Iranians are threatening Americans. And as you said, you know, it's John Bolton. People are pointing fingers at John Bolton. But Mike Pompeo, as well.
[Zakaria:] Pompeo himself another Uber hawk on Iran. These guys have, for a long time, believed that the solution to the problem in Iran is not to manage it, not to have diplomatic relations, not to cut deals with Tehran but to go in and try to replace the government, which is you know, it's really a fantasy that that would get us anywhere. Again, as I said, look at record of regime change in the Middle East. But the signals they're pointing to, Don, it's important to understand, are very thin signals that seem to me more manufactured pretext for the United States to take some military action. It reminds me of nothing less than the Gulf of Tonkin incident which got us into the Vietnam War. The Johnson administration was looking for something and they were able to manufacture out of a very small incident that actually turned out historically to be not even a clear- cut case of aggression. They used it as a pretext to say look, we got attacked, we have to defend ourselves.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Zakaria:] I think something very similar is happening here. There's no evidence the Iranians are preparing for an attack.
[Lemon:] That's what I had Congressman Jim Himes on earlier and he said the very similar things to what you're saying. Listen, there are signs that things could be changing. And this is I want to read, this is a Washington Post headlines. It says, "Trump frustrated by advisers. He's not convinced the time is right to attack Iran." It's seeming to insinuate that he feels that he may be being led on by his advisors.
[Zakaria:] I think that report makes a lot of sense. Because Donald Trump's views on foreign policy do not seem to be consistent with Bolton or Pompeo. But Trump's problem in foreign policy is he's been trying on advisors like new suits because he's not quite sure what his own views are, other than as I say on China where he has long-held consist views on all these other things. It's not clear what he really believes. So, he tries out these advisors, watches them and discovers, wait a minute, that's not exactly what I think. But what he has got in Pompeo and Bolton are two very hard lined Uber hawks who really believe that the path to some kind of durable security in the Middle East is basically to go to war with Iran. It strikes me the highly dangerous strategy. It doesn't seem to me Donald Trump's strategy but the danger is once you go down this path it's very hard to back down without seeming like you're caving, you're conceding. And Donald Trump doesn't like to concede. So that's going to be the problem. They're going to put in a position where the only way you can get out is to seem like you're backing down. Seem like you're caving.
[Lemon:] Yes. Well, even the president's usual whisperers on Fox News seem to be speaking out against any conflict with Iran. Tucker Carlson question how it's in America's interest to go to war with Iran. Laura Ingraham said it would hurt the president's reelection chances. Do you think that will make him think twice? And maybe that has to do with this Washington Post headline?
[Zakaria:] I would hope they're thinking twice fundamentally because, a, it's a really bad idea. B, it doesn't seem consistent with his own views. But this is the problem with a president who is basically subcontracting foreign policy because he doesn't really know or care much. So, he's subcontracted Middle East policy largely to Israel and Saudi Arabia. He's subcontracted Cuba policy to Miami Cubans, to Senator Marco Rubio. Most of his Latin America policy is essentially an outgrowth of immigration policy. So, there is no, you know, there is no actual American foreign policy. It is a series of subcontracted deals to the Saudis and the Israelis in the Middle East to, you know, to immigration interests in Central America. The result is we don't know what his core instincts are. But he maybe he's realizing when he's confronted with this, yes, I don't believe we should be going to war with Iran. And let me point out, an unprovoked war with a major power.
[Lemon:] It sounds like what I read from Eugene Robinson yesterday about the president just sort of winging it. I have to ask you quickly about this trade war because the president says he is OK with it. And you can see it's hurting farmers and what have you. How much damage could this do?
[Zakaria:] It could do a lot of damage. Look, Trump here, as I said, I think he's in control and he has a consistent view which is that the Chinese have been bad actors. They've been misbehaving. He's got to reign them in. He's you know, exacting a price. Where he doesn't seem to understand basic trade economics, is that we're paying the price. He keeps making it out so when you put tariffs on the Chinese, they are you know, suddenly they're paying a lot of money and it's all going to the U.S. treasury. The money is being paid by the American consumers. It's a tax. And so, you know, it's worth it if you can get a better deal with China.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Zakaria:] But it's not worth it because of the revenues you're getting. I mean, we could raise taxes on Americans anytime and get revenues to the
[Lemon:] Get the same result. Thank you very much, Fareed Zakaria.
[Zakaria:] My pleasure.
[Lemon:] Always a pleasure. Don't miss "FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" right here on CNN Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. We'll be right back.

[Berman:] Every shred of evidence points to a likely ass kicking in the fall. That remark a quote coming from one of many top Republican consultants on President Trump's chances of winning in November. My next guest got an inside look at what these strategists are saying about the president behind the scenes. Joining me now, former communications director for the Jeb Bush presidential campaign, Tim Miller. He's just published an article in "Rolling Stone" that explores the delimit. He's also a contributor to "The Bulwark." So people know, you are a self-proclaimed never Trumper but I still think you know some of the Republican secret handshakes which is why this article in "Rolling Stone" is so compelling because you talked to top strategists and asked them to level with you about the situation right now. What do they say about what they think the president's chances are and Republican chances are in November?
[Tim Miller, Contributor, "rolling Stone" Magazine:] Hey, John. Yes, I do I do know a couple of the secret handshakes and they still talk to me even though my status is a never Trumper. And what I heard is, I tried to talk to strategists who were working on Senate races, some of whom have put on the red hat and gone full MAGA, other of whom, you know, maybe privately harbor some dislike for the president. But the answers were the same pretty much across the board, which is, this is about as bad as it could get right now. The president's performance on the virus and the protests have brought down their candidates across the board. And right now they're looking at a very ugly November unless things rebound. But the problem is that they're stuck with him because the fact is that his ballot numbers above theirs in many cases and he's bringing them down with him..
[Berman:] So the polls are the polls. I think we all knew that the president's in a tough place right now. That was interesting.
[Miller:] Yes.
[Berman:] But what's really interesting is when you started asking them how they're going to handle it, given that the president might be such a problem with them. You asked them, OK, do you think it's worth splitting from him? And what did you find?
[Miller:] Nada. No. Never. I can't do it. And the answer was, you know, basically because the base voters of the president which is not the whole Republican Party, by the way, but about half of the party are with him so strongly that any sniff of distance from them means that they risk losing those voters. And so a number of strategists point to John Cornyn, for example, in Texas. They said he's quietly in trouble, which I think is off the radar right now. They said that the Cornyn is stuck with Trump. Even if he wanted to distance, which I'm not sure that there's any evidence that he does, but even if he wanted to he could because Trump is getting, quote, Saddam Hussein like numbers out in Lubbock, in west Texas, 25 percent of the state, and Cornyn is running like ten points behind him in that part of the state. And so if he does anything, even if he sniffs at criticizing the president, he risks losing these voters for whom loyalty to the president is the number one issue. As so as one strategist put it, you know, you have two options, you can either be on this hell ship with President Trump or in the water drowning. And so they all not only said that they're planning on sticking with him, but with one exception, they all said that they're not even talking about ways to distance him. It doesn't even come up as a possibility or something they're considering. That kind of even shocked me.
[Berman:] There's another interesting aspect to this and I think this is something that people need to hear.
[Miller:] Yes.
[Berman:] When you're talking to these Republican strategists, some of the president's antagonists or the president's targets are people of these strategists are perfectly happy to have as targets and antagonists. Can you explain that?
[Miller:] Yes, look, so here's the thing. I you know, because I tried to level with these, you know, strategists and say, hey, I mean why not distance with him a little bit? You know, why not, when he's gassing priests who are innocently protesting outside the White House, why not take that opportunity to step away? You know, why or, secondly, if you're not going to distance, why aren't you mad at him? Like when Mitt I was working in 2012 and when Mitt would mess up, and maybe the 47 percent thing, people got mad at him and got mad at the campaign. Why aren't you mad at Trump? The answer I got back from everybody is, Trump is Trump. You've got to deal with him. Who I'm mad at is John Berman and John Acosta for being mean to me. Who I'm mad at is the never Trumpers, like your friends at Republican Voters Against Trump and the Lincoln Project who are who are making my life harder. Who I'm mad at is the woke liberals who are who are, you know, making my friends and family think that I'm a racist for working for this party. I found that very interesting that they that even when even for strategists who night not find Trump to be their cup of tea when when you really dug into it and tried to figure out who is it that you're upset with, to a person, they're upset at the other guys and they're in line with Trump on that. And I think that explains, you know, a lot of the motivations and a lot of the kind of the anger that you see from Republicans on The Hill because they're frustrated with having with the media for holding them to account. They're not frustrated with Trump for putting them in this position.
[Berman:] I think that is
[Miller:] I think that's misguided, but that's what they all say.
[Berman:] It may be misguided but it is notable. I think it was important for you to find that out and bring it up.
[Miller:] Yes.
[Berman:] I do it didn't come out in the article, but I am curious
[Miller:] Yes.
[Berman:] This was written, and I imagine these discussions taking place over the last few weeks, when the pandemic, where it is
[Miller:] Yes.
[Berman:] Which is bad. But it's also getting worse. So what do these consultants do or think about if this continues to get worse? How do you run in an even worse situation than this in October and November?
[Miller:] Yes, maybe from lack of imagination, but, you know, once sentence as bad as it gets right now, I'm not sure that that's the case. It can always get you know, it's always darkest before completely black, as John McCain would say. I think these guys are stuck with him. I you know, at this point, they're pregnant. You know, they're past pregnant. You know, they're Trump kid is now running around just like, as a toddler now. And so, you know, I don't think they have any way out. You know, one said, look, what am I going to do in September, you know, after after my candidate said nothing, you know, during Charlottesville, after they said nothing, you know, when he's gassing protesters, said nothing about his mishandling of the pandemic, then I'm going to come out? You know, that's not going to seem that's going to seem disingenuous. And so I think the view is that these folks are stuck with him, with maybe a handful of exceptions of individual candidate who have their own personal brands, you know, and trust with voters. But, man, those are few and far between these days.
[Berman:] Tim Miller, we appreciate the discussion. It's a really interesting read. You will learn something by reading this full article. So everyone should go do it immediately. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
[Miller:] Thanks, Berman.
[Berman:] We've got a lot of news developing this morning, so CNN's coverage continues right after this.

[Blitzer:] We're learning now information tonight about what the actress Felicity Huffman could be facing for her role in the college admissions scandal. The law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN prosecutors plan to seek a sentence of four to ten months of jail for the "Desperate Housewives" star. Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by paying $15,000 to bribe an administrator to inflate her daughter's SAT scores. Let's bring back our chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. Jeffrey, does four to ten months seem like appropriate in this case, especially someone who's pleading guilty and cooperating?
[Toobin:] It certainly seems in the ball park. But Felicity Huffman has done everything exactly right for a defendant who's trying to avoid jail. She pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. Her statement of contrition was absolute. It wasn't one of those "I'm sorry you were offended" kind of statements. I mean, she took all responsibility for her for her guilty conduct. Now, this request is only the government's request. It's not it doesn't mean the judge will accept it. Four to ten months could be zero to six months, and in terms of the federal sentencing guidelines. And it's entirely possible that she could get probation, not any sort of custodial jail sentence.
[Blitzer:] Meanwhile, the actress Lori Loughlin and her husband have pleaded not guilty to two conspiracy charges. Are they likely to face stiffer sentences if they're convicted?
[Toobin:] Absolutely, and by a lot. I mean, the government did what they often do in multi-defendant complex cases. They basically seems like they set a deadline. And they said, if you don't plead guilty by this date, we're going to add more charges. And that's when Felicity Huffman and a bunch of other parents and other people involved in the scandal pleaded guilty. The others, they rolled the dice. Now, you know, I think we need to acknowledge the possibility that they go to trial and they're acquitted, in which case any don't get any jail time. But if they do go to trial and get convicted they are certain to get at least a year in prison and even now if they decide to plead guilty, they will look much worse, especially since they spent a great deal more money than the Felicity Huffman family did to get their daughter into USC. So, you know, the individual facts matter. And Felicity Huffman's misconduct at least based on the indictment, seems I mean, it's bad obviously, but it's not as bad as some of the other families.
[Blitzer:] Is that common for prosecutors to add charges if someone decides to plead not guilty?
[Toobin:] Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, they are well within their rights as long as the charges are supported by the law to say, look, we are going to supersede, we're going to add more charges. We are giving you a chance to cut your losses and but if you don't, we're going to add. And that's what they did in adding money laundering accounts to this larger indictment.
[Blitzer:] Federal prosecutors, they've also now been sending out what they call target letters to people associated with the college admissions scandal, including some of the students and graduate graduates what is that intended to do?
[Toobin:] Well, it's designed to scare up some more guilty pleas and possibly lead to more indictments. It's a very dicey situation with the children. Obviously, if they are actually children under 18, I think it's unlikely that the government will move will indict them. However, you know, many of the kids applying were 18 or older. And, you know, in much less tony parts of the United States, 16, 17, 18-year-olds are indicted and incarcerated all the time. So, I don't think there is any automatic immunity for these kids if they knew that they were engaging in fraud. Felicity Huffman said her daughter was not aware. That's going to be a key factor, obviously, whether the kids knew.
[Blitzer:] We'll continue to watch the story unfold. It's dramatic indeed. Jeffrey Toobin, thank you very much. And to our viewers, thanks for watching. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WolfBlitzer. Tweet the show @CNNsitroom. "ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] We now know this morning, because the White House tells us so, that President Trump will visit El Paso and Dayton this week in the wake of the deadly shootings there over the weekend. How will his visit be received there? Democratic presidential candidate, Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio, has stepped off the campaign trail to go back to his home state. He is in Dayton, and joins us this morning. Congressman Ryan, how do you feel about the president visiting Dayton later this week?
[Rep. Tim Ryan , Presidential Candidate:] You know, I'm not from Dayton, so I don't want to really get into that territory. I know how I would feel if he was trying to come to my hometown after this. I think he's a polarizing figure. I think especially in El Paso, that would at would not be a welcome visit given the environment that he's created over the past three, four years of creating an environment that is looking down on immigrants, you know, inciting people like this kid who drove ten hours to go do this mass shooting at the Walmart. He would not be welcome in my hometown. I just think he's a polarizing figure at this point, and these communities really need to heal.
[Berman:] So then is there anything he could do? You just think he should stay in the White House? What would you like to see from him?
[Ryan:] Well, he's not taking my advice, I'm sure, but, you know, he's got to ratchet down the rhetoric, he's got to move away from dividing the country. He finds a million different ways to divide us, who's black, who's white, who's brown, who's gay, who's straight, who's a man, who's a woman. I mean he just completely divides the country. He's the divider in chief. And he's got to get beyond that. And you see what happens here, these communities need a leader who's going to help the communities heal. And I hope he would tone down the rhetoric, pass some of this legislation, like the background check and the other things that are sitting at Mitch McConnell's doorstep. Get McConnell back there and pass this legislation and show some good faith.
[Berman:] So, along those lines, the president said yesterday, and I'm asking you this, because I know how seriously you take the issue of mental health. From people I know that you know, I know how seriously you take it. From your proposals on the campaign trail, you want to put mental health experts in every school in the country.
[Ryan:] Yes.
[Berman:] The president said yesterday that mental illness pulled the trigger. How do you feel about that?
[Ryan:] Look, if the president was so concerned with mental illness, he would not have lawsuits trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act for 20 million people in the United States when they are having when they have access to mental health treatment. That's why I'm saying, it is so disingenuous for him to step up to that podium yesterday and talk about mental illness like he cares because he has a lawsuit now to repeal coverage for 20 million people who need it. So don't give me this bologna that all of a sudden you're for mental health coverage and you're for treating mental health in the United States, I don't believe you, Donald Trump. I don't believe you. And every act as president, both of the bills that you were proposing from the House and the Senate on repealing health care, would get rid of mental health treatment for people in the United States. So don't give me this bologna that somehow you're you, all of a sudden, you're the biggest advocate in the United States for mental health treatment. It doesn't carry a lick of water. And, yes, I want a mental health counselor in every school. I want social and emotional learning in every school. I want art therapists, music therapist, play therapists, because there's so much trauma happening to our kids in the United States and especially in K through 12. And here we are, you know, dealing with these issues every single day, and really the political discussion hasn't lived up to how we deal with our kids in K through 12 and dealing with mental health is a big, big issue for me and I'm going to continue to promote it. Now, I don't want to hear any of this nonsense about the president all of a sudden caring.
[Berman:] Congressman, I don't know if you had a chance to read "The New York Times" this morning, but they have a new story out which highlights that the president's campaign has posted some 2,000 FaceBook ads since January that use the word "invasion." We can put one of them up on the screen here. And you can't see it in the type here, but one of the things it says is, it is critical that we stop the invasion. This has money behind it from the president's campaign. These are words being put out by the Trump campaign.
[Ryan:] Yes.
[Berman:] Now that you've I don't know if you've seen it before, but now that you've seen it, what do you think?
[Ryan:] Yes. Well, there's been a 25 percent increase in hate crimes against Hispanics and Latinos in 2016 to 2017. A 25 percent increase. And here you have the president of the United States, who's been campaigning on this issue, othering the people of color. And so, of course, his campaign has pushed this and put it out there and raised money off it. That's not a that's not a surprise. I mean a lot of us have been saying, like, look, he's dividing the country. He's creating an environment of intolerance. And he can't get away from that. And I'm going to tell you, I'm not going to let him get away from that, and I think the American people aren't going to let him, you know, whitewash this thing, like all of a sudden he's the one to pull everybody together. He's not. He's created a toxic environment. And, there you have it, he's putting his own campaign money behind creating an environment of division in the United States, in a in blatant attacks against people of color.
[Berman:] Congressman Ryan, we appreciate you being there on the ground in Dayton, Ohio. Thanks for being with us this morning.
[Ryan:] Thanks. If I could say, John, go to Dayton Foundation. There are that's you can raise we're trying to raise money for the families here. Go to the Dayton Foundation webpage and people can make donations to the victims' families. And we would appreciate anybody who could contribute a little bit to that fund.
[Berman:] All right, thanks, congressman, very much. One other Democratic candidate from president who we had not heard from is now speaking out directly. Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke exclusively with Anderson Cooper. His emotional advice to those experiencing unthinkable loss in El Paso and Dayton. That's coming up.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] The president made a promise to a world leader, and a whistleblower complained. Who was that leader? What was promised and why is that complaint still being kept secret?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] A brownface scandal for Justin Trudeau. The Canadian prime minister in damage control over a photo that could sway an upcoming election.
[Briggs:] Scathing criticism of President Trump from his former National Security adviser. What John Bolton had to say behind closed doors.
[Unidentified Male:] There's a whole fleet of them. Look on the My gosh.
[Romans:] Are we really alone? The U.S. Navy confirms reported UFO videos are real. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Good morning.
[Briggs:] Do you believe in UFOs?
[Romans:] Oh, I believe that there was something on those on those videotapes. It's unidentified.
[Briggs:] That's not an answer to my question.
[Romans:] I believe there was something unidentified, an object, in those videotapes.
[Briggs:] I'm Dave Briggs. It's Thursday, September 19th. 4:00 a.m. in New York. Get off the fence. Breaking overnight, it was President Trump's communications with a foreign leader that led to a whistleblower complaint from a U.S. intelligence official. That complaint is still being kept secret from Congress. And two former U.S. officials tell the "Washington Post" specifically it was a promise the president made to a foreign leader that caused concern here. The inspector general of the Intelligence Community felt the complaint was a matter of urgent concern but the office of the DNI disputed that characterization. We know President Trump spoke to at least five world leaders in the five weeks leading up to the whistleblower complaint, including Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
[Ellen Nakashima, Reporter, The Washington Post:] We don't know the nature of the promise but it was of sufficient concern. It was troubling enough that the Intelligence Community official who learned of it felt compelled to lodge a complaint with the inspector general of the Intelligence Community. And he did this in August so, you know, just it wasn't too long ago. And if it was Putin, it was only a couple of weeks after that.
[Romans:] These developments are raising even more questions about the president's handling of sensitive information. The White House is not commenting. And acting DNI, Joseph Maguire, has refused to share details with Congress. He blew past the deadline Tuesday and that's touching off a legal and political dispute. Maguire has agreed to testify next week and the DNI inspector general will brief the House Intelligence Committee behind closed doors today.
[Briggs:] An apology from Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau after a photo of him in brown face went public. Not what the prime minister needed a month before election day in Canada. The existence of this 18-year-old photo was first reported by "TIME" magazine. Trudeau says he did not realize at the time that his actions were racist.
[Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister:] In 2001, when I was a teacher out in Vancouver, I attended an end-of-the-year gala where the theme was Arabian Nights. And I dressed up in an Aladdin costume and put makeup on. I shouldn't have done that. I should have known better, but I didn't, and I'm really sorry.
[Romans:] Trudeau admits he also put on some more makeup for a high school talent show. Right now he's locked in a virtual tie in his reelection bid with conservative Andrew Scheer, who said he was shocked and disappointed by the prime minister's actions. Scheer called the brownface photo an act of open mockery and racism. Election day in Canada is October 21st.
[Briggs:] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Middle East, showing support for the Saudi regime after a crippling attack on their oil fields.
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] We're blessed that there were no Americans killed in this attack, but any time you have an act of war of this nature, there's always risk that that could happen.
[Briggs:] The term act of war is a clear reference to Iran. Saudi and U.S. investigators have already determined with, quote, "very high probability" that Saturday's attack originated and launched from an Iranian air base. Iran denies it.
[Romans:] Pompeo says he is in the Middle East to build a coalition to deter Iran and he is signaling the Trump administration will use next week's U.N. General Assembly to rally support for action against Tehran. On Wednesday, the Saudi Defense Ministry released videos and images of alleged Iranian weapons that were used in the bombing. Let's go live to Saudi Arabia and bring in CNN's Nic Robertson Nic.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Yes. Good morning. What the Saudis authorities there, the Ministry of Defense, put on display the cruise missiles and drones that they said were used in the attack. They said there were a total of 18 drones and seven cruise missiles used in the attack, and they laid this out making very clear in their statements that these attacks could not have come from Yemen, that it was the Iranians that made these missile systems. They wouldn't be pushed on where the attack came from. They did say those responsible would have to be held accountable. But what seemed very clear in the picture emerging here, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo coming here but not having a press conference, is leaving right around now, and I think that alone shows you that they're trying to the United States and Saudi both trying to sort of dampen down expectations of what may happen next. The fact the Saudis won't point the finger of blame anywhere shows you again that they are not looking for a military confrontation at this moment. What they are trying to do is build international support for their position. And I asked the military general in charge of this if they're achieving that. This is what he told me.
[Lt. Col. Turki Al-malki, Saudi Defense Ministry Spokesman:] This attack is not just against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It's not against Saudi Aramco. It's against the international trade and against the security of the global energy. So
[Robertson:] And do you feel the international community does the international community believe that finally now?
[Al-malki:] I think we have a common understanding and we are working with our allies to stop Iran from their hostile act.
[Robertson:] So playing into the picture of Saudi slow-rolling, if you will. They are pointing the finger of blame publicly, at least playing to this Prince Khalid bin Salman, the former Saudi ambassador to Washington, and now the deputy Defense minister, and brother of course to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who's telling U.S. officials recently on the trip to Washington, that Saudi Arabia does not want an escalation of conflict in the region. Does not this is before the attack. Does not want the United States triggering a regional war. The bottom line here is, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have way too much to lose. And this attack exposes that. But the question then is, what do you do about Iran and the use of these drones and missiles?
[Romans:] All right. Nic in Riyadh for us this morning. Thank you so much for that, Nic Robertson. All right. Former National Security adviser John Bolton lashing out at President Trump at a private event in New York. According to a person who was there, Bolton slammed the president's approach to Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan, and quote, "didn't have anything positive to say about Trump." Now this attendee says Bolton called the idea of inviting the Taliban to Camp David disrespectful to the victims of 911. CNN has previously reported Bolton and the president got into a bitter argument over that plan, with Mr. Trump asking for Bolton's resignation at the end of their meeting.
[Briggs:] Deep divisions and rising tensions in the House Democratic caucus over the Judiciary Committee's march toward the impeachment of President Trump. In the aftermath of Corey Lewandowski's testimony, some Democrats are openly questioning the wisdom of bringing the former Trump campaign manager for another hearing that descended into partisan rancor. But the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, telling CNN Lewandowski's refusal to answer questions adds weight to the impeachment push. At a private meeting about two weeks ago, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed her annoyance with the Judiciary staff for pushing ahead on impeachment. According to several sources, she told lawmakers to, quote, "feel free to leak this."
[Romans:] The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter percentage point for the second time in two months.
[Jerome Powell, Chairman, Federal Reserve:] We took this step to help keep the U.S. economy strong in the face of some notable developments and to provide insurance against ongoing risks.
[Romans:] Those risks slowing global growth, ongoing trade policy tensions and geopolitical risks like Brexit. Interest rates, you know, which of course control mortgages, credit cards and other borrowing will now hover between 1.75 percent and 2 percent for the Fed funds rate. There's other interest rates then of course higher than that but are pegged on that Fed funds rate. President Trump who called for negative rates last week criticized the decision tweeting, "Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve failed again." Fed chair Jerome Powell said the central bank expects the economy to remain strong. He left the door open for another rate cut.
[Powell:] It can be a mistake to try to hold on to your firepower until a downturn gains momentum. What we think we're facing here is a situation which can be addressed and should be addressed with moderate adjustments to the Federal funds rate.
[Romans:] With only two more meetings this year, seven of the 17 Fed officials now see the possibility of at least one more rate cut.
[Briggs:] There are possible terrorist ties in the case of an American Airlines mechanic accused of trying to sabotage a flight. Prosecutors say Ahmed Alani had ISIS propaganda on his phone and recently told a fellow employee he traveled to Iraq to visit his brother who was a member of ISIS. The judge at Alani's bond hearing ordered him remanded, calling his actions reckless and unconscionable. Officials say he tried to damage or disabled the system on a plane that reports critical data like speed and pitch. The pilots safely aborted their takeoff when they noticed a system error. All right. Right here overnight water rescues in Texas, as up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. A flash flood emergency, as the remnants of Tropical Storm Imelda hit the Gulf.

[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Senator Bernie Sanders today bringing back a new version of his healthcare proposal, Medicare for All. This is the Democratic presidential candidate just last hour unveiling an updated proposal that would put every American under a federally funded healthcare system, free of private insurance companies. It adds new provisions for long-term care and under the Sanders plan, premiums and deductibles would disappear, as would co- payments with a possible exception, the senator says if you purchase brand named drugs. Senator Sanders' new bill already backed by four fellow senators competing with him for the Democratic presidential nomination.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] This is not just an idea that Kirsten or Jeff or I and few others thought of. This is a struggle for the heart and soul of who we are as American people.
[Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand , Presidential Candidate:] This has to become the next social safety net. It has to become something that is there for you no matter what.
[King:] CNN's Ryan Nobles up on Capitol Hill. Here is one of the big questions being asked, not just by Republicans, Ryan, but Democrats as well, how does Senator Sanders plan to pay for this and how much would it cost?
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Yes. And John, frankly, there's no good answer for that. And Senator Sanders at this event today which really essentially amounted to a pep rally did not take any questions so we didn't get the chance to pin him down on exactly what the dollar figure would be for this massive overhaul of the American healthcare system. But they did release a summary of this new bill. The expansions that it includes and they do have a section in that conversation where they talk about the financing of it all. And this is how it reads, quote, there needs to be a vigorous debate as to the best way to finance our Medicare for All legislation. Unlike the Republican leadership in Congress, which held no hearings on their disastrous bill which would have thrown 32 million people off of health insurance, we will continue to get the best ideas from economists, doctors, nurses and ordinary Americans to guarantee healthcare as a fundamental right. And this isn't really that big of a surprise, John. Sanders has spent a lot more time talking about the potential savings that the average American would enjoy if this healthcare plan were put into place. He doesn't talk a lot about costs, but some estimates of the 2017 plan put the price tag as much as $32 trillion over 10 years. John?
[King:] That's a big number. Ryan, appreciate the live reporting from the Hill. Let's bring the conversation into the room. I don't mean to be snarky but so this is an idea, not a plan, right? If you have a plan, you detail how you're going to pay for it, how long of a transition, what would happen. The he has the idea that this he believes the best way to go, but how do you sell it if you can't whether you're a liberal voter, an undecided independent voter, a conservative voter, here's what it is going to cost you, here's how it's going to fix your life, here's what's going to cost the government.
[Olivier Knox, Chief Washington Correspondent, Siriusxm:] I think this is exactly how you sell it. You go out and you say I'm going to be listening to all the stakeholders, I'm going to listen to my colleagues, to doctors, to economists. Basically, it's like his fund- raising model, right? It's join me to build this thing. I think that's exactly how you do it. You know, if people feel like they have they're going to have a voice in shaping this program, maybe they'll be less concerned about having, you know, this I don't want to call it one-size fits all but this sweeping overhaul of healthcare.
[King:] I should have welcomed at the beginning before you jumped in, Laura Barron-Lopez from Politico joins the conversation. Please.
[Laura Barron-lopez, National Political Reporter, Politico:] Thank you. Yes. Well, it's early stages, right? We're nine months out from the first content so Sanders is putting this marker out there right now trying to get ahead as much as he can. He's already seen the party start to shift towards him. There's a number of progressives in the House that are on board with Medicare for All, but we also have to see how the new Democratic majority handles this stuff. They may have very different views than Sanders. We already have seen Pelosi, Rachael's reported on this, Politico's reported on this, has thrown cold water on Medicare for All. And there are number there's an emboldened blue dog caucus that is not for this, they want something different. So there's a lot of options on the table that Democrats can pursue.
[King:] And
[Unidentified Female:] But also
[King:] that part of the pushback comes from the idea that if we are starting with a blank slate, a lot of Democrats would say this is the way to do it they believe. If you're starting with a blank slate. We're not. We're starting with a largely employer-based system in the United States and our government. If you just want to look, this is from America's health insurance plans, 512,000 health plan employees in the United States of America. Insurance-related employees, nearly a million. Total payroll for them, $33.5 billion. This is a big chunk of the American economy. Remember in the ObamaCare debate if you like your plan, you can keep your plan? That turned into a big stumble for the Democrats then. Listen to Senator Sanders this morning on this question, what happens to private insurance companies?
[Unidentified Male:] And what happens to those insurance companies after your plan is implemented?
[Sanders:] Under a Medicare for All we cover all basic healthcare needs, so they're not going to be there to do that. I suppose if you want to make yourself look a little bit more beautiful, you want to work on that nose, your ears, they can do that.
[Unidentified Male:] So basically Blue Cross Blue Shield will be reduced to nose jobs?
[Sanders:] Something like that.
[King:] Can you sell that?
[Catherine Lucey, White House Reporter, The Associated Press:] Well, I think one thing to think about, though, is, you know, all these Democrats are competing to run against President Trump. And they saw that in 2016 President Trump very successfully ran on big ideas and not a ton of specific policy proposals. So, I think if you're looking at that landscape and that you're looking to voters who want this sort of broad proposals and ideas, I mean, I think people are calculating that.
[Rachael Bade, Congressional Reporter, The Washington Post:] Just a few weeks ago, you know, we saw Kamala Harris say the same thing, you know, private insurance would disappear. Then there was a ton of blowback on her and she actually walked it back. And these are sort of things that Speaker Pelosi and other Democratic leaders are very concerned about that saying things like your private insurance will disappear, that that is going to repel swing voters that they need and that actually carried them to the majority in 2018. Democrats ran on protecting pre-existing conditions. They ran on making sure that ObamaCare could be the best that it can be. They didn't run on Medicare for All. And there's a lot of
[Barron-lopez:] And Republicans see an opening here.
[Bade:] Exactly.
[Lucey:] Very much so. They see that, you know, you're proposing effectively repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, aren't you? I mean, that's the line you're going to hear from Republicans now. And after, you know, a rocky couple of weeks in healthcare, they feel pretty good at running against this idea.
[Barron-lopez:] Right, but I think that Democrats really are on strong footing heading into 2020 on healthcare. I mean, As you said, this is why they won the House. And so they really want to stay on message with this. I don't think that the argument from Republicans that, oh, you're going to repeal and replace ObamaCare is going to be effective against Democrats. We may see Pelosi try to move quickly on something that would have to deal with lowering prescription drug prices. I think that's where they think they could be most effective heading into 2020, rather than having a showboat on Medicare for All.
[King:] Right. And to the point of the Republican argument, you see the Republicans testing their lines. You had a good one there, you know, now you guys are for repealing and replacing this. This is Kellyanne Conway, the president's counselor this morning on her take on the Sanders proposal.
[Kellyanne Conway, Counselor To The President:] We want to make sure that people understand Medicare for All means choices for none. When people hear government insurance, you can't just hear insurance, you have to hear the word government. You don't want government more involved in one of the most intimate parts of your life, your healthcare portfolio.
[King:] Medicare for All means choices for none.
[Knox:] Two messages in American politics, change is needed, change is scary. We know where everyone is lining up ahead of this, right?
[King:] It's going to be fascinating to watch. And again, Senator Sanders has some support. This is going to be one of the big debates, first then Democratic primaries then we'll see. And speaking of those Democratic primaries as we go to break, remarkable moment from our latest CNN town hall with the presidential candidates. Here is Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on whether she's mended fences with Hillary Clinton after suggesting her husband should have resigned over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
[Gillibrand:] For me, Secretary Clinton is still a role model for all of us, and my views on her husband is very different, and I've said all I'm going to say about that.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn Anchor:] Has she given you advice on this presidential campaign?
[Gillibrand:] Yes, she has.
[Burnett:] She has?
[Gillibrand:] Yes.
[Burnett:] So is it a sense of you feel like she understands or she has forgiven you?
[Gillibrand:] You would have to ask her that.

[Mattingly:] Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand facing scrutiny for the way she handled a sexual harassment complaint involving two people in her office. Politico wrote the story this morning and says the woman making the allegation resigned in protest last summer. CNN's Athena Jones, spoke with an aide to the senator this morning and CNN and Athena, I think, everybody is trying to figure out what these all means? What can you tell us about what's happening right now?
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Hi Phil, well this is certainly not a good headline for Senator Gillibrand who has made a name for herself as a champion of the Me Too Movement on Capitol Hill. She spent years fighting to prevent sexual assault and harassment in the military, on college campuses, changed how it's handling on Capitol Hill, so she's coming under scrutiny now because of the handling of this case. We're talking about a staff or the Politico did not, this accuser Politico did not name. CNN has not been able to identify her yet. We have are trying to reach out to the staffer who was accused, the former staffer, Abbas Malik, who was accused of making sexually harassing remarks last summer. Now, Gillibrand's office says that they handled this just as she has called for these situations to be handled. Let me read to you a statement from the senator herself. She said, "These are challenges that affect all of our nation's workplaces, including mine, and the question is whether or not they're taken seriously. As I have long said when allegations are made in the workplace, we must believe women so that serious investigations can actually take place, we can learn the facts and there can be appropriate accountability. That's exactly what happened at every step of this case last year. I told her that we loved her at the time and the same is true today." Of course, this staffer was not satisfied with that. But as this aide pointed out to me, look, what Senator Gillibrand and her office say, they can't avoid this sort of thing happening in any office place just the fact that she has a campaign in the Me Too Movement does not mean that she won't have people accused of harassment on her staff. They argue that they handled this case as it should have been handled and extensive investigation. They interviewed several employees, seven of them. They launched investigation as soon as they were told about this accusation. They did not find evidence of sexual harassment in this case. Phil.
[Mattingly:] Athena Jones in New York, very important story. And Rachael I think a very explosive story but she's given the senator's role and a lot of these things. What's your read on kind of happens next with this?
[Bade:] I think her statement was interesting because she says in there, you know, this process was handled correctly, we looked into this and we moved on, basically. But here's the problem. That staffer stayed on her in her office since this incident occurred for months and then when Politico started asking questions about it, she dismissed that staffer. So that raises questions about did she actually handle this the correct way? And for Gillibrand, this is an issue that she wanted to, you know, if she runs for president, this is going to be front and center. She talks about this often ever since she came to the Senate, for military sexual harassment when Brett Kavanaugh was getting confirmed. She was one of the most vocal critics saying, believe the women. And so if that's her public position, you know, privately clearly she's got an issue here.
[Raju:] And this such a centerpiece not just of the presidential campaign but also in her Senate career.
[Bade:] Right.
[Raju:] The one issue that she has tried to be on the fourth run off and this is also going to remind folks about the role she played with Al Franken as the fourth run.
[Bade:] Yes.
[Raju:] Calling for Al Franken's resignation the hurt a lot of Democrats. A lot of Democratic donors are not happy about that. So clearly people are all going to say, we'll look what happened? How did you handle this in your office? This statement today by her is not going to be enough. She doesn't have to answer questions about this at least today and in the coming days and weeks and we'll see others respond. One person is not responding, Al Franken and we reached out his office this morning, no comment.
[Mattingly:] Enough of Al Franken, yes, there will be more to this. Keep an eye on it for sure. All right, up next, are Democrats tired of waiting for Beto?

[Lemon:] Tonight there's newly released audio from the internal investigation by Louisville police into the shooting death of Breonna Taylor back in March. The 26-year-old EMT was shot eight times after police broke down the door to her apartment while executing a nighttime warrant in a narcotics investigation. The audio shows conflicting accounts of what happened. So joining me now to talk about this is Benjamin Crump. He is attorney for Breonna Taylor's family. Ben, thank you. I really appreciate you joining us.
[Ben Crump, Attorney For Breonna Taylor's Family:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] Let's talk about this audio. Because according to the audio from this investigation, there appear to be conflicting accounts about whether the police identified themselves before breaking down the door through Breonna Taylor's home. What this is what the sergeant, Sergeant Mattingly, who led the raid said. Here it is.
[John Mattingly, Sergeant Who Led The Deadly Narcotics Raid On Breonna Taylor's Apartment:] I probably banged on the door six six or seven different time periods, not six or seven times but six or seven different times. We're banging on the door and at that time I look back at Lt. Hoover and he says, "I guess go ahead and hit it,'because at one point probably after the third time we banged, Mike was staring at the doorway and says 'I can hear somebody inside, I think they're coming to the door," so we thought somebody was coming to the door, then we didn't hear anything else, so we kept banging and announcing.
[Lemon:] But this is a different account than what Kenneth Walker, Breonna Taylor's boyfriend says, isn't it?
[Crump:] Absolutely, Don. And when you listen to both of these recorded statements from Sergeant Mattingly and then from Kenneth Walker, what it tells you, Don Lemon, is that this was a conspiracy from day one to cover up the murder of Breonna Taylor by the Louisville police. I mean, it is so one-sided when you listen to these two interviews. Kenneth Walker, right after the tragedy happened, without the presence of a lawyer, they coerce him into waiving his Miranda rights and he talks to them. And then they betrayed him six days later in front of the grand jury and use what he said to get him indicted for attempted murder, where he can spend the rest of his life in jail.
[Lemon:] Let's listen to some of what he said. Here it is.
[Kenneth Walker, Boyfriend Of Breonna Taylor:] I'm scared. I've never been that close to someone shooting a gun unless it's in a controlled environment such as at the range or something, so I'm like freaking out. I can't register anything that's going on, so
[Unidentified Female:] So you just fired off one?
[Walker:] Yeah, just one. That was just the warning. I didn't know who is coming to the door. The door just got kicked off the hinges, so I'm scared. One shot, boom, and then there was a lot of shots, so I just dropped.
[Lemon:] He said that he was just protecting Breonna, his girlfriend. Anyone would be scared in this situation, right?
[Crump:] Absolutely, Don. And he even asked them, what would you do in that situation? Nobody identified themselves. We said, who is it, and then they just busted open the door. And it's so sad because at one point, he says, an officer told me, it was a misunderstanding. And then the internal affairs police officer said, well, that's new information to us. And Kenneth Walker said, I'm not an idiot, they did something wrong, I know they did something wrong. But yet they continue to try to cover it up, never telling the truth. One hundred and sixteen days later, Don, and they're still lying to us.
[Lemon:] Benjamin Crump, thank you so much. We'll have you back. We need to talk about what's happening in the George Floyd investigation, as well. But we appreciate you joining us here tonight on CNN. Keep us updated on the Breonna Taylor case, as well. Thank you so much.
[Crump:] Thank you, Don.
[Lemon:] From Drew Brees to DeSean Jackson, NFL teams and players are struggling with race issues. Are we witnessing a change across the league?

[Baldwin:] Just into CNN, new details involving the rampage in west Texas that spanned Midland to Odessa. Seven people were murdered and another 25 were injured. And now there's new information about the man who allegedly sold that gun used in the killing spree. The shooter who was shot and killed by police purchased the weapon in a private sale so no background check was needed. Police say the gunman used an A.R.-15 style weapon. Let's go straight to our senior justice correspondent, Evan Perez, with these new details. We know, Evan, investigators have been looking at the home of the man they believe sold the gun. What did they find?
[Evan Perez, Cnn Senior Justice Correspondent:] They did a search of the home belonging to the seller, Brooke, and one of the things they found is they believe they found evidence that indicates that this person was manufacturing firearms and reselling them. Now, that could potentially be against the law because you're not allowed to make and sell firearms like a firearms dealer without a license. And so that's where investigators now are looking and are working to see whether or not they can bring charges against this individual. But, you know, this really points to a gaping hole in the background check system in this country. Because, as you pointed out, this is a private sale so there was no background check done. And law enforcement has been asking for a universal background check law for years and years. And I think this is an example of where you have a loophole, you know, gray market, so to speak. People buy these what's called lower receivers and they add things to it and then they resell it for profit. That's potentially against the law. I they can bring a case against this individual, we can probably see some charges against him in the coming days or weeks.
[Baldwin:] We'll look for that potentially then. Evan Perez, thank you so much. Good to see you.
[Perez:] Thanks.
[Baldwin:] U.S. health officials growing even more concerned about vaping. We have just learned that there are at least 450 possible cases of lung disease that could be connected to vaping. What is being done to address this growing problem? We'll talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about that, next. And we're getting reports of people trapped in North Carolina has floodwaters are rising from Dorian. They are about to airlift folks, so stand by for news there.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] Thank you so much for being with me. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts right now.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor:] Breaking news, another Democrat expressing contrition, but Trump means never having to say you're sorry. THE LEAD starts right now. Moments ago, former Vice President Joe Biden releasing a new video addressing the allegations that have rocked his presidential campaign before it's even begun. New today, the White House going radio silent over the president's latest barrage of untruths. Do reporters need to ask to see Fred Trump's birth certificate? Plus, a Secret Service official today telling CNN there are security concerns at the president's second home, as we learn more about that baffling breach at Mar-a-Lago.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Tapper:] Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin with breaking news, minutes ago, Joe Biden releasing a new video on social media addressing accusations that he has touched women in ways that made them feel uncomfortable, not sexually, not violently, but inappropriate. Biden saying, going forward, he will be more mindful about personal space.
[Joseph Biden, Former Vice President Of The United States:] Social norms have begun to change. They have shifted. And the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset. And I get it. I get it. I hear what they're saying. I understand it. And I will be much more mindful. That's my responsibility, my responsibility. And I will meet it.
[Tapper:] CNN's Jeff Zeleny joins me now. And, Jeff, Biden adding this more-than-two-minute-long video to the statements he's already released in recent days. Clearly, they think the paper statements haven't done enough to quell the fire.
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Exactly, Jake. And they were hoping to not add oxygen to this, I'm told. And the former vice president there saying, I get it, I get it, is his sign that he actually does understand. He's trying to validate these concerns, but also I'm told that he wants to explain himself. That's exactly what he did today in this video, where we also said this
[Biden:] Folks, in the coming month, I expect to be talking about a whole lot of issues. And I will always be direct with you. And I'm always trying to be in my career, I have always tried to make a human connection. That's my responsibility, I think. I shake hands. I hug people. I grab men and women my shoulders and say, you can do this. And whether they're women, men, young, old, it's the way I have always been. And it's way I have tried to show I care about them and I'm listening. But I will be more mindful and respectful of people's personal space. And that's a good thing. That's a good thing.
[Zeleny:] So the former vice president there saying he will be more mindful and respectful, but I think at the very beginning of his message is perhaps the most telling thing of all. He said, in the coming weeks, he will be coming to the American people about his plans. So, Jake, I think a couple of things here. Talking to his advisers that I have been this afternoon, A, his timeline is still the same. He is expected, we're told, to still likely run for president with a small wiggle room there at the end of this month or early in May. But one person close to him also said this. He wants to reclaim record and explain his humanity. That's what he was trying to do in this video. They know that he will have to keep talking about this. The question is, will other Democrats keep bringing it up? Will the president keep bringing it up? Probably so. But they knew today that he had to add his voice to all the others that have been out there.
[Tapper:] All right, Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much. As Biden grapples with this even before he's announced his run, we have more breaking 2020 news this afternoon. Former Congressman Beto O'Rourke's campaign announcing that it raised $9.3 million in the first quarter of 2019. That's less than many pundits had anticipated, given O'Rourke's record-breaking first-day haul. The quarter for Beto O'Rourke comes behind both Vermont Senator Sanders and California Senator Kamala Harris, though the O'Rourke campaign would note that both Harris had head-starts, since they launched their campaigns in January and February, respectively, while O'Rourke launched in March and had 18 days before the deadline. So, as CNN's Leyla Santiago now explains, the O'Rourke campaign is touting a different figure. They're claiming that O'Rourke is raising the most money per day.
[Leyla Santiago, Cnn Correspondent:] Brand-new numbers from the Beto O'Rourke campaign announced just hours after he left the annual National Action Network Convention in a New York cab. He raised $9.4 million in his first 18 days as a presidential candidate. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders claims to have raised the most money so far, $18.2 million in the first six week of his campaign, followed by California Senator Kamala Harris, $12 million, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg $7 million, and businessman Andrew Yang $1.7 million. O'Rourke's campaign touted an average donation of $43 from 218,000 contributions, though it did not reveal how many individual donors contributed. O'Rourke was the first presidential candidate to take the stage before NAN, a civil rights organization founded by Reverend Al Sharpton, who made sure to get specifics, asking O'Rourke if he would support a commission to study reparations.
[Al Sharpton, Civil Rights Activist:] If that passes and you are president of the United States, would you sign that bill?
[Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] Yes.
[Santiago:] O'Rourke not the only candidate courting Sharpton's wing of the party and the African-American vote. A dozen presidential hopefuls are scheduled to speak at the convention. All right, and so the campaign is really focusing on the average raised per day in the race. That is where their focus is, much more favorable to Beto O'Rourke there. But the big question will, be can he sustain that moving forward, Jake?
[Tapper:] All right, Leyla Santiago, thanks so much. Let's chew over all of this with our panel. I want to ask the two ladies at the panel first whether you think Joe Biden's statements will put this to rest at least as much he can hope.
[S.e. Cupp, Cnn Political Commentator:] Look, I don't think Biden's overly affectionate behavior is harassment. I don't think it's menacing. I don't think a power play. I do think it's a good reminder to men, our bodies are not up for grabs. They are not for the taking. So unless you have a very close personal trust with someone I have this with Van don't grab. Don't grab. Don't breathe menacingly down my neck.
[Cupp:] I think the statement was good. I worry that Democrats, though look, let's say for the record, Democrats have a better record handling sexual assault and harassment within the party.
[Tapper:] Although this that's not what this is, right?
[Cupp:] I agree. I agree. I'm saying, with a couple notable exceptions, named Bill and Hillary Clinton.
[Tapper:] Right.
[Cupp:] I think some risk looking like they are angrier at Joe Biden for his hugs than they have been with Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, Bill for his actual rape allegations and Hillary for demeaning and discrediting his women accusers. So I wouldn't overstep. It's a good lesson, and we should talk through this moment, but I think Joe Biden should not be disqualified based on this.
[Tapper:] What do you think, Margaret?
[Margaret Hoover, Cnn Political Contributor:] I agree that Joe Biden should not be disqualified for this. I, however, appreciate this is the beginning of a Democratic primary process, which reminds me of Lyndon Baines Johnson's about cannibals and the difference between how Democrats cannibals and Democrats, and cannibals are liberals. And the difference is that liberals I'm going to step on this line liberals don't eat their enemies. Wait. Liberals eat their enemies?
[John Avlon, Cnn Political Contributor:] Cannibals don't eat their friends and family members.
[Hoover:] Thank you. I need my husband. Cannibals don't eat their friends and family members, right?
[Tapper:] But Democrats and liberals do.
[Hoover:] And the point is and the point is, I actually genuinely don't believe, based on what we have seen from the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party and the progressive base's treatment of Al Franken, that this will be enough. There are just there are people who and, by the way, Joe Biden's running and occupying entirely the moderate lane of the Democratic Party, and the progressives don't have space or want him in, by the way, nor does the Republican Party and Donald Trump. So Biden's taking it from all sides right now. And I don't there's a real question to his strength and viability. If he weathers this, then he will be a real candidate. If he doesn't, it's over.
[Tapper:] Let's broaden it out to some of the other Democrats. Beto O'Rourke,with $9 million raised, now he's his people argue he was only in the race for 18 days, as opposed to Kamala Harris, who has been there since January, Bernie Sanders since February. But this is a little bit of back to reality for Beto O'Rourke's campaign, I think.
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator:] Kind of, except that nobody ever heard of this guy a year ago. I mean, let's just be very clear that this was a phenomenon that came on in Texas, challenged Ted Cruz and came close to having an upset there. And so if you say if now, based on those inflated expectations, if he doesn't raise a billion dollars in a second, he's crashing, he's burning. If you take a step back, this guy shouldn't be in the race at all. He lost...
[Cupp:] To Ted Cruz.
[Jones:] ... to Ted Cruz a Senate race. He shouldn't be he should be at home watching this with the rest of us, and he's out there raising this much money. So I just think that sometimes the expectation game gets a little bit out of hand here. I think he's doing very well for somebody who, frankly, shouldn't even be in the race, by ordinary standards. And I think he's going to he will have more staying power than today's story.
[Tapper:] John, I think that it's fair to say, Senator Bernie Sanders, when it comes to polls, among the declared candidates, declared, when it comes to polls, when it comes to fund-raising, when it comes to the number of contributors, when it comes to the fact that his dollar amounts, the average contribution is so small, without question, I think Bernie Sanders is the front-runner, don't you think, of declared candidates?
[Avlon:] That's the caveat that you're making, right? Yes, among declared candidates, you have got to say that's true for Bernie, but he benefits from a very broad field. Once you get Biden in that, of course, all of a sudden, that top tier Biden best
[Bernstein:] in most polls. Look, I think Bernie has got a very intense, devoted cadre. He shaped the direction of a party. And in a very wide primary, could his 20, 25 percent of hard-core supporters be enough? Maybe. But the second Biden gets in the race, that statement is no longer operative. And I do think we all know what this is about. These are brushback pitches against Biden. Can he handle a leftward-drifting party? Not his first rodeo. Assuming he can, that statement is no longer operative.
[Tapper:] We should point out that there's a lot of talk online right now, especially among Sanders supporters, about a column by "Washington Post"'s "The Washington Post"'s Dana Milbank, who writes that Bernie is the Trump of the Democratic Party. "Fund-raising and polls show that many Democrats think that the best answer to an angry old white guy with crazy hair, New York accent and flare for demagoguery is, well, another angry old white guy with crazy hair, a New York accent and flair for demagoguery. It's not difficult to picture a scenario in which Bernie captures a Democratic presidential nomination with the same formula that worked for Trump with Republicans in 2016." Forgetting the for a second hair and the New York accent and all that stuff, it is actually easy to look at the race and say, you know what? Lots of candidates, a guy with a very strong following and 30 percent of the vote or so, like Trump in 2016, that Bernie could do that in 2020, and win the nomination.
[Jones:] Yes. And, look, people underestimated Bernie Sanders the entire time that he was running against Hillary Clinton last time. The guy got 47 percent of the vote against the entire Clinton-Obama machine in a year that Hillary Clinton should have had a romp. And he never stopped running for president. He just changed it to Medicare for all. I have been with Bernie, you know, in states and places where he's getting 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 people to come out to hear him give the speech they have heard a million times nine months ago, 12 months ago, 16 months ago. He never stopped running for president. He has the biggest social media operation. He's got a bigger social media operation than some people who do it professionally. You got corporate we call now... Sure. So I'm just saying people continue to underestimate the insurgency in our own party.
[Cupp:] That's like the only thing they have in common. Can I just say?
[Jones:] Fair enough.
[Cupp:] That column drove me crazy, because first we should say no one is like Trump. There is no Trump of the left or the right. He is inimitable in many ways that are impressive and many ways that are deeply, deeply troubling. Trump's M.O., his raison d'etre is himself. His only goals are to sow seeds of distrust and discord, not to benefit policy or political directions or objectives, but to benefit himself and for self- preservation. I don't see anyone else in the current field that is motivated solely by their own self-interest. What Dana Milbank is describing, is Bernie Sanders a politician? Does that mean he's sometimes hypocritical? Yes. Does that mean he's sometimes anti-establishment? Yes. Does that mean he sometimes talks in platitudes? Have you met Beto O'Rourke? I mean, none of this makes him like Trump. And I think we can be too cute by half sometimes when we're trying to compare these guys to each other.
[Tapper:] All right, everyone, stick around. We got a lot more to talk about. Growing concerns about access to the president at his favorite getaway after a woman is arrested allegedly lying her way into Mar-a-Lago why at least one Secret Service agent is worried. Then, big change blowing into the Windy City, the historic political wind that is shaking up the machine in Chicago. Stay with us.

[Paul:] Well, history is being made at the PGA championship.
[Blackwell:] Andy Scholes is at the course on Long Island for us. Andy, one golfer has really, really run away with this one.
[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] That is a true statement, Victor. You know, Brooks Koepka dominating the competition here and barring an epic meltdown, he is going to make history later today. He is the reigning PGA champ and two-time U.S. Open champion. No golfer has ever held back-to-back titles in two different majors at the same time. You know, the scores here
[Brooks Koepka, 3-time Major Champion:] Every time I set up for a golf shot I feel I know what the ball is going to do. If I don't, then I guess I'd be nervous but no point in being nervous. I'm pretty flat lined most of the time as you can tell.
[Scholes:] For the first time in more than 20 years, a Triple Crown run was not on the line at the Preakness Stakes. Kentucky Derby winner Country House opting out of the race due to illness and Maximum Security not running the race on short rest and could not win the Triple Crown. And we have some drama at the beginning of the race. Bodexpress bucking off his jockey at the start and he went to run the race by himself. Luckily, jockey John Velasquez was OK. War of Will would go on to win the race. But, guys, as soon as Bodexpress kind of started running the race by itself, I don't know about you, I was kind of cheering for him and I thought that would be cool for the horse to run without a jockey. It wouldn't have counted because the horse got a do not finish. No one got a refund and no one got paid for Bodexpress yesterday.
[Blackwell:] Bodexpress, the answer to the most difficult trivia question for the next ten years, no question. Remember Bodexpress.
[Paul:] Andy Scholes, thank you so much.
[Scholes:] Bye, guys.
[Paul:] So, a high school student who may have a promising future in journalism.
[Blackwell:] Yes, playing close attention sometimes is all you need. Coming up, how a teenager stole the spotlight from Mayor Bill de Blasio's presidential announcement.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] Thank you very much for watching. It is time now for "CNN TONIGHT" with D. Lemon.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Welcome back. You call it fealty, which you're you're right, I'm sure. I'll I just call it hypocrisy. It's a Party of of hypocrites now. And I know that sounds harsh. And people are going to say that I'm being partisan. But I'm not. It's the truth. It's the Party you are exactly right when you say Donald Trump has not changed. What changed are the lawmakers, are the people who somehow came over to his side because they want power or because of fear. They're afraid of him. The people who remain the same and are not afraid of this President are called they're called, what is it? Trump Derangement they have Trump Derangement Syndrome.
[Cuomo:] Never-Trumpers.
[Lemon:] Never-Trumpers. It's like, no, Donald Trump has not changed. You changed. So, what does that say about you that you changed and Donald Trump didn't when you hated him before?
[Cuomo:] Yes, that's the point I'm trying to get to, which is, you know, the idea of he's normalizing corruption.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] That assumes that he's trying to put one over on you.
[Lemon:] Right.
[Cuomo:] He isn't.
[Lemon:] He never put one over on you.
[Cuomo:] He sees these things
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] as normal. Corruption is normal. He's always done it this way that's why he continues to. Blagojevich didn't do anything wrong, Don, because he didn't get caught doing anything wrong.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] What's the big deal?
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] That in his mind is legit. I promise you; he's not selling anybody any jive about what he really thinks what he thinks something else. This is his truth.
[Lemon:] Well, this is in aside just about Rob Blagojevich. And I was in Chicago when Rob Blagojevich was governor and when Barack Obama was coming to prominence. And I just come to CNN when he tried to sell that seat. I have to say that Rob Blagojevich did something bad but there are plenty of people even on the Democratic side who believe that what happened to Rob Blagojevich was he should have gone to jail. But that his sentence was harsh. Dick Durbin the senior senator and from Illinois thinks the same thing as well. I'm not here I can't say I'm an anchor. So, I can't say whether, you know, it's true or not. But there plenty of people on the Democratic side I don't know if they thought that his sentence should be commuted. But they thought that his sentence was harsh. So that's just as an aside.
[Cuomo:] Two things.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Two things. One, he fought. OK?
[Lemon:] Right.
[Cuomo:] When you fight the penalties go up. They had to tried him twice. And people may not the like the rule. Dershowitz was arguing that a lot with Roger Stone. If you fight, they throw the book at you. Number two. Let's say his sentence was too harsh. Here's the problem that still remains with this move. Do you know how many people are suffering under too harsh punishments right now? This is the guy they pick and a congressman tonight from the GOP argument
[Lemon:] You will find no argument with me there.
[Cuomo:] This is the president's way of getting
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] improper sentencing on the agenda with high-profile pardons of white political class swamp guys from D.C. and elsewhere.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] That's how you bring awareness to what's going on with drug sentences all over the country and all other kinds of garden variety felonies and misdemeanors? Give me a break.
[Lemon:] You know that's B.S. That's all B.S. I'm just trying to make the point about whether the sentence is too harsh or not
[Cuomo:] There are a lot of harsh sentences. Why start with him?
[Lemon:] Yes. Well, you make you have a good point. It's good to see you.
[Cuomo:] Good to see you.
[Lemon:] I've got to run. I got a lot to cover. Thank you, Chris. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. And if there's anybody who still not absolutely clear on how this administration operates, it's pretty simple. As I just said it's pretty simple with the other thing that people the president didn't change. Donald Trump didn't change. You changed. That's what Chris said. That's what I said. It's really simple. If you cross him, this president, your days are numbered. Right? If you are on team Trump, if you're team Trump or if you could be useful to him in any way, the sky is the limit. OK? So, then, there is Richard Grenell, he is the U.S. Ambassador to Germany. The president confirming tonight that he is naming Grenell acting director of national intelligence. Well, you think it might be a problem that Grenell has zero relevant experience like serving in the intel community or the Senate or senior levels at military. You think that it might be a problem that some Republicans are so outraged the job that he's done the job that he's done as ambassador by his really undiplomatic demeanor, according to them. A source says that there's no way that he could be confirmed to permanent DNI position. That's up for them to decide. The president has given that position now. So, let's see. That's the reason probably he's acting. Acting to see how he how this goes. But you have to wonder just how hard the GOP would actually push back against a president that they just acquitted in the impeachment trial. Rick Grenell is a Trump loyalist. That is no surprise who the president has said was his favorite ambassador. Trump likes his TV appearances and he like his tweets. Former senior White House official says "in the wake of his impeachment victory he is looking for a political who will have his back." That's a quote. And remember this is the director of national intelligence who is supposed to help prevent a catastrophic attack on this country. But we all know how this president feels about his own intelligence community. The outgoing acting DNI Joseph Maguire is still in the dog house for saying that the whistleblower acted in good faith and followed the law. But now, the president has loyalist at the top of the intelligence community, the State Department and the DOJ. That's a big deal. Though he is telling Bill Barr what to do in spite of Barr is not for not very convincing threats to quit. We're going to have more on all of that in just a moment. So, stay tune But that brings me to reports tonight that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was offered a pardon if he said Russia was not involved in the DNC e-mail leak. That is according to the lawyer for Assange who told a court in London that a former GOP Congressman, Dana Rohrabacher, who was known as Putin's favorite congressman, visited Assange back in 2017 at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on the instructions of the president to offer a pardon if Assange would play ball. And the denials are rolling in tonight. Rohrabacher putting out a statement saying, "At no time did I talk to President Trump about Julian Assange. Likewise, I was not directed by Trump or anyone else connected with him to meet with Julian Assange." Stephanie Grisham, the press secretary who's never held a press briefing by the way, saying in a statement, "The president barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he is an ex-congressman. He's never spoken to him on this subject. Or almost any subject. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie. This is a probably a never, another never-ending hoax and total lie from the DNC." That's from Stephanie Grisham. Yes, this is the old blame the Democrats strategy. Except the president met with Rohrabacher in the Oval Office in 2017 and he endorsed Rohrabacher for reelection in 2018. That is the president seems to be on a campaign not just to fill his administration with loyalists but to reward high-profile friends of friends and people whose cases he has seen on television. The president tweeting today that Rob Blagojevich didn't sell Obama's Senate seat. OK. The audio says otherwise. You sure wanted to. Listen.
[Fmr. Gov. Rod Blagojevich , Illinois:] I've got this thing. And it's [muted] golden. And I'm not just giving it up for [muted] nothing.
[Lemon:] OK. The president going on to try to hang Blagojevich's prosecution on his arch enemy and perceived arch enemy, his perceived arch enemy, I should say, James Comey. Even though here's the fact. The fact is Comey was in private practice at the time Blagojevich at that time. Blagojevich proving today that he knows how to stay on the president's good side with this.
[Blagojevich:] I'm a Trumpocrat.
[Unidentified Male:] A Trumpocrat, that's right.
[Unidentified Female:] Are you going to vote for him?
[Blagojevich:] If I had the ability to vote I'm going to vote for him.
[Lemon:] I'm sure he like that, meaning the president. The fact is that Rob Blagojevich was a poster boy for corruption. Bernard Kerik was a corrupt former NYPD commissioner. Michael Milken was the face of insider trading. And all of them got clemency from this president. Like I said before, so much for his claims that he was a great corruption fighter.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Ukraine has had a tremendous corruption problem. He wants to end corruption in Ukraine. He is very, very strongly looking into all sorts of corruption. As you know Ukraine is known as a very corrupt country. One of the most in the world. Shockingly. We're investigating corruption and I actually heard Gregg Jarrett and numerous people the other day say I have an obligation to do that. We have to check corruption. We will work together to root out corruption in Ukraine. I probably have a legal obligation, Mr. Attorney, to report corruption.
[Lemon:] And then there is the other side of the coin, the latest victim of this president's post impeachment victory purge of anybody who crossed him on Ukraine. Now it's the Pentagon's top policy official who warned against withholding military aid to Ukraine. The shake down that got the president impeached in the first place, well, resigning today. He said at the Pentagon's request. The president tweeting always with that, the tweeting, right? His thanks to John Rood for his service to the country. But also sharing a story from Bloomberg News reporting that Rood, quote, "faced pressure to resign from some who lost confidence in his ability to carry out the Trump agenda." Nothing says thank you for your service like pressuring someone to resign. In the wake of this, there's a sentencing tomorrow of long-time dirty trickster and Trump crony Roger Stone who was found guilty of lying to Congress and threatening a potential witness. Remember four prosecutors quit that case last week in protest over Barr's intervention, reducing the sentencing recommendation for the president's friend. Now it's all up to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson. The president lashing out at her on Twitter. There you go. There are the tweets. But unlike his loyalists in high place he is powerless to control her. Now the question is, what will the judge do tomorrow? It seems like all the president is looking for in a director of national intelligence at this time is someone who will have his back. But is putting an unqualified loyalist in the position put all of us at risk? CNN's Jim Sciutto, the former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, hey both weigh in, next.

[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] House Democrats versus the White House. Neither side giving any ground on how much to reveal of the Mueller report or the president's taxes.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Anchor:] And breaking overnight, not one but two major software flaws on the Boeing 737. Boeing's CEO says the company owns the responsibility to fix these issues.
[Romans:] Does a former pizza executive belong on the board of the powerful Federal Reserve? The president looking to install loyalists as he battles his Fed chair.
[Sanchez:] And MacKenzie Bezos is now the world's fourth richest woman. What he got and what she lost in the divorce from the Amazon founder. Good morning, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez, in for Dave Briggs.
[Romans:] A $35 billion divorce. Unbelievable. I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday. Nice to see you. April 5th.
[Sanchez:] Great to see you.
[Romans:] It is 4:00 a.m. in the East. So let's get started here with the White House and House Democrats gearing up to fight each over on two fronts the Mueller report and President Trump's tax returns. First on Mueller, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler demanding communications between the Justice Department and Robert Mueller's office about the special counsel's report.
[Sanchez:] Yes. Nadler wants to clear up a purported discrepancy between two different summaries of the 400-page report. Attorney General Bill Barr's widely discussed four-page summary and the still secret summaries actually written by Mueller's team.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] I can say I think it's inevitable that Mr. Mueller is going to testify at some point. But the first thing we need is all is the release of the report and the documents.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] You think it's inevitable that Mueller is going to come before your committee?
[Nadler:] At some point, yes.
[Romans:] Sources tell us several of Mueller's investigators are expressing frustration with the way Barr summarized the special counsel's findings, in particular on obstruction of justice. The DOJ not commenting on Nadler's demand but it is defending the attorney general's deliberate pace in releasing some version of the report. The Justice Department saying every page of the report was marked as possibly containing information that should not be publicly released.
[Sanchez:] The president you may recall had encouraged the release of the report. He changed his tune. He tweeted, quote, "There is nothing we can ever give to the Democrats that will make them happy. This is the highest level of presidential harassment in the history of our country." Meantime the White House is threatening to block Democrats' demand for the release of the president's tax returns. And the president himself is suggesting that the Justice Department could become involved. For more, let's turn to White House correspondent Abby Phillip.
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Christine and Boris, President Trump is now facing the full brunt of this new reality in Washington as Democrats who now control the House of Representatives are using their oversight power to ask for a number of things. One of them being the full Mueller report to be released to the public and to the relevant committees, and also now the president's tax returns. They are asking for six years of tax returns, personal and from his businesses, and the president is responding to all of that by essentially dismissing it saying that he's not inclined to allow them to have access to those returns. The problem for President Trump may be that this request was not made to him personally, but rather was made to the IRS using an obscure part of the U.S. code that allows select committees on Capitol Hill to gain access to certain people's tax returns. Now it's clear that the White House and the president's allies on Capitol Hill are going to be pushing back on both of these requests.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Are you asking the commissioner of the IRS not to disclose to the House Ways and Means Committee your tax bill?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They'll speak to my lawyers. They'll speak to the attorney general.
[Phillip:] It's not clear what exactly he meant by that and what role he believes Bill Barr will have in this. But either way, the White House continues to insist that President Trump is still under audit and that those tax returns won't be released until those audits are completed Christine and Boris.
[Romans:] All right, Abby Phillip. Thanks for that. Breaking overnight, Boeing acknowledging a second a second software issue in the 737 MAX flight control system. The new issue separate from the anti-stall system under investigation in those two recent crashes. Boeing tells "The Washington Post" the new problem involves software that affects flaps and other hardware. Now Boeing calls this issue relatively minor, but regulators have ordered Boeing to fix it. Its discovery delayed the planned software update last week.
[Sanchez:] All of this coming a day after the release of the preliminary report on the Ethiopian Airlines crash that was obtained first by CNN. Boeing CEO acknowledges the company has a major issue to fix.
[Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Ceo:] It's apparent that in both flights, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, known as MCAS, activated in response to erroneous angle of attack information. It's our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it and we know how to do it.
[Sanchez:] Dennis Muilenburg also extended his sympathies for the 346 people who died. The back-to-back disaster is raising questions of whether years of looser oversight at the FAA was a factor. CNN's Tom Foreman has more.
[Tom Foreman, Cnn Correspondent:] The report says the trouble starts right after takeoff with airspeed and altitude readings from the left side of the 737 MAX 8 that don't match the readings from the right side, and two sensors on the front disagreeing about the angle of the aircraft's nose. A sensor on the right shows steady readings around 15 degrees, but the one on the left swings wildly from 11 to nearly 75 degrees steep, as if the plane is rocketing upward.
[Alastair Rosenschein, Aviation Consultant:] What stands out and is significant is the difference in angle attack indication between the left-hand side and the right-hand side of the aircraft. There was a 60-degree difference. And this feeds directly into the MCAS computer system, the system which forces the nose down in the event of a perceived stall. This is the same as the Lion Air accident.
[Foreman:] The report does name MCAS, but Boeing has now acknowledged it was involved. The captain asked the first officer to pitch up together, to pull back on their controls simultaneously. It does not work. Instead, the flight data recorder shows the plane diving. In all four times without pilots' input. An impact warning sounds in the cockpit, "Don't sink, don't sink." The report says the cockpit crew even figures out what is wrong and disables the MCAS system. Then the captain asks his first officer about a key part of the plane needed to regain control. The trim. The reply, "It is not working." [On Camera] Still, only a couple of years ago, Boeing was talking about how much it appreciated the government's new streamlined approach to regulation, particularly in regard to the MAX line of planes. And now these planes are surrounded by investigations into how they were developed, how they were tested, how they were certified, and whether people should ever really trust them again.
[Romans:] All right, Tom Foreman, thank you for that. A controversial choice for President Trump on who he wants to fill the last seat on the Fed's powerful seven-member policy-making board.
[Trump:] I recommended Herman Cain. He's a very terrific man, a terrific person. He's a friend of mine. I would think he would do very well there.
[Romans:] This president, if Herman Cain and Stephen Moore are confirmed by the Senate, would be reshaping the most powerful central bank in the world, reshaping it to his liking, away from peer reviewed, academic PhD economists and toward men who know less about monetary policy but want the Fed to support this president. So what is the Fed? It is an independent body meant to be the shock absorber for the U.S. economy. It's basically in charge of America's printing press. It has two goals, maximum employment and price stability. That means supporting the jobs market and making sure inflation is not too high or not too low. That's very destabilizing. It's about making the economy good for American workers and American families. Now Cain has some experience with the central bank. He once served as a director on one of the 12 regional Fed bank boards, the Kansas City Fed. That's not an uncommon role for a business executive. That's typically where you see that kind of a background. Trump also appointed Jerome Powell, of course, and he's been complaining about it ever since.
[Trump:] I think we have much more of a Fed problem than we have a problem with anyone else. My biggest threat is the Fed because the Fed is raising rates too fast. I think the Fed is far too stringent and they're making a mistake.
[Romans:] This is why the Fed is meant to be an independent body because every president would like loose money, right?
[Sanchez:] Right.
[Romans:] Heading into an election, make the economy artificially pumped up, you know, to make them look good. So that's why the Fed has to be so independent and why there are so many concerns about the president trying to put two insiders.
[Sanchez:] Yes.
[Romans:] People close to him right there on a powerful board.
[Sanchez:] This is yet another way that the president breaks with tradition.
[Romans:] Absolutely.
[Sanchez:] The kind of unorthodox. The way that
[Romans:] Absolutely.
[Sanchez:] There were reports about him potentially firing Jerome Powell because he didn't like the way he was operating the Fed. Speaking of President Trump, he's set to Calexico, California, near the U.S.-Mexico border today. Ahead of his trip, President Trump seemed to flip-flop on his threat to close the border. Early Thursday, he said this.
[Trump:] We're going to give them a one-year warning and if the drugs don't stop or largely stop, we're going to put tariffs on Mexico and products, in particular cars. And if that doesn't stop the drugs, we close the border.
[Sanchez:] Just a few hours later, Trump back-pedaled on ever closing the border. Listen.
[Trump:] I don't think we'll ever have to close the border because the penalty of tariffs on cars coming into the United States from Mexico at 25 percent will be massive.
[Sanchez:] Last week Trump had said he would give Mexico one week to increase apprehensions of migrants headed toward the U.S. from Central America. He threatened to close the border if that didn't happen. He also tried to shift the burden of fixing the border crisis on to Democrats.
[Romans:] All right. Hopes raised then shattered for the family of Timmothy Pitzen. DNA tests reveal the person who told police he had escaped kidnappers and claimed to be Pitzen is not. The news another blow for the family of the boy who vanished in 2011 at age 6.
[Kara Jacobs, Timmothy Pitzen's Aunt:] It's devastating.
[Alana Anderson, Timmothy Pitzen's Grandmother:] Yes.
[Jacobs:] It's like reliving that day all over again, and Timothy's father is devastated once again.
[Anderson:] He's a wonderful little boy and I hope he has strength of personality to do whatever he needs to do to find us. My prayer has always been that when he was old enough he would find us if we couldn't find him.
[Romans:] Police say the young man found in Kentucky who identified himself as Pitzen is actually 23-year-old Brian Michael Rini from Medina, Ohio.
[Sanchez:] He has a criminal history, including prison time for burglary. He was released last month and was on supervised parole. Rini's brother says that Brian has mental issues and it's not the first time that he's assumed a false identity.
[Jonathan Rini, Brother Of Brian Rini:] He's been doing stupid stuff, not this serious, but he's been doing stupid stuff for as long as I can remember. He used my name in a traffic stop in Norton, and then skipped court, and I received a traffic warning for it.
[Sanchez:] Timmothy Pitzen's family has searched for him ever since his mother's reported suicide on a road trip with him nearly eight years. She left behind a note saying her son was with people who loved him and that, quote, "You will never find him."
[Romans:] Yes. She went to school, pulled him out of school, went on a three-day road trip to Wisconsin Dells, and then he's never been seen again.
[Sanchez:] Confounding, sad story. Jussie Smollett refusing to re-pay the city of Chicago for investigating a purported hate crime. So now the city will take him back to court.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] A status update and an important new development in the progress of impeachment. First of all, the president has been impeached. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] That's still true.
[Berman:] That is still true.
[Camerota:] Got it.
[Berman:] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will not transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate until she is convinced they will have a fair trial. And the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, says fine, so don't. The biggest new development, though, is the president doesn't like it. He wants the trial and he wants it fast. So let's bring in Joe Lockhart, former White House press secretary under President Clinton and a CNN political commentator. And, Elie Honig, a federal a former federal prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst. And Joe, that last point, to me, is the most important and perhaps explains everything. There's a lot of questions about why is Nancy Pelosi doing this, what does she want to get out of it. It might just be that the endgame here is to rattle the president and to an extent, triangulate create opposition between the president and Mitch McConnell.
[Joe Lockhart, Cnn Political Commentator, Former Clinton White House Press Secretary:] Well, I think there it's a there's she's seeking some leverage here to try to get some witnesses. I think she's also trying to keep this in the news on her terms over the Christmas break. But you're right about the main point, which is everybody has their own equities here. The Democrats are together. They want to get John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney under oath. I don't think they care whether it's on camera in a deposition, like 1998, or on the Senate floor. Mitch McConnell wants to protect his senators. He wants to stay majority leader. He wants Cory Gardner not to have to take a hard vote. So he wants this done fast in a short trial. The president, for whatever reason, wants a reality show that vindicates him. And right now, she has driven a huge wedge between the majority leader, and these vulnerable senators, and the White House, and she's going to enjoy her Christmas season because of that.
[Camerota:] Well, I mean, Mitch McConnell may want to do this and want it over fast, but what he's saying publicly is I don't see how it punishes us to never deliver something that we don't want.
[Elie Honig, Cnn Legal Analyst, Former Federal Prosecutor, Former Assistant Attorney General, New Jersey Division Of Criminal Justice:] Yes.
[Camerota:] And so, if Nancy Pelosi doesn't want a Senate trial because she doesn't want she wants to deprive President Trump of that moment of the gavel acquitted and Mitch McConnell doesn't want it, then maybe we're just here forever.
[Honig:] Right. I mean, I agree. That's why I'm skeptical of this move by Nancy Pelosi. I applaud and understand the end goal here, which is let's have some witnesses, let's have some facts and evidence. But I don't see a path to victory legally or tactically with this idea of withholding articles. The Constitution says nothing about actually serving notice of the articles one way or another. What the Constitution does say is the Senate has sole power sole power to try all impeachments. And so, I think McConnell's countermove is one of two things. Either one, fine, keep them I don't want them. Let them die there. Or two, I'm just going to start the trial anyway. You can go to court, Speaker Pelosi, and try to stop me and good luck with that.
[Berman:] Can I just say what you have here two of the best poker players in the world playing the highest stakes game of poker you can have. But the thing is there's a joke in the deck, right, and it's the President of the United States. And I think it's the only explanation for why this is worth the fight for Nancy Pelosi because she can pit the president against Mitch McConnell. I think you're all right. Mitch McConnell has no f's to give on this. He says
[Camerota:] Wow.
[Berman:] you don't want the trial, don't bother don't come here. But the president doesn't feel that way and that's what complicates it.
[Camerota:] Because he wants that moment
[Berman:] Yes.
[Honig:] Yes.
[Camerota:] of the president has been acquitted.
[Honig:] I don't necessarily agree, though, that just because it will tick off the president it's the right thing to do automatically. The other thing I would say keep in mind it doesn't look good just from a process perspective. I mean, the put the shoe on the other foot. What if the Republicans stepped in here and said we're going to try to stop this from coming to the Senate, for whatever reason. We don't want a trial so we're going to go to court. We're going to say we don't want these articles and we're not going to we're not going to take them, and we're not going to have a trial. People would be flipping out the other way.
[Lockhart:] Well, it sounds a lot like the White House strategy but
[Honig:] Yes.
[Lockhart:] there you go and they are Republicans. I the poker analogy is great. It's a little like the three of them are playing and Trump's leaning over and saying McConnell oh, you've got a pair of kings there. That's really good. Yes, you know, that's great. There's nothing legal or process about this. This is politics. This is trying to get an advantage. The real leverage that Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have is that 71 percent of Americans want to see live witnesses want to see people who know. And what Pelosi has done here is to make sure that we debate this between now and when the Senate comes back, about live witnesses. If she had not done this, Mitch McConnell could have quietly started a trial on January sixth.
[Berman:] Right. And there's another major note we want to get to and we don't have much time left, which is this op-ed in "Christianity Today," which is a magazine that was founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham. And in this magazine, which has a large evangelical reader base, it says, "Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election that is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the creator of the Ten Commandments." In other words, as a matter of faith, the president should be removed, Joe. This is coming from an evangelical magazine.
[Lockhart:] Yes, and when I saw this last night, not being that familiar with these you know, how influential these magazines are and that group, I checked around and this is very influential. So this is a very big deal. They called for President Clinton to resign or to be removed on the same basis, you know, from a faith point of view and from a moral point of view. This is a crack in the most reliable voting bloc that Donald Trump has evangelicals. They made what I would call a deal with the devil back in 2016. They said give us judges that restrict abortion and we'll overlook your sins. They are now saying at least one sect is saying we won't overlook your sins anymore.
[Camerota:] I think that everybody should read it because they talk about that. They say we understand what we get out of this president, we understand why people have supported him for so long, but what has happened is immoral, and they make the case in a pretty dispassionate way. So everybody should read this in "Christianity Today."
[Berman:] We're going to have the writer of this op-ed later in the show. We're going to speak to Ben Howe, who has written a whole book on this subject. A lot more to discuss on that front. Elie and Joe, thank you so much
[Camerota:] Thank you.
[Berman:] for being with us. There was this debate last night at a very crucial moment in the Democratic race. The first state to vote will be Iowa. We sat down with Iowa voters and watched the debate with them. What did they say?
[Camerota:] But first, as consumers increasingly shop online, a company called Caper is developing smart shopping carts that are packed with artificial intelligence to bring those online shopping conveniences offline. Watch this.
[Unidentified Female:] Today, grocery stores are facing competition from the biggest names in online retail. That's why a company called Caper is making a shopping aisle staple smart.
[Ahmed Beshry, Co-founder And Chief Business Operator, Caper:] We thought we'd take a conventional tool that everybody knows how to use and pack it full of technology and sensors. Right now, you could basically throw in weighted good, like your fruits and vegetables, and the cart will actually weigh it for you. It will recommend you particular items based on where you are in the store. It will help you check out. So we have these bagging hooks inside of our cart to allow customers to bag their groceries as they go, so that after they're done paying they could just grab their bags and walk out of the store.
[Unidentified Female:] That kind of grab-and-go technology is already in place at Amazon Go stores. There, a complex system of cameras, sensors, and A.I. track every product a customer interacts with.
[Beshry:] So we wanted to make that as a customer walks into the store they could just grab our cart and go. That being said, we're working with the grocery stores right now. And you can log into their your loyalty program within that store so we have a better idea of who you are, how your purchase, and to really compliment you as that end-user. Basically, the ultimate vision in what we're building towards is that a customer walked into the store and they grab something off the shelf, and when they throw it in the cart all the sensors and the technology in the cart will immediately identify what that item is.
[Unidentified Female:] For now, Caper's carts are still in the pilot stage.
[Beshry:] There's a lot of different tech solutions that will take somebody away from a brick and mortar location, so what we're building is the technology that makes the experience and the convenience that you'd see online back offline.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. In the U.S., two weeks until election day, just one more president debate on Thursday. A record number of people casting their votes early. President Donald Trump is on a campaign sprint across the country holding packed rallies despite a surge in COVID-19 cases. On the campaign call, Trump resorted to name-calling. Labelling Dr. Anthony Fauci and top health officials as idiots. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more now from Tucson in Arizona.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, President Trump continuing his mad dash to election day on Monday, barnstorming the state of Arizona with two stumps, one in Prescott and one right here in Tucson Arizona. Now, this is a state that President Trump won by four points in 2016, but now according to the most recent polling averages the president is down, trailing Biden by an average of the same margin, four points once again. And so this is certainly a must win for the president. And again, what we are seeing from him familiar lines of attacks, throwing out red meat to the base and attacking the Biden family calling them a criminal enterprise at this rally here in Tucson by focusing on these unsubstantiated and false allegations against former vice president Biden. So it's clear that while the president is appealing to the base it's not quite clear yet how he's appealing to those voters turned off by him particularly the issue of the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump on Monday really continuing to downplay the pandemic attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci who is the most trusted public health expert and the government's leading expert on this virus and on infectious diseases. But the president seems to have decided at this point that he's just going to focus on himself and on doing what he wants to do as it relates to the virus. And that certainly includes continuing to have these large-scale rallies where thousands of people attended as they did in Tucson, Arizona on Monday. Now, what's interesting here is that the president's advisers, including his campaign manager Bill Stepien and the RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel back in July when coronavirus cases were surging then, they advised the president not to resume his rallies. But now as cases are surging once again, the attitude seems to be that there are just two weeks left until election day and therefore the president just needs to carry on. Jeremy Diamond, CNN in Tucson, Arizona.
[Vause:] Well, unlike President Trump, the Biden campaign is closely following CDC and other government guidelines including social distancing at rallies and other events as well as wearing face masks. His running mate, Senator Kamala Harris will be holding a virtual rally for voters in Milwaukee on Tuesday, just one day after a drive- in rally in the battleground state of Florida.
[Senator Kamala Harris , Vice Presidential Nominee:] There is so much on the ballot in 2020. Justice is on the ballot in 2020. Economic justice is on the ballot in 2020. Climate justice is on the ballot in 2020. Health care justice is on the ballot in 2020. Reproductive justice is on the ballot in 2020. Criminal justice reform is on the ballot in 2020. Climate reform is on the ballot in 2020.
[Harris:] Everything is on the ballot in 2020. Joe Biden is on the ballot in 2020.
[Vause:] There is a lot on the ballot in 2020. Ron Brownstein is CNN senior political analyst and senior editor for "The Atlantic". Kamala Harris, all fired up there, Ron. Good to see you.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] You know, I remember when there were like rallies and things like that in the presidential campaign.
[Vause:] Back in the day. OK. Let's pretend, it's a normal presidential election. Ok. Let's look at some policy issues.
[Brownstein:] Sure.
[Vause:] Let's look at where the candidates stand on some of the big issues. Let's start with the pandemic. We'll hear from the president first at a recent campaign event and then followed by Joe Biden. Here we go.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Under my leadership, we are delivering a safe vaccine and rapid recovery. We are doing things with FDA. They're giving us approvals in weeks as opposed to years. It has been incredible. If you vote for me, prosperity will surge. Normal life
[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] I'm going to work to end the deadly health inequities that COVID has amplified. Building on the Affordable Care Act is the fastest path to universal care. Doubling funding for community health centers on the vital front lines. Making COVID testing treatment and any vaccine free for everyone. And making sure that we are in a situation where we have opportunity for people to have access.
[Vause:] Just on the level of detail, what we are hearing from Trump and Biden seems to explain why the polls say that, you know, Biden is ahead when it comes to dealing with this pandemic. Because there's a lot of detail, a lot of meat coming from him. A lot of wishful thinking it seems coming from Trump.
[Brownstein:] Well, more broadly, John, I mean you know, there was no Republican platform approved at the connection this summer. There's been no indication of any specifics from the president about what his second term would bring on any issues. Except on the coronavirus I think he has given the public a very clear signal. And in this case the medium is the message. I mean the fact that he is holding these large rallies without social distancing, without mask wearing often in explicit defiance of local public health officials, even in states that are experiencing the worst of the upsurge, is a pretty clear indication that no matter how long he's president, no matter how many people get sick, no matter how many people die, he will not take this seriously. From the beginning he has thought that his best chance of reelection is to protect normalcy at all cost. Whatever the implications for public health that has had enormous implications not only on his own actions but in pressuring Republican governors to close late, open early, override local Democratic ordinances on things like mask wearing. And I think he's giving the public a very clear signal that if you reelect him you're going to get more of the same in this kind of hands off. We've given up. Let it run its course approach to the virus.
[Vause:] Ok. Let's go to the economy. Always a big election year issue this year. Mostly because of the pandemic. Again we'll hear from Trump followed by Biden.
[Trump:] Next year will be the grandest economic year in the history of our country. That is what's going to happen. We are cutting new taxes. They are raising new taxes. That is an easy one to figure out, isn't it? This election is a choice between a Trump super recovery or a Biden depression.
[Biden:] No one who makes less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more. If you make more than that you're going to start paying at the rate you paid under the administration of George W. Bush 39.6 percent. And I'm going to ask the big corporations and the very wealthy to pay their fair share for a change. Trump's more than $2 trillion tax cut, I'm going to roll back $1.5 trillion of that
[Vause:] You know, Trump, the businessman who went broke owning his casino was sort of always ahead of Biden on this issue of the economy. Who would do a better job. Biden has closed that gap significantly. Traditionally in the past, optimism of the economy, if it's heading in the right direction has determined the outcome of the presidential election. Does that gravity apply this year?
[Brownstein:] No. No. In fact even before the pandemic, as you know, we talked about it. I wrote extensively that something like 20 percent of the voters who said they approved of Trump's performance on the economy, nonetheless said they disapproved him overall and were voting for Biden. Even before the pandemic, we have never seen anything like that in American history. And that is a reflection of how many particularly well-off college educated suburbanites who were doing pretty well in this economy nonetheless thought that Trump was unfit by values and temperament and kind of behavior to serve as president. But more broadly, I mean this really is the kind of the broadest and clearest philosophical divide it's true that Joe Biden will not raise taxes on people under $400,000 a year. But he would raise a lot of money and he would spend it to expand the Affordable Care Act, to get closer to the universal coverage. A huge investment in green energy both as a job creation and a carbon reduction strategy. A big investment in education from pre-K to more money for low income schools in K to 12. And tuition free public college for families on $125,000 or below. They didn't do a great job during the convention. The Democrats were laying out these economic differences. And they didn't get much of a chance in the first debate but he is trying to kind of move more to that argument by kind of Scranton Joe versus Park Avenue Trump. I think this is the biggest piece that Biden still has to kind of nail down, particularly with some of those blue collar voters in the Midwest who tipped the election to Trump the first time.
[Vause:] Very quickly at the end, here they are on ending racial divisions and improving opportunities and lives of minorities. Again, Trump and Biden.
[Trump:] To combat the toxic left-wing propaganda in our schools, I recently announced that we are launching a new pro-American lesson plan for students called the 1776 commercial. We will teach our children the greatness and glory of America if they don't know it. But you know, they are not being taught that. They are being taught that we are not great. I've also issued an executive order to prohibit the teaching of critical race theory in the federal government.
[Biden:] The hardest thing for a young African-American to do is get down payment to buy a home. Every first time home buyer is going to qualified for a $15,000-dollar commitment to down payment on a home. I'm going to put $20 billion up front to make sure we take care of rehabilitating existing housing, and then spend the other $80 billion building new housing.
[Vause:] Ron?
[Brownstein:] Look, in a process that people all around the world would recognize, the central fault line in our politics now is not class, it's attitude for the way the country is changing demographically, culturally and economically. As you could see in Trump's language, he is ever more explicitly converting the Republican Party into a vehicle of white racial resentment, mobilizing the voters who are most uneasy with demographic change, in effect presenting himself as a human wall to stop it. Biden is consolidating in most respects those voters who are comfortable the way the country is changing. He's going to win the big metro areas in America. For instance by a margin even bigger than Hillary Clinton did. The weak link for him ironically given that he's been more explicit on kind of racial injustice than any previous Democratic nominee are a lot of signs that he is not getting the enthusiasm he needs among younger voters of color, particularly both African American and Hispanic. And again, that is one of the loose ends for him that he has to nail down even as the polls generally show him in a strong position.
[Vause:] Ron it's a pleasure as always. Thank you so much. Ron Brownstein for us from Los Angeles.
[Brownstein:] Thanks, John.
[Vause:] Cheers. New rules will mean the second and final debate between Trump and Biden scheduled for Thursday will be like no other U.S. presidential debate ever seen. This time when one candidate is answering a question, the microphone of the other will be muted. The change was implemented after the chaos and constant interruptions from President Trump during the first debate. The Trump campaign is already whining about the change saying it's an attempt to Biden's advantage, their favorite candidate but offered no evidence to support the accusations. CNN's coverage of that debate starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Friday morning in much of the world. You don't want to miss it. The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a Republican challenge to mail-in voting in Pennsylvania. The state will have to count ballots received within three days of the election day, even if they don't have any legible post mark. Meantime early in-person voting is breaking records across the nation. CNN's Pamela Brown has our report.
[Odalys Perez, Florida Voter:] There is a chance that your voice is not going to be counted. Why risk it?
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Correspondent:] Just 15 days to go and many voters are taking no chances. Already, more than 28 million votes have been cast nationwide. That number representing almost 20 percent of the more than 136 million total ballots cast four years ago. Ballots are now available in all 50 states and D.C. with in-person voting beginning in several key swing states in the coming days.
[Unidentified Female:] Good morning.
[Brown:] Today it started in 52 Florida counties. And rain this morning in south Florida did not stop voters from lining up before sunrise. For those voting by mail, by midday Monday more than 2.4 million ballots have been cast in the Sunshine State. That is only about 216,000 ballots fewer than all the mail-in ballots tallied in 2016.
[Perez:] I did have an absentee ballot, but I was not comfortable with everything that you hear in the news. So I just decided to come in myself.
[Brown:] 30 percent of ballots coming from Republicans. 49 percent democrats. And 20 percent with no party affiliation which political experts say is a growing trend in Florida as more voters are turning their backs on both parties. In Georgia, early voting continues to shatter records a week in. A massive 653 percent increase in absentee ballots cast by mail over 2016. Today in Colorado, vote counting begins as does in-person voting.
[Trump:] This is very incorrect
[Brown:] Meanwhile President Trump continues to give Democrats every reason to be concerned about a potential peaceful transfer of power if he were to lose to Joe.
[Trump:] Then they say, if you lose, will you have a friendly transition? I say I want a fair election.
[Brown:] CNN is now learning that Congressional Democrats, the Biden campaign and outside groups are working on contingency plans behind the scenes coming up with a two-part strategy in anticipation of that very scenario, preparing for a postelection legal battle and messaging war aimed at combatting misinformation about voting. Pamela Brown, CNN Washington.
[Vause:] A Chinese city is one of the first to offer an experimental COVID 19 vaccine to the public. But is it safe even though it hasn't been tested properly? A live report when we come back.

[Cabrera:] A mafia boss murdered days later, suspect is in custody. But here's the twist. Police say it appears the killing had nothing to do with organized crime. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more.
[Dermot Shea, Chief Of Detectives, Nypd:] Oftentimes, the first story is not the final story.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] It's looking less likely that the Wednesday murder of Gambino crime boss Francesco "Franky Boy" Cali was a mob hit. A source close to the investigation tells CNN Cali's killing may instead be the result of a personal feud. According to the source, the suspect, Anthony Camello, had some kind of relationship with one of Cali's family members that the mob boss disagreed with. Camello allegedly took offense to that. On Saturday, detectives arrested Camello. Police say the 24-year-old is captured on video outside of Cali's Staten Island home the night of the murder. He say Cali was face-to-face with his alleged killer moments before the shots rang out.
[Shea:] He has a conversation with an individual in front of that residence, and that individual, at some point in time, it's only about a minute into it, pulls out a firearm and shots are fired.
[Sandoval:] Cali was a reputed member of the Gambino family. He served a 60-month prison sentence for his role in an extortion conspiracy and was later released in 2009.
[Shea:] We are well aware of Mr. Cali's past. That will be a part of this investigation as we determining what was the motive for the incident on Wednesday evening. There are multiple angles that we are still exploring.
[Sandoval:] Detectives have yet to find the murder weapon and are looking at Camello's past.
[Shea:] Was he acting alone? Was he acting for other people? Are there others involved? What is the motive? I simply, standing here, do not have all those answers for you.
[Sandoval:] Officially, police are leaving all options on the table until they can definitively determine why Frank Cali was killed. Polo Sandoval at CNN, New York.
[Cabrera:] We're back in just a moment.

[King:] To the 2020 Presidential Race now, and the final sprint to Super Tuesday. Here's a look at where the candidates are today according voters in the 14 states, 14 states holding primaries on the biggest day of the Democratic nominating contest. More than a third of the party's pledged delegates are up for grabs tomorrow, and Bernie Sanders is looking to open a healthy delegate lead. Joe Biden cannot compete with the Sanders Organization. But he is hoping for a big bounce from his blowout weekend win in South Carolina. He is also hoping to win the backing of former rival Pete Buttigieg. Mayor Buttigieg bowed out of the race last night and two sources telling CNN he is now weighing a Biden endorsement. In his exit speech in South Bend, Buttigieg again making clear he sees Senator Sanders as the wrong choice.
[Pete Buttigieg , Former Presidential Candidate:] We need leadership to heal a divided nation, not drive us further apart. We need a broad based agenda that can truly deliver for the American people, not one that gets lost in ideology. We need an approach strong enough not only to win the White House, but to hold the House, win the Senate and send Mitch McConnell into retirement. That broad and inclusive politics that is the politics that we have attempted to model through this campaign that, I believe, is the way forward for our eventual nominee.
[King:] CNN's Jeff Zeleny joins us live now. Jeff, tell us more what you're learning about from the Buttigieg Campaign and these conversations with team Biden?
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] John, we know after Mayor Buttigieg made that speech last evening here in South Bend, Indiana, he had two very important phone calls. One was from Joe Biden, they connected and the Former Vice President congratulated him I'm told on a strong campaign and a good race. He also asked him for his support. And I'm told that Mayor Buttigieg said that he is essentially going to sleep on it. He's going to give it some time to think about what the best timing is for an endorsement like this. A variety of people around the Former Mayor's Campaign believe that at some point he will, indeed, endorse Joe Biden. But the question is will he do it in the coming hours before Super Tuesday? There is a mixed thought on this. The Biden Campaign believes this is setting up as a choice between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. They're not necessarily sure that an endorsement would help at this point, so that Biden Campaign also controls some of the timing of that. But look, I think it would help, and the reality here is that Joe Biden needs all the help he can get. So we will find out in the coming hours if he's going to do an endorsement before Super Tuesday or not. We simply do not know. We do know that the Former Mayor is on the phone right now with his campaign aides, he is thanking them for all their work. This is a process they have to get through. And of course all the acrimony just thinking back to between Buttigieg and Biden, they went after each other quite a bit. That's common in these races. Remember the acrimony from Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and other campaigns. It never reached that level at all. So the reality here is Pete Buttigieg is not supportive of Bernie Sanders' policies, so the Biden would be a home for him. We just don't know exactly when that would be. As per the other endorsement Barack Obama did something he is not done at all over the weekend called Joe Biden and congratulated him. That he said he is still staying on the sidelines of this. He believes he is the unifying factor in all of these, John.
[King:] Biden would like that one more than Mayor Buttigieg but he's going to have to wait at least a bit longer. Jeff Zeleny, appreciate the reporting there. And let's talk about Super Tuesday. Buttigieg out I'll come back to Biden in a minute, but I want to start with Bernie Sanders. And we can go through each of the candidates over the next few minutes and go through where they are? Bernie Sanders has the lead at the moment with 60 pledged delegates. He was second in Iowa, first in New Hampshire, first in Nevada, second in South Carolina. He has spent about $17 million on 13 states on Super Tuesday. He has the next to Bloomberg he is the only one who matches him in terms of spending. So we can look at a map and you look at the delegates and if you're Bernie Sanders, you're looking to run it up big in California, the biggest prize on Super Tuesday. You're looking to run it up with a healthy lead, you hoping in Texas, the second biggest prize on Super Tuesday. North Carolina more interesting Joe Biden is competing there, but if you're Sanders you're still thinking you're going to get a decent haul of delegates if not a win out of North Carolina. Then his own state of Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine. Up at home in New England up there and there are other places as well. Minnesota Sanders is going there today it is Amy Klobuchar's home state. But when you look at this map, especially the big prizes Sanders is poised to get a big delegate haul. I guess the question is how big?
[Zanona:] And how big is the gap between him and Biden perhaps right? I think as map favors Bernie Sanders. He probably will come out with the most delegates, but is Biden able to keep it close or does he run away with it Sanders knows?
[King:] And to that point he does know Sanders knows Biden has a bit of a bounce coming out of South Carolina, so listen to this Sanders' rally where he wants to remind voters, maybe you're giving Biden a second look. Please don't.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] Please do not forget Joe Biden voted for the war in Iraq. Joe Biden voted for a bankruptcy bill which hurt the working families of this country big time. My point here is not to just be negative about Joe. My point is to ask you all, what campaign is going to defeat Donald Trump?
[King:] Not a coincidence he gets tougher on Biden after Biden-
[Talev:] Now that he thinks he needs to be tougher on Biden again, right? There's been a lot of recalibration since the results Saturday night and the breadth of the results Saturday night in South Carolina. Look in a really huge state, the size of a crowded rally tells you nothing about anything. Momentum is important and the crowds are important, but in a massive state with like 35 million people or whatever, it's much more about how you're reaching people at home, on their TVs, in social media like the ad penetration is important, but there are other things that are important also. So I think we're going to see the Latino vote, be really an important factor in California and in Texas, and we're going to see whether Michael Bloomberg's bid to hit 15 percent thresholds in Congressional Districts all over Super Tuesday States has had an impact. On the one hand, it could take away votes from Biden, but on the other hand, it would take away votes from Sanders and that's really what the game that Sanders has to play again. So there are like a few different ways to watch these numbers, but the Latino vote is going to be important. Those huge populations in the two largest states in the country are going to be very important. And what Biden has to do, it seems to me, is work on those other states where the African-American vote can be very important, southern states and states where he may have be enabled to have more impact with less money. He has had no money to compete in places with like California on the air.
[King:] That's the issue. He is raising money now but he has had no money to compete really on Super Tuesday. And so let's take a look at Joe Biden and let's start with this. You just heard Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden gets a big one in South Carolina Sanders turns up the heat. Joe Biden gets that big win South Carolina and you see him here, he has 53 pledged delegates. That put him back in the hunt right? He almost caught up to Bernie Sanders in the delegate hub there. He was fourth in Iowa, very disappointing, 5 in New Hampshire, even more disappointing, but now at the moment you think he has some momentum. Second in Nevada, first in South Carolina, but to your point Margaret, only $1.5 million spent by the Biden Campaign his Super Pac even was missing as well in eight states. That's nickels and dimes, really. And so the question is when you look at the map, if you look at the map here he's in Texas today. Joe Biden hoping to do some business in Texas there is a big Latino population and a big liberal population, but you also have moderate and conservative Democrats in a big state like Texas. If you look at these southern states, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee I'm making a mess of the map here. Let me just come back and do it this way, draws the line up bigger. There are a lot of states in the south here where he is hoping like South Carolina. He can get African-American votes. Now he needs some wins, the challenge is to try to run it up in those other states to offset right? What they expect to be big Sanders win in California especially?
[Olorunnipa:] Yes, he needs to do very well in the south. He needs to replicate what happened with that coalition he built in South Carolina. African-American voters, a lot of modern white voters, some suburbanites, and he needs also have that coalition in some of the states where it's more competitive, North Carolina and Texas. And trying to build up his turnout among suburban voters, moderate voters hopefully late-breaking voters we've seen a lot of late- breaking voters in first 4 states that made up their minds in the final days of the campaign. You know if that continues tomorrow if there are a lot of late breaking voters that could help Biden. He could get a little bit of a bounce out of South Carolina. That's really what he has to hope for because he hasn't been on TV, he hasn't been spending a lot of money to get his message out there, so he has to hope for the earned media and media back the addition from South Carolina hopefully, for him, he's got to hope that will help him because he hasn't really had the money to compete yet.
[King:] And part of that, just as Bernie Sanders looks back at Joe Biden's vote for the Iraq War, thinks Joe Biden is down in the bath, Joe Biden urging voters now that he has the momentum out of South Carolina look that way. Urging Democrats, think about Bernie Sanders at the top of the ticket. Joe Biden making the case Sanders disagrees Joe Biden making the case Sanders at the top of the ticket would hurt Democrats down ballot.
[Joe Biden , Former Presidential Candidate:] He will have great trouble bringing along other Senators, keeping the House of Representatives winning back the Senate and down ballot initiatives. So I think it is a stark choice and it's not about whether or not we restore the soul of the Democratic Party, it's about restoring the soul and unite this country, the whole country.
[King:] I don't doubt that Biden believes this, and a lot of Democrats pass at this and Sanders disagrees, but is that the right argument to make in a primary? To not talk about you know talk about health care, talk about yourself and your record, issues and policies as opposed to, that guy is bad.
[Thompson:] Well, it's a very processed argument and it's one that Joe Biden has made from the beginning. I mean, this is a guy that started showing polls in his ads all the way back in August. So he's always been making these sorts of processing arguments, and whether or not they motivate voters, we're going to find out on Tuesday. The problem is he's so far behind on organization. There was a story just the other week where the day before California early voting, that Bernie Sanders' Office in Los Angeles was buzzing with activity, whereas Joe Biden's Office was padlocked, nobody there. He is way behind not just on advertising but also on boots on the ground. He is going to be relying completely on momentum and media.
[King:] He needs to try to come out of Super Tuesday somewhere in the ball park of 100 delegates down or fewer if it's much bigger than that, it gets hard. We're going to do more of this math as we go ahead through the program. This quick CNN programming note, an exclusive tonight right here on the eve of Super Tuesday one-on-one interviews with the Democratic Presidential Candidates. It's all live starting tonight at 8:00 pm Eastern on CNN. When we come back, we'll keep going through the candidates and the Super Tuesday stakes.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] A brand-new look at the status in the Democratic presidential contest. This new poll showing Joe Biden out in front with 29 percent. In this poll, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren pretty much tied there at second place. Everyone else, way behind.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] You're really infusing this with the drama that it, I feel, requires.
[Berman:] I'm trying. I'm trying. Joining us now is CNN political director David Chalian.
[David Chalian, Cnn Political Director:] Good morning, guys.
[Camerota:] Hi.
[Berman:] Dramatic in each and every way without even trying. David, so when you look at this poll, Joe Biden right around 30 percent, where he has been consistently. You have that second tier. What do you see?
[Chalian:] Yes, I mean, this is a little different than the NBC"Wall Street Journal" poll we saw earlier in the week where Elizabeth Warren carved out that second place position all by herself. I you know, I do think, as always, John, right, you have to look at these polls in totality and not just one at a time. And what you see here, and I think there's something really important in this poll underneath that tells us why we see this here, you see this top three, right? And, like you said, everyone else is just in a different universe beneath them right now. And when you look at the numbers, you once again see Democrats are so hungry for somebody that can beat Trump over somebody they just agree with or like their policies on. And only three candidates, now Joe Biden by far and away the most, by 25 to 30 points, he is seen as the one that can beat Trump, but only Sanders and Warren even join him in double digits. Nobody else is close. So so that is part of what of what's driving here that these three frontrunners in the primary are seen also, again, Joe Biden with a clear lead here as the one that can beat Trump, but as seen as the three with the best chance of defeating Trump.
[Camerota:] So let's just look at those head-to-head matchups that you're referring to, just so that everybody can visualize it as you speak. Joe Biden gets 52 percent to President Trump's 38 percent today. Sanders, 48 percent to President Trump's 40. Warren, 46 to 40. And then Harris, 42 to 40. You know, the president famously doesn't like polls that don't go his way. But this is a Fox News poll. I think that he is inclined to look at those.
[Chalian:] Well, we should just be clear, Fox News polling has nothing to do with the ideological bent that we see in their primetime programming. They're totally legit polling operations.
[Camerota:] The polling has always been found to be fair.
[Chalian:] So the fact that the Fox News name on it, we shouldn't assume anything about the poll. This is, you know, an approved poll by our standards. I will say this, Alisyn, looking at those matchups. What I think is more important than the Democratic numbers performing against him is that Donald Trump doesn't get above 40 percent in any matchup. That, if you are in Trump campaign headquarters, that is a problem. Like, that is that is going to be tough to re-create that path to 270 electoral votes if a year from now he's also sitting at his at his number there at 40 percent.
[Berman:] I will say, the other thing is that Joe Biden, the margin that Joe Biden enjoys over President Trump in the head-to-head is very different than all the other candidates. Bernie Sanders is the closest there, but he's double what Elizabeth Warren is.
[Chalian:] Totally.
[Berman:] David Chalian, I'm
[Chalian:] But, John, I would just say this.
[Berman:] Go ahead.
[Chalian:] I would be shocked if the margin on election night a year from now, no matter who the nominee is, is that is that wide.
[Berman:] No question.
[Chalian:] Yes.
[Berman:] No question. They reflect two completely different things. You know, one reflects where people are considering now and really their enthusiasm in the Democratic primary. Absolutely.
[Chalian:] Yes.
[Berman:] I'm going to exert some Massachusetts privilege here, David.
[Chalian:] Yes.
[Berman:] I think it's fascinating. Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts is going to challenge Democratic Senator Ed Markey, the incumbent Democratic senator. You just don't normally see this type of thing. There really isn't much of a difference between these two men on the issues. But what it is, is a generational challenge inside the Democratic Party, which is something a lot of Democrats, young ones usually, are calling for.
[Chalian:] Yes. I mean you remember, right, when Barack Obama got to the United States Senate and Harry Reid famously was giving him advice, you know, not to wait some time to run for president. Sometimes that generational change just takes over no matter who the well-liked, established party regular is there in the seat. What is so fascinating about this, of course, you just showed the poll numbers that show that Kennedy really could, you know, give Markey a serious run for this, a lot of the establishment already lining up behind Markey. By the way, including his fellow senator, Elizabeth Warren, who had already endorsed Markey, but when pressed and asked about Kennedy and his challenge says she has no complaints. This is her former law student. Somebody who has endorsed her presidential campaign. And Elizabeth Warren now is caught between these two, already on Markey's side, but not really wanting to mix it up inside that primary.
[Camerota:] David Chalian, very interesting. Thanks so much for seeing us today.
[Chalian:] Thanks, guys.
[Camerota:] Now see this, OK?
[Berman:] This is really I don't this is probably the most important story.
[Camerota:] I feel we've buried this. Why have we wait why didn't we lead with this. There have been mysterious objects, OK, caught on video by U.S. Navy pilots. This is real. This has been confirmed as real.
[Berman:] The video has been confirmed as real.
[Camerota:] Yes. What are these?

[Camerota:] We have some breaking news right now. Three New York City police officers are hospitalized, injured in what police say was an unprovoked attack in Brooklyn. Police say two officers were on an anti-looting patrol when a man walked up and stabbed one of those officers in the left side of his neck. Two other officers were shot in the hand. None of the injuries is thought to be life-threatening at this hour. The suspect is in critical condition. Police released this photo of the knife they say was used in the attack. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is reportedly heading to the hospital at this hour to see the officers. We will bring you an update as soon as we get more details.
[Berman:] This morning, the three men charged with murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery will have a preliminary hearing. Georgia's governor has a strong warning for anyone who might try to disrupt the proceedings. CNN's Martin Savidge, who has been covering the story from the beginning, live outside the courthouse in Brunswick, Georgia. Martin, what can we expect today?
[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning to you, John. Yes, usually preliminary hearings are considered to be routine and fairly brief. This is not going to be either one of those according to the officials we've been talking to. In fact, the D.A. the fourth D.A. in this case says that her team has blocked out the entire day. Now, all three defendants will be in the courtroom, they just won't physically be there. They'll be there by a video link from the Glynn County courthouse. All of their attorneys all five two for each of the father and son, as well as one for the other man who is William "Roddie" Bryan, who took that video that everyone's seen they'll be in the courtroom. It's expected that you'll hear testimony from one of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents outlining the basics of the case. Then the defense attorneys will be allowed to cross-examine. Remember, the defense attorneys for the McMichaels said early on that they were going to introduce a different narrative for the public. So we'll be listening to see if there's any building blocks in that defense there. And then also, it's possible that here in Georgia, defense attorneys can call witnesses of their own. It's very rarely done however, one of the attorneys representing Mr. Bryan says he will call maybe five witnesses. We don't know who they are but we could speculate it could be law enforcement and maybe some of the first responding officers. Also expected in court, Wanda Cooper, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery. We should point there is a protest that's going to take place outside of the courthouse here. Every protest I have covered here has been absolutely peaceful but given the agitation across the country these past few weeks there are concerns about what they call outside agitators. And you've already mentioned the governor. He says that any security forces that are needed can be called upon, all the way up to the National Guard, to protect these proceedings Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Martin Savidge, thank you very much for all the reporting. There is a major new development this morning in the case of Madeleine McCann. She's the 3-year-old British girl who disappeared on vacation with her family in Portugal back in 2007. A 43-year-old German man is now a suspect in this case. CNN's Isa Soares has all of the developments.
[Isa Soares, Cnn Anchor And Correspondent:] Madeleine McCann has been gone for 13 years the little blonde girl with blue- green eyes. Now, there's a new suspect in her disappearance. He's a German pedophile, authorities say a 43-year-old man who is currently a long jail sentence. The suspect who was previously been convicted for sexually abusing children was living in the Algarve in the south of Portugal when Madeleine McCann vanished from her bed there. As they hone in on the suspect, police are appealing for fresh information on two vehicles leading to him this distinctive camper van and this Jaguar car, which police say he registered in somebody else's name the day after Maddie disappeared. Critical for the case, too, this phone number which police said dialed the suspect's phone on the night of Maddie's disappearance.
[Unidentified Male:] There may be people in the past who may have got fearful to come forward to the police. My message is to anybody that has information, did he speak to you in confidence and tell you what happened that night?
[Soares:] Little Maddie, then almost four, vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal on the third of May 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby tapas bar. Her twin siblings were asleep nearby. Her disappearance has led to an exhaustive investigation with over 600 individuals scrutinized and four suspects identified and discounted. On the 10th anniversary of her disappearance, not much has changed for her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.
[Kate Mccann, Mother Of Madeleine Mccann:] It's a huge amount of time. In some ways, it feels like it was only a few weeks ago and other times it's felt really long. Our hurt of Madeleine being out there is no less than it was almost 10 years ago. I mean, apart from those first 48 hours, nothing actually has changed since then.
[Soares:] Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of Madeleine McCann, who turned 17 just a few weeks ago, have issued a new statement. This is what they say. "All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth, and bring those responsible to justice. We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace." Later on today we will hear from the German police who is working with the Met police and Portuguese police. German police, at this stage, say they are treating this as a murder inquiry. Isa Soares, CNN, London.
[Camerota:] We pray that that family can find some justice. He is a future Hall of Famer, but Saints quarterback Drew Brees is facing furious backlash from teammates and other NFL players over his comments about the protests. We have the details in the Bleacher Report, next.

[Bolton:] He wanted a probe of Joe Biden in exchange for delivering the security assistance that was part of the congressional legislation that had been passed several years ago before. He said it to me directly that that's what he had in mind. I think Secretary Pompeo understood, the Pentagon understood, intelligence community understood, people in the White House understood.
[Berman:] So that's former National Security Adviser John Bolton telling ABC News what he refused to say during President Trump's impeachment hearings and trial. Joining me now is Congressman Jason Crow. He was one of the seven House impeachment managers. Congressman, thanks so much for being with us. So that's what he would have testified had he been put before the House during the impeachment process and presumably during the trial itself in the Senate. The fact that he was not, he says, interestingly enough, was your fault. He blamed House Democrats for how they handled the process. Listen to this.
[Bolton:] They failed utterly to accomplish what they wanted. In fact, they made things worse, because their strategy fitted with the Trump political strategy, keep it narrow and move it fast.
[Berman:] What do you say to that, Congressman?
[Rep. Jason Crow:] Well, he's clearly trying to come up with an excuse for why he didn't come forward when the country needed him the most. And when his subordinates actually had the courage to do what he didn't have the courage to do, and that was tell the story during the impeachment inquiry, tell the story during the trial. And he has to come up with a reason for why he has withheld that information conveniently right before the launch of a multi-million dollar book deal. So he's no patriot, he's no hero here. He's trying to cast blame at other places to compensate for the fact that he didn't do what he needed to do for the country at the time he needed to do it.
[Berman:] Given what we ultimately heard from Republicans in the Senate, what difference do you think it would have made?
[Crow:] I don't know what difference it would have made. My hindsight doesn't work really well right now. But it was the right thing to do, right? He had subordinates. He had and people working for him who had the courage to stand up and tell a story that needed to be heard by the American people, that needed to be heard by the Senate. His subordinates stood forward at great personal cost to actually tell an important story about egregious and deep abuses by the president of the United States to help his personal election campaign. Now, we actually provided John Bolton with that opportunity. We asked him in the last week of the impeachment trial to submit a written affidavit to tell his story. That was after it became clear that the Senate was going to engage in a cover-up and wasn't going to call him to testify. And he even declined to submit that written statement, instead waiting five months to do it as part of a book deal.
[Berman:] So inside the book, John Bolton writes about a meeting the president has with a President Xi of China who says that he then stunningly turned the conversation to the upcoming U.S. presidential election, alluding to China's economic capability to affect the ongoing campaigns, pleading with Xi to ensure he'd win. He stressed the importance of farmers and increased Chinese purchases soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome. So, I guess, my question is now, going forward, do you think that statement is impeachable, if the president did that, is impeachable? And what happens now? Do you have any desire see something new happen with this information?
[Crow:] This is part of a pattern that the president engages in over and over and over again. And it's selling out the country, selling out our national security in exchange for his personal political benefit. Now, if you think what he says in front of a political rally or the cameras is shocking, obviously, what he says to our foreign adversaries behind closed doors is even more shocking. You know, whether it's saying to China that you can put a million Muslim Uyghurs in a kind of concentration camp if you buy a farm you know, farming and agricultural products from swing states, whether it's withholding military aid from Ukraine and then talking tough on Russia in front of the cameras, or so many other examples, where he says one thing and then does another to help his campaign. It's very dangerous. And my personal opinion here really doesn't matter. You know, what I think and what I would like to see happen is less important than how we protect the country. And how we protect the country is by getting this information out in front of the American people as quickly as possible, because the president is trying to meddle in the elections. The timing is really important here. We have to get this out quick. And we also know that the Senate is unwilling to actually discharge its obligation. The majority in the Senate is unwilling to discharge its obligation to be a separate and coequal branch and to hear this information. So we have to look at tolls we have to get the information out quickly.
[Berman:] I want to ask you something on a slightly different subject. You, of course, are a decorated military veteran who served you served at Ft. Bragg, named after the racist and quite frankly not good confederate general, Braxton Bragg. What's your feeling on renaming military bases that are currently named after confederate generals?
[Crow:] Yes. We absolutely should be naming our bases we should have our monuments upholding the values that the military stands for, upholding the values that I fought for. It shouldn't be to traitors. It shouldn't be to people who turn their back on the United States, who defended slavery in one of the darkest moments of our nation's history. We should be upholding our values and setting an example. That's why I think it's well past time that we change the names of these bases. I would be proud to have that base named after somebody who fought for and sacrificed for the values that I also fought for. You know, I trained and deployed to war at Ft. Bragg and Ft. Benning and it's well past time that those names are consistent with the values of our country.
[Berman:] It's a New York City question, not so much a Colorado question, but the statue of Teddy Roosevelt that's outside the Natural History Museum on Central Park West, the city has announced that they are going to remove that. Now, they're not wiping Teddy Roosevelt from the museum. It's that specific statue, which happens to have an African man and a Native American sort of subjugated, walking behind him there. That's why they say they're removing it. But what's your feeling in general about something like that? If you're removing names of confederate generals is one thing, but removing statues of Teddy Roosevelt, what does that say?
[Crow:] Well, that statue, that specific statue, you're right, it does portray a subjugation of Native Americans and African-Americans and it is not an appropriate statue. What we need to do is have a conversation as a country. We need to have a conversation and go through a process where we have to come to terms with some of our monuments, our statues, the names of our streets, the names of our bases, and what's appropriate for our values. And actually having that conversation, going through that process is really important. It will allow us to educate ourselves on our history, educate ourselves on the complicated course that our history has gone through. We need to go through that process and have that discussion. That discussion is valuable, but the results of that will also be valuable.
[Berman:] Congressman Jason Crow, we do appreciate your time. Thanks for being with us this morning.
[Crow:] Thank you.
[Berman:] New coronavirus cases on the rise at a major tourist hotspot. The mayor of Miami Beach in Florida joins us next.

[Sciutto:] We've said this multiple times, if you think this is a one city or a one state problem, clearly it is not. Every day we're hearing of new hot spots. Michigan Michigan is now seeing a surge in coronavirus cases. Detroit, in particular, emerging as a hot spot. The U.S. surgeon general says it is one of the cities that could see the pandemic hit even harder next week. At this point, 146 cases, three deaths in the city of Detroit. Joining me now to discuss this and the broader issues, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Mayor, thanks so much for taking the time. We know you've got a lot on your plate here. We're trying to get the word out so folks understand what's happening around the country. Tell me about the situation in Detroit now. Folks have heard a lot about New York. They've heard a lot about Washington state. But now we're seeing this pop up in other places. How bad is it there?
[Mayor Mike Duggan:] Well, Jim, your numbers are a couple of days old. We have 800 cases in Detroit out of 3,000 in the state of Michigan.
[Sciutto:] Wow.
[Duggan:] And Michigan has surged to one of the top five in the country. You're seeing the same kind of pattern right now in Chicago and Illinois. And it's just a matter of time before you're seeing it in Philadelphia, in Houston. And right now it's all hands on deck. And this community is coming together. We're running our first regional testing site, this opening this afternoon at the state fair grounds. And what it took to put together the test kits, the masks, the lab capacity, even the swabs, to get that started was a challenge, but we'll be up and running today.
[Sciutto:] Yes. You know, the president yesterday downplayed the needs, the demands for essential equipment such as ventilators, saying, in his words, I think a lot of the equipment being asked for, I don't think they will need. You ran a hospital for nine years.
[Duggan:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] You ran one in the midst of a previous outbreak. Does the president have a sense of the reality?
[Duggan:] Well, I ran the eight hospital system Detroit Medical Center before I was elected mayor. But in Detroit, William Knutson is famous. He was the president of General Motors and President Roosevelt, two years before World War II, got him to leave GM and run America's war production board. And he was a huge factor in what people came to know as the arsenal of democracy. And I feel like we need that right now. We need a national leader. And the thing I don't get is, whether you're for or against Donald Trump, he built some of the biggest, most complex developments all around the world. He understands supply chain probably as well as any president since Eisenhower. And I'm hoping that he puts that expertise to work and we get a national leader because right now I was in the hospital business. I can get on the phone. I can get swabs and masks. But every mayor and governor in this country are fending for themselves. And some are succeeding in a significant way and a lot aren't. We really need some national leadership.
[Sciutto:] I want to ask you, because a draft letter to patients and families was leaked from the Henry Ford Health System in metro Detroit and it outlines plans for how patients would be prioritized. I'm just going to quote from the letter there here. It says treating these patients, patients who are described as unlikely to survive, would take away resources for patients who might survive. Now, the hospital tells CNN that's not an active policy, it's part of their emergency response planning. But I wonder, and, again, drawing on your experience, having run multiple hospitals, are we heading towards that point where we're going to have to ration medical equipment and treatment?
[Duggan:] Well, I think New York is probably there now as well. Henry Ford is one of America's great healthcare systems. And what they put out was honest. Those who haven't formally put it out, every major hospital system in New York and Detroit and Chicago and Seattle are having exactly these same conversations internally. And we're trying to bend the curve. The governor of this state has put a shelter in place order in. And where everybody is doing everything we can to stop it. But you would be irresponsible as a health care system CEO if you weren't planning for that eventuality.
[Sciutto:] Goodness. Goodness. That is quite a quite a taste of the reality to come. Listen, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, we appreciate it. I just want to wish you, I want to wish your team, but also the people of Detroit the best of luck as we all go through this.
[Duggan:] All right, thanks, Jim.
[Sciutto:] Take care. A quick look now at the markets. And a three-day rally you've been watching seems to be losing steam. Stocks opening lower. This after the devastating jobless claim numbers on Thursday. We're going to watch the market for you. Just one indicator of many as to the effect of the economy of all this. Bigger picture. Some hospitals now scrambling for another piece of essential equipment, those N-95 masks. The ones that can protect healthcare workers from being infected. One plant is now racing to make the masks. Gary Tuchman is there.
[Gary Tuchman, Cnn National Correspondent:] Jim, heroic efforts taking place at this Utah factory to dramatically increase the production of those N-95 respirator masks. We'll have the story when we come back.

[John Vause, Cnn International Anchor:] Plus Iran to Trump, your mentally disabled. Come to Iran, I could obliterate you. A race to the bottom is raising the risk of confrontation. And later, call it Democrat survival. Two dozen candidates competing for the right to challenge Donald Trump for the presidency, but first, they have to face off against each other. All the images of heartbreak and chaos of human suffering at the U.S.- Mexico border, there is one which seems likely to become a symbol of a humanitarian crisis which seems to get worse by the day. His name according to the Salvadorian government is Oscar Alberto Martinez, that little girl lying next to him, her body tucked inside his shirt, her right arm around his neck is Angie Valeria, three years old, his daughter. They're found dead on Monday faced down on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. They tried to cross the river on Sunday and according to a Mexican newspaper, there were reports that Mr. Martinez had successfully crossed with his daughter but when he went back to get his wife his little girl followed him into the water, both were swept away by a strong current. Amid the recommendations over the death of Mr. Martinez and his little girl, there was another shake-up at the very top of the agency which enforces border security also confusion over where child detaining should be held. More than 100 children were returned to a Texas facility where just days ago conditions were described as deplorable. A team of outside observers reported children were exposed to lice and the flu and like the basic items to hygiene like soap, a toothbrush. The man in charge, the Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner announced his resignation. And later on Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted to approve $4.5 four billion in aid to ease this crisis on the border despite a threat from President Trump to veto any bill. CNN's Nick Valencia has more now.
[Nick Valencia, Cnn International Correspondent:] As the drama plays out in Washington, here along the U.S.-Mexico border in Clint, Texas, Customs and Border Protection announcing on Tuesday that they would move 100 child migrants back into a facility that was described by independent monitors as having unconscionable conditions. Heartbreaking stories where children are left to sleep on the floor, some with no mattress. Some children going three weeks without a shower, a facility where children or left to fend for themselves. It was allegations that were addressed by Customs and Border Protection on a call with reporters. They push back on those allegations saying that not only were they reported to the Inspector General but also that things like water and soap were customarily and continually available for child migrants despite reporting otherwise. One thing is clear that politics is being played on both sides while the fate of hundreds if not thousands of child migrants hangs in the balance. Nick Valencia, CNN Clint, Texas.
[Vause:] While the image of Mr. Martinez and his daughter has brought words of shock and horror from U.S. lawmakers, not a whole lot much else.
[Rep. Gerry Connolly:] The crisis that the border is a humanitarian crisis. It is the failure of our government to show any empathy or any concern for the thousands of people who are fleeing violence, gang activity, and dire poverty. This picture in many ways is emblematic of the failure of that policy. Where is your humanity? Why aren't we taking care of children and the parents were fleeing with them in a humanitarian way as opposed to turn them away, refusing asylum, insisting that they stay in Mexico, and the risks continue? And we just see that in this picture. That father risked all to come to another country where he thought he and his daughter would be safe and have a future.
[Sen. Jeff Merkley:] This father of this child were victims of American metering where they attempted to cross at a port of entry, reportedly they were refused the ability, put back into Mexico and where they had no family, no friends, no resources. So they did what so many others try to do in that situation and say we've just got to try to get across the border.
[Vause:] Well, as for Democratic presidential candidates, they put the blame on the Trump administration for the death of Oscar Alberto Martinez as well as his daughter. We have this from Senator Kamala Harris where she tweeted, these families seeking asylum are often fleeing extreme violence. And what happens when they arrive? Trump says, go back to where you came from. That is inhumane. Children are dying. She points out, this is a stain on our moral conscience. And there is a tweet from the former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke saying simply Trump is responsible for these deaths. Hope Frye is the Executive Director of Project Lifeline. She organized the visits by the Human Rights Watch and others to the detention center in Texas. She's with us now from San Francisco. Hope, thank you for taking the time.
[Hope Frye, Executive Director, Project Lifeline:] Thank you, John.
[Vause:] OK, this is a crisis which seems to extend way beyond just one Detention Center and way beyond one man, the Acting Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, the men who resigned on Tuesday, this is systemic and it is throughout the entire system, right?
[Frye:] Absolutely. When we look at the Border Patrol sectors that we went to, we went to the Rio Grande Valley and to the El Paso sector, we find identical conditions. We find a depraved inhuman callous disregard for the welfare of children across the board.
[Vause:] This is the reaction on Tuesday from the President of the United States. This what is happening under his administration as the direct result of his policies. This is what he said.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I am very concerned. It's in much better shape than it ever was. A lot of these young children come from places that you don't even want to know about, the way they've lived, the way they've been the way the poverty that they grew up in. But with that, if we can get this bill signed, we'll be able to do it.
[Vause:] You know, in other words, these kids don't know any better. They've probably known poverty you know, so they don't deserve any better in many ways. It seems to be the impression that the president is trying to get across. So I'm wondering, how much of this is a shortage of resources and how much is the result of a deliberate mistreatment and neglect intended to send a message to the rest of the world.
[Frye:] I think that they're so integrated that you can't really pull them apart. But I think to say that these children are come from such extreme circumstance, somehow or other that justifies the kind of inhumane treatment we're giving them is nonsensical.
[Vause:] I was just going to say, because with that in mind, the team of lawyers, I think you're with these guys last week, interviewed dozens of kids at the Clint facility, and here's part of their story from The New Yorker. And this deals with a lice outbreak among a small group of kids who are given to lice combs to share. They give these kids lice cones to share. Here's part of the report. One of the combs was lost and Border Patrol agents got so mad that they took away the children's blankets and mats. They weren't allowed to sleep on the beds and they had to sleep on the floor on Wednesday night as punishment for losing the comb. See, you had the whole cell for the kids who had beds and mats at one point not for everybody but for most of them who were forced to sleep on the cement. Haven't these kids been through enough with this kind of treatment?
[Frye:] I encountered at the Ursula CBP station in McAllen, Texas, I encountered a 17-year-old Guatemalan girl who had had a botched C- section in Mexico and births a month premature baby. I found her in a wheelchair crippled up, bent over, doubled over in pain, holding this ragtag little bundle that when she lifted up, the flap was a teeny tiny premature baby. They had been there in Ursula for seven days. She hadn't had a shower. The baby was filthy. I took a Kleenex, put water on it, and clean dirt. Now, this is a premature baby. There isn't a fold of skin on this baby's body. I cleaned black dirt from around that baby's neck. I mean, this is one girl and one baby.
[Vause:] Yes, this is the United States, right?
[Frye:] This is the United States of America. It took me over three days to get that child and her baby released into the custody of the Office of Refugee and Resettlement. We didn't I didn't ask that she be released into the United States, I asked that the baby and her baby mother be released to the custody of the group that is supposed to care for unaccompanied children. Customs and Border Patrol children are supposed to pass through there very quickly. It was never intended they would stay there. I met another mother, 16 who was holding an eight-month-old child. The child looked like it was made of wax. The child had the flu. They had been in there for 20 days inside a cage in a freezing cold place. She couldn't put the baby down on the floor on the concrete at all even if she'd wanted to because there were too many people lying there, there was no place to set the baby down. 20 days when I saw her on Saturday, she was still there, that was 25 days.
[Vause:] You know, lastly, this is incredible. I mean, the humanity here was just beyond belief. And last week the federal government tried to argue before a judge that toothpaste and soap are not necessary for safe and sanitary conditions. To that, Michael Scott who is a journalist kidnapped by Somali pirates, he tweeted, "Somali pirates gave me toothpaste and soap." Plus a CNN Global Affairs Analyst and Editor of The New Yorker Web site David Rhode kidnapped by the Taliban and held for eight months. He replied with this tweet. The Taliban gave me toothpaste and soap. At this point, what do you say?
[Frye:] You can't say anything. You say it's cruel and inhuman and it's sadistic. The treatment of these children is so wantonly, intentionally cruel that it's hard to imagine that it's being done by adults in the United States of America. It's really hard to imagine. And when you have a child, a six-year-old child sitting three feet in front of you, and you're looking into the eyes of that child so traumatized, so scared, so isolated, so cold, so lonely, and afraid of the adults who are supposed to be in charge of her, it's a tragedy, it's a heartbreak. These children's pain are tattooed on my soul. It's an incredible
[Vause:] I just don't know how you do it. I don't know how you go there. The humanity is just so you know, I'd love to break down and cry at times because the images, the people you see and that the stories are horrendous. One thing which
[Frye:] Well, I went
[Vause:] Sorry, go ahead.
[Frye:] Let me just tell you something that they have a lot of diseases and inside these centers that you brought up hand-washing. The WHO says that if you want to prevent outbreaks of disease particularly in areas where you have congregate care, wash your hands with soap and water. That's in the WHO guidelines. So all of these children we see, they're all sick. They have some version or some point mostly of Influenza A. After three days in the detention center, I got Influenza A. These children, if they see any kind of medical person at all are given some acetaminophen, maybe some Tamiflu, then they're sent back to lay down on the concrete in the cold room with the lights on 24 hours, in the cage, with the lights on 24 hours a day.
[I -- Vause:] To get sick again.
[Frye:] Well, no. At day two, I was admitted to the hospital where I stayed for three and a half days receiving intravenous fluid, receiving respiratory therapy every three hours including a half hour before I left the hospital. I had exactly what they had. I presented with the same symptoms with this same horrendous cough. I saw a mom, a 16-year-old mom from Honduras with her eight-month-old baby, the baby was coughing, this cough it sounds inhuman, that baby's nose was running, the baby was covered in vomit, and the mother said you know, she held the baby up at the cage for the guard and said my baby is sick and the and the guard said your baby doesn't look sick. And so she didn't get any medical care. When we saw the baby, the baby was burning up with fever. I mean who does this to children? This little baby, Baby Kay, the baby, the premature baby, I when I was dealing with this situation and I not get the government to release her, I was just it was an incredible thing to me. I just said you know, babies don't wait to die while the adults figure out what to do.
[Vause:] These kids have done these kids have done nothing wrong. They're just most innocent of victims here. You know, this image of the father next to his daughter found you know, facedown in the Rio Grande, it's very reminiscent of the photo of three-year-old Alan Kurdi who was washed up on a beach in Turkey back in 2015. You know, and that caused a wave of sadness and shock and disbelief around the world especially here in this country. You know, how could this happen. It was a wake-up call at least for a brief moment. You know, saying the world had ignored. But that was over there. You know, and there was also this of distance between the United States and what happens here in this country and what happens there over in Turkey and Syria. Now it's happening here. Do you think people have you know, have the same reaction to what happened to Mr. Martinez and his daughter as to what happened with that little boy you know, washed up on the beach in Turkey?
[Frye:] I don't know. I mean, I despair. I've been in this in around this area of detained children for a long time and people are very apathetic to it. When we have children who are separated from their parents, briefly there's a public outcry and then it goes away. You know, I don't know how people think. I don't know how they feel. I don't understand it. I don't understand why our voices aren't raised and there's a huge clamor because this is on our watch, it's not in Turkey. But I can't explain how people feel or why they don't take more action.
[Vause:] Hope, thank you so much.
[Frye:] You're welcome. You're welcome.
[Vause:] I don't know how you do what you do but thank you.
[Frye:] Thank you.
[Vause:] Well, on the one hand, the U.S. President insists he's ready and willing to talk with Iran's leaders over the nuclear program, but at the same time he's warning any attack on anything America will be met with obliteration. The latest threat comes a day after the president announced new sanctions on Iran's supreme leader as well as his inner circle. Although denounced by Tehran, but unfazed Donald Trump and he says when if it comes to a military confrontation, he's not worried and he won't need an exit strategy.
[Unidentified Male:] Do you have exit strategy for Iran if war does break out?
[Trump:] You're not going to need an exit strategy. I don't need exit strategies.
[Vause:] Iran is going one-on-one with President Trump when it comes to the tough talk and the rhetoric. The President there Rouhani weighed in on the effectiveness on the latest stations and the impact on diplomacy. We get details now for our man in Tehran Fred Pleitgen.
[Fred Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Some extremely strong language coming from Tehran on Tuesday with the country's President Hassan Rouhani reacting to the sanctioning of Iran's supreme leader and other key figures within the Iranian power structure. Hassan Rouhani coming out and saying he doesn't believe that the new sanctions are going to have a real effect on Iran's economy. He also doesn't believe that the sanctions are going to have an effect on the people who are actually sanctioned like the supreme leader, like key military figures as well. But, Hassan Rouhani and others, in Iran's power structure have said that these new sanctions essentially close the door for any, sort of, negotiations or any, sort of, notion of diplomacy in the future, Hassan Rouhani then lashing out at the Trump administration and even questioning the sanity of those in the White House.
[Hassan Rouhani, President Of Iran:] They have become frustrated and confused. They do not know what to do. They do strange things that no sane person in the history of world politics has done, or at least, I don't remember. This is because of their total confusion. They have become mentally disabled. The White House is suffering from mental disability.
[Pleitgen:] Now, those remarks from Hassan Rouhani appeared to be what set off President Trump later in his tweet, where he even threatened obliteration for Iran, if there was any, sort of, military standoff between these two nations. But one of the key things on the part of the Iranians, is they say the Americans are trying to get them to the negotiating table, trying to get them back to diplomacy, but at the same, the U.S. administration has announced that it would sanction Iran's top diplomat, Javad Zarif, and the Iranians say those two things just simply don't mesh. Meanwhile, Javad Zarif himself came out with another tweet as well, this time, attacking U.S. National Security Adviser, John Bolton, essentially saying John Bolton and some of those allied with him, which he calls the B-Team, are essentially thirsty for war. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
[Vause:] For more, CNN Global Affairs Analyst and Executive Editor for the New Yorker Website, David Rohde, joins us now from New York. So, David, it seems proportional, it's so last week. Back then, it was enough to call off a U.S. military strike, with just minutes to spare. As a reminder, he's part of the President's tweet when he described the estimated death toll of 150 people, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. A couple days later, on Tuesday, the tweets were all about overwhelming force and obliteration, and the red line, this is important, for military action, was withdrawn. Before, it was the death of one American, now it's an attack on anything American, like the U.S. drone. Has there been any significant development, though, between then and now, apart from the Iranian leader saying he believes that President Trump suffers from intellectual disability?
[David Rohde, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] That's a very good question. I think there has been. Look, I think it's wrong to not, you know, be concerned about this rhetoric. You know, as we pointed out, we went from, you know, not proportional to obliteration, in a matter of days. The president of Iran is saying that the president of the United States is mentally handicapped. And when Trump says now, you know, any attack on anything American, will be carried out. He's going to he's under pressure to respond militarily. So, you know, again, the President can change his mind, President Trump, but he has, sort of, backed himself into the corner with this rhetoric.
[Vause:] That doesn't I guess, the point here is that all, you know there's obviously things that we do not know behind the scenes, but at least publicly, it seems that this, you know, ratcheting up of American policy, which is a major change in the last couple of days. Publicly, again, it seems it's because Donald Trump was made fun of.
[Rohde:] Yes. And look, you know, all politics is local. You know, he is made fun up. He doesn't want to look, you know, weak to Americans, and to his political base, in the United States. So, that's you know, it could be his personality he wants to fight back, but it's always about politics. The flipside is that all this, sort of, you know, demeaning talk about Iran, makes it hard for the Iranian government to agree to peace talks. They are basically being humiliated and, you know, pressured to just capitulate, publicly, in front of their own people and, you know, they're not going to do that for their own domestic political reasons.
[Vause:] And for, at least, part of two states, it seems the administration, at least, some officials were still working from Friday's play sheet, which focused on negotiations without preconditions and public decorations of not wanting a war. Here's National Security Adviser, John Bolton.
[John Bolton, National Security Adviser, United States:] The President has held the door open to real negotiations, to completely and verifiably eliminate Iran's nuclear weapons program. All that Iran needs to do, is to walk through that open door.
[Vause:] As you say, pretty hard to walk through that door in the current environment, but is the best case scenario, a repeat of the failed nuclear diplomacy with the North Koreans, we went from fire and fury and
[Rohde:] I think so, yes. I mean, we'd be lucky to get another round of negotiations, at least, that would reduce the chances of, you know, some, sort of, accidental conflict. And it's you know, the broad Trump playbook is not working. The
[Vause:] How much do we make of the fact that, you know, the most steamed public criticism of the U.S. president is coming from a leader who is considered a moderate, especially when compared to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which actually controls the nuclear program?
[Rohde:] I think it's a sign. I think the level of Iranian provocation of the statement from Rouhani, and then that the tankers were damaged, which I believe is the Iranians, that they shot down the drone. That shows, you know, that the Revolutionary Guard is in control, they are trying to provoke Trump, they're trying to isolate Trump, you know, from Europe, and they're succeeding in that and to a certain extent. And I think they will continue provoking Trump. This rhetoric, sort of, just strengthens the hard-liners on both sides. It's not conducive for negotiations. And I would, again, I'd say overall, Trump chose to pull out of the, you know, 2015 nuclear deal, and he has not been able to deliver any kind of, you know, new deal, let alone a better one.
[Vause:] OK. So, you mentioned this, the isolation of the United States, because long-time ally, Britain, has said, you know, it was unlikely to sign up for any war with Iran. Listen to this.
[Jeremy Hunt, British Foreign Secretary:] Well, the U.S. is our closest ally. We talk to them the whole time. We consider any requests that they say carefully, but I can't envision any situation where they request or we agree to any move to go to war.
[Vause:] Well, on the other side, you know, Russia is, sort of, making it known that Iran is an ally, and also, you know, the Russians believe that Iran had every right to shoot down the U.S. drone. So, the Iranian strategy was to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its allies, also to leave Donald Trump, isolated. Would you say it's been effective and will continue like this if there's no change in U.S. policy?
[Rohde:] I think it's been, you know, effective in the short term, and I think it is very unusual for Britain to split from the U.S. That doesn't really worry, again, Donald Trump, you know, in terms of politics inside the United States, but it is a concern, and it's back to the thing of you can't, you know, belittle your European allies, you can't mock NATO and then expect to be backed by an international coalition in a moment like this. So, again, a big moment, a test for Trump's foreign policy all around the world, again, from, sort of, North Korea, to Syria, to Iran, and, you know, the beginnings of a Middle East peace proposal, and I don't see any concrete achievements.
[Vause:] David, appreciate you being with us. Thank you.
[Rohde:] Thank you.
[Vause:] Next up here on CNN NEWSROOM, protesters in Hong Kong, up the ante in their battle with Beijing. We are live with the very latest, in just over two minutes.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] And if you would like more information those stories, please visit CNNHeroes.com. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me. "THE LEAD" starts right now.
[Pamela Brown, Cnn:] Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Pamela Brown, in for Jake Tapper today. And we begin with the health lead. The CDC is now projecting the U.S. could see up to 200,000 total deaths in a matter of weeks. The U.S. has continued to average over 1,000 deaths every day for 18 days in a row now. Take that in. California just became the first state to mark 600,000 cases. And Florida and Georgia lead the nation in the number of new infections per capita. In fact, the White House Coronavirus Task Force has even urged Georgia to adopt a mask mandate, according to "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution." As CNN's Kyung Lah reports, it comes to schools and families grapple with the realities of reopening.
[Hilary Porterfield, Parent:] It was terrifying. It was, my worst fears had come true.
[Kyung Lah, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] That's how this Georgia parent ends a traumatic back-to-school week, her child quarantined, like more than 2,000 students, teachers and staffers across five states, at least 230 positive COVID cases now reported from schools. The head of the CDC says reopening schools can't be done quickly.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Cdc Director:] Yes, we don't want to pressure anybody. Our guidance is there to help them begin to open, as I said, safely and sensibly. The timing of that is going to have to be decided one school at a time.
[Lah:] Given what he's seen, this Arizona teacher says he's quitting.
[Unidentified Male:] We weren't given the option to teach from home, no. It's a small room. There's one exit. There's the ventilation isn't all that great for schools. And so it's just it's not a good situation.
[Lah:] But the Trump administration continues to assist schools reopen. The radiologist tasked to back up the president's own theories driven by this belief
[Dr. Scott Atlas, White House Coronavirus Adviser:] We know that the risk of the disease is extremely low for children, even less than that of seasonal flu. We know that the harms of locking out the children from school are enormous.
[Lah:] While COVID does rarely kill children, they can infect their homes and community. One state pushing schools to open while resisting a statewide mass mandate is Georgia. "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" obtained White House Coronavirus Task Force recommendations stating: "There is widespread and expanding community viral spread," and it would strongly recommend a statewide mask mandate. The spread of COVID in California is slowing. But the state reported a grim marker, more than 600,000 cases, the most of any U.S. state.
[Rep. Raul Ruiz:] The numbers are very high, and they're actually much higher in underserved and disproportionately affecting people of color and Latinos here in California.
[Lah:] Nationwide, cases are trending down in most states, seen here in green. But in the last week, the U.S. reported more than 360,000 cases, enough to fill Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium more than five times, and the death toll continues to stand at more than 1,000 lives lost every single day. In three weeks, predicts the CDC, between 180,000 and 200,000 Americans will have died from
[Covid. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Niaid Director:] I'm old enough to have been a baby during World War II, but I remember how the country absolutely pulled together. We put together after 911. This is equivalent to that, Matt. And we have got both together.
[Lah:] And we're learning this guidance from the CDC, updated guidance, that if you get COVID and you recover, the CDC guidance now says that you do not have to quarantine or get tested for three months. Pam, it is only, though, if you're not showing symptoms Pam.
[Brown:] All right. Kyung Lah, thank you so much for bringing us the latest there. And I want to turn now to Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Michael, great to see you.
[Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director, University Of Minnesota Center For Infectious Disease Research:] Good to see you again.
[Brown:] I want to start with what we just heard from Dr. Scott Atlas, who we know is an adviser to President Trump on coronavirus. He was talking about young people. Let's listen.
[Atlas:] Young people are not at risk for serious disease from this. If you look at New York City, of the night 19,000, roughly, 700 deaths in New York City, people under 18, that's 13 of them. And there's only one child, which is very tragic, of course I'm a father myself but there's only one child that was otherwise healthy out of all of those deaths. It's really very low risk here.
[Brown:] According to the CDC, it is true that people under 18 have a lower risk of getting hospitalized or dying from the virus. But there has been a 90 percent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among children in the U.S. and at least 90 children have died from the virus. How do you describe the risk for young people and their role in spreading this virus?
[Osterholm:] Well, thank you. First of all, we have to understand that we're calling children everyone basically under 20 years of age. And for this disease, that's not really helpful. Right now, we know that kids under age 8 or 9 do act very differently than do their older siblings who are in junior high or high school. And we do see fewer cases. For example, here in the state of Minnesota, we have actually had our child day care centers open all through the summer, and we have not seen any problems whatsoever in that area that would be of major public health concern. So I understand that, while we surely can handle the younger kids, and potentially bring them back to school when communities are not themselves on fire, the older kids, i.e., the adolescents and the young adults, are very different. Their situation is, they do have a higher risk of some severe disease, although still low. But what their real risk is, is bringing the virus to the rest of the community. I worry very much about what's going to happen post-Labor Day, as our high schools, our colleges and our universities come back together. We're already seeing evidence of widespread transmission. Even the earliest activities, I think they pose a great risk to our communities.
[Brown:] Yes, I mean, there's two aspects of this, how sick kids can get and how they transmit. I know, as a mother of two children, how often my toddler son would bring home germs and I would get sick. All last year, I was sick constantly. And you heard Dr. Atlas talk about the flu, saying that fewer kids have died from COVID than the flu, which is true as of now. Is that a fair comparison, though?
[Osterholm:] Well, I guess any comparison, you can say, is fair or unfair. All I would say is, I don't think it's helpful. I think the challenge we have is getting information to parents and to educators about what we might expect. I think that it's fair to say, with what we know now, younger kids, kids under age 8 or 9, will in fact transmit less, they will not see as many nearly as many problems as those older. Where I concentrate my big concern right now for our communities is in adolescents and senior high school kids, young adults. At this point, that's where we're going to see a lot of the transmission that could pose then a risk to teachers. It could pose a risk to other members of the community. That's what we need to really work on right now.
[Brown:] Right. And there was that study out of South Korea showing that young adults, like you pointed out, are just as likely as adults, or nearly as likely as adults, to transmit. You wrote this op-ed in "The New York Times" I read, and this is what it said. You said, in order to save lives and save the economy, we need another lockdown. Do you really think Americans can tolerate another lockdown? Because, as you know, Dr. Fauci has said it could be something in the middle. It doesn't have to be binary.
[Osterholm:] Well, I am not sure that that's the case. Let me just say that, right now, the best evidence we have is, until we keep people separated enough, so that we can really slow down transmission, at best, we have a lukewarm response, and we kind of do it, just like we did last March, April and May. We kind of did it, a slowdown, not a lockdown. If you look at the other countries of the world that really kept people apart until they drove the virus level down to less than one case per 100,000 population per day, they are the ones that basically have largely been able to reopen, even though they're still seeing cases, and they're still dealing with it. They have a very different situation. So my responses to those that say, can we do this or not, you're right. I understand completely. But in that same op-ed piece, we laid out the economic issues, and talked about how we have to hold America whole, all the workers, all the small businesses, city and state governments, and we can do that. We can afford to do that. I think the most important message is, If we don't do that, we are going to be talking about potentially over 100,000 cases a day. We're going to see those cases country bleed slowly to an economic death. And that's what we have to understand. So we have a choice. You can pay me now or pay me later. And doing it now is going to save many, many lives and, actually, in the long run, has a much, much more positive view on the economy outcome.
[Brown:] So you don't think that the mitigation efforts, social distancing, wearing a mask, you don't think that that's enough right now? You think that the country needs to go into total lockdown to get this pandemic under control?
[Osterholm:] Well, let me just ask you. I mean, you have been watching all of this, as has every other American for the last months, and you saw what happened just within within recent weeks of these large, large case numbers around the country. We still are seeing cases increasing. And I think that the challenge is, is that, right now, we're not even getting close to driving it down. I think what we're going to do is probably level off at the high 40s, low 50,000 cases per day, and then post-Labor Day, we're going to have an explosion of cases. It's going to go much higher than the 65,000 cases a day. That sure doesn't look to me like we're doing much, even though we have been preaching, distancing, we have been preaching masking, we have been preaching responsibility.
[Brown:] Right.
[Osterholm:] Have you seen what that's done yet?
[Brown:] So, I want to look at the other countries, because you did mention that other countries implemented the lockdown, their cases went down. But now we're seeing a resurgence in several countries, particularly when you look at Europe. So what do you think then? Would a lockdown then be necessary until a vaccine is created? Is that the only solution here?
[Osterholm:] Well, see, this is a an example of using the brake appropriately. What I mean by that is, you got to tap it a little bit, you got to let it up a little bit. There's actually a wonderful op-ed in today's "New York Times" from a leading researcher in Great Britain, who basically pointed out the fact that what Europe did is, they did lockdown, they got it down, they had it down. And then they said, well, just like America, hey, we will just let it go. And what happened is, they loosened up very, very quickly. And so now, in the last three weeks, we have seen increasing cases. They're already having the same discussion in Europe we're having here. The difference is, they are order of magnitude lower in case numbers. It's much easier to deal with 6,000 cases than it is to deal with 60,000 cases. And so I think that you're going to see them actually tightening up issues in Europe, again, as you said, to get us through to a vaccine.
[Brown:] All right, Michael Osterholm, thank you so much for that. Really interesting discussion.
[Osterholm:] Thank you.
[Brown:] Well, up next, the Trump administration testing czar joins me live to discuss why he says the U.S. does not need to be conducting millions of tests a day. Plus: multiple states receiving new warning letters from the Postal Service about the election what it could mean for your votes.

[Don Lemon, Cnn:] I'm Don Lemon. Sources at the White House acknowledging to CNN that President Trump messed up in his interview with ABC News that he bungled his answers when he said that he would accept dirt on political opponents from foreigners. Those clips have been playing over and over for the past 48 hours with one Trump advisor saying last few days have been tough. The president tried walking back his comments today but he never out right acknowledged that it's illegal as the Federal Election Commission flat out says it is. But Trump's sides Trump's aides, excuse me, say that they don't believe the fallout will be significant. That his supporters likely don't care. That as White House staffers appear to be ready to throw Sarah Sanders under the bus as she's on her way out the door. She's being blamed for giving ABC access to the president. Though they admit the decision to grant the interview was ultimately the presidents. A lot to discuss tonight. Susan Glasser is here. Peter Wehner is here as well, who by the way worked in the last three Republican administrations. And Juliette Kayyem joins us. Good evening to all of you. I appreciate you being here. Very interesting news week. So, let's discuss. Susan, the big picture, OK. Your latest piece in the New Yorker helps to, helps us to do that and to understand that. And here's the headline. It says, "Forget no collusion, Trump is now pro-collusion." Is that the message after the president's stunning comments this week?
[Susan Glasser, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] Well, you could say that was the message after his comments now. That was before his effort this morning on "Fox & Friends" to walk back his comments. I'm frankly confused as to where we've landed. But I found it particularly kind of comical the idea that White House sources are saying that the president bungled his answerers because he clearly said what he thinks. So, it's a classic kind of Washington gaffe of saying what you actually think and getting in trouble for it, it seems to me. You know, the president was very off the cuff and direct and sounded very much like Donald Trump, didn't he, when he said well, you know, sure, I'd listen to them and you know, I wouldn't bother to call the FBI. Of course, he did lie about the fact when he said I've never called the FBI in my life. It turned out he actually was an informant for the FBI earlier in his career. So yes, it's all very confusing, right, Don.
[Lemon:] My God.
[Glasser:] It's Friday night. And can you remember it was just Monday that president had his secret deal with Mexico. Doesn't that seem like an eternity?
[Lemon:] Yes, it does. I mean, it does. And if you at the top of the last hour we played what he said on ABC News and juxtaposed to what he said on Fox and Friends in subsequent interviews and none of it makes sense. It's like a Saturday Night Live skit. I mean, listen, you also write this, Susan. You say "Trump is a political octopus squirting so much diversionary black ink at us that diversions is the new normal now." A political octopus?
[Glasser:] You know, I wasn't sure if I should say squid or octopus but I wanted to say octopus because I thought that seemed more like it with all of many different tentacles. Right? Like on every given moment there's at least eight different Trump arms throwing a story at us, right? And so, I don't even know which story we're talking about half the time because it's all just sort of, one big blob.
[Lemon:] OK. So, Susan and I are going to stop pretending that we're the only people here and we'll bring in the other guest. So, Peter, listen, CNN a CNN source says that White House aides are frustrated with Sarah Sander over her handling of the ABC interview. Why is she being thrown under the bus when the president should be able to say no, you know, I would not accept foreign dirt. Yes, I would call the FBI. Why would they throw her under bus when it was actually him who answered the questions?
[Peter Wehner, Former Adviser To George W. Bush:] Because in Trump world he's never wrong. It's always somebody else's fault. You know, he said what Susan indicated which was he was revealing what's in his mind and in his heart. It was striking. I mean, when I heard the interview, I thought this is a moral narcissist. This is a person who has no objective moral standards. He's a person who believes that whatever helps him is by definition right and whatever hurts him is by definition wrong. And that's a kind of moral anarchy and it's a person who doesn't have any moral guardrails. And when you see it, you kind of stunned by it and it's hard to follow, right, from day to day and week to week what he says. But there is something consistent about him. And it is that sense that everything revolves around him and there's no outside objective sources of morality or ethics. And that's just a very, very dangerous thing. In the human life it's problematic enough. In a president, it's corrupting to a country and it can be outright dangerous.
[Lemon:] Juliette, I mean, isn't it also clear the president meant what he said the first time because he is now thanking
[Juliette Kayyem, Cnn National Security Analyst:] Yes.
[Lemon:] the Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who is blocking legislation on election security. Where he is like, you know, don't fall for the Democrats' hoax or whatever. It's clear he meant what he said the first time.
[Kayyem:] Yes, I had no doubt. And I know we know he meant what he said because the whole team had been hinting that this was where the strategy was going to go for a couple of months. Remember, we're a long way from there was no interactions with the Russians to we were talking about adoptions to well, the help we got didn't really mean anything. And now to we actually welcome the help in 2020. And you know, just to pick up on both point because I just couldn't agree more with the other panelist. I think, you know, the White House believes that there's never any consequences for anything that Trump does. If they could just sort of try to fix it and maybe put the genie back in the bottle because of the reaction. I'll tell you, two people, two groups said that we have longer memories. One is the agents and the lawyers and the FBI agents and the CIA assets who hear that know exactly where they stand in the pecking order for Donald Trump, which is he will throw them under bus. He does not want to protect the United States. The second is of course our allies and our enemies who, whatever the White House tries to spin this will know what the president meant and will react accordingly. Our allies, knowing that this is a president with of course no moral code and our enemies trying to figure out ways to assist the president in his, you know, flirtation to get bad to get bad information about whoever is the Democratic nominee.
[Lemon:] Yes. You know we were just talking, Juliette, you know, in the other show about he said well, there's no collusion. And if you are to interpret any rational person interpret the words that he has said in the interviews, it seems like he's willing to collude. This is collusion.
[Kayyem:] Yes. And I want to be clear here. The president is actually inaccurate I mean, he's wrong to say that there was no collusion. Volume one of the Mueller report is rampant with evidence of collusion between this family and the campaign and the Russians. But the way that Mueller
[Lemon:] Can we show all the heads nodding? Everyone. Wait, hold on.
[Kayyem:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Say that again so we can
[Kayyem:] It is rampant with evidence of collusion. What Mueller did not come to was a criminal finding of conspiracy. But the collusion, the interactions between the Trump campaign and the Trump family and the Russians is clear. All you need to do is read volume one. You just read it and it's I've always said it's like, to me, that is the most important piece. It is mind boggling. But also, just to raise, we don't know if collusion is happening now. The reelect campaign is in place. It's mostly the same people and I do wonder if Donald Trump was trying to sort of not throw what's going on. Now I don't can know what the Russians are doing. I don't know what other countries are doing. So, the president wants to collide. Whatever the White House says he meant, you know. He is the president of the president of the United States, he's an adult, right? I mean, what he meant what he said.
[Lemon:] Yes. And then he brings Norway. He's always Norway is always on his mind. But Susan, listen, the president is saying that he'd accept foreign dirt. He also, he is standing by Kellyanne Conway despite an agency saying a government watch dog agency in which he appointed the head of the agency. They're saying that she violated the Hatch Act. Do all these examples show that there was an ethical vacuum at this White House?
[Glasser:] Well, Don, I'm glad you brought that up. Because I've been thinking a lot about that today. There's a very striking comment that the president made actually when he was asked about the allegations about Kellyanne Conway. First, he said well, I don't know anything about it but it sounds like they're trying to infringe upon her free speech. But then he said I don't like that act. It's really not something that I'm in favor of. I don't like it. You don't get to pick and choose which laws you're going to obey if you're the president of the United States. And I think for me that comment really crystalized an overall attitude. It's the same attitude that you've seen on the part of his White House when it comes to congressional subpoenas, well, I don't like that. I'm not going to, you know, I'm going to pick and choose. And I think that is actually their attitude toward the law, that it's something fungible, it's something negotiable, it's something that depends in anyway upon the personal whims of the president.
[Lemon:] It's like saying the FBI director is wrong. Right?
[Glasser:] Yes. Well, there's that, too.
[Lemon:] Right.
[Glasser:] But you know, you can, even that is an arguably in the realm of opinion. Saying I don't like the Hatch Act.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Glasser:] Right? It encapsulates the idea of why we have a system that is a rule of law and not of men. And the president essentially deep down is antithetical to that.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Glasser:] So, the idea that the White House is not only going to flout it but look, read the statement that the White House counsel put out. I found that to be also a remarkable document. I'm not a lawyer. But just as a document it's a remarkable document. First of all, it's ad hominem, a very partisan attack on someone that the president himself appointed to the position and saying that actually it's somehow this Republican-Trump-appointed official is acting carrying water for Democrats for the media, you know.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Glasser:] So, it's a very telling incident.
[Lemon:] Peter, you want to say something on this and then once you say your piece, can we talk about your book? Go on.
[Wehner:] Sure. I just wanted to say that my sense of it is that Donald Trump is brought in his ethical or unethical universe to the presidency. This is how he's lived his entire life. And a lot of people supporters, Republicans thought well, when he becomes president, he's going to grow in office and he'll be a changed man. That wasn't going to happen. He's changed the presidency. The presidency hasn't changed him. And when we have these discussions about ethics, I'm telling you he doesn't understand it. It is a foreign language to him. It's like trying to describe color to a person who is color blind. I think he's genuinely baffled when he gives an answer like he to George Stephanopoulos and says, of course, we would take dirt from a foreign country. Everybody would. And then it takes a day or two for people to say, you know, that's actually not how the world works, that's not how ethics works and then they're left to scramble to try and clean it up.
[Lemon:] So, let's talk about your book. All right.
[Wehner:] Sure.
[Lemon:] "The Death of Politics: How to Heal our Frayed Republic After Trump." You know you just talked about, you know, him and you know, about ethics or you feel lack of understand of ethics. But you're offering some hope in this book it seems like.
[Wehner:] I am. You know, I mean, it's "The Death of Politics" because I feel like we're at a critical juncture and a lot of what we care about in politics is dying. At the same time, I argue that politics is really important. Because while politics is about a lot of things, it's ultimately about justice and justice always matters. And there's a tremendous human cause to getting politics wrong. I just like that there is human flourishing when you get it right. And I think one of the biggest things that I try and argue against in this book is fatalism and despair and a sense that we can't do it. This country has a remarkable capacity for self-renewal and we have it within our power to write wonderful new chapters in the American story. It doesn't mean it's going to happen, it's not fated to happen. But this is a self-governing country. Last thing I'll say on this is a lot of times in the life of an individual or life of a nation, there's certain qualities or virtues that you take for granted. And you forgot why they were important to you. And when they're stripped away from you, you remember why you cherish them to begin with and then you're willing to fight for them and make the case for them and stand up for them. And I have a feeling the Trump era is think of the as a virus that may create its own antibodies. And I have a feeling that by the time we get to 2020, people are going to be arguing for certain things that they took for granted that they'll now understand is really central to being a good a decent country.
[Lemon:] Listen, you just gave a message to the country and I have do have say and I'm sure you know him and you heard what historian John Meacham said about your back. Right? He says conservatives need your book. I think all of America need your book as well. So, good luck with that. Thank you for coming on and thank you for writing the book. Thanks, everyone. Have a great weekend. OK. It's called "The Death of Politics" by the way. Peter Wehner's book. Elizabeth Warren has a momentum in a new Nevada poll but Joe Biden is still the front runner. We're going to dig in to how the 2020 race is shaping up. That's next.

[Poppy Harlow:] Good evening from the CNN Center in Atlanta, welcome to a CNN Democratic presidential town hall. I'm thrilled you're all with us. I'm Poppy Harlow. And you just heard from Congressman Seth Moulton. Later tonight, you will hear from Congressman Eric Swalwell. But right now it is Congressman Tim Ryan's turn. He is a Democrat from Ohio, and he is running on the message and the promise that he hopes will win back working-class voters who left the Democratic Party in 2016. So tonight, he will take questions from you in the audience, Democrats and independents who say they plan to participate in the Democratic primary and caucuses. Please welcome Congressman Tim Ryan.
[Rep. Tim Ryan,  2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate:] Hello.
[Harlow:] Good evening.
[Ryan:] Hi.
[Harlow:] Thank you for being here.
[Ryan:] Thanks for having me.
[Harlow:] Welcome tonight. We have a great audience, thank you.
[Ryan:] Yeah, very energetic crowd here tonight.
[Harlow:] Thank you for spending your Sunday night with us.
[Ryan:] Thank you. Thank you.
[Harlow:] And I do want to get to the news, which is tragic news, that we have to talk about: Friday's shooting in Virginia Beach, 12 innocent lives taken, murdered. Four people wounded seriously, the deadliest shooting in this country this year. What authorities are saying is that two.45 caliber pistols were found at the scene, both legally purchased by the gunman. One of those pistols, they say, had a suppressor. Several extended magazines were found near the shooter. You wrote in response, quote, we need real gun reform and we need it now. Is there any law that could have been passed that would have prevented this?
[Ryan:] I don't know if it would have prevented it, and first let me just say we all watch these stories, heart breaking, because we're away from our families and we know that we're all vulnerable now, especially in these public spaces. My wife's a first grade schoolteacher, so when these school shootings happen, it hits particularly close to home for us with school-aged kids as well. I think it could have been less severe if we had gun reform that didn't allow for those extended magazines and the silencers. That's ridiculous. I mean, to say that someone can have a silencer or can an extended magazine in the United States today those need to be banned in the United States. That should not be a partisan issue. And the NRA needs to get off their dime and help the American people make that happen.
[Harlow:] And you say this as someone who once had an A grade from the NRA. You now pulled an F grade from the NRA. Your position has changed. Let's go to our first audience question. From Andrea Tigner. She joins us she is an interior designer, and the volunteer leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Good evening. What's your question.
[Andrea Teichner, Volunteer Leader, Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America:] Hi, Congressman Ryan. It's nice to have you here tonight. I'm a fellow Ohioan, let's where I grew up.
[Ryan:] All right. Where in Ohio?
[Teichner:] I grew up in Toledo east side of Toledo Oregon, Ohio. Big shout out to all my friends there. As you well know, because you serve for Ohio, Ohio and where I grew up, where you grew up, we have a strong culture of hunting, fishing, outside sporting. That same culture is here in Georgia where I now make my home. However, the training requirements to get a license, to own a firearm are very different between our two states and across the country. And I would like to know that if you're elected, one, would you work toward requiring states to have a minimum training requirement in order to own a gun? And if so, what would you do to try to do that? And if not, why?
[Ryan:] Thank you for the question. And you're right. So just so everyone knows, I mention my wife's a first grade school teacher. This is the first time I've ever gotten applauded for going from an A to an F on anything that I've done. So, thank you for that. You're right, Ohio, we have a sportsman culture, one of the great days of my life every year is when our oldest son, Mason, who's 16 and I do a duck hunting trip together. He does a lot better than me, so we won't talk too much about that. But I do think we need to have some requirements. I hate to get too much into what the states should do, but we should consistently be helping states make sure that gun owners pass a background check, make sure that assault weapons are banned. We should not have weapons of war on the street in United States make sure. We should make sure we study we should make sure we study gun violence as a public health issue. And so we can help in that regard. And I think it's important for the federal government to do those things, and do them immediately. Thank you for...
[Harlow:] Congressman, let me just follow up on that and thank you for the question, Andrea. Your fellow presidential candidate, fellow Democratic, Congressman Eric Swalwell, who happens to be up next in our town hall even with my colleague Jim Sciutto, he would like to institute what a ban on what he calls, quote, military style semiautomatic assault weapons. He wants to offer a buy back program for them, and then criminally prosecute anyone who does not sell them back. So, essentially they could face jail time if they don't sell those guns back. Do you support that? Yes or no?
[Ryan:] Well, I don't know the whole piece of legislation. I do support an assault weapons ban.
[Harlow:] Well, it's pretty I mean, he laid it out, which is, if you have these weapons you have to sell them back to the government and if you don't, you can be criminally prosecuted. As someone who has owned guns, hunted, do you support that?
[Ryan:] I can't see why I would not support it. Again, I don't want to say something I support that I don't know about, and I haven't read, but I do support an assault weapons ban. I do support a background check. And if you're going to buy the weapons back, I would be supportive of that. So, I just want to see the details of it. But I am committed to making sure that we have absolute gun reform here in the United States, as I said. We watch these school shootings. We have kids in school. My wife is in the schools. This is something I want to have an impact as president of the United States on.
[Harlow:] All right, congressman, let's get to our next question. Michael Allen is with us. Michael is a professional singer. You can serenade the whole group later.
[Ryan:] Let's see what you got there, fella.
[Michael Allen, Singer:] Not for free, I'm a capitalist
[Allen:] Which is OK.
[Ryan:] That's OK. I'm down with that.
[Allen:] I want to ask you something about something that you're is prominent in your campaign about winning back the voters that we lost, particularly in your part of the country that ultimately gave the presidency to Donald Trump. He won a lot of those voters by promising to bring back jobs, in a lot of industries that are simply 20th Century technologies or 19th Century technologies, some of them have been automated out of existence. Would you commit to telling workers like that, telling them the truth, their jobs aren't going to come back, and helping them and coming up with concrete plans to help them move into the 21st Century workforce?
[Ryan:] I appreciate that. It's a good question. I'm running because I understand exactly what those workers are going through. And in many ways, I believe I'm the only one in this campaign who deeply, deeply understands what those workers are going through,because I've been living in communities like that my entire life. My grandfather was a steel worker. My wife is from that community. Her dad worked in a steel mill, lost his job 40 years ago when they shut the gates down. I could tell you a story about my cousin Donny who was a Vietnam vet. He his last act at the company he worked for was to unbolt the machine from the factory floor, put it in a box and ship it to China, OK? And then I can go back a couple weeks, and it's been in the New York Times above the fold about the General Motor plant that has closed. And that plant used to have 16,000 people. And when these plants closed, I know who's working in them, they're my family, they're my friends. The first place I went when they laid off the last shift at General Motors was to go to union hall and put my arms around those workers, because I know them. And to your question, I've been telling people in my community since I started in politics, the steel mills aren't coming back. I've been telling them the truth for 20 years, and I've been doing everything in my power to bring money back, use my congressional position on the appropriations committee the last 17 years, I brought back hundreds of millions of dollars to my community to start an energy incubator, to work around additive manufacturing and 3D printing, to move our community into those future industries. That's what I want to do as president of the United States, because these folks, my folks, our folks are forgotten. They're black, they're white, they're brown, they're gay, they're straight, they take a shower after work, and when I'm president, they're not going to be forgotten anymore. When I walk into the White House every morning, when I walk into the Oval Office every morning, no one's going to have to explain to me why I'm there or who I'm there for, OK?
[Harlow:] So congressman, let's talk a little bit more about General Motors, because...
[Ryan:] Sorry?
[Harlow:] Let's talk a little bit more about General Motors, and I really appreciate that question, it's your district, the Lordstown plant. I have spent so much time there reporting on it for the last decade. And the president, as you know, has threatened to cut subsidies, for example, for General Motors. And I'm interested if you were president, because you've called General Motors greedy, you've said they turn their back on us when we needed them most. Should there be consequences for U.S. companies that shutter plants and lay off hundreds of thousands of American workers?
[Ryan:] And what you said I said, I meant, OK.
[Harlow:] So what would you do, right. Should there be consequences for those companies? It's a real question, do you let capitalism run its course or do you subsidize?
[Ryan:] I believe that the tax code and the trade agreements in the last 40 years have devastated our country. They've been written for the corporations. You can see it the pharmaceutical industry, the manufacturing industry, whoever it is, those agreements don't concern the worker. It's been a race to the bottom in the world for the last 30 or 40 years, and the middle class in the United States has been eviscerated because of that. And we live with this every day. The schools don't have funding. The mental health board doesn't have funding. The libraries don't have funding. So, you fix the tax code by not incentivizing General Motors to move their company to Mexico or to move their production to South Korea. So, work on the tax code. And I believe we have to have trade. We've got to engage the world economically, but we've got to do it in a way where we're lifting up their labor standards, their environmental standards, their human rights standards more in line with the west, Europe, Canada, the United States. And so I don't want any punishment, but let's write the rules to where they're going to want to invest in the United States. And I do just lastly, I do believe we need public-private partnerships. I am we have to save capitalism from itself right now. And I every economic project I've done locally in Youngstown, Ohio, and Akron, Ohio, and Warren, Ohio, we sit down with the business community, the investor, the port authority, the local economic development organizations, the local workforce organizations, the congressmen, the state reps, the mayors, the councils, you got to build a team. And to the last gentleman's point that's what I want to do as president when we're talking about winning the future around electric vehicles or solar or wind or additive manufacturing, build the team and let's go and win the future.
[Harlow:] Let's get to our next question. It comes to us tonight from Liz Heywood, who's a professional artist and designer, currently focused on painting murals all across Atlanta with political themes. Very appropriate. She currently support Senator Elizabeth Warren. What's your question tonight?
[Ryan:] Can I request a mural of me in Atlanta? Is that too much?
[Liz Heywood, Artist:] I'm a pretty diehard Warren head, so, we'll have to see. So, in a Pod Save America interview, you described worrying about the climate and rising sea levels as a luxury. Obama said that climate change is the greatest threat to future generations. The Pentagon said that climate change poses and immediate risk to national security. And I heard on NPR that 1 million animal and plants species are at risk of extinction. So why is climate change not one of your top priorities?
[Ryan:] Great. Climate change is one of my top priorities. When I referred to climate change being a luxury for some people to think about, I'm talking about the auto worker that just lost their job and can't pay the mortgage and may have to leave their kids to go work in another factory and not sure what their future looks like. And my argument is we've got to understand that they don't have the bandwidth to talk about climate, because they're worried about putting food on the table for their kids. And they're worried about where their next paycheck is going to come from. And so I talk about climate in the sense and I have three kids Mason is 16, Bella is 15, Brady is 5 will be 5 on June 12, that she reminds me of every time I talk to him. And he's been reminding me of that since January. This is a jobs program. I talk about reversing climate change as a jobs program. We should dominate the electric vehicle market, we should dominate the battery market, we should dominate the charging stage market. You know who dominates the electric vehicle market now? China. 40 to 50 percent of the electric vehicle market is China. We should dominate the solar market and manufacture those here in the United States. Who dominates the solar market? China. 60 percent. We should dominate the wind market. We can reverse climate, let's talk about it in the context of jobs. Solar is growing at 30 percent a year, wind is growing at 20 percent a year. We're going to make 30 million electric vehicles in the next 10 years. I want those made in the United States. And let's steer the investment to the communities that have lost, communities of color, old coal, old steel, old auto, old rubber.
[Harlow:] We're going to talk a lot about China ahead. So, everyone stay with us. Thank you for that question, Liz. We'll be right back with CNN's Democratic presidential town hall right here with Congressman Tim Ryan. Stay with us. All right. Welcome back to CNN's Democratic presidential town hall with Congressman Tim Ryan. Our next question comes from Matthew Banks, a student at Valdosta State University. What's your question?
[Question:] Hi, Congressman.
[Ryan:] Hi, Matthew.
[Question:] So given the news surrounding the Mueller report, do you think now is the time to pursue impeachment proceedings against the president of the United States?
[Ryan:] The impeachment question obviously has been a big one for a long time and a long time coming, a lot of people have been talking about it. The one issue I really had that I was waiting on was I wanted to ask Mueller or have the Congress ask Mueller, if Donald Trump wasn't president, if he was Tim Ryan or Matthew or an autoworker in Lordstown, Ohio, would you have prosecuted him? I wanted to know that answer. And the answer I got a couple days ago was, yes, he would have. So I so I do believe we need to move forward with the impeachment process and let me tell you why. No president, not Donald Trump or anyone else, is a king. They are a president. Article I of the Constitution, the first article, creates the Congress. It creates the House of Representatives. We are closest to the people; we go home every weekend; we get elected every two years; we're the closest to the people in the communities. And we oversee Article II of the Constitution, which is the president, not the king. And when you think that the president has committed crimes, which I have read the Mueller report and I believe he obstructed on multiple occasions, we have a responsibility. I don't want to. I know what this is going to do to the country. I take no joy in this at all. But I have a duty and a responsibility and that duty and responsibility has led me to think that we have to do this.
[Harlow:] OK. Well, that's news. Thank you for the question. That's news, that's a big headline for you.
[Ryan:] I wanted to do that
[Harlow:] there you go. You were hesitant all seriousness, you have hesitated to say this and you just said it tonight, that you support moving forward with impeachment proceedings now. Let's get to the next question, that comes from Peter Nunn; he joins us tonight and he owns a hair salon. What's your question?
[Question:] Thank you. Georgia's governor just signed a six-week abortion bill into law. You formally took an anti-choice stance on abortion rights. How do you plan on convincing female voters who are angry and scared of having their rights taken away that you are the candidate for them?
[Ryan:] Appreciate you asking that question. When I first got to Congress, 17 years ago, I grew up in a Catholic family, Catholic community, Catholic church. We were all very involved in the church. And my position was, I was a pro-life Democrat. When I got to Congress, I started working with other members of Congress, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro from Connecticut and others, on issues around women's health. And through that process, we worked with Planned Parenthood, we worked with NARAL, we worked other female members of Congress. And through that process, I met women, who had very, very difficult circumstances where they had to have an abortion. Now I'm sure it wasn't the first time I met a woman who had an abortion but it was the first time I ever knew that I was talking to a woman about an excruciating circumstance that they were in. And when I learned about their circumstances, I slowly began to change my position, started voting differently because I just don't believe, in these very complicated circumstances, that the federal government or state government should, in any way, shape or form, be between a woman and her doctor. That's their decision to make.
[Harlow:] So to follow up on that, Congressman, just last week, the Democratic governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, as you know, signed a bill into law that bans abortions after a heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Do you believe that there is room today in the Democratic Party for lawmakers who do not support abortion rights?
[Ryan:] That's for whoever's running for office to determine. I will say
[Harlow:] You're running for president and you were one of those Democrats.
[Ryan:] Yes. Well, let me just say, I'm a pro-choice member of the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party is pro-choice. And as president, I will nominate and have a litmus test to nominate judges that are going to support Roe v. Wade. That's my commitment to the American people. That's what I will do as president.
[Harlow:] Quick yes or no, is there room in the Democratic Party for lawmakers who do not support abortion rights?
[Ryan:] Well, you're asking a question that, you know, if a if a Democrat is running against a Republican, and they may have a few positions you don't agree with, then who are you going to support? And so I don't you know, that is determined by the people in the congressional district, in the state. I would just say
[Harlow:] Would you vote for a Democrat who does not support abortion rights?
[Ryan:] Probably not in a primary. Not in a primary.
[Harlow:] OK. So let's get to our next question. Karen O'Miller joins us, she's a special education teacher. First of all, Karen, thank you very much for doing the most important job and teaching our kids. We all appreciate that very much.
[Ryan:] All right.
[Harlow:] Karen lost her son, David, to the opioid epidemic. David was only 33 years old. She works with the addiction support group Broken No More. And, Karen, we are so sorry for your loss. What's your question tonight?
[Question:] Good evening. 50,000 people a year die from opioid overdose. We have a medication your ahh, sorry, buprenorphine, that has been demonstrated to reduce overdose deaths. Regulatory barriers have resulted in a lack of access to this medication. A bill has been introduced in the House, the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, which will deregulate the prescribing of your of this medication and allow every physician to provide prescribe I'm sorry this lifesaving medication. Do you support this bill?
[Ryan:] It sounds like I would; I haven't heard it, about it but, yes, that's something that I would support. And let me just say how sorry I am. We have experienced this in my community for a long time now. I'm co-chair of the Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus and we were able to make some small steps forward with the CARE bill, Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery bill, to get money down into the local communities. We've got to also be very firm with the pharmaceutical industry. I love seeing these lawsuits come against the pharmaceutical industry that would make sure that there were thousands and thousands of opiates that were getting to communities in West Virginia, to where everybody in the town had 30 or 60 pills. It's ridiculous in the United States. And they were making money off it. And I'm cheering on this lawsuit. So thank you for your question. But we this is a long way we have to go on the addiction issue, which is one of the reasons we also need some kind of public option in the health care bill to make sure everybody has access to treatment.
[Harlow:] You're talking about the lawsuit in Ohio that is about to begin the one in Oklahoma, a civil case going on right now, we're all watching very closely. Your fellow competitor for the presidency, Beto O'Rourke, says there have to be sentencing and time or there have to be legal consequences, including jail time, for drug manufacturers. Do you agree, jail time for these pharma executives if they are found guilty?
[Ryan:] If they are, yes.
[Harlow:] So let's talk more about this, because, again, I mean, look, your state of Ohio ranks second in the nation for opioid overdoses. I spent a great deal of time with our team reporting across Ohio, sitting in the basement of a home with parents who lost their 20-year- old son who is a baseball player. They had no idea. The sheriff of another Ohio town, his wife, the sheriff's wife, got addicted to opiates. I mean, no one is immune from this.
[Ryan:] Yes.
[Harlow:] What are we getting wrong as a country on this?
[Ryan:] Some of it we already talked about as far as the pervasiveness of the drugs, the quick knee-jerk reaction to use painkillers as a response, too much so. But I don't think you can have this conversation without talking about the despair that's out in our country today. And this is why I say, like I don't think we're getting it. I feel like I'm one of the only people who really understand because I'm living in the middle of the economic devastation and the opiate crisis, which is why I think we need a President of the United States who understands this. When you look across the board, you see many of these communities that have economic despair also end up falling into addiction and the depths of despair and suicide. I mean, this is not the way the United States should function. We are supposed to take care of our own people in the United States. And we've failed them. We've failed them economically, we've failed them with health care, we failed them with pensions and we failed to address some of these basic needs that they have that, if we were committed, we could save a lot of lives in the United States. And what happens is people had jobs that were paying 30 or 40 bucks an hour: now they're making 12, now they're making 13. And the president's running around, saying, yes, the economy's booming. It's not booming. It's not booming. And and so which is why one of my first initiatives is to have an industrial policy in the United States. We've got to get the job numbers, the job the wages up, $30 an hour, $40 an hour, $50 an hour, so people can work hard. And if they hurt their back, they're going to want to get back to work because they got a little fishing boat, they can take their kids hunting, they can go on a little vacation. But when you are making 12 bucks an hour and you hurt your back, all of a sudden and things aren't well, you start taking some pills and you feel a little bit better. And that's been the story we've seen for a long time in Ohio.
[Harlow:] I know you've seen it in Ohio yourself, let's talk a lot more about that and the economy ahead. Stick around, Tim Ryan, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back. We are live at CNN's Worldwide Headquarters for a Democratic Presidential Town Hall event. We will be joined by Congressman Eric Swalwell next hour, but right now it is Congressman Tim Ryan. Welcome back.
[Ryan:] Thank you.
[Harlow:] Our next question comes tonight from Joan Gage, a speech language pathologist working in South Fulton County Schools. Good evening. What's your question?
[Joan Gage, Speech Language Pathologist:] Good evening. My question is currently right now there are many farmers across Ohio who are suffering because of the trade war started by this administration. What are your plans for handling the tariff fiasco that is currently hurting our farmers and also which may deal with the intellectual property concerns that our nation has about China?
[Ryan:] Yes. Thank you. That's a great question, and China is a huge issue, an issue and a relationship I've been working on for 17 years. I was one of the original co-sponsors back in the day for a China currency manipulation bill to punish the Chinese for manipulating their currency, making their products cheaper to be dumped on our country. So I've been studying this relationship for a long time. I believe in targeted tariffs. We've had steel dumped in Youngstown, Ohio, which means they send a bunch of steel to our country, it's put our steel workers out of business, it's put a lot of steel companies out of business because the price is so cheap. So I'm for targeted efforts to do that, but this particular issue about tariffs needs to be part of a larger strategy against China. China is on the move. China is our number one threat. We have a relationship, but they're a they're a threat. They want to take us out economically. And they are building islands in the South China Sea. They're building ports in the Middle East. They're building rail lines from Northeast China all the way to Rotterdam. They are signing long-term raw material contracts in Africa to feed their industrial machine. They want to dominate the top 10 industries in the world around added to manufacturing, wind, solar, artificial intelligence, all the rest. Trump does not have a big strategy. He has a tactic that gets him on TV because he sends a tweet out tariffs are on, tariffs are off and the media runs with it all the time, and it changes the subject, and he can look tough. We're getting out clock cleaned. We talked earlier in the night that 40 percent to 50 percent of the electric vehicle market, 60 percent of the solar market, they're running circles around us with 5G fifth generation Internet. We need an industrial policy in the United States if we're going to take on China. And if you think that makes sense, what I just told you, I need your help. I need you to go to timryanforamerica.com and listen to what I'm saying about China. Listen to how long I've been talking about this because when I'm president, that's going to be the number one issue that the president is going to have to deal with our long-term relationship with China.
[Harlow:] So so Congressman, you do support, as you just said, again, some tariffs, OK. So there would be some tariffs under a President Ryan. Tariffs, we all know, we pay for them. They're a tax on the American people, so wouldn't continuing at least some of the president's tariffs hurt the very people you're trying to help?
[Ryan:] Yes, well depends if its targeted. His are not targeted.
[Harlow:] But it's still a you know what I mean. It's still a tax.
[Ryan:] I well, I understand, but we're in a very complicated relationship with them. It's about sitting down and working it out. I'm for taking a strong position and then negotiating from a strong position. He's taking a punch and we have no clue what the plan is, what the strategy is, and our farmers are getting hammered. We are having a recession in rural America right now, and they're sending money to China they're sending money. The president is on his second payment to the farmers. They don't want a they don't want a payment. They want to be able to sell their product and we need to be able to do that. And oh, by the way, Poppy, he made a lot of promises to the auto workers in Youngstown. I think it would be nice if he's spending, you know $20 billion to $30 billion helping farmers deal with a crisis he could spend $1 billion, help General Motors open that factory back up in Youngstown, Ohio, and we can start producing electric cars and we'll kick China's butt that way instead of what he's trying to do now.
[Harlow:] So our next question comes tonight from Kish Woodward. She is a Program Manager for the Atlantis School of Sleep Medicine. Good evening.
[Kish Woodward, Program Manager For A School Of Sleep Medicine:] Good evening. As a fellow Ohioan, I understand that issues affecting Youngstown can be very different than those issues affecting Columbus where I'm from originally or Cincinnati. Your campaign seems to be focused on winning back the white working class. How will you address issues such as racial inequality that are not a main focus of your base?
[Ryan:] Thank you for that question, fellow Buckeye. Got more Buckeyes over here? All right.
[Harlow:] So Congressman, on that point and thank you, Kish, for that question. On that point you said just a few months ago let me quote here "I don't necessarily think we need another white guy for president." Of course, that struck me. It struck a lot of us when you said that. Whether you are on the ticket or not, are you comfortable with an all white, all male ticket for the democratic party in 2020?
[Ryan:] No, absolutely not. And I we have to our ticket and the next president's cabinet must reflect the diversity of the country, and I'm committed to do that.
[Harlow:] All right, our next question tonight comes from Tyler Wiegert. He is a research analysts for the power of products industry, currently he supports Senator Cory Booker. Good evening.
[Tyler Wiegert, Research Analyst:] Good evening. Thank you. My question is as one of the leaders of the movement to prevent Speaker Pelosi from regaining the speakership, what are your thoughts on her performance so far? Do you think she has been effective in holding the caucus together? And if you became president, do you think she would be an effective ally in the House or would you prefer to work with a new Speaker?
[Ryan:] That's a great question, Mr. Cory Booker fan.
[Harlow:] So Congressman, so two years ago feel free to take some water.
[Ryan:] Yes.
[Harlow:] So two years ago, my colleague Don Lemon asked you whether you believe Speaker Pelosi was more toxic than Donald Trump to some people across the country, and you said, quote, "in some areas of the country, yes she is." Do you stand by that today?
[Ryan:] I think things have shifted a little bit given President Trump's performance, but I'm sure there are areas still in the country where President Trump is more popular, but her approval ratings have gone up significantly. And my whole thing the whole time was, look, we've become a coastal party. We feel forgotten in the industrial Midwest. We feel forgotten many in the south. And my whole pitch was like we need to be represented. No one is hearing us. We are forgotten here. We signed these big trade deals, globalization, automation. It's like we're over here waving. How about us? How about us? We're Americans, too. It was great when we were building the steel and building the cars, and now all of a sudden they say there's a great line from the Bruce Springsteen song about Youngstown. Oh, you told us times have changed once we made you rich enough, rich enough to forget our names. That's how we feel. And so, my pitch against for democratic leadership was like we need people not just another generation, but people from parts of the country that have been forgotten. And that's why I'm running for president because I'm not going to forget. I'm from there. I live there. My family's there. We go to school there. And so, I want an opportunity represent the entire country, all of the forgotten communities, all of the forgotten people across the United States. I want an opportunity to walk into the White House and pull every lever possible that the President of the United States on behalf of the working class white, black, brown, gay, straight. I will be a working class president for the American people.
[Harlow:] Stay with us. Congressman Tim Ryan. We're going to be right back with CNN Democratic Presidential Town Hall here tonight with Congressman Tim Ryan. Stay right there. All right. Welcome back. We're live in Atlanta for CNN's back-to-back presidential town halls. Here with us now is Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio. Thank you for sticking around.
[Ryan:] Yes. It's been great.
[Harlow:] Some great audience questions.
[Ryan:] Yes, yes, great.
[Harlow:] So let's talk about you for a moment. Politicians don't like to talk about themselves.
[Ryan:] No, I guess If you twist my arm.
[Harlow:] Let's talk about you for a moment: high school quarterback.
[Ryan:] Yes.
[Harlow:] president of your fraternity in college congressman. Yogi?
[Ryan:] Yes.
[Harlow:] True story?
[Ryan:] No question. I love doing hot yoga. I did not take you for a hot yoga crowd at all. Yes, I learned centering prayer, which is a Catholic-based meditation, from a priest friend of mine back home. And that sent me on a journey, where I then went on mindfulness meditation retreats for five days, seven days. I've done several of those before I was married with kids.
[Harlow:] There is no time. I'm not going to go home and tell my husband I'm going to a seven-day silence retreat but I would like to do that.
[Ryan:] Yes.
[Harlow:] But you went and you sat in silence for like 36 hours?
[Ryan:] Yes. And then a week. Yes. It's an amazing experience. It reduces your stress level dramatically. And it's no phones, no journaling, no TV. And so it's been great because there's so much research on it now, how much it can help kids, how much it can help people who have addictions, just generally for all of us, where stress is a huge killer. It's a very simple practice that has no side effects.
[Harlow:] How has it changed you?
[Ryan:] Well, the stress level is different. I think you start to see through a lot of the B.S. And you kind of cut through the noise, which has been very helpful in politics in the last few years. It helps you see how things are interconnected. It helps you really see a little bit deeper into people, kind of looking into their hearts and really see what's motivating them. A lot of the trauma, I mean, you look at what's happening today with so many of our kids that have so much trauma, the adverse childhood experiences that they have, this is a real focus. Putting social and emotional learning into schools is like a really big part of my educational plan because it deals with the kids' trauma. And if you don't deal with the trauma, the brain doesn't function properly. We've learned more about the brain in the last 20 years than we have in the previous 100. And if you don't understand if you don't take care of the kids' trauma, you're not going to be able to teach them.
[Harlow:] If people want to know more, actually, you've even written a book on mindfulness. Let me get to the next question. Jessie Lovett joins us tonight, Jessie is a retired property manager and currently supports former Vice President Joe Biden. Good evening. What's your question?
[Question:] Good evening. What changes would you propose to the existing Affordable Care Act? Or do you support the Medicare plan for all?
[Ryan:] Thank you for that. Let me first say we've covered a lot of ground. timryanforamerica.com., if you go to my website, we'll outline all of these issues that we covered tonight and didn't cover tonight, even including mindfulness and yoga with veterans, really helping them heal, which is transforming their lives, which has been amazing. I have been on the Medicare for all bill since 2007. I believe that the very next step we have to take is to have a public option so that everybody can buy affordable, accessible health care. But I also believe that we need to have another conversation. The current system is a disease care system. It's a sick care system: wait until we get sick, throw a bunch of money at it. Pharmaceutical companies make a bunch of money. Insurance companies make a bunch of money. We need to have a conversation about health in the United States. We need to have a conversation about our food system in the United States and we need to have a conversation about our agriculture we need to also have a conversation about our agriculture system in the United States and what kind of food are we producing? How do we move to a more regional, sustainable agricultural system? We're destroying our soil, destroying our environment. We lose 220 cubic tons of fish in the Gulf of Mexico every year because of what we're sending down the Mississippi River that runs into the Gulf of Mexico. We need to talk about incentivizing doctors and patients to be health, pay doctors to help get us healthy, reward patients with rebates and refunds to stay healthy. These are critical components of how we stay health; 75 percent of our health care costs in the United States are from chronic diseases that are largely preventable preventable, $2 trillion to $3 trillion a year. So my health care plan is make sure we get everybody covered. Mental health, addiction, all of these critical issues that are facing people today. But let's flip this system and get people healthy. You want to knock the knees out from the pharmaceutical industry? Let's all say, how do we get a little more healthy in the United States so we don't need the damn pharmaceutical industry? We save that money for people we save that money for people who are really sick and can't change that for through their diets or other things. The money should be reserved for those people. Get out of the disease care system and move it to health, food and take care of our soil.
[Harlow:] Congressman Tim Ryan.
[Ryan:] Thank you.
[Harlow:] Thank you very much for tonight. Thank you all for joining us. Stay right there. Still ahead, Congressman Eric Swalwell will join us at the top of the hour. My buddy, Jim Sciutto, takes over next. We'll be right back. Thanks, everyone.

[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back to our viewers all over the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour. The prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern led tributes to Friday's shooting victims in her country. In parliament just a short time ago she spoke there. A day earlier she and her cabinet promised tougher gun laws will be coming soon in response to what happened on Friday the mass shooting there. Fifty people were killed, dozens more wounded when a gunman opened fire in two mosques in Christchurch. A Turkish man is in custody in the Netherlands, suspected of shooting three people and wounding five others, killing those three people. This happened Monday morning on a tram in the city of Utrecht. A manhunt for the suspect lasted for several hours. Authorities initially suspected terrorism but the gunman's motive at this point remains unclear. Tropical cyclone Idai may have killed more than a thousand people in Mozambique, this according to the country's president. He called the situation a real humanitarian disaster, and warned that 100,000 people are still in danger there. It was a busy weekend online for President Trump, you could say. He took aim at many of his adversaries- both living and even deceased, leaving the White House officials there to follow behind him, attempting to clarify what the President meant, what his intentions were. Our Jim Acosta has this report.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] It started over the weekend when the President made a rare trip to church and lasted until his Monday morning executive time. And unholy tweet storm airing an avalanche of Mr. Trump's grievances. The President lashed out at the press after the mosque massacre in New Zealand tweeting "The fake news media is working overtime to blame me for the horrible attack in New Zealand. So ridiculous. But it was the New Zealand killer who called attention to the President's rhetoric describing Mr. Trump in a manifesto as a symbol of White identity. The President is back on his heels after downplaying why nationalism. Donald Trump, President of the United States: I don't really. I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problem. I guess. If you look at what happened in New Zealand, perhaps that's was the case. I don't know enough about it yet. We are just learning about the person and the people involved. But it's certainly a terrible thing.
[Acosta:] In response to the barrage of tweets, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, prominent D.C. attorney George Conway suggested the President suffers from some kind of personality disorder adding, "His condition is getting worse," a view not shared by his wife.
[Kellyanne Conway, White House Conselor:] No, I do not share those concerns. And I was getting I have four kids and I was getting out of the house this morning. Before I got here and talked to the President about substance. So I may not be up to speed on all of them.
[Acosta:] The President also attacked his old nemesis John McCain, accusing the late Senator who died in August of peddling a dossier of Mr. Trump's alleged misdeeds before the 2016 election tweeting, "So it was indeed John McCain that sent the fake dossier to the FBI and media hoping to have it printed before the election. He and the Dems working together failed as usual. McCain's daughter fired back at the President.
[Meghan Mccain, Tv:] I just thought your life is spent on your weekends not with your family, not with your friends but obsessing obsessing over great men you could never live up to. That tells you everything you need to know about his pathetic life.
[Acosta:] In a sign of Republican reluctance to criticize Mr. Trump, McCain's old friend Senator Lindsey Graham only offered a muted response to the President tweeting, "Nothing about McCain's service will ever be changed or diminished." The President's poll numbers have ticked up in recent weeks in part because of the healthy economy with 71 percent saying the nation is in good fiscal shape, which may explain why the President feels emboldened to call on Fox News to bring back Judge Jeanine Pirro one of the Network's host who was suspended after making bigoted comments about Muslims in a rant about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
[Judge Jeanine Pirro, Fox News:] Think about it Omar wears a hijab. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia Law which in itself is antithetical to the United States constitution.
[Acosta:] The President defended Pirro on the same weekend as people in New Zealand were reeling from a terror attack on Muslims. White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney insisted Mr. Trump is not a racist.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief Of Staff:] The President is not a white supremacist. I'm not sure how many times we have to say that.
[Acosta:] As the President attended church on Sunday, he was exposed to a message of tolerance at the service, as the reverend called on Americans to reject hatred.
[Unidentified Male:] We're called, whenever we overhear or oversee hateful slurs against other people. Perhaps, we need the holy courage to call them out. That's just not us.
[Acosta:] But the President will soon find himself in the company of a like-minded foreign leader when Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro visits the White House on Tuesday. Bolsonaro has been described as the Trump of the tropics, once saying immigrants coming to Brazil are the quote, "scum of the earth". Jim Acosta, CNN the White House.
[Howell:] Any time now, the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report to the U.S. Attorney General is expected. It could happen again any day now. And White House lawyers want to see it before it is submitted to lawmakers. And if word goes public, Mueller has been investigating whether President Trump's campaign colluded with Russia. Sources say the attorneys want a chance to claim executive privilege over information collected from documents and interviews with White House officials. But such a move could set up a political and legal battle. Democrats, would almost certainly sue over the Presidential claim. Let's talk more about all of this now with CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. Ron joining us this hour from Los Angeles. Good to have you with us Ron.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Good evening.
[Howell:] On the heels of the report from the Special Counsel due out any day now. Let's take a look at where the President stands right now in the polls. Here is the snapshot, 42 percent approval rating for President Trump. That's up 2 percent from a month ago. 51 percent disapproval the lowest number since the start of his presidency. And a new CNN poll showing that 71 percent of people polled say he economy is in great shape. The highest number since February of 2001. So Ron that's the snapshot with that information. And the Democrats gearing up obviously for 2020. The Mueller report due out any day, where does President Trump stand right now?
[Brownstein:] Well, you know, his approval really has been incredibly stable with between 37, 38 percent, 36 sometimes on the low end. And really no higher than 45 at the high end. He's the first president in the history of modern polling to never reach 50 percent at any point during this first two years. And this poll today I think is actually a pretty good reflection of his situation because on the one hand we do see a tremendous amount of satisfaction with the economy. 71 percent saying the economy is in good shape and you can never count out an incumbent when economic satisfaction is that high. On the other hand, the polls also a pretty clear indication of what I like to call the Trump gap which is the gap between the people who are satisfied with the economy and those who are satisfied with the performance of the President. I mean his approval rating is 29 percentage points below the share of people who say the economy is good. That's an extraordinary divergence and if you look at some of the key groups in the electorate that really move towards the Democrats in the November election last year college educated white voters were really at the top of the economic pyramid in the United States. 80 percent of them say the economy is in good shape. Only half that 40 percent, say that they approve of his performance as President. And that's the price he pays and that's how he avoid himself as President. And that is precisely the price he pays for the way he has comported himself as President. Those are voters who are saying things are basically going well in the country economically. But yet, the way that Trump has his values, his language, his demeanor everything about the way he has approached the presidency still leads to disapproving and that is the risk that he faces is in 2020.
[Howell:] All right. So you talk about that divide Ron are the people who seem satisfied with Mr. Trump, and also those who are not satisfied with him. Those who see him as a divider, notably straddling the line on issues of hate specifically on the issue of white nationalism as we heard earlier in the show and in the wake of the new attacks that took place in New Zealand. The President's people are defending him. Listen.
[Conway:] He has denounced bigotry many times. And I wouldn't be working here if I believed otherwise.
[Mulvaney:] You've seen the President stand up for religious liberty, individual liberty. This president is not a white supremacist. I'm not sure how many times we have to say that.
[Howell:] Ron their reactions seem clear, straightforward. But when the President speaks about the same topic, he does seem to offer, you could say shades of gray.
[Brownstein:] Absolutely. Look, I mean the President has been you know, I think it's a mistake to say that the President is kind of impulsive or off the cuff especially when he talks about race. He is very precise in what he does say and what he doesn't say. And consistently throughout his career on the national stage he has refused to truly condemn and isolate white nationalists. I mean if you recall what is it four years ago, three years ago, this month on CNN Jake Tapper he would not condemn David Duke, the former head of the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi just before southern primary's voted in Charlottesville. He talked about very fine people on both sides, it included neo-Nazi, chanting Jews will not replace us. And then, of course, again in New Zealand, he minimized the threat of white nationalism. I don't think that's because he believes that white nationalists are a significant portion of the country or of his coalition. But his coalition is centered on voters who are the most uneasy about demographic and cultural change. Some are between 60 and 65 percent of Republicans say that Islam is more is incompatible with American values since it's more prone to violence. And the President has been unwilling to draw a line between those views and the more radicalized expressions of that that lead to violence, and any kind of attack. It is pretty clear by now, that he's very deliberately not reading that out of in essence a diverse intolerant society.
[Howell:] Ron the President has taken issue with any suggestion that his rhetoric could have any connection to hateful acts as we saw in New Zealand tweeting this. "The media is working overtime to blame me for the horrible attack in New Zealand. They will have to work very hard to prove that one. So ridiculously," he said. But here's the question, the attacker in New Zealand, he did mentioned his appreciation for President Trump in his lunatic rambling manifesto. Can Mr. Trump truly pass the buck here when it comes to his own words.
[Brownstein:] Well, as you say lunatic rambling manifesto. You can only go so far with that. But there's no question that the President has used, continued to use language that by now he unequivocally knows excites and animates these extremist voices. I mean he talks about immigrants as invaders. He talks about immigration as an invasion knowing that for many on the farthest fringes of the right in these white supremacists and nationalist organizations, they view that as evidence that they are gaining ground on society. They have the ostensible leader of the free world echoing and using the same kind of language that they use to talk about these changes in society. Unquestionably I think it's energizing for them. And whether he meant deliberately to do that or not, I think there is always a wink and a nod. But even if there wasn't he knows now that it is having that effect and yet he persists in using that language. And that is a choice.
[Howell:] Ron we appreciate your time today. Thank you.
[Brownstein:] Thank you.
[Howell:] Another Hollywood executive's career has been derailed by accusations of an improper relationship in his past. The head of Warner Media's movie and TV studio stepped down from one of the industry's top jobs on Monday. Warner Media is the parent company of this network. CNN's chief media correspondent Brian Stelter has more on this.
[Brian Stelter, Cnn Chief Media Correspondent:] Hey guys this is a big change in Hollywood as the head of one of the industry's biggest movie and TV studios is suddenly stepping down. Kevin Tsujihara is the chair and CEO of Warner Media Entertainment, that includes the sprawling Warner Brothers Studio. He was recently promoted into an even bigger job overseeing more of the Warner Media portfolio. And of course, that was part of a broader reorganization of the media company which also owns CNN. But days after he was promoted, the "Hollywood Reporter" the big entertainment magazine in L.A. published a detailed story, about allegations that Tsujihara had an improper relationship with an actress a number of years ago. The allegation was that he offered to help find her roles in Hollywood, get her auditions for jobs in exchange for sexual a relationship. Now Tsujihara at the time through a lawyer said that he never directly was involved in getting her any auditions. He did in a memo to colleagues, say he had mad mistakes in his personal life and that he was sorry for those. Warner Media announced an investigation, and now less than two weeks later he's leaving his job as the head of the studio. Here's part of the statement from John Stankey who is the CEO of Warner Media. He said that "It is in the best interest of Warner Media, Warner Brothers, our employees and our partners for Kevin to step down as chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers. Kevin has contributed greatly to the studio's success over the past 25 years and for that we thank him." But Stankey went on to say that Kevin acknowledges that his mistakes are inconsistent with the company's leadership expectations and could impact the company's ability to execute going forward. So that's the explanation from the head of the company. Tsujihara explaining in a similar way in a memo saying he and Stankey had spoken over the past week and they both concluded it was in the best interest of the movie studio for Tsujihara to step aside. Now there is no immediate word on his successor, but right now this is a time of great change, dramatic change in the television and movie industry. Later this week the Disney and Fox Studios are coming together, merging. That deal will finally be completed there this week. So it is a time of turbulence and dramatic change in Hollywood. Brian Stelter, CNN New York.
[Howell:] Brian thank you. Still ahead it has been five years since Russia used its muscle to annex Crimea. Ahead we look at the status of President Putin's territorial grab and if anything could be done about it at this point.

[Lemon:] With a booming economy continuing to create jobs and the unemployment rate at a 50-year low, President Trump says he'll run for reelection next year on the strength of the economy. But will voters in important swing states that he won in 2016 like Michigan give him four more years? CNN's Miguel Marquez takes a look.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn Correspondent:] Saginaw, Michigan. For several years now the once thriving industrial city growing again. Many Republicans here credit the president.
[Unidentified Male:] I believe that the economy is going to help him take victory again in 2020.
[Marquez:] Early in his 2016 run then candidate Trump campaigned here. It paid off. He carried Saginaw County by a little more than a point after Barack Obama won it by double digits in his two runs. Trump became the first Republican since Ronald Reagan in 1984 to capture Michigan by a margin, a fewer than 11,000 votes. Construction here booming with projects started long before 2016. This is all electrical here. Instrumentation. Jimmy Greene trains apprentices for the construction industry. In 2012 he had 126 trainees. Today, he has over 600. Have you seen new big projects in Saginaw since the 2016 election?
[Jimmy Greene, President & Ceo, Associated Builders And Contractors:] No.
[Marquez:] Greene, a life-long moderate Republican he is no fan of the president, who he says will have a tough time repeating his Saginaw County win in 2020. How big does the economy factor into the 2020 race?
[Greene:] It is the factor. There is absolutely nothing else that President Trump can hold his to hang his hat on.
[Marquez:] Still the unemployment rate here lagging the historically low 3.6 percent national average. In the worst of the recession, Saginaw County saw nearly 14 percent unemployment. Today, it's around 5 percent. How important a place like Saginaw going to be in 2020?
[Steve Gerhardt, Chair, Saginaw County Republican Party:] From perspective, Miguel, this is ground zero.
[Marquez:] He says voters will see through controversies in the Trump administration and base their vote on their pocket book.
[Gerhardt:] It's not so much asked the question are you better off? Make the statement. We are better off because we're together and we're moving this economy forward. With strength.
[Marquez:] Cody Smith, co-founder of Oracle Brewing says at least in the brewing world business could be better.
[Cody Smith, Co-founder, Oracle Brewing:] The last three years, we have went from 20 percent growth to about five percent growth here after a year.
[Marquez:] For now, he and Saginaw holding on and growing, both trying to diversify and looking forward to better days ahead. One thing giving Democrats hope here is that Saginaw County voted for both the Democratic senator and governor in the midterms last year here in the county, but voters from both parties say that the economy will loom large in places like Saginaw that the president will need to win in 2020. Don?
[Lemon:] Miguel Marquez, thank you very much. Let's discuss now. Keith Boykin is here, Joe Lockhart. Let's hear what you guys have to say. Hello. So, is it going to be it's the economy, stupid. Remember that in 2020? Is that what's going to happen?
[Joe Lockhart, Cnn Political Commentator:] If Trump had any discipline, maybe it would be. I don't have any confidence. I don't have any
[Lemon:] Assuming the economy is going to hold up. Go on.
[Lockhart:] Yeah. Listen, I think the Democrats would be silly to say the economy is terrible. I think what they got to focus on is who the economy is working for and who it is not working for. And if you look at in income inequality, it's growing. The tax cut which we pay for on a credit card is by and large working for corporations and investors, not the middle class. So I think, you know, Keith and I go back a long way in the 1990s. We were creating more jobs. We had more growth. We had all levels of incomes rising in all of our socioeconomic groups. And we had a bunch of surplus. We didn't put this all on a credit card for the next generation to pay for. So I think those are the issues that Democrats will have to focus on.
[Lemon:] You mean the 90s after Clinton or just during Clinton?
[Lockhart:] During Clinton.
[Lemon:] Bush was after that and
[Lockhart:] Well, you know, we do have a recent history of Democrats you know, Obama saved the economy. This is a continuation of the Obama economy, of Democrats having to come in and clean up the mess Republicans have made. You know, with trillion dollar deficits, you know, this economy is bubble-like because the deficits will eventually smother it.
[Lemon:] Keith, I want to bring you in. This is a new Gallup poll. It shows that President Trump is at his highest approval rating yet, 46 percent, which is statistically similar to where Obama was. Obama was at 44 percent, 43 percent or 44 percent at the same point in his term. So and we should note that this poll is conducted before. This is last week's clashes between House Democrats and Attorney General William Barr. How good a number is that for this president?
[Keith Boykin, Cnn Political Commentator:] I think it's a discouraging number for this president, for any president, because of the history and the trend line here. Donald Trump has never been above 50 percent in approval rating at any point in the poll averages, and he is the first president in modern history not to do that. Every president comes in with some honeymoon where they have high poll ratings. He has never had that even after he took office. So I think that is discouraging for him. If you also look at the margin of victory he had in 2016 and look at what happened in 2018, I think that spells trouble for him. In 2016, he won Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, those three states, by 77,000 votes. Those 46 electoral votes are what decided the election. Now, you look at what happened in 2018 in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, Democrats won all six races, the Senate races and the gubernatorial races.
[Lemon:] Trump wasn't on the ballot though.
[Boykin:] Yes but Democrats are also doing better in those places where not only Trump is not on the ballot, but Republicans were strong candidates. Scott Walker was
[Lemon:] We're going to talk more about that. I'll have you guys for another segment. Do you think that the strong economic numbers, do you think that's behind his approval rating, approval numbers?
[Boykin:] I don't think the economic numbers really matter for Trump. I think for Trump I don't even know that the numbers have really varied or fluctuated that much. The American people have been pretty much consistent in the low to mid-40s of people who support Trump. It may go up and down from week to week. It may some statistical fluctuation but it's really not significant. The reality is the majority of American people have never supported Donald Trump. They didn't vote for Donald Trump. They have never approved of him.
[Lemon:] So let me ask you because that was Trump's argument before. The economy was good when President Obama was leaving office.
[Lockhart:] That's right.
[Lemon:] When Hillary Clinton
[Lockhart:] That's right.
[Lemon:] He set the table. He built this economy and Trump is continuing this economy. So he was saying, but everyone is not feeling this economy, it's not working for everyone. So can Democrats I've heard a lot of Democrats who are on the campaign trail are saying the same thing. Well, everyone is not feeling it. This isn't everybody's economy. Do you think they can
[Lockhart:] Yeah, and it's not a question of everybody it's a reality that everybody is not feeling it. If you look at the income levels, the vast majority of the tax cut went to the top one percent. The vast majority of the benefits of the economic growth went to the top one percent. So the people who matter, the people in the middle and middle class have continued to get squeezed. They haven't seen big tax cuts. They haven't seen a big improvement or any improvement at all in their life. And Keith is right. Trump's numbers are going to bounce around a little bit. They have averaged in the low 40s. That's with a booming economy
[Lemon:] And sky rocketing deficit.
[Lockhart:] And sky rocketing deficit. The reality is Trump is going to have difficulty winning because he's done nothing in his term to expand upon his base, to reach out to people in the middle who would like to see him go.
[Lemon:] All right. Both of you will stay with me. Democrats are trying to choose which voters they need to count on in 2020. Will it be younger, more liberal voters or the voters they lost to Trump last time around?

[Soares:] Welcome back. I'm Isa Soares, in for Hala Gorani. Tonight, more now on the two breaking news stories we're following for you out of Italy. An Italian court has ordered the seizure of the migrant rescue ship that's been stranded off the coast of Lampedusa. Now, the migrants will be taken to the shore due to the deteriorating conditions on board. And this comes while we're waiting for Italy's prime minister to formally resign at any moment. Barbie Nadeau is back with me now from Rome. And, Barbie, as we were just coming to you, I was looking at a tweet from Open Arms. They're tweeting in Spanish, of course, because they're Spanish. They're saying the prosecutor's office of Agrigento dictates immediate disembarkation of all persons on board Open Arms I'm just translating from the Spanish at the port of Lampedusa and the provisional seizure of the ship. "Finally, the nightmare is over," they tweet, and the 83 people on board will receive immediate assistance on land. What are you hearing from Italian authorities, meanwhile?
[Nadeau:] Well, this has been an ongoing battle, and this is part of why we have the government crisis. Matteo Salvini has closed the ports in Italy for the last year, starting last June when he took office, to any of the NGOs who have gone out and rescued migrants trying to make it across from North Africa into Europe by way of Italy. And Open Arms is just the latest in a string of these standoffs, where the migrant boats, in desperate, desperate need of a port to take their passengers to, have found themselves just sort of listing off the coast, the Italian coast, as Salvini and other politicians, right-wing politicians, say, "No, no, no, you can't come here." If the NGO isn't an Italian NGO, if the boat isn't flagged with an Italian flag, you don't come into Italy. And this is exactly where we find ourselves. Now, we've seen with Open Arms, people have been taken off that boat for the entire day. We've had a couple of evacuations due to emergency health situations. We had some minors, there's under age minors traveling alone that were taken off yesterday and the day before. And so the 83 people who remain, we understand, will be taking off tonight, taken to the tiny island of Lampedusa and then on further onto the Italian shores. But it is just one of many, many issues with regard to the migration crisis. There's another NGO boat, a few hundred miles out at sea right now with about 400 people on it and that's going to be the next crisis. It won't go away. And Matteo Salvini has earned popularity on his hard line approach to it with the humanitarian side of it, of course, is what we're seeing unfold here, Isa.
[Soares:] But, Barbie, you and I were talking at the top of the hour, you know, you were saying, this has been going on for something like 19 days. Why is it taking the prosecutors so long to make the decision given that we heard from Open Arms that the conditions on board and how traumatizing it has been for the migrants on board.
[Nadeau:] Well, we have had some complications in the story in the sense that the Spanish boat was offered a port in Spain. Now, that would take five days to get there, and that's one of the issues that the court, I think, was waiting to find out if the Spanish would be able to actually facilitate the disembarkation of the people, which of course, doesn't guarantee that they're going to be allowed to stay in Europe by any mean. They have to be processed and to see if they have a case for asylum and things like that. It's just been an ongoing problem. This court is actually the second court. We had a court earlier in the week that also tried to allow, for at least, the minors to be taken off that ship. So we've got some internal politics, so these are courts that are in strong opposition to Matteo Salvini's close port policy, and we are seeing a little of that battle play out in any way that humanitarian groups can work. The system in the court system, as we see right now, is what's the best chance scenario. But it is a slap in the face to Matteo Salvini and he was on his Facebook feed a short time ago saying that he did not agree with Open Arms being able to disembark. So it's a battle that's ongoing, Isa.
[Soares:] Yes. I was going to ask you about the politics of it. How much is this, the rescue ship just off Italy, this story, how much is that really split government in Italy, given now the situation in Iran really political crisis in Italy.
[Nadeau:] Well, I think that you can't separate the two by any means. You cannot separate Matteo Salvini's popularity from his hardline anti- immigration stance, that is, first and foremost. And Salvini has used that popularity to just essentially pull the plug on the government. Now, when we see a boat like this and that height of summer, this is something that we are seeing in fits and spurts right now. Two years ago, you would see hundreds of thousands of people come across, 600,000 came across in the five-year period before Salvini came into power. So we have seen a decrease in people coming across the sea. But then if you look at the increase in humanitarian disaster in Libya and what the people are going through there, you're just simply moving the problem and making it someone else's. Isa.
[Soares:] And very quickly also, Barbie, I know that Italy's Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, has not been speaking. Do we know what this point when he's going to resign, officially, resign and what the when the president may make a decision whether they're go to a new elections here?
[Nadeau:] Well, he's on his way to the presidential palace as we speak right now. And he's expected to arrive there shortly. He'll give his resignation to Sergio Mattarella, the president, and then he'll have two choices, call early elections or try to make another government. I don't think anyone thinks and the second attempt in the government is going to you know, turn out into a five-year mandate. It's almost sure that early elections are imminent. It's just whether there'll be this fall or whether they'll be able to you know, buy another six months or even a year on this government, on this particular election.
[Soares:] And as you and I talk and looking out live pictures, out of Rome, waiting for Conte, of course, to take his resignation to the president. Is this Barbie, very quickly, is this a risk for Salvini? I know he wants his election and even said that, in fact, Conte accusing him of personal and political interest and putting his interest first. Could this backfire on him?
[Nadeau:] Well, he could be in the opposition if Mattarella chooses to try to form a new government. If not, he very well could win elections, if polls are on his side right now. If the elections are held sooner, that's going to work to his advantage. If they're held later, that's another entirely different story right now. But it's very emblematic that you've got a migrant crisis happening and unfolding right as this government is collapsing. Isa.
[Soares:] Indeed, Barbie Nadeau, thank you very much, good to see you. Keep us up to date in the breaking news. You just heard from Barbie, Italy's Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, on his way to hand off his resignation to the president. We'll keep on top of that. We go now to the spokeswoman for the organization behind the migrant rescue ship that Barbie and I were just talking about. Laura Lanuza joins me now from Barcelona via Skype. Laura, thank you very much for joining us. I know you must be very busy. We just heard in the last few minutes that report is ordered the migrants to disembark in Sicily. Bring us up to date, what are you hearing, where is the ship right now?
[Laura Lanuza, Communications Director, Open Arms:] Well, the ship right now is where it has been for the last four, five days which is 800 meters from the port of Lampedusa. In fact, the prosecutor of
[Soares:] So, Laura, what you're hearing is that, roughly, in and out, so almost 100 or so people inside, migrants inside, will be able to disembark following the prosecutor's notice there.
[Lanuza:] Yes. In fact, there was already sanitary inspections two days ago. The doctors, they came in the boat, they realized that the patients, they were living for, now, 19 days or not, few months. And so they had already
[Soares:] Laura, explain to our viewers right around the world, what were conditions like there? Because we're talking about 19 days that these 88 or so migrants have been inside that boat board on board that boat. Talk us through the conditions. We're looking at some footage of the ship, of the migrants. But bring us up to date just how bad, how much it had deteriorated.
[Lanuza:] Well, in fact, we rescued 163 people in three different rescue operations. The first hundred, around 100 people, were rescued the same between the same first 24 hours. They were living covered, which means sleeping, living, and two bathrooms for 100 people
[Soares:] Yes. And that's, of course, like you're saying, it's not just the hygiene condition, the lack of hygiene, but also the psychological pressure that they've been facing for those 19 days. Laura Lanuza, thank you very much. I appreciate you taking the time speaking to us here on the show, on CNN. Do keep us abreast of the situation. Now, I want to take you to the U.S. presidential race. It looks like Joe Biden has bounced back after some slips. A new CNN poll shows the former vice president reestablishing himself as the clear frontrunner. You're seeing there, among the 2020 Democratic candidates. Biden now holds a double digit lead over his closest rivals, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. He's at 29 percent. Today, his campaign launched a blistering new T.V. ad in the state of Iowa where the nation's first big votes will be at the
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] We know in our bones this election is different. The stakes are higher. The threat, more serious. We have to beat Donald Trump. And all the polls agreed Joe Biden is the strongest Democrat to do the job. Most of all, he restored the soul of the nation, battered by an erratic, vicious, bullying president. Strong, solid, and stable leadership. Biden.
[Soares:] Well, joining me now is CNN's Senior Political Analyst, Mark Preston. Mark, good to see you. Just coming off of that of that ad that we just saw there, Biden seems to say that the key issue here is beating Trump. And I'm sure many Democrats would agree. Do the numbers suggest that he has a chance?
[Mark Preston, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Well, he certainly do right now. And it's really interesting if you hear the very end of that commercial, strong, stable, solid, this is the theme now that we're hearing from Joe Biden's campaign. We heard it from his wife last night. In fact, she was out in the campaign trail and she talked about the fact that perhaps some of those people in the audience may not be supporting her husband, but in the end, it's her husband that can beat Donald Trump. And it's something we've seen over and over again. When we look at where Joe Biden gets all his strengths from, that's due in part from Democrats who think that he is the only candidate right now that has the best chance right now of beating Donald Trump in 2020.
[Soares:] But, Mark, you mentioning that the former second lady of Joe Biden, she said you need to swallow a little bit, basically, saying, you may not agree in all aspects, but collective bottom line is it has to be that we have to beat Trump. Within the Democrats, within those who would be voting, is there a sense that they're getting to that point? Are they all on the same message, singing from the same hymn sheet here?
[Preston:] Well, you know, what's interesting is at this point in the campaign, Democrats still don't haves a clear leader. Now, they have a clear leader in the polls and that Joe Biden has a double digit lead. But if you look at the poll numbers, Joe Biden sits by himself and then Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders come in at second. They're about tied. Their support is driven entirely by the left, by liberals, and then you have everybody else. So even though Joe Biden has this clear lead right now, there is really no cohesive message for the Democratic Party, especially on some of the really, really big issues. So I do think that this primary fight that we're seeing playout right now, is going to continue to play out over the next few months. And Joe Biden might be at the top now, perhaps he may be at the bottom, if we look at what happened to Kamala Harris, just two months ago, she was doing really well. She has now plummeted to five percent in the polls.
[Soares:] Well, I was going to ask you about Kamala Harris, because I was actually surprised to see those numbers. Why the sudden plummet?
[Preston:] Well, couple things. One is that she started talking and when politicians start talking, candidates start to get to know them a little better and start to form opinions. Two is that she started to lose support among liberals. She's had about 10 points. She's lost amongst liberal voters or actually even more than that. It might be up to 20 points amongst self-describe liberals. That's a huge plummet. Now, where did they go? They went to Elizabeth Warren or they went to Bernie Sanders and they went to Joe Biden. I wouldn't count her out but it just goes to show how volatile the American electorate is right now.
[Soares:] When we go back to Biden, if we go back to Biden, I was quite interesting looking at some of the data, how does he compared to, for example, earlier frontrunners at this point? I mean, when we look at the numbers just putting to perspective for us, in terms of the other front runners.
[Preston:] Right. So it's a little bit difficult when you talk about this presidential campaign when you go into the near presidential campaigns. I think we haven't seen a field so big in the Democratic Party. I think what this does show though, it does show that Joe Biden has incredible staying power. I mean, even through all the gaffes that he's had, he didn't have a great debate performance. Kamala Harris really laid into him about his positions on bussing and called into question, his willingness to work on race issues. That's where she rose and that's when he fell. But still, he still has this group. The strong group of Democrats across the board who think that he's the only one who can beat Donald Trump and that is key. He has gone up seven points since June. And, again, he hasn't had a good he hasn't had a great summer so far.
[Soares:] And, Mark, I was looking at the numbers. And Biden's supporter is 15 points higher among those 50 and older than those age 50. But it's also 12 points higher. Interesting enough. I think it's interesting. Among moderates and conservatives than liberals. Explain that to our international audience.
[Preston:] Well, right. So couple things. One, older voters why that's important is that older voters tend to be more in tuned or tuned in. They have more stake in the game, financially, if anything. They also tend to go to the polls, so that's good for Joe Biden. When you look at some of the other demographics as well, he's going to do better with conservatives and moderates, because they don't see him as somebody that is going to go out and bring pitchforks and marching against Washington. He's not Bernie Sanders. He's more of an establishment type. But one thing that is interesting about our poll that we don't highlight is that Biden, although he does better with conservatives and he does better with moderate Democrats, he's actually tied with Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders for the liberal vote. So Joe Biden has been around for a long time, eight years with the Obama administration. He still has a lot of staying power.
[Soares:] Very good point. Mark Preston there for us. Appreciate you taking the time to speak to us here. Thanks, Mark.
[Preston:] Thank you.
[Soares:] And still to come tonight, El Salvador has some of the strictest abortion laws in the world. But one woman's case had inspired new calls for change. We'll bring you that story, next.

[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] The threats of the coronavirus. There's a "New York Times" want to take back that fear of the virus may be spread spreading faster than the virus itself. Does NPR want to take back that the flu was a much bigger threat than the coronavirus. And finally, once again, the Washington Post would like to take back but the government should not respond aggressively to the coronavirus. I'll leave you with those questions and maybe you'll have some answers and a few days.
[Mcenany:] Thank you very much.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] All right, there she is. The new White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, answering reporters questions in the White House briefing. Good that there is a White House briefing. I want to immediately bring in our Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta was about a half an hour of Q&A, a long opening statement on her part as well. What jumped out at you?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] All right a few things, Wolf, I mean, obviously she was prepared for that comment to be thrown at her during one of these briefings about how she once said on Fox Business, that the coronavirus would not come here. She was prepared with it looked like, you know, a few clips from articles where the press in the early days of the pandemic. We're saying that perhaps the coronavirus would not be that serious. But getting to the I guess the more substantive content of that briefing. There was one point Wolf where she said that not every American needs to be tested, that that would be nonsensical, you would have to test people over and over again, if that were the situation in this country, we should point out over here at the White House, the President, the Vice President, are tested often. So our other aides close to both of those leaders. And so they do, do repeated testing over here at the White House. She was also asked about whether or not the administration is recommending that Americans wear mask around the country and she basically stated at one point, Wolf that it essentially just that, just a recommendation because as we know, there are some people who wear masks around this country. And there are some people who don't, I will tell you, Wolf, traveling with the President yesterday on that trip on Air Force One going out to Arizona, they were hardly any White House officials who wear mask from the President on down during any portion of that trip, and I found that to be interesting. And then finally Wolf, another thing that jumped out at me was the fact that the White House is blocking Dr. Anthony Fauci from testifying in front of the House Appropriations Committee next week, you heard the press secretary Kayleigh McEnany say that well, Dr. Fauci will be testing testifying in front of the Republican led Senate Committee on Health and Education next week, led by Lamar Alexander. But that's not exactly the same thing. There's been a long tradition here in Washington of allowing top administration officials experts like Dr. Fauci to testify in front of both chambers up on Capitol Hill, and both Houses of Congress. And this White House is testing that tradition and saying that he can't do it. But it is notable that that the White House is still looking to Dr. Fauci as one of its experts. As we were, you know, talking about over the last couple of days the White House has been going back and forth. President's been going back and forth, but whether or not he has he's going to hang on to this Coronavirus Task Force if he told reporters earlier today, he is indeed planning on keeping the Coronavirus Task Force going indefinitely. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] You know, she said the Nita Lowey the chair of that House Committee that was going to be questioning Fauci and other representatives from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. She said that they didn't come up with a subject matter, no specifics. I've spoken with members of that committee who said that it was a very broad discussion of what's going on right now in this battle against coronavirus. They wanted an update and that was as specific as they wanted to get. I don't know how much more specific they needed to be.
[Acosta:] And I think she was just dodging the question there. Well, I mean, obviously, the White House knows what the subject matter is for Dr. Fauci if he's going to be testifying in either the House or the Senate, and that is going to be on the coronavirus and this administration's response to the pandemic. One of the things that this administration is keenly aware of and people inside the West Wing is that sometimes Dr. Fauci does contradict the President. And so they're probably well aware inside the White House, that if Dr. Fauci sits down in front of that House Appropriations Committee and the Democrat have the gavel, and they're controlling what is being said. And what's being asked at times during that, that hearing, that he's going to be given opportunities to contradict the President on a whole range of issues. We know that that's gotten under the President's skin under the skin of other top aides inside the White House from time to time. But the very same thing had happened over in the Senate of a democratic senator, on that committee, led by Lamar Alexander decides to ask a question that, you know, puts Dr. Fauci, on the opposite end of the President on a particular issue, whether it's hydroxychloroquine, or any other issue, you could end up with the same result. And so the White House is trying to test one of those boundaries. We've seen a time and again here in Washington where they try to test these boundaries. And that is why you're seeing House Democrats take these kinds of issues into the courts. Because one of the issues that is going to be tested in the courts, Wolf is whether or not it administration, Democrat or Republican can block experts block top administration officials like Dr. Fauci from testifying on something as important as a global pandemic.
[Blitzer:] I want you to stand by. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us. Our chief medical correspondent. Sanjay, she echoed Kayleigh McEnany, what the President had said earlier in the day, reversing what seemed to be the case yesterday that the White House Coronavirus Task Force was going to be winding down its operation by Memorial Day by the end of this month. The President earlier in the day said he is going to keep it going, is going to bring in some new members to the Coronavirus Task Force because it's very popular and she basically said the same thing.
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Well, I mean, I think popular is not really the point of this right now. I think it's necessary, Wolf. I mean, I think one of the big concerns yesterday the idea of disbanding that the task force, I think would incorrectly give people the impression that we're sort of done with this, you know, I mean, states reopening the task force being disbanded. It subjectively I think a lot of people would look at that and say we got through this. And I think it's pretty clear that we have and then you're starting to hear that, you know, more and more, even from the White House in terms of this acknowledgement that there's still going to be a ways to go here. Well, you know, to get through this. So, you know, I think that having the task force and I think even hearing from the taskforce, at least periodically, is still very important. We're still in the middle of, you know, one of the biggest health issues we faced in 100 years. So the task force is critically important.
[Blitzer:] You know, the President earlier today, and Kayleigh McEnany really didn't want to go beyond what the President said, she didn't want to repeat what the President said about Dr. Rick Bright, who was in charge of vaccines over at the Department of Health and Human Services that he was removed from that position and sent over to the National Institutes of Health even though he hasn't actually gone there yet. You didn't want to get into it. But the President really earlier in the day during a Q&A session with reporters railed against Dr. Bright basically suggesting he was doing what the Democrats wanted. He was a disgruntled employee.
[Gupta:] Well, you know, I think I'm going to be very interested to watch these hearings, you know, this inspector general sort of investigation, I've read a good chunk of this complaint. I mean, there's a lot of things in there that are, if they're true or pretty explosive, you know, a lot of it has to do with just, you know, the seriousness with which things were taken early on. I mean, I think Kayleigh made a point that she was obviously making that point strongly at the end that there was a lot that was unknown at the beginning. And, and many people were saying, you know, are we going too far is this you know, is this an overreaction? I think that's what she was implying. But clearly, there were people within the federal government who did not think it was an overreaction, that this was a real problem based on the intelligence that they were gathering. So I think it'd be interesting to see who knew what, when, and how they reacted to that information. Obviously, as well Wolf there was a whole there was a fair amount in the in the complaint about this medication hydroxychloroquine was that being pushed without evidence, you know, and that's a you know, that's a significant issue that Dr. Bright brought up as well.
[Blitzer:] All right, Sanjay standby because we have more to discuss. Just want to let our viewers know that as of this hour the coronavirus pandemic has now claimed the lives of more than 72,000 Americans with more than 1.2 million confirmed cases here in the United States. Yet tonight at least 43 states are moving ahead with reopening plans even as a new virus hotspot is emerging in many parts of the country. Let's go to our national correspondent Athena Jones. She's in New York for us. Athena, all but seven states have either started reopening or the nonspecific plans to reopen in the coming days. What's the latest?
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Hi Wolf, that's exactly right. It's pretty remarkable given the numbers we're seeing every day. And that's the point this virus is like flogging a place with no high ground. It doesn't respect borders. It doesn't care about opinions or beliefs about how under control it is, how serious it is. The numbers we're seeing are bearing that out the rise in cases in many states every single day.
[Jones:] States across the country rolling the dice as they begin to lift restrictions aimed at halting a virus. The data show is still spreading in many places. New infections rising in 20 states hotspots include Minnesota, Nebraska and Texas, or Dallas County has seen a jump in new cases. In Tennessee, the governor last night announcing businesses like bowling alleys and miniature golf can reopen Friday, even as he continues to promote social distancing. By Sunday, at least 43 states will be partially reopened despite signs that not only have not all of them met federal guidelines suggesting a 14-day decline in new cases before we opening, but that some in fact are seeing cases rise.
[Unidentified Male:] That's really being driven by people getting out and about more, more mobility and most importantly, states relaxing social distancing mandates.
[Jones:] These experts warn that given the virus is incubation period. We won't know the full effect of these moves for weeks, and that the gains states have made could swiftly be lost. The reopen is creating a confusing picture for Americans, as recent state and federal actions suggest the epidemic has abated. Even amid strong warnings of the risk.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] You are states that are opening where you still are in the incline. I think that's a mistake.
[Jones:] In Atlanta startling video of people celebrating Cinco de Mayo, many not wearing masks. The mayor says they missed the message.
[Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor Atlanta:] They didn't get to the part that said that this was still a deadly virus and that you needed to continue to socially distance and wear mask.
[Jones:] In New York where we opening has yet to begin an unprecedented move to prepare for that day. New York City, shutting down the subway system overnight for deep cleaning. Meanwhile, with researchers in Britain saying there's genetic evidence the virus was infecting people in Europe and the U.S. late last year. The Cook County Illinois medical examiner now plans to review previous deaths involving heart attacks and pneumonia for indications of COVID- 19 as far back as November. A new study shows the virus is killing more African-Americans in the U.S. than any other group. And as far the Foundation for AIDS Research using data from mid-April finding that while blacks make up just 13 percent of the population, counties with higher black populations account for more than half of the coronavirus cases, and nearly 60 percent of deaths from COVID-19.
[Greg Millet, Vice President, Amfar:] We were hoping by releasing our study results early that it could help give some of these states pause so that they can understand that there is going to be disproportionately impact.
[Jones:] Also disproportionate police enforcement of social distancing say leaders like New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who worries officers are using excessive force in black and brown neighborhoods. And the virus continues to disrupt the food supply chain. While in Pittsburgh today long lines that have food giveaway highlighting the growing need. And right here in New York State another example of this virus is staying power, hospitalizations in new cases continue to decline. But Governor Andrew Cuomo said today there is a new hotspot upstate at a greenhouse in Oneida. It's another example of a dense work environment that allows this virus to spread. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Certainly does. Athena Jones in New York for us, thank you. Joining us now, the Governor of Delaware, John Carney. Governor, thanks so much for joining us. Delaware starting what's being described. Governor as a limited reopening this Friday, many businesses can open for curbside pickup, for example, you're allowing hair salons and barbershops to open to what are described as essential workers only. Why do you feel comfortable taking these initial steps?
[Gov. John Carney:] Well, first of all, on a number of our criteria indicators, a percent positive cases, so we're doing a lot more testing. So we have to take the percentage of those tests as positive or declining over a 14-day period of time. Hospitalizations declining over a 14- day period of time and new hospitalizations on a day to day basis with a five day rolling average on the decline. Are we ready with PPE to protect healthcare workers? Are we ready with our expanded testing and contact tracing. And so what we're trying to do is have a little bit of a rolling reopening, interim steps between now and when we move to the stage one, which we're not ready for. We want to strike the right balance between protecting vulnerable populations and containing the spread across our state which seems to be working except for one hotspot in the lower part of our state, and allowing some accommodations, so businesses, businesses can go back to do limited, limited commerce, whatever they're doing.
[Blitzer:] Previously, you did want to see 28 days have declined in cases before reopened. Now you've gone down to 14, why the change?
[Carney:] Yes, no, nothing's changed there Wolf, it's a first interval 14 days to take it to stage one, and then another interval of 14 days with those declining indicators and with a green light on the other criteria on our dashboard, the PPE protections for vulnerable citizens and the testing and contact tracing. So it's the same it's still the same approach to intervals of 14 days, gradually moving to an opening.
[Blitzer:] Your stay-at-home order. I understand Governor is in effect until the end of next week. Do you plan to extend it past May 15?
[Carney:] Yes, it looks like we will extend the past to May 15 Wolf, just to be sure about these indicators that everything on those 14-day intervals are moving in the right direction and we're seeing that now. We still have an outbreak in the lower part of our state which we're really leaning into with additional testing of poultry workers with additional testing and folks that live in those communities and with outreach with public health workers to provide assistance to those families. And so yes, we will still look at those two intervals and extend the stay-at-home. And by the way, that the new normal is not going to be like things used to be, you know, we still need to limit large gatherings, we still need to have social distancing in public and, and the challenge is, and somebody mentioned it in your interview is, you know, this idea of mixed messages, right. You want to be sure that you're, you continue with the message to folks need to continue the practices of social distancing. While we're reopening sectors of the economy in a safe and sound way, not in a way that people were used to before. We'll be talking about mask wearing, we'll be talking about separation inside facilities, we'll still be talking about no large gatherings. Dr. Birx kind of hit it the really on the head the other day when she said, when you think about it, it's just doing 50 percent less of the social interaction, going to the grocery store going to the pharmacy that you would normally do that will help us to keep that reproduction rate below one, which is where we need to be so that the virus doesn't spread in our state.
[Blitzer:] Very quickly Governor, I know you got to run, but very quickly. You have some very popular beautiful beaches in Delaware. I can personally testify to that. Are you going to open up those beaches?
[Carney:] Yes, so we're not ready to open the beaches yet. I have a meeting with the beach town mayor's tomorrow. They have a number of concerns. Already, they're opening open for walking and exercise as long as people observe social distancing, surfacing on the beaches but not open for sunbathing and swimming. And they won't be open for those activities for some time.
[Blitzer:] All right, Governor, thank you so much for joining us. Governor Carney of Delaware. Appreciate it very much. I know you're very, very busy. Thank you.
[Carney:] Thank you Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Up next, the new study suggests another possible treatment for people severely ill with coronavirus, standby we have new information. We'll also take a closer look at the new study showing African- Americans are dying and very disproportionate numbers. Much more coming up right here in "The Situation Room".

[Pamela Brown, Cnn:] And welcome back to a special edition of THE LEAD. Turning to our NATIONAL LEAD, the vice presidential contenders are both visiting Wisconsin today in the wake of protests sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Kamala Harris met with Blake's family and legal team when she landed there. Blake called into the meeting from the hospital bed where he told Harris he was proud of her. And as Vice President Pence, toured an energy utility company, he said the Trump administration stands with law enforcement and he condemned rioting and looting. CNN's Shimon Prokupecz joins me now from Kenosha, Wisconsin. So, Shimon, what are you learning about the HarrisBlake meeting there?
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Reporter:] Yes, so according to the attorney for Jacob Blake, this was an hour long meeting. There were seven altogether that took part in this meeting. You had Jacob Blake Sr., you had his sister was present, and then his mother was on the phone and several other people were on the phone. And then as you said, Jacob Blake Jr. called in and there was this moment, according to the lawyers, between Kamala Harris and Jacob Blake Jr. where he told her that he was proud of her and she told him how proud she was of him for working through his pain. And she also told the family that they should use their pain to help America progress to end systemic racism. And as we know, Jacob Blake Jr. just over the weekend putting out a video describing about all of the pain that he has been in, all of the pain that he's been enduring. And then to have this moment with Senator Harris, you know, talking about the pain and talking about how proud she is of him and then him in turn talking about how proud he is of her. And as I said, that was a meeting that took place for about an hour in Milwaukee after the Senator landed there Pam.
[Brown:] Let's talk about what we heard from Jacob Blake. Because we heard from him from his hospital bed for the first time since the shooting. Tell us what he said.
[Prokupecz:] Yes, he put out this video. He was in his gown laying in his hospital bed. And he talked about the pain that he has been suffering through. And here it is in his own words Pam.
[Jacob Blake Jr., Victim Of Police Shooting:] Well, life and not only just your life, your legs, something that you need to move around and move forward in life, could be taken from you like this, man. It's normal pain. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to move from side to side. It hurts to eat. Please, I'm telling you, change our lives, out there. We can stick together.
[Prokupecz:] And there is Jacob Blake offering words of unity telling people to stick together to continue on doing what they're doing but most importantly unity and that has been the message today from, it would seem, Senator Harris telling the family to keep fighting. And then we have it there from Jacob Blake from his own mouth, from his hospital bed talking about all of the pain that he's been through Pam.
[Brown:] All right, Shimon Prokupecz live for us in Kenosha, Wisconsin, thanks, Shimon. And up next the one item that belonged to his late son Beau that Joe Biden carries with him everywhere.

[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] But according to some administration sources, the president was also told that such a ban would be unpopular with his base. We can assure this is something we will follow very closely. Thank you for joining us all day and all week. We'll see you next week. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. "AT THIS HOUR" with Kate Bolduan starts right now.
[Erica Hill, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Erica Hill, in for Kate Bolduan today. Thanks for joining me. Democrats moving closer to impeaching President Trump. Five days of public hearings, more than 30 hours of testimony, 12 public witnesses all make the case that President Trump directed a campaign to pressure Ukraine for his own political purpose. Withholding millions of dollars in critical U.S. aid and an official White House visit while pushing for announcement of an investigation into the Bidens and the 2016 election. A move the president's former top Russia adviser described as a, quote, "domestic political errand."
[Fiona Hill, Former National Security Council Official:] He was being involved in a domestic political errand. And we were being involved in national security foreign policy. Those two things had just diverged.
[Hill:] In response, President Trump this morning releasing a fiery and, frankly, well-worn rant on FOX News, attacking the witnesses, the whistleblower, the Democrats, and insisting he wants a trial. Sources tell CNN that Democrats are preparing a report of their findings that will serve as the basis for articles of impeachment. CNN senior congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, is on Capitol Hill. Manu, what are you hearing this morning from Democrats?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] That's exactly what they're doing. They're drafting that report that will detail the findings of the investigations that have been happening since late September. That report will serve as the basis of articles of impeachment that will likely be taken up by the House Judiciary Committee as early as the first couple weeks of December, before we expect a full House to vote on that rather momentous vote to impeach President Trump, which would be the third time in American history that that would happen. All signs are indicating they are going that route, in part, because Democrats have decided not to pursue some key witnesses who have not come forward and try to fight them in court to get their testimony after people like Mick Mulvaney, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton have refused to comply with their requests. Democrats say they have enough evidence to move forward. What they are looking for in terms of article of impeachment, they're still debating the exact scope of how the articles of impeachment would work. But they're looking at abuse of power, obstruction of justice, obstruction of Congress and bribery among the articles they are discussing. There's still a question about exactly how this will be structure, in part, because the report still needs to be drafted. But make no mistake, Erica, Democrats are moving ahead to the next phase of this investigation, and it could happen rather quickly, just a matter of weeks before moving to the next step, which would be a Senate trial that the president apparently wants Erica?
[Hill:] Which we'll be looking toward. And just quickly, too, what are you hearing from Republicans this morning, Manu?
[Raju:] Republicans are indicating they're following in lockstep behind the president. I spoke to Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, last night. He told me he expected to lose zero Republicans on impeachment. He said he did expect to pick up some Democrats, too. We'll see if that happens. We'll also see how Republicans in the Senate deal with the trial that's almost certain to happen. At the moment, the White House is working with the Senate Republicans trying to structure a trial. There's still some debate about how long that trial would last, what witnesses they want to call, but those conversations will intensify in the weeks ahead Erica?
[Hill:] Manu Raju with the latest for us. Manu, thank you. Let's look at the evidence about what we learned in terms of this case against President Trump. Joining us now, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, CNN political analyst and congressional editor for the "New York Times," and Shan Wu, CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor. Shan, based on what you heard from these witnesses, what changed this week?
[Shan Wu, Cnn Legal Analyst:] I think what changed this week is the Democrats put out a steady amount of evidence they're good prosecutors to build the case. What changed was the American people got to hear firsthand just how the Trump administration has used the State Department, used foreign policy at the expense of national security to further political ends. I think that was made plain as opposed to us hearing bits and pieces being put out.
[Hill:] Julie, in terms of Capitol Hill, what's your sense of what changed, if anything, this week?
[Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I think Shan is right, there's a much more precise and detailed narrative out there, much of which had been given behind closed doors, but the public had not gotten a chance to hear it. Frankly, many lawmakers had not had a chance to hear firsthand what this pressure campaign looked like, the fact than not only did it exist but people at the highest echelons of the administration new that it existed, took it as an article of faith this is what the president wanted and had repeatedly asked for it through Rudy Giuliani and other senior members of his team. And also that there was quite a bit of pushback and alarm inside his own administration about it. That has all been made very plan. But in terms of the political dynamic, I think Manu is right, it hasn't moved any votes that I can see. You've heard from Republicans, even some questioning the president's conduct, and some of what he did hear, and said it might not have been appropriate, saying they still didn't think this was impeachable conduct. You see Democrats going even more aggressively toward just that place of drafting the articles of impeachment. So a vote seems inevitable since Democrats are in control of the House, so there's very little doubt in my mind that it would pass. But I don't see Republicans really changing their minds based on what they heard the last couple of weeks.
[Hill:] The divide is there and perhaps even growing in some ways. When we look at what we learned, what we saw, what we heard, there's also who, I should say we didn't see who we didn't hear from. These are central figures, Shan, to the narrative we heard from all of these witnesses. We're talking about Mick Mulvaney, Secretary Pompeo, John Bolton, even the vice president. We are likely not going to hear from them. Do you think Democrats are risking anything by potentially wrapping this up too soon? Are there more people to hear from?
[Wu:] Well, you know, I think, to Julie's point, there's no budging on the Hill. If they were to delay by trying to fight longer to get these people, that's not going to budge anybody, either. I think they're making a smart move by trying to push forward. From a trial perspective, as a trial lawyer, when you have an empty chair, you can do a lot things with it. You can point to it, blame them. Both sides can do that a bit. But there are big advantages for not having them there, too. And that's something for us to keep in mind.
[Hill:] Julie, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pointing out what we heard from both of you, but she was clear I'm not going to wait for the courts to fight there out in terms of other folks they want to hear from, making the case it's just not worth it.
[Hirschfeld Davis:] Right. Time is definitely not their friend. In this case you heard Manu likely lay out one of the articles. One of the articles I don't think is in dispute is there will be an article of impeachment against President Trump for obstruction of Congress. The fact these top officials will not appear, the fact that they have not been willing to furnish a bunch of documents that we now know from firsthand witnesses and other witnesses are crucial to understanding what went on here, what was happening with the aid, with the White House meeting, key conversations and records and e-mails and the like, that the committee would need to actually reach some factual conclusions are not being furnished. That is one of the bases that the House Democrats will use to essentially charge the president. So not only does it not make sense for Democrats on a calendar perspective to push for people they won't get, most likely, but it also strengthens their case potentially for impeachment.
[Hill:] Shan, we're now hearing from John Bolton, obviously. He's back on Twitter after an absence, cryptically. So apparently, he's OK to talk on Twitter in his mind. But also recently, instead, first, there was, "Stay tuned for the back story," earlier this morning. If you have something to say, you could just say it. Then he goes on to say a short time ago, "We have now liberated the Twitter account previously suppressed unfairly in the aftermath of my resignation as national security adviser." Once again, "More to come." When you see something like this from a person like this who knows full well that many would like to hear from him, what is your gut as a former prosecutor, what does this say?
[Wu:] It says two things. My gut is he's just doing a marketing campaign to push his book. I think there's some ego involved, too. He's still mad about having to leave the administration. From a prosecutor's standpoint, from a kind of trial standpoint, for the Democrats, I don't really want to see that. I don't want the witness out there in public making their statements, not able to control what they're going to say, not knowing what they're going to say. And he may say something that's damaging to the Democrat's case, and there's no way to rebut it right now. But I think he needs to be careful, because when you're making these public statements, you may have a hard time putting the genie back in the bottle and then claim, oh, I can't talk in public, there's privilege or some other reason when you're actually already tweeting about it.
[Hill:] It all comes back to say Twitter, obviously, doesn't it? Shan, Julie, thank you both.
[Wu:] Thank you.
[Hirschfeld Davis:] Thank you.
[Hill:] Coming up, after two weeks of battering testimony on Capitol Hill against President Trump, the president says, yes, he wants a trial. So is this part of the latest White House strategy? Plus, GOP support for President Trump remains solid, as we just discussed, even as impeachment witnesses repeatedly poked holes in Republican talking points. What could change as the process moves forward?

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] President Obama put $10 trillion. It doubled the debt. It was at 10, it went to 20, went to even above 20. And some of it is attributed to him even that I assumed. So, when they start talking about using the debt ceiling as a wedge to negotiate for things that they want, they have told me very strongly they would never use that. That's a very, very sacred thing in our country, debt ceiling. We can never play with it. So I would have to assume we're in great shape. But just remember also, the previous administration doubled the debt in our country. You take all of the presidents that came before, doubled the debt from there. That's a pretty big statement. And certainly it's a big statement to be talking about for that party to be talking about using the debt ceiling. And I don't think they are. It's been mentioned, but I don't think they are. I don't think anybody would want to play that card. Steve?
[Unidentified Male:] Boris Johnson, it looks like he's going to be the next British prime minister? What do you think about him?
[Trump:] I like him. I like Boris Johnson. Boris I spoke to him yesterday. I think he's going to do a great job. I think we're going to have a great relationship. I think they've done a very poor job with Brexit. I think the previous prime minister has done a very bad job with Brexit. What can I say? I mean, it's a disaster. And it shouldn't be that way. I think Boris will straighten it out. I like Boris Johnson, I always have. He's a different kind of a guy, but they say I'm a different kind of a guy, too. We get along well. I think we'll have a very good relationship. Thank you.
[Unidentified Male:] President Trump, on Japan and Korea, since you just went on there, there's some ongoing tension.
[Trump:] Yes, there is ongoing tension between Japan and Korea. In fact, the president of Korea asked me if I could get involved. I said, how many things do I have to get involved in. I'm involved in North Korea on helping you. I'm involved in so many things. We just did a trade deal, a great trade deal with South Korea, but he tells me that they have a lot of friction going on now with respect to trade, primarily with respect to trade. And Japan has some things that South Korea wants. And he asked me to get involved. So maybe if they would both want me to, I'll be it's like a full- time job, getting involved between Japan and South Korea. But I like both leaders. I like President Moon and you know how I feel about Prime Minister Abe. He's a very special guy also. So if they need me, I'm there. Hopefully they can work it out, but they do have tension, there's no question about it. Trade tension, OK? Thank you. Thank you, everybody.
[Brianna Keila, Cnn:] All right, the President there in the Oval Office talking about a number of topics from the debt ceiling, to the freed rapper, ASAP Rocky, and of course this controversy that started with his racist tweets about four congresswomen of color. I want to get to Kaitlan Collins at the White House. Kaitlan, just sort of dissect what he said because this is a little different than what we heard yesterday. Yesterday he was distancing himself from the chant in North Carolina, the send her back chant. He said he didn't like it. He lied and said that he tried to move on quickly, he didn't. He actually let it kind of fill the room for 15 seconds. But today he deflected questions about the chants and then he praised the crowd. It seems like he might be concerned that he could be upsetting supporters.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, you're seeing the President strike a much more defiant tone than what we saw yesterday in the Oval Office when he was saying he didn't know what those his supporters were chanting, that he tried to shut it down. Instead today he's focusing on the congresswoman, saying he doesn't like what they have been saying and he stood up for his supporters in North Carolina at that rally on Wednesday night, calling them patriots and talking about them and then saying he's very displeased with what people like Representative Ilhan Omar have said, the comments they've made. He calls her a disgrace to this country. He said he didn't like that she said she was going to be a nightmare for the President, something she repeated at a town hall in Minnesota last night, saying that she was going to be a nightmare for him because she found his policies to be a nightmare for her and the people that she represents. So you're seeing this brawl between them continue out now for five days, this back-and-forth between the two of them that is going on after we had reporting that Ivanka Trump and Vice President Mike Pence among others had urged the President to back off that chant, to distance himself from it. And today you're hearing a very different tone from the President on that. He also spoke about Iran now that Iran is denying that the U.S. downed one of its drones, something the President announced here at the White House yesterday. The President said that the U.S. is confident. It was an Iranian drone that they downed and even had his National Security Advisor John Bolton speak to that effect and say the same. That's interesting as well because we know that there's been some back and forth between the President and John Bolton where there's been on different pages when it comes to Iran, when it comes to other issues on national on the national security front. So it does seem to be significant that he asked him to speak there and back him up on this as those tensions are escalating in the Persian Gulf. On ASAP Rocky, that's the rapper who's been detained in Sweden, and the President said actually it was Melania Trump, the First Lady, who brought that to his attention. And she even said a few words there in the Oval Office as well where she said they are working with the State Department, having conversations about having him freed after he was involved in this alleged assault in Sweden. But the President didn't seem to have a much to offer on that front. He just said it's something they're having conversations about behind closed doors.
[Keilar:] A virtual grab bag of topics as always is the case. Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thank you so much. One of the other things that he said, he talked about his comments on the debt, worth noting that the U.S. national debt under President Trump has actually increased by a considerable amount. It's a $22 trillion, up $2 trillion in President Donald Trump's presidency. You'll notice a pattern with the President. He says he didn't like the chants when he clearly had no problem with them. It brings back a few memories, like the lock her up chants that were aimed at Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. In July of 2016, Trump said that he didn't like those either.
[Trump:] When I started talking about Hillary Clinton, the veterans who saw her 24 hours before started screaming lock her up, lock her up, lock her up. And I said don't do that. You know, I didn't do that for any reason. I really I didn't like it. And they stopped.
[Keilar:] No. No, they didn't. This was last month.
[Unidentified Speakers:] Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up.
[Keilar:] And you might remember when he said this in 2016.
[Trump:] Well, if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. OK. Just knock the hell. I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees, I promise. I promise.
[Keilar:] When a Trump supporter actually acted on that advice, the campaign was very quick to say that they never meant it. Shermichael Singleton is a Republican strategist. He was Ben Carlson's chief of staff at HUD until he was fired by the White House after the discovery of an old op-ed he's written that was critical of President Trump. And also with us is CNN's Michael Warren. So, Shermichael, this chant, what do you make of what the President is now saying, because he seemed yesterday really to distance himself. He seems really concerned that he might be ticking off some supporters who he was actually encouraging at the rally. And it makes me wonder then now that he's not discouraging it if this could become a staple at these events.
[Shermichael Singleton, Republican Strategist:] Well, I think this is lock her up 2.0 but racially fused. I'm not surprised that today he's all of a sudden backing away from this. When I first heard his first remarks, I could not imagine Donald Trump in an arena with his supporters saying deport her or send her away and all of a sudden Donald Trump would say wait a minute, that's not the American thing to do. So I'm not surprised by this. I think for Donald Trump, he doesn't really have room to expand his support within elected within registered voters, I should say. So for him it ultimately comes down to can I maximize turnout with my 35 percent to 40 percent of supporters that I have. And he has to figure out every single way to possibly do this, but I think there's a miscalculation here on President Trump's part. When you look at some of those key battleground states that he won in 2016, he won by very, very slim margins. Hillary Clinton did see a decrease in turnout with key constituents such as African-Americans. There is no guarantee that we will see a repeat of 2016, and I think by ginning up racial tensions, he could do something that could backfire and hurt his re-election bid.
[Keilar:] And that I mean, that is the sort of tight rope act he's walking, right? And we have some reporting, Michael, from yesterday that Ivanka or about what happened yesterday when he back pedaled, that Ivanka Trump actually expressed some concerns to her dad about the chants and that is then when we saw him back pedal on it, but now today. So how do you make sense of this rock and a hard place that he's between?
[Michael Warren, Cnn Reporter:] Well, you know, the President often feels things out. It was a moment and that he felt that it was moment. People were talking about it on television and a lot of Republican members were sort of withholding their judgment or coming out and saying, look, we disagree with what Ilhan Omar says, with what the squad says, but this was a bridge too far. And I think the President often tries to measure the temperature of his audience. And he's trying to figure that out and we're seeing it in real time. It is interesting, and I think Shermichael is right about the President sort of strategy to maximize turnout among his base. But, you know, there are a lot of Republicans who are trying to win over those swing voters that maybe have already been turned off by President Trump in some of these House races that they lost in 2018. I was just speaking with a Republican strategist who said this could be in a sort of perverse way, an opportunity for a Republican House candidate to put some distance between themselves and the President, particularly one who's not an incumbent right now, and who can really try to reach out to those voters and say that's not who I'm about, vote for me.
[Keilar:] Hugh Hewitt, who's a prominent conservative commentator, he thinks that the chants are bad politically, that this is political suicide. He tweeted this, "Send her back is a nativist, terrible chant. Also electoral suicide. There are more than 400,000 naturalized residents in Pennsylvania, with 200,000 more in Michigan. Donald Trump won PA by and Michigan by 11K, PA by 44K. #VoteHerOut, fine. #SendHerBack, nativist. Catholics, by the way, remember." What do you think?
[Singleton:] I mean, that goes back to my original point that I think 2016 was a very unique sort of a political phenomenon if you will that, again, Hillary Clinton was a unique candidate. A lot of people had strong views on her. Again, there's no guarantee that you're going see a repeat of that next year. And what's so interesting to me about this, and I think, again, another miscalculation from the President, when you look at AOC or even Rep. Omar, Ilhan Omar, when you look at their favorability in key electoral states, it's extremely low. And I do think that many voters, if you look at data, sort of do say, OK, these individuals represent the overall Democratic Party. So there's a legitimate case to make on issues that the President is completely avoiding.
[Keilar:] I want to ask you real quick about the debt ceiling and just the debt him talking about that there is interesting. We've heard Mark Sanford is floating this idea of maybe running and this is the one issue. You talk about anything else and he brings it back to this. The President, who has seen the debt balloon under him, and P.S. he did not inherit an almost depression like President Obama, is trying to now change the narrative here. He seems maybe weary of that argument.
[Warren:] Yes. It's an interesting way and I'm intrigued by Mark Sanford as well if he does decide to actually run for President. It's an interesting entry into talking with Republican voters. Because you've seen from others, people like Bill Weld, the former Massachusetts governor, really the only real challenger to President Trump in the Republican primary not getting very far by criticizing Trump himself. More issues-based criticism, maybe there's a little more potency to that.
[Singleton:] Right. And I would say Axios actually just released an article earlier today that talked about a focus group that they sat down with some folks in a key swing state. And the number one issue for most of those voters was the economy. That's the greatest benefactor of Donald Trump has. If someone begins to make the case that, hey, the economy maybe doing great for wealthy individuals or folks on Wall Street but not Main Street, I think that's an argument that it would be very difficult for him to argue otherwise. And again, Brianna, we're expecting a possible recession next year. That certainly would not benefit the President.
[Keilar:] All right. Michael Warren, Shermichael Singleton, thank you so much for both for your analysis from both of you. So she was the one who is closest to the President, one of the people closest to the President, and now a new revelation shows Hope Hicks may have lied to lawmakers. And after weeks of defending himself against criticism from Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, Joe Biden will now stand between the two of them in CNN's debate. But first, as the world gets ready to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, CNN is counting down some of the key moments of that historic mission. Exactly 50 years ago today at this time, the Apollo 11 spacecraft passed completely behind the moon, out of radio contact with earth for the first time during the mission. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were completely cut off from the rest of humanity for about 47 minutes. Here's how Apollo 11's first trip behind the dark side of the moon is captured in the award-winning new CNN film "Apollo 11" which airs tomorrow at 11:00 p.m. here on CNN.
[Unidentified Male:] The moon is there, boy, in all its splendor. Hello, moon. How's your back side? All your systems are looking good. Going around the corner, we'll see you on the other side. Loss of signal as Apollo 11 goes behind the moon

[Cabrera:] President Trump is not trying to create any distance from his Attorney Rudy Giuliani's brazen trip to Ukraine this week to dig up dirt on political rivals. Instead he's touting just how much Giuliani has allegedly found?
[Trump:] Rudy, as you know, has been one of the great crime fighters of the last 50 years, and he did get back from Europe just recently, he has not told me what he found, but I think he wants to go before Congress, and say and also to the Attorney General and the Department of Justice I hear he's found plenty.
[Cabrera:] We should know one of the sources say Giuliani appears to have been met with is a former Ukrainian diplomat, who has pushed the debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia meddled in the 2016 election. He also met with a Ukrainian lawmaker who has been described by anti-corruption experts as having suspect political motives. Also there's no evidence of wrongdoing on either Joe Biden or his son Hunter's part. And President Trump's effort to get dirt on the Biden's from Ukraine is why he is under the impeachment investigation? With us now Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean Former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush Scott Jennings and CNN's Political Commentator Ana Navarro. So Governor, as a Former Presidential Candidate and DNC Chair yourself, you know campaign laws. Is this legal?
[Howard Dean, Former Presidential Candidate:] Is what legal?
[Cabrera:] What Giuliani has been doing?
[Dean:] Sure. What Giuliani is going over making stuff up and lying it's legal for Giuliani to do that. It's not so legal for the President of the United States to do that though.
[Cabrera:] But if he's doing it on behalf of President of the United States, and he is specifically digging into getting dirt on a political rival of the President in the upcoming election, I think that's where it gets little murky, doesn't it?
[Dean:] Look, we're talking about two different things. We're talking about what may or may not be legal, and we're talking about what's honest, decent and moral? This is the most corrupt administration that's ever been in the White House throughout 250 years of American history. So there's that, and the President surrounded himself with people who are corrupt, not a surprise. And the Congress in the United States, the Republicans are in terror of this corrupt President, and they don't care stand up for their country, they stand up for their own puts in the next election. If that's what you want me to say, I'm happy to say it, but I'm not going to render an opinion about whether Rudy going to Ukraine or not is legal it's unethical but it's probably legal.
[Cabrera:] So Ana actually Republicans aren't necessarily defending what Rudy Giuliani is doing. Even Congressman Matt Gates a staunch defender of the President isn't trying to defend Giuliani listen.
[Rep. Matt Gaetz:] I think it's little weird that Rudy Giuliani is over in the Ukraine right now. And I'm not here to defend Rudy Giuliani.
[Cabrera:] So if Republicans aren't even trying to defend Giuliani, why is the President embracing him so much?
[Ana Navarro, Cnn Political Commentator:] Of course I think they have known each other for a long time and because Rudy has proven himself to be loyal to Trump, blindly loyal. That's something that Trump really likes. Also, I think Trump embraces some of these conspiracy theories which Giuliani seems to be espousing, advocating and promoting, but Republicans need to be nervous. About the possibility of Giuliani actually showing up to testify in front of Congress, listen, he has been unstable. We have seen him be unhinged. We have seen him contradict himself within seconds in the same interview on this network with Chris Cuomo. His performances on TV have been abominable if I were a Trump supporter, I would be nervous about the idea of Rudy going on TV much less swearing giving sworn testimony in front of Congress.
[Cabrera:] Scott, the final impeachment hearings in the House begin Monday, but the White House Counsel is refusing to take part, and after all complaining about the President not getting due process, and here is this big chance and he's not taking it. Why?
[Scott Jennings, Former Special Assistant To Press George W. Bush:] Because they don't want to legitimize the impeachment process in the House. They from day one called it a sham, called it a circus, to show up now here at the end when it wouldn't matter, any way by the way. Nobody from the White House is going to change the House Democratic conference's mind about impeaching this President, would simply serve to legitimize it. I think they'll keep their powder dry and put on some kind of a defense when the impeachment articles hit the Senate. And they think they'll get a better playing field over there.
[Cabrera:] Among Democrats there has been this ongoing debate about whether any of Mueller's findings should be included in articles of impeachment. Here's Congressman Jim Himes on that.
[Rep. Jim Himes:] I don't know how you look at volume 2 where Bob Mueller says here are ten instances of obstructions of Justice, a crime that would send every they would send every other American to jail. I'm not quite sure how you look at those ten counts and say, yes, we ought to let that slide.
[Cabrera:] Governor Mueller's report did not unify Democrats around impeachment the way Ukraine has, so what should Democrats do?
[Dean:] Look, I personally believe there's a lot more corruption in the Trump Administration than simply trying to use a foreign power to leverage your election. So there's many, many sins here, Trump believes a great offense is the best defense. In a court of law, that doesn't hold up. I agree with Ana, that Giuliani is never going to testify before Congress, because he is a lawyer, he's smart. He knows that he can't lie under oath. If he does, his own lawyers are going to tell him not to. He's probably one of the few people in the White House actually listen to say lawyers, because he is a lawyer. So I personally believe there's a lot more smell here in Trump's Administration than we probably ought to slow down a little bit and take a look at some of that too.
[Cabrera:] But do you think they should incorporate some of what Mueller put in his report, the issue regarding obstruction of Justice? Should that be part of any articles of impeachment that the Democrats may be planning to put together?
[Dean:] That's a legal judgment not a political judgment, as I said, I would like to broaden the investigation from political reasons and because I think Trump is guilty of those things. But you know Jim Himes I'm pretty sure is an attorney and there are a lot pretty good attorneys. Adam Schiff is one of the best I know. I think that scope of the investigation really is up to the lawyers in the House who know what they're doing, and I don't have a law degree.
[Cabrera:] But one of the reasons I ask that, and Ana I may ask you this, because you know if they bring Mueller into this, we know the President and his supporters have been trying to brand all of this as just an extension of the Mueller saga. So if they decide to include something from Mueller's report, would that play into the narrative that the President and his allying have been trying to put out?
[Navarro:] I think so. Look, the narrative is Democrats wanted to impeach Donald Trump from the day he got elected. So I think they need to make it narrow and need to stick to what is the strongest case. Ironically I think the Mueller report yes I think this impeachment, this possible impeachment is the direct consequence of the Mueller report. When the Mueller report came out, Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump interpreted it to be carte blanche, they could go out and do anything and it was the next day that they were on the phone out trying to get, you know, get dirt on Biden. That wasn't by coincidence. The timing here isn't a coincidence. They thought they had a green light, so it was the Mueller report that in one way led to where we are right now. If they tried to put everything that Donald Trump has done wrong, which some of us think is criminal, unethical, un-presidential into these articles of impeachment, there wouldn't be enough paper in America to carry it. They can't put in the emoluments clause; they could put in the stuff about the hush money payment during the campaign, which was probably a campaign finance violation. They could go on and on and on, but these articles of impeachment have to be narrow hand focused, and what can be proven quickly in a short amount of time. Even though he's done enough things to fill up an encyclopedia, it's not the smart thing to do at the moment.
[Cabrera:] Scott, the President did get some really good jobs numbers this past Friday, and we now have a unemployment rate at a 50-year low, can Republicans count on voters being willing to overlook the President's scandals because of the economy?
[Jennings:] Well, I think that's exactly what the Republicans are going to try to do next year, is argue that things are going so well in the country that it would be foolish to switch parties in the White House. Having such a good economy really underscores how out of touch a lot of the Democratic Presidential Candidates have been in their rhetoric on the economy. Most Americans don't follow politics, you know, day after day, hour after hour, minute by minute the way we do. Every now and then they look up, they check on what's going on in their own life, they check on generally what's going on in the country and what do they see? Things seemed to be going well, people have jobs, wages are going up. My 401 [k] s up, my kids 529 college savings account is doing okay. And they think you know what? I don't know why would we want to change party? So that is a legitimate tactic the Republicans will use next year. And frankly, it's hard to beat an incumbent President anyway. I think 32 have run for re-election, 22 have been re-elected. When and you have economic this good helping this many people all across the country, all across all of demographic groups, I think Donald Trump's is got a very, very good argument about why it would be foolish to change parties.
[Cabrera:] Governor, you're no stranger to viral moments on the campaign trail. So I wanted to get your take on this moment between Joe Biden and voter this week in Iowa.
[Unidentified Male:] You're selling access to the President just like he what.
[Joe Biden  Presidential Candidate:] You're a damn liar, that's not true. And no one has ever said that.
[Unidenitified Male:] I didn't say you were doing anything wrong.
[Biden:] You said I set up my son to work in an oil company? Isn't that what you said? Get your words straight, Jack.
[Cabrera:] What did you think?
[Dean:] I think it was a good moment for President, I mean for Vice President Biden. I do want to disagree with Scott on one point about the economy. In general he's right about when the economy does well, the President does well. The trouble is this economy isn't doing well for a whole lot of people. We just picked up 40 seats in the Congress, because a whole lot of people are worried about what Trump's doing to health care. That still remains the largest issue that polls much more so than Trump's corruption. So it is true that a good economy helps the incumbent President. It may not help this President as much, because there's so many he's left behind. In terms of Joe's moment, I think Joe has had a good week. I have no idea who is going to be the nominee and frankly I have no idea who I'm going to vote for, but we have four front-runners right now, and a couple of other people who could become front runners and I'm just looking forward to this.
[Cabrera:] Howard Dean, Scott Jennings and Ana Navarro, thank you all for being here. Electability is weighing heavily on Democratic voters who want to beat President Trump, even if that means switching from a liberal candidate like they like to a more moderate one. Hear from voters in Iowa, next. You're live in "CNN Newsroom".

[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] There are some who are coming just because that's where the crowd is. There are some people coming that's just because that's where the cameras are. There are some people coming because it's an opportunity to loot, but let's not be lost by all of this in a larger conversation about what has brought us to this moment.
[Christi Paul, Cnn Anchor:] Our breaking news coverage continues on NEW DAY right now.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Blackwell:] Top of the hour now, so good to have you on what is an important time in our country this morning. I'm Victor Blackwell.
[Paul:] And I'm Christi Paul.
[Blackwell:] Pain and anger across this country. Another night of protests after the death of George Floyd. We saw this in cities across the country. A black man died in police custody in Minneapolis this week. A white officer just knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes as he was in custody.
[Paul:] And right now, one officer has been charged with Floyd's death. You see him there, Derek Chauvin. He's facing charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter. Protesters are demanding the other officers involved face charges as well.
[Blackwell:] So, Floyd's death was one part of the equation that led to what we are seeing across the country. This has been going on and simmering for quite a while now. And the recent incidents of Brianna Taylor, her killing; the killing of Ahmaud Arbery have led to this as well.
[Paul:] In Atlanta, we saw just a snapshot of the outrage across the country protests outside our world headquarters, they were chaotic, people vandalize the CNN Center building, they smashed police vehicles, and they set cars on fire nearby.
[Blackwell:] CNN's Natasha Chen is with us just outside of where we are right now. Natasha, 20 states where we saw some type of organized response to what, what happened in Minneapolis.
[Natasha Chen, Cnn Correspondent:] Right Victor and Christi, what we're seeing that's similar across the cities is that a lot of them started out with an organized peaceful protest that then took a turn, and that's what happened here in Atlanta. I want to bring you a little bit closer and warn you that there is a lot of profanity on the walls there and show you that the police officers there, security, have just now in the last 10 minutes or so put up that barrier around the CNN sign, potentially hoping to deter other people from getting closer today. But what we can see from what is written on the sign and the walls, there's a lot of anger toward government and toward police.
[Chen:] Outraged protesters took to the streets around the country for the fourth straight night over the death of George Floyd. Fear and frustration with the U.S. justice system have led to peaceful protests in some cities across America and dangerous hats in others. In downtown Atlanta demonstrations quickly turned violent, with protesters burning a police car and vandalizing buildings at a mere CNN's World headquarters. Smoke bombs were thrown at officers and at least one person was taken into custody inside CNN Center. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms expressed her outrage last night.
[Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , Atlanta, Georgia:] So, what I see happening on the streets of Atlanta, is not Atlanta. This is not a protest. This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. This is chaos.
[Chen:] Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp tweeted he activated as many as 500 National Guard troops to protect people and property in Atlanta and issued a state of emergency for Fulton County. In addition to the protest scene in downtown Atlanta, protesters also made their way north of the city to Lenox Square Mall located in the Buckhead community. There were reports of looting inside the mall. The Atlanta Fire Department has been responding to multiple fires across the city overnight. A curfew was imposed in Minneapolis but protesters were still in the streets after tear gas and flashbangs were fired at crowds. At one point, protesters peacefully knelt in front of police in the city as a curfew went into effect in Minneapolis and St. Paul. 350 troopers cleared Minneapolis' Fifth Precinct after officials say shots were fired at officers but no officers were injured. Dozens of protesters were arrested Friday in New York City after a standoff between police and protesters outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The New York Police Department said multiple officers were injured though none of those injuries are life threatening. In Washington, D.C., the White House was temporarily locked down as crowds of mostly peaceful protesters arrived at Pennsylvania Avenue. Protesters could be seen clashing with Secret Service and tugging at barricades. The Los Angeles Police Department declared an unlawful assembly in downtown L.A. The department told CNN protesters would be arrested if they disobeyed the order. Two Los Angeles police officers were injured in protests. The Oakland Police Department also declared an unlawful assembly in downtown Oakland. Demonstrators in San Jose, California blocked the freeway and smashed windows of random vehicles. California Highway Patrol said officers were hit by projectiles thrown by protesters on the freeway in San Jose. Protesters took over portions of the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada and could be seen walking among the traffic. In downtown Dallas, thousands of protesters took to the streets, objects and rocks were thrown at officers and SWAT teams moved in. Dallas police fired rounds of tear gas into the crowd and use their cruisers and officers to protect police headquarters. Houston Police officers were hospitalized after protests broke out downtown official say. CNN-affiliate KTRK reports dozens were arrested. CNN-affiliate WANE said gas was fired into a crowd protesting police brutality in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A group of protesters outside Boston Police District Four chanted: "Who do you protect? Who do you serve?" All this as Derek Chauvin, the ex-officers seen with his knee on George Floyd's neck while Floyd was screaming and begging for his life has been arrested and charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. Floyd family attorney said the family is relieved the police officer was arrested but want a first-degree murder charge. And in Portland, Oregon, the mayor tweeted similar sentiments to what we heard from the Atlanta Mayor last night that the people burning property and looting that's just tearing their own city down. So, we're hearing from local officials across the country, understanding where this anger is coming from, but frustrated at how it's being expressed. Victor and Christi, back to you.
[Blackwell:] Natasha Chen for us there. Natasha, thanks so much.
[Paul:] I want to go to Minneapolis where George Floyd, of course, was killed police fired tear gas, flashbangs at crowds. I want to CNN's Josh Campbell, he is there in Minneapolis. Josh, good to see you this morning. We heard that there's some commotion where you're at now, what's going on?
[John Campbell, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, that's right. Behind me, you see members of the Minnesota National Guard and just stop and think about that for a moment on the streets of the United States of America. You now have National Guard members, the citizens servants that are being called up to try to protect the public to try to re- instore some sense of peace. Now, let me tell you what these specific members are doing right now. Their job isn't to push back a riot. Their job is to protect the firefighters that are here. A number of firefighters behind us fighting seven blazes in this area. This is not far from the area where George Floyd was killed. Now, as they continue to knock out these fires, you see others resurfacing, re-flashing and members moving in a rolling fashion throughout this neighborhood that was just left in destruction. Again, the scene that you're seeing here: retail shops that are burned, just debris across the street, this is happening around the streets of Minneapolis and indeed in so many communities across the nation. We saw we've seen from coast to coast, a number of protests that have turned dangerous, that have turned to violence. What we're hearing from peaceful protesters, those who are trying to express their outrage at the killing of a black man by police officers here in Minnesota is that they're trying to disassociate themselves with the kind of destruction that you're seeing behind us, this bedlam that we've seen in so many communities. As this destruction continues, we're hearing from politicians from elected officials trying to get the public to calm down to try to, you know, stay off the streets. Let's listen here to what the Minnesota Governor said and the Mayor of Minneapolis.
[Gov. Tim Waltz:] The situation is incredibly dangerous.
[Jacob Frey, Mayor Of Minneapolis:] If you care about your community, you got to put this to an end. It needs to stop.
[Campbell:] Now, of course, now, of course, the question remains about whether members of the community will heed those warnings. We know that on Friday, one of the police officers that was allegedly involved in this situation involving George Floyd, the officer that was depicted on that dramatic cellphone camera with his knee on Floyd's neck. That officer was arrested, charged with third degree murder. We're hearing from members of the public, however, that they want to see justice for the other three officers that were involved. Prosecutors telling us that they're taking their case, slowly, methodically working through the evidence. Again, as this community calls for justice, we don't know whether these protests will continue but that's something that we're going to keep an eye out again on the streets of the United States of America, in so many communities destruction, that it was requiring members of the National Guard and police to come out in full force, Victor and Christi.
[Paul:] And you know, Josh, you said something earlier that struck me because we're in the middle of a pandemic. There are people who are struggling with unemployment, there are small businesses that are struggling, just to stay open and you mentioned that a lot of the businesses that you saw that were set of fire are owned by black owners.
[Campbell:] Yes, that is one theme that we continue to hear as we talk to members of the community who are staring at these images in disbelief. They're telling us that a lot of the victims, the people, as you mentioned that own these businesses are people of color. In fact, that some of the locations you'll actually see spray paint on some of the boarded up windows that say that this is a black owned business, they're trying to message to the public that look you can you can let out your frustration, but don't do it violently, don't take our livelihood. We were over at the Third Precinct that was set ablaze outside just a little while ago. A gentleman drove by, rolled down his window looking at us in disbelief, saying that in 54 years he has seen nothing like this in this area clearly devastated community that's clearly rocked by violence. Protesters that have turned to violence and destruction in order to try to get their message across.
[Paul:] Josh Campbell, always appreciate your insight. Thank you for bringing us the latest.
[Blackwell:] Let's talk now with Astead Herndon, he is the National Politics Reporter with The New York Times. Astead, good morning to you.
[Astead Herndon, National Politics Reporter, New York Times:] Thank you. Good morning.
[Blackwell:] So, in the political context, I mean, we have seen something like this localized before. We saw it in Baltimore, we saw in Ferguson. What is the ability to take this energy, this frustration, this refusal to accept what is happening, and turn it into a political movement that gets candidates elected, that changes police procedures beyond the immediacy of what we're seeing across the country?
[Herndon:] Well, it often depends on how local leaders respond. I mean, there is oftentimes activism that comes from this community organizations that band together from this but that takes a little bit right now we have folks expressing anger in, in a kind of decentralized fashion. It should be noted that a lot some of these folks don't live in that community. And, and the, the solution building, the process of building it up will be left. Unfortunately, often so it's as many people who weren't part of the process of bringing it doswn. And when we see in other communities I think about in Ferguon, in 2018, they elected a new county prosecutor in the kind of historic upset election, a progressive who kind of embraced the values of many of the social justice activism and other candidates. We've seen D.A.s elected across the country in the kind of under in the, in the kind of wave that's gone under the radar, not necessarily Congress or the Senate. But we have seen more progressive district attorneys elected who have embraced the framework of activism. And I think that that might continue from this. It depends, though, it depends on how well local leaders respond. It depends on how well communities organize after sometimes that frustration does not automatically lead to electoral success in the future.
[Blackwell:] So, we've discussed this morning about how this is a national moment. And we saw in '92, when, when the riots in LA were happening after the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King. We heard from George H.W. Bush, we heard from President Obama during Ferguson and Baltimore, no message, no national, cohesive message from, from the President at this time.
[Herndon:] That's true. And, and that is in line with what we know from President Trump throughout his administration. He has not shown real willingness to beef and "United in Chief" role that even some of his supporters have asked for him to do in a different context. I think back to Charlottesville, you had those moments in which he would provide a kind of scripted statement, that that that were words of typical presidents past that condemned violence and called for togetherness, and then you had obviously the infamous very fine people on both sides statement that, that is the one that we remember. You could not get it, you could not get a consistent message of unity that came out of that moment. And you're not going to probably get one that comes out of; that this one that has not been in the interest of the President. And even as he has called for a federal investigation into George Floyd's that he is called the video horrified. What we saw was that that tweet that late sweet, the, the when the looting states, the shooting starts is a kind of similar as the moment that will be the thing that many people remember of, of throwing gas on an already exploding flame. And so that is kind of the VMO of this President has not necessarily been to lean in to the to the soothing role, but, but playing his his kind of cards, his political cards, which often act as a cudgel.
[Blackwell:] Yes, the president tried to clean that tweet up but I it was clear when he sent it a couple of nights ago. Is that Astead Herndon, National Politics Reporter of the New York Times, thanks so much for being with us this morning. Let's bring in down. Samuel Sinyangwe, the Co-Founder of Campaign Zero offers research- based policy solutions to try to end police brutality in America. Samuel, good morning to you and I think I want to start here with you about the chokehold, about the knee restraint and the ability for law enforcement in or political leaders in Minneapolis, in Minnesota to decide today that we are not going to use that anymore. If there's so much outrage about the treatment of George Floyd, that is a decision that can happen. How common is that? Is the Minneapolis Police Department in the minority and still allowing those types of procedures and maneuvers?
[Samuel Sinyangwe, Co-founder, Campaign Zero:] So sadly, it is not. We did a research investigation looking at the hundred largest cities in America, reviewing their policies around use of force. What we found was everything from chokeholds to requiring officers to use de- escalation, to requiring officers to use every alternative available to them before they use deadly force. Those policies are in place in some police departments like San Francisco, and Oakland, but they are not in place in the majority of major cities. And major cities are the places that tend to have more restrictive policies, then smaller cities in rural areas. So nationwide, the picture looks very grim. Most police departments have decided not to adopt policies that ban things like chokeholds, which as we saw, kill people.
[Blackwell:] You mentioned looking at the hundred largest cities, 91 police departments there that had killed someone, only 34 of them and this surprised me required officers to de-escalate situations before using force.
[Sinyangwe:] That's correct. So again, when we look at the policies of the police department, that is where they have written their values into a document that governs officer behavior. And what we see is that that those values are do not reflect the commitment to preserving human life to the highest extent possible, they do not reflect the commitment towards de-escalating situations towards using alternatives to dead force, and rather, they allow many police departments, indeed, the majority to use deadly force in situations that are clearly unnecessary.
[Blackwell:] Did you find a quantitative correlation between the inclusion of those policies and the numbers of people who were killed by the respective departments?
[Sinyangwe:] Yes, we did. So, we looked at the numbers of people killed by those departments, we looked at the policies. What we found was that there were eight types of policies, many of which I mentioned around chokeholds, de-escalation alternatives to deadly force, things like banning shooting at moving vehicles. That the adoption of those policies was associated with a 72 percent reduction in killings by police. And not only that, but it was not only safer for individuals and communities who are less likely to be killed by the police, it was also safer for officers to who are less likely to use force. Force incidents being a situation that officers also have a higher risk of injury. And so again, this is a win-win for both officers and communities. There's no reason why these policies can't be implemented in every single police department in America. And if we did that, we would substantially reduce police violence and save lives.
[Blackwell:] We have placed those eight policies up on our screen. And remember, this is not just a conversation about the Minneapolis Police Department, or the Ferguson Police Department, or the Baltimore Police Department, or LAPD, or NYPD, 100 largest cities in this country, I'd suggest you go and read Campaign Zero's study to find the department where you live and they've got a chart there to show which policies are in place in the department that serves your community. Samuel Sinyangwe, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
[Sinyangwe:] Thank you.
[Paul:] Having these conversations is something that we have done too often, and we've all had those conversations, right? The black man or woman dying at the hands of police. Why does it keep happening? And when will it end? And how do we end it? CNN's Don Lemon has an important conversation coming up. "I Can't Breathe: Black Men Living and Dying in America," it is tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
[Blackwell:] There were some tense moments as the Secret Service clashed with protesters just yards from the White House. The clash between the agents and the protesters demanding justice will show you more of this.
[Paul:] And Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms calling for peace after protesters burned a police car, vandalized buildings where a police precinct and CNN's World headquarters are located. It's right in front of there. We're going to take you there talk about it more. Stay close.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] For the 13th straight day, tornadoes carve a destructive path, this time the worst damage in Kansas. And historic flooding is expected in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] Oh, we'd fill it.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] A total 180 for Mitch McConnell who says he would fill a Supreme Court vacancy in an election year.
[Briggs:] An embattled Chinese firm wants back in after being black listed two weeks ago. Huawei claims it's no security threat despite accusations it stole trade secrets.
[Romans:] And a new nominee for worst first pitch of all time. Wait it until you see where this one ends up. Everyone's laughing in the end, so no hard feelings. Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] I'm Dave Briggs. It is an all-time great. I think one of the best we've ever seen. We'll show you that in a moment. Wednesday, May 29th, 5:00 a.m. in the East. And we start with more brutal weather. Another night of terrifying tornados stretching from the Southern Plains to the Northeast. Eastern Kansas hit especially hard. The cities of Linwood and Lawrence suffering extensive damage. They're located just across the border from Kansas City. Linwood's mayor says dozens of homes in the area are gone.
[Brian Christenson, Lawrence, Kansas:] It got really dark, and it started raining really hard and I could feel air moving the walls, and I could feel the air coming from above and then all of a sudden, I heard stuff flying around up above me.
[Romans:] Storm clouds stretching for miles across the region. Homes in the area flattened. Lawrence police warning residents about downed power lines and downed trees. At least 12 people are being treated for injuries. Some people forced to take cover in the safe room off a local gas station.
[Brad Perkins, Kansas Resident:] Just lightning hitting the ground in front of me. Just everything pitch-black.
[Briggs:] The Red Cross has opened a shelter for anyone in the county displaced by the storm. which crossed the Missouri and spawned a tornado near the town of Kearney. A tornado also touched down in Berks County, Pennsylvania. One neighborhood in Morgantown suffered heavy damage with several trees uprooted. And a New Jersey high school was damaged by a severe band of storms, but nobody was inured.
[Romans:] All the damage and destruction coming from the same system stretching from Texas to the New York City metro area. Authorities in Ohio are getting a handle on all the damage suffered late Monday. The ceiling fan remains, the ceiling itself is gone. For 13 consecutive days, a tornado has touched down in the U.S. That's the longest stretch since 1980. And is there more ahead? Here's Karen Maginnis with the latest forecast.
[Karen Maginnis, Ams Meteorologist:] It was a devastating afternoon as you well know we saw reports of tornadoes from Ohio, all the way down to Kansas. Devastating storms reported, and this particular one, a rain-wrapped tornado. People across the tornado alley, the central United States, they know when they see something like this, it is time to take cover. But this is a rain-wrapped tornado. A monster system as it has been described and local authorities say they'll come and take a look at the damage. They're trying to get their job done. A lot of people are sifting through the debris power outages. They've lost their cars, their businesses. It has been devastating. May at least since May 15th, not a day has gone by where we haven't had tornado reports. Nineteen tornadoes reported in the past 24 hours and the risk is still out there, also the potential for flash flooding. Who is in harm's way? It looks like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and that enhanced risks, St. Louis, Springfield, Little Rock, Dallas could see an isolated tornado. Certainly large hail and heavy downpours expected and we're looking at that ground to shift further to the east. So, a lot of people in danger not just from tornados but from flooding as well. Back to you, guys.
[Briggs:] OK, Karen Maginnis, thanks. The flooding in Arkansas turned deadly overnight. Police say a driver steering around a barricade on a flooded roadway drowned. And the rain-swollen in Arkansas River could crest at nearly 41 feet later today. It's putting western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma on alert for record breaking flooding. The mayor of Tulsa warning residents to prepare for a worst-case scenario. The Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing water from the Keystone Dam, ahead of the river cresting. But this could worsen the flooding in nearby communities. Further east, flooding in at least eight states, along portions of the Mississippi. It is the longest, lasting flooding since the Great Flood of 1927.
[Romans:] All right. For the second time in a week, a House Republican has blocked passage of a $19 billion disaster relief bill. Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky objecting to the measure even though it has overwhelming bipartisan support and the president has promised to sign it. It only takes one person to block a bill from passing immediately by unanimous consent. Massie says he's trying to stop what he calls legislative malpractice. He wants all House members present before taking a vote. On Friday, Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas also objected to a unanimous consent vote.
[Briggs:] Presidential candidate and former vice president, Joe Biden, back on the trail in Texas, talking more about policy, laying out part of his education plan in Houston. It includes more funding for schools in low income areas, and helping teachers pay off student debt.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] You all gone and went to college, you spent four years. You ended up with a debt, most of you, if not all of you, and you end up in a situation where you in fact are making 25 percent less than most college graduates. And it's a just it's just not right.
[Briggs:] Biden's campaign also hit back at President Trump's low IQ comments overseas, criticizing him for embracing autocrats like Kim Jong-un, saying, and this is a statement from the campaign, to be on foreign soil on Memorial Day and to side repeatedly with a murderous dictator against a fellow American and former vice president speaks for itself. Trump defended his comments by saying he was actually sticking up for Sleepy Joe Biden. We think tongue and cheek. Trump tweeting that Kim Jong-un called Biden a low IQ idiot, while he claims he used a much softer term, low IQ individual. Trump adding, who could possibly be upset with that?
[Romans:] All right. Then this a brazen flip-flop by Mitch McConnell. The Senate majority leader says if a Supreme Court vacancy occurs during next year's presidential election, he will work to confirm a nominee appointed by President Trump.
[Question:] If a Supreme Court justice was to die next year, what would you do?
[Mcconnell:] We'd fill it.
[Romans:] You might recall McConnell's decision to block President Obama's nominee to the high court following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February of 2016.
[Mcconnell:] All we're doing, Chris, is following a long-standing tradition of not filling vacancies on the Supreme Court in the middle of a presidential election year.
[Romans:] McConnell's explanation for the flip-flop, his spokesman claims there's a difference between now and three years ago because in 2016, the White House was controlled by Democrat and the Senate by Republicans. And this time both are controlled by the
[Gop. Briggs:] The Supreme Court sidestepping a big decision on abortion, but still ruling on two key parts of an Indiana abortion law. The court leaving in place a block that keeps the state from prohibiting abortions based solely on a race, sex and disability. The justices did decide part of the law that requires clinics to bury or cremate fetal remains can go forward. The split decision seems to signal there is little appetite to reexamine core abortion precedents like Roe v. Wade. It comes as a number of states pushed antiabortion measures with the goal of getting the issue back before the Supreme Court.
[Romans:] Missouri is poised to become the first state in the country to stop offering abortions since the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. On Friday, the state's health department is expected to block services at the very last health center providing the procedure in Missouri. Missouri's annual license for abortion services expires on May 31st.
[Dr. Leana Wen, President, Planned Parenthood Federation Of America:] We know that banning abortion is not going to stop abortion. But it will stop safe, legal abortion. We are seeing now just how extreme these anti-women's health politicians are and how far they're willing to go.
[Romans:] A circuit court judge in St. Louis will hear arguments today in Planned Parenthood's lawsuit against the state. On May 24th, Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed a bill prohibiting all abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy.
[Briggs:] Air travelers left behind almost a million dollars at airport security checkpoints in 2018, according to a new report from the Transportation Security Administration. That's $90,000 more than passengers left behind the previous year. The TSA by law is allowed to use the money for projects it considers important for civil aviation security. Much of the unclaimed funds remain in TSA coffers. The report says travelers at New York's JFK airport left behind the most money, followed by LAX, Miami, then O'Hare in Chicago, and Newark Liberty.
[Romans:] All right. Excessive gaming is now a legitimate medical condition. The World Health Organization says gaming disorder can be diagnosed when it interferes with daily life and when a person loses control and prioritizes gaming over other interests in daily activities, like work, school, family or social relationships. The new guidelines call for 12 months of symptoms before a diagnosis can be made. A video and online game posted nearly $44 billion in sales last year. The video game industry has opposed this gaming disorder classification since the WHO first proposed it in 2018. No surprise. I think it's interesting that 45 percent of daily gamers are women.
[Briggs:] I'm curious to know how many parents throughout saw it the symptoms and raised their hand and said my child might have this disorder. I just did. It interferes with daily routines?
[Romans:] I put limits on my kids, right? There's a certain amount of time they can use it and that's their reward and they just to be really consistent on that. But when they get older, they have their own time, it's hard, you know?
[Briggs:] Yes. Let us know what you think about this @earlystart on Twitter. Ahead, a first at time trial. Did Johnson & Johnson flood the market with prescription painkillers and should the company pay for it? The state of Oklahoma says yes.

[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Developing overnight, hospital and health care workers bracing for an onslaught of coronavirus patients. At this hour, there are nearly 9,000 cases across the United States. That's a 45 percent increase since just yesterday. One hundred and forty-nine Americans have died. Also developing overnight, new information that Americans of all ages can be seriously sick from this virus. It's not just the elderly. New data from the CDC shows nearly 40 percent of the first patients in the U.S. who were sick enough to be hospitalized were age 20 to 54. A member of the coronavirus task force now pleading with millennials to take the outbreak seriously and to stop socializing.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Overnight, President Trump signed a multibillion dollar emergency aid package that provides paid sick leave for some Americans in quarantine and free coronavirus testing. It comes as Congress works out the details of a $1 trillion economic stimulus package that could be finalized early next week. Two members of Congress have tested positive for coronavirus, both of whom were voting as recently as Saturday morning. This morning, the entire Georgia legislature, their staffs and the lieutenant governor, they're in self-quarantine for 14 days after a senator there tested positive.
[Camerota:] Now, across the country, health care workers on the frontlines battling coronavirus are reporting a severe shortage of supplies that they need for these critical tests. CNN's Drew Griffin joins us with more on that. Drew, what are you learning?
[Drew Griffin, Cnn Senior Investigative Correspondent:] Alisyn, there's a reason my doctor's office just this morning sent an e-mail saying, if you're mildly symptomatic, don't come in because we don't have tests. The supplies are simply running out.
[Griffin:] In the cascading shortfalls of the national response to coronavirus, testing labs across the country are sounding the next alarm, telling CNN there are shortages, not just in tests, but the components needed to conduct the tests. The head of a 51- hospital network in the west says key parts are missing.
[Dr. Rod Hochman, Providence St. Joseph Health:] In certain cases it's reagents, some of the chemicals that are used. And even in certain cases, it's just the availability of the appropriate swab in order to take the sample.
[Griffin:] It's the same story at New York's Presbyterian Hospital.
[Dr. Yoko Furuya, Infectious Disease Specialist:] There do continue to be some challenges around expanding the testing significantly at this point.
[Griffin:] And at the University of Nebraska's testing lab.
[Dr. Mark Rupp, Infection Control Chief, University Of Nebraska Medical Center:] We're in the situation now where we actually don't have the reagents to do the extraction from the samples so that we can run the tests.
[Griffin:] Health officials in multiple states tell CNN they do not have enough tests for people who need them because of a shortage. In Minnesota, the state health agency is limiting testing to only the highest priority specimens due to a national shortage of Covid-19 laboratory testing material. The Ohio Department of Health told CNN they're only testing our most vulnerable patients due to a global shortage of supplies. And in West Virginia, the state health officer says she had to scrape together supplies from flu tests.
[Dr. Cathy Slemp, West Virginia State Health Officer:] There's all kinds of things in the chain of testing. There's swabs, there's extraction things, et cetera, et cetera. There are shortages on many pieces of it.
[Griffin:] West Virginia still has a critically low number of tests. Military veteran Kenneth Hawthorne says he's been to the emergency room three times in the past two weeks, sick with a cough, fever, but tested negative for flu. He says he cannot get tested for Covid-19.
[Kenneth Hawthorne, Falling Waters, West Virginia:] They keep telling me that my wife and I, we're at low risk. So we weren't priority to take the test.
[Griffin:] A major test maker, Roche Diagnostics Corporation, tells CNN, demand for its test is greater than our ability to supply it. How did this happen?
[Hochman:] Well, I think we needed to rethink how we're going to deal with an epidemic, or pandemic in this case. The minute there was an outbreak in China several months ago, that should have started a whole sequence of events going. Now, as everyone would say, that's that's the history, but what are we going to do now?
[Griffin:] Industries are responding, ramping up production. And both Lab Core and Quest tell CNN they are greatly increasing the number of tests they can process per day. But, in the meantime, the CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories calls the situation a huge problem. I'm really concerned that we are not going to have the capabilities to test those who really need and should get a test. And, John, the Food and Drug Administration tells us they're aware of these shortages, are trying to provide alternative sources for some of these people that need testing products. But, really, this is akin to the whole toilet paper run. And until that manufacturers can catch up with this ever increasing demand, we're going to be in the same situation. Laboratories, health departments, et cetera, are just looking for supplies anywhere they can get them and they're not available. John.
[Berman:] Yes, if you don't mind me saying, the difference with toilet paper is, no one's going to die if they run out. People are going to die if there's not the testing that needs to happen. And we've been hearing from people all morning, Drew, and we will hear more from hospital and emergency rooms that are just, at this point, they're just assuming people are sick because they can't get the tests that they need. So, Drew Griffin, thank you so much for your reporting on this. It is crucial this morning. So, at this hour, 149 Americans have died with coronavirus. We want to take a moment to remember some of them. Eighty-four-year-old John Knox, a retired New York City firefighter, a Marine, passed away on Monday. After the September 11th attacks, he came out of retirement and worked at Ground Zero. It left him with decreased lung function. His son spoke to Anderson last night.
[Zachary Knox, Father Passed Away From Coronavirus:] And he was just a very kind, sweet man. All the people he always looked out for his men and the people around him. Is that if you needed him, he was there in a heartbeat.
[Camerota:] And seventy-seven-year-old Richard Curran passed away on Sunday after reportedly falling ill last week. Curran lived in an assisted living facility in Ft. Lauderdale with his wife of 57 years. The Chicago native is survived by his wife, daughter and two grandchildren. And one New Jersey family has been devastatingly hard hit. Three members of the Fusco family have died. It's believed seven members of the family contracted coronavirus at a family dinner more than a week ago. The 73-year-old matriarch, Grace Fusco, passed away just last night without knowing that her two eldest children had also died in the past few days. Three of the siblings are still in critical condition this morning. Grace was a mother of 11 and grandmother to 27. We'll be right back.

[Ariane De Vogue, Cnn Supreme Court Reporter:] And that is differently that's different when it comes to the Supreme Court because the Supreme Court has more of a supervisory role over federal courts. And already they've sent a message in other cases, look, federal courts, you shouldn't get involved with this state business too close to an election. But Wisconsin could come out differently than Pennsylvania, like I said, because the court could say, federal courts, you can't get involved too quickly. But it could say, state courts, that's a higher burden for us and we're going to get the state court get involved with the voting accommodations. So two different things. One has to do with the federal courts and one has to do with the state court. And, Jim, that could be essential now as we get more challenges, but it could really be essential if there are post-election challenges. And that's what we have to watch for.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Yes, it's a reminder that our elections are very much state by state, right?
[De Vogue:] Absolutely.
[Sciutto:] Lots of different rules in lots of different places. Ariane de Vogue, thanks very much.
[De Vogue:] Thank you.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Well, several more states begin early voting today. Wisconsin, of course, a critical state again in this upcoming election. They begin in-person absentee voting, as well as Hawaii and Utah. So far, more than 28 million voters have cast their ballots already. Nearly 1.5 million of them but I think you're going to get an update that the number's actually much higher in the crucial state of Michigan. That is a state that was decided by only 10,704 votes in 2016. So joining us now is Michigan's Democratic secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson. Madam Secretary, it's nice to have you. So I feel like my 1.5 million number's a little low.
[Jocelyn Benson , Michigan Secretary Of State:] Well, yes, I mean we're announcing today that over 3 million citizens have requested to vote early in Michigan. This is extraordinary if you consider the fact that in November 2016, 4.7 million voters participated total in that entire election. So we're on track to see record turnout in Michigan, just like so many states around the country. And that's a great thing for democracy.
[Harlow:] OK. So you've made a lot of headlines and a lot of news by your move on Friday to ban open carry of guns at polling stations on Election Day. State Representatives Beau LaFave, who's a Republican from Iron Mountain there, called this a cheap political game. And he went on to say, quote, "the idea that she must prevent people from exercising their Second Amendment rights for our elections to be safe and secure is absolutely false. Secretary Benson is fearmongering to suppress voters and it's appalling." I'd like to give you a chance to respond to that.
[Benson:] Yes, I mean certainly the fearmongering is coming from those who would seek to or threaten or spread rumors about people showing up armed at the polls. My job as the state's chief election officer is simply to ensure that every voter is protected. And that's exactly what we're doing here, we're issuing a very narrowly tailored regulation to ensure that the open carry of firearms at polling places, which can be intimidating or potential threatening or harassing for voters, is simply not appropriate or not allowed.
[Harlow:] But, Madam Secretary, Robert Stevenson, who you know is the director of Michigan's Association of Police Chiefs, he representing 385 police chiefs across the state, he is really worried and he's warning that his officers, he says, won't be able to enforce the law because he says it's not based on law. He says the feedback I've been getting from our police agencies is they are uncomfortable trying to enforce something they clearly don't have the authority to enforce.
[Benson:] Well
[Harlow:] I understand that you have supervisory control of elections, but where in the law does it state explicitly you have this right?
[Benson:] Two areas. One, of course, the U.S. Constitution is it creates voting as a fundamental right. But under federal and state law
[Harlow:] There's also the Second Amendment, though, in the U.S. Constitution.
[Benson:] And and yes, and under federal and state law it is illegal to intimidate or harass voters at the polls. The imagery or the bringing of an open carry an open carry a carrying a firearm into a polling place or in a voting area is something that very clearly can be intimidating to voters. And I've
[Harlow:] But that that's your view. I'm just saying they're pushing back and saying that that's not explicitly laid out in law. And we spent a lot of time this morning looking through statutes and laws to try to find it. I'm just wondering, is there a specific law you can point to?
[Benson:] Yes. Again, the federal law well, first, there's a state constitutional right that was amended in our state constitution in 2018 to create a right to vote that is preeminent among all other rights, in my view. And then also there is that federal law and state law banning intimidation at the polls. And we see the carrying open carry of firearms as intimidation at the polls.
[Harlow:] So, Secretary, there you know, for people who don't know your career, you're a lawyer trained at Harvard Law. But then, at the beginning of your career, you spent working on tracking white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups.
[Benson:] I did.
[Harlow:] And just given the state that we're in right now across the country and the fact that according to these draft documents by the Department of Homeland Security, white supremacists will remain the, quote, most persistent and lethal threat in the United States through 2021. I wonder how that affects how you do your job, especially right now?
[Benson:] Well, certainly we're in a very unique moment. And I've seen firsthand, as I was starting my career, as you mentioned, investigating undercover white supremacist organizations, that, you know, violent words and hateful rhetoric from leaders can lead to hateful actions from followers. And that's simply academic research. And we're also, obviously, at a very critical time with heightened tensions in our state. And, again, it's my job to ensure that every voter, regardless of who they vote for, feels protected and safe at the polls.
[Harlow:] On Friday, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that votes need to be received in the state of Michigan by 8:00 on election night. And in that decision, the judges wrote one of the reasons is there are ample opportunities to vote early in your state and they specifically cited the nearly 1,000 ballot drop boxes that you have made sure are installed across the state. Do you agree with their assertion that given all those ballot drop boxes there is ample opportunity for everyone to get their vote in by 8:00 p.m. on election night, because this was seen as a blow to Democrats?
[Benson:] Well, I have seen, based on the data, that citizens are listening to the voter education that we, my office and various clerks have done to encourage people to vote early and get their ballots in early. Now, there are a lot of uncertainties and variables with the Postal Service. That's why Michigan, as well as many other states, was part of a lawsuit suing the Postal Service a few weeks ago for the changes they made to slow down the mail service. That said, recognizing that my office used the CARES Act funding from the federal government to install close to 1,000 over 1,000 drop boxes all around the state for that very reason. We recognize that the courts will litigate the issue of the of when a ballot is sent prior to Election Day and received after. I see that still as a valid vote. But we also know that the most important thing is for voters to have all their votes in by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. And so that's what we're trying to help make happen.
[Harlow:] Secretary Jocelyn Benson, we know you've got a lot on your plate. Thanks for your time.
[Benson:] Always a pleasure. Thank you.
[Harlow:] We appreciate it very much. Well, if you want to find your polling station wherever you live, voter registration status or get information about absentee or early voting, it's all right here, cnn.comvote. So we're now just a few hours away from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's deadline to reach a stimulus deal if a package is to be passed before Election Day. Where do those negotiations stand, next.

[Keilar:] We're back now with more on our breaking news. President Trump threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold a formal vote on impeachment on the House floor before he cooperates with the impeachment inquiry.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We'll be issuing a letter. As everybody knows, we've been treated very unfairly, very different than anybody else. If you go over, not only history, you go over any aspect of life, you'll see how unfairly we've been treated. And this is not about politics. This is about corruption. If you look and you read our Constitution and many other things, I have an obligation to look at corruption. I have an actual obligation and a duty.
[Keilar:] Kaitlan Collins is at the White House. Kaitlan, what can you tell us about the president's strategy here, because it appears to be changing from yesterday?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, it does. And about that letter the president was talking about, we had been hearing this was in the works. Essentially, it's framing this White House argument we've been hearing since last Tuesday that, unless Nancy Pelosi places a vote on the floor formally for this impeachment inquiry, that they have to comply with these document requests, these requests for officials to go up to Capitol Hill, to sit down with House Democrats and talk about impeachment inquiry. So essentially, they're going to send her this letter daring her to hold a floor vote. That's counting on the fact we've seen a surging number of Democrats saying they support impeachment inquiry. They're going to make the argument that could change once they actually have to go on the record. They haven't sent this letter yet. We had heard they were going to. And the president announced it this morning. We're waiting to see if they actually sent it to Democrats. The question is, does it change anything. If they do hold this vote, which Democrats don't feel they need to, will the White House fully cooperate? Some have questioned whether or not they will. Of course, the interesting part came a few minutes later where the president said he thinks, if it went to a trial in the Senate, the Republican-led Senate, he thinks he would win. But he did concede at one point that he does think House Democrats do have the votes to move forward with an impeachment. So it kind of changes the president's frame of mind from where we were told by officials that he was kind of in denial about all of this. So now he does seem to be acknowledging the fact the fact that the Democrats do have the votes. You do hear him at the end, he's still maintaining the same kind of defense. He doesn't think anything he said to these leaders, calling on Ukraine personally, to investigate the Bidens, or publicly, saying China should investigate the Bidens, he doesn't think there's anything wrong with that.
[Keilar:] Kaitlan Collins, at the White House, thank you. The president defending his actions by saying he has, quote, "the absolute right" to do so. It's not the first time he's given that reason. Plus, the former special envoy to Ukraine telling Congress he found no credibility in the president's allegations against the Bidens. What else we're learning about what Kurt Volker said to Congress in his testimony on Capitol Hill.

[John Vause, Cnn International Anchor:] in the Oval Office. And her name was once mentioned alongside Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, but now Aung San Suu Kyi will speak out defending Myanmar's military against charges of genocide. U.S. House Democrats have decided to narrowly focus on impeachment case on the President's decision to ask Ukraine for help in his 2020 reelection campaign, the U.S. military aid for political investigation scandal. The House Judiciary Committee will debate two articles of impeachment on Wednesday, the end result of a two-month-long investigation which heard from dozens of witnesses, 17 testifying publicly. The articles are both related to the President's request for Ukraine to help with that 2020 reelection. That's article one, abuse of power. Article two, obstructing Congress, was based on the White House's refusal to provide documents and allow witnesses to testify.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] The framers of the Constitution prescribed a clear remedy for presidents who so violate their oath of office. That is the power of impeachment. Today, in service to our duty to the constitution and to our country, the House Committee on the Judiciary is introducing two articles of impeachment, charging the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, with committing high crimes and misdemeanors.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] We stand here today because the President's continuing abuse of his power has left us no choice. To do nothing would make ourselves complicit in the President's abuse of his high office, the public trust, and our national security.
[Vause:] President Trump though downplaying all of this calling it impeachment lies and weak.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The Republicans have stuck together. It's a witch hunt. It's a terrible thing. But even the Democrats, they couldn't find very much because they put up two articles that, frankly a very weak. They're very weak.
[Vause:] So what's next in the impeachment process? CNN's Phil Mattingly has details.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn U.s. Congressional Correspondent:] You have the articles of impeachment. Now we know there are two of them, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. And that's obviously a huge step for basically laying the groundwork for an almost certain vote to impeach President Trump. But here's what's going to happen going forward. Right now you've got members of the Judiciary Committee, Democrats and Republicans meeting behind closed doors to kind of plan the process of actually considering those articles of impeachment and that's where they will initially start in the committee process where they will what's called mark up those articles to see if Republicans can get any changes, to see if Democrats want any changes. The assumption right now is no but it will be the legislative process in the committee. It will be lengthy. It will start Wednesday night and continue into Thursday. Don't expect many changes, if any changes at all to be made, but there will be certainly a lot of back and forth. And what this all tees up is a final House vote. We've been talking now for several weeks that House Democratic leaders have been targeting next week as the week that they vote to impeach President Trump. They are very much on target for that vote to happen at that timeline. Now, we don't know the exact day yet. We don't know the exact process of how it's going to be structured and played out. But we do know those two articles of impeachment, obstruction of Congress, abuse of power will get house four votes next week. Those votes to impeach President Trump only the third president in the United States history to be impeached. And then sending those articles of impeachment over to the United States Senate for a trial. A trial that likely won't start until sometime the first or second week in January. But we know for sure the House is moving, the House is moving quickly, legislative action in the committee this week, House floor vote next week.
[Vause:] CNN Presidential Historian and the former Director of the Nixon Presidential Library, Tim Naftali is with us now from Washington. So, Tim, we've got the Democrats now filing just two articles of impeachment narrowly focused on Ukraine, no specific mention of the Mueller report or the Russia investigation on election meddling, nothing to do with the Emoluments Clause, for example. It seems you know, even the White House was expecting, you know, a bigger scope here with the articles. Listen to this.
[Stephanie Grisham, White House Press Secretary:] We were anticipating certainly that they would come forth with articles of impeachment, but we thought actually that it was going to be four or five. I think that perhaps Speaker Pelosi had to make a deal with her Dems.
[Vause:] Do you think this is part of a deal that Pelosi stuck with the moderate Democrats and those Trump leaning states make it easier for them, or is this just the KISS theory at work, keep it keep it simple, stupid.
[Tim Naftali, Cnn Presidential Historian:] Well, I'm not surprised that the White House didn't quite understand the Constitution in this instance. Under the Constitution, the House has the sole prerogative of impeachment. And the members of the of the committee that the house chooses to look this over, they are to act like jurors. So they have to study information, evidence. You would have had to provided them with evidence from the Mueller investigation so that they could then pass judgment on whether there were any reasons for impeachment within that collection of data. All the data they received was the that I understand that they received was from the House Intelligence Committee. So they weren't going to have articles of impeachment regarding potential misconduct that other investigations had looked at but for which they received no information. It made it would make no sense at all. So the pool of information from which they decided to seek two articles of impeachment was that pool of information generated through the investigation of the House impeachment the House Intelligence Committee.
[Vause:] I want to ask you about the language you used at the very end of the articles of impeachment because this clearly this language was not included in the articles that were up against Nixon or Bill Clinton. After describing Trump as a threat to national security, it goes on to add, "President Trump does warrant impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States." Was that language included because of the speculation that had been out there for a while that, you know, if Donald Trump in the unlikely event he was removed by the Senate from offers, he could actually run again in 2020 and win?
[Naftali:] Well, I believe that the language is there because Donald Trump is the first president in the 20th the first in the 20th century, 21st and 20th century, the modern era, who is being impeached at the end of his first term. Andrew Johnson, in the 19th century, actually had dreams of being a reelected of running again and being reelected. He was ultimately not nominated by the Democratic Party in 1868. But he actually could have run again in 1868. But after the change in the law, after the changes in the constitution following FDR, no American president can serve more than two terms. And so Donald Trump is the first president who faces the possibility of being impeached in his first term, and therefore, by the terms of the Constitution, he is eligible for reelection. If he were removed under the circumstances, this impeachment would prevent him from running again.
[Vause:] OK, very quickly. You know, one of the choices the Democrats had to make here was you know, impeach him now or just let voters decide on the President's fate in November next year. The Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff explained why they decided to impeach. Here he is.
[Schiff:] The argument, why don't you just wait amounts to this. Why don't you just let him cheat in one more election? Why not let him cheat just one more time? Why not let him have foreign help just one more time?
[Vause:] It always seemed an odd argument to me. You know, allow an election to the side the faith of the guy who's been trying to rig that election?
[Naftali:] Yes. Well, and I think there's another argument to be made. I understand why Congressman Schiff made the argument he made, but there's another argument, which is it if Congress allowed the behavior it learned about from the whistleblower to go unchecked, then I believe, was laying the foundation for future presidents to suborn and subvert U.S. foreign relations for their domestic political needs, and that's very dangerous. Regardless of the President, whether Republican or Democrat, you do not want presidents to use the Trump approach to foreign policy. So I think this impeachment, regardless of its short term political consequences, is letting or set down a marker for a future president. Your administration will be tainted if you attempt to imitate Donald Trump's approach to the Ukrainians.
[Vause:] We're out of time, but very quickly. So just with the argument though, is the obstruction of Congress charge here, the one which is I guess, in the overall scheme of things, the one which sort of has the greatest ramifications if that is not defended, if Congress is right to oversight is not defended?
[Naftali:] Well, I think both are very important. I believe that an abuse of power is one of the most dangerous source of misconduct by a president. Presidents have enormous power, and so much happens under the radar. If they see if they feel they have license to use the instruments of government to promote their own personal agendas and to go after their personal enemies, This country would be a very different place. Richard Nixon tried to do it and he got caught. It seems Donald Trump tried to do it and at the very least, he is going to bear forever a political stain because of it. The other is important too, but there's a long history of constitutional debate between the executive branch and the legislative branch as to how much compliance there should be. One of the things that never been that has never been tested by the Supreme Court or in the Supreme Court is the extent to which an executive the executive has to help Congress impeach it. That's never been tested. And so the second article, while very important, it's part of the long term struggle between the two of the branches of the U.S. government.
[Vause:] Yes. I guess my argument was that if you don't have that oversight, then essentially the executive can do essentially whatever they want. But your point, I take as well. Tim, thank you so much. Good to see you. I appreciate it.
[Naftali:] My pleasure. Thank you.
[Vause:] Just like the impeachment investigation which we found no political motivation behind the FBI's Russia investigation, President Trump still claims his campaign was spied on by the Bureau and he was the target of a deep state conspiracy. An Inspector General's report found both claims were baseless and the FBI was justified in opening investigation in ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. FBI Director Christopher Wray also shut down another Trump conspiracy theory saying there's no evidence of Ukrainian interference in the 2016 presidential election. It was all Russia. And Wray who was appointed by Trump stood by the I.G. report.
[Christopher Wray, Director, Fbi:] The Inspector General did not find that political bias or improper motivations impacted the decision to open the Russia interference investigation or the decisions to use certain investigative tools in the investigation. But that doesn't end the inquiry for me. What's important to me is I make sure and we make sure that we're doing everything by the book, bias or no bias.
[Vause:] The I.G. did find 17 examples of mistakes, in particular, how surveillance applications were handled with regards to the Trump campaign and the aide Carter Page. The President and his backers have lashed onto that one element saying it proves spying and the conspiracy. Here's the Attorney General William Barr.
[William Barr, Attorney General, United States:] clearly spied upon. I mean, that's what electronic surveillance is. I think wiring people up to go in and talk to people and make recordings of their conversations is spying. I think going through people's e-mails, which they did as a result of the FISA warrant. They went through everything.
[Vause:] President Trump now suggesting that because Wray spoke out and told the truth and use facts, his time at the FBI may be short. He tweeted, "I don't know why what current report director sorry, what report current director of the FBI Cristopher Wray was, but sure it wasn't the one given to me. With that kind of attitude, he will never be able to fix the FBI, which is badly broken, despite having some of the greatest men and women working." Tuesday offered a 2017 flashback at the White House. President Trump was attacking the Russia probe and slamming the FBI director. He was also meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. CNN's Matthew Chance reports now from Moscow.
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, the fact neither U.S nor Russian media were allowed to even take a photograph of the meeting between President Trump or the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, underlines just how sensitive this encounter was particularly at a time when President Trump is facing an impeachment process but withholding military aid from Ukraine, a country which Russia has impart invaded. In a news conference after the meeting, Foreign Minister Lavrov spoke of a range of issues that him and the U.S. President have discussed, arms control, the conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, the situation with the Iranian nuclear deal, and economic cooperation between the United States and Russia. He did not give a clear answer, however, when asked repeatedly, President Trump had warned Russia not to interfere in U.S. elections. The White House insists that President Trump did issue such a warning. When pressed on the issue, Lavrov acknowledged that the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on the matter, but made no reference to President Trump. Well, this was the first official meeting in the Oval Office between Trump and Lavrov since May 2017 when Trump is alleged to have discussed highly classified intelligence with the Russian Foreign Minister and the then-Russian ambassador. Lavrov also confirms an invitation for Trump to attend Victory Day celebrations in Moscow next year, but said that the American president was yet to decide whether or not he would come. Matthew Chance CNN, Moscow.
[Vause:] Volcanic conditions on New Zealand's White Island are hindering recovery efforts. Two days after an eruption killed at least six people, it's still too dangerous to deploy teams to the island. Eight people remain missing, sad to say another eruption is likely within 24 hours.
[Graham Leonard, Volcanic Geologist, Gns Science:] In summary, yesterday there was a there was a high risk of an eruption. Today there was an even higher risk of interruption. And the parameters are worsening at the moment.
[Vause:] Many survivors suffered excessive burns to their bodies as well as their lungs. 25 people remain in hospital in critical condition. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, we're on the eve of the Brexit election in the U.K. and totally uphill for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Also ahead, a wakeup call for the newest billionaire Democrat running for the White House. Michael Bloomberg says his opponents would get eaten alive by Donald Trump.

[King:] Some global perspective. Now U.K. health officials say 134 more deaths have been reported in the last day. That brings the death toll in the U.K. to more than 37,000. The number of confirmed cases there also rising, more than 2,000 just in the last day. Now more than 265,000 cases across the U.K. Let's check in with CNN correspondents around the globe for some of the latest headlines.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Here in London, the British prime minister is facing his first casualty in his handling of allegations that his chief adviser broke lockdown regulations. A deputy minister has said that Dominic Cummings, who is special adviser, chief adviser to the prime minister, didn't come to the same conclusions of the interpretations about the lockdown advice that the government gave to the country that most other people would have come to, and that's why he's resigning his position. The prime minister has also had reaction from within his party as well. One M.P. wrote, saying Cummings should either apologized, offered some regret or offered his resignation. And on top of that, one recent poll taken in the last few days as the story broke indicates that the government's popularity and Boris Johnson's popularity is falling, falling significantly, now into negative territory. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
[King:] We're at the top of the hour now. I am John King, in Washington. This is CNN continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] So much chaos, so much uncertainty in Britain, which could have a huge impact on Europe's economy and the world economy. Yet, a new vote on Brexit. Perhaps this could spell the end of Theresa May's time as prime minister. We are waiting for that vote in the next few hours. Joining us now, CNN's Nic Robertson live on Downing Street. Nic.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Yes, good morning, John. Four hours until that vote now. An emergency session of parliament. Normally the MPs will be backing their constituency on a Friday. Theresa May has tried to make this easier on herself, easier on the MPs. She had split up this vote into two parts. There's the divorce from the European part and there's the future relationship part. Today they get to vote on the divorce part only. Difficulty for Theresa May is, this is the bit that there's the most opposition too, the backstop, the border between northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It went down to a historic 230 defeat in January, 149 votes against just a couple of weeks ago and the assessment today is it will probably go down again because some of her own MPs won't vote for it. The opposition is against it. And her northern Irish allies are against it too. What does this mean? If the vote goes down on the 12th of April, Britain, before the 12th of April, Britain has to tell the European Union, does it want to leave with a no deal or does it want a really long extension towards the end of this year or even next year? If the vote goes through, then Theresa May is on a very, very bumpy but still a glide path to leaving the European Union on the 22nd of May. I say bumpy because none of this is simple. Alisyn.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Oh my gosh, this is the Rubik's cube of diplomacy, it feels so intractable right now. But, Nic, you will keep us posted. Thank you very much. So investigators are trying to figure out how a 10-year-old girl died in a classroom fight in South Carolina. CNN's Kaylee Hartung is live in front of the school in Walterboro with the latest developments. Kaylee.
[Kaylee Hartung, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Alisyn, we don't know what led to a fight between two fifth grade girls. We don't know what transpired during that fight. What we know is that when emergency personnel responded to this elementary school on Monday, they found Raniya Wright unconscious but still breathing. They brought her to a local hospital, then airlifted her to another in Charleston about an hour from here. And on Wednesday, she died. Authorities and the school board, they are staying tight lipped saying this is an ongoing investigation involving two juveniles. But Raniya Wright's mother tells me she believes her daughter was a victim of bullying. I spoke with her yesterday. She's not ready to speak on camera. And she's not ready to publicly answer any questions. But her father, Raniya's grandfather, shared this sentiment with us.
[Ernie Wright, Raniya Wright's Grandfather:] As far as violence or anything like that, she never would do that. I miss her. We love you. We could do everything we can do for justice for her.
[Hartung:] The family is planning a celebration of Raniya's life next week. And, in the meantime, John, this community is trying to grapple with the shocking news that a fight between two fifth grade girls could result in death. We saw yesterday parents screaming questions out at school board members, questions that went unanswered, but also members of this community holding hands in prayer, several hundreds of them, hoping for healing.
[Berman:] All right, Kaylee Hartung for us. This is a horrible story and something that the school and that community certainly needs to address. Appreciate it. President Trump has moved to strike down Obamacare, threatening coverage for millions of Americans. So will this make the Republicans the party of healthcare as the president has promised? We'll dig inside the numbers, next.

[Camerota:] OK, so who is the candidate that voters say they want to hear more about? Answer? Senator Kamala Harris. So we all saw her prosecutorial style of questioning during last week's hearing with Attorney General William Barr, and before. People have been impressed. But now the 2020 Democratic hopeful is changing her strategy somewhat. And here to explain that we have "The New York Times" Jonathan Martin. He has insight into her new campaign strategy and an entire article about it. And he is joined by Josh Green, CNN political analyst and, national correspondent for "Bloomberg Businessweek." Great to see you guys. So, J. Mart., how has Kamala Harris already shifted on the campaign trail?
[Jonathan Martin, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, you mentioned that interrogation she had of Bill Barr and I think that really points to her upside, her possibility, that she does come off best when she is taking on Trump administration officials, the president himself. She has the sort of catch phrase that she wants to prosecute the case against Trump, which, of course, invokes her record as a former DA and the California attorney general. And I think her campaign has come to the conclusion that it's a loser's game to try to keep pace with the Bernie Sanders left, to try to sort of bow on every issue that comes up or at least not offend the perceived views of the left on every issue and play to her strengths. And they polled this, they've tested this extensively, and they found that there's not a lot of down side in emphasizing her record as a prosecutor and they think that she shines the best when she is in that role and doing so, taking on the president himself because, guess what, guys, that's what most Democratic primary voters care about, who can beat President Trump.
[Berman:] I like your articles most when they validate things that I have said on this show already, Jonathan. And we were talking about Senator Harris, her speech at the NAACP the other night in Detroit as a moment when things shifted
[Martin:] Yes.
[Berman:] Where she directly took on President Trump. And it's not that the Democrats ignore the president, but many have been trying to run candidates sort of independent of him. And she also took on the issue of electability, which seems to be an acknowledgment to the presence of Joe Biden.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Berman:] And so this is a shift. You have seen a shift and are hearing about a shift from inside sources in that campaign, Jonathan.
[Martin:] Oh, absolutely. You know, in fact, the campaign confirms on the record that she is, in fact, going to now focus on prosecuting the case, which is her catch phrase. And they say that they recognize now that she is best when she is out there taking the case against President Trump, not getting bogged down in the sort of roster of litmus test issues on the left. And that's how they're going to project her going forward. This has caused tensions, though, in the campaign because there has been a camp of people that haven't been pushing her on this to really embrace the prosecutorial background. But at the same time, she's faced immense pressure on her left flank. And, you know, being from California, she's sensitive about the kind of demands of her party base because obviously growing up in politics in San Francisco, that's a constant push and pull, you know, on you. So I think they've now gotten to the point where two things happened, the Barr hearing happened and Biden got in the race. And I think seeing Biden take on President Trump and seeing her go after Barr, it crystallized this for the Harris folks, this is our best strategy here
[Camerota:] Josh, I just did one of my signature one of our signature voter panels.
[Berman:] You said "my." You said "my."
[Camerota:] On CNN and the person that that small slice of voters in Pennsylvania, three of them want more Kamala Harris. Let me play you a little portion.
[Pat Flannigan, Pennsylvania Voter:] Kamala Harris. I think she's provides a contrast to what to what Trump is. I think she provides a great opportunity to win.
[Nasya Jenkins, Pennsylvania Voter:] Definitely Kamala Harris. Not only is she a woman, but she's also a woman of color. I feel like she has the energy, she has the plan, she has the mindset to go against somebody so disgusting.
[Camerota:] And, Josh, I guess my point is that, is this a case where the media has been slow on the uptake with Kamala Harris. Beto O'Rourke has the cover of "Vanity Fair." Pete Buttigieg is on "CBS Sunday Morning." But, you know, the voters, if you look at our CNN town halls, it's Kamala Harris who sets the record for viewers and ratings and who the people want more of.
[Josh Green, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I think Harris got off to a terrific start. I mean she had an enormous launch event with 20,000 people there. She did very well in first quarter fundraising. But I get the sense, talking to voters, that she hasn't really distinguished herself. You have Biden and Bernie as the front runners, you have, you know, Warren pitching a lot of policies, helping to shape the race, you have Buttigieg as the exciting new candidate. She hasn't really quite gelled in the minds of a lot of voters. And I think that's reflected in Jonathan's piece when you see the struggle, you know, should she try and apiece the far left of her party and go in that direction, should she try and appeal take more of a centrist stance? I think one of the reasons she hasn't gotten more media attention is that she hasn't really, a, drawn big poll numbers that would justify along the lines the way that Biden has, and, b, it's not quite clear what her what her candidacy stands for at this time or how she ought to be portrayed. But certainly on paper, you know, she's someone who is a top tier candidate and ought to be getting the kinds of attention that it sounds like these voters want her to get. So maybe we'll see more of that soon.
[Berman:] Well, one of the most interesting questions in our most recent poll was, which candidate do you want to hear more about, and she was leading.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Camerota:] Absolutely.
[Berman:] She clearly and I thought that was an interesting question. It's one I hadn't really seen before.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Berman:] It was a really revealing question to me, Josh. And it's a mixed bag because, on the one hand, it shows there's a lot of room for growth that they want to hear more about Senator Harris
[Green:] Yes.
[Berman:] On the other hand, it shows you that the time spent from January, which was a much ballyhooed launch, to now, that maybe it could have been used differently or more effectively if they're still wondering what she's about.
[Green:] I think that's probably right. But, you know, the other fact of the matter is, the media, the political media especially, tend to gallop in the direction of one candidate at a time. And, you know, the boom over the last month or so has been for Pete Buttigieg. He's been, you know, very available in the media, he's been all over TV, magazine covers. You know, maybe his moment has faded a little bit as Biden has come in and shown that he's got big leads in the polls. But with 22 candidates running in the field, I think that that's what it is at the last count, you've really got to do something to stand out and stand apart. And my sense is that Harris really hasn't managed to do that yet. But we we all know that the quickest way to attention in politics in the Trump era is to frontally attack Donald Trump. And it sounds like that's that's the direction she's going to take now. And judging from history, that's a pretty good bet if you want attention to pick a fight with Trump and hopes hope that he notices and responds.
[Camerota:] All right, J. Mart, Josh Green, thank you.
[Martin:] And he has, guys
[Camerota:] Yes, quick quickly.
[Martin:] He called her nasty twice. I was going to say, he has. He's called her nasty in the past week two different times, which kind of vindicates this pivot, a picking a fight with Trump is what Democratic voters want and it gets you the most attention from us in the media.
[Berman:] And you asked her about that?
[Camerota:] She laughed it off.
[Berman:] She laughed it off.
[Camerota:] Yes. Thank you, guys, very much.
[Green:] Thank you.
[Martin:] Thanks.
[Camerota:] OK, up next, Republican-led Senate panel subpoenas President Trump's son, Don Junior. What will President Trump do about that?
[Berman:] But first, losing weight doesn't have to mean giving up food you love. Oh, really? CNN health contributor Lisa Drayer shares how you can eat your way to a healthier lifestyle.
[Lisa Drayer, Cnn Health Contributor:] Here's my guide to fighting fat without giving up taste. A broth-based soup, when eaten before a meal, is proven to help you eat fewer calories. That's because when water is paired with food, digestion is slowed down, which helps your stomach stay fuller longer. Remember, broth-based is best. Cream-based soups often have more fat and calories. A spinach salad can also have big benefits for your waistline. Spinach, like other green plants, is a source of compounds called thylakoids, which may help curb the urge to snack according to studies. A couple of easy ways to get the levy green into your diet is by adding spinach to a smoothie or by pureeing it into a soup. Flaxseed can also help you eat less. The fiber in flaxseed keeps you feeling satisfied without contributing any calories. Research has also revealed that the fiber in flaxseed helps to suppress appetite. How do you eat it? Sprinkle it on top of yogurt or add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed to your cereal or a smoothie.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] If you are just joining us breaking news in the 2020 race. Joe Biden has made it official telling his top advisers that he has selected the woman he thinks will help him win the White House this November. And he's set to reveal her name as early as today. We here at CNN of course are closely watching all the developments, making, you know, phone calls, trying to get to the bottom of who it is. Let's go straight to CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny and also CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash. OK, so, Jeff, first to you, let's just take a minute, let's take a breath, let's not, you know, speculate here. Let's just take a minute on the history here. We know it will be a woman, as he has said. Could be a woman of color. How significant is that?
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, Brooke, there are a lot of things we do know about the search and the key one is what you just mentioned, that Joe Biden pledged some five months ago to pick a woman. That is in and of itself historic. Whoever his choice is will be the third woman to join a major party ticket as a running mate. Of course, Sarah Palin in the 2008 campaign with John McCain and Geraldine Ferraro, of course, with Walter Mondale. So, this person is immediately etched in history, and that has just an interesting dynamic on the presidency should Joe Biden win in November and certainly on the campaign in the short-term. It is going to be, you know, certainly a different moment in time. And the reason that Joe Biden did that, he made that decision back in March, during his final debate here on CNN with Bernie Sanders. He wanted a bit of a headline there and he also said a few other things in the same moment. He said he is going to appoint an African American woman to the Supreme Court. He said the voices are long past due there. He also said he's going to have a diverse cabinet. So, this is just the first of many choices he is indeed going to make. But we do know that the former Vice President has been having these conversations, one-on-one conversations as well as virtual conversations with every single one of the finalists. And we are told by people close to the process that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer flew to see Joe Biden just about a week or so ago. Kamala Harris the Senator from California, of course, knew him well from running against him, and as well as former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, those were the top contenders as well as other contenders in the mix. So, there were 11 women overall who were seriously vetted here. So, history no matter how you slice it Brooke.
[Baldwin:] And also, Dana, unique because this is a man who has served as Vice President. He knows what goes into doing the job. He knows he had a wonderful relationship with his commander-in-chief, he knows he wants someone with whom he is comfortable, who is loyal and also who can govern alongside him, correct.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Right, which are very important criteria. And I'll just add another one into that. Is that Joe Biden is not a young man. And he is very well aware of that. And he is also very well aware of the import of his decision because of that. I mean, he is not suggesting that he's going to go anywhere. That he's obviously saying that he is very vital and up to the task. But he also understands reality. And so if you put all of those things into the mix, it gives you a really good sense of why this has been, according to sources I talked to and I know Jeff as well, a pretty difficult decision for Joe Biden to make. Because he understands how high the stakes are. I mean, they're always high when you are the nominee or the presumptive nominee for your party's presidential nomination. You have to pick your running mate, somebody who you don't want to just campaign with but you could very well, you hope, be serving with in the White House. But this takes on a whole different level. But I also think the fact that he was Vice President for eight years and he was a Vice President who had such a good relationship with the top dog is really crucial. I mean he said to me, I went and talked to him in May, right after Memorial Day, and one of the things that he was saying there is that you also have to remember that nothing got out. I mean that there was so many times where he had conversations with President Obama where he was the last one in the room and Obama knew that he could trust Joe Biden, and that nothing would get out and he would give him his real take on things.
[Baldwin:] Jeff, do you want to quickly add to that?
[Zeleny:] I think what Dana is saying is so important. They had a great relationship at the end. At the beginning they barely knew each other. 12 years ago, at this very point they were just getting to know each other. So, they were both surprised by how quickly they forged this bond. So, this is the beginning of a relationship. The former Vice President, he knows most of the women on that list but not necessarily all that well. So, this is the beginning of a bond. So, it's important I think to think back at the beginning of the ObamaBiden relationship. You know, they knew each other just a very little bit. They had been in the Senate a very short time. They ran against each other. Biden wasn't sure if Obama was up to it. Obama wasn't sure that Biden would necessarily be a good second fiddle, but he turned out to be. So that is I think how we have to think of this relationship starting out. What theirs was 12 years ago.
[Baldwin:] It's such an important point. Yes. Because we're just having a conversation about how, you know, our friend David Axelrod refers to this as a shotgun marriage. But shotgun marriages can work out. I'm going to thank both of you for now. We'll stay on this story, of course, and as soon as we get word, we'll pass it along. We also have breaking news this afternoon on the future of college football. The Big Ten just announcing it is delaying the fall season. I'll talk to a college football player and a former NFL player on what they make of this crucial decision, next.

[Keilar:] Six months into this pandemic, millions of Americans are struggling to pay their bills. Just today, the Labor Department announced that another 881,000 people filed for unemployment benefits first time last week. And all of this comes as Congress is unable to reach a deal on a second stimulus plan and is currently in recess. In Houston, Texas, where eviction moratoriums have been lifted, some people are being kicked out of their homes after falling behind on rent payments. CNN's Kyung Lah is in Houston with more.
[Bennie Gant, Harris County Constables, Precinct 1:] Hello? Constable, I need you to come at the door.
[Kyung Lah, Cnn National Correspondent:] From one Houston home to the next
[Gant:] Hello, constable.
[Lah:] Deputy Bennie Gant with Harris County Constable's Office executes judge's orders to evict.
[Gant:] Hello? Constable.
[Israel Rodriguez, Evicted From Apartment:] We ain't got nowhere to go.
[Lah:] Israel Rodriguez is a tenant at this apartment, but he's not alone. 20-month-old Israel, his brother, four-year-old Fabian and their mother are some of the estimated 40 million Americans facing eviction in the downward spiral of the COVID economy.
[Rodriguez:] They didn't rush us but they're like, get everything you need.
[Lah:] Rodriguez admits he hasn't been paying rent behind thousands of dollars.
[Rodriguez:] It's my fault on the eviction. It was a lot going on in the corona. When it hit, I lost my job. So it took like a month to get another job. This is my check but I ain't making it with $300. It's literally $300.
[Lah:] Their stroller now carries their possessions.
[Rodriguez:] It's mainly the kids' clothes because me and her, we wear the same clothes almost every day. Make sure we got toilet paper, a little bit of snacks for the kids.
[Lah:] What are you going to do with all of your stuff?
[Rodriguez:] That's trash. They get thrown into trash because we don't have a car, we don't have help, we don't nobody that can come and help us out right now, nobody. We've got ourselves, me and the kids and her. That's it.
[Lah:] How do you feel, as law enforcement, feel about seeing for that family to go?
[Gant:] That's a tough situation. I've got six kids, six children. And, you know, the kids see the mom and dad in desperate situation, it is tough.
[Lah:] Deputy Gant, an officer for 35 years, is just starting his day. Eight evictions are on his list.
[Gant:] Co-defendant is here, two of them.
[Lah:] At each stop, people behind on rent are ordered to leave, possessions, pulled out. Where are you guys going to go now?
[Unidentified Male:] I can go to a hotel.
[Lah:] You can go to a hotel?
[Gant:] Constable.
[Lah:] As Deputy Gant works through his list, we get word that 200 eviction orders have come through the Harris County courts for this week. That's double what they normally saw for an entire month before COVID. 200 on Monday, what does that
[Gant:] Well, that's a lot, yes.
[Lah:] What does that say to you?
[Gant:] Well, what that means is that they're ready to start having people removed from properties.
[Lah:] It is a backlog, but it's also just one precinct in one of America's hardest-hit cities in evictions. The job takes its toll.
[Gant:] I don't really want to put her out here, but I have to under this judge's order.
[Lah:] At this apartment, the tenant is an elderly woman who can no longer afford the rent. The landlord's mover, Francisco Munoz, works though he doesn't want to.
[Munoz:] I have a family, I have a sister, I have my mom, and we never know. Maybe today it's her, tomorrow it's me, you know?
[Lah:] Midway through the eviction, Deputy Gant decides it's too dangerous to evict her in the Houston summer heat.
[Gant:] I'm not going to put her out here in this heat.
[Lah:] And will call social services instead.
[Gant:] But tomorrow, you are leaving.
[Lah:] A one-day reprieve with an uncertain tomorrow.
[Gant:] You have a situation where people aren't working, they don't have money and they're desperate.
[Lah:] The Harris County Constable's Office has put a hold on all evictions for now as they try to sort exactly what does the CDC nationwide eviction moratorium mean. Locally, there is quite a bit of confusion and questions about whether this will be effective at all. Kyung Lah, CNN, Houston, Texas.
[Keilar:] Kyung, thank you so much for that powerful report. It's heartbreaking, right? And it's worth noting millions of Americans are in that situation while the Senate is on a month-long vacation and Congress can't compromise. Next, new outbreaks at colleges and universities, including 800 new cases at one major school. Plus, Alabama now allowing restaurant buffets to reopen but with some ground rules. I'll be speaking with one owner.

[John King, Cnn Inside Politics:] On race relations, a lead on the Supreme Court and a giant lead on health care. The big issues facing the voters, this is the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, advantage Biden. Why do we focus so much on Pennsylvania, because it was so important to the president four years ago and because of this math. Look at this, 269-169. If Joe Biden takes, that it's game over. It's 20 electoral votes. As the president tries to find a comeback path, he needs the big ones like Florida, the big ones like Ohio, the big ones like Pennsylvania. It's hard to make it up for the president if he loses this 20 right there. That's why Pennsylvania is so critical. That's why both campaigns, listen here, throwing a lot of money into T.V. ads.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] If you elect me, your taxes are going to be raised, not cut.
[Unidentified Male:] What does that mean for you? More taxes taken out of your paycheck, an economy in ruins. President Trump is bringing jobs back.
[Biden:] To our seniors, social security is a sacred obligation, a sacred promise made. The current president is threatening to break that promise. I will not let that happen.
[King:] The Democratic pollster, Margie Omero, Republican pollster Neil Newhouse join us now. Thank you both for being here. Neil, I want to start with you just to emphasize the point. Look, it's one state. The president has other paths to get to 270. But given the makeup, the composition of Pennsylvania, how important it was in 2016, when you look at the polling numbers that show Biden's consistent lead, nine points in that new poll today, how difficult does that tell you the president's path to a comeback this year?
[Neil Newhouse, Republican Pollster:] John, there's no question the president is behind. I mean, every poll shows it right now. And in order to win this race, he's got to do the same thing he did in 2016, which is essentially, you know, thread the Electoral College needle. I mean, this is a it's a very tough challenge. But it all starts with tonight. If he's going to come back, if he's going to come back and win the race, it has to start tonight. He has to put Joe Biden on the defensive, and he's got to make the case for his presidency.
[King:] And, Margie, you know, we all lived through 2016, so that gives Democrats a sense of jitters, I Guess, is one word. I could use less polite words. But when you look at those polling, there's no question, as Neil just noted, Joe Biden has the advantage heading into this first debate and he has an advantage many would say is bigger than the advantage Hillary Clinton had four years ago. But you do look around and Democrats are nervous because of that history. This is a Monmouth University poll just looking at swing counties, right, counties that is swing back and forth in presidential politics, Trump, 47, Biden, 46. If you when you look at the numbers and you look at the map, what is the one concern you hope Joe Biden deals with tonight?
[Margie Omero, Democratic Pollster:] Well, you know, I think we're all going to be watching to see what the president says about a whole host of things. I mean, you showed the advertising ads on Pennsylvania. It's really rich that he is talking about people's tax bill and paying too much in taxes given what we've learned about how little he's paid in taxes. The numbers I agree with Neil. The numbers are consistent. They are consistent in Pennsylvania. They're consistent nationally. They are consistent in states that were not even really considered battle grounds. They are consistent not just at the top of the ticket but in the Senate races and congressional races and everybody who feels mobilized across the country. I think the main issues is making sure people vote, that they know how to vote, that they feel comfortable voting given the changes in voting that they vote in person or vote by mail, vote absentee, that's the main challenge for both candidates. And certainly it's one that a smart campaign would really focus on.
[King:] And if you look at the numbers, both of you know them better than me, but, again, this from the Monmouth poll. How likely will had the debate change your mind about which candidate you're going to support? Very likely or somewhat likely, only 13 percent say that, not likely, 87 percent. So, Neil, most voters, not surprising, the numbers were very similar four years ago. We live in a polarized world. If you're an incumbent and you are behind, how do you get people? What is the key to get people to give you a second look?
[Newhouse:] Well, first of all, 13 percent is more than enough to change the course of this election.
[King:] Yes, it is.
[Newhouse:] No question about it. But, you know, John, we've been talking about this for months, and the need for the Trump campaign to turn this from a referendum on Donald Trump and his presidency to a choice. And that's what he has to do tonight. He has to demonstrate there's a choice between these two candidates. And he's got to put Joe Biden on the defensive. There's no question this is his maybe his last best chance to begin to turn this around.
[King:] Last best chance, a good way to put it. And when had you look at it, Margie, again, it's the first debate but the first one tends to get a bigger audience. The first one is if people are making their mind, especially with all the early voting. A lot of people have already voted even before this first debate. And many will be doing their vote in the next few days. If you look at it right now, we can go state-by-state, but you can also look at sort of the different voting groups. The president has an advantage among men, among white voters, among white voters without college degrees. Joe Biden has a giant lead among women, voters of color, white voters with degrees and he's doing very well among young voters, which is typical for Democrats, but his performing, seniors have been a constituency trended towards the Republicans in recent years, Biden is doing well. Again, in a debate context, do you walk in, do you tell your candidate as he is about to walk on to the stage, this is the one thing you must do, and if it's Joe Biden what is it?
[Omero:] Look, I think he needs to demonstrate the way he is not like the president, and that is showing compassion, showing understanding, showing mastery of the facts, showing real focus on the you know, hundreds of thousands of families who have lost someone from the coronavirus. We have now polling out today that shows that 40 percent of Americans say that someone in their household has lost jobs or wages or hours as a result of the coronavirus. Joe Biden can speak to that. President Trump doesn't seem to.
[King:] Margie and Neil, I appreciate your perspective. We'll continue this conversation Five weeks until Election Day, a big debate night tonight. Thank you both for helping us understand it. When we come back, back to the coronavirus, it is hitting everywhere, everywhere you live, states big and small, including South Dakota right now experiencing a surge.

[Whitfield:] All local students at Michigan State University are being strongly encouraged to self-quarantine immediately to contain an outbreak on campus. Local officials say at least one-third of the new cases reported on campus have been traced back to parties and other social gatherings. CNN's Dianne Gallagher joining me right now. So Dianne, how challenging has it been for college administrators to keep students from large gatherings?
[Dianne Gallagher, Cnn National Correspondent:] I think we've started to see this play out across the country, Fred 342 people attached to Michigan State University have tested positive for COVID-19 since August 24th. Now, a Michigan State University physician issued this statement to CNN, saying that "MSU is committed to doing everything we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The safety of our entire community is a priority, and we all have a role to play in preventing the spread of the virus. This recommendation from the health department is just another tool to help us do that." That request for people to voluntarily self-isolate and quarantine is to try and prevent the spread. But like you said, people are still doing things off campus if they don't live on campus. Perhaps one of the best examples we've seen recently is this at Miami University in Ohio. It's from police bodycam video that essentially shows an officer that was driving by and saw what looked like a large gathering outside of a house. He then begins to talk to them, saying you're in violation of an order, only 10 people inside or outside. And then finds out something really unfortunately disturbing once he scans one of the resident's I.D.s.
[Unidentified Male:] I've never seen this before. There's an input on the computer that you tested positive for
[Covid. Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Unidentified Male:] When was this? This was a week ago. Were you supposed to be quarantining? Yes, that's why I'm at my house. So you have other people here and you're positive for COVID? You see the problem? They were honestly all walking by when we were out here. How many other people have COVID? They all do.
[Gallagher:] So there were six students from Miami University in Ohio who were cited for violating that mass gathering order in the city. That's a fine of at least $500, Fred. We talked to Miami University. They wouldn't go into the details of what's going to happen to those students but did say that violating quarantine or that mass gathering ordinance would cause them to face disciplinary action.
[Whitfield:] All right, Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much for that. So it must be pretty baffling for any local or state leader who has been trying to convince people to wear face masks and then hear this portion of the recorded Bob Woodward interview with President Trump.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Now it's turning out it's not just old people, Bob. But just today and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It's not just older
[Bob Woodward, Journalist:] Yes, exactly.
[Trump:] It's plenty of young people. Well, I think, Bob, really, to be honest with you
[Woodward:] Sure, I want you to be.
[Trump:] I wanted to, I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down.
[Woodward:] Yes.
[Trump:] Because I don't want to create a panic.
[Whitfield:] I want to bring in now Kelly Girtz. He is the mayor of Athens, Georgia, and has been critical of the Georgia governor, Brian Kemp's battle against local leaders being able to enact face mask rules. So Mayor, good to see you. Your reaction to what you are hearing coming from the president of the United States?
[Mayor Kelly Girtz , Athens-clarke County, Georgia:] It's frustrating to the extreme, Fredricka. I really appreciate you having me on. Local leaders are doing everything we can in Georgia to contain the spread. We certainly are asking for smart individual behavior, but we also have to have smart institutional behavior, and that means statewide and nationwide. I had an opportunity to be in a conference earlier this year with George W. Bush, speaking about his experience after 911, and of course yesterday was the 19th anniversary of that tragic episode. And while I didn't support him as a president, he said something really smart about what it takes to be a good leader in times like this. And he said that you have to be empathetic, and you also have to be very honest with people about the challenges. And on the national level we've seen a failure in both of those arenas. This president is not empathetic and he also is not being frank with the American public, and unfortunately that's bled down to leaders like Governor Kemp, and that's had an impact on the local level here. Athens is a city that all through the summer had lower case counts and lower death count per capita than any other metro area in the state, but in this last month we've seen this dramatic spike.
[Whitfield:] I was going to say, you attribute the more impressive numbers to the fact that you have been trying to encourage people to wear masks for a very long time. What do you think explains the most recent spike?
[Girtz:] Clearly, it's the return to campus of large numbers of students who are not here through the summertime. We're a city of 130,000. We probably had an influx of 20,000 or 25,000 students here just in the last month. And of course, it's being replicated across the country. You see it in Oxford, Mississippi, in Columbia, Missouri, in Pullman, Washington, other metro areas that, sadly, are on this rising case count spike in recent weeks. But, again, what we need is coordination. We need state leaders and national leaders who will say we need some common restrictions, some common understandings of what is good. Here in Georgia, the size restriction even on an interior gathering is 50 persons, much too high for the circumstances here.
[Whitfield:] But while you have been firm about advocating for people distancing and wearing a mask, that is your city of Athens. With the University of Georgia, being Athens is its home, do you see any real coordination, successful coordination that you might be able to have with the campus leadership?
[Girtz:] I've been in constant contact with campus leadership. And of course, they're guided by statewide leadership. And if you compare them to, say, some of the institutions in communities that have had much lower case count, they're simply allowing more activity, creating an environment for more activity. Before I moved into this office a year-and-a-half ago I worked with teenagers for 20 years. We know a lot about the young mind, we know a lot about young people's emotionality and libido, and certainly young people are going to do the things that young people do. And so we need to create the underlying conditions that keep people safe. And so that means very low allowance of gatherings, and really as much digital or online activity as possible. And so if you look at University of Virginia or University of North Carolina, Charlottesville or Chapel Hill, they've seen per capita much lower case counts because statewide leaders were able to enable local leaders to make those kinds of decisions.
[Whitfield:] Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens, Georgia, thank you so much. All the best to you.
[Girtz:] Thank you, Fredricka.
[Whitfield:] Up next, AstraZeneca resumes coronavirus vaccine trials in the United Kingdom after an unexpected delay. Plus, a CNN exclusive, an inside look at vaccine research in Russia, why a critical development is getting mixed reaction.

[Christiane Amanpour, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everybody. And welcome to the program. I'm Christiane Amanpour live here in Hanoi, Vietnam where President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have indeed wrapped up their second summit but without any agreement.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Chief National Security Correspondent:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. Pleasure to be here with Christiane Amanpour. Quite a morning or quite an afternoon of news. We're following reaction to the explosive testimony as well on Capitol Hill from President Trump's former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, the cloud of that hanging over these negotiations here in Hanoi.
[Amanpour:] Now the historic summit, we keep calling them historic summits between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un has ended and it did so fairly abruptly although the president didn't say that it was unpleasant and unfriendly walk out and they were quite friendly he said but there was just nothing to sign despite early indications that there might be. And the two leaders didn't even meet for a scheduled working lunch. And we had seen the pictures of the table. It was set the menus that they were going to have this lunch. And then we would presumably maybe going to have some good news at the press conference, but, no.
[Sciutto:] That's right. And no commitment to a third summit the president said at the press conference.
[Amanpour:] Because probably the right thing right now.
[Sciutto:] Probably considering they didn't really make any discernible progress here.
[Amanpour:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Just a short time ago the president explaining as best he could what happened.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] On North Korea, we just left Chairman Kim with a really, I think a very productive time. We thought and I thought and Secretary Pompeo felt that it wasn't a good thing to be signing anything. I'm going to let Mike speak about it, but we literally just left. We spent pretty much all day with Kim Jong-on who is quite a guy and quite a character. I think our relationship is very strong, but at this time we had some options and at this time we decided not to do any of the options and we'll see where that goes.
[Sciutto:] The talks taking place here with the cloud hanging over the president at home and the U.S. Mr. Trump also took a swipe at that other big story that we've been following these last days. That is the critical testimony of his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. Here was the president's response.
[Trump:] It's very interesting because I tried to watch as much as I could. I wasn't able to watch too much because I've been a little bit busy. But I think having a fake hearing like that and having it in the middle of this very important summit is really a terrible thing. They could have made it two days later or next week and it would have been even better. They would have more time. But having it during this very important summit is sort of incredible and he lied a lot. But it was very interesting because he did lie about one thing. He said no collusion with the Russian hoax. And I said I wonder why he didn't just lie about that too, like he did about everything else. I mean he lied about so many different things. I was actually impressed that he didn't say well, I think there was collusion for this reason or that. He didn't say that. He said no collusion. And I was a little impressed by that frankly, because he could have gone all out. He only went about 95 percent instead of a 100 percent.
[Amanpour:] So, quite a lot to unpack from that statement. First, the president saying that he regretted that Washington seem to have chosen this particular summit moment to hold that particular hearing and he seem to praise Michael Cohen for what he said not saying that there was any collusion. So, let's ask Jim Acosta to unpick all that. Tell us what you read into what the president just said.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, first of all, Christiane, I think we have to point out the obvious which is the president steered clear, largely during this news conference of the White House press corps and was instead selecting journalist at random from the other side of the room where there are foreign journalists seated. He didn't even know who he was calling on. At times he was going on reporters from Russian state media, Chinese state media, Sean Hannity from Fox, and largely just avoiding taking questions from the White House press corps. I think that was by design. That was because he didn't want to really answer the questions about Michael Cohen. One question out of this entire news conference about Michael Cohen was asked to the president. And as you heard there in that comment you just played a few moments ago, the president referring to the Michael Cohen testimony as a fake hearing. And the president was also cherry picking what he like from Michael Cohen's testimony, basically saying that he was lying all the way through his entire hearing. Except for the part where he said that the president, according to the president was not guilty of any kind of collusion with the Russians. And so, it was a very, you know, sort of Trumpian response to all that. And I think when you talk about what happened with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in the summit falling apart here in Hanoi, the president was a bit more candid about it. He was saying that basically he wanted to walk away from the negotiating table that Kim Jong-un wanted basically all sanctions lifted in exchange for some drastic reductions to his nuclear program. And the president said he just wasn't willing to do that. You know, one of the questions that I think could have been asked during this news conference and wasn't asked and I think it will be something that's ask going forward, is that the president now for the second time has surrendered some of the credibility of the United States, surrendered some of the credibility of the president of the the presidency of the United States in exchange for sitting down with a dictator who claims to be a very good person, and so on but walking away from these initiations really empty-handed. And perhaps the most striking and bizarre moment of this news conference is when he gave Kim Jong-un really a pass on the death of the American Otto Warmbier. At one point saying that Kim Jong-un felt badly about the death of Otto Warmbier. And so, he really seems to take the word of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un when it comes to just about any question, you know, that came up during this news conference, and I think that is perhaps part of the reason why he's willing to hold yet another summit with Kim Jong-un. Although as you heard towards the end of this news conference, he said that may not happen for quite a while. It might be, you know, twice bitten one shy the next time around, Christiane and Jim. He may not be willing to go down this road because he knows he is surrendering some of that stature to be standing on the same stage, sitting at the same table with a brutal dictator and really not showing much for it. But in the end, you know, the president tried during this news conference to steer clear of this Michael Cohen questions. Those are all going to be waiting for him after his long trip back to Washington. Christiane and Jim.
[Sciutto:] No question, Jim. And that moment where the president referred to the death of Otto Warmbier, a young American sent home brain dead, on the brink of death and died on his way home. And the president is saying in so many words, he takes Kim's word over the word really of his own intelligence community. And just to put a point on that, let's play the president's comments when asked.
[Trump:] He felt badly about it. I just speak to him. He felt very badly. He knew the case very well but he knew it later. And you know, he got a lot of people, a big country, a lot of people. And in those prisons and those camps you have a lot of people and some really bad things happen to Otto, some really, really bad things. And he tells me he tells me that he didn't know about it. And I will take him at his word.
[Sciutto:] It's reminiscent is it not of the Helsinki moment where the president took the word of Vladimir Putin denying interference in the election over the word of his own intelligence committee. John Kirby, you both in the Pentagon and at the State Department have dealt with difficult issues like this when countries abroad have mistreated Americans. Tell me your reaction to that.
[John King, Cnn Chief National Correspondent:] I was quite shocked by that. I mean, look, we're talking about a hereditary dynasty and as Will knows he's been there more than anybody else. Nothing much happens without Kim Jong-un's permission or at least his tacit understanding of what's going on. So, I found that the quite shocking and disappointing. And I can't imagine what the Warmbier family must be thinking when they hear something like that.
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] Kim Jong-un might not have known initially how Otto Warmbier was being treated, but he certainly knew about the deception that he was in a vegetative state and that information was hidden from the Swedish embassy, it was hidden from the United States up until the last hour when Ambassador Lufven went in and brought him home on a trip. I was actually at the country at the same time and of course it was kept secret from us that this was all unfolding until Otto was out of North Korea.
[Amanpour:] Can I ask you to go back and you've sort of, you know, build on this sort of style President Trump when he wants to get something done he's absolutely unwilling to criticize his interlocutor, whether it's on Otto Warmbier.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Amanpour:] Whether it's on sanctions, whether it's on the walk out. He refused to say that it was an unfriendly walkout. This was a friendly walkout. I'm mindful of our relationship. We need to keep going. We didn't talk about putting more sanctions on it and answered to a question about, you know, they wanted all the sanctions off, but did you even threaten to put more sanctions on unless they deliver. No, we didn't because there are already a lot of sanctions and the North Korean, great North Korean people need to live as well. Just unpick the style of trying to get a nuclear deal done by continuing to stick close to the leader and not criticize him personally.
[Kirby:] Well, I think it's because he realizes again that nothing really happens in North Korea without Kim Jong-un and Kim Jong-un approval. I mean, we're not dealing with a democracy there. So, you know, this is what you call personal summit versus a plenary or political summit, and I think he realizes that that's the fulcrum. And I frankly think that Kim Jong-un also looks at us in that way like Trump is a different kind of president and unless he deals directly with Trump nothing is going to happen. Look, Steve Biegun was having trouble from we heard getting any traction at all going into this that the North Koreans just either wouldn't deal them or couldn't deal credibly with him because everything has to be solved at the leader level, but that's part of the problem here. Personal summits are only going to get you so far, and so what I'm really going to be interested to see two things going forward. One, how does the North how do North Koreans react to this. We've seen Trump. Now we have to wait to see what comes out of the North Korean press agency. And number two, what is the next step in terms of discussions between the two teams. Where, when, and at what level are they going to actually start to try to negotiate this way forward.
[Sciutto:] But tonight
[Ripley:] When you hear someone who has absolute power in a country like North Korea focusing on Kim Jong-un is not an unwise strategy because everything in that country when you're there there's such heavy pressure to do whatever Kim Jong-un wants you to do. High-level officials are not even drinking alcohol right now while he's out of the country because they said they shouldn't be celebrating until he comes back. They don't it's appropriate. I mean, that's like kids when their parents leave town, and that's the mindset inside North Korea.
[Amanpour:] We're drowning their sorrows.
[Sciutto:] It undermines the idea that Kim would not know about the situation with American held hostages in effect. But bigger picture the president talks about his different approach that past administrations didn't try this. I am sitting down across from Kim the way past administrations were not able to. But at the end of the day is this not a continuation of a decades' long North Korean strategy of dragging it out.
[Kirby:] Sure.
[Sciutto:] You've been speaking to the American president face-to-face for months here. If the U.S. intelligence community's view that during that time period they've been making more missiles and manufacturing more fissile material
[Ripley:] Right.
[Sciutto:] that's a continuation of their brinkmanship. Is it not?
[Kirky:] No, that's right.
[Sciutto:] What's the game?
[Kirby:] Yes, practically I don't think in a real sense other than the freeze and testing were really all that different. They are still producing fissile material. They are still building weapons. They are still developing the technology to have an ICBM that can be an amount of a nuclear weapon. They don't have reentry all done but they're still working on that. So, just because he's not testing doesn't mean that they're not trying. They're still trying to move this forward. This is this does show and I think Will said this in the last segment, the intractability of this problem, how complicated it is and how hard it's going to be to solve this. Now Trump has tried something different in terms of the person or action and I think he should get some credit for that. Frankly, I think he should get some credit for being willing to walk away here. But what really matters now is what happens next. And where are they willing to go and who and what level are they going to talk and what frequency.
[Amanpour:] So is this a situation now where and many people have said OK it was great that it is started, you know, top down but now it needs to be bottom up, so to speak.
[Ripley:] Right.
[Amanpour:] The working groups need to really get down to see what's the art of the possible.
[Kirby:] And that's the real trick, Christiane because it's about empowerment. Right? Our team will be empowered. They will have the imprimatur of Pompeo and Trump. You know, Biegun knows that he can speak for the United States government.
[Amanpour:] Biegun being a special negotiator.
[Ripley:] Yes. Sorry. Yes, sir.
[Kirby:] But on the North Korean side it's not the same.
[Ripley:] Yes, it will not be authorized. It will not be authorized to make any big promise until it gets approved straight from the top and that's why the working levels talks essentially fell apart in July.
[Sciutto:] Big picture here. When the president is challenged on the definition of success here established by his administration complete verifiable irreversible denuclearization. When the president is asked is that still the position of the United States, and his answer is, I don't want to go there. I don't want to put my I don't want to paint myself into that corner in terms of negotiations. And then says we want a lot to be given up. But doesn't specify we want the whole program given up. Did the president just move the goal posts on these negotiations?
[Ripley:] Well, I think that's been Kim Jong-un's strategy here all along because the freezing missile and nuclear testing happened in November of 2017 before this time even began and certainly before President Trump was engaged. It was brought in it by Kim and President Moon Jae-in. And so, I think that Kim's long-term strategy is that the world eventually gets comfortable with him and comfortable with the fact that he possesses a couple of dozen nuclear weapons and as long as he's not testing them well then maybe we can live that.
[Kirby:] Look, and the clock is on his side, Jim. I mean, he knows that Trump is not popular. I'm sure he was aware of this Cohen testimony and where Trump's numbers are. And then in two years he might be sitting across the table from a very different president who will be far less accommodating. So, the clock really is on Kim's side. And I just don't see him making any big moves here over the next couple of years to give up what he considers to be his leverage and his advantage.
[Amanpour:] So, we're going to dig down more in this as we continue. But we got to take a break. And let's not forget that actually there have been deals made with the North Koreans under the Clinton administration and under the George W. Bush administration. And it is possible, it is possible to do and we'll see how we get there. But just ahead, a stunning day it was on Capitol Hill. And when we come back after a break we are going to be talking about the Republican strategy for dealing with Michael Cohen's testimony.

[Whitfield:] All right. The White House is in damage control again, this time after President Trump retweeted a video of his supporters yelling "white power." Listen.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, get out of here. White power. Yes. There you go, white power, you hear that?
[Whitfield:] The video was finally yanked from the president's Twitter feed but not until about three hours have passed. The White House's defense, the president didn't see it. The White House sending out this statement saying in part, "What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters." CNN's Jeremey Diamond is at the White House for us. So, what kind of response are you hearing from Republican, other members of the president's administration following this retweet?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Reporter:] Yes, Fredricka. Well, the president didn't just retweet this video. He also attached this comment to it, saying, "Thank you to the great people of villages," where this video was reportedly taken. We have heard some reaction from some prominent Republicans. Our colleague Jake Tapper had the Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar as well as Republican Senator Tim Scott on his Sunday show this morning. And their responses were quite different. Listen.
[Alex Azar, Health And Human Services Secretary:] I've not seen that video or that tweet, but obviously neither the president, his administration, nor I would do anything to be supportive of white supremacy or anything that would support discrimination of any kind.
[Sen. Tim Scott , South Carolina:] The entire thing was offensive, certainly the comment about the white power was offensive. There's no question. I mean, we could play politics with it or we can't. I'm not going to. I think it's indefensible, we should take it down. That's what I think.
[Diamond:] And so, Fredricka, the president did eventually end up taking down the video after Senator Tim Scott called for him to do so, saying that it was indefensible as you heard in that clip there that the president had retweeted this in the first place. What we do know is that the video was still up for more than three hours, Fredricka. And of course we know that this is not an isolated incident. In fact the president has repeatedly amplified, retweeted, posted in some form or fashion hateful and racists comments, and sometimes from his supporters, sometimes from his own mouth. We know that the president posted that tweet recently about when the looting starts, the shooting starts, a comment associated with racist policing tactics of the 1960s. Fredricka, as well, beyond that, of course, we know that the president has also talked about very fine people in Charlottesville. That is something that critics have pounced on today, to say that the president's retweet of this video is very similar to when he said that that white supremacist rally that there were very fine people among them. And of course we know that the president has repeatedly amplified anti-Muslim bigotry on his Twitter platform as well. In this case, though, the difference is that the president ultimately decided to take down this retweet that he posted of this video. What he has not done, Fredricka, is apologize for it nor has he condemned the footage and the message the racist message from this one Trump supporter that he amplified in this video this morning Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right, Jeremy Diamond, at the White House, thanks so much. All right. Coming up, promising news out of New York in the fight against coronavirus. We'll go there live, next.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] 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 this hour. The United States has now passed three million confirmed coronavirus cases. More than 132,000 Americans have lost their lives since the pandemic began. And more than 1,100 Americans died just yesterday from the coronavirus. The rising death toll is especially concerning in hot spots like Florida, Arizona, and Texas, as at least seven states are now reporting record hospitalizations. Amid the surging crisis, the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, refused to directly answer whether or not the president has confidence in the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci. The White House is also pushing ahead with a pressure campaign to reopen schools all across the country. Vice President Pence announced that the CDC will be revising its guidelines for schools after President Trump complained on Twitter that those guidelines were very tough and expensive. Let's begin our coverage this hour with CNN's Erica Hill. She's got more on today's coronavirus developments. Erica, Los Angeles County, for example, is now warning residents the coronavirus is surging to levels not seen there since the initial peak of the pandemic back in April. Update our viewers.
[Erica Hill, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes, Wolf, that's right. Hospitalizations, as you just said, are at levels not seen since April. The public health director said that is because of community spread. Cases, infections, and hospitalization rates all on the rise. She says there has been a slight uptick in deaths as well and she fears that there could be more death to come, because, as we know, those numbers lag behind.
[Hill:] These classrooms need students, according to the administration.
[Betsy Devos, U.s. Education Secretary:] They must fully open, and they must be fully operational.
[Hill:] The American Academy of Pediatrics says in-person learning is best, if it can be done safely.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] We really believe that every state has the ability to do that. But for those individual communities that may be seeing outbreaks, we will work with them.
[Hill:] Despite a statewide mandate to open schools in Florida, Miami- Dade and Broward counties won't send kids back if they're still in phase one.
[Carlos Gimenez , Mayor Of Miami-dade County, Florida:] We will see what happens in August.
[Hill:] In Georgia, which just topped 100,000 confirmed cases, the state's largest school district pushed its start date back by a week. Texas will let parents choose where their kids learn. The nation's largest school district, New York City, will use split schedules for its more than one million students.
[Richard Carranza, Chancellor, New York City Public Schools:] We know that we cannot maintain proper physical distancing and have 100 percent of our students in school buildings five days a week.
[Hill:] Mask requirements, new cleaning protocols, and flexibility all part of the new curriculum. As cases surge across the Sunbelt, the White House Task Force is advising hot spots to buckle down.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] It's 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, and decreasing those gatherings back down to our phase one recommendation, which was 10 or less.
[Hill:] In less than a month, the United States has added a million new cases. There are now more than three million nationwide, the country averaging an additional 51,000 a day. In the past week, 14 states posted their highest seven-day averages.
[Dr. Peter Hotez, Baylor College Of Medicine:] The cases don't really tell the true tragedy of this, that the patients are piling now into hospitals, into ICUs.
[Hill:] Forty-two hospital ICUs in Florida are now full. More than 50 have just 10 percent of their beds available. In Miami-Dade County, where the positivity rate just hit 28 percent, the number of patients on ventilators is up more than 100 percent. Arizona has just 145 ICU beds remaining. Hospitalizations in California are up more than 40 percent.
[Dr. Leana Wen, Emergency Room Physician:] The best that we could hope for now is to put out these multiple fires around the country and get to a point of a slow burn, where there is a steady rate of infections and, unfortunately, deaths.
[Dr. Andrew Pastewski, Jackson South Medical Center:] These aren't 80- year-olds that should die. These aren't 80-year-olds that were going to die next week. These are 80-year-olds that contracted a virus because a group of people just didn't want to wear a mask and they had to go out and have fun. I had a mom and grandmother drive themselves into my hospital, and only one drove home.
[Hill:] We have heard from officials in multiple states about their concern when it comes to young people, especially asymptomatic young people, spreading the virus. And that has played into decisions made by colleges. We just learned the Ivy League, those eight schools that make up the Ivy League, the Ivy League is going to pause its sports this fall, noting in a statement that they have a responsibility to make decisions in the best interest of the students, as well as the faculty and staff, calling them extremely difficult. They will be looking at further protocols and guidelines, perhaps even for practices, moving forward, but, as of now, that fall sports season on hold Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Yes, that's an important development, indeed. All right, Erica, thank you very much. Let's get some more from our White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan, the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, he was nowhere to be seen at today's Coronavirus Task Force briefing. Tell us about that.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, that's right, Wolf. That briefing was held at the Department of Education about a mile- and-a-half down the road from the White House, which is where Dr. Fauci was attending that meeting via tele excuse me videoconference. That is what he was asked to do this morning, instead of coming to the Department of Education for that meeting, which means, of course, he could not attend the briefing that happened shortly thereafter. And when the White House was asked today, they said it is up to the task force to decide who attends the meetings and those briefings in person, of course, meaning the vice president's office. But when Kayleigh McEnany was asked if the president still has confidence in Dr. Fauci, Wolf, this is how she answered
[Question:] Does the president still have confidence in Dr. Fauci?
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] The president has confidence in the conclusions of our medical experts, but it's up to him to determine what to do with that information and to take what we hear from Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, and others, and take what he values in their opinion and come to the ultimate consensus that's best for this country.
[Collins:] So, that is not a, yes, he does still have confidence in Dr. Fauci, obviously, Wolf. And it comes as just today the president was feuding with another one of his top health officials, the CDC director, over that guidance on reopening schools. The CDC director on defense, after President Trump publicly attacked his agency's guidance on reopening schools.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Cdc Director:] I want to make it very clear that what is not the intent of CDC's guidelines is to be used as a rationale to keep schools closed.
[Collins:] Dr. Robert Redfield sought to defend the guidance, but hours after President Trump publicly complained that it was too tough, Vice President Mike Pence said that's why the CDC will issue new guidance next week.
[Pence:] The president said today we just don't want the guidance to be too tough. And that is the reason why next week CDC is going to be issuing a new set of tools, five different documents that will be giving even more clarity on the guidance going forward.
[Collins:] The original guidelines include refitting classrooms so students can social distance, closing shared spaces, and updating ventilation systems, though it is not clear what Trump disagreed with. Asked if he was changing the guidance to appease the president, the CDC director said this
[Question:] So are you going to change that guidance because the president said he does not like it?
[Redfield:] We will continue to develop and evolve our guidance to meet the needs of the schools and the states that we continue to provide that assistance to.
[Collins:] The president has said publicly that he will pressure governors to put kids back in classrooms this fall. And, today, he threatened to cut funding if they don't. The vice president described that as a sign of leadership. [on camera]: Can you explain why the president is threatening to cut funding from schools, at a time when educators are saying they need more so they can safely reopen?
[Pence:] Kaitlan, first and foremost, it's what you heard from the president was just a determination to provide the kind of leadership from the federal level that says we are going to get our kids back to school, because that is where they belong.
[Collins:] While Trump has little control over the majority of school budgets, the federal government could withhold emergency relief funding that educators have said they desperately need to safely reopen. The education secretary said she agrees with the president.
[Devos:] They must fully open, and they must be fully operational.
[Collins:] The administration has said it is up to schools and local governments to decide how they reopen. But they struggled to explain why that doesn't also include when.
[Pence:] It's just as the president said earlier in this pandemic, that he wanted to get our places of worship back open again.
[Collins:] New York City's mayor appeared to ignore Trump's threat today and announced that the nation's largest school district won't fully reopen this fall. New York's governor said Trump's threats have no legal basis.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] And you are not going to bully New Yorkers. That is not going to happen. Right? Threaten me, threaten me, threaten me. How many times have we been through this? I'm still here, right?
[Collins:] At the second task force briefing in months, Dr. Fauci was noticeably absent. Yesterday, Trump openly criticized Fauci during an interview.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Dr. Fauci said, don't wear masks, and now he says, wear them. And he said numerous things. Don't close off China. Don't ban China. And I did it anyway. I sort of didn't listen to my experts, and I banned China. We would have been in much worse shape.
[Collins:] Now, Wolf, I also asked the press secretary, what exactly was it in the CDC guidance the president didn't like so much that he publicly attacked it? They only listed one thing, and that was this guidance that all students should bring their lunch to school, noting that they didn't think that was feasible, given that so many kids rely on schools to get their lunches. But they did not list anything else that it was the president didn't like, as they insisted he is on the same page as the same CDC whose guidance he was criticizing this morning.
[Blitzer:] Kaitlan Collins reporting from the White House Kaitlan, thank you very much. Let's discuss all the late-breaking developments with the mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Mayor, thank you so much for joining us. Before we get to some of the substance, tell us how you are feeling. I know just the other day you told all of us that you have tested positive for the coronavirus.
[Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , Atlanta, Georgia:] Well, thank you for having me, Wolf. I have a runny nose. I had a scratchy throat and headache yesterday, everything that I would consider to be symptoms of my seasonal allergies. And so I have been asymptomatic, by and large. My husband is the one who is catching it, or he has his symptoms are a whole lot worse than mine.
[Blitzer:] Well, what kind of symptoms does he have?
[Bottoms:] He's been sleeping nonstop. I have never seen a person sleep this much. He literally has been asleep since Thursday. He wakes up for very small periods of time. I just went to check on him just before joining you. He has a low-grade fever today, just very fatigued.
[Blitzer:] We have spoken in the past. I know you and your husband, you have four children. And you have told us here in THE SITUATION ROOM that they have some underlying health issues as well. How are the kids doing?
[Bottoms:] Well, one has tested positive, which is very concerning. But, thankfully, that child is asymptomatic. But what is most troubling, we have had a series of COVID tests, just getting tested regularly, and I had one after I had recently attended a funeral and decided to test the whole family. It took eight days for those results to come back. And had we gotten those results back, we would have known we had an asymptomatic child in the house. At that point, my husband and I were negative. We were tested again on Monday of this week, and all three of us were positive. And I think that really speaks to the problem that we're having across America. People are asymptomatic. They don't know that they are infecting others. It is taking so long for us to get test results back. And had we known, perhaps my husband and I could have avoided contracting COVID-19 and putting the rest of our children at risk.
[Blitzer:] Not just your kids and your husband, but you have also said that you spent time with your mom just on Sunday, before you knew for sure you had coronavirus. Is that right?
[Bottoms:] Spent time with my mom. Spent time at our police headquarters. I went inside City Hall and had a meeting with my senior staff. So I have been around a number of people. Probably, this is has been a more active week for me, because I'm not usually out and about that much. But, thankfully, I was able to go back and contact everyone that I have been that I knew of that I have been in contact with. But this is why we can't get to the other side of COVID-19. Other countries have gotten to the other side of it because there has been decisive leadership from the top, and they have been very intentional about testing and making sure that people were wearing masks, all of the things we are not doing. So, when I hear this president say he wants to get the economy going again and he wants kids back in school, then maybe we should look to other countries and look at the things that they have done to get to the other side of COVID-19. We're going to keep going around this in this circle, and we're still going to be here next year at this rate.
[Blitzer:] It's hard to believe it took the mayor of Atlanta, what, eight days to get the results of that coronavirus test. How is your mother doing?
[Bottoms:] Thankfully, my mother was negative, and my two my other two children three children have tested negative as well. So I am very grateful for that. She pulled up last night. They didn't even say goodbye. They literally ran out the house with their iPads, toothbrushes, and favorite blankets. No clothes. They just left when they got their results without saying goodbye. So they are all happy.
[Blitzer:] Well, let's hope everybody is going to be fine. We wish, of course, all of you only, only the best. I know, Mayor, that you're taking some specific steps to mandate masks in Atlanta. Tell us what exactly you want to do. What led you to make this decision?
[Bottoms:] Well, we have looked at other cities across our state. And, Wolf, you have heard me say before, sometimes, leading is as much about leading as it is following. So, we saw what Mayor Van Johnson did in Savannah. We have seen other cities in Georgia mandate masks. And we decided to give it a moment just to see what the governor and the state's response would be to these other cities mandating masks. And I am signing an order today to do the same in Atlanta. When I look at our COVID numbers, they are going through the roof. Our hospitals are filling up very, very quickly. All of the experts that I'm hearing from are saying that to help slow the spread, we need to mandate masks. And that is what we're going to do in Atlanta, and hopefully it will help some.
[Blitzer:] Before I let you go, Mayor and we are grateful for the time you're spending with us let me turn to the really important issue of violence in Atlanta that we have seen over these past few days. What do you think is leading to this uptick in violence, in not just the past few days, but recent weeks? And do you fear police may be less active because of the rather tense climate that has developed right now, specifically calls to defund police?
[Bottoms:] I think that it is a really bad combination of things, Wolf. And I was giving this some thought today, and I thought about when I was a magistrate judge. And when people would come into court, primarily African-American men, I would say roughly 99 percent of them didn't have high school diplomas, which meant quite often they didn't quite often have jobs. And when people don't have jobs, and they don't have hope, they often don't care about themselves. When they don't care about themselves, they don't care about others. I think there are systemic causes to what we are seeing, but I think in this moment in time we're seeing this combination of COVID and anxiety and angst related to that. We are seeing unemployment rates. We are seeing the challenges we're having with injustices that we have seen as it relates to George Floyd and so many others. And I think it is boiling over in our streets. So, we had a really bad weekend in Atlanta. We have not had a weekend like that in recent memory. And it is happening across the country. And so our police force is responding. We didn't have sick-outs this weekend. We had the officers on the street. But there were so many factors at play and so many incidents that it was a very challenging weekend for us. And it is quite disturbing that this is happening across our country. We have got to deal with the systemic issues, but immediately respond to the needs of our communities, and that's to provide protection for our citizens.
[Blitzer:] Well said. The mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, good luck to you. Good luck to your whole family. We hope all of you have a very, very speedy recovery. Thanks so much for joining us.
[Bottoms:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] Just ahead: Dr. Deborah Birx is urging states with surging cases to roll back their reopening plans. Will new stay-at-home orders follow? Much more coming up right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] The fire there just 15 percent contained. We have a long way to go.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] We'll keep a very close eye on this. We're thinking of everyone dealing with that in California. Thanks for being with us. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Sciutto:] And I'm Sciutto. "AT THIS HOUR" with Kate Bolduan starts right now.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everybody. I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks so much for joining me. So he's a decorated war veteran. He received a Purple Heart after being wounded by an IED in Iraq. He's a current White House official. The National Security Council's top expert on Ukraine, actually. He's an active member of the U.S. Army, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman. And he's sitting down in uniform you see him walking down right there. He's sitting down in uniform right now with House investigators. And according to his opening statement, he is speaking out against the commander-in-chief. This is the first witness to give an interview in the impeachment inquiry who was actually on that July 25th call that sparked the whistleblower's complaint. What is Colonel Vindman's story? He's corroborating the accounts of some witnesses, contradicting the accounts of others. In that opening statement, Lieutenant Colonel Vindman says he sounded the alarm not once, but twice, regarding the president's efforts to pressure Ukraine. Writing this, and this is just. in part, "I was concerned by the call, I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen. And I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government's support of Ukraine." So after all of that, just wait until you hear how the president and some Republicans are trying to disparage Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman already this morning. Let's get over to Capitol Hill right now. CNN's Phil Mattingly is there. So, Phil, he's behind closed doors right now. What are you already hearing from in there?
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] You know, I think going into this, obviously, we've seen the six-page opening statement. And I think what Democrats have kind of keyed on up to this point is how much it lines up with past individuals who have testified and given depositions on several key events. You also underscored the significance. He is the first current White House official to come in and testify. Obviously, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council inside the White House. He is also the first individual to come in behind closed door and testify who was actually listening to the call between the Ukrainian president and President Trump. A call which we've seen the transcript to. You look at the bio as well and Democrats are certainly keen on this. A career military officer, someone who had a Purple Heart when he was serving in the war in Iraq. And somebody who has dedicated his career to a nonpartisan way of doing things or an apolitical way of doing things. And that's why people have been so struck by some of the attacks he's received in advance of his testimony. Now, these attacks came primarily from Republican commentators, who were questioning, because he was originally born in the Soviet Union, came from Ukraine, emigrated to the United States at the age of 3, that perhaps he had dual loyalties or some sort of smear along those lines. The president saying in a tweet this morning, that Never-Trumpers are the only people that are coming out and testifying against him. I relayed that to a Republican member as I was walking into the capital this morning, just to get his sense, is this the broader message that Republicans are going to use to counter testimony that I think most people believe would be damaging to the president. And the members stopped, and I can say, was honestly, legitimately horrified to some degree that this might be the path that they were going down. And I think that's actually been reflected more and more by Republicans throughout the course of this day. They will certainly disagree with what Mr. Vindman, Colonel Vindman is going to be saying today, but they don't agree with what some Republican commentators have done in terms of attacking him. Take a listen to what Liz Cheney, the number three Republican and ardent defender of the president, had to say just a moment ago.
[Rep. Liz Cheney:] I also want to say a word about something else that's been going on over the course of the last several hours and last night, which I think is also shameful. And that is questioning the patriotism, questioning the dedication to country of people like Mr. Vindman, Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, who will be coming today, and others who have testified. I think that we need to show that we are better than that as a nation. It is shameful to question their patriotism, their love of this nation. And we should not be involved in that process.
[Mattingly:] Yes, and just quickly to back the member I was talking to this morning, he said, quote, "If we do this, we deserve to get our blanks kicked." So I think members are moving away from the Republican commentators, but clearly, they still disagree with at least the opinion or the assessment that Colonel Vindman had related to that call Kate?
[Bolduan:] Fascinating, Phil. All right, so lay out for folks what lieutenant lay out what Lieutenant Colonel Vindman is also, additionally, saying in this opening statement and obviously is conveying behind closed doors. He wasn't just concerned about the July 25th call, right? He was also concerned about Ambassador Gordon Sondland.
[Mattingly:] Yes, I think this is actually going to be the most important part of the testimony, at least based on the opening statement that we've seen up to this point. Is related to Ambassador Gordon Sondland. You talk about how he went to White House lawyers, National Security Council lawyers after the July 25th phone call. He also went to White House lawyers after a July 10th meeting, between White House officials and a top Ukrainian official, at which point, according to Vindman, Ambassador Sondland brought up the idea of, if the Ukrainians wanted a visit to the White House, their newly inaugurated president, they would need to deal with or make a public statement related to investigations. He says, in part, "Ambassador Sondland emphasized the importance that Ukraine deliver the investigations into the 2016 election, the Bidens and Burisma. I stated to Ambassador Sondland that his statements were inappropriate, that the requests to investigate Biden and his son had nothing to do with national security, and that such investigations were not something the NSC was going to get involved in or push. Dr. Hill, Fiona Hill, then entered the room and asserted to Ambassador Sondland that his statements were inappropriate." Let me tell you why this matters. Gordon Sondland has testified behind closed doors, and in that statement, said he had no recollection of anything related to National Security Council officials saying they had problems with the meeting. Now Fiona Hill, Bill Taylor related to what he was told about the July 10th meeting, and Colonel Vindman all say the same thing, that Sondland says has a different recollection than they do. And this is something to keep an eye on as we move forward Kate?
[Bolduan:] Thank you, Phil. So good to see you, man. So while we don't know what all Lieutenant Colonel Vindman is going to tell investigators behind closed doors, as they're speaking right now, he is already, as Phil is laying out, already saying quite a bit in just his opening statement. How does his account fit in with all of the others about the calls, about the meetings, about the pressure surrounding President Trump and Ukraine? CNN's senior national correspondent, Alex Marquardt, he's tracking all of this for us. So, Alex, connect the dots for folks here, please.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] Kate, there are lots of dots. There are more dots every day with every passing testimony. Now these dots are all starting to align. And as you point out, we don't know what he's going to say in his testimony behind closed doors. But already with that opening statement, Colonel Vindman is painting this much fuller picture, giving more weight to what has already been said by those witnesses to those three different committees, not just about the infamous July 25th phone call, when President Trump asked for a favor from President Zelensky. But also confirming the deep unease that people who are charged with shaping and directing Ukraine policy felt about what was going on in the White House. Now, Vindman is echoing what his boss on the NSC, Dr. Fiona Hill, said about that same July 10th meeting and Ambassador Gordon Sondland was in, that Phil was just talking about. Dr. Hill accused Sondland of connecting investigations to a White House meeting with the Ukrainian president. And then she said that her boss, John Bolton, then the national security adviser, likened this whole affair to a drug deal, and told her and Vindman to go see the NSC lawyers. Now, Vindman is also backing up Ambassador Bill Taylor, who is the most senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine. He told the committees in his testimony last week about a call that he was on following that July 10th meeting, and he wrote, "They gave me an account or rather" he said, "they gave me an account of the July 10th meeting with the Ukrainian officials at the White House" "Specifically, they told me that Ambassador Sondland had connected investigations with an Oval Office meeting for President Zelensky, which so irritated Ambassador Bolton that he abruptly ended the meeting, telling Dr. Hill and Mr. Vindman they should have nothing to do with domestic politics. He also directed Dr. Hill to," quote, "brief the lawyers." So, Colonel Vindman today in his opening statement, is saying the exact same thing. All of these people, Vindman, Taylor, Hill, they are careerists. They are apolitical experts, and they are contradicting what Ambassador Gordon Sondland said. In his testimony, he told the committees, "If Ambassador Bolton, Dr. Hill, or others harbored any misgivings about the impropriety of what we were doing, they never shared those misgivings with me, then or later." Now, we should just remind our viewers, Sondland is a political appointee, unlike the people I just mentioned. He donated $1 million to the president's inauguration. We know that he was told by the president in a phone call to insist to Ambassador Taylor in Kiev, there was no quid pro quo. So now, in Colonel Vindman, Kate, we have yet another person saying that what he saw and heard was deeply inappropriate Kate?
[Bolduan:] Much more to come, is the only assumption that we can make right now. Alex, thank you so much. So joining me right now is former spokesman for both the State Department and the Pentagon, retired Rear Admiral John Kirby, and CNN political correspondent, Abby Phillip. Thanks for being here, guys. John, can you first just speak to the significance of an active duty Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, in uniform, going to Capitol Hill, to raise alarm about action of the commander-in-chief?
[Rear Adm. John Kirby, Cnn Military & Diplomatic Analyst:] Yes, it's quite remarkable. The only recent precedent that I can even think of would be Ollie North, when he had to testify for IranContra, and he was really falling on his sword in that regard. Not this situation. I don't know the colonel, but I can imagine, Kate, that this is the last place he wants to be this morning, doing the last thing ever, to have to you know, to talk about actions that concerned him. But I think what's really important for the American people to understand about him today on Capitol Hill is, this is duty. He has to do this. When you're an active duty military member, particularly an officer of his caliber, doing the work that he was doing, you have an obligation to report wrongdoing when you see it or when you feel it's happening. And that's what he did. So this isn't a Never-Trumper going up there, you know, to actively campaign against a president. He's going reluctantly and he's doing his duty. He has to do this.
[Bolduan:] And, Abby, a tactic that I have to admit I thought was going to take at least a few more minutes longer to set in from the White House and beyond, maybe towards this evening, but set in within minutes, is, I mean, essentially, it's character assassination, right? I mean, the president labeling the Lieutenant Colonel a never-Trumper on Twitter this morning. This is his top Ukraine expert on his National Security Council. What does this say about the president's defense of himself right now?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Political Correspondent:] At this point, because you have so many of these officials within the president's own administration coming out and testifying to these things that he thinks are damaging to him, he is basically labeling all of them as being Never-Trumpers, part of the Deep State, part of some conspiracy, some grand conspiracy against them. The problem is, that all falls apart when you see that so many of these people came into the Trump administration to serve under him. Knowing everything that they know about Donald Trump, knowing how many other Republicans refused to do those very things. Bill Taylor was recruited by Mike Pompeo to come into the Trump administration. Lieutenant Colonel Vindman is someone who has served this country in the armed forces and was so involved in the Ukraine policy that he was sent as part of a delegation to Ukraine earlier this year for the inauguration of President Zelensky. So he is not just a random person. But I will say, I'm not bothered by the fact that the president doesn't seem to know Lieutenant Colonel Vindman. Vindman himself says, I never had direct interactions with the president. He said that in his opening statement.
[Phillip:] And that's not unusual, because what he was, was a subject matter expert on the issue of Ukraine. His job was to help guide the president's policy on a granular level. And so that speaks to his credibility.
[Bolduan:] The president doesn't need to know him.
[Phillip:] The president doesn't need to know him. But everything the president knows about Ukraine or should know about Ukraine that came through official government channels would have come from Colonel Vindman.
[Bolduan:] Almost to the letter.
[Phillip:] Exactly.
[Bolduan:] That's exactly how important Vindman has been to the policy in Ukraine, especially trying to control, trying to control the actions of Russia.
[Phillip:] Yes.
[Bolduan:] That is where his subject matter expertise is. John, let me play for you we heard Liz Cheney speaking out against this. But let me play for you this plan of attack that has emerged from the president's supporters. It was first on FOX News and then we heard it from former Republican congressman, Sean Duffy, this morning, speaking with John Berman. Listen to this.
[Laura Ingraham, Fox News:] Here we have a U.S. national security official, who is advising Ukraine while working inside the White House, apparently, against the president's interests, and usually they spoke in English. Isn't that kind of an interesting angle on this story?
[Unidentified Male:] I find that astounding. And, you know, some people might call that espionage.
[Sean Dufy, , Former Congressman:] He is a former Ukrainian. He wants to make sure that taxpayer money goes in military aid to the Ukraine. I'm of Irish descent, I still love the Irish, and he has an affinity for his homeland.
[Bolduan:] From your military background and your national security background, John, what do you say to this?
[Kirby:] I'm offended by it, I'm deeply offended by it. And I think all veterans would be offended by it. He is an immigrant. I shudder to think the state of our military today without immigrants and the contributions that they have made. He was a foreign area officer specialist, Kate. This is a highly selective group of officers in all the services who have special knowledge, cultural skills, and language skills to do the kind of jobs that we need for building partner capacity overseas. So he was probably very recruited to be in this very selective program. And let's not forget, above all, Kate, he was awarded a Purple Heart for being the victim of an IED attack in Iraq. He has bled for this country. And I don't know of a single other person in this entire sad saga of this Ukraine phone call who can say the same thing. He has bled for this country. He's proven his patriotism beyond far beyond me, than I ever did, and so beyond so many others. And I think we ought to be able to give the man the benefit of the doubt for his experience and his love of country and what he has done for this country for the last 20 years, serving both Republican and Democratic administrations.
[Bolduan:] It is it's unsettling, it's sad, it's just I don't know, it just seems that we have yet to find the limit of where the line can be drawn when it comes to attack, attack, defend, protect the president on this, when it comes to certain people. I mean, as you said, John, it is indisputable, this man's patriotism to the country, his dedication to the country. His family fled the Soviet Union. He and his brothers he and his twin brothers were 3 years old at the time. He, his twin brother, and his older brother, all have served in the U.S. military. His twin brother, according to the "New York Times," serves in the White House with him, sits across the hall from him in the West Wing in his capacity. I don't know how much more you need to know. It's it's something. And I'm glad you're here to talk about it.
[Kirby:] Thank you, thank you.
[Bolduan:] Thanks, man. Abby, thank you so much. Coming up for us, for weeks, Democrats said they didn't need a full House vote on impeachment. But now, that's exactly what they're doing. Why now and what does the House vote really going to change? We'll be right back.

[Keilar:] Soon, actress Felicity Huffman will be the first parent to be sentenced in the nation's largest college admission scam. Huffman has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud after she paid $15,000 to boost her daughter's SAT scores. CNN Legal Analyst Carrie Cordero is here with me now to discuss this. And prosecutors are suggesting that Huffman get one month in prison and that she pay a $25,000 fine. Her lawyers want no jail time, whatsoever. What do you think this judge is going to decide?
[Carrie Cordero, Cnn Legal Analyst:] It's always hard to predict what the judge is going to do. The government is asking for one month, as you said, which is actually a pretty small amount and it's a small fine. She has admitted that she did this. She pled guilty. She has issued a letter to the court asking for leniency and no jail time. In her letter, it's very detailed, it's very remorseful. She really goes into a lot of detail regarding her decision-making process and how she got wrapped up in the scheme, how she trusted the individual who was really at the center of the scheme, who was bilking these parents and getting these parents involved in this conspiracy. So it's a very detailed letter. It's a very remorseful letter, and the question is to whether or not the judge will look at that, believe that that it's genuine and looking at the fact that she took responsibility very promptly when this case was brought.
[Keilar:] And you would think that would help perhaps persuade the judge not to make an example out of her. So we'll see if that's the case. I do want to switch gears with you to talk about another legal battle. This is a same sex couple, Adiel and Roee Kiviti, and they had filed a lawsuit against the State Department after their daughter, Kessem, was denied citizenship because of a policy that says, children born abroad with the help of surrogacy or an egg donor are considered, quote, born out of wedlock, right? That's the terminology. I spoke with this couple recently and here's how they described this to me.
[Adiel Kiviti, Suing State Department Over Daughter's Citizenship:] We are both American citizens. We have been married for six years now. Our son is an American citizen and we have a two months old baby girl that is application is not approved. Basically, what we were told is that, effectively, our marriage means nothing, saying that our daughter was born out of wedlock just means that she's not our daughter, it's not a real marriage, it's not a real family. That's basically what the State Department is saying.
[Keilar:] Do you think that the Kivitis will prevail in court? Is it hard to say?
[Cordero:] This is a really you know, it's an open area of law when it comes to this specific issue that they're dealing with, which is a same sex marriage, a surrogacy and a State Department that now is challenging, which in the past might not have been challenged under prior administrations. To be clear, the Supreme Court since 2015 says that same sex marriage is legal. And so what is happening is that the State Department is interpreting an older version of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and now saying that various provisions, because it's very, very detailed in the Immigration and Nationality Act, the INA. It's very detailed with respect to a father, whether a father is the biological link to the child or whether the mother is the biological link to the child and how long the parents have been in the United States, if one is a citizen or one is not. There's all sorts of different variations is the point. And so they're going to challenge this. It might be it will work its way through the courts. It potentially could end up in the Supreme Court or it also is an area where Congress could clarify the law.
[Keilar:] I almost laugh at that one to think of a divided Congress and if they would take this up. Carrie, thank you so much. I appreciate it. Andrew Yang promises to give ten families $1,000 a month as an experiment. But was his debate stunt even legal? Plus, new CNN reporting that Beto O'Rourke's promise to take away assault weapons is sending shockwaves through Capitol Hill.

[Allen:] Shock and heartache in El Paso, Texas. Vigils and prayer services are being held for the victims of Saturday's mass shooting at a shopping center. At least 20 people are confirmed dead. More than 2 dozen others were injured. The suspected gunman, a 21-year-old white male, surrendered and is in custody. Police say it may have been a hate crime and the FBI has opened a domestic terrorism investigation. One witness says the shooter appeared to be on a mission.
[Unidentified Male:] He's going for blood. He's going for death. That's his favorite thing right now. He wants that blood lust. He wants that fulfilled. So after he sees people start running, you can hear the different firing. He starts pop, pop, pop, he's going fast, his trigger finger. He's going, going, going. Yes, that's what he we heard. I heard people yelling, run, shooter. Heard the gunshots. After we got close to the back, we didn't really hear much of it because
[Allen:] So many people luckily ran out the back of the store. There was, of course, an immediate need for blood for the victims. And donors quickly lined up to help. One of them spoke earlier with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
[Frances Yepez, Blood Donor:] It's somber. You hear some sniffling earlier as the updates were coming across the TV we have here in the waiting room. The line just continues and continues to grow. At this time, the blood center is no longer taking donations for today. They are at maximum capacity. However, everyone in line, there's easily 75 to 100 people in line and they are all aware that all they're doing is standing in line to make appointments for tomorrow and Monday and they are willing to wait until they get up to the front to make an appointment. And I believe El Paso, we're 100 and something today or we're supposed to be in the 100s.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Well, you're doing a really, really life- saving work. What motivated you, Frances?
[Yepez:] You know, I'm B positive is my blood type and I try to be positive throughout my life and if there's ever something I can help with, it's easy to make a dollar but it's harder to make a difference. So I try to get out there and do whatever I can to help.
[Blitzer:] When you speak to others waiting in line, what are they saying to you?
[Yepez:] How could it happen here? You know, it's crazy. It's Walmart. You know, even though El Paso is big, it's still a small city. Everybody knows everybody. And, you know, immediately when everything happened this morning, my son called me. He was at work. And then from there it just the group text just started, with everybody checking in, everybody from my work family to my extended family in Louisiana, extended family in California and, of course, the local family. Everybody just checking in and making sure everybody was safe.
[Allen:] Victims' names have not been released to the public. Many people, of course, still unaccounted for after the mass shooting. Earlier, our Alex Marquardt spoke with the mayor of El Paso.
[Dee Margo , Mayor Of El Paso:] The governor and I just visited with the families waiting on information over at one of the schools here in El Paso. It's tough. It's really, really tough.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Anchor:] It's extremely tough and extremely heartbreaking. What about the investigation? What are federal authorities telling you? We understand the suspect is a 21-year-old man who drove from Allen, Texas. What more do we know about the investigation into him and his motive?
[Margo:] Well, there isn't much update since we had the press conference. We talked about a gentleman I shouldn't say gentleman, this murderer who came from outside El Paso. And as I said before, nobody in El Paso would have done something like this. This is not what we are about as a community. The investigations going through and identifying the bodies and going through their normal forensic work and families will be notified. But nothing new is happening yet. Nothing new is happening yet. We're here at the scene as it stands now.
[Marquardt:] Was the shooter, do you know? Was he known at all to authorities?
[Margo:] I don't know that. I do not know that. He came out of Allen, Texas is I think where he came from. But my point is just a real tragedy.
[Marquardt:] Can you describe the scene before the shooting? What would have been happening a the a Walmart in El Paso, Texas on a Saturday morning in early August?
[Margo:] A lot of shoppers, everybody getting ready for back to school. Normal routines. Just a normal Saturday for people and yet this tragedy struck.
[Marquardt:] And you and others have talked about how tight-knit this community is. What has been the reaction since this horrific massacre happened now just over nine hours ago?
[Margo:] Well, it's been reported we have had significant blood donors. This is a very generous community. It is a community that goes back 350 years and people just don't understand. We have we are a close-knit we are the largest community of our type on the U.S.-Mexico border. There is nothing in North America that can equate to what we have here with El Paso products. So this is just totally unexpected and, as I say, probably never would have occurred with an El Pasoan.
[Marquardt:] You must be heartened to see those long lines of donors, of blood donors to come out to donate blood. There have been calls for people to sign up online. What can people do to help the community right now?
[Margo:] Well, we have set up The Paso del Norte Health Foundation has set up a web site for donations for victims and their families. And the other what we are telling other people is just continue to donate blood. That's what we need right now.
[Allen:] I want to bring in John Matthews, a former Dallas police officer and author of "Mass Shootings: Six Steps to Survival." Mr. Matthews, thank you for being with us.
[John Matthews, Former Police Officer:] Glad go be here.
[Allen:] I want to first get your reaction to this shooting that happened in El Paso and what we are learning about the shooter and the location at a Walmart in El Paso, apparently he started in the parking lot. What's your reaction?
[Matthews:] Well, again, horrified at what happened. Our hearts go out to the folks in El Paso, here in Dallas. You know, we experienced a mass shooting and I can tell you, every time one occurs, we relive that event. And this is something that is going to stick with that community for a long time. One of the things that I'm encouraged about today, listening to witnesses, visiting with people out there on the scene, is how proactive so many different people were. The mall outside of where the shooting occurred, just outside of Walmart, had done an active shooter drill. Walmart employees and employees at the mall had practiced what to do in such a situation. And it was so encouraging, as someone that goes around and works with folks all over the country on this on how to stay alive, that these folks took it upon themselves. They were proactive. They brought people inside, strangers they didn't even know. They locked their doors, they sheltered in place. They loaned them their cell phone in order for them to call loved ones. And so I was very, very encouraged. And I can tell you having researched this for several decades, that saved lives right there. Anytime we can get potential victims out of harm's way, we're saving lives.
[Allen:] And, of course, the political discussion about what's going on in this country, that's for another day. But the sad thing about it is that you travel the country, helping people prepare for the event that they are in just what happened in El Paso, that suddenly they realize there's a shooter amongst them. I did hear a young woman who was saying that she pushed 40 people out of an exit but she couldn't help an elderly woman and she felt horrible about that. But I also heard another account of a child who came into a store in the mall and said there's an active shooter and people responded passively. In some respects, isn't it just impossible for some people to grasp what is going on at the moment?
[Matthews:] Well, that's what we've got to do through education, through training, thru outreach to the average citizen, the average person in public out there, to let them know you're seeing this on television. You're following it in the news. You know, mass shootings and active shooter events are a part of society. You have to understand that. You don't have to like it but you have to understand it and be aware of it. And so some people did take it seriously. They heard the first shots. I know that we spoke with one woman, who said, I heard the shots; I recognized it wasn't normal. I had my 1-year-old baby in the car and I sped away. Whereas others still weren't sure what was going on or all of us, honestly, want to say we live in a safe community. We live in a safe environment. It'll never happen here. We need to raise our level of awareness just so people understand, it can happen here and, if it does, you've got to be able to respond and not just dismiss it.
[Allen:] It used to be a mass shooting a day in the United States but it's gone beyond that now. What is the main thing that you tell people if, say, they were caught in a situation like this and what they need to do as far as getting away? Or we saw some video of people hiding. They couldn't get out. So what are they to do?
[Matthews:] That's right. You can't always get out of this situation so what we did is we went back and looked at every single mass shooting since 1980 until today and developed a research-based model on what were the effective actions that people took and tactics that they made that allowed them to survive. We called the model ESCAPE and the first thing you try to do is exit. Any possibility of getting away from the shooter or getting away from the scene, exit as fast and far as you can and stay away. Don't go back. I know you have an urge, especially if you have friends and relatives to go back and save them, but get away as fast as you can. If you can't get away, and some people just weren't in a position to get away, then we want to you seek cover. Cover is anything that's going to protect you from bullets. Today people hid in cars. They hid behind cars. They hid behind cement pillars, all great things to do because bullets aren't going to be able to penetrate it and get to you. If you can't find cover, find concealment. Something to hide you. And several of the folks today said, yes, we hid in a storeroom. We hid in a shop. You know, we hid behind a clothes rack. If even if it's not going to stop bullets, if that shooter can't see you, you probably won't become a victim. We ask you to assess the situation. If you have to move, present him with a small target. Get low to the ground, run in quick bursts. And the last step, engage only as the last possible resort because, most of the time engaging the shooter, someone that is bent on killing by an average, unarmed citizen won't turn out well for the citizen. So, you know, exit as soon as you can, seek cover, find concealment. Those are the best things to do.
[Allen:] Thank you so much, John Matthews. Thanks for talking with us.
[Matthews:] Thank you very much.
[Allen:] Texas governor Greg Abbott spoke earlier about this tragedy. Here he is.
[Greg Abbott , Texas Governor:] Twenty innocent people from El Paso have lost their lives and more than 2 dozen more are injured. We, as a state, unite in support of these victims and their family members. We want to do all we can to help them, to assist them. We pray that God can be with those who've been harmed in any way and bind up their wounds. We want to express incredible gratitude for all the law enforcement and the swift response that they took to minimize the loss of life by directly confronting the shooter, getting him to disarm himself and be able to arrest him. I want the city of El Paso to know and the El Paso Police Department and everybody in this entire community know that the state of Texas provides its full support for this community and their efforts to rebuild. For the country that I know has been paying a lot of attention to this, asking what they can do, I ask that you keep El Pasoans in your prayers. We know the power of prayer and the power that you can have by using that prayer. For every mom and dad, for every son and daughter, we ask you put your arms around your family members tonight and give them a hug and let them know how much you love them.
[Allen:] Stay with CNN as we continue to bring you more information on yet another mass shooting in the United States.
[Unidentified Female:] It's tragic and I think we have to stay strong for our city and I think, in a situation like this, you just ask yourselves, how can I help? What can I do to help? And so the first thing we thought of was let's go to the school and see what we can do there. It's like it's a time where we all need to come together instead of being separate.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] 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. The coronavirus death toll in the United States is now nearing 139,000 people. That comes as the country set another record for one-day new cases, 77,000. And that's the ninth record high in the last month. A new record also at the World Health Organization. In just the last 24 hours, it's had more than 237,000 new cases reported worldwide, putting the total at more than 13 million now. There is also breaking news out of California where the Governor Gavin Newsom has just announced that most of the state's schools will not reopen for in-person classes as the state reports nearly 10,000 new cases and 130 deaths in just a single day. The House Education Committee, meanwhile, plans to hold a hearing next week on reopening schools but now accuses the White House of blocking the CDC director from appearing. Our national correspondent Athena Jones begins our coverage this hour. Athena, a record number of new coronavirus cases as these pandemic rages across so much of the United States.
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Hi, Wolf. That's exactly right. The picture here in America is not a pretty one. And as you mentioned, we just learned more than 230,000 new COVID-19 cases have been reported to the World Health Organization in the last 24 hours. You know, the U.S. accounts for about a third of those cases. And it really boggles the mind to think that the most powerful country in the world is so far failing to get the coronavirus under control. And that's because too many leaders and too many individuals are not taking the steps that dozens and dozens of countries have proven work to stop the spread of the infection.
[Jones:] It's a new epicenter for the virus.
[Unidentified Female:] We are at a boiling point.
[Jones:] Florida now leading the nation in cases per capita.
[Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-dade County Public Schools:] We are at the center of America's epicenter for COVID-19.
[Jones:] The virus even forcing the temporary closure of part of the state's emergency operation center after a dozen employees tested positive. The toll on southern Florida particularly evident as hospitals in hard-hit Miami-Dade County have started to overflow. Intensive care units now at 119 percent capacity. Coronavirus infections now trending upward in 38 states. With national coronavirus case numbers hitting new highs on a near daily basis, topping a record 77,000 on Thursday. The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci with a warning.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] People keep talking about the possibility of a second wave in the fall when you're having, you know, up to 70,000 new infections in certain areas of the country, that's something you need to focus on right now as opposed to looking ahead at what's going to happen in September or in October.
[Jones:] And the debate over masks rages on.
[Fauci:] Masks are important.
[Jones:] Despite clear guidance from public health officials.
[Fauci:] I would urge the leaders, the local political and other leaders in states and cities and towns to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks.
[Jones:] Colorado's governor now says data from cities with mask mandates convinced him to issue one statewide.
[Gov. Jared Polis:] The areas that had mask requirements had 15 to 20 percent more people that wore masks and even more importantly, they had substantially reduced spread of the virus.
[Jones:] Meanwhile in Georgia.
[Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Georgia Public Health Commissioner:] We continue to see outbreaks in workplaces, in businesses, in congregate settings, daycares, camps, fraternity houses, many churches.
[Jones:] A legal battle over the mayor of Atlanta's mask order.
[Gov. Brian Kemp:] Mayor Bottom's mask mandate cannot be enforced. But her decision to shut her businesses and undermine economic growth is devastating. I refuse to sit back and watch as disastrous policies threaten the lives and livelihoods of our citizens.
[Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , Atlanta:] What I see happening is that the governor is putting politics over people for the governor to sue us on a mask mandate when the CDC has told us that it helps save lives really speaks to the lack of leadership.
[Jones:] In Washington where hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise, Governor Jay Inslee banning all live entertainment indoors and outdoors.
[Gov. Jay Inslee:] Today's rollbacks may be a forerunner to additional rollbacks. And we cannot rule out the potential for another stay-at-home order this year. And perhaps not in the too distant future.
[Jones:] And one more thing about schools. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that the majority of schools in the state will not be reopening for in-person instruction in the fall. We're talking about all public and private schools in 33, about half more than a half, of the state's counties which are all being monitored for a surge in coronavirus cases. Schools in those counties will not be allowed to reopen unless they meet strict criteria. Wolf?
[Blitzer:] Athena Jones reporting for us. Thank you very much. Let's go to the White House right now. Our chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta is joining us. Jim, lawmakers, they want to hear from health officials about reopening schools. That's such a critical issue. But now there's new controversy. Tell us about that.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. Just as the coronavirus is slamming the U.S. with a shocking surge in cases, the White House is blocking officials from the Centers for Disease Control from testifying at a hearing set for next week on the safety of sending children back to school during the pandemic. The White House said now is not the time for CDC Director Robert Redfield to appear on Capitol Hill. But the committee holding the hearing said lawmakers were requesting that anybody from the CDC make the appearance, not just Redfield. The latest poll show, Americans are quickly losing confidence in President Trump's handling of the virus, and we are told some of Mr. Trump's political advisers see opening the nation's schools as a potential way to win back suburban women voters who have turned against the president.
[Acosta:] Even with coronavirus cases soaring across the U.S. and parents becoming nervous about sending their children back to classes in the fall, the White House is now blocking officials from the Centers for Disease Control from appearing at a hearing next week on reopening schools. The chairman of the committee said in a tweet, "It is alarming that the Trump administration is preventing the CDC from appearing before the committee at a time when its expertise and guidance is so critical to the health and safety of students, parents and educators." The move comes as the CDC has postponed its plan to release proposals for reopening classrooms. Earlier this week, the CDC director was touting mask use as critical to healthy schools.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Cdc Director:] To me, face coverings are the key. You know if you really look at it, the data's really clear. They work.
[Acosta:] The administration's push to reopen schools is flying in the face of stunning spikes in cases across the U.S. Dr. Anthony Fauci said part of the problem is that some states simply opened up too quickly.
[Fauci:] We put out guidelines from the Coronavirus Task Force that had what's called a gateway if you pass that gateway, you would then go to phase one. And if you were there at a certain amount of time and the cases were steady and going down, you would go to phase two and phase three. So, when you look at that, clearly, there are some states that actually skipped over one or more of those what you call benchmarks or checkpoints.
[Acosta:] An undisclosed document drafted by the Coronavirus Task Force and obtained by the Center for Public Integrity recommended that 18 states roll back their reopening plans. But that would mean going against the president who said he is determined to keep those kinds of rollbacks from happening.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] And now we're open. And we will stay open. We are not closing. We'll put out the fires as they come out.
[Acosta:] A new ABCWashington Post poll found only 30 percent of Americans approve of Mr. Trump's handling of the virus, down from where that numbers stood in May. A nearly two-thirds now say they don't really trust what he says about the pandemic. That has White House officials wondering out loud whether the president should appear more engaged.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] His approval rating on the pandemic was higher when he was at the podium it. It was at 51 percent in March. And I think people want to hear from the president of the United States, he still addresses it, he still talks about vaccines and therapeutics
[Acosta:] But for the president, appears to have moved on. Holding events that aren't related to the virus and sticking to topics that score points with his base.
[Trump:] Dishwashers, you didn't have any water so the people that do the dishes, you press it and it goes again and you do it again and again. So you might as well give them the water because you'll end up using less water.
[Acosta:] Now the public may be seeing more of Dr. Anthony Fauci over the coming days, after blocking Fauci from appearing on television interviews over the last several weeks. Administration officials say they're allowing the doctor to appear more regularly on the television networks. In the meantime, we're learning tonight that White House officials and some campaign advisers are hopeful that the president could potentially be more engaged or appear more engaged on the coronavirus issue. Potentially appearing and resuming those Coronavirus Task Force briefings that we saw so much of earlier this year. There are other ideas being
[Blitzer:] A lot of advice said mostly with the president accepts them and when he rejects. All right. Jim Acosta reporting. Thank you very much. Let's get some more on all of this. Joining us now our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, let me get your reaction first what Jim has just reported about the Coronavirus Task Force briefings possibly returning. What's your reaction to that news that they might actually come back maybe even on a daily basis? We haven't seen that in quite a while.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] I think it would be important, Wolf. I think when those briefings first started, I mean, I think it gave a certain level of seriousness to this, as a daily reminder of things. There's going to be some days where there's really important news that the country needs to hear from this task force. I think, Wolf, when the briefings went away, I think there was a lot of people who sort of thought, well, look, this thing is sort of over now. We were hearing from them every day. We're not now. So, you know, we must be sort of through the woods on this. So, I think we're clearly not, and I think the Coronavirus Task Force briefings coming back would be a signal that that's the case.
[Blitzer:] And what's your reaction, Sanjay, to the news that the White House is now preventing the CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, from testifying before the House of Representatives next week on the critically important issue of when and how schools should reopen for in-class for in-class teaching?
[Gupta:] Well, this is the biggest topic I think right now for for a lot of people in the country, certainly parents who are trying to figure out what life's going to be like in the next couple of months. We interviewed Dr. Redfield last week, talked a lot about schools. And you'll remember, Wolf, I mean the CDC did release this guidance for schools, pretty commonsense guidance, right? Stay six feet away, masks as much as masking policies, hand hygiene stations, all this sort of stuff, stuff that you probably could've figured out. Then we heard from the vice president that, look, these these recommendations were too strict and they needed to go back and revise them. And we talked to Dr. Redfield, he basically said look, I'm not revising those, I will provide supplemental material but that's it. Some of those revisions were supposed to come out today. They didn't. We were looking forward to hearing Dr. Redfield testify. It sounds like that's not going to happen now. So, you know, I think this is just another example of us not getting the type of knowledge, you know, practical, accessible, actionable knowledge that I think people absolutely need right now.
[Blitzer:] We certainly do need it. And all this comes, Sanjay, as the United States keeps setting and then breaking the record of new cases reported in a single day. Yesterday it was 77,000 new cases here in the United States. Just how dire is this situation, Sanjay, right now?
[Gupta:] Well, you know, Wolf, it's you look at the graphs and you see the sort of linear change. You see that two-dimensional graph. I think what a lot of people pay attention to as well is the pace at which this is increasing and the pace at which these numbers are going up is very concerning as well. So, they're going up, but they're going up at an increasingly rapid pace. It's kind of like a big steam ship in the ocean, Wolf. It's gaining momentum. And no matter what even if you can basically hit the brakes on this thing, it'll still take a long time to slow down. So, the more momentum the steam ship gains, the harder it's going to be to slow down. You know a few weeks ago we could have said, hey, look, if you do these things, less aggressive sort of things, it's likely to really slow down the momentum. But now that you got all this inertia in those numbers and that growth trajectory, it's becoming harder and harder to slow down. It's going to require more and more aggressive treatment the longer we wait, Wolf. And we're waiting a long time here.
[Blitzer:] We certainly are here. And we've also learned, Sanjay, that this unpublished report prepared for the White House task force recommends that 18 states now roll back their reopening. Are many of those so-called red zone states actually taking the right steps right now to save lives?
[Gupta:] Some are doing more than others, Wolf. They're doing these sorts of surgical strikes, if you will, closing beaches, some have put in mask ordinances and things like that. But you know this goes back to the same gating criteria that the Coronavirus Task Force released from the White House, you know, a few months ago now. The same it was all there. I went back and looked at that again. I've looked at some of these recommendations that were never released to the governors. But, frankly, it was stuff that you could have figured out. Because if you have a five-day increased spread, community spread in your community, you needed to go back. You needed to revert to an earlier phase. And you needed to put certain things in place before you could even go into the first phase, you needed to have had a 14-day downward trajectory, adequate testing in place, and adequate hospital infrastructure. Wolf, we see, obviously, in many states around the country that's not the case. We still don't have enough testing. Hospitals are redlining, Wolf. And that's going to be a significant problem.
[Blitzer:] A very significant problem. Let's not forget, Sanjay, and I just checked in the past few days nearly a thousand Americans have been dying from coronavirus every single day. 943 on Thursday, 941 on Wednesday. 900 on Tuesday. Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, good friends, they are dying as a result of this and it's simply and awful situation and a horrible failure on the part of our leadership. All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much. Just ahead, we'll get new insight on the worsening crisis from the director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins. He is going to be joining us later here in THE SITUATION ROOM. We have lots to discuss.

[Briggs:] Four-fourteen Eastern Time. And breaking overnight, Israeli Defense Forces killing a senior Islamic jihad leader in Gaza. That could ignite tensions in the region. Gaza militants firing dozens of rockets towards Israel, one just barely missing several cars on the road. Let's go live to the border and bring in Oren Liebermann. Oren, what are you seeing?
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Dave, we're just a couple of miles from the border here. We had an interception above our head. We had to scramble to the bomb shelter near us a couple times over the last couple of hours. And it certainly looks like this will continue at least in the near future. Now, this all starts about 4:00 this morning, when Israeli military says it carried out a targeted killing, an assassination of a senior Palestinian Islamic jihad leader Baha Abu al-Ata. Israel says he was responsible for many of the rockets we've seen over the course of the past few months or more, as well as someone who's involved in planning attacks against Israel, including some that were supposed to happen immediately. After Israel carried out that targeted killing, Gaza militants responded with a series of rockets. At this point, Israeli military says more than 100 had been fired. Many of those intercepted above the skies of Israel, some of them reaching 60, 70 kilometers outside of Gaza. Where does this go from here? Interestingly, Israel says it's only Islamic jihad behind the rocket fire, not Hamas. And that maybe an offer to Hamas of sorts, an off- ramp, if Hamas and if Israel are in any position to take that towards de-escalation. Right now, it seems like that's not happening at the moment. This seems to be part of a wider operation, from Israel, against jihad leaders. Why do I say that? Well, in Syria, a state-run news agency, Sana reports an attack against a senior Palestinian Islamic jihad leader there, Akram al-Ajouri. But according to the state-run news agency, al-Ajouri wasn't killed. His son was instead killed in that attack in Syria, blames on Israel. The military not commenting at this point on that attack. The question of Where does this go from here? The situation has been sense, as it has been for months. But, also, of course, since early Monday, as we wait to see developments and hear drones above our head monitoring the situation.
[Briggs:] Population just waiting on another siren. Oren Liebermann live at the Israel-Gaza border, 11:18 a.m. stay safe, my friend.
[Romans:] All right. To business, now, Google is collecting detailed health data on millions of Americans. "The Wall Street Journal" reports Google began working on "Project Nightingale" in secret last year with a hospital chain Ascension, which is more than 2,500 hospitals. This project, Project Nightingale, collects the complete history of tens of millions of patients, and includes their names and dates of birth. In a press release, Google says the initiative is compliant with federal health law and protects patient data. According to "The Journal", at least 150 Google employees have access to these records. Neither patients nor doctors were notified. Privacy experts say, OK, that's OK, as long as the information is only used for health care functions. Now, Google is said to be using the data to design new software using artificial intelligence to suggest changes to patients' care. The company has faced criticism in the past for not doing enough to protect user privacy. It's also under antitrust investigation. Regulators are considering whether its vast collection of data represents an unfair advantage.
[Briggs:] All right. Coming up, it wasn't as painful as the press briefings, but well, it was close. Could Sean Spicer survive another round on "Dancing with the Stars"?

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Breaking overnight, the strongest sign yet the same system failed in two deadly Boeing crashes. We're live in Ethiopia.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The Democrats have to now decide whether they will continue defrauding the public with ridiculous
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Anchor:] President Trump in full attack mode in his first rally since he was cleared of collusion.
[Trump:] I have overridden my people, we're funding the Special Olympics.
[Briggs:] The president will keep funding for the Special Olympics after his education secretary spent two days backing up the proposed cuts.
[Dean:] And no shortage of madness. One seed barely hangs on and two seeds are headed home. Good morning and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Jessica Dean, in for Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] Happy Friday, my friend.
[Dean:] Happy Friday.
[Briggs:] Good morning, everybody. I'm Dave Briggs. It is March 29th. It's 5:00 a.m. in the East. We start with breaking news this morning in the Boeing investigation. According to "The Wall Street Journal", preliminary findings show a stall prevention feature automatically activated before the 737 MAX jet crashed this month in Ethiopia. That is believed to be the same sensor that brought down a Lion Air flight last October. Let's go live to Ethiopia and bring in CNN's Robyn Kriel. Robyn, good morning.
[Robyn Kriel, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, good morning, Dave. As you said, this preliminary report coming out of from what we understand a high level FAA briefing. Double-edged sword really for Boeing. At least it is the same system that failed in both cases, so it is the MCAS system failing. But they will have to answer many questions about why they didn't take care of this after the first Lion Air crash that killed hundreds of people. But at the same time, at least, it is not another problem with the plane. So a double-edged sword there for Boeing. Eight Americans were killed on this flight, 157 people killed in total from 35 different countries. Good news though for Ethiopian Airlines if this does intends turn out to be true because it will vindicate the pilots if it does turn out to be the MCAS system failure because it will likely not be blamed then on pilot error. But as you say, the preliminary report. It could take up to a year we understand for the final report to be released.
[Briggs:] All right. Robyn Kriel live for us in Ethiopia, just about noon there. Thank you.
[Dean:] Some Democrats are refusing to move on from collusion and so too is the president. Here he is from his first rally since he was effectively cleared of collusion.
[Trump:] After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is finally dead. The collusion delusion is over. The Democrats have to now decide whether they will continue defrauding the public with ridiculous bullshit. Partisan investigations or whether they will apologize to the American people.
[Dean:] House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff maintains there was collusion even if the special counsel could not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. He is facing full-throated attacks from Republicans on his committee.
[Rep. Mike Conaway , Texas:] Your willingness to continue to promote a demonstrably false narrative is alarming. The findings of the special conclusively refute your past and present assertions and have exposed you as having abused your position to knowingly promote false information. We have no faith in your ability to discharge your duties in a manner consistent with your constitutional responsibility and urge your immediate resignation as chairman of the committee.
[Rep. Adam Schiff , Intelligence Committee Chairman:] My colleagues may think it's OK that the Russians offered dirt on a Democratic candidate for president. But I don't think it's OK. I think it's immoral, I think it's unethical, I think it's unpatriotic, and, yes, I think it's corrupt and evidence of collusion. And the day we do think that's OK is the day we will look back and say that is the day America lost its way.
[Briggs:] Republicans certainly disagree with Schiff's claims but at least one person on the president's favorite network agrees with him.
[Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst:] I think that Congressman Schiff is correct in that report will be evidence of the existence of a conspiracy. Not enough evidence to prove the existence beyond a reasonable doubt.
[Briggs:] The Mueller report is 300-plus pages. So far, we've only seen that four page summary from Attorney General Bill Barr. Democrats are demanding the full release of the report by April 2nd, but the primary obstacle is the presence of grand jury information.
[Dean:] CNN has learned House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler offered Barr the opportunity to work together to get a court order to release the grand jury information. An aide to Nadler says Barr is open to Nadler's arguments but still a far cry to where the chairman is right now.
[Briggs:] Also breaking overnight, another attempt to undermine Obamacare blocked in court. A federal judge striking down a Trump administration rule that allows small businesses to band together to set up health insurance plans to skirt the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The judge calling it a clear attempt at an end around. The Justice Department now considering all of its options before responding.
[Dean:] Republicans on Capitol Hill growing anxious, hoping for guidance from the White House on Obamacare alternatives, but so far, crickets. And after a failed repeal effort in 2017, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants no part of this fight. He's telling "Politico", quote, I look forward to seeing what the president is proposing and what he can work out with the speaker. So what is the president proposing?
[Trump:] Well, we're working on a plan now. There is no very great rush from the standpoint that we're waiting for decisions in the court.
[Briggs:] No very great rush. Vice President Pence's chief of staff said the opposite just the day before.
[Marc Short, Chief Of Staff For Vice President Mike Pence:] The president will be putting forward plans this year that we hope to introduce into Congress.
[Briggs:] It's been an eventful week for efforts to tear down Obamacare. On Monday, the Justice Department reversed its position and said that the entire Affordable Care Act should be struck down. Wednesday, a federal district court judge blocked the administration's efforts to allow states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients.
[Dean:] Funding for the Special Olympics will continue now that the president says he is overruled his education secretary. Betsy DeVos spent two days on Capitol Hill defending the decision even though she said she wasn't personally involved in making it.
[Betsy Devos, Secretary Of Education:] Let's not use disabled children in a twisted way for your political narrative. That is just disgusting and it's shameful. And I think we should move on
[Unidentified Male:] Well, Madam Secretary, let me tell you what? Eliminating $18 million out of an $80 billion $70 billion or $80 billion budget I think is shameful, too.
[Dean:] DeVos went on to say the Special Olympics already gets a lot of private donation that the federal budget is tight. But after she made the case, President Trump then publicly undermined her.
[Trump:] I've been to the Special Olympics. I think it's incredible. And I just authorized a funding. I heard about it this morning. I have overridden my people. We're funding the Special Olympics.
[Briggs:] Shortly after the president's comments, DeVos issued a statement saying I'm pleased and grateful that the president and I see eye to eye on this issue. This is funding I have fought for behind the scenes over the last several years. DeVos proposed similar cuts in previous years. She did donate a portion of her salary last year to the Special Olympics. "The Washington Post" has uncovered documents that allegedly show President Trump frequently exaggerated his assets while he was a businessman. "The Post" reports Trump would hand out documents outlining his finances and assets, the accuracy of those documents coming up at Michael Cohen's hearing just last month.
[Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez , New York:] Did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company?
[Michael Cohen, Former Trump Lawyer:] Yes.
[Briggs:] Just some of the highlights from this "Post" report Mr. Trump said namesake tour has 68 stories, it has 58. He claimed he owned a 2,000-acre vineyard in Virginia. The land records show about 1,200 acres. And Mr. Trump said he had 55 home lots to sell in southern California when records show he had 31. That is a $72 million difference in revenue. No comment from the White House nor the Trump Organization.
[Dean:] The city of Chicago is demanding "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett pay $130,000 for the police investigation into his alleged attack. He was indicted for staging a hate crime against himself in Chicago. But all charges were dropped this week.
[Mayor Rahm Emanuel , Chicago:] Given that he doesn't feel any sense of contrition and remorse, my recommendation is when he writes the check in the memo section he can put the word "I'm accountable for the hoax."
[Dean:] Prosecutors insisting their case was solid even after the charges were dismissed.
[Briggs:] President Trump is calling for a federal review on Twitter. Neither the FBI authorize DOJ have said that they will do so.
[Trump:] That case is an absolute embarrassment to our country. And somebody has to at least take a very good hard look.
[Briggs:] The Illinois Prosecutor Bar Association says dismissal of the Smollett case is, quote, abnormal and unfamiliar. In another bizarre twist, the office for the top prosecutor Kim Foxx now says she did not formally recuse herself from the Smollett investigation. Her office saying that she only separated herself from decision making out of an abundance of caution.
[Dean:] The embattled CEO of Wells Fargo, Tim Sloan, is stepping down. Sloan has worked at Wells Fargo for three decades and says the bank would benefit from a fresh perspective. The bank's board plans to replace him with an outsider. The company has struggled to overcome a litany of scandals. In 2016, there was national backlash over employees creating millions of fake accounts to meet sales quotas. Wells Fargo also admitted charging borrowers for auto insurance they didn't need and mortgage fees they did not deserve.
[Briggs:] All right. Ahead, the U.K. was supposed to leave the European Union today. Instead they will vote for a third time on a deal that has failed twice. We're live at 10 Downing Street, next.

[King:] The Trump White House is celebrating a Supreme Court victory that allows it to dramatically limit asylum request. The policy is being challenged in federal courts, but the highest court yesterday said the administration can enforce the new rules while the challenge proceeds in the lower courts. The policy aimed at sharply reducing asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border by requiring any migrant passing through another country en route to the United States to stop and make the asylum request there. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor issued a strong dissent to this decision arguing the ruling, quote, topples decades of settled asylum practices without affording the public a chance to weigh in. CNN's Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic is here with us. Let's go first to the policies. So the Trump administration gets a green light in the meantime as the challenge continues through the lower court. This is a conservative court telling a Republican White House, go ahead.
[Joan Biskupic, Cnn Supreme Court Analyst:] Yes, this really was a big win for the administration. And it shows another example of this Supreme Court ruling favorably in this order on immigration and asylum matters for the administration and brushing back lower court judges who've tried to rein in the administration. Now, this was not a decision on the merits but the justices had to weigh the harm to each side when it decided, should this policy take effect. And challengers had said this is going to upend four decades of refugee of asylum policy to do this. And it would affect even unaccompanied children at the border, you know and it was done so hastily according to the challengers
[King:] Yes. So I want to come back to the bigger theme in a minute but on this particular ruling, you mentioned Ginsburg and Sotomayor. They say, "Lower courts' decisions warrant respect. Granting a stay pending appeal should be an extraordinary act. Unfortunately, it appears the government has treated this exceptional mechanism as a new normal. Historically, the government has made this kind of request rarely, now it does so reflectively." We know the president and we know that relatively new attorney general Bill Barr complained constantly about the lower court. Is that just the liberal complaining because they're on the losing side or the numbers back that up? Or is this administration goes to the Supreme Court essentially as an injunction court instead of being the last word?
[Biskupic:] The numbers back it up. And John, why wouldn't they keep coming to this court? Because they have been slapped back attached by this court but mainly the courts sort of had the welcome mat out for this. And on immigration asylum policies, you remember just in July this Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to go ahead and use Pentagon money to build a wall, and last year, five to four conservative-liberal ruling upheld the president's travel ban.
[King:] Upheld the travel ban, upheld religious freedom in Colorado, struck down a California law, more liberalizing abortion policy. Upheld Texas electoral districts, upheld Ohio voter rule purges. I just you point out the examples because if anyone out there, you know, thought, you know, that this was going to move any other way, the president has had two new appointees confirmed to the Supreme Court. John Roberts not exactly a fire
[Biskupic:] You know, that's exactly right. And the other thing that's interesting is, who is exactly the voice of the liberal side? In this ruling, the two justices on the far left were the only ones that made their voices heard, Justices Sotomayor and Ginsburg. Justice Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, if they dissented, they did not want to tell the public.
[King:] New court term not that far away.
[Biskupic:] That's right, first Monday in October.
[King:] First Monday of October. How would you know that, Joan? You have been thinking about the date, have you?
[Biskupic:] My favorite day.
[King:] Going to be interesting. Your favorite day. OK. All right, Joan, appreciate the insights. Up next for us, Mike Pompeo in the running for another job. And we're not talking about a Senate seat in Kansas.

[Keilar:] Retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman received a Purple Heart for wounds that he suffered during his deployment to Iraq in 2004. In 2018, after almost two decades as an Army officer, he had been hand selected for a prestigious and demanding billet at the White House, handling the Ukraine portfolio on the president's foreign policy apparatus at the National Security Council. That assignment would end his decorated military career. Later, when "The Atlantic" published a story, confirmed by various other media outlets, that the president had called servicemembers killed in war, quote, "suckers and losers" and wondered aloud, quote, "What's in it for them," when he pondered military service. The Vindman's read it. President Trump has denied the story. But Rachel Vindman, who had watched all Alexander's military career derailed by a president who claims to love the military, says she has no doubt it is true.
[Vindman:] I felt sorry for him that he can't understand the beauty of service to others, of serving something more than himself. It is the privilege of my lifetime to be married to a military servicemember. I will always be proud to be an American. And I will always be proud to have been able to serve beside him. Obviously, we have friends who whose husbands have made the ultimate sacrifice. And to not understand why someone would do that, I feel sorry for him that he can't understand that.
[Keilar:] How do you see President Trump's role in what happened to your husband and your family?
[Vindman:] He just continually put Alex's name out there. He seemed to be a little bit obsessed with it. He would, you know, continually remark on Vindman. And I think by constantly saying his name, by telegraphing it to his supporters, that he put he continued to put us in danger by continuing to say our name. I think he also, you know, ended Alex's military career by whether he directly asked that Alex not be promoted, that's probably not the case. But his enablers and the people around him knew that he would never find it acceptable if Alex were permitted to be promoted and have a normal career. So with or without the president asking for it, they decided to deliver it to him, which is something exactly that happens in authoritarian governments. We are choosing to be a country that celebrates white nationalists, that we are a country that celebrates division, and is OK with it. And I don't think that's who the United States is. I don't think that's what the people want. And I think we're seeing that. Four more years is, you know, kind of full authoritarianism. I think that's what we're going to see, not authoritarianism-lite. I think it is people giving up their rights I'm not sure why but giving up their rights and freedoms.
[Keilar:] You guys have had hard times. You had a child who did not survive passed a week. And I was wondering if you would talk a little bit about that.
[Vindman:] My daughter was born at 24 weeks, three days gestation. A week later, she passed away. And we hadn't been able to hold her during because she was such a micro preemie. So when they held her and they gave her to us, Alex held her because I had carried her. So he held her as she took her last breaths. And then Alex, after that, the huge burden, Alex had to carry me for two years until I could be a normal person again. That was the hardest thing any couple will go through, to lose a child. That's why, through all this, I know who he is because I know what he's been through and what has made him who he is. During this time, also, I lost both my parents in a very short time after losing our daughter, Sara. And he would never stop what he was doing to be with me to help me. Like a normal spouse. I guess that's normal. But he's always my partner and my cheerleader. And I knew that whatever we went through with this wouldn't hold a candle to that those tough times. And I also always knew that he would do the right thing. That's, you know, something that we also want in our leaders. You know, leadership, to have leaders with values. There's one call no military spouse ever wants to get. For me that call came in October 2004 when I heard a voice telling me Alex had been injured by a roadside bomb.
[Lt. Col. Andrew Vindman, Former National Security Council Member:] The last time you saw me was here. Dad, do not worry. I will be fine for telling the truth.
[Vindman:] The first time I felt threatened was just after Alex's testimony.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] The colonel, I'm not going to focus or comment on a former junior employee.
[Trump:] Well, I'm not happy with him. Well, we'll see. We'll see what happens.
[Vindman:] The most powerful man in the world came after our family. But what happened to us can happen to anyone. We received thousands of letters of support. America is so much better than Donald Trump. But he can cause this nation so much more with four more years.
[Lt. Col. Vindman:] This is America. This is the country I have served and defended. Here right matters.
[Vindman:] I'm sure a lot of people are wondering why I am speaking out now and why I have chosen a visible role. And I will say, it's not something that Alex finds he's not excited about it. But to me, if I have voice, even if it's a small voice, I think everyone should do their part for this election, and this feels like something I can do. And that's why. I know it's opening myself up to exposure, probably to criticism, but that's OK because we're going to be OK. But as a country, I think everyone owes it, in these last three weeks, to do everything they can to make sure their voice is heard. I don't even care if you are on the other side. Just don't become complacent. I mean, get out there and make it all matter and make it count. I mean, this is a democracy. And we have such a privilege. So many people in the world, they either can't vote or they vote and their voice their votes never count. But we have that privilege here. And I think everyone should get out and use whatever voice they have and make it matter. I'm not worried about the future because Alex's father came here in his 40s. He didn't speak English. He had $450 and three little boys and a mother-in-law who didn't like him very much. And he learned English and was able to get a job and, you know, provide for his family. And that's still the United States that I live in. That opportunity still exists. And I'm not worried about our future because I know, no matter what, we'll make it work.
[Keilar:] Retired Lieutenant Colonel Vindman is currently pursuing a doctorate degree as the Vindman family is adjusting to their new life outside of the military. Next, we have some breaking news. CNN reporting that U.S. officials are investigating whether e-mails surfacing are tied to a Russian misinformation campaign against the Bidens. And this involves Rudy Giuliani. Plus, singer, Christopher Cross, says COVID paralyzed him. And a former QAnon conspiracy supporter reveals why he stopped believing.

[Keilar:] The family of Otto Warmbier has issued a sharp rebuke of President Trump after his shocking public defense of dictator Kim Jong-un in the brutal mistreatment and death of their son. Our Brian Todd is here with this. And the family really did not hold back, Brian.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] They did not, Brianna. A lot of pent up anger coming from the Warmbier family today. And tonight, the White House is still doing damage control following the President's remarks in Hanoi.
[Todd:] Analysts called it a low point in an all ready dismal news conference.
[Trump:] He tells me that he didn't know about it. And I will take him at his word.
[Todd:] The President's saying he supported North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's stance that Kim didn't know of American college student Otto Warmbier's deteriorating condition in a North Korean prison.
[Trump:] I don't that believe that he would have allowed that to happen.
[Todd:] Tonight, that statement is receiving a stinging rebuke from Warmbier's parents. Fred and Cindy Warmbier saying they've not spoken during the summit out of respect, but now could hold back no longer. In a statement saying, "Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. No excuses or lavish praise can change that."
[Robert King, Former U.s. Special Envoy To North Korea For Human Rights:] For them, this is a horrible situation to go through. And I can understand their concern about what was said.
[Todd:] Otto Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, was arrested for allegedly stealing a political sign during his tour at Pyongyang in early 2016 during what was widely seen as a show trial, he wept.
[Otto Warmbier, American Student Who Was Imprisoned In North Korea:] Safest core of innocent scapegoat.
[Todd:] Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. A 1.5 year later, North Korean diplomats abruptly asked for a meeting with their U.S. counterparts and told them the young American was in a coma. Warmbier was quickly evacuated and died just a couple of day after returning home. Trump initially attacked Kim and his regime for the death.
[Trump:] We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime.
[Todd:] And he embraced Warmbier's parents, inviting them to the State of the Union Address.
[Trump:] You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world. And your strength truly inspires us all.
[Todd:] Analysts said that seemed to be a far cry from his comments this week.
[Trump:] He felt badly about it.
[Todd:] Tonight, facing backlash from the family, the President took to Twitter saying he had been misinterpreted on Thursday. "Of course I hold North Korea responsible for Otto's mistreatment and death. Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain. I love Otto and think of him often."
[Kelyanne Conway, White House Counselor:] The President is saying is that there's no indication Chairman Kim knew what happened to Otto Warmbier when it happened.
[Todd:] But that seems improbable, expert say, because after his death, doctors who examined Otto Warmbier said they believed he'd been in a vegetative state for 14 months before being sent home. If he is in a vegetative state for 14 months, does Kim Jong-un not know about it at all during that time?
[King:] Kim would have known as soon as they had determined that this was something that wasn't reversible. He would have known immediately.
[Todd:] So why would President Trump have said he believed Kim? Analysts say it could have been for pure political expediency.
[Marcus Noland, Peterson Institute For International Economics:] On human rights groups have not been given much access to the administration which is clearly prioritizing the nuclear negotiations and thinking that human rights issues may get in the way.
[Todd:] So in the end, will Kim Jong-un ever be held accountable in the case of Otto Warmbier? Analysts say that is not likely. The Warmbier family was recently awarded more than $500 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against the North Korean regime. But experts say it's not likely they're going to collect much if any of that. What could happen expert say is that the Warmbier case could be used as leverage with the North Koreas in negotiations over the possible lifting of sanctions. Brianna?
[Keilar:] And Otto's parents claim that he had been tortured during his detention in North Korea. What did the doctors who examined him say?
[Todd:] Right, Brianna. Warmbier's parents have said his legs were deformed when he was returned to the U.S. And they said it looked like someone had rearranged his bottom teeth with a pair of pliers. But the coroner in Hamilton County, Ohio who examined Warmbier said they found no evidence of trauma to the lower teeth, no indications of torture. Still just about everyone agrees that Otto Warmbier deteriorated because of those conditions that North Korea's placed him in, in that prison there.
[Keilar:] All right, Brian Todd, thank you so much for that. Coming up, we have breaking news. Lawyers for Paul Manafort file court papers arguing that the former Trump campaign chairman, who is caught up in the Mueller investigation, is, quote, truly remorseful. They're arguing for a prison term well below sentencing guidelines.

[Hadas Gold, Cnn Reporter:] Yes, Zain. So this is unprecedented and actually rather embarrassing for a central bank. So pretty much what happens is that hedge funds were paying almost at least GBP2,500 to get access to this third party supplier who was supposed to do this audio back up to Mark Carney press conferences at the central bank, but what it meant is that hedge funds would get about an eight second head start on any information that Mark Carney might be saying, but these audio backups were just supposed to be back ups for if the video failed. They weren't supposed to be accessible to these hedge funds who, as we all know, getting an eight-second head start on information that might give you clues are where interest rates are going to go, can move the markets, they can move the bond markets, the currency markets, and that could mean millions worth of dollars for these hedge funds who do this high-speed training. So now we're seeing some consequences from this. Like I said, this is unprecedented for a central bank. They say that they have referred this to the Financial Conduct Authority now. High-frequency trading is not illegal, but what the FCA will likely look into is whether this eight-second extra and especially the fact that it was a hack not meant to be public whether that could be somehow construed at insider trading, insider information of any kind. The bank has called this unacceptable. They have cut off this third party supplier, and now there are also calls for the COO of the Bank of England, Joanna Place, to resign. And honestly, Zain, it just casts this shadow over Mark Carney in his last six weeks, He's supposed to be exiting the bank very soon. His replacement is supposed to be announced in the next few days, the next few weeks. It's just not a very good look for the Bank of England, especially right now, especially with so much going on with Brexit. It's just it's very unfortunate for them and it's just sort of stunning hack. Now, it might not seem like a lot of time for us, eight seconds, on something that's going to be public anyway, but those eight seconds when you're working with these high-frequency traders, with all these computer trades, that all they need is milliseconds, that could mean a lot of money for these hedge funds.
[Asher:] So how do they make sure that this type of thing never happens again at the Bank of England, Hadas?
[Gold:] I mean, it's going to require a complete security review, and also who they are working with, these third-party suppliers, can they trust them, what are they doing? And that's why there are calls for the chief operating officer to resign. Just the fact that this could happen under somebody's watch, this could happen at such an important central bank like the ECB, that is a big question facing them right now, and that will facing the new president, whoever takes over.
[Asher:] All right, Hadas Gold live for us. Thank you so much. All right, still to come here on First Move, Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, is set to speak about impeachment. We'll have that story after the break.
[Suzanne Malveaux, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Zain, you know, yesterday you'd think it was high drama, high emotions, high stakes. Well, House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, took it to a whole other level as well when she introduced the notion, the idea that she was going delay that she was actually going to delay those Articles of Impeachment being sent over to the Senate for the trial. Now, there's nothing in the Constitution that says she has to do it by a particular time or a method here, but once she does, that is when the Constitution kicks in and says that the Senate, the sole body will go ahead and begin this trail in earnest. Now, Pelosi says this process is unfair, and she points to the fact that already we've heard from Senate Majority, Mitch McConnell, saying that he's not an impartial juror. We've heard from Senator Lindsey Graham saying he's not going to try to be fair. And so, that is what she's putting on the table. There are other Democrats, however, who say, look, this is a good point of leverage for the Speaker. I mean, she could hold this up and decide to pass it off to the Senate like in the spring or in the middle of this 2020 campaign, that there is some wiggle room here, and what they are arguing is that Senator Chuck Schumer, who's in negotiations with McConnell, he has asked and requested more witnesses, documents, that all this be part of the trial. He's been roundly rejected. And so, they say, OK, we're going to hold off on this and let's see if we can get more of what we want out of a Senate trial by holding onto these Articles of Impeachment. So that's how we're this is what we're watching and waiting for, seeing how this all plays out. We do know Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, is very critical of what is happening now. There's another senator, Senator Cornyn from Texas, who says, you know, we don't care if we ever get the articles or if we never receive them. But that is not the general thinking here on the Hill. The thinking is that this will happen. It will take place. There will be a trial in the Senate. Very likely the president will be exonerated or at least he will not be removed from office. It's just a matter of how this happens, when, and just how fierce these negotiations will be between these two parties, Zain.
[Asher:] So Suzanne, just in terms of what's at stake for moderate Democrats, obviously there are a couple of Democrats in the House yesterday that voted against impeaching the president. What is at stake for Democrats who are in very, very red districts here?
[Malveaux:] Well, one thing that's happening and I talked to a lot of lawmakers yesterday on the House side, Democrats and Republicans alike and what they tell me is they express a great deal of frustration that they did not hear from some of the key witnesses that they had hoped to hear from in the impeachment hearings, in the process itself, that they did not receive these documents. So there are people of the mind on both sides that this would potentially give more information and clarify if you had those kinds of things playing out in the Senate trial. There is a group of moderate Republicans, Zain, that the Democrats are hoping to sway. Let's take a listen. McConnell's speaking now.
[Mitch Mcconnell , Senate Majority Leader:] in order to impeach President Trump. Over the last 12 weeks, House Democrats have conducted
[Asher:] All right, it looks as though Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader, is speaking. Let's listen in. END

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] You it's interesting you bring that up because it was very clear like a month or so ago that President Trump wanted the U.S. military to go into cities and then Milley and Secretary General Milley and Secretary Esper balked at that. They didn't want that. And now, he's doing this, and it seems like it's the same basic plan, OK, I can't get the military, I'll just use the Department of Homeland Security. This is what people fear the department of homeland security was going to be back when it was formed during the Bush administration. And now they're seeing their fears realized in some ways, don't you think?
[Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Secretary Under George W. Bush:] Well, I think in this case, taking people from border patrol who should be at the border, by the way, and using them as crowd control actors is abusing. And we have seen, frankly, abuse of other departments, sometimes Department of Justice has done things that make people wonder what happened to the norms that professional prosecutors used to abide by. The good thing as you saw with the military, that ultimately, these are reasonable organizations, that people that make up the rank and file of DHS I think want the department to function the way it is supposed to, protecting Americans in nonpartisan constitutional way.
[Tapper:] President Trump attacked Tom Ridge as a never Trumper, a Republican in name only, a RINO, said he was squirming. Although I am guessing that former Vietnam veteran, Staff Sergeant Ridge, wasn't squirming much. Do you worry Trump is going to go after you next?
[Chertoff:] Badge of honor.
[Tapper:] The cities that President Trump is sending more troops to, Chicago, Albuquerque, Kansas City, it is true that they have seen an increase in crime. Chicago saw 34 percent more homicides than last year, Albuquerque's violent crime rate more than three times the national average. Kansas City is on track to record the most homicides ever. What tools can the president use to stop this? What should he be doing differently?
[Chertoff:] OK. So what they're talking about doing in Chicago, at least as reported by the attorney general is different than the crowd control issue which I am troubled by in Portland. What they're talking about doing in Chicago is sending investigators and prosecutors in to focus on violent drug games and drug smugglers and actors. That's something actually the U.S. government has done for years, when I was in U.S. attorney in New Jersey, because there are specific federal laws against smuggling guns and using them to commit felonies. And that means the government has a right and duty, in fact, to investigate and prosecute those that do it. So, as long as the mission in Chicago is what Attorney General Barr declared it would be, it's perfectly appropriate, and I think the mayor would welcome that. What should not happen is to have it migrate into dealing with demonstrations, and crowds.
[Tapper:] All right. Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff from the George W. Bush administration, thank you so much. Good to see you again, sir.
[Chertoff:] Good to see you, Jake.
[Tapper:] Breaking news. A U.S. Marine who assigned to the helicopter unit that transports President Trump, this Marine has been infected with the coronavirus. He tested positive after he flew to Bedminster, New Jersey, ahead of President Trump's upcoming visit this weekend. But a spokesman for the Marine Corps tells CNN that the Marine was never in direct contact with the president's helicopter itself. More than a million more Americans filed for unemployment as we get new details on possible relief plans for workers. That story is next. Plus, baseball is back with several virus-related changes. Former all- star Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod, will me live to discuss how America's pastime will look very different. Stay with us. Today's money lead now. For the first time in four months, weekly unemployment claims went up, 1.4 million Americans filed for benefits for the first time last week. And federal payments designed to help are about to run out. Tomorrow, the temporary ban on evicting tenants ends, leaving renters at risk of losing their homes. And it is the last week that the $600 federal payments go out to the unemployed. CNN's Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill for us. Manu, today, the White House and Senate Republicans say talks are very productive on this new stimulus bill. What's on the table so far?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Well, we actually haven't seen the details yet of this proposal because the White House and Senate Republicans are still haggling over some of the final details here, including a significant one, how to extend jobless benefits for millions of Americans who are about to see those expanded, benefits expire, those with roughly $600 a week about to go away. And Republicans at the White House don't have a specific plan ordeal on that specific issue. But there's a general agreement on broad parameters of the plan which Republicans hope to unveil next week. That this plan is supposed to cost roughly a trillion dollars. It's going to will include money that helps schools reopen, $105 billion for that, and it will include some wage replacement pertaining to those unemployment checks, we'll see exactly what the details are when it is unveiled. Provide another round of direct checks to Americans, also waiting for details on that, and it also extend some money from hard hit small businesses and provide billions of dollars of more in helping with vaccine research and distribution. Now, this negotiation, Jake, has been going all week between the White House and Senate Republicans. The White House lost on several key fronts. They wanted to make money contingent on schools reopening. The Republicans in the Senate did not go that way. The president called for a payroll tax cut, that was dropped, and in Republican opposition, and also the White House was opposed to new money for testing and contact tracing, because they believe there's existing money in the pipeline. Republicans instead got an agreement for about $25 billion, including $16 billion more in new money. So, Republicans have had a hard time coming together. We'll see if they can come together now with the Democrats, Jake.
[Tapper:] Also, today, we're hearing more from Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about Republican Congressman Ted Yoho of Florida who accosted her and that called her an F-ing B in the presence of reporters. Take a listen to this from Ocasio-Cortez.
[Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez:] Representative Yoho called me and I quote, a
[Tapper:] Manu, what is Congressman Yoho saying about all this, and what about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy?
[Raju:] Well, Yoho is not apologizing. He, in fact, put out a statement saying that no one was accosted, bullied or attacked. And then he went on to say in a statement, she has every right to give her account of the conversation, but she doesn't have the right to inflate talk about my family or give an account that did not happen for political gain. The fact still remains I am not going to apologize for something I didn't say. He is denying saying the F-ing B word about her. Of course, a reporter for "The Hill" newspaper, an experienced reporter, Mike Lewis, heard him clearly say that as he was walking away from the conversation, which he called her disgusting, and wagged a finger in her face. The Minority Leader McCarthy was asked about Yoho's comments and said that Yoho has apologized. Yoho had made some remarks on the floor yesterday and he McCarthy said he said I'm sorry to the congresswoman from New York, and that should be good enough. Now, what Yoho said yesterday on the floor was that he apologized for the, quote, abrupt manner of the conversation he had with his colleague. He said they shouldn't be disrespectful. He continued it was just about a policy difference about poverty. But then, Jake, he ended his statement saying, I cannot apologize for my passion, for my loving my God, my family, my country Jake.
[Tapper:] Yes, it's not the passion that's the issue, it is the misogyny, the bigotry, and crude term he used about her that he is clearly lying about and Kevin McCarthy is helping him. Manu Raju, thanks so much. Appreciate it. It is opening day for baseball with no fans, and new rules during these very different times. The legendary A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, will join me live next to talk about baseball in the age of coronavirus. In our sports lead: Baseball is back, though it looks drastically different than what we're used to. There will be no fans in the stands. You will not see any celebratory high-fives or fist bumps or hugs. Instead, we will see empty seats and hear piped-in crowd noise. One thing has not changed, the ceremonial first pitch. Besides President Trump, every previous president has thrown one out since William Howard Taft started the tradition in 1910. It is Dr. Anthony Fauci who gets the honor at tonight's Yankees-National game in Washington. And joining me now is former Yankee and retired All-Star and now sports broadcaster Alex Rodriguez, A-Rod, who's calling tonight's game, the Nationals-Yankee game. A-Rod, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Were you worried there wasn't going to be any season at all?
[Alex Rodriguez, Former Major League Baseball Player:] Absolutely. I mean, it's just the miracle that we're here. Just a tremendous job by the players and the clubs to get together and really figure out this protocol. And to be the first out of the gates, in front of basketball, in front of the NFL, I think gives us a chance tremendous competitive advantage. And it is America's pastime. And we are the comfort food for American people. And, tonight, we're hopefully going to put on a great show.
[Tapper:] Well, the Nationals star Juan Soto just tested positive for coronavirus. He will not be playing tonight. I would assume he's been practicing with his teammates. If you were a player right now, would you be worried to take the field?
[Rodriguez:] Yes, I would be worried. And, look, both managers have said this is a risk that players know they're taking. Everybody has tested. They will get results here in the next 48 hours. But until you get those multiple tests back, I don't think someone can feel really, really comfortable. Unfortunate situation for one of the biggest stars, but, listen, everybody's at risk. And we have to think about health is always first.
[Tapper:] The fans contribute so much to the excitement and pressure of a game. Do you think empty stands, even with the piped-in crowd sounds, will have an effect on the players?
[Rodriguez:] It will have an effect. I have talked to several players. I talked to Torres just a couple nights ago, the shortstop of the New York Yankees. And he said he's been talking with his teammates, and he's going to have to pump himself up to get ready to play. The fans are such a big part of our game. They are our game. And you play for the fans and for the excitement, both cheers and boos. And in New York, you get them both. So it's going to take a little bit of an adjustment, but I think they will be just fine.
[Tapper:] Are you worried about what happens next? I mean, I guess we all hope that this truncated season happens and that there are no further infections and that this provides some relief and some enjoyment for a beleaguered American public. But are you concerned? I mean, people could this could spread the virus.
[Rodriguez:] I'm cautiously optimistic, but I'm cautious. And anybody who is thinking about baseball should think about health first, then baseball. Sports comes after that. It's a place that we have never been before. We can't underwrite it. We can't forecast it. But we got to hope that we got to plan for the worst and hope for the best. But I think everything that Major League Baseball has done, both at the owners' level and the players union's level, they have come together and done a fantastic job of setting protocols that, here we go, we're opening day, and we're ready to go.
[Tapper:] I do want to ask you about one social issue. The Washington, D.C., football team has removed its previous name. They're now officially, I think, the Washington football franchise or something like that. Do you think it is also time for the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians to change their names?
[Rodriguez:] I don't have enough information on that, Jake. I saw the Washington move. I saw it got mixed reactions. Obviously, that's above my pay grade. But I do think that things are moving in the right direction.
[Tapper:] Dr. Anthony Fauci is going to be throwing out the first pitch. I told him on Sunday, that home that plate is a lot farther away than you think it is. Do you have any advice for him?
[Rodriguez:] Well, Dr. Fauci was he's from New York. He was a former point guard. He's been America's point guard for the last four or five months. I just say, take a crow hop and throw a strike and move up a little bit. Sixty feet, six inches is further than you think.
[Tapper:] The Yankees, your former team, playing against the Nats tonight, have you spoken to any of the players about how they feel coming back, what emotions they have?
[Rodriguez:] I have spoken to a couple of the Yankee players and a couple of the National players. They feel good. Everybody's excited. Players want to play. Fans want to watch. I think we're going to have a big audience at home watching. This is the first sport to come back. I know me, personally, I'm tired of all the movies and Netflix and this and that. I love them all, but there is nothing like sports. Sports, and baseball specifically, is such a big fabric of what this country is all about. And we're back, opening day, and a great, great matchup with Yankees against the Nationals, Gerrit Cole against Scherzer. It does not get any better than tonight.
[Tapper:] I'm excited for some live sports as well. There's only so many times I can watch the 1980 World Series. So, the MLB is asking for players, umpires and other on-field personnel to practice distancing as much as possible on the field. What should fans expect to see tonight, beyond empty stands?
[Rodriguez:] Well, you're not going to see any bat boys or bat girls. You're not going to see every time a ball touches the ground, you're going to be thrown out. So, usually, you play with 10 dozen balls. Tonight, expect that we will have about 20 dozen balls, double. You're not going to see a lot of high-fiving, I don't think. But I think people will be very creative in how they celebrate. I'm excited. Look, I'm watching, just like the fans at home. I am thrilled. This is something that's new. What I am excited about, I always say that the difference between AAA baseball and Major League Baseball is the sound of baseball, the crack of the bat, the way the pitchers make that mitt pop, and guys running, turning around turning the bases. All those sounds, I hope we get a chance to hear some of it, if not all of it.
[Tapper:] I have to ask how you think the Phillies are going to do this year.
[Rodriguez:] I like the Phillies. I like the Phillies. Joe Girardi is back. The bench coach, Thomson, is back. And those are the two that took us to the World Series in 2009 with the Yankees. They know how to win. They know how to prepare. You have Harper. And you have some great young players. I think Phillies are in upswing.
[Tapper:] All right, from your mouth to God's ears. A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, thank you so much. Good luck tonight calling the game. Break a leg.
[Rodriguez:] Thanks, Jake.
[Tapper:] President Trump is expected to speak in just minutes, continuing the return of his daily briefing. Stay with us. Before we leave you today, we want to take a moment to honor the life and work of 13 nuns from a single convent in Michigan. The sisters are 13 of the more than 143,000 lives lost in the U.S. to this pandemic. The women belong to Felician Sisters Convent in Livonia, Michigan, near Detroit. The youngest was 69. The oldest was 99. They were teachers for at-risk children. They were musicians. They were nurses. One published a history book about the convent. Another won a commercial script writing contest for Campbell's Soup with her second-grade class. Sister Mary Luiza Wawrzyniak died first in April on Good Friday. She was followed by 11 others within a month. The 13th sister, Mary Danatha Suchyta, passed away on June 27. To the Felician Sisters Convent, we are thinking about you. We are praying for you. Our deepest condolences. May their memories be a blessing. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. Thanks for watching.

[Whitfield:] All right, with the Nevada caucuses just hours away now, a former Vice President and 2020 Democrat, Joe Biden says his campaign is just getting started. After a disappointing showing in both Iowa and New Hampshire, today, the Biden campaign is seeking redemption in the silver state as the race continues to move on to more diverse electorates. Our Arlette Saenz is in Las Vegas following the Biden campaign. So Arlette, how important is this for Biden to do well?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, Fred, it's very important for Biden to do well here as he's hoping to that, I will offer a bit of a turnaround in this campaign for me. He told me that he's hoping for a top two finish here to propel him into other diverse states like South Carolina in those Super Tuesday contests. And Biden has spent a lot of time this week courting minority voters. His campaign believes that he will perform better here because it is a more diverse electorate. He just picked up the endorsement from the Latino Victory Fund. And he's also spent a lot of time meeting with African-American voters hoping that they will come to his corner. He's also been courting union support, making back of house visits at casinos as he's been here. And he is hoping that this Nevada caucus will start a bit of a turnaround for him.
[Whitfield:] And so Arlette, you know, you also spoke with, you know, Biden yesterday about his relationship with President Obama following report that Senator Sanders was planning to run a primary challenge to the former president back in 2012. And what do you have to say about that?
[Saenz:] Yes. Joe Biden has been quite critical of Bernie Sanders on a number of issues, including gun control. But yesterday, he voiced some frustration about Bernie Sanders past potential there was a report that he had considered potentially primary in President Obama back in 2012. Take a listen to what he had to say.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] The idea that some and the idea that Bernie is a big supporter of Barack, as you saw today or yesterday, the Atlantic article pointed out that Bernie planned on primary Barack in 2012, his good friend in a primary. And presidents in years where they have a primary their incumbents, they don't win. And it took Harry Reid, I guess, according to the article that took him out in the primary. And so, you know, I noticed that everybody is Barack's best friend now. And they're putting him in his ads. I mean, the only guy that was had his back the whole time was me if he had mine. So I just think it's just a little been the truth have landed here. And I think that's what's beginning to happen.
[Saenz:] We've had a little bit of a downpour here. So forgive my umbrella. But you heard Joe Biden there, be quite critical of Bernie Sanders, as Bernie Sanders has really picked up quite a bit of momentum out of those first two contests. And Joe Biden is hoping to potentially save him off a little bit going forward. Fred?
[Whitfield:] Yes. Arlette, I'd be sad for you if you didn't have an umbrella. I can hear the rain more than I can even see it. OK, so
[Saenz:] Yes.
[Whitfield:] will that rain in any way impact, you know, caucusgoers, you know, the excitement about being part of the process today?
[Saenz:] Yes. You know, it's unclear if this will have any impact. I think that I'm not a weather reporter, but the bands may just be here for a short while.
[Whitfield:] Today you are.
[Saenz:] So I think, yes, today, I have. But I think these caucusgoers will be heading shortly to those locations to try to support their candidates.
[Whitfield:] Good. All right, hopefully that's not wash away the enthusiasm. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Take cover.
[Saenz:] Thank you.
[Whitfield:] All right, let's talk, talk it over now with Rebecca Katz, who is a progressive strategist. She also previously served as the communications director for former Senator Majority Leader, Harry Reid. All right, Rebecca, good to see you. Let's talk Nevada, the state's Democratic, you know, Party is assuring voters that what happened in Iowa won't happen at today's caucuses. How confident are you about this?
[Rebecca Katz, Fmr. Communications Dir. For Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid:] Well, listen, the most important thing here is accuracy. And Nevada Democrats know that we need to get it right. So we're going to have in just 30 minutes, the caucus doors will open. And we'll get started. Two hours after that. And we think we're going to spend the day really listening to caucus goers make their choices heard. This process will take a little bit longer than it's done in the past. We have new DNC requirements, in terms of getting our numbers right. And we also want to make sure that we have we take into account early votes here in Nevada. We've had four full days of early vote, which is never happened in a caucus state. So we're going to move those voters into the caucus process. And that should take a little bit longer. So we might have a long day ahead of us. But the most important thing here is to get it right.
[Whitfield:] Yes. Mr. Rickard, he told me earlier, you know, the early voters to the tune of like, 70,000 voters. So, how people
[Katz:] Yes, huge number. It was very
[Whitfield:] It's a huge number. Yes.
[Katz:] Yes.
[Whitfield:] And that's actually really great isn't it? You know, you want people to get out and be part of the process. But then I wonder, you know, it almost sounds like this has become very, very complicated for Nevada, particularly because of what happened in Iowa. So help us understand this process because, you know, their iPads involved, you know, there is picture taking of tallying. Help us understand how it will work today.
[Katz:] Right. So it's, it's very it's low tech. Basically, you have what's called a caucus calculator. And when the people come in and they raise their hand and they say, I'm for this person, you know, we put them into the calculator and then we put in the early vote voter. So they go with their first choice. Now, if that first choice candidate does not have 15 percent of the vote in that precinct, then there's some realignment. So then you do it again and you and that's why the rank, you have rank voting within the early vote. So these voters will get mixed in with the new voters there today. And it's not that complicated. But we knew it would be a little harder. But we did it because we're in franchising more voters. You know, the whole process is to get more people. The whole purpose is to get more people involved. And that's what we wanted to do today.
[Whitfield:] OK. Well, let's talk to you about your former boss, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. We just heard, you know, Biden reacting to report that, you know, Reid had to step in to stop Sanders from running a primary challenge against Obama in 2012. What do you know about that? How is that relevant to today's race?
[Katz:] Right. Well, let's be real for a second. So this is a lot about very little. In 2012, Bernie Sanders was running for reelection and so as Barack Obama. Barack Obama never had a primary challenge. Harry Reid is a big, big fan of Barack Obama's and what he wanted to do more than anything was just to make sure that every one of his senators was 100 percent behind the president, and the president was overwhelmingly reelected. So I think this is a lot about a little. And we are all Democrats here and trying to right now, elect the best Democrat to beat Donald Trump.
[Whitfield:] And I remember seeing, you know, Senator Reid, last weekend, he was out and about, you know, interacting with people. And, you know, recently, you know, he said that Sanders, you know, he weighed in on it, you know, saying that Sanders needs more than a plurality to win the nomination. What is your thinking on this?
[Katz:] I mean, I think the Democratic Party has to have a reckoning here. You know, there's some voters who believe that the candidate who has the most amount of voters, even if the plurality should be the nominee. There's other folks who believe that the nominee should be someone who has 50 percent of the convention plus one. I think this is this is a really serious issue for the Democratic Party. And it's one we're going to have to deal with. But, you know, maybe this will be a lot clearer after Super Tuesday.
[Whitfield:] And then Senator Reid also said, you know, that a brokered convention wouldn't be the end of the world, you know, but isn't this, you know, the same mistake that GOP made in 2016 when they, you know, were pinning their hopes on a brokered convention to stop Trump.
[Katz:] Right.
[Whitfield:] Do you see any similarities or differences?
[Katz:] Well, here's the thing. It's only February, you know, today we're seeing the third state vote, this is the first state that is diverse. You know, we've had two overwhelmingly white states vote. Now we get Nevada gets our shot. This would be the biggest indication for Super Tuesday. Nevada is the state that looks the most like the big states coming up like Texas, like California. So I think we're having a lot of, you know, worries about what might happen in July. But for right now, let's see, we might have a clear winner.
[Whitfield:] All right, Rebecca Katz, thank you so much in Las Vegas.
[Katz:] Thank you.
[Whitfield:] Good luck today.
[Katz:] Thank you.
[Whitfield:] All right, coming up, the mother of two missing children arrested. But where are her son and daughter? The charges she is facing and the lie she allegedly told investigators. But first, the race for the White House returns tomorrow night with a look at the 1980 campaign between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Take a look at what happened at the Democratic National Convention.
[Jimmy Carter, 39th United States President:] I thank you for the nomination you've offered me.
[Unidentified Female:] Jimmy Carter is not on his game somehow, and goes to give praise to Hubert Horatio Humphrey, the former Vice President of the United States who had passed of cancer fairly recently.
[Unidentified Male:] This is a guaranteed applause line, you know, this is a guaranteed emotional tug at this crowd.
[Carter:] We're the party of a great man who would have been one of the greatest presidents in history, Hubert Horatio Hornblower.
[Unidentified Female:] Did he say, Hornblower?
[Carter:] Humphrey.
[Unidentified Male:] I think every one of us on the podium sort of gasped. It's as if that every step Carter's attempts to not only be the victor but appear the victor, are going horribly wrong.
[Whitfield:] And you can watch the race for the White House tomorrow night, 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

[Zakaria:] Today is International Women's Day, fitting then that my guest was the first female Presidential Nominee of a major American political party. I wanted to hear her thoughts on the state of women in America and around the world. Do you think that the United States today is still misogynistic in many aspects of its life?
[Clinton:] I think that the unconscious biases that exist in our society, in any society, even ones where on paper they have advanced much further with things like paid family leave, for example, paid child care and the like to empower women to make their own choices that still is at work. And the double standard, particularly in public life and not only in political public life but business life, the life of the media and the arts and so much else, yes, there is some absolute misogyny that certainly lives online. I was so appalled to read about a sticker that had been made depicting Greta Thunberg, the young woman who has been trying to sound the alarm about climate change, being literally subjected to sexual assault, a sticker that was being passed out at a company that is involved in the oil industry in some way. Now, look, I I understand that we're still fighting over climate change, although that seems somewhat absurd to me, but to fight by objectifying and having a picture that demonstrated a level of violence towards this young 16-year-old girl who has every right in the world to stand up and say, you know, world, you're not doing what needs to be done, that's misogynistic. That's not I don't agree with her I don't know why she has a big platform. I want a big platform, you know, to repudiate that. Instead it's like let's show her being assaulted. That's misogyny, pure and simple. So it goes from that kind of overt example of misogyny to these unconscious biases. So we carry it with us, it's sort of deep in the DNA what we expect women to be, and we're okay with kind of opening the doors and allowing our daughters, our granddaughters, you know, to get great educations, compete for great jobs. But there's still is something inside that when a woman says, wait a minute, I would like to lead, I'd like to in charge, I'd like to be your President or your Chief Executive or whatever it might be, little alarm bells, little unconscious alarm bells start to ring.
[Zakaria:] There are people who look at the persistence of feminists, things like me too, or the cancel culture, and they say this is spawning a backlash that is electing Donald Trump, that is empowering these kinds of forces. Is that something to worry about, or is this just a price you have to pay?
[Clinton:] You know, I think that forward movement, kind of the law of physics, will always produce a reaction. So whatever the reason might be, there are going to be people who are who feel that, you know, demanding one's rights or demanding accountability for behavior that is out of bounds is somehow inappropriate or has gone too far is outside the comfort zone. This is all new to society. Everybody is working this out trying to make sense of it, but I don't think that the process of trying to understand. How do we truly respect and value women in the workplace which is really at root what this is about without objectifying them, without harassing them? How do we best do that? And if that requires people to be more conscious about their behavior and to think well, you know, maybe that's not a welcome pat on the back or comment, okay. That's not a huge price to pay, so this is this is where we are in this ongoing debate about how best to empower women, to be the best that they can be under whatever circumstances they find themselves. I think the backlash which you see in different places around the world is out of fear and it's out of a sense of losing control. In many countries, you know, women working outside the home is seen as incredibly threatening. Until recently women driving a car was seen as incredibly threatening. This is happening across the world, and there are lots of both serious and kind of amusing ways people are fighting back so for example, in Japan, an advanced economy, they would have an even higher GDP if they could get their educated women in the work force. That's very difficult because of the way their family structure works, and so women are often taking care of both the young generation and the older generation without much help because the business culture really consumes most of the day, six days a week, of the husbands and providers in those families. So the women who are in the workplace, they are kind of a pioneering set. And they have been a recent couple of controversies because women have said we don't want to have to wear high heels to work. You know, after a while, it really hurts your back to walk around in the high heels, and as I understand it the Labor Minister said no, employers can demand that you wear high heels. Or we want to wear glasses, you know. Some of us can't wear contacts and we can't do our work without wearing glasses. No, we don't want glasses in the workplace so trying to govern even advanced society how women appear says volumes about how women are viewed? So you can go from, you know, the worst circumstances for women where they are still, you know, basically marginalized and shut out to advanced economies where they are still viewed as something of an oddity. And that's what those of us who believe in the equality of men and women and openness of opportunities to men and women based on ability and work ethic and all the rest of it are going to have to continue speaking out. So that, you know, we don't lose progress and go backwards.
[Zakaria:] Thank you for speaking out here, Hillary Clinton, pleasure to have you on.
[Clinton:] Thank you.
[Zakaria:] If my interview leaves you wanting to hear more of Secretary Clinton, there's a new documentary series about her on "HULU". It's called simply "Hillary" and it uncovers her life up through the 2016 campaign. Next here on "GPS," the Trump Administration has spent three years upending American immigration. Now they have just made a major change in the rules that you might not have heard about. That consequential story when we come back.

[Sciutto:] There are new developments this morning in the case of an 18-year-old woman who allegedly killed her best friend after someone she met online offered her $9 million to do it. Just incredible.
[Harlow:] You cannot make this stuff up. The woman now faces both murder and child pornography charges. Our correspondent, Dan Simon, has more details.
[Dan Simon, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, hey, guys. We have seen these catfish schemes play out time and time again. The manipulation and the deception can run really deep. In this particular case, it took a fatal turn involving a teenager from Alaska.
[Simon:] This young woman is at the center of a disturbing catfish scheme, induced online, prosecutors say, to murder her supposed best friend.
[Denali Brehmer:] I know what I did was wrong. And I know I could have probably done something different.
[Simon:] Eighteen-year-old Denali Brehmer's arraignment in an Alaska courtroom turned into something of a confession. Authorities say it all began after Brehmer struck an online relationship with someone she thought was a wealthy man named Tyler from Kansas, who prosecutors say offered Brehmer at least $9 million to rape and murder someone in Alaska and to have photos and videos of the murder sent to him. What Brehmer didn't know is that Tyler was a fraud, a catfisher. His real identity, police say, 21-year-old Darin Schilmiller from Indiana. The victim of this twisted scheme, Cynthia Hoffman. The 19 old-year was bound with duct tape, then shot and killed.
[Tim Hoffman, Father:] All's I know is my daughter didn't deserve all this. She should have had the friends that she wants.
[Simon:] Hoffman's father says she had a learning disability that could have made her venerable. According to court documents, the killing was carried out by Brehmer and four of her friends, including two juveniles. All, including Schilmiller, have been charged with first degree murder. It's unclear if he has an attorney. On June 2nd, under the guise of going on a hike, Hoffman was taken to the bank of an Alaskan river. She was shot one time in the back of the head. Her body then thrown into the river.
[Hoffman:] I have one thing in my mind right now. And that's to send all six of them to hell. And I ain't going to rest until it's done. And then after it's all done, I'll show my emotions.
[Simon:] And court documents say that Schilmiller, the alleged mastermind of all this, directed Brehmer in Alaska to commit sexual assault against some minors, one of whom was eight or nine years old. Investigators say they've recovered video evidence showing those crimes. This is just such a jaw-dropping case, Jim and Poppy.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Simon:] And, of course, still a lot of unanswered questions.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Oh, it's disturbing beyond belief. Dan Simon, thanks very much. END

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @WOLFBLITZER. You can tweet the show @CNNSITROOM. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] OUTFRONT next, Trump goes to Dallas for discussion on race and policing, excluding the county's top three law enforcement officials all of whom are black. The County Sheriff who was snubbed is OUTFRONT. Plus, a black teen arrested and another one handcuffed for jaywalking. Their attorney is OUTFRONT. And the former Head of the CDC says the United States is failing to stop the spread of coronavirus and warning of a resurgence. He's my guest. Let's go OUTFRONT. And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OUTFRONT tonight, not invited. The President in Dallas tonight hosting a roundtable on "justice disparities". The topic, of course, at the very heart of protests which erupted across this nation after the death of George Floyd, protests that are tonight on their 17th straight today. And in what should have been an important event, the President made a glaring admission, not inviting the top three law enforcement officials in the region. That is right, not inviting, not including the top three law enforcement officials; the Police Chief, the Sheriff and the District Attorney. We are going to be speaking to Dallas County Sheriff, Marian Brown, in just one moment about that. It does come as Trump described the National Guard breaking up protests as a knife through butter.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They went in and it was like a knife cutting butter right through, boom, there was some tear gas and probably some other things. And the crowd dispersed and they went through by the end of that evening and it was a short evening. Everything was fine. But if you're going to have to really do a job, if somebody is really bad, you're going to have to do it with real strength, real power. I said we have to dominate the street.
[Burnett:] Of course, when you do send in tear gas and the military against peaceful protests who are not armed, it is much like a knife through butter. Power domination knife through butter, those are the images given by the president today. We begin our coverage tonight in New York City on day 17 of nationwide protests where Shimon Prokupecz is OUTFRONT. And Shimon, I know there was a blocking of one of the major arteries into New York City by protesters moments ago. What are you seeing?
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime & Justice Reporter:] Yes. Moments ago, Erin, we were at the Holland Tunnel, which takes commuters from lower Manhattan into New Jersey and several hundred protesters that you can see here all around, stood in front of the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, stopping traffic. Police shut down the tunnel and just stood by as many of the protesters chanted and were just allowed to express their frustration. Every night, this group comes out and they march. We went from the Washington Square Park south on the West Side Highway. They took the entire southbound lane of the West Side Highway and they marched down to the Holland Tunnel. We are now here at Foley Square, which they have filed into a place where many of the protesters have been gathering for the last two weeks. But what's so important in all of this, Erin, is just the energy. We've been out here every night and the energy just seems to grow and grow. It is hot, it rained today and still, all of these people have been coming out. They came out tonight. They came out last night. And the group behind me which has been organizing this, I spoke to him. One of the guys, he's only 21. His name is Carlos Polanco. He's from Brooklyn. And every night, he comes out here and he organizes this effort. And you can see hundreds of people night after night still coming out here, Erin.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Shimon. Pretty incredible when you think about it, 21 years old to be able to do that. Let's go to Kaitlan Collins. She's OUTFRONT at the White House. And Kaitlan, the President confirming tonight that he is finalizing an executive order on policing standards after that roundtable, of course, in Dallas where the top three law enforcement officials were not invited. Did he offer any real details on his plan?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] No. And so far the White House has been really hesitant to say what they'll support as you're seeing these Republicans on Capitol Hill rush to respond to these overwhelming demands for some kind of police reform. And so the President did confirm that he is working on an executive order. But Erin, he really only gave broad outlines about what that could potentially look like and the White House has been hesitant to say as well. He talked about meeting professional standards when it comes to de escalation tactics or uses of force, but that was really the most detail that the President got into during that roundtable in Dallas. You talked about what he said about confronting those protesters in places like Minneapolis. He also talked about confronting bigotry overall in the nation, something that you've seen demands for. But the President said he was also concerned about Americans wrongly being labeled as racist. That was something that he voiced as he was sitting there with those leaders. And you saw there were law enforcement officials from other towns nearby in Dallas. There were some small business owners, some faith leaders, but there were those three key prominent black officials in Dallas that were not invited by the White House to this event, something that the White House confirmed to us. And that's the Dallas Police Chief, of course, the District Attorney and the Sheriff, all not invited to this sit down that the President had in Dallas tonight.
[Burnett:] All right. Kaitlan, thank you very much. And as Kaitlan mentioned, those three top law enforcement officials, I want to go to the Dallas County Sheriff, Marian Brown. And Sheriff Brown, you're one of the three law enforcement officials, the top three in Dallas. You were not invited in the President's event today. Of course, you happen to be black, all three of you happen to be black. The Police Chief of nearby Glenn Heights, who is also black though was invited. So why do you think the President didn't invite you?
[Sheriff Marian Brown, Dallas County, Texas:] Well, I'm not sure and so I can't speculate as to why I was not invited. But what I will say is that when you initiate a conversation and you purport that conversation to be about racism and policing in America and you fail to include the top three law enforcement officials in an area where you are speaking, I think that that says a lot and that causes one to raise the brow.
[Burnett:] And to make the point, you're elected and you're a Democrat. But if the President had invited you, given that you are one of the top three law enforcement officials, would you have attended because of the nature of the conversation being about policing?
[Brown:] I might have considered that simply because it is about policing.
[Burnett:] So the President said at that event in Dallas that he's finalizing an executive order and he said it will "encouraged police departments nationwide to meet the most current professional standards for the use of force, including tactics for de-escalation". Do you have any idea as to what specifically he's talking about and do you think that there could be police reforms that come out of this president in this White House that could be good for Dallas?
[Brown:] No, I don't have any information related to what specific initiatives he's talking about. But again, I say that if you're not getting information from the people who know about policing, if you're not getting their input, and if you're not sharing the information with them, then those are the very people who are going to be affected and those are the very people who can implement initiatives. Those are the very people who need to be included in the conversation.
[Burnett:] All right. Well, I appreciate your time, Sheriff. Thank you so very much.
[Brown:] Thank you.
[Burnett:] And I want to go now to the Los Angeles Mayor, Democrat Eric Garcetti. And I appreciate your time, Mayor Garcetti. You just heard the conversation there with Sheriff of Dallas. The president is threatening your fellow mayor today, the Mayor of Seattle saying, "Take back your city now. If you don't do it, I will." You just heard him talking about breaking up protesters outside the White House as a knife through butter. But in Seattle protesters have taken over part of the city. So if what's happening in Seattle were happening in L.A., how would you respond to the President? Would you welcome his words and intervention?
[Mayor Eric Garcetti  Los Angeles:] No, it's political pyromania. This is not somebody who wants to lower the temperature or move progress forward. He wants to turn up the heat. The language that he uses is wrong. The healing energy is not there. And he has power to do things today. It is his justice department that has not moved forward a single consent decree for police departments, something Los Angeles went through that made us better and helped us reduce fatal police shootings here. Be more community oriented, get more reflective police officers. This is somebody who's more interested, I think, in scoring political points, in pointing out who he excludes and rather who he includes. And look, as long as he's our president, I always hold out hope at any moment that somebody can do the right thing and I would urge him to get out of his bunker, do the right thing and stop criticizing others when you have immense power to make change at this moment. You're either going to meet this moment or miss this moment. And so far he's been missing it.
[Burnett:] He got a lot of pushback for his call to dominate the streets and I just talked about he used the word dominate. He used the words knife through butter. Here is what he said tonight.
[Trump:] If you think about it, we're dominating the street with compassion, because we're saving lives and we're saving businesses. We're saving families from being wiped out after working hard for 20 and 30 years.
[Burnett:] So he talked about dominating with compassion. Do those two words is there any way that they go together in this context to dominate the streets with compassion, Mayor Garcetti?
[Garcetti:] I don't think any of us who exercise compassion try to dominate with compassion. It just shows the heart of what this administration has been about. It's about winning at all costs. It's been about dividing us. We Need to heal the soul of America right now. We need to step forward into a true multiracial democracy. And we need to look at compassion as something we understand when we listen to how African- Americans, not just with interactions with police departments, but grow up with less wealth, they're more likely to be sick, homeless, under educated, unemployed simply by where they are born and the color of their skin. If we are serious about moving this entire country forward for all of us and I'm very optimistic there's common ground for the first time in a long time. It's time to actually do that and the federal government, which has the biggest budget of all, instead of giving tax cuts to the most wealthy people in America should be putting that into education, putting that into health care, mental health, putting that into community safety in new and reimagined ways, that would be true leadership.
[Burnett:] So there have been calls across the country to defund the police, right? We just saw the signs in New York City. Black Lives Matter in Los Angeles is calling on you to cut the Los Angeles Police Department budget by 90 percent. And you say you don't support that, but you have talked about shifting money from the LAPD to black communities. Here's what President Trump said tonight, Mayor Garcetti, about defunding the police.
[Trump:] We'll take care of our police. We're not defunding police. If anything we're going to the other route. We're going to make sure that our police are well-trained, perfectly trained, they have the best equipment.
[Burnett:] So he's making it clear that training and equipment cost money, maybe more money, whereas you're going to be cutting their budget, what's your response?
[Garcetti:] It's just a false dichotomy that the President put forward. You can support public safety and reimagine it at the same time. You can make sure that the heroic moments where we need police officers to intervene to help people who have been the victims of violent crime or are caught in sex trafficking or a domestic violence situation are there. But should we be putting our police officers on the line to solve mental health problems, to deal with homelessness, to solve what need investments in education, health care and social workers rather than just always putting that on the backs of our police officers. So I think he's fundamentally missing this point and missing this moment that this is something that Americans are calling out for every color to say, yes, of course, we want safe communities. We're proud of progress that's been made in many departments. But still there's a fundamental different interaction that many Americans have with public safety and maybe there's a smarter way that's better for our police officers and for our public to look at the future.
[Burnett:] So before the protests began, though, just to be to be clear, Mayor Garcetti, you had proposed a 7 percent spending increase for the LAPD. So now with the protest...
[Garcetti:] Now, the rate of inflation took up our police budget, but we actually were going to be 100 officers down. We've grown by 50 percent. Programs like our youth intervention while the police department has been the same or gone down in terms of the number of people budgets have all grown. Other parts of our budget grew by even more than that, for instance, our homelessness budget by more than 2,000 percent. But this is a moment that we have to go even more. We have to accelerate even further. If people don't hear that on the streets, if they don't see that in America right now, they're missing this moment. So it's not an awakening, it's an acceleration and I think all leaders need to rise to the occasion certainly from the White House on down.
[Burnett:] Mr. Garcetti, thank you very much. I appreciate your time tonight.
[Garcetti:] As always, thank you, Erin.
[Burnett:] And next, officers handcuffing two black teens for jaywalking. One of them placed under arrest.
[Unidentified Male:] Why are you putting handcuffs on my [inaudible]... All he was doing was jaywalking. We just want to talking with him.
[Burnett:] The attorney for the teens is OUTFRONT. Plus, the former Head of the CDC with a sobering message for Americans tonight. The United States is failing in the fight against coronavirus, why and what could be the cost? He's OUTFRONT. And an update on the 75-year-old protester who was shoved to the ground by police. His lawyer says tonight he has a brain injury.

[Keilar:] Breaking news now. The Supreme Court has rejected President Trump's claim that he is completely immune from all criminal prosecution while in office. But today's monumental court rulings do keep the president's financial records private, at least for now, which is one of his big objectives. The justices were looking at two separate cases here. They voted in favor of a New York prosecutor's effort to subpoena Trump's tax returns and other financial materials as part of a wider investigation into whether the president or his business violated state laws. So that investigation can move forward. But records will be shielded from the public under grand jury secrecy rules. Then in a separate ruling, the court determined that Congress could not see the president's financial records right away and they sent this matter down to the lower courts to assess separation of powers concerns. The vote in both cases was 7-2. Chief Justice Roberts wrote both majority opinions. President Trump is blasting those decisions. CNN's Sara Murray is outside of the Supreme Court for us. And, Sara, the president has waged an intense legal battle to keep his financial records secret. Today's ruling seemed to kick that can down the road and at least today, he's going to see that remain secret.
[Sara Murray, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Yes, that's true. I think in the short-term, this is actually a victory for President Trump because it makes it exceedingly unlikely that we are going to see any of his financial records before the next presidential election. I mean, even in this
[Keilar:] Very good point. Sara Murray live for us outside the Supreme Court. All right, let's talk more about of this, these rulings and the president's reaction to it with Joshua Geltzer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, and Tony Schwartz, Trump's co-author on The Art of the Deal. He also recently wrote the Sociopath in Chief on Medium. Josh, what are your big takeaways here, because, look, the tax return information is going to remain secret as of today still?
[Joshua Geltzer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute Constitutional Advocacy And Protection:] That's true. But I think it's worth stepping back here. Today, the Supreme Court fundamentally rejected Trump's anti- democratic vision of a presidency. In all of the cases, the court said no to Trump's fundamental argument, which is that he is shielded so long as he sits in the Oval Office even from investigation, whether that's by state prosecutors or whether that's by Congress. And today was a resounding no to that notion. The court said, you are not wholly immune, fully shielded from this sort of scrutiny.
[Keilar:] Okay. Tony, I wonder what is going to happen in terms of how the president will receive this. You have spent a lot of time with him. What do you think?
[Tony Schwartz, Donald Trump's Co-author, The Art Of The Deal:] Well, I think Trump, at this point, is like first-time poker player who has put his entire cash into the pot with a terrible hand. He is not bluffing because he thinks he has a better hand. But he is so ignorant about what a hand should be that he doesn't realize that this ruling is just one more wall coming closing in around him. And, you know, it is the Supreme Court that he has made into a majority Republican Supreme Court, once again, ruling in a way that he would find distasteful, as he has in this Twitter torrent he put out since the ruling.
[Keilar:] You've seen, Tony, how he has operated as a businessman over the years. I mean, his enterprises are no strangers to court, right, to being in the court process and just gumming up the works and playing out the clock. Is that what you see happening here? And in that regard, is that something that is can be seen as a win from his perspective?
[Schwartz:] Well, it is definitely a win for him not to have to release his taxes because we already know from The New York Times what they're going to show, which is that he's cheated in multiple ways on his taxes. And, by the way, that piece I wrote, is called the Psychopath in Chief on Medium, not the Sociopath in Chief, and this is why the psychopath is why he does what he does. He has no conscience and so breaking the law for him is no big deal. It is a win not to have to reveal his taxes before the election assuming that's what happens but it is not a win to have the attorney general in New York or the Southern District look at his tax returns and be able to consider them as part of a criminal indictment which, of course, won't happen before the election. And assuming he loses, which is what I'm certainly hoping for, and I am sort of assuming at the moment, if he loses, he's criminally liable. And here is the thing that I think could happen there. I think it gives the I think it provides a mechanism for Trump to feel compelled if it reaches a certain point or at least interested in resigning because he is liable for crimes that happened during this period of time once he leaves office. And he'd love to have a way out of that. And one potential way is to get pardoned in some way as a deal to get rid of him, as Gerald Ford did for Nixon and that, to me, could happen.
[Keilar:] Okay. I have not seen the reporting on that, I will say, but certainly we are all entitled to our theories, I guess. Tony, I will say.
[Schwartz:] What
[Keilar:] I don't know. I mean, look, it's a possibility. But I guess anything is possible, right? Josh, this is the expectation. Tony just said it. Nothing is going to be seen in the way of tax returns before the election. Is that your expectation?
[Geltzer:] I think it's possible but I don't think we should accept that it has to be that way. Cy Vance, the prosecutor from New York, had the best day he could possibly have had at the Supreme Court today. He got everything he asked for on the issue that went up to the Supreme Court, a wholesale rejection of Trump's immunity defense. So now, yes, it does go back to a lower court. And in that lower court, Trump's lawyers can raise narrower objections and complaints. Indeed, the chief justice in his majority opinion helpfully spells out what those are. But I take that to be a guide that lower courts should resolve those quickly. I think that should be our expectation as the American people. The lower courts move quickly here. The big issue, the big question has been answered by the nation's highest court. The smaller stuff should be resolved but it should be resolved quickly. And I don't think we should accept that courts need to move so slowly that the American people and even just the state prosecutors don't get the answers that they long have been waiting for.
[Keilar:] Tony, how do you think he views two of the the two justices that he nominated to the Supreme Court that voting against him?
[Schwartz:] Anybody who says anything that is contradictory to Trump is an enemy. He sees the world entirely in terms of black and white. He demands loyalty but doesn't give loyalty. And the moment you break out of the pack, you're gone. But, look, this is why I don't know how you'll feel about me saying this, but he is at a point where all around him, previous allies are beginning to fall. Look how many Republican senators are not going to the Republican convention. That's a pretty big statement. Essentially, Trump is a person who has been friendless all his life and will allow or prompt these relationships to die because of his anger at their failure to follow his every order.
[Keilar:] Yes. You know, it is interesting to see that a lot of Republicans are not going to the convention. So we will see how all of this plays out from the president's perspective. Tony, thank you. Josh, thank you for your perspective as well. And we have some more breaking news from Dr. Anthony Fauci, show says the transmission of this virus is, quote, really striking. I'm going to speak live with someone who has been feeling symptoms now for months. Plus, hospital workers in Texas join me on how overwhelmed they are as the number of patients keeps climbing.

[Allen:] Aid workers in Yemen fear the country could be in for an enormous outbreak of cases of cholera. Armed conflict is making it much worse as infected people flee and spread the disease. CNN's Sam Kiley travel to the cholera tents in remote towns where doctors face an uphill battle.
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Spring rains, something to celebrate in war torn Yemen, but this joyful abandon has a mortal risk, cholera. Aid agencies fear they're on the brink of an epidemic. Hajjah is an ancient city many miles from Yemen's frontlines where Houthi rebels are battling a Saudi led coalition. Refugees fleeing war brought cholera with them. It's spreading, and fast.
[Unidentified Female:] Everybody. Everyone had the area, vomiting, nausea, everybody.
[Kiley:] Is it spreading?
[Unidentified Female:] Yes.
[Kiley:] The numbers of new patients climb every day. A month ago, there were only 11 patience here. Sixty came in yesterday. How old she?
[Unidentified Female:] Two years.
[Kiley:] What's her name?
[Unidentified Female:] Aliah.
[Kiley:] When did you first see that she was getting sick?
[Unidentified Female:] Around four days ago. It started with diarrhea, then it got worse.
[Kiley:] One of the catastrophic side effects of this war has been is that people from outside the cities have been forced into beautiful, ancient towns like this, Hajjah, but as a consequence of that the systems are overloaded. The clean water systems. And these women have been telling me that they have been drinking from the river in the town. The same river that sewage flows into. That will guarantee a cholera epidemic. A year ago, a million Yemenis were infected with cholera. Over 2,000 died. This, year the United Nations says that there have been 300,000 suspected cases. A quarter are kids under five. For now, the Yemenis are coping, but they don't have long.
[Lise Grande, U.n. Resident Coordinator:] We are very worried that if we are not able to stop it now, we could see an uncontrolled epidemic spread like wildfire across this whole country. As we face this cholera outbreak right now, we do not have sufficient cholera kits in the country. We do not have sufficient IV fluids to address the crisis.
[Kiley:] So, Doctor, what's happening with this patient?
[Dr. Ilham Wasel, Hajjah Cholera Emergency Center:] We have low blood pressure, and we should use IV fluids and give him a breathing, we should control it.
[Kiley:] So, cholera kills very quickly, doesn't it?
[Wasel:] Yes.
[Kiley:] This cholera patients survived, but without outside help, many thousands of other lives are at risk. Sam Kiley, CNN, Hajjah, Yemen.
[Allen:] I want to take you now to Southern Africa where Botswana's lifted its ban on hunting, and that includes elephants. The hunting ban was imposed in 2014 in an attempt to deter poaching, but the government now says elephant raid crops, kill livestock and destroy water supplies, sometimes injuring people. Our David Mackenzie is following the story from Johannesburg, and you have done many conservation stories in that part of Africa, David. So it's hard to make sense of a move in an era when we hear about the concern over mass animal extinction and the poaching. And Botswana is a popular tourist spot. People who want to see an experience animals. So talk more about why we are making this change.
[David Mckenzie, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Natalie, it's a very controversial and certainly a very emotional issue. But I want to just give you a sense of why they say they want to do this. Now, the Botswana government are saying they have an elephant problem, more than 100,000 elephants there. They say there is conflict between the people and elephants, because of people encroaching on wildlife areas and elephants moving into destroy crops. This is not just a ban on hunting, it's also on elephants, but of all, big game. Again, very controversial. And many people around the world will be horrified to think that what has been a real sanctuary for elephants over the years, now they are saying they want to start hunting up again, which was banned in 2014. Now, they say this is not to, of course, exploit elephants, but to use the money they get from hunting and those fees, like other Southern African countries, to then push back into conservation, but many conservationists are skeptical about this move and say that poaching could slip into when hunting has started again, but it looks like they're going to do it and you know, there will always certainly an outcry today from conservation quarters.
[Allen:] Right, which we will be talking with them as this news spreads and settles in about this. Because there are so many groups just dedicated to elephants. As far as the recent they give, do we know if these are truly legitimate concerns?
[Mckenzie:] Well, certainly, there is a school of thought amongst conservationists and wildlife management that hunting, if done in a way that is responsible, can get money back into the communities. Now, that is a totally separate discussion, of course, from an emotional or unethical one, many people feel that you should just never hunt animals like elephant which have a very sophisticated emotional intelligence, but it is the case in certain wildlife areas that are fence off, a growing elephant population can have an impact on the ecology. This is not a cut and dried discussion. And some conservationists say you need to take emotion out of it, but, you know, it's really hard to do that when you see the devastating impact that hunting would have on elephant families, in particular, elephant bulls and matriarchs of those families. Now, there's another discussion going on which is possibly even more pressing, and that is the sale of ivory which the Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe are trying to, again, legalized. Now, just a few weeks ago you had the Botswana government with a conference there. They were, as you can see here, giving out elephant's stools. So, taxidermy elephant feces to the leaders of regional countries as a gift to say, well, we want to allow the sale of ivory that has been stockpiled worth of force millions of dollars to plow that money back into the communities. This is even more controversial, because you have seen a severe uptick in poaching in Botswana, according to conservationists, in just recent months and they say, if you allow the sale of ivory, something heavily opposed by countries like Kenya and other east African nations, then you will just get poaching outright increasing when the numbers of elephant have just plummeted across the African continent. Natalie?
[Allen:] It seems like it has got to be another solution, doesn't it? And there are so many conservation groups that have worked so hard to stop the ivory trade. And now, this. As you say, a complicated issue, and we know, you will keep reporting on it. David McKenzie. Thank you, David. Coming up here, an ancient tradition with a modern twist. A Belgian monastery back in the beer business.

[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] OutFront's next breaking news. President Trump pressing to reopen the government in just weeks as the U.S. suffers its deadliest day since the outbreak began. Plus, New Hampshire now allowing voters to mail-in their November ballots because of the outbreak, it's an option Trump has railed against, calling it corrupt and fraudulent. New Hampshire's Republican governor responds. And the Trump campaign trying to paint Joe Biden as weak when it comes to China in the pandemic and they're doing it by implying a former United States governor as a Chinese official. Andrew Yang responds. Let's go OutFront. And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OutFront tonight, the breaking news. The U.S. reporting the most deaths in a single day because of coronavirus, 1,935. It is a grim milestone coming on the same day President Trump says he wants to relax restrictions as soon as possible. But a new federal projection reportedly warns of a possible infection spike if it's done too soon. And today the president's top coronavirus expert warning that now is not the time to let up on social distancing.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] It's important to remember that this is not the time to feel that since we have made such important advance in the sense of success of the mitigation that we need to be pulling back at all.
[Burnett:] Yet, tonight, the aides are working on plans to re-open the government, perhaps as soon as May 1st. It is a choice, the president says, for him is like no other.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I don't know that I've had a bigger decision, but I'm going to surround myself with the greatest minds. I want to get it open as soon as we can. We have to get our country opened. I only hope to God that it's the right decision. But I would say without question it's the biggest decision I've ever had to make.
[Burnett:] We have a lot to get to tonight. I want to start with Kaitlan Collins. She is out front, live in Washington at the White House. Kaitlan, the president adamant that he wants to re-open the country as soon as possible, but it seems clear that he understands that if if he makes a mistake, this will be on him.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, Erin. I think he's right when he says this could be one of the biggest decisions of his presidency because depending on which way it goes, it's going to have reverberations for not only, you know, what could happen in November, but also for the president's legacy. And so, you saw him so hesitant to put a date on really what he's thinking today. That comes after he had to already back off the Easter deadline, which, of course, is going to happen this weekend and that is not going to look like what the president initially wanted it to. And so, the question really is, what does the president decide ultimately? Because we know internally his team is already looking at opening country next month. Some of them are even focusing on that May 1 deadline, specifically looking at what that would look like. But listen to what Dr. Fauci said when asked today what the country would look like once those guidelines that they put out have been relaxed.
[Fauci:] So, don't let anyone get any false ideas that when we decide at a proper time when we're going to be relaxing some of the restrictions, there's no doubt you're going to see cases I would be so surprised if we did not see cases. The question is how you respond to them.
[Burnett:] I mean
[Collins:] So, you see, as we have seen for yes, still a very different remark coming from the health experts than from the president.
[Burnett:] So, you know, Kaitlan, it's pretty incredible when he says that, that there will be cases. Of course, there will. I guess it's a question of how many. And the president you're talking about Dr. Fauci, Kaitlan, but also is going to be bringing in a group of business leaders, I understand to make his decision. What more can you tell us about that?
[Collins:] Yes, this is going to be the second task force and it's only focused on re-opening the economy. And we're told it's not going to be as formal as the first one you've seen where they meet every day for an hour and a half to two hours typically, they come out and brief reporters. But it's going to be a mix of officials like the treasury secretary, the president's top economic advisers but also some private sector economic experts as well. Because those are going to be the people focused on what that's going to look like. Because while the president said today he has the authority over whether or not states and the country largely re-opens, we know it's going to be up to governors, but they are also going to be seeking guidance from the federal government on when they think the best practices could be just like they were on these social distancing guidelines.
[Burnett:] We've also heard a lot, Kaitlan, about the racial disparities. And they are pretty stunning in terms of the coronavirus impacts. Hitting communities of colors, specifically African Americans, the hardest. And the president said, you know, a couple of days ago they were going to be coming out with a lot more information and statistics in the next day or two. What are they saying now?
[Collins:] Yes, one of those is that one in three of the people who end up having to go to the hospital that get diagnosed with the coronavirus are African American. And so, the surgeon general addressed that directly today in personal terms where at one point he was talking about his own health issues. Where he's carried an asthma with him, he says, his entire life. But listen to what his message was for people who are out there and think that maybe they are not vulnerable to getting coronavirus.
[Dr. Jerome Adams, U.s. Surgeon General:] The chronic burden of medical ill is likely to make people of color especially less resilient to the ravages of COVID-19, and if possibly, in fact likely, that the burden of social ills is also contributing. We need you to do this, if not for yourself, then for your abuela, do it for your granddaddy. Do it for your big mama, do it for your popup.
[Collins:] So, Erin, the surgeon general was saying make sure you are checking in on family members and people to make sure that they're OK during this time period. And he said he wanted to make clear he did not think this was any kind of genetic or biological reason why you're seeing minorities end up with different cases, different numbers than what we are seeing from other races and stuff. He was saying that it's really a social thing and that's why he wanted to issue that message, saying, you know, here is what's going on, here's what we're seeing. We're still getting more information, but we want to make sure everyone is taking the proper precautions as we move forward.
[Burnett:] All right. Kaitlan, thank you very much. And the number of cases in the United States has now crossed the half a million mark. That happened just tonight, just a short time ago. So now more than half a million Americans. And while the president may be eager to re-open the nation, both Los Angeles County and the State of Vermont have now extended their formal stay-at-home orders by at least another month. And that takes them well into the middle of May. And across the country tonight, there are signs of, well, different places are in different places when it comes to that so-called curve. Nick Watt is out front.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] There are triumphs, cheers for the recovered. Numbers in New York's ICUs are actually down for the first time. Some encouraging signs.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] We're starting to level on the log rhythmic phase like Italy did about a week ago because of the impact of what the citizens of New York and New Jersey and across Connecticut and now Rhode Island are doing to really change the course of this pandemic.
[Watt:] But still so much pain. Tara Gabriele's mom now gone, but more than just a statistic.
[Tara Gabriele, Lost Mother To Coronavirus:] My mother was a real person. She was loving and selfless and kind.
[Watt:] In New York now, the bodies of unclaimed COVID-19 victims being taken to Heart Island for burial. The official death count of more than 5,000 in the city could be undercounted with people dying untested at home. According to the New York Times. That state now has more confirmed reported cases than any country on earth, according to data from John Hopkins University. In L.A. now, you have to wear a mask in a store.
[Mayor Eric Garcetti:] If you're not covering your face by Friday morning, an essential business can refuse you service.
[Watt:] But in Florida they're thinking about re-opening schools.
[Gov. Ron Desantis:] If we get to the point where people think that we're on the other side of this and we could get kids back in, even if it's for a couple of weeks, we think that there would be value in that. This particular pandemic is one where I don't think nationwide there's been a single fatality under 25.
[Fauci:] Yes, people under 25 have died of coronavirus disease in the United States of America.
[Watt:] Florida's governor has now walked that last part back.
[Desantis:] Not in Florida. And so, in Florida we've had no fatalities under 25.
[Watt:] And starting tomorrow in Michigan, if you own more than one home in the state, you got to pick one and stay there. In Illinois they're warning all big events could be cancelled until there's a vaccine, months, perhaps even a year or more away. They're also discouraging church services.
[Mayor Lori Lighfoot:] Today is Good Friday. Easter Sunday, we have to stay inside.
[Watt:] But in Kansas, the governor is still in a legal battle, hoping to limit church services to 10 people.
[Gov. Laura Kelly:] The need to congregate is important. But not during a pandemic.
[Watt:] And testing remains an issue even weeks into this pandemic. In one study of 51 coronavirus patients, the current test missed 16 of them. An antibody test is said to be days away to identify those recovered and therefore potentially immune and able to return to work, but can the country start to re-open May 1 as the president hopes? And what might be the toll?
[Fauci:] Don't let anyone get any false ideas that when we decide at a proper time when we're going to be relaxing some of the restrictions, there's no doubt you're going to see cases.
[Watt:] So, yes, here in L.A. County, we were told this afternoon, Erin, that we are going to have to stay home for at least another five weeks, possibly longer, and they say they're extending it because it is working. Now, a sliver of good news. Those stimulus package checks will start being sent out to people next week, according to the IRS. Front of the line, if you have filed your '18 and '19 taxes and gave the IRS your direct debit details. Also, social security recipients, I'm sorry, to the front of the line. Everyone else, I'm afraid to say, it could be weeks or even months before you get that money. Erin?
[Burnett:] All right. Nick Watt, thank you very much. Of course, they extend the filing deadline to July for last year. But then if you already filed and paid, they put you more towards the front of the line. Well, the president says the facts are going to determine when the time is right to reopen the country. He also says there isn't a big problem with testing nationwide. But of course, do show there is a long way to go. It is often incredibly difficult still to obtain a test across this country. Out front now, Dr. William Schaffner, a leading infectious disease specialist and a CDC adviser. And doctor, it's good to have you back. So, you know, you have the latest numbers coming out from the White House saying thousands of fewer deaths than before. Obviously, that is good news. But this is at the same time as we're finding out that they say, well, if things re-open too quickly, you could see a major spike in terms of new cases. So how does this all play out for you? What are you more concerned about, opening too quickly or not?
[William Schaffner, Infectious Disease Specialist:] Well, it's good news but not perfect news, right? We are just at the start of good news, so we have to keep doing what we're doing. We just saw some some models here in Nashville. We thought we were going to be peaking in the next couple of weeks or in May, but the models show that we might peak in June. So that took a lot of us aback. So, we have to keep doing, not just in Nashville, but around the country what we're doing for a prolonged period of time yet, I think.
[Burnett:] So SCHAFFNER Because we don't want to open things up and then have the virus come back on us. So, can I just ask you because I know all models depend on inputs. And obviously you've got a lot of inputs going into your model. But what you're saying is it's possible it could go the other direction. You're looking at a model that possibly says, you know, that you could be seeing around Nashville, that the peak being pushed later all the way into June. What changed in terms of the input that made it go from May to June?
[Schaffner:] Well, there are all kind of inputs, as you say, Erin. And one of the questions is how much asymptomatic transmission is going on out there? If there's a whole lot of it, then I think we end a little bit sooner because there are more people who are protected, but if there's not as much as some of my colleagues believe, then we can still see cases going on for quite a bit longer.
[Burnett:] So, when you look at the issue here, you're also talking about it going into June where there is going to be warm weather. There is no conclusive information, of course, on whether the virus will spread more easily when the weather gets warmer, despite the president, of course, saying it won't. You might remember him saying this, Dr. Schaffner.
[Trump:] The coronavirus, they're working hard. It looks like by April, you know, in theory when it gets a little warmer it miraculously goes away.
[Burnett:] And, you know, the former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb also said ordinarily with a coronavirus you would see seasonality and drop in the summer, but he was countering that with this is already so wildly out there and it is so transmissible that the dip that you may, you know, see just in terms of the cycle of the virus may not be what people are counting on. It could be out there much more widely.
[Schaffner:] Yes, that's absolutely right. And the normal human coronavirus are somewhat seasonal, but not as seasonal as influenza. They keep smoldering along during the summer. And of course, this is a new virus. And as I like to say I don't know that this virus has read the textbook and knows what to do. So, we can hope for the sunny side of the street, but we have to be aware of the shady side, too. We can't let our guard down.
[Burnett:] So, what do you think in terms of when to re-open? I know you can't give a hard date, but, I mean, do you think that this country is re-opened in a way that we would all recognize as normal life with festivals and Major League Baseball games this summer? Or is that not part of any equation?
[Schaffner:] Rather than re-open, which sounds like very open, I think about peeking through a little sliver of the door. One one step at a time. And then opening it up a little bit more. And then a little bit more. And the mass gatherings, those are the things we'll do last, the concerts, the larger athletic events and, frankly, the weekend religious services.
[Burnett:] You would say those would be among the last?
[Schaffner:] I would because those are mass gatherings which bring people very close together intimately and the virus loves that.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Dr. Schaffner. I appreciate your time again. And OutFront next, the politics in the age of a pandemic. You're going to meet the Republican governor who just broke with the president on a key way to keep voters safe in November. Plus, Andrew Yang joins me on the growing unemployment crisis and how to pull this country out of an economic pandemic. Plus, is antibody testing our best hope for escaping isolation? We have a special report from Sanjay Gupta.

[Anderson:] Another day in the United States and it's another 24 hours of rising Coronavirus numbers since the upward trend continues. There is a bleak new projection from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. This is a frequently cited model and it is predicting that more than 224,000 people will die in the U.S. by November the 1st of Coronavirus. In the coming hours, the White House Coronavirus Task Force will be meeting to discuss the situation. This time America's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is expected to attend. Well, for the latest in a stream of blistering tell-all books now about the U.S. President Donald Trump, his niece, Mary Trump, who is a clinical psychologist, is speaking for the first time since the release of her "Too Much and Never Enough" book. It's the first written by a member of the President's family and describes him as a sociopath and a textbook narcissist who embraces cheating as a way of life. In an interview with ABC News, Mary Trump said her Uncle he is incapable of leading the country. Have a listen to what she said.
[Mary Trump, Author: "too Much And Never Enough":] He is utterly incapable of leading this country, and it's dangerous to allow him to do so.
[Unidentified Male:] Based on what you see now or what you saw then?
[M. Trump:] Based on what I've seen my entire adult life.
[Anderson:] Let's bring in CNN Political Correspondent Sara Murray. Sara, Mary Trump describing Trump in two ways both seemingly invincible and also somewhat vulnerable. Do tell us about that apparent display of arrogance, as it were.
[Sara Murray, Cnn Political Correspondent:] That's right, you know her book is really about how the patriarch of this family, Fred Trump, created such a toxic environment, and she kind of uses that to explain, relying a little bit on this clinical psychology background, why Donald Trump is the way he is today? She says he has to constantly project this strength, and he lies constantly about his accomplishments and everything, and it is all sort of this broader effort to impress his long dead father. So it's sort of this devastating psychological profile of the President, but she also talks about, you know, a couple interactions she's had with Donald Trump since he became President. She refers to a visit she made, even at one point to the Oval Office just a couple months after Donald Trump won the presidency. Here's how she described it in that interview with ABC News.
[M. Trump:] And I just remember thinking, he seems tired. He seems like this is not what he signed up for, if he even knows what he signed up for, and I thought his responses, actually more enlightening than my statement when he said, they won't get me. And so far, it looks like he's right.
[Unidentified Male:] If you were in the Oval Office today, what would you say to him?
[M. Trump:] Resign.
[Murray:] I don't expect President Trump is going to be resigning any time soon, he's obviously in an active reelection bid, but you can see why the President didn't want this book to see the light of day and why the President's brother actually took Mary Trump to court to try to block the book from being released and block her from being able to talk about it even though he was unsuccessful in his lawsuit.
[Anderson:] Mary Trump suggesting that Donald Trump paid someone to take his SATs, a college entrance exam for him. What else did she say about that?
[Murray:] This is one of the bizarre anecdotes in the book that has really gotten under the President's skin. You know the White House says it's totally absurd, but in her book and that again in this interview, Mary Trump doubles down on this story that she was told by other members of the family, that Donald Trump was going to Fordham University. He wanted to get into the University of Pennsylvania, a more prestigious school and so he actually paid another kid he knew to take the SATs forum because he knew he wouldn't have the grades to get in. Again, the White House denies that this ever happened. In this interview with ABC News, Mary Trump says she's confident in this. She said she won't reveal who told her this story, but she says it's people who were alive and who were aware of this at the time who have recounted it to her, and that's why she included it in her book.
[Anderson:] Fascinating stuff. Thank you, Sara. A U.S. Federal judge has denied bail for Ghislaine Maxwell. She is the former confidant and alleged co-conspirator of accused sex trafficker and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Now while Maxwell pleaded not guilty, the court ruled that she will remain in jail until her trial next year, stating that risk of her fleeing is quite simply too great. CNN spoke to an Jennifer Araoz an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein, who responded to the bail denial saying, I am once again able to take another breath as Ghislaine Maxwell will be in jail until at least her trial date next year knowing that she is incarcerated for the foreseeable future allows me and my fellow survivors have faith that we're on the right path. I would like to thank both the prosecutors and the judge for taking his one step closer to seeing that justice is served. Well, her attorney Lisa Bloom also responded in a tweet saying this is the first step towards restoring my clients' faith in the system. Denying bail ensures that Mrs. Maxwell cannot continue to hide and flee as the consequences of her actions close in on her. Watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Still ahead, Coronavirus raging pretty much of the states. Why is the U.S. President, then, continuing to downplay the crisis? I'll talk to Steven Collinson about that. Plus, we're going to hear from the NATO Secretary General about how the International Military Alliance is coping with the worldwide pandemic. That after this.

[Sciutto:] Starting today, the the European Union is opening its international borders to travelers from a long list of countries. The U.S., however, excluded from the list. Coronavirus infection rates here in the U.S. simply don't meet the criteria set by the E.U. to be considered a safe country, just remarkable. CNN's senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen joins us now from Brussels. They said numbers here U.S. cases are rising, and they said, really, not safe for U.S. travelers to come?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes, they certainly did. And it really is you're absolutely right, Jim very remarkable to see some of the countries that are on that list, and that have been deemed to be safe for its citizens to come here. Like for instance: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Rwanda, where essentially the European Union is saying they believe these countries are doing a much more efficient job of combating the coronavirus crisis than the Trump administration has been so far. One of the things that we have to keep in mind, also, Jim, is that Europe really wants American travelers back. I was just looking at some of the numbers, and they're absolutely staggering. For instance, in France alone, American travelers spent $4 billion, around $4 billion in 2018. And of course, American travelers go all over this continent. You look at Prague, for instance; Rome, Italy; Florence, Italy all the places Americans go to, they all want that money from American tourists back. But they simply believe that, right now, it would be a public health hazard to allow Americans back in here because of the way the coronavirus crisis is going in the U.S. and the surges that have been going on in the U.S. And there's one graph, Jim, that really is staggering, because the European Union is saying it needs new coronavirus infections to come down. But when we look at the graph of where the infections are going in the U.S. and where they're going in the E.U., we can see that they're going in very opposite directions, with the E.U. curve almost flatlining but the U.S. curve pretty much skyrocketing. So at this point in time, Europeans are saying they simply cannot let Americans back in. Now, they're going to revisit that decision every two weeks. But of course, right now, with the way things are going in the U.S., really unclear when the U.S. is going to meet those criteria and American travelers are going to be allowed to come back here to the European Union Jim.
[Sciutto:] Yes, deeming the U.S. a health hazard, that's just remarkable. Frederik Pleitgen, thanks very much. Well, remarkable primary result in Colorado, a five-term GOP lawmaker backed by the president was ousted by a far-right political newcomer. What it means for November, coming up.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Testimony from a fourth state department witness in the House impeachment inquiry in week just wrapped up. He said this in his opening statement about Rudy Giuliani, "Mr. Giuliani emphasized that the President wanted a public statement from President Zelensky committing Ukraine to look into anticorruption issues. Mr. Giuliani specifically mentioned the 2016 election, including the DNC server and Burisma, meaning the Bidens, as two anticorruption investigatory topics of importance for the President." Ambassador Sondland is also a key witness because of comment he made in text messages. In them, he discussed military aid to Ukraine with America's top diplomat there, Bill Taylor, who said it was, "crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign." Sondland, as you may remember, took nearly five hours to reply to that text, and we've since learned he called the President before he sent a response. Today he said, "I called President Trump directly. I asked the President, "What do you want from Ukraine?'The President responded, 'Nothing. There is no quid pro quo.'The President repeated, 'no quid pro quo" multiple times. This was a very short call. And I recall the President was in a bad mood." Just before air time, I spoke to Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro who sits on the intelligence committee and was in the hearing.
[Cooper:] Congressman Castro, I know you can only say so much, but what can you tell us about Ambassador Sondland's testimony today? What were the takeaways for you?
[Rep. Joaquin Castro:] Well, it seems like every day the case for impeachment of Donald Trump gets stronger and stronger, and that was certainly the case today listening to Ambassador Sondland. You're right, Anderson, there's only so much that I can say. But even in his opening statement, and it was true during his testimony as well, it's clear that he affirms that Rudy Giuliani had a direct role in acting for the President and dealing with the Ukrainians. And from what we know of the whistleblower complaint, the transcript of the phone call between the President and the Ukrainian I mean, our President and the Ukrainian president carrying out the orders of President Trump. When you combine that with what Mick Mulvaney said today, he basically went up to the water's edge and said, yes, politics played a role in how we were dealing with Ukraine. The case for impeachment got a lot stronger today.
[Cooper:] The ambassador in his opening statement also seemed to indicate that he didn't know about the Biden component of this, about the Giuliani searching for dirt and the President wanting dirt on Democrats until some time later, much later. Some of your colleagues have cast doubt on parts of his testimony saying that it was, "a lot of CYA," which, you know, cover your you know what, and that he appeared to have selective amnesia. Did you find his testimony credible?
[Castro:] Yes. There were a lot of instances where he said I don't recall or I don't remember. And oftentimes it's true that it related to questions about his direct role in all of these events that is true. My impression overall is that this was a witness who went in there today to save himself. And he was willing, I think, to be more frank in his discussion about what others around him were doing, more so than to be frank and candid about what he did.
[Cooper:] And just in terms of any possible quid pro quo, did the ambassador's testimony do anything to help clarify why exactly foreign aid was withheld from Ukraine?
[Castro:] I mean, I think it added to everybody's understanding not everybody, I can't say everybody in the room, but many of us in the room I think came away believing that there was a quid pro quo, that it was political favor for aid and assistance to the Ukraine. And certainly Ambassador Sondland didn't do anything to dispel that notion.
[Cooper:] And how long was he in there for?
[Castro:] Several hours. This was you know, all of these interviews and depositions, some of them have gone with the late afternoon, many of them into the evening, and this was no different tonight.
[Cooper:] What questions still need to be answered for you? I mean, do you think the upcoming witnesses are going to be able to or willing to answer them?
[Castro:] Yes, I think so. And now some of them, as you know, like Rudy Giuliani and others, the vice president, for example, have said that they're not going to cooperate with the Congress. So we're going to have to deal with that separately. But other witnesses I believe will still come forward. And as you know, these are all pieces of the puzzle, and each witness I think has been very helpful for Congress in helping us get a fuller picture of what exactly happened and why the President was trading political favors for foreign assistance.
[Cooper:] And just finally, do you know if there is a word for word transcript of the call between President Trump and the president of Ukraine? Because the President said it's word for word, comma for comma. It's clearly not. It's- there's areas that seem to just have one word that need other words. Do you know if such a thing exists and could you get it?
[Castro:] Yes, I'm still not clear about that. There may be somebody who is clear about that, but I'm still not clear about it. I'm on the Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, so I'm on two of the three committees that are handling the impeachment inquiry right now. But you're right, we do need to figure that out.
[Cooper:] And, sorry, just finally, is there something you know today that you didn't know yesterday?
[Castro:] Yes. I mean, there's many different components. And I wish that I could speak more freely about it. But I will say this, in his testimony, Ambassador Sondland also implicated a few more folks who may not have been completely off the radar, but he certainly moved them more to the center of this investigation today.
[Cooper:] Wow. That's interesting. Congressman Castro, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
[Castro:] Thank you.
[Cooper:] Still to come, President Trump calls his administration's negotiations to stop Turkey's invasion into Syria a success. I'll talk to the former Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who says it is anything but.

[Lt. Gen. H.r. Mcmaster , U.s. Army:] Jim, thanks. Great to be with you.
[Sciutto:] All right, so let's start if I can on the news. So U.S. intelligence again indicates Russia is interfering in the U.S. presidential election as well as the broader political conversation here under Putin's direction to help Donald Trump and hurt his Democratic opponent as we saw in 2016. Given your experience particularly with Russia, why does the Kremlin prefer, it seems, President Trump?
[Mcmaster:] Well Jim, you know, despite this report, I don't know if they really prefer anybody. What they want to do is they want to sow doubt about whoever wins, right, and make sure that Americans lose confidence in our democratic process and in our institutions and in elections broadly but really who we are as a people. So anything they can do to divide us, and you know, I mean, Putin and the Kremlin they're always they're always like a step ahead, right? I mean, they're always thinking about what can we do next to make it even worse for Americans in terms of how we view ourselves and one another, and I think that's what I think that's what they're up to, you know? It's what they what they I don't think they really care who wins along as we doubt the result and then and that they're able to polarize us further and pit us against each other.
[Sciutto:] I get that, and I get that Putin, the Kremlin win regardless, right, because any disarray in this country serves their interest, but the fact is they focus their negative disinformation, right, on Hillary Clinton 2016 and now on Joe Biden. Why then that focus if it doesn't matter to them who wins?
[Mcmaster:] Well it well, you know, it's well it's a win-win for them, right, because what happens is if they're seen as actively undercutting one candidate, the other candidate wins. The other candidate's discredited. It's like you know, it's how can they lose in that scenario, right? So Putin's really sophisticated about this. Jim, like in the 2016 election, what I found as we were looking into this is that the Internet Research Agency, like this front organization
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] For the you know, the Kremlin spies running the sustained campaign against us, well, their activity went like way up right after the election. And they had a campaign like ready to go of you know, hey, Trump should have won, but you know, the election was rigged. But when Trump actually did win, they had to shift it, oh, well, he would have won the popular vote.
[Sciutto:] Right
[Mcmaster:] And so, they're always just trying to sow these doubts about our processes. Hey, what we ought to be proud about though I think and positive about, there have been a lot of adaptations since 2016. I mean, their organizations stood up to protect you know, the election infrastructure, but then also to counter the disinformation and propaganda. This report that you saw, the
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] You know, that came you know, leaked or whatever out of the intelligence agency, it's just an indicator. The government is working on this hard. And I think Jim, what we need to do is we all need to work on it hard ourselves, right? I mean, because what Russia does is like they take advantage of any division we have, right? And as we we're at each other's throats, you know, from a partisan perspective. You know, Russia is just I mean, they're celebrating. You know, this is
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Great, a great situation for them.
[Sciutto:] I get that. I do. And you see it. Listen, Russia as you know better than me dives into every divisive issue, whether it be take a knee in the NFL, right? Or to election disputes. But what has been missing as you know is a unified American bipartisan response.
[Mcmaster:] Right.
[Sciutto:] You know, you look at a whole issue of provocations recently, you know, bounties on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, arm sales to the Taliban, you know, the poisoning
[Mcmaster:] Yes
[Sciutto:] Of Navalny, which in any other time, you would imagine everybody including the president would be standing up and saying, Putin, stop it, right? But the president doesn't do that. And I just want to play what he said I'm sure you heard this, but I just want to play what he said yesterday to a
[Mcmaster:] Yes
[Sciutto:] Rally and ask you a quick question about it. Have a listen.
[Mcmaster:] OK.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I get along. I like Putin, he likes me. You know, we get along.
[Sciutto:] But the fact is, Russia doesn't have our interests at mind at heart. Do you have any explanation for
[Mcmaster:] Yes
[Sciutto:] Why the president
[Mcmaster:] Right
[Sciutto:] Won't just utter the simple words, don't mess with us, Russia. I'm on to you.
[Mcmaster:] Yes, right. You know, Jim, I don't understand it. You know, I wish I wish President Trump would just realize, hey, Vladimir Putin is not his friend, right? I mean, he wasn't
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] George W. Bush's friend when George W. Bush looked into his soul, he's not Barack Obama's
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Friend when he was trying to work with Medvedev. He's not Hillary Clinton's friend when she brought a
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Reset button to Lavrov. I mean, it's like it's self- delusion. And you know, I wrote about this in "Battlegrounds", it's like this strategic narcissism, right? We define the world as we like it to be and assume that's where it's going to be. And we have to confront the reality. I mean, Putin is the best liar in the world, and he combines this effort to disrupt us, right? To shake our confidence in who we are with these flat denials of even what is so obvious that they've done, right? The poisoning
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Of Navalny, using like a nerve agent just like they did with Skripal, I remember in Salisbury, England, you know
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] In the Spring of 2018. I mean, it's kind of obvious, I mean, these are people who they shot down an airliner
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Full of innocent people in Ukraine, and they said, oh, that wasn't us.
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] What do you mean it wasn't us. There was incontrovertible evidence. So Jim, it's I don't understand it. I think the president should be stronger on this, should be just direct about it, and we should all be direct about it.
[Sciutto:] You in your book, you focused particularly on the threats from Russia and China. And of course, China is a country that the president reversing that
[Mcmaster:] Yes
[Sciutto:] Narcissism if you can say it in terms of our view of the world from previous administrations. One that he's been very direct against. But I wonder, from your perspective, who is the bigger threat including to the elections? Is it Russia or China or they're different kinds of threats?
[Mcmaster:] Yes, you know, they're different kinds of threat, Jim. I mean, China is a huge threat because of scale, right? I mean, the size of their economy. They've increased their defense spending 800 percent. It's the largest I think that I'm aware of, peace-time build-up of a military in history. And we see them becoming more and more aggressive in so many ways. And so what China wants to do is they want to take center stage, right? This is the narrative of national rejuvenation from Xi Jinping. But Russia realize I think realizes that they're weak, right? I mean, they have economy the size of Texas, they have big problems and in the collapse of oil prices. COVID, you know, hit them hard, there's a lot of internal dissension now especially in the eastern part of the country. But well, Putin's standards are lower, right? He just wants to drag us down, right? And that he
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] And Putin thinks, hey, I'll be the last man standing, right? As I watch the United States, as I watch European countries, right, consume themselves
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] In their vitriolic, partisan politics, and you know, as you mentioned, right? I mean, and what you've written about, Jim, is that what they do is they use whatever issue can divide us, right? So about 80 percent of this Internet Research Agency's efforts are on race, divide us on race.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Mcmaster:] Right?
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Mcmaster:] And then they go to hot-button political issues like, you know, like immigration or gun control.
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] And so whenever we have these conversations, we're like we're yelling at each other instead of having civil discussions about these issues. We're just playing into
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Their hands.
[Sciutto:] Yes, I get it. I want to ask you about the coronavirus because your successor, Robert O'Brien, according to Bob Woodward's book told the president earlier this year, coronavirus would be his biggest national security threat of his presidency. We just surpassed 200,000 dead Americans. No clear national plan at this point. Has the U.S. failed from a national security perspective in its response?
[Mcmaster:] Well, I mean, we haven't done as well as we should have, and I think what you see in this case is, you see how difficult it is to implement, right? You have to get things done, right? You can't just like write a plan, you have to actually implement that plan. And there are three aspects to this. I'll just go through this quickly which I think is important for viewers to know. First of all, you want to be able to stop it early, right? Stop it where it starts so it doesn't get to your shores. And of course, thank you, China's Communist Party. I mean, they suppressed any of the news of the human-to-human transmission, they didn't they shut down, you know, internal
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Transportation before international, all of that. The second thing is you want to mobilize biomedical response. That's where we had the biggest problems, right? Because we have these very fragile supply chains, right? That we were over reliant on China, but they were biased in favor of efficiency and just-in-time delivery, OK? OK, we can't do that again
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] The pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment. So mobilizing a response is hard for us, right? Because we don't have like a centralized system, right? It's public and private and it's federal and local. So coordination of the effort. That was the biggest shortfall
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] I think. And the third area is innovation. How do you get therapies, how do you get a vaccine? Jim, that's actually going very well, you know?
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] And I heard your reporting, but I really I'm very confident in the vaccine effort. I know a lot of the people that are involved
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] With it, in operation warp speed. That's going to be that's going to be on the plus side, right?
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] On the minus side are those first two, stop it early and
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Mobilize the response. And that's what we have to work on and get better at.
[Sciutto:] It has moved quickly, just finally before I go. We've seen former military leaders and advisors to the president, Mattis, Kelly, McRaven and others question his decisions, question even in some respects his fitness for office. I know, this is uncomfortable territory for all military leaders, yourself included. Deliberately, in your book, I just wonder from your perspective, given your many years of service to this country as a soldier and a commander. What is the greater duty for military leaders today, to remain apolitical or to share concerns about the well-being of the country?
[Mcmaster:] You know, I think it's both, right? To remain apolitical and share concerns, but don't do it in a partisan way. Don't get dragged down into the morass of partisan politics. This is why I mean, you know, I'm very critical about Trump policies in the book, right? I mean, I'm very critical. But I'm not going to get into these ad hominem attacks and these petty partisanship. What we have to really do is resist any effort to drag the military into the partisan politics. You know, our founders were very cognizant of this. You know, the I mean, George Washington's grandparents fled the English civil war, and so we can never have the military involved in politics. So
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] I think every political leader has responsibility for those two, because, you know, Jim, I mean, there are many examples of this where you know, if you have a partisan agenda, hey, just get some admirals and generals to sign up, you know, for
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] Your program. I think
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Mcmaster:] We have to resist doing that.
[Sciutto:] I get you. H.R. McMaster, the book is "Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World", I got my copy, it's a smart book, it helps you understand where we're heading these days. We appreciate your time.
[Mcmaster:] Thanks so much, Jim, great to be with you.
[Sciutto:] Bring back Poppy now, of course, Poppy, we have quite a moment this morning. Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Supreme Court.
[Harlow:] That's right. Take a look at this. Look at these. What a moment. Just look at that image, live pictures on the steps of the high court as we wait for the casket of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to arrive. She'll be accompanied by hundred of her former law clerks. You see them there on the steps. Let's bring in our Jessica Schneider, Joan Biskupic and Ariane de Vogue. Joan, let me begin with you on the significance of this moment and this day.
[Joan Biskupic, Cnn Supreme Court Analyst:] It's I can't overstate it, Poppy. You know, I remember being in the Rose Garden in 1993 when President Clinton nominated her. And he referred to her as the Thurgood Marshall of women's civil rights. And she stood for equality, and now, her casket will be there under the portico of a building that says, you know, "equal justice under law". And she talked about how she hoped that during her tenure, she would live up to her mother's aspirations for her. And what you just described on the front steps of the Capitol, her clerks and all those people lined up, mothers, fathers with young children. She's her legacy in the law is one of equality, certainly. But her personal stature spoke to so many, so many Americans. You know, and she became the notorious RBG, someone who went beyond the law to touch them in terms of, you know, social pop culture, and just someone who was inspiring in so many ways. So I would say since 1993 to now, we've seen a transformation in America, but it was Ruth Bader Ginsburg who was trying to keep the country moored to the guarantee
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Biskupic:] Of equal rights.
[Sciutto:] Ariane, I have to say as I watch this image there at the court, I'm getting goose bumps. I have not seen something comparable to that. That show of support. Show of force. A solemn moment. If someone embodied a bridge, right, at the court, it was someone like RBG, was it not? You know, friendship with Scalia but also the respect on both sides of the aisle. Her confirmation by a near unanimous vote in the Senate. Was she to some degree sadly the last to represent that kind of bridge as the court has become more divided?
[Ariane De Vogue, Cnn Supreme Court Reporter:] Well, you're certainly right, Jim. And it was interesting, her relationship with Justice Scalia, but just standing a feet away right now from this army of clerks, you really when you talk to them, they say just what you're talking about. That kind of bridge. Working for her was a lesson in the law for sure, but it was also a lesson in life. She taught them about how to be civil. How to disagree agreeably. Her dearest friend was Justice Scalia. But these clerks right here, they're going to greet this casket. There are a mix of her Supreme Court clerks and her appellate law clerks, and they will greet it, you know, go with it up the steps and then in shifts, they're going to stand guard over this casket while it's here. A lot of them talked about their lessons, and Poppy will remember when she interviewed Ginsburg, one of the things that she said was to some of the female clerks, you know, you can't you can have it all, but you can't have it all at the same time. And that emboldened them through
[Harlow:] Yes
[De Vogue:] Their clerkship and beyond. And right now, you're seeing the honorary pallbearers, here are some of the clerks coming down who will serve as honorary pallbearers.
[Harlow:] Yes, I think about those words all the time, Joan. And her great advice, sometimes it's good to be a little deaf both to your colleagues and in your marriage. It was good advice that she followed. We're waiting for this moment and the casket to arrive, Jessica Schneider, what are your thoughts as you've stood outside that court this whole term, Jess, and brought us the news and the rulings and often heard dissents, right? She is known as the great dissenter.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] That's exactly right. Often reading those dissents from the bench, Poppy, in her quiet, yet forceful voice. I'll tell you, I've stood out here many times but usually waiting for opinions. It has been quite a moment in just the past few minutes actually. This entire area has been quiet all morning outside the Supreme Court, but a real hush fell over this building crowd in just the last few minutes when we saw these dozens of former law clerks walking out on to the steps to await the arrival of Justice Ginsburg's casket. There are more than 100 out on the steps here. And actually, as we're seeing right now, we're looking at the hearse that seems to be arriving here with Justice Ginsburg's casket. We've seen a few of the former law clerks step forward near the street, near first street northeast here. These appear to be the former law clerks who will be serving as the pallbearers this morning. So, while they serve as the pallbearers, the other 100 or so clerks, they will line the steps as Justice Ginsburg's casket makes its way up the steps and into the Supreme Court, into the great hall. That's where first this morning, there will be that private ceremony. We're expecting it will be close friends, family, the justices.

[Marquardt:] If you think that it feels warmer out than usual, turns out you're right. The World Meteorological Organization says that the last five years have been the hottest on record. And for many, that really does come as no surprise. Two days ago, people in cities around the world took to the streets to draw attention to the climate crisis. And tomorrow, world leaders meet here in New York at a special United Nations summit on climate change. But there will be one big major noticeable absence. President Trump is skipping the summit in order to hold his own session on religious persecution in the very same building. If that sounds familiar, that's because the President has avoided international meetings on climate before, most recently at the G7 summit in the south of France just last month. Joining me now is CNN's Senior United Nations Correspondent, Richard Roth. Richard, thanks so much for joining me. This is a huge week on the U.N. calendar. What are the major issues that are going to be focused on?
[Richard Roth, Cnn Senior United Nations Correspondent:] Welcome to New York for this general assembly.
[Marquardt:] Thank you. It's good to be back.
[Roth:] Don't step off the curb. You're going to get hit by a limousine, a bigger threat than climate change. At least for tomorrow. But the summit on climate change is a galvanizing force, but, as you mentioned, the U.S., a few other big countries that pollute a lot, won't even be attending. The summit will bring all the speakers and believe it or not, the Secretary-General says you can only have three minutes to talk. And he wants and is demanding bold ideas, concrete proposals, not just, he says, flowery speeches, which is very unlike the
[U.n. Marquardt:] We're now two and a half years into the President's term. And when the President skips a meeting on such a crucial issue, that he world considers to be such a critical issue, what do other world leaders who will be in that meeting what do you think they feel? Are they surprised, are they angry, or they're just sort of accepting that this is the U.S. leader they have to deal with at this point?
[Roth:] I think, by now, they know the deal. Some of them have their eye on their clock and the election next year. And I think they do fear that the U.S. is not a bigger player. But they're going alone on it now. They're going away from the U.S. They're forming their own coalitions, different countries, Europeans. I mean, President Macron will be there again and try to be an international mediator. He's not going to mediate this on climate change. So despite this devastating climate report issued today, when Donald Trump walks in and talks to the media tomorrow morning, I think, once again, he will say, well, there's climate information on both sides.
[Marquardt:] Well, one thing he may certainly be talking about is Iran. Is there any expectation there have been these conservations about what meetings will would happen at what level, possible meetings and whether they would happen with or without conditions, that's that kind of thing. Is there any expectation that President Trump and President Rouhani will meet this week?
[Roth:] I'm saying no. Most people are saying no. Could anything happen? Yes. resident Clinton and Fidel Castro of Cuba met in 2000 in a hallway briefly in a brief moment. Nothing ever happened from it, but it was a shock. Could that happen? It's possible, the hallways get crowded. But, really, Iran doesn't even attend the head of states' meeting because of the serving of alcohol. That's on Tuesday afternoon. I do not see a meeting at this moment.
[Marquardt:] You wrote a piece recently that had one of the best leads that I've read in a long time. You wrote that on CNN.com that the UNGA sounds like a digestive track flare because
[Roth:] Well, that's pronounced unga.
[Marquardt:] That's because we call it unga.
[Roth:] Yes.
[Marquardt:] I know that you meant that that was the way that it's pronounced, but there are a lot of flare-ups that can happen at the UNGA, at unga. What are these domestic flare-ups aside from Iran that you're looking out for?
[Roth:] I thought you were talking about
[Marquardt:] In the diplomatic terms, sorry.
[Roth:] medications there, where you were going with it. There are flare-ups. And well, look, you have India and Pakistan
[Marquardt:] Right.
[Roth:] who are really loggerheads now. It's unclear if they're going to meet. You have Venezuela's President Maduro not coming. Guaido, the opposition, his forces are going to try to meet with other people. There are meetings on a host of global crises that everyone who is watching have certainly heard of. But it just is so incremental it doesn't necessarily produce dramatic progress. As one major analyst said to me, President Trump sucks all the oxygen out of the room, also.
[Marquardt:] That he does. Richard Roth, our man at the U.N. Thanks so much. We'll see you in a little bit. There are alarming new details about how the climate crisis could not only affect your health but the food that we eat as well. That's coming up.

[Baldwin:] We are going to get your tax returns. That is the vow California Democrat Maxine Waters made to President Trump this year after Democrats regained control of the House. And today the congresswoman who is now in charge of the House financial services committee pressed treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin on a request made by one of her fellow Democrats for six years of Trump's tax returns. And whether secretary Mnuchin will stand in the way of the IRS meeting tomorrow's deadline to provide them.
[Rep. Maxine Waters , Chairwoman, Financial Services Committee:] Yesterday, President Trump forcibly ousted Secretary Nielsen adding to a long list of cabinet level officials that he forced out, including chief of staff John Kelly, secretary of state Rex Tillerson and attorney general Jeff Sessions. Secretary Mnuchin, will you comply with the law by the deadline tomorrow and furnish the tax returns even if it means you may be fired by this President for doing so?
[Steven Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary:] As I have previously said, I want to acknowledge we have received the request. As I said before we will follow the law. We are reviewing it with our internal legal department and I would leave it at that.
[Waters:] What you are basically saying, you follow the law and you are not afraid that you will be fired if in fact release the returns.
[Mnuchin:] Well, I'm not afraid of being fired at all.
[Waters:] Very good.
[Baldwin:] CNN politics and business correspondent Cristina Alesci is live on Capitol Hill today. And so, Secretary Mnuchin had these back-to-back hearings in the House today. And both times he stressed that he has not personally talked to anyone in the White House about releasing the President's tax returns, but he did say that others in treasury have. Give me the details.
[Cristina Alesci, Cnn Money Correspondent:] Well, that's the problem, there aren't many details. Mnuchin is being very artful about the way he answers a lot of questions. And the Democrats keep pressing him on this idea about any communications whatsoever between the White House in treasury over how it's going to handle turning over, possibly turning over, or how it's going to reject turning over the President's tax returns. And on this particular point, the lawmakers here are basically not giving him an inch on it. They are saying that any communication is inappropriate. Representative Carolyn Maloney from New York saying that it violates the spirit of the law just to have any discussions whatsoever, even though Mnuchin clarified that that particular discussion between the legal department at treasury and the White House actually happened before the congressional request came through. Still, they are trying to push this narrative that he may be under political pressure. Look, to a certain extent, Mnuchin is one of Trump's longest serving cabinet secretaries, extremely loyal, and has managed to stay in the President's good graces for a very long time, gets along with a lot of people. So there are legitimate questions about what kind of pressure he may feel. And earlier this morning, when he was asked about that, the question was, is he even the right person to determine whether or not how the IRS responds. And there are some questions around that that lawmakers want answers to, as well. And he is not providing any clarity into the internal workings of how the IRS is handling this, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Keep pushing for the answers. Cristina Alesci, thank you so much. Back to our breaking news out of Israel this afternoon, where President Trump's close ally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is trying to hold on to power. His main opponent, also claim victory. We are live as the election results roll in. Plus, the breaking news in the massive college admissions scandal. More than a dozen parents including actress Lori Loughlin now facing more charges. This time they include money laundering.

[Bolduan:] Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is right now trying to survive a leadership challenge within his own party in the runup to a third national election in just 12 months. He's borrowing from a familiar playbook. Oren Liebermann has more.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn International Correspondent:] This is becoming a familiar image among friends, a black and white picture of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointing at the camera. The caption says, they're not only after me, they're after us. It's copied from President Donald Trump, who used a similar image with a similar message days earlier. The well-documented political bromance has been a focus of Netanyahu's messaging featuring heavily in election campaigns. On Christmas Eve
[Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:] Merry Christmas to all our Christian friends.
[Liebermann:] Netanyahu promising another political gift from the Trump administration.
[Netanyahu:] We are going to bring American recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley. And pay attention in all of the settlements, those in the blocks and those that are not.
[Liebermann:] Netanyahu and Trump share much more than style. As Trump faces impeachment, Netanyahu faces criminal indictment, charges of bribery and fraud and breach of trust in three corruption investigations. Netanyahu has insisted he's innocent, calling the charges an attempted coup and a media driven witch hunt.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I called it the rigged witch hunt.
[Liebermann:] Language we've heard from Trump as well. In messages like this, Netanyahu has painted himself as the victim, while leaning once again on his relationship with Trump to boost his standing. But Trump borrowed this one.
[Trump:] I want to especially thank a great man and a great leader, the leader of India, Prime Minister Modi, my friend.
[Liebermann:] It was with another populist leader, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that we first saw the message.
[Narendra Modi, India Prime Minister:] Our great American president, Mr. Donald Trump.
[Liebermann:] Modi's supporters created and spread a meme, a picture of the Hindu leader with the words, "In reality, they're not after me, they're after you. I'm just in the way." With his India First style of politics, Modi has celebrated Trump's America First brand.
[Modi:] A belief in American future, and a strong resolve to Make America Great Again.
[Liebermann:] Modi has also shown his love for Netanyahu. In 2017, becoming the first sitting Indian prime minister to visit Jerusalem. While Modi isn't facing any personal corruption scandals, his government has been facing massive protests after the passage of a controversial immigration law that critics say discriminates against Muslims. That's three nationalist leaders united by a love of brash tactics and strong-man strategies. For Modi and Trump, this style of campaigning worked. It's less clear with Netanyahu, who faces a third-straight election within 12 months, having already failed the former government twice. There's just about four and a half hours left in voting for the Likud leadership race. Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn't want to just win this. He wants to win it big. If it's something like 8020 or 7030, that assures that Netanyahu remains not only in control of his own party but the leader of Israel's right wing. If this is a close race40 or 5545, it's a signal that Netanyahu's base is shifting away from him and moving in a different direction. Of course, Kate, the big shocker here, which is considered improbable, though not impossible, is if his rival, Gideon Saar, pulls it off and beats Netanyahu, and that means it's effectively the end of Netanyahu's time as Israel's leader.
[Bolduan:] So hard to follow it all. So glad that you're there, Oren, to do it for us. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Coming up for us, from backlash against Boing to a failed attempt to go public for WeWork, it was a rocky year for CEOs. What is the impact of the great CEO exodus?

[Allen:] Protests in Hong Kong have been raging now for more than six months. Ever since the unrest began in June, more than 6,000 demonstrators have been arrested, many students who have risked everything for democracy, including their freedom. CNN's Anna Coren looks at how their arrests are impacting the city's overburdened judicial system.
[Anna Coren, Cnn Correspondent:] On a Sunday afternoon back in October, thousands of Hong Kong protesters take to the streets shouting their demands in the pouring rain. Among the crowd is Matthew [Ph]. It's not his real name. He's asked us to hide his identity.
[Unidentified Male:] We are now here to fight for our freedom, and most importantly to fight for our future.
[Coren:] It's this sense of duty that's driving the protest movement, and for months he's been on the front-line clashing with police. Are you scared about getting arrested?
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, of course. I don't want violence to happen. But the government just don't listen to us, so what are we supposed to do? There is only one single option for us, and that is a revolution.
[Coren:] But a week later, Matthew's fight comes to an abrupt end. Undercover police dressed as protesters arrest him. He's charged with possession of offensive weapons, a crime that carries a three-year prison sentence. Out on bail, Matthew agrees to talk to us again. We meet at his friend's cramped apartment. Protest posters cover the walls. The enormity of the situation has sunk in, but he has no regrets about his involvement.
[Unidentified Male:] No, not at all. The only regrets I have is not being careful enough.
[Coren:] For this soft-spoken career professional, he knows the seriousness of his alleged crime means he may end up with a criminal record but says that's a sacrifice he's willing to make for what he believes is a greater cause.
[Unidentified Male:] I believe Hong Kong will have fundamental change and my future has just become insignificant compared to what happened to Hong Kong.
[Coren:] Over the past six months, more than 6,000 protesters have been arrested of which more than 40 percent of them are students. And while a small proportion of them have actually been charged, pro-democracy lawmakers and activists fear Hong Kong will lose a generation of future leaders.
[Ted Hui, Member, Hong Kong Legislative Council:] When people with heart or with ideals and really values what they believe, these are people with quality. They are the future of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong government is treating them damaging them, put them into rooms.
[Coren:] Almost a thousand protesters have been charged with offenses ranging from unlawful assembly to the more serious crimes of rioting, assault, and arson. A third of them are students. Legal experts believe the court system is not equipped to handle the sheer volume of trials, the first scheduled to start early next year. And if the majority of protesters are convicted, there's concern the prison system will be overloaded. The Hong Kong police tell CNN they want to see further prosecutions and say the only thing holding them up is the slow speed of the courts.
[Johannes Chan, Chair Professor Of Law, University Of Hong Kong:] At the moment, weapon don't know how many more will be charged or what offenses they will be charged. This is not just the court but even the police and the prosecutions are not ready. But it just shows this is not only the strains on the judiciary but the prosecution and the police are not even prepared to handle all this mess.
[Coren:] We catch up with Matthew just before his court appearance. He's feeling nervous. But while he and hundreds of front liners like him may end up behind bars, he's confident the fight for Hong Kong will continue in his absence.
[Unidentified Male:] After six months, we have already given so much on the protests. So many people got arrested. So many people got beaten up, and life has been sacrificed. We just cannot stop right now.
[Coren:] Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
[Allen:] And joining me now to talk about the situation is Holden Chow from Hong Kong. He's a member of the legislative council and vice chairman of the pro-establishment DAB Alliance. Thank you so much for joining us, Mr. Chow.
[Holden Chow, Vice-chairman, Dab:] Thank you, Natalie. Thank you.
[Allen:] Sure thing. Well, strong sentiments from that young man there in that report. You know, what he said, I don't want violence, but the government just doesn't listen to us, so what are we supposed to do? The only single option for us is a revolution. What is your response to a statement and a sentiment like that?
[Chow:] Well, with due respect, I beg to differ. With whatever reason you cannot resort to violence because if you resort to violence, you end up with a mess. We end up with six months turmoil and eventually if the violence carry on, it will break the city. And it's sad to see that the youngsters coming out to commit sort of riots or commit violence and people get injured, not only the police but also the protesters. So, I think nobody wants to see anybody get injured, and of course one more thing to say even if you have any kind of resentment, if everybody follows the logic that you resort to violence, eventually it will break the city. And everybody got a price to pay. So, I'm against the very idea of the escalating violence committed by these people.
[Allen:] Well, they say that they won't do this if the government will listen. What about that?
[Chow:] Well, I think they have different demands. They have the so- called five demands. But to be very honest, I've been talking about this for a long time. To resolve this conflict, one of the ways to resolve it is by dialogue, but by dialogue, you also have to talk to these people and say if we can find some way in the middle to resolve this conflict, you know, for the people who raise the five demands, even if the government makes some kind of concession to any of the demands there for example, people say they are calling for setting up an independent inquiry into the police. But even if the government does so, does it mean that is able to pacify the crowd? You know, in the past we've seen that when the people call for withdrawal of the extradition bill, the bill was withdrawn. But they don't count it. And later on, they have some other demands coming up, and they even called for sort of dissolving the police. But how could the government respond to this sort of demand? So, I think if people could calm down and try to find a solution in the middle, I think that's the way out. But if they insist on their sort of five demands, not one less, and they insist on that kind of stance and with the hostility towards the government, sadly I don't see there's a way out. It's not a good way to solve the problem right now.
[Allen:] Yes. Last question for you. Could you ever imagine it would be this bad when this started?
[Chow:] Well, I think nobody could actually imagine the situation turn very worse like the situation now. But what happened is, I would say, even for the opposition camp, the Democrats, their leaders, their lawmakers, I think they have responsibility too because they are political leaders. They are supposed to lead the public opinion or sway the public. But sadly when all this violence erupted, when the breaks or the petrol bombs being thrown everywhere in the city, when people get injured, they simply turn a blind eye to everything, and they just even don't condemn or they try to find excuses for this violence, and they are the political leaders. They are supposed to sway the public opinion. Now sadly, I think they lead the public to believe that the violence is inevitable, is acceptable, and that's why that's one of the reasons why we end up with that mess today.
[Allen:] We'll see what happens next in this struggle. Certainly, something has to be remedied. We appreciate your insights. Thank you, Holden Chow, for us in Hong Kong.
[Chow:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Well, emergency teams are trying to contain an oil spill on the Galapagos Islands. Officials there say the disaster happened Sunday. Watch what happens here when a cargo vessel overturned in San Cristobal. Local media report no one was injured, but you can see what's about to happen as crew members jumped off the ship as it began to capsize. The Galapagos Islands are about 1,000 kilometers west of Ecuador. They're regarded as one of the most ecologically important places on the planet. Well, if you're watching internationally, thank you for being with us. African Voices Change Makers is next for you. If you're joining us in the United States, I'll be right back with more news.

[Blackwell:] President Trump says that he will likely invoke executive privilege to stop former National Security Advisor John Bolton from testifying in the senate impeachment trial.
[Paul:] The president preemptively defended his decision on Fox News last night, saying he'd be doing it to protect future presidents.
[Ingraham:] Why not call Bolton? Why not allow him to testify? This thing is bogus. I'd like to have Bolton to testify.
[Trump:] I would have no problem other than one thing: you can't be in the White House as president future. I'm talking about future, many future presidents and have a security advisor. Anybody having to do with security and legal and other things.
[Ingraham:] You're going to invoke executive privilege.
[Trump:] Well, I think you have to, for the sake of the office.
[Paul:] Now, Monday, remember, Bolton said he will cooperate if he's subpoenaed.
[Blackwell:] With us now a congressional reporter for The Washington Post and CNN Political Analyst, Karoun Demirjian. Karoun, welcome back.
[Karoun Demirjian, Cnn Political Analyst:] Good to be back.
[Blackwell:] So, how does this potential invoking of executive privilege impact this ongoing argument between the Democrats and Republicans now moving over to the Senate of calling witnesses, the president says he's going to take Bolton off the table?
[Demirjian:] It's a new legal hurdle, basically. If John Bolton wants to go forward, and he wants to talk about discussions that he had directly with the president, and the president books, executive privilege over those, it's going to take quite the legal fight to be able to get Bolton to be able to do that freely. If one wants to go and talk about other things, though, the president does not have a blanket executive privilege that covers every conversation that's happened in a ministration. So that other than the up to John Bolton to try and decide if he wants to cross the president. And in, the past when it was the House's process, he decided he didn't want to, even though there was no actual executive privilege invoked at that time. So, this is something that throws a monkey wrench into things and it would potentially delay and elongate the process of getting Bolton in front of the Senate to testify if the Senate can actually build up the votes to subpoena him in the first place.
[Blackwell:] House Democrats weren't willing to fight in court for our Senate Democrats.
[Demirjian:] It appears that they are but the question isn't really what are Senate Democrats are willing to fight for it? It's whether there are enough Republicans to join them because you need 51 votes to compel any of those subpoenas. And while these questions are privileged there, you know, it is possible for the Democrats to try to make the campaign and make the case and push for that vote. They can't necessarily force for Republicans to cross the aisle. If they can, they're in a fairly powerful position because they'll be able to work down their list of potential witnesses that they hope actually do come before the Senate who did not participate in the House's process. And that right now has been kind of a central issue as we've been waiting for Nancy Pelosi to pass these Articles of Impeachment over. Democrats want to see a fair trial that includes these witnesses. And they have limited leverage, though. I mean, they have the Articles of Impeachment in this last few weeks. But now the question is, can they pull the Republicans over because they need the numbers to be able to make this happen.
[Blackwell:] So, let's talk about Speaker Pelosi telling her colleagues and the rest of us now that next week, there's going to be this vote on naming managers and sending the Articles of Impeachment over to the Senate. I want to remind people, this is Democratic whip, James Clyburn of South Carolina in an exchange with John Berman, about the strategy of holding the articles, what they want for them, and how long at least he was willing to do that? Let's watch.
[Rep. Jim Clyburn:] And until we can get some assurances from the majority leader, that he is going to allow for a fair and impartial trial to take place. We would be crazy to walk in there, knowing he's set up a kangaroo court.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] How long are you willing to wait?
[Clyburn:] As long as it takes cage, even if the if he doesn't come around to commit into a fair trial, keep those articles here.
[Blackwell:] So, there had been no assurances, no concessions. And Speaker Pelosi says the vote comes next week, why is she ending this standoff now?
[Demirjian:] Because this is not happening in a vacuum. Like there's intense political pressure on her to actually do this. And the question of how much leverage she had in the first place was kind of borne out by this time that's past. You saw a little bit more evidence come out, a few more e-mails. John Bolton said that he would testify under subpoena, but at the same time, you had Senate Republicans basically closing ranks and saying, no, we are we have the votes. Everybody's on board with the proceeding. At least with proceedings to open up the trial and do it the way that there's various debates about what the Clinton precedent is, but to get going with the trial. And once you've lost the votes in the Senate this effectively is accounting game, right? And Nancy Pelosi is very good at counting. She doesn't usually count Senate votes; she counts house votes. But in this case, the question underlying everything is the same. If you don't have the votes, you can stay in the standoff forever, and then that starts to cut away at this argument that the House Democrats had for the longest time, which is that this is an urgent thing, they had to investigate the president, they had to build an impeachment. They want him to be convicted in the Senate, because they thought that he poses a threat to the next election. You can't talk about urgency for months and months, and then completely indefinitely, not passing over those articles. And I think that you started to see as much as the Democrats are making statements like Clyburn, a few weeks ago. In the last few days, you've seen more and more Democrats say, I don't know why this is continuing to be a standoff. We really can't keep doing this. And then, of course, quickly retracting those statements because it follows he wasn't quite ready to move yet. But it appears that the, the political, the political time has come and Pelosi has recognize it as such to get this moving to the Senate which has the right to set its own rules of how it's going to go forward if it has the votes to do it.
[Blackwell:] Is that the end of Leader Schumer's leverage then, in these talks that have been going on and then stalled for a while, in coming up with the rules with, with Leader McConnell?
[Demirjian:] Not necessarily. It's a question of how well he reads the GOP and the moderates and the GOP who might be willing to who could be appeal to. And so, that's his now his challenge right now is just to speak across the aisle and get fined for Republicans who are willing to say, on principle, they would like to hear from the witnesses and they're willing to vote as such.
[Blackwell:] Karoun Demirjian, always good to have you.
[Demirjian:] Good to see you too.
[Paul:] Well, still to come, Iran is promising a thorough investigation after admitting that it shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet. How a lack of communication could have contributed to that deadly missile strike?
[Blackwell:] Plus, the new CNN Iowa poll shows a type four-way race among the Democratic presidential front runners in the final weeks before the Democratic caucuses who is gaining momentum and who was not, that's a hit.

[Harlow:] Today could be another record-breaking day for U.S. markets.
[Sciutto:] This, after Chinese officials announced that Washington and Beijing have discussed rolling back tariffs, part of this ongoing trade war. CNN's Cristina Alesci, here with more. There had been some talk for a time about the president not imposing new tariffs. But this would be more significant because it would roll back existing tariffs.
[Cristina Alesci, Cnn Business And Politics Correspondent:] That's right. And that's why the market is so happy about this news, because it is a significant, if true, de-escalation of the trade war. A couple things I have to say about this. One is, this is contingent on phase one of the trade deal actually being signed, so there's a lot of euphoria this morning around this news. But the reality is that there's a major contingency around this rollback of existing tariffs. The other thing that's a really big story here is the Chinese clearly feel emboldened because Trump is politically weak right now. We have the impeachment hearings that are about to burst into public view, you know, the Republicans just lost in Virginia significantly
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Alesci:] the House and the Senate. And the Kentucky elections look poised to go to, you know, a Democratic governor. So all of that, the Chinese are watching. And they're seeing. And they're potentially trying to put pressure on the administration to go bigger and give them a bigger concession here.
[Harlow:] Can you it's a very fundamental question, sorry if it sounds like a dumb question.
[Alesci:] Never a dumb question
[Harlow:] What does phase one
[Alesci:] from you.
[Harlow:] sometimes. What does phase one of this trade deal actually accomplish?
[Alesci:] I I am so happy that you brought that up.
[Harlow:] Do we know?
[Alesci:] Because it makes me cringe, just saying that word. Because no one really understands fundamentally what that means. What it means is, the administration is trying to message that things are going in the right direction. It is more of, like, a political P.R. kind of, you know, designation more than a substantive one. I think what is important here is that Trump seems to be realizing that what is a no-brainer ahead of the election is easing the tariffs on consumer goods
[Harlow:] Sure.
[Alesci:] and giving the farmers some more relief in terms of purchases from China.
[Sciutto:] Purchases, right.
[Alesci:] He needs to do that before the election, so
[Sciutto:] And the point about this is that those were all created problems, right?
[Harlow:] I was just going to say that.
[Sciutto:] So if you're rolling back tariffs and restarting purchases that already happened, it's not really phase one of anything.
[Harlow:] That's a great point. Thanks, appreciate it.
[Sciutto:] Cristina Alesci, thanks very much. There is a lot going on today. Here's "What to Watch."
[Text:] What to Watch... 11:00 a.m. Eastern, House hearing on ICE workplace raids; 2:15 p.m. Eastern, Trump speaks at meeting on victims of communism; 6:00 p.m. Eastern, Trump presents Presidential Citizens Medal.

[Unidentified Male:] In your own time gentlemen. Must be company I have a brother in the second battalion. Yes, sir. They're walking into a trap.
[Allen:] That right there the World War One epic "1917". It marched into the number one spot this weekend, at the U.S. box office, and fresh off its win at the Golden Globes. Expectations are that it will also do well at the Oscars. We'll soon find out how many nods it and other movies received with the nomination announcement just hours away. Journalist Sandro Monetti is with us from Los Angeles. He is editor in chief of "Hollywood International Filmmaker" magazine. All right. Sandro let's start with the big films this year. What are the favorites and what do you hope to see rack up the most nominations?
[Sandro Monetti, Editor In Chief, "hollywood International Filmmaker":] Well, I think there are three leading contenders for the most nominations. "1917", the World War One drama, is the film with all the momentum going into the nominations. It was the last major release to come out and talk about saving the best for last, to me it is the favorite here. I can see it getting 10 or 11 nominations. I can definitely see Quentin Tarentino's film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", potentially leading the pack with 11, maybe 12 nominations. Also very much in the race, the early front runner, never a good place to be as Oscar history has shown us "The Irishman" which is Netflix's hope its first Best Picture Oscar. But that's kind of lost a bit of momentum in recent weeks. Could it be the first film since "Turning Point" and "The Color Purple" to get 11 nominations and zero winds? I can see it getting a lot of nominations, but it is losing track. So it is going to be very interesting to see what tops the field. Could it perhaps be "Joker", which led the pack at BAFTA
[Monetti:] nominations last week. We will find out early on Monday morning.
[Allen:] Well, there are a lot of previous Oscar winners in the mix for acting nominations Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Renee Zellweger. Are you expecting to see a lot of old favorites or some newer names among the nominees?
[Monetti:] Yes, I'm expecting to see a lot of old favorites especially in the Best Actor category, where there are some real industry heavyweights there. But it will be interesting to see if a couple of industry favorites mainly known for comedy films, are able to break in. Eddie Murphy, for "Dolomite is My Name", Adam Sandler for "Uncut Gems" getting a lot of buzz as well. But DiCaprio and De Niro look like locks. So to does Joaquin Phoenix slight frontrunner for "Joker". And on the actress side it's Renee Zellweger's to lose. At the moment she seems untouchable, but who will the rest of the nominees be? We'll find out. I've got Oscar fever. It's so exciting.
[Allen:] Oh, my, goodness we are in the season, aren't we. Britain's BAFTA though nominations were announced last week and they were roundly criticized for nominating all white actors and all male directors. Are we likely to see any more diversity at the Oscars this year?
[Monetti:] That is a huge disappointment, by the way, especially as BAFTA has been very much a leader in encouraging more diversity in all its programs and film education classes. But it did not translate to the membership. And we have had the Oscar so White controversy, now the academy has moved to address that. They have promised to double the number of minority and female members by 2020. And they have hugely increased the membership and the voting membership to now approximately 9,000. So whether this will be reflected in more people of color getting nominations, let's hope so. There are certainly many deserving candidates in there. The makeup of the academy vote basically used to be old white guys. Now it is 32 percent female, it's 16 percent minority and by changing the numbers will they change the game? It's going to be one of the most fascinating things to watch when the envelopes are open.
[Allen:] All right. And I also want to ask you, there was a big controversy last year when the academy proposing quickly dropped an idea for a new popular film category. Are this year's most popular films that might have been nominated in that category like "Avengers Endgame" or "Star Wars" going to get any love in the mainstream categories?
[Monetti:] Absolutely not. So yes, that's been it's a good point, though, because there has been a big disconnect between what audiences are seeing at movie theaters and what, you know, is being awarded by the Oscar voters. You know, there has sometimes been a situation, I can think of examples like "Titanic" and "Lord of the Rings, Return of the King" when that has changed. But more often than not it is the critics and the industry favorites which tend to get rewarded with Oscar votes. And I expect we will look for more of the same in the morning.
[Allen:] Blockbusters at the box office does not mean always an Oscar. All right we will talk with you again once they are out. Sandro thank you so much. Sandro Monetti.
[Monetti:] Thank you.
[Allen:] I'm signing off. I nominate Rosemary Church to continue our news next.

[King:] White House trade adviser, Peter Navarro, has some explaining to do. Navarro, the author of a scathing op-ed essay published in "USA Today" attacking administration colleague, Dr. Anthony Fauci. The White House says Navarro did not go through its normal clearance process when he submitted that article for publication. We should note, though, for the record, the White House this week did distribute material attacking Dr. Fauci's credibility. We should also note Navarro was scheduled to appear on CNN this afternoon, but the White House has cancelled that interview. Joining me Julie Pace, the Washington bureau chief for the Associated Press, and Josh Dawsey, White House reporter for the "Washington Post." Josh, I want to start with you, because you were first to report over the weekend that the administration had a calculated effort to distribute material discrediting, questioning the credibility of one of its own team members Dr. Anthony Fauci. So Peter Navarro, maybe they say he didn't go through the communications shop, he didn't say anything in that op-ed that the White House had not already gone on the record raising itself, right?
[Josh Dawsey, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes. We spoke to Peter Navarro on Friday, as well, John, and he made the same points to me that he made in the op ed in "USA Today." And we quoted him in the story being critical of Dr. Fauci. The administration, when they responded to our request for comment on the Fauci story this weekend, distributed a number of times that Dr. Fauci had been wrong, in their estimation, on public health comments. And now they're backing away from this a little bit and saying that Peter Navarro, simply speak to Peter Navarro. It's important to know that it's part of the broader pattern of the administration, questioning Dr. Fauci. The president has questioned him on a number of occasions, the White House press shop, Peter Navarro. It's hard to say that this is a rogue effort from Peter Navarro. And Peter Navarro often talks to the president as well. It's difficult to imagine that he would not have done this without thinking or knowing that the president was onboard with it.
[King:] And, Julie, we focus on Dr. Fauci and Peter Navarro. But the president is the CEO of the operation. The Coronavirus Task Force meets today. It's in private. The president, we don't believe, will attend that meeting. We know the president hasn't talked to Dr. Redfield or Dr. Fauci in quite some time. It could have been two months in the case of Dr. Fauci. We're in the middle of a pandemic, setting a record for a state count, 14 states setting hospitalization records. The president came into the Rose Garden yesterday and he was supposed to talk about China. I just want to show the headline of a great analysis piece by our friend, Peter Baker, of the "New York Times." "White House called a news conference. Trump turned it into a meandering monologue. The president spoke in the Rose Garden for 63 minutes and spent only six minutes answering questions from reporters." So when we talk about sort of the White House mixed messaging and backstabbing and in fighting, this is the president's operation, and yet, he seems to not want to confront the reality of the moment.
[Julie Pace, Cnn Political Analyst:] It often seems like the president is having one conversation and the rest of the country is having a very different conversation. I would add to the list of examples that you just pointed on. He's traveling to Atlanta today, home of the CDC, and is not planning to make a stop there, as well. This underscores the disconnect between where the president's head is and where public health officials are. As Josh noted, what we saw from Peter Navarro is not actually unique. We've seen everyone up to the president himself questioning Dr. Fauci. The reality that the president does have to come to grips here is that the rest of the country is having that other conversation. He can try to criticize Fauci. He can try to talk about all manner of other issues, China, infrastructure, environmental regulations like what he is today, but much of the country is still dealing with this pandemic in a very real way and wants to. And it should expect to be able to hear from their president on this.
[King:] They should expect to be able to hear from their president. It would be nice if they could trust what they heard from the president on this. This, Josh, is Senator Mitch McConnell. This is an interesting dynamic to me. Republicans counting the days until the election are starting we know they're nervous privately but, publicly, you start to hear them saying things. I'm going to read you this, it might sound like it's nothing new. This is Mitch McConnell. "I think the straight talk here is that everyone needs to understand is this is not going away. That's the Senate majority leader about the coronavirus. You might look at that and say, OK, that's pretty obvious, but that's not what we hear from the president of the United States. So when leaders of his own party, they're trying if you just read that in a vacuum, that's not Mitch McConnell trying to say, hey, I'm not him, but that's exactly what that is.
[Dawsey:] McConnell and a lot of the other Senate Republicans know that the coronavirus is going to be a preeminent issue in the election and how the administration responds to it, how Republican Senators respond to it, what's happening in states, whether the economy can come back, whether things can open, whether there's football in the fall, whether there's schools. All of these things will factor into the election, whether the president wants to say that or not. The president's strategy has been to talk about coronavirus less, to talk about have fewer news conferences about it, have a few events about it, have a few tweets about it, do less messaging on it. And a lot of other Republicans know that, regardless what the president does or doesn't do, voters will have this near the top of their mind when they cast a ballot in November.
[King:] Julie, we know the president sometimes gets mad about this and gets obsessive about those things. One of the things front and center that has to aggravate that's a kind word, I think the president, is this new book by his niece, Mary Trump, who is a clinical psychologist who documents behavior back to his childhood that she explains as reprehensible. She explains his relationship with his father. But listen to her in this interview with ABC. She's just beginning to do a media tour about this book.
[Mary Trump, Niece Of President Trump, Psychologist & Author:] He's utterly incapable of leading this country. And it's dangerous to allow him to do so.
[George Stephanopoulos, Abc News Anchor:] Based on what you see now or what you saw then?
[M. Trump:] Based on what I've seen my entire adult life.
[King:] There have been other books about this, but this is a woman named Trump, a family member, his niece. We're 100 days or so from the election. This has to get under his skin.
[Pace:] Certainly. This one cuts pretty personally because it's not just from somebody who can be dismissed as a disgruntled former adviser, somebody from the West Wing. It's from a family member. And we do know that the president is pretty sensitive about a conversation about his family, his relationship with his father, things that happened in his life before he became president of the United States. And we know, of course, was there an effort to try to stop this book from being published. And certainly the fact that Mary Trump will be out there very publicly at this moment where the president is already feeling defensive, where he's already feeling like the political wins have been moving against him less than four months from Election Day. I would say aggravation is, as you said, a pretty gentle way to describe how he's going to be feeling about this.
[King:] We will watch as it plays out in a number of fronts. Julie Pace and Josh Dawsey, appreciate your reporting and insights today. Great to see you both. Thank you.
[Dawsey:] Thank you.
[King:] Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg remains hospitalized in Baltimore today with a possible infection. The 87-year-old Supreme Court justice underwent a procedure yesterday at Johns Hopkins Hospital to clean out a bile duct stent she received last August following treatment for her pancreatic cancer. The justice is reportedly resting comfortably. We're told she'll stay in the hospital for two days to receive I.V.s and antibiotics. Yesterday, President Trump said he hopes Ginsberg is feeling better. Even praised the justice for, quote, "actually giving me some good rulings." Up next for us, the coronavirus cases rising in Georgia just as the governor's social distancing orders set to expire tonight.

[Paul:] Twelve minutes past the hour right now and Bernie Sanders this morning is unveiling the outline for his plan to take on medical debt.
[Blackwell:] So, the Senator argues your financial life and your future should not be destroyed because you or a family member gets sick. CNN's Ryan Nobles joins us from Washington with the few details of this plan that they put out. So what do you know?
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, so what happened last night, Victor, was that Bernie Sanders was participating in a town hall in South Carolina and this topic came up. The question of medical debt and how it can be a huge burden for people who are already dealing with a serious illness. He was asked directly, how would you handle this problem and this is how Sanders answered.
[Bernie Sanders, 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate:] In another piece of legislation that we're going to be offering, we will eliminate medical debt in this country. I mean, just stop and think for a second, why should people be placed in financial duress, for what crime did you commit? You had a serious illness, right? That is not what this country should be about.
[Nobels:] So, that raised quite a few eyebrows. This is something that Senator Sanders had not unveiled previously and his campaign said that they weren't prepared necessarily to release the full details of this plan in totality; they're still working through it. But what they did tell us today is, yes, Senator Sanders does plan to cancel at least as much as $81 billion for medical debt across the board for Americans who are dealing with that. He also wants to take on the 2005 Bankruptcy Bill that he firmly believes puts people in a cycle of debt that they can't get out from underneath and he also wants to protect the credit score of people dealing with medical debt. Sanders basically believes if you're dealing with a serious illness like cancer that could end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars that you shouldn't be also placed with this undue burden of medical debt on top of it. Now what Sanders and his team have not revealed yet is how they plan to pay for this $81 billion and the other costs that could go along with it. This added on to their plans for Medicare for All which would be free healthcare across the board for all Americans. They want to allow for free college tuition, also to cancel all student loan debt. The price tag keeps building up for the Sanders campaign but they do promise in the coming weeks there will be a more fulsome plan related to this particular issue of medical debt and this is something that has now become a big prority for Bernie Sanders and his campaign. Victor and Christi.
[Blackwell:] We will look forward to those details. Ryan Nobles, thanks so much.
[Paul:] And there are details that need to be vetted out here. CNN's political analyst Michael Bender with us now, also a White House reporter for "The Wall Street Journal." Michael, thank you so much for being with us. So questions about $81 billion which at the end of the day does not sound like a whole lot of money for medical debt on a national level and then you've got the question of who what is the criteria to determine whose medical debt get erased? Is it effective to release a plan without those details?
[Michael Bender, Reporter For "the Wall Street Journal":] I don't think it's very effective to release the plan without those details and as Ryan sort of suggested there, it's I don't know how effective it is to release a plan on the Friday before a big holiday weekend, as your viewers know with a major storm approaching as well. Sanders has quite a bit of ground to make up here in this democratic primary race and his path forward is not clear, frankly. "The Wall Street Journal" put out a poll this summer that painted a pretty stark picture for Sanders. It's Warren Elizabeth Warren in the democratic primary who is Sanders' big rival when it comes to the most liberal voters. She's the first choice among that group. Sanders is not the second choice of any of the candidates running in the field right now. It's Warren who is the second choice for Harris voters, for Buttigieg voters. And even Warren, who is seen as a liberal, you know, the main liberal competitor with Sanders, her voters say their second choice is Harris. So Sanders has quite a bit of ground to make up and this is his political calling card here, these big bold ideas, headline-grabbing ideas eliminating student debt, Medicare for All, now eliminating medical debt. But when there's no details behind it, when the plan comes out, his opponents are just going to use that as a way to cast doubt on whether this is a credible plan and whether it has any chance of becoming law in Washington.
[Paul:] All right. Michael, I want to shift gears real quickly here to Madeleine Westerhout. She was a president's assistant, quick departure. It surprised a lot of people surprised and stunned was the verbiage I heard yesterday, stunning people within the White House walls. This was a woman who was seen as a loyal aid. She held a lot of significant power in President Trump's circle. Let's listen to what he had to say about her departure.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well, I guess she said I think she said some things and she called me. She was very upset. She was very down and she said she was drinking a little bit, and she was with reporters and everything she said was off the record. That still doesn't really cover for it; mentioned a couple things about my children. But she's a very, you know, good person. And I thought I always felt she did a good job.
[Paul:] So, what do you make of the consequences for her now? It seems like off-the-record conversations are not rare by any means, but because it involved his family members, that seemed to be his breaking point.
[Bender:] Yes, that's right. Just to be clear, the off-the-record nature of this, I can't go into details what was said or whether...
[Paul:] Yes, we don't need to.
[Bender:] ... there was an off-the-record [inaudible], but the president certainly said here that the reason was, that he spoke that Madeleine spoke about gossiped really about his family and that is certainly a red this president, just ask Steve Bannon about the consequences for that sort of thing. Madeleine has been a long-time assistant to President Trump from the campaign, through the transition for the first three years of the Administration which we know is a pretty significant feat given the historic turnover in this West Wing and her desk was right outside the Oval Office. She was a gatekeeper of sorts for people coming in and out which made her really one of the most powerful and frankly least known members of this West Wing. I just wanted to add one other thing here, we're talking about off- the-record and your viewers may wonder what is the point of going to talking to people off the record if it can't be shared with readers, if it can't be shared with viewers and I think there's a good question there and a fair debate. This happens a lot on the campaign trail or on foreign trips with the president or in small town, New Jersey when he's in Bedminister.
[Paul:] Yes.
[Bender:] And off the record back and forth with staff. It gives you an opportunity to kind of understand these people deeper and understand where they're coming from and that is and in that sense with that context you're able to give viewers and readers really a richer report of the motivations and context of the White House or the candidate or whoever you're reporting on.
[Paul:] Right, without compromising any without compromising anything, yes. Michael Bender, appreciate your insights on this. Thank you, sir.
[Bender:] OK, thank you.
[Blackwell:] So President Trump says a new round of tariffs on Chinese goods will go into effect tomorrow. How the president is responding to growing concerns that his trade war could lead to a recession.
[Paul:] And following the protests in Hong Kong, police are pushing back this morning. Protesters who have set fires in the streets, who are pointing lasers to trying to disorient officers, we're going to take you live to Hong Kong. Stay close.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good evening. Tonight, it is looking more and more like 176 people aboard a Ukrainian airliner may have been unintended casualties of the confrontation between United States and Iran. There is new video that appears to show a missile fired into the sky over Tehran early Wednesday morning and hitting a moving object. Now, we're going to play the entire clip, but because it could show the final seconds of those 176 lives, we're only going to show it very sparingly tonight, and only when necessary to illustrate a particular point. With that, here it is. You're going to first see what appears to be the missile moving toward the plane, and then what appears to be an impact. About ten seconds later you'll hear the sound of the strike catching up to the location where the photographer is standing.
[Cooper:] Again, 176 people were aboard the Boeing 737. Sixty-three of them were Canadians. We should point out that CNN cannot independently confirm that video, but the buildings in it appear similar to ones in the area where the plane went down. Multiple U.S. officials are now telling CNN that the growing belief is that Iran did, in fact, shoot it down apparently by mistake. They say intelligence indicates that two Russian-made SA-15 anti-aircraft missiles were used and that radar signals locking onto the plane were picked up at the time and discovered the morning after. But the data took another day to verify. We do not know whether President Trump is aware of the intelligence or the assessment when he spoke just before noon today, but his words hinted at something.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] It was flying at a pretty rough neighborhood and somebody could have made a mistake. Some people say it was mechanical. I personally don't think that's even a question, personally. So we'll see what happens.
[Reporter:] Do you think it was shot down by accident?
[Trump:] I don't know. I really don't know. I don't want to get into that's up to them. I have a feeling it's just some very terrible something very terrible happened. Very devastating.
[Cooper:] In a moment, we'll get the latest from Tehran and speak as well with experts in the aviation and intelligence field. But first, let's go to CNN's Jim Acosta at the White House. So, you heard the president, Jim.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Yes.
[Cooper:] What's the latest White House thinking on what caused the crash?
[Acosta:] Anderson, they're pointing to the intelligence community. As you were saying, the belief inside the U.S. intelligence community is that Iran used Russian-made surface-to-air missiles and shot down that Ukrainian airliner. Now, Canadian and British officials, they're saying that their intelligence agencies are telling them with certainty that that is, in fact, what happened. The U.S. is not going as far as the Canadians and the British at this point, but it doesn't take intelligence officials to tell you, Anderson, that this is what happens when you have the unintended consequences of military conflict.
[Cooper:] There's also been a new rationale, I believe, from the president on why General Soleimani was killed.
[Acosta:] Yes, this caught our attention earlier today, Anderson. When the president was talking with reporters, some of the same video you were showing a few moments ago, the president told reporters that Soleimani was essentially taken out because the Iranians were plotting to what he said he described as a plot to blow up the embassy in Baghdad. Now, earlier in the day administration officials were telling us, telling other news outlets that, no, the president was talking about the storming of the Baghdad embassy at the end of last year. And then late today just before 6:00, Pentagon officials were telling reporters, no, in fact, they have intelligence that leads them to believe that the Iranians were actively plotting to blow up an embassy to use explosives to harm U.S. diplomatic personnel. Anderson, we should point out the president is having a rally right now where he was just telling supporters in Ohio that he suspects that the Iranians were looking at what he called embassies, not just an embassy. And so, he's using a plural use of the term there. So at this point, Anderson, tonight it is very difficult to sort out what is coming from the intelligence community and what is coming just from the rhetoric from the president. But obviously there was a contradiction coming out of this administration earlier today. The administration at one point saying, no, no, this is just what the president was referring to. He was talking about this embassy storming that happened late last year. And then the Defense Department said almost the exact opposite, that they believe Soleimani was plotting to blow up an embassy Anderson.
[Cooper:] All right. Jim Acosta Jim, thanks very much.
[Acosta:] You bet.
[Cooper:] There's breaking news out of Iran, a welcome development in the investigation, also perhaps in U.S.Iranian relations. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran for us with that. So, what more are you learning, Fred?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi, Anderson. Well, the Iranians at the beginning said that they were not going to let the U.S. or any U.S. entity participate in this investigation at all, saying they were the ones in charge. But now, apparently, the NTSB is actually going to get involved in this investigation. The NTSB just a couple of moments ago actually put out a statement saying they wouldn't speculate on any of the causes of the incident. They are saying they are going to send what they call an accredited representative to take part in this investigation. This obviously coming as the Iranians earlier were saying that is absolutely not going to happen. Now, the Iranians are saying they are allowing Boeing and also the NTSB to participate in this investigation. That certainly is welcome news, obviously, try and move this investigation forward and also, Anderson, to make it more transparent.
[Cooper:] You talked with the head of Iran's Civilian Aviation Authority. What did he have to say?
[Pleitgen:] Yes, that was that was something that was a stroke of luck, because he talked to us and he told us that he did not deny that potentially or possibly that airliner was shot down by an Iranian missile. However, he did say he doubted it. He said that the airline took off, it flew for about five minutes, and then he said it turned around and tried to make its way back to Imam Khomeini Airport, which is the airport that's not really far from where I'm standing right now. He says, he believes, that if that airliner had been hit by a missile, that it would have plunged to the ground immediately rather than being able to try and make a move and go back towards the airport. But, of course, we just saw that video that we were seeing there before, it does seem to indicate something may have been fired at the airline. And then, of course, you have the various intelligence services including the U.S., Canada and other allied intelligence services saying they do believe it could very well have been a surface-to-air missile that took down that airliner. The Iranians, by the way, Anderson, now saying they are going to tomorrow try and decipher the black boxes of that plane. They say there is a team of Ukrainians here, it was the Ukrainian airline that was shot down. They say one of the black boxes is pretty badly damaged. They're not sure whether or not they're going to be able to get the information out of that black box. They say they might have to ask other countries as well. That's another reason why it's such welcome news that apparently now they are allowing the NTSB to get on board as well, Anderson.
[Cooper:] So, just to be clear, the NTSB, will they be allowed to examine the black box itself? Because earlier on, the Iranians were saying nobody else would be able to look at it.
[Pleitgen:] That's unclear whether or not they'll be able to see the black box. Essentially what we heard this is also coming direct from the head of the Civil Aviation Authority. They say that they have the technology to read out the black boxes. However, they also say in the blacks boxes, as badly damaged as they think, they are not sure whether their technology will be sufficient. Now, they say they don't necessarily want to give it to the U.S. They would like the French, the Canadians to possibly help read that data out. However, they also said that all the data, as they put it, that's on that black box that can be retrieved from that black box if none of it has been lost, will be made public for the world to see. That's the exact words of the head of Iran's Aviation Civil Authority Anderson.
[Cooper:] All right. Fred Pleitgen, we'll see. Thanks very much. Perspective now from CNN aviation analyst, Miles O'Brien, CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest, and CNN national security analyst Steve Hall. Richard, you there is this video which we haven't been able to independently verify. There is wreckage on the ground, the black boxes we were just talking about, perhaps radar data. What's the most important at this point in the investigation?
[Richard Quest, Cnn Aviation Correspondent:] The most important is the wreckage to some extent. The black boxes, well, you might have comments on the cockpit voice recorder and the telemetry on the black boxes will show sudden loss of power. They will show the aircraft responding as a result of whatever happened. You will see engine parameters. You'll see all sorts of things like that within the black box. But they won't tell you what you need to know, which is what actually happened. And that will rest on the wreckage. The wreckage, you will be able to tell if the aircraft was pulled apart through various forces, whether or not there is explosive residue, and unfortunately, sad to say to put it in these terms, the remains much those who were on board. They will also tell you what happened. So, getting to the wreckage, independently, and being able to verify that will be crucial.
[Cooper:] Steve, as I've said, you know, we're only showing this video very sparingly. But the from I'm wondering what you make of the video. Again, we haven't been able to independently verify it. When you look at it, what do you see?
[Steve Hall, Cnn National Security Analyst:] You know, Anderson, at this point, it is indeed a little hard to tell exactly what's going on. We won't know probably until a couple of days at least down the road. The imagery that we saw does seem to support a narrative that a missile was fired and that it did indeed take the plane down. But the one thing that I think is sure, Anderson, is that, you know, we have so many western intelligence services that are looking very, very closely at this area of the world given the events that have transpired over the past couple of days that, you know, really there is no doubt in my mind that we have a whole lot of intelligence, we have an extremely close relationship with the Canadian intelligence services, a very special relationship also with the U.K. intelligence services. And, of course, we have our own capabilities. All of those services would be looking at signals intelligence, SIGENT, who was calling who, emailing and using official channels. Electronic intelligence, ELINT, what is the telemetry of what might have been launched, and what was going on with the airplane. Not to mention human services who down the road can give us a more complete picture of what happened. One thing we won't be able to rely on, I'm afraid, is the Iranian government which is, of course, not a transparent government. And so, we have to be very cautious, I think, as to what they say. But I think the intelligence services know what the real story is.
[Cooper:] Miles, is there anything, a commercial pilot could would a commercial pilot be aware of a missile heading in their direction? There's not, I assume there is not kind of warning systems in commercial airlines for that sort of thing.
[Miles O'brien, Cnn Aviation Analyst:] No, the 737-800 is an advanced airliner. This one was three or so years old. A very well-experienced crew, but nothing on board that aircraft would let them know that they had become a target or that somebody was homing in on them with a missile. The system is built, Anderson, to have radar make the determination. In other words, the transponder on the aircraft is sending out specific codes which tell the world what it is and what it is not. Where the disconnect comes is the separation between the civilian air traffic control authorities all over the world and the military itself. And that particular surface-to-air missile battery that may have been involved in this or looks like it was involved in this, probably didn't have access to a lot of that data. It's as if they're watching a black and white 1960s TV as opposed to high-definition television at air traffic control. And so in that context, with that hair trigger alert, and that lack of data, mistakes can happen.
[Cooper:] And, Richard, I mean, I guess it sort of I was unaware that planes would be allowed to fly given the circumstances of what was happening in the region and only hours after missiles had been launched.
[Quest:] This is something that clearly will be closely investigated. Look, most major airlines have been avoiding Iranian and Iraqi air space. U.S. carriers have been banned from going across there. I saw one confidential document from a European airline which talked about how they were going to circumvent those particular countries. And the implications and where they were going to have to land and put fuel stops and extra staffing on all of those sort of things. Now, why did Ukrainian International Airlines decide to fly that flight only a few hours after the missiles? That is an unknown. That is a risky operation by that airline and will go to the core on one side of it. But, you know, when you talk about what happened in this particular incident, was it a missile or was it not? There is a very simple way the Iranians can tell us. I mean, the Iranians know. Did they or did they not shoot it down? And I suspect investigators all around the world are going to spend a lot of time trying to analyze third-party evidence when really the Iranians have the answer, pure and simple.
[Cooper:] Miles, is it known at this point whether I'm not exactly sure how that particular surface-to-air missile works. I don't know it would actually hit a plane or it would explode nearby and send shrapnel into an aircraft. Or do we know if the aircraft itself I mean, essentially exploded in the sky? Or if it, if it you know, continued to fly or at least was sort of intact as it headed to the ground?
[O'brien:] The SA-15 is designed to explode in proximity of the aircraft, and that's what we saw with that Malaysian 777 that was shot down by the same sort of surface-to-air missile system in Ukraine in 2014. And interestingly, they were able to triangulate the exact location of the explosion using the different microphones in the cockpit voice recordings. It actually the speed at which they approached those microphones allowed them to define exactly where it blew up, which was about a meter away from the cockpit. So that's the way these weapons are designed. It is a very sudden and catastrophic event and that's why no radio call came from this particular aircraft, or why we can suppose no radio call occurred in this case. If it had been a simple mechanical failure, an engine failure, the crew would most certainly have gotten a radio call out.
[Cooper:] Miles O'Brien, Richard Quest, Steve Hall, thank you very much. Just ahead, the smear campaign that Republican lawmakers have launched, accusing anyone who questions the president's decision in Iraq and Iran will were supporting the terrorists overseas. We're going to talk about it with one former top law enforcement official who has had enough. And later, new reporting on how soon we could see the president's impeachment trial begin.

[Daniel Mckenna, Father Of Finnegan Mckenna:] -sharing that and, you know, it it seems to have made a lot of people happy.
[Van Jones, Former Special Adviser To President Obama, Cnn Host, The Van Jones Show, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes. But but this should just be normal.
[Mckenna:] It should be normal.
[Michael D. Cisneros, Father Of Maxwell Hanson:] Yes, exactly.
[Jones:] Two beautiful kids.
[Mckenna:] Yes.
[Jones:] Like each other.
[Cisneros:] Yes.
[Jones:] They play and-
[Cisneros:] And they were just being themselves like they hug all the time like it wasn't anything.
[Mckenna:] Yes.
[Cisneros:] You know, they hold hands walking down the street, and they dance together, and-
[Jones:] Yes.
[Cisneros:] -they get in trouble together.
[Mckenna:] Yes, they do.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Host, Anderson Cooper 360:] They're so adorable. They're just being themselves. See more of that interview with Maxwell and Finnegan, and their dads, tomorrow night on The Van Jones Show, 7 P.M. Eastern, right here on CNN. His other guest will be Andrew Yang, a Democratic contender, of course, for the White House. Hard to compete though with Maxwell and Finnegan! The news continues. Want to hand it over to Chris for
[Cuomo Prime Time. Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, Cuomo Prime Time:] All right, thank you very much, Anderson. I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to PRIME TIME. What do you say? Let's get after it.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.
[Cuomo:] For all the noise, there is one central question. Is President Trump actively pressuring a foreign power to help in his re-election bid? After three years of investigation, and one Mueller report, to prevent future meddling, is the President really taking us down this road again? Here's the latest. CNN confirmed tonight that President Trump did pressure the President of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden's son, in a call, earlier this summer. The Wall Street Journal, owned by a Trump pal, also reports that pressure was applied, about eight times, in that one call, in hopes Ukraine would work with the President's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani was pushing for Ukraine to look into Biden's son, Hunter too, as he shared last night, in a denial turned admission, that was like something out of a Few Good Men. Did you to ask the Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden?
[Rudy Giuliani, Attorney To President Donald Trump, Former Mayor Of New York City:] No. Actually, I didn't. I asked the Ukraine to investigate the allegations that there was interference in the election of 2016, by the Ukrainians, for the benefit of Hillary Clinton, for which there already is a court finding-
[Cuomo:] You never asked anything about Hunter Biden? You never asked anything about Joe Biden-
[Giuliani:] The only thing I asked about Joe Biden-
[Cuomo:] -and his role with the prosecutor.
[Giuliani:] -is to get to the bottom of how it was that Lutsenko who was appointed-
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Giuliani:] -dismissed a case against Antack.
[Cuomo:] So, you did ask Ukraine to look into Joe Biden?
[Giuliani:] Of course, I did.
[Cuomo:] You just said you didn't. You see how you have to see past the passion, and see the purpose. Giuliani came with a plan, to provide cover for the President, which we will deconstruct for you tonight, in detail. And how do we see the proof of it? Well, just today, the President followed his lead. He did not deny that he too personally asked the foreign government to probe his political opponent. Listen.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] It doesn't matter what I discuss. But I will say this. Somebody ought to look into Joe Biden's statement because it was disgraceful, where he talked about billions of dollars that he's not giving to a certain country, unless a certain prosecutor's taken off the case. So, somebody ought to look into that.
[Cuomo:] We will show you why what the President discussed does matter, and why he discussed it matters even more. And the facts and questions that are driving both concerns, we will lay out, especially now that this President has to explain the same action that he's calling out Biden for, withholding aid to Ukraine. Why did this President release $250 million in Ukraine aid only right after Congressman Schiff asked for information about the whistleblower? As for Biden, he's coming out swinging. "If these reports are true, then there is truly no bottom to President Trump's willingness to abuse his power and abase our country." All right, so let's start filling in the blanks with two top investigators. We have Preet Bharara and Andrew McCabe. Gentlemen, thank you both. So, Preet, when we are looking at this situation, and we're trying to understand what matters, what pops out to you first?
[Preet Bharara, Cnn Senior Legal Analyst, Former U.s. Attorney, Distinguished Scholar, Nyu Law School, Host, "stay Tuned With Preet" Podcast:] Look, you have, as you discussed in the intro, a repeat situation. You have someone who has taken the country through whatever you think about the results, whatever you think about Bob Mueller. We've had two years in which there's been an amazing amount of scrutiny and discussion about the sitting President of the United States, when he was a candidate, and then thereafter, trying to gain an advantage, electorally, against an opponent, by with open arms, asking for help from a foreign power. At the end of the day, there wasn't a crime. At the end of the day, the Office of Legal Counsel says "You can't indict a sitting President." But that's what we've been talking about. Now, here you have a situation where, if the facts are true, and they're they're unfolding in a rapid rate over the over the last couple of days, and will continue to do so, at bottom, you have a sitting President, once again, who is acting like a recidivist. I don't mean that in the legal, you know, at you know, technical term. But he's once again seeking assistance from a foreign power to harm a political rival, the person who might be his opponent in the general election next year. That's crazy, given what he's already put the country through. And, you know-
[Cuomo:] Is it illegal?
[Bharara:] So, I knew you were going to ask that. And and I've been thinking it over the last couple of days about how to talk about this. And it's natural for someone who's a former former prosecutor my expertise is in proving cases beyond a reasonable doubt, and figuring out what evidence you need to meet the elements of a crime. But I want I want to make sure that we don't go down the same road that we have in the past. And that is, to create a culture and an atmosphere, in which, the only thing that matters is did he commit a crime, right? And-
[Cuomo:] If it's not a felony, then it's fine.
[Bharara:] Yes. And and sometimes, you can get to that place when all we talk about is because it's, you know, it's the most sensational thing. If you commit a crime, then that's a big deal. Although, as we understand, and everyone understands now, they didn't two years ago, you can't indict a sitting President. So, whether it's a crime or not, for purposes of of immediate accountability, does it mean a whole hell of a lot? So, I want to make sure that people understand whether or not, for for technical reasons, or substantive reasons, you can make out the elements of conspiracy to commit campaign finance fraud, or extortion, or bribery, some of which elements seem to be-
[Cuomo:] Could still be wrong even if it isn't.
[Bharara:] It is an abuse-
[Cuomo:] Yes.
[Bharara:] If it is true that he is doing these things, it's an abuse of power, and Congress can act because the the question to ask is not limit yourself solely to "Well, was this OK based on the particular facts of the case?" If this is OK, if the President of the United States can call up foreign leaders, and withhold aid, or threaten, you know, various sanctions or other things, in exchange for having them do something to harm a political opponent, then what can he not do?
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Bharara:] Do we really want Rudy Giuliani to be flying around the world, and figuring out what buttons to push, on the part of foreign leaders, whether it's in Russia, or China, or Japan, or anywhere else, to to figure out a way to harm a political opponent. That's not what we do in America, whether or not you can make out a criminal case.
[Cuomo:] So, Andrew, that takes us to Rudy Giuliani and my suggestion that he came last night with an obvious agenda. It wasn't just distraction. "I don't want to talk about the President. And I want to talk about Joe Biden." He needs you, me, and everyone listening, to believe that they have a deeply bona fide conviction, deep and bona fide, that Biden was corrupt, his son was corrupt, and their legitimate questions of interest to United States' national security, because then, if the President asked about it, even if he withheld aid, because of its concern about it, well then it's not about his personal agenda, or just wanting to hurt an opponent. Let me give an example of what happened last night. -the President of Ukraine.
[Giuliani:] If the President of the United States said to the President of any country, I have I I am not going to give you money because your country is corrupt, you got to straighten out these problems.
[Cuomo:] We don't know that- And sure enough, Andrew, today what did the President say? "Doesn't matter what I talked about. But somebody should look into Biden. That was terrible what he said." See, it's about the corruption, not about the advantage.
[Andrew Mccabe, Former Fbi Deputy Director, Cnn Contributor:] That's right, Chris. I mean there's clearly so much to unpack here. But part of it is a return to the time-honored Rudy Giuliani's strategy, that we all saw, employed so effectively, in the defense of Donald Trump, under the Special Counsel investigation. And that strategy is, "Don't look at this. You know, look up here. Look at this other thing up here. Don't let's not talk about what I did. It's about what you did." And so, again, as you've said, Mr. Giuliani came on television last night, and laid out a conspiracy theory, that if you actually parse through the information that we know, about the actions that were taken in Ukraine, and the the the previous corrupt prosecutor, and the fact that he's been you know, there is absolutely no evidence to indicate that either Biden did anything improper, and that in the earlier investigation of Hunter Biden's activities with respect to that energy company, were basically cleared before any of this stuff happened. But put all that aside, Mr. Giuliani threw out some very compelling and inflammatory conspiracy theories, and those are the things that will capture the attention of Mr. Trump's supporters, and will carry them through, hopefully, if you're Rudy Giuliani, this period, rather than suspecting the President of having done something improper. They've given them a inflammatory and salacious story to point to, and say, "No. It's not what about what the President did. It's about what the other side did." So, this is just what we've been watching and going through for two years. But I should say one thing, as well, just to tack on to what some of Preet's comments. This simple fact that we now have, quite possibly, we're not sure because we don't have all the facts yet, but we may have the President of the United States, and his personal emissary, exhorting, or in fact, possibly extorting, a foreign government to commence a criminal investigation of a United States citizen is remarkable. I don't know that I have ever seen, or heard, any such thing from a President or any other Head of Agency, you know, in my 21 years in government service. Yes, do do U.S. law enforcement officers, and the FBI work with foreign partners? Absolutely. But that is when we have an ongoing, fully, lawfully authorized criminal inquiry, we've reach out to other governments through mutual legal assistance treaties-
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Mccabe:] -and we ask for information. We don't have the President of the United States get on the phone, and put pressure on a foreign country, to start, you know, essentially persecuting a U.S. citizen. That is remarkable.
[Cuomo:] So, there are a couple of boxes, I need you guys to stay around, to check. One is, you got to explain to me the difference between exhort and extort. Only Preet knows the difference between those things. We have to get the whole audience up to speed. But that's why I have you guys with the bigger brains. Two, I want to game out what else we need to know that would matter, and why? And third, unpacking a little bit about the Biden considerations. We know the Ukraine situation. Rudy also brought up allegations about China. What do we know? What are the open questions? There are facts to report and there are questions to ask. So, let's take a break. We'll lay out more information. And then, we'll be back with Bharara and McCabe, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Newton:] Nice. Well, for the Pink Floyd fans out there, I really wish you were here. David Gilmour is auctioning off more than 120 of his guitars on Thursday. So, yes, grab all that cash that you have and make a stash because his black strap, the one that you see right here will probably go for around a $100,000. First, take a listen to this.
[Gemma Sudlow, Christie's, New York:] It's the most important collection of guitars to come to the market in decades. What you see in the galleries here is over 120 guitars from David Gilmour's collection.
[Caitlin Graham, Consultant, Christie's Pop Culture:] He was obviously the lead guitarist of one of the greatest bands of all time, Pink Floyd. So, it's going to be interest from Pink Floyd fans, David Gilmour fans, guitar collectors, rock and roll fans, as well as institutions and guitar makers wanting to buy things for their archives. You know, it's going to cause a big stir among the whole rock and roll community.
[Sudlow:] I think the two instruments that really speak to me, partly, this is my favorite song, the Martin D 35 and the sister 12 string, the D 1228. Two, at least, the guitars that he used to write and record which you'll hear. In one of our galleries, you can actually hear that being played with the guitar themselves. The highlight of the sale is really the black strap. It's just David Gilmour's 1969 black Fender Stratocaster that he purchased at Manny's Music in Manhattan in 1970. Quickly became his primary recording performance guitar and he used it for every Pink Floyd album from that point onwards until 1984. What's incredible is that each of these instruments has their own story with David Gilmour and his iconic career. These are instruments that have played music, defined the lives of several generations, all the proceeds from the sale, a benefiting charity which is also very exciting. So this incredible iconic name and the philanthropic component which has created huge interest from our clients around the world.
[Newton:] Wasn't that lovely. I don't even play guitar and that was just lovely. Anyway, we are going to talk about these instruments as investments, alternative investments like those guitars that you saw there are in fact serious business. They might prove personally rewarding, but sometimes their return rate is a whole different story altogether. Now, two of the most popular are wine and classic cars, and they even have their own indices, yes, their own indices. Judge the numbers for yourself, now since 2016, the S&P 500 is up over 40 percent, you can see it there. Compare that to wine, up 21 percent, and classic cars up 5.6 percent. Dietrich Hatlapa is the founder of the car index HAGI and he joins me now from London. I mean, we'll talk about the returns in the first instance, but I'm fascinated about people who choose to buy these so-called trophy assets, I would call them. Is it principally because they do want to own it or do many people get into this purely for the investment?
[Dietrich Hatlapa, Founder, Historic Automobile Group International:] I think purely for ownership. There are a lot of benefits rather than the financial benefits. We call them the non-financial benefits, pride of ownership, they being able to participate in events, they can work on the cars and they can drive them and that makes a big difference. And then if the investment makes financial sense, then that's an added bonus.
[Newton:] It's an added bonus, and yet I know car collectors who have never driven any of their cars. They might admire them in very
[Hatlapa:] It's true
[Newton:] Interesting climate controlled garages. When I look at that return, and it said 5.6 percent, what are we missing if we just look at the aggregate number in terms of the return on investment?
[Hatlapa:] Well, like any other investment, this can have a very good period or it can have a period of more benign returns. If you go back to the about five, six years ago in 2013, our index, the main index, the HAGI top index went up by over 46 percent. The Ferrari index, the HAGI F index that we measure only the Ferrari cars, classic collectors' cars went up over 62 percent in one year alone.
[Newton:] One year, 62 percent
[Hatlapa:] And since 20
[Newton:] Wow.
[Hatlapa:] Yes, in one year, 62 percent and the main index is still more than 46 percent.
[Newton:] In terms of the expansion of this as a category, whether, you're a collector or whether you're an investor, you know, we're looking at guitars and yet there seems to be a collector and maybe you might say an index, an index very soon for a lot of these different categories of assets. I mean why is though? We use the word alternative investment. But is it just people really putting so much more into their passion these days or are they really looking for an alternative investment to what the traditional ones are?
[Hatlapa:] I think they're not really looking for an alternative investment. When you look at it, it's very important to check what the size of the markets are and what the liquidity is. And these markets, even if they are the main collector's market, they are tiny in comparison with financial assets. If you depends on your definition, but the classic car market, you could define it as being capitalized at 100 billion, and that's about the tenth of the value of Amazon, and it's the entire market. So these are these are tiny little markets and there are some people who have the passion and they have the knowledge and, therefore, at times they feel more comfortable in allocating some of their liquidity towards these collectors' assets because they like them and because they feel welcome and they feel comfortable with these.
[Newton:] You mentioned a very good point there, and that's liquidity, being able to sell these on. Everyone has that image of you found a baseball card, you know, at a garage sale and all of a sudden you sold it for $5,000. And yet how much does that turn out to be true? I mean, how these are not very liquid assets, so are they, in general?
[Hatlapa:] Absolutely, you have to have a lot of patience in acquiring these, and you have to also have even more patience when you patience when you're a seller. And therefore, we always recommend people not to exchange one for the other. We use the stock market as a benchmark sometimes to see where are we with these stocks, where are we with these cars? But really, you should you should be very careful, and we would never recommend exchanging stocks for cars. People who have done that have been very successful at times, and that's a good that's a good thing.
[Newton:] We say don't trade currencies because they're volatile. I can only imagine trading something like cars or art at that level. What do you see as kind of the new domain for this? What will we see being collected or traded that, perhaps you know, it was unheard of even that you'd be auctioning off that many guitars 30 or 40 years ago, you'd sell one Beatles item and people thought it was a novelty. Where do you see this going next?
[Hatlapa:] Well, people get very attached with things that have served them well. So, it could be that there are some electronic items that we feel attached to in the future. But I think that cars, for example, and that's my expertise, offer quite a mighty sensory experience. You can drive them, you can smell them, you can do social events, and that I think is here to stay, and the common effects shows clearly pushing into the sector about issuing very rare and low production number cars which are very complicated and already when they're when they're sold by the manufacturer are very expensive. And to I think they're catering for that segment.
[Newton:] Right
[Hatlapa:] So, in my segment, I think you would see some very modern cars
[Newton:] Right
[Hatlapa:] That becomes collectible
[Newton:] Perfect
[Hatlapa:] In the future.
[Newton:] OK, and we will leave it there, thank you so much. Now, there are just moments away on the trade on Wall Street, as you can see, the numbers there, we will have the closing bell momentarily.

[Harlow:] All right, it might be the worst kept secret in politics. Sources tell CNN this morning the former vice president, Joe Biden, is running. That he will finally launch his race officially this week, starting with a campaign video and then a round of kickoff events. Can he win out over a crowded Democratic field which grew to 19 candidates this morning when Congressman Seth Moulton joined the race? A new poll shows there's interest the interest is there. Voters are about as excited now for the 2020 election as they were in the closing days of the 2016 election. Our senior political analyst David Gergen is with me, former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. Good morning to you, sir. I'm so interested in these numbers, David. You have this Fox News poll, 52 percent of voters said they were extremely interested in the 2020 race. That's compared to 54 percent who said the same thing in the closing days of the 2016 election. What do you make of that?
[David Gergen, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Well, I think that the level of excitement are high for both races. And it's become particularly important because the younger generation now, represented by millennials and generation z, as they're called
[Harlow:] Right.
[Gergen:] Will represent over a third of all voters in 2020. They're going to be a new, powerful force in American politics. They tend to lean left. They tend to vote Democratic. But there is a new survey out now in preparation for the CNN town hall tonight in New Hampshire
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Gergen:] Which brings together five leading candidates. There's a poll that's been done by the Institute of Politics here at Harvard, which is a co-partner with CNN for tonight, and it finds that the millennials and generation z are expressing a high degree of anxiety about life. And for the first time our politics seem to be disturbing their mental health.
[Harlow:] Wow.
[Gergen:] They also, as you might imagine, put environment way up there at the top. They're very concerned about the moral direction of the country. They don't trust people running our politics today, especially baby boomers. But this whole notion that our politics are beginning to disturb you know, becoming a problem for mental health for the young, that's new and it's something we ought to be thinking about hard.
[Harlow:] That is.
[Gergen:] Yes.
[Harlow:] It's really significant, David. I'm glad you brought it to my attention. Let me ask you about this polling, the latest Harvard poll. It shows Bernie Sanders is the most popular with young folks, 18 to 29 years old, 31 percent for him, while former Vice President Joe Biden comes in second there at 20 percent support. But also look at guys, if we can throw that back up. What's really interesting to me about Sanders is he's got that 31 percent now. Look at back in early 2015, David. OK, he you know, he's been a senator, he's been in Congress for a long time, but he was polling at 2 percent. Wow.
[Gergen:] Yes.
[Harlow:] I mean what gives him an edge so early on?
[Gergen:] Well, he is you know, he's the contrarian in this race. He's run, you know, well to the left, a proclaimed socialist. And that attracts the many in the young who would like to see more dramatic change. You know, people when you're young, you're very impatient. You think the world ought to move quickly. It's a mess. And that's especially felt by millennials today. And Bernie carries that torch for them. It's really consequential, Poppy, because if Joe Biden falters at all, Bernie is really strong and would become the frontrunner. That would have seemed unlikely, you know, just a few years ago. Very unlikely.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Gergen:] But he's put himself in a position where he carries that torch for the younger generation.
[Harlow:] So you've advised four presidents. If you were advising former Vice President Joe Biden, who's going to get in this week, he's going to have this video and then he's going to do a series of events, what would your long game advice be for Joe Biden, to get in this thing, to lead the pack, and to win?
[Gergen:] I think it very much ought to be that he wants to run to heal the nation. He wants to he's got the age, the experience, the relationships. He knows how politics was once played, how it was once respected, and he wants to restore the politics of that pleases that sets a good moral tone for the country, something we just heard youth disagree with.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Gergen:] But I would do one more thing, Poppy.
[Harlow:] Yes, sure.
[Gergen:] I know this is controversial. I know it seems outlandish. But I think he would be well advised to say, you know, I'm in my mid-70s now. I think it's appropriate that I run for one term. I want to run and try to bring the country together. I want to run on a more bipartisan basis. A more bipartisan government. I you know, I want to take time out from all the partisan bickering and see if we can pull ourselves together
[Harlow:] Right.
[Gergen:] And I'm going to do that in one term and then I'm going to step aside and let the fights will continue then.
[Harlow:] Yes. I've wondered that about him for a long time, right, because then he could say, I am elect me, I will govern to govern, and not to win again.
[Gergen:] Yes.
[Harlow:] But I don't know if he'll do it.
[Gergen:] Yes, exactly, not spend my whole time running for re-election.
[Harlow:] Yes. All right, we've got to go. David Gergen, appreciate the time, as always. Thank you so much.
[Gergen:] Thanks, Poppy.
[Harlow:] So join us live from New Hampshire tonight for our CNN town hall event. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg on the same stage tonight, starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, only right here. We're following breaking news. Of course that horrific attack across Sri Lanka and we're learning that ISIS may have inspired the group thought to be behind the deadly coordinated bombings on Easter Sunday. We'll be right back.

[Michael Smerconish, Cnn Anchor:] Tumult in Tulsa. I'm Michael Smerconish in Philadelphia. For the first time in three months, there will be 19,000 people under the same roof in the United States. I'm well aware of the demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd and recognize the hypocrisy in being concerned about one type of gathering and not another. Still, this feels different. It'll be a campaign rally and here are the rules. The Trump campaign has said every attendee will be subjected to a temperature check and offered hand sanitizer and a mask, although masks are not required. Six feet of separation? It sounds like these folks could be within six feet of six other people while the president is speaking, not to mention entering and exiting, visiting the bathroom or concession stand. Tonight's event stands in stark contrast to the creativity exhibited by others who have a similar need to attract crowds. Consider that the NBA will soon play an abbreviated schedule and players will have the option of wearing a smart tech ring that could provide early detection of COVID-19 or consider the fact that on July 18, comedian Jim Gaffigan will perform at a Scranton casino in the parking lot. Billing himself as the drive-thru comic, patrons will be charged by the car. Vehicles will be spaced according to social distancing. Couples with wedding dates, that's another example. Wedding dates that fell amidst the pandemic have also had to deviate from their plans, like the Washington Heights New York couple that was married in the street, officiated by a friend hanging out of a fourth-floor window. I myself had sold-out speaking commitments cancelled due to COVID, so I recorded my speech in an empty theater for an upcoming CNN special. None of that ingenuity will be in evidence tonight. Why? Presumably because the president perceives precaution as weakness and he wants a split screen that shows himself surrounded by thousands while Joe Biden is speaking to empty rooms. If the president ordered that people wear masks tonight, I'm sure the attendees would do so, but he won't because he doesn't wear one himself, not even when touring a mask manufacturer. To him, that's an acknowledgment or a reminder that the deadly virus is still very much among us, but it is. The World Health Organization warned Friday that the world is in a new and dangerous phase as the global pandemic accelerates. The world recorded about 150,000 new cases on Thursday. That's the largest rise yet in a single day according to the WHO. Nearly half of these infections were in the Americas as new cases continue to surge in the United States, Brazil and across Latin America. No wonder then that Apple just announced it is reclosing 11 stores in four states North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Arizona. Look, the nation has a rich tradition of individualism, manifest destiny, self-determination, call it what you will, but in this case, we are all making decisions not only for ourselves, but for everyone with whom we will come in contact. The data suggests that younger Americans are at an extremely low risk of death, but older Americans and those with underlying illness are at a heightened risk of fatality. So how should the former and the rest of us protect the latter? It's pretty straightforward by wearing masks, social distancing and washing our hands and that goes for whether you're a protester or a president, which leads me to this week's survey question at Smerconish.com. Should masks be required not just recommended, required for large gatherings, be they political rallies or street protests? Joining me now from Tulsa is Tim Murtaugh. He's the communications director for the 2020 Trump campaign. Hey, Tim. Thank you so much for being here. Why not simply require that everybody wear a mask tonight?
[Tim Murtaugh, Director Of Communications, Trump Campaign:] Well, we've chosen Oklahoma because it is practically the most open place in the country and we will be providing masks to attendees that they can wear if they want and everyone who comes in will get a temperature check. Anyone with a temperature will not be permitted inside. We'll also have more hand sanitizer than any group of people could ever possibly want. So all of the precautions are in place and, you know, people I think the I'm pretty sure that CNN has covered the COVID crisis pretty well and so people are certainly aware of the situation and people as you mentioned in your lead-in, people have the freedom of choice and over a million people requested tickets to the president's event here in Tulsa and people come in with their eyes wide open and they know that we have taken the precautions to protect them.
[Smerconish:] But the problem with the individualism argument is that when you make a decision, if you, Tim Murtaugh, were making that decision, you're making it also for me to the extent I come in contact with you. As we all know and it's been drilled into us, the purpose of that mask is to protect those with whom you will then be in contact.
[Murtaugh:] Well, individualism in the United States and freedom in the United States is not just an argument, Michael, it is actually how we live as Americans and it's how Americans always have lived and people do have the freedom of choice whether to come here or not, but again, as you alluded to in your opening, I don't recall this level of concern when there were tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of demonstrators and protesters in cities all across the country, including your hometown and my hometown of Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember the social distancing shaming that CNN and other networks were doing at that time and it was because it was an issue and a cause that the producers and news editors in your organization agreed with, but now when it comes to being a Trump rally, well, all of a sudden the rules are back and it's a rediscovery of the coronavirus crisis which was not, I would say, on the front lines of your thinking when it was the protests you were covering.
[Smerconish:] Well, that may be the case for others, but you need to listen more to my radio program because I've discussed both in an ongoing way. I'll simply say this and then I want to move on to another aspect. The wording of my survey question today very carefully says all of the above. I recognize there's a difference between indoors like tonight and outdoors in a street protest. I want everybody associating with others in a large setting to wear a mask. Here's what I think is really going on. The president tweeted a photograph I'm sure you've seen it of Joe Biden speaking in a seemingly empty room where people are engaged in social distancing. Catherine, put that up on the screen. And my theory, Tim, is that it's a political calculus where the polls right now don't favor the president. He wants to remind people that he can draw a throng of thousands and then have a split screen where there's Joe with just a couple of people socially distant. Is that the image he's playing for tonight?
[Murtaugh:] Well, I think it was always going to be the image whether we played for it or not and whether there was a coronavirus crisis or not. The fact is President Trump can pack 20,000 seat arenas and we're going to have tens of thousands more people out here in the streets. So people will actually have a choice between whether to go inside or stay outside and the president will be speaking at both locations. But Joe Biden has never been able to draw a crowd and it will be a split screen to show the great enthusiasm behind President Trump's re- election campaign with tens of thousands of people supporting his reelection versus Joe Biden who couldn't draw a crowd at 120th of that size on his best day outside of the coronavirus crisis anyway. So whether or not the split screen is going to happen tonight or whether it was going to happen three months from now, it was always going to happen. There is a huge enthusiasm gap, but President Trump's voters would run through a brick wall to vote for him. Ain't nobody running through a brick wall for Joe Biden. We know that.
[Smerconish:] But see, you're confirming, I think, what this is really then all about. It's that health is being put in a secondary position so that the optics can show to the Trump base, hey, in those polls, even the "Fox News" poll where I'm getting hammered, don't worry about it because I can still bring people out in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
[Murtaugh:] It was always going to be the case that Joe Biden can't draw a crowd and the president can and we're in Tulsa, Oklahoma because it's practically the most open place in the entire country. It was always going to be a contrast between President Trump's leadership, his effectiveness as president and his excellent record of achievement versus Joe Biden who has a 44-year record of failure and he's running on ideas to fix things that he should have fixed in his first four- and-a-half decades in Washington. No one is excited about Joe Biden. No one. These false polls that you show us you know, in 2016, if we believed the public polls, Hillary Clinton would be in the White House right now and the "Fox" poll "Fox News" poll is really one of the worst offenders and we know that the president's in a strong position and whether or not we're here in Tulsa or anywhere else, the contrast between the excitement behind President Trump's re-election and just the doldrums that surround the Joe Biden campaign were always going to be in evidence and so that contrast was inevitable.
[Smerconish:] Quick final question if I may. If tonight is so safe, why is a waiver necessary for all the attendees? Why do they have to click an acknowledgment that they are giving up their right to sue if they get sick tonight?
[Murtaugh:] Come on now. You know that if we didn't have that waiver, you'd be asking me the opposite question and it's just standard language. I mean, my wife booked a massage the other day and there was a similar waiver on the website for her and if you buy a ticket to a baseball game, on the back of that, there's a liability waiver that says watch out, you may get hit by a foul ball or a flying bat if it leaves the field of play. So that's just standard and, you know, if it were in the opposite situation and we didn't have that, you'd be asking me the opposite question.
[Smerconish:] Hey, Tim, thank you so much for being here. Come back.
[Murtaugh:] Sure. Thank you, Michael.
[Smerconish:] Could someone who gets sick tonight turn around and sue the Trump campaign? Joining me now to discuss is trial attorney Shanin Specter. He teaches at the law schools of Hastings, Stanford, Berkeley and Penn. Full disclosure, I'm affiliated with his law firm of Kline & Specter. He just published this piece at CNN.com, "Coronavirus waivers and immunity bills are a big mistake." Shanin, I'm going to put up on the screen the waiver that attendees in Tulsa have been asked to acknowledge. I'll read it aloud and then I'll ask you for your assessment. "By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public space where people are present. By attending the rally, you and any guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.," et cetera, et cetera, "Or any of their affiliates responsible, liable for any illness or injury." Your reaction is what?
[Shanin Specter, Trial Attorney, Law Professor:] Mike, that waiver is almost certainly not enforceable. A court would find it to be against the public interest, against public policy and not enforce it. Mr. Murtaugh says to you these things are standard. This might be the first political rally in American history where anyone was asked to sign a waiver of liability before going in. So I think that it's pretty clear this waiver is not going to be enforceable. Mr. Murtaugh said to you just a moment ago that Trump supporters would run through a brick wall for him. What he really means is that they will run through a coronavirus wall for him and that's what's going to happen today in Tulsa. There will be people in that auditorium who will have coronavirus who will not test positively on the temperature check because some people will not be symptomatic even though they have the virus. They will be in the arena, they will spread the coronavirus. Folks who have signed these waivers will get coronavirus. They probably have very weak lawsuits frankly because a jury will not be sympathetic to their claims since they do know they are assuming some risk of getting the virus, but they will go home and they will spread coronavirus to mom and to dad and to their siblings and to their spouses and to their kids and to others in their workplace and in restaurants and this is a very poor idea.
[Smerconish:] So what is a business take this out of the political realm. What is a business to do? AMC flip-flopped yesterday, initially saying that they would not require masks and then saying that they would require masks. What is a business to do in this environment?
[Specter:] Yes, Mike. You're right. AMC flopped yesterday and so did Revival Theaters as well. They originally said we're going to supply masks, but not require them and then decided to require the masks and that was very smart. What a business should do is very simple just follow the rules. Follow the CDC guidelines, follow your state and local recommendations and laws and if you do that, you will not be successfully sued. You're only required in America to act reasonably. You aren't required to act perfectly and it is reasonable to simply follow the rules and if you do that, there won't be a successful suit. What a business a should do...
[Smerconish:] Well, let me...
[Specter:] ... instead of saying, sign a waiver, a business should say we care about you, we care about your health and your safety. We strive to make our workplace safe, our restaurant safe, our business safe. If you see something you think is not safe, please tell us, please tell a manager. That's a positive message. that's what people want to hear. People want to hear that where they're going cares about their health and safety. What the president is saying today regrettably is I care more about my political future than I care about your health and safety. He'd be much better off for the country and himself if he said please wear a mask.
[Smerconish:] OK. Wait. A quick final response from you to bring this full circle. I can hear the Trump campaign saying, well, wait a minute, Mr. Specter. We are following the rules. There's not a requirement in Tulsa that everyone wear a mask. If there were, then we'd follow that rule.
[Specter:] That's not correct. There is still a common law requirement of reasonable care. It is unreasonable to not require excuse me 19,000 people, the largest crowd to assemble inside in America in over three months. It's unreasonable to not require those folks to wear a mask.
[Smerconish:] Shanin, thank you for being here.
[Specter:] You're welcome. Thanks, Mike.
[Smerconish:] What are your thoughts? Tweet me @Smerconish or go to my Facebook page. I will read some responses throughout the course of the program. What do we have, Catherine? From Twitter, "The president can have a huge rally, but my kid can't have a real graduation. How is that OK?" Well, I mean the differing result from this, you're not the only one who's providing us with a lot of assessment in saying if they can do this, why can't I do that? Obviously he's free to do whatever he wants and I guess my guest's point is so long as he exhibits reasonable care, as long as he displays reasonable care to all of his attendees. In your case, obviously it was the school that decided it was unwise. I want to know what you think. Go to my website at this hour and make sure you're answering the survey question. Should masks be required not just recommended, required for all large gatherings, be they political rallies or street protests? Up ahead, before Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer, he pointed a Taser at the officer. This moment is crucial to the entire incident. We examine how Georgia law on Tasers and stun guns could shape the outcome of the case. And just how dangerous is a Taser? We'll take a closer look at its capabilities with the CEO of the company that manufactured it. Plus, Bill Barr announced that he was replacing Geoffrey Berman, the powerful U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York, but Berman is refusing to step down until the Senate confirms his replacement. Is President Trump within his rights to remove him?

[Harlow:] Welcome back. JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon sat down with our Christine Romans and made it very clear that the stock market right now does not reflect the economic pain of so many Americans. Watch this.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] Can you explain to our viewers the difference between what we're seeing in Washington on Wall Street and what regular people are feeling right now with 13 million people out of work?
[Jamie Dimon, Ceo, Jp Morgan Chase:] Well, I and I think it's far more important. So, literally, I mean, when you have 13 million people out of work and you've got people suffering and small business suffering, that's far more important than, you know, the vicissitudes of Wall Street. And, you know, I think so I'm much more sympathetic there. That's what we should worry about.
[Harlow:] You can see Christine's entire interview. It's fascinating. Just go to cnnbusiness.com. All right, no sign that the stalemate on Capitol Hill is letting up. This as tens of millions of unemployed Americans, hit hard by the coronavirus recession, await a new round of relief. And there are major questions about the legality of the president's executive action on unemployment benefits and payroll taxes. So what does this mean for the American consumer moving forward? One of the best people to ask is someone who runs one of the biggest, most iconic companies in America, and that is Ford Motor. Jim Hackett, the outgoing CEO, joins me. And it's a big day for you guys. You're launching the Bronco, as we all see see behind you. So talk about that in the context of where we are in this economy. I mean, you know, it doesn't look like any deal's coming, Jim. And if it doesn't, I wonder what that means for for the strength or the weakness of the American consumer and the ability of buying new cars, like you guys are trying to sell.
[Jim Hackett, Ceo, Ford:] Hi, Poppy. Well, you know, this is a big day for us. And you can see the setting that I'm in. We didn't have an auto show, so we built a place where people can come and test the Bronco today, the media. And the excitement for this product's unprecedented. We've had over 150,000 reservations. I think it says a lot about two things, that the economy still has vitality in it. It is challenged. But also there's a desire by people to want to experience something other than being sheltered in place. And so this notion of outdoors is is really helping fuel the success of this.
[Harlow:] Jim, you know, when you look at the overall numbers, second quarter Ford U.S. vehicle sales were down 33 percent, but yesterday we heard the president say this. Listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] An automobile boom. We've rarely seen anything like it and it's going on right now in America.
[Harlow:] Is that what we're seeing? I mean would you agree with the White House when they say, look, you've got a v-shaped recovery. They paint a really rosy picture for the American consumer. Are you that optimistic?
[Hackett:] Well, you know, I'm wondering myself why the car sales have actually rebounded as strongly as they have. This happened all over the world, by the way. It's happening in Europe and China as well. And I think there was pent-up demand. But I also think that a lot of the unemployment that we were able to continue, companies didn't totally downsize. Ford didn't. So people were getting paychecks. They continue to spend. And then what Jamie was talking about is this disaffected part of the economy, which is tragic. That group will have an effect on the economy down the road. So we need to get all of these people back to work for sure.
[Harlow:] Yes. It sounds like you're saying there is more pain for the economy down the road that we're not seeing right now.
[Hackett:] I think that Jamie has spoken about this and I would concur that because of the CARES Act and because of corporations being able to sustain employment, even though things like Ford factories were shut down for ten weeks, it kept the economy with momentum. But if we do not get all these folks back to work, that's going to have an effect.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Hackett:] So I'm you know, I'm cautiously optimistic that we can bridge those two periods.
[Harlow:] Yes. Well, look, you use the word cautiously too, right? And the question becomes, if Congress does not reach a big deal and get something done here on stimulus, is could this be a bigger crisis for the auto industry down the road than 2008?
[Hackett:] I'm not projecting that, Poppy. But I will tell you, from '08 to '10, and, remember, Ford didn't take a bailout in that period.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Hackett:] I think the Federal Reserve has done masterful work here in keeping all the right things in place for the economy to recover from this damage. And it looks like it may affect 15 percent of the world's GDP eventually, the cost of the pandemic.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Hackett:] So it's not a trivial effect. But the way that the way the banking system's responding around the world, that's reasons for optimism.
[Harlow:] Yes, let's hope, right? There's only so much the Fed can do, and they've done a lot. Let's talk about reopening your plants, because the last time you were on the program with us back in May, you were just reopening U.S. plants. And you had to subsequently shut some of them, you know, thousands of people that were working there, because of Covid. We just, saw in the last two weeks, 32 employees at one of your your plants in Louisville, Kentucky, tested positive. I guess the broader question is, Jim, with all of the efforts you guys are doing, social distancing, cleaning, deep cleaning, what would meaningful, rapid testing mean for you guys? And what does it mean that the country doesn't have it yet for every single employee at every single company so that this is happening?
[Hackett:] Well, you're on the right attribute of how to fix this. It's one of two big things. Testing quickly, we are doing that, but not as fast as we'd like it to be, and masks that we're delivering to our employees. In fact, Poppy, the safety inside the plants are so high that we're outperforming, you know, the overall environment in terms of infection rates. Everywhere in the world, Ford factories are safer than where people leave and they go to wherever they go. So I know these practices are paying dividends.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Hackett:] And so masking is now the big thing that we've got to ensure we continue.
[Harlow:] Yes. But is it a failure I mean, Jim, just candidly, of the U.S. government, that you can't, for example, have those rapid 15 minute tests in every single one of your Ford plants right now?
[Hackett:] Well, I don't know who to point the you know, the criticism at. I know, in listening to a lot of smart people
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Hackett:] That the challenge with the testing is to get rid of the falses, false positive, false negatives, because that you tee off of that, right? And so it's not that we don't have rapid testing, it's that we've got to make the accuracy higher.
[Harlow:] And we and we just we don't have we don't have enough on it. I want to spend a little bit of time talking about diversity. Given the reckoning that this country is importantly having, albeit pretty late on race, you guys are auditing 188,000 Ford employers and you've been having a real companywide conversation on race. This at a company where, as you know, since Henry Ford, every single CEO of Ford, including you and your successor, has been a white man. Talk about that and why is it that there has been such an issue with elevating black men and women to lead America's biggest companies.
[Hackett:] I'm excited about what this tragedy brought in terms of reflection. I've never seen anything like it in my business career. Henry Ford created really the middle class wage when he changed the hourly wage, Poppy, in factories. And so there was a black flight from the south to the north. So the history of the company in this is profound. What I've learned from the Black Lives Matter movement is that companies need to design the acceptance of why black lives matter. And it not only includes promotions and opportunity, it's of in the recruitment, in the development. And so that's what we've done in a stem to stern review. I'm on a nightly call where we look at ideas that we're going to institute. So there's a lot of momentum now behind this. And I don't think the issue of a diverse leader of Ford is too far-fetched. By the way, Jack Nasser, you know, he was Lebanese.
[Harlow:] Yes, I do.
[Hackett:] And so we've we've had we've had yes, we've had we've had diversity in the company. In fact, when I was running Steelcase, I, from afar, I thought Ford had one of the best programs in supplier and dealer development, and it still does. So but, listen, this is this is a wake-up moment for all CEOs. We have to be better at this.
[Harlow:] Yes. For sure, right? It goes to the board. You guys have one blackboard member, but there are 13 members. It goes to the board. It goes to leadership. And and I appreciate you taking that question, Jim Hackett, and congratulations on your three years at Ford. We wish you luck. I hope you get to go to an island and relax for a little bit after all of this. Thanks very much.
[Hackett:] Yes, 26 years thank you, Poppy. Twenty-six years doing this. I'm looking forward to a little break.
[Harlow:] I bet. Thank you, Jim.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Who will Joe Biden choose as his running mate? It's getting close and might we learn the answer to that question as soon as today? The latest on the highly anticipated decision, next.

[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] Astonishing claims by the president's lawyers. How they played with moderates one day before a critical vote on witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Foreign governments are rushing their citizens out of China to contain the coronavirus. Hear from one American student trying to get out of Shanghai.
[Jarrett:] And Kobe Bryant's widow breaks her silence. Her emotional tribute to the late NBA legend. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.
[Romans:] Good morning, everyone. I'm Christine Romans. It is Thursday, January 30th, 4:00 a.m. in New York and just four days now to the Iowa caucuses. Today will be day two of questions for senators in the trial to impeach and remove President Trump. If the 93 questions on day one were any indication, many senators are still waiting for answers. One of Tuesday's more remarkable moments came when Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz rolled out, let's call it a novel legal argument, that before an election, the president's personal interests and the national interests are the same thing.
[Alan Dershowitz, Trump Attorney:] Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest. And mostly you're right. Your election is in the public interest. And if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.
[Jarrett:] Let's be crystal clear about what Dershowitz is saying there. That argument envisions almost unchallenged presidential power. Remember the president is accused of trying to bully Ukraine into announcing political investigations against his political rival in exchange for military aid Ukraine needs to fend off Russia. Another noteworthy moment, the president's legal team argued information from a foreigner is not foreign interference if that information is credible.
[Patrick Philbin, Deputy White House Counsel:] I think Congress has specified specific ways in which foreigners cannot be involved in elections. Foreigners can't vote in elections. There are restrictions on foreign contributions to campaign. Mere information is not something that would violate the campaign finance laws, and if there is credible information, credible information of wrongdoing by someone who is running for a public office, it's not campaign interference for credible information about wrongdoing to be brought to light.
[Romans:] Note that no credible evidence of wrongdoing by Joe or Hunter Biden was brought to light even though the president tried to solicit it. We are inching closer to a make-or-break moment in this trial, a vote on new witnesses. With that in mind maybe the most important question yesterday came from two moderates still on the fence. Phil Mattingly is on Capitol Hill.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Well, Christine and Laura, it was a long day but it was one that actually had and served a very real purpose for senators on both sides of the aisle, for the House managers and for the president's lawyers. An opportunity, the first opportunity for the senators themselves to ask questions of both sides. Now, the Chief Justice John Roberts was the one actually asking the questions but senators from both sides, rotating taken back and forth, Republican to Democrat, throughout the course of Wednesday, asked the questions that have been dragging their thought process throughout this process. And one of the most interesting by far out of dozens upon dozens of questions was a question from Senator Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, two moderate Republicans who have made clear they are considering voting yes with Democrats to move forward on considering subpoenas and for witnesses and documents.
[John Roberts, Chief Justice Of The United States:] Before Vice President Biden formally entered the 2020 presidential race in April of 2019, did President Trump ever mention Joe or Hunter Biden in connection with corruption in Ukraine to former Ukrainian President Poroshenko or other Ukrainian officials, President Trump's cabinet members or top aides or others?
[Philbin:] I think it's important at the outset to frame the answer saying I'm limited to what's in the record and what's in the record is determined by what the House of Representatives sought. So I can't point to something in the record that shows President Trump at an earlier time mentioning specifically something related to Joe or Hunter Biden.
[Mattingly:] It's those answers that really underscored why Democrats during and after the proceedings made clear they believed that the question and answer piece, at least the first part of it on Wednesday, underscored the need for witnesses and for documents. I'm told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is right on the brink of having the votes to defeat that motion to move forward to consider witnesses and documents. Obviously, this is one day after McConnell said that he didn't have the votes yet, but he's been working hard behind the scenes, private meetings with Murkowski, working with all of his Republican colleagues. And I should note, if you listen very closely to the White House counsel's arguments throughout the course of Wednesday, they repeatedly made the point that moving forward on witnesses and documents would be problematic because it would make the trial significantly longer, because it would set potential precedent issues that Republicans may come to regret later, a lot of the same arguments McConnell has been making behind closed doors, I'm told. That said, they still have another full day of questions and answers. Friday, there will be a four-hour debate from both sides on whether or not to move the witnesses and documents. And then there will be a vote. And if that vote goes down, I'm told right now, McConnell plans to move very quickly to try to have a final vote to acquit the president of all charges guys.
[Jarrett:] Phil Mattingly, thanks so much. So at the center of the witness fight, John Bolton's book. Now, the White House is using an argument about classified information to keep the former National Security adviser's book from seeing the light of the day. Bolton submitted a draft manuscript to the National Security Council for review to make sure no classified material was compromised. Now, a formal threat has been sent to Bolton's lawyer.
[Romans:] A top official at the NSC writes, "The book appears to contain significant amounts of classified information and that could be expected to cause exceptionally grave harm to the national security." Bolton's attorney pushing back, saying, "Of the Ukraine related chapter, we do not believe that any of that information could be reasonably considered classified." And it points that if Bolton does testify, much of this matter is sure to come up. Bolton's lawyer is asking for a review of the book to be expedited.
[Jarrett:] The White House is setting up a coronavirus task force to deal with the potential threat to the United States. President Trump claiming he recently spoke to Chinese President Xi about containing the virus. But that may not be true. The White House confirms the two leaders haven't talked since December. Nearly 200 Americans flown out of China will stay at a military base in Southern California for at least three days to be monitored. Officials will not set up a blanket quarantine for evacuees from Wuhan, that epicenter of the outbreak. The number of cases in mainland China now tops 7,000, more than doubling since Monday. The virus has killed more than 170 people. Let's go live to Beijing and bring in CNN's David Culver. David, what is the latest we're learning from officials there.
[David Culver, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, we know that the World Health Organization is going to be holding an emergency meeting today, Laura, and that's possibly where they're going to change the assessment of this from very high here in China and a high risk globally to potentially even a global emergency. So often when we're talking, we're talking about what's happening within the lockdown and rightfully so. I mean, this is 15 cities, 60 million people and at the core of this, the epicenter it's the city of Wuhan. But outside of that there are also struggles for people. In fact one American student who was studying abroad, who's part of this exchange program, just got to China, to Shanghai, a massive city of 24 million people, three weeks ago. She's encountering it to be increasingly eerie as she puts it. She says it's almost like a ghost town and it's disturbing for her to see because it's also for her and her classmates in a college that's now closed, becoming increasingly difficult for them to venture out and get food and she says it's risky too because they're risking exposure of themselves. I want you to listen to her assessment of life in Shanghai as a college student and why she's getting out.
[Jenna Davidson, U.s. College Student Studying In China:] You know, we got here before the outbreak and it went south really quick. I think things unfolded a lot faster than we thought they would. We went from just being, you know, encouraged not to go outside and not go to, like, private places to do not go outside, do not ride the metro. It went from being just a little scary to pretty scary.
[Culver:] I asked her what are the stores like when you go there. And Laura, she says it's like zombie land. That's the way she described it. People are fighting over some of the last things on the shelves. She also says that she has booked a flight out, I said where are you going, she said Africa. I said who do you know there? She said no one. It was one of the flights I could get on and I'm leaving. $2,000 is what is costing her to get out but she's determined to do so.
[Jarrett:] Wow. That's obviously prohibitive for a lot of people. $2,000 is a lot of money. David, thank you so much. See you soon.
[Romans:] Nine minutes past the hour, the Trump economy is looking a lot like the Obama recovery. Just last week President Trump said this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The United States is in the midst of an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen before.
[Romans:] And the problem is growth statistics don't show it. In the third quarter of 2019 the economy grew at 2.1 percent. That is not the 3 percent, 4 percent, even 5 percent the president promised from his tax cuts and deregulation. Now GDP figures for the fourth quarter and for the full year of 2019 will be released in just a few hours. Growth in the fourth quarter is likely to be around 2 percent. We've seeing economists lower their expectations for growth at the end of the year. So far Trump's promises of super charge growth have been elusive. And now there are new uncertainties for 2020. The Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has acknowledged that Boeing's 737 MAX crisis will ding economic growth. Wednesday Boeing posted a net loss of $636 million last year, the first time it has lost money in 22 years because of this crisis. Its core commercial aircraft operation lost $6.7 billion. The coronavirus outbreak is another uncertainty for investors and the global economy.
[Jarrett:] And obviously just they can't figure out the scope yet so that adds just like that uncertainty to the market.
[Romans:] That's right.
[Jarrett:] Well, the longest drug smuggling tunnel ever discovered along the Mexico border.

[Cabrera:] Most commercial airliners in the United States are still sitting pretty empty waiting for a day when air travel returns to something close to normal. Until then, it is masks for nearly everybody. Strict rules about where you can sit and a massive industry trying to keep passengers safe during a pandemic. Here's CNN aviation correspondent, Pete Muntean.
[Pete Muntean, Cnn Aviation Correspondent:] Packed in passengers might not be the norm right now according to major airlines, but more scenes like this are raising new concerns about whether you can maintain social distancing while flying. Change or cancel a trip because of coronavirus and you are not entitled to a refund according to a new guidance just laid out by the Department of Transportation. It says you can get your money back within a week if it is the airline that cancels. But if you cancel, what you get back is up to the airline. In the U.S., more than half of all airliners are now parked, but more passengers are stepping on board a shrinking fleet. The number of people passing through security has climbed to the highest level in six weeks.
[Barry Biffle, Ceo, Frontier Airlines:] So we're already seeing visiting friends and relatives, kind of our backbone of our business. We're already seeing that start to come back. But it's at a very small level.
[Muntean:] United Airlines will now warn passengers if a flight is near capacity and let them rebook, even though it stresses that most flights are less than half full. All major airlines are now mandating that passengers wear masks, but are not guaranteeing that every middle seat will be empty.
[Rep. Peter Defazio:] We need Federal rules.
[Muntean:] High ranking House Democrats say there is inconsistency and uncertainty in airline policies and want Federal agencies to act.
[Defazio:] I think that we should look carefully at whether or not we require distancing on airplanes, then that could require leaving middle seats open.
[Muntean:] In a statement to CNN, the F.A.A. says its authority lies in safe operation of aircraft and that it is lending aviation expertise to help officials and airlines. Airline workers want more intervention.
[Joe Depete, President, Air Line Pilots Association:] There's a smart way to do this. We need to ensure that we're doing everything we can to prevent unnecessary additional preventable risks for our passengers.
[Muntean:] Without Federal mandates, industry groups say each airline is coming up with its own protocols. Frontier, for instance, will do temperature checks at the gate and may turn you away with a fever higher than 100.4.
[Biffle:] We believe you're safer onboard Frontier, and most airlines for that matter, than most most enclosed buildings.
[Cabrera:] Thanks to Pete Muntean for that report. Let's get someone in here who is plugged into the commercial travel industry more than most of us. Brian Kelly is better known in travel circles as The Points Guy who keeps an eye on trends and prices and deals and destinations. Brian, good to have you. Airline travel is of course the main focus on your site. How far ahead are you looking to see people traveling again in meaningful numbers?
[Brian Kelly, The Points Guy:] You know, it's going to be years until we're back to you know, pre-crisis levels, but we are seeing dramatic increases. And as the world opens up like Italy announced today, Vietnam, we are going to see more and more people booking but it's going to be a long road to recovery.
[Cabrera:] Can people get really good deals on tickets right now?
[Kelly:] Yes, there are some amazing deals, you know, Qatar Airways is now allowing you to book flights and change for free even to other destinations. So, you can book really cheap routes and then change it to a more expensive city pair. So and also using your Frequent Flyer Miles. We've seen dramatic increases even on the top routes where it was almost impossible to get those low level Sabre tickets, and now airlines are releasing those seats because they'd rather have you use your miles then those seats go out empty.
[Cabrera:] We just saw in that report from Pete Muntean that new Federal guidance states airlines are not required to give a refund if a passenger just doesn't feel safe to fly. I've seen a lot of outrage about this on social media. Why do you think airlines are being so stubborn on this and do you see them eventually caving?
[Kelly:] The airlines are being stubborn because they're in crisis mode just to keep the lights on. They're losing crazy amounts of money per day even with the government bailouts. They are in trouble if air traffic doesn't turn around. So, I always recommend to people, use your frequent flyer miles because most airlines have relaxed the rules to get your miles back. So that way you can conserve your cash and use your miles instead for future travel and change it at will.
[Cabrera:] Take a look at this. We have some video. It's a scientific visualization of how droplets can spread in an airline from one person who sneezes or coughs and it basically ends up all over the place. I just wonder, do you feel comfortable getting on a plane right now?
[Kelly:] Well, I just got my third antibody test. Two have said two are now saying that I had it and my pinprick test said I didn't, so I kind of believe that that one was the false test. So, I personally and being in general good health, I do feel comfortable. I don't quite have a flight booked yet. But I would recommend to people, book the window seats where possible. We've actually talked to doctors, put the air vent on blowing away from you. That can help push the spread of the virus. But also, especially on international carriers book, the middle seat. A lot of people if you can't afford business class, it might make sense use miles to book the middle seat to guarantee your safety, because there are just so many unknowns and get a good mask. But just remember, people [inaudible]...
[Ana Cabrera, Cnn:] So the idea of book in the middle seat is that there wouldn't be anybody on either side of you, so you'd have the whole row to yourself?
[Kelly:] Exactly, yes. I mean, airlines like Southwest are making sure that the flights are not going to be over capacity, but most other airlines are not really doing that and they're in crisis mode. They need the cash, so to make sure your environment is safe, you got to do everything possible.
[Cabrera:] Those are all good tips. A journalist this week wrote about her long international flight. It ended with an eight hour wait in Hong Kong to be screened for the coronavirus and the slow process just to be able to leave the airport there. Is her story and extremely case or is that the future of overseas air travel?
[Kelly:] I read that story and was horrified doing the 1830 ` [inaudible 00:01:07] tests spitting into it and waiting on your own results in a dystopian convention hall. But, hopefully not. Iceland has an approach where you get tested on arrival, you're allowed to go to your hotel. And if you do test positive, they make sure you quarantine. So I'm hoping that there's more flexible rules like that. But it's crazy. Every country, every state has different policies. So we really need some federal and international guidance before tourism really bounces back.
[Cabrera:] I mean, eight hours that timeline is enough to like totally turn me off to getting on an international flight. What do you make of the possibility of the TSA implementing temperature checks for passengers as part of the security screening?
[Kelly:] Look, I think it's better than nothing. It's not foolproof. Some asymptomatic people will get through, but I've traveled extensively. We've all seen those people on flights that should not be traveling. And I think just like guns can kill people, we try to prevent them from getting on planes, viruses and public health we need to take more seriously. So I'm all for quick ways for multiple people to be scanned. What we really have to focus on is getting lines shorter. Lines are deadly in this day and age, so using technology to scan people through, check in and security and boarding, using biometrics instead of having a TSA agent, make you wait in line and kind of check to see if your license is actually you, we have technology that will make it safer and faster. So I think the industry as a whole really needs to push to make the whole airport and travel process faster and safer for all passengers and from employees.
[Cabrera:] Brian Kelly, thank you for sharing your insights. Good to have you here.
[Kelly:] Thanks, Ana.
[Cabrera:] Up next, the Georgia shooting grabbing the nation's attention and a new text message revealing how the suspect in Ahmaud Arbery's killing became a point person for police just months before that incident. You're alive in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Alisyn Camerota, Co-anchor, New Day:] We have some breaking political news. President Donald Trump is ready to announce the new city where he will accept the Republican nomination. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is live in Jacksonville, Florida, with the breaking details. What have you learned?
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Alisyn, good morning. We are told that President Trump is poised to announce the city where he will accept the nomination for his second term by the Republican Party. I'm told he will announce it as early as tomorrow, perhaps Friday. He, of course, is doing this after saying he did not want the convention to be in Charlotte, North Carolina, after a bit of a dispute there with the Democratic governor. And one reason that Jacksonville is a leading contender, I'm told, not a final choice, but a leading contender is because this is Trump country. There's a Republican mayor here, of course, a Republican City Council, as well as a Republican governor of the state of Florida. But we have spent the last several days here talking to Trump voters, his base supporters about how they view his re-election.
[Zeleny:] From front yards to a store-front campaign office, science of the president's re-election are blossoming in Trump country, which more than ever these days feels like a world away from Washington.
[Courtney Fernandez, Trump Supporter:] Sometimes, you look at him and you go, OK, that may have been crossing a line, but he means well. He loves our country.
[Zeleny:] Here in Jacksonville and northern Florida, the Trump army is mobilizing for November, promoting the president's record, and not dwelling on his rhetoric.
[Steve Adams, Retired Naval Aviator:] For me, specifically, it's the judiciary.
[Zeleny:] Steve Adams, a retired Naval aviator, believes Trump's most important legacy is building a conservative federal bench. That, alone, he says, warrants a second term. It's not that Trump supporters aren't watching events unfold across the country. They simply view them through a different lens than many Americans. From the photo-op outside St. John's Church last week.
[Beverly Slough, Trump Supporter:] I thought he was displaying support for the Christian Church and this that historic church, but I thought he was very brave to walk there.
[Zeleny:] To the blistering criticism from decorated military leaders, like former Defense Secretary James Mattis and Colin Powell.
[Bob Dickson, Trump Supporter:] Mattis has his opinion. Powell has his. But there are so many Republican leaders who are solidly behind the president.
[Zeleny:] Right
[Dickson:] That he's going to continue to have a large base of support.
[Zeleny:] The question is whether that base is enough to win. With one poll after another, showing an erosion for Trump among independents and women. Dean Black, the local Republican chairman said he doesn't believe those polls.
[Dean Black, Chairman, Duval County Republican Party:] I don't think independent voters are going to be turned off in a way that's damaging to President Trump and the Republican Party.
[Zeleny:] In 2016, Trump carried Duval County, which includes all of Jacksonville by slightly more than 1 point and neighboring St. Johns County by more than 30 points. It's that combination he'll need to win Florida again.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I love Jacksonville! I love it.
[Zeleny:] Jacksonville is now being considered by the Trump campaign for the party's August convention, which prompted cries of outrage today.
[Mayor Lenny Curry, Jacksonville, Florida:] I have no problem with doing my job. I signed up for this.
[Zeleny:] The Trump campaign's TV ads here address the president's style head-on.
[Unidentified Male:] President Trump is not always polite. mister nice guy won't cut it.
[Zeleny:] And that sentiment is echoed in conversations with one Trump voter after another here.
[Karen Deeter, Trump Supporter:] I have issues with his approach to things, but I don't feel the Democratic candidate right now is very strong or would be able to talk the nation further. So, come November, I probably will support him again unless there's just a total collapse.
[Zeleny:] So talking to so many Trump voters, it is clear that they, indeed, are excited. The question is, has the president will he be able to expand beyond his base? It is those voters in the middle, of course, and those who voted for him four years ago, are they excited or exhausted at the prospect of a second term for the president? But it is one of the reasons that Jacksonville is being considered, I'm told, the top contender for the Republican Convention. The president wants to accept it in a place he's welcome. That means Republican leadership and Jacksonville certainly fits that bill. But John, I am told that the president again is likely to make that announcement as early as tomorrow, perhaps on Friday in a presidential tweet.
[Berman:] Yes, no doubt, presidential tweet. I bet you, Republican senators will react to that tweet. They'll see that one. Jeff Zeleny, great to have you in Jacksonville
[Zeleny:] You're right
[Berman:] Your terrific reporting. Thanks for being with us.
[Zeleny:] Sure.
[Berman:] Now, we have a developing story this morning. President Trump reportedly wanted to fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper because he didn't back the president's threat to use active duty troops to put down nationwide protests. The "Wall Street Journal" says advisors talked him out of it, Esper broke with the president last week, saying active duty troops should be used in a law enforcement role only as a last resort. The report says Esper, aware of the president's anger, had actually started to prepare a letter of resignation.
[Camerota:] That's very interesting, John. Thank you. All right, let's talk about how coronavirus spreads. Do asymptomatic people spread it or not? The W.H.O caused a lot of confusion this week. Professor Erin Bromage helps us get the answers to so many COVID questions, next.

[Unidentified Female:] Actress Felicity Huffman reports to jail October 25th to serve a 14-day sentence. Essentially the judge saying this wasn't about college reputations being tarnished or the test-taking process being compromised. This was about privileged kids having a leg up on other college applicants. A tropical storm is heading for the parts of the Bahamas ravaged by Dorian.
[Unidentified Male:] This is the potential to stall the relief efforts that are ongoing across this area. The people here have an incredible spirit, and for the ones who survived, they're not going to let this stop them.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn:] Top of the hour now, good morning to you. I'm Victor Blackwell.
[Amara Walker, Cnn:] And I'm Amara Walker. Thanks so much for being with us.
[Blackwell:] Right now in the Bahamas, we're bracing for a new tropical threat. Tropical Storm Humberto is approaching the northwestern Bahamas today. It will bring rain and wind to Abaco and Grand Bahama, areas that have seen so much devastation. Thousands of people are still missing and displaced by Hurricane Dorian.
[Walker:] Meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the storm from the CNN Weather Center. This is the last thing they need right now, Allison, what should they be preparing for?
[Allison Chinchar, Cnn Meteorologist:] Conditions that are going to deteriorate throughout the day as the storm does get closer to this region, you are going to start to notice those winds beginning to pick up 60 to 70-mile-per-hour wind gusts not out of the question. And a lot of those heavy rain bands starting to slide in too. The storm is moving northwest at just about 7 miles per hour. At some point in the next 24 hours it's going to take a sharp turn to the right, heading back away from the United States and over towards Bermuda. The good news is, in the short term it's only expected to remain a tropical storm strength. We actually have Hurricane Dorian to thank in part for that because all of this water that was here that it churned up is now much colder than it normally would be limiting the current storm from being able to intensify as it moves through those much colder waters that are there. Here's a look. We do still have tropical storm warnings in effect for portions of the Bahamas out there. You can see several of these islands right through here. This is the system and it's going to continue that trek to the northwest and there's a lot of those outer bands bringing very heavy rainfall to these areas. But we're also watching on the other side of Florida too. This particular storm right here now being jumped up to a 30 percent chance of development over the next several days as it begins to head west towards Texas so we will keep a very close eye on that but Victor and Amara, it's mid-September so we've got even more storms in the Atlantic that we're also keeping an eye on over the next several days.
[Blackwell:] Peak of the season. Allison Chinchar. Thanks so much. Right now USAID is standing by in Abeco to help people still on those hard-hit islands. The agency handed out tarps and covered up structures damaged by Hurricane Dorian. Their teams will be waiting out this storm and have shelter supplies ready.
[Walker:] But in the meantime, recovery efforts after Hurricane Dorian are on a hold while this new storm rolls through. CNN's Dianne Gallagher is in Nassau with more. And I know you've been mentioning this but the emotional toll that this has to take on the people there must be tremendous.
[Dianne Gallagher, Cnn Correspondent:] Really, it's triggering, it's traumatizing to have to be going through this, watching this storm path approach the exact same islands just two weeks later. While many of the people are sitting in shelters or if they've returned to what's left of their homes are now trying to board them up, put tarps over the damage that was left by Hurricane Dorian. Now, the government officials in the Bahamas have asked anybody who is in those structures to just go ahead and evacuate to shelters even those on Grand Bahama and Abaco Island. Here's the thing, the aid workers are staying in those areas because they're hoping they can resume relief work immediately after the storm passes. In the meantime, they have search and rescue crews that are on standby, just in case things get worse than they are expecting there on those islands. There are still plenty of people who have stayed. Some people have even gone back. I was talking to our driver here Kendrick who told me that he knows people who evacuated here to Nassau and gone back to Abaco to their home because that's where they feel most comfortable right now. It's difficult to be evacuated after surviving something like that and to watch this kind of bear down on those same areas. One man again, told me this was the cruelty of Mother Nature once again showing her face. So they're trying to grapple with that, while relief workers are trying to figure out sort of pattern how they're going to continue giving aid afterwards. A lot of those supplies stuck here right now in the Nassau area until they can fly back to those islands. They're hoping that will be able to resume tomorrow. Again, though, those aid workers with USAID, some of the other organizations brought some additional supplies early anticipating this coming so they can get straight to work as soon as that storm passes, but Amara, Victor, the emotional toll is that long- term effect on the people of Abaco and Grand Bahama.
[Walker:] That's so sad but we are wishing them the best. Dianne Gallagher, thank you for that.
[Blackwell:] The New York Attorney General has uncovered $1 billion in offshore wire transfers by the Sackler family. That family owns Purdue Pharma, the maker of oxycontin. And now the A.G.'s office is trying to determine how much money the Sacklers have stashed away and where that money is now.
[Walker:] This discovery follows the company's multibillion dollar tentative deal to settle thousands of state and federal lawsuits for its role in the opioid epidemic. Polo Sandoval joining us now from New York with more. Polo.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] Amara and Victor, good morning. Yes, that timing is certainly interesting here. Keep in mind it was a few days ago that Purdue Pharma proposed that settlement between it and various cities, various states. Part of this ongoing legislation that alleges that the pharmaceutical companies, one of the driving factors here behind the nation's opioid epidemic and now this headline here, the New York State Attorney General releasing this new information suggesting that there was millions of dollars that was essentially attempted to conceal. One such example here that I'll mention here for you is that Mortimer Sackler, he's a former board member of Purdue Pharma essentially transferred millions of dollars to various real estate companies here in New York that held multiple townhouses here. I'll read you directly what the attorney general is alleged because defendant Mortimer before we get to this response this is what the attorney general is actually saying, because defendant Mortimer placed these New York real estate holdings in the name of shell companies, their ownership would have been impossible to detect from publicly available records and without access to financial records. Another allegation is that Sackler attempted to transfer monies also into Swiss bank accounts. Now to the response, Sackler simply saying this is not newsworthy that these were legal and he specifically writes, this is cynical attempt by a hostile A.G.'s office to generate defamatory headlines to try to torpedo a mutual beneficial settlement that is supposed supported by so many other states and will result in billions of dollars going to communities. I should mention there is obviously I do want to apologize for the interruption here in our studios in New York. But again, this is certainly significant here as the Sacklers continue with this litigation and of course the A.G. now trying to answer the question. How much money do they have and where it is.
[Blackwell:] Well, I thank you for your patience and cooperation through that test. Polo Sandoval for us there. You can never predict when it comes. They are important and we will accept that.
[Sandoval:] Saturday morning for you.
[Blackwell:] Yes, it is.
[Walker:] You're such a pro though. He didn't skip a beat while that was blaring over the speakers.
[Blackwell:] Polo, thanks so much. All right get to the exists.
[Walker:] Good job, Polo.
[Sandoval:] Thanks guys.
[Walker:] Actress Felicity Huffman is going to prison for trying to buy her daughter's way into college. Her message to the judge before she was sentenced.
[Blackwell:] Plus, CNN is learning that the Justice Department and Congress, they're having a hard time coming to an agreement on gun background checks. So will the president pick a side? We'll discuss.
[Walker:] Also, we could be nearing a major breakthrough for children living with a peanut allergy. What the FDA is recommending, ahead.

[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] And I think the World Health Organization has been the most optimistic about. We've been talking to lots of researchers, Elizabeth and I, around the world. There's a big trial that's part of this 152-center trial that's happening right here at Emory University as well. So I'm sure we're going to get more data maybe from some of these specific sites as well, but this is obviously the news, and it's the best news I think we've heard in terms of a therapeutic in some time.
[John King, Cnn:] Best news in terms of therapeutic in some time. Dr. Brilliant said optimistic, we've heard these announcements. Is there a dose of skepticism there or do you have confidence that they would not have announced this unless they were certain that it at least helps?
[Dr. Larry Brilliant, Epidemiologist:] Are you asking me, John?
[King:] I was asking Sanjay. I was noting your optimism. But you're more than welcome to jump in.
[Brilliant:] Go ahead, Sanjay.
[Gupta:] Okay. I saw you on the screen, and I always love to hear from the brilliant Larry Brilliant. But, yes, I think Larry said he's, by nature an optimist, and I think I would probably say that as well. But, you know, we've been following the story along for some time. And I think there is a real desire for good news, understandably. And I think this is some good news. I mean, under other circumstances, John, we wouldn't be talking about this on your program. It's early study. It wasn't a huge difference between the placebo group and the other group, but it was significant enough in a time when we don't have something else to obviously talk about it. But I don't want to be throwing cold water on this by any means. I just we like to proceed cautiously. And we've also got to make sure in larger and larger groups of people this doesn't cause some sort of problem. I don't anticipate that it should, but that's why you do studies.
[King:] And so, Dr. Brilliant, what happens now? American people are watching this. They saw Dr. Fauci in the Oval Office. They saw the president say this is hopeful, a building block. What happens to people like yourself right now when the phone starts ringing and patients, either somebody who maybe has COVID, who's saying, should I take this now, or somebody else might be saying, well, will it help me prevent getting COVID? What happens in the real-life experience now that the American people hear there might be something that helps?
[Brilliant:] As the months go on and we learn more about COVID, we realize it is really truly an awful disease. It is respiratory and spread, but by no means is this a respiratory disease, if we compare it to influenza or anything like that. It is so bad that we're going to be in a and we are, for people who have this disease in an area of desperation. And the old saw is weak tea is better than no tea at all.
[King:] Interesting way to put it, Dr. Brilliant, Dr. Gupta, Elizabeth Cohen as well, thanks for helping us analyze that breaking news at the White House. Dr. Fauci saying the drug remdesivir shows some progress in battling COVID-19 in patients. Our coverage continues with Brooke Baldwin right now. Have a good day.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] John King, we'll take it from here. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me. And I want to continue the conversation that they've been on this massive development in the fight against coronavirus. This is a big deal. Moments ago, the nation's top infectious disease expert expressed not just optimism but enthusiasm about a medication to treat COVID. It is called remdesivir. And Dr. Anthony Fauci is calling the result of this randomly controlled study, more than 1,000 people, quote, quite good news. In fact, he's speaking about it early so that other patients can get it right away. He says that these early trials show the drug can actually block the virus. So, let's stay on this, because we all could use some good news when it comes to making sick people better. With me now, I have Sanjay is back, Elizabeth Cohen. Sanjay Gupta is back, Elizabeth Cohen is back and Dr. Kathleen Neuzil is with us. She is the Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. And she's currently working on two coronavirus therapies, one of which could become a potential vaccine, vaccine separate from remdesivir. And, Sanjay, let me just start with you, because, listen, I know, I've been out the last couple weeks, so I'm not entirely hip on remdesivir and I'm getting caught up just like so many other people. And so this is a drug, and you're the boss, so you explain, but this is a drug that, let's say someone has coronavirus, and for me, it lasted two weeks. This is something that one could take. And then it sounds like, according to Dr. Fauci, you just get better sooner if you take this drug, according to this trial. Is that right?
[Gupta:] Yes, that's right, Brooke. And, you know, typically, when we do think of antivirals, like Tamiflu, for example, it's not the same really as an antibiotic, but it can lessen the duration and lessen the severity of the disease, which is, you're absolutely right, in some ways, how Dr. Fauci was presenting his thoughts on remdesivir. I haven't seen the data yet on this. And I think we're all going to need to want to really dig into the data, although Dr. Fauci, obviously, talking about it in the way that he did, saying it was quite good news, saying it should become standard of care based on what he's seeing. I think it still seems like a small study. And Elizabeth, I know, and I have both been following this very closely, I mean, there was a report just last week that was not as optimistic about remdesivir. It was a report that was put on the World Health Organization Web site for a little bit and then taken down, and it was subsequently thought to be an underpowered study. This is a larger study than the ones we've seen, although still small. It wasn't a knockout punch, I don't feel, in terms of what it can do. And I'm not trying to sound pessimistic, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] No, you're being realistic and that's why we care. Yes.
[Gupta:] Yes. And I think we also have to make sure as we, potentially and now it's going to start getting used by a lot of people, especially after what Dr. Fauci said today, we need to make sure in these larger groups of people that it doesn't cause any kind of problem as well. You know, that's one of the reasons you go through these various phases of trials.
[Baldwin:] I know, we all want to have this hope and this fix, and this may or may not be it. I want to get to Elizabeth, to you, and Dr. Neuzil in just a second, but let me play this so in case you're just tuning in, you missed what Dr. Fauci just said at the White House. Let's roll it.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] Remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery. This is really quite important. It is a very important proof of concept because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.
[Baldwin:] So, again, you hear that, Elizabeth. And, listen, I'm very careful because I also have Sanjay in one ear being the realist here. How promising do you think this is? What do you make of Dr. Fauci's words?
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] So I'm going to join Dr. Fauci in his optimism and also join Sanjay in his caution. I think it's possible to do both at the same time. And let's look specifically at what these numbers are, what this study of more than 1,000 patients in the U.S. and other countries showed, is that when you look at mortality rate, the mortality rate on people who were on a placebo, a pill that does nothing, it was 11 percent. When you look at the mortality rate on remdesivir, it was eight percent. Dr. Fauci noted that that did not turn out to be statistically significant. But when you look at the duration of illness, which is how long it took for people to get discharged, he said that was statistically significant. And on placebo, it was 11 days I'm sorry, on remdesivir, it was 11 days, and on placebo, it was 15. So it cut the duration of that illness by four days. So, here's where the optimism comes in. It's a proof of principle. It did something. This drug did something. And so we should put everyone on it because it did something. Here's where the caution comes in. This is not a cure. Terribly sick people did not jump out of their hospital beds and start walking around. That didn't happen. This is not a cure. But it does appear to help. It does appear to have a proof of a concept, and we can go from here to expand on that.
[Baldwin:] And, again, just for people who are wrapping their heads around this, Dr. Neuzil, I know your work is in vaccines. This is about this drug, remdesivir, this is about making sick people better faster, so says the top doc in the country. And so this has nothing to do with getting people a vaccine. That said, this is your realm of expertise. How do you see this?
[Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, Director, University Of Maryland School Of Medicine's Center For Vaccine Development:] Well, here at the University of Maryland, we did participate in this trial. And this medicine was given to sick people who were in the hospital, who had lung abnormalities, and that's a really tough test. And so, for an antiviral to work in a positive way in these very sick patients, to me, is indeed very good news.
[Baldwin:] Wow. I mean, so you're talking about those who were sitting in the hospital, this took a suffocating hold on their lungs, and the fact that they got better. How will we know? I get that this is just a trial, but for everyone sitting there at home thinking, all right, this sounds great, you know, how much more needs to be done, testing- wise, Dr. Neuzil? And to Sanjay's point, you know, it's so it's still so soon to know if there's anything negative, any sort of negative reaction to this drug as well. When will we have those answers?
[Neuzil:] Well, I understand that they'll be releasing more data later. You know, we physicians and scientists like to see the peer-reviewed literature and really scour over the data. I think as Dr. Fauci suggested though, we don't really have that luxury to always wait for that in this current environment. But some of what I would like to know is what subsets of people did better. Were there age groups that did better? Was there timing? You know, if you started it earlier in the course of disease, did people do better? And I think that subset analysis will really help to guide not only who we treat now but what kind of testing we might do next.
[Baldwin:] Sure. And, Sanjay, just to you. You know, doctor to doctor, do you have any questions for Dr. Neuzil?
[Gupta:] Yes. You know, I think one of the questions that I guess I know that there's different sites where this medication was trialed, in Maryland and more severe patients and other places, perhaps patients who weren't as sick, you know, earlier in the course of the disease or just milder disease overall. How do you look at that sort of literature? Because you know, I think part of the issue is that people who have milder disease, the majority of them do recover, right, even though some can progress to more serious disease. The majority do get better, ultimately, on their own. Brooke is an example of that. Is this something that you would start to think of for people earlier in the disease based on what we know now, Doctor?
[Neuzil:] Yes. So, for full disclosure here, I've heard what everybody else has heard from Dr. Fauci. So, I have not seen the full results. Generally, with viral diseases and antivirals, we do best when we start early. And that's why to me this is remarkable that there is any effect at all. And, you know, there was this positive effect that Dr. Fauci talks about. So, I think exactly what you're saying, I think we have to see, can we start earlier with this. You know, where do we go from here with the data that we have that will guide us? Remember, this is an intravenous medication. We would still love to have an effective oral medicine where we can treat people in the outpatient setting. And the other important aspect is do any of these medications decrease virus shedding or virus transmission. Because then they're not only helping that patient, which is fantastic, but they also may be decreasing the spread of this virus. So, we still have a lot to learn with this and other antivirals.
[Baldwin:] Okay, cautious optimism. I want to thank all of you. And forgive me, my audio, my ear was going in and out on some of that conversation, but I appreciate all of your smarts and your expertise. Remdesivir is the drug, and it sounds like Dr. Fauci is saying, perhaps, perhaps, this could be something that can make sick people better much sooner. A quick break. We're going to continue our coverage here, continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We'll be right back.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] America's heart is with the victims of the horrific synagogue shooting in Poway, California. Just happened. Our entire nation mourns the loss of life, prays for the wounded, and stands in solidarity with the Jewish community. We forcefully condemn the evil of anti-Semitism and hate which must be defeated. Just happened. Must be defeated.
[Cabrera:] That was President Trump condemning the hateful acts inside a synagogue in Poway, California. It is a theme he has been forced to confront several times since he took office but with varying degrees of success, particularly in the wake of Charlottesville. But tonight, he's receiving praise from the rabbi hurt in yesterday's attack.
[Goldstein:] As I was in my house, I received a personal phone call from our President, Donald Trump. I was amazed to answer the phone and say the Secretary of the White House is calling. And he spent close to 10, 15 minutes with me on the phone. I mean, it's the first time I've ever spoken to a president of the United States of America. He shared with me condolences on behalf of the United States of America, and we spoke about the moment of silence. And he spoke about his love of peace and Judaism and Israel. And he was just so comforting that I'm really grateful to our President for taking the time and making that effort to share with us his comfort and consolation.
[Cabrera:] Joining us now, CNN's senior political analyst and former adviser to four presidents, David Gergen; CNN political commentator and former special assistant to President George W. Bush, Scott Jennings. David, do you think, after all the criticism that this president has received for his response to the violence in Charlottesville or questions about the rise of White nationalism, do you think he has struck the right tone now?
[David Gergen, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Yes, I think he did. I think he deserves credit for that, special credit for calling the rabbi and spending time with him. I think that shows sincerity we haven't sometimes seen from this president. Having said that, you know, the we should agree that Donald Trump is not directly responsible for these shootings in the synagogue or in Pittsburg six months ago. He's just not directly responsible. But the responsibility is, first and foremost, with the White House to set a tone for the country and to deal seriously with the fact that we have a gun culture with too many guns in the hands of mentally retarded they're mentally unbalanced individuals. And we now have, increasingly, in our politics, led by the President who has poured his vitriol onto this culture, has divided people has, in effect, given light, I think, that has been seen by some of the crazies. He's giving more license. And he just hasn't been serious about trying to clean this up or trying to deal with it. Listen to these statistics. The FBI in 2018 came out with a report saying, in the previous 12 months in the previous 12 months, in 2018 that hate crimes against Blacks had increased by 16 percent. Hate crimes against Latinos had increased by 24 percent. Hate crimes against Jews hate crimes against Jews went up 37 percent. Where are the efforts by this White House and by Republicans the Republicans need to choose. Is Donald Trump going to be their role model or in fact is it going to be a fellow who died today, Dick Lugar, who was so, and I think Scott Jennings would agree with this, so bipartisan. A statesman and tried to bring us all together. Which way is this President, which way is this party going to go?
[Cabrera:] Scott, do you think that this administration is doing enough on this issue of white nationalism?
[Scott Jennings, Former Special Assistant To President George W. Bush:] Well, first of all I agree with Mr. Gergen. The President got it just right on this statement. I think calling the rabbi was perfect and I'm glad the rabbi then talked about that, because it, I think, reinforce this issue of anti-semitism, the issue of violence has reached the highest levels of our government and the highest levels of our government are engaging with the people who are directly affected. I think that sends a powerful signal. I also agree. I don't think the President is responsible for people who make violent actions. Frankly, I think we have anti-semitism on the rise around the world not just in the United States, but there is a global rise in anti- semitism. The roots of it, I don't know. I also think right here in the United States we're still grappling with a lost generation of young white males, this cohort of age between 18 and 24 who seem to be off the grid with nothing to live for and therefore willing to engage in violence for terrible, terrible reasons against their fellow citizens. So no one has a silver bullet answer for this, no one has a magic answer. There's not one way to wave a magic wand here, Ana. But I think the President's statement today in his engagement is a step in the right direction, but clearly we have a long way to do.
[Cabrera:] I hope he's turned a corner, because I mean just two days ago he said in his response after Charlottesville when he was questioned about his "very fine people on both sides" comment, he said it was a perfect response. He also just recently about a month ago said that white nationalism wasn't a big problem or didn't see it as a big growing threat. But to your point in his credit seems to be taking it very seriously and say the right things that are helping to heal in this case. David, let me pivot to
[Jennings:] Ana, I think you raised a good point, you raised a great point. What is required in these moments is unambiguous messaging. You have to have clarity. You have to have clear statements that aren't clouded by superfluous words and phrases and that's exactly what the president on this instance. He's done it before. He did it after the Congressional baseball shooting as well. He has it in him to get this right and all we can hope for is that he continues to get it right and continues to improve and then we hope that our politics then affects our culture. But I was proud of the President on how he handled it this weekend because of the clarity of the statements.
[Cabrera:] I mean as we look ahead to 2020, we know Joe Biden sees this as a potential vulnerability for this president using his entire announcement video to rebuke the President's response to Charlottesville. Here's a bit of that.
[Joe Biden, Former United States Vice President:] He said there were, quote, some very fine people on both sides. Very fine people on both sides. Those words the President of the United States assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with a courage to stand against it. And in that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime.
[Cabrera:] In talking a strategy here, David, was that a smart play?
[Gergen:] Was that a smart play by Joe Biden?
[Cabrera:] Yes.
[Gergen:] Yes, absolutely and, look, I don't think it's the beginning or it's only the beginning of a campaign, he's going to have to have a much broader narrative about why he should win and why he should be the next president, and he has, but was that a decent place to start? Absolutely. There are some people who think we shouldn't politicize things like Charlottesville or politicize the synagogue. Scott will remember we went through years when Republicans banged on Democrats and I thought was some justification that they were too soft on crime. And now it is the Republicans who bear that responsibility and I agree with Scott that the messaging is important, but what is also important and in fact more important in many ways is whether actions are taken to really change the culture. And a president who is really sympathetic and wants to deal with this would call in leading rabbis from around the country with the law enforcement, he would call in leading advocates for Latinos and African-Americans. How do we deal with these hate crimes in a more constructive way? How do we actually act and not just talk.
[Cabrera:] David Gergen, Scott Jennings, thank you both. Good to have you with us.
[Gergen:] Thank you.
[Cabrera:] Coming up, will he or won't HEA? Attorney General William Barr warning Democrats he may not show up for a highly anticipated hearing this week, so what's behind the tension?

[Don Lemon, Cnn:] I'm Don Lemon. There is a lot going on. We're going to catch you up on all of today's big headlines. U.S. officials now believe Iran mistakenly shot down that Ukraine jetliners with two missiles after it took off from Tehran's airport two days ago, killing all 176 people on board. Now Iran is asking the U.S. to help in the investigation. State of the race, I'll talk to Democratic presidential candidate, Andrew Yang. He doesn't qualify for next week's debate but new poll numbers have good news for him. We're going to talk about that and lots more. A hint tonight that the standoff over the articles of impeachment maybe coming to an end. The House Speaker Pelosi says she will send them over to the Senate when she is ready and that will likely be soon. Has her strategy worked or is it check mate? We'll take a look at what's next. President Trump holding another political rally tonight, lots of gas lighting and false misleading statements. We'll break them down for you. And reports tonight that Meghan Markle has returned to Canada while her husband, Prince Harry remains in London to deal with the fallout in the royal family of the couple's decision to step back from their royal duties. It turns out Harry defied his grandmother, the queen. More on the palace intrigue coming up. But I want to begin with Iran right now. U.S. officials believe it mistakenly shot down that civilian Ukrainian jetliner. CNN has obtained video that appear to show the strike. I want to bring in now CNN counterterrorism analyst Philip Mudd, and CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the Transportation Department. Good evening to both of you. Thank you for joining us. Phil, you're first. We have this video that appears to show a missile striking an object in the sky around the time the plane crashed. The U.S. thinks that this was accidental. But it is a tragedy. Is this what happens in the fog of a military conflict?
[Philip Mudd, Cnn Counterterrorism Analyst:] Yes. I mean, you look at this and your first question is the tragedy, the people who were lost, why did the plane actually take off? But you'll remember, the United States did this in 1988. The United States took out from the Persian Gulf, [Inaudible], an Iranian civilian airliner because it was an accidental engagement in the fog of war. You got somebody commanding a missile battery with a couple of missiles who makes mistakes about what they are seeing and all of a sudden within seconds, you got a tragedy. Again, I think one of the questions here just hours after the strikes on U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq, why a civilian airliner is taking off. I'm not sure, Don.
[Lemon:] Right. I asked that to Richard Quest earlier, that is a very good question. But I got to ask you this before I move on to Mary. Is it possible that Iran thought this was a U.S. military plane?
[Mudd:] I think that's possible. I mean, there's two questions here. The first is the question of what exactly happened to the plane. We're already seeing that the speed with what you saw answers from the U.K., from Canada on intel tells me that intel got to be precise and very good, otherwise, you are not going to get answers that fast. But the second question, I think we're going to have a hard time getting this one. The Iranians are going to cooperate on the plane. I want to happen with the battery. Did somebody make a mistake? Was there a poor training? Did they lock on and think it was a U.S. aircraft? I think we'll hear about the plane. I don't know if ye'll hear the Iranian military about what they did.
[Lemon:] You mean U.S. aircraft meaning U.S. military aircraft? Is that what you mean?
[Mudd:] That's correct. Yes.
[Lemon:] So, Mary, 176 people died including dozens of Iranians and Canadians. What will this investigation look like?
[Mary Schiavo, Cnn Aviation Analyst:] Well, investigations should look like any other annex 13 investigations by a lead nation conducting an ICAO style investigation, which means it should include not only the plane, the sequence of the shoot down but a lot of other questions. As Phil mentioned, why were civilian aircraft allowed to take off. And by the way, this wasn't the only one. Did they have a window where the military said OK, let's get this civilian aircraft out of here. They can't take off until the missile strike is done. You've got one hour to get them out and this one was a straggler. There were many things they have to look at, not just the plane, the shoot down, the military role but also air traffic control and the role of the airlines. So, an investigation routinely looks at all such things when they're looking at a major international air crash.
[Lemon:] Mary, Iranian authorities have invited the NTSB to participate in this investigation. They've invited Canada, Ukraine, and Boeing as well. But Iran is questioning the allegation that they shot down at this point. What happens when you are dealing with a less than transparent government?
[Schiavo:] Well, when you are dealing with less than transparent government, one of the most clever things the government could do would be to turn around and be very transparent in the investigation. And I read the report, it's called a preliminary report, it's really not. It's just a few pages they put out about how they are going to start conducting the investigation. And the report they put out today about conducting the investigation actually comports with annex 13 ICAO guidelines. Now they did not mention the NTSB as being the United States NTSB, but they did give notice to all parties. They invited Ukraine in to participate. And they certainly started the investigation like a responsible aviation nation. That's a pretty clever way to play it given they had so much criticism and people really doubt the ability or their willingness to carry out the investigation. But they started off doing it like you are supposed to do it under annex 13.
[Lemon:] Phil, let's talk about some of the things that we are learning here. Excuse me. One of the U.S. saw Iranian radar signals locked on the jet liner before it was shot down. So, U.S. intel really knew very early on the cause of all this. I mean, look at these specifics coming in from the U.S., the U.K. and others. They knew, right?
[Mudd:] Yes, there is a couple of things to take away from that. Look, if you look at U.S. potential adversaries around the globe, the Russians, the North Koreans and the Iranians, they've all got pretty sophisticated surface-to-air missiles. These are obviously, according to reports, two Russian origin missiles. This is what parts of the U.S. military including the Defense Intelligence Agency do for a living. This is not an art. This is a science. The fact that you had responses as I mentioned earlier from the Americans so quickly, meant that missile analyst, there are some of them down in Huntsville, Alabama, this is all they do for a living, meant that missile analysts had that either lock on or what we call signatures from the actual launch sites when the missiles launched really early on. Before they told us, the White House must have known.
[Lemon:] Isn't it possible that this was a factor in any of the president's decision in the wake of these the Iranian strikes, Phil?
[Mudd:] I think it might have been a factor. I mean, if you're looking at this going into Iran again when you are facing a civilian tragedy like this. That would have been a difficult foreign policy question. But if it wasn't a factor early on, it should have been a factor pretty quickly. Because the day they're coming out from the intelligence analysts must have been laser fast.
[Lemon:] Mary and Phil, thank you so much. I appreciate your time. Up next, state of the race, the CNN debate is Tuesday, the Iowa caucuses are just weeks away. Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is with me and he's next.

[Michael Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone, and welcome to Studio 7 here at CNN Center in Atlanta. I am Michael Holmes. Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the heads of the CDC and FDA self-quarantining after possibly being exposed to the coronavirus at the White House. The new normal across the United States, businesses reopening, restrictions easing despite experts warning. It's an experiment that could have deadly consequences. And a question families in Latin America are asking more and more. Where are the bodies? Missing remains compounding the grief and devastated survivors.
[Holmes:] As nations around the world slowly emerge from their lockdowns, we have hit another disturbing milestone in the spread of coronavirus. Johns Hopkins University reporting the number of cases around the world topped 4 million on Saturday. Nearly 280,000 people have died. And it didn't take long to get to this point. You can see how fast the pandemic spread after the first million cases were confirmed early last month. It took less than two weeks to reach the next million and the next and the next. About one third of those cases, 1.3 million, are, of course, in the United States, with more than 78,000 lives now lost. Almost every state in the U.S. will be back in business by Monday to some extent. People in Los Angeles allowed to golf and hike again this weekend. And as the U.S. balances opening back up with staying safe, the pandemic is hitting close to home. Some of the most prominent experts leading the administration's response to the crisis, it looks like they might have been exposed. CNN's Jeremy Diamond with more on the steps they are now taking.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Three top doctors on the White House Coronavirus Task Force are now going to be teleworking, working from home and carrying out some form of self quarantine for the next 2 weeks after coming into contact with someone at the White House who tested positive for coronavirus in just the last week. That is Dr. Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration; as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has become one of the most public faces of this White House's response to the coronavirus. All of them announcing that they will be working from home for the next 2 weeks. Dr. Anthony Fauci telling our colleague Jake Tapper that he will be undergoing a, quote, "modified quarantine" for the next 14 days, working from home and wearing a mask at all times of the day. Though he does note that if he is called to the White House from Capitol Hill, that he will go but will take every precaution necessary. A similar message we are hearing from a spokesperson for the CDC, saying that Dr. Redfield would go to the White House if he had to fulfill any responsibilities with regards to his role there. But he would be wearing a mask. Of course, very notable that we are seeing these 3 top medical experts on this Coronavirus Task Force, all of which are undergoing some form of self quarantine. What we have not seen is a sort of unified, centralized approach from the White House as to how to deal with this. Earlier this week, a White House spokeswoman, Katie Miller, she tested positive on Friday. A couple of days before that, we saw one of the president's personal valets also testing positive, a Navy official. Again, no message from the White House about whether anyone who's come into contact with them should go into self quarantine. It seems to be much more of a piecemeal approach. What is clear, though, is that, as the country begins to reopen and many workers are being asked to come back to work, even here at the White House where there are the most strict protocols, officials coming into contact with the president now being tested daily. Temperature checks being conducted for anyone coming on to the White House grounds. Even here, the coronavirus is seeping in Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
[Holmes:] New York of course, still the American pandemic hot spot. The governor calling the death rate, quote, "infuriatingly constant," although the number of new cases does appear to be going down. But now there is a disturbing new twist, a mystery illness that might be linked to COVID-19 has struck children and for three of them it was deadly.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn National Correspondent:] New York's governor Andrew Cuomo calling these recent pediatric hospitalizations as not new but as disturbing, particularly for parents. At least 73 children in and around New York that have been hospitalized with symptoms that, according to the governor, are similar to toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease. The governor being very clear that these are likely or possibly related to COVID infections. Still many questions relating to these recent hospitalizations, including 3 children that have not survived.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] Now these are children who come in and do not present the symptoms that we normally are familiar with, with COVID. It is not a respiratory illness, they are not in respiratory distress. But the illness has taken the lives of 3 young New Yorkers so this is new and it is developing.
[Sandoval:] These hospitalizations are certainly getting the attention of health professionals, not just here in New York but across the country, especially since, from the beginning, we had heard that it was perhaps some of the younger people who were possibly not as vulnerable to this illness. But now this new information that is being released by governor Andrew Cuomo is suggesting otherwise. We should finally mention that the CDC is working with the state of New York. Their main goal is to try and develop some kind of criteria that would be applied across the country as they continue to look into these illnesses reporting in New York, I'm Polo Sandoval.
[Holmes:] Many Americans are getting a glimpse of the so-called new normal this weekend. Most states easing back some restrictions, despite warnings from some health experts it's too soon to be doing even that. CNN's Natasha Chen shows us how people are adapting.
[Natasha Chen, Cnn Correspondent:] By the end of the weekend, all but three states will have eased quarantine restrictions in some way, even in once hard hit Rhode Island, where the governor said Friday her state will be the first in the northeast to lift a stay stay-at-home order.
[Gov. Gina Raimondo:] If you look at the facts on the ground, the data on the ground, we're doing better. And so therefore we're in a better position so we can start to lift our restrictions a little bit sooner.
[Chen:] Restrictions are lifting from coast-to-coast. In North Carolina retail stores have reopened, but at 50 percent capacity. In Delaware, stores can now offer curbside pickup. That goes for California as well, where stores can also now deliver just in time to send flowers for Mother's Day.
[Unidentified Female:] For me as a small shop, I'm not going to let anybody in. But at least I can operate, cannot just open everything, because we will have a second wave and then we will go back to square one.
[Chen:] San Francisco has decided to keep businesses closed until May 18th. But the rest of the state has some businesses reopening with modifications.
[Unidentified Male:] I stay out of the politics. I need to open. We're ready.
[Unidentified Female:] This is what we have right now for takeout.
[Chen:] Nevada and Alaska have now joined more than a dozen states to resume dine-in services in restaurants with restrictions. People can also now get a drink at a bar in Alaska at 25 percent capacity. In Arizona, people can get their haircut by appointment only. Same for Texas, with owners eager to open doors.
[Unidentified Female:] Everything is ready and my clients are more than ready. Everything, I lost everything. Destroyed my business. I lost my business. That's what it has done.
[Chen:] In Iowa, people can go back to the dentist, go to campgrounds, the drive-in movies and tanning facilities following special guidelines. Tennessee now joins Georgia in allowing people to go to bowling alleys. Pennsylvania is taking a county by county approach to reopening. Welcome news to this chocolatier in the town of Williamsport.
[Unidentified Male:] We're hoping that the people, especially those who are, let's say, under age 60 come out more because, again they you need to just get out I think.
[Chen:] Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.
[Holmes:] The British prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce the easing of some lockdown restrictions in the hours ahead. The press association reporting Boris Johnson will likely unveil a new COVID-19 warning system with five levels. It's also reporting that he is expected to say the U.K. is close to moving from level four to level three. CNN's Milena Veselinovic is standing by in London. Good to see you. Everyone there awaiting the government's next move. What are they likely to hear from the PM?
[Milena Veselinovic, Cnn Producer:] We do know that the PM will announce kind of a road map for the next stage of dealing with this coronavirus outbreak. And we do expect that slogan, which had been ubiquitous, stay home, stay safe, will be revised. There's a rule that you can only go out once a day. That's expected to be scrapped. We're also expecting some guidance when it comes to face coverings. So far the U.K. government say they provide little benefit but there have been reports and rumblings that they may recommend them in enclosed places, where social distancing is not possible, such as supermarkets and public transport, something the Scottish government has already done. But beyond that, any further changes are likely to be small and incremental. That's what the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said this week when he warned there won't be a return to business as usual, there will be a new normal that U.K. citizens will have to get used to. And officials have tried to dampen down this excitement that somehow Monday will be like a freedom day, where all of these measures will completely fall off. And that's because social distancing will remain at the core of the strategy to battle this outbreak. Even when all of these restrictions start falling off, social distancing will remain in place and that also means that certain things won't be able to operate as usual, such as public transport. We've heard from the transport secretary on Saturday that, even with the full capacity of the network, it will only be able to accommodate about a 100th of passengers so that it can comply with the rule that there needs to be about two meters between two people. And, of course, with those people who have hope that the prime minister's announcement means they can finally go for that drink or a meal in a restaurant, they will be bitterly disappointed, because reopening bars and restaurants is not likely to feature on the agenda anytime soon.
[Holmes:] It will be interesting to see how they handle that on the tube. Appreciate that. Let's hear from a scientific expert now. Professor Keith Neal has spent more than two decades researching infectious diseases at University of Nottingham, now live. Here in the U.S. you have a lot of concern about states reopening while case numbers are still going up. I mean, what are your concerns in the U.K.? What are you hoping to see when the prime minister unveils these plans?
[Keith Neal, University Of Nottingham:] I think your previous correspondent from London covered everything that we really know. Although it seemed to be leaked that we will escape a bit more, clearly it's being reined back. I'm not sure, given how our politics work, how it was that lockdown was going to be released because it never was going to be. I think there's an increasing realization that outside activities are pretty low risk, if at all risky. And I'm concerned that we've stopped people sunbathing in the park two meters apart. When you're breathing out, any germs you're breathing out hit the ground in a few centimeters. So I think we need more clarity. We may get that at 7 o'clock this evening.
[Holmes:] What are the risks of a botched reopening, moves made perhaps in haste, more in line with political motives than scientific reality?
[Neal:] I think the bigger issue is anybody can tell you what's going to happen is probably not, is having, is really not telling the truth. At the moment, we're relying on modeling and that requires on the quality of the data going on. And that's generally the best we've got. The models we had in the U.K. were based on swine flu and it was able to track the epidemic effectively. And essentially, we know the parameters for swine flu and for COVID-19. And the model could easily be adjusted. So it's quite easy to work out that we're going to have a big crisis if we didn't do anything. The difficulty now comes as we don't know how to model which bits of the lockdown have been successful. There was work published from looking at 30 different countries going into lockdowns this week, looking at what was probably the most effective strategies. And essentially, it was largely thought, store closures were a bit difficult to assess, mainly not so much because of the stores but more people going back to work. And mass gatherings were a complete no-no. But I think in states where you're lifting regimes with upgoing cases, until you get on top of this. I think that's a very dangerous strategy. I think somebody quoted the Rhode Island state, where cases are coming down, where a measure of relaxation is more sensible.
[Holmes:] The thing is, however you do the reopening, we're not going to know immediately the fallout, are we? We're going to be continually looking, as we always have, at lagging data. Today we're seeing the result of behaviors of two to three weeks ago.
[Neal:] We are. I think a lot of the media concentrate on deaths. And that really is like trying to wage a war with your military intelligence based on what was happening a month ago, slightly shorter. The number of new cases diagnosed and the number of people being admitted to hospital is telling you what happened one to two weeks ago, which is a much better measure. So assuming people are getting admitted for the same reasons, and there should be no reason a developed country which hasn't got overloaded, that should probably stay the same.
[Holmes:] I want to ask you, because here in the U.S., we've essentially got a cluster, if you like, of cases linked to the White House. I mean the vice president's press secretary, a valet close to the president, Secret Service agents and so on. And now you've got the heads of the CDC, the FDA, Dr. Fauci all quarantining in some form. You have the president still downplaying widespread testing even though those new cases in the White House wouldn't have been caught without testing. What is your feeling on downplaying? And how important broad testing is toward a successful reopening?
[Neal:] I think the more information you have about the epidemics, it's actually crucial, because it's actually what tests you do and what you do with them. I think going back to your cluster of cases, among experts, we had a similar thing among our politicians and advisers at the early stage of the epidemic. And it reflects the close working arrangements before we went to more teleconferencing. I think this no testing is crucially important. And testing people with symptoms so you can contract trace them and isolate and therefore try to break chains of transmission. Because we are increasingly realizing people are asymptomatic. If A gets tested and tests positive they have quite possibly infected B and that way you can bring the outbreak under control. There are other aspects of testing. One good study was done in a New York hospital that, for good reasons, screened all the pregnant women coming in. In that way you get an idea of how much there is in the community at the same time as being able to practice quality infection control. And they showed about 16 percent, about a month ago, of pregnant women coming into that particular hospital, because, doing it for admissions, they could be coming in for COVID-19 reasons.
[Holmes:] It is fascinating. As you say, when they say, the president says we don't need much more testing or widespread testing. It's so well-put that, you know, if you isolate B, he's not going to give it to C. That's exactly right. Got to leave it there, Professor Keith Neal. Thank you so much.
[Neal:] Thank you very much. Goodbye.
[Holmes:] The second largest city in Ecuador has gone through a horrific time with COVID-19. Its cemeteries are proof of that. But one young man can't bury his deceased father. The harrowing reason why when we come back.

[Sciutto:] Well, this is the math here. There were big tax cuts. There's been big spending. And now a big problem.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] The U.S. budget deficit, imagine that, skyrocketing in the first four months of the 2019 fiscal year, up 77 percent over the same time one year ago.
[Harlow:] That's a really big deal. And it matters to all of you. Another really big deal that matters is another stunning number this morning. The trade deficit hit a ten-year high. It grew to more to more than $100 billion under the president. Our chief business correspondent Christine Romans is here to break it down. Let's do these things separately, OK.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] All right.
[Harlow:] Trade deficit we're going to get to in a moment. But the fact that you have a 77 percent increase here, is it more because of the tax cuts or less revenue coming in or more because of increased spending?
[Romans:] It's both. It is a lot of big spending. I mean big military spending, veteran spending, and then just the interest on the debt that gets bigger and bigger. So that part of the there's a lot of spending and those tax cuts to a lesser extent. And then on the trade on the trade front, this is what's so shocking to everybody. You know, the president's entire trade policy is predicated on the belief that trade deficits are a failure. The U.S. trade deficit last year was the worst in a decade, $621 billion. And the overall deficit in goods, $891 billion, Poppy. That the worse in America's 243 year history. The deficit with China, also the worst on record, more than $419 billion. The president detests trade deficits. He simplistically sees them as losing money from the U.S. to her trading partners. Yet in his two years in office, the trade deficit has swelled by more well more than $100 million. He has called himself tariff man, but those tariffs brought retaliatory tariffs that made U.S. exports more expensive. Another uncomfortable number that you rightly pointed out, that 77 percent surge in the budget deficit in the first four months of the year. $310 billion. The government spent more on military, veterans affairs, the interest on the debt. Tax cuts mean the Treasury is taking in less. Tax revenue down about 1.5 percent over the past 12 months. The White House Economic Adviser, Larry Kudlow, downplayed those numbers.
[Larry Kudlow, Director, U.s. National Economic Council:] We are making an investment in America's future. It's already beginning to pay off. And if that means we incur some additional debt in the short run, so be it.

[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Senator Bernie Sanders' first quarter 2020 fundraising report is in. The Sanders campaign saying it brought in an $18.2 million. Nearly a third of that money came in on his very first day in the race. The money being added to $28 million Sanders has from holdover accounts. The Sanders campaign announcements following the reporting Senator Kamala Harris, she announced overnight that her campaign hauled in about $12 million. South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was the first to project $7 million. CNN's Ryan Nobles who follows the senators' campaign joins our conversation. It's a big number. We don't know Beto O'Rourke yet so Sanders will either be the top or probably second in the fundraising. What's their take on this?
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] I mean, any way you slice it, $18.2 million is a lot of money to do a lot of things. But if you based it on their own expectations and what they've been telling their supporters, they never give us dollar figures, they always talk about the number of contributors that they get to sign up for his campaign. And they've been touting a goal of a million different individual contributions, they only got about 900,000. Still an impressive number, and then when you drill down those numbers even further, it was only about 525,000 individual contributors. And that's really what the Sanders campaign is all about. They're about that grassroots support. They average around $20 a donation this time around. So it's a big number. Maybe not quite as much as Bernie Sanders and his team was hoping for, but it's going to give them a lot of resources to play in some of these big states like California and Nevada even if they don't do well in those first two early states.
[King:] All right. So in a crowded field, it may not be, you know, maybe not as even their own expectations, maybe they're going to say, oh, they could have done better, he's Bernie Sanders, he ran last time. In this crowded field, that's a lot of money and that proved some people thought it was just because he was running against Hillary Clinton, there's not going to be the second time around, it's not going to work. This guy is a force in the race from beginning to whenever.
[Olivier Knox, Chief Washington Correspondent, Siriusxm:] As a Vermonter, I've been saying for a long time I know that he looks like a rumpled tenured professor. He is one of the most organized politicians I've ever seen. In 2016 they had better social media penetration than the Obama White House did in some sectors. They're very organized. This is how they do it. It's interesting to watch Beto in part because Beto most self- consciously modeled his fundraising operation on Bernie's, not the freaked out crazy ex-e-mails from the DCCC like the sky falling but the come with me and build a thing.
[Unidentified Male:] Right.
[Knox:] And so it's going to be very interesting to see whether Beto just picked up because he was facing Cruz or whether this is the model for the future.
[King:] All right. The early Beto numbers proved that there are a lot of people say, oh, there are just people really giving against Ted Cruz
[Laura Barron-lopez, National Political Reporter, Politico:] Right. This is an entirely new way of fundraising that's taken hold since 2016 obviously. As you mentioned, Bernie Sanders was kind of at the forefront of it. But also, what I find interesting is the social media presence is Olivier you mentioned, Beto and Warren are also really strong competitors with Sanders in that arena. They've been trying to really push aggressively on those fronts. They also are kind of competing with each other when it comes to the amount of events that they're holding to to really be there and be present on the campaign trail. Notably, we've mentioned that O'Rourke doesn't have a day job the way the other candidates do. So he can be out there as much as he wants, as often as he wants. And you may find these other senators starting to miss votes earlier than we previously expected.
[King:] It's a great point, and the numbers we're getting. The reports aren't due for another almost two weeks. I think two weeks from yesterday. The numbers we're getting are from the people who think they have a little chest pounding to do. If you don't have great numbers then you wait until the end, then you try to take a little time to spend your numbers. Amy Klobuchar among those being honest saying, look, I'm not going to keep up with Bernie Sanders and Beto O'Rourke, but I'll be fine.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , Presidential Candidate:] I don't expect to have as much money as my opponents. I've always said that. I always know that. Every race I've run the first time I've had significantly less money than my opponents but I've still won. And I've done it by doing it the right way, by reaching out so people can meet me and ask questions, and I'm going to continue to do that. We will have enough money to win.
[King:] The key for those candidates as you get the first debates this summer, she's already qualified for the debates through her polling position, and then you try you can you do it through fundraising as well. If you're in the debates, maybe you're not the highest fundraiser through June but if you have some debate moments then you go viral, that's one we'll get another reset if you will.
[Seung Min Kim, White House Reporter, The Washington Post:] And that's why you're just I'm curious to see like how the different candidates gain traction. I'm particularly interested in the senators who haven't raised their fundraising totals yet. I think Kirsten Gillibrand is one person who according to polling and just sort of the coverage hasn't kind of had that big moment yet. Even her official campaign launch last week was overshadowed by the fact that the summary of the Mueller investigation was coming out that same day. I thought it's interesting that her campaign this morning was touting the number of personal events that she's had in Iowa, and using that metric while a lot of other people are talking about their fundraising numbers.
[King:] We shall see again. Raise some money, get to the debates and see what happens. Up next, what does the most powerful woman in Congress think of the controversy surrounding former Vice President Joe Biden?

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Breaking news: For the first time, President Trump has addressed the killing of Rayshard Brooks by a police officer. Take a listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I thought it was a terrible I'm not going to compare things, but I thought it was a terrible situation. I studied it closely. I'm going to get some reports done today, very strong reports. And we will have a little more to say about it tomorrow, but, certainly, it was very to me, it was very disturbing.
[Tapper:] President Trump is expected to sign a new executive order on policing reform soon. This coming as soon, as Kaitlan Collins reports, as the president faces new criticism over his upcoming campaign rally in Tulsa, as COVID-19 cases there spike.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Bowing to pressure, President Trump moved his campaign rally in Tulsa by one day, so it no longer falls on the holiday marking the end of slavery. But now a top Oklahoma health official is urging him to move it again, this time over growing health concerns. Tulsa Health Department Director Bruce Dart told "Tulsa World": "It's an honor for a president to visit, but not during a pandemic." Trump claimed on Twitter that the campaign has seen nearly a million ticket requests, though the venue only holds 20,000 people. Campaign officials say precautions will be taken, but masks won't be required, as coronavirus cases have been on the rise in Tulsa.
[Kellyanne Conway, Counselor To The President:] They're doing temperature checks, giving everybody a face mask and hand sanitizer.
[Collins:] This comes as Trump is expected to sign an executive order on modest police reforms in the coming days, establishing a national database that would track excessive use of force, but largely leaving most of the heavy lifting to Congress.
[Ja'ron Smith, Deputy Director, Office Of American Innovation:] There's a better way to do policing, and we have great examples.
[Collins:] Instead of leading the way on police reform, Trump has focused more on stoking culture wars, including his belief that NFL players shouldn't kneel to protest police brutality. The only black official in his Cabinet, Dr. Ben Carson, suggested that he's trying to change that.
[Ben Carson, Housing And Urban Development Secretary:] I think we just continue to work with him. He'll get there.
[Collins:] One day after he turned 74, questions about the president's physical condition are also back at the forefront, now that he's defending walking slowly and awkwardly down a ramp Saturday at West Point Military Academy. Trump says: "The ramp was very long and steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery." He made no mention of how he also appeared to have difficulty holding up a glass of water during his address. Now, Jake, the president did just take questions from reporters. He talked about that book from his former National Security Adviser John Bolton that's scheduled to come out on Tuesday. The president said he believes Bolton will have quote "criminal problems" if that book comes out as is, as there's been this fight back and forth between the White House and Bolton's camp over whether or not it contains classified information. The president said he believes every conversation with him is highly classified, though, of course, that is certainly not the case and not how that works. He also talked about that upcoming rally in Tulsa. He said that he's looking forward to it and he thinks it's going to be a big rally. And he also said he doesn't want any empty seats at that rally, Jake, meaning there is likely not going to be any social distancing between those people who attend the rally.
[Tapper:] At an indoor arena that has not held events for months. Kaitlan Collins, thank you so much. Appreciate it. I want to bring in CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, take a look at these numbers for the president's rally in Tulsa. The facility can hold a little more than 90,000 people. The president's campaign manager tweeted that more than a million people have requested tickets to attend. And I want to point out that rally attendees are being told to register for the event early. They must agree to not sue the campaign if they contract coronavirus. How dangerous could an overpacked rally be in the middle of this pandemic?
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Well, I mean, this is the worst-case scenario, Jake. I mean, if we put this together from the CDC, we can talk about the different levels of risk. This might sort of give people an idea. When you're talking about gatherings of any sort, obviously, the lowest- risk possible thing would be some sort of virtual gathering, where people could stay at home and meet virtually. After that, the risk increases each step of the way. More risk is going to be small outdoor in-person gatherings. People still coming from different places, they may go back to their homes. They do a good job, hopefully, of keeping physically distanced, wearing face masks. That will help. The risk increases each step of the way, then. The highest risk sort of scenario would be sort of the situation we're talking about here, indoors, attendees coming from all these various areas, difficult to practice physical distancing, and who knows about what the mask sort of wearing is going to be. So there's no question. I mean, this is a contagious virus. Indoors is going to be far worse than outdoors, not wearing masks a lot worse than wearing masks, not keeping distance if they're filled to capacity. I mean, there's no magic here. There's no scientific proclamation where you're going to have some sort of revelation about this. This is that's the worst-case scenario. That's basically, if there is a person there who has the virus, the idea that it could spread and turn into a super-spreading event would be a big concern, Jake.
[Tapper:] And speaking of concerns, what did you make of President Trump? You see the video of him walking down that ramp at West Point really slowly, really haltingly, kind of. And then you also saw the video of him seeming to have difficulty lifting a glass of water to his mouth, needing the help of his other hand. Obviously, it's always tricky diagnosing somebody, and I don't want you to do that. But what are your and I'm not making light of this. These are issues to be concerned about. What goes through your mind when you see this?
[Gupta:] Yes, I get a lot of calls from my colleagues in the neurology, neurosurgery world, just sort of like, hey, did you see that video? Sort of a little bit of concern. People pointing out certain clues. But, to your point, Jake, no conclusions can be made, I think, by looking at a 20-second video of him going down the ramp. If we can play that, I can tell you what some of the folks again, these are just conversations that are happening, no conclusions whatsoever. He is looking down at his feet the whole time. Is he is this a balance issue? Is does he have a hard time feeling his feet? That's a type of neuropathy. He said the ramp was slippery, so maybe he's just being careful. Maybe his shoes are slippery. Who sort of knows in that situation? It's hard to say. I would want to know, how is he doing an hour after that, the next day? And by all accounts, he was fine. So, I think it's really difficult to read into that. But I think it's against the backdrop of, we don't know a lot about his health history. So there's not a lot of context to put that in, Jake.
[Tapper:] Yes, and also the background drop of the president being rushed to Walter Reed Medical Center with little explanation in November. We still don't know the full story on that. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks, as always, for your expertise. President Trump's planned rally in Tulsa is not only highlighting the city's troubled, tragic history, but also a new police confrontation there, the video obtained by CNN next.

[Vause:] Well, Carlos Ghosn it's hardly laying low these days. More than a week after a dramatic escape from Japan, where he's facing criminal charges of financial wrongdoing, he seems determined to tell his side of the story. This former titan of the auto industry claims his arrest was part of a plot to oust him as the boss of the giant Nissan-Renault. Ghosn says his decision to Lebanon was a matter of life and death.
[Ghosn:] I did not escape justice. I fled injustice and persecution. Political persecution. Having endured more than 400 days of inhumane treatment in a system designed to break me and unwilling to provide me even minimal justice, I was left with no other choice.
[Vause:] And after that news conference, Ghosn sat down with CNN's Richard Quest for more on his dramatic escape.
[Ghosn:] There are many rumors, and they are not all in line with one or the other. I want to tell you something. For example, at the beginning, they said that there is a band, which came to my house in Tokyo for Christmas. And, you know, this band, somehow, was a kind of rehearsal. Then I went into the box that came, took me from the house, et cetera. The whole story is wrong. Why? Because the prosecutor now went to my apartment. There is a monitoring of all the people who are in the house. And they said no.
[Quest:] So I'll clarify. The rumor and suggestion I'm talking about involves a train trip to Osaka, a hotel, a box, and a flight, and of two private jets via Turkey. Is that substantially accurate?
[Ghosn:] I will make no comment on this. I'm going to tell you why, Richard. Because, obviously, I was lucky to have people who supported me in this. Because, you know, when you are in the situation, where you're in trouble with justice, you don't have too much candidate to help you. I was lucky, and I need to, as much as possible, protect them.
[Quest:] Right. Those people, some of them, are facing criminal proceedings, potentially, in Turkey. How do you feel about that?
[Ghosn:] I feel bad about it
[Quest:] But there's not much more you can do, really, is there?
[Ghosn:] Well, you know, we knew from the beginning, what are the risks, you know, involved into an operation like this. We all knew that. I knew what were my risks. I knew what are the risks of all the people who supported the operation. So we all knew that, and we obviously know how much we can do to help, but not more.
[Quest:] OK what about Mr. Kelly, who remains in jail? He's on bail I beg your pardon in Japan. There's a sort of feeling of you got out, and he's left behind to carry the camp.
[Ghosn:] Well, at first I was not able, as you know, in Japan to contact Greg. I was forbidden completely. My bail condition and his bail condition, forbidding completely any contact between us. So the on contact possible was through our lawyers. So even if I wanted to help Greg, I couldn't. Because there was no contact.
[Quest:] But is there a feeling Can you understand the feeling that you've left him behind to face the music alone?
[Ghosn:] I'm not sure about that, because I didn't leave Japan to hide somewhere. I left Japan because I'm looking for justice, and I want to clear my name. Which means I will be looking for a country where I could have this case tried, but with a trial respecting the rights of the defense.
[Quest:] So to clarify this, you are willing to stand trial for these allegations?
[Ghosn:] Yes, I do.
[Quest:] And have you had discussions with jurisdictions yet as to where that might be?
[Ghosn:] No, because as you can imagine, that if I'm in Japan, and I start to discuss this kind of topic, this would attract the attention.
[Quest:] But but but would you accept that any trial would have to be under Japanese law, in the sense of that's the law that you broke? Maybe the system of justice that delivers it would be different. I'm thinking of the there's a good precedent you may be with familiar with, of course, the Lockerbie bomber, who was tried in the Hague under Scottish law. Is that the sort of thing you're thinking of?
[Ghosn:] No, I'm thinking about, you know, depending on the country where this would take place, every country would accept a different kind of trial. The only thing I'm looking for is a trial where the rules, or the rights of the defense, would be respected. Which I thought in Japan was not the case.
[Quest:] One thing seems clear, is that you are regarded as a fugitive by by others in the world. And that's not going to change, is it?
[Ghosn:] Well, you have to explain. You know, people don't like a fugitive when the fugitive is escaping justice. It's a different opinion when a fugitive is escaping injustice. You know, I don't think that people look at people who run from North Korea, or from Vietnam, or from Russia, under the communist regime, as people who are running from justice. Well, frankly, I can tell you, that in the system in which I've been through I've been through, I consider that there was practically zero chance I would get a fair trial. With zero chance of getting a fair trial, I don't think this is justice. I was not running from justice; I was looking for justice.
[Vause:] A lot more from Richard's interview with Ghosn next hour. It seems authorities in Japan has been watching, and they're less than happy. The country's justice minister says Ghosn "has been propagating, both within Japan and internationally, false information on Japan's legal system and its practice. And that is absolutely intolerable." And we're done here. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. WORLD SPORT is next.

[Cabrera:] The NBA playoffs are expected to resume today, but only after players reached an agreement with their league to turn their unused arenas into polling locations for the November election, among other things. Now, this agreement comes after players essentially went on a strike after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. And other sports quickly followed. Baseball, hockey, the WNBA, all canceling games this week to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, if you've been paying attention, this boycott isn't surprising. Back in June, after the police killing of George Floyd, multiple WNBA players announced they would be sitting out the 2020 season. And Renee Montgomery, of the Atlanta Dream, is one of those players. She joins us live. Renee, thanks for being with us. Considering you've chosen to sit out the season for this cause, do you think the NBA strike three days was long enough?
[Renee Montgomery, Wnba Basketball Player:] Yes, I do. Because I think it sent a loud alarm. It rang an alarm that the players were not going to just allow whatever was going to happen and just keep continuing business as usual. So I think the players, you know, they had a plan. They decided that they didn't feel like playing that day so they didn't. And now they have some things coming out. As you mentioned, the arenas are now getting opened in multiple locations. So if nothing else happens, that is good. That's a step.
[Cabrera:] It's progress. This week, ahead of their game with your team, the Atlanta Dream, the Washington Mystics wore shirts honoring Jacob Blake. One the front, "Jacob Blake." On the back, they had drawn seven marks representing the seven bullet holes in Blake's back. They also kneeled and linked arms with the three other teams scheduled to play that night. At least four WNBA players, including yourself, have chosen to sit out the season, citing advocacy. What do you think of the fact that it's black women leading this movement in sports?
[Montgomery:] You know, I love it. I think it's time. It's time to bet on not just women but bet on black women. I think that it's if you look at our history, that's been something that black women have done over time for a long time. And over the WNBA's history, it's something the WNBA players have done for a long time. Me, being on the Minnesota team, in 2016, we wore shirts that said, "Change starts with us." That following football season, that's when Colin Kaepernick started to kneel so 2016 was the year where things really started to get a light shed on it. So this is not new to the WNBA and this is definitely not new to black women.
[Cabrera:] We always hear that saying, actions speak louder than words. You are putting your words into action and really taking up this cause. I want to ask you about the White House officials, including the president, reacting to the NBA strike this week. And just take a listen to what they said.
[Unidentified Male:] In my mind, it's absurd and silly. If they want to protest, I don't think we care.
[Jared Kushner, Senior Adviser To President Trump:] I think that the NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they're able to take a night off from work without having to have the consequences to themselves, financially.
[Trump:] They've become like a political organization. And that's not a good thing. I don't think that's a good thing for sports or for the country.
[Cabrera:] Jared Kushner, the second person you heard from there, he said he plans to reach out to Lebron James. I wonder, if you had the ear of someone like Kushner or maybe the president, what would you tell them?
[Montgomery:] Yes, I think everyone wants to split everything, right? They want the athletes to just be athletes. Just go play. Just do your job. But people don't understand that what happens in America, the circumstances, the climate of America, that brings things into your work, you know? When the social climate affects your work, and the political climate affects your job, well, then, that's a time now where you're like, wait a minute, I need to show out on my job real quick and see what's going on. So I think when the players and WNBA took a mental day, when the NBA took a day to boycott, and they made it clear that they're boycotting, they want you to know we're upset. We don't want business as usual while this is happening to our brothers in the street and our sisters in the street. So what I would say was this is, is a reality we're living. It's not just a political stunt. A lot of people think it was just a stunt. It's not a stunt. People are actually hurt. There are grown men crying on TV. It's not a stunt.
[Cabrera:] No. And it's life or death, I know, for a lot of people in your community. Your team, the Atlanta Dream, is co-owned by Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, who's repeatedly spoken out against the Black Lives Matter movement. If you do return to the game, do you think you can do so as part of the dream?
[Montgomery:] Well, you know, someone asked me yesterday on CNN if what Senator Loeffler was saying affected me personally, and when I answered yesterday, I said, no. But I should have clarified that, originally, it did affect me personally because I had interactions with Kelly before she became Senator Loeffler. So I was confused. But now, you know, I understand that this is her stance and her political stance. And so, for me, when I come back, I always tell people I opted out of this season because I wanted to focus, on this year, on social justice. So I'm definitely not thinking about next year just yet.
[Cabrera:] So do you think you'll play next season or are you going to, you know, make sure there's specific, concrete changes first?
[Montgomery:] No, I think I'll play next season. That's what I talked about. I only opted out of the 2020 season because I think that this moment in time look, I opted out, what, two and a half months ago. Look how much has happened. There's so much that's happened in this past week, in this past week, we had Mama Day, Jackie Robinson Day. We lost Chad Boseman. There's a lot going on this week. So when I said I was opting out for one season, people thought five months is such a little bit of time. But look what's happened in just two months. Look at what's happened in just a week, a day. So I feel like this moment is very important, and I wanted to be here for it.
[Cabrera:] I appreciate your optimism in all this. Thank you so much for speaking loud and proud. Renee Montgomery, great to have you here.
[Montgomery:] Thank you for having me.
[Cabrera:] A quick programming note. Disinformation, lies. CNN films presents: "AFTER TRUTH," a film that looks at how fake news is used as a weapon against democracy. "AFTER TRUTH," tonight at 10:00 on CNN. We'll be right back.

[Michelle Kosinski, Cnn:] Nearly 300 people now dead in coordinated Easter terror attacks in Sri Lanka. A security warning was circulated among police 10 days earlier.
[Unidentified Male:] It may be that we have undertaken impeachment. What is the best thing for the country?
[Chuck Todd, Msnbc:] Do you think this is impeachable?
[Unidentified Male:] Yeah, I do.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn:] A lengthy pause. Some Democrats starting to come around on impeachment in the wake of the Mueller report.
[Kosinski:] A comedian scores a decisive to win in Ukraine's next president. I'm sorry, I screw that whole thing up as Ukraine's next president.
[Briggs:] Because it's so hard to believe.
[Kosinski:] Sorry. Bringing fresh uncertainty to an ally.
[Unidentified Female:] What are you doing? He is bleeding.
[Briggs:] And claims of excessive force in Florida. Video captured police slamming a teen's head to the ground. What that Deputy is saying this morning. Good morning, everyone. Welcome back to "Early Start." I'm David Briggs.
[Kosinski:] And I'm Michelle Kosinski. It is 31 minutes past the hour. The death toll in Easter Sunday attack in Sri Lanka rising steeply to 290 people now. That number includes at least two Americans. The attack involved coordinated explosions in at least eight locations across Sri Lanka, including three churches and four high-end hotels. Officials now say 24 people are under arrest so far. The state department says terror groups are still plotting possible attacks with little or no warning.
[Briggs:] Also, a police source tells CNN an internal memo was sent by authorities before the bombing set contained a warning to raise security. Senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson live at the Sri Lankan capitol of Colombo. Ivan, good morning, what are we learning?
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Good morning Dave. It is a subdued and frankly it's a city of mourning here. And I'm standing in front of the St. Anthony Shrine. It's one of the three catholic churches that was so viciously attacked on the holiest day of the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday. So, right here, there is a tight security cordon, you can see clergy gathered there as well as armed police. We have had soldiers here as well and some of the damage, the glass and even the roof and the clock tower appearing to be frozen at 8:45, which is when we believe that the suicide bomber struck at this location and this was a coordinated attack, because there were three luxury hotels up the road from where I am here in Colombo that were also attacked as well as two other catholic churches in two other cities in this country. So just a kind of organization that has frankly shocked the authorities here. One government minister telling me that this is a brand new type of terrorism for Sri Lanka, and that is saying something, because this country fought a civil war for decades that ended almost 10 years ago. And it's no stranger to acts of political violence. There's some big questions right now, though, because some government ministers have published parts of a memo between different security departments issuing a warning that they got from a foreign intelligence service, warning about possible suicide attacks against catholic churches and the Indian high commission, the embassy here in Colombo. So some government ministers are saying why wasn't action taken in response to these warnings, calling this negligence and incompetence, but they also trying to keep people safe. In one of the police raids yesterday, the targets of the raid detonated bombs, killing three police. So, they're not taking chances. There is a 12-hour curfew that will go on into effect 10 hours, I'm sorry, at 8:00 p.m. tonight. There are also freezing access to social media here worried about rumors being spread and to secure the government and the security forces being very careful not to point any big fingers at any one group or organization in this multiethnic, multi sectarian country before the investigation gets more details. I might add, no claims of responsibility up until now for these atrocities. Dave and Michelle.
[Briggs:] Just past 2:00 p.m. there. Ivan Watson live for us. Thank you.
[Kosinski:] There is a frightening scene Sunday at an Easter service in San Diego. Church members tackled a woman carrying a 10- month-old baby and a handgun after she threatened to blow up that church. Witnesses say the woman walked into the auditorium at Mount Everest Academy around noon during a nondenominational service.
[David Michael Miller, Helped Tackle Woman Holding Baby And Gun:] And two minutes after I came in, this lady comes on stage, came through the back with her baby and a gun, and she starts talking all of this craziness about the rapture not being real and everyone is going to hell. After she started pointing the gun at the baby, one of the older gentleman grabbed it from her and me and a couple of other men tackled her.
[Kosinski:] Police arrested the woman identified by local media, 31 year-old Anna Konke. They later found her 5-year-old daughter healthy and unhurt. The children are now in protective custody.
[Briggs:] A growing number of Democrats are warming up to the idea of impeaching President Trump, including three key committee chairman who seemed hesitate in the past, he even discuss the issue.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] Now, it may be that we have undertaken impeachment nonetheless. I think, what we are going to have to decide as a caucus is what is the best thing for the country? Is it the best thing for the country to take up an impeachment proceeding, because to do otherwise sends a message that this conduct is somehow compatible with office?
[Rep. Elijah Cummings:] There comes a point in life where we all have to make decisions based upon the fact that it is our watch, and you know, history, I think, even if we did not win possibly, if there were not impeachment, I think history would smile upon us for standing up for the constitution.
[Todd:] Do you think this is impeachable?
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] Yes, I do. I do think that this, if proven if proven, which hasn't been proven yet, some of this, if proven, some of this would be impeachable, yes.
[Todd:] All right.
[Nadler:] Obstruction of justice if proven would be impeachable.
[Briggs:] Chairman Nadler plans to call former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. According to the Mueller report, McGahn refused an order from President Trump to fire the special counsel.
[Kosinski:] And Politico is reporting Democrats on the judiciary committee are already engaged with the Justice Department. They're making preliminary arrangements for Robert Mueller to testify next month. The White House now in full spin mode.
[Todd:] Do you feel like he is truthful?
[Rudy Guiliani, Attorney For President Trump:] I believe he is truthful, yes, as much as he can be in a world in which every single word you say is picked apart.
[Kosinski:] Rudy Giuliani not stopping there, the president's personal lawyer launching a blistering attack on the Mueller report, while curiously not questioning its findings.
[Unidentified Male:] You're saying that this document is not credible.
[Guiliani:] No. How about looking at it this way, people who wrote an unfair to him, people who wrote an unfair report, people who came close to torturing people to get information and break them
[Unidentified Male:] Came close
[Guiliani:] Yes, how about having
[Unidentified Male:] They put forward a report that ultimately cleared President Trump.
[Guiliani:] And that takes every cheap shot imaginable because he couldn't prove it.
[Unidentified Male:] You called it cheap shots. Other people call it evidence.
[Guiliani:] But you don't just spew out all this stuff.
[Todd:] Do you and the president accept the idea that the Russian interference was designed to help President Trump?
[Guiliani:] I believe it was. I can't tell you for sure. I haven't examine all that evidence, but I have
[Todd:] Did the president accept that?
[Guiliani:] no reason to dispute it. I think he does.
[Briggs:] Boris Sanchez traveled with the president for the holiday weekend. He filed this report from West Palm Beach.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Correspondent:] Dave and Michelle, according to sources President Trump spent the weekend fuming over news coverage of details in the Mueller report and the depiction from some former White House officials of a White House in chaos. A president that is unhinged, paranoid and angry, and aides that either ignore or refuse to carry out his orders. Meantime, the president's attorney, Rudy Giuliani was on the Sunday morning talk shows. He spoke with Jake Tapper on State of the Union. And Jake asked him about some of the behavior outlined in the Mueller report, specifically whether it was ethical or moral. Listen to what Giuliani's response.
[Guiliani:] Any candidate in the whole world in America would take information.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Chief Washington Correspondent:] From a foreign source? From a hostile foreign source?
[Guiliani:] There's nothing wrong with taking information from Russians.
[Tapper:] There's nothing wrong from taking information
[Guiliani:] It depends on where it came from. It depends on where it came from. You're assuming that the giving of the information is a campaign contribution. We do report carefully. The report says we can't conclude that because the law is pretty much against that.
[Sanchez:] The strategy
[Reid:] from the president's legal team is one that we have seen before. They are now just questioning the credibility of people cited in Mueller's report even as they accept the report's general findings. We should point out, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to hold a conference call with the Democratic caucus at 5:00 p.m. on Monday to talk about the possibility of pursuing impeachment. David and Michelle.
[Kosinski:] Thank you so much, Boris. Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney in Manhattan says there's a potential obstruction case against President Trump once he is out of office. He notes the Mueller report said evidence was being preserved.
[Preet Bharara, Former U.s. Attorney, Southern District Of New York:] The president, once he leaves office can be charged with crimes committed while in office. I don't think it can be more clear, whether or not a prosecutor will seek to do it, and whether or not there will be viable defenses, I don't know, but the position of the Mueller team, to me is clearly the case, they think there is future legal jeopardy.
[Kosinski:] President Trump remember fired Bharara as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, that's the same district where Trump was named as individual one, in the hush money case against his former lawyer Michael Cohen.
[Briggs:] Former Vice President Joe Biden poised to make his long awaited announcement this week that he is entering the 2020 race. Sources close to Biden tell us, he will likely make a video announcement followed by a series of events, still to be determine. Separately, Biden spent the Eastern holiday in Delaware with his family. His entry to the race will answer one of the biggest questions still lingering over the crowded and historically diverse Democratic primary field, this would mark Biden's third run for the White House.
[Kosinski:] Life imitating art in Ukraine, a TV comedian who played a teacher who becomes president of Ukraine is now, in fact, the real president of Ukraine. Political newcomer, Volodymyr Zelensky, declaring victory after Sunday's presidential election. Phil Black now is live from Kiev. Tell us about the reaction to this. I mean, is there shock there?
[Phil Black, Cnn Correspondent:] Not really, Michelle because such was the popularity and the dominance of Volodymyr Zelensky throughout the campaign, his messages, his ideas, his persona, it has all resonated so strongly. The regular guy who in probably becomes president and then cleans up politics in this country. That is the character he plays on television. That is the character he says he is now playing in real life. That is what his whole campaign was based about, the TV show's phenomenally successful here. He is an incredibly popular, charismatic comic and actor, and he's conducted this campaign in a clever, although distant way. He has not appeared in public often, he hasn't given a lot of interviews, he has not talked about detailed policy. Instead, campaigning in pretty vague generalities about cleaning up politics, fighting corruption, making things better, doing things for the Ukrainian people. All of that has really worked for him. It's just that he is a fresh face and people are ready for it. He has secured, according to exit polls, and the counts so far, something around 73 percent of the vote. A truly spectacular result really, but that is a mix of people who were simply fed up with the old system, a protest vote, if you like, and those who have generally fallen for Zelensky, people who have projected their hopes and dreams on to his likable face and vague campaign. But the problems are going to start for him on day one of his presidency, the weak economy, the ongoing fighting and now war against Russian backed separatists in the East. It all matters in a biggest sense, because Ukraine is in many ways the front line of the West ongoing confrontation with Russia, across a range of issues. And so a big part of Volodymyr Zelensky's job now are really important part, will be going toe to toe with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the professional comic and clown, if you like, up against the guy who has dominated Russian politics and world affairs for something close to 20 years. And there's a theory that says Putin is going to be very happy about this because he will now be dealing with a truly inexperienced Ukrainian president, Michelle.
[Kosinski:] Great story. Thanks so much, Phil.
[Briggs:] It is astounding and said a Ukrainian office manager in the paper I'm reading, it's like when you go to a cheap supermarket and all the food is rotten and you rummage around to find the least rotten piece. That is who you vote for as president, folks in 2019. A 5-year-old is missing in Illinois, and police are focusing on what happened inside the boy's home. Critical story ahead.

[Vause:] For centuries, India's Soliga tribe has lived in a forest nestled in the southern part of the country. Their traditions and culture deeply rooted within the lush greenery which surrounds them. In our "Iconic India" series, we explore how that connection live son today.
[Unidentified Female:] Adorned in leaves from the forest the Soliga tribe of India perform a 2,000-year-old ceremony. This is a dance that reinforces the tribes deep connection, with nature and their deity, Gorukana, God of the forest.
[Achugegowda:] For the Soliga tribes, the forest is their father and mother, it is the god that we worship.
[Unidentified Female:] For centuries, Achugegowda's ancestors lived off the land but when their hunting grounds were turned into wildlife parks, they lost their livelihood. Today, they manage to survive by selling products from the forest, from spices to crafting, honey making, to coffee farming.
[Arshia Bose:] So this is Achugegowda's coffee plantation. There are some stories to suggest that he might be one of the first Soliga people in this region to actually start cultivating coffee.
[Unidentified Female:] Arshia Bose has been buying coffee from Achugegowda and other Soliga tribe members for four years. India is the seventh largest producer of coffee in the world. With Karnataka producing the majority, this is coffee country. In the Biligirirangan Hills, the elevation, the sort of the fact that we are on a slope as well as the soil type is really good for the cultivation of coffee. We find the flavor of coffee to be really, really sort of full full flavored and quite fruity and quite peppery. It is quite earthy. Working directly with buyers and cutting out the middleman, the farmers here are empowered but there is another effort that seeks to support the whole tribe.
[Hanumappa Sudarshin:] Gorukana is the song which the tribe will sing, Goru, goru, goru ko, gorukana the whole life is like a web. And we thought we would keep that name and also do it as part of that web. Ecotourism is also part of that web.
[Unidentified Female:] And flowing around 25 tribe members, this Gorukana Eco Wellness Retreat is more than just a tourist attraction. All proceeds from the retreat were invested into the communities, supporting the local school and hospital, providing a lifeline for the Soliga people for years to come.
[Vause:] Before Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor was even born, his parents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tightly controlled access to his story and presentation to the world, most likely in many ways, to shield him from this sort of thing racist tweets from the likes of BBC Radio 5 live presenter Danny Baker. On Wednesday Baker tweeted a photo of a man and woman holding hands with a chimpanzee in a suit and top hat. The caption: "Royal baby leaves hospital". He deleted it, issued kind of an apology but not enough to save his job. A BBC spokesman said "This was a serious error of judgment and goes against the values we as a station aim to embody. Danny is a brilliant broadcaster but will no longer be presenting a weekly show with us." Sandro Monetti, entertainment journalist and former royal correspondent, with us now from Los Angeles. Oh you've got some of the music. Ok. A little bit to talk about here to wrap up the week, but that tweet, Danny Baker, the radio presenter. This was his initial apology. "Sorry my gag pic of the little fellow in the posh outfit has whipped some up. Never occurred to me because well, mind not diseased. Soon as those good enough to point out its possible connotations, got in touch, down it came and that's it. Now stand by for sweary football tweets." It seems he was then told management wanted to see him or something like that. Here's the other tweet. "Once again, sincere apologies for the stupid unthinking gag pic earlier. It was supposed to be a joke about royals versus circus animals in posh cloths blah, blah, blah. So rightly deleted. Royalty watching not forte. He then, you know, well, he got fired. He then was quite deep in saying he was a victim of all sorts of silliness. Surely by now the I didn't not know it was offensive defense seems unbelievable.
[Sandro Monetti, Entertainment Journalist:] He works in the media. One of the major stories in the world has been about, amid all the congratulations to Meghan, giving birth to what is the first biracial baby in the history of the royal family has been so much abuse of a racist nature on social media. So what does one of the BBC's prime broadcasters do? Go and add to this narrative. Utterly idiotic, utterly stupid, an end to a glorious broadcasting career but he had to go and the mealy mouth apology was just pathetic. You know, it's really a landmark for the moment in our culture and it is just vile. You know, Ricky Gervais once said to me, Twitter is one big toilet wall. And so you get one of the most respected broadcasters just adding to it, this was an idiotic move. Don't slam the door on your way out, Danny, you had to go.
[Vause:] Yes. Twitter-cide we call it. On the bright side, though, what we are seeing is so unusual with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. They are sort of writing their own playbook here. They're refusing to follow in the steps of other royals, notably William and Kate, in a lot of way. Firstly the official photographs of the couple and the queen and also, Meghan's mother, a non royal relative appearing in an official photo like this,
[Monetti:] She must. You know, Meghan and Harry play the Instagram game so well, better than anyone else in the palace, because on the official royal family Web site, the parents of Archie were named as William and Kate, oops. Someone has not been paying attention at the palace, whereas Sussex Royal has just take an off to 7.5 million followers on Instagram. I think this is fantastic and what I love about the young royals is how they are using this platform for a good. Yes, the eyes of the world are on them. In the last few hours they have launched a crisis text helpline for people struggling with mental health issues. I can't think of any other major celebrity that makes mental health their topic. It certainly never been done in the royal family.
[Vause:] Days after she gives birth.
[Monetti:] Yes, exactly. Yes. So you talk about tradition and a new way of doing things and we are talking about them so much, you know. "Game of Thrones" is about to go off the air and everyone is very sad, but don't worry because the intrigue and drama that surrounds the royals can keep us going.
[Vause:] Absolutely.
[Monetti:] And this one will never be canceled.
[Vause:] Ok. Well, there is also no official royal title for Archie. Here's CNN's Max Foster to explain why.
[Max Foster, Cnn Correspondent:] I think that suggests that they want Archie to grow up and develop his own career outside the royal fold, unburdened by titles. They also want to argue, I think, that they deserve some privacy for this little child because he's not got a title so therefore he won't take a royal role so he should be exempted from much of the media pressure that has plagued Harry, he would argue, but also his mother.
[Vause:] The other interesting thing, he was only given three names, Archie, which actually is a contraction which is the first time I think that has ever happened for a royal. So Archie Harrison Mountbatten. Normally the royal kids, they've got more names than a phone book.
[Monetti:] Yes, they have. I mean you only need to look at the all the bets, we thought Arthur, Philipp, George, all the rest of them, but they are doing things their own way. And it was interesting in that package there about out of the spotlight. The media is very different, of course, the royal family has had its run-ins with the press but now one of the great things about Instagram and Twitter is that the poster can control the story so they are getting in their first and it will be a decision for them, as the most high-profile parents in the world, how much exposure do they give to Archie going forward? You know, will this be the world's most famous child, you know they say there will be no royal title, will it be @Archie coming at us soon or will he be in the background. It's going to be fascinating to watch this very modern media savvy couple and how they handle the fame, controlling themselves, of the most famous child in the world right now.
[Vause:] Absolutely. We're out of time Sandro but to that point, they have managed to pull off, you know, this birth and everything else, getting Meghan to the hospital and getting out of the hospital. It was like something out of a Jason Bourne movie. They're probably get it up the tabloids right. It was good to see you.
[Monetti:] Great to see you. Cheers.
[Vause:] And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. The news continues right after a very short break.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] And what happens once you know, once they make a decision?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Political Correspondent:] Well, we do expect a vote this afternoon. It has been taking some time because the voting process is sort of a freewheeling process. Different members could offer different amendments. They can speak for as long as they want, as and we know members of Congress like to speak. So, we expect this to go on perhaps for another couple of hours before we get to the final vote here in the House Judiciary Committee to hold the attorney general in contempt for defying the Democratic subpoena that would that called for him to turn over the full Mueller report and the underlying evidence, after days of talks to try to find a middle ground that broke down and ultimately led the president to take the dramatic move this morning to invoke executive privilege and saying that information cannot be turned over. Now, the question is, what next? The House floor the full House will consider the contempt citation in a matter of days. We don't know exactly when. Nancy Pelosi's office has not made that decision yet known publicly. And, also, some Democrats are saying, we needed to be even tougher than contempt citation. And some, Brooke, are saying it's time to start talking about impeachment.
[Rep. Cedric Richmond:] Do I think we're inching closer to it every day that the president has a blanket privilege or just saying that he's going to obstruct the congressional investigation? Yes, for me, we're inching towards it.
[Raju:] Do you think this committee should start talking about another thing, impeachment?
[Rep. Veronica Escobar:] I think we have to talk about it.
[Raju:] But the Democratic leadership not quite where a number of their members in the rank and file are. They, including Nancy Pelosi, say going through the impeachment process is divisive. It could eventually lead to the to the being to fail in the Senate, because it's controlled by Republicans. You need of course, you need two-thirds majority to convict a president, so why go through that process? But, nevertheless, the White House's refusal to provide documents, to comply with subpoenas, to try to instruct people to not comply with subpoenas, like the former White House counsel Don McGahn, and this latest move today all feeding into the Democratic push to take a tougher line against this White House. You will see this contempt citation play out, and then you will see legal action. Democrats will soon file lawsuits to try to compel the administration to comply with their requests, all part of this growing fight between the two branches of government that may require the third branch of government, the courts, to come in and resolve this Brooke.
[Baldwin:] And, again, to go back to Laura Jarrett's reporting, with everything you're saying, still, the potential Mueller testimony would not be impacted by this invoking of executive privilege. Manu Raju, thank you very much. Back to Chairman Nadler, the head of the House Judiciary. He has just added a new a new weight to a term that he even he says is often overused, constitutional crisis. This is what Jerry Nadler told CNN's Alisyn Camerota.
[Rep. Jerrold Nadler:] Certainly, it's a constitutional crisis, although I don't like to use that phrase because it's been used for far less dangerous situations. The phrase has been overused.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] I hear you. But you feel that we are currently in a constitutional crisis or headed for one?
[Nadler:] No, no, we're in one. We're in one because the president is disobeying the law, is refusing all information to the Congress.
[Baldwin:] CNN presidential historian Tim Naftali is a former director of the Nixon Presidential Library. And he's with me, as is CNN legal analyst Carrie Cordero. She served as the counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security. So, welcome, welcome to both of you. And, Tim, just off of Chairman Nadler saying we are in a constitutional crisis, do you think he's right?
[Tim Naftali, Cnn Presidential Historian:] Well, we're definitely in a political crisis. What I think Chairman Nadler has to do is explain to the American people what it was exactly that he couldn't get through these negotiations with Barr. See, it's fairly important for the American people to feel that there was some effort to strike a balance and to achieve what the public needed to know to determine the president's the nature of the president's rule. And I think the Democrats have not been as forthcoming as they should be to explain exactly why negotiations broke down. There is no doubt that President Trump overreacted today by asserting...
[Baldwin:] This blanket...
[Naftali:] ... blanket there's no constitutional justification for what he did. But I think, at this moment, a lot of Americans are just seeing the Republicans and Democrats screaming at each other. And the details which are so important are being lost. I think, if Nadler and Pelosi can make the case that we needed this information in order to to understand this and that, it would be a lot clearer in American minds. Right now, the president is assuming that Americans don't care about the details and are going to see this as yet another partisan battle.
[Baldwin:] So you want more of the details from the Democrats. And to this point, Carrie, about invoking this blanket blanket executive privilege, for people who are following along so closely, can you just remind everyone what executive privilege is and what it covers?
[Carrie Cordero, Cnn Legal Analyst:] So, executive privilege is a privilege that is asserted by the president that covers deliberations. In other words, for close advisers, people in the White House and other executive branch senior officials to be able to give the president advice, it's a privilege he can assert, so that he can fulfill his duties and know that those deliberations and those conversations are in confidence. And it's a privilege that can be asserted by presidents. It's been asserted by presidents of both administrations. Tim is exactly right that the details really matter here, and they have legal significance. And the reason is that, when privileges are asserted, whether it's executive privilege or another kind of privilege, what they are being asserted over is what matters, so the specific types of documents or the specific witness who is being requested to come speak to Congress. And they're not they're not asserted in the abstract. It has to be about specific data points. And that's what's getting lost in this back and forth between Congress and the executive branch, is we have Chairman Nadler, who is saying that the executive branch is not being responsive, but we don't actually know what specifically it is that he's requesting. Same with there are other requests that an outstanding request by the House Intelligence Committee. Both the chairman and the ranking member have made requests for information. And so and they're not being responded to. So what the White House has done is overbroad, but they're preserving their ability to assert the privilege over specific things.
[Baldwin:] Got it. And I see you. You're nodding. And I just want to ask you, as there are few people who know more about history and President Nixon. She mentioned previous presidents have tried to assert executive privilege. He did.
[Naftali:] Yes. But because the special prosecutor in the Nixon era and the House Judiciary Committee were so careful in what they asked for, Republicans supported them, not all Republicans, but supported them and felt the president was stonewalling. Well, and that's why I mean, I think Carrie and I are in complete agreement.
[Baldwin:] Yes.
[Naftali:] What you need to do is you need is nonpartisan, fair-minded elected officials to say, you know what, the White House needs to hand this stuff, this particular stuff over. Right now, the coverage I have seen gives the impression that Chairman Nadler has asked for all underlying documents, which means potentially all raw investigative files.
[Baldwin:] Still under way, yes.
[Naftali:] But let me tell you, Congress asked for all the raw investigative files from the Watergate special prosecution force after Nixon left office, and the Watergate special prosecution force said, we can't do it. Even that group couldn't do it. So there's no precedent for actually turning over the raw files. So what exactly do they want? I suspect what they want is necessary for the public to know. But, at the moment, we don't know those details. That's how you make this argument to the American people.
[Baldwin:] Do you think, Carrie, that, legally, Chairman Nadler is fighting this losing battle, but then, politically speaking, does he have to he and the Democrats have to appear that they are exhausting all efforts to then ultimately perhaps tackle the mountain that is impeachment proceedings?
[Cordero:] Well, I mean, that's why this, of course, because does become a political question. I actually tend to think that, politically, the contempt hearing for the attorney general is counterproductive, if their goal is to be able to get to impeachment proceedings. The Mueller report is about the conduct of the Trump campaign, and it's about the conduct of the president as it pertains to his pattern of obstructive behavior that is laid out in detail in the report. This diversion to the attorney general really doesn't help answer the question as to whether or not Congress is going to open impeachment inquiry, which I and others think that there certainly is a basis, based on the report. And, unfortunately, that's why I think, politically, this turning the attention over to the attorney general might be politically counterproductive.
[Baldwin:] Counterproductive and a diversion. Carrie Cordero, thank you very much for your opinion.
[Cordero:] Thanks.
[Baldwin:] And, Tim Naftali, as always, thank you so much.
[Naftali:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Coming up next: a possible reason President Trump has been just so defiant about releasing his tax returns, "The New York Times" revealing he may have lost more money than nearly any other U.S. taxpayer during a 10-year period. So we will see if he responds to that this hour as he leaves the White House to head to Florida. We will take you there live if he talks to reporters. Also, yet another school shooting rocks the nation. One student has been killed, eight others wounded at a school in Colorado, as terrified children look on. The father of a sixth-grader who survived joins me live.

[Pamela Brown, Cnn:] All right, Tom Sater, thank you so much for that. I'm Pamela Brown in for Jake Tapper. Thanks for watching. Our coverage on CNN continues right now.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] 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. We're standing by to see if President Trump takes questions from reporters at a coronavirus briefing about to get underway after a jaw dropping interview where the President said of the more than 150,000 deaths here in the United States and I'm quoting now, "it is what it is." He then went on to demonstrate a seemingly stark lack of understanding of the fundamentals of this pandemic. The virus has now killed more than 156,000 Americans,.7 million people with new death rates surging here in the United States in 27 states. Let's get the very latest right now. Our National Correspondent Sara Sidner is joining us. Sara, there's some encouraging vaccine news that we're hearing about. Update our viewers.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes, Wolf, you know a third U.S. company has now released a study saying that their results from testing a vaccine is safe and creates an immune response. Now, this study has not been reviewed by other scientists, but it is potential encouraging news as they move on to the next phase of testing. This as the President is trying to convince the American people that the coronavirus in the United States is under control when the numbers show it clearly is not.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think it's under control. I'll tell you what
[Jonathan Swan, Axios Reporter:] How? A 1000 Americans are dying a day.
[Tump:] They are dying. That's true. And you have it is what it is. But that doesn't mean we aren't doing everything we can. It's under control as much as you can control it.
[Sidner:] The President arguing there is not much more the U.S. can do to combat the coronavirus pandemic, medical experts disagree.
[Unidentified Male:] I just categorically reject, we can't do something about it or that the status quo is acceptable.
[Sidner:] With more than 4.7 million diagnosed cases and more than 156,000 deaths.
[Dr. Jay Varkey, Associate Professot Of Medicine, Emory University:] The U.S. is the fourth worst performing country in the world. We have 4 percent of the world's population, yet we account for 25 percent of the world's deaths. That is unacceptable.
[Sidner:] New case rates are steady or down in 42 states. But often, the numbers are steady at a very high level with Florida about to become the second state to total a half million cases during the pandemic.
[Gov. Ron Desantis,  Florida:] I think by the time we get, you know, a couple weeks into the future, I think we're going to continue to see the prevalence decline, and that'll be a very, very good thing.
[Sidner:] But some Midwestern states are newly surging.
[Mayor Quinton Lucas,  Kansas City, Missouri:] I just hope removing all partisanship that people recognize our cities need help, people need help, we need to get ahead of I think further spread.
[Sidner:] And while cases may be declining in many places, daily death tolls across the country continue to climb.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute For Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] This is a very serious situation that our country is facing. I don't you know, you don't need anybody to tell you that you just need to look at the numbers.
[Sidner:] The Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta turned back into a makeshift hospital due to a rise in cases there. Despite the worrying data for the U.S. as a whole, some citizens are still throwing caution to the wind. Another massive house party, this time at a mansion in Los Angeles, a potential coronavirus, petri dish that ended in gunfire, one person killed, three shot.
[Lt. Chris Ramirez, Los Angeles Police:] We as a public have to be conscious of everybody else. Everybody's public safety, our own safety.
[Sidner:] Schools continue to be the great unknown, some communities eager to start up, others more concerned with the risks of sending kids and teachers back into classrooms.
[Dr. Debbi Burdick, Superintendent, Cave Creek Unified School District::] We can make great academic decisions, but I don't think talking about somebody's health, not knowing all their underlying conditions are the types of things that we should be deciding.
[Sidner:] Gwinnett County, Georgia's largest school system, now reporting some 260 public school employees are staying home after testing positive for COVID-19 or coming into contact with someone who has. And this just in to CNN, the Mississippi governor has decided to order a mask mandate for the next couple of weeks. And that mandate extends to people in schools saying that both teachers and students must wear masks. That is because Mississippi is seeing a major spike in cases there. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Like several other states. Thanks very much Sara Sidner for that report. Let's go to the White House right now. Our Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is standing by. Jim, the President seems to be showing a stunningly cavalier attitude toward this health disaster.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right. And an administration official is telling CNN that others on the Coronavirus Task Force here at the White House agree with Dr. Deborah Birx's stark assessment that the pandemic in the U.S. has entered a new phase and that COVID-19 has become, "extraordinarily widespread." President Trump lashed out at Birx's after she made that remark, but it's the President's latest comments on the virus that are raising questions about his grasp on reality. The President is insisting the virus is, "under control" telling the news site Axios, it is what it is.
[Acosta:] For President Trump each appearance in front of the cameras brings another departure from reality on the coronavirus, the latest example his interview with Axios. Asked about the soaring number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., the President says "it is what it is."
[Trump:] I think it's under control. I'll tell you what
[Swan:] How? A 1000 Americans are dying a day.
[Trump:] They are dying. That's true. And you have it is what it is. But that doesn't mean we aren't doing everything we can. It's under control as much as you can control it.
[Acosta:] The President tried to insist the data is on his side. But that argument fell flat too.
[Swan:] I'm talking about death as a proportion of population. That's why the U.S. is really bad.
[Trump:] Well
[Swan:] Much worse than South Korea versus South Korea.
[Trump:] No. But you have to go by the cases.
[Acosta:] In Mr. Trump's world, the U.S. is leading in its response. Well, Hold it. Hold it. Why does the U.S. have so many deaths?
[Trump:] Hold it.
[Acosta:] U.S. has so many deaths compared to
[Trump:] Hold it.
[Acosta:] so many countries around the world?
[Trump:] We haven't been given enough may I'm not talking about me. Vice President, the task force have not been given the kind of credit. The United States has done an amazing job, a great job.
[Acosta:] But that's not true, which is why the President hammer the coordinator of his Coronavirus Task Force, Dr. Deborah Birx, for acknowledging reality.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Task Force Response Coordinator:] What we're seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread.
[Acosta:] After slamming her comments as, "pathetic," a remark that left Birx feeling stung. Mr. Trump appeared to dial back his criticism.
[Trump:] I think we're doing very well. I told Dr. Birx, I think we're doing very well. She was in my office a little while ago. She personally have a lot of respect for.
[Acosta:] The President is also taking some personal jabs at the late civil rights icon John Lewis, who was laid to rest last week.
[Trump:] He chose not to come to my inauguration. He chose I don't I never met John Lewis, actually. I don't believe.
[Swan:] Do you find him impressive?
[Trump:] I can't say one way or the other. I find a lot of people impressive. Nobody has done more
[Swan:] Right.
[Trump:] for black Americans than have.
[Swan:] I understand.
[Trump:] He should have come, I think he made a big mistake.
[Acosta:] The President is reversing himself on the subject of voting by mail at least in Florida after blasting the practice in the past, tweeting, "Whether you call it vote by mail or absentee voting, in Florida the election system is safe and secure, tried and true. So in Florida, I encourage all to request a ballot and vote by mail." CNN has learned, Florida Republicans appeal to the president to back off. White House officials insists Mr. Trump is being consistent.
[Unidentified Male:] And will he admit now what is the fact that voting across the country by mail is safe and secure and tried and true?
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] Well, the President has always said that absentee voting for a reason is different than mass mail out voting like what Nevada is seeking to do, which leads to mass fraud.
[Unidentified Male:] It is the same thing.
[Mcenany:] And also, I'd refer you to the campaign on this.
[Acosta:] Now as for negotiations on a new coronavirus relief, real time maybe running out a White House official said aides to the president are eyeing various proposals for Mr. Trump to take executive action should both sides in Congress failed to reach an agreement by the end of this week. There are also signs of divisions inside the administration Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, both told Republican senators behind closed doors today that they are on the same page when it comes to a deal, never a good sign when different sides of the administration are saying things like that. And as for how the virus is impacting operations here at the White House, National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien he is back on the job today after testing positive for COVID-19 last week. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much. Let's get some more in all of this. Dr. Leana Wen is joining us, the former Health Commissioner of Baltimore. Dr. Wen, thank you so much for joining us. Let me get your reaction to these comments from the President. As a doctor of public health expert, does he have any grasp of just how bad this pandemic really is? Right now, more than 156,000 Americans in the past six months alone have died from coronavirus?
[Dr. Leana Wen, Former Baltimore City Health Commissioner:] I heard the comments, Wolf, about it is what it is. And I was thinking about, imagine if you have a doctor saying that to a patient who just explained all the suffering and pain that they have gone through. It just wouldn't happen. And I wish that the President and the administration is coming out to acknowledge the grave problem that we're in right now. And to say too that we are not powerless against this virus. Actually, we know exactly what works. We've done it before. Americans have done it before. Other countries have been able to contain it. And there are things that we can do right now. And that's something that the President can galvanize us around wearing masks, keeping physical distancing, avoiding crowds, not going to bars and restaurants. In this time, we can actually make a big difference. But it starts by acknowledging the problem that we're in right now.
[Blitzer:] It basically says, you know, we can't control the numbers. Clearly, there are steps that can be taken to control the numbers. About 1000 Americans, Dr. Wen are dying every single day, and he says, "it is what it is." He seems to doubt that there's more we can do. But there's a lot more that we could do, right?
[Wen:] Absolutely. And these are the steps that Dr. Fauci, the CDC and really every public health expert has said will make a huge difference if we do them now. And they're relatively straightforward. Something as basic as universal masking, we could save 30,000 to 40,000 lives by the end of the year if we just implement that. We know that this is a contagious disease that spreads from person to person, so keeping that physical distance, avoiding indoor crowded gatherings, not being with those who are not in our immediate family, those are all things that we can do. And we've seen that states that have implemented these restrictions have been able to turn it around. And so we can all do this as a country.
[Blitzer:] We did just get the results of this phase one trial of the Novavax vaccine candidate, they found the vaccine, at least so far, this it's very early, is safe, creates an immune response. And there have been some other encouraging responses as well from others who are engaged in these respective trials. How encouraging is all of this?
[Wen:] I think it's very encouraging. I do think that with so many different candidates in the pipeline, that we are having multiple, what we call shots on goal, right, that there are maybe one or even more vaccine candidates that are going to pan out. But I also think that we can't wait until then, because who knows, I mean, maybe it'll be the end of the year. Maybe it'll be early next year that we start having a vaccine available or longer. But in the meantime, we are having 1000 Americans die per day, which is 100,000 people who could be dead within three months. And so we need to take these other options now as well, while we also aim to get a vaccine and other treatments.
[Blitzer:] When you look at the number of new cases, the picture seems to be a bit better than it was a few weeks ago, but positivity rates are very high. Are some of these states plateauing at a high level right now, Dr. Wen? Are there areas of the country that you're most worried about?
[Wen:] I'm worried about really our entire country. There are places that have seemed to plateau, which is good, again, showing that individual actions make a difference and policies make a difference, but they're plateauing at such a high level while other states are catching up. And we don't have nearly enough testing. And so it's quite possible that the rest of the states that look like they're doing OK, actually have ongoing community spread that we're just not picking up. And so, that's why that type of aggressive action needs to be taken. If we want for schools to reopen in the fall in a couple weeks or a month, then we have to take much more dramatic action that we can now and that action cannot be piecemeal. Because this whack a mole approach is just not going to work.
[Blitzer:] Yes, that's really important. And as you pointed out at schools are trying to figure out their back to school plans. We've learned that, this is very upsetting, that two Florida teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 have actually died from the coronavirus. I know that's rare, but how do you protect the kids who may be more vulnerable?
[Wen:] While you keep the most vulnerable home, whether they are teachers or students or staff, but the problem though, is that you just can't keep a school and the people at the school safe if you have a community that's a hotbed of infection. And so I really worry about the plans to reopen schools if we haven't put into plans into place these other plans that protect the community. You can think of it almost as a coronavirus budget, that cities have a budget, municipalities have a budget, you determine what's the most important. And if the most essential component is opening schools, then we need to be closing bars and nightclubs and other such nonessential services now to allow for schools to reopen.
[Blitzer:] Dr. Leana Wen, as usual, thanks so much for joining us.
[Wen:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] Up next in New York City Health Commissioner resigns amid this pandemic. We're going to talk about that. The Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio, there you see him, we've got lots to discuss. Plus, there's breaking news, a massive explosion felt more than 100 miles away. Dozens are dead. Thousands are injured. We'll go live to Beirut for the latest.

[Quest:] Well, the love affair didn't last long, and the honeymoon seems to be over for Slack. Shares of the office app are down 13 percent pre-market on the company's first earnings report since going public. They recovered, they're still off some 3 percent. If you look at the messages, you'll see the details. Slack filed to go public in April, $400 million in revenue and $139 million in losses. Direct listed on the Stock Exchange in June, $23 billion was the evaluation. Now, the early outlook is up, slowing growth, service disruptions, investors not pleased, company not profitable. Paul La Monica joins me from New York. Is there anything in what we heard from the company today, Paul, that wasn't imminently foreseeable?
[Paul La Monica, Cnn Business Reporter:] Yes, I don't think so, Richard, I think people should have been able to figure out that Slack, even though it wasn't a traditional IPO was a direct listing as you pointed out. There was a lot of hype surrounding this company and much like Uber and Lyft which are obviously not an allegros in the sense that they are ride-sharing companies that focus more on consumers, but are also not profitable. They were wildly hyped unicorns, and you know, their results, you know, weren't that great either. So, I think it really does show that there is this zeal for a lot of these hot unicorns going public to try and, you know, live up to the hype. And you know, I think it's one thing to attract venture capital interest from VCs that are willing to play the longer-term game. You know, investors are a lot more fickle in the public markets.
[Quest:] You know, I know that Slack is very popular. I can't say I've used it myself, but I believe it's the backbone for you and many of your colleagues. I mean
[La Monica:] I envy you, Richard.
[Quest:] Look at the share price, though. I mean, what is it that's the risk here? Is it that a MeToo comes along and steals its clothes? Is it that it just doesn't catch on? Where's the risk and what is the risk?
[La Monica:] Well, I think there are two. As far as competition, right now, to its credits, Slack really is the predominant app for office collaboration tools right now. I mean, people do love and use this a lot, and I would say from first-hand experience, it is used pretty extensively in the CNN Business newsroom. That being said, there's this little software company in Redmond, Washington, you may have heard of called Microsoft that has something called Teams that's integrated in Office 365. Microsoft is a much bigger company obviously than Slack is. If Microsoft really wants to get aggressive and try and out-slack Slack, it's possible that Nadella and co could do that. So, I think that's a risk. But also as you point out, there are a lot of companies that are paying subscriptions to be honest, but there are also free trials as well. And you know, I think it's remains to be seen whether or not it's a company that can generate enough revenue growth to make them profitable. Because revenue growth is already slowing, that's not
[Quest:] Right
[La Monica:] Something you want to see this early at a stage as an
[Ipo. Quest:] Absolutely, not in the cycle. If we take a quick look at the market and how it's trading at the moment, Paul, because come on, guru, does the news we've heard oh, we slipped under 400, but does the news we've heard today justify this sort of reaction, not that it matters, we've got it anyway?
[La Monica:] Yes, I don't know if it necessarily does, but you could argue that some of the recent sell-offs weren't justified either. What's worrying me now is that we are so headline-driven, all it takes is one rogue Trump tweet, one with
[Quest:] Yes
[La Monica:] China is coming back to the table and we have these exaggerated moves. I'd like to see an actual meeting take place with some real progress on a trade deal and not just tweets and headlines.
[Quest:] Good point, Paul, always good to have you, thank you, sir.
[La Monica:] Thank you, sir.
[Quest:] As we continue, an exclusive trip to a Galaxy of phones. We'll be inside Samsung, next.

[Blitzer:] We're following the breaking news here in THE SITUATION ROOM. President Trump is back in the Oval Office, despite, despite his coronavirus infection and the expanding outbreak inside the White House. So many White House officials have now come down with coronavirus. Let's continue the conversation with Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. In this newly released White House official video, the president says it was a blessing from God that he contracted the coronavirus. You have said the president's negligence actually caught up with him. He clearly sees it very differently. What do you say to the president, as he actually continues to downplay this virus?
[Sen. Tammy Duckworth:] Stop jeopardizing the lives of Americans and stop jeopardizing the national security of our country. You are acting negligently. And it is a dereliction of duty, the way you're behaving. He's put those immediately around him at risk. But he's also now continued to send out messaging that is contrary to what science tells us we should do, when to avoid contracting this deadly illness and to avoid spreading it. He's modeling the absolute worst behavior. And we have 210,000 dead Americans right now that attest to the fact that this virus is deadly.
[Blitzer:] It's very deadly, indeed. We watched, Senator we watched this evening as a U.S. Marine guard stationed outside the door at the West Wing of the White House, as a result of the president's actual return to the Oval Office. That Marine guard only stands there when the president is in the West Wing in the Oval Office. I wonder what you, as a former as a veteran of the U.S. military, make of the president's putting members of the U.S. military, White House staffers, several of them, White House, not just officials, but those who work at the White House, potentially at risk by refusing to do what the CDC says he should be doing, isolating in what they call a safe room at the White House?
[Duckworth:] Were he not the president, if he were a typical commander of a military unit, he would be relieved of duty. He would be fired. You cannot jeopardize the well-being of your troops the way he has. And, remember, it's not just the Marine guard, Wolf. It's also the military aides that are around him, some of whom have already tested positive since the president has become ill. Remember that you have got a military aide who carries the football with the nuclear codes in it there. He has put the commander in chief of the greatest military on the face of the Earth in danger, himself, and he's gotten himself sick, and now he's getting everybody else around him sick. If you were a typical commander, you would have been relieved of duty. And that is it boggles the mind he would do that, not just to the military men and women who wear the uniforms, but think of their families watching their loved ones having to carry out the orders of this commander, who continues to show no regard whatsoever for their well-being.
[Blitzer:] Yes, I spent seven years as a White House correspondent, and it's not just the senior staff, and several of them have come down with coronavirus, but it's the porters, the butlers, the cooks, everybody who cleans up over there. It's regular people who potentially could be endangered. Let's talk about something else that's very significant for millions of regular people out there right now. As you know, after the president tweeted that the stimulus talks with the Democrats in the House and Senate were off, eight hours later, he seemed to signal, well, maybe they're still open to a deal. What does this mean for your constituents right now who are struggling, who are unemployed, can't pay the bills, can't pay the rent, struggling to get food on the table? They're understandably frustrated with Washington's inability right now to provide desperately needed assistance.
[Duckworth:] Well, they're desperate. They're scared. I remember what it was like to be a child, you know, with my dad who is unemployed and who literally couldn't put food on the table. I mean, that's where millions of Americans are right now. They can't make their rent. They can't make their mortgage of payments. Those protections are gone. There's no more unemployment insurance. Their kids are hungry. Their kids aren't in school. And this president continues to get in the way of any type of a conversation we could be having, any type of negotiations we could be having. He should be sending a message to Mitch McConnell, pull up the HEROES Act that has passed the House, let's have a vote on that, or at the very least, come to the table and negotiate. Remember that Mitch McConnell has yet to attend any of these negotiation briefings. And let me tell you the real consequences of that. Peoria, Illinois is laying off firefighters. Rockford, Illinois, they're not filling police officer positions that are empty. You have all of these municipalities who are not getting the funding, so they can't provide health and safety services to their citizens, in addition, to all of those hungry kids out there who do not have food on the table today because this president, these Republicans in the Senate refuse to negotiate a rescue package that's desperately needed by so many Americans in the middle of a pandemic that this president made worse.
[Blitzer:] Yes. And it was really amazing yesterday when the president announced that he was ending all discussion at a critical moment like this. Then he reversed himself a few hours later. Senator Tammy Duckworth, thanks so much for joining us.
[Duckworth:] Thanks for having me on, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right just ahead, new coronavirus restrictions are on the way for parts of New York as officials there, they are struggling to tamp down the hot spots. We'll be right back.

[Whitfield:] Talk about a graduation gift. The 2019 class of Morehouse College would have left campus today with around $40 million in student debt, until this happened.
[Robert F. Smith, Vista Equity Partners Ceo:] This is my class, 2019. And my family is making a grant to eliminate their student loans.
[Whitfield:] Wow. So that speaker, Robert F. Smith, went on to encourage the 300 graduates of Morehouse to pay it forward. Smith is the founder of Vista Equity Partners, and "Forbes" estimates he is worth about $5 billion. He received an honorary doctorate at the ceremony. Doctor very big heart. And West Point will have its own historic graduation moment this week. 34 African-American women are expected to graduate from the military academy, the largest class of black women to graduate together in the school's history. And this year's class will also include the highest number of female Hispanic graduates. And the institution's 5,000th, well, that's hard to say, female graduate. About 10 percent of undergraduate students at the school are black, and women make up about 20 percent of the cadets. Many congrats to all of them. Huge achievements. We have so much more straight ahead in the "NEWSROOM" and it all starts right now. All right, thanks again for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We begin with the President firing back at the first Republican in Congress who is raising the prospect of impeachment. Michigan's Congressman Justin Amash posted what he called his own principle conclusions on the Mueller report. And one of them is, "President Trump engaged in impeachable conduct." He goes on to say, "President Trump engaged in specific action

[Harlow:] OK, so the economic downturn, one thing you need to know is it is disproportionately impacting women and minorities, by a lot. Experts are predicting one-third of daycare child care centers may not reopen again at all. You've got schools still closed, your summer camp may be cancelled, just like mine just was. This is putting parents in an impossible position, particularly women who often bear the brunt of child care. What do they do? How do they go back to work? And look at the jobs numbers. The unemployment rate, most recently, for women, above the average, climbing to 15 percent. For black and Hispanic women, even, even higher. Since it's been recorded, women have never experienced an unemployment rate in the double digits like this. Let's talk about it. Joanne Lipman is with us, she's a distinguished journalism fellow at Princeton. She is also a contributor to CNBC Market. Margaret Anadu is the head of Urban Investments at Goldman Sachs. It's so nice to have you both, I've really been wanting to cover this. And, Joanne, it was your op-ed that really made me think we have to bring more light to this. What is a "She session"? What is happening in this country?
[Joanne Lipman, Distinguished Journalism Fellow, Institute For Advanced Study In Princeton:] Yes. It's you know, as you said at the top here, women are being disproportionately affected for a variety of reasons, and particularly women of color. And, you know, one is that women are overrepresented in the industries that are hardest hit by the pandemic, including things like hospitality and restaurants and child care. Women also disproportionately we make up more than 60 percent of all the lowest wage-earning jobs, and so those have been disproportionately hit as well. But you add to it, as you just referenced, the fact that women are taking on the bulk of child care and homeschooling at home. And in fact, I just got figures from Boston Consulting Group, which did a survey of five countries. And they found that Americans as a whole, American parents, are spending 29 additional hours per week on child care and household chores. But for women, again, it's disproportionate. Women are spending 15 hours more per week than men. And we absolutely need to solve for this child care issue because if we want the economy as a whole to get back on its feet, we can't ignore half the working population.
[Harlow:] Of course we can't. And, Margaret, it's even worse for minority women, Hispanic women and African-American women.
[Margaret Anadu, Head Of Urban Investment Group, Goldman Sachs:] Yes. What we're seeing in minority communities and especially with women of color is, really, the impact not just of pre-existing conditions on the health side, which have been, you know, discussed in terms of, you know, high blood pressure and things like that, but also the pre- existing conditions on the economic side. So if you think about minority communities and their businesses, these are businesses that were not getting a fair share of capital, even before the crisis. And we're seeing that worsen today. So really, this kind of double whammy of the health conditions and the economic conditions for minority communities is incredibly troubling.
[Harlow:] Margaret, we had you on a few weeks ago, we talked about how Goldman Sachs, the program to allocate capital to some of those minority-owned businesses, particularly sort of aside from what the PPP program is doing. Can you just speak to what the new data tells you? Because when those businesses fail, that pulls the rug out from underneath them.
[Anadu:] Sure. Yes, and the data's been encouraging. So we committed $500 million and you know, we've deployed the vast majority of that. And 50 percent of that capital has gone to minority communities, so the same hard-hit places like neighborhoods in New York City, New Orleans, Detroit. We've also seen roughly a third of that capital go into low-income communities. And another really important piece is as we've looked at the employee median count of these businesses, it's three. So really being able to reach these small, Main Street, mom-and-pop businesses we were hoping to. And really, we're only successful doing that because of the distribution channel. We worked exclusively through community lenders, community development financial institutions who focus on these underserved businesses and communities in their normal course.
[Harlow:] IT's really important to make it a priority to get it to them. Joanne, my concern is that this economic damage to women, and setting them back so far, could have long legs, right? Lasting implications, be permanent for some. Are you worried about that?
[Lipman:] We I am so concerned about this because we've seen this in the past, during the Great Recession, 2008, 2009. The first thing that got cut were these diversity programs, anything, you know basically, when you had the last few years, the fact that women have made substantial gains is in a large measure because the unemployment rate was so low, so the opportunities were spread for the larger population. When you have these sky-high unemployment rates and you're doing away with programs that really are trying to attract women and people of color, you're going to have long, long-lasting effects. Unless we intervene now, and I do think we have to start thinking about things like daycare. I mean, we're now looking at right? another stimulus program, you were talking about that earlier in the program. We need to factor in child care into that. And even start having a conversation about government-funded child care.
[Harlow:] It's far beyond time for that. Joanne, thank you. Margaret, thank you both very, very much for highlight this issue. We'll be right back.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] Forty-two members questioning Michael Cohen. Congressman, thanks for joining us. What's the most important thing, the most startling revelation that you read in Michael Cohen's opening statement?
[Rep. James Comer , Kentucky:] Well, there are so many. I don't know where to begin. A couple of things already raised a cloud of suspicion for me. First of all, the fact that you all at CNN got a big part of his testimony before we did, the Republicans on the Oversight Committee. And, secondly, the fact that the Republicans weren't able to have a minority witness on the stand to testify as well. It's the first time in my entire two-year term two years in Congress that we've never been able to have our own witness there, too. But I look forward to the testimony today and we'll see how it goes.
[Blitzer:] It wasn't just us, by the way, at CNN. It was all all the major news organization got an advance copy of his opening statement. It's a significance statement and I want to ask you what you were planning on asking Michael Cohen.
[Comer:] Well, I want to talk about the bank fraud. I think that we have to first determine, is Michael Cohen a credible witness. And the fact that he's already once lied to Congress, that's a that's definitely a question mark there. But the fact that so many of the things that he's going to accuse President Trump of doing in his opening testimony, he himself had done in the private sector. And aside from the fact that he was President Trump's personal attorney. So, you know, I just think that the credibility of the witness today is certainly suspect, but hopefully we'll be able to find some truthful information out, if that's possible, coming from Michael Cohen.
[Blitzer:] The one of your Republican colleagues, Matt Gaetz of Florida, he's not a member of this committee, he tweeted this yesterday and it caused a lot, a lot of shock. Hey, Michael Cohen, do your wife and father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot. Now, overnight, Gaetz has apologized. He's deleted the tweet. He got a lot of pushback, including from the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. What's your reaction to what he did?
[Comer:] Well, that's certainly not anything I would have done, but I'm glad that Representative Gaetz deleted the tweet. This is certainly a passionate, emotional time for people in both parties. You have so many Democrats that want to see the president fail and so many Republicans who want to see the president succeed. So I think emotions are running high on both sides. Hopefully we'll keep it in check during this committee hearing and hopefully we'll be able to find some element of the truth about Michael Cohen.
[Blitzer:] Did you see that tweet from Congressman Gaetz as a threat, witness intimidation, because, as you know, this is on the eve this was on the eve of his testimony as a critically important witness this morning before your committee.
[Comer:] I've seen tweets from members of both parties that would be suspicious in my mind as to why they would tweet something like that. Unfortunately, you know, things like that happen. But Congressman Gaetz is not going to be a part of the committee today. So I really don't think that it matter that much. I think, from this point on, you're going to see professionalism on the parts of the Republicans on the Oversight Committee. But we have some serious questions about Michael Cohen. You know, the fact that he's the soul witness and the fact that he's already lied once to Congress, he's a convicted felon who was just disbarred this week from the New York Bar. I mean the credibility factor with Michael Cohen is probably the lowest we've ever seen for a major witness in congressional testimony history.
[Blitzer:] So you're raising questions of your committee chairman, Elijah Cummings, today, that you feel he's not, what, doing a fair job in organizing this hearing today? Is that what you're saying?
[Comer:] Absolutely that's what I'm saying. You know, every hearing that I've ever been a part of, not just on the Oversight Committee but on the Agriculture Committee and on the Education Committee, the minority side has a witness that they can question as well. We were not given that opportunity. Many of us would like to have test subpoena Rod Rosenstein because that's where the source of this investigation started. And I think that, you know, if you're going to be fair and be fair and balanced, then you have to have a fair and balanced groups of people testifying. We have Michael Cohen, who obviously has a grudge. Michael Cohen, who is an admitted liar. She's a convicted felon. He's someone that, in my eyes, is a very selfish person. He's someone that was supposed to be representing Trump, but it appears to me, anyway, that he was representing himself. Now, I'm going to get to question Michael Cohen today. I'm going to sit there for probably four hours and listen to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle question Michael Cohen. And I'll be able to have a better opinion after the testimony today. But I can tell you right now, I think that the Democrats have a very flawed witness. This is obviously their first step in trying to set up a process to impeach the president. And I don't think that the American people are very supportive of a political theater in an attempt to impeach the president over a potential campaign finance violation.
[Blitzer:] Are you and your colleagues, your Republican colleagues on the committee, and there's a lot of them, you're going to have a chance to say whatever you want and question Michael Cohen with whatever you want as well. We're looking forward to this hearing. Congressman James Comer, thanks so much for joining us.
[Comer:] Thank you, Wolf.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor:] Just an interesting note. The ones blocking Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein from testifying before Congress are it's interesting to blame them on the Democratic Chairman Elijah Cummings. It's actually the Republicans who run the Trump administration blocking Rod Rosenstein from testifying before Congress. But we'll leave that where it is. Let's discuss this all with Carl Bernstein, who's a CNN political analyst. And, of course, he's one of "The Washington Post" reporters who helped break the Watergate scandal. Carl, so good to see you, as always.
[Carl Bernstein, Cnn Political Analyst:] Good to be here.
[Tapper:] I want to start with one of the things that I know you found most intriguing in the Michael Cohen prepared testimony, because it gets to the idea of whether or not there was a conspiracy with Russia to impact the election. Cohen will testify today, quote, questions have been raised about whether I know of direct evidence that Mr. Trump and his campaign colluded with Russia. I do not. I want to be clear. But, I have my suspicion. I recalled Don Junior leaning over to his father and speaking in a low voice, which I could clearly hear, and saying, the meeting is all set. I remember Mr. Trump saying, OK, good, let me know. What struck me, as I looked back and thought about that exchange between Don Junior and his father, was that Don Junior would never set up any meeting of any significance alone and certainly not without checking with his father. So I concluded that Don Junior was referring to that June 2016 Trump Tower meeting about dirt on Hillary. Now, that's not definitive evidence, but it's a suspicion.
[Bernstein:] Yes, and it's very important because like the allegation about WikiLeaks, like the picture of the Trump Organization as basically a criminal organization, all of these questions go to the Mueller investigation. They're bricks in the Mueller investigation and bricks in the investigation by the Southern District of New York. And what we're looking for here, if indeed Cohen is telling the truth, is the mortar between those bricks, the context. We've got to be assuming that Mueller is going to tell a full story and now we're seeing what the foundation of that story is partly through this extraordinary witness.
[Tapper:] Wolf.
[Blitzer:] You know, as you look back, a lot of people think and you'll remember this well because you covered it for "The Washington Post," this is a potential John Dean moment that we're about to see. When John Dean, who once was the president lawyer in the White House, went before Congress and testified against then President Richard Nixon. And we know what happened in the weeks and months that followed. Is this today potentially a John Dean's moment?
[Bernstein:] The dynamic of it is potentially a John Dean moment, but there are big differences. One, Cohen was never in the White House with President Trump, whereas Dean served the president of the United States as his counsel in the White House. Also, this guy was a flunky. He was a runner. He was a fixer. Trump always held him in relative contempt. If you look at the history of the relationship between the two men, very different with John Dean, who was really a principle in a cover up. But what is similar is, both witnesses explained the White House cover up, the presidential cover-up, if indeed this testimony is credible. It goes to helping us understand why the president had been lying day in, day out, about all things Russia. It is very serious business for the American people, particularly to hear. It's also serious business to see what the Republicans are going to do because, as we just saw with Representative Comer, the instinct throughout these two years has been for Republicans to almost blindly support the president of the United States despite the fact, as "The Washington Post" has said, that there are 8,000 something lies. Using the word "lies" told by the president and the most important of which consistently deal with these matters that he's going to testify to today.
[Tapper:] All right, Carl Bernstein, thank you so much for your expertise on this, as always. In just moment, President Trump's former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, will face off with the House Oversight Committee. His explosive testimony coming up. Stay with us.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @jaketapper. You can tweet the show @theleadcnn. Our coverage on CNN continues right now. I will see you tomorrow.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM and we're following breaking news. Take a look at these live pictures coming in from Capitol Hill where the House Intelligence Committee is expected to vote very soon to send its sweeping impeachment report on the Ukraine scandal to the Judiciary Committee which will almost certainly use it as a basis for articles of impeachment against President Trump. The report cites what it calls overwhelming evidence of misconduct and obstruction by the President of the United States in his effort to get Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. As he moves one step closer to impeachment, Mr. Trump is in London right now for a NATO meeting, but has taken time to launch new attacks against the Democrats and the impeachment process. The White House responded to the report just a little while ago saying and I'm quoting now, it "reads like the ramblings of a basement blogger." Our political correspondent Sara Murray has been combing through the lengthy report and this very, very lengthy I don't know if you had a chance to read all 300-plus pages but you've got some detailed information on what it includes.
[Sara Murray, Cnn Political Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. I mean, this newly released report is very damaging for President Trump. It says he sought foreign election interference from a foreign government. This is House Democrats' stopped short of fully calling for the President's impeachment.
[Murray:] House Democrats concluding evidence of the President's misconduct is overwhelming as lawmakers take a big step forward in impeaching the President. By pressuring the Ukrainian President to open investigations into the Biden family and the 2016 election in exchange for a White House meeting and security assistance, the President placed his own personal and political interests above the national interests of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process and endangered U.S. national security, according to the newly released impeachment report. The 300-page document expected to serve as the framework for articles of impeachment sharply condemned the President's efforts to block witnesses from testifying saying, "It would be hard to imagine a stronger or more complete case of obstruction than that demonstrated by the President since the inquiry began." House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and the other committee chairs leading the inquiry stopped short of recommending impeachment saying, "It will be up to the Congress to determine whether these acts rise to the level of an impeachable offense, whether the President shall be held to account, and whether we as a nation are committed to the rule of law or instead whether a President who uses the power of his office to coerce foreign interference in a U.S. election is something that Americans must simply get over." But the sharply-worded document lays the groundwork for a U.S. President to be impeached for the third time in American history.
[Rep. Adam Schiff,  Intelligence Chairman:] If we don't care about this, we can darn well be sured the President will be back at it doing this all over again.
[Murray:] The document makes the case that President Trump's efforts to shape foreign policy to benefit him political stretched beyond his July 25th call with President Zelensky. The call was a dramatic crescendo in those efforts.
[Rep. Eric Swalwell,  Intelligence Committee:] He abused his office to leverage your taxpayer dollars to have a foreign government try to cheat an election.
[Murray:] Other administration officials, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former Energy Secretary Rick Perry allegedly knew of or aided the President's efforts according to the report. The document also provides new details on Rudy Giuliani's efforts to peddle conspiracy theories about Ukraine and aid Trump in his pursuit of investigations. After subpoenaing phone companies, Democrats laid out calls between Giuliani and officials at the Office of Management and Budget as well as Giuliani and Congressman Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence panel.
[Schiff:] It is I think deeply concerning that at a time when the President of the United States was using the power of his office to dig up dirt on a political rival, that there may be evidence that there were members of Congress complicit in that activity.
[Murray:] And you really get a look in that Wolf into the awkward dynamics between the two parties on this committee when it comes to this report and our colleagues on the Hill caught up with Devin Nunes and tried to ask him for comment about being named in the Democrats' report, he did not comment.
[Blitzer:] Yes, all right, the 300 pages indeed a very thick report. All right, thanks very much Sara Murray for that report. President Trump is in London right now. He's far from the impeachment storm. But he and the White House are lashing out at these latest historic developments back here in Washington. Our chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta is traveling with the President in London right now. Jim, the President's trip is clearly being overshadowed by all of the breaking news here.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That is right, Wolf. The White House is tearing into the report from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee calling it, "the ramblings of a basement blogger," that's mild compared to President Trump's description of Adam Schiff earlier in today as I, "deranged human being." This deeply personal attacks came as the President was clashing with NATO leaders and then doing some clean up here in London.
[Acosta:] In between meetings with Prince Charles, the queen and leaders of NATO in London, President Trump made it all too clear he has a royal pain in the form of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think Adam Schiff is a deranged human being. I think he grew up with a complex for a lots of reasons that are obvious. I think he's a very sick man, and he lies.
[Acosta:] In response to the Schiff report alleging the President abuse the power of his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, the White House got personal as well saying in a statement, "At the end of a one-sided sham process, Chairman Schiff and the Democrats utterly failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing by President Trump. Chairman Schiff's report reads like the ramblings of a basement blogger straining to prove something when there is evidence of nothing." The President warn Republicans will just torn on a Democratic president with impeachment in the future.
[Trump:] You'll have a Democrat president, you'll have a Republican House and they'll do the same thing because somebody picked an orange out of a refrigerator and you don't like it so let's go and impeach them.
[Acosta:] While the White House is living little hope that it will cooperate with House Impeachment hearings, the President hinted he may allow some top officials to participate in a trial in the GOP controlled Senate.
[Trump:] So when it's fair, and it will be fair in the Senate, I would love to have Mike Pompeo, I would love to have Mick, I'd love to have Rick Perry, and many other people testify. But I don't want them to testify when this is a total fix.
[Acosta:] But unlike the House, there are Republicans in the Senate who worry the White House like Mitt Romney who said he is not buying the President's bogus theory that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election.
[Sen. Mitt Romney,  Utah:] I saw no evidence from our Intelligence Community nor from the representatives today from the Department of State that there is any evidence of any kind that suggest that Ukraine interfered in our elections. We have ample evidence that Russia interfered in our elections.
[Acosta:] In London, Mr. Trump was lacking horns with French President Emmanuel Macron who had said the NATO alliance had suffered a brain death, a shot aimed at the U.S. less than one week after a terrorist attack in London. Mr. Trump responded to Macron with a joke about releasing Isis fighters into Europe.
[Trump:] Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I could give them to you. you can take everyone you want.
[Emmanuel Macron, President Of France:] Let's be serious. The very large number of fighters you have on the ground are the fighters coming from Syria.
[Acosta:] That was hardly the only jarring moment of the day as the President rattle the financial market saying his trade deal with China may have to wait until after the 2020 election.
[Trump:] I have no deadline, no. [Crosstalk] In some ways I think it's better to wait till after the elections.
[Acosta:] And when he initially said the U.S. doesn't support protesters in Iran.
[Trump:] I don't want to comment on that. But the answer is no. But I don't want to comment on that.
[Acosta:] Only to walk that back. We do support them totally and have supported them from the beginning. Now setting aside the nastiness baked into the White House response to the Schiff report administration officials aren't really attacking any of the specific accusations raised by Democrats just yet. As for the hearing in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, the President says he won't be watching as he'll be wrapping his meetings with NATO leaders, that would be out of character for Mr. Trump who is glued to those hearings chaired by Adam Schiff. Wolf, it's hard to believe the President won't be watching. Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Good point. All right, Jim Acosta, thank you. Let's go to Capitol Hill right now, our Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju is there for us. Manu, the committee will be voting on the impeachment report very, very soon. So what comes next?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, the committee is going to adopt that report likely along party lines, then it moves to the House Judiciary Committee. And things are going to move pretty quickly. Expect over the next couple of weeks that committee to begin those proceedings. Tomorrow a hearing with legal experts to discuss the articles to discuss impeachment whether or not a high crimes and misdemeanors were met particularly in this episode. Then there will be future hearings as well. Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee chairman signaled today that his staff counsels are likely present some of the findings on today's report before the House Judiciary Committee. And then there could be action on articles of impeachment before the House Judiciary Committee and that could happen as soon as next week before the full House could vote the week after to actually impeach the President before the Senate would take up the trial and that could go into next year and the Republicans will have to decide whether or not to remove the President from office or they will allow him to stay in office. At the moment they're signaling they will absolutely let him stay in office. But nevertheless the Democrats here in House are still making decision about what to do with even if the report is very clearly lays out the case for impeachment. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee today, I asked him if he would get behind impeachment at this point, he's still stopped short.
[Raju:] Do you support impeaching and then the Senate removing him from office?
[Schiff:] I'm going to reserve any kind of a public judgment on that until I have a chance to consult with my colleagues with our leadership. I'm gravely concerned that if we merely accept this that we invite not only further corruption of our elections by this President but we also invite it of the next President.
[Raju:] So, he didn't say that he is supporting articles of impeachment yet. He made very clear in his press conference that almost certainly he's going to get behind that. The question ultimately is going to be how many articles of impeachment Democrats decide to move forward with. It sounds like according to the report and the way it was laid out, obstruction of Congress will likely be one of them, abuse of power potentially other. And then other questions how they deal with the Mueller report, those findings of obstruction of justice as detailed by that report whether that's included in the report, that's a continuing discussion among the Democratic caucus. But expect that to be clear here, Wolf, in the coming days.
[Blitzer:] We also learned, Manu, that the committee subpoenaed call, a phone call records between key players including the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes. What's the latest on that?
[Raju:] Yes, this was a development in this report. We have been told by members of this committee that actually that they subpoenaed third parties, AT&T, to get information from them about some of these interactions that occurred. And they learned that this connection with the conservative journalist John Solomon was linked to Devin Nunes as well as other players, Rudy Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani's associate Lev Parnas as well as the White House Budget Office as part of what the Democrats contend was an effort to dig up dirt earlier this year against Joe Biden. And they came around the same time as Solomon wrote articles in the Hill newspaper going after Marie Yovanovitch, the now ousted Ukrainian ambassador. This is all part of what the Democrats called a smear campaign. With multiple witnesses also called a smear campaign to get Yovanovitch out of the way. So this is the first time we're seeing a direct link between Devin Nunes as well as so this effort allegedly to dig up dirt on the President's political rival Joe Biden. Adam Schiff said he had serious concerns about the revelation. But they were still trying to learn more facts about this situation. I tried to ask Devin Nunes just moments ago to react to this. He ignored the question. We'll see how other members react in the moments to come here, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] We certainly will. All right, Manu Raju up on Capitol Hill, thanks very much. Let's get more on all of this. Joining us now Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of California. He's a key member of both the Intelligence and Judiciary committees. Congressman thanks for joining us. In your lengthy report, 300 pages, it says this and I'll put it up on the screen, "the President placed his own personal and political interest above the national interest of the United States, sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process and endangered U.S. national security." So what do you believe the consequences, Congressman, would be of not impeaching the President following that conclusion in your report?
[Swalwell:] He gets worse. And, Wolf, if we do nothing, we lose our ability to hold any president accountable in this Congress and every future Congress. But with this President, the fact that this phone call to President Zelensky was made the day after Bob Mueller testified shows how emboldened he can feel that he can abuse his power. And we want to show him, one, that he can't do that, and two, that actions like this have consequences.
[Blitzer:] So, have you already personally decided to vote in favor of impeachment?
[Swalwell:] No. I'm actually going to, you know, support the process. A fair process. Fairer than Donald Trump would give to anyone who he makes an accusation against. But right now, Wolf, we have powerful, clear, uncontradicted evidence that the President has abused his power. If he has evidence that could exonerate him, now is the time to start cooperating, turn over the 71-document requests that we've asked for, send the 12 different witnesses that he has blocked from testifying. If he's not going to do that one can only conclude it's because he has a very powerful consciousness of guilt himself.
[Blitzer:] As you just heard from Manu Raju, the report also contains phone records showing that the top Republican on your committee Devin Nunes was in communication with Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas who is the indicted associate of Giuliani during key dates on the Ukraine timeline. Do you believe Devin Nunes should recuse himself?
[Swalwell:] You know, I'm going to leave that to Devin Nunes, Wolf. You know, this isn't about Devin Nunes, this is about the President of the United States. It's disappointing though that he used a serious impeachment inquiry to falsely attack Adam Schiff every single day suggesting that Chairman Schiff was a fact witness when all along it now seems that Devin Nunes, in fact, was the fact witness, and he was just projecting his own guilt, his own involvement in this shakedown scheme on Mr. Schiff. But this isn't about Devin Nunes as much as he may want it to be. This is about the President's conduct.
[Blitzer:] How long have you had all these phone records?
[Swalwell:] Yes, I'll let the chairman speak to that. You know, he drives our investigation. And I think they also speak for themselves in the report.
[Blitzer:] What about the records of Rudy Giuliani's phone calls to the White House and the Office of Management and Budget, will your Committee continue investigating those calls?
[Swalwell:] Yes. And also you can deduce that, you know, you see the Office of Management and Budget involved. They are the office that made the call that many ambassadors were on where they learned that we're going to hold up the aid to Ukraine. So that is run by Mick Mulvaney who said on television that we need to get over it, the fact that we are asking the Ukrainians to conduct investigations, and that that was a reason that the aid was held up. So it's really laid out there, Wolf. This is one of the simplest cases of this magnitude that I think the American people will ever see.
[Blitzer:] The Judiciary Committee, and you're a member, will hold its first impeachment hearing starting tomorrow morning. So what can we expect and how do you keep this from becoming what some of your colleagues fear could be a circus?
[Swalwell:] Yes. And we don't want it to be that. And so tomorrow it is essentially, what is impeachment? Why did our Founders give us this extraordinary remedy against a chief executive? Two, where do the facts that we have here relate to what the Founders envision for impeachment? And then three, laying out, you know, the different ways that you could hold an abusive executive accountable. You know, that's going to be tomorrow's hearing. I think it would be very educational for the American people. And again the Republicans, now that they've seen this report, now that they've seen that the ranking member on their side was, you know, possibly complicit in this, it's time to take a hard beat and ask yourself, do you want to go down that way or do you want to be a part of the team Republican and Democratic that sought to restore the integrity of our democracy?
[Blitzer:] Congressman Eric Swalwell, thanks so much you for joining us.
[Swalwell:] My pleasure. Thanks Wolf.
[Blitzer:] And stay with us. We are waiting the House Intelligence Committee's final vote on its impeachment report. We'll update you with all of the breaking news right after this.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn International Anchor:] Let's get you up to speed on our breaking news. Juan Guaido, the country's self-declared president and opposition leader says the time has come for President Nicolas Maduro's reign to end, urging the military to take to the streets and join the people and forcing him out. For hours now, we've seen crowds of protestors swarming the streets of the capital, Caracas, they have thinned. At times, the situation has turned violent. We need to warn you that what you're about to see is disturbing. You can see armored vehicles driving straight into a crowd, knocking them down and running over them, deliberately. There's also been tear gas and gunfire and the sound of gunfire. And that's the sound of gunfire we are still hearing. Let's get analysis, Eurasia Group, Ian Bremmer, joins me now from New York. What do you make of what's going on in Juan Guaido's timing here in calling on the people and on the military to join him in ousting Maduro, Ian?
[Ian Bremmer, President, Eurasia Group:] Well, it does seem like the Americans were surprised. The statements that we've seen today from the vice president, secretary of state, and others do not seem to be well coordinated. In other words, I think a day ago, a week ago, they were not expecting that Juan Guaido was going to wake up today and declare that it was time to take over. That's that implies that it's going to be harder for him to win and that maybe his hand was forced because there have been some reports that he feared imminent arrest from Maduro's regime. There was also the big demonstrations nationwide, he was calling for tomorrow, perhaps, he felt like they were not going to go the way that he had hoped they might. He does have some more defections on his side and they've taken over a military base. But to be clear, the defense minister in Venezuela and the high command is still very much with Mr. Maduro. And so it's hard to imagine right now that we are very close to Guaido taking over.
[Gorani:] Yes. What would the U.S. be by the way, the president had tweeted 10 minutes ago, Donald Trump, I am monitoring the situation in Venezuela very closely. The United States stands with the people of Venezuela and their freedom. So nothing exceptionally different from what we heard from Mike Pompeo. What would the what would the calculus be here now in Washington?
[Bremmer:] Well, I think that there's a strong opposition among just about everybody to engage militarily on behalf of Guaido and against the Venezuelan military. That's very different from providing communications support, that's very different from perhaps coordinating with Venezuela's neighbors to there are a number of Venezuelan exile soldiers, for example, that are across the border. The Americans might be able to help facilitate that yes?
[Gorani:] Ian, just if you could stand by. John Bolton, the national security advisor is speaking about Venezuela and then I'll get back to you. Listen.
[John Bolton, U.s. National Security Advisor:] This is a very serious situation. The president has been monitoring it minute by minute throughout the day as have his advisers. We see this now as a potentially dispositive moment in the efforts of the Venezuelan people to regain their freedom, which we fully support. There have been a lot of speculation, comment in the media about what's happening in Venezuela. We think it's still very important for key figures in the regime who had been talking to the opposition over these last three months to make good on their commitments to achieve the peaceful transfer of power from the Maduro click to interim president, Juan Guaido. Figures like defense minister Vladimir Padrino, chief judge of the Venezuelan Supreme Court, Maikel Moreno, the commander of the presidential guard, Rafael Hernandez Dala, all agreed that Maduro had to go. They need to be able to act this afternoon or this evening to help bring other military forces to the side of the interim president. The Cubans, we believe, have played a very significant role in propping Maduro up today, possibly with help from the Russians, that's the speculation, certainly, in Caracas. We think this demonstrates why we need Venezuela ruled by the people of Venezuela and not by external forces. That's what we're looking at and I'd be happy to answer a few questions.
[Bolton:] Well, Juan Guaido is out on the streets of Caracas now. He's rallying the people. He's called for the people to come out. And they are they are increasingly on the streets as I think many of you know. There were mass demonstrations planned for tomorrow. The circumstances of what's happened today in Caracas have called people out all over the country. So Guaido is behaving in the same courageous way he and other figures in the opposition have these last three months. We know that over 40 people have been killed by the Maduro regime in the course of these protests. This is an act of bravery by Guaido and others really for the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
[Unidentified Male:] Ambassador, given what you've seen on the ground so far today and the degree of loyalty that Maduro still seems to enjoy from the elements of the Venezuelan military, what do you think the chances that this uprising will work?
[Bolton:] Well, I don't think its support in the military for the Maduro regime. I think its fear. I think its fear of the 20,000 to 25,000 Cuban security forces in the country. I think its fear of the consequences if adhering to the constitutional mandate of the interim president fails. But I think really, now, what we're seeing is the people of Venezuela, this has been building for a long time, that if this effort fails, they will sink into a dictatorship from which there are very few possible alternatives. It's a very delicate moment. I want to stress again, the president wants to see a peaceful transfer of power from Maduro to Guaido. That possibility still exists if enough figures depart from the regime and support the opposition and that's what we would like to see. We want to see the Defense Minister Padrino, the chief judge of the Supreme Court, Mikael Moreno, and particular, Rafael Hernandez Dala of the presidential guard. Yes, sir?
[Unidentified Male:] What happens if Guaido is not able to take power today? What's the next step?
[Bolton:] Well, I think it's possible. This situation could persist. I think the people have shown they're prepared to protect Guaido. We don't see any indication that there's any substantial part of the military that's ready to fire on innocent civilians, their fellow countryman. We know that the Cuban Colectivo, these thugs, these motorcycle gangs that the Cubans have put together, are out protecting certain buildings controlled by Maduro, not the military but the Colectivos. This really demonstrates the depths to which the Maduro regime had sunk that they're using these Cuban direct thugs to conduct their affairs. And it's one reason why I think there's such overwhelming public support for Guaido. It needs to be translated into a transition of power.
[Unidentified Male:] Is the U.S. prepared to use any option including the military option to support Juan Guaido?
[Bolton:] Let me say two things to be very clear, number one, we want as our principal objective, the peaceful transfer of power. But I will say again, as the president has said from the outset and that Nicolas Maduro and those supporting him, particularly those who are not Venezuelan, should know, is all options are on the table.
[Unidentified Female:] providing any support other than
[Bolton:] Sorry. Say that say that again.
[Unidentified Female:] Is the administration providing any other types of support other
[Bolton:] We're providing support in a variety of respects. Certainly, we have done everything we can to get humanitarian assistance into the country. We're doing a lot of other things, some of which I'm not going to talk about. And we're certainly working with the Lima group, the organization of American state, the over 50 countries that support Guaido's legitimacy democratically. And let me answer the last part of your question. This is clearly not a coup. We recognize Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela. And just as it's not a coup when the president of the United States gives an order to the department of defense, it's not a coup for Juan Guaido to try and take command of the Venezuelan military. Yes, sir?
[Unidentified Male:] Ambassador, you said all options are on the table still for military action. And I wanted to ask you about a different military action that you did advocate
[Bolton:] As I've said before, I've got a lot of opinions I've expressed over many years in the public space, those were my opinions. What I'm speaking about now is the policy of the U.S. government and I've answered the question on force
[Unidentified Male:] Do you feel this moment that we're in right now is sort of a building block or do you think it is the moment, the tipping point as to where something needs to happen?
[Bolton:] Well, I think from the perspective of the humanitarian crisis that we face in Venezuela, I hope this is enough to tip Maduro out of power, because it's only when he and his fellow kleptocrats who have plundered the Venezuelan economy for the last 20 years or remove from power that we can put the Venezuelan economy back on its feet for the for the benefit of the people. The sooner Maduro is gone, the sooner is the possibility of justice and real economic growth for the Venezuelan people. Yes, sir?
[Unidentified Male:] Can you just stress were you surprised, at all, by today's action? Were you given a heads-up and can you address reports from Venezuela that some of the military officials that were supposed to support Guaido actually backed away when it was moved a day earlier?
[Bolton:] I'll just say we feel very well informed about what's going on. And the point I was making a moment ago by naming specifically the defense minister, Vladimir Padrino, the chief justice of the supreme court, Mikael Moreno, and the commander of the presidential guard, Hernandez Dala, as is well known to the opposition, all across Venezuela, they committed the support ousting Maduro and it's time for them now, if the Cubans will let them do it, to fulfill their commitments and it's time for the rest of the military to show what their own families believed what happened and that's Maduro needs to go.
[Unidentified Female:] My question, if actually Maduro forces fire against the people in Venezuela, Guaido's forces, will the United States and troops or act in any use any kind of military action at this decisive moment?
[Bolton:] Yes. Well, as I've said, all options remain on the table. I'm simply not going to be more specific to that. But recall that right at the beginning, three months ago, we said that it would be a big mistake for Maduro and those supporting him to use force against innocent civilians. We feel very strongly about it. We felt that way then. We feel that way now. Yes, ma'am?
[Unidentified Female:] We've seen video footage of protestors seemingly being run over by tanks in the streets in Venezuela. What is the point of which you think enforce
[Bolton:] Well, we're watching very carefully what's happening. As I say, we've been trying to explain to everybody who will listen that we want people to go through with what they've agreed to do in terms of transitioning power. I don't doubt that there are Colectivos, these motorcycle gangs organized by the Cubans and I don't doubt there's some in the Venezuelan military itself who don't view the lives of their fellow Venezuelans highly. We don't know exactly what the command structure is now other than probably it reports to Havana. I saw that film myself. It could be an isolated incident. We're not going to draw conclusions imprudently. It's something that we want to stress as much as we can how closely we're following it and how much we want this peaceful transfer of power to proceed. I'll just take one or two more. Yes, sir?
[Unidentified Male:] Why don't you
[Bolton:] I'm sorry, I can't
[Unidentified Male:] If you stand with Venezuela, why didn't the U.S. given them temporary protection status?
[Bolton:] Look, we have that question under review. Obviously, our hope is that we can get a change in the regime in Caracas as soon as possible so that Venezuelans can return and help rebuild their country. We don't want to send anybody back into what is now, obviously, an even more dangerous situation. And that's the policy we've been doing. Yes, ma'am?
[Unidentified Female:] Have you or the president spoken with Juan Guaido? And given the sort of influence of the Russians here, as the president spoken with their plan this week Putin or your Russian counterparts?
[Bolton:] Well, I'd rather not get into those kinds of conversations. I can tell you, we've made it clear to Russia in both public and private statements throughout this that we regard the actions that they've taken in Venezuela as something that we regard with the utmost seriousness. And particularly now when innocent Venezuelans civilian lives are on the line, we expect the Russians not to interfere in what's happening in Venezuela. Yes, ma'am? Yes, ma'am?
[Unidentified Female:] And if they did
[Bolton:] Well, we have followed in the financial markets all of the consequences of the sanctions we've imposed. We're looking to follow through with more specifics on those right along and so there are a number of steps that are in preparation. I should also say that we have been planning for what we call the day after, the day after Maduro for quite some time. And indeed, we're thinking of having a briefing on Thursday or Friday of this week. I think we may speed that up, but we wanted to point out that it's been very much on our mind that we can provide a lot of assistance to the Guaido government when it assumes power to try and get the Venezuelan economy out of the ditch that Maduro has put it in. Those plans obviously were moving ahead on trying to refine them here in these recent days because things might move quickly. Let me just take one more question.
[Unidentified Female:] Sir, how close this administration to labeling the Muslim brotherhood and terrorist group?
[Bolton:] That's not a question about Venezuela. I'll take one Venezuela question. Yes, sir?
[Unidentified Male:] Thanks, Mr. Ambassador. Let's say this works, Guaido takes power, everything is as the administration would like. Will the administration turn its attention to other
[Bolton:] Well, I just say in this hemisphere, we've called out the Troika of Tyranny, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba. There's no doubt that Cuba, in particular, has benefitted from the authoritarian government in Venezuela by getting below world market oil prices. That's going to cease once Guaido takes power. But our focus right now, as you can well understand, for the benefit of the people of Venezuela and because of the interest of the United States, is on this peaceful transition of power in Venezuela. Thank you very much.
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you.
[Gorani:] The American national security adviser, John Bolton, there calling on key figures in Venezuela to make good on commitments to ensure a peaceful transition of power from Nicolas Maduro to Juan Guaido. He's specifically mentioned the defense minister who today reiterated the army's support for Maduro, Vladimir Padrino, calling what Guaido, Juan Guaido has done an act of bravery. Ian Bremmer is still with us. Thanks for staying with us and being patient there through this. What was your main takeaway from what John Bolton said? He said the president, as well, supports a peaceful transition?
[Bremmer:] Yes. Literally, no change in what he's had to say just now from what he's been saying over the last few weeks. Again, reiterating the point that I made before, that they weren't ready for this. This was a surprise to the Trump administration and the U.S. government. They're making the same calls for those supporting Maduro to leave him. But he did not sound in any way in that presentation optimistic that he believed that Guaido was about to persevere and succeed in removing Maduro, nor did I hear any policies or plans that might be put in place to help facilitate that. I'm not just talking militarily. There's been it seems like very little diplomacy that's happened between the U.S. and other allies in responding to today's moves. And so far, at least, the Venezuelan military remains pretty solidly behind this President Maduro.
[Gorani:] He wouldn't answer the question about whether or not the the president or anyone else in the administration had spoken to Juan Guaido, either before he called on the military to switch sides and the people to support him or after. So what's next here for the United States? I mean, Russia is clearly supporting Maduro. They have some Russian military assets in the country. What happens now?
[Bremmer:] I thought it was interesting that Bolton was careful. He pointed out the Cubans on many occasions. He talked about the Colectivos and said they were all backed by Cubans, that's true. It was also backed by Venezuelan street gangs. They're doing some of the dirty work for Maduro, these militias. But he didn't want to point out the Russians particularly strongly. I think in part it's because the Russians have shown behind the scenes that they would like to be part of a diplomatic engagement. They want to make sure they have a seat at the table in case Maduro does go away and I think Bolton is hopeful that the Russians can be enticed if there is progress. But right now, there is not progress. Right now, it's very dangerous. The fact that Guaido had his hand forced to move ahead with this effort to remove Maduro today means that if he's unsuccessful, the likelihood that he eventually gets arrested or is forced into exile goes up significantly. Maduro's not Maduro doesn't need to feel like he's going to live with Guaido in opposition sitting there in his country after he's backed the Americans down and succeeded in resisting a call internally for what he would perceive as a coup. So definitely, tensions have escalated significantly. But the danger, the risks that have been taken on in the last 24 hours have been taken on by Guaido.
[Gorani:] Thanks so much, Ian Bremmer, for joining us this evening on our breaking news story there. The crisis unfolding in Venezuela. You're seeing live images there from the streets of Caracas. We'll be right back.

[Cabrera:] It pains me to say it but nation's top voice on the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is sounding alarm about the risks of holiday gathering, saying Thanksgiving needs to look a lot different this year. As you start making plans for your family, here's what you need to know. The CDC recommends celebrating Thanksgiving in your own home with members of your own household. And when it comes to neighbors or perhaps extended family, either celebrating virtually or dropping off meals with no contact delivery. Joining us now, CNN Medical Analyst and former New York City Assistant Commissioner of Health, Dr. Celine Gounder. Dr. Gounder, we know what the CDC wants but we know some families will risk it anyway and invite neighbors or extended families. So what precautions can they take?
[Dr. Celine Gounder, Cnn Medical Analyst:] This goes back to the basics of how we control coronavirus, which is wearing masks, trying to remain at least six feet apart from others, and being outside versus inside as much as possible. Granted, the weather is going to be getting colder. Being outside may not be as possible in some places. But perhaps keeping windows open and really encouraging everyone to wear a mask as much as possible. That's going to make a huge difference here.
[Cabrera:] One big part of the holidays season is travel for a lot of people. There was a study this week that the Department of Defense in conjunction with United Airlines. And it found that the ventilation system on planes were able to quickly filter the air and suck away particles that could transmit the virus. So much so that it would take an infected passenger 54 hours to spread the virus to others on board. We should not it didn't take into account other ways, breathing and coughing directly on them or for potential exposure at the airport. But what did you think of this study? Should people feel confident to get on a plane?
[Gounder:] This isn't really groundbreaking research. We've known for a long time that the HVAC systems on airplanes are robust. They were designed in the old days when people still smoked on airlines. So the risk is really the people sitting within a couple of rows on the plane or you're around in the airport. That's where your risk of transmission lies, especially if people are not wearing masks.
[Cabrera:] We got some disappointing news on Remdesivir, the only drug explicitly authorized to treat COVID in the U.S. This week, the World Health Organization presented new data and says it has little or no effect on mortality for hospitalized patients. How big of a setback is this?
[Gounder:] Well, the NIH trial published in "The New England Journal of Medicine" earlier this year has similar results. Basically, we found that there was no reduction in mortality, maybe a slight reduction in length or time in the hospital. But it's important to note that both of these studies really focused on sicker patients. And based on what we know about how Remdesivir works, at a molecular, cellular level, it would stand to reason it would work better for people earlier in the course of illness who maybe have not been hospitalized yet. So that remains to be seen. That remains to be studied.
[Cabrera:] Other big headline, Pfizer plans to seek emergency authorization for its vaccine in mid-November, so not before the election as the president had hoped. A lot of people saying life will just return to normal once we have a vaccine. But what's the reality?
[Gounder:] This is a major manufacturing and distribution challenge. So Pfizer has said their initial delivery of doses might be around 15 million doses by the end of the year. They're hoping for 100 million doses. But it's not just the U.S. that's vying for this. We've put in a preorder for 100 million, the European Union for 200 million, Japan for another 160 million, and the U.K. and others. So there's many of us competing for the unlimited doses. It's a vaccine that requires two doses, that needs to be frozen at very, very low temperatures. So all of this will make the distribution of the vaccine to the broader population quite challenging.
[Cabrera:] In fact, I think it was Dr. Fauci who said maybe April 2021 is when it will be more widespread, as far as availability of the vaccine, and even, you know, later for people who are lower risk. Dr. Celine Gounder, thank you as always. Coming up, campaign ad wars. Biden outspends Trump by more than $50 million. Who the campaigns are targeting, plus, the message they think will win it all for them.

[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Horrific attacks on people of faith. Two people shot to death at a Texas church. Jews targeted against stabbed at a Hanukkah Party. Larger massacres were narrowly averted in both cases.
[Leyla Santiago, Cnn Anchor:] A civil rights icon faces the battle of a lifetime. Congressman John Lewis has pancreatic cancer.
[Romans:] And before you throw away your Christmas trees. We'll tell you what one Texas man is doing with leftover trees to help needy veterans. Welcome back to early start, everyone. I'm Christine Romans. Good morning to you. Nice to see you.
[Santiago:] Good morning, thanks for having me. I'm Leyla Santiago. It is 4:30 in the morning here in New York. A vitriolic rise in Anti- Semitism coming to a violent climax during Hanukkah. Five members of the Jewish communities stabbed at a holiday celebration in the New York suburb of Muncie. Witnesses there saying that the attacker struck at the rabbi's home.
[Unidentified Male:] I saw him walking in by the door. I asked who is coming in in the middle of the night with an umbrella. While I was saying that, he pulled it out from the thing. And he started to run into the big room, which is on the left side. And I throw him tables and chairs that he should get out of here. I ran into the other room because I tried to save my life. I saw him running down this way. So, I ran out. And two came along with me. They're still hysterical.
[Santiago:] The stabbings capped off weeks of recent violence against Jews in and around New York City, including an attack at a Jersey City kosher market earlier this month. New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo says there had been 13 anti-Semitic attacks in New York alone this month alone.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] We have to change the laws to call this what it is. This is terrorism. It is domestic terrorism. There is an American cancer, it's a spreading of hate, but what is terrorism? It is a hate-motivated act to instill fear, based on race, color, creed, with the intent to murder. And that's what this was.
[Romans:] The suspect seen running away after the attack was found in New York City. Grafton Thomas, he's car tag was captured by a license plate reader on the George Washington Bridge about an hour after that attack. Two officers blocked the car and arrested Thomas. He pleaded not guilty yesterday. His attorney and his pastor say that he has a long history of mental illness.
[Unidentified Female:] Grafton is not a terrorist. He is a man who has mental illness in America. And the systems that be, have not serve him well.
[Santiago:] And less than 24 hours after the stabbings, Hanukkah celebrations were under way where it took place. The Consul General of Israel in New York, made a worrisome observation during the eight-day holiday.
[Dani Dayan, Consul General Of Israel:] In this Hanukkah, we suffered more anti-Semitic incidents in the countries that we live, and that it's impossible to bear. What we saw now, has to be the last time.
[Romans:] So, how do make it the last time? New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio outlined new steps to protect New York City's Jewish community. They include a greater police presence in heavily Jewish areas of Brooklyn and new education programs in schools.
[Bill De Blasio, New York City Mayor, 2020 U.s. Democratic Presidential Candidate:] We have to reach our young people more effectively. This is the crux of some of what we're seeing right now. Young people, who somehow, have come to assume that bias is acceptable. We will not let that happen in New York City.
[Romans:] Two of the victims stabbed in Muncie have now been released from the hospital. The anti-defamation league reports anti-Semitic incidents nearly doubled between 2015 and 2018. Officials in Israel also condemning the rise of anti-Semitism following that attack in Muncie. We turn to Oren Liebermann, live in Jerusalem for the latest for us. Good morning, Oren.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Corespondent:] Good morning, Christine. It feels like all too often Israelis have woken up or kind of come out of a holiday to hear of another attack in the United States. San Diego and Pittsburgh were both on the Sabbath. And then of course, this attack in Muncie, New York, coming on the seventh night of Hanukkah. And it definitely changed the tenor of the final night of Hanukkah here in Jerusalem and across Israel, as the chairman of the Jewish agency put it, it went from a festival of lights to dark days. Israel's president Reuven Rivlin weighed in with a statement shortly after the attack happened. He said, the rise of anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem and certainly not just the state of Israel's problem. We must work together to confront this evil, which is raising its head again, and is a genuine threat around the world. To that end, next month, Israel will host a conference on anti- Semitism. Yad Vashem, holocaust museum. It was planned before this attack. But certainly takes on an added significance in light of this attack and the other anti-Semitic incidents. World leaders, head of state will be here at an event that coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The question, what ideas, what tools, what will they come up with that Yad Vashem has said, part of it is education, both about anti-Semitism and about the holocaust. But, Christine, you get the sense that can't be the only part of the solution if anti-Semitism is to be truly dealt with.
[Romans:] Right. All right, Oren Liebermann for us in Jerusalem. Thanks, Oren.
[Santiago:] To Texas, now a man shot and killed two worshipers at a church service in a Fort Worth suburb, Sunday, before two members of the church security team shot and killed the gunman. The FBI describes the shooter as relatively transient with roots in the area. Says, he had been arrested multiple times but was not on any kind of watch list. The attack was caught on the livestream broadcast by the West Freeway Church of Christ. Now, what you are about to see, we've blurred some parts, but we want to warn you, the video is very disturbing. And as you see, near the top of the screen, the whole attack unfolded in six seconds.
[Romans:] The gunman and one of the victims died on the way to the hospital. The second victim flat lined was revive but then later died. Despite the loss of life, officials praised heroic church members.
[Jeoff Williams, Regional Director, Texas Department Of Public Safety:] It cannot be overstated how important it is that everyone recognized what took place here today. The citizens who are inside that church, undoubtedly, saved 242 other parishioners.
[Britt Farmer, Senior Minister, West Freeway Church Of Christ:] We lost two great men today. But it could have been a lot worse.
[Santiago:] The senior minister says the church will meet tonight to continue the service that was interrupted by the shooting. Texas recently changed its gun laws in response to the 2017 Sutherland Springs church shooting that left 26 people dead. The state now permits licensed handgun owners to legally carry weapons into places of worship.
[Romans:] Civil rights icon and Georgia Congressman John Lewis has been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. The 79-year-old Democrats said in a statement that the cancer was found during a routine medical visit. And he writes, I have been in some kind of fight for freedom, equality, basic human rights, for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now. He says, he's clear-eyed about the prognosis but that recent advances have made this type of cancer treatable. Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. The 17-term Congressman vows to continue his work while undergoing treatment in Washington.
[Santiago:] Well, we are inching closer to those caucuses Iowa, now, only 35 days away. Joe Biden's focus is split between the campaign and President Trump's impeachment. He was forced to clarify a remark saying that he would not testify in a Senate impeachment trial. Now, he said, while there's no legal basis for him to be subpoenaed, he would comply.
[Joe Biden, Former Vice President Of The United States, 2020 U.s. Presidential Candidate:] I would, in fact, abide by whatever was legally required of me. I always have. This is a trial that relates to Donald Trump's behavior. Did he violate the constitution? Pure and simple. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that stays the focus. Not any else.
[Romans:] Senator Bernie Sanders, has been quietly climbing in the polls. He was confronted twice this weekend by people who worked in the health care industry. They are worried about losing their jobs under Medicare for all, which would eliminate private insurance.
[Unidentified Female:] I work for an insurance company. I have in my whole life. That's what I know. I'm 58 years-old. Help me. You're going to take away my job. I believe in you. I think this is
[Sen. Bernie Sanders, , U.s. Presidential Candidate:] I'm not going to take away your job.
[Unidentified Female:] I need a new job.
[Sanders:] Yes. And we will get you.
[Santiago:] Let's go to Mayor Pete Buttigieg now, knocked Joe Biden for voting in favor of the Iraq war in 2002. Biden later became a vocal critic of the conflict and admits that his vote was bad judgment. But Buttigieg, who was a veteran, remains troubled.
[Mayor Pete Buttigieg  2020 Presidential Candidate:] Well, I certainly respect the vice president. But this is an example of why years in Washington is not always the same thing as judgment. He supported the worst foreign policy decision made by the United States in my lifetime, which was the decision to invade Iraq.
[Romans:] And Senator Elizabeth Warren trying to stop a slide in the polls. In an e-mail to supporters, the campaign said it raised $17 million so far in the fourth quarter. Not a bad number face value, but it is down 30 percent from last quarter's big haul.
[Santiago:] Well, there's signs President Trump's growing frustration with the uncertainty of over his Senate impeachment trial is wearing on him. But Senate majority Leader, Mitch McConnell keeps saying that he is not eager to move forward. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is traveling with the president in Florida and has more from West Palm Beach.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Reporter:] Good morning, Christine and Leyla. The president is beginning his second week of his holiday vacation. But it appears that his time in Florida certainly has not led to those frustrations with the impeachment process subsiding. Instead, it appears that the president is becoming increasingly frustrating and in fact he's not hiding it. He in fact, we've seen him tweet dozens of times, tweeting, retweeting criticisms of these impeachment process, criticizing the Democrats who have made him only the third president in American history to be impeached, including this latest tweet from the president on Sunday, going after the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Now, while the president has been at his Mar-a-Lago estate, he's also been quizzing many of his aids and allies about his impeachment strategy and who should be on that defense team. But much of this still remains to be determined. And that is because we still have not seen the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, transmit those articles of impeachment to the Senate. And we also haven't heard yet from Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, as to what those rules in an eventual Senate trial will indeed be. Christine? Leyla?
[Romans:] All right. Jeremy in Florida for us, thanks for that. An ugly end in store for the weather in 2019. More than 25 million people under winter weather alerts across the northern plains, the Midwest, the northeast. The weather service, warning of severe travel disruptions. Foul weather causing major problems over the weekend. A dense fog leading to a multivehicle pileup in Texas, including that dramatic video there of an 18-wheeler smashing right through the scene.
[Santiago:] And then there was this school bus I want to show you here, sliding down an icy road in Minnesota. Looks kind a like its slow- motion. Yes. It is not. Chaos on the roads in North Dakota, as well as with Interstate 29 closed from the South Dakota state line all the way up to Canada. And I-94 shut down from Fargo to Bismarck. Parts of the Midwest and northeast, especially near the Great Lakes, could see up to a foot of additional snow. And the northeast could also see more freezing rain, ice and sleet. Meteorologist, Ivan Cabrera has the latest.
[Ivan Cabrera, Cnn Meteorologist:] Good morning. We have a mess on our hands. We have the ice storm across the northeast that is developing into a huge event. And then we have a blizzard warning for parts of Dakota. But there, along with the winter storm warnings it's all snow because it's all cold, right. It will be accumulating snowfall. But that we can handle. This is a whole different problem. See the purple area in eastern New York and parts of central and western Massachusetts, northwestern Connecticut, all under an ice storm warning, for the potential, half an inch, three-quarters of an inch of ice. That is the kind of weight that you are going to be bring down power lines all over the place here. And any untreated surfaces are going to be a mess and basically impossible to travel through, as we head through the next several hours and really through the remainder of today. Further north, it is snow. But we do have this color you see here, that purple, the radar picking up on, well, it's falling as rain. The surface temperatures are below freezing. And so everything that falls is going to be caking on, on contact here. There's a storm that continues moving east. And even by early Tuesday morning, we still deal with snow, heavy rain and also gusty winds, as well. Guys?
[Romans:] All right. Ivan, thanks for that. A landmark law in the effort to protect your personal information. Starting January 1st, the California consumer privacy act gives residents the right to know what data companies collect about them and to opt out of having their information sold. Businesses are also restricted in selling the personal information of children under the age of 16. This is the biggest effort yet to tackle so called surveillance capitalism. That's for business making money of data Americans give up, but it faces challenges. Residents have to take the initiative to opt out of data sales. They have to request their own information and file for damages in the case of data breaches. And The New York Times notes tech companies have different interpretations of this law, especially over what it means to stop selling or sharing consumer's personal details. The Times say, the California Attorney General's office plans to publish the final rules in mid-2020, spelling out exactly how companies will have to comply with the law. I have a young son who started getting a magazine, a business title magazine. And I called to try to find out who signed him up. Who was giving him this free sample?
[Santiago:] And?
[Romans:] And no one could get back to me and tell me how. But to think that, you know, an 11-year-old, a 12-year-old, 13-year-old their information is out there and being used for marketing. That's pretty troubling.
[Santiago:] Incredible and scary. All at the same time. All right. President Trump and Vladimir Putin speaking for the first time since the Ukraine mess began. Naturally, we only learned about it from the Russians. CNN is live in Moscow.

[Church:] OPEC and other oil producers will slash production by nearly 10 million barrels a day beginning in May. Oil prices jumped on the news, but analysts are worried it won't be enough to cut the oversupply. The energy market has been rocked by a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia and the plunge in demand because of the pandemic. CNN's John Defterios joins us now from Abu Dhabi to talk more about this. Good to see you, John. So how difficult was it to get this deal done in the first place and, of course, what will be the consequences of this significant cut in production?
[John Defterios, Cnn Anchor And Emerging Markets Editor:] Well, it took three special meetings in a span of four days. That's how difficult it was, Rosemary, to build a consensus here. It is just below 10 million barrels a day which is two times more at the peak than the global financial crisis back in 2008 and 2009 when it had a slash production back then because of falling demand which is below 10 million barrels a day because Mexico was holding out. It is only going to cut 100,000 barrels a day. But the reality in the oil market today, Rosemary, is about over three billion people are locked down. They are not travelling. The trucks are not moving. Cars are not driving. This is dropping demand in such a severe way by at least a third. So the cut that the OPEC-Plus players put in is about 10 percent, states that it is going to be contribution from other countries like the U.S., Norway and Canada, which will add to that cut. They did not make that formal because of anti-trust concerns. And then we are going to see some of the industrialized countries buy oil at its lower price. To put it into the strategic reserve will show mop up stop on the excess demand. It is a victory in a sense because, you know, a week ago at this time, Rosemary, we were talking about the fact that Saudi Arabia and Russia wouldn't sit down together. So Donald Trump did service the bridge between the two to get this deal moving in the right direction.
[Church:] And in the end, some are still asking, will this production can't be sufficient in the end? What is the word on that?
[Defterios:] Well, you know, Rosemary, focus is until the end of June. We know we are in a global recession and demands are going to be lower. But I did the math over a 6-month period. This deal lasts until April 2022, which is extraordinary in itself. It will mop up about two billion barrels of excess supplies. So that is extraordinary. It will help the market recover. But we are in a range right now the WTI, the U.S. benchmark is around $23 a barrel. We are down more than half from where we were at the start of the year. It is not enough for the U.S. shell, producers to survive. So what we saw play out over the last week here was a good cop, bad cop. Donald Trump bringing Russia and Saudi Arabia back together. They got the deal done. Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Saudi minister, makes sure everybody was lined up to make sure they had a deal before the market opens today. But a lot of pressure on Saudi Arabia coming from Capitol Hill, saying, if you don't get this deal, we're going to put tariffs on Saudi and Russia oil coming into the United States, maybe even hold back military sales to Saudi Arabia and pull back on the support we have been giving you against Iran. So, it's a tough game to get it there. It's done. Now, we have to see demand recovery here in the second half of the year.
[Church:] Indeed. All right, many thanks to our John Defterios joining us there live from Abu Dhabi.
[Defterios:] Mm-hmm.
[Church:] And when we come back, live from the couch. It's Saturday night. The iconic U.S. show goes on as comedians embrace their work from home lifestyle. We will be back with that in a moment.

[Camerota:] Special Counsel Robert Mueller's high stakes testimony before Congress happens this Wednesday. So will he answer some of the lingering questions about his report, including whether he thinks President Trump obstructed justice. Joining us now is Donald Ayer. He served as deputy attorney general under George H.W. Bush. He has worked with and known Robert Mueller since the 1970s. Mr. Ayer, it's great to have you here and your perspective. You say you wrote an op-ed you say Bob Mueller needs to finish the job. What does that mean?
[Donald Ayer, Worked With Mueller As Asst. U.s. Attorney And At Justice Department:] Well, I think what it means is that in any investigation where there's an issue of intent, and that's very much what we have here in the context of the obstruction of justice statute, it's essential that the prosecutor make a judgment about intent. And the only real way to make that judgment is by looking at all the evidence taken together. Because Bob Mueller believed and and took the position that he wasn't able to reach a final conclusion about whether there was an indictable offense, he never drew that final conclusion by looking at all the evidence. There are parts of the report on page seven and on page 157 and probably other places in volume two where he notes it's really important to look at all the facts and all the circumstances together. But he never does that because if he did, he would find himself saying what he believed he couldn't say. Now, what's interesting is that the attorney general has intervened essentially and after the fact has said that Bob Mueller was wrong and he misinterpreted the opinion of the Office of Legal Counsel and he could have gone ahead and reached the conclusion. So what he needs to do now is what any prosecutor would do in a case involving multiple facts and a big issue of intent. And he needs to draw the conclusion from those facts. And when you do, it's perfectly clear that there's enormously powerful evidence of an intent to interfere dishonestly with the investigation.
[Camerota:] And you've known him for 40-plus years. Will he do that on Wednesday?
[Ayer:] Well, I don't know. It would be wrong for me to try to predict what he'll do. He's a person of great rectitude and great principle and enormous dedication to the country. And it's my hope that he'll reflect on the situation and realize that Attorney General Barr intervening and telling the public without any discussion of the facts at all that there was insufficient evidence of obstruction, that the only way that he can finish his job of telling the public what went on is to is to express the prosecutor's view of what the evidence shows. And that evidence is incredibly powerful when you view it together.
[Camerota:] Well, I mean, we have a full screen graphic to show people. These are the ten potential moments of compelling obstruction. I mean he laid out, you know, Robert Mueller in his report laid out all of these moments that our legal experts and prosecutors far and wide have said amount to obstruction of justice for anyone else. And so, obviously, Democrats will try to zero in on some of those moments. But this is the confusing part. Since he decided that he could not indict a sitting president because of whatever statutes and legal precedent he read, why did he feel he couldn't say it? Why did he feel he couldn't verbally say his findings?
[Ayer:] Well, I think it follows directly from his, I think, very punctilious view of the limits on his authority. And he he followed he knew he had to follow the policy of not indicting. And he inferred from that, that because he couldn't indict and the president couldn't be prosecuted, the president had no way to essentially redeem himself by proving his innocence. Now, what we have is the intervening statement in emphatic terms by the attorney general on May 30th that he didn't know why Mueller thought that and he was wrong essentially and and the the opinion of the attorney general about how to interpret an office of legal counsel opinion I think ought to be viewed as binding. And I think Mr. Mueller is now in a very good position to say, OK, stand corrected. And I will now give you my prosecutor's view. And I think that list of elements that you see there on the screen that you just put up, it's very powerful when you view them all together. And some of the ones that I would just like to highlight some arguments have been made that that certain things were within the president's power under Article 2, like he has the power to terminate the head of the FBI. He had the power to terminate Sessions if he wanted to. He had he had various powers. But what he doesn't have is the power to do those things corruptly. That is to say with a specific intent to interfere with an investigation. And so you look at all of these things together and you specifically look at particular acts that are on their face clearly corrupt, clearly dishonest, clearly intended to mislead. You look at him telling his White House counsel, Don McGahn
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Ayer:] To essentially lie about the fact that the president had told him that he need that he needed to deny that that the president had asked him to terminate Mueller.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Ayer:] You you have the the statement that the president helped draft about the June 9, 2016 meeting.
[Camerota:] Sure. And I mean all of those things, Mr. Ayer, will come up. No doubt Democrats plan to ask him specifically and drill down on those things. But it's really interesting to hear you say that you think that the May 30th Bill Barr statement was a game changer. So we will see if Robert Mueller agrees. Mr. Donald Ayer, thank you very much for all of your expertise on this.
[Ayer:] Thank you very much. Thanks for having me.
[Camerota:] David.
[Gregory:] Alisyn, a baseball all-star is speaking out and another scary foul ball moment. The "Bleacher Report" coming up next.

[King:] This important news just in to CNN, the House Oversight Committee now set to issue a subpoena to the Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding documents the Committee says he is refusing to give Congress. You might remember, DeJoy recently grilled by lawmakers on controversial changes at the Postal Service changes many of these lawmakers worry will impact mail-in voting this fall. CNN's Kristen Holmes is tracking this story. So Kristen, a subpoena going to the Postmaster General, what the House Democrats say he is refusing to give up?
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, remember on Monday, John, you just talked about this grilling. The Postmaster General was pressed by multiple members to provide documents on the changes that he's made to the postal service that have caused these widespread delays. Now, on top of that, they're also seeking documents on how this could potentially impact the election, as well as any communication that DeJoy has had with the Trump campaign that's on Monday. DeJoy revealed that he had been in touch with friends on the campaign about Donald Trump's rhetoric surrounding mail-in voting, saying that it was not helpful. So now the Committee is seeking any sort of communication that he had. So they set this deadline for Wednesday. Two days after that, we are told from a source close to the Committee that he had not provided any documents but instead sent a letter that said, quote, I trust my August 24th testimony before the Committee on Oversight and Reform clarified any outstanding questions that you had. One thing to note is that I talked to the Postal Service this morning. He told me they would be responding to the Committee, but clearly here they were parsing words saying this response it's actually something that came last Friday, but it doesn't seem that they have any intent on turning over these documents. Now the subpoena is set to be issued on Wednesday, John?
[King:] On Wednesday escalating standoff between the Postmaster General and House Democrats. Kristen Holmes, appreciate the breaking news. We'll stay on top of the story as it continues and it will, again, when it comes to mail-in voting, some voters can start doing that in just a couple of weeks, so very important questions. Coming up for us, a coronavirus vaccine could be approved before the final trials are over. Some experts worry about that.

[Keilar:] Parents could face a long summer indoors with their kids as sleepaway camps across the U.S. wait to see if they'll be allowed to open. One camp in Maine already had to make the hard decision to close for the year.
[Ginger Clare, Co-director, Camp Kippewa For Girls:] Due to the current situation with coronavirus, we have made the difficult decision to postpone Kippewa to next summer. We know the Kippewa bond is strong and it's real. And it's so much more than being in one place. So we'll continue to find ways for us to stay connected over the upcoming weeks and throughout the year.
[Keilar:] I'm joined now by Ginger and Steve Clare, the directors of Camp Kippewa for Girls. We've been talking to health experts. Some say, Ginger, away camps are a good option because of this containment but it's very difficult. Tell us the factors that went into your decision to close down.
[Ginger Clare:] Yes, certainly. As I say in that video, this is one of the most difficult decisions we've ever had to make, and there's so many different factors that really played into it. It's hard to pinpoint any one specific thing. I'll say that we, as you've done, we've consulted with experts and doctors. We've pored through the different guidelines that have been made available to us for opening camps safely this summer. And, you know, we went through them and realize those protocols would really impact every aspect of camp for us, from dining hall to the bunk settings and our facility and how we run our activities. So ultimately, personally, we just didn't feel that we could maintain the level of support and kind of the Kippewa magic that our kids really expect and deserve.
[Steve Clare, Co-director, Camp Kippewa For Girls:] It's very specific to our program, I think. I think some other camps may find a way and even for us, able to modify some of the smaller programs. And we are still looking to run some programs this summer, Kippewa Academy and family camp.
[Keilar:] Did you guys feel like the guidelines were enough? Did you feel like they answered the questions you had about how do we do this and that at camp?
[Steve Clare:] The CDC guidelines were called considerations for summer camp, not mandatory but quite late coming out. They came out last week. Before that, the American Camp Association did a fantastic job and produced an 80-page field guide for us. They partnered with a health professional company and came up with something that was very great for us to try and plan around. And then ultimately, we were guided by the main CDC guidelines so that the main guidelines were mandatory and involved a checklist that we had to sign off on. So really, we based our decision more around the main guidelines rather than the CDC guidelines but they were all helpful.
[Ginger Clare:] I would also say, we feel fortunate that Maine has come out with these guidelines. There were a lot of camps and camp directors either having to make a decision without knowing what the state is going to allow or are still waiting to hear if and how states are going to allow camps to open this summer.
[Keilar:] Yes, it's going to be tough for so many of them. We know so many families who you are used to seeing are going to be so disappointed. But we wish you luck, Ginger and Steve Clare. Thank you for talking to us from Charlottesville, Virginia. We appreciate it.
[Steve Clare:] You're welcome. Thank you.
[Ginger Clare:] Thank you so much.
[Keilar:] Stunning videos of crowds completing ignoring the advice of medical experts over the holiday weekend. Plus, the NBA is considering finishing out the rest of its season at Disneyworld. CNN getting reaction from a Hall of Famer just ahead.

[Kim Brunhuber, Cnn International Anchor:] A deadly shooting on the streets of Portland gets political. The mayor blasts President Trump for inciting violence in his city. Protests in Wisconsin, as well, where the governor is urging the president to stay out of his state for now, as Joe Biden prepares to ask voters, are you safe in Donald Trump's America? Plus, the FDA is reportedly considering fast-tracking a coronavirus vaccine before a critical step. That has many medical experts concerned. Welcome to you, our viewers around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber, and this is CNN NEWSROOM. The mayor of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon is laying the blame for recent violence squarely at the feet of U.S. President Donald Trump. And there are concerns the city could see more in the hours ahead. This was the scene on Saturday. Trump supporters, riding through downtown Portland, some firing paintballs at Black Lives Matter activists. "The New York Times" says protesters threw objects back at them. While these clashes were happening, one person was shot dead. A warning: in the video we're about to show you, you hear gunshots, which may be disturbing.
[Unidentified Male:] Go! Go!
[Brunhuber:] "The Times" says the victim was wearing a hat with the insignia of a far-right group, so police are saying little about the killing. Protests have been going on in Portland all summer. President Trump is accusing Mayor Ted Wheeler of being weak. Here's how Wheeler responded on Sunday.
[Mayor Ted Wheeler , Portland, Oregon:] For four years, we've had to live with you and your racist attacks on black people. Do you seriously wonder, Mr. President, why this is the first time in decades that America has seen this level of violence? It's you who have created the hate and the division. It's you who have not found a way to say the names of black people killed by police officers, even as people in law enforcement have. And it's you who claim that white supremacists are good people. Your campaign of fear is as anti-Democratic as anything you've done to create hate and vitriol in our beautiful country. You've tried to divide us more than any other figure in modern history. And now, you want me to stop the violence that you helped create. What America needs is for you to be stopped.
[Brunhuber:] And the president reacted in real time with a series of tweets, calling Wheeler, a host of insulting names. Well, CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell joins me live from Portland on the phone. First of all, Josh, what what more do we know about the shooting and the group to which the victim belonged?
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Security Correspondent:] Yes, Kim, there are still a lot of details that police are not yet releasing at this hour. We talked to the police chief here in Portland just a couple hours ago, and asked the questions about the latest. Where is the investigation? And he said that it's very much in the early stages right now. They are still gathering information. They are still asking the public, anyone who may have been in and around, the area where this gunshot victim was killed to provide that information to law enforcement. We do know, based on our colleagues at "The New York Times," they are reporting that the deceased individual, again, as we've been mentioning, had a hat on, a cap, with the insignia of a far-right group. And so the question now for law enforcement and elected officials here in the city of Portland is if this person was, indeed, a pro-Trump supporter, one of these far-right groups that members that came here to the city, trying to engage protesters. With this person now shot dead, they're worried, tonight, that there could be additional violence on the street, especially if there is an influx of group members coming into the city, trying to seek revenge. That is something that is very concerning officials here. For over 90 nights, there has been protests here in the city of Portland by groups that have been calling for racial justice, that have been calling for an end to police brutality. And in the evening hours, some of those protests have turned violent. And just last night, we saw those clashes between violent protesters and hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump, who came in in a caravan into the city in order to, you know, counter-protest. That leading to encounters and violence, and several arrests. And again, one person shot dead. So the investigation into that continues, but for authorities, the larger issue is not just that one incident, but also, they're very much being worried about a repeat tonight of additional violence on the streets of Portland.
[Brunhuber:] Yes, that's exactly it. I mean, so far, things seem quiet. But law enforcement, preparing, as you say, for the threat of violence. Do you know what exactly they've been doing in order to to potentially head off confrontations, if anything?
[Campbell:] You know, we asked earlier, the police chief. I asked them directly at a press conference, what is the plan tonight? What are you going to do to try to stop the violence that we've seen? And I have to tell you, the answer left a lot of eyebrows raised in that room. Because what he said, in response to that question was, Well, I don't know. I haven't met yet today with my team, the incident commanders. And so, he was not prepared to offer, publicly, what the plan will be tonight to secure the city. And the reason why that's troubling is not only because we just had an evening of violence, but even authorities have mentioned that they've seen on social media indications that there may be far-right groups coming into the city tonight, again, trying to seek retribution for the death of one of their group members. So the idea that the police would not have, right now, a plan in place to try to surge resources is obviously very troubling. And then you look at, again, the past nearly three months of, night after night of violence in the city of Portland, to be sitting her, now, three months later, rather, still with no plan with how to secure the city, doesn't give people in the city we talked to, residents, a lot of hope that authorities will be able to quell the violence.
[Brunhuber:] It is shocking. Hopefully, things will stay peaceful. Thank you so much, Josh Campbell, in Portland. We appreciate it. And for more now on this, I'm joined by journalist Sergio Olmos. Thank you very much for speaking with me. So given the violence last night, given the, you know, two groups and authorities could collide again, one of those groups possibly seeking revenge, do you have any sense of how on edge people are there now?
[Sergio Olmos, Journalist:] Most of the city is not on edge. In terms of protesters, and yes, there is some tension about because there is chatter with certain, you know, right-wing pages about retribution tonight. But I want to make clear, you know, what the what the police chief was saying today was about staffing, you know, large, planned rallies, like the one on Saturday and the one Saturday before that. In terms of the nightly Black Lives Matter protests, there is there is 42 of officers staffed for those. And like, tonight, there's going to be police officer staffed at Laurelhurst Park where the, you know, Black Lives Matter protesters are gathering right now.
[Brunhuber:] Yes, I guess, I mean, we know, there's always a police presence. But given what happened yesterday, we were expecting, perhaps, details about an enhanced presence or special considerations, given that we could see more violence. I wanted to ask you, there's also a lot of anger over accusations that police enabled those caravans and the vigilantes. What are what are you hearing on that?
[Olmos:] Yes, so to answer both those concerns, they're actually the same, which is the police have been staffing, for 94 days now, officers at night to handle the Black Lives Matter protesters. And they have 42 officers, the rapid response team, and then another 30 to create a mobile field force for arrests and stuff like that. And those are polled from, you know, patrol units and stuff like that. And what they're what the police chief is saying, you know, at these press conferences, is look, we can't do that at night and have those officers go, like, in the middle of the day to another rally. Like, they have to sleep, right? They have to, like, do the shift the next night. And so we just don't have enough officers to staff rallies at night, and at the daytime. And because of that, the ones planned by the conservative sides are left open, and you know, for now two weeks, we've had consecutive violent rallies. So that's the issue that's going on right now. Critics will say, you know, why does the police choose to assign more bodies to the Black Lives Matter protests. You know, the police chief will say, We need more police officers.
[Brunhuber:] Wondering whether the the war of words between the president and the mayor has, or will, exacerbate the tensions there. I'm also wondering, on a sort of larger question, I guess, are the protesters aware how happily President Trump is sort of sailing in the political headwinds they're creating there?
[Olmos:] Yes, so you know, the mayor is leaning into that conversation with the president. And in terms of the protesters here, they the mood is not like, Donald Trump, the president, is not talked about very often. The protests here have been largely against this local police force and kind of errors they've committed in the past. They do, you know, when federal agents were here for about two weeks and it was, you know, a scene outside the federal courthouse, they were definitely, you know, focused on the federal agents. But the president is kind of a secondary issue here. They really do want local, like, city council people to defund this police department. The election is kind of a secondary issue to them. But if you listen to the mayor, you know, it is a fight for democracy. He's choosing to engage with this in terms of of federal overreach, and so that's kind of where he wants to have that conversation. Locally, they're more focused on the police department here.
[Brunhuber:] And his response may be predicated by local politics there, as well, facing a challenger himself, and he certainly wants to be seen as an opponent of Donald Trump. Is that accurate?
[Olmos:] Yes, yes. Definitely. I mean, this is a very liberal city, and there's not a lot of Trump supporters here. He definitely is saying something that a lot of people will say, which is, you know, they don't like what the president is saying about Portland. But I think outside of Portland, you know, that probably gets more nods. Inside of Portland, there's a lot more sense of we weren't having that conversation. We were arguing against you and your police force. You know, he's also police commissioner. So I think what you're seeing with that press conference, him talking about the president, to a lot of viewers here, it felt like he was ignoring the criticisms laid at him and directing his ire towards somebody that, you know, most people have kind of written off anyway.
[Brunhuber:] Interesting. Well, we really appreciate your local insights, Sergio Olmos in Portland. Thank you.
[Olmos:] Thank you.
[Brunhuber:] Well, as we mentioned, Mr. Trump isn't letting the Portland mayor's remarks go unchallenged. In one of several stinging tweets, the president says, "Ted Wheeler, the wacky Radical Left Do Nothing Democrat Mayor of Portland, who has watched great death and destruction of his City during his tenure, thinks this lawless situation should go on forever. Wrong! Portland will never recover with a full for a Mayor." Well, on Tuesday, the president will travel to another hot spot where racial tensions are high. He's scheduled to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, to meet with law enforcement. He'll also survey the damage from the protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. But the state's governor is pleading with President Trump to reconsider the trip, and Wisconsin's lieutenant governor says the president's divisive rhetoric won't be helpful.
[Mandela Barnes , Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor:] You look at the incendiary remarks that the president has made, they centered an entire convention around creating more animosity and creating more division around what's going on in Kenosha. So I don't know how, given any of the previous statements that the president made, that he intends to come here to be helpful. And we absolutely don't need that right now.
[Brunhuber:] Still, the White House says the president's Kenosha visit will happen as scheduled. So while Donald Trump prepares for that trip, his challenger in the upcoming election, Joe Biden, will be in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Monday. his campaign says he'll ask voters a crucial question they'll face this November. Are you safe in Donald Trump's America? Ryan Lizza is a CNN senior political analyst and chief correspondent for Politico, and he joins me now from Washington. Thanks so much for speaking with us today. I want to start with President Trump's response to the violence in Portland and to the city's mayor. Clearly, both are useful foils for his law-and-order campaign. Do you think the violence and chaos will help his reelection bid in the sense that it will not just activate those, you know, Republican America is under siege but also help win back those white suburban voters?
[Ryan Lizza, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] You know, I think all year, that dynamic has been what he has been wishing for, and frankly, pushing for. Kellyanne Conway, his senior adviser, the other day kind of said the quiet part out loud when she said that the more violence and chaos there is, the better I'm paraphrasing it is for Trump electorally. I can't remember any time in modern American politics where a presidential campaign was hoping for violence and a spike in crime as a as a positive electoral force for them. What's odd about this is he's the incumbent president, so you would think that the more chaotic things are, the more people would turn against him and look for the alternative, which is what his opponent will argue. That being said, I think there is something to the fact that some of these protests, when they turn violent, they can potentially have the effect of turning off some of the voters that Joe Biden is relying on, and some of the voters that frankly, up until now, have been very, very supportive of the anti-racism protests in the United States. That's been the big dynamic this year, is that a lot of these white suburban voters that we're all talking about, the kind of swing vote in this election. Most of this year, they have been highly pro-protest. And some Democrats, as your question kind of alludes to, are a little concerned that that dynamic could change. I think it's too early to say that yet, but that is the fight now between Biden and Trump, is who can take political advantage over this chaotic situation. And I know that's kind of crude to put it that way, but that is what we're seeing.
[Brunhuber:] So so you think it might cut both ways, then, as you know, Biden tries to say, well, you know, this is, you know, Trump's America. I want to ask you
[Lizza:] Yes. That's exactly it.
[Brunhuber:] Yes. Despite, you know, Donald Trump's racially-divisive rhetoric and his general reluctance to criticize the actions of white supremacists, you've written recently that the appeal to black voters that we saw during the Republican convention isn't as odd as it seemed to many pundits. Can you explain this?
[Lizza:] Well, you know, there are some Democratic analysts that will point to 2016, when Hillary Clinton did not do as well as Barack Obama did with African-American voters, and to some evidence from some key states in 2018; and then a third data point is some of the polling this year showing Trump being surprisingly I wouldn't say strong with African-American voters, but better than one would expect, given his policies and rhetoric. Now the argument against that is well, Barack Obama was the first black president. You probably can't compare Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's black support. It's it's natural that it went down a little. But I think it's something to watch. And I don't think the Trump campaign is completely insane with their outreach to black voters. We're only talking for a potential of, you know, what, one to two to three to four points, but that could be decisive in some of these swing states, if it works. Remember, the last election was decided by 70,000 votes in three states. So, you know, a little bit of support on the margins for black voters could could be very meaningful for Trump. In other advanced democracies, you know, it's very unusual to have one ethnic or racial group that votes, you know, 85, 90 percent for one party. So it's not you know, eventually in American politics, there will probably be some more diversity in some of the in the in the black vote. And that's what some Democratic analysts are pointing to. I will tell you this is a very controversial debate among Democrats.
[Brunhuber:] Absolutely. Well, it's something that we'll be watching for in the the coming days as we head toward the election. Thank you so much, Ryan Lizza. Appreciate it.
[Lizza:] Thank you, Kim.
[Brunhuber:] All right. So we have Mr. Trump portraying himself as the law-and-order president at home, and the consummate dealmaker overseas. Oren Liebermann has details of a historic flight scheduled in a few hours, and the agreement that some are hailing as a rare foreign policy win for the president.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] There's a lot going into this flight, and it's not just the people on it but the build up around it, and what's been billed by the United States as the first ever direct commercial flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The flight number itself, El Al Flight 971. That's the telephone country code of the UAE. The return flight is El Al 972, the country code of Israel. The words "peace" are written on the side of the airplane just over the pilot's window in Hebrew, English and Arabic, and both sides are hyping this as a major accomplishment, not only for the Middle East but, of course, for the Trump administration and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [00:20:12 Israel Pilots Association says the flight plan is to take the plane directly over Saudi Arabia before landing in Abu Dhabi. That would be the first time ever that an Israeli commercial aircraft flew over the Arabian Peninsula, though as of Sunday night, the pilots' association says that hasn't been finally approved by the Saudis and, at this point, at least it could change. As for the delegation itself, led by President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, it was given the royal treatment or, in this case, the head of state treatment. Kushner spoke by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the prime minister's official residence, alongside national security adviser Robert O'Brien. When Kushner spoke, he talked about not only the accomplishments of the Trump administration as it relates to Jerusalem, for example, moving the embassy, but also of the wider Middle East, especially hyping on the recent agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, promising more is to come.
[Jared Kushner, Trump Senior Advisor And Son-in-law:] While this peace agreement was thought by many to be impossible, the stage is now set for even more. Over the last three and a half years, a lot of people described the state of the Middle East as hopeless. But what I felt, over the last couple of weeks, is a new sense of optimism. And we must seize that optimism, and we must continue to push to make this region achieve the potential that it truly has.
[Liebermann:] After returning from the UAE on the Israeli flight, Kushner is expected to visit other countries in the region, including Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and Oman as he tries to build on the momentum of the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. His goals here, at least twofold. First, to see if any other Arab states will follow the UAE's lead and normalize relations with Israel. That would be a major foreign policy victory for Trump just ahead of elections, just in time to tout that. And second, to see if any of these countries will send representatives, specifically high-level representatives, to what is expected to be a White House signing ceremony with the heads of state of Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.
[Brunhuber:] Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, the White House's chief coronavirus advisor says it's possible to beat the virus, as long as people work together. Yes, easier said than done.

[Lemon:] OK. So on Monday, driver Bubba Wallace right here on this show called on NASCAR to ban the display of the confederate flag at their races and events. Watch this.
[Bubba Wallace, Nascar Driver:] My next step would be to get rid of all confederate flags. There should be no individual that is uncomfortable showing up to our events to have a good time with their family that feels some type of way about something they have seen an object, they have seen flying, no one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. There's going to be a lot of angry people that carry those flags proudly. But, it's time for change. We have to change that.
[Lemon:] OK, so, you know, I thought it was the next day. But it was actually on Wednesday. So, the day or so after that. NASCAR did, they banned it. Banned the flag. Saying this in a statement. The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. So, Bubba Wallace is here. Bubba, thank you so much. When last we talked, that's what we were talking about. How did it play out? How did you hear about it? What happened?
[Wallace:] Yes, I was actually on my way up to Martinsville, the speed way there. it's about I don't know about 2:00. Steve Phelps, the president called me and he was like, hey man, I just want to let you know we're about to announce that we're are going to ban the confederate flag and I was like, all right. Awesome. Congratulations. This was a move that needed to happen a while ago for sure. But I was proud of the effort by NASCAR. So, hats off to them and have some great leadership for the last couple of years, to be able to kind of start getting some things going.
[Lemon:] Yes. Well, I mean, I'm glad I hope, I think they were watching this show. Be I think we were the first ones to raise that issue with you. We were one of the first interviews that you did. So, listen, I appreciate you taking a stand on that.
[Wallace:] Yes. Absolutely.
[Lemon:] Listen, what are you hearing from fans about the NASCAR banning the flag?
[Wallace:] I hear both sides of it. A lot of positive out reach. A lot of positive impact and gaining new fans as we go. And then you're getting the fans that will never watch a NASCAR race again. The same fans that never watched NFL, after the kneeling. The same fans that are crying out that we're ruining their lives. And just throwing a pity party. As to whether accepting change and understanding why we need this change and why it's such a pivotal moment for our country. I heard the conversation you talked with the mayor there of Houston. And it's like, you know, it's on a global level. That this is an impact. So I'm excited about the change. I wish fans could come back ASAP. Just so we can see the demographic and who shows up, what shows up. Everybody who shows up I want to see and hear what they have to say. But through social media you get both sides of the story, but there's obviously more good than there is bad. So I'm excited about it.
[Lemon:] Well, good. The mayor and I were talking in a break about this. After we were talking about coronavirus. And actually being optimistic that there may be some change coming. And that the country is ready for it. I just want to put this up, because you know, you were talking about people you're hearing, you know, both sides. People are saying I'll never go to NASCAR. There was a truck driver who announced that he was going to be quitting. But then there's another driver who is inspired by you and then released pictures of his car with black lives matter paint schemes on it. And I know you have to be hardened by that. You actually made the decision to wrap your car with black lives matter. That logo. Partly because you didn't have a sponsor for the race. Do you think companies have shied away from sponsoring you because of this? Because of your stance? Because you're African American? What's going on?
[Wallace:] I have no idea. Don, I have been struggling with sponsorship issues for a really long time. Ever since I've joined NASCAR. And I was always told to go out and win and the sponsors will come. But that never did. So, you know, I'm competitive and I go out there and I feed off that. And that's where I just go out and love competing against my competitors there. So, with as much positive outreach and as the image in a brand that's changing on a global level making a big impact in the nation. Sponsors are missing the boat right now. But you know, I would near miss if we didn't thank who we have now on the race car. If you look closely we have the United States Air Force on our car. We have worldwide technology. Coca-Cola. A lot of key partners that help us get to the racetrack and we're excited about that. Chevrolet has been a big partner. Jim McKay reached out to me after the race and was giving me high praise. Leader at Chevrolet there [inaudible]. I'm excited about the direction we're heading with this. I think it was a very important decision. And that I'm thankful for from Richard Petty, Andy Murks, everybody at RPM for following through with the black lives matter car. We raised so much awareness. And that's a first. That's the first step of getting people aware of what's going on and the change that needs to happen. So, thankful for every party involved to allow us to run that scheme and also have a great race. That will put some icing on the cake.
[Lemon:] So, let me just say this, the challenge to anyone out there, especially anyone who is in business who has the resources. If you care about change in this country and the stance that Bubba is taking and NASCAR, sponsor him. Sponsor. Step up. Come into the future. Come into the present. Do the right thing. Bubba is changing.
[Wallace:] Absolutely.
[Lemon:] Helping America change. So, do it. Sponsor him. Do the right thing. There's so many sponsors that he can't even fit the logos on his car. That he has to put them all over the tires. I'm feeling that. I feel that could happen to you, Bubba.
[Wallace:] Hey, Don. If you also notice when we were in Atlanta, we had a McDonald's car. So, McDonalds have been a huge supporter of mine as well. So, I will be [inaudible] if I did not mentioned them and I wore the black lives matter t-shirt. It kind of started there in Atlanta. With given some recognition to McDonalds there and then snowballing and to [inaudible]. So, we're making some good head way from all parties and all avenues. So, we're excited about the change.
[Lemon:] I have a good feeling you'll be all right. Thank you. Keep standing up.
[Wallace:] I appreciate it.
[Lemon:] All right. We are very proud of you. Thank you, Bubba. All right. We'll be right back.

[Cabrera:] New England Patriots' wide receiver, Antonio Brown, appears more likely to play this weekend, despite a sexual assault lawsuit filed by his former trainer. Carolyn Manno is in New York with what the team and the NFL are saying Carolyn?
[Carolyn Manno, Cnn Sports:] Good afternoon, Ana. There's still no official statement from the NFL since the allegations broke, though the leak opened an investigation into the wide receiver's behavior. The Patriots are saying as little as possible about this. Brown's former trainer and college classmate, Britney Taylor, filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday, accusing Brown of multiple sexual assaults and rape between 2017 and 2018. Brown has been practicing with the Patriots all week and is not expected to be placed on the commissioner's exempt list, as this is not a criminal investigation, meaning he is eligible to play. Patriots Coach Bill Belichik was guarded when discussing whether the receiver will be used against the Dolphins tomorrow.
[Bill Belichik, Coach, New England Patriots:] We'll do what's best for the team.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Would it be best for the team to have Antonio play?
[Belichick:] We'll determine that. You know, not going to give a copy of the game plan here. We'll do what's we think is best for the team.
[Manno:] The NFL is expected to interview Britney Taylor next week. If Brown plays Sunday, the helmet he will wear is up in the air. Again, the helmet company, Zenith, ended its relationship with Brown yesterday just a few weeks after signing a deal with the high-profile receiver. This, after Brown lost two appeals with the NFL to allow him to wear a different helmet that's no longer certified by the league Ana?
[Cabrera:] Thank you very much, Carolyn Manno. An American hunter who paid $100,000 for a 21-day safari in Tanzania can bring his lion trophy back home to the U.S. Why this decision by the Trump administration has animal rights advocates outraged. Jeff Corwin joins us live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Don't go anywhere.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Host, Anderson Cooper 360:] -get to an area like this?
[Patrick Oppmann, Cnn Correspondent:] No. And I'll tell you something amazing, Anderson. The first help that arrived there yesterday came from people, regular Bahamians, who came from Abaco, which, as you know, has been destroyed. So, how people will come in a boat with water and gas from Abaco, it's amazing, and it speaks to the strength of Bahamians. But why is it, that these people are coming first-
[Cooper:] Yes.
[Oppmann:] -rather than the government. Why is it that we can get there but the government can't get there?
[Cooper:] Yes. It is a good question. Patrick Oppmann, thank you very much. The news continues. Want to hand it over to Chris for CUOMO PRIME TIME. Chris?
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, Cuomo Prime Time:] All right, thank you, Anderson. I am Chris Cuomo and welcome to PRIME TIME. Look who's finally back? Congress. The impeachment drum's beating once again, time to test a Judiciary member about this big vote this week. What about waiting on the people to send a signal? What about waiting on Speaker Pelosi? You hear what she said today about the new push? And did President Trump put one of our top spies at risk with loose lips? Did his tweets and talk about what was going to happen at Camp David blow a deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan? For perspective, guess who we have? Valerie Plame. You remember her. She had her cover blown as a CIA spy during all that Yellowcake intrigue. She knows a bunch about deals with bad guys in the Middle East, and what can ruin someone's cover. She's now running for Congress. Wait until you see her ad. She says she has some scores to settle. New week, same call to action. What do you say? Let's get after it.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.
[Cuomo:] Latest word tonight is that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not say if the House is conducting an impeachment inquiry, or just investigating. She keeps saying that impeachment as an outcome is, quote, a "Possibility." She appears to be downplaying the Judiciary Committee's new moves to ready the rules that would guide potential impeachment hearings. Chairman Nadler has scheduled a vote Thursday to define parameters. One of the Members on that Committee, Steve Cohen, has been itching to get this going since the beginning of time, it feels to me.
[Text:] ONE ON ONE.
[Cuomo:] He joins us now. Good to see you, Congressman. Welcome back.
[Rep. Steve Cohen:] Thank you, Chris. Good to be with you.
[Cuomo:] So, let's test this. First, what is this vote? We expect it somewhere, maybe around Thursday. Why does it matter?
[Cohen:] It matters because it formally sets up a House Judiciary inquiry into impeachment of Donald J. Trump, and it sets out the same parameters as were existent under the Republican team that had the Clinton impeachment and the Democratic team when the Nixon impeachment came up.
[Cuomo:] All right.
[Cohen:] Same rules.
[Cuomo:] So, two reasons not to do it, just to test the idea. First is, Nancy Pelosi doesn't seem happy about it. She says investigating is enough. The people have not said overwhelmingly that that is what they want, and she seems to have a sensitivity about whether or not this works for you guys, going into the election.
[Cohen:] Well, first of all, my newspaper in Memphis used to be owned by Scripps Howard, and they had some motto about "Give light and the people will see the way." The Congress needs to give light and the people will see the way. We saw the Nixon impeachment hearings, 17 percent approval when they started, over 60 percent when they finished. We need to investigate. We have a responsibility. We have a duty. And we're going to pursue that and do that now.
[Cuomo:] But we were flooded with the Klieg lights of the Mueller probe, and all kinds of things going on, so it's not apples-to-apples where people were during the Nixon administration in those proceedings. But another, maybe little in the weeds, but not for this audience, is that you, by formalizing it and centralizing it, in the Judiciary Committee, you wind up having a lot of these other committees that are looking into all of these different roots of intrigue, surrounding this White House, they have to stop. Are you winding up centralizing it and therefore stopping efficiency?
[Cohen:] I don't know if that's necessarily true. And I don't think they have to stop. And I don't think that we can that we can can't incorporate therein hearings into an impeachment report. I think the Judiciary Committee could do that. But the bottom line is there is a cornucopia of instances of corruption and violations of the Constitution. We have a President who shreds the Constitution, has no rule, no law, no commandment that Moses passed down, nothing that will stop him from doing whatever he wants. And-
[Cuomo:] "No crimes. Not an agent of Russia," says Mr. Mueller, who everybody was supposed to respect.
[Cohen:] Not not a direct agent, but they had several over 150 contacts with his campaign with Russians. They welcomed the interference. Trump even went on television, "Russia if you're listening," there was a reason he said that because he knew they were listening. They had people who could contact different places. We'll find out. What's in the Grand Jury testimony that was redacted by Barr, Trump's Roy Cohn, may be the Smoking Gun or the Arsenal or the Garrison that breaks this thing free. There's a reason Barr redacted certain testimony, some of it, I think to protect Trump's sons.
[Cuomo:] Well-
[Cohen:] Others we don't know.
[Cuomo:] Or-
[Cohen:] But he took it upon himself to-
[Cuomo:] But, you know, Grand Jury's-
[Cohen:] -redact testimonies.
[Cuomo:] -Grand Jury, very, very sensitive. Let me ask you something though. Here's one-
[Cohen:] Grand Jury's sensitive. But every instance in the past, the Attorney General has joined with Judiciary Committee, and these type instances say "Let them have it." And this time, he's not going to do it.
[Cuomo:] Well Eric Holder-
[Cohen:] They're accepting their-
[Cuomo:] -Eric Holder didn't join about turning certain things over either. It's not unheard of for an A.G. to-
[Cohen:] It was not an impeachment inquiry of-
[Cuomo:] -not want to give Congress-
[Cohen:] -Obama.
[Cuomo:] Fair point.
[Cohen:] This will be an impeachment inquiry.
[Cuomo:] Fair point. All right, now here's another thing that we'll see maybe not as pressing, but to me, every bit is important. The more you guys go down the road of impeachment, forget about the fact it's never going to happen in the Senate, it's almost impossible that anything really happens. I know Nancy Pelosi says that you're legislating, you're legislating, you're getting things done. But you won't get anything done with the Senate, if this is happening, or maybe not at all. At this point, do you believe there's any chance that any meaningful legislation happens in this session session that started today?
[Cohen:] Not as long as Mitch McConnell is the is the leader of the Senate. Mitch McConnell has said he's the Grim Reaper. He said that's the graveyard. He has not passed or in even put on the floor for consideration two gun bills that we passed, one on background checks that 90-some-odd percent of the public supports, one on the Charleston loophole, which I imagine is closer to 90 percent as well. He won't even let people vote on it. There's McConnell wants nothing to happen. He's happy the way things are. He is an aider and abettor of Trump. And someday, down the line, there's going to be a reckoning, and people will see that this was not only the worst President of the United States, but one of the worst human beings to ever face grace this earth.
[Cuomo:] Well I think that you just answered my question.
[Cohen:] And these people who support him with him.
[Cuomo:] But the idea of, you know, if there's one thing that you can say about this President, he is transactional. But based on what you just said, there's zero chance he will be working with you on anything, because you just broke one of the main rules. You take a shot at this President, there will be no swallowing of any type of bile, he's going to come at you. So, the Democrats, basically, you seem to be saying, Congressman, have zero interest in working with this President.
[Cohen:] There's no way to work with him. He hasn't worked with us on anything. He lies constantly. He has no his word is zero. I didn't go to his Inauguration. I didn't go to the State of the Union. The man is despicable. And there's no way you can negotiate, just like China knows, and North Korea knows that you can't negotiate with a person who lies, and has no credibility. The United States is not seen on the on the globe with other world leaders the same way it used to be. People don't have respect for the for Trump. They like Americans. They can't understand how we elected such an unusual character as our President.
[Cuomo:] So, what is the point-
[Cohen:] The I mean-
[Cuomo:] -hold on a second. But what is the point of even having a session then right now, if is it just about impeachment for you guys?
[Cohen:] Hopefully we will-
[Cuomo:] Because Pelosi says she's legislating. How is she going to legislate if you guys won't work with the President to get a deal, which would make him say to Mitch McConnell, you know, "Enough with the Grim Reaper bit. It's time to start breathing some life into some laws. Bring me some stuff."
[Cohen:] He we we've passed Ethics Reform bills to clean up the swamp. The swamp is him, not us. He got the term. It's him. We've passed healthcare legislation. We've passed legislation on all kind of subjects, guns, you name it, they won't touch any of it. They're not going to touch anything at all. All they want to do is approve judges who will be Right-wing conservative judges who've-
[Cuomo:] But aren't you supposed to be down there to cut deals? Isn't that what you guys are supposed to do? Debate, get angry at each other, but then find common ground, and get something done. That's why you're put there, isn't it?
[Cohen:] To some extent. But there's that that was when you had a President who you could find common ground with. There's no common ground with this man. Nancy's gone to him. They wanted to have common ground on our transportation bill, infrastructure bill. And as soon as we said we're going to consider discussions about impeachment, he said there'll be nothing on infrastructure because he comes first in everything, not the country. And anything we've had, he wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He doesn't have a anything to to replace it with. He wants people not to have insurance. We want to keep the Affordable Care Act and reform it. You can't work with the man. There's no place he goes. He wants to destroy our environmental laws. He took us out of the Paris Climate Accords. He took us out of the Iran Nuclear Agreement. What's the result of that? That we don't show leadership to the world on climate change that threatens the next generation. We don't work on Iran who's now developing a nuclear capability, which they wouldn't have if we just stayed in the agreement. I was just in Australia not long ago. Everybody there said, "You don't go about deals with China unilaterally. You go with your allies as a group, and you go to the World Trade Organization for relief." This man doesn't know what the World Trade Organization is or he doesn't care.
[Cuomo:] But here's the thing. Congressman, I hear your criticisms. However, if you do not win control of the Senate, if you do not win this next election, you guys are going to have some burden on your hands because you're going to have to figure out somehow to justify being in office, if your goal is to get something done. But I hear what you're saying. I understand your arguments. And I appreciate you making them to my audience. We'll see what happens in this vote, maybe Thursday right?
[Cohen:] I'm going to suggest to you, Chris.
[Cuomo:] Yes, Sir.
[Cohen:] And you know this better than me. I think Mario Cuomo would be with me. He would stand up to injustice, and he'd speak the truth to power.
[Cuomo:] Well-
[Cohen:] And that's what we need in this country.
[Cuomo:] Listen, I'm not much in the business of guessing what my dearly departed father would think.
[Cohen:] He was a star. He was a hero.
[Cuomo:] He was a good man. But he was also he said, "Hey don't put a label on me, except I am a Progressive Pragmatist." He knew he had to get things done. He taught it to his son. You can say a lot of bad things about my brother in politics, it always happens. The man knows how to get a deal done. And hopefully, you guys will do that as well because that's why you're there. Get things done for the American people. Steve Cohen, appreciate the good word about my father. Be well.
[Cohen:] You're welcome. He was one of my heroes. Thank you, Chris.
[Cuomo:] Thank you. Mine too.
[Cohen:] I don't know what he'd think. I try not to think about it, to be honest. Often I feel it would be very condemning of me and my actions. All right, the eve of a very important election for the President, a bellwether of sorts for 2020. That's why the President was down in North Carolina tonight, doing what he can to increase the odds. Key word! What are the odds? What's going on in the 3rd and the 9th District? The Wizard of Odds seeing red or blue, and why do I care, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Lemon:] CNN cameras caught Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell leaving the White House earlier today and sources say he was there to discuss the upcoming impeachment trial with the president. That after McConnell made it clear in remarks on the Senate floor this morning that he is not interested in changing course. Let's discuss now with John Dean, a former Nixon White House counsel. Good evening, sir. Happy New Year. I haven't seen not you since the New Year. Good to have you on.
[John Dean, Cnn Contributor, Former Nixon White House Counsel:] Thank you, Don.
[Lemon:] You were one of the first people to suggest that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hold the articles of impeachment. I remember you do it here on the show, hold it from the Senate. We have seen this play out and the standoff continues. You say the speaker still has the upper hand. Why do you say that?
[Dean:] Well, I think she could hold them right up and take them to the election if she wanted to. She doesn't have there's nothing in the rules that says she has to send those over, particularly when you're seeing the kind of behavior that she's confronted with in the Senate, which is just asking the House to be subject to a steam roller and they represent the American people. So I think her moves are very smart right now.
[Lemon:] You think that's going to last, though, John? Because there are three Democratic senators, Angus king who is an independent, but caucus is with the Democrats. There is Chris Murphy and then there is Richard Blumenthal as well. They're saying it is time for the trial to begin. Has Pelosi's tactic run its course? No?
[Dean:] Well, I think she still has all the options. She could, for example, announce publicly that she is not sending the articles to the Senate until after the election. And that way, she'd make them an election issue in many states where Republicans are running and wouldn't want those to be an issue. Secondly, she can say, I'm sending them to the Senate, but I'm sending them with the heads up that if the Senate doesn't give a fair trial, the House of Representatives is going to go to the Supreme Court and take these under judicial review. Now, there is a friend of mine who has got a piece coming out in the Washington Post tomorrow, Cleveland attorney Jim Robenalt, has dug out some of the case law. And Walter Nixon, when he was impeached, went to the court and took it all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled against him 9-0 on whether or not they had been proper in having the hearing before a small committee instead of the full Senate and then taking his impeachment to the full Senate. But they did, they offered some language that said, a Senate trial must be, in essence, fair. It can't be a coin flip. It can't be something that judges would find unreasonable. So there is some language in the case law that shows where the Supreme Court might go on this and that they might take such a case.
[Lemon:] Interesting. You heard Mitch McConnell saying that they think they have the votes, and so he doesn't really care. And so he's going to start the trial even if Nancy Pelosi doesn't bring the articles.
[Dean:] He does have the votes. He's probably always had them or may have had some on the fence that didn't want to commit. And this is the sort of thing Mitch McConnell does. He does not play by the rules. Rather, he makes the rules. And that's what Nancy is up against. That's why as soon as she releases the articles to him, she has lost some degree of control over them. Ultimately, as I say, I believe she would have standing to go to the high court if it was really an abysmal undertaking and no witnesses were permitted when they were clearly called for and things like that. But that's not the strongest case. The strongest case is taking it to the voters and saying, listen, the Senate is not going to do this properly. Therefore, we don't want to go there. We want the voters to decide this issue.
[Lemon:] John Dean, thank you so much. Appreciate your time.
[Dean:] Thank you, Don.
[Lemon:] Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, well, they say they're stepping back from their royal duties and it seems to have come to a shock as a shock to everyone, including the queen. All the details, next.

[Lemon:] President Trump making a series of misleading claims during a press conference tonight on the coronavirus pandemic, veterans and of course, Russia. Our resident fact checker Mr. Daniel Dale is here to break it down for us. Daniel, hello to you. Thanks so much. I want you to take a listen to what the president said about Biden's plan to handle the coronavirus pandemic.
[Trump:] Do you know he said we want to shut it down. We would be willing to shut it down and you don't shut down when we're setting records. And by the way, we're rounding the corner. We're rounding the corner on the virus. Joe Biden's blanket shutdown would collapse our economy. It could cause countless death from suicide, drug, alcohol abuse, heart disease and more. You know, shutdowns cause a lot of problems, a lot of very serious problems, more so than the virus itself. Biden's plan is not a solution, it's a virtual surrender. And our country is doing so well.
[Lemon:] The facts, Daniel?
[Daniel Dale, Cnn Reporter:] Biden has not said that he wants to impose some sort of shutdown and he has not introduced any plan for a supposed shutdown. Biden was specifically talking in an ABC interview about the need to respect and listen to scientists. An interview pressed him on the hypothetical in which we the flu and COVID-19 at the same time. And scientists said we need to do a shutdown. What we need to do in that case. Biden said in that case I would shut it down. So, this was a future hypothetical. And subsequently in the following days Biden said he doesn't think there would be a need to impose a shutdown regardless.
[Lemon:] The president claiming again that he has done more for veterans than John McCain by this time. He's claimed that his was more on accurate than usual. Explain. What does that mean?
[Dale:] Yes. So, Trump repeated an egregious lie last night. He said he's done way more for veterans than McCain, of course, a famous veteran. And part of his evidence or supposed evidence was that Trump, he says, got the veterans choice healthcare program passed. As I've had to say over and over Barack Obama signed that into law in 2014. And it was Jon McCain's bill. So, Trump was wielding McCain's own bill as evidence that he, Trump, has done more than McCain. Now today we had some extremely rare fact check progress, Don. Donald Trump said for I think the first time that he signed the V.A. Mission Act which modified the choice program. So, this is something that I don't think he said before. He said what Obama signed was bad. So, he's still insulting Obama this small progress. But it's a little bit of progress nonetheless.
[Lemon:] Yes. Well, there you go. He also denied Russia poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Take take a listen to this.
[Trump:] We haven't had any proof yet but I will take a look. It is interesting that everybody is always mentioning Russia. And I don't mind you're mentioning Russia, but I think probably China at this point is a nation that you should be talking about much more so than Russia. Because the things that China is doing are far worse if you take a look at what's happening with the world.
[Lemon:] Give us the truth.
[Dale:] So, Mr. Navalny was taken to Germany. Germany investigated and found in the words of Angela Merkel unequivocal proof that he was poisoned with a nerve agent associated with Russia from the so-called Novichok group. Now the secretary of general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, subsequently came out and said the same thing. He said there is proof beyond doubt that Mr. Navalny was poisoned using a military grade nerve agent from the Novichok group. And he said that Russia needs to answer for this. Now Germany briefed the entire group of NATO allies. So whether or not Mr. Trump himself has seen that proof, Americans certainly have.
[Lemon:] Daniel Dale, the hardest working man in the news business right now.
[Dale:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] Our resident fact checker. Thank you, Daniel. I appreciate it. We'll see you soon. So, make sure you tune in. CNN is bringing you the stories of Joe Biden, Donald Trump and their fight for the White House. The back to back documentary event starts Monday at 8 Eastern right here on CNN. Make sure you tune in. And next, the president's new coronavirus adviser says that he laughs it off when people bring up the fact that he is not an infectious disease expert. OK. But shouldn't the doctor who has the president's ear on coronavirus, a very infection disease be an infectious disease expert?

[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] So this follows a day when the House heard from four legal scholars, three of them making the case that the president's conduct does amount to impeachable offenses. One asked, if this isn't impeachable, what is. The Republican expert witness suggested the president's actions may be impeachable, but warned the Democrats were rushing the process. So joining us now we have Democratic Congresswoman Karen Bass. She serves on the Judiciary Committee and is the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Congresswoman, great to have you.
[Rep. Karen Bass:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] First, before we get to what happened yesterday and what will happen, do you have some insight into what Speaker Pelosi will be announcing at 9:00 a.m. this morning?
[Bass:] I am sorry, I do not. I am not sure what she is going to announce, but I will be anxiously awaiting, like everyone else.
[Camerota:] So this came as a surprise to you at 5:30 a.m., as it did to us?
[Bass:] It did. It did. That's right.
[Camerota:] OK. Well, then that will be very interesting to hear what she has to say. So let's talk about what happened yesterday. You had a chance to question these four expert witnesses, three from the Democratic side, one from the Republican side. And you did question all of them except Jonathan Turley, and that was the Republicans' witness. And I'm just wondering, since he's the person who's making the case, basically, that Democrats are going about this the wrong way, why didn't you ask him a question?
[Bass:] Well, I was actually surprised by him. I expected them to put forward a witness that would be much stronger in terms of advocating their case. It seems to me the only point that he was making is, is that, yes, maybe he did commit an impeachable offense, but you are going too fast and that you need more facts. And I think that that's quite ironic because we have the possibility of getting a lot more information. But the president has blocked it every step of the way. That's in the general sense the same argument that my Republican colleagues are making. But if they want this situation to not go on as long or to take longer, they need to get up the administration to allow people to come forward and testify and to give the information that they're holding onto that they're blocking.
[Camerota:] Well, I mean, one way to get the administration to do that is through the court battle. And I think what Jonathan Turley was saying was that when it comes to the subpoenas of Bolton and Giuliani, say people with real first-hand witnesses, why aren't Democrats aggressively pursuing this in court?
[Bass:] Well well, I think, first of all, we have a number of court cases going on, but we cannot allow that to be a distraction. And we do already have an awful lot of information. But I will just say to you that the urgency that I feel is that this president has attempted to intervene in the next election and he needs to be stopped immediately. Rudy Giuliani right now is over in the Ukraine. Who knows what he's doing. They might still be attempting to interfere in this election. So I don't believe that we have the opportunity, we have the ability to just wait for the courts. We never know how long that is going to take. I feel a sense of urgency. We need to act now.
[Camerota:] I understand the sense of urgency. I understand the argument that Democrats are making. But what I don't understand is dropping the subpoena for Kuperman and not pursuing one for Bolton. Why not do both at the same time?
[Bass:] Well, I'm you know, that's a judgment of our leadership. You know, to me, it would be great if Bolton would come forward. He seems as though he wants to tease it. I don't know if it's over his book deal. He's, you know, hinted through tweets, which I think is very inappropriate. He should do the right thing and just come forward. We shouldn't even need to subpoena him.
[Camerota:] OK, so let's talk about that timeline, because, obviously, that's still an outstanding question. When do you think there will be a vote on impeachment?
[Bass:] Well, I will tell you right now, I do not know, but I think it is very possible that there will be a vote, if not before Christmas, before the end of the year.
[Camerota:] OK. So that's a little bit later. Possible what we had was possible full House vote the week of December 16th.
[Bass:] You know, I think that's possible. Now, you know, one of the things that we're waiting for is tomorrow we're waiting for the administration to decide whether or not they're going to participate in this process at all. I would imagine that if they choose not to participate in this process, that it will probably go quicker. If they choose to participate, if they're going to suggest witnesses that are appropriate, then it might take a little longer. So part of the ball is in their court, not ours.
[Camerota:] OK. And what about what will be included in articles of impeachment? What are you all talking about in terms of, will it just be solely based on Ukraine or will there be some RussiaMueller report threads?
[Bass:] Well, I will tell you, in the Judiciary, in our committee, we have not discussed yet what specific articles of impeachment will be. So we we will see. I don't know. I mean it could be a few I don't believe that there would be a ton of articles, but we actually have not had that conversation yet.
[Camerota:] So, I mean, can you just share with us what the feeling is about beyond Ukraine? Are we
[Bass:] Well, we certainly we certainly know that abuse of power, we know that the president has abused his power. I mean that's what we examined an awful lot yesterday. I believe he's betrayed the Constitution. And I also think that he has obstructed Congress. I mean he won't cooperate with anything. And then the Mueller report certainly showed ten examples of obstruction of justice. Now, whether or not those will be articles of impeachment, in all honesty, I can tell you that we have not had the specific discussion.
[Camerota:] Has a discussion come up about possible perjury involving the president's written answers to Robert Mueller?
[Bass:] No, that has not come up yet. But, you know, there one of the problems and one of our dilemmas is, there is so much there is so much that this administration has done, that the president has done. I do think it's important that we focus. But, again, the sense of urgency to me is about the next election. And it's also about our national security. I mean, I think it's difficult for us in the United States to imagine the situation that the president of Ukraine is in. I mean he was a popularly elected president. His ratings have gone down. We have compromised his presidency. This is a man who is under attack by another country. Russia is occupying part of his territory. And then the president had nerve enough to say, well, you know, we have money, your defense assistance, but we need you to help us out first. It's just incredibly inappropriate. I believe it was illegal. But I also believe that in the United States it's kind of hard for us to imagine the situation that this president is in. And all of that compromises our national security. But we do know, over the last three years, we know who this president answers to. And it's not the American people. It's Putin.
[Camerota:] Well, I mean, there's a lot there. The president obviously didn't state it in that conversation as overtly as you just did. That would have made your job much easier. There was a lot that was implied, and that's what the Republicans say you can't hang your hat on.
[Bass:] But you know what, the president's acting chief of staff came out and told all of us to get over it. He said that's the way foreign policy is done. And, you know, I also serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee. And I will tell you, that is not the way our foreign policy is done. What is fundamentally wrong here is that the president pressured another head of state for his personal gain. Yes, of course, we leverage our assistance for on behalf of the United States, but we know that that is not what the president was after. It's not the way our foreign policy is conducted. And I really think you know, to see the three heads of state and NATO joke about the president, we do need to understand that everybody jokes about the president. If you go overseas and I travel a lot, I meet with prime ministers and presidents, and everybody ridicules what is happening in our country right now. Which is why I think impeachment is important. Because it's important for us to demonstrate to the world, we are a democracy. And when a democracy like the United States is in trouble, we have a vehicle to address the situation we're in. And it is called impeachment. It is important for us to demonstration to the rest of the world that we can put this ship back in water.
[Camerota:] Congresswoman Karen Bass, we really appreciate you taking time to be on NEW DAY. Thank you.
[Bass:] Thank you.
[Berman:] A lot there to discuss. Joining us now, CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash. They are both with us now. Dana, I have to say, the thing that surprised me the most at the beginning, Karen Bass is a member of the Democratic leadership. She's a very important member of Congress. She doesn't know what Nancy Pelosi's going to say in less than two hours.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Exactly.
[Berman:] Do you?
[Bash:] So it makes me feel better not being able to get to get it.
[Camerota:] We all respect a big reveal.
[Bash:] Right. Exactly. They're being very careful in Pelosi world and people who I've been communicating with this morning close to her about what she's going to say and warning not to speculate too much about how far she's going to go. The fact that Karen Bass, as you said, you know, a veteran member of the Judiciary Committee, says that they haven't even started discussing in the broader committee drafting articles of impeachment is noteworthy. The way Nancy Pelosi tends to operate is that she will consult with people, but also take one step at a time and is very cautious, especially on something like this. It's hard to imagine she won't because of where we are in the calendar and in this process just generally talk about what are the next steps, because she hasn't made an address of this kind since she first announced the inquiry.
[Berman:] Yesterday, behind closed doors, we understand, she went in and asked, are you ready?
[Bash:] Exactly.
[Berman:] Everyone said, yes, basically. And we were led to believe this is before we knew that she was holding this announcement this morning that, look, probably articles of impeachment, crafted by the Judiciary Committee next week, voted on in Judiciary next week and full vote in the House before Christmas. That was what we thought the plan was.
[Bash:] That's right. And that is from sources that I have and Manu has and others
[Camerota:] She changed it a little bit.
[Bash:] On Capitol Hill were have been saying that it's it's a pretty quick timeline. She she left the door open for a potential change.
[Berman:] Karen Bass did.
[Bash:] Karen Bass. And, you know, look, she said it could be like, if the if the White House participates, it will slow things down. I don't think anybody's holding their breath for the White House to participate in anything that has to do with the House. But we are at a critical, critical time. The witnesses have been heard from. The Intelligence Committee, both sides, have put out their reports of what they think is or is not impeachable. And they're going to present, we do know we believe that the lawyers for each side in the Intelligence Committee are going to present their findings to Judiciary. And the next step, if they are going to move forward, is, they've got to draft the articles of impeachment.
[Camerota:] Jeffrey Toobin, you're in D.C. this morning. What has Nancy Pelosi told you about what she's going to say?
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] Hold on. Wait. Nancy? No, I can I say something about yesterday just before we get
[Camerota:] Yes. Yes, you may.
[Toobin:] You know, there was a lot of talk that, oh, it's going to be a circus, it's going to be it wasn't a circus. It was a serious discussion on a serious subject. And I thought both sides, you know, put their case forward passionately, but intelligently. And I think the public, which I doubt watched all eight hours, but, you know, may have gotten a sense, you know, understood the gravity of the situation. And also what high crimes and misdemeanors means. And I thought it was really an excellent public education. And I think the Democrats got everything they wanted out of it in the sense of, you know, serious experts saying that these were impeachable offenses. And Nancy Pelosi is obviously going to be moving forward at 9:00. Precisely how and what the schedule is, I certainly don't know. But I don't think anything happened yesterday that slowed the Democrats' momentum at all.
[Berman:] Jeffrey Toobin coming out for law professors. The
[Toobin:] You know, these are my people.
[Camerota:] And for high-minded conversation, which we are for as well.
[Berman:] Yes. No, I it was a really I actually think you're right, it was a really interesting discussion and a lot was stated that I think people could learn a lot from. Stand by. We have much more to discuss with you two. Coming up in our next hour, we're going to have the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, on. He is the number two Democrat. Maybe he can tell us what Nancy Pelosi is going to say at 9:00. Certainly going to ask.
[Camerota:] Also, Rudy Giuliani is facing a criminal investigation over his work in Ukraine. It's been central, of course, to the impeachment inquiry. But apparently he's still at it. There are reports this morning that Rudy Giuliani is back in Ukraine. We have all that, next.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn International Anchor:] Welcome to our viewers joining us1 here in the United States and all around the world, I'm Natalie Allen.
[Michael Holmes, Cnn International Anchor:] And I'm Michael Holmes. And coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, U.S. lawmakers preparing for a battle as Trump's impeachment trial is near. A top Democrat says he will force votes on witnesses and documents.
[Allen:] Also this hour, Prince Harry saying he is sad but that there was no other option. His reaction to the announcement that he and Meghan will no longer represent the Queen.
[Holmes:] And China is reporting more cases of a new strain of coronavirus as the outbreak spreads beyond the city where it was first identified.
[Allen:] There you have it. We are at 36 hours and counting until the impeachment trial of Donald Trump is set to begin.
[Holmes:] Yes, both sides already making the case. The Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, promising a battle. Chuck Schumer telling reporters Sunday night, he will push for more evidence on the abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges against the president. He needs 51 votes to succeed.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer:] We will force votes on witnesses and documents. And it will be up to four Republicans to side with the constitution, to side with our democracy, to side with rule of law, and not side and blind obedience to President Trump and his desire to suppress the truth because, in my judgment, he probably thinks he's guilty.
[Allen:] Well, speaking earlier at a Farm Bureau conference where he boasted about recent trade agreements, President Trump got a standing ovation when he attacked the impeachment process.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We're achieving what no administration has ever achieved before. And what do I get out of it? Tell me. I get impeached. That's what I get at it. By these radical left lunatics, I get impeached. But that's OK. The farmers are sticking with Trump. They're sticking with Trump.
[Allen:] Alan Dershowitz is a recent addition to President Trump's defense team. He's making it clear he's onboard to handle one specific issue.
[Alan Dershowitz, Lawyer:] I'm not involved in the day to day issues. I was asked by the President's defense team to become of counsel on this specific issue of the criteria, the constitutional criteria for impeachment. That's a very important issue. I will be making that argument as an advocate, not as an expert witness. I will be advocating against impeachment of this president based on the constitutional criteria in the Constitution.
[Holmes:] While we're getting a preview of the legal arguments on both sides, how they will lay it out, Kaitlan Collins with details of the pre-trial briefs filed over the weekend.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] The White House is making this argument that we were expecting them to make saying that they believe this is this dangerous and "unlawful effort to remove the president from office to nullify his election victory." And then this argument that they're making about what Democrats are doing, they say they're not denying the core of the Democrat's case against them, about this military aid, the withhold of it, withholding that White House meeting for the Ukrainians, and even, of course, that demand for the investigations into the Biden. But what they're denying in this seven-page memo written by the President's top two attorneys that you're going to see on the Senate floor this week, they are saying that what he did is not worthy of impeachment. And they go on to lay out this argument talking about the Democrats here. And it's really notable because it's a very different argument than what you're seeing in the Democrats filing yesterday, that was about 40 pages long, with an additional 60-page list of what they say or their facts against the president, where they're laying out in detail exactly what you saw in those House hearings. The White House is just generally in this six-page or in six-seven-page argument, rejecting what the Democrats are saying. Now, this is notable also given what Alan Dershowitz is saying, this is one of the President's four attorneys that he personally wanted on his team. And you're seeing Alan Dershowitz starting on Friday when we first reported that they were going to be joining the team, of course, along with Ken Starr and Robert Wray. Alan Dershowitz trying to distance himself from this saying that that memo that came out yesterday, that legal briefing, saying he did not sign off on it and didn't even see it before it was filed, which is really notable given the fact that he is expected to be one of the attorneys presenting on the President's behalf on the Senate floor this week. Now yesterday was essentially just a taste of what's to come. You're going to see that fight play out this week. But we're expecting to get a lengthier, more detailed legal briefing from the White House tomorrow. That's the deadline for them to file it, laying out exactly how they were going to argue against the President's impeachment this week.
[Holmes:] Now, Thomas Gift is a political science lecturer at University College London joining us so from Stanford, California. Good to see you again. I mean, let's I just want to set something up. We're getting a sense of the Republican strategy when this gets underway, and I want to talk about part of it. On the State of the Union, Alan Dershowitz said the Framers of the Constitution intended for impeachable conduct to me criminal-like conduct. He was quoting a defense used in 1868 by Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Curtis. Let's have a listen to that.
[Dershowitz:] The Senate refused to remove Andrew Johnson because Justice Curtis successfully argued that you need a crime. Without a crime, there can be no impeachment.
[Holmes:] Without a crime, there could be no impeachment. In 1998, Dershowitz said this.
[Dershowitz:] Certainly, it doesn't have to be a crime. If you have somebody who completely corrupts the office of president, and who abuses trust, and who poses great danger to our liberty, you don't need a technical crime.
[Holmes:] It needs to be a crime in 2020, not 1998. I mean, the thought of Government Accountability Office, of course, we talked about this yesterday, they say the law was broken when it comes to Ukraine. I'm curious, what do you make of the Dershowitz argument, how it might hold up. What do you make of the strategy given his previous positions?
[Thomas Gift, Political Science Lecturer, University College London:] Well, it does seem to suggest that there's some degree of hypocrisy among the Republican argument here in favor of Donald Trump. And so you're right, as we discussed before, Michael, a crime isn't a prerequisite for impeachment. And executive that subverts the integrity of elections can't truly be held to account by that. So Democrats are trying to make the case that simply leaving a question up to the American people isn't a satisfactory solution.
[Holmes:] Yes, absolutely. I mean, Dershowitz also argued that, you know, presidential abuse of power isn't impeachable, obstruction of Congress. But I guess that leaves a question, what then is impeachable? I mean, if a foreign leader was asked to investigate a political rival, and that's not impeachable, what is?
[Gift:] Well, I think that is the big question. I mean, all crimes are not impeachable offense, not all impeachable offenses are crimes. But at the same time, it really does beg the question that if this scenario does not constitute an impeachable offense, what really does? Michael, I almost feel like the question isn't then, you know, will Republicans turn on Trump at the state of the trial as it is. But instead, is there anything that could possibly change their mind? They've been so solidly behind Trump since the very outset. It's almost like they seem relatively indifferent to the facts. They're just supporting him, because they're supporting.
[Holmes:] Yes. If you take that broader view, though, and then let's, you know, look down the line a bit. I mean, what precedent is set if those actions aren't impeachable? I mean, if what we've seen unfold is deemed OK in the Senate trial, if obstruction of Congress isn't considered impeachable, abuse of power, or any of the other things, then what future precedents, what sort of leeway will they have in how they behave?
[Gift:] Well, I think that is exactly the point. These are such serious issue, issues of election, issues with foreign interference. And if Trump's actions don't constitute an impeachable offense, I think it does provide significant leeway or future president to also act in ways that are inconsistent with the constitution. Michael, it's not just the future presidents, it can also be Donald Trump himself if he does get another four years. And so if he's not held to account in this instance, then by all accounts of his record, he may feel that he's free to do the same thing going forward.
[Holmes:] It's nearly about to get underway, Tuesday, of course. A lot of talk still about witnesses or not. I'm wondering your thoughts on whether there are risks for Democrats on witnesses. I mean, if Republicans allow, say, former National Security Advisor, John Bolton, to testify, even if he claims privilege, Democrats would then be forced to allow perhaps Hunter Biden, even Joe Biden, any number of other witnesses who could hurt Democrats. Is that a quid pro quo worth taking? How do you think that discussions going on?
[Gift:] Well, I think all in all Democrats would prefer to have witnesses rather than not to have witnesses. You know, Republicans have essentially claimed that if Democrats already have such an airtight case, there's no additional need for witnesses. But I think that that seriously disregard the point that Congress has a fundamental oversight role that's been challenged from the very outset by a president who's refused to cooperate on every single level. And so I think Democrats do want to hear from John Bolton who's calling from the reported actions in Ukraine a drug deal. They want to hear from Mick Mulvaney, the chief of staff, and others close to the President. Because ultimately, Michael, this really is a fact-finding mission. It shouldn't be just a partisan exercise. It should be about figuring out what happened, how much the president knew, how he was involved, and so on. And so I think, all in all, Democrats would prefer to see witnesses are called.
[Holmes:] This is, of course, going to be the first impeachment in history where the impeached will have Twitter. This is a president who thinks he's a victim. He's been hounded. Do you see or how do you see him handling the actual trial in this age of Twitter?
[Gift:] Well, I think it's going to be more of the same. He's going to double down on the strategy that he's done at the very beginning. He's going to be pin this process as a witch hunt, he's going to call it presidential harassment. And to some extent, this has been successful for Trump at least in galvanizing and rallying his base. He's used this as a fundraising tool. For example, we saw that he's talked about this extensively in various campaign events that he's been doing across the country. And so, you know, Donald Trump is going to do what Donald Trump is going to take Twitter, he's going to find other ways do to demean which processes as a partisan
[Holmes:] Always good to chat. Thomas Gift with the University College London, thanks so much joining us in.
[Gift:] Thanks, Michael.
[Allen:] Well, Prince Harry is speaking out for the first time on why he and his wife Meghan are stepping back from their Royal duties.
[Holmes:] Yes. This comes of course after Buckingham Palace made that stunning announcement that the couple would no longer represent the Queen or the working members of the Royal Family. With great sadness, the Duke of Sussex spoke at a charity event on Sunday about why he believes he had no option, but to walk away.
[Prince Harry, Duke Of Sussex:] The U.K. is my home, and a place that I love. That will never change. I've grown up feeling supported from so many of you. And I watched as you welcomed Meghan with open arms as you as you saw me find the love and happiness that I'd heard for all my life. Finally, the second son of Diana, go hitched. Hurray. We hope to do everything we can to fly the flag and carry out all roles for this country with pride. Once Meghan and I were married, we were excited, we were hurtful and we were here to serve. For those reasons and brings me great sadness that it has come to this. The decision that I have made for my wife and I to step back is not what I made lightly. There was so many months of talks after so many years of challenges. And I know I haven't always done it right, but as far as this goes, there really was no other option. Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. I've accepted this knowing that it doesn't change who I am, or how committed I am. But I hope that helps you understand what it come to. That I would set my family back from all I've ever known to take to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life.
[Allen:] But the couple has talked about splitting their time between the U.S. and North America, but many questions remain regarding what their future will look like.
[Holmes:] Yes, CNN's Royal Correspondent Max Foster takes a look for us now at what is changing and how the Queen is responding.
[Max Foster, Cnn Royal Correspondent:] This was meant to be the slimmed- down monarchy of the future. But this week, it became even slimmer, with Prince Harry effectively abdicating his Royal role. This is what tourists outside Buckingham Palace had to say about it.
[Unidentified Female:] I think it was brave of them to do. I'm glad they could do that and feel comfortable with themselves, and that they have their blessing from grandma.
[Foster:] The Queen's remarkable statements on Saturday was written as a grandmother, Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family, she wrote. But arguably, it's also a peace treaty, reaching out to Meghan who clearly hasn't enjoyed Royal Life. Her Majesty said she's particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family. But the warm tone of this statement belies the steeliness beneath it. The Sussex's had early declared that they would be starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. The Queen rejected that and made them choose whether they want to stay or go. The couple agree to give up their Royal roles altogether, they'll stop using their full titles, and they'll repay the millions they were given to renovate the home in Windsor. There are still discussions ongoing about whether they should be allowed to continue using their brand Sussex Royal. In return, they get what they crave for most freedom to live their lives how and where they want to. And they'll be able to sign commercial deals without getting palace approval.
[Dickie Arbiter, Former Spokesman, Buckingham Palace:] Harry doesn't know what it's like on the outside and one of the things that will probably disappoint him, he spent 10 years in the Army, he's losing his military connection. And I think the biggest disappointment of lot will be for the Prince Philip having been Captain-General of the Royal Marines for 50 years handing it over to the very man he thought would be perfect and ideal as Captain-General the Royal Marines, Prince Harry, who's now walked away from as he walked away and had to walk away from the rest of his military commitments.
[Foster:] The Queen has been tested many times during her long reign. But once again, she's shown her determination to put her duty to protect the crown above all other considerations, even if it means saying no to her beloved grandson. Max Foster, CNN, Buckingham Palace, London.
[Allen:] All right, next here, fresh calls for peace in the United States. The state of Virginia is on edge hours ahead of a controversial gun rally.
[Holmes:] We will have more on who is stepping in to help keep things in check. We'll also have tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets. Violence ramping up as the week of rage continues in Lebanon. We'll be right back.

[Patrick Duddy, Former United States Ambassador To Venezuela:] Particular crisis a very important to the United States. In the first instance there is an enormous humanitarian crisis in the country. There are shortages of food, medicine, the electrical grid is collapsing and there have even been shortages of water. So we have seen indications of actual hunger in the country. This has then precipitated a regional crisis with millions of Venezuelans fleeing to Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Peru. Additionally, there is this sense that internally Venezuela is in the process of collapse. And there is the widely held fear that the humanitarian crisis, the human rights crisis that has been imposed by the Chavistas will become even more severe.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] And Ambassador Duddy, today we've obviously seen the full-throated support for Guaido from the Trump administration. So what is the role, the U.S. and the likelihood of military intervention?
[Duddy:] Certainly at this point I don't see U.S. military intervention as imminent. Though the administration has repeatedly emphasized that all options are on the table. I just step back and emphasize one further point. And that is it is not only the United States that is supporting the interim government of Juan Guaido, virtually the entire hemisphere and there are actually 54 nations around the world all of whom recognize Guaido as the legitimate interim chief executive of the nation. And what I think the U.S. and the rest of the region wants to see, indeed what they are emphasizing, is that the restoration of democracy is the international community's goal because we understand that until that happens, we cannot even begin to address the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding before us.
[Baldwin:] Patrick Duddy, Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
[Duddy:] Very welcome.
[Baldwin:] He made sexist comments about women repeatedly in the past and today the President's Fed pick makes an interesting remark about male earnings while on TV. And now even some Republican lawmakers are growing increasingly skeptical of Stephen Moore. Plus a manhunt underway in Iowa after a 25-year-old woman was shot and killed while just driving home from work. The latest on that investigation and a possible motive.

[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] I had to ask them. My voice speaking for all of us. Please help us to go to work tomorrow. Please show up for work because it's your role, it's your duty, it's your obligation to us and they did and they did. I was not comfortable asking. I will tell you the God's honest truth. I knew they were putting themselves at risk. I knew it and I I don't envy any chief executive of this nation who has to order women and men to go to war. I can imagine how that would feel. I know how I felt having to ask our front line workers, I need you. I need you to show up. And they did. And they put their lives at risk to serve others. And in that moment they were not black frontline workers. They were not white frontline workers. They were not Latino frontline workers. They were not Bronx frontline workers, they were not Brooklyn frontline workers, they were not Buffalo frontline workers. They were just Americans. They were New Yorkers. They were linked by the commonality of humanity. And the Better Angels said, get past your fear. Get past your weakness. Don't stay home. Rise up. Be stronger. Be better than you than you think you can be yourself. Get in touch with your strength. And hear that strength and they did it. And we acted as one. This diverse community of New York. People from all over the globe, different languages. We acted as one. And many of those people gave their lives for us during that time. They gave their lives because we asked them to show up for us and they did. Let's learn from their example. Let's understand what they did. We see all the success in those numbers and how far we've come. It didn't just happen. People literally gave their lives so others could live. They are the frontline hearers. They are the ones who charged up the hill when they knew the enemy was firing. They showed that same bravery. They showed that same courage. And they did it only because we asked, not because they were getting paid more money or they were going to get a medal because they didn't. They did it because it was the right thing to do. They did it out of love. That's what they did. They didn't die in vain. They've changed me. And I believe they have made me a better person by their example and by their lesson. And I will never ever forget what they did. And I will strive to be half as courageous and half as brave as they have been. And to hear those Better Angels. And to get in touch with that strength and to respond from that strength. That's their spirit. Yes, be outraged. Yes, be frustrated. Demand better, demand justice. But not violent. Not violent. Productive and smart. Act from strength, not fear. Love, not hate. And there is nothing that we can't overcome. We showed that here. We beat this damn virus and if we're smart we'll continue to beat it. But the way we beat this virus, we can beat the virus of racism, we can beat the virus of discrimination, we can beat the virus of inequality. If we can beat this virus, we can beat anything. Look at it, that strength that people showed. You can do anything with that strength. Our leaders may not be as good as the American people and as strong as the American people and as kind as the American people. But it's still we, the people. It is still we, the people. And we, the people shall still overcome. They showed us the way forward. And the way forward is to be New York tough, smart, united, disciplined, loving. Loving, loving. They gave their lives out of love and we respect that. I'm going to sign a bill today that gives death benefits to the families of all the front line workers who gave their lives for us. It is the least we can do to say thank you. And we honor you and we remember you. You gave your lives for us. We will be there to support your families going forward. That's what this bill does. And it is my honor to sign it now. We say to their families. We thank you. We grieve for your loss. And we will always be there for you the way you were there for us. Thank you.
[Reporter:] This morning news conference and they were critical of the way the police [inaudible] an apology from the mayor and what they didn't like was the wall of police officers in front of [inaudible]. Do you agree with that?
[Cuomo:] You're going to have a lot of opinions about last night what happened. And there are going to be a lot of opinions that have merit. There will be people who criticize the police. There will be people who criticize the protesters. This is New York and this is a very contentious situation. That's why I think the smart way forward is let's get an independent review. Let's find out exactly what happened. What procedures were used? What was right? What was wrong? That's what the Attorney General will do. I'm going to going to ask the Attorney General to get the review done quickly. I'd like to see it in 30 days. So we don't have to have a prolonged argument about it but review all the facts, review the police pre procedures, review the crowds actions and give us an independent review. Non- political, right? This is political silly season. And this is an issue that will raise a lot of politics on a lot of levels. But the Attorney General's independently elected. She's not in the political season. There is no election for the Attorney General this year. So just give us a factual review and let's get that review and then I'll respond to the facts in that review because people do deserve answers and people do deserve accountability. If someone did something wrong, they should be held accountable.
[Reporter:] They said that this wall of police officers that encourages the violence, that it they suggested that the pattern of the police force didn't show
[Cuomo:] Yes, so let the Attorney General look at the police procedure of using a wall, if that's proper improper.
[Reporter:] So we're still in the midst of the pandemic of course and people are out there, protesting not wearing their masks, they're not social distancing, does that concern you at all?
[Cuomo:] Yes, yes. Look, on the protest demonstrations. You have a right to demonstrate. You have a right to protest. God bless America. You don't have a right to infect other people. You don't have a right to act in a way that's going to jeopardize public health. And you know, the effectiveness of the mask, as simple as it seems. The more we learn, the more effective it is. Demonstrate with a mask on. What's the difference? I mean I just, I still do not get it. And look, I've been having a lot of conversations, we're doing ads and all sorts of ways to communicate and we had Chris Rock and Rosie Perez and different people bringing their credibility to the situation. It's primarily difficult with young people. I think the way they first heard about this virus was that they were immune. I remember there's a video clip during the Florida spring break where you had all those young people on the beach in Florida and there's a clip of a young gentleman saying, I'm not going to let this coronavirus bother me. I can deal with it. Only old people have to worry about it. It's not going to stop me from partying. Is it really? Party on, forget Covid. Yes, even if you think you're a super hero because you're young and you're strong, you can get it and then infect someone else so it's just wholly irresponsible and I don't see any justification not to wear it and I'm going to try as hard as I can through every vehicle that I can to say, look, you're just wrong. You know, you can have an opinion but there are also facts and you're wrong not to wear a mask. I think you're disrespectful. I think you're putting other people's lives at risk needlessly. And those are facts, right? So demonstrate, wear a mask.
[Reporter:] Governor, this is the second review that's been announced today over the events of last night. People are still on edge. There are more protest planned for today. It does sound like police are going to wait 30 days on how to respond. Protesters are not going to wait 30 days on how to respond. What do you think needs to change so this doesn't happen again tonight?
[Cuomo:] Well, I gave no doubt that the Mayor and the police are going to have serious conversations today about last night and they should. We we all saw the video and accountability works and I'm sure, I know the Mayor has taken note of last night and I'm sure they're there are going to be conversations today about how to handle tonight and going forward.
[Reporter:] Governor, as much as the protests last night highlight the systemic issues with the police response to protests, you know, the most prominent video of the officer throwing a woman on the ground, you know, has led to some details that this was the latest in a history of bad behavior by this one cop. A lot of state lawmakers are now saying that 50-a state law should be repealed. Do you support that and would you use your influence as governor to make sure that cops' disciplinary records are actually subject to public disclosure?
[Cuomo:] Yes, 50-a is the people who don't know what 50-a is, 99.9 percent of the normal people. 50-a is a state regulation about disclosure of prior disciplinary actions vis-a-vis police officers. I do not believe 50-a can that 50-a as an existing law prohibits the disclosure. I have done counsel's opinions that say that. I think local elected officials across the state could release disciplinary records even with the existing 50-a law if they wanted to. I think they don't want to so they say I can't, right? The best way to say no as an elected official, politician is to say I can't. I don't believe that's true. I believe they can with the law as written but just to make it simple, I would sign a bill today that reforms 50-a. I would sign it today. So the legislature can now convene by Zoom or however they do it. Pass the bill. I will sign it today. I can't be clearer or more direct than that. Just take one more.
[Reporter:] [inaudible] With respect to the medical data on minorities, aside from the African-Americans and Latinos, do you have or do you expect to have any data on hospitalization, infections of the Albanian community?
[Cuomo:] That is a very good question. I do not know the percentages for the Albanian community. I don't know that they collect in hospitals. But I will find out and if we have it, we will get it out to you forthwith. Thank you very much. Have a good weekend. I'll see you tomorrow. I have to go to work.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] All right, the governor of New York Andrew Cuomo wrapping up his daily news conference, making some strong statements, both on the coronavirus pandemic, how it's affecting New York state, which is still very, very seriously. As well as very strong statements on the criminal justice system in the aftermath of the George George Floyd murder in Minneapolis. George Floyd, 46 years old. Derek Chauvin the ex-police officer charged with third degree third degree murder in that particular case. In as far as the injustice is concerned, he says we have an injustice in the criminal justice system that is abhorrent. He says it's not just George Floyd. He then listed a whole bunch of other African-American men who were killed by police officers here in the United States. How many times have we seen this same the same situation unfold before this nation. He says has a history of discrimination and racism but then he goes on to say this. Yes, there is anger and frustration he said, but violence is not the answer. Violence obscures the righteousness of the message. Polo Sandoval is in New York for us. He also called for an investigation into some of the actions last night, Polo, that we're seeing on videotape. It says it's raising more questions about police improper police action in the face of the demonstrators. What is he referring to specifically? What happened in Brooklyn and elsewhere in New York City?
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] So what you have here Wolf, is basically immediate action that we're seeing that only at the city level but at the state level and this independent review is being launched. Looking into the actions of various officers, NYPD officers yesterday and violent altercations or at least encounters that were captured on camera that got the Mayor and also governor reference at least two videos that are making the rounds on social media. It's certainly leading to some anger here and so the result is this independent review at the state and local level into the actions of those officers. One video particular that we're still basically looking into here but authorities have already confirmed they're also looking at this, is this image of an officer pushing a female member of a protest to the ground here. So authorities are certainly looking into that and looking into the action at officers and at the same time promising appropriate action there but if you just step back for a second, we also have to we also are seeing what is very complex, very difficult situation for many people here on the ground and really across the country here because we have law enforcement officers and authorities here who have recognized that there's this united voice of people who are clearly frustrated. Not just because of Mr. Floyd's death but previous incidents as well and they're they're not pleased with this intolerable reality. However at the same time, you also have law enforcement that were faced with a very violent situation yesterday in Brooklyn. Authorities saying at least 3000 people when that peaceful protest took a very violent. Authorities even citing one particular incident that took place in Brooklyn where Molotov cocktails, at least one, was thrown at police officers inside a patrol unit. So what you have here is a very again, a very difficult situation that played out yesterday. The result was that at least 200 people arrested. Multiple people who were injured on both sides, both law enforcement and some of the demonstrators and so authorities certainly want to take a pause, take a closer look at what happened and most importantly what did not happen last night so that they can adapt to any potential protests which we do expect to happen tonight and in the days ahead, not just here in New York but across the country.
[Blitzer:] Yes cities all across the country, Polo, you're absolutely right are bracing up for more demonstrations of potentially we hope not but more violence as well. We've got our medical analyst Dr. James Phillips of George Washington University with us. The governor made another important point out that a lot of the demonstrators, not only in New York but all over the country, they weren't wearing masks and they weren't engaging in social distancing. The governor saying that they have the right to protest of course but they don't have the right to jeopardize public health. It's disrespectful. They're putting other people's lives at risk by not wearing masks and by not engaging your social distancing during these demonstrations. What say you?
[Dr. James Phillips, Physician And Asst Professor, George Washington Univ Hospital & Cnn Medical Analyst:] I agree you know. We've said from the beginning that the only way that we're going to get over the hump of this virus is for individuals to take responsibility. Responsibility for their own health and for the health of their other other neighbors and while these protests are important and these protests have a right to exist, it's really important if people remember that they can get sick by going to one of these and they may be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus and by shouting or yelling, they're spreading those droplets into other people who were simultaneously shouting or yelling and getting them sick. And even more so you know, I have concern for the police officers on the front line. You know, I spent years as a as a tactical physician, a SWAT team doctor and we do our best to keep officers and the people they interact with safe and when I'm seeing officers not wearing masks or doing their best to distance from those people who are young and screaming, that also causes concern. So you know, if you're if you're an officer and you're out there in the midst of this, make sure you're wearing a face shield at all times because the disease transmission is a real possibility.
[Blitzer:] Very important indeed because even in the midst of these demonstrations and the anger over the death of George Floyd, the coronavirus pandemic continues. More than 100,000 Americans have already died in three months alone and thousands more expected to die in the next few weeks and months. Let's get some more analysis on what's going on. Cornell William Brooks is joining us right now, a former president of the NAACP. Cornell, I'm anxious to get your thoughts because we're hearing a consistent message not just from the governor of New York but from the governor of Minnesota, the mayors of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Yes, people have the right to protest but they don't have the right to engage in violence and destruction, throwing Molotov cocktails and authorities, law enforcement authorities in Minnesota said using IEDs, Improvised Explosive Devices. They may be a being instigated by outside forces at the same time. You've studied this, you've worked in this field for a long time, Cornell. You and I are friends. Tell us your reaction to what's going on in our country right now?
[Cornell William Brooks, Former President And Ceo, Naacp:] First of all, I just begin with the word of condolence to all the families who lost loved ones to police violence and I begin with the word of concern for all the children in this country who would being triggered and traumatized by watching what is playing out in the streets and across the televisions and screens in this country. It is certainly true that no one has a legal or moral right to use violence to destroy buildings, to destroy communities and they certainly don't have the right to destroy bodies, black and brown bodies and people of color bodies and trans bodies while wearing a badge and a uniform. All forms of violence are bad but we have to be very clear about this. There is a moral equivalence between police brutality and the few people who engage in violence in all the demonstrations that take place all across the country on a routine and regular basis. Yes, it's been my experience that there are those who do not live in the community, who do not who are not concerned about the community, who come to demonstrations to engage in provocation, to build as you say to burn communities that they do not live in and to mete out consequences that they do not suffer. So we feel and grieve for those who are suffering from this brutality but be clear, the violence began in this with the officer who killed George Floyd. The violence begins with these police officers who are literally out of control and so so Wolf you know, it's not enough for us to react and respond to only the violence perpetuated by a relative few demonstrators. We ought to be looking at the cause. That's key here.
[Blitzer:] You know Cornell, I want you to react also because it was an explosive statements we heard earlier, just a little while ago, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Herrington, I don't know if you know him. But he made some very strong comments suggesting that outsiders, people not living in Saint Paul or Minneapolis were coming in. He called them terrorists. He said some of them may actually be organized crime figures, even white supremacists who he said, are simply seeking to foment destruction and unrest and make the United States of America look bad. You're the former president of the NAACP, what do you what do you make of that? It's a very strong allegations that he's making right there.
[Brooks:] Well, this is not a conspiracy theory. I spent time in Minneapolis and Saint Paul after Jamar Clark and Philando Castille who were killed and that's when I've been in cities and towns across the country in the wake of police brutality. It is not unheard of for people to come from outside the community and yell the loudest and call for violence the most vigorously while they're looting and parallelly destroying the communities of others. If the Russians can attempt to weaponize our elections, subvert our elections, why would it be a surprise if they're not a few people who look to endanger many people and take the focus away from the victims of police brutality. That's what we have to focus on here because If we fought about George Floyd, we thought about Breonna Talylor and we thought about Ahmaud Arbery. If we thought about their families, think about the communities in which they live, the pain that we're all suffering, we have children watching as we speak and we responded to that with the sense of urgency and did what we need to do. We would not be having this conversation and so rather than respond rather than respond to only a few outside agitators as it were, let's deal with the inside problem that we have. And that means dealing with the problem, the pandemic if you will of police misconduct and police brutality because reality is we know it. When a young black man has is 21 times more likely to encounter violence and have his life taken at the hands of the police, then a white young man when we had the largest cities in this country, largest police departments, where roughly a third of the officers, a third of the officers as to say, there's only 30 percent of these police departments even require offices to report bad behavior. And only a third call on offices to actually intervene in a way that was not done with George Floyd. We have a problem here and so this is not really terrorism on the back end. It's about terrorism on the front end and terrorism by those who are wearing blue uniforms and gold badges.
[Blitzer:] Stand by you know Cornell. I want to bring L.Z. Granderson. I haven't heard from him yet. I know he's got a lot to a lot of thoughts on what we've been seeing unfold here in the United States, over these past few days, especially last night and the statements that we've heard from the political leadership today. L.Z., what's what's going through your mind right now as we just heard from the Governor of New York, the Governor of Minnesota, the mayors of Saint Paul and Minneapolis among others?
[L.z. Granderson, Espn:] First of all, it's good to see you again, Wolf. You know, I was really struck by Governor Cuomo's statement that violence is not the answer. I was struck there not because I don't agree with it but because I always hear in relationship with people protesting or sometimes rioters following an act of violence. I never really hear violence is not the answer before that. I don't hear directed towards the police department. I don't hear it directed towards law enforcement, security guards. I only here it in response to after violence has been committed. Black people are told violence is not the answer. Black people are told you're supposed to turn the other cheek. Black people are told, you're supposed to be better than this but you don't hear a great deal of people being told as in the direction of an official, to the police department or to the larger white community as a whole. I'm not picking at scabs here but the reality is, is that it's always been incumbent upon black people and minorities to solve white racism. It's always been incumbent upon black people to be the better man, to be the better woman, to be the better person. I really would like to see the governors talk to the communities that are standing on the sideline, being non-racist, as opposed to anti-racist. There's a difference. Non-racists are allowed to say it wasn't me and pretend as if the system doesn't impact you or better yet, benefit you. Anti-racists acknowledge the benefits of being white in America and so the disadvantages of being a minority in America, being disgusted by it and then actually putting words into action. Those are two different things. We have this clamoring desire to return to normal. Well, let the FBI statistics tell you what normal looks like. Normal is getting a person of color, committing a crime suffering a longer sentence than his white counterpart. Normal is every significant socio-economic measurement being significantly better in favor of white counterparts. That's normal. We don't want normal. We want to be better than normal so as long as we continue to be hung up on this notion that we need to get back to normal, with that we need peace and quiet, as if there was ever peace, we may have had an uneasy an uneasy quiet but we've never had a peace, Wolf. This country was started with genocide. This country was built in slavery. This country has a system in which it continues to play its minorities at the foot of their white counterparts. That's not peace. You may have quiet but you don't have peace. So as long as we continue to characterize this conversation to those parameters, unfortunately, I feel that we're going to continue to be on a hamster wheel where there being an unjustified murder, protest, violence, perhaps rioting and moment of uneasy quiet. And then we do this all over again.
[Blitzer:] I stand by L.Z. because these are significant developments. We're showing our viewers by the way, some live pictures coming in from Philadelphia. The cameras are obviously just moving away. But you saw people protesting there. There were X's on the ground. They're supposed to be social distancing in the process wearing masks. There was a lot of that social distancing going on in Philadelphia. We just saw those pictures. It wasn't completely social distancing. And not everybody was wearing a mask. Mitch Landrieu is with us, as well, the former mayor of New Orleans. I'm anxious to get your thoughts, specifically what L.Z. is saying, and what we just heard from the governor of New York.
[Mitch Landrieu, Former New Orleans Mayor:] Well, I completely agree with what L.Z. said and I'm happy to be with Cornell and I agree with his comments as well. Governor Cuomo's comments were very interesting. I appreciate his leadership. He tried to do a couple of things at once. One of them was appropriately to say that violence is never acceptable when you're hurting yourself or other people. And that is absolutely true. Mayor Bottoms in Atlanta, of course, Mayor Frey and Mayor Carter in Minneapolis and St. Paul are trying to get people to be calm and to be safe and to protest loudly and aggressively without hurting anybody else. I think that's all fine. However, I think that Cornell and Governor Cuomo have raised the issue about what the initial incident of violence was, in this particular case, dealing with George Floyd, which was completely unacceptable but the what LJ said about how long that has been going on. And Governor Cuomo did something very interesting. He went all the way back to the Abner Louima case, which was in 1997, when an African- American man was sodomized by the police and that required three surgeries. And to LJ's comments, how long does it have to go? White America is not really hearing what the African-American community is saying. And they are appropriately enraged and frustrated and tired of these things happening over and over again. And what was interesting about what the governor of Minneapolis said of Minnesota, is the entire weight of the federal government is going to be brought to bear in quelling the violence that is on the streets. What the African-American community wants to hear is that the entire weight of the United States government and all of its people are going to address the deficiencies in the design of our institutions that are produced the conditions that we have today. And unless and until that happens, until justice prevails, there cannot be any peace. And justice is not just quiet. It's just not the absence of something. It's the presence of everybody being treated fairly and justly. And unfortunately, in this country right now, and this is what Governor Cuomo did. I thought well, he tied together the pandemic and the disproportion that impact that's happening on the African-American community with a pandemic of racism that's been with us for a very, very long period of time. And until this country confronts that acknowledges it, says, I'm sorry, and then says I am committed to changing so that we all can be better. We should not be surprised that the normal that was talked about before that produced what we have today will continue to be. And I don't think we can wait anymore.
[Blitzer:] Well, let me get Marc Morial, the President and CEO of the National Urban League, also a former mayor of New Orleans into this conversation. These are such painful issues that we're all discussing right now, we're all worried about, we're bracing for more demonstrations and potentially a lot more violence in the course of the next several hours. What are you bracing for Marc?
[Marc Morial , Former New Orleans Mayor:] So I want to offer two thoughts, Wolf. I think Mitch Landrieu's observation that what we want is the weight and the power of the federal government to help rectify the inequities we've been talking about today. And it can start with the weight of the federal government assisting in number one, the investigation of those officers that caused Mr. Floyd his life, number one. Number two, the weight of the federal government should conduct a pattern and practice investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department, something that Attorney General Barr has not done, something that former Attorney General Sessions said he would not do. And Barr was asked at his confirmation hearing where I testified if he would in fact do this. And so the weight of the federal government has been absent in addressing the underlying issue that has brought us here today. Number two, something very different is happening with these protests. In the 1960s, you heard about, quote unquote, outside agitators. That was the clarion call of segregationist, who wanted to challenge Dr. King and legitimate civil rights workers who were coming in to assist in communities across the south where it was Albany, or Augusta, or Birmingham, or Jackson, or Memphis. This is different, where you have outsiders who may be white supremacist, who may be anarchist, who may be people who are fundamentally not aligned with the purpose of the protests that are taking place, whose sole purpose is to disrupt and distract. And by disrupting and distracting, we spend our time today talking about this without focusing exclusively on justice for Mr. Floyd, justice for Mr. Arbery, justice for Breonna Taylor, and reform of the criminal justice in the police systems across America. So I am very interested, Wolf, and we have a different this use of outside agitators was an old 60s term. You know, these are not agitators. They're interlopers, outside interlopers. If in fact, what the public safety director suggested is true, we need to understand and know that. I was not comfortable with the language of the governor of Minnesota, who I may add, has a background in the military, was using, in effect, he was declaring war, saying he's going to bring the full force, but he didn't state the rationale meaning, who is the enemy? And what is their intent? And what is their purpose? If you want to characterize it that way, calling American citizens, the enemy, so I think that there's got to be a stronger predicate lead to justify this overwhelming use of force. When you call the Secretary of Defense, you're asking for military support. He didn't say he called the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Director of Intelligence, the, if you will, Secretary of Homeland Security. He said he was calling the Secretary of Defense. So we need to understand, and we need to know because if what they suggest and I saw, because of a report we did, our State of Black America report, what the Russians did, in manipulating social media, in the 2016 election, going all the way back to 2014 to try to confuse and trick young African-Americans and African-American voters. It does not it's not a leap of faith. It's not a, if you will, hard for me to imagine that there's some exploitation going on. The Russians did it. When Colin Kaepernick took a knee, they got involved in the social media conversation that was taking place at the time, both pro-Colin Kaepernick and anti-Colin Kaepernick to try to stoke up, if you will, the conflict of a debate that was taking place in the United States. So if that's the case, we've got something different. And we need to understand, it is different. This is not 1960s. But the governor and the public safety director, or if you will, the president and national security team have to let us know is this in fact a situation where there are organized terrorist group, organized foreign actors, white supremacist, and anarchistic that are creating the habit that we see in some cities today. I think this idea that we always say violence is not the answer. Amen, what L.Z. said, because, where's the condemnation, the overwhelming condemnation of the police violence that has taken place? There have been too many voices who've been silent. Time and time again, the way it is on civil rights leaders and African-American leaders, well, we need others to do as people like Mitch Landrieu have done, and to align themselves much more forceful and squarely with this mean for us to achieve racial justice in this country.
[Blitzer:] I want everybody to stand by and what, you know, Marc Morial was referring to as a statement. First of all, a statement made by the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, saying our goal is to decimate that force, saying the force being the outside agitators organized crime according to Mike John Harrington, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner, who says that among the outside agitators, were also some white supremacists. And I just want to remind our viewers the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz also announced the full mobilization, the full mobilization of the Minnesota National Guard's the first time they're doing that since World War II. He's asking neighboring states to deploy National Guard personnel into Minnesota. And he's also said he's been on the phone with the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs asking for military help from the U.S. military at the same time, National Military help out. Everybody stand by. We're watching what's going on at the top of the hour, where we expect to hear, by the way, from the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, once again. He's coming out with what he describes as faith leaders, civil rights leaders, to bring more on what's going on in Minnesota right now, much more of our special coverage coming up.

[Watt:] The U.S. military is right now leading a major military exercise in Burkina Faso. They're trying to figure out how to help local forces tackle terrorism. CNN Pentagon reporter Ryan Browne is there.
[Ryan Browne, Cnn Correspondent:] Here at a military base in Burkina Faso, U.S. Special Forces are working with their local counterparts to help bolster their ability to fight a wide variety of terrorist groups that wreak havoc across the region.
[Andrew Young, U.s. Ambassador To Burkina Faso:] We believe that Burkina Faso is in a tough fight and the fight is getting tougher. We're very pleased to be able to work with Burkina Faso as they confront this security challenge.
[Browne:] The U.S. military has advisers here working with local security forces. Both police and military to develop their ability to fight advanced terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda who have carried out a series of high-profile terrorist attacks here in Burkina Faso and have rocked the capital, Ouagadougou. The U.S. is cutting its forces in West Africa and reducing the number of troops on the ground. This has raised concerns about whether the United States would be able to continue these training efforts. But U.S. commanders say they're reviewing additional options, whether it is drones or perhaps even additional U.S. military advisors that could help Burkina Faso in this difficult fight.
[Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks, U.s. Special Operations Command Africa:] The first order
[Browne:] It still remains to be seen whether or not the local forces can handle this diverse array of terror threats that are carrying out increasingly sophisticated attacks, crossing the borders from neighboring Mali and Niger and presenting real challenges to the government here Ryan Browne, CNN, Burkina Faso.
[Watt:] Meanwhile, in the Americas, Venezuela's humanitarian and political crisis is deepening. Self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido said a transition is underway right now to remove president Nicolas Maduro from office. Guaido has been visiting several Latin American countries to gain international support and to try and legitimize his claim to the presidency.
[Juan Guaido, Interim President Of Venezuela:] He is the one today making that transition costly in Venezuela, not the opposition, who have demonstrated their democratic, peaceful and resistant disposition. And despite the oppression, the political prisoners and the persecution, here we are.
[Watt:] Meanwhile, the U.S. has imposed visa restrictions on dozens of those aligned with Maduro and slapped sanctions on six security officials for obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid in to the crisis-plagued nation.
[Elliott Abrams, U.s. Special Representative For Venezuela:] Maduro supporters that abuse or violate human rights, steal from the Venezuelan people or undermine Venezuela's democracy are not welcome in the United States. Neither are their family members.
[Watt:] The U.S. is among more than 50 countries that now recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president. And evacuation orders have been lifted for some areas of California that were swamped by severe floods. Cleanup efforts underway in Sonoma County on Friday. Heavy rains this week caused a river to overflow, flooding hundreds of homes. Now the flooding rains have also curbed a multi-year drought that has plagued California. Next, it is a lovely, peaceful place used to teach children about butterflies but vicious hate mail, destructive bulldozers and the border battle could end it all, if Trump gets his way.

[Tapper:] Tragically, even more children are getting sick from a mystery illness that could be connected to coronavirus. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York says that his state alone is up to at least 93 cases. And at least three children in New York have died, with possible other cases across the country. I want to bring in Dr. Steven Kernie. He's chief of pediatric critical care medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He oversaw the treatment of two dozen of these patients. Dr. Kernie, thanks so much for joining us for this awful subject. Certainly, when you look at the number of cases, it appeared children were getting sick from coronavirus in much lower numbers, but could it be that it's just presenting as just a different kind of illness?
[Dr. Steve Kernie, New York Presbyterian Hospital:] Well, what we think is happening is that you're exactly right. Certainly, the acute coronavirus infection did does affect children much less, meaning, unless they have really serious underlying medical conditions, they don't seem to get really sick from it. What we're seeing now is something not in kids with serious underlying medical conditions, but really kids without a lot of issues, but have been exposed to the coronavirus sometime in the past, we think sometime somewhere between three and six weeks previous to when they're presenting now.
[Tapper:] And your hospital has seen about two dozen of these children with this mysterious illness. You call it pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. How did you make the connection to the coronavirus?
[Kernie:] Yes. And I apologize for the name. We don't call it that. But that seems to be what people have adopted. What we first started seeing about two weeks ago were children who came in what we call the generalized inflammatory state that was manifest by high fever and kind of a diffuse body rash, and they appeared ill and, oftentimes, they would have cracked lips and injection of the eyes, really high heart rates and low blood pressure. And we'd have to bring them into the ICU, give them I.V. fluids, give them medications to help their heart rate or their heart work better, and then see how they recovered. How we made the association with coronavirus was that, initially, and even now, less than half the kids we see with this are testing positive for the coronavirus itself, meaning, the PCR test that detects RNA from the virus is oftentimes negative. But now that we can do rapid antibody testing, we know that all of the children that we have seen have been exposed to the coronavirus. It's just sometime after they have been acutely infected.
[Tapper:] A new study out today found that 48 children with COVID-19 who had been admitted to pediatric intensive care units, 23 percent of them had a failure of two or more organ systems, the most common one being the lung system. Have you seen similar findings in children with this illness?
[Kernie:] So, what we're not seeing is a lot of lung disease. So, with the acute COVID infection, particularly in adults, pneumonia, and something we call ARDS, bad respiratory failure, is what seems to be the cause of them going into the hospital and what they typically die from. In children, it seems to be different, meaning it's more of a systemic problem that is a vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels, and in turn affects how well their heart functions. So, yes, all organ systems can be involved. And we have seen many of them, but typically not the lungs.
[Tapper:] Is there evidence coronavirus spread in the same households of the children with this mysterious illness?
[Kernie:] Yes, there is, meaning that, typically, when you get a history from the family, somebody either had suspected or confirmed coronavirus infection, oftentimes a parent or an older adult, in the household several weeks beforehand. What we're not seeing is that this manifestation of coronavirus, it doesn't seem to be appearing in siblings, so that brothers and sisters aren't getting it, maybe one kid out of the family. We still believe even though we have seen two or three dozen cases at our hospital, we still think, given the number of children who've been exposed to coronavirus, it really remains a rare complication.
[Tapper:] So this illness seems to be affecting mostly children under the age of 5. Why do you think that is?
[Kernie:] Well, that's not been our experience.
[Tapper:] OK.
[Kernie:] So we have really seen children of all ages from yes, some under 5, but up into their teens.
[Tapper:] OK. Dr. Steven Kernie, thank you so much. Best of luck battling this cruel new twist on this disease. A new major warning from the World Health Organization, calling one coronavirus mitigation theory dangerous. That's next.

[Berman:] This morning, a long-time associate and alleged accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein is in custody. Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested Thursday. She faces six criminal counts for her alleged role in recruiting and abusing young girls as part of Epstein's sex trafficking ring. CNN's Kara Scannell joins us now live with the latest. This is a major development to say the least.
[Kara Scannell, Cnn Reporter:] Good morning, John. It is a huge development in this investigation. One that many of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein thought would end with his death last year in prison. But yesterday, prosecutors announced a six-count indictment against Ghislaine Maxwell, accusing her of working with Jeffrey Epstein, helping to recruit, groom and ultimately abuse girls, some as young as 14 years olds old. And prosecutors say that this conduct began in 1994. That's even earlier than had previously been alleged. Now Maxwell has not addressed these charges, but she did have her first initial court appearance in New Hampshire yesterday. She's in the custody of U.S. Marshal Service where she will be transported back here to New York to face these charges. There will be a detention hearing in the future, and prosecutors intend to ask that she'd be detained, saying she's an extreme flight risk. Now, Maxwell again has not entered a plea yet. That will come again in one of these future hearings. Prosecutors though say that they are asking for any witnesses or other victims to come forward. They say they also want to speak with Prince Andrew. One of the victims has accused him of abusing her and Prince Andrew has been a long-time friend of Ghislaine Maxwell, so prosecutors have various reasons why they might want to speak with him. Now, he's not been accused of any wrongdoing by authorities. And Prince Andrew's team says that they're bewildered about why prosecutors would want to speak with him. Prosecutors refuse to say how they consider him in this investigation, but he is someone that they do want to speak with. John?
[Berman:] There are so many strands to this, Kara. So many new interesting new angles. What does she know? What will she say? The royal family. Thank you so much. We know you're all over this story. We appreciate you being with us. NEW DAY continues right now.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy & Infectious Diseases:] They're setting records practically every day of new cases. Clearly it's not the right direction.
[Unidentified Female:] This country is seeing its highest single day of new coronavirus cases.
[Unidentified Male:] Florida hit a record high, 10,000 new positive cases. Now people understand this thing doesn't just go away.
[Jim Sciutto, Anchor, Newsroom:] The CDC projects nearly 148,000 fatalities by the 25th of this month.
[Unidentified Male:] If this epidemic doesn't get under control, we're talking about a million deaths over the next year. This is deadly serious. This weekend, I hope we don't have a reprise of what happened on Memorial Day.
[Berman:] Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY, Alisyn is off, Erica Hill joins me this morning. This is the beginning of a holiday weekend, Erica, for a lot of people.
[Hill:] It is. Happy Friday.
[Berman:] You too. So, in the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the United States is heading in the wrong direction. Overnight, a record number of new coronavirus cases in the United States, beating the previous record, a record that lasted a whopping one day. New case records in six states, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Montana and South Carolina. Record hospitalizations, which is a really important statistic in six states, including Texas and California, Democratic and Republican governors are taking actions they never have before to fight this. The president's reaction overnight was to lie. He says the rise in cases is because of testing. That is just a lie, and this is what the admiral who was in charge of testing for the Trump administration says about that.
[Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary For Health:] There is no question that the more testing you get, the more you will uncover. But we do believe this is a real increase in cases because of the percent positivity are going up.
[Berman:] The percent positivity are going up. There is an increase in people. END

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] Welcome back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. New details coming in on the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Of course, this is the week Washington has been talking about for so long. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to turn over those articles of impeachment to the Senate within the next couple of days, which would then clear the way for the Senate to begin its historic trial. But despite the president supporting a trial just last week, and even arguing for a trial that would include the Democratic House leaders prosecuting him, he's now suddenly changing course. He's calling for the Senate to flat out dismiss the case against him. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is at the White House. And, Kaitlan, you have some new reporting about the president's impeachment defense. What do you know?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Brooke, essentially, the president's defense team thought that they were not going to have this much time for prepare to prepare for the trial. But given the fact that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has taken so long to get ready to send those articles of impeachment over to the Senate, they have had a lot more time that they had initially scheduled for and thought that they were going to get. Now that the days are getting shorter and it seems like this trial is inevitable, that it's going to start any day now, they say that they're prepared to move on to this next phase. The White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, was here at the White House all weekend in meetings getting ready for this, as was President Trump, who was on a different second floor of the White House. He was inside the residence. That's when he was firing off tweets saying he wants that outright dismissal of the trial. And we're told by sources that the president spent the weekend on the phone discussing what this trial was going to look like and saying he wanted that quick dismissal, while Pat Cipollone was preparing the defense, which they do not expect is going to be any kind of an outright dismissal. Now, the questions are still going to be who exactly it is on the Hill presenting for the president. We know that Cipollone is expected to take the lead, but the president has also pushed for Jay Sekulow, his outside attorney, who was here at the White House for several days last week, to have a really big role in this. That's what he's told people, because he's confident in the way that Jay Sekulow has made arguments on television, in front of courts, and he wants him to have a big role in defending him. But, Brooke, there are still questions about other attorneys who could join the president's team. One of those is Alan Dershowitz, who we're told by multiple sources the president has pushed for to come on the team. But no final decision has been made about that yet. And, essentially, as one person described it to me, it'll be up to Dershowitz if he does join, because the president has made clear he wants him on the team, though there have been questions raised about his connections to people like Jeffrey Epstein by the president's allies, saying, maybe it's not such a good idea. Another attorney, Trey Gowdy, is someone who is not expected at this time to take any kind of a public-facing role, though he once was going to be on the president's impeachment team. He was only there for about 24 hours before they announced he couldn't join because of those federal lobbying rules for former lawmakers. If he does join, he's more likely to play a role behind the scenes in the background or on television, not exactly on Capitol Hill defending the president. And, Brooke, of course all of this comes is there are still big questions about if the House members are going to be up there defending the president, the president's most ardent defenders that he wants there. But some people like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have said, maybe it's not such a good idea to appeal to those more moderate Republican senators that they need on their side.
[Baldwin:] We will start to get some of these questions answered and see who represents whom in the coming days. Kaitlan, thank you for that. We want to pivot now to Iran. And it seems, the more time goes by, the more confusion there is about what led President Trump to authorize that drone strike that killed Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani. Initially, President Trump said that it was an imminent threat against diplomats and military personnel. Recently, the president revealed Soleimani, responsible for hundreds of American deaths, was targeting four U.S. embassies. Throughout, President Trump's top diplomatic and intelligence officials have struggled with the specifics on what the president is pushing. Listen for yourself. This is what Defense Secretary Mark Esper said over the weekend regarding the threats on those four embassies.
[Mark Esper, U.s. Defense Secretary:] Well, the president didn't say there was a tangible he didn't cite a specific piece of evidence. What he said is he probably he believed, could have been...
[Margaret Brennan, Host, "face The Nation":] Are you saying there wasn't one?
[Esper:] I didn't see one with regard to four embassies.
[Baldwin:] And then, later, the defense secretary seemingly changed the story to CNN.
[Esper:] What the president said with regard to the four embassies is what I believe as well. And he said he believed that they probably, that they could have been targeting the embassies in the region. I believe that as well, as did other national security team members.
[Baldwin:] Brett Bruen is back with us today. He served as director of global engagement in the Obama White House. And so, Brett, how troubling is it that the administration can't seem to get the story straight?
[Brett Bruen, Former White House Director Of Global Engagement:] Yes. And with all due respect, Brooke, to the president's keen intuition and clever insights, this is about real intelligence. We're talking about the safety of American diplomats, American service men and women. This isn't about making bets or beliefs. We have got to get back to a place where we're dealing with facts and real information. And I think it's concerning that the president has played so fast and loose with the truth on this.
[Baldwin:] Your own experience, Brett. I mean, I was reading your piece over the weekend. You were this diplomat in the Middle, East Africa, Latin America for 12 years. You know what it's like to be posted to countries in crisis. Can you just tell me a little bit more about that, experiencing being shot at firsthand?
[Bruen:] Well, I can share with the audience that, when we talk about threats against American embassies, it actually has a very real impact on diplomats and their families, how they move around between work and home and go out too. The president just putting this out there, as though there are serious, imminent threats against our diplomats, has a real psychological effect on those serving in countries abroad.
[Baldwin:] We have more to talk about. Let me hit pause on this conversation for now. Brett Bruen, stand by. Want to get to some breaking news on a tragedy we covered extensively last month. Just in the last hour, the U.S. attorney general, Bill Barr, and the FBI announced that a deadly December shooting at the Pensacola Naval Station was in fact an act of terrorism. A Saudi Air Force 2nd lieutenant killed those three American sailors in the shooting spree before he was shot and killed. The gunman had been participating in a flight training program at the Florida military base. And investigators say they were able to uncover several instances of extremist behavior online by this individual and evidence. The suspect even visited 911 Memorial here in New York ahead of his shooting spree.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] This was an act of terrorism. The evidence shows that the shooter was motivated by jihadist ideology. During the course of the investigation, we learned that the shooter posted a message on September 11 of this year stating, "The countdown has begun." During the Thanksgiving weekend, he then visited the 911 Memorial in New York City. He also posted other anti-American, anti-Israeli and jihadi messages on social media, including two hours before his attack.
[Baldwin:] Let's go straight to Jessica Schneider. She's at the Justice Department. And the obvious question is, would any of this have popped up during the vetting process?
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] That is something that the Pentagon is now looking at. They announced these renewed vetting procedures, enhanced vetting procedures in the wake of this December 6 attack that killed three U.S. soldiers. So the attorney general was asked about that. Was anything were there any red flags about this particular Saudi national? The attorney general didn't reveal that there were any red flags, but we now know that this is something that the Pentagon is looking at, because there are thousands of these international students who are at U.S. military bases around the country working side by side with Americans. So the attorney general really laying out all of the findings here, really publicly for the first time, concluding that this was an act of terror. And it turns out, Brooke, there were a lot of signs that weren't immediately seized upon, the fact that this Saudi national visited the 911 Memorial over Thanksgiving weekend, posted anti-American messages on social media, including one two hours before the attack. So, as a result of this broad review here, Brooke, it not only about the motivations by this gunman, but the attorney general announcing today that the U.S. is expelling 21 Saudi nationals who have found to have had some tie to extremist ideology. Also, some have come in contact with child pornography. So those 21 will be expelled immediately. But the review continues, as well as those heightened vetting procedures by the Pentagon for those thousands of others who are here in this country Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Jessica, thank you for the update, Jessica Schneider in Washington. Still ahead here on CNN, Senator Bernie Sanders on the defensive after sources tell CNN that, back in 2018, he told Senator Elizabeth Warren that a woman can't win the election. We will have a member of the Sanders campaign join us live. And the queen issues a statement after the royal family holds this emergency meeting today, a meeting Meghan Markle didn't actually physically show up to. She called in. Why did she do that? What does that say? We have those details ahead. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We will be right back.

[Unidentified Male:] The following is a CNN Special Report.
[Text:] A CNN SPECIAL REPORT.
[Unidentified Male:] Ladies and gentlemen, the First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Melania Trump.
[Kate Bennett, Cnn White House Reporter:] She's the most unusual First Lady in modern history.
[Kate Andersen Brower, Journalist, "first Women" Author:] She's very reclusive.
[Kellyanne Conway, Counselor To President Trump:] Melania Trump has never beholden to the Washington ways of broadcasting everything you're thinking and doing.
[Steven Portnoy, White House Correspondent, Cbs News Radio:] There are persistent rumors that Mrs. Trump does not live in this White House.
[Melania Trump, First Lady Of The United States:] Good morning.
[Bennett:] She's forging her own path.
[Stephanie Grisham, Press Secretary & Communications Director For The First Lady Of The United States, Melania Trump:] The President warned her that people are going to attack you about this.
[Bennett:] Flying under the radar.
[Unidentified Female:] Still no sighting of the elusive First Lady.
[Bennett:] Setting her own trends.
[M. Trump:] Everybody has a different taste.
[Unidentified Male:] The jacket. The jacket.
[Unidentified Female:] This jacket.
[Bennett:] I don't think she can shake it. Do you? Not to mention coping with the intense scrutiny of her marriage.
[Frank Bruni, Columnist, The New York Times:] I get the feeling that she cares less about what people think than any of her predecessors.
[Bennett:] Tonight, questions. Do you think the public will come to understand her more?
[Donald J. Trump, President Of The United States:] She's become a very, very popular First Lady. I'm reading-
[Bennett:] Curiosities.
[Jeremy Mill Bernard, Former White House Social Secretary:] I constantly hear how much fun she is.
[Bennett:] And controversies.
[Carl Sferrazza Anthony, "first Ladies" Author:] I've never known a First Lady who has accumulated so many small acts of resistance.
[Bennett:] With a rare visit to the East Wing.
[Grisham:] This is where I would say all the magic happens.
[Bennett:] An inside look at the First Lady, Woman of Mystery, Melania Trump. It's 6:00 A.M. Monday, March 4th. I'm in a press van following Melania Trump's motorcade on the tarmac. It's about a 17- minute drive from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base. The First Lady's staff has allowed me to bring a camera along for the CNN documentary. That doesn't happen often, neither do these trips. Melania is hitting the road to promote her Be Best campaign. Two years into her time as First Lady, it's her first solo domestic overnight trip. Is that a normal First Lady schedule?
[Brower:] I think she does a lot less than other First Ladies have done.
[Unidentified Male:] The First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Melania Trump.
[Brower:] She announced the cyberbullying campaign really late.
[M. Trump:] We can and should teach children the importance of social and self-awareness.
[Brower:] I think that every First Lady has felt compelled to have an agenda, and to really work. The first First Lady to ever have an initiative was Lady Bird Johnson when she had this Highway Beautification Act. You had Nancy Reagan with Just Say No to drugs. The Bush women both had Literacy.
[Michelle Obama, Former First Lady Of The United States:] You guys count. [CROWD COUNTING TWO, THREE]
[Brower:] And then Michelle Obama with her Let's Move! Campaign.
[Ellen Degeneres, Host, The Ellen Degeneres Show:] That was amazing.
[Brower:] There was always this sense, this obligation to treat this like a job. And I think we see Melania Trump treat it more like a hobby. It took Melania a long time to come up with the Cyberbullying campaign. And I'm sure it's because her staff said you're going to get criticized if you do this.
[Bennett:] Criticized by some who questioned how the wife of a notorious Twitter bully could lead a campaign that includes cyberbullying.
[Brower:] I think she's also really smart. I mean she sees the inherent hypocrisy. And she said, "Look, I'm doing it anyway."
[Bennett:] A character trait that we hear over and over to describe this First Lady.
[Grisham:] She's very, very independent, and she does things her way. Coming up, here you've got Mrs. Trump's office and, you know, my office.
[Bennett:] Melania Trump's Spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham.
[Grisham:] The President warned her that people are going to attack you on this. And it was very important to her, and she stuck with it. That is to this day one of the things I respect and admire about her the most.
[M. Trump:] Good morning.
[Grisham:] She'll always do what she thinks is right, no matter what anyone else tells her. And I don't know that that's been done before.
[Bennett:] Melania's first stop on her cross-country trip is a school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
[M. Trump:] We always need to be kind and show love, correct? Yes. We don't like hate. We don't like that word either, correct? Need to be nice.
[Bennett:] The First Lady has been trying to put substance behind her Be Best agenda, a broad initiative to improve the well- being of children, promote online safety, and combat the opioid abuse crisis in this country.
[M. Trump:] I do believe we can be known as the generation that ended the opioid epidemic.
[Anthony:] I think, by taking on a lot, sometimes First Ladies can be remembered for very little. A First Lady and her advisers must very carefully create a strategy. You realize, Michelle Obama was Head of a hospital, and had a large staff. And Lady Bird Johnson was CEO of a multi-media conglomerate in Texas. They knew what they were doing, and they knew what they wanted to do. I don't think Melania Trump has been afforded the necessary resources.
[Conway:] She's always consulting with the professionals.
[Bennett:] The White House says Melania's got this.
[Conway:] More than almost any other modern First Lady, Melania Trump was thrust into the role on a very short timeline, and she's done remarkably well. And whether she gets the credit now is not as important as the impact that she is having on American lives.
[Bennett:] In the modern era, First Ladies' social agendas have stemmed from matters close to their hearts.
[Anthony:] In 1974, Betty Ford discovered that she had breast cancer. She decided this is bigger than me.
[Betty Ford, Former First Lady Of The United States:] One day I appeared to be fine, and the next day, the very next day, I was in the hospital for a mastectomy.
[Anthony:] And until millions of women's lives were saved. It was real freaking life.
[Bennett:] Have there been missed moments for Melania Trump? Last May, she entered the hospital for a kidney procedure that kept her out of the public eye for weeks.
[Anthony:] If Melania Trump had spoken about what the kidney ailment was, plain and simple, and unemotional, and unembarrassed, if Melania Trump were to ever address what it feels like sometimes to have the barrier and the judgment of an accent, if she talked about a few of these very human qualities that make her vulnerable, that would be enormous.
[Grisham:] I think that while she is the First Lady of the United States, and then people do deserve to know a lot about her, and how wonderful she is, I think that her privacy is important. And I've learned from her that we don't have to tell everybody everything. We just don't. And it works out fine.
[M. Trump:] Where is my husband? The President?
[Unidentified Female:] President?
[M. Trump:] Yes, he's in the Oval Office working.
[Brower:] I think there is a warmth to her that people don't see. And you see it when she's with kids, you kind of see her light up. But otherwise, there is just this kind of wall between her and and us.
[Bennett:] Up next.
[Unidentified Male:] This is unheard of.
[Brower:] It was jaw-dropping.
[Bennett:] Melania gets tough.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Yes, it's amazing, Modly saying that Captain Crozier was too naive or too stupid, I think not knowing that the letter would get out and then Modly's audio gets out as well. Fascinating Our coverage on CNN continues right now. Thanks for watching.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] 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 on the coronavirus pandemic. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care just 24 hours after being hospitalized for treatment of persistent coronavirus symptoms. We'll go live to London in just a moment. We're also standing by to hear this hour from the experts on the White House coronavirus task force as the U.S. death toll from the pandemic now surpasses 10,000 more than three times as many people has died on 911. All that coming up. Let's get the latest first on the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's condition. Our chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward is in London for us. Clarissa, what's the very latest information you're getting?
[Clarissa Ward, Cnn Chief International Correspondent:] Well, Downing Street is very keen to emphasize, Wolf, that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in the best hands. He possibly could be here at St. Thomas' hospital just behind me. But make no mistake about it. This is a pretty dramatic update. No one was really quite expecting this. The tone that we had heard from Downing Street throughout the day was largely positive. We were told that the prime minister was in good spirits that he continued to lead the country from his hospital room that he was simply there as a precautionary measure because he had these persistent symptoms of coronavirus for 10 days. Now, of course, we are hearing a very different story. He is in the ICU. There is no indication as of yet, Wolf, that he has been intubated or that he requires a ventilator. But one can assume or speculate that certainly they would not have moved him to the ICU were it not for the very real prospect that they think he might possibly need that kind of treatment in the future. They say, the doctors I've spoken to, that they do see dramatic shifts in COVID-19 patients, particularly around the day 10 or 11 mark. So clearly they want to be prepared for any scenario, particularly given that this is the prime minister. One other thing to add, of course, Wolf, is that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has deputized to the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab. Raab made a televised statement to the nation just about an hour ago in which he said, again, the prime minister is in good hands and will continue to carry out his mission, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Ten days ago, 11 days now, he acknowledged that he had tested for coronavirus. He was home the first 10 days then all of a sudden he goes into the hospital. Now it's revealed he's in intensive care. And all this time the government, Downing Street, was suggesting things were just fine, right?
[Ward:] And that's I think what Downing Street is really going to have to answer to because there is a real sense among people here of hold on a second, how did this happen? How did this change so quickly? We know that with coronavirus patients and we've seen that they can deteriorate quickly and dramatically. But once we understood that the prime minister had been admitted to the hospital last night, people don't go into the hospital on a Sunday night, Wolf, if they just have mild symptoms and are feeling fine, which is the line that Downing Street had really been trying to push from the get-go. It was clear from that moment that something more serious was going on. And yet we saw Downing Street to continue to push this narrative that this was just precautionary, these were just persistent symptoms of coronavirus and that he was just there essentially for routine tests. Now, in very dramatic fashion, it has become quite clear that the reality is much more serious than that, and the British public feels strongly that they have a right to know, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] They certainly do. All right, Clarissa Ward in London, we'll check back with you to get more information. I want to continue to follow the breaking news right now. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us. Sanjay, he's 55 years old, now day 11 or day 12 of a positive coronavirus, you know, confirmation and all of that. What does it tell you that he was finally taken to the hospital and now is in intensive care?
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Well, you know, when he went to the hospital last night, they said at that time it was for routine sort of testing, I believe, Wolf. But it's a significant decision to send someone to the hospital in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic. There are obviously a lot of people there who have the infection. You're more likely to become even more sick if you're in the hospital sometimes because you can contract things there, so. And obviously these beds, hospital beds are at a premium. And the ICU beds even more of a premium. And as you know, Wolf, ventilators, those are being reserved for patients who are among the most critically ill. So, you know, it's concerning. It's always a little bit more challenging to figure it out when it's someone like the prime minister. Is this more an abundance of caution, sending him to the ICU because he may be having some shortness of breath, just to make sure he can be in the intensive care unit? Should he need some more breathing support? You know, we don't know at this point. You know, we're hearing the same things, obviously. But it's concerning, Wolf. And, you know, 10, 11 days, as you point out, into this, it's not unusual. Oftentimes, that's what we're hearing, is that patients who end up needing to be hospitalized, sometimes they can sort of be, you know, doing okay for several days and then start to have more of a decline, even that many days out.
[Blitzer:] He's 55 years old. What kind of treatment, Sanjay, would he get in ICU that he wouldn't necessarily be able to receive in a general hospital room?
[Gupta:] Well, you know, the biggest thing, Wolf, as you might imagine, is the breathing machine. Now with again, in the midst of this pandemic, if you're in the ICU, that's usually why you're being sent there. There are a few different reasons. One is, you know, the ventilator, more breathing support. There could be something related to the heart or someone needs to be given medications to maintain someone's blood pressure. It could be just additional monitoring, this abundance of caution that we're talking about or a new sort of therapy. But as you know, Wolf, there aren't any particular proven therapies for this coronavirus. So what's given are usually things that are considered supportive therapies, someone's having difficulty breathing, you address that. If someone is having difficulty maintaining their blood pressure, you do that. And I should point out, Wolf, I mean obviously, he's 55, so he's not in this more vulnerable population, but there are, you know, obviously many stories of people of that age group who do need hospitalization. And, you know, as frightening as it is, most people still do recover, not to minimize this in any way. But if you just look at the pure statistics here, most people still do recover from this, Wolf. And you know, I think that's part of the reason you want to be aggressive with care as well.
[Blitzer:] What about those admitted to ICU? What do we know about the recovery of coronavirus patients who have to wind up in the intensive care unit?
[Gupta:] Well, if they end up on a breathing machine, obviously that's going to be more serious, you know, and there's different data around the world. I think it's tough to it's hard it actually make sense of that right now. What we have heard, for example, in New York City is that for, you know, most people outside of a coronavirus pandemic, the average length of time that someone would be on a ventilator is three to four days. But with the coronavirus infection, it's a lot longer. You're talking 11 to 14 days, even longer than that. So, it's a prolonged hospital course once someone ends up on the breathing machine, typically, which is why that, again, has to be a very careful decision. I think the bar, you know, by which someone would actually be placed on a ventilator, have a breathing tube placed and all that has got to be high because they're going to probably be on that machine for some period of time. And again, Wolf, I mean, there is a high demand for these ventilators right now and it's not clear in many places whether there's enough of a supply.
[Blitzer:] We of course wish the prime minister a speedy recovery. Let's hope for the very best. All right, Sanjay, we're going to get back to you. We have more questions coming up in this hour. I want to get some more on the pandemic's impact across the United States. CNN's Nick Watt is joining us right now. Nick, Americans are being warned to brace for what's expected to be the worst week yet. What's the latest?
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, that's right, Wolf. We heard this morning from one official here in the U.S. who said we should expect rolling peaks over the next few weeks. And that's why today we've seen, for example, Arkansas, which is doing okay right now, giving five ventilators to Louisiana, which is being hit very hard. And here in California, still waiting for the surge, so the governor is going to give 500 ventilators from California to the national stockpile. So, this we are told, will be the picture over the next few weeks, different places getting hit hard at different times.
[Unidentified Female:] This is what we train to do. This is what we signed up for. Just not in this volume.
[Watt:] In New York State, the rate of new infections is finally falling.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo , New York:] It is hopeful but it's also inconclusive. And it still depends on what we do.
[Watt:] So despite good news, the governor just extended their stay-home order through the end of the month and doubled the fine for noncompliance.
[Cuomo:] This is an enemy that we have underestimated from day one and we have paid the price dearly. While the numbers look like they may be turning, yay, it's over? No, it's not. And other places have made that mistake.
[Unidentified Male:] with any pain anywhere? No. No.
[Watt:] Even if peak infection has passed, health officials say peak death rate is still likely to come.
[Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary For Haelth:] For New York and New Jersey and Detroit, this week is going to be the peak week.
[Watt:] In New Jersey, Sheryl Pabatoa just lost both her parents, both health care workers.
[Sheryl Pabatao, Parents Died Of Covid-19:] This was the year that they were supposed to retire. I didn't know this was their retirement.
[Jerome Adams, U.s. Surgeon General:] This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans lives quite frankly. This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 911 moment.
[Watt:] More than 10,000 Americans dead already, according to Johns Hopkins University. And one model the White House task force is using suggests we're still 10 days from the peak when we could lose 3,000 or more in one day. In Michigan, more than 600 dead and counting.
[Gretchen Whitmer, Governor Of Michigan:] We are running dangerously low on PPE. At Beaumont Hospital, we have less than three days until N95 masks run out.
[Deanne Criswell, Commissioner, Nyc Emergency Management Department:] This is a nationwide impact and it's hard to adjudicate those resources across the nation knowing that you're not going to have enough for everybody.
[Watt:] Peak infection in California now not projected until mid-May.
[Unidentified Female:] I think it's pretty clear at this point that this 1is what April is going to look like.
[Watt:] Most of us still told to stay home at least another three weeks, likely longer. In Louisiana, the same model suggests they've actually passed their peak need for beds and ventilators. It was grim. Still is.
[Latoya Cantrell, Mayor Of New Orleans:] Our coroner's office is at capacity when it relates to our dead bodies of our loved ones.
[Watt:] Quick note on those models we're quoting. No one says they're rock solid. No one says they weren't changed but what they do say is they are based on the level of social distancing we are currently doing and if ease up, those models could get worse, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, thanks very much. Nick watt, reporting for us. Let's got to the White House right now. Our chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, is standing by. Jim, as we wait to hear from the experts of the coronavirus task force, I understand you're learning new details of what's been going on behind the scenes there. What have you learned?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. The administration is warning the U.S. is heading into what health officials are describing as a critical week for the nation's battle against the coronavirus. But during what could be the darkest hour for this pandemic, top administration officials are feuding over the president's recommendation of an unproven drug for the virus.
[Acosta:] Despite only having a background as a businessman, President Trump is offering free medical advice, urging Americans to load up on an unproven drug used for malaria patients as a treatment for the coronavirus.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] What do you have to lose? What do you have to lose? What do I know? I'm not a doctor. I'm not a doctor, but I have common sense.
[Acosta:] But health experts including the president of the American Medical Association say misuse of the drug hydroxychloroquine could have serious consequences.
[Patrice Harris, President, American Medical Association:] You could lose your life. It's unproven. And so certainly there are some limited studies, as Dr. Fauci said. But at this point, we just don't have the data to suggest that we should be using this medication for COVID-19.
[Acosta:] Even though some of the common side effects from the drug, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and headache are not serious, studies have shown hydroxychloroquine can be potentially dangerous for patients with heart troubles and overdoses can be fatal. Dr. Anthony Fauci has repeatedly warned the drug has not yet been proven as an effective treatment of coronavirus.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] The data are really just at best suggestive. There have been cases that show there may be an effect and there are others to show there is no effect. So I think in terms of science, I don't think we can definitively say it.
[Acosta:] A heated argument over the drug flared up inside the White House situation room over the weekend. Trade adviser Peter Navarro insisted the drug has been proven even though it hasn't, while Fauci correctly noted its efficacy is only anecdotal.
[Peter Navarro, White House Trade Adviser:] Doctors disagree about things all the time. My qualification in terms of looking at the science is that I'm a social scientist. I have a Ph.D. and I understand how to read statistical studies whether it's in medicine, the law, economics, or whatever.
[Acosta:] Then at Sunday's coronavirus briefing, the president would not allow Fauci to comment on hydroxychloroquine.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] How many times we answered that question?
[Unidentified Male:] May be 15
[Diamond:] the doctor.
[Trump:] Fifteen times.
[Acosta:] A month ago as the president was touting a low number of cases, White House officials seemed to say medical opinion should carry more weight.
[Kellyanne Conway, Counselor To The President:] It is being contained. And do you not think its being contained?
[Unidentified Female:] I'm not a doctor
[Conway:] You said it's not being contained. So, are you a doctor or a lawyer when you say it's not being contained?
[Acosta:] On the government's response to the pandemic, an inspector general's report looked at how hospitals are coping and finding severe shortages of testing supplies and extended waits for test results and widespread shortages of personal protective equipment, put staff and patients at risk. The president claims the administration's performance has been miraculous.
[Trump:] FEMA, the military, what they've done is a miracle. What they've done is a miracle in getting all of this stuff. What they've done for states is incredible.
[Acosta:] But the shortages come at a critical time, when the U.S. is expected to bear the brunt of the pandemic.
[Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] The next two weeks are extraordinarily important. This is the moment not to be going to the grocery store, not going to the pharmacy but doing everything you can to keep your family and your friends safe.
[Acosta:] On the firing of Captain Brett Crozier who wrote a memo sounding the alarm that sailors on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt were suffering from the coronavirus, the acting secretary of the Navy is defended the commander's removal, accusing him of a betrayal.
[Thomas Modly, Acting Secretary Of The Navy:] If he didn't think that information was going to get out into the public, in this information age that we live in, then he was A, too naive or too stupid to be the commanding officer of a ship like this. The alternative is that he did it on purpose.
[Acosta:] And as for this battle over hydroxychloroquine, a source close to the coronavirus task force said Dr. Anthony Fauci would continue to offer his opinion that the drug is still unproven. He has done that in the past in a number of interviews and we are told he will keep doing so. And something else we're tracking, Wolf, President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden did speak by phone today about the coronavirus pandemic. There was some speculation over the last several days that they might not actually get on the phone and talk about it, but that did happen today, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] I want to know what how that conversation went. I assume we'll find out fairly soon. All right, Jim Acosta, thank you very much. Stay with us, we're waiting for the experts over at today's White House coronavirus task force briefing. We'll have coverage when the experts start speaking. I'll also speak with the mayor of Boston. He's calling on officials here in Washington to stop sending mixed messages about the coronavirus response. Much more of our special coverage right after this.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] This morning China is accusing the U.S. of violating international law after the State Department accused China of massive illegal spying and ordered China to close its consulate in Houston.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Beijing now says it will retaliate. Our CNN senior national correspondent Alex Marquardt joins us now. Alex, it seems I mean, obviously, there are a lot of questions, but, you know, asking the secretary of state, et cetera, this morning, it doesn't seem like there are a lot of answers yet.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] Right. So this consulate, according to the acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Marco Rubio, who we just heard from, was what he called the central node of a massive network of Chinese spies here in the United States. He said that they now have 72 hours to leave the U.S. This move to shut down this consulate is the latest by the U.S. government to confront what has really become a rampant Chinese cyber espionage campaign against the United States so the U.S. has ordered this consulate in Houston to close. The U.S. State Department has said that China has engaged for years in massive illegal spying and influence operations throughout the United States against U.S. government officials and American citizens. Chinese officials have interfered in our domestic politics, stolen U.S. intellectual property, coerced our business leaders, threatened families of Chinese Americans residing in China and more. Now, late last night, Jim and Poppy, the police did respond to reports of smoke coming from the consulate. Local media reported that it appeared that some documents were being burned. Police officers were not allowed inside. And this does come as the U.S. is increasingly calling out China for hacking operations against research organizations, hospitals, companies looking into a vaccine for Covid-19. They have said that China is trying to get that intelligence related to a vaccine for the coronavirus. Just yesterday we heard from the Department of Justice. They named two Chinese hackers who work who have been working with Chinese intelligence to target biotech firms. And this is part of a string of comments and actions by the U.S. government against China. We have heard strong speeches by the attorney general, by the national security adviser, by the director of the FBI, as the Trump administration significantly ratchets up the pressure against China. Jim and Poppy.
[Sciutto:] No question. Not unlike the Obama administration closing consulates after the 2016 election interference. Alex Marquardt, thanks very much.
[Harlow:] Well, in Portland, Oregon, overnight, more clashes between protesters and the federal agents. More than 1,000 demonstrators were on the street last night protesting racial injustice. More than 50 nights in a row this has been happening.
[Sciutto:] So earlier this month the Trump administration sent in federal agents, as you can see there, in military gear with military weapons. The president says to protect federal buildings there. Local officials say those federal forces have escalated the situation. CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell is in Portland following these developments. And, Josh, you even have a group of moms who have come out there to kind of protect these people. Josh has the story.
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Correspondent:] Another night of protests here in downtown Portland. We are here in the middle of the wall of moms, a group of mothers, local residents, people from outside of the city who have come to unite and to protest in support of racial justice, an end to the view of some here of police excessive use of force. This is the epicenter of so many of the protests that we have seen here in downtown Portland since the death of George Floyd. I talked to one of the mothers here a moment ago who told me why they are out here.
[Jeris Huntington, Protester:] What we can do as being the most empowered group of individuals is link arms and protect the the youth and the other members of our city because we have that privilege.
[Campbell:] These are the moms, moms coming out here in support of justice. We have seen them come out time and time again. Obviously a big draw. One of the mothers saying that they're here to link arms with the people of Portland in support of racial justice. Something that they're going to continue to see here in their city.
[Harlow:] Our Josh Campbell reporting on the ground there. Thank you, Josh. Now to Chicago, where 14 people were injured in the shoot-out outside of a funeral home. Police say someone in a speeding car opened fire on people that were attending that funeral yesterday. Some of those people returned fire.
[Sciutto:] Goodness. Just the latest violence incident in that city. Homicides up nearly 50 percent from this same time last year. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot now says the city will cooperate when the Trump administration sends federal agents there to help fight violent crime. She says she does not expect the situation like the one in Portland, Oregon. Officials will be vigilant they say about any potential abuses.
[Harlow:] Well, the superintendent of one of the nation's largest school district says that young people are just collateral damage for the inability of many to take coronavirus seriously. He'll join me next.

[Camerota:] Time now for the "5 Things to Know for Your New Day." Number one, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen forced to resign. A senior administration official tells our Jake Tapper that Nielsen believed the situation was becoming untenable and that President Trump has become increasingly unhinged about the border.
[Berman:] Motel 6 will pay $12 million to settling a lawsuit after seven of their locations in Washington state shared personal guest information with Immigrations and Custom Enforcement agents.
[Camerota:] Mick Mulvaney says Democrats will, quote, never see the president's tax returns. The acting White House chief of staff calls the request, quote, a political stunt that does not advance any proper legislative purpose.
[Berman:] An American tourist and her tour guide have been rescued after they were kidnapped by an armed gang last week and they have now arrived at the U.S. embassy in Uganda. It's unclear exactly who the kidnappers are.
[Camerota:] And we have some good news from our CNN family. Yes, wedding bells are in the air. Our Don Lemon and his long-time partner, Tim Malone, have just announced they are engaged. Tim popped the question Friday on Don's birthday and Don said yes. That is going to be a wedding we don't want to miss.
[Berman:] Assuming we get invited.
[Camerota:] Well, I mean
[I -- Berman:] We have a good record on this.
[Camerota:] I feel like because we're saying it on national
[Tv -- Berman:] We'll get invited.
[Camerota:] We will get invited.
[Berman:] All right.
[Camerota:] Because we're begging them on national
[Tv. Berman:] That was basically just a plea
[Camerota:] Yes, pretty much.
[Berman:] To go to a good party.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Berman:] All right, for more on the "5 Things to Know," go to cnn.comnewday for the very latest.
[Camerota:] OK, Bernie Sanders has his own issue when it comes to releasing tax returns. He said he would but voters are still wondering why he still has not. CNN's Ryan Nobles is live in Des Moines, Iowa, with more. What's the timetable here, Ryan?
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Correspondent:] Alisyn, we still don't know. Good morning from Des Moines, Iowa, where Bernie Sanders just wrapped up a three-day tour of this state. This time around he comes in as the front-runner. Among the announced candidates, he's leading in most polls. He's raised the most money and he's drawing the biggest crowds. And with that front-runner status comes increased scrutiny and many voters here are asking when will they see those tax returns.
[Nobles:] Bernie Sanders' tax returns are coming, he promises.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] So when do you think we'll be able to see your tax returns?
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] Sooner than later.
[Nobles:] More than a month after telling CNN that he would reveal ten years of his returns, Sanders has yet to deliver, and he hasn't given too many clues as to what's holding up the process.
[Sanders:] Yes, we will. I mean we have it all done and it's just the question of dotting the i's and crossing the t's.
[Nobles:] Sanders claim that he and his wife file their tax returns without the help of an accountant and are still wrapping up their 2018 affairs ahead of the April 15th deadline. He vows that the returns are, quote, boring, leaving many voters, including many of his supporters, to wonder what the holdup is.
[Unidentified Male:] Otherwise delaying, I think he should they should release that, you know, to set an example.
[Nobles:] The delay has become an issue hanging over the Sanders campaign during a time where he is enjoying 2020 front-runner status and would rather be talking about other things, like his push for a war powers resolution related to the situation in Yemen. He brushed aside a question about his taxes in the press conference after the bill's passage.
[Question:] Can you talk about what what is the holdup at this point and when do you
[Sanders:] Actually, we'll have more information on that. Today let's worry about the starving children in Yemen.
[Nobles:] Still, it is impossible to ignore the many times Sanders has chided President Trump for not releasing his taxes.
[Sanders:] Trust me, we do not have investments in Russia or Saudi Arabia or anyplace else.
[Nobles:] Something he had talked about since the 2016 campaign.
[Sanders:] I think the American people need to understand what kind of involvement Trump's business dealings have abroad and what kind of leverage those dealings may have on his policies as president of the United States.
[Nobles:] And something he continues to do even now.
[Sanders:] April 15th is coming. I'm delighted to do that, proud to do that. Hey, Mr. Trump, you do the same thing.
[Nobles:] The Vermont senator's most diehard supporters likely won't leave his side regardless of what his taxes reveal. But even they understand that they still need to be made public.
[Linda Chandler, Iowa City Voter:] Because I think it's important for all politicians to be transparent and for us to see what's going on in their financial world.
[Nobles:] And for those voters still weighing their options, like Derick Albert from the crucial swing state of Michigan, the reluctance of Sanders to reveal the specifics of his personal financial situation makes him concerned.
[Derick Albert, Michigan Voter:] I mean he should definitely release them. Everybody wants to see them. We want to see the president's, too, you know. And the Senate congressional committee that's actually doing the investigating says, hey, Senator Sanders, bring yours, too. America deserves to know.
[Nobles:] And for the first time Sanders took questions from voters here in Iowa during a series of town halls. And we should point out that not one voter asked him when he's going to release his tax returns and said they asked about things like entitlement reform, what he's going to do to affect economic inequality and, of course, health care, meaning this may not be the top priority for voters in Iowa, at least not yet. John.
[Berman:] It is interesting, though, that the senator is taking questions, changing his style a little bit on the campaign trail. Ryan Nobles for us in Des Moines. Thanks so much, Ryan. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand makes her 2020 pitch in a live CNN presidential town hall. She released her taxes already, right?
[Camerota:] Oh, yes.
[Berman:] Yes, she did.
[Camerota:] She released, I think, 12 years of them. She was the first in the entire pool to release her 2018 taxes. So she will be doing a town hall moderated by Erin Burnett tomorrow night at 10:00 Eastern only on CNN. All right, the murder of a college student has exposed the risk of these predators who pretend to be ride share drivers. Two survivors of separate attacks join us to tell us their stories and what they've learned.

[Vause:] The U.S. now the first country to confirmed 2 million cases of the coronavirus, more than a quarter of all non-infections worldwide. The outbreak continues to get worse in some parts of the country and during the past week, 19 states have reported an increase in new infections. And surging covid cases are pushing Latin America to the limit. Johns Hopkins University is reporting that more than 70,000 people have died from the virus. Brazil accounting for more than half of that number. It's actually confirming the third highest death toll in the world just behind United States, and the U.K. Here's Shasta Darlington.
[Shasta Darlington, Cnn Correspondent:] Latin America and the Caribbean surpassed 70,000 deaths from coronaviruses Wednesday, with Mexico reporting a record daily surge in new cases. In Chile, police were deployed on the streets of Santiago to enforce lockdown measures after a spike in covid-19 cases prompted in an extension of quarantine. Meanwhile, in Brazil, Sau Paulo and Rio de Janeiro forged ahead with plans to reopen stores and even shopping malls despite warnings from the Pan-American health organization that the virus is still spreading aggressively in the region. Officials insist the decision is based on improving conditions such as increasing availability of intensive care beds in some areas. But experts worry the rush to get back to some kind of normal and limit the financial ruin could just fuel more transmissions and postpone a real recovery. Shasta Darlington, CNN, Sau Paulo.
[Vause:] Experts have different opinions on how hard the coronavirus will hit African countries. Earlier, U.N. estimate predicted up to 3 million deaths across the continent, that is if there is no intervention. But now there's a range of predictions from different health agencies. CNN's David McKenzie live for us this hour from Johannesburg in South Africa. So, essentially, what are we looking at here when we are looking in the extremes of the good and bad?
[David Mckenzie, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, also, John, predictions are predictions. The reality with modeling is that if any one thing changes, it can change the outcome. But I think even with that, there were was a sense from health experts some months ago that Africa would be in a very dire situation at this point. It hasn't happened, we try to find out why.
[Mckenzie:] As lockdowns across Africa began, health officials sounded the alarm. Frightening, severe, catastrophic. Words used to describe the continents prospects in the pandemic fight, but that was then.
[Dr. Humphrey Karamagi, Who Team Leader, Data, Analytics And Knowledge Management:] The countries in the African region are not where they have predicted that they would be by now. I think a lot of early predictions had painted a picture of, by this time, it would be quite overwhelming.
[Mckenzie:] A group of leading African scientists had predicted a very different outcome. Even in the worst-case scenario, they're modeling suggests a smoldering outbreak in Africa, where many countries could avoid a deadly surge.
[Karamagi:] The death and the severity of the outbreak would those be less severe than what we've seen in other countries.
[Mckenzie:] A key to their modeling work, including the socioecological factors that impact covid-19 spread. Like weather, population movement, urbanization. Two factor stand out, the relative use of sub- Saharan Africa, 70 percent of people are under 30, and the lower burden of so called diseases of lifestyle, like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Both they believe could lessen the severity of the disease. But even if countries avoid a search, they believe that any spikes could overwhelm weaker health systems.
[Karamagi:] Those are less severe outcomes that need to be balanced against the capacity of the system to respond to those outcomes.
[John Nkengasong, Director, Africa Cdc:] Our curve is increasing, and increasing quickly. So, I think the virus is ceding itself into the communities and getting momentum.
[Mckenzie:] And despite the new predictions, the head of the African CDC says it's far too early to be complacent. He says just five countries on the continent represent more than half the confirmed cases, and overall, the thing is still woefully inadequate.
[Nkengasong:] Now characterized it as a deadly pandemic, and now we have to intensify our efforts to be bold and aggressively in putting in place public health measures.
[Mckenzie:] Health measures like the army of health workers in South Africa, tracing and testing for covid. Here, unlike in many African countries, the cases are rising quickly. And the modeling of covid- 19's future spread will soon be tested. Well, John, in South Africa, that is in a way in exception that might prove their findings because there are much higher levels of those comorbidity issues here in South Africa, like hypertension and diabetes that could suggest that this country might see a problematic surge. He also said, the head of the African CDC, that we are in the very early stages of the pandemic in Africa, and it's a dangerous, perhaps, to make concrete predictions, but certainly a does prove it seems that this virus acts very differently in different places. John?
[Vause:] David, thank. David McKenzie for us in Johannesburg. Well, in a briefing on Tuesday, the U.N. secretary general reminded the world that the food systems are failing and the coronavirus pandemic is making things worse.
[Antonio Guterres, U.n. Secretary General:] This year, some 49 million extra people may fall into extreme poverty due to the covid-19 crisis. The number of people lack quickly food or nutrition, insecure will rapidly expand. Every percentage point drop in global gross domestic product means an additional 0.7 million stunted children.
[Vause:] And the message from Antonio Guterres is clear, act now, avoid a global food crisis. At least 81 people were killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack in northeastern Nigeria on Tuesday. Villagers say the attacker pass themselves off as Islamic teachers before using guns and armored tanks to kill women and children. Seven people including the village leader were kidnapped, the Nigerian army has sent troops to investigate. With that, we will take a short break. You're watching CNN. Back in just a moment.

[Keilar:] We're following multiple breaking stories including actress Felicity Huffman sentenced to 14 days in prison for her role in what authorities say is the largest college admissions cheating scam ever prosecuted. Let's go to CNN national correspondent Miguel Marquez. Tell us what happens in court today, Miguel.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn National Correspondent:] 14 days in prison. One year supervised release, a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service. All of that will send an unmistakable message to others charged in this scandal whose cases will be heard in the same courthouse.
[Marquez:] Felicity Huffman hand-in-hand with her husband actor William H. Macy entering a federal courthouse in Boston to learn her fate. Huffman addressing the court through tears. She apologized to the judge, her daughters and husband. Saying she's ashamed of her behavior, recounting how one of her daughters told her, "I don't know who you are anymore, mom." She also said she was driving her daughter to the testing center, she thought to herself, "turn around, just turn around." And to my eternal shame, she says, "I didn't." Huffman concluded by saying she takes full responsibility. Prosecutors wanted her to spend a month in prison. Her lawyers wanted probation for a year. In sentencing Huffman to 14 days in prison and a $30,000 fine, the judge saying despite Huffman taking responsibility, the outrage isn't the harm to the colleges. The outrage is a system that is already so distorted by money and privilege in the first place. In May, the "Desperate Housewives" star pleaded guilty to one count of fraud for paying $15,000 to Rick Singer, who got her daughter extra time on a college entrance exam and bribed the administrator at the location where she took it. In a three-page letter to the judge explaining herself, Huffman wrote, "In my desperation to be a good mother I talked myself into believing that all I was doing was giving my daughter a fair shot. I see the irony in that statement now because what I've done is the opposite of fair." Huffman is the first parent sentenced in the sprawling federal investigation into college admissions cheating dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues." Dozens of wealthy prominent and connected parents, coaches and administrators have been charged in the scam, masterminded by Rick Singer. His front charity Key Worldwide Foundation purported to help disadvantaged kids in the U.S. and abroad. Singer who is cooperating with investigators has since confessed to taking tens of million dollars for helping kids of wealthy parents cheat on college entrance exams and bribing coaches to falsely designate students as athletes paving the way for their admissions. Also, caught up in the scandal, "Full House" actress Lori Loughlin whose two daughters were admitted to the University of Southern California as competitive rowers, even though they never participated in the sport. Prosecutors say she and her husband fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli paid Singer a half million dollars and even sent photos of both their daughters on rowing machines to bolster their false claims. Loughlin and Giannulli have both pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering. The charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Now Huffman has been ordered to report to prison on October 25th. It is not yet clear where she will do that that time. The judge saying in this case I think this is the right sentence here. You can rebuild your life after this. You've paid your dues. Brianna?
[Keilar:] Miguel Marquez, thank you for that report. And coming up, Joe Biden sounding up beat in letting his campaign do the counterattacking in the wake of last night's debate. Did the attacks on Biden's age changing any minds? Also breaking, a newly formed tropical depression posing a threat to the Bahamas, stand by for the updated forecast.

[Brian Stelter, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome to a special edition of RELIABLE SOURCES. I'm Brian Stelter. We are standing by for another medical briefing from Walter Reed Medical Center. We are expecting the president's doctors to provide an update on his condition. We hope there will be questions from reporters to get to the bottom of some of yesterday's confusion. We don't know exactly when this press conference will begin. We know the White House pool, the small group of reporters that travels with the president, they have arrived and they are setting up outside of Walter Reed. So we are standing by for that press conference. Let's start with the big picture of what we are all covering this weekend. We are covering a possible cover-up about the health of the president of the United States, a possible cover-up that's being led by the president from his hospital room because he is so sensitive about being perceived as weak. Well, real strength begins with telling the truth. So, let me tell you who we have standing by to talk about al this in the next few minutes. David Gergen, Masha Gessen, Susan Glasser and many more. This is a critical moment. It's day three of the president's hospital stay and there is a lot we don't know. What we have seen the president in the past 24 hours are two photos, this video and a handful of tweets. We've also heard from many Trump campaign staffers but we are not hearing from Trump White House officials. They are declining interview requests this Sunday morning. There is an information vacuum right now. You know what they say about nature and vacuums? What's filling the void is guesswork and speculation and even conspiracy theory. But all of that should be resisted right now. Let's stick to what we know as seen on these front pages from across the country today. Let's assess the information the best we can. This conflicting information that we've been receiving. It is clear now that the president was much sicker than the White House admitted on Friday. His aides misled the public on Friday. On Friday morning, Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters Trump was experiencing mild symptoms after testing positive, but by Saturday, sources told CNN and other news outlets that Trump had received supplemental oxygen on Friday. And then Meadows told Fox something closer to the truth. Meadows saying, quote, he has made unbelievable improvement from yesterday morning when I know a number of us, the doctor and I, were very concerned. Meadows essentially admitting that what he said on Friday was untrue. So who can we believe right now? What can we believe? Obviously, this administration does not have credibility. Lying is a central tenet of the Trump story. I don't want to waste our time rehashing all of that. But I do want to say this: the American people can handle the truth. But, first, we need to hear it. Second, we need to have reason to believe it. Credibility has to be earned. And Team Trump keeps giving everyone reasons to disbelieve what they are saying and that is destabilizing. This crisis is bigger than President Trump. Everyone wishes him well. But it's about the institution of the presidency. It's about American leadership. So, as we stand by for this press conference, let me bring in my first set of guests. Media columnist for "The Washington Post," Margaret Sullivan, staff writer for "The New Yorker" and author of the book, "The Man Who Ran Washington", Susan Glasser, former chief political correspondent for Fox News, Carl Cameron, now political journalist for FrontPageLive.com, and staff writer for "The New Yorker" and author of "Surviving Autocracy", Masha Gessen. Masha, what do you see happening in America with a country unable to know what to believe with the president's health?
[Masha Gessen, Staff Writer, The New Yorker:] Well, you know, Brian, there have been a lot of comparisons to the soviet union the last couple of days. I think they are not unwarranted. The particular period I am thinking about is something I have written about a lot. The some days of Stalin's death watch when the foreign correspondents and the domestic correspondents such as they were all knew what was going on. Nobody was giving them information. Everybody was expecting the final call, right, and the planet filled with rumor. And the thing is, it's not so much what we are being told by White House officials or by the doctors. You could actually create a reasonable narrative from all of the things that they have put out there. It is the palpable sense that people are not speaking, that they are withholding information. And, of course, the sense of total lack of credibility that has been established the last four years.
[Stelter:] Right. And that's the backdrop for all of this. Margaret Sullivan, much of what we have learned is from leaks. We learned about Hope Hicks testing positive from a leak to Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs. There have been many leaks since then. Is that a good or bad sign that there are so many leaks coming from the administration?
[Margaret Sullivan, Media Columnist, The Washington Post:] Brian, thank you. Leaks are what we have right now because we are not getting any credible information from the White House itself. And thank goodness we have these leaks. I mean, thank goodness, really, that Jennifer Jacobs of "Bloomberg News" broke the news that Hope Hicks was sick. I wonder when we would have found out about President Trump being ill and all of these other things that have come to pass since then. So, yes, I think at this point leaks are very good, but I also think they have to be handled with care, and I worry about the kind of anonymous sourcing that allows government officials to say a lot of things off the record or on background that then turn out not to be the case.
[Stelter:] Right, right. Susan Glasser, let's play the sound bite if we can of what the president said on Thursday before his diagnosis was announced. This is a comment that he made in a prerecorded speech that he was giving. Control room, can we play that clip from Thursday.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I just want to say that the end of the pandemic is in sight.
[Stelter:] Thursday. That's what he said on Thursday. Cases are rising across the country. Tens of thousands of people are getting sick every day. Many are being hospitalized every day. This pandemic, we are heading into a winter that is quite frightening and now it's quite frightening that the president is one of the many affected. Susan, do you think this looking back at a past, playing the president's denialism, is that appropriate in this time or is it inappropriate?
[Susan Glasser, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] Absolutely. You know, accountability doesn't, you know, check out when the president checks into the hospital, but quite the opposite. This is a situation, in fact, where his personal and political disinformation have converged, and in fact he has been running that campaign against his own government and public health measures and endangering his own safety as well as that of the American people for the last six months. So, obviously, the convergence between his lies to the American people and his own personal health now suffering as a consequence of that. I mean, we used to joke in college, but it's not really a joke. You are really in trouble when you start lying to yourself and believing it. Did Donald Trump believe these things that he was saying to the American people about the pandemic? Because now, there are 200,000 dead. I do believe it's very important to keep that in mind. President Trump is one person who has the best medical care that America can give him. He is being very aggressively treated. The doctors are helping us to understand what that means, to the extent they're giving information. But there are millions of Americans who have been infected with this, and they don't have that privilege. Many of them have died. So, yes, we have to keep on the story and the accountability.
[Stelter:] Yeah. Let's, as we talk about this, and we await this next briefing, I don't want to lose sight of what happened the last seven days. It's felt like a year. Let's go back to Monday's front page of the New York sometimes. The title here, President's taxes chronic losses, major income tax avoidance. Then the debate. Yes, the debate was this week. Look at Thursday's front page of "The New York Times," Trump escalating his push to erode trust in the election. Saturday's headline about the president in the hospital. This morning's front page says, confusion and concern while the president ails at Walter Reed. Carl Cameron, I think the question here is, do you have any advice for the journalists trying to keep up with all these stories? Frankly, Carl, any advice for the public trying to keep up with all of this news?
[Carl Cameron, Former Chief Political Correspondent, Fox News:] Yeah, we have to take a close look at what's happening today and then just rewind it to the campaign of 2015 and 2016 in which most Republicans voted for somebody else during the Republican nomination race in the various different states up until the very last moment where Trump won a plurality of Republicans for the Republican nomination. And what we have now is a prima facie evidence of a person who became president by gaslighting the public, hiding his own failures, his lack of capacity and ability, and now finds himself in Walter Reed Hospital with a virus that he essentially convinced a good portion of the country was not a threat to their lives. This is the collapse of a democratic republic because of his leadership and his dishonesty. The media has plenty of problems, but journalism and news hinges on facts, and too often the media, whether it's on the internet or in entertainment, is considered actual news. And in that way people get misled. So reporters, journalists and the news has a responsibility to lay bare all of the problems of any politician. And pat them on the back with had they get it right. We just haven't had a lot of that lately, Brian.
[Stelter:] No, we have not. Carl, you used to be at Fox News for many years. I'm thinking about your former colleagues now getting tested for COVID because they were there at the debate Tuesday night. Chris Wallace, many others as well. It goes further than that. You know, this apparent super spreader event at the White House Saturday before last, the Supreme Court announcement, Pete Hegseth was there from Fox, Laura Ingraham was there. There are all these Fox personalities and executives who have to get tested because they don't know if they have been infected as well. It's just a small example of how widespread this virus is and how had this White House outbreak is affecting so many people, so many corporations, so many families. I think everybody Carl, go ahead.
[Cameron:] I think that the journalists need to remind everybody it's entirely possible this began at that Supreme Court announcement. And as a consequence of that, public policy has been corrupted by the failures of personal health policy at the White House.
[Stelter:] Carl, thank you. And, everybody, please stand by. It's a fluid show as we await this medical briefing at Walter Reed. We don't know the exact time, but we believe it will take place this hour. We have the president of the White House Correspondents Association standing by as well as the man who briefed the press after the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. That's right, David Gergen is next. Stay with us.

[King:] Moments ago, the top infectious disease expert in the country, Dr. Anthony Fauci, giving his advice as the country goes through the summer coronavirus surge. And 38 states heading in the wrong direction. A new daily record yesterday for coronavirus cases, new infections. Dr. Fauci says do this.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] I can say, as a public health official, that I would urge the leaders, the local political and other leaders in states and cities and towns, to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks.
[King:] Defining as forceful as possible as a fight in the country, including, in Georgia, the governor says wear a mask but he won't mandate it. He's now suing the city of Atlanta. The mayor there says I will require masks to be worn. Let's go straight to Georgia. Dr. Harry Heiman, assistant professor at Georgia State's School of Public Health. Doctor Heiman, welcome. Thank you for your time today. You hear Dr. Fauci. We know that masks work. In your state, cases are heading up and the governor and the mayor are in a spat over a mandate. What is your take?
[Dr. Harry Heiman, Clinical Assistant Professor, Division Of Health Management And Policy, School Of Public Health, Georgia State University:] What's my take is that we are seeing very consistent behavior from our governor. I would say, at every step, he's failed to show the kind of leadership that we need to appropriately respond to this pandemic. I think if you look at what's been going on in Georgia, candidly, it is not a lot different from what's going on nationally. There's been a failure of both the political and the public health leadership to do what needs to be done to address this pandemic. So in Georgia, we were slow to close the state back in the spring. We were the first to open. There was an opinion piece in the "Wall Street Journal" touting the Georgia model. And public health people warned at that time, if we do that, we can reasonably predict that in two to three months we will be looking at surging cases, surging hospitalizations and surging deaths. Guess what? Here we are. I think, you know, it's hard to fathom that something as straightforward as mandating masks has become a political issue when the public health data about the importance of that is compelling.
[King:] I want you to listen. This is just this morning, Kathleen Toomey, the Georgia public health commissioner, talking about you mentioned cases, hospitalizations, death rates she is also saying, when you do all the testing, the positivity rate is going up. Listen.
[Kathleen Toomey, Georgia Public Health Commissioner:] Our test positivity rate, on average, is 13.6 percent, which reflects community spread at this time. And hospitalizations have increased 39 percent over the past week. We continue to see outbreaks in workplaces, in businesses, in congregate settings, daycares, camps, fraternity houses, many churches.
[King:] It's the list. It is the list there. This is not a meat packing plant. This is not one church. It is everything. It's everywhere. How do you bend that curve, sir?
[Heiman:] What's stunning, John, is that, in the face of this surging pandemic, there's a failure to adequately respond. I mean, you know, there was narrative both in Georgia and across the country about, well, you know, we are doing more testing, that's why there are more cases. Oh, well, we have more cases but they're younger. They're not ending up in the hospital. Now the hospitalizations are surging. Well, they're not dying. Guess what? Now they're dying. So there is this continued effort to change the narrative. Again, the fact that our commissioner of public health can say, unequivocally, that this is out of control at a time where their own containment strategy and contact tracing is only reaching about a third of cases is just unbelievable. The way you bend the curve is that you apply the policies that we know that work. Number one, you walk back the reopening. You know, if you think about the settings they just talked about, churches, we have amusement parks, camps, days cares. You know, we need to walk that back in a meaningful way. We need to mandate masks and support local leaders to do what they need to do to protect their population. Look, the number-one responsibility of government is to protect the safety and security of their population and we are utterly failing.
[King:] Doctor Heiman, appreciate your time today. We'll keep in touch as Georgia and the rest of the country goes through this summer surge. And we hope, we hope very much the numbers change soon. Appreciate your time, sir. More ahead for us, including the troubling national trends and the White House's response. But first, we want to take a moment to give you an update on our 2016 "CNN Hero" of the year. He had to close his center for disabled youth in Columbia when the pandemic began. But quickly reorganizing his efforts now to ensure that children and their families get the support they desperately need.
[Jeison Aristizabal, Cnn Hero:] This is their second home. And they really, really miss the foundation.
[Aristizabal:] We're supporting the families and the children, first of all, with food. We're providing in-home therapy, in-home medical attention. School via the Internet. We provide virtual classes. The emotional and psychological part has really affected them. We have an entire team of professionals who give emotional support.

[Ripley:] Democratic candidates descended on Iowa over the weekend for a campaign trail rite of passage. The Iowa state fair. Yes, there's the 800 pound butter cow, 800 pounds of recycled butter. Also pork chops and corn dogs or in the case of Cory Booker who happens to be vegan, it was fried peanut butter and jelly. Good old American fried fattening food. And they all spent 20 minutes standing between hay bails on the Des Moines registers political soap box trying to compete with all the other things going on delivering their stump speeches and fielding questions from an amazingly well informed perhaps smallish crowd. Amid all the goofy fun, there was a series goal of course. They're there trying to convince Democratic voters to choose them in Iowa's first in the nation caucus. CNN's Rebecca Buck has more from one of the most important stops on the political calendar, the Iowa state fair.
[Rebecca Buck, Cnn Political Reporter:] Well, as presidential candidates converged on Iowa this weekend, the discussion of guns in America remained in the spotlight. For some candidates taking more aggressive policy position than they ever had before. Senators Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Amy Klobuchar became the latest Democratic candidates to urge Walmart to stop selling guns in their stores. Meantime Beto O'Rourke speaking to CNN from El Paso after the tragic shooting in his community said, he has changed his mind on the idea of national gun licenses and he now supports them. Senator Cory Booker was the first Democratic candidate for president to back this proposal. And we watch through the fairgrounds with him this weekend and asked him if he expects more Democrats to line up behind that proposal. He said, he is optimistic that more and more Democrats will be getting on board. However, Senator Bernie Sanders, not there yet. We asked him if he would support licenses for all guns, not just assault weapon. And here's what he had to say.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders, , U.s. Presidential Candidate:] Well, it's something I want to think about. I said then, 30 years ago, that assault weapons are weapons of war. They are designed to kill people in very rapid ways. And we saw that in Las Vegas and we've seen it recently in Dayton and El Paso. And I believed then and I believe now that we should ban the sale and distribution. And I believe that if you own an assault weapon, that weapon should be licensed. And I want to have more conversation and learn more about what else we might be doing.
[Buck:] Now, of course this weekend in Iowa and here at the state fair was also about these candidates continuing to build support in the crucial state of Iowa which will hold the first in the nation caucuses in February of next year. Kamala Harris signaling with a five-day bus tour frim river to river across the state that she is going to be taking Iowa seriously and intends to compete here. Meantime, some polling released last week showing Elizabeth Warren clearly on the rise in the Hawkeye state. She was greeted here at the Iowa state fair with an unenthusiastic reaction and one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. Former Vice President Joe Biden is still the frontrunner according to polling here in Iowa and nationally. But he said this weekend, when asked about Warren's rise, that he's not worried, it's still early, this is a marathon and of course, Will and Alison, we still have six months to go until the Iowa caucuses. Will, Alison?
[Kosik:] A deadly fire in Erie, Pennsylvania. Five children killed, one adult injured. The fire breaking out early Sunday morning in a three-story home that also served as a day care center. At least four of the children who died were staying overnight at the facility. I want you to listen to a neighbor describe the panic as he tried to help.
[Unidentified Male:] I heard screaming from my porch so I came down the street and saw two kids on the roof. I got them of the roof, I made entry in the house, I got low, I tried to go inside. I made it to the open living room and couldn't go any farther. I still can't breathe. It's tragic. I just hope the kids made it.
[Kosik:] The Harris family day care is listed as a provider of 24-hour, 7-day-a-week child care service. The cause of the fire still under investigation.
[Ripley:] Ten consecutive weekends of violent clashes in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy activists facing off with riot police. And now protesters swarming the city's airport.

[Quest:] Hello, I'm Richard Quest. There is more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment. We're going to hear from the chief executive of the world's largest company, the Aramco. Saudi Aramco CEO tells us how the virus is hurting the oil industry and therefore, his business. And the Democrats closing ranks take on Bernie Sanders at a pivotal South Carolina debate, that's tonight. Before any of that, this is CNN and on this network, the facts always come first. The coronavirus has claimed another four lives in Northern Italy. It brings the death toll there to 11. Italy is now dealing with more than 300 cases of infection. The most confirmed cases outside of Asia. Iran's Deputy Health Minister has now tested positive for coronavirus one day after appearing on television to warn Iranians about the outbreak. He appeared ill wiping his brow several times. He was standing next to a government spokesman. Iran is facing the largest coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East. President Trump is heading home after wrapping up a two-day visit to India. There was a State Banquet at the end. He says his trip was a tremendous learning experience. The President and the Indian Prime Minister announced agreements on defense and security, but not on the contentious issue of trade. The former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has died at the age of 91. He'd been in a Cairo hospital since having surgery last month. Mubarak's 30-year of rule ended during the 2011 Arab Spring protests. He was convicted and later acquitted of conspiring to kill protesters. As from now and Democrats who hoped to be the ones to take on President Trump in November, will again be on the debate stage, this time in South Carolina on Saturday. This the presidential primary in the state. Seven candidates have qualified for the face-off, the frontrunner Bernie Sanders is likely to face attacks from his rivals. The standing on Wall Street has accelerated with 30 minutes left in the trading day. We are off the lows of the day, but you can see the Dow is of 807 odd points. The NASDAQ is down. They're all off roughly two to three percent, three percent for the Dow. Paul is with me. And Paul, on top of yesterday's 1,000-point or four, 3-12 percent, I mean, I can see it's obviously serious. And but what is the market afraid of?
[Paul R. La Monica, Cnn Business Reporter:] I think the market is afraid of the unknown, which is how much worse the coronavirus outbreak will get. And I think everyone was spooked by the news over the weekend, about the cases in Italy and South Korea and Iran. I think there had been this sense that it was mainly a China story and that things were improving there. Now, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. And, you know, I spoke with one fund manager earlier today and he said the big problem right now is that everyone wants for the Fed to come in and save the day or other central bankers.
[Quest:] And do what?
[La Monica:] That's his point. He says, when you have financial crises, the Fed can do things to inject liquidity in the market. The Fed can't solve a health crisis with lower interest rates. So, that's the big problem right now.
[Quest:] The Fear & Greed Index, the CNN Fear & Greed Index is virtually verging on extreme fear. How's that how's that measured?
[La Monica:] Yes, extreme fear is where this index is. Now, this index looks at seven components of market sentiment. The VIX is one, it looks at demand for stocks versus bonds and looks at junk bonds, looks at a lot of variety, variety of factors to get the true market sentiment. And right now, obviously, it has plummeted because there are just so many worries about what the economic not to mention the human toll impact will be as a result of the coronavirus.
[Quest:] Bonds obviously a gain. We've seen a rise in the price of bonds and the corresponding fall in the yield to almost record levels.
[La Monica:] Yes, record lows now on the 30-year and the 10-year so I mean to
[Quest:] So, even though
[La Monica:] I believe this is a great time to refinance, if you haven't done so already. But obviously, you know
[Quest:] But even though even though than we saw
[La Monica:] Lower than we saw in 2008, and lower than we saw in 2016, which is the last time that the 10-year was at this level.
[Quest:] It was a couple years ago last year, we also saw the bond during the '17, '18, when we saw the markets the equity markets tumble. And so, what do you do in this scenario? Because if you're holding bonds, you want to keep holding them. And is this a moment to look at whether to go into equities in the fullness of time?
[La Monica:] Yes, I think that investors who don't already have significant exposure to stocks probably could bargain hunt right now and try and find some values because it is the proverbial case of the baby being thrown out with the bathwater. Everything is getting hit. There are very few exceptions. You know, Clorox is a stock that is held up well as everyone expects her, you know, run on their wipes. But I think that right now, just about every stock, if you liked it a week and a half ago with the market at record highs, you shouldn't fear it like it even more now that there's 10, 15 percent discounts on them.
[Quest:] Provided you've got the stomach to see this out.
[La Monica:] Of course.
[Quest:] Good to see you, sir. Thank you.
[La Monica:] Thank you.
[Quest:] As the virus spreads, it threatens to dump an economic activity. And if economic activity slows, there'll be less demand for oil. That's the nuts and bolts if you like. The mechanical way in which the coronavirus is affecting the price of oil. Crude sound for a second straight day. Futures are below $50.00 a barrel. OPEC is going to meet to form a consensus plan if they can. The CEO of Aramco has been speaking to John Defterios in Riyadh.
[John Defterios, Cnn Emerging Markets Editor:] Richard, a terminal 48 hours in the financial markets, especially for oil with concerns about the coronavirus hitting demand, especially in Asia. Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy told me this is no time to be complacent, and they have an emergency meeting scheduled next week in Vienna. But what does it mean for the major Middle East oil exporters right now? I spoke to the largest, Saudi Aramco. The CEO Amin Nasser was on a panel I chaired here in Riyadh, and he said that the first half of the year is basically a wash out because of the challenge of the coronavirus.
[Amin Nasser, Ceo, Aramco:] Let me say that I think it's a short term, first of all, issue that will be hopefully the second half it will be
[Defterios:] So, you see it as first-half challenge that can be cleared up in the second half of this year?
[Nasser:] That is our view.
[Defterios:] So, some fresh guidance from the CEO of Aramco, now a publicly- traded company. And for a context, we have to remember, China is the number one importer of crude, so a slowdown there will, of course, have wider implications. And other top customers for the Middle East exporters' , South Korea and Japan, call it the "Asia ripple effect", all linking back to the coronavirus. Richard, back to you.
[Quest:] John Defterios in Riyadh. Disneyland Shanghai isn't looking like itself as usual as the coronavirus disrupts the park's operations, in just a moment.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] In an extremely rare review, the intelligence community's inspector general, appointed by this president, is rejecting, contradicting, fact-checking false claims pushed by President Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill and on television. First, some GOP lawmakers are arguing about the validity of the basis of the whistleblower's claims. Have a listen.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] I can't believe we're talking about impeaching the president based on an accusation based on hearsay. Why did they change the rules about a whistleblower? You can use hearsay when you used could not, just weeks before the complaint.
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] He had no firsthand knowledge, he heard something from someone who may have heard something from someone
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor, State Of The Union:] No, no. His sources were firsthand sources. You know, as well as I do, that you do not need to have firsthand knowledge to be a whistleblower. And even if
[Jordan:] Well, you don't know because they changed the form. You used to, they changed the form.
[Tapper:] There's
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] They didn't.
[Sciutto:] That's not true.
[Harlow:] They didn't change the rule. They may have changed how the form looked, they didn't change the rule. The type of rhetoric by some in the Republican Party has spurred the inspector general to take a remarkable step yesterday, twice correcting the record on what the president and his allies have said, and noting the whistleblower had, quote, "direct knowledge" of certain alleged conduct. With us now is Mandy Smithberger, she's director for Defense Information for Project on Government Oversight. Mandy, thank you very much for being here. Let me just, you know, ask you, your read on the fact that the I.G. appointed by the president felt the need to do this twice yesterday, publicly, to correct the record.
[Mandy Smithberger, Director For Defense Information, Project On Government Oversight:] So it's an unusual step, and I think it really underscores the importance of having independent watchdogs to help oversee our federal government. It's very clear in the law that the standard is a reasonable belief that misconduct that occurred, it doesn't matter what was on the form. And, again, as the I.G. clarified yesterday, the whistleblower had direct and indirect knowledge. What's important to look at is the underlying disclosure, focusing on a form as a red herring.
[Sciutto:] Let me ask you about the president attempting to out this whistleblower. I just want to play his comments and get your response on the significance of this. Have a listen.
[Unidentified Female:] Mr. President, do you now know who the whistleblower is, sir?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well, we're trying to find out about a whistleblower. When you have a whistleblower that reports things that were incorrect
[Sciutto:] That, an unfounded statement, there. But, of course, the law is designed, is it not, to protect whistleblowers' identity so they feel the security to report such things within government without penalty?
[Smithberger:] Yes, so the president's statements are extremely troubling. I think an important thing to keep in mind is that the protections in place in the law frequently look a lot stronger than we actually see them being in force. And what we've seen throughout this process is that we need to strengthen the protected channels in the whistleblower protections. Because there were a number of places where the process broke down, and Congress might not have gotten this information but for the
[I.g. -- Harlow:] Right.
[Smithberger:] really making sure that he was doing his duty before Congress.
[Harlow:] Let me just read you from the statute, right? This became law in '98, it was amended in 2010, in 2014. Quote, "The inspector general shall not disclose the identity of the employee without the consent of the employee." You have said that these protections are broadly applied but not always absolute?
[Smithberger:] Right. So I think we especially are unclear what happens if the president goes after the identity of the whistleblower. He's unfortunately sending a very chilling message to the rest of the federal government, in trying to out who this individual is. And even with those protections in place, as you know, it's only regarding the I.G. And we saw in the Valerie Plame case
[Harlow:] Right.
[Smithberger:] that Privacy Act protections are much weaker than we all thought they were.
[Sciutto:] You mentioned Valerie Plame case as one, a Bush administration official, if folks don't remember. She was outed as a CIA agent when her husband was a State Department official
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] questioned the Bush administration's rationale for war in Iraq. So tell us how the Privacy Act, applied to her, may or may not apply here.
[Smithberger:] So in her case, she was a covert agent so there are special protections in place for covert agents that, in this case, it appears that the whistleblower is not. And, again, there isn't a sufficient executive branch check if the president or other government officials violate the privacy of this whistleblower. And, again, the process is going to take an independent investigation from the ICIG to substantiate those concerns, and the whistleblower is largely hanging out in the wind and vulnerable while they wait for that due process to occur.
[Harlow:] Wow, wow. OK. Mandy, thank you very much
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] for that reporting
[Smithberger:] Thank you so much.
[Harlow:] it's important. Here's "What to Watch" today, take a quick look.
[Text:] What to Watch... 11:00 a.m. Eastern, EPA Administration gives remarks at forum; 12:00 p.m. Eastern, Appeals court hearing on asylum cases; 3:00 p.m. Eastern, Rep. Chris Collins to plead guilty in court

[Harlow:] All right, hours from now, the House will vote on a resolution to block the president's national emergency declaration to fund a wall on the southern border. It's expected, of course, to pass the Democratic-controlled House, but a major test, of course, will loom in the Senate. Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina made his position very clear. Here's what he writes in a new "Washington Post" op-ed. Quote, conservatives rightfully cried foul when President Barack Obama used executive action to completely bypass Congress. He goes on to say, there's no intellectual honesty in now turning around and arguing that there's an imaginary asterisk attached to executive overreach, that it's acceptable for my party but not the other party. As a U.S. senator I cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress. Phil Mattingly is on Capitol Hill. No doubt the president didn't like that one. We've seen Thom Tillis sort of stand up to him before. But I'm interested in if he's going to be alone on this island or will he be joined by enough of his fellow Republicans senators to make a real difference?
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] It really, Poppy, depends on what your definition of real difference is. Look, as you made clear, the House, in a couple of hours, will vote to pass this resolution to terminate the national emergency. But I think the real question going into this vote is not whether or not they'll have the majority to pass it, it's how many Republicans are going to join with Democrats. As it currently stands, in the House, only one Republican is cosponsoring this resolution to terminate the emergency. I'm told right now the expectation is around 10 or 15 Republicans will likely break ranks and join Democrats and then it will move over to the Senate. And, as you note, the big question now going into this, particularly given how many Senate Republicans in the lead-up to the declaration raised serious concerns, ideological concerns, constitutional concerns, is how many of them will break with the president, will break with the leader of their party, will break with the individual that's still in most of their states, particularly the redder states of them all, polls very, very well in those states. Now, Thom Tillis will not be alone. Thom Tillis will at least be joined by Susan Collins, as I'm told right now. The expectation is probably around a half dozen other Republican senators are considering joining them. But I think the big question now is, it's not whether or not it will pass both chambers. Republican aides I'm talking to in both the House and the Senate expects it to pass both the House and the Senate, which, on its face, would be a rebuke of the president. But as the president has made clear, he's willing to veto whatever comes his way related to this national emergency. So the question isn't will it pass, it's by how much? That will dictate the future of that national emergency, Poppy.
[Harlow:] It will. Phil Mattingly, thank you very much. We appreciate the reporting on that. One of the most senior members of the Catholic Church, one of the closest advisers to the pope, is now a convicted sex offender, convicted of child abuse. Cardinal Pell, the stunning story and the jury's verdict is next.

[John King, Cnn:] Erica Hill in for Brianna Keilar today, she starts right now. Have a great afternoon.
[Erica Hill, Cnn:] I'm Erica Hill in today for Brianna Keilar. Underway right now, President Trump adding five familiar names to his defense team as his impeachment trial gets underway. Just what insight does this offer into the president's defense strategy? Out of sight, Democratic senators in the 2020 race scrambling to make the most of the time they have left on the campaign trail. How will they keep up the momentum while doing their day job in the Senate? Mike Pompeo, now pledging to investigate whether a former ambassador was under surveillance overseas, but why did it take him days to respond to the bombshell allegations? And we're now learning several U.S. service members were hurt in that Iranian missile attack last week, this after the Pentagon said there were no casualties. But, first, the Senate trial for President Trump's impeachment now officially underway, and we're now learning who the president has chosen for his legal defense team. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, Trump's personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, expected to have the lead roles. However, sources tell CNN Mr. Trump also enlisted the help of these seasoned lawyers, Ken Starr, the former independent counsel who, of course, led the investigation that led to Bill Clinton's impeachment. Constitutional attorney Alan Dershowitz, former Florida attorney general and White House impeachment adviser, Pam Bondi, Jane Raskin was part of the president's legal team during the Mueller investigation, and Robert Ray, who succeeded Starr during the Clinton investigation. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is at the White House. So, Kaitlan, what more can you tell us about the president's new legal team?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, we have heard they were considering adding additional attorneys in recent days. We did know it was going to be precisely until more recently. But the president wanted to add some seasoned heavyweight attorneys and he wanted him to have one qualification, which all three of these share, television experience. That is something the president have been talking about over the last several days voicing concerns about people like Pat Cipollone, saying that they haven't appeared on T.V. a lot, if at all, and he wanted to make sure they have got a strong presence in front of the cameras when they're presenting on the Senate floor on Tuesday. So that is why you're seeing the president add these people, and these are favorites of his from Fox News that he's been watching for months, namely Ken Starr, who has been on there essentially on Fox & Friends regularly. You see the president also quoting him on Twitter. And then also Alan Dershowitz, who not only does the president watch on television, but he's relied on him for advice. You see him right there down at the bottom, second from the left. The president has relied on him for advice throughout the Mueller investigation and during his impeachment over the fall. So it's no surprise the president wanted them on the team. The surprise came that Dershowitz joined, because we had been hearing from sources there had actually been some back and forth between the two of them about whether or not Dershowitz was actually going to join the team, because he didn't seem eager to take the job, but now he is going to be on the team, even though some people had advised against it, Erica, because, of course, he does have ties to Jeffrey Epstein, he's
[Hill:] Kaitlan Collins with the latest for us. Kaitlan, thank you. One issue the president's legal team may have to deal with is, of course, new witnesses. That is if Democrats get at least four Republican senators to help them out. Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill. And, Lauren, I know you're actually hearing a little bit more about majority leader Mitch McConnell and how he's been handling his caucus behind the scenes.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Reporter:] Well, that's right, Erica. We know that McConnell has been saying for weeks and even months that he plans to follow the Clinton model. What that means essentially is that the House managers would make their case, the White House defense team would make theirs and then they would put off a vote for witnesses until later. But we are now learning, based on some new reporting and sources familiar, that Susan Collins, one of the moderates who has been working very closely with McConnell on what this resolution will look like that they'll vote on on Tuesday, essentially wanted to ensure that she got this all in writing. So what happened was when lawmakers returned from the Christmas break after many of these moderates were facing pressure back home, she took a copy of that 1999 Clinton organizing resolution and brought it to McConnell's staff and essentially said, what's going to be different here, what will this look like and what will be the same? What we learned transpired was meetings between Collins' staff, Murkowski's staff, Lamar Alexander's staff and Senator McConnell's staff, as well as Romney's staff, as well as the senators themselves. They worked out details word for word what this resolution would look like. And we should always add that until we see this resolution, nothing is final. What they were fighting for essentially was an eventual vote on whether or not senators are ready to hear from witnesses. That would come after the initial presentations and questions from senators. And that's very important for people like Collins who have to run for re- election in 2020 and want to make sure they can go home and defend the case that they really fought for a fair trial. So, a significant development, of course, that behind the scenes, we're getting more of that color about what exactly those negotiations looked like. Erica?
[Hill:] Lauren Fox with that new reporting for us. Lauren, thank you. Joining me now to talk about all of this, former federal prosecutor Joseph Moreno, Washington Post Columnist Max Boot and Melanie Zanona, Congressional Reporter for Politico. Let's start first with what we're learning about the president's legal team. So, Max, the addition here of Ken Starr, Robert Ray and Alan Dershowitz, specifically when we look at Alan Dershowitz, who we understand will be taking on the constitutional argument here, how do you see that playing out and him as a choice?
[Max Boot, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] Well, it's an odd choice. I mean, I think the combination of Dershowitz and Starr kind of reuniting the so-called all-star team that defended Jeffrey Epstein on sex crime charges in Florida, and they both bring a lot of baggage to the case. I would actually focus more on Ken Starr than I would on Dershowitz in this case, because, remember, Ken Starr in 1999 was saying that Bill Clinton should be impeached for lying about sex. And now he's saying Donald Trump should not be impeached for misusing military aid to blackmail a foreign country into helping him politically, which is a far more serious offense. And remember also, Ken Starr is going to be arguing, we don't need any more witnesses, and yet, when he was actually conducting his investigation of Bill Clinton, he interviewed everybody, including Monica Lewinsky's hairdresser, the White House window washers. Everybody talked to him. And now we have not heard from the key players, people like John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, Secretary of State Pompeo and others. And so I think there is an imperative here to hear from those people, and the precedent that Ken Starr and the Republicans said in 1988-1989 this actually works against them in this present instance. So this seems to me like another example of Trump just going with big names that he sees on T.V. without thinking through the implications of those choices.
[Hill:] Joe, would you agree with that, that there's actually more baggage to these choices than there are benefits in terms of putting together a strategy for the president?
[Joseph Moreno, Former Doj Prosecutor:] I mean, strategy has never really been this president's strong suit, right? He seems to be very reactionary. I mean, it's an interesting combination. You have work horses and you have shown horses here, right? You have lawyers who will roll up their sleeves and really defend the case and then you have lawyers who will be good on television. It's an interesting combination. Whether that skill set outweighs that baggage that just you pointed out though, yet to be seen, because you're right, there's a lot of historical references here now. Back to the Clinton years, what went right, what went wrong, and a lot of those comparisons do not bode well for the president.
[Hill:] We'll watch and see how that plays out. What's also interesting is what we've seen from Mitch McConnell publicly, right? We have seen, Melanie, this unwavering support of the president, and yet with the new reporting behind the scenes, we're learning a little bit more about how he's listening, what he's doing to make sure that his caucus, in fact, stays united. How is all of this playing out?
[Melanie Zanona, Congressional Reporter, Politico:] He is threading a very thin needle right now. He has a bunch of different factions within his own conference that he's trying to deal with. You have the hardliners who are pushing for controversial witnesses like Hunter Biden. They have the moderate vulnerable Republican who are up for re- election, like Susan Collins, then there is the institutionalist who want a very serious and somber proceeding. And so you're seeing little bones that he's throwing to each member of these. He had a meeting with Ted Cruz and Rand Paul where he heard them out about the idea of hauling in witnesses like Hunter Biden, but then also behind the scenes, he's allowing Susan Collins and others to have this at least option to turn to the question of witnesses further down in the trial. I would just point out though that even though a number of these Republicans are supporting the up or down motion on whether to call witnesses, that doesn't mean they're all going to agree on the same witnesses. And you still need four of them to come together on a single specific person. And so far, the only one who said, I want to hear from John Bolton, is Mitt Romney.
[Hill:] Which is interesting an point and important to point that out. As we look at these two, there's, of course, this new information from Lev Parnas. And a lot of Democrats really jumping all over it, pointing to this, saying, this is a perfect example of why we need to allow new testimony, why we need to hear from witnesses. But there are, Max, legitimate questions about Parnas' credibility that can't be ignored. Are Democrats lining up behind him too quickly or do they have a point there that he could be an important person to talk to?
[Boot:] Well, I'm not sure that Democrats are really lining up to vouch for Lev Parnas' credibility. I mean, like most of the people around Trump and Trump himself, he has very little credibility, but he did see things and he is making charges and he does have documents. I think what Democrats are really saying is not we believe this guy 100 percent. What they're saying is, let's put him under oath. Let's get at the truth of this. Let's treat this like an actual trial. When you have people making allegations, let's hear from them. The Republican response is just ridiculous, which is that if they didn't testify in the House, then we can't let him testify in the Senate. I mean, that's like saying somebody has been indicted and there is new evidence that develops before their trial, but you can't present the evidence at trial because it wasn't presented at the indictment. That's not how it works.
[Hill:] Well, the bottom line is we don't know exactly how it's going to work yet because we don't have the rules yet. So it could be Mitch McConnell could very well say this is how it's going to work, this is how I wanted it work and get those votes.
[Boot:] If McConnell manages to keep witnesses from testifying, this will be the first time in the history of Congress that we've had an impeachment trial without witnesses. That would be a gross miscarriage of justice, and that's why I think you've seen four or five Republican senators who have signaled that they are open to this, because they realize it would be a travesty not to hear from any witnesses.
[Hill:] To Max's Joe, what we're hearing from Republicans, their pushback, obviously, is, well, you should have called them in the House. If you had to deal with legal issues, you should have done that in terms of subpoenas, in terms of pushback from the White House. When we look at what we know, right, even putting some of this evidence out, if it is not allowed in, from what you've seen, do Democrats have what they need to make their case at this point in the Senate?
[Moreno:] Erica, I think even without this new evidence and new witnesses, Democrats have a solid case, right? And I think a lot of them have already indicated how they're going to vote because they're comfortable with the evidence that's already on the record. Republicans will have to make a tough choice, right? It's one thing to say I heard all the evidence and I voted to acquit, basically, to not remove the president. It's another to go back to the voters and say, basically, I kept my head in the sand. I refused to hear all the evidence and I voted to acquit. I think that's a much more difficult sell. And it's not all 53 Republicans. It's those four to six Republicans that have to worry about the reaction from their constituents.
[Hill:] Those four to six Republicans, we talk a lot about the Republicans and people watching the Republicans, but Vice President Pence, penning this op-ed on The Wall Street Journal, where he is calling on Senate Democrats and saying, it's time for you to put the party aside, it's time for you to look at the evidence. And he said it will be a profile in courage for Democrats to vote with Republicans, which is great, because this is the same argument that we hear Democrats in many ways making to Republicans, Melanie. But, again, we talk a lot about Republicans, we've talked about some of the people we're looking. Who are you looking at overall on both sides of the aisle? I mean, who is everyone trying to aim at this point?
[Zanona:] Well, I'm not sure, first of all, Pence's opinion is going to have much flow with Democrats considering he is embroiled in the Ukraine scandal. But that being said, some of the Democrats who we are watching, Doug Jones of Alabama, he's one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for re-election next year, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is in a really tight race with Martha McSally, and then there's Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who has crossed party lines before in siding with the president on a number of high profile issues. So we are keeping an eye on them. But I think the strategy for the White House is to try to make less of a political appeal to them. And as you saw in this op-ed, it's more of a constitutional argument. I think perhaps that is part of the strategy to bring in Alan Dershowitz. They're not just going to focus on things like Hunter Biden and Adam Schiff. They're going to try to make a serious legal argument, as far as we can tell.
[Hill:] It's interesting too that we're seeing this because there is this push for remember what you were sent to Washington to do from both sides. There is a reminder of the oath that senators are taking. You know, the oath they took when they became, when they were sworn into office, but also the oath as jurors in the Senate. That's getting a lot of attention. And they should be taking it into consideration.
[Boot:] They should be. And, unfortunately, you've had comments from Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham and others basically saying they're going to vote to acquit no matter what, so they're showing they're not going to take their oaths of office seriously. Now, on the other side, I actually think Democrats are following the evidence, because it's just not correct to say that they have been wanting to impeach Trump from day one. In fact, there's been a lot of evidence to suggest that impeachment was warranted in the past and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi never went forward because she didn't think the case was compelling enough. Well, now, clearly, the case is compelling enough. So what is the actual defense Republicans are going to mount? I think the fact that Alan Dershowitz is in there indicates what the defense is. It's basically a version of the O.J. defense. It's jury nullification saying, ignore the evidence, vote to acquit despite the mountain of evidence. That's essentially the Republican argument. It's ironic that Mike Pence is saying that Democrats should buck their party because their entire argument and defense of Trump is based on party loyalty, saying Republicans should not vote to impeach no matter how much evidence suggests that Trump did something wrong.
[Hill:] Well, it reminds us too of something the president once said, which I'm paraphrasing. But what you're seeing and hearing isn't really happening. Remember, there are all those moments. Max Boot, Melanie Zanona and Joseph Moreno, thank you all. 48 hours after we learned the Ukraine ambassador may have been under surveillance while in Ukraine, Mike Pompeo now pledging to look into it. Plus, 2020 candidates out in force this weekend trying to maximize their time on the campaign trail before four of them have to go to their day jobs for the president's impeachment trial in the Senate. And days after the Iranian missile strike in Iraq, we're learning of injuries to nearly a dozen American service members.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] A major shift in the 2020 Democratic race. Big movement after the first debate. Who's up, who's down? A new CNN poll just moments away.
[Michelle Kosinski, Cnn Anchor:] The president says Iran is playing with fire, exceeding limits in the now crumbling nuclear deal. Is Tehran beyond the point of no return?
[Briggs:] Uber Eats with guns. Our Michelle Kosinski has learned exclusively House Democrats investigating how the secretary of state and his family are using their security detail.
[Kosinski:] And tragedy hits Major League Baseball. Twenty-seven-year- old Tyler Skaggs, the pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, dies suddenly in Texas. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and now around the world.
[Briggs:] Yes.
[Kosinski:] This is great. This is EARLY START. I'm Michelle Kosinski.
[Briggs:] Good morning to you. Good morning, everyone. I'm Dave Briggs, Tuesday, July 2nd. It is 4:00 a.m. here in New York, 4:00 p.m. in Hong Kong. We begin with that 2020 race. It is early in what will be a very long race, but we have now proof that one debate can certainly make a difference. A new CNN poll showing initial voter reaction for the first Democratic debate, it has big moves up and correspondingly down. The top tier now plainly clustered into four leaders Biden, Harris, Warren, and Sanders. The numbers include some big gains for both Harris and Warren.
[Kosinski:] One noteworthy result though for Biden. Despite coming under scrutiny on civil rights issues, support for the former vice president remains strong among black voters. The poll also has some interesting opinions on health care. More on that in a moment. First, we begin with Phil Mattingly in Washington.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Well, Michelle, and Dave, you saw the first debates. Now, we're seeing the first poll in the wake of those debates and it shows a dramatically tightening race. Joe Biden, the lone frontrunner, has seen his lead dwindle, to now just five points, losing ten points from a CNN poll conducted in May, now just leading the field at 22 percent. Two other Democratic senators skyrocketing to some degree. Kamala Harris on the heels of that major debate seeing her numbers shoot up nine points from the May survey, putting her in second place. Elizabeth Warren seeing a bump of her own, eight points on her side in the wake of that debate. Bernie Sanders also seeing not unlike Joe Biden, a drop of his own, falling four points and now coming fourth, at least according to the polls. Pete Buttigieg rolling out there, really closing out the top five at a much lower level of 4 percent. What this all underscores, one, is that the race is fluid, the race is early and Joe Biden who for a long time had been a double digit frontrunner simply isn't at least at this point. Now, it is a snapshot of time. This does not mean the be all or end all in this Democratic primary, which still has months to go, but it does raise a lot of questions in the wake of Joe Biden's performance in that debate, which is widely panned, had some advisers concerned. Now, you're seeing numbers to back up that there is a rise with some of his competitors. One of the big questions now is not just the polling, but also the finances. On June 30th, that was the last day for the finance deadline. We should see numbers rolling out soon. We've already seeing the first, that coming from Mayor Pete Buttigieg, recording almost $25 million raised in the second quarter. That's more than triple what he raised in the first quarter, 290,000 individual donors. What that means for Pete Buttigieg who when you put it in context, nobody even knew who he was. Even though the poll numbers might not be there right now, financially, he is there. And he's certainly now the financial wherewithal, with more than $22 million cash on hand, to extend himself throughout the course of this primary. Will the numbers follow that? That remains an open question. As this new CNN poll shows, obviously, things are very fluid and clearly changing depending on the day guys.
[Briggs:] And very early. Phil, thanks. There is a glaring contradiction when it comes to health care in this new CNN poll. Only 30 percent of potential Democratic voters want a national program like Medicare-for-All to replace private insurance. But 29 percent favor a national program while keeping private insurers too. So, almost half want both in play when it comes to which candidate can best handle the health care issue, Bernie Sanders comes out on top with 26 percent.
[Kosinski:] Wow.
[Briggs:] Now he strongly backs Medicare-for-All and wants to see the end of private insurance.
[Kosinski:] And on the topic of health coverage for undocumented immigrants, all 10 Democratic candidates raise their hands to support it during the second night of debates last week. According to CNN's poll, that is not a popular position, 59 percent of all voters are against it while only 38 percent support it. Six in ten potential Democratic voters favor health coverage for the undocumented.
[Briggs:] Whatever remains of the Iran nuclear deal appears to be crumbling. On Monday, the Iranians declared they have exceeded the stockpile limit for low and enriched uranium, allowed because Europe has not been able to mitigate the impact of U.S. sanctions. President Trump was asked if he has a message for the Iranian regime.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They know what they're doing. They know what they're playing with and I think they're playing with fire, so no message to Iran whatsoever.
[Briggs:] U.K. Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt insists if Iran breaks the nuclear deal, Britain is, quote, out of it as well. But Iran claims it has not violated anything. Nick Paton Walsh has some answers for us live from London. Nick, good morning.
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] The technicalities, Dave, incredibly hard to get to the bottom of. But basically, what Iran has done is exceeded the amount of uranium that it's allowed to have under the deal, 660 pounds, 300 kilograms of uranium to 3.6 percent, useless, frankly, if you want to make a nuclear bomb, but that is the first violation of the deal they have made. It is entirely symbolic, frankly, and it comes after months of trying to get European powers to come up with a mechanism that means that they, Iran, can somehow still benefit from some kind of sanctions relief or trading with the outside world. It hasn't worked. It's unlikely to work. So, what you have now instead is a series of escalatory moves. The U.K. saying, well, maybe, we have to get out if you're going to start breaking terms. And, of course, hardliners in Iran saying, well, what's the point of being in this pact if we simply agree to stop on nuclear capabilities as we agree to honor the deal, but everyone else seems to get away with what they want to do. It really does nothing to calm tensions in the region here. There are threats of enriching further. Remember, you have to get to 20 percent enrichment of uranium for people beginning to worry about the breakout towards a nuclear weapon. That's far in the distance. What's much closer here is this escalating rhetoric and now as you saw with tankers in the Persian Gulf being targeted and U.S. and others blaming Iran for that, that makes concern they could be stumbling into a conflict, however much Donald Trump has made it clear he doesn't want a war with Iran Dave.
[Briggs:] All right. Nick Paton Walsh live in London for us this morning, 9:07 a.m. there, thank you, Bick. OK. A check on CNN Business now. The U.S. is heating up its trade fight with the European Union over aircraft subsidies, just as tension with China begins to slowdown. The U.S. is proposing new tariffs on the E.U. worth $4 billion. The tariffs cover 89 products, including meat, cheese, pastas, fruit, coffee and whisky, according to the tariffs on E.U. exports worth $21 billion announced in April. Washington has been locked in a dispute with the E.U. over E.U. for years over Boeing and Airbus. The Trump administration has already imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum. The E.U. responded with tariffs on U.S. goods worth more than $3 billion. Trump has also threatened to slap tariffs up to 25 percent on cars coming into the U.S., a move that could hit European automotive powerhouses like Germany and France. There will be a public hearing next month to discuss the proposal. Before the news broke, stocks rose on trade optimism. The S&P 500 set a new closing record. Investors will be looking closely to see if stocks can hold on to those gains.
[Kosinski:] CNN has learned exclusively that Democrats on a key House committee are investigating the use of taxpayer-funded diplomatic security by Secretary Mike Pompeo and his family. According to a whistle-blower who sparked this investigation, against say at times they felt like Uber Eats with guns, because there have been multiple issues over a period of months with special agents at times being asked to carry out tasks that they feel are questionable for the Pompeo family. In April, for example, one agent was asked to pick up Chinese food, and the whistle-blower claims on another occasion a special agent was asked to pick up the family dog from a groomer. Lon Fairchild is the special agent in charge in Diplomatic Security Service. He did not deny these tasks were asked to carry out. And he released a statement about Secretary Pompeo. At no point during my service did he or any member of his family ask me or any member of my team to act in any way that would be inconsistent with our professional obligation. But a former senior diplomatic security official tells CNN such tasks would not be appropriate, especially without the secretary himself in the car.
[Briggs:] OK. The shocking death of Tyler Skaggs rocking the sports world and its fans mourning this morning. The 27-year-old Los Angeles Angels pitcher was found unresponsive in his South Lake, Texas hotel room on Monday. The Angels were in town to play the Rangers. Texas manager Chris Woodward says everyone was shaken by the news.
[Chris Woodward, Manager, Texas Rangers:] There were a lot of pretty emotional guys in there. You could tell it some guys knew him. Some guys you know, I think Chavy actually played with him in L.A. Some guys that didn't know him were pretty visibly shaken. You could tell. Like I said, this is something that we don't deal with on a daily basis.
[Briggs:] Police tell the "Los Angeles Times" they do not suspect foul play nor suicide. On Sunday, when the team touched down in Texas, Skaggs posted this photo on Instagram, of all his teammates wearing cowboy hats. You can see Skaggs on the right side there, black cowboy hat. The young pitcher was just married at the end of 2018. December 31st Instagram post shows him with his wife along with the words "2018 was the best year yet". Back in Anaheim, Angels fans mourned outside the stadium. One of them wore a jersey bearing the name of Nick Adenhart, an Angels pitcher who was killed 10 years ago in a car crash. Moments of silence and tributes around the Major Leagues last night. Monday's game between the Angels and Rangers was postponed because of Skaggs death. The rest of the series expects to continue as scheduled today. Skaggs teammates reeling from the loss. Mike Trout of the Angels tweeting: words cannot express the deep sadness we feel right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with Carly and their families, remembering him as a great teammate, friend and person who will forever remain in our hearts. And Yankee slugger Giancarlo Stanton who lost a friend to a boating accident in 2016 said this: Trying to focus and understand how important your strength is for his family, all of your supporters and anyone looking for the power to overcome something, they're looking at you for guidance, so all you really need is each other right now.
[Kosinski:] Heartbreaking story.
[Briggs:] Yes, hopefully, some answers today or later this week on exactly what happened.
[Kosinski:] Right. It was a shock yesterday but when you saw his age, if you weren't familiar.
[Briggs:] Yes. Twenty-seven years old, so much ahead of him. Tragic for the community.
[Kosinski:] Well, cleanup is just beginning after protestors stormed the legislative building in Hong Kong, but trouble runs much deeper than broken glass. A live report next.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a special edition of The Situation Room. Around the world right now, nearly three million people 3 million people have been infected by the coronavirus. And more than 205,000 people have died. More than a quarter of those deaths happened right here in the United States. The number of Americans dead from this virus is now more than 54,000. By the way, it was exactly one month ago today that the death toll here in the United States was just over 1,000. At the same time, more states are preparing to crack open the doors to their economies, doors that were slammed shut weeks ago when the pandemic hit. Stay-at-home orders expire tomorrow morning in a few states where restaurants and some stores will be allowed to open under strict safety rules. But officials at the White House tell CNN that social distancing directives are not going away any time soon.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] Social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases.
[Blitzer:] This public health crisis is not the only unprecedented catastrophe looming over the United States right now. The U.S. economy is enduring week after week of staggering losses, and Americans are out of work in numbers not seen in decades. One of President Trump's economic advisers is projecting an extremely grim picture.
[Kevin Hassett, Whiet House Economic Adviser:] This is the biggest negative shock that our economy, I think, has ever seen. We're going to be looking at an employment rate that approaches rates that we saw during the great depression during the great recession. Remember, that was a financial crisis around 2008, that we lost 8.7 million jobs in the whole thing. Right now we're losing that many jobs about every ten days. The next couple months are going to look terrible. You're going to see numbers that are as bad as anything that we've ever seen. I think the unemployment rate is going to jump to a level probably around 16 percent or even higher in the next jobs report.
[Blitzer:] The past five weeks alone, 26 million Americans have lost their jobs and are filing for unemployment. Let's go to the White House right now. Our Kristen Holmes is joining us. Kristen, you just heard a White House economic adviser there saying the coming months, in his words, look terrible, but that's not necessarily the tone coming from everyone in the Trump administration. A lot of mixed messages coming out of the White House, even on this day.
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn National Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. I mean, this was a much bleaker picture than we've seen before. And to be very clear, the surprise is not the numbers. We know that economists have privately been saying that the unemployment numbers could reach those levels. The surprise is that it's coming from a White House economic adviser. The messaging coming out of the White House has been really steady and very upbeat. We know President Trump has said on multiple occasions that the economy is going to have a big bounce back. And even earlier today, the treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, painted this much rosier picture.
[Steve Mnuchin, Treasury Secretary:] I think as we begin to reopen the economy in May and June, you're going to see the economy really bounce back in July, August, September. And we are putting in an unprecedented amount of fiscal relief into the economy. You're seeing trillions of dollars that's making its way into the economy, and I think this is going to have a significant impact.
[Holmes:] So, I do want to make one thing very clear before I break that down. I don't think there's a single American who hopes or who doesn't hope that that is what's going to happen, that the economy will not bounce back. I think everyone is looking at this, they know that there is a high level of unemployment. Most people know someone who is unemployed, and people are watching their businesses and wondering if they're going to survive this. But there are a lot of questions as to whether or not the economy can come back as strongly and in that short of a timeframe, particularly big cities, those big cities that house a lot of these unemployed Americans, that have a lot of these businesses that drive the economy, when are they going to be opening back up, we still don't have a timeline for that. And the other big thing that economists just can't predict is what is society going to look like once it does reopen. Are people going to actually going to go out and frequent these businesses like they once did, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] You know, Kristen, it's interesting, we just discovered here at CNN about some letters being sent to people all over the country right now, personal letters from the White House. Tell us about that. What are these letters all about and who's getting them?
[Holmes:] So, if you were one of the people who received any sort of stimulus money from the stimulus response, you also likely got a personal letter from President Trump. And as you said, we just discovered these viewers sending them into us earlier today, and essentially, they came in an envelope with an IRS stamp that paid for fees and postage from the Treasury Department. And it was a note that, one, had a message of hope, saying the White House, the administration was there for these families during these times, and two, just provided basic information about those stimulus payments, how much money this person received and how exactly they got it, whether direct deposit or check. Now, one thing that we have learned is inside of the legislation, there is a section in there that says that anyone who is paid within 15 days will get a notice in the mail that talks about those basics, how much money they got, how they got that money, just so that they are aware. But it doesn't say that it has to come from the president. So, of course, we've reached out to the White House to see who made the decision, when it was made to have President Trump have his own signed note to these people receiving the money. But we also know President Trump likes to be the face of all of these positive aspects of the coronavirus response, like his name on those stimulus checks to begin with.
[Blitzer:] Yes, important point. Kristen Holmes reporting from the White House, thank you. We'll get back to you. I want to go to Georgia right now, where, tomorrow, restaurants will be allowed to reopen. This comes just a couple of days after the governor there allowed operations to resume at barber shops, nail salons, gyms, even bowling alleys. Those plans, despite the fact that Georgia has not, repeat, not seen a 14-day downward trajectory in cases. CNN's Natasha Chen is in Atlanta for us. And, Natasha, what has the reopening been like for businesses? What can we expect to see tomorrow?
[Natasha Chen, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, Wolf, tomorrow, movie theaters will be allowed to reopen along with those restaurants doing dine-in service. And that comes with a number of restrictions. For example, employees have to have face coverings, no handshakes, a lot of requirements for sanitation and washing of hands, and there are no more than ten customers allowed per 500 square feet. I have to say, when I was in South Carolina covering some businesses opening there last week, the density allowed was a lot stricter than this. So Georgia is going with ten customers per 500 square feet. Now, when we talked to business owners of barber shops, of bowling alleys, you know, there is a level of uncomfortable awareness that there is a health risk here, but they also have not gotten any of the financial aid that they've applied for. So there's a huge amount of pressure to open their doors just to earn any kind of income. We know that there are a number of restaurants who have told us directly or posted online that they don't feel that it's time yet to open their doors for dine-in service, so they are holding off, though we know a handful of restaurants as well as at least one large chain that is going to do this. And Governor Kemp did say that cases may go up with this reopening here, but he also says that this state is more prepared to deal with that than they were a month ago, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] We've got some live pictures I want to show our viewers, live pictures from downtown Atlanta, Natasha. This is not very far away from the CNN center. You can see, I guess, some people moving up, not many, very few cars, if any, at all. Have you heard any reaction to the governor's decision to allow businesses to reopen, specifically from communities, Natasha, hardest hit by the coronavirus?
[Chen:] Absolutely. Well, Albany is a hotspot here in Georgia, and the mayor spoke with CNN's Ana Cabrera about this. He was talking about how he wishes that in his community, the situation, in his view, requires that they do shelter-in-place or stay at home for a longer amount of time. Here is what he said about that.
[Mayor Bo Dorough, Albany, Georgia:] We were upset that the governor did not allow us to continue our shelter-in-place ordinance. But our citizens are generally going to be guided by the environment that we're in. And we're finding that most churches have no plans to reinstitute worship services at this time. Most of our restaurants will continue to offer only curbside and delivery.
[Chen:] And so, he's also saying that Governor Kemp has said that if there is an uptick in cases in Albany, that the state will offer whatever resources are necessary to help get that under control. So, really, a lot of conflicting emotions here from local leaders as well as businesses, trying to make the best call for public health but also for their wallets, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, Natasha. Thanks very much, Natasha Chen, in Atlanta. Let's stay in Atlanta right now. The Mayor there, Keisha Lance Bottoms, has been critical of Governor Kemp's decision to reopen the state. The mayor is joining us right now. Mayor, thank you so much for joining us. Based on what you've seen this weekend so far with businesses, like hair salons, gyms reopening, for example, how concerned are you that now restaurants will follow suit tomorrow?
[Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , Atlanta, Ga:] Wolf, I am extremely concerned. And as an elected official, we often want to be right. But I can tell you that this is one that I hope that I'm wrong about. And I've said it before. I'll say it again. I hope that the governor is right and I am wrong, because if he is wrong, more people will die. And this notion that we can somehow deal with more people who are sick is ludicrous, because we don't have a cure, and there are healthy people walking into hospitals dying from this illness. And so, simply because we may have a bed to offer them or a hospital room for them doesn't mean that we can save their lives. And I think that therein lies the problem. I understand that people are hurting economically and people don't want to have to make this choice, but it's important so that we can flatten this curve for a sustained period of time. When I look at the numbers, the numbers that I have received from this afternoon, our deaths are up 32 percent from this time last week, our positive tests up 26 percent from this time last week. We aren't headed in the right direction, and my fear is that we're compounding this problem.
[Blitzer:] Yes, people are concerned. We just showed some live pictures in downtown Atlanta, not far from the CNN center, and very few cars. I didn't see hardly any people over there. Take a look at this. You can see what's going on. Normally on a Sunday at this time, it would be jammed. People would be moving around. What would you say, Mayor, to a restaurant owner though, who is facing potentially losing his or her business if they don't reopen?
[Bottoms:] You know, Wolf, what I can say, there are a number of restaurants in this state and in the city who have said, we absolutely will not open. But what I would say to someone who is potentially looking to lose their business is my heart goes out to them. And as an elected official and as a leader, we have a responsibility to try and help people recover from this. We have a responsibility to put money in the pockets of the small business owners who need this, who are depending on this. But it is irresponsible in the middle of a pandemic for us as leaders to be irresponsible. And I think that when you say to people, you can open with certain guidelines, and our answer to them is, and if you get sick, we have a bed for you? I don't think to me, it's a lack of understanding of what COVID-19 is doing to people across the globe.
[Blitzer:] A federal health official, Mayor, tells CNN Georgia was expected to run out of unemployment funds within 30 weeks. They believe this played into Governor Kemp's decision to reopen. Do you think the governor reopened is a way to avoid paying unemployment claims?
[Bottoms:] Well, I know that has to be a consideration because our state is facing a $4 billion budget shortfall over the next several years. But, you know, we know that when people fill out unemployment applications, the question is asked, did you refuse to work? Can you return to work? I believe the labor commissioner in our state has now said you can earn up to $300 a week and still receive your unemployment benefits, so that helps a bit. But I know that this is an economic consideration because we're hurting in the state in the same way we're hurting across the world. But what I can also say is this, Wolf, we are not a first generation who's faced adversity. We are not the first generation who's dealt with a pandemic. We'll get to the other side of this but only if we make responsible decisions. We can't keep turning back and take two steps forward and then take ten steps back. It only prolongs this crisis that is facing this globe.
[Blitzer:] And the stakes, as all of us know, are so, so enormous. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in Atlanta, thank you so much for joining us.
[Bottoms:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] Good luck to everyone there. Meanwhile, in the middle of a global pandemic, Americans are desperate for the latest medical information about the coronavirus, but the president is giving out some dangerous misinformation. Two doctors will join us live to give all of us the truth about what's going on. Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room.

[Anna Coren, Cnn International Correspondent:] A new scene of sorrow.
[Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, Chabad Of Poway Synagogue:] I turn around and I see a young man standing with a rifle pointing right at me.
[Coren:] A U.S. synagogue becomes the latest in a series of crimes of hate engulfing the world.
[Unidentified Male:] We're seeing a global trend towards nationalism.
[Coren:] Outrage in Hong Kong.
[Unidentified Female:] Tens of thousands of demonstrators are rallying.
[Coren:] Why Hong Kong's newly proposed extradition law is raising concerns about China's influence.
[Unidentified Male:] "Avengers: Endgame."
[Coren:] And historic finale. "Avengers: Endgame" breaks a billion dollar global box office record.
[Unidentified Male:] Everything was just out of this world.
[Coren:] Hello, I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Welcome to NEWS STREAM. Well two communities thousands of miles apart, different faiths, but united in grief after deadly attacks on their places of worship. In California, the suspect behind Saturday's deadly shooting at a synagogue is facing murder and attempted murder charges. Authorities believe he acted alone and are looking into a manifesto apparently written by the suspect, which suggests he was inspired by another hate crime the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand last month. Meanwhile, families continue to mourn in Sri Lanka just over a week after a series of deadly bombings on churches and hotels on Easter Sunday and the country remains on high alert with a government warning that more attacks could be imminent. Sri Lanka's President is banning all face coverings in a bid to strengthen national security and protect the public. CNN's Nikhil Kumar joins us now from Colombo, Sri Lanka. And Nikhil, as we say it's just over a week since these massive bombings and the country and its security forces is still very much on high alert. Tell us more.
[Nikhil Kumar, Cnn New Delhi Bureau Chief:] That's right, Anna. The government here, the authorities here have been issuing warnings that further attacks could be in the works. Three Sri Lankan MPs have told CNN that their security details have received warnings about possible attacks that may be in the works. They've arrested dozens of people over the weekend. And on Friday, there was a shootout in the east of the country when security forces raided a number of safe houses, they uncovered a massive hole of explosives that gave us a look at the severity of the threat. They uncovered 150 explosive sticks, 100,000 ball bearings, an ISIS flag, a drone so all of that underlying something that observers have been talking about ever since those devastating Easter Sunday bombings, which is just the sophistication of this terror network. And authorities are doing everything they can, desperately, to get ahead of any potential attackers who may be out there, who may be plotting further attacks. You mentioned the ban on face coverings. It's been supported by the Muslim community here, the top body of Islamic clerics in this country. They backed it, saying that they want to do everything they can to support the authorities to get ahead of this threat to make sure that this country holds together. Remember, this is a country that went through an almost three decade long Civil War. Big concern amongst people here in the last week has been, could this threat, could this new terror, could that cleave communities apart again? And that's something everybody from the government, to individuals, to community leaders wants to avoid Anna.
[Coren:] Nikhil, we know that Sunday Mass was banned at churches yesterday across Sri Lanka, any indication from the government when people will be allowed to return to church?
[Kumar:] We're still waiting for a clear indication from the authorities, from the church authorities and the government of course as to when it will be safe for them to resume, but yesterday, the Archbishop you mentioned, the threat to people over here. So the Archbishop of Colombo, whose house is about 10 minutes from where I'm standing, he held a service at home and delivered a televised homily. It was attended by the President, the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition of this country all sending out a unified message to worshipers in their homes that this country is standing together in the face of this threat. And you know, the government is trying all it can to convince people that it has this under control. Because remember, one thing that we learned soon after those Easter Sunday bombings was that the government here received a number of very specific warnings, including one just one hour before the first explosion took place on Easter Sunday. So now the emphasis very much is to get ahead of the threat, to secure everyone and then hopefully, everyone can get back to normal including the worshippers who want to go back into church. Including the many members of the Muslim community who were asked by the authorities here not to visit mosques on Friday for Friday prayers, lest they be attacked Anna.
[Coren:] Nikhil Kumar joining us from Colombo. Many thanks for that. Well, now to the deadly shooting at a synagogue in California. Sixty-year-old Lori Kaye was shot and killed after stepping between the gunman and the rabbi during Saturday's attack. She will be laid to rest later today. Well, joining us now is CNN's Dan Simon live in Poway, California. Dan, it would seem that religious leaders like school teachers in the United States must be prepared for the horrors of mass shootings. How is the rabbi and the community of Poway holding up as they prepare to bury their friend?
[Dan Simon, Cnn Correspondent:] Anna, as you can imagine, they are very shaken up by this. The Rabbi saying that he was in the banquet hall preparing for his sermon when he thought he heard a loud bang and the next thing he knew, he was face to face with the shooter. Take a look.
[Goldstein:] Terrorism like this will not take us down.
[Simon:] His hands wrapped in blue cast, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein recalling the horrifying moment his congregation became the latest target of a deadly attack at a place of worship, following massacres in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
[Goldstein:] I hear a loud bang. I turned around, and I see a sight that I can't un-describable. Here is a young man standing with a rifle pointing right at me. He had sunglasses on. I couldn't see his eyes. I couldn't see his soul.
[Simon:] Rabbi Goldstein, one of four people shot at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in Southern California, a lone gunman armed with an assault-style rifle opening fire upon worshippers celebrating the last day of Passover.
[Unidentified Male:] He is shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting like crazy. He was just focused to kill.
[Simon:] Rabbi Goldstein was shot in both hands, losing his right index finger. Sixty-year-old congregant Lori Gilbert Kaye was killed in the attack, police identifying the suspect as 19-year-old John Earnest.
[Sheriff Bill Gore, San Diego County:] As the suspect was fleeing the temple, an off-duty Border Patrol agent opened fire on the suspect, but it apparently did not hit him.
[Simon:] Earnest eventually surrendering to the police. He is now charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Authorities say they believe Earnest acted alone. Investigators looking into an anti-Semitic letter posted online by someone claiming to be Earnest before the attack.
[Gore:] We are in the process of reviewing to determine its validity and authenticity.
[Simon:] San Diego police and the FBI now examining whether Earnest is linked to arson at a nearby mosque last month. President Trump swiftly condemning the attack.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] We forcefully condemn the evil of anti-Semitism and hate, which must be defeated.
[Almog Peretz, Shot In Leg By Shooter:] I need to warn all the kids.
[Simon:] We are learning more stories of heroism inside the synagogue, like Almog Peretz, visiting his family from Israel. The 34- year-old shot in the leg before helping children escape the gunfire.
[Peretz:] He's like he had a vest. He's coming like the soldier. He's standing in the door like the focus, and he's staying like that. And he's staying that way, relaxed and shooting.
[Simon:] Peretz trying to protect his 8-year-old niece, Noya Dahan, who was injured by shrapnel.
[Noya Dahan, Injured By Shrapnel:] The world isn't supposed to be like this.
[Simon:] Poway, the latest American city trying to heal from another hate-filled attack.
[Goldstein:] No matter how dark the world is, we need to think of light. A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness.
[Simon:] While honoring those like its youngest victim, Noya, sitting tall on her father's shoulders at a vigil Sunday.
[Unidentified Male:] She was wounded yesterday. And today she's here with us.
[Simon:] Now, the suspect, 19-year-old, John Earnest is a college student, 19 years old again, again, his apparent motive here seems to be anti-Semitism; for some inexplicable reason as he left the synagogue in his getaway vehicle, he called police and apparently announced his involvement and he was apprehended a short time later. We don't know if he had any sort of formal weapons training. We don't know how he obtained the weapon. But from what it sounds like Anna, when the shooting was taking place, at a certain point, the weapon seemed to jam and if that's the case, that likely prevented several more people from losing their lives Anna.
[Coren:] Dan, you speak of these acts of heroism that you mentioned in your package. If it wasn't for those courageous folks who stepped in, the death toll could have been much higher.
[Simon:] Yes, no question about that. And in particular, we need to talk about once again, Lori Gilbert Kaye, who put herself in between the shooter and the Rabbi. And the details here, Anna are chilling. We know that her husband was with her. She was here actually to mourn the recent passing of her mother and when the shooting took place, her husband who happens to be a physician, tried to revive her and at first he didn't realize that he was working on his wife and once he did, he fainted and collapsed next to her. Just a horrible detail.
[Coren:] Absolutely tragic. Dan Simon, we appreciate your reporting. Many thanks. Well, ironically, that little girl Noya and her family moved to the United States from Israel to find a safer place to live. She and her father gave a heartbreaking interview to CNN about how the attack played out, as Sara Sidner reports they now feel anything but safe.
[Dahan:] We go to pray, and then we're supposed to like we're supposed to feel safe.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn Correspondent:] Eight-year-old Noya Dahan wasn't safe. It turned out no one was. A gunman entered their California synagogue on the last day of Passover and opened fire.
[N. Dahan:] I don't even have any words for it. It was terrifying, scary.
[Israel Dahan, Survived Poway, California, Synagogue Shooting, Daughter Injured:] All over his body. He has full magazines.
[Sidner:] So he's covered in bullets.
[I. Dahan:] He came to kill us. He came to grind us. The amount of bullets that he got on them, he came to destroy this place.
[Sidner:] Noya's father, Israel Dahan, was beyond worried. He was terrified for his children. He had no idea Noya had already been hit.
[N. Dahan:] My uncle, he was holding my hand and he was like grabbing me and stuff. And the person who was shooting, he was aiming at him. So he it hit him and the, like, it went like went like that. It hit me, too.
[Sidner:] So you got hit with shrapnel.
[N. Dahan:] Yes.
[Sidner:] Little pieces.
[N. Dahan:] No. Like the knee one is pretty big, but these are little pieces. So, you know, so this was like a pretty big piece, and then it went back here.
[Sidner:] So the piece of shrapnel went in your leg and then came out the other side?
[N. Dahan:] Yes.
[Sidner:] What were you thinking then? Did it hurt?
[N. Dahan:] In the first place, when it was like gushing blood, I didn't even feel it. And then after like they wiped it and like the blood was off and it was like it it felt like I had like the giantest bruise ever. It was just hurting bad.
[Sidner:] Her uncle had been shot, too.
[Almog Peretz, Rescued Children, Shot During Poway, California Synagogue Shooting:] He's looking me in the face and the shoot and he want to shoot me in the gun.
[Sidner:] Yet Almog Peretz managed to whisk more than a half dozen children to safety as the gunman blew off round after round.
[I. Dahan:] And then I saw him shooting in our lady that she passed away terrible feeling. What can I say? It's scary that we need to live like that. It's just unbelievable. Like there is no one really to protect us.
[Sidner:] Dahan watched his friend, Lori Kaye, slump. She died of her injuries.
[I. Dahan:] We have a big loss in the community. A big loss for the community in Poway. She was amazing woman.
[Sidner:] The terror didn't end there. Their Rabbi had also been hit.
[N. Dahan:] I saw the Rabbi. He like jumping from pain. His fingers were cut off. He was like shot.
[Sidner:] Bullets had shredded the Rabbi's hands. Noya's father tried to help him.
[I. Dahan:] He doesn't want to go to the hospital. He started praying and he started praying for everybody. And he wants to keep the community strong and tight.
[Sidner:] So the Rabbi was refusing to leave the synagogue.
[I. Dahan:] Yes. Yes, and he's still praying.
[Sidner:] Even though he'd been shot.
[I. Dahan:] Even though he's been shoot and even that he's been bleeding. And I told him, "Rabbi, please, your life is threatened right now. You're bleeding so much, you can die." "No, I will stay here. I build it, I'm going to die here."
[Sidner:] Rabbi Goldstein survived, but his index finger had to be amputated. The Rabbi was one of the main reasons the Dahans had moved to Poway. The family left Sderot, Israel because a rocket hit their home. They wanted a safer place to raise their five children. They moved to Mira Mesa, California, but hate found them there, too. Swastikas were painted on the family's garage and car. Did you leave there out of fear for your family?
[I. Dahan:] Yes, of course. We were sleeping inside a locked bedroom with knives and with baseball pole because that's the only way I can protect my family. And then I met Rabbi Goldstein, and he told me, come to our community.
[Sidner:] They loved it and moved to Poway.
[N. Dahan:] The synagogue is always a safe place to be. We're not supposed to be worried about anything.
[Sidner:] Three years later, terror would find them once again.
[N. Dahan:] I'm feeling scared, unsafe. I just feel like I want to be with my family and in a safe place where the whole family is there and if someone gets hurt there's like someone always behind us and like watching out for us.
[Sidner:] How do you make them feel safe?
[I. Dahan:] They don't. I cannot.
[Sidner:] You've basically had to run from one place to the next because of anti-Semitism.
[I. Dahan:] Yes. This is the right word to use, yes. And I might need to run again. It will I don't think it will stop soon. I might need to run again. And I need to prepare myself for the next run.
[Sidner:] That's a horrible way to live.
[I. Dahan:] It is horrible. Yes. But that's where we live and it's happened.
[Sidner:] Sara Sidner, CNN, Poway, California.
[Coren:] A horrible way to live indeed. And what a brave little girl sharing her frightening story. You are watching NEWS STREAM. Still to come. Spain's socialists remain in the driver's seat after Sunday's election, but support for the far-right is steadily growing. We take a look at the rise of that movement across Europe. And the danger is anything but over in Mozambique. The country is facing an increase in the death toll from Cyclone Kenneth as heavy rain and flooding hit areas ready devastated by a tropical storm just six weeks ago.

[Stephanie Elam, Cnn Correspondent:] The two men have admitted that they were a part of this crime.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] Got it. Stay on it for us. Stephanie Elam, thank you very much. And thank you for being with me here live in Detroit. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Let's send it to Jake. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" continues right now.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] President Trump once called Congressman Elijah Cummings a terrific guy. I wonder what's changed. THE LEAD starts right now. President Trump launching a new round of attacks on Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings and his Baltimore district and hinting that the strategy may be part of his reelection campaign. Mice, mold and maggots in Baltimore area apartments, the president has mentioned it, but did he realize many were in buildings owned by wait for it his son-in-law's Jared Kushner's company. We talked to some of Kushner's tenants. Then, hours after this wild and tragic scene at a popular festival, new details revealed about the victims, including two small children and the killer, including possible white supremacist influences. Welcome to a special edition of THE LEAD. We're live outside the Fox Theatre in Detroit for the CNN Democratic presidential debates. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start today with the politics lead and President Trump digging in on a strategy of division and exposing a common theme by once again attacking a lawmaker of color. This time, he's going after Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings and his congressional district of Baltimore. Trump launching at least 16 tweets since Saturday, calling Baltimore quote "a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess," and saying of the majority African-American district quote "No human being would want to live there." As CNN's Abby Phillip now reports for us, the president's campaign strategy of pitting Americans against each other seems to be getting nastier, with even one of his own former White House communications directors calling for more presidential self-awareness and less racism.
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] President Trump today escalating his attacks on House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, saying his Baltimore district has the worst crime statistics in the nation, 25 years of all talk, no action. "So tired of listening to the same old bull." And expanding his attacks to include civil rights leader and TV host Al Sharpton, who Trump claims hates whites and cops. For the second time in two weeks, Trump using language like infestation to describe the places where people of color live. And combined with his racist attack on four Democratic congresswomen of color, who he told to go back to the countries from which they came, even though they are all American, Trump is now making racial division the centerpiece of his 2020 reelection campaign, warning Democrats that if they "defend the radical left Squad and King Elijah's Baltimore fail, it will be a long road to 2020." The president's aides insisting this isn't about race.
[Margaret Brennan, Host, "face The Nation":] "No human being would want to live there."
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief Of Staff:] When Donald Trump attacks people...
[Brennan:] This is being perceived as racist. Do you understand why?
[Mulvaney:] I understand why, but that doesn't mean that it's racist. The president is pushing back against what he sees as wrong.
[Phillip:] Also underlying Trump's attacks on Cummings, his growing concern that the powerful committee chairman is using his oversight powers to investigate people close to him.
[Rep. Elijah Cummings:] It's not about not liking the president. It's about loving democracy. It's about loving our country. I'm begging the American people to pay attention to what is going on.
[Phillip:] Last week, Cummings said his committee will subpoena the text messages and e-mails of Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his daughter Ivanka Trump. Trump responding on social media, accusing Cummings of trying to hurt innocent people through oversight. And President Trump announced on Twitter this afternoon that he was meeting with a group that he called inner-city pastors. These are a group of pastors who support him and have been to the White House before. This meeting was planned a couple of weeks ago. But those pastors, some of them came out to reporters to defend President Trump against these allegations of racism. But they did not defend the specific comments that President Trump has been making all weekend about Elijah Cummings, Al Sharpton and the city of Baltimore Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Abby Phillip, thanks so much. And let's reiterate that the point that Abby made, but also Bill Kristol made on Twitter. Maeve, let me start with you. Bill Kristol, the conservative writer, tweeted: "What provoked Trump's attacks on Cummings? New facts about crime or poverty in Baltimore? Nope. It was that Cummings committee voted to subpoena work-related texts and e-mails on personal accounts by White House officials, including Ivanka and Jared." Do you agree? Is that what's behind all this?
[Maeve Reston, Cnn National Political Correspondent:] Well, clearly, that is what gets President Trump most upset. And but it's a really questionable strategy, in the sense that it brings on all the kinds of criticisms that are not helpful in terms of him appealing to the center of the country. But, I mean, he's always going after his political enemies and whoever has been you know after him last, as he sees it.
[Tapper:] And, Rick Santorum, let me ask you. I mean, he does go after his political enemies, whether it's Bill de Blasio or Adam Schiff, et cetera.
[Rick Santorum, Cnn Commentator:] I know all about.
[Reston:] As an enemy.
[Tapper:] But a lot of people, look at the way he goes after people of color, the way he attacks them, go back where you came from, rat- and rodent-infested district, no human being would want to live there, not the kind of rhetoric that I have heard you use. And you have been in this game for a long time.
[Santorum:] No. Look, I'm not going to condone the president's rhetoric here. I know the president is upset when you go after his family. He feels like he's been unjustly assaulted for now two-plus years, and particularly his family has been put put in that spotlight. The other thing, though, I do believe this president because I have talked to a lot of people around him and people that work with him. I do believe this president believes that he is doing more for the African-American and minority community than any other president in a long time. If you look at the economic numbers, they're strong. He feels very strongly that he has a case to make here. And so by pointing this out, inarticulately, he's really following up on a strategy which he believes he thinks he can go into these communities and say, look, I'm the person that's delivered for this community. And you have had these people who've been there for 25 or 30 or 40 years and look at the situation and look at what I'm doing and try to draw that contrast. He hasn't drawn it very well, in my opinion. I think he gets the personal animus in the way. But I think he has a good point to make.
[Tapper:] But, Mayor Gillum, if that's what the president said, what Senator Santorum had just said, I don't think there would have been the uproar that there's been after going after the Squad and about Elijah Cummings.
[Andrew Gillum , Former Florida Gubernatorial Candidate:] Well, there's also should be huge debate over what exactly has the president done for communities of color. He has incited situations of racism, where people are going into public spaces, restaurants at gas stations, being told to go back to their country. They are being called the N-word. There are videos that are endlessly online that basically trigger people of color to feel very, very insecure right now in this country. That's what the president has done. This is an environment of his total and complete making. This is also not just a response to people challenging the president's children. When I ran for governor of Florida, he said that I was mayor of the most dangerous city in America, in spite of the fact that I presided over a 20-year low in our violent crime rate. Now, what the president probably didn't know is that I was the mayor of a city that was almost 70 percent white. He assumed that, as a black mayor, probably, I was running a city that had crime infestations all over. Well, if the president wants to be offended by his children, he should look first to Jared Kushner and the units that he runs in Baltimore, Maryland, that have had hundreds of violations against them as a slum lord.
[Tapper:] We will get to that in the next block. But I think, look, nobody, including and especially the mayor of Baltimore and people who live in Baltimore, would deny that Baltimore is a city that needs help and has problems. Senator I'm sorry Jen, let me show you this tweet from President Trump. It says: "Crazy Bernie Sanders recently equated the city of Baltimore to a Third World country. Based on that statement, I assume that Bernie must now be labeled a racist, just as a Republican would if he used that term and standard." Here is a little clip on Bernie Sanders after his visit to Baltimore in 2015. Take a listen.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] Anyone who took the walk that we took around this neighborhood would not think you're in a wealthy nation. You would think that you were in a Third World country.
[Tapper:] But there is a difference.
[Jen Psaki, Cnn Political Commentator:] Of course. And, look, I think everybody should be focused on helping people in the inner city of Baltimore get the help they need. People would like more jobs. They'd like health care. They'd like all sorts of benefits that the government could certainly support. But there is a commonality and ability pattern with President Trump here. And I think that's important context. He's not attacking the Republican governors of eight of the poorest states in the country that are predominantly white. He's not attacking them. He's not attacking white Republicans who oversee states and rural communities that also have high levels of poverty, even higher...
[Tapper:] Like Kentucky.
[Psaki:] Like Kentucky.
[Tapper:] Mitch McConnell's home state.
[Santorum:] Because they're not attacking him.
[Gillum:] But that doesn't give you permission.
[Santorum:] That's the way the president fights back, I mean, the reality is. And contrary to what you're saying, Andrew, the presidents has done a lot, if you look at African-American poverty and wages and Hispanic wages, and poverty, he has done a great job...
[Gillum:] He has benefited greatly from the economy that Obama set up for eight years.
[Santorum:] Obama blamed Bush forever. And now you're going to take credit.
[Tapper:] Let's take a quick break.
[Santorum:] Come on.
[Tapper:] While President Trump says no human being wants to live in Baltimore, thousands of human beings call the Kushner Company their landlord in the Baltimore area, and they claim they lack proper plumbing and have rats in the ceiling their story next. Plus, just a day away from the Democratic debate, Senator Kamala Harris unveiling a new health care plan, one that keeps private insurance. We will hear what Senator Bernie Sanders has to think. That's next. Stay with us.

[Unidentified Male:] Devastation. World War 3.
[Unidentified Female:] Rounds of relentless storms are showing no sign of letting up.
[Unidentified Male:] Nothing left of that house. Just crumbled completely.
[Unidentified Female:] It ripped the roof off. And I was just holding my kids as tight as I could.
[Rep. Justin Amash:] Clearly, things that violate the public trust are impeachable.
[Unidentified Male:] He is putting his job on the line to hold the president to account.
[Unidentified Female:] How can you become a Democrat when we voted for you as a Republican?
[Unidentified Male:] That's Justin Amash alone. Where is anybody else within the Republican conference?
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, May 29, 6 a.m. here in New York. And we do start with breaking news for you. Because more than 39 million people face the threat of tornadoes today. That's from Dallas to Pennsylvania and even places that rarely experience tornadoes like Washington, D.C., New Jersey, even New York City are on alert. Tornadoes have hit the United States for 13 consecutive days, which is highly unusual. The latest twister wreaked havoc in the Kansas City area. You can check out this massive cloud. This is in Linwood, Kansas. The area no match for this monster storm. From the mayor there tells CNN that dozens of homes are, quote, "all gone."
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] The other severe weather threat: historic flooding in Arkansas and Oklahoma. More rain expected to fall on the Arkansas River, which is reaching levels that have not been seen in decades. Hundreds of homes have already been flooded near Tulsa. We're hearing of two levees already being topped in Arkansas. We have it all covered. Let's begin with CNN's Scott McLean. He is live in Linwood, Kansas, surveying the damage there. Scott, what do you see?
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey, John. We don't know exactly how long this tornado was on the ground for. But we know that it was long enough to do a heck of a lot of damage. This was an EF-3, meaning wind speeds more than 136 miles per hour. Now, if there is any good news here, it's that we are in a lesser populated area just on the outskirts of Linwood, Kansas, where it is hard to believe that, under this pile of wood and debris, well, that is somebody's house. That is what is left of their belongings. You can see over here, this might have been the garage, but it's hard to tell. We think that there was also a house back there that was destroyed. And check out that tree, just completely snapped in half. And let me show you, over here, as well. You can see this tree, this row of trees really completely snapped and then look at this. This is an RV that has been completely turned over upside-down. We don't know where it was, where it came from, how it got there. But it gives you a sense of just how strong this storm was. Now, May is typically the worst month for tornadoes. This May has been especially bad.
[Mclean:] Severe storms sweeping through the Midwest and heartland to the East Coast, hammering millions and leaving behind a path of destruction, the 13th day in a row that tornadoes have touched down in the United States. A large and powerful tornado ripping through the Kansas City area on Tuesday night.
[Unidentified Male:] Nothing left of that house. Just crumbled completely.
[Mclean:] The storm creating a heartbreaking reality for many residents here, completely stripping the side of this house, its bed and bathroom now visible from the sidewalk. This father's home levelled but grateful to have survived the storm with his family.
[Unidentified Male:] We were underneath the one part of the house that can't get taken. I feel lucky I'm alive. So I mean, how much luckier can you be?
[Mclean:] Take a look from above, a bird's eye view inside ruined homes. The storm ravaging Douglas County, Kansas, injuring at least 12 people and destroying stretches of homes and businesses, leaving behind giant piles of debris.
[Unidentified Male:] Just imagine what the people inside of that house went through.
[Mclean:] Another tornado confirmed overnight in Pennsylvania.
[Unidentified Female:] And what I thought was leaves circling was actually shingles.
[Mclean:] Ripping through this town, uprooting trees and damaging several homes.
[Unidentified Male:] When you drive around and see the destruction, you really realize how lucky we are that nobody was hurt.
[Mclean:] The cleanup is just beginning in the Dayton area after Monday's devastating tornadoes. The rebuilding there could take years.
[Unidentified Male:] Devastation. World War 3. It's tough.
[Mclean:] At least eight confirmed tornadoes touching down in Ohio this week.
[Unidentified Female:] It just came through like a freight train, and it seemed like it lasted forever. I was just holding my kids as tight as I could.
[Mclean:] The storm gutting this home with its ceiling fan still holding onto what's left of the structure.
[Unidentified Male:] We went through, looked at house after house. And you wonder how anybody came out of those houses alive.
[Mclean:] Now, at last count there were 5,000 people in this area still without power from last night. Luckily, this tornado seemed to break apart before it reached the Kansas City area. But sirens did go off there. We could hear them from our hotel on the north end of town. There were also alerts and warnings sent out on people's phones, as well. The airport, people there, they were actually sheltering in tunnels under the parking garage. The runway was also closed off for some time because of the debris that was landing on it, they think, from this area about 50 miles away. They were finding parts of houses, even kitchen items that had ended up on that runway. It took them more than four hours to get back to normal. For the people here, though, obviously, Alisyn, normal is still a very, very long way off.
[Camerota:] Absolutely. We can see that behind you. Scott, thank you very much for all that reporting from the ground. Emergency officials are keeping an eye on the Arkansas River, which is expected to crest at record levels today. The historic flooding is testing levees and putting communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma on high alert. CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in Tulsa with more. What are they expecting there today, Ed?
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Alisyn. Well, residents here in eastern Oklahoma and in the Fort Smith, Arkansas, area watching the skies today, waiting to see what kind of rainfall will come. And depending on where the rainfall lands will really kind of dictate just how much worse this flooding is going to be. So it's really kind of hard to pinpoint at this point. All of the water along the Arkansas River being released from the Keystone Dam. Right now, about 275,000 cubic feet of water being released per second. That's the equivalent of three Olympic-sized pools coming out of those flood gates every second. And we are standing on the edge of the Arkansas River here in Tulsa. In the microphone here, you might be able to hear just the rapid roar of this river and the intensity of this current, that it is flowing downstream from Tulsa all the way to Fort Smith, Arkansas. And that is really wreaking havoc in many communities, the small communities between those two cities. So residents along here say they are preparing for the worst. Emergency officials have been urging people to be ready to move quickly if need be. The good news is, is that the mayor of Tulsa is saying that the levees are withstanding the pressure of all this water very well. So there haven't been any reports of damages to the levees and that sort of thing. So that is the good news as people here wait to see how much rain is going to fall John and Alisyn.
[Berman:] All right. Ed Lavandera in Tulsa. Ed, we can absolutely hear the water rushing behind you. Please be careful there. Overnight Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made clear he will be bound by nothing, including his own precedent, when deciding whether to confirm a Supreme Court nominee during an election year. This is what he said overnight.
[Unidentified Male:] If a Supreme Court justice was to die next year, what would you do?
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] I would fill it.
[Berman:] You hear the laugh there? This will be news to Merrick Garland. In a far cry from what McConnell said in 2016 when then President Obama nominated Garland during an election year.
[Mcconnell:] All we are doing, Chris, is following a longstanding tradition of not filling vacancies on the Supreme Court in the middle of a presidential election year.
[Berman:] So a spokesman for McConnell says the difference now, compared to three years ago, is that in 2016 the White House was controlled by a Democrat, the Senate by Republicans. This time, both the White House and Senate are controlled by the GOP. Plenty of Democrats are slamming McConnell as a hypocrite, including much of the 2020 Democratic field.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] Well, he also said he will fill it, but that actually is the job of the president of the United States, not Mitch McConnell. So we also have to do a little history about the division of responsibilities between the United States Congress and the executive branch.
[Gov. Steve Bullock , Presidential Candidate:] I've argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. I want to believe that it's a nonpolitical organization and that politics are checked at the door of the courthouse. But when you're seeing things like that and hearing things like that from Senator McConnell, that's no longer the case. And we could and should do better.
[Berman:] Look, it was a sham when McConnell claimed there was an historical precedent to not confirm someone in 2016. He said there's a long tradition. There was no tradition of it. The issue is, is that Mitch McConnell is going to do what he can. The strong do as they will. The weak suffer as they must, as Thucydides said. And he's going to he's going to get it done.
[Camerota:] Obviously. I mean, proudly. He's boldly saying that. And of course, how can people not see it as hypocrisy when they're changing their own equation midstream.
[Berman:] And I will say this. I'll say there's every reason to expect that if, for some reason, a Democrat does take the White House and Republicans maintain control of the Senate, if a Democrat nominates a justice, there's no reason to think McConnell will confirm that justice in year one
[Camerota:] Absolutely.
[Berman:] of an administration.
[Camerota:] Great point, absolutely. All right. Meanwhile, listen to this. Michigan Congressman Justin Amash hosting his first town hall since becoming the sole Republican in Congress to say that President Trump committed impeachable offenses. How did that go over with his constituents? Well, you can see last night, Amash got a standing ovation.
[Amash:] Thank you. Thanks.
[Camerota:] He says many of his fellow Republicans believe he is right but will not say it publicly. Amash told his audience that Congress cannot be passive observers. He also says that he heard from critics.
[Amash:] Robert Mueller very clearly identifies and analyzes a number of instances, several instances of obstruction of justice. He really left it to Congress to come to a determination on these issues. I think it's really important that we do our job as a Congress, that we not allow misconduct to go undeterred, that we not just say someone can violate the public trust and that there are no consequences to it.
[Unidentified Female:] I have been your supporter since you started running for Congress. And I can't even tell you how disappointed I am. How can you become a Democrat when we voted for you as a Republican? Because you just drink the same Kool-Aid as all the Democrats.
[Camerota:] I want to hear the answer to that. That was a tease. CNN's Haley Byrd was at Amash's town hall last night. She is live for us in Grand Rapids, Michigan. So Hailey, what did you make of the reception that he got last night?
[Haley Byrd, Cnn Correspondent:] Right. So it was really interesting. I think a lot of people expected this town hall to be a lot like the, you know, outrage and furor over the town halls during the health care debate in 2017. And so people expected people to come into this and sort of harass Amash over this stance that he's taken. But instead, he was greeted with this standing ovation, and the crowd was largely friendly to him. Like that woman that you just played, she was heckled throughout her her conversation with him. And people told her to move on. And people laughed at her when she invoked Hillary Clinton and the deep state. The people who spoke to me at the town hall, many of them were Democrats who were there to support Amash. And the dynamic was so prevalent that the few people who did oppose Amash on this, you know, said, "I'm more nervous now, because trI expected a lot of Trump supporters to be here and they're not." So it went a lot better than Amash and his team probably expected it to.
[Camerota:] That's interesting. Because if the place was packed with Democrats, then obviously, that's sort of a self-selecting group, and that would explain the standing ovation. So I think it is important for us to figure out how many, you know, Trump supporters. We saw the woman there in the MAGA hat. How many Trump supporters, how many Republicans, but I don't think we know the answer to that yet. But Congressman Amash has said that President Trump committed impeachable offenses, but he has not signed onto any impeachment resolutions yet. So what comes next for him?
[Byrd:] So last night Amash urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move forward with an impeachment inquiry. He said it would be appropriate to do that, and he hasn't signed onto any impeachment resolutions. But last week, he told me, you know, "If I do want to sign onto one of those things, I'd want to make sure that I agree with everything in it and all of their reasoning." And Amash has been slowly laying out, you know, the specifics of his stance and his reasoning on this over the past few days, the past week while he's been doing these tweet threads. And so if he moves forward with anything, it would probably be on his own. The crowd, when he talked about impeachment, those were his biggest applause lines. He you know, he stayed the same on his policy positions and, you know, he's still the same conservative libertarian that he's always been. But he is getting support from, you know, people on the left and even some moderate Democrats here in Grand Rapids for this position.
[Camerota:] Haley Byrd, thank you so much for being our eyes and ears on the ground in that town hall. We really appreciate that. But that's interesting, John. I just want I need, like, Harry Enten to tell us what the breakdown of the audience was last night.
[Berman:] Right.
[Camerota:] Because if he was just preaching to Democrats, that's a different story than if all of his Republican constituents were there and applauded.
[Berman:] It was a little bit of both. It was a little bit of both. But what's clear is he wasn't ridden out of town, exactly.
[Camerota:] Good point.
[Berman:] All right. Overnight, new twists in the battle between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden is back on the campaign trail. CNN's Jessica Dean live in Washington with the very latest here. The president continues to hit at Biden, and Biden, to an extent, welcomes it.
[Jessica Dean, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, continuing to hit back, John. And good morning to both of you. It's great to be with you. Yes, now we're hearing from Joe Biden's campaign after a weekend while the president was overseas of hearing him, seeing him tweet about Joe Biden. Well, here's what Joe Biden's campaign is saying. This coming from his deputy campaign manager yesterday. She says, "To be on foreign soil on Memorial Day, and to side repeatedly with a murderous dictator against a fellow American and former vice president speaks for itself." Then we heard from President Trump again. He went on tweeting, as well, saying he was actually sticking up for Joe Biden, saying, "Kim Jong-un called him a," quote, "'low-I.Q. idiot'and many other things, whereas I related the quote of Chairman Kim as a much softer," quote, "'low I.Q. individual.'Who could possibly be upset with that?" So this continues to go back and forth. And I thin, as you all mentioned on the program yesterday, as President Trump continues to hit at Vice President Joe Biden, it almost elevates Joe Biden to cement that frontrunner status to have the president continuing to go after him. Now, all of this happening while the former vice president was in Texas, unveiling his first major policy proposal, this one surrounding education. He did a town hall yesterday with his wife, a teacher for many years, Dr. Jill Biden, and also with the American Federation of Teachers. This plan triples federal funding for low-income schools. It fixed the public service loan forgiveness program, helping teachers pay off student debt, among many other things. And Alisyn, now the former vice president continues on in Texas to Dallas. We'll hear more about this plan today, as well.
[Camerota:] OK. Jessica Dean, thank you very much for all of that reporting. So, so many of you watched Arwa Damon's live shots for us yesterday after she went to base camp of Mount Everest. So the government of Nepal may now announce soon changes as the death toll of the climbers on Mount Everest continues to rise. Arwa Damon is back with us live from Nepal, next.

[Cooper:] As we monitor the shootings in Philadelphia where six officers have been shot, the shooter is still, or shooters, the police aren't sure, still apparently barricaded in a house. We also want to bring to your attention, new comments from Iowa Congressman Steve King. The controversial Republican faces new calls to resign tonight after his stunning comments about rape and incest. The pressure is coming not only from Democrats, but Republicans like Liz Cheney, the third highest ranking GOP House member. She describes his remarks as appalling and bizarre. Today in front of an Iowa audience, King questioned whether there would be any population left if not for rape and incest. It's part of his case for banning abortions, including those involving rape and incest. Listen.
[Rep. Steve King:] What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that? Considering all the wars and all the rape and pillage that's taken place? And whatever happened to culture after society, I know I can't certify that, that I'm not part of a product of that.
[Cooper:] Spends a lot of time thinking about rape and incest. Just months ago, the House GOP stripped King of all his committee assignments after he made racist comments, defending white supremacy. King insisted he was misquoted back then and he wasn't. With me now is CNN Political Analyst Kirsten Powers and former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent. Kirsten, I mean, I don't even know what the question would be but yet again, you know, here is Steve King talking and saying just stuff that's unbelievable.
[Kirsten Powers, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes. Yes. Well, you know, and he was according to a website in Iowa, he was confronted by a constituent who was upset about this, who was a school teacher who said, "I heard your comments earlier. I have a 10-year-old student who's impregnated by her uncle, so are you saying that that 10-year- old should have to carry that, you know, pregnancy to term?" And he according to the reporting, was very taken aback and said, "I've never heard, you know, such an extreme case." But of course, there was a case that was national news about an 11- year-old in Ohio who was raped by a 26-year-old who got pregnant when there was the heartbeat bill that passed. So, he does not even follow news in Iowa around these issues and yet he feels that he can opine about whether or not, you know, there should be rape or incest exception. I think that, you know, these kinds of decisions should not be made by people like Steve King. These kinds of decisions should be made by the person who is affected by it and I think that this explanation that he has given us, this sort of a historical explanation that we're all products of rape and incest really doesn't cut it.
[Cooper:] Congressman Dent, I mean, you worked with Congressman King in the House. In private, is he as offensive as he is seemingly willingly in public and I'm just wondering what you make of these latest comments.
[Charlie Dent, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, on a personal level he can be gregarious and friendly, but these remarks are just so outlandish. They're out of bounds, out of control. I mean, you wonder if he's out of his mind. You know, this brings back, you know, the Todd Akin moments, Roy Moore, you know, and Trent Franks who all made similarly ridiculous comments about rape or women. And what happens now is, of course, other Republicans get tagged by the Democrats with these kinds of outrageous remarks, just as Republicans tag Democrats when the squad or some Democratic socialists say something absurd. That's what is happening. And, frankly, I've been through this enough. I was there when people were talking about these legitimate rape, forcible rape, rapes reported within 48 hours, incest should be illegal against minors but not against an 18-year-old, ridiculous things. And the party has to get away from this stuff because its killing us among women in this country, particularly suburban women and hurting us recruit Republican women candidates.
[Cooper:] Kirsten
[Powers:] I think
[Cooper:] Go ahead.
[Powers:] Yes. I think it's killing you among sane people. You know, it's not just women. And the problem with, you know, however nice he is in private, he in addition to these kinds of comments, he has a long history, a vehemently racist comments. You know, I mean, really I mean, it's going on for so long, it's going on as long as I've been following him in the news. And this is something that the Republican Party has tolerated and even to invoke the squad as if they could even be anywhere in the same, you know, realm of Steve King. I mean, we can argue separately if they should even you know, if any of the criticisms are even valid against them. But even if they were, like you cannot even mention them in the same breath with Steve King. And the Republican Party has gone after these women, you know, who are referred to as the squad, you know, for making, you know, a comment here, a comment there. This is a man who has a long record, you know, of making vehemently racist comments. He has been out open about his racism and now he is talking about just saying crazy things. I don't know what else to call this, crazy things about one of the worst things that could happen to a woman or to a girl to have to face an unwanted pregnancy that is the result of either being raped by a family member or by another person.
[Cooper:] Yes. I mean, Congressman, does it surprise you that he continues to get reelected? I mean, I know it's clearly a conservative area but, you know, there are sensible people.
[Dent:] I've always been surprised he's been able to hang on. He represents Western Iowa, a very conservative area. This is an overwhelming Republican constituency, but he's had some tight races. He has a very serious primary now because of this and other issues. And I agree with Kirsten, like this is out of bounds. I mean, this is crazy. And I think most Republicans want him to go away, that means they want him to resign. But he's not going to do that. They defrocked him. But he you know, he has won and it's surprising to me that he has but I think he's finally he's going to probably at the end of the line this time. I think they're going to get him in the primary.
[Cooper:] We'll see. Charlie Dent, thank you, Kirsten Powers as well. Just ahead, more breaking news out of Philadelphia police in that standoff, at least one suspect after six officers were shot. We'll have the latest.

[Cabrera:] Welcome back. I want to go back to New York, a city still trying to reopen. The number of new cases of COVID-19 in New York continues to drop with only occasional spikes. So in an effort to avoid bringing large crowds together, the Macy's fireworks show has been held over a series of nights this year, beginning this past Monday at secret locations and times. CNN's Alison Kosik joins us now. But, Alison, tonight's the big finale. So what can we expect?
[Alison Kosik, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Ana, I think this time around, I think we're going to see much more toned-down celebrations just because of how the Macy's fireworks show already has handled the event. You know, usually, New Yorkers, you know, they try to find a nice rooftop to stand on or a nice spot to gather in. Not this year, though. No, not this year because I think this year is about more socially distant fireworks. You still will see a show. There is going to be action in the skies tonight but the show's going to be much shorter because of what you talked about there. Macy's actually began with this show last Monday all the way through last night. It held these surprise little bursts of fireworks, kind of surprise shows all over the five boroughs of New York. The whole point of this is to have these mini-shows to give a show, of course, to all the New Yorkers out there but especially to remain socially distant. Macy's putting out the following statement, saying: To encourage and support COVID-19 safety and social distancing efforts and mitigate the advance gathering of large crowds for an extended period of time, we have chosen to delight New Yorkers with unannounced displays across the five boroughs this year. Now, those little shows reportedly happened much higher than the usual fireworks show with heights of 1,000 feet or even more. The idea here was to give more people a chance who were still in their homes, a chance to see the dazzling lights in the sky Ana.
[Cabrera:] All right, Alison Kosik, a creative idea. Thank you. Of course, this is a Fourth of July like none we've experienced before. The tradition of the big fireworks displays, minimal this year. In fact, "The New York Times" reports 80 percent of holiday fireworks celebrations have been canceled across the country amid the fears that packed gatherings could become hot spots for new outbreaks. So perhaps no surprise, sales of at-home fireworks are surging. Steve Houser is the president of the national fireworks association and joins us now. Steve, what are you finding when it comes to those sales and use of fireworks, and if more people are firing off fireworks tonight at home with social distancing in effect? Do you see this as a benefit for communities or a recipe for disaster?
[Steve Houser, President, National Fireworks Association:] Well, I think the reason we're seeing such a pronounced increase in consumer fireworks consumption, Ana, is because of the, you know, the COVID restrictions that they're coming out from, and what we're seeing is it's just coincidental with the Fourth of July. And so this is the first big holiday that citizens have had. As far as, you know, those communities and those folks doing them in those communities, we're excited about it. And that's one of the reasons we're happy to be here today is to stress the need for safety and good practical use of consumer fireworks because, when used properly, they can be very, very safe.
[Cabrera:] OK, so walk us through what everyone needs to be talking about in order to stay safe.
[Houser:] OK, the first thing that we always recommend is that you need to be familiar with your local laws and ordinances. Make sure you're doing what you can do legally and responsibly. Secondly, we want everybody to always read the instructions that are on the fireworks. And behind me on the graphic, what we've got is a listing of kind of the NFA's top 10. Always block and brace your fireworks. Make sure that you are taking additional precautions to keep them from tipping. Never try to relight a dud firework. Never point fireworks at people. Never hold them in your hand. And always use them as directed on the packaging.
[Cabrera:] The Fourth of July, of course, is a barbecue and beer holiday. How much of a factor is alcohol consumption in the injuries you see?
[Houser:] I'm glad you asked that question, because, you know, that's another one of our recommendations is to always have a designated shooter. I actually reviewed the recent CPSC report on accidents, and the serious accidents, one of the common denominators was there was alcohol involved in them. So we strongly recommend having a designated shooter and adult supervision at all fireworks gatherings.
[Cabrera:] Is there such a thing as a foolproof firework?
[Houser:] Oh, I don't know. That's a that's a good question. One of the things our industry is doing in terms of fireworks is we're trying to innovate and make safer products. You know, one of the things that we saw brought to market last year was a cool spark version of a sparkler to where the sparks aren't hot. It's not a metallic-style sparkler. And at the end of its use, it's kind of gone away. There's nothing left to burn or hurt anybody. So, you know, that's what we're trying to think about as an industry is to produce safe products for the consumer public.
[Cabrera:] Not everyone is so keen on fireworks. Those who may suffer from PTS considering this a high-stress time. Pet owners see their pets in distress. What can someone do to be, I guess, more considerate while enjoying the holiday?
[Houser:] Well, those are good, valid points. And you know, we actually, here at my company, introduced a line of fireworks this year specifically designed for those people. They're quiet bursting fireworks in the sky. So, they're what we call low noise, subtle fireworks, if you will. There's also, in our industry and you see it at our trade shows a lot there are products out there for pets to calm them. And you know, that's very important. We see those vendors at our trade shows and our gatherings and our expos. So, the industry is mindful of it. We know that fireworks do come with some inherent noise. But you know, we always just try to be good neighbors and try to do everything we possibly can to put the products in the hand of people.
[Cabrera:] Steve Houser, I really do appreciate all the information you provided. Safety first, obviously, is so crucial.
[Houser:] Absolutely.
[Cabrera:] Good to have you here. Happy Fourth.
[Houser:] Happy Fourth. Thank you so much.
[Cabrera:] Thank you. We've got you covered on this Fourth of July, including fireworks, in an all-star musical line-up with Jewel, Barry Manilow, C.C. Winans, Don McLean, and many more. Don Lemon, Dana Bash will host CNN's "FOURTH OF JULY IN AMERICA," live tonight starting at 8:00 Eastern. We'll be checking in with them a little bit later as well. These are live pictures from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where, in just a few hours, different eras of fighter jets, bombers and helicopters will fly over the nation's capital. More on what you can expect to see tonight, just ahead.

[Camerota:] New this morning, CNN has learned that Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley did not give the White House a heads-up before releasing a video in which he admits it was a mistake to do this, what you're seeing on your screen, and to appear in this controversial photo op last week with President Trump. CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon with more. What does this mean, Barbara?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, good morning, Alisyn. Our congressional team being told by two sources that Milley did not seek the White House's permission or warn them this was coming. He didn't have to, really. He can be an independent voice. He had already he was apologizing for appearing in that walk across Lafayette Park as because he felt it showed that he might have been involved in what turned out to be a political event. Hard to, you know, fathom that he would then go to the political side of the house to seek approval for an apology for all of that. And this morning he is getting critical support from Senator Lindsey Graham, a key ally of President Trump. Senator Graham, in a statement saying, and I quote, I have nothing but deep admiration and total confidence in General Milley as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I support his statement in both substance and spirit regarding the recent presidential visit to St. John's, the church. General Milley is a tremendous military leader who understands the long tradition of maintaining and apolitical, non-partisan military. And, of course, that was the object of General Milley's apology. This morning, the Pentagon is beginning what they call an after action review, looking at the entire deployment of National Guard across cities in the United States where they were called to help out in this unrest situation. Defense Secretary Mark Esper ordering the review, wanting to get a clearer picture of everything that transpired. And there's good reason because, still, so many Americans believe, even though there were no active duty troops on the street, this turned out to be a militarized operation. Alisyn.
[Camerota:] And, Barbara, just remarkable to hear him say out loud, you know, I made a mistake, I shouldn't have done this, I'm paraphrasing, but a public apology seems to be out of favor in some quarters and so it was just remarkable to hear all of that from him. Thank you very much.
[Starr:] Sure.
[Camerota:] So one NFL coach says he regrets not signing Colin Kaepernick and at least one other team is interested in bringing him back. So we have all the details in the "Bleacher Report," next.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] Hi there. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thank you for being with me. Breaking news: In the race for the White House. After months of speculation, guessing games and endless attempts to read the 2020 tea leaves, Joe Biden is set to make his third White House bid official this Thursday. Sources tell CNN that the former Vice President will make the announcement in an online video before holding his first campaign event in Pittsburgh on Monday. From there, Biden will go on a tour of key early voting states that's Iowa, South Carolina, New Hampshire in the coming days and new poll suggests Democratic voters will welcome the former Vice President to the ever expanding presidential field, at least that's according to the latest numbers from Monmouth. Check it out for yourself here, which shows Biden hanging on to his lead and edging out Bernie Sanders who comes in and number two. Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senators Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren round out the top five and all three are in single digits in that poll. Josh Green is Bloomberg Businessweek's national correspondent and CNN political analyst and Maeve Reston is our CNN national political reporter. So welcome. Welcome to both of you. And we'll get to we'll get to the other Democrats here in just a second. But first, let's just hone in on Joe Biden. So he's jumping in the race. It is really happening. It is happening this week, Josh, so let me start with you. You know, he has been at the top of the polls even before jumping in, so what does he need to do once he's in to maintain that lead in the most diverse presidential field in modern U.S. history?
[Josh Green, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I think the first thing he's got to do is show that he belongs in the modern Democratic Party and that is a party that is more progressive. It is more focused on people of color issues, of social justice, issues of economic populism than the party that Joe Biden came up. And we've seen the problems that caused for him, the #MeToo problems also, he's got to get out there on the campaign trail and show that he can be a viable candidate. That the goodwill that has pushed him to the top of the polls among Democratic electorate is going to stay there and grow once they get a taste of Joe Biden as presidential candidate.
[Baldwin:] Whose path to the nomination, Maeve, just got a bit harder once he's officially in?
[Maeve Reston, Cnn National Political Reporter:] Well, I think that's an open question right now, Brooke, potentially all of them. But the questions that you have here for Joe Biden are, you know, not just about what policies he's going to be putting forward and the kinds of apologies that he may have to make for his past positions on things like the crime bill, but also how he justifies being the best candidate to go up against Trump when you clearly see a Democratic Party that is that is hungry, potentially to see a woman leading the ticket. And you know also, he has not shown us in many years what he can do with small donors. Will he be able to demonstrate that enthusiasm? That grassroots organization that is that so many of these other candidates have tapped into particularly like Bernie Sanders? But it's going to be a fight for those voters and he we don't know exactly which lane he's even going to fit into, yet, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Okay, so that happens Thursday. Let's roll back to last night. So we had this huge night here on CNN Town Hall after Town Hall. I want to start with Senator Elizabeth Warren because she did this deep dive on her policy ideas, including her plan to use a wealth tax to pay for it. Here she was.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] If we put that two cent wealth tax in place on the 75,000 largest fortunes in this country, two cents, we can do universal childcare for every baby zero to five, universal pre-K, universal college, and knock back the student loan debt burden for 95 percent of our students and still have nearly a trillion dollars left over.
[Baldwin:] So juxtapose those details with what we heard from Mayor Pete Buttigieg last night. You know, he said that there's still plenty of time to reveal his positions. Here's what he said.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Anchor:] Your campaign Web site, it's got a lot about who you are, what you believe in. It doesn't have anything specific about policy like nothing. There's no policy section on it. At what point do you need to start actually presenting specific policies and a whole policy platform?
[Pete Buttigieg, , Mayor, Presidential Candidate:] I think I've been pretty clear where I stand on the major issues. We will continue to roll out specific policy proposals, too, but I also think it's important that we not drown people in minutiae before we've vindicated the values that animate our policies.
[Baldwin:] So Josh on the minutia, which do you think American voters would rather have? Someone who doesn't do a deep dive on the minutia, on the specifics, but does plan to roll them out or someone who has all these specific policy ideas up front, but the ideas are majorly expensive?
[Green:] Well, I think at some point, voters want to know that a President has a set of policies and an idea of what he is going to do and how he or she is going to pay for it before they'll vote for them as nominees. I mean, Buttigieg is new to the scene, and evidently making a bet that he doesn't have to supply those details yet. Warren has made precisely the opposite bet. From the get-go, she was first into the race. She wanted to set the tone of the of the primary race and I think she did by focusing on issues of wealth and billionaires and now that's broadened into student loan debt, all sorts of other things. And you saw in the Town Hall I traveled with Warren over the weekend during her kind of impeachment tour up in New Hampshire. And she is fully fluent on every issue that voters could ask. Part of the vetting in her campaign was they wanted to get her out there. Get her exposed to voters and to reporters so that you would be comfortable in these kinds of environments. I think the Town Hall last night showed that at this point in the race, she is and that she is more comfortable answering these questions than some other candidates like Buttigieg.
[Baldwin:] Well, let's get into some of the other candidates, actually, if I may, Maeve, because that just drives me into my question for you being in California, you've been covering Senator Harris a lot Kamala Harris. And this seems to be sort of her go-to response when asked about a multitude of issues.
[Unidentified Female:] Do you believe that Americans should have the right to vote at age 16?
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] I'm really interested in having that conversation.
[Don Lemon, Cnn Anchor:] Senator, yes or no? Do you support financial reparations?
[Harris:] I support that we study that. We should study it and see.
[Lemon:] Elizabeth Warren is here as you know, she said that she supports student loan forgiveness for 42 million Americans?
[Harris:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Would you go that far? Do you support that?
[Harris:] Well, I support anything that is about reducing the debt of student loans, and I think that's an important conversation to have.
[Lemon:] People who are convicted in prison, like the Boston Marathon bomber on death row, people who are convicted of sexual assault, they should be able to vote?
[Harris:] I think we should have that conversation.
[Baldwin:] All right, so Maeve, you see where I'm going. Let me also though caveat that by saying Senator Harris did lay out specifics when it came to gun control last night.
[Reston:] She did. She did.
[Baldwin:] But on the on the debate stage, you know, you have to respond in real time. How many more times can kind of default answer be, "We should have that conversation"? How many more times will that be sufficient?
[Reston:] Well, it's so funny, Brooke, I did write about this last night because that is what I call her graceful dodge. She does this all the time on the campaign trail when voters ask her questions where she's not quite sure what position she's going to stake out yet, but she wants to kind of convey the idea that she might be on your side. So you hear that phrase over and over again with her and it's part of her trademark caution that we've seen throughout her career and what I think could actually be a big problem for her going down the line. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders they just answer those questions flat out last night, a lot of them. With Bernie Sanders, we even saw potentially something that will come back to haunt him. But I don't think that voters really like that kind of caution. They want someone to really lay out at least kind of what they're thinking. And she often has gone back and you know, looked at the polls and talked to advisers and is just really careful about these kinds of questions. And is that what voters are going to want? I don't know.
[Baldwin:] Yes, it's a great question. Everyone watching is the ones to decide. We'll have more clips from last night's Town Halls, guys. Maeve and Josh, thank you all so much for analyzing some of that with me. Meantime, days after its release, Jared Kushner is speaking publicly for the first time on the Mueller report and the President's son-in- law and senior adviser is downplaying the Special Counsel's findings about how Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. According to Kushner, while speaking today at the "Time" 100 Summit, Russia's interference amounted to a few Facebook ads.
[Jared Kushner, President Trump Senior Adviser:] Quite frankly, the whole thing is just a big distraction for the country, and you look at, you know, what Russia did, you know buying some Facebook ads to try to sow dissent and do it and it's a terrible thing, but I think the investigations and all of the speculation that's happened for the last two years has had a much harsher impact on democracy than a couple of Facebook ads.
[Baldwin:] "A couple of Facebook ads," he says. Let's hear the facts. The Mueller report paints a much different picture. It cites how a Russian troll group, the Internet Research Agency engaged in a year's long campaign to sow discord in the U.S. and to eventually support Trump's election. Not to mention, this conclusion directly coming from a report and I quote, "The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systemic fashion." Phil Mudd is our CNN counterterrorism analyst and a former CIA and former FBI official and Phil Mudd, you know, when you listen to Jared Kushner, it's an age old concept, if you don't first recognize the problem, how are you supposed to solve the problem?
[Philip Mudd, Cnn Counterterrorism Analyst:] I think that's right. I think one of the ways to look at this, Brooke, is to take politics out of this if you're Republican or Democrat that pretty much decides how you view this issue. For a moment, I'd say let's go back five years before the age of Trump.
[Mudd:] And let's say somebody walked into your newsroom and said a hostile foreign intelligence service is going to steal information, massive amounts of information from one candidate, that hostile intelligence service is going to introduce that information into America by the hundreds of thousands of Facebook placements. That service is going to approach American campaign officials, including those close to a presidential candidate who will appear willing to accept hostile information from a rival power, and then you conclude by saying, and the U.S. government should not look into that. Boy, if you take the politics out of it, I don't know how you say it was not worth investigating, especially when you get information that is so precise that allows you to indict members of the Russian GRU. It looks simple to me, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] We just heard last week, CIA Director Gina Haspel commit to paying more attention to Russia but when you listen to Jared Kushner today, does it sound to you like the Trump campaign will take those threats more seriously?
[Mudd:] I don't think so. I mean, one of the ironies of this is the Trump campaign saying, "Boy, I wish Obama had done more. This is really at his doorstep." And from day one, Trump saying during his pre-inauguration intelligence briefings, I don't believe this that much. After his inauguration, obviously, spending a lot more time vilifying the investigation than talking to the American people, including during midterms, when his own administration said, the Russians are still coming after us, more time talking about Mueller than he did talking about us. If you couple that with Rudy Giuliani saying in the past couple of days, maybe it's okay to accept Russian information. Boy, any national security professional is going to tell you politics aside, the President should be telling the American people, "Be careful."
[Baldwin:] And when you I know people stopped me in the street and they say, "Will my vote count in 2020?" How would you respond to that? Given all that we know.
[Mudd:] There's two separate issues here. One is whether you should be looking at information and being cautious about it. I don't even do Facebook and I would, the second is whether do you think American voting processes are secure? I look at what the Department of Homeland Security has done and the states have done across America, I would say yes much different opinion. I'd be worried about where you're getting your opinions from. Going to the voting booth, I'm going to go and I think we'll be okay.
[Baldwin:] Phil Mudd, thank you very much.
[Mudd:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] We've got some breaking news this afternoon. Up on Capitol Hill, House Democrats now say they may hold a former White House aide in contempt for ignoring their subpoena. We'll have a live report for you on that. Also what happened inside the White House last night? I mean, for 30 minutes, the President went on this wild tweet storm. And it is no secret, the President likes to insult the free press, but now we're learning the White House is actually telling administration officials to boycott the dinner celebrating the First Amendment. We'll be right back. You're watching CNN, I'm Brooke Baldwin.

[Robyn Curnow, Cnn Anchor:] Mrs. Merkel, will still be working though. She has banned gathering also of more than two people. Confirmed cases of covid-19 in Germany rose 12 percent between Saturday and Sunday. And global markets are certainly feeling the effects of a pandemic. DOW futures dropped by 900 points after the U.S. Senate failed to pass a stimulus package. In the Asian markets, take a look at this, the Hang Seng fell at open extending [inaudible] it have found itself in positive territory. Meanwhile, European started trading all in the red zone. And the London FTSE is also down nearly 5 percent. Across the U.S. the death toll has shot up to 413 with more than 34,000 infections. Natasha Chen shows us how the state and the federal government are now responding. Natasha.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] And through FEMA, the federal government will be funding 100 percent of the cost of deploying National Guard units.
[Natasha Chen, Cnn National Correspondent:] Sunday's announcement sends troops to Washington, California, and New York. The states hardest hit by the coronavirus. A move that comes one week into the White House's 15-day plan to slow the spread of the pandemic. In one week we've seen the number of cases in the U.S. go from 4,000 to more than 30,000 and the number of deaths have gone from 72 to at least 400. It's a signal that Americans may experience quarantined life far longer than 15 days.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] This is literally a matter of life and death. We get these facilities up, we get the supplies, we will save lives. If we don't
[Chen:] Governor Andrew Cuomo says 40 to 80 percent of people across New York he and other governors had been calling for more federal help.
[Unidentified Male:] We are getting some progress. Now, it's not nearly enough, it's not fast enough. We're way behind the curve.
[Trump:] And whatever the states can get they should be getting. I say we are sort of a backup for the states.
[Chen:] But the president did say deliveries of medical supplies and federal medical stations with thousands of beds will be going to the hardest hit states. So far the shortage of such resources has prompted a new directive in some jurisdictions to test only high priorities patients. Many hospitals have also stop performing elective surgeries. One health care system in New York is barring visitors from the maternity ward, no one but the mother giving birth. All the while, health providers on the frontlines are bracing themselves.
[Unidentified Male:] I'm afraid I'm going to get this virus. I'm going to try my hardest not to.
[Chen:] All of this makes Congress' stimulus package crucial.
[Unidentified Male:] Make no mistake about it, we'll be voting tomorrow.
[Chen:] But the fate he tested positive for coronavirus and several other GOP Senators are in absent. The bill will need serious bipartisan support to pass. And Democrats do not agree on details of the aid given to states and large industries.
[Unidentified Male:] There are issues that have not been resolved. There are serious issues.
[Unidentified Female:] The package that the Republicans has drawn up does nothing to help struggling workers. First responders need PPE, Personal Protective Equipment and resources today to and our hospitals and our first responders. There's nothing in it for them. And you know, and instead, it creates a $500 billion slush fund for Steve Mnuchin to, you know, hand out loans for corporations as he pleases.
[Chen:] Meanwhile, streets are growing quiet throughout the country. Even massive football stadiums are now becoming test sites. And as we continue facing this challenge in physical isolation, some like these high school students are finding ways to virtually stick together. Somewhere over the rainbow
[Cuomo:] America is America because we overcome adversity and challenges. We're going to overcome this and America will be the greater for it.
[Chen:] Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.
[Curnow:] In Spain the coronavirus death toll rose 30 percent from Saturday into Sunday with more than 1700 fatalities. So Spain is also starting to get out thousands of new rapid coronavirus detection kits. The country expects more tests from other European countries and China. Well, Al Goodman is joining us now from Madrid with more on all of that. This death toll though certainly very concerning. Hi, Al, good to see you.
[Al Goodman, Cnn Correspondent:] Hi, Robyn. Indeed, the death toll has really been shooting up. And in terms of the number of Spaniards infected, a significant number, 12 percent, 3400 people are medical workers. And some of them have been complaining since the outset of this crisis, either through their unions or even individually that they didn't have enough equipment. The protective masks, the gloves, the hospital gowns. So on Sunday, the Prime Minister announcing an extension of the state of emergency. That's the stay at home order you can see I'm right near at the Portugal, the center of the capital, extend this order, because the idea is keep people apart, to reduce the infections. Extended a month in all, taking out to Saturday, April 11th. The day before Easter. On those rapid testing kits, 650,000 of them are being rolled out this week, starting with the healthcare workers, then to senior citizens at the nursing homes. Those places have all been particularly hard hit. Many of the deaths coming from those places and then to the general population according to authorities. Also, the Madrid regional government, Madrid being the area hardest hit overall in all of Spain with the number of cases and the number of deaths bringing in a couple of plane loads of medical supplies, one of them from China arriving here by Tuesday. There will be respirators for the intensive care wards and those badly needed masks, gloves, and hospital gowns. Also as they ramp up the effort to get additional hospital beds, the 5500 bed provisional hospitals at the Madrid convention center is now operations and hotels that are empty, because of hospitals as well. Back to you, Robyn?
[Curnow:] That's interesting. Thanks so much for all your team there in Madrid. Still to come on CNN, Italy is tightening its lockdown as the coronavirus deaths skyrocket there. We are on that story. Plus, what lessons can the world learn from Italy as it desperately struggles to contain the virus. Here's what one teacher in lockdown is saying.
[Unidentified Female:] I would say to everybody else who maybe is about to follow this pattern that Italy has, just preempt it. Just stop the spread of the virus already.

[Curnow:] Here's some sports news for us. We don't have that a lot, do we these days? 41-year-old, Daniel Cormier will have the final fight of his career in the UFC on Saturday. Now the former two-time division world champion has only lost twice in his legendary career. And one of those losses was to the man he will face this weekend. So World Sports Don Riddell spoke with him about this upcoming match. Don?
[Daniel Cormier, Former Heavyweight Champion:] It's good, but it is also it's sad a bit. Right? Everybody's time comes to an end. And I don't think you ever made a professional athlete that truly wants to walk away. But you have to understand that there is a time for everything. You know, I'm 41 years old. You know I get to fight the heavyweight championship of the world. And I couldn't have imagined going out with a better situation to become a champion again. So, it's a bittersweet, but, I think when you start thinking negative is when you become overwhelmed with sadness. I look forward to the next chapter, which I believe is going to be just as big as this one.
[Don Riddell, Cnn Correspondent:] Connor MacGregor retires all the time, and comes back all the time. So, is this definitely it for you?
[Cormier:] Yes, this will be it for me. You know, I'm not one of those guys that wants to go and come, go and come, go and come. At 31 years old, Connor can do that. You know, you can't do that when you are in your forties now. You know, you have to make a decision, and you stand firm with it.
[Riddell:] What do you think you are going to miss the most about this life that you've had now for so long?
[Cormier:] It's when you walk through the curtain. And there's 20,000 people in the arena just yelling, just screaming and going crazy. That energy is something that you will never be able to recreate, no matter what you do with the rest of your life. But I will miss that energy of being a fighter. The fight weeks, the buildup's, all these things that you take for granted while you're in it. You miss it whenever you are done.
[Riddell:] How much time have you given, in the last few years, to what your last flight is going to be like and feel like?
[Cormier:] Let me tell you something. I may have played out 1,000 scenarios. This was not one of them. Even in the midst of a pandemic with no fans fighting at the UFC Apex, in a 25 foot cage? That was the one thing I could have never imagined. I will be able to bask in the adoration of the fans. And that's OK. You know, because I've had that for 24 fights. You know, I've been able to compete in front of people. This time, I go do it with my army, with the soldier that I went to war with my coaches and we go capture another championship.
[Riddell:] So, this will be the final fight in a trilogy with Steve [inaudible]. Obviously, you know your opponent very, very well. Based on what has gone before, what are you expecting this time around?
[Cormier:] You know, I think that he's' going to come out and try to implement some of the same things that he did in the second fight that were successful for him. But I do anticipate some changes. You know, nobody tries to approach two fights in the same way. So, I expect him to change some things up, but I expect the hungry, strong, refreshed opponent in the Octagon on Saturday night.
[Riddell:] How often do you think about the way the second fight was going? Because you were looking good, right. And then it didn't end in your favor. Do you have any regrets about that?
[Cormier:] I do. You know, I mean, I think we regret a lot of things in life. You know I regret not being more prepared for the fight, for the long fight. I regret not keeping my hands up and fighting smart. You know, I regret going away from the game plan that my coaches set in front of me. You know, I was winning the fight, and it gave me confidence going into the third one.
[Curnow:] Thanks to Don Riddell for that report. Well, thanks for joining me, wherever you are in the world, I hope you have a beautiful day. I'm Robyn Curnow. I'm going to hand you over to Kim, right now. Enjoy.

[Zakaria:] And we are back with the Trump administration's economic and trade adviser to the president, Peter Navarro. Peter, in that interview with Neil Cavuto on the 25th of April, you said, when asked when Cavuto asked you how do you explain the president's many, many statements praising the Chinese. It's not you know, it's not one, two, three, it's tweet after tweet saying they've been transparent, praising Xi Jinping, thanking the Chinese for their cooperation. You said, well, there's a difference between public pronouncements and what you actually know. Are you implying that the president's tweets are not truthful?
[Navarro:] Fareed, look, President Donald J. Trump has made it a practice of getting along with world leaders, including Xi Jinping, Putin, Merkel, all the leaders in the world. And it's useful when push comes to shove for the president to be able to pick that phone up and talk directly to the leaders. That's all I'm saying. I can also tell you that there's no one who understands the China problem better and longer than Donald J. Trump. He precedes me in terms of my research dating back to the early 2000s in understanding the problems with China. So, please, let's not go there. But one of the things I'd love to talk about, because I'm not into the gloom and doom stuff, is something that happened Wednesday, Fareed, which I think is a historical event. I was in Kokomo with the vice president visiting a plant. There was a combined venture with General Motors and a small high tech company from Seattle called Ventec, and I saw the future. I saw a president who had created the strongest economy in the world, have a pathway to rebuilding this economy, which now has manufactured unemployment, but which will have a manufacturing renaissance. And here's what happened. The short story is 17 days it took for GM and Ventec to stand up a factory and an additional three days for UPS and Admiral Polowczyk and FEMA to get those ventilators into hospitals in Gary and Chicago. Here's the bigger story, what GM did was they went to Ventec's facility, 3-D imaged that. And then they 3-D imaged all 700 components of Ventec's supply chain. And they immediately replicated that plant in Kokomo. They went across their whole supply chain, repurposed that supply chain to make those 700 components. And those ventilators were made in 17 days, made in USA. 97 percent of the content that was in those ventilators was made in the USA. What does that tell me as an economist? It tells me that as we move through the structural shifts we're going to have to navigate very carefully as the world has shifted and the economy has shifted, we see a path forward with this repurposing. The innovation, the manufacturing, the flexibility and the speed with which this was done was breathtaking. And I found it comical that a day which will be marked in the history books, on Wednesday, was not marked in the newspapers. All the newspapers wanted to talk about is who and who wasn't wearing masks that day. But that, Fareed, when you go back in time 50 years from now, that will be the turning point in the recovery of the American economy, bringing its manufacturing capacity onshore and basically restoring this economy in a manufacturing economy that will make us stronger and more resilient.
[Zakaria:] All right. Well, you got a chance to tell that story. So let me ask you, every expert says that if we're going to open up, you need testing. You need testing on a mass scale, you need testing where people are getting prioritized correctly, access for those who need it. And most people Bill Gates was on the show last week, said the U.S. testing our system is chaotic. Let me give you the test per thousand. Even now, when the administration and President Trump is touting the testing as great success, here's where we are. We're testing 20 per thousand. Iceland tests 146 per thousand. Germany 30, Russia, 27, Italy, 34, Australia 23. Should we really be at the back of the list on testing if we're going to open up the economy?
[Navarro:] I think that you might be challenged on those statistics by some others in the administration. But let me look at this, Fareed, from where I sit. My mission here at the administration during this pandemic has been to focus on making sure we have a supply chain that delivers things like testing and ventilators. So if you take the case of the ventilators, six weeks ago, people were saying we didn't have enough ventilators, and what I was doing across the street working with FEMA and HHS and people here in the building was making sure we did. And now by June we're going to have over 100,000 ventilators. Nobody who needed a ventilator has been denied one. Now with testing, Fareed, it's important, there's virus testing, there's also antibodies testing. The more we can do of each over time the more we'll be able to surveil and protect the American people to keep our workplaces open. The good news here, and it's a very good news, is just as with ventilators, as that curve went up, with production, we are doing the same with virus testing and antibodies testing. So I see a bright future ahead on that as we move into the summer and a way to a possible problem in the fall, we are doing what we need to do as fast as we can do it.
[Zakaria:] Well, Peter, we are out of time. And I really enjoyed having this conversation. I hope we can have more. I continue to feel that the countries that seem to read your memo, even you know, even though it wasn't meant for them metaphorically, the South Koreans, the Taiwans, the Hong Kongs, the Singapores of the world seemed to have done well by reacting quickly. And I just wish we had reacted as quickly as they did.
[Navarro:] We think we did. We're acting quickly and as President Donald J. Trump moves stuff in Trump time, we are moving mountains in this crisis.
[Zakaria:] We will
[Navarro:] And Fareed, I appreciate the time today. I appreciate it, sir.
[Zakaria:] We would love to have you back. Thank you, sir.
[Navarro:] Any time.
[Zakaria:] Now, if you are wondering what the world will look like post- lockdown, so are we. And next week, we will bring you a special that looks at just that. What economics, politics, cities, and life in general will look like. It is called "POST COVID-19 WORLD." And it will air next Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. Next on GPS, did you know there is a Western country that essentially never locked down and its COVID rates didn't skyrocket? We will take you to Sweden when we come back.
[Zakaria, Gps:] And now to the very curious case of Sweden. The Nordic nation has not subscribed to most of the lockdown measures that the rest of the western world indeed much of the world has adhered to. If you're hungry, you can go to a restaurant in Sweden. Thirsty, the bars are open as well. You need a hair cut? Not a problem. Just go to the next barbershop or salon. As for kids, the young ones at least are still in school. The result, the death rate in Sweden is higher than in neighboring countries but not as high as Spain and Italy for instance. Parts of the scientific community in Sweden have been up in arms, but the man who came up with this approach is a scientist as well. That man is Anders Tegnell, he is Sweden's Chief Epidemiologist and he joins me now. Dr. Tegnell, pleasure to have you on. Let me ask to begin thank you. Let me ask you to begin by explaining very simply why did you decide, contravention of almost every other major country that you did not need to do a lockdown in Sweden?
[Dr. Anders Tegnell, Swedish State Epidemiologist:] I think because we really from very early on thought we would achieve the same kind of effect using the normal Swedish system for public health and working a lot with quarantine measures working a lot with giving a lot of responsibilities to individuals in our country.
[Zakaria:] And does that mean you think that you can achieve a large part of what you need to do that in other words, you can flatten the curve enough by just putting out some guidelines and you don't have to shut schools, you don't have to shut restaurants, et cetera? In other words you get enough bangs for the buck, as it were?
[Tegnell:] Yes. I think so. I think so far six, seven weeks into the epidemic in Sweden, we have managed to do that. We have a very flat curve. Our health system is still working. It's a tough time for them, but they have never been overburdened. Actually, at any given time there has been at least 20 percent of the ICU beds have been empty. Traveling in Sweden has been kept down by at least 90 percent. A lot of people are staying home. Our yearly flu epidemic usually lasts six or eight weeks suddenly it stopped after four weeks when we instituted these measures. So I think we get a lot of effect from the things we did.
[Zakaria:] Can you explain the death rate? Because you have in Sweden a death rate that is a good bit higher than in your neighboring countries, though as we pointed out not compared to the worst countries in Europe but why do you think was there you know, did this kind of is this an unintended or accidental occurrence or is it, you know, is it a cost you had to pay?
[Tegnell:] It's certainly an unintended occurrence. It's not something we counted on. Not something we wanted. There are two different reasons for this. One is that actually our incidence in Sweden has been much higher than in neighboring countries. We're quite sure about that. Our testing capacity has been limited. And I think the number of people in Sweden that has been infected so far has been quite a lot greater than our neighboring countries. That's one part of the answer. The other part is an unfortunate number of introductions of the disease into our elderly in Sweden that caused a very high level of mortality in those places. And that's been very unfortunate. But a large part of our mortality has taken place in those institutions.
[Zakaria:] So, do you think that that means we should be approaching this disease slightly differently, particularly as we move into opening up in the rest of the world, which is there should be greater emphases in terms of guidelines and quarantine measures for older people? Because in much of the western world, at least, 80 percent to 90 percent of the hospitalizations seem to be for people who are over 60 or 65 so rather than quarantining everybody, in a sense, is there a way to be a little bit more form in the quarantine measures for those people who are really at risk?
[Tegnell:] Yes, I think so. We are all learning as we go with this disease, it keeps on surprising us in different ways. But I also think you really need to adapt measures to your to the way your country works. I think that's what we have done in Sweden. We used to use we normally use in public health and I think that's the reason why it works so reasonably well so far.
[Zakaria:] What is your reaction to the American strategy of handling the Coronavirus?
[Tegnell:] I think from my point of view, I don't know the details, you had an unfortunate start. I think that's you can tell countries who had an unfortunate start like Italy and a few others. Then you're quickly getting into major problems. When you have an able to sort of keep it reasonably low for some time, they can adapt and get your hospital system to scale up, get your testing system to scale up. And so it's a lot easier to handle it even also then you will have high mortality and a lot of cases and a strain on your health system. But if you miss it in the very beginning then this disease can really cause havoc.
[Zakaria:] Do you think that having a highly decentralized health care system like the way the United States does makes it harder? I notice when looking at your system, you're able to make very quick and efficient decisions from the center.
[Tegnell:] Yes. But that's only a part of it. Even in Sweden being small we also have a highly decentralized system, but the resource of possibility and there's a lot experience on working together when we have to. So even if it's highly decentralized, all the decisions are taken up in the regions. There are 20 regions in Sweden. Still, when we have this kind of crisis, we all come together and work together. So it looks like we're having a lot of critical decisions taken at national level, but actually all of them need to be repeated at the local level.
[Zakaria:] Would it be fair to say that your basic strategy was to try to find some way to deal with the Coronavirus that where you allowed the maximum amount of economic activity while still getting the curve down so that it was sort of sustainable?
[Tegnell:] Economic activity never played into our decisions. It has, of course, played into the government's decision. It is the government in the end that takes the decision. But our advice to the government has been completely focused on public health. But sustainability is the important part of it. So we all knew from the beginning that this was going to be long haul. We're going to have to live with this virus, with this disease for a long time. So we need to find solutions that we can keep on doing for a long time. We all know that we can't close schools for months. We can't close borders for months and these kinds of things. So we tried to work start working with things that we believe are sustainable for a long time and then maybe add a few things when if it gets out of hand that we can have for a shorter time but to really start with the things that we can keep on doing.
[Zakaria:] Dr. Tegnell pleasure to have you on, sir.
[Tegnell:] Thank you.
[Zakaria:] Next on "GPS" more on President Trump blaming and shaming China. My next guests will explain what effect Donald Trump's words have had on the Asian American Community. That story when we come back.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] I never imagined I would have, and you have embraced this show in a way that no one thought you would. So, thank you, thank you for giving us the chance. Thank you for giving me a chance. And thank you for watching. CNN Tonight with the upgrade Laura Coates in for D. Lemon, right now.
[Laura Coates, Cnn:] Chris, that was beautiful. Thank you.
[Cuomo:] Thank you.
[Coates:] Thank you for that. That was so touching all week long, you know, I look forward to hearing your life lessons and what's yet to come. I did make you a cake. But unfortunately, I love cake, and so I ate the cake.
[Cuomo:] Good.
[Coates:] But I thought of while I ate the cake.
[Cuomo:] You did me a favor. You did me a favor, because it's the last thing I need right now. I'm shape like the wrong kind of fruit.
[Coates:] It was a great cake.
[Cuomo:] I believe it.
[Coates:] And I really did think of you as the frosting you know, every there and all the crumbs, but I want you to know that all the crumbs that you think you're giving people are really so much more and you are so humble. And I appreciate you so much, and I wish you the happiest of birthdays. I'm not Marilyn Monroe despite the dress, so I'm not going to sing to you, but happy birthday.
[Cuomo:] Let me tell you something, when you are as an inspiration, it is a great, great ability as an anchor to have someone they know they can lean on with tough questions in tough situations, and get an analysis that will drive a conversation forward. That's why you are one of our best, thank you for being good to me, I know Don appreciate you being here as well, although, man are you an upgrade.
[Coates:] Well, I appreciate all of you, and thank you and happy birthday. I wish you the best.
[Cuomo:] Thank you very much 50 years. Fair and it still holds, look at that.
[Coates:] 50 years, and not a day over 22. Look at that. It's all you. It's beautiful.
[Cuomo:] I paid a lot of money for that rug. A lot of money.
[Coates:] I really feel like if at 50 all of the sudden you're going to come in with a red tie and then we're going to see something.
[Cuomo:] You have right, it will be extra-long to make me look slim. Have a good night.
[Coates:] Thank you, you too have a great weekend. And this is CNN Tonight. I am Laura Coates in for the great Don Lemon. And with the coronavirus death toll in this country now passing 161,000, as we are on the verge of 5 million cases, the president suddenly throws together a press conference. Not at the White House where you might expect the president of the United States to give the country important news, or even the work in during the crisis, but instead at his [inaudible] New Jersey golf club. Roping in a bunch of members who pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to be at that club what was essentially nothing but a campaign appearance. Those members not socially distanced, most not wearing masks until reporters started tweeting pictures. That's when White House staffers suddenly started handing out masks. Putting on a show, while Americans suffer and die. And just listen to the president's excuse for not following New Jersey's guidelines.
[Unidentified Male:] Just in this room you have dozens of people that are not following the guidelines in New Jersey which say you should not have more than
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] [Inaudible] you're wrong on that, because it's a political activity. They have exceptions, political activity and it's also a peaceful protest.
[Coates:] Wait a minute, I thought he said it was a press conference? Now he admits it's a political activity. And then goes on to say it's a peaceful protest. A peaceful protest. So now peaceful protests justify breaking the rules? Well he sure didn't feel that way when he had those peaceful protesters gassed in Lafayette Park. So he could have his photo up on the steps of St. Johns Church. Stalling with the bible. The president also claimed and he is going to take executive action, including a payroll tax deferment extending unemployment benefits and extending an eviction moratorium. If that is Congress doesn't make a deal on COVID relief. He made a lot of promises, but he did not actually sign a thing. And it's not at all clear frankly that he has even the authority to do any of this, but he doesn't really seem to care.
[Unidentified Female:] Are you concerned about the reality of [inaudible]
[Trump:] No. Not at all. No. Well, you always get sued, I mean, everything you do you get sued. I was sued on the travel ban, and we won. I was sued on a lot of things and we won. So, we'll see. Yes, probably we get sued, but people feel that we can do it.
[Coates:] It's just another show. His new campaign manager has said their goal is to win every day between now and election day. But when your focus is winning days, instead of saving lives, well this is what happens. The president also bragging about adding jobs.
[Trump:] We added 1.8 million new jobs in July, exceeding predictions for the third month in a row. And adding a total of over 9.3 million jobs since May.
[Coates:] Look, adding jobs is a good thing. But those 9.3 million jobs the president is touting, more like 9.1, he's ignoring the fact that the economy shed some 22 million jobs in March and April. So we're actually still down, 12.9 million jobs during the pandemic. A pandemic, that's affected nearly 5 million Americans and killed more than 161,000. And all of those people out of work, they need a deal made. Isn't that supposed to be your specialty? I'm want to talk about the president's news conference tonight with CNN White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy, I'm glad that you are here tonight, to give us the story and tell us what happened. I mean, the president did not as we know, he didn't actually sign an order. And frankly Jeremy, it's not at all clear that he can do the things that he is saying. So, this must be about the campaign?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, I think its twofold Laura, I think that the president here is trying to increase the pressure on Democrats in order to actually get this phase force stimulus deal done. Keep in mind these two sides, despite more than 20 hours of negotiations over the last two weeks, are still more than one trillion dollars apart. So, I do think there is a part of this were the president and his team have repeatedly been waving the executive orders over the negotiators heads, to try and pressure something, but so far it doesn't seem to be working. And that's really were you get to the other side of this, which that it is political. It is the presidents telling his supporters look, the Democrats aren't able to do this. The Democrats won't give us a deal. And so I am going to act unilaterally to take care of you the American people. I do think that's part of the president's political objective here. But that brings us to the next question which is something you raised, which is the notion of does the president actually have the authority to do this. And it is not clear at this point that the president does have that authority specifically when you are talking about taxing power which is typically the power of Congress. And the president here talking about suspending the payroll tax. That seems unclear and the White House so far hasn't provided any details on exactly what mechanisms the president would use to get that done unilaterally.
[Coates:] Well, I mean, the constitutional devil is in those details. Is it not, but before the event tonight, Jeremy the president to the crowd at his golf club and he actually was caught on a hot mic explaining what he was about to do. Listen to this.
[Trump:] Hello everybody, hello everybody. Thank you, so, we are going to do a press conference and I thought you were here you might as well come in and see. You will get to meet the fake news tonight.
[Coates:] Enjoy it. Enjoy it. So, this is why the president wanted to do this, Jeremy?
[Diamond:] Yes. Look, this is vintage Trump, and if you had any question about the extent to which the president misses his political rallies, you've got a pretty clear indication today because what you saw the president do during his quote unquote news conference was really deliver a campaign rally speech. Except his audience rather than the thousands of people he typically likes to see in a crowd, was about a dozen reporters and a few dozen members of his personal golf club. And frankly, this reminded me of those days back during the 2016 campaign, when the president had these victory nights, where he also did the same thing. They were quote unquote press conferences, but also packed with a couple dozen members of a Pina Gallery, who would be cheering him on during these addresses. And so the president certainly here is reveling in the showmanship, and it is a big part of it, right? Beyond the policy of this, beyond the executive order, beyond what this could do to potentially help Americans and address the situation with this deadlock in Congress, the president is putting on a show here. And I think it was pretty clear.
[Coates:] It is indeed, thank you Jeremy so much. And I can't even believe that he says we have a lot of good news. Enjoy it. Well, now I want to bring in Toluse Olorunnipa who is White House reporter for the Washington Post who was at the president news conference. Toluse, I'm so glad to see you tonight. It's always a pleasure to talk to you. You know, you are the reporter who actually press the president over his club members violating social distancing guidelines. And is see that your screen is a little back to the future [inaudible], you're trying to disappear for us but I know you'll be back. And you said he said it was a peaceful protest, and so they can freely violate the state of New Jersey's rules apparently it's considered a peaceful protest all of a sudden? When did that happen?
[Toluse Olorunnipa, Cnn Political Analsyt:] Yes, I try to ask the president about why he was holding this essentially a small rally of upwards of 100 people in an indoor space at his New Jersey golf course even though the New Jersey guidelines say you really should have more than 25 people in any room even if it's a political event you should have more than 100 people in the room. And in doing so, you should have people social distancing, wearing masks, and that just wasn't happening. So, I try to ask the president about this, he shot back that this was a peaceful protest, and this was allowed, and that essentially people were wearing masks, obviously when people first came in they were not wearing masks. Somebody from his staff saw that, you know, reporters were reporting that they were violating all these New Jersey guidelines, and then all of a sudden, they got some masks and handed them all out. And people started wearing masks, but they were still huddled together. It was still sort of a super spreader kind of events. That type of thing that public health guidelines say you should not be doing. And there was no real purpose for it. Those people did not have to be in the room, the president was not announcing anything major or significant. And he actually put them at risk by having them all gathered in there. And he put himself at risk by being in the same room with people who have not been tested who are gathering together and potentially having the virus spread in his own club. And it was not showing a good example for the rest of the country about what how business owners should be operating and how, you know, the public should be operating, holding nonessential meetings and nonessential gatherings of large groups of people who are not wearing masks.
[Coates:] I'm glad you mentioned the point of nonessential meeting. Because I repeat, the president did not issue an executive order, it wasn't as if he was giving some breaking news. He was talking about the issues and he was, well, a little bit skirting the issues as well. But tell me, we could see the reaction of the crowd as much. We heard the soundbite where they reacting to the idea of fake news as he calls it being in the room, what was the reaction of the audience members who were gathered there in a non-socially distance way, what was the reaction during his speech? And as he calls a peaceful protest and gathering?
[Olorunnipa:] Well it was nothing like the big rallies that Jeremy talked about, where you have thousands of people who are amped up and energize. People came in early. They had their wine glasses and they seemed to be serve like a Friday evening soiree. Where people were just having a good calm evening. But after the evening kept going for minutes upon minutes, I think he spoke for upwards of 45 minutes, even before he took questions. It started to get a little long, long winded and some of the people seem like they were kind of shifting on their feet. I saw some of the children start to sit on the floor. It was not a lot of call and response, not a lot of clapping or cheering during the president speech. It was only at the end where he started going after the media and attacking that the crowd really got engaged. But it did seem like the president does miss those big rallies were he's able to get that feedback from his supporters. That wasn't this. You had, you know, sort of, wealthy country club goers who spent a lot of time just sort of standing there listening to the president waiting for him to wrap up. And towards the end, it seems like they were kind of lost interest and there wasn't a lot of energy in the room. And you know, all of that for the fact that they were also sort of risking their health by being.
[Coates:] Toluse, thank you so much. All in search of instant gratification, but you know what would be instantly gratifying? If the numbers actually went down. Thank you for joining us. But joining me now, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner and political commentator Amanda Carpenter. So glad to see both of you here today. Haven't seen you Amanda in a while and good to see you. And I'm happy that you're here. Dr. Reiner, I want to begin with you, because you know, what did you think about the scene there at the presidents club tonight? I mean, it was obviously a peaceful protest, so what were your thoughts about the social distancing and the absence of masks initially?
[Jonathan Reiner, Cnn Medical Analyst:] Well, the president has a learning disorder. He just cannot get this right. And when he just cannot understand is that we are in a crisis. 1,200 people died today. That's eight 737s packed with our parents, and our brothers and sisters, and our grandparents, and our business partners, and our neighbors. And eight planes crashed today and will crash tomorrow and the day after the day after that, and a lot of the reason for that is lies at his feet. His failure to model leadership, to put the pandemic down. You know, his failure to model safe behavior outside, which is wearing a mask, encouraging your supporters to wear a mask, he brought supporters unmask to Tulsa in the middle of their highest outbreaks. He brought supporters to Phoenix, he brought supporters to Mount Rushmore. And today he brings supporters unmask to his own club. He just cannot get it right. And it would just be frustrating if it wasn't killing so many people. I don't understand it.
[Coates:] Eight planes. Every time I hear that or even think and contemplate that, my stomach sinks. And I think I'm watching a horror movie, but I'm actually watching the news. Amanda, how does it look at the president is giving the speech by the way on employment relief, but he is doing it from a private New Jersey golf club. Are the optics right here?
[Amanda Carpenter, Cnn Political Commentator:] Listen, this press conference speech rally show, whatever you want to call it was a disaster before he even started speaking. And that is because there were supporters there, not masked, not socially distanced distancing in violation of New Jersey law. Listen, were both moms, we have to mask up us and our children every time we go into the store. And so when you watch this, as a regular person, you just see these are people who played by different rules. They think this is a joke. They are going to go on to this golf club, they're going to have their wind. They're going to have a nice weekend. Meanwhile we are still locked up. And then Donald Trump stands up there, and he says the virus is disappearing, it's disappearing. That is not true. And then when you get to the meat of this press conference where he says he's going to take these unilateral actions to help alleviate people who have been impacted by coronavirus, what are you doing? He is on the golf course. Nobody is in Washington working on this, and he is on the golf course trying to give a speech in front of a bunch of supporters to make himself feel good and try to reset his campaign when he can't get away from this virus.
[Coates:] Every day would be an opportunity to use his golfing as analogy. It would be mulligan opportunity to get it right every day, but as Dr. Reiner's talking about every day he continues not to do it. Another question for you Amanda, you know, President Trump says that he's going to pursue executive action to do, well to do what Obamacare already does. Listen to this.
[Trump:] We will be pursuing a major executive order requiring health insurance companies to cover all pre-existing conditions for all of its customers, this has never been done before.
[Coates:] It's never been well, actually it has been done before and it's called Obamacare. And it's the law of the land, right as we speak on this Friday night, it already covers pre-existing conditions. So, can you explain that to me? Especially when you add that the Trump administration is fighting right in the courts to get rid of Obamacare?
[Carpenter:] I think there must be policy people giving him notes that don't understand what President Obama did or even what President Trump campaigned on in 2016. Republicans campaigned on repealing Obamacare. And now Donald Trump said he's going to write an executive order to reinforce the biggest plank of Obamacare. It makes no sense. What he said about unemployment, how he is going to unilaterally pursue unemployment and enhancements, it didn't make any sense. Because his economic team just this week has been saying, we are not going to give those people an extra $600 a week, because we are paying them to stay home. And now he stands up and cut the legs off from under them. So, this is a mess, if you're wondering why nothing is getting done in Washington, why there's gridlock? Trying to make sense of that press conference. Because I doubt their own communications team can right now.
[Coates:] And Dr. Reiner, of course as you know, I mean the numbers that you gave, we all shutter about tomorrow and the next day and the next day as we know what lies ahead. Unfortunately, what does not have to be, thank you to both of you, Dr. Reiner and Amanda Carpenter. I appreciate it. You know, major concerns over how to reopen schools. This as New York has given me all clear for in person learning. Next a top doctor weighs in on how to keep our kids safe. Plus a huge motorcycle rally kicks off in South Dakota, this is actually a live picture you are seeing. The biggest gathering in the U.S., since the pandemic began. And there is no mask rule.

[John Berman, Cnn:] More on our breaking news, as we report at the top of the program that after staying at sea for several days, the Grand Princess Cruise Ship has docked in Oakland, California, and some people have now been allowed to leave the ship. There are at least 21 people or there were at least 21 people on board with coronavirus. CNN's Nick Watt joins us now live from Oakland. Nick, what more do we know about who exactly is off the ship and who remains on board?
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, John, the headline is that this is going to take quite some time, 3500 people aboard that ship and everybody is going to get tested as they come up. So, the first priority was with people with acute medical requirements. They, we believe, are now off. Next up will be the 962 people aboard that ship who are California residents. There are buses waiting to take them to Travis Air Force Base where they will continue their 14-day quarantine. Others will head down to Miramar down in San Diego. Then residents other residents of the U.S. will get put on planes and taken to bases in Texas and Georgia. And also the U.S. government has been working with the Brits and the Canadians to get their nationals off this ship and out of this country as quickly as possible. They will be bussed onto the tarmac at local airports and put straight on charter planes back home as of the U.S. So, this will probably take a couple of days. They'll carry on for another couple of hours now until it gets dark. Then they say they will cease disembarkation overnight, start up again in the morning. Again, John, one other word we just heard from a Florida couple, they have already filed suit, looking for a million dollars in damages against the cruise lines, saying that the cruise lines put this ship to sea knowing that it was infected. The cruise line tells CNN that the safety and health of the passengers and crew is always paramount to them and they won't comment on ongoing litigation. John?
[Berman:] So Nick, the majority of people that tested positive for coronavirus, they're crew members. Will they be allowed to leave?
[Watt:] Right. They will not. Yes, you're right. Of the 46 tested, 21 were positive, 19 were crew. They will not be allowed off. Once all the passengers are off, that ship is going to go back out to sea where the crew will serve the rest of their quarantine away from everybody else. John.
[Berman:] All right, Nick Watt for us in Oakland. All right, Nick, thank you very much. One of the passengers aboard the grand princess is Kari Kolstoe, a 60- year-old woman from North Dakota who has a serious medical condition, separate and apart from coronavirus. She's been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and is supposed to be going home for treatment. She and her husband had planned the cruise as a vacation in between her radiation treatments. I spoke to Kari shortly before we came to air. So Kari, first of all, how are you doing? How do you feel? I see your smile. Is it genuine?
[Kari Kolstoe, Cancer Patient Who Just Left The Grand Princess Cruise Ship:] My smile is genuine right now. We've had a number of crying days this morning. I'm in a fair amount of pain and I had some pretty heavy duty painkillers. We earlier were given the understanding that I wasn't going to get off today, and so we are actually awaiting getting off the ship any time. They passed out masks and came in and got luggage and so I have no idea where I'm going, but any place off this ship would be great. I've got as the day goes on, the battle gets tough to bear with the pain. So, hopefully, we can hold it together long enough to get somewhere.
[Berman:] So just to be clear, you have been told you're getting off shortly, within hours, but have you no idea where you're going?
[Kolstoe:] That's correct. The only person I've seen or talked to is a man at 3:00 p.m. 3:00 a.m. in a hazmat suit. He identified himself as a physician and asked me questions about my medical needs. Other than that, through this ordeal I have talked or heard from no one.
[Berman:] So that person in a hazmat suit is the only person that's aware of your serious medical condition, correct?
[Kolstoe:] He's I believe they were notified by Senator Cramer's office and various other ways. But on the ship, the only person I've talked to is the man in the hazmat suit at 3:00 a.m.
[Berman:] And the doctors back in North Dakota, your doctors, what are they telling you now about your treatment? Will it start when you're in quarantine, wherever that might be?
[Kolstoe:] We have no real idea. We sure hope that's the plan, because it's imperative that I get both my radiation and my chemotherapy started as soon as possible. We know the cancer is growing. We're told to go ahead and go on the cruise by everybody, including my palliative care physicians. You know, when you have a chronic serious condition like I have, we're always weighing the risks versus what's right for our family and what's right for, you know, everyone else. I know there's lots of folks on this ship that have story and they all have a good story. And I don't expect to have preferential treatment, but I do expect that our story gets told too, and how I need to get this treatment.
[Berman:] What have you been doing the last few days to get through this? This trip was supposed to be the one that took your mind off your problems. So how have you been working through these last few days and how is your family holding up?
[Kolstoe:] Well, we are holdings up well. We have two grown daughters who are manning the dog and all the other things, the one back at home. They are, of course, frightened, but we are very faith-filled family. We believe that good will come out of this and that somehow we'll trust in God and something good will happen. Right now, it isn't terribly evident what that is, but we're hoping that we get some clarity to that soon.
[Berman:] Well, Kari, I can tell with you that smile, I know something good will happen. We wish you the best of luck and the best of health, wherever you may go. And I hope you find out where that is soon.
[Kolstoe:] We do, too. It's a little unnerving, but it's forward progress and that's all we're asking for.
[Berman:] Good luck. Thanks so much for speaking with us.
[Kolstoe:] Thank you.
[Berman:] So you heard, Kari, say they were hoping to get off the ship at any time. Well, we just got word at moments ago she was able to disembark the Grand Princess. We'll try to find out where she is headed. I'm sure she is trying to find out too. We will update you on her progress and, of course, we wish her all the best. Still more breaking news straight ahead, reaction to the alarming drop in the stock market today, why it happened and what might be in store for tomorrow.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] U.S. president Donald Trump lashes out on Twitter against a variety of targets, including former White House counsel, Don McGahn, for declining to clear Mr. Trump in public.
[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] Iran's president calling for national unity. The United States ramps up its military pressure in the Gulf.
[Allen:] Also this hour, dozens of nations agree to curb plastic waste. But guess which country isn't on the list? We take a look at the world's plastic crisis.
[Howell:] Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.
[Allen:] I'm Natalie Allen. NEWSROOM starts right now. Our top story, U.S. president Donald Trump wrapping up a busy week by lashing out at a former White House counsel, after reports that Don McGahn refused twice to say publicly that Mr. Trump did not obstruct justice. In a tweet, the president writes he was never a big fan of McGahn. He also denies he was going to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
[Howell:] That followed a Twitter tirade on Saturday morning. Mr. Trump sent 62 retweets in the space of an hour. Among the targets were the Mueller report and the Democrats. He also retweeted his favorite talking points on China, border protection and jobs. He is also focusing on the Democratic front-runner in next year's presidential race.
[Allen:] In a new interview with "Politico," the president says it would be appropriate for him to talk to his attorney general about launching a probe into former vice president Joe Biden.
[Howell:] This comes a day after President Trump's lawyer canceled the trip to Ukraine. Rudy Giuliani wanted that country to investigate Biden. But now Biden and other Democrats have responded. Our Sarah Westwood has that story from the White House.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] The president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, reversing his decision to go to Ukraine and discuss with Ukrainian officials something that might damage a potential 2020 rival for President Trump and that's former Vice President Joe Biden. Giuliani first defended his decision to make this trip before backtracking amid a massive backlash, with Democrats criticizing the trip overseas to work with foreign officials to gain information that might hurt someone who could run against the president in the next presidential election. Just for some context, this is all related to events that took place in 2016, when then Vice President Joe Biden was pushing to oust the top prosecutor in Ukraine. That prosecutor was investigating an energy company in which Hunter Biden, the son of the former vice president, had financial interests. And on Friday, Trump told "Politico" he thought he would be within his rights to ask attorney general Bill Barr to look into all this. Here's what he said. "Certainly, it would be an appropriate thing to speak to him about but I have not done that as of yet. It could be a very big situation." Now of course, Biden was not alone in calling for the removal of that Ukrainian official; there were a number of other Western leaders who were doing the same at the time. And there's no evidence that the actions Biden took were connected to his son's business activities. But before Giuliani abandoned his plans to go to Ukraine, Democratic senator Chris Murphy wrote a letter to the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asking him to press for more details about this trip. So Democrats were preparing to look into all this. It also came after Trump told "Politico" he planned to discuss the planned trip with Giuliani. And Biden's campaign responded to all of this on Saturday. A spokesman telling CNN that this was, quote, "a blatantly political smear from the Trump team." Sarah Westwood, CNN, the White House.
[Allen:] The past week certainly illustrates the fiery political climate in Washington and the growing chasm between the Trump administration and Congress. Things heated up on Tuesday, when the administration told former White House counsel Don McGahn to not comply with a subpoena to testify before Congress. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump took it a step further, invoking executive privilege over the entire Mueller report. Then a House committee voted to hold U.S. attorney general William Barr in contempt for refusing to turn over the full, unredacted Mueller report. And Wednesday is also when the Senate Intelligence Committee led by Republicans subpoenaed the president's son, Don Jr., to appear. And then on Thursday, President Trump changed his mind, again, on whether special counsel, Robert Mueller should testify before Congress. He now says it is up to the attorney general to decide. And finally, on Friday, the House issued subpoenas to the U.S. Treasury Secretary and the tax commissioner to get the last six years of Mr. Trump's taxes. Let's break all this down with Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham and founder and editor of "EA WorldView," joining us from Birmingham, England. Scott, thanks for being with us. All right, I want you to break down here good morning to you. Let's begin with Trump's comments about the former White House counsel, Don McGahn, saying he had a better chance of being fired than Robert Mueller, this after McGahn refused to say publicly that the president did not obstruct justice. Why is the president so fixated on this, given he was cleared by the attorney general?
[Scott Lucas, University Of Birmingham:] Because Donald Trump is highly worried that Don McGahn's testimony will back up the Mueller report's conclusion that Donald Trump obstructed or attempted to obstruct justice on occasions because Don McGahn is a central figure in some of those attempts, including the 2017 effort by Donald Trump to fire the special counsel, Robert Mueller. So it's not just Donald Trump but the entire White House, including its attorneys, that are going to try to keep McGahn and other witnesses from testifying because, amid the events you talked about, let's keep our eye on the ball. The fundamental is the revelations about the Mueller report about numerous contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials and about obstruction of justice are politically damaging, even if Robert Mueller said he could not recommend the indictment of a sitting president.
[Allen:] Meantime, a lawyer for President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, may have canceled his trip to Ukraine to have Joe Biden investigated. But the Democratic presidential candidate could still face an investigation after the president insisted it was an appropriate matter to discuss with his attorney general. Is it appropriate?
[Lucas:] Remember that phrase I just gave you? Keep your eye on the ball. Because this entire scheme by Rudy Giuliani, announcing the trip, then withdrawing, it is an attempt to diversion. It does two things, one is it's an attempt to damage Joe Biden, who Donald Trump sees as a threat in the 2020 election. But perhaps more important than that, it's part of this smokescreen, this, let's put it, exaggerated white lie, that the real story of 2016 was that Democrats were colluding with Ukrainian officials rather than the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with the Russians. So the more folks talk about Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, especially because it's a very complex matter involving Ukrainian politics, a battle between the prosecutor and legislators, the more you all talk about that, the more that Donald Trump and his folks hope that you won't be talking about the ongoing fallout from the Mueller report.
[Allen:] You know, we just outlined the week in Washington; every day we saw these developments. One thing is clear, the Trump administration intends to ignore the system of checks and balances central to government in the United States. He vows to "fight all the subpoenas," his words. In effect, as many are saying, he is putting the country in a constitutional crisis. "The Washington Post" penned a story. The headline was, "He is at war with Congress."
[Lucas:] This is not new. Donald Trump, since 2017, has tried to bypass Congress, has screamed and yelled if Congress stood in his way; for example, over ObamaCare. He tried to bypass the courts. He's done it on immigration, the environment, foreign policy and over the Mueller report. So when you are talking about a president and his advisers, who are refusing to answer subpoenas, instructing others to refuse subpoenas, not only over Trump-Russia but Jared Kushner's security clearance, over contacts with Saudi Arabia, even over the U.S. Census, either Donald Trump wins or the U.S. system wins. No in between.
[Allen:] Scott Lucas, we appreciate your insights. Thanks for being with us.
[Lucas:] Thank you.
[Howell:] Now to the trade war between the United States and China with talks at a standstill. The U.S. president is putting on his salesman hat to make a hard sell to Beijing. In a tweet, he wrote, "China should make a trade deal now. They will only get a worse deal if they wait" and if he wins re-election. So far, the hard sell does not appear to be working. China's top trade negotiator says the latest round of U.S. tariffs, a hike of 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion on Chinese imports must be rolled back before anything else can happen. Mr. Trump says big tariffs make the U.S. richer because he claims they are paid for by other countries. But that's not entirely accurate. Listen to this Republican congressman explain to my colleague John Berman what really happens.
[Rep. Will Hurd:] Ultimately, a tariff, if you think of a tariff like a sales tax.
[John Berman, Cnn:] On who?
[Hurd:] On American consumers. So it's going to be more expensive for Americans to buy products. So that is why this has a long-term impact on the U.S. economy.
[Allen:] Tariffs work like this. The U.S. imposes a tax or tariff on foreign goods. In this case, merchandise from China. The U.S. company importing the product then pays that duty to the U.S. government but it doesn't stop there. Many companies then pass that extra cost to consumers in the form of higher prices.
[Howell:] So consumers pay the price. You might be surprised how many common household items are already affected. These are a few examples here. According to Oxford Economics, the new tariffs could cost the average American family an extra $800 a year. Beijing is vowing to strike back against the U.S. Our Steven Jiang is following the story. Steven, it seems it comes down to who will blink first. Neither side is willing to budge. What can you tell us about how China might retaliate with counter measures to the U.S. tariffs?
[Steven Jiang, Cnn Senior Producer, Beijing Bureau:] So far, they have not announced any specifics but they can do a number of things, impose counter tariffs on U.S. imports. But not dollar for dollar because, remember, the Chinese import less from the U.S. than the other way around. So they are literally running out of American goods. They could also do a number of other things. They could reduce or cancel major purchases from the U.S., especially in terms of agricultural or energy products, which could hit hard the political base of Trump in the U.S. They could favor non-U.S. companies in terms of granting market access here in China. They could also launch unofficial retaliations to make life very difficult for American companies doing business here. We are talking sending inspectors or delaying the issuance of licenses or customs clearance.
[Howell:] Is there optimism in China that the U.S. would roll back the latest round of tariffs for things to continue?
[Jiang:] The interesting thing is both sides are still saying they are going to continue these negotiations. That's actually one point emphasized by the Chinese vice premier and the country's top trade negotiator in these most recent interviews. But it's hard to imagine to see how this process can move forward with both sides seemingly to have hardened their stances. Especially if you hear China, you see all the headlines are getting increasingly nationalistic, calling the U.S. a bully that's making unreasonable demands, saying China would never cave under extreme pressure or never make concessions on issues of principle. Some stories or commentaries even invoking memories of the Korean War, when the Chinese and U.S. military clashed.
[Howell:] All right, Steven Jiang, thank you so much.
[Allen:] The United States continues to put political as well as military pressure on Iran. But Iran's president says his country won't cave in. Next, we analyze the escalating tensions between the two nations. Plus
[Howell:] Protests, demonstrations in Albania turn violent over the weekend. What they are asking for ahead.

[Nobles:] Legendary civil rights icon and veteran Georgia Congressman John Lewis shocked the world with his stunning announcement Sunday that he's been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The 70-year-old congressman said he's in the biggest battle of his life, but he will not resign from office. He was diagnosed following a routine medical visit and will undergo treatment. Former President's Barack Obama and Bill Clinton along with countless others have expressed an overwhelming amount of support and prayers. Elizabeth Cohen, senior CNN medical correspondent, joins me now. Elizabeth, pancreatic cancer has been the third-leading cause of death from cancer in the U.S. Lewis is 79. What does a diagnosis like this mean for someone of his age?
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Ryan, this is a difficult diagnosis. And age makes it worse, but it's a difficult diagnosis for anyone. Let's take a look at what the statistics tell us. We know that Representative Lewis has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That's the most advanced stage. He's shared that with everyone. The average survival for someone with this cancer is only one year after nose is. Stage four means it's spread to other parts of the body. Sometimes to the lungs, the bones, the liver. This is a difficult diagnosis. The treatment for it can be difficult to endure. But the representatives have said that he, god willing, will be back on the front lines to fight.
[Nobles:] Cancer disproportionately affects African-Americans. Do we know why that is?
[Cohen:] You know, the statistics are consistent across various kind of cancers. African-Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and less likely to be successfully treated. There are many reasons. Sometimes it's genetic, for example, with prostate cancer or triple negative breast cancer, genetics plays a role. Economics play a role. When you don't have access to care, that means you're going to have a worse outcome. There's evidence that doctors can have racial biases. The care they're going to get is not going to be as good. All those factors put together lead to those statistics. The good news, the disparities, the differences between white people and black people, they're getting less significant the difference is getting smaller. That's a good thing.
[Nobles:] The congressman mentioned that recent medical advanced have made this cancer treatable. Tell us about those advances.
[Cohen:] About 10 years ago, you came up with a new chemotherapy. It did improve survival. However, just to be clear eyed And I use that term because Representative Lewis uses that term. These new kinds of chemotherapy increase survival by months, not years. They are better than what we used to have, but still it's hardly the treatment that anyone wants. Doctors are really fighting to do better than this.
[Nobles:] Elizabeth Cohen, he is obviously beloved by people from both sides of the political aisle. Everyone waiting anxiously as he attacks this next big fight of his life. Elizabeth, we appreciate it. Former President Jimmy Carter returned to the public spotlight Sunday for the first time since he had brain surgery last November. President Carter along with his wife attended Sunday services at their home church in Plains, Georgia. The couple sat in their usual front pew. Carter did not teach his regular Sunday school class. He was released from the hospital just before Thanksgiving after surgery to relieve pressure on his brain following a series of falls. Carter is a liver and brain cancer survivor. He's 95, and the oldest living former U.S. president. It's been nearly a month since the murder of college student, Tessa Majors, in New York. And the investigation is far from over. Why two boys who were questioned in the case haven't been charged.

[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Is the school ready to protect children and employees at higher risk for severe illness? Are you able to screen students and employees upon arrival for symptoms? If the answer to any of those questions is no, the CDC advises don't open. Could you guys meet all of that, do you think, by September?
[Alberto M. Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-dade County Public Schools:] Well, number one, thank you for the opportunity to have this important conversation with CNN. We will be able to implement the vast majority of those protocols if we receive the appropriate support, particularly from the federal government. We had already implemented
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Yes. And you make an important distinction there, right, you know, that education may begin, but the schools may not open to the same degree that we imagined. Debra, I have a question for you. This is the big one. And Poppy and I both have kids and our schools are making decisions and thinking about the fall. You know the big question here is, what is the risk to children, right? And I'm curious, what guidance you're getting on how at risk they are and then, of course, you have the component question, which is, even if children are more protected, you've got the teachers and the other staff to think about who are adults and who do have, you know, much greater risk from this.
[Debra Duardo, Superintendent Of Schools, Los Angeles County:] Right. So we're we're following the research that, you know, right now tells us that when students or children do get Covid, they're more likely to have a lesser negative response to it, although we know in similar situations children can get a more severe reaction. What we're really doing is making sure that we are mitigating those risks to the extent possible. And, you know, some of the questions that you asked about, when we're ready to open our doors, we need to make sure that we have the PPE equipment, that we have the disinfectants and the hand sanitizers. You know, a lot of those things right now are on backorder and they're difficult to stock our schools currently to make sure that our schools have all of the supplies that they need. So, in the meantime, we are continuing with our distance learning, with our online instruction and making sure that we're planning for when we do return to school, implementing all of the things that we can do to make sure that children are safe. There are challenges, you know, with physical distancing and young children wearing masks. And so we're planning now. We have task force of superintendents that are coming together and really thinking about how do we implemented the physical distancing and the safety precautions that the department of mental health the department of public health is asking us to implemented. But, you know, again, we need to make sure not only our children are safe, that our employees are safe. We have a lot of employees that fall into that high risk category.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] Alberto, one question to you, because we're looking at Miami- Dade and Broward County starting to reopen under phase one. You said something interesting recently, which is that the 2021 school year for some may actually start earlier than September. Are you looking at a July or August start date for some?
[Carvalho:] Yes. When I made that announcement it was really out of concern for what I believed would be an historic precedent setting academic regression. You know, we all know what the summer slide is, particularly fragile kids, poor kids, students with disabilities and English language learners, over the summer lose part of the learning from the previous year. Look, we have a significantly disruptive fourth quarter and now we're going to enter the summer, but we have to believe that these fragile children will lose a lot of academic ground. That is why we planned and are ready to implemented two summer virtual sessions for those students who are planning to bring 25 percent of our student population, the most at-risk students, back to school two weeks earlier. [009:35:01] That's about 46,000 students. We will be adding an additional hour of instruction for those same students and assigning virtual tutors and mentors to all of them. Now, the geography of where and how education will take place is still up in the air. There's a lot of uncertainty.
[Harlow:] Of course.
[Carvalho:] And I would not take a cavalier attitude, as Dr. Fauci said, when it comes to the health of children. There's a lot that we do not know and the decision to bring student's back into a physical environment shall be guided by science, medical opinion, and the best logistics on how to do it safely in Miami.
[Harlow:] Well, we wish you guys so much luck as you do that and thank you both for looking out for those most at risk children, especially, Debra, good luck. Alberto, we'll talk to you soon. Tomorrow, talking about students, CNN will honor the graduates of the 2020 class with a special two hour event starting with the "Class of 2020: In This Together" featuring Bill Clinton, Gal Gadot and more. And then join LeBron James and President Obama for "Graduate Together." The celebration starts tomorrow night, 7:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

[Vause:] Latin America could soon be in the grips of this pandemic. For three days now, Brazil has reported confirmed cases increased daily by more than 1,000. Makeshift hospitals have been open now in the iconic soccer stadiums of Brazil, and according to Johns Hopkins University, the death toll has risen to more than 320. In Ecuador, with more than 3,000 confirmed cases and 120 dead, the government is ordering most workplaces to close, so, too, schools and has canceled public events through April. Police have been deployed to enforce stay-at-home orders. And health officials in Canada report more than 1,100 cases and 139 dead, but a third of that number are among the elderly, living in long-term care facilities. Most Canadians are under stay-at-home orders, and schools are closed for more than two weeks. But one city in Ecuador has been overwhelmed by the number of dead. Morgues are full, and many bodies have been left in the streets. And while lockdown orders remain in place, relatives, it seem, are unable to do much about it. And a word of caution: this report by CNN's Matt Rivers contains graphic images.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn International Correspondent:] On the deserted streets of Guayaquil, a body left discarded on the sidewalk. This is the morbid new reality in the epicenter of Ecuador's coronavirus crisis. As the outbreak spreads, there is no more room for the dead. "We have been waiting five days. We are tired of calling," says this man. Pleading with authorities to pick up a corpse, still laying inside. With a lack of testing for COVID-19, most have no way to know who among the dead are infected. Some feel forced to leave the bodies of their loved ones outdoors, fearing contagion as their corpses decay.
[Unidentified Female:] It's the odor from the body that we can't handle any more. There are also elderly neighbors, and I have my mother who is 80, and having respiratory problems.
[Rivers:] In one video obtained by CNN, a group of people in face masks appear to be removing a body from a car. Moments later, a police vehicle approaches and seems to speak with them as the corpse lies on the ground. After the interaction, the group puts the body back in the car, and the police drive off. Authorities tell CNN they could not offer details about the video. National figures show Ecuador's police have collected more than 300 bodies from homes in Guayaquil from March 23 to the 30th, and officials say they're struggling to keep up.
[Jorge Wated, Head Of Coronavirus Body Disposal:] This unit, in the last three days, went from taking away 30 deceased per day, to 150. That's independent from the work of the private funeral homes and graveyards in the country.
[Rivers:] With morgues, funeral homes and cemeteries strained, the government is bringing in containers to temporarily store dead bodies. One Guayaquil official says they also plan to build a large number of burial plots, as authorities expect over 3,000 may die in the Guayas province alone. Meanwhile, healthcare workers say hospitals are also beyond capacity, as reports surface of patients dying while waiting for care. In a video posted online, the mayor of Guayaquil pleaded for help and demanded the federal government give answers. Ecuador's president has since mandated transparency about the scale of coronavirus inside the country. Officials have also announced new measures to slow its spread, and promised to prioritize, quote, "dignified burials" of the dead. But it may be too little, too late for many in Guayaquil, who are left with no way to lay their loved ones to rest. Matt Rivers, CNN.
[Vause:] Well, from Russia with love. The Kremlin sends a cargo plane filled with aid to New York to help in the fight against the coronavirus. But was it goodwill, humanitarian aid, and who paid for it? Also ahead, how the pandemic is putting enormous strain on emergency services across the U.S. Find out how many precautions first responders have to take before they head out on just one call.

[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] All right. Good morning. Good to be with you. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. He is in. Former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg qualifies for tomorrow's Democratic debate setting the stage for a tense battle with his Democratic rivals who say he's buying his way into this election. So far, Bloomberg has shelled out more than $400 million in ads. And this morning, a new poll appears to show that it's working. Look at this. OK. There you see Bernie Sanders on top surging to 31 percent support nationally. But Bloomberg has risen all the way to the second spot coming in at 19 percent of national support. These two already throwing jabs. So tomorrow could get feisty. Let's go to our Cristina Alesci who is following the Bloomberg campaign very closely along with Arlette Saenz. Arlette, break those numbers down for us. How significant is it to see him there?
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, Poppy, this new national poll isn't just showing us that Michael Bloomberg will be on the debate stage tomorrow but it's also showing major gains for both Michael Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders. And if you take a look at this same poll compared to when they released a poll in December, Bernie Sanders is up nine points, far and away leading the pack right now. Then he is followed by Michael Bloomberg who is up 15 points since this poll was conducted back in December. You're seeing Joe Biden in third place. He's dropped nine points. Elizabeth Warren has also dropped a little bit, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg has also dropped five points while Klobuchar has gained. So you're seeing quite a bit of movement within the Democratic field on the national scale right now. But then if you also take a look at head-to-head matchups between these Democratic contenders and President Trump. Right now Joe Biden is the one who is actually the furthest leading Trump in those head- to-head matchups. He's at 50 percent and Donald Trump at 44 percent. He's then followed by Michael Bloomberg which is at 48 percent, President Trump at 44 percent and Bernie Sanders, 48 versus 45 against President Trump. So this is all coming as the Democrats are preparing to take the stage. There will be six contenders. Michael Bloomberg being on that stage for the first time against his Democratic rivals where he could take quite a bit of incoming fire Poppy.
[Harlow:] Yes. I think that's a pretty sure bet, Arlette. Thank you so much. All right. Let's turn to Cristina Alesci. You've covered this campaign before it was a campaign very closely. He wasn't going to run and then he's running, and you've been on top of it all. Let's just start with his strategy. What do you know about Mayor Bloomberg's strategy going into his first debate tomorrow night?
[Cristina Alesci, Cnn Money And Politics Correspondent:] So the campaign is keeping this very close to the vest.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Alesci:] But based on my reporting it looks like they're going to try and take a very strong hit at Bernie Sanders.
[Harlow:] OK.
[Alesci:] And we saw a preview of that yesterday when they released that ad really criticizing Bernie Sanders for not doing more to curb some of his supporters who use these aggressive tactics on social media. So they may try and make this case that Bernie Sanders is being divisive. But, listen, Michael Bloomberg has spent $400 million to get on that debate stage. Now he has to prove that he has what it takes to confront his opponents head on because if you go and I've been to the rallies. You go to the rallies. Michael Bloomberg is very scripted. He doesn't take questions from the audience. This is the first time
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Alesci:] that voters are going to see him interact and have to deal with information real time and take that fire and not hide behind the ads.
[Harlow:] And let's just OK, I've interviewed him before. He doesn't always love tough questions.
[Alesci:] Oh, boy.
[Harlow:] So, you know, it's going to be really interesting to see how he responds on the debate stage. You know this. Looking at the numbers, he has not made any ad spend, though, in Nevada, in South Carolina. He's been skipping those four first states.
[Alesci:] Exactly.
[Harlow:] How is he preparing for what will be hard questions from the moderators and from his opponents?
[Alesci:] You definitely know him well. He has very little tolerance for questions, especially from reporters. He's preparing by doing what candidates do which is mock debates. And, you know, one of his campaign one of his most senior advisers is playing Bernie Sanders. They're doing a lot of role playing. They intentionally kept his schedule light this week so that he can do that. He has one event after the debate in Utah. But they purposely kept his schedule pretty clean this week. But it's very clear that they want a three-way race or a three-way conversation. They want the conversation to be about Michael Bloomberg, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. In fact, his campaign, Bloomberg's campaign manager messaged me just before I got on set and he said the primary is now Bernie's to lose and Mike's to win. There's really no math for anyone else in the delegate race. So this is the story that they want to tell.
[Harlow:] OK. It will all play out on stage tomorrow night. Cristina, thank you very much. And Arlette, thank you. Let's talk more about this. Our panel is here. CNN political commentator and Democratic strategist Aisha Moody-Mills and Anna Palmer, senior Washington correspondent at Politico. Ladies, thank you so much for being with me. Aisha, let's talk about that and the expectations for Bloomberg come tomorrow night and the lack of practice as he takes the stage.
[Aisha Moodie-mills, Democratic Strategist:] Yes, I think that, you know, he probably should be doing a bit of debate prep right now because he is going to get hurled at with questions about stop and frisk for sure and his tenure around mayor and all the comments that just came out that he seemed to very fluidly say over the last five or six years about how he felt about, you know, race relations, how he felt about crime, and who the perpetrators were. And he's going to need to be prepared to take on his colleagues who are going to be attacking him around it, and answer some tough questions from the moderators as well. So this idea that he doesn't like to get into, you know, a tough debate or be able to isn't able to respond for himself, Well, that's going to all play out here. And it's really important when it comes down to this base of people who are going to be voting for him as well. He thinks he's siphoning off African-Americans. So he's going to need to be able to speak to us.
[Harlow:] It's been a few thoughts. It's been interesting to see his polling nationally among African-American voters surge in the last few weeks as Biden's has fallen. We'll see what that means state by state. But also, Anna, to Aisha's point about, you know, he doesn't like tough debates, I don't know that he doesn't like tough debates. I just I think the question is, as Politico put it in their piece, can he keep his cool when he gets asked those tough questions? Because I think any reporter who's interviewed him knows, you know you know, he'll often respond not exactly in the coolest manner if he doesn't like the question he's being asked.
[Anna Palmer, Senior Washington Correspondent, Politico:] Right. He can be pretty dismissive certainly. I think the question is going to be a lot of people are going to be tuning in. He has had the ability to flood the air waves and put out his message of what the candidate he wants to portray for America. The question is going to be, can he live up to that on the debate stage? I think it's going to he's going to face questions like Aisha was saying but also I think that he's going to be facing questions about potential sexism, things in the workplace that he's going to have to answer to that he regularly does not like to when he is pressed because he will be pressed. How does he respond? Do voters think that he is the guy who can go up and match up against Donald Trump or does he seem like a hothead or, you know, somebody who's out of touch billionaire who's just spending his own largess to try to get on the ballot?
[Harlow:] You know, talking about money, guys, Dana Bash did a fascinating interview with Jim Clyburn, obviously key when it comes to South Carolina, over the weekend. And she asked him about Tom Steyer, you know, polling in the double digits in Nevada and in South Carolina, and what money means in this race, right? And here was his answer.
[Rep. Jim Clyburn:] I've always said money is the mother's milk of politics. He has money. And he has been spending it. And so I think that will always make a difference. Where was Bloomberg nationally among voters a month ago? But he has money. He's been spending it, and he's changed the calculations a lot. So for us to just pretend that money doesn't make a difference, that would be foolhardy. Money makes a difference. Steyer has it. He's been spending it, and he's reaping the rewards.
[Harlow:] Aisha, money makes the difference. And up until tomorrow night, you know, the debate stage, it's going to be money that talks for Bloomberg in terms of the ads. But the debate is something different than that. And that's what Amy Klobuchar was calling for saying, I think I can beat him on the debate stage. Can the other candidates beat Bloomberg on the debate stage?
[Moodie-mills:] Well, one, I want to go back to this money thing. Yes, money matters in politics. It's very expensive to wield a national campaign to fly from state to state to state to connect with voters. But all money ain't good money, and that's really what this boils down to. Bernie Sanders has a ton of money. Elizabeth Warren is raising money. Pete Buttigieg is raising money, but is that money coming from people who are invested, dollar by dollar, in the message and the campaign? Because they feel compelled to participate? Because they believe in a vision of someone? Or are you just simply spending your own money as a vanity project to like market your way into name recognition?
[Harlow:] Well
[Moodie-mills:] Those things matter. And I think that when we talk about money, like that's really an important distinction.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Moodie-mills:] And I think that that's going to play out ultimately on the ground. On the debate stage, sure. It's great that like he's bought the polling that Bloomberg has, you know, gotten his polling numbers together. But we can now see him be able to have a conversation with people because he's not actually out there talking to people. He's not doing town halls. He's not connecting with voters. And so I think that this debate stage is going to be really important because it matters that voters get to hear where candidates stand on the issues in their own words. And I do think that there are all the other people on the stage are practiced and prepared. They've been debating, they've been doing their town halls, they've been doing this for months. So it will be interesting to see how Bloomberg jumps into the fray.
[Harlow:] Anna, do you think that that might be writing off Bloomberg too quickly? Because, yes, he spent $400 million but Tom Steyer spent almost $200 million nationally and he's not even registering anywhere near the top in this new PBS-NewsHour poll. Is it something beyond the ad spend that's resonating with voters about Bloomberg?
[Palmer:] I mean, clearly his message, I do think, is actually resonating. I think a lot of that has to do with how poorly Joe Biden has done coming out of Iowa and New Hampshire and certainly when I talk to establishment Democrats, operatives and people in Washington, they are very nervous, and they are starting to coalesce around Mike Bloomberg as the answer, the antidote as they see it to a Bernie Sanders nomination. And so I think he has the money. I think we are going to see he's going to be put to the test. How does he hold up on the debate stage? We also see them kind of tempering expectations. He hasn't maybe been speaking to voters. He hasn't been on the stage before. Others are more tested. So I think as long as he doesn't have a massive flop tomorrow, it's probably a win for the Bloomberg camp because listen, we're all talking about him all day long, today, tomorrow, and the following day.
[Harlow:] Well, when you have a surge like that, you get the headlines, for sure.
[Palmer:] Right.
[Harlow:] Thanks so much, Anna Palmer, Aisha Moodie-Mills. Appreciate it. We'll see what the debate brings. Join CNN for a series of live town halls with several of the top 2020 Democrats. It is in Las Vegas ahead of this week's Nevada caucus. The two-night event starts tonight and continues on Thursday, 8:00 Eastern, only right here on CNN. Still to come, members of a group of more than 1,000 federal judges calling for an emergency meeting. Why they say the Justice Department is in crisis. And this cannot wait. Also, 13 coronavirus patients being treated in Omaha this morning. We'll give you a live update on their condition ahead. And the deadly virus is having a major impact on China's economy. We'll talk to the president's top trade adviser Peter Navarro about what the fallout could be here in the United States, next.

[Walker:] We are monitoring hurricane Dorian. The storm is currently pummeling the Bahamas and heading towards the U.S. Dorian's wind speeds have slowed slightly to 170 miles per hour with gusts over 200. The storm already causing major damage after making landfall on Grand Bahama Island overnight as a category five hurricane. Right now several hurricane watches and warnings are in effect extending from Florida all the way to the Georgia border. Much of Florida, Georgia, and the South Carolina coast lines are under evacuation orders and we will bring you a live update in moments.
[Briggs:] Actor and comedian Kevin Hart seriously hurt in a car accident in Calabasas California. According to an incident report obtained by CNN, Hart and the driver Gerry Black sustained, quote, major back injuries. Both were taken in a nearby hospitals, Black was driving Hart's 1970 Plymouth barracuda seen here in this Instagram post when he lost control of the car and rolled down an embankment. This video shot by TMZ shows where the car went off the road. Officers determined Black was not under the influence of alcohol.
[Walker:] The Jonas brothers added a special stop to their concert tour this weekend, 16-year-old Lilly Jordan's hospital room. Lilly was supposed to see the band Saturday in Hershey, Pennsylvania, but instead she was in the hospital across the street getting chemotherapy treatment. And like any teenager would, Lilly took to social media and she jokingly invited the band to come visit her. Sure enough the post went viral and, yes, caught the Jonas's attention.
[Unidentified Male:] Hello. Hello.
[Unidentified Female:] Hi! Oh, my gosh.
[Unidentified Male:] Thank you for inviting us to come and see you.
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you for coming.
[Walker:] That was amazing. They posted their pictures and offered to dedicate her favorite song, SOS to her that night. Missing the concert, Lilly said, she had the time of her life. It's a good thing she missed the concert, because she got a private one right there.
[Briggs:] Bravo to those young men. That is fantastic.
[Walker:] All right now, Hurricane Dorian unrelenting as it batters the Bahamas. The Southeast is up next. A new update from the National Hurricane Center is on the way.

[Allen:] Take a look at this. This was the 4th of July celebration in Texas for America's Independence Day there in Houston. Drone video here shows the fireworks sparkling and shimmering over Houston on Saturday night. That city, of course, having a tremendous spike in coronavirus cases. They probably welcomed that beautiful show. Welcome back to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen and this is CNN NEWSROOM. The United States observed its 244th birthday Saturday. The coronavirus pandemic forcing much of the country to cancel or curtail the usual public celebrations. But Washington, D.C., went ahead with its traditional concert and fireworks show hosted by the president and first lady. Beautiful, beautiful sight there, a little slice of normalcy as well in a year that has been anything but normal. CNN's Alex Marquardt was at the National Mall in Washington. Here's his report.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Security Correspondent:] The smoke is still settling here after what was a spectacular fireworks show here in Washington, D.C., not at all a muted celebration during this time of coronavirus and social unrest. People gathering all along the National Mall to watch a show that was billed as one of the largest ever, 35 minutes. It included some 10,000 fireworks shot off from two main locations. The first at the Washington Monument, the second a mile long stretch between what is essentially Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. People out here did have plenty of room to social distance. There were far fewer people out here than normal. The crowds were, indeed, much thinner. The National Park Service, which helped coordinate the celebration, they were bracing for large crowds. They had asked people to spread out across what is federal land here. They had prepared some 300,000 masks to hand out. Now it's important to note that this was a celebration that was called for by the Trump administration, by the White House. The mayor of Washington, D.C., had canceled the city's celebrations, asking people to stay at home, to celebrate in or around their homes. But of course, this celebration went forward. People came from far and wide, from as close as Virginia. I also met families from Florida, from Georgia, from Chicago and elsewhere, as well as families from overseas, from Brazil, from Argentina, from South Africa, all of whom wanted to come see America celebrate its birthday Alex Marquardt, CNN, Washington.
[Allen:] This 4th of July will not just be remembered for coronavirus and fireworks because of divisive rhetoric from President Donald Trump. With me now to discuss the president's stance over the holiday is Leslie Vinjamuri, the head of the U.S. and Americas program at Chatham House, a think tank based in London. Good morning, Leslie. Thanks for coming on.
[Leslie Vinjamuri, Head Of U.s. And Americas Program, Chatham House:] Good morning, Natalie. Well, first up here, the president has used dark and divisive language over this holiday addressing the country. He framed the hundreds of thousands of protesters demonstrating over race issues as, quote, "nefarious left wing mob" that intends to end America. What do you make of his words and his message that we've heard in the past two days?
[Vinjamuri:] So I think we're seeing a president, who is grasping for straws, who is desperate to hold on, who sees a country he is leading respond to a pandemic, a health crisis and economic crisis on a scale that we haven't seen in decades, respond very poorly because of his leadership. And it's showing up in the polls. So President Trump is doubling down on his racist narrative. He is looking to probably a hard core of his base to mobilize them, to energize them. But Natalie, it's not working. If you look at the data that's coming out on, for example, the number of Americans who engaged in the protests surrounding the Black Lives Movement after the brutal killing of George Floyd, people are estimating between 15 and 26 million Americans have participated in these protests. They've been peaceful. The call out from Americans is very clear, for unity, for equality and for reform. So the president is pushing back. And he is targeting a very, very narrow segment of the population. Unfortunately, it's tremendously divisive. And if you sit where I sit in London, in Europe, looking back at America, it's just devastating. It's devastating and, quite frankly, it's shocking to watch.
[Allen:] And on that, the "shocking to watch" part, I do want to elaborate a bit, because a former U.S. ambassador to Russia called the president's Mt. Rushmore speech as the most U.N.-American speech ever given by a U.S. president on the 4th of July. The words he is using have raised concern. I want you to listen now how a noted presidential historian said earlier on CNN about what he is hearing from President Trump this weekend. Here he is.
[Doug Brinkley, Cnn Presidential Historian:] Donald Trump is showing us how Joe McCarthy would have acted if he had become president. McCarthy was obviously just a senator from Wisconsin but who raised havoc with his anti-Communist crusade. And here you have a President of the United States on July 4th, in the middle of a ceremony on the National Mall, TV cameras around the world, using the opportunity to divide our nation, to call his opponents "radicals" and "good for nothing anarchists" and the like. This is appalling.
[Allen:] And as you said, Leslie, it's shocking as well. Is there any surprise, though, that this president is taking this approach? Or is this his same playbook that appeals to his base?
[Vinjamuri:] It's the same playbook, Natalie. You know, the words that we just heard are exactly right. It's the same playbook but he is taking it really in a darker and more dangerous way. If you go back to the beginning of his presidency, he was speaking out against immigrants, against foreigners. It was very divisive, very problematic. But now he is turning that inwards. And he is dividing Americans against each other by attacking a certain segment of the American population, which, frankly, doesn't exist in the way that he portrays it. So it is devastating. It is a bad move. This is a president who can stand up. He can call for unity. He could ask people to wear those masks. He could double down on testing, on contact tracing and help to pull the country back and drive the economy alongside the public health response in a positive direction as he leads up to November. He is doing exactly the opposite. He is preventing the country from coming back together, from responding as effectively as it could. But he is pushing back against so many extraordinary people at the state level. He is losing some of his Republican governors, who are actually taking a much firmer line on the health crisis, in line with what Dr. Fauci has been calling for, for a very long time. So I think the president is on a losing strategy. But it's creating in these months a very divided platform. He's using a platform to create division. And as we run up to November in the election, it's going to be extraordinarily complicated, just simply at the operational level. Just holding an election, having a president who isn't calling for unity on July 4th of all days in the face of these protests is unconscionable.
[Allen:] Right. In 2016, it was "build a wall" and subsequent ban on Muslims. It's now protect our Confederate heritage. As you mentioned about the mood of the American public, recent polls indicate most Americans and more whites than ever believe the country needs to come together over racial issues. Can he win a second term, Leslie, if he ignores that?
[Vinjamuri:] You know, Natalie, so much is going to happen between now and November. You know this more than anybody. We're going to wait and see what happens with the economy, the virus, the development of a possible vaccination. There is a lot of news yet to come. But I we've seen those polls. You're right. Americans want to see unity. And I can tell you anecdotally, watching people on my Facebook page, on either side of the electoral aisle, in the Midwest, on the East Coast, across the country, people want unity. They're not they're not buying into this line of division. So I think it is a losing strategy. But time will tell. And it's going to be a very, very difficult few months and a difficult election.
[Allen:] And as you say every week, there is something different. So it's hard to predict right now. Leslie Vinjamuri, we always appreciate your time and insight. Thank you.
[Vinjamuri:] Thank you.
[Allen:] From coast to coast the coronavirus has America in its grip. Florida has seen yet another record, the highest number of new cases in a single day of any state since this pandemic began. In New York, people mostly heeded the warnings to socially distance. On the West Coast California is having a hard time of it as well, with hospital beds filling up to record capacity. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more on the Independence Day festivities in New York. First, Paul Vercammen is in California with a look at how the virus has changed one big holiday tradition.
[Paul Vercammen, Cnn Correspondent:] Part of the strategy to stop the spread of coronavirus: shut down beaches in southern California. This is Huntington Beach. Normally on a 4th of July weekend, people would be laying down their towels and they would be right next to each other, enjoying a day at the beach and later on a huge fireworks display. The fireworks, canceled. They have a big 4th of July parade here, canceled. They had a smaller sort of community parade where they weaved through and by people's homes. The idea, again, is to have all these counties in lockstep with each other and not having the beaches open. Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties shut down their beaches. San Diego did not. But as a police spokeswoman said here in Huntington Beach, important that four of those five did shut down.
[Unidentified Female:] We're not the only one that's open, we're not the only one that's closed. So the message is there. We're closing down. Let's do it for just a few days, let's try and flatten this curve again and make sure we can stay safe.
[Vercammen:] So good vibrations up and down the California coast.
[Unidentified Female:] Big time. Let's keep it chill.
[Vercammen:] So almost an eerie sight, as this beach is shut down and some people in Southern California getting creative. I came upon a group of three sunbathers in Manhattan Beach. And what they did was, they laid their towels down on a cement walkway. They said they just needed to get in their rays. California, at times, is a source for unique innovation reporting from Huntington Beach, I'm Paul Vercammen. Back to you.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn National Correspondent:] Families were certainly present on the beach and on the iconic Coney Island boardwalk, though certainly not in the numbers we are used to seeing, especially for the 4th of July. From the families we did see, many taking precautions and keeping their groups about 6 feet apart. Also wearing those masks. Those people did not have facial coverings, there were volunteers and workers who were handing out those masks, which is really the main recommendation right now. But nationally, when you look at other parts of the country, certainly you see that sharp increase that has been seen not just in Arizona but California, Texas.
[Sandoval:] And, of course, Florida continues to see high numbers. In fact, on Saturday, the number of daily COVID cases hitting what is really a record number, at least 11,400 cases there, when you compared to the numbers than New York saw, for example, when it was seeing the largest numbers back in April. It is almost in line. So it is certainly concerning for authorities in the Sunshine State. So much so that some of the beaches were closed over the 4th of July weekend. But here in the New York tri-state area, there is also one disturbing trend that authorities in the neighboring state of New Jersey have noticed, specifically in the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, where they saw a significant increase in the number of COVID cases. Many of those are young individuals who had traveled back from states in the Southeast and also out west, those areas of concern. That is one of the reasons why authorities in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey are requiring anyone who is traveling from some of those affected regions to quarantine for at least two weeks, even if their COVID tests come back negative Polo Sandoval, CNN, Brooklyn, New York.
[Allen:] The virus is spreading at an alarming rate in the Middle East. Next, how Iraq is grappling with a spike in new infections and bracing for more.

[Text:] LET'S GET AFTER IT.
[Cuomo:] The big story, you saw first on CNN, evidence that suggests the President's team was dangling pardons. Michael Cohen clearly thought a pardon was in play in April of last year. Why? Because he got this email, and it relayed that the President's then newest lawyer named Rudolph Giuliani wanted Cohen to "Sleep well tonight" because he had "friends in high places." Now, both sides can argue, and will, over who brought up pardons to whom. But the conversations happened. These emails prove that. There was talk of a "back channel" to the President, one the Trump Team hoped would continue. And we know the conversation went all the way to the White House. So, you can decide for yourself how this squares with Cohen's testimony before Congress. But, as I've said, it's less about what he can say and more about what he can show, ergo, the emails. Now, this shows plenty especially in context. The person sending the emails is somebody named Robert Costello. Why is he interesting? Because he was not Cohen's attorney. That's key here. He was pushing his services claiming close ties to Giuliani. The timing of Costello showing up in all this, also key. The Feds had just searched Cohen's homes and office. Giuliani had only been on Trump's legal team a few days at this point. Cohen was trying to figure out if he should stick to a joint defense agreement with the President or if he should, as he eventually did, flip. At the same time, Costello was emailing Trump Cohen. Same time Costello was emailing Cohen, Trump was tweeting how he always liked and respected Cohen, and didn't see Michael flipping. Now, it's true. The word pardon isn't in the emails. Costello says it's utter nonsense to read that into his words. And he says Cohen asked him to go to the President about this. But wait. Why would Cohen not ask his own lawyer to do that? And why would Michael Cohen, the President's lawyer, not call the President directly? Unclear. What is clear, people on the President's side were worried about what Cohen was going to do, and they wanted him to remember his close relationship, one that is now gone, thanks to what Cohen calls, "His decision to tell the truth." So, prosecutors made a big move today. They made Paul Manafort pardon- proof just minutes after today's sentencing. I'm talking about New York State Prosecutors. State charges can't be pardoned. Is this legit? Cuomo's Court takes it up.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] Unions told CNN training for this new plane was completed over a quick iPad course for pilots. Made no mention of the new system now at the center of the two crash investigations. So let's go straight to former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Mary Schiavo. Mary is also an attorney who represents families of airline crash victims and has current litigation pending against Boeing. Mary, thank you for coming on with me. With this news here, what is this reporting that Boeing essentially mis-advertised this plane and that pilots were trained on an iPad?
[Mary Schiavo, Attorney & Former Inspector General, U.s. Department Of Transportaton:] Well, I think that it also gives us tremendous insight into what the office of inspector general investigation and the FBI investigation is all about. Because if you recall, some of their subpoenas sought advertising material. And if you are marketing the plane as like the other 737s so it is cheap and easy for pay lol pilots to switch from one to the other, that could be a very material statement. Either it is true or it is not and that might be part of the investigation. And so for pilots to go from a standard 737 to this one without the second part of this problem, without the warning equipment in the cockpit and without knowing about the MCAS was clearly I don't think the plane should have been certified without additional training and remember the training and pilots' manuals also have to be approved by the
[Faa. Baldwin:] So who does this fall on? It is easy to say this is Boeing, this is their aircraft, but at the same time, if airlines are being told hey, you can save millions, here is an iPad for your pay lots and we're not giving them all the information they need to know, and then of course there's the FAA, like who is responsible?
[Schiavo:] They all are responsible. Legally, it will be the airlines and Boeing because when the FAA does something, even if terribly ridiculous, the FAA has the defense what is called discretionary function. So the airlines also will be able to say, look, Boeing, we brought with us when we purchased these planes and we placed these orders some of our flight crew, we brought our chief pilot and you never mentioned this system to us. If we knew it was that critical, we might have ordered the warning light or ordered the angle of attack indicator. So I think that the airlines will be saying we were not told this by Boeing especially since Boeing has already admitted they didn't tell pilots. And most airlines don't buy new planes without having their flight teams look at it.
[Baldwin:] And here is another piece of new reporting, from the "New York Times," that the plane lacked several features because Boeing charges extra and those features could have helped the pilots detecting the erroneous readings. So should those features be optional?
[Schiavo:] No, they should not. And by law you have to have those features to have an air-worthy aircraft. If they have vital to the functioning of the plane, then the Federal Aviation Administration should not have certificate fid the plane without these present. But that is the circular argument. Boeing would say this this plane was certified without them. And they have lists of hundreds of options that you can order on an aircraft, everything from additional flight extinguishing equipment to better seats. And unless it is part of the air-worthiness approval, then they don't have to include it in the basic package and advocacy of that argument was hotly debated in the 2001 lawsuit that I worked on for so long because airlines could have added a stronger door with better locks and more safety upgrades and we El-Al ordered those doors. So this is a practice in the industry for a long time.
[Baldwin:] I can just feel those family members thinking, how did they not have all they needed. Mary Schiavo, thank you very much for your expertise.
[Schiavo:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] The U.S. Supreme Court is under discussion a case so secret security had to clear the entire floor of a courthouse at one point. A closer look at a mystery grand jury subpoena and its connection to this whole Mueller investigation. And teachers lining up execution style hit with pellet guns in an active-shooter drill. Find out what happened after that.

[Lemon:] President Trump thinks he should be getting credit for replacing old fencing on our southern border. Here's what he tweeted this evening. He said "When he ripped down and totally replaced a badly broken and dilapidated barrier on the southern border, something which cannot be, do the job, the fake news media gives us zero credit for building a new wall. We have replaced many miles of old barrier with powerful new walls." OK. Let's dig into the facts with Daniel Dale. So, Daniel, building new wall when you're replacing old fencing. What is actually happening on the ground? This tweet is this tweet is flat out false.
[Daniel Dale, Cnn Reporter:] Well, what is happening is that as the tweet sort of implicitly acknowledges, the president has not built entirely new miles of wall. So, no additional parts of the border have been covered by wall or even fencing during his presidency. What has happened is about 50 miles where there was already fencing or other kinds of barriers have had their fencing upgraded. And for most of the Trump's presidency, he is simply asserted that that is his wall, like we're building a wall, it's going up very fast. And people like me, fact checkers, have said, no, you're just replacing fencing. Now, he starts to make an explicit argument that that replacement fencing should be counted by people like you and I as his wall.
[Lemon:] So, he's saying that he deserves credit for steel bollard fencing yet I mean, he promised that's not what he promised during the campaign. Watch this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We're going to build a wall and it's going to be impenetrable. It will be a real wall. It's not going to be a little wall. It's going to be a big, beautiful wall.
[Unidentified Male:] What are the walls going to be made out of?
[Trump:] I'll tell you what it's going to be made up. It's going to be made of hardened concrete. Concrete plank, precast, boom, bing, done, keep going. Wall are easy. Brick as concrete, going very high.
[Lemon:] So is he I mean, it's a flagrant moving of the goalpost or moving of the I don't know, fence post?
[Dale:] It is a moving of some kind of post, Don. I mean, some of this is subjective like, you know, you can argue the wall, you know, doesn't have to be concrete to be a wall. You can have a hole or two in it and still be a wall. But Trump certainly didn't campaign on replacing fencing like his supporters at rallies were not chanting replace that fence. And so, you know, this attempt to define wall as replacement fencing is certainly a shifting of the definitions here.
[Lemon:] You point out that this tweet seems like it could be in response to a piece from the Washington Examiner, "Trump has not built a single mile of new border fence after 30 months in office." And here is what they write, OK? This is the Washington Examiner which you I'm sure know is pretty friendly to the president. "While the funding was meant both to replace outdated walls and to place barriers where there previously had been none, the government has only completed the replacement projects. The projects to secure areas with no fence are still in the works." So, is there any plan to actually build new portions of the wall in the works right now?
[Dale:] So there are some plans in the works. For example, the Customs and Border Protection says that they are close to beginning construction on a 13-mile stretch in Texas, in the RGV Valley. But that project faces legal challenges and the preconstruction activities portion of this construction project seems to be dragging on. So in short, yes, there are plans, but we don't know when it will actually happen.
[Lemon:] So just the facts, no new wall has been built?
[Dale:] No new wall, no.
[Lemon:] Daniel Dale. Thank you, sir.
[Dale:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] The president seems to be all in on his reelection strategy of dividing Americans, but what should Democrats do in 2020? That's the question for David Swerdlick, Joe Trippi, next.

[Sciutto:] The U.S. claims it has images of Iranian commercial vessels carrying missiles. CNN has not reviewed the intelligence itself which has led to this assessment. This as the President continues to try to ease tensions with Iran, reportedly informing his acting Defense Secretary, Patrick Shanahan, he does not want to go to war. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins me now with the details. And it seems, Barbara, that the key question was there here was, okay, there were missiles on these Iranian small boats in the Gulf. The question is the reading of that intelligence, were those in response to the U.S. force buildup or were they an indication that Iran planned to carry out its own offensive attack? So what do we know?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, a number of U.S. officials we have spoken to over the last ten days to two weeks that all of this has been going on say it was actually getting that intelligence, those images that they say they have, of missiles on boats that led to their alarm. Once they saw that, they became very concerned that this put Iranian missiles in position within range of being able to fire upon U.S. bases in the Middle East and put U.S. troops at risk. We haven't heard much from Iran about this specific event, missiles on boats. But, you know, this is the kind of thing that becomes very worrisome because Iran would then be showing both a capability and a potential intention. A lot of skeptics, Jim. Congress is being briefed more and more over the next several days. They want to see the intelligence firsthand. And it really gets to this very point. Was this really just routine business by the Iranian militias and forces or was this something out of the ordinary? Did it indicate a potential intent to attack U.S. troops in the region?
[Sciutto:] Well, one of the odd things is it seems the President's in the skeptical camp too, at least about how to react to it. Barbara Starr, always good to have you there at the Pentagon. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister on a visit to Japan said there was, quote, no possibility for negotiations with the U.S. CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, is in Tehran. And the reason this is important, Fred, is because part of this maximum pressure campaign from the U.S. and by the Trump administration is intended to force Iran to renegotiate the existing nuclear deal that the U.S. pulled out of, but it sounds like Iran is calling that bluff and say, no, we're not going to renegotiate.
[Fred Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] I think you have it absolutely right, Jim. I think they're absolutely calling the White House's bluff. And I think that the folks here in Iran, the leadership here Iran, they really feel as though the Trump administration blinked on all of this, obviously sending an aircraft carrier, sending B-52 Bombers into the region. And now with President Trump is saying he wants to create some sort of or insinuate that he wants to create some sort of backchannel. I think the Iranians feel like they have the upper hand at the moment. It's quite an interesting atmosphere here in Tehran, because we were thinking after this week of tensions with the aircraft carrier being sent over, that you would have really fiery Friday prayers here in Tehran, really fiery Anti-American Friday prayers, but it really didn't happen. So what we're seeing is the Iranians not trying to inflame the situation, but at the same time, really remaining steadfast. As you've said, they don't want any negotiations, they're saying, until there's some sort of sanctions relief, until European companies and other companies can do business here again without having to face American backlash. They keep saying they want America to go back into the nuclear agreement. But I don't think that even the leadership in Iran thinks that with the current administration, if that's something that's going to be a possibility. At the same time, you also do have tough talks coming from Iranian generals. In fact, overnight, there was one general who came out and said, if there is an escalation, if shots are fired, that Iran would deliver a crushing blow, as he said, to American interests in the Middle East. So that bellicose rhetoric is still there. As far as those missiles are concerned, I haven't heard much in the way of reaction from the Iranians. But one interesting nugget that we did pick up, Iran's Ambassador to the U.N., he came out and he said, look, we're not preparing for any sort of conflict, but we want to be prepared if there is a conflict. So that might have something to do with that as well, Jim.
[Sciutto:] Well, always good to have you on the ground covering this only way CNN can. Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, thanks very much. Authorities in California say a malfunction caused an F-16 fighter jet to crash into a warehouse. The plane crashed just off the runway at March Air Force Base in Southern California, that's the warehouse there, this on Thursday. The pilot was on a training mission. The pilot ejected moments before impact, granted, he's safe. Five people on the ground were injured. The pilot was taken to the hospital to be checked out but has only minor injuries. Well, democrats may be looking at a subpoena now for Michael Flynn. Why they may want the former National Security Adviser to testify under oath before Congress.

[Romans:] Wildfires are raging in the Russian arctic. One of the coldest places on earth. The fires have spread across almost all of Siberia. President Trump telling reporters he personally offered to help Vladimir Putin in the fight.
[Trump:] I spoke with President Putin of Russia yesterday. They're having massive fires in their forests. They have tremendous I've never seen anything like it. It's very big. I just offered our assistance because we're very good at putting out forest fires, frankly.
[Romans:] The fires, according to Greenpeace, have created an ecological catastrophe. Smoke covering the Siberian cities in this toxic haze. Let's go live to eastern Siberia. We have CNN's Fred Pleitgen there with the latest. Hi, Fred, what are you seeing?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi, Christine. Well, the fires indeed are extremely toxic and extremely dangerous. And one of the things about this fire is you're absolutely right. They're absolutely massive as well. Just to give you an example, if I took a flight from here from Yakutsk, where I am, in eastern Siberia, for about 3 12 hours I would still be in the fire zone. Now one of the reasons why President Trump apparently offered that help to Vladimir Putin is because the Russians are having a lot of trouble fighting these fires. Essentially what the Russians have said is they'll try and contain the fires around the areas where there are urban settlements where they threatened cities, but they're not going to do anything against those fires in more remote areas. However, the big problem is those fires are spewing megatons of CO2 into the air and into the atmosphere. One of the things that you're seeing is what you were just talking about, that smoke covering those cities. People having trouble breathing. And that's been going on for months. But of course that's also a global problem as well as some of that smoke, we've learned, has already reached the western part of the United States as well. And of course these fires still very much raging. Now the Russians have now stepped things up a little bit. They say that they've mobilized the army. There's 10 planes and 10 choppers that are now working on all this but of course with the fires of those size, that simply is not going to be enough to combat these blazes. That's one of the reasons also why the U.S. has offered that assistance. But the fires are ranging this large, Christine, because of global warming. This is not a problem that's going to go away. One of the things that we've learned since we've been on the ground here in Siberia is that this permafrost region, that's supposed to be frozen year-round is melting extremely quickly. And that of course unearths more carbon. That then gets burned by these fires. And that of course gets blown into the atmosphere once again. So this is a problem that's not going away and certainly one that this country is having a lot of trouble coming to terms with Christine.
[Romans:] Fascinating. So glad you're here to tell us that story and show us pictures. All right, Fred Pleitgen. Thank you so much for that. Let's get a check on CNN Business this Friday morning. A look at global markets here. You can see disappointment around the globe here. Asian markets close lower. European markets opened lower. And look, 2 percent moves are significant moves in one day in the market. Dow futures on Wall Street also leaning lower here indicating it could be a little bit of a soft warning. U.S. stocks closed lower after the president imposed 10 percent tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods starting in September. The Dow closed down 281 points reversing a nice early rally. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also lower. Retail, tech, industrial stocks all hit hard by the announcement. Caterpillar closed down almost 4 percent. Nike finished more than 3 percent lower. And look at Best Buy down 10 percent. There's a real concern that U.S. consumer electronics will be hit very hard. U.S. oil fell nearly 8 percent. That is a huge one-day move and it's sort of indicative of the fear of how this trade war will hurt global growth and kill the demand for oil. Important piece of economic data in the U.S. Jobs report will be released in just a few hours. The estimate from economists, about 164,000 new jobs in July. The unemployment rate steady at 3.7 percent. That will represent a little bit of a cooling from the 171,000-job average over the past quarter. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, finding qualified workers is still a big concern for many sectors. The question also remains how many workers are left to be pulled back into the labor force. The Senate passed that huge budget deal that would stave off the looming threat of a potential default on U.S. debt and prevent automatic spending cuts to domestic and military funding. The deal suspense the debt limit through July 2021, sets top line levels for Defense and non-Defense spending for the next two fiscal years. Now goes to the president for his signature. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says that if the deal becomes law President Trump will have signed into law legislation that adds $4.1 trillion to the national debt during his first term.
[Sanchez:] A third case of Ebola has been confirmed in the eastern city of the Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The city of more than a million people is a major transit hub and located on the border with Rwanda. The announcement raising new concerns that the virus could spread across that border. CNN's David McKenzie is following developments. He joins us now live from Johannesburg. And David, really the fear here is a geographic one, right, this being a transit hub. That means the virus can spread further and faster.
[David Mckenzie, Cnn International Correspondent:] That's right, Boris. And that's the real fear here. Good morning. This Goma is a major city. We were there recently. And you had the situation that several people have showed up at that city's border with the Ebola virus disease, this deadly disease that has killed some 70 percent of people who contracted it. Here's why everyone should be paying attention to this. For the last year now, this disease has spread through parts of the eastern northern part of Congo and is flaring up again despite the use of experimental vaccine. We were there recently and just the mistrust and the conflict in that region is making it that much harder to stop this disease. Just a couple of weeks ago as we reported there was an announcement that this is a global public health emergency. It hasn't gotten nearly the attention it should. And the worry is now, because it's near these border regions, that it could spread further. Overnight we had a statement from the region from the U.S. Ebola czar that has been brought in some weeks ago to try and stamp this out. Take a listen.
[David Gressly, U.n. Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator:] I think it will be a long fight. It will be a hard fight. But with vigilance, and we need vigilance as I've mentioned before, with discipline and it will take discipline, and determination we can see this through and we can bring this epidemic to an end.
[Mckenzie:] And although heroic responders on the ground have been trying for months to get a handle on this disease outbreak, so far it doesn't seem like they can Boris.
[Sanchez:] David McKenzie reporting from Johannesburg. You know, President Trump tweeted out some unfortunate things about Ebola, the Ebola crisis years before he was president. We'll see if his tune changes now that he's in the White House.
[Romans:] All right. Thanks to our international viewers for joining us. Have a great rest of your day and a great weekend. For our U.S. viewers, EARLY START continues right now.
[Sanchez:] The Trump administration pushing for a peace deal with the Taliban to bring thousands of troops home from Afghanistan.
[Trump:] Until

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Very good Monday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] And I'm Poppy Harlow. Just a few hours from now, the ex-Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder in the killing of George Floyd will face a judge for the first time. This comes at the same time that a public memorial for Floyd is set to take place in his hometown of Houston. Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is set to privately meet with Floyd's family just before that service. In the two weeks since George Floyd's death, thousands across the country a march for justice in his name demanding significant police reform and overnight some results.
[Sciutto:] In an unprecedented move, the Minneapolis City Council has vowed to defund and go beyond that, dismantle the city's police department. They're promising to replace it with a new system of public safety. It's a remarkable move there, unclear how broad the support for that kind of change is. We're going to discuss what that means in moments. In the wake of all of this, a brand new CNN poll shows troubling numbers for President Trump on his handling of Floyd's death as well as the coronavirus pandemic, as well as his head-to-head matchup with Joe Biden. We're covering all the angles this morning. First let's get to Josh Campbell who is in Minneapolis. Josh, so tell us, what are we expecting for the officer who kneeled on George Floyd's neck here in the hearing today? What progress today?
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, well, this will be his first appearance, Jim. He will be appearing by video link to one of the courtrooms behind me, where a judge will hear from him and his defense counsel as well as prosecutors. Now we know that he's been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of George Floyd. Prosecutors allege that he killed Floyd without intent but while committing a felony, that felony being assault. Of course we remember that dramatic cell phone video footage with Officer Chauvin's knee on George Floyd's neck. And we expect to get a sense of what his defense strategy will be. We know that at the time, the Minneapolis Police Department allowed for the use of neck restraints if a subject is resisting. The question will be, was George Floyd resisting at the moment that happened? That will be the start. Of course we've also heard from the two officers, at least two of them blaming Chauvin and his seniority. We will wait and see what Chauvin's strategy will be. We hope to get more here in just a couple of hours.
[Harlow:] And Josh, could you also speak to what happens next where you have nine of the 13 Minneapolis City councilmembers voting to not only, you know, defund but disband the police force entirely. Legally, can they do it? Are there any legal, you know, arguments against it? Where does it really go from here in actuality?
[Campbell:] Well, a lot of questions are being raised. Now typically the police department is under the purview of the city's mayor but I spoke to the city council president here yesterday who said that because the police department is currently under investigation by the state's human rights commission, that that gives the city council more latitude in overseeing this police department. Of course she told me that she now has a nine-person veto proof majority to work to in her words dismantle this police department. She also spoke today with CNN and she essentially said that the police department here is not effectively serving the public. Let's listen.
[Lisa Bender, Minneapolis City Council Member:] This system isn't working for too many of our neighbors for too long. Our reform efforts have failed and we have done many, many attempts at reform and new leadership in the department and many things, and we still see this tragic death. And so I think the wake up of our community is what's driving the city council's announcement yesterday.
[Campbell:] Now what this is, is an idea. We haven't seen a plan actually set forth, a lot of questions about, you know, who would patrol the community? Who would stop crime? A lot of questions raised by this plan. We're asking for not only additional details from the city council but also from the mayor's office, but again it's an idea we haven't seen before dismantling a police agency without answering the question what comes next Jim and Poppy.
[Harlow:] Josh Campbell, appreciate the reporting. Thanks a lot. Let's talk about all of this with Joey Jackson, criminal defense attorney and CNN legal analyst. Let's start with today in court. We're going to see ex-officer Chauvin, Joey, for the first time. What's interesting is the three other officers here charged have given at least some of their defense through their attorneys. We have not heard any defense argument from Chauvin. Does that change today?
[Joey Jackson, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Good morning, Poppy. It may very well not change today. I wouldn't look for a lot in that courtroom. Remember, it's a first appearance. There's no jury there. A judge will preside. There's no discovery exchange, meaning exchanging of documents as to police reports or anything else. It's an initial appearance to determine his custodial status. Is $1 million appropriate? Is it not? Does he have an attorney? Does he understand his rights moving forward? And so I don't anticipate that there would be a defense laid out. It would certainly be earth-shattering news if there was. I think the defense strategy here, you know, revealing it this early could be problematic as well. I as a defense attorney am very interested in learning what that strategy will be.
[Harlow:] So the attorneys of two of the officers, two of the other defendants, Thomas Lane and Alexander Kueng, who face aiding and abetting charges, blame Chauvin, right, and a lack of training, saying essentially they are rookies and this guy, you know, they knew a veteran, he carried it our anyways. The attorney for them said that they told Chauvin, quote, "You shouldn't do this," and attorney for the other officer, Officer Ted Thao says he cooperated with investigators before the arrest of Chauvin. How uncommon is it to see a breaking of the ranks here among these officers in terms of basically saying look, it's not on us, it's on our fellow officer?
[Jackson:] Yes, you know, Poppy, from an actual in court perspective, once you become a defendant, it is not uncommon at all for there to be finger-pointing. We can have the debate as to whether the blue wall of silence is broken.
[Harlow:] Right.
[Jackson:] As to whether the police
[Harlow:] Joey, today in just a few minutes at 9:30 a.m. Eastern we will see if the Supreme Court takes up several key cases for their next term, among those they could decide to take up are ones on qualified immunity, that provides a lot of protection for police and makes it very hard to charge to convict police officers. Justice Clarence Thomas on the right and Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the left have both said in recent years we the high court need to re- look at this issue. Do you think the court takes up at least one of these cases?
[Jackson:] I certainly would hope so. So just as a matter of clarification, Poppy, when we're talking about qualified immunity, we're talking about protecting officers from civil lawsuits and monetary damages. Qualified immunity does not enter into the courtroom as it relates to pursuing a criminal case. So with regard to an officer's criminal actions, we know it's hard to prosecute, right, you look at Eric Gardner as it relates to Staten Island, I can't breathe, no indictment. You look at Philando Castile there in Minnesota, on a car stopped, he's shot. He is indicted but he's acquitted at trial. Moving away from that, Poppy, though, is the doctrine you're speaking of, of qualified immunity. That relates to when you're suing officers. And what it essentially says is officers have a lot of discretionary functions, and the law will respect those discretionary functions unless you establish that the officer violated some very clear, right, clear statutory or constitutional right. You might think that's very simple to establish but it has been shown not to be. The other thing I'll say, Poppy, this is a doctrine that's established by the court. If we really want to get a grapple on this, Congress can pass a law today, right, where it says that this doctrine is no longer applicable. In fact, I should say that there is a representative in Congress at this point.
[Harlow:] Justin Amash.
[Jackson:] Exactly. Yes.
[Harlow:] Yes. All right, Joey, we appreciate your expertise. We'll see what happens in court today. Thanks a lot. Jim?
[Jackson:] Thank you, Poppy.
[Sciutto:] Well, around the same time that Derek Chauvin appears in court a public memorial for George Floyd will take place in Houston. Joining us now on the phone is the police chief for the Houston Police Department, Art Acevedo. Chief Acevedo, thanks very much for taking the time this morning. First, can you tell us what is planned this morning to honor George Floyd?
[Chief Art Acevedo, Houston Police Department:] Well, good morning, thanks for having me on. We have all of our officers who are out and visible and making sure that we can move his body to and from the church, make sure we provide security for the family and make sure that their movements are safe. So we've got all hands on deck. We look forward to a really good day of honoring the family and supporting the family and but the one thing is it's very hot here today so we hope that people know that they need to have water with them and patience.
[Sciutto:] You've been a very public voice throughout both responding to anger, disappointment in police behavior, talking openly about change. You're aware now of a movement among some to defund police departments, take away, though, not as radical as what Minneapolis City Council is talking about to disband but take money away from police departments. I wonder what your reaction is to that? Is that the right move now?
[Acevedo:] You know, look, I think that's a false equivalence being presented. You know, what we showed during COVID is this country has the ability to spend trillions of dollars when COVID was impacting the entire nation. Well, if it would spend that kind of money on dealing with the socioeconomics that end up with causing problems for a lot of our communities especially these communities of color we wouldn't need to defund. I really believe that you start off by investing in these communities because unfortunately the 1.2 million calls that we had here in Houston last year, dynamic, challenging circumstances, disproportionately in communities of color. And I can tell you, that there will be a very loud backlash from the folks that live in the communities, want good policing in the communities and any effort to remove good police officers would be met with backlash in a lot of our neighborhoods.
[Sciutto:] Beyond funding, there's of course the discussion of legal changes. As you know, the Trump administration ended federal oversight of local police departments by things such as consent decrees, agreements between police and their communities. I wonder if from your perspective that should be reimplemented to have some federal oversight to prevent not all police forces but ones where it's identified that you have issues that there would be federal solutions to those problems.
[Acevedo:] Yes, I think from my lens, having gone through and led our department in Austin back in 2008-2009 with the Obama administration's review of our department, we have to be thoughtful even in that regard because what happens if it's not done right, you create a cottage industry of people making a lot of money as monitors, so I think it has to be done in a way where the government itself is the one are the ones monitoring and implementing the change across the nation, and beyond that, we need to have a conversation as to what are the critical policies, where it's use of force. We have 2020 to think about still departments that allow manipulation of the neck. That really checking a lot of special presence profession. So we have a lot to do, but we want to be thoughtful. We need to take a deep breath and then put together good road map that is a win-win for the people we serve and our police departments.
[Sciutto:] Yes. One of the things contained in legislation today, a proposal from Hakim Jeffries, is a ban on the use of that chokehold. Chief Art Acevedo, thanks so much for taking the time and we wish you good luck today in the city of Houston.
[Acevedo:] Thank you, have a great week.
[Harlow:] New York City, of course it has been the epicenter really of the outbreak of the COVID pandemic in the United States. But today is a major day, we're entering phase one of the state and the city's reopening plan. Let's go to my colleague Alexandra Field. She joins us right here in New York. So how is today different than yesterday?
[Alexandra Field, Cnn Correspondent:] Look, it represents an achievement in what has been the epicenter of this pandemic here in the U.S. We are now seeing the lowest number of new cases and the lowest number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic and that means that people in this city can start to take some small steps to move forward, Poppy. You're seeing some 400,000 people who can go back to work today. They work in construction jobs, they work in retail jobs. They work in manufacturing jobs. A lot of them will be riding the bus or the subway, where they're handing out some two million masks for people who can't do social distancing on those subway cars. You're going to see some of these stores behind me opening up this morning. It won't be business as usual, not at all, but you can go in and do some in-store pickup and you can do some curbside pickup, so these are the first steps that hopefully we do more steps, Poppy.
[Harlow:] You know, as we look at a reopening and hopefully things getting better here, I think we can't forget the data, Alex, one that shows us about the fact that communities of color, blacks and Latinos, in New York City died at double the rate of whites.
[Field:] Yes. Double the rate right here in New York City and you know, Poppy, for the course of this pandemic, we've been talking about the fact that it has disproportionately affected people of color throughout the country. Now you're seeing exactly how disproportionately it affected people here in New York City. You can't ignore the backdrop that we're learning these numbers again, which is the fact that you've had thousands of people in the streets in the last week protesting racial inequality, protesting racism, protesting racial injustice in this country and in this city, and this all dovetails together because the fact that people are out protesting these inequalities is also causing some concern for officials because they fear that these good numbers that we're seeing in New York now could tick up. That's why they want to do a lot of testing and some close monitoring. They're offering some 35,000 tests a day. They want protesters and demonstrators to be the people who are in there getting the tests now so we can do the contact tracing and keep the numbers on the downward trajectory Poppy.
[Poppy Harlow, Co-anchor, Newsroom:] OK, Alexandra Field, thank you for the reporting. Jim?
[Jim Sciutto, Co-anchor, Newsroom:] Still to come this hour, scenes like this one played out over the weekend as thousands gathered peacefully to protest. Question, could this lead to a spike in coronavirus infections?
[Harlow:] And a new CNN poll this morning shows the president's approval rating has taken a hit amid the coronavirus pandemic and protest surrounding the death of George Floyd, all while Democratic contender Joe Biden adds to his lead.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] ... against climate change. To our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn:] OUTFRONT next, bracing for impact. Hurricane Dorian on track to become a category four storm heading straight for Florida, residents now stockpiling food and fuel. New details on the storm's path. Plus, the former vice president tells an emotional war story on the campaign trail, but does it add up? And Trump cozies up to Putin again. The President considering a move that would put him in Russia's good graces. Let's go out front. I want to go straight now to Reed Timmer. He's an AccuWeather network extreme meteorologist. He's been following all the storm news this hour. Reed, as you watch this today, tell us what you're seeing as the storm moves forward.
[Reed Timmer, Accuweather Network Extreme Meteorologist:] Well, today in Cocoa Beach, Florida is actually a beautiful beach day today. Some thunderstorms initiated on a sea breeze front just to the east of Cocoa Beach, but that happens every day usually this time of year during the summer. But Hurricane Dorian is still well off to the southwest. Maximum sustained winds still at 85 miles an hour, that pressure is down to 986 millibars and that likely is the beginning signs of an intensification process. Through tonight, through this weekend, it is moving Northwest at 13 miles an hour and it's expected to continue that Northwest movement through tomorrow. But I do expect another nice day out here in Cocoa Beach, Florida. But one thing that I am noticing that's different are the gas stations. There are huge lines that all of the gas stations across this area, including Cape Canaveral and inland all the way to Orlando. In fact, some of the gas stations were even out of gas already today. They did expect the delivery of gasoline at about 5:00 pm today, that already happened. But it already shows you that people are starting preparations very early which is a good thing, because we do expect this hurricane to intensify potentially to a category four as it approaches the East Coast of Florida. And also some bad news is that it looks like this hurricane is going to be putting on the brake as it approaches and that's usually a worst case scenario, because those dangerous conditions can batter the coastline for days. But there still is quite a bit of uncertainty in that forecast track. Time will tell here over the next few days if it's going to recurve a little bit to the north or if it is going to continue that westward turn and then head across the heart of the Florida peninsula.
[Sciutto:] Yes. Our meteorologist have talked about that very possibility, sitting off the coast there. Tell us the difference now that it's been upgraded to a category four storm as it head towards the coast. What kind of damage could it wreak across the state?
[Timmer:] Well, right now it is a category one storm, but it is expected to reach category four status as it approaches the northwestern Bahamas and eventually possibly the eastern coast of Florida. And if you have a storm that's a major hurricane that's also putting on the brakes. It looks like that's going to happen on Monday. This area will get hammered by a devastating storm surge that will last for multiple title cycles. Also, the very heavy rainfall is something that is a little bit overlooked when these large hurricanes approach. But when stall out, those prolific rainfall rates just hammer the area and you also have the storm surge flooding, I just mentioned and those winds are gusting over 150 miles an hour with a category four storm just battering the coastline here across the Florida peninsula. If that scenario does unfold, it would be an absolute devastation here across basically the entire peninsula.
[Sciutto:] Yes and just in time for, of course, the holiday weekend. Thanks very much, Reed. We know you're going to stay on top of it. This is Dorian from the International Space Station. It is expected to become a category four storm over the next several days. That would make it the strongest hurricane to hit Florida's East Coast since Andrew in 1992 and right now there is nothing in its way but the warm waters. Hurricanes, of course, feed on those warm waters, makes them stronger, more powerful. Tom Sater is out front live in the Weather Center. So Tom, if Dorian hits Florida on the course that it is, third major hurricane it has been these years to hit the peninsula there. Tell us what we're learning.
[Tom Sater, Cnn Meteorologist And Weather Anchor:] Yes. I mean we just had Michael last year and Irma the year before. I expect this to be at category two late tonight or overnight. It's still small in size, Jim, but it should grow a little bit larger obviously in days, notice the trailing band. Puerto Rico is getting a lot heavier rain today with thunderstorms than they did yesterday when the center was a lot closer. As we take it though in the future, what has changed for our viewers from yesterday, the National Hurricane Center making landfall at category three, they've increased that to a category four. That's not a surprise, because yesterday we had it at category three well out into the waters. So that's plenty of time for to really surge in those warmer waters that are going to go from the mid 80s to the upper 80s. But the biggest thing here and Reed mention it, this is a cone of uncertainty and it's titled that for reason. The European model put on the brakes like he mentioned and that means more than just sitting off the coast and churning and churning up the coast, that's terrible. But it also will sit there for a while and give the surrounding environment time to decide where it wants to take it. It's anybody's guess. One thing is for sure, the last several days the models have been jumping all over the place and they will continue to do that. This is what we're looking at now, in red is the GFS, that's the U.S. model. We like to compare these two, there are many more. And, of course, the yellow is the European. Both of these today drop significantly from the north down to the south, more of a drop for the European model and historically this is a pretty good model that we like to rely upon. We're going to see, I know this may be hard to see but there's a blue dot and we put both models on top of each other and let's see what they do. Right now they're in agreement. You can't see the U.S. model, it's just the European. We go forward. Now, this is now Monday morning. Instead of a late Sunday night, it's still offshore. But look at the European, it's down toward Nassau in Bahamas when the U.S. model is still offshore as well. So again, this is uncertain as far as even when the timing may occur. The U.S. takes it to the south, well south. You can see we're around West Palm here and this is Tuesday overnight. So I know there are so many people just want to know what's going to happen in my community right now, we can't really tell you. American model, south of Fort Pierce, there's about West Palm and then you come over the European and you're still down in Nassau, Bahamas. So it could go to the keys and into the gulf. This could slide up to the north and still get to Georgia or the Carolinas. Even the American model, Jim, from Wednesday night run headed up south of Jacksonville and then you look at tonight's and go down to the south, so this is up in the air. Anybody who tells you that they know exactly where this is going to make landfall, they'll sell you oceanfront property in Arizona. Do not buy it right now. But because that system may stall off the coast, this ball game, Jim, could be played in anyone's backyard. The steering currents are still undecided here. We know there will be though tropical storm force winds moving in toward Florida and this will be late Saturday and toward Saturday night and Sunday morning, obviously. So there's still a lot of preparation that can be done. Instead of one good day, we may be able to squeeze two to finish those jobs up.
[Sciutto:] Well, one thing they have in common, it seems that Florida is in their sights. Tom Sater, we know you're going to stay on top of it.
[Sater:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] These things can change in the final hours and days.
[Sater:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Out front now, the Mayor of Fort Pierce, Florida, Linda Hudson. Mayor, you've been listening to these reports. I know you're watching very closely to the storm's path. Fort Pierce though on the current path could take a direct hit. Tell us what your biggest fear is right now.
[Linda Hudson, Mayor Of Fort Pierce:] Well, we need to take this storm seriously as we always do, but we have lots of preparations in place. Our city is prepared and our county is getting prepared. The biggest fear probably would be a kind of a repeat from 2004 when this storm, one of those storms, Frances or Jeanne hovered around our area and went through to title cycles. So that would be a big concern, but we can weather this storm. We're very experienced in hurricanes and we're ready for it and we will be ready for it.
[Sciutto:] Well, that's a good point. Like does the storm hit when the tide is high, of course, that leads to storm surge, that means flooding.
[Hudson:] Right.
[Sciutto:] The entire state currently under a state of emergency. At what point will you urge residents to start evacuating? I know it's early, but how long before the storm hits the coast do you start to make those recommendations?
[Hudson:] Well, our residents are already paying attention and if they're going to evacuate, they've already started. And probably tomorrow will be a big push to leave the area and they make their own decisions, but they're following the weather reports and I have a feeling the biggest push will be tomorrow and Saturday.
[Sciutto:] OK.
[Hudson:] The people that will be leaving will be leaving then.
[Sciutto:] All right. Well, all I could say to folks watching now is when you get those warnings, listen to them. Oftentimes people don't listen and, of course, they pay the consequences. A category four storm, this is significant, sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. What could that mean for your city?
[Hudson:] Well, we're an older city by Florida standards. We were incorporated in 1901. We have a lot of older housing stock. But by the same token, our houses have withstood a lot of hurricanes and we've been through quite a few recently as you said earlier. So the damage could be foliage and trees down and yards ruined and maybe roofs blown off, but a lot of the storms recently has encouraged us to improve our housing stock. So I'm hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
[Sciutto:] Listen, we wish you the best we know you have a lot on your plate in these coming days. Mayor Linda Hudson, best to you and your community. Out front next Trump changes his tune after attacking Puerto Rico. The President now has this to say about those now in the storm's path in Florida.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We're very ready also in Florida, and we have a great governor there. He's incredible, doing an incredible job.
[Sciutto:] Of course, the governor is Republican there. Plus, Vice President Joe Biden telling supporters an emotional war story.
[Joe Biden, Former United States Vice President, Presidential Candidate:] This guy climbed down the ravine, carried this guy up on his back under fire and the general wanted me to pin a Silver Star on him.
[Sciutto:] Well, there reported are some problems with what he's been saying. And it's a billion dollar business that the 2020 candidates want to abolish. And tonight CNN investigates this controversial industry.

[Keilar:] The deadly coronavirus is showing no signs of slowing down and now there are new concerns as more Americans are becoming infected. Four family members arriving on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in New Jersey this morning are now in a hospital after health officials say they reported feeling sick. Let's go to Polo Sandoval. He is at Port Bayonne, where the ship is docked. And, Polo, I understand that this family recently visited mainland China. What else can you tell us?
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] And that's what first raised concerns here, Brianna. A total of about 27 passengers aboard the cruise ship that docked here behind me were initially assessed by New Jersey health officials as well as CDC officials. Most of them were released, allowed to disembark along with the rest of the passengers. But that family of four that you mentioned, there was a concern that two of them were feeling a bit sick during the course of that cruise. So as a result, they were taken to a nearby hospital where they are currently undergoing testing. But what's really important to point out here, Brianna, is that, at this point, they do not suspect that they are infected, they simply want to take that precautionary step, which really does speak to what we're seeing not just at seaports but airports across the country or any and all people who have been to mainland China recently are particularly being screened. And in this case, we understand that this family of four have recently visited mainland China, however, not the specific province that is considered the epicenter of this outbreak. So, again, this is merely precautionary, very different to what's being experienced half a world away in Japan, where another cruise ship had to go into quarantine. That's certainly not the case here, Brianna.
[Keilar:] All right. Polo, thank you. Polo Sandoval from New Jersey. A better than expected jobs report and the first report showing how the president performed in his first three years. Plus, a key impeachment witness gives his first interview in a CNN exclusive, what he says about Rudy Giuliani, the president and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

[Camerota:] Russia is preparing to host a first ever summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un this week. CNN's Matthew Chance is live in Russia with more. What's this going to look like, Matthew?
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, it is, as you say, the first time that these two figures are going to be meeting. It's almost as if Vladimir Putin of Russia watched President Trump, you know, siding on up to Kim Jong-un and said, you know, I want to I want to do that, too because after those that summit broke down in Vietnam back in February between Trump and President Trump and Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin has moved in and is holding these talks, we think, over the next couple of days. There haven't been many details about exactly when it's going to take place or what actually is going to be discussed. And to add to that lack of clarity, this thick, dense fog has descended over Vladivostok here in eastern Russia, as well, making it almost impossible to see anything of the of the city. The Kremlin say the issue of denuclearization on the Korean peninsula is the main issue that's going to be talked about. But, you know, you get the impression what Vladimir Putin wants more than anything else is a seat at that at that top table of international diplomacy. He wants to be seen as a great power, just like the United States can talk about denuclearization. Russia wants to be able to do that with North Korea as well, Alisyn.
[Berman:] All right, Matthew Chance for us from the set of a spy thriller. Matthew, please stay safe in the midst of all the espionage there around you in Vladivostok. Appreciate it. All right, Sri Lanka now says that the Easter Sunday attacks of catholic churches, they were in retaliations for Muslims being murdered at New Zealand mosques. We have breaking details ahead.

[Elliot Williams, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General:] Yes, it could. It would be pretty remarkable because it's now July, in effect, and you would have to get everything drafted by October is the date that we've seen that, if there's an emergency, they can still put the forms out after October. It seems unlikely. Again, three federal judges have ruled against the Commerce secretary, saying they believed that he was untruthful. And even John Roberts said suggested that the rationale was contrived. He used that word in the decision today. It's hard to see how this proceeds and wins. But again, we should just remember this decision isn't about the census. It's not about just counting noses. It's about representation and government and how people are counted and who has a voice in our democracy. So it's a much bigger broader case. And we need to keep thinking and talking about it in those terms.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] And, Ariane, the justices also ruled that severe gerrymandering can continue. Tell us about this one.
[Ariane De Vogue, Cnn Supreme Court Reporter:] This one's totally different, Brianna. Here again, Chief Justice John Roberts, he's writing for a 5-4 majority, but he's siding with the conservatives. At issue here is when politicians go too far in drawing state lines for partisan gain. Critics wanted the courts to step in and say when things went too far. But John Roberts said today that the courts cannot look at such issues, that they have to be left for the political branches. He slammed the courthouse doors on this. He said, "The fact that such partisan gerrymander claims are incompatible with democratic principle does not mean the solution lies with the federal courts." But in court today, Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the liberals, wrote a biting dissent. She was angry. At times at the very end, I even thought I heard her voice crack. She said, "Of all the times to abandon the court's duty to declare the law, this was not the one. The practices challenged in these cases imperil our system of government." She said, at the end, that she and the other liberals were deeply saddened by the court's decision Brianna?
[Keilar:] OK. Let's you're going to have people who like the first ruling, do not like the second ruling for sure. So alternate universe time. Let's say Merrick Garland, who was Obama's Supreme Court nominee, who Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, blocked, let's say he made it through. What would be the effect be on this decision?
[Williams:] It's hard to see how a Justice Garland would have ruled because frankly it's hard to see this is
[Keilar:] He would have ruled for gerrymandering?
[Williams:] In the same way that Justice Roberts or Justice the justice who replaced who filled the seat. I can't remember
[Keilar:] Gorsuch.
[Williams:] Gorsuch. This is a pretty remarkable decision. And it's pretty expansive in its breadth. What's fascinating is Chief Justice Roberts ultimately says, look, I know this is going to be a problem but I think this is beyond the court's review. That's a shockingly broad decision and a shockingly narrow view of what courts can do. And what you see from the court is, we're willing to be judicial activists when it suits the aims of a conservative majority. It is impossible to see how justice a Justice Garland would have ruled in the same way on this decision. And it would have, frankly, put more power back in the hands of the people and not allowed, you know, unreasonable stuff.
[Keilar:] Pop quiz. Name all the justices fast. Just kidding. I know you could. I know you could. Elliot Williams, thank you so much.
[Williams:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] Ariane De Vogue, thank you. So as Joe Biden gets ready for the spotlight tonight, we look at some of the most famous moments of his past debates. Also, the one man who loomed large over the first Democratic debate wasn't even there. And he wasn't President Trump. And a new twist in the public feud between the U.S. women's soccer team and the president just a day before their next World Cup match.

[Howell:] Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you at this hour. The mother of American Otto Warmbier is slamming North Korea as a, quote, "cancer on the Earth" and has launched an emotional appeal for more pressure to be put on Kim Jong-un and his regime. Cindy Warmbier's 22-year-old son died shortly after being brought back to the United States from that country in a coma. That's where he'd been held for 17 months. Our Brian Todd has this report.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] When Otto Warmbier was brought home from a North Korean labor camp
[Todd:] in a coma, his mother says he looked like a monster.
[Cindy Warmbier, Mother Of Otto Warmbier:] The look in his eyes, which I didn't know he was blind at the time, was absolute horror. Horror. Like he'd seen the devil. And he had. He was with the devil.
[Todd:] Cindy Warmbier says if she had known North Korea would demand the U.S. agree to pay $2 million for the release of her son, she would have sprung into action.
[Warmbier:] If I had to, I would have raised the money and I wish they would have asked for the money from day one because it was all about hostage taking. But instead, they had a much bigger use for Otto.
[Todd:] President Trump says that money was never paid, although U.S. officials did sign a bill in order to have Warmbier released. He died six days after his return in 2017. Cindy Warmbier spoke during a panel in Washington today about North Korean kidnappings. Just a mile away, former North Korean soldiers were on Capitol Hill, detailing what they called the brutality of Kim Jong-un's regime. Former members of Kim's vaunted million-man army, often seen in lockstep on the parade route, said, behind the scenes, those choreographed routines were a facade, hiding rampant abuse and starvation.
[Jo Young-hwa, Former Soldier In North Korea:] I was really hungry all the time. I was starving. My height is short because of the malnutrition I experienced in the military. From the first day, we were forced to go to villages and steal food from civilians.
[Todd:] Some soldiers were even more desperate. Former North Korean artillery officer Kang Ri-hyuk told us of one young soldier in his unit. During a training exercise, he says, the soldier was so hungry, he ate a frog alive.
[Kang Ri-hyuk, Former Soldier In North Korea:] He didn't know that this frog was poisonous. He became unconscious and he died within a couple of hours.
[Todd:] These accounts come a year and a half after a young North Korean staff sergeant made this dramatic dash across his country's border with South Korea, surveillance video showing him being pursued and shot several times by his North Korean comrades. He was rescued and almost died of his wounds. In the hospital, he too was treated for severe malnutrition. For female North Korean soldiers, mistreatment of a different kind. Choi Yu-jin is a former nurse in the people's army. She says a female colleague of hers was forced to have an affair with a superior officer. The woman became pregnant, Choi says, and almost died when she suffered a miscarriage.
[Choi Yu-jin, Former Army Nurse In North Korea:] She said, when they asked her to have an affair with him, there was no way she could refuse. She had to do it in order to get party membership, so she could have a better life. The only thing she could sacrifice was her body.
[Todd:] These horrific stories come as President Trump remains determined to pursue his personal diplomacy with Kim Jong-un. Diplomacy which Otto Warmbier's mother calls a charade.
[Warmbier:] How can you have diplomacy with someone that never tells the truth? He lies, he lies, he lies all for himself.
[Todd:] President Trump has said Kim Jong-un told him he never knew about Otto Warmbier's condition while Warmbier was in his regime's custody. And Trump said he believes Kim. We reached out North Korea's mission at the U.N. for their response to the accounts from those soldiers of starvation and abuse. They didn't get back to us. But Kim Jong-un has previously said publicly that his soldiers should be spared no amount of nutrition so that they could feel the, quote, "loving care of his regime" Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[Howell:] The U.S. president is urging his top advisers to approach the crisis in Venezuela with more caution and he's expressing frustration with those who are hinting at military intervention. This comes after the U.S.-backed national assembly leader failed to topple the country's embattled president this week. But Juan Guaido remains determined. He's called for more protests to win military support, telling supporters they are close to victory. Listen.
[Juan Guaido, Interim President Of Venezuela:] We are willing to talk to all the civil and military officials, with all, no matter where they come from, who are willing to cooperate with the cessation of usurpation, the government of transition and the free elections, because that is the mandate that I have by the constitution.
[Howell:] In the meantime, members of the Lima Group, of mainly Latin American countries, again showed their support for Guaido. They revised a resolution calling for a return to democracy in Venezuela. The economic crisis in Venezuela is hitting almost everyone but especially hitting the elderly hard. It's forced many of them to take refuge in senior citizen homes because many of their families can't afford to keep them to help them. Our Michael Holmes has this story.
[Michael Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] Dominoes in the courtyard of the Mother Teresa Senior Home in Caracas. There's not much else to do here. If life for Venezuelans is tough and undeniably it is it's even worse
[Holmes:] for the elderly. This is not a good country in which to grow old.
[Baudilio Vega, Mother Teresa Senior Home:] If we didn't have this place, how many of these people would be on the streets or dead? Thank God, here they are alive. It's not five-star but at least they survive.
[Holmes:] Baudilio Vega and his volunteer staff do their best to feed and house nearly 80 people here, the oldest 84-year-old Carmen Cecilia. It's a heartbreaking fact that, here in Venezuela, many of the elderly are simply given up by their families, not unwanted; far from it. But victims of the brutal choice by the family: do you feed the children or do you feed the grandparents?
[Vega:] There are many people here who are sad. If their hearts are sad it's because they've given everything in their life and their families, for one reason or another, sent them here.
[Holmes:] Everything here is donated and donations are drying up. Pensions, if you get one, almost worthless in this crumbling economy at $7 a month. There's no basking in retirement golden years in Venezuela. "I had a lot of expectations of a nice retirement because I had a good job and income," Ochoa tells me. "What do you think about the government and what it does?" I ask him. Nada, nothing, nothing. he says. Life is spartan, austere, but it is life. Alternatives unthinkable or unavoidable. The stories here are so similar, the pain and disappointment so individual. We meet Victoria Madriz, 74 years old. She has family in Caracas. But there was simply no room or money to support her.
[Victoria Madriz, Senior Home Resident:] There were a lot of people in the house, my brother's children and their children. It was too much.
[Holmes:] A familiar refrain: families who couldn't cope or who simply left. An estimated 3 million Venezuelans have fled their country and its wretched economy in recent years. Many didn't take their parents or grandparents. They couldn't afford to. Baudilio Vega says he won't let these people down even if, he says, his government has. What he wants is change, help.
[Vega:] I urge Venezuela, let the humanitarian aid in. We need the food and the medicine. Instead of buying weapons, we need medicines and food.
[Holmes:] The residents of the Mother Teresa home say in the meantime they'll survive. They have to.
[Brigida Zulay, Senior Home Resident:] All of us, we have hope.
[Holmes:] Michael Holmes, CNN, Caracas, Venezuela.
[Howell:] Let's bring in Kevin Middlebrook, Kevin is a professor of Latin American politics at University College London, joining us this hour in London. Good to have you with us.
[Kevin Middlebrook, University College London:] Good morning.
[Howell:] I just wanted to get your thoughts on that piece we just played from Michael Holmes, discussing, explaining the situation for those who are more vulnerable in that country, given the economic situation.
[Middlebrook:] It's a terribly difficult economic and social situation. The economy is in complete meltdown. The annual rate of inflation will be in the low millions now. They're talking about a further drop of about 25 percent in gross domestic product this year, which is a 50 percent drop over about three years; 3 million people have emigrated, essentially for economic and hardship reasons. So it is a terrible situation for millions of people. There's a great demand for humanitarian assistance, which the Red Cross and other countries are now trying to meet but it's really an extremely dire situation.
[Howell:] For those people, you described a dire situation. Juan Guaido is counting on seeing many people, many of his supporters, to fill the streets to protest. But that didn't materialize as he wanted. Instead, we saw many images of Nicolas Maduro, surrounded by hundreds who support him in the military. Where does that leave the opposition leader in what is clearly a tug- of-war for leverage?
[Middlebrook:] Well, this is a very fluid and highly divided situation. One of the problems that Guaido faces is precisely because the economic situation is so terrible, his calls for a general strike, in which businesses shut down, et cetera, is really a very difficult decision for people to make. They're afraid, if they close their business, the government will take them over as a political act and that they will wind up all the worse for it. And, of course, the other dimension to this is the military calculus made by the armed forces, whether they continue to back Maduro or defect toward Guaido. This past week has seen some very dramatic developments in that regard. As for now, as for the last three months, the senior military command seems to be behind Maduro. I must say, in part, one of the reasons they seem to continue to back Maduro is precisely that the Trump administration continues to talk about the use of military force, which would unify the Venezuelan armed forces.
[Howell:] It is interesting to point out Mr. Trump's position on the possibility of military intervention, Mr. Trump saying that options are on the table. Where does that put the United States, given that Russia is also active, involved in what's happening in Venezuela?
[Middlebrook:] Well, Russia is no position logistically to block some form of U.S. military action. It might be able to take some anti-U.S. response elsewhere in the world. I suppose Putin could even tell Trump there will never be a Trump Tower hotel in Moscow if the U.S. uses military force in Venezuela or something like that. But clearly, I think the problem for the U.S. would be mainly on the Latin American and Venezuelan sides. Many Latin American countries, not all but many Latin American countries have backed this effort originally in the name of defending democracy in Latin America. But when the Trump administration talks about the Monroe Doctrine, the use of military force, undercutting the trek of tyranny in socialist countries in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, it makes Latin American countries much more uneasy about this. And I think it would be almost impossible for any of them to endorse some form of military action.
[Howell:] Kevin Middlebrook giving us some perspective on what's happening in Venezuela. Kevin, thank you.
[Middlebrook:] My pleasure.
[Howell:] Tropical depression Fani is weakening as it moves across Bangladesh but it could still bring heavy rains and mudslides. We're tracking the story ahead.

[Sciutto:] Welcome back. We're watching the markets now. And right now you see there, the market is down about 160 points, about two-thirds of a percentage point. This is largely on weak economic data. But, of course, the market is also watching the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China. Still at the top of investor's minds. "The Washington Post" says that Trump has told his advisers that his fight with Beijing is hugely popular and will help him win re-election in 2020. But what do farmers, who are struggling because of this trade war, think of that? Do they agree? Tim Boring is a sixth generation farmer in the great state of Michigan, focusing on corn, soybeans and wheat, three key crops, many for export, too. Tim joins me now. Tim, we appreciate having you on the show this morning.
[Tim Boring, Farmer:] Sure. Yes, thanks for having me.
[Sciutto:] So let's let's test the president's claim there. He says that he's winning the trade war with China. In your view, is he winning?
[Boring:] It's tough to see how we've had much success to this point. That certainly since it seems like it's been nearly a year since we really started a lot of these discussions with China. The grain markets are down 20 percent. And in an already tough farm economy, that's really been a big struggle for not only my farm but a lot of other farms.
[Sciutto:] Have you seen China, for instance, is a big purchaser of U.S. soybeans. You say the prices are down. So how much of an economic hit is that for you and is it a big enough hit that it threatens your farm?
[Boring:] Well, the concern really is long-term here, too. In the short term, sure, that's a real concern that that we already had a tight farm economy. Taking 20 percent out of your gross sales like that certainly is a hit. We're in planting season right now and most of the crops that we're putting in the ground right now don't pencil out given the current economy. So not only is it a concern right now, it's a concern moving forward over the next couple years here, too. If we stay within market conditions like that this, yes, I mean a lot of farms are really going to be in trouble.
[Sciutto:] The solution the president is offering is additional farm aid. He's now discussing an additional $15 billion in aid for farmers. How do you feel about that as a solution to this?
[Boring:] Myself, like most farmers, are going to want free markets to dictate what we're doing. So certainly the payments like this are a short-term kind of stopgap. They hurt they help with some of the immediate pain. But the broader concern here is the fact that we're planting crops right now that aren't being sold. Right now already in storage we have 20 percent of the soybeans we would typically need in a normal year for next year. So as we continue to build these stockpiles of crops that aren't being sold, and historically we know when we see major trade disruptions like this, trade partners don't come rushing right back. So the concern is, beyond just this year and what these payments can do in the short term, what do we do for the next couple years here, too, within our broader farm economy?
[Sciutto:] Final question for you. If you had a voice in the room there between U.S. and Chinese negotiators and you wanted to get in the ear of the president or his negotiators, what would you ask them to do that would help you?
[Boring:] Really the biggest thing that myself and other farmers are going to want to see is trade certainty in this moving forward. We've built, for a long time, the United States reputation as a reliable trading partner. So I want to make sure that we continue to be a reliable partner and really the premiere partner that others around the world come to as an agricultural supplier. So this idea here that we're digging a hole and celebrating our ability to climb back out of it sure doesn't seem like much of a win from my perspective. Really I want to see that we somehow implement solutions moving forward with the long term approach, a generational approach here for what we're going to do within ag that provides some certainty moving forward.
[Sciutto:] Tim Boring, we wish you the best of luck. We know it's tough times here and hope to have you on again.
[Boring:] Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
[Sciutto:] Well, the president wants his son-in-law to solve the immigration crisis now, but it may be even harder when some of the president's own party call Jared Kushner's immigration proposal, in their words, underwhelming. And watch as former Congressman Beto O'Rourke joins Dana Bash, my colleague, for a live CNN town hall from Des Moines, Iowa. He'll speak with Iowa voters about his run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. It is Tuesday night, 10:00 Eastern Time, only on CNN.

[Seung Min Kim, Cnn Political Analyst:] It is hard to social distance in that space, but we do try to do what we can, kind of outside. But you're right. We counted about 150 people in the Rose Garden for that event, and as we saw, very few masks, absolute no social distancing at all. And everyone you know, this was a happy occasion for folks in the audience. So there were lots of greetings and handshaking. People were congregating and socializing and mingling.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] People are still shaking hands at the White House?
[Kim:] They were.
[Lemon:] I haven't shaken anybody's hands since probably February or March. I mean
[Kim:] Yeah. I saw a couple of elbow touches or what not. But, yes, there was a lot of contact, there was a lot of movement, and it just seemed like just a normal time except for the handful of masks that we did see in the audience.
[Lemon:] So, you think you're fine? That's what we want to know.
[Kim:] I hope I'm fine. I feel fine.
[Lemon:] We hope you're fine, too. I'm just checking. I appreciate both of you joining us. Be well, both of you, and be safe. Thank you so much.
[Erin Bromage, Cnn Contributor:] You're welcome.
[Kim:] Thanks for having me.
[Lemon:] This is "CNN Tonight." I'm Don Lemon. The major breaking news, the president of the United States hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center tonight after testing positive for coronavirus. President Trump said to be experiencing fatigue and fever. And Kellyanne Conway tweeting tonight that she is tested positive for coronavirus. She attended the packed Rose Garden event last weekend where the president nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. And she was also part of the president's debate prep team. There are lots to get to throughout the broadcast this evening. I want to get right to CNN's White House correspondents Jeremy Diamond and John Harwood. Welcome back, Jeremy. Good evening to you, John. Jeremy, you were at Walter Reed tonight. What do we know about the president's condition?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Don, we haven't gotten many updates since that memo, that second memo from Dr. Sean Conley, who is the physician to the president. And in that memo, Don, this happened shortly before the president entered Marine One and was brought here to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be admitted as a patient for several days. In that memo, Don, the president's doctor says that he has been fatigued. We have also learned separately, of course, that the president has had a fever throughout the day, and we understand that he has been dealing with some of those other moderate symptoms of the coronavirus. But, Don, to watch the White House's, you know, the shifting timeline that has happened, specifically if you look at that nearly 18-hour window between when the president and his physician announced around 1:00 a.m. that the president had indeed tested positive for coronavirus, the president's doctor at that time saying that the president was doing well and that he expected that the president would undergo his recovery, not here at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but at the White House itself. And then in the morning, you have the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, answering a few questions from reporters. At that time, he said that the president was experiencing moderate symptoms, but that he was very energetic and in great spirits. And then, of course, the letter, the latest letter from the physician saying that the president was indeed fatigued, and then we saw the president brought here to Walter Reed. And so it obviously raises the question, Don, of what happened in that 18-hour period and to what extent did the president's symptoms, you know, really developed to a point where his team, his doctors, felt that he needed to be brought to the hospital. But not only that, but for the president himself to agree with those recommendations and to feel that indeed, you know, the benefits of coming to the hospital far outweighed the negative publicity that he might receive and frankly the image that it would bring on to him, an image of weakness rather than an image of strength that he often likes to project.
[Lemon:] So John, in less than 24 hours after revealing he tested positive for coronavirus, Trump is now hospitalized, but all day, they said he was just fatigued. What are we supposed to believe?
[John Harwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, we don't have good information. And the challenge is that this has never been a White House that had much interest in telling the truth from the very beginning of the administration. And we've seen that play out this week. Remember, the news that led to the president disclosing his diagnosis was not put out by the White House. It was broken by Bloomberg and then confirmed by CNN and others last night. The president knew and his aides knew Thursday morning that Hope Hicks had felt unwell. She quarantined on the way back from Minnesota on Air Force One. And they went out and had an event at Bedminster yesterday without telling the participants in the event and without telling the American people what happened. When they came back, the participants in the event thought the president looked exhausted. They were questioning whether he was well. The White House didn't say anything. The news broke about Hope Hicks.
[Harwood:] The president went on Hannity, affirmed that Hope had tested positive. He said, well, Melania and I have gotten tested. We don't know if we have it or not. We'll see. We'll get test back. Pretty clear at that time, from the way that he was speaking and the subsequent disclosure a couple of hours later, that he had gotten some information back. Otherwise, he would have had he gotten a negative test, he would have said it had been negative. Then today, we have gotten a series of tiny morsels of information dribbled out, nothing in a very forthcoming way. Don, you were talking in the last hour about driving your Volkswagen beetle as a high school student when Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. I also had a Volkswagen beetle in 1981. I was a young reporter. I went down to George Washington University Hospital and sat in the auditorium where they had eminent doctors joining Larry Speakes, the deputy White House press secretary, in briefing the press on what had happened to the president with a lot of detail. We didn't get any of that today. And we still don't have a good visibility into exactly to what degree the president's condition has deteriorated during the course of the day, to what degree was it just a little worse than they let on in the beginning? It obviously is serious when a 74-year-old man who has coronavirus has a fever, has some symptoms, and goes to the hospital. But we don't really know how serious it is. Unless they start a more proactive process of putting credible medical authorities out there, we are not going to know.
[Lemon:] Thank you both. I appreciate it. I need to get to our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, now. I have a whole lot of questions for him. Sanjay, it is good to see you again. So, so many people who have been near this president tested positive for coronavirus. Do you expect this to keep growing?
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Well, yes, I do. You know, when we look at the sort of average number of contacts that someone has during a period between the time they're exposed to the time they get diagnosed, you know, during COVID time, maybe 35 contacts, I think that's what Professor Bromage who you had on before talks about. The president, five states, Washington, D.C., several events, it is looking like this Saturday event in particular was a very concerning event for possibly being a super spreader event. So, yeah, and that's what makes it challenging, Don, right? It makes it challenging to go find those people. Was this a close contact? How far away were you? How long were you there? Was anybody masked? All those sorts of questions. You can see how laborious a task it is to try and contact trace like this. But the answer to your question, yes, I think there will be more people still.
[Lemon:] I know that you can't diagnose someone from watching a video, Sanjay. I'm at least that smart, right? But what do you think of what you saw from the president's condition today considering what we have also learned about his symptoms?
[Gupta:] Well, you know, he is obviously he gave that little talk, did that little video speech ahead of time. It was very short. I think maybe 20 seconds. And then he walked to the chopper. He was able to walk off. So, I mean, you know, that is all you can really tell. He's obviously doesn't require any assistance. It seems like he was doing OK. But it is hard to know with these types of symptoms. Fever, fatigue, you know, that's the sort of symptoms I've heard about. I think when you hear that in somebody who is maybe getting a little bit worse, even if they're still mild or moderate, if they're progressing in the wrong direction, that's when you start to get a little nervous. He's considered a vulnerable patient. He has got predisposing risk factors for this disease. At that point, you may be making the decision to say, hey, look, he needs to be in a place where he can get the type of care he needs, especially if he starts to worsen even more.
[Lemon:] We are told the president is taking an experimental drug not approved by the FDA. We talked about it a bit last hour. What does that tell you about the doctors' level of concern for the president, Sanjay?
[Gupta:] I was a little surprised by this. The Regeneron folks have been on CCN today a couple of times talking about this monoclonal antibody therapy. There is a lot of enthusiasm around this therapy and a lot of promise. There has been this type of therapy has been used for other infections. But there is just not really any data around this. This isn't even emergency-use authorized, Don. That is how early this is. So, you know, I think that this may be a promising treatment. But to your question, you got to be thinking. You're in the White House. You're saying the president is doing well. That is the first thing that we heard. But there were these conversations that were happening maybe around that same time saying, we think it may be reasonable to try an unproven, very early, experimental therapy on the president, as well. I think it speaks to the level of concern. I think there was an increasing level of concern about the president. We don't know whether that therapy has done anything for him or it may be too early to even know yet. But I think it does speak to the level of concern in the White House and maybe prompted that decision ultimately to get him over to the hospital.
[Lemon:] What about the people now who have come out and said, you know, they tested negative? How often should they be tested and what should their level of concern be?
[Gupta:] Yeah. So this is such a critical point, right, Don? We're talking about this microcosm of the white house. You can think about this for the country as a whole. First of all, if you've had exposure to someone with known COVID, you had close contact with that person, you need to be quarantined, irrespective of whether or not you get a test and the test is negative. You need to be quarantined because you have to act at that point like you have the virus. And the whole point of putting someone like that in the quarantine is you can start to significantly diminish the trajectory of this pandemic. If you don't go into quarantine and then subsequently find that you were also shedding virus and spreading virus, that's how the pandemic worsens. So, I don't place a lot of stock into that negative test that they give. A lot of people are going to say, I am negative after the event, I am good to go. You can test positive up to 14 days in some cases afterward. It averages around five days. But that first negative test, which a lot of people are getting today or after these particular events, I don't think you can really do anything with that information.
[Lemon:] Yeah. It should not it shouldn't give people false hope. Hopefully they're not positive.
[Gupta:] Right.
[Lemon:] But just out of precaution, continue to be tested. Thank you, doctor. I appreciate it. Get some sleep, if you can. Try not to talk to that Cuomo guy at midnight. He will keep you up all night. I know He likes to talk and talk and talk. Thank you very much, doctor. I appreciate it. So I want to get to Mark McKinnon. He is a former adviser to President George W. Bush and John presidents George W. Bush and John McCain. Well, he wasn't a president, but President George W. Bush and John McCain, and the executive producer of "The Circus." It has been a long week, Mark. Also, Jeff Mason is here. Jeff Mason the White House correspondent for Reuters. I am so happy to have both of you, gentlemen, on this evening. Mark, I'm going to start with you. You know what I'm going to talk about. First, I got to talk about Kellyanne Conway testing positive. She was at the Rose Garden event. You were at the White House today. Is everyone worried? How did it feel to be there today?
[Mark Mckinnon, Cnn Political Commentator, Former Adviser To George W. Bush And John Mccain, Executive Producer Of "the Circus":] It felt spooky, Don. You could just sense the anxiety and tension, particularly among younger staffers at the White House. They just seem kind a lot of the younger staffers were wearing masks that you hadn't seen them wear them before. You just got the sense that their world had really been rocked. We saw Mark Meadows come out without a mask. Larry Kudlow, to his credit, he did put one on. But it's spooky. It was what it felt like, Don. Then to see the chopper leave, Marine One fly out of the White House to Walter Reed, it was really a chilling scene.
[Lemon:] You said they were wearing masks for the first time. So when you go, you typically see people not wearing masks?
[Mckinnon:] Yeah. I mean, most of the time, you do not see people at the White House wearing masks. There was definitely, you know, it was a marked difference today.
[Lemon:] Yeah. Jeff, you cover the White House. Do you see people wearing masks?
[Jeff Mason, White House Correspondent, Reuters:] No. I mean, and the fact that some people have found religion on masks, now in October, it's really hard to fathom. I think back on the history of this over the last several months. This isn't the first time there has been the start of what appeared to be a mini outbreak within the White House. Several months ago, Vice President Pence's spokeswoman, Katie Miller, came down with the coronavirus. So did a military valet. At that time, the White House put in some more strict rules and regulations for people. People were to wear masks except when they were sitting at their desks.
[Lemon:] But Jeff, those strategies seem to be all about protecting the president through testing. But they didn't mandate masks. So, you know, over and over again, we saw zero social distancing and not wearing masks. So, obviously their strategy didn't work.
[Mason:] They've gone up and down on masks. Of course, that has been set through an ethos that the president has admitted in terms of his own feelings about masks. But they did have a phase where they were taking things seriously. And then as the president wanted to show that the country was coming back, that it was time for normalcy again, despite the fact the coronavirus case numbers continue to go up, they stopped, and you didn't see the people coming in to the press room from the press staff wearing masks anymore. And as Mark was just saying, in the offices, the lower press and upper press offices, reporters can go into, staff were weren't wearing masks either. It just didn't have to be that way then. And it shouldn't have taken the president of the United States coming down with coronavirus for that to shift now.
[Mckinnon:] Don, if i can just jump in. It's very fundamental. It's really about masks. It is all about examples leading from the top. And Donald Trump clearly, his strategy and his thinking that by wearing a mask is showing a sign of weakness. That's why nobody at that ceremony last Saturday was wearing a mask. That's why his supporters don't wear masks at his rallies. It's all about him. We heard about people like the Schlapps going into that Saturday meeting where they had masks on before, but as soon as they got in, they took them off, because I think people don't want to be seen it's pressure to show strength, they think. But I tell you, the sign of weakness for people without masks, it's a sign of weakness to the disease, and it goes after people without masks.
[Lemon:] Jeff, the chief of staff thinks that he said today, well, we expect more positive tests. What do you think? Is he right?
[Mason:] Well, it seems logical that there would be more positive tests. We're just seeing kind of a slow trickle of those coming out tonight with the latest development from Kellyanne Conway and the others who are at that Saturday event. Yesterday, as John Harwood was saying earlier, the first sort of inkling we had of this happening was the news about Hope Hicks, but she was just the first one. We don't know at this point and I'm not sure we ever will know who brought the initial exposure in. If it was it's hard to say. But the point is there were a lot of people and there are a lot of people both at that event, but otherwise who come through the White House gates and have exposure to each other and then those people have exposure to the president.
[Lemon:] Yeah. And listen. There are a lot of folks who are close to the president, including his children, his son-in-law, whatever. His son- in-law was on the plane.
[Mason:] Jared Kushner.
[Lemon:] Yeah, Jared Kushner was on the plane with Hope Hicks. And then, you know, Jared Kushner is married to his daughter. They are together with their children. I mean, it is just all so sad and unbelievable. Mark, can we talk about the campaigns, OK? Biden's campaign is pulling the negative ads while President Trump is hospitalized. Trump's campaign isn't doing that. Should they?
[Mckinnon:] I think it would be if I were advising a campaign, I would certainly ask the campaign to pull the ads. That's a very simple thing to do. I think it is a right move for the Biden campaign. I just think everybody should pause. At least for the very near future, this should be about the health of our country, the health of our president. Let us not make a political can we just take 24 hours and pause, so we can get a sense of what is happening with the president, Don? That is part of the problem. We don't know exactly. This hasn't been a transparent administration. This is where you start to pay the cost of that. If you don't have the credibility, how do we believe the information that we are getting from people who came out on the driveway today and say, oh, it's only a mild case. Are we supposed to trust them? The only thing we do know for a fact today, Don, is that when Donald Trump left the White House, he became another person. He got added to the 585,000 people in America who have now been hospitalized with the coronavirus.
[Lemon:] Thank you both. I appreciate it. Sunday night, Showtime, "The Circus." Mark McKinnon, we'll be watching.
[Mckinnon:] Yeah. The whole show.
[Lemon:] Thank you. With President Trump hospitalized, the Pentagon is looking to assure the public about national security. The White House says there's no transfer of power. What happened in other countries whose leaders come down with the virus? Fareed Zakaria fills us in, next. Plus, a lot of questions about potential exposure at Tuesday's presidential debate. Can you believe that was just on Tuesday? I'll speak with someone in the audience.

[Stelter:] Two-front war on the truth these days politics and the pandemic. And hydroxychloroquine connects the two fronts. As you know, the malaria drug known as HCQ is still being touted by right-wing media as a miracle cure for COVID-19. They're doing that through things like this video. There was this press conference held in Washington with these doctors. Doctors who are not representative of opinion or of medical fact of scientific fact, but because they were out there promoting this drug, Fox, Breitbart, latched onto this and precious days were spent debunking this nonsense. Don't fall for this video, Kaiser Health news wrote. Study after study has shown that HCQ is not effective in dealing with COVID-19. That's what Dr. Anthony Fauci said. At least he's being allowed to go on television and say it these days. But Trump's media outlets, his allies, continue to tear down Fauci and claim that Fauci is part of this elaborate crazy plot to keep the country locked down to help the Democrats. And 5 million viewers watch that stuff and they hear it every day. Trump keeps getting fed terrible information from people he believes, like the man who runs "One America News," that Fox News wannabe channel. He was hyping HCQ in a phone call with Trump earlier in the week. Fox is plugging this kind of fringe or exception to the rule studies that argue that somehow this drug is effective in treating patients. Again, the government's own experts say it is not. But, of course, the GOP's Louie Gohmert said, when he diagnosed positive for COVID, that he was going to take the anti-malaria drug. Anyway, that's what he told Hannity as soon as he went out there and said he was testing positive. Every day there is some new BS narrative that is supposed to make Trump feel good and is supposed to deflect blame from the rising death toll. When the U.S. surpassed 150,000 known deaths from COVID-19, and remember, the real number is higher due to testing failures and people dying at home, but at the 150,000 mark, news outlets pointed out that America is in far worse shape than other countries. And ever since then, ever since Trump read those stories or heard those stories, he has been talking about rising case counts in Europe and other parts of the world. Distract, deflect, every bit of this disinformation is a waste of time. It is a waste of breath. Things we cannot afford to waste right now. But this alternative universe, it is strong. We've got to know what's happening in it because it does affect the president and his political choices. Now, let me bring back Susan Glasser. She was here earlier in the hour, "New Yorker" staff writer and CNN global affairs analyst. And, Susan, I just think to come back to this key about the pandemic and what the president chooses to do with his time, just feels to me like the media, we had to go ahead and look into these doctors and find out about the doctor who believes in alien DNA and explain how she was such an aberration from what's the norm in the medical universe. But we have to do it because the president is spending his time on it.
[Glasser:] Well, Brian, I think this is an excellent point. What's different? There's always been conspiracy theories, there's always been, you know, the world of promoting alternative facts, especially in a public health crisis, in a pandemic. What's different is that the president of the United States is the one personally spreading the misinformation. I was looking at Robert Draper's new book about the starting of the Iraq war by George W. Bush. And, you know, propaganda and misinformation existed at that time. In fact, there was a moment in time when a majority of the American public believed incorrectly that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 911 attacks. The difference is that George W. Bush had people surround him who were saying things that were untrue. They were walking the line. He himself never directly said this untruth about Saddam Hussein and 911. But created an atmosphere in which people believed it. Now you have Donald Trump even getting rid of that and going directly to spreading the untruth and the propaganda himself. And so, I think that's the line that has been breached very definitively in the Trump presidency, especially with this pandemic, with people's lives on the line. You will never hear the president offer genuine condolences more than 150,000 dead. I mean, you know, we've almost lost our capacity to be shocked. What I would say to people is, you don't have to be surprised to maintain your sense of shock. And I do agree with you, it's very important to cover this universe of misinformation and lies that is being hoisted on the American people and the accountability for Trump and his advisers for spreading it is something that is really different in our politics right now. It's astonish
[Stelter:] Yes, we all wanted hydroxychloroquine to work. The studies have proven
[Glasser:] Yes.
[Stelter:] it doesn't. We need to move on, unless there are more studies that suggest that it is effective after all. But the science is pretty clear. By the way, Draper's book is titled "To Start a War." It is brand-new. It is excellent. Let me get your reaction to another troubling story. This is from "The Washington Post" which obtained Department of Homeland Security intel reports that were about two journalists quote "noting they had published leaked, unclassified documents about DHS operations in Portland," during the protest. So, of course, the DHS, the department is embarrassed now. They are reassigning one of the people that was involved. But what's the significance of this?
[Glasser:] Look, if you tell the American public and your own employees for years that journalists are the enemies of the people, and specifically target them and call them out, eventually bureaucrats will
[Stelter:] Yes, I have the same feeling. What else we don't know yet. It's mind-boggling. Susan, thank you very much. Coming up here on the program, what a moment of unity actually reveal about the media divide.

[Whitfield:] The fight over President Trump's tax returns is intensifying. Now the White House is vowing Democrats will never see the documents. This comes after the Democrats' unprecedented request to the IRS for six years of Trump's personal tax returns. Here is how acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney is reacting to that.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting Chief Of Staff:] Keep in mind, they knew they are not going to get these taxes. They know what the law is. They know what one of the fundamental principles of the IRS is to protect the confidential alt of you and me and everybody else who files taxes.
[Unidentified Male:] To be clear, you believe Democrats will never see the President's tax returns?
[Mulvaney:] Oh, no, never. Nor should they. That is not going to happen, and they know it. This is a political stunt by my former colleagues.
[Whitfield:] Never is a big shift from this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] If I decide to of course, I'll produce my tax returns, absolutely. I'm releasing when we are finished with the audit. I will release my tax returns against my lawyer's wishes when she releases her 33,000 emails, I'll release them when the audit is completed. As soon as that is finished whenever that may be. Hopefully it's before the election. I'm fine with it.
[Whitfield:] So President Trump's attorney weighing in saying Democrats are trying to use the IRS as a political weapon. Let's check in with CNN's White House correspondent Boris Sanchez. So tell us more about this escalating fight.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Hey there, Fred. Yes, you heard the acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney call this a political stunt. Democrats opening up yet another front in their battle against the White House with the House ways and means committee demanding six years of the President's tax returns and tax returns pertaining to some of his business assets. The White House took a defensive posture almost immediately. Sources indicating that this was something that they were preparing for. The argument for Mick Mulvaney is that the American people did not need to see Donald Trump's tax returns to elect him President despite the fact that as you heard there from President Trump he said he would be open to releasing them as soon as an IRS audit was completed. That audit has gone on for several years now. We should point out this would likely turn into yet another legal fight for this White House, one that they are apparently prepared to go all the way to challenge Democrats on. A senior official telling CNN they would fight to the Supreme Court if they had to, Fred.
[Whitfield:] And Mulvaney also discussing a meeting that he held at Camp David this weekend to talk about healthcare so what are we learning about the successes or failures of that meeting?
[Sanchez:] Yes, Fred. Yesterday the acting chief of staff hosted some White House staff as well as cabinet members at Camp David to discuss healthcare moving forward. He committed this morning to presenting a plan to the American people before the 2020 election saying that they would work along the lines of the GrahamCassidy bill that ultimately went nowhere just a couple years ago. Listen to more from the acting chief of staff on one of the Sunday morning talk shows now.
[Mulvaney:] We spent the time this weekend saying, OK, what have we done? What can we talk about that's a success? What do we need to work on going forward? We talked about the individual marketplace. We talked about how we are protecting Medicare. We are talking about getting drug prices down. And I do think you will see a plan here fairly shortly.
[Unidentified Male:] Will you see it before the 2020 election?
[Mulvaney:] Yes. No, we want to run on this. We re firm believers that you can't beat something with nothing. We, have Republicans have, better ideas than Democrats. We should not be afraid to talk about that.
[Sanchez:] You can't beat something with nothing. Clearly taking a page from President Trump who last week blatantly told Republicans that they could not win in 2020 unless they challenged Democrats on healthcare and became, in his words, the party of healthcare Fred.
[Whitfield:] All right. Boris Sanchez, thanks so much at the White House. All right. Joining me now, senior editor for "the Atlantic" Ron Brownstein and national political reporter for the "New York Times" Lisa Lerer. Good to see you both. OK. So how do we go from, you know, Trump saying in 2014 he would absolutely release his tax returns to him and later saying he would release them after an audit is complete to now the White House acting chief of staff, Ron, saying Dems will never see his tax returns.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Because that was the real answer all along. You know, I live in L.A., and there's a saying in Hollywood, there are two ways to say no. No and yes. And, you know, in fact, as long as you are not producing the tax returns in effect you are saying no. And it is worth noting that this is not something that the administration can enforce. If he believes the Democrats will never obtain this, ultimately he needs five members of the Supreme Court to agree with that.
[Whitfield:] Right.
[Brownstein:] And it's worth noting that the language in the law and the precedent of the law is very clear. The law the authority is based on the 1924 revenue act which was passed by a Republican Congress after the Republican President refused to provide them the tax returns they wanted to investigate first the Teapot Dome scandal about oil leases and then whether the treasury Secretary Andrew Melon's business interest was affecting tax policy. It directly relate to the kinds of issues that are, you know, at issue today. And then ultimately, the court would have to look pass that and a very strong language shall provide in the law in order to uphold what the chief of staff said today.
[Whitfield:] So Lisa, you know, doesn't the language that Dems will never see Trump's tax returns, you know, just pique the interest of, you know, so what is in there that they are working so hard to protect anyone from seeing?
[Lisa Lerer, National Park Reporter, The New York Times:] Of course it does, and that's part of what Democrats are banking on here. Whether they get the tax returns or not or if it's a fight that goes on for years and years and does go all the way up to the Supreme Court, Democrats see this as a political battle that will reflect well on them in the 2020 election. They think they are driving a contrast here, that it raises the obvious question of is the President hiding something? What could the President be hiding? And that's part of the reason why you see a number of Democratic primary candidates jumping over themselves to release their tax returns.
[Whitfield:] Right.
[Lerer:] They see this as a way to get at what will be one of their central arguments against President Trump.
[Whitfield:] The transparency.
[Lerer:] And his re-election campaign.
[Whitfield:] As much transparency as they are able to deliver.
[Lerer:] Right.
[Whitfield:] So, Ron, here's what President Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow, had to say today.
[Jay Sekulow, President Trump's Attorney:] This President decided not to because he has an ongoing IRS audit. The idea that you can use the IRS as a political weapon which is what is happening here is incorrect both as a matter of statutory law and constitutionally. We should not be in a situation where individuals individual private tax returns are used for political purposes. As you just said, George, what stops another party from doing the same thing?
[Whitfield:] All right. So this is the argument, you know, we are hearing from Republicans. We heard Trump's other attorney even say that, you know, it would be like opening a Pandora's box so do they have a point here? Is this could this an effective argument?
[Brownstein:] Look, every President, you know, every president in modern times has released their tax returns. They have released it for a very specific reason which is the public wants to know whether the President's financial interests is outweighing the public interest in shaping the policies that they pursue. And as I said, if you go back to the original nation of the authority that Congress is employing here, the 1924 revenue act, it was promulgated for exactly that reason by a Republican Congress during the term of a Republican President. They wanted to know whether there were financial conflicts of interest that were shaping policy. So, I mean, there is a reason why the important thing to remember is that Jay Sekulow is defending a deviation from what has become a very accepted norm. I mean, it is not like Donald Trump is, you know, being asked to do something yes, he is not being asked to do something anomalous. He is being asked to in fact conform with what every other President has done. He is refusing to do that and then saying that attempts to try to bring him into compliance with that norm is a political grandstanding act.
[Whitfield:] All right. And now switching gears a little bit here, you know, healthcare. The President put it back on the table again. And Mick Mulvaney says, you know, they want to come up with a plan that Republicans can run on in 2020. Lisa, they had their meeting or at least there was one meeting, right, at Camp David with Mick Mulvaney there. So, is this a real possibility for the Trump White House?
[Lerer:] I mean, certainly not if you are talking to Capitol Hill. There's a lot of work that needs to be done. And as we move into a reelection cycle, it's not generally the time when such work is able to get done. So this has been all great news for the Democrats. It turned the page after the Barr interpretation of the Mueller lord that they were worried reflecting badly on them. Now they can talk about healthcare which is an issue that they believed help them win back the House in the midterms. So they are very eager to talk about this. I think Republicans on Capitol Hill are a little less eager, but it certainly it seems to be something that the President wants to talk about. So I suspect we are going to be hearing a lot more about a lot of meetings, whether anything comes from them I think is far less certain.
[Whitfield:] Yes. And after so many failures, Ron, I mean, it is just why? It just doesn't seem like a potentially winnable thing for the President.
[Brownstein:] Well, look, first, he's guaranteed that repeal of the ACA, which is as its highest public approval since its passage is directly on the ballot in 2020. And there is a plan that they, you know, and Mulvaney hinted that again today, that they put forward in the administration's federal budget only last month. I mean, they proposed again to repeal the ACA, replace it with the GrahamCassidy block grants from 2017, block grant the underlying Medicaid program itself and cut them both by $775 billion over the next decade which would, of course, revoke coverage for millions and also end the federal guarantees of pre-existing conditions. I mean, this is their plan unless they have renounce it had which they put in their own budget. And I think it's a contrast that Democrats want to have. And to Lisa's point, I mean, in 2018, healthcare was obviously critical to Democratic gains. And it was the one issue that helped them claw back some support among those critical working class white voters in the rust belt, particularly women who were so instrumental in Trump's victory. Some of those women moved back toward the Democrats. And there is a lot of evidence. It was principally around the Republican efforts to repeal the ACA.
[Whitfield:] All right. Lisa Lerer and Ron Brownstein, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
[Brownstein:] Thank you.
[Lerer:] Thanks.
[Whitfield:] All right. Still ahead, after claiming total exoneration, President Trump continues his twitter assault on Democrats around the special counsel's Russia investigation. But if he has nothing to worry about, then why does he keep bringing it up?

[Unidentified Female:] Everybody has come out to vote here. Lines around the corner.
[Church:] You see them there, long lines and widespread technical issues mob the first day of early voting in Texas. The Houston metro area shattered its previous record for first day turnout. Enthusiasm is remarkably high this year. Voter registration has hit a whopping 97 percent in the Texas capital of Austin and its surrounding county. Senior voters in the critical battleground state of Florida, may suddenly be in play. They tend to lean Republican in Florida went for Donald Trump back in 2016, but four years and one pandemic later, our seniors still with him? CNN's Randi Kaye went to find out.
[Unidentified Male:] I'm definitely voting for Joe Biden. There is nothing that Donald Trump can do at this point in time that would change my mind about that.
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] That's a huge statement coming from this lifelong Republican who voted for Donald Trump in 2016. But Steven Staruch is 67, a senior citizen and part of the group considered one of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. He's so turned off by Trump, he's now a registered independent and Biden supporter. He says Trump's mismanagement of the pandemic was the final straw. Especially his messaging on masks.
[Steven Staruch, Biden Supporter:] So the fact that he's not listening to the scientist is really concerning. And the fact that he's ignoring it, in fact encouraging the opposite is just really dangerous. He's taken people's lives into his hands.
[Kaye:] do you believe the president when he says that a vaccine is just days or weeks away.
[Staruch:] No he's lied about it several times now. It has really affects his credibility. So whatever comes out of his mouth, you just don't believe.
[Kaye:] For the senior Dave Davidson also supported Trump in 2016, but not this year. Even though he's registered Republican. So what is it about the pandemic that he didn't handle right in your opinion?
[Dave Davidson, Biden Supporter:] Starting with the very beginning not giving me the truth.
[Kaye:] He didn't want anybody to panic.
[Davidson:] He didn't want anybody to panic. And that's a wonderful thing, however wouldn't it be nice for us to have all the information and then make our decisions?
[Kaye:] Unlike his neighbors, Republican John Calandro is voting Trump. Just like he did in 2016. At 74, he says it's about personal responsibility. That senior should know how to protect themselves. When you say the president handled the pandemic well, right now we see there's an increase in cases in 33 states, 215,000 Americans are dead. Wisconsin is now opening a field hospital they're seeing such a spike, hospitalizations are up once again, how did he handle that well?
[John Calandro, Trump Supporter:] We deliver health care in this country through state and local governments. The federal government has a responsibility to support that, we have to look at how those states have handled the pandemic within their own regions. And whether or not they have done a good job.
[Kaye:] So you're saying it's not the president's fault?
[Calandro:] I'm saying the president is not the sole responsible person for how the pandemic was handled.
[Kaye:] Tell that to Florida voter Michele Yeger who's turning 70 this week. She blames Trump's attitude and lack of action early on for the virus spread. And won't vote for him again. She was a registered Republican in 2016 when she voted for Trump. But she since switch to independent and his supporting Biden.
[Michele Yeger, Biden Supporter:] Had he listen to the CDC and Dr. Fauci and the leaders who are, the science leaders, we might have been able to save many, many lives. But because of him and him being having narcissism and being ego driven, he thought it was macho not to wear a mask.
[Kaye:] Randi Kaye, CNN. Sumter County, Florida.
[Church:] President Trump is taking some heat from one of the biggest music stars in the world. Demi Lovato has a new song blasting the president's handling in a number of crises. She spoke about it with CNN's Chloe Melas in this exclusive interview.
[Chloe Melas, Cnn Entertainment Reporter:] Demi Lovato is calling out President Donald Trump in her new song, commander-in-chief, for what she says is his mishandling of racial injustice and the COVID-19 pandemic. Demi Lovato spoke to CNN about the songs message. [Demi Lovato's New Music Playing]
[Demi Lovato, Singer And Song Writer:] It's very important for me that I get to use my platform for something much bigger than just singing. And there's been so many times when I wanted to write the president a letter, or sit down with him and ask him these questions, and then I thought, well, I don't really actually want to do that. And I think one way that I can do that it is writing a song and releasing and for the whole world to hear. And then he has to answer those questions to everybody and not just me.
[Melas:] Lovato who has over 150 million fans in social media says that she's not looking for the song to divide the nation. She actually hopes it encourages her fans to vote in next month's election. [Demi Lovato's New Music Playing]
[Lovato:] We have to show up. We have to turn up and vote, because it's so important, that our voices are heard. You know, and honestly, for me whether you are a Republican or Democrat, just get out and vote. Just get out and vote so that at the end of the day, whatever happens, whoever wins, we can actually look and say, well, you know what, at least everyone got out there and voted and did their part. And our country spoke.
[Melas:] Lovato will be performing this song for the very first time tonight at the Billboard Awards.
[Church:] And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back in just a moment with another hour of CNN Newsroom. Do stay with us.

[Nobilo:] Bolivia's Former President is now in Mexico where he's been granted political asylum. Evo Morales arrived in the capital early after fleeing his home country. He thanked Mexico's President "Saving his life".
[Evo Morales, Former Bolivian President:] We are here safe thanks to Mexico and its authorities but I also want to tell you, sisters and brothers, as long as I'm alive we will continue in politics. As long as I'm alive, the fight continues and we are sure that the people of the world can liberate themselves.
[Nobilo:] Morales abruptly resigned as Bolivia's President on Sunday after pressure from weeks of protests over disputed election results. This photo that you are about see shows him on board the flight to Mexico holding the Mexican flag. Morales claims that he was forced out in a coup but the country's opposition denies that describing it instead there is a fight for democracy and peace. Bolivia's Former Leader shared this image of himself, sleeping on the floor. It was taken during his last night in his home country before fleeing to Mexico. Bolivian lawmakers are meeting tonight to try and work out a way forward. The likely to become the next President says Morales fled the country voluntarily. Bolivia is not the only country in the region that's been experiencing significant political unrest. Right now, protests in Chile against President Sebastian Pinera show no sign of letting up despite a complete cabinet reshuffle two weeks ago. Another example is Ecuador where the government had to move out of the capital last month because of violent protests. And there's also Brazil where one left wing President had been in prison before his release last week, his successor was ousted and her replacement was charged with corruption. President Jair Bolsonaro is now in power. So joining me now for today's "Latin America Debrief" is Eric Farnsworth, who is Vice President of America Society and the Council of the Americas. He is in Washington for us. Great to have you on the show, sir. Thank you very much for joining us.
[Eric Farnsworth, Vp, Americas Society And Council Of The Americas:] Thank you Bianca thanks for having me.
[Nobilo:] I think if we can start with trying to get to the bottom of some of these disputed facts about what really happened here with the President's resignation in Bolivia. Morales is maintaining that this is some sort of coup, that is harking back to the brutal military takeovers of years gone by, but the opposition, the person that lost out to him to become President is saying that this was very much a popular movement. What's your assessment?
[Farnsworth:] It's really complicated and there's history here. The short answer is that it's not a coup in the traditional sense, certainly. The President Morales did lose the support of the military and the police force and the head of the military did come out on Sunday and encourage President Morales to depart. Some people would say, what's the difference? There's a nuance here. The nuance is that the head of the military asked him to depart so that they could restore calm to the streets. That subsequently hasn't happened. But it was really for public or their insecurity and indeed President Morales said he would step down so that Bolivia could recover. It was really on that basis. I think you also have to remember this, just before that on Sunday, the OAS the Organization of American States had come out with a really condemning report about the elections that Morales oversaw in October and which were clearly seen to be fraudulent and called for Bolivia to rerun those elections. So the political support for the President had been withering he lost the support of the military and he decided for his own good and the good of his country I think to depart and now he's in Mexico.
[Nobilo:] In terms of the political and almost biographical psychological trajectory of Morales. He started at the first indigenous President of Bolivia. It was a law I think and he has been in power for 13 years. So what happened here? How did he go from that to somebody who was trying to really push the constitutional limits of power and then become involved in these accusations of allegiance?
[Farnsworth:] Yes, this is really a shame in some ways because had he left before this whole anti-constitutional effort to maintain power, his legacy would have been totally different. He was the first President elected as an indigenous person. And you remember that the population, the percentage of population in Bolivia that's indigenous is really quite large. It's been downtrodden for years, it's been overlooked, it's clearly underprivileged and to have a President who represents that segment of society is massive, not just in the Bolivian context, but across Latin America. We can celebrate that fact. He also brought some economic growth to the country. Certainly he presided during the period of high commodities prices. He was the beneficiary of that. He did do some things which I think would cause people to say, well, indeed he wasn't like some of the other populist leaders around South America but he also exhibited a penchant to want to stay too long. Every leader is going to lose public support over time. But he ran an election sorry a referendum in 2016 that he lost to allow him to continue in power. Then he got the Supreme Court to issue a favorable ruling that said somehow his human rights had been violated by not been allowed to run for the election and then the election that he ran was fraudulent. So you know the people of Bolivia even many of his supporters really lost confidence in him and lost support and called out for change and that's where we are right now.
[Nobilo:] Eric, Morales was the last of the original leaders of the pink tide in Latin America, do you think that his the pressure on him and then his subsequent resignation herds the end or marks a repudiation of that? Do you think as the end of that movement or it's resonant in the region?
[Farnsworth:] Well, it's really hard to say. You know, every country is different and the voter of each country react to their own personal individual circumstances. But one thing that we can say is that the pink tide is referred to, really did seem to mirror the commodities super cycle when commodity prices were high, the populist leaders in the region were elected. They were popular, they ruled with a lot of money sloshing around. As commodities prices over the last couple of years have gone down, there's been lot less money to circulate and issues like corruption, issues like anti-democratic governance become much more relevant to the voters. That's where I think we have seen country after country trying to turn a different direction. What we see quite clearly is that the leaders from the pink tide were all South American leaders and all of those countries are commodities exporters. So I think that has to be part of the discussion. It probably doesn't explain all of it but it's certainly a large percentage of it.
[Nobilo:] Yes, inextricably linked. Eric Farnsworth thanks so much for joining us. Appreciate the time today.
[Farnsworth:] Thank you.
[Nobilo:] When THE BRIEF returns two fake videos are making the rounds showing Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn endorsing each other. What the video creators are trying to warn you about.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] So, a new report out of Columbia University this morning estimates that at least 130,000 deaths and perhaps as many as 210,000 could have been avoided with earlier policy interventions and more robust federal coordination and leadership. Joining us now, CNN chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Also with us is Dr. Zeke Emanuel. He's a former Obama White House health adviser and currently the provost of global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of "Which Country Has the World's Best Health Care." And, Zeke, I want to start with you because we have this study out of Columbia that was published a few hours ago, but you also are in this study, or this letter inside the Journal of the American Medical Association which says largely the same thing. So what did you see here?
[Zeke Emanuel, Former Obama White House Health Policy Adviser:] Well, if you compare the U.S. response to other countries, especially other countries that had been hit hard like Italy or Spain, France, the Netherlands in March and April, and you say, after the first wave, when we were just figuring out how to handle this virus, how different was the response of the United States versus these other countries? You begin in May or you begin in June and basically you do see, you see tens of thousands of more deaths in the United States per person per capita than you do in Italy, for example. 90,000 more deaths in the United States, that's 90,000 people who would have been alive had we just followed the policies that Italy followed. And basically, the Columbia study confirms what we found which is that many Americans have died unnecessarily. If you compare the U.S. to, say, Australia which did phenomenally well, you are up in the 180,000, 190,000 excess deaths in the United States.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Zeke, the numbers are just so staggering that I want to ask you a couple more questions about this. When you say in the JAMA letter as well as what the Columbia study says, that it leadership had been different, does that mean that we had the know- how and the technical wherewithal to do the kind of contract tracing that South Korea was able to do, to do the rapid test that go South Korea was able to do? Because the suggestion from the Trump White House during that time was that we didn't.
[Emanuel:] They're wrong. If we had had a proper response, coordinated at the White House, we could have done it. We have the CDC, they have excellent people down below, but it was politicized. We know that. We have a president who had made fun of wearing masks, who made fun of social distancing, who didn't do it himself, who didn't let the scientists run this process and the task force, and that has been the problem. We never got our testing up and running and we made multiple mistakes on that. We never got our contact tracing up and running. We had some governors doing a lockdown, enforcing the public health measures, but we had a lot of other governors like in Florida and Georgia flaunting them and you can't have a good response nationwide. Every public health person said this, it can't be haphazard patchwork because people travel. And so, if someone is infected in Florida and they go to New York, you're going to spread the virus. We can see that. You know, why are so many people affected in Wisconsin? Well, they travel from Florida and Arizona and other places that were having outbreaks. And that's the problem, that you haven't have leadership at the top to coordinate the states to put in the infrastructure necessary and all of that infrastructure, all of the proper response would have been outlined in March if not before.
[Berman:] And the real question is as we sit here this morning is what now? How can we make sure we don't make the same mistakes we made before? How can we mix this with more than 60,000 new cases, more than 1,100 new deaths reported overnight? Sanjay, to that end, this is a date that I know you've circled on the calendar for a long time. This is when this FDA advisory panel is meeting all day, I guess, to talk about vaccines and where we are. Now, today may be different than what it might have been or what the Trump administration wanted it to be a few weeks ago, but talk about the significance of this day, how it's going to happen and what you are looking for.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yeah, so this is a really important vaccine advisory committee meeting that's happening today. Typically a pretty obscure meeting but you can actually watch it, they're going to stream this on YouTube which is the first indication of what this meeting is really all about. They want to let people in. Anybody in the public can watch this, they want to let people in to see how this vaccine advisory committee, how they sort of deliberate some of these decisions regarding safety, regarding efficacy, how effective the vaccine is. They're going to talk about, you know, the manufacturing, the distribution, you've got immunologists, infectious disease doctors, statisticians, they're all going to be talking about this and they're going to allow the public to comment on this. So, this is an unusual situation in that they really want to let people in on the whole process. You are not going to hear about an authorization today. What we're hearing on that is that Pfizer is likely to apply for an authorization sometimes third week of November, we don't know for sure, but that's what it's looking like, Moderna probably November 25th. If that authorization application happens, within a week this committee will meet again and possibly actually put this forth to the larger FDA for authorization. So this could happen quickly over the next couple of months. Let me just show you really quick if I can what the distribution might look like. We're talking about one of the largest vaccine distributions historically in the world. We know that this vaccine may need to be stored at super cold temperatures, but look at the number, 15,000 flights, 200,000 movements by pallet shippers, up to 10 billion doses ultimately, people may need more than one doze of this vaccine, that's likely what's going to happen if one of these vaccines gets authorized within the next few months.
[Camerota:] And so, Sanjay, you're basically saying what we're going to be seeing today is an attempt to nullify the public anxiety about this. It's going to require 95 percent of the public to buy if for it to be really successful?
[Gupta:] Yeah, I mean, you know, right now we know about half the country says they're willing to take the vaccine. You know, the number needs to be, you know, closer 70 percent. It depends a little bit on how effective the vaccine is. If it's a super effective vaccine, you may not need as large a percentage of the country, but a lot more than what we have now. You know, how do you determine how safe something is? How do you determine how effective something is? People are well within their right to ask those questions. And today and we'll report on your show tomorrow about this, but today if they want to watch this, they're going to get insights into how those things are determined and maybe, like you say, Alisyn, maybe it will help assuage some of those anxieties.
[Berman:] I like how Sanjay just booked himself tomorrow.
[Camerota:] I like it, too. I like just out of time. Let's do that.
[Berman:] We'll see you tomorrow, Sanjay. Dr. Emanuel, thank you
[Gupta:] We are all family here, come on.
[Camerota:] I like it, too.
[Berman:] Thanks, Sanjay. And, Dr. Emanuel, we thank you for being with us this morning. Terrific to see.
[Emanuel:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] OK. Tonight is the final debate of the 2020 race, last time that we will see President Trump and Joe Biden square off. So we get the bottom line on what both candidates need to do and what we can expect, next.

[Diana Berrent, Coronavirus Patient:] Search can be done to help those who are really sick and suffering in the hospitals. And we will have superpowers. There's a silver lining to this. And so I want to harness that power. So that's I will be giving my kids a big, big hug, and my husband a huge, big hug, and thank you for pulling this all through. But my goals are big for what I want to do out of this.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Diana Berrent, I think you already have superpowers. You're a mom, after all. Thank you very much for being with us.
[Berrent:] Thanks, John.
[Berman:] Give those kids giant hugs, no matter how they smell when you get out of there.
[Berrent:] Absolutely. Can I leave you with one message?
[Berman:] Very quick.
[Berrent:] Can I leave you with one message, because I think this is important? For all of those who don't have it yet, please take it seriously. Stay at home. Act as if you are already infected, and every single person you infect is either your best friend or your grandmother.
[Berman:] That's an important message. Thank you very much. And that's the message we're trying to send. Diana Berrent, thanks very much, be well.
[Berrent:] OK, thank you so much, John.
[Berman:] So the FEMA administrator is standing by live to tell us about the government response to coronavirus. NEW DAY continues right now.
[Unidentified Male:] We are the epicenter of this crisis, and that's why we so desperately need help.
[Unidentified Female:] We just received our allotment from the federal government. That allotment is barely enough to cover one ship at that hospital.
[Unidentified Male:] He literally has a true definition of the word dilemma. And at the moment, the evidence would suggest that he's better off sticking with the lockdowns.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Our country wasn't built to be shutdown. We're not going to let the cure be worse than the problem.
[Unidentified Male:] It is a false choice to say public health or restart the economy. You cannot put a value on a human life. This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is your NEW DAY. It is Tuesday, March 24th, 8:00 now on the east. I'm Alisyn Camerota along with John Berman who is too far away from me, but this is how it has to be right now.
[Camerota:] Better, better. President Trump and his top health advisers are at odds this morning over how long to keep the nation at home and keep the economy frozen. The president says he wants to reopen the country in weeks, not months.
[Trump:] I'm not looking at months, I can tell you right now. We're going to be opening up our country. But can't keep it closed for the next, for years, OK? This is going away.
[Camerota:] Well, that directly contradicts the concerns of the World Health Organization, which warns that the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating. A senior health official also tells CNN that public health experts are looking at ways for an orderly return to life. But they believe we could be in this precarious health situation, John, for the next 12 to 18 months.
[Berman:] So the president's fairly sudden reversal on social distancing came on the deadliest day of the outbreak so far in the U.S. More than 100 people died yesterday. In total, at least 542 people have died here, with more than 43,000 cases. Americans in 16 states will be under a stay at home order by midnight tonight. That's more than 142 million people, 43 percent of the population. Army field hospitals to treat hundreds of patients are scheduled to arrive in New York and Seattle in the next few days. This morning, New York City is the area of greatest concern, officials say the rate of people getting sick is five times more severe than any other city. There was a spike of 3,000 cases yesterday alone. And we are following breaking news. We could get an announcement on the fate of the Tokyo Summer Olympics in just minutes. Japan's public broadcaster NHK reports that the prime minister has proposed delaying the games for one year. We begin, though, with the federal response to the pandemic. Joining me is FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor. Pete, thank you very much for joining us, Mr. Administrator, I should say. Can I ask a general question? Up until this point, how has social distancing helped you battle this emergency?
[Peter Gaynor, Fema Administrator:] Yes. It's working. It's working across the country. There are some hot spots, but it is every American's role, I think, to play is do what you can. This is not just having the other guy do it. It is about you doing it. And simple things, social distancing, stay at home if you're sick, washing your hands, all those kinds of things are making a difference. Keep doing them. It will make us get out of this crisis that much faster.
[Berman:] How would the end of social distancing make your job harder?
[Gaynor:] Say that one more time.
[Berman:] How would the end of social distancing make your job harder?
[Gaynor:] Well, I think it is about timing, so I'll leave the timing up to the medical professionals and the scientists about when we get out of it. My current focus has been and will continue to be to make sure we get critical supplies to those places around the country that need them the most. So New York, New York City, Washington state, and Los Angeles and California, that is where we are focused. And we continue to focus on that throughout the day today and until we solve that supply problem.
[Berman:] The reason I was asking, though, is because the president is now talking about phasing out social distancing in some places as soon as the end of the month, just weeks from now. And I'm curious if that will have an impact on the job you're doing.
[Gaynor:] Well, you know, again, I'll leave all that scientific decisions to the experts. If it is timed right, I think it will be won't have an impact. But, again, I'm focused on today, solving the calls from all the governors, all the supplies they need. We had a great call with, numerous ones yesterday with the vice president, we want to make sure we hit them all, and we want to make sure we get them, again, the supplies that they're asking for.
[Berman:] Let's focus on the today, as you say. Today, just a short time ago, the president wrote that there are 400 ventilators that the federal government has located that are being made available to New York City. When will New York City get the ventilators?
[Gaynor:] I think they're already on the way. And every day we continue to find new supplies, we continue to repurpose other vents for other purposes, to the mechanical function that they need for the coronavirus. So it's fluid, it's dynamic. So whether we're building new ones, we find old ones, we're repurposing, we are looking at the entire universe of supplies from vents to masks to gloves. You name it, we're looking for it.
[Berman:] You say on the way. I just want to be clear, do you know when exactly they'll arrive? Because the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, was on with me yesterday, and he said if they don't get more ventilators by the end of the week, people will die who might otherwise have been saved.
[Gaynor:] Again, I can't give you shipping days, but I know it is a priority. It has been briefed to me personally about how critical these items are. And I have the best team in America working on this today. All 14 different agencies are here behind me to include top experts from the joint staff and logistics. These guys are making it happen every single minute of every day.
[Berman:] Talk to me about the facilities that are being constructed. I know the Javits Center here in New York City is hoping for up to 1,000 beds. When will that be in place, and how effective do you hope that will be?
[Gaynor:] I think it is happening already. I think it started yesterday with the Javits Center. We gave authority to the governors of New York, Washington, California, to use Title 32 forces and enable they can use the National Guard to help them speed all these things along. So it's happening not only in New York and Washington, it's happening it has been happening and will continue to happen as we flow in more resources to these critical sites.
[Berman:] The Defense Production Act is something the president has discussed but hasn't actually used yet. Would there be more supplies being produced? Would there be more ventilators being produced if that was in fact now directly implemented?
[Gaynor:] So just a little while ago my team came in, and we're going to use the DPA for first time today.
[Berman:] Really?
[Gaynor:] There's some test kits there's some test kits we need to get our hands on. And the second thing we're going to do is insert some language into these mass contracts that we have for 500 million masks, DPA language will be in that today. So again, we want to be thoughtful about not upsetting the balance, making sure we can get it out to the market and the federal government not consume it all. So we're going to use it, we're going to use it when we need it, and we're going to use it today.
[Berman:] Tell me exactly a little bit more. How are you going to use it today, with whom, and for what?
[Gaynor:] We're going to use it for about 60,000 test kits, and so really we're going to use the allocation portion of the DPA. And again, many different levers and options in that. And we want to be thoughtful and meaningful on how we do it, again, for the best result.
[Berman:] Pete Gaynor, we'll let you get back to work. I know the supply chain is a complicated thing. We wish you best of luck getting the supplies in place where they need to be.
[Gaynor:] Thank you very much. I appreciate all the support.
[Berman:] Great. Alisyn?
[Camerota:] OK, John, joining us now is CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, great to see you. Did you hear anything that surprised you with what the FEMA administrator just said?
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Well, he clearly said the social distancing mechanisms are working. So there is evidence of that around the country. And we also know that if you look at the numbers, the numbers of people who have become infected and, sadly, the number of people who have died continues to increase, and not only does it increase, but the pace at which these numbers are increasing is growing as well. So I think the big question that I was sort of looking for and John was driving at with him was, look, how do you sort of balance when this social distancing recommendations are going to end with what is happening in the country now. And he said he would defer to the scientists, obviously. What I can tell you, Alisyn, I've talked to a lot of these public health officials, some of them sort of they understand this balance between the economy and public health, but in their minds, there is no question what needs to be done here. We are the testing and all the numbers you just put up on the screen, they're two weeks behind where the country actually is because it takes that long for people to develop symptoms and get tested. Those numbers are going to continue to increase. It would be very hard to understand how in the midst of that, you would then pull back on social distancing, which the FEMA administrator says does have evidence that it's working.
[Camerota:] But Sanjay, help me understand how it is working, because if I just look at that graph, the number of deaths
[Gupta:] He just said that, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] has spiked. And so just help me understand how we know that social distancing is working?
[Gupta:] Well, what you're starting to look for is looking to see if the pace at which new cases is decreasing or if you're not seeing as many hot spots around the country. Some of that just might be because we're not testing enough, so I think it is hard to say. As I said, that's what the administrator said, that the social distancing is working. I think you would be hard pressed to make the case, as I'm telling you based on looking at the numbers, I want to look at not only what the numbers are doing, but the pace at which they're growing. So once we start to see that pace start to decrease, I think that will start to be evidence of the peak of this.
[Camerota:] Sanjay, I am confused by what the president said yesterday during the press briefing. Are there treatments available right now?
[Gupta:] No. There's no approved treatments right now. There are going to be things that are going to go into clinical trials, sounds like today, in New York City. There is this one medication chloroquine, which a lot of people have been talking about. Very early data on this, a study of just some 20 patients or so. So they need to collect the data on this. I hope as they're giving out these treatments, that they're doing it in a way that actually can give results back, so they're doing it in a clinical trial. That means giving it to patients who are obviously in need of it, but also making sure that you can control to see if patients who are getting it, what is their clinical course. Right now, we don't know, does it actually help save somebody's life, does it decrease the severity of the disease, we don't know. The studies are just too small. There have been other promising candidates out there which have not been shown to be effective. And chloroquine is not the only medication that is being looked at. There is probably close to two dozen candidates out there right now according to the World Health Organization. And I know, Alisyn, you've been talking to Peter Hotez who is talking about convalescent serum, which is taking the plasma from people who recovered from this and pulling the antibodies from their blood and giving it to other people. That's another thing that has been trialed in Ebola and H1N1 in the past. So there's all these different things out there, but Alisyn, to you question, there's nothing that's approved to treat this particular infection right now.
[Camerota:] Because the president has made it sound as though there is, and as though or it's right around the corner. So when you say there's clinical trials, how long will those take?
[Gupta:] Months. It takes a while. You have to actually do go into larger and larger phases of patients. The advantage, I think, of some of these existing drugs is that they already exist. There's pretty good safety data around them. But we still don't know the safety data when you give these medications longer terms, when you give them at different doses. The medication chloroquine that we're talking about is being given for malaria. So how would it work exactly for a viral infection? They have some idea, but they want to continue to test this out. It just takes time. Everybody obviously wants it faster, but I think some have been given the impression that it's now, that it's happening today, that there is now a medication that is approved. And, look, I wish that were the case. I think a lot of people are hopeful. I would say everybody on the planet is hopeful, frankly, given that this is a pandemic. But we're not there yet. We could get there relatively quickly. Sometimes these things can take years. But I think maybe we're talking about several weeks if not months now.
[Camerota:] One more thing, Sanjay. Yesterday, during the press conference, Dr. Birx, global health expert, as you well know, part of the president's taskforce, said that New York has seen 28 percent of the coronavirus tests coming back positive. Can you just give me some context, what are we to take from that number, that 28 percent are positive? Is that good? Is that bad?
[Gupta:] Well, that's a lot higher than they're seeing in other places around the country. Typically, what you're seeing around the country is out of all of the tests that are being done, about 10 percent are coming back positive. And there in New York City, it is closer to 28 percent. So much higher, some of that could be reflective of just the fact that there is testing that is more specific to people who are sick, so you're more likely to have people who come back positive. New York City is probably had this virus circulating in that area for a period of time. So, it is likely that there just are more people infected, density of population, public transportation. But, Alisyn, I will tell you that I think in many communities around the country, that this is going to be more widespread than we realize. I think in many places around the country, we still haven't gotten adequate testing into these areas. So, you know, it is tough to sort of really read too much into those numbers now. I think we have to behave within the country as if the virus is spreading. I know what I think the point Ambassador Birx was making, is it possible to isolate a few hot spots around the country and then sort of allow the rest of the country to go back to normal functioning? I don't think we're there yet. I'm not saying she was suggesting that. But that is one of the strategies that they're looking at. The concern is that whether it be in Florida or Arizona or, you know, the middle of the country, I think, there is many places where the virus is circulating. We just haven't had eyes on it yet.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Yes, I feel like every day, we learn so much more, in part, because of you. Sanjay, thank you very much for all of the information.
[Gupta:] You got it.
[Camerota:] President Trump wants to reopen America for business, he says. So we'll talk to a Republican governor who just closed businesses to slow the spread of coronavirus.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] All right, major breaking news, the prime minister of Japan just announced a plan to delay the Summer Olympic Games. Again, the Summer Olympics are going to be postponed. The prime minister says until 2021 at the latest. This is unprecedented. The Olympics have never been delayed. They have been canceled, but they have never been delayed. Our Will Ripley is live in Tokyo with the breaking details Will.
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] it is remarkable, this historic moment we're living in, John. World War I and World War II canceled three Olympic Games in the history of the modern Olympics. They have never been postponed until today. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe moments ago speaking with reporters after getting off a call with the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and Prime Minister Abe confirmed that he has requested that the Olympics that were supposed to be held on July 24th here in Tokyo, the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, games that this country won the bid for seven years ago, they built a new stadium, they're still building infrastructure, there are signs everywhere around this city, this has been a cornerstone of Japan's identity for the last seven years since they won the bid in 2013, and now it is not happening in 2020. But they're hoping it is going to happen in the summer of 2021, which incidentally will be months later, the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Quite an extraordinary quite an extraordinary year, 2021 and 2022. But for the year 2020, the Olympics are a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. And Japan is on track to spend $20 billion already on these games. They have been way over budget. Now some economists are saying a postponement could cost an additional $5 billion, $5.5 billion. You have this logistical nightmare they have to work out. All the venues they need to basically reschedule. The Olympic athletes village, all those units or most of them anyway have been sold, people were supposed to be moved in by the summer of 2021. What is going to happen there? What about the people who paid up to a thousand dollars, for even $2,000 for tickets? Each ticket. Do they get refunds? Do their tickets transfer? It is unprecedented to move sporting event this big. What about conflicting sporting events that might be scheduled for the summer of 2021? What's going to happen to them? How are athletes going to qualify? These are all of the questions that we don't have the answers to. What we do know is that now that this call has ended, now that Japan made this request and they have been allowed to make this announcement, the International Olympic committee is expected to hold in the coming hours emergency teleconference of their executive board and they're going to start to now talk about the details. It will be the IOC that makes the official announcement, John, but we can now say definitively what we have been talking about for days, Tokyo 2020 is not happening, it is now going to be Tokyo 2021.
[Berman:] This decision really did seem inevitable, but now it has happened. Will Ripley in Tokyo, stand by. I want to bring in CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And, Christine, I'll start with you. We met covering the Olympic Games. You know that athletes, they're like finely tuned machines. These Olympic athletes have set their timers to peak at the Summer Olympic Games in 2020 in July. They were ready to go then. What is this news going to mean for them?
[Christine Brennan, Cnn Sports Analyst:] John, interestingly the athletes actually forced this upon the leaders who did not lead, the International Olympic Committee, that really failed them. Over the last three weeks as we have watched this virus grow and the outbreak grow around the world and the stories we have heard of tragedy and sickness, the athletes have been paying attention to that as well. And even though we're talking as will of course said about the July 24th start, the decision was made because of now. Athletes need to train new. And increasingly we were hearing, "USA Today" we were reporting this, athletes being shut out of swimming pools, Olympic gold medalists kicked out of the YMCA because their regular pool was closed, and then they, of course, they're kicked out of their second chance, now they have nowhere to go. Not only could they not train, training was changing for them or absolutely becoming something they could not do, but they were concerned. These athletes, not just Americans, John, but around the world, were concerned about violating guidelines that other people were following. Should they be out and about? Should they run or lift or train or throw or swim? And the answer increasingly for them was no, they were not being good citizens and they felt that they should be sheltering in place. And so, the athletes' voice was heard. And in the last week or so, the dominos have fallen like crazy, one after another. I was able to report yesterday that the senior IOC member, the most senior, Dick Pound from Canada, he told me yesterday, postponement was already decided. He was right. And meanwhile, the German Olympic Committee, even Canadians said they're not going and the U.S. Olympic Committee and Paralympic Committee said they were urging postponement so it was inevitable.
[Camerota:] Sanjay, it sounds like they had no choice. I mean, Christine just spelled it all out of all of the complications of why they had to postpone it. But to John's larger point, can the athletes stay at this peak level of what they are prepared for the next year?
[Gupta:] Yes, I mean, I think Christine's point is a good one. It is just basically, you know, can you continue to find locations to train at that level and it sounds like it is challenging. I hadn't really considered how much of a challenge that would be. But it makes total sense. And, Alisyn, you know, look, it is worth pointing out again that there is a legitimate health risk to young people as well. You know, we talk a lot about the elderly and people with underlying conditions, these are for the most part young healthy people. But, you know, right now we know in the United States, for example, out of the people who are hospitalized for coronavirus, 20 percent of them are aged 20 to 44. So, you know, I think that there is in terms of the social distancing guidelines, all the other things that we have been talking about, there is no reason that that shouldn't apply to these athletes as good of health and as good of shape as they may be in.
[Berman:] Sanjay, Christine, Will, thank you very much. Just one thought on the overall significance of this, the Olympics is the place where the world comes together. And now it has been decided that the world can't come together. That's how serious the situation is. That's the overall statement that is being made here. In the meantime, President Trump says he wants to reopen the United States for business in weeks. Not months. Right now, 16 states issued stay at home orders to try to slow the spread of coronavirus. Others have taken action like closing nonessential businesses. Joining me now is the governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan. Governor Hogan, thanks very much for being with us. I really appreciate it. I want to start with what you have announced in Maryland, which is the closing of all nonessential businesses, you haven't issued exactly a stay at home order, so I'm curious what you see as the difference there.
[Gov. Larry Hogan:] Well, really, it's, basically, John, it semantics about how you define it, but we're we've closed more businesses than many of the states that have stay at home orders. It's like we have encouraged and suggested that everybody that doesn't need to go out, that isn't an essential business that they do stay home. We're very strictly enforcing the limitations on social distancing, of no groups of ten or more, and we've closed more businesses than anything that is not essential. So, it has the same effect. Some of the people said, they issued stay at home orders but they still have all these businesses open and they have the exceptions for them to go to all those businesses. We're all taking different steps based on what we think is right for our states. But we've been about as aggressive as anyone in our country. One of the first states to declare a state of emergency, one of the first states to close all the schools, and then we closed all the bars and restaurants and this is another further step. So these are all things that you've been talking about to try to bend this curve downward and to stop this overflow crash on our on our healthcare system, I'm going out today with the National Guard to stand up 250-bed hospital in the Baltimore Convention Center, to try to help with, you know, the surge. And we're all fighting this thing as best we can from all directions.
[Berman:] It was striking, though, that yesterday you announced the strictest orders in your state yet, the closing of all nonessential businesses. You're just starting that now. The president for the first time was talking about relaxing some of the social distancing guidelines around the country. So how do those two things match?
[Hogan:] They don't really match, quite frankly. Some messaging is pretty confusing. I think it is not just that it doesn't match with what we're doing here in Maryland. Some of the messaging out of the administration doesn't match, where you have the surgeon general and Anthony Fauci saying things almost completely opposite of that yesterday. So we're just trying to take the best advice we can from the scientists and all the experts, and making the decisions that we believe are necessary for our states. We don't think that we're going to be in any way ready to be out of this in five or six days or so or whenever this 15 days is up from the time that they started this imaginary clock. Most people think that we're weeks away from the peak, if not months, and that's what the advice we're getting from the smart folks at Johns Hopkins and NIH and University of Maryland and places like that.
[Berman:] Yes, Johns Hopkins literally overcame the Spanish flu in 1918. They're good people to listen to down there. Given
[Hogan:] Yes.

[Harlow:] All right. More breaking news this morning. Thousands of people in and around Los Angeles are being told to get out now as an explosive wildfire is threatening their homes: dry heat, gusting winds making it difficult to control the flames, which just jumped over two highways overnight.
[Sciutto:] It's amazing, how quickly this has been moving. It's one of several fires now, actually, burning across Southern California, more than 15 million people around the region under what are known as red flag warnings, that means, get out. Nick Watt is live in Porter Ranch, California with the latest. And, Nick, what is the latest?
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Jim, since I last spoke to you, we have watched this wildfire tear down this valley, tear down this hillside, engulf this home and many others. You can see firefighters have salvaged what they can. The road closures in northern Los Angeles, I've lost count of how many highways have been closed this morning. It's going to be a rough commute. Many schools have been closed in the area. And the Santa Ana winds that have been whipping these fires, they are scheduled to continue, they are forecast to continue throughout the day. The sun is now up, and they are beginning to assess the damage that has already occurred. We're expecting to hear, very shortly, about structures lost, potential lives lost. Excuse me, the smoke is very acrid. There is a huge cloud of black smoke, hanging over the San Fernando Valley and the damage is just being assessed now. The winds are carrying on until this afternoon. Back to you guys.
[Sciutto:] Now, these are people's homes, burning, live, as we're watching on television here. Keep yourself safe, there, Nick, because breathing this stuff is not
[Harlow:] No.
[Sciutto:] a healthy thing.
[Harlow:] Nick, thank you so much for bringing that to us, in the midst of all of it. We appreciate it. Of course, we're staying on top of these horrific fires, we're staying on top of all of those several breaking stories for you, including the former ambassador to Ukraine who is on Capitol Hill, testifying behind closed doors right now as part of this impeachment inquiry. We'll stay on that. Thank you so much for joining us today. We hope you have a really nice weekend. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Sciutto:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. "AT THIS HOUR WITH KATE BOLDUAN" starts right after a quick break.

[Keilar:] Turning now to the pandemic and a potential early sign that the recent fall in U.S. cases is bottoming out. Once again, the U.S. saw more than a thousand people die from coronavirus in a single day, after days of a lower daily death toll. Today, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning about the upcoming Labor Day holiday just as Americans are urged to do all that we can now for the flu season, the first in generations happening during a pandemic. Sound bite. Now in other developments, a new British study finds effects from the coronavirus may last months longer than expected with patients needing to wait more than a month to make sure they're clear of the virus. And some positive updates, the Trump administration will send out low- cost antigen tests starting next month. Plus, newly released research confirms common and cheap steroids can reduce deaths among critically ill coronavirus patients. There's another major headline, and that is that the National Institutes of Health is now saying convalescent plasma should not be treated as a standard of care for COVID-19. This is coming less than 10 days after the FDA authorized emergency use of the treatment. But an NIH panel says there is insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of the treatment. I'm joined now by Dr. Tom Frieden, he's the former director of the CDC. It's great to see you, Dr. Frieden. You know as well as anyone, this is extremely confusing for families who have loved ones who are in the hospital battling this virus. So just tell us you know, what the truth is here. What's the data on convalescent plasma and should this have gotten CDC authorization?
[Tom Frieden, Former Cdc Director:] Well, the details here are really important. Convalescent plasma is 100 years old, and the FDA, which gave what's called emergency use authorization, basically just has to say it may do more good than harm. And so perhaps that was a valid measure. What's really concerning is how politicized that was. It was billed as a major breakthrough, which it is not. The headlines, the framing, the way it was done really smell of political interference. And Brianna, there have been far too many casualties from COVID, more than 200,000 more Americans died between March and July than have died in other years if the death rate were the same. That's from COVID, and also the disruption that COVID causes. What we don't want is not only lives and education and jobs and our economy, but also our treasured institutions like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, to be really casualties of this pandemic.
[Keilar:] So I mean, the CDC has been politicized, right? And for it to be effective, it has to resist that politicization. How far gone is it in terms of politicization do you think, and what does it need to do?
[Frieden:] Well, I think if you look at masks or contact tracing or testing or lockdowns or reopening, there's a more effective and a less effective way to do those things. And unfortunately, this administration has used the less effective means. And because of that, the U.S. has a much higher death rate, our economy has taken a harder hit, and we're in worse shape now. We can't get our kids back to school, we can't go back to our workplaces without the kind of risk that could have been avoided. There are things that each of us can do: wear a mask when you're near others, make sure that if you are positive you participate in contact tracing so that contacts can be warned and can quarantine so that they don't become infectious and infect others. There's lots that we can do against this virus, but it's not going to go away on its own. We have to work together. Stay apart, but work together and we can make a lot more progress.
[Keilar:] Are you worried that some Americans won't trust the CDC?
[Frieden:] I'm very worried about the lack of trust. It's very hard to fight an epidemic if people can't trust what's being said. And if you see the kind of recommendations and statements that are being made by people who are not qualified to make those statements, they don't have training in the control of infectious diseases? it's really not keeping faith with the American people. When you're in an epidemic, it's crucial to be very clear about what you know, when you know it, to state that clearly, to give recommendations for what's proven that people can do. There are some things we definitely know. If you're feeling sick, stay home, get a test. Wear a mask any time you're indoors near other people. And we're learning more about how to treat patients who are very ill in the hospital. That's all good news, but we're still a long, long way from being out of the woods with this virus.
[Keilar:] Yes. I'm so glad you say that, because we really do need to put into perspective that the foundation of a good public health response is just a government that is being accurate about what is happening, what has happened, what could happen and what Americans need to do here. Let's talk about this critical issue of the vaccine. Dr. Fauci says he thinks there could be one by the end of the year, he says that the data is incredibly good, the FDA could end clinical trials early and give an emergency use authorization when it comes to a vaccine. Let's listen to what he said.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] I've been through a number of vaccine trials in which EUAs have ultimately been done, but they've been done when there was enough data that you would really feel comfortable that it was safe and effective for the American public.
[Keilar:] As you know, Doctor, the American public has to feel that it's safe and effective. Would you be comfortable with fast-tracking a vaccine?
[Frieden:] Depends on the data. We need to see the data openly, and the FDA has said they'll provide all of the data openly. There really are three things to look at: Is it effective, does it work? Is it safe? And will people take it, will it be trusted? In terms of that safety, that's a complicated question because sometimes you don't find a problem with a vaccine until tens of hundreds of thousands of people have been vaccinated. That means that not only do you need to start carefully, but you need to monitor over time. And we already have too much distrust in vaccines, we really need complete openness about what's going on with a vaccine, an assurance that it's not politicized, and an understanding that decisions are made with one concept only: How do we save American lives?
[Keilar:] I want to talk to you about something that Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has suggested, which is the doctors in her state may be intentionally falsifying COVID cases for money. There is we've heard no evidence of this, I want to add. But this is her conversation with a local reporter.
[Unidentified Female:] Now you mentioned something I want to clarify about the COVID numbers and maybe being inflated by health care providers in order to get more reimbursement?
[Sen. Joni Ernst:] Yes.
[Unidentified Female:] I wanted to give you maybe an opportunity to clarify your thoughts there?
[Ernst:] Well, and again, this is what I've heard from health care providers and others. I can't actually look at that information, but I have heard it from health care providers that they do get reimbursed higher amounts if it's a COVID-related illness or death. So because of the additional expense for PPE and the treatment that might be necessary for COVID-19.
[Unidentified Female:] Do you think the numbers are being inflated because of that?
[Ernst:] That I'm not sure. And again, that's why I want somebody to really go back and do a good fact check on this. And I don't have the means to do that... But I do think that should be discussed because I heard the same thing on the news, you know, traveling across the state today, is that they're thinking there may be 10,000 or less deaths that were actually singularly COVID-19.
[Keilar:] And Doctor, just a quick fact-check for our viewers. When you look at that death total that we have on the side of our screen 185,000 deaths there's been this discussion about comorbidity, but obviously these are not deaths that would occur in the absence of coronavirus, so these are coronavirus deaths. I just want to be very clear about that. What do you think about her raising this question of whether essentially doctors are en masse committing fraud when it comes to COVID numbers?
[Frieden:] There is a plain and simple truth here. More than 200,000 Americans died in excess of historical rates between March and July. The death rate is a fact, everything else is inference. Now, if you die from cancer and you also have diabetes, that doesn't mean you didn't die from cancer, that means you had another condition. If you die from COVID and you also had diabetes, that doesn't mean you didn't die from COVID. The facts here are extremely clear. The U.S. death rate, and what we the most reliable way of measuring this is what's called the excess mortality, which is the number of deaths beyond the historical baseline, and that's been looked at by the "Financial Times," by "The Economist," news magazines, by the CDC, by "The New York Times. And the data's extremely clear, there are well over 200,000 excess deaths in the U.S. already. And that's a combination of three things. One, someone who died and the doctor said, yes, this was COVID, that's that 185,000 number. Two, people who died from COVID but because there wasn't a test or they died at home or it wasn't recognized, it wasn't recognized to be COVID. And three, people who might have had a heart attack or other serious problem and didn't go to get care because they were afraid or the health care system was overwhelmed. That's the bottom line. We've lost more than 200,000 American lives because the response to this pandemic in the U.S. has not been nearly as effective as many other countries have done.
[Keilar:] What does it mean to you when we have coronavirus death toll deniers operating in high the highest levels of government?

[Holmes:] Welcome back. As the coronavirus death toll in the United States tops 51,000, many places are looking to open back up for business. Some states already have, despite health experts warning opening too soon could take on a second wave of infections, possibly worse than the first. But is it really safe to reopen? CNN's Brian Todd reports.
[Shannon Stafford, Hair Salon Owner:] No mask, no entry.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Shannon Stafford wrestled with the decision to reopen her hair salon in Savannah, Georgia. She says she will take the temperature of clients as they enter, make sure they wear face masks. But as for social distancing
[Stafford:] That is not going to be possible, not with the client and a stylist. You can try to distance between the next two people throughout the salon but it's going to be difficult because we are so hands on.
[Todd:] Keira Johnson owns a restaurant in Valdosta, Georgia, named Steel Magnolias, despite the declaration from Georgia's governor that restaurants can reopen with social distancing measures in place. Johnson refuses to open.
[Keira Johnson, Restaurant Owner:] I have a 19 month old son, one of my managers has three little girls. Most of my chefs have children and we all have to know what we're going home to at the end of the night is safe. That we are keeping it safe for them at this point.
[Todd:] Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's decision to allow hair and nail salons, gyms, restaurants and theaters to reopen is drawing enormous criticism from President Trump to mayors and other officials in the state to public health experts who have an ominous warning tonight.
[Dr. Mark Rupp, Infection Control Chief, University Of Nebraska Medical Center:] So I think undoubtedly there will be additional infections as we try to open up businesses. So this virus has not miraculously just gone away, it's still there. It's still looking for ways to exploit frailties.
[Todd:] Next week, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is allowing restaurants and retailers to open at 50 percent capacity. One expert says that may not go far enough and explains how coronavirus can spread in a restaurant setting.
[Gavin Macgregor-skinner, Director Training, Global Biorisk Advisory Council:] This virus spreads through droplets as well as direct contact. So anyone who's touched anything I know, fork, spoon, plate, cup, glass, we have to treat it as hot with real virus.
[Todd:] In one study, person A1 here marked in yellow had lunch in a restaurant in China on January 24 and then soon felt sick. Nine others marked in red seated nearby were diagnosed within the following 12 days. In gyms now reopening in parts of Georgia, experts say the risks could be even higher, even for people in pre-symptomatic stages. If they're working out too close to others.
[Rupp:] If one of those persons goes to a gym and works out vigorously and is breathing hard, exerting themselves, that seems to me to be kind of a recipe for spreading that virus in that pre-symptomatic stage.
[Todd:] So is it impossible for any salons, stores and restaurants reopening to operate safely right now? One expert says, not impossible, but those businesses have to quickly train their employees.
[Macgregor-skinner:] The business employees are going to require the training but also the necessary equipment to protect their eyes, nose and mouth. It could be glasses, it could be another face covering, it could be just better use of disinfectant or hand sanitizer or soap and water. But we can do it, but it's going to be done slowly.
[Todd:] Despite the encouragement of some governors to reopen, many businesses and states that are doing that have told CNN that they are not going to reopen right away. For some, they say the cost of reopening, with all of the safety measures they have to take, are too burdensome. But for many, the overall risks are just too great. One theater owner told "The New York Times," "Hell, no," when he was asked if he would reopen. He said, if he did that and another outbreak is traced to his theater, quote, "You know what that would do to my business? "I wouldn't have one." Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[Holmes:] Well, if there does end up being a second wave of coronavirus infections, it would not be the first time this has happened during a pandemic. The Spanish flu, for example, which didn't really start in Spain, began in 1918. But then it had two more waves, stronger and deadlier than the first. Joining me now, Dr. Howard Markel, he's a physician and professor at the University of Michigan, a good man to have for this. When we look back at the 1918 and compare it to what's unfolding today, it struck me, you were quoted as saying, as a historical epidemiologist, I really do not want to see my research play out before my eyes. Explain that in the context of then and now.
[Dr. Howard Markel, University Of Michigan:] Several years ago, we were asked to look at the 1918 pandemic to look at what is now referred to as social distancing, quarantine and isolation, school closures, public gathering bans, and see what worked and what didn't work in American cities during that great pandemic. We found that cities that acted early, that did more than one of them and did them for very long times had far lower cases and deaths than those that did not. So we had always planned or part of the planning for the nation's pandemic preparedness.
[Markel:] And this was only to be rolled out in a worst-case scenario. So what I meant by that quote was that while we had been working on this dystopian vision for so long, no physician would want to COVID-19 crisis on his or her hands and I doubt that anyone else would either.
[Holmes:] There were lessons and you touched on this, how different cities acted. I think Philadelphia and St. Louis were examples in the very different outcomes they had from their behavior.
[Markel:] To begin, Philadelphia was on the East Coast, they got struck very hard, very early but they did not do much at all and when they finally did anything, it was too late. The virus had hit its inflection point, there were so many people with influenza, they were all infecting other people with influenza. In places like St. Louis and other American cities, Grand Rapids, Michigan, was another one, they acted very early, a few weeks before the crisis got out of hand. They also used more than one of the social distancing measures and did them for a long period of time. But there was more to it than that. There was context, in that the leaders of those cities got along with the other leaders in the same city. So the health commissioner worked well with the board of education or with the governor or with the mayor. And we found that then, as now, when there is internecine rivalries between different politicians at different levels, that is a prescription for bad stuff.
[Holmes:] And that was my very next question. You've spoken about that battle in many ways between economics and public health. We are seeing that play out today. Given what happened in 1918, do you fear a rush to normal right now? Particularly where you got the push from the White House and that seems political and pretty strong?
[Markel:] Yes, and in places like Georgia as well; 23 of the 43 cities that we have studied released the brake too early. They had what we called a double hump curve. So it was an epicurve that went up, then went down when they put on the brakes and then when they released the brakes, the cases went back up, they put the brakes back on and it went down again. But that 2nd hump was sometimes worse in number of cases and deaths than the first. Of course, it sort of put all of that work in and disruption for nothing. You still had to do it all over again and for almost a longer period at that.
[Holmes:] Fears that could happen this time around. We have, of course, the advantages now of better science, better systems of communication. That was not the case back then. How did having control of the epidemic and these days communication itself is hampered by easily disseminated conspiracy theories and misinformation.
[Markel:] Yes. Communication today is absolutely wonderful in that the science and scientists and epidemiologists from all around the world can communicate at the push of a button. That is a wonderful thing. But information can be disseminated to citizens about what they should do to prevent getting the COVID-19 virus. But you are also right, there is bad information and, with social media and the Internet, misinformation can go around the world at the speed of electrons and that is very difficult to rein in as well.
[Holmes:] We are right out of time but is there one lesson from 1918 that should be applied today that is not or one lesson learned?
[Markel:] One lesson learned is that through every epidemic I've ever studied, the last act is always one of global amnesia. We forget about the crisis at hand once it's over. We go back to living the lives that may have led to that epidemic or pandemic in the first place. The 2nd COVID-19 is managed, we are going to have to plan for the next one. We live in a world of emerging infectious diseases and we never conquer microbes. We, at best, wrestled them to a draw.
[Holmes:] So well put. Dr. Howard Markel, a pleasure. Thank you so much.
[Markel:] Thank you.
[Holmes:] Global amnesia. The decision by Georgia's governor to reopen the state is causing concern across the U.S. pro basketball player in Georgia native Jaylen Brown says that he fears for the safety of his family and friends living there. The Boston Celtics shooting guard spoke with Christina Macfarlane about it.
[Christina Macfarlane, Cnn Correspondent:] He was supposed to be focusing on the NBA playoffs, instead, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics has been concentrating on another goal, keeping people safe. Now his messages have urgently turned to the people in his home state of Georgia as Governor Kemp gradually reopens for business.
[Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics:] As a Georgia native I feel uneasy but I have family and friends there that will be the first to go back out into society. And I do not want to see Georgia be like the guinea pig for what the economy is trying to do and start back up. I think all the people that I have listened to, who have some type of claim in science and DNA and understanding this virus, say this is almost ridiculous. I take it personal that is something that we're going to do because it bothers me and I'm concerned for my friends and my family.
[Trump:] Maybe you wait a little bit longer until you get into a phase 2. So do I agree with him? No, but I respect him and I will let him make his decision.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] Going ahead and leapfrogging into phases where you should not be, I would advise him, as a health official and a physician, not to do that.
[Macfarlane:] After listening to White House briefings on the coronavirus, Brown says he hopes the president and local officials would get on the same page.
[Brown:] The government or state officials said they will release more information and I think they should be more adamant about talking and putting the right information out there instead of complaining about the wrong information. When I watch, some of these government officials, they just cause more anxiety and more panic, because I do not feel like people are on the same page. I think that we should be united in our stance
[Macfarlane:] With the devastating toll this is having on minority and ethnic communities, Brown says the NBA is in a unique position to make a difference.
[Brown:] I think the NBA is 75-80 percent African American and people of color, so I think that our communities, our families, our neighborhoods are being affected by that. And that is the importance of us as players, of the NBA to teams to stand in that, stand up and not to pretend but to actually try to go out and make change and do something. Americans are having a lack of medical resources right now and I think people of color are suffering the most.
[Macfarlane:] It is uncertain when Brown will be back on the basketball court. But right now, he has focused on playing his part in the global effort to save lives Christina Macfarlane, CNN, London
[Holmes:] A follow-up for you now, 99 year old British war veteran captain Tom Moore, you may remember, raised more than $35 million for the National Health Service in the U.K. by walking laps in his garden. Now he is the oldest person to top the U.K.'s music charts. Moore's rendition, with a few guest singers of "You'll Never Walk Alone" debuted at number one just days before his 100th birthday, check it out, it is all over YouTube and it is something. Thank you for spending part of your day with me and watching CNN NEWSROOM, "MARKETPLACE AFRICA" up next, I will see you in about 20 minutes.

[Camerota:] Seven weeks after House Democrats launched the formal impeachment investigation, the probe becomes public today. So what will we see? Joining us now to break it down is Eli Honig, CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor. And you know something a little about this and certainly about the players.
[Eli Honig, Cnn Legal Analyst:] I do.
[Camerota:] So, take us take us through it. So, let's start with the witnesses.
[Honig:] All right, Alisyn. These will be the stars of the day. The two witnesses who the House Democrats on the Intel Committee have specifically selected to lead this off. Bill Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, and George Kent, the deputy assistant secretary of state. Now, one important thing, these two witnesses will be testifying physically side by side. They will be at the same table
[Camerota:] At the same time?
[Honig:] at the same time, which you would never see in a trial. So, if people are thinking of this along the lines of a trial, that is going to be a major difference.
[Camerota:] And why are they doing that out of curiosity?
[Honig:] I think that's the way congressional hearings normally work and it will make for a more efficient, quicker hearing. Now, a couple of important factors. The witnesses can have lawyers present. They will not be sitting at the table with them. They will probably be behind them. They may need to turn and confer with them like this behind the table from time to time. Importantly, no Trump or White House attorneys will be present at the table. The White House objected to this and said it's unfair that we're not represented, but you're going to have a smoother hearing with less objections. Think about Corey Lewandowski, when he testified, and every other answer was, the White House has instructed me, the White House has directed me. We're not going to see that today.
[Camerota:] And, of course, they will have their Republican representatives who can channel the way the president feels.
[Honig:] Yes, absolutely. They're not going to be defenseless, by any means. Now, the witnesses will be sworn in, you'll have that sort of flashbulb moment when they take the oath and then they'll give opening statements and we'll be on to the questioning.
[Camerota:] OK, this is very interesting to me, because as you have pointed out, you worked with and know Daniel Goldman who is one of the attorneys who will be doing this, and Steve Castor is on the other side representing the Republicans. And these guys are described as no-nonsense, just the facts, ma'am, tell us what you know about
[Honig:] Yes. So, Adam Schiff, who is the committee chairman, is going to cede his time, his 45-minute opening questions to Daniel Goldman and Devin Nunes will do the same with Steve Castor. They're both extremely impressive, accomplished attorneys. Daniel Goldman, I worked with him hand in hand at the Southern District of New York. We tried a mafia murder case against the boss and two others together. It was a five-murder case against three defendants. He knows what he's doing. He's up for the moment. He will not be intimidated. Steven Castor also a very impressive individual. He is a longtime congressional aide and attorney. He's been through hearings like this. So, I think we're going to have a very substantive hearing. Now
[Camerota:] So these two guys each get, what, 45 minutes to begin of the questioning of the witnesses?
[Honig:] Exactly. Each side starts with 45 minutes, that I expect those two attorneys to be doing the question. Now, both witnesses, keep in mind, gave lengthy depositions. They testified for hours each. So what we're going to really be seeing here is a best of, a greatest hits, where the attorneys are going to boil down the most important things. And watch for this stylistic difference. Direct examination. When the Democrats are examining, it's going to be open-ended questions, what did you do next? Why did you do that? But when the Republicans are questioning, we'll see cross-examine, which is closed-ended questions. Next, you did this. And you said that. Didn't you? That's a big difference that I think we'll see as this goes along.
[Camerota:] And then will there also be a moment where, as we have seen in other hearings, lawmakers get to sort of state their piece, they can grandstand if they want, they can ask questions? Will we have that moment?
[Honig:] Yes, we can't take the grandstanding out of politics. Altogether, we will have then the committee members, 13 Democrats and nine Republicans. They will each get their five minutes, which is sort of what we're you'd to from the Mueller testimony and the Lewandowski testimony. Now, a couple of key committee members to focus on. Val Demings, Democrat from Florida. She's a former police chief. She's been a very strong pro-impeachment member of congress.
[Camerota:] And we're going to have her on NEW DAY coming up in a couple of hours, yes.
[Honig:] Indeed, indeed, stay tuned. Eric Swalwell, former prosecutor on the Democratic side. On the Republican side, Jim Jordan was just recently moved into this committee for this purpose. We know he's a firebrand. We know he's a strong voice for the Republicans. And then Will Hurd who is on his way out, he's retiring, he's not running for re-election, so it will be interesting to see if he shows a bit of an independent streak as we go through this.
[Camerota:] Some of the reporters who have been watching outside of the rooms where they've been briefing and have been prepping describe Jim Jordan and his aides coming out with binders full of information as they prep. And I'm sure that all of them are. It's going to be a really interesting day.
[Honig:] Everyone's ready to go. It's going to be fascinating. We're going to learn a lot today.
[Camerota:] Eli, thanks so much for explaining all of that to us.
[Honig:] Thanks, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] John?
[Berman:] And one possibility is during those five-minute segments, Republicans could cede time to Jim Jordan. So, we might see a lot of Jim Jordan in the final stages of the questioning today. So, there's this brand-new report this morning raising questions about President Trump's effort to undermine the impeachment investigation ahead of today's crucial public hearings. Those details, next.

[Baldwin:] A suspect in a horrific attack captured on surveillance video tossing acid in the face of a man he's arguing with. He has been located, arrested and charged with a felony hate crime. Clifton Blackwell is this man here accused of attacking the victim outside a Mexican restaurant in Milwaukee last Friday. Mahud Villalaz suffered second degree burns on his face. Villalaz is a U.S. citizen who immigrated to this country from Peru. What he told police, Blackwell called him illegal and told him to go back to where he came from. And Mahud is with me from Milwaukee along with his lawyer, Craig Mastantuono. So thank you, gentlemen, for being with me. And Mahud, how are you doing?
[Mahud Villalaz, Had Acid Thrown In His Face:] I'm doing better. In fact if nothing worse happens to me.
[Baldwin:] OK. I know it's painful but can you take us back to the moment that I mean, this whole thing was over, my understanding, where you parked your car and your attacker was mad that you parked in a bus lane. You moved. He approached you a second time and then what did he say to you?
[Villalaz:] He told me, why you came here, invade my country? Go back to your country. And then he got argued with him and escalated when I told him to everyone has come here from somewhere else. And I tell him, Indian Americans came here first, they be the longest. That's the moment when he throw me the acid. And the pain was so bad. Only think go to the restaurant to wash my face right away because the burn was so painful, very painful.
[Baldwin:] I can't even begin to imagine. But just as an American citizen, this was over where you were parking your car. What was going through your mind as this was happening?
[Villalaz:] At the moment, he keep arguing about that, he told me you got to be 30 feet away. And then argued after that. And then he started telling me that, you don't respect my laws he says. And then when I tell him, hey, what are you talking about, he got a little bag and pulled out a bottle in that moment.
[Baldwin:] But what are you thinking, sir? What are you thinking when this is happening? You live here lawfully.
[Villalaz:] Right. I don't understand the question. What is it?
[Baldwin:] If he's telling you to go back, home is here.
[Villalaz:] Yes. At that moment, Yes, my instincts told me that something is up with this guy. And I was concerned, something, have something else in his bag. And then I ignored him and go back to my truck and move it.
[Baldwin:] Craig, if I may just ask your attorney a question. So the man now faces this felony hate crime. Can you just tell me exactly what he faces and what justice looks like for Mahud?
[Craig Mastantuono, Attorney For Acid Attack Survivor:] Sure. The gentleman is charged with first-degree reckless injury, which is a felony. And then there's a hate crime penalty enhancer that says that it alleges that Mr. Blackwell targeted Mahud for his race, color, national origin or ancestry. And if that is proven it would add five-year prison enhancer onto an already 25-year maximum charge. For Mahud moving forward, he has to participate in the criminal justice process, that's what I'm here to assist him with. I work in the criminal justice system and participate potentially in a trial or other court proceedings.
[Baldwin:] Craig and Mahud, I appreciate you coming on national TV and sharing your story. And I hope justice is served for you. Thank you, gentlemen, very much.
[Villalaz:] Thank you.
[Mastantuono:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Shifting stories, abusive e-mails and it is only day two of testimony in Roger Stone's federal trial. The political operative and long-time friend of President Trump is accused of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing justice during the Robert Mueller investigation. CNN crime and justice reporter Shimon Prokupecz is just outside of federal court there. And I understand a key witness here has just taken the stand.
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Reporter:] Yes, that's Randy Credico, Brooke, he just took the stand. He is that witness, you talk about witness tampering. This is the guy that the government says Roger Stone tampered with, tried to intimidate him in not cooperating with Congressional investigators. He went before members of Congress and he gave testimony about contacts with Roger Stone, about contacts with WikiLeaks. And Roger Stone tried to prevent him from going forward and cooperating. And so that is why he is taking the stand. There's several extensive text messages of Roger Stone, essentially what the government is arguing, threatening him, cursing at him. Using all sorts of vile language to try and prevent him from testifying. At one point telling Randy Credico, stonewall. Plead the fifth. Hold to the plan. Stick to the plan. And Randy Credico now on the stand. He is a colorful person, as we know. He is a comedian. He also does imitations. So it's certainly going to be a lively end of the day as he is now on the stand under direct examination Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Shimon, thank you for the update. Day two here of testimony. We'll talk again. Just in to us here at CNN, new details about what the Vice President's adviser testified today behind closed doors about that July 25th phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian President. So Lauren Fox, what do we know?
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Reporter:] Well, what we're learning is that Jennifer Williams told lawmakers behind closed doors that she did think that the call on July 25th that she'd listened in on in was more political than diplomatic in nature. However, her concerns about that call she never raised to her superiors and that's a key detail. Basically she was one of the Vice President's two aides who were on that call. And it's a very key detail because it gives Democrats an opportunity to say that she had concerns about what was going on with this funding. Also, she said she did not believe that the Vice President was part of these discussions with the Ukrainians. Obviously, that is a key detail here. Because Democrats going into this wanted to know what the Vice President knew and when. But we're just getting new details, of course, exactly what she said in the room, her testimony spanning several hours this morning. It got out just a few minutes ago Brooke.
[Baldwin:] OK, so, she appeared. Someone who did not, was a former National Security Adviser John Bolton. Why was he not on Capitol Hill today?
[Fox:] Well, he wasn't on Capitol Hill today. He was never subpoenaed which, of course, is very unusual, given what we've seen over the last several weeks with these depositions. But they did not want to subpoena him because they didn't want this tied up in court. When an aide for Adam Schiff said earlier, was they didn't want this getting tied up in a rope-a-dope in court. Of course, they're going to track this up as potentially just another example of obstruction of Congress, when these individuals don't come before Congress for these depositions. Democrats are saying we don't want to get tied up. What we want to do is move forward with our impeachment inquiry. If they don't want to show up, that's on them. They can see that in a potential article of impeachment when they move forward, saying that these individuals and the White House were obstructing Congress Brooke.
[Baldwin:] And what's the timeline here for this impeachment process now?
[Fox:] Well, potentially, this could all be wrapped up in the House of Representatives before Christmas. That of course, is coming as they move into this public phase of the impeachment inquiry. Next week we're going to see three public hearings. That's a very significant addition to what we've been seeing in these closed-door depositions. Of course, we're getting these transcripts more and more of them every single day. So the American people are getting an opportunity to see exactly what's been going on for the last several weeks in what Republicans had argued was a closed-door process. Of course, all that have moving into the public sphere. Once you have these public hearings, that's going to be a very significant change for the American people who are going to be watching

[Julia Chatterley, Cnn International Anchor, First Move:] Live from the New York Stock Exchange. I'm Julia Chatterley. This is FIRST MOVE, and here's your need to know. Hoping for harmony: Huawei unveils its Android alternative operating system. Broadening out: Chipmaker Broadcom buying Symantec's enterprise software business for over $10 billion. And Uber disappointing. The ride hailing app posting an XL loss. It's fortunately Friday. Let's make a move. Welcome once again to FIRST MOVE, almost forgot it was Friday. I'm not quite sure how, but they say though fortune favors the brave, and I can tell you bravery has been needed with the market volatility this week. Right now, what we're looking at for Wall Street majors here. The stocks down premarket once again following what was in fact the best day for stocks in two months on Thursday. Volatility is the name of the game. I think we chalked that up to firmer us bond yields over the past couple of days. The Dow and the S&P gaining one and a half percent yesterday. The NASDAQ rising more than two percent were actually positive. As we stand right now for the week following, of course, Monday's three percent tumble on China devaluation fears. That feels like weeks ago right now. But we did see China's Central Bank guiding yuan lower for the seventh straight session. Key: The pace of the decline here is slow and steady. But I think the direction is pretty clear and that is weaker. What about what we're seeing over in Europe right now? Well, I can tell you it is weakness there, too. Italian stocks down over two percent. Bond yields have jumped amid strong signals from the coalition government there, but we could be about to see a collapse. Over in the U.K., too, the economy contracting in the second quarter. More details on that coming up very shortly. Now, from a negative surprise on that to a positive one, Japanese growth data coming in better than expected for the second quarter that then triggered a pop higher in the Japanese yen and as a result, fueling more speculation that the Bank of Japan might intervene to try and weaken the currency. Well, I can tell you, too, two can play at that game. President Trump, of course, tweeting yesterday that he liked to see a weaker U.S. dollar at this moment. His trade seem to be having more impact on weakening everyone else's currencies. Speaking of trade wars. Let's get to the drivers. Huawei launching its new operating system called Harmony OS. This comes just as the White House says it's going to crack down on government contracts of Huawei and some of the others. Matt Rivers joins me on this. Aptly named, Matt, if only they were hard money, quite frankly, but Huawei saying, "Look, we've got an alternative if we lose access to Google's Android here."
[Matt Rivers, Cnn International Correspondent:] Yes, and you know this is according to the Consumer Business CEO, Richard Yu you who made this presentation earlier today, you know, this operating system has been in development for the last two years, Julia, but it's really become a lot more important recently because of this trade war I'll get into that in a second. But just to talk about the operating system for a second here. It's not going to show up on Huawei smartphones right away. They say they're going to do that over the next three to five years. Really, you're going to start seeing it more on what they're calling their smart screens, which will debut later this year. You might see it on smart watches that Huawei makes and even in in-vehicle systems. So this operating system is going to be rolled out slowly over time it looks like, but this all comes back to this trade war because remember, it was back in May that the Trump administration placed Huawei on an entity list which basically forbade U.S. companies from selling their technology to Huawei. Huawei needs key U.S. technology to operate, including Google's Android operating system, which is what Huawei's smartphones run on basically. Now, Huawei can only use the open source or the public version of Android and can't use the Google apps like Google Mail, like Google Maps, and so that was a big deal for Huawei. So, this operating system is basically a hedge, Julia against, you know, Huawei needing U.S. products in order to make its own products competitive.
[Chatterley:] And there's so much or so little clarity around what the relationship is going to be going forward, particularly with companies that supply Huawei. But what we heard yesterday from the White House was, as far as Federal contracts are concerned, they're going to tighten the grip here.
[Rivers:] Yes, and not only that, but Bloomberg has been reporting this week that the White House was considering at one point which we had no public knowledge that they were going to loosen some of those restrictions on private U.S. companies like Google providing technology to Huawei. Well, Bloomberg is reporting that the White House is going to delay restarting some of those relationships. And so Huawei is you know, this puts a big question mark over Huawei's future, and I think this just goes to show you that there's no short term deal in place for Huawei, no immediate relief as this trade war drags on with no end in sight, Julia. You know, companies that are caught in the middle, not only Huawei, but you know, companies like Apple or Intel, you know, these are all examples of private companies that are going to continue to get hurt from this trade war.
[Chatterley:] Absolutely. And an operating system takes time, it takes years to develop. So I'm a hedge, but what kind of quality? Matt Rivers, great to have you with us and on a Friday night, too. We are very appreciative.
[Rivers:] Happy to be here.
[Chatterley:] Let's talk about Broadcom now, because Broadcom is looking to buy Symantec's Enterprise Security unit for $10.7 billion in cash. Paul La Monica joins us now. A bit of a head scratcher for me this one, Paul, but talk us through the details. And then we'll work out whether this is a good idea or not. Very different from their core business, of course, which is chip maker chip making.
[Paul La Monica, Cnn Business Reporter:] Yes, exactly. Julia, I think it's a bit of a head scratcher because as you point out, Broadcom is mainly known for being a chip company, but it has been making efforts to diversify and try and find higher margin businesses like software. So by buying the Symantec corporate cybersecurity business, the hope is that this can be a deal that will give them a new revenue stream and, you know, possibly some more profits as well at a time where, you know, there are concerns about what's going on in the chip market, particularly because of U.S.-China trade tension.
[Chatterley:] Yes, it is quite fascinating. To your point, if you can't see growth organically, then you can buy in, except the revenues of this company, I was just flicking through some of the numbers earlier and they're actually shrinking. So, it's how much can you strip out of this business in terms of costs, perhaps to generate more growth here, which for me is an interesting one. The challenge, of course, for Broadcom was that they couldn't buy the whole thing. They tried to buy Qualcomm and they were refused access. Is this going to get through the regulators? Or do they not have any problems since they shifted their HQ to California?
[La Monica:] Yes, I think the move to San Jose obviously helps on that front. There shouldn't be any major issues with this deal from the standpoint of President Trump in a CFIUS review. But it's still possible from an antitrust standpoint that there will be some scrutiny of the deal in the U.S. and Europe. It probably is going to go through though. And you're right, though, Julia. Obviously, this is still not exactly a high growth business, even though the margins are higher for Broadcom. So I think that the company is going to try and cut costs, but you can cut costs too aggressively, you know, a different business, obviously, but Kraft Heinz is a perfect example of what happens when you just slash expenses, but don't actually invest in growth.
[Chatterley:] Couldn't agree more. Paul La Monica, thank you so much for that. All right, on to our next driver now and Uber shares going into reverse premarket. The company reporting a record $5.2 billion loss late Thursday. The stock down some eight percent premarket. Clare Sebastian joins me now. Clare, these results to me felt like a car exhaust with a hole in it. They were simply really noisy. Talk us through the details here, because a lot of the losses here tie back to the IPO and expenses related to that.
[Clare Sebastian, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Yes, Julia, absolutely. $3.9 billion of the loss. It was more than $5 billion in three months. That was mostly due to cost related to the IPO, that's true, but there's no hiding behind that. Because even if you strip that out, they look $1.3 billion in the last quarter, that's more than 50 percent increase on the same period last year. And you know, I think Wall Street might be more willing to overlook that if we were seeing the kind of growth rates when it comes to revenue that we've become used to seeing, but revenue was only up 14 percent and compare that to Uber's biggest competitor in the U.S., Lyft that reported yesterday 72 percent increase in revenue. So this is a pretty, you know, kind of ugly report on the surface. But some perspective here. If you look at gross bookings, they were up 31 percent. That says that there's still demand for this. Uber Eats was up 72 percent in terms of revenue. That's starting to contribute a little more to the top line revenue growth. In terms of Uber and in terms of what analysts are saying this morning, Julia, it's not a complete disaster. We can show you some of the price targets today. Most of them either unchanged or even slightly raised. People are starting to look at the sense that the competition with it in terms of price wars with Lyft is easing in the U.S. And then Goldman Sachs said that it was interesting. They said today, "We continue to believe the risk reward in owning the leader in this space is favorable despite the regulatory concerns, despite the competition." This is still the biggest player out there and they are very diverse business today, Julia.
[Sebastian:] So, I think that's why we see some kind of long term positivity despite this disappointing number today.
[Chatterley:] Yes, you make a great point as well. And we talked about this yesterday, even if the price competition and the price wars with Lyft easing, Uber has got far greater businesses around the world, not just the United States. So other things to tackle there perhaps. What about a path to profitability here? Because even Dara Khosrowshahi talked about this in a meme that's going around saying, "Are they ever going to be profitable here?"
[Sebastian:] Yes, he got a meme on the call for that. That was really interesting. And there was another interesting comment from him, Julia. He said, "The balance between the top and bottom line is more of an art rather than a science." He was a little less definitive when it comes to when they expect to break even or when they expect to be profitable compared to the Lyft, which said, "Look, we think 2018 was our peak loss year." They are now probably at least a year ahead of Uber in that regard. Dara Khosrowshahi, he said he expects 2019 to be the peak loss year, but he was, as I say, less definitive. And I think, you know, comparing it with Lyft, it isn't always useful, because as we've said, Uber is a much more diverse business. They are in everything from Eats, which is incredibly fast growing, incredibly competitive to everything from new mobility to freight to even flying taxis. So they are definitely they made this very clear on the call still in an investment mode. And I think they are hoping that Wall Street stays with them through this.
[Chatterley:] Yes, this is a transportation app. It's not a ride hailing app. Clare Sebastian, thank you so much for that. All right to the U.K. now where the U.K. economy contracted in the second quarter for the worst quarterly performance I believe since 2012. Isa Soares joins us now on this story. Isa, it feels like some of the stockpiling that we saw in the first quarter leaking away and some real uncertainty here yet again over Brexit risks. Talk us through the details here. What did we see?
[Isa Soares, Cnn International Correspondent:] Very much in fact, Julia, one economist telling CNN this will be a rude awakening for Boris Johnson and most likely leave Boris Johnson and his government really your knife edge when we're talking about the third quarter because what we saw, you are seeing there on your screen, the U.K. economy contracting 0.2 percent in the second quarter, the biggest in seven years in terms of contraction. Now, economists as well as the Bank of England, Julia, are expecting it to flatline, so this is quite a surprise here, but we're talking about U.K. production shrinking by 1.4 percent, manufacturing get this down by 2.3 percent. This is down to a couple of things. One, as you say, a lot of stockpiling that we saw in the first quarter. That's beginning to unwind. This is the stockpiling preparation for Brexit, this do or die Brexit the government was saying, but also factory shutdowns. They've been moved earlier in April rather the end of summer. But the reality is, Clare, it doesn't matter whichever you read these numbers, Julia. This is uncertainty, the lack of clarity, the nervousness within the market of a no deal Brexit; that is starting to bite and starting to be felt. You are seeing there the pound; actually, Sterling fell to a two-year low against the dollar. It actually went down to $1.21. Yet Boris Johnson, Julia is continuing to push through his do or die pledge. And in fact, we heard today from Savid Javid, the U.K. Chancellor who said, "Look, we're not expecting recession," and painting rather a really good and positive picture when it comes to the U.K. economy. But what these numbers show, it is pretty dire, says the CBI Julia.
[Chatterley:] Yes, just because you're not expecting it doesn't mean you don't get it. Talk to me about the video that Boris Johnson popped on social media because I retweeted this this morning. He was talking about game, he was talking about relaxing some of the immigration laws to encourage scientists to come in and help develop drugs and innovation in the U.K. It sound like a brilliant idea. Do we have any detail on exactly how and when they are going to do this?
[Soares:] No, very little on detail as it's been something we've seen from this administration. But I can say, Boris Johnson as you can see there, "Tonight, I announced live on Facebook we're changing immigration rules to make it easy for scientists to live and work in the U.K." Now he took he did a Facebook Live which we haven't seen him do and he wants to point space, fast track immigration route to try and attract what he says the very best minds from around the world specifically when it comes to science, engineering as well as technology. No word as of when that will start, when will it take place, what will shift in terms of numbers? But he they want to abolish the 2,000 a year cap on the number one on the tier one exceptional visa talents. And that, I have to say has been very well received by many people here and say this is a great idea. We need to build on the science, on the engineering and really boost the economy with this talent. So very well received. The tactic though coming to Facebook or doing a Facebook Live is something that we haven't seen before from Boris Johnson, but it's something that has been very well received here Julia.
[Chatterley:] Yes, welcome to the 21st Century. Isa Soares, thank you so much for that. All right, let me bring you up to speed now with some of the other stories that we're following around the world. Hong Kong protesters have begun what's intended to be a three-day occupation of the city's busiest airport. Part of a series of rallies to mark the 10th straight week of demonstrations since the protests began. We're going to be live in Hong Kong later in the program to bring you all the details. At least government is teetering after the far right coalition partner, the League filed a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister. Its leader, Matteo Salvini is pushing the snap elections, which he hopes will put him in the top post. Parliament has been recalled from summer recess and a date for the no confidence vote will be set on Monday. All right, so we're going to take a quick break here, but coming up, what does your purchase history say about you? Cardlytics cashing in on your spending habits, and it is paying off for investors. Plus, it's the pot tech startup that gets high on data. Not weed, we find out how Akerna is tracking cannabis from seed to sale. All of that coming up, stay with FIRST MOVE.

[Quest:] Hello, I'm Richard Quest, there's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment. Amazon's Prime Day is delivering protests in spades. Competition is taking a shot at Amazon, too. And it is Cricket Marketing World Cup. We will look at the sponsors who want to claim victory. As you and I continue. This is CNN. And on this network, the facts and the news always come fast. President Trump is defending his racist tweet about four Democratic women of color insisting it wasn't racist at all. He is now accusing the Congresswoman of hating America, adding, "If don't like it, they can leave." Trump earlier said the lawmakers all American citizens should go back to their home countries. E.U. Foreign Ministers held crisis talks on the Iran nuclear deal today. They decided to give diplomacy more time, even as Britain warns the small window to save the deal is closing. Iran says it won't resume full compliance until Europe honors its commitment to shield Tehran from U.S. sanctions. The Congo says it has confirmed a case of Ebola in the City of Goma, a major transport hub and home to more than a million people. Until now, the disease has mostly been confined to smaller villages. Almost 1,700 people have died in the outbreak since last August. The World Health Organization says it thinks it caught the case early enough to prevent Ebola from spreading throughout Goma. And the former South Africa President Jacob Zuma has denied corruption allegations at a government inquiry in Johannesburg. It's the first time Zuma has been questioned about alleged corruption of state resources. Mr. Zuma told the committee, he is the victim of a character assassination conspiracy by his enemies. Amazon's Super Bowl of shopping has arrived. It's the fifth annual Prime Day, and it started on Monday. Amazon says this year you get more deals, you have more time, but it doesn't say its backlash is bigger, too. Workers worldwide are striking over pay on working conditions. Activists are protesting against Amazon's involvement in the U.S. deportation efforts. CNN's Clare Sebastian is following it. Not surprising, really, isn't it? If Amazon is going to trumpet its big day and garner all the publicity, then workers who have grievances are going to take advantage.
[Clare Sebastian, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Yes, Richard, you know, we've seen it from the past, we've seen the scattered protest around fulfillment centers and things like this. But it really feels like this year, it's taken on a whole new energy. We're seeing all kinds of different groups out there protesting all kinds of different grievances from workers' rights to climate change to Amazon's alleged involvement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It's also global, it's all across the U.S., we've seen workers in Germany walk out, we've seen protests in the U.K. But this, don't forget is a really big deal for Amazon this day. Prime now has about 100 million members, this is a huge driver of growth, and so they've carried on, Richard, they've carried on investing in the day and marketing it as best they can.
[Sebastian:] When it came to marketing this year's Prime Day, Amazon did not shop around for the cheapest options.
[Taylor Swift, Musician:] I want to say thank you so much to Amazon for having us all.
[Sebastian:] Taylor Swift headlining the live-streamed Prime Day concert, celebrities like Will Smith and Mark Wahlberg appearing in ads.
[Mark Wahlberg, Actor:] You don't need to go shopping anymore, you just go to Amazon Prime.
[Sebastian:] Is it the day work is an event?
[Unidentified Male:] Absolutely, that's why we keep growing it.
[Sebastian:] Prime Day is now five years old and has grown to a full 48 hours. The deals are exclusive to Prime members of which there are already more than a 100 million across 18 countries.
[Unidentified Male:] More people are now in a monogamous relationship, if you will, with Amazon vis-a-vis Prime then voted in the 2016 election or attend church.
[Sebastian:] Prime Day is now Amazon's biggest sales event of the year, bigger than Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but this year, it's not just about the many items getting shipped out of centers like this. The company is facing backlash on a number of fronts. From its team of workers to concerns it's simply gotten too big. Give me a sense of how you view the regulatory questions around the company at the moment?
[Unidentified Male:] I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.
[Sebastian:] One thing they are thinking about, this Prime Day brings the first-ever walkout at a U.S. Fulfillment Center. This group of workers in Minnesota which has protested in the past that employees have set unrealistic targets leading to stress and injury.
[Unidentified Male:] We have a lot of redundancy in place for it. We have over 175 fulfillment centers globally to make sure that Prime numbers are not disrupted during this event as well. But we take, you know, concerns of our employees obviously very seriously as well. But I'm really actually proud of the working conditions in our fulfillment centers.
[Sebastian:] Why do these concerns keep coming up?
[Unidentified Male:] Most of these are from the outside, it's obviously very hot political environment as well.
[Sebastian:] And the backlash is also coming from the competition even as they launch their own sales to rival Prime Day. Target is advertising Summer deal days, emphasizing no membership required and eBay has gone a step further with the tongue and cheek ad featuring a teenager called
[Unidentified Male:] Alexa?
[Amazon Alexa, Artificial Intelligence:] Yes?
[Sebastian:] Even calling their event a crash sale promising extra deals if Amazon's website crashes as happened in 2018.
[Alexa:] They mostly have deals on a bunch of random stuff nobody really wants.
[Unidentified Male:] Unlike some of the competitors, this time of year, the sales and the deals that we're featuring are not products that are sitting on our warehouses that are collecting dust that we have to liquidate.
[Sebastian:] In an e-commerce market where one company controls almost half of all sales, Amazon's annual shopping festival has made it a pretty big target. So, Richard, the walk-out in Minnesota by around a 100 Amazon employees, that got underway at the top of the hour, this is significant not because of its size, it's just a 100 employees and one of about 110 fulfillment centers in the U.S. But it's significant because notoriously seen that it's been hard for workers in the U.S. to organize. These workers, I've spoken to one of them, say that they hope that this will embolden others in the U.S. to do the same. A scathing response there from Amazon to all of these protests. They say these groups are candoring misinformation to work in their favor.
[Quest:] Right, but are they having any effect, these I mean, it's not surprising, Clare, that workers would take the moment of greatest opportunity to make the greatest protest.
[Sebastian:] Not surprising at all, Richard, and especially given the political climate at the moment, we've seen a lot of the 2020 candidates taking on Amazon, the right guys to round this is pretty strong right now. But I mean, the numbers speak for themselves, there's just a few walk-outs and around 175 fulfillment
[Quest:] All right
[Sebastian:] Centers worldwide. So, as the Amazon exec told me in the piece, they have a lot of redundancy, they're not worried about this, they say.
[Quest:] Right, quick poll. Have you bought anything yet on Prime Day?
[Sebastian:] I have a couple of things waiting to pull the trigger, I have to admit, I haven't quite done it yet.
[Quest:] Oh, I haven't, I couldn't find no, I've been life is too short, all right, thank you. Wall Street is reacting to reports that Symantec and the Broadcom have called off takeover talks. Symantec shares are looking at a steep slump. At the moment, they're down sharply, Broadcom is up and Symantec is down 12 percent. Reports suggest the deal broke down, Symantec said it wouldn't accept a buyout for less than $28. Anna Stewart is with me. Look, but they always said they won't accept more, so what happened here that they held to their 28, that there was no wiggle room available?
[Anna Stewart, Cnn Reporter:] Well, it did seem from media reports that actually, they had agreed over $28 a share, but over the weekend during due diligence, they uncovered some nasties and they decided to bring that down. And Symantec is not happy. But what's really interesting, Richard, is the fact that this was a deal that really made sense for Symantec as a company undergoing all sorts of problems. And one analyst today said it's a major head scratcher, and frankly, most analysts had the value for this for this deal at $24 $28, at the very highest, but actually that was above most.
[Quest:] So what's the thinking on why this fell apart? I mean, assuming Symantec are not lemmings that want to do serious damage to themselves?
[Stewart:] Well, either this is just the art of the deal, and we will
[Quest:] Oh, you think
[Stewart:] See it come back to the table
[Quest:] Really?
[Stewart:] Oh, it's not over yet, oh, it's never over, oh, this is just the beginning, I suspect?
[Quest:] Oh, really?!
[Stewart:] Oh, yes! But then you see the new interim CEO, has only been there since May, he's called Richard Hill and he is very famous for wanting to turn things around, and he's made a big deal about saying he can turn this around. So, a lot of analysts out there wondering whether he just wants to make sure that he can fix it rather than flip it because that's what he said he would do. There are part that actually firms are involved, a couple on the board, but frankly, they're not going to get nearly as good a deal from a private equity firm than Broadcom which had all these synergies. This was a deal that made sense.
[Quest:] So, if you're a betting woman which you're not
[Stewart:] Of course not
[Quest:] But if you were a betting woman, do you think this has got more to go?
[Stewart:] I think it's got more to go, but they need to be quick as Broadcom's got other targets that it's looking at buying. TIBCO for example is on a massive software acquisition spree, it's obviously traditionally a chipmaker, but it's really trying to diversify away from hardware into software at a $19 billion software acquisition last year.
[Quest:] But why did this one make sense? Why did Broadcom and Symantec make such sense? Though the street liked it, the deal looked like it should work, why?
[Stewart:] The balance, I would say was more it made more sense for Symantec than Broadcom. For Broadcom, there are several other options out there that it could see synergies with its new acquisition from last year. So, for Broadcom, there's much more out there, there are many more options on the table. For Symantec, I would say there are less. This was a good deal for Symantec. But for Broadcom, it's interesting why they're trying to diversify into software because they were trying to do this when the Qualcomm deal dream that fell too.
[Quest:] Yes
[Stewart:] Help administration
[Quest:] Yes, help administration
[Stewart:] Absolutely not but since then the Huawei ban has really bitten hard for Broadcom.
[Quest:] Right, but now Huawei's ban has seems to have been alleviated
[Stewart:] No, only seems, but straight after the ban, they said they were going to lose $2 billion a year in annual sales. And it's so unclear, yes, we don't know what the fall-out will be. But certainly they're diversifying they're diversifying away from chips towards software makes sense.
[Quest:] Good to see you, thank you very much, indeed. The high-tech nation and its low-tech energy and why South Korea is struggling to switch to renewables. In a moment.

[Allen:] An extraordinarily sad day as the world learned of the sudden death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, the former Lakers star dying in a helicopter crash Sunday. He was just 41 years old. He and his 13 year old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people killed. They were headed to her basketball game. The helicopter crashed onto a hillside in Calabasas, California. That's just outside of Los Angeles. Right now, U.S. aviation officials and local authorities are on the scene investigating what happened. They say it will take a few days to identify the bodies. Bryant's professional basketball career began early in his teens, and in 20 seasons, he won five NBA championship rings and set a long list of records. CNN's Polo Sandoval has more on Bryant's extraordinary life.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] He was born Kobe Bean Bryant, but to the world, the 41-year-old was a global basketball phenomenon. The son of a pro basketball player, the Philly native finished high school and was quickly drafted by the
[Nba. Unidentified Male:] Greatness lies ahead for this young man.
[Sandoval:] At the time, Bryant was the youngest player in the league's history at just over 17 years old.
[Kobe Bryant, Former Nba Player:] I think a lot of people of even when I came out of high school, I think people were kind of kind of giving me the cold shoulder to begin with, because I think, unfortunately, some people wanted me to fail, because I defied the odds.
[Unidentified Male:] Kobe, Kobe, Kobe! Kobe, Kobe, Kobe! Kobe, Kobe, Kobe!
[Sandoval:] The MVP spent his entire pro career with the L.A. Lakers, winning five NBA championships with the team. During his 20 seasons Bryant became one of the league's top scoring players even surpassed Michael Jordan, becoming fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list. On two occasions, he helped secure Team USA Olympic gold on the world stage. Bryant dealt with controversy, too. In 2003, he was charged with sexual assault, accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel employee. The charge was later dropped, and the case was settled in civil court. Bryant also overcame various sport-related injuries, always determined to heal and return to the court. Then in the fall of 2015, he announced his plan to retire from the NBA and played his final game of 2016. The following year, his jersey numbers, 8 and 24, were retired. Since then, he has made his mark on Hollywood, winning an Academy Award for his animated filmed, "Dear Basketball." But his greatest accomplishment may have been off the hardwood. He was a husband and proud father of four children.
[Bryant:] We all have moments like this in life, where it just seems like the day's never going to end. You know, it just seems like the moment that you're in just feels like the darkest moment, to you. You know, and at that point, you really kind of have to step outside of yourself and put it in perspective. And I understand that, you know, I've had many, many blessings, a lot of things to be thankful for.
[Sandoval:] At 6 foot 6, Bryant was more than just a literal giant. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti wrote Bryant "inspired, amazed and thrilled people everywhere with his incomparable skill on the court and awed us with his intellect and humility as a father, husband, creative genius, and ambassador for the game he loved." Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
[Allen:] Well put from the mayor there. Superstars, of course, from other sports around the world also paying tribute to Kobe Bryant. This was Brazilian footballer Neymar at Sunday's Paris St. Germain match. Walking into the net after a goal, he flashing hand signals for Bryant's jersey, No. 24. You saw there. Let's talk more about it. I'm joined here by CNN WORLD SPORT's Patrick Snell, and this, Patrick, is just hard to absorb. PATRICK SNELL, We're all in shock. We're all taking it very hard. And just an outpouring of worldwide grief, Natalie, no question about that, right across the global sporting community. We're seeing the shock as people struggle to come to terms with Sunday's devastating news. I do want to continue that footballing theme to pick up on the Neymar, because the Argentine great, Lionel Messi, such huge respect for Kobe. The Barcelona man, via Instagram earlier: "I have no words. All my love for Kobe's family and friends. It was a pleasure to meet you and share good times together. You were a genius like few others." A man like Messi, another footballing icon, with his own tribute, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, CR-7, with this: "So sad to hear the heartbreaking news of the deaths of Kobe and his daughter, Gianna. Kobe was a true legend and inspiration to so many. Sending my condolences to his family and friends and the families of all who lost their lives in the crash. RIP Legend." Well, naturally, you know, there is no question about Kobe. He really did utterly transcend the world of sport. That is in no doubt at all, and it is just no surprise when you see not just fellow athletes but also, look at as we have been seeing, U.S. presidents both past and present paying their own tributes, as well, on his powerful and highly impactful life. And on Sunday, golfing great, a huge Lakers fan himself, Mr. Tiger Woods, speaking to reporters. This was after he'd actually competed in San Diego, saying he learned of the tragedy from his own caddie.
[Tiger Woods, 15-time Major Winner:] I didn't know until Joey told me coming off the 18th green. I didn't really understand why the people in the gallery were saying do it for Mamba, but now I understand. It's a shocker to everyone. I'm unbelievably sad, and one of the more tragic days, and I think, well, for me, the reality is just kind of sitting in. Anytime he was in the game, he would take on their best player and shut them down for in all 48 minutes, and that was one of the more impressive things, I think, throughout this entire career.
[Snell:] Tiger Woods visually moved by news of Kobe's passing. And you know, it was actually with a collectively heavy heart, Natalie, that the NBA games, they did actually go ahead as scheduled on Sunday here in the U.S. So the occasion was reportedly too much for the Australian-born Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who showed up to play against the Knicks but then left Madison Square Garden on learning of Kobe's death. That was really hard for him to take, no question. But before the game, and indeed before most of the games, a 24-second moment of silence, this in honor of Kobe who, as we mentioned, wore the iconic number 24 during his career. And in a further tribute, as well, both teams actually arranging for a choreographed 24-second violation on each of their first possessions, as well, their way of paying their own respects to honor the life and times of Kobe Bryant. Now, the L.A. Lakers' next game is on Tuesday against their local rivals, the Clippers, with emotion set to run very high, indeed, I would, imagine on that particular day in the City of Angels. The Lakers played in Philadelphia on Saturday night, returning to California Sunday. And you can just see the emotion there, all too apparent amongst their players, including current Lakers superstar, the iconic LeBron James. You know, Doc Rivers is actually the Clippers head coach with Sundays news hitting him particularly hard.
[Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach:] The news is just devastating to everybody who knew him. I've known him a long time, and you know, he just he means a lot to me, obviously. You know, he was such a great opponent, you know. It's what you want in sports. He had that DNA that very few athletes can ever have. You know, the Tiger Woods and the Michael Jordans, you know. It's funny: I was getting to know him more since he retired, you know. Yes, this is this is a tough one.
[Snell:] Natalie, a really highly emotional Doc Rivers there. I do want to say I had the pleasure of meeting Kobe just once. It was in late 2014. He was so kind. He was so generous with his time, as well. That's what really impressed upon me. A class act, no question.
[Allen:] Absolutely, and these are tributes on day one. Imagine moving forward here.
[Snell:] Yes.
[Allen:] So huge. All right. Patrick, thanks very much. Well, celebrities at the Grammy Awards paid tribute to Kobe Bryant at the Staples Center Sunday night. We'll show you the tributes from the music world there when we come back.

[Keilar:] A grim warning today from the head of the Federal Reserve. Chairman Jerome Powell says America is on the long road to recovery but warns of economic tragedy if the U.S. can't get the coronavirus pandemic under control. He says the impacts of a new significant COVID wave could lead to a slowdown in economic activity and it could lead to more job losses. For other COVID-19 headlines, let's check in with some of our correspondents across the country.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] I'm Christine Romans in New York. With polls widening, Wall Street is growing more comfortable with the possibility of a Joe Biden win, and even a blue wave in November. Goldman Sachs told clients Monday, "Democrats gaining unified control of Washington raises the chances of a fiscal stimulus package of at least $2 trillion, and longer-term spending on infrastructure, climate, health care and education." Goldman acknowledges a blue wave would likely mean higher corporate taxes but a Democratic sweep would mean easier U.S. fiscal policy and less risk of new trade tensions. Good for investors.
[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] I'm Andy Scholes in Milton, Georgia, where the NFL is reminding teams to not get complacent or lazy when it comes to COVID-19 protocols. If they do, they could face harsh penalties. In a memo obtained by CNN, Roger Goodell warns teams that failure to follow protocols to have to forfeit games or loosing draft picks. The league is also installing video monitoring systems to make sure teams are following the rules. Player gatherings outside of team facilities are now also banned. That some of the players on the Raiders were fined for not wearing masks at a fundraising event last month.
[Chloe Melas, Cnn Entertainment Reporter:] I'm Chloe Melas in New York. The "Batman" movie has been delayed yet again due to the coronavirus pandemic. The film's movie studio, Warner Brothers Pictures, confirmed to CNN the film that was expected October 2021 has now been pushed back to March of 2022. Like CNN, Warner Brothers Pictures is owned by Warner Media. Last month's production was shut down after the film's star, Robert Pattinson, tested positive for COVID-19. This news comes on the heels of other major film releases being pushed back. Along with the announcement from Regal and Cineworld Theaters that they would be suspending operations at their movie theaters in the United States and the U.K. until further notice.
[Keilar:] Thank you so much to my colleagues for that. Breaking news. All but one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have gone into quarantine after a top Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus. Plus, why the White House is turning down help from the CDC to contact trace after multiple staffers test positive.

[Cabrera:] When he was 20 years old, Richard Miles was wrongfully convicted and locked up in a Texas prison for 15 years. After a full exoneration and starting his life over in his mid-30s, Richard is now using his newfound freedom to help others transform their lives after leaving prison. Meet one of our incredible top-10 heroes for 2019.
[Richard Miles, Cnn Hero:] My mom would always tell me, when you look out the window, don't look at the bars, look at the sky. I could change my perception within the place of incarnation. At the end of the day, be confident in your change. The idea really started from inside. People get out and they come right back in. I said, if I ever get out, man, we are going to start a program and we are going to help people. Acknowledgement, transparency and forgiveness. These are the three essential things we need when we're coming back home.
[Cabrera:] Richard's program, "Miles of Freedom," has helped approximately one thousand people restart their lives. You can go to CNNheroes.com and vote for him, "CNN Hero" of the year, or any of the others top-10 heroes right now, at CNNheroes.com. Speaking of heroes, he's arguably the world's most famous dog thanks to the raid that took out the world's most-wanted man. We now know him as Conan. He's headed for the White House next week. Here's Jeanne Moos.
[Jeanne Moos, Cnn Correspondent:] We no longer have to say a generic "good boy." The good boy's name is Conan, like the comedian who tweeted, "That dog is clearly the better Conan." It's enough to make a studio audience say
[James Corden, Cbs:] I know, I like this.
[Moos:] "Very cute recreation," is how the president described the Photoshopped image he shared, "but the live version of Conan will be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week." The Photoshop is based on an actual Metal of Honor recipient. James McCloughan was a medic in Vietnam. His head was replaced by the dog's, leaving some to wonder how James McCloughan feels about this?
[James Mccloughan, Medal Of Honor Recipient:] The first time I looked at it, I thought, well, they're paying tribute to a dog that did something very brave and very heroic.
[Moos:] And when the dog visits the White House
[Mccloughan:] Maybe the president will invite me in, too, to say hi to the dog.
[Moos:] The dog is fully recovering after touching electrical cables while hunting down the leader of ISIS. Apparently, one good Photoshop begets another, from Putin putting a medal on President Trump, to the dog giving the president a medal labeled "Zero." Even son, Eric, tweeted out a version. [on camera]: The Trump campaign is doggedly raising funds off Conan, the canine [voice-over]: selling USA camo dog bandanas for $15. Conan was a hit on late night.
[James Corden, Late Night Show:] If you look closely enough, you can practically hear Donald Trump whispering to the dog, "You know, a doctor can get you out of military service, right?"
[Moos:] Given the president's penchant for magnificent fast-food buffets, can't wait to see what Conan gets fed at the White House. [voice-over]: Some were already imagining. Like other heroes, Conan is likely to get patted and even hugged. As for pet owners who wonder, do you think my dog could be trained for such greatness? Oh sure, that dog will take orders for a latte. Jeanne Moos,
[Cnn -- Trump:] A beautiful dog, a talented dog.
[Moos:] New York.
[Cabrera:] I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. I'll see you an hour from now. My colleague, S.E. Cupp, continues our coverage of today's news right after a quick break. And, actually, I'll see you back two hours from now, so stick around.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] Hello from CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Natalie Allen. Coming up next here on CNN Newsroom, fears of a global pandemic mount as Coronavirus cases spike in South Korea and in Italy. Donald Trump gets the VIP treatment on a whirlwind visit to India. Narendra Modi aiming to impress with a mega rally for the U.S. president and he lands in one hour. And in the state of Nevada, a runaway win for Bernie Sanders in the white hot race for 2020 Democratic nomination. Thank you so much for joining us. Our top story here is the Coronavirus. Turning into what many world health officials have feared, an outbreak surging beyond its epicenter in China, spreading rapidly in Asia and beyond. On Friday, Italy had just three confirmed cases, now it has more than 150, the largest known outbreak outside of Asia. Most of the cases are in the north of Italy. Italian officials are scrambling to stem the outbreak, even suspending the Venice Carnival. Revelers who did show up were wearing their carnival masks as well as face masks to keep from getting ill. Meantime, a World Health Organization official warned, the virus may be getting even hard to contain.
[Tarik Jasarevic, World Health Organization Spokesman:] We were having a window for opportunity, because a drastic measure that China has put in place in a epicenter of the outbreak was buying some time for other countries to prepare. But now, we are seeing these very worrying trends in other countries. So so without really speculating where we will be going from now, we we we want to focus on the work with countries, so countries get ready.
[Allen:] South Korea is also facing a massive spike in cases. It now has more than 760, most in the southeastern areas of Daegu and Cheongdo, and the country is raising its crisis alert to its highest level. For the very latest, we're joined by CNN's Paula Hancocks, she's in Seoul for us. Paula, hello. What is the latest there?
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Natalie, once again there has been spike in numbers of confirmed cases here in South Korea, and also an increase in the number of deaths. There's now seven that have been confirmed related to the virus itself. Now, as you say, there is a real focus on a city of two and a half million people, a city called Daegu. It's about three and half hours drive south of the capital. And this particular area is where we have seen the majority of these cases over recent days. And the majority of those cases have been related to one particular religious group. We understand of the 763 confirmed cases, health officials say 455 have been associated with just this one religious group. Now, just in the last few hours, we understand that certain Korean airlines have have stopped and suspended flights to Daegu and the surrounding area. We understand it's Korean Air, Asiana, a couple of low cost carriers as well, are suspending those flights until at least early March at this point. And there are the mayor himself has has suggested that people don't go outside. I was there a couple of days ago and it is a far quieter city than it has been in the past. People heeding those words. We also know that 11 service members, South Korean military personnel have been confirmed with the virus as well, and that, of course, is increasing concerns of of a sweep through the military. They have barracks, they are known to live in very close quarters. So, the defense ministry is trying to crack down on that that particular spreading very quickly. Natalie?
[Allen:] And we also know it was this religious sect, a particular religious sect, where they do believe that this came through. What's the latest with the people involved there? Because, a few days ago they were concerned not that not everyone had been tested.
[Hancocks:] Well, that's right. I mean, we know from from authorities that they've drafted in 600 Korean police officers to try and track down hundreds of missing members. They say that they have names, phone numbers, addresses, but they simply can't get in touch still with hundreds of these members. So, what the police are doing at this point, is they're they're knocking on doors, they're going to people addresses, they're trying to track their phone records with the help of of the country's telecom groups and they are scouring CCTV footage to monitor some of the movements that they've seen recently. So, this itself shows that authorities are concerned that they are not managing to get in touch will all the members of this particular religious group. Critics say that this group is secretive. That it's members do not admit to being members of the church itself. The church has spoken out. We had a statement just on Sunday saying that they though media claims of a cover up were were wrong and unfair. Saying that the members of the church were actually excuse me the members of the religious group were actually those who were the biggest victims, saying that they had been cooperating with police. But this is definitely the main focus for for police officers at this point. Trying to track down that those that are missing and find out where they are going, who are they interacting with and and about 9,000 plus individual members of this group are on under quarantine at this point, self-imposed quarantine. Many of them will be tested.
[Allen:] All right, Paula Hancocks, for the latest there in Seoul. Thank you Paula. Well, as we mentioned, Italy is taking extreme measures to contain the outbreak in its northern region. Officials there have closed buildings, limited transportation and banned public events in several towns. For more, let's got to CNN Contributor, Barbie Nadeau, she joins me from Rome. Barbie, talk about this region, in the northern part of Italy, where these cases have been found. What's in this region and do they know the source?
[Barbie Nadeau, Cnn Contributor:] Well, the biggest question here, is what the who the source is. Who this so-called patient zero is, you know. They know that a lot of the spikes in in these clusters, these cases are related to one hospital in particular, south of Milan, but they just don't know who the first person to contract the disease was, or the virus was. You know, the city of Milan is taking extraordinary measures. They've closed the Duomo, they've closed several services, you know, in Milan Fashion Week many of the shows are being housed in empty theaters and things like that. And, you know, the the big word of the day here in Italy is containment. They just don't want people moving out of the area and spreading it into the rest of Italy. And there's concern across the various borders too, of course, the Brenner Pass, we know last night they stopped a train going in into Austria. And and those are the types of concerns that they have right now, especially the surrounding area. But, the officials haven't tested everyone that's been in contact with these 152 confirmed cases. And we've had three deaths here and it must be said, though, that these are elderly people. At least one of the people were in an oncology department, so they had other underlying health concerns as well. But, that authorities here are expecting to give us a new number in the next couple of hours. We haven't had a bulletin since last night and they've warned that that number could of cases could go up as they struggle to figure out how this started and how far it spreads across the country, Natalie.
[Allen:] Yes, and you mentioned the train to Austria. What other countries are in the immediate vicinity that would have concerns about this? And I know that I've talked with experts that say, closing borders is not necessary, but that has been some steps that say Pakistan has taken with Iran.
[Nadeau:] Well, you know, we've heard some whispers out of France that they're going to be controls at the borders there. You know, last night there there was a news bulletin about a train that came into Romano, in which they've told the people they have to be quarantined for two weeks. A lot of this, you know, we don't we can't confirm exactly what's happening in every single border crossing. Italy has a lot of small border towns and trains go through. I suspect today though that we're going to get some more definitive measures, especially from the the departments the Transportation Department and things like that, in Italy, to give to lay out kind of a protocol about traveling out of the country and that will be working with the neighboring countries as well. There's also concerns about trains coming into the south of the country, trains coming through coming out of Milan and down south here to Rome and to Florence and places like that. There are delays across the country and there have been great concern that those trains should be monitored as well. Within the infected area, though, the trains aren't stopping in any of the more than 10 towns now that are on complete lockdown. They've even set up food corridors to get get food into those people who are just told they can't leave their houses, Natalie.
[Allen:] All right, Barbie Nadeau, covering the story there from Italy for us. Barbie, thank you. Other news we're following, in just about one hour U.S. President Donald Trump will arrive in India, where massive crowds are expected to greet him. A Namaste Trump Rally, that's what it's being called, is scheduled at a cricket stadium in Ahmedabad that can hold over 100,000 people. Mr. Trump will also hold formal talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It's a quick trip. His 36th hour wheels down trip there will include a visit though to the Taj Mahal in Agra. CNN Sam Kiley is in Ahmedabad. That is the hometown of Narendra Modi. Can you get a sense there of excitement building over the rival of Mr. Trump there, Sam?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well Natalie, greetings from Motera stadium which is according to the Indians going to be the biggest Cricket stadium on earth with the capacity of 110,000 people now. Before his trip out here, Donald Trump said that he would [inaudible] of crowds of sum ten million. I think we can take a couple of zeros off that. And he'd still be pretty pleased with the turnout. The stadium is filling up. It is growing in size. There's still an hour or two at least before the U.S. president arrives here for this joint appearance with India's Prime Minister, of course very important for both of them coming from the two biggest democracies on earth, the most powerful nation on earth visiting the biggest democracy on earth. 1.4 billion Indians, a very active democracy indeed. Not withstanding a period recently in which Mr. Modi has come under very bitter criticism from his opposition and indeed legal groups and others accusing him of introducing anti-Muslim legislation through his dominance of the parliamentary process here. He was elected reelected to the [inaudible] or at least his parties won overwhelming majority in the elections last year. Donald Trump facing election reelection in November also keen to in a sense pay respects perhaps naturally to the original India guru behind the populist wave that swept Mr. Modi to power later on calls Mr. Trump too. They employ very similar rhetorical tricks, very similar policies in some respects. But there is no great hopes for a major trade deal to come out of this. The Indians are hoping perhaps side deals. Mr. Trump signaling that a big significant trade deal probably have to wait until after the November elections. But this is a very important relationship indeed. India has more military exercises with the United States than any other country. And the bilateral trade is scheduled we believe going to tip over $150 billion per year, Natalie.
[Allen:] All right. Sam Kiley, you'll be covering it for us. And when the president's Air Force One lands in about 45 minutes, we will bring live coverage to our viewers of that. Sam, thank you. The Israeli military says it launched a series of strikes targeting militant group Islamic Jihad in Gaza and Syria. It is in response to militants firing more than 20 rockets into Israel. Tensions escalated Sunday after Israel soldiers opened fire on two men they say were laying an explosive device along the Gaza border fence. Back to U.S. politics now involving President Trump, he's weighing in now on the Nevada caucuses after Bernie Sanders big win in the state. We'll tell you what the president is saying about it next, also why the South Carolina primary this Saturday is particularly critical for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. That's all coming up here. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

[Bash:] Nearly three years ago, Melvin Carter III broke a big racial barrier becoming the first black mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Now with the Twin Cities erupting in anguish over the death of George Floyd, Carter's responsibilities as mayor are as complex as ever, especially given his own family's history in his beloved city four generations of discrimination and pain. I talked to Mayor Carter this week.
[Mayor Melvin Carter Iii , Saint Paul, Minnesota:] My father spent almost 30 years as a police officer right here in Saint Paul.
[Bash:] Melvin Carter III, the first black mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, grew up with the complexities of race and police.
[Carter:] He became a police officer in the early 70s after a lawsuit required the desegregation of the Saint Paul Police Department. And so he was a part of a class of African-American officers who came in. And they have stories that weren't always complimentary. My father tells me about the officers when he was first coming on the police department who would tell him that no matter what happened, I just won't back you up. And but then again
[Bash:] Because he was black?
[Carter:] Yes, that's right. I would also see all growing up the way he would use that badge and I saw it as sort of like a superhero outfit, right? We would be in the house at midnight on a Friday and someone would call and say, my son is holed up in this house and won't, you know, surrender himself to anyone except Sergeant Carter.
[Bash:] Still he says he's lost count of how many times he was stopped by police because he's black.
[Carter:] Even as a city council member I would you know, there were times when I would get pulled over and people would say, like why didn't you tell them who you were? And my response is if I have to be a city council member, if I have to be a mayor, if I have to be the son of a police officer to just be treated with basic human dignity and to not be stopped when I'm obeying all laws, maybe that's the problem in the first place. My young daughter told me today, she said that she didn't think anybody should be surprised by what has happened over the past.
[Bash:] And how old is she?
[Carter:] 12 years old.
[Bash:] Did that break your heart?
[Carter:] It does. It does. Like, how could it not? And, you know, but and I asked her, you know, why would you say that? And she said, because if we see ourselves being killed over and over and over again in these videos, and it seems each one gets worse, she said, people have to do something.
[Bash:] The pain runs deep. His grandparents lost their property in the city's largely black Rondo community so the government could build a highway.
[Carter:] Our community was literally uprooted. Our community, you know, our community members were given pennies on the dollar for their properties. They were kicked out of those properties. Those properties were bulldozed. My father can remember their family being moved off of old Rondo and can remember the fire department burning down his mother's home as a training exercise.
[Bash:] His grandfather, the first Melvin Carter, was a porter on the railroad.
[Carter:] As a pullman porter, his name was Melvin Sr I'm III and as pullman porter it didn't really matter what your name was or how much experience you had or what your rank was. Everyone was named George. And the reason I say this is because I was reflecting today on, you know, the fact that the killing, the murder of George Floyd, I think is so painful for us, so personal because for every black man in America, whether you're a lawyer or an architect or an accountant or a mayor, we know that there is no amount of credentials, there's no amount of accomplishments, there's no amount of money that can change the fact that we literally all are George.
[Bash:] And thank you to Mayor Carter for sharing his family's story. That's it for INSIDE POLITICS. Up next "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JAKE TAPPER". Jake's guests include former secretary of state Colin Powell, Housing Secretary Ben Carson, and Congresswoman Karen Bass. Thanks again for sharing your Sunday morning.

[Dr. Michael Ryan, Director, Health Emergencies Program, World Health Organization:] When you spent over 50 days without having any significant local transmission, a cluster like this is a concern.
[Vause:] And he's talking about Beijing, where at least 29 neighborhoods are under lockdown because of a new cluster of new cases of the coronavirus linked to a food market, one of the biggest in China, one of the biggest in Asia. CNN's Ivan Watson has more.
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Sr. Intl. Correspondent:] They're throwing away food in Beijing's largest market, a purge triggered by a new outbreak of coronavirus in the Chinese capital. Since last Friday, authorities say they have detected scores of new locally transmitted cases. Most of the new infections trace back to this place, the Xinfadi market, in the south of Beijing. This sprawling wholesale hub distributes more than 80 percent of the fresh produce that feeds this massive city. The market is now closed due to coronavirus.
[Pang Xinghuo, Deputy Director, Beijing Center For Disease Prevention & Control:] These coronavirus cases have perhaps come in contact with a polluted environment in the market or have come into contact with someone who was infected who then passed on the virus to them, so they had it. For this reason, shutting down Xinfadi agricultural trading market is necessary
[Watson:] Less than two weeks ago, Beijing was easing coronavirus alert levels. But now officials enforce a strict lockdown on residential compounds around the market. They've launched a huge coronavirus testing spree. Beijing authorities say they've collected tens of thousands of samples in a matter of days and announced plans to contact trace an estimated 200,000 people estimated to have visited the market in the last two weeks. The Chinese government clearly does not want a repeat of what happened last winter when this new virus exploded in the city of Wuhan and then spread like wildfire around the world. "There's no way Beijing becomes Wuhan 2.0," the editor-in-chief of one party-controlled tabloid wrote. "The world will see China's powerful capacity in controlling the epidemic," he added. "We will win again." China's now in a race to stop the outbreak. Officials say they've already tracked down several [LS1] cases that spread from the market in Beijing to at least two neighboring provinces. But one important question experts haven't been able to answer yet is how the virus was introduced to this market in the first place. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
[Vause:] Brazil reported more than 20,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, bringing the nationwide total to almost 900,000. The virus continues to spread as Brazil marks one month without a health minister. The last two were either fired or resigned after trying to work with President Jair Bolsonaro. At one time, Bolsonaro called the virus a little flu. Along with his attorney general, he's calling for investigations into hospitals claiming some politicians may be inflating their numbers to receive increased government funding. A former U.S. marine now faces 16 years in prison in Russia after having being convicted of espionage. Paul Whelan insists he was framed. Trump Administration officials are furious. It's the latest strain in relations between Washington and Moscow. We get details now from CNN's senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance.
[Paul Whelan:] Nothing was translated, Your Honor. I don't know what you said.
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Sr. Intl. Correspondent:] Even as he was sentenced, Paul Whelan protested his innocence. Holding up a sign calling this Russian espionage trial a sham and appealing to President Trump to intervene. After the 16-year prison term was imposed, the U.S. secretary of state expressed outrage. "A secret trial," he tweeted, "with secret evidence," demanding that the U.S. citizen's immediate release. There was criticism from U.S. diplomats in Russia too of what's become yet another sore point in relations with Moscow.
[John Sullivan, U.s. Ambassador To Russia:] It's a mockery of justice. I can't say I'm surprised.
[Chance:] It was at this upscale Moscow hotel in December 2018 where the former U.S. marine was arrested for accepting a USB flash drive which Russian security officials says contained classified material. Whelan has always denied any wrongdoing.
[Whelan:] I want to tell the world that I'm a victim of political kidnap and ransom.
[Chance:] Dubbing himself a political hostage to be traded, something the Kremlin vehemently denies. But the idea has been floated by Russian officials in the past. And Whelan's own lawyer now says the sentencing could be used to push for an exchange with an Russian in U.S. jail. At this point, the Cold War-style prisoner swap may be Paul Whelan's best hope of escape.
[Vause:] And Whelan's attorney says there will be an appeal. Well, amid a long overdue conversation about race, how do you talk to your kids about it, about racism? We'll have some advice for parents in a moment. And as U.S. states rush to restart their economies, researchers predict the coronavirus death toll will double and then some in the months ahead. The very latest in a moment.
[Jide Zeitlin, Chairman & Ceo, Tapestry:] We moved very quickly to fortify our financial position, and we think that that was a critical part in being able to think really long term about our people. We really focused on leading with our values when it comes to people. And that's our people, that's our consumer, and that's also broadly the communities that we're a part of.
[Vause:] Well, demands for racial justice have started a much-needed conversation around the world. But one of the tougher conversations is between parents and their children. And, as always, there's a right way and a wrong way to have that talk.
[Crowd:] This is what democracy looks like.
[Vause:] Joining us is Aisha White, the director of the P.R.I.D.E. Program, Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education, at the University of Pittsburgh school education and the office of child development. Aisha, thanks for being with us. This isn't really a straightforward answer to this question about what to say to kids. There's not one talk, there are a lot of talks. What a white family says may be different to what a black family discusses, what you say to kids who are four is different to what you say to them when they're 16. But are there general principles that hold true, no matter the age or ethnicity of the family?
[Aisha White, Director, The P.r.i.d.e. Program:] Yes. So the important thing is for families to begin to have the conversation and have that conversation on a consistent basis. Another thing that we advise parents is that they should actually do some internal work and think about their own racial journeys, what their racial experiences have been. So that that conversation they begin with their child is very authentic and organic. And they also should begin by having conversations first with adults so they have some practice. Believe it or not, researchers suggest that parents practice having these conversation with adults before having them with children.
[Vause:] So do young kids when we're looking at what's happening with these rallies now because we've seen kids taking part in these demonstrations is there a place for them at these? As long as it's peaceful, I guess these peaceful demonstrations. Is it a good idea for them to be attending, at a very early age?
[White:] Yes. I think that young children may not fully understand what's happening around them, but they can see that it's something that their parents or their other relatives are very committed to and passionate about. And so that's a good experience for them to have, as long as it ends up being a safe experience.
[Vause:] So when you're thinking about exactly having this talk, when a kid is young, what do you say? How do you explain racism to a young kid?
[White:] Well, I would take a step back and say you probably don't want to begin by explaining racism to young children before you start talking to them about race in general. So the beginning point, I believe, is having a conversation with children about differences. And really specific differences; differences in skin color, in hair texture, in facial features, things like shape of eyes. And helping them understand why people look different. And if you start them out that way and start them out with information that's very objective and in some cases scientific then you are laying the groundwork for them learning about race in ways that don't have biases attached to them.
[Vause:] Is that
[White:] And then what I'm sorry, go ahead.
[Vause:] I was going to say finish your thought. Well, I can pick it up, if you like. Because there are some studies which have shown that kids, they're not bigots, they're not born racist, it's a learned behavior. A few years back, researchers found that beliefs about race that contribute to prejudice take a long time to development, when they do. And that their development depends, to some extent, on the neighborhoods in which the children grow up. Is it fair to say that what parents are saying right now and how they act around their children, especially white parents, can go a long way towards ending racism?
[White:] Towards ending racism?
[Vause:] Yes.
[White:] Well, I don't think the conversations will end racism. I think a combination of conversations and then action and then reflection on action and then refining that action and being engaged in specific targeted activities and efforts will begin to chip away at racism. But conversations alone will not. And I would also add that sometimes children learn about race based on where they live, but all children learn about race based on the entire U.S. environment, and in some cases, the international environment. And by that, I mean that they consistently get messages about whiteness being preferred. And that might not necessarily come from the home, it could come from things like what they see on the news stand at the grocery store, who they see at their doctor or their nurse, and what they see on television and other kinds of media. So it comes from being kind of enveloped in this whole world of whiteness. And there is a well-known scholar. Her name is Beverley Daniel Tatum. She described it as smog racism as smog and something that you might not always be able to see but all the time you're breathing it in. And because you're breathing it in, you eventually breathe it out.
[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] You know, for most kids they love the police. You know, they're little and they play cops and robbers. So how do you explain to a little kid, you know, that policeman shooting that black man in the back or he's got his he's got his knee on that guy, that black man's neck and he can't breathe. How do you deal with that as a parent?
[White:] Well, depending on the age of the child, you might not even want to start talking about the police with them because it may be at least in situations like that because it may be a little too scary for them. And I don't want to use that same old story of people saying that there are good and bad policemen because it's a lot more complicated than that. It has to do, not only with individuals, but also with systems. And so it is something that you might not be able to explain to a young child unless you can explain what systems are because that's not an easy concept for them to understand.
[Vause:] Yes. We're almost out of time but just very, very quickly so when it comes to explaining to the kids exactly what is going on at the moment, what is the best piece of advice?
[White:] Well, the best piece of advice I think is to help children understand that you will help to keep them safe because what they are seeing is if they're watching the news and I recommend that they not watch the news if they're under a certain age. Let's say that if they are say five and under maybe you should keep them away from the television when the media continues to repeatedly show those images. But I would say that the most important thing for parents to do is behave in ways that they believe represent being open and honest and human to all people. and your children will model that. And also engage in conversations with your child starting at a very early age.
[Vause:] Yes.
[White:] And I would add that most people don't know that children can actually tell the difference in skin color as young as three months old. And so you can't talk to a 3-month-old, but you can talk to a one-year-old and a two-year-old and a three-year-old.
[Vause:] Good advice to finish on. Aisha thank you so much for being with us.
[White:] You're welcome.
[Vause:] A widely cited scientific model now projects that the coronavirus could kill more than 200,000 people in the United States by October. That's up from last week's projection of 170,000. Researchers say those numbers rose partly because some states have been easing restrictions too soon. CNN's Erica Hill reports many of those places are starting to see higher infection rates.
[Mayor Dan Gelber, Miami Beach, Florida:] People really got to take this seriously. It's not this is not an all-clear where people can do whatever they want.
[Erica Hill, Cnn Correspondent:] The mayor of Miami Beach not ruling out new mandate for his city, one of the last in Florida to reopen as cases across the state continue to rise. More than 2,500 new cases added on Saturday, a third straight day of record high numbers. They are up in Texas too. And it's not just because there is more testing.
[Dr. Umar Shah, Executive Director, Harris County Texas Department Of Health:] The question I am getting asked a lot is, you know, did reopening or did other events have something to do with this. And some saying no, it didn't. And the answer is absolutely it did. The hard part is to know how much.
[Hill:] Across the country, 18 states seeing the number of new cases trend up over the past week. In Oklahoma, also deep orange on the map. Tulsa recorded its highest daily increase of cases on Friday. President Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally there this weekend. The county health director telling the local paper, he wishes it could be postponed to a time when the virus isn't as large a concern.
[Governor Anrew Cuomo , New York:] People are violating everything, everything.
[Hill:] In New York State, more than 25,000 complaints about businesses and patrons breaking the rules. Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeting this video of packed streets and few face coverings.
[Cuomo:] There are a lot of conscientious people who paid a very high price, did the right thing and they don't want other people ruining it for them.
[Hill:] The Surgeon General encouraging Americans to wear a mask, tweeting, "Face coverings bring more freedom." Dr. Anthony Fauci, in a new interview with "The Telegraph" urging people to keep them on when chanting and screaming at demonstrations, estimating real normality likely won't return until at least next year. The CDC now recommending all close contacts of confirmed cases should be tested not just quarantined and monitored. South Carolina Congressman Tom Rice announcing on Facebook today, he and his family are recovering from the virus, though calling it the "Wuhan flu". Last month, he told CNN he did not wear a mask on the House floor because he was socially distancing. And the FDA revoking emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine based on new evidence that they may not be effective to treat COVID-19 and could have adverse health effects.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Hydroxychloroquine, try it.
[Hill:] President Trump repeatedly touted the drug without evidence. Erica Hill, CNN New York.
[Vause:] Anne Rimoin is a professor at the UCLA Department of Epidemiology, and director of the school's Center for Global and Immigrant Health. She is with us from Los Angeles. Good to see you.
[Dr. Anne Rimoin, Ucla Department Of Epidemiology:] Good to see you.
[Vause:] Ok. You know, at first, we were told masks no use in preventing, don't wear them. Said they won't do anything. They are no good unless it's an N-95. Then we're told the mask was good, but don't go out and get them because the health care workers need them. Then we are told, ok, they're good at preventing someone who's asymptomatic from spreading the germs. You're going to do it for everybody else. And now we have this from the National Academy of Sciences which looked at this. They say our study establishes very clearly that using a face mask is not only useful to prevent infected coughing droplets from reaching uninfected persons, but it's also crucial for these uninfected persons to avoid breathing the minute atmospheric particles that infected people emit when talking and they can remain in the atmosphere tens of minutes and can travel tens of feet. So wear a mask, don't wear a mask? Where are we at? What's your advice?
[Rimoin:] Wear a mask
[Vause:] Hallelujah.
[Rimoin:] That's what everyone should be doing. And there is the evidence for this has been mounting. Listen, you know, we have over the course of the last few months, we've learned quite a bit about this virus, how it spreads and how we can prevent infections. And the evidence has become very clear that masks work.
[Vause:] Let's just be clear though. Masks work because usually we're told you're doing this selfless act. The mask won't protect you from getting the virus, but it will stop someone from getting it from you if you're asymptomatic. But now it's both ways, right?
[Rimoin:] Well listen, the thing is about masks is that it depends upon the masks, it depends upon the quality of the mask, it depends upon how these person is wearing the mask, and nothing is going to provides perfect protection against infection. But a mask any mask will definitely provide some measure of protection. Some will provide more than others. And so the fact of the matter is at the very least, what a mask will do is to keep your droplets to yourself as I like to say and make sure that you are not spreading to other people. And there can be added value. There can be added benefit of having some protective benefit as well, but it really depends upon the mask and how the mask is worn.
[Vause:] Yes. Because the 95 in N-95 is like 95 percent effective against catching all viruses and other stuff right. And then you get back to those surgical hospital masks, which a lot of people are wearing, they're about 70 percent effective in helping you not catch a virus. And then you go down to the pieces of cloth or whatever the cloth masks which are about 30 percent. Have I got those numbers about right?
[Rimoin:] I don't actually know the exact numbers for this and the data has been coming out which, you know we haven't really been studying this before in great detail. And so we are only just now learning about this. But the proportion of what you are saying is exactly the truth. What we know is that masks will provide protection and a cloth mask provides probably the least amount of protection, but it still does a good job of protecting other people from you. The next, of course, being the surgical mask and then an N-95, absolutely. These are all very important options. And as we have looked at other countries that have been able to stop the spread of the virus and do a really good job of keeping infection rates low, there are all countries where people have been wearing masks and adopted mask- wearing very easily. You know, our problem is that all of a sudden masks have become politicized and something about, you know something about liberty versus you know, science. And the fact of the matter is that masks will make a difference. And the more people wear masks, the sooner we'll be able to be able to stop the spread of the virus or rally reduce stop the spread of the virus. And so it's in everybody's best interest.
[Vause:] Absolutely. But where wear outside all the time, inside all the time, crowded areas what. Again because, people are not going to wear masks all the time. The bottom line. They want to take them off when they feel it's safe. So where is it safe or safer not to wear a mask?
[Rimoin:] When you are in a public space, you should wear a mask. When you are home, when you're with other people that you do not need to protect or be protected from, that you are living with then you can take the mask off. You don't need to be wearing a mask at home. But for example, for people who have been out protesting or have been have not been socially distant, my recommendation is, if you go home and you can't self quarantine, if you live with other people, if you have to go to work, wear a mask. You're going to protect other people from you. So that's a perfect example of when you should be wearing a mask. So if you are in a home where you are living with people who might be more vulnerable than you are or you have put yourself in a situation where you may have been exposed, wear a mask. And wear a mask all other times when you are outside. It's the right thing to do. You protect other people and we will be able to reduce the spread of this virus.
[Vause:] It is the right thing to do. That's the key. I wanted to talk very quickly about a vaccine which many non-masks wearers are counting on, I think. But something which I haven't really heard about here when we're talking about a vaccine is the definition of success. Is it enough for a vaccine to prevent, you know, a severe round of COVID-19? Does it also need to prevent moderate rounds of COVID-19? Does it need to prevent it altogether? Does it need to stop transmission? What are we looking at here? What are we striving for in a vaccine?
[Rimoin:] Well, you know, no vaccine is going to be perfect. But a vaccine that can do any of the things that you have just that you have just listed will be an important stride. It will be a very important move forward that will help us be able to return to normal. If we are less afraid of getting this virus because it becomes a less severe infection that is a major, major move in the right direction if it means that you are 40 to 60 percent protected against the virus, like we are with most flu vaccines, that's a major, major improvement on where we are right now. So any vaccine that can make a change in how severe the virus is or whether or not we get it or can spread it to other people is important. What we'll end up with, we'll see. The data is not out yet. So we're still waiting to learn more about what these vaccines or, what the data looks like and what kind of protection they can provide.
[Vause:] Anne Rimoin you are awesome. Thank you so much. It is great having you with us. Your advice and your expertise is so much appreciated. Thank you.
[Rimoin:] It's my pleasure.
[Vause:] Well after an 11-week grounding, EasyJet is back in the air. But Europe's second busiest carrier said it will be three years before business returns to pre-pandemic levels. More on that to the live report in a moment.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor:] That's when the respected former FBI director Robert Mueller was given his marching orders to investigate, quote, "any links andor coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation," closed quote. It's going to be a very unusual day in many ways. We know the report is being released this morning, how much of the report we do not know. There will be redactions, maybe a few, maybe a lot.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn Anchor:] That will be very, very important to discover. The decision was left in the hands of the attorney general of the United States, William Barr, the man President Trump says is doing a fine job. It's the attorney general's choice what Congress and what the American public will see. But in a puzzling twist we will actually hear from the attorney general before yes, before he releases the actual report. Coming up in under 30 minutes the attorney general will talk about and take questions about the report. No one outside his inner bubble has actually seen. At his side will be the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the man who gave Robert Mueller his initial mandate.
[Tapper:] And Robert Mueller will not be there for any of the press conference. Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi of the House and Chuck Schumer of the Senate are calling on Mueller to testify publicly before Congress as soon as possible so the public can hear his conclusions and possibly a rebuttal of what we're about to hear from Attorney General Bill Barr. Don't forget, this investigation has led already to 199 criminal counts, 37 people and entities being charged, seven guilty pleas. And don't forget these six associates of President Trump were indicted, all as part of this investigation. We're going to bring you live coverage of Attorney General Barr's news conference which is set to begin moments from now. Democrats are accusing the attorney general of trying to spin ahead of time the Mueller report in the president's favor in advance of its release. I want to bring in justice correspondent Jessica Schneider. And Jessica, give us a preview of what we expect to hear from the attorney general this morning.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Justice Correspondent:] Well, Jake, as members of Congress and the American public actually wait to get their hands on this redacted report and see all 400 pages of this report, we know that the attorney general will be briefing us in just a few minutes and we've learned from his spokesperson here at the Department of Justice that the attorney general will be addressing three main points. So first off, AG bill Barr will be talking about executive privilege and whether or not the president and his attorneys at the White House exerted executive privilege over any part of this 400-page report. That will be the first topic. Secondly, the attorney general will be talking here about the interactions that the Justice Department officials have had with the White House, the attorneys there and the officials in the administration. Of course, it was just last week where the attorney general was on Capitol Hill testifying before Congress, refusing to answer whether or not he's had any interactions with the White House, whether any officials at the Justice Department have talked with the White House attorneys, attorneys for the president himself. We do know that the attorney general did address this in his letter in late March saying that there had not been any communications with the White House, but of course we know that about four weeks have passed since then and with the "New York Times" reporting that Justice Department officials have, in fact, been briefing the White House officials over the past few days, letting them know the conclusions that the special counsel came to, so of course White House officials and the lawyers can really prep their rebuttal report. So we're going to hear directly from the attorney general about these interactions with the White House, how many there were and what they entailed. Then of course the third thing we'll hear from the attorney general is information about these redactions because he has told us before that there are four broad categories of redactions here. They will all be color coded in this report, corresponding to these four different categories that will be blacked out. First of all, any information related to the grand jury, that will be blacked out, that's mandated by law. Any information on classified information, that will be blacked out as well. And then also any information pertaining to ongoing investigations, because, of course, we know that there are several investigations both here in D.C., Virginia, as well as the Southern District of New York that have stemmed from this special counsel probe. That will be blacked out as well. And then finally the fourth category that will be redacted is any information that could be derogatory to any third parties. So the attorney general in just minutes will get to the podium, he will address these three main points here and we're told that this morning the attorney general is quite calm about this. He has faced a lot of criticism from Democrats on the Hill about holding this press conference well before its release to Congress. As for the timeline here, the attorney general speaking at about 9:30 this morning. We know that this report will go to the Hill. We know it will be in disc form and that should be sometime in the 11:00 hour. After that, we're not exactly sure on the timing, but at some point after it goes to members of Congress it will be released to the public. That will be via the special counsel's Web site. So all of this transpiring in just the next few minutes, but our first point at 9:30 this morning, Wolf and Jake, the attorney general taking to that podium to express these three main points of executive privilege, whether it was exerted by the White House, also interactions with the White House by Justice Department officials, and then the redactions that could make up perhaps a large portion of this 400-page report Wolf and Jake.
[Blitzer:] We're waiting for that news conference to start supposedly in 24 minutes, Jessica. We'll get back to you. According to the "New York Times" the Justice Department and the White House have spoken several times, numerous times, we're told, in recent days about the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings ahead of today's official release. CNN's White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins is joining us right now. Kaitlan, so what are you hearing from sources over at the White House right now and what is the Justice Department already revealed to them?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Wolf, there is definitely a sense of anticipating here at the White House because even though there have been those conversations between Justice Department lawyers and White House lawyers about the main conclusions in Mueller's findings, a lot of people in the West Wing still do not feel that they have a sense of what's going to be released in this report when it comes out around the 11:00 hour. And their fear is that some of their colleagues who sat down with the special counsel or their former colleagues may have revealed some pretty damning information about President Trump's behavior. And that's a fear we reported on this week that even those people who sat down with the special counsel are worried about what they told Mueller and his team coming out and having their name attached to it. Now we know the president is going to be paying very close attention to the attorney general's press conference this morning because he's already been tweeting about it several times along with repeating what he has said essentially for the last 23 months, that he believes this is harassment, he calls it a hoax. You see in there tweeting all of that just from this morning, Wolf and Jake. So the president is going to be watching this closely. The TVs in the West Wing are tuned to this press conference. They are waiting for it to happen and as soon as that report comes out I'm told that essentially what White House aides are planning on doing is splitting up this report so they can read it as quickly as possible and basically they're going to be learning a lot of this as soon as we are outside of the president's legal team.
[Tapper:] All right. Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thank you so much. Democratic lawmakers as we mentioned say that they are furious ahead of Attorney General Barr's news conference. Let's go right to CNN's senior congressional correspondent who's Capitol Hill. And Manu, this outrage they say stems from how the administration, the Trump administration has chosen to roll out this report, how the attorney general has decided to do this. Some committee chairmen calling upon the attorney general to cancel the press conference this morning.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, that's right. The five Democratic committee chairmen in the House asked for that to be canceled this morning. Of course, that's not what's going to happen. It will take place in a matter of moments. But the reason why they're up in arms, one reason is that the report will actually be hand-delivered by disc to the door right behind me about an hour and a half or so after the press conference is concluded and the chairman of this committee, the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, made very clear that he does plan to subpoena for the full report. It could happen as soon as this week, and the underlying evidence. And just this morning the two top Democrats in Congress, the minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, made clear that they want Robert Mueller to testify publicly. Now they said this in a statement. Attorney General Barr's regrettably partisan handling of the Mueller report including his slanted March 24th summary letter, his irresponsible testimony before Congress last week, and his indefensible plan to spin the report in a press conference later this morning hours before he allows the public or Congress to see it have resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality. Now Bill Barr is still expected to appear before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on the first two days of May and the chairman of that committee, the House committee, Jerry Nadler, last night at a press conference also made clear his disdain for this process.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] It now appears the attorney general intends to once again put his own spin on the investigative work completed by the special counsel and his team. The fact that the attorney general is not releasing even the redacted report to Congress until after his press conference will again result in the report being presented through his own words rather than through the words of Special Counsel Mueller.
[Manu:] Now Republicans are pushing back, they're saying Democrats are overreaching, reacting with outrage that they shouldn't be reacting to because they say the attorney general has done the right thing, provided the public with at least some sense of what the top line findings were, consulted with the special counsel's team over the redactions, worked with the deputy attorney general. You should expect to hear that from Bill Barr today defending the process and from Republicans defending the process, but nevertheless not satisfying Democrats who have subpoena power here in the House and they plan to use it Wolf and Jake.
[Blitzer:] All right, Manu, thank you. We're going to get back to you. The reaction from Capitol Hill I'm sure will be intense. And one part of it, Jake, will be how much of this nearly 400-page report will, in fact, be redacted.
[Tapper:] Now we don't know about that. Let's bring in some of our panelists. Dana Bash, Democrats on Capitol Hill talking about how Bill Barr is trying to spin the report, but according to our reporting and according to what the Justice Department is telling reporters, he's there to talk about executive privilege, what has been invoked and what has not, the interactions between the Justice Department and the White House, and the redaction process. It doesn't sound like from the description we're getting that he intends to talk about the contents of the Mueller report.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] It doesn't sound that way. It sounds like at least they're telling us ahead of time that his focus will be on process. Important process, but process. But make no mistake about it, he's going to get asked about content, even the process is important to the content. Executive privilege, things like the conversations that the DOJ has had with the White House and how he describes that and whether or not there is any question of it being inappropriate. I mean, right now knowing what we know, it doesn't seem very appropriate to have really any conversation beyond executive privilege if they did give more than that to the White House. But if you kind of take a step back and look big picture at this, this is the moment we've been waiting for, for almost two years, and we're going to be watching and listening to the to'ing and fro'ing about whether he's spinning it or not, but finally after all of this time, after our hundreds of hours of reporting on what exactly happened with Russia, what exactly happened with the Trump campaign team, and more importantly what exactly did the Mueller team feel and see and learn from the president's own aides about his attempts to obstruct justice. We are hopefully, even if some of it is redacted, going to get a real sense finally from the Mueller team.
[Blitzer:] And I suspect, Gloria, we're going to learn a lot even in this redacted 400-page document.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] And I think the thing we're all looking for is this question about why Mueller decided on obstruction that he couldn't make the traditional prosecutorial judgment. Was it because he couldn't determine intent because he wasn't allowed to, you know, sit down with the president? Was it because there wasn't any underlying crime and therefore he would have a harder time proving intent? Was it because the witnesses themselves were all damaged in one way or another? And also, as Barr wrote about in his four-page letter, was it because lots of the president's actions took place in public view? So we're going to find out just why and on both sides of the argument because I do expect Mueller to kind of lay out the facts, that's who he is, and he will say this is why it was so difficult and let you know what essentially the arguments were and why they decided to not make any decision.
[Tapper:] And then of course, John King, the other larger question is, separate from the obstruction discussion, the conspiracy discussion and the fact that at least according to the Barr's quoting of Mueller, there is not sufficient evidence of conspiracy between the Trump team and the Russian government and yet there is a lot of smoke, right? There's this Trump Tower meeting, there is Manafort sharing polling data with somebody with connections allegedly to Russian military intelligence, and on and on. And hopefully there will not be so many redactions that we're not able to understand why it is there was so much smoke, so many lies told about these things and yet no fire ultimately.
[John King, Cnn Chief National Correspondent:] And the actual interference itself, which often gets lost in the political conversation. A foreign state actor that is not a friend of the United States was meddling in a presidential election trying to put its thumb on the scale in favor of one candidate. Forget the names of the candidates for a minute. That in and of itself. What did Robert Mueller find about that. How deep is it?
[Tapper:] Yes.
[King:] How deep are the roots? Meaning, is it still there today? That's important. To the conspiracy question, is he going to say these were a bunch of people who thought Donald Trump was going to lose and were trying to create business interest for themselves or friendships for themselves? And they were all idiot knuckleheads who had meetings they should not have had that are outside the norm? That they should have reported to the FBI? Or they should have stepped back and said no way? We don't know. That's the great part of today. By the end of today we will actually be able to talk about what Robert Mueller found, what he investigated, what he couldn't prove, what he suspected, not about how Bill Barr is handling the release and the spinning of it. But the preview this morning, the power play, it's a power play by the attorney general. Imagine being a reporter, you don't know what question to ask, whether to buy the executive privilege, did was something redacted? You don't know. So Bill Barr is having a power play, is it a political play? That's the debate that's going to happen in Washington as that plays out. Is he trying to help the president spin this? And my only my big question is will anybody have an open mind? Will Democrats have an open mind to say, you know what? We've said all these horrible things about the president, the top cop, Bob Mueller; the man with impeccable integrity said it's not there, OK. Will Republicans have an open mind to say, wow, this is actually pretty damning, we should work together to look further into how this happened. Will the American people have an open mind, the president, whatever you think of him has done a very good job conditioning his people
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Oh, yes
[King:] To not believe a word of what's going to happen in the next 100 hours.
[Wolf Blitzer, Host, Situation Room:] Including his tweets this morning. You know, Jeffrey, was it appropriate for the Justice Department to have these briefings for White House counsel's counsel in numerous briefings in recent days?
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] I think it was, actually. I mean, the Justice Department is part of the executive branch and executive privilege is relevant to this to this report, and the only way that can be determined is through the lawyers for the president. Now, should they have disclosed that they were having these conversations? Yes, they should have, and they engaged in unnecessary secrecy which bred suspicion. But if I can just respond to one thing John said. You know, not only do I think we should focus on the report itself rather than the reactions to it, but I think the hotter the take, the faster the response, the less attention we should pay to it. Because this is a 400-page report, no one who has a press conference at 11:30 is going to have read it. So I mean, I just think we should be aware that the facts matter and the report matters more than whatever the partisans say about it
[King:] To that point, just quickly, this is from the Attorney General's letter on March 24th, forget the spin on it, "2,800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, 230 orders for communications records, 50 orders authorizing pen registers, meaning to track people's e-mails and text messages, 13 requests of foreign governments for evidence, approximately 500 witnesses." This is going to take a little time.
[Unidentified Female:] Still a lot. So fight against the DNA of 2019 politics and the Twitter
[King:] Well
[Unidentified Female:] Phenomenon.
[Jake Tapper, Host, The Lead:] And there's also something else going on here which is the legal decision about not to go further with anyone else, not to charge anyone else from Mueller has apparently been made. And what we're going to find out today has to do with a lot of behavior that is unethical perhaps, immoral perhaps, shady perhaps, depending on your point of view and depending what's in the report, but not necessarily illegal.
[Carrie Cordero, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Right. So what the Justice Department has said is that the special counsel has not made any more charging decisions and we're not going to see there is not some sealed indictment that the special counsel's office launched. But they did refer a lot of matters to U.S. attorneys offices and there are ongoing investigations going on in several different U.S. attorneys offices. So one thing that I'm going to be looking for in the actual report is how much information is redacted that looks like it pertains to ongoing investigations. And I think that will give us a sense of how much unfinished business there was that the special counsel spun off to other prosecutors.
[Tapper:] But just to clarify, nothing related to conspiracy with Russia has been farmed out to any other
[Cordero:] As far as we know, right. That those would be those would be second order prosecutions related to other matters.
[Tapper:] Campaign finance crime
[Cordero:] That there's not something
[Tapper:] In the Southern District of New York.
[Cordero:] It doesn't look that everything that all the indications are that, there is no indictment that the special counsel has brought, will brought they're done as far as someone being involved in the conspiracy of the Russian interference in the election.
[Blitzer:] Because, Laura, in the March 24th letter to Congress, the Attorney General specifically said "the report does not recommend any further indictments nor did the special counsel obtain any sealed indictments that have yet to be made public."
[Laura Coates, Cnn Legal Analyst:] That's true. And of course, at this point, given the track record of the way this has rolled out, I am more inclined to have the trust, but verify in the actual report what the nuances may have been and what the reasoning for not having additional indictments were based on. Was it about that fourth category of information they intend to redact, which is prejudicial information to third party peripheral beings? Well, how are they defining that term? Who are they saying is actually a third party? Because why I'm most interested in the way in which they're going to describe the interactions between the White House and Bill Barr's team because executive privilege is one thing, certainly, he has the you know, the mark on that. But the idea of has he consulted about redacting information that may hit close to home or may be not a prejudicial third party or on the periphery in some way, that's what I'm inclined to do. And this whole idea, the credibility crisis we've heard that term before, this is largely a
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Chief National Security Correspondent:] Yes
[Tapper:] Yes, and Jim Sciutto, one argument I've heard made from people who Democrats really largely is that imagine if today, the day we're getting the Mueller report was the day we found out that six associates of President Trump were charged, convicted or sentenced, including his former campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, his former deputy campaign Chairman Rick Gates, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, former adviser Roger Stone and former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. If that was if that dropped down at the same moment that the Mueller report was released, then the impression, the narrative that has been formed of nothing to see here, folks, we've been cleared, we've been exonerated which is what you hear from the White House would probably be challenging to put forward.
[Sciutto:] That's the challenge with digesting the drip of this investigation, right? Is that each revelation, many of them important is digested, people form their opinions and kind of move on, and make those judgments before they see the whole network, the whole web of clues and how they tie together, and frankly if they tie together, right? Because we may see this report today and the whole web of contacts with Russia may look just not nice, but not necessarily nefarious, right? And that's possible. That's the trouble with the way this has been farmed out. But I think I think that all of us and folks at home, too, should just remember there are genuine open questions. We don't know the answer to and won't until we read this whole report. One, an inclusive of the conversation of cooperation with Russia. Are there other meetings that have not yet been revealed? Are there other communications? And about those communications and meetings, we already know about, is there information about those that we will learn today? For instance, Michael Flynn was talking to the Russian ambassador during the transition, the topic of Russian sanctions came up. Was he directed to have those conversations with the Russian ambassador to indicate that the new sheriff in town, the president-elect was going to deal with them differently than President Obama? Did the president know about them? Does Mueller know? He may answer that question, he may not, but that's a key question. When you look at the various questions about Roger Stone communications with WikiLeaks, et cetera, was the president ever informed? It's been a constant open question. We don't have evidence, people have speculated about it, today we may learn Mueller looked into that, there's nothing there. All we'll learn that there was a conversation that's been documented. Those are open questions. Then on the obstruction case, clearly Mueller found evidence of obstruction because he couldn't exonerate the president. He said so much, and even Barr had to quote him as saying that much. So what is that evidence beyond what we already know in terms of what's been revealed. These are all open questions, and we all I think the country has to sort of take a breath and step back, absorb it and then make their own judgment. And at the end of the day, from the beginning, this has always been a political judgment more than a legal judgment, has it not? Because it involves a president and folks are going to have to decide if this is behavior they can accept from their president or they cannot.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] And can I just point out on this question of conspiracy and collusion in one of Barr in Barr's initial letter, there was a footnote and he quoted from Mueller about how Mueller was defining conspiracy, and it was a very high bar. I think that Mueller set because it said it have to in order to establish coordination, you'd have to have an agreement, tacit or expressed between the Trump campaign and the Russian government on election interference. That's a pretty high bar. Between the campaign, it would have to be a concerted coordinated effort. All we know about so far is a bunch of meetings that people had. Like, you know, the Trump Tower meeting in Don Jr.'s office and that kind of thing. So I'm interested in seeing whether even in the absence of indictments, which we did not have, whether there is some sense that the campaign itself was misbehaving in any way and, you know, and did things that it should not have done and whether he makes that judgment or leaves it. We don't know.
[Blitzer:] Barr in his March 24th letter quotes the special counsel as saying, "while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him." And that's a significant
[Tapper:] On the obstruction charge
[Borger:] That's an
[Blitzer:] On the obstruction of justice
[Borger:] Right
[Blitzer:] Issue. Five hundred witnesses were interviewed over the course of the 22-month Mueller probe, that includes the former White House lawyer Don McGahn, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Chief of Staff John Kelly and former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks. Let's go to our senior White House correspondent Pamela Brown. Pamela, more than two dozen current and former Trump administration officials gave interviews to Mueller and his team during this investigation. What's their concern now?
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, it just depends on what they told Robert Mueller's team. Remember, key White House officials, current and former members in the White House spoke to Robert Mueller's team, former White House counsel Don McGahn, Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, Hope Hicks, Stephen Miller, just to name a few. And they were key witnesses in the obstruction of justice probe. My colleague Laura Jarrett is reporting that is the section of the report released later today that is lightly redacted and their names are expected to be revealed. Remember, they spoke to Robert Mueller's team under penalty of lying to the FBI which lends more credence to what they told Mueller's investigators. And so, that is going to be key. That's really what we're focused on. At the time, the strategy in the White House was to let Robert Mueller speak to basically whoever he wanted to besides the president in order to try to prevent an interview with the president. Well, that may have worked, but as one source says that I spoke with, one of the witnesses who spoke to Robert Mueller's team, that may not be good for these former and current White House aides who may have provided embarrassing information about the president. And I am told that some of them, especially those who have left the White House, are concerned that perhaps they could draw the president's ire once this report is released, particularly those who rely on access and influence to the White House as part of their business model. They're concerned that they're going to be on the outs in the Trump world. One person I spoke with said at the time it was indicative of the live now, deal with it later-type of scenario and the later has come with this report being released later today.
[Tapper:] All right, Pamela Brown, thanks so much. Michael Cohen; the president's former fixer who is headed to jail next month is also tweeting this morning as we wait for the report. He writes, quote, "soon, I will be ready to address the American people again, tell it all and tell it myself", unquote. I'm not sure what exactly he's talking about there. John King, he has been a thorn in the side of the president, Michael Cohen, but they have made the case, the White House, that Michael Cohen is not a reliable narrator.
[King:] He is he is kind of a textbook example of how the president has attacked anybody who has brought up information incriminating to the president, damaging to the president, unfavorable to the president. Whether it's Robert Mueller, who now is surrounded by angry Democrats if you believe the president, and he has he's conflicted and it wasn't a legal investigation. If it's Michael Cohen, he is a liar in Michael Cohen's case, the president has some leg to stand on in the case that Michael Cohen is an admitted liar. He is saying that he told a lot of lies on behalf of Donald Trump, and now he's telling the truth. What does Michael Cohen mean by that? Though we know there's talks of a book in the works, we know there's talks of interviews before he goes to prison and the like. Michael Cohen is going to continue to tell his story, and again, we're in this environment where, A, we'll let the facts in the Mueller report hopefully trust the documentation of the professionals to sort out the differences between the key players
[Bash:] Let me get this straight. Are you suggesting that people around this have an agenda?
[King:] Everybody around this has an agenda. And look, we can the attacks that the president we're going to have a lot of outside the norms, meeting at the Trump Tower with Russians promising dirt on your political opponent is outside the norms.
[Toobin:] Yes
[King:] Is it outside the law? Let's see what Robert Mueller says. There's a whole lot of outside the norms. A president of the United States who attacks everybody is outside the norms. And so that's what he has done from day one of this, Robert Mueller, everybody around him, his previous Attorney General, his current deputy Attorney General who is going to stand there with Bill Barr in this room. That part to me that Rod Rosenstein who appointed Robert Mueller, who empowered him the entire time is going to be standing right there, too. If it's at all damaging to the president, he attacks you repeatedly, consistently over and over again to what end? To get the 35 percent of the Americans who are in his camp to not believe anything they hear.
[Bash:] That was being
[Sciutto:] Do you know what else is outside the norms? With all the other steps in this investigation, the report came out, then there was a press conference with the indictments of Russian military intelligence for interference in this election with all those indictments, reporters read the report, Congress, members of Congress read the report and then justice officials came out to answer questions about it. With the indictments regarding the Russian troll farm, the IRA, report and then press conference. Barr has flipped that. He is again, first of all, he released a summary as you know, and now he's going to basically defend his handling of this before anybody has the ability to look at the information to then ask him questions.
[Cordero:] Can we just hope
[Sciutto:] That's turning something on its head.
[Cordero:] It should, can we just go ahead. So just a quick response to that. So I actually have a little different take which is that if I was giving advice to Attorney General Barr, I would tell him to do exactly this, which is only to talk about the process and not to take the questions on the actual content of the report. And that's because what
[Borger:] Oh, we disagree with that.
[Cordero:] Is like I know, everybody here would disagree with that.
[Borger:] We only agree
[Cordero:] We actually have the content
[Coates:] Right
[Cordero:] From his perspective
[Toobin:] Right
[Cordero:] There is absolutely nothing to be gained by opening up an entire press conference, comparing his letter to the actual report and getting into the weeds. He's going to have an opportunity to do that, and that's going to be when he's called to testify before Congress. And so today, what he should stick to from his own perspective and the Justice Department is the actual process, and what I'm most interested in that, though, is the fact that executive privilege was not something that he put in his March 24th letter. And so, if there has been so that's something that I'm going to be listening for, if there's been a change between when he issued the March 24th letter and what's transpired in the

[Brayden Harrington, 13-year-old Dnc Speaker:] About a few months ago I met him in New Hampshire. He told me that we were members of the same club. We stutter. It was really amazing to hear that someone like me became Vice President.
[Brunhuber:] Just what amazing courage there. That was one of Thursday's most touching DNC moments. 13-year-old Brayden Harrington talking his story about meeting Biden and how the presidential candidate made him feel better about his own stuttering. They met in February at a campaign event in New Hampshire and Biden talked to the 13-year-old about how he copes with his own stutter. Early in the primary campaign Biden revealed that he's had the speech disorder since childhood. And there were many defining moments during this unprecedented four-day virtual convention. So here now let's see some of the highlights.
[Eva Longoria, Actress:] Every four years we come together to reaffirm our democracy. This year we've come to save it.
[Rep. Jim Clyburn:] And there's many families experiencing loss in this pandemic. We need a president who understands both profound loss and what it takes to bounce back.
[Unidentified Female:] My dad was a healthy 65-year-old. His only pre- existing condition was trusting Donald Trump and for that he paid with his life.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo  New York:] COVID is the symptom not the illness. Our nation is in crisis.
[Philonise Floyd, George Floyd's Brother:] George should be alive today. Breonna Taylor should be alive today. Ahmaud Arbery should be alive today.
[Sen. Kamala Harris  U.s. Vice Presidential Nominee:] None of us are free until all of us are free.
[Unidentified Male:] The idea of us calling ourselves the United States of America feels like it's pretty wrong right now.
[Bill Clinton, Former President Of The United States:] At a time like this the oval office should be a command center. Instead it's a storm center. There's only chaos.
[Michelle Obama, Former First Lady Of The United States:] Donald Trump is the wrong President for our country. He is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment.
[Ady Barkan, Activist:] With the existential threat of another four years of this President, we all have a profound obligation to act.
[Hillary Clinton, Former Democratic Presidential Nominee:] Joe and Kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose. Take it from me, this can't be another woulda, coulda, shoulda election.
[Joe Biden, Joe Biden's Wife:] How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole.
[Unidentified Female:] We the people.
[Unidentified Male:] We the people.
[Unidentified Female:] One nation.
[Unidentified Male:] One nation. One nation.
[Unidentified Females And Males:] One nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
[Barack Obama, Former President Of The United States:] Joe is a man who learned early on to treat every person he meets with respect and dignity.
[Unidentified Female:] In the short time I spent with Joe Biden I could tell he really saw me, that he actually cared. That's why I nominate my friend, Joe Biden, as the next President of the United States.
[Unidentified Male:] Pennsylvania casts 34 votes for Senator Bernie Sanders and 175 votes for the next President of the United States, Scranton's own, Joe Biden. Joe Biden.
[Unidentified Female:] Joe Biden.
[Joe Mcnamara, Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairman:] The calamari come back state of Rhode Island one vote for Bernie Sanders and 34 votes for the next president, Joe Biden.
[Unidentified Male:] Joseph Biden. Joseph R. Biden! Joe Biden.
[Unidentified Female:] Joe Biden. Mr. Joseph R. Biden.
[Biden:] I'll be proud to carry the banner of our party to the general election. So it's a great honor and humility, I accept this nomination for president of the United States of America.
[Brunhuber:] All right that was the Democrats. Next up, the Republicans, so stay with CNN for our coverage of the Republican National Convention. That starts on Monday. Well that's it. That wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "EARLY START" up next. Stay with us.

[Bolduan:] Tonight, missing in action. White House advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the President's daughter and son-in- law, of course, who are also Jewish publicly silent after the President said this.
[Trump:] If you vote for a Democrat you're very, very disloyal to Israel and to the Jewish people.
[Bolduan:] Those comments widely criticized as playing into an anti- Semitic trope of accusing Jews of dual loyalty, something that has been used for long, long time to belittle Jews. Out front now Keith Boykin, former Clinton White House aide and Rob Astorino, a Member of President Trump's 2020 Re-Election Advisory Council. Guys, thanks for being here. Keith, Ivanka and Trump are known to be strategic in how they weigh in and how they give the advice to the President and we know that that definitely isn't always done publicly as no one should expect it to when they disagree or need to, of course, correct the President. But why do you think they're choosing to stay silent on this, because it often leaks out?
[Keith Boykin, Former White House Aide Under President Bill Clinton:] Yes. I mean I think I don't have any special insight into Ivanka Trump's brain or what she's thinking or her relationship with her dad. But I think it's all selective, she chooses to speak out when she feels that it's in her interest to do so and then she often does so privately or surreptitiously. She leaks the story to a friendly report that she actually didn't agree with something that Trump did. But only when it's incredibly unpopular and she realizes that it's not to her benefit for her brand to do so. But on most occasions she's not inclined to speak out against her father even as her father makes anti-Semitic statements to the public, even as he calls himself the second coming of God, even as he says he's a king of Israel, even as he looks to the skies and says, "I am the chosen one." Ivanka remains silent in the midst of all the chaos and stupidity of the Trump administration.
[Bolduan:] Rob, what do you think of it?
[Rob Astorino, Member Of The President's 2020 Re-elect Advisory Council:] Well, they're on vacation, let's start with that. They're on a family vacation in Wyoming and she's putting that on Instagram. And I think if you go back in time on some of the, quote, controversial things...
[Bolduan:] I think they are back though and regardless when you're working for the White House and talk to any administration, I don't think you're really ever on vacation.
[Astorino:] You're never on vacation. I know. But they are entitled to downtime and if you look at her Twitter account, she lists in her bio; mother, daughter, sister, wife and fifth is Adviser to the President.
[Boykin:] Because she's not qualified to be an adviser to the president. She understands that.
[Astorino:] No, that's not the reason. That's not the reason.
[Boykin:] Of course, it is.
[Astorino:] The reason is they have a life with kids and they're trying to raise their kids. And so she's not going to comment on everything publicly.
[Boykin:] Having kids is not an excuse for silencing in the face of anti-Semitism.
[Astorino:] No, no, no, if she has something to say to her dad she says it in private and I think that's the relationship that it should be.
[Bolduan:] But some folks inside the White House have conceded to CNN that they think when it comes to this disloyalty remark it went too far. I mean it has been widely criticized. I mean, you know that it's a long-time anti-Semitic trope, don't you agree?
[Astorino:] I think...
[Bolduan:] Isn't that a crisis moment in the White House?
[Astorino:] Well, I don't think he should have said things like that. I think he's got to be really careful with how he chooses his words. But I think what he meant to say is and this is true, that traditional Democratic black voters, African-Americans, Hispanics, Jewish voters, you really need to start looking at an alternative and that alternative is the Republican Party and this president because of what has happened for groups across the spectrum. Everyone is doing better than they were three years ago and that's the argument he's going to make and that's
[Boykin:] How are people doing better when anti-Semitic incidents have increased about 57 percent since Trump became president?
[Astorino:] I'm talking about economic and that's what he's talking about. You can't blame all on Donald Trump.
[Boykin:] How are people are doing better when people are chanting in Charlottesville chanting, "Jews will not replace us." And the President is morally ambiguous threatening that these people might be very fine people. How are things doing better when there's a shooting, a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and the President blames the synagogue for not having guards there to protect themselves? How are people doing better when the President is tweeting out anti- Semitic tropes calling Hillary Clinton anti-Semitic and Kevin McCarthy and the GOP are also engaged in the same things attacking Tom Steyer, George Soros and Mike Bloomberg? How are people doing better under the circumstances when we consistently see anti-Semitism and racism and bigotry from the President of the United States and the Republican Party?
[Astorino:] This is where1920 you talk about Tlaib and Omar and those kind of things.
[Bolduan:] Go ahead, you can talk about whatever you want.
[Astorino:] No. And what I was talking about and what I meant, of course, and I think what he means by this is, look, you need to look at a different perspective. You need to look at a different party because you've been voting Democrat for a long, long time and you know what it's time you give a different look [inaudible] by the way.
[Bolduan:] I will say the President is very clear what the President is trying to do is to label the Democratic Party as anti-Semitic. He's trying to
[Astorino:] Well, there's definitely a problem. There's no question about that.
[Boykin:] Well, time like this
[Bolduan:] There are certain members who have been called out from within the party about anti-Semitic comments that they have made.
[Astorino:] Well, that's the problem. They really haven't been called that.
[Boykin:] Well, the problem is
[Bolduan:] They absolutely have.
[Astorino:] The leadership
[Bolduan:] Absolutely they have, but may I please pose the question? Right or wrong, what he's trying to do is to label the Democratic Party as anti-Semitic.
[Boykin:] Right.
[Bolduan:] This disloyal remark shows that in and of itself. Do you worry that it can actually have an impact on the party?
[Boykin:] Well, no, because I mean first of all if there's any fixed principle in our constitutional system, it is that the President of the United States does not get to determine religious litmus test for people. And you certainly can't set a litmus test that decides that if you don't agree with a particular government, a particular administration that means you're disloyal to your country or you're not being a good member of your faith. Secondly, the Democrats have won the Jewish vote in every presidential election since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Hillary Clinton got 71 percent of the vote, Barack Obama got 78 percent of vote. There's no indication that that trend is going to discontinue, especially when you have an anti-Semite in the White House who refuses to do anything when anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise in his own administration.
[Bolduan:] Rob.
[Astorino:] Well, that's projection. Right now you've got a cancer growing in the halls of Congress, members of the Democratic Party. Some Democratic Jewish leaders have certainly spoken out against what they've seen and unfortunately though when it really came to rubber meeting the road, they would not specifically condemn them in their congressional resolutions.
[Bolduan:] I will say though, it does not help as we leave it here, it does not help though for the Republican Party hearing what you do hear from the President on the top. Really quick because I'm just curious, do you think Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, do you think they have the kind of weight that people try to say that they do with their
[Astorino:] With the President?
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Astorino:] I think as any son-in-law and daughter would, definitely. I think they talk in private. They should.
[Bolduan:] Again, then when there is a crisis and you're fatherboss is being accused of anti-Semitism, like I wonder why all right.
[Boykin:] It's all about grifting and branding. Whatever works for their brand is what they will put out.
[Astorino:] ... in public. That's just it won't happen.
[Boykin:] It's not fair to expect him to speak out against anti- Semitism?
[Bolduan:] Out front for us next, New York's Attorney General filing lawsuit against the Trump administration one every two weeks. Why she says she's not about to back down? Plus, the CEO of Overstock resigns after revealing he had a relationship with an accused Russian spy. Why would he be a target?

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Well, U.S. President Donald Trump is facing intense criticism for his decision to halt funding for the World Health Organization while the review is conducted. The head of the U.N. says the W.H.O. is critical to winning the war against COVID- 19, and the international community must work together to stop the virus. Bill Gates is calling the decision dangerous, adding that the W.H.O. is needed now more than ever, but Mr. Trump is accusing the organization of severely mismanaging the pandemic.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Had the W.H.O. done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China's lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source with very little death, very little death, and certainly, very little death by comparison.
[Church:] As Mr. Trump tries to deflect blame onto the W.H.O., the Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is coming under increased scrutiny. CNN's Sara Murray takes a look at the mistakes made by the Trump administration in tackling the pandemic.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We think we have it very well under control.
[Sara Murray, Cnn Political Correspondent:] In the months since President Trump assured workers at a Detroit area factory that his administration had a handle on the coronavirus
[Trump:] We think it's going to have a very good ending for us.
[Murray:] A handful of the factory workers have fallen ill with COVID- 19. The plant ceased production, laying off workers like Don McMurray.
[Don Mcmurray, Employee Laid Off From Dana Inc:] I don't think our country or this world prepared us for for what we're going through now. So I think, on all fronts, leadership has failed.
[Murray:] The company's stock price has plunged by nearly half and southeast Michigan became a coronavirus hotspot. The devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic is the kind of thing experts have spent years worrying about and planning for. But no simulation, no tabletop exercise accounted for a crisis like this with a president like Trump.
[Trump:] Everything we did was right.
[Murray:] A president who would use false statements, self- aggrandizement and bullying to understate the threat posed by the coronavirus.
[Dr. Laura Kahn, Research Health Policy Scholar, Princeton University:] He downplayed the severity of the crisis. He minimized it. He ignored his experts.
[Murray:] As the death toll climbed past 25,000, Laura Kahn, an expert in leadership during epidemics, say Trump made pretty much every mistake a president can in this situation.
[Kahn:] This response would have been different if we had a president who listened to scientific advisers. It would have been a very different outcome.
[Murray:] From the beginning, aides struggled to get Trump to pay attention to the emerging pandemic, though the administration's top healthcare experts began meeting daily back in January. Sources say Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar tried to bring the coronavirus up with Trump on a call in January, but the president wanted to talk about vaping instead. At the National Security Council, officials primarily saw the virus as a problem to wall off from the
[U.s. Trump:] I did a ban on China. You think that was easy?
[Murray:] The president's January 31st move to block foreigners who visited China from the U.S. bought the administration time, but it was the only significant step Trump would take for at least a month.
[Trump:] Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.
[Murray:] Days after Trump's travel ban, Americans evacuated from China and potentially exposed to the virus were greeted in the U.S. by emergency response teams with insufficient protective gear, like baby wipes and construction-style dust masks, according to sources. And while other countries, like South Korea, had success suppressing the virus with widespread testing, some of the CDC's tests were flawed, leaving the U.S. with limited testing in February as the coronavirus spread.
[Trump:] They have the tests.
[Murray:] While Trump promised testing for all
[Trump:] Anybody that needs a test, gets a test.
[Murray:] It came as news to those directly involved in the process at the CDC. Even now, everyone who wants a test cannot get one. A looming shortage was also coming in hospital masks, gowns and other supplies called PPE, to protect doctors and nurses from coronavirus.
[Unidentified Female:] It's like we're we're going into a war with no protection.
[Murray:] In early February, the State Department sent almost 18 tons of personal protective equipment from private donors to China.
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] In America we provide aid because we're generous and noble people.
[Murray:] These e-mails, obtained by CNN, show the same month supplies were shipped to China, the CDC was warning health departments across the country about supply chain concerns, urging them to maintain any stockpiles of expired PPE until further guidance.
[Dr. Jessica Kiss, California:] I am down to my last N-95 mask and I'm reusing it.
[Murray:] Early on, there were officials trying to warn the public about the seriousness of the virus. They were quickly sidelined.
[Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director, Cdc National Center For Immunization And Respiratory Diseases:] Disruption to everyday life may be severe.
[Murray:] For weeks the CDC's top respiratory disease doctor, Nancy Messonnier, said the coronavirus could become a pandemic. On February 25th, she caught Trump's attention.
[Messonnier:] We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare in the expectation that this could be bad.
[Murray:] Trump and some of his aides were furious believing she overstated the threat, sources said. A day later, Trump appeared, offering reassurances rather than warnings.
[Trump:] And we'll essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick matter. Because we're ready for it. We're really prepared.
[Murray:] Americans didn't buy it. Trump was pummeled in the press. Schools were closing down. Americans started working from home. Investors were panicking. An Oval Office address
[Trump:] My fellow Americans
[Murray:] Failed to fix any of it. There was a turning point when advisers privately pressed Trump to view himself as a wartime president. This is a war, they told him. And experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx are your generals. The economy, they assured him, would bounce back once the virus was vanquished. The President began doing regular televised briefly after noticing that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was getting good press for his daily appearances.
[Andrew Cuomo, New York Governor:] Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. That's what we're doing here.
[Murray:] When Trump appeared at the podium March 16th, he outlined more stringent, social distancing guidelines for the nation and appeared to finally be taking the deadly virus seriously.
[Trump:] Each and every one of us has a critical role to play in stopping the spread and transmission of the virus.
[Murray:] And then on Monday, Trump defended his response to the crisis, using a propaganda-style video of people complimenting him.
[Trump:] We did the right thing. And our timing was very good.
[Murray:] Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.
[Church:] Well, Barack Obama has been through a crisis or two as U.S. President, and he believes that Joe Biden is the right man to get the country through this one. Obama endorsed his former Vice President Tuesday, lauding his character and resilience. It is the second major endorsement Biden has received in just over 24 hours. Former Democratic rival Bernie Sanders put his weight behind him on Monday. CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joins me now from Los Angeles. Always great to talk with you.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Hi, Rosemary.
[Church:] So, Ron, Joe Biden received the endorsement he had been waiting for from former President Barack Obama Tuesday, and here's part of what he had to say.
[Barack Obama, Former President Of The United States:] The Republicans occupying the White House and running the U.S. Senate are not interested in progress. They're interested in power. They've shown themselves willing to kick millions off their health insurance and eliminate pre-existing condition protections for millions more, even in the middle of this public health crisis. Even as they're willing to spend a trillion on tax cuts for the wealthy. They've given polluters unlimited power to poison our air and our water and denied the science of climate change, just as they denied the science of pandemics.
[Church:] So, Ron, how significant is the former President's endorsement of Joe Biden at this juncture and what role will he need to play going forward, if the Democrats want to beat Donald Trump in November?
[Brownstein:] Well, first of all, Rosemary, couldn't you just feel 40 months of biting your tongue kind of rolling off the shoulders of the former President there. Who's been really pretty circumspect, very rarely weighing in on anything Donald Trump has done. Even though the Trump administration really has systematically sought to erase many of the Obama accomplishments, from health care to the environment. So, you could feel, I think, the passion in the person of someone who was often described as dispassionate. Look, Barack Obama is the best asset that Democrats have, you know. He is a figure who is widely respected across the party. Who had the ability in both '08 and '12 to turn out the base in big numbers, particularly African-American voters, but also reach beyond the base in a way that Hillary Clinton struggled to do in 2016. He is certainly the most important surrogate to Democrats. And one thing I was struck by in his extensive statement today was that, while he criticized the Republicans on policy, he mostly praised Joe Biden on character, rather than policy. And I think it suggests the kind of contrast that he is going to be comfortable drawing between his former Vice President and the current occupant of the office.
[Church:] Right. Here's the thing, though, with President Trump monopolizing that afternoon daily briefing on the coronavirus task force, at the expense most afternoons of any detailed updates from his own medical experts, how will there be room for any pushback or fact- checking from the Democrats, and more specifically, Joe Biden and Obama, without both of them and the party being accused of being too political in the midst of a national health crisis?
[Brownstein:] Yes, well look, I think that's a very good point. Biden has been very cautious about how far to go in criticizing President Trump. I mean, he has focused much more on offering alternatives about what to do next and leaving the criticism to others in the party, in particular some of the super PACs that have been running I think pretty effective ads just shows quoting the President's words over and over again in February and March, basically saying this was not a serious problem, it was all going to go away, we're going to be down to zero cases soon. And then juxtaposing that against the steadily rising caseload. One Democratic pollster told me today, the question of the election will be, what did you do in February and early March? And whether it is that central or not, I think there's no question that Democrats are going to be able to raise that issue and pound the President on that issue. The public polling in the U.S. is interesting, because we have seen pretty consistently half of Americans roughly half of Americans say they approve of the way the President is responding to the crisis now. But something like three-fifths or more two-thirds, sometimes say he was not prepared for it and he did not respond quickly enough. And those contending views, I think, will really be decisive in how this plays out in November.
[Church:] Ron Brownstein, many thanks to you for bringing us up to date on the situation on the politics of all of this. Appreciate it.
[Brownstein:] Good to see you again.
[Church:] Well, U.S. President Donald Trump's name will appear on stimulus checks, and to millions of Americans, details on that unprecedented move, next.

[Isa Soares, Host, Quest Means Business:] Hello, I'm Isa Soares, there's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment. When U.S. presidential contenders joined forces with McDonald's workers, and I sit down with the CEO. He's trying to cut down the cost of transferring money abroad, but before that, the headlines for you at this hour. Mr. Narendra Modi pulled off a stunning victory in the general election. That means he will serve another five-year term. In his victory speech, Mr. Modi promised to make India strong as well as inclusive. British and Dutch voters headed to the polls today to choose members of the European parliament. Other EU countries will follow in the coming days with the election wrapping up on Sunday. It is the world's largest multi- country election involving more than 350 million voters in 28 nations. Botswana has lifted its ban on hunting, and that includes elephants. The ban was imposed in 2014 in an attempt to deter poaching. But the government now says elephants graze crops, kill livestock and destroy water supplies and sometimes injure people. Violent Spring storms are battering central United States, Missouri and Oklahoma have seen tornadoes rip through cities and rural areas alike, tearing apart buildings and homes. Several people were killed, officials are still assessing the full scope of the damage. Well, as you just heard, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns for a second term. The Indian stock market didn't quite celebrate that win, closing lower after a brief surge. For more on what Modi's victory means for India and its economy, Foreign Policy Managing Editor Ravi Agrawal joins me now from New York. Ravi, good to see you. I was when I was reading on this story, Ravi, which I found fascinating for various reasons, but the most striking is that you have a country that's suffering record highs of joblessness, slumping industrial production, and many of course being hit by this currency ban, yet Modi still won with a landslide victory. Was economic policy not at the center of his campaign?
[Ravi Agrawal, Managing Editor, Foreign Policy:] No, it really wasn't. And I think there's increasingly anecdotal evidence across the board in India, showing that Indians are willing to sustain short-term economic pain in the hope of longer-term economic gain. And also, that this was an election that wasn't really fought on the economic grounds. You'll remember for much of the campaigning over the last few months, the economy wasn't the main issue, but instead it was national security, and also national identity. So identity, politics, Hindus and Muslims, that played a big role and it seems like ultimately, the people voted to give Modi five more years as opposed to any number of other potential candidates
[Soares:] Yes
[Agrawal:] That they didn't go for.
[Soares:] OK, so Ravi, in that case, what does this mean for India and the economy? What would be the priority, do you think?
[Agrawal:] Well, there are several things that this government will need to deliver on that it promised actually not this time, but in 2014. Because when
[Soares:] Yes
[Agrawal:] Modi came to power in a wave election in 2014, an election that was so decisive and that we thought would never happen again, and it has happened again. But it's unlikely that he'll get another chance to deliver on all of these things. So I think he's going to have to come good on some of his promises beginning with job creation because as you noted unemployment is at a record high or a 45-year high, I think. But also larger infrastructure and development projects that he's promised for quite a while now. There's a liquidity problem in the banking system in India. Those are all things that I think people will look for real deliverables in the next couple of years.
[Soares:] Yes, because when he came to power in 2014, he did promise to give India's economy a real shot in the arm. Whether it's getting rid of red tape or helping to boost investments. So do you from what you've heard from Modi, are these big reforms that were promised, are they going to happen? Is he still hoping to deliver on these?
[Agrawal:] I think he is, and there are some advances that have been made. So I think he's been able to cut red tape a little bit, I think. India's sort of ease of business rankings in the World Bank have also improved. There are some aspects of business sentiment that have improved. Which explains this week's stock market rise, even though today it sort of pared down at the end, that there was a lot of excitement among investors when they realized that Modi was coming back. So I think there's some positivity there. But you know, Modi and his decisiveness have not always gone down well for this economy, you'll remember demonetization, the cash recall
[Soares:] Yes
[Agrawal:] That India tried in 2016, that turned out to be disastrous, but they're real hit for GDP growth. So I think Modi will try to channel that decisiveness in a different way this time, taking on more tried and tested economic reforms instead of the more adventurous ones that he tried the last time around. And the other thing there is that, with oil prices rising, he won't have the leeway that he did in 2014. So the world scenario has also changed since then.
[Soares:] Very true. He definitely has his work cut out, Ravi. How much I want to get to you, your first answer you talked about, the economic policy not being center. How much of that was his campaign and his success in the polls, more about the man rather than the policy, do you think?
[Agrawal:] Well, this was a referendum on Modi and it was an election that pitted Modi the man, not really the party of the BJP, but Modi the man against every other candidate running against him in 543 different seats across India. So the
[Bjp -- Soares:] Wow
[Agrawal:] Successfully turned what is essentially a prime ministerial race into a more presidential style campaign. And in doing that, in framing the narrative in that way, I think Modi was able to project himself as a decisive strong man-type leader who was able to be tough on terror, who was able to stand up to Pakistan, and those are things that it seems like a younger generation of Indians quite like. You know, I think when Indians look at someone like Modi who is brash and confident and globetrotting, and he's seen hugging President Obama and hobnobbing with President Putin in Russia, they like the look of that clearly, and it seems like that's why they voted for him. And also because there wasn't a clear alternative. I think most Indians realized that even if they were to vote for the Congress, the main opposition party, it really wouldn't come to power. It would have to form a license to form a tenuous coalition. So they've gone for a decisive strong man.
[Soares:] Ravi Agrawal, fascinating. I can talk with you for much longer on this, I appreciate you coming in, thank you, good to see you, Ravi.
[Agrawal:] Thanks, Isa.
[Soares:] Now, McDonald's workers aren't loving it. They're holding protests right across United States joined by some presidential candidates as the fast food giant gets grilled by shareholders. I'll be taking live - talking live to a lawyer in fact, who is fighting to help the chain's workers. We'll be back after a very short break.

[Anderson:] Bottom of the hour in Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. Back to our top story this hour, the Presidential impeachment inquiry in the United States. Lawyers for the whistleblower who revealed Donald Trump`s phone calls with Ukraine`s President now say that President`s attacks are putting their client`s life in danger. Mr. Trump`s allies say he did nothing wrong when he froze military aid to Ukraine and asked for an investigation of political rival Joe Biden. Meanwhile in Ukraine, there is growing concern over the potential fallout in all of this. It`s one of the poorest countries in Europe. The President there and his government depends on the United States and other allies, both for security and economic aid. Next hour, we hear from a U.S. Democratic Congressman for more on this. Do stay tuned for that. While China is gearing up to celebrate National Day, Hong Kong bracing for more protests. Beijing wants Tuesday`s celebrations marking 70 years since the People`s Republic of China was founded to go off without a hitch. But Hong Kong police say months of protests have now moved one step closer to terrorism, as they describe it. Over the weekend we saw fires being set and petrol bombs being throw. Police predicted this year`s National Day will be dangerous. Well 70 years ago China was a remarkably different place than it is now. David Culver takes a look at the country`s rapid rise.
[David Culver, Cnn International Correspondent:] If practice makes perfect then preparation for China`s National Day will make for a seamless ceremony. For weeks students, soldiers and residents meticulously rehearsing their choreographed steps of military might and nationalistic pride, reflecting China`s meteoric rise. What was a struggling nation, today China is the world`s second largest economy and growing. October 1st marks 70 years since the founding of Communist China. On that day, all eyes will be looking here Tiananmen Square. It is the symbol center of the People`s Republic, drawing folks from all over the country to its capital, Beijing. Photographer, Gao Yuan, has been capturing the changes here through his lens.
[Gao Yuan, Photographer:] We`ve gone from solving the basic problem of having enough food to eat and clothes to wear, to today people having money to travel for fun.
[Culver:] China today is the world`s leading manufacturer and exporter. It boasts the world`s largest standing army. And if global success was not enough, they`ve become the first nation to ever land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. [on camera]: All of this happening under a single Communist Party, led today by President Xi Jinping. A leader who has become increasingly powerful as his country has become wealthier. [voice-over]: But China`s many advancements have come at a cost with pollution and air quality issues, widespread development is also taking a toll on the environment. The ongoing trade war, slowing China`s economy. These mounting concerns now driving away many of its elites. Yang Zi has called Beijing home for the past 20 years. She works long hours as a sales director. It`s afforded her a life of leisure and middle-class luxury. But at 40 years old she`s burnt out and now wants out. [on camera]: When the average person looks at you, they would see somebody who seemingly has everything. Beautiful home, a car, access to technology. Why leave?
[Yang Zi, Businesswoman:] Materially I`m very content, but this is not what I`m pursuing for my life. Everyone in China is busy and everyone is under pressure. Not just me. I`m an example of the majority of the middle class.
[Culver:] She worries about healthcare, education, food safety and fears social morality here in China has eroded beyond repair.
[Zi:] Everyone Russia`s about four work and it`s all about money and self-interests. This is not how I want to end up. I want a higher degree of happiness and a better quality of life.
[Culver:] She`s bought a place in Italy planning to leave behind her rapidly changing homeland. Change that`s led to the anniversary ahead, an elaborate show for both China and the world. Watching you`ll likely ask yourself, is it all a fancy facade destined to crumble or precursor to China becoming the new world leader? David Culver, CNN, Beijing.
[Anderson:] Well as Beijing fumes over the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong it`s putting immense pressure on major companies to take its side. Dozens of Cathay Pacific staffers, for example, have lost their jobs because as Andrew Stevens now reports, they say they express support for the pro-democracy movement. Have a look at this.
[Andrew Stevens, Cnn Correspondent/presenter:] Rebecca Sy worked as a cabin crew at Cathay Dragon for 17 years. It was her first and only job.
[Rebecca Sy, Former Cathay Dragon Flight Attendant:] I really loved my job. To me, it`s a very special.
[Stevens:] On August 21st, Rebecca was fired.
[Sy:] They asked me only one question, does this Facebook belong to you? I said yes. They immediately said, I`m sorry I have to go for the process. Now I announce that you are being terminated with immediate effect.
[Stevens:] She says that she was never told why she was sacked.
[Sy:] I was shocked, very disappointed, frustrated.
[Stevens:] Rebecca has participated in some legal protests but says her Facebook page did not violate the code of conduct. Rebecca also represented about 2,000 Cathay Dragon cabin crew in her union and says she had good relations with the company until the Hong Kong protests. Protests which forced the airport to close, canceling hundreds of Cathay flights. Cathay has crackdown on staff involved in demonstrations. The airline itself is under pressure from China its most important market. Beijing has banned any Cathay staff who are involved in protests from flying into China. The hardline from Cathay has had a chilling effect say staff. They call it white terror. This Cathay staff member who supports the protests spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity.
[Unidentified Male:] In terms of a white terror, I would say if you are unsafe, is uncertain, me and some of my colleagues, we have the time to say it, we want to know is it our last day today because tomorrow we may not be able to get into the building anymore.
[Stevens:] Cathay recently revised its staff code of conduct which includes posts on social media. Staff are told to speak up if they see a breach of the code. Employees tell CNN that dozens of workers have been fired. In response to CNN, Cathay says they don`t comment on specific cases but the dismissals are always in strict accordance which the terms of their relevant employment contracts. They added that they are required to follow regulations prescribed by the authorities in mainland China. There is no ground for compromise. And it`s not just the airlines that are caught up in the protests.
[Lee Cheuk-yan, Hong Kong Federation Of Trade Unions:] It`s also spreading to other sectors. It creates an atmosphere of fear among the workers that you have to be in line with the political stand of the company.
[Stevens:] Many of Hong Kong`s biggest companies, including its biggest bank HSBC, are now publicly condemning the violent protests and calling for a peaceful resolution. But it`s clear that the protests are moving from the streets to the offices and factories of Hong Kong. In this new less defiant battle line it`s freedom of speech that`s coming under threat. Andrew Stevens, CNN, Hong Kong.
[Anderson:] Connecting your world here on CNN. Coming up, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a tour of all African countries. The latest on their ten-day trip is after this. Plus, the fastest woman in the world also a new mom. How the Jamaican sprinter is balancing motherhood and breaking barriers.

[Rick Folbaum, Cnn International:] Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Rick Folbaum at CNN center in today for Becky Anderson. And this hour we begin with breaking news. In an unexpected move, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Biarritz, France just a short time ago, the city where all of the G7 leaders have assembled for talks this weekend. Iran state media says he was invited by France and right now he is said to be meeting with his French counterpart. Iranian officials say there will be no negotiations with the U.S. and so far the U.S. is not commenting on the surprise guests. Our Senior International Correspondent, Jim Bittermann is in Biarritz and International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson is also following developments in southern France. Gentlemen, good to talk to both of you. Nic, I guess it's not technically party-crashing when you've been invited by the host but how big of a surprise is it that the Iranians have shown up there?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Well, it didn't seem to be a huge surprise to President Trump when he was asked a question about it but of course by then the Iranian Foreign Minister had landed in Biarritz. Would it have been a surprise for him to have found out about this last night? It really isn't clear. I mean, what is clear is that this has been held closely a closely guarded detail. We know that the Iranian Foreign Minister was meeting with President Emmanuel French President Emmanuel Macron, the host of the G7 here meeting with him on Thursday. We know that Emmanuel Macron has been pushing to ease tensions between the United States and Iran. We know that earlier today Emmanuel Macron said that at the dinner last night there was agreement between all the leaders that they didn't want Iran to have nuclear weapons and that they believed and were all in agreement that they were all concerned about tensions in the Straits of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. So but there's been some confusing mix messaging through the day since then. And that perhaps does point to this issue of how much did people know these leaders know and when did they know. At one point, it appeared as if the French President had got the backing of all the leaders to get into dialogue for the G7 with Iran. President Trump said, no that wasn't the case. And then it became clearer that Emmanuel Macron who was saying that he was speaking for himself and for the for the French nation. I think there's a lot more to learn about this but it does appear to have been something that certainly wasn't scripted and certainly wasn't expected by the people following the events here.
[Folbaum:] Nic, it's no secret that Iran is hurting from those sanctions that have been placed on them by the international community. Can the Iranians make any headway? Is that partly why they're there, try to get some relief.
[Robertson:] Oh beyond any shadow of a doubt that if Iran is here, it is because they are trying to find a way through what the United States is terming you know, tough sanctions on Iran. They've really been the United States has really been ratcheting up sanctions on Iran and pulled out of course of the joint nuclear agreement last year. And this has been financially hurting Iran. They are very keen, desperate if you like, to find a way out of this. But they're not going to do it in a face-to-face negotiation with President Trump or any American officials as best we can see. And it's into that void that President Macron has been stepping in too much it seems to the chagrin at times of President Trump. President Trump has said you know, that President Macron means well but it's really down to the United you know it's something the United States to set its policy on Iran. But it does seem that the French president is making headway here. But we don't know the details of what's being discussed between the two the French Foreign Minister and the Iranian Foreign Minister at the moment. We perhaps that perhaps will become clear later. But undoubtedly it is that economic pressure on Iran that leads Iran to try to find a way out of that pressure.
[Folbaum:] Jim, you covered these global summits for a long time. Can you remember any other occasion when such a controversial player has shown up unannounced?
[Jim Bittermann, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] I can't say I do, Rick. To tell you the truth, I should have probably been a little bit more wary. I traveled down here in the same plane as a top French diplomat, and he told me on the plane, he said be prepared for surprises and at that point, I must say that expectations for this summit was somewhat lower. And I surprises from our president. He said, you wait and see. So he might have had some inkling that this was all going to happen. And we did see as Nic just pointed out, we did see the Iranian Foreign Minister in Paris earlier in the week. And so it may have all been set up at that point. Now, one of the things that should be said here is that if it is the case that that Macron has pulled us off to surprise for the Americans, this will be yet another one of these opportunities that Macron doesn't seem to miss in order to one-up the American president. He's done it several times in the past. He did it at lunch at the opening lunch that they had as the summit was even before the summit was about to open. So once again, it looks like methanol may have pulled off a surprise here on the Americans. Whether or not the Iranian will speak to the Americans, the Iranian Foreign Ministry, he says, no. But he's clearly speaking right now to the French. So that's going to be something that we'll have to watch and see how this comes out. The Europeans, it should be said, are very much in favor of de- escalating the conflict with Iran. They believe the JPCOA, the nuclear dustbin, a nuclear development treaty that was signed with Iran, was being respected by Iran, and that the sanctions of the U.S. imposed shouldn't have been imposed, and they've been fighting against that for some time now. So and it should be also I suppose be said that the French do a great deal of business with Iran so that's part of the that's probably another factor in the equation here. But yes, this is a real surprise. Rick.
[Folbaum:] So the Iranians sort of sort of stealing the headlines there in France. But Jim, I'm wondering if you could touch on briefly some of the other storylines that you've been following during this G7.
[Bittermann:] Well, the big issue here, no question about it up until this moment has been trade. Basically, the whole idea of Donald Trump's trade war with China, how that's affecting world economies, and all of the leaders other than Mr. Trump have been saying that that's an escalating battle with China is not something that the world needs right now as the economies are slowing down everywhere. And at breakfast this morning, it's appeared perhaps like Mr. Trump had heard the message or at least taken on board. He said he was asking do you have second thoughts about this trade war with China? He said I have second thoughts about everything. Now, that doesn't say too much but in fact, they've all been working on the American President here I think quite vociferously, trying to get him to deescalate the trade battle that's going on with China because it's having an impact everywhere, Rick.
[Folbaum:] Jim Bittermann and Nic Robertson, gentlemen, thanks very much. A little excitement there at the G7 Summit, we appreciate your insight and reporting. Let's dive into one of the issues weighing heavily on Mr. Trump during this G7 Summit not to do with Iran, but instead, Mr. Trump's quest to write what he describes as horrible trade deals and his top priority is China. Jim was just talking about that. That squabble has really developed into a full-blown trade war with the latest escalation sending U.S. markets plunging on Friday. Mr. Trump giving his take earlier in France. Take a listen.
[Unidentified Female:] Mr. President, are your allies pressuring you about the trade war with China?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] No, not at all. I think they respect the trade war. It has to happen.
[Unidentified Female:] Are having second thoughts on escalating trade war with China?
[Trump:] Yes, sure, why not.
[Unidentified Female:] Second thoughts yes.
[Trump:] Might as well might as well
[Unidentified Male:] Do you have second thoughts about escalating trade war with China?
[Trump:] I have second thoughts about everything.
[Unidentified Male:] Are you concerned about how the market is reacting?
[Trump:] No, the market is doing great, our country is doing great.
[Folbaum:] The White House now trying to spin those second thoughts, comments, saying that Mr. Trump didn't hear the question and that his second thoughts were actually about whether to raise the tariffs even higher. Joining us now to talk about all of this, CNN Political Analyst, friend of the show Julian Zelizer. Julian, always good to talk to you. And let's start off with the U.S. President's assertion and he really has been talking about this since his campaign that the United States has been taken advantage of in trade deals for years. Let's just start off with that premise. Is he right? Has the U.S. historically gotten the short end of the stick?
[Julian Zelizer, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I think he has many people who agree with him. There's many people in the business community before President Trump came into office who have been complaining about trade practices, who have been unhappy with the way that China handles policies, and so that's one issue. The second issue is how President Trump is handling this and the way in which he is using the tariffs and threats of tariffs to try to obtain leverage.
[Folbaum:] So Mr. Trump's book when he was a civilian before he assumed the presidency was called the Art of the Deal. Is he showing the business acumen that led to a lot of Americans voting for him in 2016?
[Zelizer:] Well, his business acumen is not clear. He's had a lot of failures in business and so we have to remember that is a big part of his record. But being president is different than being a business person. And when you raise a threat against another country, it has quick ramifications, it can affect the stock market, it can affect the way workers are suffering here in the U.S. and it can undermine international relations. So there's not many people who are very pleased right now in either party with the way in which he is using this as a way to get leverage on China.
[Folbaum:] You mentioned the markets and part of what's spooking the markets is the President's tweet last week that he was ordering U.S. companies to leave China. It's something that he insists he has the right to do constitutionally speaking, tweeting at critics that the emergency economic Powers Act of 1977 actually grants him that presidential power. But does it? Can h order U.S. companies to stop doing business with China?
[Zelizer:] Well, that's a very liberal interpretation of the 1977 legislation which was really intended for countries that were in some kind of more immediate conflict with the United States and it has not been used for tariffs. That said, presidential power has expanded greatly since the 70s. Presidents have used that law in all sorts of ways. So I think some of his critics might be surprised that he has more leeway than they think if he really wants to go to this place. But he will have a lot of criticism including from business, from conservatives who don't want a Republican president tampering with business decisions this way.
[Folbaum:] The U.S. presidents are often identified by their overall sort of approach to foreign policy running themes or doctrines as professors call them the Truman Doctrine, the Nixon Doctrine etcetera. What is your sense now of what the Trump doctrine looks like?
[Zelizer:] Well, it's still an America first doctrine. It's what the United States best interests our guide policy. This is a president who is not very comfortable or interested in international relations and international alliances and he's more interested in bilateral agreements as we're seen at the G7. But if there's one word for me that characterizes his approach, it's chaos. It's to create ongoing chaos to sow confusion and to try to use that to the advantage of the United States and to his administration, not clear that's working at all but I think that's how he thinks of foreign policy.
[Folbaum:] Finally, Julian, we got word this morning that another Republican has decided to enter the race to perhaps win away the Republican nomination from Donald Trump in 2020. We know that Bill Weld the former Republican moderate governor of the State of Massachusetts has announced that he's running and now Joe Walsh who was a former congressman and now a radio talk-show host, a former Trump supporter who is now apologizing for his support for President Trump, he says he's going to run too. Do you expect to see more moderate Republicans or anti-Trump Republicans joining this race?
[Zelizer:] The odds are still very low. Major Republican voices in the party have not been interested in challenging the president, and just the opposite, they've lined up behind him. And anyone who is going to do this realizes the president will come after them. There'll be a cost. So I'm not sure any Republicans are going to take that step. The major ones like John Kasich of Ohio, those would be the people who could actually challenge him and so far they have not wanted to enter the race.
[Folbaum:] Julian, thank you. Julian Zelizer joining us from New York today. Great to talk to you. Thanks very much.
[Zelizer:] Thank you.
[Folbaum:] As the G7 leaders meet in France, Russia and North Korea flexing their muscles. Both touted weapons tests Saturday. Moscow says it fired two ballistic missiles from submarines in the Arctic Ocean as part of combat while Pyongyang claims to have tested what it calls a super large multiple rocket launcher. State media released these images of Kim Jong-un supervising Saturday's test which the U.S. believes was another short-range missile launch. U.S. President Trump says that he's not happy about the North Korean launches but claims that they do not violate any agreements. And still, to come, Israel says it hit Iranian and Shiite militia targets inside Syria, but Iran denies its positions were hit. The evidence Israel is providing and the attack it says it foiled. Plus smoldering embers bear branches, this is all that remains in parts of the Amazon. The rainforest is burning at its fastest rate in years. World leaders say something must be done. Also, two years on from what rights groups have called crimes against humanity, refugees in Bangladesh camps holding peaceful rallies demanding rights from the country that drove them out.

[King:] The coronavirus trend lines across the country right now are troubling and that might be an understatement. Let's take a look at the 50 state trends as you pop up the map here. 25 states, half of the United States right now reporting more new COVID-19 infections now compared to a week ago. That's the red and the orange on the map. And you see it, a lot of it out here in the west, but a lot of it everywhere 25 states, half of the states now trending in the wrong direction and 23 states holding steady. It's better than trending up, but it's not trending down. Only two states, Alabama and Hawaii are reporting fewer infections right now than a week ago. So, you see a lot of trouble spots, a lot of smaller population maybe, but the case count is growing. And if you look at the case timeline, this is what is troubling. The peak of the summer surge, we were up above 60,000 new infections a day, come down slowly, one month ago, 24,000 new infections. Had still a lot of infections, but there was some hope, perhaps pushing the baseline back down? It was about 20,000 before the summer surge. The goal was to get it back down, and then push it down further. Something very different is happening. You see it now trending back up. Trickling up, it's not a straight line, but trickling back up and maybe if you want to call that a plateau, it's a pretty high plateau 50,000 new infections in the United States yesterday. The average now between 40 and 50,000 new infections a day as we head into the colder season, which has public health experts worried. Among the things they worried about is that the death count will start going back up. 915 deaths reported yesterday in the United States of America. You see this trickle down some, now roughly in a plateau just below a thousand. The question is if that case count keeps going up, will this as the projections suggest start to go up as well? One of the big issues here is you need to get the positivity rate down. The higher the positivity, it's quite obvious, the more cases. And again, look across the plains and out into the west, 24 percent positivity in Idaho, 20 in South Dakota, 20 in Wisconsin, 15 in Kansas, 15 in Nevada. Double digit positivity means more cases today and it means the likelihood of more cases tomorrow because of infection in the community. Because of that, you do see some states starting to say wait a minute; we either need to add or delay when it comes to restrictions. Wisconsin putting restrictions back in place. The Governor of Kentucky reinstating a mask mandate. In Massachusetts, the Boston public schools were planning to get back in school learning. That has been put on hold. And in New York City, there are several zip codes in the city where the case count is going up; the positivity rate is going up. The mayor says we need new restrictions and I need you to cooperate.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio  New York City:] We can overcome this challenge. The data and the science make very, very clear, we can stop this challenge from turning into a full blown second wave, and we must, we must. Our businesses are coming back now, our schools are back. We need to protect this progress all over New York City. And the way to do that is to focus on the areas having a challenge, work with them, support them, work together and overcome it.
[King:] Joining us now is Dr. Dara Kass; she is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Doctor, it's great for you to join us I'm grateful for your time, thank you. Let's start in New York City where you are and then will pull this out for a national conversation. But the Mayor says the positivity rate is going up in certain areas, the case count going up a little bit. New York obviously went through this early on had shoved the case count down pretty good. What is the source of the problem and how significant is it?
[Dr. Dara Kass, Assoc. Professor Of Emergency Medicine, Columbia Univ. Medical Center:] The problem is really significant for us in New York and it really is about behavior of New Yorkers around this virus. It's really coming from a cluster of places where people are not wearing masks, they're not socially distancing, and they're actually not getting tested.
[Dr. Kass:] And what we're realizing is that, if you don't listen to the public health metrics, no matter how many times we try to advocate for new therapeutics and a vaccine, it's really going to undermine our ability to keep this virus at bay. What's interesting is we know about the cluster because of the number of tests being done in New York. That doesn't prevent the spread. We are learning from the White House that testing does not prevent the spread; it just identifies cases when we see them, and it shows us what we need to do once those cases are identified.
[King:] And I just went through the numbers in the national baseline now of new infections is above 43, approaching 45,000 today. 50,000 new infections reported just yesterday. Dr. Fauci who has for months been saying it is absolutely critical to shove that baseline down, now says because we haven't, this is the months ahead.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] The models tell us that if we do not do the kinds of things that we're talking about in the cold of the fall and the winter, we can have from 300,000 to 400,000 deaths. That would be just so tragic if that happens.
[King:] It's hard to disagree, it's impossible to disagree with that. That would be incredibly tragic if it happens. But what has been interesting Dr. Kass through this is listening to the exasperated Dr. Fauci wishing and continuing to urge people to please listen, but not getting any backup from his boss, the President of the United States.
[Dr. Kass:] I mean, we're seeing it everywhere, even last night on the debate stage when the Second Lady of the United States came on stage without a mask, right? Even though the venue required masks and was first to keep people out that didn't have the mask. The modeling of the behavior matters, even when it is inconvenient.
[King:] And so, if you look across the United States right now, you look around the world right now, yes, we all were told this. We've been having this conversation for months that, when the winter comes, this is going to come back, because this is a virus that thrives in the colder temperatures. If you look here, you'll hear the president say sometimes, well, the United States is doing great compared to the rest of the world. Well, where is your proof, it's not. That's Japan at the bottom, a flat line consistently. The European Union is in green. The European Union and the United States which is the orange went up the hill, a bad hill about the same time together. But you see how the European Union came down quickly. Yes, it is trending back up right now. If you look at Spain, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, other places in Europe, they have a problem at the moment. But look at the U.S. case count, it has stayed above, this is the average of confirmed cases per one million residents, it had stayed up higher because it's pretty obvious from looking at the chart, we never shoved the curve down.
[Kass:] Right. It's very much about leadership and behavior. We have seen every other country in the world respond better to this virus than us. And now we're OK with the case count of 40 to 50,000 a day when we have the weather that's helping us, and the opportunity to be outside, but some businesses shutting down. Going into the winter, it's going to just get worse. Dr. Fauci is right. And we just did not do a good enough job throughout the summer getting ourselves where we needed to be.
[King:] I wish I could say something to refute the idea that is going to get worse. But all of the numbers, all the data, all the positivity suggest that sadly, you're correct because you're relying on science to do that Dr. Kass grateful for your time today, thank you so much. And still ahead for us, as the doctor just noted, the candidates have vice president faced off last night, sharp exchanges over coronavirus over healthcare and the economy.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] They say, when money, talks people listen. And the NFL hopes that some hefty fines imposed on several teams and their head coaches will do the trick. A penalty for the coaches' failure to wear face masks during Sunday's games. CNN sports anchor, Andy Scholes, has the details.
[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Anchor:] Brianna, the NFL is not messing around when it comes to its mask policy, coming down hard on three coaches seen not wearing their mask on the sidelines over the weekend. A league source telling CNN the Broncos' Vic Fangio, Seahawks' Pete Carroll and the 49er's Kyle Shanahan all hit with a $100,000 fine. Their teams each receiving $250,000 fine, as well. Last night, the Raiders' Jon Gruden and Saints' Sean Payton were also seen not wearing masks. Fines likely coming their way. Gruden apologizing after the game for not wearing his mask, revealing he's already had COVID-19. All coaches and team personnel are required to wear a mask while on the side lines. And, Brianna, the NFL warned teams after week one that if they did not comply, they would receive severe penalties.
[Keilar:] Andy Scholes, thank you so much. Joining me now to talk about the NFL's pandemic response Jonathan Jones. He is a senior NFL reporter for "CBS Sports". Jonathan, that is that's a lot of money. Do you think that these fines are going to work in forcing the coaches and teams to take this more seriously?
[Jonathan Jones, Senior Nfl Reporter, "cbs Sports":] Yes, certainly, money talks here. And so you want to talk to coaches where this hurts them, in their wallets. The NFL is taking it seriously. I fully believe because the NFL understands its role and responsibility in all of this. It is the most visible sport in North America. It's the most watched product there is on television. And so they want the coaches who are obviously shown what these super closeups, the coaches were not wearing helmets, these coaches who otherwise can wear masks. It's not that difficult. They're wanting to hide the faces any way so that television and their opponents are not seeing the play call coming in. So it really shouldn't be that difficult for these head coaches. And we're seeing across the board and let's be honest, a lot of coaches aren't having much of an issue with it. But the three coaches who were hit with fines as well as the two last night, who have previously had COVID, who likely will be fined, obviously the NFL with a shot across the bow that they are not going to tolerate this throughout the season.
[Keilar:] It's worth noting that the NFL reported zero new COVID cases among its players last week. I wonder if you're surprised by that when you consider the NFL doesn't actually have a formal bubble like the NBA does.
[Jones:] Right. The NFL can't because of just the massive infrastructure that would be necessary for one team, let alone several or even 32. But, no, it wasn't present. And they just released numbers from September 13th through the 19th that they tested more than 2,600 players almost daily and they got zero confirmed cases, five confirmed positive cases with personnel, you know, staffers, coaches and what not. But still very impressive numbers. It shows me that these players, coaches, staffers and otherwise are really taking seriously this social contract that they want to keep each other safe. They want the season to happen. And we've seen, since they reported to camp in late July, that these guys are taking it seriously. Now the NFL is concerned that what happens when teams, Super Bowl aspirations are dashed. And once everyone who might be 1-1 right now turns into 2-6, are you still going to be a strong not going out to bars and not putting yourself and your teammates in danger as you were at the start of the season when you had everything in front of you? That is to be determined. But so far, a really incredible job by the NFL and the players.
[Keilar:] Yes. Good news for players and for fans as well. The league, separately, on a different issue, made a very big show of solidarity this season, supporting social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement. Two weeks into the season, how's the league doing so far do you think?
[Jones:] So far so good. They're doing what they can right now I believe. They're putting money at causes that they have heard from players that they want the money directed to. They're painting end zones with some phrases that people may believe like "stop hate" or "end racism." And they may roll their eyes and say, OK, now it's done. But coaches are wearing Black Lives Matter patches and there are putting that on broadcasts. And so that is important. Unfortunately, for the NFL, and certainly unfortunately for Colin Kaepernick, they can't go back and undo the injustice that was done to Kaepernick, one of the top 32 quarterbacks in the NFL. Certainly, top 64 if you want to include backups. But and ever since he has not had a job since leaving San Francisco, there's no good on-the-field reason why he is not. And the NFL may want to say, all right, we messed up and we heard from him. But it would be great if we could turn back time and say, well, you know, everything he was saying back then was true and you should have listened to him and your other black players at that time. But what the NFL can do right now, the players absolutely want the league and the team owners to use their political influence and leverage to hold officers accountable when they step out. Obviously, you want to be able, those in power, to use that power. And that's what the NFL and team owners have been listening to and that's what the players have been requesting.
[Keilar:] Jonathan Jones, thank you so much for coming on.
[Jones:] Thanks.
[Keilar:] The CDC issuing new guidance about Halloween and the coronavirus, as one long hauler survives surviving 100 days in the hospital. Plus, the situation has gotten so serious in the U.K., Boris Johnson is ordering all pubs to close by 10:00 p.m. Is the U.S. headed in the same direction? And we are just getting word from the world's largest vaccine maker that vaccinating the entire world won't happen until 2024.

[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Another daily record in the coronavirus case count. And this is what you get from your government, a fight over who to believe and who on the president's team can be trusted. A top economic adviser to the president says Dr. Anthony Fauci is just about always wrong and that you shouldn't listen to his advice. That, as Dr. Fauci tells us the current pandemic may, in his view, approach the horror of the 1918 flu epidemic. And as the Trump White House also sidelines another key science-based agency, the CDC. The pattern here is crystal clear. The president wants you to listen to him, not to the experts. But he can't hide the numbers and the numbers are troubling. Period. Take a look. Another 60,000-plus new coronavirus cases confirmed. And that runs the American total to 3,431,000 infections. The death number the president has been insisting is low, well, look again. It's starting to rise. Florida reported a single-day high for deaths, as did Alabama, Oregon and Utah. And 14 states reporting record hospitalizations, which almost always, sadly then, sends the death count up still more. The president cheering this morning what might be a glimmer of hope in this dark coronavirus summer. Moderna's vaccine candidate produced immune responses in all who volunteered to take it, according to the results published in the "New England Journal of Medicine." That is a good sign. But let's be clear, a fully vetted and readily available vaccine is still a good ways off. The Coronavirus Task Force meets today in private. And with the soaring summer case count, come new warnings about whether it's safe to reopen schools and new debates about whether the only way to stop the spread now is to roll back some of the economic reopening. The moment is urgent. The issue is quite complicated and very consequential. But from the president, another simplistic and, not to mention, a ridiculous attempt to explain it all away.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Frankly, if we didn't test, you wouldn't have all of the headlines. Think of this. If we didn't do testing, instead of testing over 40 million people, if we did half the testing, we'd have half the cases. If we did another you cut that in half, we'd have, yet again, half of that. But the headlines are always testing.
[King:] The headline, the president says, is always testing. That's not the only headline. But the testing is critical because it gives us the numbers that feed this map. And this map at the moment, I'm sorry, Mr. President, is quite troubling. Let's take a look. You don't have to be a scientist to know 38 states heading in the wrong direction, meaning a higher case count this week than last week, is bad, five-plus months into the crisis. Again, 38 states. And 33 in the light orange, going up. Their cases this week 10 to 50 percent higher than last week. Five states in the danger zone. Their cases this week 50 percent or more higher than last week. And 38 states going up. That is simply the wrong direction. You have nine states holding steady. That's the beige. Only three states heading down, Maine, Delaware, and out in the west there, Arizona starting to go down a bit after having a tough stretch. But 38 states heading up is bad news for the country. The same five states, again, with the highest positivity rate. Yes, Mr. President there's more testing. The key when you get that testing is to have the positivity rate coming low. That means you're stopping the community spread. In South Carolina, it's more than 18 percent coming back positive. In Florida, nearly 19 percent back positive. Alabama, 17 percent. Texas 17 percent. And Arizona is actually down, but it's almost still 25 percent in Arizona. That is a troubling number for the positivity rate. Hospitalizations, this was the peak in April 21st. Remember back in April when we thought we were at the peak of the coronavirus crisis? The goal is to come down the hill. Now we're going back up. And right now, just shy of the peak on April 21st in terms of people hospitalized across the country with coronavirus cases. We'll continue to watch this number. You want it to go down and you can see in recent days it is heading up. Hospitalizations, 14 states, as we noted. And you see them here on the map. Many of them here in the south and the southeast and the others out west. And 14 states yesterday reporting record hospitalizations. That is not a trend headed in the wrong direction. Again, you see this happening and you see the numbers. You see politicians and scientists and everyone trying to explain we're do OK. Here's something to see. Remember this. The United States and the European Union went up the coronavirus hill at about the same time. The population is roughly comparable. We have 50 states. They have a mix of countries. Up the hill at the same time. Here's where the European Union is today. The United States started to come down. There's where we go right now. And as we watch this curve and it is troubling Florida is the hottest of America's coronavirus hot spots right now. The Miami area in there hit the hardest, as well. Hospitalizations up. ICU problems across the state of Florida. And let's go straight down to Rosa Flores on the ground in Miami. Rosa, new numbers from today from Florida yet?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes. The Florida Department of Health just reporting more than 10,000 cases. This means that the state of Florida has surpassed more than 300,000 cases. Look, here in Miami-Dade County, the mayors had a roundtable discussion with Governor Ron DeSantis yesterday. They asked for more resources, for more contact tracers, for a unified message. They asked for more data so that they can have the information necessary to make decisions, to save lives. Here is the reality on the ground. City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez put it like this. He says he's being pressured to shut down the economy in the next one to two weeks because they need to turn this around, he says, in the next week to four weeks. The reality in Miami-Dade County, the positivity rate is 31 percent. And this according to Miami-Dade. And the hospitalization in the past 13 days, according to the county, are up 56 percent. When it comes to ICU beds, 65 percent and also ventilators, 92 percent. Jackson Health reports that in the past month, they've seen a 226 percent increase in COVID-19 patients. Here is Jackson Health CEO Carlos Migoya.
[Carlos Migoya, Ceo, Jackson Health System:] We have a lot of aggressive, non-compliant people, people that do not believe that masking is the right thing to do and they don't believe it. And frankly, a lot of young people are saying, so what if I get it? If I get it, it doesn't mean anything. But the challenges that we have in Miami, like in other places, is we are a very diverse community and we have a lot of multigenerational families.
[Flores:] John, as we look across the state, 54 ICU hospitals are at capacity. Ten of those are right here in Miami-Dade John?
[King:] Rosa Flores on the ground for us. Grateful for your reporting in Miami. I hope, hopefully, one of these days, it turns more optimistic. Rosa, thank you so much. And with us to share her expertise and her insights is Dr. Jen Kates, who is the director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. It's good to see you again, Dr. Kates. Again, I wish we were having a more positive conversation. I just want to pick up Florida. Florida is the hottest of the hot spots right now. When you hear 31 percent positivity in Miami-Dade we are five-plus months into this. If you are still in a major American urban area, getting a 31 percent positivity rate and I showed the numbers in South Carolina, Alabama, Texas and so on when your positivity rate is in double digits and, in some cases, above 20 percent, 30 percent, what does that tell you about where we are?
[Dr. Jen Kates, Senior Vice President & Director, Global Health And Hiv Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation:] That means, in Florida, it's a major hot spot in the U.S. And the positivity rate that high means widespread community transmission and the epidemic is not being controlled. It's really a big red flag. You want to see that number coming down while testing is going up. That's not what's happening. It's getting worse.
[King:] So one of the things that some people in the Trump administration are, quote, unquote, "celebrating" this day is this, what I want to play you. First, we saw the president over the weekend finally in public wearing a mask at one event. And this is the CDC director, Robert Redfield. Listen.
[Robert Redfield, Cdc Director:] I'm glad to see the president wear a mask this week and the vice president. We need them to set the example.
[King:] Should we be celebrating that now or should we have had the president setting that example maybe weeks and months ago?
[Kates:] The evidence has been pretty clear for a while that face coverings are a critical intervention. They've got to replace social distancing and walk six feet apart. And without face coverings, we won't bring down the rates that we're seeing. The evidence has been there. And it's better late than never to have an example set from the top that this is what people should do. It's really it's about protecting the community around us. And I think it can make a big difference. We've seen that throughout the world. And we've seen that in places in the U.S. And the CDC came out with a strong editorial yesterday about this and encouraging the American public to wear face masks. And I hope this will increase the willingness of people to do so.
[King:] Help me understand. This is the business of Kaiser. And Kaiser is a great global resource and here in the United States for data. You collect data on health care trends across the United States so you can see, today, how are we today
[Kates:] Right.
[King:] how does it compare to last week, and how does it compare to last month, how does it compare to five years ago, and so on and so forth. And that data is critical as you shape public health policy decisions. What does it tell you and I just read a little bit in the "New York Times" today, that the president is telling the United States, send your data now to a Washington database, bypass the Centers for Disease Control, which, for years, has been the place where you do this. The Trump administration ordering hospitals to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send all COVID-19 patient information to a central database in Washington beginning on Wednesday. Does that trouble you? Have we switched to some new system? Can they convince you it's better than the CDC way?
[Kates:] I think it raises questions that we do not have answers to. Why is this switch happening? Is it to streamline things, or expedite things? It could be the case. What will be the role of the CDC? As you mentioned, we, at our organization, rely on data, as do reporters, as do think tanks, as does the American public to try to understand trends. The CDC has been critical for that throughout the history of its existence and certainly during COVID. There are a lot of questions of who will have access to the data. Will it be public? What will be the transparency here? So right now, I have a lot of questions. I think everyone does.
[King:] Jen Kates, the vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, very much appreciate your expertise and insights today, as always. Thank you.
[Kates:] Thank you. Thank you.
[King:] Thank you. Up next for us, a Trump administration official attacking a colleague, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Mixed messaging from the White House again in the middle of a pandemic.

[Vause:] Tensions are high in Louisville, Kentucky as the city waits on a grand jury decision on possible charges in the death of Breonna Taylor. The 26-year-old was shot and killed by police in March in her own apartment when officers executed a no knock warrant in a drug investigation. CNN's Jason Carroll has the very latest.
[Jason Carroll, Cnn Correspondent:] Louisville on high alert, a state of emergency declared. Streets closed, and while police say the city is not on lockdown, that's not how it feels to some of those who work and live here.
[Unidentified Female:] This is unnecessary. They come out in riot gear when we protest, peaceful protest and they. come out and write here.
[Unidentified Male:] I want to be safe and I want others to be safe to, but you know, I don't think it's a good idea for guys to come out and do stuff to other people's property.
[Carroll:] Downtown businesses boarded up or closed, streets leading to Jefferson Square Park, the site of a Breonna Taylor memorial and gathering place of demonstrators, closed to cars.
[Unidentified Male:] The following steps we're put in place both to protect the public. And to facilitate first amendment activity.
[Carroll:] protestors were demanding the officers involved in Taylor's death be prosecuted say all of the precautions are creating a sense of unease. So said Pastor Timothy Bingley, who has organized past Demonstrations including one that led hundreds to peacefully protest outside Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby early this month.
[Pastor Timothy Findley, Protest Organizer:] We have not had were put in place to protect would demand those kinds of preparations. And I think it's very, very provocative.
[Carroll:] Adding to tensions an email sent today by Jonathan Mattingly, one of the three officers who served that no knock warrant when Taylor was killed. The email, sent to his police colleagues and first made public by Vice news, calls protesters thugs, and she writes that he and the other officers in the Taylor raid quoted, "Did the legal, moral and ethical thing that night." Mattingly, who is on administrative leave, said he wanted to support police during a difficult time, saying "We aren't better than anyone. This is not us against society, but it is good versus evil." Mattingly's attorney confirmed to CNN his client sent an mail. No mention of Taylor by name in the lengthy email. Last week, the city agreed to pay 12 million dollar civil settlement to the Taylor family and agreed to changes in police policy, including commanders approving search warrants before it goes to a judge seeking approval. But in the eyes of Taylor's mother, true justice comes when all of the officers involved that night are criminally charged. As for the protests, here's what she told us during our interview late last month.
[Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor's Mother:] I think there will be protests every day until justice is served.
[Carroll:] And if justice is not served?
[Palmer:] I don't know. I hate to even think about that.
[Carroll:] Late Tuesday, the city's mayor released a video statement saying he still has not been given any indication from the state attorney general's office in terms of when there might be a grand jury decision. The mayor says whatever that decision may be, he says the city will get through it together. Jason, Carroll, CNN Louisville, Kentucky.
[Vause:] And with that, we'll be right back. You're watching CNN. Back in a moment.

[Jones:] Welcome back to THE VAN JONES SHOW. You've been hearing from pundits like me and politicians all week about how President Trump's recent attacks have just been awful but how is this actually impacting voters? So I traveled to North Hampton county in Pennsylvania. It's as purple as they come, that county went from Obama Blue twice to Trump red in 2016. It's also the home of a lot of blue collar, steel workers, supposedly Trump's base. But voters there switched back to the Democrats in the 2018 midterm election. So all eyes are on places like this heading into 2020. I sat down with a group of five voters from across the political spectrum to find out how the most recent political controversies and candidates and debates are landing there. Take a look. So the first question I got to ask, show your hands, who voted for Donald Trump in 2016, raise your hands. Two, are you planning to vote for Donald Trump in 2020?
[Kurt Zuhike, Obama-trump Voter:] Well, I haven't made up my mind yet whether to vote for him or not. I am leaning more towards him than I am the other candidates right now. The economic situation for me and my business is going very well. So that you know, economics is a big important issue here.
[Jones:] Yes, and what about you?
[Kevin Martin, Voted For Trump:] Yes, I am. For me, all this kind of this far left talk is kind of scaring me when it comes to the border, decriminalizing illegal immigration.
[Jones:] So let's just adjust to open in a room. You're like a young black dude with tattoos and stuff. Why do you support Donald Trump given some of his racially inflammatory rhetoric?
[Martin:] Yes, well, I think so look, I mean, I was raised in a conservative family and I'm in business, business is great. Like gentleman here said, I don't want to lose that, and I know that you know a lot of the rhetoric that comes out of White House off Twitter is concerning but putting personal feeling aside, I think that we're having a great economic boom.
[Jones:] How do you size up this whole thing where President Trump comes out and says to these women, go back to whatever country came from?
[Frank Behum, Democratic Voter:] It's a man in desperation. He's desperate.
[Jones:] Desperate for what?
[Behum:] To be President. The only person he cares about is himself. Donald Trump has been exposed from his own mouth. He did everything to put out the image and he caters to people who are how would you put it, not quite right it seems. You know, they think it's OK, right? To cause all kinds of problems with the white nationalist problem and things of that nature. They think this is the way it should be in this country.
[Vanessa Williams, Democratic Voter:] Almost everyone has a story of being told go back to your country. And I think that it's kind of like one of the oldest you know, tricks in the book, if you when it comes to phraseology, maybe outside of the N word, that that comes to mind when you're talking about racist language.
[Zuhike:] I've had people tell me want to go back to when you come from. I've had people when I moved to Pennsylvania said you're a New Yorker, why don't you go back to New York where you belong? Well, you know, those are just human emotion remarks that people are frustrated. And they are frustrated. He's frustrated from the very beginning. They have attacked him, his family, his wife, his kids, it's disgusting, it really is.
[Phylis Alexander, Democratic Voter:] Let us go back to values. I value treating people with dignity. I value creating climates and opportunities that allow people and encourage people to reach their fullest capacity. And if there's anything that is incongruent with those values then I'm not for that and so I'm not going to put profit over my values.
[Jones:] Are you putting your profit over your values?
[Alexander:] That would be a yes. That would be a yes.
[Martin:] Look, I think that this go back comment hit a lot of us that support him. It hit a lot of us in the gut and I think that the President is putting a lot of us in a very precarious situation. People that would have supported him. I think the President has a base and he has a far right wing base and there's a lot of white nationalists, a lot of racists, a lot of anti-Semites in that base so what I'm going to do is I'm going to have a PR strategy that is going to rile up the base and so I feel like a lot of us feel like wow, like where do we fit in you know, anymore? Do we are we still welcome in this movement, are we are people of color still welcome. And I'll tell you a lot of my friends that are black conservatives, a lot of them have jumped off the Trump train. They've gone over to Kamala Harris's side. They've got involved in her campaign and also Joe Biden's. And so I think it's up to the President, it's up to the President. Do you really want to have an inclusive campaign? Do you want to have an increasing run? Do you want to have an inclusive administration or don't you?
[Jones:] That's from a Republican. Any of the Democrats running for President that you like it
[Zuhike:] Well, I did like Biden a little bit but then you know, I remember you know when he was in office and hey, you know, he's a nice guy but he really didn't do as much.
[Martin:] And I talk to a lot of my Republican friends and they're just like we like Joe Biden. We like Kamala Harris.
[Jones:] Did that make you happy or sad to hear the joke that Republicans
[Williams:] It doesn't surprise me.
[Jones:] Why not?
[Williams:] It doesn't surprise me. We're in Pennsylvania, right? So we're in Joe Biden country and I think it's because they look there of an era and look like what people think of politician. You know, a certain generational white man.
[Jones:] Who do you like?
[Williams:] I like Kamala Harris. I think you know, you have people like Joe Biden who frankly are bringing in toxic masculinity every every other word when you're talking about talked about hitting him in the mouth and a couple days ago, he said something about doing a push up with contest with them. I'm like who wants to see him doing push ups, I'm sorry, I don't.
[Jones:] Who do you like?
[Alexander:] Elizabeth Warren.
[Jones:] Why Warren?
[Alexander:] I like that she understands finances, money, big banks, big business. I like that she thinks well, has a plan.
[Jones:] So we have Democrats fighting each other in the primary. You got Democrats fighting each other in the House. What do you think about the AOC versus Pelosi dynamic? How do you read that? How do you see that?
[Alexander:] I said go girl. You know let me
[Jones:] To who?
[Alexander:] To AOC. I mean, like absolutely bring it.
[Williams:] I agree with her that she should not have to adapt to a broken system.
[Alexander:] Shake it up. Make it right. They could be bolder. They could be more courageous. They could be more of unapologetic. You know, this is the time where incremental change is not going to get us where we need to be. So folks need
[Jones:] Is she singing your song?
[Behum:] She is singing my song and those four women are the best thing ever to happen to the Democratic party. I don't care what anybody says. They have to put the rest of the people, their feet in the fire.
[Alexander:] The status quo will get us nowhere.
[Behum:] Get with the program.
[Alexander:] It will continue to benefit who's benefiting and it will continue to marginalized, who's marginalized.
[Jones:] Are you are you happy to hear the Democrats going this far left?
[Alexander:] I'm not going left.
[Zuhike:] That's why I think Trump will win.
[Alexander:] No, I'm not going left. I'm not talking left.
[Zuhike:] Well, that is left, that's socialism.
[Jones:] Why you say it's socialist?
[Zuhike:] Because that's all they want to do is they want to be the provider to everybody. They want to tell you what to do, what to eat, when to eat, how to eat. They just want to build more rules and regulations.
[Williams:] So I think one of the things that they they really figured out how to command media attention, how to do talking points, how to rally the beast and I think you know, kind of channeling into the real anger and honestly that's out there. The Democratic Party is this big giant tent with dysfunctional family and it's always been that way. You know so obviously there's going to be natural clashes in that but that's government, that's how it works.
[Jones:] You know it's always great to have discussion with real voters. Up next, we're going to get more insight from Governors of two swing states. The Democrats in states that Trump actually won. What do the 2020 need to do to turn their states blue. We're going to talk to them about that when we get back.

[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Correspondent:] We await this decision.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Absolutely. Thank you, Shimon, I really appreciate it.
[Prokupecz:] Sure.
[Bolduan:] We'll see what the police commissioner has to say very shortly. Thank you all so much for joining me. "INSIDE POLITICS" with John King starts right now.
[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Thank you, Kate. And welcome to INSIDE POLITICS. I'm John King. Thank you for sharing your day with us. Breaking news. In the hour ahead, New York's police commissioner plans to announce the fate of the police officer involved in the choke hold death of Eric Garner. We will bring you that event live. Plus, a Massachusetts primary drama with national implications. Congressman Joe Kennedy moves to challenge incumbent Democrat Ed Markey, looking to follow his grandfather and two grand-uncles to the United States Senate. And an up day in financial markets plan new trade talks with China and efforts to stimulate Europe's economy cheer investors today, as team Trump feverishly makes two arguments at once. There won't be a recession, they say. But if there is, blame the Fed, not the president.
[Wilbur Ross, Commerce Secretary:] It's ridiculous. Our interest rates are high relative to many other countries. It was announced last week that the Seung Bank in Europe that's making mortgage loans with negative interest rates, paying borrowers to borrow money to buy a house.
[Maria Bartiromo, Fbn:] That's incredible.
[Ross:] And yet the U.S. is paying a positive interest rate. What is wrong with this picture? I very much hope that Chairman Powell goes forward and does lower the rate this next time around.
[King:] Back to the economy in a few minutes. We begin the hour, though, with an important moment in the 2020 race for the Democratic nomination. An apology from the Democratic candidate better known for policy plans. Elizabeth Warren in Iowa today at a Native American forum. Yes, she came to promote a detailed plan to help a group of Americans long ignored and underserved. But this was about more than that.
[Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] I want to say this. Like anyone who's been honest with themselves, I know that I have made mistakes. I am sorry for harm I have caused. I have listened and I have learned a lot. And I am grateful for the many conversations that we've had together. It is a great honor to be able to partner with Indian country. And that's what I've tried to do as a senator. And that's what I promise I will do as president of the United States of America.
[King:] Proof right there her campaign sees the test for Senator Warren and the campaign biography she hopes will help her win the Democratic nomination and then the White House. She insists Senator Warren insists she received no advantage, but as an aspiring law professor, she did say she was of Native American heritage. More recently, as an aspiring presidential candidate, she took a DNA test to prove it and then apologized to Native American groups who took profound offense. President Trump calls her Pocahontas. And by that he means a fraud. Warren's rise in the Democratic race is very real, as is the debate in the party about whether she can win a general election. A lot of that debate is the challenge of selling a very liberal policy agenda in swing states. But a piece of it is whether she can survive a Trump character onslaught. Here with me today to share their reporting and their insights, CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson, Katie Rogers with "The New York Times," Rachael Bade with "The Washington Post," and Jackie Kucinich with "The Daily Beast." It is not every day candidates apologize. The question is, is that enough? She apologized to the Native American community. She apologized for hurting them. Says she gets it. I don't suspect that is going to get the president to back off. The question is, do voters at some point say, OK, she's acknowledged mistakes, although I'm not exactly sure which mistake she was acknowledging there.
[Henderson:] Yes, in some ways I think Elizabeth Warren, who really damaged her prospects in the beginning when she did this DNA test. She righted the ship. I mean she's doing much better among the voters who really took a lot of offense around this, in addition to Native Americans, obviously, who took a lot of offense at the DNA test. White liberal voters didn't really like that she took this DNA test because it was such a misunderstanding of what tribal identity and tribal community is all about. So, we'll see. I mean you see her rising in the polls. You see Bernie Sanders. She you know, they kind of play in the same sand box in terms of those voters. But this is, I think, a necessary move. She's probably going to keep having to do that. Whether or not it makes any difference actually not whether or not it makes any difference with Donald Trump, it's not going to make any difference with Donald Trump. He's going to
[Katie Rogers, White House Correspondent, "the New York Times":] Right. He seemed almost wistful last week in his rally
[Henderson:] Yes.
[Rogers:] When he said, I should have, you know, maybe we started this too early, this Pocahontas thing. I can bring it back. It was kind of a classic campaigning tactic.
[King:] Well, let's listen to that. I don't mean to interrupt, but that to me told me, number one, the president did do damage to her by making it an issue. Number two, to her credit, she has fought back and she is the rise she's the growth stock, if you will, in the Democratic race right now. Nobody votes for five months. But at the moment she is the growth stock. And the president, as you noted, sounded almost regretful, but it's also proof that he's noticed that her polls are better.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I did the Pocahontas thing. I hit her really hard. And it looked like she was down and out. But that was too long ago. I should have waited. But don't worry, we will revive it. It can be revived. It can be revived right? It will be revived. And it can be revived very easily and very quickly and we're going to have some fun in the state of New Hampshire.
[King:] Now that's the president there talking about a potential Trump- Warren matchup. But it's more than that also. She's in Iowa today. She's rising in the polls in Iowa. A lot of Democrats say I like her policies. Can she beat Trump? And, again, you have a policy and then the character conversation. The president there is in New Hampshire. If Warren wins or comes in strong in Iowa, then she goes home to her neighborhood she's the senator from Massachusetts and New Hampshire and can win there. That's the trajectory she wants in the race. The president is up there in New Hampshire essentially telling Democrats, as well as Republicans, you should think about this.
[Rachael Bade, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes, and, I mean, Trump is going to continue to double down on this whole Pocahontas cheer. I mean the best that Warren can sort of see in the future is that this only, you know, resonates with his base and gins up his own base, but that it doesn't affect at all those voters that she needs to reach in order to win the primary. But, I mean, today she she went into this speech, to Native Americans, doing her homework. She not only apologized, but she had a, I think, a 9,000-word policy proposal about how to help the American tribes. Things that she would do as president. And, you know, people said that that is the most extensive proposal they have seen any Democratic 2020 hopeful actually put forward. And so she's definitely taking those steps that she needs to put this behind her as she continues to go up in the polls.
[Jackie Kucinich, Cnn Political Analyst:] But to your point, John, I think when you talk about the Democratic primary, it just depends on what voters are talking about because when you see the people that are supporting Joe Biden, they sort of just want to right the ship. They want the country to kind of cool down, maybe pull away from some of the chaos that the Trump administration has injected into the into the atmosphere. And where Warren's policies tend to be more radical to these left of center voters. And when you look at the makeup of the current Congress, the reason the House went back to the Democrats wasn't because of the progressives, it was because of these moderate Democrats that were from districts that Trump won and, you know, that may have flipped. So that's what I think party leaders are looking at. And that's what's making them a little nervous about Elizabeth Warren because she does have all of these policy proposals. That definitely would mean a drastic change from where we are right now.
[King:] And the question, as she rises to the Democratic field, are any of the Democrats going to bring this up? Say, you know what, you know, she has said these things in the past that are open to criticism about, you know, who she was. She's listed this on applications or she has promoted this. And is what she has done in the past a liability if she is our nominee? Senator Warren trying to make the case, to your point, apologizing generally there and vaguely for what she has done in the past, trying to make the case that she has the big plans for the future.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] The federal government's history with our tribal nations has been one of broken promises. We need to make change. We need to honor our trust and treaty obligations. And we're not going to do that with one little statute over here and a couple of changes in regulations over there. It's going to take big structural change.
[King:] Can she convince enough Democrats that a, that that's the right way to go, that you can sell that in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania
[Henderson:] Right.
[King:] And, b, again, that you can sell not only that, that Trump's going to say socialist and he's going to say Pocahontas.
[Henderson:] Yes, and that's the big question for her, right? I mean Medicare for all. She obviously signed up with Bernie on that. And that is the fight that Democrats want to take to her, right, this idea that it's too much, as you say, Jackie, it's you know, it's too much too far to the left for the country at this point. I think the problem that the Democrats have the sort of moderate Democrats is that she is a very effective politician, right? I mean she knows policy. She's got passion. She can explain that policy very well in a way that it connects with people. We see that on the debate stage. I mean she's probably she is, I think the best debater of this field. So all of these moderate Democrats who want to make this argument that, you know, this sort of far left agenda, if you want to call it that, isn't where the party is, isn't where the country should be. They've got a real formidable challenger in Elizabeth Warren.
[King:] And they're you see the Republicans coming after her, the Republican National Committee today, with talking points. They're coming after her. The president, again, with such vigor. They say that it's just fun and in some ways they say it's easy because of things she has said and done. I would argue no. They see her as a threat too.
[Henderson:] Yes, I think that's right.
[King:] And they're trying to test they're trying to test their own messages
[Rogers:] It clearly hasn't stuck.
[King:] Right, it hasn't it hasn't they're they're worried about that. The question is, now she's taking down at the beginning, every candidate slips. Every candidate makes mistakes. Every candidate does one thing they thought was right on Monday and a week or a month or two months later you realize, well, maybe not. She had put up the DNA test results. There was a video on her website. They're now taking that down. The question is, does her campaign, at a time when they're rising in many ways, do they get it? Do they do they are they going to try you know, what are they going to do here to try to make this, OK, maybe that was a misstep? Forget about it.
[Rogers:] I mean I think she today we saw her say, you know what, like anybody who's made mistakes, I regret this. And I think she's actually pretty savvy to bring it up, to address it, but then also move on and say, I have this idea and that idea and basically think ahead of everyone else on policy matters, that way when a personal attack comes, she can say, yes, like anyone else, I'm sorry. I mean the president's going to revive the Pocahontas stuff with her and I think that there are definitely voters who don't want to listen to him make fun of anybody all the time and it will just be
[King:] Right.
[Rogers:] It will get to be too much for them. But it just remains to be seen whether or not
[King:] That's a great point too, in the primaries you can ask, forgive me. Lyin'Ted, little Marco and low energy Jeb. It works to a degree. But the question is, in the second campaign, when a lot of suburban voters just think, this is not what a president is supposed to be doing.
[Rogers:] This is enough.
[King:] That's a great it's a great point. We'll see it play out. Up next for us, the Trump administration says the economy is doing great. And you can ignore anyone who says otherwise. And, as you watch today's program, if you have a question for any of the great political reporters at the table, tweet us with #insidepolitics. We'll try to answer some at the end of the program. We'll be right back.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Now to one Texas man's amazing coronavirus survival story. Frank Arredondo is a pharmacist in the Rio Grande valley area of Texas. He was one of the first patients to become infected in his region. And he spent 10 harrowing days on a ventilator. At one point, his oxygen levels dropped below 80 percent. He suffered wild hallucinations. And his wife, a nurse, not only cared for him, but documented his miraculous journey to recovery. And Frank Arredondo joins me, as well as his wife, Tyra Greene. Thank you so much both for being here. And tell us how you're feeling, Frank.
[Frank Arredondo, Pharmacist Who Became Infected With Covid-19:] At this point, I'm feeling remarkably great. Still have lingering issues, secondary to possibly COVID toes when I started to experience a couple days after being discharged.
[Keilar:] OK, COVID toes. Your experience in some sort of almost vascular inflammation or something?
[Arredondo:] Yes. The coronavirus, amongst other things, tends to stimulate the clotting factors. You've probably heard that kids experience some form of Kawasaki Syndrome. They get it in their fingertips and their hands. Adults and some younger folks actually get those small clots stuck in the smallest portions of the body, which are the capillaries, and at the bottom of the feet.
[Keilar:] Because this is what we're hearing from so many experts. Seeing a lot of blood clots. You're experiencing that. Frank, you were actually already on alert about getting the coronavirus, because you say that your 15-year-olds were cavalier about it. But tell us when you first suspected that you had contracted the virus. What were you feeling?
[Arredondo:] You're right. Before I actually contracted what I thought were the symptoms, I, like most folks, out in the country, and the world for that matter, I was very concerned. But it was one day at end of march, March 26th, 27th, I came home from work and I just fell, collapsed into my bed and I couldn't get out the next couple of days. My wife figured out within day or two I probably had the COVID virus.
[Keilar:] And, Tyra, you documented everything. What did you, you know kind of from afar, but what did you document as you saw your husband going through this?
[Tyra Greene, Wife Of Frank Arredondo:] Well, actually, the documenting didn't really start until Frank was admitted to the hospital. Basically, I started the journal more of, because we had Frank on many, many prayer chains and friends and family were just inquiring daily on his health condition. And I knew that I was not going to be able to remember all of this, because the doctors were very detailed with me in regard to his treatment. Medications, especially once he went on the ventilator. Just everything in a was going on and I needed to be able to repeat that information. For me, that was the easiest way to do, I started writing a journal, which I didn't know would turn out to be what it is now. And have got just so much information and detailed information. But I'm so thankful that I kept it because that's really the only way that Frank was able to understand what he was dealing with and going through during this time in the hospital.
[Keilar:] Frank, that included hallucinations. And also tell us about what, what doctors had to do with your hands when you were in the hospital?
[Arredondo:] Well while I was on the ventilator I don't know if you're referring to when I sometime during the course of being on the ventilator, I had actually woken up because they were switches sedatives. The first one tended to they try not to keep patients on it more than three days. And because it tends to be very addicting. In the process switching me over, I I apparently tried taking out the tubes out of my mouth. And at the same time, they were clogged. They were able to clear out my lungs with shooting normal saline in there and cleaned things up. When I was actually lucid, the one thing I can remember is waking up and hearing the ventilator breathing for me. It sounds like Darth Vader from "Star Wars." I could look out the window, realized I couldn't move. Looked down to my hands and couldn't even move my feet and I realized I was awake on the ventilator and couldn't move. But right away, I heard somebody says, "He's awake," and then sedative kicked back in at that point. I don't remember anything around that.
[Keilar:] You had hallucinations, is that right? Can you tell us about that?
[Arredondo:] Sure. I I think when people think about hallucinations, they think of psychedelic dreams or disjointed thoughts. But for me, I felt it was just like I'm having a conversation with you, or with anyone else. It seemed very, very real. I had at the time, I believed I was not in a hospital room but in a hospital, that, in fact, the doctors were flying me over to another country to some experimental treatment. And then, at one point, I think I had fallen out of favor with the doctors. So the nurses and one of the doctors were plotting to kill me. I had, in fact, had been kidnapped, taken down to Mexico. And I was I was being hunted by Mexican cartel, Mexican police. I had a Texas Ranger after me. I had drummed up murder charges against me. And it all seemed very real. And, in fact, there was even high-tech ways of going after me. And, in fact, there were points, times where I was in my in my hospital bed this is maybe a day or so off the ventilator. But I could see things. And the only way I could go after them was to try to break them apart with my hands. And meanwhile, the nurses, I'm sure, are looking at this patient, myself, in the room, and see the patient swatting, swings his arms in the room and I'm sure just shaking their head.
[Keilar:] It's, I mean, sounds traumatic, honestly, as you describe it. But so important Frank you're sharing this story and, Tyra, you're sharing the story. We're so glad to see you together and, Frank, you healthy. And I thank you both for coming on.
[Greene:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] Thank you. We appreciate you taking an interest in our story.
[Greene:] Yes. Thank you so much.
[Keilar:] Thanks for sharing it. Dr. Anthony Fauci speaking right now as the White House attacks him. We'll take his comments next. Plus, clusters are popping up along the coast of Georgia and officials ARE blaming beach vacations. Some Arizona schools using power breezers to spray disinfect? We'll talk about how this works.

[Lemon:] So, here's our breaking news tonight. The President of the United States awaiting his COVID test results. Not sure if he is positive or negative at this moment for the coronavirus. His top aide Hope Hicks has tested positive. Sources say she is experiencing symptoms. Right now, no one closer to the president as far as working than Hope Hicks besides his family. So, listen, I want to get to Dr. Jonathan Reiner quickly. Jonathan Dr. Jonathan Reiner, it's interesting because, you know, we've been talking about getting these results within 15 minutes. If the president was negative, wouldn't they have come out? One would think, I should say, they would have come out and told us by now. So why the delay? What do you think is going on?
[Reiner:] Either confirming either a negative or a positive result with the more definitive study, which takes about an hour and a half.
[Lemon:] Does it but they have known since
[Reiner:] I think they can come out
[Lemon:] Wednesday and the president let's see, so the president was on Fox News at about 9 p.m. and he had heard about it before he went on Fox News. So that is, you know, an hour and at least 30 minutes ago. So that's maybe two hours. And it takes 15 minutes. Wouldn't by now they would have some idea about something?
[Reiner:] Probably. But when they come out and either say the president is negative or the president is positive, they have to be sure about that. You know, we saw recently with I believe it was the governor of Ohio who tested positive and then they rechecked it and he was negative, and there was a lot of confusion. You can't have that with the President of the United States. If you tell the public the president is negative, he has to be negative. So, they may not be relying on the Abbot I.D. now test. They may want, you know, the full, you know, lab PCR exam for that. And that's what I'm assuming they're doing. They're confirming whatever test they've run. But don't forget, the president almost certainly would have been tested last night. If if she was positive last night, they would have tested the president last night. And they would have tested him again today. So, there are results which have which have been acquired. But if he was tested tonight, they're waiting for a confirmatory test. I know that with certainty.
[Lemon:] Listen, doctor, explain to I'm not a doctor. I can explain to you why this is so important, but I think it means more when it's coming from your lips, why this is so important for our viewers, for Americans and the world when you hear the President of the United States of America is awaiting his COVID test results and is not sure if he is positive or negative. Why is this so important?
[Reiner:] OK. So, it's important, Don, on multiple levels. So, let's talk about the personal level for the president. It's important because he'd in the highest risk group. You know, he's over the age of 70, he's obese, and, you know, he has the highest risk of dying should he contract this virus. So, on a personal level, that's there are important consequences for him, should he acquire this virus. But on a national level, look, the president has been running these rallies since the beginning of the summer, both indoors and outdoors. Without social distancing and without universal masking for his attendees and, you know, I've become like a broken record coming on your show and others saying how irresponsible that is.
[Lemon:] Every day for eight months now we have been saying all that. But, sorry, go on, doctor.
[Reiner:] And, you know, you know, we were talking today about, you know, Wisconsin and the plan to go into a state which has a 22 percent positivity rate. A state that has had their COVID mortality increase by 50 percent over the past couple of weeks and do a rally with unmasked people who believe the president. They believe him that this is not such a big deal. The imagine if the president had come out eight months ago and said this is a really big deal. And we're going to take care of each other. We're going to mask up. We're going to stay home if we get sick. We're not going to gather in big crowds and we're going to put our country back together. We'd be in an entirely different place now.
[Lemon:] Right.
[Reiner:] But even with the virus surging through the summer, he didn't do that.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Reiner:] Look, I have no schadenfreude about this. I want the president to be negative, but I want the public to understand that this virus is real. And if you go out in public you need to have a mask on.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Reiner:] If you have a mask on, you will not get this virus.
[Lemon:] Well, listen, none of us should be. And again, we hope that the president and the first lady and everyone who's been around him we hope that they are OK, and, of course, Hope Hicks as well. Doctor, thank you very much. And just as the doctor was saying about about the president's schedule. This is what the president did this week thank you, doctor. We appreciate it.
[Reiner:] Sure.
[Lemon:] I've got these guys. So, listen, he went to the debate on Ohio, that was on Tuesday. Then Minnesota, he went to that rally. Today we're told by Kaitlan Collins he went to a fund-raiser in New Jersey and she was told, that was inside, she was told that he was not wearing a mask. He is supposed to have two rallies in Wisconsin this week and then tomorrow he's supposed to have another rally in Florida. Now, listen, I don't know if this is the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing. But on Friday, we just got the schedule, just came out, 10.42 from the president's schedule here. At 10.30, the president receives his intelligence briefing in the Oval Office. At 12.15, the president hosts a phone call on COVID-19 supportive vulnerable seniors with the White House at 2.40, fund- raiser at Trump International Hotel. Then he flies om Air Force One to Florida, then he has a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida, and then he flies on Air Force One back to D.C. So, the president obviously gets around. That is his business, to conduct the business of the country. And this is campaign season. So, he's in contact with a lot of people, and he has been in contact with a lot of people, and potentially in contact if he follows the schedule. But there is no doubt that this president should be self-quarantining at this point. I want to bring in someone now who has been standing by very patiently, and that is former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Congressman, thank you. I'm sure you understand how this goes. We've got some breaking news, so we have to get it on the air and we've got to do it thoroughly. But so, before we talk about, you know, voting in Texas, I've got to get your reaction to the president and this breaking news. He says he is still awaiting his coronavirus test after Hope Hicks tests positive. There is a serious risk of exposure to the president here. Give me your reaction to this breaking news story, please.
[Fmr. Rep. Beto O'rourke:] Look, I hope that Hope Hicks is OK. I hope that the president and his traveling party are OK, that they're not infected. I hope that he does not expose anyone else and follows the best public health guidance and medical guidance. I don't think he will. If past performance is a predictor of future performance then he's not going to. And, look, let's Don, let's remember, this guy is in large part responsible for the deaths of nearly 210,000 of our fellow Americans, nearly 16,000 of my fellow Texans, almost 600 of my fellow El Pasoens. We are 4 percent of the globe's population. We are 22 percent of the globe's active cases, almost a quarter of the deaths, and that's not by force of God or Mother Nature, but the miserable leadership of one man, Donald Trump, and every Republican senator who enables him, every Republican governor like Greg Abbot follows in his footsteps. He has cause this this to happen. And so, while we're concerned about him as we should be. He's the President of the United States. Let's also think about everyone who is sick right now, everyone who has lost a family member, all those who are struggling right now against this pandemic with no help, no strategy and no plan from the president.
[Lemon:] And I just want to point out because you know how some things are taken out of context and you were misquoted. Congressman O'Rourke did say in part. He is not saying the president is responsible for every death in this country. He is saying in part because of his what you deemed his lack of leadership on this subject, correct? On the pandemic.
[O'rourke:] Clearly.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[O'rourke:] Absolutely. For him to know and tell Bob Woodward that eight months ago how deadly this virus and this pandemic is, for him to go out publicly and gather people without masks and to mock those who do wear masks and to ignore the best public health guidance and thereby infect our fellow Americans, many of whom would end up dying from COVID-19, yes, he bears responsibility for many of those deaths.
[Lemon:] OK. I need to stand you by. I'm sorry, Congressman. I have to get some breaking news right now. I want to go to CNN's Kaitlan Collins on our breaking news. As I understand, Kaitlan, the president is going to quarantine, is that correct?
[Collins:] Yes. This is notable because this is not something the president has done when anyone else around him has tested positive. Don, he just tweeted that he is still waiting on his test results, so is the first lady. And he says in the meantime we will begin our quarantine process after noting that Hope Hicks, of course, had tested positive. Don, I don't know exactly what this means, but it is telling that the president says they took a test tonight, they don't have the results still here almost at 11 o'clock, over an hour after the president first said they were waiting on the results. And we know the White House has the 15-minute tests at their disposal. It's what they use to test people every single day. Yet, the president says he's still waiting on his result and he's going to quarantine. And, of course, this comes just moments after you've just read his public schedule for tomorrow which had a fund- raiser and a roundtable and a public rally, of course, in Florida. And the president seems to be saying he is going to cancel that if he's going to be quarantining. But it just raises questions, Don, about whether or not the president got a rapid test tonight and what the result of that was. Because typically they would be able to say right away, yes, it was positive or, yes, it was negative. And as you noted, that still raises questions about whether or not he should be quarantining, but it's notable that right now he says he is going to go into this quarantine process because Hope Hicks tested positive, something he has not done in the past when other people who still work pretty closely with him have also tested positive.
[Lemon:] Our Kaitlan Collins reporting the breaking news. And, Kaitlan, stay with me just for a moment. Kaitlan just reported the news about the president tweeting tonight. Hope Hicks has been working so hard, without even taking a small break, has just tested positive for COVID- 19. Terrible. The first lady and I are waiting for our test results. In the meantime, we will begin our quarantine process. It's certainly a turn of events here, Kaitlan, when you hear from the President of the United States, when you go back and look at the public record of him and his handling of this virus. And the statements he's made about the virus. That it's going to go away. That it is a hoax. That he doesn't want to wear masks. That people should be opening up. That people's personal liberties were being taken away. Making fun of the former vice president about wearing masks and so on and so forth. And now he is in a position where he has to self- quarantine because he does not know if he is positive or negative at this moment for the coronavirus.
[Collins:] And Don, he says he doesn't know, but it really does raise questions about what he knows and if he's been tested and if he's gotten any results from the rapid test and has since taken the other test, which of course can take several hours. There's difference in those two tests. And we know that sometimes with the rapid test they can have false positives. They do not have a 100 percent accuracy rate. That's what medical experts have said. But it just really raises questions, because the president I cannot stress enough has never quarantined before when the person who handles his food and beverage tested positive, when his national security adviser tested positive, when the vice president's communications director tested positive, but now with Hope Hicks testing positive something that we should note was first reported by the media not announced by the White House then later confirmed by the president, he now says he's going to quarantine. So, it really does raise questions. And of course, this is crucial to public knowledge knowing the president's health and whether or not he's tested positive for the coronavirus. So, the White House has not committed yet to giving us the result of what the president the outcome of his test is going to be. But it's notable that he says he and the first lady are going to quarantine. And what that means for staff? Can they still come to the White House? Can they still come into the residents of the White House? Is he still going to go to this rally tomorrow? It sounds like a no, but it's raising a whole slew of questions about what's been transpiring in the last few hours to lead the president to make this decision.
[Lemon:] All right, Kaitlan, I want you to stand by. Kaitlan Collins with our breaking news. The first lady and the president of United States will begin their quarantine process after his top aide tests positive for the coronavirus. He and the first lady, according to him, they're awaiting the results of their tests. Dr. Jonathan Reiner is here as well as our Kaitlan. Is Kaitlan going to stay with us? She's going to get new reporting, right? Is she going to continue to report right now? OK, so we'll get back to Kaitlan. She's going to go and work on some reporting. I'll bring the doctor in. Doctor, so let's do some contact tracing. According to Kaitlan and our White House team, I think the vice president was in contact with the president and in the, I think in the West Wing or in the Oval Office as of two days ago. You see Jared Kushner. You see Hope Hicks, Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller all getting on to Marine One after the president gets on, no one wearing masks. They're getting into a confined space. A small confined space, and then going to Air Force One, which is a bigger confined space. You're saying everyone who has been in contact with Hope Hicks or in these situations should be quarantining right now?
[Reiner:] Yes, everyone should be quarantining now and I'll go even further and say that the speaker of the House should be protected in isolation now, because it doesn't violate the rules of physics now for both the vice president and the President of the United States to get sick. And if the you know, the continuity of government requires that we have a clear leader here, and it's very possible that the president and the vice president can both become sick right now. So, I would limit activity for the speaker of House, make sure that she's really isolated and in a relatively sterile environment.
[Lemon:] What do you make of the president now saying that he and the first lady will now begin their quarantine process?
[Reiner:] It's the right thing to do, and I applaud them for doing that. But let me just say that at least the initial test result for the president is back. You know, this hasn't been set off to quest and he's going to get it back in two to three days and wait for his doctor to call him. They have the initial test result. At some point this evening it would be irresponsible for the White House and the White House physician not to inform the public of the president's status tonight. Almost certainly the result, the molecular more sensitive test will come back very shortly if it's not already back to confirm the earlier test this evening, and the public should be told whether the president is positive or negative. It should be done tonight. The result will be available tonight. It won't take till the morning. This is not a send out. So, it means something if we don't hear about the president's status tonight.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Reiner:] Because you would certainly tell the public he's negative.
[Lemon:] Yes. Say that one more time clearer for our viewers again.
[Reiner:] They will have the president's COVID testing shortly, and with a confirmatory test, I'm sure. That result should be clearly communicated to the public tonight. I hope it's negative. And if it's negative, the public should be told that. The public deserves to know that. If he's positive, the public should know that as well.
[Lemon:] Doctor, I want you to stand by. I want our viewers to stand by as well.
[Reiner:] Sure.
[Lemon:] Lots of breaking news. We're getting developments on the president, the situation that's happening at the White House right now. The president and first lady beginning a quarantine, their quarantine process after his top aide Hope Hicks tested positive for the coronavirus. She is at home now feeling the symptoms. We're understanding that she is fairly sick. But hopefully she will be OK and the president and the first lady as well. But at this hour, according to the President of the United States, he does not know if he's positive or negative for the coronavirus and he's awaiting a result of a test. We'll be right back.

[Burnett:] Tonight, President Trump speaking at a rally in Tucson, Arizona. That is his second rally in the state today. Trump encouraging voters to go to the polls early.
[Trump:] Everybody needs to get out and vote, return your absentee ballot or vert. You can go out there I think today, when do you do it, today, tomorrow, whatever. You can go out and vote today they say, today go out and vote.
[Burnett:] Well, I'm glad if he's telling them to return those absentee ballots. He apparently has confidence in them not being a rigged election. Well, that's a separate point. Arizona has 11 electoral votes though really are crucial in the path to 270 and who wins the White House. Phil Mattingly is OUTFRONT. So Phil, President Trump had two rallies in the state today. Biden and Harris were there just over a week ago. This has become the really crucial state for both campaigns.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, there's no question about it. For the Biden campaign, it expands their options. For the Trump campaign, it keeps in live several pathways that are already narrowing when you look at the numbers right now. I want to track back to 2016. Going to Arizona back in 2016, Donald Trump won the state of Arizona 90,000 votes about three and a half points. But Erin, this was the smallest margin of victory for Republican since 1996. When Bill Clinton won the state and Democrats have been eyeing this state and it's shifting demographics for a number of years. This is the year they feel like they can capitalize. Now the Trump campaign, as you noted, it didn't just visit today and do multiple rallies, over the course of this year, they have been several times, six different times across the state, underscoring how important this state with a hard very rock solid Trump base, but still shifting demographics means to them over the course of their time. Now, the Biden campaign only one visit up to this point very recently, but keep an eye on what they're doing on the spending front. Look at the amount of money the Biden campaign has poured into this state, $32 million, more than $12 million than the Trump campaign. You've got outside groups as well, all underscoring, Erin, that for both campaigns, Arizona, which was once considered rock solid Republican wasn't really considered on the map until maybe late in 2016. Arizona has not only very much in play, but for Democrats, they think it could be firmly in their column by the end of this campaign.
[Burnett:] So when you talk about expanding the map for Biden, but keeping a path open for Trump, can President Trump win reelection without Arizona though?
[Mattingly:] Yes. Technically, yes, but Erin, I would note no Republican ever has won the White House without winning the state of Arizona. I want to talk about limiting pathways, what I was referring to at the beginning, when you talk about President Trump. What you're looking at right now is CNN's race ratings up to this point. You see when you factor in states where Biden is leaning or states that are leaning towards Biden, he's already above the 270 electoral math that he needs to actually win. So let's game some things out. If you look at the yellow, these are toss ups right now. So say you give every toss up to President Trump and his campaign. He wins Florida, he wins Georgia, he wins North Carolina, he wins Ohio, he wins Iowa, he's still short of the number that he needs. So if he wins Arizona, that obviously brings him a lot sorry, that brings him a lot closer, when you get closer to that 270 mark. He still can't win with just that number. That brings in a bunch of the midwest states that obviously everybody is very keen on right now. But Erin, I think the big question right now for the Trump campaign is when you look at the polling when you talk to people on the ground in states like Michigan, and states like Wisconsin and states like Minnesota that the Trump campaign thought they had real openings towards, they feel like those doors may be closing. If you win Pennsylvania, you still have to win Arizona to get above that 270 mark for the Trump campaign, Erin.
[Burnett:] All right. So obviously it becomes really much when you look at it that way. All right. Phil, thank you very much. So let's go to Van Jones now, former Special Adviser to President Obama and Scott Jennings, former senior advisor to Senator Mitch McConnell. So Van, you look at that map, but then you see headlines like this, why democrats remain nervous about Biden's chances and like this time in 2016, Trump looks doomed to defeat, that's why Democrats are worried. A Biden campaign memo comes out from the manager of the campaign, "Donald Trump can still win this race." So Van, is this just hand wringing and trying to get turnout up or is there legitimately something there that they're worried about?
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes. There is legitimately something there. And as you remember, quite famously this time four years ago, I was screaming and waving my arms around. At that point Democrats say, be quiet, you're demoralizing people and you look like an idiot for saying that Trump can still win. Nobody is saying that now and here's the reasons. Number one, polls are only as good as the people you talk to and what they tell you. You've got a whole big iceberg of white guys, conservative white guys, who actually didn't even vote in 2016. I've got sources telling me about a third to 25 percent which was third of the people going to these rallies didn't even vote for Trump in 2016. Didn't tell them they didn't vote at all. They're therefore not likely voters, they're probably not being talked to. As that iceberg thaws, what do you expect to see, voter registration and that's what you're seeing, a surge of Republican voter registration. There's a big iceberg of votes for him that are not being polled, they're coming in the sink is more likely to be very close. Do not believe the promise of the polls, rely on the power of the people, run all the way through the tape, this thing could go any direction.
[Burnett:] All right. So which are really interesting point when you say, I mean, I know it's anecdotal, but your source is saying that you got a quarter to a third of people going to Trump rallies who weren't even Trump voters last time. That's pretty powerful. Yet, Scott, what you also have on the other side here is like let's just take senator John Cornyn, up for reelection. So he's evaluating what he sees on the ground and what he sees is giving him cause to distance himself from the President. His comment in a recent interview is that Trump is, "Like a lot of women who get married and think they're going to change their spouse, and that doesn't usually work out very well." So these are senators who are on the ground up for reelection who clearly see being close to Trump is not a good thing. What does that tell you? Are they wrong?
[Scott Jennings, Former Special Assistant To President George W. Bush:] Well, I don't totally agree with the fact that they don't see being close to Trump is a good thing. If they really thought that, they wouldn't be voting with Donald Trump 90 plus percent of the time. Stylistically, John Cornyn is very much different than Donald Trump and that's true for a lot of the senators that are on the ballot this year. And I don't see these comments as an effort to distance. I see them as honest answers to questions from reporters who are finally covering these big Senate races. So I just think the idea that you would distance yourself from a president of your own party with two weeks to go in an election I mean, nobody believes the John Cornyn is not running in the party of Donald Trump in Texas, but that doesn't mean John Cornyn can't express some disagreement stylistically with Donald Trump down the stretch. So I think it's easy to override this and it was happening in a couple of races, but especially in Texas, I think Trump and Cornyn are likely to wind down there and have a similar vote totals.
[Burnett:] OK. So Van, let me play something the President said on that campaign call. I was playing some of the Fauci part earlier, let me play something about the election.
[Trump:] We're going to win. I wouldn't have said that three weeks ago. Three weeks ago, two weeks ago I don't know, I wouldn't have said it. It was tougher for me.
[Burnett:] OK. So the reason I played that, Van, is he's talking about two or three weeks. Now, he needs to say that but nonetheless in the last month of 2016, you had a lot of late decided voters and of those late decider voters, more of them went for Trump than Clinton big time, you saw that. Now, this is not an election where people are undecided, you're pointing out it could really be about new voters and new registration. But do you think that Trump is right, this two or three-week window is perhaps changed things?
[Jones:] Listen, we still evaluate the Trump campaign based on 1996 criteria like well, how much money is he spending on television and stuff like that. They have a big operation online. And you may have noticed that you have friends and relatives who are starting to sound completely bizarre to you. They're talking about pedophilia and all kinds of bizarre stuff, why? Because they're being bombarded online with one of the most sophisticated influence operations that you've ever seen and that is going to have an effect. And so they probably have some data that is showing that some of this stuff is starting to eat in. We don't know how strong these floorboards are under these numbers and how much the termites of disinformation online. And frankly, just persuasion online and motivation online is affecting us. You don't see the same ads that your cousin does on Facebook. You don't see the same post that friends does on Instagram. That's a big deal in terms of we don't know what's going on and he could have data that we don't have.
[Burnett:] Scott, quick final word.
[Jennings:] Yes, I agree with Van. The Trump campaign does have sophisticated online organizing tools. They've also been utilizing traditional field organizing tools. They're actually going door to door, Van's point at the start of the segment was true. They've had huge success on voter registration. To overcome a polling deficit, you have to have some kind of field campaign that maybe the polling isn't picking up. That's what they're banking on. The question is, is it enough? And I guess we'll find out in a couple of weeks.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] All right. Thank you both. And next, Trump and Biden days away from facing off at their final debate. And now the president's campaign wants a major change. So we'll tell you what. Plus, breaking news. A big upset for Trump and his campaign and their efforts to stop from ballots from being counted.

[Berman:] Breaking overnight, protesters clashing with police in Minneapolis, calling for justice after the death of George Floyd. Video shows the black man being held down by a police officer with a knee to his neck for several minutes as he repeatedly told officers that he could not breathe. CNN's Omar Jimenez live in Minneapolis with the breaking details. Omar, I know it has been a long night there but people want answers.
[Omar Jimenez, Cnn Correspondent:] They do, John, and specifically the family of George Floyd says it's going to take more than just the firings of these officers, which we even saw happen within 24 hours of Floyd's death. And it's a mentally that played out in the protesters throughout Minneapolis that descended here and in one other location last night demanding more accountability and answers.
[Jimenez:] Protests intensifying overnight in Minneapolis. Four police officers were fired after their involvement in the death of George Floyd. Police lined the streets throwing tear gas and non-lethal projectiles to disperse crowds after thousands flooded the streets, Tuesday. Anger boiling over in the community when a cell phone video was shot Monday night showing a police officer with his knee to Floyd's neck while he's on ground handcuffed. For several long minutes, George Floyd told the officer he couldn't breathe, as bystanders pleaded with officers that Floyd was struggling. And protesters echoed Floyd's words in the pouring rain last night.
[Unidentified Male:] Everybody, the world needs to be watching this. The world, please watch this.
[Jimenez:] The officers say they were responding to an alleged forgery in progress and were initially told the suspect was sitting on a car seemingly under the influence. Police said Floyd physically resisted and they placed him under arrest.
[George Floyd:] My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts.
[Jimenez:] Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey supporting the decision to fire the officers.
[Mayor Jacob Frey:] For five minutes, when you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help. This officer failed in the most basic human sense.
[Jimenez:] CNN has obtained new surveillance video from a nearby restaurant that shows two police officers crossing the street and approaching the car at 8:33 P.M. Monday night. The officers are talking to the passengers in the car for a few minutes before two passengers emerged from the car. George is then taken from the car by one the officers and was handcuffed. Floyd is sitting against the exterior of a building on the sidewalk while another police car arrives. Eventually, two cops pulled George up from the ground and walk back across the street. Floyd's family saying they want the officers charged with murder.
[Philonese Floyd, George Floyd's Brother:] He screamed, mama, mama, I can't breathe, I can't breathe. They treated him worse than they treat animals. And I
[Jimenez:] Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar calling on an outside investigation to be conducted to explore possible criminal charges against the officers.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar:] This was not a sudden mistake or a procedure gone bad. This was over a period of time. You got to look at all the evidence. But, to me, this evidence is just crying out for some kind of a charge.
[Jimenez:] And on Senator Klobuchar's last point there, that's what we're waiting on at this point. We saw these officers fired. That was the police disciplinary action within the department. But we're also watching investigations play out at the federal, state and local levels again to determine if any criminal charges will be filed. And among what they're looking at, we've seen that cell phone video, we've seen some surveillance video, but as we understand, these officers' body cameras were also rolling as well, something that will no doubt play into this investigation. John?
[Camerota:] I'll take it, Omar. And we are going to be speaking to George Floyd's sister coming up as well. Thank you very much for that report. Now, to an update on a story that we first told you about yesterday, a white woman who called the police on a black man in Central Park has been fired by her employer. The man, Christian Cooper, recorded part of their conflict, which started when he said he asked her to follow park rules and put her dog on a leash. After the video went viral, the woman, Amy Cooper, publicly apologized for the incident but denies being racist. Last night, Christian Cooper, the man, spoke to CNN's Don Lemon.
[Christian Cooper, Birdwatcher Recorded Woman Calling The Cops On Him:] I'm not sure if an apology she recognizes that, while she may not be or consider herself a racist, that particular act was definitely racist. She was looking for some way to get an edge in the situation. And that's where she went. And that ultimately did not help her. So, you know, is she a racist? I can't answer that. Only she can answer that.
[Camerota:] Well, Amy Cooper's employer thinks she is. They said they fired her because, quote, they do not tolerate racism of any kind. Meanwhile, President Trump has threatened to relocate the Republican convention over a fight with North Carolina's Democratic governor. What does that state's Republican lieutenant governor have to say about all this? We ask him, next.

[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] We're headed right to the critical moment, a vote to determine whether or not there should be witnesses in this trial.
[Unidentified Male:] If you have any lingering questions about direct evidence, you can subpoena Ambassador Bolton and ask him that question directly.
[Sen. Josh Hawley:] We've heard the evidence. They don't have a case. Let's vote.
[Sen. Richard Blumenthal:] My Republican colleagues can't complain about not seeing anything if they put blinders on, and history will haunt them.
[Unidentified Male:] I would really welcome a bipartisan acquittal of President Trump, and I want to get this done this week Friday.
[Sen. Chuck Schumer:] My gut tells me we're making progress, progress, progress.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It is Thursday, January 30, 6 a.m. here in New York, and it will be another day of questions and answers in the impeachment trial of President Trump. This morning, Republicans are expressing confidence that they will have the votes they need to block witnesses. At this hour, only two Republicans, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, appear to be leaning strongly towards voting yes for witnesses. A third, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, appears inclined to join them. But Democrats need four Republicans. So all eyes are on retiring Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. He is known to be close with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but he has not tipped his hand yet. If witnesses are called, the White House is prepared to fight them. The Trump administration is threatening former national security adviser John Bolton not to publish his new book. They claim it could cause, quote, "grave harm" to national security.
[Berman:] Yes. Not only going to extraordinary ends to make sure that John Bolton doesn't testify, but to keep him quiet to make sure the country doesn't learn what John Bolton has to say in a trial or otherwise, at least any time soon. Also, what some are calling the remarkable argument being floated by the president's attorney, Alan Dershowitz. Some also called it stunning. But one might reasonably call it bonkers. Dershowitz has argued that, if a president thinks that getting himself reelected is in the public interest and what candidate doesn't think that? You run because you think it would make America better. Dershowitz argues that if you do something to help get you elected, it can't be impeachable. It's good for America if I get elected, so I can do anything I want that helps. Anything. The implications are staggering. Dershowitz also seemed to argue that anyone who disagrees with his legal theories, even presumably folks from past centuries, they're all "never Trumpers." Think about the math on that. So that is where we are this morning. Happy Thursday. Let's get right to Lauren Fox, live on Capitol Hill. And this will be another interesting day, Lauren.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. And last night was another long day on Capitol Hill. Expect more of the same as we enter into the second day of Q&A for senators who have questions. We are just one day away from that very critical vote on whether or not there will be witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Trump.
[Fox:] A hundred Senate jurors, finally getting the chance to submit questions in the impeachment trial. The first for President Trump's defense team from three key Republican senators, who could help decide whether witnesses will be introduced.
[Chief Justice John Roberts, U.s. Supreme Court:] If President Trump had more than one motive for his alleged conduct, such as the pursuit of personal, political advantage, rooting out corruption and the promotion of national interests, how should the Senate consider more than one motive in its assessment of Article 1?
[Fox:] And their response?
[Patrick Philbin, Deputy Counsel To Donald Trump:] If there were a motive that was of public interest but also some personal interest, we think it follows even more clearly that that cannot possibly be the basis for an impeachable offense. Once you're into mixed motive land, it's clear that their case fails.
[Fox:] And from the day into night, the senator taking turns, pressing the House impeachment managers and Trump's lawyers to elaborate on their views.
[Alan Dershowitz, Attorney For Donald Trump:] Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest. And if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] All quid pros are not the same. Some are legitimate, and some are corrupt. And you don't need to be a mind reader to figure out which is which.
[Fox:] With just one day until the senator's crucial vote to decide whether they'll hear from any witnesses, some top Republicans say there's one thing they're sure of.
[Sen. Ted Cruz:] If the Democrats get their wish to call John Bolton as the 18th witness in this matter, I am confident we're not going to do the kind of one-sided partisan show that the House did. We're calling Hunter Biden, too.
[Fox:] If the vote for witnesses fails, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to move toward a quick vote to acquit the president.
[Hawley:] It's time to bring this to an end. Let's vote. We've heard the evidence. They don't have a case. Let's vote.
[Fox:] Democrats keeping a close eye on three red-state caucus members who have yet to announce their stance and potential Republican swing vote Lamar Alexander, who could give Democrats the 51 needed to bring in witnesses. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's optimism diminishing as the clock runs out.
[Schumer:] The president and Mitch McConnell put huge pressure on these folks. I hope we can get witnesses and documents. It's an uphill fight. Are we Is it more likely than not? Probably no, but is it a decent good chance? Yes.
[Fox:] And we know that, if that acquit if that witness vote fails tomorrow, what you can expect to see is that leadership could move very quickly to acquit the president Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Lauren, stay with us, if you would. Let's bring in John Avlon, CNN senior political analyst; and Joshua Geltzer, Georgetown Law professor and former National Security Council director for counterterrorism. We are going to rely on your NSC expertise here. Lauren, let's just start with you very quickly. So at the moment, let's just see where the senators are. Susan Collins and Mitt Romney are leaning towards yes. Lisa Murkowski is maybe going to join them. We have Cory Gardner there. He's a no. Lamar Alexander is undecided. And then we have, under "unclear," Senator Rob Portman and Senator Bill Cassidy. Is that
[Berman:] I'm not
[Camerota:] Was that your stomach? Or
[Berman:] That was both.
[Camerota:] an editorial comment?
[Berman:] We have them under unclear. We haven't been paying attention. That's what I'm saying.
[Camerota:] So you say no?
[Berman:] Well, let's ask Lauren.
[Camerota:] Oh, hi, Lauren. What do you think?
[Fox:] I would say that, after talking to Bill Cassidy yesterday outside a Veterans Affairs hearing, I'm pretty confident that the direction that Bill Cassidy is leaning is against witnesses. He essentially is starting to argue that it is time to move on, that essentially, he is not sure what John Bolton could provide. Of course, all eyes are on Lamar Alexander, like you said. He is retiring in 2020. He is a close ally of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But in all the conversations that I've with that senator and with folks in his office, what I am hearing is he cannot make a decision until after the Q&A is completed. So he is very listening to these arguments. He's very much in play. And it's just fascinating, because he is somebody who came up with McConnell. He is someone who is close to the majority leader. He is someone who worked very closely to secure, in the resolution, a vote on witnesses; and, yet, we still don't know exactly where he stands. When he was negotiating on that resolution, I'm told it was more as sort of the middleman between Susan Collins and McConnell, because he sort of speaks both of their languages. He understands Collins' concerns, and he understands the pressure that the majority leader is under. So certainly still the person to watch for those reasons.
[Berman:] Yes, but beyond that, it's hard to come up with one Republican senator who looks like he or she might be considering hearing witnesses, John Avlon. I listened very closely to each and every question that was asked. We talked about Rob Portman. Rob Portman was on a lot of the questions that were these softball lobs to the president's defenders here. Questions like, Why is the president's case so great? I'm not being literal there. But they were basically along those lines. So it's pretty clear where Rob Portman is going there. Did you see any other wiggle room for anyone beyond Alexander?
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] No. And so I think a lot is is going to be determined by Lamar Alexander, sort of, you know, will the headline be, "Lamar Alexander Saves the Republic" or "Saves the Republican Party"? And that's not necessarily an overstatement. Because remember, a longstanding conservative argument has been, "A republic, not an empire." But the argument put forward by the president's lawyers yesterday is a King Trump defense. And so given the fact of John Bolton, this new information, it is stunning to me that, you know, three days later, Republicans are saying that this Republican icon, who's saying that the president lied, that he directly connected the withholding of aid to the investigation of a political rival, doesn't represent new and relevant information. That's being complicit in a coverup. And that's a very serious thing. In addition to buying into the precedent-setting argument, the absurd arguments being put forward by Alan Dershowitz yesterday.
[Camerota:] Joshua, I just want to talk about; I want to zero in on Rob Portman first, Senator Portman. Because he is very interesting to watch throughout this whole process, because he was one of the senators who, in early 2016, along with then-Vice President Biden, sent a message to the president of Ukraine, who was Poroshenko at that time, to get rid of, basically, this corrupt prosecutor, Shokin. They felt the same way back then. He said, we he signed a letter. It was a bipartisan letter that they sent to Poroshenko: "We urge you to press ahead with urgent reforms to the prosecutor general's office." So having him sit there and listen to all of these this stuff about why would Joe Biden try to get rid of this prosecutor, he knows the answer.
[Joshua Geltzer, Professor, Georgetown Law:] He does know the answer, or at least he should. And if you've been a part of formulating U.S. policy to Ukraine, it would be natural to want to know what's happened since, why has it apparently gone off the rails in this way, in which something that's about U.S. national security, at least seems to have been wrapped up into the current president's political future. And there's a way to get to the bottom of that, which is put John Bolton on the witness stand; ask him questions; find out what exactly the president said to him, directed him to do, directed others to do in front of him; and then have what you need to assess whether the president's behavior here constituted an impeachable offense.
[Berman:] Josh, we're also going to lean on you as a former member of the National Security Council staff. What's going on with the John Bolton book here? There is this exchange of letters where the Bolton team sent the book to the NSC to review, as you have to do when you sign the NDAs and agree to see top-secret stuff when you work there. And they basically wrote back, and they said there's a lot of stuff in here that's classified and top secret, so you can't use it. What does this mean?
[Geltzer:] On the surface, this looks normal. But it's hard to believe that, deep down, what's going on is normal. So on the surface, to submit something for prepublication review is to elicit, at times, an answer like this, an answer from the White House that says there are parts of what you've submitted that we're concerned about. And then what should happen next and it can happen promptly is a back and forth. What's in there that's a problem? What else can I use? What else can I say that's not classified to tell the basic story I want to tell? So the letter looks normal. But the fact that it's John Bolton, the fact that it's happening now, the fact that it's not moving forward as expeditiously as John Bolton's lawyers would like, given what we've seen from their follow-up with the White House, all of that, at least, has to lead us to ask the question, is there something going on here where politics is playing a role in something that it shouldn't be?
[Camerota:] Yes. I mean, we're basically out of time, but I just want to say one last thing, because I have a source from the National Security Agency, for who had worked there 20 years. She conveniently was a classification advisory officer, John Avlon, so she's done this many time with big-shot's books. And she said, if the manuscript really does include top-secret material, OK, which is what the letter said, then the NSC would have to confiscate John Bolton's personal computer and destroy his hard drive. And they would the fact that they're not sending agents over right now to do that is curious, if that's what they really believe.
[Avlon:] Which would indicate that this is political. This is a brushback pitch, in part, because of the belated nature of this. And basically, saying, We're going to freeze you from speaking. It adds ballast to the argument that Mitch McConnell is making in private, that this is a giant hassle for senators going forward, because everything will be tangled up in in additional witnesses. This is political, make no mistake.
[Berman:] All right, friends. Stand by, because the proximate question is what happens to Donald Trump's presidency? But there's a bigger question here, which is what happens to America? What are the arguments that are being made mean for this country going forward? And I ask that, because the president's lawyers have made a defense and an argument that will blow your mind that redefines what a president can do. Stick around.

[Michael Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone, welcome. Live from Studio 7, I am Michael Holmes. Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, the impeachment probe escalates. House Democrats slap the White House with a subpoena with documents related to Ukraine. Plus protesting the ban, shops close as the city braces for more demonstrations in Hong Kong over a new rule outlawing face masks. And later, the prime minister responds; the Iraqi government lifting the curfew in Baghdad after days of violent clashes.
[Holmes:] Welcome, everyone. Momentum is building on Capitol Hill in the impeachment investigation of President Trump. There is a report of a second potential whistleblower, who has firsthand knowledge of the president's actions on Ukraine, "The New York Times' " front page says the U.S. intelligence officer is considering filing a formal complaint against the Trump White House. So congressional Democrats are full speed ahead on other fronts as well The White House has now been subpoenaed for Ukraine documents after ignoring a congressional request to do so voluntarily. Vice president Mike Pence is also being dragged into the mess with Democrats requesting information about his meeting in Poland with Ukraine's new leader. Three chairman of the relevant House committees explain why they made the move. "We deeply regret that President Trump has put us and the nation in this position but his actions have left us with no choice but to issue this subpoena." This is what happens if the White House refuses. Here is one Democratic member of the Intelligence Committee. Said.
[Rep. Denny Heck , Member, Intelligence Committee:] I think Chairman Schiff has made it abundantly clear that defiance of this act constitutes obstruction of a legitimate congressional inquiry in pursuit of impeachment. And as a consequence of that, we will assume or infer that he is not innocent of whatever it is that we're out to verify with the documentation. There is no other reason for him to withhold it, to hide it, unless, of course, he's guilty.
[Holmes:] The White House response to all of this remarkably blase, quote, "This subpoena changes nothing, just more document requests, wasted time and taxpayer dollars that will ultimately show the president did nothing wrong." But they're not them handing over. Yet As the impeachment inquiry heats up, President Trump, trying out a new defense strategy, he now claims his actions were motivated by a desire to fight corruption, not by politics. Jim Acosta reports.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Sr. White House Correspondent:] With mounting evidence he solicited foreign interference in the 2020 election, President Trump is changing his story, insisting he's now more interested in rooting out corruption than investigating former Vice President Joe Biden.
[Trump:] I don't care about Biden's campaign, but I do care about corruption. His campaign, that's up to him. Politics, that's up to them. I don't care about politics. And so we are looking at corruption. We're not looking at politics. We're looking at corruption.
[Acosta:] But that's not how the president laid it out the day before, when he directly called on Ukraine and China to dig up some Biden family dirt.
[Trump:] It's a very simple answer. They should investigate the Bidens. By the way, likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens, because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine.
[Acosta:] Now the president is claiming he never thought Biden would win the Democratic nomination.
[Trump:] I think he would be an easy opponent. But I never thought Biden was going to win. I don't care about politics. But I do care about corruption.
[Acosta:] And Mr. Trump could not answer whether he was seeking corruption probes in foreign countries that don't include Democratic candidates.
[Question:] Have you asked foreign leaders for any corruption investigations that don't involve your political opponents?
[Trump:] We would have to look.
[Acosta:] So far, at least one Republican is not buying it, as Utah Senator Mitt Romney tweeted, "By all appearances, the president's brazen and unprecedented appeal to China and to Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden is wrong and appalling." But Romney is mostly alone in the GOP. Florida Senator Marco Rubio tells CNN affiliate WFOR Mr. Trump is just trolling the media.
[Sen. Marco Rubio:] I don't know if that's a real request or him just needling the press, knowing that you guys were going to get outraged by it. He's gotten he's pretty good at getting everybody fired up. And he's been doing that for a while. And the media responded right on right on right on task.
[Acosta:] That may explain why the president is confident the Republican-controlled Senate will hold its ground and keep Mr. Trump in office if House Democrats vote to impeach.
[Trump:] They have no choice. They have to follow their leader, Jeff. And then we will get it to the Senate and we're going to win. The Republicans have been very unified.
[Acosta:] But the impeachment inquiry has found its way to congressional town halls. Iowa's Joni Ernst got an earful at one in her state.
[Unidentified Female:] Where is the line? When are you guys going to say, enough?
[Sen. Joni Ernst:] Yes, good question. So...
[Acosta:] Aren't you breaking the law, asking for foreign help? The president is also not answering whether he had violated the law. The chair of the Federal Election Commission says the law is clear, "It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election." Mr. Trump appears to be relishing his latest firestorm, claiming his battles with the media have invigorated the Christian faith.
[Trump:] I got a call the other night from pastors, the big the biggest pastors, evangelical Christians. They said, we have never seen our religion or any religion so electrified.
[Acosta:] The president is describing the latest job numbers in almost Biblical terms.
[Trump:] Asia is doing poorly, to put it mildly. And we continue to do very well with a miracle.
[Acosta:] President Trump threatened to fire off a letter, saying the White House won't cooperate until House Democrats hold a vote on their impeachment inquiry. We are still waiting to see that letter. A source close to the matter tells us that letter may come out on Monday Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
[Holmes:] The House subpoena comes on the heels of explosive congressional testimony by former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker. The most damaging evidence, a cache of text messages between Volker and other U.S. diplomats and, the senior Ukrainian official. Now they laid bare how U.S. military aid to Ukraine and the promise of a face-to-face meeting with President Trump was being leveraged to compel Kiev, to dig up political dirt on President Trump's potential rival in 2020. CNN's Jessica Schneider has that part of the story.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Correspondent:] Former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker's opening statement to lawmakers obtained by CNN details Rudy Giuliani's influence on President Trump's perception of Ukraine, as he tried to convince the president that Ukraine's new government was serious about stopping corruption. Volker revealed that he met in late May with President Trump, who insisted Ukraine was a corrupt country full of terrible people. The president said, "They tried to take me down." The president referring to a theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that interfered in the 2016 election. That has been debunked. Volker also released pages of texts that show how the Trump administration, with the help of Rudy Giuliani, was determined to push Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, as well as that debunked theory. On July 25, the day of Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, Volker texted Zelensky's aide, "Heard from the White House. Assuming President Z convinces Trump he will investigate, get to the bottom of what happened in 2016, we will nail down date for visit to Washington." But Volker insisted in his statement he never took part in an effort to encourage Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, saying, "The suggestion that he would be influenced in his duties as vice president by money for his son simply has no credibility to me. I know him as a man of integrity and dedication to our country." But Volker's involvement in influencing Ukrainian policy is clear from this text in early August to Rudy Giuliani, "Hi, Mr. Mayor. Had a good chat with Yermak last night. He was pleased with your phone call. Mentioned Z making a statement. Can we all get on the phone to make sure I advise Z correctly as to what he should be saying?" The statement was supposed to lay out how Ukraine would pursue corruption investigations into the 2016 election and a company Hunter Biden was involved in. But that statement was never released. On August 30, the top American diplomat in Ukraine, William Taylor, tells Volker that the president has canceled his trip to Ukraine. The next day, Taylor texts Gordon Sondland, a prominent Republican donor and U.S. ambassador to the European Union, "Are we now saying that security assistance and White House meeting are conditioned on investigations?" Sondland responds, "Call me." On September 9, Taylor again brings up the point, "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign." Sondland texts back hours later, defending the president, "I believe you're incorrect about President Trump's intentions.
[Schneider:] "The president has been crystal clear, no quid pro quos of any kind." Volker also said in his opening statement that he didn't become aware that foreign aid to Ukraine was being held up at the same time he was connecting Ukrainian leadership aides with Rudy Giuliani. But Volker said he did not perceive those two issues to be linked in any way Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.
[Holmes:] To Hong Kong now, grocery stores, shopping malls and the city's entire subway system are all closed, the city bracing for more demonstrations a day after protesters vandalized, metro stations and shops, the 18th straight weekend of protests. These are live pictures coming to us as the protests get underway. Paula Hancocks is in Hong Kong. What do you see in the context of what we saw last night with all the damage that's done?
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn Correspondent:] Michael at this point you have got several hundred people in the streets here and this is the anti-mask march, they wanted to show the chief executive, Carrie Lam, and the government that they're not happy that the emergency law has been invoked and they have to now not wear masks. You can see plenty of people here wearing masks. Technically, the police can come and arrest, them, they're within their rights to do that but we haven't seen much of a police presence here. This is a peaceful march. We heard from Carrie Lam herself. She was talking about how what happened on Friday night were extremely scary riots, destruction in many parts of the city, the subway stations are shut down, 161 stations are closed. We're seeing a few locals who are pretty annoyed that they can't get home, they cannot get anywhere. The city is paralyzed. You can see the destruction here, plenty of graffiti, which you would never have seen, just 18 weeks ago. So this is becoming a bit of a cycle at this point.
[Holmes:] In terms of where it's headed, you have reports of another protester shot by live fire, an off duty police officer beaten up, you have some details on that. And where is this heading?
[Hancocks:] That's right, this happened on Friday. Carrie Lam alluded to it as well. There was a undercover or plainclothes police officer who was dragged from his, car and was beaten up by some protesters. According to police there was also a petrol bomb thrown at him. And as far as they are concerned, he's fully within his rights and it was reasonable force that he decided to fire a shot. A 14-year-old boy was shot in the thigh. The hospital said he's in non-critical condition, in stable condition. But this is the second time there has been live fire and the police actually hit someone. There has been live fire in the past, the, police said they had no choice to try, to help the isolated police officers who are under attack. But this speaks to the narrative of the protesters, they believe the police are using excessive force. And this just plays into that Michael.
[Holmes:] Thank you so much, Paula Hancocks there in Hong Kong for us. Protests of different kind, in Iraq, taking another violent turn. When we come back, new clashes erupting despite calls for peace. We'll hear from a former ambassador to Iraq about the unrest.

[Blitzer:] Looking at live pictures coming in from the Biden campaign headquarters in Las Vegas. We anticipate that the former vice president will be speaking there shortly. We'll have coverage of that, of course. Dana, it's interesting. They're in Nevada, Las Vegas. There have been some ties, and they break those ties Vegas style.
[Bash:] They sure do. Look, there's so many quirks in any caucus. But in the question has been, how do you break a tie. In Iowa they flipped a coin, and there were lots of viral pictures about that. This is so fascinating how they do it. They do it Vegas style, but it's not just that. They leave nothing to chance forgive me. But they have very specific instructions. Each if there was a tie, each precinct has to shuffle the deck. They each get a deck of cards seven times. And then after that is done, they pull the cards. So look at this. This actually happened in Reno. First of all, the headline here is the jack of hearts, that's Elizabeth Warren. She won. So this is Elizabeth Warren right there. And then the four of clubs, that was Bernie Sanders. He came in second. Excuse me, I'm having trouble with the stylus here. And then Pete Buttigieg, he came in at third. I'm going to go back to you, Wolf, because I think Joe Biden is coming up.
[Blitzer:] Yes. He's speaking now in Las Vegas. Let's listen in.
[Joe Biden  Presidential Candidate:] Hello, hello, hello, hello!
[Biden:] Thank you, thank you, thank you. Well, y'all y'all did it for me. Now we're going on to South Carolina and win and then we're going to take this back. I'll thank everyone that caucused for us, but I particularly want to thank the precinct captains, all of our volunteers that are here, all the people who made all of those phone calls. By the way, I plan on coming back to win this state outright. Look, you know, I couldn't have done it without I want to start off, I've got to recognize a few of the congresspersons here. You know, Dina Titus has been incredible, incredible. There's a guy named Horsford. You ever hear of him? That man can campaign, man. He can campaign. I know, I see him right there. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? And also, you know, there are fellow named Cardenas from that little state called California's young Where is he? And Phil Velve. Phil, thank you. Thank you for coming from Texas. Right there. And Hilda DeLace. Where's Hilda? She was just there. Maybe she's coming back here. Okay. And so, so, so many of you, you know, I tell you what, man.
[Unidentified Male:] The comeback kid.
[Biden:] Well, you're sending me back. And I want to tell you something. And we're in labor's house. The IBEW stepped up in a big, big, big, big, big, big way as did a bunch of you. Look, we've got some of the best union support, I think better than anybody in the whole [APPLAUSE] But look, I heard there are some guys called firefighters around here, you know. To you, iron workers. [APPLAUSE] And by the way, I heard that we probably did awful well with [inaudible] workers. [APPLAUSE] Look, you know, I know we don't have the final results yet, but I feel really good. You put me in a position. You know the press is ready to declare people dead quickly. But we're alive and we're coming back and we're going to win. [APPLAUSE] By the way, I want to thank I want to thank all the folks at 226. You know, they've been incredible to me. They've been incredible the way they've treated me and I want to tell you that, you know, the choices that they had to make were ones that made a big difference. Look, I want to get right to the point here. I think we're in a position now to move on in a way that we haven't been until this moment. I think we're going to go [APPLAUSE] We're going to win. We're going to win in South Carolina. [APPLAUSE] And then Super Tuesday and we are on our way. Look, we're here in an IBEW Hall and I want to tell you, they stepped up in a moment like at the just incredible right moment. And when that the ironworkers, firefighters, teachers, culinary, the ATU, and so many others, I've said a hundred times. You're the reason why I'm in this. You're the ones who built the middle class. You're the ones who brought us back. By the way, this time when we rebuild the middle class, we've got to bring everybody along everybody along black, brown, women, men, straight across the board.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] All right, we're going to continue to listen to the former Vice President Joe Biden. Dana, he sounds pretty upbeat right now. The numbers that are coming in, 10 percent of the popular vote shows him in second place behind Bernie Sanders, but he is clearly upbeat about what's going on.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] It's all relative, Wolf. He is doing much better here than he did in the first two contest states. To be fair that's not saying much, but you know what? The fact that he is just looking back at the board there's only four percent reporting at almost 20 percent very, very far behind.
[Blitzer:] Those are the county delegates.
[Bash:] The county delegates which is what matters when it comes to the numbers, very, very far behind Bernie Sanders, but still, he is in the game and in the hunt to at least get, you know, potentially a couple of delegates. I mean, we'll see how that goes. But just in terms of narrative setting, like what Amy Klobuchar, his campaign learned, get out, get out early, you know, sound positive, sound upbeat, because that only helps with fundraising and everything else that comes along with what they need to be able to compete in the future.
[John King, Cnn Chief National Correspondent:] Fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire, so second in Nevada does taste good.
[Blitzer:] If he winds up
[King:] If those numbers hold up. If those numbers hold up, people will look at the margins. People will debate it. People will say you're the former Vice President, through the first three contests you don't have a win, but, the emphasis on the but here to Dana's point about being relative. The former vice president said himself, twice in the first minute or two, he said, now, we're going to go into South Carolina and win. He has to win in South Carolina. You cannot be a former vice president. You cannot be Barack Obama's Vice President, the most popular Democrat in the country, Barack Obama for eight years and continue to underperform. But he gets a shot here, again, this race, Bernie Sanders has the early momentum in this race. Below that it's who knows. We don't know about Bloomberg yet, who is not on the ballot next week. Joe Biden has one more week before Michael Bloomberg is on the ballot with all of that money. And so Joe Biden needs a win to springboard him into Super Tuesday to get moderates who might be watching all those Bloomberg ads and saying he's got the checkbook. Joe Biden has been stumbling. Do I want to switch? We've seen a number of Members of Congress move over to Bloomberg. We've seen a bunch of other people in the States, former mayors and current mayors that like moved over to Bloomberg. Joe Biden has to stop that. The way to stop that is to perform. Second is not great, but second beats fifth. Now, he has to go to South Carolina and win.
[Blitzer:] What about Pete Buttigieg?
[Bash:] Well, this is going to be really interesting because one of the big raps on Pete Buttigieg is that yes, he does really well in really white states. Well, Nevada is not a really white state. It is a more diverse state and he is keeping up. I mean, he's a distant third from Bernie Sanders, but he's not that far away from Joe Biden whose calling card has been the ability to get black support, to get Latino support. It's very early, again, when you look at the county delegates only four percent in, but at that early number, Buttigieg is, you know, in and around and among those who haven't had that reputation not doing well in diverse states.
[Blitzer:] Pretty soon, John, you and I will be at the magic wall seeing where these numbers are coming in from. There's a lot to assess. Much more of our special coverage coming up. We're waiting for some more numbers from Nevada. We'll be right back.

[Keilar:] Breaking news that we are following today, the World Health Organization has temporarily halted studying the Trump-touted drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for coronavirus, citing safety concerns. Officials made the decision after new findings linked it to a higher risk of death in seriously ill coronavirus patients. Dr. Peter Hotez is the dean of the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor University, and he's an acclaimed vaccine researcher. Doctor, this is the same drug the president claimed he was taking for preventative measures for two weeks, which he wrapped up last week. But scientists from across the globe are saying that it's too dangerous to even continue in clinical trials with. How significant is that?
[Peter Hotez, Professor And Dean Of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College Of Medicine:] Yes, a lot of this came out of a publication last week in "The Lancet," a group led by a cardiologist that the Brigham and Women's Hospital and the cardiovascular group there. And it was a massive study of over 96,000 patients and multinational registries, two-thirds of them were from North America. And of those 96,000 patients, it showed about a third of those were either randomized to either hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin. And the results were pretty were not subtle, they were pretty clear that those patients who received any one those arms, had a significantly higher increased of risk of dying in the hospital, increased mortality as well as a very serious type of arrhythmia known
[Keilar:] Unethical to continue, I think that really encapsulates what is going on here. Doctor, we're also learning that Oxford University's vaccine trial only has a 50 percent chance of success, according to scientists. And that's because the number of people with the virus in the United Kingdom is actually falling too quickly, right? You need to have people try a vaccine, and then they need to be subject to it to see if they get it or not. So the lead researcher here was quoted saying, we're in the bizarre position of wanting COVID to stay.
[Hotez:] Yes. Adrian Hill is a longstanding colleague and friend and associate, we've known each other for years. He made that statement. I didn't quite understand it because it was referring to the fact that there may be decreased transmission by the time the vaccine is ready to test in the U.K. But who cares? This is a vaccine that's been licensed to AstraZeneca, it's one of the major vaccines going into Operation Warp Speed I hate the name, but there it is, Operation Warp Speed in the United States, it's probably going to be tested elsewhere internationally, maybe Brazil or elsewhere. So whether or not there's transmission going on in the U.K. should not really matter. So unless he was referring to something else, I would assume that the trials are going to go forward. We we had one result in nonhuman primates that with mixed results in terms of nonhuman primates, but it's moving forward in people. And we should be able to get a pretty good sense, over the coming year and a half, whether the vaccine's working and whether it's safe.
[Keilar:] Yes, we are constantly looking for these bright spots, aren't we? But this is a long road ahead of us. Dr. Hotez, thank you so much for joining us.
[Hotez:] Thanks.
[Keilar:] There are clusters that are breaking out across the U.S., including at a Great Clips store as well as a private school. Plus, the White House has issued new travel restrictions on Brazil, as cases in that country surge to the second-highest total in the world. CNN is on the ground as a war of words erupts between Brazil's president and the mayor of a town that has been forced to dig mass graves.

[Holmes:] Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. The headlines for you now. U.S. President Donald Trump drawing rebukes from both parties after he suggested the November election might need to be delayed, repainting a baseless claim that mail-in ballots would mean inaccurate or fraudulent results. This is not true. The American president has no authority either to delay an election. The pandemic has triggered America's deepest economic contraction on record. The U.S. economy shrinking at an annualized rate of nearly 33 percent between April and June. It comes as first time unemployment claims went up for the second week in a row. CNN's Eleni Giokos joins me now from Johannesburg to talk about all of this. I mean when you listen to the President today, last week, whenever he talks up the economy. He says the third quarter is going to be great, fourth even better, next year boom. And then look at this. What do you make of it?
[Eleni Giokos, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, I mean exactly. And it's been sustained. We had Larry Kudlow also saying that he's expecting second half GDP growth to spike to 20 percent. I mean look we are hopeful that we'll see a really good economic recovery in the next few months. And you also got to remember that the economic data that is playing out on a weekly basis is going to be really important. It is a barometer of what's to come. So yes, second quarter GDP numbers really disappointed in the sense that it's the worst number that we've ever seen historically. It is not comparable to anything we've seen before in previous crises. And this is what makes it really scary. That it was anticipated because it was the depth of the pandemic, the depth of the lockdown. It really shows the catastrophe that we saw in terms of consumer demand destruction. And remember, when you are asking the lifeblood of your economy to stay home and not spend, 70 percent of what accounts for U.S. GDP is the consumer. This is the result.
[Giokos:] Now, you mentioned unemployment insurance claims that are coming through and those initial claims numbers are really important. They spiked up for two weeks in a row. Now, we see an incremental increase there but we had a really good steady decline for on 15 weeks. And that created hope. Now that hope seems to have dissipated and now the question is what is to come. It is also directly correlated, Michael, to the fact that we've seen coronavirus cases increasing across the United States. That is a concern and that, of course, could threaten the state of the U.S. economy.
[Holmes:] It's been interesting having a look at the markets. I mean, Japan gets an increase in coronavirus cases and markets go down.
[Giokos:] Yes.
[Holmes:] The Dow in the U.S. seems to be doing its own thing. I mean, the Dow can be boosted by just a few stocks doing well. Tech stocks have done doing well. What are you seeing in terms of earnings because to the average, you know, onlooker, it is a parallel universe?
[Giokos:] It absolutely is. And I just want to remind you of the global financial crisis of 2008. We saw huge stimulus and all the money basically flowed through financial markets. And that is why we saw a big boost in equity prices. Right now, we're seeing money flowing to the consumer. But any kind of stimulus really is good news for markets. They always look forward and price in future earnings and future recovery,. And basically what the market is telling us is that they are hopeful of a really strong economic recovery. You mentioned Japan. Any country where you're starting to see an increase in coronavirus cases is directly correlated to the fact that whether they can reopen and start getting back to economic activity. But tech stocks we know have been the favorites. And earnings always bring everyone back down to earth because it's a really good barometer of what the real numbers are. Its valuations are really just too high. Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet, Apple all beating expectations. Apple
[Holmes:] Yes, absolutely. Eleni Giokos, thanks you so much. Good to see you there in Joburg for us. Beefeaters or yeoman warders are ceremonial guards at the Tower of London. Perhaps you've seen them on a visit there. And for the first time in their more than 500-year history, they're facing layoffs, thanks to the coronavirus. Visitors, of course, are staying away from the tower, which is one of Britain's biggest tourist destinations. CNN's Scott McLean tells us what is on the line.
[Scott Mclean, Cnn Correspondent:] Standing tall for almost a thousand years, the Tower of London is one of the most secure places in Britain. It houses the crown jewels and the Yeoman Warders who guard them, one of the country's more secure jobs, until now. This time, last summer, how many people would be here?
[Andrew Jackson, Governor, Tower Of London:] So on a busy summer's day, we would have upwards of 10,000 people here. And it is not unusual to see 13,000 14,000 and on Sundays 15,000 people.
[Mclean:] While the legend has it that the British crown and kingdom depends on six ravens remaining inside the Tower grounds, the Tower's finances rely almost entirely on donations and ticket sales. A steep, sudden drop-off in tourists have left a COVID-sized 98- million-pound hole in the budget. Staff, including the ceremonial Beefeaters, have been asked to take voluntary severance package. Hours have already been cut 20 percent. And this fall, the axe will come down on more than one-third of the payroll.
[Jackson:] It's really bad news. But we've got no other thing that we can do.
[Mclean:] The plight of the Beefeaters and their civilian colleagues is the latest and most British example of just how far-reaching the damage of COVID-19 has been to the economy. Almost 10 million people have been furloughed. Many others are simply out of work. Not a single Beefeater has been laid off in 500 years. If their jobs aren't safe, it seems no one's is. You saved for a rainy day. This is a lot more than that.
[Jackson:] Nobody anticipated the scale of the crisis. Either in our industry or anywhere else.
[Mclean:] The Tower of London brings in more than 100 million pounds each year. This year, it expects only 12. The British government has guaranteed a 26-million-pound bank loan, but the Tower may not make enough money to repay it in the two years when it is due. One Tower employee told CNN, there is a feeling of fear amongst the staff that hasn't been felt before. That is understandable, considering that behind each of these doors is a family home. All of the Beefeaters live here on site, and for them losing their job would also mean losing their house. The government says it is already subsidizing wages for furloughed employees but that money dries up this fall. With global tourism not expected to fully recover until 2024, the only thing that might save jobs at the most fortified building on the Thames is a sudden invasion of tourists. Scott McLean, CNN London.
[Holmes:] Parts of western Europe are looking at the hottest temperatures of the year so far mostly Spain, France and southern regions of the U.K. The highs will be anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees above normal. The region has endured longer than usual heat waves in recent years. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now with more on this. Good to see you, my friend.
[Derek Van Dam, Ams Meteorologist:] Hey, Michael, good to see you as well. This is what happens when you combine extremely high temperatures for several weeks on end and then the extremely dry conditions. You get forest fires and wildfires and that's what they are battling here across northwestern sections of Spain. Look at this dramatic photo of that firefighter just trying to contain some of the blazes there. This is on the stretch of some of the hottest weather of the year, so far. For Madrid, you can see temperatures there in the upper 30s to near 40 degrees for the afternoon. This is temperatures yesterday. We're talking about Thursday and there's the 10 to 15 degrees Celsius above average. It's not just Madrid or the Iberian Peninsula but it stretches into Belgium, as well as parts of the Netherlands, into France and even portions of the U.K. This is going to continue at least for the next 36 to 48 hours, depending on where you are located. But there is some relief in sight. I'll show you that in just one second. Here's the forecast daytime highs. The highest ones we could see today, at least. Paris, France 39 degrees. Your average temperature for this time of year, 24. That is incredible amounts of heat. So lots of red on this map. But as I mentioned, it is going to cool down. And we want to see those reds replaced with the greens and the yellows because that indicates the milder temperatures. It will be slightly cooler weather. And that is what we get to enjoy, as we head into the end of the weekend and the early parts of next week. So just be patient, one more day of extreme heat for Paris. But you can see how the seven-day forecast dramatically cools things off. We see the mercury in the thermometer start to go downhill, right where we need it because it has just been oppressive for the fast few days. And London is more of the same as well. You can see a dramatic cooldown from Friday, Saturday, into Sunday. And of course, when you get these warm temperatures, it doesn't take much to spark off a few stronger thunderstorms. Heads' up across the Ukraine and into a western Russia, chance of isolated, large hail and damaging winds tonight. Michael, back to you.
[Holmes:] All right. Good to see you, Derek. Appreciate that. Derek Van Dam there.
[Van Dam:] Thank you.
[Holmes:] And we shall take a short break here on the program. When we come back, Thailand claims it's virtually kicked out the coronavirus. But some experts say, they are not so sure. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

[Lynda Kinkade, Cnn:] Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta. We are following two major stories this hour. It's day two of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump. And he currently right now is in Davos. He is touting the U.S. economic achievements and the new trade deals. And of course, blasting the impeachment trial before he leaves Switzerland. Plus our Max Foster has an exclusive interview with the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles. We're going to bring you that interview shortly. Well we are just hours away from the opening arguments in President Trump's impeachment trial. It will follow a fiery debate that went on into the early morning hours. Now the rules of the trial are set after Democrats failed in their repeated attempts to be allowed to subpoena witnesses and documents. House managers and the President's lawyers are facing a deadline to file new motions. A few hours ago before leaving Davos, President Trump weighed in on the impeachment fight. Take a listen to what he had to say.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] This is the way I look at it. It's a total hoax. It's a disgrace. They talked about their tremendous case and it's all done their tremendous case. They had no case. It's all a hoax. It's a con job like Schiff. He's a corrupt politician. Now I'll leave that to the Senate. The Senate is going to have to answer that. I have great respect for the Senate as a body and many of the individuals. I have great respect. So I'll leave that to the Senate.
[Kinkade:] Our White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond is in Davos for us now. Also U.S. Congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly is in Capitol Hill. Good to have you both with us. Let's start with you, Jeremy, because that was indeed a pretty long and rambling press conference from U.S. President Trump. And he was asked, obviously, a lot about the impeachment trial and whether witnesses should be called. What did he say?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, well, you heard the President there at the end there saying that will be up to the Senate. And that is what the President was saying today. Of course, we've heard him give a million different answers on this very same topic. Suggesting on the one hand that he would like to see witness, particularly the whistleblower, to see Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden appear on the floor of the Senate. And of course, the President's own lawyers are arguing against having witnesses come forward. Any witnesses at all. So that is kind of how the President spun it today. He was a little more specific when it came to his former national security adviser John Bolton, who, of course, Senate Democrats are trying to get to come forward as a witness in this trial. It's unclear as of now if enough Republicans will join them once these initial arguments are made in order to bring John Bolton forward. But the President said that basically it's an issue of national security, a question of executive privilege. Arguments that we've heard him use before. But at the same time, we also heard the President say today that part of the reason he doesn't want him to come forward is because they didn't exactly end their relationship on great terms. Meaning that John Bolton when he left the White House fired, according to the President, resigned according to John Bolton, that they didn't leave on good terms. And so, the President seems to be concerned perhaps that if John Bolton comes forward, he'll have an axe to grind against the President.
[Kinkade:] Exactly, that would be interesting to hear from him if he does indeed come forward. If you just stand by for us, I will come back to you. I want to go to Phil Mattingly. Because it certainly was a long day yesterday, day one of this trial. Finishing close to 2:00 a.m., next hour, the trial resumes. What can we expect?
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn U.s. Congressional Correspondent:] So here's what you'll want to pay attention to going forward. One, everybody needs caffeine desperately at this point. Those of us who were here until 2:00 a.m. and are now already back here. So an hour ago was the deadline for any motions related to the trial to be filed by either the White House defense team or the House managers. Our expectation at this point in time is none will be filed which is good news from a process side of things. That means what we're going to see when the Senate trial gavels into session at 1:00 p.m. is pretty much the immediate start to opening arguments from the House managers. Now they will have three days, 24 hours total, to present the entirety of their case against President Trump. Their case for why the President should be removed from the first for the first time in U.S. history in this, only the third impeachment trial in U.S. history. But there's one other thing you need to keep an eye on. Obviously, they will be presenting a case, much of which we've heard at various points over the last couple of months, but they have a targeted audience here. And such as the public it is a very select group of Republican Senators. Those Republican Senators, four, five, maybe six tops who those Democrats, those House managers, need to vote with them later on in the process to assure there will be subpoenas for witnesses and documents. It only takes 51 Senators to basically dictate whether or not that is going to occur. Only 47 Democrats in the U.S. Senate chamber. That means they're going to need at least four Republicans to join them. My understanding right now is for the House managers, that is their target audience. Try and get moderate Republican Senators, Senators who are on the fence with witnesses to come their way based on what they present over the course of the next three days Lynda.
[Kinkade:] A busy few days. And of course, Phil, the Chief Justice John Roberts had to admonish or admonished both sides yesterday. He certainly is going to have his work cut out over the coming days.
[Mattingly:] Yes, no question about it. And look, if you ever need a reason to tune in for the entirety of the proceedings, this happened about 12:45 a.m. this morning. I think most people were either asleep or their eyes had glazed over. What was occurring on the floor is a pretty intense back and forth between House Democratic manager jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York, and the President's lawyers who were going back and forth really kind of accusing one another of lying, making pretty sharp accusations as to the intentions of the other. And at one point, John Roberts, the Chief Justice who is presiding over the entirety of this trial stepped in and said, look, you guys need to I'm quoting here remember, you're in front of the world's greatest deliberative body which the United States Senate is often called. And essentially told them, tone it down a little bit. Understand where you are. Now it's worth noting, the Chief Justice has an enormous amount of power in this Senate trial, if he wants to use it. But the expectation is, not unlike what we saw in Bill Clinton's trial in 1999 with Chief Justice Rehnquist, he's going to be passive. He'll let the Senate decide kind of how this is going to go moving forward. However, last night proved that he's not afraid to step in if he feels like it's necessary. We'll see if it happens the rest of the way. But don't sleep and I don't mean to pun that. Don't sleep on the Chief Justice. He has power here and can weigh in and kind of change the dynamics of how things are going.
[Kinkade:] Well hopefully everyone gets a bit more sleep tonight. Phil Mattingly, good to have you there for us. I want to go back to Jeremy Diamond in Davos. Because as microphone off man is like it is beyond representatives from some of the world's biggest companies spoke about plans to go carbon neutral, we heard from the U.S. President Trump who seems to liken climate scientists to fortune tellers.
[Diamond:] Yes, and he did worse than that, frankly, in his speech yesterday. He compared them to doomsayers, suggesting these are people, climate activists, scientists who back climate change, who are people who are essentially predicting Armageddon from one decade to the next. Of course, the science behind climate change and the climate crisis is overwhelming. There's an overwhelming scientific consensus behind that, but the President made quite clear during his trip to Davos, he was not on the same page. That is despite the fact, of course, that the World Economic Forum this year was focused on that climate crisis. Now the President was asked today whether or not he thinks the United States needs to do more, particularly after the President has pulled out of the Paris Climate Accords, after many of his administration's policies have essentially rolled back a lot of the progress made towards countering climate change. Here's what he said.
[Trump:] We have to do something about other continents. We have to do something about other countries. When we're clean and beautiful and everything is good but you have another continent where the fumes are rising at levels that you can't believe. I mean, I think Greta ought to focus on those places.
[Diamond:] And you hear the President there mentioning that teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. The President clearly hasn't let go of that spat. You know that the President, of course, had referred to her anger management problems in the past, talking about the teenage climate activist. The President raised that again today. He also raised the fact she had beat him out for "Time's" person of the year. It seems the President is still holding a grudge there.
[Kinkade:] Yes, no surprise there. Jeremy Diamond for us in Davos, Switzerland. Phil Mattingly on Capitol Hill. Good to have you both with us, thank you. Well, also in Davos today is Britain's Prince Charles. Climate change and the environment as we just heard is topping the agenda for many, including the Prince of Wales. And in his keynote speech, the heir to the British throne stressed the urgency of battling global warming and saving the environment. Well just moments ago, Prince Charles sat down with our Max Foster for a CNN exclusive interview. And Max joins us from Davos with more on that. Max, great interview that you managed to get there. Prince Charles is, of course, the heir to the British throne and so much focus these past few weeks has been on his son Harry and wife Meghan. What did he speak to you about?
[Max Foster, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, he spoke to me on one topic. That was the only topic he was willing to speak about. It wasn't the case that the palace say can't speak about this toing, that topic. They just want to talk about this crucial topic for him. And it's the only interview he's doing this year, and climate is the big debate, obviously, here at Davos this year. So I think it really shows how much he cares about the issue that he chose to do his one interview on this topic. Interesting as well, just before the interview, we went with him to go and meet Greta Thunberg. Two icons really of the climate movement and in very different generations. So I started off asking him about that.
[Foster:] There is a fascinating moment to see you there next to Greta. Two icons of the climate campaign really for very different generations. What do you make of her and her contribution to the debate?
[Prince Charles, Prince Of Wales, United Kingdom:] She's remarkable. She represents one of the main reasons why I've been trying to make all this effort all these years. Because as I said, I didn't want my grandchildren to accuse me of not doing something about this in time. And of course, there they are, all her generation, almost my grandchildren, all desperate because not nearly enough has happened. We've left it so late. So I've always worried about the fact that so often, in terms of humanity, we leave everything too late. So you have to hit a brick wall and experience a catastrophe before anything happens. But this time, of course with this this kind of disaster we've engineered, it takes a huge amount to turn the whole thing back to how it should be, to restore the balance.
[Foster:] It's interesting to hear your positivity around the Paris Climate Accord. A lot of people are being very negative about whether or not it's achievable at all. Just explain to me why you think it is achievable.
[Prince Charles:] Really because I think partly we've suddenly noticed a 35 years ago, when I first started trying to encourage corporate and social environmental responsibility and I had endless workshops, conferences, gatherings, seminars, dinners, you name it, to try and encourage the private sector and executives to take on these issues seriously. We could never get the capital markets or the financial services sector to take it seriously. But in the last two or three years, as I was saying just now, there's been this extraordinary change where suddenly there's a huge amount of more investment, I mean vast amounts, wanting to find sustainable investments to put their money into the right things. And of course, at the moment, there aren't enough sustainable projects that have been worked out. So how do they work out the investment model that's needed. For instance, for nature-based solutions which is one way of trying to tackle this and the other ways, all the different technologies, there's carbon capture. There's an amazing range of remarkable ideas and techniques which are there but undercapitalized. And it's an immense challenge. I've just been to a gathering we had where the former Secretary of State John Kerry was describing just how I know the barriers and challenges are vast, but there is a real opportunity now to link the investors with the projects. And I know just from the case of the Commonwealth, there's such vast challenges there with deforestation and fisheries and agriculture. What we could do is transform a lot of this, particularly with by putting the secular bioeconomy at the center of all of this. And the bioeconomy is now even more possible in terms of the returns you can make, the difference you can make to people and their environment. The use of wood and what they can now do. The forestry sector, in terms of wood-based products being used for alternatives of plastics, chemicals, aviation fuels, biofuels, everything and building materials with immense strength. All this provides a real incentive to do the right thing. To put trees again where they're needed in order to capture carbon but also to help fuel an economy that centers around nature's own services. The ecosystem services we depend on.
[Foster:] You talked about how the reason you're doing this is for the children, for the grandchildren, for your grandchildren. What vision do you see for the likes of Prince George, if something isn't done now?
[Prince Charles:] Well, I mean, it's not very encouraging, is it? If you look at what's happening at the moment. We can't go on like this with every month another record in temperatures being broken, one warmer and warmer and warmer. Last year was the hottest ever. And we're already seeing a winter where it's even warmer. So if we leave it too long and we have done, just growing things is going to become difficult. I mean, even in many of these forest areas, in other parts of the world, if you deforest below a certain percentage, you end up with breaking the hydrological cycle and then you can't plant anything because there's no water to, you know, to keep the system going. So we only have a very short window. And this is why it's so absolutely critical, I feel, and with the help of the World Economic Forum, why we're trying to bring as many of these investors together with as many of the companies and sectors as possible. And try to do this each month from now on in order to try and see if we can create the right framework and the right response to make possible for your children and my grandchildren to have a decent, reasonable future.
[Foster:] Your Royal Highness, thank you very much. So there you are. That's the interview. That's the sort of message he wants to get out to the world when his family has been so high profile recently. No word at all on the Sussexes from here. This was all about a look into the future. Looking to Archie perhaps, talking about the grandchildren. What sort of world they're going to be living in Lynda.
[Kinkade:] Absolutely, very important cause. Max Foster for us in Davos, Switzerland. Thanks so much for bringing us that interview. Well still ahead increasing concern about the rapid spread of a SARS- like virus first detected in China. We'll have a report from the epicenter of the outbreak when we return. Also, the livid response from Saudi Arabia after the Crown Prince is accused of a high-profile phone hack on Amazon's billionaire founder.

[Holmes:] Now see these packed beaches in Belgium, looking like a normal summer day, not a day in the middle of a deadly pandemic. But a government spokesperson says the coronavirus cases in the country have increased by 91 percent in the last few days. Hospitalizations rising, too. You look at that and you go, well. Belgium's prime minister is now mandating face masks in outdoor markets and busy shopping areas. There are similar patterns happening in the United Kingdom. New coronavirus infections there have jumped to 4,900 a day, compared to 2,000 at the end of June. But that has not stopped thousands of people from filling parks and public spaces, during what has been a mini heat wave. Their joy may be short lived. Britain's prime minister says he is going to stop easing lockdown restrictions for the next two weeks.
[Boris Johnson, U.k. Prime Minister:] Our plan to reopen the society and the economy is conditional, that it relies on continued progress against the virus and we would not hesitate to put the brakes on if required. With those numbers creeping up, our assessment is that we should now squeeze that brake pedal, squeeze that brake pedal, in order to keep the virus under control.
[Holmes:] According to Johns Hopkins University, the United Kingdom is facing the highest case fatality ratio among the 20 countries most currently affected by the coronavirus. In other words, the percentage of people who die among the confirmed cases, it stands at just over 15 percent, followed by Mexico, Ecuador and Iran. By this measure, the United States ranks 13th globally at 3.4 percent. Speaking of Mexico, they just passed the U.K.'s coronavirus death toll, with more than 46,000 deaths. Mexico now has the third highest death toll in the world. There are a number of reasons why the virus is killing more people there. Matt Rivers explains.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] Maria Isabel Cruz Hernandez was struggling to breathe back in May when her son first called the ambulance. We watched the 72 year old diabetic get wheeled out and brought to the hospital. And a week later, she would become one of the more than 46,000 Mexicans that have died from COVID-19. It is a staggering death toll, that is now third highest in the world behind only the U.S. and Brazil. And compared to the rest of the world, Mexico's mortality rate, the percentage of people who contracted COVID and died, is nearly triple the global average. Asked to explain that, Mexican health officials consistently point to one thing: chronic diseases are the fundamental reason why COVID-19 is more intense in Mexico, says the deputy health minister. The government says nearly three-quarters of those of who have died of the virus in Mexico have had a pre-existing condition.
[Dr. Vanessa Fuchs Tarlovsky, Nutrition And Dietetics Specialist:] The reality that we are seeing in Mexico, it's because Mexican population has a lot of problems with obesity, with diabetes, with hypertension.
[Rivers:] But COVID-19's lethality here can't be explained only by chronic illness. This chart shows countries with similar rates of diabetes. Mexico's mortality rate is the highest by far. And among countries with similarly sized populations, Mexico's death toll soars above the rest. By focusing on the impact of chronic disease, critics say the government is conveniently shifting blame away from another key factor: its own inaction.
[Dr. Francisco Moreno Sanchez, Abc Medical Center:] This is just bad government.
[Rivers:] Dr. Francisco Moreno Sanchez runs the COVID response unit at a private Mexico City hospital and says the government simply was not ready for the pandemic. He argues that a lack of quality care across Mexico's sprawling government run public health system has resulted in many lives lost, be it from a lack of supplies or a lack of properly trained staff.
[Sanchez:] This is a very complicated machine. We need very good care intensive care doctors to take care of the patients.
[Rivers:] And that blame, he says, lies squarely at the feet of the government that, in some cases, still isn't taking the right steps to mitigate this crisis, a government led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who recently said this when asked why he doesn't wear a mask. He says, "If it would help others, I would do it. But it is not scientifically proven." So that is the leader of more than 120 million Mexicans, saying masks do not work, which is just fundamentally false. The government constantly defends its response to the coronavirus, saying there is adequate care in public hospitals like this one. But whether you believe that or not, the numbers don't lie. Mexico's death toll is among the highest in the world and it just keeps getting worse Matt Rivers, CNN, Tijuana, Mexico.
[Holmes:] We will take a quick break, when we come back, Americans have just lost their extra federal jobless benefits. Those who were out of work, what now? We will have a look at the state of the stimulus negotiations and the economy. Stay with us, we will be right back.

[Sciutto:] We're down to the wire on stimulus and Republican senators are divided among themselves over key pieces of their leadership's stimulus proposal. One piece some GOP lawmakers are blasting is the inclusion of $1.75 billion in new funding for a new FBI building. Something that no one in the Republican caucus seems to have asked for, came from the White House. The bill also calls for a $400 cut to the weekly enhanced unemployment benefits, which ends just on Friday. I'm joined now by Richard Trumka. He's the president of the AFL-CIO. He represents some 12.5 million American workers. Mr. Trumka, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.
[Richard Trumka, President, Afl-cio:] Jim, thanks for having me on.
[Sciutto:] Let's start with stimulus. You've called for Congress to pass the HEROES Act, this is the Democrats' proposal, $3 trillion in additional funding, including extending that $600 enhanced unemployment benefit. Senate Republicans, but even Steny Hoyer of the Democrats yesterday had said that benefit could be a disincentive to work for some people. And I wonder, you represent 12.5 million working Americans. Have you see any evidence from your membership that that enhanced benefit is keeping people from going back to taking paying jobs?
[Trumka:] Not a bit. Look, Jim, there are 14.5 million people, well less jobs than there are people out of work. So if people want to get back to work, they couldn't find jobs anyway. That $600 is actually keeping the economy going right now. Our economy is 72 percent driven by consumer spending. And when this expires, 35 million people are going to have $600 a week less to spend. Can you imagine the shock that is going to go through our economy? The Republican bill totally fails to recognize the magnitude of the crisis and it directs money to people who don't need it and takes money away from people who do need it. That $600 a week is what's keeping the economy going right now.
[Sciutto:] Let's talk about another issue, and that is the health standard for returning to work in the midst of a pandemic. You say the fact that there is still no national standard of care is shameful. And I wonder, is it your view that some businesses, but the president in effect by pushing to reopen the economy now, that he's pressuring workers to return to jobs the job in unsafe conditions?
[Trumka:] Oh, there's no question about it. Look what the president did in meat packing, he ordered them back to work knowing that there was they were going to get infected with no health and safety plan required. No PPE required. Look, what he did and what the Republicans do in this bill is they don't give a standard. That means essential workers are going to continue to get infected and continue to die. Nurses, doctors, hospital, police officers, firefighters, grocery workers, transit workers are going to continue to die. And then, on the other hand, Jim, they have a portion of that bill that would isolate a corporation or any of the employers from being sued. So it disincents them from doing what's right and protecting workers, knowing that even if they don't, there's nothing that can happen to them. So it's the absolute wrong thing to do in a pandemic.
[Sciutto:] Do your you know there's great impatience with this country in this country to get back to normal or as close to normal as possible, and I imagine to get back to work, right? I'm sure a lot of your members don't like sitting at home, even when they're getting some support. Do you hear members say to you, listen, it's time, we know the risks, but it's time to get back to work?
[Trumka:] Look, every one of our workers want to get back to work. Every teacher out there wants to get back to the school. But our members want to do it safely, because, Jim, it does no good to send them back to work only to have them get infected and close back down. It would be worse the second time around. That's why a standard, a health standard, a pandemic health standard is so important here. And this administration refuses to do it. OSHA, the agency that's charged with protecting the workers out there, has been AWOL throughout this whole pandemic. Listen to this one statistic. There have been 6,000 complaints about the pandemic, 6,000 complaints to OSHA, and they've issued two.
[Sciutto:] Wow. Yes.
[Trumka:] Two violations since February.
[Sciutto:] Yes. I want to ask you, because I don't have to tell you, we're three months away three months and a couple of days away from the election. In 2017 you noted that President Trump got just three percentage point more from your membership than Mitt Romney, but 10 but Clinton got 10 percent fewer AFL-CIO members than Barack Obama did. And you identified this, that there was not a clear economic message from the Democratic candidate in 2016. I wonder, in 2020, is there an articulated economic message from Vice President Biden and do you believe it will be different this time from union membership?
[Trumka:] Absolutely there's a clear message. The platform that is about to come out will be the most progressive worker oriented platform any political party's ever put forward. I happen to be on the drafting committee. It takes care of workers. It takes care of the health and safety standards. It takes care of pensions. And it says that workers are the key to recovery. In any kind of recession, there has to be consumer spending. When workers get a raise, the economy does better. Everybody does better along the way. This the economy and the program that Vice President Biden and the Democratic platform are the most progressive that we have seen to date. And so we're hopeful about that. We want to make sure it gets implemented afterwards. And we don't need a bill like the one that was just presented by the Republicans that is too small and directs people money away from us, for instance on nutrition, Jim. There's no money for nutrition for kids that need nutrition.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Trumka:] But they give a tax deduction or a $2,500 or a $3,000 lunch a CEO can deduct that entire lunch.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Trumka:] This whole bill is just misdirected. It's stood on its head. What we need to do is get it directed at working people so that we can actually grow our way back out of this problem.
[Sciutto:] Richard Trumka, we appreciate you taking the time this morning and joining the broadcast.
[Trumka:] Thanks, Jim. Thanks for having me on.
[Sciutto:] And we'll be right back.

[Blitzer:] We're following all the breaking news on the congressional testimony by Hope Hicks, who was one of President Trump's closest aides. Democrats venting their frustrations tonight, after Hicks refused to answer any of their questions about her time serving in the White House. Let's bring in our analysts. And, Jamie Gangel, the president is tweeting his support for his former communications director. He said this in his tweet. He said: "So sad that the Democrats are putting wonderful Hope Hicks through hell." But, Jamie, CNN is learning that Hicks' relationship with the president has actually changed a bit. The two are speaking, obviously, a less frequently. Hicks has even failed apparently to return several of his phone calls. What does all that tell you?
[Jamie Gangel, Cnn Correspondent:] Very few people do not return the president's phone calls. This is reporting from our colleague Kaitlan Collins. What we don't know here is, is this a personal dynamic? Did she just want to distance herself from him? Or is it a legal strategy? Were her lawyers telling her not to be in touch with him so much? But there is no question that this is someone Trump cared about. A lot of people have left the White House, but, when she left, the president was clearly very upset about it. But I think, for today, Wolf, what's important is, to the White House, she did not Hope Hicks did not answer questions the White House didn't want her to answer.
[Blitzer:] Important point. David Swerdlick, the president formally launched his 2020 campaign attempt last night with a blistering attack on Democrats and his critics. Listen to this.
[Trump:] Our radical Democrat opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice and rage. They want to destroy you, and they want to destroy our country as we know it. Not acceptable. It's not going to happen.
[Blitzer:] They want to destroy our country, as we know it. They want to destroy you. David Swerdlick, this is extremely damaging language coming from the President of the United States.
[David Swerdlick, Cnn Political Commentator:] Right. And the President, clearly, was coming out hot. You can imagine him saying things along those lines as the campaign gets rolling. But to launch his campaign in that way suggests and it sends a shot across the bow to all democratic opponents that he is going to be in their face and really bringing a very divisive, a very aggressive fight to them. I think he was saying two things at the same time there, Wolf. Both he was sort of without saying the word, socialism, laying some track for himself, where later in the speech and later in the campaign, he's going to try and paint all democrats as socialists even though the only declared socialist is Senator Sanders. And then the other thing is that it sounded like a little bit of projection there, right? He talked about hate and negativity, I think, was the word he used there, but he is the person who, in 2016, and, to an extent, last night, really, has come out with the most vitriol and the most negative campaigning at least thus far.
[Blitzer:] David Chalian, what did you think?
[David Chalian, Cnn Political Director:] Well, I agree with what David Swerdlick is saying. I think that Donald Trump showed us last night that he believes so very much so about what got him to the Oval Office, right, the immigration line of attack, the way he gets the crowd riled up. He believes these are the things that delivered him the presidency. And he's not going to deviate at all from that script going forward. He wants to repeat it.
[Blitzer:] Jamie, let me move on to this other story we're following today involving the former Vice President, Joe Biden. He's now being widely criticized after he invoked his previous work with segregationist U.S. Senators to illustrate his ability to reach across the aisle. He told donors at a fundraiser. He said this. I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland. He never called me boy. He always called me son. Well, guess what, at least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn't agree on much of anything. We got things done. How much of a misstep was this to bring this up last night?
[Jamie Gangel, Cnn Special Correspondent:] I think it was a big misstep. At the very least, it is tone deaf. But we also note this is not a story. This is not the first time he's told this story. And his staff, his advisers, have said to him, do not tell this story. This is not appropriate. We're also seeing, I think, we're up to either six or seven of his democratic rivals coming out and say that he needs to apologize, that he shouldn't be saying this. I think it speaks to another thing. What we're waiting to see with Joe Biden, we've talked about a lot is the D word, discipline. His staff told him not to tell this story, and he went out and told it again.
[Blitzer:] David Swerdlick, let me read to you what Cory Booker, one of the democratic presidential rivals, said. You don't joke about calling black men boys. Men like Senator James O. Eastland, a democrat of Mississippi, used words like that and the racist policies that accompanied them to perpetuate white supremacy and strip black Americans of our very humanity. What do you make of this controversy that has erupted today?
[Swerdlick:] Yes, well, a couple things. First, to Jamie's point, his staff should be or is telling him not to tell these stories, and while no one expects Senator Biden to be at the sort of cutting edge of a discussion about racial dynamics in this country, people, when you look at a comment like this, feel like he should really know better. And I think that's why he drew so much fire from Senator Booker and others. Look, Senator Booker, a younger African-American Senator, is a very glass half-full, can't we all just get along type of guy. So for him to come out and have these sort of sharp words for Vice President Biden suggests that Vice President Biden really sort of misstepped here. I think Cory Booker is right when he says, look, it's one thing to come out and answer that question and say, I was in the Senate with these guys. I had to work with them. It's another thing to bring up this issue of whether they called him boy or son. Calling African- American men boy has traditionally been an insult. Vice President Biden should know that. He was right to be called out.
[Blitzer:] You know, David Chalian, all this comes as the Senator majority leader, Mitch McConnell, suggests a conversation about around reparations is not necessary because no one was alive today who was responsible for slavery. What do you make of this whole debate over beginning a serious dialogue about reparations?
[Chalian:] Yes. I think Senator McConnell went further to say, Wolf, that the election of Barack Obama was somehow reparations enough, if you will, that an African-American was elected president. No mention that, of course, Mitch McConnell made it his mission to blockade everything Barack Obama tried to do and made that his stated goal. I think that Mitch McConnell is misreading the moment here where this issue is. It's obviously gotten some real currency inside the Democratic Party right now. And I think that's why you saw a hearing on this matter today. We saw a conversation around this on Capitol Hill. I don't think we've ever seen that get this kind of attention today. I think this issue is not going away so fast, especially for the democrats.
[Blitzer:] I totally agree. All right, guys, stick around. There's more news we're following. Just ahead, her rising poll numbers don't tell the full story. We're going to take a closer look at why Elizabeth Warren is now in the top tier of democratic presidential candidates.

[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] I never want to there is light at the end of the tunnel we can say between now and the summertime by putting these guidelines into practice, Wolf-
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] But why not do a national-
[Pence:] And we can put this behind us sooner.
[Blitzer:] Why not do a national stay-at-home home? Florida Governor Rhonda DeSantis says that that would carry a lot of weight in his state, where there are a lot of retirees in Florida. Why not just do that right now and get it over with for the whole country because people are moving around the country freely right now.
[Pence:] Well, actually, I've been very inspired by the way over the last 15 days, people in states that have very little outbreak of Coronavirus are still putting into practice the guidelines for America. What I can promise your viewers is we're going to continue to bring the President the best recommendations based on real-time data and science for what every state, what every community should be doing. But at the present moment, we truly do believe that the strong actions taken in places like California and Washington and New York and New Jersey are appropriate. We fully support those efforts. We're resourcing those efforts. But for every American heeding the travel advisory the President announced this weekend, making sure that people in those areas of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey refrain from travel, and if people have traveled out of those areas, check your temperature and self-monitor for 14 days if you're somewhere else in the country. All of those principles are what our scientists are telling us are the best recommendations to slow the spread, but I promise you, we're going to continue to look at every option. We'll bring the best science and the best recommendations to the President.
[Blitzer:] Should regular Americans start wearing masks or scarves or bandannas right now? We're getting a lot of confusing, conflicting advice on that.
[Pence:] Well, I can tell you that the White House Coronavirus Task Force has the CDC looking at the issue of masks as a protective measure right now. It was a number of weeks ago the CDC looking at the issue of masks as a protective measure right now. It was a number of weeks ago the CDC did issue guidance that if you have the Coronavirus, even if you're asymptomatic, one of the ways to protect others is to wear a mask. But right now, I've had them looking at the science. We'll have a recommendation for the President, but every American should know that as you go out of doors and you're taking a walk, you're getting some exercise, as long as you keep six feet distance from anyone, you practice that social distancing that we've been making clear over the last several weeks, that that will give as much protection as anything else. But we're looking at the issue of masks and we'll have on CDC's recommendation. We'll bring those recommendations to the President at the appropriate time.
[Blitzer:] And just two final questions before I let you go, Mr. Vice President. I know you're very busy, and thanks for your time. But Dr. Fauci now says there could be a second wave coming in the fall. Are we going to be is the American public going to have to be living with this throughout the rest of this year, basically, these kinds of guidelines?
[Pence:] Well, we believe that the likelihood is that, just like the flu, that the Coronavirus will likely manifest again either in the fall or in the winter of next year. The good news is, is that because the President brought together pharmaceutical companies right out of the gate, they formed a consortium we're spinning up clinical trials on a number of vaccines. We have done that already in record time. But just as promising are the therapeutics that are being developed. We think by this spring or summer, we could have therapeutics, what a layperson like me calls medicine to make you feel better, already in the marketplace. And then there's what the scientists tell us is also, once the Coronavirus has impacted the country, there will be a certain amount of immunity that is built up. And so, for a broad range of reasons, new medications, a certain degree of immunity, and the development of vaccines as well as just good practices that I think the American people are going to continue forward, we think we'll be in a much, much better place in this fall or even in the years ahead, if the Coronavirus stays with us.
[Blitzer:] And especially if there's a vaccine, but Dr. Fauci says that could be a year or a year and a half away. Hopefully, it can go more quickly.
[Pence:] Could be a year, a year the most important thing about a vaccine is, in the FDA, I think in 62 days, brought a vaccine proposal to its first clinical trial. That was a record. President Trump has been driving the FDA to move as quickly as possible. The announcement this weekend on Abbott Laboratories being approved for a 15-minute Coronavirus test is a result of the team at the FDA doing a phenomenal job. But Dr. Fauci also said yesterday that there is a permission that can be given. If we have a vaccine that is promising by the end of 2020 that we think can have an impact, there may be some ability to authorize the use of that in a shorter period of time than a year and a half. But I promise you, under President Trump's leadership, we're going to continue to make medicines that are available today available for what's called off-label use, like Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria medication. We're going to develop those therapeutics and with the best pharmaceutical companies in the world. We're doing all of that in record time. And we'll also have a vaccine for the American people for the years ahead.
[Blitzer:] Bottom line right now, Americans are watching. People all over the world are watching us right now. What's your message to the American people right now, what they should be bracing for over the next few months?
[Pence:] Our message to the American people today is there are challenging days ahead, but your future is in your hands. And the truth of the matter is the President unveiled, again, the 30 days to slow the spread. And we know over the last 15 days, tens of millions of Americans have heeded the federal guidance that we've issued. They've been listening to the state and local authorities in places where the Coronavirus outbreak has been more significant. And as you saw in those final charts yesterday that Dr. Deborah Birx put forward, other than in the greater New York City area, where we believe that city may well have had exposure to the Coronavirus earlier than other parts of the country because of the international travel and other factors, that even places like Washington and California have made real progress. We think that's a credit to the American people heeding the guidance of their local authorities and every American putting into practice the President's guidelines for America. And so, our encouragement to every American is. It's important every one of us continue to do our part to protect our health, the health of our family, to keep in our hearts, in our minds all of those that are struggling with Coronavirus, the families that have suffered loss, to be grateful for all of those like the people here at this great distribution center that are keeping food on the table around America and all of the people in law enforcement, and most especially, our health care workers. Keep them in your hearts and in your prayers. If we all of us do all that we can, we'll get through this and we'll get through this together.
[Blitzer:] We eventually will, I am sure, because we are a great country and people are working. And thanks so much to everything that you're doing. I know this past month has been extremely difficult on you, Mr. Vice President, as well. You do have an excellent team. Thank Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx and the whole team on behalf of all of the American public for what they're doing. We are grateful to them, and hopefully, we'll get through this without too many more deaths. Unfortunately, that doesn't look like the case. Good luck.
[Pence:] Thank you, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] All right, let's go back to Kate. Kate?
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn:] Wolf, thank you so much a very important interview with the Vice President a lot of things to discuss here. I really appreciate it, Wolf. And as you can see, we're after the top of the hour, everyone. Thank you so much for sticking around with us. I'm Kate Bolduan. And what we are looking at right now is a new reality in the Coronavirus pandemic. The death toll has nearly doubled over just the past three days, now reaching nearly 3,900. Moments from now, we just heard from Vice President Mike Pence. Moments from now, we're also going to hear from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo with an update on the Coronavirus response. When he begins, we will bring that to you as soon as it gets under way. It comes, of course, as President Trump is warning there's been a shift in his tone he's now warning that in the next two weeks, it could be very painful, very tough is how he put it. And we just heard something startling from Vice President Mike Pence, telling Wolf Blitzer that, in his view, Italy might be the best Coronavirus comparison for the United States. His words exactly were, "We think Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States at this point" As you've been watching this play out, that is a terrifying comparison, from what we have learned on the ground. That's also Italy is a country of 60 million people that has been completely locked down. The United States not. We're covering every angle of this for you.
[Bolduan:] Let's get to it and start in Florida, where the Governor there is resisting putting statewide Coronavirus restrictions in place. Wolf Blitzer asked. Rosa Flores is joining me now from Port Everglades in Florida. Wolf asked the Vice President about the situation in Florida. The Vice President really didn't answer when he was asked about the Governor and his decision to not do a statewide lockdown, a statewide stay-at- home order, Rosa. What is the situation there?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn National Correspondent:] You know, Democratic Leaders here, the Agriculture Commissioner, experts have been pressuring Governor Rhonda DeSantis to issue a statewide order, but instead, what he has done, he has focused on some of the hotspots. First of all, issuing a mandatory isolation period for any airline travelers coming into the State of Florida from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and later, Louisiana, and then also issuing a regional stay-at-home order. That includes Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach counties, and Monroe County as well. But Kate, a lot of the experts and the people criticizing the Governor has said that that's too little, too late, because a lot of the local governments had already issued safer at home orders. Now Governor Rhonda DeSantis has said that he's waiting for the White House, and as you mentioned, the Vice President didn't answer Wolf's question about issuing an order that is U.S.-wide, but the Governor has also said and maintained that the virus has not reached every corner of the state, and so it is not necessary. A lot of controversy, Kate, here in Florida, because the Governor is getting a lot of pressure, a lot of criticism from people in this state because he has not issued a statewide order.
[Bolduan:] Yes, the Governor there saying he's looking for the administration for direction. The administration very seemingly thinks that the Governor is doing a good job, and they're almost seemed to be looking for the Governor and what's happening on the ground there. There seems to be a complete disconnect between the Federal Government and what's happening in Florida, from what you're seeing in New York and the mitigation policies that have been had to be put in place to slow the spread, which is exactly what the administration wants. It is confounding at this point. Rosa is on the ground there. Rosa, thank you so much. So, as we obviously need to keep a close eye on Florida, there is also a big focus right now on Louisiana. The Governor there says his state could run out of ventilators in just a few days, as early as this weekend. Louisiana had 14 cases of Coronavirus three weeks ago. Now the number is at over 5,000. Let's get some perspective on this. Joining me right now, Stephen Russo, he is the Interim Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. Thank you so much for being here.
[Stephen Russo, Interim Secretary, Louisiana Department Of Health:] Pleasure to be here, Kate. Thank you.
[Bolduan:] Really appreciate it. Yesterday we learned that Louisiana is one of, I believe it was five states that reported over 1,000 new cases in 24 hours. Can you bring us up to speed on what's happened in the last 24 hours there?
[Russo:] Yes, ma'am very sobering numbers. We've showed 1,200 new cases in the greater New Orleans region, while statewide 1,212 new cases. We have had 54 new deaths. That brings our total in the greater New Orleans region up to over 3,000 cases in that region. We are showing right now a time to zero vents in that region, as you pointed out, around April 6. That is where we are going to get to a critical needing level.
[Bolduan:] April 6th. That's next week. The Governor said-
[Russo:] Yes, ma'am.
[Bolduan:] The governor said that you could run out of ventilators in the state by Saturday, hospital beds by next week. You just said this has been another day, another 24-hour period, folks, where Louisiana is seeing over 1,000 additional cases. It is really starting to roll in, in your state. What can you do about it with what you have? Sorry. Go ahead.
[Russo:] Yes, I mean, what we're looking at right now, we are sourcing vents from any possible source we can get them from. Right now we have gotten in about 450 vents. They are being immediately cleared out of the warehouse when we do it. We got 150 from the strategic national stockpile. What the case is now, is you know, making those orders, tracking them down. I think, like I said, we have 14,000 that are on order now, and just kind of waiting for them to trickle in. So, it is a very, very critical stage right now of this process.
[Bolduan:] Can I ask you also, we just heard Wolf, my colleague, Wolf Blitzer, was just interviewing the Vice President. And what the Vice President said was that right now, here's his quote "We think Italy may be the most comparable area to the United States at this point" When you hear that, knowing what happened in Italy, just your reaction.
[Russo:] Well, my reaction is, you know, we have a very proactive Governor here that is a leader. I know the Governor has said this on at least two or three occasions, that there is absolutely no reason why we will not be the next place like that, unless you know, folks heed the Governor's orders, stay indoors, use social distancing. I think his quote was, "Why don't you tell me why we won't be like that? That is the sobering facts.
[Bolduan:] I think that's a really important way of thinking of it at this point, unfortunately. You were talking about the leadership of Governor John Bell Edwards I want to put up a map. I think it's really startling when it comes to Louisiana. You might not be able to see it, but I'll describe it. It's a map that shows states, just shows the United States and it highlights which states have issued statewide stay-at-home orders and which states have not. And when you look at the map, what sticks out to me very distinctly is that Louisiana is surrounded do you see right there? Louisiana is surrounded by states that have not issued statewide orders, as Louisiana has. What do you say to Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi at this point? How big of a problem is that for Louisiana?
[Russo:] Well, Kate, this is what we've been telling people in the other regions of Louisiana is, don't wait until you start to see your numbers rise, until you start taking social distancing, taking a lockdown seriously. By the time you start to see your numbers start to rise, guess what, it's too late. It's already in your community and it's already probably going to start spreading. You need to be proactive like our Governor has been and start to take those measures now and take them seriously.
[Bolduan:] Look, what is it safe to say that what you're getting from the Federal Government is not enough? That's what I've been hearing from Governors across the country. But I've heard it day in and day out. But what's going to change that?
[Russo:] Well, I think what's going to change that is when you start to get closer and closer to this timeline, like I said, date for the end of beds is going to be around April 10th, dates to the end of vents in the New Orleans region is going to be the 6th is what our models are showing now. So, it's going to, I think, driving towards the end of those dates, and so the Federal Government can actually see that those models are correct models, and then hopefully, they're going to spring into action and get us the ventilator supplies we need.
[Bolduan:] Yes, but what we hear from doctors is when a patient needs a vent, a patient doesn't need a vent in two days. The patient needs a vent in two minutes. Stephen Russo?
[Russo:] Exactly.
[Bolduan:] Thank you so much for coming on. We'll stick close let us know what you need, let us spread the word. Thank you so much.
[Russo:] Thank you, Kate. I appreciate it.
[Bolduan:] Thank you. Still ahead for us, while major cities like New Orleans, as Stephen was just talking about, and New York have been a major focus, one rural community in Southwest Georgia is also one of the worst-hit areas in that state. I'm going to talk to a top hospital administrator on how it is coping with such a large cluster of cases, what they're doing to try to get ahead of it? We'll be back.

[Vanier:] The volatile situation in Venezuela was not calm, by remarks from top officials of the United States and Russia, Sunday.
[Allen:] The U.S. says military involvement in Venezuela is an option. It supports opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as the country's leader. Russia, which backs embattled president, Nicolas Maduro, warned the U.S. to say out of it.
[Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister, Russia:] We call on all the Americans and all those who support them to cancel irresponsible plans
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State, United States:] Sometimes, the same thing the President told the world that every country must get out including the Russians. That's what I'll tell. We don't -we don't want anyone messing around with Venezuela. We want them to be an autonomous, independent sovereign state. Democratic elected officials, this is what we desire for the Venezuelan people.
[Allen:] A prayer vigil was held in Caracas, Sunday, to honor those who have been killed in ongoing protests against President Maduro. Roman Catholic priests, in white robes, led the vigil, as some waved Venezuelan flags and shouted freedom. The U.S. is sending more ships and bombers to the Middle East as responses to what it says are troubling warnings from Iran.
[Vanier:] The U.S. National Security Adviser, John Bolton, says the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike crew and a bomber task force will be deployed. A U.S. official says that this comes after threats to U.S. land and naval forces. Bolton says the U.S. isn't seeking war with Iran but, that it's ready to respond to attacks against U.S. interests or allies. CNN Military Analyst Colonel Cedric Leighton is with us. He's a retired U.S. Air Force Officer, Former Deputy Director for Training at the NSA. How much firepower is this that the U.S. is sending to the region?
[Col. Cedric Leighton , Cnn Military Analyst:] Well, Cyril, it's at least 90 aircraft on board the USS Abraham Lincoln. That includes those six-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, which means, helicopters. Plus, the bomber task force is going to include anywhere from five to, you know, a half dozen or so, bombers, perhaps even more. It all depends on where it will be deployed and whatever support aircraft will be in that group. But it's a very large military footprint and it's designed to send a message to, in this case, to Iran.
[Vanier:] So, a very significant deployment of military assets, what did you first think when you you saw this news, that all of this is being sent over to the Middle East?
[Leighton:] Well, my first thought was, here we go again. This is something that has been very common, you know, during my military career. I spent a lot of time, you know, in the Middle East, and one of the things that we always watch for was Iranian actions and reactions to what we were doing. One of the things that we have to look out for, from a maritime perspective, is what Iran is planning to do, with the Strait of Hormuz. That is, of course, one of the biggest oil transhipment
[Vanier:] And Colonel, our source here, at CNN, told us that there were threats against U.S. Forces, be the land based or naval, across the region. How exposed are U.S. troops in this part of the world?
[Leighton:] They can be very exposed, so in the case of the navy, they have major facilities in Bahrain that's, in fact, the headquarters of the numbered fleet that's stationed in the Persian Gulf, and that said fleet, on land, we have both army and Air Force assets, as well as marine assets. These assets are concentrated in places like Qatar, and in Kuwait, and in Saudi Arabia, to a lesser extent. And so, these are the kinds of things that we're looking to protect. The forces are, in essence, potentially at risk in all of these locations. Plus, of course, we have the deployed troops in Syria and Iraq, and those are also areas of possible contention with Iran.
[Vanier:] Yes. And the Secretary of State John Bolton, in his comments to the press today, made it very clear that he they are not just trying to deter Iran, they're also trying to deter Iranian proxies across the region, which there are many.
[Leighton:] That's true. And, in fact, we're looking at entities like Hezbollah, for one, also the Iranian-sponsored militias in Iraq, those all fall under the possible
[Vanier:] All right. Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you very much. I mean, this is we found this out only a short while ago, so there's still a lot to find out about this. Thank you very much.
[Allen:] We also have a major policy reversal in Brunei. The country's sultan announces a change to a law that punishes homosexuality. We'll tell you what that change is, as well as the reasons behind it.

[Berman:] All right, breaking overnight, major news out of Hong Kong. Police have arrested nine people, including the publisher of a pro- democracy newspaper, a man that regularly criticizes Hong Kong's government and Chinese leadership. All of the individuals now charged with violating the territory's new national security law. CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is live in Hong Kong with the latest. As clear of an example as we have had yet of China exerting really authoritarian influence in Hong Kong.
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes, I mean, this was an unmistakable show of force, John, where you had more than 100 police officers raiding the newsroom of this Hong Kong Newspaper, "Apple Daily," which happens to be owned by one of the Chinese Communist Party's fiercest critics here in Hong Kong, Jimmy Li, this kind of tycoon who is just absolutely not ashamed of coming out and criticizing both the Communist Party and the leadership that's allied with it here in Hong Kong. The police say they arrested him and at least eight other people, confiscated dozens of boxes of information, on the grounds of suspicion of collusion with a foreign country, which could endanger national security, conspiracy to defraud, and other offenses. Now, this is all coming less than a month and a half after Beijing rammed through a controversial national security law on Hong Kong, which gives the Chinese authorities direct power to investigate, search, detain, prosecute people for suspected crimes, like terrorism, subversion, sedition. That was viewed as a real turning point but because Hong Kong's supposed to remain largely autonomous from mainland China for a period of about 50 years, up until the year 2047. The speed of the crackdown here, I think, has really got people surprised because the authorities have barred at least 12 opposition activists from running for elections that were scheduled in Hong Kong next month. The authorities have now postponed those legislative elections for at least a year on the pretext grounds of the coronavirus pandemic, for health and safety reasons, they say. A growing number of opposition politicians and activists are facing an array of different charges and prosecution. In the end, you've got much less tolerance now for opposition to the authorities, for freedom of assembly, for now we see freedom of press. That all adds up to an authoritarian crackdown. I've seen versions of this in other countries. The speed here is really remarkable, especially in a city where those freedoms had been protected up until really a matter of months, if not weeks ago. John.
[Berman:] And the audacity of arresting Jimmy Li in a way that everyone can see. He is so well known in Hong Kong and well known internationally. It's a statement not just there, but to the entire world. We'll wait to see how the U.S. responds. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, thank you very much. Please keep us posted throughout the morning. Up next, CNN will speak exclusively with Health Secretary Alex Azar about the U.S. pandemic response.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] All right, here we go. The Breaking News this afternoon. I'm Brooke Baldwin. You are watching CNN. Here's what we've got. The Justice Department has just rejected an appeal from former FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe who is now a CNN contributor. This is all about the recommendation to indict him after it was alleged that he made false statements to investigators. This all took place days before the 2016 presidential election. So with me, Shimon Prokupecz, our CNN Crime and Justice Reporter to put this all in perspective, and CNN Chief Legal Analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. So, first of all, what is this about?
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime And Justice Reporter:] So it's really about whether or not Andrew McCabe was truthful with the Inspector General which was investigating leaks, contact that the FBI was having with reporters. And this all stems right before the election. Andrew McCabe spoke to a "Wall Street Journal" reporter at the time, it was a "Wall Street Journal" reporter about a story they were writing that Andrew McCabe basically told the FBI and FBI agents who were investigating the Clinton Foundation to stand down, stop investigating the Clinton Foundation. Obviously Andrew McCabe, he says he felt that the time that it was important to make sure that the right information got out there, that there was accurate information, and that he did nothing wrong. And so that contact with this reporter from "The Wall Street Journal" became the subject of the Inspector General's investigation. And when they confronted him about his contact with the reporter, they say the Inspector General quote, "that he lacked candor," essentially, that's their way of saying he wasn't truthful to the Inspector General about those contacts, about his conversations with the reporter. Andrew McCabe says, "I was confused about some of the questions, the way they asked the questions." And so they investigated, the Inspector General investigated and they recommended charges. In the end, they recommended charges to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C. And now it appears that that is what's happening. So as a last ditch effort, McCabe's lawyers, his team, they went into the Department of Justice. They made an appeal. They said, "We do not believe you should charge Andrew McCabe and here is why." We are now being told the Department of Justice has rejected that last ditch effort that last appeal. And now we all expect that he will be charged for making false statements essentially to Federal investigators, the Inspector General has considered federal investigators. So that's what he's going to be charged, with making false statements. At least that's what it appears to be at this point.
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Let me just emphasize a point you started with. Andy McCabe is a CNN contributor. He is a colleague and a friend to many of us who work here. He is here recently, but I mean, people need to, you know, factor that into what they're hearing. This is an extremely unusual prosecution. Andy McCabe had the right to speak to reporters. That is beyond dispute. As Deputy Director of the FBI he had the right to speak to reporters. He also has an impeccable record as one of the most honored and successful FBI agents of his generation. Shimon did a very admirable job of explaining what went on. It's complicated.
[Baldwin:] It is complicated.
[Toobin:] I mean, it is really difficult to understand even what the lie is here the alleged lie. The alleged lie is, well, you have the right to speak to the reporters, and you spoke to the reporters. Months later, describe what was in the conversation that you already that you had every right to have, at a time when he is being interviewed about a different subject. You never have the right to lie to an Inspector General. If he lied, it's a crime. But lying to an Inspector General is very rarely prosecuted. Lying in these very esoteric circumstances where, you know, it's about this conversation and that conversation is rare. You know, it looks like he's going to be indicted. But, you know, good luck to the government proving this case.
[Prokupecz:] I mean, this is an issue for McCabe. He was the Deputy Director of the FBI This is the number two guy at the FBI at the time, and I think in his mind, he could argue, "If I want to talk to reporters, I, as the Deputy Director should be able to do so."
[Baldwin:] Should be able to do that.
[Prokupecz:] The issue I think also for the Inspector General and just in generally for the Department of Justice, and we've seen this with the Comey situations when you start talking about investigations, it's against regulation. It's not necessarily against the law, but it's against the guidelines of the Department of Justice to start confirming or not confirming investigations that are ongoing. And that's what we saw also in some of this, that they took issue with how he handled that.
[Toobin:] There's another important point to that to this context.
[Baldwin:] Yes.
[Toobin:] The President of the United States has been on a crusade to disparage and insult Andrew McCabe for literally his entire presidency. He has been saying that McCabe was corrupt. McCabe's wife ran for the State Senate in Virginia, as a Democrat before all of this happened. He has claimed the President has claimed some sort of bias. You'll recall that there was an Inspector General's investigation and McCabe was fired on the last possible day when he could be denied part of his pension. I mean, there is every bit of a sign of a vindictive crusade against McCabe and McCabe has sued in a civil lawsuit to try to get to say that his firing was unjustified. That case is pending. He may also be fighting a criminal case.
[Baldwin:] Okay. I think we've got it. Jeff Toobin, Shimon Prokupecz, it is complicated, but I appreciate both of you. The best folks to explain all of that to us. Thank you very much. Let's move to this to Washington today. The House Judiciary Committee under the leadership of Chairman Jerry Nadler voted to move forward on the impeachment process for President Trump.
[Rep. Jerrold Nadler:] This investigation will allow us to determine whether to recommend Articles of Impeachment with respect to President Trump. Some call this process an Impeachment Inquiry, some call it an Impeachment Investigation. There's no legal difference between these terms. We no longer can't argue about nomenclature. With these new procedures, we will begin next week an aggressive series of hearings, investigating allegations of corruption, obstruction and abuse of power against the President. The investigation will go well beyond the four corners of the Mueller report.
[Baldwin:] Now, not surprisingly, the final vote 24-17 went along party lines. The Ranking Republican on the committee called the whole thing, "a snooze fest."
[Rep. Doug Collins:] It doesn't go outside the Committee, this does not go to the House floor. So they're covering for their moderates who don't want to vote for impeachment, a vast majority of those who don't want anything to do with this.
[Baldwin:] And then there's this, the latest polling from Monmouth University shows that just 35 percent of voters think impeachment should be a priority right now. Even Democratic lawmakers are so divided over what the actual focus should be.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] I would like to have a chance to weigh the consequences of this. I have no illusions about what will happen in the Senate. But I want to make sure that we can make the case to the country that that this President's conduct is so incompatible with office that we had to take this step.
[Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez:] I think that it is beyond time, and we have to end this lawlessness and corruption coming out of the White House.
[Baldwin:] California Congresswoman Katie Hill is with me now. Congresswoman, a pleasure to have you back.
[Rep. Katie Hill:] Thanks for having me.
[Baldwin:] In the recent past, I know you wouldn't quite say that you outright support impeachment. Did today's vote moves the needle at all for you?
[Hill:] No, today's vote is part of a series of steps that have been taken as part of this investigation that we know we have to have. We know that democracy is under attack from both our adversaries, but also from actions that have been taken within the administration. I'm one of I'm on Oversight. I'm the Vice Chair on Oversight. So I'm one of the investigating committees. And I'm glad I hope that today clarifies that there is not an additional inquiry vote that needs to happen or an investigation vote that needs to happen. It is happening in judiciary, it's happening in these other committees. Ultimately, judiciary is going to decide whether or not to introduce Articles of Impeachment. I think that will happen probably by the end of the year.
[Baldwin:] And where are you want all of this, Congresswoman? Where are you are you in favor of or not quite there yet?
[Hill:] Well, I'm definitely in favor of these investigations, and I'm in favor of the process the way that the process is playing out. I also think more importantly, though, when Articles are introduced, each and every one of us is going to have to weigh them and make the hardest decision that we will probably ever have to make in our political careers. It's not an easy thing to decide whether to impeach the President and it shouldn't be and if anyone acts like it is, then I don't think that they're doing a service to their constituents and to our country as a whole. So each one needs to be carefully considered. It could be one Article of Impeachment, it could be dozens. We don't know yet. And that's part of why this is so important. And there probably going to be many of us who might vote yes on one or several and no on others, but the number that people need to be thinking about is 218. This will not come to the floor if 218 people are not going to vote on them. And that's just how it is.
[Baldwin:] Someone who has been very cautious in all of this is the Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This is what she said today.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] I support what is happening in the Judiciary Committee because that enables them to do their process of interrogation in their investigations.
[Question:] Is the specific language not important? I mean, how should the American people understand the work of this Committee when the members are speaking very differently about it?
[Pelosi:] The American people will understand it's not you're the only ones who are so in this. They understand that impeachment is a very divisive measure. But if we have to go there, we will have to go there. But we can't go there unless we have the facts.
[Baldwin:] But, you know, Congresswoman Hill, the reporter's point and the question, you know, what does it say that even after today's vote, Speaker Pelosi wouldn't even go there and use the "I" word and saying Impeachment Inquiry is underway? Isn't that confusing to the average American?
[Hill:] I don't think that I think we've seen so many people confused or unclear as to the definition or distinction between inquiry and investigation or procedure, because there's really not a technical distinction between them. And so we've been using them fairly interchangeably, and that's our own fault, you know, as Members of Congress to not be more clear about it. I think it shows you that there's no boss that we're reporting to, except for our own voters and our own constituents. And that it can cause a fair amount of I think, confusion, just generally speaking on language. And that's why it needs to be clear that we are in investigations that will result in a decision by the Judiciary Committee to recommend Articles to the House floor or not. You know, personally, I think that those will be those Articles will be recommended. And I think that we're in a threat to our democracy to the point that that recommendation has to be seriously considered by each and every one of us, and the ultimate decision is going to be that's going to be the legacy that we leave.
[Baldwin:] OK. Let me ask you about this letter that 145 CEOs from across the country, they've sent this letter to the Senate demanding action on gun violence. And we know that all these companies are stepping, as certain members of Congress are not. You know, Walmart, other stores are banning open carry. Do you think we're witnessing a watershed moment here in this debate? And might these, you know, leaders in the business community actually gets certain politicians to act?
[Hill:] Well, unfortunately, I think that we have seen for many, many years that corporations tend to have a bigger say with some politicians than individuals do. So, you know, the activism that has happened by Moms Demand Action, and other groups that are organizing around this issue of gun safety. If you're Members of Congress, or your Senators aren't listening, then let's put the pressure on the public companies that have to make a profit or not, and if they're losing business because of decisions that are related to gun safety, then they might have a better chance of influencing the elected officials that have been stonewalling this issue. And I hope so. And I don't see any issue with that. I think that we need to be using every tool in our toolbox to mobilize, to organize, to ensure that the message is loud and clear that the American people are not okay with the current trajectory that we're on with respect to gun violence, and we have to do something.
[Baldwin:] Congresswoman Katie Hill. Thank you very much.
[Hill:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Breaking News now on that dive boat tragedy in Southern California, the NTSB has just issued a preliminary report and a major revelation about the crew. We will have that for you coming up next. Also ahead, Israel, denying that it planted spying devices near the White House, and was Justify juiced? A new report finds the 2018 Triple Crown winner never should have been in that race. You're watching CNN, I'm Brooke Baldwin, we'll be right back.

[Keilar:] We're following breaking news here at CNN. Derek Chauvin, the officer who had his knee on the neck of George Floyd leading to George Floyd's death, has been taken into custody and charged, charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Hennepin County's attorney anticipating charges for the other three officers as well. Chauvin, if he were to be convicted of third-degree, carries a sentence up to 25 years in prison. We are, as well as you can see on the right side of your screen awaiting the president. President Trump is going to be speaking from the Rose Garden at the White House and this is about China. But this is coming amid controversial tweets of his about shooting looters. As we were watching that, we'll bring you the press conference as soon as it begins from the White House. I want to bring in retired NYPD detective, Marq Claxton. He's the director of public relations and political affairs for the Black Law Enforcement Alliance. Sir, thank you so much for being with us. I just want to continue a point that our Laura Coates made about George Floyd was not resisting arrest. He was resisting suffocation. And we've seen this over and over where at a certain point. I mean, look, trying to fight for your life is a very human instinct. And that is what we have seen, not just in George Floyd's case but in the case of Eric Garner, for instance, other black men who have been restrained and then died as a result of the tactics used by police. How do you think that plays out in this discussion legally between police and certainly, I guess, how do you think that is going to play out in this discussion about what happened?
[Marquez Claxton, Director, Black Law Enforcement Alliance:] It's going to be a huge area. Each topic of debate, whether or not in the case of Mr. Floyd was being active or reactive. And a lot of times, this comes up with issues of what we call officer created jeopardy where a police officer may engage in a course of conduct that is unlawful, illegal, violates some departmental policy. But as a result of their engagement in the conduct, the person holds the victim in a response that is a threat to their life. And then the same dynamic that goes on to create jeopardy, as you will have with this. And that is, what's the culpability, the responsibility. What actions are the victim in this case? Knows his actions, but for his actions, this wouldn't have occurred.
[Keilar:] All right, Marq, stand by for us, if you will. We're awaiting a press conference from the president at the White House. We're going to get in a quick break. And amid his tweets, essentially inciting violence in Minneapolis, we're going to hear what he said if reporters can get questions in. We'll be back in a moment.

[Burnett:] Tonight, Trump says what he means and he means what he says, except when he does not. Today, the president was asked about comments he made yesterday, suggesting he would not have used the best possible asset to spy on North Korea, Kim Jong-un's half brother. Here's what he said.
[Trump:] No, it's not what I meant. It's what I said. And that's I think it's different than maybe your interpretation.
[Burnett:] So Trump said he didn't mean what he said. So, let's be clear on what he said. Trump was asked about North Korea. And he brought up a "Wall Street Journal" report that said Kim Jong-un killed his half brother after finding out he was a CIA asset. So, here is how Trump put it.
[Trump:] I saw the information about the CIA with respect to his brother or half brother. And I would tell him that would not happen under my under my auspices. That's for sure. I wouldn't let that happen under my auspices.
[Burnett:] Kim Jong Nam would have been one of the most valuable assets with inside knowledge about the rogue hermit regime or anyone in the Kim family, a regime where any intelligence is important for the world and the United States. I mean, Kim Jong-un, remember, has put out videos showing the White House in flames. He's tested nuclear missiles which can strike the continental United States and strike as far east as Chicago. So, when President Trump brought up the report saying Kim Jong Nam was a CIA asset and said that wouldn't happen under his watch, the world took notice, including the former head of the CIA.
[John Brennan, Former Cia Director:] Well, he has no appreciation for the importance of the intelligence profession and the work that intelligence professionals do around the globe to include going out and trying to recruit individuals to provide us the insights we need to keep our country strong and safe.
[Burnett:] Words matter. When it comes to North Korea, Trump means what he says, as he said himself. Of course he did. Back in 2017 when he was threatening Kim's regime.
[Trump:] I hope that they are going to fully understand the gravity of what I said and what I said is what I mean. So, hopefully, they'll understand, Peter, exactly what I said and the meaning of those words. Those words are very, very easy to understand.
[Burnett:] Except for when they're not. So, if Trump says he said what he said but it wasn't what he meant this time, then what did he mean? OUTFRONT now, Anna Fifield, Beijing bureau chief on "The Washington Post" and the author of the new book "The Great Successor", where she broke the news about Kim Jong Nam being a CIA informant. And Bob Baer, former CIA operative. So, Bob, OK, I mean, it's pretty amazing, talking about North Korea. I say what I say, I mean what I mean. I mean what I say, I say what I mean. OK, you get it. But today, no. He doesn't. He said what he said but doesn't mean it. He was given the opportunity to clarify, so then OK, what did you mean? But he didn't. What do you make of this?
[Robert Baer, Cnn National Security Analyst:] Well, I look at it from the perspective of the Central Intelligence Agency. And this president is so volatile and it's unclear whose side he is on, whether North Korea or Washington's side. You know, it's like don't spy on North Korea. It's sort of like Roosevelt handing an order down don't spy on Japan before Pearl Harbor. I mean, it's fantastic. It's you know, he is clearly siding with the adversary and that's a message that's going down the ranks just as it's gone down the ranks of the FBI, don't spy on the Russians because you'll end up losing your job and your pension.
[Burnett:] Anna, I mean, when Kim Jong-un hears this, what does he think?
[Anna Fifield, The Washington Post:] I mean, this has to be a gift to him. I mean, there is so little human intelligence about North Korea. The CIA calls it the hardest of all the hard targets. If it's true as are the reported that Kim Jong Nam was in fact an informant for the CIA there would be a huge boon for the intelligence community in America. But I think what Kim Jong Un has been very assiduously doing is he has been studying Donald Trump very carefully. You know, the North Koreans have read "The Art of the Deal". They had read "Fire and Fury", and they read Trump's tweets. They are very adept at reading him and knowing what he wants to hear. So, we have seen this repeatedly with the kinds of words that Kim Jong-un has been saying to President Trump and now, President Trump's returning the favor.
[Burnett:] I mean, it's incredible when you say there is confusion about what side the president of the United States is on. We are talking about North Korea. I mean, Bob, this you know, there is a letter. Anna has insight on this as well because she knows so much about Kim has been studying Trump. But there was a new letter, right, that Trump brought up in all of this, you know, when he said he wouldn't do this CIA asset thing. He said it was a beautiful letter. And he got a letter on the one year anniversary of their first summit. Here is what Trump said.
[Trump:] He just wrote me a very nice letter. Unexpected. And some day you'll see what was in that letter. Some day you'll be reading about it, maybe a hundred years from now, maybe in two weeks. Who knows? But it was a very nice letter. It was a very warm, very nice letter. I appreciated it. OK?
[Burnett:] A hundred year or two weeks like the taxes, Bob. Let me ask you one thing that we are reporting now we do know when he says the letter was so important, we have a source familiar with the contents of the letter which said that the letter did not include anything of substance. No details on the deal, no details on ideas for a deal. No details on anything. Just platitudes and warmth. What does that tell you?
[Baer:] You know what it reminds me, Erin, I hate to bring up history, it reminds me of Chamberlain in Munich when he made a so-called agreement with Adolf Hitler who then invaded Poland. This is just incredible. Erin, I've got to say, this is we are bordering on treason with Russia and North Korea. And, you know, this guy really has got to be impeached and out of office now, because I'm not sure whose side he is on.
[Burnett:] Which I mean I think it's an incredible thing to say that somebody would not be sure of that. Anna, when it comes to the letter, he says, oh, it's beautiful and so important as I said. The reporting we have shows that's not the case. It may be beautiful but there's nothing of substance in it. You write in your book, the Korean language has complex levels of politeness. And Kim Jong-un made sure to use the most honorific terms when speaking to Trump, something he knew would be appreciated by the American president. You're referring to their first summit. This is what you're talking about, a letter like this.
[Fifield:] Exactly. They I mean, this is all very calculated. And Kim Jong-un has shown himself to be skillful and savvy and knowing which buttons to push when it comes to President Trump. So, he was very flattering, using very formal and deferential language during the summit, making sure to play the junior partner there because he knows Trump responds well to this. And it can lead to a situation where Trump is declaring a major victory, you know, we won't have to worry about nuclear weapons anymore when Kim Jong-un has not agreed to anything. It's all style and doesn't have to give up any substance.
[Burnett:] Any substance at all. And yet here we are. Thank you both very much. And I want to get back to our breaking news tonight. The president of the United States telling George Stephanopoulos this.
[Stephanopoulos:] Your campaign this time around, if foreigners, if Russia, if China, if someone else offers you information on opponents, should they accept it or should they call the FBI?
[Trump:] I think maybe do both. I think you might want to listen. I don't there is nothing wrong with listening. If somebody called from a country, Norway, we have information on your opponent, oh, I think I'd want to hear it.
[Stephanopoulos:] You want that kind of interference in our election?
[Trump:] It's not an interference. They have information. I think I'd take it. If I thought there was something wrong, I'd go maybe to the FBI, if I thought there was something wrong.
[Burnett:] He continues to say he's never called the FBI. Give me a break. And Trump's 2020 rivals are weighing in. Elizabeth Warren: The Mueller report made it clear a foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump. Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation. Now he says he'd do it all over again. It's time to impeach Donald Trump. Governor Steve Bullock tweeting: 1-800-CALL-FBI. I want to bring in the former FBI supervisory special agent Josh Campbell. He's worked for two FBI directors, James Comey and Bob Mueller. Now, Josh, I want to be clear here, one of the most important moments, right, was when George Stephanopoulos and Christopher Wray, your FBI director, your FBI director said this is would be wrong, that you should call the FBI and Trump tersely, curtly said, well, he's wrong. So far, Director Wray has not responded. Can he stay quiet on this?
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] I don't think so, because what we've seen here is the president of the United States just completely undercut the director of the FBI. I would disagree with the characterization that he's president's FBI. It's actually the country's FBI, although he's appointed by the president. That's an important data point.
[Burnett:] Yes.
[Campbell:] But, again, what the president is essentially saying to the American people and to the men and women of the FBI is that I don't believe you. I don't trust you, and when you come out and say something through your leadership, I'm going to go in a different direction. So, if you're the director of the FBI right now, you have a couple of different options and you can speak out and ensure that you'll take the issues seriously, that you're going to investigate any malfeasance or lawbreaking that may happen in the past or that may happen in horizon, or you can resign. And there always two different elements that you want to reach there. The first is the Allen principle. If there's something that you see that's so egregious than you disagree with, you have to have that honest conversation and can I stay in this position. And second one is if you no longer think that you're effective. Have I lost effectiveness as it relates to this job and this administration?
[Burnett:] Sure.
[Campbell:] This sure seems like one of those issues that checks both of those boxes. So, if you're the director of the FBI, you have to have that conversation with yourself and try to figure out what are you going to do. Are you going to speak out or what's next for you?
[Burnett:] Right. There is a crucial question for Christopher Wray, right, because his boss has undercut him and said he's wrong about something that Christopher Wray says is a black and white simple issue. They don't agree on perhaps one of the most important things. And yet, what would be the implication if Christopher Wray would stand up to say, I won't take this anymore and leave even if he did it Jim Mattis style, would that be more disruptive than not?
[Campbell:] Well, perhaps, but sometimes, you have to be a disruptor. I think, again, it comes down to public confidence in the FBI, in these institutions. If they stay quiet when the president of the United States says, I'm going to continue to accept information from a foreign government, even if it goes against state law, I don't know they would stay quiet, again, when their key constituents is the American people, you have to trust and confidence with them. I think, Erin, as I heard this today, I think this is one of the most troubling things we've heard from the president because it's not just about things talking about the things from the past in defending himself from actions and allegations and it's looking forward, and him telling the American people what he's going to do if faced with another situation, possible lawbreaking accepting information from a foreign government.
[Burnett:] He's trying to change the form, right? To say, oh, it's normal and people do it, it's OK, right? He's trying to change the norm and make people think that something that is not OK, is OK.
[Campbell:] That's right. He's a norm buster, we know that. Again, he came to town when he was elected, essentially on that platform, that he was going to do things differently. But at some point, that clashes with the law. The law is the law. You can't accept a thing of value from a foreign government. That is illegal. The president was sitting in the Oval Office saying, yes, I'll do it.
[Burnett:] Thank you very much. And Jeanne is next.

[Church:] Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check the headlines with you now. U.S. President Trump is shaking up the Department of Homeland Security as his anger over illegal immigration grows.
[Rosemary Church, Cnn International Anchor:] The head of the Secret Service announced his resignation Monday. That departure comes a day after Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was forced to resign. U.S. prosecutors are trying to determine if a woman accused of coming her way into Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort is a spy. They say she was carrying computer malware, detection devices and thousands of dollars in cash. The Chinese national is facing two criminal charges but has not yet entered a plea. British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet with soon with her German and French counterparts hoping for another Brexit delay at an E.U. summit on Wednesday. Meanwhile, British lawmakers are preparing to take part in European Parliament elections in case the U.K. is still in the E.U. come May 23rd. Iran is now designating the U.S. a state sponsor of terrorism. And American troops in the Middle East, terrorist groups and that's a direct response to the Trump administration announcing it will formally classify Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp as a foreign terrorist organization. All right. We want to recap our top story now. Voting has been underway for more than two hours now in Israeli elections. Polls show a very tight race and candidates have campaigned up to the last minute. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to win a record fifth term, this despite corruption probes and some serious competition. His chief rival, former military Chief of Staff Benny Gantz voted just a short time ago. He served as military chief of staff. He leaves the centrist blue and white party. And opinion polls show he has a slight lead. Still the Prime Minister could have an edge in forming a coalition. And here's why. 120 seats are up for grabs in Israel's Parliament, the Knesset. From there, the president will ask party leader who should be the next prime minister. This in an election that could involve more than six million voters. CNN's Becky Anderson recently toured an area south Haifa. One of Israel's most diverse areas and she visited three towns that are very close together but in many ways worlds apart.
[Becky Anderson Cnn International Anchor:] We're in Israel driving the divide. Route to slicing through Israeli society. Our first stop, Jisr az-Zarqa. This is the only remaining Arab towns on Israel's coast. It's one of the poorest and most densely populated in the country. This is this is a village which is written with crime, densely populated, life here feels really hemmed in. For many of the Arab men here, fishing is their main livelihood. I want to get down and talk to some of the fishermen here down on the coast.
[Unidentified Male:] No. Netanyahu never gave us our rights and will never do.
[Anderson:] Who are going to vote for? You're not going to vote? Why not?
[Unidentified Male:] I never voted and will never vote. It's helpless. No one will help us. Not Jews and not Arabs.
[Anderson:] Well, it's clear that the fishermen here in Jisr are making a living from the sea have very little hope about a future. On land on, get a cross the road from Jisr and out to a blue color Israeli Jewish town. To find out how life is for residents there. Or Akiva is a working class town. Back in the 1950s, this became home to many Moroccan and Romanian, Jewish immigrants. In the 1990s the population here swelled from the post-Soviet aliyah. This is a staunchly
[Unidentified Male:] He cleaned up here and made history like no other prime minister or president before him.
[Anderson:] Well, it's clear that Bibi's head is not on the chopping block
[Unidentified Male:] Benjamin Netanyahu we, love him.
[Anderson:] Yes.
[Unidentified Male:] Just for the quite simple reason, because I think that he have done to this country in the last 10 years or even more than that, more than anybody else.
[Anderson:] Who will you vote for?
[Unidentified Female:] I don't know. I don't like him.
[Anderson:] You're talking about Benjamin Netanyahu.
[Unidentified Female:] I don't like I don't like what happened in this country now.
[Anderson:] Arab or Jew, rich or poor, for all the differences, handover lamps, they're joined by a common destiny here in Israel. And one, they are still figuring out.
[Church:] And many thanks to CNN's Becky Anderson for that report. Well, the fierce fight over Libya's capital is intensifying even further following an air strike by the rebel military on Tripoli's only functioning airport. The U.N. condemned the attack calling it a serious violation of humanitarian law. The area in red on this map shows territory controlled by rebel forces. The U.N. recognized government controls the sections in yellow. As CNN's Nick Paton Walsh explains the recent attacks on Tripoli apart of a surprise offensive by renegade general.
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] This reported strike on Mitiga International Airport, the key air traffic hub for Libya doesn't really take the pressure on the capital city, Tripoli to a new level here. We've seen in for days now, the forces of General Khalifa Haftar, the predominant strongman of the east of the country move in around that key city edging towards the southern suburbs that have been perhaps thought this was a show of military strength designed last Friday to perhaps pressure the peace talks going on being spearheaded by the U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. But that seems to be less likely since he departed the country on Friday and the peace talks appear to have gone nowhere. The fear being really that General Haftar could begin to send his forces slowly into this urban environment where there are many different competing militias off from pressuring each other frankly for control and it is the main seat of the U.N. recognized government of
[Church:] Well, two more deaths were reported on Tuesday morning following protests outside the military headquarters in Kutum, Sudan. This brings the death toll to 10 since Saturday after crackdowns on protestors by security forces. Dozens are being injured and largely peaceful demonstrations according to human rights watch. Protesters have been calling for the removal President Omar al-Bashir since December. Grounds have been mashed at the presidential palace responding to a renewed call for protests from the Sudanese professional group made up of doctors, lawyers and journalists. We are learning more about the complicated rescue operation to free an American tourists and her tour guide that were kidnapped by armed men and Uganda. As Robyn Kriel reports. It involved the coordinated military operations and a paid ransom.
[Robyn Kriel, Cnn Correspondent:] It was supposed to be a once in a lifetime dream African safari. Scouting gorillas and Uganda's famous tree-climbing lions. But on April 2nd, armed men entered into Uganda's idyllic Queen Elizabeth National Park and abducted Kimberly Endicott and her guide, Jean-Paul Mirenge. Four others in the group were later released. They demanded a ransom of half a million dollars making threats using the hostages' cell phone. Endicott and Mirenge were taken across the border to the DRC. While Uganda is considered safe and secure, DRC is the opposite. In that country's Virunga National Park, dozens of violent armed groups kidnap for ransom and often these sort of stories don't have a happy ending.
[Unidentified Female:] Thank you so much.
[Kriel:] But five long days later, Kimberly and J.P. as he's known were rescued by an interagency force consisting of U.S. and Ugandan officials. A ransom was also paid.
[Fred Enang, Uganda Police Spokesman:] It was an implicit threat of the use of force by our elite teams that we had on the ground.
[Kriel:] The U.S. military also provided some support to Ugandan Security Services to aid their search including intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance assets and liaison officers. Finally, this, an emotional reunion disheveled Endicott who back in America is a skincare specialist in Southern California, is in torn
[Church:] Three U.S. service members and a contractor have been killed in a bombing in Afghanistan. It happened Monday near Bagram Air Base, one of America's largest military facilities in the country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack which targeted a U.S. military convoy, three other service members were wounded. Well, two Russian Navy destroyers and a tanker have reached a base in the Philippines, what is being called goodwill visit but could be part of a power play by the Kremlin. It comes as Manila squares of China in a territorial dispute. But it could also be a shot across the bell of the U.S., a key Philippine ally. CNN's Brian Todd has more from Washington.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] These ships are a menacing reminder of Vladimir Putin's military ambition, a show of force in a region already in the center of tense relations between the U.S. and its enemies. The three Russian Navy ships are now docked in the Philippines including two high-tech anti-submarine destroyers.
[Bill Hamblet, Director Of Periodicals, United States Naval Institute:] I think Putin is looking to give the United States something to worry about.
[Todd:] It's the second time this year that Russian warships have docked in the Philippines. And for America, it symbolizes and worrisome shift in alliances in that region. For decades, the Philippines was a key U.S. military ally in Asia. American kept one of its largest overseas naval bases there. But recently analysts say, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has started to pivot away from the U.S. toward a closer alliance with Putin. Even though his navy is conducting large scale joint military exercises with American forces right now. Meantime, the Russian President expert say, he's having only moderate success in expanding his navy but he hasn't proved one capability which threatens American forces.
[Hamblet:] They've been building new ballistic missile submarines and they have also been building nuclear power and fast attack submarines.
[Heather Conley, Director: Center For Strategic And International Studies:] We are seeing, you know, cruise missiles coming from vessels in the Caspian Sea. They are testing a lot of hypersonic cruise missiles, a lot of them again, submarine based.
[Todd:] Putin is jumping right into the middle of a region now front with military tension. China has laid claim to several island in the South China Sea, has even built some islands from scratch and place military installation on them. The U.S. has tried to curb China's aggression there. And Duterte whose navy occupies one island in that chain recently threatened a suicide mission against Chinese forces which were spotted near that island. Experts say Putin is eager to exploit these tensions for his own game and eager to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its ally.
[Conley:] His arrival in the Philippines with these three navy vessels is to remind the United States that Russia is a global power and he separate the Philippines from the United States in any way. Can he be a disruptor?
[Todd:] How can America counter this effort by Vladimir Putin to divide it from its allies in Asia? Experts say the U.S. has to stay its course in the region, keep holding joint military exercises with its allies. Keep engaging diplomatically with countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia. Make them realize that America is the friend they want to have in the region and not Vladimir Putin. Brian Todd, CNN Washington.
[Church:] And still to come. New details about the woman accused of trying to come her way into Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Resort. And why prosecutors thing she may be a Chinese spy. We're back with that in just a moment.

[King:] More now in the days most remarkable and alarming big news story, President Trump refusing to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the November election to the former Vice President Joe Biden.
[Unidentified Male:] Will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transfer of power after the election?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well, we're going to have see what happens. You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster. Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very transfer you'll have a very peaceful, there won't be a transfer, frankly, there'll be a continuation.
[King:] Joining me now to discuss this is Astead Herndon, The New York Times national political reporter, Julie Pace, Washington bureau chief for the Associated Press, and our CNN presidential historian, Doug Brinkley. Julie Pace, I want to start with you moments ago, the Speaker of the House, the nation's top Democrat elected right now had to say this.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] Remind him, you are not in North Korea. You are not in Turkey. You are not in Russia, Mr. President. And by the way, you are not in Saudi Arabia. You are in the United States of America, it is a democracy. So why don't you just try for a moment to honor your oath of office to the Constitution of the United States.
[King:] Of all of the, oh, well, this could never happen moments that we have had in the Trump presidency, 40 days to Election Day, kind of the President of the United States stand in the White House briefing room and say we'll see what happens. When asked if he would honor the results and peacefully leave office if he loses is stunning.
[Julie Pace, Washington Bureau Chief, Associated Press:] It is stunning. And I think we have to take this President seriously when he leaves open that possibility when he can't make that commitment. Because this is different than when he raised similar issues during the 2016 campaign because he is the sitting President and he has the levers of power that come with that office at his disposal. I do think that it was important today that we saw a pushback from Republicans who said something akin to what Pelosi said that a peaceful transfer of power is what makes the United States unique, that we can have incredibly tense fierce elections over the direction of this country. But at the end of that election, the American public can be confident that there will be a peaceful transfer of power. So, again, I think we have to take the President seriously if he's not willing to make that commitment right now.
[King:] And it is a remarkable moment, Astead, 40 days, a lot of people are already voting but 40 days before we start to count those votes. And you see the headlines your newspaper, "The New York Times", Trump won't commit to peaceful post-election transfer of power. Slate has a story on this, POLITICO, RedState, which is a conservative pro-Trump tries to make a joke out of this. Joe Biden was asked about this last night, Astead, here's what he said.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] What country are we in? I'm being facetious. I said, what country are we in? Look, he says the most irrational things. I don't know what to say about it. But it doesn't surprise me.
[King:] He says he doesn't know what to say about it. But I assume there's a big debate next week. And the first presidential debate often is the most important presidential debate. We have a Supreme Court pick. We have a coronavirus pandemic. And now we have a President undermining the very democracy he leaves.
[Astead Herndon, Cnn Political Analyst:] Exactly. I don't and I think we can expect Joe Biden and the campaign to make this a kind of central facet, both the factual point, though, the point of this is a democracy understands that President Trump has not respected the norms of this country. And is not respected the kind of bipartisan agreement, the cross country agreement that we share as a functioning democracy. And that's something he is trying to override. But I also think that you'll see the Biden campaign use this as part of an overarching message of this is just an administration of drama, of chaos, of one that does not kind of respect the institutions of the country. And that is a cross ideological message. That's one that they're trying to target at folks who may have been some of the reluctant Trump voters in 2016, saying, hey, this guy cannot grow into the office and he will not change in the four years going forward. But I think even with those political concerns, we have to hone this in the kind of core, core fear that this drives at, not only the kind of Democratic questioning that he did there, but what he said after about if we have ballots, there would be a continuation of power. He is framing this as if the only legitimate election result is one in which he wins. That is dangerous. And that is kind of a unprecedented level of fear that is striking deep at the Democratic core.
[King:] And to that point, Douglas Brinkley, often we just let Trump outrageous roll off us when he says things that aren't true, when he mocks people personally, when he uses caustic language, but this is a President of the United States 40 days to Election Day, lying about mail-in balloting, saying it's critical that you have a Supreme Court justice put in place in case there are post-election challenges, and openly saying he may ignore the results of a Democratic election. Is there any historical president?
[Douglas Brinkley, Cnn Presidential Historian:] There's nothing like this. This is a power grab of just grotesque proportions. Basically, he's blackmailing people and saying, I won't leave. If the result doesn't come my way, I'm going to stay in the but, you know, it's like, Herman Melville story. I prefer not to leave. I will stay in the White House. He's threatening us and our democracy is at risk here. The moderators of these three debates cannot let Donald Trump off the hook. He has going to have to apologize or renege on this idea that he will not accept the results of this election. You know, the greatest moment of Richard Nixon's career was in 1960, when he barely lost to John F. Kennedy. And Nixon knew for the good of the country, he had to accept that tight result and not do a recount to put our country through hell. And we saw Al Gore who fought hard and brought things to the Supreme Court in 2000, neck to neck with George W. Bush, had won the popular vote, and Gore conceded defeat because he knew it was best for the country. Donald Trump is spitting in the face of democracy saying, I don't give a damn what's good for our country. I'm about me and my power. And it's just out of all the outrages, this one we better hone in on very, very tightly right now. Otherwise, we're no longer the United States of America. We're a whole different country.
[King:] I know he works in other network. But Chris Wallace, the first moderator is A, a fine journalist and B, asked tough questions, and C, has gone down this road with President Trump before in debates and in interviews, so you can be certain it will come up. Julie Pace to the idea that you did have Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, Senator Mitt Romney, Congresswoman Liz Cheney who's in the House Republican leadership, and a long list of other Republicans talking about this will not happen, we will have a peaceful transfer of power. It is interesting, because often Republicans just hide and try to ignore things when the President says these things. But those statements, at least none of the ones that have come across me, very few of them say Mr. President, you're wrong. Mr. President, you're reckless. Mr. President, stop. They just say there will be a peaceful transfer of power, we will honor the Constitution.
[Pace:] Right. There's still some level of restraint in some of these comments from Republicans when it comes to actually pushing back on the President himself by name to say you are wrong, Mr. President. I do think that what we're seeing, though, is Republicans trying to lay out for him that there is a red line that if we got into a scenario in which he is refusing to concede that they would not go along with that, and Republicans do have a role, Congress does have to certify the results of the election. And so we have heard from Republicans, we've also heard from military officials, you know, that they are not going to get involved. I think that was an active effort by the military to say you can't rely on us to help you if you get into this situation. I think the real question, if Donald Trump does lose, and he will not concede, as again, does he just not concede but ultimately goes away and then it is grumpy and complaining about the results or does he actually try to use the levers of government, the powers that he has to try to stay in office?
[King:] In this case, I think we need to take him at his word and stay on top of this. And to your point about Republicans and Doug's point about debates, guess what a lot of those Republicans are on the ballot. And they're going to get asked these questions now, which is one of the reasons they don't like it. Julie Pace, Douglas Brinkley, Astead Herndon grateful for the reporting and important insights. Again, we will stay on top of the story. When we come back, though, back to the coronavirus and the persisting racial disparities in the impact of COVID-19.

[Anderson:] Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Wherever you are watching folks, you are more than welcome, joining the dots on the day's major developments for you. And in a big reveal, Turkey saying it has detained the wife of Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi. President Erdogan also confirming Turkey captured the late ISIS leader's sister and brother-in-law. Now course, the U.S. said Baghdadi blew himself up during a raid in Syria on October the 26th.
[Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President:] We captured his wife, but we didn't make a big fuss. I am announcing it here for the first time. At the same time, we captured his sister and brother-in-law in Syria.
[Anderson:] Right. Well, let's do more on this. Our senior international correspondent Sam Kiley is here with us. And as we speak, the network pressing the Turks for more details, further details on the arrest captured, detaining of al-Baghdadi's wife. What do you make of that news? And how significant is it?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, it's quite intriguing because there were a number of U.S. officials and even Iraqi officials who soon after the Baghdadi raid were talking about how intelligence that was obtained from the arrest of one of led to that event. And we don't know when this Turkish arrest was made. But it's an interesting connection that the Turks have not made publicly but we don't have any kind of causal link between the two. He had two wives. One is Saja al-Dulaimi. Who was arrested actually in Lebanon taken into Lebanon a few years back, about 2014, 2015. But this one is believed to be his younger wife who is called Israa Rajab. He has a son Ali who would be about 8 or 9. One hopes not one of the victims that he took with him in that hole in the ground when he, according to the Americans, blew himself up. So it's the sort of chicken and egg at the moment until we get more detail. Is this an arrest that has followed the sort of intelligence perhaps they were able to gather on the site of the Baghdadi raid or was this an arrest actually that may have indeed led to it? We just don't know. It's interesting, too, of course, that perhaps somewhat to cover embarrassment or controversy over the Turkish incursion into the north and the very bad press that that generated, particularly in the United States. The Turks are going more and more public with their suddenly enthusiastic role in arresting ISIS members, particularly top members.
[Anderson:] It's fascinating isn't it. Our colleague Jomana Karadsheh is in northern Syria embedded with Turkish forces. Very close to, if not at the site of the original detention, as I understand it
[Kiley:] His sister's arrest.
[Anderson:] The sister's arrest. She just sent us this report. Let's have a listen.
[Jomana Karadsheh, Cnn Correspondent:] President Erdogan announcing on Wednesday that Turkey captured the wife of former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi. Now it is not clear where this happened, when this happened or which of Baghdadi's multiple wives this was. But it comes a day after Turkish officials say they captured the sister of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, her husband and daughter-in-law in a raid on a housing container here in the northern Syrian town of Azaz. Now we spoke to an official from the free Syrian army the Syrian national army, as it is known right now. And he told us that she had moved into the town about six months ago. She was pausing as a refugee. That the family came into Azaz with fake documents. And they tried to blend into the local population of the internally displaced. And they are concerned that there could be many more who are trying to do the same. Former ISIS members, the family members of ISIS members. And they say they are on the lookout for that right now. Turkish officials believe that these recent arrests are a potential intelligence gold mine. That it could give them insights into how ISIS is operating right now. And the kind of threat that it pauses to Turkey and to the rest of the world. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN in Azaz, northern Syria.
[Anderson:] And Jomana making a very important point. So what? Why do we care about these arrests? Well, as she rightly points out, the Turks have said they hope to get a veritable sort of gold mine of intelligence about ISIS, the group. Where it is now, as an organization and its future strategy from these arrests, of course. This is the significance, isn't it?
[Kiley:] There's that, and the question, why do these people keep popping up in areas that have been under Turkish control for two years? It's a militarized Turkish zone where Baghdadi was killed right on the doorstep of Turkey. These are not people that have been found in the areas vacated by the Syrian Democratic Forces. They're not in government-held territory. What is it about that territory that makes them feel they can blend in and perhaps move north into Turkish territory? Were they trying to get into Turkish territory? And from the Turkish perspective, how many have already crossed? That will be something of a deep concern to the Turkish authorities.
[Anderson:] Yes, and questions remain, a failing of Turkish intelligence. If, indeed, the Turks confirm they didn't know that these characters were around in this area. Is that a failing of Turkish intelligence? Sam, always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed. UNICEF appealing to countries to repatriate around 28,000 children from all around the world who are now stranded in Syrian camps. The U.N. children's agency describes the conditions as, quote, not fit for children. In the coming hour we'll bring you the story of a man on a quest to find his son and daughter who are believed trapped in the region.
[Bashirul Shikder, Father:] When I used to be talking to my son, I tried my best not to show my tears to him. I tried my best but sometimes I could not.
[Anderson:] And we'll be talking to a UNICEF representative about exactly what sort of conditions they believe these children are being held in and what happens to them next. I'll get you to an exclusive CNN report now. You looking at video taken secretly of American-made weapons arriving in Yemen. That is even as U.S. lawmakers asked for an urgent briefing from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding answers on how the weapons got there. Despite the outrage of lawmakers in Washington, CNN has proof that it is still happening. Let's bring in our senior CNN senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir, with more. Jus explain what you've got here and its significance, if you will.
[Nima Elbagir, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] What you see in that footage, Becky, is heavy weaponry arriving, reinforcements arriving to the Saudi-led coalition in Aiden in the south of Yemen. And the reason this has been particularly contentious is because of previous CNN reporting that showed that U.S. weaponry illegally had been diverted by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to their allies in the region. The only reason what you see there is not illegal is because President Trump and the White House have placed themselves solely in the middle of this debate, and they have President Trump has brought about several vetoes to continue arming what he says are key allies, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Just because it's illegal doesn't mean it's not controversial, though, and you can see that in the way that these weapons were delivered, Becky. We were able to track the ship that brought them to the Yemeni port of Aden. It was pretty difficult. We worked we spoke to whistleblowers. We looked through documents at the port of Aden. And the reason it was difficult was because that Saudi ship, as we discovered it to be, had switched off its tracking. Now that is highly irregular with regards to the way that maritime regulations govern ships having their tracking on at all time. At the moment, we have reached out to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the United Arab Emirates. They've not responded to our request for comment. But Saudi Arabia says that this is not illegal and that they acknowledge they did bring in this weaponry, Becky. U.S. lawmakers say that they're going to be bringing it up as they continue their demands for further briefings by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Secretary of Defense.
[Anderson:] Nima, on Tuesday, Yemen's internationally recognized government officially signed an agreement with southern separatists in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. This deal aimed at resolving the power struggle between Yemen and Saudi-backed government and the southern transitional council which had been supported by the UAE. Details to follow. But the key stakeholders do hope for the first time in years, a viable pathway to peace is in view. Do you share their optimism?
[Elbagir:] Well, we have reached out to several people who were very close to those talks in Riyadh. And the sense that we're getting is that absolutely, this is a first step. But it is a first step towards resolving a lot of the tensions in the south, Becky. And the detail that we're getting scant as it is at the moment is that not much has actually been resolved. Yes, there will be positions in the cabinet for southern separatists but the fear is that what they're doing really is kicking that can further down the road. Because they have not resolved this issue of the south's hunger for secession. Those involved in Saudi Arabia say, that really it has to be taken one step at a time, though Becky.
[Anderson:] Nima Elbagir out of London for you. Thank you, Nima. Coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD, a suspect is in custody in connection with the brutal massacre of a Mormon family in Mexico. Details on how this family might have landed in the crosshairs of Mexican cartels, up next.

[Dan Hansen, City Manager Of Virginia Beach:] We want you to know who they were, so in the days and weeks to come, you will learn what they meant to all of us, to their families, to their friends, and to their coworkers. They leave a void that we will never be able to fill.
[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn:] And these are the faces of that we focus on. Eleven of these 12 were dedicated employees murdered at their workplace. They have years and years of service to their community. One was a contractor coming in for a permit. President Trump is offering his condolences to the victims of the shooting. He tweeted earlier that he spoke to Governor Ralph Northam about this shooting and offering federal resources to aid in the investigation. Let's check in now with CNN's Brian Todd. You were earlier at the press conference and the city manager was there, the police chief. They are heartbroken. This is so personal because these public servants were their colleagues, family and friends.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Colleagues, family and friends Fredricka and what's interesting is if you look at this Tide Water area of Virginia it's essentially four cities and together the four cities being Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Williamsburg if put that in there, it's the equivalent of a large metropolitan area but each individual town is small enough so that something like this does hit home in that way. They all know nobody. We spoke to the Mayor of Virginia Beach, Bobby Dyer, a short time ago and he talked about losing his personal friend Herbert Snelling, nicknamed Bert, who was the contractor who just happened to be here getting renewing that license and renewing that permit when he was killed. Take a listen to what the mayor had to say about losing his friend.
[Bobby Dyer, Mayor Of Virginia Beach:] ... a personal friend. He was he did a lot of carpentry work in my house. He was a contractor and he was in the building getting a permit and I found out about it on social media about midnight last night and it rocked my foundation.
[Todd:] That is Mayor Bobby Dyer talking about losing his friend Herbert "Bert" Snelling who was a contractor and known Bert Snelling for about five years. Bert Snelling had done some work on the mayor's home and he is just heartbroken that he has lost his friend and he knew, of course, many who worked in that building Fredricka, as you would imagine. He's the mayor of this town. He knows so many people and for him you can see it in his face and hear it in his voice. He is really having a tough time pros processing this. We have to just quickly talk about again what we learned about kind of what happened in a possible motive. Police still not able to tell us what the motive was, whether this man had made threats to his fellow employees, whether he had had any conflicts with those fellow employees. We hope to learn a little bit more about that later.
[Whitfield:] Not further defining what does disgruntled worker mean, that's just kind of the blanket.
[Todd:] Right, exactly.
[Whitfield:] You know just to give people some perspective here we are on what is a campus of more than 20 buildings, municipal buildings. Building 2 is the one directly behind us which is where that shooting took place. We are still waiting for details from authorities about exactly how everything played out. You see the police tape. That constitutes this is still a working crime scene. How much of the activity took place outside and how much of it inside. I do recall hearing from the police chief and mayor talking about this is a public building.
[Todd:] Yes.
[Whitfield:] And while this gunman had a badge and employees have their IDs that allow them to be in all of these buildings, these are public building, this is for the public. So entry, for citizens, it's open.
[Todd:] And you do find yourself asking what about all of those rules was he aware of? He probably had a real knowledge of those rules and of, you know, what people enforce and don't enforce here and the layout of the building, of course. He knew it very, very well. Luckily the police also knew it and they were able to intercept him through the sound of gunfire getting up there and intercepting him. But carnage on three floors, he left victims on three floors. He knew new of the building to get to that many people that quickly.
[Whitfield:] This is a public works building.
[Todd:] That's right.
[Whitfield:] Also on this campus you have court, you've got public school system, fire, police, I mean it's all right here. This does constitute kind of like downtown, you know, city life without it being such because it really is very kind of suburban and very neighborhood like. brain Todd, thank you very much. We will check back with you. Appreciate it. All right so for the workers in the city building behind me when the shooting started, the minutes surely felt like hours. So many today are just thankful to be alive. They are sharing more about those terrifying moments when they first realized that there was a shooting under way.
[Megan Banton, Witness:] We were all just terrified. We almost kind of felt like it wasn't real that we were in a dream. You know you hear this all the time on the news but you don't think it's ever going to happen to you and then when it actually happens, it's just it was like an out of body experience and you're just terrified because all you can hear are the gunshots.
[Edward Weeden, Witness:] We heard this sound out on the stairs. We go through the corridor and there was a lady on the stairs unconscious, blood on the stairway. We didn't know what happened. When the other coworkers went upstairs to find out something else, she came back down saying get out of the building, some guy has a gun. She was shot and at that point we all left.
[Banton:] We heard shooting. We heard shooting but we didn't think it was that close like in proximity of the building so I just thank God that they were able to alert us in time because if it had been 10 minutes more, we all would have been outside so that's what I'm grateful for today.
[Whitfield:] I want to bring in now Virginia Governor Ralph Northam. Governor, thank you so much for being with me. I understand that you are near a hospital where people are being treated. What do you do with this information that we are hearing?
[Ralph Northam, Governor Of Virginia:] Yes.
[Whitfield:] Very sketchy, you know information in terms of details about what motivated this gunman. We know in detail 4 public servants are dead and their service to this community range, you know, from 11 months to 40 years.
[Northam:] Yes. Yes. Thank you Fredricka. I'm at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. I was able to come by and say hello and thank you to the caregivers here. I'm a physician. I served during Desert Storm taking care of wounded soldiers and taking care of children all my life and I just wanted to be here to thank the doctors, the nurses and the staff for just taking such wonderful care of these victims. Also was able to spend some time with the family and one of the patients so I wanted to be here to say thank you.
[Whitfield:] So Governor Northam, this is, yet another, horrible deadly shooting. This time, a workplace, you know? A public building and people are trying to figure out when does it end? Why does it happen in the first place? What are the answers that you need in order to figure out how to prevent, how to comfort, how to grapple with what just happened?
[Northam:] Well, it's a horrific tragedy and these tragedies are becoming all too familiar, and so we as a society, certainly me as governor, our legislators, need to have a discussion on, you know, what causes these tragedies and what we can do collectively to keep this from happening again. But today, we are here for the families; 12 precious lives were lost yesterday. These were individuals that came to work yesterday morning for the City of Virginia Beach intending to go home to their families and that didn't happen. Now there is a tremendous void and we need to all work together to make sure we take care of these families and give them the support they need and certainly four individuals are being cared for in our local hospitals and we want to do everything we can to have a positive outcome for them.
[Whitfield:] And as a leader, you would rely, largely, on your own gut and your instincts. What does your gut, what does your instincts say should be done? What is the next step? I mean you said there should be a discussion. But discussions can...
[Northam:] Absolutely.
[Whitfield:] ...sometimes lead to nothing or it can lead to something. But what is your gut and your instincts say needs to happen to address what is unfolding across America. Not just here at Virginia Beach; This is the latest example, but across the U.S. What does your gut say needs to be done?
[Northam:] Well, Frederica, we lost 12 lives yesterday. If you look at the Commonwealth of Virginia, we lost over 900 lives the past year to gun violence and gun-related accidents. Again, actions speak much louder than words so I will make decisions in the upcoming days but we need to look at our laws. Are they safe? Do they keep people protected in the Commonwealth of Virginia? We have introduced legislation each year, Fredricka, for the last few years and it has been defeated but things like this continue to happen. We can't be desensitized to these tragedies and it's time for us to take action. As the leader of Virginia, as the governor, I plan to do that.
[Whitfield:] The president tweeted earlier federal assistance would be available, is being made available, and how will that assist your state and how will that assist Virginia Beach? What do you see in terms of your greatest need in which federal government could step in?
[Northam:] Thank you. This is all hands on deck and I spoke with our president last night. He offered his condolences and full support at the national level. Obviously we are offering full support at the state level. We have local officials that have been on the job but just everybody is in this together. Again, it's a horrific tragedy and we want to make sure today to deal with these families and make sure that we help them through this horrific tragedy.
[Whitfield:] And Governor, describe your emotions. Are you feeling frustrated? Are you feeling pained by this? How does this hit you personally when you hear of a and all we have for now is a 40-year- old disgruntled current worker who is armed, who comes into the workplace, you know, wrecks terror here brings terror and leaves in its wake 12 people who are dead.
[Northam:] Frederica, we all grieve for these families. As a physician, there is nothing more difficult than dealing with the loss of a loved one so it does hit me personally. And also as the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, we certainly don't want tragedies like this to define Virginia. We are a strong commonwealth. We are faithful people. We believe in working together and, together, we will get through this.
[Whitfield:] Governor Ralph Northam, thank you so much and of course our condolences going out to everyone impacted and affected. Still ahead, more on this horrific workplace shooting. Virginia Beach is just beginning to mourn this tragedy. We are back with more right after this.

[Unidentified Male:] Because it's not whether you win or lose, it's whether you win.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes!
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Host, Anderson Cooper 360:] Yes! That voiceover just makes me want to play Trump: The Game. I love the game. Me and I mean I remember so many days, me and Whiff and Scoozer, J. Bob sitting on in the dorm room at Yale, just pounding American wine, gnawing on steak, just winning, not losing, just winning. See out, let's play friends on Corkette but the best wine win, at least on The Ridiculist. And that's it for us. Want to hand it over, the news continues, to Chris, for CUOMO PRIME TIME. Chris?
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, Cuomo Prime Time:] I got to tell you, Coop. I think I see the President's point on this one. Look at this American wine bottle that I found online.
[Cooper:] See? It's freedom, I told you.
[Cuomo:] He only need to look at it to know that it is better than French wine.
[Cooper: I-- Cuomo:] Because you're not going to find a French wine- -with this label.
[Cooper:] I love it. I yes, yes. I think he was funny, I like that.
[Cuomo:] I don't even drink wine, but I prefer it.
[Cooper:] I was-
[Cuomo:] I like the way it looks.
[Cooper:] And he said it with knowing it was kind of funny that he was saying it. I give him props on that one.
[Cuomo:] Got to remember, it's not whether you win or lose, it's whether you win.
[Cooper:] Win, yes, thank you. The game, Trump: The Game.
[Cuomo:] Have a good weekend, my friend.
[Cooper:] OK.
[Cuomo:] I am Chris Cuomo. Welcome to PRIME TIME on a Friday night. An impeachment inquiry already in effect, underway, according to the House Judiciary Chair. Did you know that? Did you know that it's happening? But when did they announce? What actually changed? What is going on here? If a major step has been taken toward impeachment, why don't they come out and say it? We're going to ask a Member of the Judiciary tonight. We also have a lawmaker on the all-powerful Tax Committee here as Democrats step up their fight for the President's finances. His panel is now trolling Trump with proof that Nixon was more law-abiding to Congress than he. And 2020 Democrats are taking their fight to one of the nation's most crucial voting blocs, four days out from the CNN debates. A Great Debate on who's winning, who's losing with African-American voters. Happy Friday, grab a beverage, let's get after it.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.
[Cuomo:] All right, what's the latest tally on impeachment? 101 House Democrats say yes, impeachment inquiry. But I don't know why I'm counting anymore because it seems that the Judiciary Chair said "No reason to count. I got a secret for you."
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] You're saying there's no difference between what you're doing now and an impeachment inquiry, correct?
[Rep. Jerrold Nadler:] In effect.
[Cuomo:] Manu Raju, spot-on. "In effect," they are already having an impeachment inquiry. Really? That was Jerry Nadler, obviously. His Committee would be the right home for it. But here's where it gets a little bit more complicated. In court today, here's what they said. "Articles of impeachment are under consideration." They're suing for Mueller's underlying evidence. The Grand Jury testimony usually stays secret. You need a compelling interest for it. So, how's the President handling all of this? Taking it in stride, he says it's not a big deal, we should get on with bigger issues? Ha ha, listen.
[Donald J. Trump, President Of The United States:] We want to find out what happened with the last Democrat President. Let's look into Obama the way they've looked at me. From day one, they've looked into everything that we've done. They could look into the book deal that President Obama made. Let's subpoena all of his records.
[Cuomo:] Two quick points. One, if you want to argue that what was done to you was wrong and overreaching, why would you argue doing the same to someone else? That's a point of hypocrisy. Two, you are the man, Mr. President, who started the birther campaign against President Obama. We have never seen a more wrongful or pernicious attack in the name of investigating a Presidential candidate, let alone a sitting President. So, let's discuss what matters in this moment, Judiciary and Intel Committee Member, Val Demings.
[Text:] ONE ON ONE.
[Cuomo:] Made some big headlines, and deservedly so, with some of the answers that she elicited from Robert Mueller. Good to have you on PRIME TIME, Congresswoman, welcome.
[Rep. Val Demings:] Chris, it's great to be here. Thank you for having me.
[Cuomo:] All right, so help me understand. Is there an impeachment inquiry ongoing? And if so, why were you guys entertaining all of this pushing about when you're going to start it?
[Demings:] Well that's a fair question, Chris. Look, I believe the Chairman used the term impeachment investigation. We are trying to get the underlying evidence to support filing articles of impeachment, just like you would in any criminal investigation, right?
[Cuomo:] Yes. And that is the job.
[Demings:] You could, yes-
[Cuomo:] That is the job for the House.
[Demings:] -you could you could right, you could you could know who the, let's say, the suspect is. But if that person committed a murder, you want to also recover that weapon, even if you had the supporting testimony. We need all of the evidence to support filing articles of of impeachment. And so-
[Cuomo:] A 100 percent.
[Demings:] Yes. And so, Chairman Nadler, and you heard also what-
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Demings:] -Speaker Pelosi had to say today. We're going to do this. We're going to do it right. And I tell you what, looking at the numbers of our Members, although the decision to file articles of impeachment rests solely with the Judiciary Committee, you've seen more Members from the House-
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Demings:] -Democratic Members at least have come out in favor. I think we're exactly where we hope to be at this point.
[Cuomo:] I hear it. Look, and I'm not a Gotcha Guy. But I'm just saying that your advantage here or what you want as a perceived advantage is being straight with the American people because the argument that you guys are saying you can make is that the President wasn't straight with the American people. That's why I'm coming at this because you got Pelosi saying, "Hey look, we're going to do this the right way, and we'll go into impeachment mode exactly when we have to, not one day sooner," and then you have Nadler saying, "We're already in it in an impeachment inquiry." You know, look, as we've seen in the two previous impeachments, I don't need to tell you this, you're a student of the game, with Nixon and Clinton, you had the House vote to start the inquiry, then you went into the Committee in the Judiciary, and you worked up the investigation to see if you could bring charges, articles of impeachment.
[Demings:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Are you just trying to avoid-
[Demings:] Yes, yes.
[Cuomo:] -that vote here because it would be a tough whip at this point?
[Demings:] No. In the past, the House vote did move forward. But understand, Chris, that the House vote is not necessary to begin to file-
[Cuomo:] No, it's not necessary.
[Demings:] -articles of impeachment.
[Cuomo:] You're 100 percent right.
[Demings:] Yes. Yes. And so, let's let's look at what we do have. We had the man, Special Counsel Robert Mueller come in and confirm really what I already knew, and everyone who had read the report, but we do know the American people are just too busy to sit down, and read a 488 page. He said Russia interfered with our election in a sweeping and systematic way. The President knew it. The President welcomed it. The President or his campaign leaders coordinated with Russia with polling data and other things that the President engaged in numerous incidences of obstruction of justice, and the Special Counsel could not clear the President of wrongdoing.
[Cuomo:] Right. But on the Intelligence side, Russian interference is a no-brainer for everybody but the President, and he's only denying it for political purposes. But there was no criminal activity, no criminal coordination, no criminal conspiracy. That's what they mean when they say collusion, although that's not a legal term. I would argue there was collusion as a behavior. There was sneaky behavior. And they knew it was sneaky. That's why they lied about it, but not a crime. On the obstruction side, you get a complicated game. And I think that's why, Congresswoman, you have the poll numbers that you do where you don't have 50 percent of this country saying "Impeach," because it seems muddy. And if it's not going to be a clear and convincing situation, then why not just hash it out in an election?
[Demings:] Well, and Chris, remember, when articles of impeachment were filed against President Nixon, only 19 percent of the American people-
[Cuomo:] Fair point.
[Demings:] -were in favor.
[Cuomo:] Fair point.
[Demings:] We have a job to do. And look, I didn't come to Congress. I've been a Police Chief, 27 years law enforcement. I didn't come to Congress to not take care of my responsibility. We have a direct responsibility to show the American people that nobody, nobody is above the law, up to and including the President of the United States.
[Cuomo:] A 100 percent understood.
[Demings:] This is not a popularity game. This is not a popularity game. This is about us doing our job.
[Cuomo:] I understand.
[Demings:] Which we intend to do.
[Cuomo:] I I totally get that. One fair point of pushback. With Nixon, you didn't have the preceding year and a half plus of coverage in the Mueller probe that people were getting read into and understanding and all the reporting. You know, that only happened with the public hearings, so they only got that first exposure to it, and that's why you saw such a jump in public opinion because they learned a lot of things, and they also had an actual felony. They had smoking gun tapes in that. It was different in terms of what we're dealing with now. So-
[Demings:] I I don't know. I mean I hear what you're saying about the timeline on that. But and I know you're familiar with the Mueller report. If you read it, the President engaged in multiple instances of obstruction of justice. And so, just like you've seen Members of the House move in the, what I believe, certainly is the right column being in favor, I do believe that as the American people continue to digest the testimony yesterday, find out more and more about the report, hear from Attorney McGahn because we're going to subpoena and require him to come-
[Cuomo:] If he comes.
[Demings:] -and testify before us.
[Cuomo:] And if he's forthcoming.
[Demings:] Well and and see the underlying evidence, I believe more of the American people will be with us as well.
[Cuomo:] Look, maybe so. I'm just saying I still think the currency is being straightforward. And even something like this seems a little bit of a dance, and the American people are so sensitive to subterfuge right now, the straighter you are, I think the better it is no matter what you guys do. But Congresswoman Val Demings, you're a straight-shooter by coming on this show. I appreciate it, and welcome you back.
[Demings:] Thank you. Have me back.
[Cuomo:] Be well. All right, so impeach, don't impeach. If they don't impeach, there's another way to get the President out of Office, you know. It's called an election. The 2020 candidates are honing in now on really a key voting bloc for Democrats, specifically, African- Americans. We have numbers that show worries, certainly for this President, and also some interesting indications in-party, you're going to want to see it, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Church:] Well, Jussie Smollett will not be returning for Empires sixth and final season. That is according to the series creator Leah Daniels. Smollett was written out of the final episodes of season five following allegations that he fake a hate crime. He was charged with multiple counts, but prosecutors angered police when they drop the charges. Daniels previously said Smollett's legal issues were quote, causing a dilemma with the city of Chicago where they film Empire. Well, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos just finished what may be the most expensive divorce settlement ever, $37 billion. Well now he is embracing the bachelor lifestyle. By getting a new apartment, actually two of them in New York plus a penthouse. Already to become one large apartment. In Manhattan overlooking Madison Square Park, the Wall Street Journal reports he paid $80 million, but he may have gotten the deal, the penthouse alone was listed for more than 70 million, two years ago. How about that? OK, finally, Larry the Downing Street cat has been a minor celebrity, but now he is a star, thanks to a world time photo bomb. Here's our Jeanne Moos.
[Jeanne Moos, Cnn Correspondent:] Meet the cat who crawled under the belly of the beast. This beast that is what they call President Trump's armored limo. When it pulled up in front of 10 Downing Street, Larry the cat was purge a under number 10 window grooming. Larry couldn't careless when President Trump son-in-law, Jared Kushner walked by and when the president in Britain's Prime Minister posed Larry photo bombed the photo op. After all this is his territory, he's been here since 2011, when a rat was spotted, scurrying across the doors step in the BBC live shot, Larry was recruited to keep the rodents at bay. 10 Downing Street seem to be an animal magnet, watch that foxtrot by. Larry has become a favorite of the press. CNN's Anna Stewart once baited her mic with a cat treat. Cat got his tongue. A mere beseeching glance at the officer on duty is enough to open doors. Larry head rivals, he and the foreign office [inaudible] of head words, but only Larry has made it in the resignation speech of the Prime Minister.
[Unidentified Male:] And the rumor that somehow, I don't love Larry, I do. And I have photographic evidence to prove it. Sadly, I can't take Larry with me. He belongs to the House and the staff loves him very much, as do
[I. Moos:] Larry the cat has his own Twitter account after he was photographed parked under President Trump's limo, the account tweeted, what do you expect me to do, sit out in the rain? The photo was kept for Twitter users vying for the perfect cat captions. From have a wee on his tires at number 10 cat to grab it by the And with that photo, Larry was catapulted into the stratosphere of [inaudible] fame. Jeanie Moos, CNN New York.
[Church:] Larry is so cool. And you are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church. The news continues now with Isa Soares in London, right after this short break. Do stay with us. Have a great day.

[Bolduan:] Welcome back, everybody. Megan Rapinoe, co-captain, the woman of the hour, is speaking now to fans in lower Manhattan.
[Megan Rapinoe, U.s. Women's Soccer Player:] Let's go, New York City!
[Rapinoe:] I see you all right here. I see everyone in the distance as well. Hello back there! This is crazy. This is absolutely insane. Such at a loss for words. I mean I'll find them, don't worry. Everybody. Give them a clap.
[Cheering) Rapinoe:] This group is so resilient, is so tough, has such a sense of humor, is just so bad ass.
[Rapinoe:] Like, there's nothing, nothing that can faze this group. We're chillin'. We've got tea sipping. We've got celebrations. We have pink hair and purple hair. We have tattoos and dreadlocks. We've got white girls and black girls, and everything in between. Straight girls and gay girls. Hey! I couldn't be more proud to be a co-captain with Carli and Alex with this team. It's my absolute honor to lead this team out on the field. There's no other place that I would rather be, even in the presidential race. I'm busy, I'm sorry. To the staff, to the coaching staff, the technical staff, to the medical staff, to the support staff, to the massage therapists, to the videographers To the chef. Chef T! To our security, to our media people, thank you so much. You make our jobs so easy. We don't have to focus on anything other than what we have to do on the field. Thank you for that. To the federation, Carlos, thank you. You were incredible this World Cup. I know that you got a little stick when you were up here, a couple chants. I think that's a sign of affection, though, right? Everybody gets booed. Everybody in a position of power gets booed. I'm going to stick my neck out there a little bit, and I'm going to endorse Carlos. I think he's with us. I think he's on the right side of things. I think he's going to make things right. He's proven he's proven every day since he's been in office for us that he's with us. He was with us every single day of the World Cup. Not only from just a personal standpoint, how much that means to us, but just from an outlook standpoint and all the eyes looking in, this man was there. He was in the tunnel every single game. He was celebrating every single game. We appreciate that. Thank you. We look forward to holding those feet to the fire. To the mayor's office, Bill De Blasio, this is our second time around. And your beautiful wife. Thank you for hosting us. Also to the governor. Cuomo is how you pronounce it, right? Thank you so much for hosting us. To the NYPD, to the fire department here, to everyone that made this happen, thank you so much. This is not possible without everyone. We really do appreciate all that it takes to shut down the biggest, best city in the world. For the biggest, best team in the world. Thank you for that. That means the world to us. I think I'll just end with this. This is my charge to everyone. We have to be better. We have to love more, hate less. We've got to listen more and talk less. We've got to know that this is everybody's responsibility, every single person here, every single person who is not here, every single person who doesn't want to be here, every single person who agrees and doesn't agree, it's our responsibility to make this world a better place. I think this team does an incredible job of taking that on our shoulders and understanding the position that we have and the platform that we have within this world. Yes, we play sports. Yes, we play soccer. Yes, we're female athletes. But we're so much more than that. You're so much more than that. You're more than a fan. You're more than someone who just supports sports. You're more than someone who tunes in every four years. You're someone who walks these streets every single day. You interact with your community every single day. How do you make your community better? How do you make the people around you better? Your family? Your closest friends, the 10 closest people to you, the 20 closest people to you, the most hundred people closest to you? It's every single person's responsibility. There's been so much contention in these last years. I've been a victim of that. I've been a perpetrator of that. But to the federation, sorry for some of things I said. New York City, you're the mother
[Bolduan:] All right. So that's Megan Rapinoe and that's live TV. Apologies. We cannot control Megan Rapinoe's speech. But Christine Brennan is here with me as they're going to be getting the keys to the city right now. I feel like I well, I have never seen anything like this before.
[Christine Brennan, Cnn Sports Analyst:] No, I would agree. And when people talk about her running for office, you can see how comfortable she is, how funny. I'm busy, she says.
[Bolduan:] I'm sorry, I'm busy.
[Brennan:] But the battle to have her endorse will be extraordinary in the Democratic primary, to have her on stage for a candidate. We'll see how that plays out. But also
[Bolduan:] And what she also took and something you noted to me, which is just the diversity of this team, the closeness of this team. And that was something that she very appropriately is celebrating, celebrating on stage in that speech.
[Brennan:] Well, that team looks a lot more like America than the 1999 team. Obviously, soccer started, women's and girls soccer started in the suburbs. Title IX has been a huge success in our suburbs. Not so much in urban areas or rural areas. But this team has a handful of women who are multi-racial. It has, as Megan you said, gay women, straight women, women who are married to women, women who are married to men. And it is again, it is much more of a the picture of the fabric of the country.
[Bolduan:] Absolutely. And what a morning it has been. What a show to watch. What a celebration to witness. Thanks so much for joining me, Christine. It was great to see you.
[Brennan:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] Thank you all for joining us today. Much more after a quick break.

[Whitfield:] This weekend marks 50 years since police raided the Stonewall in, a gay bar in New York City touching off days of riots that are widely credited as the start of the modern gay rights movement. It happened in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. Patrons were inside the Stonewall, drinking, dancing when police enforcing anti-gay laws burst in as they had done many times before, but this time something changed. The patrons tired of being harassed fought back. What followed were six days of protests. This weekend the Stonewall Inn serves as one of the main focal points for pride celebrations in the city. Lady Gaga was there yesterday and delivered an emotional speech, encouraging attendees to celebrate and to be proud of who they are. CNN's Polo Sandoval joins me right now from the Stonewall Inn. You spoke to people who were actually there when those riots began 50 years ago. So what's happening? Set the stage for us.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] You know, Fred, just to have a little bit more perspective here, keep in mind that decades before the LGBT community would take their fight for marriage
[Sandoval:] At New York City's monumental Stonewall Inn, there are those who come to pay homage
[Joseph Negrelli, Stonewall Elder:] I'm ready.
[Sandoval:] and those who come to remember what they lived through back in the summer of '69.
[Negrelli:] Nothing was really different that night except that people decided to fight back.
[Sandoval:] As New Yorker Joseph Negrelli remembers it, the NYPD barged in as he sipped a drink inside the Stonewall. Before that night, this tiny Greenwich Village bar was known mostly as a place for LGBT men and women to be themselves. For many, sharing in the relative safety of this place came with a price. They were subjected by frequent police raids described by New York's police commissioner five decades later as discriminatory and oppressive.
[Negrelli:] If you were feminine or you were dressed non-conforming your sexuality at birth, you were arrested and tried to be humiliated. And that's what was happening that night.
[Sandoval:] But the night of June 28, 1969, the bar's patrons revolted, they fought back refusing to comply with officers.
[Negrelli:] Someone threw a bottle from Sheridan Square Park into Christopher Street.
[Sandoval:] That was the start of a night that would galvanize the modern day LGBTQ civil rights movement.
[Negrelli:] Seventy-five people moved forward and blocked the police. Obviously, they got a big surprise that night. And I was very surprised immediately what happened was that they started to call for groups of homosexuals to come together.
[Sandoval:] Eventually the call spread throughout the country and around the world.
[Negrelli:] The civil rights movement, the women's movement all galvanized together but it was truly the transvestites and minorities that were the forefront runners of the Stonewall riot.
[Sandoval:] Five decades later, many of the voices that refused to be silenced returned to where it all started. For Soraya Santiago, it's been 50 years since she set foot at the Stonewall.
[Soraya Santiago, Stonewall Elder:] I thought I would never be here again because a lot of suffering, a lot of abuse occurred in this place.
[Sandoval:] Santiago is back with her fellow Stonewall elders for the 50th anniversary of the riots. So is Karla Jay who participated in subsequent protests at the bar?
[Karla Jay, Stonewall Elder:] In 1970 we thought it would be wonderful to hold hands in the street. We never dreamed that we would be able to get married. So it's an incredible advancement. But we really need to embrace all individuals, particularly our most disadvantaged.
[Sandoval:] The activists say more needs to be done especially for homeless LBGTQ youth and transgender women of color.
[Jay:] We used to say none of us are free until all of us are free.
[Sandoval:] So there certainly is the historical element in this weekend but there is, of course, plenty of celebrations playing out. The main one they expected to happen tomorrow here at Manhattan with a massive parade, Fred. But when you hear from the advocates themselves, they say that parade it's really a march. As you just heard Karla Jay say the movement is still very much alive and as she described it, still has much more to do.
[Whitfield:] Polo Sandoval, thank you so much. Still ahead, an arrest in the death of the University of Utah student. How police tracked down the suspect nearly two weeks after the 23- year-old went missing.

[Lemon:] A Louisiana police officer who landed in hot water after posting a racist meme on Facebook two years ago is back on the job as his town's police chief. CNN's Nick Valencia has the story.
[Nick Valencia, Cnn Correspondent:] We came here to ask Chief Wayne Welsh why he posted a racist meme on his Facebook page. What we found here is a community that not only defends him, but is proud to have him as their top cop. Just beyond crawfish-filled waters of Southern Louisiana, rests a village of Estherwood. It is small and sleepy. And even though in November, residents elected a police chief who shared this meme on Facebook. Those we spoke to want you to know they're definitely not racist and neither is their top cop. Is this town racist?
[Tyler Lantier, Resident Of Estherwood:] No, it's not.
[Valencia:] Do you use the N-word?
[Lantier:] Often, but I don't use it as racist.
[Valencia:] How is using the N-word as a white man not racist?
[Lantier:] I don't find it racist. I got plenty of black friends, we all use it.
[Valencia:] Tyler Lantier has lived in Estherwood his whole life. He says just like most of the 900 or so residents here, he has no problem with Police Chief Wayne Welsh or the meme he shared. Do you think that's funny?
[Lantier:] Not necessarily, but at the time it was.
[Valencia:] What was funny about it?
[Lantier:] It was just a post on Facebook that was shared and everybody blew it out of proportion.
[Valencia:] Estherwood Mayor Donald Popp agrees. He, too, thinks this is all a big misunderstanding. The mayor says the meme is irrelevant now because it was posted nearly two years ago in July of 2017 when Chief Welsh was assistant police chief.
[Mayor Donald Popp, Estherwood, Louisiana:] He was disciplined. He was dealt with and then he was re-elected, ran unopposed.
[Valencia:] Months later when the spot for police chief was vacated in 2018, Welsh stepped in as the interim for nine months. Then in November, he ran unopposed. By the time of the election, people either forgot about the meme or didn't much care. What does it say about the people of this community that they would elect somebody like that?
[Popp:] Again, I'm going to say what reiterate what I said. It is not the mayor back at that time. I understand what you're saying, but I'm not going to elaborate on that.
[Valencia:] You are the mayor now.
[Popp:] I am the mayor now, yes.
[Valencia:] What defense do you have to have a police chief who put something like this on the internet?
[Popp:] I'll tell you what I just said. You know, I don't foresee any other problems with Chief Welsh.
[Valencia:] Hey, Wayne, are you there? We wanted to talk to Welsh on camera, but he declined. He did agree to a phone interview, then this happened. Minutes later, he sent me this text message. "Two years ago, I shared a picture on Facebook that I got a lot of heat over because it was said to be racism at that time. I didn't think it was. It was just sharing something off Facebook. I was suspended from the police department for what I did. I also apologized on Facebook and on the live news later. The next year, I ran for police chief in the election and the town voted me there new chief of police. What happened two years ago is behind me and my punishment was done to me and now I'm moving forward with my life as a new chief of police. Thanks." Welsh may be moving forward with his life, but black residents in Estherwood who account for less than five percent of the town, sound like they live in the past every day.
[Unidentified Male:] It doesn't surprise me.
[Valencia:] Out of fear of retaliation, no black residents that we spoke to would go on camera to talk about the chief. Their voice, it seems, is drowned out by the others in Estherwood who defend him.
[Lantier:] At the end of the day, if you need money or anything, you go to that man and he will give it to you. He is all around good guy. And whoever thinks this is messed up because he posted it, [bleep] in the head. I hate to say it like that, but they are.
[Valencia:] According to Noah.com, Chief Welsh recently underwent training required for all new police chiefs in Louisiana and that includes new guidelines and policy for social media. He said that if any one of his officers of his department does anything remotely similar to what he did, they would "be automatically terminated." He added, he doesn't want anything like this to happen again. Nick Valencia, CNN, Estherwood, Louisiana.
[Lemon:] Thank you, Nick. We got a lot to talk about. Keith Boykin, Tara Setmayer, next.

[Chatterley:] Welcome back to FIRST MOVE where we see U.S. stock market futures on track for a positive open this morning. We're actually looking at gains, as you can see, of almost one and a half percent, if not more. The hope here, I think for investors is the worst of the U.S. economic downturn is now behind us. All of this as the number of people filing for first time jobless claims since mid-March rises to more than 33 million people that's 3.2 million in the last week alone. There's a real disconnect, I think between the data that we're seeing and what investors are seeing, too, but that's the way markets work. In earnings news, shares of ride hailing app, Lyft is set to rally over 15 percent. Losses narrowed in ride demand seems to have bottomed in mid- April. Meanwhile, FinTech companies Square and PayPal say business also stabilized in April, too. Hilton Hotels, meanwhile, suspending its dividend and share repurchases. But, it says it has enough cash to last the next 18 to 24 months as bookings plunge and that's key. How long does it take to return to life as we know it? Well, key to that we believe, a global vaccine. San Diego based Arcturus Therapeutics is planning a human clinical trial this summer for their potential offering. The company says a relatively small amount of the compound could vaccinate millions of people. I'm excited to say Joseph Payne is the President and CEO of Arcturus Therapeutics, and he joins us now. Joseph, fantastic to have you on the show. There's something very specific about the vaccine that you are developing and I need you to explain why such a small dose could potentially be so potent.
[Joseph Payne, President And Ceo, Arcturus Therapeutics:] Absolutely, Julia, and by the way, it's good to be with you.
[Chatterley:] Thank you.
[Payne:] Our vaccine our vaccine is a messenger RNA vaccine, which puts us into a special subgroup of the many vaccines that the global scientific community are pursuing. But at Arcturus, we have a special type of messenger RNA vaccine called self-replicating mRNA. So, it means that once this messenger RNA molecule is ejected, that it not only makes a small amount of the desired antigen or the desired spike protein, but it continues to do so. So, because of this technology, it means we can lower the dose substantially, and this is very important, as you can understand.
[Chatterley:] And it's described as a single shot solution, too.
[Payne:] Yes. Yes, you could you know, as we've engaged many, many countries around the world, you can understand the importance of the logistical distribution of the vaccine as well in a single shot vaccine versus a shot plus booster, or a two or three-shot vaccine over months can be very challenging. So, we check all the boxes with this vaccine. Not only is it a potential single shot, and a very low dose, but you combine that with the ease of manufacturing, the feasibility of manufacturing this vaccine, it means that we can make a significant impact in millions of people.
[Chatterley:] I mean, just to give people a sense as well, one kilogram could equate to 500 million doses. So, to your point, whether you're talking about developed economies, or perhaps more importantly, developing economies, these aspects of the science here is so critical. I mentioned in the introduction, human trials in the summer. Why wait so long? Because I know you've done animal trials already. And clearly, the whole world is desperately hoping that that we can accelerate the science as quickly as possible.
[Payne:] Absolutely. Our animal trials were very successful. We had 100 percent sero-conversion in the animals we tested at very, very low doses, so highly encouraging. We're cautiously excited about the data and we need to get this into human beings as soon as possible. We're engaged in manufacturing the vaccine as we speak, and we aim to ship that in June. And then as soon as possible, thereafter, we can initiate the trial. So, if we can replicate the results that we just saw in animals, this would be a very big deal. And we're excited to move into that potential.
[Chatterley:] Give us a sense of timing, then, including the time it takes to do the human trials to analyze the data, to decide, get approval, perhaps to really ramp up the manufacturing of this. When could we see it on the market and being used more widely?
[Payne:] Well, it Julia, that's a great question. It's a fair question. People always want to know when we can get this, you know, to publicly distribute it, so it's important to well, after a human being would be injected, we'd have to measure the antibody titers within a period of time because again, this is a single shot vaccine that won't take a long time to evaluate efficacy and safety in the clinic. So, you know within 30 days after we initiate clinical trials, we'll have some very early data to share and hope we'll start to see some of the data that we expect in to what degree it will match what we've seen in animals, then that doesn't take very long. Measuring antibodies is an easy thing, and it's not just antibodies. We have to make sure it's the correct antibodies, the neutralizing antibodies, the antibodies that protect or protect the individual from the COVID-19 virus itself. So, this does not take a very long time. Our first trial is in 76 people. That's not a large number. We are including the elderly, and we hope to get a very clear idea of the dose right away. Once we lock in the dose and confirm that it is a very low single shot vaccine, then we just engage in manufacturing. And thankfully, our process is very scalable. We've engaged Catalent recently and did a press release on that. They're one of the world's largest, most efficient manufacturers, and they will help us in the ability to get hundreds of millions of doses annually, is what we're hoping to live into with them. And so, I believe, I addressed your question, though. It will take, you know, approximately 30 days after initiating the trial to start to see early data in the very first people that are injected with our vaccine.
[Chatterley:] I was just thinking there because the missing piece of this is that it was the Singaporeans that came to you in January and said, look, we like what you're doing. We want you to scale up. They gave you investment and if you succeed, the Singaporean population get the first batch of doses, but when we're talking about hundreds of millions potentially of manufacturing. That's fine because it's actually a relatively small country. Are you free to sign manufacturing deals with the likes of Pfizer, Merck, potentially here in the United States that have got real manufacturing capacity? Because the global population clearly is billions.
[Payne:] Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. A lot of good thoughts there. The Singapore government and Duke NUS Medical School in Singapore, approached us in January of this year, and we've made great progress with them. And you're right, Singapore is a small country, there's only about five or six million people in that country. And so we can we're definitely looking to make more impact outside of Singapore with this vaccine. And with respect to partnerships, we're engaged in discussions with multiple government entities here and abroad and also strategic partnerships in some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. And we have to evaluate all of these opportunities. There's fantastic foundations as well that are looking to help the developing countries, and we're in conversations with them as you can appreciate. You take this all together, we're going to learn to you and I are going to learn together, you know, the you know, which partnerships are going to help us globally distribute this vaccine. But in the initial phase, this is an important distinction, in 2020, we don't the purchasers of the vaccines are countries. This is an unusual commercial business model. Our customers are few and you have a small number of countries that can afford to stockpile a vaccine and initiate this process early. And the distributors are going to be the military for example. So countries are the buyers and the military are the distributors, and that's an unusual model and that's what we're heading into for this year. But next year or in 2022, having a partnership with a global distributor in a more traditional sense is more likely at that time. But in terms of right now, you know, we need to address the needs of countries that want to gain access and rights to our vaccine as soon as possible, and help us with funding the stockpiling initiatives for these countries, and then we can provide a very simple single shot vaccine that is readily distributed and easily, you know, logistically easy to distribute to distribute for these relative countries. So that we're headed in the near term to make sense.
[Chatterley:] And at relatively lower cost. Yes. I mean, you've just pointed out how many barriers have been broken here in terms of innovation, speed, business model, who's buying, who's distributing. Joseph, keep in touch, please, because we'd love to check back in with you and with your progress. Thank you for all your work and for your team's work, too. Joseph Payne there. Great to chat with you and hear what you're doing.
[Payne:] Thank you, Julia.
[Chatterley:] Thank you. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
[Payne:] Appreciate it.
[Chatterley:] All right. Stay with us. We're back after this.

[Russell Clark, Intensive Care Paramedic:] It was like like I've seen the "Chernobyl" miniseries, and there was just everything was just blanketed in ash. It was quite an overwhelming feeling.
[Gorani:] One of the paramedics who flew in after a volcano erupted on a New Zealand island, six people are now confirmed dead, one person died in the hospital. this is some of that apocalyptic landscape that the medic described. Look at that, wow. It really does look like complete and utter devastation. Eight people are still missing, by the way. The victims were mostly tourists, some on a cruise excursion and some of them, walking right on the volcano itself. Will Ripley tells us what it must have been like when the volcano blew.
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] It must have been absolutely horrific for the people who were on White Island at the time of this eruption, which happened, we're told, with very little notice. Even though some volcanologists say that there have been signs in recent weeks of increased activity at this active volcano, which also happens to be an incredibly popular tourist destination, visited by thousands of people every year. That, of course, raises the obvious question, why were people allowed not just to visit this island, but to actually hike into the volcanic crater? Yes, the tour company that operates the majority of these trips has an excellent safety record. But this nonetheless is a volcano that is known to have eruptions from time to time. And this eruption, while it might be considered relatively minor by volcanic standards, if somebody's standing right up there next to the crater, looking over the edge? Well, we talked with a volcanologist who describes the conditions, the horrific conditions they would have likely endured, a blast so powerful it would have shot boulders possibly up to a meter, three feet across, straight up into the air, not to mention smaller particles of rock being shot laterally at sonic or even supersonic speeds. Just the impact from that alone could be fatal, not to mention that impenetrable cloud of volcanic ash and the toxic gases and steam that would have enveloped these people who were on the island. Forty-seven people on the island when the eruption occurred. It blew the rotors off a helicopter. People who would have been in the middle of it wouldn't be able to see, they wouldn't know which direction to run to go to safety. And that's why you have hospital officials here, warning that people who have burns over 30 percent of their bodies, not to mention whatever they inhaled, they may not be able to survive their injuries, which is why the number of dead is expected to climb. There are also bodies that are still sitting on the island. Rescue crews, so far, have not been able to go recover them because the conditions have been deemed unsafe. And so you have this cruise ship, the Ovation of the Seas, sitting here. It was supposed to be at sea. It's still here, docked, passengers kind of waiting to learn what's going to happen next as this investigation continues, as people continue to try to recover int he hospital with their worried families, back at home, wondering if they're going to pull through, never expecting that they would have gone on a cruise like this, gotten off the boat, gone on an excursion, only to never come home. Will Ripley, CNN, Tauranga, New Zealand.
[Gorani:] All right. Will Ripley, there, as you saw there from the footage, able to see that island from his position on shore, where that volcano erupted. Six people confirmed dead, eight still missing and many of those who survived, suffering injuries some of them with quite severe burns as well. Still to come tonight, we are live from the COP25 climate conference in Spain as a new report highlights the dangerous changes to our planet. What are we going to do about it? we'll be right back.

[Berman:] It's time for "CNN Business Now." Chinese President Xi Jinping says China wants to work out phase the phase-one trade deal with the United States but it is not afraid to fight a trade war. Our chief business correspondent Christine Romans here with that Romans.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent, Anchor, "early Start":] Hi, John. It's the same will they get a trade deal with China debate that has gripped markets for months now. The "South China Morning Post" and "Reuters" report the Chinese president told reporters in Beijing, "When necessary we will fight back, but we have been working actively to try not to have a trade war." Time is running out. Tariffs on $156 billion in Chinese-made consumer goods are slated for December 15th. Now, in Washington, a source familiar with the state of play says the White House is considering two options. The first, the president puts more tariffs on Chinese goods next month and lets the current tariffs stand, the source says, to defend American workers from Chinese aggression. The second option is a mini-deal the source called not skinny, but anorexic. Soybean purchases from China and more access to Chinese financial markets, that's something Wall Street wants in exchange for what the Chinese want rolling back September tariffs and canceling new tariffs scheduled for December. Now, none of this is the course correction the president sought at the outset. And this week, he blamed the Chinese and seemed to favor option one, more tariffs.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] China would much rather make a trade deal than I would.
[Unidentified Female:] Then why haven't they?
[Trump:] Because I haven't wanted to do it yet.
[Unidentified Female:] And why haven't you wanted to do it yet?
[Trump:] Because I don't think they're stepping up to the level that I want.
[Romans:] And the president is said to believe there is room to stand tough on China, partly because stocks have been resilient since the trade war started. Since Trump announced the first tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, the Dow is up almost 13 percent, the S&P 500 up almost 16 percent, and the Nasdaq up more than 18 percent. The mood this morning, hopes for a deal. Looking at futures now, they had been leaning higher here guys.
[Camerota:] Thank you very much, Christine, for all of that. So, after two weeks of impeachment hearings, how do voters in battleground states feel? CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich spoke with the all- important suburban voters outside of Philadelphia.
[Doug Stirling, Radio Host, Wche:] And good morning, everybody. Talking a little politics. We want to know what you think about the impeachment hearings.
[Vanessa Yurkevich, Cnn Business And Politics Correspondent:] The morning rush to Philadelphia with impeachment on the mind.
[Stephen Dibonaventura, Pennsylvania Republican:] It's a big show and I think they're just wasting taxpayers' money.
[Yurkevich:] No matter their political party, voters here in the suburbs are paying attention from the airwaves
[Unidentified Male:] It would be thrown out in any courtroom, put it that way.
[Stirling:] Nothing there, there, huh?
[Unidentified Male:] No.
[Yurkevich:] to the railways.
[Unidentified Male:] I'm totally convinced that he's committed a crime.
[Yurkevich:] A narrow victory in Pennsylvania helped deliver the White House to Donald Trump in 2016. Democrats here now on offense with strong voter turnout in local elections earlier this month, helping them score victories in three suburban Philadelphia counties.
[Stirling:] Now that we are a thoroughly blue county for the first time 150 years, that may portend trouble for the president next year.
[Unidentified Female:] Oh, there we go.
[Yurkevich:] Jane Young and her friends have been glued to the hearings for the past two weeks.
[Unidentified Female:] For the opening statements, we're not talking. Oh, that's not going to happen. You invited the wrong person. OK, shh, shh.
[Yurkevich:] At her watch party in Delaware County, four Democrats and one Independent all believe the president has committed a crime.
[Adrian Miller, Pennsylvania Independent:] And we're talking about what acceptance of law and we're determining what our laws are now.
[Unidentified Female:] Wait.
[Miller:] So are we going to accept that this is practice now or are we not going to accept this is practice now?
[Unidentified Female:] And that's I think that we're ahead of the congressional hearings. We believed it before they walked in the room and produced the witnesses.
[Alexo Bell, Pennsylvania Republican:] Thank you.
[Yurkevich:] Across town, Alexo and Valerie Bell.
[Valerie Morgan Bell, Pennsylvania Independent:] It's not supposed to be a few people picking your leaders of the country.
[A. Bell:] Right.
[Yurkevich:] Alexo, a staunch Trump supporter. His wife, Valerie, an Independent who is not a fan of the president. Have you discussed the impeachment inquiry?
[A. Bell:] I know where she stands, you know what I mean? She would like to see him get the boot, you know, and I wouldn't. So it's kind of a moot point to even talk about it.
[Yurkevich:] While respecting each other's opinions is key to their marriage, there's no love lost on their distinct views on impeachment.
[A. Bell:] I think the Democrats are grasping at straws wherever they can.
[V. Bell:] I just think you have to hold the president to a higher standard and I think it doesn't look good. It doesn't have good optics.
[Yurkevich:] Now, the vast majority of voters we spoke to in Pennsylvania say they do not believe the president will be removed from office. They say the 2020 election will ultimately decide his fate. And, John and Alisyn, we spent a lot of time talking to voters there. We only found one who knows who they'll be voting for that will be President Trump. And the others we spoke to still very much undecided and do not know yet, even on the Democratic side, who they'll be voting for in 2020.
[Berman:] Those might be some of the most decisive and important voters in the country. Vanessa, thanks so much for being with us. I appreciate it.
[Camerota:] Thank you.
[Berman:] So, to say the president's impeachment defenses have been shifting is an understatement. Our reality check team is counting down the dozen we have time for, starting with this.
[Gordon Sondland, U.s. Ambassador To The European Union:] Was there a quid pro quo? The answer is yes.
[John Avlon, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] And with that damning bit of testimony, Ambassador Gordon Sondland killed off one of team Trump's biggest talking points. His very presence undercut another defense because this million-dollar Trump donor could never credibly be called a never-Trumper. But let's go back to the beginning because it all started with denial. The president tweeting, "Is anybody dumb enough to believe I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader?" Well, yes, and Trump's own release of the transcript knocked that one off. So the next move, just clam up.
[Reporter:] Did you discuss Joe Biden, his son or his family with the leader of Ukraine?
[Trump:] It doesn't matter what I discussed. I don't even know exactly who you're talking about.
[Avlon:] But that couldn't be sustained forever, so it became the perfect call.
[Trump:] It was a perfect call. An absolutely perfect phone conversation. It was perfect.
[Avlon:] And if that's the case, then the whistleblower had to be wrong, right?
[Trump:] Well, the whistleblower was very inaccurate.
[Avlon:] Well, when Trump released the transcript voluntarily, it basically backed up the whistleblower's account. So then there was this. Get over it, snowflakes.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief Of Staff:] I have news for everybody, get over it. There's going to be political influence in foreign policy.
[Avlon:] And then there was America's crash course in Latin.
[Trump:] No quid pro quo. There's no quid pro quo. No quid pro quo.
[Avlon:] When it appeared that Ukraine didn't know military aid was being withheld well, there goes the quote, right?
[Unidentified Male:] You can't have a quid pro quo with no quo.
[Avlon:] Well, it turns out Ukraine did know, so scratch that. Then came the testimonies and GOP complaints that they were being held behind closed doors.
[Rep. Matt Gaetz:] What we see in this impeachment is a kangaroo court and Chairman Schiff is acting like a malicious Captain Kangaroo.
[Avlon:] OK, Captain Kangaroo's got nothing to do with kangaroo courts. But once we entered public hearings that one went away, right?
[Sen. Ron Johnson:] This would have been far better off if we would have just taken care of this behind the scenes.
[Avlon:] OK, so much for that. But it's all secondhand information, right?
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] I've seen church prayer chains that are easier to understand than this.
[Avlon:] Well then, witnesses with firsthand information testified the same way. And the White House is blocking the testimony of more senior officials with firsthand knowledge, so kiss that one goodbye. As long as we're on Jim Jordan, by the way, call this one the Brick Tamland.
[Jordan:] I'm asking you a simple question. When did that happen?
[Sondland:] Never did.
[Jordan:] Never did.
[Steve Carrel, Actor:] I don't know what we're yelling about.
[Avlon:] When all the testimonies basically said he did it, it was time for this defense.
[Laura Ingraham, Fox News Host, "the Ingraham Angle":] Attempted bribery isn't in the constitution.
[Matthew Whitaker, Former Acting Attorney General:] Abuse of power is not a crime.
[Avlon:] OK, that man briefly ran our Justice Department and solicitation of bribery is literally part of the statute. So then, they tried to let Trump off the hook because he got caught before he could pull it off. There was also plenty of project and deflect, fixation on Hunter Biden, and the idea that it was Democrats who were colluding with Ukraine, to which Fiona Hill said
[Dr. Fiona Hill, Former National Security Council Official Specializing In Soviet, Russian, And European Affairs:] This is a fictional narrative that has been perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services themselves.
[Avlon:] So here we are back to denial as the official position of the White House and Fox News, at least judging by this giant banner "Sondland Testimony Confirms No Quid Pro Quo." As this heads to the Senate it looks like there's one defense left. OK, he did it. It's bad but it's not impeachable. And whoever signs on to that defense is going to be given the green light to all future presidents to use foreign powers to investigate their domestic political rivals. And that's your reality check.
[Camerota:] John
[Berman:] I'm going to say it.
[Camerota:] You say it.
[Berman:] That was great and it was more than just loud noises, you know, as Brick Tamland would say. That was fantastic.
[Camerota:] So, no Captain Kangaroo, but Mr. Green Jeans, very suspicious.
[Berman:] Always very suspicious.
[Avlon:] Always.
[Camerota:] Thank you.
[Berman:] No one wears green jeans just saying. Thanks, John.
[Avlon:] Thanks, guys.
[Berman:] All right, thank you to our international viewers for watching. For you, "CNN NEWSROOM" with Max Foster is next. For our U.S. viewers, the Democrats moving closer to an impeachment vote. NEW DAY continues right now.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman. END

[Cuomo:] You know, we say we support the troops all the time. But do we? The men and women who protect and defend this nation, they're taking their lives at record numbers. 321 active duty members of the Military died by suicide in the year 2018. It ties the worst year since the Armed Forces started keeping close track of this. 20 vets, every day, take their own lives. It's a number that's been pretty consistent for about a decade. Matt Miller is with us tonight. He is the Director of the VA's Veterans and Military Crisis Line. Hey, we appreciate you being here, and thank you for the job that you do.
[Matt Miller, Director, Veterans Crisis Line:] Thank you, Chris. It's a pleasure to be here with you. And thank you for giving the VA an opportunity to join in this important discussion.
[Cuomo:] We have our best on it. I am joined here with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and I need him, to make sure we're asking the right questions to get as much information and perspective out from someone who knows. So, let me bring him into the conversation. What do we need to know to start of?
[Gupta:] Well, you you know, it's interesting, Chris, and Matt Matt obviously knows this. But historically, you know, we think of veterans as having much higher suicide rates, which they do, but that historically hasn't been the case. I mean, in the past, this has actually been lower than the general population. I think the question people always hear this number 20, 22 people dying, by their own hand every day, veterans, the big question, Matt, I mean, you know, why is that happening, why does it continue to happen over a decade now? Do we have any insights into what's going on and how to maybe curb those numbers a bit?
[Miller:] Why is the question to obviously start with. It's the question that's on all of our minds, and it's the question that comes to mind, I think, first, when we experience this. It's the question that came to my mind first when a friend and colleague, United States Marines, died by suicide when we were stationed together back in 2004 and 2005. It's a complex answer. It's a very individually-based answer. It's a combination of and a complicated combination of risk factors and protective factors. Veterans are extremely resilient, as a group, and as a population. Veterans also face unique challenges and unique risk factors within the suicide and suicide prevention fight. And-
[Cuomo:] Well there is also unique resistance, is there not, Matt? I mean one of the things that we've learned is that in the community, even when it was started off with PTSD, right, we've dropped the D, because of the stigma of the word disorder. But there are many men and women in your community where they don't want to admit this because they see it as weakness. They are warriors, and this is weakness. Now, of course, that's not true. But how do you combat that?
[Miller:] I think veterans are I I have a little different perspective on that as a-
[Cuomo:] Please.
[Miller:] -veteran as well, I think that there are very real questions and issues that veterans may face in terms of pursuing treatment or seeking assistance. But I would also pose that veterans are uniquely trained and have uniquely learned when to charge, and and go forward, and go it alone, if need be, versus when to call in for help. I think that some of the challenges that we're working hard within the VA to address are converting some of the things that you've talked about with other guests already, which is converting this awareness into increased help-seeking. How to seek help? How to get the help? What does help look like? When do I need help, and educating veterans in that way, and that is going to be a broad community effort, including the VA, and beyond the
[Va. Gupta:] Yes. I'm curious, you know. The the resources available at the VA, I mean there's been studies shown that that veterans who interact with the VA get health services there are then less likely to die by suicide. And yet, you also hear in the news lately, I mean, headlines last few months, that there have been veterans who have taken their own lives right outside a VA hospital right right right at the entrance to VA hospital, for example. Well what's what's going on there? Are there enough resources? Is there a concern about the mental health resources available at the VA for veterans?
[Miller:] You raise several good points within that Dr. Gupta. One is the number 20. If we take a look a little more deeply at the 20 per day with veterans first, one is is too many. Within that 20, 14 have not had care within the VA, six have. Veteran is veteran to us, however in the VA, and we are looking to design and implement suicide prevention programs and services that reach all veterans, the 14 and the six. Talking about the on-campus suicides, actually, on-campus rates on the VA are lower than on-campus rates at non-VA facilities. And on-campus suicides have decreased by 84 percent, the Joint Commission found from one year to the next recently, so good news overall. Nonetheless, as I said, and coming back to the main point, one is too many. Therefore, we are working on, and have developed a national suicide prevention plan and roadmap, and are working closely with communities through the Mayoral Challenge, the Governor's Challenge to combine resources across treatment and prevention.
[Cuomo:] We will put the information out. We appreciate the work that you are doing. And you raise a point that whether it's veterans or non-veterans, Matt, if you get treatment, your chances of survival just skyrocket, and we have to see it as a show of strength, not weakness.
[Miller:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Thank you so much, Matt Miller. God bless and good luck with the work going forward. So-
[Miller:] Thank you.
[Cuomo:] -here's the number that we're showing. If you need it, use it. If you know someone who you think could benefit from it, reach out, 1- 800-273-TALK or 8255, gets you to the same place. Now, press one, if you're a veteran, when you're calling, then you'll be transferred to a VA staffer. We'll keep putting up the number. You know, it's going to be there. I'll tweet it out. It's there. If you need it, use it. Our next guest knows how to stop this tragic loss of life. Think about that. Something so pervasive in our society and it's not like cancer, where we haven't figured out exactly what we have something here. She's the Lead Scientist of the Severity Rating Scale called The Columbia Protocol. This thing has dramatically helped lower suicide rates when it is implemented, even in the Military. What are the solutions? Next.

[Unidentified Male:] That's an experience that he finds extremely humiliating.
[Reporter:] His father insists that the Prince of Wales is protected at all times. But Edward defies his father's orders.
[Julilan Lord Hardinge, Grandson Of King George V's Asst Private Secretary:] At one point, he escaped from his minders and headed off to the frontline.
[Christi Paul, Cnn Anchor: "the Windsors:] INSIDE THE ROYAL DYNASTY" airs tonight at 10:00 Eastern and Pacific right here on CNN.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] CNN can now project that Bernie Sanders is the winner of the Nevada caucuses.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] In Nevada, we've put together a multigenerational, multiracial coalition, which is going to not only win in Nevada, it's going to sweep this country.
[Unidentified Male:] Bernie Sanders has momentum. It is the most cherished gift in politics and he has it.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] Before we rush to nominate senator Sanders in our one shot to take on this president, let us take a sober look at what is at stake for our party, for our values and for those with the most to lose.
[Unidentified Female:] This is a real blowout that we're seeing here. It's a problem for all of these other candidates because one or more of them need to figure out who is the one to step back?
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.
[Paul:] Good morning to you on this Sunday. Senator Bernie Sanders seems to be cementing his front-runner status with a victory in Nevada. With 50 percent of precincts reporting now, CNN projects he will win the state's caucuses. Former Vice President Joe Biden, you see there, in second place, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg in third and then Elizabeth Warren rounding out the top four.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] Now, Senator Sanders was in Texas as the early results came in, talking to his supporters, and assuring them that they will win across the country.
[Sanders:] In Nevada and in New Hampshire and in Iowa, what we showed is that our volunteers are prepared to knock on hundreds and hundreds of thousands of doors, that no campaign has a grassroots movement like we do, which is another reason why we're going to win this election.
[Paul:] Now, Sanders celebrates his victory, his rival candidates are piling on the attacks.
[Blackwell:] Yes, both Buttigieg and Biden are making the case why they are the only ones who can beat President Trump in November.
[Buttigieg:] I am here to make the case for a politics that invites everyone in instead of saying it's my way or the highway.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] I ain't a socialist, I ain't a plutocrat, I'm a Democrat. I'm a Democrat. I was proud to have and run with Barack Obama. And I'm proud to still be his friend.
[Paul:] CNN correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro is in Reno, Nevada, following the results. Evan, good to see you, I know, so early this morning. Thank you for being up for us. Talk to me about
[Evan Mcmorris-santoro, Cnn Correspondent:] Of course.
[Paul:] what voters are saying about how Sanders can broaden his appeal across the Democratic Party and turn out voters. Does this solidify that?
[Mcmorris-santoro:] Well, listen, it was really interesting listening to that sound you just played of the other candidates now really shifting their attention to Sanders for really the first time in this whole primary process. They're now really trying to go after him. What's interesting about it, what makes it a harder sell here in Nevada, this is a Democratic caucus. I mean, yes, it was open to anybody who wanted to show up. But it's a very involved thing to do. It takes a long time to caucus. It's very complicated. Only at a certain time of the day, there are very long lines sometimes. You have to really be invested in the Democratic Party to really want to come out and participate in this thing. The people who did supported Bernie. So when you hear these establishment Democrats talking more about how listen, hey, I'm establishment, look at what I can bring, this is the kind of thing that Sanders can now push back on with a victory like he got here in Nevada. And now, what he can do is move on and what he's already doing is trying to talk about how he's going to be the uniter of a Democratic Party, he's going to be you know, if he's the presumptive nominee, which of course he isn't, there's a lot of delegates to go. But the momentum that he's gotten is allowing him to talk as though he is the guy who's going to carry the party forward. And you can hear in a speech he gave right after wining here in Nevada.
[Sanders:] If we stand together, if we fight for an agenda that works for working families and the middle class, if we get involved in the political process, if we stand for justice, if we stand for justice, if we stand for compassion, if we understand that we are all in this together, that my family has to care about your family, your family cares about my family brothers and sisters, if we stand together we will not only defeat Trump, we will transform this country and create a government and an economy that works for all of us, not wealthy campaign contributors.
[Mcmorris-santoro:] So this is not a subtle message from Senator Sanders. He's saying, listen, I just picked up a bunch of momentum, it's time for you, the Democratic Party, to think about uniting behind me. And his message is, look, the same message for a very long time. He says the same thing, talks about the same stuff. But this time he tied it to an organization that seems like it can't really be beat by anybody. I mean, the reality of winning in all these primary states that we've seen so far are really on the ground efforts that take a lot of time and a lot of people. And as he mentioned in that earlier sound we played before, we played, you know, his rivals, the organization is something to be very, very proud of. And so far in these smaller states, he's been able to activate that base and activate that base of volunteers. Now we move into Super Tuesday, it's a bigger more traditional effort with air you know, ads and other ground efforts. So, we'll see how that Bernie momentum travels into that different environment.
[Blackwell:] Three contests down, 54 to go? Evan McMorris-Santoro, thanks so much.
[Paul:] Evan is getting a vision of what he has ahead of him too, as you say that. Joining us to discuss, former Bill Clinton White House adviser, Guy Smith. Mr. Smith, thank you so much for being with us.
[Guy Smith, Former Bill Clinton White House Adviser:] Good morning.
[Paul:] Good morning to you as well. So, it seems that Bernie Sanders has tremendous support. This is a man who is a self-proclaimed socialist. With that said, what do the victories from him tell you about the Democratic Party now?
[Smith:] Well, the Democratic Party is changing, just as the Republican Party is changing. It's a fascinating time in American politics. And what I would be I would say to Democratic Democrat establishment people this morning, everybody take a deep breath. Here's what's going to go on. We're very early in this process. Unquestionably big win for Bernie last night. South Carolina is next, next week. And we'll see if Joe Biden has a lot of strength there and then Super Tuesday. And there's not a lot of attention given to Mike Bloomberg and all his money in the morning after. I mean, Bernie justifiably has momentum right now. But there's a big divide. Donald Trump is very happy about Bernie and looked like the Russians are probably happy about Bernie. And then it's going to be Bernie is going to have to move to the center. That's normal in politics.
[Paul:] How does he do that based on all of the policies that he's espoused up to this point? If he makes too big of a pivot, is he then disingenuous?
[Smith:] Well, there are a lot of people think he's disingenuous anyway. In politics, there's a lot there's a lot of disingenuity in politics.
[Paul:] True.
[Smith:] I mean, the idea, if you look at those entrance polls that you were showing in the earlier segment, it shows there's a huge number of Democrat voters whose main objective is defeating Donald Trump. Well, politics is about compromise. And what Bernie Bernie is very good at attacking Democrats. He's not all that good at attacking Republicans. He needs to get good at attacking Republicans and he needs to have a message to the Democratic establishment is I'm your guy. We're going to he said in the clip you just played, we're all in this together. Well, he's right about that. But he has to demonstrate that he's right about it. And we're going to see in South Carolina and then later in Super Tuesday, and Super Tuesday, there are a lot of states where he doesn't have the ground organization that he had in Nevada. And that's going to tell the tale. We'll see if Joe Biden can stay in. If Joe Biden falters again in South Carolina, the game is over for him.
[Paul:] Well, speaking of South Carolina, the primary again, just to remind everybody is next Saturday. That is a different procedural process. That's a true primary. People are going into a private space. They are marking the ballot for the person that they believe it should be. There isn't a lot of back and forth in trying to as in a caucus, trying to encourage someone to come over to your side. Do you see South Carolina as being very different than what we've seen up to this point?
[Smith:] Yes. The caucus process as your reporter was saying from Reno a few minutes ago, it's a very, very involved process. And the people that participate are deeply involved in the political process. Your average voter is living their life, they want to vote. So, I think, like you said, they go in the booth and they actually vote. And then they go home and they do whatever else, their job. So their perspective is much different than somebody that's really deeply involved in the process.
[Paul:] Second to Bernie Sanders was, of course, Joe Biden. It's the best showing in a contest he's had thus far. He was fourth in Iowa, he was fifth in New Hampshire. Is Nevada proof that he's gaining some momentum or is it representative of maybe the makeup of that state?
[Smith:] Well, it's both, I think. I think it's both. I mean, he clearly has momentum. He certainly has the media momentum and it's justifiable. He did very well in Nevada and it required a lot of organization, a lot of people on the ground, and in a complicated process. The caucus process, like you said, it different than going into a voting booth. But Joe Biden has a long time history, lots of support in South Carolina and then the Super Tuesday states, the establishment wing of the Democratic Party is going to come into play, we think. We'll see. But you got to remember, the Democrats, remember what the humorist Will Rogers said about the Democratic Party? He said, I never been a member of an organized political party. I'm a Democrat. Well, he that's kind of funny and it is funny but it's also true. You think back, you know, the Republicans went through a similar kind of thing. They had a zillion candidates and Donald Trump, you know
[Paul:] That's true.
[Smith:] Yes.
[Paul:] That's true. Guy Smith, always appreciate you taking the time for us. Thank you, sir.
[Smith:] Thanks for having me.
[Paul:] Of course. And with the days counting down until the South Carolina primary, six candidates take voter questions in a special two-night CNN town hall event. This is live from Charleston, all starting tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern, only here on CNN. The National Security Advisor, Robert O'Brien is contradicting a top official who said that Russia was attempting to interfere in U.S. elections.
[Blackwell:] O'Brien says he's not seen any evidence to support that claim, despite warnings from the intel community. Now, on Friday, Senator Sanders told his campaign was briefed about Russia's effort to his run for the White House. But now, a senior national security official tells CNN that Russia has no preference. CNN's Kristen Holmes is following the latest. This is a lot to to unpack, to decipher. Help people at home understand what's going on here.
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn National Correspondent:] Good morning, Victor and Christi. That's right. Let's start at the beginning so we can really break it down. All of this is surrounding something that happened earlier this month. A top intelligence official briefed lawmakers on Russian interference in the 2020 election. Now, sources say that this was a comprehensive briefing and that this top intelligence official said twice that the Kremlin has a preference for President Trump. Now, of course, as you say, the national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, is pushing back on that notion saying there's no evidence of that. Take a listen to what he said during an interview.
[Robert O'brien, U.s. National Security Advisor:] Well, I have not seen the finding. I think what he's referring to and what folks are talking about is a briefing that took place last week at the House Intelligence Committee that was leaked to the press. And I have not seen that report and from what I understand about the report is that there was no again, I get this secondhand, but from Republican congressmen that were in the committee, there was no intelligence behind it. I haven't seen any intelligence to support the reports that were leaked out of the House. But it's just hard to comment on that because again, I wasn't there. And these are leaks that were coming from a House Intel Committee hearing. I haven't seen any intelligence that would back up what I'm reading in the papers.
[Holmes:] OK. So what exactly is going on here? Well, we spoke to sources who are both in the briefing and those familiar with what happened. They gave us a little bit of clarity. These sources say it wasn't so cut and dry. It wasn't just Russians like Trump. And that wasn't the narrative that the intelligence community wanted to come out of this briefing. But that instead this top intelligence official was peppered with questions by lawmakers who are really trying to pin her down on who the Kremlin preferred. And that is when she eventually relented and gave her view of where that was. So, that gives you an idea here of when it comes to Russia, when it comes to the 2020 election, it is very clear that just as in 2016, this is going to be a big part of that election narrative as we inch towards November.
[Paul:] All righty. Kristen, thank you for breaking it down for us. Good to see you.
[Blackwell:] She's there at the White House, and let's stay at the White House. Live look here in short period. President Trump is going to leave Washington for a two-day trip to India, his first trip to the country as president. We've got a live report from Delhi.
[Paul:] Also, the number of coronavirus cases across the U.S. is climbing this morning. Why the government is facing backlash over the evacuation of some patients.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] A new warning that the coronavirus death toll could explode yet again in the United States because some aren't getting the point, that large crowds without masks are not a good mix. We'll get into that this hour. Also
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Democrats held the darkest and angriest and gloomiest convention in American history.
[Allen:] Not-so-sleepy Joe has President Trump repainting his DNC picture, while railing against mail-in voting and suggesting the election will be rigged or drag on forever. Also, this hour, a Kremlin critic believed to have been poisoned flown out of Russia. German doctors now trying to save his life and figure out what made him so sick. I'll talk with a Russian security expert about that. Hello, everyone, we're live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Natalie Allen and this is CNN NEWSROOM. And thank you for joining us. The coronavirus pandemic keeps pushing case numbers and deaths higher in the United States, along with warnings that the death toll could nearly double by December if the U.S. doesn't shape up. According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 175,000 people have now died out of more than 5.6 million infected. One influential model predicts it could get much worse: 310,000 deaths by December. That's at least 1,000 Americans dead every day for the next three months. The model also warns that number could rise to a staggering 2,000 per day or more once December begins.
[Dr. Christopher Murray, Institute For Health Metrics And Evaluation:] We have a worse scenario in what we release and that's many, many more deaths. And in fact, by the time December rolls around, if we don't do anything at all, the daily death toll in the U.S. would be much higher than the sort of 2,000 deaths a day we would expect by December. It could be as high as 6,000 deaths a day. So it really depends on what we do, both as individuals and what governments do.
[Allen:] But Dr. Chris Murray there and other health experts say that number could fall by 70,000 if people wore masks and adhered to social distancing guidelines. Researchers warn that super spreader events are driving the pandemic. This recent motorcycle rally in South Dakota has been linked to more than 2 dozen COVID cases.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] What we're hearing is that there's already been at least 26 people who have been confirmed to have been infected in three different states, including South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska. Again, it's just give days since the rally ended. You well know that it can take a long time to get tested, to get test results back. So they expect these numbers to go up.
[Allen:] Coronavirus outbreaks have followed the school year. Nearly 1,400 cases have been reported on college campuses in at least 19 states. And a warning from the World Health Organization here
[Dr. Michael Ryan, World Health Organization:] It took three waves for the disease to infect most of the susceptible individuals and then settle down probably into a seasonal pattern. But this virus is not displaying a similar wave-like pattern.
[Allen:] Our Nick Watt has more on the latest, plus a look at how the pandemic is affecting some individual U.S. states.
[Nick Watt, Cnn National Correspondent:] Today, more COVID- 19 deaths logged in Arkansas than ever before.
[Unidentified Male:] We are not back to normal. We have more work to be done.
[Watt:] On average, more than 1,000 Americans have died every day for about a month now.
[Dr. Robert Redfield, Centers For Disease Control And Prevention:] Hopefully this week and next week, you'll start seeing the death rate really start to drop.
[Watt:] His optimism is based upon the nationwide new infection rate dropping at the moment. But
[Dr. Amy Compton-phillips, Cnn Medical Analyst:] I think we're going to see in the fall another spike. I just don't see it not happening, given the burden of disease that's circulating in the community today.
[Watt:] There's a whiff already.
[Redfield:] Middle America right now is getting stuck. We don't need to have a third wave in the heartlands.
[Watt:] Case counts climbing in Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota; now looking a little sunnier in the South. The rate of new cases now falling in Texas. Even so, today in Dallas
[Unidentified Male:] All the medical professionals were unanimous in their recommendation that there should be no in-person learning on September the 8th.
[Watt:] Of the 101 largest districts in the nation, 64 now reopening online only, despite pressure from the president and some of his acolytes, who are not medical professionals. July 8th, the president tweeted this, "In Germany, schools are open with no problems." That day, 356 new cases in Germany; yesterday, more than four times that. New York crushed the curve, still nervous about schools.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] They're still working out what the plan would be. I would have a lot of questions. Parents do have a lot of questions. This is a risky proposition no matter how you do it.
[Watt:] Kicking up to college level, cases now confirmed on campuses in at least 19 states, some reverting to remote learning. Gatherings like this proving a problem. Penn State's president asking the question, "Do you want to be the person responsible for sending everyone home?" In New York state, Syracuse University has just imposed an interim suspension on 23 students after a gathering in a quad there. And in Purdue, Indiana, they have suspended 36 after an off-campus party. At Purdue, they plan to test every week all staff on campus and have random tests of students throughout the semester Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Allen:] Now we turn to the race for the White House. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is looking to build on momentum coming off of his party's national convention this week. He and running mate Kamala Harris are highlighting what sets them apart from President Trump. The two gave their joint interview on Friday. Biden says he would handle the coronavirus pandemic more effectively and says no measure is off the table.
[Unidentified Male:] Would you be prepared to shut this country down again?
[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] I would be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus. That is the fundamental flaw of this administration's thinking to begin with. In order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing and people employed, you have to fix the virus. You have to deal with the virus.
[Unidentified Male:] So if the scientists say shut it down?
[Biden:] I would shut it down. I would listen to the scientists.
[Allen:] Mail-in voting is another contentious issue, with the White House threatening to veto a proposed bill that would provide funding to the Postal Service. It's likely to come up at next week's Republican National Convention. President Trump is already giving a preview of how he plans to counter Joe Biden's messaging. Our Jim Acosta has more about it from the White House.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Eager to get back on the attack, the president took aim at the theme running through Joe Biden's speech at the Democratic convention that the trump administration has been a time of darkness.
[Trump:] They spent four straight days attacking America as racist and a horrible country that must be redeemed. And yet look at what we have accomplished until the plague came in. Look at what we have accomplished and now we're doing it again. Where Joe Biden sees American darkness, I see American greatness.
[Acosta:] It was a carefully scripted rebuttal to a Biden speech that surprised even some Trump allies as nowhere near sleepy.
[Biden:] This is our moment. This is our mission. May history be able to say that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here tonight, as love and hope and light join in the battle for the soul of the nation.
[Acosta:] And yet in front of a crowd of conservative activists, many not wearing masks, the president warned a Biden administration would lead to the same unrest on the streets that happened on Mr. Trump's watch.
[Trump:] I'm the only thing standing between the American dream and total anarchy, madness and chaos and that's what it is.
[Acosta:] The president reprised his attacks on mail-in voting, predicting they will lead to chaos on election night.
[Trump:] And they all think I'm trying to steal an election. Just the opposite. I want the fair results of an election.
[Acosta:] At a Senate hearing on mail slowdowns, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump ally, denied he's trying to rig the election for the president after recent revelations that processing machines have been removed at postal facilities across the country.
[Sen. Gary Peters:] Will you be bringing back any mail sorting machines that have been removed since you have become postmaster general?
[Peters:] Will any of those come back?
[Louis Dejoy, U.s. Postmaster General:] There's no intention to do that. They're not needed, sir.
[Acosta:] DeJoy conceded he and Mr. Trump recently met, but insisted their conversation was not about the election.
[Peters:] Did you discuss those changes or their potential impact on the November election with the president or anyone at the White House? And remind you, you're under oath.
[Dejoy:] I have never spoken to the president about the Postal Service, other than to congratulate me when I accepted the position.
[Acosta:] The president has yet to provide any evidence there will be fraud on election night and yet he's vowing to send police officers to polling stations.
[Trump:] We're going to have sheriffs and we're going to have law enforcement and we're going to have hopefully U.S. attorneys and we're going to have everybody and attorney generals.
[Acosta:] On the pro-Trump QAnon movement
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Will you dismiss it? Will you dismiss it?
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] I just did, John.
[Berman:] No, you didn't.
[Pence:] We dismiss conspiracy theories out of hand.
[Acosta:] Vice President Mike Pence tried to dance around questions about the baseless conspiracy theory.
[Pence:] I don't know anything about that conspiracy theory. I don't know anything about QAnon and I dismiss it out of hand.
[Acosta:] The president is doing some dodging of his own, insisting that he hasn't been speaking to his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who has been charged with defrauding donors to a private wall project on the border. But sources tell CNN Mr. Trump and Bannon have spoken in recent weeks, despite what the president has said.
[Trump:] I haven't been dealing with him for a long period of time, as most of the people in this room know. I haven't been dealing with him at all.
[Acosta:] Over the weekend, the president will be gearing up for his convention next week. Aides are calling the theme to the convention a, quote, "return to American greatness," a title that suggests the president is still in damage control mode as the nation is still reeling from the pandemic Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
[Allen:] Natasha Lindstaedt joins me now to talk about the convention season here in the U.S. Good morning, Natasha.
[Natasha Lindstaedt, University Of Essex:] Good morning.
[Allen:] To listen to Biden and then to listen to Mr. Trump, it almost sounds like the United States is on two different planets. The Democrats painted a dark future if Trump is elected. We heard the same from Trump if Biden is elected. What do you expect from him with the convention this coming week? Will the president continue to paint a dark future under a Biden presidency?
[Lindstaedt:] I think that's what Trump is going to do. I think the main theme of the Republican convention, if Biden is elected, because Biden is, according to Trump, a puppet of the Democratic progressive wing of the party, that all of our cities and all of our suburbs are going to be completely taken over by unrest and chaos. He is painting a picture that the world will be in an unstable place if Biden is elected. And I think the convention is going to look very different from the Democratic convention, which though it did talk about something I've never heard a convention talk about, which is the threat of Democratic backflight, that a candidate, the incumbent is actually leading the country down to democratic decay. The Democrats also focused on optimism and on unity. We saw how in the way they were reaching out to median voters and moderates and independents, I don't think we will see that in the Republican convention. I think it will be playing to Trump's base. It won't be trying to reach out to independents. It won't be about a message of unity. I think one of the best examples of that is the fact they are including this couple that had brandished weapons on protesters. I think that really is a good representation of what the convention is going to be about. But I think one of the biggest differences is also going to be that the Democratic convention, equally showcased Harris, other Democratic Party members and Biden. I think we see that the Republican convention will be all about Trump. The party of Trump can be very personalistic. And Trump will feature heavily in every single day.
[Allen:] If he is only sticking to appealing to his base, will that hurt him in the November election? Won't he need bigger numbers beyond his base?
[Lindstaedt:] I think the strategy of the Trump team is to really motivate the base and just ensure that all of them vote. At the same time, trying to engage in voter suppression, trying to ensure that whoever would support the Democratic Party does not vote. And part of that is by trying to undermine the Postal Service and to make it harder to vote by mail. But this is the first time in my lifetime that
[Allen:] Natasha, thank you so much. We started to lose your audio there. We really appreciate you joining us. Natasha Lindstaedt for us. Tune in for live coverage of the Republican convention Tuesday at 7:00 in the morning in Hong Kong and 12:00 am in London and here in primetime in the United States. We'll have full coverage and analysis also on cnn.com. Coming up, Iowa helped Donald Trump win the presidency in 2016. But are voters there having second thoughts about the upcoming election? We'll talk with them. Plus, a frequent foe of Vladimir Putin is going to get medical treatment in Germany after falling into a coma. We'll tell you how Alexei Navalny's supporters got him out of Russia. Was he poisoned? We'll talk with an expert on Russian security coming up.

[Burnett:] Tonight, Senator Kamala Harris, her prosecutorial skills have made her stand out on the Hill. It's how you've seen her over the years in those moments. But how has the response been among the ultimate jury, primary voters? Kyung Lah is OUTFRONT.
[Kyung Lah, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] Drumming up support in South Carolina ahead of this week's Democratic debates. Kamala Harris used the words of the courtroom to tout her record as a prosecutor.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] So let's read that rap sheet, shall we? Yes, black Americans, he said, what do you have to lose? Well, we know civil rights investigations are down, hate crimes are up. We had a lot to lose.
[Lah:] Her argument on why she is best positioned to make the case against the president.
[Harris:] Let's talk about looking at that rap sheet where he has embraced dictators like Kim Jong-un and Putin and taken their word over the American intelligence community. Let's prosecute the case.
[Beverly Diane Frierson, South Carolina Voter:] I think today was a good preview of what to expect. You can tell there was fire in her spirit.
[Lah:] Beverly Frierson, a retired teacher first noticed Harris during Senate hearings.
[Harris:] Can you think of any laws that give government the power to make decisions about the male body?
[Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court Justice:] I'm happy to answer a more specific question.
[Harris:] Male versus female.
[Lah:] That handling of powerful Washington players also swayed Brandi Brooks.
[Brandi Brooks, South Carolina Voter:] When I saw the Kavanaugh hearings, I thought she was amazing, super strong.
[Lah:] From Supreme Court nominees to former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
[Jeff Sessions, Former Attorney General:] I'm not able to be rushed this fast. It makes me nervous.
[Lah:] To most recently the current Attorney General William Barr.
[Harris:] Has the president or anyone at the White House asked or suggested you open an investigation of anyone? Yes or no, please, sir.
[William Barr, Attorney General:] The president or anybody else.
[Harris:] Seems you would remember something like that and be able to tell us.
[Lah:] Viral cable moments racking up millions of views online. But there is another narrative about Harris's prosecutor past that as a district attorney and then California's attorney general, she was more cop than reformer. Harris has pushed back on the trail and in interviews.
[Unidentified Male:] For whatever reason, they think a black person should never lock up black and brown people.
[Harris:] Yes, but here's what how I feel about this Charlamagne. Are you saying if a child is molested, if a woman is raped or somebody is shot down and killed
[Unidentified Male:] They should go to jail.
[Lah:] In the days leading up to the Democratic debate, Harris is determined to showcase that career as a top credential.
[Harris:] I know how to get that job done. We need somebody on our stage when it comes time for that general election who knows how to recognize a rap sheet when they see it and prosecute the case.
[Frierson:] She no nonsense. Sometimes people play games with you or attempt to do so. She makes it clear, you don't try that with Kamala Harris, because I'm well-prepared and I can handle it.
[Lah:] Now, Ms. Frierson who first was impressed by the courtroom skills expects her to deliver in the first Democratic debate. Harris will be on stage with Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, two older white men who currently lead her in the polls. Erin, her campaign tonight says that she is in Miami for last minute debate preps Erin.
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Kyung. And I want to go now to go now to Keith Boykin, Democratic strategist. All right. So, Keith, Karen Tumulty, a "Washington Post" columnist, wrote when Harris entered the race it seemed the senator from California might be the one who had it all, experience, charisma and exciting potential to make history as the first African-American and Asian woman to sit in the Oval Office. And then Tumulty talked to a voter, a 30-year-old woman in South Carolina who said, quote, she is intrigued by Harris and excited about a possibility of a female president, but she thinks Harris needs to soften up a little bit and let people in a little bit. She is all business. If she would show personal side, I think she'd be amazing. Is this relevant to the fact that she has been sort of flat-lining in the polls?
[Keith Boykin, Cnn Political Commentator:] I don't know. I think the voters get to decide whatever issue they want to determine whether this candidate is acceptable for them. In this case, I wonder if this is not some sort of gender issue because the same issue I remember when Hillary Clinton ran they felt she was too strong.
[Burnett:] The word soft is a flag.
[Boykin:] Exactly. It happened in 2008 and 2016 when she decided to run as a grandmother for Hillary Clinton. I think, you know, if you look at Kamala Harris's record as a prosecutor, she kind of scares Republicans. When Jeff Sessions testified in front of Senate Judiciary Committee, he said that she made him nervous.
[Burnett:] Yes.
[Boykin:] You know? Donald Trump called her nasty. She tripped up Kavanaugh and Pompeo.
[Burnett:] She is really good in those moments.
[Boykin:] She's really good on those moments, and I think that can be a good thing and a bad thing for her. It is good for the general election especially at going against Republican. But it can also hurt her in the primary process when she has to face people who criticize her being too harsh.
[Burnett:] So, you heard Kyung say she is in Miami for last-minute debate prep. What does she need to do on the stage with Biden and Bernie Sanders?
[Boykin:] I think I honestly believe the first thing she needs to do is introduce herself. I mean, if you look at where she is at the polls, look at the great announcement she had back in February from Oakland.
[Burnett:] Yes.
[Boykin:] She hasn't really been able to take off from that point. I think part of it is that people say, according to the CNN polls, that they are intrigued by her but don't know enough information.
[Burnett:] So, she needs to introduce herself which sometimes starting with the basics is the way to go. All right. Thank you, Keith. And next, President Trump's new defense saying the woman accusing him of sexual assault in a dressing room is not his type. Plus, Jeanne Moos on President Trump and whether he read the Mueller report. He has now told us two very different things.

[Blackwell:] So this was an incredible year in sports, from controversy on the racetrack to that spectacular World Cup win by the U.S. women's soccer team.
[Paul:] Yes. Andy Scholes has a look at the biggest sports moments of the year.
[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] From dominant performances to controversy to comebacks, this past year had it all when it comes to sports. Here's a look at our top nine moments in 2019, and we start with the single tweet that rocked the NBA.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn Anchor:] The NBA is standing up for free speech and behind Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] The fallout has been huge.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Chinese businesses are cutting ties with the Rockets and the league.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn Anchor:] The China sports channel now says it will not broadcast any of the NBA games being held in China this week.
[Scholes:] Before the start of the season Houston Rockets' general manager Daryl Morey tweeting support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters. This caused a firestorm in China where the NBA is the most popular sports league. Chinese officials condemning the tweet and response from Commissioner Adam Silver, the whole controversy greatly affecting the NBA's bottom line.
[Adam Silver, Nba Commissioner:] We will have to live with those consequences.
[Scholes:] Number eight, what were you doing when you were 15 years old? Well, Coco Gauff is capturing the hearts of sports fans everywhere with an incredible run at her first Wimbledon tournament. Coco, the youngest player to ever make the main draw at Wimbledon, she beat Venus Williams in her first match and advanced all the way to the fourth round before losing to the eventual champion, Simona Halep. Number seven. Controversy on the track.
[Ana Cabrera, Cnn:] A stunning outcome at the Kentucky Derby.
[Paul:] The horse that crossed the finish line first did not win.
[Scholes:] The winner of the Kentucky Derby was disqualified. Maximum Security winning the race, but upon review was seen veering out of his lane.
[Unidentified Male:] He came out a little, but then I grabbed it right away. I stayed straight, you know.
[Scholes:] Country House was declared the winner at odds of 65 to one. Country House had the second longest odds than any Kentucky Derby winner.
[Unidentified Male:] Did that really just happen?
[Scholes:] Number six. On January 3rd, 2019, the St. Louis Blues had the worst record in the NHL, but that's when they turned it around. The Blues' season culminating with them beating the Boston Bruins in game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals to win their first ever championship. And Blues super fan Laila Anderson, an 11-year-old battling a life-threatening autoimmune disease was an inspiration for the team all season and she got to celebrate with the team on the ice after they hoisted the Stanley Cup. Number five. 2019 was a year of more controversy for the NFL.
[Unidentified Male:] It was simple. They blew the call. Easy call for sure. It's tough. Tough to swallow.
[Scholes:] The Saints were robbed of a chance to play in Super Bowl 53 when the refs failed to call pass interference.
[Unidentified Male:] Worst call in history. I feel like somebody just robbed my house. Honestly. They didn't throw flag. The guy has to be blind.
[Scholes:] The NFL responded by making pass interference reviewable for the next season.
[Unidentified Male:] It doesn't help us at all. It's too late.
[Scholes:] The New England Patriots, meanwhile, beat the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl making Tom Brady the first player in NFL history to win six rings. Number four. Finally, something everyone in Washington, D.C. could agree on. That's cheering on the Nationals. The team taking their fans on a miraculous run in the postseason. And for the first time ever, the road team winning every game in the World Series. The Nationals beating the Astros in seven games to win their first ever title.
[Unidentified Male:] I hope they're ready for a party because we're coming home.
[Scholes:] Number three. It was an emotional year for Simone Biles as she opened up about being one of the victims of Dr. Larry Nassar and the failure of USA Gymnastics to intervene.
[Simone Biles, U.s. Gymnast:] We've done everything that they asked us for even when we didn't want to and they couldn't do one damn job. You had one job. You literally have one job and you didn't protect us.
[Scholes:] In spite of the controversy, the 22-year-old dominating the World Championships to become the most decorated gymnast ever. Number two, the U.S. women's national team capturing the hearts and minds of people everywhere with their efforts on and off the field.
[Baldwin:] The U.S. thoroughly dominant so far.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn:] The U.S. women's soccer team rewriting the record books.
[Christine Brennan, Sports Columnist, Usa Today:] This couldn't have been a bigger story.
[Scholes:] As the team took on opponents in the World Cup, they were battling the U.S. Soccer Federation in their fight to be compensated the same as their male counterparts. The team winning their second consecutive World Cup title beating the Netherlands two to zero in the final, with fans chanting equal pay. The women's equal pay lawsuit now looks like it's headed for a trial in 2020 as the team prepares to take the field in the Tokyo Summer Games. And finally the number one sports story on our list from 2019. Tiger Woods was back on top of the sports world winning the Masters.
[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn:] Breaking news. Tiger Woods is donning the green jacket once again.
[Unidentified Male:] Tiger Woods has made a fairy tale comeback worthy of the silver screen. It is an extraordinary comeback. The greatest comeback ever. Tiger Woods is back.
[Scholes:] It was Tiger's first win in a major since the 2008 U.S. Open after multiple knee and back surgeries. Many didn't know if Tiger would ever win major number 15. But the 43-year-old won the Masters in dramatic fashion making his first ever final round comeback in a major. Tiger shared the incredible moment with his 10-year-old son, Charlie.
[Blackwell:] Thank you, Andy. And remember, you can start your new year right here. Ring in the new year with a new decade with Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen "NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE" begins at 8:00 p.m. new year's eve right here on
[Cnn. Paul:] We'll be right back.

[Camerota:] The key model that the White House has been using predicts a slightly lower final death toll for coronavirus in the United States, and for the first time, it is projecting dates when certain states could perhaps ease those stay-at-home restrictions. So, joining us is Professor Ali Mokdad from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Professor, Mokdad, great to see you here. Let's talk about those states. You've identified four states that could, you think, open first, even by May 4th. I believe those are Hawaii, Montana, Vermont and West Virginia. So, how do you know that those states could be safe enough to reopen without seeing a spike in cases?
[Ali Mokdad From The University Of Washington's Institute For Health Metrics And Evaluation:] Good morning. Now, that reporting is a level that a state can comfortably move to a containment stage where we predict that will be one case per million, and we assume they have the capacity and workforce from public health to trace that case, who came in contact with it. So, for a state like my state, about eight million would expect like a level when they have eight cases every day coming up. They can investigate them. They have enough power to do so. That's what we're telling people, be ready to move to a containment stage. Still, you have to test, and you have to be vigilant and you have to be very careful.
[Camerota:] Do you think that states have that testing capacity to prove that they have one case per million a day?
[Mokdad:] So that's a very good question, and I want to distinguish the two questions that people are debating right now in the media and what we are talking. What we are talking is once you have a workforce that you release that workforce. You have the capacity first to test it, and then you send them to the workforce. Now, you are monitoring that. That is a kind of surveillance going on public health surveillance and then you can detect a case, and then if you detect that case, you have the manpower to go and follow up on that case, and this is what we're proposing one per million, we feel like it's a comfortable number. It would be able to contain at that level.
[Camerota:] Yes, but I mean, I guess I'm just trying to figure out what the reality is. Do Montana, Hawaii, Vermont and West Virginia have that testing capacity right now to make those determinations?
[Mokdad:] Yes, based on their workforce, the available number of workforce, that's the estimation we feel they can do it. So, we looked at this from a data source available workforce, public health workforce in every state, and there is an association called National Association for County Commissioner who has looked and they have a number an estimated number of the workforce and that's what we have used that we feel states are ready at that level to be able to do it. But, again, Alisyn, this is a different debate than how many tests we have to test the workforce to go back to work. These two are different issues.
[Camerota:] You know, some researchers have taken issue with your model. I'm talking about the University of Texas at Austin. They say your predictions could fall far short of the reality. I'll just read a little portion of this from "The New York Times" this weekend, they say, "The IHME's model" your model, "... masks some significant concerns. The institute's projection runs through August 4th describing only the first wave of the epidemic. Without a vaccine, the virus is expected to circulate for years and the death tally will rise over time." "The gains to date were achieved only by shutting down the country, a situation that cannot continue indefinitely." So what about their concerns that August 4th doesn't isn't long enough and the death toll could be much higher?
[Mokdad:] So, that's a very good concern. Listen, we are we have a model that now is pulling the mortality data and we see it almost every state is coming down in terms of their epidemic. Some of them are a little bit late. But we see the level coming down and we're following the model until August 4th. Will, our model accounts for a second wave after August 4th? No. We don't have the data right now if there is a second wave. We don't have the data out for you, but yes, we have to keep monitoring on a daily basis and I don't think our models are going to go away in June or July if we don't see any more cases, we have to be vigilant and still do the surveillance and then we have to beef up our capacity and prepare for a second wave. Alisyn, people have different models and you know, an academic like me will come and say my model is better than everybody else. That's not the debate here. We're not pitting models against each other. The issue here, all models says that this is a dangerous epidemic. We're all susceptible for it and we have to be very careful. But at the same time, what we are proposing at the I.H.M.E. is when can we safely open the businesses because the capacity at hand and the workforce at hand in the states to do the testing and the proper surveillance that the C.D.C. does on a regular basis.
[Camerota:] Yes, yes. I understand that there's always academic competition. I'm just trying to set our expectations, and set our viewers' expectations. So, is it your model that suggests that the peak of deaths for the country has passed, because the University of Texas model believes that the peak of deaths in this country will be May 7th? Do you believe it has already passed?
[Mokdad:] Yes. Now, according to our model, it has and so far the data that we have been following, we have been following it exactly extremely well. Our models have been following the deaths accurately. The other thing, Alisyn that we need to be careful and let the audience be aware of, right now there's a change in looking at the numbers of cases of COVID-19 where presumptive cases are being added right now. So, you'll see an increased number of reporting but for a curve for an epidemic it is going to remain the same and the worse it behind.
[Camerota:] Okay. Professor Ali Mokdad, we appreciate you explaining your modeling system to us. Thank you very much.
[Mokdad:] Thank you. Thank you.
[Camerota:] New research suggests the coronavirus testing needs to more than triple in order to safely reopen the country. So one of the doctors behind that research is going to join us to explain, next.

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, and I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, hope is high for an experimental drug which could help shorten the time it takes to recover from COVID-19. The U.S. is in its worst economy ever warns the Fed as we wait to find out in a few hours how many more Americans have filed for unemployment. Most of Florida is getting ready to reopen next week as California's governor prepares to shut down the state's beaches. Good to have you with us. Well, for the first time, we are seeing evidence that an experimental drug could help patients recover faster from the coronavirus. According to America's top infectious diseases expert, early trial results show remdesivir has improved patient's recovery time by 31 percent. U.S. President Donald Trump called the news positive. And when asked if it changes his thinking about reopening the country, he said it's a building block. As CNN's Erica Hill reports this comes as more states are trying to restart their economies.
[Erica Hill, Cnn National Correspondent:] Florida ready to reopen.
[Ron Desanctis, Florida Governor:] There is a light at the end of the tunnel. This new phase will start on Monday, May 4th, and will for the time being exclude Miami Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
[Hill:] Nearly 30 percent of the state's residents including hard hit Miami Dade County, excluded from the governor's plan giving restaurants and businesses the green light. At the "Tampa Bay Times" reports the state's death toll may be incomplete noting Florida officials have not released information on coronavirus deaths in more than a week. An earlier report in the paper found the number from county medical examiners was 10 percent higher than the state's official count which now stands at 1,218. Haircuts in Georgia, one of the first signs of that state's reopening. While in California, any professional trends are still months away. A striking example of just how different the next steps will be.
[Jared Polis, Colorado Governor:] We have significantly less cases than we had two weeks ago, than we had three weeks ago, but it's time to enter a more sustainable phase.
[Hill:] More than half the states in the country announcing plans to ease restrictions despite none appearing to meet White House guidelines for a 14-day decline in positive cases. Meantime, new hope for a treatment.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] Remdesivir has a clear cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recover. A drug can block this virus.
[Hill:] The next big retail experiment comes on Friday when three dozen Simon owned malls and shopping centers will reopen in eight states. Restaurants in Georgia and Tennessee welcoming diners, yet it's not clear Americans are ready for these changes. New polling shows 8 in 10 think opening restaurants for onsite dining is a bad idea. Nearly 23 say the same about returning to work without further testing. 85 percent say students shouldn't go back to school without more testing. When they do return, it's likely to look different.
[Gavin Newsom, California Governor:] It's not back to normal, it's modified. That means potentially staggering school times for different cohorts of kids. It means the recess period being radically modified. It means the cafeteria being shut down and people getting food around their desk. Deep sanitation.
[Hill:] The economy continuing to take a hit, first quarter GDP down nearly 5 percent. The President using the Defense Production Act to keep the countries meat processing plants open. More than 20 facilities have closed over the past two months because of positive cases. At least 20 workers have died according to the union representing many of them.
[Unidentified Female:] They're absolutely critical and essential to the food supply chain but you have to protect them.
[Tom Vilsack, Former U.s. Agricultural Secretary:] It may slow the line down a bit. It may require them to expend some resources for protective equipment and for other safety measures. But at the end of the day this is essential worker for the country and these are essential workers and they key deserve adequate protection.
[Hill:] In some states employees who choose not to return may lose government benefits.
[Kim Reynolds, Iowa Governor:] It's a voluntary quit and so therefore they would not be eligible for the unemployment money.
[Hill:] Farmers unable to process their livestock creating a damaging ripple effect as the need for food assistance skyrockets.
[Unidentified Female:] We're alone. You know, even my neighbor, she's alone, too. So that's why we appreciate it.
[Unidentified Male:] It's an experience, you know. The kids, it's hard for them.
[Hill:] Lines stretching for miles. Many Americans turning to food banks for the first time in their lives. In Little Rock, a plan of four-hour food distribution ran out in just an hour, each box offering each family the equivalent of 40 meals. [on camera]: Here in New York state the number of confirmed cases is now just shy of 300,000 according to the latest numbers from Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday. The governor noting that hospitalizations and intubations are down, however, COVID specific hospitalizations are, in the governor's words, up a tick and he says that is not good news. Back to you.
[Church:] And our thanks to Erica Hill for that report. And as we mentioned researchers are expressing hope that the drug remdesivir could be used to treat the coronavirus. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen takes a look at the studies behind it.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senor Medical Correspondent:] Finally, some good news about the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers have found that a drug does seem to work. Now, it's not a cure all. It's not going to take care of the problem, but it does seem to fight the virus. It's called Remdesivir. They've been studying it for a couple of months and it's been in the news. So, let's take a look at what Remdesivir is. It's an experimental drug that was developed for Ebola, but it didn't work very well for Ebola, and as a matter of fact, it's not on the market for any disease. In this study or Remdesivir, more than 1,000 patients in the United States, Spain, Germany and other countries were randomly assigned to either Remdesivir or to a placebo, which is basically a medicine that doesn't do anything. The placebo patients had 15 days to recovery, the Remdesivir patients, 11 days to recovery. That's a four-day difference and doctors say that that's important for two reasons. One of them is that four fewer days in the hospital means 4 fewer days where something might go wrong, on the ventilator, or perhaps getting a hospital-acquired infection. The second reason is that it's an indication that Remdesivir is doing something and so, they can take that knowledge, look at what it's doing, it's actually blocking an enzyme that's needed for replication and try to make other drugs that might do a similar kind of thing or maybe there are other drugs that would go with Remdesivir. So, this is not the end of the road. We are still at the beginning of the road but it's good that they've had this first step. So, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease doctor in the U.S., says that now this means that Remdesivir will become the standard of care. In other words, it will become standard, not experimental to give patients Remdesivir. Back to you.
[Muhammad Munir, Virologist, Lancaster University:] Good morning.
[Church:] I do want to talk first about the good news. Because we received this and of course certainly, this is great news for COVID-19 patients experiencing severe symptoms in hospital. We haven't yet seen all of the data on Remdesivir. But Dr. Fauci says a preliminary trial shows recovery time went from 15 to 11 days. How significant is this considering it's really mainly these people who are experiencing severe symptoms in the hospital.
[Munir:] Yes, well, I think this is really good news. Especially if you look onto how many remedies have been tried and many of them really fall down. So 31 percent speedy recovery is really good news for people who are already sadly sick and that means that they will leave the hospital four days earlier. And if we look on to the other established remedies, for example, Tamiflu is treating flu, that is also not very different than the results that we are seeing now with the Remdesivir. So overall it's good news. Of course we don't yet know if this would have any impact on reducing the mortality or to the overall ability in terms of different age groups. But this is certainly good news and really hoping it will turn out.
[Church:] Right, and there is some suggestion that it did decrease mortality somewhat.
[Munir:] Yes, certainly, it did decrease, but the study of course, this is probably the best study conducted so far for looking on to the efficacy of drugs on COVID patients all across different countries. So overall the randomized model that's been applied is pretty convincing but yet these are preliminary results. A lot more need to be seen but this is certainly one to begin now to emphasize that this is really good news in many days we have seen so far.
[Church:] Yes, and that is exactly what everybody wants. So Remdesivir will help those COVID-19 patients in the hospital. But for everyone else, we will need to continue social distancing, wearing masks and hopefully getting better access to testing while we all wait for the elusive vaccine. So how worried are you are you that if the U.S. and other nations open up too quickly and we're seeing that happen now without sufficient testing in place, that we'll see another deadly wave of this pandemic and perhaps erase everything that we've gained so far?
[Munir:] Absolutely. I think this is a really critical time. We do understand that everyone is touching patients when it comes to the lockdown. Because it certainly a social disruption of normal life to have that. What we have achieved so far, if we look onto the data, onto the new number of cases and mortalities, they are flattening or decreasing. So this is certainly a good time to re-emphasize that we have to carry on practicing social distancing and so on. But the matter of the fact is that whilst a majority of people in the United Kingdom and the United States, and across the world are still uninfected. And these will certainly be, you know, bearer of words on to the floor and that is will not to keep burning it until it's runs in the few. So we have to really emphasize that we don't provide enough fuel to the virus and we have to carry on with the social distancing and the control that we are following.
[Church:] Yes, that is critical. Sometimes that message gets lost. But I did want to ask you this. Because they lot of questions surround the number of infections being recorded in various countries as well as the death tolls. Some being viewed as more reliable than others. And we've also seen the U.K. revise their numbers now counting all COVID- 19 deaths even if they occur outside of the hospital, which seems logical and perhaps should have been done and should be done throughout the world. So how reliable are any of these numbers in getting a true picture of what we're dealing with here?
[Munir:] Yes, Rosemary, I think this is really critical. A question that we have been emphasizing right from the beginning of this crisis that number of cases, the numbers that are documented are certainly not the true representation of actual disease severity. And probably this is the major reason for unpreparedness in the countries. Because until you don't really know the severity and scale of the disease in the country, you can't estimate what is the demand for PPEs, what is the demand for overall preparedness in the hospitals. One of the contributing factors has been asymptomatic carriers. So until someone is not showing clinical signs overall, they stay healthy, and like 25 percent of people who contract the infection they stay healthy, therefore, it is really difficult to pass that on until you apply testing. And testing has been a problem right from the beginning in terms of scaling it up and so on. In the U.K. situation has been like that way for a while. And we have been stressing that we need to calculate all of those people who are dying inside the hospital, to be part of the calculations of the people who have been dying outside the hospital, for example, care homes or in the community hasn't been a part of calculation. So that was the reason for the last three days we were seeing that there was a decline in the mortality which was good news. But once they started calculating the people who have been dying outside the hospital it seems like we are not getting down, we report, leveling or flattening. So that is certainly something of concern in the near future as well.
[Church:] Still so much to learn, so much to do. We are really struggling all across the globe. Muhammad Munir, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it. Well, two companies say they could have a vaccine ready for emergency use before the end of the year. A U.S. drug giant and a German biotechnology company are working together. Human trials of their experimental vaccine could begin in the U.S. next week. In Germany they have already started. And CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin. He joins us now. So, Fred, we are looking for any positive news regarding vaccines. What is the latest on this joint effort?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes, well certainly, this company BioNTech here in Germany says it has now surpassed one of the first really important milestones in trying to get this vaccine market ready or at least trying to get the trials moved further along, Rosemary. They say that they have just completed their first dosing of the trial vaccine. That means their first cohort of participants has been vaccinated with this trial vaccine just called BNT-162. Now for now, it is 12 people who are part of that first cohort. And the company says it now wants to move towards a second trial phase fairly soon to then administer the trial vaccine to about 200 people. And they're also going to use a different dosage of the trial vaccine. And of course, one of the things that they're looking for, Rosemary, is on the one hand whether or not that's effective. That of course is extremely important. But then also, very important is whether or not it is safe to use. And that, of course, is something that does take a little bit of time in these trials. Now BioNTech, as you stated, is the international partner of Pfizer. So you have a giant American pharma company and a very important, very good German lab working together on all this. And Pfizer and BioNTech have said that they could potentially start trials in the United States very soon as well. Pending getting approval from the regulatory authorities there. They believe that that is imminent and that could happen soon. And if their trials move along the way that they hope that they'll move along if this vaccine is both safe and effective against the COVID-19, then they say by the end of the year potentially they could have millions of doses available if, indeed, they are permitted to use it for emergency use that quickly Rosemary.
[Church:] It is all very encouraging and offers all of us some hope. Fred Pleitgen joining us there live from Berlin. Many thanks. Well, South Korea tested aggressively and the strategy is paying off in this incredible new statistic. Zero new locally transmitted cases for the first time since mid-February. South Korea recorded just four imported cases Wednesday. About 240 people have died from COVID-19 in South Korea. At one point it was one of the hardest hit countries in the world. Well, the latest numbers on U.S. jobless claims are due out soon and will give us a better sense of how the pandemic is impacting American families as businesses start to reopen.

[Lemon:] Newly released e-mails revealing ties between top White House immigration adviser Stephen Miller and websites linked to known white nationalists. The leaked e-mails, well, they shed new light on Miller's belief about immigration. CNN's Sara Sidner has more.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn National Correspondent:] A trove of e- mails released by the Southern Poverty Law Center show now senior White House adviser Stephen Miller pushing theories from white nationalist sources to far-right website Breitbart. Miller e-mails suggesting that Breitbart use ideas from the book "Camp of the Saints." "You see the Pope saying west must, in effect, get rid of borders. Someone should point out the parallels to "Camp of the Saints," he writes. It's a book hailed by racists, which depicts white women being raped by immigrants and mass immigration destroying western civilization. Breitbart published the content, Miller suggested it. In one e-mail dated October 2015, while Miller still worked for then Senator Jeff Sessions, he touts what he saw as the dangers of allowing hurricane victims from Mexico to come to the U.S. "They will all get TPS," he writes. That's Temporary Protection Status. He goes on to write, "that needs to be the weekend's big story. TPS is everything." Then he sends then Breitbart's staffer, Katie McHugh, an article from prominent white nationalist website, VDARE, of the dangers of TPS. The Web site VDARE has espoused the sentiment that America was made for white people and non-whites are destroying it. Miller's sentiments began turning into policy when he joined the Trump administration. In 2018, well after Miller joined Trump's inner circle, the president tried to end the TPS status for several countries with predominantly black and brown citizens. But legal challenges so far have successfully kept the program in place. McHugh, who gave the e-mails to the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Miller also asked her to use an article from American Renaissance, the website traffics in the idea that blacks are less intelligent than whites.
[Katie Mchugh, Former Breitbart Editor:] He would pull crime statistics from there and then try to funnel that through conservative media in order to target people of color.
[Sidner:] In another e-mail in July 2015, Miller sent McHugh a link from the website Infowars, which peddles in conspiracy theories. The Infowars headline quotes Reverend Franklin Graham. "We are under attack. Stop all immigration of Muslims to the U.S." A year and a half later, shortly after the president took office and Miller was in the West Wing, the newly elected president signed an executive order based on this campaign pledge.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
[Sidner:] Ultimately, the Southern Poverty Law Center says Miller's efforts with Breitbart were meant to influence policy and it worked.
[Michael Hayden, Senior Investigative Reporter, Southern Poverty Law Center:] What you see in these e-mails is Stephen Miller creating an appetite for the type of anti-immigrant policies Trump administration is enacted through Breitbart news.
[Sidner:] Miller did not answer specific questions about his e-mails. Instead, a White House spokesperson sent a statement. "SPLC is engaged in a vile smear campaign against a Jewish staffer. While Mr. Miller condemns racism and bigotry in all forms, those defaming him are trying to deny his Jewish identity which is a pernicious form of anti-Semitism."
[Hayden:] It's an absolutely laughable and offensive attack. I think Miller is responding with these charges of anti-Semitism because he has no other answer to it.
[Sidner:] A Breitbart spokesperson sent a statement, that the SPLC claims to have 3- to 4-year-old e-mails involving an individual whom we fired years ago from multitude of reasons, including lying, they say, and you now have an even better idea why we fired her. Having said that, the Breitbart spokesperson says it's not exactly a news flash that political staffers pitch stories to journalists. Sometimes those pitches are successful, sometimes not. But McHugh says she is not lying, she has the e-mails to prove her point, and she says, actually, Miller was acting more as like an assignment editor, more an editor for Breitbart than a source. Don?
[Lemon:] Sara, thank you very much. With Ukraine scandal causing all sorts of chaos, is President Trump playing right into Vladimir Putin's hands? We'll dig into that and the many other times the president's actions have benefited Putin.

[Bolduan:] The markets are plummeting once again over the coronavirus and fears of the coronavirus. Right now, the Dow is down 788 points. This is the seventh day of the same picture with the index yesterday suffering its worst single day point drop in history. CNN's Julia Chatterley is at the New York Stock Exchange. Julia, help everyone understand what is happening today.
[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Business Anchor:] I'll do my best, Kate. Great to be with you. Uncertainty, that's what's continuing to drive what we're seeing in these markets. And it is a global story. I can show you the United States, markets here further into correction territory. So more than it 12 percent down from recent highs. It is the speed of the shift we have seen. A week ago, as we have been saying all week, we were talking record highs, now we're talking about correction. That's what is jarring global investors. Europe, also having another tough session. They're also in correction territory. I think the big question here is, what is going to hold us in here. At some point, we'll say, look, we moved too far, we've priced in the coronavirus risks and investors watch it spread around the world. But it is tough to get the feel that we're at that point now when we have a lack of information. People that I speak to here are saying, look, the conversation is evolving to action, leadership. We need to hear more from the White House. We need to hear perhaps stuff from central banks here. Does the Federal Reserve, Jay Powell, come out this weekend and say, look, we stand ready? I think for people watching the screens, watching the red, context here is important. You and I were talking about Larry Kudlow earlier this week, White House adviser, saying buy the dips. Today, he came out and said a short-term plunge like this won't have a long-term effect. History is on his side. With big events like this, markets end up being be much higher in a year's time. But that doesn't help us today, Kate. More pressure.
[Bolduan:] History is hard to keep in perspective when you look at a week like this. Julia, great to see you. Thank you so much. Joining me now with more perspective, William Foster, vice president and lead U.S. investment analyst at Moody's Investment Service. Its' great to see you, Bill. Thank you being here. Thanks for coming in. We knew last week there was a coronavirus. What changed this week? What surprised you?
[William Foster, Vice President & Lead Investment Analyst, Moody's Investment Service:] Well, what changed we thought it would be isolated to China. And now it's gone global. And there's the risk of a global pandemic. In the worst-case scenario, that can lead potentially to a recession. And so that was not priced in last week
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Foster:] in the markets. And it is being severely priced in.
[Bolduan:] It's also the speed, right? Not just how steep the drop off has been. It has been the speed that seems to be concerning everyone.
[Foster:] The speed is very abrupt. There are multiple factors. Coming off such highs.
[Bolduan:] Yes.
[Foster:] Profit taking, a whole bunch of factors contributing. There's also structural features in the market, too. Market changed in terms of the players in the market. There's a lot of machine-based trading
[Bolduan:] Right.
[Foster:] Fear controls more markets. That probably has something to with it. But this is fear. This fear and the uncertainty of the global implications of the whole economic ramifications of a pandemic.
[Bolduan:] It also shines a bright spotlight on how many American companies depend on China, depend on China in a huge way. Some of the information that was coming out today, the FDA is reporting a shortage of an yet to be named, an unnamed drug due to production issues in China because of the virus. Apple's forecasting iPhone shortages, Coca-Cola saying artificial sweetener is now in short supply. I'm sitting here reading the headlines and thinking, is there any sector not getting hit like this?
[Foster:] There are few. Most are. G.M., Nike, the entire tourism industry. This has major global ramifications. Now, it's not just China. Korea announced it will be shutting down some factories, Japan shutting down schools. This is really impacting the global supply chain. And that has major ramifications for global economy.
[Bolduan:] Absolutely. I want to play something for you. This gets to everyone sits there and says, what do I do about what do I do with this information, rather than just watching the numbers. The president's acting chief of staff, he offered up this advice this morning when he was asked about this. Let me play this, real quick. Listen to this.
[Mick Mulvaney, Acting Chief Of Staff:] I got a note today from a reporter saying, what are you going to do today to calm the markets? Really, what I might to do to calm in the markets is tell people to turn their televisions off for 24 hours.
[Bolduan:] Mick Mulvaney, that might his attempt at humor. Would that do the trick?
[Foster:] That's the trick, turn it off, that's one option, sure. But I think, most importantly, is people need to stay safe and healthy, right?
[Bolduan:] That's exactly right.
[Foster:] That's the most important thing.
[Bolduan:] We talk about markets, and impact on investment. I think first and foremost, is getting the right information out. Don't turn your televisions off.
[Foster:] Yes. Maybe not travel to where you intended to travel before but be precautious.
[Bolduan:] Be precautious. Thank you for coming in, Bill. Good to have your perspective.
[Foster:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] Thank you. Coming up for us, as the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. cities are the front line of defense here. Are they prepared? We'll ask the New York City health commissioner, next.

[Cooper:] Republicans are gearing up for night two of their national convention. Tonight's headline speakers include First Lady Melania Trump, two of the president's children, Eric and Tiffany, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. If it's anything like last night's opener, their message is this. The economy is surging back, despite millions of job losses, the coronavirus is being beaten back despite the without much mention of the 177,000 dead Americans, and with the message is, without President Trump in charge, the nation will descend into chaos, violence and anarchy.
[Patricia Mccloskey, Brandished Guns At St. Louis Protesters:] They're not satisfied with spreading the chaos and violence into our communities. They want to abolish the suburbs altogether.
[Rep. Matt Gaetz:] It's a horror film, really. They'll disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home and invite MS-13 to live next door.
[Kimberly Guilfoyle, National Chair, Trump Victory Finance Committee:] They want to destroy this country and everything that we have fought for and hold dear.
[Cooper:] The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., making that case loud and clear.
[Donald Trump Jr., President Trump's Son:] This time, the other party is attacking the very principles on which our nation was founded, freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the rule of law.
[Cooper:] The rule of law. Donald Trump Jr. is saying that the Trump administration stands for the rule of law. Of course, this is just days after the president's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, is just the latest ex-Trump associate to find himself in big legal trouble. I want to bring in former FBI Director James Comey. He's speaking at the convention on Founding Principles tonight as a group of conservatives who support Joe Biden. Director Comey, thanks for being with us. Just Steve Bannon, his arrest recently charged with defrauding donors to a private group that was supposed to raise money to build a section of border wall, how serious do you think the charges are against him?
[James Comey, Former Fbi Director:] Very serious, both because it includes fraud charge that looks on the face of the indictment to be incredibly detailed and strongly supported by text and emails but also, the amount of money stolen, hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars is going to jack the punishment up. So he's looking at a very difficult road. And if I'm him and his lawyers, I think I'm going down.
[Cooper:] The president has been railing against mail-in voting. He's called it a disaster. He says it's an easy way for foreign countries to meddle in the election. I have spoken to a number of secretaries of state, including a Republican one from Washington, and said their mail-in voting systems are completely safe. They have never seen any hint of foreign interference and though there is out of millions of votes cast as statistically insignificant number of people who try to vote twice or commit some sort of fraud and those people are prosecuted. In your years working the FBI, have you ever seen widespread voter fraud, widespread mail-in voter fraud?
[Comey:] Never. And I'm used to operating in an evidence-based world and so I've not seen any evidence nor ever heard anybody on Trump's team offering evidence. Instead they say, well, there's no evidence that there is not. There was no evidence that there's not an invisible asteroid is about to hit the earth. We shouldn't all run for the hills. They haven't come forward with any evidence and I saw Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina saying mail-in voting is safe.
[Cooper:] The president also threatened to send law enforcement personnel or talked about sending law enforcement personnel to polling places in order to prevent voter fraud. A number of critics obviously jumped on that, saying it's reviving an old tactic of voter intimidation. Is that kind of thing first of all, does the president have the power to send local law enforcement to a place and is it needed?
[Comey:] He has no power over state and local law enforcement. And so, they should and they will ignore a suggestion like that, which, as you said, does brings us back to some awful days when we used cops to try and scare people of color from voting. So they will and they should ignore him. I suppose he could try something at the federal level. I can't imagine how a federal agency would abide such a direction. But, look, it sends a chill through all of us because that's a reminder of some days we in America thought we've left behind.
[Cooper:] Just last week, the Senate Intelligence Committee report found that Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was passing along information to a Russian intelligence officer in 2016. Do you think Robert I mean, their report was very damning and had was very focused. It was a bipartisan report. I'm wondering how you think it compares to the report put out by Robert Mueller? Did the Mueller team, you think, missed something?
[Comey:] No. I think Mueller's mission was very different and much more narrow than the Senate Intelligence Committee. His job was to figure out so what evidence is there that you could bring into a court of law that would establish that a crime was committed beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury 12? That's a very high bar and it narrows the focus. He was a prosecutor. What the Intelligence Committee was doing was looking at all the reliable information that was out there, whether or not it could be marched into a courtroom, and that's what led them to the stunning conclusion that the head of the president's campaign was a grave counterintelligence risk to the United States of America. Folks ought to let that sink in and think about it the next time you hear our attorney general say there was nothing to investigate here or the president say it's just a hoax.
[Cooper:] We have learned more details about the FBI's application case for FISA warrant on Carter Page, a number of indiscrepancies, a number of inaccuracies. And now, there's an attorney who has, I guess, lied about what was on one of the applications, or lied about what his role was in this. Does that make you or should it make people look at this entire investigation differently? It seems like given this was the most important thing or one of the most important things the FBI was working on, that there were so many inaccuracies and an attorney lied, that's not good.
[Comey:] Yes, I agree. So, my first reaction is that's the result of Bill Barr's worldwide dragnet but I don't want to downplay it.

[Chatterley:] Welcome back to FIRST MOVE and a look at today's "Boardroom Brief." Walmart is overhauling the online retailer jet.com and says it will absorb most of company with its online business. Walmart bought the startup for more than $3 billion in 2016. The President of jet.com, Simon Belsham is set to leave the company in August. Lululemon shares are raising higher after the sportswear maker raised its outlook for the year. The company told investors that it's on a roll and expects to make more than three and a half billion dollars this financial year. It's right now up some five percent. Wow. Netflix is turning its smash hit series, "Stranger Things" into a video game set in the shadowy upside down world. Netflix's latest move is book players and the gaming industry, too. Paul La Monica joins me now. Paul, I've got a confession. I've never watched "Stranger Things." But I hear really great things about it. Talk to me about their foray now into gaming.
[Paul La Monica, Cnn Business Reporter:] Yes, this is a fantastic show by the way. I'm very excited for Season 3. And what's really fascinating here, Julia, is that the game that Netflix just announced is going to be a mobile game, 2020 it's coming out and it sounds a lot like Pokemon Go. It's going to be a location based puzzle game. So what we're actually going to be looking for and the clues we're trying to find, it's going to be fascinating to see. It's apparently set in the very shadowy upside down area, which is very important to fans of the show. But this is not the only game that Netflix has tied to "Stranger Things." They have another one that's a more traditional console game that's also going to be on PCs and mobile that's coming out on July 4th tied to Season 3's release date, and that's going to be a retro game kind of modeled more like Super Nintendo games from the 90s, which should be pretty interesting since this is a show set in the mid-80s.
[Chatterley:] It's quite fascinating, isn't it? How damaging can Netflix be to this segment? I mean, we've seen them disrupt TV viewing, with their streaming offering so comprehensively. What do we think about their entry into gaming here particular given, as you point out, they have got great content that they can play with here.
[La Monica:] Yes, I think that Netflix is going to be very careful with what they decide to make games out of. There's another game they're developing off of the "Dark Crystal" series, you know, based on a new cartoon that's coming out that was based on a very popular Jim Henson, "Dark Crystal" movie from the 80s. But I don't think you're going to see Netflix go crazy here like an "Orange is the New Black" prison game. Not so sure that's a great idea. So I wouldn't expect that. But I think that Netflix particularly with their you know, kids-themed shows and a show like "Stranger Things" that attracts all ages and has that 80s retro feel that could be a natural fit for Netflix to do more games out of.
[Chatterley:] Yes, they've got to be careful with it. Your choices here. Now speaking of excitement of that July the Fourth launch of the latest series of "Stranger Things," Burger King is getting in on the action here. What a whopper. Take a look at this. Paul, how do you feel about this? An upside down hamburger? [09:55:04]
[La Monica:] Yes, it got basically the bottom bun on top. They flipped it, a nod to the upside down of "Stranger Things." I do wonder whether or not there will be an Impossible version even though obviously plant-based food was not a thing in the 80s so to speak, you just had bad veggie burgers as opposed to the more authentic meat-like food that we get from Impossible and Beyond Meat now. But there are so many companies latching on to this. It's not just Burger King, Coke is even bringing back new Coke, the disaster that that was for the launch of "Stranger Things" because that debuted in the mid-80s when this show is set as well.
[Chatterley:] I love that we're having a serious debate about this. I mean, all they did was flip the thing. It's just upside down, it will be an accident if it weren't a great PR opportunity. Paul La Monica, with his Impossible Burger thereto, I'm sure they will. Thank you so much for that.
[La Monica:] Thank you.
[Chatterley:] All right, we have to wrap up the show. A quick look, once again at what we are seeing in the energy markets. The oil markets in response to the breaking news that we've been talking about throughout the show, of course, two tankers that are suspected of being attacked there. More to come on "The Express" in a couple of hours. But for now, that's it for the show. You've been watching FIRST MOVE, time to make yours.

[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn Anchor:] Hello again. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Right now, across the state of Texas, Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O'Rourke is rolling out his first official day of campaign rallies.
[Beto O'rourke,  Presidential Candidate:] I am so glad to be here with you today, in my hometown, in my home state, to announce that I'm running to serve you as the next president of the United States of America.
[Whitfield:] At the heart of his pitch to voters immigration, and the crisis unfolding at the border. Meanwhile, the president is renewing his threat to close down the border next week, as Homeland Security officials say conditions are dire, and resources are strained. CNN Correspondent Leyla Santiago is in El Paso. And so, Leyla, it was a pretty good turnout there in his hometown, and his message was that of inclusion.
[Leyla Santiago, Cnn Correspondent:] Right. He actually said that he's not going to use what he says President Trump uses, which is the effort to divide the country with rhetoric that he does not believe in. He talked a lot about the need to not let differences define us. But to your point, he really did focus a bit on immigration as one of his top issues, and that's because again where we are right now, just half a mile from the southern border. U.S. and Mexico, where they meet, talking about what has really become a big headline over the last few days, a lot of families who are now being housed under an international bridge, saying they are humans, too, and we must treat them as human beings. So immigration certainly a big part of his speech, talking about his hometown, when he was introduced by Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, she called him a son of the border and talked about the importance of coming back to El Paso to officially launch his campaign. But remember, he actually announced his bid for the presidency about two weeks ago, via video on social media, and he went straight to those early voting states, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, South Carolina. And so what we've heard today was a lot of what we heard over the last few weeks as he was engaging with voters on issues like immigration, on issues like health care, climate change is a big one, criminal justice reform. And he said, as president, he would vote for a new voting rights act. He would put one in place. So these are issues that he has spoken on before. His critics have said that he doesn't have, they need clarity on his policies. In fact I was thinking back to a gentleman I spoke with in South Carolina, who after Beto O'Rourke spoke, he said, well, I like him. He's identified the problems. Now I need him to identify the solutions.
[Paul:] And then, as he canvasses the rest of Texas, or two other big cities in Texas, is he likely to repeat a lot of those messages or perhaps unfold what some of those solutions might be, or how he sees solutions to some of those problems?
[Santiago:] Right, so after here, after he leaves El Paso, he will go to Houston, and then after Houston, he will go to the state capital of Austin. What he will be saying in those speeches, the campaign has said, will sort of mimic what we've heard him discuss earlier. He's talked about the issues that are very important to him. Let me let you listen to one of the things he said today.
[Beto O'rourke,  Presidential Candidate:] We also know that our children and that your children and the generations that follow them are depending on us now at this moment. This is our moment of truth. The challenges before us are the greatest of our lifetimes. We must overcome these challenges, but we must first ask ourselves how this, the wealthiest, the most powerful country on the face of the planet, the most powerful country that world history has ever known, has found itself in such a perilous position.
[Santiago:] That's a statement that got a lot of applause here in this crowd. Another statement that got a lot of applause, when he talked about the woman's right to choose. So he definitely knew his audience, given that he is on his home turf. Now he heads to Houston, and then Austin.
[Whitfield:] All right, Leyla Santiago, thank you very much from El Paso, Texas. And this just in to CNN, as the president threatens to shut down the U.S. border with Mexico, next week we are learning that thousands of migrants could be released into the Texas Rio Grande Valley in the coming days. Let's check in with CNN's Natasha Chen at the southern border in front of the Hidalgo Texas point of entry. And what more can you tell us about this?
[Natasha Chen, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, Fred, we spoke with the Brownsville city manager this morning, who has actually been observing migrants being dropped off for about the last two weeks. The city of Brownsville and nonprofit partners have already been assisting those people in, assisting those people in trying to get them tickets, bus tickets, plane tickets, to their next destination. So this has been a difficult process, and they're trying to be as helpful as possible, and they got notification, the city manager tells me, that they can expect about 5,900 more migrants being dropped off throughout the Valley in the coming days. So that's something that we are speaking to Custom and Border Protection about. Now, they also just tweeted, the agency tweeted in the last 10 minutes or so, that at least five U.S. customs and border protection facilities are well over 100 percent capacity. So there is a huge problem here. In a statement, CBP said this is not sustainable. Meanwhile, as the president threatens to shut down the border, we're talking to people, as you can see behind me, who are crossing into Mexico from Texas here, people going about to dentist appointments to see their families. Here's what a couple of them had to say about a potential border closure.
[Carlos Flores, Visits Family Across The Border:] Once every time I get a chance, so that I can go see my dad. He lives over there. He just acquired his visa, but he's only been over here for like three or four times. My kids have barely met their granddaddy. I haven't even showed him around. And having this border getting shut down, what am I going to tell my kids? You know what, your granddad can come over here no more.
[Chris Leach, Lives In Mexico And Works In U.s:] Every day on the bridge, sometimes that line for people coming from Mexico to go to the States can be up to two hours long, just to give you an idea of how many people are crossing to go to work.
[Chen:] That gentleman you just heard from is from Boston, but he lives in Mexico with his wife and comes into the U.S. daily for work. He told us he is a Trump supporter. He likes the president. But he said if the border is closed, that's going to cause a lot of frustration for his daily life, Fred.
[Whitfield:] Natasha Chen, thanks so much. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says if Mexico does not stop all illegal immigration, he could close the border or large sections of it next week, and warns he could keep it closed for a long time.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Mexico could stop it right at their southern border. It is very easy for them to stop people from coming up, and they don't choose to do it. Well, we're not going to give them hundreds of billions of dollars and tell them that they're not going to use their strong immigration laws to help the United States. So there is a very good likelihood that I will be closing the border next week. And that will be just fine with me.
[Whitfield:] Let's go to White House reporter Sarah Westwood in West Palm Beach, Florida, where the president is spending the weekend. So what more you can tell us about this threat and if the president is serious about following that up?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] Well, Fred, President Trump has long demanded more cooperation with Mexico when it comes to stemming the flow of undocumented immigrants over the southern border. But President Trump is for the first time attaching a deadline to that threat. It's not the first time that he has said he would close the southern border and not follow through. For example, he did so in December, called on Congress to change immigration laws, but nothing ended up happening. And in November, the president did close down one border crossing near San Diego, temporarily, and business owners in the area did report a great economic impact just from that one narrow closing. Now, we're not sure at this point whether the president is just talking about closing ports of entry or whether he is talking about a broader shutdown of shipments of goods over the U.S.Mexico border. That would obviously have a much greater economic impact. The president has offered few specifics about what he means. And he is again calling on Congress to change immigration laws, even though obviously we are just a couple of months out of a very contentious shutdown where Democrats and Republicans did talk about immigration reform, did talk about border wall funding, and nothing really got done. The president declared a national emergency and Congress has failed to override that. And the president's threats to close the southern border come as customs and border patrol are saying that there is an enormous strain on their courses because of the increased flow of undocumented immigrants over the southern border. They say that the detention centers are reaching capacity and that they are struggling to meet the demands that this increased flow has caused. Customs and border patrol says that they are on track right now in the months of March to apprehend as many undocumented immigrants for the first time any month since 2008. So they are reaching higher points, and the administration continuing to describe the situation as a crisis, Fred.
[Whitfield:] Sarah Westwood, thank you so much, from West Palm. Straight ahead, what could a potential shutdown of the southern border with Mexico really mean? And could it strain ties with one of our biggest trade partners?

[Ed Bastian, Ceo, Delta Air Lines:] Well the industry first and foremost is an essential industry to our economy, to our nation. And we've had our people out working throughout the pandemic, providing really vital services. At the time, we got the first CARES Act, we all thought we'd hopefully be in a better position relative to the virus than we are today, we're not. If we don't get the support from Congress, we will be required as an industry to furlough tens of thousands of workers. Takes a long time in our industry to get people back up, trained in all the various categories. Plus also, very importantly, we're flying to a lot of small cities because of the CARES Act that were being provided, that otherwise would lose service. So you know, we're keeping our nation's infrastructure in place. And hopefully in six months' time, we'll be in a better spot. We're not going to be through this virus, there's no question about that. But we'll at least be in a more stable position to start to see how the recovery is taking shape.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] I mean that's important, especially about the smaller cities, et cetera. Because in this memo you wrote to employees this morning, you wrote, "Unfortunately as of today, Congress has not acted to continue protection for airline employees." There are some as you know, Ed who are restaurant owners, you know, venue owners who are going through dire times as well, and they are looking at the airline industry and saying, hey, they already got one package, looks like they're going to get another one. What about us? What do you say to them?
[Bastian:] Well you know, I can't it's hard to compare one industry to the next. I think that's the role of our national leaders, the restaurants, I completely agree. Our restaurants, our small business owners do have other packages and other opportunities to provide maintenance of their businesses. But this is a tough time for all of us. And when you think about all of the training and all of the requirements and the skills in piloting an aircraft and maintaining aircraft, if you lay people off, it takes quite a while before you can get back up and running.
[Harlow:] Of course.
[Bastian:] Restaurants, a little easier. But I'm not trying to compare it and put the airlines ahead of anybody else.
[Harlow:] Ed, it just seems to me like testing rapid testing that is widespread could make such a difference in getting people to feel secure flying again. And I wonder, I know you've got this partnership, you've got CVS and the Mayo Clinic on rapid testing for your employees. United has announced they're going to offer some rapid tests at a cost to people going to Hawaii, American's sort of talking about similar moves. Is Delta going to be offering rapid tests soon for flyers?
[Bastian:] We will be, we're working on that. I don't know you know, Hawaii for example has got a 72-hour requirement to present a negative test in order to avoid quarantine when you get to Hawaii, that's a relatively new opening of an island. We already have that in place at several other islands in some of the smaller international markets we're flying to today. But to get real scale going back across to Europe, into Asia, into South America, it's going to require two things, it's going to require testing, it's going to require tracing. The authorities are going to have to be able to have information as to transit from a tracing standpoint and a monitoring, if anyone came into contact with a COVID individual, they'd want to know, be able to notify everyone. I think tracing's real important. We're working on that also. Antigen testing is coming to market, it's rapid, it's relatively low cost, certainly something that we're going to and we're working with the CDC, we're working with international authorities as to how to get some pilots up. Because what we need to do is we need to get a couple of these markets opened and then start to see how it works and what we can learn from it to open other markets.
[Harlow:] Yes. But do you foresee a day when it is a condition to get on a Delta flight, you need to take a rapid COVID test? I mean, is there a day where that may be the case, six months, a year from now?
[Bastian:] I think internationally, it very well may be.
[Harlow:] Wow.
[Bastian:] Either a rapid test, or evidence of a vaccine or some type of form so that everyone knows they've all been protected. And it's maybe not as important only to the people on the plane, Poppy, but really to avoid the quarantines. The thing that's holding traffic back internationally and you know in New York are the quarantine measures. And no one is going to be flying to Europe in the spring if they're uncertain whether they can do anything or how long they have to stay
[Harlow:] That's right.
[Bastian:] or if they're able to enjoy their trip or conduct business. So
[Harlow:] Ed
[Bastian:] the testing is critical to avoid those quarantines.
[Harlow:] what about masks? You have been so outspoken on masks, you've you know, banned 400-plus people from flying Delta again because they've refused to wear masks. And last time we spoke in July, you had communication with the White House, you talked to the White House, you want a national mask mandate. Have you called the president or the White House again on that? Because the FAA could do it today. They could say anyone getting on a plane has to wear a mask.
[Bastian:] Yes, the administration has decided that they're not going to put in a mandate, and that's their decision. At Delta, we are mandating it. And
[Harlow:] So do you think it's the wrong decision?
[Bastian:] we have I'm not no, I'm not trying to criticize the administration. But I do think masks are essential. And you listen to the CDC, they'll tell you
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Bastian:] it's one of the most important forms of protection we can all have. Fortunately on our planes, our team has done a great job. And what we have found over time here, Poppy, is that customers are policing that themselves. If someone gets on a plane and isn't wearing a mask, customers will speak to their fellow customer and say, hey, I need you to wear that to protect me. So you know, I think as a society we're getting more comfortable with wearing masks. But we're enforcing it, there's no question about it.
[Harlow:] Ed, if you had known back in February, early February, what we now know the president told journalist Bob Woodward about how contagious and deadly, and how COVID's spread, if you knew that on February 7th when the president said it, would things have changed for Delta? I mean, you mandated masks April 30th, among the first to do so. But I guess I'm asking, if you'd known sooner would you have done that sooner?
[Bastian:] If we had known, looking back, of course we would have mandated masks, we would have done a number of things. You know, it's important to note that we stopped flying to China in late January. So while the president put his own restrictions in place, we had already taken our own steps to stop flying to China, stop accepting traffic from China a couple weeks earlier than that.
[Harlow:] Right. Ed, final question to you. Last time on this program, we talked about the moves you'd made on race and diversity. And you said very candidly, we as a company need to do more on this, we need more black leaders. You said you were ashamed that more had not been done sooner. And I know there have been a lot of steps you've taken since, and you've been really vocal about this in the company. And I wonder what your response is to this. Because in response just a few weeks ago, the chairman of Delta's pilot union wrote a letter to all of the pilots, and said that it's causing distraction and it's not something that Delta should focus on. He writes, "Our company leadership has decided to weigh into many of the social issues of our society today... the discussion of these have [sic] no place in our workplace." What do you say to that?
[Bastian:] Well, I think there's two sides to that question. First of all, absolutely, when you're in the cockpit, we should not be talking about anything controversial of any the lack of distraction is critical, and our pilots are professionals and they manage that down. But the reality is that we live in a big world, our society, and we have seen evidence that we can do better, we know we can do better and we are going to do better. And while there may be parts of society that may take offense or take objection to and becoming maybe somewhat uncomfortable with the topics that we are discussing, racial equity, injustice, systemic racism are things that we know exist. And it's our responsibility as business leaders to take the steps we need to counteract them, to protect all of our employees, not just some of our employees. You know, one of the things that I've been very transparent about, Poppy, is that we've got, you know, a pretty big disconnect between our top leaders in our company who are black and the number of employees that work at Delta who are black. We can do better than that, and we are going to do better than that.
[Harlow:] Thank you for leading on this, Ed. Good luck.
[Bastian:] Thank you, Poppy.
[Harlow:] We'll be right back.

[Marquardt:] Well, the Mueller report is now out. So, the big question is, what are Democrats going to do with it. The 2020 candidates are facing pressure to take a stance one way or the other on impeaching President Trump. Listen to what 2020 candidate Congressman Tim Ryan told CNN's Jake Tapper earlier today.
[Tapper:] So you do not support impeachment as of right now, but you want the process to begin, is that the investigation process to begin, is that correct?
[Rep. Tim Ryan  Presidential Candidate:] That's correct. That's correct. Not yes, let the process play itself out, and let's educate the American people too, Jake. This is a very nuanced document. Let the American people really see what's going on here. It paints a terrible picture of the president's interactions. The blatant lying that happens and directing people to lie to the public, to lie to lawyers, to lie to the Congress. I mean, it's very detailed and the American people through this process will get up to speed with how this administration has been behaving.
[Marquardt:] Ryan's approach there stands at contrast with his 2020 rival, Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is one of the frontrunners and is now stating her views a little more bluntly.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren  Presidential Candidate:] It's my responsibility to speak out. I took an oath to the constitution of the United States and the constitution makes clear that the accountability for the president is lies through Congress, and that's the impeachment process.
[Marquardt:] And all of this comes as House Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are planning to get together tomorrow to figure out their next steps after the Mueller report. So joining me now to discuss all of this are Lynn Sweet, the Washington bureau chief for the "Chicago Sun Times, Siraj Hashmi, a commentary writer and editor for the "Washington Examiner" and of course, our own Mark Preston, CNN's executive editor of political programming. Mark, let's go to you first. We have Ryan in that clip there with Jake, taking really a wait and see approach to impeachment. There's Elizabeth Warren who is really going full bore, saying that impeachment should happen. And then of course, Bernie Sanders actually is rather silent, apparently ignoring the topic right now. So Mark, when you look at this 2020 field, why are they so divided on the subject of impeaching Trump?
[Mark Preston, Cnn Executive Director Of Political Programming:] Well, in many ways, if we look, Alex, at the 2020 field and we look at the divide right now in the Democratic Party, this seems to be something that encapsulized it in crystal clear terms. We have strong hunger on the left, the liberal left, who is demanding that Democrats impeach President Trump. Demanding that is going to happen. Now, Elizabeth Warren comes from that wing of the party and she's certainly playing to that wing of the party, but look, she probably believes it as well because she is no fan of Donald Trump. When you talk about Tim Ryan though, his campaign is being run a little bit differently. He's not playing to that moderate centrist Midwest type of Democrat or rather he's playing that. He's not playing to the liberal left. So, you're going to hear the likes of Tim Ryan, perhaps even Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, folks who are playing the middle lane being a little bit more careful. Bernie Sanders though, he is going to have to answer, I'm sure he would love to see President Trump impeached. But there is something to be said about letting this play out in Congress because in some ways, if you do let it play out in Congress, Alex as you know, we could get to impeachment, you just got to do some more investigating certainly from the House committees.
[Marquardt:] Right, and those proceedings can go differently in the House and in the Senate. Siraj, what do you think the point of Warren calling for impeachment knowing as she does that even if it made it through the Democratic-controlled House, that the president would not in all likelihood, get convicted by the Republican-controlled Senate. Is she going after the financial boost here from donors? What's her strategy?
[Siraj Hashmi, Commentary Writer And Editor, The Washington Examiner:] Well, absolutely. And she's going for whatever grabs headlines in a crowded 2020 Democratic field such as this. You know, Warren is not really a front-runner. I know that you said that before, that she is a frontrunner. She's really tanking in the polls. She's around one or two percent. And by calling out for the impeachment proceedings of President Donald Trump, you know, she's looking to boost her fund-raising and try to get some traction on the ground knowing very well that it's not a bipartisan, let alone popular within the Democratic Party to call for impeaching Donald Trump. Specifically because Democrats actually see a way of getting Trump out of office that doesn't require Congressional intervention. And so Elizabeth Warren just seems to be playing politics rather than playing what's right.
[Marquardt:] Right. Switching gears a little bit, Lynn, to the Mueller report. We now have Senator Mitt Romney who's one of the loudest Republican voices saying that he is sickened and appalled by what was revealed in the report. Why don't you think other prominent Republicans are coming out to speak in the wake of the investigation's findings?
[Lynn Sweet, Washington Bureau Chief, Chicago Sun Times:] Well here's a few theories in why that might be. That Mitt Romney has political security. He was just elected. He's in a six-year term in what seems to be a safe seat for as long as he wants from Utah. Certainly Republican senators who might be up for re-election in 2020 have political reasons for staying silent. And the Mueller report may just be something other senators want to just avoid if they can. See, Democrats running for 2020 can't really choose to ignore the Mueller report or eventually the question of impeachment. Republican senators don't have to engage if they don't want to. So, this was an issue that Romney wanted to take a leadership role on. He can. He has a very prominent platform. He stands head and shoulders beyond what usually freshmen Republican do because he has more stature than and just more ability to get attention when he makes a call. So, he had this platform and he used it.
[Marquardt:] Right. It is a very loud platform, of course, as a former nominee for president. Siraj, touching on impeachment again, how much do you think that the chatter helps President Trump, not just in terms of rallying his base, but with Republicans who may not like him, but could get fired up when they hear Democrats talking about this so much?
[Hashmi:] Look, at the end of the day, when it comes to the 2020 presidential election, what helps Trump the most is that he is able to play himself in many ways like a victim, because he is able to be basically Donald Trump versus the world. And when you have Democrats who are calling for the impeachment proceedings of his presidency, you know, you're getting the point where, you know, Democrats are all about the witch hunt. In many ways they are. They're seeking this for political gain. And when Donald Trump is, you know, going back to his supporters and say, hey, this is all political, don't believe it, you know, there are many things in the Mueller report that he can actually gain from and say, you know, there was no collusion. That was the main thing that Democrats were pushing for throughout the entire Mueller investigation. And so when he comes up to the election, you know, there are a lot of things that he can say to his base that will just re-invigorate their support rather than detract anyone away.
[Marquardt:] Right, right. Mark, we've seen a new poll from Monmouth University that shows that a clear majority of Americans believe that it's time for Congress to move on from the Mueller report. You have 54 percent saying Congress should move on, 39 say we should keep investigating, two percent saying that it depends. Mark, what do you make of those numbers?
[Preston:] I mean, I think everyone is tired, right? I mean, it was a very long fought hard fought election through November of 2016. It's been a brutal couple of years for President Trump, not that he hasn't put it upon himself, but the American public feels that. And right now, I think there is this exhaustion level. That's why in many ways Nancy Pelosi is hoping to take care of this just through the House committees because that way, she cannot only be critical of President Trump, but she can also provide cover to her members who are running in 2020, whose constituents don't want to see impeachment.
[Marquardt:] All right. Well, Lynn Sweet, Siraj Hashmi, and Mark Preston, thank you very much.
[Hashmi:] Thank you. Happy Easter.
[Marquardt:] Thank you, as the same to you. Don't miss the first major candidate event of the 2020 presidential campaign. Senators Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and South Bend, Indiana mayor, Pete Buttigieg. They will all be on the same stage for a back-to-back CNN town hall event. That's tomorrow night starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern time live from New Hampshire right here on CNN. Now, police in New York have arrested a man after a gruesome and deadly attack on two women inside an apartment. The latest details on that, next.

[Berman:] The number of measles cases in the U.S. this year has now topped 1,000. That is the highest number in nearly three decades. New York state alone has seen more than 800 cases since October. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has much more on this outbreak. Elizabeth.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] John, this has been going on for so long that some are now wondering, should authorities try something different to get it under control?
[Cohen:] Anti-vaxers in New York, they've fueled the largest outbreak of measles in the United States in more than 20 years. Now, the state's response to this enormous outbreak coming under fire.
[Brad Hoylman , New York State Senate:] Our state's inaction in the face of such an overwhelming public health emergency is appalling.
[Cohen:] In New York, parents are allowed to send their unvaccinated children to school. In other states, like California, schoolchildren must be vaccinated. Also under fire, health authorities for not bringing in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The New York City health commissioner says it's not necessary.
[Dr. Oxiris Barbot, Commissioner, New York City Dept. Of Health And Mental Hygiene:] I have more than 400 people working on this outbreak, and we are working hard, day and night, to make sure we bring this to an end.
[Cohen:] Another issue, an anti-vaccinate group circulated this booklet filled with lies to the state's ultra-orthodox Jewish community, which has now become the epicenter of the outbreak. The state health department countered with these posters in Yiddish, but badly botched the translation. Avi Greenstein runs the largest community center in Boro Park, Brooklyn.
[Avi Greenstein, Ceo, Boro Park Jewish Community Council:] They've got to do this right. And they clearly were not doing it right.
[Cohen:] He says the botched ads are part of a larger problem.
[Greenstein:] They have to reach out in a way that shows that they truly get how this community works, the uniqueness of this community.
[Cohen:] And have they done that?
[Greenstein:] I think they could do a better job of that. I think it's clear, it's evident that they could do a better job on that.
[Cohen:] Now one group of Orthodox Jewish women are taking matters into their own hands, holding a first of its kind event aimed specifically at mothers. The women who organized this event, they're trying to do something different than what state officials have done. They've set up these stations because they know what moms in their community are worried about, do vaccines cause SIDS, do vaccines cause autism? The answer to both of these questions is no. The organizers hope it makes a difference. Could women, could moms be the key to ending this outbreak?
[Shoshana Bernstein, Organizer, "an Evening Of Vaccination Education For Women":] Yes. Yes, I think so.
[Cohen:] Why is that?
[Bernstein:] Because women are passionate about their children. And if there's enough understanding, the correct decisions will be made.
[Cohen:] With dozens of new cases every week, they're decisions that need to be made soon. Now, perhaps a positive sign, the number of new cases in New York, both in the city and the state, went down from April to May. But, still, when I asked the New York City health commissioner if she thought this outbreak would be over by the fall, she didn't answer. Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Fascinating, though, Elizabeth, to see your story and see how they are now trying to tackle the information and misinformation. Thank you very much. So wildfires are spreading across parts of California, forcing hundreds to evacuate a Six Flags amusement park in northern California. CNN's Dan Simon is in Rumsey, California, with more. What's happening there, Dan?
[Dan Simons, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, hi, Alisyn. As we all know, these fires are the new normal in California. We are covering the Sand Fire. This is the biggest wildfire to impact the state this year. And you can see some of the charred landscape behind me. At this point it's charred about 2,200 acres. But what was especially noteworthy is over the weekend PG&E cut off power to about 20,000 customers because the area was under a red flag warning, which signals fire danger. Obviously the utility is under tremendous pressure after its transmission lines were found to have caused the Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise this year. I think you can expect to see PG&E taking this action throughout the summer. Elsewhere in California, Alisyn, as you mentioned, you did have that dramatic fire in southern California impacting the Six Flags Amusement Park, a dramatic brush fire there, as all of the guests had to be evacuated. Crews seem to have that fire under control because the park will reopen this morning. In the meantime here, with the Sand Fire, containment about 20 percent at this point. The fire has destroyed about nine or so buildings, no residences, about 100 or so people evacuated and crews seem to be gaining the upper hand. John, we'll send it back to you.
[Berman:] All right, some good news there. Dan Simon for us. Thank you very much. Now here's what else to watch today.
[On Screen Text: 10:] 00 a.m. ET, SCOTUS issues opinions. 10:25 a.m. ET, Warren Iowa plant tour. 2:00 p.m. ET, House Judiciary Mueller hearing.
[Camerota:] OK, now to this. President Trump insists that the deal his administration struck with Mexico is a major victory. So what was actually accomplished? We'll have "The Bottom Line," next.

[Sciutto:] Well, this disturbing trend line in the story, we're learning about the devastating and disproportionate effect the coronavirus is having on African-Americans.
[Harlow:] CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta took a look at the disproportionate impact of the virus, what can possibly be done, he joins us now. Sanjay, I'm so glad you spent a lot of time looking into this. What did you find?
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Thanks, Poppy, yes. You know, I think for a lot of people who heard these numbers start to come out that showed this disproportionate impact on African- Americans, there were two things that really jumped out. One is that it's tragic. But for many public health officials, not that surprising. And a lot of people immediately thought, is this because of these underlying conditions, diabetes, heart disease, that we know can make people more vulnerable to COVID-19? Well, it turns out that's only part of the story, as we learned.
[Gupta:] In the beginning, COVID-19 was far away and it didn't even have a name.
[Dr. Camara Jones, Former President, American Public Health Association:] It was coming over to our shores from people who had traveled.
[Gupta:] But once it got a foothold in the United States, its true self was revealed.
[C. Jones:] Once people got infected, because of their diabetes and heart disease and the like, they would get it more severely and be at higher risk of dying.
[Gupta:] Dr. Camara Jones is past president of the American Public Health Association. I was really struck, Dr. Jones, we're both doctors. And as I was hearing the story, it sounded just all of a sudden tragically familiar. Is this a familiar story?
[C. Jones:] What we see is so familiar because the conditions of our lives haven't changed, significantly. And so what's happening is that we are carrying the burden of these limited opportunities in our bodies, and it shows up as diabetes, the heart disease, the hypertension, even in terms of immune compromised and all of that.
[Gupta:] Already, we are hearing from some officials that blacks have been disproportionately hit by the outbreak. Early data shows that in Michigan, where I grew up, 14 percent of the population is black, though they make up 41 percent of coronavirus deaths. In Illinois, 15 percent identify as African-American, but they make up 42 percent of deaths. Louisiana's population is 32 percent black, which accounts for about 70 percent of coronavirus deaths. But here's the problem according to Dr. Jones. As inadequate as testing has been for the country, the problem is even worse for African-Americans.
[C. Jones:] Our whole national testing strategy has started out as a clinical strategy, not a public health strategy. That, of course, has disadvantaged the whole nation in terms of knowing who is infected. And I am told also that it has been harder for many people of color to get the test just because of where testing stations have been located.
[Gupta:] While blacks are less likely to be tested, less likely to be treated, they are more likely to be on the front line, essential workers upon whom we all depend.
[Jason Hargrove Detroit Bus Driver:] We out here as public workers doing our job, trying to make an honest living to take care of our families.
[Gupta:] Detroit bus driver Jason Hargrove posted this online on March 21st.
[C. Jones:] It is not as easy for them to shelter in place. And it's not as easy because I might front-facing jobs like home health aides or bus drivers or postal workers or working at Amazon and the like.
[Hargrove:] For you to get on the bus and stand on the bus and cough several times without covering up your mouth, and you know that we're in the middle of a pandemic, that lets me know that some folks don't care.
[Gupta:] Four days later, Hargrove, who was 50 years old, became ill. He died last Wednesday. It's still unclear how he got COVID-19. And I can tell you, obviously, we need to have better data. Even some of the data you just saw there was pretty challenging to come by. So states need to be reporting at demographic data as well. But you hear the story of Mr. Hargrove there, and you realize that hopefully we don't get to the point in this country where there may be a rationing of resources. We hopefully won't get there. But if there is, some of these same structural inequalities may manifest there as well. And I think that's the point Dr. Jones was really trying to make and hope we can avoid.
[Sciutto:] So sad to hear he lost his live. He gave such a prescient account there. So how, I imagine folks watching now have this question, how do you get more data? And who is standing in the way?
[Gupta:] Well, you know, I think part of this is that the states you know, there's been inadequate testing throughout the country. I think everyone has sort of recognized that at this point. But now, we're at the point where even the testing that we are getting has not been stratified into good demographic data. Even by age, you know, you're starting to get better looks at the young who are getting sick, but certainly not by race. And you know, you have a few states that are starting to do it. And you have senators, like Elizabeth Warren, I believe, Kamala Harris as well, who are now calling upon states to do this, writing a letter to the secretary of health, Alex Azar, saying this is going to be important as we go forward, not only for this pandemic, but also to hopefully not to just look at that data and put it in a drawer at the end of all this but to actually have some lessons for other health crises that come forward. Again, these are, in some ways, the structural inequalities Dr. Jones really felt passionate about this, have been there for long time, but then a pandemic like this comes along and really exposes it. So if we don't get the demographic data, we won't have the lessons learned.
[Harlow:] Yes. And as of this morning, I believe, Sanjay, that letter from a number of senators to HHS, we haven't been able to get an answer from HHS in terms of what they're going to do on this front or releasing this data. Can I just ask you about there is a lot of concern and dismay that I have been reading from those who hear some folks say, well, why is this happening? We don't know why this is happening because so much of this we do know, right, as you laid out in your piece. We do know that the inequality is just being exacerbated here.
[Gupta:] Yes. I think that's right. And I think, you know, again, a point that Dr. Jones makes is, look, there is underlying illness that is at higher rates, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, but why is that? Why do African-Americans, why do black Americans in this country have higher rates of those diseases? Well, in large part, that is also because of structural inequalities, lack of access to good food, living in food deserts, lack of access to healthcare for preventative medicine, whatever that might be. There are many, many layers to this. But I think the thing that I was most struck by and why we decided to focus on this in the piece is that we're in the midst of a time right now where people are being asked to stay at home. And we know for a lot of people, that is really not an option. They can't do it financially or because of the nature of their jobs, food delivery, you know, frontline workers, essential workers, things that we are all dependent on that maybe we don't even realize, and that proportion of those people who are doing those jobs is black America. And so that's also putting them more at risk. So harder to get tested, harder to get treated, concerns about rationing of care, and the most vulnerable because of that frontline status.
[Harlow:] Yes, it's an American tragedy. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much. Be sure to join Sanjay tonight. He will be with Anderson Cooper for a new global CNN town hall. They'll also be joined by special guest, NBA legend Magic Johnson. That's tomorrow night starting at 8:00 Eastern only right here on
[Cnn. Sciutto:] Well, across the nation, photographers, they have been out in the community. They have been documenting life during the coronavirus pandemic. They really put an emotional face on this, a personal one. We're going to bring you their stories and perspective next.

[Holmes:] Welcome back. Across America, parents are having tough conversations with their kids about racism and injustice. Mike Galanos talks to three families to see how they're handling it.
[Mike Galanos, Cnn Correspondent:] Lolita Jackson is a mom to a 13-year-old black teen. Alduan Tartt is a father of two black daughters, their ages are 14 and 4. And Kellee Casper is a mom to 19-year-old biracial twins. She's also a mom to a 9- and 11-year old and those two children are white. All three parents talking to their children about race and racism in America.
[Alduan Tartt, Father Of Two:] For our 14-year old, she brought the conversation to me because she was flooded on her Instagram and TikTok accounts with the videos of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. She was irate of how these things could happen in present day America and then started talking about civil rights and how things had to change.
[Lolita Jackson, Jackson Family:] As a 13-year-old right now I will say the conversations are a bit heavier. He has experienced that bias and he has observed it happen.
[Kellee Casper, Mother Of Four:] Our conversations with our biracial sons are definitely aimed more towards, how do we keep you safe? We've talked to them about being overcompliant, overcooperative with police officers. We don't have to have these same conversations with our younger two white children and that's unfortunate.
[Tartt:] An African American child hears this. In their heart it's this is not fair. What follows? What do you do as a parent? You can't say well, that's not real, that's an isolated event. You have to be able to say, you know what, racism is real, that at any point in time, that can happen.
[Casper:] The question, what if John and Jalen were arrested, would this happen to them, would they end up murdered or treated differently? And we just say there is a chance that if they were arrested, they would be treated differently because of the color of their skin. We explain to them not everyone has the same heart as us but it's up to us to change the hearts of people who hold hate inside.
[Jackson:] We would like our white friends and colleagues to have conversations with their children, too, because they will be treated differently. They'll be treated with a privilege but to use that privilege in a positive way, to use that privilege to stop the racism happening among their African American friends.
[Casper:] Please make this personal. The impression of black people has to become personal. If you continue to live in a white bubble and not expose your kids to diversity, they will always see black people as different.
[Holmes:] I'm Michael Holmes, don't go anywhere. I'll be right back with another hour of news here on CNN NEWSROOM.

[Cabrera:] The Tennessee Titans had a red-hot performance at their home-opener against the Indianapolis Colts today, but the hottest part of the game, had nothing to do with the action on the gridiron, it was the fire, literally, that broke out on the sideline near the Titans end zone. Look at all of that black smoke. That blaze was the result of malfunctioning pyrotechnic equipment, we've learned. It happened just before the game started, as the Titans erupted on to the field while bursts of fire shot high into the air. The fire was quickly extinguished and ESPN reports there were no injuries. Now, New England Patriots wide receiver, Antonio Brown, taking the field today in Miami, under this cloud of controversy. Brown's debut overshadowed by rape and sexual assault allegations made by a former trainer. CNN's Andy Scholes has more.
[Andy Scholes, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] Antonio Brown not only made his Patriots' debut amid all the controversy, he played pretty well for the team. Brown receiving some cheers when he came on to the field, pregame for warm-ups, and then he and Tom Brady looked like, well, they went through all of training camp together. Brady finding Brown for three receptions on their very first drive. Then, the two hooking up for a touchdown in the second quarter, with Brown jumping into the stands and celebrating with some Patriots fans. Brown ending up with four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots, they won this game easily, 43 to nothing, over the Miami Dolphins. Now, after the game, Antonio Brown was nowhere to be seen. He was not in the locker room. He did not answer any questions. I did, however, talked to some of his teammates and ask them what they thought of Brown's first performance with the team.
[Julian Edelman, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots:] He's awesome, you know, he's a playmaker, a lot of energy.
[Sony Michel, Running Back, New England Patriots:] He was a team player. He did what he needed to do, to help this team succeed.
[Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots:] It's starting. You know, I was just trying to find an open guy and he, you know, was snapping off some routes and did a great job.
[Scholes:] Now, this is a very big week for Antonio Brown and the Patriots. A source telling CNN that Brown's accuser, Britney Taylor, is scheduled to meet with the NFL later this week, about these sexual assault allegations she has made in her civil lawsuit. Those are allegations that Brown has denied, but now, then it'll be up to the NFL of what to do next. Do they put Brown on the commissioner's exempt list, which means he cannot play, but he will get paid, while the NFL continues to investigate? Lots of questions still surrounding this team, Ana, but one thing's for sure, the Patriots, still good at football. They're 2-0 on the season.
[Cabrera:] Our thanks to Andy Scholes. Nearly two dozen are injured after a multi-level deck collapses and traps people underneath. We'll tell you what happened live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Julia Chatterley, Host, Quest Means Business:] Hello, I'm Julia Chatterley, there's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment. When the U.K. elects Huawei to play a part in its 5G network, we'll explain why that's making the U.S. nervous. And the unhappy "House of Mouse", Abigail Disney ramps up her fight for fairer pay at Disney. Before that though, the headlines at this hour. A new released video shows two men with backpacks walking through the Shangri-La Hotel in Sri Lanka moments before the deadly Easter bombings. India says it warned Sri Lanka three times before the attacks of a potential suicide bombing against churches and tourist spots. And Sri Lanka's city, Muslim community say warned officials about increasing extremism for the past three years. North Korean President Kim Jong-un has arrived in Vladivostok ahead of Thursday's scheduled summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Kim says he expects to discuss bilateral relations and what he called the situation on the Korean Peninsula. British and Irish leaders were in Belfast earlier to mourn the death of a prominent Northern Irish journalist. Twenty-nine-year-old Lyra McKee was shot and killed while covering riots in Londonderry, also known as Derry last Thursday. The New IRA later apologized for what it calls an accident. A spokesman for the company that was doing renovations on Notre Dame Cathedral says workers smoke cigarettes on the site, even though it was against the rules. But he refute claims that this may have been a reason for the blaze. He noted that the fire started inside the spire and no one was there when it happened. All right, let's continue the spooks. The U.S. and U.K. could end up in an espionage brawl over Huawei. And that's because China's telecom giant is getting the go ahead to help Britain build their 5G networks but with conditions. It is banned from sensitive parts of the project, the U.S., however, still does not like it. The U.K. though says it's on top of it.
[Jeremy Fleming, Director, U.k. Government Communications Headquarters:] A flag of origin of 5G equipment is an important, but it is a secondary factor. When we analyze a company for their suitability to supply equipment to the U.K.'s telecom networks, we're looking at the risks that arise from their security and engineering processes.
[Chatterley:] There are worries though especially in Washington that Huawei's gear could add to this cyber Trojan horse for the Chinese government. Ciaran Martin is the CEO of Britain's National Cyber Security Center, its parent is GCHK, I got my teeth in, he told my colleague Nina dos Santos why the U.K. isn't really sticking its neck out.
[Ciaran Martin, Chief Executive Officer, National Cyber Security Center, Britain:] It's not all about Huawei, Huawei's potential involvement is one important part of it. But in the last two and a half years since the NCSC was set up, the most serious attack on the U.K. telecommunication sector was a Russian attack on a U.K. telecom's company that involved no Chinese kits and no Huawei. So, we have to build systems and networks that are resilient to all attackers.
[Nina Dos Santos, Cnn Correspondent:] But is there a good enough answer really here? I mean, one British member of parliament who sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee has said that this decision if the U.K. were to grant Huawei the ability to have a limited participation in the 5G network is short sighted and has effectively a cyber Trojan horse. I mean, the point they're making is that this could be a back door for espionage and a back door for disruptive activity.
[Martin:] I'll make two points. The first is the decision whenever it is, will quite properly be announced in front of parliament by the Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright. And at that point, we'll be able to say a lot more about this sort of underlying analysis of whatever decision it is taking. But I'm confident that it will give us the sort of framework we need for resilient and safer 5G systems. The second point to the so-called Trojan horse analogy is about the way these networks work. And we've set out very transparently, very objectively using the best of offensive from defensive to execute expertise whole 5G security needs to work. One important point is that any piece of kit can be vulnerable, nothing is invulnerable. So whether it's flagged from a particular country, wherever the supply chain from or his western supply comes from, you have to assume the parts of kit can be compromised. And you've got to build the defenses accordingly. So it's a really complicated set of issues, and we've started out expertly and technically and we'll do so in the future.
[Dos Santos:] Those are the operational technicalities, but when we're talking about the ownership structure of the company and its links to the potential links to the government, that puts you in a whole different paradigm, doesn't it?
[Martin:] Well, when one speaks of Huawei, it's worth remembering that the U.K. has been managing through GHQ and literally the National Cyber Security Center's part to use HQ. The U.K. has been managing Huawei's controlled presence in the U.K. for more than 15 years. And that is not done on the basis of trusting the company or trusting its governments, it's done on the basis of verifying it's done on the basis also of looking at the way the networks are built, looking at the way they're monitored so that we can make sure that, that sort of disruption, whether from China or from anybody else because anybody could attack regardless of the supplier and cannot happen in a way that would cause large scale national harm.
[Chatterley:] The U.K.'s decision may set up a rift with its key intelligence partners, the alliance known as the 5is. New Zealand and Australia have banned Huawei's equipment from their 5G networks. Canada is considering the same, the United States is leading the campaign. In February, it even warned it would not share information with countries that use Huawei's technology. You just heard from the head of Britain's Cyber Security Center. We're now joined by the former director of the U.S. equivalent. Joining me as well Beckstrom; he's formerly of the U.S. National Cyber Security Center. Rod, fantastic to have you on the show. What's your view on what
[Rod Beckstrom, Former Director, Icann:] Thank you
[Chatterley:] The U.K. has decided here. Are they making a strategic mistake in working with Huawei here in 5G networks?
[Beckstrom:] OK, so we'll delve into this for a second. I think it's easy to say it's a mistake or not. It's a complex issue and it involves intelligence issues, it involves trade issues, and it involves resilience and network security issues of can you actually keep a network up and running? To give a little context here is, these switches are like the spinal cord of the nervous system of the internet. So they're right inside the backbone, they're very critical. And the concern here is that another hostile government might be putting in Trojan horses or what we call back doors. So yes, that's definitely possible. But as your director in the cyber security center in the U.K. said, everything is vulnerable and anything can be hacked. So it's not clear that the network is going to be less secure because of its decision.
[Chatterley:] I mean, one of the beauties of 5G technology, though, is that things speeds, internet speeds will be quicker. There's going to be greater connectivity
[Beckstrom:] Yes
[Chatterley:] Everything is going to be able to talk to everything else
[Beckstrom:] Exactly
[Chatterley:] That much more quickly. If I refer you to your own law, Beckstrom's law, you say anything connected can be hacked, everything is vulnerable
[Beckstrom:] Yes
[Chatterley:] Simply just by being connected. So just by inference, if we're talking about greater connectivity, we're talking about greater vulnerability. Can we mitigate
[Beckstrom:] Precisely
[Chatterley:] Those risks?
[Beckstrom:] Well, you know, as your director talked about, you want a layer on defenses. The reality is, they suffer systems inside the switches. First, there's billions of like literally transistors inside those switches in the very chips and semi-conductors. And there's millions of lines of source code, and any of those might be tampered with, to make the devices vulnerable. Not only to the host government or the government that the company comes from in this case, China. But other governments might as well be trying to put in back doors or their own Trojan horses. So in a way, it's a bit of a tip of the hat of the American Intelligent services towards the Chinese, to say that they're concerned. But if Huawei sells these, that they're so well, you know, battened down from their security standpoint, that they're hard to penetrate from you know, from other perspectives. But so it's a very complex issue. And I can make an argument, Julia, that having a mixture of switches and technology providers in the 5G networks will make it more resilient for the U.K. or any other government. Because intelligence is not the only issue here. I mean, everyone is spying on everyone. That's what goes on.
[Chatterley:] Given
[Beckstrom:] And this is part this is yes, this is a given, and that's this is part of the environment. But the reality is, we can't say that I mean, the network is more resilient if it's got more different providers that are there, that have put the solution
[Chatterley:] So I can
[Beckstrom:] To support it. Because in
[Chatterley:] I can make another
[Beckstrom:] Yes
[Chatterley:] Argument here, and you hinted us that
[Beckstrom: Ok -- Chatterley:] In your first answer, and that was, there are trade relevancies here too. What's the likelihood that when we ultimately see some kind of deal between the United States and China that there's some carve out here for Huawei, and the United States suddenly decides that, you know, it's OK, we can work with Huawei and actually than the U.K. looks really smart?
[Beckstrom:] Yes, exactly right, Julia. I mean, there's a hardcore trade negotiation going on between the U.S. and China. You could say it's a trade war, and clearly, this is this is one chip in negotiations, it does have a place there, and I think it's likely to come out as part of the solution one way or another. And obviously if you're Trump and you're trying to play the American side and holding those cards, you want to keep them out of as many markets as you can and then try to negotiate a concession later for example. I'm not saying that's what he's doing, he owns his own strategy, but that is a plausible scenario.
[Chatterley:] Yes, you can say it, I don't mind, Rod Beckstrom, thank you so much for joining us though and being such a diplomat.
[Beckstrom:] Right
[Chatterley:] OK, let's move on. We just spoke to Hungary's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. The country has shrugged off the U.S.'security concerns about Huawei. Peter Szijjarto said Hungary wants more trade with China and it's hypocritical for other EU nations to try and get in the way.
[Peter Szijjarto, Minister For Foreign Affairs & Trade, Hungary:] When I reached out to about the situation of Huawei in Hungary. You know, which other two companies which countries contacted Huawei in Hungary? Deutsche Telecom from Germany and Vodafone from the United Kingdom. It's not Hungary from which China buys 300 aircrafts, you know. So when you when you speak about the China-Europe cooperation, please speak to my western European colleagues because we Hungarians are interested in a good cooperation with China because they represent state of the art technology and we're happy that some of their investments come to Hungary.
[Richard Quest, Cnn:] I've known Huawei, you're going to follow you've been warned not to do any business with Huawei.
[Szijjarto:] As the Germans and the British because they make business with Huawei in Hungary. And I can tell you that in Hungary, irrespectively, from which country you come as a company, you have to respect national legislation. If you do respect it, you'll find corporate
[Quest:] But then the when the U.S. warns, don't do business with Huawei or you will have trouble doing business with us. Hungary stands in a difficult position.
[Szijjarto:] No, because it's not Hungary to make business with Huawei. It's the German Deutsche Telecom and the British Vodafone who makes business with Huawei in Hungary. We're happy with Huawei's operation in Hungary because you know what they do there? They have a logistic
[Quest:] Right
[Szijjarto:] Hub for the export towards the western part of Europe, you know.
[Chatterley:] All right, join us tomorrow night because you can hear more from the foreign minister, his thoughts on George Soros' immigration and European elections right here on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. Now, we're going to take a quick break, but coming up, a Disney descendant voicing her dissent. What she says is wrong with the "House of Mouse" next.

[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Right now. Have a great afternoon.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn Anchor:] I'm Brianna Keilar, live from CNN's Washington headquarters. Underway right now, a White House on edge preparing for the Mueller report. Find out what to look for when it's released. And the president taking his politicization of the military to a whole new level, saying the military is on his side as he insults a war hero. Plus, would revealing a running mate on day one make a splash or box you in? And as the White House defies Democrats and their investigations of the president, see who is cooperating from the Trump orbit. But we begin with this just in to CNN. Some senior White House officials facing questions about their alleged use of permanent e-mail to conduct government business at the White House. Senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill. And, Manu, tell us, where is this coming from, what all can you tell us about it?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, the House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings sent a new letter to the White House just moments ago saying that they have obtained new information saying that several senior White House officials have been using their personal e-mail, personal messaging applications to conduct official government business. Now, in this letter, Cummings does single out individuals and say that they have had meetings to essentially confirm their suspicions and public reporting, saying that there has been use of public personal e-mails and personal devices to conduct this official business. Now, one of the questions that's being raised by Elijah Cummings is whether or not the White House officials are violating the Presidential Records Acts by not conducting their official business through official accounts and also by not forwarding some of these messages that were being done, some of these personal messages that came to their personal accounts to their official accounts. Cummings raises the concern that perhaps this is a violation of federal law. Now, of course, this is harkens back to 2016 when Hillary Clinton faced significant questions from the White House, from Republicans, from President Trump about using her use of personal e-mail and a personal e-mail server to conduct government business while serving as secretary of state. And for months there have been concerns and questions that have been raised about whether or not senior officials have done just that. So Elijah Cummings, he launched this investigation several months ago when he was in the minority, but then when he became the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, he renewed this investigation, renewed this request, and he says that some new information has come to light making it very clear that some senior officials have, in fact, used their personal e-mail, used the application WhatsApp to conduct business with foreign leaders as well. He says he wants answers to these questions from the White House. Now, we have reached out to the White House. They say they have just received the letter. They are reviewing it. We'll see what they have to say. But this is going to be part of the Democratic investigation going forward, particularly on this committee. We'll see what they have to say we'll see what the White House has to say if they do respond to these questions. Brianna.
[Keilar:] All right, Manu Raju on Capitol Hill, thank you for that. And we do have more breaking news. President Trump announcing a significant move involving Israel. He tweeted just moments ago, quote, after 52 years, it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical, strategic and security importance to the state of Israel and regional stability. Let's go live now to Michelle Kosinski. She is at the State Department following this. Tell us why this is so significant, especially ahead of this visit.
[Michelle Kosinski, Cnn Senior Diplomatic Correspondent:] Hi, Brianna. You're right, you know, this is not an internally recognized sovereignty over the Golan Heights. In fact, just the opposite. Israel seized this land from Syria in the six day war in 1967. It's been seen by the United States for years as occupation. And in documents and in policy statements, the U.S. would recognize that. So we started to see indications that this could change in a number of ways. Recently, for the first time, the U.S. voted against a U.N. resolution condemning Israel's occupation of these lands. So we saw the opposition to it there. And then just days ago, in a State Department report on human rights, for the first time instead of calling it "occupied," the U.S. called this land "Israeli controlled." So we've been asking the State Department ever since then what does this mean exactly? And the State Department has played pretty coy with it. It's as if they didn't want to draw attention to it. And when asked, they wouldn't give any detail on it. I mean just today Secretary of State Pompeo, who is traveling in Israel, today he's in Jerusalem, he was asked by reporters repeatedly, what does this mean for U.S. policy? Can you tell us what the U.S. policy is? He refused to answer. And now we see this massive change by the president via tweet, Brianna.
[Keilar:] Not unusual, but still significant. Michelle Kosinski at the State Department, thank you. And I want to bring in former defense secretary, former CIA director and White House chief of staff as well, Leon Panetta, who is with us from Monterey, California. Sir, this is our breaking news here, the president recognizing the Golan Heights. What is your reaction to this?
[Leon Panetta, Former Defense Secretary:] Well, it raises a lot of concern because he's tweeting out another policy that obviously has not been worked out with our international partners, has not been worked through the United Nations in any way, and, frankly, gives up one of the chips that everyone thought would be part of a Middle East peace agreement deal. And the problem is that it's going to create real problems with our Arab partners in that part of the world. It isn't that Israel doesn't control the Golan Heights. They do. The real question is whether or not recognizing that the Golan Heights are now part of Israel can be accomplished without working with our internal partners and international law.
[Keilar:] What do you see a role here when it comes to the re- election bid of Benjamin Netanyahu?
[Panetta:] Well, it's hard not to put two and two together. The president has made clear his support for Netanyahu. Netanyahu asked that this be done a few days ago. So two and two equals four, and I think there's no question that this is part of President Trump's support for Netanyahu in that election.
[Keilar:] All right, secretary, if you can stay with me, we have much more ahead to talk with you about. I do want to talk now about this Washington waiting game that we are in right now. The White House is on edge over the impending release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report. Mueller's investigation of Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election has been like this cloud just hovering over the first two years of the Trump administration. And the signs suggest that the investigation is winding down. So what happens when it is released? Let's bring in White House reporter Sarah Westwood on this story. So how obviously the White House has had some time to think about what they're going to do here, Sarah. What is the plan for handling the report and determining who gets to see what?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] Well, Brianna, how the White House responds to the Mueller report is going to depend largely on what's in it. Obviously if the information is damaging to President Trump, there will be an incentive for the White House to try to prevent the public disclosure of some of it. And if the information is, in the eyes of the White House, exculpatory, then there will be an incentive to try to make that report public. Now, the president's legal team has developed outlines of how to respond to this based on the different ways in which this could play out. Emit Flood, a White House lawyer, has been holding meetings with officials to game out strategies for different ways to respond based on a number of different scenarios. And what's going to happen is Special Counsel Robert Mueller is going to give his conclusions in the form of a confidential report to attorney general Bill Barr, and Barr will then decide what to pass on to Congress. So sources tell CNN that the White House expects to review that version of the report, the report that Barr is giving to Capitol Hill, to see if there's some opportunities to try to exercise executive privilege there. And here at the White House, there are some mixed emotions among aides about the impending end of the Mueller probe. On the one hand, you do have a sense of anxiety among aides because, just like the rest of us, they're in the dark about what's going to be in Mueller's final report, but you also have a sense of relief that this two-year cloud may be coming to an end. So, Brianna, folks here at the White House holding their breath in wait and see mode, just like the rest of the country right now.
[Keilar:] All right, Sarah Westwood, thank you so much for that. Now, as the White House and the entire country is awaiting Robert Mueller's final report, there are major questions that are still looming. And we have CNN's senior justice correspondent Evan Perez here to walk us through three of the big things that we should be looking for.
[Evan Perez, Cnn Senior Justice Correspondent:] Right, there's a lot of anticipation, obviously, for this report. It's 673 days, by the way, since Robert Mueller was appointed as the special counsel. So that in case anybody's keeping count at home.
[Keilar:] I'm sure you're not, Evan.
[Perez:] I certainly am. But the you know, the three big questions, I think, are these. The fact is, if this investigation closes in the next couple of days, it's clear that the president has not sat down for an interview. So the question is, did Robert Mueller ask the Justice Department for permission to subpoena the president? We know that the president's team refused to have him sit down. The question is, did the Justice Department tell Robert Mueller, no, you cannot subpoena the president? How how was that resolved? Obviously it did not happen. But we the big question is going to be, you know, was there a rejection. And if there was, that's going to have to be reported to members of Congress. I think we're that's going to be a huge question for us to see. The second question, I think, that's on everybody's mind, whatever happened to Russian collusion, whatever happened to the question of obstruction of justice? Did Mueller Robert Mueller find any sign of Russian collusion? And, if so, why didn't he charge it? It's, at this point, so far, in all of the indictments that they have brought, Brianna, there's been nothing that looks like collusion, nothing that essentially charges someone with conspiracy of working with the Russians to throw the 2016 election. That's a big question at this point. And then finally, what does Bill Barr tell Congress and what does he tell the public. The more detailed Robert Mueller's report, the more problematic it is for Bill Barr because Bill Barr then has to go through this and decide what he can cut out and tell members of Congress about the findings of Robert Mueller. And so the big question has been, you know, how detailed is this report going to be? Is it going to provide information about people who did not get charged? For example, what Jim Comey did with Hillary Clinton, where he said, well, it didn't reach to the level of a crime, but here's all the different things that she did wrong. And, you know, if we didn't if we weren't able to bring charges against her. So is that something that Robert Mueller does is in report. We do not know. But certainly what Bill Barr is going to handle have to handle is exactly those questions.
[Keilar:] Could there be more charges, or is the sense that that phase is over?
[Perez:] Look, I think there could always be more charges. But it looks like Mueller's part of this is over, or nearing the end. And so the question is, are U.S. attorney's offices that are handling parts of this investigation that have been handed off, do they bring any additional charges? I think the big the big moment here for this president is that this cloud, as you said, is going to be lifted after 673 days and counting, it's going to be lifted and he's going to be able to declare victory, really, over the fact that there is no collusion, as he says.
[Keilar:] All right, Evan Perez, thank you so much for walking us through that. And now to the relentless attacks by President Trump on the late Senator John McCain. During a speech in Ohio, the president complained that he didn't get a thank you for helping arrange McCain's funeral. So, why does the president insist on denigrating a diseased war hero? A former Trump hotel executive offers this explanation.
[Jack O'donnell, Former President And Coo, Trump Plaza Hotel And Casino:] There's a mean streak that runs through Donald Trump's heart that I don't think people can underestimate. And he does get a great deal of satisfaction out of that. So while I'm not a diagnostician either for mental health orders, there is a piece of this that is almost sociopathic, that he likes to hurt people. And you don't have to be a professional to see these traits come out in him. So I think it's part of him, quite frankly. It's who he is.
[Keilar:] Back now with former defense secretary, CIA director and White House chief of staff Leon Panetta, joining us from Monterey, California. So, sir, President Trump, you know, he's been going after John McCain now for his military service, he's gone after him for his academic record, his voting record. Now he's inaccurately questioning his support for veterans. What is your reaction as you watch this continue?
[Panetta:] Well, I think it's pretty disgusting when the president of the United States decides to attack someone who is regarded as an American patriot and war hero seven months after he died. The fact is that a president obviously it is gnawing to try to hit back at McCain for some reason. It's been something inside of him. He has not been able to control it. And now he comes out and attacks John McCain in this way when John McCain obviously can't defend himself. I think what the president needs to understand, you know, I worked with John McCain, I know John McCain. He was a he was a dedicated public servant. But if John McCain were around, he would truly enjoy the moment of having President Trump continue to go after him seven months after he died.
[Keilar:] I wonder about the broader implications of this beyond John McCain who and we've heard that too I think from Meghan McCain. She said her father would be entertained by that. But the president has routinely gone after other people in the military, associated with the military, even a gold star family, the Khan's, who spoke at the Democratic Convention. He has routinely politicized the military. Most recently he was in Iraq for Christmas and he held a campaign-style rally where you had young soldiers who were kind of co-opted into roles that they really should not have been even if they personally support the president politically. Some had on MAGA hats as he was slamming Democrats. When you look at the broad implications for this kind of politicization of the military, what are your concerns?
[Panetta:] I think the president's on dangerous ground. You know, the Constitution requires that he be commander in chief of our military. And our military is committed to our national security. And the president's responsibility is to use the military when it comes to our national security, not when it comes to his personal politics. And so the use of the military, whether it was on the border, whether it's on these political rallies, whether it's saying that somehow the military is behind him when it comes to attacking John McCain, all of these things are dangerous comments that imply that somehow the military belongs to the president of the United States. It doesn't. The military belongs to the country and to our national security. And the president would do well to avoid crossing that line.
[Keilar:] And Americans, largely, when they look at the military, which does enjoy a pretty good approval rating as far as government institutions go, a very high approval rating, they don't really see the military through a political lens. What happens if that starts to change? What happens if Americans start to see the military through a political lens?
[Panetta:] Well, that's that's the last thing you want to happen. And, first of all, people in the military don't want it to happen. You know, regardless of whatever their politics may be, the military leaders, the military men and women in uniform that I've met with and worked with and served with as secretary of defense, they are committed to the country. They're not committed to political parties. They're not committed to the politics of one side or the other. They're committed to doing their job to protect this country. And that's what makes us the strongest country on earth. To suddenly use them in a way that you're trying to get the military to take political sides is going to undermine their ability to do the job of protecting our national security because then people will question the motivations behind any kind of military deployment. So it is it is critical here for the president to back off of trying to use the military as a political tool now and during the campaign.
[Keilar:] Retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, who you worked with when you were CIA director, he's been very careful not to criticize President Trump. He doesn't think that former military brass should. But he's been concerned about the politicization of the military. He said recently on a podcast called "Thank You For Your Service," that, you know, he's been to a lot of countries where the military is politicized and he says, you wouldn't want to live in any of them. Do you think the president believes that? Do you think he knows that when he behaves like this?
[Panetta:] Well, I think Mike Mullen is right. If you if you look at other countries where political tyrants of one kind or another control the military, it undermines the credibility of the military in terms of the role that they have to play. And that military is used, not just to protect national security, but to implement the goals of that particular dictator or leader that controls the military. That's the danger. And that's why, under our democracy, under our Constitution, it's very clear that while the president may be commander in chief, that the military is the responsibility of the country and defending the country. And that's the way we have become the most popular nation on earth is because we recognized those lines. If this president muddies those lines, it will undermine the credibility of our military and the use of that military in future conflicts.
[Keilar:] All right, Secretary Panetta, thank you so much for joining us.
[Panetta:] Nice to be with you, Brianna.
[Keilar:] This is rarely done, but would Joe Biden announce his running mate on day one to make a splash? Also, the pressure mounts on Boeing as the feds issue subpoenas in a criminal investigation after two deadly crashes involving the Max 8 jet. And we have more on our breaking news. The president making a major move involving Israel, saying the U.S. will recognize its sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn International Anchor:] Hello, everyone. Happy Wednesday. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, 44 people killed, hundreds injured as a migrant center is bombed in Libya in what's been labeled a war crime. Also, the shocking pictures of migrants held in overcrowded U.S. cells on the Mexican border, released by U.S. government inspectors themselves. And the tanks roll in, just a day away from what Donald Trump is calling his Salute to America, 4th of July extravaganza. Dozens of migrants had fled for their lives, making it through a dangerous journey by land, then were turned back at sea, only to die in a place where they thought they should be protected. Forty-four people were killed, and as many as 200 injured when a migrant center was bombed in Libya. The United Nations says the attack amounts to a war crime. CNN's Becky Anderson has our story.
[Becky Anderson, Cnn Managing Editor:] An attack on innocent civilians in the dead of the night. Emergency workers struggling to identify victims and body parts in the rubble of an air strike. Parts of the Tajoura migrant detention center were brought to the ground. Many inside had no chance. Those who did survive, rushed to recover their few possessions. The center held at least 600 men, women and children from other countries, refugees and migrants who'd fled other horrors, violence, persecution and economic repression in the search for a better life.
[Othman Musa, Nigerian Migrant:] All what we know, is we are would want U.N. to help people out of this place because this place is dangerous. There's some people that's stranded here. They don't know what to do. They don't know where to go.
[Anderson:] The U.N. says there needs to be more than just condemnation. A full independent investigation to determine how and why this happened, to bring those responsible to account. No one has yet claimed responsibility. But the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli is blaming Khalifa Haftar, a renegade general whose forces have been fighting for control of the capital for more than a year.
[Eugenio Ambrosi, Chief Of Staff, International Organization For Migration:] It is simply not acceptable that civilians are targeted, that the target of military action are area of the town where it's known that civilians are present and living, and therefore knowing very well that the
[Anderson:] Sure.
[Ambrosi:] likelihood of high civilian casualty is very high.
[Anderson:] But the victims here had no part to play in the battle. And yet they paid the ultimate price. Becky Anderson, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
[Gorani:] Well, the misery there. Fleeing your country, being turned away once you reach the sea, and then dying in this way. Ben Wedeman has spent a lot of time reporting on the lawlessness that is Libya, and he joins me now from Istanbul. Do we know who bombed this facility? Was it deliberate?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Whether it was deliberate, that's not altogether clear because we do know, Hala, that about three minutes before the detention center was hit, there was another strike as well in this area, Tajoura, which is to the east of Tripoli, does have military facilities belonging to the Government of National Accord, the government in Tripoli. As far as who was behind it, it's pretty clear, the Libyan National Army of warlord Khalifa Haftar was in some way or another behind it. Now, the LNA really doesn't have an air force to speak of. But in the past, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have made fighter aircraft available to the LNA, and therefore that's where a lot of the suspicion seems to be leaning at the moment Hala.
[Gorani:] And so how do we get to the bottom of what happened here?
[Wedeman:] Well, certainly, there have been calls from the U.N. and various other organizations, for an investigation into what happened. But because of the complexity of the situation on the ground and the situation in Libya in general, we may never get to the bottom of it. Keep in mind, Hala, that Libya has become an arena for this great regional struggle between Qatar and Turkey on the one hand, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Emirates on the other.
[Gorani:] Yes.
[Wedeman:] And they are really fighting out this cold war between them in Libya, and therefore some sort of independent investigation into what happened last night is all nigh impossible.
[Gorani:] Well, yet another proxy battlefield there. Just so we're clear though, these migrants were handed back to Libyan authorities by the coast guard, which is funded by the E.U., right? The E.U. is helping fund this coast guard force to help prevent these migrants from ever making it to European shores
[Wedeman:] Yes. This is an E.U.-funded program. They give money and resources to the Libyan coast guard, which is loyal to the Tripoli government, to essentially stop, turn back and put in detention centers, the thousands of people who are trying to get to Europe. Obviously, given the political climate in places like Italy, where Matteo Salvini, the hard right-wing interior minister, is very much in favor of this sort of program to prevent these people from reaching, for instance, Italian shores. The end result, though, is that they are stranded. As many as 6,000 of these migrants and refugees, in Libya. They're stranded in very difficult conditions in these detention centers, many of which are either near the front lines or in areas like Tajoura, where there are very possible targets for one of the warring parties to engage in. So
[Gorani:] Sure.
[Wedeman:] the U.N. and other organizations have urged that this program, funded by the E.U., be curtailed and that more lasting and safe solutions be found for these thousands of people, stranded in the middle of this insane conflict in Libya.
[Gorani:] Yes. Ben Wedeman, thanks very much. Live in Istanbul. Well, speaking of desperate migrants, in the United States, the government's own inspectors say migrant centers are so overcrowded that they are ticking time bombs. This is what the government oversight entity that went into these facilities is saying. They took these shocking pictures, showing facilities housing up to twice the number of people they were built to hold. In some cases, they're so crammed that people can't even sit down. Some migrants adults and children, by the way are even being denied showers and fresh clothing. CNN's Nick Valencia is at the U.S.-Mexican border. Our justice correspondent Jessica Schneider is in Washington. So, Nick, talk to us more about what we know about the conditions inside these facilities. We saw the congresspeople visit a few days ago, now we have this independent entity there, releasing these images. What more are we learning?
[Nick Valencia, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, the inspector general focused their report on five visits to the Rio Grande valley, and they described just horrible conditions there, the conditions that you were just talking about there, Hala. But things, I'm told here by a veteran Border Patrol agent in El Paso, are just as bad. This veteran Border Patrol agent, agreeing to go on-camera under condition of anonymity. I asked them, "Why are you speaking out now?" They told me they're just tired of seeing the horrid conditions inside. They say so long as Border Patrol continues to respond like this, migrants will never be safe in U.S. custody.
[Valencia:] What do you say to leaders who are saying, "Migrants are getting basic human rights"?
[Unidentified Male:] What is basic human rights? Toilet paper? Water from the sink? Wearing the same clothing for days? I remember when we used to be a processing center, we used to have especially in Winter, we used to have these blankets. And 10 different aliens will use the same blanket. We will recycle them, you know? We'll put them in a in a bag and they wouldn't get washed.
[Valencia:] There were several times during this interview that the agent sort of had this long, distant, blank stare. And I asked them, "What are you thinking about?" And they told me, it's just really hard not to take home the emotional baggage from what you see inside these facilities, day after day. Not only that, but what they're hearing. The agent, telling me that it was earlier this week, they overheard a supervisor joking about the photo of the Central American father and his 2-year-old, Valeria, who died trying to cross the Rio Grande. They were joking about this image. And they didn't stop there. The supervisor, according to this agent, continued in saying that they wished they could use their vehicle to run over migrants. The agent says that they had reported these allegations, but misconduct depends the punishment depends on, really, what circles you run in. And if you are in it with the leaders, and if you're in favor with leaders, it's just basically a slap on the wrist. We did take these allegations to Customs and Border Protection. They said they are taking them seriously. They did not respond to them directly, but did say that they handed them over to the Office of the Inspector General - Hala.
[Gorani:] Well, if it's confirmed that people have been saying these things, regardless of what you think of immigration policy, it is so absolutely shocking and dehumanizing, that it should upset people on both sides of the political spectrum. And the Trump administration, Jessica Schneider, is taking their anti- immigrant policy one step further by empowering ICE to fine migrants who are in the United States illegally, and that some might actually owe, quote-unquote, "hundreds of thousands of dollars."
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn U.s. Justice Correspondent:] That's exactly right, Hala. So at the same time we're seeing these crowded and unsanitary conditions at the border and members of Congress speaking out, we're also learning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is cracking down all over the country, in the interior of this country. It was just about a week or so ago that ICE actually cancelled some planned raids to fine migrants who had disobeyed court-ordered deportation. Well, now, ICE is taking a different tactic. They're issuing fine notices to immigrants who are still in this country despite being ordered by judges to leave. And really, the penalties can be massive. The attorney for one Mexican woman who has since taken sanctuary in a Columbus, Ohio church, actually posted her fine notice on Twitter. It amounted to $477,000. Now, ICE says that this woman has been avoiding a removal order since 2016, and that she even removed her ankle monitor to avoid detection. And ICE also says that the reason the fines are so steep is that if migrants don't comply with the final order of deportation, and if they decide to stay in the U.S. instead, they face $3,000 that's the initial fine plus up to $799 per day that they remain here. So you can imagine that adds up fast. Now, a former ICE official told us that the plan is really simple. It's another way to get the message out, that ICE and border officials are serious that migrants must comply with judges' orders telling them to leave the country. So, Hala, they're cracking down in the interior of this country. At the same time, we're seeing, really, what a mess it is at the border, and the conditions that these migrants just entering the country are facing now Hala.
[Gorani:] Jessica Schneider, thanks very much. Nick Valencia at the border. Let's stay on this. The U.S. House Democrat Norma Torres just visited three migrant detention facilities along the U.S.-Mexico border. She told CNN young children are being held in, quote, "jail cells." She joins me from Los Angeles. Thanks, Ms. Torres, for being with us. So when you visited these detention centers and I'm sure you saw the release of these government pictures there, showing how overcrowded some of the rooms and parts of the facility are what did you see with your own eyes inside those centers?
[Rep. Norma Torres:] Well, those photos of the art that these children are drawing, I believe are truly a reflection of what they are the horrifying conditions that they're suffering, that they're living under when they're being held in these jail cells. Having to sleep on cement floors and having to shield themselves from the cold within these cells, with nothing more than an aluminum type of blanket. In contrast, I must say, I also visited a refuge, a place where children that had been separated from their parents, are being held. This facility is southwest key facility. In the photos, the art that I saw on the wall of that facility, certainly painted a much different picture, when children are actually treated as children and being counseled and helped through that trauma that they have suffered.
[Gorani:] And were you able to speak to some of them? What did they tell you? What stuck with you after you left the facility, the stories you heard from the migrants themselves?
[Torres:] So we were we were not allowed to speak to any of the minors. When the women of Congress myself included walked into one of the facilities, the children ran to the window and began knocking on the window. And there was a child, he looked about two or three years old, a very, very, very little young boy. He started tapping on the window, trying to get our attention, and said, "Papa, Papa." Obviously, he was crying out for his parent. But yet this child was being held in a jail cell with a group of other children that were older than him.
[Gorani:] Without a parent or an adult?
[Torres:] Without an adult in a jail cell. A jail cell that was being monitored with cameras. But can you imagine? Little children inside a cold jail cell. When they're hungry, when they need, you know, a hug or a warm glass of milk, who do they talk to? Are they tapping on that window? Are they simply trying to get the attention of the CBP officers that are there? And are they able to hear them? How often do they go into these jail cells to check on these kids? Those are all the questions that members of Congress, you know, had when we visited these facilities. But we received very, very little answers.
[Gorani:] But how old would you say the oldest child was in the room where this toddler was being held? I'm just curious who's taking care of these very small children.
[Torres:] So they all appear to be under the age you know, under the age of, I would say, you know, 10 to 12 years old. You know, we also have to think about the perspective that many of these kids look a lot younger than what they are. But they all look
[Gorani:] Yes.
[Torres:] you know, much younger than 10 years old, in a group setting, taking care of each other, comforting each other, very, very sad situation.
[Gorani:] Do they get any time to outside that particular holding area? Especially the young children, how do they spend their day?
[Torres:] So as we toured the facility, those were some of the questions that we posed. We inquired about shower facilities, since we were not able to directly talk to the to the children. We walked through temporary shower facilities, and we were told that that is where children take a shower. We also saw a couple of old balls that the CBP officers themselves bring to the location, and donate to the kids so that they can play. So there were there were two balls there, in a very, very small place. It wasn't a playground, it was just a walkway where children can come out and play for you know, they didn't specifically set how much time.
[Gorani:] Right.
[Torres:] But my question is, why are CBP officers being tasked with having to shower children and change diapers? If these kids are going to be
[Gorani:] Yes.
[Torres:] separated from their parent, they need to be taken care of by someone who is an expert in dealing with children that have suffered so much trauma, not a law enforcement officer.
[Gorani:] I want to ask you about something your colleague on Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson of Florida, said about teen girls in detention. Listen.
[Rep. Frederica Wilson:] So they're at 17, waiting on their 18th birthday. ICE comes to that facility, shackles their hands, shackles their feet and take them to a private prison just like the private facility they're in. So they're profiting from these children. So it's profit and greed. And instead of them processing them out of these centers, out of that center, they're constantly bringing girls and children into this center. I do not trust them with adolescent girls. I do not trust them with girls going through puberty.
[Gorani:] So that's kind of that is a very serious, you know, allegation there, that your
[Torres:] Absolutely.
[Gorani:] Frederica Wilson is saying. She doesn't trust Border Control officials with teenage girls, as if somehow they might behave inappropriately. Do you agree with her? And what is that based on?
[Torres:] It's absolutely it is absolutely a concern that has risen to the top, based on reports of this closed social group that they have, where CBP officers have been posting sexist remarks against members of Congress, Latina members of Congress, where they have threatened to throw food, burritos at members of Congress who were simply doing our job, and that is, you know, to visit these facilities and conduct oversight. So with that you know, if these officers engaging in these comments in what they thought was a private platform
[Gorani:] Yes.
[Torres:] created for themselves, you know what? If you're a CBP officer and you need counseling, then you need to seek mental health. You should not be dealing with
[Gorani:] Right. But that's I was just
[Torres:] young women and young girls.
[Gorani:] I was just making it clear, that's one of your concerns. Just making it clear, it's not based on any fact
[Torres:] Absolutely.
[Gorani:] or any complain specific OK. Thank you so much, Norma Torres, for joining us
[Torres:] Thank you.
[Gorani:] we really appreciate your time on the program. Still ahead, scenes you may not expect in the heart of Tel Aviv. Protestors are furious over the police shooting of an Ethiopian-Israeli teen, but authorities hope to avoid a repeat of violent demonstrations. We'll be right back. Also, after days of wrangling, two high-profile women have emerged as the nominees for two of the top jobs in the European Union. Some people are saying, "Finally." Although others are not happy of the political leanings of one of the top candidates. We'll explain.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] I'm John Berman in New York. This is CNN's special live coverage. We are witnessing a national moment, a national moment of pain, anger, and frustration. I want to show you live pictures from Newark, New Jersey. This is a protest happening right now, looks to be thousands of people out on the streets, again, not at all social distanced, after a tumultuous night in America. Today at least 30 cities are cleaning up after this night of protests. Some were peaceful. Other protests started that way but then turned violent. Buildings were vandalized, fires set, police cars smashed, officers were attacked. Hundreds were arrested. At one point even the CNN World Headquarters building in Atlanta was damaged by protesters as our crews in the building continue to broadcast what was happening there and around the country. And there are more demonstrations scheduled for today, a response to the story that has dominated the news for days now.
[Unidentified Male:] I can't breathe. Please, your knee on my neck. I can't breathe. Get up and get in the car, man. I will. Get up and get in the car. I can't move.
[Berman:] This is the source of the pain and the anger and frustration the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who lost his life after a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd's neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds. The criminal complaint says Floyd was unresponsive for two minutes and 53 seconds of that time. Think of that. It's possible he was dead for two minutes with a knee on his neck. That officer has now been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, but activists and protesters are saying that arrest isn't enough, and they're demanding all of the officers involved now be charged. We want to begin our coverage live in Minneapolis now, the city where George Floyd died. CNN's Omar Jimenez is there. And Omar, the governor has announced a full mobilization of the Minnesota National Guard. What exactly does that mean, and what's the latest on the ground there?
[Omar Jimenez, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, for starters, it means they are going to make as large an effort as possible to quell some of the violence and looting in some cases that we have seen unfold over the course of just the past three days. I remember yesterday Governor Walz had described the previous two days as 48 hours of anarchy. That was ahead of them announcing an 8:00 p.m. curfew here to try and quell some of what did not end up stopping what we saw last night. And you see some of that evidence behind me where you see people still out and about and trying to clean up their community, actually. But it's also coming with the backdrop of buildings that are still smoldering from the night before. Similar scenes to what we've woken up to, again, over the course of just the past two days alone. And while we are deploying, or while the city and state are deploying more resources, you see the community coming out in droves to try and clean up their own places. And that also points to what we heard a lot from officials here across the state, saying that there are outside elements coming in here that are messing with the righteous anger in regards to that cellphone video of George Floyd that you played a few moments ago. The Mayor of St. Paul Melvin Carter specifically said every single person that was arrested over the course of Friday was from someone out of state. And here is what he has to say about the current situation we're in.
[Mayor Melvin Carter, Saint Paul, Minnesota:] That frustration, that pain, is real, and it's legitimate. And to all of the people in our community who believe what I just said, who wholeheartedly need the world to hear that Mr. Floyd should be alive, that someone should be held accountable, and that we as a community, we as a culture, we as a society must do everything we can imagine to keep this from happening again, we stand with you. I stand with you. Unfortunately, there are also those among us who would seek to use this moment, who would seek to use his death as an excuse, as a cover to agitate for the destruction of those same communities that have been most traumatized by George Floyd's death.
[Jimenez:] And the Mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey says the story over the past few days as far as nighttime rioting and protests is simple. It comes down to simple math in his words. So they are hoping to even the odds a little bit more tonight so that Governor Walz 48 hours of anarchy don't continue even more than it already has, John.
[Berman:] Omar Jimenez in Minnesota. Omar, I have to say, that scene that you are standing in front of right now, that burned out shell of a building, reminds me of buildings I stood in front of in Baghdad, bombed out buildings there. It is an eerie sight to see in the United States of America. Terrific reporting, Omar. Please stand by, keep us posted as more develops. We're going to go to Washington right now. Attorney General William Barr making a statement.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] Accountability for his death must be addressed and is being addressed through the regular process of our criminal justice system, both at the state and at the federal level. That system is working and moving at exceptional speed. Already initial charges have been filed by the state. That process continues to move forward, and justice will be served. Unfortunately, with the rioting that is occurring in many of our cities around the country, the voices of peaceful protests are being hijacked by violent radical elements. Groups of outside radicals and agitators are exploiting the situation to pursue their own separate and violent agenda. In many places it appears the violence is planned, organized, and driven by anarchic and left extremist groups, far left extremist groups, using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom traveled from outside the state to promote the violence. We must have law and order on our streets and in our communities, and it is the responsibility of the local and state leadership in the first instance to halt this violence. The Department of Justice, including the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, the ATF, the DEA, and our 93 United States attorneys' office U.S. attorneys' offices around the country, are supporting these local efforts, will continue to support them, and take all action necessary to enforce federal law. In that regard, it is a federal crime to cross state lines or to use interstate facilities to incite or participate in violent rioting, and we will enforce those laws. Thank you.
[Berman:] A statement from the attorney general of the United States William Barr, taking no questions there, saying that the investigation into the officers who were there when George Floyd died is continuing at the normal pace. He was saying that obviously state charges have been filed, and the federal investigation continues. He went on to say, however, that he believes that outside forces in some of these states and cities where we've seen protests are fueling the fires of these protests. He also said it is the responsibility of state and local governments to keep law and order, which is a phrase that has been something of a buzz phrase over the years. I want to bring in Josh Campbell, who is on the streets in Minneapolis. Josh, it was interesting to hear from the attorney general, and I just want to note so people know some of the context here with William Barr, the Justice Department, the Trump Justice Department has backed off some of the consent decrees in cities where there were policing issues, which means less federal oversight of these police departments where racial injustice was seen to be a problem. And the attorney general has also suggested that in cities and states where issues surrounding policing are questioned, that maybe law enforcement will not be applied quite as diligently. So it was interesting to hear him talk today.
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Correspondent:] It certainly was. And we've been wondering what the U.S. government, the federal side, would be saying as this continues, particularly about some of the violence that we've seen from certain protesters, certainly not all of them. We've covered a number of peaceful protests, but some have certainly turned violent in the past couple days. We've seen pictures of destruction. The question is now, at least what I took away out of that press conference, is when the attorney general says that these are leftist groups, that appears to contradict some piece of information that we got from state officials here who said that their investigation indicates that at least some of those who are trying to incite people online are white supremacists, which are not leftwing groups. And so there is a disparity there. The attorney general didn't offer any additional details on what the investigations have found so far, so that will be critical. And as you know, the Department of Justice is a political entity. The attorney general is a political appointee, and especially this attorney general has been closer to the White House than many attorneys general in the past few decades. So that is interesting to note looking through that lens. Is there a political tinge to this? I think the answer to that is going to come from the department itself, perhaps from the FBI, the agency, the investigative agency that would be looking into violations of interstate law as Barr mentioned there. But again, at least what we heard from the A.G. about leftist groups doesn't seem to square with what we're hearing from the state officials about what they are seeing, John.
[Berman:] And I have to say, Josh, having covered many of these protests, demonstrations, even violence before, you often hear that the violence and the worst aspects are caused by outside agitators. And yes, I know that people do come from other areas and have proven to come from other areas in many of these instances. But it is also politically convenient for everyone involved when they are not local people expressing local pain and local anger. So I just want to know what you have seen with your own eyes. Is there a way to discern where these people are from?
[Campbell:] It is very interesting you say that. I was just talking with our producer Erin about this same topic, and that is if you are an elected official in an area, a state, a city, a county, and you have widespread destruction, and you've already been criticized with state officials here have been criticized for their initial response to some of this destruction, it is, as you mentioned, potentially convenient to say, well, it is other people. What is so fascinating is we are on the ground talking with citizens. We've been doing reporting on people who are out cleaning up. John, people are coming up to us. They know we're reporters, and they're saying, hey, have you heard that these are outside groups? These are not Minnesotans. These are outside people. We want you to know that. The question is, where is that information coming from? Are we talking about a circle, a feedback loop here of information that comes from state officials and to the citizens, or are they themselves seeing it as they go to some of these protests? That we don't know. It's going to be difficult to prove that negative. I can tell you there was a large protest that was here earlier. It has now since dispersed. But police officers are now preparing. You can see we're across from the Fifth Precinct here not far from where Mr. Floyd was killed. And police officers have set up Jersey barriers. They've set up fencing. You see officers on the roof right now, which is so unusual for a police department like this. They're looking forage agitators regardless of where they're coming from, whether they're local, whether they're from out of state, they want to be ready for what's about to happen. We don't have the answer to the question, John, about whether these calls for an increased presence by National Guard, whether the curfew here is actually going to impact people and cause them to stay home. We'll have to wait and see.
[Berman:] All right, Josh, thank you very much for being with us, thank you for your reporting, thank you for asking the questions to the people you see on the ground there. That is what is so important. Appreciate it. In the San Francisco Bay Area, thousands of protesters filled the streets overnight. In Oakland two law enforcement officers were shot at the downtown federal building, and we have learned today that one of them has died. CNN's Dan Simon joins me now. And Dan, what do we know about this tragedy on top of tragedy?
[Dan Simon, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, hey, John. It was a very ugly scene in Oakland, California last night, just like we have seen in cities throughout the country. This started out as a peaceful assembly. Oakland police say you had more than 7,000 people protesting, and within that group you did have obviously several dozen people if not hundreds of people that engage in criminal acts. We saw the spray painting of buildings. We saw the looting of businesses, smashing windows, etcetera. And then at around 9:45, according to the FBI, a vehicle pulled up in front of the federal building in downtown Oakland. Somebody in that car started opening fire at two contract security guards for the Federal Protective Service, and two people were hit. One of them died. Obviously a very unfortunate situation. We know that police are investigating, and they are bracing for more mayhem tonight on the streets of Oakland. It's unclear exactly what procedures the department may put in place to thwart a repeat of this violence, but more protesters expected on the streets tonight in the city of Oakland. John?
[Berman:] Dan Simon for us in the Bay Area. Please keep us posted, Dan, if you hear any new developments. We do have more breaking news for you this afternoon. A potentially historic day for U.S. space flight. NASA at this moment putting the odds at 5050 that the weather will allow SpaceX to launch next hour with two American astronauts on board, launch from American soil, by the way. We're standing by.

[Newton:] The Olympic flame has made his way to Japan. Just a few hours ago it arrived at an air base north of Sendai. It now begins a 121-day trek across the country. This comes amid calls to, of course, cancel the games outright. Yes, cancel the Olympics. On Thursday U.S. President Donald Trump said he talked to Japanese Prime Minister Abe earlier this week, but Mr. Abe hadn't made a decision on whether to postpone or cancel the Olympics. We want to bring in journalist Kaori Enjoji, who joins us from Tokyo. This has been a debate back and forth, and you know, the eyes of the world are on Tokyo right now. There are some athletes, IOC members, even, saying what's the holdup? It's just time to postpone these things. The deputy prime minister in Japan even called them cursed. You know, athletes can't train properly. What's the holdup here? Why don't they make a decision?
[Kaori Enjoji, Journalist:] Well, Paula, that's a question that the Japanese public has been asking, as well, for weeks. And I think part of that answer lies in that ceremony that happened this month, with the Olympic flame arriving here in Japan in the area that was devastated by the 2008 tsunami and earthquake. And I think this shows that, from the day that Japan and Tokyo won the bid to host the Olympics, this has been more than just convening athletes from around the world. This has been a battle for Japan, and an effort by Japan, to prove to the world that Japan is back. Back from the 2011 disaster, which killed thousands of people, and back from decades of recession where the economy has faltered and given up the No. 2 spot to China. And I think politicians have been very, very eager, and spent a lot of capital, to ensure that they are going to go ahead with the Olympics to show that Japan is back. And the fact that they chose to continue with this flame ceremony in this area today, despite the fact that it was an empty plane bringing that flame. There was no children that were scheduled to be there to greet them. The athletes that were supposed to be part of that ceremony were not there. But still, the head of 2020 Tokyo said who is also a former prime minister, said that they are still going ahead. I think the political capital that has been spent on this has been just too much.
[Newton:] And if you could clear up some confusion that I've had over the last few days, is it the IOC's decision, or Japan's decision?
[Enjoji:] Technically, it is the IOC's decision, Paula. But as you know, it's there are a lot of people banking on this. And by banking on this, I mean $12 billion is the official estimate on how much Japan has spent to bring the Olympics here. But we everyone knows that the actual figure is significantly higher on that. Take into consideration the dozens hundreds of sponsorship deals that would be canceled in the event that the Tokyo Olympics don't go through. Not to mention, the millions in ticket sales that have gone through, and the expectations that businesses have built over the years in anticipation of this. The tally for that would be phenomenal. So technically, it is an IOC decision. And I should point out that, compared to the rest of the world, Japan is a very, very consensus- driven society. It's frowned upon when a leader comes out and makes a unanimous [SIC] decision to do this or that. There's a lot of behind- the-scenes maneuvering and consensus building, before that final announcement is is made. I think that partially explains some of the uncertainty that has been going on here over the last couple of years.
[Newton:] Well, many athletes all over the world and they're the ones that really have a lot on the line here are waiting to see what that decision is. Thanks so much. Really appreciate the live update there from Tokyo. Now, the U.K. reports 144 deaths from COVID-19 amid more than 3,000 cases. In London, landmarks are mostly empty, but the streets are not, and as the city's nine million residents try to prepare for the unknown. Here's CNN's Nic Robertson.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] London's most iconic landmarks are almost deserted. The flags are out, but the tourists, and most everyone else, are gone. [on camera]: Trafalgar Square, normally bustling, but even this tiny scattering of people may be too many to slow the spread of the virus. The prime minister has said that people must follow government instructions ruthlessly. [voice-over]: This couple, taking a last ride before a rumored London lockdown.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, I'm waiting for it to happen, honestly. Yes, we're all working from home already. Just trying to get out today to get the last bit of kind of fresh air that we can.
[Robertson:] The prime minister, though, ruling out a hard lockdown of the capital for now.
[Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister:] I want to stress that, you know, there is no prospect of us wanting to stop public transport in London or stop stop the tube or the buses. We're not going to be telling people that, under no circumstances, if they really need to go to work, can they go to work.
[Robertson:] A few miles away, neighborhoods still busy. In the lime outside the butcher shop, there is apprehension.
[Unidentified Male:] You keep the walk going on, and you have the little kids with you all the day. But we have
[Unidentified Female:] The U.K. is still reactive instead of proactive policy, but every country, a different culture. Hopefully, they will be inclined to stop any serious spread.
[Robertson:] Even without a full lockdown, though, changes are coming. Cuts in bus, rail services, as well as the city's fabled underground service, the tube. [on camera]: Up to 40 underground tube stations could be closed. The plan is to keep enough of the network running to allow people in vital professions to be able to get to work. [voice-over]: For some, it would be the end of the line for work.
[Unidentified Male:] I won't be able to get to work without the tube.
[Robertson:] Really?
[Unidentified Male:] Actually. Yes. That's my only option, is to get into Central London.
[Robertson:] So what happens then?
[Unidentified Male:] I don't know. I have to stay home, I guess.
[Robertson:] For others, a further step into the surreal.
[Unidentified Male:] Had a lot more family arguments recently since we've all been together. I don't know. It will be surreal. It's a bit weird. It's like being in a zombie film or something. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
[Newton:] OK. Virus testing kits in the United States are too often in short supply right now, causing yet another crisis. We talked to the CEO of one company that's trying to change that by making testing available from home.

[John Berman, Cnn New Day:] Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is New Day. And this morning, the United States moves ever closer to 100,000 confirmed deaths from coronavirus. That's in just a few months. That toll is truly staggering. This morning, the vast majority of Americans believe that masks should be required to help slow the spread of the virus. And that's also the guidance from doctors. The official guidance from the U.S. government is that we should all wear masks in public. Yet the president has mocked the notion at times and mocked journalists and leaders who wear masks. Now, the former vice president, Joe Biden, is responding in an exclusive interview with CNN.
[Joe Biden, Democratic Presidential Candidate:] He's a fool, an absolute fool to talk that way. I mean, every leading doc in the world is saying we should wear a mask when you're in a crowd.
[Berman:] More on that interview with Dana Bash in just moments.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn New Day:] Also, breaking overnight, hundreds of protesters clashing with police in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd. Video shows Floyd pleading with police, telling them that he cannot breathe. But a police officer keeps him pinned down on the ground with a knee on his neck for several minutes. George Floyd died. The four officers now have been fired. This morning, we have new video of the interaction between George Floyd and police that led to this deadly encounter. We will get to that in a moment. But, first, continued steps towards reopening in parts of the country, what does the country look like right now? Well, joining us now is CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and CNN Chief Political Dana Bash, who will give us a preview of her great interview with Joe Biden. Okay, Sanjay, let's just take a status report of where we are right now. In 14 states, cases are trending upwards. I'll pull up the map for everyone to see at home. In 19 states, cases of coronavirus are trending down. In 17 states, they are holding steady. Is this what you would have expected? Is the virus proceeding along predictable lines now as we reopen?
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yes, to some extent, Alisyn. It's tough to get an exact trajectory here because I still feel like we're very early on trying sort of to guess the score of a game after only looking at the first couple of innings. But I think that there's a couple of things that come out when you look at that map. One of the states where you had some of these earliest cases, like Washington State, for example, things sort of holding steady over there. And you're getting an idea of why that might be. And also, this idea that it's not truly bifurcated between open and shut. You know, there are states where things have been opening up and yet, aside from some of the terrible images that we've shown where people are really congregating, it does seem like most people are actually doing a fairly good job of maintaining physical distance, of wearing masks and things like that. And we have increasing evidence that that goes a long way. I mean, this is a virus. It's not a particularly hearty virus. If it's not in the environment, not spreading from human to human, it really can't do much. So just keeping that distance wearing a mask seems to make a big difference. It's hard to know, Alisyn, where this goes because the virus is still out there. If people start to become a little less diligent about this, I think the numbers are going to go up. Nothing about the virus has changed. And I always remind, we put this pause in place when we had fewer than 80 people had died and 4,500 people who had been infected. And now you look at the right side of the screen, the numbers have obviously changed a lot, and that's sort of loosening things up. It's going to be contingent on people more than policies at this point in terms of where that trajectory goes.
[Camerota:] Sanjay, I want to ask you also about the antibody tests. The CDC now says that they're only right half the time. I thought that these were going to be the key for us to reopen, to figure out who could go safely back to work. I mean, are the antibody tests worthless?
[Gupta:] I think, ultimately, they may have a role, Alisyn. I think that there's a couple of issues here. One is that there were a lot of tests. And these were the tests to see if you had been exposed in the past, if you've developed antibodies. That's different than the diagnostic tests, which looks for evidence of the virus itself. Now, with the antibody tests, because there were so many tests that got out there early on that weren't validated, there are just some bad tests and they're starting to go back and validate some of these tests. That's part of the issue. There's another more nuanced part of the issue, and that is that the how good these tests are. It very much depends on the prevalence of antibodies in the population. So let's say if there's 5 percent of the population have antibodies, your tests even if it's a fairly sensitive, fairly specific test, it's probably going to still have a pretty high false positive rate because there's just not enough people out there with antibodies. It's called the positive predictive value. So in an area where there's 5 percent, it's not going to seem like a good test. If you look at just healthcare workers where you are, Alisyn, in New York, all of a sudden, you may have a better positive predictive value of the test. Hopefully, that will make sense. But as we get more and more people who are exposed to this, and that's inevitably going to happen, the majority of whom may not even know it or have just mild symptoms, then I think the antibody tests will become more useful. So, yes, ultimately, I think they're going to have a role, but maybe not now, maybe in kids more so than adults because of this post- inflammatory syndrome that we're talking about, but this will change, I think, over the next couple of months.
[Camerota:] Okay, really helpful. Thank you. Okay. Dana, let's talk politics. Somehow, masks have become a political issue. Though the surgeon general says that wearing masks protects other people and helps the numbers come down, though the White House's own coronavirus task force says that we should be wearing masks, somehow the president, I guess, thinks wearing a mask makes him look weak or like a failure or something. I mean, it's unclear. But you sat down with former Vice President Joe Biden about this issue, particularly because President Trump has mocked Joe Biden for wearing a mask in public. So you got right into that with him, and let's just play a moment.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] You mentioned the mask, that you wore a mask yesterday. President Trump went to a Memorial Day service. He did not wear a mask. It's not just some people making fun of you. He did. He did on Twitter. He re-tweeted a photo of you wearing it. He's trying to belittle you for wearing a mask, making it seem like it's a sign of weakness. Is it?
[Biden:] He's a fool, an absolute fool to talk that way. I mean, every leading doc in the world is saying we should wear a mask when you're in a crowd. And especially when you know you're going to be in a position where you're going to inadvertently get closer than 12 feet to somebody. I know we're 12 feet apart. I get that. It's just absolutely this macho stuff. For a guy I shouldn't get going. But it just is, it's cost people's lives. It's costing people's lives. And like I said, we're almost 100,000 dead today, 100,000 people. Columbia study is showing that we could have if this started a week earlier, it would have saved thousands of lives. I mean, these this is a tragedy.
[Bash:] But wearing a mask has become a cultural and political flash point and the president is involved in that, even stoking that.
[Biden:] Sure he is. And he's stoking deaths. That's not going to increase the likelihood people are going to be better off.
[Bash:] Do you think wearing a mask projects strength or weakness?
[Biden:] Leadership. What it presents and projects is leadership. Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely it reminds me of the guys that I grew up with playing ball. They walk around with a ball in their hand but didn't like to hit very much.
[Camerota:] Tell us more about what the vice president shared.
[Bash:] Well, you know, it was very interesting, Alisyn, because he obviously has been sitting in his house, he has done some remote interviews, but this is the first in-person interview he has done since the pandemic hit, so in more than two months. So much has changed in the world, not just with the pandemic, but more importantly for him in this context in the 2020 race when everything shut down. It was right after CNN's debate where he was still debating Bernie Sanders. And now his opponent is Donald Trump. And he hasn't had a chance to have even close to a normal kind of mano-y-mano campaign style situation with him. And so this is the first time he really has shown what he is going to do. And you heard the language there, that the president is being macho, that he's a fool. At other times, he said that he is basically saying he's emotionally unstable. He's being tougher than I have heard him in the past. And the question is, how far out is he going to go given the fact that he's also campaigning as the antidote to that kind of language.
[Camerota:] Well, at the same time that you hear all of that, I also hear him pulling his punches, Dana. He says, I shouldn't get going. When is the moment to get going? I mean, we're a few months from the election. Is he going to stop pulling those punches or is that just not the former V.P.'s style?
[Bash:] I think he wants to. If we were not if he were not in a political fight where he is trying to run as somebody who is kind of the chicken soup for the country as the way somebody described it to me, somebody who can return to a more normal rhetorical situation and that if it wasn't that, if it was just Joe Biden, the guy who is getting challenged, in his words, a macho way by the president, he would probably be more aggressive, but it's a fine line. And, in fact, one of the things I asked him about more broadly, you remember, of course, last week, the former vice president made what he admits is a stupid remark, saying that to African-Americans, if you are thinking about voting for Trump, you ain't black. He said it was a mistake. And I asked him about the fact that he's running against the guy who never admits a mistake and whether or not he can compete in that realm. And he said, if I do something dumb, if I say something that I shouldn't have, I am going to admit that. And it might seem small but it really does encapsulate the very different worlds that we're dealing with while they're still on the same very real political battlefield.
[Camerota:] Sanjay, as you watch all of this play out, the fact that masks have become political, as a doctor, it must just light your hair on fire.
[Gupta:] Yes. I mean, I've been wearing a mask for close to 25, 30 years as a doctor. So it is strange to sort of see this sort of flash point over something that is so common among healthcare professionals. I understand that, culturally, it is something that in the United States we're not used to. And I remember having these conversations with Dr. Fauci early on saying, what is the reluctance here, this idea that does it make America appear weak or sick in some way. But at this point, it's very clear that they have evidence that they work. I mean, again, when we showed these numbers and what is happening, obviously, it is tragic, the number of people who have died, people who are still getting infected. But the masks do have evidence that they work. And you wear them to protect other people. So this is really about this notion that we're really in it together and it's a sign of respect and all those things and a sign that you're taking this seriously. So I think that there as we go through this, the virus has not changed. Our reaction to it has and masks are a big part of it.
[Bash:] Can I just add one quick thing from a political point of view?
[Camerota:] Yes, go ahead, Dana.
[Bash:] One of the Republican strategists who has worked on a ton of campaigns who I rely on to kind of get a sense of what this all means said something really interesting to me yesterday. He said, the mask has become equivalent to putting an NRA sticker on your car for a lot of people in this country. That, yes, the president is very much stoking that cultural flash point and he is giving a voice to it. But it's the same notion as people who are not in cities like we are in the northeast, Alisyn, who this is the perspective and perception of some people who are very much anti-mask, like these people have the luxury of wearing a maskstaying homehaving a 401 [k] and I'm somebody who has to go to work, I'm somebody who doesn't have a nest egg. I'm somebody who can't deal with that. And they don't understand me. The fact that they can't go to work and wear a mask, that's logic that is kind of hard to wrap your mind around. But just in terms of the raw politics of this, that is what the mask has become already in terms of the political symbolism.
[Camerota:] That's really helpful context. Dana Bash, thank you very much. Sanjay, thank you as always. So, overnight, we saw these huge protests in Minneapolis over the deadly police encounter that killed George Floyd. We have new video of the moment that led to that deadly confrontation, next.

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Democrats unveil articles of impeachment on yet another historic day in Washington. Also the threat of more volcanic eruptions disrupt recovery efforts on New Zealand's White Island. Plus it's crunch time for politicians in the U.K. on the final day of campaigning ahead of the general election.
[Church:] Good to have you with us. We begin with the political turmoil in Washington. The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is getting ready to debate the two articles of impeachment against U.S. president Donald Trump on Wednesday. After a two month investigation, Democrats unveiled the articles Tuesday, charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. So what's next? Well first, a vote by the Judiciary Committee on whether are to impeach the president which could be followed by a full House vote as soon as next week. President Trump is downplaying it, calling it impeachment light and week.
[Trump:] He said other so-called articles of impeachment today. People are saying or, they're not even a crime. What happened? All of these horrible things. Remember? Bribery and this and do that, so where are they, they said these two things are not even a crime. This is the lightest, weakest impeachment.
[Church:] With the articles now unveiled, Donald Trump is another step closer to becoming just the third U.S. president to ever be impeached. CNN's Alex Marquardt has more.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] Good morning, everyone.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Senior National Security Correspondent:] A solemn day, Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it, as the Democratic leadership announced for just the fourth time in American history articles of impeachment against a president. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler laying out the two articles that charged the president with committing high crimes and misdemeanors, the first, abuse of power.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler , Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:] That is exactly what President Trump did when he solicited and pressured Ukraine to interfere in our 2020 presidential election.
[Marquardt:] The second article, obstruction of Congress.
[Nadler:] President Trump engaged in unprecedented, categorical and indiscriminate defiance of the impeachment inquiry. We must be clear. No one, not even the president, is above the law.
[Marquardt:] Other articles of impeachment had been discussed, but were eventually ruled out, including obstruction of justice going back to the Mueller probe, which some Democrats objected to including.
[Rep. Eliot Engel:] The prevailing feeling was that we were better off ultimately with two, because the obstruction of justice brought in a whole bunch of things and it was a mixed bag of tricks.
[Marquardt:] Republicans, for their part, blasted today's announcement as a political move that is an embarrassment to Congress.
[Rep. Kevin Mccarthy:] We would never be here if they paid attention to the facts or the hearings. This is not a day that America will be proud about. It's not a day that history will write, that anybody wants to repeat.
[Marquardt:] GOP leaders attacking the speed with which Democrats conducted their investigation in just over two months, which House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said would otherwise get dragged out by the president into a crucial election year.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] Why not let him cheat just one more time? Why not let him have foreign help just one more time? That is what that argument amounts to. The president's misconduct goes to the heart of whether we can conduct a free and fair election in 2020.
[Church:] CNN's Alex Marquardt reporting from Washington. Well, joining me now to talk more about this is CNN political analyst Michael Shear. He is also the White House correspondent for "The New York Times." Good to have you with us.
[Michael Shear, Cnn Political Analyst:] Sure Happy to do it.
[Church:] So as expected, the Democrats charged the president with high crimes and misdemeanors, calling for his removal from office. They introduced these two articles of impeachment, abuse of power linked to Ukraine and obstruction of Congress. How smart is the strategy of focusing on just these two articles of impeachment given the supporting evidence they have?
[Shear:] I think the Democrats and the leadership in Congress think it's really smart. They have decided to focus narrowly on a specific case, obviously the Ukraine case, because they think that's where the strongest evidence was. There was a lot of debate inside the Democratic Party in the House. Some members wanted to go much broader and wanted to bring in the Mueller investigations and the Russian meddling and perhaps charge the president with the another article of impeachment related to that case. There were other members that wanted to go even broader and bring another things that the president has done wrong in their view, but in the end Speaker Pelosi and I think the leadership in the House decided that it was smarter to simply take the strongest case they had. The case that they have been investigating into such depth over the last couple of months and really focus it narrowly on that the idea being that you garner as much support as you can around the very narrow impeachment.
[Church:] And the Republicans called the announcements political and an embarrassment to Congress, not surprisingly. The big question now will be what will happen when it goes to trial and vote with the Senate next month?
[Shear:] Right, I mean, one of the remarkable things that, you know, a lot of times in Washington especially on Congress there's a real uncertainty about how a vote might go, because Washington is pretty closely divided these days. We are a polarized nation and so oftentimes were hanging on to one vote either way. And you never quite sure what's going to happen. In this case, I think it is the opposite, right. Everybody knows what's going to happen in a Judiciary Committee in the next couple of days, they're going to approve these articles. Everybody knows what's going to happen on the House floor. The House is easily going to impeach him and so the only sort of semi uncertainty is kind of how the Senate trial plays out at the beginning of next year. Everybody is quite sure that the Democrats won't to be able to muster 67 votes, two thirds of the Senate required to remove the president from office, but still how the trial plays out, whether they will be witnesses, whether the president would appear to sort of speak in his own behalf. All of that is kind of up in the air and uncertain and I think that's definitely got both parties kind of on edge.
[Church:] Because we know the Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell wants a short Senate impeachment trial with no witnesses but that's at odds with what President Trump wants. What is going on there do you think?
[Shear:] I think the majority leader has made the conclusion that the sooner they can get this whole impeachment drama behind them, the better for his members, at the end of the day when they go home for reelection in 2020, they're not going to be touting the fact that they spent a lot of time on impeachment. They want to be talking whether they approved judges or legislation or other pieces of legislation that they got approved. I think there obviously is in conflict with what the president at least publicly has said he wants, which is a robust defense. He wants members of his party to stand up and not simply argue, make process arguments but actually argued the merits of the case and the president, of course, thinks the call with President Zelensky was perfect. He thinks he has done nothing wrong and he wants people to stand up and in a trial and say that. I think that at the end of the day the Senate majority leader and the majority of Republicans who are in the Senate have probably the power to decide which direction they go. But obviously a lot of pressure from the president.
[Church:] There has to be said that the irony of the day, Russia's foreign minister meeting President Trump in the Oval Office. What were the optics of that happening on the same day the president faces articles of impeachment over Ukraine, especially given the controversial meeting Mr. Trump had with the Russians back in 2017?
[Shear:] I mean, look, one of the great, amazing things about how everything has been playing out over the last several weeks, is that it's not the American people and people around the world could be excused to think that it this all sort of disconnected from each other. And yet it's not. The Russia investigation was about election meddling, the Ukraine situation is about election meddling. The Ukraine situation is not disconnected from Russia, it is actually integrally connected to the idea of Russian aggression. And so it's all in a weird way sort of coming full circle. And as you say the optics of the foreign minister of Russia being in the Oval Office at exactly the moment Democrats are taking up these articles of impeachment was I think not lost on anyone.
[Church:] Michael Shear, always good to get your analysis and perspective on these matters. I appreciate it.
[Shear:] Thank you. Thank you for having me.
[Church:] And we go to Moscow now, where CNN's Matthew Chance has more on President Trump's talks with the Russian foreign minister.
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, the fact neither U.S. nor Russian media were allowed to take a photograph of the meeting between President Trump to the Russian foreign minister, underlines how sensitive this encounter was, particularly at a time where President Trump is facing an impeachment process for withholding military aid from Ukraine, the country which Russia has invaded. In a news conference after the meeting foreign minister Lavrov spoke of a range of issues that he and the U.S. president had discussed, arms control, the conflicts in Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan, the situation with the Iranian nuclear deal and economic cooperation between the United States and Russia. He did not give a clear answer, however, when asked repeatedly if President Trump had warned Russia not to interfere in U.S. elections. The White House insists that President Trump did issue such a warning. When pressed on the issue, Lavrov acknowledged the U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo spoke on the matter but made no reference to President Trump. This was the first official meeting in the Oval Office between Trump and Lavrov since May 2017, when Trump is alleged to have discuss highly classified intelligence with the Russian foreign minister and the then Russian ambassador. Lavrov also confirmed an invitation to Trump in Moscow next year but said that the American president was yet to decide whether or not he would come Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
[Church:] And even as they try to impeach him, U.S. House Democrats have shown they can still play nice President Trump, they announced a deal Tuesday on the revised trade pact with Canada or Mexico, getting the president closer to one of his signature campaign pledges to do away with NAFTA. But the deal still needs approval from both Houses of Congress and the Senate will wait until after any impeachment trial. More now from CNN's Matt Rivers in Mexico City.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] Today was a bit of an unusual day during the Trump administration, if only because we have not seen many things like this happen in terms of a bipartisan agreement and yet during a formal signing ceremony that is what we saw with the latest version of the USMCA.
[Rivers:] And being agreed upon, we have some video of that ceremony with here, led by U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer with Jared Kushner, they were one of the architects of this. And you see them, along with two representatives of the Mexican and Canadian governments signing this latest version of this new trade agreement between these countries. Of course, the first version of the USMCA was signed one year ago, between all three countries but you have to get it ratified by your respective legislatures, in Canada, the United States and Mexico, it was the United States to held this up because they would not sign on to the first version of the USMCA that was negotiated by the Trump administration. They demanded lots of changes, not the least of which will be further enforcement mechanisms. They were concerned over certain labor practices in Mexico, that they wanted to make sure certain enforcement mechanisms that could ensure that labor laws would be followed. But after a year of negotiating between the House Ways and Means Committee and the U.S. trade representative within the Trump administration, that both sides were able to agree on the deal, that led to the signing ceremony today, here in Mexico City between those three parties. It's not done yet, all three sides have to get the new deal ratified by their respective legislatures. But all signs as of now point to that just being a formality, including in the United States, with Nancy Pelosi saying this is a very good deal. We are expecting there could be a vote to ratify this latest version of the USMCA in the House of Representatives by next week at the earliest. But again a rare case of bipartisan agreement here in Mexico City with both Republicans and Democrats looking at this new version of the USMCA and calling it a win Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
[Church:] Well, President Trump is feuding with his FBI director again. How a watchdog report on the Russia probe is dividing the Justice Department. That's coming up. Plus, New Zealand grappling with the aftermath of a deadly volcanic eruption and the possibility of a another one on the rise. The latest ahead.

[Gov. Phil Murphy:] Will do business with vendors who we trust and who we who share the same gun safety principles as we do. And there's enough latitude for us to be able to be able to do that.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] And have you felt that you've had to do all of this because, frankly, the U.S. Senate won't take any action?
[Murphy:] Yes, I mean, without question. The ultimate answer here is national, federal legislation. And, you know, we're sick of hoping and praying. And the statements from the administration or Leader McConnell ring more hollow by the day. So the fact of the matter is, states have to step up and pass a lot of legislation, which we've done a series of executive orders. We have formed a coalition of like- minded states called States for Gun Safety. We're doing all of that in the absence of any action in Washington.
[Camerota:] Let's get to this letter that these 145 CEOs of some of the, you know, best known companies at the moment have just sent to the Senate. So this is from the CEOs of Airbnb, Twitter, Levi Strauss, Thrive Global, Bain Capital, and they sent this letter to Mitch McConnell, and as well as the whole Senate, I believe, and it says here, here's a portion, we urge the Senate to stand with the American public and take action on gun safety by passing a bill to require background checks on all gun sales and a strong red flag law that would allow courts to issue life-saving extreme risk protection orders. What does it tell you that, you know, CEOs are having to step in where politicians haven't?
[Murphy:] Again, I think first, it's a good sign. I think it's unfortunately, at the same time, a statement about the pathetic lack of any progress in Washington. You may you saw the business roundtable a couple of weeks ago change its sort of principles from shareholder only to the sort of broader sustainability stakeholder interests. I think this is another good example. That's where the world is headed. That's what we do in New Jersey. That's how we think about gun safety. That's how we think about the economy and society more broadly. And my guess is we'll see more of this particularly in the absence of activity any positive activity in Washington.
[Camerota:] This letter is also notable for some of the big CEOs that didn't sign on. No Google. No FaceBook. No Apple. No Goldman Sachs. You have any idea why they wouldn't want to sign a letter like this?
[Murphy:] I I have no insight. I haven't seen the letter. I have no insight. But I would just say, again, Alisyn, I think this notion of corporate responsibility broadening, particularly again, I can't emphasize this enough, in the absence of positive steps in Washington. How many more massacres, how many more day in and day out just drum beat of gun violence are we going to have to deal with and absorb as a society before it steps are taken constructively by this administration and by the Republican Senate? In New Jersey we're not waiting. We can't wait. We can't afford to wait.
[Camerota:] You know, Governor, we only have a few seconds left, but does it feel to you as though something has shifted? This problem of gun violence and mass shootings has been so intractable it has felt for so long. You know, there's been this paralysis and this hopelessness. Does it feel to you like since this last spate of mass shootings that something has shifted?
[Murphy:] It does, although we've had false
[Camerota:] Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey, we really appreciate you explaining all of this to us. Thanks.
[Murphy:] Thank you, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] John.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] All right, we're getting new details this morning about the rape allegations against NFL star Antonio Brown. Will the NFL take action before Sunday? Will he play on Sunday? That's next.

[Burnett:] Breaking news, former republican Congressman Trey Gowdy now on Team Trump. CNN confirming that the former prosecutor will be working as counsel for the president. Kaitlan is out front so Kaitlin, tell me what you know.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn Correspondent:] So basically Erin what we're hearing from sources is that in recent days and weeks Trump allies had reached out to Trey Gowdy asking him if he was going to be able to help the president with this impeachment fight. That is what brought him to the White House today, where we're told by sources he had a meeting with the chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and essentially, what he's going to be doing helping with the president helping the president with his impeachment strategy from the outside, serving in more of a general counsel role, helping not only the legal aspects, but also the public aspects of this. And this comes as you're seeing this fight inside the administration over how they're going proceed going forward with this impeachment defense strategy because initially we reported last week, the president had been resistant to changes like that. Not only setting up a war room, but also this idea of hiring additional lawyers. So, we are now learning that Trey Gowdy will be helping the president from inside the White House. Right now, he is not expected to join the administration and work internally. Instead, he'll be serving and consulting from the outside.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] All right. Kaitlan, thank you very much. And Trey Gowdy, of course, was a very powerful figure in Congress, right? He led the Benghazi probe. He's a former federal prosecutor, has sided with Trump on some key things, but not everything and that could be important. Everyone is back with me. Ross, when you see someone like Trey Gowdy, though, who does know Congress so well in addition of being a prosecutor, is this a sign that Team Trump is truly worried now, realizes the gravity of the risk they face?
[Ross Garber, Defended Four Republican Governors Facing Impeachment:] Well, whether they're worried or not it just makes good sense. This process whether you call it a so-called impeachment process or impeachment process, this is real. There are real investigations going on. There are real witnesses coming forward. There are real whistle-blowers. This process is real and it should be taken seriously by the White House and the president. It makes good sense to bring in somebody like Trey Gowdy who can help interact with Republicans in Congress.
[Burnett:] It's interesting on that point. I just want to jump in here because obviously, Trey Gowdy side the with the president on getting rid of Jeff Sessions. You know, he led Benghazi, and you can see from a resume perspective why Trump might look him and think he's great. He's been on Fox News a lot, as well, recently, Kim. But Trey Gowdy is not the kind of person who was always just a sycophant. Not that way, you know. Not at all. Here he is in 2012, they were talking about whether to hold A.G. Holder in contempt on Fast and Furious. The Justice Department refused to hand over some documents and here's what Trey Gowdy said.
[Then-rep. Trey Gowdy:] The notion that you can withhold information and documents from Congress no matter whether you're the party in power or not in power is wrong. Respect for the rule of law must mean something irrespective of the vicissitudes of political cycles.
[Burnett:] So, Kim, do you think he just doesn't feel that way anymore?
[Kim Wehle, Former Assistant United States Attorney:] Well, I think he made the case for why the White House's letter attempting to justify basically stonewalling Congress completely, not with respect to specific issues is flat-out wrong constitutionally. It will be interesting to see if he ends up the Rudy Giuliani of the Ukraine situation, and that is most lawyers in practice would be defending or attempting to defend this on the merits and that is on the facts. And as Gloria mentioned, we don't see that in the letter and given the kind of evidence that's out there out of the president's own mouth, that's very difficult. So, he could be coming onboard to act as the spin person that's going to put out the message that the entire thing is unconstitutional, even though it's in the Constitution, given how things work with Mr. Trump and the loyalty that he expects and the messaging he expects consistent with devotion to him and fidelity to him versus the rule of law and the Constitution. I don't expect Mr. Gowdy to function as a traditional lawyer might.
[Burnett:] I mean, David Gergen, it's fascinating, though. I mean, Trey Gowdy, no doubt, remember saying that he certainly knows the media, would find it and maybe a few minutes earlier than he expected. But it's pretty hard to say that respect for the rule of law must mean something irrespective of the vicissitudes of political cycles, and you have to hand over documents whether you're the party or not, party in power or not. I don't know if you can swear that with this letter.
[David Gergen, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] I don't either, and I think we'll see quite a bit of that tape in the day ahead as these fights continue. I think it is unclear, still, and I think Trey Gowdy is a lawyer and he fights hard. So, he brings to this enterprise the spirit of Trump. Whether he'll agree with him on a lot of the issues and what he'll do is unclear. You know, is he going to actually run the war room for the White House or is he an outside counselor and the White House does that and Mulvaney do it? Who is in charge here? And if they don't figure that out, they're going to be with 6s and 7s inside and have more letters like this. I do think the letter was it's not a work of what a law firm would turn out. It's more of a screed.
[Burnett:] Yes, it certainly, it certainly does not appear to hit that standard by what everyone is saying legally. Gloria, this comes in the context, though, of a new poll. This is the "Washington Post"Schar School poll and the majority of voters now back the impeachment inquiry, 58 percent. That includes three in ten of Democrats which is a third of Democrats would be significant if it is borne out of other polls and unclear if that will happen, and 57 percent of independents. If these numbers are accurate directionally and how this is moving, how significant is it?
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] Well, it would be very significant because it's up substantially from where it was just a month or two ago. So, I think it would show a change in the American electorate. But again, this thing is just starting, Erin, and so, people are focused on this, and then it will recede a little bit, I would predict, we have to see how this all plays out. We still know that generally, although it's down a little bit, Republicans are still quite loyal to this president and don't by and large support an impeachment inquiry, although that's up, but I you know, I do think these things are dangerous right now to read too much into it.
[Burentt:] They absolutely are because it's unclear. It's early, as you point out. David, a Quinnipiac poll out today on impeachment and the point on what Gloria is making, Republicans, a totally different number, 9 percent. So, I think we'll have to wait and see how these things shake out.
[Borger:] Yes.
[Gergen:] Absolutely.
[Burnett:] But on independence it matches what is in "The Washington Post" poll, 55 percent of Republicans supporting to remind viewers, it was 57 percent in the "Washington Post" poll. What does that say to you, David? You look at the overall population and less than a quarter people are registered as Republican. So independents may matter more?
[Borger:] Yes.
[Gergen:] They do matter more. They do matter more, and right from the beginning the question has been, which party is going to get the independent support because that party is likely then to be able to drive not only the numbers up, but then have a big, big voice in what happens. So everybody's watching these polls with great interest. The Quinnipiac poll and "The Washington Post" poll are opposite on some angles such as the Republican, but they both make the same point that Democrats have been making a lot of gains among independents. They could blow it. If this fairness argument gains credibility, if it gains weight, we could be talking about it and that could give the Republicans back on what they're losing.
[Burnett:] Kim, before we go, I want to ask you, Lindsay Graham, obviously, a Republican senator, has been staunchly behind the president on this issue. He's now saying he wants Rudy Giuliani to testify. You know, Democrats have been leery of that on Republican terms. But Dianne Feinstein seems to be behind this. What do you expect? Rudy Giuliani, will he appear?
[Wehle:] Well, that's hard to say. I mean, if he appears in the Senate, he's obviously made clear what his terms would be and if that is the way the Senate hearing goes, then it would make it difficult, I think, especially picking up on the process argument and the fairness argument for the House then to come back and ask the kinds of questions the House would want. It's important for people to understand, there's a lot in that letter about due process. Due process tends to apply to criminal proceedings and what the Framers cared about was a government that bullied regular people. That's what due process. Before you can go to jail, before someone could execute you, you'd get process. It's not very accurate frame for an impeachment proceeding, which is really about retaining a job and not withstanding a job that's very difficult to get.
[Burnett:] Thank you very much. Let me put it up so everyone can see it. Kim, your new book "How to Read the Constitution and Why." All of us Americans could benefit from that right now. Thank you. And next, more on breaking news: the White House calling the impeachment investigation invalid and unconstitutional and one of Trump's staunchest supporters warns it could be a mortal threat to his presidency. One of his staunchest supporters. Also breaking this hour, Bernie Sanders making a big announcement about his campaign going forward? What is he saying? What does it mean?

[Howell:] That was on full display Friday evening. This when a 61- year-old man with no family said goodbye to the woman he loved. And hundreds of strangers came together with him. Our Natasha Chen was there.
[Natasha Chen, Cnn Correspondent:] Antonio Basco was married to his wife, Margie Reckard for 22 years but some of the people who packed into the memorial service may have only learned of her name within the last two weeks. And that is because Basco and the funeral parlor put out the message that Basco no longer has remaining family after his wife was killed in the shooting. So the outpouring of love from the community has been overwhelming. Not only did hundreds of people show up to the service, but more than 400 flower arrangements and cards were sent in from all around the world; flowers from Germany, cards from Japan and New Zealand. Basco spent about an hour receiving guests inside before the service itself. All the donated flowers here will be transported on Sunday to the site of the memorial where the shooting happened. And that's where Basco continues to go everyday to pay respects to his wife. There is also where we met someone who wanted to tell us that this community has only been reinvigorated after the shooting to love all humankind no matter the color, no matter the citizenship. Today, we're expecting a rally from Moms Demand Action. We're going to see college students registering voters. They want to inform people about gun safety measures. We also saw Mexican officials this week coming to the memorial. They say because Mexican nationals were among those killed that they hope Mexico can be part of the discussion in the U.S. about gun legislation now that Mexicans area also suffering the consequences of gun violence in America Natasha Chen, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
[Allen:] You don't need a thermometer to tell you it is extremely hot. But scientists are saying it is not just hot, it's scorching the record books. Another record set this summer. Derek Van Dam has that next.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] ... happen to another president again.
[Unidentified Female:] The Pentagon authorizing $1 billion to begin new border fence construction.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi,  California, Speaker Of The U.s. House Of Representatives:] The wall is ineffective, expensive, immoral.
[Sarah Sanders, Press Secretary:] We have a national security crisis. The president is doing his job in addressing it.
[Unidentified Male:] In a dramatic reversal, the Trump Administration is now trying to get all of Obamacare struck down.
[Trump:] Some of the things we've come up are much less expensive.
[Unidentifed Male:] The past two years have been assault by the Trump Administration on American's healthcare.
[Announcer:] This is "New Day" with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn:] Good morning everyone. Welcome to your "New Day." Overnight, a stunning reversal by the Trump Administration calling for the entire Affordable Care Act to be thrown out which could leave millions of Americans without health insurance. We have much more on that in a moment for you but first, to an update on the Mueller report. President Trump says releasing the full report would not bother him at all but it apparently bothers Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who blocked a resolution calling for the Mueller report to be made public. McConnell says the attorney general has promised to do it and should not be rushed. Democratic committee chairmen in the House set a deadline to receive the full report by next week. So after being cleared of collusion by the special counsel, the president and his allies are looking to exact political revenge for the Russia investigation. President Trump not naming names, but calling them, quote, "treasonous people who are guilty of evil deeds and should be investigated."
[John Berman, Cnn:] All right, as we just mentioned, the Justice Department is taking action to completely strike down Obamacare. This is a big deal. It happened overnight. It could affect millions of Americans who rely on Obamacare for health insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions, including people getting coverage under Medicaid expansion. This is happening; we're paying close attention to it. Also the Pentagon notified Congress that it has authorized the transfer of $1 billion to build some 57 miles of fencing or other barrier improvements on the border with Mexico. The top military brass on Capitol Hill today, they will no doubt be questioned about that. Joining us now, Abby Phillips, CNN White House Correspondent; Susan Hennessey, former National Security agency attorney and a CNN national security and legal analyst; and Seung Min Kim, White House reporter for "The Washington Post" and a CNN political analyst. A lot of moonlighting going on here. A lot of people working more than one job at one time.
[Camerota:] Side hustles.
[Berman:] I'm going to say I'm going to say, I've got no side action going on here.
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Correspondent:] I only have one job, John.
[Berman:] That's fantastic. You do it so well and because you put your full attention on this, Abby, I'll go to you first. Look, the president, he's tweeting out, I don't want to read it out loud because it's not worthy of it but clearly on the attack, clearly sees this as an opportunity to take the offensive. My question is how much will he go? How deep will he go here and for how long?
[Phillip:] We really don't know the answer to that, but it is obviously a pivotal question. I think there was there is a thinking that if President Trump could sort of move beyond the Russia probe, he could really start to capitalize on some of the things that are going well in his administration, like the economy, for example, but instead, as you can see, President Trump is fixated on the probe itself. He wants to turn the tables on the people that he thinks have been persecuting him for two years and he wants to go on this political crusade against the investigators. He has a lot of ability to do that. It is interesting to see a lot of his republican allies on the Hill, who sometimes are the ones to say, "You know, Mr. President, let's focus on the economy, let's focus on things that voters want to talk about." Some of the same people are saying, "We need to look at the Obama Administration. We need to go back to see what Loretta Lynch was doing when she was attorney general under Barack Obama," and so I think there is a lot of encouragement for President Trump to urge the DOJ to look into some of the stuff, to declassify documents, that people have been urging him to declassify related to the Russia investigation and if he goes as far as he can go, I think we could be entering yet another period of intense political acrimony that is basically going to extend the feeling of this Russia probe. It is going to be almost as if Robert Mueller had never finished his conclusions. We're going to be back to the same sort of political infighting we had for two years, I think.
[Camerota:] I mean Susan, part of some of the rhetoric that we're hearing is there was this conference call with the some republican leaders, and I guess the RNC or the White House that hatched these talking points, about let's look into the other side, and let's go back in history and look at what some people did. I think that your point that it is maybe premature to move on from the Mueller report when we haven't seen the Mueller report yet.
[Susan Hennessey, Cnn National Security And Legal Analyst:] Yes, I do think it is pretty premature. If you look carefully at that letter, that summary letter that Attorney General Bill Barr wrote, it is generally or broadly consistent with an underlying report that more or less clears and vindicates the president. It says, look, they looked really hard, they couldn't find evidence of any of this and so there is not really does clear the cloud of suspicion. The attorney general summary letter is also broadly consistent with the report that has lots and lots of really damaging, even devastating information about the president and his associates. They found lots and lots of evidence but it fell just below that sort of threshold of criminal prosecution. And so, until we actually know what's in the report, certainly we should accept the findings and move on from there, but this period of time when all we have is Bill Barr's very, very high level, and in some cases, quite vague and confusing summary, there's just no way to reach any conclusion sort of legally and certainly not politically about the meaning or the content of the actual report itself.
[Berman:] It is interesting, Seung Min, that Mitch McConnell standing in the way of at least a public statement from the Senate that they want to see that whole report. Some interference there.
[Seung Min Kim, White House Reporter:] It was really interesting because the House had much such a bold statement that we all agreed this report should be released and available to the public. I imagine Mitch McConnell was just trying to buy time here for the Attorney General a little bit. The Attorney General Bill Barr indicated to Lindsey Graham yesterday in a phone conversation that he will release it as much as possible, he just has to talk to Mueller first and take care of the grand jury redactions. But definitely the next immediate fight on Capitol Hill is over how much of this report is released. You mentioned the deadline earlier, April 2, a week from today, that House Democrats have set to get the entire Mueller report and now the timeline that Lindsey Graham laid out to me yesterday when I was talking with him is maybe a few weeks. He doesn't want this to go months, he wants it as fast as possible, but Democrats that because so much of the impeachment question and other questions surrounding their investigations is in doubt right now because of the findings of from the Special Counsel. That's the next immediate fight that they'll be focusing on in the coming days.
[Camerota:] Well look, it does seem as though Attorney General Bill Barr is moving a alacrity, he certainly did over the weekend, he worked all weekend. So, maybe they will be able to meet that April 2 deadline, we'll see. But let's move on, Abby, to this news, this stunning news, this morning that the Trump Administration seems to be changing it's position. It never liked Obamacare, of course. Donald Trump as a candidate promised to repeal it, but then had second thoughts about people with preexisting conditions, because there are so many millions and millions and millions of people who have coverage and have preexisting conditions. But now, it seems that they're siding with this judge who wants to get rid of the whole thing wholesale. So, what's going on in the White House?
[Philip:] Yes, that's it's really interesting that this is happening. Remember a few months ago, right before the 2018 elections when this first came up, Republicans and the Administration were like, wait a second, we really don't actually want to get rid of preexisting conditions, we really don't actually want to throw everything out and now they do. And, I think that that is actually the Republican position. Like this is what they've been trying to do since Obamacare has came into existence, so it shouldn't really be a surprise that this the position that the Trump Administration is taking, because ultimately repeal and replace has been it sort of requires Obamacare to go out the window. The problem for Republicans will become, if this actually happens what are they going to do? What are they going to replace it with and how are they going to address the American people about this? It could be really a huge gift for the Democrats going into 2020, this is a really pivotal issues for Democrats and Republicans don't have a good answer about what they want to replace the Affordable Care Act with. And frankly, they don't have any legislative path to replace it anyway, so it could be a case where the Justice Department is going by what the Administration's ideological position is, but from a political perspective they don't really have a plan and they don't really have a way out when it comes to dealing with the American people and what this means for them.
[Berman:] And it's not just preexisting conditions, it's Medicaid expansion, which effects millions of people, it's all kinds of FDA regulations, school regulations, there's a lot in here Susan, so Council, they come to you here, which is the Justice Department has taken this new position before an appeals court in New Orleans, what if the judges there agree with Administration? What happens the next morning?
[Hennessey:] So, I think the more significant thing is actually the fact that the DOJ has decided to reverse it's position and that's because the Department of Justice has an obligation to enforce and defend the laws, as long as there is a reasonable constitutional basis to do so. And so, whenever the department decides to suddenly sort of do a 180 about face and say, no, no, no, we're not going to defend that law anymore, it really raises the appearance of what they're attempting to do is repeal a law passed by Congress, another branch, by using the Federal courts to do so. And so, across lots of different administrations, including on very, very continuous issues, the Department has worked really, really hard to maintain this consistent position, consistent legal positions of defending in cases in which there is a constitutional basis to do so, and so, this obviously is hugely significant for the for the future of the Affordable Care Act. That's going to be an incredibly significant political issue. But there is also a much larger sort of basic rule of law concern here, and so that is one of the reasons why you're seeing so many especially former Department of Justice officials expressing a lot of shock and outrage that Bill Barr would come in and allow this kind of sort of departure from core department values.
[Berman:] He's had a big week.
[Camerota:] He is busy, this is my point, he is really not wasting time. But Seung Min, I don't understand politically how it makes sense. I mean there are I think with 52 million people with preexisting conditions, some of them are part of President Trump's base obviously. How does this make sense?
[Kim:] On its face politically, it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, because just rewind back to the 2018 midterms and what Republicans were saying on the campaign trail, not just what the president said at his multiple campaign rallies about wanting to protect preexisting conditions, but Republicans running last year said. First of all, healthcare was the big winner and the and the key part of how Democrats were able to win back control of the House. And in the Senate where Republicans did pick up several seats, a lot of Republican candidates were put on the defensive about their positions on the Affordable Care Act. You had Josh Hawley in Missouri and Martha McSally in Arizona who are both now senators saying no, we want to protect preexisting conditions and were kind of tied up in knots when the Democratic candidates went after them and hammering them for their party's position on repealing the Affordable Care Act. But Abby earlier is absolutely correct, you can't you know, if you support repealing the Affordable Care Act, you also support repealing these preexisting conditions as well. And I can't imagine that some of the senators up for reelection in 2020 like Susan Collins of Maine who is who has been a very avid proponent of these keeping these preexisting condition protections, I can't imagine they're too happy right now with the DOJ's decision.
[Berman:] It's a gift to Nancy Pelosi. If Nancy Pelosi wanted to turn the focus away from Russia, she woke up this morning with a gift outside her door provided by William Barr and the Justice Department. All right, Abby, Seung Min, Susan, thank you all very much. Attorney Michael Avenatti free on bond this morning after New York prosecutors charged him with trying to extort $20 million from Nike. The former lawyer for Stormy Daniels is also facing wire and bank fraud charges at a separate case in California. CNN's Kara Scannell live in Washington with the very latest here. A lot going on for Michael Avenatti, Kara.
[Kara Scannell, Reporter, Cnn News:] There is, John. I mean it's a stunning turn of events for Michael Avenatti. Now he's facing criminal charges on both coasts with New York prosecutors yesterday announcing a criminal case against him, alleging that he attempted to extort Nike of more than $20 million. On the West Coast in Los Angeles, prosecutors there unveiled lengthy criminal charges against Avenatti, alleging bank fraud and wire fraud, saying that he that he embezzled more than $1 million of his clients' money and provided phony tax returns to get $4 million in loans. Now the case in New York unveiled very quickly, it started lst week when Avenatti approached Nike's lawyers, alleging to them that he had some incriminating information about the company's wrongdoing. He said he would go public with that information on the eve of Nike's quarterly earnings and as the NCAA March Madness tournament was was taking off, saying that that would knock billions of dollars from Nike's market cap unless they agreed to pay him and an unnamed co- conspirator more than $20 million. Now Avenatti was arrested in New York yesterday afternoon as he was heading to another meeting at Nike's lawyer's offices. He was then presented in court and released on $300,000 bond and Avenatti told reporters after the court hearing that he expects to be fully exonerated.
[Michael Avenatti, Lawyer:] I have fought against the powerful, powerful people and powerful corporations. I will never stop fighting that good fight.
[Camerota:] All right, we will continue to follow this one. Kara, thank you very much. So Reuters is reporting that a preliminary report on this month's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet will likely be released this week. A source tells CNN that Ethiopian authorities have handed over portions of the flight voice and data recordings from the black boxes to U.S. embassy officials. The Boeing 737 Max 8 jet crashed two weeks ago, just minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board. And there's a new report in the New York Times, it says that these two unnamed pilots conducted tests in a flight simulator to recreate what they suspect went wrong with a Lion air jet found they found, these pilots, that they had less then 40 seconds to override the automated system to avoid a disaster. All 189 people onboard died in that Boeing jet when it crashed in Indonesia five months ago.
[Berman:] Not much time to save a lot of lives.
[Camerota:] 40 seconds. I mean those simulations are so important to see if this actually will work, even if you know what's happening.
[Berman:] All right. Several Democratic lawmakers claimed that they had seen clear evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, so what do they have to say now that the Mueller report seems to say there's not enough evidence to make a criminal case here. We're going to ask that man you see on the screen, next. In his report in his summary of the Mueller investigation Attorney General Bill Barr quotes the special counsel as saying, "the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities". So that sentence is causing some democratic lawmakers to have to explain what they have previously said about allegations of collusion.
[Sen. Richard Blumenthal,  Connecticut:] The evidence is pretty clear that there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. The evidence is there, whether they have enough of it to bring criminal charges is another issue entirely.
[Berman:] Joining me now is Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut. Senator, thanks so much for being with us. We just played sound of you and we played it in its entirety, which I think is important. However, I do want to ask, you say you saw clear evidence of collusion. Was that statement wrong?
[Blumenthal:] That statement was absolutely right and we need to see the Mueller report, not just the Barr summary of it; full transparency and disclosure are critical. The American people deserve it. They paid for that investigation. They need to know all of the evidence and facts that led Robert Mueller to his conclusion and his reasoning because what he concluded was that there was, in fact, insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt and charge a crime, which as I said in the sound that you played was an open question. But, very importantly, John, he did not, and I repeat not exonerate the president on obstruction of justice and the two are closely related because obviously criminal intent, which is essential to committing and charging a crime, may have been lacking because of that obstruction of justice and that's why the American people need to know all of the facts.
[Berman:] Specifically, specifically though on collusion, and, again you were an attorney general for a long time which you like to remind us, do you trust Robert Mueller that there was not enough evidence to make a criminal case on conspiracy or coordination? Do you take him at his word? I respect deeply Robert Mueller's judgment as a very experienced and erudite attorney but I want to see how close the evidence came to meeting that high standard of beyond a reasonable doubt and so should the American people because even if there are no criminal charges, remember that this attack on our democracy is what prompted the investigation at the outset, the Russians attacking our democracy and the Americans who were potentially complicit in it top Trump campaign officials who shared polling data with the Russians. But hang on but hang on we we according to the footnote in this report, you said Americans who were complicit in a coordination according to Robert Mueller, the definition we were given here, does include a tacit agreement, which would be cooperation in this case or complicity in this case. So there is some indication that did not take place here, Robert Mueller believes that did not take place.
[Blumenthal:] That's Barr's summary. We need to see the report.
[Berman:] The special counsel defined coordination; this is a quote, "as agreement, tacit or expressed, between the Trump campaign and the Russian government on election interference." And that's it's a direct quote. I don't know if Barr made up the quote, but I'm assuming it is a direct quote and that that is part of the Mueller report.
[Blumenthal:] With All due respect, you can assume it is a direct quote. I want to see the report itself and so should the American people because the issue here, John, is not just whether there was complicity that rose to a criminal level, it is about obstruction of justice, no exoneration there, and the judgment by William Barr may have been completely improper. He indicated at the outset that he felt the President of the United States could never commit the crime of obstruction of justice. He was asked to recues himself from the entire investigation, in light of the memo and the fact he was a Trump appointee. But the point is there was evidence of collusion in the Trump Tower meeting, where top campaign officials...
[Berman:] Understood. Understood. But you said you do respect the finding, there is not enough evidence to make a criminal case in this instance. You've talked about the Barr letter as being, what, elegant and brazenly devious, the Barr summary, is how you describe it. My question to you, is Robert Mueller now, the investigation is over, he's out there, he's a former marine, we no one doubted his courage or his intentions. Don't you trust him to say something publicly or let the world know if he believes that Barr is somehow misrepresenting what his report says?
[Blumenthal:] I do trust him to comment on the Barr summary. That conclusionary four-page letter done over 48 hours summarizing his work done over two years and that's why I think he should come before United States Congress and comment publically to the American people and to us. I deeply respect and trust his judgment. I do not deeply respect and trust the Barr summary, which was designed to frame the message before the information was available and he succeeded in creating headlines.
[Berman:] I have a couple more questions and not much time left. I do want to ask you about healthcare, because you are on the Judiciary Committee and this was a decision by the Department of Justice to say basically that they want all of Obamacare struck down in it's entirety, your reaction?
[Blumenthal:] My reaction is that we need to come together on a bipartisan basis and improve healthcare, meet the challenges to rebuilding our roads and bridges, serving our veterans, building our national defense and making pharmaceutical drugs more affordable. All of those goals are undermined by this position, which would essentially take away health insurance for millions of Americans who suffer from preexisting conditions. Hundreds of thousands in Connecticut and it is a highly destructive betrayal of trust. The Department of Justice has a responsibility to defend the laws of the United States. The Affordable Care Act is one of those laws. It is, in effect, jerking it's responsibility.
[Berman:] And I have to ask you about horrible, horrible news we learned overnight, and this is about Jeremy Richman, the father of one of the victims at the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut. I know he was a friend of yours. He took his own life. I want you to tell us about your friend that we all lost and tell us now what we need to know to fight this scourge of suicide and deal with so many mental health issues.
[Blumenthal:] Jeremy Richman, he was a wonderful human being and he suffered so grievously when he lost his daughter in the Sandy Hook massacre. I'm going to be recalling him today at the hearing that we have on a statute proposal that I've made in the past to take guns away from people when they're deemed to be dangerous, by a court, so- called, red flag statute. That's the kind of progress we need to make in his memory and his daughter's precious memory as well. Jeremy Richman championed the science of trying to know what triggers human violence. What in the brain causes people to want to kill others in the way that happened at Sandy Hook and he was a deeply, caring, committed, profoundly insightful and intelligent man and a dear friend to so many in the New Town community and my hearts are with heart and prayers are with his family.
[Berman:] We are sorry for your loss and we are sorry for the loss from the people in that town that have suffered so much already. Later in the broadcast we're going to be talking about issues surrounding mental health and suicide prevention. Senator Richard Blumenthal, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
[Blumenthal:] Thank you.
[Berman:] Alisyn?
[Camerota:] That is so sad. It's just so sad to hear about it from a friend and a colleague and somebody who was trying to work to better the humanity.
[Berman:] And they know him so well. You've I've heard people like Richard Blumenthal speak and other lawmakers in Connecticut speak because Jeremy Richman was so active in the community. So active in so many of these issues.
[Camerota:] All right, we'll be talking about that later in the program. Meanwhile, does the Russia investigation matter to voters in 2020? Harry Enten is here with some very telling poll numbers for us next.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good evening. Welcome to our second hour of 360. Tonight, another grim milestone, for the first time, more than a 1,000 have died in one day in the United States. This moment, 1,419 people, the most in a single day, for this country, 7,402 dead in the United States overall, total cases now, 276,467, those are the numbers. There are people behind all those numbers. You have to underscore the sharp rise. An emergency alert went out on New York City cellphones this evening, "Attention all healthcare workers: New York City is seeking licensed healthcare workers to support healthcare facilities in need." According to the New York Times, the number of cases in the city has almost doubled in a week, the number hospitalized, the number on ventilators more than doubled. Today, the President announced new CDC guidance recommending the use of face coverings for all Americans. He says it's not something he'll be doing. He repeatedly said he won't be following that guideline. We'll talk about the new guidance with the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, who's already urged his residents to wear them. Also, we have a report on the U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Captain who lost his command after informing his superiors of the threat the virus posed aboard his vessel. We start tonight with an acknowledgement of who's not here at the top of this program, most every night, it's Chris Cuomo, to continue telling the news. He's now at home, having contracted COVID-19. Obviously, he joins us now. Joining us again, this hour, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Christopher, how you're feeling?
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, Cuomo Prime Time:] How are you doing, fellas? I'm doing better than I deserve.
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Hi, Chris.
[C. Cuomo:] I've I've learned Sanjay told me a few days ago, everything takes a few days to sync in with me. You can't wake up expecting to be better, you know, like you have a cold or a virus. You get depressed because it's going to be a long slog, and I accept that now. I get that this is going to be a long fight. I've talked to a lot of people who have the virus. I know I'm looking, you know, at about twice the time I've had so far, so that's what it is, you know, and I'm lucky, and I'm loved, and I just go day by day.
[Gupta:] Hey, Chris, I mean you you are loved. I got to say everyone I got so many emails, asking me today about how you were doing, so so you should know that. I'm trying to get a sense though, Chris. I mean, and and all kidding aside, you really should should take time off, I mean, you know, just to take care of yourself. I realize you're stuck in your basement down there. But are you are you worried? I mean, you know statistically you're, I mean, very, very likely to to get through this, and recover, and all that. And I know you realize that. But how what is your sort of how worried are you?
[C. Cuomo:] I'm fairly worried, one, that my kids and my wife are still going to get it. My wife is taking care of me, and that is an amazing act of love, and we're doing everything we can. But, you know, so that's a constant concern. Sanjay, I see the 80 percent a little differently than I used to, which is, yes, 80 percent will get this, a lot of them will be asymptomatic, or they'll get through, and there's all these different courses. But, you know, now, I got my kids showing me these little cutouts on the on social media of of mothers who die and 30-year-olds who die, and 50-year olds who die and, you know, there's this acute awareness and appreciation. You know, I woke up this morning, and I didn't hear my son's quad anymore. He'd been riding around. All a sudden, I didn't hear it. And he was watching me sleep. And I knew he was watching me because he was worried. So, you know, that gets you, and you don't want that for them. And what I'm worried about is duration. And my fear is that I'm going to get through this, and then I'm going to get something else, these super infections you guys talk about, and like pneumonia, or something like that, and I'll have another 10 days, and more time without the family. And I know that's what gets people all across the country. I've had so many people share their stories with me. That's my fear now like how will I handle that? How will I handle another three weeks of this? That's what I try to not focus on because it scares me.
[Gupta:] Right.
[Cooper:] You know, one of the things that always gets me through being sick is sort of the realization like "Oh, there's some medicine I can take, and it's just a matter of time before that kicks in." Obviously, that's not the case with something like this. How do you, I mean, how you've been sleeping? How do you kind of get through the the day?
[C. Cuomo:] Well, you know, you're kind of deadweight, you know, all day long. You know, I haven't watched any Netflix series. I haven't read anything other than online, and trying to stay appraised, and talk to other people because I'm so lethargic that I can like stare outside, and like an hour and a half goes by. I think I took a 10-minute nap, and it was 3.5 hours. I change my clothes like seven times a day because I just-
[Cooper:] Why? Because you're sweating so much?
[C. Cuomo:] -sweat, just sweat through things. Every time I drink something hot, which they say is important to do, I just sweat. So, it's a really surreal existence like I'm not bored because I'm like barely aware of what's going on. It takes almost all my energy to do a simple hit like this, and I'm not even really having to prepare, except existing. So, I'm taking everything. My wife is a Wellness person, you know, she runs this business where she's learning about homeopathic and all these different things, so she's given me a ton of stuff. I don't even ask what it is. I just take what she tells me to take. But there is no medicine other than Tylenol. And yes, people talk about the Hydroxychloroquine and all that. And my feeling is this. I don't want to take a risk of taking something while I'm still fighting through this that might take me in a bad direction. I don't need it. I know other people are doing it because they're at a different point of desperation. I do not judge anybody's choices. I totally get why you'd be afraid enough to want to try something with the risk. But I don't have any answers for anybody other than this newfound acceptance. I know I'm in a fight. I don't wake up thinking that I'm going to feel better. I don't look at my fever. I'm not upset when I have a fever. I know I have a fever. I know I'm going to have a fever tonight. I know the Beast comes at night. I know the night's going to suck. I know I'm not going to sleep through the night, and that's how it is, man. And then, tomorrow, you know, you get after it again, and that's the way you got to be.
[Gupta:] You know, just so so people at home know, Chris, and you and I've talked about this. We talk on the phone quite a bit. But, you know, people, you know, again, mostly will recover. People are mostly being asked to recover at home. But there are some things that, you know, if if this is starting to happen should think about getting, you know, talking to the doctor. If you're having obviously any kind of chest pain, which you had, I know that first night, but went away. Shortness of breath, if you if you feel like your sensorium, you know, like your ability to focus or concentrate is is off, you know, that that's a concerning sign. And then any kind of bluish tint to your lips, that just means you're not getting enough oxygen. You're obviously checking your oxygen. Those are serious signs, obviously, Chris. And I know at at times you've had these sorts of things. But today, compared to yesterday, compared to the day before, is there a way to assess your trajectory? Are you are you are you the same? Are you are you worse? How do you feel about that?
[C. Cuomo:] Well, first of all, thank you for teaching me a new word. You know, Coop has got that steel look working, but he didn't know what sensorium meant either when you said it. I don't care-
[Cooper:] I still don't.
[C. Cuomo:] I don't care how-
[Cooper:] I still don't know what-
[C. Cuomo:] I don't care how straight-faced you look.
[Cooper:] I was just I was-
[C. Cuomo:] And I definitely-
[Cooper:] You know what I was thinking during that? I was like mental note, "Look that word up."
[C. Cuomo:] I was like yes, my sensorium, my sensorium was all sideways, you know. I can't say that enough.
[Gupta:] It's what-
[C. Cuomo:] But, listen, I I think that I'm doing all these things that you tell me to do, Sanjay. You are a gift to me, as a friend, and as counsel. And, you know, it's no secret that, you know, Anthony Fauci has been a friend of the family for a long time. And I have all these big shots checking to see how I am. And I know it matters that people are looking to see. They're also afraid of this boogeyman. But, you know, your focus is not right. You're not a 100 percent. You're just not a 100 percent. And I think that people have to know that. And you have to decide what you're going to accept, and what you're not going to accept. Frankly, I get a lot more hot and bothered listening to what the government is telling us journalistically, when it doesn't make sense, than I do about my own situation, you know, and I think it's feeding people's powerlessness. But I know I have to be careful. And it's frustrating, buddy, because I can't control it, you know.
[Gupta:] Right.
[Cooper:] Yes. I'm not sure you want to listen to a lot of some of the statements coming out, you know, when you're sick. I think you need all your strength for, you know, for that kind of thing.
[C. Cuomo:] Well I mean but people talk to me about it, man. You know, they say because what's spooking people? Why are people watching CNN's coverage, especially with you guys so much right now? Because it doesn't make sense that on the one hand, Pete Navarro, who look, he's a nice guy. We all have good working relationships with him. He makes himself available. He can't answer anything that is a bad situation for the government, but he can talk your ear off about things that are completely beside the point.
[Cooper:] Yes.
[C. Cuomo:] There is an obvious functional analysis here that when it was time to build the wall, this President used mechanisms mechanisms and urgency that he hasn't even come close to approaching in this situation. Why? It doesn't make any sense to people. Watching governors not get condemned by this President, the guy in Georgia saying, "Oh, I just found out that, you know, you can be asymptomatic."
[Gupta:] Yes.
[C. Cuomo:] Really? Really? My 10-year old knows that. He just learned it? The guy in Tennessee who says "Well, you know, there's a lot of different research on social distance." Really? No, there isn't. They know these things. Why isn't the President on them? To that, that's more fearful, that's scarier to me than the virus.
[Cooper:] Yes. Chris, just finally-
[C. Cuomo:] You know.
[Cooper:] -how do I mean, how do you communicate with your family? I mean how do you you talked about your son watching you sleep, which breaks my heart.
[C. Cuomo:] No kidding, man.
[Cooper:] What?
[C. Cuomo:] I go like this. Hey, Cristina?
[Cristina Greeven Cuomo, Chris Cuomo's Wife:] Yes?
[C. Cuomo:] How we doing up there, all right?
[Cristina Greeven Cuomo:] We are fine.
[C. Cuomo:] All right. Anderson just wanted to see how we communicate. There it is.
[Cooper:] Yes, OK.
[C. Cuomo:] How is how is that from a sensorium perspective?
[Cooper:] I'd say-
[C. Cuomo:] There there she is.
[Cooper:] Communications-
[C. Cuomo:] That's as close as she's allowed to come.
[Cooper:] Chris? Sometime we have to do a study on how like-
[C. Cuomo:] See the gloves?
[Cooper:] -how you and I both grew up, and communication in your house versus communication in my house. Communication in my house was like small whispers and like occasional-
[C. Cuomo:] Uh-oh.
[Cooper:] -like leaving notes to each other.
[C. Cuomo:] Uh-oh. That's it.
[Cooper:] That's as close-
[C. Cuomo:] You better go bleach that entire arm. That's as that's as much of her as I've seen in in nine days. And the yellow dog will come downstairs. And then I think she sprays him with Clorox. The black dog we have the yellow dog and the black dog. The black dog is more afraid of the virus. And the kids sit up there. Today, we had our first the the kids are more keenly aware of this now. And Bella came down today, and she wanted to do karaoke singing, and I really can't, like I don't have enough wind for that. So, we kind of like got through that. She saw it wasn't something for her to be upset about. You know, I just I've been laying down a lot and, you know, this takes something out of you. So, I'm trying to stay close emotionally without letting them get freaked out. But I have to tell you, Anderson, my my heart goes out to people all over this country and this world that imagine not being able to be there for the ones you love. There's so many people who are sick, are having to take care of their kids at the same time, they're worried about their kids, and their spouses, and whether they're going to be able to work again, and they can't work because now they have to stay home, on top of the virus.
[Cooper:] Yes.
[C. Cuomo:] There are so many of us that are dealing with such overwhelming situations. That's what fuels my urgency, not just to come on with you good guys, but to try to get back to hold our government to account to give us better answers because there are too many people in too hard away for too long.
[Cooper:] Yes. Chris-
[Gupta:] You they told you how long Chris they think before you oh sorry.
[Cooper:] No, no.
[Gupta:] I know we're running out of time.
[Cooper:] No, no.
[Gupta:] How long do they think before you're going to get to recover, Chris?
[C. Cuomo:] You are "They." You tell me. You're the guy I'm waiting for,
[Gupta:] Doctors-
[C. Cuomo:] So tell me.
[Gupta:] I know. Well I'll tell you what I think. But your doctors-
[C. Cuomo:] They say I need no fever for 72 hours and then maybe seven to 10 days, I'll be quarantined after that, you know. And I can't see myself not having a fever for 72 hours. I haven't not had a fever for 72 minutes. So, I just take it.
[Gupta:] Yes.
[C. Cuomo:] I just take it one day at a time. I'm lucky. I'm strong. I got people who love me. I got a reason, you know, to want to get through this, and that's all I can control.
[Cooper:] If you could-
[Gupta:] And it's a long course. We're thinking about you.
[Cooper:] If you guys could just stay there, we need to take a break in a moment. We want to continue this discussion though with a Paramedic from the New York Fire Department who's contracted the virus as well. So Chris, if you could still hang out. Later, the Mayor of Los Angeles joins me, Eric Garcetti. I'll discuss the news we mentioned earlier about the new guidance from the CDC on face coverings and what President Trump said about it.

[Cabrera:] The people of the gulf coast states are cleaning up today from a hurricane turned tropical storm, now tropical depression. But now, the second shoe of this natural disaster is about to drop. Look at this massive rain system swirling in the Gulf of Mexico. It's headed for the already waterlogged coast of Texas and Louisiana. It's moving very slowly, meaning heavy rainfall will hammer Louisiana and Arkansas and other states potentially for several days. The emergency officials are preparing for widespread flooding. Let's get out to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And CNN's Randi Kaye is there on the banks of the Mississippi River, which is already at major flood stage. Randi, just how worried are people there about these flood warnings?
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] People were certainly concerned, Ana, about the flood warnings and certainly very concerned when they hear the Governor here say that parts of Louisiana haven't seen the worst of this. So there is still a lot of concern here, but along the banks here of the Mississippi, it looks OK. The water actually seems to be going down just a little bit, although it has been above flood stage for several weeks now. But back there, that beautiful bridge behind me, that's one of the high points that's actually the highest point across the Mississippi River. They're not real worried about areas like that, but they are worried about something like this. When they see this which is the railing here from this levee system that we're standing on which has been protecting the city of Baton Rouge, when they see the water coming up on those railings, which it has been, that is a concern. And also back there, that those letters and I'm not sure how clearly you can see them, but that spells out Baton Rouge along the levee. And there is water that is coming up high on those. It does seem to be coming up and then going down, just like we've seen we've been seeing today. The rain has been coming in pretty hard and then it goes away for a little while. Right now, we're in bit of a bit of dry spell, which is a nice break. But there is certainly still concern about the Mississippi River. It is supposed to crest at 40 feet. Thirty is normal so that's why they're a little bit worried about that. They're also concerned about the Amite River which flooded back in 2016 when they had this big depression that just sort of dropped rain for days over the area of Baton Rouge. One woman had five feet of water in her house, she told me. And she evacuated for this storm. She has no idea what happened along the Amite River in her area. She's hoping to get home tomorrow, so we'll see what happens there. In terms of power outages, though, the city is in pretty good shape. They are they have about 10,000 without power across the state. There's about 10,000 sorry, about 70,000 still without power. And no sign of any storms or any more storms or anything like that in this area. Back to you, Ana.
[Cabrera:] OK, we are keeping our fingers crossed for all the people in Louisiana tonight. Thank you, Randi Kaye. Coming up, another batch of leaked cables involving the now former British ambassador U.S. what he reportedly said about the reason why President Trump walked away from the Iran deal.

[Cyril Vanier, Cnn Anchor:] The world's top two economies at an impasse, as President Trump tells China to act now or face a deal that's far worse later. A call for unity from Iran's president as the country faces increased pressure from the U.S. And Catholic churches in Sri Lanka resume mass for the first time after the Easter bombing attacks nearly three weeks ago. We're live from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Cyril Vanier. As always, it's great to have you with us.
[Vanier:] Limited time offer is a tried and true sales technique used by American businesses to close a deal. And that is the gist of a tweet on Saturday by President Trump. He writes that it would be wise for Beijing to seal a trade deal now, because if they wait until 2020 and he wins reelection they will only get a worse deal. Whether the hard sell works remains to be seen. The signs so far are no. China's top negotiator says that the latest round of U.S. tariffs, a hike from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, must be rolled back before anything else can happen. Beijing is holding firm and says it will strike back at the U.S. for imposing those higher tariffs. Our Matt Rivers has this report from the Chinese port of Tianjin.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] So right now we're in a port in the Chinese city of Tianjin. It's one of the biggest in China. And it's in places like this where billions of dollars of goods go back and forth between the United States and China, both American goods coming here and Chinese goods going to the U.S. You can call this the front line of the trade war between the U.S. and China, now heating up again. On Friday, the U.S. went forward with raising tariff rates on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports to the U.S. and now we're waiting to see what the Chinese government is going to do to retaliate. We don't know yet, they haven't given the specifics but we have some idea of what they will likely do. One of the things they could do will play out right here. When American imports come in to ports like this, they're already largely facing tariffs as a result of this trade war. But Chinese officials could raise the rates on those tariffs and that would make those products more expensive. Another thing they could do is target key U.S. exports. Over the years, China has bought billions of dollars worth of American soybeans. During the trade war, China's government actually banned those purchases from taking place. But the restrictions were eventually lifted in good faith but China could put restrictions back in place if they want to. Ultimately, there are a lot of ways the Chinese government could retaliate and we don't know what specifically they're going to do. What we do know is their aim is going to be to hurt both American companies and the American economy, because that's what happens in a trade war Matt Rivers, CNN, Tianjin, China.
[Vanier:] And already the impasse is affecting long-term business decisions. A survey last February found a growing number of American firms are rethinking their investments in that country. A whopping 20 percent said they were even considering closing their China factories. The U.S. is also ramping up pressure on another country, Iran. But Iran's president says his nation will never give in. According to Iranian state TV, President Hassan Rouhani has called on political factions to come together amid the standoff. He says the nation is facing an all-out war of economic and political pressure from U.S. sanctions. This comes as the U.S. has increased its military presence in the Middle East in order to deter alleged Iranian threats. CNN's Ben Wedeman has more on this.
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Sr. International Correspondent:] The U.S. military buildup in the Gulf continues. Trump administration officials say that they're deploying, in addition to a carrier group and four B-52 bombers, an amphibious vessel, the U.S.S. Arlington, as well as a Patriot missile battery, all intended to counter what are said to be Iranian threats against U.S. interests and forces in the region. The specifics of the so-called threats are somewhat vague. Officials tell CNN in Washington that the Iranians are moving short-range ballistic missiles as well as cruise missiles around the Gulf, that there are threats against around 5,000 U.S. troops in neighboring Iraq. One of the main movers behind the latest American moves is U.S.
[Wedeman:] national security adviser John Bolton, long an advocate of regime change in Iran. Before that, he was an advocate of regime change in Iraq, leading up to the war in 2003. He may not be on the same page as his boss, President Trump, who has invited the Iranians to give him a call. And American officials have even passed to Swiss intermediaries a number where the Iranians can reach him. President Trump told reporters Friday he just doesn't want the Iranians to have nuclear weapons, which incidentally what the was the purpose of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that he scrapped a year ago. On Friday a commander with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard corps, however, said Iran would not be responding to the president's invitation to talk I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Beirut.
[Vanier:] David Rohde joins us for more on this, CNN global affairs analyst, also executive editor at "The New Yorker" website. David, are the U.S. and Iran on a collision course?
[David Rohde, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] It's not clear. And one of the confusing things about this moment in the different messages coming out of the White House. You had John Bolton announcing this new deployment of an aircraft carrier and other weapons systems to threaten Iran. And then shortly after that, you had President Trump saying he wants, as Ben noted, he wants Iran to call him. So it's a confused message and to be honest I'm not sure what's going to happen.
[Vanier:] What do you make of that, Trump saying what he would like to see from Iran was, his quote was, call me. And they have passed on a phone number to the Swiss in case the Iranians feel inclined to do that. What do you make of that?
[Rohde:] I'm not sure this is going to be an effective strategy. There has to be a clear message of saber rattling and, on top of enormous economic pressure, we're going to put military pressure on you. That's one message from the United States. Or give us a call and make a deal. I think if there isn't that clear message, there isn't as much pressure on Iran. And the big thing hanging over all this is the timeframe. The Iranians could simply be waiting to see if Donald Trump wins reelection.
[Vanier:] U.S. sanctions have snapped back on Iran since Washington pulled out of the nuclear deal a year ago. I was wondering whether you think that may have primed Iran now for negotiations.
[Rohde:] It has but, you know, you mention this intelligence that's come out. The sense is, according to American intelligence officials, the Iranians are trying to provoke the U.S. into carrying out some limited strike on Iran. The sanctions have really hurt Iran's economy. Inflation and joblessness is running very high. So one way for the Iranian regime to be popular is to play on nationalism and to have some sort of American military action that would, you know, cause Iranians to rally behind this government. So there are some people arguing in the administration that the U.S. needs to be very cautious and that they're essentially, Iran's trying to bait Trump or Bolton into overreacting and that overreacting could help the Iranian regime.
[Vanier:] One of the people who has the president's ears on this, quite naturally, is his national security adviser, John Bolton. He is known as a hawk. He once advocated regime change in Iran. Mr. Trump appears not to be buying into that, though. Listen to what he said earlier this week about Bolton.
[Trump:] Yes, John is very good. John is a he has strong views on things but that's OK. I actually temper John, which is pretty amazing, isn't it? Nobody thought that was going to I'm the one that tempers him but that's OK.
[Vanier:] Again, I wonder what you make of that. When John Bolton came in as national security adviser, a lot of people noted, well, he's somebody who's advocated for regime change. How is this going to influence U.S. foreign policy?
[Rohde:] You know, you see that, I think, in the rhetoric. You see Bolton pushing on Iran. You know, he's very hawkish about North Korea. There was talk of this attempted uprising in Venezuela that failed. But, again, you know, this is a foreign policy that's not working. You know, it seems like the president and John Bolton aren't in synch. So how are you going to pressure Iran into, you know, new negotiations, pressuring North Korea into new negotiations, pressuring North Korea into new negotiation, even pressuring China when you don't have a clear message coming from this White House. And I think that this election is 18, 16 months away. There's a good chance all of these, you know, countries, including Venezuela, are simply going to try to wait out Donald Trump. As this election approaches, there's more pressure on Trump to deliver. He has no large diplomatic achievement to show for his reelection effort. So if they can wait, if Iran can hang on, North Korea, China, Iran and Venezuela, President Trump is the one who comes under pressure to produce.
[Vanier:] David Rohde, CNN global affairs analyst, thank you so much.
[Rohde:] Thank you.
[Vanier:] And President Trump is lashing out at former White House counsel Don McGahn after reports McGahn refused twice to say publicly that Mr. Trump did not obstruct justice. In a tweet on Saturday, the president writes he was never a big fan of McGahn. He also denies that he was going to fire special counsel Robert Mueller. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, abruptly canceled his trip to Ukraine. He was going there to press the country's leadership to investigate accusations of impropriety by Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Now Biden and other Democrats have responded. Sarah Westwood reports from the White House.
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] The president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, reversing his decision to go to Ukraine and discuss with Ukrainian officials something that might damage a potential 2020 rival for President Trump and that's former Vice President Joe Biden. Giuliani first defended his decision to make this trip before backtracking amid a massive backlash, with Democrats criticizing the trip overseas to work with foreign officials to gain information that might hurt someone who could run against the president in the next presidential election. Just for some context, this is all related to events that took place in 2016, when then Vice President Joe Biden was pushing to oust the top prosecutor in Ukraine. That prosecutor was investigating an energy company in which Hunter Biden, the son of the former vice president, had financial interests. And on Friday, Trump told "Politico" he thought he would be within his rights to ask attorney general Bill Barr to look into all this. Here's what he said. "Certainly, it would be an appropriate thing to speak to him about but I have not done that as of yet. It could be a very big situation." Now of course, Biden was not alone in calling for the removal of that Ukrainian official; there were a number of other Western leaders who were doing the same at the time. And there's no evidence that the actions Biden took were connected to his son's business activities. But before Giuliani abandoned his plans to go to Ukraine, Democratic senator Chris Murphy wrote a letter to the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asking him to press for more details about this trip. So Democrats were preparing to look into all this. It also came after Trump told "Politico" he planned to discuss the planned trip with Giuliani. And Biden's campaign responded to all of this on Saturday. A spokesman telling CNN that this was, quote, "a blatantly political smear from the Trump team." Sarah Westwood, CNN, the White House.
[Vanier:] At least one security guard is dead after gunmen tried to storm a luxury hotel in southwest Pakistan. These images show The Pearl Continental in Gwadar before the attack. The military says the assault is over and the guests are safe. Gwadar is located in Balochistan in southwest Pakistan near the border with Iran. It's also a key port city, part of a $60 billion development project of China. It is frequented by foreign guests; among them, Chinese staff who work on the project. Several militant group, including separatists, are known to operate in this area. Three of the four hostages rescued from terrorists in Burkina Faso are in France. They were greeted by President Emmanuel Macron when they arrived on Saturday. We're hearing more details of their ordeal and a harrowing rescue operation. Salma Abdelaziz reports.
[Salma Abdelaziz, Cnn Producer:] French forces launched an operation to rescue what they believed were two French men kidnapped in neighboring Benin. Once inside, they found that an American hostage and a South Korean woman had been taken as well. They were able to rescue all four but two French soldiers lost their lives in this raid. One of the freed French men speaks of his mixed emotions at his new-found freedom.
[Laurent Lassimouillas, Rescued Hostage:] First of all, our thoughts go to the families of the soldiers and the soldiers who lost their lives to free us from this hell. We wanted to present our condolences immediately to these families because our thoughts are ambivalent in relation to everything that is happening to us.
[Abdelaziz:] The two French men were kidnapped on May 1st in neighboring Benin, where they were on safari. They describe a terrible incident, where their local guide was killed by the kidnappers. They were taken and then moved to Burkina Faso. The French authorities for their part, say they had to act when they did to rescue these men because their hostage takers were about to move them on to another militant group, this one based in Mali and with links to Al Qaeda. French authorities say if they had been moved on, it would have been near impossible to rescue these French men. Now the French military is involved in the Sahel region. There are over 4,000 French troops there fighting an extremist insurgency. The French foreign minister described this as a success in that battle against the extremist elements in the Sahel region. As for those French soldiers who lost their lives, the country will be honoring them in a tribute on Tuesday Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
[Vanier:] The votes are counted in South Africa and the ruling party, the ANC, will stay in power. But it is the ugly sentiment this week's election has stirred up that has many concerned. We'll have details on that when we come back. And also this.
[Unidentified Male:] We have many guarantees in the country and we appreciate them. But this is a special day in the country and we are not going to let that stop.
[Vanier:] A call for equal rights in Cuba. Gay rights activists defy government orders and march in a pride rally. We'll tell you what happened during and after the event.

[Vause:] A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales. Prosecutors accuse him of terrorism and sedition. He says it's unjust and illegal. Prosecutors alleged Morales encouraged deadly clashes before and after he left office; 35 people died in those clashes. Morales resigned last month after waves of protest and under pressure from the Bolivian police and the military. He is now in Argentina where he was granted political asylum. He moved there just last week. There are those who fall from grace and then there is Aung San Suu Kyi Myanmar's civilian leader. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, now international pariah, received a hero's welcome when she returned home after defending her military on charges of genocide carried out against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State.
[Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar Civilian Leader:] The challenge we faced at the court actually emerged due not only to the crisis that happened in recent years, but also missed opportunities to handle fairly and constructively social issues, politics, and the economy in Rakhine state over many decades.
[Vause:] The Peace Prize winner was once continued considered a champion of human rights. A woman giving power to the powerless, she spent 15 years under house arrest. But her position on the military crackdown on the Rohingya has brought international condemnation and caused that Nobel Peace Prize to be revoked. Still, she's pretty popular at home. British Queen Elizabeth will formally open parliament in the coming hours and announce the Prime Minister's legislative agenda, that's after last week's U.K. election. But forget the pomp, Thursday's ceremony will be a lot more low key than the October speech shortly before the election was called. Instead today's focus will be squarely on Boris Johnson's plans to get Brexit done quickly. Mr. Johnson will also cement his commitment to spend more on Britain's much loved but struggling National Health Service. Also, a steady rise of Vladimir Putin's annual year-end news conference this one just goes on for hours. It is awesome. Once a year the Russian president presides over a marathon question and answer event with the international media. Mr. Putin is expected to be asked about his relationship yet again with President Donald Trump, Russia's slowing economy and Russian policy, Syria and Ukraine. You won't want to miss it. It's a real doozy. Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I am John Vause. "WORLD SPORT" is next. END

[Lemon:] The White House ratcheting up the stonewalling, ordering two former officials to refuse to give documents to Congress relating to their work in the West Wing. Here to discuss, Phil Mudd, and Laura Coates, Matthew Rosenberg. Good evening to all of you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Good to see you. So, listen, Matthew, the White House is directing the former White House official White House officials, I should say, Hope Hicks, and Annie Donaldson to withhold documents from the House Judiciary Committee. I mean, it's yet another no from the Trump White House. What's going on?
[Matthew Rosenberg, Cnn National Security Analyst:] I mean I think it's pretty clear that the trump President Trump and many around him have decided that with the Mueller report was the end of investigations, they are not going to play ball any more. They want the investigations over and they are not going to cooperate. And the question now is what is Congress going to do about it. They have issued a lot of subpoenas, we're talking about contempt votes. What will they do to enforce it? At some point, they do have to do something. They're going to look fairly weak in all of this. And I don't want to make it into a game, but, you know, at some point you issue all these subpoenas, they're saying no. What do you need to do to get them to say yes? Because it's pretty clear that they're not going to say yes on their own.
[Lemon:] That's a good question I want to ask Phil. Phil, you know, to Matthew's point, what would you do if you're conducting a legitimate investigation and this was happening.
[Philip Mudd, Cnn Counterterrorism Analyst:] Look, I think you need focus. There's questions about whether Barr comes up, whether Mueller comes up again to speak, whether Hope Hicks comes up, whether you get documents whether you get the unredacted Mueller report. If I'm sitting here, I'm saying there is only one thing that counts here. And that is can you get people like Don McGahn, the former White House counsel or Hope Hicks in front of a camera? Can you have people come to say what happened during the campaign, what happened when you're in the White House. All of this stuff about documents, all this stuff about unredacted Mueller report. I think there's a legal issue here. But I think in terms of the American public, until you get somebody in front of a camera to say the president impeded the investigation like Don McGahn, I don't think this game works. You've got to get people on camera in front of the Congress.
[Lemon:] Very interesting. So, Laura, is the White House even making an executive privilege claim and would that even hold up?
[Laura Coates, Cnn Legal Analyst:] No, it doesn't appear that they are, Don. It's just seeming to say no, we're telling you not to do this. And it's our prerogative that we're asking you to do this, and we're instructing you so. Because the thought is that perhaps some of the material may be content the president of the United States could assert privilege over. The problem with that, Don, is that he has not done so in all capacities. And so, if you don't assert the privilege you don't get to have it loom over the heads like sort of Damocles of people in case you might do it one day. If you don't assert it, you lose the privilege. And keep in mind, a lot of information are looking for aside from what Hope Hicks that has not been published perhaps, or from Donaldson, if things have already been contained and disclosed in the Mueller probe. And so, if you're trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube now, that's not going to be successful. And yet, still, there is still no moving of the needle away from Congress, saying, listen, we have to act on this, and there's contempt things that can occur and you cannot simply tell us you know what, I don't feel like it. It's not like Bobbi Brown here. It's not everyone's prerogative. You actually have to assert a privilege or put up.
[Lemon:] I respect anyone who can bring in a Bobbi Brown reference.
[Coates:] I can do what I want to do.
[Lemon:] It's my prerogative.
[Coates:] That's
[Mudd:] I want to drop Kim Kardashian. I want to drop it.
[Lemon:] Well, would she be because anyway, let's get back to this. So, listen, Phil, this is for you. The judiciary chairman, Nadler, rejecting the DOJ's demand a delay. They wanted to delay Barr's contempt vote next week. Nadler saying that he wants to negotiate with them, without those conditions. So, what's this stall tactic here?
[Mudd:] I think this the stall tactic is in DOJ to DOJ's advantage. They've got a couple of opportunities here. Number one, the conversation is all about documents. Again, going back to the difference between the law and politics, you can talk about documents all you want. I think most of the American people are sitting back, saying I don't really know what the heck you're talking about. There's one other issue nobody talks about, Don, that's important here. And that is eventually, the FBI and the Department of Justice are going to conclude the investigations to how this investigation itself was initiated.
[Lemon:] Right.
[Mudd:] I'm going to predict to you that that is going to go ugly early. In other words, the Democrats have a clock ticking. If they can't get things under way before the Department of Justice takes says here's our report and how the investigation was initiated, they're in trouble. Because the Department of Justice, I'm going to tell you is going to say when this thing got started about the Trump campaign, it was pretty ugly and then we're off to the races. The White House will have some real ammo.
[Lemon:] But this isn't making it shorter. Because they're saying no, he's calling they're bluff, Nadler.
[Mudd:] Sort of. But I mean, they're calling bluffs on documents. Again, to go back the rational point, if I were them, I'd say hold fire, all I want to see is somebody in front of a camera. Forget about the docs.
[Lemon:] Yes. Laura, why does this contempt threat seem to have a bit more leverage over Barr and the DOJ?
[Coates:] Well, because one of the reasons that the contempt proceedings is important is, there's two paths. The criminal contempt that would actually go through DOJ, the U.S. attorney in D.C. obviously, that's not going to happen. The boss is Bill Barr. But the other side of this is the civil side. And we've already seen two back-to-back opinions where the judicial branch has said, not even close and no cigar here. You actually have to have some legal basis to withhold the documents and some support for those things. If you do not have one, you simply want to flex a prerogative. You can't do that. So, I think they're concerned about those back-to-back legal opinions issued by a judge, who, of course, is that third coequal branch of government that also imposes a check and balance. Also, here, of course, remember, the idea of them trying to impose additional conditions on the negotiation process with Nadler. Remember where Nadler sits. It is the House that begins the articles of impeachment proceedings. It is the House that can have the power that can take it outside of the discussions and the gentleman's agreement and the handshakes and say if we were to begin, for example, an impeachment inquiry, well, we don't have to do things like prior legislative purpose, you don't have to go to the courts in the same fashion and we have more power than we did today. And so, they're concerned about the path to the judiciary and they should be.
[Lemon:] Matthew, let's bring you back in. Because you speak to people who are close to Christopher Steele, often. You know, Christopher Steele by the way is the ex-British spy behind the TrumpRussia dossier. What are you hearing about this reporting from the British newspaper The Times that he'll be talking to DOJ investigators? What do you know about that?
[Rosenberg:] What I've been told it's the investigators who are close to the inspector general investigation and that's who he's going to be talking to. I mean, he is incredibly concerned. And maybe obsessed that this investigation is going to throw him under the bus. And his view of this, according to people close to him, is look, I was working on this dossier. I think they're paying for. I saw things that the Democrats were paying for. I saw things that seemed frightening to me and alarming. I went to old contacts of the FBI to tell them. I wasn't a paid source in this case. That's his view of it. And that he was simply helping them out. And what they did with it, if they used misused it in a FISA, or whatever they did he had nothing to do with that. Which is to a degree true. He doesn't he's not part of that process. He was simply a source of information. And I think he's acutely concerned that he's going to be thrown under the bus here.
[Lemon:] Interesting. Why do you think that is? I mean that he's concerned that he's going to be thrown under the bus? But I just wonder and you say that this reporting about it, this reporting is
[Mudd:] Yes.
[Lemon:] going to go bad.
[Mudd:] I think
[Lemon:] Bad feeling about it.
[Mudd:] Let me give you one term from the intelligence business. Validation. So, I'm investigating Don Lemon. I find a bunch of information from various individuals. If you're conducting opposition research, somebody is paying me to find opposition information about Don Lemon. In the intelligence business, I've got to validate that. I need a second source, a third source. I need to confirm that my information on the intel side about Don Lemon is accurate. I'm going to bet a paycheck that when Steele gets in front of investigation investigators and they say, how can you confirm to us that the information you acquired in that dossier is true, that he is not going to be able to answer whether he had a second or third source?
[Lemon:] But wasn't he just supposed to gather the information and then the intelligence community is supposed to figure out whether it's true or not?
[Mudd:] No, he's supposed to gather the information and then the intelligence community is supposed to figure out whether it's true or not. Because No. He is supposed to gather the investigation and then the Republicans or Democrats use it in a political ad. This is an intelligence game.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Mudd:] This is a political game.
[Lemon:] Well, I'm talking about the time it got to an investigation.
[Mudd:] Correct.
[Lemon:] By the time it got to
[Mudd:] Yes.
[Lemon:] That's not his job to do.
[Mudd:] That's correct.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Mudd:] But they're going to say did you confirm that your stuff is true and I bet he's going to say no.
[Lemon:] That is very that is very interesting when it comes to what happens politically and what happens legally.
[Mudd:] Different.
[Lemon:] It's different, but still you can accuse people of things that they didn't do, and you know.
[Mudd:] Yes, but the White House is then going to have an opportunity to say, look, what I told you is true. The Steele stuff, nonsense.
[Lemon:] Nonsense. Thank you all. I appreciate it. So, here's a question. Why is John Dean getting ready to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee? He'll explain, next.

[Howell:] Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. In the United Kingdom, it is shaping up to be another crucial work for the British prime minister, Theresa May, and for the issue of Brexit. We will be watching to see if ministers try to oust the prime minister. Senior Conservative Party members were seen arriving at the prime minister's country estate on Sunday. "The Times" reports she is clinging on one and defying calls to exit to set her exit date. That's despite 11 reports that 11 cabinet ministers were planning to threaten a mass resignation if she doesn't step down. We're also looking to see if Ms. May tries to put her deal for another vote. If she does, there has been no indication that it will pass.
[Allen:] We also want to see if Parliament votes for a second referendum. It would be nonbinding, but it's among several alternative options lawmakers could decide on this week. With the Brexit process in chaos, they have to come up with something. Calls are growing to hold a new referendum and send Brexit back to the people. This was the scene Saturday. A huge rally in London calling for another public vote.
[Howell:] Let's talk more about this now with CNN's European affairs commentator, Dominic Thomas. Dominic joining us this hour in London. Good to have you.
[Dominic Thomas, Cnn European Affairs Commentator:] Hi, George.
[Howell:] Dominic, so it seems to be not only a decision for the United Kingdom and Brexit but also for the prime minister. Her leadership on the line now. Does it appear that there's enough support among her cabinet to oust this prime minister?
[Thomas:] Well, George, this is a really key question. You know, in many ways you could argue that Theresa May never fundamentally had full support from the moment she called that snap election back in 2017 and lost the majority. Since that time, she's been unable to legislate. Her withdrawal agreement has failed to past twice in the House. She's already faced a vote of no confidence, one tabled by her party members, the other by the Labour Party. She has also faced all sorts of defiance from people within her party. The big question that people will have to ask at this particular juncture would be whether or not replacing Theresa May at this particular moment would do anything to advance the Brexit process, considering just how many divisions there are within both sides of the political spectrum. But I do think that this week, we will have some greater clarity on that issue.
[Howell:] Because something has to happen at this point, Dominic. Look, for the prime minister, for her deal, do you believe that she will try to put that deal before Parliament for a third vote? And even more importantly here, due to the speaker's rules preventing her from doing so, can she still put it out for a vote?
[Thomas:] Well, this is interesting, of course. I think that it would be, obviously, in terms of the speaker, he was very clear last week in terms of outlining where we were to go, that this is the one thing that is bridging taking us to the next step of the Brexit process. It is clear that there's going to be a range of administrative procedures that are going to be invoked in order to get to that point. The bigger question is the impact and the consequences of this for Theresa May. It seems, as things stand currently right now, that she will not get the support of the far-right Brexiteers, who simply do not like her deal. They want to be fully out of the European Union and not to maintain the kinds of obligations and arrangements that Theresa May is proposing. And clearly, on the other side of the political spectrum, the priority for the Labour Party is to get a general election and try to take over at 10 Downing Street. But Theresa May, essentially, last week was a very big moment, because the European Union essentially put around a red line. Either she must pass this bill, or should she not put it to a vote, she has to come back in less than 20 days to the European Union with a concrete plan. Either to let them know that they are going to go for a no deal, and that seems unlikely to pass in Parliament. It's the one thing that they agree on at this particular juncture. Or to invoke, or to revoke Article 50 and essentially cancel Brexit, or the most likely outcome is to go back to the European Union with a set of indications as to where Parliament stands. And perhaps rather than putting her withdrawal agreement to a third vote and losing, she might prefer to go down that road and to kind of test the pulse of Parliament to see where they stand, including on the issue, of course, the all-important issue right now of going back to the people, either through a general election or through a people's vote.
[Howell:] Is there enough support in Parliament for that to happen? Do you believe?
[Thomas:] It's interesting, because thus far, of course, the vote went against that particular option. That we've seen increasingly this petition, very large-scale demonstration that took place over the weekend in London. And ultimately, Theresa May herself was unable to deliver Brexit on March 29, and the Parliamentarians who we should not forget represent the people, have been unable to do this. And I think that many of these politicians and MPs, as they listen to their constituents and to the frustration they are feeling around the country, it may simply come to the moment where it's going to be almost impossible for them to not go back to the people. And ultimately, what could there be that is more democratic than going back to the people and asking them to weigh in on this particular issue once and for all?
[Howell:] Dominic Thomas, joining us not in London, joining us there in California, but we do appreciate your insight today. We'll stay in touch with you and see where the Brexit ball bounces this week.
[Thomas:] Absolutely. Thank you, George.
[Howell:] Thank you
[Allen:] Other news now, armed men have killed 134 people during an attack on a rural village in central Mali.
[Howell:] The United Nations says the victims are members of the Fulani ethnic group, which is frequently targeted and accused of having ties with Jihadist organizations in that area. Our David McKenzie has the story.
[David Mckenzie, Cnn International Correspondent:] The French ambassador to the United Nations is calling it an unspeakable act. On early Saturday, in Central Mali in West Africa, ethnic militia attacked the village, say the United Nations, killing at least 134 people, including mothers, women, young children, even. They were able to evacuate some of those casualties in what can only be described as a massacre and the worst killing of its kind in recent times. A spokesman for the United Nations secretary general saying, "The secretary general condemns this act and calls on Malian authorities to swiftly investigate it and bring the perpetrators to justice." Mali's president on Sunday dissolved the so-called self-defense unit that has been accused of similar attacks in the past. Human Rights Watch says that these attacks are increasing, and they've been exploited by jihadi groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda. The U.S. Has significant boots on the ground in Mali and the region; and there is a U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali, but it's one of its deadliest on the globe. The difficulty here is, say experts, with ISIS losing its territory in the Middle East that future battlegrounds against groups linked to it will be fought, potentially, in West Africa. David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
[Allen:] A cruise ship that was stranded in rough waters for 20 hours has made it safely to port. When we come back you'll hear some of the passengers' stories about their ordeal.

[Church:] In the United States the New Hampshire primary kicked off with a stroke of midnight Tuesday. With the residents of three tiny towns casting the first ballots of the contest. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unexpectedly got the most votes, and perhaps the most famous of the three towns Dixville Notch. He's not even officially on the ballot in the state, but overall Senator Amy Klobuchar led the early voting for Democratic presidential candidates with eight votes followed by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren with four votes each. The rest of New Hampshire will be voting in the coming hour, as the latest poll shows Senator Bernie Sanders is in the lead, both locally and nationwide, with 29 percent support in the CNNUniversity of New Hampshire tracking poll. And 25 percent in a new national poll from Quinnipiac University. And CNN's Ryan Nobles is on the campaign trail in New Hampshire and has the details.
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Correspondent:] The voting already underway here in New Hampshire, the second big contest of the Democratic primary and the first actual primary contest, which means we're not expected to have some of the issues that we had in the Iowa caucuses last week. And this New Hampshire primary is very important, because this is when we can start to see the crowd of Democratic candidates really start to thin. And there is a lot at For instance, Senator Michael Bennett, we haven't heard that much about him, he sticks this entire campaign on New Hampshire. There's a good chance that after the vote on Tuesday he won't be a presidential candidate anymore. But it's not just him. Amy Klobuchar who is starting to see a rise in the polls. Can she have a surprise showing, shock some folks, and then maybe get on to some of these states further down the calendar. And then there is Elizabeth Warren who is from nearby Massachusetts. She was expected to be strong here in New Hampshire. But at this point she has yet to really gain any momentum. Now, Warren situation is also interesting because unlike some of our other candidates, she has taken the route of not attacking any of her fellow Democratic opponents. In fact, during her recent campaign stops here in New Hampshire she has said that she is going to stay above the fray because the most important thing is Democratic Party unity. And that gets us to the front runners. Because at this point, they have been attacking each other. Bernie Sanders attacking Pete Buttigieg's wealthy donor base. Pete Buttigieg attacking Joe Biden and attacking Bernie Sanders saying they represent the extreme options in this race while he is a sensible choice. And then there is Joe Biden, who is expected to be much stronger at this stage of the campaign. Instead, he is battling low poll numbers and attacks from both sides. So, he is now gone on the attack, accusing Sanders of being too extreme and accusing Pete Buttigieg of not having enough experience. Right now, polls tell us that Bernie Sanders has the lead. It will be important for him to win here because like Warren this is a neighboring state and it's also a state he won by a big margin four years ago. If Sanders is able to pull up this win it could be a key piece of momentum for him as we head into these states further down the calendar including Nevada, South Carolina, and then of course, Super Tuesday. Ryan Nobles, CNN, Durham, New Hampshire.
[Church:] And be sure to stay with CNN for the latest updates on the New Hampshire primary. Our special coverage begins at 4 p.m. on the U.S. East Coast. That is 9 p.m. Tuesday in London right here on CNN. Don't miss it. Well, a political shocker out of Germany. Angela Merkel succession plan has collapsed now that her handpicked heir apparent says she will not be the next chancellor. The decision by Annegret Kramp- Karrenbauer, often referred to as AKK, could impact Mrs. Merkel's legacy. CNN's Melissa Bell looks at the complex political background that led up to Monday's stunning announcement.
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Correspondent:] AKK's decision to stand down came as something of a surprise in its sadness. Indeed, Angela Merkel confirmed that she hadn't even been informed of it before it was announced. But in many respects, it had been a long time coming. Only last autumn she urged her party to back her or sack her so weak was she considered and her party so divided. The chosen successor to Angela Merkel who is due to take over as chancellor at the end of 2021 when Angela Merkel will stand down had been contested in her role as the successor for many months. With the right wing of the CDU wanting to take the party further to the right than she was willing to take it in order better to take on the far-right AfD in the polls. The latest scandal and the one that no doubt really put a nail in the coffin or for future as the potential chancellor came last week when it emerges in [Inaudible] that CDU Party members had voted with the AfD to keep the far left out of the local government there. Now there is a long-standing agreement within German politics that the mainstream parties do not enter into any kind of political alliance formal or informal with the extremes on either wing of the German political spectrum. And so, the announcement came, this is what AKK herself had to say about her decision.
[Annegret Kramp-karrenbauer, German Cdu Leader:] Almost two years ago, the CDU Party conference in Germany elected me as its general secretary. And to that time, I gave up my heart one state office of prime minister of Saarland to serve the party. That was then and still my motto today. Because like many others, I have a lot to thank the CDU for. I knew back then that this was going to be a difficult time and the past two years have confirmed that. For all these reasons and with the intention of strengthening the CDU, I have therefore informed the presidium and the federal executive board of my following decision today, I will not apply for candidacy as chancellor.
[Bell:] The announcement no doubt opens a new period of instability in a country where for the last two years and for all of Angela Merkel's terms stability has been the norm. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
[Church:] In the United Kingdom lawmakers are considering an emergency law which would prevent convicted terrorists from being released halfway through their sentences. Right now, they are set free without ever seeing a parole board. Our Nic Robertson has more.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] To avoid this, newly released convicts committing frenzied knife attacks then shot dead by police. The government is doing this. New legislation keeping terror conflicts in jail longer.
[Robert Buckland, British Justice Secretary:] Introducing longer and tougher sentences for serious terrorist offenders, ending released for them before the end of their custodial term.
[Robertson:] Reaction has been swift pointing out problems. The government's own former reviewer of terror legislation says the new law keeping convicts longer than they, or the judge expected, may prove illegal.
[Alex Carlile, Reviewed Terror Legislation For U.k. Government:] What's proposed will definitely be attacked in the courts or declare that there will be litigation. And I couldn't possibly predict that the outcome will be favorable to the government.
[Robertson:] And not just illegal, missing a fundamental issue. Jails have become hot houses for radicalization, says former politician and counterradical organizer, Fiyaz Moghul.
[Fiyaz Moghul, Founder, Faith Matters:] The fact is these prisoners are allowed to come together around some of the most charismatic Islamist extremist you have. That's got to stop.
[Robertson:] Terror convict Mohammed Wahabi was one of those charismatic prisoners, got deradicalized in jail. In this interview conducted 10 days before the most recent terror attack, he warned of dangers to come because government deradicalization in jails is failing.
[Mohammed Wahabi, Deradicalized Terror Convict:] Unfortunately, they haven't produced the results that you want because it's just turning everything into a machine conveyer belt.
[Robertson:] Usman Roger [Ph] who counselled and helped deradicalized Wahabi Mohammed also interviewed 10 days before the most recent attack had the same somber prediction. Is their radicalization taking place in jails?
[Unidentified Male:] There is definitely radicalization taking place in jails. It's a massive phenomenon.
[Robertson:] So, if we don't tackle this phenomenon, then there is going to be more cases like the Usman Khan getting out of jail and killing people.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes, there is going to be more cases.
[Robertson:] Over the past year, successive governments have failed to successfully tackle radicalization in jails. The government's most recent reports in 2016 called for 69 changes. Only a fraction of those have been fully implemented. And the problem is getting worse. A recent U.N. report predicts as many as a 1,000 terror convicts could be released across Europe this year. Not enough is being done to figure out what works, according to Lord Carlile.
[Carlile:] We don't know whether it's fit for purpose.
[Robertson:] Why not?
[Carlile:] Because there has not been the quality analysis that is needed to tell us whether it's fit for purpose. It certainly needs to be examined.
[Robertson:] Bottom line, until new legislation is backed up by new deradicalization initiatives, experts say the public are still in danger. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
[Church:] And still to come, artificial intelligence that can find you almost anywhere on the web with just your picture. More on the debate and concern over how that technology is used. We're back with that in a moment.

[Sciutto:] Some very sad news this morning. The television icon, "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek, he's hosted that show for nearly 35 years. Announcing in public, with a video, that he's been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer.
[Harlow:] He is 78 years old, and he posted this moving message to fans on Wednesday, saying he will fight this.
[Alex Trebek, Host, Jeopardy!:] I'm going to fight this. And I'm going to keep working. And with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers, also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. Truth told? I have to. Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host "Jeopardy!" for three more years, so help me.
[Harlow:] Oh. We all want to help him. With us now is our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. He's such a staple in so many American households, living rooms, every evening. But you look at the numbers, you know? I think a statistic I read, 95 percent of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die. Why?
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Right. I mean, the numbers really are so sobering. So, Poppy, what that number is, is that if you look at people with pancreatic cancer that's stage IV, so advanced cancer that's spread to distant parts of the body, five years after that diagnosis, only three percent of them are still alive. Those are not great numbers. Now, the American Cancer Society makes a point of saying, "Look, this you can't predict what's going to happen to any one person." And so obviously we are all praying and wishing Alex Trebek the best. But those are sort of the average, the average statistics that talk about what typically happens.
[Sciutto:] Now, there are folks who survive. And some famous folks who survive, RBG survived pancreatic cancer. And those are hopeful stories, but you don't want it to give undue hope. What are the treatment options that make that more likely?
[Cohen:] Right. So, Jim, what they really try to focus on is chemotherapy for this disease. And doctors are very clear, they're not thinking about curing it at this stage. Really, what they're thinking of is slowing the progression and keeping the patient as comfortable as possible.
[Text:] Pancreatic Cancer: Most patients are older than 45; Nearly 90 percent are older than 55; Average age of diagnosis is 71
[Cohen:] So mainly, that's chemotherapy. Some patients do get surgery. But it's not the kind of surgery that we hear of, for example, for a lump in a woman's breast, where you're hoping to remove all of it. They don't usually remove all of it because by the time pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, typically is has spread pretty far and it's really impossible to remove all of it.
[Harlow:] So it would all I mean, as you noted, the key reason here, why it's so deadly is because of the lack of symptoms, right? It's not like some of the other cancers where you have these symptoms. So it's almost as though if there were something to make it more symptomatic, it would be so helpful.
[Cohen:] Right. It actually would be better, ironically, if people felt sick. But people often don't feel sick at the beginning stages, or at the stage where pancreatic cancer is diagnosed.
[Text:] Pancreatic Cancer in the
[U.s:] Fourth leading cause of death from cancer; Around 56,770 new cases will be diagnosed this year; Estimated 45,750 people will die from this cancer this year
[Cohen:] So they have pancreatic cancer, it's spread, but they often feel OK. And so the first signs are often things like jaundice or unexplained weight loss, or, oddly enough, itching is also another sign. But, you know, by the time these signs show up, usually the pancreatic cancer has spread. And there are some other reasons why it's so difficult to treat this disease, and why it is so deadly. One of them is that the pancreas is, it's way in there. It is deep in the middle of your abdomen. The organ itself doesn't have any kind of capsule around it, so it really spreads quite quickly.
[Harlow:] Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for reporting
[Cohen:] Thanks.
[Harlow:] this. Alex Trebek, with his humor always, right? We're thinking of you. The Republican-controlled Senate is set to hold a hearing on gun control. This is a big deal. We'll have an exclusive report on it next.

[Whitfield:] Right now, President Trump is en route to India aboard Air Force One with the first lady. He will be making a brief 36-hour visit to India to meet with Prime Minister Modi, tour the Taj Mahal and attend a rally before departing. The president stirred up more confusion over reports from his own intelligence community that Russians plan to interfere in the 2020 election to help his campaign as well as that of Bernie Sanders. Today, Trump claimed he had not been briefed on the matter but still accuse Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff of leaking the information as a way to hurt Bernie Sanders. The president's National Security adviser also cast doubt on reports that Russia wants to help Trump's re-election.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I read where Russia's helping Bernie Sanders. Nobody said that to me at all. Nobody briefed me about that at all. I think what it could be is, you know, the Democrats are treating Bernie Sanders very unfairly, and it sounds to me like a leak from Adam Schiff because they don't want Bernie Sanders to represent him.
[Robert O'brien, National Security Advisor:] Well, there's no briefing that I've received, that the president has received, that says that President Putin is doing anything to try and influence the elections in favor of President Trump. We just haven't seen that intelligence. If it's out there, I haven't seen it. I would be surprised if I haven't seen it. The leaders of the IC have not seen it.
[Whitfield:] Matthew Rosenberg is an investigative correspondent for "The New York Times" a CNN national security analyst. And Matt, good to see you. So what do you make of these contradictory statements that reports are, you know, intel did brief these lawmakers that they're interfering in the elections but then you have the, you know, interim NSA saying, I don't know anything about that?
[Matthew Rosenberg, Cnn National Security Analyst:] Look, it's incredibly confusing. You know, we know that briefing took place. We know that a number of intel officials do believe the Russians are trying to interfere. I know because we've spoken to them. You know, me and two of my "New York Times" colleagues had a story over a month ago, a very lengthy story, about what the U.S. sees and what the intelligence is on Russian trolls and hackers and what they may be trying to do this coming year. Now, is that intelligence worked its way up to the White House? It's a big question. You know, throughout the Trump presidency we've consistently been told that the president doesn't want to hear it. That when it comes to Russian interference
[Whitfield:] Because it threatens the legitimacy of his
[Rosenberg:] Yes.
[Whitfield:] election?
[Rosenberg:] Yes, it when it comes to Russian interference, he doesn't want to hear it. When it comes to coming up with strategies to stop foreign interference, he doesn't want to hear it. There's no leadership from the White House on this. Is that what we're seeing here? Possibly. I don't know.
[Whitfield:] All right. So we've been getting, you know, new information from National Security officials telling CNN that the intel shows that Russia does prefer Trump but it's not clear the Russians are trying to help him get re-elected. I mean, what would be the real difference there?
[Rosenberg:] You know, this is it's hard to say. We're in February in an election year. We're quite a ways out. You know, I think in 2016 at this point we had seen nothing from the Russians. You know, knowing that there is a preference out there is a way to kind of predict, what might they do? Are they going to try to hack some material and then disseminate it like they did with the Podesta e-mails? Will there be simply, you know, taking American political discourse and the disinformation that comes up domestically and amplifying that through their own trolls, through their own bot networks? Will they be trying to tip the scales in favor of a candidate that they think might be a better challenger to Trump? You know, there are a whole range of options here. And we've seen kind of little bits of evidence and a few of them, but I think it's still I think, you know, it's still coming together and there's still some uncertainty and obviously, you know, attempt to try to figure out what is going on here.
[Whitfield:] Yes. With general election nine months away, is there a feeling that the U.S. is ready for the variation of degrees of interference that could come or that threaten to come?
[Rosenberg:] It depends on who you talk to. You know, there will be plenty of officials who say yes, we're working on it. We're ready for it. I think we can see it right now, every day on the news, when we go online, that there is a tremendous amount of disinformation, for lack of a better term, both domestically and foreign floating right out there. There's all kinds of crazy ideas. Are we, as a country, ready for that? Is our political discourse ready for that? It doesn't look like it. Because, you know, some of these ideas get picked up by mainstream politicians and pushed them out there. We've seen the Trump campaign push out messages that are just clearly an alter to the facts. You know, are we going to see more of this? Are we going to see it from both sides? Those are really big questions.
[Whitfield:] Yes. I spoke with one of our security analysts yesterday who said, you know, it's contingent upon people, regular folks, voters, everybody, to be a lot more discriminatory about what they read, you know, what they decipher or disseminate and look at the sourcing and that might tell everything about whether something is really true or not. Matthew Rosenberg, good to see you. Thank you so much.
[Rosenberg:] Thank you.
[Whitfield:] All right, still ahead, Mayor Pete Buttigieg now challenging Bernie Sanders' decisive win in Nevada. Why Buttigieg says a potential Sanders' nomination could alienate most Americans.

[Tapper:] Many businesses are stepping up to help fill the shortage of medical supplies, including Anheuser-Busch which you probably bet know for Budweiser Beer. But the company is now using its production lines to make hand sanitizer. The company also announced today it is working with the sports partners to set up temporary blood drive centers in arenas and stadiums. Joining me to discuss, Cesar Vargas, he's the Chief External Affairs Officer for Anheuser-Busch coming to us live from his home it looks like. Cesar, thanks so much for joining us. Can you explain to us how you were able to rework the system to make hand sanitizer and how you're going to distribute it?
[Cesar Vargas, Chief External Affairs Officer, Anheuser-busch:] Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Jake. The first thing I'd say is this, look, we're all facing this enormous public health challenge and we're all in this together, including Anheuser-Busch. We're focused on a few key areas, the first is taking care of our employees. We're going to make sure they have the support and resources to stay safe and health. We're also going to keep providing some joy and some comfort and some normalcy to people at a time when it's desperately needed through our brands and our products. And then the last piece is what you mentioned, we want to make sure that we're stepping up to help serve and support our communities in need. So, we have some unique capabilities, some relationships and some reach that we like to leverage at times like this when our communities need us. So, on the manufacturing side of things we announced a couple of days ago that we're going to be producing and bottling hand sanitizer at several of our breweries. We're going to be sending that hand sanitizer first of all to our own employees, make sure they have the supplies they need, but then we're partnering with the Red Cross and we're going to be donating that hand sanitizer through the Red Cross to the communities that need it most. Then the other announcement that you mentioned today is about really redirecting some of our sports and entertainment investments that really help the Red Cross as well as those on the front line in the battle against COVID-19. So that includes a $5 million donation to the Red Cross. It includes working with our partners, all of the major sports leagues and some of the sports teams individually so we can donate stadiums and other venues that the Red Cross can use for blood drives. The Red Cross told us that they've had to cancel somewhere about 7,000 blood drives as a result of COVID-19. So, it's a real need on their behalf. And then we're going to open up our own facilities. We have tour centers in our breweries in Merrimack, New Hampshire and St. Louis, Missouri, finally we're going to donate some media time to the Red Cross so they can run public service announcements to bring some awareness of this issue and inform people on how to donate blood.
[Tapper:] So that all sounds very laudable. Let me ask you, when we talk about Anheuser-Busch, obviously, we're not just talking about the production and bottling of beer. We're also talking about partnerships to get your products into stores. These are jobs that require people to show up to work. How are you protecting these employees and are you committing to not laying anybody off and to providing paid medical leave to anybody who needs it?
[Vargas:] Well, I said earlier that the very first thing we're focused on is our people and making sure they've got the support they need at a very challenging time for our industry and for our country. And that will always be our primary focus. The situation is very fluid. We're challenged like many other industries and companies, as the external environment continues to change. What I can tell you is that we have most of our people working from home. We did that well before the government required us to do that. But of course, now that's in line with government guidance in most of the United States. Then we do have some people who are essential to our operations, whether that be in our breweries, and those people that are transporting beer to our retailers. And those people are continuing to be onsite. But there we've put in place a number of precautionary and preparatory measures. We've above and beyond even what the CDC recommends, to make sure when they do come to work, they're operating in the safest environment possible. And of course, our operations are expressly permitted to continue across the country. I think you've seen that governments are trying to make sure that people continue to have access to basic goods and services and so we are trying to make sure that we keep our products on the shelves as well.
[Tapper:] So, Congress is obviously working on finalizing this proposed $2 trillion economic stimulus package. Will Anheuser-Busch seek to benefit from that? Do you need some of the aid from the federal government?
[Vargas:] Well, we're like a lot of other companies, a lot of other industries. We're in a very difficult environment. A lot of pressure on us. And look, there's 2 million people across the U.S. that rely on the beer industry in some way, shape, or form, for their livelihoods. So, it's an important industry, more important employers. And so the work that the government is doing to make sure that there is the right amount of support for people that are directly impacted and for those companies that are trying to maintain a steady workforce, that's very, very important. So, we're going to work with government as best we can. But that really doesn't change our focus around our people, around providing some comfort and some joy to our consumers. And then also stepping up and helping our communities where they need us.
[Tapper:] Have any of your employees tested positive that you know of?
[Vargas:] We're part of the community, Jake, you know, just like everybody else. So, of course, we're not immune from that.
[Tapper:] So, yes?
[Vargas:] I think we're relatively lucky to say that we've had very few employees directly impacted. And we have some amazing people internally that are doing all the right things, working in conjunction with local health departments. We put the right protocols in place to give them support they need. I'm also pleased to say that those that were impacted are all on the road to recovery if not fully recovered. So, we're doing OK. But of course, we're impacted just like everybody else.
[Tapper:] OK. Well, I hope you commit to paid sick leave for anybody who needs it. I appreciate your time, Cesar Vargas, and thanks to Anheuser-Busch for the steps you're taking.
[Vargas:] Thank so much, Jake.
[Tapper:] While social distancing may mean no parties, no pinatas, communities across the country are finding ways to make sure that their loved ones still get to celebrate. Albeit while keeping a safe six-foot distance. In Missouri, Beckett Carr rang in his fourth birthday, with a parade of well wishers from his neighborhood, Becket is battling leukemia. And is of course then one of the most vulnerable to infection. In Rhode Island, 92-year-old Alfred Vecoli was also treated to a surprise birthday parade. He says he was overwhelmed by the gesture and is lucky to have family and friends. Americans trying to pull together and make the best of all of this. Today more stunning numbers across the country, 11 states now reporting 100 new cases each. That's just today. We're going to check in with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on that and more. We're going to squeeze in one more quick break. Stay with us.

[Jussie Smollett, Actor, "empire":] Who the
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Chicago Police say you did. Jussie Smollett accused of staging a racially motivated attack.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Anchor:] Plus, a domestic terrorist on active military duty, a Coast Guard officer with a political and media hit list had 15 guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
[Romans:] The Mueller report could be in the attorney general's hands by next week. What Bill Barr does with it, well, that's the big question.
[Sanchez:] And 3,000 teachers walk off the job today in Oakland. What they're demanding for themselves, and 36,000 students who still have class today. Good morning, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Boris Sanchez in for Dave Briggs.
[Romans:] Nice to have you here today. Big, busy news day. I'm Christine Romans. It's Thursday, February 21st. It's 4:00 a.m. exactly in the East, and here we go. That hashtag #justiceforjussie has an entirely different meaning this morning. "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett facing a felony charge for allegedly filing a false police report claiming two men attacked him last month. Chicago Police tells CNN they hope Smollett will turn himself in overnight. Right now they don't know where he is.
[Sanchez:] And a class four felony, the kind Smollett is charged with, carries a prison sentence of one to three years. The actor himself has passionately insisted that he didn't stage any attack.
[Smollett:] Who the
[Sanchez:] Assuming he's in custody, a bail hearing for Smollett would be expected later today. CNN's Nick Watt is outside Chicago Police headquarters. He has more.
[Nick Watt, Cnn National Correspondent:] Boris and Christine, Jussie Smollett has gone from victim to suspect, and he now faces a felony charge, a class four felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. The "Empire" actor, of course, claimed he was attacked in the early hours of January 29th, on a cold, frigid morning here in Chicago, by two men who threw racial and homophobic epithets at him, hung a noose around his neck, and poured an unknown chemical on him. Now two men were arrested last week. They were questioned by police then they were released on Friday night. Smollett's lawyers released a statement to us last night and they say that, "Like any other citizen Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information both true and false has been repeatedly leaked." This story is far from over. In fact, the fallout from this story is really only just beginning Christine and Boris.
[Sanchez:] Nick Watt, thank you. A spokesperson for 20th Century Fox, the company that produces "Empire," said the studio has no comment at this time.
[Romans:] All right. A U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant under arrest this morning as a suspected domestic terrorist. Authorities say 49-year- old Christopher Paul Hasson of Silver Spring, Maryland, is a white supremacist who had a hit list that included several high-profile Democrats, among them presidential candidates. Prosecutors filing a draft e-mail in which they say Hasson wrote, "I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth." Ryan Browne at the White House at the Pentagon, rather, with more.
[Ryan Browne, Cnn National Security Reporter:] Good morning, Christine and Boris. The Department of Justice charging an active duty Coast Guard officer with gun and drug charges, and for being an alleged domestic terrorist who was plotting attacks on senior Democratic officials and senior members of the media, both from MSNBC and CNN. Now he's also charged with adhering to a manifesto of a Norwegian terrorist, Anders Breivik, who in 2011 killed some 77 people in a series of domestic terror attacks. Now as part of that manifesto, he is being charged with using drugs as part of an effort to bolster his ability to carry out these attacks. Now some 15 weapons and 1,000 rounds of ammunition were discovered in his home, according to the official charge documents provided by the Department of Justice. And again, he was posted here in Washington, D.C. at the Coast Guard headquarters. It remains unclear how someone could have such high- level access with all these links to domestic terrorist groups, white supremacists organizations, and in possession of so many weapons and so much ammunition. Back to you.
[Sanchez:] Ryan, thank you. The completion of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation could be announced as early as next week. Sources familiar with Justice Department plans tell us that soon after that, Attorney General Bill Barr will submit a confidential summary to Congress. But that does not mean we'll get to see Mueller's report quickly or potentially ever.
[Romans:] Right now the scope and contours of what the attorney general will send to Capitol Hill are unclear. Barr was noncommittal at his confirmation hearing last month.
[William Barr, Then-attorney General Nominee:] I am going to try to get the information out there consistent with these regulations. And to the extent I have discretion I will exercise that discretion to do that.
[Romans:] The special counsel regulations instruct Mueller to submit a confidential report to the attorney general, but those regulations don't require that it be shared with Congress or the public. Yesterday the president said he's leaving the entire matter up to Barr.
[Kaitlin Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Should the Mueller report be released while you're abroad next week?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] That'll be totally up to the new attorney general. That'll be totally up to him. The new attorney the new attorney general, yes.
[Trump:] Now I guess from what I understand that will be totally up to the attorney general.
[Sanchez:] Of course, depending on what is or is not released, months of wrangling between Congress and the Justice Department may follow. The precise timing of Barr's announcement is subject to change. CNN is told that Justice officials don't want to interfere with White House diplomatic efforts. Recall that late next week President Trump is set to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But on the other hand, don't forget that 12 Russians were indicted last year while the president met with Queen Elizabeth. That was just days before his Helsinki summit with Vladimir Putin.
[Romans:] All right. While Trump is overseas next week, former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen will testify in public. He is scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee February 27th. He will be questioned about President Trump's finances, his business practices, but not the Russia investigation. Cohen's first scheduled appearance was canceled due to threats against his family.
[Sanchez:] Yes, and on Wednesday, he tweeted this out, quote, "Looking forward to the American people hearing my story in my voice. #truth." The next day, he'll testify privately to the House Intelligence Committee. Cohen had been scheduled to report to prison on March 6th, but a federal judge agreed to delay the start of his prison term for two back, moving it back to May. Cohen was sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to charges that included campaign finance violations related to payments that he arranged to women who claimed they had affairs with Donald Trump.
[Romans:] All right. The White House seems determined to prove climate change does not threaten national security. According to the "Washington Post" the Trump administration is assembling a panel to scrutinize intelligence findings that have repeatedly concluded global warming does pose a national security threat. Heading up the proposed Presidential Commission on Climate Security, William Happer. Now he is on the National Security Council and he believes carbon emissions linked to climate change should be viewed as an asset, rather than a pollutant. And that's not all.
[William Happer, Trump Nominee For Climate Change Panel:] The demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler. Carbon dioxide is actually a benefit to the world, and so were the Jews.
[Sanchez:] Quite a comparison there. The White House is not commenting on the "Washington Post" report. Just a few weeks ago, the director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, delivered a worldwide threat assessment that identified climate change as a significant security risk. CNN has since learned that White House officials are discussing replacements for Coats. They're concerned that President Trump may be prepared to fire him.
[Romans:] Much of the eastern U.S. cleaning up this morning after a big winter storm rolled through. Thunder snow caught on a doorbell camera in Cumberland, Maryland, yesterday. Major flooding in Giles County, Tennessee. That's just south of Pulaski. And the front stalled over the south bringing on some high water. And that flooding threat won't abate with another winter storm taking shape out west. Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri has more.
[Pedram Javaheri, Ams Meteorologist:] Boris and Christine, good morning, guys. Yes, the northeast here watching the snow showers around Boston, a wintry mix just south of town, and go to the north there, it's all about the snow. And of course it was a winter wonderland across Central Park as well in the past 24 or so hours. But you cross over into the airports it was an entirely different story. Major disruptions as far as cancellations and delays across portions of the country. And a lot of this activity now going to begin to improve quickly, at least for the northeast. In fact, by 11:00 a.m., noon, much of the showers exit the picture. And then you draw the attention back down toward the south because the southern fringe of all of this, that's where the frontal boundary has stalled and that's where not only thunderstorms are prevalent this morning. As much as 1,000 strikes since midnight across portions of the south. But extensive flood watches and warnings and a lot of river flooding taking place in northern Alabama and northern Mississippi and western Tennessee. And frankly, with that front that's really not moving much, notice the rainfall amounts are going to be significant. Four to six inches around Memphis. Two to three inches around Nashville over the next 24 or so hours. And then back towards the west, another system right on its heels here is bringing in additional rainfall and additional storms going in towards this weekend for much of the country guys.
[Romans:] All right. Thank you.
[Sanchez:] Big one-two punch headed our way.
[Romans:] Yes.
[Sanchez:] Duke sensation Zion Williamson down and out. Literally. The freshman actually tore his own shoe off when he was hurt. Duke fans and Knicks fans now holding their breath. We'll tell you how it happened next.

[Romans:] All right. At this hour there are more than 153,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide with Europe now the epicenter of the crisis. In Ireland the government is calling on pubs to close and is asking the public not to participate in any parties on the eve of St. Patrick's Day. And the Vatican has canceled all its Easter week celebrations and masses to curb the spread of a virus.
[Jarrett:] France taking new drastic containment measures after announcing 300 people infected with coronavirus are in intensive care. Half, half under the age of 60-year-old. CNN's Jim Bittermann is live from Paris. And Jim, what is the mood there with all of the bars, and restaurants and clubs now closed?
[Jim Bittermann, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, pretty somber, Laura. I would say there's a lot [inaudible] has disappeared. The fact is that one is they came down on Saturday night by the Prime Minister, it was a real shock. I was sitting in a restaurant, as a matter of fact, it came down and we are having dinner. And the owner of the restaurant came by and looking a little shocked and said, you're going to be my last customers. We have to close down until further notice. He was like everybody else having to close their establishments. Now, what happened on Sunday was that in fact there was a lot of sunshine, nice day. People went out and they were told by the authorities they were not happy about that. And so now, we are hearing [inaudible] from clearly reliable sources here that in fact the government is considering an even more drastic approach. They're going to perhaps confine people to their homes in the same way that we've seen in Spain and Italy. So it could get a lot worse here, although, for the next few days. Laura?
[Jarrett:] All right. Jim, thanks so much for the report.
[Romans:] With the majority of coronavirus cases spreading outside of mainland China, the country where the outbreak first emerged is gradually returning to normal. Now its government is offering to help elsewhere. I want to bring in David Culver live from Shanghai. David, you are ahead of the curve for us here. You have been in quarantine. You've been through this. And now you're on the other side of it. What is Beijing doing? What does it look like there?
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] You're right. You're in eight weeks of this. And I can tell you major cities like Beijing and here in Shanghai, Christine, they are starting to come back online. And the way I've kind of described it. We're seeing two steps forward, one step back. And by that, I mean, when you start to see restaurants re- opening, there's discussion of teachers for foreign schools coming back by this time next week, so that they can start their two weeks of quarantine which shows that things are in motion. We also start to see some easing of restrictions in some places like Hubei province, but then they withdraw that easy restrictions and they'll put back in place on the lockdown requirements. And that's because they are little bit uneasy about just about opening up the gates. And understandably so. Because the World Health Organization has stressed the greatest risk in all of this is complacency. Thinking, yes, we've got this beat. And so what we're seeing now is a warning even out of Wuhan, the capitol of Hubei, where this all started and the stressing from health officials there that the situation is still severe. That just came out today. They're still asking folks there to avoid going outside. Now outside of Wuhan and other parts of Hubei, once again after revoking some of the easing of restrictions, they're putting back in the easing of restrictions. So, it's kind of this back and forth. There's a dance of let's see how this plays out. And they're doing so cautiously because they are a little bit uneasy of those numbers starting to rise little by little, as people starts to move around then go back to normal. [Inaudible] to say though, it is starting to feel a little bit more like normal here. And Shanghai, a city of 24 plus million people, over the weekend you start to see restaurants filling back up again. You start to see more and more people easing back into their normal routine. So, it is reassuring, Christine, I know for folks particular where you are in the U.S. looking onward to say, is there a light at the end of this? The answer is seemingly so.
[Romans:] All right. David Culver for us in Shanghai this morning. Thank you, David.
[Jarrett:] Well, new limits on public gatherings are now being imposed in Israel, and they go further than anything we have seen here in the United States. The coronavirus crisis is also having unintended political consequences. Let's go live to Jerusalem and bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann. Oren, what's the latest there?
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Corespondent:] Well, Laura, Israel has been at the forefront of putting in place some of the most stringent restrictions to try to limit the spread of coronavirus and it remains that way. It used to be that you had to limit gatherings to 5,000. Well, over the weekend that number was changed to 10. Just 10 people are allowed in gatherings to try to limit the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, restaurants, cafes are closed, entertainment venues, leisure venues, those are all closed as well with some rumors circulating here that it's not long before they shut down public transportation as well. All in an attempt to try to keep this as limited as possible. There are now some 250 confirmed cases in Israel, not that big of a number. But a number that is still rising very quickly. On Friday that number was 100. So, you see how quickly it's rising. And in the middle of all of this, and this includes challenges to the economy, the military, the health system, and much more, there is of course, an ongoing political crisis that's lasted more than a year. As Israel hasn't had a fully functioning government since Christmas Eve 2018. And perhaps coronavirus can do what the politicians could not. Which is bring the two largest parties together. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and Benny Gantz, Blue and White Party and they need to find some sort of unity government or some sort of national emergency government to get Israel through this crisis. But there are no guarantees there and that's the challenge ahead. All sides are calling on a unity government or an emergency government to deal with this. But calling for it and actually getting there are two very different things. Laura, a fourth election is theoretically at least a possibility. But how you hold an election under these circumstances, even if it's still months away. Again, that another challenge this country would try to deal with.
[Jarrett:] Yes, certainly something we are struggling with here in the U.S. We are in a middle of primary season as well. Oren, thanks so much for that.
[Romans:] All right. A much different feel to last night's debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. And Biden made a bold promise if he wins the nomination.

[Martin Savidge, Cnn Correspondent:] Two speeds, stagnant and lightening. And the difference between the two has been the horrific video that was released on Tuesday that allegedly showed the death of Ahmaud Arbery. For the first time in ten weeks, his family says they are now seeing the first steps towards justice.
[Savidge:] Nearly two months after the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, two men are now arrested, Gregory McMichael, a former police officer, and his son, Travis, now face murder and aggravated assault charges, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. "The Daily Mail" obtaining photos of the moment they were apprehended.
[Jasmine Arbery, Ahmaud Arbery's Sister:] We felt a sense of relief. This has been a long
[Savidge:] Arbery was shot and killed while jogging in Brunswick, Georgia, on February 23rd. Gregory McMichael told police he believed Arbery was responsible for recent break-ins in the area. Something people in the area may have believed as well.
[Dispatcher:] And you said someone's breaking into it right now?
[Caller:] No, it's all open, it's under construction. And he's running right now. Here he goes right now.
[Dispatcher:] OK, what is he doing?
[Caller:] He's running down the street.
[S. Lee Merritt, Arbery Family Attorney:] There's nothing that's going to connect Ahmaud, the victim, to any criminal behavior. Certainly nothing that is going to lead to his death. So, as you can imagine, if he entered the property that wasn't his, that was under construction, arguably it's a trespass but nothing that would have warranted a citizen's arrest and certainly not a death sentence.
[Savidge:] Earlier this week a video posted to a local radio station's website that appears to show the final moments of Arbery's life. You can see Ahmaud Arbery jogging down the street and what appears to be the McMichaels waiting ahead of him. Gregory McMichael claims a struggle ensued over his son's shotgun and then three shots that left Ahmaud Arbery dead.
[Arbery:] I believe it was a hate crime.
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Anchor:] How so?
[Arbery:] It was one black guy and three white guys.
[Cuomo:] How does that make you feel, that that might have been what took your brother's life?
[Arbery:] That his life wasn't respected.
[Savidge:] The video has sparked outcry nationwide and protests throughout the state of Georgia. Despite police having the video shortly after the shooting, no arrest was made. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler is calling for the Department of Justice to investigate the incident and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp applauding investigators for their swift action, adding that justice will be served.
[Gov. Brian Kemp:] Earlier this week, I watched the video depicting Mr. Arbery's last moments of life. I can tell you, it's absolutely horrific and Georgians deserve answers. Thankfully, that district attorney has agreed to allow us to help and do an independent investigation. I have no doubt in my mind that it will be fair.
[Savidge:] Today is Ahmaud Arbery's 26th birthday, or would have been. And organizers today are encouraging people as they show support to the family and his cause, they're encouraging athletes, runners to go out and run 2.23 miles. That is to denote the date on which he died, February 23rd. They're asking that people post it with pictures or video under the hash tag I run with Maud. Of course, that is the nickname of Ahmaud. And it's just one way that this community is going to show its support. We should point out, the GBI has a press conference in a little over two hours from now. We should learn more.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] I know you'll been covering that, Martin. You've been covering this story so well for us. Thank you so much for being on the ground there. One of the major questions is, if the police had this video for months, why did it take until now to file these charges? That's one major legal case. Also, charges dropped against Michael Flynn. Jeffrey Toobin here to break down both these stories, next.

[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] What started out as a peaceful demonstration turned relatively tense as the National Guard use pepper spray on protestors not far from the White House. Also in Seattle, protesters there used umbrellas to try and block chemicals which are being sprayed as a form of crowd control by security officials. And crowds of people dressed in black stood on the steps of the state capitol in Boise, Idaho. They held a candle vigil for George Floyd, whose tragic death triggered all of these nationwide protests. More details now on what happened on Monday night, when there was an event just oh, good. Here we are. This is what happened Monday night, not far from the White House. The Attorney General, turns out, Bill Barr, ordered the security forces there, the police, other law enforcement, to use tear gas to clear these, what were peaceful protesters, away from a church so that the President, Donald Trump, could actually hold a photo op at that church. A sign that he was actually getting out of the White House and was not cooped up inside and was not scared in any way, I guess, of being amongst the protesters. Now, it was all for a TV moment at the end of the day. And a former minister of the church was among the crowd that night. She spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper.
[Rev. Gini Gerbasi, Rector, St. John's Episcopal Church Of Georgetown:] I was already stunned and shocked and deeply, deeply offended that they had taken what had become holy ground and had been holy ground for 200 years and literally desecrated it. Turned it into not a metaphorical battleground but a literal battleground with those officers and those heavy, heavily armed and just the aggression and the hostility and the innocent protesters, driving them off of church property, for whatever reason. At the time, I didn't even know why. That already desecrated that, already turned holy ground into a literal battleground. I could not believe, literally, what people were texting me as I was going back to my car, saying, is the President really there? And I could still hear the flashbangs and people were texting me saying, he's walking across the park. I could not believe it. I was saying, no, no, that must be sort of stock photos. No, I'm sure that's not happening. I couldn't believe it. And when I realized that people had been hurt and terrified for a political stunt. I like, offended hardly begins to describe how I feel.
[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] Strong criticism also coming from the bishop of the D.C. Episcopal diocese, who said the President's actions appeared to be a stunt.
[Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal Diocese Of Washington D.c:] It didn't seem to be an expression of faith or of solidarity with faith. It seemed to be, as we've said before, an opportunity to clothe himself in the mantle of spiritual symbols and locations to, in some way, bolster or reinforce his own authority and message.
[Allen:] And harsh words from the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, former Vice President Joe Biden, who spoke on Tuesday.
[Joe Biden, U.s. Democratic Presidential Candidate:] The President held up the bible at St. John's church yesterday. I just wish he opened it once in a while, instead of brandishing it. If he opened it, he could have learned something. We're all called to love one another as we love ourselves.
[Vause:] And CNN's senior political analyst Ron Brownstein joins me now this hour from Los Angeles. Ron, good to see you.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Another busy day, John. Good to see you.
[Vause:] They're all busy days. OK, the President seemed to frame the way he wants to run for re-election during that national address on Monday. Here's part of it.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters, but in recent days, our nation has been gripped by professional anarchists, violent mobs, arsonists, looters, criminals, rioters, Antifa, and others.
[Vause:] An ally of peaceful protesters, unless they get in the way of a photo op. But nonetheless, Nixon, he ran and won on a law and order agenda. That was in 1968, a period of unrest. Nixon though was not the incumbent. Trump is. And after a disastrous response to the pandemic, the economic collapse, we've got a country which is more vulnerable than at any time in living memory. Has Trump got anything else to run on, apart from the imaginary American carnage out there?
[Brownstein:] Well you know, I was thinking last night that there isn't a lot of Nixon nostalgia in America, but certainly, the President is one of the Americans who is expressing a kind of nostalgia for 1968, as you suggest. In fact, kind of underlining the point this morning when he just tweeted out to words silent majority which was the phrase Nixon used for his political coalition in 1968 that was meant to kind of portray white mid-America. This is a very different country than it was in 1968. For one thing, as you mentioned, the President is the incumbent, and so, it's kind of hard for him to run against the forces of chaos that have emerged during his presidency. But even more fundamentally, it is a demographically and culturally very different place. When Nixon ran on the silent majority and law and order in 1968, 80 percent of our voters were white people without a college degree, who were the core audience for the Trumpian messages. Today they're about half as big a share of the vote. They're about 40 percent. And the President is suffering from significant, you know, alienation among both minority voters and white-collar white voters in the big metro areas that have been hit hardest by the pandemic and also by the protests over the murder in Minneapolis.
[Vause:] Yes. "The New York Times" asked Trump on Sunday about his plans to deal with the unrest, which has paralyzed parts of the country. Here's his answer. I'm going to win the election easily. The economy is going to start to get good and then great, better than ever before. I'm getting more judges appointed by the week, including two Supreme Court justices, close to 300 judges by the end of the year. You know, among other things, it would indicate he either does not want or does not have, or probably both, any clue about how to end the unrest because he just doesn't want to.
[Brownstein:] Well, I also think, as I've said to you before, when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And every time the President gets under pressure politically, he returns to kind of the core tool in his toolbox, which is cultural and racial polarization. You know, there were some notes early on of sympathy toward Mr. Floyd. And occasionally, he still kind of mouths some of those words, but the core of it is I am your law and order president, I am going to crack down on thugs. Very different message from when right-wing protesters were mobbing the Michigan state capitol with automatic weapons and he was telling the Democratic governor to make a deal with them. Now he is saying Democrats are weak, the cities are being overrun. That is his message, you know, to his voters, that he, I alone can protect you against all of these dangerous and dark forces that are collecting in the cities and also against the elites who he says looks down on you. So, he always comes back to this place. But when you see the real- world consequences of this politics, both in the extraordinary price we are paying on the pandemic and then in the violence that he has kind of put gasoline on the fire, I think the audience for it shrinks somewhat. It's not that there's no audience for it, but it's clear that he's having trouble moving his support above 45 percent of the country.
[Vause:] Because the other part of this law and order strategy, is trying to shore up his supporters religious supporters, but I think using tear gas and flashbangs to move hundreds of peaceful protesters away from a church to take a photo op, that's not seen favorably by many religious leaders. Listen to this.
[Unidentified Male:] Mr. President? I know you stood right here and held the bible in your hand. Upside down! But it is clear you don't have the bible in your heart.
[Crowd:] In your heart.
[Gerbasi:] For him to turn that book into a prop, for him to turn that holy ground into a battleground, for him to turn that holy ground into a photo op is a sacrilege.
[Vause:] Trump was already losing support among evangelicals but is this one incident that he lost significant support or is it just sort of part of a toxic build-up?
[Brownstein:] No, I don't think he loses any of his support amongst white Evangelicals, because he is kind of their sword against all of the changes in American life that they feel are marginalizing their position. But what I do think this incident exemplifies is what I called a few months ago the Trump treadmill. And I wrote that when he told the four Democratic women of color in Congress to go back where they came from, even though they were all, you know, American citizens. And what I mean by that is that he constantly feels the need, as I said, to stir up these cultural confrontations to energize and mobilize his base, but he's on a treadmill, because each time he does this, he reinforces the doubts among many previously Republican- leaning white-collar voters about whether he is personally fit to be president. And you know, I think there's I'm sure there's going to be polling coming out in the next few days reaffirming what we've seen in earlier polls, that a majority of Americans believe he is a racist, particularly a majority of college-educated white voters. As an extraordinary statement about an American president, and one I think, again, the consequences of which are becoming more tangible to voters. That does not mean there's infinite tolerance for disorder in cities and breaking windows and looting, and there is, you know, the potential of a backlash if that goes on for very long. Americans want order. But I don't think that most Americans at this point believe that Trump is making the situation better. In fact, I think most think he's making it worse.
[Vause:] Just been told to wrap, Ron, but just to your point that most Americans believe he's a racist, but yet still has, what, a 40 percent approval rating. Which says a lot itself.
[Brownstein:] 45, yes, right absolutely. Look, there is a coalition that is open to his message that the changes in American life, economic, cultural, and demographic, are marginalizing them, but it is not a majority of the country. And if he wins, he's going to have to find a way to squeeze through, despite that again.
[Vause:] We've got to go. Ron, good to see you. Thanks so much.
[Brownstein:] Thanks, John.
[Allen:] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared lost for words during a news conference when asked about President Trump's handling of the U.S. protests. Here he is.
[Unidentified Male:] We do have Donald Trump now calling for military action against protesters. We saw protesters tear-gassed yesterday to make way for a Presidential photo op. I'd like to ask you what you think about that? And if you don't want to comment, what message do you think you're sending?
[Allen:] Several Canadian cities have staged demonstrations over the last several days, chanting "Black Lives Matter" and calling on leaders to acknowledge that racism is still a problem in Canada.
[Vause:] As it is in so many other places. Well we'll take a short break. Coming up, we'll hear from the NFL coach who says, when it comes to the National Football League, there's no discrimination. That's ahead.

[Camerota:] An internal federal watchdog raising concerns about the FAA's safety oversight, following two deadly crashes of Boeing 737 Max aircraft.
[Calvin Scovel, Dot Inspector General:] Clearly confidence in FAA is a gold standard for aviation safety has been shaken.
[Elaine Chao, Transportation Secretary:] I am, of course, concerned about any allegations.
[Camerota:] Joining us now is Randy Babbitt. He led the FAA under President Obama from 2009 to 2011. He's also a former airline pilot. Mr. Babbitt, thank you so much for being here. We're looking forward to getting your expertise on this. Should the FAA have been more vigorous in its oversight of Boeing?
[Randy Babbitt, Former Faa Administrator:] Well, I think in retrospect, you know, there's a lot of second guessing going on. I think the big failure was recognizing or failing to recognize the training that would be required to transition to a different safety system. How they get to you know, into manuals and so forth is going to be scrutinized. And I think there were some bad assumptions made, which I'm certain a lot of people regret now.
[Camerota:] When you talk about there being a lack of training. I mean, let me just put a finer point on that for everyone, because this comes from "The Washington Post" having looked at the flight manual. Here's what it says: "Despite substantial changes to the plane's engine size and placement and the addition of the MCAS flight control system, training for the 737 Max had consisted primarily of a roughly hour-long computer-based course." Mr. Babbitt, how is that possible that pilots would only have had an hour on a computer after all of these substantial changes to that aircraft?
[Babbitt:] Yes. And that's that's going to come under scrutiny. The the differences between, you know, if you bought a car, you know, one year newer than your last year, it might have a few things different. They might just have to explain those to you. And that's the assumption made here, was that decisions were made that this airplane is not substantially different than the previous models; and, therefore, all you needed to understand was the differences. I think the failure here, the failure to recognize that this one particular system was substantially different. You basically had a single source of data that was allowed to have control input to the aircraft, and I don't think that was made clear to a lot of people.
[Camerota:] Apparently not. And so I mean, I think the big question is what's going wrong at the FAA?
[Babbitt:] Well, I think the assumption the aircraft, I think the fix that will come out, it will be a safe fix. I think the failure was to not alert pilots that this system was kicking in. In other words, there should have been warning light. Common sense would tell me that any, any device, any data input that's given control authority to the airplane should at least have another comparison of another data source. A good example the two compasses in the airplane.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Babbitt:] Every aircraft, every major airplane that flies an airline service has a comparative. It says these two compasses don't agree. And a light comes on.
[Camerota:] Yes. I mean yes.
[Babbie:] I understand it's going to be put in now.
[Camerota:] Yes, right? Woefully late. So yes, it sounds like they have figured out that there was a problem with the technology on this plane, and they're going to fix it. But that's specific to the 737 Max. I'm talking about the larger issue of it sounds like the FAA was letting Boeing police itself on some level. Is that true?
[Babbitt:] Yes, and I mean we do that in a lot of places. I mean, think about it. The banking industry, the securities, lots of these places, you audit. And people come in and inspect to see that you are doing these audits correctly. And that's it would take the FAA would have to tire tens of thousands of inspectors to actually, you know, do all of the work that we entrust to Boeing. And it's been, you know, truly when you think about the hundreds of millions of hours that have been flown safely we haven't had a major accident in this country in almost a decade. So the system works. Can it be improved? Yes. And I think that's going to be the focus of what can we do to make this system better so that we don't have you know, this is an industry that cannot suffer a hairline crack of oversight; and we need to make certain that that oversight is there, it's effective, and it's doing what we want it to do.
[Camerota:] So you think that it's a manpower problem. And should the FAA have more, I guess, it should have a bigger budget and more people to be able to do this. Is that the solution?
[Babbitt:] Well, I think the part of it. If you're going to have I mean, we do a lot of oversight where we depend airlines themselves, for example, the pilots are checked by pilots who work for that airline. How are they checked? They occasionally get inspected by federal flight inspectors. They ride or they watch them give them check rides and so forth. The FAA certainly couldn't hire enough pilots to check all of the airline pilots in this country. We entrust the airlines to do that. And so finding the balance, what is the right amount of balance that we need to find? Do we need more people to audit the work that Boeing is doing and confirm that Boeing, when Boeing says, "This system works perfectly and we put it through rigorous testing," how far do we go with that? What do we need to do? Do we need more manpower? Do we need a better system? And let's face it. We're in an age of new technology. These aircraft are becoming, you know, far more digital, all glass cockpits.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Babbitt:] It's a different environment today, and you train differently. And I think we need to recognize that and train pilots to better understand some of the changes that have been made in these aircraft.
[Camerota:] For sure. Very quickly, you're a pilot. Would you today fly the 737 Max 8 plane?
[Babbitt:] Absolutely. The sad part of this, every every pilot who has Boeing experience, there's a very large trim wheel in that aircraft. And if that trim wheel is moving and you're hand flying the aircraft, the answer is turn it off. Every pilot every pilot who has a rating in this aircraft has had a runaway trim situation. It's part of your training, part of your testing. That trim wheel begins to move, and you're flying the airplane, and you're not commanding that input, you turn the switches off. They're right there, right in front of you. So it's not like they have to dramatically redesign the airplane. They simply have to let people know that you're getting a control input that you may not want, and your option here is to understand it and turn it off, if it's if it's putting a bad control input in for you.
[Camerota:] All right. Randy Babbitt, former FAA administrator, thank you very much for being on
[New Day. Babbitt:] Well, thank you very much, Alisyn. Good morning.
[Camerota:] John.
[Berman:] A huge controversy surrounding the Trump administration after it moves to slash funding from the Special Olympics. Congressman Joe Kennedy joins us to discuss next.

[Camerota:] President Trump and his allies are ramping up their efforts to unmask the whistle-blower, whose report you know sparked the impeachment inquiry. Here is Republican Senator Rand Paul with President Trump last night.
[Sen. Rand Paul:] The whistle-blower needs to come before Congress as a material witness, because he worked for Joe Biden at the same time Hunter Biden was getting money from corrupt oligarchs. I say tonight to the media, do your job and print his name.
[Camerota:] Joining us now, Joe Lockhart, CNN political commentator and former Clinton White House press secretary; and Margaret Talev, CNN political analyst, and politics and White House editor for "Axios." Ooh, that sneaky, sneaky senator, Joe.
[Joe Lockhart, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes.
[Camerota:] He's trying to get us to do his dirty work and say the name of the whistle-blower, which is illegal. He if he knows the name, if he thinks he knows the background, I mean, he's giving all this information that is not proven. There's no evidence of anything he's saying. If he knows it, why doesn't he say it? Because I'll tell you why he doesn't say it. Don't answer that. Because it's illegal, and he knows that.
[Berman:] He's a small man. I have to tell you, what he just did there is small and cowardly right there. If he's got something to say, if he wants to break the law, do it. But to sit there on that stage and say oh, others should do it right now. I'm not going to say it. I'm not going to say it. Others should do my work for me. That's small. That's small.
[Lockhart:] But I think it's part of a broader Republican strategy, particularly this week, when you've got all of this testimony coming out, which really just nails down, you know, what happened with Ukraine and all the different players. They are desperate every day to light a bonfire someplace to say, look over here. Don't look at the substance, look over here. And that was last night's edition. You know, I don't know what we'll get today today, but that is their strategy. Their strategy is every day to take any norm, any law. They'll do anything to make sure that we don't stay focused on what's in this testimony.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Berman:] I mean, I will say, Margaret, there are consequences, though, to this, and those consequences include the safety of the whistle- blower. Those consequences include the sanctity of whistle-blowers in general
[Camerota:] Law.
[Berman:] going forward. And the law.
[Margaret Talev, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes. John and Alisyn, good morning. I mean, my news organization decided at the outset that the whistle-blower has legitimate protections and we weren't going to be in the business of attempting to oust this person. I think most major mainstream news organizations obviously feel the same way. That's
[Camerota:] CNN does, as well.
[Talev:] Yes. So there is There are laws protecting whistle- blowers. There's not as strong as the lawyers for whistle-blowers want those laws to be. But the laws are in place for a reason. And the whistle-blower has been found to have not only used legitimate avenues to bring these concerns forward but to have done it in an appropriate way. And the other thing I'd note is that the whistle-blower's sort of initial raising of the flag has kind of been bypassed by all the other people who have come forward in these depositions and some of whom are volunteering to speak publicly as the investigation moves into the next phases. So I think you can also question how crucial the whistle-blower's initial complaint really was. One last bit. Rand Paul, you heard him talking about how the whistle- blower supposedly worked for Joe Biden. Obviously, it's complicated, because in order to put that in context, one would have to say who the whistle-blower was. But there are thousands of people who work in the federal government, and many of them have worked across multiple administrations from both parties. So I think that's where we are.
[Camerota:] Yes. You could say the whistle-blower works for Donald Trump.
[Berman:] Yes.
[Talev:] Yes.
[Camerota:] The whistle-blower is in the government. You could say, well, the whistle-blower works for Donald Trump. Clearly, he's a partisan. He works for Donald Trump, if you were going to make such an intellectually dishonest argument. But to your point, the whistle-blower's information has been corroborated seven times over. We see the transcript ourselves now. It's been released of the phone call. And there are all sorts of diplomats who have come forward to corroborate. The whistle-blower is a red herring at this point. And so you don't need that whistle- blower anymore.
[Lockhart:] Yes. You'll remember the first Republican reaction to the whistle-blower was it was hearsay. You can't pay attention to what he's saying because he or she is saying, because they weren't firsthand. And then when all the firsthand information came in, and it was more devastating than they thought it could be, they all of a sudden had to go back and change their attack on the whistle-blower. And you know, the laws are the laws. The intent is clear. The intent is to allow people in the government to, without fear of retribution, without fear of having their lives disrupted, to come forward and pass on information. There's no doubt about that.
[Berman:] And Rand Paul knows the law.
[Lockhart:] Yes.
[Berman:] He knows the law, and that's why he did. And that's why I said he was small right there, because he's trying to get others to do the dirty work for him. The transcripts yesterday that we poured through had some really interesting developments. No. 1, Marie Yovanovitch saying she was pressured to send out tweets praising the president to save her job. And then Michael McKinley, who was seen as working closely with Mike Pompeo for a long time, explained why he quit. He said he was disgusted with the politicization of the State Department, and also said that he had asked three times- three times before Marie Yovanovitch was pulled from her ambassadorship in Ukraine for a statement of public support to her, which flies in the face of this careful gymnastics language that Mike Pompeo used, not under oath but in an interview about that. So listen to this.
[Pompeo:] From the time that Ambassador Yovanovitch departed Ukraine until the time that he came to tell me that he was departing, I never heard him say a single thing about his concerns with respect to the decision that was made.
[Stephanopoulos:] So you were never asked to put out
[Pompeo:] Not once, not once, George, did Ambassador McKinley say something to me during that entire time period.
[Berman:] You know why Mike Pompeo was saying during that time period? Because McKinley talked to him before that time period. And when George Stephanopoulos asked a follow-up, you were never asked to put out a statement in support of Ambassador Yovanovitch, there was a word salad, Margaret, right there. So what we have, again, from Pompeo here is misleading. I think misleading statements about an episode that he clearly knows about. Why is the dismissal of Yovanovitch a sensitive subject for Mike Pompeo?
[Talev:] Well, that's a complicated question, because in part, Mike Pompeo would like to have a future beyond the White House, and his handling of this situation may affect that. But it is also because it is one of those sort of pivotal building blocks that goes to the question of what was the sort of state of mind, not just in the White House but throughout the administration? As testimony continues we know increasingly that there are a number a number of officials who complained, both to Pompeo and to Gordon Sondland about her treatment, about Rudy Giuliani's involvement, about the president's behavior. And and we're seeing emerge a picture that a lot of those concerns were sort of tamped down or said, well, you know what? This is up to the president. And so this is more evidence of that. I think in Mr. Sondland's case, we are also seeing some contradictions between the testimony that we believe that he gave and what others experienced. And so as that transcript comes out also, there's going to be a real scrutiny to compare what has already been said from various people.
[Camerota:] I mean, and luckily, people who want to read more can go online, CNN.com. There are the top takeaways from all of this boiled down. Because it's really important, I think, to understand that Yovanovitch knew that Rudy Giuliani saw her as an impediment, and she was an impediment to him getting what he wants, though he's not in the State Department. Margaret, Joe, thank you very much. It is election day here in the U.S. OK, not presidential election, but there are some crucial votes, and some of these races will perhaps tell us how voters are feeling heading into the 2020 race. So we have reporters in several of these pivotal states, next.

[Keilar:] Welcome back. It is still a mystery as to exactly what happened to a scuba diving boat that burst into flames off the California coast as dozens of people onboard slept. The mayday calls came in just after 3:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Thirty-four passengers at this point are still unaccounted for. As CNN's Nick Watt reports, five crew members including captain jumped off the boat and were rescued by Good Samaritans.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] A mayday call just before 3:30 a.m.
[Unidentified Male:] Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! Conception. Platts Harbor. Northside. Santa Cruz.
[Coast Guard:] Vessel in distress, this is Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles on Channel 1-6. What is your position and number of persons onboard, over?
[Watt:] Thirty miles from the mainland just north of Los Angeles, first responders beaten back by the inferno.
[Unidentified Male:] It keeps being extinguished and re-flashing possibly due to the amount of fuel onboard. Unsure why.
[Watt:] Five crew members escaped.
[Captain Monica Rochester, United States Coast Guard:] The crew was actually already awake and on the bridge. And they jumped off. Five people were evacuated aboard a Good Samaritan pleasure craft known as the Great Escape.
[Watt:] One brought ashore on a stretcher, rushed to the hospital, one limping, an injured ankle. Two shoeless and shocked. Thirty-four others who are below decks still unaccounted for. We're told there are numerous fatalities. Listen to the dispatcher on that mayday call asking questions.
[Coast Guard:] Roger, are they locked inside that boat? Roger, can you get back onboard and unlock the boat unlock the doors so they can get off?
[Watt:] We cannot hear the answers and the coast guard has said the boat was in compliance. Bears repeating, 34 still missing.
[Petty Officer Mark Barney, United States Coast Guard:] We are combing the shoreline. We have vessels, two vessels from the Coast Guard station Channel Islands Harbor. We have Coast Guard helicopter air crews. So, we are using everything we have in nearby area to search for these missing 34 people.
[Watt:] The boat sank 64 feet of water just 20 yards from the shore of Santa Cruz Island. The Conception, 75-boat dive boat seen here in video on a previous video had left Santa Barbara Saturday morning. The cause of the fire that destroyed her still unknown. The NTSB is en route and the Coast Guard is working with the vessel's owner, but the priority right now, the fight with hope fading to find any more survivors. And that mayday call came in more than ten hours ago. Now, that boat burned down to the waterline. These, Brianna, are not good signs.
[Keilar:] No, they aren't. Nick Watt, thank you so much on the California coast there. Joining me now is Josh Campbell, former FBI special agent. And there's five survivors, Josh, at this point. What are investigators trying to learn from them right now?
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] Yes, Brianna. These are all witnesses to what occurred here. We know that the NTSB is en route to this location, one of their go teams. They will be questioned. Authorities want to know what took place in the immediate preceding this incident. They want to know if there were any issues that they knew about, perhaps electrical issues and the like. We are told that the vessel was in compliance. We're told that by the Coast Guard. But again, they want to recreate.

[Robyn Curnow, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. Good to have you this hour. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Robyn Curnow. So, just ahead on the show, the U.S. president plays a defense after another huge single-day rise in the death toll. Donald Trump deflects blame from his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. We'll have that as well. New polling shows us how Americans feel about the state of their economy. And Bernie Sanders drops out of the Democratic race for 2020, why he gave up and the legacy he leaves behind.
[Curnow:] So there are encouraging signs here in the U.S. that social distancing is helping in the battle against the coronavirus. So, according to new modeling put out by the White House, the measure is helping lower projections for the number of deaths. However, the nation has reported the largest number of deaths in a single day. Nearly 2,000 people died on Wednesday, that's according to Johns Hopkins University. The total has passed 14,000 people. So, during a briefing on Wednesday the U.S. president, Donald Trump, says he learned about the seriousness of the coronavirus just prior to enacting travel restrictions on China back in early February. But a former military official tells CNN, American intelligence agency were tracking the rise of the virus as early as November, weeks before the information was included in the president's daily briefing. Some say the administration hasn't done enough. Here's Mr. Trump's reaction to our Jim Acosta. Take a listen to this.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Why is it we don't have enough masks? Why is it we don't have enough
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] They gave us very little ammunition for the military and very little let me gist tell you. You know it. You know the answer. The previous administration, the shelves were empty. The shelves were empty. So what you should do is speak to the people from the previous administration, Jim, and ask them that question.
[Curnow:] And as a number of hospitals continue to deal with the supply shortages, there's certainly a concern over which areas could become the next hot spots. So take a look at this map. Officials are keeping an eye on Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Meantime, in Chicago where the death toll continues to mount, the city is preparing refrigerated warehouse space that could potentially store more than 1,500 bodies by the weekend. CNN's Nick Watt has more on the day's developments Nick.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] A glimmer of hope, a model used by the White House now predicts the nationwide death toll is down about 20,000 largely due to social distancing, but
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo , New York:] Today is a day in the state of New York with very mixed emotions.
[Watt:] Because day after day, the state is still seeing a rise in reported deaths, and
[Cuomo:] The number of deaths will continue to rise as those hospitalized for a longer period of time pass away.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy & Infectious Diseases:] It's very sobering to see the increase in deaths. It's going to be a bad week for deaths.
[Watt:] And about 60,000 Americans are still projected to die by early August. Right now, we're not even a quarter of the way to that grim total. And every number is a person, a story. Zenobia Shepherd's daughter Leilani just died, age 27.
[Zenobia Shepherd, Mother Of Covid-19 Victim, Leilani Marqurite Jordan:] My husband and I were both in the room, and it was I want to hold my baby's hands for the last time, and I wasn't able to hold her feet. It's my baby.
[Watt:] The new modeling also highlights some regional disparities of projected deaths in New Jersey, more than doubled to over 5,200. Projected deaths in California down from about 6,100 to about 1,600.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator:] We're looking very carefully at California and Washington to really understand how they've been able as a community of Americans to mitigate so well.
[Watt:] A new CNN poll shows the majority of Americans now think the federal government has done a poor job in preventing coronavirus spread. It's 55 percent, up 8 points in about a week. The administration also still watching hot spots popping up around the country.
[Birx:] We are concerned about the metro area of Washington and Baltimore, and we're concerned right now about the Philadelphia area.
[Watt:] Some states now stockpiling a malaria drug to treat COVID-19. That's not proven to work, potentially dangerous. Florida expecting a million doses today. Georgia already given 200,000.
[Trump:] I really think it's a great thing to try, just based on what I know. Again, I'm not a doctor.
[Watt:] Adam Jarrett is.
[Dr. Adam Jarrett, Holy Name Medical Center:] So, we are using hydrochloroquine but we really don't know whether it works.
[Watt:] And still, we're told, there's not enough testing going on.
[Birx:] A lot of lab directors can look in their laboratories, if they have an Abbott m2000, if they can get that up and running, we could double the number of tests that we're doing per day. Right now, about 80 percent of them are idled, over a million test kits sitting ready to be run.
[Dr. Rob Davidson, Er Doctor:] Well, I hope that the federal government is doing more than, you know, speaking this at a press conference. This is a key to opening us back up again, getting these tests online.
[Watt:] So are antibody tests. The White House says they'll be ready inside two weeks.
[Cuomo:] That is going to be the bridge from where we are today to the new economy, people who have been exposed and now are better, those are the people who can go to work.
[Watt:] But for now, still this must be our normal.
[Mayor Bill De Blasio , New York City:] We have to recognize the progress because people are doing the right thing.
[Gov. Phil Murphy , New Jersey:] If you're watching from Jersey, please stay home.
[Watt:] A quick note on those models. Models can change. They can go up or down. And also, the model projecting a drop in the deaths is based on social distancing continuing through the end of May. That's another seven weeks or so. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Curnow:] Great, Nick. Thanks for that update. So, the U.S. President Donald Trump has been criticized for his initial response to the outbreak in the U.S. But now, he's slamming the World Health Organization for its handling of the crisis, and drawing a strong reaction from the WHO's director general. Take a listen.
[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization:] The focus of all political parties should be to save their people. Please don't politicize this virus. It exploits the differences you have at the national level. If you want to be exploited and if you want to have many more body bags, then you do it. If you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it.
[Trump:] And he would have been much better serving the people that he's supposed to serve if they gave a correct analysis. I mean, everything was, I said, China-centric. Everything was going to be fine. No human to human. Keep the borders open. He wanted me to keep the borders open. I closed the borders despite him and that was a hard decision to make at the time. We were altogether. We made a decision against the World Health Organization. So, when he says politicizing, he's politicizing. That shouldn't be.
[Curnow:] Well, Keith Neal is a professor emeritus in epidemiology at Nottingham University. He joins me now live from Derby in England. Sir, good to speak to you. Thank you. Before we get to the virus, I do want to talk about that spat we just heard between the White House and the WHO. Yes, it is political. But does the U.S. president have a point? Should the WHO have declared a pandemic sooner, for example?
[Keith Neal, Professor Emeritus, Epidemology Of Infectious Diseases:] I think I think one of the issues is after what swine flu pandemic, the term pandemic was dropped as a term that in use anyway. I think they declared it as an incident of major concern or some other technical term that they use. I think we look at it as a pandemic but really these are a series of epidemics across the world because each country's somewhat different. And in the United Kingdom, where I am we're seeing different patterns of spread and speed in different parts of the country but like you saw in the States, you've got hot spots started around the country, most of them being in larger cities.
[Curnow:] OK. So when we talk about the way this is the patterns and the models here, I know at least here in the U.S. there's been a pull back in terms of the modeling from the initial high death tolerates, but that should not make folks complacent, should it? Whether you're in the U.S. or the U.K., or whether you're even in Italy?
[Neal:] I think the issue is in England, we've been on some form of lockdown for 2-12 weeks, and in addition to that we had a week before that where people were asked to work from home and more importantly, for those people with a fever or a cough to self-isolate, even even if they had a somebody in the household with those symptoms. This got around the point of not being able to test everybody. So those people we would have wanted to test we've had in isolation. It has taken us until about probably from the beginning of the month to begin to see a reduction in the rate of increase in the number of cases we're seeing. Quite clearly, social distancing or in the sense that you don't meet as many people must reduce the speed of spread of a disease like this, which is spread by contact between people. I mean, people don't need a complicated model to know the less people you meet, the less people you can infect, which is the basic message here.
[Curnow:] You've obviously followed and studied viruses and epidemiology. What is the one big question you would still like to know about this virus?
[Neal:] If I had a magic wand
[Curnow:] OK.
[Neal:] and could get information, the information I would want to know is what is the prevalence of people who have the infection in the population, which is information we don't have. We know that there are people with very mild symptoms and probably met a number of people with asymptomatic symptoms who never really got ill enough to notice. The importance of this is that we can work out how far it has spread through the population. And also, if we could identify those individuals, they would definitely be safe to return to work in high- risk areas.
[Curnow:] Yes. So that would be about whether they have the antibodies. Any other questions that you would like to know in terms of the way this is transmitted?
[Neal:] We know that it we know how it's transmitted. It's spread essentially by respiratory droplets and aerosols, which so an infectious person breathes in and out, and the viruses come out when you breathe out. When you cough and splatter, they come out in droplets. They fall to the floor quite quickly, which is why you need to be in close contact with somebody and quite a prolonged contact. I think people we got people who are worried that you can catch these walking past somebody on the street, and this is incredibly highly unlikely. I understand some of the figures I've seen from China suggest only 30 percent of household contacts became infected with the virus. Whether some extra ones were asymptomatic, no one is really quite sure. But we do know if you're in the household with somebody, and in Wuhan they were with them 247, only less than half got infected.
[Curnow:] Oh, that's interesting. But that's also probably an indication of why bus drivers or nurses and doctors seem to be getting infected even more often, it's because they are in constant contact as well with many of these patients?
[Neal:] Yes. I think it's slightly different with the two groups. You have doctors and patients saying people who we know are very ill who are putting out large amounts of virus because the ill you are, probably the high your viral load, because your immune system hasn't got on top of it. Bus drivers, just the sheer number of contacts.
[Curnow:] OK.
[Neal:] That's why we come back to the social distancing as many people as can.
[Curnow:] OK. Professor Neal, I really appreciate you joining us. Thanks for your expertise. Have a lovely day.
[Neal:] Thank you. Good bye.
[Curnow:] Bye-bye. So, be sure to join us a little bit later today. There are still some questions we have, don't we? So, you really want to ask Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. They will bring you the latest facts and on some of your questions about the coronavirus. So, do join us for this town hall, 8:00 in the evening New York, 8:00 on Friday morning in Hong Kong, only on CNN, of course. So, still to come this hour, Americans are quickly losing confidence in their struggling economy after a U.S. report with the record number of job losses. But now, a new unemployment report could make matters even worse. We'll have that, next.
[Trump:] It would be nice to open with a big bang, open up our country, certainly most of our country. And I think we're going to do that soon. You look at what's happening. I would say we're ahead of schedule. Now, you hate to say it too loudly because all of a sudden things don't happen.

[Sanchez:] A first for the Catholic Church. Some 200 church leaders from around the world are gathering at the Vatican to confront the scourge of clergy who sexually abuse children. And already, Pope Francis had some very strong words. Let's go live to Rome and bring in CNN's Rosa Flores. Good morning, Rosa. What has the Pope said so far today?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] And, you know, Pope Francis really setting the tone for this meeting with very strong words, saying we need to be concrete with our measures. Saying, in part, quote, "Listen to the cry of the small who are asking for justice. The holy people of God are looking at us and expect us not" "and expect of us," excuse me, "not a simple condemnation but concrete and effective measures to put into place." Now, he also gave bishops homework. He passed out a list of guidelines, telling the bishops that those were best practices coming from them and coming from around the world. Giving them homework to make sure that they were paying attention during this critical meeting. For survivors, this is a time for change a time for decision- making. Survivors are asking for zero tolerance, not just for abusers but also for those who cover up abuse. Take a listen.
[Flores:] Now, Pope Francis starting this meeting with very strong words, saying that they need to be concrete. And his lead investigator supporting this tone, saying that we mean business and listing that bishops have to follow civil authorities. They have to report these instances. And, Boris, again, the Pope saying we need to be concrete and his lead investigator saying we mean business. It's about time Boris.
[Sanchez:] Yes. This could be a pivotal moment for the church on a very delicate issue. Rosa Flores, from the Vatican thank you.
[Romans:] All right, to markets now. Global stock markets mixed with trade talks going on in Washington, D.C. You can see mixed across the board. Frankfurt up just a little bit in European trade. On Wall Street, just a touch higher. Futures leaning higher here. You know, U.S. stocks initially fell and then rebounded Wednesday after release of the minutes from the Fed's January meeting. Now, the Dow jumped 63 points or two-tenths of a percent. The S&P 500 closed up just a tiny bit. The Nasdaq closed up as well. That's enough not very much, but enough to be its eighth-straight gain the longest winning streak since August. Some big-name advertisers are pulling their ads from YouTube. Nestle, McDonald's, the maker of Fortnite and others have pulled ads from YouTube after blogger Matt Watson raised concerns about comments on videos. Watson said pedophiles were using the platform to trade information and comments about and draw attention to clips of young girls. As online anger built over this issue, YouTube said it "took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities, and disabling comments on tens of millions of videos that includes that include, rather minors." Lyft plans to file its initial public offering in March, possibly beating rival Uber to that milestone. "The Wall Street Journal" reports Lyft may make the filing public as early as next week. Lyft was most recently valued at $15 billion and is reportedly seeking a valuation of around that price when it goes public. Lyft's co-founder, John Zimmer, said he believes going public brings a certain amount of proper accountability. Would you spend $2K on 5G? Samsung hopes so. The Galaxy Fold can open up into a 7.3-inch tablet and will cost up to $2,000. Samsung also unveiling updated versions of its best-selling Galaxy S smartphone. The S10 5G model will be the first mainstream device to run on lightning-fast 5G wireless networks later this year. Now, that move could give Samsung a significant head start in early 5G markets.
[Sanchez:] It looks fancy and futuristic. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

[Ana Cabrera, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] It's 5:00 in the nation's capital, 2:00 out west. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York, and you are live in the CNN Newsroom. We have breaking news right now. Multiple sources tell CNN that acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, is now on shaky ground, following the release of the phone call transcript between President Trump and the president of Ukraine. You'll recall that transcript revealed President Trump telling the Ukrainians how much the U.S. does for them, before saying he would like a favor. The president then goes on to ask Ukraine to investigate 2016 election meddling before turning his sights on his possible 2020 opponent, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden, who was on the board of the Ukrainian energy company. Now, according to the transcript, President Trump says, quote, "There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it. It sounds horrible to me." That was from the president, according to the transcript released by the White House. We have CNN's White House Reporter Jeremy Diamond live outside the White House this evening. Jeremy, we have learned that multiple people, including Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urged President Trump to release this transcript. So, why is Mulvaney taking the heat?
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Reporter:] That's right, Ana, there were multiple people who did encourage the president to release this transcript. The president, ultimately, decided to do so. But that is not the reason, according to these sources, why the president is now upset, apparently, with the White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney. Rather, it's not the release of the transcript, but the lack of an apparent strategy from the White House to handle the fallout of that whistleblower leak. We already know, from our past reporting, that this White House was indeed caught a little bit flat footed with the pace at which the speed at which House Democrats moved forward with this impeachment inquiry. And now, they are still struggling to, kind of, put the pieces together and figure out how they are going to respond. Apparently, the president's frustrations and other White House officials' frustrations with Mick Mulvaney became clear during a meeting at the White House just yesterday, that's according to multiple officials. Now, as far as Mick Mulvaney is concerned, a senior adviser to him, John Czwartacki, is denying it saying that has no basis in reality. This White House, though, is still trying to figure out its strategy for handling impeachment. The president's personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, who we know handled many of the matters involving the president, with regards to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. He insists that there is no war room being set up, at the moment. But we do expect him and another one of the president's attorneys, William Consovoy, to play a larger role going forward, in terms of responding and reacting to Democrats' moves towards impeachment Ana.
[Cabrera:] Jeremy Diamond at the White House. Thank you for that reporting. Also this weekend, at least one administration official has quit his job in the wake of that whistleblower report. Sources confirm to CNN that U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, resigned yesterday evening. And he is mentioned by name in the complaint. Let's bring in our National Security Reporter Kylie Atwood. And, Kylie, I understand you have some new information for us.
[Kylie Atwood, Cnn National Security Reporter:] Yes, that's right. So, just last week, hours before we learned that Kurt Volker was resigning, the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that they would be issuing depositions, a number of them, to five State Department officials. One of them is Kurt Volker. They wanted to hear from these officials, in terms of what they knew about the State Department's handling of the Ukraine controversy. Now, Kurt Volker is going to be appearing, next Thursday, at this deposition, a source familiar with this discussion tells me. And what's important here, though, is because they're going so speedily with this process, he's going to be appearing next week, just days after he quit. But it's remarkable, because it's before there are sorry. It's before there are documents that have to be provided to the committee from the State Department. And so, we could have a situation in which there are members of the Hill, who are going into this briefing with Kurt Volker, asking him stuff questions, but not coming prepped with everything that they need, that they could have from the State Department. So, we're trying to figure out if they're going to be able to get everything that they need to prepare for that conversation. But I'm told, by folks on the Hill, that they don't anticipate to push it back any further. They want to hear from him as soon as possible.
[Cabrera:] And we know Volker has some ties to John McCain, right? Can you explain a little bit about those ties? Because we know McCain and Trump certainly didn't see eye to eye. And I just wonder, you know, if that has any kind of influence, if Volker is coming from that same perspective.
[Atwood:] Right. So, Volker worked for McCain. He maintained a role at the McCain Institute, while he was serving as Special Representative to Ukraine. That's not a traditional thing for folks to do. And because he did it, he was not paid by the State Department. He, basically, said that he was volunteering in the role. But, clearly, it was a very consequential role. But the fact that he is so close with folks who were close with McCain and was close with McCain himself, that wasn't, necessarily, a positive thing, in the eyes of President Trump. It's not a winning characteristic, that's how someone described it to me, in the eyes of Trump. So, there was never a point at which Volker was, really, inside Trump's inner circle while he was serving at the State Department. He was, kind of, on the periphery, trying to keep the president happy by doing everything that he could to try and appease him in the Giuliani situation. But there are, clearly, more questions about that. And because the White House already didn't love him because of those McCain connections, it'll be interesting to see what they continue to
[Cabrera:] Yes.
[Atwood:] say about him now that he has left. The State Department hasn't even put out a statement on his departure yet.
[Cabrera:] Well, and I'm so very interested now, given what you've just reported, too, learn what he has to say about all of this.
[Atwood:] Yes.
[Cabrera:] Thank you so much, Kylie Atwood, for that reporting. And the fallout does not end there. There's also new stunning reporting from "The Washington Post." The paper reporting that President Trump dismissed election interference during this 2017 Oval Office meeting with the Russians. Now, according to "The Post," the president told the Russians, during that meeting, that he did not care that they interfered in our elections in 2016, because the U.S., quote, "did the same in other countries." You'll recall, this is the same meeting we learned about from Russia. That's the only reason we have these pictures. This comes as CNN learns that the White House has taken remarkable steps to prevent a call with Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman from ever becoming public. Let's dig into this with Constitutional Law Attorney and Trump 2020 advisory board member, Jenna Ellis Rives, and former FBI special agent, Asha Rangappa. Jenna, I'll start with you. If there was nothing improper said on these calls, why go to such lengths to hide them?
[Jenna Ellis Rives, Constitutional Law Attorney:] Well, you know, Ana, hiding is, really, the characterization of the left. And I would not characterize this that way. I mean, certainly, you have executive privilege. You have the President Trump being fully transparent. And, you know, this is something where the Democratic left continues to try to simply undermine legitimacy of this president by
[Cabrera:] But hold on.
[Revis:] by going to words like hiding.
[Cabrera:] Hold on. Hold on, though.
[Rives:] We don't know that.
[Cabrera:] Well, they didn't take the normal procedures with these calls. In fact, our reporting is they didn't even have a transcript made of one of the phone calls, his conversations with MBS and the Saudi king.
[Rives:] Well, we don't actually know that process. I mean, when we look at the you know, there have been claims in Congress that the Ukraine phone call with the president was put into this, you know, secret computer server and that that was out of process. All of that is speculation. And when you're going to "The Post" for where you're taking your you know, your talking points, you're your information from, I think that that's jumping to conclusions. And so, hiding, again, is trying to that term is trying to mischaracterize this as something nefarious, when we have to let the process play out. And we have to actually look at what the evidence shows. And what the evidence is here is that there was nothing going on that was improper whatsoever. And so, again, if I am advising the president on how to handle this impeachment inquiry, it would be the same exact way that he has handled the attempt to undermine his election, from Peter Strzok and Lisa Page and the sealed dossier. How he has handled
[Cabrera:] OK.
[Rives:] the Mueller investigation. And how he's handling this second witch hunt which is to provide full transparency, to not allow the Democrats to undermine it, and to simply continue on, keeping his promise to the American people.
[Cabrera:] Before I turn to Asha, I just want to make sure the facts get out. That we don't know that there was nothing wrong with how the president handled these calls. Our reporting, and what we've learned from the transcript and then the whistleblower complaint, suggests perhaps otherwise. Asha, if there is no transcript of a call, for example, with foreign leaders, is that against the law?
[Asha Rangappa, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, the Presidential Records Act requires that there be documentation of, you know, the things that the president does. And that they you know, if there's notes made, they shouldn't be destroyed, for example. And, in fact, there is an executive order that governs how information is classified. A code word classified system is meant for highly sensitive, top secret, you know, information. Things like covert actions which you can't even talk about. You cannot put things in there, because you are trying to conceal something that is personally or politically embarrassing. That is actually laid out in the executive order. So, it would be a misuse of the classification system, if that was being done. And I believe that it
[Cabrera:] Right.
[Rangappa:] In terms motive.
[Cabrera:] So, why didn't we learn about this
[Rangappa:] You know,
[Cabrera:] when we were reading the Mueller report?
[Rangappa:] Because they were hiding it.
[Cabrera:] Jenna?
[Rives:] No. I mean, this is you know, you have the full Mueller report. The White House has been fully transparent. Everything that Mueller wanted, Mueller got. And so, again, characterizing this I mean, you are flip-flopping here, Ana, by saying that
[Rangappa:] Mueller wanted to interview the president and he wouldn't sit down with him.
[Rives:] Well, and there's no law that requires that he has to. But what you're saying at first is he's hiding something. And now, suddenly, we have all of this other stuff that now, you know, they're not hiding. And so, just in your questions to me, you're asking, why is the president hiding things? And then, you're asking, you know, the Democratic opponent to say, why is he why do we have all of this evidence? You can't have it both ways here. And so, what the what the Democratic left is trying to do is to say we have enough to impeach, but, yet, you're still trying to hide things. You've got we're going through the process but the president hasn't. And this is trying, again, to completely twist the process and make some kind of claim that has no legal or constitutional basis here. And so, we have to
[Rangappa:] Your
[Cabrera:] Jenna, we don't know what the impeachment investigation will turn up. But you say Trump's
[Rives:] Exactly.
[Cabrera:] Ukrainian call and the transcript, there is a nothing burger.
[Rives:] We have that.
[Cabrera:] We're learning Mick Mulvaney is now on shaky ground
[Rangappa:] Ana?
[Cabrera:] because of it. Make your case as to why you think Democrats are getting it wrong here.
[Rives:] Well, so, we have the best evidence. We have the transcript, which, you know, by the way, if we're talking about hiding things or going against the Presidential Records Act, clearly, that was a contemporaneous record of the phone call so there's no violation there. But we don't have anything here. And the Democrats are jumping to impeachment before they even saw the transcript or the complaint. But, according to the U.S. Constitution, which is objective, it's not a matter of opinion, there is no treason. This is with an ally. This is with Ukraine. This is asking that's fully within the scope of
[Rangappa:] Who's talking about treason?
[Rives:] the president's authority. Bribery is not a claim here, because this does not go the Federal Bribery Statute does not allow for, you know,
[Rangappa:] Ana.
[Rives:] foreign. And then, also, other crimes or misdemeanors.
[Cabrera:] OK.
[Rives:] There is, literally,
[Cabrera:] Finish your thought.
[Rives:] no statute that can point to.
[Cabrera:] Ok, Asha, go for it.
[Rangappa:] Ana, yes, when the framers wrote the Constitution, there, actually, wasn't a substantive federal criminal code. So, trying to look for statutes, most of which did not emerge until the early 20th century, is not really helpful in understanding what treason, bribery, and high crimes and misdemeanors mean. In fact, what the framers meant, by high crimes and misdemeanors, is that the president owes a fiduciary duty. That means he must act in the public interest. He cannot use his presidential authority for private gain which is exactly what the Ukraine call about. And, for all we know, there could be other calls that substantiate this. On the other point, you know, your guest is suggesting that the Democrats are jumping to impeachment. There is a difference between an impeachment inquiry and actual impeachment. The inquiry is the investigation that is used to uncover evidence to see if articles of impeachment are warranted. We are not at that stage yet. But what we have is what in the criminal justice analogue, a reasonable suspicion that such an inquiry is warranted. So, I think what you have is, you know, a lot of word salad happening that's conflating a lot of different terms. But I think it's really important for your viewers to really understand the process. And, also, what the terms in the Constitution mean by the people who actually wrote them.
[Cabrera:] Asha Rangappa and Jenna Ellis Rives, great to have both of you with us. I appreciate the spirited discussion and your expertise. Thank you.
[Rives:] Thank you.
[Rangappa:] Thank you.
[Cabrera:] The president admits it. His attorney admits it. The whistleblower shows it. The transcript shows it. But the word, for most Republicans, nothing to see here. So, will we see cracks in the GOP? You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

[Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Correspondent:] Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Amanpour." Here's what's coming up. It should be a party that delivers a bounce. And amid COVID, the first presidential nominating convention starts today online. I speak to the Republican making the case for Joe Biden, the former governor of Ohio, John Kasich. Then
[Unidentified Male:] In 1953, the United States together with Britain participated in a coup in Iran.
[Amanpour:] How did relations between Iran and the USA become so toxic? A thrilling documentary, "Coup 53" examines just how the CIA and MI6 overthrew Iran's budding democracy. The filmmakers join me. And
[Wade Davis, Professor Of Anthropology, University Of British Columbia:] Here we were a nation with 2,000 people dying a day, discovering that we're living kind of in a failed state.
[Amanpour:] Could COVID-19 signal the end of the American century? Author and anthropologist, Wade Davis, talks to Hari Sreenivasan about his latest work, "The Unraveling of America." Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. And we begin a week in which the fight for democracy is on display around the world, from the streets of Belarus to the United States, where the Democratic Party is holding its national convention, virtually for the first time in history. While in Belarus, hundreds of thousands of protesters have come out again against Alexander Lukashenko in the biggest threat ever to the man they call Europe's last dictator, they demand a do- over of last week's election, widely viewed as rigged. It gave him a sixth term in office after already 26 years. Even his most furthest base is coming out on strike, and the European Union is preparing to impose sanctions. It appears that leaders like Lukashenko or Brazil's Bolsonaro are being judged as much on their response to the coronavirus epidemic as anything. In the United States, too, President Trump has been accused of failing that leadership test, and the Democrats hope to capitalize on that all week during their first of a first of a kind virtual convention. There will be a roster of big names from the Clintons to the Obamas, Pelosi and ALC, and of course the candidates themselves, Biden and Harris. But there are also Republicans in the mix. The high-profile former governor of Ohio, John Kasich, there to make his case for Joe Biden, too. Four years ago, he ran against Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. From the key swing State of Ohio, and John Kasich joins me now from Westerville. Welcome to the program, Governor. So, let me ask you why a high-profile Republican is going to a democratic convention to make the case for the other guy.
[Fmr. Gov. John Kasich:] Well, Christiane, you know, I didn't endorse Trump in the last election. I was afraid he was going to be a divider, and he's turned out to be a divider. And I look at Joe Biden. I've known him for a long time, and I don't see him as a divider. I see him as a uniter. I think the very soul of our country and how we proceed is at risk here, and I've just been amazed and flummoxed in some sense and saddened by the division I see in our country. And Christiane, it's different. It's not just the division among politicians but it's now division among citizens, and America doesn't do very well when we can't get along. And I'm disturbed that it's not, as I say, the ruling class, these elected officials, but I see the people heading in the same direction, and I don't think we do well as a country when we're fighting and I know there is nothing that is too difficult to solve if we're united. And so, I will be making an appeal for people to put country over party. It seems like it's becoming increasingly difficult to be able to do, Christiane. We have to stop this.
[Amanpour:] Well, it is interesting, because you may not have endorsed Trump, as you said, but it's another thing to literally cross the aisle, so to speak, and endorse the opposite party. And you're not the only one. I mean, today they announced Former Governor Christine Todd Whitman as well as Meg Whitman who once ran for president for the Republicans and Susan Molinari, former congresswoman. What do you hope to achieve apart from defeating Trump?
[Kasich:] Well, I really want to see unity again. I want people to knock off these clenched teeth communication within families, between neighbors, and I want I'm trying to create a little space. Sometimes somebody's got to take the you know, to step out and take the heat so that somebody can come behind them and try to restore things. I'd like to see a Congress that can disagree without being disagreeable. I'd like them to be able to attack the big issues that we have in front of us, issues like climate, issues like what we do about the wealth gap, what we do about health care in this country. These are things that are very important, but I also believe that change comes from the bottom up. And as long as we can't speak to one another or we hold it against somebody because they have a point of view that we don't have, how is the community supposed to work? How are they supposed to function? So, what I'm really trying to achieve is to get people to say, look, I'm an American before I'm a Republican before I'm a Democrat. We're all made in the image of the lord and we have to respect people. We can't just cancel people out. These are things that are very important. And it's not inconsistent with anything I've done, frankly, throughout my entire career.
[Amanpour:] Let me ask you this, because, you know, everybody makes a big deal about swing states, important bell weather states like yours, Ohio. Last time around, President Trump beat Hillary Clinton by eight points in Ohio. And now, the race is slightly different. Biden has a lead there. Everybody is, I guess, rightly concerned about reading too much into polls given what happened last time. But can you please give us your expert lay of the land, what you think is going on in Ohio, that very important state?
[Kasich:] Well, Christiane, I was governor for eight years, and during that period, you know, we saw significant job growth, plus we've also expanded Medicaid. So, people have better health coverage, mental health coverage. We've done a lot of things. We cut taxes for those on the top and also created the first income tax credit. So, we had a period where it was an issue of inclusivity. Everybody sort of felt, most people felt, that they were included. And I won, you know, 66 out of 68 counties in the State of Ohio, and I think people said, why do we need to change? However, because we've seen people in the suburbs, particularly suburban women, college-educated folks, moving away from Donald Trump, it's narrowing. I still think Trump I think he's probably still ahead. He may win here, but it isn't going to be a blowout election here in Ohio, because Ohio has trended more Republican because of the success that people have seen on the ground. One other thing, Christiane, that is interesting. How does somebody go and support somebody in another party? I mean, Abraham Lincoln, you know, he had that book came out called "Team of Rivals" where he brought people in who he didn't agree with. I mean, that's what makes magic, isn't it, when you can pull people in and listen to them and grow and get new ideas. And somehow, we don't even want to listen. I talked to a lady just before I came on the air and she said, well, I vote Republican, and I don't really care who the person is. The person means nothing to me, it's all about the party. And I didn't argue with her because I wasn't going to convince her, but I'm sort of like, really? Is that the way we're supposed to function? I don't think that makes sense.
[Amanpour:] Well, then, let me ask you this, because, you know, you are a conservative Republican, at least you have been.
[Kasich:] I am.
[Amanpour:] You are prolife, you're pro-gun rights, et cetera. And yet, you're speaking on behalf of somebody who is you know, wants proper sensible gun laws and is prochoice, Joe Biden.
[Kasich:] Well, I do, too. I do, too, by the way.
[Amanpour:] So, what are you saying?
[Kasich:] What I'm saying, Christiane, is
[Amanpour:] What are you saying then, about the Democratic Party? Is it a big 10 party that you think is right for the country right now?
[Kasich:] No, what I'm saying is that I think Joe Biden, knowing his history and the relationship I've had with him, he's a guy that could get along with people that he doesn't agree with. And what is essential is we're able to come together, sit around a table, you know, get to know one another. And look, I was involved in military reform with a very liberal Democrat by the name of Ron Dellums. He and I were extremely close. I work with a former democrat named Tim Penny when we did the first run at trying to balance the federal budget. I was willing to work even with Ralph Nader and people in my party on the issue of corporate welfare. See, when I got into Congress and even as a governor, I never thought of myself as a Republican. The Republican Party has been my vehicle, never my master. So, I like to be able to work with people that don't agree with me or think like me. Look, but I think the Democrats and their far-left, like the Republicans on the far-right, you know, it's a little too strident. And I think that America exists in the middle. And so, what I'm trying to say is, because I don't agree with somebody on everything, if they can be reasonable and try to solve problems, and for my party, for the Republicans, you know, and for all really all Americans, the millennials and the Gen-Xers are becoming the majority in this country, larger than the baby boomers. So, we have to accept the change that's going to come and work with those generations to tell them about the things that we think make our country successful. But to think that we're going back to the Reagan years, 40 years ago, or to Ozzie and Harriet ain't going to work. So, everybody needs to realize that with change comes youthfulness and vibrancy, and we should embrace it, not run away from it.
[Amanpour:] OK. So, I want to ask you about the actual logistics of the election. As you know, obviously there's been a lot about mail-in ballots, and there is a huge brouhaha in the United States about the sanctity of the U.S. Postal Service. So, today we learned that the postmaster general has been called and is volunteering and will testify before Congress. We hear that the secretary of the treasury, Steve Mnuchin, says some $10 billion will be given to make sure the Postal Service can operate under this extraordinary burden and pressure of what's predicted to be, you know, obviously a huge volume of mail. The president says the following. Let me just play what the president said today about what he thinks about postal ballots.
[Donald Trump, U.s. President:] This universal mail-in is a very dangerous thing. It's fraught with fraud and every other thing that can happen, and we have to be very, very careful. We have a very big election coming up. I think we're going to do very well, and I want to make sure the election is not stolen.
[Amanpour:] OK. So, I want you to read through the lines and tell me what's going on. On the one hand, he's definitely casting aspersions against the ability to have a fair election. On the other hand, his secretary of the treasury is saying that he's going to pour $10 billion to stand the Postal Service up. What exactly is going on, and are you worried about the ability to have votes cast and votes counted?
[Kasich:] Well, Christiane, you're a total pro, and it's a pleasure for me to be with you. And I'm glad that we talked about the convention on the up front because maybe this is the president trying to create a distraction as the Democrat Convention starts where there's people saying, yes, we can get this done, with him saying, this wouldn't be fair. What concerns me, not just about the operation of the Post Office, and clearly, they're going to need the resources, and my understanding is, is this represents about 2 percent of all the mail they're going to get. But what worries me about this is that the president drives home an idea that the results of this election are tainted. And you get 20 or 25 percent of the public that says this was not a legitimate election, that poses a big problem for our country. Now, Richard Nixon, he thought that he had really not been treated fairly in '60 and he said he wasn't going to put the country through a test. Al Gore, the Democrat, who lost, you know, so narrowly based on hanging chads in Florida and all that, he had his problems and he said, no, I'm not going to put the country through that, because they realized the legitimacy, the importance of a legitimacy of an election. I hope the president will not continue to cast aspersions. For me, I tell people that, you know, I think it will work out fine, and mail-in voting will work, and there's no evidence it favors one party over another or that we would have fraud. I just don't buy it, I don't agree with it, and that's all I can do.
[Amanpour:] So, beyond you saying that, we understand that some states are trying to take, I guess, legal measures or some kind of, you know, proactive, preemptive measures to make sure that the ballots can be properly postmarked, properly sent in on time, properly counted, properly delivered. Do you have any reason to believe that the infrastructure will not be able to cope or will not be there in the correct way that it should be?
[Kasich:] Well, I would think, Christiane, for anybody that has concerns, these secretaries of state across the country, you know, perhaps you need to get your absentee ballot in or your vote-in ballot in a little sooner, maybe you extend the period of time at which they can count them. In Ohio, I think it's 10 days they have after the election to continue to count the ballots. I think the states need to get together and share best practices. Do I think at the end we'll have a legitimate election? I do. I do not believe this is going to be fraudulent. And look, there were a lot of charges the last time. A president said there was so much fraud and that he won the popular vote. It just wasn't true. But, you know, we have the tendency in this country to take something and blow it into something big, and I just wish that we all of us, I happen to be in the media as well as you, would just take things a little more with a grain of salt and not overreact or overhype.
[Amanpour:] So, President Trump is taking out a huge number of ads, he's going to have, you know, public appearances or appearances during the Democratic Convention to try to, I guess, you know, do what he does best, which is hold the limelight.
[Kasich:] Right.
[Amanpour:] He's accusing his opponents of being radical socialists. How will that go down amongst Republicans and those, you know, swing voters or independents and things? Can he make that stick against somebody who is so well known as Joe Biden and someone like Kamala Harris who is hardly a socialist, not even on the left-wing of the party?
[Kasich:] You know, I think, Christiane, that what is going to be important is for Joe Biden to show a sense of strength, not just at this convention, of course, but when he's out and about. I understand he's sitting for an interview with ABC News, kind of an hour-long question and answer. But as he goes through this campaign, he's got to convince people that he is not a pushover, he's not a sap for anybody, he's not going to be overwhelmed and he's vigorous enough to be able to carry out the duties of the office of the president. That is what I hear a lot from people. Well, you know, I'm not afraid of Biden, but, you know, the hard left will take over, they'll run things, and he's not strong enough. I think it's incumbent on him to be able to show that he can be in control, that he is a good leader. Yes, he's older, but I know a lot of people who are older, and they may not be as fast as they were 30 years earlier, but their brains work just fine and their spine is just as stiff. And I think he has to show that so that there is not this sense that he can't carry out the job. And that will give Republicans, disaffected Republicans and some independents greater assurance and would give them greater confidence support him. That's what I think one of the issues are.
[Amanpour:] So, let me ask you a final question. Because, obviously, Joe Biden, vice president, has to still mobilize, you know, certainly young people, certainly maybe elements of the Hispanic or Latin-X population, younger black voters. And you, as I've said, you know, members on the left wing of the party are not thrilled that a whole load of Republicans are going to be speaking at the convention. Let me read what the nation says, Joe Biden is not going to win white men Ohio in 2020. That's your state. He's not going to win them nationally, either, unless John Kasich has some plan to inspire women and black people to vote for Biden, neither he nor any never Trump Republican is going to be all that helpful in the upcoming election. Your response?
[Kasich:] I don't really have any response. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. And if you know, I'm sorry they don't think I could get people to listen. I hope I do. My goal is to get people to listen to this message, and we're just going to have to see. I guess the truth will be in the pudding later, and we'll see what effect. But you know what, I'm pleased that I'm doing this, I feel good about it, it's a matter of conscience for me, and we'll just see where it comes out. You don't make look, if you want to be a leader, Christiane, you know, you have to learn to walk a lonely road. And I've sort of been that way my entire life, and I'm comfortable with criticism and praise and everything else. I just kind of do my thing based on what my friends, how they advise me and how I feel about it in my conscience and my gut, and then I make decisions, and I'm happy with this one.
[Amanpour:] So, finally, finally, then, are you concerned that more senior Republicans haven't done that? We've had Republican strategists on, people who are writing books of mea culpa and saying it was all a lie, like Stuart Stevens who we had on. And here's a poll that more upstanding Republicans have not come out and had an attack of conscience like you have.
[Kasich:] Well, I am concerned, Christiane, not so much about the politicians because they're always trying to measure what's in their best interest. Not all of them and not always, but too much of the time. But I'm more concerned about the division I see among the public, the families being divided, friends being lost, the kind of anger that's being expressed through these clenched teeth. That is what really bothers me a great deal. Because, you know, the strength of our country is not the politicians, it's the people. And if they don't get along with each other, then we're at a loss. We need to fix it, and that's why I'm speaking at that convention, is part of an effort to try to get that done.
[Amanpour:] Governor John Kasich, thank you so much for joining us.
[Kasich:] Thank you.
[Amanpour:] Now, foreign policy hardly ever comes up during these conventions, but it is a safe bet that the vexed relationship with Iran will continue to figure prominently. Biden says as president he would restore the Iran Nuclear Deal that Donald Trump has ditched. Our next guest, filmmaker, Taghi Amirani, says that if you want to understand this poisonous relationship, you have to go further back before than the 1979 Islamic revolution, back before the coup of 1953. Indeed, that is the title of his latest documentary, uncovering details hidden until now about how the CIA and Britain's MI6 overthrew Iran's first democratically election prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. Here's a bit of the trailer.
[Unidentified Male:] In 1953, the United States together with Britain, participated in a coup in Iran. Mossadegh and his government were swept from power in favor of General Zahedi. 300 killed and hundreds wounded as a conservative estimate. The British government has never officially acknowledged its role in the coup. I don't think at any time we really planned a coup d'etat. These words have not been heard or seen for over 34 years. Evidence that has the potential to turn a dark chapter in history inside-out.
[Amanpour:] And Taghi Amirani joins me now from Washington along with his co-writer and the film's editor, the famous Hollywood film editor and sound engineer, Walter Murch. Welcome to you both to the program. It is such an amazing film. It's just so jam-packed, sort of like a thriller that unfolds page by page. So, Taghi, let me ask you first. Maybe not many people know about the coup of '53, but it's not a secret. People, historians do know that back in 1953 this is what happened. What is it about the story then that you felt needed 10 years of your life and work to bring to the screen? What is it that you've uncovered?
[Taghi Amirani, Director And Co-writer, "coup 53":] Well, it took 10 years because there was a lot of research I wanted to do to get to the heart of the story. This story has been told. As you say, it's been out there. It's been told in television documentaries, but never in such depth and such forensic analysis. As you know, the story of the coup, the coup itself is a sort of a scar on the psyche of Iranians, it's a scar that hasn't healed, and every time things flare up between Iran and the West, particularly Britain and America, that scab gets pulled back. For a lot of people, Iran story really begins with '79 and nobody knows the back story. And I'm saying, to understand '79 and what's happening since then and the kind of a turmoil that we're dealing with every day, you need to go to the original sin. '53 is where it's all at. You need to understand that to know why we're in the state we are in right now.
[Amanpour:] So, Taghi, the CIA's role in it has been known for a long time, and, in fact, the secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, back in 2000 virtually apologized for the coup. The U.K. has never been publicly acknowledged, the MI6 involvement, right?
[Amirani:] That's right. For decades, you know, this has been known as a CIA coup in Iran. It's the Kermit Roosevelt coup in Iran.
[Amanpour:] So, let me turn to you, Walter Merch, then on the issue of Ralph Fiennes and how he played a cameo role in this film. You obviously have an amazing, amazing body of work. "The English Patient, "Apocalypse Now," "Godfather II," I think and on and on and on. You were the one, I think, who's instrumental in getting Ralph Fiennes into this documentary. Is that correct, Walter?
[Walter Murch, Editor And Co-writer, "coup 53":] That's correct. We had a transcript of an interview that this mysterious MI6 agent had given to a television program in 1983, but for various reasons, understandable, because it was so inflammatory it was repressed. So, we had the problem of how were we going to flesh this out in something that would have a visual aspect to it. And Taghi and I were walking back from lunch one day, and suddenly Ralph Fiennes popped into my head. He had approached me a couple months earlier about working on a film he was going to direct, and I turned the tables and said, well, why don't you come and be the character of Norman Derbyshire in our film? And Taghi and I went over to the National Theater and pitched the idea to him and he immediately got the idea and accepted.
[Amanpour:] And he was playing at the National Theater, a different role. I can't remember what it was, but he all he had to do or not all he had to do, but he didn't have to get out of costume. He was reading the transcript in a really dramatic way. But let me ask you, Walter, as an American filmmaker, what was it about Mossadegh, the overthrown prime minister of Iran, that interested you? What was it about this story that made you wanted to come on board?
[Murch:] Well, I had edited Sam Mendez'"Jarhead" back in 2005, and that was where I learned about Mossadegh and the whole history about Iranian oil and the U.K.'s involvement and the U.S. involvement. And in working on this film, what I learned was that this coup, this overthrow of Mossadegh was the very first time that the CIA had gone off campus, so to speak, and had to destabilize a foreign government in the eastern hemisphere. And by their own light, this coup was a huge success. They got everything that they wanted. The cost was very little, proportionately speaking. And so, under the entrepreneurship of Allen Dulles became a template for how the United States could have its way in the world by destabilizing government after government to not have to fight a war like they had a hot war they had in Korea that was going on at the same time. So, this episode is a template that works its way through the history of our relationship with Havana, with our relationship with Chile and particularly, our relationship with Vietnam.
[Amanpour:] And then there were coups elsewhere that were backed by the CIA, in Africa and Central America and all the rest of it. So, you're right, this was the first of them. I want to play a clip, and this is you found, and you've tracked down, Taghi, Mousa Mehran, who was Mossadegh's head of security at the time. I mean, it's amazing that you found him. And he recalls what happened on that day, 67 years ago, the 19th of August, 1953. Let's just play it and we'll talk about it.
[Mousa Mehran:] About 4:30 in the afternoon, 28 tanks attacked Dr. Mossadegh's house.
[Unidentified Male:] Long live the Shah. Long live the Shah. Long live the Shah.
[Mehran:] We lost a third of our 57 men in different battles defending the house. They put up a good fight around the house. Something I will always remember are the good words of one of the soldiers as he lay there dying, his hand covering his body parts falling out, he said with his last breaths, this sacrifice is for Dr. Mossadegh.
[Amanpour:] So, Taghi, it's very dramatic that you found him and that you have him talk about what happened on that day, and the artistic rendition is also part of the filmmaking as you recapture those historic moments. Tell people who Mossadegh was. I mean, nobody really knows that there was a budding democracy in Iran, I mean, even at the beginning of the 1900, it was the first in the region that tried, at least, to have some kind of constitutional democracy. Explain his relevance to history, his importance.
[Amirani:] Well, Mossadegh was elected on a ticket of nationalizing Iranian oil. That was his sole purpose. And that happened in April 1951. And up to that point, Britain was absolutely controlling Iranian oil, benefitted from the resources and the revenue. Iran was getting absolutely nothing. They were treating Iranians like secondary citizens. In Abadan, the oil refinery town, it was almost like a state within a state. Iran was basically India 2.0. They were doing India in Iran. Mossadegh got elected, immediately nationalizing Iranian oil. He was representing a secular democratic sensibilities of Iranians.
[Amanpour:] Well, I was going to ask you both. Let me ask you, Walter, since you're the American, what do you think might have happened if your country did not topple, as the democratically elected prime minister of this country, with which it is on such bad terms now for 40 years, at least since 1979 and the Islamic Republic?
[Walter Murch, Editor And Co-writer, "coup 53":] It's very hard to say with these kinds of things. But the chance is that the revolution of '79 would not have happened. That was the result of 25 years of the autocratic regime, of the absolute monarch, backed by the CIA of the shah. And the pendulum obviously swung so far in the direction of this religious fundamentalism, which was absolutely something that Mossadegh was opposed to. So, it's quite possible that the revolution would never have happened.
[Amanpour:] I want to read a little bit of the review in the "F.T.," a little bit of the article about it. It says your film shows that it becomes increasingly clear that the British and Americans viewed Iran merely as a chessboard on which to play their power games, the prize, controlling the oil supply and halting the march of communism. Taghi, that you spoke about the oil supply and how that fueled the whole new energy-dependent British navy, et cetera. But the whole idea was that it was meant to be a bulwark against communism as well. Against the Soviets, yes.
[Amirani:] Yes, that was Churchill's pitch to the Americans. The British were not going to say to the Americans, come and please help us get our oil back. It was, come and help us stop Iran going communist. I think that was the communist bogeyman. And Mossadegh was represented as a kind of a sympathizer. In fact, a lot of propaganda was put in the Iranian press as him being a communist or sort of some sort of crazy socialist. In fact, fake news was invented by the CIA and MI6. We have an amazing CIA agent in the film saying he would write copy at Langley against Mossadegh, and then it would appear in Iranian papers the next day. So, I think the Iran, at the risk of becoming communism as an excuse for the coup is B.S. excuse my French. It was about oil. It was always about oil. We have so much other stuff that's not in the film. We had a document of an interview with an American politician saying, we had to make a deal with the British that we were going to get a slice of this or if we were going to help them with a coup. And, in fact, that turned out to be the case. When the coup happened., the shah came back. Mossadegh was in jail. The oil company was split. Anglo- Iranian became BP. How many people know BP was born in Iran? And it was a consortium of which the Americans had 40 percent. And then they became the dominant power in Iran after the coup. The Brits were sort of sidelined. It was about the oil, like Iran was about the oil, like Venezuela is about the oil. When it's come to the Middle East, it's always about the oil. There's an American bumper sticker that says, why is our oil under their sand?
[Amanpour:] OK. Taghi, I want to play another clip, because this is really interesting. You're talking about the CIA. Here you are getting access to some of the CIA archives and documents at the time. Here's this clip.
[Unidentified Male:] What was new was essentially this page, the military coup that overthrew Mossadegh and his National Front cabinet was carried out under CIA direction. They had never, to my knowledge, officially acknowledged their role right in the coup. Right. And you see here the first part of that sentence there: "As an act of U.S. foreign policy conceived and approved at the highest levels of government, it was not an aggressively simplistic solution clandestinely arrived at..." "But was instead an official admission by both the United States and United Kingdom that normal rational methods of international communication and commerce had failed. Mossadegh was in the way." And even acknowledged the British role. Right.
[Amanpour:] So, very quickly, Taghi, because I want to give Walter a last word as well. They have now it's the transcript has been published by the National Security Archive at George Washington University in the U.S. That's a bit of a step forward.
[Amirani:] It is. It's just a little minor coup in itself. And the National Security Archives have been amazing. Malcolm Byrne, who features in the film, the deputy director of research, he's an incredible source of material for us. And we're delighted that he's been he has been finally able to share this document, which is the smoking gun. It's the closest you're going to get from MI6 to admit that it was their coup, primarily, bringing the Americans in. So, in the absence of an admission, an official admission by the British government, that transcript stands in for one.
[Amanpour:] OK. Well, I hoped to have had a bit more time to talk to both of you. But, listen, we're out of time. But that was really, really interesting. Walter Murch, Taghi Amirani, thank you so much for joining us. And now, with protests on the streets, a global pandemic, and a polarized political landscape, you might wonder if the age of American exceptionalism is coming to an end. Our next guest, Wade Davis, believes that it is. He is professor of anthropology at the University of British Columbia. And in a recent article for "Rolling Stone," he wrote about how COVID-19 signals quote "the unraveling of America." And here he is talking to our Hari Sreenivasan about how even great empires have their day.
[Hari Sreenivasan, Cnn International Correspondent:] Thanks, Christiane. Wade Davis, thanks for joining us. This has been a popular concern among critics of the president, this idea that the American empire is unraveling. And I want to start with just a little quote from the essay that you had penned for "Rolling Stone." And you said in there: "No empire long endures, even if few anticipate their demise. Every kingdom is born to die. The 15th century belonged to the Portuguese, the 16th to Spain, 17th to the Dutch. France dominated the 18th and Britain the 19th." Why do you think that this is the end of the American empire or the American era?
[Wade Davis, Professor Of Anthropology, University Of British Columbia:] Well, I think, obviously, that's not something I'm looking forward to. And I think if the era does slip away, we're going to be very nostalgic for it, particularly if the if the weight of history moves to China with that political structure. I was really at this piece trying to look at it through the cultural lens. It's interesting. The arguments have always been about morbidity and mortality, as if it was a medical story. And you had one side saying that these figures are really desperately terrible, the other side saying, oh, we're exaggerating and so on. And it struck me that the real issue was what this pandemic meant in this moment of time. The Black Death, of course, changed European history by wiping out half the population of Europe and transforming the economy. But we also have had other pandemics. My own grandfather died in the Spanish Flu in 1919. Millions of people died, yet that didn't shake history, because it happened at a time when the world was already numb from death. And people forget that, for example, in the summer of Woodstock, when 500,000 kids swam around together in the mud in New York state, there was a major Hong Kong outbreak that left people in Berlin storing corpses in subway stations because the hospitals have got overrun. So what's different now? I think what's different now is, first, obviously the global reach of both technology to disseminate the story and the global reach of travel to disseminate the virus. Remember that, when Woodstock happened, the vast majority of Americans had never taken a commercial flight. So these two things have come together. And it's created changes in our lives, but people are always adapting. We're always dancing with new possibilities for life. We will get used to working from home. We will get used to having theaters shuttered, restaurants, this and that. And the economic challenge will hover over the economy. Unless there's a total collapse, we will be all right on that front as well. But what has changed is the absolutely astonishing impact it's had on the reputation United States and the myth of American exceptionalism. Here we were, a nation with 2,000 people dying a day, discovering that we were living kind of in a failed state ruled by a kind of a dysfunctional government, led by someone who clearly intellectually could not even begin to understand the significance of what was happening all around him.
[Sreenivasan:] So, is the critique more about the specific government response and perhaps the president than it is about America in general? I mean, are those two the same?
[Davis:] No, they're not. I think I say in the article that the election of President Trump in 2016 was not a was not a symptom or cause of decline. It was an indication of the intensity of the dissent, in a sense. We forget what's become of America. And, again, I want to stress this. I have often described since this piece went viral, as a Canadian commenting on America, I married an American. I became a naturalized American. I love America. I got my education there. I my entire career could never have happened in Canada. My own son-in-law is serving on active duty in the U.S. forces right now overseas. So, I am...
[Sreenivasan:] So, you're saying this, what, out of love?
[Davis:] Yes. It's you know what I think it is? It's like a family intervention. If you have an intervention, the first thing you have to do is hold the mirror to the person to show you where they have gotten to. One of the most remarkable correlations of this whole crisis is to look at a difference in performance between the true social democracies of the world, whether it's Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, or the Scandinavian nations, compared to the United States. And I have also had some criticism of this article by Canadians, who keep saying, oh, it's not so great in Canada. Well, of course it's not so great in Canada. We're no perfect place. But the data is the data. And on July 30, when the United States announced 59,979 new cases of COVID, in all of British Columbia, there were five COVID patients in the hospitals. The measure of success in a civilized nation is not the currency accumulated by the lucky few, but the strength of social relations and the bonds of reciprocity that sort of bind everybody one way or another into a common purpose. I mean, people in the United States just forget what they did. They save civilization. The Ford Motor Company made more industrial output than Italy. We were popping up Liberty ships two a day. The record for building a Liberty ship was four days four days, 29 hours and 17 minutes from scratch. I mean, literally, industrial might of America, together with the blood of Russian soldiers, literally saved civilization. We ended up spending $6 trillion since 2001 on military adventures. We have China's never gone to war since the 1970s. We have never been at peace. And in that time, China every three years poured more cement than America did in the 20th century as they built their own country.
[Sreenivasan:] I want to pull up a paragraph here. It says: "The American cult of the individual denies not just community, but the very idea of society. No one owes anything to anyone. All must be prepared to fight for everything, education, shelter, food, medical care. What every prosperous and successful democracy deems to be fundamental rights, universal health care, equal access to quality public education, a social safety net for the weak, elderly and infirm, America dismisses as socialist indulgences, as if so many signs of weakness." How did the United States go from a place where we were building ships, several ships a day, we all collectively sacrificed as a country for a wartime effort, to this cult of individualism?
[Davis:] Well, the cult of individualism has always been one of the great strengths and wonders of the United States, of course, going back to the founding fathers. But in the wake of World War II, don't forget that with Europe and Asia in ashes, the United States, with about 6 percent of the world's population, controlled 50 percent of the world's economy. We built 90 percent of the world's automobiles. And that affluence allowed for a truce between labor and capital that really gave rise to the middle class. And when I was a boy, relatively a man with relatively little education could readily own a home, own a car, put his kids in good schools. And we kind of have a nostalgia for that era. But we also we forget that the America of the 1950s, in economic terms, resembled Denmark more than it does the America of today. Remember that marginal tax rates on the wealthy were 90 percent. So the rise of affluence in what was often seen to be the golden age of American capitalism lifted all ships. And since then, we have entered a place of such almost grotesque income inequality. I mean, a democracy cannot thrive and it certainly can't realize its ideals if the top 1 percent control $30 trillion in assets, but the bottom half of the entire populace in United States has more debt than assets, right? And so this kind of social safety net that we take for granted in a place like Canada, universal health care, access to good education, social support for the elderly, the infirm, the impoverished, that is sort of looked upon as in the States as sort of so many signs of weakness. When people go out to bars now, or and we have seen this in the upsurge of cases or go to the beaches, or go to conventions or protest the use of masks, that's not a sign of freedom. That's a sign of a people of weakness, of people who lack the stoicism to endure the pandemic or the fortitude to defeat it.
[Sreenivasan:] I was talking to my uncle the other day, and he kept hammering home that, hey, don't give up on the United States. This is still a place with a tremendous amount of resilience. There is no better container right now of some of the best talent in the world, some of the best capital, institutions of higher education and research. That doesn't go away with one election or one pandemic.
[Davis:] I agree 100 percent. And I wish with all my heart that your uncle is absolutely right. As I say in the essay, the decline of America is no time to gloat. It's no time for celebration. At a moment when all of civilization could gone down a rabbit hole of unimaginable horrors, the military might and the industrial might of the United States literally, in the lifetime of our fathers, saved the world. And that's not hyperbole. And, certainly, if the hinge of history does turn to an Asian century dominated by the current regime in China, with their 200 million surveillance cameras and their treatment of various minorities and so on, treatment of the people of Hong Kong, we will certainly be nostalgic for the American era. But, again, I think that, if America is to heal the bonds, you have to have some kind of sense of collective community, some sense of benign collective purpose. The talk of polarization in the States is always seen through the lens of the political immediacy, if you will, in the States. But the in historic terms, it is so deeply sad, and it's so deeply corrosive. And no matter what how happens in November, whoever is elected, whether the president is resoundingly defeated or whether he wins again, if America can't begin to bridge the gap between itself, that kind of prosperous and hopeful future that your uncle envisions may just not happen.
[Sreenivasan:] I mean, do societies know when they have peaked, or how long until they figure this out? I mean, it's not like an athlete that can just kind of look back at their split times and say, yes, you know what, I was faster five years ago.
[Davis:] The fascinating thing is, the British empire, few people realize it reached its greatest geographical extent in 1935, long after the Great War, but we now know, of course, that the empire was absolutely bled white and bankrupt by that war. In fact, probably, its height was back in the 1880s. And yet there they were in 1935 still having their gin and tonics in all corners of the world, and the map of the world was red. But the torch of history had long before passed the Americans. And so it's the first thing you read from that article. Again, none of this is wish something I wished. And, certainly, I did not write it in any bitterness or any desire to hurt my American friends and family members. But the reality is that empires rise and fall. Eras come and go. That's the truth of history. And if the people can't see what's going on to themselves, that's often a sure sign that the danger is on the horizon.
[Sreenivasan:] What's so wrong about pointing inward and saying we have our own problems to fix, and perhaps we don't need to be on the world stage in the same way? What is the impact of having global leadership or a society standing, if you choose to do that?
[Davis:] Well, I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong about it. It's more an issue of the American presence on the global stage. Do we look back over the last 50 or 60 years and believe that it's been, for all of its problems, fundamentally a positive or a negative force in the world? Certainly, the idea of turning back upon ourselves, improving our infrastructure, looking after our own people, is probably long overdue. But I think that the bigger question is, the integrity of who we are. How do we how do we bridge this divide? I mean, how do we get back to a place where and part of this is just sociological. We want people always talk about how great the schools were in the 1950s. But often left out of that equation is the fact that the only opportunities for women in that decade were, of course, nursing or secretarial or teaching. Sol, when we grew up or when I grew up, our teachers were women who today are on the bench. They are surgeons. They're running for office. They're running corporations. So some of these things just and the idea that a family can be solid middle class just with a single wage is simply no longer the case. So, some of these changes, we just have to adapt to. But I think this no nation can stand when it's it's like Lincoln said. No nation can stand when it's at odds with itself, and until America, I think, looks in the mirror and sees how crippling this polarization has become, not simply as an artifice of political discourse, but deep cultural divide, really unprecedented since the divide before the Civil War.
[Sreenivasan:] Besides the pandemic, the United States also seems to be beginning a very difficult reckoning on race. Why won't that result in real change that moves the country forward that sets an example?
[Davis:] Well, if we could somehow in the United States resolve the challenges of race, that would be a fantastic thing. But it goes hand in hand, as Martin Luther King at the very, very beginning of his crusade, he never separated the racial challenge from the economic challenge. And it seems to me that the key thing in the United States is not just overcoming the nightmare of racial discrimination, but also economic discrimination. One thing I try to explain to my American friends to try to the difference between Canada and the United States or any social democracy and the United States and, again, I'm not saying that we don't have enormous problems here in Canada, but I call it sort of the Safeway grocery store test. If you get your groceries at most Safeways in the United States, there tends to be an educational racial, cultural, class, economic chasm between you and the checkout person that's very difficult to bridge. And you don't feel that at the Safeway in Canada, not that you necessarily interact as a peer, but you do have a sense of being part of a wider community. And that's palpable. You can sense it. And I think the reason for that is very simple, is that you checkout person who is getting a decent wage because of the unions, you know that probably your kids and their kids go to the same public schools, because the Safeways are based in neighborhoods. But, more importantly and this really is an important thing health care is not about medicine alone. It's about social solidarity. It's a message that you send to every citizen that you matter. And that person at the Safeway checkout counter knows that I know that they know that I know that, their kids get sick, they will get not just the same care as my kids, but the care of the prime minister.
[Sreenivasan:] So do you think then that it is possible? I mean, here you are. You have written this love letter intervention to the United States, in a way. Millions of people have read it. So do you think America has the capability to turn on a dime again, to try to figure out how to build these bridges and maintain its leadership?
[Davis:] Whether it maintains its political leadership or whether we even want that to be the case, I'm not sure. But whether America itself can reinvent itself as the better heart of our nature, the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, absolutely. I mean, my whole pitch is not that I want to be critical of America. I just want America to be the America of my dreams as a boy growing up in Canada, and that was the America of Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, and the Grateful Dead. That's what I want America to be again.
[Sreenivasan:] Wade Davis, thanks so much.
[Davis:] Thank you so much.
[Amanpour:] And, surely, that is going to be at the very heart of what the two contenders are fighting for come November. And, finally, this Democratic Convention will highlight the achievement of women breaking the glass ceiling, like Kamala Harris, of course, making history as the vice presidential nominee and the first black woman on a major party ticket in the United States. But this weekend, here in the U.K., swimmer Chloe McCardel broke the watery ceiling or the watery depths by breaking the men's record for the most swims across the English Channel. Yes, it is a thing. It took the Australian native nearly 11 hours to finish her 35th crossing, beating the men's record, which stands at 34. And also, as a survivor of domestic violence, McCardel said that she hopes her victory will raise awareness for women who've been suffering abuse in lockdown. That's it for now. You can always catch us online, on our podcast and across social media. Thank you for watching, and goodbye from London. END

[Zakaria:] On Thursday the President told Fox Business he wasn't interested in speaking to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. In fact, Trump said America could cut off its whole relationship with China. Is that even possible in this interconnected age? Richard Haass is the President of the Council on foreign relations and the author of a terrific new book titled "The World: A brief introduction." We'll get to that in a second. But I want to first ask you, Richard, we almost have an almost bipartisan consensus that we have to get very tough on China. Trump is saying what he's saying. Biden's attacks on Trump are not that this is a bad idea but he was there first, and that Trump has been cozying up to China. You heard Rahm Emanuel say that a bit earlier. Where does this go and is it a wise strategy for America?
[Richard Haass, President, Council On Foreign Relations:] Fareed, it's one of those times where I actually begin to question the desirability and wisdom of bipartisanship. I think this anti-China push underestimates china's limits and weaknesses. I think it probably exaggerates its ambitions, most important it seems to me to place China at the center of American foreign policy is misplaced. We can and should push back against China, that's not going to make us competitive. That's all about our schools, our infrastructure, our research and development funding. And overseas we can push back against China, that's not going to make us safe against the next pandemic or against terrorism or against climate change. We need a 21st century foreign policy, and pushing back against china is only one part of it.
[Zakaria:] And what do you think is behind this sort of the Republican's push Mike Pompeo, Peter Navarro to investigate the origins of the virus? Because even they seem to acknowledge, even Fox News reports that they think this was essentially accidental. They might have accidentally gotten out of the lab or accidentally gotten out into the wet market. I'm trying to understand what difference does that make? Why is this push about, you know, are they culpable in some way even if they are admittedly you know, it happened by incompetence or accident.
[Haass:] Look, we could learn something and then it could help us deal with the next pandemic or even prevent it. But let's just call a spade, a spade. It's deflection, its politics, and China China should be roundly criticized, Fareed, I think you would agree with that, with how it handled the outbreak of this pandemic, these markets should have never been opened. They silenced the public health people. They misrepresented, they didn't cooperate with the world. Even if China had behaved well, if they were a textbook citizen, that doesn't let us off the hook. Here we are four, five months later we still can't test anything like the scale we need to. It doesn't explain our lack of stockpiled equipment. I think it's right to look at China. It's right to ask for a full investigation, we might learn something. But let's not kid ourselves, position heal thyself. We should take lessons on where we got it wrong.
[Zakaria:] I want to look at one of these issues through the prism of your book. You talk about in the book that globalization is a reality, how we deal with it is a choice. Very well put. When I look at the W.H.O., I sort of think about it in that context, which is that everybody is attacking it, but the truth is we have these global problems, these pandemics, these viruses that spill over borders. And then the question is can you have some kind of global response and the truth is the W.H.O. is very small, pretty modest funding, and most importantly it's not allowed to push back against other countries. Yes, it didn't push back against China, absolutely clear. It also doesn't push back against the United States. That's we've designed these international institutions not to deal with the global problems, and it strikes me as a perfect example of the point, you make in your book that the problems are getting global, but the solutions are remaining local and national.
[Haass:] Exactly right. There is enormous gap between global challenges and responses. One of the most common phrases in our businesses international community, and the deep dark secret there's not much of one. In everyone of the area whether it's climate change or global health, we need to narrow the gap. And if it's turns out as impossible to improve the W.H.O. because China and other sovereign governments won't allow it, let's form a club. Let's form an arrangement where ourselves and other like-minded countries set the rules, build the capacities to help the world. It's not W.H.O. or nothing, that's the best approach and principle, but if it is not in practice, let's works around it.
[Zakaria:] We also seem to be seceding a certain amount of leadership. President Trump has now said you know may be we'll cut back our contributions by 90 percent. Wouldn't the Chinese then say we'll expand? That's what they've done in the U.N. every time we stepped back, the Chinese say great, this gives us more opportunities for global leadership. I don't get how we'll dominate the international system by constantly abdicating.
[Haass:] The reason you don't get it is because we won't. We're creating all sorts of space and opportunity for China, even though China is essentially in many cases pushing a really flawed agenda, if there's no push back they're going to prevail. So we need to be more involved. One lesson of the pandemic is that we ignored globalization and ignore the world at our peril. The other has got to be not only is isolationism deeply flawed, but unilateralism is. We have to get on the field. We have to play. You can't win the game unless you play. All too often this administration has taken itself off the field.
[Zakaria:] Let me ask you finally, Richard, about American soft power. This is a concept that a friend of ours, Joe Nyer wrote about a lot. When you think the world looks at the way everybody seems to have screwed up in the United States, not just Trump, the CDC got the wrong tests out, the Department of HHS has not been able to put a testing regimen in place. Do you think that affects the way that people look at American empowerment? You spent so much time as an American diplomat, do you think the fact that the United States is clearly not the world leader in the response to this COVID; will it affect our ability to persuade pressure, encourage things around the world?
[Haass:] The short answer Fareed is yes. Foreign policy is not just what military people or diplomats say and do. It's also about who and what we are. The example we set. If we had been incompetent in dealing with this virus, that would have sent the message. If American politics were functional rather than dysfunctional that would send a powerful message. When we had something like the financial crisis in 2008 that sent a powerful message but the wrong kind of message so everything we are as a society, as an economy, as a political entity, that says something to the world. People around the world get up in the morning and they say do we want to be more or less like the United States? Do we want to emulate them, depend on them? Are they impressive? Are they reliable? So a big part of our policy is not foreign. A big part of foreign policy is what we are.
[Zakaria:] As always, Richard, huge pleasure to have you on. Thank you.
[Haas:] Thanks.
[Zakaria:] Next on "GPS" if you're expecting massive change for the better or worse post-pandemic, think again. That's what my next guest says and she wrote the book on pandemics.

[Baldwin:] He has retweeted a Nazi sympathizer, he's openly expressed hostility to immigration and defended the term white supremacist. And days after Easter, long-time Iowa Congressman Steve King is comparing the backlash he's faced over these controversies, to Jesus.
[Rep. Steve King , Iowa:] For all that I've been through, it's it seems even strange for me to say it, but I'm at a certain peace. It's because of a lot of prayers for me. When I had to step down to the floor of the House of Representatives and look up at those 400-some accusers, you know, we just passed through Easter and Christ's passion, and I have a better insight into what he went through for us, partly because of that experience.
[Baldwin:] Rekha Basu is a columnist with the "Des Moines Register." Rekha, I see you shaking your head. I read this last night and thought, he compared himself to who? Yes, he did.
[Rekha Basu, Opinion Columnist, Des Moines Register:] Quite frankly, every time we think we've heard the worst out of Congressman Steve King, he manages to go himself one lower. To call himself persecuted in the manner of Christ around Easter, it's not only an insult to Christ and his followers, but all the people that he has maligned because of their gender or status. So to say he's a persecuted one? That takes a lot of audacity.
[Baldwin:] I want to ask about Andy McKean, the longest-serving Republican state lawmaker in Iowa. He now says he's becoming a Democrat because of Trump's his words "unacceptable behavior." Do you think that's a harbinger of things to come in Iowa, a sign of a shift looking ahead to 2020?
[Basu:] It's actually well, you know, I wouldn't have said so, because Iowa Iowa legislators tend to be extremely conservative. But he is the second state legislator to go in that route. I'm just not seeing the same thing I'm waiting for the same thing to happen at the federal level in Congress. That's where it should be happening, really. But it's very interesting that it's happening here. And quite frankly, I'm delighted to see people standing up and speaking for themselves, even though they're making policy at the state level rather than the national level.
[Baldwin:] Right.
[Basu:] I also think the Steve King effect may be having a bit of an impact. I think, just the same way that Republicans don't want to be associated with Donald Trump, there are Republicans who don't not want to be associated with the likes of Steve King.
[Baldwin:] Steve King.
[Basu:] Right. I think that King knows that, which is why he's trying to play the sympathy card now that he's being so persecuted by everybody, 400 members of Congress. Didn't he bring that on himself? Didn't he actually the funny thing is he voted along with the resolution, in support of the resolution condemning him after the "New York Times"
[Baldwin:] Right.
[Basu:] reported on his Nazi, white supremacist. So he must have one of the persecutors by that logic.
[Baldwin:] There you go. He keeps getting elected. I think Iowa is definitely a state to watch. With these Republicans on the state level defecting, it's a story in and of itself. Rekha Basu, you are always a pleasure. Thank you so much.
[Basu:] Thank you so much.
[Baldwin:] You've got it.
[Basu:] It's great to be with you.
[Baldwin:] You've got it. Any moment now, the police and FBI will be making an announcement in the mysterious disappearance of a five-year-old boy in Illinois, who, we're told, was not abducted, did not run away. We're standing by for that.
[Van Jones, Cnn Political Commentator & Cnn Host, "the Van Jones Show":] We like to imagine after there's been a verdict that the story is over. The reality is whether the offender or the victim, the journey is just beginning.
[Unidentified Male:] There was a sheriff's deputy at the door.
[Unidentified Female:] He said, "Louisa is dead."
[Unidentified Male:] I remember shouting. I took the gun from him. I shot him. Put it to his head. Don't do it. I pulled the trigger.
[Jones:] What is it that you want to know?
[Unidentified Male:] I want him to look me in the face and tell me why he killed my mother. I don't know where we're going to land, but we're all in, man.

[Sciutto:] Welcome back. It is a crucial day for stimulus talks. It means that it's a crucial day for Americans who might be losing their jobs. Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin are still trying to cut a deal. Airlines in particular, they're bracing because tens of thousands of workers face furlough tomorrow without action. Joining us now is the CEO of American Airlines, Doug Parker, among the airlines that plans to let go thousands of people tomorrow. Mr. Parker, thanks so much for taking the time this morning.
[Doug Parker, Ceo, American Airlines:] Thank you for having me.
[Sciutto:] So Steve Mnuchin just said moments ago that he and Speaker Pelosi are meeting again. They're going to take one more serious try, in his words, that he's hopeful for a deal and that's going to speak to airline executives, yourself included, about the possibility of postponing those scheduled furloughs tomorrow. Are you willing to postpone those furloughs?
[Parker:] Well, we're happy to hear that they're making progress. That's by far the preferred path for all of us. The CARES what's going on here is that the CARES Act had in it a payroll support program to keep critical infrastructure in place, keeps we airlines employs all of our all of our team, even though there's not enough work for them right now. But we will so we're here to provide the necessary infrastructure as the economy rebounds to be sure we have the infrastructure in place. But, anyway, that does expire tomorrow. There's huge bipartisan support for extending it. What we need, though, is a vehicle. So, yes, it's encouraging to hear that they are making progress. Obviously we'll be interested in what the secretary has to say and hopefully there's a clear and
[Sciutto:] If he asked you
[Parker:] Yes?
[Sciutto:] If he asks you to postpone, he says, listen, we don't have a deal yet, we're getting close. If he asks you to postpone, will you postpone those furloughs? Thousands of American Airlines employees, I imagine, they're listening.
[Parker:] Oh, absolutely. Look, the last thing we want to do is furlough employees. That's why we've been fighting so hard for them to come to an agreement.
[Sciutto:] OK.
[Parker:] So, at any rate, hard for me to tell you until we hear until we know where they are. But, certainly, if there is a, you know, a clear and concrete path that says, you know, we're not quite done yet, but we will be done soon, of course. If it's if it's you know, we just were we need, you know, much more time to work and unclear as to whether that will be the whether we can get something done or not, that's going to be that's obviously going to be much harder.
[Sciutto:] OK.
[Parker:] So it's hard for me to say until we hear more, but really encouraged by the fact that it sounds like they're making real progress. That is absolutely the right path for airlines and I think actually for our country.
[Sciutto:] OK, and I imagine a lot of your employees think that's good news as well. I do want to note that American Airlines finalized a $5.5 billion loan agreement with the government just a couple of weeks ago. This in addition to $4.7 billion in July. Why can't you use that money to stave off these layoffs, these furloughs?
[Parker:] Well, again, that's that's the first that was those what just happened, the $5.5 billion is is indeed from CARES one. CARES one had $50 billion for airlines, $25 billion in loans. That's what that was, just not
[Sciutto:] OK. The Air Transportation Action Group, it's estimating that air travel will not return to its pre-pandemic levels until the year 2024. I just wonder, are you living in effect from paycheck to paycheck here, right, in terms of government support, or will you need, you and other airlines need to restructure fundamentally, right? I mean that the is the reality that these jobs aren't coming back right away because the passengers aren't coming back.
[Parker:] Yes. Well, again, it's we don't expect certainly, you know, six months from now, demand will return to where it was pre-pandemic. But what we do know is demand is coming back gradually. What we're dealing with six months from now certainly one would expect that there were you know, things like quarantines and, you know, people working from home will be lessened.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Parker:] And we don't need full recovery of demand to 100 percent of what it used to be. I mean we we need, you know, in recessions you don't see airlines ground aircraft like we're doing today. It you know, it so if indeed what I anticipate will happen, which is we we continue to see gradual improvement over the next six months to where demand is much closer, you know, it doesn't need to be it doesn't need to be where we're all the way recovered by any means but say 80 percent of what it used to be, then we will we would we would be flying all of our airplanes, we would need to employ the people that we still have employed and this would be sufficient. So, yes, I I happen to believe that this six-month extension will be sufficient for us to, by that point, keep to keep everyone employed, to meet demand as it comes back, keep that infrastructure in place and not need to do this again in the future.
[Sciutto:] OK. A safety question, if I can ask you. The I've flown, not often, but I've flown a couple of times. I've been impressed with measures being taken, mask wearing, et cetera. I imagine you're watching the data very closely. Have you seen any data of coronavirus spreading on your flights because, for instance, your airline no longer blocking middle seats. Watching the data, have you seen anything to concern you yet?
[Parker:] Oh, absolutely not. And to the contrary, I've seen really encouraging data. You know, we have we've seen nothing, nor have we heard from CDC, any cases of the virus being spread on an aircraft. And probably the best the best indication I can give you is we obviously track our crews. You know, pilots and flight attendants who fly three times a day, three days a week three or four days a week. And the Covid rates amongst our flight attendants and pilots is well below the national average and lower than the for our for airline employees that aren't flying airplanes. But the aircraft, you know, the air is the air is recirculating every two to three minutes. It goes through HEPA air filters. People are wearing masks. It's an incredibly safe environment in that regard because of all those measures.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Parker:] And we see that we see that again in the Covid rates for our flight attendants as well.
[Sciutto:] There's notable. I had not heard that. Lower Covid rates for staff than for the national average. Doug Parker, listen, we know you've got a lot of tough times ahead and for the people who work for American Airlines, we wish you and we wish them the best of luck.
[Parker:] Thank you. We all appreciate it. I know they do. Thanks, Jim.
[Sciutto:] We'll be right back.

[Allen:] Welcome back to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. As the coronavirus death toll in the United States nears 52,000, many places are looking to hang the open for business signs. Some states already have despite health experts warning opening too soon could bring on the dreaded second wave of infections. So the overarching question is, is it really safe to reopen? CNN's Brian Todd reports now.
[Shannon Stafford, Hair Salon Owner:] No mask, no entry.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Shannon Stafford wrestled with the decision to reopen her hair salon in Savannah, Georgia. She says she will take the temperature of clients as they enter, make sure they wear face masks. But as for social distancing
[Stafford:] That is not going to be possible, not with the client and a stylist. You can try to distance between the next two people throughout the salon but it's going to be difficult because we are so hands on.
[Todd:] Keira Johnson owns a restaurant in Valdosta, Georgia, named Steel Magnolias, despite the declaration from Georgia's governor that restaurants can reopen with social distancing measures in place. Johnson refuses to open.
[Keira Johnson, Restaurant Owner:] I have a 19 month old son, one of my managers has three little girls. Most of my chefs have children and we all have to know what we're going home to at the end of the night is safe. That we are keeping it safe for them at this point.
[Todd:] Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's decision to allow hair and nail salons, gyms, restaurants and theaters to reopen is drawing enormous criticism from President Trump to mayors and other officials in the state to public health experts who have an ominous warning tonight.
[Dr. Mark Rupp, Infection Control Chief, University Of Nebraska Medical Center:] So I think undoubtedly there will be additional infections as we try to open up businesses. So this virus has not miraculously just gone away, it's still there. It's still looking for ways to exploit frailties.
[Todd:] Next week, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee is allowing restaurants and retailers to open at 50 percent capacity. One expert says that may not go far enough and explains how coronavirus can spread in a restaurant setting.
[Gavin Macgregor-skinner, Director Training, Global Biorisk Advisory Council:] This virus spreads through droplets as well as direct contact. So anyone who's touched anything I know, fork, spoon, plate, cup, glass, we have to treat it as hot with real virus.
[Todd:] In one study, person A1 here marked in yellow had lunch in a restaurant in China on January 24 and then soon felt sick. Nine others marked in red seated nearby were diagnosed within the following 12 days. In gyms now reopening in parts of Georgia, experts say the risks could be even higher, even for people in pre-symptomatic stages. If they're working out too close to others.
[Rupp:] If one of those persons goes to a gym and works out vigorously and is breathing hard, exerting themselves, that seems to me to be kind of a recipe for spreading that virus in that pre-symptomatic stage.
[Todd:] So is it impossible for any salons, stores and restaurants reopening to operate safely right now? One expert says, not impossible, but those businesses have to quickly train their employees.
[Macgregor-skinner:] The business employees are going to require the training but also the necessary equipment to protect their eyes, nose and mouth. It could be glasses, it could be another face covering, it could be just better use of disinfectant or hand sanitizer or soap and water. But we can do it, but it's going to be done slowly.
[Todd:] Despite the encouragement of some governors to reopen, many businesses and states that are doing that have told CNN that they are not going to reopen right away. For some, they say the cost of reopening, with all of the safety measures they have to take, are too burdensome. But for many, the overall risks are just too great. One theater owner told "The New York Times," "Hell, no," when he was asked if he would reopen. He said, if he did that and another outbreak is traced to his theater, quote, "You know what that would do to my business? "I wouldn't have one." Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[Allen:] We just heard from Shannon Stafford in Brian's report. She's one of the business owners who has reopened her hair salon. She joins me now live from Savannah, Georgia. Shannon, it's good to see you. Thank you for getting up and coming on with us.
[Stafford:] Hi, good morning.
[Allen:] Good morning to you. Well, you opened your business yesterday. How did it feel? How did it go?
[Stafford:] Actually, it went pretty well. I decided to only take one customer. I wanted to test out everything that I had put in plan as far as everything that I needed to put into making sure everything was safe. As far as my protocols, I wanted to see if it was anything that I needed to add or if it was anything that I needed to remove just to make sure that myself and the client and stylists were going to be in the safest environment possible.
[Allen:] Right, because I was reading that you are doing everything that you can think of, you're taking your clients' temperature, as I understand it, as they come in, asking them questions, even sign a liability waiver, right?
[Stafford:] Yes, that's correct. We are taking temperatures. We have a questionnaire for the client to fill out, along with an assumption of risk and a waiver of liability for them to read over. That's going to be something important not only for my salon but a lot of salons all over and other businesses as well, who is planning on opening.
[Allen:] Well, I know that you received calls from people in the area around Savannah, asking you not to open. There is a lot of fear out there as our previous report just pointed out. How did you come to the decision that you would reopen?
[Stafford:] Well, one of the things that I looked at, I felt whether I waited two weeks or I waited a month, my risk is still going to be the same. The things that I'm going to have to implement to make sure the safety of myself and clients are going to be the same whether I wait two weeks or a month or six months. It is really going to be no difference. You're still going to have to take the same precautions that I'm taking today for those businesses that's going to remain closed because the reality of it is we are all going to have to get back to work. A lot of us are working now. And unfortunately for business owners, we're not in a position where we can close down for months at a time or even up to a year and sustain. So we're going to have to put things in order, whether it's today or whether it's another month from now. You're still going to have to implement those things. So that was one of the reasons I decided I wanted to reopen. But I wanted to take baby steps in making sure everything was in order.
[Allen:] You did have a customer. Were you nervous? You are in the business of cutting and styling hair, as you just pointed out. That is something you do very close to your client.
[Stafford:] Yes. It was a bit of nervousness when she entered into the salon. I think the things that I am implementing not only made myself feel safer but, at all costs, I needed her to feel safe. I was asking her to give me feedback on how she felt about everything that we put in place. And I think I'm doing pretty good with, you know, even when it comes to shampooing, laying her back, having her to remain with the mask, also implementing putting a towel over her eyes, nose and mouth. I'm trying to make sure everything is covered, changing out garments, hand washing, sanitizing the station, making sure even my implements are sanitized as well.
[Allen:] It sounds like you are trying to think of everything you can possibly do to stay safe and be sure that your clients stay safe. Do you anticipate business picking up? Are clients showing interest in coming in?
[Stafford:] Yes. Clients have been calling to schedule appointments. But I've been very adamant about only taking maybe three clients a day right now. I don't really want to go into it full force.
[Allen:] Right. Understood. What about your employees? Do you have other stylists? Are they coming back to work?
[Stafford:] Yes. They have decided to start this week off, this Monday. I decided by me coming in a couple of days before them, that would be another thing that was vital for me as a salon owner, making sure everything I put in place as far as these protocols will be the best thing for all of us. So yesterday me taking only one client. Today I will take about three just to test out what the rotation process. So that's what I've been doing for the past two days.
[Allen:] Well, Shannon, we know this is probably a nerve-wracking time. But you're going for it. Wish you the best and a lot of safety and hope it goes all right.
[Stafford:] Thank you.
[Allen:] All the best to you. All right. Next here, imagine you're a little boy named Corona. Yes, just like the virus. And yes, the kids in school can be tough with their teasing. But don't worry. We have a Hollywood happy ending to this one right after this.

[Harlow:] Well, China has imposed sanctions on nearly a dozen Americans, including six lawmakers for what China is deeming, quote, "bad behavior." This is all related to Hong Kong and the latest round of back-and-forth in terms of sanctions between the two countries.
[Sciutto:] Well, yes. And China, putting Hong Kong very much under its thumb now, stifling dissent there, arresting a major newspaper owner.
[Harlow:] YEs.
[Sciutto:] CNN's Ivan Watson, he joins us now. Ivan, you've been covering this for a long time. Tell us the situation in Hong Kong right now, what China's doing exactly there that folks at home need to understand.
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes. On July 1st, the Chinese government rewrote the rules literally for Hong Kong, giving the Chinese Central Government the power to investigate, arrest and prosecute people here suspected of sedition, subversion, collusion with foreign powers. That was a big turning point. Hong Kong is supposed to be an autonomous former British colony until the year 2047, with certain democratic freedoms. I think what's surprising everyone here is how quickly the tolerance for dissent is being squelched. You've had at least two dozen people arrested under this controversial new national security law, a dozen opposition activists barred from running for elections, elections that were scheduled here for Hong Kong next month, that have now been postponed a year on the grounds of the coronavirus pandemic, which critics say is actually a pretext. And then the scene of some 200 Hong Kong police raiding the newsroom of a Hong Kong newspaper yesterday that just happens to be owned by one of the most ferocious critics of the Communist Part, a man named Jimmy Lai who has also been placed under arrest. I don't think anybody expected this curtain to come down this quickly over this city Jim and Poppy.
[Harlow:] Yes, decades, decades sooner than any
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Harlow:] anything was laid out. Ivan, thank you very much. Before we go
[Sciutto:] Yes, I yes.
[Harlow:] Sorry, I've just been reading
[Sciutto:] No worries.
[Harlow:] I've been reading during the show. It's a big day for you, Jim.
[Sciutto:] Thank you, thanks so much.
[Harlow:] Your new book is out. Quick pitch to people out there, because I'm about halfway through and it is gripping.
[Sciutto:] Listen, I took a look at four years of the world under Trump, under his foreign policy, upending not only relationships with adversaries but allies.

[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Business Anchor:] A record drop for U.S. retail sales as the country looks to get reopening. And the CEO of French drug maker, Sanofi gets caught in a transatlantic row over access to a vaccine. Live from the world's financial capital in New York City. It's Friday, May 15th. I'm Julia Chatterley, in for Richard Quest, and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. Good evening once again and welcome to the show. Great to be with you tonight. Even a pandemic can't prevent a flare up in the U.S.-China trade war, the Trump administration moving to restrict Huawei access to chip suppliers. Huawei has long been a flashpoint in the broader trade war news. This latest escalation though pushed down stocks earlier in the session. The Dow, as you can see has clawed its way back to unchanged, but companies like Boeing, Apple and Intel could be hurt if Beijing strikes back and those stocks remain solidly in the red. A tweet from the editor-in-chief of China's "Global Times" suggest those companies may have reason to worry. He says if the situation escalates further, China could quote, "activate the unreliable entity list to restrict or investigate U.S. companies such as Qualcomm, Cisco and Apple, and suspend the purchase of Boeing airplanes." "The Global Times" has a history of foreshadowing the Chinese government's moves. In the meantime, relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated as the Trump administration pins the blame for the pandemic on China. Although President Trump's top trade adviser told CNN he is not even thinking about the trade war right now, though he still have plenty of criticism for Beijing.
[Peter Navarro, Director Of The Office Of Trade And Manufacturing Policy:] China created that virus and they've inflicted trillions of dollars of damage on our economy and killed tens of thousands of Americans and now they want to steal our vaccines? I mean, come on.
[Chatterley:] Peter Navarro there referring to fresh reports that China is launching cyberattacks to steal coronavirus vaccine and treatment research. All right, let's get some context on this. Joining us now, Max Baucus is former U.S. senator and former U.S. Ambassador to China. Ambassador, fantastic to have you with us. What do you make of these latest developments and the rhetoric that we see coming from the White House once again?
[Max Baucus Former U.s. Ambassador To China:] Well, there's short term and there's long term consideration here. Short term, obviously, an election coming up and China is not popular among American people. In fact, two thirds of Americans have an unfavorable view today of China. Add to that, there is a bit of a contest between President Trump and probably Vice President Joe Biden, who is tougher on China and these actions the administration is taking, let's say the recent Huawei rule give Trump a talking point that he is really tough on China thinking that might help him with the election and especially with his base. Frankly, longer term, I think it foreshadows some difficulties, because we have to remember that China is not going away. China will always be there. China's population is four times the size of ours. Its economy is going to be larger than ours in not too many years. We have to find a way to work with China. There's no getting around that. And so after the election, I hope there's a kind of a reset. We have a pause button that is pushed and we can figure out okay, how can we manage this relationship? Now it is true that we, Americans have some concerns about and legitimate concerns about our National Security. It's a very, very difficult issue to resolve that has to be addressed.
[Chatterley:] So, how should it because it's not just Americans that are frustrated and concerned about information sharing in the light of this virus, you've picked on a number of issues. There is not a level playing field in dealing with China here, even on an economic basis. How do we level the playing field? And how do we handle China short term and long term because so far, what's been done has not worked?
[Baucus:] Well, and frankly, some of the things some actions the United States has taken have worked. I can give you some examples, particularly actions the United States took in the South China Sea to prevent China from going any farther. But the bottom line, we have to, as a country, hopefully be the world's leader. We could exercise more power if we do exercise leadership. We, as a country should sit down and develop a strategic longer-term plan toward China. We don't have one today. America is very ad hoc, very reactive to what China may do or not do. We need a longer-term strategic plan. How do we deal with China just as China has with the United States, I might add, and we develop the points, then we should say to China privately, here's what we can live with. Here's what we cannot live with. And if you cross the line, you will face immense repercussions, we won't tell you what they are, but it will ruin the day you made those decisions. You have to basically get China's respect, that's the only way I know we could do it because China in certain sense is a bully. And you've got to stand up firmly, confidently, so that you're not speaking down to China, not criticizing China, but just standing up yourself. That's the way you get respect from China.
[Chatterley:] It's interesting you say that because the President's treatment of China is almost like you meet one bully by being a bully yourself. Your idea for a longer-term plan of how to tackle China, I think we both agree is not going to happen between now and a presidential election. How much worse could this relationship get over the coming months? To your point, there's plenty of frustration.
[Baucus:] It could get to even worse or dangerous point. All of these actions we're taking, well, some of them will push China to be much more self- sufficient, will push China to say, whoa, why are we staying with United States? But you know, it's not worth it. Our economies really aren't tied very much and that's very difficult to sever both for United States and for China. But long term, China could very well think, you know, just fed up with all this rhetoric in the U.S. We don't know what's coming next. So, let's develop our ties with other countries around the world. Let's see what they could do only in Asia and Africa and South America, but even more importantly, in Europe. So it's just that those are actions China could well take if we keep pushing them away.
[Chatterley:] Yes, it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out during the pandemic in particular. It's a global frustration at this moment. Ambassador, fantastic to have you with us. Ambassador Max Baucus there.
[Baucus:] You bet, yes.
[Chatterley:] Stay safe, sir.
[Baucus:] Thank you.
[Chatterley:] All right, Donald Trump predicting the U.S. will have a coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year. He is calling a renewed effort, Operation Warp Speed and appointing a former GSK CEO to help lead the charge. Health experts caution, the President's timeline is highly ambitious. President Trump promised the U.S. would share any vaccine with the rest of the world.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Whoever gets it is going to be very proud to give it and develop it. They have developed it and we'll see what happens. We've got countries that are allies that are we have some countries, frankly, that aren't allies, where we're working very closely together. So, we're working together with many different countries. And again, we have no ego. We have no ego. Whoever gets it, we think it's great. We're going to work with them. They're going to work with us. Likewise, if we get it we're going to be working with them.
[Chatterley:] Elizabeth Cohen is CNN's senior medical correspondent and joins us now. Elizabeth, great to have with us, because I want to be very precise about what the President was asked by our own Kaitlan Collins today, and that was whether we'd have a fully approved vaccine by yearend, and the President said we would. Talk to me about the probability and the likelihood and the ability of research analysts to get to that point by yearend.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] So, Julia, let's go back to this past January when Tony Fauci said Dr. Anthony Fauci at the NIH said, he hoped that we would have a vaccine within the next year to 18 months. So, by the end of this year is it's on the sooner and obviously of that span that Dr. Fauci gave, but it is within that span, and there's very few people in the world who know more about vaccines than Tony Fauci. So, we're going to put it right there. Now, that year to 18 months, many other experts have said, possible, but improbable. It just takes a while to do these vaccine trials. I thought, you know, you have to decide how much weight you're going to put into what President Trump says. He has been wrong about several things during this pandemic. He thought hydroxychloroquine was a great idea. That didn't turn out so well. So, let's talk let's think about the person who was at that press conference who does know a lot about vaccines and that is Dr. Slaoui. He is now the head of the vaccine effort and what he said is that he had more confidence than ever that we could deliver several hundred million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year. But that is different from having a fully approved, ready to go, let's start vaccinating the American public or the public in the world by then. That is a different thing saying we'll have the doses ready is different than saying we'll have an approved vaccine ready to go.
[Chatterley:] Okay, so, yes, to your point, then, you can be vaccinating certain people, perhaps healthcare workers, for example, with a manufacturing at risk vaccine, but that's very different from having something that you can have the general public using. Is that the key here?
[Cohen:] Well, well the manufacturing and risk is a separate thing. I mean, you can start manufacturing really pretty much anytime you want. You can have a warehouse full of vaccine, that doesn't mean anything. All it means is you have the vaccine. It doesn't mean that it's been fully researched and fully studied and that we know that it's safe and effective. But to your point, Julia, about healthcare workers. What I've heard some people talk about is, you know, while we're doing these large scale clinical trials, which is thousands and thousands of people, maybe we'll invite healthcare workers to come in and get it, too, because they're at such high risk that maybe they'd be willing to be vaccinated early before the vaccine is proven. Remember before a vaccine is actually proven to be safe and effective. You don't know that it works, and you don't know that it's safe, but healthcare workers might be willing to take that risk because they are so close literally, to that virus. So, there is a difference between doing trials on thousands of people maybe or maybe not including healthcare workers and saying alright America, all right world, go to your doctor and you can get the vaccine. Those are two different things.
[Chatterley:] Yes, we are just piling up the hurdles and jumping them all really fast in our efforts to get to a point where we can try and do something to address this them. There's a lot of hope behind these. I hope we're right. Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta, great to have you with us, as always, thank you.
[Cohen:] Thank you.
[Chatterley:] Political pressure is mounting in the C-suites of Pharma executives around the world. The CEO of France's Sanofi has been summoned to a meeting with Emmanuel Macron. In an interview, Paul Hudson appeared to suggest that the firm would prioritize the United States if it finds a vaccine because the U.S. government provided the initial funding. Cyril Vanier is in Paris with the details.
[Cyril Vanier, Cnn Correspondent:] Sanofi tried to deescalate its row with the French government saying it had been misinterpreted. The row started earlier this week when the CEO of Sanofi, Paul Hudson, was quoted as saying that the United States would be first in line to preorder any potential coronavirus vaccine that Sanofi might succeed in developing. As you can imagine, a French pharmaceutical giant saying it will prioritize the U.S. markets caused a furor here in France and President Emmanuel Macron summoned the Sanofi CEO, Mr. Hudson on Tuesday. They will be meeting at the Elysee Palace. Mr. Macron said that the coronavirus vaccine should be a common good available to all regardless of financial considerations. But even though Sanofi has softened its rhetoric, the substance of its argument remains the same. They argue that developing and fast tracking a coronavirus vaccine is a risky and financially costly endeavor and they want countries to share the financial risks. Now the U.S. has done that by putting tens of millions of dollars on the table earlier this year to help Sanofi with production costs. Europe and France for the moment have not. Cyril Vanier, CNN, Paris.
[Chatterley:] All right, we're going to take a quick break here, but U.S. retail sales crushed by coronavirus in April. The sector collapsing at a historic rate. The question is what does recovery look like? We'll discuss after this.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] New this morning, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, who was also President Trump's former chief of staff, is defending Gen. James Mattis after the former Defense secretary released a scorching critique of the president and his threat to use military force against protesters. Gen. Kelly joins a growing list of former military leaders breaking their silence in recent days. Joining me now is retired Army General and former American ambassador to NATO, Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute. He's now the president of Cambridge Global. General, thank you very much for being with us this morning. Let me just throw up on the screen the list of military leaders who have spoken out against the president in just the last few days Gen. James Mattis, Adm. Mike Mullen, Gen. Martin Dempsey, Adm. James Stavridis, Gen. John Allen. You know, Gen. Richard Myers said something critical yesterday. And, you, too, have been critical. And you told "The New York Times" that something basically changed this week. What changed?
[Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute , Former U.s. Ambassador To Nato, President, Cambridge Global:] Well, I think all the attention this week is clearly on the protests centered in and around the White House. And, in particular, the president's walk across Lafayette Park with his essentially, with his national security team in tow. And while that rightly gains a lot of attention this week, I think the basic point is that there's been a steady incremental change over the last 3 12 years as to how the president relates to the military. It has only sort of burst onto the public scene, most prominently this week2 years under President Trump.
[Berman:] I do get that it's an incremental process, as you say, that's underway but there does seem to have been a tipping point this week and you talk about that walk across the street. So why was that a tipping point?
[Lute:] Well, I think it's a combination of vignettes, right? So you have the president talking to the governors and recommending that they crack down violently and strongly against these largely peaceful protests, which the president refers to as being sponsored by terrorists when, in fact, they're sponsored by concerned and outraged American citizens. You have the secretary of Defense using inappropriate terms that the U.S. military could be used to dominate the battlespace, while that's those terms just don't apply to the U.S. military and the American citizens. You have the president then saying that he was placing in charge the chairman of the Joints Chiefs, Gen. Mark Milley. All of this then led to the walk across Lafayette Park, which had just been violently cleared of peaceful protesters so the president could have a photo op. So the combination of these vignettes, I think, makes this decidedly different and in my view, crosses the line in terms of appropriate presidential leadership, clearly but also, appropriate relationship between the president and the military.
[Berman:] OK, so what's at risk if that line is crossed?
[Lute:] Well, we've, of course, got a tradition in the military that's as old as the as old as the country and dates all the way back to the Constitution that the military will stay non-political or apolitical certainly, nonpartisan. And what you've seen under this president is a series of examples where he doesn't fundamentally understand that point that divide between partisan activity and the professional military. I mean, this started very early in the Trump administration with the signing ceremony of the of the immigration ban on Muslims in the Pentagon. You then have funding taken from the military and deferred to the border the building of the border wall. You've got the president intervening in military justice cases. It's his right to do so but he did so in a very sort of heavy-handed way. And now, you have the president visiting troops. Very common among all our 44 previous presidents but here, the president turns those troop visits into political rallies. So it's been this sort of steady drumbeat of erosion of norms, of civil-military relationships, and presidential leadership that I think culminated this week.
[Berman:] Yes, and I guess what I'm asking is what's the impact of that? And in this story the David Sanger piece in "The New York Times" in which you're quoted on the record there is a general officer quoted on background. Let me read you that quote. "One general officer speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid punishment from his superiors, said on Thursday that he was hoping to make it through another day without having to cite his constitutional obligations to decline an illegal order. He said he would not be surprised if he faced such a dilemma in the coming weeks." That's a pretty startling statement from a general.
[Lute:] Well, it's something that senior officers live with all the time. You know, we day-to-day, general officers understand that they go to work facing perhaps facing that day this question of abiding by their oath of office, which is loyalty to the Constitution protect and defend the Constitution of the United States not loyalty to a particular partisan leader. So I think what brings this to light today and why that perhaps anonymous source was especially concerned is that the acts of this week and the acts of the previous 3 12 years suggest that that day where an officer might have to choose is perhaps is perhaps coming closer. Now, I will also tell you I have confidence in the professional military ethos that sort of secures America from an inappropriate use of military force on American soil. I have a lot of confidence in the officer corps and in the very deeply-held ethic that we protect and defend the Constitution. And, of course, the protests the demonstrations that are going on across America and frankly, beyond America, are being done in America based on constitutional rights.
[Berman:] Gen. Douglas Lute, thanks for being with us this morning. Appreciate your time, sir.
[Lute:] Thank you.
[Berman:] So, with so many of us at home watching these images play out on T.V., what's the effect on children? A helpful guide to navigate these difficult topics, next.

[Blackwell:] Maria Cardona and Alice Stewart are back. Let's talk about former Vice President Joe Biden. Maria, I'll start with you. Reversed course on the Hyde Amendment, which limits federal funding for abortion. This is a position, supporting it, that he has held for decades. Ad then from one night his campaign says that he believes that well, first, several weeks ago he said that he thought the Hyde Amendment should be reversed, then last night, after some reporting, he said that the campaign said that he supports it, and the next day he was on the other side of it. Is this evolution or is this pressure from the rest of the field?
[Cardona:] Well, I actually think it is evolution. I don't think it was done in the most elegant manner, but I think that he actually had the right instinct, because as you noted there were when he was at a rope line with his supporters several days ago at an event he did say to her that the Hyde Amendment couldn't stay. I wish the campaign had gone with that. And if they had gone with that, then this evolution would have seemed a lot smoother. But I do think that is where he is. I do think that he took everything into consideration in terms of where we are with the very critical notion that we could lose a woman's right to choose given the Republicans' efforts to get rid of Roe v. Wade. And I think you're seeing this only with Joe Biden, but you're seeing this with a lot of Democrats and independent and, frankly, Republican women who do support pro-choice, that they really do see this as a real threat at this moment in time, and they see the possibility that the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade. I think that's causing a lot of people to really come out publicly to support it in a much more aggressive manner.
[Blackwell:] Understood. But the question really wasn't and I'll bring it to Alice now whether they genuinely believe that Roe could be overturned or reversed, but the reversal from Joe Biden. Alice, to you, was it evolution, or just the political reality that he had to be on the other side of this?
[Stewart:] I think the second part of that equation is right, Victor. He was persuaded not just by his political party but in his Democratic challengers, but from what we hear Alyssa Milano, a Hollywood actress. It's not unusual for politicians to evolve on key issues, but you don't evolve and go back and forth and back and forth in the span of a few days. That's just not the proper way to go about doing this. Look, I strongly believe the Hyde Amendment should stay in place. Federal funds should not be used for abortions of all kinds. That is my position, but I'm a Republican. Any person that is running for a Democratic primary should understand the base of the Democrat party and the view of Democrats, they are pro-choice and they certainly want to see Hyde overturned. That should have been discussed long before he announced his decision to jump in this race, and that should have been thought out and planned exactly how he's going to execute his changing or evolving on this issue. They did a sloppy job, but ultimately he got in the right place from the Democratic primary standpoint.
[Blackwell:] Maria, let me ask you about where is the vice president. He says his campaign says this weekend when 19 Democratic candidates are in Iowa, he has a family commitment. Last week it was the California Democratic Convention, 14 candidates spoke there, didn't show up at She the People. There's a list, a growing list of these major events where most of the field is showing and he's not. Is that just because he's the frontrunner and why go? Or is there something else here potentially?
[Cardona:] I'm going to take the campaign and Joe Biden at their word that he had a family commitment that he needed to keep, and therefore that is what is keeping him from being in Iowa today. But I do think that he does have a bit more flexibility because people in Iowa already know him. He has been there. I'm sure he will be there many more times between now and when Iowans actually take a vote. And when you have the upcoming debates, which I think is what people are going to really focus on here on out, that is where you're going to really see the movement in terms of people starting to really pay attention to this. But I do think also that he cannot take this for granted. He is the frontrunner right now, but I think a lot of voters will be turned off if this is something that he believes that he deserves simply because he is the most well-known candidate out there. People need to see him work for it. People need to see that he is wanting people's vote, that he is wanting to work for people's vote, and that it's not something that he just believes he deserves because he used to be the vice president for eight years. And I think you'll see that. I think you'll see him work hard for this.
[Stewart:] Victor, if I can disagree with my friend Maria there. I've spent a lot of time in Iowa on presidential campaigns, and I can assure you absence does not make the heart grow fonder when it comes to these voters. They want you there. They want you in their living room drinking coffee many times. And I understand
[Cardona:] I agree with that. You'll see that from him.
[Stewart:] But at some point he has to breathe the same air as his Democratic challengers before he gets to the debate stage.
[Cardona:] I agree.
[Stewart:] Because his numbers in Iowa are not great. He's only ahead four points in Iowa.
[Blackwell:] Usually those
[Cardona:] I agree with that.
[Blackwell:] And the polls show what has already been decided. The polls show the change after they show the wake after the ship has already passed, right.
[Cardona:] That's right.
[Blackwell:] So we're expecting that we'll see the vice president at some of these events. Inevitability, there's a long list of inevitable candidates and nominees.
[Cardona:] And apparently there's a CNN Iowa poll that's going to come out tonight, so we'll see where things stand.
[Blackwell:] Good job, Maria Cardona. Promoting that CNN poll that's coming. Maria Cardona, Alice Stewart, thanks so much.
[Stewart:] Thanks, Victor.
[Cardona:] Thank you, Victor.
[Paul:] And happy birthday to the queen. Yes, Queen Elizabeth, the royal celebration today, and we get our first look at Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, since she had her son.

[Baldwin:] As the various states take a patchwork approach to reopening, California's being a bit more cautious than a number of other locations. Governor Gavin Newsom announced a four-stage approach. Flattening the curve. Then opening lower-risk, like manufacturing, retail, childcare centers. But months before stage three, personal care facilities like hair salons and gyms could reopen. And then the last stage, stage four, means concerts and live crowds, sporting events. Governor Newsom says that will come only, as he says, once therapeutics have been developed to treat coronavirus. And so joining me now, Joey Gonzalez, CEO of the workout chain, Barry's. I have done a few Barry's workouts. It's no joke. But totally different that we're all trying to do the do from home. First thing's first, Joey, thank you for being on. When you hear from Governor Newsom, it's months not weeks before places like Barry's can reopen, how do you feel about that?
[Joey Gonzalez, Ceo, Barry's Bootcamp:] Yes, I would say it was definitely a bit of a gut punch. I think a lot of us being here in California and seeing some positive results, as a result of them taking early action, we were hopeful and optimistic we might be slowly and very carefully opening our doors in the early summer, maybe June- ish. So that was definitely news yesterday. I would say that as a result, we're just strategizing ways in which we can continue to elevate our Barry's at-home product and maintain the connection within our community. Our mission is to inspire people to work out hard, have fun, find their strength and be their best. So we're just working on ways to innovatively deliver on this promise because I think people need it now more than ever.
[Baldwin:] As you're innovating and people are moving and grooving and lifting weights in front of their tv and laptop, what have you, because I know you're doing this now virtually, really, how is that going and are you making any money?
[Gonzalez:] So you have to kind of separate the fact that we are we have turned on revenue, but we have not turned on profitability, and they are two very different things. And what I mean by that, I'll start off by saying our commitment has been, first and foremost, to the safety of our employees and our clients. And we most definitely put that above revenue from the very beginning. We proactively decided to shut down all our studios across the country, prior to any governmental mandates, and once we shut down, we continue to support 100 percent of our employees the first couple of weeks of closures. Beyond that, we sadly had to lay off part-time staff but we did keep on and still today have 60 percent of our full-time employees, at a slightly reduced compensation. And we're actually the only boutique fitness company that I know of our size to have offered to keep every single trainer full-time, part- time, all of them employed and paid throughout the past six weeks of closure. And as you can imagine, continuing to support an employee base of this size is very challenging, with no meaningful revenue coming in. So, unfortunately, we're in a position now where, if we can't resume in the next few weeks or month and a half, we'll have to continue to make some additional difficult decisions.
[Baldwin:] I'm sure people can find information about how to do the virtual Barry's. And good on you for being able to keep as many people employed during all this as possible. Joey Gonzalez, I appreciate you. Thank you.
[Gonzalez:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Just into CNN, the U.K. has revealed a huge spike in the number of people who have died from coronavirus. We have that update. We'll take you there. And more on breaking news back here at home. The "New York Times" reports the FDA is expected to issue an emergency authorization for the drug that Dr. Fauci said is showing can actually block the virus. Huge news on that today. Stand by.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] A very good Friday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto. Poppy Harlow is off today and welcome to a special edition of NEWSROOM on this holiday week. And we start with breaking news. The U.S. economy adding 224,000 jobs in June, a strong comeback after what was a disappointing May. The unemployment rate standing at 3.7 percent. Let's get right to CNN business correspondent Alison Kosik with more on the numbers. So what's behind this big jump here particularly after a slower May?
[Alison Kosik, Cnn Business Correspondent:] Yes. If anybody, Jim, was convinced that May with 72,000 jobs added was the beginning of a trend, I think June is giving you your answer that it looks like May was really just a fluke. So, 224,000 jobs added in June. Some of this may be because students are out of school and they're taking jobs for the summer. But this number certainly blowing away expectations. You had mentioned the unemployment rate. It did tick up actually from 3.6 percent to 3.7 percent. But for good reason because 335,000 people jumped into the labor force. They are counted in that unemployment number. Where were these jobs added? High-paying jobs in business, construction, 21,000. That's a good sign because the real estate market has slowed considerably over the past several months. Manufacturing jobs also seeing a rebound there, an addition of 17,000 jobs. Now one thing I did notice stock futures, the stock market is open today, falling 100 points, an expected drop at the open of 100 points for the Dow. There is a big concern now that the Fed is going to have a hard time justifying cutting rates. It's part of the reason we've seen the major indices all move to fresh new highs as of the close on Wednesday. But now you're seeing investors get really nervous that the Fed may have a hard time justifying why it would go ahead and cut rates at the end of the month Jim.
[Sciutto:] Yes. Amidst of a strong economy? Why?
[Kosik:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Alison Kosik, thanks very much.
[Kosik:] Sure.
[Sciutto:] Now to a CNN exclusive, Vice President Joe Biden sits down with our colleague, Chris Cuomo, talking about the economy as well as health care and immigration, laying out why his policies can push him ahead in this tightening race for the Democratic nomination.
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Anchor:] You versus the rest of the field on the economy. They're all going big, 70 percent tax rates, free college, re-architecture of the economy, a forgiving debt for college which happens to be the biggest asset on the American government's balance sheet. You do not believe in those things?
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] I don't believe in the way they're doing it. For example, I think there should be health care for everyone. I have a plan how to do that's rational and will cost a hell of a lot less and will work. In terms of
[Cuomo:] Too incremental?
[Biden:] No, it's not incremental. It's whole.
[Cuomo:] Would you bring back the individual mandate?
[Biden:] Pardon me?
[Cuomo:] Would you bring back the individual mandate?
[Biden:] Yes. Yes, I'd bring back the individual mandate.
[Cuomo:] Think that would be popular?
[Biden:] Well, it's not yes, now it would be, compared to what's being offered. And here's the deal, Chris. We're in a situation where if you provide an option for anybody who in fact wants to buy into Medicare for All, they can buy in. They buy in, and they can do it. But if they like their employer-based insurance, which a lot of unions broke their neck to get, a lot of people like, they shouldn't have to give it up. The flip of that is, if you don't go my way you and you go their way you have to give up all of that. And what's going to happen when you have 300 million people landing on a health care plan? How long is that going to take? What's it going to do? And in the meantime a lot of people are going to be in trouble. In terms of economy, Chris, I've been proposing for a long time. And I look, I know I'm middle class Joe. I get that part. It's not meant I'm sophisticated. It meant, I'm, you know, the middle class built this country. You didn't have Wall Street build this country. And how did they do it? You gave people a chance, you allowed them to maintain their dignity. And how did they do it? How can you have dignity without having health care? How can you have dignity without having access to an education? How can you have dignity unless you can live in a neighborhood that's not fouled by the environment and what's going on.
[Cuomo:] How do you convince the party that these more advanced ideas like all in for Medicare for All that matter to them
[Biden:] I would call them advance. I would call them
[Cuomo:] Well, they're popular in the party.
[Biden:] Well, by the way, watch. That's what this election is about. I'm really I'm happy to debate that issue and all those issues with my friends because, guess what, again, look who won the races. Look who won last time out. We had and by the way, I think Ocasio-Cortez is a brilliant bright woman, but she won a primary. In the general election fight who won? Mainstream Democrats who are very progressive on social issues and very strong on education, health care. Look, my North Star is the middle class. When the middle class does well, everybody does well.
[Cuomo:] How do you do better for them economically if not with these 70 percent tax rates?
[Biden:] Well, three things. One, I do raise the tax rate to 39.5 percent. I do in fact eliminate the ability for them to write off capital gains the way they do now. I would raise the and raise billions of dollars, raise the corporate tax rate from 20 percent to 28 percent. It was 36 percent. To 28 percent. I'd raise billions of dollars.
[Cuomo:] Trump will say but I that's what brought the economy up to where it is, is those tax cuts.
[Biden:] Ask these people who work in these restaurants how that economy came up for them. Ask them how good they feel about it. Ask them how the stock market is really helping, ask how driving us $2 trillion greater in debt has done anything for them.
[Cuomo:] On health care do you believe that undocumented people should have health care in this country?
[Biden:] I think undocumented people need to have a means by which they can be covered when they're sick. And so the idea is that's what I think we should be doing by building more clinics around the country not just for undocumented but other people when they're ill, when they're sick. People need this is just common decency. You're not going to let somebody
[Cuomo:] Some popular.
[Biden:] I know
[Cuomo:] Well over 50 percent people polled say undocumented people here should not have health care on our dime.
[Biden:] Well, let me tell you something. In an emergency, they should have health care. Everybody should. Anybody here in the country. How do you say, you're undocumented, I'm going to let you die, man? What are you going to do? You know what I mean? The idea that, you know, I hear this stuff about how, you know, they're killing Social Security, et cetera. Those who have jobs, guess what, they've increased the life-span of Social Security by close to a dozen years. I mean, we've got this this is part of what Trump is playing on. He's playing
[Cuomo:] It works for him this issue, the idea of law and order versus a left that seems like it's open borders because it means its lawless. You have people who are running close to you now who are saying decriminalize coming into the country illegally. Do you believe that should be decriminalized?
[Biden:] No. No, I don't. No, I don't. I think people should have to get in line. But if people are coming because they're actually seeking asylum, they should have a chance to make their case. I would be surging as we did and Barack and I did, surging folks to the border to make those concrete decisions. Look, the other thing, Chris, is, why are they coming? The reason a vast majority of these people are coming from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador is because they're in trouble. Crime rates are high, education is terrible. In Guatemala you can't turn on a light switch in half the amount. And so what do we do? I've put together a $740 million program with Republicans, I might add, at the very end, and say, we'll make a deal with you. You do the follow things to make your country better so people don't leave, and we will help you do that just like we did in Colombia. What did we do in Colombia? We went down and said, OK, and I was one of the architects of Plan Colombia. I said, here's the deal. If you have all these crooked cops, all these the federal police, we're sending our FBI down, you let us get them put them through a lie detector test, let us tell you who you should fire and tell you the kind of people you should hire. They did and began to change. We can do so much if we're committed.
[Cuomo:] What do you say to the people in party right now when polled who say, yes, I like Joe Biden but I think that his ideas are the old ideas, the new ideas, I see a Warren, I see a Sanders, I see a Harris?
[Biden:] I'm not seeing that.
[Cuomo:] You're polling lower than them. You poll lower than them on ideas for the future. What do you say to them?
[Biden:] I say to them, take a look at my ideas. Take a look at my ideas. I haven't seen those polls. I haven't seen seeing what people say. What I've seen around the country is, the vast majority of Democrats where I am on the issues, we've got to be aggressive and they're big ideas. The big idea on education, on health care, on dealing with the environment, I mean it's just I love how, you know, all of a sudden I wish I had been I wish I had been labeled as moderate when I was running in Delaware back in the days when it was
[Cuomo:] Eighty percent of your party says its center left.
[Biden:] No, I am center left.
[Cuomo:] Farther left is getting more attention.
[Biden:] No, no, no.
[Cuomo:] It's getting amplified.
[Biden:] It is. Look.
[Cuomo:] It's a disconnect.
[Biden:] Look. It's center left, that's where I am. Where it's not is way left. Now, look, but that's what we could find out. That's what this debate is about.
[Cuomo:] Do you think you need if you win the nomination to have a female VP?
[Biden:] I think it'd be great to have a female VP. And if I don't win it'd be great to have a female president. But the question is whose issues are best prepared in their wheel house, they've demonstrated they know how to deal with them?
[Cuomo:] Would you consider not having a woman as VP?
[Biden:] I would look, here's the first thing about being a VP I've learned and that is that in today's environment, there's so much a president has on his or her plate, they need someone they completely trust, that they're simpatico with. At the same the same approach, political approach, and you can delegate significant authority. The president when he delegated authority to me from the Moon Shot to Ukraine he gave me the authority to make decisions, because he knew I knew where he was, he knew that I knew something about it and he knew we were simpatico, and I so that's what I'm looking for.
[Cuomo:] Do you think a Democrat ticket can win without a woman in one of the two slots?
[Biden:] Yes, well, the answer is yes. But I don't think that I think it helps having a woman on the ticket. And there's a lot of really qualified women out there.
[Cuomo:] Is Kamala Harris, assuming she doesn't win outright, is she still somebody you would consider as a running mate?
[Biden:] Look, one of the things I'm not going to get into because it got used before is when I was asked I don't even have the nomination and I'm presuming who I might pick as the vice president. That's easily flipped on me saying, well, Biden is being arrogant. Biden thinks I'll have him as my vice president. So I'm not going to comment on any individual. A woman came up to me, I guess it was, I don't know, a month ago, I guess I was in New Hampshire and said
[Cuomo:] All right, I'm almost done.
[Biden:] Why shouldn't I vote for a woman? And I said you should. If you think that person is most qualified at the moment right now to deal with our problem. Well, I'm not suggesting you can't vote for a woman. Look, I have spent my career from writing the Violence Against Women Act, before that to say my daughters and granddaughters can do anything, and I mean anything, anything, that a man can do, anything. And so I don't have a doubt in my mind, and if I started naming some of the people around the country, women who are not running for president as well, who are fully qualified to be vice president, again with be these awful presumptions, man. You know, over presumptuous. So there's a lot of really qualified women out there.
[Cuomo:] In terms of last question. In terms of what we haven't seen from Joe Biden yet I remember your hey, Jill, last question. Last question, I promise. OK.
[Biden:] OK, well, I will be there in a second.
[Cuomo:] Last question I promise. The last thing I remember talking him about politically with you Beau was, you know, what is the quality, you know, because he was asking me about, you know, what do you take from your father and this, what your take Beau Biden said to me, nobody fights like my father. What does that mean to you, to fight harder than anybody else?
[Biden:] It means two things. One, to fight without being personal. To fight and convince. The role of a president is to persuade, persuade. Not just go out and fight. If they want someone to clench fists, bear knuckled fight, closed hand, closed heart, they got one of those guys right now. That's not me. I have been pretty good bringing people together. The whole idea of America is that when we're together there's not a damn thing we can't do. And it's look, the most incredible response I always get for the last three years is when I talk about how optimistic am I about the future. People know it, they feel it. They know it. They understand it, and we can't stay in this state. What are we going to do? What are we going to do if we can't get along better? And part of it is persuasion. And people looking at you and say, I know what he means, he'll stay with what he says, and he'll do what he says he's going to do. And I think that's part of leading. We'll soon find out.
[Cuomo:] Thank you for the time.
[Sciutto:] In-depth conversation with the former vice president. You can see much more of Chris' interview with Joe Biden in the next hour and see the whole interview tonight starting at 8:00 Eastern Time only here on CNN. And still to come, no sign of an economic slowdown. Today's job numbers pointing to a strong economy. So do these numbers take away President Trump's case for another interest rate cut? I'm going to ask one of the president's chief trade advisers next. Plus, another large aftershock rocking Southern California this morning and it may not be the last. We're going to be live there look at those pictures as it happened. And more offensive Facebook posts with apparent ties to Border Patrol officers, current ones. Another secret group containing vulgar, offensive posts, the new details just ahead.

[Keilar:] Snakes and alligators, maybe you find it hard to believe. But at one time, that was part of President Trump's immigration plan or maybe you don't find it hard to believe, which is an alarming commentary on the State of Affairs here in Washington. According to The New York Times and a new book by two veteran reporters there, quote, the president had often talked about fortifying a border wall with a water-filled trench stocked with snakes and alligators, prompting aides to seek a cost estimate. He also, quote, wanted the wall electrified with spikes on top that could pierce human flesh. You may recall the president has previously suggested that U.S. troops shoot migrants who threw rocks at them and he was told that was illegal, so he, quote, suggested that they shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down. These were just some of the ideas that aides had to waive off.
[Michael Shear, White House Correspondent, The New York Times:] The ways in which the people around him are continually forced to confront ever more extreme ideas that he throws out there, often telling him that they're not practical or they're illegal or they're immoral.
[Keilar:] Now, in an interview with The Times, the president lamented, the problem you have with the laws, the way they are, we can have 100,000 of our soldiers standing up there, they can't do a thing. Gloria Borger and David Gregory are back with me now. This was part of an immigration meeting that happened in March. The president was threatening to completely shut down the border with Mexico. But let me start first with his idea of how to treat human beings.
[Borger:] It's almost incomprehensible and almost cartoonish in a way, if it weren't so sad and depressing.
[Keilar:] Is it amoral?
[Borger:] putting snakes and alligators in a moat to eat people or shooting their legs off, you think that is imagine being of course, it is, to answer your question. And imagine being a staffer sitting there. It's like dealing with your young child when they're having a tantrum. The child leaves the room and then you say, well, how are we to comply with that child's wishes? I mean, what are they doing? What are they doing?
[Gregory:] It also shows that the president doesn't view any limits or boundaries to his role as president. And it begs the question, what does he think the job of president is. And his view of solving problems doesn't adhere to limits or boundaries or precedent or what it means. But, again it's illustrative and we've seen it in other reporting, including the book, Fear, when, remember, notably, former Defense Secretary Mattis says, well, why do we have troops in South Korea, that is to prevent World War III. And somehow, that needed to be said out loud to the president of the United States. It wasn't abundantly clear. And in this case, you can imagine. I mean, it's perfectly plausible to imagine these meetings where the president goes off like this and they'd say, no, Mr. President, we can't do those things.
[Keilar:] And he seemed frustrated. The other interesting part of the story and what is coming from this book is he's so frustrated by them just telling him reality, right?
[Gregory:] Right.
[Keilar:] The president addressed this story today, railed against it. Let's listen.
[Donald Trump, U.s. President:] So these two reporters wrote this book and they said I want a moat with alligators, snakes, electrified fences so people get electrocuted if they so much as touch the fence and spikes on top. Never said it, never thought of it. It's written by Washington Post people, so you know it's inaccurate. You know it's probably a fraud.
[Keilar:] All right. Just to be clear, it's written by two New York Times reporters who we know. I've known both of them for years. These are really good reporters.
[Borger:] Multiple sources.
[Keilar:] Very well multiple sources, very well sources.
[Gregory:] Well, there are sources in the White House, there are people close to the president who are increasingly talking to reporters to get their story out. Now, these are folks who have made a decision not to resign if they find the president going way beyond limits or boundaries. They may be pushing back against him but, they think, to little avail. And I think this vision of the president as isolated and as listening to no one is what is dangerous for any president.
[Keilar:] And it could also be people who have gotten fired, because one of the interesting things, right, there's a lot of details in there about how he treated Kirstjen Nielsen. So, clearly, that there are people in her camp, at the very least, who are making clear what happened and credibly so. But the interesting part of this is she is describing to him the limits of what he can do. She's in this
[Borger:] And she hates that.
[Keilar:] She hates it. She's in a room with him and a number of other aides. She's the one who really pushes back, and in the end, she gets canned.
[Borger:] She pushes back, thought she was going to get fired once, didn't get fired that time, but knew she was going to get fired eventually. And he was called her sweetheart at one point, honey, just shoot the drones, sweetheart, did you hear me, so very patronizing. And it's very clear that she was trying to bring him some semblance of reality. And remember, this wasn't making her popular with anyone outside the oval and she was trying to bring him some sense of reality. And he would not accept it. You know, we can't close the border by Friday, I think he wanted.
[Keilar:] Can we visit that really quick before we wrap up here? The idea of closing the border, I mean, that was the thing that freaked out aides so much, David, because doing so would have been nuts, it would have been catastrophic to the economies of both of these countries.
[Gregory:] Right, and the president just doesn't care. I mean, ultimately, he's not thinking about the implications of those limits, of those boundaries. He wants a different kind of solution that he can look, his view of what the country is is American carnage that he only uniquely can fix. The model employee for Donald Trump in this administration, the attorney general, Bill Barr, and Stephen Miller, hard line, no apologies and on the attack. That's what this president wants. And if you don't do it, then you run afoul of him.
[Keilar:] David Gregory, Gloria Borger, thank you so much to both of you. The president once again attacking the whistleblower, and my next guest, who has been in this person's shoes, says he's about to, quote, go through hell. Plus, just in, a CNN exclusive, why the U.S. is now running ads on Facebook targeting Russian spies. And we're watching Dow right now as the markets fall over fears about the health of the U.S. economy.

[Blitzer:] President Trump just held another coronavirus briefing for a third straight day without Dr. Anthony Fauci at his side, or even in the room, for that matter. I want to bring in CNN Senior Political Commentator David Axelrod, who just interviewed Dr. Fauci. David, Dr. Fauci, once again, not at the briefing today, but you spoke to him one-on-one. I want you and our viewers to listen to what he told you about his current relationship with the president. Listen to this.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] The one thing that's interesting that I think people don't appreciate is that I do have a very good relationship with the president in the sense of no animosity at all. In fact, it's quite a good relationship.
[David Axelrod, Cnn Senior Political Commentator:] Yes. Did you mention to him that maybe it isn't helpful when the White House sends out opposition research documents to try and besmirch you or the trade adviser writes op-eds talking about trying to besmirch you?
[Fauci:] Yes. Well, I don't like that. If I said here and tell you that's okay, it's not okay. I think that's really bad news to do that.
[Axelrod:] And have you mentioned that to the president?
[Fauci:] I think it's pretty clear around the White House that that's the situation. I don't think in some respects the president is not happy about that either. I can tell you, he's not happy personally about that.
[Blitzer:] So what was your reaction, David, when you heard his answer about that, his relationship with the White House and the president?
[Axelrod:] Well, my sense was, Wolf, that he is trying mightily to stay in the game here so he can do his work. And he knows that frontal assaults on the White House are not necessarily helpful. But it was interesting during the course of this conversation, there were numerous places, including whether the health professionals should be doing the briefing, on which Dr. Fauci separated himself from the president. On schools, he urged a more nuanced approach to schools. On testing, he said, if we don't invest more in testing, we've got a big problem because tests where you have to wait seven days become irrelevant. And he said in the hotspots, in particular, we're facing those circumstances. And then in terms of the vaccine, on which he's very active, he's very optimistic or cautiously optimistic, I would say, that there will be a vaccine by the end of the year. But the president keeps holding this out as the end of the story. And what Fauci was very clear about is we're a year away from any kind of return to semi-normalcy, because it's going to take that long to vaccinate most of the country. So, you know, Fauci is very he's survived in Washington for 40 years by knowing how to navigate difficult situations, and he's trying to navigate this one, giving the information that he thinks people need at the same time that he tries mightily not to frontally assault the president.
[Blitzer:] And we're totally grateful that he's still there in the mix because he's doing really important work.
[Axelrod:] Absolutely.
[Blitzer:] In response to your excellent questions, David, he did open up about, this is so worrisome to me, serious, disturbing threats he's been receiving out there. How concerning is it to see a public servant like this dedicating his whole adult life to helping not only people in the U.S. but around the world receive this kind of backlash?
[Axelrod:] He was really passionate on this, Wolf. And he recalled, and you will recall, that back in the '80s, he was very controversial when he was working on HIVAIDS and was a target of protests. And so he said it was nothing like this where he's getting really vile, vile threats and dangerous threats, not just to himself but to his family. And that has now required him to have security. And he said, this is the reality of where we are in America, and he was very disturbed about it.
[Blitzer:] Yes. It's an awful, awful situation. David, thank you so much for doing this. And I want our viewers to know, if they want to hear David's interview with Dr. Fauci, they can. It's very easy. Simply go to cnn.comaxefiles. You'll be able to watch and it learn in the process. David, thank you so much, once again.
[Axelrod:] Thanks.
[Blitzer:] Also, Major League Baseball resumes amid the pandemic raging across so much of the United States. CNN's Brian Todd is working that part of the story for us. Brian, fans are thrilled to see the return of baseball, but it's coming under extraordinary circumstances as dozens of players have already tested positive for coronavirus. Tell our viewers where you are and what a high wire act this has all become.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] It is a huge high wire act, Wolf. We are at Nats Park, in the southeast entrance of the park. And I'm going to show you how surreal this is. Normally in this entrance, thousands of fans would be streaming up this walkway, going to the gate over there. But here, look at this, you see nobody here. Of course, we know no fans are going to be in the stands. All you have are media positions for reporters and producers and photographers like us, but still an exciting night. Because, look, this is the first event of the big four major sports leagues returning to action, in about 20 minutes it's all going to start again. You're talking the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA and the National Hockey League. This is the first event of any of those four leagues to start back, this event tonight with the Yankees playing the Nationals. Part of the excitement, the fact that Dr. Anthony Fauci is throwing out the first pitch in a very short time from now. He had a funny exchange with Nationals star Ryan Zimmerman a short time ago, where Zimmerman was kind of prepping him for that first pitch. Take a listen to what they talked about.
[Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals First Baseman:] Have you thrown a first pitch out before at a big league stadium?
[Fauci:] I have not, Zimmerman. And I'm nervous about it.
[Zimmerman:] Okay. Well, don't worry about it. If you bounce it, there's nobody there to boo you, so you'll be good to go. You're fine.
[Todd:] So, no one to boo Dr. Fauci tonight, but there will be a pretty large television audience. We mentioned the number of baseball players testing positive, more than 80 baseball players have tested positive, more than a dozen staffers tested positive. Among the players testing positive, Nationals slugger Juan Soto just found out today he has tested positive for COVID-19. He's out indefinitely. He's got to test positive twice in the span of 24 hours to be back in action. That's a big blow for the Nats tonight. But, look, Wolf, the good part is sports is returning about 20 minutes from now. It's all going to get under way. It's an exciting time.
[Blitzer:] Normally, it would be a packed Nats Park. Unfortunately, no fans in the stadium right now. I'll leave you with these words, go Nats. Much more news right after this.

[Stephen Colbert, Late-night:] like a margarita maker because it's just the same noise.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Anchor:] Well yes. I yes.
[Colbert:] You know, it's the big cocktail at the end. He creates his own storm.
[Cooper:] Right.
[Colbert:] He takes a big bucket of seawater, throws it at his own face and goes, I'm a sea captain. We're going to ride it out, boys.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] So, when we said no punchlines
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] I was wrong.
[Berman:] A little bit wrong there. But it's a serious discussion with some punchlines.
[Camerota:] Well, any time you can work in a pirate joke, I you can see Anderson's full interview with Stephen Colbert tonight at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN. And NEW DAY continues right now.
[Commissioner Richard Ross, Philadelphia Police:] Six police officers who were struck by gunfire. Fortunately everybody's going to be OK.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] A nearly eight-hour standoff ending in surrender.
[James Gagliano, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] This subject barricaded himself inside. You've got police officers pinned down.
[Jason Carroll, Cnn National Correspondent:] The suspect returning fire over and over again.
[Mayor Jim Kenney , Philadelphia:] Our officers need help. They need help with keeping these weapons out of these people's hands.
[Unidentified Female:] Stocks sinking as the bond market flashes a potential recession warning. The president airing his grievances on Twitter directing his ire at the Federal Reserve.
[Unidentified Male:] He is tweeting us into a recession. This lays at his feet.
[Unidentified Female:] This White House does not have competent personnel in place to develop a plan.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[Camerota:] We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY. And we do begin with breaking news for you because it was a dramatic and violent standoff, and it ended with six Philadelphia police officers being shot. The gunman surrendered just after midnight, nearly eight hours after police tried to serve this drug warrant to him and were met with a barrage of bullets. So, for hours North Philadelphia looked like a war zone. Philadelphia's police commissioner said the gunfire was so intense that some of his officers had to jump out of windows to avoid being shot.
[Berman:] All right. We also have breaking news on the economic front. U.S. stock futures are down sharply again. All right. Down about 123 points right now after the worst day for the Dow this year. This is a global selloff and it's being fueled by new fears about a recession, a global recession. Also jitters about the strength of the U.S. economy and a new threat, a brand-new threat from China this morning. We're going to have much more on that in a moment. We begin, though, with CNN's Athena Jones live in Philadelphia with the breaking news. A midnight surrender, Athena.
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Hi, John. It was a dramatic several hours yesterday. And police will tell you the most one of the most dangerous aspects of their job is serving a warrant. We saw why yesterday as police officers became the target of a gunman for several hours. And America watched it all play out on live TV.
[Jones:] A tense standoff coming to an end in Philadelphia overnight.
[Unidentified Male:] Shots fired at police inside the property.
[Jones:] Six police officers were shot on Wednesday afternoon. It all started around 4:30 p.m. when officers tried to serve a drug warrant.
[Ross:] They had already entered the premises and got towards the rear and the kitchen area when gunfire erupted.
[Unidentified Female:] It was like a hundred shots.
[Jones:] The gunman targeting police officers as more of them arrived at the scene.
[Unidentified Male:] Multiple gunshots.
[Asap. Ross:] The shooter fired multiple rounds. Officers returned fire, many of whom who had to escape through windows and doors to get from a barrage of bullets.
[Jones:] Residents looking on as police swarmed the streets, some wearing tactical gear, trying to negotiate with the suspect. Watch police taking cover after bullets ricochet off a building nearby on to the sidewalk. You can see an officer help another from the ground, taking cover from the bullets behind a car. SWAT teams and armored vehicles called in to help the area under siege while two other officers who were serving the warrant were trapped inside the home.
[Ross:] SWAT was able to successfully extract the two police officers that were trapped upstairs as well as three prisoners.
[Unidentified Male:] I've got an officer shot in this location in the leg.
[Jones:] All of the officers who were shot were treated at local hospitals and released.
[Ross:] They were struck throughout their body. One officer sustained a gunshot wound, a graze wound to his head. Thankfully that was all that was.
[Jones:] Authorities even have to evacuate children at two nearby daycare centers.
[Kenny Williams, Daycare Parent:] We know that six officers got shot. You know, it could have been one of the kids. A stray bullet could have went in there. No telling what would have happened. You know? It's a terrible situation.
[Jones:] Philadelphia's mayor expressing his frustration about gun violence.
[Kenney:] Our officers need help. They need help. They need help with gun control. They need help with keeping these weapons out of these people's hands. Our officers deserve to be protected and they don't deserve to be shot at by a guy for hours with an unlimited supply of weapons and an unlimited supply of bullets.
[Jones:] And you can hear the emotion in the mayor's voice there, see it on his face. He was visibly upset in that press conference where he also said that once the situation was all resolved, there would be questions about someone, quote, "having all that weaponry and all that fire power" John, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] All right, Athena, thank you very much for the update on that scene that unfolded yesterday. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks are pointing to another wild day on Wall Street. On Wednesday the Dow suffered its worst day of the year. It had been slashed by 800 points. So recession fears and there's this new threat from China that are fueling the selloffs. So, joining us now is Bianna Golodryga, CNN contributor, Catherine Rampell, opinion columnist for the "Washington Post" and CNN political commentator, and Johnathan Martin, national political correspondent for the "New York Times" and CNN political analyst.
[Berman:] Why is Johnathan Martin smiling? That's what I want to know.
[Camerota:] Well, we'll find out.
[Berman:] Apparently he has no 401 [k].
[Jonathan Martin, Cnn Political Analyst:] I'm high on life, Berman. I'm high on life.
[Berman:] No 401 [k] at the "New York Times" this morning. Really.
[Camerota:] OK, well, one person who was not smiling is Catherine Rampell. We'll see how she feels today. This is what you tweeted. "Real economic risk is if things go wrong. The White House does not have a plan and does not have any competent personnel to come up with one. Trump's economic brain trust consists of a guy who plays an economist on TV, a nut case the entire real economic profession has disowned, and the producer of "Lego Batman"." Would you like to put a finer point on any of this?
[Catherine Rampell, Cnn Political Commentator:] I mean, this is
[Martin:] Tell them how you really feel.
[Rampell:] Yes. Well, this is what I'm really concerned about. Look. Recessions happen, downturns happen. That's the nature of the business cycle. It's a cycle. Sometimes you're up and sometimes you're down. What I'm really concerned about is how badly I fear this administration will bungle the response to this recession if in fact we have one. There are just not that many tools left, first of all. We've already spent $2 trillion on Trump's tax cuts for the wealthy and for corporations. So, we don't have a lot of room for fiscal stimulus at this point or effective fiscal stimulus. And beyond that, you don't have competent people at the top. Like, who's the person in the room with Trump who, A, has a good idea, and B, Trump will listen to?
[Camerota:] Who's the nut case that the entire real economic
[Rampell:] Oh, Peter Navarro. Peter Navarro. Yes. He's been disowned by the rest of the economics profession.
[Berman:] The "Wall Street Journal" today called it the Navarro recession.
[Rampell:] Yes. Yes. And I don't know if you saw but Navarro's response was to compare the "Wall Street Journal" editorial page to a communist newspaper which I'm sure is a first for the "Wall Street Journal." But the only competent economic leadership that we have right now is over at the Federal Reserve. And what is Trump doing? He's doing his darnedest to discredit them, to suggest that they don't know what they're doing, that they're responsible for his own folly, which is, you know, escalating the trade war and making markets nervous, or that they or compromising their political independence. So whatever effectiveness they have, whatever limited tools they have are being compromised by Trump's attempts to undermine them.
[Bianna Golodryga, Cnn Contributor:] And he views the Fed really as his own piggy bank and support system, right? So the Fed's main mandates are to keep inflation in check and focus on unemployment in the country. And this has been a concern from the get-go. Even early on into the Trump administration, I had sources telling me, and this is when the economy was really running on all cylinders, that they were focused on this day and concerned about what happens once the economy starts turning south, specifically because there was this nobody's home fear. At Treasury, there are a lot of vacancies. Right now we don't have a permanent CA director also. So there's a concern about what happens next because at some point when the economy starts turning south, one presidential tweet is not going to fix it all.
[Berman:] Yes. And it wasn't just one, it was 11 yesterday.
[Golodryga:] Yes.
[Berman:] He was live-tweeting the fall of the market yesterday which I think only created more jitters in the financial community. And one of the things that's causing it to drop even more this morning is that China is pouring salt on the wound. You know, the president backed off some of the tariffs that he was going to impose on China, but not all. And China, this morning before a lot of people woke up, said not good enough. Not good enough. If you're going to impose any of these new tariffs, we will retaliate. So to an extent, pouring salt on the wound. And Jonathan Martin, from your perch.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Berman:] Covering the presidential election.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Berman:] Talking to people out in America, people are beginning to notice. This is creating jitters and it shakes the foundation of how the president wanted to run for re-election.
[Martin:] Yes. There's a shorthand when it comes from this president. Even for people who aren't his biggest critics. Even from people who actually kind of would vote for him or already voted for him in 2016. And that is, I don't like the tweets, right? We've heard that so many times. Now, we usually take that as kind of a metaphor, John, for I don't like his conduct and I don't like his behavior. But we're getting to a point on the economy where that's a quite literal reference now. People don't like the tweets when it comes to the impact that they could have on the markets. And this is going to be a test if the market is now in this sort of jittery uncertain phase. That what is going to happen when we have a president who is, as you put it, live-tweeting the fall of one day's Dow Jones. I mean, is it going to get worse? Could he be restrained when it comes to sort of tweeting out his comments? Because, my goodness, the market is looking for any kind of reaction. And he's going to be offering it. And that leads to a whole new definition of concern about the tweets.
[Golodryga:] But this is also why presidents traditionally don't comment on the economy and on the stock market, in particular, on a daily basis because they know that what goes up eventually will go down. And this is a situation that we are seeing right now. The president was constantly touting new records set by the Dow. Now we're seeing the drop-off. And he's trying to focus the blame and shift the blame onto the Fed and all these other outside factors. It's pretty clear that when the economy was booming, the president thought that he would issue these new tariffs, that a trade dispute with China would be resolved rather quickly and that he would get all of the praise for it. Quickly China, even though they are suffering from this as well, knows that they have a lot more time on their side. President Xi's not facing an election next year. And so, they can withstand some of this pain that the president thought would have been done and over with much sooner.
[Camerota:] And so that leads us to what the alternative is for voters. So, Jonathan, you're in Iowa. And you've been talking to lots of Elizabeth Warren supporters and people at her rallies.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Camerota:] And she certainly knows economic policy or talks about her plan a lot, and is known for that. And yet you say that you've found all of these voters who are jittery about her.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Camerota:] And whether or not she can take the fight to President Trump. But she doesn't seem like a shrinking violet. So what are their fears?
[Martin:] Well, I spent a lot of time in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina the last couple of months. Talked to dozens of voters at Warren events but also at events for other candidates, multi candidate events. And you hear a recurring refrain that has sort of come up along with her rise in the poll, which is I love Senator Warren, oftentimes references to her plans. It's kind of the shorthand for why they like her. But there's oftentimes a quick touch on uncertainty. I don't know if she can win. And sometimes it's about the Pocahontas slur that the president throws at her. Sometimes it's about her ideology. I think activists are concerned, at least some of them, that she may be too liberal for the, you know, general election. And in the case of some folks, there's PTSD from 2016. And there is concern amongst some of these voters that she would have a hard time winning the general election because the president would run against her like he did Hillary Clinton. You hear it time and time again from voters. And again, these are people who are sympathetic to her. They're not big critics. But there's this sort of uncertainty about her candidacy that is cropping up. And by the way, she and her campaign are quite aware of this. And they're taking steps to address this that are becoming more and more explicit. One of them is flavoring more of her speeches and interviews with talk about how she beat Scott Brown in 2012. A not very subtle reference to a campaign where she was doubted and she overcame those doubts against a male incumbent in a state that had only elected men for years and years and years. Pretty clear and unsubtle parallel there to this moment.
[Berman:] Catherine, it is interesting to start thinking about, to tie these two stories together, is to how does this presidential race change if all of a sudden Democrats don't, you know, have to be asked questions, but the economy is booming, but the employment rate is really low? How do you run against a president with those kind of economic numbers?
[Rampell:] So I do think it will change the dynamics given that the economy is really the only thing Trump has going for him. If you look at his approval ratings, it's the only metric on which he's above water, on his handling of the economy. Now, I would argue that's because he's been extremely lucky rather than, you know, extremely skillful in the actual policies he has pursued. In the same way that he likes to take credit for the personal fortune he has inherited, which is more due to luck than to skill. But, yes, I mean, it will certainly call into question the one talking point that he should be using that he can't seem to discipline himself to use. I will say that what's been troubling to me on the trade stuff, is that Trump also specifically has a major weakness, obviously, in how he has handled these trade wars. Farmers are hurting. Manufacturers, retailers are hurting. But Democrats can't seem to muster up the wherewithal to attack him on that in part because they don't have a leg to stand on either. A lot of the policies that they are promoting including Elizabeth Warren who's arguably more protectionist than Trump, a lot of the policies that they are they have historically promoted are very similar to what Trump is doing. So this is a weak spot that they should be exploiting, particularly, you know, on the grander economic picture that they haven't been doing.
[Golodryga:] Yes, it's a troubling situation for Democrat, too, because they don't know where they should vis-a-vis China, right? So you don't want to look like you're sympathetic towards China. China clearly is not a U.S. ally in this sense, so coming forward with their own approaches that differ from Trump's but also address some of the concerns that we have with regard to China. It really it needs to be the focus for Democrats moving forward.
[Camerota:] OK, guys, we have to leave it there.
[Martin:] And just real fast
[Camerota:] J. Martin, I'm so sorry. We have to leave it there because we do have some breaking news. Thank you, all, very much. Now we want to get to this "Washington Post" reporting on Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy findings. They report that Jeffrey Epstein had broken bone in his neck that suggests that Epstein hung himself or another more sinister possibility. CNN's Brynn Gingras joins us now with more. What do they suggest?
[Brynn Gingras, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes, right, Alisyn. Epstein sustained multiple breaks in his neck bones. Again, that's according to the "Washington Post" who added among the bones broken was the hyoid bone. That is the bone near the Adam's apple in men. And sort of this sort of break really can happen if a person hangs themselves but it still raises a lot of question. The "Post" says they are learning this from sources familiar with the autopsy. Now remember, the autopsy, the results have not been released. The New York medical examiner says it's pending. But again, lots more questions now about how this death happened and in what circumstances. Of course, the autopsy will be important because it will give the cause and manner of death which will help investigators moving forward who have a lot of questions to answer, particularly a timeline. What happened before his death? We know that two guards who were supposed to be monitoring him were on overtime shifts. One of the guards was filling in as a corrections officer. And the "New York Times" reports that Epstein wasn't checked on for three hours when guards are supposed to do these checks every 30 minutes. Two staff members are now on leave, though it's not clear if it is those two guards. And the warden of the MCC where Epstein was housed on sex trafficking charges has been reassigned. Of course now there are teams from the Bureau of Prisons, the FBI, they're all investigating this John.
[Berman:] All right, Brynn, thank you very much. Please keep us posted as you get more information. So what exactly is fueling these new recession fears and why there are concerns about the strength of the U.S. economy? Former Treasury secretary Larry Summers gives us his thoughts. That's next.

[Robyn Curnow Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back. Live from Atlanta, I'm Robyn Curnow. So, as we told you at the top of our newscast, Bob Woodward's new book, it's called "Rage," paints a pretty unflattering portrait of the President. And Woodward's sources are not anonymous. One of them is the President himself. An extensive on the record interviews over many, many months. Now one of the sensitive issues Woodward raised with him was racial unrest in the country. Brian Todd has that part of the story. Brian.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Bob Woodward put the question bluntly to President Trump. In one of the interviews he did with the President for his new book, "Rage," the investigative journalist asked Trump whether the white privilege he experienced in his youth put him in a cave. Isolated him.
[Bob Woodward, Journalist, Author, Rage:] It put me, and I think lots of white, privileged people in a cave. And that we have to work our way out of it to understand the anger and the pain, particularly black people feel in this country. Do you
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] No, you really drank the Kool-Aid, didn't you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I don't feel that at all.
[Todd:] In one conversation with Woodward, Trump escalated his contempt for former President Barack Obama saying, quote I don't think Obama's smart. I think he is highly overrated. And I don't think he is a great speaker. Trump told Woodward he often wanted to refer to Obama by his first and middle name. Barack Hussein, but that he would not do that in his presence so that he could be quote, very nice.
[April Ryan, Cnn Political Analist:] He started his politics on trying to delegitimize the first black president of the United States. But at the end of the day, it's more than just that. There is a personal angst against President Obama.
[Todd:] Many of the president's divisive comments have been directed toward black women in leadership. He tweeted that the four congresswomen of color who formed the so-called squad on Capitol Hill should quote Go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. He has referred to Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters as having a quote, low I.Q. One of his new favorite targets, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
[Trump:] She could never be the first woman president. She could never be. That would be an insult to our country.
[Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent, Washington Post:] Certainly, in his presidency he has used race as a divisive issue. He has played to white voters and not to the entire country.
[Todd:] The President apparently doesn't see it that way. Telling Bob Woodward quote, I have done a tremendous amount for the black community, and honestly, I'm not feeling any love. Some who've known Donald Trump for decades believe racially polarizing comments are more than a political tool for the president. Former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen, also out with a new book, told NBC News of a conversation he had with Trump after Nelson Mandela died.
[Michael Cohen, President Trump's Former Attorney:] He asked me if I had known of any country that's run by a black that is not an s-hole. And I said well, how about America? In which he gave me the proverbial f- you.
[Todd:] A former COO of one of Trump's hotels believes it goes even deeper.
[Jack O'donnell, Former President And Coo, Trump Plaza Hotel And Casino:] Cohen's description, his characterization that Trump believes blacks have a lower intelligence. It's absolutely true. He said these things 30 years ago.
[Todd:] We reached out to the White House for response to our story. White House spokesman Judd Deere issued this statement quote The individuals you cite have slandered the President. Verbally attacked his supporters and covered his administration with animosity, bias and lies. And he will not sit by and allow this hateful rhetoric to go on responded to. Donald Trump's record as a private citizen and as President has been one of fighting for inclusion and advocating for the equal treatment of all. Anyone who suggests otherwise is only seeking to sow division and ignore the president's work for underserved communities. Judd Deere also cited the President's work on criminal justice reform, in creating opportunity zones and in funding historically black colleges and universities. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[Curnow:] So earlier I spoke with CNN political commentator and "New York Times" columnist Charles Blow about the President's dismal comments on race. You heard many of them there in that report. But first I also just wanted to get his take on Mr. Trump's early knowledge on the coronavirus. We've been reporting it all day. And the decision not to make that information public. Take a listen to what Charles said.
[Charles Blow, Cnn Political Commentator:] It is criminal. You're responsible for people dying and the reason that you did it was because you wanted to put yourself in a better position to be reelected. There is no way to describe what is happening here. And we keep talking about it in political terms, we continue to talk about it in attitudinal terms, rather than talk about it in terms of actual human beings who were alive, walking around on this earth breathing air are now in graves. And there are 190,000 of them and people and the experts predicted it would be 200,000 of them by the end of the month. And the models show it can get active one week sooner, we would have saved thousands of lives. If we acted two weeks, we could have even more tens of thousands of lives. And the fact that he knew how dangerous it was. H knew the transmission rate the path of transmission. He knew how much more deadly it was than the flu which he kept comparing it to. He knew that children could be affected and were being affected. And he said things that went against what he knew because he thought it was better for him. It's outrageous. I don't know how we get over that. All of the people who've had to deal with funerals, I've been to too many Zoom funerals. Why do I have to go to a Zoom funeral? Because this man chose to conceal this and to downplay it so that the people had to die. And we had to watch the funeral on a screen. That is not how it should have been. These people did not have to die.
[Curnow:] Those comments are not the only comments that have come out in this Bob Woodward book and those tapes. We also hear how Bob Woodward himself tries to grapple with his white privilege and the President kind of disdainfully says, well, you've drunk the Kool-Aid. What does it feel like to hear that? I mean, and are you surprised?
[Blow:] No, I'm not surprised that he believes that there's actually a privilege in blackness because he believes that affirmative action and political correctness give minorities an advantage. He's believed this for his entire life. He gave an interview in 1989, that's 31 years ago, in which he said that a highly educated black person has an advantage over a highly educated white person and if he had to do it over, he might choose to be a highly educated black person. He said that in jest, he laughs. Of course, he doesn't want to be that. But he has always believed that we were getting something for free, that we were that there was an advantage over whiteness because the society felt guilty and they were giving black people things. Right? And so, he doesn't believe in the concept of white privilege.
[Curnow:] Charles Blow there speaking to me a little bit earlier on. So, U.S. financial markets bounced back in a big way on Wednesday. Take a look. U.S. stocks had their best day in months after a three- day slide. Tech stocks including Apple, Amazon, Microsoft helped lead the charge. Now the Dow gained 1.6 percent as you can see here, all firmly in the green territory. The Nasdaq saw its quickest correction ever, with a 2.7 percent surge. And then the S&P finished up more than 2 percent. So, where will the markets go from here? John Defterios is live this hour in Abu Dhabi. John, hi. Is this extreme level of volatility we're seeing in global financial, it really is pretty extreme, but it's particularly acute here in the U.S. why?
[John Defterios, Cnn Business Emerging Markets Editor:] Well, you know what, I think the best way to describe this kind of phenomena is a whiplash in the financial markets. Robyn, and you are correct.
[Curnow:] But all of 2020 is a whiplash. So, I think we can agree on that.
[Defterios:] Yes, that's for sure. But you know, we have a couple of forces at play here in the financial market which makes this even more volatile. Right? Record amounts of stimulus, $11 trillion worldwide, about 3 trillion in the United States. But we're going into recession so what force wins the gain in the financial markets? There's a couple of different measurements. I think we have this in two charts that kind of describe the story or the narrative for the year. First, the Dow Industrials with the Nasdaq Composite Index. You have this sharp drop in March. We bottomed out in April and then went higher again. That was all about the stimulus. And let's take a look at the Nasdaq on its own because it recently had a record. We start the year at 8,900, Robyn. Dropped down to 6,800 in April and then we climb up above 12,000 and then you saw Tuesday a sharp jolt again. So, you say, what's going on? Goldman Sachs recently put out a report saying it's very unusual we are today because you have to go back to 2000 and the tech bubble when you see near records or records and really high levels of the VIX index which measures volatility. Again, we've seen this VIX index nearly double in the last year and it's a red warning sign according to Goldman Sachs. We haven't been there for 20 years. We know what happened 20 years ago and, again, we have more volatility today. If you look at the futures market, 23 of a percent with the Dow and S&P 500. And the Nasdaq is down another 1 percent. So, what do I say? Buyer beware.
[Curnow:] OK. Warnings all around. John Defterios thanks so much for that. So, you're watching CNN. Still ahead, she's covered conflicts and crises around the world including Syria. Well now CNN's Clarissa Ward shares her experiences in a new memoir. We'll speak with Carissa next.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Democrats released closed-door depositions in the Trump impeachment inquiry, with more expected in the coming hours.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Voters head to the polls for Election Day match-up that could offer hints about the 2020 race.
[Briggs:] A fight over a Popeyes chicken sandwich turns deadly in Maryland.
[Romans:] A transit worker's last-second save caught on camera at California train station. Just in the right place at the right time, that transit worker. Welcome back to EARLY START, everybody. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] I'm Dave Briggs. It is 4:31 Eastern Time on a Tuesday. This morning, we finally know exactly what some of the key witnesses in the Trump impeachment inquiry said behind closed doors. Among the revelations, testimony that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was silent as Trump lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, campaigned to oust then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. The president was asked yesterday about the effort by Giuliani and others to undermine Yovanovitch.
[Reporter:] Was Marie Yovanovitch the target of a smear campaign by your allies? She testified she was.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I really don't know her, but if you look at the transcripts, the president of Ukraine was not a fan of hers.
[Briggs:] Fact check, the rough transcript of Mr. Trump's call with the Ukrainian President shows Zelensky criticized the ambassador only after Trump called her, quote, bad news. CNN's Lauren Fox has more on the newly released transcripts from Capitol Hill.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Politics Congressional Reporter:] A significant day on Capitol Hill as we saw the release of the first transcripts from these closed-door depositions that have been going on now for the last month on Capitol Hill. It's a big opportunity for lawmakers who haven't been in the room over the last several weeks to see what has actually been occurring. One of the transcripts that we saw was from the former ambassador to Ukraine who grew very concerned that her reputation was being damaged and that the president was losing faith in her. There was rumors basically that she was not supportive of the president, and she essentially wanted the State Department to put out a public statement defending her. She was told that the State Department couldn't do that because there was concern if they put out a statement, that the president could potentially undermine it even with something as simple as a tweet. She said, quote: What I was told is there was concern that the rug would be pulled out from underneath the State Department if they put out something publicly. She also went to her colleague, E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland and asked him for some advice. His advice to her, go big or go home. Essentially, what he argued was that perhaps she should tweet her support for the president, say that these rumors weren't true. Now, Michael McKinley's transcript was also released today. He's a former top aid to Mike Pompeo. Essentially, he said he left the State Department because he believed the career diplomats were being used to advance the president's political agenda, something that he did the not support. But more testimony and transcript expected to be released this week, including that of Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland Christine and Dave.
[Romans:] All right. Lauren, thank you for that. We know you'll be busy. In his testimony, Michael McKinley gave another reason for stepping down as a senior adviser to Secretary of State Pompeo, one that contradicts his old boss's version of events. McKinley told lawmakers he felt the department and especially Pompeo were not defending Yovanovitch against that smear campaign. He testified, there were numerous media articles appearing about Yovanovitch and, frankly, I did grow concerned we needed to say something forceful on her behalf. Question, how many conversations did you have with the secretary about this matter? Answer, probably three. Three probably. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remembers things very differently.
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] From the time that ambassador Yovanovitch departed Ukraine until the time that he came to tell me that he was departing, I never heard him say a single thing about his concerns with respect to the decision
[George Stephanopoulos, Abc News:] So you were never asked to
[Pompeo:] Not once. Not once, George, did Ambassador McKinley say something to me during that entire time period.
[Romans:] Note that Pompeo was giving a television interview and McKinley was testifying under oath.
[Briggs:] Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is joining a growing list of Republicans who are trying to reveal the identity of the whistleblower at the center of the impeachment inquiry.
[Sen. Rand Paul:] The whistleblower needs to come before Congress as a material witness because he worked for Joe Biden at the same time Hunter Biden was getting money from corrupt oligarchs. I say tonight, to the media, do your job and print his name.
[Briggs:] Senator Paul calling on every Republican in Congress to step up and subpoena Hunter Biden, even though there's no evidence to support the claims about Joe Biden's son. Paul also wants the whistleblower subpoenaed. The whistleblower's lawyer firing back. Mark Zaid says, quote, a member of Congress who calls for the identity of any lawful whistleblower to be publicly revealed against their wishes disgraces the office they hold and betrays the interest of the Constitution and the American people. Not all Republicans are on board with exposing the whistleblower. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says whistleblowers are entitled to, quote, maximum protection and it's up to them to decide if they want to come forward.
[Romans:] So, how is the impeachment inquiry playing in a swing district in a swing state? That defines Michigan's 11th congressional district just northwest of Detroit. No surprise then that voters there are split on impeachment.
[Unidentified Female:] I think it's a sham. OK? I think the president Horrible.
[Reporter:] Horrible?
[Unidentified Female:] It's horrible. Just horrible what they're doing. The president is doing a great job. I think it's an important that an inquiry be going on. I also think it's important we not be distracted by it and there's actually governance going on.
[Unidentified Male:] I think the Democrats are trying to overturn the results from 2016. And I think it's going to fail miserably.
[Unidentified Female:] I think it's heading in the right direction finally, the impeachment. We're getting the evidence we need. I hope he gets what's coming to him.
[Romans:] Michigan's 11th win for President Trump then flipped in the midterms electing Democrat Haley Stevens to Congress.
[Briggs:] It is Election Day 2019. There are important state and local off year elections across the country. In big cities like Philadelphia, Houston and San Francisco, they are selecting new mayors and other local officials. Kentucky and Missouri voters will choose governors and Republicans may be on the verge of losing both houses of the legislature for the first time in decades. Many of these races could offer some hints about what's to come in 2020. Ryan Nobles has more from Washington.
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Dave and Christine, Virginia, Kentucky and Mississippi are the states to watch tonight. Voters will be casting ballots in races that could give us a sense of where things stand in terms of momentum for next year. Let's start in Virginia. Republicans are in danger of losing their slam two-seat majorities in both houses of the general assembly. If Democrats win big, particularly in swing districts in play in northern Virginia and outside of Richmond, it could be a sign of President Trump's growing problem with suburban voters. Meanwhile in Kentucky, there's a big governor's race on tap. President Trump in support of the incumbent, Republican Matt Bevin. Bevin's approval rating is underwater and his opponent, Andy Beshear, is the son of a popular former governor there. Now, this race could come down to what voters care about local issues or the national issues dominating Washington. Bevin has stuck close to President Trump. If he pulls it out, it could be a sign of just how much strength Trump has with Republican voters. And then, finally, Republicans and Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves are in the driver's seat in Mississippi in the governor's race there. But Democrats are hopeful that conservative Democrat Jim Hood, who's the attorney general, could surprise everyone. It's going to be tough, though, because in addition to winning the popular vote, gubernatorial candidates in Mississippi must also win a majority of state house districts and that will be an advantage for the GOP. Now, the first results will start coming in at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. That's when the polls close in both Virginia and Kentucky Dave and Christine.
[Briggs:] Ryan Nobles, thank you. The Trump administration has started the formal process of withdrawing from the Paris climate accord. Secretary of state submitting formal notification to the United Nations to withdrawal from the agreement in one year just after the 2020 presidential election. President Trump claims the Paris accord punishes American workers and enriches foreign countries. According to a recent study, the United States contributes more to global warming than any other country.
[Romans:] Apple plans to spend big money to ease the housing crisis in California. The tech giant announced a $2.5 billion aimed at providing housing for extremely low income adults in the San Jose area. Roughly 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco. Critics say the rapid growth of tech companies and highly paid workers has contributed to a shortage of affordable homes in the area. The CEO Tim Cook says Apple wants to make sure the area stays a vibrant place where people can live, have a family, contribute to the community. Senator Bernie Sanders criticized the program, calling it an effort to distract the fact it helped create California's housing crisis while raking in $800 million of taxpayer subsidies. Sanders recently unveiled his housing for all plan, which guarantees affordable housing to every American, regardless of income. Other tech companies including Google and Facebook have announced packages to address the housing issue, but Apple's is the biggest. Apple said it will take two years for the money to be used, defending on the availability of the projects. Apple really saying that they need to make sure that firefighters and nurses and part-time workers can live in their community.
[Briggs:] Also, we're not necessarily just talking about the homeless.
[Romans:] No, we're talking about affordable housing along the spectrum, but the homeless crisis is the most visible there.
[Briggs:] California, all across the state. Speaking of California, transit worker there speaking out after saving a man's life.
[Unidentified Male:] It really feels awkward to be called a hero.
[Briggs:] More from that man behind this dramatic rescue, next.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Happening now, breaking news. Powerful storm, the new forecast is just coming in for tropical storm Barry which is expected to make landfall in Louisiana as a hurricane bringing a storm surge and heavy rain to an area that is already suffering flooding. Why officials are so concerned. Resign and replace. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigns amid an uproar over the sex crime plea deal he oversaw for Jeffrey Epstein a decade ago as a U.S. attorney. That comes as sources say President Trump is considering replacing the director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. Fiery hearing. Following a chilling new congressional report about babies being separated from their migrant parents at the border, a hearing turns fiery as furious lawmakers lash out at a former immigration official. And Putin's show of force. Russia delivers a very advanced missile system to Turkey who just happens to be a NATO ally. How worrisome is Vladimir Putin's latest show of force. I'm Wolf Blitzer and you're in
[The Situation Room. Announcer:] This is CNN Breaking News.
[Blitzer:] Breaking news, the latest forecast is just in for tropical storm Barry, which is expected to make landfall in Louisiana tomorrow as a hurricane. With the Mississippi River already above flood stage, Barry's storm surge and heavy rainfall could be especially dangerous. The mayor of New Orleans is asking residents and visitors to shelter in place while people in some areas are asked to voluntarily evacuate. Also breaking, sources tell CNN that President Trump has talked with his advisers over the past few days about replacing director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. That follows today's resignation of Labor Secretary Alex Acosta under fire for a plea deal he worked out as a U.S. attorney a decade ago which gave multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein a very light sentence for sex crimes. I'll speak with Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper and Congressman Ro Khanna of the Oversight Committee. And our correspondents and analysts will have full coverage of the day's top stories. As the gulf coast braces for Barry, we begin with our national correspondent Ryan Young. He's in New Orleans for us. So, Ryan, what is the very latest there?
[Ryan Young, Cnn National Correspondent:] Wolf, people are worried about rain and especially all of the water that is here. You look at the Mississippi behind me and the mighty Mississippi 12 to 15 inches of water could be headed this way and of course with the water already threatening some areas, people are being told to shelter in place.
[Mayor Latoya Cantrell , New Orleans:] We're focusing on 8:00 p.m. This evening, asking people to stay at home, shelter in place.
[Young:] Heavy rains, powerful floods and a strong storm surge. That is the triple threat that Barry could be packing as tonight it is slowly churns toward Louisiana.
[Gov. John Bel Edwards , Louisiana:] I want the folks in Louisiana to know we're taking this very seriously.
[Young:] Barry is the first tropical system to threaten the U.S. this season and is presenting New Orleans with a dangerous problem.
[Cantrell:] Prepare for heavy rain, slow-moving with consistent rainfall.
[Young:] The Mississippi river is already about 10 feet above the normal level for this time of the year. And Barry storm surge could cause it to rise another two to three feet, meaning the river could crest at 19 feet tomorrow. A level it hasn't reached in nearly 70 years, according to the National Weather Service.
[Unidentified Male:] All these different components are adding up so it's just a unique circumstance.
[Young:] Officials say they are confident none of the levees in New Orleans will be breached. The city's pumps were put to test earlier this week when the rain underground drainage pumps, pipes and canals briefly flooding streets and underpasses.
[Edwards:] We feel very, very good about the situation of New Orleans and we believe it's going to be able to with stand this storm.
[Young:] Barry is also expected to dump anywhere from 10 to 15 inches of rain and that is forcing mandatory evacuations in some low-lying areas.
[Benjamin Schott, Nws Meteorologist, New Orleans:] Tropical storm Barry is a dangerous and life-threatening storm.
[Young:] But despite the evacuation order, some residents are preparing to ride out the storm, stocking up on sandbags and supplies.
[Tim Bradberry, Lives In Grand Isle:] I expect some tidal surge and maybe a little flooding. I don't see no point really have to leave.
[Young:] President Trump has declared a state of emergency for Louisiana. And the governor has activated 3,000 National Guard troops to assist with the destruction this storm is expected to bring and it isn't just Louisiana expected to feel the impact. Mississippi, Alabama and the Western Florida panhandle are all also preparing for extreme rain and flooding. 118 pumps are ready to go just in case the water does come into the city. But, Wolf, we talked to someone in the ninth ward who said they're only leaving if God tells them to. So you could understand there are some people who just don't believe in the storm.
[Blitzer:] Good luck over there, Ryan Young in New Orleans for us. Let's get some more in the latest storm forecast from our meteorologist Tom Sater. He's in the CNN Weather Center. What is the latest forecast, Tom?
[Tom Sater, Cnn Meteorologist:] Well, it looks like Barry has moved about 30 miles since the last advisory. It's currently, Wolf, 70 miles south, southeast of Morgan City. It's still expected just before landfall Saturday morning to reach a category one status. It means very little because this is all about being a rain-maker. We were discussing this in the Weather Center. It wouldn't be a bad thing for this to become a hurricane. Let's get some power behind it. Let's get it in and get it out but it looks like Barry is going to hang around the state of Louisiana until maybe Monday. So there is our first problem. Unlike, of course, other situations where it starts to pick up speed later in the week, we'll be talking about that, but 10, 20 inches still right on cue. We're looking at pressure dropping which means it is trying to intensify. Broad circulation is really just hard to find a core here. They're starting to see some feeder bands now in the panhandle of Florida. This is the time now where we may be able to see a few unfortunate spin-ups, meaning maybe small tornados. But again, most of the precipitation, even though some is moving in, it is all about the rain and the storm surge. Never before have we had a tropical system move toward the mouth of the Mississippi River with storm surge battling now those extremely high levels on the Mississippi trying to exit. So, again, we got to rely on the expertise of the men and women of the Army Corp of Engineers. They say that the levees will hold. Two days ago the forecast for the Mississippi River was going to be at 20 feet. They dropped it to 19, which is great news. That is a big difference from that one foot. All of these red dots along the Mississippi River are areas where the levees are below 20. North of the river, to the east of New Orleans, these areas of red are areas where they have failed during Katrina. So they're going to be watching it and, yes, the water is going to rise but more importantly, Wolf, it is all about the 10 to 20 inches of rain. I fear hundreds and hundreds of 911 calls, 250 911 calls just two days ago when nine inches fell.
[Blitzer:] Yes, this is a dangerous situation. Tom Sater, we'll get back to you. We'll have much more storm coverage just ahead. I'll speak next hour with the mayor of New Orleans LaToya Cantrell. There is other breaking news we're following right now, including one high-profile departure from the Trump administration has been announced. Sources say the president is considering making another dramatic move. Let's go to our chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta. He's got the very latest. Jim?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Well President Trump once again has another acting member of his cabinet as Labor Secretary Alex Acosta announced he is stepping down. A senior official said the president have been stewing over Secretary Acosta's fate after he was dragged into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal but there may be another top official who may be heading for the exit here at the White House. The Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, we're told the president may be ready to make a change there as well.
[Acosta:] There wasn't much laboring when it came to the fate of Alex Acosta as the president walked the embattled secretary in front of the cameras to announce his departure.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] And Alex, I think you'll agree, I said you don't have to do this. He doesn't have to do this.
[Acosta:] The outgoing labor secretary told reporters he didn't want to be a distraction amid growing questions over the sweetheart deal he gave to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
[Alexander Acosta, Outgoing Labor Secretary:] So I called the president this morning. I told him that I thought the right thing was to step aside. But sources told CNN the president had been stewing over Acosta's fate after praising the secretary earlier on the week.
[Trump:] He's done a fantastic job.
[Acosta:] A senior administration official said there were concerns the revelations in the Epstein case would provide ammunition to Democrats in 2020.
[Mayor Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] Well, it is certainly clear that he had to go. I think what this shows more broadly is a pattern in this administration where the country's business cannot get done because of these horrifying scandals that touch the White House.
[Acosta:] Despite his past friendship with Epstein, Mr. Trump claimed he once tossed the multi-millionaire out of his club in Florida.
[Trump:] It shows you one thing that I have good taste. But Jeffrey Epstein was not somebody that I respected. I threw him out
[Acosta:] The president also confirmed reports that I.C.E. agents are launching a multi-city roundup of undocumented immigrants this weekend.
[Trump:] We're not giving warning. No, we're not giving warning. If the word gets out, it gets out. It starts on Sunday and they're going to take people out.
[Acosta:] A senior administration official said the president's disclosure could jeopardize the operation.
[Trump:] We're focused on criminals. We're focused on if you look at MS- 13 but when people come into our country, we take those people out and we take them out very legally.
[Acosta:] The president made time to respond to criticism from Paul Ryan published in a new book "American Carnage" which details how the former House Speaker says Mr. Trump didn't know anything about government when he came into office.
[Trump:] So, Paul Ryan was not a talent. He wasn't a leader. When the people in freedom and great congressmen wanted to go after the Dems for things that they did very badly, he wouldn't give subpoenas, whereas Nancy Pelosi hands them out like they're cookies.
[Acosta:] The president also fired back at Vice President Joe Biden.
[Trump:] Everybody that knows him knows he's a weak man, he's an ineffective man. President Xi laughs at guys like that.
[Acosta:] After Biden described Mr. Trump as a foreign policy disaster.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] The world sees Trump for what he is insincere, ill-informed and impulsive and sometimes corrupt, dangerously incompetent and incapable in my view of world leadership and leadership at home.
[Acosta:] But the president surprisingly came to the defense of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she was blasted by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The New York Democrat appears to suggest Pelosi criticism of outspoken freshman House members was racially motivated, something Ocasio-Cortez denied.
[Trump:] She's not a racist, OK. She's not a racist. For them to call her a racist is a disgrace.
[Acosta:] Now as for other departure that may be on the horizon here at the White House, sources tell CNN the president is frustrated with the director of National Intelligence Dan Coats but replacing Coats now would leave yet another vacancy in a critical national security position in this administration. The Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security both have acting secretaries right now. And one other thing that we're watching, Wolf, we're waiting to find out if, in fact, the former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's testimony next week will in fact be delayed. Our Capitol Hill team earlier in the day, Wolf, was reporting that it may be delayed next week, which would put off potentially for another week a huge spectacle here in Washington. Wolf?
[Blitzer:] We're standing by for final word on that. Jim Acosta, thank you very much. Joining us now, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California, he's a member of Oversight Committee. Congressman, thanks for joining us.
[Rep. Ro Khanna , Oversight Committee:] Wolf, great to be back on.
[Blitzer:] Let's begin with the latest departure from the President Trump's cabinet. Does Alex Acosta still need to testify before the House Oversight Committee despite his resignation?
[Khanna:] He does. Because Americans are concerned that there are two different types of Justice Department justice for those who are rich like Epstein and get away with something of a 13-month sentence for trafficking in a sex offense and others who get long jail sentences for marijuana offenses. So Acosta needs to explain why that discrepancy exists.
[Blitzer:] CNN has also learned Congressman that the director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who you just heard Jim Acosta report, might also be on his way out. What impact would that departure have on President Trump's overall National Security team?
[Khanna:] Well it is concerning because this president has a pattern of removing those who stand up to him or give him information which he disagrees with. He got rid of Mattis because Mattis was standing up to him with Shanahan. Shanahan, there was the scandal that was in part leaked because Shanahan may not have supported the president, and Coats has had the temerity to sometimes question the president. So we see that the president just wants yes people around him.
[Blitzer:] The House Oversight Committee held a hearing today on family separations and conditions at various migrant detention facilities on the southern border. Lawmakers became very emotional and at times very angry as did the former acting I.C.E. Director Tom Homan who was a witness of the hearing. I want you to watch a little bit of this.
[Rep. Gerry Connolly , Oversight Committee:] I've sat here and listened to horror stories. I thought it was fiction. I thought it was a novel reading from Charles Dickens. And the conditions that prevailed 19th century London children without soap, children in filth conditions that none of us would ever countenance with our own children. Well any child in our care is our children.
[Tom Homan, Former Acting I.c.e. Director:] Let me explain why I'm sitting here so frustrated because I'm the only one in this room that wore a green uniform and been in that line. I'm the only one in this room who has found dead aliens in a trail that were abandoned by smugglers and just left them there because they weren't money anymore. I'm the only one in this room that stood on the back of a tractor- trailer surrounded by 19 dead aliens including a 5-year-old little boy who suffocated in death in his father's arms. I was there. And I saw and I smelled it and it is terrible. And I still I still have nightmares to this day.
[Blitzer:] Congressman, you were at the hearing, is your committee getting the answers you need from the administration about its policies on the border especially impacting these kids.
[Khanna:] No, we're not. And Tom Homan was a badgering witness. He wasn't answering the questions. He was interrupting Gerry Connolly. He was interrupting Ayanna Pressley. He wasn't answering questions that all Americans regardless of party want to know. Why can't we get these kids food? Why can't we get them blankets? Why can't we get them access to a doctor? We're not talking about anything more than upholding basic human rights. Frankly upholding basic moral principles rooted in faith.
[Blitzer:] Congressman Ro Khanna thanks as usual for joining us.
[Khanna:] Thank you, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Up next, the latest forecast is in for tropical storm Barry which is expected to hit the Louisiana coast tomorrow as a hurricane.

[Sciutto:] Welcome back. Later today, White House negotiators will be on Capitol Hill to continue talks with lawmakers over a new coronavirus stimulus package. Sources tell CNN that both sides are still very far apart, particularly on that $600 federally enhanced employment benefit. So let's talk to someone who knows. Joining us now to discuss, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Thanks so much for taking the time this morning.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] My pleasure. Good morning.
[Sciutto:] So that's the question of the day. Are you any closer to a deal on a still plus package today than you were yesterday?
[Pelosi:] Well, let's see when we meet today. It's absolutely essential that we reach agreement. The numbers are spiking in terms of the lives and the life and death as well as infections in terms of the virus. So my view is if you want to open the economy, if you want to open our schools, you just have to defeat the virus, and we haven't done that. And then in terms of millions of children are hungry, are food insecure, tens of millions of people are out at work and have filed for unemployment claims. The state and local governments will have to fire people because of the expenses they are incurring because of the coronavirus. So we have to, again, honor our heroes and see what we can invest in our state and local governments.
[Sciutto:] Okay. A big difference, of course
[Pelosi:] The thing it requires testing, tracing and then putting money in the pockets of the American people.
[Sciutto:] Speaking to that point, big differences it on the amount of this enhanced benefit, as you know. You and other Democrats sticking to $600, White House $200. Steny Hoyer has said it's not $600 or nothing for Democrats. I wonder if you agree. Are you willing to negotiate on that figure?
[Pelosi:] No. I think that the number, the $600 is related more to the unemployment rate. If the unemployment goes down, then that number can go down. But it doesn't go down you know, you're not saying to the American people we have more infections, more deaths, we have more unemployment, we have more hunger, and now we're going to cut your benefit. That's just not going to happen.
[Sciutto:] There had been discussion of a phase out over time. Senator Mitt Romney suggested this starting at a lower level view. Would you sign on to legislation that might have $600 today, but if the rate or the number of unemployed went down that you would reduce that benefit?
[Pelosi:] Jim, that's something to talk about. Right now today, we have an emergency. A building is on fire and they are deciding how much water they want to have in the bucket. This is very important. Millions of people could have fallen into poverty without this $600. They are so fussy about any anecdotal information they may have about somebody not going to work because they make $600 on this, but so cavalier about big money going to companies that really shouldn't be having. So the $600 is very important in the lives of the American people. And when you want to speculate about stabilization and this and that, if and when, that's for another day. So right now, we have an emergency.
[Sciutto:] Is the president a very basic question. Is the president himself substantially involved in these negotiations? Do your Republican counterparts even want the president involved?
[Pelosi:] Well, that that you have to ask Republican negotiators, as I assume that he is. I trust that he is and that they represent his point of view and that they carry back our point of view to the president. I certainly hope he is.
[Sciutto:] Okay. Let's move on, if we can, to a key question on the minds of many of your constituents, many parents around the country and that is school reopening.
[Pelosi:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] The president again tweeted this morning, get those schools open again while repeating what is false information that cases are rising in the country only because of increased testing. What is your response to the president?
[Pelosi:] The president has said that testing is overrated. The president said that the virus is a hoax. The president they don't even believe in tracing. And so if we're going to open our schools and our economy, we have to have testing, tracing, treatment. Reducing the amount the level of infection in a community is central to whether you can open the schools. Now I'm a grandmother, I have children and grandchildren in private catholic, every version of school. I also have family members who are teachers, including in public school. So I'm very concerned about the safety of it all, not just for myself, but I know what it means as families discuss this across the country. And, again, it will vary from one location to another depending on the rate of infection in a particular community. But you can do it all if you have money, and that's where we have some difference. You have to have if you're going to distance, you have to have more space, therefore more teachers, better ventilation, masks, cleaning, washing down every day. It takes real money, and not money to say unless you open up, you're not getting any money, no money to open up.
[Sciutto:] Okay. You said this weekend that you don't have confidence in someone who is part of the administration's leading, helping lead the administration's response to this in White House Adviser Dr. Deborah Birx.
[Pelosi:] That's right. I said that.
[Sciutto:] She has differed with the president on a number of issues in which he's just flat out wrong based on the facts
[Pelosi:] Over the weekend.
[Sciutto:] including hydroxychloroquine, et cetera. I just wonder why single her out given the president leading the effort.
[Pelosi:] Well, because, what happened is that we had a conversation about how we stop the virus. And when we did they were making contentions about how tracing isn't a valuable thing, we shouldn't do it. And I said, well, that's not what most scientists, and they said, well, we'll bring a scientist to say that and so we're sure it's not Dr. Birx because I don't have confidence and anyone who stands there while the president says swallow Lysol and it's going to cure your virus. You know, it will kill you and you won't have the virus anymore. I don't have confidence when the president says it's hoax, it's magic, it's going to go away by magic, it's a miracle and all of those things.
[Sciutto:] So you say she hasn't challenged his disinformation or not. You say that's the issue?
[Pelosi:] No. I think that she has enabled. But it's not about her. It's about the American people. It's about the American people and how we have a real strategic plan. This administration has not had a strategic plan for the six months that we know about the coronavirus. We should have a plan for testing, tracing, treating, separation, masks and the rest. The president is saying something about masks and and there has to be some responsibility.
[Sciutto:] Okay.
[Pelosi:] So if the president is saying these things, who is advising him that this is okay and enabling that to happen while millions of people have died? We passed our bill almost 11 weeks ago, and since that time, 3 million people have been added to the infection list. Nearly 70,000 people have died.
[Sciutto:] Okay.
[Pelosi:] And they still don't have a strategic plan on stopping the virus. That's why I said I would like to have somebody else come in from the scientific point of view.
[Sciutto:] I want to talk about election security, if I can. You're away of external threats to this election but also, frankly, disinformation being shared repeatedly by the president. Will Democrats insist that any stimulus package include significant funding for election security?
[Pelosi:] Yes. And let me tell you why, this is a health issue. First of all, there's real inconsistency on the part of the administration. We had a special election in the spring in California where the president's son named Donald Trump Jr. was urging people to mail in their absentee ballots, and where his daughter-in-law was out there robo calling and saying vote by mail. So this idea that that they all of a sudden have decided that there's something wrong. But the fact is I was a former chair of California Democratic Party years ago before I came to Congress and I can tell you, we could win any election on election day. It was a vote by mail that the Republicans came in on that made the difference and the Republicans very much have been voting by mail and they understand the importance of it. Right now even more important because it is a health issue. People should not have to choose between jeopardizing their health with the coronavirus and being able to exercise their right to vote.
[Sciutto:] Okay, final question, question of foreign help. I don't have to discuss with you Russia's efforts in 2016 and there and the intelligence you've seen from Russia will continue to threaten this election. Senator Ron Johnson, he is working with a pro-Russian- Ukrainian lawmaker on dirt on the former vice president, Joe Biden. I just wonder, in your view, is that accepting foreign help in the election, and is it would it be taking part in foreign interference to accept such help?
[Pelosi:] Well, especially when I can't really go so much into, but when that foreign help is associated with the Kremlin, I think it's really important. Now, that could be unwitting with on the senator's part, I don't know what he knows. Now that's why we want the intelligence community to tell the American people what they know, not jeopardizing sources and methods. I've been involved in intelligence for 25 years. I we can't do that. We can't ever do that, but there is plenty that they could be telling the American people, and including the United States senators who may be associating with some of these people.
[Sciutto:] Are you saying again, I don't want to get into the intelligence, but are you saying the Kremlin is involved in efforts to denigrate the former vice president, Joe Biden?
[Pelosi:] Well, let's that's a question that should be pursued. That's a question that should be pursued. And, again, we would wish that the president would have asked that question with as many calls to Vladimir Putin but it just never comes up. And the intelligence community does tell us that the Russians are 247 still involved. That's in the public domain. I'm not telling you anything. That's been in the public has been in the public domain for a while, that, of course, they meddled in 2016 and they continue to meddle. This is deadly serious. And it is something that let the American people make their own decisions about whether they think they should choose who the president of the United States is or if they think that Vladimir Putin should decide who is president of the United States.
[Sciutto:] Speaker Pelosi, thanks so much for joining the broadcast. You're always welcome.
[Pelosi:] My pleasure. Thank you, Jim.
[Sciutto:] Parts of North and South Carolina are under hurricane warnings now as Tropical Storm Isaias heads for the coast. Will it be a hurricane by the time it makes land?

[Anderson:] You are more than welcome. You are watching Connect the World, with me Becky Anderson. Welcome. British lawmakers might be knee-deep in Brexit, in fact, they are knee-deep in Brexit. But Theresa May's Conservative Party is now grappling with another issue. That of Islamophobia. 14 party members have been suspended after anti-Islamic comments were posted on a Facebook page supporting a key pro-Brexit lawmaker. The comments called for Muslims to be, quote, turfed out of public office and urged the U.K. government to get rid of all mosques. Well a spokesperson for the Conservative Party told CNN that the Facebook page is not affiliated to the official party. Well meanwhile, the opposition Labour Party in the U.K. is in the middle of a full-blown crisis over anti-Semitism. Later on Wednesday the U.K.- based Jewish Labour Movement will hold votes on whether to break with the party after nearly 100 years of affiliation. My colleague, Hala Gorani, set out to investigate the extent of abuse Jewish lawmakers face and what is being done about it.
[Hala Gorani, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] The British Labour Party is engulfed in an anti-Semitism crisis that refuses to go away. The MP Margaret Hodge is among those accusing the party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, of willfully turning a blind eye to racism against Jews by party members.
[Margaret Hodge, British Labour Mp:] It is worrying, that what has always been present at the extremes of the party, on the fringes of the party, which is anti-Semitism, it has now moved into the mainstream.
[Gorani:] Spend a few minutes looking at replies on Hodge's Twitter feed, and you get a sense of the problem.
[Unidentified Male, Reading Twitter Responses:] You filthy Zionist. You don't deserve to have a voice in society, the time will come when you are shut up permanently. An exceptionally rich yid, she's the very worst kind of scum.
[Gorani:] Look closely, and you find many of the accounts associated with these tweets claim they are supporters of Corbyn.
[Hodge:] I think the leadership of the party has given permission for those used to express, and again, as I said, they were always there.
[Gorani:] Do you believe Jeremy Corbyn is anti-Semitic?
[Hodge:] I confronted and talked to him in the summer myself, and I did feel that his refusal to understand the nature of anti-Semitism meant that he himself was guilty and if that is the case, you're a racist.
[Gorani:] Corbyn ally, Barry Gardiner, denies Corbyn is racist but accepts the party should have acted earlier to root out anti-Semites.
[Barry Gardiner, British Shadow Secretary Of State For Trade:] They're causing huge damage in our party and they are causing huge distress to the Jewish community. And for that, we as a party have apologized and we are determined to get on top of this problem and to get those people out of the party.
[Gorani:] You don't accept the charge that it's Jeremy Corbyn's leadership that is allowing voices who may have been there the whole time to come up to the surface? You don't accept that charge on any level?
[Gardiner:] No, look, can I be clear, the way in which we deal in any form of racism, but in particular the way in which with anti-Semitism in the party is not a matter for the leader of the party. In fact, is not the matter for the leader of any of the political parties in the U.K. It's a matter for the party administration. So it's the general secretary who does this. And the general secretary, since she came in last year, has actually put in place a number of new processes, and also doubled the resource the human resource going into the investigation of those complaints, to make sure that it is done in a much faster fashion.
[Gorani:] But some within the party remain unconvinced. Including nine MP's who quit the Labour Party two weeks ago, all of them citing anti-Semitism among other reasons. Other party members have also quit, including Adam Langleben of the Jewish Labour Movement. His group is voting Wednesday on whether to break ties completely with the party after nearly 100 years of affiliation.
[Adam Langleben, Executive Committee Member, Jewish Labour Movement:] I think this may well end up destroying the Labour Party. And because if the Labor Party can't stand true to its value of anti-racism, what is the point of the Labour Party existing?
[Gorani:] The effect extending beyond politics as well, many people we spoke to in the Jewish communities of North London saying trust in the party has gone and some saying they'd leave the country if Corbyn came to power.
[Unidentified Male:] I think maybe many the Jewish people would probably emigrate to Israel or other countries. We feel we are not wanted year. What we have now is an extremist party which is anti- Semitic, like all extremists are.
[Gorani:] Fear runs deep on some of these streets. As the anti-Semitism controversy reaches far beyond the walls of Westminster. Hala Gorani, CNN, London.
[Anderson:] Well, from London, and where the lawmakers are of course in Westminster, to the U.S. Congress, issues of Islamophobia and anti- Semitism dividing U.S. politics as well as that of Britain. The House of Representatives will vote this week on an anti-Semitism resolution that will now also include language in condemning Islamophobia, and the initial resolution against anti-Semitism was seen as a rebuke by the party of newly-elected Democrat Ilhan Omar, who said a pro-Israel group was pushing allegiance to a foreign country. But Omar one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, has long been the subject of anti-Muslin rhetoric like this a poster linking her with the September 11 attacks. The change came as the party faced pressure to condemn the comments and protect her from Islamophobic abuse. Live from Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up, R. Kelly says he is innocent and he says he is fighting for his life. In his first televised interview since being charged with sexual abuse, a live report on that, coming up.

[John King, Cnn:] Protesters want action. We will see if Washington answers it. Not today. But, Manu, I appreciate that, live in the Hill. Thanks for joining us on a busy breaking news day. We'll see you back here tomorrow. Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now. Have a good day.
[Brianna Keilar:] Hello. I'm Brianna Keilar and I want to welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world. As coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge across America, a dramatic new initiative to stop the virus in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. A short time ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new restrictions for travelers coming from states with spikes in coronavirus cases.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] We're announcing today a joint travel advisory. People coming in from states that have a high infection rate must quarantine for 14 days. And we have a calibration for the infection rate, and any state that goes over that infection rate, that state will be subject to the quarantine. It's only for the simple reason that we worked very hard to get the viral transmission rate down. We don't want to see it go up, because a lot of people come into this region, and they could literally bring the infection with them.
[Keilar:] So how is all of this going to work? CNN's Alexandra Field is in New York to tell us. How would they implement this?
[Alexandra Field, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey there, Brianna. Look, what we're hearing from the governors is that this is a travel advisory, that it will be the personal responsibility of people who chooses to come to New York, Connecticut or New Jersey to take this seriously and to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the state. The governor of New York is saying that people who choose to violate that quarantine and are found out would then face judicial orders, they could face fines in the thousands of dollars and then a mandatory quarantine. These are the states that this affects today. We're talking about people coming in from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, Utah and Texas. Those are all states with high infection rates. If you're coming from those states, you will have to do the quarantine. But, Brianna, this is not a fixed list. This list will, of course, change as the infection rate in states around the nation changes. But, really, this is a pretty remarkable 180. We're talking about the region that was initially hit hardest by this virus. We're talking about a place where other states have said, if you're traveling from New York, you're going to have to quarantine, if you travel out of New York, and now we are seeing the reversal. It speaks to the fact New York and this region has been able to lower their numbers so drastically at a time where we're seeing the cases rise and spike in other states around the nation.
[Keilar:] All right, Alexandra, thank you for walking us through that. Other state officials are making desperate calls for residents to stay home, wear a masks, keep their distance, as 26 states are unflattening the curve. Actually, let's listen in now to a key hearing on the actions of Attorney General Bill Barr.
[Aaron Zelinsky, Former Roger Stone Prosecutor:] subpoena, I'm here today to testify about the United States versus Roger Stone. I apologize for not appearing before you in person, and I thank the committee for allowing me to appear remotely today. For family reasons, I should not risk infection. As the chairman mentioned I'm privileged to serve as an assistant United States attorney, a non-partisan career prosecutor. Our job is to see that justice is done in every case, without fear or favor, without party or politics. It's unusual for prosecutors like myself to testify about a criminal case, and as outlined further in my written remarks, there may be reasons why my testimony will be therefore be limited in some respects. The Department of Justice has cleared me today to discuss matters related to the Roger Stone sentencing. Let me now turn to the Stone case. The first thing every AUSA learns that we treat every defendant equally and fairly. In the United States of America, we do not prosecute people based on politics, and we don't cut them a break based on politics either. But that wasn't what happened here. Roger Stone was treated differently because of politics. At the time of these events, February of 2020, I was a career assistant United States attorney, as I am proud to be now. I was not privy to discussions with political leadership at the Department of Justice. Understanding what happened is based on two things, what I saw and what I heard. What I saw was Roger Stone was being treated differently from every other defendant. He received breaks that are, in my experience, unheard of, and all the more so for a defendant in his circumstances, a defendant who lied to Congress, who remained unrepentant and who made threats against a judge and a witness in his case. And what I heard repeatedly was that this leniency was happening because of Stone's relationship to the president, that the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia was receiving heavy pressure from the highest levels of the Department of Justice and that his instructions to us were based on political considerations. And I was told that the acting U.S. attorney was giving Stone a break because he was afraid of the president of the United States. I believe that was wrong and together with my fellow aligning prosecutors, I immediately and repeatedly said so. Unfortunately, our objection was not heeded. First, we were pressured to reduce the initial sentencing guidelines calculation for Mr. Stone without any clear, legal rationale for doing so. When we refused to go along, we were instructed to disregard the guidelines entirely and to recommend and unspecified lower sentence for Mr. Stone. I was told that to the best of anyone's recollection, such a recommendation has never been made by the fraud and corruption section of the United States attorneys' office. When we again refused, we were told we could be fired if we didn't go along. I notified the office that I intended to withdraw from the case rather than file a memo that was a result of wrongful political pressure. And while all of this happened, I was repeatedly told the department's actions were not based on the law or the facts but rather on political considerations, Mr. Stone's political relationships and that the acting U.S. attorney was afraid of the president. Shortly after I informed the office of my intent to withdraw, office leadership changed its position and allowed us to file a sentencing memorandum properly calculated the guidelines and seeking of guideline sentence, we filed a memo and heard nothing until that evening. But at 2:48 that morning, the president tweeted that the sentencing memo was horrible and very unfair and cannot allow this miscarriage of justice. Later that day, we learned the department was going to issue a new sentencing memorandum mischaracterizing the application of the sentencing guidelines and asking for an open-ended downward departure for Mr. Stone. We were not allowed to see that new proposed memo. We weren't even told who was writing it. At this point, I made a difficult choice to resign from the case and my assignment in the U.S. attorneys' office in D.C. I resigned because following orders would have violated the oath I swore when I took my job. To be clear, my concern is not with the sentence Mr. Stone received. I am not here to criticize a sentence or a reason
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] Thank you very much. We will now proceed under the five-minute rule
[Keilar:] All right. You're listening there to Aaron Zelinsky. He was a former prosecutor of Roger Stone, who resigned from the case after under pressure from the president's tweets that Roger Stone sentencing guideline was too much even though it was very standard, as we heard Aaron Zelinsky testifying there. That recommendation was downgraded, forcing him, he felt, to resign from the case and resign from his position in the DOJ because he said it would have violated the oath that he swore when he took the job if he were to continue. I want to bring Gloria Borger, our Chief Analyst, and Greg Brower, former FBI General Counsel. Gloria, he was very straightforward in his description here of what happened. And what also stood out was he talks about even before his initial filing of what was a pretty standard sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone, there had been drama behind the scenes, and he actually had talked about stepping down from the case before then. What did you think about what you heard here from Aaron Zelinsky?
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] Well, I think it's kind of stunning testimony from somebody who currently works for the Justice Department. Remember, he resigned from this case but not from the Justice Department. And what he said at the beginning of his testimony is, I am only going to tell you what I saw and what I heard. And what he heard and what he saw were people saying that we were going to treat Roger Stone differently because of his relationship with the president of the United States. And, clearly, he feels strongly enough about that to be a whistleblower and to say that following the directions of what they wanted him to do would have been in violation of his oath to the Justice Department. And he said, quite frankly, look, they cut him a break. They cut him a break, and he believes they shouldn't have done that. Now, he says, look, I'm not going to argue. People disagree all the time about sentencing guidelines. However, the reason he is upset and the reason he left the case is because the differences were about politics and not about the law.
[Keilar:] He said, Greg, that this was unheard of, the way that Roger Stone was treated, unheard of, Greg, to him and to folks around him working in the U.S. attorneys' office.
[Greg Brower, Former Deputy Fbi General Counsel:] Well, in my experience, I would agree with that. As a former federal prosecutor, I can tell you that, typically, the way that sentencing recommendations are made by the department is to seek the maximum sentence that's allowable under the guidelines, the sentencing guidelines. The judge makes the ultimate decision. But federal prosecutors, in my experience, are not known to pull punches or take it easy on defendants when it comes to the recommended sentence. That is what Zelinsky is saying happen here. We actually know that that happened. We didn't know when it happened several weeks ago. We didn't know exactly why he is coming forward with his understanding of why the department did that. There will be a lot of questions, of course, by committee members today to kind of drill down on the details, but this is unprecedented, in my experience, that a line prosecutor from DOJ would come forward with this sort of information for the Congress.
[Keilar:] And, Evan, Aaron Zelinsky essentially said that, that it's very unusual for him to be there in this role. I guess I wonder what does this mean going forward though even though there is this congressional oversight? What's going to be done about this?
[Evan Perez, Cnn Senior Justice Correspondent:] Look, I think we know that the attorney general has now agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee at the end of July, July 28th. That just the department just announced that. So we know that at least in about a month's time the attorney general is going to be answering some questions and you can bet this is going to be one of them. But one of the things that I think really stands out from this case is this, Brianna. The fact is that under the Trump administration, beginning with Jeff Sessions, the attorney general at the time, they decided that they were going to take a tough on crime approach, which is that prosecutors did not have permission to do this, to depart from the toughest guidelines. And so what the prosecutors in this case, including what Zelinsky was doing, they were doing, was following the rules, following the rules of the Justice Department. And as a matter of fact, they would have had to come up with excuses and all kinds of internal reasons to be able to go away from that, and so they ended up getting in trouble for following the rules that are this administration's own rules. And so one of the things we learned, by the way, in Zelinsky's statement there is that he threatened to withdraw from the case. And so in the end, that's why the tough sentencing recommendation was filed in the first place, because he was already behind the scenes saying, if we're not allowed to do our job, then I'm going to pull out of it. It was something that we suspected was the case. But for the first time we've heard him say that that was what was going on behind the scenes. Of course, in the end, the attorney general chastised them and publicly rebuked them, he withdrew anyway and resigned from the case. So it's a remarkable turn of events. And, by the way, one of the prosecutors resigned entirely from the Justice Department. We haven't heard from him yet on this case. But the Democrats want to keep investigating this. There's a lot more questions to be answered.
[Keilar:] Asha Rangappa is joining us, one of our analysts on this. What do you think, Asha? What's your reaction to what you've heard from Aaron Zelinsky?
[Asha Rangappa, Cnn Legal And National Security Analyst:] What I heard is that basically what's happening in the Justice Department is exactly what Barr claims he's investigating from the prior administration, which is investigations that are being motivated by political considerations. You know, the fact that somebody would be pressured to take a more lenient stance because they're a friend of the president is just not something that the Department of Justice does. And I think we also have to see this in the bigger picture here, which is that the former U.S. attorney for D.C. was forced out, Jessie Liu, a close associate of Barr brought in to the
[Keilar:] All right. Thank you guys so much, Gloria, Asha, Evan. I want to get back now to our breaking news as doctors say that coronavirus is spiraling out of control. There are several states that are hitting new records, several of them. And New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are issuing restrictions to Americans traveling in from states with these high infection rates. This is CNN special live coverage.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] All right, thank you for watching. "CNN TONIGHT" with Don "Good Trouble" Lemon starts now.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] No closing argument. No American, no nothing. Just me. Straight up on me.
[Cuomo:] What's better than you as you always say?
[Lemon:] Well, as you know so well.
[Cuomo:] Facts is facts. So, your friend President Trump finally told everybody what he's been letting people like you and me know privately for a long time.
[Lemon:] Which is?
[Cuomo:] If you don't say nice things about him, if he isn't liked, he will attack.
[Lemon:] Yes. Well, of course.
[Cuomo:] Even if it's Dr. Fauci. Someone who, one second he says is his top guy, he's a great guy, who's working so intimately with us. He's our guy.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Then he trashes him using doctors who have completely no pedigree and no proof behind their assertions.
[Lemon:] I'm just going to say, where have you been? He's been doing that he's been doing that with you. What are you are you actually shocked
[Cuomo:] With me it's OK. I can go either way on you and me. I can make the case either way.
[Lemon:] You know, this is
[Cuomo:] But not with Tony Fauci.
[Lemon:] This is my issue. And we talked about this. We have, you know, we have had issues issue issues with crime in American cities forever, for decades. He talks about these cities because I'm just talking about the mayor of Portland you had on earlier. He talks about the cities and the Democrat or he says Democrat cities, it should be Democratic cities, but he doesn't mention those cities that are in red states or red cities, so to speak, who have trouble, who are at the top of the list many times like St. Louis in a red state and Birmingham, Alabama, another red state. He doesn't talk about those cities and he doesn't want to send troops or military personnel to those cities. He just uses these bigger cities as these are Democratic cities, as a talking political point.
[Cuomo:] Yes.
[Lemon:] Yes, they are a problem.
[Cuomo:] Yes. And I'll tell you what. I'll give it to him.
[Lemon:] Portland is
[Cuomo:] I'll give it to him.
[Lemon:] But listen to me, Portland is a couple of blocks. It's not good what's happening. But you would think the entire city of Portland is on fire. It is not. But go on.
[Cuomo:] But the point is you are right 100 percent. But I'll give him his argument. The bigger cities in this country tend to be run by Democrats and he can put them up there as cities with a lot of crime. Fine. And he says I'm going to help even if they don't ask me. Fine. Why doesn't he apply the same mentality to states with COVID?
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] They are asking him for help.
[Lemon:] And he won't help.
[Cuomo:] And he will not help.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Why? Why is that so important
[Lemon:] Why?
[Cuomo:] when there are more people getting hurt from COVID than there are with the increases of crime?
[Lemon:] Because it does not help him politically.
[Cuomo:] There you go, Don Lemon.
[Lemon:] That's it. That's right. It does not help him politically.
[Cuomo:] I knew you weren't just good looking.
[Lemon:] And that's not to say when they take the sound bite out of out of context when they say, Don Lemon is reporting violence and I'm not at all. No one should be attacking or looting or raiding or drawing symbols on any kind of building. That should not be happening. But I'm saying the it's proportionality. Right? It is context. It is nuance. None of that should be happening. But most of the most cities are not completely on fire. Yes, there is a there's a surge in crime in big cities. We're trying to figure out why. We have been discussing it. But most cities are not on fire and don't they don't look like the pictures that you see on state run media.
[Cuomo:] And why would he suggest that they will be? Why would he ferment when he is supposed to be
[Lemon:] He shouldn't be because it's happening on his watch.
[Cuomo:] That's right. And why doesn't he apply the same thing. If you want to send 75,000
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] men and women around the country. Why not for COVID? You got hospitals over running all over the place.
[Lemon:] It doesn't help him politically.
[Cuomo:] You got people who need tracing and contacting, contract tracing and dealing with processing of tests. Where's the urgency there?
[Lemon:] It's because it doesn't exist, downplaying. And remember, wearing one of these did not help his case. Because it's right in your face that it's actually happening so he didn't want people to wear them. So
[Cuomo:] I like the American flag on the mask.
[Lemon:] Thank you very much.
[Cuomo:] It should have been bigger and in the middle.
[Lemon:] Thank you. Well, you tell Rhobac there who send it to me. I will tell those guys.
[Cuomo:] I brought you something. You want to know what it is?
[Lemon:] What?
[Cuomo:] It's not a bad joke.
[Lemon:] OK.
[Cuomo:] A buddy of mine, who you know, makes flag art that is beautiful. Now some people will say but the flag is in pieces. It's beautiful. And I bought us each one.
[Lemon:] Really?
[Cuomo:] Yes. I'll bring it to the house.
[Lemon:] All right. I know them. Is it Peter?
[Cuomo:] Nope.
[Lemon:] No?
[Cuomo:] Buff.
[Lemon:] Huh?
[Cuomo:] Andrew.
[Lemon:] I got it. Joe. OK.
[Cuomo:] Not joe. That's big Joe you're thinking of. I'm talking about Andrew the chef.
[Lemon:] Got it. OK. Got it.
[Cuomo:] He also makes art.
[Lemon:] OK. Thank you. I have to go because my producer is like go, move. We've got to go.
[Cuomo:] It's the best part of the show. I love you, Don Lemon.
[Lemon:] I love you more. Did I send you the tweet about us?
[Cuomo:] No.
[Lemon:] Someone made like a TV show thing. I'll send it to you.
[Cuomo:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] In the commercial break. See you later. Have a good night. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. So, let me let you in on a little secret. OK? Are you listening? It's a little secret. There is no pivot. There is no new tone. There is no turning over a new leaf. No turning over a new leaf. Everyone, here's the there is a here's the secret. There is one Donald Trump and he never changes. Do not get it twisted. This is a president who even with almost 150,000 Americans dead, can't even stay on script to save American lives or his own political skin, which is what he really cares about. Let's just be honest. That's what he cares about. He just cannot do it because this is Donald Trump we're talking about and who we have been talking about for the last five years or so. The latest example continuing to push an unproven drug even though multiple studies the latest just last week, those studies find that hydroxychloroquine or as he calls it hydroxy for short, right, or his apologies hydroxy, it doesn't help coronavirus patients and it may lead to unusual heart rhythms. But none of that matters to this president who last night retweeted a video that his son Donald Trump, Jr. also thought was totally awesome, featuring a group of doctors saying hydroxychloroquine which the president loves to promote against medical advice, is a cure. That video was removed by Facebook, by Twitter and YouTube for pushing false and misleading claims. But I'm going to show you part of it to you, OK? So that you can see how the president calls who the president, I should say, calls an impressive, important voice on this deadly pandemic. Roll it.
[Stella Immanuel, Physician & Pastor:] I came here to Washington, D.C. to tell America nobody needs to get sick. This virus has a cure. It is called hydroxychloroquine Zinc Azithromycin. I know you want to talk about masks. hello. You don't need mask. There is a cure.
[Lemon:] I love her accent. Those are beautiful, beautiful accent. So, who is this president listening to in Twitter videos while he disregards Dr. Anthony Fauci on this question? Well, I will let Kaitlan Collins tell you. Here it is.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Mr. President, the woman that you said was a great doctor in that video that you retweeted last night said that masks don't work and there is a cure for COVID-19. Both of which health experts say is not true. She's also made videos saying that doctors make medicine using DNA from aliens and that they are trying to create a vaccine to make you immune from becoming religious. So
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States Of America:] Well, maybe it's the same, maybe it's not. But I can I can tell you this. She was on air along with many other doctors. They were big fans of hydroxychloroquine. And I thought she was very impressive in the sense that from where she came, I don't know which country she comes from. But she said that she's had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients. And I thought her voice was an important voice. But I know nothing about her.
[Collins:] Last week you said that's
[Trump:] Go ahead.
[Collins:] Last week you said that's
[Trump:] OK. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.
[Lemon:] Didn't like that. So, he left. Right? Maybe it's the same, maybe it's not. I don't know what that meant in that answer. But he said he didn't, you know, I don't know anything about her. Well, I know something about her. OK? She believes that demons and witches cause medical problems when they have nighttime dream sex with humans.
[Immanuel:] It's what we call astral sex. That means this person is not really a demon or Nephilim. It's just a human being that's a witch. And they astral project and sleep with people.
[Lemon:] Yes. Very impressive. The one who also says this.
[Immanuel:] We have a lady, right here. She was sitting right there. She had been fantasizing about one of the movie stars. When she came to deliverance ground, during prayer, she started screaming. Her stomach was full, she was pregnant. She started screaming. She was tearing off her clothes. She was screaming and screaming, like she was in labor. And she said, this thing came out of me. Her stomach deflated, right here, real life.
[Lemon:] Wow. I was just having flash backs from Reagan and the exorcist. Huh. So, I just let me play the president again after he was asked about this.
[Trump:] I thought her voice was an important voice, but I know nothing about her.
[Lemon:] That is probably the most Donald Trump thing ever. Important voice, I know nothing about her. I know nothing. And after saying that, the president walks off. But he left us with something else from that briefing. A clue as to why he is listening to the doctor who believes in demon sperm. I can't believe I actually said that on TV. I never thought I would say that. I never thought I would say demon sperm on international television. But anyway, why he believes in the doctor who talks about demon sperm over the top epidemiologist in the country, and that Dr. Anthony Fauci? Why he is desperate to find someone to tell him he is right no matter who it is?
[Trump:] And he's got this high approval rating. So, why don't I have a high approval rating with respect and the administration with respect to the virus? We should have a very high. Because what we've done in terms of we're reading off about the masks and the gowns and the ventilators and numbers that nobody has seen and the testing at 55 million tests. We tested more than anybody in the world. I have a graph and I'd love to show. Perhaps you've seen it. Where we're up here and the rest of the world is down at a level. That's just a tiny fraction of what we've done in terms of testing. So, it's sort of curious. A man works for us, with us very closely, Dr. Fauci, and Dr. Birx, also highly thought of. And yet, they are highly thought of but nobody likes me. It can only be my personality. That's all.
[Lemon:] Mommy always liked you more than me, demon sperm. That is that is sad. It's just sad because there's an answer by the way you don't have a high approval rating because you have completely botched the handling of this virus. Denying and downplaying.
[Trump:] It's one person coming in from China. And we have it under control. It's going to be just fine.
[Lemon:] Pushing the country to open too soon.
[Trump:] I'd love to have it open by Easter. OK.
[Harris Faulkner, Fox News:] Wow.
[Trump:] I would love to have it open it by Easter. I will tell you that right now. I would love to have that it's such an important day for other reasons. But I'll make it important for this too. I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter.
[Lemon:] OK. Encouraging people to ingest disinfectants.
[Trump:] I said supposing you brought the light inside the body in which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that too? It sounds interesting.
[Unidentified Male:] We'll get the right folks who could.
[Trump:] Right. And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning because you see it gets in the lungs.
[Lemon:] Sir? Mr. Trump? Mr. President? That's why you're not popular since that is what you seem to care about because you failed when the country needed you the most and because there is no pivot because there is no new tone because there is no turned page. You still don't get it. Case in point.
[Trump:] We're seeing improvement across the major metro areas and most hot spots. You can look at large portions of our country it's corona free. But we are watching very carefully California, Arizona and Texas and most of Florida. It's starting to head down in the right direction. And I think you'll see it rapidly head down very soon. But if you look, California, Arizona, Texas and for the most part most of Florida starting to head down.
[Lemon:] Corona free, except for the biggest states in the country. California, Texas, and Florida. Top three along with Arizona. That's more than 97,264,000 people. And he calls large portions of the country corona free. Every single state, every single state has reported new cases of coronavirus in the past week, the president's need to be grandiose to promote to prevaricate. It means that he is not capable of grasping reality. That is a feature, people. Not a bug. Former Vice President Joe Biden on the attack today saying people are losing faith in what this president says.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] People are losing faith in what the president says. Think about it. What the words of a president matter significantly. They can, as I said before, take us to war, they can bring peace, they can rise or cause a market to rise, they can do good thing. But people listen to what a president says. And if a president repeatedly says things that are not true, and then it comes a time when they say I have something that I think can cure you but it could really hurt you. You're not going to listen to the guy who says that's been lying to you a long way.
[Lemon:] Joe Biden today. Mark this on your calendar, everyone, demon sperm. Our White House correspondent is Kaitlan Collins who joins us now live at the White House. Good evening, Kaitlan. President clearly not happy that you pressed him on that doctor's credibility.
[Collins:] I mean, Don, it wasn't clear that he knew what she had said in the past. Because when he even asked by a previous reporter, you know, he talked about what an impressive doctor she was. He said he was confused why that video was taken down off of YouTube and twitter and Facebook. But when I brought up the things that she said in the past and I didn't even get into the half of it really, that's when the president said that he still found her to be an important voice but then he said I don't know her. And that's often something you hear from the president when he is confronted with something, they've said that could be problematic as, including when it's a pandemic and he is promoting something she said to 84 million followers. That's when he seems to start to backed off a bit. But he had defended retweeting this sentiment that contradicted things that he had even said, talking about wearing a mask, things of that nature. Of course, what really this doctor had said in this video did not go with anything that any of his own health experts have said. And so that's when you know it comes to this question of who is the president listening to, and the White House has pushes back on that and says he is listening to all of his medical experts. Well, he's also listening to random people on Twitter who he doesn't even know their background and he's amplifying what they're saying. And so that's why the question is, you know, where is the president getting this information from?
[Lemon:] Kaitlan Collins, that's a good question. Where? Thank you, Kaitlan. I appreciate that. Each day gets more surreal, more unbelievable than the last. This is where we are. Dr. Fauci in the meantime with some tough talk tonight about reopening schools. And parents and teachers may have a lot of questions about what he says. I'm going to ask the former CDC director, Dr. Thomas Frieden. He is next.

[Baldwin:] A lot of people are pinning their hopes on antibody tests as a way to get back to work and get the economy back up and running. And these tests look at whether people have been infected with the virus and subsequently have antibodies. But there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding them at the moment. For one, it's not clear how long one's immunity lasts. As the White House task force's Dr. Deborah Birx acknowledged to CNN.
[Birx:] WHO is being very cautious. I think what WHO is saying, we don't know how long that effective antibody lasts. And I think that is a question that we have to explore over the next few months, and over the next few years.
[Baldwin:] "The New York Times" reports over the past few weeks, dozens of scientists have been evaluating whether 14 antibody tests now on the market are reliable, and the results are falling short. Scott Hensley is an associate professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania. So, Scott, thank you so much for being on with me. And I just wanted to ask you, first, about the reliability of these antibody tests. And just total transparency, this is my first day back at work after recovering from coronavirus, and I'm currently trying to find an accurate FDA-approved antibody test. And I read this piece over the weekend in "The Times," where it talked about you were quoted, these 14 antibody tests, but only three had consistently reliable results, and then only one of the three didn't deliver a false positive. So my takeaway is that we're still very much in the wild west, are we not?
[Scott Hensley, Department Of Microbiology, University Of Pennsylvania:] Well, Brooke, that's one way to put it. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better. And yes, there are so many tests out in the market right now. And, you know, some of them are probably pretty good and others not so good. And these the antibody testing is just so important as we try to think about coming back together as a society. And it's unfortunate that the market's been flooded with some of these tests that are just not accurate.
[Baldwin:] Help me understand. Use me as an example, right? I had COVID, I just, a couple days ago, tested negative for it, cleared me so I could come back in and do what I'm doing right now. If I took an antibody test and it came back positive, does that mean I'm immune?
[Hensley:] OK. So, yes, let's take you as an example. So I think you're up in New York, right?
[Baldwin:] Yes.
[Hensley:] So let's say we bleed 100 people in New York, we take the blood from those hundred individuals and run a test. If there's a five percent false positive with that test, that means five of those 100 people that we just tested are going to come up positive, but they weren't really exposed. Well, say that seroprevalence in New York right now is a true five percent, that would mean

[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor, Newsroom:] All right. The president's former attorney, Michael Cohen, is back on Capitol Hill today, behind closed doors, testifying before the House Intelligence Committee. This follows a day of explosive public testimony, Republicans getting used to the Democrats, leading these committees, and Democrats trying to determine where this Cohen testimony takes them next. But in all the back-and-forth did we lose sight of what we really learned yesterday? Jim.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor And Chief National Security Correspondent:] Here with us to discuss CNN Political Director, David Chalian. And David, this is a frequent phenomenon here, right? So much news comes across the transom, it's hard to take stock. But help us take stock with how, if at all Michael Cohen's, testimony and revelations move the dial here. Does it, for instance, move the dial closer to Democrats seeking possibly impeachment of the president?
[David Chalian, Cnn Political Director:] Well, it's a good question, Jim. I think we have to look at this two ways, a little bit more micro, sort of, what investigative threads did Michael Cohen leave behind for Democratic members of Congress to sort of pull that going forward. Clearly, insurance for fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, kind of allegations having nothing to do with Russia, of course, but just into potential wrongdoing that the president may, or his organization may have been engaged in. So that's sort of on the immediate investigative threats. But your point of where we are in the in the larger picture here of Donald Trump standing after Michael Cohen delivered what was clearly damning, damning testimony yesterday. It is a sign of the times. I think that the American people got more evidence yesterday, Jim and Poppy, than at any time in the last two years that Donald Trump was likely committing a crime, a part of committing a crime as president of the United States. And yet, I am skeptical that Americans minds are going to be changed.
[Harlow:] Right.
[Chalian:] The projections about Donald Trump are so locked in, and yet the country just heard more convincing evidence than ever that he actually may have committed a crime. That is the state of our politics right now
[Harlow:] Yes
[Chalian:] and where we are as a people.
[Harlow:] And David, I think you're so right, and I wonder, is if that's why we really didn't hear the word impeachment. The "i" word from Democrats yesterday, and we haven't heard a ton of it in the aftermath. Yes, representative, Jackie Speier, mentioned the possibility, but Democrats aren't jumping all over that following the testimony and that's you know, I wonder if that's because impeachment is a political mechanism, and they see what you see.
[Chalian:] Without a doubt, Poppy, and I think it is a really smart observation. When I heard Nancy Pelosi give remarks yesterday to reporters, and she said she hadn't been watching all day, but then she followed up by saying very clearly. I am not looking to get involved in all of this. My job is to fight the president as hard as possible on his policy positions, on is tax cuts for the wealthy, on what he's trying to do, was stripping away health care. She went right back. She did not sound like a speaker who was trying to lead her party in the aftermath of that testimony towards impeachment.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Chalian:] She sounded like she was trying to pull them away from that.
[Harlow:] You're right.
[Sciutto:] And she knows she knows that a number of the gains Democrats made in the mid-term elections were in flip districts, where relatively moderate Democrats were able to flip. And you're a couple months into her leadership, and Democrats you have the wall issue, you have the Cohen testimony. Some a couple talking about impeachment there, but no progress on, or less progress so far on the bigger issues of what was an ambitious, ambitious Democratic agenda. Is that a danger for the Democratic Party?
[Chalian:] I doubt they're much in danger yet. I mean yesterday, they did pass in the House a gun control legislation, a big promise back on the campaign trail, but obviously that's not going to go anywhere in the Senate. I mean, I think, that'll be the story right that the House will pass big agenda items, but likely to be blocked in the Republican-controlled Senate, and not get to the President's desk. But they'll be able to move through some of their big agenda items. But I think that the Democrats would tell you, Jim, that the shutdown over the wall allowed them to talk to some of their key items, because they were on the political winning side of that shutdown, obviously, when the president caved on that. I do think that you are right to note that much of the Democratic majority, the reason they're in the majority is, because a lot of Republican districts were flipped. So you do have these more moderate members, but there is also a real tension with the Democratic base that wants to see every day Donald Trump be held accountable, and a portion of that base really does want to see impeachment proceedings begin.
[Harlow:] Yes. It's a good point. This is, sort of, the tightrope that they're walking. David, always good to have you.
[Chalian:] Thanks guys.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Harlow:] Still ahead, Pakistan this morning, attempting to defuse rising tensions with neighbor India, as the world watches this escalating crisis between the two nuclear powers. We will explain what's going on, and the potential consequences ahead.

[Bianna Golodryga, Cnn Anchor:] Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Bianna Golodryga, in for Fredricka Whitfield. We begin this hour with another protest turning deadly as the nation comes to grips with the fallout over racial injustice. Those protests are increasingly becoming a flashpoint in the race for president with the election now just 65 days away. Last night, a man was shot and killed in Portland, Oregon during protests. A warning, some of the video you are about to see is disturbing. "The New York Times" reports that the victim was wearing clothing affiliated with the far right group Patriot Prayer. CNN has reached out to Portland police for details on the victim and any additional suspect information but they have not released any details yet. The victim was apparently part of a group of Trump supporters rallying against Black Lives Matter demonstrators. Overnight President Trump placed his supporters as patriots. All this as we learn that the president is planning to make a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday. It was just days ago that two people were shot during protests there. A 17-year-old is charged in those shootings. The president will speak with law enforcement and survey some damage from protests. Last hour I spoke with "New York Times" correspondent Mike Baker. He was at the scene of the deadly shooting in Portland and here's what he had to say.
[Golodryga:] Walk us through this. Because not only were you documenting it, you were actually hit by paintballs from Trump supporters.
[Mike Baker, "new York Times" Correspondent:] Yes. So we really started out in the suburbs. There was a huge rally of Trump supporters gathering there. A lot of people with trucks and flags on their trucks gathering and their plan was to drive around the city, on the city's highways, sort of not really get into downtown but drive around the city's highways. But a lot of that crowd broke off and did go downtown and when they did, when they got there, there was a growing crowd of protesters who were opposed to the presence of this large Trump rally in the city and it really devolved from there.
[Golodryga:] And we are looking at that video that you filmed last night. Did you see any violence between these two groups escalate as the night went on? Was there any indication that it could end in gunfire?
[Baker:] Yes. I mean really, as soon as the both groups sort of got together it was increasingly volatile throughout the night. I mean we saw video there of paint balls being fired from the back of pickup trucks and people in the crowd throwing things back. There were at times cars that were vehicles that were blocked and people getting out and fist fights happening in the streets. I mean there was growing tensions there and also this is like kind of scattered throughout downtown with a lot of these vehicles driving down different streets up and down different streets ad you had protesters sort of pursuing them in different parts of downtown and so that while police showed up a few times to sort of redirect traffic or to keep the groups apart, really, you know, it's so dispersed throughout downtown that it really became something that they couldn't handle.
[Golodryga:] And talk about the police presence. How present was it? Was it visible? And what role were they playing if any?
[Baker:] Yes. I mean really when the first part of the caravan showed up downtown there were some protesters that went out on one of the bridges to block the caravan from coming through, the police showed up then sort of cleared the streets. And then they were sort of in and out throughout the night sort of trying to keep the caravan off in one direction and the protesters away from them. But it's and then after they were downtown throughout the night and were there on scene of the shooting pretty soon after it happening.
[Golodryga:] But they were outnumbered obviously?
[Baker:] I mean there's I mean we're talking about hundreds of counter protesters and hundreds of trucks with Trump flags on them and going in all different directions so it seemed like they didn't have the capacity to sort of spend the entire time period in downtown keeping all those different sort of factions apart from each other.
[Golodryga:] And it is my understanding that you followed this motorcade that was showing support for President Trump. What did you hear from them? You can hear people exchanging verbal I guess assaults at each other but what was their goal in holding this event during such a volatile time in the city?
[Baker:] So in talking to them, they really wanted to just show their presence. They felt like, you know. Portland's been a place that's been controlled by the protesters over the last few months, and you know, they're supporting the president and wanted to go into Portland to demonstrate that. And some I think for some, demonstrate that there wasn't a fear of going into downtown Portland and having their say. You know? Certainly could see some people who had already brought gun to the protests even out in the suburbs. They were open carrying. They were, you know, shouting down some of the activists who had coming up to demonstrate against the protests. And then, you know, driving through downtown they had you know, had the paint ball guns in the back of the truck. They were ready for some sort of conflict if one arose.
[Golodryga:] And Mike now knowing that the president will be there Tuesday, do you anticipate that these groups, both those who are supporting Trump and those who are not will only increase their presence with the president there on the ground? I mean this has basically been the third consecutive weekend where we have had some sort of right wing conflict with left wing groups that has involved guns. And it's two weeks ago one of the right wing demonstrators fired two gunshots out of his vehicle according to authorities and has been charged in that case. You know, last weekend we saw open fighting in the streets between some far right activists who were in town and the same left wing protesters. And in that case you had one of the right wing folks brandishing a gun. So, you know, this has been three consecutive weekends of this happening and certainly some violence like we saw last night that didn't seem like it's going to be something that will end it. And our thanks to "The New York Times' " Mike Baker for laying that out for us. Well, as those protests unfolded in Portland, President Trump was tweeting between midnight and 8:00 this morning, he tweeted or retweeted nearly 90 times and that has some officials worrying that he may be fanning the flames. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is at the White House. And Jeremy, what is the administration saying about all those protests? Because it's not as if he may be fanning the flames, it appears that that's exactly what he is doing.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes. And what the president is not doing here is, he is not urging for calm. He is not trying to de-escalate the situation that is happening in Portland or in Kenosha, Wisconsin for that matter. Instead what we saw is the president in 89 tweets most of them focused on trying to amplify these contents of conflict between the President's own supporters and these Black Lives Matter protesters specifically in the city of Portland. And the President is also here clearly trying to project strength. He is focusing on talking about law and order, calling the Black Lives Matters protesters thugs and suggesting that once again a federal intervention here with National Guard troops is what is needed, not something that would de-escalate the situation and that is where Adam Schiff the top democrat on the House Intelligence Committee comes in saying that the president here is fanning the flames of division. Listen.
[Rep. Adam Schiff (d-ca:] The president is willfully fanning the flames of this violence. As his adviser Kellyanne Conway said last week, they believe the violence is helpful to them. And the president is only motivated by one thing, what's in it for him. And he sees this violence and the his ability to agitate more of it as useful to his campaign.
[Diamond:] And there is no question, Bianna, that the president does see the violence that is happening in some of these cities as useful to his campaign as Adam Schiff just said there. The president has made no secret of this. You saw it all last week during the RNC, the president talking about law and order. And of course, the irony here is that the president is trying to use the violence that is happening in some of these cities to try and associate that with his presidential rival Joe Biden. And the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows was asked about that today, asked about the fact that this is all happening ultimately in Donald Trump's America. Mark Meadows' response was to say that most of Donald Trump's America is peaceful and he argued that it's the president who is the one offering the federal support here, not the one refusing it as the mayor of Portland is indeed doing. So again, there is certainly a dichotomy there and an irony to the fact that the president is trying to use this to paint his rival Joe Biden as weak on crime, weak on law and order even though he hasn't expressed support for the more violent aspects of these protests. In fact he has condemned them. instead the president though clearly trying to use this as an attack line in the next few weeks of this campaign.
[Golodryga:] Well, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that by focusing on this he's not talking about the coronavirus where we have seen now approaching nearly 200,000 Americans who have died throughout this year because of this. The president clearly not wanting to focus on that right now. And Jeremy, the president as we know is planning to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday. And this just days after two people were killed there. What are you learning about that trip? And what does it mean regarding tension on the ground as he approaches?
[Diamond:] Yes, the president's going to be answering an extremely combustible situation here and it is hard to see how Donald Trump who is not somebody who has chosen to really step into that consoler in chief role that we see previous presidents play during times of national tragedy and division. That is not a role the president has chosen to play. Instead as we have been talking about he chooses more often than not to try and amplify the divisions and to put a spotlight on the things that he thinks will help him politically and that is what we expect him to do on Tuesday. The White House has said that the president will visit Kenosha not to meet with Jacob Blake or his family but instead to survey some of the damage from the rioting that has happened there and to meet with law enforcement officials. And so that is what we are expecting on Tuesday. The lieutenant governor of that state already saying we don't need that. We don't need the president to be showing up in Kenosha, Bianna.
[Golodryga:] All right. Jeremy Diamond, I know you'll stay on those story for us. Thank you so much. Well, some officials in Kenosha, Wisconsin say that President Trump's plan to visit might make things worse. We'll have a live report from Kenosha next on CNN NEWSROOM. And later hear from some New Yorkers who say they were tricked into appearing on tape at the Republican National Convention. We'll explain why. Stay with us.

[Bolduan:] Melania Trump is back on the world stage as well with President Trump in London. They're headed to a tea shortly with Prince Charles and the duchess of Cornwall in a few minutes. When it comes to the first lady, it really seems everyone has a theory about Melania Trump. As the "New York Times" puts it real well today, "If administration is a Rorschach test, she's a splash of ink across the White House. She is either a prisoner in the White House or she rules the roost. She's estranged from her husband or a close and influential adviser." And many more. Someone with some new insights here, my colleague, Kate Bennett, out with a new book called "Free, Melania, An Unauthorized Biography," out today. She joins me from Washington. It's great to see you, Kate.
[Kate Bennett, Cnn White House Reporter:] Thanks, Kate. Thank you.
[Bolduan:] Thank you. What about all these theories? Her relationships, not only with President Trump but also with her stepdaughter, Ivanka, and the second lady, Karen Pence.
[Bennett:] What I try to do in the book is sort of give a comprehensive look at Melania Trump's world. And Ivanka Trump is very much in it. She's been there for the 20 years that she and Donald Trump have been together. Ivanka Trump and Melania have had a warm relationship. But the White House years have really caused some friction. It's an unprecedented situation. You have two glamorous women. They both have the ear of the president. They're both influential. They both have overlapping objectives at times. And it's created a behind- the-scenes deterioration in their relationship. And sometimes, backstage, things have gotten a little more complex when you consider this bizarre role of first daughter meshed with this role of first lady.
[Bolduan:] Absolutely. What about with Karen Pence? I bet you have some very interesting insights into that relationship.
[Bennett:] Starting out, for Karen Pence, Melania Trump seemed like the exotic unicorn. It couldn't be more different. She was a model, had posed naked in risque photographs, she's the third wife. She's anything but the traditional, value-centric Karen Pence. In the beginning again, my reporting shows it wasn't always, right off the bat, a super warm friendship. Lately, the two have done more events together. I was with them on a couple trips lately and they seem to be more in lockstep. But right off the bat, there was a behind-the-scenes, again, motion going on where people don't know what to make of Melania Trump, and Karen Pence is one of those people.
[Bolduan:] People don't know what to make of the relationship between Melania Trump and President Trump. And you have some new and interesting insights into kind of how they operate and how it works, kind of, between them, if you will. What's your theory, Kate?
[Bennett:] You know, people are often surprised when they ask me, does she hate him, what's it like behind the scenes. Actually, the answer is no. They get along quite well. They're close. They speak throughout the day. They often are on the phone together. She gives him advice. She's very vocal about her opinions. He doesn't always take them. She's an influence and she's his eyes and ears in a lot of ways. And she can maintain that because she's publicly very private, publicly quiet. But behind the scenes, she and her husband have, over their two decades together, forged a relationship that might not look like a traditional marriage but it works for them. And certainly, you know, behind the scenes you always have those couples when you go to a dinner party and you walk away going, why is he with her? She's so funny and he's so dull, or vice versa. I think people question it, and that's normal. But for them, it works.
[Bolduan:] Real quick, have you gotten any response from the White House about your book?
[Bennett:] Not yet, no. And again, Melania Trump, being a very private person, I'm not sure that I will. But certainly, you know, I cover the beat. They know I've been working on a book, so we'll see.
[Bolduan:] And you'll continue to cover it. And it's a great read. Kate, thank you so much. Congratulations.
[Bennett:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] "Free, Melania" out today. Still ahead, a busy day ahead for President Trump. Moments from now, he meets with members of the royal family. Plus, what's the fallout going to be after that faceoff we saw play out this morning with the president of France?

[Chatterley:] Hello, I'm Julia Chatterley. There is more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment, when the chairman of Emirates says he may take his business to Airbus. And One Belt One Road, lots of controversy. China rolls out a new phase of its ambitious trade plan. Before that, the headlines this hour. Sri Lanka's President tell CNN the Easter bombers had quote "very clear links with ISIS." He says they were trained by the terror group. The President blames negligence for the Intel Community not acting on warnings ahead of the attacks. Mourners will gather next hour to bury a woman who gave up her life protecting her Rabbi during a shooting at their synagogue in California. Lori Kaye is being remembered as a hero for shielding the Rabbi from gunfire. Police say a 19-year-old gunman opened fire during services Saturday. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. Spain's ruling Socialist Party is celebrating a victory at the polls even though it fell short of winning and outright majority. Incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he will form a pro-European government, but it's still unclear which parties he may recruit to build a coalition. ISIS has released a video purported to be of its leader, Abu Bakr Al- Baghdadi. If authentic, it would be the first time he has been seen since July of 2014 despite previous reports he was killed or is seriously injured. In the video, Baghdadi praises the attacks in Sri Lanka and calls for vengeance for the fall of the last town held by ISIS in Syria. Barbara Starr is following this story from the Pentagon for us. Barbara, two important things here, first actually, just seeing him on film as we mentioned there for the first time in five years. But, one, acknowledging the defeat of the caliphate, but, two of course, pivotal timing in light of the attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. What do we make of this?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, Julia, U.S. military and intelligence officials, and I suspect intelligence services around the world are scouring every frame of this video now to see what clues they can discern. The time references that Baghdadi made of course are most interesting since the Sri Lanka attacks were just days ago, which suggests he has a very current knowledge of world events, of ISIS events believed that ISIS inspired those Sri Lanka attacks. And he has the capability to move communications on a fairly rapid basis. Raised the request should about how you know, just how deep in the hiding he may be. What officials are concerned about, obviously, is this all raises the specter that this is indeed the new ISIS that they had feared. It may no longer have its physical caliphate, it may not control a territory, but it can marshal and inspire fighters, train, organize, finance and equip them. Sri Lanka, I think it's fair to say it was a real eye opener in terms of those so-called inspired ISIS attacks. The capability that those fighters demonstrated on a large scale in that country, the havoc that they unleashed is really an eye opener for the U.S. as it begins to calculate the ISIS that it faces now. Julia?
[Chatterley:] Absolutely, potent propaganda. Barbara Starr, thank you so much for that update there. All right, returning now to our top story tonight, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg promises to re-earn trust, has he faced questions from investors at the company's annual shareholder meeting in Chicago. After two plane crashes, Boeing is struggling to limit the damage from an unprecedented safety crisis. These airlines have all either pulled their business or saying they're reviewing their orders for more 737 Max planes. As we've noted many times, it's simply not that easy to cancel an airplane order. The Emirates chairman says he's considering taking his business to Airbus. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum spoke to John Defterios at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
[Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Emirates:] I think Fly Dubai had a big hit I would say. Grounding 14 aircraft, the total, 76 aircraft. You know, safety, it is always an important issue, what has happened shouldn't really be repeated. And what is the future of this aircraft and will it be flying again?
[John Defterios, Cnn Emerging Markets Editor:] Are you convinced about it, that's the number one question as chairman about the 737 Max 8. Are you convinced?
[Maktoum:] It's a good aircraft when we talk about aircraft, but that also gives me the option that I have also to look, because still, I mean, still have a big number of aircraft coming to Fly Dubai. So that give me the option to talk also to Airbus about aircraft.
[Defterios:] Oh, you may not be overly dependent on the new 737s, is what you're saying?
[Maktoum:] That's right, yes. You look at also at the Airbus aircraft
[Defterios:] You have full view results coming out on May 9th. The first six months of your fiscal year, you had a drop of 86 percent. Currency exposure, higher oil prices, what can we expect on May 9th? Your first loss in the history of Emirates.
[Maktoum:] No, it will not be a loss, it will be a profitable year for Emirates
[Defterios:] You say that with confidence.
[Maktoum:] Yes, for sure.
[Defterios:] Fifty to $60 oil you prefer, we're in this range now of 60 to 70-plus, despite the interventions by Donald Trump. What is your preference? Should the region not be fighting for a higher oil prices because it puts the squeeze on the rest of commerce in the region?
[Maktoum:] I wish I really can call that shot. It's not me. I want it as a business when we talk about the airline business. We want it anything between $60 and below.
[Defterios:] And that the Emirates fleet, you cut back on the A380s, is the future because of the competition mid-sized, long haul, 787s, A350s?
[Maktoum:] You know, when we look, we're a very big supporter of the A380s from day one. But also, what we see today is the twin jet aircraft which is coming. There are many aircraft that really carry today 400 passenger aircraft. We talk about, for example, the 777X which is coming to the to the market.
[Defterios:] You've done this collaboration with Emirates and Fly Dubai, does it make industrial logic to do the same with Etihad, your neighbor in Abu Dhabi. And will you be in a merger by the time you leave as chairman of Emirates, so we can get a timeline here?
[Maktoum:] There is nothing called merge. We've been cooperating there's a relationship between the airlines, but nothing called merger.
[Defterios:] And you won't be going to a merger, is what you're saying to me today, you're not going to a merger?
[Maktoum:] I don't know what will happen after five years or ten years. But as we speak today, I know by next year, there's no such merger. Because if you look at the two models, we are exactly the two similar models. You know, and there are two big airlines we're really to put them together. So it's better really to let them solo together.
[Chatterley:] John Defterios there speaking to the Emirates CEO in Dubai. Now, in just hours, talks between the world's two biggest economies will begin yet again with hopes the sides could be closer to ending their trade standoff. Discussions between the United States and China are due to start in Beijing. The White House says they will cover issues including intellectual property, forced technology transfers, non-tariff barriers and agricultural trade too. The U.S. is not the only trading partner China is focusing on. However, Beijing has just wrapped up a major forum on its global infrastructure plans, the Belt and Road Initiative. President Xi Jinping has been keen to hail it as a success.
[Xi Jinping, President, China:] More than $64 billion worth of deals were signed during the summit this week. All these achievements have fully shown the cooperation achieved through the Belt and Road Initiative has followed the current trend and has gained the people's support and improved the people's livelihood and has a special place in this world.
[Chatterley:] As you can see, China is swiftly turning its ambitions into reality both on land and at sea. More than 5,000 participants attended the recent Belt and Road forum, including Italy of course, the first G7 nation to sign on. Daniel Russel was an Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs under Barack Obama, and he's now vice president at the Asia Society and he joins us now. Great to have you with us.
[Daniel Russel, Vice President, International Security & Diplomacy, Asia Society:] Happy to be here.
[Chatterley:] Let's call this a rebranding exercise because President Xi was talking about things like taking a zero tolerance of corruption, focusing I think on some greater due diligence because let's be fair, they've had some sheer intense criticism as a result of these projects around the world.
[Russel:] Yes, that's right. Well, look, Xi Jinping has been saying the right things in the Belt and Road forum. The question is whether China is doing the right things. In the fields, in these various belt and road projects. So far, the world has begun to react to the problems with bribery, the problems with environmental pollution, the lack of sustainability in terms of the financing. There's been a lot of blowback. The good news is that the Chinese clearly have heard that. The question mark is whether there would be more than just sweet-sounding rhetoric and promises. The world, frankly, has promise fatigue when it comes to China. Now it is important that Xi Jinping is acknowledging that there had been these problems. And in committing China to a clean BRI, to an open, an internationalize BRI, to a green BRI. He is sending a political message through the Chinese system, saying this is what I expect. But unless that's followed up with real mechanisms, including enforcement mechanisms to make sure that at a minimum, the standards that China insists on at home for dams or for power plants are honored in the developing world, that's really the test.
[Chatterley:] I mean, the test comes when you want international investment, particularly from the
[Russel:] Right
[Chatterley:] Developed world because the due diligence there will be enforced by others if not China themselves. But with the operations that they have in the developing world, particularly some of the criticisms that they've come under in countries in Africa, for example, the idea that they're just colonizing there and extracting resources. Is it just going to be proof in the pudding to see ultimately whether they do follow through on some of the good promises here?
[Russel:] Well, I'd say there are two big problems. One is, as you point out, our international investors are never going to put their money in a Chinese belt and road project unless it has been fully de-risked. Unless there's been the adequate due diligence needed. And developing countries and governments have difficulty, they lack some of the capacity in order to insist that those standards are met. And secondly, you know, there's a lot of mystery and not a lot of facts available about belt and road and belt and road projects. There's no database of projects. There's not even a clear definition of what is or isn't a belt and road project. And it's there's also a tremendous amount of difficulty for international companies to compete because the tenders thus far haven't been open.
[Chatterley:] What about trade here? Because the suggestion as well was that this was an opportunity and President Xi took it to say to the Americans here, look, we're ready to step forth, we're ready to have a mutual enforcement process on the trade deal, we're willing to tackle intellectual property theft, technology transfers. How confident are you on this one that when China says it's ready to engage here and follow through, it actually is?
[Russel:] Well, it's a clear signal that President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership definitely want to put an end to the pain from tariffs. They definitely want to reduce the risk of instability and pressure from the tariffs imposed in the trade approach taken by the United States government. But it's a start, but it's a long way from declaring on interest in a fair and balanced reciprocal trade agreement to actually getting one, particularly given China's long record. Now, the Trump administration has been struggling to find ways to build in enforceability
[Chatterley:] Right
[Russel:] In the agreement. They've been taking quite a tough line with the Chinese. Xi Jinping now has a long time horizon. And whether his plan at least in part, to out-wait the Trump administration, to again make commitments, but use non-tariff barriers to restrict the access for international firms, now, that's really the unknown in the challenge.
[Chatterley:] Yes, it's a good point. Even six years isn't a long time when you don't risk elections back at home to be voted out
[Russel:] Right
[Chatterley:] In President Xi's case. A healthy dose of skepticism I hear there, Daniel. Thank so much for that. Daniel Russel there. All right, after the break, you know, the White House says stellar U.S. growth in Q1 was no fluke, some economists say the picture isn't as rosy as it appears. I'll ask the former chief economist of the IMF what he makes of it all. That's coming right up, stay with QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.

[Kate Bolduan, Cnn:] At Supreme Court today historic cases conducted under historic circumstances. For the first time ever the public was able to listen live as the justices heard arguments via conference call due to the pandemic, of course. The cases were also some of the most high-profile this term hitting at the heart of presidential powers. Putting it simply, should Congress has have access to the president's tax returns and how does presidential immunity extend to a criminal investigation. The President's attorney pushing hard today that the President should be granted what he called quote, temporary immunity. Listen.
[Justice Sonia Sotomayor, United States Supreme Court:] You're asking for a broader immunity than anyone else gets.
[Jay Sekulow, Donald Trump's Attorney:] Well, we're asking for a temporary
[Chief Justice John Roberts, United States Supreme Court:] Do you have time for a brief answer, counsel?
[Sekulow:] I will. We're asking for temporary presidential immunity.
[Justice Elena Kagan, United States Supreme Court:] You've said that a number of times and made the point which we have made that presidents can't be treated just like an ordinary citizen but it is also true and indeed a fundamental precept of our constitutional order that the President isn't above the law.
[Bolduan:] Joining me right now CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and CNN legal analyst Elie Honig. Jeff, let me start with you. You think the most important moment during questioning was straight off the top why?
[Jeff Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] Well, because Chief Justice Roberts who I expect will probably be a swing vote here, he seemed to recognize that there is now way the President could be completely immune from any sort of scrutiny either from Congress or in the second case from a subpoena from the New York City the Manhattan District Attorney. But the question is what is the standard? What kind of subpoenas are allowed? Can the Congress, can a district attorney go into anything or what are the limits and that balance of rejecting the absolute claim from the from the President's lawyers, but not giving carte blanche to the prosecutors, that's the balance that I think they'll try to strike here.
[Bolduan:] And Elie, what is at stake here for folks? Does one case impact the other, are the outcomes intertwined?
[Elie Honig, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Yes, Kate, there's definitely a relationship here. But these cases it's important to understand are really about much more than just Donald Trump's tax returns. This really is a constitutional balance of powers showdown and we heard it today. Is the President meaningfully accountable to Congress and to prosecutors? And I think, I agree with Jeffrey, it was interesting hearing the President's lawyers try to defend this extreme position. In that clip we heard when Jay Sekulow is talking about temporary immunity, he means temporary while in office of the President. And that's an extreme position and you could hear the Justices sort of hammering on that and the lawyers struggling to defend it.
[Bolduan:] Jeffrey, the fact that go ahead.
[Toobin:] If I could just well aside from the principle and obviously the legal principles are very important, this is about the tax returns. Donald Trump has been talking about releasing his tax returns since he declared for president in 2015. He has hid these tax returns unlike every presidential candidate since the 1970s for now five years. And the question may be answered by this case, what's in the tax returns? And it may be answered quickly. Now it may not be answered quickly. But the idea that the tax returns are now this close to being released is actually a very significant thing independent of the legal arguments here.
[Bolduan:] And something that you know that Donald Trump cares very deeply about, how it all went today. And the fact, Jeffrey, that this case, which is so consequential, but that the oral arguments are happening in a way that they have never have before. What impact do you think do you think the impact of just the structure, that the Justices aren't they're not able to talk to each other. They're not able to see each other, just the way it had to be conducted. Do you think it impacts it?
[Toobin:] You know, to be honest, I don't think it really will matter that much in the outcome. As someone who has followed the Supreme Court for a long time, it's a very weird experience to hear the court this way. Just one oddity of all this is I think many people know that Clarence Thomas in the courtroom, you know, goes years without answering questions. In the telephone arguments, where the justices go one at a time, the Chief Justice calls on them one at a time, Clarence Thomas is asking lots of questions. I don't know such a big distinction between telephone arguments and real-life arguments but it's just a big difference. Does that matter in the outcome? I sort of doubt it. But it's still just interesting given how the court has evolved.
[Bolduan:] We now realize that he had stage fright when he is in front of other people. Maybe that's just simply what it is, Jeffrey, maybe the premise of another book, Jeffrey Toobin. Let me ask you, Elie, well, maybe both of you, if you could quickly give me a sense after listening to oral arguments today. Do you have a sense of which way the Justices are leaning, Elie, first to you.
[Honig:] Yes, so, what I noticed is that the four traditionally liberal Justices, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Breyer and Kagan were really dug in. They were really committed. They did not seem to giving any ground whatsoever. They seemed set on holding up these subpoenas. The four conservative, traditionally conservative Justices did seem to be a little bit uneasy with some of the positions that were being taken. And I think Chief Justice Roberts is desperately trying to find middle ground. I do think both of these cases ultimately are going to come out against the President. I think especially the case involving the Manhattan D.A. I think we could see an 8-1, 9-0 ruling upholding that subpoena against Donald Trump.
[Bolduan:] Jeffrey, do you think they'd punt?
[Toobin:] It may be something where they send the case back to the lower courts even if Trump loses. And in that case that might mean a delay until after the election. And even if Trump loses the case, but if he manages to keep the tax returns secret until after the election, that's a win.
[Bolduan:] Yes, guys, great to see you. Thank you. Still ahead for us. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveils a sweeping new coronavirus relief bill. The price tag and the pushback it's already getting from Republicans. We'll be right back.

[Paul:] Thirty minutes past the hour right now. And a Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced a state patrol trooper has been arrested and charged with felony murder. Twenty-seven-year- old Jacob Gordon Thompson was arrested Friday. He was fired after shooting Julian Roosevelt Lewis, a black man. This happened during an attempted traffic stop.
[Blackwell:] This happened on August 7th. And on Friday, Lewis's widow spoke during a vigil.
[Betty Lewis, Julian Lewis Widow:] My soul mate was gone. And I wish that on nobody. Nobody. That nobody feel the loneliness, won't be loved, you can't I couldn't cuddle with me. Not this one. It will not be swept under the rug. Not this one.
[Blackwell:] Well, the National Urban League has released the annual report on African-Americans and this year, listen, there is a global pandemic that's disproportionately affecting black people and nationwide protests calling for criminal and social justice reform. The state of black America 2020 unmasked says this in part, our reporting reveals that common denominator in the alarming and disproportionate ratio of black people left gasping for air in emergency rooms and at the hands of law enforcement centuries of systemic racism. Joining me now to talk about the report is president and CEO of the National Urban League, Marc Morial. Marc, welcome back.
[Marc Morial, Ceo, National Urban League:] Good morning, Victor. Thank you for having me.
[Blackwell:] So let me start here. You know, there is an old adage that outdates you and me that when white folks catch a cold black people get pneumonia and now we have a pandemic. And we know it was disproportionate and the impact and the pending recovery, I think what you reveal in this report is really striking.
[Morial:] Well, before COVID, our index showed that the status of African-Americans was 73 percent that of white. Post-COVID, in the COVID environment, we're dealing with three tsunamis. The tsunami of the COVID disease, the tsunami of the economy decline, and the tsunami of racial justice. This is what we're facing, and this is and this is what our report reveals. These declined are deep, as many as 40 percent of black businesses may not make it through this economic crisis. The black unemployment rate now, victor, is as high as it was during the Reagan recession. So it hasn't been this high since a Reagan recession of the early 1980s and if tips just a few points higher, we'll be at great depression levels. And what need I say to racial justice. You just reported on yet another shooting in Georgia of an unarmed black man. This is a crisis of significant dimensions and our report doesn't want to candy coat it or varnish it but call it out. We're facing a deep crisis, yes, as a nation and black Americans candidly are catching hell.
[Blackwell:] Let me bring you in on this conversation we've been having this morning about the postal service and the removal of boxes and what Democrats are accusing the president of interfering or at least trying to. What will be, what is expected to be the impact on those urban communities, black voters and Latino voters, let's say include them in the conversation?
[Morial:] Let's say this, Victor, the crisis we see with the post office is a manmade crisis, a crisis perhaps orchestrated by a single man, the president of the United States, to undermine, this is unprecedented in American history, it is so wrong that there is not a single or a scintilla of justification for what occurred. It is going to affect anyone across the board but the especially vulnerable for health and safety reasons, transportation reasons, reasons that they have to work on Election Day want to avail themselves of voting by mail, it could be devastating. Congress should step in. The courts should step in. And American democracy is on the line. The American people are not going to tolerate an election that is rigged because their access to the ballot box has been thwarted by candidate, the president of the United States, this is extremely outrageous. The other thing I would add, the good men and women of the postal service, the letter carriers, the postal workers who are hard working, they are delivering medicine, they're delivering credit cards, they're delivering checks, with few, few errors every day, should not have credibility undermined by these baseless and evidence-less attacks.
[Blackwell:] Yeah, you know, the virtue of the post office is that it touches everyone. They'll go to the far out rural location just as in the dense areas in the city. Marc Morial, presidentCEO of the National Urban League, thanks so much for your time.
[Morial:] Thanks for having me.
[Blackwell:] And I want to tweet out because I want people to read this thread that said the threat of racism is actually a national security issue. I think people should look into that and it is in the report. Marc Morial, good to have you.
[Morial:] The reports at NUL.org.
[Blackwell:] All right. Thank you, sir.
[Morial:] Thanks.
[Paul:] Definitely checking that out. So let me post this to you. If you like to swim in the ocean, our next guest says are you afraid to sharks because you don't need to be. That he parentally, he said, could be just like a family pet.
[Unidentified Female:] In fact, it's very much like your dog swimming up to give you a kiss. It's the same kind of creature.
[Paul:] People, you've got to convince me. We'll talk about it.

[Brown:] And more on our breaking news. The president tweeting about his conversation with Vladimir Putin, his first since the Mueller report's release. He once again said it would be good for the U.S. to get along with Moscow. And we know that they spoke about the report, according to the U.S., but the White House refused to say whether the president pushed Putin on interference, which Mueller described as, quote, "sweeping and systematic" in the report. Susan Glasser is here with me. She's a staff writer for the "New Yorker." Susan, thanks for coming 0n. It's interesting reading the White House read youth phone call and reading the Russian readout of the phone call. The Russian one has no mention of the Mueller report. Sarah Sanders said that they spoke about the Mueller report briefly but wouldn't answer about interference. What do you make of this?
[Susan Glasser, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] That's right. I was just glancing over it. I lived in Russia for four years. I was looking at Russian language version, which makes a point of saying, first of all, it was the White House and President Trump that initiated the phone call with the Kremlin. And I think it's interesting that they went out of their way they pointed it out. They don't mention the Mueller report, as you suggested. Not only that, it seems like the White House's Sarah Sanders is saying that the president is even discussing whether or not Don McGahn, the White House counsel, should testify. It was a long conversation over an hour, according to both parties. And it looks like they covered a laundry list of issues, including Ukraine, where there's still essentially a fighting war going on in the middle of Europe. And Russian troops are fighting there alongside Ukrainian militias in a way that, you know, there's still no resolution of. Venezuela, earlier this week, the United States is practically accusing the Russians of shoring up the regime of Maduro, saying that they stopped him from fleeing the country. Did they discuss that or not? It's not really clear they did discuss Venezuela.
[Brown:] Yes, because Sarah Sanders didn't make mention that have when she spoke to reporters. She talked about how it's important to give aid to the people of Venezuela and so forth. That was part of the discussion. But not what the secretary of state said on our air, that the Russians stopped Maduro from fleeing. And it's interesting that neither readout makes mention of any sort of warning from the president to the Russians on Venezuela and what the White House views as Russian interference in Venezuela on the U.S. efforts.
[Glaser:] Well, quite the contrary. You almost get the sense of a very chummy conversation in which two leaders covering the waterfront of global problems. You wonder if this post-Mueller phone call was actually the beginning of Trump's effort to begin his long-awaited reconciliation with Russia. It's very clear, both from the Mueller report and from everything else, that the president never really abandoned his hopes of having a closer relationship with Russia, having a reset, if you will, of relations but felt, politically, he was unable to do so, so the question I have is whether, in the post- Mueller moment, the president now sees an opening to engage in a much closer set of dealings with Russia, and was this the first step of doing that?
[Brown:] And what's interesting though, is, yes, the Mueller investigation has ended and that creed a a certain dynamic for the president. But Russia still remains a threat on many fronts to the U.S. according to the president's own administration officials, with the FBI director saying it poses a significant counterintelligence threat on interference, but, again, I don't see any mention of that in the readout. Thank you so much.
[Glasser:] Thank you.
[Brown:] Appreciate it. All right. Emotional new comments from Otto Warmbier's mom. Why she says North Korea is a cancer that will kill us all. Plus, he plotted to blow up the New York City subway system, but soon he'll walk free. So how does he go into Witness Protection? We'll be back. Emotional new comments from Otto Warmbier's mom. It's the first time we're hearing from her since it was revealed that the U.S. agreed to pay North Korea $2 million for her son's release in 2017. Otto was 22 when he returned to the U.S. in a coma and died a few days later after serving more than a year in a North Korea prison. The president insists no payments were ever made to North Korea. But at an event today, Cindy Warmbier said she had known about the demand had she known about the demand, she would have paid it. Calling North Korea a cancer on earth and their attempt at diplomacy a charade. Take a listen.
[Cindy Warmbier, Mother Of Otto Warmbier:] North Korea, to me, is a cancer on the earth. And if we ignore this cancer, it is not going to go away. It's going to kill all of us. And I know he was sorry he ever went into that God-forsaken place. Had I known that North Korea wanted money for Otto, I would have gladly given them money from day one. That isn't what they wanted from Otto in the beginning. First of all, they want everything they could get from anyone they take. My gorgeous boy, who every girl had an immediate crush on, looked like a monster. I swear the look in his eyes, which I didn't know he was blind at the time, was absolute horror. Horror. Like he'd seen the devil, and he had. He was with the devil.

[Asher:] Hello, everyone, I'm Zain Asher, there's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment. When the shipping industry warns an increase in attacks is an urgent problem. And Tyson Foods gets in on the fake meat craze with the chicken free chicken nugget. Before that though, these are the headlines we're following for you at this hour. The U.S. is blaming Iran for attacks on two tankers today in the Gulf of Oman. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was too sophisticated for any proxy group in the region to pull off, but he didn't offer evidence for the claim. Both crews were rescued, the UN Security Council meets next hour on the attacks. Amanda Knox is back in Italy for the first time since her acquittal on murder charges there in 2011. She'll be there Knox spent four years in prison for the murder of fellow student Meredith Kercher. Media outlets made a sensation of her trial over years of hearings and appeals. Mexican officials say they're acting quickly to send National Guard forces to their southern border as part of a negotiated agreement to avoid U.S. tariff increases. Mexico agreed to reduce the flow of Central American immigrants to the United States. The deal gives Mexico 45 days to show results. Returning now to our top story, the second major attack in a month along the world's busiest oil shipping route. The U.S. is blaming Iran for sabotaging two tankers sailing along the Gulf of Oman. The incident has shaken energy markets, sending crude oil prices climbing. Industry leaders warn the increase in attacks and escalated threats are an urgent concern. Joining me live now from London, Jakob Larsen is the head of Maritime Security for BIMCO; the world's largest international shipping association. So Jakob, thank you so much for being with us. So just in terms of in-ness
[Jakob Larsen, Head, Maritime Security, Bimco:] Thank you
[Asher:] Climber of extreme geopolitical tensions, what can shipping companies do to keep seafarers safe?
[Larsen:] Well, shipping companies can take a number of steps to reduce the risk to the ships and crew. One step which is often mentioned is of course to completely stay away from the area. And of course, that's an option, but it's not an option that many ship owners really want to take. And you could say that, if you did that, you would also sort of give the wind to those that are trying to interrupt international trade. So, I think most ship owners, they are looking to the advice that we and I think other associations put out. So watch that way you're going. When you're in port, use your propellers randomly, use your bow thrusters, use your eco-sounder to create a lot of disturbance so as to avoid vintage mines being put onboard the vessel. And when you're at sea, keep extra lookout, keep close dialogue with the military authorities. There's a voluntary reporting area established for the whole region which is administered by the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, and we encourage all our members and international shipping generally to follow the recommendations and report to U.K. MTO so they can have veto which is as good as possible.
[Asher:] And you know, this might seem extreme. But if tensions get that much worse, can you see a future whereby certain tankers are escorted by military Naval vessels?
[Larsen:] Yes, I think that's a there's percentage in that. I mean, there's something that we have seen before in the aftermath of the Iran Iraq war. Back in the '80s, we saw this scenario unfolding in the Persian Gulf and it might just happen again. It all depends on what the next steps are from the U.S. and whomever is behind these attacks.
[Asher:] So just in terms of when an attack actually happens, what procedures are there in place? I mean, I'm sure that a lot of shipping companies I assume are somewhat prepared for this sort of worst-case scenario.
[Larsen:] Yes, I think most ship owners, they have their emergency response plans. It's all radiate, part of what you are required to have in accordance with international regulations, so most ship owners have this in place and they drill these scenarios regularly. So for a ship owner going into this area, I think the prudent thing is to really look into what are the risks and what would happen to the vessel in case it's struck by a shell, a missile or a mine or whatever has actually hit these vessels. You can take certain steps, you can keep your crew above the water line, you can ensure that the watertight integrity of the vessel is as good as possible, and you go in, and as I said before also keep sharp lookout and then keep the keep a liaison with the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations.
[Asher:] So when you have a situation whereby 30 percent of the world's oil suppliers travel through the Strait of Hormuz, you know, if tensions increase significantly, you know, what does that mean for global trade?
[Larsen:] Yes, what we have seen already is a spike in the oil prices, and if tensions continue, oil prices will probably go up a bit further. And we all know that this hampers the general economic activity in the world, and that again has an influence on production, which again influences on world trade. So that's a big concern. That aside, of course, the tanker industry, all the oil tankers operating in the area, they would be particularly concerned with the scenario we are seeing right now and with the potential scenarios we see for the future.
[Asher:] All right, Jakob Larsen live for us there, thank you so much, appreciate it. All right, still to come, Boris Johnson is one step closer to taking up residence at number 10 Downing Street. Have a report from London for you after the break.

[Whitfield:] Welcome back. "Empire" actor, Jussie Smollett, is facing 16 felony accounts and scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday. Back in January, Smollett told police he was attacked by two men in Chicago, but those men say Smollett paid them to stage the attack. Smollett maintains his innocence. So why is he facing 16 counts? Here's CNN Nick Watt.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] Sixteen counts against Jussie Smollett. Basically, every crime he claimed he was a victim of is now a count against him. And you double it because prosecutors say that Jussie Smollett told the story twice, first to a police officer and then later to a detective, roughly the same story. He also went on "Good Morning, America" and told the story as he saw it. He believed it. He wanted it to be heard. What Jussie Smollett told police is that he was attacked by two men, one of them white, who threw a noose around his neck, threw a chemical over him, shouted racist and homophobic epithets at him. Two people were arrested and those two people, who turned out to be African- American men, they told police and they told a grand jury that, in fact, Jussie Smollett had hired them to carry out this attack and cut them a check for $3500, that, in fact, they knew Jussie Smollett. Now, the superintendent of Chicago police, he says that he thinks the reason Jussie Smollett did this is he wasn't getting paid enough money to appear on the "Empire" TV show. He has since been written out of that show for the final two episodes of the current season. Now, even if he is convicted of all 16 counts, the sentencing guidelines are still just for the one crime, a class four felony. So that would be two and a half years in jail or up to three years of probation. Now, Jussie Smollett maintains his innocence and we've heard from his lawyers who call this prosecutorial overkill and they say it's a redundant and vindictive indictment and they Jussie adamantly maintains his innocence. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Whitfield:] Our legal guys are here, civil rights attorney, Avery Friedman, and criminal defense attorney, Richard Herman. Good to see you both.
[Avery Friedman, Civil Rights Attorney & Law Professor:] Hi, Fredricka.
[Richard Herman, Criminal Defense Attorney:] Hey, Fred.
[Whitfield:] We're talking about two sets of charges here, all felonies, equaling to 16 counts for his alleged lies told to police. Smollett's attorney is calling this overkill. Richard, is it?
[Herman:] Overkill, Fred, that's like they're taking a page out of Trump's playbook of deflection and misdirection. That doesn't speak to the core crimes committed here. Whether it's overkill or not, a crime was staged by Smollett. He staged it. It was fake. And he played with the wrong police department. The Chicago police are under such scrutiny these days for the crimes that are committed there on a weekly basis, and to vehemently deny look, everyone's entitled to a presumption of innocence. But having said that, you have to look objectively at the facts that we see. And when these two brothers one is Smollett's personal trainer, the other one is on the set of "empire." And they claim he gave them a check for $3500 and they produced the check, and he told them what hardware store to buy the noose, the whole thing is preposterous. If he had a real attorney, Smollett, immediately they would have walked him into a shrink or to some sort of psychiatric institution
[Friedman:] You don't know. Wait, you don't know
[Herman:] and that would have saved him. Because he vehemently denied it and went on TV and he looked like an idiot on TV, now he pissed off the police department. And 16 counts, he's going to end up pleading
[Whitfield:] The counts really are disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. A charge for each alleged lie. But as you just said, participating in any alleged staging of it. You made reference to that interview on ABC and this is a portion of it with Robin Roberts. Let's watch.
[Robin Roberts, Abc Correspondent:] If the attackers are never found, how will you be able to heal?
[Jussie Smollett, Actor:] I don't know. Let's just hope that they are. You know what I'm saying? Like, let's not go there yet. Let's I was talking to a friend and I said, I just want them to find them. And she said, Sweetie, they're not going to find them.
[Whitfield:] So, Avery, it may have been convincing at the time, but then after the police came out with its litany of evidence, the videotape, surveillance tape, the relationship with the two young men, the deleted texts, et cetera, I mean, we know he has been maintaining his innocence, but what now? How far does he and his team go in its defense?
[Friedman:] Well, I think, first of all, we now know what a great actor Jussie is. I thought he did a great job on
[Abc. Herman:] He's not a good actor.
[Friedman:] I thought the guy was great.
[Herman:] No.
[Friedman:] But the fact is that this was clever by half. And the idea of ascribing a motive for a false police report that he wanted to get more money from "Empire" he gets about $65,000 an episode anyhow, so he's doing just fine. I actually don't think it's overstatement by prosecutors. I think, for those of us that are involved in hate crimes, protecting victims, based on race or where people are from or orientation, this is really serious. He has exploited the divide in America. And that's why I think, Fredricka, this is very serious stuff. Ultimately, he's going to be facing two to three years. He's going to get clink time. I actually believe that. I think there's going to be an extended probation. But at the end of the day, I actually ascribe what he did to a distorted view based on a guy that is well to do, he doesn't know what it's like to suffer, he's exploited political, hate and orientation problems in America, and I think he's going to ultimately be accountable for it.
[Whitfield:] Richard, do you think he's going to do jail time? Do you think it's too late for attorneys for his defense to say, OK, he needs help and he's now admitting to I mean, where do you see the potential end game for Jussie Smollett?
[Herman:] I think that has to happen, Fred. I think if it happened, again, like I said initially, this would not have spiraled to 16 counts. I think the fact that he went on TV and said, I feel betrayed by the system and all this
[Friedman:] That's right. That's right.
[Herman:] I mean, he antagonized the government and the Chicago police.
[Friedman:] And he hurt a lot of innocent people, too. Look, he hurt a lot of innocent
[Whitfield:] Police resources.
[Herman:] The grand jury voted this in so it's a legitimate indictment. These are felony counts, Fred. There's 16 of them. Ultimately, he's going to end up pleading to one felony count. He's going to get probation here but he'll have a criminal history. And what also is looming out there
[Friedman:] So what? He's in Hollywood. It doesn't matter.
[Herman:] I'm trying to talk. What else is looming, Fred, is, a week before this took place, he says he received a letter on the set of "Empire," which contained white powder, which also was a hoax. It's being evaluated by the FBI crime lab right now. But if he's the one who sent that letter, Fred, he could be facing federal charges now.
[Friedman:] It's not going to happen.
[Herman:] This is not over. It's not over.
[Whitfield:] So, Avery, you were in you were in
[Herman:] You don't know it's not going to happen
[Whitfield:] You think he is going to do jail time, Avery?
[Herman:] Of course, he's going to jail.
[Friedman:] I think this is going to focus in on the false police report. I'm not buying the other part of this thing. At the end of the day though, it is a serious crime. There are a lot of innocent people who suffer violence because of who they are, where they're from, and a lesson needs to be taught here. I think the prosecutors in Cook County are going to seek the maximum, which, again, is two to three years. I think he's doing jail time. I think he's going to be on probation. And I think there's going to be a remedy that the judge is going to require to try to counter balance what he's done here
[Herman:] Yes, psychological, it's psychological.
[Friedman:] because America is not going to forget this. It's not going to evaporate.
[Whitfield:] All right, Richard Herman, Avery Friedman, always tell like it is. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it. I love your candor. Thank you. We'll be right back.

[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We are now the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters.
[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] The Independence Day message from President Donald Trump who compared the fight against Nazis and terrorists to his efforts to defeat what he calls the radical left. We'll talk more about the president's message this hour. Also, the heat is on in Florida. Whatever effort is being made to cool down COVID-19 summer spread there does not seem to be working as the state hits another new record high in cases. And pumping the brakes on reopening in Australia. Thousands living in public housing suddenly put on strict lockdown. A live report about that one. We're live from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
[Allen:] Thank you for joining us this hour. Celebrating the 4th of July during a pandemic was challenging enough but, for many Americans, two straight days of divisive rhetoric from the U.S. president set an ugly tone for this holiday. There was a traditional Independence Day celebration in Washington, complete with beautiful fireworks. Mr. Trump has scarcely acknowledged the raging pandemic beyond the White House. Instead, his ire has been laser focused on scenes like this, people cheering at the statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore was pulled down and tossed in the harbor. Here's how Mr. Trump describes the situation.
[Trump:] American heroes defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists, toppled the communists, saved American values, upheld American principles and chased down the terrorists to the very ends of the Earth. We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing.
[Allen:] While the president stokes a culture war over America's past, the here and now shows COVID-19 is steamrolling the United States into deeper shades of red. Many hospitals are already feeling the crunch. Pandemic or no, the 4th of July is a beloved holiday and Americans were determined to enjoy it any way they could. While some popular beaches around the country were closed, the ones that were open had plenty of visitors. The 4th is a time to celebrate how Americans came together to gain independence. But that is not the tone that the president used to mark this holiday. For more about it here is CNN's Jeremy Diamond at the White House.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, on 4th of July, most American presidents typically aim for unifying remarks. But President Trump this evening, for the second night in a row, focusing his Independence Day remarks on exploiting cultural divisions among Americans, particularly at this time of deep division in America, with two crises, both the coronavirus pandemic and these protests over a national reckoning on racism in America. President Trump delivering these divisive remarks, in which he even compared his current political fight against leftists in America, radical leftists, as he called them, to the fight against Nazis in World War II.
[Trump:] American heroes defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists, toppled the communists, saved American values, upheld American principles and chased down the terrorists to the very ends of the Earth. We are now in the process of defeating the radical left. The Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters and people who, in many instances, have absolutely no clue what they are doing.
[Diamond:] Now President Trump on Saturday also said we will not allow anyone to divide our citizens by race or background. Those remarks, fairly remarkable, coming from this president, one that started his campaign by decrying Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists. A president who called for a total ban on Muslims entering the United States. A president who said that a judge who was of Hispanic origin could not be impartial in a case involving him. This president claiming on Saturday that he will not allow others to exploit people by racial divisions. Now President Trump sought to recast himself as a protector of American history and heritage. That was a theme of his remarks on Friday at Mt. Rushmore and on Saturday at the White House. But the president, for the last week, hasn't focused on protecting statues of founding fathers, as he has claimed in this speech. Instead, he's focused on protecting Confederate namesakes and monuments. That's been the heart of the president's focus over the last week. Yet now, he is trying to recast that battle. But certainly, these remarks from the president, on a 4th of July where America is facing these crises, divisive and certainly not unifying for this country Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
[Allen:] The coronavirus has scarcely been mentioned in President Trump's recent speeches, although he did falsely claim that 99 percent of all cases are, quote, "totally harmless." There is no medical evidence to support that. But as far as Mr. Trump is concerned, the pandemic is under control.
[Trump:] We have made a lot of progress. Our strategy is moving along well. It goes out in one area and rears back its ugly face in another area. But we have learned a lot. We've learned how to put out the flame.
[Allen:] You can see Florida is not just a flame. It is an inferno. The state reported more than 11,000 new cases on Saturday and surpassed the worst day for new cases in New York from back in April. But that is not stopping people from celebrating the 4th of July holiday the way they always do, heading to the beach. Boris Sanchez has more about it from Clearwater.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Correspondent:] Yet another record-setting day for the state of Florida. More than 11,000 new coronavirus cases reported here in the last 24 hours. That means that, in the first three days of July, the state has seen over 30,000 new COVID cases. To give you some perspective, the state of Florida saw about 100,000 new cases in the month of June alone. Local leaders, the state's governor, Ron DeSantis, leaving it up to local officials to determine what restrictions they wanted to put in place. But here on the western part of the state, just outside of Tampa at Clearwater Beach, folks were coming all day to enjoy the waves, to play sports, to enjoy the sand and surf as well. There are signs out that are warning people to try to stay socially distant, six feet apart from people who do not share the same household. They are also asking groups to not congregate. Groups of 10 or more are not allowed here. Though, throughout the day, we did see groups of much larger than 10 people enjoying the beach. Actually spoke to one woman named Kathy, who told me that she moved from Alabama to Florida in the middle of the pandemic. She says that she's concerned about the risk of coronavirus but that she wanted to enjoy the holiday weekend on the beach. Here's more of what she shared with us.
[Kathy , New Florida Resident:] I just think that we all should wear masks and protect ourselves as best as we can, you know and keep, you know, keep the social distancing going on and, you know, that's it. If we're going to get it, we're going to get it. I'm happy to be here. I really am. I know that the numbers are going up and I hope it drops but it doesn't seem like it is, so why stop enjoying life?
[Sanchez:] Of course, the big question is, what these numbers will do two weeks from now. Remember, that, after the Memorial Day weekend, when we saw so many large crowds ignoring social distancing guidelines, soon after that, we saw a surge in coronavirus cases nationwide. Two weeks is that incubation period for the coronavirus, so all eyes will be on the numbers, about 14 days from now Boris Sanchez, CNN, Clearwater Beach, Florida.
[Allen:] Now we go across the pond. Pubs and other businesses in England are open once again. And for all those who waited in line to get those first pints, Super Saturday, as it was called, could not come soon enough. Those reopenings would not have been possible without health care workers on the front lines. For the 72nd anniversary of the British National Health Service, NHS for short, the U.K. Is pulling out all the stops. London landmarks have lit up in blue, including 10 Downing Street. Also a nationwide clap is scheduled for Sunday. CNN's Anna Stewart and Salma Abdelaziz both join me from London. Let's start with you, Anna, talking about the country reopening.
[Anna Stewart, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, England finally emerged from a hibernation yesterday. Lockdown being lifted for many different businesses, pubs, restaurants, cinemas, bars all were allowed to reopen if they had COVID-19 safety measures in place. Good news for many in England, who wanted to get a haircut and go out for a pint. A lot of businesses didn't open. They were concerned, A, those safety measures might, of course, make them financially unviable. Other people are concerned about the anxiety still in the U.K. Lots of people aren't ready to go back out as normal. Take a listen.
[Unidentified Male:] I am not risking going into a pub immediately. I think having a beer outside, which we've been doing for weeks anyhow, is fine. And it's actually quieter here today than it has been, because pubs are open. Not in a rush to go to cinema. A restaurant would be nice. I wouldn't go into a pub or a restaurant myself. But takeaway, I'd do because I don't want to be around lots of drunk people, probably batting into you.
[Unidentified Female:] Excited for a bit of brunch, a few restaurants and things, it would be really nice to get back to a little bit of normality. But obviously, we still do need to be safe and trying to keep that distance from everyone as best we can.
[Stewart:] There have been fears that there would be overcrowding and possibly overindulging in alcohol in England yesterday. I would like to show you some video of central London last night, where we saw crowds. It didn't look like there was a lot of social distancing going on. We're looking at a younger demographic there. It will be concerning, particularly as London has a high rate in terms of the virus transmission.
[Allen:] Yes, absolutely. And when bars opened in many parts of the United States, Anna, young people did flock there. And that is considered a big reason why we are seeing these spikes. So fingers crossed for those pub goers there in London. Now let's go to Salma. She is on another story for us, an important one, celebrating the front line health care workers that have done an unbelievable job during these very difficult days.
[Salma Abdelaziz, Cnn Producer:] That's right, Natalie. It's hard to overemphasize how beloved the National Health Service, the NHS, is in this country. The declarations of love are everywhere. You see a mural to them here. It's not just graffiti, as it is in this East London neighborhood. It's posters, billboards, little crayon drawings in the windows of homes that say, "We love the NHS." It's the least political thing in this country, the most beloved organization. If you are hearing a politician talking about the NHS, he is usually talking about funding it more, not less. Even prime minister Boris Johnson, when he became ill with coronavirus he was hospitalized at St. Thomas' Hospital. That is an NHS hospital, cared for by NHS workers. When he was released he said, "They saved my life, no question." So there is a great deal of gratitude in this country because, of course, the NHS, the doctors, its nursing and medical staff have been on the front line for months. Dozens losing their lives to the virus. There has been some controversy over the government not providing adequate PPE to the NHS, not protecting particularly minority members of the health care community because they are disproportionately impacted by coronavirus. Today it's about honoring the sacrifice and tireless efforts that they have made and perhaps, in its seven decades of history, this is the most difficult and most poignant chapter in the NHS'history and everyone will be applauding the NHS and its work at 5:00 pm local time today.
[Allen:] All right. So well-deserved. Thank you, ladies, for bringing us the latest. See you soon. In October 2019, an international panel created a scorecard of sorts ranking countries by their ability to handle a major health crisis. It was called the Global Health Security Index and it concluded that the United States was best prepared in all the world to handle a major disease outbreak. The U.K. was number two. But months into an actual pandemic, both of those countries have had the highest number of excess deaths, over and above what would be seen without a crisis. As of June 2020, the U.S. has had more than 122,000 excess deaths. The U.K. nearly 66,000. I want to talk about this now with Clare Wenham, she is in assistant professor of global health policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She joins me now live from London. Good morning to you, thank you for coming out.
[Dr. Clare Wenham, Assistant Professor Of Global Health Policy, London School Of Economics And Political Science:] Good morning.
[Allen:] First up, regarding that scorecard. The U.S. was ranked first out of 115 I'm sorry 195 nations. The U.K. was ranked second. And by June, they are two of the world's biggest failures in tackling this pandemic. How did that scorecard get it so wrong?
[Wenham:] The scorecard, what it did was it looked at policies that were written to implement in the case of an epidemic or health emergency. It looked at all sorts of capacities that governments had to detect an outbreak. So what surveillance systems they had in place, what surge capacity they had in their health systems and how they would be able to respond. However, what the scorecard did not account for was political decision-making and how governments were going to react. Thus, what we are looking at here is this difference between policy and actual implementation. What is going to happen when it hits and And Gavin Union and I, who wrote this piece decided that we need to figure out how to engage this political decision-making in how we measure how prepared countries are for an outbreak.
[Allen:] Right. We know that the U.K. has just come out of a three-month lockdown; in the United States there's really no federal program. It has been left up to states and many of the governors have left it up to cities. As far as Boris Johnson goes and his leadership there and Donald Trump here in the United States, are there commonalities in how they approach the pandemic and the government's response?
[Wenham:] Absolutely. The governments around the world are all faced with the same decision. It fundamentally came down to if they were going to prioritize population health or their economy. What we see in the U.S. is a prioritization of the economy. What we see in the U.K. is somewhere mixed between the two. But this led to certain policy pathways that made governments somehow, particularly the U.S. and the U.K., feel they were exceptional, that this was not going to be an issue for them. We see these distinct tensions between not setting up track and trace systems, not using the time advantage they had when this outbreak was mainly in East Asia, to prepare. We see a questionable relationship between policymakers and political decision-makers and science and the role of what they consider to be legitimate science. And then, you know, we see these distinct tensions in both countries between who is being affected. In the U.S. it is high infection rates among black and Latinx communities. Here in the U.K., it's amongst black and Asian and minority and ethnic communities. So we see this distinct tension that needs to be taken into account. These are political decisions and political prioritizations.
[Allen:] Even in the United States we hear our president saying the U.S. has made a lot of progress in controlling the pandemic. Yet cases continue to rise in 36 states. Hospitalizations are hitting record numbers in Texas and Arizona. Houston, Texas, had two counties even send out an emergency alert because the hospitals were full. Can the United States get this under control if the president continues to characterize the situation as like, well, it's going well? In fact, he even falsely claimed that 99 percent of all cases are totally harmless.
[Wenham:] You can't make progress, you just need decisive action. What this virus needs is for people to be separated. If people aren't separated, it cannot spread between the 2. So perhaps different states or different counties need to re-integrate and really put these lockdown policies back into place. Or at the federal level. But the problem that is political suicide to implement a lockdown having come out the other side of it. But I think we really need to ask the administration, what is more important to them? Because actually the short term lockdown is going to be better in the long term for the economy. Population health, it is fundamental to a functioning economy. You need people going out and buying. If people are not well enough to go out and do that, it is a false dichotomy. So I think they just need to get a grip on it now before it gets even more out of hand.
[Allen:] Right. And we know that there are people that are wearing masks and social distancing and there are people who do not heed health experts advice to distance and quarantine when necessary. Where could we be if and when a second wave comes in the fall?
[Wenham:] I think it's far too premature to talk about a second wave. We are still very much in the first wave, particularly in the U.S. and most of the Americas. So I think it's a bit premature. I think what it has shown us is a difference between how populations engage with government. In East Asia, where people, when governments suggest people wear face masks. Everyone did it because everyone recognized the risk to their health and their communities. That showed a much better outcome than in the U.S. with the same advice being issued or mixed advice being issued. But actually, you know, there is this tension between how people trust in government. We really need to have trust in government at a time a crisis, particularly when it requires individual behavior change.
[Allen:] Clare Wenham, professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, we appreciate your expertise. Thank you.
[Wenham:] 'Bye.
[Allen:] Next here, thousands of people are on lockdown in several Melbourne, Australia, public housing blocks. The latest on what's happening there in a live report.

[John King, Cnn:] Welcome to a special two-hour edition of INSIDE POLITICS. I'm John King. To our viewers in the United States and around the world, thank you for sharing your Sunday. And one-day break down of the president's impeachment trial building toward critical votes later this week. The president's team has the floor right now. In their opening statement Saturday, the defense opened with a barrage against the Democratic prosecutors.
[Pat Cipollone, White House Counsel:] For all their talk about election interference, that they're here to perpetrate to the most massive interference in an election in American history, and we can't allow that to happen. The American people decide elections. They have one coming up in nine months.
[King:] House prosecutors use their three days to paint a damning picture of presidential corruption. The president first pursuing re- election help from Ukraine, then withholding, stonewalling Congress when it demanded documents and witnesses.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] If right doesn't matter, it doesn't matter how good the Constitution is. It doesn't matter how brilliant the Framers were. It doesn't matter how good or bad or advocacy in this trial is. If right doesn't matter, we're lost.
[King:] Whether minds are changing on the Senate floor is a big question and a giant decisive test of that will come later this week when the Democrats demand more witnesses and documents. The Democrats say those witnesses and documents are essential to getting to the truth. But most Republicans seem held bent on a quick resolution of this trial. Get it over. ASAP.
[Sen. John Barrasso:] Seems like Groundhog's Day in the Senate from what we heard from the managers yesterday and the day before. It is the same thing day after day after day.
[Sen. Steve Daines:] I watched Schiff over and over again today repeat the same argument. It was like watching bad reruns of the Brady Bunch.
[Sen. Tom Cotton:] Repetitive arguments over and over again based on little more than hearsay and the House Democrats' objections to Donald Trump being the president.
[King:] With us this Sunday to share their reporting and their insights: Julie Pace of "The Associated Press", Michael Shear with "The New York Times", Paul Kane at "The Washington Post", and Seung Min Kim also with "The Washington Post". The president's team took just two hours of their opening presentation Saturday. So, we do not have yet a full picture of the defense strategy. But the overview yesterday crafted with two clear goals. One, keep the president happy.
[Cipollone:] You will find that the president did absolutely nothing wrong.
[Jay Sekulow, Outside Legal Counsel For President Trump:] The president had reason to be concerned about the information he was being provided. Really intend to show overt next several days that the evidence is actually overwhelming that the president did nothing wrong.
[King:] Goal number two, give Republicans something to cite. If they have to explain a vote to acquit or, before that, a vote to deny Democrats what they want, witnesses and new documents.
[Mike Pupura, Deputy White House Counsel:] How do they try to overcome the direct words from President Zelensky and his administration that they felt no pressure? They tell you that the Ukrainians must have felt pressure regardless of what they've said.
[Patrick Philbin, Deputy Counsel To The President:] The speaker had said articles of impeachment are going to be drafted and where there were no plans to hear from any fact witnesses. That's not due process. And that's why the president declined to participate in that process.
[King:] It was low key. Most politicians or defense lawyers would take all their time. They decided against that. They want to make friends with the Senate, if you will. Give them a quick early day. But was it effective in giving Republicans, if you want to say this is in dispute or they rushed the process in the House? Was it effective in giving Republicans a place to go, which is all this is about now? The president's legal strategy is do no harm, the math is on your side.
[Julie Pace, Washington Bureau Chief, The Associated Press:] It certainly at this point seems to have giving the Senate Republicans some initial talking points, which they seem to be taking on. I think one of the bigger questions is where they go on Monday. The Trump legal team leaned in in previewing their defense to reporters, that they would bring up Joe Biden, they would turn to Hunter Biden. There are some Republican senators who are a little more uncomfortable with the trial taking a turn in that direction. But certainly I think on two points, one, the defense of Trump on the substance that he did nothing wrong. That's a message directly aimed at the Oval Office and the occupant there. But, two, this idea that I think a lot is a salient to a lot of Republicans, which is that Democrats are going to try to impeach Trump on something. This is what they've argued and this is what they say Democrats stumbled upon, and that this is purely politically motivated. For Republicans who take that home to their home states, I think, is a pretty good message.
[King:] And part of it, if you listen to Jay Sekulow who has been the president's attorney throughout the Mueller report. He was playing to the president but also to Republicans. One of the arguments from Democrats is, you know, come on, it was Russia, not Ukraine that meddled. Come on. The president why is the president listening to Rudy Giuliani when he has this entire array of career established foreign policy officials? Jay Sekulow going back to the Mueller report, going back to the president's suspicion about the FBI and the intelligence community, going back to the abuses. There were abuses by the FBI in the FISA court when it comes to Carter page saying, the president maybe you don't agree with the president. But he had to right to think these things.
[Sekulow:] Here's the bottom line: this is part one of the Mueller report. Just six-tenths of a mile from this chamber sits the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, also known as the FISA court. The House managers in over a 23-hour period, kept pushing this false dichotomy that it was either Russia or Ukraine but not both.
[King:] Now, if you go into the details, especially the president is very specific, he talks about the server. There can't be two Democratic security servers. Either Russia hacked it or someone else hacked it. There's no dispute that Russia hacked it. So, you can run Mr. Sekulow through a fact check machine and you'll have problems. But for the president's political purposes and the Republicans' political purposes, effective or not?
[Paul Kane, Senior Congressional Correspondent, The Washington Post:] It's effective. And Mitch McConnell is happy if they don't go too far into the conspiracy theory world, he want them to try to stay where they did for most of it where you just don't get into Ukraine, crowd strike, those things. He wants them to stick to, this is not an impeachable offense. Not something you can rule from office. Nine months away, we've got an election. As long as they stay at that level, McConnell will be happy and will be just appear somewhat dignified.
[Michael Shear, Cnn Political Analyst:] There's a delicate balance to it. I think the timing question. There was something somewhat powerful about having a two-hour approach, which they repeatedly contrasted with 20 to 1, 2, 3 hours that the Democrats took. There was something powerful about the idea we're going to be able to take that incredibly detailed, incredibly tedious presentation down in just a couple of hours. On the other hand, there were some senators that we all talked to afterwards who were at least eager for a little bit more to hang this on, right? They do want to see a little bit more detail, a little bit more of a the meat of the White House defense so that when they go home to their districts, they can actually point to an actual defense.
[King:] To that point, some of the bigger names that the president added to his defense team, we have not seen them or heard from them in the Senate trial. Just show you a few right here, Ken Starr, the former independent counsel in the Bill Clinton days, not too favored by Democrats, but a powerhouse lawyer in the president's view. Alan Dershowitz, the former Harvard law professor. Robert Ray, who succeeded Ken Starr as independent counsel. They will get the floor tomorrow. Mr. Dershowitz says he's going to make a case that this does not rise to the constitutional test of impeachment. Mr. Starr, apparently, going to make a similar case, that it doesn't reach the historical bar for impeachment. But the president this is you know, the president knows when you talk about the death valley of Saturday television, so maybe he wanted to save them for the weekday. He knows how important the first day was. By all accounts, he was pleased with his team.
[Seung Min Kim, Cnn Political Analyst:] Exactly, and I think you get what the defense said yesterday was kind of get the top line points out, what they wanted to say, you know, that the president did nothing wrong, that this is a way to, for Democrats to get in the way of the 2020 elections going on. Had to give the little tidbits for the Sunday shows today and it has a big preview or a show for Monday. I think we don't expect the president's team to use all their time. But I would be interested to see what kind of argument they lay out. I mean, we haven't heard too much about for example about the Bidens. How much will the White House counsel team delve into that. And we saw a little bit how the House managers tried to pre-butt that argument in their arguments. And Republicans saying, that gives us that gives us or that gives the White House team a clear explanation to go into them at length. Maybe those are the fireworks that the president is seeking on Monday. We'll have to wait and see tomorrow.
[King:] And to that point, one of the things that you know, in a trial, you're the defense, you're trying to stir up reasonable doubt. So, the Democrats made their case, look how he withheld nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine. They made that out to be exceptional. They made a detailed with pretty damning evidence about Rudy Giuliani's role in Ukraine trying to get the investigations about people in the administration being startled and stunned. When it happened, about some people raising questions whether it was legal. Jay Sekulow, and, again, if you read the entire record, you might be suspect about this. But he is trying to create a safe place for Republicans. He says, yes, we froze aid to Ukraine. Not unique.
[Sekulow:] President Trump has placed holds on aid a number of times. We just take basic due diligence to figure this out. In September 2019, the administration announced that it was withholding over $100 million in aid to Afghanistan over concerns about government corruption.
[King:] If you go back and study the history, they are very different issues in how they were handled and how it was raised and how the government process worked.
[Shear:] But it was announced. That's the point.
[Kane:] Announced.
[Shear:] You know, whether it's the Central American countries or Afghanistan or other places, they announced it, they told Congress as they have a duty to do. I mean, I think there's a big difference. That's an example as you say, of Mr. Sekulow and the White House team giving Republicans a talking point. But it doesn't necessarily stand up under scrutiny when you actually like look at the details.
[King:] So the lead House manager, Adam Schiff, came out quickly with his team after to say
[Shear:] I wouldn't say quickly. It took a half an hour in a hot room as he was once again, relitigating afterwards.
[King:] His point was, the Democrats know the math here. They do not have the 20 votes, even if they kept all the Democrats to convict or remove the president. The only way in a miracle, is to first get witnesses and extend the trial. That is their main goal. He came out afterwards saying, you know, the president's lawyers did a good job but forgot some things.
[Schiff:] There's no mention of the president's chief of staff. What about Mick Mulvaney who admitted in a press conference just like this, of course, we did. It happens all the time. Get over it. No mention of the president's chief of staff. Now, why is that? They said the House managers' goal should be to give you all of the facts. That is our goal. It's just not theirs. Because Mick Mulvaney has some of these facts.
[King:] It's a very strong argument to make to the American people. There's a lot more we could learn if the Senate would demand the documents. But most of the senators at that point were gone. Are they listening?
[Kane:] Democrats felt after yesterday that that was the one thing that the White House legal team really made a mistake on. They were opening the door at several different points as they made their case, to oh, well, yeah, the way we can figure that out is if we call Mulvaney, if we call Bolton. They felt like they cracked the door open. But we'll get into it in more detail. The witness question, the numbers aren't there yet.
[King:] All right. That's where we'll come back to. Up next for us, the prosecution case and the Senate math.

[Camerota:] You could hear how choked up that fellow veteran was. That was so nice that they do that. All right. That's it for us. "NEWSROOM" with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto starts right now.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] All right. Good Monday morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Yes. It's Monday. I'm Jim Sciutto. A stunning admission, even a reversal by President Trump. Will it be enough to make Democrats now act? The president now confirming that he spoke to the president of Ukraine about Joe Biden and his son. Trump's fast evolution on Ukraine reflects a familiar pattern, deny potential wrongdoing and then admit and justify it while declaring the discovery of the activity the real crime. A reminder, just four days ago he started with what appeared to be a total denial via Twitter writing, quote, "It never ends. Virtually any time I speak on the phone to a foreign leader I understand that there may be many people listening." Of course he began there by calling this another fake news story out there. Well, is that how it ended up?
[Harlow:] Yes. By Friday morning the president delivered a series of contradictory talking points. He insisted that the conversations he had with Ukrainian officials that are now of course under scrutiny were, quote, " totally appropriate and beautiful." He then later said he couldn't remember them and said he had not read the whistleblower complaint. But then in the next breath claimed that, quote, "everybody had read it, they laughed at it." By the weekend, however, the president was largely confirming all of it. Even defending it. Here he is.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We had a great conversation. The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place, was largely the fact that we don't want our people like Vice President Biden and his son creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine.
[Harlow:] OK. So there it is in his own words on camera and all of this while he attacked the whistleblower for what he called spying at the same time continuing to suggest with no evidence that Biden had acted inappropriately. Joining us now at the White House with more is Joe Johns. And Joe, I just want to reiterate again there is just no evidence at this point in time that Joe or Hunter Biden did anything inappropriate here.
[Joe Johns, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Right. I think that's very important to underline because the president has been trying to shift the narrative, when this is really a question about what the president said and the timeline of all of this. The president, as you showed in that clip, said this conversation with the newly elected President Zelensky of Ukraine was largely congratulatory, but the president also said he talked about corruption and also said that he talked about Joe and Hunter Biden, while there's no evidence that they have anything to do with wrongdoing or corruption. So, the best evidence of all of this obviously would be the release of a transcript of that conversation to at least attempt to clear the air or show people what the president did, in fact, say. However, there are some of the president's lieutenants who are opposed to releasing such a transcript, including the secretary of State and the secretary of the Treasury, both saying that conversations between world leaders ought to remain private. So that is an internal debate that the administration has to continue working with, even as we move closer to that Thursday deadline when the speaker of the House wants to get the complaint from the whistleblower to try to detail what specifically it was that individual was concerned about. And we look forward to trying to get the White House to give us any clarifications they can, even as the president is up at the United Nations this week. Back to you.
[Sciutto:] The White House is going to make that claim on presidential conversations being private, but on the whistleblower complaint, the law is clear.
[Harlow:] So clear.
[Sciutto:] That has to be reported to Congress.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Joe Johns, at the White House, thanks very much.
[Johns:] You bet.
[Sciutto:] Let's get the latest reaction from lawmakers on the Hill to this. CNN's Lauren Fox, she joins us now from Capitol Hill. So, Lauren, the division on the Hill has been between 150 some Democratic lawmakers who now support impeachment, resists being resisted by the leadership, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and others, tell us, speaking to Democrats now, has this shifted the dial sufficiently for Democratic leadership on the question of impeachment?
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Politics Congressional Correspondent:] Well, over the weekend, Jim, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a stark warning, basically arguing the administration needed to hand over that whistleblower complaint by the end of the week. In a letter, in a rare letter over the weekend, she wrote to her colleagues, quote, "If the administration persists in blocking this whistleblower from disclosing to Congress, a serious possible breach of constitutional duties by the president, they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation." We also heard from the Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff who has so far been trying to keep things pretty even when he talks about impeachment over the weekend. He told our colleague Jake Tapper that impeachment may be the only remedy if they can't get something like this whistleblower complaint. Here's what he said.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] If the president is essentially withholding military aid at the same time that he is trying to brow beat a foreign leader into doing something illicit, that is providing dirt on his opponent during a presidential campaign, then that may be the only remedy that is co-equal to the evil that conduct represents.
[Fox:] And of course, this underscores a larger debate that the Democratic caucus has been having for several months now. You have liberals who say this is the time to do impeachment. You saw Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a very vocal freshman, tweeting, quote, "At this point the bigger national scandal isn't the president's law- breaking behavior, it's the Democratic Party's refusal to impeach him for it." So expect, Poppy and Jim, that this week there is going to be more calls on Capitol Hill to move forward with impeachment. We'll be of course watching what Speaker Nancy Pelosi has to say about it Jim and Poppy.
[Harlow:] Yes. Lauren Fox, great reporting. Thank you so much. Let's talk about all of this. Seung Min Kim is here, White House reporter for the "Washington Post," and Dana Bash, our chief political correspondent, joins us. Good morning, ladies. And Dana, let me begin with you, Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi both chose their words very, very carefully, but there is a shift, OK, I just wonder how significant you think it is. Is this a shift that will result in both of them finally saying, now is the time to move forward on impeachment?
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] So I have two different answers for two different parts of that question, Poppy.
[Harlow:] All right.
[Bash:] It is first, the significance. Hugely significant that these two people, obviously especially Nancy Pelosi, but including Adam Schiff, have been very reluctant to even go there on impeachment.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Bash:] Adam Schiff with Jake Tapper went much further. He actually used the I word. Nancy Pelosi for her, it was more a shot across the bow at the administration while also a message to her people, I hear you, which was important for her to do this weekend given everything that happened last week, which we can get to in a second, but whether or not this will get to that point is still to be determined because Pelosi and even Schiff and others who have been more cautious, still look at two things one, the broader is public opinion and is public opinion there yet and two, even sort of more micro on the public opinion, is that the case in places that are not Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez's district or the West Coast in, you know, urban areas in California, meaning in areas that will decide not just the House of Representatives if she continues to be speaker, but the presidential election, whether that is seen as a bridge too far and could actually help the president in 2020 as opposed to hurting him.
[Sciutto:] So, Seung Min, you have the politics of this. The central question, this is a political process, impeachment is a political process, but yet the substance, too. For two years the special counsel investigated whether as candidate President Trump was willing to accept foreign help in the election. The circumstances of this is the president asking for foreign help in effect, to attack a political opponent, and possibly, we don't know this yet.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] But possibly demanding or pressuring and somehow tying military assistance? I mean, qualitatively, that's a step up, is it not?
[Seung Min Kim, Cnn Political Analyst:] And look at the timeline here. July 24th was the day of that big Mueller hearing where the special counsel testified on Capitol Hill and made all those details and made his pronouncements about that report. The phone call that's in question came July 25th. Of all the reporting bears out and we have no reason to believe that it's incorrect, in one day after essentially the close of the special counsel investigation, that has just created such a cloud over his presidency for the first two years, he goes and makes this exerts this pressure campaign against the Ukrainian president. Now what you're hearing from a lot of Republicans so far with a couple of exceptions is that we're looking for more information, you know, there was no explicit quid pro quo, and that's you know, we'll, you know, we'll defer to what the president is saying at this point. But you can't lose sight of the fact here and Democrats are pointing out that the president was actively, you know, using the power of his office to try to dig up dirt on his political rivals and that can't be underestimated.
[Sciutto:] Well yes.
[Harlow:] Eight times according to the "Wall Street Journal." Dana, Mitt Romney, though, I don't know if he was kind of on an island now, I don't know if that island is going to get more populated but here's what he said over the weekend, "If the president asked or pressured Ukraine's president to investigate his political rival either directly or through his personal attorney, it would be troubling in the extreme. Critical for facts to come out." Does he remain lonely on that island?
[Bash:] Right now he is lonely. But it's even significant that he is one person on that island for the Republican Party because he has been very critical historically of the president, but since he's been a senator he has chosen his public criticism carefully.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Bash:] And the fact that he decided to come out, put this tweet out, saying, I want more information is telling. It's also, if you kind of marry that with the letter going back to the letter that Nancy Pelosi sent over the weekend, it was a dear colleague letter not just to fellow Democrats but to all House members including and especially Republicans, saying this is not this should not be a partisan issue. Republicans, you should be asking the president of the United States for information. That is really important and just if you look at the kind of the numbers among House Republicans, you do have a significant number who are saying that they're not going to run for re-election, that they're retiring, so they don't have political they have political capital to spend if they want to if they see this as something that is necessary and I'm told that Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi, they did have consultations over the weekend as they found the pressure mounting by their fellow Democrats, that they wanted to take a step not just to talk about Democrats but remind people that this should not be a partisan exercise.
[Sciutto:] Well, try that again after this. If we're speaking in terms of islands the
[Bash:] Historically it hasn't been. We're in different territory now. But historically it hasn't been too partisan.
[Sciutto:] And if we're speaking in terms of islands, the far more populated islands now are the silent one and frankly the one getting bigger are
[Bash:] Yes. You're right.
[Sciutto:] Republicans jumping on Trump's train here which is to say, the more serious thing to investigate is what Joe Biden's son was up to as opposed to what president was up to here.
[Bash:] You're right.
[Sciutto:] Seung Min Kim, Dana Bash, great to have you both on.
[Bash:] You too.
[Sciutto:] Still to come, President Trump says he hope a transcript of his call with the Ukrainian president will be released. Members of his inner circle say that would be a bad idea. What is the White House strategy here? Is there one? And what sort of precedent would it set if they did release that transcript?
[Harlow:] Plus, Iowa, ever heard of it? Very important in this election and all it is neck and neck in the race there. We're going to break down our new CNN polling as Elizabeth Warren surges. And CNN is in Tehran as the Iranians show off the mangled remains of the U.S. drone they shot down and the new missile system that did it.

[Burnett:] Tonight, thrown under the bus, kind of no way to put this one. President Trump overriding his own education secretary, Betsy DeVos, and the proposal in his own budget to cut nearly $18 million for the Special Olympics.
[Trump:] I just told my people, I want to fund the Special Olympics. I just authorized a funding of the Special Olympics. I have overridden my people. We're funding the Special Olympics.
[Burnett:] My people. It's his budget which they stood by. DeVos is responding in a statement, and she's playing ball, playing the party line. I am pleased and grateful the president and I see eye-to- eye on this issue and that he has decided to fund this Special Olympics grant. This is funding I have fought for behind the scenes over the last several years. OK. Except but the problem with that is, if that's what she really felt, well, I mean, this is totally different than what she said just earlier today. Ryan Nobles is OUTFRONT.
[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Washington Correspondent:] Betsy DeVos, under fires for days for her agency's proposal to slash $18 million in funding from the Special Olympics, starting with a viral moment defending the position.
[Rep. Mark Pocan , Wisconsin:] Do you know how many kids are going to be affected by that cut, Madam Secretary?
[Betsy Devos, U.s. Secretary Of Education:] Mr. Pocan, let me just say again, we had to make some difficult decisions with this budget.
[Pocan:] I'll answer for you, that's OK, no problem. It's 272,000 kids
[Nobles:] But then today some hedging.
[Unidentified Male:] Did you personally approve? I think a yes or no will do the $18 million cut of the funding for Special Olympics?
[Devos:] No, I didn't personally get involved in that.
[Unidentified Male:] Well, I want to tell you, whoever came up with that idea gets a Special Olympic gold medal for insensitivity.
[Nobles:] The education secretary wouldn't say whose idea it was.
[Reporter:] Madam Secretary, you said you were not the person that proposed this funding change. Can you explain who in your administration did? Madam Secretary, have you spoken to the president about this at all?
[Nobles:] The cuts are a tiny part of a 10 percent reduction in the $70 billion Department of Education budget. DeVos has claimed Special Olympics gets enough funding from private donors and didn't need federal funding. She then turned the tables on Democrats, claiming they were playing politics.
[Devos:] Let's not use disabled children in a twisted way for your political narrative. It's that is just disgusting and it's shameful.
[Nobles:] But late today, in the face of nationwide outrage, the president turned the tables on her.
[Trump:] I just told my people, I want to fund the Special Olympics, and I just authorized a funding of the Special Olympics.
[Nobles:] The stunning about-face by Trump comes even as fellow Republicans were criticizing the proposal.
[Reporter:] Do you support the administration's request to cut funding to the Special Olympics?
[Rep. Kevin Mccarthy , Minority Leader:] No. I fully support Special Olympics.
[Nobles:] Today's switch should be welcome for supporters of the Special Olympics who were taken aback by the proposal.
[Derek "tank" Schottle, Special Olympics Athlete:] It's a bit shock for me. All I can do is pray for Special Olympics.
[Nobles:] But it marks another public relations blunder from the education secretary whose had a series of difficult and uncomfortable moments.
[Interviewer:] The public schools here are doing worse than they did.
[Devos:] Michigan schools need to do better. There is no doubt about it.
[Interviewer:] Have you seen the really bad schools? Maybe try to figure out what they're doing?
[Devos:] I have not I have not I have not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming.
[Interviewer:] Maybe you should.
[Devos:] Maybe I should, yes.
[Nobles:] It's important to point out that even though this was in the president's budget, it never stood any realistic chance of actually happening, despite what the president said today, he's not the person that authorizes funding in the federal budget. That job is here in Congress. They are the appropriators, and there are no Republicans or Democrats that you can find on Capitol Hill who said that this should happen. We should point out Congressman Mark Pocan, he is the one who initially questioned Betsy DeVos about the Special Olympics funding cut, he put out a statement tie today saying he is glad the administration changed course. He ended it, Erin, by saying this: And by the way, can someone pull Betsy from under the bus? Erin?
[Burnett:] All right. Thank you very much, Ryan. And next, Jeanne tries, tries to catch up with Senator Elizabeth Warren.

[Cuomo:] All right. We're waiting on Andrew Yang from Houston. He had a good night on the debate stage. And there he is. The Yang gang very active online. I saw one set of reporting, one metric on Twitter about who had gotten the most followers during and after the debate. You were right up there, if not at the top. How did you think it went?
[Andrew Yang , Presidential Candidate:] I thought it went great, Chris. People can now feel the Freedom Dividend, because they're going to see their friends and neighbors, hopefully, get it. And I cannot wait to pick the winners of people that can see that $1,000 a month actually makes a stronger, healthier, less-stressed-out. It's going to improve relationships. It's going to improve our entire country.
[Cuomo:] So to those who say, "Man, these people in the Democratic Party, they just can't give away my money fast enough," what's your answer?
[Yang:] Well, first, a study just came out that said that our data is now more valuable than oil. And so I'd ask them to reflect, did you get your data check in the mail? Because there are companies that are profiting to the tune of billions of dollars off of our information, and that's the nature of the 21st Century economy. This is not us getting something for nothing. This is actually our getting what we should be getting as the owners and shareholders of the richest country in the history the world.
[Cuomo:] So you're saying that the money that give each of us $1,000 a month doesn't come from tax rolls? It comes from where?
[Yang:] Well, it comes from the biggest winners of the 21st Century economy. You have a trillion-dollar tech company, Amazon, closing 30 percent of America's stores and malls and literally paying zero in taxes. So if we give the American people our fair share of every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad, every robot truck mile, we can easily afford a dividend of $1,000 a month for every American. Because we're going to end up taking this money and spend it in our communities anyway.
[Cuomo:] Why doesn't that offend capitalism?
[Yang:] This is capitalism where income doesn't start at zero. And it's not just me. Jamie Diamond, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, recently came out and said we should declare a national emergency around the economy and have a negative income tax, which is very, very similar to my dividend. So this is the most capitalist thing in the world, because our consumer economy and our markets function much, much better when we have money to spend. It's going to be great for business.
[Cuomo:] The idea of what happened on the debate stage tonight with Castro. I just had him on the show, and I said, "It seemed to me that you took a cheap shot at Biden. You said it three times." He said, "No, no, no, I had a disagreement over policy, and I am here to debate." And I said, "Yes, but how you debate matters." And he says, "No, I didn't mean it in any other kind of way." I said, "Well, everybody went "Oooh", and people came after you on the debate stage." He wouldn't own it that way. What was your take?
[Yang:] Well, you know, I was standing right between the two of them. And I'll certainly leave it to Americans watching at home how they interpreted it. I have a feeling I interpreted it the same way most people at home did.
[Cuomo:] What does that mean? Why are you guys why are you learning these politics games about not answering a question I just asked you? You were one of the straightest shooters up there.
[Yang:] I'm sorry, Chris. I'm a quick study.
[Cuomo:] Well, you I know. You're too smart. Damn it. When you were up there, you said, "Come on, guys. Come on, guys." What was that about?
[Yang:] Well, it is literally Julian and Joe both worked in the same administration.
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Yang:] And the truth of it is that, when you are in a tough spot and you're, let's say, lower in the polls, then you feel like you don't have a choice but to be aggressive. But I don't think that aggression is what the American people want to see on the debate stage when it comes to people that are, frankly, aligned on very many things.
[Cuomo:] Yes. I think it's I think it's a tricky situation for you Democrats, and here's why. As you know, you hear it more than I do, because you're out there on the hustings. Democrats see this president as an existential threat. They consistently tell me in every forum I have, "I'll vote for any of them are as long as they can beat Trump. I don't care who it is." And how you go against him, though, will matter to Democrats. See, that's the difference between your party and that party. If you check certain boxes in the Republican Party, you'll get the vote. They don't care how you get there. The conservatives just showed that by standing next to somebody who doesn't inculcate any of the values that they've preached for decades. You guys aren't like that. So when Julian Castro says, "I'm here to debate. This is how I'll take it to Trump, too," you think that wins for Democrats?
[Yang:] Well, no, I'm on board with the fact that Democrats are laser- focused on trying to beat Donald Trump. I'm one of only two candidates who was on that stage tonight that 10 percent or more of Trump voters said that they would support. So if I'm the Democratic nominee, we will win. That is the math. And that is the case I'm looking forward to making to Democrats around the country.
[Cuomo:] You is your acronym for MATH again?
[Yang:] It's "Make America Think Harder."
[Cuomo:] That's it.
[Yang:] We have to focus on the real problems and start solving them.
[Cuomo:] Yes. I mean, you have a tall task. I couldn't even remember the acronym. Let me ask you one other thing before you let you go. Are you sure you want this job? You see what happens to a president of the United States. You've made it your own way. You've got a beautiful family that you love taking care of. You've been successful a hundred different ways. You're a young man. Do you really want jackals like me coming at you on a 24-seven basis about everything you do and eat?
[Yang:] Well, one of the lessons in entrepreneurship is there are two approaches to a problem. Someone else will take care of it or you're going to take care of yourself. And unfortunately, the first one doesn't work. So we're facing some of the biggest problems for your kids and mind, and if no one else is going to take care of them, then I'm very happy to step up and do all I can.
[Cuomo:] Andrew Yang, I appreciate you taking the opportunity tonight. Good luck going forward. You're always welcome on PRIMETIME to talk about what matters.
[Yang:] Thank you. I'll see you soon, Chris.
[Cuomo:] All right.
[Yang:] All the best.
[Cuomo:] Be well. All right. We just heard from three of the candidates on the big stage tonight. Let's unpack who said what and what does it mean and what is at play and what happens next. Next.

[Cuomo:] This New York Times reporting about Trump's taxes from the 80s and 90s is huge. Well, we can't lose sight of other things that have happened right under our nose that really matter. For example, we now have the final indication that it is all hands on deck to clear this President from any wrongdoing. Listen to this.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] The Special Counsel's finding is clear, case closed case closed.
[Cuomo:] Must be nice, if you say it twice. Senator Mitch McConnell with his signature naked play for advantage. He knows by definition Mueller didn't close the case on obstruction and he didn't even mention it. He would certainly say differently Mr. Mueller and certainly Mr. McConnell if you switch the "R" to a "D", next to this President's name, if you did that then Senator McConnell would say things like this. "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term President", you remember that? All-out opposition.
[Mcconnell:] Some have said it was indelicate of me to suggest that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term.
[Cuomo:] Naked play of advantage. The same man who now laments our paralyzing partisanship and wants us to move on, the same one who refused a vote on a SCOTUS nominee and was proud of it, vowed to punish Democrats for using the nuclear option remember?
[Mcconnell:] You'll regret this, and you may regret it a lot sooner than you think.
[Cuomo:] And you know what, they were wrong and he was right, and he's kept that vow, by making the job of naming judges more contentious than ever. Yet, he sees no problem indignantly calling on Democrats to be quiet and get back to work.
[Mcconnell:] There is serious issues the American people need us to tackle. There's more progress for middle-class families we need to deliver.
[Cuomo:] And do something. Senator McConnell spoke for more than 17 minutes on this, we've all watched it. He never once mentioned the 10 credible episodes of potential obstruction of justice contained in the Mueller Report. Case closed? In other words he ignored the entire second volume of the report. Instead offering a version of events where Democrats are playing into the hands of Putin, absolutely zero shame in his game, know that. Ignoring the monumental embarrassment of what this President said in Helsinki.
[Trump:] I have President Putin he just said, it's not Russia. I will say this. I don't see any reason why it would be.
[Cuomo:] Remember the White House then say, "Oh no, he said wouldn't", please. And actually admitting laughing our President did with the foreign foe about the probe into Putin's diabolical deeds just this past week.
[Trump:] We discussed that he actually sort of smiled.
[Cuomo:] McConnell ignores it all. And of course, Mr. Putin smiles. His adversary not only wilts from confrontation, he denies Russia's interference as much as Putin does. But keep in mind, POTUS isn't the only big-time GOP to ignore interference. Listen to this.
[Mcconnell:] -there's been a little interest in the steps this administration has taken to make Russia pay for its interference- and this administration has taken the problem head-on.
[Cuomo:] Really? Not only has the administration blocked bipartisan efforts in the Senate to guard our elections, but this idea is especially ironic, very rich coming, from this man in particular. Why? Well for all that the President says about then President Obama not acting fast enough on interference back in 2016, fair criticism by the way. But what he leaves out is that one reason the administration dragged its feet was Senator Mitch McConnell. When President Obama went to him to have the move be from both sides, so wouldn't look partisan, he refused action. And just like with so much we now have to wonder, why did he do that back then? All right so the question now is will Democrats get what they want in their fight for the truth? A Congressman not only taking on Republicans, he's taking on his own party to step it up, what's his plan, what he thinks matter. What should matter to you, next.

[Cabrera:] Will this holiday weekend become another super-spreader event? Health experts fear it could after what we saw following Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Right now, coronavirus cases are trending upward in 17 states in the U.S., deaths nearing 189,000 in the country. Joining us now, Dr. Ashish Jha, he is the Dean at Brown University School of Public Health. Doctor, always good to have you here. Are you concerned that the U.S. will see another big spike in cases after this weekend?
[Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean, Brown University School Of Public Health:] Yes. So, thank you for having me on. I am concerned. I think we saw, as you said, after Memorial Day a really big surge, after July 4th a moderate-size surge. And we go into Labor Day with 40,000 new cases a day, much higher than we were at Memorial Day. And so I'm worried that any new surges will be potentially quite catastrophic. We have to be very careful this weekend.
[Cabrera:] Let's talk about the race for a vaccine because we have this new CBSYouGov poll out today showing just 21 percent nationwide say they would get a vaccine as soon as possible if one was available this year without cost. Now, that's down from 32 percent who said the same thing in July. That number obviously low as well. But how do you make sure the public has confidence in a vaccine?
[Jha:] Yes. So there's only one way to make sure people have confidence in the vaccine, and that's to let the science drive the timeline for when the vaccine is ready. If the evidence is in and if we have a safe and effective vaccine based on the data, then I think the majority of Americans will end up being confident about taking the vaccine. If politicians drive the timeline, then, obviously, it's going to be much, much worse.
[Cabrera:] The Wall Street Journal reported three of the vaccine producers are joining together in a pledge not to seek approval for their vaccines until they have been proven safe and effective. One, what do you make of that? And, two, do you think that would help bring back some trust among the medical community and Americans?
[Jha:] Yes. So, first of all, it is a remarkable pledge. I love it. It's great. It's remarkable in that the pharmaceutical companies have to actually make the pledge. And I think that's because there is a lot of concerns about the politicization of the FDA and that instead of letting the great scientists at the FDA make the decision that we might have the political leaders make the decision. So I think it's good that the vaccine companies are doing this. I wish they didn't have to.
[Cabrera:] A new IHME model predicts another 200,000 deaths by January. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this because right now we're at almost 189,000, which is obviously a staggering number but we're averaging about 1,000 deaths per day right now, again, such a high number. But to get another 200,000 plus, that means we're going to be seeing 2,000, even 3,000 deaths per day. Do you really think that could happen?
[Jha:] So, first of all, I hope not. I mean, I think that's really on the high end of the estimates out there. I think we will do better than that. But even at 190,000 deaths where we are right now is so awful. I mean, it's so much worse than any other country in the world. But if we do a good job on mask wearing and avoiding indoor gatherings and if we can fix our testing infrastructure and make it better, we can certainly come in well under that 400,000 number. It's really up to us what number we come in at.
[Cabrera:] Dr. Ashish Jha, thank you so much for being with us.
[Jha:] Thank you for having me on.
[Cabrera:] Up next, with the massive increase in Americans voting by mail this year, could it be days, even weeks until we know who actually wins? Are we looking at a repeat of the infamous 2000 election? Cross-Exam with Elie Honig is next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Lemon:] So, take this. If you're going to talk about police brutality in this country and how it's cost the lives of black people, you might want to avoid using the word choke over and over, unless you're President Trump. Repeatedly over the last couple of days excusing police violence by saying it's just examples of officers who sometimes choke. This was today.
[Trump:] They have a quarter of a second, a quarter of a second to make a decision. And if they make a wrong decision one way or the other, they're either dead or they're in big trouble. And people have to understand that. They choke sometimes, and it's a very tough situation, right?
[Lemon:] So, for President Trump, an officer choking by hurting or killing someone is just like a game of golf.
[Trump:] They can do 10,000 great acts, which is what they do, and one bad apple or a choker, you know, a choker, they choke.
[Ingraham:] You mean they
[Trump:] Shooting the guy shooting the guy in the back many times. I mean, couldn't you have done something different. Couldn't you have wrestled him? You know? I mean, in the meantime, he might have been going for a weapon, and you know, there's a whole big thing there. But they choke just like in a golf tournament. They miss a three-foot
[Ingraham:] You're not comparing it to golf, because of course that's what the media would say
[Trump:] No, I'm saying people choke.
[Ingraham:] People might people can
[Trump:] People choke. And people are bad people. You have both. You have some bad people and you have they choke.
[Lemon:] She tried to save him, but, you know, can't tell him anything. It's a line he has been saying for days.
[Trump:] Well, the problem is that if you have one bad policeman or if you have a policeman that frankly chokes, they make a mistake, they choke. I mean, people can make a mistake. That doesn't make them bad. They choke. Bad things happen, and it can happen. When somebody makes a mistake, he chokes. Or in some cases, you have bad cops. We have to take care of that. In other cases, they choke. They are under they have a quarter of a second, a quarter of a second to make a decision, and sometimes they make the wrong decision.
[Lemon:] Yes. When the president says an officer choked, he shows a complete lack of empathy for victims of police violence. Some victims like Eric Garner, George Floyd had the life choked out of them. He has said it several times now. It's deliberate. His game is to divide on race and he shows a lot more interest on his golf game than he does on solving this deadly issue. We're back right after this.

[Text:] LET'S GET AFTER IT.
[Cuomo:] Cases are up more than the experts expected at this point in the fall and in more places. Hospitalization hospitalization rates are on the rise, and that's a lagging indicator, so that means by the time we find that out, we know we have trouble. Now comes new information regarding how COVID-19 is being transmitted. The CDC's new guidelines redefine close contact with an infected person. So, what does that mean, close contact with an infected person? It now includes multiple brief exposures that add up to 15 minutes, instead of only continuous contact for a long time. Let's bring in Chief Doctor Sanjay Gupta for more on this guidance. Now, first it was "Don't touch things. You can get it." We moved past that. This isn't so much a touch thing. It's aerosolized. And then it was, "But you have to be around a person for a long time." And we had this scenario of "I'd rather give someone a hug, and walk on, than talk to somebody in close setting for several minutes." Now they're saying that period of about 15 minutes is relevant, but you can get to it episodically, and not just in one contact. Is that right?
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yes, I mean that's basically it, Chris. And, in some ways, it's always been a bit arbitrary, I think, as you are sort of alluding to, right? I mean, if you have 15-minute contact, what if the person sneezes in the middle of that, after a minute? Does that change anything? What if you are five feet away instead of six feet away? It always felt a bit arbitrary. And I think that that this guidance now is sort of reflecting that. I'll just show you quick. You just sort of talked about it, Chris, but I'll just show people. Again, what was close contact? Within six feet, for at least 15 minutes. Now, cumulative total of 15 minutes, or more, over a 24-hour period. So, it kind of better reflects, I think, what we have been told, which is that you should wear a mask. This is really about masks ultimately. This whole guidance is about masks, basically saying wear a mask. Even if you think you're going to be around somebody for just a few minutes, wear a mask.
[Cuomo:] All right. And look, we know that masks have been politicized, and we know that people are very happy about that, especially on the Right. But it's about fatigue as much as it's about masks now, right, Sanjay? I mean people have had it. The President is right about that. And we're coming up to the holidays. And people are not going to want to be wearing masks. They're going to say, "Look, I know all these people. Nobody here's been sick. I'm going to be OK. And we'll keep it smart while we're together." And more and more, the clusters aren't community spread of massive populations. They're little micro clusters of exactly what we all do in the holidays. So, how big a deal is this changing guidance now?
[Gupta:] Well I think it's a pretty big deal, Chris. And this isn't easy. I mean I've been going through this with my own family, trying to figure out the holidays. Maybe you have as well. The issue is this. I mean if it's your own family cluster that you've been with the whole time, obviously that's not the concern, because you've been with folks within your own family, living in the same household, for months now. If you start to bring in other people, parents, perhaps vulnerable, my parents are in their late 70s, I think that that's going to be a concern. It's going to be very hard, certainly to maintain distance. It's going to be hard to be outside because it's cold. I think if you are doing dinner, you can't obviously mask. So, it's a challenging proposition. People have asked me, "What is the best way to do it? I absolutely want to meet with my family over the holidays. How could I possibly do it?" First of all, I tell them that I'm not, having gone through the iterations myself. But if you wanted to do it, you'd probably want to get tested, then go into, essentially, a quarantine, for 14 days, possibly get tested again, after that, at the point where you visit. You want to be wearing masks as much as possible. Be outside as much as possible. Open windows to increase ventilation and try and keep distance. Doesn't sound like a very fun holiday, is my point, and there is a lot of hurdles to jump through. Chris, I mean this year is going to be tough. I think this year is a wash. Next year Thanksgiving, I mean I hope I can spend it with my family, and you can spend it with yours. I think it's just going to be tough this year, and it won't feel like a very good holiday, having gone through all those hoops.
[Cuomo:] Well, look, they changed it for a reason. They're changing it right before the holidays, just taking into consideration. It's not just one piece of contact. Little contacts can add up. It's just more one more reason for us to fight the fatigue if we want to get better. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much.
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] None of this is easy. Nobody is saying it is.
[Gupta:] You got it, Chris.
[Cuomo:] Trump and Biden aren't the only ones focused on the last 13 days of this election. McConnell, Pelosi, Schumer, McCarthy, they are all wondering if we're about to see a massive shakeup in the control of Congress. What's the chance? The Wizard of Odds has been looking at the down-ballot races, where they matter, and why they matter. He's got his special Data Goggles on, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Blitzer:] For the first time on camera, we're hearing directly from the accused spy, Maria Butina, speaking out in a T.V. interview shortly before her release and deportation back to Russia. CNN's Brian Todd is here with details. Brian, she remains rather defiant about the allegations against her.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] She really does, Wolf. Maria Butina has some strange denials in this interview. She says she merely doing some social networking, not spying. And at one point when she was cornered, she pulled an odd claim of racism against Russians in the U.S.
[Todd:] Maria Butina calls it nonsense, the accusation that she tried to infiltrate the NRA as a means of getting to higher level Republicans and influencing U.S. policy.
[Maria Butina, Alleged Russian Spy:] If I were not Russian, that would be called social networking.
[Todd:] The accused Russian spy spoke to CBS's "60 Minutes" just before she was released from a federal prison in Florida and deported back to Russia. Butina, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, previously admitted she was directed by Aleksandr Torshin, a former top Russian Central Bank official with ties to President Vladimir Putin. But she denied that Torshin was close to Putin, denied that Torshin acted like her case officer.
[Butina:] Wolves have teeth, but not all animals with teeth are wolves. You cannot judge a person based on appearance.
[Todd:] But "60 Minutes" presented Butina with direct Twitter messages it says she exchanged with Torshin as the 2016 election was approaching. Butina writes to Torshin we made our bet. I am following our game. Torshin writes back this is the battle for the future, it cannot be lost. Patience and cold blood. A few days later, Butina wrote to Torshin only incognito. Right now, everything has to be quiet and careful.
[Lesley Stahl, Cbs News:] Incognito, patience, cold blood, what is that?
[Butina:] Let me take you back to 2016 around the elections time. Do you remember how, at that point, American media treated Russia? Everything was toxic. Tell me that there is no racism here against the Russians. Oh, please, it is.
[Todd:] When she says, incognito, be careful, I'm following our game, is she protecting herself from racism?
[Eric O'neill, Security Strategist, Vmware Carbon Black:] No, she's Butina is certainly working for Russian intelligence. Now, she wasn't convicted or tried for espionage, but she certainly was working for someone in Russia who was gathering intelligence against the United States.
[Todd:] Journalist Elena Nicolaou, a one-time friend of Butina's, told CNN Butina was fun-loving, like when she sang "Beauty & the Beast" with her American boyfriend, Republican political operative Paul Erickson. But Nicolaou says Butina also displayed some mysterious behavior, like missing a whole day of activities at Disney World saying she'd chipped a tooth.
[Elena Nicolaou, Former Friend Of Maria Butina And Paul Erickson:] She may have done something to her tooth or maybe she was gone for different reasons, but I don't know.
[Todd:] Butina told "60 Minutes" she faced tough conditions in American jails.
[Butina:] It is a torture. It is not normal for a human being to be locked for 23, 22 hours in a cell by your own.
[Todd:] That could be an appeal to Putin who, former FBI counterintelligence agent Eric O'Neill says, might treat Butina harshly because she was caught, because she cooperated with, and she was debriefed by U.S. intelligence.
[O'neill:] I think what is going to happen is that she is going to go through a period of interrogation to learn what secrets we may now know about how Russia engages in trying to recruit spies and trying to learn intelligence. And it is not a pleasant process.
[Todd:] But Eric O'Neill believes that Putin's government may stop short of incarcerating Maria Butina for a long period of time or punishing her more harshly. If they did that, he says it might be an acknowledgment too much of an acknowledgment, really, to the United States that Butina was a valuable spy, that she decent information from the U.S. or gave good information to the U.S. Interestingly, Butina is, tonight, in her home of Siberia where Russian political prisoners, Wolf, as you know, were often sent.
[Blitzer:] Yes, they were. Brian Todd, thank you. There's breaking news next. The testimony of two key witnesses in the impeachment inquiry is made public, revealing what they told lawmakers about Rudy Giuliani's efforts for President Trump in Ukraine.

[Marquardt:] St. Louis has consistently ranked as one of America's most dangerous cities and this summer, there is growing outrage over the number of children who have been fatally shot simply for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The city is now offering $100,000 in rewards for information about these shootings. The latest victim was an 8-year-old girl. She was shot and killed Friday night at a high school event. She was the fifth child, less than 10 years old to be involved in a deadly shooting in St. Louis since April. Authorities are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in four of these cases. The city's m3ayor says it needs the help because conventional policing tactics are not enough. The offer stands through September 1st. Officials are hoping that the deadline will spur anyone with information to come forward and act immediately. Meantime, another mid western city continues to grapple with its collective trauma. It's been three weeks since the Oregon district shootings in Dayton, Ohio. And right now, as you can see there, thousands are gathering at a benefit concert organized by long-time Ohio resident and comedian Dave Chappelle. List of celebrities on the performance list include Stevie Wonder and Kanye West, and that's just for starters. The tickets are free but organizers are hoping that people will be generous with donations the proceeds benefitting the families and survivors of the August 4th shootings. And on the ground there, we find our CNN Correspondent, Polo Sandoval. He is there with the latest. Polo, what are people saying about that remarkable event today? 3
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] Alex, I certainly hope that you'll be able to hear me because it is certainly electrifying in downtown Dayton. Just three weeks ago I stood on this very spot, reporting to you and the rest of CNN viewers what had just happened in the early morning hours of that day when nine people's lives were cut short when that gunman walked through downtown Oregon District as its known, this arts and entertainment district. Here we are though, three days later and this massive concert as you put it, put together by Ohio's adoptive son, Dave Chappelle, who took the stage just a while ago, not only meant to revitalize this section, but is to live through a serious nightmare, but also for many of the victims of mass shootings across the country which he said as he took the stage only moments ago.
[Chappelle:] Today we're going to show the world that nothing will get us 3down. Dayton, Ohio, no matter what's going on, no matter how tough these times get, we hold our heads up high, because we know we're from
[O-h! Unidentified Male/female: I-o. Chappelle:] Shout out to Kanye West for being here this morning. I've got friends that flew in from all over this country to be here today. They didn't ask for a dime or a dollar, just here to tell the city that they love you. And we're not just doing this for our city. We're doing this for every victim of every mass shooting in our country.
[Sandoval:] American singer, musician Thundercat wrapping up on stage, Alex. It is a long and fascinating lineup for the next several hours here. But again, what you keep hearing from people here, it's about this tribute not only to the victims, the families of those nine people who died, but also the survivors who are still struggling with the emotional and those physical wounds. And again, as you heard it today, Dave Chappelle essentially bringing this together. You and I may know him as a comedian and an actor. Many of these people know him as a neighbor.
[Marquardt:] All right, our thanks to Polo Sandoval. Hopefully a little bit of joy and levity after so much sadness and tragedy in that city. Our thanks to him. And we'll be right back. It was one year ago today that the country said good-bye to Senator John McCain. The fighter pilot, father, war hero, and maverick, who in life, as in death, was also looked to as an symbol of integrity and basic human decency. This morning, his wife of 38 years, Cindy McCain, spoke about her life without him.
[Cindy Mccain, Wife Of Senator John Mccain:] Oh, there are so many things I miss about him. I think most of all was his voice of reason.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] I wonder for you, you got married when you were 25 years old. And you were with John McCain for almost four decades, and I wonder, what have you learned about yourself in this year since he passed away?
[Mccain:] Well, I think the first lesson is that I can survive. You know, losing any loved one is always traumatic, but he was such a force of nature. I've had to learn that not only will I survive, but that I can move forward. If we can convey anything that John McCain stood for on this one-year anniversary, that would be acts of civility. He was the guy on the floor that would cross the aisle. He would work with others, you know. He was very passionate about what he did. And I would like to remind people of those qualities and offer the opportunity for people to do just the same. Go seek someone who perhaps you disagree with vehemently or maybe someone that you, you know, that you've never really liked. But go talk to them. Maybe agree to disagree.
[Keilar:] What do you think he would say if he saw the current state of American politics right now?
[Mccain:] I think he would be very disappointed. In fact, I know he would be. He would be saddened by the digression that these conversations and these debates have taken, and also saddened that we're so disoriented within the world right now. You know, we had time to talk before he died and he was very frustrated with what was going then and I think now he would be even more frustrated.
[Marquardt:] Before John McCain's death from brain cancer, he wrote a letter, expressing his hopes for the future. Here is part of what he said, "We have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenges times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do. Do not despair of our president our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history." Some of John McCain's final words. I'm Alex Marquardt. Don't go anywhere. It is time for back-to-back live CNN presidential halls with Montana Governor Steve Bullock followed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at 7 p.m. It all starts right now.

[Gorani:] China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson is accusing the United States of meddling and China's affairs after Pompeo slam to China's government for detaining members of the Muslim Uighur minority and secretive internment camps. China's Foreign Ministry says there are no ethnic, religious or human rights issues in the Far West region where Uighurs mostly live, but the US and other Western nations say China is trying to eradicate that Muslim culture that minority population all together. This is what Mike Pompeo had to say.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] We've all seen the Xinjiang papers released in recent days. They detailed the Chinese party's brutal detention and systematic repression of Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. These reports are consistent with an overwhelming and growing body of evidence that the Chinese communist party is committing human rights violations and abuses against individuals in mass detention. We call on the Chinese government to immediate release all those who are arbitrarily detained into and it's draconian policies that have terrorized its own citizens in Xinjiang. It's not just that are the largest, that are the target of the CCP's hostility Christians, Tibet, and some other minority groups. We've also felt the CCP's heavy hand of repression.
[Gorani:] Well, the issue have gone viral on TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media. The app is best known for pranks, dancing videos, and other lighthearted content. It's mainly younger users, younger even than Instagram. But an Afghan-American teenager used what looked initially like a beauty tutorial to accuse China of abusing Muslims. Take a look.
[Feroza Aziz, Afghan-american Criticizing China:] Hi, guys. I'm going to teach you guys how to get long lashes. So, the first thing you need to do is grab your lash curler lashes, obviously. Then you're going to put them down and use your phone that you're using right now to search up what's happening in China, how they're getting concentration camps throwing innocent Muslims in there. Please be aware. Please spread awareness. And, yes, so you can grab your lash curler again
[Gorani:] Well, the teenager who posted that video says TikTok is now discriminating against her. Hadas Gold joins me now live from London. So this went viral. It got millions and millions of views. But I understand that the initial TikTok video was taken down?
[Hadas Gold, Cnn Media And Business Reporter:] Well, it's a little bit confusing. That 40-second video definitely went viral with more than one million views. Now, Aziz says that she was locked out of her account. She told CNN, she thinks this because she was criticizing China and that TikTok is, of course, Chinese company owned by ByteDance. It's one of the few apps that have really taken off in the U.S. But the company actually said in a statement that they do not moderate content moderate content due to political sensitivities, although there have long been suspicion surrounding certain Chinese tech companies and have closely connected. They may be to the Chinese government. But about what happened with Aziz, TikTok denied that the company banned her video or her account. And we were able to find the video and her account on TikTok as of Wednesday. But what happened, TikTok did say banned another account owned by Aziz because she posted a video with an image of Osama bin Laden, which they say violated their ban on content with imagery related to terrorist organizations. And they also said that they banned the device associated with the account firm of that service. But Aziz says that her account, as recently as in the last few days, she was not able to sign in. She has said that she has recently been able to get back in. Aziz says the video with the Osama bin Laden imagery was just a joke. She was poking fun at what she says is sort of racial overturn that she has faced as a Muslim teenager. But these concerns over TikTok connection to China, the reason that I think the story is getting so much attention is because there's a lot of concerns, including from U.S. lawmakers who have requested a national security assessment of the platform. They're saying that they're worried these apps could be used to spy on U.S. citizens or even become targets of foreign influence campaign. Now, TikTok has been of a sort of a PR move, trying to repair this image about that it's having and its head, Alex Zhu, just recently had an interview with the New York Times. They say that Chinese regulators don't have any influence over the company. They said that they refuse also any requests if they were to get anything from Chinese regulators. They said that for now the company is pretty lucky that we still associate most of TikTok with memes and lip-syncing and fun things like that and not political discussions. But clearly, political discussions are coming to that app and that image could be changing. Hala?
[Gorani:] So I mean, what the company is saying is that they didn't take or lock this young lady out of her account because of the content because of this particular video. But does the Chinese government have any influence? What do the people who run TikTok say? Does it have any influence? Can it request that content be taken down?
[Gold:] So Alex Zhu, who's the head of TikTok told the New York Times no. He said that Chinese regulators have no power over them. And he even said that a lot in that interview he said a lot of their data is actually hosted in the United States, not even hosted in China. But there's a lot of concerns about these companies that are ultimately owned or operated from China, about what the Chinese government could, at some point do. Of course, we've had a lot of conversations about this related to Huawei. This is something we see over and over again with Chinese companies. There are some options for a company like TikTok. And this is something that was brought to the head of TikTok in that New York Times interview. For example, they could try to divest TikTok, make it be a U.S. owned company, instead of being connected to China. There's no there's no sense of that is coming any time soon. But these are concerns we're seeing over and over again as Chinese companies get more popular and their influence spreads around the world, the concern that they have connections to the Chinese government and what the government could do potentially with that information.
[Gorani:] Well, I'd be interested to know if this segment aired in China or if CNN went dark. That happens sometimes when you talk about China and issues like the Uyghur minority. Thanks very much, Hadas Gold, in London.
[Gold:] Thanks.
[Gorani:] When a politician is in trouble, they often try to clear things up with a T.V. interview. If that was the British Labour Party leader's plan for dealing with questions about anti-Semitism, it seems to have backfired. Listen to an interview Jeremy Corbyn gave only hours after the chief rabbi of Britain said Corbyn's handling of anti-Semitic allegations in the Labour party made him unfit to be prime minister.
[Andrew Neil, Scottish Journalist:] Eighty percent of Jews think that you are anti-Semitic. That's quite a lot of British Jews. I mean, wouldn't you like to take this opportunity tonight to apologize to the British-Jewish community for what's happened?
[Jeremy Corbyn, British Leader Of Labour Party:] What I'll say is this, I am determined that our society would be safe for people of all faiths. I don't want anyone to be feeling insecure in our society. And our government will protect every community.
[Neil:] So no apology?
[Corbyn:] Against the abuse they received on the streets, on the trains, or in any other
[Neil:] So no apology
[Corbyn:] On any other form of life.
[Neil:] I'll try one more time. Any apology?
[Corbyn:] Andrew, can I explain what we're trying to do?
[Neil:] You have, and you've given plenty of time to do it. I asked you if you wanted to apologize and you
[Corbyn:] Andrew, I don't want anyone to go through what anyone has gone
[Neil:] And you said that several times. I understand that, Mr. Corbyn. I was asking you about an apology. Let's move on to Brexit.
[Corbyn:] Well, hang on. Can I just make it clear? Racism in our society is a total poison.
[Neil:] You've said that several times. So, you know, we get that.
[Corbyn:] Islamophobia, anti-Semitism
[Neil:] And you said that, too. Let's move on to Brexit.
[Corbyn:] or any other any other form of racism and I want to work with every community to make sure it's eliminated. That is what my whole has been about
[Neil:] You made that clear, and people will make up their own minds.
[Gorani:] Jeremy Corbyn is the leader of the Labour Party the leader of the Conservative Party and the current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has not, according to the BBC, set a date yet for an interview with Andrew Neil, who conducted that interview with Corbyn. Now, with the future of Brexit hanging in the balance, Northern Ireland could play a key role in next month's U.K. elections. Northern Ireland shares a long open border with the Republic of Ireland which would remain in the European Union after Brexit. As our Nic Robertson reports, many Northern Ireland voters are concerned about how all of this will work out for them.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] North Belfast, the cold crisp night, the election is nearing of 18 Northern Irish seats as many as eight could change hands. This is one of them.
[John Finucane, Northern Ireland Politician:] Hello. How are you? Good evening.
[Unidentified Female:] Oh, yes.
[Finucane:] John Finucane,
[Robertson:] John Finucane, a lawyer with pro remain, mostly Catholic Irish nationalists, Sinn Fein.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes, 100 percent, John. I'm going to have to vote
[Finucane:] Thank you very much.
[Unidentified Female:] The actions for Brexit is really the key
[Robertson:] What is it you want to happen?
[Unidentified Female:] Well, to be honest, I voted to remain in the E.U., you know, so my key thing would be like Brexit, so there's no hard borders in Ireland.
[Robertson:] In this constituency, most other pro-remain candidates withdrew to let Finucane, who is also Lord Mayor of Belfast get their vote, even though his party refused to take their seats in Westminster.
[Finucane:] But the people of North Belfast are very similar to the people of the north here, in general. They voted to remain whenever the Brexit referendum came around in 2016. I think this election on December the 12th gives them another opportunity to send a very powerful message.
[Robertson:] He is up against pro-leave, mostly protestant Democratic Unionist Party incumbent, Nigel Dodds. Just a few weeks ago, Dodds' party were kingmakers in London. Now, they're under fire from all directions. Unprecedented political alliances are forming and the future of Northern Ireland is at stake. Dodds' message, vote DUP, change Johnson's Brexit deal, strengthen Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. Dodds' social media feed shows him campaigning, but he didn't let us along or give us an interview. Neither did any other DUP candidate. Jim Wells, a local veteran DUP politician who is not running in the election did agree to talk.
[Jim Wells, Dup Member Of Legislative Assembly:] It's on an ice age North Belfast. In fact, there could be a few hundred votes either way. We need to maximize the unionist turnout to defeat Sinn Fein.
[Robertson:] The trail of the union is a live issue in these elections. And that may cost the DUP votes to moderate unionists.
[Steve Aiken, Ulster Unionist Party Leader:] But I want to stop Boris Johnson's withdrawal deal. And the only way we can do that is by with remaining within the
[E.u. Robertson:] Even so, neither Aiken nor anyone else in his party will stand against Dodds in North Belfast. Such are the unprecedented tactics of this election. Aiken's decision could actually benefit historic foe, Sinn Fein, because Aiken's party's message is pro-remain. Yet, for all the change, the election is reviving old sectarian grievances. In this divided constituency, that resonates.
[Robertson:] Will you be voting?
[Unidentified Female:] Yes. Most, 100 percent.
[Robertson:] And do you know who you'll be voting for yet?
[Unidentified Female:] Yes. Nigel Dodds. Yes.
[Robertson:] And why would you vote for him?
[Unidentified Female:] He's the only one, I think, will have to sound off Boris'
[Robertson:] Getting out the vote this election doubly difficult. Cold weather and Christmas could crimp turn out.
[Unidentified Female:] I won't be voting for the DUP or Sinn Fein. Because, you know, they're just so old-fashioned. They need to get high because they're not doing anything.
[Robertson:] New tactics are opening new possibilities that could see more pro-remain MPs in Westminster. Moderate nationalists, the SDLP could win a couple of seats.
[Claire Hanna, Social Democratic And Labour Party Candidate:] Look, the issue is Brexit. And the issue is the fact that Northern Ireland and certainly my constituency voted very firmly to remain, and that voice hasn't properly been represented in Westminster.
[Robertson:] Hanna is taking on the DUP in South Belfast. Sinn Fein is helping her by stepping aside. Unlike them, she is not an abstentionist, and would take her place in parliament.
[Hanna:] Look, I think abstentionism is not and as I say, it over empowers the
[Dup. Robertson:] By Christmas, everyone here will know who their new 18 MPs are. Few though would dare predict what happens after that. Nic Robertson, CNN, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
[Gorani:] One month after 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in Britain, the first remains have been returned to Vietnam. A plane carrying 16 bodies landed in Hanoi and the victims were taken to their hometowns for funerals. A total of 39 bodies were found in a truck in England last month. Family members say the victims paid very large sums to smugglers in hopes of finding better lives in the United Kingdom. Eight people allegedly connected to this smuggling skim have been arrested in Vietnam and the truck driver is facing manslaughter charges in Britain. Now, to Syria where American troops are again teaming up with the Kurds to fight ISIS when the U.S. ordered its troops out of northern Syria last month, Turkish forces moved in. CNN's Clarissa Ward shows us how civilians are now paying the price for that U.S. exit.
[Clarissa Ward, Cnn Chief International Correspondent:] Class should be in session now, but here in Al-Hasakah, the school has become a temporary shelter for displaced people. In one classroom, we met Ibrahim Hassan, the Kurdish father of five tells us he was forced to flee his home in Ras al-Ain with his children when the Turkish military operation began. This is what remains of his house. Ibrahim says it is one of many in his Kurdish neighborhood that was deliberately ransacked by Turkish-backed forces.
[Ibrahim Hassan, Displaced Syrian Kurd:] They took everything, and after they took all our belongings, they set it on fire and burned it all. Just days before the offensive began, Ibrahim's children had posed smiling with U.S. troops patrolling the area. He says America's presence gave him a false sense of security, then suddenly they were gone.
[Hassan:] Since America betrayed us, every time I look at these photos of my children with the Americans, I want to erase them.
[Ward:] Do you feel that you trust the Americans still? Definitely not.
[Hassan:] Now we hear and we see on television America saying that they're only here for the oil. Why did Trump do this? You have betrayed all of the people.
[Ward:] It's a sentiment we found shared by many here. Nearly 200,000 people have been displaced by Turkey's offensive. Hundreds of their homes have been damaged or looted. Local authorities are now trying to move them out of the schools so that class can start again and into hastily built camps like this one, conditions are bleak and resources are scarce. Because of the security situation, international aid agencies have had to pull out, leaving the Kurds with no one to rely on but themselves. So she's saying it's really difficult here because it's very cold, especially at night. They don't have enough food. They don't have electricity and the water is not good. Camp organizers say there are 3,000 people living here now, with more arriving every day. Almost everyone in this camp is from the town of Ras al- Ain, and Ras al-Ain used to be around 75 percent Kurdish. Now, though, we're told there are just a handful of Kurds left. And the people here believe that the ultimate goal of this Turkish offensive is to essentially push the Kurds out of this area completely and change the ethnic makeup of it forever. Turkey has done little to alleviate their fears, as the Kurds have poured out of these areas, Arabs have been bussed in. Syrian refugees who Turkish authorities claim are originally from these areas. After more than eight years of civil war, this part of Syria is full of stories of people forcibly displaced. In the Christian village of Tel Nasri, we find more families from Ras al- Ain sheltering in the ruins of a destroyed church. Will you try to go home? I asked these women. There's no home to go to, they reply. ISIS cleansed this area of Christians when it was in control. They have yet to return. Now, the village provides refuge for another people, forced from their homes with no sense of a possible return. Clarissa Ward, CNN, Northern Syria.
[Gorani:] We'll be right back. Stay with CNN.

[Text:] LET'S GET AFTER IT.
[Cuomo:] All right, let's get back to Georgia. Ahmaud Arbery was killed more than two months ago there. An arrest only came after a tape was made public, showing large parts of the altercation, a tape that police had from jump. So yes, one of the few memes that are true on social media is that it wasn't the police seeing the tape that made a difference. It was us seeing the tape. What else have we not seen? What else do we not know? We know the Federal Government is now weighing in on whether it has a hate crime. It's a high bar. And often, those investigations wind up very disappointing. What will happen here? Police had video from day one, remember it. What we don't understand really is why this happened, and why it was on video, in the first place? So, let's bring in the man who knows the answer, William Bryan, along with his Attorney, Kevin Gough. Gentlemen, thank you for taking the opportunity.
[Kevin Gough, Bryan's Attorney:] Thank you, Sir.
[William Bryan, Recorded Arbery Shooting:] Thank you.
[Gough:] Good evening.
[Cuomo:] All right, Mr. Bryan, you are known as "Roddie" to friends, correct?
[Bryan:] That's right.
[Cuomo:] And in the police report, the McMichaels referred to a "Roddie." I'm assuming that was you, yes?
[Gough:] OK. Hey, hold on, Chris.
[Cuomo:] Yes?
[Gough:] You've been a prosecutor. And you can imagine that this prosecutor that's been in this case 24 hours, she's going to start throwing stuff around her living room, if you start doing her job for her, OK? Because as good as you are, she'd probably rather do it herself. Do you know that what we could talk about without causing problems for anybody? And I know you're trying. But this man cannot be answering substantive questions about the case. And if you feel that we've misled you in some way, I'm sorry.
[Cuomo:] No, no, no, no, no, it's not about misleading.
[Gough:] But-
[Cuomo:] It's about just being clear for the audience.
[Gough:] Sure, OK.
[Cuomo:] I always believe that the best opportunity the media can give you is the opportunity to tell the truth in a way that helps you. That's all I'm saying. I don't know why you would dispute the notion of the man's presence-
[Gough:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] -at the situation. But that's fine. Let me move on. And you, Counselor, should weigh in whenever you feel like it. So, Mr. Bryan, how did you come to be in the car videotaping that day?
[Gough:] OK. We're not going there.
[Cuomo:] You don't want to talk about that either. All right, so let's do this. You are afraid of the facts of this case, Counselor, why?
[Gough:] Sir, I'm not afraid of anything. And I'm certainly not with all due respect-
[Cuomo:] Sure.
[Gough:] -I'm not afraid of you. But I respect you.
[Cuomo:] And I respect you.
[Gough:] You are a brilliant, very capable lawyer, and you are a brilliant you were a very good prosecutor. And my client is a mechanic with a high school education. And if you've ever been to the high schools around here, that's not necessarily saying much, OK? And I don't mind if the Board of Education doesn't like it, you know, I'm not their friend either, OK? But you can't be asking him questions about the substance of the evidence because, like I said, there's a young lady that's been in this case, less than 24 hours, who's going to be throwing stuff around her living room, and I don't want her mad at me, and I don't want her mad at my client.
[Cuomo:] I understand.
[Gough:] On the other hand, if you want to ask him if you want to ask him about his experiences here, how he feels, I don't have a problem with that.
[Cuomo:] OK. Let me ask him one question. Then I want to get back to you, Mr. Gough.
[Gough:] And I have gone over this and-
[Cuomo:] Because you have a different-
[Gough:] Sure.
[Cuomo:] -latitude than he does.
[Gough:] Sure, Sir.
[Cuomo:] And just for the record, I do not believe that a level of education is in any way commensurate with common sense, or savvy, or understanding, everything that you need to know about this case, just through life experience. I want you to know that. I don't care that he only went to high school. Plenty of people have done that and achieved great things let alone know why the heck they were in a car videotaping something like this. But let's put it to the side. Mr. Bryan, what do you want the audience to know about your role, your feelings, and your sense of responsibility for this situation?
[Gough:] Is that a multiple question, Chris?
[Cuomo:] Mr. Gough, let him under let him answer it. I'm sure he'll do a good job. You can always answer you can you can amend after. Mr. Bryan?
[Bryan:] I would just like to say, first of all, I am very sorry to the family. I pray for them every night as well as my own family.
[Cuomo:] All right, Mr. Gough, do you think that your client should be understood-
[Gough:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] -as part of the altercation that day?
[Gough:] No, Sir, no, Sir, not at all.
[Cuomo:] Because?
[Gough:] Because my client my client has done nothing wrong here. He's committed no crime. And this is a horrible tragedy. This young man has lost his life uh. And you've seen the video. On a scale of one to 10, that's just look that's just it's horrifying to watch. It's painful to watch, even for a a former prosecutor like yourself, and I'm sure you've seen lots of grizzly incidents. So, this is a terrible matter. And some people are going to have to answer for what they did. But my client was not responsible for that. My client was unarmed. My client hasn't shot anybody. My client hasn't been in so much as a fist fight since he was in high school. And you can take a look at him. He's 5'6" 5'7". This is not a gentleman who's out there looking for a fight or looking for trouble.
[Cuomo:] I understand. I understand. But often-
[Gough:] And, of course OK.
[Cuomo:] -as we both know, again, Mr. Gough, you're I'm not putting your guy on trial, OK? That that's not my job.
[Gough:] OK.
[Cuomo:] My job is this doesn't make any damn sense, this situation, and somebody wound up dead. And as we both know, the smaller you get the more likely you are the-
[Gough:] Oh we can we can agree. We can agree that that-
[Cuomo:] -to use a weapon to make any kind of a show of force. So, I don't care about the size of the people involved. It's about the size of their heart and the size of their brain. What I want to know is this. When you say that your client should not be considered as part of the altercation, I'm assuming-
[Gough:] He is not considered part of the altercation, Chris.
[Cuomo:] OK.
[Gough:] He's a witness, and that's all. That's all he's ever been.
[Cuomo:] OK, good. And I and I will take that answer as guidance until I hear any different from an investigative authority, which I have not. Now, the McMichaels seem to know him. But I want to give you a chance, Counselor, the fact that the McMichaels know Roddie or that Roddie knows them, why is it wrong to suggest therefore he knew about their intentions that day?
[Gough:] There is no relationship whatsoever between Roddie and the McMichaels. And with all due respect, while I'm not at liberty to go into all the details, but I don't think it's any secret that the relationship between Roddie's fiancee and the District Attorney's Office here, it's utterly absurd to think that she would ever have any dealings with these people. You just don't understand, Chris. I mean you've heard things about-
[Cuomo:] That's why I'm talking to you.
[Gough:] -how bad it is down here, OK?
[Cuomo:] First of all, I am not condemning-
[Gough:] This is the District Attorney's Office that has-
[Cuomo:] -I am not condemning an area. I don't understand why no arrest was made. I don't understand why someone who recused themselves from the case went out of their way to paint a false picture of the victim. But these are not questions for you to answer. But I don't want to impugn a character of a community or of the Police Force other than to state curiosity at their inaction, and that's why this interview was so important. If it weren't for your client's tape, I don't know that anything would have happened here. And is that something let me go back to-
[Gough:] Oh, I think you're right.
[Cuomo:] Hold on, let me go back to Mr. Bryan on that. Mr. Bryan, I hope you understand that your decision to videotape this may be what makes all the difference in the administration of justice in this case. Are you aware of that?
[Bryan:] Yes, Sir. If there wasn't a tape, then we wouldn't know what happened, or-
[Cuomo:] And how do you feel about that?
[Bryan:] -I I would. I hope that it, in the end, brings justice to the family and peace to the family.
[Cuomo:] Mr. Gough, audience is listening now.
[Gough:] Yes, Sir.
[Cuomo:] What do you want them to understand about why your client was where he was, if it is not true that it was done in coordination with the McMichaels?
[Gough:] Chris, I don't think it's any secret. My client lives in that neighborhood. He's at his house, minding his own business, and I'm trying not to complicate anybody else's job, he was at his house, minding his own business. And things happen in a matter of minutes. His life has been changed forever. And this family, the Arberys, their lives have been changed forever, you know. And it's sometimes difficult, in these situations, to to see the bigger picture. Mother's Day was not pleasant for Roddie here. It wasn't pleasant for me either. It wasn't the Mother's Day I was hoping for. But, at the same time, Roddie's going to have other Mother's Days, that is if nobody takes a potshot at him. But the Arberys will never be able to spend another Mother's Day with their son. So, you know, for them, this is it's hard to imagine anything worse that could have happened.
[Cuomo:] I'll get back to the fact pattern before we end. But let me ask you a couple of side questions because of your-
[Gough:] OK, yes.
[Cuomo:] -your apparent perspective on this place. Why do you think somebody might take a potshot at your client?
[Gough:] Because certain people out there, for reasons that are not clear, are deliberately putting all kinds of misinformation out there, to the extent, and I can't I can't speak for the GBI, but I'm sure that that however well-intentioned, that is hindering and hampering and impeding their investigation.
[Cuomo:] Like what?
[Gough:] There's so much distraction the people out there that are talking about my client being some kind of vigilante, they're they're conjuring up conspiracy theories that don't exist, saying that my client was armed. Everyone knows he wasn't armed. That's never been an issue from day one. And, you know, why people would continue to put things out like that, to suggest that somehow he's in cahoots with whatever's been going on, up on the third floor, at the Courthouse, with the D.A.'s, he's look, Greg McMichael worked for the D.A.'s Office for many years, and he was a Glynn County police officer before. My client does not have, quote unquote, "Strong ties to law enforcement." He doesn't have ties to law enforcement.
[Cuomo:] I got you.
[Gough:] And since he's been in this since he's been in this relationship with this young lady, I can assure you that whether he realized it or not, he had no friends up at the Courthouse and-
[Cuomo:] All right.
[Gough:] -and all this conversation, and these letters, in this legal analysis, while his name may have come up in it, nobody up there, with all due respect, gives a darn whether he lives or dies.
[Cuomo:] Just-
[Gough:] So, the idea that we have anything to do with this delay, in the prosecution of this case-
[Cuomo:] OK.
[Gough:] -we've done everything we could do.
[Cuomo:] Listen, I got you. And I have no interest and intrigue about local politics. But for those tuning in, just right now, what is your reservation, again, for your client doing what he is imminently capable of doing, saying why he was where he was, why he videotaped as he did, and what he understands happened that day? Why do you not want him to say what can only help clear his name?
[Gough:] Because Chris, in America, as I believe you're well aware, we try our cases in courts of the law. And this stig where we've come to in this country, over the years, where important cases are being tried in newspapers, and on television, and on blogs and stuff, that is not serving the interests of justice.
[Cuomo:] But he's not on trial.
[Gough:] And if you were a prosecutor in this case, if-
[Cuomo:] He is not going to be on trial, is he?
[Gough:] He doesn't control anything. He's a pawn in a much larger game. And he has no say-so in that.
[Cuomo:] But he is a witness, and we have witnesses on all the time-
[Gough:] And there are people out there who have-
[Cuomo:] -so the American people can understand maybe that there is a miscarriage of justice because the facts as they're being evinced from people who are on the ground, who saw, and heard, and experienced, give a different picture than what they're getting from authorities. They can be very helpful.
[Gough:] And when you feel that you are not being treated right, you should speak out. And if people won't listen to you, you need to speak out further.
[Cuomo:] OK.
[Gough:] And that's exactly what happened in this case. This family wanted justice. And I'm not commenting on the McMichaels. That's not my place, OK? And they've got rights, and they're presumed innocent too. But they spoke out. They wanted justice. They weren't treated right. And they kept talking, and nobody was listening. And I know some of the people who were trying to help them. And nobody was listening.
[Cuomo:] Is your client one of them?
[Gough:] And these gentlemen, they have come in-
[Cuomo:] Was he one of the people trying to help? Is your client one of the people-
[Gough:] Mister Arbery-
[Cuomo:] -who was trying to help the Arberys?
[Gough:] He was helping that day, yes sir.
[Cuomo:] Let me-
[Gough:] But for him but for him, there would be no video.
[Cuomo:] Let me that's true. Let me ask you about the McMichaels really quickly. Based on your understanding of the community, and the relationships involved, do you believe the McMichaels had some kind of connection to Ahmaud Arbery, at least in their own perspective of understanding?
[Gough:] Chris, honestly, I don't know. And there's been so much misinformation out there, and gossip, and speculation, I don't want to add to it.
[Cuomo:] Well the police report the police report-
[Gough:] You know, I've heard so many crazy things.
[Cuomo:] But Mr. Gough, let's forget about community hearsay. I don't care about Chatty Cathys either. What I'm saying is, in the police report, the McMichaels made it very clear-
[Gough:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] -to the police, in the moment, where they were on the scene with the victim lying in his own pool of blood that they thought they knew this guy, that they had been on the lookout for this guy, that they identified him from past experience of seeing him, and knowing him. I don't think that surprises you, why? What do you think the McMichaels believed about Arbery?
[Gough:] My understanding, Chris, and I've been in this case for 72 hours, and I'm playing catch-up here. But my understanding was that this young man, as he lay there, what that well not so much as a blanket or a towel over his head, OK, but as he's there, nobody knows who he is. His family was not there. And I can only assume they were not there because they were not notified. And they were not notified because nobody knew. Now, I can't speak for the McMichaels, and what's in their mind. All I'm hearing it is that well after this incident took place, nobody could identify him. Now, why the McMichaels do or say what they do then, or now, I can't speak to that. But if the police couldn't identify him, it may be that, I don't know. You're going to have to ask the McMichaels or their lawyer.
[Cuomo:] They have been given the opportunity.
[Gough:] But my understanding was well they're sitting in a jail cell, as far as I know, without counsel, which I'm sure for for Greg McMichael is an experience he never thought he'd experience. But that's not why we're here.
[Cuomo:] All right. So, Mister-
[Gough:] But what I'm saying is my understanding is the police couldn't figure out who he was for some time.
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Gough:] And they should have been treating that body with respect, and that young man with respect, even before they knew who his mother and father was. I'm not saying they didn't.
[Cuomo:] Well no no question about that.
[Gough:] But from what I've heard, nobody knew who he was.
[Cuomo:] Nobody-
[Gough:] They couldn't identify him.
[Cuomo:] No question about that. But I think-
[Gough:] Maybe that's wrong.
[Cuomo:] -there's a difference between-
[Gough:] But that'what I heard.
[Cuomo:] -there's a difference between his name and people thinking they knew him from earlier activities because McMichael himself says in the police report, in the moment that the police get to the scene that they knew who this guy was, and that they remembered him from something else, and that's why they took off after him, and that they had information about him being involved in other crimes that we can't track down anywhere, other than this video of him arguably trespassing on a construction site. So, just to be clear, as we end this interview, your statement, Mr. Gough, on per on behalf of William Bryan, also known as Roddie, is he wasn't working with the McMichaels. He wasn't called to the scene by the McMichaels. And he wasn't videoing in any way to help the McMichaels. Is that all true from your perspective?
[Gough:] He wasn't there for the McMichaels at all. I can say that. And he doesn't have any relationship with the McMichaels.
[Cuomo:] And the one sticking point that I've heard you try to explain before but hasn't met satisfaction with me yet is when you see something that you know is wrong, even though you're videotaping it in the moment, even though things happened before the videotaping that he didn't videotape, you call the police. I don't care about his education. Everybody knows that. You can be in high school. I've met many people, and so have you, in high school, who will eat our lunch despite all our education intellectually. Why didn't he call 9-1-1?
[Gough:] Well, first of all, he can't use the phone for a phone call while he's using it-
[Cuomo:] I know. But you can hang up and call 9-1-1.
[Gough:] -as a camera. Maybe you can.
[Cuomo:] You can stop videotaping and call 9-1-1.
[Gough:] OK.
[Cuomo:] That's an easy answer.
[Gough:] Chris?
[Cuomo:] Yes, Sir.
[Gough:] Chris, with all due respect-
[Cuomo:] Please?
[Gough:] -with all due feel free to give the answer for me, OK? If you're asking me my answer-
[Cuomo:] Yes.
[Gough:] -I can tell you that in the real world, things are much different. It's one thing to watch it on TV. It's another thing to do it in real life. And this is a-
[Cuomo:] Calling 9-1-1?
[Gough:] -he's not young man. But-
[Cuomo:] What's the difference?
[Gough:] Oh, I hope we all know how to call 9-1-1.
[Cuomo:] But what I'm saying is what what point are you trying to make?
[Gough:] There was no question that 9-1-1-
[Cuomo:] Right now, I'm videotaping you. I think it's very important. I decide to stop-
[Gough:] My point to you is-
[Cuomo:] -because now I'm going to call 9-1-1.
[Gough:] Hey, Chris, if you-
[Cuomo:] I call 9-1-1. What's so what's complicated, Mr. Gough?
[Gough:] OK. If you'll go back and look at that video-
[Cuomo:] Yes, Sir.
[Gough:] -if my client had been two seconds, two seconds later, getting where he was, there wouldn't be any video, not one worth watching, not anybody one anybody would care about, there'd be nothing to there'd be nothing to see-
[Cuomo:] I agree.
[Gough:] -other than a young man bleeding out on the on the street.
[Cuomo:] I agree.
[Gough:] In the middle of the day.
[Cuomo:] I agree.
[Gough:] I think if you go back, and you look at the circumstances, putting aside the logistical issues about making telephone calls, while you're using your phone, I think if you go back and look at the circumstances, there was no question the police were on their way. I think the as I understand it, the sirens were audible almost immediately.
[Cuomo:] OK.
[Gough:] And they were on the scene for what felt like seconds, but couldn't have been couldn't have been more than a minute. Now, you've got better access to information than I do. And maybe I misunderstand that. But I'll be honest with you, under the circumstances, I don't think that anybody would have thought there was any question as to the police were coming, OK?
[Cuomo:] All right, Kevin Gough-
[Gough:] And, frankly, if the police had gotten if the police had gotten there a few seconds earlier, a minute earlier, this man still might be alive today.
[Cuomo:] Right, maybe, depends on how extreme the wounds were. It happened all very quickly. I'm not in the blame phase. Nobody should be. Mr. Gough, I appreciate you taking this opportunity. And Mr. Bryan, I appreciate you taking it as well. I understand why you're afraid of getting caught up in the case, and making people upset, in the process. I get it all. But I do want you to know this. I don't agree with your Counselor about one thing. Mechanics, you know, my brother's a mechanic. I was raised by mechanics. I'm sure that you are more than competent. I don't care about your education. You know what you did that day. You know why you did it, and you know how you feel about it. That has nothing to do with education. I want you to know that opportunity will always remain open to you here, and Counsel, for you as well. I'm not going to limit your capability to help people and convey information just because of what degree you have on your wall. I just want you to know that, Mr. Bryan. I respect you, and I appreciate you being here. Counselor, you as well, thank you.
[Gough:] Thank you, Sir.
[Cuomo:] All right. All right, let's take a break. We'll be right back.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Just how it wasn't caught. I mean everyone knows a six day old child is not a quiet child and how they didn't recognize this much sooner than the morning
[John King, Cnn Anchor:] Thank you, Kate. And welcome to INSIDE POLITICS. I'm John King. Thank you for sharing your day with us. Dorian makes landfall in North Carolina. Flooding and power outages are the biggest toll there. This as the Bahamas scrambles to deal with much more significant damage. Plus, the economy added 130,000 new jobs in August. That's a solid headline for a report that shows many signs of economic strength, but also tells us some important sectors are stalling. And, what's for lunch? 2020 contender Pete Buttigieg, not quite up to speed on one option that is out of stock no matter how much you love that chicken.
[Unidentified Male:] Did you have the Popeye chicken sandwich?
[Mayor Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] No, not in a while.
[Unidentified Male:] No, the new one.
[Buttigieg:] No, what is it?
[Unidentified Male:] You haven't seen it?
[Buttigieg:] No.
[Unidentified Male:] I'm sure your team has seen the Popeye chicken sandwich.
[Buttigieg:] Yes, why wasn't I briefed on this?
[King:] We begin the hour with damage assessments and desperation in the Bahamas. Right now, Dorian is blanketing North Carolina with tropical storm- force winds and heavy rain. The National Hurricane Center says the category one storm made landfall over Cape Hatteras in the 8:00 hour this morning. At last count, the storm leaving nearly 400,000 across the Carolinas and Virginia without power. In Ocracoke Island, what officials call catastrophic flooding, homes, campers floating away. In the Bahamas, rescue missions getting more dire by the minute and hope for the missing quickly fading. The death toll on the islands now has eclipsed 30 with hundreds more unaccounted for. On Abaco Islands, residents wonder how or if they can rebuild. Others, like this man, Adrian Farington, wrestle with what they lost. Farington watched the hurricane drag his son, Adrian Junior, into the surge. He did not come back up. Stories like this all too common and why medical officials are bracing for more bodies.
[Dr. Caroline Burnett-garraway, Medical Chief Of Staff, Princess Margaret Hospital:] They were in water for hours, just exhausted because they were swimming, trying to save themselves. And, of course, emotionally traumatized. Some have seen family members die and friends washed away.
[King:] Allison Chinchar in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Allison, update us on where Dorian is and how long she'll be with us.
[Allison Chinchar, Ams Meteorologist:] Yes, that's right. So the majority of the storm is finally starting to exit off into the sea, taking with it the very heavy rain and the very strong winds. But it's not over just yet. Forward movement right now is northeast at 17 miles per hour, so it has started to pick up speed, which is good. The faster we can get this thing out, the better. We do still have some pretty strong wind gusts, though, along the coastline, 40, 50, even 60-mile-per-hour wind gusts still being felt at this hour. And the rain bands, they're still there. There is also still the potential for some of these bands as they move onshore to perhaps have some rotation with them, so it's not out of the question to still perhaps have the tornado threat for the next few hours as well. And we had over 20 tornado reports in just the last 48 hours. Another big threat is still the ongoing flooding. You've got flash flood warnings and flood watches for numerous states because of those heavy rain bands. The good news is, the majority of the bulk of the rain is now finally starting to come to an end. But look at some of the total numbers. Portions of North and South Carolina picking up over 10 inches of rain. Wilmington, North Carolina, picking up over nine inches of rain. Yesterday they actually broke a daily rainfall record. There is still more on the way, but most areas are likely only expected to pick up about an additional one to two inches. But you just have to tell yourself, it's on top of what they've already had. Because one to two inches alone does not sound that bad. Here's a look at the forecast track. Notice it does finally take it out over open water, but we do expect some heavy rain bands across portions of the northeast. Cities like New York, Hartford, Portland, Maine, even Boston are still going to look at the potential for some of these outer bands. The good news is, however, it is not expected to be as bad there as it was perhaps in the Carolinas or even Georgia and Florida.
[King:] Allison Chinchar in the Weather Center, appreciate that. Much better news for those along the East Coast of the United States. The devastation, of course, most severe in the Bahamas. CNN's Patrick Oppmann live for us from Bevans Town, Bahamas. Patrick, you've been surveying the damage for days now. Tell us what you're seeing as you get out into the remote areas.
[Patrick Oppmann, Cnn Correspondent:] Absolutely. And we are getting closer to where the storm made landfall as a category five hurricane and stalled. We've actually moved just up the road. We're going town to town. We're now in the town of High Rock. And I'm joined by the local pastor, Joey Saunders. You've the houses are destroyed here. The town is destroyed. What happened to your house? Tell me about what happened to you and your son as you rode out the storm.
[Joey Saunders, Hurricane Dorian Survivor:] Early part of the night, about 12:30, about 12:30 we started battling the water through the floor, bottom floor. Then the water started to rise to the second floor. Then I saw it sort of coming to the third floor, you know, this
[Oppmann:] The third floor of your home?
[Saunders:] Third floor of the home. Within minutes this took place. And I was
[Oppmann:] It was nighttime.
[Saunders:] Nighttime. About 2:00 a.m. in the morning.
[Oppmann:] And what did you do?
[Saunders:] I remember just praying. The next thing I look I was holding a light. My son had a light holding in his hand. I just see him going into this current, hearing him just saying daddy, daddy, daddy.
[Oppmann:] The current was carrying your son away?
[Saunders:] Carrying him, yes.
[Oppmann:] How old's your son?
[Saunders:] He's 25. And then I had a light. And minutes later I was going. But in the truss, I was trapped in the truss. And I remember just taking off the huge jacket quickly and suddenly just rose me up and I caught under the truss. In minutes I was gone.
[Oppmann:] You were you were in the water?
[Saunders:] Yes. And it carried me. We landed about 600 feet into like of a 32-feet pine tree because our ceiling was 32 feet.
[Oppmann:] Your ceiling was 32 feet and the water was up there?
[Saunders:] The water went above that because it was only 32 in the building. And that carried us in different paths. We was separated for about two days. We never saw one
[Oppmann:] You slept on top of a tree.
[Saunders:] For two days.
[Oppmann:] For two days.
[Saunders:] Yes. Like about a quarter of a mile away, each one of us apart.
[Oppmann:] And how did you find your son?
[Saunders:] About two days later in the evening, I hear this person calling me.
[Oppmann:] And it was your son?
[Saunders:] Yes, it was him.
[Oppmann:] What was he saying?
[Saunders:] He float he was saying, daddy, daddy, because he was shocked himself, you know, it was such a you know, I don't know how to describe it. It was just horrific, you know.
[Oppmann:] And you're the you're lucky.
[Saunders:] Yes. Yes. It's a miracle that we survived. Honest, it's a miracle. Because we you know, it happened so fast, you know. I was way under the water. Something just rise me up and I hook on to the truss, the water just carried us away. Because we didn't know where we were going. And to land in the tree, with you know, planning that, it only could have been the super natural.
[Oppmann:] We are so glad you are here.
[Saunders:] Yes. It's a pleasure to. And thank God, you know.
[Oppmann:] Not everybody was so lucky in this community, John. They've lost a lot of people. There are many more missing. And people are still reeling from what they say was a once-in-a-lifetime storm. Back to you.
[King:] That was a remarkable story, Patrick, and a remarkable contrast, this story of what the gentleman describes as a miracle and then, obviously, the devastation we can see over your shoulder. Keep up the fine work there. It is helping the world understand the scope of this. Wow. Patrick Oppmann, thank you very much. As we come back to Washington, the president, this morning, again tweeting his stubborn and false claim that he got the forecast right on Alabama. Check out the maps, the president says, before criticizing the media's coverage of his dead wrong claim that forecasts on Sunday showed Alabama would take a hard hit from Dorian. Part of his defense, including a map, a chart the president held up in the Oval Office using a Sharpie to draw some lines. One senior White House official telling "The Washington Post," yes, it was the president himself who drew that line, altering an official government map. Here with me to share their reporting and their insights, CNN's Dana Bash, Alex Thompson with "Politico," CNN's Manu Raju, and Jackie Kucinich with "The Daily Beast." It is the president continuing this story to the point now his campaign is selling markers trying to make money off this story. The president of the United States repeating false information as a hurricane approaches the United States and now it's an opportunity for a campaign to raise money. Help me.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Raise money and, I am told, an attempt to have a little bit of a circuit breaker, a little bit of maybe a chuckle on this as there might have been on the straws that they were selling, which was obviously based is based on a very real environmental debate about what to do. That's the goal. But it doesn't change the fact that this president has been mired in this controversy that he keeps perpetuating. And how similar it is and how much this has all of the components of sort of everything that we've seen go wrong with this presidency from the beginning. First of all, he's his instinct was to highlight a red state. That's where this started, no question, Alabama. And then continue to not back down in the face of facts that changed things. And instead not only say that he is right, but force people who have very important jobs, I don't know, like his homeland security advisor, who should be monitoring the very real storm that was coming as he put out the statement, to put out a statement backing up the president. So this is what we have seen time and time again. The only upside, according to people I'm talking to in Trump world, is that it took away from a really big problem, which was the vice president's trip to a Trump resort in Ireland, which looks like he's getting money off of the taxpayer dollar.
[King:] Right. Well, we'll come back to that story. The vice president's story and now what Democrats want to learn about it a bit later in the program. But back to the president's point. My question when these things happen is why. He's stubborn. He believes I believe he believes that if he keeps repeating his lies enough that not only will he believe them but other people will believe them as well. But the why, fixate on this, some people said, well, he was golfing on Saturday when this first started and he wants to prove that he was really being kept up up to date information, not winging it, if you will, while on the golf course. Another issue is, he called the Fox chief White House correspondent, John Roberts, into the Oval Office yesterday because he's mad that Fox is covering this story. Sometimes critically, sometimes not.
[Shepard Smith, Fox:] Some things in Trump landia are inexplicable. This week's edition, the president's ongoing claim that Alabama was at risk from Hurricane Dorian. It wasn't. Maybe he got some bad info from somebody. Maybe he made a mistake. Maybe he was confused. We don't know. But he was wrong.
[Sean Hannity, Fox:] Pretty much every newsroom in America screwed this up and lied to you by accusing the president of lying. What he said about the earlier models about Hurricane Dorian, that it might hit Alabama, is true.
[King:] Shep is right. Chief meteorologist Hannity is wrong. But it just shows you that even Fox was saying, look, sorry, Mr. President, you got it wrong, gets under his skin.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, and he has Hannity speaking to his base of supporters who are listening to him and blaming the media. This follows a similar pattern the president has done throughout his presidency. He'll say something that is flatly wrong, contradicted. He'll get pushback and then he'll dig in and he'll continue to dig in and dig in and dig in until the narrative shifts. And the president is not going to say he's sorry, he's going to continue to blame the media for stories that are correct but he'll call it fake news because it works to his he believes to his political advantage. But this is not a pattern that's going to change. This is a president who believes this works for him.
[Jackie Kucinich, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, in that "Washington Post" story today about this whole fracas. It said that as long as this is on the news, the president is going to keep talking about it because he can't let it go. And to Dana's point, the lengths to which he's gone to try to make this reality this into some sort of reality, using these levers of government, these public servants, to try to prop up what is clearly not true is really remarkable.
[King:] Including getting his Homeland Security advisor, Rear Admiral Peter Brown, to write a memo, we can show you parts of it, just saying that he showed the president maps, yes, at some point that had potential forecast reaching Alabama at some point. The issues is, and this this is a public servant being told to do this, obviously. This is your taxpayer money at work. But the issue is when the president did this, that threat was over. He knew he should have known anyway that Alabama was no longer in any of the paths.
[Alex Thompson, National Political Reporter, "politico":] Well, now you're seeing the National Weather Service, their employee union says that they've been getting calls from even private sector businesses in the area asking them, is there anything you guys can do in order to stop the president from creating at least, at the very least, misinformation and confusion on the ground. And because he's dug in, this happens over and over, where now his campaign, eventually because of the president's focus on this, is now kicking into gear trying to make the best of a politically fraught situation
[Bash:] Yes.
[Thompson:] By making this, as you said, into something of a joke, into a chuckle, into this, again, culture war with the media.
[Kucinich:] But there is danger here if you're not starting not to believe the actual weather forecasts and you're believing what the president is saying, to your point.
[King:] Right. It's important to clarity. As much clarity as possible in a difficult, chaotic situation like a hurricane approaching. Up next, the White House says today's jobs report is a blowout. But, read the numbers closely, some warning signs do persist.

[Allen:] Welcome back. Thousands of Americans from coast to coast were out in the street for a seventh straight night of protests.
[John Vause, Cnn Anchor:] And in New York City, joined by looters. The violence and widespread vandalism now mean New York's curfew will take effect three hours earlier on Tuesday from 8:00 p.m. A number of high- profile businesses were targeted, including a flagship Macy's department store.
[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] In Los Angeles, dozens were arrested for burglary after looting a number of businesses there like this, with many rushing into a drugstore. A witness says the group appeared organized and not part of initial protests as we have seen across the country. And in Washington, military helicopters were hovering over people. They were used to try and disperse protesters who are out past curfew.
[Vause:] Not since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. has the United States seen this type of red-hot anger, filling the nation by protests. For 10 days in 1968, nearly 200 American cities were rocked by violence. More than 40 people were killed and almost 4,000 arrested. Indianapolis though was among the few cities which remained calm. King's death was announced by Robert Kennedy, who is campaigning there for the democratic presidential nomination. In front of a mostly black audience, standing on a flatbed truck, he threw away prepared remarks and delivered what is considered one of the great political speeches of the 20th century. Here is part of it.
[Robert Kennedy, Former United States Attorney General:] You can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization black people amongst blacks, whites amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort as Martin Luther King did to understand and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.
[Vause:] Just a few hours ago, the 45th U.S. president, doing his first remarks on camera, about the protests and racial tensions tearing this country apart.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults, and the wanton destruction of property. We are putting everybody on warning.
[Vause:] Joining us now is CNN's senior political analyst David Gergen, who has been an adviser to four U.S. presidents. David, it is good to see you. Thank you for being with us.
[David Gergen, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] Thank you, John.
[Vause:] Now, whether the words are said by a man who wants to be president or said by the man who is in fact the president, for better or for worse, they have a very real impact. Is it possible that what Donald Trump is trying to do here is to escalate the confrontations because he certainly doesn't seem to be making any attempt to de- escalate?
[Gergen:] He is trying to escalate and for very purposeful reasons. Let me thank you, John, for going back and showing those clips from the Kennedy speech. That was one of the most memorable speeches in American political history. I ask my students here at the Harvard Kennedy School to read it every year, to study it. You know, Bobby was in a situation he was coming to the speech when he learned that Martin Luther King had not only been shot but had just died. And it was left to him to go in front of a crowd in Indianapolis. Large crowd, primarily black citizens, who did not know when Kennedy got there that King was dead. And I think he is going to be remembered in the history, as well, but for the very wrong reasons.
[Vause:] I want you to listen to president's phone call with governors earlier in the day. He makes perfectly clear the direction he wants to take. Listen to this.
[D. Trump:] You have to dominate, if you don't dominate, you're wasting your time. They're going to run all over you, you'll look like a bunch of jerks. Now the harder you are, the tougher you are, the less likely it is that you're going to be hit. It's happened before, it's happened numerous times. And the only time it's successful is when you're weak. And most of you are weak.
[Vause:] Also the call with the defense secretary. He referred to places where there are protests as battle space. He said, "I think the sooner that you mask and dominate the battle space, the quicker this dissipates, and we get back to a the right normal." The former Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey took to Twitter. He said, "America is not a battleground. Our fellow citizens are not the enemy." David, how concerning is it to you when you hear the administration talking in these terms?
[Gergen:] Well, I must say when a president calls himself a "law and order president," that is really a form of race-baiting. He is really trying to appeal to blind racists that he is their savior and he is their leader. It is pretty raw stuff. It is what gives despair to a lot of people. Most Americans feel they won't have a chance to speak out in the way they'd like until they get to a ballot next November. But even that may not settle things. We're so divided as a people right now. There is so much poison in the air. There is so much disinformation. But I must tell you, I was asked a couple of days ago on CNN, should Trump give a speech? I said, you know, it is the first time in my life I would tell a president not to give a speech. And I felt today, he shouldn't have given that. He would've been a lot better off the country, been a lot better off maybe moving toward healing. What has been lost
[Vause:] David, we're out of time. David, thank you so much. We really appreciate you being here.
[Gergen:] Good to talk to you again.
[Vause:] Thank you, you too.
[Gergen:] Thank you.
[Vause:] Take care.
[Allen:] Top music executives are leading an effort right now to pause business operations in a movement called "Blackout Tuesday." They are encouraging workers and artists to use this day to reflect on racism and inequality in the United States. On his Instagram account, artist Quincy Jones asked his followers to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community. Big labels like Sony Music, Columbia Records and Interscope are expected to participate, as well. CNN's parent company, WarnerMedia, is also joining in. And other major companies are feeling the pressure to take a stand. CNN's John Defterios is with me now from Abu Dhabi. Hello to you, John. You know, there have been passed efforts with
[John Defterios, Cnn Anchor And Emerging Markets Editor:] Thanks.
[Allen:] Black Lives Matter, similar to this. Does this seem different and the response broader based from the business community?
[Defterios:] I think it is different because it's so widespread, the protesting coming right after COVID-19, which is causing an economic shock and even higher unemployment within the minority communities, particularly the black communities across America. I've been taken aback by how widespread the responses been overall from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. But even big industrial groups and lobbying groups, the business round table usually stays clear of anything having to do with race relations, coming forward and saying we represent 10 percent of the working population in the United States. This cannot go on in this sort of state of play. The CEO of Dow Chemical, major petrochemical player, says there has to be the most diverse company in its sector. Even Shake Shack which recently went public over the last couple of years, Randy Garutti, the CEO, said, look, I am a white CEO being very frank about it, but I can serve as a platform for change with our customer interface and employing minorities throughout our organization. Tweeter is suggesting by 2025, a quarter of its workforce will indeed be from nine minority communities going forward and mostly clear the politics. Natalie, I would say that Box, which is a Cloud storage maker out of California, said and were suggesting that it was the president who is responsible for the protest and stoking the fires, and saying that President Trump has no compunction to try to heal the nation. He does not have the capability. There is a huge void, Natalie, and I think it's corporate America ironically that feels it needs to fill that void, whether it's social media or an industrial group to do so. It is pretty shocking, actually.
[Allen:] Right, someone has to. What are real actions that some are suggesting to close this inequality gap, John?
[Defterios:] Well, I think you raised an interesting point here because they see the donations from half a million dollars to $10 million. The Verizon, the telecom group, $10 million is quite generous, but it's a $230 billion market cap company, and there is a danger this money gets dispersed and doesn't really make a change. The CEO of the Black Entertainment network, Robert Johnson, who has always been very forthright, said it is time for reparations of $14 trillion to the black communities. That is a big number. It can serve as a stimulus going forward. Others were suggesting a brand new tax code, more progressive tax rate, race estate taxes here, and even have truth and reconciliation committees in the United States. I don't see it, Natalie, but I'm glad people are talking about it finally.
[Allen:] Absolutely. We need every avenue we can to emerge with something concrete and positive from all of this. John Defterios, as always, thanks so much.
[Vause:] Serial human rights abuse? China has seized on the protests in the U.S. to accuse the White House of a double standard, comparing the violent clashes in some American cities with their own handling of demonstrations in Hong Kong. But the chairman of the U.S. Senate Intel Committee has accused Beijing of playing a major role in provoking the recent unrest. CNN's Steven Jiang is live in Beijing for us this hour. Steven, it is unusual for China to try to turn the tables on the U.S., if you like, when it comes to human rights. But what is different this time is China's involvement here. What specifically is Beijing accused of doing?
[Steven Jiang, Cnn Senior Producer:] John, some U.S. politicians and officials have been alleging or at least alluding to China's attempt to stoke chaos in the U.S. with, for example, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien pointing to Chinese social media reactions to the events in the U.S., saying they have been gloating about chaos in the U.S., and there is also some indication from social media monitoring agencies that there is very active engagement from clusters of social media accounts from China. Now, of course, when I asked about this at the foreign ministry's press briefing on Monday, the spokesman flatly denied all these accusations, calling them baseless and saying that China does not interfere in other country's internal affairs. But he added the whole world is watching what has been unraveling in the U.S. and that U.S. officials and politicians better get their own house in order. As you can imagine, though, the state media has been covering these events in the U.S. in a breathless fashion, and this is also being extensively discussed across Chinese social media with many posts and reports which are focusing on racial discrimination and other social ails in the U.S., also the eruption of violence and chaos across American cities with acts of looting and rioting, as well as sometimes heavy-handed responses from local police departments. And this, of course, in a way is seen as a major propaganda, a victory handed to Beijing leadership by Washington, because remember, as you mentioned, for months, Washington has been voicing its support for the Hong Kong protesters, saying they have the right to take to the streets, to demand a greater autonomy and freedom. And, of course, now, tables have turned. The Chinese state media is really highlighting the Trump administration's response, including the president's threat to use the military to crush this violence as the ultimate example of the hypocrisy and double standard. John?
[Vause:] Steven, thank you. I have to admit I am disappointed they didn't turn out the it's Cold War thinking line, when it comes to accusation of interference, but I guess that stays forever. Steven Jiang is live for us in Beijing. Thanks, Steven.
[Allen:] Coming up next here, the new generation of sports stars who are finding their voice amidst the chaos of this past week.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Breaking overnight, two U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan as efforts to wrap up to bring that 17- year war to a close.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] Do family tours and staff departures mean the special counsel is done? New indications the Mueller report could go to the attorney general at any moment.
[Briggs:] Jared Kushner using WhatsApp to communicate with foreign leaders. Why his attorney says it's not a problem.
[Romans:] And for the second time in a year, Mississippi is trying to ban abortions before some women even know they have a baby on the way. Good morning, and welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] I'm Dave Briggs. It is finally Friday, March 22nd. It's 4:00 a.m. in the East. We start with some breaking news overnight. Two U.S. service members killed while conducting an operation in Afghanistan. Information still coming in at this hour. Let's get straight to senior international correspondent Matthew Chance live from Moscow. Matthew, what are we learning?
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, we don't know very much at this stage, Dave, but there's been a press statement reached by the NATO Military Alliance, NATO Resolute Support, which is the ongoing military operation involving U.S. forces in Afghanistan, saying that two U.S. service members were killed while conducting an operation on this day, March 22nd, inside Afghanistan. Now the statement says it's very short but it says, "In accordance with the U.S. Department of Defense policy, the name of the service names killed in action are being withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified." So it may well be tomorrow until we learn the actual identities of these individuals. But it does bring to fore the number of U.S. service personnel that had been killed in Afghanistan just this year alone, more than 2300 have been killed since the war began. What is it? More than 17 years ago now. And that's underlined concerns and the urgency that's being felt in the United States to try and bring America's longest running conflict ever to an end. The United States President Donald Trump has said he's accelerating diplomatic efforts to try and achieve that. U.S. diplomats have been meeting with negotiators from the Taliban, the militant group that was toppled back in 2001 but which has been resurgent in recent months. They've been meeting to try and get some sort of peace proposal together. The Afghan government, which has been a strong ally of the U.S. and others, is very concerned about that because they have been kind of cut out of the process and they feel they may be abandoned to the Taliban if the United States and its allies should leave. But the fact that another two U.S. service personnel have been killed today underlines the urgency and the need to bring that conflict to an end there.
[Briggs:] Yes. Could further complicate things. Matthew Chance live for us in Moscow this morning. Thank you.
[Romans:] All right, the Mueller watch in full swing here. Robert Mueller has the White House and the world on edge this morning. The special counsel appears close to delivering his final Russia report. Beltway insiders and the president's lawyers are on high alert and here is why. CNN's Katelyn Polantz pointing out that members of Mueller's team are bringing family members to the office for visits with some staff members carrying out boxes. The top prosecutor is leaving for another assignment now. Plus the special counsel's grand jury has not been seen in two months.
[Briggs:] When Mueller does file his report it could take weeks for most Americans to find out what he learned. The special counsel is required to hand over his report to Attorney General Bill Barr. The Justice Department would then share portions with the White House. CNN reported this week the White House wants to review it before lawmakers do to claim executive privilege where it sees necessary.
[Romans:] White House special counsel Emmet Flood and his team have already prepared responses to whatever becomes public based on several potential scenarios. Sources tell CNN there appears to be a sense of relief within this White House that they managed to navigate the entire Mueller episode without this president ever sitting down for a face-to-face interview. From the White House point of view that is a big win.
[Briggs:] The wait continues. Meanwhile, House Oversight chairman Elijah Cummings claims several senior White House officials have used personal e-mail and messaging accounts to conduct government business. In a letter to the White House, the Maryland Democrat alleges Jared Kushner has been using WhatsApp to communicate with foreign leaders. According to Cummings, Kushner's attorney insists his client is complying with the Presidential Records Act because he takes screen shots of the WhatsApp messages and sends them to his White House account or the National Security Council.
[Romans:] So why not just use the official e-mail for that?
[Briggs:] Begs that question.
[Romans:] It is not clear whether Kushner communicated classified information. Cummings also claims former Deputy National Security adviser KT McFarland and Steve Bannon received e-mails on their personal accounts about the transfer of sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia. These new revelations come as President Trump continues to attack Hillary Clinton for using a private e-mail server when she was secretary of State. He built a campaign around that. And now his own administration questioned about complying with Presidential Records Act.
[Briggs:] His signature attack line. They're still chanting "lock her up" at the rallies because of that. Boeing meanwhile paying a heavy price for two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max 8. Indonesian carrier Garuda says it wants to cancel an order for 49 of the jets. Boeing stock down 11.7 percent since the most recent disaster. In Ethiopia, that is over $27 billion in market cap gone. In the face of the crisis at his company, a new filing reveals Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg made $23.5 million last year, a raise of 27 percent. And now the "New York Times" reports the pilots of both doomed jet liners lacked two notable safety features that could have helped them. It seems Boeing only offered them as extras. CNN's Tom Foreman has more on these safety features and what the company is doing now.
[Tom Foreman, Cnn Correspondent:] Hey, Christine. Hey, Dave. The heat around Boeing is just getting hotter. These were considered add-ons by Boeing, according to this "New York Times" article, and they would tell you, the pilots inside the plane, it would tell them if these sensors on the front of the plane were reading that the plane was headed more up or if it was headed more down, or if they disagreed with each other. Readouts in the plane and also a warning light, these are two separate systems. Boeing now says they're going to make one of these things no longer something that they charge for, no longer an add-on but a standard part of the plane. But this is really ratcheting up the tension around Boeing because people are saying if these are safety measures, to make this plane safer, why weren't they free all along? Why weren't they considered a standard part of the plane? One of the answers is these types of add-ons are a big market for companies like Boeing out there. Nonetheless, this will make the investigations of Boeing which we know about now from the FBI, Justice Department, just go even more energetic at this point. What are they looking at in all of this? Any sign that Boeing was taking steps that effectively by omission or co-mission allowed a dangerous circumstance to come into play, a dangerous circumstance, which has taken hundreds of lives Dave, Christine.
[Romans:] Tom Foreman, thank you for that. Another "we're sorry" from Facebook. This time for mishandling the passwords of hundreds of millions of you. Facebook said it did not properly masked the passwords and stored them in an internal database that staff had access to. Facebook vice president said the passwords were never visible to anyone outside of Facebook and there's no evidence anyone abused the passwords. It's been a year of constant issues for Facebook. Cyber security concerns, regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe and a lengthy outage last week. At the same time misinformation about vaccines is appearing on Facebook and Instagram weeks after both sites said they would minimize that content. Earlier this month Facebook said it would reduce the rankings of groups and pages that spread misinformation about vaccines by not including them in recommendations or in predictions when users type a search. But two weeks later, this is still an issue. A CNN Business review showed Facebook recommending content in the search bar that links vaccines with autism. Of course that's not borne out by science. A spokesperson for Instagram and Facebook called the effort to curb the misinformation a long-term commitment.
[Briggs:] Well, this weekend Trump world will be remembered for the president's incessant attacks on the Senator John McCain. In an interview Thursday with FOX Business, he yet again slammed the deceased war hero calling McCain horrible for his 2017 vote against a measure to repeal Obamacare and claiming the Arizona Republican gave the FBI an explosive dossier on alleged Trump ties to Russia for, quote, "very evil purposes." The president also said this.
[Maria Bartiromo, Fox News:] But, Mr. President, he's dead. He can't punch back. I know you punch back.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Uh, no.
[Bartiromo:] But he's dead.
[Trump:] I don't talk about it. People ask me the question. I didn't bring this up, you just brought it up. You asked the question.
[Bartiromo:] Well, you talked about it this week.
[Trump:] You asked me the question.
[Briggs:] Fact check, that is not true. President Trump went after McCain unsolicited twice on Twitter last weekend and did it again this week during a speech intended to focus on the economy in Ohio.
[Romans:] Yes, what you're looking at right now, no one asked the president right there about John McCain. He went on a lengthy tirade about John McCain the late senator and are war hero. All right. President Trump overturning five decades of policy in a single tweet announcing it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. A single declaration handing embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a significant foreign policy victory just weeks before Israelis head to the polls. Want to go to the Golan Heights and bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann. Politically for Netanyahu, this was important.
[Oren Liebermann, Cnn Correspondent:] Absolutely. Netanyahu is facing a very difficult re-election campaign. He had been sliding in the polls a little bit and this could easily reverse that trend because it's such a momentous announcement from the U.S. for Israel. Israeli rather U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty where I'm standing now in the Golan Heights. For more than half a century, this has been considered by the international community as occupied territory. No country ever recognized Israel's annexation in 1981 until now. There didn't seem to be any pressing reason to make this announcement even if the international community was opposed to it. There wasn't anybody pushing back against this. So why now? And that answer perhaps the elections. Just a couple of weeks away at this point. Trump handing Netanyahu such a big victory, certain to give him an election boost. Now when asked about it, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who was visiting here didn't mention the election, Netanyahu never mentioned the elections, and Trump said it wasn't really a consideration, but that's hard to believe. Here's what he said to FOX.
[Bartiromo:] It's not about Netanyahu's re-election?
[Trump:] No. I don't I wouldn't even know about that. I wouldn't even know about that. I have no idea. He was doing OK. I don't know if he's doing great right now but I hear he is doing OK. But I would imagine the other side, whoever is against him, is also in favor of what I just did.
[Liebermann:] Though it's certainly true that all Israelis will support this move, that's not likely to sway anybody in the international community. We've seen already condemnation from Syria, their state news agency, saying this is the U.S. being blindly biased towards Israel. Russia condemned it as well, saying the U.S. can't simply overturn international consensus and U.N. Security Council resolutions. Now as part of what appears to be blatantly the Trump administration campaigning for Netanyahu, part of that Netanyahu heads to AIPAC, to Washington, where he'll meet with Trump. He's stay in the Blair House, the official guesthouse of the White House. So, Christine, this may be just a part of the Trump administration lobbying for Netanyahu to win.
[Romans:] Sure. All right, Oren Liebermann, in the Golan Heights. Thank you for that, sir.
[Briggs:] All right. Ahead, 25 states at risk of serious flooding this spring. Some of them already saturated. Farmers are getting desperate after the latest blow. We are on the ground in Iowa next.

[Berman:] New details this morning in the case of the American scientist found dead inside a former Nazi bunker on the Greek island of Crete. Police are now revealing that she died of asphyxiation. CNN's Arwa Damon live in Crete outside the cave where the scientist was found. Arwa, this case is stunning.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes, it's actually quite eerie inside. It's a labyrinth of passageways. But just to give you an idea what's out here, you still see the evidence that the forensics teams did come through. And what we're now learning from the chief of police is that her body was found quite by chance because the search area wasn't focused here at all. They thought that she'd gone for a run or perhaps a swim and then something had happened to her. But two locals, by chance, happened to have come. They were exploring this fortified tunnel system that was dug out and used by the Nazis. Up there you have the one of the entrances and that's when they happened to find her. We went inside and found the location that matches what the chief of police told us where they found Suzanne's body. And there is a hole above it up on the hillside. They say the body was dumped down into this tunnel system. And they say that it also had small stab wounds on it but that they weren't lethal. The case of death was asphyxiation. And they have now launched a massive homicide investigation and they do say that they have some solid leads. But this entire island is reeling because of this horrific act of violence. This sort of thing just doesn't happen here and everyone is shocked and trying to come to terms with it, Bianna.
[Golodryga:] Yes, the story is becoming more and more disturbing as we're hearing about other details coming in. Our thoughts, obviously, are with her and her family her two children, in particular. Arwa, you'll be covering this story for us as we get more details. Thank you. Meantime, it's now time for "CNN Business." The debt crisis is looming and new numbers from the Treasury Department aren't making the situation better. Chief business correspondent Christine Romans is in our Business Center with the numbers. So, Christine, the market's doing great but does anyone care about deficits anymore?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent, Anchor, "early Start":] Yes, well, let's look at these eye-popping budget deficit numbers. Look, lawmakers are running out of time to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and frankly, Wall Street doesn't seem to be paying any attention at all. The budget deficit is now $741.1 billion, jumping 23 percent in the first nine months of the fiscal year. Federal spending also hit a record for the same period. Now, the government is spending so much more money than it brings in and the debt ceiling is that deadline is fast approaching, too. This week, the Bipartisan Policy Center said the U.S. government could default on its debt in early September. The U.S. reached that $22 trillion debt limit that limit on borrowing all the way back in March. Since then, the Treasury Department's been using what it calls "extraordinary measures" to pay the bills moving the money around. And the calendar is a minefield as lawmakers head to the August recess. Lawmakers must work out a budget deal by the fall. Another government shutdown or deep spending cuts are failing to raise that debt limit. All these are risks for the economy. A default, of course, would risk the position of U.S. debt as the global safe haven investment. That could rattle markets. But for now, markets are not paying any attention. They are enjoying record highs. And the president taking all the credit, of course. I want to show you stocks since his inauguration a big rally over the past 2 12 years here. Very looking at the short term, certainly, in markets not at the long term which those deficits, guys.
[Berman:] That's right. These hot rising stock markets not going to make those deficits go away not even close. And it's exactly what people predicted over the last two years.
[Romans:] You're supposed to fix the roof when the sun is shining, right? The sun is shining in the economy. You should be fixing these bigger problems.
[Golodryga:] Fed chairman Powell, this week, said that there will, at one point, be consequences perhaps higher interest rates but we're not there yet.
[Romans:] We're not there yet.
[Berman:] All right. At least 35 people injured after severe and sudden turbulence sent passengers on an Air Canada flight flying into the ceiling.
[Unidentified Female:] It just seemed that the plane just sank and then flew up. The lady in front of us I don't think she had her seatbelt on she hit the ceiling.
[Golodryga:] Oh.
[Berman:] The flight was on its way to Sydney, Australia from Vancouver. It was forced to make an emergency landing in Hawaii. This video from inside the plane shows the aftermath of the turbulence with the oxygen masks hanging. An Air Canada spokeswoman told several media outlets that all passengers taken to the hospital were treated and released.
[Golodryga:] Now, there are worse places to make an emergency landing, right, than Hawaii. But I think that the takeaway here is always wear your seatbelt regardless
[Berman:] Totally, yes.
[Golodryga:] of how long you are on the flight. Well, we have new video this morning of an incredible you've been talking about this an incredible Coast Guard operation to stop drug traffickers.
[Coast Guardsman:] Alto tu barco! Alto tu barco!
[Golodryga:] "Stop your boat," he's yelling. The boat is actually one of the infamously exclusive narco-submarines built by cartels to haul huge amounts of drugs. Three guardsmen slip onto the sub, pound on the hatch, and a suspected trafficker pops out with his hands up. Listen to that. Officials said the operation netted $569 million worth of cocaine and marijuana more than $230 million on this boat alone.
[Berman:] That's really the image there that's crazy.
[Golodryga:] Yes.
[Berman:] That Coast Guard guy just jumping on, pounding on the hatch. They are doing their job. You don't often see the Coast Guard video
[Golodryga:] Yes, it looks like a commando.
[Berman:] like this. It's really amazing. And look at those subs. These are military-grade subs smuggling drugs. This is what the Coast Guard is up against wow.
[Golodryga:] Right some video.
[Berman:] Good on them. All right. This weekend, immigration raids are set to begin. We're talking about Sunday. We're going to speak to a key border state Republican about whether he supports the operation, next.
[Golodryga:] Millions of people along the Gulf Coast are bracing for potentially unprecedented flooding. We're also standing by for a new update this is very important a new one from the National Weather Center. We'll bring you the new watches and warnings as soon as we get them.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. This is a special edition of THE SITUATION ROOM. Right now the United States still far surpassing all other countries in confirmed coronavirus cases. But there are some emerging spots of optimistic news along with the very, very bad. Case in point the state of New York, the former epicenter of COVID-19 infections in the United States, the Governor Andrew Cuomo's office releasing what he is now calling really great news that the number of people being hospitalized with the virus statewide is the lowest in months. But at the same time new infections and death are sharply on the rise elsewhere the United States. Health officials in Texas, for example, reported a record high number of people died from the virus last week. The same happened in Florida. But as I speak more people are known to have the virus in California than in any other state. Also happening now, millions of Americans who lost their jobs because of this devastating pandemic are eager to see if the next economic stimulus bill will send more desperately needed money their way or change their unemployment benefits. Senate Republicans are set to unveil what they want to see on the bill. For so many Americans, they need to feed their families and in some cases avoid eviction. So much is hanging in the balance right now. All of this happening at a notable day. 100 days from today, November 3rd, that's Election Day in the United States. We'll discuss the state of the race and the impact of the pandemic on the contest later this hour with our reporters and our analysts. First, let's go to the White House right now for the very latest on the work that's needed to finalize the next round of help for millions of out-of-work Americans. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is joining us right now. So, Jeremy, Republicans are still trying to finalize their own coronavirus relief proposals. But now the White House is also pushing for a scaled back bill. Update our viewers on the very latest.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. Senate Republicans are expected to finally release their $1 trillion phase four coronavirus relief bill tomorrow. But today as those negotiations continued with the White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and the Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin both on Capitol Hill doing those finishing touches on that legislation, both of those men also floated a different approach going forward. And that is to do a scaled down bill that would focus on those unemployment benefits, perhaps as well a liability protections for businesses. That's because at the end of this coming week, Wolf, those supplemental unemployment benefits, $600 additional per week that millions of Americans have been benefitting from during this coronavirus pandemic, those additional unemployment benefits are expiring. And so there is a very, very tight deadline in order to extend those so that Americans don't experience a lapse in those benefits. But, Wolf, that proposal appears to be dead on arrival. The House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, she has already said quite clearly that this should not be done piecemeal. It should be done as a total package because beyond of course the financial aspects of this bill for Americans in terms of unemployment benefits, those $1200 stimulus payments that are also expected to be included, there's also billions of dollars for testing, contact tracing, things that are directly related to alleviating the coronavirus pandemic, as well as billions of dollars for schools to help them reopen. So, Wolf, this is certainly going to be an interesting week on Pennsylvania Avenue on both ends between the White House and Capitol Hill as they try and hammer this out. And as I expect, we will also begin to see a potential blame game between both sides as those unemployment benefits are expected to expire.
[Blitzer:] Yes, for millions and millions of Americans, so much is at stake right now. Jeremy, there was some news involving the president today. A few days ago, as you remember, he announced that he would throw out the first ceremonial pitch at a New York Yankees game in mid-August. But all of a sudden today those plans have been scrapped. Tell us what happened.
[Diamond:] This went away almost as quickly as it came about, Wolf. The president on Thursday said that he was going to be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium on August 15th. And today, just three days later, the president is cancelling those plans, tweeting today, "Because of my strong focus on the China virus," which is how he refers to the coronavirus, "including scheduled meetings on vaccines, our economy and much else, I won't be able to be in New York to throw out the opening pitch for the Yankees on August 15th." But he says he'll make it later in the season is. It's not clear what exactly popped up in the president's schedule in those three days to make it not possible. Of course there has been some backlash in New York to the idea of the president throwing out the first pitch. It's certainly not area where he enjoys a lot of support. But, Wolf, if it came later in the season, perhaps when fans would be allow, I find it hard to believe that President Trump would go out there given the boos that likely would follow him in a place like New York at Yankee Stadium Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Yes. You're right. Jeremy Diamond at the White House, thank you very much. We also saw this from the president today just outside his New Jersey golf course. We're still in New Jersey at the time the president tossed hats to a crowd of supporters. He was not wearing a mask as you can see. And we also saw the president golfing this weekend with NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre. Once again, no masks. It's only been six days since the president tweeted this. "Many people say that it is patriotic to wear a face mask when you can't socially distance. There is nobody more patriotic than me, your favorite president." Let's discuss this with former New York City assistant commissioner of health and CNN medical analyst, Dr. Celine Gounder. Also with us Michael Osterholm, who's the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Professor Osterholm, thanks very much, to both of you for joining us. Let me start with you. Do Americans need to see their president wearing a mask more often? He doesn't do it very often. If they are going to change their own behavior, wouldn't that set an example from the top?
[Michael Osterholm, Director Of The Center For Infectious Disease Research And Policy, University Of Minnesota:] Yes, in fact, it's important we should be wearing masks. We want to not use as the only means for protecting ourselves because we know that distancing is by far the best thing we can do, but we should all be wearing masks right now.
[Blitzer:] What do you think, Dr. Gounder? He needs to set an example because there's a whole bunch of people out there who don't believe in wearing a mask. They don't see the president wearing a mask and they think it's not necessary.
[Dr. Celine Gounder, Cnn Medical Analyst:] I agree with Michael. I think aside from a complete shelter-in-place lockdown kind of situation, masks are the number one, two, and three most important things we can do right now. And I think unfortunately, masks have become symbols. Symbols of your partisanship as opposed to what they really are, which are hygienic measures. It would be like saying, I'm not going to wash my hands because I belong to this or that political party. It's just not a scientific perspective.
[Blitzer:] Professor Osterholm, testing certainly continues to be a critically important issue in this country. I want you to watch what the White House's coronavirus testing czar told our own Jake Tapper earlier today. Listen to this.
[Adm. Brett Giroir Md, Assistant Secretary For Health, Hhs:] We are never going to be happy with testing until we get turnaround times within 24 hours and I would be happy with point of care testing everywhere. We are not there yet. We are doing everything we can to do that.
[Blitzer:] We're hearing a lot of reports, as you know, Professor Osterholm, of some people waiting a week, 10 days, even longer to get their results. How do these delays impact the spread of this deadly virus?
[Osterholm:] Well, a test that comes back eight to 10 days later really has no impact whatsoever. Largely, either from a clinical standpoint or from a public health standpoint. We issued a document several months ago about smart testing. You wanted to test the right people at the right time with the right test to get the right result to have the right outcome. And that means all those have to be in place for the test to be effective, and right now we're failing desperately in that regard. And I worry that as a nation we don't have a plan for how to correct that or to, in a sense, allow us to move forward in a more effective way.
[Blitzer:] Admiral Giroir, Brett Giroir, also told Jake, Professor Osterholm, that the White House is conducting a Manhattan like Project to deal with this. Do you see that kind of evidence on the ground?
[Osterholm:] Well, you know, we'll have to wait and see. If there's something that's great. But we've been calling for a national planning and intervention for the better part of four months. We knew the supply chains were going to be a problem. I talked about it in this very show back in April that we knew that this was going to happen. And we've just not been able to basically manage the testing expectations by either reagents, the number of tests available, the machines to run them, the personnel to run them, and you're seeing what's happening now because of that.
[Blitzer:] Dr. Gounder, more than 150 very prominent medical experts, scientists, teachers, nurses, other experts, they signed a letter urging leaders to simply shut the country down once again, start over to contain the rapid spread of the virus. Do you think it will take another shutdown to slow or stop this virus?
[Gounder:] Look, Wolf, we're on the very steep end of an exponential curve where rates of transmission, rates of new cases of hospitalizations and deaths are shooting up in many parts of the country. And I do think in much of the country that is probably what it's going to take. Fortunately, we are starting to see things starting to level off in Arizona. We may be approaching the peak in Florida. But there are other states that are very concerning right now. States like Missouri and Mississippi that threaten to be the next hotspots. And so basically what you're dealing with is one massive game of whack-a-mole. And so you're going to keep seeing this resurge one place after another after another if we don't have a concerted national approach to this.
[Blitzer:] Dr. Celine Gounder, thank you so much for joining us. Professor Michael Osterholm, as usual, thanks to you as well.
[Osterholm:] Thank you.
[Blitzer:] Thank you. Today marks 100 days until Election Day 2020 here in the United States. And the big question is, can a president win reelection amid a devastating pandemic and more than a 60 percent disapproval rating right now? We'll take a closer look at the state of the presidential contest and a whole lot more when we come back.

[Baldwin:] U.N. officials are sounding the alarm on what they call the biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st century. It comes as the Syrian regime has unleashed a brutal escalation of violence over the past few months leaving 900,000 people displaces and more than half of them are children. CNN's Arwa Damon is one of the few Western journalists who has been in Idlib province in recent days. And she now reports from just across the border in Turkey that many of the Syrians are afraid of a widespread massacre by their own government.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] The numbers of those displace, those trying to outrun the encroaching war and violence are jumping dramatically by the day and 60 percent of them are children. Right now, we are talking about more than half a million children who have been displaced since December. There is not enough humanitarian assistance. The scale of this crisis is by far greater than what humanitarian organizations are able to supply. Temperatures are freezing. And every day the Assad regime is gaining even more ground despite statements being made by Turkey warning Bashar al-Assad's forces to move back to that previously agreed upon demarcation line, that was meant in theory some two days ago to create what was supposed to be a de-escalation zone inside of Idlib. Listen to words of what the UN's Humanitarian Emergency Coordinator said talking about what's happening inside. He called it the biggest humanitarian horror story of the 21st century. It's not just the violence that the people are fleeing from, they are also deathly afraid of being surrounded by the regime's forces. They are afraid of a widespread massacre. They are afraid of being detained by the regime forces and disappearing into the regime's prison system. They are afraid of the regime moving in and cutting off the roads that lead to the border crossings with Turkey, not because the Turkish border is empty, but because they know that what humanitarian supplies are able to move in, are moving in from the two vital border crossings. They're afraid of the cold, of the children getting sick. There's not enough hospitals. There's not enough medical facilities. They, too, are being bombed, are under fire and are being forced to shut down as this regime is continuing with this ground offensive. And of course being backed by the Russians, especially by the Russian air power. People inside asked us time and time again where are we supposed to run, now that there is nowhere truly safe to go to. Arwa Damon, CNN, Hatay, Turkey.
[Baldwin:] Arwa, thank you for shining the light on all of these, you know, children. If you'd like to help people in Syria, CNN has a list of vetted organizations working on the ground there. You can find that list, just go to CNN.comimpact. I'm Brooke Baldwin and thank you for being here.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning. I'm Jim Sciutto in New York. The breaking news this hour, the U.S. has killed the top Iranian general. Iran is now vowing revenge against the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that killing Qasem Soleimani was crucial because of imminent threats to Americans in the region.
[Mike Pompeo, Secretary Of State:] President Trump's decision to remove Qasem Soleimani from the battlefield saved American lives. There's no doubt about that. He was actively plotting in the region to take actions, a big action, as he described it, that would have put dozens, if not, hundreds of American lives at risk.
[Sciutto:] Now, Secretary Pompeo did not provide further details on whose lives, what those plots entailed. And despite saying that Americans are now safer in the region as a result of this attack, the State Department is urging all U.S. citizens to leave Iraq immediately. Embassies across the Middle East are ramping up security now. A senior security administration official said that counterterrorism officials are already on the lookout for possible retaliation. Soleimani's body will arrive back in Iran tomorrow. Today, thousands are protesting in the streets of Tehran. Soleimani was the head of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Quds Force unit. He was a revered military, political intelligence figure in Iran, arguably, the second most powerful figure in the country. The U.S. military blames him and his forces for the deaths of more than 600 American service members in Iraq. Iran supplied powerful armor-penetrating IEDs to kill those American forces. We're covering this story from every angle today across the region in a way only CNN can do. Let's go to CNN's Arwa Damon. She is live in Baghdad. Arwa, you've been monitoring the events of the last several days. Before this killing, it was already tense on the ground there. It is more tense today.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes, that is something of an understatement too. I mean, the situation right now is very difficult to describe, Jim, because this is unchartered territory. From the perspective of the Iraqi government, even though the U.S. says this was a targeted killing, this was an assassination that was carried out against not only a general, and I'm talking about Qasem Soleimani, who, from the Iraqi government's perspective, was instrumental when it came to the fight against ISIS and his appearances on the battleground here, when it came to how he was advising this Shia paramilitary group that, yes, has close ties to Iran, but also the support that Iran gave Iraq, whether it was funding or weapons or training when it came specifically to the fight against ISIS, but also because alongside Qasem Soleimani, you also had the killing of the leader Kata'ib Hezbollah. Now, remember, Kata'ib Hezbollah is that group that was targeted by the U.S. on Sunday in those numerous airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria that then led to that massive demonstration outside the U.S. embassy, where the protesters tried to scale the walls. Their leader, Kata'ib Hezbollah leader's name is Abu Mahdi al- Muhandis. Kata'ib Hezbollah is part of this Shia paramilitary force that falls under the Iraqi Security Forces for that leader to have been taken out, who is also the second in command of these Shia paramilitary forces. That from the Iraqi government's perspective is an act of aggression against Iraq itself. This puts a country that is already extraordinarily vulnerable in an even more tenuous position. The prime minister himself has said that they are very worried about this escalating, about the cost in blood that Iraq is going to end up paying. And, look, this is a country that knows very well the price of U.S. aggression. And even the protesters who have been in the Tahrir Square here, Jim, protesting against the government for months now, protesting against Iranian influence, put out a statement saying that they too condemned this targeted killing by the U.S. because they viewed it as being a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. And one should not conflate. People here, some of them, at least, being anti-Iranian, wanting an end to Iranian influence to supporting what the U.S. has done, America's actions in Iraq have devastating consequences. The aftermath of the U.S.-led invasion has taught us that. America wasn't ready for the consequences of toppling Saddam Hussein more than 15 years ago. And one would argue that they most certainly are not ready for the consequences of what this is going to lead to.
[Sciutto:] And Americans need to be aware of the potential here. Arwa Damon in Iraq, thanks very much. CNN's Kaitlan Collins, she is in West Palm Beach, Florida with the president, where he remains. And Kaitlan, once again here, the president seemed to bypass at least some of the normal national security structure under normal guidelines and practice. He would have informed the so-called gang of eight. These are Republican and Democratic leaders on the relevant committees on the Hill. It appears though he did inform someone he played golf with earlier this week. That is Senator Lindsey Graham that comes from the Judiciary Committee. What has been the White House explanation for that?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Those have been our questions for the White House yet, Jim, and we have not gotten a response from the White House about why the president made that decision to leave Congress in the dark here, which they mostly are saying that they were. We've only heard from Lindsey Graham so far who said not only that he knew about this beforehand, but that he was briefed days before this attack was carried out. Now, he was here, the chances that maybe this was something he was in the right place at the right time and that's why he was briefed on this potential operation. He was here on Monday seen golfing by CNN with the president on the course riding in the same cart. Later, the two were seen speaking closely together, something they do often. And he said it was at that time that he was briefed on this. And we know that on Tuesday, while the president was at his club, his golf club here separately from his Mar-a-Lago club right here behind me, the president said he had a meeting with his team, a briefing on the Middle East. Because that's as those protesters were breaking into and attacking the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. So that is potentially when that could have come and Graham was informed of this. But as of last night, the gang of eight who typically would be told about something like this said that they had not had any kind of a formal briefing on this operation that was carried out.
[Sciutto:] Kaitlan Collins traveling with the president, thanks very much. Of course, the question now, what does the killing of a top Iranian general, intelligence leader, political leader in the view of many there on Iraq's soil do to the relationship between the U.S. and Iraq? Iraq's prime minister is calling the U.S. drone strike, quote, a flagrant violation of conditions for the presence of U.S. troops in his country. Secretary of State Pompeo on CNN this morning said that Iraqis will see it as a positive for their country.
[Pompeo:] He was driving bad outcomes for the Iraqi people. He was causing many Muslims in the region to be killed. We have every expectation that people, not only in Iraq but in Iran, will view the American action last night as giving them freedom, freedom to have the opportunity for success and prosperity for their their nation. And while the political leadership may not want that, people in these nations will demand it.
[Sciutto:] Joining me now is CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward. She is live from West Palm Beach, Florida as well, certainly spent a lot of time on the ground and the region. Clarissa, you see Secretary Pompeo there saying that Iraqis were welcome this killing, and it is true that some will welcome it, but we also know that large numbers will not. Muqtada al-Sadr, who has hundreds of thousands of followers there, many of them armed, has said that he is going to protest here. You've been to Iraq. What kind of response should we expect, what kind of protests should we expect to this killing?
[Clarissa Ward, Cnn Chief International Correspondent:] Well, I think that Iran and Iraqi government are going to have a hard time trying to rein in the passions of the followers of Qasem Soleimani. Make no mistake, Jim, as you have said before, he was a very popular man with many Shia Muslims. Now, of course, with many others, he was deeply unpopular, he was behind so much of the bloodshed that has captured this entire region for more than two decades. But among those who followed him and followed him closely, he was seen as almost something of a cult figure, Jim. When I was in Tehran just at the end of last year, you go and you see on the streets people carrying images of him, sharing videos of him, reciting poetry. The gift stores at museums are full of photographs and souvenirs bearing his image. He really is seen as being something of a sort of cult hero, if you will. So, now, I think you can expect to see some forceful response from Iraqi Shias on the ground. I think that militia leaders will have a very difficult time, as I said, trying to rein in the passions of people who saw Qasem Soleimani not just as a military leader but also as a figure head of Iran's expansionist policies throughout the Middle East, Jim.
[Sciutto:] I wonder what the position of U.S. forces deployed to Iraq is now. Because even prior to this killing, there was already opposition to that, there was already consideration in parliament of new legislation demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces. And I know that Iraqi leaders will often say something in public, while in private, they will say to Americans, listen, ignore that, we really want you here, but they also have domestic political pressures. Based on what you know, does it put the status of U.S. forces in Iraq at risk?
[Ward:] I think, potentially, it does. We have already heard from Iraq's prime minister saying that particularly the killing not of Soleimani, but another man who was killed in that strike, the head of Kata'ib Hezbollah, which is Shia militia Iraq, an Iraqi, that that is in direct contravention of the agreement of U.S. forces presence on the ground in Iraq. This now puts Iraq's leaders in a very difficult and complex position, because while they are absolutely reliant in many respects on the U.S. military presence there, they are also very much reliant on the support of Iran. Iran is the major hegemon in Iraq. They enjoy an enormous amount of power in Iraq's parliament. So this creates a very difficult dynamic for Iraq's leaders to try to navigate. And, Jim, perhaps even more frighteningly, it really raises the specter of some kind of a reignited sectarian war which could spill well beyond Iraq, Jim.
[Sciutto:] That's something to be concerned about. Of course, Iran is promising harsh revenge in their words for this attack. But we have seen Iran is not a suicidal regime. And we have seen Iran calibrate their military action, for instance, when they attack tankers a number of weeks ago, they were attacks above the water line, not below the water line, right? They didn't sink the tankers, but they showed their ability to attack the tankers. I just wonder based on your experience of covering the region, what kind level of retaliation does Iran feel it has to show here, right, because it will say that its credibility is at stake? And, again, a little bit of this is crystal ball here, but how should Americans look at this and what kind of reaction should they expect from Tehran?
[Ward:] I think precisely what is so frightening about this situation in many ways, Jim, is that we simply do not know. I'm not even sure at this stage whether Iran's leaders know exactly how they are going to respond to this. They know clearly that they have to response, if only to appease, as I was mentioning before, the passions of the people. And by the way, an act like this is a galvanizing, uniting force in a country like Iran where the regime is coming under huge pressure. This is a distraction from sanctions. This is a moment where hard liners and reformers can actually agree and coalesce on one thing. I did start to try to put together a list of some of the various scenarios that the Iranians could look at, assassinations, kidnappings, attacks on U.S. infrastructure, attacks on shipping channels, closing the streets of Hormuz, attacks on U.S. military installations, Saudi oil infrastructure, U.S. allies on the region, the list goes on. They have a panoply of serious options at their disposal, and it remains to be seen which of any of them they will take, Jim.
[Sciutto:] And they have threatened the U.S. homeland before. Of course, they would know the consequences of an attack on a U.S. homeland would likely be greater but Soleimani himself threatened that in the past. Clarissa Ward, thank you. We know we'll be talking about this more with you in the coming days. Still to come this hour, so what could revenge from Iran look like? What's in store for the U.S.? We're going to discuss potential attacks, their capabilities against American interests around the world, coming up. Plus, new documents are highlighting the president's direct role in the hold on military aid to Ukraine. Will this impact the upcoming Senate trial? It's evidence. This morning, following the U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, which killed the top Iranian general, President Trump tweeting just moments ago, people of Iraq don't want to be dominated and controlled by Iran, but, ultimately, that is their choice. Over the last 15 years, Iran has gained more and more control over Iraq and the people of Iraq are not happy with that. It will never end well. Joining me now to discuss all of this, Vali Nasr, Professor for the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and Major General Spider Marks, former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center. Thanks to both of you. Vali Nasr, if I could begin with you, this is a major strike against Iran, against perhaps the second most powerful man in that country after the supreme leader there. What is Iran thinking about doing now to demonstrate its credibility, as its word, its domestic population, to exact revenge on the U.S.? Tell us about the pressure they're under and what are the range of possibilities for what they will carry out now against U.S. interests?
[Vali Nasr, Professor For The School Of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University:] Well, there is a meeting today of Iran's national security council to discuss all of that. I think Iran has about three to four days to make a decision because there are the funerals, they have declared three days of mourning and then they said that their retaliations will come after that. I know we're talking about a lot of scenarios of where Iran hit and what they might blow up. But I think Iran is also very incentivized to humiliate the United States. It's much more likely that they will focus on a Benghazi scenario of publicly putting pressure on the U.S. to leave Iraq, you know, use the kind of passion that earlier on Clarissa was talking about to bring large numbers of people into the streets, force confrontation between U.S. marines and the people, and ultimately put the United States in a very difficult position. I don't think Iranians would want to do something that would allow President Trump to grandstand further and carry out more acts of bravado, but rather to entangle him in Benghazi scenarios. And that's really well primed now for Iraq. Soleimani is going to have a funeral in Iraq as well, and that funeral can end up being a rallying point for very large crowds gathering around U.S. facilities and creating serious trouble for the U.S. I think that's step number one.
[Sciutto:] Yes. And as you know, he will have funerals in both Iraq and Iran. It shows he was a revered figure by some on both sides of the border. General Marks, Secretary Pompeo says this assassination, this killing saved American lives. We know that Iran has enormous capability to attack U.S. forces, but also diplomats, civilians in the region. Are Americans in the region safer or less safe today? MAJ. GEN. JAMES SPIDER MARKS
[Cnn Military Analyst:] Well, I think it's beyond being an academic discussion. We certainly don't know. My view is that Iran has never exercised any self-restraint. It's almost irrelevant in many cases what the United States chooses to do going forward in terms of its 40-year mostly violent non- relationship with Iran and, by the way, a relationship that could exist another 40 or 50 years after Khamenei leaves the scene and his son, the likely successor, who's in his mid-40s, and by all measures, probably a very healthy guy is going to be around for 40 or 50 years. So the United States has an obligation to exert its presence, to remain a visible presence in the region. Clearly, there are risks associated with our presence in the region. We can go through the history. We all understand it. But the U.S. has a very legitimate role in the region and I think it would be foolish in a very tactical and an immediate sense if Iran chose to challenge the United States in a more aggressive way around the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. That would be disastrous for Iran tactically and the United States would simply be there to continue to assert itself. So the long-term relationship with the United States and Iran does not look like it's going to improve, so the obligation belongs to the United States to do something about that, to provide a release valve so that there is some way that we can alter the arc of this relationship going forward.
[Sciutto:] Well, will Iran be even interested in a relief valve? I wonder. I mean, already before this, Vali Nasr, President Trump, he had mentioned publicly, hey, maybe we should restart negotiations, et cetera. Iran was not interested, in fact, ratcheted up the pressure. Will Iran be interested today after a killing like this in a diplomatic off ramp?
[Nasr:] Well, I mean, Iran was interested in negotiations. They came very close in New York in September. But Iran had a condition that you have to relieve some of the economic pressure before we go to the table because we don't believe if we went in a room and you got your photograph that when we come out, you're going to actually relieve pressure afterwards. President Trump was not interested. So, in a way, it was not unlikely that the two might have entered into negotiations. Now, that's off the table. Even within Iran, there is no political room for anybody to talk about talking to the U.S. And I think the American strategy with Iran took a turn yesterday. Until yesterday was about economic pressure, bringing Iran to the table, now we've entered a new phase of direct confrontation, military confrontation. We're talking about war now. We're not talking about economic sanctions. And also, Iran has another card to play, which is Iran now can very likely will say that there is no prospect of the United States ever dealing with Iran or we dealing with the United States around the existing nuclear agreement, why don't we leave it? January 6th was the date Iran had set a number of months ago as the time when they might decide to resume 20 percent enrichment of uranium. After that, essentially, the nuclear deal is dead. If Iran takes that step in the next four or five days, that's a whole other pressure that would be brought under Trump administration to manage an Iran that's resuming nuclear program.
[Sciutto:] General Spider Marks, it's interesting, when you look at the president's tweet just then saying, ultimately, it will be up to the Iraqi people to decide whether they want Iran in there, kind of leaving it to them. We already know that there's a move in the Iraqi parliament to pass a legislation to stop allowing U.S. forces on the ground. I wonder, President Trump has withdrawn forces from Syria, reducing the presence in Afghanistan. Do you think the president wants U.S. forces out of Iraq or would be willing to accept that?
[Marks:] Oh, I think he would. And, look, the ball is in Baghdad's court. The status of forces agreement establishes how the U.S. presence militarily will be embraced or at least legalized in Iraq. If that's altered, in fact, we are there only because the Iraqis have invited us in. Let's be frank. We are there at the invitation of Iraq. If Iraq wants to change that, the United States is in a position to negotiate and we will determine whether we can go forward. And if Iraq were to move us out, clearly, we would have to move out. We're not a rapacious nation. We're not trying to take overland. What we're trying to do is establish conditions that provide for our national security, and currently that includes the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, albeit not many.
[Sciutto:] Yes. Vali Nasr, General Spider Marks, thanks to both of you.
[Marks:] Thank you, Jim.
[Sciutto:] Top congressional Democrats say they were kept in the dark about the attack that killed Qasem Soleimani. So why didn't President Trump get congressional approval, not just from Democrats but Republicans? We're going to discuss, next.

[Vause:] El Salvador's president has authorized the police and military to use lethal force against street gangs. Dozens were killed throughout the country last weekend. Gang members were blamed for the violence. Also blamed for taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic. Meantime new images have emerged from the country's prisons showing a harsh crackdown on inmates. CNN's Matt Rivers reports.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] Very shocking images that are coming out of El Salvador after that country's president shared images showing some changes inside the country's maximum security prisons on his Twitter account. We can show you some of these images now. You can see things like jail cells being shuttered with metal. And also inmates basically lined up on top of each other during a search of the
[Vause:] Well, Brazil's highest court has ruled an investigation can move forward into allegations President Jair Bolsonaro tried to interfere with police probes. Bolsonaro is accused of political interference after he replaced the head of the country's federal police. Anti-corruption crusader Sergio Moro who stepped down as justice minister in protest last week says Bolsonaro wanted a police chief he could influence. Bolsonaro calls Moro a liar and denies any wrongdoing. Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton officially endorsed Joe Biden during a virtual town hall on Tuesday.
[Hillary Clinton, Former U.s. State Secretary:] I am thrilled to be part of your campaign to not only endorsed you, but to help highlight a lot of the issues that are at stake in this presidential election.
[Vause:] But even as Biden picked up this endorsement, he is still facing scrutiny over allegations from a former senate staffer, Tara Reade, who says Biden sexually assaulted her during the 1990s. Reade's former neighbor has come forward saying Reade told her about the alleged assault a few years after it took place. The Biden campaign though denies the allegation, has re-issued a statement which says "Vice President Biden has dedicated his public life to changing the culture and the laws around violence against women. He offered and fought for the passage and reauthorization of the landmark Violence against Women Act. He firmly believes that women have a right to be heard and heard respectfully. Such claims should be diligently reviewed by an independent press. What is clear about this claim, it is untrue. This absolutely did not happen. We'll take a short break now. The U.S. Navy and Airforce taking to the skies to thank frontline workers. We'll have their salute when we come back.

[Announcer:] Live from CNN Atlanta, this is
[Connect The World. Paula Newton, Cnn:] This hour, airlines in crisis, markets plunging and thousands of new infections. The coronavirus tearing across the world. Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Paula Newton filling in for Becky Anderson. The more pain and restrictions for Europe, the current epicenter of the pandemic. Italy remains the region's worst hit country but cases are also climbing in places like Spain and France. The World's Health Organization now says at least 4,800 people are now infected in Germany. And its imposing border controls with several countries to halt the spread of the virus. We will have live reports from Rome and the PolishGerman border in a moment. But first to the shutdown across Europe that is accelerating with France closing its cafes and Ireland saying it's to go dark even for St. Paddy's day in its pubs. All roads right now lead to the global economy and that is looking more bumpy by the minute. Right now the Dow is plunging joining the epic global sell-off really. You see it there now down more than 10 percent. The U.S. market is trading again, after it was halted for 15 minutes right after the open. This comes after the Federal Reserve the powerful central bank you do need to be reminded about that. Because what they did was throw all their fire power at this. They slashed its benchmark interest rate to near zero. But that rattled the global economy and stirred the Fed into action to try and calm the wave of market volatility. ObviouslyGerman border. But first we want to go straight to Rome and CNN's Melissa Bell. And, Melissa, I have to tell you the eyes of the world are on Italy. I am sure you can feel it. Everyone is wondering, are we next? And getting some insight into what Italy did right and what Italy did wrong. In terms of the situation on the ground today, is there any glimmer of hope as the death toll has continued to rise.
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Paris Correspondent:] Well, we're hearing right now, Paula, from the Italian Prime Minister who is spelling out the details of that stimulus package, 25 billion euros he had announced last week. Things like tax relief for ordinary families, mortgage relief help to businesses, help to this country's extremely stretched health care system, which has really been holding in extraordinary circumstances. This of course as the country looks on to look at the figures and for the time being and Giuseppe Conte warned about this this morning in the Italian press. We have not reached the peak. And yet, Paula, this is almost a week after this extraordinary lockdown began. The streets of Rome and other Italian cities completely deserted. The economy ground to a halt. And we still have not seen that translate into, not even a stabilization of the national figures. But you asked a question about that glimmer of hope. There is one from the very north of the country in those ten towns and villages that were locked down three weeks ago before the rest of the country, where the first cases were, the area of Lodi in which the town of Codogno where patient one was identified. We are seeing there a stabilization of figures. So what that tells us, Paula, is first of all that these measures do work but that it takes time for them to work. We were speaking to a virologist earlier on who said that it would take probably another week for us to see the figures taper down nationally. For the time being the figures remain extremely high, record figures again yesterday, both in terms of the number of new cases and in terms of the number of new deaths. And of course, what that means is it takes patience, it takes resilience and for the countries looking on because you're right, Italy is just a few weeks ahead of what is likely to happen in other countries. This is an important lesson about what you're likely to have to go through in order to get to the end of this epidemic.
[Newton:] Yes, and a real warning obviously that if you are in some kind of lockdown right now, really no one knows how long it will last. Our Melissa Bell continues to report for us from Rome, appreciate you. And now to Julia Chatterley who's been following quite a ride there at the New York Stock Exchange. I do not envy you, Julia. Listen, I have to say though in 30 years of covering markets. Tis is actually the most rational reaction I've seen. I know trading was halted but as you heard Melissa say, you are dealing with one of the largest economies in the world and they have no idea when it will be coming out of that. So as you see it now, losses continue. What I want to talk to you about is a systemic risk, right. Is there any hint of that right now or do things seem to have calmed down? Even though it doesn't look calm from the numbers.
[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Business Anchor First Move:] Yes, you ask some really important questions. I'll come to the systemic. I think your point, though, about just trying to grapple with what we're dealing with here. We have no model for this. We have no basis to understand what containment looks like. How long businesses that are struggling at this moment have to deal with the economic sudden stops that they're facing. And we heard from the airlines once again that really are at the forefront and the first domino to fall here saying, you know, this is an existential crisis. That I think ties back to the reaction that we've seen from what the Federal Reserve did over the weekend. It was a bazooka of sorts but many people are looking at it saying it's a pea shooter in the face of the broader challenges that we're facing and that it has to far more targeted. Then let's talk about the banks. Because what they have done, the Federal Reserve has tried to tackle specific points to prevent the freezing of credit to the real economy, lending to the real economy that we saw during the financial crisis. So that's the first thing. They're not there to try and support stocks or equity markets. That's just a reflection. And to your point, Paula, an accurate I think shake-down, fear, reaction to the uncertainty that we're dealing with at this moment. I think the big question about systemic risk is an important one. And what you saw was the largest eight U.S. banks over the weekend saying look, we're not going to buy the billions of dollars' worth of stock in our own banks. We're simply going to use that money and put it to better use, i.e., making sure that we can lend to the real economy, we can lend to businesses. We need to assess what kind of situation they're in. Banks are far better capitalized. They have far better levels of money, the system works better. So I don't think at this stage when you look at the banking sector, we're in a situation that we were in where the banks were so weak during the financial crisis, and that created a catalogue of other issues. But to go back to the point I began with, Paula, and I'll end there, we don't have a model for what we're dealing with at this stage. And everything, be it gold under pressure today, oil under pressure, stocks under pressure, everything, all assets are reacting to that uncertainty, and that makes sense at this stage. We can't quantify what we're dealing with.
[Newton:] Absolutely it makes total sense when there is no data point. I want to point out for anyone who's in stocks or anyone who has a pension, who's got skin in this game, everything you talked about, Julia, right, has to do with the recovery and the fact that if this is in place, a recovery will look much better.
[Chatterley:] Absolutely. We just can't time it yet.
[Newton:] Gotcha, Julia, thanks so much. And you'll continue to stay on top of the markets. We now want to go to Fred Pleitgen. He rushed out to the GermanPolish border. Fred, when you figured out, that they were closing it. There's some important news there out of Germany. I want to get first though to the situation on the border. What exactly is going on? Because you showed a long line of trucks there, just a few hours ago.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] You're absolutely right, Paula. And this is really where you can feel the European economy or a lot of the European economy almost screech to a halt. I want to take you around and show you some of the issues the folks have. First of all, you have the guys in the hazmat suits who are taking everyone's temperature whose coming through. Essentially what the border folks here are trying to do you have the Polish army and Polish border police. They are only letting Polish citizens through and people who have business inside Poland or who are traveling through Poland and then of course cargo. You can see the trucks coming through here. There's a gigantic long line of trucks coming all the way from Germany. We drove past this earlier this morning, and it went on for miles. I don't know how many miles, maybe six or eight miles but we kept driving past this. You can see there's a driver coming from Germany, not clear whether he's going to be allowed to go past this checkpoint. One of the things though that happened, Paula, over the past I would say about half an hour or so, is that some people have become really angry and for a while, there were some drivers who just stopped there and blockaded the actual highway and didn't allow traffic to go through, because they were so angry about the fact they had to wait and they were so angry about the fact that many of them were being turned back, drivers from Eastern Europe, drivers from Germany also quite angry as well. So you can feel that there are issues with these new travel restrictions that so many European countries are putting in place. These specific ones at the PolishGerman border that was actually done by the Poles. They closer border with Germany because obviously, they don't want the coronavirus to continue to spread around their country. But as you've mentioned, the Germans closed their northern, their western and their southern border as well. So a lot of the scenes we're seeing here and if we turn around you can see it again. Those guys in hazmat suits, there's traffic that's being held up. There're cars that are barely trickling through. Those are the kind of scenes that you're going to be seeing in a lot of European countries, possibly for quite a while to come. Because right now, no one really knows how long these travel restrictions are still going to be in place Paula.
[Newton:] Understood, Fred, and again, perspective, right. These are not border crossings that Europeans have been used to at least for decades now. Fred Pleitgen remains on the border and will continue to update us, thank you. OK, we were telling you of course that Italy is the hardest-hit country in Europe. It remains near total lockdown. The latest update sent about the death toll is not good. There are 1,800, with an increase of 368 deaths in the last day alone. Maurizio Cecconi is the head of anesthesia and intensive care at Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan. One of the many facilities that has been acutely affected of course by this crisis. And I really want to thank you for speaking to us. And I want to tell you first off, so many people around the world looking at your efforts, applauding the efforts of frontline health care workers. What is the situation today, and has anything changed over the weekend?
[Maurizio Cecconi, Head Of Anesthesia And Intensive Care, Humanitas Research Hospital:] Well, the situation is very difficult, of course, but it has been difficult for some weeks now. So we are still seeing a steady flow of sick patients coming to our hospitals, and that's in line with the response that we've been trying to mount for the last three weeks here in Lombardy.
[Newton:] I want to ask you, though, about the facilities that you have on hand. I mean, how much decision-making is there when people come in for triage? Are your ICU beds full? Do you have the equipment that you need?
[Cecconi:] Well, the only decisions we made so far was to increase the capacity of ICUs so that we give an ICU bed to whoever needs an ICU bed, and that's a relentless effort for the last three weeks. If you come to our hospitals in the region, will you see people working from different parts of the hospitals to basically build up new intensive care where we didn't have intensive care units and we are doing this effort basically now continuously. So you will see that we even have workers inside the hospital to try to convert normal wards to areas where we can give intensive care to whoever needs intensive care.
[Newton:] And just so I can understand this, are you having people arrive to your hospital who already are very ill or is this virus so that they come to you, and then they dramatically deteriorate in terms of their condition?
[Cecconi:] Oh, no, you need to look at the data that is out there, and you can even have a look the at the data from our superior health institute, Istituto Superiore di Sanita the name. They publish every day an info graphic and then you can see the total number of infected people and so you would also see how the case fatality rate is actually spread across different age groups. And that shows that we are in front of a disease that presents with a different variety of disease. So probably we still see 80 percent of the population will get what may seem like a flu. However, the message that we give to everyone this is not a normal flu because we see a significant percentage of people coming to our hospital with some need of support. And that could be just some oxygen and some basic support or we see a high percentage compared to what we were expecting from data before the outbreak here in Europe. Which we've quantified in the range of about 12 percent or what concern intensive care admissions.
[Newton:] Why has the mortality rate been so high though in Italy? Obviously, it's been alarming and the death rate continues to rise.
[Cecconi:] It's difficult to give you an answer until we don't see more data over the next few weeks. But again, if you see how this mortality is actually distributed across different age groups, you will see that Italy is a country with a very high in age compared to other countries in the world and so therefore the majority of that seems to of course, failing older people with comorbidities and that are frail. It doesn't mean we don't see young people coming to our hospital and there is a big stress on our care system because we're trying to care for everyone independent of age and that means that we see really a huge number of patients and the effort we're putting in place to care for everyone is really enormous at the moment.
[Newton:] I really again applause to all of you as we continue to see you guys try and fight your way through this virus, as this virus spreads west though. What is your advice right now to other continents, other European countries perhaps that do not have the virus within community spreads the way you guys have had it to this extent? What would you tell them to do now?
[Cecconi:] Well, what everyone is to do now is to get ready. There is no need to panic. We have a robust health care system in the majority of the countries. We need to work to get ready for a significant surge in patients that will come to your hospitals, to our hospitals, if you have an outbreak. But no one can predict where the next breakout is going to be. So the only thing that I suggest you do is to get ready and to work with public health authorities and your governments, because I don't think there is a fixed recipe. But certainly I would say the two principles that we have tried to put in place in Lombardy, in Italy and I think the government took a very responsible decision to lock down the region and the country. Are really the principles that are try to increase as much as you can your search capacity to deal with a large number of sick patients that will come to your hospitals. And at the same time work with your public health authorities to see which one is the best strategy in your country to slow down the virus transmission. Maybe in some countries it's full containment, maybe in some countries it's mitigation or slowing down the virus. What is important is to try to control the virus transmission so that it doesn't overwhelm and doesn't overload completely your capacity with massive peaks.
[Newton:] But you would say from the time that Italy imposed a larger lockdown, you have seen some relief. You believe it has worked.
[Cecconi:] We believe it was the right thing to do. We have to be pragmatic. We've seen this working in smaller areas that were contained at the very beginning, so we hope that this will work also in the larger areas and the whole of the country. We have to remember that incubation period of the virus can be up to 14 days. So we are bracing for a significant surge even in the next days, despite the maneuvers probably being effective. And we hope that it will be effective, but we cannot give up all the other things we are doing to try to care for everyone where we hope that the containment will work. And we hope to have some good news about this over the next few days.
[Newton:] And of course, we do as well. Before I let you, go, though, I want to ask you, what has it been like? I mean, everyone around the world has been dealing with their own particular stress with this virus. But as frontline health care workers, in your wards, in your hospitals, what has it been like, what kind of a toll has it taken on the frontline to health care workers?
[Cecconi:] It has been an enormous effort. I would have never thought I would face this in my career. I can tell you personally, it is probably the biggest challenge I had in my career so far. We really tried to do our best, but I would also say it is an incredible moment for the clinical scientific community. Probably the moment in which I've seen the more unified group I've ever led in my life and I can tell you, this is the report of everyone else in the region, and everyone else in the health care system. I'm not talking just about doctors, nurses, health care assistants, managers. Everyone is really trying to work more than what is being asked of them from their normal job to try to face this. So it is tough. It is a big battle, but we want to win it.
[Newton:] And it seems like you are definitely on the other side of it, as you said in those containment zones when you first started the cases and the death rate is down again. We are all learning right now from the frontline staff there, and I thank you for taking the time to really explain to us what's going on. Appreciate it.
[Cecconi:] Thank you. We think it's important to share with the rest of the world what we learn here.
[Newton:] Thank you. And if you want to listen to CNN's very own chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta's coronavirus podcast to help you separate the facts from the fiction. Dr. Gupta talks mass confusion, risks of flying, and much more. You'll find it on Apple podcast, Stitcher or Spotify or link it, link to it at CNN.com. Annual want to join Dr. Gupta and Anderson Cooper for a third CNN global town hall, "CORONAVIRUS FACTS AND FEARS" live on Thursday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. Friday in Hong Kong. Plus, you can find all the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic online. Visit us at CNN.com for live updates and everything you need to know. I am telling you, if you want or need to know it, you go to CNN.com, you will find it. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD coming to you from CNN center in Atlanta. Still ahead, the new reality of course, living with a pandemic in full force today, in the United States as well. We'll see the drastic measures being taken to try and stop the spread of the virus. And South Africa announces urgent and drastic measures to confront coronavirus, while the South African President says there can be no half measures.

[Sanchez:] People in the southeast are assessing the damage from several deadly tornadoes over the weekend. About six of them flattening homes and snapping large trees in Mississippi. The only volunteer fire department in Monroe County had its fire house destroyed. One person was killed there, another 10 injured. A storm chaser says that mobile homes in the area were no match for the tornadoes.
[Brandon Clement, Storm Chaser:] The mobile homes that took a direct hit from the tornado either aren't there or so badly damaged and mangled and flipped that you can't really recognize what they are. Mobile homes are probably the worst case scenario in the tornado or any high wind event.
[Sanchez:] The weekend's huge storm system ravaged areas from Texas to Alabama. In addition to the death in Mississippi, at least four people were killed in Texas, two others killed in Louisiana, and one in Alabama. Mississippi's governor declaring a state of emergency for areas affected by the severe weather.
[Romans:] All right. The small city mayor with a funny name, Pete Buttigieg formerly declaring himself a candidate for president, Sunday. The 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana announcing his run in a hometown speech. For the most part he focused on policy and avoided attacks on President Trump, and this was one of the few exceptions.
[Buttigieg:] When something is grotesque, it's hard to look away and the horror show in Washington is mesmerizing, it's all consuming, but starting today we're going to change the channel.
[Romans:] CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich was in South Bend for the announcement. She filed this report.
[Vanessa Yurkevich, Cnn Correspondent:] Hi, Christine and Boris. That's right. Pete Buttigieg making his announcement to run for president official. And he gave a very policy heavy speech. He talked about his three principles, freedom, security and democracy. He talked a lot about the most important freedom to him being the freedom to get married to his husband, Chasten Buttigieg. They were able to get married last year, and he points at something that is crucially important to him and his campaign. He also took on the president without specifically mentioning him by name. He tackled a lot of his policies and also gave a little dig at his Make America Great Again slogan.
[Buttigieg:] The problem is that they're telling us to look for greatness in all the wrong places, because if there's one thing that the city of South Bend has shown, it's that there is no such thing as an honest politics that revolves around the word again. It is time to walk away from the politics of the past and towards something totally different.
[Yurkevich:] And as his campaign is now officially launched, he'll be hitting the road right away, heading to New York Monday evening for a fundraiser, and then heading off to Iowa and a swing in New Hampshire this weekend. Back to you guys.
[Romans:] All right. Vanessa there at the event for us. Thank you.
[Sanchez:] The first daughter Ivanka Trump is on an overseas trip to Africa right now with an event being held just a few moments ago. We have a live report next.

[Quest:] Good evening to you. Investors are cheering lawmakers on towards an agreement on a stimulus package. According to the top negotiators, a deal will be done and it is only hours not days away. And as a result, if you look at the market, you're seeing exactly that, and it's the second best point gain in history, all measured against a variety of pluses, of course over the week and dire health warnings. What's interesting about this rally is that it started in the morning, and it hasn't I mean, the market opened higher and it hasn't looked back. Julia is with me. They are obviously getting what they want, having had the Fed yesterday, it gives them what they want. But will it be enough?
[Julia Chatterley, Cnn Business Anchor, First Move:] It's a great question, Richard, and it depends how they use it. Remember, we're talking about a $2 trillion stimulus package. You and I have been debating back and forth. If we look at some of the programs being done around the world, that notional amount is just not big enough, particularly if you talk about shutting down the U.S. economy, a $20 trillion plus economy for two to three months. However, the suggestion is that they could be quite clever with some of the lending programs. They could leverage them, i.e. borrow against the pot of money. Then you could be seeing a gigantic lending program, and then we could be seeing something bigger. So it's going to be very interesting to see the details as always, of this program if and when they agree it.
[Quest:] Julia, thank you. We will watch that as we head towards the close. We are just 30 minutes now away from it. I appreciate it. Thank you. Now, widespread lockdowns in Europe are taking a heavy economic toll. The Composite PMI is a measure of business activity has crashed to 31.4, the lowest reading since the index began. The PMI is always a difficult number, to begin with, but not that bad leaves in no one in any doubt. IHS says the collapse is worse than during the financial crisis. Gita Gopinath is the Chief Economist at the IMF. She joins me now. Good to see you, Gita. As always, thank you. That number, that PMI number, I mean, it's always a bit of an unreliable one. But it's the first bit of hard evidence if you like, economic data of an important nature that we're getting that shows how bad this will be.
[Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist, Imf:] Richard, I think the first bit of bad data that we got was in China, where we saw what happened to industrial production and retail and sales. What we're seeing in terms of PMI is coming out more recently are in line with those. That's, I think, what we would expect when the global economy goes into shutdown in different parts of the world, and that's what we are seeing. So, these are very large effects, historically, lows in terms of impact on services sector. And this is what the reason why, you know, it's quite clear that the global economy is going towards growth below zero in 2020.
[Quest:] The IMF yesterday's statement following the Feynman's G20 was quite clear, the managing director. This is worse this slowdown and what the consequences will be worse than the great financial crisis.
[Gopinath:] The, you know, like I said, we are talking about growth in the negative territory, it could absolutely be worse than the global financial crises. We at this point, we are only seeing the start of the epidemic in several emerging markets and developing economies in low-income countries. So, this is we are at the start of what it looks like a period, at least a few months, where we are going to see these kinds of really dramatic collapses in activity taking place in different parts of the world. Now, if these containment measures work, and we see, you know, some, you know, holding back of the number of cases, and if there are advances in the medical side, that provide more effective treatments, that mind with what is a very extensive set of measures being put in both in monetary policy and fiscal policy around the world, and what is even being anticipated at this point coming out to the U.S., those should lead to a recovery in 2021.
[Quest:] On that point because it's a crucial one, is there a I mean, there is a difference, isn't there and to some extent, between an economy that is artificially brought to a close, and an economy, which slows down and goes into recession, through cyclical forces, now it will feel the same. I'm not trying to suggest that one is better than the other, but at least with the with the first one, you are able to restart it. And I mean, there'll be a huge amount of damage thereafter, but you can at least restart the economy.
[Gopinath:] Well, we certainly in this case, know exactly why these numbers are coming in as badly as they are. It is because countries are choosing appropriately to put in containment measures to have social distancing, and to basically stop people from going to work. And so, this is what you would expect to see. So in that sense, yes, we know what it would take to improve things. Once we do one once we have a better handle of what's happening with this with the virus and its spread.
[Quest:] The measures that you've seen and heard about so far, whether it's the 2 trillion from the Fed, whether it's the Bank of England, the Treasury, the ECB, all of them, and are you encouraged you're encouraged, obviously, that they're doing it. But do you do you sort of warn that more will be required?
[Gopinath:] They're taking some very large measures, and if you look at what the U.S. Fed has done recently, this is you know, especially compared to the global financial crisis, they've moved much more faster, and the measures are much more, you know, are much larger. So, these are big measures what we're seeing in the Euro area, what we're seeing in many other countries in the world, it is the case. I think what we need to think about now is the rest of the emerging market and developing world and the low-income world, where the fiscal space they have is not the same as what it is in advanced economies and similarly with the monetary measures that they can put in place. So, for them, I think there will there will be a need for the international community to play a much bigger role.
[Quest:] Good to see you. Thank you, Gita. I appreciate you joining us and bringing us up to date. Thank you.
[Gopinath:] Bye, Richard.
[Quest:] While we were while we were talking there, the market did go up. We're now over 10 percent up on the day, which is the best of the day so far, 25 minutes to go. And if you thought there might be selling going on towards the close, it's quite the opposite. As the Senate closes in on a stimulus deal, airlines around the world are warning, they stand to lose $250 billion. The head of AITA is with me, next.

[Gorani:] Parents around the world might just be thinking they should allow their kids to play more video games, after all. After a 16-year-old gamer took home a full $3 million at the first-ever Fortnite World Cup. The teen bested 99 others in New York to become champ of the popular battle Royale. Claire Sebastian is staying on top of all of this for us from New York. I have no clue what Fortnite is, what it's about. But tell us how you can end up winning $3 million playing the game.
[Clare Sebastian, Cnn International Correspondent:] A lot of practice, Hala. These kids, some of them spend, you know, 8 to 12 hours a day playing this game. It really does take a lot to become a champion. You also need to be someone who streams it online. This isn't just something that people do in their basement. It's a spectator thing as well. This YouTube, there's Twitch, which is a platform owned by Amazon. But this prize money staggering, Hala, when you look at it in the context of other actual sports. Sports that involved not sitting in a chair. In Wimbledon, you don't win as much and the open golf championship. Tour de France which happened this weekend. The Fortnite World Cup when they won about six times what the Tour de France champion one. Also in that same stadium, the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens. Next month, they'll have the U.S. Open. The winner there gets $3.8 million which was a little bit more than Fortnite. But still within the range. So you get a sense of the staggering amounts of money here. And everyone who turned up to the finals who qualified after 10 weeks of heat got at least $50,000. So for these kids, the average age is about 16. These are life-changing amounts of money.
[Gorani:] But where does the money come from? Sponsors?
[Sebastian:] So I mean, Epic Games is the one that's holding the event. They are the company behind Fortnite. They get their money actually, the interesting thing about Fortnite is that the game that's become so popular is free. It doesn't actually sell it. You can download it for free across multiple platforms. That's part of the reason why it's become so popular that it's zero dollar barrier to entries. But once you're in the game, you spend money on what's called V-Bucks. That's the currency that upgrades within the game and you use that to buy different cosmetic aspects to your players, different modes which make them dance in certain ways. And all of this has led to a lot of spending and a lot of profits for this company.
[Gorani:] Right. I mean, obviously, people who say that kids shouldn't spend eight, 10, 12 hours a day playing video games, this is going to be this is going to come as bad news to parents because this could be an incentive now.
[Sebastian:] It's an incentive. It's a career. It's not just the winnings that they get from these tournaments, Hala. These kids are making five, six figures salaries, even without you know, their audiences that they've build up on Twitch. They can get ticked by their audiences. They get sponsorships and endorsements. This is a very lucrative business. But it's interesting, you know, we've seen the schools when this initially started to peak last year. We're very worried about this. Now, E-sports is part of high schools at eight U.S. states including in Georgie.
[Gorani:] Unbelievable. Clare Sebastian, thanks much. Appreciate it. I'm Hala Gorani. I'll see you next time on HALA GORANI TONIGHT. Stay with CNN. A quick break and then it's "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS."

[Tapper:] In our national lead today, immediate backlash after Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp banned cities in his state from mandating the wearing of masks in public. The mayor of Savannah tweeted, quote: It is officially official, Governor Kemp does not give a damn about us. Every man or woman for himselfherself. Ignore the science and survive the best you can, unquote. Governor Kemp characteristically declined our invitation to complain why he is keeping mayor in the state from taking this action to try to save the lives of their citizens. But that Savannah mayor, Van Johnson, joins me now live. We should point out, Savannah is in Chatham County which just reported the highest number of coronavirus hospitalizations since this pandemic began. Mayor Johnson, thanks thanks for joining us. Beyond that tweet, what was your reaction when you heard the decision from Governor Kemp?
[Mayor Van Johnson  Savannah, Georgia:] I was furious. I was absolutely at a loss for words, because here we are fighting to get in front of the coronavirus. We're doing the best that we can, day in and day out, and gets increasing odds. And then not only are we fighting coronavirus on one hand, it appears as if we're fighting our state on the other hand. It made absolutely no sense to me that in a time where our corporate giants are mandating masks, where the state of Alabama is mandating masks, where the state of Florida, about 120 miles south of us is the hot spot of the nation, that our governor would not only do an emergency order, but specifically stop cities across the state of Georgia from doing what we can to be able to protect our folks. It just didn't make sense to me.
[Tapper:] So, the mayor of Athens, Clark County, says he's going to try to fight this order from the government in court, presumably, will you join him? Will you try to fight it?
[Johnson:] Oh, our order still stands. We're going to do what we can to protect Savannahians. This is a fight for our lives, Jake. This is a fight for our businesses. This is a fight for our future. This is too important, and all of the sides says that wearing masks slow the spread of COVID-19. We're going to do all we can to make sure that we protect our citizens. This is what this is all about. It has nothing to do with politics. I mean, it's about protecting our folks.
[Tapper:] Yeah, the governor is encouraging people to wear masks. He's just not allowing you to mandate it. Has he explained it at all? I mean, why shouldn't you be allowed to do what 36 states have done, including Alabama, mandating masks in public, so as to protect people?
[Johnson:] From guidance that was given by the CDC, which is located in Atlanta, Georgia. The reality of it for us, Jake, is that, you know, it makes perfectly good sense. On July 1st, Savannah was the first city in Georgia to mandate masks.

[Alison Kosik, Cnn Business Correspondent:] That's a really good question. I think not. I think that in our conversations with them to get their statement, they didn't mention that. They still have to improve the way Alexa works and needs these conversations.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Geez louise. Great to see you, Alison.
[Kosik:] You got it.
[Bolduan:] Thank you so much.
[Kosik:] Sure.
[Kib:] And thank you all so much for joining me. Wild day today. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Dana Bash starts right now.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome to INSIDE POLITICS. I'm Dana Bash. John King is off today. White House officials are downplaying reports that President Trump personally pushed for dumping undocumented immigrants in sanctuary cities, specifically in congressional districts of Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats. Plus, presidential candidate and Mayor Pete Buttigieg isn't the only 2020 contender talking about his religious views. Plus, I travel with Vice President Mike Pence to the southern border where he made the administration's case for how to deal with the humanitarian crisis there. I also asked him about the moment the world is waiting for, the Mueller report being released any day now.
[Bash:] How concerned are you that there will be information in this report that will be politically damaging?
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] Well, we're not concerned at all.
[Bash:] Not at all?
[Pence:] No. Not in the least. I mean, Robert Mueller engaged in a detailed review of all of the facts. He concluded that there was no collusion. And it wasn't his job to exonerate any particular point of view. But reviewing all of the evidence that he assembled, the attorney general and the deputy attorney general determined that there was no obstruction of justice.
[Bash:] If you feel that confident about it, then should the American people see all of the evidence that went along with this report for full transparency to back up what you just said.
[Pence:] Well, I think the American people are always entitled to have the facts, but in this case it's important that we protect grand jury confidentiality.
[Bash:] We begin this hour with the president, who has long railed against sanctuary cities, jurisdictions that refuse to hand over undocumented immigrants into federal custody. Now, new reporting from "The Washington Post," and confirmed by CNN, shows the president considered making examples of those cities. The idea, to dump migrants detained at the southern border into so-called sanctuary cities. A source tells CNN that the White House repeatedly pressured Homeland Security officials to follow through. The department objected loudly, sources say, and produced a legal analysis that killed the idea. Today, the new acting director of ICE says he was never pressured by the West Wing, saying, I was asked my opinion and provided it and my advice was heeded. Now, the White House, in a statement last hour, they are saying the idea was briefly and informally raised and quickly rejected, adding no one at ICE was pressured by anyone at any time. But sources say the plan was personally pushed by the White House and specifically immigration hawk Stephen Miller. And its failure, a source says, could help explain why Miller now wants to purge top officials inside Homeland Security. Now, a Homeland Security source confirmed the policy pursuit and the pressure to implement it was real, describing his bottom line feelings about the proposal, the source put it this way, these are human beings, not game pieces. Now here at the table to share their reporting and their insights, CNN's Phil Mattingly, Seung Min Kim with "The Washington Post," Michael Shear with "The New York Times," and CNN's own Evan Perez. Now, Evan, you have been doing reporting on this. I mean it truly is bizarre and almost really hard to fathom that even in the most darkest of political corners that this is something that was really considered.
[Evan Perez, Cnn Senior Justice Correspondent:] It really is and it shows you what sort of damage, frankly, is being done to the Department of Homeland Security by some of these policies that Stephen Miller is trying to push. This is an agency that you know has struggled ever since it was created after 911 to sort of find its footing out of the political sphere and spotlight and try to just be law enforcement on par with FBI and other agencies. And that's one of the worries that people have is that their that at the end of the Trump administration, the damage will be so great that it will take years to repair it. And you can see why the lawyers at the Homeland Security Department and all the people who have who have law enforcement chops there were so against this because they know that they'll be the ones that will have to clean it up and will have to be hauled before Congress to explain it once something like this is done. And that's why they pushed back so hard against it.
[Bash:] And it is very noteworthy that we are getting this information on the week that we saw the Homeland Security secretary pushed out, that there is that there are rumblings about another purge going on. I mean, it's it's not an accident that we're seeing this pushback I think it's probably fair to say. A little bit more reporting from your newspaper. I want to read the following. The White House told U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that the plan was intended to alleviate a shortage of detention space, but also served to send a message to Democrats. The attempt at political retribution raised alarm within ICE with a top official responding that it was rife with budgetary and liability concerns and nothing that there are PR risks as well. Ah, yes. PR. And how about, you know, basic humanitarian negligence.
[Seung Min Kim, White House Reporter, "the Washington Post":] Exactly.
[Bash:] And worse.
[Kim:] Exactly. And we've seen multiple times how this White House, particularly when it comes under pressure over immigration issues, really does stretch the boundaries, you know, legally, politically, of what what an administration should be doing on immigration. I mean it was only a few days ago that we were talking about potentially shutting down the entire U.S.-Mexico border to deal with the migration issue on the southern bothered. Obviously the president's declared a national emergency, which is in litigation right now. But I thought the fact that this was brought up, according to our reporting, twice really remarkable. The fact that first it was surfaced back in November, when the president, as we know, was furious about the caravans that were moving up north towards the border or towards the U.S.-Mexico border and then again in February when we saw that Democrats first of all, we were in a shutdown and Democrats and Republicans were really clashing over exactly the number of migrants to detain in U.S. custody, the number of detention beds that had become such a contentious issue. So, obviously, a jaw-dropping reporting that we've seen. But, again, a parent of behavior from this administration that has really, again, pushed the boundaries of what they can do.
[Michael Shear, White House Correspondent, "the New York Times":] Yes. I mean, look, the there is no more central promise that Donald Trump made to the American people than the one surrounding his wall and the border and his sort of anti-immigrant zeal. And, you know, I think what you've seen is over the last two and a half years, as that promise has not been met, the wall isn't built, Congress has stopped him, courts have blocked a lot of his initiatives that have been aimed at stopping the flow of migrants, and then what you've seen in the last few months with this real surge, which is real by the way.
[Bash:] It is real.
[Shear:] I was just down at the border in Calexico and in San Diego at the and in Mexico. There are thousands of migrant families coming up, more than we've seen in many, many years, and that is putting a strain on the border. And so but it's also putting a strain on his political promise and proving in numbers and images that people can see that he hasn't stopped, you know he hasn't stopped this immigration, and that's really frustrating him hand frustrating the White House and they're they're sort of turning to every which way that they can think and, you know, some of the ideas are kind of bonkers.
[Bash:] Yes. And it is real. And we're going to talk in the next segment about my trip to the border with the vice president to talk about that very issue. You had a great piece on that this week in "The Times" as well. But so what we are seeing here is very political, very ugly, but it also is borne out of frustration by this administration to find a way to deal with the reality. Sometimes there's a crisis. Sometimes, depending on where you are in the past two and a half years, it is manufactured. Right now we're at a crisis point. But they're trying to deal with it with the existing laws that they have, and it is very hard to do. If you and what you're seeing is the combination of that and the raw politics and the ridiculous notion of mixing that with political retribution.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, I actually think this is a great window into kind of the heart of the frustration inside the White House and the heart of the frustration inside some of kind of the more hawkish advisers in the White House about how restricted they are by current administration or by the current laws that kind of dictate the immigration system. I know we'll talk about it in the next block in terms of why it has become a crisis, why the flows have been surging to the degree they have because of the laws that are currently in place. Now this, again, it's kind of an absurd outlier idea, but it also it not only underscores the window into why they're frustrated, but it kind of underscores the reality that there's only so much these agencies can do.
[Bash:] Exactly.
[Mattingly:] There are lawyers at these agencies. There are career lawyers. There are also politicals who, to Evan's very good point, understand that we're going to be here probably longer than this administration.
[Bash:] Exactly.
[Mattingly:] Whether it's four or eight years
[Perez:] That's why the president
[Bash:] And you probably hear this all the time from
[Mattingly:] Yes.
[Perez:] Right. Right. And that's why the president himself raised it with Kirstjen Nielsen, you know, for an idea that they claimed was briefly brought up and disregarded. This thing, as you said, was brought up in November and then in February. The president himself pressured Nielsen to do this. Now, DHS is telling us that it never really got to her for a final decision, but it is clear that there was there were these conversations.
[Bash:] Yes. And you saw that this is a window also into the pressure that Kirstjen Nielsen herself was feeling.
[Perez:] Yes.
[Bash:] I mean you could kind of see throughout her tenure she was trying to explain this zero tolerance policy. Then she sort of stopped doing that and her rhetoric had got really strong. You could see that she was trying to make way with the president and get in good graces
[Shear:] Save her job.
[Bash:] And save her job, and then she just gave up and now we're seeing these stories.
[Shear:] Well, and, look, you know, there was a senior administration official who who briefed a bunch of reporters a couple of days ago about the frustration inside the White House that the bureaucracies the immigration bureaucracies in the country weren't moving fast enough to implement the hardline agenda, which
[Mattingly:] Or were moving in the wrong direction.
[Shear:] Or were moving in the wrong direction.
[Mattingly:] Yes.
[Shear:] And and which is remarkable when you think of what has happened in the last couple of years that has already pushed, as Seung Min said, the boundaries of what sort of kind of establishment Washington thinks is the right approach. And so the fact that it's not going fast enough for them is really striking.
[Bash:] Before we go to break, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, just reacted to this story. Let listen.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] Just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespectful of the challenges that we face as a country, as a people to address who we are, a nation of immigrants.
[Bash:] And up next, my exclusive interview on the southern border with Vice President Mike Pence. Stay with us.

[Church:] Welcome back, everyone. Well, critics have been slamming the Trump administration over the low rate of testing for the coronavirus in the U.S., but on Wednesday President Trump argued that the U.S. has done more testing than any other country in the world. Take a listen.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We have now tested with the best tests far more than anybody else. When I say anybody else, I'm talking about other countries. No country is even close.
[Church:] Well, the president is partially right. The U.S. has overtaken South Korea in the total number of tests, but the U.S. has conducted far fewer tests than South Korea in proportion to its population, making the president's comments somewhat misleading. And for those people in the U.S. who have access to testing, getting their results can be painfully slow. Our Drew Griffin is digging into that part of the story.
[Drew Griffin, Cnn Senior Investigative Correspondent:] Commercial labs, even among the country's largest, tell CNN coronavirus testing results are seriously delayed because of backlog. Quest Diagnostics said the lab's current turnaround time is an average four to five days but can be as long as seven days, and although the company is "rapidly expanding testing capacity, demand for the testing is growing faster and we cannot accommodate everyone who wants testing and meet tight turnaround time expectations." It's just the latest issue in a long list of disastrous delays of testing since coronavirus first arrived in the
[U.s. Dr. Leana Wen, George Washington University:] That lack of testing is preventing us from understanding the true spread of coronavirus in communities. It's almost certain that not only in New York and the identified hot spots but all over the country there are significant underestimates of the true number of coronavirus cases.
[Griffin:] First there weren't enough test kits, then there was a shortage still ongoing in the supplies needed to conduct the tests. Now the critical delay, which is having a dangerous effect in hospitals and other health care facilities, is delays in getting test results.
[Dr. Alex Gleninger, University Of Washington's Department Of Laboratory Medicine:] The turnaround time can save personal protective equipment. That's probably the most important thing right now.
[Griffin:] When doctors don't know which patients are infected with COVID-19, they waste personal protective equipment because they have to switch out masks, gowns, everything in between patients to prevent the virus from spreading even more. It's making the uncertainty inside hospitals even more terrifying.
[Sheridan-gonzalez:] People are very frightened of contracting the illness, of not having the equipment to protect themselves, transmitting it to other patients, transmitting it to each other and transmitting it to family members. There is absolutely not enough testing going on.
[Griffin:] And shockingly, for the most powerful nation on earth, many health care workers cannot get tested unless their symptoms become severe. In New York City EMS workers say they do not have N95 masks or enough personal protective equipment. They are being exposed, getting sick, and told to just go home. They are getting no tests.
[Oren Barzlay, Fdny Ems Union:] We are not provided with any tests even after we've been exposed and showing signs and symptoms of coming down with the virus which is it's unacceptable to us.
[Griffin:] Health care workers, first responders unable to get tested, unable to get proper equipment daily make the decision to go to work and risk being infected or give up. This nurse from Ohio quit, she says, to save her own family.
[Stacy Foytik, Cleveland Ohio:] I feel that people should know that if we walked into rooms like this a month ago, a year ago we would have been reprimanded. We would have lost our jobs because, what were we doing? Not providing safe care.
[Griffin:] The bottom line is, despite what the president is saying, testing remains an issue. We're hearing it from doctors, from hospitals, from nurses, and even the labs themselves. The demand for testing for this coronavirus is still far exceeding the capacity to process those tests. Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.
[Church:] Very sobering report there. And the U.S. Senate takes a giant step towards saving the U.S. economy from a recession, but it's not done yet and the first checks could still be weeks away. We will explain how much the average American might get. Back in just a moment.

[Michael Holmes, Cnn International Anchor:] hospital in the U.K. hit hard by coronavirus as they prepare to face a feared second wave. Welcome everyone. The United States is now closing in on 50,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University, an astonishing and troubling acceleration of death, considering just one month ago, the number was 500. Infections and fatalities are expected to keep rising. New York's governor says new test results suggest the coronavirus could be far more widespread than previously believed. Despite that, other U.S. states like Georgia are starting to fire up their economies, starting in the hours ahead. President Trump says he is not on board with that. Too soon, he says. And a key data model often cited by the White House shows Georgia should wait another two months to start relaxing restrictions. Other governors and mayors facing some tough choices ahead. CNN's Nick Watt begins our coverage.
[Nick Watt, Cnn International Correspondent:] The number of people infected by this rampant virus in New York state, the global hot spot, might actually be a stunning 10 times higher than we thought.
[Dr. Amesh Adalja, Infectious Disease Expert:] It tells us that this virus is much more widespread.
[Watt:] Phase one of an antibody testing program suggests that as many as 2.7 million New Yorkers might have already been infected. But the state's current confirmed case count is just under 270,000.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] Thirteen point nine percent tested positive for having the antibodies. They had the virus. They developed the antibodies. And they are now, quote unquote, "recovered."
[Watt:] New York's death toll of around 19 and a half thousand is almost certainly also too low.
[Cuomo:] That number is going to go up. Those deaths are only hospitalization or nursing home deaths. That does not have what are called at-home deaths.
[Watt:] Now, a higher infection rate could mean this virus is actually less deadly than we thought. It kills fewer of those who get it. And
[Adalja:] We are developing some immunity to this. There are people that have mild illness that don't even know that they're sick. And those individuals may be part of how we move forward, how we start to think about reopening.
[Watt:] But New York is not opening up. Not yet.
[Dr. Richard Besser, Former Acting Director, Cdc:] We need to see how this is playing out in each community and have the ability to test thoroughly and protect citizens before we think about opening up.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute For Allergy And Infectious Disease:] We absolutely need to significantly ramp up. I am not overly confident right now, at all.
[Watt:] Wherever, whenever we open, cases will likely rise.
[Carlos Gimenez, Miami-dade County, Florida Mayor:] We're never going to come up with something which is gives you a zero probability or possibility that you're going to spread the virus. But what we want to do is make sure that you reduce the possibility.
[Watt:] In Miami-Dade, despite a new case count that is not consistently coming down in accordance with those White House reopening guidelines, apparently, they're planning to reopen marinas, golf courses, and parks with twists.
[Gimenez:] You will be able to play tennis. Singles tennis but not doubles tennis. You have to jog in a certain direction. So there are a lot of differences.
[Watt:] And meatpacking plants still seeing outbreaks across the country. Tyson just closed its fourth facility, a beef processing plant in Washington state, to test all employees. This place usually produces enough beef every day to feed four million people. Not anymore. Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
[Holmes:] Well, a few odd or you could say even dangerous moments at Thursday's White House coronavirus briefing. A Department of Homeland Security official who is not a scientist said sunlight, heat and humidity appear to have what he called a powerful effect on coronavirus particles in the air and on surfaces. But that's not where it got dangerous. President Trump urging officials to figure out a way to use UV waves on human beings as a treatment. And that wasn't all. The president also touting the possibility the possibility there was a way to inject the body with a disinfectant to get rid of the virus. Needless to say, real doctors say no, no, no. And CNN medical analyst Dr. Celine Gounder joins me now. She's an infectious diseases specialist and an epidemiologist and host of the "EPIDEMIC" podcast. Thanks for being with us, Doctor. I mean, I wanted to start by talking about this whole UV light idea. But but also the president's comments about it. Let's have a listen to him.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light, and then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that, too? It sounds interesting. And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that? By injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it will be interesting to check that. So that you're going to have to use medical doctors. But it sounds it sounds interesting to me.
[Holmes:] OK. So, quote, "Supposing you brought the light inside the body." Also asking if there's a way to disinfect people via injection. I wanted to get your thoughts on light as some sort of potential therapy, but also the president's comments, which on the face of it do seem they could be interpreted as dangerous. I mean, what are your thoughts?
[Dr. Celine Gounder, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, Michael, I mean, I think it's one thing to talk about treating an N-95 mask with UV light to try to disinfect that over a period of time, you know, say 20 minutes or so. But to do what he's suggesting to the human body, that's, like, very strong radiation that could be cancer causing. That's really quite concerning. And in terms of injecting people or having people drink or however they choose to ingest detergents or other disinfecting products, that can be lethal. And we've already seen some patients or people die from taking hydroxychloroquine that was not formulated as a medication, that was to be used for more industrial kinds of purposes. And so on. And so this is really quite concerning.
[Holmes:] Would it be significant if more people had this than we previously knew? That it was more widespread in the community? What would that what would that tell us?
[Gounder:] Well, one, it might tell us that the case fatality rate, so the proportion of people who are infected with this, the proportion who actually die is much lower than we had feared. Which would be a good thing. But the problem is that we're clearly, even with the numbers that we're seeing, who are having severe disease and dying. No matter how you do the math, there are too many people getting sick and dying.
[Holmes:] Testing, the president keeps saying it's all fine, that there are plenty of tests out there, plenty of testing. I mean, he even said, I think, that some governors have said they don't need testing, which I haven't found one who actually did say that. But how far behind is the U.S. still on testing, compared to where it needs to be? And again, how vital that testing is for a whole raft of reasons, from spread indication to antibody contact tracing and so on.
[Gounder:] Well, it's really impossible to contain something if you're flying blind. So it would be like saying we're going to try to control crime, but you can't take fingerprints. You can't pick up, you know, casings from a shooting site. You can't do, you know, any kind of interviews with people at the crime scene. So how are you supposed to track down criminals in the absence of that kind of information? That's essentially what we're trying to do right now. So, you know, this this is a situation where we really do need the testing in order to identify who has been infected, who currently is infected, who might be at risk for developing disease, because they have been exposed to somebody who's been infected. And so in a sense, it's about knowing where the disease has been and where it's going next.
[Holmes:] I wanted to also ask you about, you know, there seems to be growing evidence of potential lingering effects, even if you do recover. I mean, lung damage, lung function, kidney issues, neurological issues. Are we likely to see impacts of this on the recovered patients for years to come?
[Gounder:] Well, we're still learning a lot about this, but one of the things that we've learned is that this is a virus that can infect the brain. This is a virus that is causing miniature blood clots in the tiny circulation of the lungs and the kidneys, which is part of the reason you see difficulty with breathing and oxygenation. And it's also part of the reason that many patients develop kidney failure as a result of this infection. And there are probably many other consequences that we haven't fully appreciated yet or seen yet.
[Holmes:] I also wanted to get your thoughts on other patients. I mean, are they getting the care they need: cancer patients, heart attacks, strokes? I mean, vital follow-up care for serious conditions? There was an M.D. tweeting today that some people with serious conditions were refusing to go to post-acute care facilities, given concern about contracting COVID.
[Gounder:] Well, those are really the secondary effects of all of this. Because you have a lot of people who've had to defer their care. Partly, it's their own fear about coming into the hospital. For example, pregnant women, we have pregnant women who are delivering at home, because they are so afraid of coming into the hospital and getting infected, getting their baby infected. And then you have people who have been discouraged by doctors, such as myself, saying you know, this is probably something we can wait for now. Maybe it's elective. But you know, even, quote unquote, "elective" surgeries and so on are not they're not completely optional. It's more a question of timing. And the longer people are having to defer those kinds of treatments, the more they are becoming more and more urgent.
[Holmes:] Yes. Good points. Dr. Celine Gounder, thank you so much. Great to have you on.
[Gounder:] My pleasure.
[Holmes:] And do join us next hour for a replay of our special coronavirus global town hall. Alicia Keys will play her new song, dedicated to the everyday heroes on the front lines of this pandemic. That's coming up in the next hour, right here on CNN. Now, Germany has become a textbook example during this pandemic for handling the crisis better than most. Small shops there are now allowed to reopen, but Chancellor Angela Merkel has a warning about moving too fast. She is joining other European leaders who are calling for a gradual easing of restrictions but says the gains her country has made in slowing the spread are fragile and that Germany is on, quote, "the thinnest ice." Take a listen.
[Angela Merkel, German Chancellor:] Nobody likes to hear it, but it's the truth. We are not living in the final phase of the pandemic, but still at the beginning. We will have to live with the virus for a long time.
[Holmes:] Another European leader managing expectations, Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon. She says a full return to normal might not happen until next year. She's looking into how Scotland can come out of lockdown with a new framework. That document says restrictions on outdoor activities may be eased before indoor ones, and that schools might reopen in phases. But public offense and gatherings in pubs and the like are likely to remain banned and restricted, at least, for some time to come. Well, they've endured one of the strictest lockdowns of the pandemic. Now, as Wuhan begins to open, we take a look at how businesses are adjusting and the lessons other countries could learn. Also, a country once praised for its containment measures now seeing a surge in coronavirus cases. We'll find out why when we come back.

[Brunhuber:] The United States is quickly approaching 7 million coronavirus cases. But now an influential model is predicting fewer deaths than originally anticipated. JHU for health metrics and evaluation project says there will be more than 371,000 deaths by January 1st. Now of course that is a massive number but it's 7,000 fewer deaths than the model predicted just a few weeks ago. Here's CNN's Erica Hill with all the days' coronavirus news from the U.S.
[Dr. Stephen Hahn, Commissioner, U.s. Food And Drug Administration:] The science will guide our decisions. FDA will not permit any pressure from anyone to change that.
[Erica Hill, Cnn National Correspondent:] A straightforward pledge as the FDA works to boost confidence in a vaccine, even considering tougher standards for Emergency Use Authorization. The President's reaction?
[Trump:] You made it sound extremely political. Why would they do this when we come back with these great results? And ultimately, the White House has to prove it.
[Hill:] Dr. Fauci noting that's not the traditional route.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Disease:] The scientist in the FDA have put this fourth as what their proposal for the criteria for EUA. Under normal circumstances that decision is theirs, the secretary approves it and that's it. Something that comes from without that is not a scientific consideration would be troublesome.
[Hill:] Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar batting cleanup.
[Alexander Azar, Health And Human Services Secretary:] Politics will play no role whatsoever in the approval of a vaccine. The President's been clear, I've been clear, FDA has been clear, science will drive this. FDA is going to make the call on whether a vaccine is safe and effective.
[Hill:] An antibody test can be administered in a doctor's office just granted Emergency Use Authorization. As new information suggests the virus is becoming more contagious, though not more lethal. The CDC reports more than 20 percent of confirmed cases between June and August were people in their 20s.
[Fauci:] The only way we're going to end this is if everybody pulls together.
[Hill:] Officials in Colorado just banned all gatherings, even outdoors for anyone age 18 to 22 in Boulder. Colorado is among 21 states seeing new cases rise over the past week.
[Dr. Ali Khan, University Of Nebraska Medical Center:] As you look at that map, what you're seeing is an inconvenient truth. Which is that many states allowed schools and colleges to reopen when they had not gotten the disease under control.
[Hill:] Some of the highest spikes in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Better news in Ohio and Indiana.
[Gov. Eric Holcomb  Indiana:] We are moving in the right direction.
[Hill:] Masks still required in the Hoosier state through mid-October but restaurants, bars and nightclubs can open at full capacity this weekend. Meantime, new signs the economic recovery is slowing. Another 870,000 Americans filed for first time unemployment benefits last week.
[Austan Goolsbee, Economics Professor, University Of Chicago Business School:] You've got the K-shaped recovery with some people doing very well and millions of people really struggling. We're going to we're going to live with that for some time.
[Hill:] Tennessee out with a sobering look at the pandemic's impact on children, estimating a 50 percent decrease in reading proficiency, a 65 percent dip in math skills for third graders since schools moved online last March. [on camera]: Here in New York state Governor Cuomo has announced a coronavirus vaccine task force he's putting together. Stating concerns that the federal government's response is too politicized. This on the same day at the head of the FDA, Dr. Steven Hahn, said in an interview that he pledges experts will determine what happens with that vaccine, scientists will follow the data. In New York, I'm Erica Hill, CNN.
[Brunhuber:] All right, let's dig deeper into all of this. We're joined now by Dr. Peter Drobac in Oxford, England. He's an infectious disease and global health expert at the University of Oxford. Doctor, thank you very much for joining us. Let's start where we have to all too often these days even when discussing COVID, and that's with the politics. We heard there the President said the White House can override the FDA's vaccine standards. Confidence in a vaccine already seems very low in this country. What do you make of the further politicization of this both on the possible effect on safety and also on public confidence?
[Dr. Peter Drobac, Disease And Global Health Expert, Oxford University:] Well, it's very dangerous. Throughout this process, of course, we're trying to work with unprecedented speed to develop vaccines but do that without compromising safety. And that's why these big clinical trials are so important. You know, a lot of the problems with vaccines, even those that are effective, can be rare, bad events. And you can really only see that through these large scale trials. The real risk here, of course, as this gets politicized is that if, you know, number one, if we rush a vaccine out, it may only be partially effective. That hurts our ability to study other vaccines. And of course, there could be consequences. The second problem is that while there's already a lot of people for various reasons who might be skeptical of vaccines, this just further undermines trust. And what we really need if we want vaccines to be a tool to help us control this pandemic, of course, is to get a lot of people vaccinated as quickly as possible and it is ready. I think it's important right now, where we are with the political situation. Because we can't really trust the White House on the science, is that the pharmaceutical companies that are developing these vaccines need to stick to their own pledges and not apply for an emergency authorization until the evidence is there of safety and efficacy.
[Brunhuber:] But then what about also perhaps making the vaccine clinical research data publicly available so outside experts can weigh in? Because at this point it seems, you know, the public doesn't know who to trust.
[Drobac:] Yes, that's extremely important. One of the, you know, features of all of the research and scientific effort that's been happening right now is that there's been great sharing of information. Papers are being published before they go through peer review and that's allowing for greater kind of public scrutiny. But there's a downside to that as well and sometimes we, you know, press releases are kind of the leading edge of scientific communication and that's a problem. Most of the companies that are running the large scale trials have published their protocols. So we can already see exactly how they're designing the trial protocols and that's really helpful. Absolutely will be important for those data to be publicly available for scientific scrutiny.
[Brunhuber:] So what do you make of the human challenge vaccine trials in which volunteers are injected with the actual virus? The U.K. seems to be going down that route. The W.H.O. says it's a faster way to test vaccines, the NIH here disagrees. It sounds enormously risky. Is it worth it?
[Drobac:] This is a really tough one. So humans challenge trials have a lot of promise in that because each person who's getting the vaccine is actually being exposed to the virus in a controlled way. You get a lot of events. The problem with the big phase 3 trials is that you have to vaccinate tens of thousands of people partially in order to have enough that people just randomly might get exposed to the virus. And that can really take time, especially when infection rates are not high. So the benefit of human challenge trials is that it gives us a lot of critical information very quickly. The downsides are few from a scientific standpoint because you're only testing young, healthy volunteers. You don't get any information about how the vaccine performs with the elderly, with folks with medical co-morbidities, with children. These are all important populations and vaccines typically don't always act the same in everybody. The other big challenge really is one around ethics. There's so much we don't know about this virus, right? So normally when we do challenge trials for vaccines, we've done this with things like typhoid and cholera in the past, we have an effective rescue treatment. So that if someone does get infected, we can treat them and make sure that they don't get sick. We do not have an effective rescue treatment for this coronavirus yet. The second thing is that we know that a lot of people, including young, healthy people who get infections, suffer from long-term chronic complications. Up to one in ten people. This is a phenomenon we don't understand very well yet. So the problem is we can't give an adequate assessment of risk to those who are volunteering. And to me that's really not an ethical thing to do at this time.
[Brunhuber:] It makes sense, all right, thank you so much. We'll have to leave it there. Dr. Peter Drobac, the University of Oxford, we appreciate you talking to us about this.
[Drobac:] Thank you.
[Brunhuber:] Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM
[Donie O'sullivan, Cnn Reporter:] Do you guys seriously think that Joe Biden is a pedophile?
[Unidentified Female:] Yes, I do. I feel he is. I feel he's part of the game.
[Brunhuber:] We'll explain how social media is allowing the most absurd and slanderous gossip to be peddled as truth in the run up to the U.S. election. Stay with us.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good evening. Last night after President Trump walked out of a White House meeting with Democrats and gave a rambling, angry defensive and misleading press conference in the Rose Garden, I described it as not normal, as in not normal behavior for a president. After what happened today, though, I've got say I think I was wrong, because tonight, we know that by the standards of this president, that kind of behavior is normal, especially now that it's happened for a second straight day. It's normal meaning typical. It occurs with regularity and predictability. It happens over and over again. It doesn't seem like he can help himself. Today, at a press event with farmers and ranchers, the president of the United States, the chief commander in forces, let the moment which after all was supposed to be helping the very people his trade policies are hurting, dissolve into another airing of grievances about himself. Like last time, it was something House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that said him off. The event started with the president making what was supposed to be the headline announcement, except it wasn't exactly true.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] So, today, I'm announcing that I have directed Secretary Perdue to provide $16 billion in assistance to America's farmers and ranchers. It all comes from China.
[Cooper:] Keeping them honest, it doesn't. The money comes from tariffs on Chinese exports which American importers and consumers pay. In any case, he pretty quickly digressed. And with the farmers and ranchers still standing behind him, returned to yesterday's walkout and the woman who had obviously gotten under his skin, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Here is a collection of her remarks from throughout the event as he kept returning to the subject, trying to emphasize that he was very calm yesterday, not upset at all.
[Trump:] I was so calm. You all saw me minutes later. I was at a news conference. I was extremely calm. I was probably even more so in that room. So I walked into the cabinet room. You had the group Cryin'Chuck, Crazy Nancy. I tell you what, I've been watching her, and I have been watching her for a long period of time. She's not the same person. She has lost it. She reminded me of Beto. She actually reminded me of Beto. Maybe a little worse. I was extremely calm, much like I am right now. And it was sad when I watched Nancy all moving the movement and the hands and the craziness. I don't want to say Crazy Nancy, because if I say that, you're going say it's a copy of crazy Bernie, and that's no good, because Bernie is definitely crazy. But I did it because we had this instance at least once before where I was very, very calm on another occasion, and they walked out to the sticks, and they said it was horrible. He was ranting. He was raving. He was pounding the table. The reason I didn't do that is because I didn't want them to say I would do that. But they said it anyway.
[Cooper:] This was an event about farmers, the people standing behind him. Then he went off on the woman who leads a coequal branch of government and the second in line of succession. He suggested is crazy, mocks what he clearly believes are physical disabilities or perhaps signs of aging. He then describes himself like this.
[Trump:] I'm an extremely stable genius, OK.
[Cooper:] OK. Number one, anyone who is an extremely stable genius, whatever that means, would not feel the need to describe themselves as such. I mean, if you're stable, you don't really need to go around announcing it. You're just stable. Nothing breeds confidence and a sense of stability than the leader of the free world insisting he is stable, and not for the first time, I should add. Oh, and if you're a genius, ditto. Geniuses don't go around with license plates they paid extra to say genius. They don't need to because they're smarter than that. Number two, anyone who is an extremely stable genius would not rise to take the bait of his opponents every single time. That's not a counterpuncher, that's a sucker. And number three, if you are extremely stable genius, or even just a stable genius, you would not do what the president then proceeded to do today. He asked his subordinates to publicly proclaim his stable temperament. I imagine it's what a family dinner with Kim Jong-un is like.
[Trump:] Kelly, what was my temperament yesterday? Let me ask you this, Mercedes. You're always a straight talker. You were in that room yesterday.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes, sir.
[Trump:] What was my attitude when I walked in? Larry, you were there. There were many people there, by the way. Many people. We can get you 20 other people to say this. What was my attitude yesterday at the meeting? Hi, Sarah. We're just talking about the meeting. Were you there yesterday? Were you there, Hogan? You know about it.
[Cooper:] Calling on Hogan Gidley. Now, in fairness, the president, political opposition leaders can be pretty irritating, especially when they do what Speaker Pelosi did this morning, clearly pushing his hot buttons.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] But the president, again, stormed out. I think first pound the table, walk out the door. What? Next time, have the TV cameras in there while I have my say. That didn't work for him either. And now this time, another temper tantrum. Again, I pray for the president of the United States. I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country.
[Cooper:] OK. I mean, that's certainly a jab suggesting that the president needs an intervention. But is it any worse than a member of the opposition shouting "you lie" during the State of the Union as one did to President Obama, or one comparing you to a used car salesman, as many did to Richard Nixon? Presidents have been called all sorts of names by all sorts of lawmakers for a very long time on both sides of the aisle, and they've all managed to do their jobs in spite of it. Until it seems now. Late today, Speaker Pelosi took another swipe, tweeting, quote, when the extremely stable genius, end quote, begins acting extremely stable, I'll be able to work with him on infrastructure, trade and other issues. More on all this from CNN's Jim Acosta, who joins us now. All right. Jim, I mean, so the scenes today at the White House, it was bizarre, even though it's come to be normal. To go around the room trying to get your subordinates to back you up, it just was weird.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] It was strange. And if you're trying to demonstrate that Nancy Pelosi is not under your skin, I don't know if the president accomplished that. Obviously, he demonstrated that she has gotten under his skin. I talked to a source close to the White House who advises the president earlier this evening who said maybe she hasn't gotten under his skin, but she has gotten his attention, and that is somebody who is close to the president. And so, they understand I think inside the president's team of advisers and so on that there does appear to be some sparring going on between President Trump and Nancy Pelosi, and perhaps it's not all going in his direction at this point. I will say I talked to a couple of people who were in that room earlier this afternoon, Anderson. They don't want to speak on the record. But they're saying, listen, we feel like we were telling the truth, and we told the president he was being calm during that meeting with Nancy Pelosi. One of these officials said, listen, it was Nancy Pelosi who was shell-shocked that the president called her out in front of her team and in front of other people in the room. And that she is the one who should be explaining for her demeanor during that meeting. But, Anderson, I would tell you, talking to my sources earlier today, there is something else going on here, and I think it's important to note. And that is some of this is tactical. I talked to a source who talks to the president regularly who said that the president is trying to up the rhetoric in this fight with House Democrats in the hope that he'll ramp up the pressure so high that they will essentially put up or shut up on this matter of impeachment. And I think, Anderson, I think that points to a very interesting aspect in all of this. The president does not like being in this in between no no-man's land that Nancy Pelosi has him right now. Remember, there are a lot of House Democrats who want her to go all the way and gore for impeachment. She has stopped short of that and said I like this place where the president is right now, where he is just under perpetual investigation. The president has shown in the last 48 hours she doesn't like being in that place, and he has been demonstrating that over and over again in these outbursts in front of the cameras Anderson.
[Cooper:] Yes, Jim Acosta, thanks very much. Perspective now from "Axe Files" host and former senior Obama adviser David Axelrod. Also, CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger and CNN global affairs analyst Max Boot, author of "The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right." Gloria, President Trump wants America to believe that Nancy Pelosi is not getting under his skin, see not doing a very good job, and in this sense he is completely transparent. He is unable to restrain himself.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] No, he can't. And today was, you know, exhibit A, B and C. This is somebody who is completely reactive. Nancy Pelosi said, you know, I pray I pray for the country and I pray for your family and suggest there should be an intervention, and then at an availability on something totally different, he talks about how she is unstable and how she's losing it. And, you know, Anderson, I went back and looked at the way he talked about Hillary Clinton in 2016, and he used some of that same language against her. He said she was unstable. She's going short circuit, and I don't think she's all there. And that is exactly what he said about Nancy Pelosi today. He said she's lost it and she is disintegrating. So I think he has found a new way to attack her, but, of course, it's an old trick of his.
[Cooper:] David, I mean of all his political antagonists on Capitol Hill, why do you think do you think it's something about Nancy Pelosi that is particularly rattled by? I was talking to Senator Debbie Stabenow last night. She said basically it's because Nancy Pelosi is a smart, strong woman.
[David Axelrod, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, it may be. I don't really pretend to understand what it is, but she's got his number, and she gets under his skin, and she knows that she's getting under his skin. And that is a propitious time for her to have a fight with the president because she is trying to hold her caucus together and slow down the march to impeachment which she thinks is not ripe right now. And the best way to do it is to have these kinds of back-and-forths with the president. He has been totally cooperative. One thing I'd say is you don't look like he calls himself a stable genius. You don't look particularly stable when you march out five of your staffers and, you know, like Captain Queeg and the Caine Mutiny, question him about whether he seemed sane. And you don't seem particularly genius when you call the leaders of Congress together to tell them if they don't stop investigating you, you won't do the people's business. So, you know, she's got him tied up in knots right now.
[Cooper:] Yes. And, Max, it's obviously calculated on Speaker Pelosi's part. He says the president throws tantrums or an intervention thing. She certainly knows how to push his buttons. What is in it for her other than upsetting him? Is it, as David said, that this kind of puts a stopgap on members of her own party, trying to push for impeachment?
[Max Boot, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] I think Speaker Pelosi is masterful in her handling of Donald Trump. Remember, there are a lot of people in the Democratic caucus who thought her day has passed, and clearly that's not the case. Because whether it's on the government shutdown or these investigations, she clearly has his number, and he doesn't know quite how to react. And I think as David suggests, she is trying to walk a fine line between investigating Trump and getting his misdeeds before the American public and not jumping into an impeachment, which could backfire for the Democrats. And I think right now she basically has the trust of her caucus, and for good reason, because she looks like she is pretty strong and stable, and Donald Trump is basically resorting to his old insults, as Gloria pointed out. This actually kind of reminded me of what happened with Hillary, where remember in that debate where Hillary Clinton said that he was a puppet of Russia. And his reply was no puppet, you're the puppet. He is doing the exact same thing where speaker Pelosi says he is having a temper tantrum and he replies oh, no, she is crazy and she is coming unhinged. Pretty clearly he is the one who is coming unhinged.
[Cooper:] Yes. I mean, Gloria, again, the old very stable genius comment, I thought it was a one-off, today was extremely stable genius. It's actually been repeated twice, the president has done this twice. Do his aides, I mean they must know how this sounds. You know, you don't hear Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos saying that about themselves?
[Borger:] One would think that they understand that when he calls himself a very stable genius that it sounds ridiculous. But if you look at that scene today, at this press conference he had as David was talking about, he turns to his staff and it was like dear leader. Why don't you tell everybody how great I am, why don't you tell everybody how I didn't get upset at that meeting with members of Congress? Why don't you tell everyone how smart I am? It was absurd to watch, and we all had to sit there and watch that. So how could any of these people go into the president and say, you know, Mr. President, you really shouldn't call yourself a very stable genius when they are actually doing the same thing in public?
[Cooper:] And, David, it reminded me the same time the cabinet was together. I don't remember if it was the first time the cabinet was together, but they had to go around the table and say how amazing it was to work for him.
[Axelrod:] Yes, Gloria is right. It's all very North Korean, even calling himself an extremely stable genius. Maybe he's just been hanging around with Kim Jong-un too much. But the look is very, very bad, and right now he just looks flustered. And I'm sure they're going to try and figure out a way to pull out of this because it is it is damaging to him. But Pelosi is going to keep pushing those buttons, and my guess is he'll respond in Pavlovian fashion.
[Cooper:] Max Boot, David Axelrod, Gloria Borger, thanks.
[Borger:] Sure.
[Cooper:] We have more ahead including a Democratic senator's take on this and his committee's job looking into possible wrongdoing by the president and his people. Also tonight, more insight into the potential relationship between the president and House speaker. We'll hear from her former top adviser. Plus, my conversation with Howard Stern covering a lot of ground, including his thoughts on one of his regular former guests. When you see him now in the White House as president, what do you see?

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. And, right now, the number of deaths in the United States from coronavirus continues to climb. It is now up to 68,326. At this time a month ago, the death toll was 8,162. And we have some breaking news just in. Two new projections indicate a sharp increase in coronavirus cases and deaths. The leading model from the University of Washington, frequently cited by the White House, has revised its projected death toll from 72,000 deaths in the U.S. in August to nearly double that, 135,000 deaths. President Trump is also now openly estimating that the U.S. could see up to 100,000 people die from coronavirus. That would be more than all of the American lives lost in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined. Plus, a separate internal document obtained by "The New York Times" reveals that the Trump administration is expecting an acceleration in how many people are infected and killed from this virus, predicting up to 3,000 people in the U.S. dying every day by June in a new document from the Centers for Disease Control. And yet, as CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports for us now, President Trump says some states are still not reopening fast enough.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] As states ease restrictions and start to reopen, the administration now privately estimates that the number of daily deaths from coronavirus could sharply increase over the next month. "The New York Times" obtained an internal document that projects the daily death rate would continue to increase to as many as 3,000 per day by early June. The same document also estimates the number of new cases could jump from 25,000 a day to 200,000 by then. The White House didn't deny the document's authenticity, but said it didn't come from the West Wing and the data is not reflective of any modeling done by the task force. The task force hasn't met in person since Friday. President Trump acknowledged in a town hall on FOX News Sunday night that the virus could be much deadlier than he previously imagined.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We're going to lose anywhere from 75,000, 80,000 to 100,000 people. That's a horrible thing. We shouldn't lose one person over this.
[Collins:] That's twice as high as a few weeks ago, when the president said the death toll could be as low as 50,000.
[Trump:] The data suggests that, nationwide, we are the past the peak on new cases. Hopefully, that will continue, and we will continue to make great progress.
[Collins:] Even as he acknowledged that the death toll could now be much higher, Trump said he favored easing restrictions and pushed ahead with his desire to reopen the country.
[Trump:] At some point, we have to open our country.
[Collins:] Trump is also disputing what he knew and when, and says he wasn't briefed in person the coronavirus until late January.
[Trump:] On January 23, I was told that there could be a virus coming in, but it was of no real import. In other words, it wasn't, oh, we have got to do something, we have got to do something.
[Collins:] "The Washington Post" reported last month that there were repeated warnings about the virus in the president's daily briefing document, which the Office of the Director of National Intelligence denied. Sunday night's town hall was held at the Lincoln Memorial. And at one point, Trump asserted he's been treated worse by the media than President Lincoln was.
[Trump:] I am greeted with a hostile press the likes of which no president has ever seen. The closest would be that gentleman right up there.
[Collins:] Now, Jake, a White House spokesman said earlier that those new projections had not been vetted through the interagency process, and they noted that the president's phased guidelines about reopening the country had been endorsed and agreed to by the nation's top health experts, basically indicating that right now they do not plan to change their approach just because of these new numbers about that death toll being revised up, possibly as soon as by the end of the month.
[Tapper:] Kaitlan Collins at the White House, thanks so much. In the coronavirus epicenter, in New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo urge caution today that, while the number of cases and deaths is declining in his state, those declines are not nearly as fast as he had hoped. And there is still a long way to go before New York will begin to reopen. California, on the other hand, is starting to relax some restrictions. Moments ago, the governor there, Gavin Newsom, announced retail stores can start to reopen Friday on a limited basis. CNN's Nick Watt is in Santa Monica, California, for us right now. Nick, how would this plan of Governor Newsom's, how would it work?
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, he is going to lay that out for us on Thursday, he says. I mean, Jake, this is big breaking news. This is from the state that was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic adopters of this stay- home policy. And now Governor Newsom says that 50 5-0 days after he announced that policy, we will start relaxing some of those restrictions. So, retail will be a lot of curbside pickup. He says there will be severe modifications in all of this, but 50 days after he said we got to stay home, he's now saying we can begin to come out.
[Watt:] Today, restaurants can reopen in Nebraska, bars in Montana, offices in Colorado. Yes, some social distancing restrictions remain, but, by the end of this week, more than 40 states will be partially back open for business.
[Andy Slavitt, Former Acting Administrator, Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services:] Well, we have been staying indoors, we have been slowing down the spread. But what we haven't done is gotten rid of the virus.
[Watt:] Parks packed some places over the weekend, authorities had to act. In D.C., crowds gathered for a flyby Saturday.
[Muriel Bowser , Mayor Of Washington, D.c:] This virus has not left the district. In fact, we're where we thought we would be in having peak experiences during the month of May.
[Watt:] And there's a warning as the weather gets warmer.
[Slavitt:] People get together, have big events. And then we really pay the price for May in June.
[Watt:] In 15 of our states, the daily new case count is falling, among them, those Northeast hot spots.
[Gov. Andrew Cuomo:] You see the decline is, again, not as steep as the incline. But reopening is more difficult than the close-down.
[Watt:] But in 20 states, the daily new case count is still rising, among them, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois. New York City now making its own tests. They say 30,000 will be available by Friday.
[Bill De Blasio , Mayor Of New York:] This is a first in our city's history.
[Watt:] In Los Angeles, free testing now for all, but heavy traffic reportedly causing some problems on the sign-up site. The governor of California will now allow some retail to open Friday, with significant modifications. He says certain areas of lower concern can move even faster.
[Gov. Gavin Newsom:] We will afford them that right with conditions and modifications that meet the health needs of the entire state.
[Watt:] Meanwhile, the White House is now focusing on 14 potential vaccines.
[Trump:] We are very confident that we're going to have a vaccine at the end of the year.
[Dr. Ashish Jha, Director, Harvard Global Health Institute:] Miracles can happen. It could come together, but I'm certainly not banking on it.
[Watt:] The makers of that potential therapeutic, remdesivir, say they have had donated 140,000 courses to the federal government.
[Daniel O'day, Ceo, Gilead Sciences:] They will determine, based upon things like ICU beds, where the course of the epidemic is in the United States. They will begin shipping tens of thousands of treatment courses out early this week.
[Watt:] Now listen to this, our weird normal. Today in
[D.c.: Unidentified Female:] Oyez, oyez, oyez, all persons having business before the Honorable the Supreme Court of the United States are admonished to give their attention.
[Watt:] That's the Supreme Court for the first time in history meeting by teleconference. Now, Jake, you mentioned that model from the University of Washington has just nearly doubled its projected death count in the U.S. to 135,000 by August. Now, one of the professor's involved was asked why. He said, well, certain outbreaks in the Midwest have caused concern, but also and this is key, he says that before social distancing restrictions were relaxed, there was increased mobility, and he says that some of those restrictions have been lifted prematurely, and that is why they are upping their estimate of the eventual death count Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Nick Watt in Santa Monica, thank you so much. Coming up: A division of the National Institutes of Health is now looking at coronavirus and our kids. A former CDC disease detective will join me on why children are apparently less likely to be infected. Plus: Want to leave the house? In one country, you will have to text the government a reason why. We're going to go live on the ground with a look at one nation's success story so far. Stay with us.

[Howell:] Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. The bush fires in Australia have been devastating for wildlife. Millions of animals there have been killed and those who have managed to escape are in dire need of medical help.
[Allen:] The numbers are mind-boggling.
[Howell:] Yes.
[Allen:] Millions, that's leaving vets with a grand choice of which animals to save. CNN's Anna Coren has our story from Victoria.
[Anna Coren, Cnn Correspondent:] A mob of eastern gray kangaroos on the gulf coast in Mallacoota, Victoria has always been part of the scenery. But these animals aren't just here for a peek. Their habitat was completely obliterated during the bush fires and the fairways provide the only grass remaining. A young joey moves slowly. It caught the attention of vets Chris Barton and Elaine Ong. This husband and wife team have flown from Melbourne to this coastal town surrounded by national park that remains cut off by the fires. As volunteers that brought desperately needed medical supplies and bags of pellets.
[Chris Barton, Veterinarian, Vets For Compassion:] This little one is not walking well or hopping well. And we are going to dart him and assess what he is going to be like.
[Coren:] They fire a tranquilizer dart and within minutes it takes effect. Inspecting her pause and hind feet, their worst fears are realized.
[Barton:] See this.
[Elaine Ong, Veterinarian, Vets For Compassion:] His back feet are terribly burned. This is a third-degree burn.
[Barton:] And this is all cooked up in heat.
[Ong:] And this is cooked meat.
[Coren:] The decision has been made to euthanize. There is no other alternative. She is among hundreds of kangaroos in more than a dozen koalas that had to be put out of their misery.
[Barton:] I've been a vet for over 40 years and I still don't get used to it. It is wholesale slaughters. It is awful. It still brings tears to my eyes.
[Coren:] As you can see, so much pristine bushland here in Mallacoota has been wiped out by the bush fires. And the concern is for the wildlife that has survived and injured the loss of habitat could mean starvation in the coming weeks.
[Ong:] In a way maybe the ones that died quickly were lucky, the survivors may not be so lucky.
[Coren:] Due to the overwhelming number of injured animals that have found and brought to the makeshift clinic in town, some have been transferred to Melbourne for treatment while others are recovering in local shelters.
[Unidentified Female:] We have to change this every two days. But she is one of the lucky ones.
[Coren:] As is Wilbur, the koala.
[Unidentified Male:] The hillside sanctuary said he is good to go. This happy little fellow too, so.
[Coren:] He was rescued during the fires but now it was time to send him back to the bush.
[Unidentified Male:] H, mate, it's time to go home. He has been in the cage for I think five days now so we are letting him have a little bit of a walk and find his legs before we send him up a tree.
[Coren:] Nearby, a healthy mother and baby is spotted in a stringing bark gum tree.
[Unidentified Male:] And the baby.
[Coren:] A hopeful sign that some of Mallacoota's fauna were spared and can help rebuild this natural and incredibly fragile ecosystem. Anna Coren, CNN, Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia.
[Allen:] Millions of animals have been lost. Lives have been lost. People have lost their homes and people in Australia are angry. Authorities are telling 220,000 people in the state of Victoria to get to a safe location as more hot and dry winds are feeding the fires that have claimed 27 lives.
[Howell:] Now thousands of people are rallying across the country. Let's bring in our own Will Ripley. Will is live from a rally in Sydney. And, Will, first of all, so many people have come together angry at the prime minister. Tell us about what you are seeing.
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, the protesters now move towards from the location we check in with you from earlier town hall. They are now walking through the streets of Sydney. So many people at one point there was a log jam, the streets were completely jacked up. So, while we don't have official numbers here, I would say visually, it's easily in about as possibly tens of thousands. And when you factor in the nine Australians cities that are holding similar large scale protests including Melbourne and Canberra, even the mining town of [Inaudible] people are out protesting right now saying that Australia should be at the forefront of change, that Australia should, you know, release itself on what they call an addiction to fossil fuels with coal being vital to this country's economy. Protesters out here saying that there will no economy with the dead planet. And when you have a nation with, you know, literally hundreds of fires that has been burning, an unprecedented bush fires in Eden, you have also an unprecedented drought, you have millions and millions of animals who have died which Anna Coren just spoke about on her report. It's really coming to ahead here in terms of the public anger and the demand of their government to change and try to make changes before the climate crisis becomes even worse than it already is here.
[Allen:] Is it a thought, Will, that the prime minister will listen and do anything?
[Ripley:] Well, that's the big question. You know, Scott Morrison has been trying to, you know, basically repair the damage obviously from his batch response that he fires. Remember he was on vacation in Hawaii when all of this really intensified and got a lot of scrutiny for that. He has been heckled when he has been out on the ground. People of [Inaudible] they refused to shake his hand. They say he is not giving enough resources to the firefighters and the first responders who were out there trying to, you know, trying to put these fires out and save people who have lost their homes. You know, more than two dozen people have been killed and the danger is not over. The bush fires are expected to continue burning and perhaps even intensify in the coming days.
[Howell:] Seeing their people earlier angry at Sco Mo, the prime minister there. Will Ripley reporting on the protest there.
[Allen:] And for more on how you can help the victims of Australia's bushfire, as you can visit CNN.comimpact. Thank you for watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Natalie Allen.
[Howell:] And I'm George Howell. The news continues after the break.

[Vause:] Well, millions in India are enduring one of the longest heat waves the country has ever seen. CNN's Amara Walker has details.
[Amara Walker, Cnn Correspondent:] Hospitals are feeling the heat in India. In Bihar, dozens of people have died since Saturday from heat-related conditions, with temperatures hovering at 40 degrees Celsius and higher. It's so hot the government has imposed a curfew to prevent people from going outdoors and closed schools until the temperatures drop. Officials say about two-thirds of India has been affected by severe heat this summer in one of the longest heat waves the country has ever experienced. The high temperatures are also adding to the misery in Chennai, where water sources have run dry. Women have to line up in the scorching heat to wait their turn at the pump. "We depend almost completely on this water, as all the nearby reservoirs have gone dry. After 30 people in the line, we get our turn to fill water. There's no water in this entire area. We are suffering a lot without water." Many restaurants and businesses have shut down temporarily, until the monsoon rain come and replenish the water supply. Weather forecasters say those rains have been delayed, so relief from the drought and heat is still at least a week away. Amara Walker, CNN.
[Vause:] Let's go now to CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri with more on the forecast. You know, when you get those temperatures and then just go on day after day after day, and no relief. It's just miserable.
[Pedram Javaheri, Cnn Meteorologists:] It is. And it really shows you, John, what's happening right now. The significance of just a couple of days of delay on millions and millions of people here. Of course, this has been an extended heat wave here, 20-plus consecutive days across Delhi, at least, where temps have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius. And the monsoons about eight days behind schedule when you look at the climatological norm. Why are we seeing the water shortages? Well, we know there's been a decline not only in the rainfall across the wet season, but also in the dry season. We've seen the dry season extend beyond what it typically resides in across, say, the months of September through April on into May. And then you take a look. The ground water depletion rates have also increased as a result. Of course, climate change all plays into this, as well, some ten to 25 millimeters per year of groundwater depletion. And a study actually came out last year, referencing at least 20 cities across India could see their ground water completely disappear within the next year or so, and that does include Haderi and areas around Chennai, as well. It really speaks to what's been happening across this region. But notice the decline. From 1970, the average rainfall in the summer crop season was about 1,050 millimeters. That has dropped below 1,000 millimeters. And then you look at the dry season, the winter season. The rainfall amounts were about 150 millimeters. They've dropped below 100 millimeters in recent years. So all of this really works hand in hand in why we're seeing these shortages. The trough to the south, it should be well here to the north. Without it, we've seen those temperatures remain above 40 to 45 degrees. And of course, you look at the last seven years. Areas in red here, indicative of below-average rainfall. In the monsoon season, notice, only one year have we had a surplus since 2012 across the Indian subcontinent. And of course, the progression, the latter portion of June, we want to see it again well to the north. That would bring much cooler temperatures. That would replenish, of course, the reservoirs across this region. But still, seeing tremendously heat. Areas around Calcutta, John, seeing heat indices approaching 50 degrees yet again, where it should be much, much cooler by this time of year.
[Vause:] Pedram, thank you. Appreciate the update. The devastating impact of a warming planet has been captured in a stunning image of Greenland's melting ice sheet. A photo was taken a few days ago by scientist Steffen Olsen. His sled dogs would normally be running on ice, but that they're knee-deep in wide expanse of light-blue water. Greenland's melt season runs from June to August, but on this one day, June 13, 40 percent of the island's ice sheet experienced melting. Here's Olsen talking to CNN about the image.
[Steffen Olsen, Climatologist:] I was, perhaps like like many others now, a bit overwhelmed by the impressive melting we saw during the day and the situation was somehow getting a little bit out of hand, or we were getting out of our comfort zone, working on the ice. And so, yes, I want to document the situation and to and to likely also had an idea that it would be some kind of a scientific evidence of the situation.
[Vause:] Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Stay tuned now. WORLD SPORT is next. You're watching CNN.

[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] Authorities in the U.S. state of Virginia search for answers after a shooter opens fire, killing 12 people at a city office building. Plus the U.S. president threatens tariffs on Mexico. We'll take a look at the impact of this latest move. Also ahead this hour, a safe haven no more. Syria's Idlib province becomes the latest target in the country's civil war. Live from CNN headquarters, welcome to viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts now.
[Howell:] We are following breaking news out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, where a busy vacation town on the U.S. East Coast is coming to grips with a terrible mass shooting. By the time police arrived and got to the scene, 12 people were already dead. Four others seriously wounded. This happened inside a city building, as workers were preparing to leave for the weekend. Police say a disgruntled long-time city worker entered the building at 4:00 in the afternoon local time and opened fire, armed with a semiautomatic handgun and extended magazines and a silencer. An employee described what happened.
[Zand Bakhtiari, Witness:] I was on the first floor. And my boss had just left. I heard screams in the parking lot. I assumed there was a car accident or something. Then he called his boss, who works right beside me and he told us that there was a gunman and we needed to shelter in place. And we locked our doors and I immediately texted my loved ones and maybe a couple minutes after that, I just heard rapid, rapid gunfire.
[Howell:] That gunman was identified as a 40-year-old engineer in the public utilities department. The police chief said officers engaged in a lengthy gun battle with the suspect and an officer was shot but saved by his bulletproof vest.
[Chief James Cervera, Virginia Beach Police:] I can tell you that it was a long gun battle between those four officers and that suspect. We've recovered a.45 caliber handgun with multiple extended magazines that were empty at the time. The suspect was reloading extended magazines in that handgun, firing at victims throughout the building and at our officers. I want you to know that, during this gun battle, basically the officers stopped this individual from creating more carnage in that building. When the suspect went down due to his injuries, our officers then immediately rendered first aid as they were removing him from the building to the waiting EMS personnel.
[Howell:] Shortly after that, the mayor and the governor both tried to comfort the grieving community.
[Bobby Dyer, Mayor, Virginia Beach:] Once we get over the shock of it, you know, we're going to move forward as a city, as a community. We're going to be there for the families and, you know, don't forget, you know, the people that were victims of this tragic event, you know, they were family members, they were co-workers, they were a vital part of the community of Virginia Beach and they will not be forgotten.
[Ralph Northam, Virginia Governor:] Their families are facing painful loss and grief. They each leave a hole in a family, in their neighborhood, in this community and in our commonwealth. We mourn with their loved ones.
[Howell:] Of the people caught up in this, there were so many stories of people who did their best to survive. Shortly after the gunman was identified, the investigation immediately shifted to the gunman's home. Our Brian Todd was there.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] We're here at the home of shooting suspect DeWayne Craddock. He lived in this attached home over my left shoulder, where the porch is illuminated. The police have been here all night, looking for different clues. This is going to be one of the key components of the investigation as they piece together parts of this investigation. And one of the key parts of that is to try to piece together a motive for the shooting that left at least 12 people dead at that municipal center in Virginia Beach. We know that the suspect, according to police, did come in with two guns
[Todd:] a.45 caliber pistol, semi automatic with extended magazines and a silencer, plus a rifle. So he apparently came in ready to do battle with police and he did do battle, according to police. This was a long, drawn-out gun battle inside that municipal center. He went up to three floors and left victims on each floor and was engaged by police fairly quickly in a long gun battle, where they were able to stop him. One police officer shot and wounded but he was saved apparently, according to police, by his bulletproof vest. Again, a key component of what we don't quite know yet and what police are trying to learn more about is the motive. What set him off? Sources tell CNN that Craddock was a disgruntled employee of the Virginia Beach Public Works Department. But beyond that, at this moment, we don't know a lot and officers are here, FBI agents and others here, processing some evidence. This is going to be one of those key crime scenes where they are going to try to put all that together and hopefully learn more about the specific motive and whether he actually targeted people specifically in that building. Clearly these were coworkers, most of them, who he killed. But was he targeting people specifically in that building? We are told he fired indiscriminately. But again, specific motive and possible specific targets that he might have had, that's going to be pieced together in the hours and days ahead Brian Todd, CNN, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
[Howell:] Brian, thanks. Employees who were caught up in the shooting explained as best they could, the short amount of time this happened which felt like forever.
[Sheila Cook, Witness:] We heard shooting. We heard shooting but we didn't think it was that close, that close, like in proximity of the building. So I just thank God that they were able to alert us in time because, if it had been 10 minutes more, we all would have been outside. So that's what I'm grateful for today.
[Howell:] Joining me now to talk more about this is CNN law enforcement analyst and former Washington, D.C., police chief, Charles Ramsey, joining via Skype. Good to have you, Charles.
[Charles Ramsey, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] It's good to be here.
[Howell:] So a disgruntled worker entering the building and opening fire. We know the attacker used a handgun with a sound suppressor so, unlike other shootings, many people in his path, they didn't hear the sound of gunfire.
[Ramsey:] Yes, that is unusual. You know, a lot of people think that a silencer totally muffles the sound. It doesn't. But it takes a minute to understand that was a handgun going off as opposed to the regular sound of a gunshot. So I imagine it was confusing for people there.
[Howell:] So, look, as a city worker, Charles, this attacker would have obviously had knowledge of the building. Could that have played a factor into how he moved from room to room, especially when police officers closed in on him?
[Ramsey:] There's absolutely no question about that. He was a veteran worker. Been in the building God knows how many times. He had victims on all three floors. So he moved around and he moved around with ease. He had a.45 caliber semiautomatic with extended magazines. I don't think we are sure whether or not a rifle recovered belonged to him or not. But he clearly intended to kill as many people as possible. And because he knew the building, he knew where people would be gathered where you'd have clusters of building. He went in the building. Yes, he didn't waste any time. These things go down fairly quickly and the police response was very quick. And he was still able to kill 12 people. I mean, it is just terrible.
[Howell:] Charles, would that have given him an advantage? Again, when police cornered him and tracked him down, would that give him some advantage?
[Ramsey:] Yes, there's no question about that. I mean, he knows the layout. When you get dispatched to a scene, whether it's a school or a factory or what have you, odds are you have probably not been in that building very often. Now this was a municipal building. Officers probably go in and out of the building. But it doesn't mean they really know the layout that well, especially beyond the first floor. So he would have an advantage, especially since it appears he planned this out to some extent. So he knew what he was doing. There's no question about that. He would have the advantage because he knows his actions. You are trying to figure it out and trying to locate him and trying to neutralize the situation.
[Howell:] You touched on this. As far as weapons, we understand a.45 caliber handgun was used; investigators found a rifle multiple magazines and extended magazines were used. What does this tell you about the gunman going into the situation?
[Ramsey:] Well, he planned on an awful lot of carnage. I mean, the average.45 caliber semiautomatic or at least the one I had carried 14 rounds. With one in the chamber, that gives you 15. With the extended magazine, you can carry 30. It depends on the magazine itself. They come in different sizes. So he had multiple extended magazines. So he had a lot of ammunition. If he had not been taken down when he was, there's no doubt in my mind more people would have either been wounded or killed.
[Howell:] Charles, at this point, the motive is still unclear. It raises the question, were there warning signs? What can businesses, people do to identify risks like this as early as possible?
[Ramsey:] Well, you know, one of the things that will be part of the investigation is to kind of backtrack everything, to find out what it was that made this individual disgruntled to a point to become violent. We have a lot of people disgruntled in the workplace but they necessarily don't go out and kill people. They're going to have to really dig deep. What I would say to people is this. If you have a person who is really being threatening and I don't know if this guy was threatening beforehand or not but certainly don't take it lightly. Report it. Pay attention to that sort of thing. And if it is serious enough, give police a call and at least have it looked at. But I don't know if this was an actionable type of situation or not. Did he behave in a way that would really allow law enforcement to take pro-active steps? We'll find all that out during the course of the investigation.
[Howell:] Charles Ramsey with perspective. Charles, thank you.
[Ramsey:] Thank you.
[Howell:] The U.S. president us promising tariffs with Mexico but it's U.S. consumers who will feel the effects especially, when they go buy cars. Details on that ahead. Plus, another alleged shakeup in North Korea. the U.S. responds to reports that some of Kim Jong-un's top advisers were executed. Why it is so hard to find out all of the details.

[Keilar:] Russia's Vladimir Putin is flexing his muscles with a new show of military might, this time in the Arctic. Brian Todd has been looking into that. Brian, tell us, what is Putin up to?
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Brianna, for the first time, Vladimir Putin has test-fired one of his most dangerous missiles in the Arctic. The Russian President is moving fast to dominate that region, and the U.S. has fallen way behind him there, which analysts say puts America in a very precarious position.
[Todd:] Tonight, Vladimir Putin is staging his own version of war games on ice. In newly released video from his military, the Russian strongman is showing off the first test of one of his key missiles in the Arctic, called the TOR-M2DT. Experts say it could target American aircraft from short range.
[Thomas Karako, Director Of The Missile Defense Project, Center For Strategic And International Studies:] These are clearly designed for Arctic type conditions. It's launched out, popped up in the air, and then, of course, it will ignite after that. But this kind of missile is going to go after aircraft and drones and that sort of thing.
[Todd:] The missile is part of Vladimir Putin's vision of dominating the arctic region. He has deployed long-range rockets there. He's built sprawling military bases in the Arctic and once made a show of visiting one, sweeping in on a military transport, traversing a glacier, and hammering at the ice for no apparent reason. Those bases can house hundreds of troops and warplanes, which operate in temperatures that can dip well below zero.
[Michael Kofman, Senior Research Scientist, Cna:] These are really bases set up in perhaps some of the most inhospitable, if not the most inhospitable places, on earth. They're so cold that, you know, short of living on another planet with no oxygen, this is one of the most dangerous and hazardous areas to operate.
[Todd:] But Russian forces pride themselves on being able to operate in the bitter cold, sometimes even training with reindeer. Putin is aggressively navigating the region, even having a Russian flag planted on the Arctic Ocean floor. Analysts say he's got his sights set on enormous oil and gas reserves there, possibly worth trillions of dollars. And he wants to control new lucrative commercial shipping routes through the Arctic, which have opened up recently because of melting ice.
[James Townsend, Transatlantic Security Program Senior Adjunct Senior Fellow, Center For A New American Security:] If you're able to cut the time of transit by ship by weeks, saving lots of money, going from one side of the globe to the other. Russia is present along much of that route, and they are going to be the toll keepers, in a way.
[Todd:] And experts say the U.S. is way behind Putin in the Arctic. Russia has dozens of ice-breaking ships deployed there, they say, but the U.S. has only two, one of which is unreliable. And they say it's time the U.S. sends more military assets into the region.
[Townsend:] We've got to be sending P-8 maritime patrol aircraft up there and watching. We've got to have our satellites up there watching. We've got to have our allies up there Norway, other NATO allies, Sweden, Finland. We all need to be keeping an eye on what the Russians are doing there and making sure that they're not crossing a line.
[Todd:] Now, while military experts caution that the U.S. cannot really afford to get into an arms race with Vladimir Putin in the Arctic, they do worry about what Putin's military supremacy there could lead to. If there is a military conflict with Russia in the future, this latest missile battery could be part of a longer-range Russian strike force that would have the capability of striking the continental United States from the Arctic region Brianna.
[Keilar:] Brian Todd, thank you so much. And coming up, we have breaking news. Officials say Iran has seized at least one oil tanker in what the U.S. military believes was a planned and coordinated operation. A source says U.S. military aircraft are flying cover for an American commercial vessel there in the gulf.

[Blackwell:] Across the country, early evidence shows that African- Americans are dying from COVID-19 at a much higher rate than the percentage of their population. Not every state has released data, but several states did release their findings and it shows that black people are also dying at a higher rate than any other racial demographic. Let's go to Michigan first. African-Americans make up 14 percent of the state's population, but account for 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths. Louisiana, 32 percent of the state's population is black, but they account for 70 percent of COVID-19 deaths. Now, at a task force briefing this week, President Trump said that he wanted to find out the reason why this is happening in black communities.
[Trump:] Why is it three or four times more so for the black community as opposed to other people. It doesn't make sense and I don't like it. And we're going to have statistics over the next probably two to three days.
[Blackwell:] With us now is Dr. Amani Allen from the University of California and Berkeley School of Public Health; and Dr. Kamara Jones, the former President of the American Public Health Association. Ladies Welcome to both of you. I've been looking forward to this conversation. Dr. Allen, let me start with you, because we hear this type of surprise from the President and other politicians. There's a saying that predates me probably predates all of us, that when white people catch a cold, black people get pneumonia. The disparities in these things, they're not new. When you hear that that revelation, how do you receive that, that this is new to some politicians? DR. AMANI ALLEN, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. Well, it's not new at all. I mean, we have seen this pattern of racial health disparities for quite a long time, and we see it across numerous health outcomes. It does not surprise me, however, that not only politicians, but perhaps the majority of Americans are not aware of the very drastic and very pervasive health disparities that exist with blacks having higher rates of many illnesses. Dr. Jones in your recent Newsweek column, you said that there are three principles that must be enacted for achieving health equity. Let's list them: Valuing all individuals and populations equally; Recognizing and rectifying historical injustices; and providing resources according to me. Now, my plan was to ask you to focus on one because of time, but the truth is, is that they have to work in concert.
[Dr. Camara Jones, Former President, American Public Health Association:] That's right. And these principles are in contrast to how our society is structured today. If I were to put a name on why we're seeing these excess black deaths due to COVID-19, I would say it's due to racism, where racism is a system that structures opportunity and assigns value by race. And as Dr. Allen said, racism has been causing all these excess deaths. Babies dying before their first birthday, mother's dying during pregnancy, all of that. The reason that the country seems to be waking up again as we woke up Katrina or Flint or the Charleston massacre and the like. The reason we're waking up again about the impacts of racism is that these black bodies are piling up so fast that we can't ignore them or normalize this.
[Blackwell:] So one of the things that you support in trying to moderate or decrease the disparity is a lottery system that for hospitals that are overwhelmed that ventilators, the resources, you think that, to be fair, there should be a lottery system. Explain that.
[Jones:] Well, there is the basic thing is, the reason that black folks are even ending up in the hospital more is not that black people are more susceptible. None of us is immune. It's that black people are more exposed, less protected, and we have a higher burden of chronic diseases. So if we get into a hospital situation where there's some kind of local scarcity, because honestly, we shouldn't have scarcity of these resources at all. I'm baffled, first of all, why we haven't wrapped up the Defense Production Act fully and all of that. But even in this country, there we're not having the same level of epidemic all over the place, so we can be moving resources sourcing resources according to need. But if we get into a situation where we do have local scarcity, and there are three patients, and one of them needs a ventilator, it is quite dangerous for people to say, well, maybe we should give the one the ventilator to the one who doesn't have diabetes, or the one who doesn't have heart disease. Because we know as Dr. Allen said, that those that heart disease, diabetes, asthma, all of these things are over concentrated in black communities. So to be really fair, we need to just do something lottery so that a patient or doctor doesn't have to make that this decision on their own, where their implicit bias might not make them value one person more than the other. If we want to value all individuals and populations equally, we have to do it that way.
[Blackwell:] Dr. Allen, let me come to you, because for many of the reasons we have pointed out here that you identify and many people know that there's a degree of medical mistrust in some parts of the black community. Now, the industry may not be able to overcome that in this crisis. But how can it be moderated? How can that be softened moving forward?
[Allen:] Well, I do think that I hadn't thought about a lottery system before. But I do think that that is one strategy for overcoming some of the bias that exists within the healthcare system. And that is going to be imperative for raising the degree of trust among the black community, for institutions like healthcare institutions. We know, for example, that there is significant racial bias within the healthcare system. Blacks, for example, are less likely to receive lifesaving procedures compared to whites. And this is a well-known scientific fact. There are many studies that have shown this. And there's also some recent data suggesting that when black show up to get tested for coronavirus, they're less likely to be referred for those tests compared to other groups. And so I think that there really needs to be a pattern of distributing resources in ways that don't rely on physician decision making, because we know that that implicit bias exists.
[Blackwell:] Dr. Allen, all we have really to combat COVID-19 individually is personal hygiene and social distancing these guidelines. But for a lot of communities, social distancing is not realistic. I mean, if you come home to a community of hundreds of apartments, you live in an urban area. Or your three or four people in a two bedroom, one bathroom where you have a forward facing job, just to say make sure you have some distance or you're caring for an 80-year-old great aunt who lives with you. You know, what, where is the support in communities for these families? I don't hear a lot of legislators of mayors speaking specifically what will you do with or for families who face that reality?
[Allen:] I'm glad you asked that question. I think that's a very important question. I think that what we tend to do in this country is give everyone the same thing. Give everyone we try to give everyone equal resources. However, everyone doesn't start off at the same level. It's not an even playing field. And so there are well, there are 330 million people in the United States. There are just under 500,000 Coronavirus cases. So that means that the number or the percentage of those infected with coronavirus, or at least what we know so far is point 0.15 percent of the United States population. So that means that the majority of the United States population is not affected. So, when we use these population level, kind of give everyone the same thing approaches, we may not be using the most efficient, we may not be making the most efficient use of our resources, and we're definitely not targeting those that are most at risk. So, another strategy and I like Dr. Jones's strategy, and additional strategy would call for more equitable types of interventions. And that may include strategies that we in public health call proportionate universalism, or what John Powell at the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley calls targeted universalism. And that means distributing resources, according to need.
[Blackwell:] Dr. Amani Allen-
[Allen:] -double the rate of coronavirus infections in the black population compared to the white population. That means that we need double the testing centers, maybe that means we need double the healthcare facilities, double the number of health care providers. And I think that that is a strategy that may that really will only be tolerable to U.S. politicians, frankly, and to U.S. society when we acknowledge that inequality has been born through human design.
[Blackwell:] Dr. Amani Allen, Dr. Camara Jones, thank you so much for an insightful conversation. I hope everyone at home learned a lot from it. Thank you both for joining us this morning.
[Allen:] Thank you.
[Jones:] Thank you.
[Blackwell:] Quick break. We'll be back

[Keilar:] The whistleblower complaint detailing President Trump's July conversation with Ukraine's President and the alleged attempt to cover it up by the White House is front and center as Congress, the public and 2020 candidates all weigh in on this nine-page complaint. One big question, where do congressional Republicans stand? GOP Senator Mitt Romney called the transcript troubling. Other Republican senators, many of them say they haven't read it or they had no comment on the whistleblower complaint. Joining me now to discuss, former Congressman and 2020 Republican presidential candidate, Joe Walsh. Joe, thanks for joining us.
[Joe Walsh , Presidential Candidate:] Hi, Brianna. Good to be with you.
[Keilar:] So Congressman, first, I just want to get your reaction to this complaint and the White House now acknowledging that officials did direct this Ukraine call transcript to be filed in a separate, more highly classified system. They're clearly saying it was appropriate, but they are confirming that this was moved. Is that an impeachable offense in your eyes?
[Walsh:] Absolutely. And Brianna, let's just pull ourselves back for a minute because we tend to overanalyze and overcomplicate everything with this President. What have we learned this week? We learned that the President of the United States asked a foreign government to interfere in our 2020 election. That's what the American people found out this week. And Brianna, what's astounding about that, right, the President asking a country to interfere in our 2020 election is that's the very issue that has torn this country apart for the last two or three years Russia interfering in our 2016 election. And we find out this week that this guy in the White House asked another country to interfere in our 2020 election. Brianna, it's impeachable. It's clear that this President and this is a serious thing to say doesn't give a damn about this country. And Brianna, this is a gut check. This is gut check time for Republicans.
[Keilar:] He has certainly said publicly in the abstract prior to all of this coming to light, that this kind of thing was okay, that he would do this kind of thing. Now, we have seen the phone call. We've seen the memo. We've seen the complaint. He doesn't still at this point he is attacking the whistleblower. He doesn't seem to think that there is anything the matter with all of this.
[Walsh:] And again, Brianna, not surprising, because to put it quite simply, we have a President who doesn't have any respect for the rule of law. He doesn't have any respect for truth, and he's got no guardrails. Look, all Donald Trump cares about is Donald Trump. And this phone call, what we learned this week makes it clear, if there's one issue, Brianna that has been eating at this country for the last three years, its foreign interference in our election. And here is the President of the United States just a couple of months ago on this call, it's quite literally like he is giving his middle finger to the American people. I don't care about that. I'm going to ask another government to interfere in our 2020 election. I dare you to come get me. He is giving the country the middle finger and Republicans better understand that.
[Keilar:] Joe, you said there are no guardrails. I think it's pretty stunning to a lot of people because a lot of Americans think there are guardrails. There are laws that government figures, including the President are supposed to operate within, and then you even look at this whistleblower process, where the D.O.J. and William Barr being a part of this complaint in the White House, the President being at the center of this, get brought into this. This almost doesn't even go to Congress. What is this revealing to you about how things maybe need to change because there should be guard rails, shouldn't there?
[Walsh:] Brianna, there should be guard rails and the Attorney General doesn't work for Donald Trump, the Attorney General works for the United States of America. And Brianna, that's interesting. You just raised what is probably the second most disturbing thing we learned this week. Whistleblowers in America should be revered. They should be praised. They should be protected. You had the President of the United States yesterday basically saying the whistleblower is a spy and he should be hung for treason. Look, Brianna, if I'm President, I can tell you what, I believe in transparency. And if a whistleblower has a complaint, a whistleblower should be able to take that complaint directly to Congress. And I would encourage a whistleblower to do this. Donald Trump again acting like some sort of mob boss, he thinks everything is about him and it's not about the country and I'm going to be a broken record, again, Brianna, the republicans have to decide. This is gut check time. Are they going to defend Trump? Or are they going to defend the rule of law?
[Keilar:] But Congressman, what about so many voters who support Donald Trump? I mean, what is not disparaging voters who support Donald Trump at all, but my point being, they have a point of view, they are attracted to his message enough that this other stuff we're talking about doesn't matter enough to influence that support. What does that tell you, especially as you're a candidate what does that tell you about what you need to be listening to from voters and what you need to be providing voters?
[Walsh:] His voters, Brianna, had so much invested in what he was, and I get that because his voters are the same folks who have been listening to me on the radio for the last six years. They're tired of both political parties. They're tired of the political system. So they said, let's put this guy in the White House and he will shake it up and he will drain the swamp. I can tell you, Brianna, that being out there in New Hampshire and Iowa and campaigning, I'm beginning to sense more and more every day his voters are fed up with the drama. They're fed up with waking up every single day and there's another Trump scandal or issue in the news. They're just tired with it. I actually think Briana, his voters are going to move before congressional Republicans will. It'll take some time.
[Keilar:] It might take that for congressional Republicans to move indeed. Former Congressman Joe Walsh, thank you so much.
[Walsh:] Thanks, Brianna.
[Keilar:] Geraldo Rivera says yes, thank you. Geraldo Rivera says he would like to beat up the quote, "rotten snitch whistleblower." This is just one example of how this is playing on the President's favorite channel. We're going to discuss with Michael Smerconish, next. Plus, have White House officials tried covering up this call? Hiding this? Are they legally exposed?

[Whitfield:] Portland, Oregon, is bracing for a potentially violent afternoon as protests by far-right extremist groups are expected to be met by counter-protests organized by the far left extremist group. The city's mayor sent out there message warning residents and visitors.
[Mayor Ted Wheeler, Portland, Oregon:] This is Mayor Ted Wheeler. Thank you for contacting my office. If you are contacting our office regarding the August 17th protests, please note that we've prepared accordingly. If this is an emergency, please dial 911. If this is a related incident but not an emergency, please dial the Portland police non-emergency line at 503-823-3333. We encourage those of you who are visiting downtown Portland during this time to be aware of your surroundings. We've learned that large groups will gather in Waterfront Park at 11:00 a.m. In past demonstrations, various groups have taken to the streets in the core of downtown. We recommend for your safety to move away from these groups, inside a location if possible, as a precaution if you find yourself near demonstrators. Please visit our website and PPB's website for additional details. We are committed to ensuring that all visitors and residents in our city are safe. I've directed the Portland Police Bureau to use appropriate means to ensure a safe environment. Thank you again for calling, and have a safe weekend.
[Whitfield:] Quite the recording coming from the city's mayor. Meantime, President Trump also weighing in and threatening to label Antifa, the anti-fascist group, as, quote, "an organization of terror and saying," and saying, quote, "Hopefully the mayor will be able to properly do his job," end quote. But the president said nothing about the far right extremists also rallying. Portland has been the scene for several violent protests, including one in June where three people were arrested and eight people injured, including a right-wing blogger who was attacked. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler joining me on the phone. So Mr. Mayor, we heard your recording. So you are sending out a big warning to avoid the Portland area because of these potential clashes of these two groups. Describe your concern right now as they gather.
[Mayor Ted Wheeler, Portland, Oregon:] Right now the situation is potentially volatile. We have groups gathering on both sides of the river. We have through the Portland Police Bureau and other law enforcement agencies seized some weapons. But right now, things are pretty calm.
[Whitfield:] So when you say they are on both sides of the river, is it the intention to try to keep these opposing groups geographically separated?
[Wheeler:] Well, operationally, the law enforcement partners engaged in this will certainly do their level best to keep separation as much as possible. But here's the bottom line. We've prepared for this for weeks. We have law enforcement partners at the state, regional, and local level who are all working together. They've trained for this. They've been collaborating and sharing information for a number of weeks. Our community has been unified. Business, government, labor, civil right leaders, others have all come together. And we've said, look, Portland's a great place, it's a beautiful place, but we don't want people to come here to commit acts of violence. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's still early in the day here on the west coast. But I know that our law enforcement partners, they're out there, they're communicating with people, they're talking to people, and they're maintaining an active, visible presence. And that seems so far to be keeping the lid on any potential skirmishes.
[Whitfield:] And so I understand that you've got 1,000 officers, really your entire Portland police force on duty. You've got state patrol there, and then you also referenced national, so you've got FBI there, as well.
[Wheeler:] Correct.
[Whitfield:] This protest or demonstration was initially one that applied for a permit, the permit that was not given by the city, correct? So how did it get to this level that you've got these groups gathering? And is it the case that it was the far left group that applied for the permit, or is it the far right group?
[Wheeler:] No. There have been no permits applied for by any of the participants today. And that was as of last night. I didn't check this morning, but it's my understanding that nobody applied for a permit. Regardless, the name of the game here is to make sure that the police and their associates work hard to maintain the order, make sure people remain safe, make sure that people have the right to assembly and express their opinions. But we're going to make sure that nobody engages in any acts of violence or vandalism. If anybody violates the law, there will be consequences. We're here to enforce the law.
[Whitfield:] And what do you attribute to this kind of turnout, because just looking at the images, this is sizable. It's difficult to determine who represents what from the kind of vantage point view that we're looking at, but dozens if not hundreds of people, and it certainly has precipitated a number of downtown stores to close up shop, as well. How did it get this big?
[Wheeler:] Portland has been a flashpoint particularly for those on the far right, including some who I would characterize as white supremacists or white nationalists, neo-Nazis. They picked Portland because they know that Portland is largely a very progressive city, and they know that if they come here there is going to be a reaction, there's going to be a response. And that's what they're looking for. They're looking for conflict. They're hoping for media coverage. They hope that their message will get carried nationally and potentially globally. And that's part of the reason they picked Portland. But what I'd like the rest of the country to understand is we've actually had very few violent skirmishes in the city. We've had over 200 demonstrations in the last year, and very few of them have led to violence. But we're sending a clear and unified message that if you're coming to Portland to engage in acts of violence, number one, we don't want you here. But if you do come here, our law enforcement partners have the resources, they have the partnership, they have the tools, and they have the will to enforce the law and ensure the public safety.
[Whitfield:] Of course, as we look at images, we see a lot of people, and there's some movement in some corners of the screen. But again, we're not really sure what all of it means. We're trying to do some reporting on that. What about your views on how the president of the United States would weigh in via tweet, his vacationing in New Jersey and he would tweet that he would threaten to label Antifa, anti-fascist group, as an organization of terror, and then would say hopefully the mayor will be able to properly do his job? How do you interpret that?
[Wheeler:] Look, my job today is to be heads down and focused on maintaining the public safety here in Portland, Oregon. I'm focused on what's going on the ground here in my community. I'm not concerning myself with tweets coming out of Washington, D.C. And frankly, it's not helpful. This is a potentially dangerous and volatile situation. And adding to that noise doesn't do anything to support or help the efforts that are going on here in Portland. But I'm not going to concern myself with it. I'm focused on what's going on the ground here operationally in my city. That's my job.
[Whitfield:] Yes. And then how do you keep tabs how are you able to get the best vantage point of how and what kind of activity is unfolding? Because when we just look at all the images, it looks like there are pockets of areas throughout Portland where people are gathering. But it's difficult to discern what the motivation is of any number of these people. How are you going to be able to keep tabs of what's happening, what's being said, what activity is unfolding?
[Wheeler:] Well, I'm not going to get into operational details. But I will tell you that we have a widespread law enforcement presence. We're keeping tabs of the situation across the city. And we're sharing information, and we're being very aggressive in terms of communicating with the public. So we have our bases covered.
[Whitfield:] All right, Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon, good luck. Thank you so much.
[Wheeler:] Thank you, I appreciate it.
[Whitfield:] I want to bring in Sara Sidner, who is monitoring the situation on the ground there in Portland. And Sara, kind of describe what you're seeing. And we're just looking at various vantage points of people gathering, milling around. But like the mayor just said, it's potentially volatile just by the fact that you've got all of these people there. But what's the objective, and what's the fear?
[Sara Sidner, Cnn National Correspondent:] Right. What makes it more volatile is that the person that organized this from the far right group, Proud Boys, was on Twitter, Joe Biggs, saying things like death to Antifa, and talking about get your guns, be ready, make sure you train. And so that is part of what ratcheted this up, because, of course, Antifa being the anti-fascists, they responded and are expected to respond. The whole reason for this whole thing was to try to get the government's attention. The far right wanting Antifa to be called a domestic terrorist organization. And the president chiming in certainly ratchets all of that up here in the city. I want to give you an idea of what the police are doing right now. Just so you know, Portland realized that because this could be a volatile, huge number of people coming, they brought in about 18 other agencies from across the state, including federal agencies, as well. But this is what they're doing right now. So you see the line of police here, a double line of officers who are trying to keep the two groups, or two sides, if you will, separated. You've got folks from the anti-fascist, you have folks from neighborhoods over here, you have people who do not in any way support the president, the more liberal side of folks on this side of the divide. If you look up, and our photographer Jim will sort of show you this is where the folks from the right came. They came over this bridge as the folks from the left were gathering. And then if you just swing the camera around, and we're a little bit far away, but we'll go a little bit closer, you will see lots of people with cameras from both sides. You will also see a large gathering, but not as large as the sort of liberal gathering of folks that are supportive of the right. We've already seen the Proud Boys here. And as I mentioned, Joe Biggs who is one of their one of their leaders, one of the people who helped organize this, had come out and said some things, Twitter took him off Twitter, Facebook suspended him from Facebook. But we also know that this isn't just a left-right violence issue. The president talking about Antifa being violent. It turns out that here in Portland that several of the right-wingers who were here back in May during a skirmish have been arrested and booked on riot charges, including one of the folks that encouraged hundreds of people to show up here. His name is Joey Gibson, and he basically has said, look, we're with Patriot Prayer. We want people to come out. But he is calling for nonviolent approach in this, though that is not what happened back in May when his group, Patriot Prayer, and some anti-fascist groups collided outside of a bar here. So it is interesting to note that while the president only talks about the leftist side, the Antifa side, there is a violent side of the right. And the city has made that clear by arresting some of the folks that were involved in a Mayday melee, if you will. Fred?
[Whitfield:] Right. And then you heard the mayor who described that many people that he identified to be in part the right groups, far right groups, are also white supremacists and extremists to that measure. So now we're also getting some reporting, Sara, that Portland police have seized bear spray, shields, poles from many of the groups that are at these rallies or protests. And I guess this is complicated, too, and so volatile because you've got so many different groups identifying with so many different points of view, some of whom are opposing. And then when you talk about weaponry like this that police say have already been seized, it's not just about fighting words but that this volatility has some potential for violence, as well.
[Sidner:] That's right. There's always a potential for violence. I'm going to turn the camera back around because some of the announcements are being made to tell people to stay off of the streets that have been closed, stay off of the sidewalks that have been closed. And there are certainly folks on this side of the divide that would like to get to the folks on the other side. You're hearing that announcement from Portland police, again, telling people that the sidewalks are closed. And I do want to give you some idea. There is a reason why Portland is chosen time and time again. You heard the mayor talking about 200 protests, most of them have gone off without violence. But violence does happen. And violence has happened back in May, it happened in June with a conservative blogger being attacked. You see people trying to jump over the divide. Some are frustrated residents, others of them are members of the liberal groups and Antifa who would like to come over here and engage the right and tell them to go home. And there's always a fear of violence when the groups come together. But I do want to mention that this is not in a vacuum. There is a history here in Oregon. You know this very well, but this was the only whites-only state to join the union. And because of that, if you look back at the history of white nationalism, there was a sense that they would create a whites-only ethno-state here that they call Pacifica or Cascadia, they have different names for it. That wasn't just Oregon but much of the pacific northwest. That plays a role. That is why many of these groups that track hate groups are very concerned that this will be the largest gathering of far right or white nationalists since Charlottesville in 2017, and you remember what happened there. So the city is aware and cognizant of that, as well. And that is why there are so many police out here. There are not only police that you can see and very well identify as officers, but there are people who are here under cover. There are eyes all over this area where this was scheduled to happen. And so at this point, we have seen no violence. We just heard a lot of chanting, a lot of jeering. We've heard a lot of folks talking about not engaging with one another. But there's certainly an element here that this could turn into something that is far more problematic for the city of Portland and for those who came out here together to try and shout each other down, if you will, Fred.
[Whitfield:] Yes. All right, Sara Sidner, we'll keep checking with you there out of Portland. Thank you so much. And we're going to take a short break right now.

[Jarrett:] The world is watching what's happening in America right now. Grief, anger and violence are sparking protests playing out on live television around the globe. Often even during President Trump's own impeachment U.S. headlines take a back seat to each country's own domestic news. But not right now. CNN's Nic Robertson is live in London with more. Hi, Nic.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Yes, hi, good morning. If you're one of the United States friends right now around the world then you are probably out on the street protesting. If you are one of their enemies, let's say China fits into that category neatly, you're criticizing the United States. You're taking advantage of what's happening on the streets. China, and of course, this is the country that's locked up a million Uighurs in camps in China, is saying that the United States has a racism problem and is using language that you would might normally hear the United States using against China. Saying the United States needs to fulfill its international obligations and end this racism in the United States. So China taking advantage. But you had protests on the streets in countries from New Zealand, and Australia, Greece, the Netherlands, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom. People have been coming out on the streets to protest that black lives matter, to repeat the last words of George Floyd, that I can't breathe. So there's a real connect that people feel there is racism in their communities. Here in the U.K. and Canada, we heard the Canadian Prime Minister speak about that as well. This is also, however, causing concern for leaders. We heard the New Zealand Prime Minister saying, yes, we feel this pain. Yes, I stand with you in your protests, but we must socially distance. Here in the U.K. another six people arrested at protests yesterday.
[Romans:] Yes, it certainly puts the U.S. on tough footing to hold itself up as the bastion of democracy when First Amendment rights are being trampled on here. Nic, thank you so much, good to see you as always. EARLY START continues right now. END

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Happening now: Trump's new threat. The president is warning, Iran will pay a very big price after protesters attack the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. We're learning about growing concerns within the White House that tensions could escalate if the hours ahead. Inappropriate. A moderate Republican senator says both parties are wrong to prejudge the president's impeachment trial. But Susan Collins is signaling she may support a key demand by Democrats, in a potential break from her party's leadership. Overrated. President Trump takes aim at Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats as the year of his impeachment comes to a close. He's ringing in 2020 with a new Twitter rant. And Pelosi's power play. We will show you how the speaker is flexing her muscle as she keeps a tight grip on the articles of impeachment and tries to extend her influence into the Senate. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Wolf Blitzer is off today. I'm Brianna Keilar. This is a SITUATION ROOM special report. Right now, tensions with Iran are on the rise, and American troops are on the move, after protesters attacked the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. Supporters of an Iranian-backed militia tried to storm the embassy compound retaliation for deadly U.S. airstrikes against the militia group. Now President Trump is vowing to hold Iran fully responsible for any deaths or damage, warning in a new tweet that the country will pay a very big price. Also tonight, as the standoff over the president's impeachment trial drags on, a key senator is suggesting a potential crack in GOP unity. Senator Susan Collins revealing she's open to calling witnesses. But when? I will talk with Congressman Gerry Connolly, a Democrat on the Oversight and Foreign Relations committees. And our correspondents and analysts also are standing by. First to CNN White House Correspondent, Boris Sanchez. He is with the president in Florida. And, Boris, Mr. Trump just issued a new threat to Iran over that attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Tell us what's in it.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn White House Correspondent:] That's right, Brianna. President Trump putting the blame squarely on Iran. White House officials telling CNN they're very concerned about what's happening at the embassy in Baghdad. Their belief is that these protesters are actually part of an Iranian- backed militia, and they're concerned that hostilities could escalate tomorrow. President Trump today scrambled to develop a response, but part of his focus remains on impeachment as he launched fresh attacks on Democrats.
[Sanchez:] Tonight, President Trump weighing a large response, blaming Iran for the attempted siege of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, writing quote "Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost or damage incurred at any of our facilities. They will pay a very big price. This is not a warning. It is a threat." The president leaving his golf club after less than an hour this morning to address the erupting situation, protesters scaling walls, forcing the gates, and setting fires inside the heavily guarded compound while diplomats were trapped inside, a backlash against American airstrikes that killed dozens of members of an Iran-backed militia group in Iraq. Both Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Salih, according to a State Department spokesperson, guaranteeing the safety of U.S. personnel inside the embassy. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who golfed with the president Monday, tweeted that he met with Trump and other officials about the raid today, writing that Trump is determined to protect Americans, adding quote "No more Benghazis," a reference to the 2012 attack in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other U.S. nationals. But critics argue Trump's foreign policy has left the U.S. in danger. Senator Chris Murphy scathing on Twitter: "The attack on our embassy in Baghdad is horrifying, but predictable. Trump has rendered America impotent in the Middle East. No one fears us. No one listens to us. America has been reduced to huddling in safe rooms hoping the bad guys will go away. What a disgrace." All this as President Trump continues to hammer Nancy Pelosi on his impeachment, tweeting: "They produced no case, so now she doesn't want to go to the Senate. She's all lies. Most overrated person I know." Trump also claiming: "The Democrats will do anything to avoid a trial in the Senate in order to protect sleepy Joe Biden." And, Brianna, back to the situation with the embassy, President Trump made the Benghazi comparison himself a short time ago on Twitter, writing quote "The anti-Benghazi." White House officials tell us that they are encouraged by talks that they have been having with Iraqi leaders. They say they hope tomorrow will be better than what they saw today, but they are prepared for anything Brianna.
[Keilar:] Boris, thank you so much for that report. And U.S. troops are being mobilized tonight. This is in response to the situation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Let's go now to the Pentagon and CNN's Ryan Browne. Tell us what you're learning about troop deployments, Ryan.
[Ryan Browne, Cnn Pentagon Reporter:] Well, Brianna, the U.S. military has already taken several steps to reinforce its posture in the wake of these this kind of protest that's really largely being led by this militia group that the U.S. military conducted those airstrikes against. Now, the military has already talked about it send about 100 additional Marines from a crisis response unit in Kuwait that have arrived at the embassy, flying in on MV-22 Ospreys. They landed there. They're bolstering the security there. The U.S. military flew two Apaches, attack helicopters, overhead over the embassy, where they released flares as a warning sign of potential military retaliation if these protests get out of hand. But we're learning now that the U.S. is also planning to move additional forces from the United States. Members of the 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to the region, not to Iraq itself, but to nearby countries, to so that they could respond if this situation escalates further. Now, the U.S. has blamed the militia that's participating in these protests for a series of rocket attacks against U.S. military facilities, one of which led to the death of an American contractor and prompted those airstrikes. So the U.S. is very well aware that this group has the ability to conduct attacks on U.S. facilities. So they very much want to be prepared in case the situation deteriorates further.
[Keilar:] All right, Ryan Browne, thank you so much at the Pentagon for us. And now to impeachment. A key Senate Republican is signaling she might break from the GOP leadership on the question of whether to call witnesses at the president's trial. But there could be a caveat here. CNN Congressional Correspondent, Phil Mattingly is joining us. This is a significant remark by Senator Susan Collins of Maine. But you have to look at the details of what she said as well.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Read between the lines for full context.
[Keilar:] That's right.
[Mattingly:] Look, witnesses have obviously been the huge split between where Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is and where Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is at this moment. It's why there's an impasse over what this trial will actually look like. Susan Collins now weighing in directly on the issue. Take a listen to what she told Maine public radio.
[Sen. Susan Collins:] I am open to witnesses. I think it's premature to decide who should be called until we see the evidence that is presented and get the answers to the questions that we senators can submit through the chief justice to both sides. What I don't understand is why the House, having issued subpoenas to Secretary Pompeo, for example, did not seek to enforce those subpoenas in court, and instead rushed to get the articles of impeachment passed before Christmas, and yet have not transmitted them to us in the Senate. So that seems an odd way to operate.
[Mattingly:] Deconstruct that. First, take the final point she made, and I think it's important one, which is that she as she told me before she left for the holidays has problems with how the House Democrats have run this process. So, take that where it's been. She's been there for a time. Obviously, saying she's open to witnesses is a big piece of this. However, she said she's open to witnesses after the initial trial presentations. Where does that line her up? That lines her up directly behind Senate Majority Leader Mitch, who his pitch has been, like what they did in 1999 with the Senate impeachment trial for President Bill Clinton, is to have both sides present their cases, have senators have an opportunity to ask questions to the defense and to the House managers. And then they can decide whether or not there will be witnesses or subpoenas for documents. Obviously, Chuck Schumer has said he wants this all arranged and set up at the very beginning of the trial, not wait until that point. But at least when you listen to Susan Collins, and how she talks about this, she may be willing to vote for witnesses with Democrats later on in the process, but it looks like not right at the start.
[Keilar:] Logistically, there's so much ahead of us, right? When are the House managers picked? When are the articles of impeachment sent over? When do we find out if they're going to have witnesses and at what point? When does the trial begin? Do you have are you getting any sense of these things?
[Mattingly:] No. And I would like them.
[Keilar:] Right. Well, that's good. Neither I have.
[Mattingly:] I would like them. Look, I think the most interesting part of the past two weeks, particularly given all the heat and light on impeachment, and rightfully so it's a historic moment, it's something we have only seen three times in the United States' history is how little has occurred over the course of the last two weeks. Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell have not spoken. The speaker has not spoken to the majority leader in the Senate. Nobody has any idea what Speaker Pelosi's plans are in terms of sending over the articles of impeachment. Here's the expectation right now. We know the House comes back into session on January 7. That's the absolute earliest the House could vote to send the articles of impeachment over. The Senate comes back on the 6th. The expectation, I think, is, you will hear from Senate Majority Leader McConnell when they get back into town, probably on Friday, when he gets back into town, in terms of what the next steps will be. But we don't know when the articles are sent over. And that's kind of the trigger for everything else. In the meantime, my understanding is, Senate Republicans are going to proceed business as usual until those articles come over. So they're not going to be making any special trial preparations. They're not going to be doing anything doing a trial without the articles coming over, which has been the theory that some have tried to push. That's not going to happen. If no articles are coming over, Mitch McConnell is going to act like, well, it's the Senate. It's a new session. Let's get to work. And then we will figure it out when the articles come over. So keep an eye on January 7, when House comes back into town, and, hopefully, we will get some answers. Who knows?
[Keilar:] Right. It would be nice to have some answers. Then we can stop asking the same questions. Phil Mattingly, thank you so much. And joining me now is Congressman Gerry Connolly. He's a Democrat who serves on the Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees. Sir, thank you so much for joining us.
[Rep. Gerry Connolly:] My pleasure, Brianna.
[Keilar:] So, the president right now I want to talk to you about what we're seeing going on in Iraq, where the U.S. Embassy has at least the compound in Baghdad has been attacked. The president is blaming Iran. He tweeted this: "Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost or damage incurred at any of our facilities. They will pay a very big price. This is not a warning. It is a threat." What is your reaction to that tweet?
[Connolly:] Well, this is a president who's made many elaborate threats against foreign leaders or other countries in the past, and has not followed through on them. So, I fear that his credibility with adversaries is very limited. Obviously, there are several things that have to happen here. One is, we have got to secure the compound in Baghdad, make sure all of our personnel are safe and secure. Secondly, we have to hold the Iraq government to account here. They are responsible, as the host government, for the security and safety of American personnel, the diplomatic personnel. And they need to live up to that obligation, which, frankly, they were not doing in the last 24 hours. And then,thirdly, I would call upon the president to reexamine both his rhetoric and his policies with respect to Iran. Much of this friction and violence flows from his very fateful decision to renounce and walk away from our own agreement that was working, the Iran nuclear agreement, thus severing any working relationship we possibly could have with Iran. And Iran now has very little to lose in the relationship. That puts it in a very dangerous position.
[Keilar:] Are Americans at the embassy compound in Iraq safe, in your view?
[Connolly:] I don't know that. It's a big compound. It's about 100 acres. It's one of the largest, if not the largest, diplomatic facilities in the world. It's hard to police and patrol adequately. And that's why we have to rely on security forces in the Iraqi government itself. And, reportedly, a number of those forces stood by while Hezbollah- related Shia crowds stormed or attempt to storm the embassy. That obviously is a very dangerous situation reminiscent of 1979.
[Keilar:] Well, that's exactly the image the moment that these images conjure up, is 1979. And I wonder, with what is supposed to be the ability to entrust security issues to the Iraqis, and the U.S. to a degree still relying on this and telling the Iraqis, look, this needs to be something that you're paying attention to, do you think that the ability to have an effective U.S. military footprint, a U.S. diplomatic footprint in Iraq is still an ability or that that ability is deteriorating? What do you think?
[Connolly:] I think the domestic security situation is very volatile in Iraq right now. It has a very substantial Shia population that's really roused up by the United States decision to undertake retaliatory strikes after the death of an American contractor at the hands of Iranian-supported militias or insurgents. But it is the obligation of the Iraq government. And it's my understanding, reportedly, that the Iraq prime minister gave assurances to President Trump that, in fact, they would fulfill those obligations. Well, they need to do that.
[Keilar:] I want to turn to impeachment now with you. You have heard from Republican Senator Susan Collins, who says she's open to witnesses in the Senate trial. She does say, though, it's premature to choose witnesses before evidence is presented, which puts her in line with the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. What do you think about this? Do you think there's any hope in reading that perhaps she can join Democrats or provide some pressure for there to be witnesses? Or do you just think she's in line with McConnell?
[Connolly:] I think Susan Collins is struggling with her own independence. It's got to be tough to be in her position, with the overwhelming majority of Republican members apparently having made up their minds or not seeking a fair and open process. And so I admire what she said today, which is to strike out a little bit and put a marker down for the possibility of witnesses. Her disclaimer about her disappointment in Democrats not pursuing subpoenas is a little disingenuous, from my point of view, because she knows that to do that would have been years of litigation in the court system. And that's why the Democrats didn't pursue it. And the idea that we rushed to judgment is false. The impeachment process was the culmination of an over-two-year effort by Robert Mueller and, of course, compellingly documented on the Ukrainian issue in terms of what the president did. And as clear as the nose on the face, that was abuse of office.
[Keilar:] She's making the point that, if that's the case, then why weren't the articles of impeachment sent over? And, to that point, we have been trying to get answers to that question. When will they be sent over? Will they go over in January, do you think?
[Connolly:] Well, yes. You know, we're on recess, as is the Senate. And I'm not quite sure the obsession about, well, when will they be said over? But I will say this. I think it's also disingenuous to suggest you went into rush and I was trying to explain we didn't rush. And, secondly, why aren't the articles of impeachment here? Well, that kind of pretends that Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham and other Republicans, your colleagues in the United States Senate, Senator Collins, haven't made outrageous statements about their lack of impartiality in advance of taking an oath to be precisely that, impartial. And I think the Democrats, and certainly Speaker Pelosi, have reason to pause as to, well, what to what body are we handing over these articles of impeachment? Is this a sham trial with a rigged jury? Or is it indeed going to uphold its second oath it's the only time senators take a second oath to be impartial jurors in the impeachment trial process? And I think we're entitled to know the answer to that before we send over the articles of impeachment. And I think the speaker is right to pause to give everybody the opportunity to examine that question.
[Keilar:] It seems like this has been a practice in trying to hold the articles of impeachment to raise questions about or, I should say, raise the issue of impartiality, and hope that it really is something that is absorbed a little more by Americans, that the Democrats' message is absorbed a little more by Americans.
[Connolly:] Yes.
[Keilar:] And maybe there's some pressure that can be put on Mitch McConnell and Republicans. But do you really see that happening? I mean, right now, you have heard what Lisa Murkowski said, but she had criticism for you guys as well, and the same really with Susan Collins.
[Connolly:] Yes, I kind of take some of that criticism as a bit of a disclaimer to give themselves some political protection, because their position is an awfully lonely position in the Republican Caucus in the United States Senate. And so I admire their forthrightness and their willingness to stake out a semi-independent position. I hope they will follow through on it.
[Keilar:] All right, we will watch as well. Congressman Gerry Connolly, thank you so much for joining us, and a happy new year to you.
[Connolly:] My pleasure, and happy New Year.
[Keilar:] All right, just ahead: Will the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq explode in the coming hours? We will break down the White House's concerns and President Trump's threats.

[Cabrera:] We have this just in, a pro-Trump boat parade in Texas goes awry when several boats start to sink. These are images coming in from Lake Travis. Officials say they responded to multiple calls involving boats in distress. No immediate information is available on injuries. But according to a Facebook page about this event, more than 2,600 people had been scheduled to attend the parade. Twenty years ago, a great journalist predicted what would happen in an election by writing one word three times on a white board. And, boy, was he right.
[Tim Russet, Former Nbc Moderator, "meet The Press":] There are still some votes that have not been counted.
[Unidentified:] And there's still votes to be counted because we're at 99.8. Broward and Palm Beach are the uncounted votes. What if this goes the other way?
[Russet:] Well, it's only 3:17. We're here. Cameras are hot.
[Unidentified:] That's entirely possible. Because we've got Tim gets his board out.
[Cabrera:] That was the late Tim Russert saying about the 2000 election what many analysts are saying now: Florida, Florida, Florida. For one thing, no Republican has won the White House without Florida since Calvin Coolidge in 1924. Plus CNN's own Harry Enten says models suggest, if Biden takes Florida, his odds of winning the Electoral College are 95 percent. But it could be a nail-biter. The latest Quinnipiac poll shows a tight race with Biden up by just three points right now, 59 days out from the election. Joining us now is Marc Caputo, senior political reporter for "Politico" in Florida. And, Marc, be our eyes on the ground there in Florida. What are you seeing? What are you hearing from voters about this race and who might have the momentum at this point?
[Marc Caputo, Senior Political Reporter, "politico":] Oh, it really depends on who you talk to. We're really a polarized state. In fact, 2000 was a good intro to this because it was at that point that we really saw how equally divided this state has been. And like the past, what, four, five, top of the ticket races have been decided by about a point or less. In 2018, two or actually three of the races were decided by less than half a point. So it just gives you an idea of how close it is. That Quinnipiac poll you mentioned, Quinnipiac has a tendency of polling Florida pretty well for Democrats. And then Democrats end up losing the state. Quinnipiac's not alone there. I would urge you to talk about the margin of error. Because when you factor that in, it's basically a tie. And the state is probably basically a tie. It will be a tie on Election Day, probably. And it might be a tie after Election Day, who knows.
[Cabrera:] Do you have any idea of how long it could take for us to get results from Florida, then?
[Caputo:] No. That's a good question. One of the advantages that Florida has is this. We have a robust mail-in, or we still call it, or at least I do, absentee ballot program. We have a lot of absentee ballot voters. And the Democrats have really poured it on and converted a lot of their voters to voting-by-mail voters. We have a long 10 to eight-day, depending on what county you live in, in-person early voting period. So all those votes get logged into the system before Election Day. And so we could have 75 percent of the vote passed and actually logged into the system by election supervisors before Election Day. So it's 7:01 p.m. Eastern standard time, you're going to see a lot of votes start to really load in from a lot of the counties. So, Florida could be I won't say decided early but we could have a really great idea of Florida's results by 9:00 p.m., maybe 10:00 p.m. Understand we have two I don't know what just happened to my computer. I don't know if you're still there.
[Cabrera:] We hear you and we see you. You're still with us.
[Caputo:] All right, great. Well, it was one of those moments in live at-home television where my computer suddenly went kind of blue. I can't see you. In Florida, we have two time zones and so some of our polls close at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, the others close at 7:00 p.m. Central. So the official results don't start to pour in until about 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
[Cabrera:] A couple of other dynamics at play right now, obviously. Florida's a state that's been devastated by the coronavirus, more than 640,000 cases.
[Caputo:] Yes.
[Cabrera:] Trump won't mandate masks, neither will his big supporter, Governor Ron DeSantis. How do voters in Florida feel about the way their leaders have handled the pandemic? And how big of an impact does it have on their vote?
[Caputo:] I would assume I don't want to say I don't want to speak for voters and say how much of a how much of a difference it makes in their vote for president or not. But what we know is that Joe Biden, whether it's Florida polls or national polls, is trusted much more on handling coronavirus than the president. But we also know that Governor Ron DeSantis's poll numbers, his approval ratings, really dropped in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, we do have a decline in cases, a decline in hospitalizations from our peak, a decline in deaths from our peak. But you know, for some of us, we've kind of seen this rodeo before, where it looked like there was a peak and then there was a lull and people were like, let's go back outside and everything's great, and then we had problems again. So, it's yet to be seen what's going to occur now that schools are back open. And the governor himself was just encouraging people to play football. In fact, he gave a speech to a high school football team at halftime or before the game saying, hey, look, if you're in Florida, you can play football. If you're in California, you wouldn't be able to play. In Jacksonville, there were a lot of video there's a lot of video footage of folks sitting pretty closely together without masks on. We're going to see if that's going to make a difference or not. But I think the coronavirus question is not settled yet. However, what we do know is the polling tells us it's an advantage for Biden. The economy is more of an advantage for the president. But his advantage there has been shrinking over Biden over the months.
[Cabrera:] OK, so, just goes to show why this race could go either way and there's still more to come between now and then that could change the race dynamics. Marc Caputo, thank you. Let's check in with you periodically as we get closer to the election. I really appreciate your time this weekend.
[Caputo:] Please do. Thanks, and we'll talk to you later.
[Cabrera:] OK. Coming up, an up-close and personal look at life on the trail from the women covering the election of a lifetime.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn Anchor:] That's the whole point. And then the health. Let's be honest, both of these guys are older. Both of these candidates are up in years. And Trump himself has some vulnerabilities when it comes to health, elevated cholesterol levels, issues looking at his heart health, where it could be a lot better. What do you think when you hear him making this argument?
[David Chalian, Cnn Politics Reporter:] Well, the first thing the first thing I hear is, despite what he's saying about his concern about Joe Biden's challenge to his re-election effort, you don't do this about someone that you don't think has a legitimate shot at being a true competitor. I mean, this is it's it's a giveaway. It's a total tell, right? He can say until he's blue in the face that he thinks he could beat Joe Biden easily, but all evidence to the contrary from the president himself, you do this against somebody that you're trying to frame because you see them as a real formidable foe.
[Keilar:] Yes. Thou doth protest too much.
[Chalian:] Exactly.
[Keilar:] That he's saying he isn't worried about him.
[Eliana Johnson, Cnn Political Analyst:] Right. There's clearly project going on from the president talking about things he's worried about himself. We know he's told campaign aides that he's tired. He doesn't want to be dragged across the country to do lots and lots of rallies which is something he said four years ago.
[Johnson:] Right. The president has said this. So when he says Biden is weak, he doesn't have the mental capacity to do this, trump himself is flagging after three years almost as president. But also, when he says Biden is the weakest of these 23, 24 candidates, that is not true. You don't hear the president talking about Marianne Williamson and John Delaney the way he's talking about Joe Biden because he's concerned about Joe Biden. He considers him a real competitor. You don't hear him talking about the other strong contenders, like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg the way he's taking about Biden. Biden is clearly I think the person the president is most concerned about right now because of his strength in the Rust Belt and in some of the Midwest states that President Trump won unexpectedly in 2016, but won for Democrats in the midterm elections.
[Keilar:] We saw, in 2016, this approach by President Trump, which I think you could you could describe as below the belt, labeling candidates, raising questions kind of out of thin air about things when there's no evidence to support what he's saying. But when he says it over and over, it's something that starts to take hold. And you see it in dark spots of the Internet and it bleeds into sort of mainstream areas. With what we're seeing him talk about, David and with Joe Biden having to figure out a strategy to combat this, how how does Biden do that?
[Chalian:] See, I think you raise I think you raise such a fundamental question that all of these Democrats are grappling with right now, which is how do you best effectively counter Donald Trump? What we see from the remarks that Joe Biden's campaign released today he's planning on calling back and saying that he's an existential threat to the country, that he employs childish tactics, that the cashier at Target knows more about the economics in the country than does Joe Biden [sic]. That's an approach that Hillary Clinton tried as well. Maybe Joe Biden will have more success with it. I don't know. But it's one approach. I'm curious to see how other Democrats sort of take their moment against Trump and size them up because it's not entirely clear that Joe Biden's approach will be the best approach. What we saw in 2018 from Democrats that won back the House was to not to enter the Trump vortex too much, to try to avoid talking about Trump, because he's everywhere in a constant presence in voters' minds and, instead hone in on some issues that were really important to voters, health care, and what have you. And is Joe Biden falling into a trap by going so hard after Trump? I don't know the answer to that.
[Keilar:] That's a really good point. Maybe he'll start to change his strategy quickly. That will be the question. If it isn't working, does he change it quickly?
[Johnson:] He's ready to get into the mud and wrestle with the president. It's so interesting because I think you see Nancy Pelosi is taking a different strategy, where's she acts like the president isn't worth her time and attention. He's beneath contempt. She doesn't want to waste her time on impeaching the guy. That's a pretty effective strategy. You saw when Manu Raju was pressing her to talk about Trump, she said, I'm done talking about this. I don't want to talk about him. That's not the approach that Joe Biden is taking. And I think it will be interesting to see if his approach works on the presidential campaign trail. But you saw what happened to Republicans who tried to do that in 2016, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, some of the early candidates who called him a cancer on the Republican Party. Rick Perry and Rand Paul both did that. It's hard to
[Chalian:] in his cabinet. But, yes.
[Johnson:] Well, it's hard to be dirtier than Trump in this kind of back and forth. And so it tends to be a losing game for those who play it. But it will be interesting to see if Biden can beat Trump at that game.
[Keilar:] Can you out-Trump Trump?
[Johnson:] Right.
[Keilar:] It's a very good question. And Trump did go after the House speaker. He went after Nancy Pelosi. Let's listen to that.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Pelosi attacked me. She was here and she made a horrible statement that I'm sure she wishes she didn't make. She made a horrible statement while I was with the queen of England, while I was with while I was with the president of France. And you're not supposed to do that, OK. But the ones that committed the crimes are the Democrats and others.
[Keilar:] All right, Manu. Manu Raju, just to lay out the double standard for an important fact-check. We saw the president before the graves in Normandy attacking the House speaker during an interview. So certainly, this is some advice that he's giving the House speaker that he's not taken himself. But what did you think about what he said?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes, that's right. He launched that broadside on national television sitting at the American cemetery in Normandy during a very solemn occasion, the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Nancy Pelosi, when she was overseas, she side-stepped questions about the president. The comments about her saying that she would rather see the president in prison rather than being impeached, those were made in a private meeting on Capitol Hill with leadership staff and first reported by "Politico." That's how it got out there. But today, when I had a chance to directly ask her about that, the first time that we've had to directly ask her about those reported comments, she made very clear she did not want to say that publicly. She sidestepped the comment.
[Raju:] You actually say that the president, you would rare see them in prison.
[Rep. Nancy Pelosi , Speaker Of The House:] When we have conversations in our caucus, they stay in our caucus. Do people think there's impeachable offenses that the president committed? Yes. How serious are they, are they criminal? Many people think they are.
[Raju:] Do you think they are.
[Pelosi:] That's not the purpose I'm here to talk about
[Raju:] And we will get into that, I'm not saying that.
[Pelosi:] I'm not going to that place of what happens within our caucus.
[Raju:] So she didn't want to talk about whether the president committed crimes, whether or not she believes that the president is in jail. And she pushed back at the notion of opening up an impeachment inquiry saying that, instead, there's a current round of investigations and fight things in court. That's the best way to go forward. She did say every time the president attacks her she said, quote, "my stock goes up every time he attacks me." And called him the diverter in chief trying to distract from the issues. And as you heard from the president, that set him off again and attacked Pelosi for those comments, saying she's, quote, "a mess." So he is still ready to go after Pelosi even as she tries to sidestep a lot of criticism, keep it behind closed doors and tamp down talk of impeachment.
[Keilar:] Trying to some project unity. Manu Raju, on Capitol Hill, thank you so much. It's really interesting to listen to that interview of Manu's, having watched the president on the South Lawn. He's criticizing Nancy Pelosi about her behind-closed-doors comments to the committee chairmen who are in charge of these investigations of President Trump on the Hill where she would rather see the president in prison than impeached. She's dealing with these competing pressures, for sure, within her caucus. What did you make of it, Eliana, that she did not want to talk about it, and President Trump said, I think she regrets it, is essentially what he said, that I bet she wishes she hadn't said that.
[Johnson:] It seems to me that Pelosi, she's walking a difficult line trying to fend off the left wing of her connection but also let them know that she sympathizes with their feelings. And I don't think it's an accident that that comment that Pelosi made to her chairman leaked publicly. But she also wanted to be able to say she didn't make this comment publicly, she made it behind closed doors and didn't want to expound on it to the news media and otherwise. And that's what you saw her hiding behind, because the president was oversees when she made the comment. The president, then overseas, criticized her publicly and she was able to say what he did was really inappropriate. She sort of got caught off guard and I think she was able to protect herself by saying, what I say to my members is private and that's that.
[Keilar:] Let's take a quick break. So much going on today as we saw President Trump speaking for many minutes, about 20 minutes, on the South Lawn. We'll be back in just a moment.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] It's not the latest. It's not the first. It's not even the worse. But as always, it demands our best. Will America rise? Thank you for watching. CNN Tonight with D. Lemon right now.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] I hope so, Chris. I hope so. That was very optimistic. You said what we have to do. But will we do it is the question that you asked. I really, really hope so, and it's hard for me to feel that way in this moment after witnessing all of these over and over and over again and just the hate that we're witnessing.
[Cuomo:] There is so much hate in the world right now. Now, older, wiser people will say it's always been that way. What changes is the will to deal with it. It goes back and forth. Muslims were made into monsters after 911. That happened with both parties. We went to war. We went to war in the wrong places, people could argue. Now there has to be an adjustment. The Obama administration cut funding to look at these white extremists also. So, that's about what's perceived as a threat. It's time to adjust. This president complicates that because he has cottoned to it.
[Lemon:] But that was
[Cuomo:] He has given comfort to these people.
[Lemon:] But when you say the Obama administration, yes, maybe factually. But that was because of political pressure from the right. That wasn't because Democrats were telling him to cut funding for that. It was because conservatives were upset, and he got
[Cuomo:] Well, be slow on that. Conservatives were upset, but Democrats also were on, you know, pun intended, they were on their own jihad against Muslim extremism, right? And then you had that weird moment where they didn't want to say Islamic extremism anymore, you know. So, there was a swing towards being reasonable about it, but that swing never led us back to focusing on the main problem at home. We never got that far. We've still put so much resources into dealing with what we should. I mean, you know, Islamist extremism is a real problem around the world and it very could manifest itself here. We know that all too painfully. So there has to be an adjustment in resources and in perspective. Resources is the easy part. Perspective is the hard part, especially with this president because he thinks acknowledging this problem is bad for him.
[Lemon:] So, listen, I'm not saying that it's never let's hope it doesn't happen here, what you said. But so far, the facts are it is a shiny object here.
[Cuomo:] Right now.
[Lemon:] And it has been. 911, that was an outlier, right?
[Cuomo:] Sure.
[Lemon:] But it is a shiny object here, and we forget about all the other terror plots and activities that have taken place, and we only look at the ones that have to do with Islam and Muslims. And as you say I'm going to steal your word the brown menace. You want to demonize the brown menace.
[Cuomo:] He did it just today.
[Lemon:] Yes. And if you and if in your closing argument, if we as Americans want to live up to what you said, we have to stop demonizing the brown menace, and we have to get to the reality about what is the actual facts and truth about what constitutes terrorism or who's responsible for most of the terrorism in this country. And until we do that, never going to happen. It's not going to happen, as they say.
[Cuomo:] Look, and even if you want to deal with it on the level of, well, I'm just somehow psychologically more comfortable being afraid of a threat that doesn't look like me
[Lemon:] Right.
[Cuomo:] People need to know; white extremists hate all of us
[Lemon:] Right.
[Cuomo:] because either you're in one of the categories like me and D. Lemon, or you're sympathetic to those categories in their mind. So really there's only a thin slice that's going to make it. And, look, we were both of us were just on the list of a guy who is exactly like this, who thought it was a good idea to kill a bunch of us. You didn't see the president jumping up and down on that. I mean how sick are we right now? We've got to be better than this. And right now, it's not just about us and politics and media and left and right and all that B.S. The world needs us at our best right now. Somebody has got to stand up to this and say, this is not who we are. This is not how we'll be. It's not us versus them. It's we. It's got to be us.
[Lemon:] Well, I'm here for it. I know you are. We'll keep working at it, and I'll try to take some of your optimism. I used to be a glass half full kind of guy. Now I'm half empty.
[Cuomo:] There's no future in division, Don.
[Lemon:] I know.
[Cuomo:] Only bad stuff happens.
[Lemon:] Yes. Have a great weekend, my friend.
[Cuomo:] You too, brother.
[Lemon:] See you. This is CNN Tonight. I'm Don Lemon. We have got to talk about the rise of white supremacy. So, sit back and please listen. Just listen, OK? I'm going to lay it all out for you right now. We've got to talk about how it's killing people around the world. We know the latest innocent victims, 49 Muslim worshippers who were shot to death in attacks on two mosques in New Zealand. Yet today, the president of the United States, who had just gotten off the phone with the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, offering his condolences to the people of New Zealand after what can only be called a brutal terror attack, the president said this.
[Unidentified Male:] Do you see that a white nationalism and a rising threat around the world?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I don't really. I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess.
[Lemon:] He doesn't see it as a rising threat. Even though that's what the facts show. Just hours after the murders of 49 people. Just hours after the alleged shooter, an avowed white nationalist, posted a so- called manifesto online. Eighty-seven pages filled with anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, calling immigrants invaders. Pay close attention to that word. That's the same language the president of the United States used today. But the president doesn't see white supremacy as a rising threat. Well, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, certainly does.
[Unidentified Male:] [Inaudible] Do you agree with him?
[Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister Of New Zeland:] No.
[Lemon:] But President Trump has a long history of minimizing the actions of white supremacists and other members of the far-right. Nobody has forgotten. Nobody has forgotten what he said after that deadly white supremacist riot in Charlottesville.
[Trump:] You also had people that were very fine people on both sides. You had people in that group excuse me. Excuse me. I saw the same pictures as you did.
[Lemon:] And then there's what he said about former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke.
[Trump:] Well, just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke, OK? I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don't know. I mean I don't know. Did he endorse me or what's going on, because, you know, I know nothing about David Duke. I know nothing about white supremacists. And so, you're asking me a question that I'm supposed to be talking about people that I know nothing about. I have to look at the group. I mean I don't know what group you're talking about. You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I have to look. If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them, and certainly I would disavow if I thought there was something wrong. Honestly, I don't know David Duke. I don't believe I've ever met him. I'm pretty sure I didn't meet him, and I just don't know anything about him.
[Lemon:] Homina, homina, homina. Don't forget this tweet. After mail bombs were sent to people he views as his political enemies, including CNN. Quote, "Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and now this bomb stuff happens and then the momentum greatly slows. News not talking politics. Very unfortunate." What is going on here? Very unfortunate what's going on. He doesn't want to talk about it. The president does not want to talk about it. The fact is far-right terrorists are increasingly dangerous, increasingly dangerous. How many times do we have to sound the alarm about this? We talked about it months ago on this show. A lot of people had a real problem with that. Well, here we are again. Some facts for you. According to the Anti- Defamation League, domestic extremists of all kinds killed at least 427 people in the U.S. between 2009 and 2018. Right-wing extremists were responsible for 73 percent, 73.3 percent of those deaths. Left- wing extremists were responsible for 3.2 percent, 3.2 percent. The nonpartisan think tank New America also has a breakdown of the deadly attacks in the U.S. by ideology. This is post-911 up to 2017. The Charlottesville attack, 68 people were by far 68, I should say, were by far-right groups and eight by left-wing groups or black separatists. That means using their analysis for every eight deadly attacks carried out by right-wing extremists, there was one attack carried out by left-wing extremists. White nationalists are increasingly the face of terrorism. Hold on. Just let me read this. One more fact for you. This is from the ADL. According to the ADL the extremist related murders in 2018 were overwhelmingly linked to right-wing extremists. Every one of the perpetrators had ties to at least one right-wing extremist movement. Every single one in 2018. Every one of them. Christopher Paul Hasson, a self-proclaimed white nationalist and coast guard lieutenant arrested last month after the FBI uncovered his plans for a widespread attack on officials and TV anchors, including me. Cesar Sayoc, whose former boss said he called himself a white supremacist and who is expected to plead guilty next week to charges to sending 16 mail bombs to targets including where I work, CNN. Robert Bowers, charged with shooting and killing 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in October, who posted on a social network that's a haven for white nationalists and neo-Nazis about so-called invaders, people who are refugees seeking a better life in this country. There's that word again, invader. A word that turns up over and over and over again in white nationalist propaganda although a better word for it is lies. The suspect in the New Zealand attack repeatedly called immigrants invaders in his so-called manifesto. Words matter. So it matters that the president used the word himself today, the day after the New Zealand terror attack. You know someone wrote that, right? When he was talking about his manufactured crisis at the border. Watch this.
[Trump:] People hate the word invasion, but that's what it is.
[Lemon:] Words matter. It matters what this president has said about Muslims. Listen to this. It's from a town hall during the campaign.
[Unidentified Male:] We have a problem in this country. It's called Muslims. We know our current president is one.
[Trump:] Right.
[Unidentified Male:] You know he's not even an American.
[Trump:] We need this question.
[Unidentified Male:] But anyway, we have training camps growing where they want to kill us. That's my question. When can we get rid of them?
[Trump:] We're going to be looking at a lot of different things. And you know, a lot of people are saying that, and a lot of people are saying that bad things are happening out there. We're going to be looking at that and plenty of other things.
[Lemon:] No. There was no John McCain moment in there. No, he's not a Muslim. And what if he was Muslim? But there's no, no, he's not a Muslim. There is no denouncing the ignorance of what that guy said. What that guy said was a lie. It was ignorance. The president didn't announce it. He just doubled down on it. Well, we're going to be doing a lot of things. There's more.
[Trump:] I think Islam hates us. There's something there's something there. There's a tremendous hatred there. There's a tremendous hatred. I don't notice Swedish people knocking down the World Trade Center. There's a Muslim problem in the world. By the way, you know it, and I know it. Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
[Lemon:] Is it any surprise that the alleged shooter in New Zealand wrote this about Donald Trump in his so-called manifesto? He asks himself, are you a supporter? And he answers himself. As a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose, sure. His own words. Words matter. It matters when President Trump downplays the real emergency of global white supremacist terrorism. It matters when he ignores the real emergency of climate change even as students around the world took to the streets today to demand action. But this president focused on a manufactured emergency at the border instead of the real emergencies that threaten all of you, all of us. Think about that. And think about this. What is behind the rise of white nationalism, and can we find radicals before they attack? That's the big question for Wajahat Ali and Phil Mudd, next.

[King:] Strong new, very strong news for U.S. economy this morning. The November jobs report showing a very robust labor market. New hiring last month that surpassed most economists' expectations. Investors clearly loving it, you see the DOW right there up 330 points investors cheering the good news. It's also welcome news for the President as he argues the economy is strong enough to withstand trade tensions and as he gears up, of course, for the 2020 campaign. The numbers first from CNN's Christine Romans.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] John, strengthen labor market catching some economists by surprise. 266,000 net new jobs in November that blows away expectations. And the prior two months were also revised higher, what this tells us is companies were a little more confident than many economists had thought in the fall and in fact continued to higher at a pretty brisk pace. That brought the unemployment rate back down to 3.5 percent, still the lowest in 50 years. 3.5 percent is nearing really full employment in this country. It should mean that anyone who wants a job has a job, and companies are really looking for workers. Where are the sectors? Where is the hiring? Health care, again a very strong part of the economy 45,000 jobs there, John 414,000 jobs over the past year. Make no mistake, health care is a really important job driver in this country right now. Professional tax services and manufacturing look at that big manufacturing number. What's that all about? GM and Auto production after the GM strike ended, a lot of those workers went back. 41,000 of those jobs on the very far right of your screen are GM workers so manufacturing bouncing back because of the end of the GM strike. John?
[King:] Thanks to Christine Romans. Damien Polato [Ph] with "The Washington Post" joins our conversation. It's a wow report if you look at it in the sense that even a lot of accounts have been worried. Trade tensions with China, the uncertainty about the U.S.-Mexico- Canada trade agreement, the global slowdown. Yet the U.S. economy-
[Unidentified Male:] Absolutely, I mean, it's amazing that a few months ago, a lot of people thought a recession was likely in the middle of the 2020 campaign, and now the labor markets really plowing ahead the consumer spending is really strong, the stock market have been really high. And a lot those things seem to be moving in the right direction for the President. He is really trying to set this counter narrative right? With the impeachment going on over here, he is trying to say look at the economy that I've delivered for everybody, you need to support me in 2020. As far as that and as far as today goes, it was a really good day for him.
[King:] In the sense of that, as we go into the campaign, I mean, what is the Democratic argument? I saw Governor Patrick on earlier saying well a lot of people are still working lower wage jobs, minimum wage jobs. A lot of families were stressed and have to work two or three jobs. But when you're the President of the United States, you can say 3.5 percent unemployment. The economy adding 200,000-plus jobs on average now, it's hard.
[Phillip:] It is hard, but I do think this is the rationale for the populace Democrats and progressives in the race. The Bernie's they're talking about things like college affordability, and about universal health care in part because even while people might have jobs, do they feel like they could afford things that you might have previously associated with the middle class. Is that a sense of a hammer hanging over your head something making you sick the next day, holding you back from feeling like the economy is doing really well for you. I think people acknowledge largely these numbers as you see them on paper, but there is some real anxieties in middle and lower class America that some of these Democratic candidates are trying to speak to. And the report in "The Washington Post" about the Trump campaign, trying to come up with some kind of student loan plan also speaks to the fact that they know that this is a really transient issue for voters. The voters are employed but can they go to college? Are they burdened by student debt? Do they feel like they can afford to have their kids go to college? I don't think this issue is going away any time soon.
[King:] It will be a fight, but if you're an incumbent President regardless of party you love the fact that you are 50 year low in unemployment the job created we'll see if it continues. There are some stresses, if you look at some swing states and you look at manufacturing jobs in some of those swing states, it has been a tough year for manufacturing. If you look at Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, manufacturing jobs down in those places, are all key to the President's 2016 map and his 2020 reelection plans. The President has some big decisions to make in the middle of these trade negotiations with China. This was his take just yesterday.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We'll have to see, but right now we're moving along. We're not discussing that, but we're having major discussions. On December 15th, something could happen, but we're not discussing that yet. We're having very good discussions with China, however.
[King:] Very muted in his language there. Sometimes he gets more spicy when talking trade, he gets more confrontational. But it is a big decision. His argument has been, and on the trade issue he's been the most consistent even more consistent than immigration. His argument has been, yes, it hurts farmers, yes, it hurts ranchers, yes, it hurts some of my voters, but we have to do this, stand up to China. The economy is strong enough to get through it. Today's report would suggest, on that point at least he's right.

[Gorani:] The U.S. President is making good on his threats to punish Iran's economy. His administration is hoping new sanctions announced a few hours ago will deal a billion dollar blow to Tehran. But that's not stopping Iran's military leaders from seeking further revenge for General Qassem Soleimani's death. Brian Todd explains.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] A top commander in Iran's notorious, Revolutionary Guards, vowing Iran will exact, quote, harsher revenge on the United States following the missile attacks on American positions in Iraq. Another Iranian general saying Iran's covert war against America is nowhere near over.
[Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps:] This, indeed, was the beginning of the big operation, an action that, God willing, will continue.
[Todd:] America's top military commander has sounded the alarm himself, warning of further retribution for the killing of Iranian General, Qasem Soleimani.
[Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff:] I and those of us in uniform and those in theater fully expect Shia militia groups to conduct terrorist operations against U.S. forces and coalition forces in Iraq and perhaps even elsewhere.
[Todd:] From the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, similar warnings about the capabilities of Iran and its lethal proxy forces, like Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based organization designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and several other Western nations.
[Matthew Levitt, Washington Institute For Near East Policy:] Hezbollah has operatives in both in the United States and in Canada, and South America, as well. And they have the capability to do surveillance, and they have the capability to carry out attacks.
[Todd:] In a new bulletin, FBI and Homeland Security officials say there's no specific threat at the moment, but that operatives accused of working for Iran and Hezbollah have been arrested in recent years inside the U.S. conducting surveillance of military and law enforcement facilities, critical infrastructure, public landmarks, and Jewish centers. Hezbollah has been supported financially and logistically by Iran and specifically by Qasem Soleimani for decades. But analysts say the group also operates like a mafia family.
[Levitt:] Hezbollah also has a much larger logistical, financial, criminal network around the world, including in the United States. The majority of their operatives here will be involved in credit card fraud, in mortgage fraud, in all kinds of different criminal schemes to raise funds.
[Todd:] And Hezbollah is adept at revenge attacks. After the killing of one of its top commanders, it was believed to have bombed Israel's embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, killing nearly 30 people. An attack two years later at a Jewish community center in the same city killed 85 people. And U.S. officials accused Hezbollah of acting on behalf of Iran in the 1983 truck bombing of the U.S. Marine compound in Beirut, killing 241 American service members. Iran denied involvement, but terrorism experts say the attack benefited the regime in Tehran.
[Paul Bergen, Author, "trump And His Generals":] We, the United States, did not really respond to that, other than just a withdrawal from Lebanon. So it was a huge success as far as Iran and Hezbollah was concerned, they got us out.
[Todd:] Experts point out that Iran and its proxies are not invisible in carrying out plots against the U.S. In fact, some of their more recent operations on U.S. soil have either been foiled or simply failed. And the chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff says that with Qassem Soleimani no longer around, some of the training, the weapons and other support for those proxies could be compromised, but experts say those groups still have plenty of capability and certainly now the motive to hit the U.S. somehow. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[Gorani:] It has been a wild roll rollercoaster of a week, to say the least. And it's not over yet. Let's talk it over with Hassan Hassan. He's the director of the Non-State Actors Program at the Center for Global Policy, and he joins me live from Washington. So, Hassan, as we are it's Friday. So it's the end of the workweek, anyway, in the western world. What should we make of what just happened in the last few days? Who's come out as perhaps on top? The U.S., Iran, any other non-state actor? How do you see things?
[Hassan Hassan, Director Of The Non-state Actors Program At The Center For Global Policy:] Well, I think there's no doubt that the U.S. has come on the top, and over the past week. You have to remember this is a, you know, part of a long series of back and forth between the United States and Iran. If you remember over the past six, seven months, Iran conducted a few attacks that had no response from the United States, and this is really kind of establishing a new turn. And I think despite what happened over the past few one week of like alarmism of Iran's supposed retaliation inside Iraq, I think moving forward, Iran has got the message that the U.S. is serious about rolling back and kind of having a new policy towards Tehran, at least under Trump.
[Gorani:] But then ultimately, Iraq is going to ask U.S. forces to leave. The sphere of influence of Iran hasn't changed as a result of this, has it?
[Hassan:] Yes, absolutely. This is the most important if it happens, I think it would be the heaviest blow to the U.S. policy if the U.S. is driven out of Iraq. I don't think that's going to happen realistically, looking on what's at stake for the United States and for the even for the Europeans. The United States will, as we saw in Syria a few months ago, and Trump said we're going to leave and then the dynamics really kind of forced him to change his mind. The same will play out in Iraq. I think the tone today from the Department of State is that we're not going to leave Iraq. And if we are forced out of Iraq, Iraq will pay a heavy price in terms of economic, military, and security support for the United States. So they really were saying this is part of a package deal. If we leave, Iraq will suffer. And I think that the Iraqis will get the message.
[Gorani:] But you sound like you're saying that Donald Trump played his cards right here.
[Hassan:] I do think so. I think I think two things happened. One is that the U.S. hands were forced to take the action. Remember, the events just before the killing of Soleimani, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was being stormed by the Iranian proxies but also by under the orders of Qassem Soleimani. A few days before that, the U.S. civilian contractor was killed under the orders of Qassem Soleimani. So a response was at least seen as a necessary to stop that cycle. But also
[Gorani:] Because but as you sorry, go ahead. No. I was just going to say, his critics said listen, this is super reckless, because here you go. You killed the most important military commander Iran has on Iraqi soil. The domino effect is unpredictable. You're playing with fire. That this was not that this was kind of shooting from the hip. That was kind of the criticism level that Trump that it wasn't a coherent strategy, and that if it turned out in the U.S.'s favor, it was purely accidental.
[Hassan:] No, absolutely. I think it was not accidental. I think it was I don't expect Iran to do anything for the U.S. I think Iran has a small menu of options when it comes to retaliating against the United States. Remember, the U.S. doesn't have heavy footprint inside Iraq. It can protect itself. But that's a legitimate concern, because and that's really why previous administrations didn't take that action against Qassem Soleimani despite the fact that it has been considered over and over before. But I think two things like I said, the U.S. hands were, at least partly, forced in this case.
[Gorani:] Yes. And quickly, a word on the sanctions, because the strategy of the United States, if it has a clearly defined one, is maximum pressure. I mean, they've said it explicitly. We're going to make them suffer until they have no choice but to come to the table and abide by our terms. I mean, is that wishful thinking? It doesn't seem Iran's game for that at all.
[Hassan:] You see, I think this is all part of the story. The reason why Iran has been lashing out at the United States and allies like the Saudi Arabia, even the UAE and the Gulf, the Persian Gulf, is because of the maximum pressure. Iran has been feeling the pressure, and is lashing out because it's becoming more and more anxious because the U.S. is imposing more and more bites and sanctions against Iran, but also taking action, military, kinetic action against Iranian militias inside Syria as well as inside Iraq. So Iran is suddenly feeling this administration is taking a whole new level, and we have to respond at some point. So they and they said it, I think Khomeini he said, the Supreme Leader of Iran said this is an economic war against us, so we have to respond. So that pressure led to the episode over the past few weeks, and past week. And I think the result of that, the outcome, in my opinion, is that Iran now feels that it has to stop trying to escalate against the United States. And they're going to go back to revert to their old traditional ways of doing business which is proxy wars and trying to evade sanctions and so on and so forth.
[Gorani:] Hassan Hassan, thanks very much.
[Hassan:] Thank you.
[Gorani:] Always appreciate having you on the program. Can you imagine five months of no internet? That is the reality for people in Kashmir after more than 150 days, the people of Kashmir might be closer to getting their internet access back though. India Supreme Court has given the government one week to review the suspension. Kashmir has been under an internet blackout since mid-august when the Indian government exerted greater authority over the disputed region. An internet advocacy watchdogs has the blackout in Kashmir is the longest ever imposed by a democracy. Still to come tonight, growing outrage in Australia as thousands of activists demand the government, do more to fight against wildfires. We'll be right back.
[Unidentified Female:] The scientists predicted this.

[Keilar:] President Trump is now ready to go to the Supreme Court in his effort to keep his tax returns private. An appeals court ruled today that an accounting firm used by Trump must turn over eight years of returns to a grand jury in New York. And President Trump fought the release with the argument that, as president, he enjoys absolute immunity from any criminal process. Joining me now to discuss, we have CNN Supreme Court Analyst, Joan Biskupic. And Kim Wehle back with us as well. The president is going to appeal this ruling today with the Supreme Court. This decision has to do with New York's criminal investigation of the Trump family real estate business. What was the court's rationale here, Kim?
[Kim Wehle, Professor Of Law, University Of Baltimore School Of Law:] The court's rationale is that there's no such thing as this kind of sweeping absolute immunity from any process whatsoever by anyone during the presidency. Now, keep in mind here, we have a state process, we have a state prosecutor seeking information from a third-party accountant firm. We don't have Congress getting information from the White House. We don't even have information being sought from the White House about official business while he's president. These are his personal tax returns from a third party. And the court said, wait a minute, there's no basis in the law for this massive umbrella, basically bullet-proof process for the president while he's in office. It just doesn't exist. And the 75-page very compelling lower court decision explains in no uncertain terms to the dangers of the destruction of democracy and the Constitution if the president were to be immune from any type of judicial oversight while in office.
[Keilar:] Now you have lower courts who said what Kim said, basically this doesn't exist, you don't have this protection. How would the Supreme Court see this, Joan?
[Joan Biskupic, Cnn Supreme Court Analyst:] This is not a decision at the margins. It's not a fringe decision. It's by a very respected chief judge, Robert Katsun, in the Second Circuit, relying deeply on Supreme Court precedent in a Clinton case and, more importantly, from a 1974 U.S. v. Nixon case in the Watergate tape case. If the Supreme Court were to go in another direction here, it would be startling just because how this decision is so in the main. Some of you might remember, when this case was argued by Trump's lawyers at the Second Circuit recently, this was a case where a lawyer said, if President Trump shot someone on Fifth Avenue, there would be nothing to do here. So the claim from the Trump administration is awfully bold, audacious, even. And I think it would be a big deal if the Supreme Court would go in another direction. But we just don't know. Obviously, they said they would appeal.
[Keilar:] All right, we'll keep our eye on it. Joan, Kim, thank you so much. As transcripts in the testimony of two key witnesses in the impeachment probe are released this hour, the president is stepping up his demands for the whistleblower to be revealed. We'll discuss that, next.

[Gov. Tate Reeves , Mississippi:] It's an unprecedented in the last 35 years. We are we haven't seen flood levels like this in the area since 1983.
[Blackwell:] Hundreds of people in neighborhoods around Jackson, Mississippi, they are getting out of the area because more historic flooding is coming.
[Walker:] The Pearl River is expected to rise up to ten feet above flood stage, endangering more than 2,000 homes and businesses. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar with more. I mean, this is serious stuff.
[Allison Chinchar, Ams Meteorologist:] It is. The thing to notice, it's already at the fifth highest crest. But it may get as high as the third. Now, that's if we assume it gets up a foot and a half. Even if it doesn't, it has to get a half of a foot more to reach that third highest designation. So, yes, this is a big problem. So, let's take a look at what we're dealing with, because I also want to point out, this isn't the only river gauge that we're worried about. You have seven total river gauges that are at major flood stage, 36 are at moderate flood stage and over 130 of them at minor flood stage. So it's a pretty widespread situation here across the southeast. But now we focus in on the Pearl River. This is the one in Jackson we have been talking about. Currently, right know, it's at sitting at 36 point, just over a quarter of a foot. They're expecting it up to get to the 38 foot level over the next 24 hours. Here's a look. We talked about this. It's currently sitting at number five, beating out this particular spot here, but has the potential to get up to the number three spot, if it indeed reaches that 38 feet. But as we mentioned, what if it gets to only 37, what if it only gets to 36 12? It's still going to end up topping out at that number three spot. Now, the impacts because everybody wants to know, that number means nothing if you don't know what the impacts are. Right now, we're already starting to see water closing in on some of the homes, but if it gets at the 38 foot level it comes inside the homes. Here are some drone video again, you can see the water up to crossing the driveways or up to the front door, but not actually inside the homes. That's the concern, as the water rises, now they're going to start to see it flowing inside the homes, inside of businesses, things of that nature. And now, we're adding more on top of it. This is a look at the forecast over the next several days, notice it's one right after another, wave of rain coming in. Now, each individual one may not produce a ton of rain but overall look at this, two to four inches may not sound like that big of a deal but it's on top of what they have had. Look at the last 30 days. This red area, over 6 inches. The pink over ten inches, so that ground is already entirely saturated and now we're adding more rain on top of it. The other thing that was just the last 30 days, let's back it up even further, let's go back to the beginning of the year. Jackson, Mississippi2 inches of rain over a foot above normal. Knoxville, Birmingham, Greenville, all ten inches above normal. So, again, this is going to be a big problem. The focus is on Jackson and others may have a big concern once we get the next round of rain coming through, adding additional water to some other places as well.
[Blackwell:] Yes, rough time.
[Walker:] Very concerning. Allison Chinchar, thank you.
[Blackwell:] Thank you. All right. Breaking news in Japan, the evacuation of hundreds of Americans happening right now. They have been stuck on board a cruise ship under quarantine for almost two weeks now because of the coronavirus.
[Walker:] These are live pictures and you can see the buses moving in. The passengers will soon be bused from the Diamond Princess ship to the airport in Tokyo to board chartered flights back to the U.S. More than 400 Americans have been on board the Diamond Princess ship for the past 12 days, quarantined in their rooms if you can imagine that. Forty-six of them have tested positive for the coronavirus which means that they will not be able to evacuate with the others. Earlier, health experts from the CDC spoke to some of the passengers on board and here's what they said.
[Cdc Official:] Take a shower.
[Unidentified Male:] Yes.
[Cdc Official:] And put on a fresh set of clothes, because sometime after six is when you're going to start disembarking from this. But it will be close to 3 in the morning or later before we actually take off and dress in layers. This is a converted cargo 747. So it has less insulation than the regular passenger jet, layers to stay warm.
[Unidentified Male:] OK. Got you.
[Cdc Official:] Any questions?
[Unidentified Female:] Do you I was going to ask you something, but I can't remember. Are we for sure going to be quarantined for 14 days?
[Cdc Official:] Yes.
[Unidentified Female:] I didn't like that answer.
[Blackwell:] Yes, especially after being on that ship in those small state rooms. Some of them without windows, 24 hours a day for the last 12 days. If 46 people on that ship of the 69,000-plus confirmed coronavirus cases in 28 countries.
[Walker:] That's the reality, right? I mean, yes, they will be getting off the ship, they will be quarantined for 14 days unfortunately. Well, that is our time. Thanks for starting your morning with us.
[Blackwell:] "INSIDE POLITICS" with Nia-Malika Henderson up next after a break.

[Camerota:] In just about two hours, the historic public impeachment hearings begin. Republicans are signaling that after weeks of attacking the process they will shift to a defense of President Trump based on the transcript of the July 25th phone call. Joining us now, we have Rick Santorum, former Republican senator and CNN senior political commentator. And, Charlie Dent, former Republican congressman and CNN political commentator. Great to have both of you. You both know well how this works and you can help us understand what to expect. So, Rick, from your perspective, what do Republicans need to come out of the gate with that will make them successful today.
[Rick Santorum, Cnn Senior Political Commentator,  Former Pennsylvania Senator:] Well, I think they obviously have to poke holes in the story. I mean, that's part of what the opposition does, which is let's have this story hold up under questioning and scrutiny. And what I've been told by folks at the White House for several weeks now is that a lot of this testimony just doesn't stand up under questioning, so let's see how it stands up.
[Camerota:] But I'm just curious like I'm interested in that. Meaning what? Where does it fall apart?
[Santorum:] Well, I mean, obviously, a big part of it a big part of what Republicans have been saying is that there's really no firsthand knowledge here. That this is someone who has a right to their opinion about what's going on there but it was certainly not directed to do those things. And they may surmise from all the evidence that they're looking at that this is a perspective. But again, if you if you ask the right questions you can also say well, isn't it fair that it could be this way, too? And I think once you get someone saying well, yes, I can understand this is how I looked at it. Could someone else look at it differently, yes? But once that's said, all of the sudden well, wait a minute. This is this is a little different than hey, we got the smoking gun. And I just I think that's one area that they're going to go into. And look, I think the other area I don't know whether they'll go down this trail or not, but I think the Democrats picked the wrong issue here. I mean, if there's one area where the president has almost unfettered authority, it's in the area of foreign policy. The president can pretty much do whatever he wants to do. There's no really constitutional limitation on him. And so, the idea that the president can't negotiate with a foreign country about a variety of different things
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Santorum:] and horse trade, the presidents do that every single day.
[Camerota:] I mean
[Santorum:] And I think that to normalize that
[Camerota:] it depends on if you see this as policy or politics, you know? I mean, there's a whole argument that you don't ask a foreign government
[Santorum:] Well, but everything has the idea well
[Camerota:] to go after your political rival.
[Santorum:] The idea, Alisyn, that foreign policy has nothing to do with politics is absurd. I mean, it's everything has political consequences back home. So, the question is can you normalize what this the go you know, they use that's why they love to use the term quid pro quo because it sounds somehow because you use the Latin somehow there's something wrong. Well, what quid pro quo means this for that, which means negotiation. So the president was negotiating. That's
[Camerota:] OK.
[Santorum:] certainly within his power to do.
[Camerota:] OK. Charlie, what do you think of those arguments that Sen. Santorum has laid out?
[Charlie Dent, Cnn Political Commentator,  Former Pennsylvania Congressman:] Well, OK, a few things. First, on the firsthand versus secondhand information. Well, it would be really nice to hear from the people who have firsthand information. That would be people like hey, John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney. And, Mick Mulvaney when he had that when he put the he pulled the pin out of the grenade, put it in his mouth, and walked out to the press briefing room and said oh yes, there was a quid pro quo. And, Bolton called this whole thing a drug deal. So I think that the we should hear from the people with firsthand knowledge. And presumably, the people we're going to hear from today, Taylor and the other witness, are going to
[Berman:] George Kent.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Dent:] and Kent they were talking to people who had direct conversations with the president. The other issue, too yes, of course, foreign assistance is often condition-based. But as a president or any federal-elected official, you cannot use your office for a campaign purpose. And I can make a strong case if you're asking a foreign head of government you're soliciting a foreign head of government to investigate your opponent, that's a political benefit to you. You said we can't get anything of value.
[Camerota:] But, Charlie, Rick you just heard what Rick said. Rick says it happens all the time.
[Dent:] That's an
[Camerota:] Don't be naive.
[Dent:] Well, Rick is right but
[Santorum:] Well, I think that's not completely naive.
[Dent:] What Rick is right about is what Rick is right about is that foreign assistance is condition-based, but it's usually there's usually never a condition of investigating one's political opponent. That's what this is different.
[Santorum:] It's investigating it's investigating corruption. And look, this is not this is not
[Camerota:] Well, but only corruption based on the Bidens and Clinton. So that it was a very select view of corruption, Senator Santorum. Wouldn't you agree?
[Santorum:] Of course, it is. I mean, look yes, of course, it's a select view but and the president has but the president has every right to ask for an investigation of corruption that may have that may have an impact on this country. And so, look
[Camerota:] But not on your political rivals. I mean, you don't seem to making
[Santorum:] Why not?
[Camerota:] a distinction because we don't ask for foreign help
[Santorum:] I mean, listen I mean, this is absurd.
[Camerota:] in the U.S. elections.
[Santorum:] If a if a member of Congress what the president by the way, what the president asked for as the favor had nothing to do with Joe Biden. It had to do with investigating the
[Dent:] Rick
[Santorum:] the 2016 election.
[Camerota:] And, Hunter Biden.
[Dent:] Rick, if a member of the if a member of the House and the Senate
[Santorum:] No, that was a different conversation.
[Dent:] If a member of the House
[Santorum:] It was later in the conversation.
[Camerota:] I have the transcript somewhere right here.
[Santorum:] I read I've read it. I've read it a million times. There were two when the president asked for a favor, the only favor he asked for during the time that he spoke before Zelensky responded was on the 2016. It was after Zelensky responded and brought up Giuliani and the issue that the president talked about it.
[Camerota:] OK, but on the same phone call.
[Santorum:] He did not specifically ask for the favor.
[Camerota:] Go ahead, Charlie.
[Dent:] If a if a member
[Santorum:] The same phone call but it's not the same request.
[Dent:] Look, if a member of Congress had asked a foreign or a foreign government leader to investigate his or her political opponent and it were publicly revealed, that member would be investigated not only by the House Ethics Committee, but I'm sure the Department of Justice would be crawling up their backside investigating this thing, without doubt. I mean, you know, I was chair of the Ethics Committee. I used to see this I used to be aware of situations like this. This it's just simply wrong to use your office in this way. And I did appropriations. I was on Foreign Service the foreign assistance stuff and I know how we would withhold aid. We would withhold aid to countries that were not meeting certain benchmarks. There was a process and it was all very transparent and there was no political benefit to me or the other members of the committee. That's what's different here. There was an immediate political benefit to the president. And the FEC rules are very clear that you cannot use your office. You cannot take anything of value from a foreign entity. I mean, that's a full-stop
[Santorum:] Let's just be honest that the Supreme Court's held that information and things like that are not considered a benefit. So, look, there's no criminal case here. The president has the right to ask for this. Should he have done it is a different question and that's a political question. But
[Camerota:] And what's the answer to that? And what's the answer to that?
[Santorum:] Look, I would I would not have done it. No, I would not have used a conversation no matter how it was brought up, I wouldn't have used a conversation to do so. But to ask for it is not is not illegal and it's certainly something with that the president could do. I understand he's getting heat for it.
[Camerota:] I mean
[Santorum:] He has the right to get heat but he shouldn't be impeached.
[Camerota:] That's your interpretation, obviously. That's what all of these hearings are about.
[Santorum:] What it comes down to.
[Camerota:] What we're going to find out. Charlie, if the Republicans do go after the reputation or character of Bill Taylor or George Kent, will that be effective? Do you think they'll do that today?
[Dent:] Well, that would be the worst thing to do. I mean, go after Bill Taylor? I mean, decade's worth of service and Vietnam, West Point, ambassador to Ukraine. I mean, this guy has a distinguished resume and apparently, a very good notetaker. I think it would be I think this is almost unimpeachable as a witness. Now they can argue that well, he never spoke to the president, therefore why should we take everything he says as serious as we are. OK, they can make that case. But good luck trying to impeach the integrity of these career people who you know, who have distinguished service records. It would be a terrible mistake. I mean, Republicans should simply acknowledge I think as Rick was getting to, they should acknowledge that this conduct was at the very least inappropriate at the very least and that and that but maybe this does not rise to the level of impeachment. I think they're just better off acknowledging the wrongdoing and then and then arguing against impeachment.
[Camerota:] Do you think that they'll do that, Rick? Do you think that they will
[Santorum:] Well, I don't think I don't
[Camerota:] somehow go after the character of the witnesses?
[Santorum:] No, I well, I hope they don't because I think it would be a bad strategy given the I don't know all of the background of everybody that's testifying but certainly, Taylor and ones who have who have who've been questioned outside of the Halls of Congress and actually, sometimes in the Halls of Congress that's a bad strategy. You go after the way you you say look, this is your interpretation but
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Santorum:] there's a there's another equally valid interpretation here of what was going on based on the on the facts that they knew, and I think that's where you go after it.
[Camerota:] Charlie, they we have the four points in this 18-page Republican memo that was circulated about how they do plan to pivot away from process now that the process is being transparent, which is what they've called for, and to go after the call. One of the things is that President Zelensky and Trump both said there was no pressure on the call. Do you want to comment on that? I find that one to be amusing. I'm not sure that Zelensky, who needs millions of dollars from the U.S., would ever say something different than that.
[Dent:] Well, clearly, President Trump pressed Zelensky. When Zelensky raised the issue of needing the javelins the anti-tank weapons and then the president immediately turns back and says that but I need a favor, though. Look, they there was pressure here. The Ukrainians are not stupid people. They knew what they needed. They needed those anti-tank weapons desperately and they were under incredible pressure to investigate the Bidens and Burisma. I mean, that was that's a fact. And so, I think it's a mistake it's a mistake to suggest that there was no pressure applied. There was a lot of pressure applied here and everybody knows it.
[Camerota:] All right.
[Santorum:] The fact is they got more aid than ever before and the Trump administration has been very, very supportive of Ukraine in this defense against Russia.
[Camerota:] After the whistleblower came forward.
[Santorum:] Even before before.
[Camerota:] After the whistleblower came forward.
[Santorum:] Even before.
[Camerota:] The aid was on hold, Rick.
[Santorum:] That aid, but there was other aid before. They have been very, very supportive of Ukraine and their and their battle with Russia.
[Camerota:] All right. Rick Santorum, Charlie Dent, thank you both for giving us a preview of how interesting the hearings will be this morning. END

[Brunhuber:] Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD this Wednesday. Orlando's Disney World is currently the biosecure bubble for a whole host of U.S. athletes this month so let's bring in CNN "WORLD SPORT's" Patrick Snell. Though, it's not without its concerns.
[Patrick Snell, Cnn Correspondent:] You are spot on there, thank you so much for handing it over to me because it really is no question, so much focus on all things health and safety down there in Florida. Later on Major League Soccer will be resuming its season amid the ongoing pandemic. Already, though, we know that one team and one of the league's top players as well won't be taking part. That's MLS superstar Carlos Vela. It comes as NBA basketball stars have started arriving in Orlando as well as they look to resume their season later on this month. Carolyn Manno joins us on the ground in the Sunshine State. Within the last few minutes I spotted Major League Soccer tweeting, "We are ready." The big question, are they?
[Carolyn Manno, Cnn Sports Correspondent:] We'll find out. I think what they need to be ready for is an ever evolving situation here. This tournament is being called the MLS Is Back tournament but the fact of the matter is you have three clubs with players that have tested positive out of 26 before the tournament has even begun. I did speak with a league executive inside the bubble who told me all the players who tested positive are either asymptomatic or have symptoms that are very mild. Still, that doesn't mean a severe infection couldn't happen down the line. Nashville were scheduled to play later tonight. That game postponed, this after Dallas withdrew after 10 players turned up positive early in the week. Eighteen players will dress; there are 10 to 30 on the roster, so small numbers here. There are 750 players and 500 staff all being tested every other day. They're also going to be tested before every match, so inside this bubble is described as being eerily quiet, everybody is in masks, isolated off the fields. The league hoping this bubble will get stronger and not the opposite over the next few weeks and that the worst is behind them already. Meantime, the NBA, Patrick, will be watching very closely to this as they prepare to resume their season on July 30th, the crews laying down practice courts in what are usually ballrooms. All 22 teams going to check in by week's end. Commissioner Adam Silver warning that an outbreak in the bubble could result in a shutdown.
[Adam Silver, Nba Commissioner:] We won't be surprised when the players come to Orlando if we have some additional players test positive. What will be concerning is once players enter this campus and go through our quarantine period, then if they test positive or we have any positive tests, we would know we have an issue.
[Manno:] Patrick, that is the sentiment that has been echoed by MLS commissioner Don Garber as well. He has said he won't hesitate to shut down this tournament if it becomes unsafe. The question is where is this line of demarcation for what is unsafe?
[Snell:] Thank you so much, Carolyn. Since the return of English football last months, we've been seeing players and officials alike throwing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. This accomplishments renewed focus, trying to level the playing field for everyone in the sport and that also includes managers and coaches, too. More now from CNN "WORLD SPORT" contributor Darren Lewis.
[Darren Lewis, Cnn Correspondent:] Football's governing bodies have announced a new scheme to boost the representation in management. While almost a third of professional players across the country are black or from other ethnic minority populations, those statistics are not reflected in managerial positions.
[Lewis:] They said the new scheme is aimed at broadening the base of coaches on 23 placements with those coaches moving into the dugout.
[Unidentified Male:] I would say the numbers are alarming. Let's not go away from the fact that they are alarming, there's only five or seven in the game. This scheme allows the individuals that are best selected to join these clubs is to work and sort of get their hands dirty in the clubs in terms of the coaching analysis work or the development of players and the development of themselves.
[Lewis:] The EPL say six placements, which includes intensive training, will be handed out to the chairmanship that sits one below the Premier League. The coaching scheme does not extend to the Premier League, which is English football's top tier competition. It's something of which campaigners have been critical.
[Unidentified Male:] I'm a little bit overwhelmed, to be totally honest. We've been in this space before where we've talked about lack of representation in coaching circles but I'm not sure what this addresses. So I'm just a little bit skeptical as to why the Premier League have not opened their doors up and why there seems to be just an entry level for these coaches, six coaches over 23 months, the best part of two years. You know, it strikes a chord to me that will only go so far and I'm just looking and wondering why is it only acceptable to have six coaches and why we cannot progress something that's rolled out right across the leagues and has a little bit more impact as well.
[Lewis:] At present there is only one black manager in the Premier League. That's Nuno Espirito Santo, who coaches the Wolverhampton Wonders. Across English football's 91 professional clubs, only five black or ethnic minority managers. The Premier League and England's football association acknowledge more needs to be done to tackle the situation, particularly at a time when social movements and the current generation are pushing for change. Players across England have been taking a knee to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. It's this kind of action that has shed a light on the issues of systemic racism in both society and across the game. Management and coaching, well, they're just two of the areas in need of dire change. The success of the new scheme will be something that fans, players and campaigners will be watching very closely next season Darren Lewis, CNN, London.
[Snell:] Our thanks to Darren for that and we'll stay across all the key developments for you on this. Kim, back to you.
[Brunhuber:] Thank you very much. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. We'll be right back with more. END

[John King, Cnn:] Good luck to the Gronk. Good luck to the GOAT in Tampa. We wish you the best. Thanks for joining us today. Anderson Cooper picks up our coverage right now. Have a good afternoon and stay safe. Anderson Cooper picks up our coverage right now.
[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] I'm Anderson Cooper. Thanks for joining me for this special coverage of the global coronavirus pandemic. At a time when the nation needs clarity from its leaders, arguably, more than ever before, with more than 37,000 new cases and more than 2,700 deaths just reported in a single day, there is new confusion and contradiction coming from the White House. The president is announcing his CDC director will be putting out a new statement after he warned of a potential second wave of the pandemic to The Washington Post. Dr. Robert Redfield said, quote, there's a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through. We're going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time, end quote. The FDA commissioner agreed today there's a concern for what's ahead.
[Dr. Stephen Hahn, Commissioner, Food And Drug Administration:] I think that it's certainly a possibility, and the whole task force set of doctors is concerned about the second wave. And then Dr. Redfield's concern is that there also might be flu at the same time, but that's why we have built into the plan the surveillance mechanisms to look for the respiratory illnesses and then to do the appropriate testing at that time.
[Cooper:] On top of that, the president is praising the governor of Georgia for opening some non-essential businesses this Friday, a move that goes against this just updated model from experts often cited by the White House. It shows Georgia among 12 states that should wait until at least June 8th or later to relax social distancing rules. I want to turn to our Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. So, Elizabeth, this new modeling from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, which is the group that the White House often cited. Just give us more context on it and why it's significant and what they're saying.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Right. So, Anderson, this is a group that's been trusted by the White House and many others. They're out of the University of Washington. And what they do is they take this very complicated model looking at how COVID- 19 is spreading and what effects social distancing are having. And so they thought, hmm, when can these states safely open up? So, for example, here in Georgia where I'm speaking to you from my home studio in Georgia, we are allowed to go to nail salons or hair salons starting in two days. But what IHME says is, you know what, you ought to wait until June 19th. In South Carolina, they're planning on opening things up this week, and the Institutes for Health Metrics and Evaluation says, you know what, we think you ought to wait until June 5th. And I think something is important to remember here, which is that we all have our own personal responsibility. Just because the governor of Georgia says that I can go get my nails down in two days, I can go to a nail salon, doesn't mean that I will choose to do that. Anderson?
[Cooper:] So the modeling, which was 60-something-thousand deaths by early August, that's based on the idea that social distancing follows the modeling's suggestion, so that if Georgia does, in fact, do what the governor says they're going to do on Friday and then Monday open up restaurants and movie theaters, that will likely change the modeling in terms of raising the death toll.
[Cohen:] Right, exactly. Whenever you hear a projection of deaths, there is always an assumption of social distancing. Like, we assume if these social distancing measures stay in place through whatever date, we will have this many deaths. The minute that you say, you know what, let's lift these social distancing measures, let's get everyone back into circulation earlier than that, that death number will go up. That's the way that it works.
[Cooper:] There's also a major development about when the first person in the U.S. actually died from coronavirus, and they say it's now three weeks earlier than initially thought.
[Cohen:] Right. This is very interesting. This is based on some New York Times reporting. They talked to a coroner in a county in Northern California, and the coroner said, you know, I did some autopsies in early to mid-February where it turned out that people had coronavirus. So let's take a look at what those dates say. Those dates say that when they looked at those autopsies, which were in early February, February 6th and 17th early to mid-February, there were two autopsies where they found those people had coronavirus. And, this is important, they had no known travel history. They hadn't been to Wuhan, China. That's not how they got it. They got it from somewhere out in the community in California. February 26th is when the CDC has always told us that it was the first case of unknown origin. Now we're hearing it could have been the 6th or the 17th. And February 29th is the first time the CDC said we had a death from coronavirus. Now, it looks like that was actually February 6th. So that is a big difference. So, in other words, in February, it appears from this reporting that there were people who were dying of coronavirus and that they had caught it just out in the community. They hadn't been traveling to Wuhan. That completely changes the picture of what we were told was happening back in February.
[Cooper:] Right. And I guess if we had known that back then or was it known back then? I mean, if this coroner was the coroner just thinking, oh, wait a minute, maybe those people died of something of coronavirus, in retrospect, or did they know it at the time?
[Cohen:] You know, I was on all those early CDC phone calls where they briefed the media, starting in the middle of January, and what we were told over and over again was that the concern was about travelers. They never talked about, oh, we think this disease is out there and that people are getting it or even that, you know, people were dying of it. That was never mentioned. The concern was, if you're an American, you only need to worry if you've been traveling to Wuhan or if you've had close contact, like for example, if your spouse had been traveling to Wuhan. There was not a concept at that time that it was just out there in the community. These autopsies certainly question that.
[Cooper:] Elizabeth Cohen, really interesting development. Thanks very much. Now, to that new study that found coronavirus patients taking hydroxychloroquine saw no benefit and had higher death rates compared to those who did not take the drug, one of the most startling aspects, this is the same drug that President Trump and Fox News hosts have been touting repeatedly above all others.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The FDA also gave emergency authorization for hydroxychloroquine. We're having some very good things happening with it. It's shown very encouraging, very, very encouraging early results.
[Laura Ingraham, Fox News:] This drug that you and I have talked about, hydroxychloroquine, talked about it with the Dr. Grace, they're already being used. And one patient was described as Lazarus, getting up after he was like on death's door. They started getting a protocol of hydroxychloroquine at Lenox Hill, and it suddenly like Lazarus up from the grave. I mean, that's an actual case.
[Tucker Carlson, Fox News:] Watching people in the media talk down a potentially life-saving medicine because a politician they don't like has endorsed it is probably the most shameful thing I as someone who has done this for 29 years has ever seen.
[Sean Hannity, Fox News:] Hydroxychloroquine is a very safe drug. It has been given to tens of millions of individuals in the world since its approval.
[Trump:] We have purchased and we have stockpiled 29 million pills of the hydroxychloroquine, 29 million. A lot of drugstores have them by prescription, and also and they're not expensive. Also we're sending them to various labs, our military. We're sending them to the hospitals.
[Unidentified Male:] In their protocols, doctors have protocols for doing certain things, they don't mention complications from hydroxychloroquine because they're so uncommon. On their web page, the FDA is offering a generic guidance to manufacturers on how to produce hydroxychloroquine.
[Trump:] So, the hydroxychloroquine is something that I have been pushing very hard. I got the very early approval from the FDA. If things don't go as planned, it's not going to kill anybody. It will be wonderful. It will be so beautiful. It will be a gift from heaven if it works. If some other person put it forward, they'd say, oh, let's go with it, you know? What do you have to lose?
[Jesse Watters, Fox News:] There's a lot of stuff floating around about the hydroxychloroquine. Very good. And the media seems to be almost rooting for it not to work.
[Trump:] Things are happening. I haven't seen bad. I have not seen bad. One thing that we do see is that people are not going to die from it. So if somebody is in trouble, you take it, I think. I would.
[Unidentified Male:] And it's being used worldwide. This study done by reputable center, double-eye- blind, randomized trial, showed there was an improvement in outcomes in patients who took the hydroxychloroquine. It's not a panacea, but you have to respect data.
[Jeanine Pirro, Fox News:] In my open, I put in a sound with a woman who was a Democrat from Detroit, a Michigan representative, who said you know, thank God for Donald Trump even mentioning this. Once I got to the hydroxychloroquine, hydroxy, I was fine.
[Unidentified Male:] Well, your open was spot on.
[Pirro:] Is there something else
[Unidentified Male:] It's politicized. No, come on. It's like the never- Trumpers, it's like, oh, if he's for it, we've got to be against it.
[Trump:] I'm seeing things that I sort of like, so, what do I know? I'm not a doctor. I'm not a doctor. But I have common sense.
[Cooper:] Well, the president was asked about this latest study last night, out of the Veterans Administration, said he hadn't yet seen it. Now, the National Institutes of Health is recommending against using this drug in combination with the so-called Z-pack that the president has been promoting. Joining me now, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Seema Yasmin. Dr. Yasmin, first of all, the study, it hasn't been peer reviewed and it's not randomized, so that's very significant. It is from the Veterans Administration. I'm wondering what you make of it? I mean, is it time to stop using hydroxychloroquine for COVID patients or is more research needed?
[Dr. Seema Yasmin, Cnn Medical Analyst:] So those are important caveats, Anderson, the fact that it's not been peer reviewed yet, and also, I'm bearing in mind that it's a small study, it's only 368 veterans with confirmed COVID-19 who were enlisted in the study, but it's still the largest study that we have yet. What it's showing is that there was one group in the study was given hydroxychloroquine, another group that was given that drug, plus a z- pack, and then a third group that did not receive any of those medicines. And the study doctors tell us that there's no evidence that using hydroxychloroquine reduces the need for people to go on to mechanical ventilators, and in fact, looks like from the preliminary analysis of this data that the highest rates of death and risk of death were in that group that received the hydroxychloroquine, which totally makes sense that now the NIH is advising against using it. And I really want to push back against so much of that language that we heard that it's not a panacea, but there's nothing wrong with it, that it won't kill anybody, because actually there are really well- documented side effects of this medicine, including some problems with the heart. And the more that we learn about COVID-19 and its many manifestations, including in some people heart disease, it makes us have to be really wary about what treatments we use and having enough evidence to know that they're not going to cause no harm. You know, as physicians, we take an oath that says first do no harm. Sure, in a crisis situation, you need to try things, you need to have good studies to get that evidence, but you want to safeguard your patients against harm from medicines that may not help them as this study shows.
[Cooper:] Yes. And while some people may be, you know, gleeful that the president was, you know, seemingly wrong about this, or, you know I'm certainly obviously, from just looking at this rationally, if this medicine works, it would be a great thing. It would be an extraordinary thing. To me, this is just a reminder of the importance of science leading the way on all of this stuff and not, you know, jumping to a conclusion about a drug because somebody has told you it's working well and there's anecdotal evidence. Science is what matters and getting scientific information out there.
[Yasmin:] Absolutely. And we have to maintain those standards even in a crisis. And I think for many journalists who are doing their due diligence, for many experts who are saying, whoa, hold your horses, let's gather more data before we speak in terms of using Lazarus effects and miracle, the finger was pointed at those folks for saying, oh, you're not being optimistic or you're trying to withhold a medicine that works from people who need it most, and that clearly was not the case. We were just making sure that the truth wasn't sugar- coated. When we talked about these drugs, we were saying, these are experimental in the context of this new virus. Yes, they've been used for other conditions, but we still don't know enough about efficacy and safety with COVID-19.
[Cooper:] Seema Yasmin, I appreciate it. Thanks very much. Coming up, in New York, Governor Cuomo announcing a new contact tracing program along with Connecticut and New Jersey. We'll take a look at how that might work, ahead. Plus, the backlash growing as some states rolled the dice on reopening parts of the economy against the advice of medical experts. I'll speak with a mayor in Georgia who says is simply perplexed about what the governor in Georgia is doing. And as the nation struggles to ramp up testing, we're getting new reporting on how a popular rapid test is unfortunately producing a lot of false negatives. Stay with us.

[Rep. Nancy Pelosi:] So, this is very I hope that you understand, and I suspect is that you do, the seriousness of the president of the United States sailing he wants to interview that person. We will treat the president with fairness in the as we go forward. We will have investigations and questioning that are worthy of the Constitution of the United States. It's unworthy of the Constitution of the United States to do what he did in that call, and he admitted to me; said it's perfect. No, it's not perfect. It's wrong, A, and B, that protecting whistleblowers is a very, very important important requirement that we have. The intelligence community recognizes the importance of whistleblowers. Protecting whistleblowers who see wrongdoing of any kind in our government is essential. So the president probably doesn't realize how dangerous his statements are when he says he wants to expose who the whistleblower is and and those who may have given the whistleblower that information.
[Question:] Madam Speaker, [inaudible]
[Pelosi:] This is very serious very serious challenge that the president has put there. It's very sad. I don't see impeachment as a unifying thing for our country. I weighed those equities hard and long until I had the president's admission that he did what he did on that call. Yes, please?
[Question:] One big-picture question and one one logistical question. Just following up on what you just said, some Republicans have said that the president's phone call wasn't great, but that it isn't an impeachable offense. Is it possible that you're making too much of one phone call?
[Pelosi:] Absolutely not. I want to yield to [inaudible].
[Schiff:] Well, if you think about what the framers were concerned about at the time of the drafting of the Constitution, they were paramountly concerned about foreign interference in American affairs. They wanted to ensure that the president of the United States was defending the interests and national security of the United States, and not corruptly, secretly advancing some private agenda with a foreign power. It's hard to imagine a set of circumstances that would have alarmed the founders more than what's on that call, where you have a president using the full power of his office to try to effectively coerce a foreign leader, that is completely dependent on our country for military, economic, diplomatic and other support, to intervene in our election to help his campaign. It's hard to imagine a more corrupt course of conduct. So, to my Republican colleagues that say, "There's nothing to see here," or, "Yeah, it's bad, but is it really something you'd remove from the president from office for?" they're going to have to answer: If this conduct doesn't rise to the level of the concern the founders had, what conduct does? Now, we only know some of the facts at this point. The call record seems to be pretty indisputed [sic]. The suspension of military assistance is undisputed now. The sequestration of this call record, and maybe others, into a file in which they were never supposed to be placed, a file that is for classified information of the highest order covert action, for example those facts are not contested. But all the facts around that, we still need to flesh out. What was the State Department's role? What was the secretary's role? What was the role of the attorney general? There's a great more that we need to know to understand the full depth of the president's misconduct. And maybe when that comes out, it will persuade some of those Republicans to recognize the gravity of the situation. But I think we have to be realistic here: There seems to be no floor below which this president can drop that some of the GOP members, and maybe even many of the GOP members, would not be willing to endorse, look away from, avoid comment on, let alone rise to condemn, as as incompatible with the duties of his office.
[Pelosi:] Make no mistake: In that telephone call, the president undermined our national security because of his what he had done a few days earlier. See, the president said, "Well, I didn't say that in the call." No, the sequencing of it. You have to look at the sequence. A few days before, the president withdrew that. Now, why? Why would that just come from the president? There was no as far as we know, and we'll find out if there is any National Security Council justification for the president withdrawing assistance that had been passed by the Congress of the United States in a bipartisan way. And then the president just, on his own, decided he was going to use it as leverage. So using that as leverage we we supported that military assistance in the interest of our national security. Undermining our national security, undermining his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution, because he was overthrowing an act of Congress just on his own, undermining the integrity of our elections. And that's what means something to people in their lives. They have to know that their vote counts, and that it will be counted as cast. And this president of the United States is stooping to a level that is beneath the dignity of the Constitution of the United States and our founders, since the chairman mentioned our founders. They put guardrails in the Constitution because they knew there might be someone who would overplay his or her power. They never thought that we would have a president that would kick those guardrails over and disregard the Constitution and say Article II says that I can do whatever I feel like. So this this is sad. We have to be prayerful, we have to be worthy of the Constitution as we go forward, we have to be fair to the president, and that's why this is a an an inquiry, and not an outright impeachment, and we have to give the president his chance to exonerate himself, but he thinks what he did was perfect, so we have that that situation. But I say to my colleagues, calmness, quiet so that we can hear that we can hear what is being said in this regard. Again, when on that very day, September 17th, that was Constitution Day, a Tuesday two Tuesdays ago from yesterday that was when that explosion hit of what possibly happened in that phone conversation, which the president confirmed to me in our call.
[Question:] Madam Speaker?
[Pelosi:] And that day was the day we observed the adoption of our Constitution, September 17th. On that day way back when, when Benjamin Franklin left Independence Hall, people said to him, "What do we have, Dr. Franklin, a monarchy or a republic?" He said, "A republic, if we can keep it." It is our responsibility to keep that republic with the genius of a separation of powers, [inaudible], two three coequal branches of government, each a check and balance on the others, separation of power. A republic, if we can keep it. That's our responsibility, that's the oath of office that we take, and that is what is the one of the reasons why we just have to look at the facts and the Constitution. Any other objections people may have to the president have no place in this discussion in terms of, is he too cowardly to protect children from gun violence, is he too cruel to protect pre-existing is he too in denial to understand climate change? The list goes on. Save that for the election. This is about the facts relating to the Constitution, and that is how we will proceed, with dignity, with respect, prayerfully, and again, worthy of the sacrifice of our founders, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform who fight for our freedom and the aspirations of our children so they'll live under future presidents who will honor the Constitution of the United States. Thank you all very much.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] All right, you're listening to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff with what turned out to be an important press conference about where Democrats see the impeachment investigation right now and where they would like to see the process going forward. Joining me right now is Julie Pace, CNN political analyst, Washington bureau chief for the Associated Press. Jennifer Rodgers is a CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor. And Jeff Zeleny is our senior Washington correspondent. Jeff, first to you. Just your take on, what do you think the message I mean they said some very strong things about protections for the whistleblower, where Nancy Pelosi thought the president was taking the office of the presidency in this moment and the threat to national security. But what do you think of the message that Pelosi and Schiff were laying out there right there?
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Well, Kate, first and foremost, Speaker Pelosi, one week into this inquiry, is again trying to present a road map for other Democrats. That this is not a time to gloat. This is not a time to be joyful, in her words. She said, impeachment is a very serious and sad matter. So she has been consistent on this message going since the very beginning. So she is trying to keep her Democrats in line. You will note she was starting the press conference with the cost of prescription drug, the USMCA. She is definitely trying to convey to the American people Congress can walk and chew gum at the same time. There's no evidence of that, we should point out. But she is also making the case that the president has a chance to exonerate himself, in her words. In a respect, Kate, she was talking directly to him. He was tweeting during this.
[Bolduan:] Exactly.
[Zeleny:] So the president was at the White House watching all this unfold. I think the news out of this news conference this morning and one thing that Democrats must decide, Chairman Schiff said that they will use this as part of an obstruction evidence if the White House refuses to comply here with some of these subpoenas. But Democrats know if they do want to work in a swift manner, they will have to decide if they want to fight all of these blockages illegally or move forward here. So Chairman Schiff also said, look at the facts from that memo of that phone call. There are plenty of facts in the public sphere already. So a lot of Democrats do not want this to be litigated for months and months and months. They want this to move quickly here. We'll see if they are successful in that.
[Bolduan:] That was one thing Adam Schiff laid out. Jennifer, since Jeff raised it, let me ask you about that. I have heard from more than one Democrat, Adam Schiff obviously being the most highest ranking, bringing it up right there, is that any effort to block them, any effort to not turn over the information that they are requesting, or interfere in them getting testimony from people they want to speak to, will be considered evidence of obstruction. And he said, we're not fooling around. We don't want this dragging out for months and months and months. Which indicates they don't want to go to court to hand this over. What does evidence of obstruction mean in this situation?
[Jennifer Rodgers, Cnn Legal Analyst:] It means two things. One is that, if they persist in the blocking of witnesses and documents, they will draft an article of impeachment, like they did in the Nixon case
[Bolduan:] Right.
[Rodgers:] that said, you are obstructing justice by refusing to turn over documents and witnesses that we are entitled to in our impeachment inquiry. So that's
[Bolduan:] In essence on that, if you don't hand over this information that we are requesting, then you are going to be adding to the problem. You are going to be considered you are adding to what is potentially an article of impeachment, which is one of those against Nixon.
[Rodgers:] That's right. In the same way, in a criminal case, someone obstructing justice may find themselves facing another criminal count of obstruction of justice. There's another thing, too, which is this adverse inference concept. That's also from the legal system, which says, if you do something that is obstructionist like that, we can take an adverse inference. So we can use that as a piece of proof to say, you didn't turn over these documents we are entitled to, therefore, we will infer from that that those documents are harmful to you and helpful to our case. That's also from the legal system, you can get that inference, get a jury instructed by the judge to take an adverse inference against the party. That's what they are saying there, we will use this as a piece of evidence to say, you didn't give us the documents we sought, we were entitled to, we can infer those look bad for you. So
[Bolduan:] Turn them over. That this was going to be bad for new that case.
[Rodgers:] Right.
[Bolduan:] Julie, on this point of I mean, Adam Schiff made really clear, they're moving the way he put it, they want to get this done within a reasonable period of time. And he says we're proceeding deliberately and feel a sense of urgency to get it done in a reasonable time. Again, I've heard that from other Democrats as well, that they're going to be moving forward. This is not going to be a year's-long process, if you will. Are you getting any indication, any clue, though, of what that timeline actually looks like?
[Julie Pace, Cnn Political Analyst:] So, there's a lot of discussion about the end of the year being a deadline, essentially. The idea being that you don't want Democrats still to be mired in an impeachment when the Iowa caucuses are going on, when the New Hampshire primaries, when it very quickly is going to lead into an election year. I think Democrats would like as much as possible to try to separate what will be happening on the Hill from that campaign. Certainly, have you look at these in tandem. But I think if they can wrap this up, have a vote on articles of impeachment by the end of the year, Democrats would be quite pleased with that. But this time frame, this faster time frame that they are trying to move on here really has put the White House on the back foot. They are caught off guard by this. They don't have a clear plan right now for answering exactly the questions that you are raising here, whether they're going to cooperate. That's a hugely significant question for the president that will impact his future, the future of his presidency, and they're really scrambling to try to figure out how to proceed, given how fast the Democrats are trying to move on this.
[Bolduan:] Let's get back into the room. Manu Raju was in that news conference. He has been able to pop up. He is joining me now. Manu, really interesting is right before the press conference they alluded to, they announced that subpoenas to the White House are coming.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. On Friday, the House Oversight Committee, in consultation with two other committees, plans to issue that subpoena to the White House after several two letters were sent earlier in September asking for documents related to Ukraine. The documents were not the requests were not complied with. Now they're threatening this will be the next batch of subpoenas that would go over to the White House asking for this information, demanding they be turned over. This, of course, coming after issues subpoenas sent to the State Department and the president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Adam Schiff is making clear there will likely be even more subpoenas coming forward. But exactly the headline out of here, if for certain, is what Adam Schiff alluded to there, that they are not going to let this drag out in court. We have seen this strategy play out for months now, with the House Judiciary Committee now in court on several issue, including getting the testimony of former White House counsel, Don McGahn. That is not necessarily the way they want to go now. They will decide how to pursue these. But I am told by multiple Democratic officials that if they don't get compliance, that essentially will be one of the articles of impeachment that would be obstruction of Congress, and exactly what Adam Schiff just alluded to here in talking to reporters. That's the sign that the Democrats want to make. They don't want to be consumed with impeachment up through next year, through the election year, which is why they want to wrap this up in the coming weeks. Which is one reason why Nancy Pelosi, at the beginning of the press conference, tried to talk about her agenda and would not take questions for several minutes about impeachment. Because it overshadows what they're trying to sell the public. As she noted, it is very divisive and does not play particularly well with some Democrats who are in tough re-election races. So they do want to wrap this up quickly.
[Raju:] If the White House doesn't comply, they'll say this could be one reason to impeach. And they hope to wrap it up in a matter of weeks Kate?
[Bolduan:] They knew, Manu. That's one of the reasons why Nancy Pelosi hesitated, one of the many reasons Nancy Pelosi was not there on impeachment protection for so long. She knows that, yes, technically, they can walk and chew gum at the same time. Yes, they can pass legislation. But when are you dealing with the consideration of impeaching the president of the United States, that is that is one of the most serious questions that can be considered by the House of Representatives. Of course, it's going to overshadow any other agenda item.
[Raju:] No question about it. And what's interesting, if you look at there's overwhelming support, even among some of those vulnerable Democrats in those swing districts, they're supporting an impeachment inquiry at the moment.
[Bolduan:] Right.
[Raju:] But they're not all on the page about supporting impeaching the president, about supporting articles of impeachment. When they do, that will be a much more difficult conversation, a different conversation within the caucus to get everybody on the same page. So there's a lot that has to move the caucus needs to move forward on. But they have to resolve that in a matter of weeks if they don't want this to overshadow what they are selling to voters to try to keep the House in 2020.
[Bolduan:] Manu, one of the things I know the speaker and the chairman cut it short. One of the things they weren't able to ask about is one of the more interesting details and developments that is going to be happening today. The inspector general of the State Department reaching out to the Hill, to the Hill staff, the committee staff, saying that he wants to have a briefing. And that's going to be happening today and it's related to if some way, shape or form, documents about Ukraine. What are you hearing about this?
[Raju:] Yes, a number of Democrats and Republicans I spoke to, who got that e-mail, said they were shocked to see that. They were stunned. They had no idea what this could be about. But what was interesting to several people that I spoke to, is that it came about an hour after Mike Pompeo sent that letter to Capitol Hill saying he would not essentially be complying with the subpoena for documents that the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent last week and was pushing back the idea of deposing five current and former State Department officials. Then the I.G., the inspector general, sent that letter to Capitol Hill saying, let's have this meeting, urgent meeting behind closed doors about documents related to Ukraine, documents that the inspector general apparently got from the legal adviser of the State Department. When I talked to a number of people, there's a lot of speculation about what this is about. But at the moment, no one really knows. So it could fuel the Democratic investigation, impeachment investigation. Maybe it tamps it down in some way. Of course, as we know, the inspector general of the Intelligence Community is the one who drove this investigation, saying the whistleblower complaint was credible and urgent. We'll see what happens later today Kate?
[Bolduan:] Manu, thank you so much. I know you have to run. You have a lot more to do. Thank you so much. Pop up whenever you have it. Let me get back. Jeff, let me bring you in on this. There's a striking thing and I think I have it right here. A striking thing that Adam Schiff actually said during this press briefing was, when he says, "The president wants to make this all about the whistleblower and suggests that people that came ahead with evidence of his wrongdoing are somehow treasonous and should be treated as traitors and spies." And Schiff says, "This is a blatant effort to intimidate witnesses and it's an incitement to violence." I found that striking because that is where the president's focus really is. It is on, I want to interview, I want to find out the identity of this whistleblower. That is at least at the moment kind of that's his messaging target.
[Zeleny:] No question. And the president every day, sometimes several hours during the day, has been trying to redirect the focus of this on the whistleblower, trying to say that he's being treated unfairly, that he should meet his accuser. What Chairman Schiff was trying to do there was essentially expand the lens here, if you will, and take a 30,000-foot view of this. Yes, we are going to have these hourly developments but the point is what we learned last week when we have the memorandum of that phone call, a transcript, if you will, a rough transcript, that is outlining all of this. So that is the basis of this impeachment inquiry. It is not the president going after the whistleblower. That is what he's trying to redirect this, of course. But that's what Chairman Schiff was trying to do there, focus on the president's words. The reality here is, as I talk to Republicans again, we're a week and a day into this. Republicans are more concerned by the president's reaction to all this than the actual substance of that phone call. Look what Senator Grassley did yesterday. He's back home in Iowa recovering from a surgery himself but he put out a statement protecting the whistleblower. He has made it his life's work in the halls of the Senate to protect whistleblowers. That is where the president could get into trouble with Republicans is his conduct in the aftermath, never mind the actual substance of that phone call.
[Bolduan:] It is very clear the president was watching this press conference live
[Zeleny:] Yes.
[Bolduan:] Julie, because he has been tweeting. Now he's tweeting expletives about Democrats on Capitol Hill. That just gets me to my question of, what is the White House we know there's very little White House strategy on how to respond to the seriousness of an impeachment inquiry, but what are you hearing there?
[Pace:] Right now, the strategy is to let Trump be his own defender. It's so interesting to think about the contrast between what we're seeing right now and what happened during the Clinton impeachment where basically the rule was no discussion of impeachment from the president, no discussion of it even from the press secretary. They were deflecting all questions to a small group of people who were focused on this issue and they were trying to show the country, hey, we're doing other things, we have other priorities. This is a president who is signaling to the American people that he is following every twist and turn and that he thinks his best defense is to just get incredibly personal in his attacks on Democrats. It's the same strategy we saw play out during the Mueller investigation. The takeaway from that investigation for the White House is that this is a strategy that works.
[Bolduan:] They believe that. There's a very important significant difference here. This did not come from a dossier. This came from a whistleblower and also is backed up by an inspector general of the Intelligence Community, who called it urgent and credible, an inspector general that the president himself appointed. Guys, thank you so much. A lot going on today. I feel like I say that every day now. We have more coming up right now. So much more on the breaking news ahead. President Trump is not only having his say on Twitter but he's also set to speak moments from now. This coming just after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff are warning the White House against any stonewalling and saying, if that's what happens, it will be considered obstruction. Plus, more on an update on Senator Bernie Sanders undergoing a procedure for a blocked artery this week. He's cancelling all campaign events until further notice. We have an update on his recovery. Also this. A plane crashes at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. We'll have an update on that. And the Dow is tanking over concerns about the economy. Yes, another day in the news. It's a busy one. Stay with us.

[Sciutto:] There are real questions, concerns, fears even about the survival of NATO, an alliance in Europe decades old to help keep the peace there, keep Europe united against Russia and other threats. Real concerns. So I raised those concerns with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview. He is more confident. He says there are no indications, in his view, that NATO is in danger. In fact, he says that the U.S. is taking steps to preserve the alliance. This comes as there are questions about other issues and treaties between the U.S. and Russia, including an intermediate nuclear forces treaty which Stoltenberg says Russia will withdraw from, that a challenge to peace in the region. Here's our conversation. Mr. Secretary-general, thanks very much for taking the time today.
[Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General, Nato:] Thank you so much for having me.
[Sciutto:] I want to begin, if I can, with the relationship between the U.S. and NATO. As you know, President Trump has, at times, feuded with NATO members. He's even questioned at times the relevance of NATO today. I want to play for you really an alarming prediction that former Vice President Joseph Biden made in an interview recently on CNN and get your reaction. Have a listen.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] If he wins re-election, I promise you, there'll be no NATO in four years or five years.
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, "cuomo Primetime":] You think there'll be no more NATO if he's re-elected?
[Biden:] No more NATO.
[Sciutto:] The vice president eight years as vice president, predicting that if President Trump is re-elected that NATO will will end? Do you think he's wrong?
[Stoltenberg:] So I will be very careful being part of a upcoming presidential campaign in the United States. But what I can say is that what we have seen over the last years is actually an increased U.S. presence in Europe. U.S. military presence in Europe. President Trump has clearly called for more defense spending from European allies. But at the same time, we have seen that the U.S. is committed to NATO, the our transatlantic alliance, not only in words but also in deeds by increasing the number of U.S. troops in Europe.
[Sciutto:] I want to ask about election interference if I can because I always remind people here in the U.S. that Russia's interference in elections continues in Europe, most recently in the E.U. elections. Just as it's predicted, Russia will attempt again to interfere in the 2020 election here in the U.S. In your view, is Russia's election interference a national security threat to NATO and the west?
[Stoltenberg:] It is a serious concern. And, of course, they they have attempted and have tried to interfere in domestic political processes, undermine the trust in our democratic institutions. That's something we take very seriously. And that's also reason why we have stepped up our efforts and make sure that doesn't happen. Part of our strengthening cyber defenses, sharing best practices, supporting each other, and partly just by increasing awareness. But I also strongly believe that perhaps the best weapon we have against disinformation and interference in political processes is to have a free and independent press asking the difficult questions, checking the sources. And by having that, we are also undermining the possibility of when they interference in our democratic processes.
[Sciutto:] Today, how grave a threat is Russia to Europe, to NATO, to the U.S., in your view?
[Stoltenberg:] We don't see an imminent threat of a military attack. And and and that's also because NATO provides credible and strong deterrence every day. We have done so for 70 years in a very successful way deterring any attack against an ally. And and we will continue do so, sending a message that an attack on one will trigger an attack from the whole would trigger a response from the whole alliance and that's the best way to prevent a conflict. But what we see is a more assertive Russia and we see this concept of hybrid war or shadow war, which is an attempt to blur the line between peace and war using a covert operation, cyber meddling in domestic political affairs and we saw the Skripal case, the use of chemical agent in in in United Kingdom.
[Sciutto:] As you know, I wrote a book called "The Shadow." We're very much on on that on that topic. Final question before I let you go, because I spoke to to a number of people in Europe. I spoke to them across the military and intelligence services here in the U.S. And one criticism they had, they felt that they were not getting leadership from the top in the U.S. They were not getting the public statements about the threat from Russia that they feel they need from this administration, this president. I just wonder, from your seat, where you're right in the middle there, you're very close to the Russian threat. From your seat, do you hear words, statements, conviction from this president that you believe you need to hear today to keep the alliance together and to stand up to Russia?
[Stoltenberg:] So what we see is that the U.S. is increasing its military presence in Europe and European allies are stepping up. So the politics is that while there are some questions asked about the strength of the transatlantic bond, the reality on the ground is that we are doing more together than we've done for many, many years. And that's very reassuring when it comes to the strength of the transatlantic bond.
[Harlow:] Great interview.
[Sciutto:] You know, it's an interesting contradiction because it is true, the U.S. is deploying more forces in Europe along with its NATO allies. More military hardware, jets, et cetera. So why the disconnect with with the statements from the president about why we're doing this
[Harlow:] Yes, to what end.
[Sciutto:] To what degree is Russia a threat. In fact, as you know, you've often had contradictory statements.
[Harlow:] Of course.
[Sciutto:] Well, they're not really a threat. They did not interfere in the election.
[Harlow:] Of course.
[Sciutto:] Of course he made it very clear there, not just
[Harlow:] That they did.
[Sciutto:] Not just interfering in U.S. elections but European elections.
[Harlow:] So you'll be there tomorrow.
[Sciutto:] I will be.
[Harlow:] Jim's going to be at the Aspen Security Forum tomorrow. It will be interesting to hear what's top of mind for everyone there.
[Sciutto:] No question.
[Harlow:] OK. All right. So, ahead, in politics here, Joe Biden, Senator Kamala Harris went toe to toe in that first debate. Will they get a chance to do it again? We'll break down their chances before because, of course, CNN's draw is tonight.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Senator Kamala Harris achieving a lot of firsts as Joe Biden's choice for vice president. This morning we're learning more about her personal side from one of her first friends. Stacey Johnson-Batiste has known the senator since kindergarten, which wasn't, I guess, that long ago. She joins me now. Listen, thank you so much for being with us. We have some pictures of the two of you from a long time ago. What's it like to get that call
[Stacey Johnson-batiste, Lifelong Friend Of Sen. Kamala Harris:] Thank you for having me.
[Berman:] What's it like to hear that a friend of 50 years has just been put on the ticket?
[Johnson-batiste:] It is amazing. I mean it is fabulous. Absolutely wonderful. I was so excited yesterday and last night I could barely get to sleep. And then I woke up at like 3:40 and could not go back to bed. So it's very, very exciting.
[Berman:] What drew you to her as a friend in kindergarten?
[Johnson-batiste:] So our mothers became friends. And so that's how she and I, you know, became friends. So we were always around each other because of our mothers.
[Berman:] What drives her, do you think?
[Johnson-batiste:] Oh, gosh. Kamala, as far back as I can remember, she's always been a passionate person. She's always cared about people. She is you know, she's always been humble, very smart, very thoughtful about what she says and what she does. I think she's driven by her her love and her caring for people, for her family, for her friends.
[Berman:] She talks about being a biracial child. She talks about being present at protests, at civil rights protests with her parents when she was in a stroller even.
[Johnson-batiste:] Right.
[Berman:] To what extent do you think that that affected her?
[Johnson-batiste:] I think a lot, you know?
[Berman:] So what do you think Mike Pence, the vice president of the United States, needs to know about getting on a debate stage with your friend, Kamala Harris?
[Johnson-batiste:] Oh, boy. Kamala's fierce. She's fierce. She is phenomenal. She is a very thoughtful person. So thoughtful in terms of what she says. She you know, she cares very, very much about this country and all of the people in it. She is she's ready. She's ready. So everything that she has worked so hard for over the decades being a prosecutor, being a district attorney for San Francisco, you know, being California's attorney general and senator, it has groomed her, shaped her, got her ready. And I would say it really all started, that passion, in Berkeley.
[Berman:] When I first asked you the question you laughed in a way that indicated to me that maybe you were thinking something, you know, a little different, a little deeper than that there. Like you're looking forward to that moment when she walks on that stage with Mike Pence.
[Johnson-batiste:] I am, actually. I think it will be I mean since yesterday, there's been a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. I think Kamala is a perfect balance to Joe. I think it's going to be a great campaign. And when we see her on that stage, I mean, I you know, running for president, all of those campaigns and contests has gotten her ready.
[Berman:] How do you make her laugh? What's something that would embarrass Kamala Harris that we don't know about?
[Johnson-batiste:] Oh, boy, you know, she she's intuitive and we laugh at the just little things, silly things. I mean, we don't really have to I mean just common, every day, you know, people, places, things, memories. Our mothers and their laughs and some of the things that we did when, you know being being kids, going to Ferry Land, going to parties, you name it, you know, just simple, everyday life.
[Berman:] I don't know if you've had a chance to talk to her yet and I have to let you go. But if you did have a chance to talk to her, what's the first thing you'd say?
[Johnson-batiste:] Oh, God, I am so proud of you. I'm so proud of you. And we need you now. Our country needs you now.
[Berman:] Stacey Johnson-Batiste, thanks for joining us this morning and sharing your memories and your thoughts about your friend who is now on the major party ticket and we are waiting to see her later on today. So, thank you very much.
[Johnson-batiste:] Thank you for having me. Thank you.
[Berman:] All right, we do have breaking news. A passenger train has just derailed in Scotland. And we are told now there are serious injuries. New information from a live report in Scotland, next.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn:] Good evening, everyone. Thanks for joining us, on a day that saw the coronavirus death toll pass 90,000 in this country. The president of the United States said today he is taking a drug to prevent coronavirus that the FDA warns is dangerous, and study after study now shows is useless against the virus. The drug is a familiar one by now, hydroxychloroquine, and, before going any further, you want to just read directly from the FDA's April 24th bulletin on this drug. Quote, "The FDA is aware of reports of serious heart rhythm problems in patients with COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine." Additionally, quote, "Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19." Well, those first words bear repeating: serious heart rhythm, heart problems in patients with COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine. And a large study, published just days ago, in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," showed that patients who took the drug in combination with the antibiotic used in Z-Paks, which the president also touts, and did once again today, were more than twice as likely to suffer cardiac arrest. That's on top of other studies on hydroxychloroquine, or the related drug chloroquine alone, in which patients have also developed abnormal heart rhythms. So let that sink in for a moment. The leader of the free world is taking a drug that shows no apparent benefits for what he's taking it for, could be putting him at risk for serious heart problems, and here's how he explained it today.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The frontline workers, many, many are taking it. I happen to be taking it. I happen to be taking it.
[Unidentified Male:] Hydroxychloroquine?
[Trump:] I'm taking it, hydroxychloroquine.
[Unidentified Female:] When did you
[Trump:] Right now, yeah. A couple of weeks ago I started taking it.
[Unidentified Male:] Why, sir?
[Trump:] Because I think it's good, I've heard a lot of good stories. And if it's not good, I'll tell you right. I'm not going to get hurt by it.
[Unidentified Male:] Did the White House doctor recommend that you take that? Is that why you're taking it?
[Trump:] Yeah, White House doctor. He didn't recommend it. No, I asked him, "What do you think?" He said, "Well, if you'd like it?" I said, "Yeah, I'd like it. I'd like to take it." A lot of people are taking it, a lot of frontline workers are taking hydroxychloroquine. A lot of front I don't take it because hey, people said, "Oh, maybe he owns the company." No, I don't own the company. You know what? I want the people of this nation to feel good. This is a pill that's been used for a long time for 30, 40 years on the malaria, and on lupus, too. And even on arthritis, I guess, from what I understand. So it's been heavily tested in terms of I was just waiting to see your eyes light up when I said this, but you know, when I announced this. But, yeah, I've taken it for about a week and a half, now, and I'm still here. I'm still here.
[Unidentified Male:] Can you explain, sir, though, what is the evidence that it has a preventative effect?
[Trump:] Here we go, are you ready? Here's my evidence. I get a lot of positive calls about it. The only negative I've heard was the study where they gave it, was it the V.A.? With, you know, people that aren't big Trump fans.
[Cooper:] Did you get that? Never mind the research showing the dangers, multiple studies, the ones the only ones saying negative things about hydroxychloroquine, according to the president, aren't big Trump fans, and it's that simple. So, the "Journal of the American Medical Association," apparently not big Trump fans; the Food and Drug Administration, which is part of the president's, you know, government, not fans either, apparently; or all the other researchers doing studies on this around the country and the world, who are desperate for some sort of treatment that works; and the doctors who have stopped giving it to the patients, apparently they're just not into Trump. Or perhaps they are simply not into people taking medicine that won't help them and could seriously hurt them. Then again, as he's shown over the past weeks, for whatever reason, the president just cannot seem to stop talking about this, his drug of choice.
[Trump:] The FDA also gave emergency authorization for hydroxychloroquine. We're having some very good things happening with it. It's shown very encouraging very, very encouraging early results. There are some good signs. You've read the signs, I've read the signs, and I say it: "What do you have to lose?" I'll say it again: "What do you have to lose?" Take it. If things don't go as planned, it's not going to kill anybody. It will be wonderful it will be so beautiful. It will be a gift from heaven if it works. We have some other person put it forward that says, "Oh, let's go with it." You know, what do you have to lose? Try it if you'd like. I've seen things that I sort of like. So, what do I know? I'm not a doctor. I'm not a doctor, but I have common sense.
[Cooper:] He has common sense, he says, and he says he's taking a drug that's shown not to work, and could be harmful. Let's just leave it there. And, as we do, just remember, this wouldn't be the first time the president has touted unproven and dangerous, potentially deadly remedies.
[Trump:] Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light. And I think you said that hasn't been checked, but you're going to test it. And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body which you can do, either through the skin or in some other way and I think you said you're going to test that, too. Then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning?
[Cooper:] Yeah, there's not, there's not a way to inject disinfectant into a human being, not a good idea. Potentially very grave circumstances, very grave results, could kill people. After those remarks you may remember the President's advisors persuaded him not to do any more coronavirus task force briefings which is again just a whole other thing. I mean, the idea that we no longer hear, you know, on a daily basis from the top scientists of the nation working on coronavirus because the people around the President said, you know what, Mr. President, you shouldn't do any more, you know, talking in front of people extemporaneously about this because it's apparently, you know, they thought it was harming him politically. There wasn't a whole lot of talk, though, about how further lives might be put in jeopardy or lost, so much for that. More now from CNN's Kaitlan Collins joining us from the White House. Kaitlan, what is the White House saying about this claim of the President he is now taking Hydroxychloroquine?
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] So far, Anderson, they've been quiet. We asked for more details on this, exactly how long the President has been taking it, how long does he expect to be taking it. And we haven't gotten any statements from the press office or from the White House medical office which typically has put out statements on the President's health in the past, like when he's gotten a physical or something like that. And you know, the thing here, this is a direct contradiction of the FDA's own guidance that they issued in April. Saying that Hydroxychloroquine should not be used outside of a clinical trial or in a hospital setting where you can be monitored, they can check your heart rhythm, things of that nature. So there are a lot of questions about, you know, is the President contradicting his own FDA here by announcing that he's been taking this for a week-and-a-half now.
[Cooper:] Is there any acknowledgment that, I mean, yeah, I know there's no acknowledgment. I mean, as you said, his own FDA has warned against this drug. You know, assuming he's taking it, I'm wondering is part of him taking it just, you know, him wanting to show that he doesn't listen to, you know, doctors or scientists or sound medical advice or studies because he's been touting this so long that now he's just being resistant? I mean, I don't know, it makes logically, I don't understand why he would be taking this.
[Collins:] Well, there was a little period there where he stopped touting it so often to where we asked him in the briefing why he stopped talking about it so much because for weeks he had been pushing it saying the sentiment, you know, what do you have to lose, which is what he said today. And then he kind of went quiet on it after he saw several studies from that journal from the V.A. study, the FDA guidance talking about how there is no proof that it works or that it helps in any way and actually it can be harmful if you do have coronavirus and other underlying health conditions. But then, you know, the President said today he's been taking it about a week and a half, we're not sure on the timeline there of course, that's what he said earlier today. But, Anderson, remember it was about a week and a half ago that two people who work in the White House tested positive for coronavirus, an aid to the Vice President and the President's personal valet. So the question is, is that a precaution that the President is now trying to take because that of? Even though there is no evidence that we should say that it prevents getting coronavirus.
[Cooper:] Yeah, Kaitlan Collins, Kaitlan appreciate it. Perspective now from CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger and Dr. Erik Topol. In addition to being a renowned cardiologist, he's also on the coronavirus front lines as founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Dr. Topol, when you heard the President say this today what did you make of it?
[Dr. Eric Topol, Executive Vice President, Scripps Research:] I was stunned, there is absolutely no data to support the use of this drug hydroxychloroquine for a preventive aspect of COVID infections. And there is definite risk, as you reviewed the April 24th guidance was based on the fact that there have been serious heart arrhythmias from this drug being used. And as also noted there's been a doubling of cardiac arrest [inaudible] just published in JAMA last week. So we have all the data to support risk, no data to show benefit, and here the President is taking the drug. I think your point about potential defiance, not just defiance of the science and the medical work that's been done to date, but the fact that he has promoted the drug so long and so hard, perhaps it has something to do with it.
[Cooper:] Dr. Topol, you're a cardiologist. Can you just explain the potential heart issues that this drug might cause if not taken as prescribed? Because as you mention, the FDA has warned of serious heart rhythm problems. The Journal of the American Medical Association was concerned of lethal consequences, and I know the VA study that there were a number of cardiac issues cardiac arrests with people who were taking this.
[Topol:] Exactly. So, the reason why this is a serious matter is that the heart is susceptible to during the repolarization phase, that is, after the heart has been stimulated to contract. In that phase, there is an interval called QT, and this QT can be prolonged particularly by hydroxychloroquine. In addition, there's the thimerosal too, so it's a double whammy but just hydroxychloroquine can do this, and the important point, Anderson, is that it's not something that's just because you have heart disease. It could be a genetic predisposition. It could be because of other medications that one is taking. But the key point is you can't predict it, and there is this risk of this serious heart rhythm, it's called torsade de pointes, and it can result in cardiac arrest and death.
[Cooper:] Sanjay, A, how much does this concern you? And also, when the president says, well, look, this drug has been around for 30 years, people have taken it for malaria. I think I took it 30 years ago for malaria and I actually stopped because I didn't like it, as I recall. I was 17 years old at the time. But how alarming is this?
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] There is no evidence that this works. It's very concerning, Anderson, and, you know, I think, irresponsible because I think it's sending a very wrong message. It's a message that he has sent before on hydroxychloroquine. The concern is that, as Dr. Topol was just saying, there is no evidence that it works. There is potential harm. This flies in the face of all his own medical organizations, including the FDA which says this medication should not be used outside of a clinical trial or outside of patients who are hospitalized. There is no evidence that it works either for treatment or for prophylaxis, as you mentioned in the lead, Anderson. It makes no sense, and almost to the point where you wonder if something else is going on here that we're missing. Dr. Reiner, who worked at the White House before, sort of, brought this up, and he said, did the president have an exposure that was very significant that we don't know about and that's why they're very concerned about him? He's in his 70s. He has this evidence of heart disease. He had a significant exposure. What's going on here? It doesn't make sense and I'm worried that it sends the wrong message to people.
[Cooper:] Yes, Sanjay, I just want to go to Kaitlan Collins. I understand she has some information coming from the White House. Kaitlan?
[Collins:] Yes, so, Anderson, we just finally got a statement from the president's physician on why he is now taking hydroxychloroquine, and confirming that he is indeed taking it. This is from Dr. Sean Conley, the doctor who conducts the president's physicians and someone he references often, and he says, noting our reporting two weeks ago about the president's personal valet testing positive for coronavirus, he said that since then the president has continued to receive regular testing and has tested negative. And then getting to the good part where he talks about hydroxychloroquine, he says, "In consultation with our interagency partners and subject matter experts around the country, I have continued to monitor the myriad studies investigating potential COVID- 19 therapies, and I anticipate employing the same shared medical decision-making based on the advice at hand in the future." He says, after numerous discussions that he had with the president, Anderson, regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, quote, "We concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risk." Now, he is saying that though the president and in this letter tonight, he confirms the president does not have any coronavirus symptoms and he's continuing to test negative for coronavirus. So it's not clear really what treatment he's talking about that the president needs that would require him taking this medicine, though clearly the president made clear earlier, he sees it as a preventive treatment. But this is a statement from the president's doctor confirming that, yes, he is taking this drug that his own FDA has warned about taking in a non-clinical setting.
[Cooper:] Kaitlan, can you just read the second part? Because I was confused by the language there. I might have missed something that ended up with "we decided", but there was a couple of sentences before that.
[Collins:] Yes, so it's three graphs. It says talks about the presidential valet testing positive, and in the second graph, it says, "After numerous discussions he and I had regarding the evidence for and against the use of hydroxychloroquine, we concluded the potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risk." So it says the "potential benefit for treatment". It's not clear what hydroxychloroquine is treating for the president, since he does not have coronavirus symptoms, and they say he does not have coronavirus because he's continuously tested negative for it.
[Cooper:] Sanjay, what do you make of that statement? I mean, the doctor is saying he seemed to agree with this, whereas the president sort of indicated the, you know, the doctor said to him, "Do you want it?" And the president said "Yes," and the doctor gave it to him.
[Gupta:] That's what it sounds like. I mean, you know, that the I don't know that the doctor, the White House doctor, Dr. Conley, would have recommended this on his own. You know, he's looking at data, and if you look at the data, there's no data to suggest that you should do this, because there's no data to suggest, again, that it works as a prophylaxis, which is what it sounds like here. So, someone who has had an exposure, and now you're worried, "Am I going to get it?" So there's no evidence that it works for that. There's concerning evidence about it possibly being used as a treatment, and that you might have the significant side effects, like you were talking about with Dr. Topol. So, I don't get it. Did the president have a significant exposure, and now the White House is trying to do something prophylactically? There is just something here that still does not make sense. But what I can tell you is that, regardless, it flies in the face of all the guidance that's coming from the federal government's public health organizations themselves. It just doesn't fit.
[Cooper:] Gloria, I mean, you know, the
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] Anderson, I think that's the real
[Cooper:] Gloria, go ahead.
[Borger:] No, I think that's the real question. What exactly is the president's exposure here? We know that the vice president's press secretary was exposed, has coronavirus; we know that his valet had coronavirus. Clearly, the White House doctors are concerned. This is a president, as we all know, who does not even wear a mask, even though he had exposure. So, you can imagine the conversation, I'm sure, where his doctors were concerned, and maybe the president, as he said today, just suggested, "Well, how can I you know, what have I got to lose? How about taking this?" And, as Dr. Reiner pointed out and remember, he was Dick Cheney's doctor that at the White House they have all kinds of equipment there, should there they monitor the president very closely, and I'm sure they monitor him even more closely every day. So if he develops an arrhythmia, or something, they can take care of it in the way they could not with any of us if we were to take it. And again, of course, we have no idea we believe it's not preventative, but the president has all of that surrounding him.
[Cooper:] Dr. Topol, just briefly, I mean, if a patient says to you, you know, "I hear this is great. I've got a lot of friends calling me about it. I want it," is it the doctor's I mean, what do you do, as a doctor?
[Topol:] I mean, the responsible doctor would say, "No, there's no data to support this. There's a risk that we know of, and it's significant, and so we can't prescribe that." So, in a way, it's complicit. And it's really unfortunate, because it is somehow, it promotes the drug in a reckless way. And moreover, it's this whole commitment to the game changer, and all the other things that were being done for many weeks. It really is deeply concerning.
[Cooper:] Dr. Topol, I appreciate your expertise.
[Borger:] Can I just say, here's what's really reckless sure.
[Cooper:] Yes, Kaitlan Collins, thanks as well. Sanjay, stay with us. When we come back, there's breaking news on a vaccine that's showing early promise, and we'll be joined but one of the first volunteers who got it, Neal Browning, a frequent Town Hall guest. He joins us. Later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the president's prescription, her own party's prescription for dealing with the economic impact of the pandemic; and the president's firing the watchdogs he doesn't like, even though he claims not to even know this one. That and more when we continue.

[Camerota:] Senator Elizabeth Warren is trying to become the first woman president, and that would make her husband of nearly 40 years the first gentleman. How does he feel about that and more? The pair talked exclusively to CNN's M.J. Lee. And she joins us now with this big interview. So how interesting. Tell us everything.
[Lee:] Yes, Senator Warren's campaign has obviously had a lot of political momentum lately, and for the first time since she announced her campaign on New Year's Eve, her husband Bruce is speaking out. We sat down with him, and then the couple together, and we talked about a whole range of things, including the story of how they met 40 years ago, and a previously unreported reporting about their deliberations over whether Senator Warren should jump into the 2020 race and how they might be preparing for a match-up against President Trump. So let's talk about the two of you. This is your first joint interview of the campaign.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] It is.
[Lee:] How did you two meet?
[Warren:] Oh, at a pink hotel.
[Bruce Mann, Husband Of Elizabeth Warren:] Yes, yes, a pink hotel in Key Biscayne.
[Lee:] Meet Bruce man, a Harvard Law School professor better known these days as Elizabeth Warren's husband. [on camera]: So 1979.
[Mann:] Yes.
[Lee:] You meet senator Warren. What was she like?
[Mann:] Oh, the first, let me set the scene, because
[Lee:] Please.
[Mann:] It's completely improbable.
[Lee:] The two met when they were 29 years old, attending a law conference in Florida. Warren had recently separated from her first husband, Jim Warren.
[Mann:] As I approached the reception, I looked across the lawn, from about, oh, I don't know, 25 yards away, the I saw Elizabeth talking to a couple of people, and the and even from that distance, the I was just I was just drawn to her. I mean, she was so lively, so animated, so engaged. I just fell for her from 25 yards out before even meeting.
[Lee:] Love at first sight?
[Mann:] For me, yes, it took it took her a couple of days.
[Lee:] And you?
[Warren:] I was much slower. That was a Sunday late afternoon when we met.
[Lee:] That's right.
[Warren:] I wasn't completely in love with him until sometime mid- morning on Monday. He was in the row ahead of me down at the other end of the row, and it was on Monday when I actually saw him in shorts and good-looking legs.
[Lee:] Wow.
[Warren:] Yes. That's when that's when I was all in.
[Mann:] Yes, that's right. That's right. She completely objectified me.
[Warren:] It's true.
[Lee:] As the couple tells it, it was a whirlwind romance built on a shared love of teaching and academia and a bond over their similar upbringings. Just months after they first met, it was Warren who popped the question.
[Warren:] It was in the fall, and I'd watched him teach a class, which I'd never done before. So I'm sitting in the back of the room while he's teaching. And with classes, he taught a really good glass, and students lots of interaction. Students asked him questions. And he walks back in this big empty classroom, he looks down at me and he says, "Well, what did you think?" And I said, "Great. Will you marry me?" And he said
[Mann:] Yes.
[Warren:] Yes. And that was it.
[Lee:] That was it?
[Mann:] That's right, yes.
[Warren:] That was it. Yes. I got to see him in one you know, I got to see him in shorts, got to watch him play tennis. Got to do all that when we were in Miami for three weeks, and then got to see him teach, and but that's it.
[Mann:] Yes.
[Warren:] I'm marrying this one. You know when you find a good one, grab him and hang on. I really am glad to see all of you here.
[Lee:] Warren is now one of the leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for president. If she wins, her husband would be the first male presidential spouse in history. He says it's not a role he ever imagined himself playing. [on camera]: When you first met the senator, she was a Republican.
[Mann:] I don't think I knew that at the time. However conservative she might have been at the time, the it was not particularly apparent, and we really didn't discuss politics.
[Lee:] Friends and colleagues describe Mann as the quieter of the couple, devoted to his scholarship and even more devoted to his wife. He's been by Warren's side as her political career has taken off rapidly, beginning with a Senate campaign in 2012 and a presidential run announced on the last day of 2018. [on camera]: So that conversation between the two of you where you decide, OK, we're going to do this. I'm going to run for president. What is that conversation like?
[Warren:] I don't think of it as a single conversation.
[Mann:] No, not really. Not really.
[Warren:] It was the bits and pieces kind of thing that people who live together do. A piece here about what's happening in our country, a piece about a place we ought to be fighting back. And over time now, I did have conversations with other people, real conversations that I told them I was going to have. And I wanted him to think about it so I could get good advice, and this is an important decision.
[Mann:] And so the conversations she mentioned were asking people to give her three reasons why she should run, three reasons why she shouldn't. And she saved me for last. And so finally she asked me for three reasons pro and con, and I said no, I'm not going to do it. And I said, you're going to run anyways. The so it just doesn't matter, because if you don't run and Democrats lose, you'll feel guilty, because then that means there will be no one to fight for the people and the issues that you care about.
[Warren:] It just became clearer and clearer in this fight that you're right. I couldn't not do it.
[Lee:] So we fast forward ten months.
[Warren:] Yes.
[Lee:] You know that your wife has been leading the polls lately. As the person who knows her best, why do you think she's leading the polls right now?
[Mann:] Because she's the best person to do the job.
[Warren:] I'm glad you feel that way.
[Mann:] I do, I do, I do, I do. It's an entirely unbiased opinion.
[Warren:] That's right, that's right. Absolutely.
[Mann:] The the
[Warren:] And you remember we don't do polls.
[Mann:] That's right. We do not do polls.
[Lee:] And if she does become the nominee, she will go up against President Trump. Are you ready for that?
[Mann:] I mean, I'm not sure if anyone how anyone trains for it. You just jump into the deep end, and you swim.
[Lee:] Do the two of you talk yet about what life could be like at the White House?
[Warren:] No, huh-uh.
[Mann:] No.
[Warren:] No.
[Mann:] No, no, no. It's a bit early.
[Lee:] As his wife is running for president, Mann is continuing to teach at Harvard Law School. He has spent limited time on the campaign trail so far but says he already has one of the most important jobs on the Warren campaign.
[Mann:] My principal role has been as as Bailey's handler.
[Warren:] That's right.
[Mann:] I help I help Bailey manage his photo ops.
[Lee:] The couple's 16-month-old Golden Retriever has developed a following of his own. [on camera]: So what are the things that you two are doing to try to keep any sense of normalcy when you're home?
[Warren:] Bailey.
[Mann:] Yes.
[Warren:] Bailey. No, it is. We try to get out to Fresh Pond. And if it's a really good day, we actually do doubles at Fresh Pond.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Hello, it's the top of the hour and I'm Brianna Keilar. The White House is denying any efforts to undermine or discredit the nation's top infectious disease expert but today, in a scathing op-ed, top White House trade advisor Peter Navarro is attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, writing that he listens to Fauci's advice with skepticism and caution. An official tells CNN the White House did not sign off on the op-ed. Here's what the president said about it, moments ago.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Didn't change for me. I look, they're all on the same team, we're all on the same team including Dr. Fauci. I have a very good relationship with Dr. Fauci. And we're all on the same team. We want to get rid of this mess that China sent us, so everybody's working on the same line and we're doing very well. We're doing well in a lot of ways, and our country's coming back very strong. When you look at those job numbers, we've never had job numbers like we have right now. So it's coming back very strong, OK?
[Unidentified Male:] Navarro's gone rogue?
[Trump:] Well, he made a statement representing himself, he shouldn't be doing that. No, I have a very good relationship with Anthony. Thank you very much, thank you.
[Keilar:] But Dr. Fauci, who has earned the trust of millions of Americans during this pandemic, is staying focused on the science. Here's what he had to say about his relationship with the president.
[Unidentified Male:] Can you update us on your relationship with the president?
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] Well, the scene has changed a bit because back then, when we were having daily press conferences in fact, there was a period of intensity, you recall, when we were meeting with the task force, seven days a week. And we were having frequent press briefings, so I had the opportunity, on a personal, one-on-one, to talk to the president. That's changed a bit now, I haven't done that in a while. But what has not changed and I think, you know, in credit to the vice president, who he's been very heavily involved in this and we we don't have as many task force meetings, it's not every day but we do have it, you know, two or three times a week. And the physicians and public health people meet even more frequently. So I can say a day does not go by that I am not in contact with Debbie Birx or with Bob Redfield or Steve Hahn and others, so we do that, and we go down. And my input to the president is now a bit indirect, it goes through the vice president.
[Keilar:] I'm joined now by Miami cardiologist Dr. Bernard Ashby. And, Dr. Ashby, what's your reaction when you hear these attacks on Dr. Fauci and, really, what it means for the big picture as this nation is trying to confront this pandemic?
[Bernard Ashby, Cardiologist With Icu At Capacity:] So, Brooke, thanks a lot for having me here, giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of my community, my patients and the medical health care professionals out there, fighting hard on the frontlines. So, in a word, disappointed. I mean, the fact that we're in the midst of a pandemic, I'd like to say you know, I'm a Florida boy so we're in the midst of a hurricane right now, especially down here in Miami. And the fact that we're having these conversations at this particular time is just disappointing, to say the least.
[Keilar:] And so you're tell us about what's going on on the ground for you there, in Florida at your hospital.
[Ashby:] So a number of things. One, the ICUs are starting to reach capacity, including my ICU. We're at 100 percent capacity. There are about 54 other ICUs that are at 100 percent capacity, another 40 that are at almost capacity, 90 percent-plus. And so we are starting to see an increase in hospitalizations, increase in the deaths as expected from the uptick in the virus spread in the state of Florida. So this is not a big surprise, unfortunately. And you know, me, representing on behalf of the medical profession, we feel like our leadership just doesn't have our back, so we're kind of doing what we need to do and we've actually made quite a few advances and our patients are having better outcomes, but the leadership doesn't have our back and again, very disappointing.
[Keilar:] What do you need from your leadership? What do you need from the governor?
[Ashby:] So basically, I'm not going to get into the weeds of it. Just get the virus under control. However you do it, just do it. And so there's a lot of prescriptions out there but what I want to focus on is outcomes, so just get the virus under control. We said that this was going to happen, it's happening. And now what are you going to do about it? And at this particular point in Florida, we're just not doing enough to get the virus under control. And I'm worried about my patients, I'm worried about my community so we've got to handle this.
[Keilar:] So you say you don't want to get into it. And I'm actually I'm really curious why that is, because I know, you know, when you're talking about the things that the leaders have at their disposal, it would be things like a mask mandate, which Florida doesn't have even though, you know, today, Alabama, with the Republican governor next door, is putting one in place. Things like maybe reducing sort of rolling back or pausing on some of the reopening. But it just becomes, you know, to say those things, it puts you I mean, in a position where it's almost like taking a political position. Is it difficult to be in a position where you're saying, Get this under control. But in order to kind of talk about common-sense solutions, it puts you in sort of makes you a target of criticism?
[Ashby:] Exactly, exactly. I mean, the whole situation to me is
[Keilar:] Doctor, thank you for joining us, Dr. Bernard Ashby. And good luck, we know that you are right in the middle of all of this, and we appreciate you talking to us.
[Ashby:] I appreciate you for having me. Thanks.
[Keilar:] So all of this is coming as the U.S. has reached a new daily high for coronavirus cases in the United States, more than 67,000 new cases confirmed yesterday, which is a record. Thirty-eight states are reporting double-digit increases compared to a week ago. One of them, Alabama, just announcing that masks are now going to be required statewide. And in another, Oklahoma, the governor says he has tested positive for coronavirus. One highly influential model is now projecting 224,000 Americans will die by November 1st. And this is why that number's important, because it is 16,000 more than was predicted just last week. Things are getting worse, projections are getting worse. And as the numbers skyrocket, what you know about the extent of this virus could soon be limited. That is actually because the White House is now ordering hospitals to send all information on their patients, on PPE, on ventilators directly to HHS instead of the Centers for Disease Control, which is seen as more independent. The Health and Human Services Department says this will allow the data to be streamlined. But one former CDC director tells CNN it is another example of the agency being sidelined the CDC, that is and a step back in the nation's response. We have CNN's Nick Watt in Los Angeles on this. And, Nick, in California and other places, officials are really struggling to gain control over this outbreak.
[Nick Watt, Cnn Correspondent:] They certainly are. Listen, and just in the last hour, we've heard from the San Francisco School District, it's going to be online only when schools go back in the fall. Pasadena, they have just cancelled their world-famous Rose Parade, which is New Year's Day 2021. In Riverside County, a federal team will soon be on the way medical, military personnel to help in a hospital where they say the ICU is reaching capacity. Hospitalizations here in California, focused here in Los Angeles where this line behind me is for testing at Dodgers Stadium.
[Watt:] More theme parks opening up today in Florida, just as the positivity rate on tests in Miami-Dade passes a staggering 30 percent, which means the virus is spreading fast, and ICUs are already full in 54 Florida hospitals.
[Carlos Migoya, President And Ceo, Jackson Health System:] The biggest issue is that we have a lot of aggressive noncompliant people, people that just do not believe that masking is the right thing to do, that don't believe this. And frankly, a lot of the young people are saying, So what if I get it? If I get it, it doesn't mean anything.
[Watt:] More Americans are being infected with this virus now, six months in, than ever before.
[Peter Hotez, Professor And Dean Of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College Of Medicine:] Right now, the southern U.S. accounts for about a quarter of the world's cases of COVID-19. Think about that, just the southern half of the
[U.s. Watt:] Nineteen states are now now seeing their highest average daily case counts ever, and 14 states have more COVID patients in hospitals now than ever before.
[Quinn Snyder, Er Physician In Phoenix:] We could end up in a position where we're going to have to start making decisions like who gets a ventilator and who doesn't.
[Watt:] He's in Arizona, where NFL-style misters are now deployed in one district to disinfect. Kids will be back in these classrooms in a little over two weeks.
[Colleen Kraft, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Emory University Hospital:] Schools are going to be hotspots. Kids are a vector for viruses. If you remember pandemic H1N1 in 2009, as soon as schools reopened, there was a huge spike.
[Watt:] In surging California, those who are asymptomatic but believe they have a risk of being actively infected, for now, cannot be tested because the state is trying to dip demand to speed up the turnaround time.
[Will Humble, Executive Director, Arizona Public Health Association:] You've got to have a fast turnaround time if the contact tracing is going to work, which is, after masks, the single most important return on investment intervention that we have.
[Watt:] Until, of course, we get a vaccine.
[Fauci:] And I hope that that time will be reasonably soon. And when I say soon, I say within the next year to year and a half.
[Watt:] So we'll likely have a fall and winter without one. And, Brianna, you just mentioned that Alabama just triggered a mask mandate, that now exists in 36 states and in any Walmart store you want to go into. But interestingly, the governor of Oklahoma, who you just said has just admitted not admitted, that's completely the wrong word to say has just said that he is COVID-positive. About masks, he said he is not thinking about a mask mandate at all because different communities have different needs Brianna.
[Keilar:] All right. Let's hope he is wearing one. Nick Watt, thank you so much, really appreciate it. Just in, we have some more details on the drama that's unfolding inside the White House as the president's top trade advisor publicly attacks Dr. Anthony Fauci. Chief White House Correspondent, Jim Acosta is joining us now to talk about this. Tell us what you're hearing, Jim?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Yes, Brianna. White House officials are telling me and my colleague Betsy Kline that Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, is not happy with the White House trade advisor Peter Navarro after that scathing op-ed that Navarro put out, attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci. Just talked to this official a few moments ago, who said that Navarro had been warned by the chief of staff, as well as other staffers inside the White House, to de-escalate the situation between the White House and Dr. Fauci. And that Navarro, quote, "violated those instructions." And so at this point, it's unclear whether or not this is going to lead to Peter Navarro being fired or something like that. But Mark Meadows, the new chief of staff who has been trying to get things under control since coming on board, you know, in charge of the staff here at the White House, he is not happy about this. The other thing that makes all of this interesting, Brianna, as you'll recall, a couple of days ago, when White House officials were anonymously trashing Dr. Fauci with those talking points that were critical of the infectious diseases expert, part of the reason why Navarro is in so much hot water now with the White House chief of staff is that Meadows was trying to lower the temperature after that talking point's flap. Clearly, that backfired in the faces of people over here at the White House, and Meadows wanted to put a stop to it. And then that didn't happen when Peter Navarro put out that op-ed, so clearly the chief of staff has his hands full with Peter Navarro. Because you can't have as you know, Brianna, you covered the White House you just can't have top White House officials going rogue like that and publishing op-eds and not going through the communications team over here at the White House. It makes it look as if that people here at the White House are all over the place on this issue, which of course they have been.
[Keilar:] Yes. And let's listen, Jim, to Dr. Fauci himself. He called the attacks on him bizarre.
[Unidentified Male:] Officials have distributed what essentially is oppo research. And you are the government's top health advisor. And the government you're trying to advise is actively trying to discredit you. How do you work like that?
[Fauci:] Well, that is a bit bizarre. And I have to tell you, I think if I sit here and just shrug my shoulders and say, Well, you know, that's life in the fast lane no, it is a bit bizarre. I don't really fully understand it. You know, I think that what happened with that list that came out, I think if you sit down and talk to the people who were involved in that, they really, I think, taken aback by what a bit mistake that was. And I think if you talk to reasonable people in the White House, they realize that was a major mistake on their part because it doesn't do anything but reflect poorly on them. And I don't think that that was their intention. I don't know, I cannot figure out, in my wildest dreams, why they would want to do that. But, I mean, I think they realize now that that was not a prudent thing to do because it's only reflecting negatively on them. I can't explain Peter Navarro. He's in a world by himself, so I don't even want to go there.
[Keilar:] I mean, that was pretty interesting. And, Jim, it was worth noting that Fauci says his input now goes through the vice president, not the president.
[Acosta:] That's true. I mean, there's no question about it, the president and Dr. Fauci have not been on good terms for some time now. The president says he has a good relationship with Dr. Fauci; there hasn't been much of a relationship, the two haven't spoken as far as I know for many, many weeks. And the other thing we should point out about Peter Navarro, I mean, remember, it was months ago when Dr. Anthony Fauci and Peter Navarro had this big altercation inside one of the White House Task Force meetings over hydroxychloroquine. Peter Navarro, according to what we're told, came into this meeting, threw down a stack of articles, saying, See? Hydroxychloroquine works. And Dr. Fauci, at that point, was saying, What are you talking about, Peter? That has not been established, that is an unproven treatment. And we've seen studies showing at best mixed results in all of this, and many top scientists including Fauci are not convinced about it. But putting all that to the side, I will tell you, you know, I tried to reach out to Dr. Fauci this morning about this, and he really didn't want to engage all that much with the situation with Peter Navarro. He said he wants to focus on what's important, like the development of a vaccine and all. But you get the sense, from talking to him and you talk to people who know how he thinks, Brianna, that he is kind of exasperated with all of this and taken aback, because he's worked with as you know, Brianna Democratic and Republican presidents, going back decades. He's never had to deal with a situation like this before Brianna.
[Keilar:] Yes. And on hydroxychloroquine, I mean, they actually stopped, for hydroxychloroquine, a study because they didn't feel it was ethical to continue, that's the issue that they were having, in terms of it posing a safety risk
[Acosta:] Right.
[Keilar:] to people. Jim Acosta at the White House, thank you so much.
[Acosta:] That's right.
[Keilar:] And next, we have a personal look at the disparities in testing in the U.S. versus the rest of the world, it is staggering. Our own CNN correspondents will share their wildly different experiences. Plus, I'll speak to an official in Orange County, California, where the Board of Education approved a measure, recommended that schools go back into session without masks, without social distancing and schools are not listening.

[Michael Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. And coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, crowds in the U.S. are packing the beaches this holiday weekend, as fears grow it could result in an early second wave. Greeting crowds with apparently no mask, Brazil's president copes with growing cases and new travel restrictions. Also, protesters in Hong Kong met with tear gas. Will this be the end of one country, two systems? Welcome, everyone. It is Memorial Day in the United States, and millions of Americans have been marking the holiday by heading outdoors, even as the coronavirus continues to claim lives. Over the weekend, dozens flocked to beaches in South Carolina, few of them wearing masks, but most trying to keep a safe distance from one another. That was not the case at this pool party in Missouri. As you can see, dozens of tourists crammed together, in clear violation of safety guidelines. Officials have warned the virus can spread through people in proximity like this.
[Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator:] We've made it clear that there's asymptomatic spread. And that means that people are spreading the virus unknowingly. And this is unusual in the case of respiratory diseases, in many cases. So you don't know who's infected, and so we really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical. And if you can't social distance, and you're outside, you must wear a mask. These are items that are really critical to protect individuals.
[Holmes:] Meanwhile, some churches in the U.S. have started to reopen days after President Trump called them essential. Despite warnings, many people attending mass on Sundays, most of them wearing face masks, not all. But in Brazil, the president took off his own mask when he greeted supporters. He has repeatedly ignored safety guidelines, even though Brazil has the second most infections in the world. The U.S. has now suspended entry to travelers from Brazil for two weeks. And in the U.K., the prime minister is standing by an adviser accused of breaching lockdown measures there. Boris Johnson says Dominic Cummings acted legally when he traveled out of London with his wife, who had coronavirus symptoms, and their 4-year-old son. Mr. Johnson says Cummings will not resign. As the U.S. continues to ease restrictions, some Americans are taking extra measures to remain safe. CNN's Rosa Flores tells us what beachgoers in Florida were doing.
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] I'm in Pensacola Beach, Florida, and I want to show you around. Because here's what people are doing to make sure that they social distance. If you look behind me, you'll see the umbrellas are separated by more than six feet apart. Now, this allows families to have a good time, intermingle, but also, social distance. And that way, they don't have to be intermingling with other families. Now, this is definitely a downward scale from what Memorial Day weekend normally is here in Pensacola. I talked to the county commissioner that represents this area, and he says, normally, this beach would be shoulder to shoulder. There would be concerts going on. At the other end of the island, Pride Week would also be going on, which brings out about 50,000 people. So this is definitely a downgrade in the number of people. But take a look at the numbers, because he was able to help us out with some figures. If you compare Memorial Day weekend 2019 to 2020, it almost looks the same. Take a look at these numbers. From Thursday to Monday, according to this commissioner, there was about 85,000 cars that drove into Pensacola last year. This year, he was able to get the numbers for us from Friday to Sunday, at about 1:50 p.m., and that's about 50,000 cars. But if you just compare Saturday, it's about 20,000 cars coming in to Pensacola. Now, this is a very drivable beach, because people from Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, drive to this beach for Memorial Day weekend. Now, I asked this commissioner the obvious question: Is he concerned about the spread of the coronavirus? And here's what he said.
[Robert Bender, Escambia Board Of County Commissioner:] It's something we are concerned about. This is why we closed the beaches to begin with in March. But of course, as we learn more about it, as people know more about the symptoms, and what to do. We've been very fortunate that we've had a lot of testing available here. And so, if people are experiencing any types of symptoms or anything like that, then they need to get tested, if they come.
[Flores:] According to the county commissioner, 34 lifeguards have been on duty throughout Memorial Day weekend, and if you look around me, you'll see that a lot of social distancing is going on, but not very many people are wearing masks. And that's because, while social distancing is required, masks are not. Rosa Flores, CNN, Pensacola Beach, Florida.
[Holmes:] Meanwhile, several U.S. states are seeing a surge in new infections. Over the weekend, the Arkansas governor said his state is experiencing a second peak, which he attributed to more testing. CNN's Ed Lavandera has the details.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] Arkansas is one of the few states in the country where the governor did not issue a stay-at- home order for its residence. They did have restrictions put on businesses and restaurants, and schools were closed, but that is one of the reasons why this second wave here, as the governor here is describing it, of coronavirus infections, is concerning. This started on Thursday of last week. The governor says that more testing is being done of the coronavirus, and it's one of the reasons why they're seeing the second wave. Four hundred and fifth case or so reported last Thursday. Another 150 on Friday, then 160 about on Saturday. The case totals were a little bit lower on Sunday, but that could have something to do with the way weekend test results are reported. So we'll have to see how this continues to play out here in the coming days. But the governor has described it as a second wave. He says one of the silver linings here is that the positive infection rate of these tests, and the hospitalization rates for the virus, remain low. So by and large, the state of Arkansas has not seen the case numbers, and the death totals as high as many other places in the country. And the governor here says that the state and its residents must learn to manage and learn to essentially live with this virus here for the months to come. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Little Rock, Arkansas
[Holmes:] Well, as the U.S. continues to reopen over the holiday weekend, health experts are reminding the public not to let their guard down and continue that social distancing. For more on that, I'm joined by Dr. Jorge Rodriguez in Los Angeles, an internal medicine and viral specialist. Always a pleasure, sir. I think when you look at some of the video of the gatherings at the weekend, that Missouri pool party, the Arkansas cluster that's being reported, another one in Atlanta after students at a party, how do you react to some of these images this weekend? Do you expect spikes in a couple of weeks?
[Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, Internal Medicine And Viral Specialist:] Yes. I do. And I react to them, actually. I've become very depressed and frustrated by this. Because those actions are both ignorant, selfish, and dangerous at the end of the day. I think Dr. Birx said that the virus is asymptomatic, and I'm not sure if people realize what that means. Asymptomatic means no symptoms. Up to 35 to 40 percent of the people that have the virus do not have fever, do not have cough, do not have any symptoms. Therefore, it's not even if, they are going to spread it to other people. It's not even an "if." There will be a second spike, unless something miraculous happens. So right now, everyone needs to take precautions. And there's some people think that they're they're not vulnerable, because they're young, which is a complete misconception. So yes, it's very, actually, frustrating, I think, to those who know.
[Holmes:] And I think there there are 20,000 new infections a day in the U.S., 1000 deaths, more than 1,000 deaths. You've got these spikes in various parts of the country. But yet, this weekend, Donald Trump called for, basically, demanded churches reopen. And I don't know if you saw it. Literally, a couple of hours ago, he tweeted schools in our country should be opened ASAP, because, quote, "much very good information now available." Your thoughts on that?
[Rodriguez:] Much very good information?
[Holmes:] Not the grammar, but the
[Rodriguez:] No, no, no, no, no. Somebody else who needs to go to school. But, you know, we need clear and concise leadership. And perhaps schools should open, but there needs to be a plan. Every time that people congregate, there is the threat of disease. And listen, this country was raised, and, founded on religious freedom. But you don't necessarily have to go to a church to express that, and every congregation, every pastor, every minister, every rabbi, I think, is most concerned about the health and the safety, both emotionally and religiously, of their flock. And they should ensure that. So can churches open? With a plan, I think they can safely open. If there's distancing, if people wear masks. But look at us. We're communicating, you know, through video right now, so why not do that for a little bit until things quiet down?
[Holmes:] Yes, and and a lot of pushback on his tweet on on schools. But of course, in the U.S., I mean, most schools are out for the summer anyway.
[Rodriguez:] Right.
[Holmes:] So I'm not sure the point of that that tweet. What is it in human nature that, you know, with 100,000 dead, as I said, 20,000 new infections a day, what is it that makes some people seemingly oblivious, you know, rejecting the risk, just willing to gamble with their health? But as you point out, not just their health, the health of others. There's a lot of people who think this is all overblown.
[Rodriguez:] It's well, it's not overblown. And, you know, luckily, it hasn't gotten to the point where we thought it might get to, just because of actions that have been taking. I mean, look at New York. I mean, it is exemplary. That curve went spike went up and then went down. But, you know, the New Yorkers took it very seriously. So what is it in human nature? You know, one is, I think, that people don't see it, so it is not a reality to them. It's a reality to me. It's a reality to someone who's lost a wife, or a husband, or a brother. And then the second thing, which I think is very odious, is the fact that so much of this, I think, is political. It is almost showing that you agree with with some party in this country. And it's a form of machismo, and it's again, it's very depressing to see that.
[Holmes:] Yes. It's almost a culture war issue. Yes, I tend to agree with that. Would you also agree that, when we talk about testing, there is still not enough of it here in the U.S.? There needs to be for people to have that confidence to go to work. There needs to be widespread testing, contact tracing, and so on, as other more successful countries have done and are doing.
[Rodriguez:] Yes, absolutely. You know, the issue is, Michael, that a lot of those countries that are most successful also have a different form of government here, and they're a little bit more totalitarian. So they can therefore force their people to do, you know, certain Things like in China. They need to be quarantined without movement, and they would bring them food. The United States, right, blessed as we are, we have certain freedoms, and you can't force people to do anything. So we really have to make people understand testing is important. But again, testing to what degree? Antibody testing, if we know that antibodies provide immunity, that's great. But if we want live testing, how often we do it? Who gets it? And again, this is a plan that needs to come from upstairs down. But do we need testing? Yes, absolutely we need more testing.
[Holmes:] Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, always a pleasure. Thank you so much.
[Rodriguez:] Have a good night.
[Holmes:] You, too. Well, Brazil's foreign ministry has responded to President Trump's restrictions on travelers from Brazil to the U.S. In an email to CNN, the foreign ministry reiterated that the two nations are collaborating in the fight against COVID-19. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has that and the worsening health crisis Brazil is facing.
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn International Correspondent:] Brazil pretty clearly now the second most impacted country in the world by coronavirus after figures emerged late on Saturday night. That seemed to be responded to by the United States, the most impacted country in terms of confirmed cases, by banning entry into the U.S. for those from Brazil, or those who've been to Brazil, in the last 14 days. It seems definitely a bid to try and prevent the infection here, from getting into the United States and contributing. It's spread inside the U.S. But this piece of bad news, of course, for Brazilians comes on a day in which their president, Jair Bolsonaro, is a game being seen near crowds of supporters, not wearing a mask. An unexpected rally and Brasilia, the seat of government in Brazil. He was reported to have flown over these crowds in a helicopter, then landed wearing a mask and is then later filmed, flanked at one point by cabinet member and two lawmakers supporting him, greeting supporters. These are very common displays by the president of his support in the capital of government, and is often used to suggest that he is comfortable amongst other individuals, that masks aren't necessarily essential, despite the growing catastrophe inside Brazil itself. Jair Bolsonaro's statement was always it was a little flu, coronavirus, or a cold. He's later modified his language to talk about the fight against it being a war, but that was more to justify the use of the drug hydroxychloroquine, which has, in some studies, been proven to actually be harmful to individuals, and certainly, yet to be proven to be beneficial in the fight against coronavirus. But Brazile still, it seems, a week to two weeks away from its peak, and its political leadership giving very divided signals themselves. The main figure, Jair Bolsonaro, not wearing a mask this day. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Manaus, Brazil.
[Holmes:] Now on Sunday, the Mexican president said the pandemic could cost the country up to a million jobs. Health-wise, it has been the worst week for Mexico since the start of the outbreak. Officials there say more than 2,700 new cases and 215 deaths were reported on Sunday alone. In total, nearly 7,400 people in Mexico have now died of the virus. When we come back, protests and crackdown in Hong Kong. Thousands of people defying police and tear gas to tell the mainland to keep its hands off their freedoms. We'll talk about that next. Also, Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the U.K. defending his top advisor and his alleged breach of national lockdown rules he helped write. The latest fallout from a tense situation in the U.K. after the break.

[Chalian:] That to me is an interesting middle ground.
[Camerota:] Agreed.
[Berman:] David Chalian, thank you very much.
[Camerota:] Yes. Thank you. So it does sound like the endgame for Democrats has changed so there's this growing list, as David just said, of Democrats who are calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to begin the impeachment inquiry against the president. "NEWSROOM" picks up our coverage right now.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning, I'm Jim Sciutto. Nice to be back shoulder-to-shoulder with Poppy here in New York.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Good to be back with you, my friend. I'm Poppy Harlow. Nothing says defiance like an empty chair. And once again that is exactly what we're expecting to see one hour from now when the House Judiciary Committee meets for what was meant to be an illuminating day of testimony from the former White House counsel, Don McGahn. Just like the attorney general, less than a month ago, McGahn intends to defy the panel's subpoena which will very likely earn him a contempt citation and a court fight, and thereby add to the pressure facing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from Democrats in her own party, Democrats eager to start impeachment proceedings against this president. For now she is standing firmly against that.
[Sciutto:] And I know you've heard this word a lot, maybe getting sick of it, subpoena, but subpoenas do matter, part of the Constitution, congressional powers to check the executive. That message jumping off the pages of a brand new ruling from a D.C. federal judge rejecting the president's bid to stop his former accounting firm from turning over documents to the House Oversight Committee. This is key in an ongoing investigation of Trump Organization. CNN's Manu Raju is on Capitol Hill this morning. OK, so let's start with McGahn, the White House counsel. What happens next with his absence and why is the panel so focused on getting him to testify under oath?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Well, he is a key witness who was a part of the administration for the first two years, a key witness in the Mueller investigation, someone who spent 30 hours talking to the special counsel, also is the one who one person who apparently the president tried to get to fire the special counsel in an effort to thwart the investigation. Democrats want to hear all of this in public testimony, but under the instructions of the White House he is defying a subpoena and will not show up at today's hearing. He's also refusing to turn over records because the White House has essentially told him not to. They say that he is immune from testifying because he is a senior level White House adviser. That's an approach that Democrats reject. So expect at this hearing today that both sides will tee off. Democrats will attack this administration of what they see as a lawless administration. They will plan to move forward to hold Don McGahn in contempt. Those votes could happen in a matter of days and Republicans will side with the White House and say, look, there is no legal justification for bringing someone this close to the president before Congress. He should not be compelled to testify. That's going to play out in a very, very contentious hearing, but Democrats this is just the first step to hold Don McGahn in contempt and others in contempt as they defy these subpoenas, guys.
[Sciutto:] OK. Other big question here, the I word, impeachment. I remember a moment on this broadcast, remember just a couple of weeks ago, it was you, Manu, you asked Ted Lieu.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] This question. He said, you know what, there's a lot of folks in the caucus want to move forward with impeachment.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] At the time it seemed like, well, you know, how many exactly, but it seems like now, particularly after a meeting with Democratic leadership, that there is a growing critical mass here that may force the speaker's hand on this.
[Raju:] Potentially because of the anger about the defiance from this administration to not turn over records despite facing subpoenas. In multiple closed door meetings yesterday Democrats engaged in a lengthy debate about the way forward. A number of members called for the impeachment proceedings to begin. At least an impeachment inquiry. But Nancy Pelosi has rejected that approach, wanted to go more in a deliberative approach and said, look, we're already getting results from this court case that they won yesterday to turn over financial records that the House Oversight Committee has demanded from a Trump accounting firm. Now I talked to two key members of the House Judiciary Committee last night who really exemplified the divide within the Democratic Party, one saying let's move forward and the other one saying not so fast.
[Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:] The question is, why would we open an impeachment inquiry if we are winning in the court system as it relates to conducting our constitutionally anchored oversight responsibility?
[Rep. David Cicilline:] But if the White House takes the position it's going to block us and prevent us from getting to the truth and getting the facts that we need to make informed judgments, it may leave us no choice but to open an impeachment inquiry so we can do our job.
[Raju:] Now I'm told that a closed door meeting with Jerry Nadler, the House Judiciary chairman, and Nancy Pelosi last night, they discussed moving forward, they discussed the possibility, the advantages to their court case if an impeachment inquiry were to be opened. And Nadler made that case on behalf of his members, but Nancy Pelosi, again, said that is not the approach to go. Nadler ultimately agrees with Nancy Pelosi, but no question about it, some members in the rank and file, and even some members of Pelosi's leadership team, are pressing to push ahead, guys.
[Harlow:] Manu Raju, thank you. Great reporting as always. Let's talk to Jeffrey Toobin, our chief legal analyst, about all of this.
[Jeffrey Toobin, Cnn Chief Legal Analyst:] Nice to be in your nice new set.
[Harlow:] Right?
[Toobin:] Beautiful here.
[Sciutto:] Isn't it nice? Isn't it shiny?
[Toobin:] Yes, indeed.
[Sciutto:] So impeachment. First of all, let's distinguish between a vote to begin an impeachment inquiry which gives Congress powers, as opposed to a vote to actually impeach which is kind of the equivalent of an indictment where the House would get together and say we as a majority impeach the president, and then that leads to the Senate going forward. But on this step here, an impeachment inquiry, what additional powers would that give Congress to investigate and would those powers would it be harder for the White House to resist those powers as it is doing now?
[Toobin:] There is a school of thought and there are some court cases that say if Congress is doing an impeachment inquiry as opposed to just oversight, the president is more obliged to cooperate, is more obliged to turn over documents. However, that is not clear, and it is certain that the president would fight those subpoenas just like he'd
[Sciutto:] Right.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] Fight the ones that exist. In yesterday's court decision in the case about access to the accountants' papers, that suggests that the Congress has all the investigatory authority it needs.
[Sciutto:] That's interesting.
[Toobin:] Even without an impeachment today.
[Harlow:] So is Nancy the question becomes, as Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, are they right when they say to David Cicilline and Congressman Raskin, who we're going to have on in a few minutes here, no, no, no, we don't need to move forward with impeachment yet because the courts are working in our favor?
[Toobin:] They are right so far.
[Harlow:] So far.
[Toobin:] But there are going to be a lot of different court cases. It wouldn't be surprising to see judges treat these issues somewhat differently.
[Harlow:] Sure.
[Toobin:] Each case is somewhat different. For example, I think the president's position on the accounting firm is very weak. I mean, the idea that this is outside Congress' power is an argument that no court has accepted in decades. However, the president's legal position about Don McGahn, the former White House counsel, is pretty strong. That that the conversations between a White House counsel and a president
[Harlow:] Right.
[Toobin:] are the kind of thing that's been covered by executive privilege, although it's not clear there either.
[Harlow:] But it's worth noting that the you know, Bush White House, George W. Bush, and the Obama White House both tried to do essentially the same thing.
[Toobin:] And the only case, recent case on this subject, involves Harriet Miers, who was George W. Bush's White House counsel.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] A district judge actually ordered her to testify.
[Harlow:] Right.
[Toobin:] But that case was settled before it went to the appeals court. So the question of how binding a precedent that is, is unsettled.
[Sciutto:] Right.
[Toobin:] But it just illustrates that that issue of White House counsel's testimony is a genuinely complicated one.
[Harlow:] Sure.
[Sciutto:] One thing is certain, there are going to be a lot of busy lawyers in Washington in the coming weeks and months.
[Toobin:] And legal analysts.
[Sciutto:] And legal analysts.
[Harlow:] Job security, too.
[Sciutto:] It can only be a good
[Toobin:] That's what I want.
[Sciutto:] Listen, stay with us because we have a lot more questions to run by you this morning. There are new allegations from President Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen who is right now serving a three-year prison sentence for lying to Congress, just to remind you.
[Harlow:] Right. According to House Intel testimony that was just released, Cohen told members of Congress that the president's attorney, Jay Sekulow, helped coordinate what turned out to be Cohen's false testimony about the timeline of the Trump Tower Moscow project proposal. Lauren Fox is with us with the details. So this thing is now out there for people to read, the back and forth questions about Cohen and it's revealing.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Politics Congressional Correspondent:] Well, that's right, Poppy. Last night the House Intelligence Committee released that transcript of their interview with Michael Cohen earlier this year and in that transcript Michael Cohen tells Congress, tells that committee, that Jay Sekulow, the president's personal attorney, was aware that Cohen's claims that talks had ended on the Trump Tower Moscow project in January 2016 were false. Now, if you remember Michael Cohen had told Congress in previous testimony back in 2017 that everything had ended, those talks had ended, back in January 2016, but of course they extended beyond that timeline, well into the 2016 election year. Michael Cohen now serving that three-year prison sentence in part because he lied to Congress. Now Jay Sekulow's lawyers are hitting back, saying that that testimony that Michael Cohen gave earlier this year is not true and in the statement they say, quote, "Michael Cohen's alleged statements are more of the same from him and confirm the observations of prosecutors in the Southern District of New York that Cohen's instinct to blame others is strong. That this or any other committee would rely on the word of Michael Cohen for any purpose defies logic, well established law and common sense." Again, Michael Cohen is serving a three-year prison sentence right now. In that transcript he also told members of the Intelligence Committee that he had no evidence that anyone from the Trump campaign in 2016 had colluded with Russia or that the president was an agent of Russia, but obviously new information from those transcripts that were released last night Poppy.
[Harlow:] OK, Lauren, thank you. Jeffrey Toobin is back with us. Rudy Giuliani says this is a bunch of hog wash, you can't believe Michael Cohen, you know, you've got to believe Jay Sekulow. But if Jay Sekulow did do that, did, you know, help him lie essentially to Congress, is that illegal?
[Toobin:] Well, I think the important point to realize here is that Jay Sekulow was dealing with information that his client gave him. So the issue isn't so much was Jay Sekulow lying, the issue was, was he lied to by his client and trying to align Cohen with Trump? I really don't think there is any likely misconduct here by Jay Sekulow.
[Harlow:] OK.
[Toobin:] I think the real question here is, was Donald Trump trying to get a false narrative out there about the Trump Tower Moscow meeting.
[Sciutto:] Right. And we know the president has lied repeatedly about issues in this investigation. I mean, one of the most explicit is about the Stormy Daniels payments. So I know the White House strategy here is to say, well, Michael Cohen is a liar.
[Toobin:] Right.
[Sciutto:] That said we know, for instance, in court proceedings here in New York regarding his campaign finance law violation, I mean, prosecutors here took Cohen's testimony in that case implicating the president seriously.
[Toobin:] Very seriously.
[Sciutto:] Right? Enough to include
[Toobin:] And
[Sciutto:] When they can corroborate it. Right?
[Toobin:] And in the Mueller report.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Toobin:] Michael Cohen is the second most cited authority after Don McGahn.
[Sciutto:] Right.
[Harlow:] Don McGahn.
[Toobin:] In the Mueller report.
[Sciutto:] Yes.
[Toobin:] So Mueller and also when Trump was when Cohen was sentenced in the Southern District, the Cohen I'm sorry. The Mueller prosecutors told the judge in the Southern District that we think Michael Cohen is a credible source.
[Sciutto:] Right. And to be clear Mueller and the prosecutors here they are not dumb. They've been in court before. When they cite that testimony, they've done their homework to corroborate it through other means, I imagine?
[Toobin:] To the extent
[Sciutto:] That they can.
[Toobin:] To the extent they can. And the other issue about this Sekulow-Trump matter is that we will never really get to the bottom of it because the conversations between Sekulow and Trump will be covered by attorney-client privilege.
[Sciutto:] Right.
[Toobin:] He's a private lawyer.
[Sciutto:] Right.
[Toobin:] There is no issue of executive privilege there. So we will never know what Sekulow was told by Trump, but based on prior history we can at least conjecture that there was some falsehood there.
[Sciutto:] Understood. Always good to have you, Jeffrey.
[Harlow:] Jeffrey, thank you very much.
[Toobin:] Good to be here.
[Harlow:] We appreciate it. Of course, we're waiting for this empty chair moment, the House Judiciary Committee will not hear from Don McGahn today, but they're still going to have a hearing, trying to make their point. This as there is an internal battle within the Democratic Party at this point over whether or not to pursue impeachment proceedings against this president.
[Sciutto:] Yes. Lots of empty chairs on the Hill of late. Plus after weeks of escalating tensions with Iran today Congress may finally get some answers, major intelligence briefings under way on the Hill. There's still a disagreement, though, about what that intelligence actually shows. We're on it. Plus the fifth migrant child child dies in U.S. custody just since September December, rather. What happened?

[Ryan Nobles, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Ryan Nobles, in today for Kate Bolduan. Thanks so much for joining me. People of faith on edge this morning, following two horrific attacks over the weekend. The most recent one happening in Texas, where a gunman began shooting inside a church during Sunday services. The gunman shot two parishioners before being killed by members of the church security team. Those two parishioners died, as well. That incident happening the day after Saturday's stabbing spree at the home of an orthodox rabbi in suburban New York. The attack there left five people injured as they gathered to celebrate Hanukkah. A survivor who fought back against the attacker described the terrifying scene during an interview on CNN this morning.
[Josef Gluck, Attack Survivor:] I was sitting in the rabbi's dining room, just when the rabbi finished the candle lighting ceremony when the attacker came in. He first stood in the entry room and started hitting people right and left with his big machete knife. I don't know what it was. And that's when I started to run out through a side door, together with all the people in the dining room. I came back in, grabbed the coffee table that was on the floor, hit him in his face, and that's when he came back outside after me. He told me, hey, you, I'll get you.
[Nobles:] We're covering both of these horrific attacks. CNN's Brynn Gingras is in Muncie, New York, and Lucy Kafanov is outside the church just west of Ft. Worth, Texas. Let's start with Lucy. Lucy, walk us through exactly what happened during the shooting.
[Lucy Kafanov, Cnn Correspondent:] Ryan, it happened so quickly. Less than 24 hours ago, the gunman dressed in dark clothing walked into the church, he sat down in a back pew, he then gets up and appears to have an interaction with one of the church members before pulling out a long gun and opening fire. Two armed volunteers respond swiftly, taking him down. The whole thing captured on camera, because those services were live streamed. And I should warn our viewers, the footage is incredibly disturbing.
[Kafanov:] The whole thing playing out over six seconds. The reason why there were these armed church security volunteers, Ryan, was because of a previous mass shooting in 2017. And 26 people died in the Sutherland Springs Texas church shooting. In the wake of that, Texas enacted legislation, allowing licensed handgun owners to bring firearms into the church. That is why those armed volunteers responded so quickly. The casualties could have been much higher. There was 242 people inside that church. The volunteers being praised as heroes. Take a listen.
[Jeff Williams, Texas Department Of Public Safety:] The true heroes in this are the people who were sitting in those pews. The citizens who were inside that church undoubtedly saved 242 other parishioners.
[Kafanov:] We're now waiting for more information regarding the motive, as well as the identity of that shooter Ryan?
[Nobles:] Lucy, what else are you learning about the gunman at this point?
[Kafanov:] Well, they haven't revealed his name, but the FBI did say that he was known as a relatively transient person, with roots in this area. We know that he's had many run-ins with the law. Multiple arrests in multiple municipalities. We also know that he hasn't been on any sort of a watch list. So that is the bare bones information that we have at the moment. Obviously, the question everyone here is asking is why Ryan?
[Nobles:] Lucy Kafanov, live just outside Ft. Worth, Texas. Lucy, thank you for that report. Meanwhile, in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling the stabbing at a rabbi's home an act of domestic terrorism. He has ordered the state police Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate the attack, which comes as New York's Jewish community deals with a surge in anti- Semitic violence. Governor Cuomo says there have been 13 anti-Semitic attacks just this month alone. CNN has been able to independently confirm 11 of them, which you can see on your screen. Let's get now to Brynn Gingras. She is live outside the home where the stabbing took place. Brynn, give us the latest on the investigation there.
[Brynn Gingras, Cnn:] Ryan, right now, we know that authorities are really trying to figure out a motive for this suspect, 38-year-old Grafton Thomas. His home is about 30 minutes, 40 minutes from where we are here, where the rabbi's house is. So it's unclear right now to authorities why he picked this home as his target, being so far away from his house. We know that there were investigators inside his house, taking out evidence, hopefully trying to point and paint a clearer picture of what caused all of this. But at this point, authorities are not releasing a motive. However, this suspect's family has released a statement through his attorney, essentially saying that he is not anti-Semitic and that he has a history of mental illness, of schizophrenia, and they're trying to say that is why he went on this rampage. Now, again, it is a rampage that has really struck this community. This particular town in Rockland County Rockland County has the largest Jewish population per capita in all of the United States. So everyone here really on edge as authorities continue to try to get answers as to what caused all of this.
[Nobles:] So, Brynn, can you tell me how authorities are responding to these anti-Semitic attacks?
[Gingras:] We know they're actually stepping up patrols in this area, but also at places of worship and in synagogues. But not just in this town, Ryan. It's happening all over the state. We heard Governor Cuomo talking about that, but even the mayor of New York City saying they're doing the same there. Again, the suspect was arrested in New York City. He traveled there and was arrested about two hours after the attack happened here. And we know about that attack that happened earlier this month in Jersey City, just how far New York City, where it was a deadly attack inside a kosher supermarket. So this whole area is really stepping up patrols. But you pointed out, you know, before coming to me about how Governor Cuomo pointed to those incidents. This community says that they are really trying to, you know, educate, not just law enforcement, depending on law enforcement, they want to try to educate this community on how disastrous this hate can be.
[Nobles:] All right. Brynn Gingras, live in Muncie, New York. Brynn, thank you for that report. New York's Jewish community wants answers and actions after these violent incidents. The Anti-Defamation League says, quote, "New York has a growing problem. This is at least the tenth anti-Semitic incident to hit the New York area in just the last week. When will it be enough? The Jewish community is under assault. All of America must hear our cry." And joining us now to discuss this is Oren Segal, the director of the ADL's Center on Extremism. Oren, I want to play for you some sound from this morning from the rabbi at the Tree of Life Synagogue, where 11 worshippers were killed last year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And he's been talking about this fear that's prevalent in the Jewish community right now. Take a listen.
[Jeffrey Myers, Rabbi, Tree Of Life Synagogue:] It made me sort of wonder, I don't recall them selling licenses to have open hunting season on Jews, but it sure can make Jews feel that way.
[Nobles:] That's pretty stark. Would you agree with that assessment?
[Oren Segal, Director, Center On Terrorism, Anti-defamation League:] The Jewish community feels like they're under attack. And this is not something that has just transpired over the last 10 days. You know, you look back to Pittsburgh and what we just heard and Poway and Jersey City and we've had over, you know, 1,500 anti-Semitic incidents for three years in a row. So you can understand why the Jewish community is on edge and fearful for their security and safety.
[Nobles:] So we do see a lot of leaders coming together, responding to this quickly. Obviously, the governor has called it an act of domestic terrorism. Do you feel that the state of New York, the city of New York, are doing enough to combat this problem?
[Segal:] Listen, it's really important that there are more patrols, that law enforcement is doing a great job in terms of identifying some of the perpetrators. But law enforcement is not the answer to stopping anti-Semitism. Right, if you want to really make an investment in the future, in the fight against hate, it starts with education. And so we need to make sure, as we're doing in Brooklyn, bringing our No Place for Hate programs to that community, that you teach people at a young age how to identify hate, how to not be a bystander, and how to be an ally. Hopefully, that moves the needle in the long-term. But certainly in the immediate, we need more protection.
[Nobles:] There are so many heartbreaking aspects of this story. But one thing that really struck me is you're hearing some Jewish families afraid to put menorahs in their window during the Hanukkah season, perhaps even parade to wear a yamaka in public. Are you hearing stories like that? Are there folks of the Jewish faith that are fearful right now to display their faith publicly?
[Segal:] We are hearing those stories. And in particular, this focuses on the orthodox community, which is just more visibly Jewish in terms of the clothes that they wear, et cetera. And that's very serious. But I think it's really important for every story of fear and anxiety is to tell those stories of resilience. Just yesterday, in Muncie, on the eighth day of Hanukkah, they all went out into the street and they celebrated and said that we are not going to be devastated by one act. And so those stories of resilience and the Jewish community coming together, it's not a monolithic community, we are all together in this moment, and that brings hope to be able to overcome what we are experiencing.
[Nobles:] How much does the Jewish community lean on its history to help it through instances like this? This is not the first time that Jewish people have been the target over the course of history.
[Segal:] It's not the first time that Jews have been shave been the target. But this is 2019. It's not unreasonable to expect, certainly in this country, that Jews would not experience what we're experiencing. This only way Jews have overcome over time is because we have fought against that. Sitting back is not an option.
[Nobles:] The big difference between now and the instances in history has been the rise of social media and the access that those who want to espouse these awful hatred-filled views can do so on pretty large platforms. How much do you think that's contributed to that rhetoric actually turning into reality?
[Segal:] In this day and age, it's easier to find anti-Semitism than at any other time in human history. People are reaching, recruiting and radicalize through weaponizing social media, harassing, targeting Jews and others through social media. So the volume there outpaces what we see on the ground, but the linkage is part of the story.
[Nobles:] Do you think that these Silicon Valley tech companies, much like I asked you about leaders here in New York, should they be doing more to combat this type of extremism on their platforms?
[Segal:] The simple answer is, yes, they need to be doing a lot more. They need to make sure that people don't have ability to leverage and exploit their platforms wherever they want for hatred, anti-Semitism and glorification of violence.
[Nobles:] Oren Segal, obviously, a very difficult time for your community. We appreciate your voice in all of this and good luck going forward. Also, newly obtained e-mails and documents raise more questions about President Trump's inner circle and the decision to withhold aid from Ukraine. Plus, President Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone over the weekend about, quote, "matters of mutual interest." Why did it take so long for the White House to release its own summary of the call?

[Tapper:] Early aggressive action may explain why the pandemic is not worse in Washington state, the first state to confirm a case of coronavirus in the U.S. back in January. Now, new cases still fluctuate, but Washington state has managed to keep the death toll relatively low, compared to other states, all the more remarkable, considering Washington was the first to face the outbreak in the U.S. CNN's Sara Sidner now explains for us why.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn National Correspondent:] This E.R. in suburban Seattle was in the first U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. [on camera]: Describe what that was like.
[Dr. Kevin Hanson, Evergreenhealth:] Yes, it was a little chaotic.
[Sidner:] Two months later, it's a symbol of how to contain the virus. Washington state has less than 1,000 COVID deaths, while densely populated New York has more than 25,000.
[Hanson:] We're down to probably 10 to 15 percent of what we were seeing with COVID at sort of the peak.
[Sidner:] Wow. [voice-over]: Washington state avoided the predicted COVID-19 search, partly due to its reaction to a discovery by Dr. Francis Riedo. In February, he tested two patients with no connection to infected countries. Both came back positive. [on camera]: What did you think?
[Dr. Francis Riedo, Evergreenhealth:] It was a moment of recognition, realizing that now everything had changed.
[Sidner:] Then, the first node COVID-19 death in America occurred here. Washington Governor Jay Inslee took immediate action.
[Gov. Jay Inslee:] I declared an emergency. And so this was an all-points bulletin.
[Sidner:] Three days after the emergency declaration, we were here. There was a noticeable emptying of the streets. That's because the tech giants headquartered here in Washington, like Amazon and Microsoft, urged all their employees who could to stay home before any order. That was not by chance, according to Seattle's mayor.
[Jenny Durkan , Mayor Of Seattle, Washington:] We include them in our plans and conversations from the beginning. The data is really clear. That first phase of having people telecommute and not come downtown really started breaking the back of the virus.
[Sidner:] The governor then banned gatherings of 250 or more, ordered schools closed, then restaurants and bars. [on camera]: Why not say, all right, we're closing everything down right away?
[Inslee:] If you're going to lead a parade, you have got to make sure someone is behind you. And if you go too fast and the public is unwilling to accept, then you have lost your connection to your community.
[Sidner:] It's a page right out of the CDC's pandemic handbook on communication. Finally, the stay-at-home order came. We watched boards go up over businesses, and now, two months later, those boards beautified by artists commissioned to remind the public the city is not down and out, just on a break. [on camera]: The world's most famous coffee shop, a Seattle original, is no longer just drive-through only. [voice-over]: The state's largest private employer, Boeing, slowly taking off, but cutting its work force, empty parks now family playgrounds again, construction back in business. Washington went from number one in U.S. COVID-19 deaths to 18th. Still, there's a slow march to reopening here.
[Inslee:] And the pace of that will be dictated by the data. It will be based on what we learn every day. This is very important, because, as we move away from the blunt instrument of social distancing towards the smart weapon of testing, contact tracing, and isolation, we have to have that capability up and running.
[Sidner:] One thing Governor Inslee isn't being praised for, the nursing home at the center of the deadly outbreak went more than a week without any hands-on government help. [on camera]: Should you have stepped in and said, we got to get people in there faster than this?
[Inslee:] This corporation had a responsibility for the medical care of their patients. We couldn't just walk in on day one, without some coordination with them, to really understand the circumstance.
[Sidner:] But just like hospitals, it was struggling to get testing and worrying about securing protective equipment.
[Inslee:] And we did not have enough PPE for nurses in many facilities, and still don't.
[Sidner:] He says, though, that there is simply no way his state can fully reopen without enough PPE, without enough testing. And so he's made that very clear. However, this was like seeing a silent movie. This is the famous Pike Place. And now it is more bustling than we have seen it when I got here in March. You see folks out here. Now, some of these places have been open, Jake, but there just haven't been the customers. There are now. We're seeing far more people out here, commerce, some of them in masks, some of them not. So, clearly, the state is starting to reopen and people are starting to respond Jake.
[Tapper:] All right, Sara Sidner in Seattle, Washington, thank you so much. As food workers continue to contract the virus in those highly dense food plants, a top Trump administration official is now apparently at least partly blaming the employees for getting sick. His stunning comments next.

[Savidge:] If you are keeping track, we're just 37 days out from the Iowa caucuses. But the Democratic field is still pretty crowded with 15 candidates and if the 2016 election taught us anything, is that nothing is certain when it comes to politics. Throwing another wrench in the process is the impeachment trial that's heading for the Senate meaning that there is the possibility of a collision in timing that would pull the five senators from running for president off the trail during one of the most crucial times for their campaigns. Back with me to discuss all of this and CNN Political Commentators: Bakari Sellers, and Charlie Dent. Bakari, a Senate an impeachment trial during the Iowa caucuses first of all, I don't know if that's ever really happened and, and how should the candidates prepare for this kind of potential problem?
[Sellers:] Well, at the end of the day, it's not a problem. It's their jobs. If you're in the United States Senate, if you're Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, any number Bernie Sanders, then your number one job is to serve the people who elected you to that position, and you need to be there to do your job.
[Savidge:] I got that was a problem for their campaign nonetheless.
[Sellers:] Well, I mean, it's a problem for their campaign. But this is what happens when you run for president United States. And I'm not trying to put them in a horrible predicament, but you know, this is when you have to be able to juggle these things and be back and forth and be where you need to be. This is what Mitch McConnell and the Republican Party want. But the last thing that we need, I mean, as Democrats is something, or as Americans is something that is this import, this great import the impeachment of the President of the United States, for you to just
[Savidge:] Right? It makes them seem like they are doing the work that the people put them there to do. Charlie, timing though; who does it help more, Trump or the Democrats?
[Dent:] Well, that's a good question, Martin, because clearly those Democrats, I think many of them want to get the It's over with particularly those running for president, same time President Trump wants to get this trial over with. And I think that's been one of the problems with impeachment up to this date; up to this time anyway, in the house. I thought they rushed the process. They had an arbitrary deadline of Christmas to get the articles over the Senate. Now, I think Senator McConnell would like to move this thing quickly. Although, I think this is probably the right time for deliberation. So, I suspect neither side wins. Neither side wins with a delay trial. And I think the president, most of all, does not want to be talking about impeachment, ad nauseum for an extended period of time, and it certainly hurts those Democratic candidates running for president.
[Savidge:] Bakari, I want to move to the issue of money. Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, they just passed the $200 million mark spent on television and digital advertising. Some of the other candidates have accused them of trying to buy the nomination. And I'm wondering, do voters believe that?
[Sellers:] Yes, voters absolutely believe they're trying to buy the nomination. The question is whether or not that will matter or not. I am I am disheartened as a Democrat to say that throughout this process and let me also say, I'm not blaming Tom Perez or the DNC of the apparatus, because they've actually done everything they could do to make this process as fair as possible. But you have more billionaires on the Democratic debate stage than you do black people. I mean, that's a fundamental problem that we have when we're talking about the diversity of this country and the diversity that the Democratic Party wants to represent. Michael Bloomberg, for example, is just petrified of actually joining the debate stage. I mean, he is out spending people, you know, 10, 20, 30, 100 to one, but refuses to actually debate his ideas. I mean, my question to Michael Bloomberg is What are you afraid of? Why are you afraid to defend your stance on stop and frisk? Why are you afraid to defend many of the things that you passed in New York, which drive people politically insane, and have made lives more difficult? He refuses to do that. And yes, they're trying to buy the election. This is not out the box thinking this is circumventing the electoral process, never know though it may work.
[Savidge:] It may. Charlie, I want to move on to this, and that's the Federal Appeals Court rule last week that the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. And I'm wondering, do you think that this helps Democrats by giving them something concrete for their messaging on health care to rally around?
[Dent:] Well, it may help Democrats. But remember, the, the individual mandate was more or less defunded a few years ago with the tax reform bill. That's the first point to remember. Now, if that matter of guarantee issue, that is a requirement that everybody have health insurance is somehow overturned, well, then I think that becomes a major liability for the Republicans and advantage to the Democrats. We haven't heard that yet. Clearly, this matters under appeal. And it remains to be seen, but if the issue of guarantee issue, that people so people with pre-existing conditions would not be able to be guaranteed coverage, if that if they were to lose that protection, then I think Republicans would be at a real disadvantage, and I think the president would have to scramble quickly to make sure that those pre-existing conditions were protected, and Democrats would certainly exploit that politically.
[Savidge:] Yes, that is something the Republicans would rather not face. Bakari sellers and Charlie Dent, thanks very much. Good to talk to you.
[Sellers:] Thank you.
[Savidge:] Up next, what went wrong? Investigators searching for answers after a tourist helicopter crashes of Hawaii with two families on board. We're live in Hawaii with the latest on the recovery.

[Rep. Adam Schiff , Chairman, Intelligence Committee:] He has provided additional documents the members found enormously productive session.
[Unidentified Male:] There were several changes made, including the message of the length of time that the Trump Tower Moscow project remained alive. Everything that Mr. Cohen says, you have to look through the prism of is he telling us the truth? There will be a vote. There's no place in this world for anti-Semitism.
[Unidentified Female:] We want to make sure that we don't allow Republicans and others to divide us as a caucus.
[Max Boot, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] He is legitimating anti- Semitism in America, but at the same time I'm afraid that the Democrats are giving up the moral high ground.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Thursday, March 7, 6 a.m. here in New York. And I do think that we need to disclose that it was empanada morning here. If we don't tell them, they're going to find out eventually.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] And you know what happens with empanada morning? It's a real high at first, and then you crash somewhere during the show, so we'll keep you posted.
[Berman:] Like I said, if we didn't tell them, they would have found out eventually. New this morning, in an unrelated or possibly unrelated note, pardon me or is it pardon you? Michael Cohen had his former lawyer talk to the Trump team, including Rudy Giuliani about a possible pardon. That's according to Michael Cohen's current lawyer, confirming reports overnight in "The Wall Street Journal" and "Washington Post." "The Post" also reports that Cohen says he spoke himself to the president's lawyer, Jay Sekulow, about a pardon. Sekulow denies this. Now, there are at least two significant issues this raises. No. 1, how does this align with Cohen's testimony last week that he never asked for a pardon? And No. 2, was the Trump team open for business when it came to the power of the pardon? If there was a dangle, how deep was the dangle, as it were?
[Camerota:] You know I like to debate a dangle.
[Berman:] I know you do.
[Camerota:] All right. Meanwhile, CNN has learned that Michael Cohen handed over new documents to the House Intelligence Committee yesterday showing edits to the false statement that he delivered to Congress in 2017 about the Trump Moscow tower project. Cohen told lawmakers that one of the president's lawyers edited his testimony. But, for some reason, Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, said that Cohen himself authored the false line. "The New York Times" reports some of the changes appear to play down how much Ivanka Trump knew about the project. This is complicated, so CNN's Joe Johns is live at the White House to unpack it all for us. Hi, Joe.
[Joe Johns, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Hi, Alisyn. You know, these allegations about dangling a pardon are potentially explosive, because one of the things at the heart of the concept of political corruption is offering a thing of value, like a pardon, in exchange for an official act. So this is all about who said what and when? What was their intent and can they prove it?
[Johns:] New questions about Michael Cohen's congressional testimony coming after a second closed-door hearing before the House Intelligence Committee.
[Michael Cohen, Former Lawyer For Donald Trump:] I believe they're happy. I'm here to cooperate and will continue to cooperate.
[Johns:] "The Washington Post" reporting that Cohen told the committee he discussed a pardon with President Trump's lawyers, Jay Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani. But the details of that conversation remain unclear. Sekulow flatly denying that the discussion occurred. "The Wall Street Journal" reporting that after the FBI raided Cohen's properties last year, he directed his attorney to explore possibilities of a pardon with Giuliani and the president's other lawyers. Giuliani telling CNN that he never offered anyone a pardon. Both reports raising questions about whether Cohen misled Congress in public testimony last week.
[Cohen:] I have never asked for, nor would I accept a pardon from President Trump.
[Johns:] Lanny Davis insisting to CNN that his comment does not contradict Cohen's testimony, saying Cohen directed his attorney to discuss a pardon with Mr. Trump's attorneys when they were in a joint defense agreement. Davis claims that Cohen was referring to the period after the collapse of that agreement during last week's testimony. Multiple sources tell CNN that Cohen also provided the committee with documents showing edits to the false written statement he delivered to Congress in 2017 about the timing of negotiations over the Trump Tower Moscow project. Last week Cohen testified that Mr. Trump's lawyer made changes to the statement.
[Cohen:] There were several changes that were made, including how we were going to handle that message. Which was
[Rep. Elijah Cummings , Chairman, Oversight Committee:] Were you finished?
[Cohen:] Yes, the message, of course, being the length of time that the Trump Tower Moscow project stayed and remained alive.
[Johns:] Davis tells CNN that Cohen authored the line lying about when discussions of the project ended, but a key question remains whether any of the lawyers who signed off on the statement knew it was false. Now, Jay Sekulow put out a statement last week, denying that any of the president's lawyers edited or changed Cohen's statement regarding the Trump Tower negotiations. But even if they did, lawyers deal with the information their clients give them; and both the president and Michael Cohen were on the record making public statements about those negotiations that were later found to be false Alisyn.
[Camerota:] All right, Joe. Thanks so much for explaining all of that. Let's discuss it with Jennifer Rodgers. She's a former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst. Jennifer, help us understand this, because I would think that most defendants in Michael Cohen's situation would ask their old friend the president for a pardon, that would be a starting point. So why is this one so legally significant?
[Jennifer Rodgers, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, you're right. It's not uncommon to kind of kind of look for all of your options, right? But if the president and this is bigger picture. It's not just Cohen, remember. We're talking about Manafort, Flynn, other people who were at risk of cooperating against the president. If he is offering pardons to people, that could be two things. It could be obstruction of justice, right? Because you're trying to convince a potential witness against you not to become a witness against you. And it could be quid pro quo bribery. So we're talking about two kind of separate criminal problems the president could find himself in. And remember, Bill Barr, the new A.G., who is a staunch defender of the president, says he can't be convicted of obstruction of justice for firing the FBI director, did say that he could be on the hook for obstruction if he was offering pardons in exchange for the person not testifying.
[Camerota:] So you see more legal jeopardy for the president and his team if there was talk of a pardon than Michael Cohen, though Michael Cohen would have it would have meant that he lied about it in the public testimony last week if he approached the president's team about a pardon. And he could do more jail time?
[Rodgers:] So here's the problem. This is the problem with perjury generally speaking. When we were talking way back about Jeff Sessions' testimony, Matthew Whitaker's testimony more recently. It has to be a very clear and clean lie, demonstrably untrue. So when Michael Cohen says, "I did not ask for a pardon from President Trump," as far as we know now, even if all of these allegations are proven to be true, it's not a false statement to say that. You cannot charge him for you know, with perjury for that. Would he take a credibility hit if it turned out that, in fact, he did have some outreach and he said he you know, yes, probably, but it's not going to be perjury.
[Camerota:] Does it matter who made the overture to whom? Does it matter which which team, the president's team or Cohen's team, first floated the idea of a pardon?
[Rodgers:] It does. I mean, if it's if it's Cohen's team and the Trump's team is like, "Listen, we're not counting about that at all. You shouldn't count on that at all. Go do what you need to do," then yes, they don't have have any jeopardy from that. But it really depends. I mean, a lot about obstruction is the kind of wink-wink, nod-nod: "We can't talk about pardons right now, but we hope you'll stay strong with us, Michael." You know, that sort of thing could certainly be obstruction.
[Camerota:] How are we ever going to find out?
[Rodgers:] Well, prosecutors, I think, already know. Right? They've sat down exhaustively with Michael Cohen. Remember, they had Flynn on board, had no concerns about his cooperation. So I think he's told them everything that he knows. They were cooperating with Manafort for a long time. So I think they know all there is to know. I think Congress is now getting to the bottom of it with all the time they're spending with Michael Cohen. It's just us, the public, who are in the dark.
[Camerota:] Jennifer Rodgers, thank you very much for explaining all of this John.
[Berman:] All right. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen under oath and under attack from Democrats in a contentious House hearing. The secretary defended the president's immigration policies and his national emergency declaration. Our Jessica Schneider is live in Washington with the details Jessica.
[Jessica Schneider, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, John. Secretary Nielsen stressed the administration's stance that this is a true emergency and not just a manufactured crisis. And to do that, Nielsen cited the large numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the border just last month: more than 70,000. And she said if those numbers stay on track, close to 1 million migrants could try to cross the border by the end of the year. That wouldn't be record breaking, but it could be the most since 2006. But Democrats, they weren't satisfied with the numbers. They grilled the homeland security secretary, demanding answers that she wasn't always able to give.
[Unidentified Female:] We all know the results of the policy and the compassionate or lack of compassion.
[Kirstjen Nielsen, Homeland Security Secretary:] Ma'am, it's not a policy. It's the law. We enforce the law.
[Schneider:] Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defending the zero-tolerance policy at the border and dodging questions over its intent.
[Unidentified Female:] You knew that that policy was going to result in children having to be taken away from their parents. That's a policy. You should admit it.
[Nielsen:] The consequence the consequence of any adult going to jail in this country is they're separated from their child. That wasn't the point of it. The point was to increase prosecutions for those breaking the law.
[Schneider:] Last year, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions admitted that the policy was meant to deter immigration by separating families.
[Jeff Sessions, Former U.s. Attorney General:] Well, it does that
[Laura Ingraham, Fox News:] Are you considering this a deterrent?
[Sessions:] Yes. Hopefully, people will get the message.
[Schneider:] Nielsen again unable to provide an official number of how many children have been separated.
[Rep. Nanette Barragan , California:] You let kids be separated without tracking them. Do you know how outrageous that is, Madam Secretary? You have no feeling, no compassion, no empathy here.
[Schneider:] Nielsen confirming that some parents have been deported without their children but insisting
[Nielsen:] There is no parent who has been deported, to my knowledge, without multiple opportunities to take their children with them.
[Schneider:] A recent court filing by the Trump administration, however, identified 471 parents who were removed from the U.S. without their children, some without being given the opportunity to elect or waive reunification. Democrats grilling her about the conditions at the border.
[Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman , New Jersey:] Does it differ from the cages you put your dogs in when you let them stay outside? Is it different?
[Nielsen:] Yes.
[Coleman:] In what sense?
[Nielsen:] It's larger. It has facilities. It provides room to sit, to stand, to lay down.
[Coleman:] So did my dog's cage.
[Schneider:] Nielsen citing statistics that apprehensions of undocumented immigrants have doubled since last year, backing the president's request to declare a national emergency at the border.
[Nielsen:] This is not a manufactured crisis. This is truly an emergency.
[Schneider:] So some tough questions from Democrats there. Secretary Nielsen was also pressed on the administration's shifting asylum policies. One California congresswoman talked about visiting the border where she saw an asylum seeker turned away. And while Secretary Nielsen responded that asylum seekers can apply at the ports of entry, it is true that the Trump administration has issued a daily cap on those asylum applications, and that has been thwarting some asylum seekers Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Jessica, thank you very much for the update on that. Meanwhile, there's this Democratic resolution condemning anti-Semitism but it may not come to a vote on the House floor this week. Sources tell CNN there is a messy debate going on behind the scenes over how to deal with the latest comments from Minnesota's freshman congresswoman, Ilhan Omar. Lauren Fox is live on Capitol Hill for us with the latest on that Lauren.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Alisyn. That's right. There is uncertainty about how and whether Democrats will respond to those comment that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar made last week about Israel. Here's what she said, just to remind our audience.
[Rep. Ilhan Omar , Minnesota:] I want to talk about I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country.
[Fox:] Now, behind closed doors, Democrats have been trying to debate this issue. And Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, has been trying to enforce with her caucus that they should discuss this privately, that they shouldn't go out and publicly condemn their colleagues, that that sort of gives Republicans room to attack them. She told her colleagues that no one should ascribe motives to their other members. She said, quote, "You can disagree wholeheartedly, but do not question their patriotism or their loyalty." Now, what exactly will be in this resolution is also up for debate at this point. It was supposed to be a resolution to condemn anti- Semitism, but some of Omar's comments or colleagues have actually started to try to get the leadership to include also any language to condemn Islamophobia. Now, this has become such a large issue on Capitol Hill that 2020 candidates are beginning to weigh in. Kamala Harris, who is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, issued a statement after a meeting in the Congressional Black Caucus yesterday, basically saying that "I am," quote, "concerned that the spotlight that is being put on Congresswoman Omar and how it may put her at risk." They also she also went on to say that, you know, there's a discussion to be had here but that it should be respectful on both sides John.
[Berman:] All right. Lauren Fox for us on Capitol Hill. Joining us now is Rachael Bade, "Washington Post" congressional reporter and CNN political analyst. And Rachael, you've got some terrific color from inside this Democratic caucus meeting, and it does appear there are real fissures among the Democratic members.
[Rachael Bade, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes, you know, Democrats kicked off the year strong. They really they stuck together through the shutdown fight. Pelosi was sort of able to rally the troops and get the president to cave when it came to his border wall. But ever since that shutdown, we've seen the Democratic Party in the House, the new majority, really struggling as they get up to speed with their new power. And we're seeing these sort of fractures in the caucus. Some folks on the far left clashing with some of the more moderate members, and it's really been a mess. And it came to a head yesterday morning in a really contentious caucus meeting where people started basically scolding their colleagues for tweeting at each other. Because over the weekend and over the past few days, we've actually seen lawmakers from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeting at some more senior members in the House about Omar's comments. And right now, there's this sort of divide about what do they do regarding these comments; where they were very much anti-Semitic, and a lot of Democrats are uncomfortable with them and want to condemn them. At the same time, a lot of progressives say, "Listen, why are we calling out one of our own for something like this when we never call out other Republicans who might have said something racially charged?" Of course, they did that with Steve King just a few weeks ago. But Democrats say they rarely do that; and they say they shouldn't be going after one of their own.
[Berman:] And, as you noted, there are real frustrations among some of the party "The New York Times" has a whole story on this today, that the Democratic platform may have been derailed a little bit by this and some of the other activities. This is not what they wanted to be talking you about in the beginning of March.
[Bade:] Not at all. Last week they passed a landmark gun control bill basically expanding background checks, a very popular issue that they both ran on and that voters generally approve of in high numbers. That got little attention, because some of their moderate members joined with a bunch of Republicans on an obscure vote right before that bill passed. And that ended up being the headline, that the moderate had broke from the party, and Pelosi was mad at them and scolding them on the House floor. This week, same thing. The Democrats are trying to pass and will pass this landmark sort of bill regarding campaign finance and the whole, you know, elections and sort of opening up and being transparent on elections. But, again, Omar's comments have totally derailed those talks, and right now nobody's really writing about it.
[Berman:] Very quickly, is it guaranteed we will ever actually see a vote, this resolution get to the House floor?
[Bade:] You know, I think it's really unclear at this point. It clearly has upset a lot of people in the caucus, and they think that they don't want to be going after one of their own. At the same time, Democrats do have strong ties to the Jewish community. And right now they're in this really tough bind about who are they going to please right now?
[Berman:] All right. Rachael Bade, don't go far. We need you back in just a second. Thank you.
[Camerota:] All right. Now to this, John. Republican Senator Martha McSally stunning her Senate colleagues during a hearing on sexual assault in the military. McSally revealed that she was raped by a superior officer while serving in the Air Force. CNN's Kyung Lah is live in Los Angeles with more. Good morning, Kyung.
[Kyung Lah, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Alisyn. This was such a stunning moment in this hearing. We're talking about a career military woman, a woman who is a war hero and someone who as someone who I've covered over her Senate run in Arizona. Someone who always displayed incredible toughness. Well, she shared that toughness as she talked and shared her personal story.
[Sen. Martha Mcsally , Arizona:] So, like you, I am also a military sexual assault survivor.
[Lah:] Survivor and senator, representing Arizona now and revealing she was once a young Air Force member who felt she couldn't speak up.
[Mcsally:] In one case, I was preyed upon and then raped by a superior officer. I stayed silent for many years. I didn't report being sexually assaulted. Like so many women and men, I didn't trust the system at the time. I blamed myself. I was ashamed and confused. And I thought I was strong, but felt powerless.
[Lah:] McSally's story even more astonishing because of who she is. McSally crushed military and societal barriers, America's first female fighter pilot to fly in combat. She sued the Department of Defense over a policy requiring all women to cover themselves off base in Saudi Arabia, a policy that the DOD would change. A proud veteran, McSally told me as she launched her Senate run how central her military career was to her identity. But when she eventually reported the assault to her superiors
[Mcsally:] I was horrified at how my attempt to share generally my experiences were handled. I almost separated from the Air Force at 18 years over my despair. Like many victims, I felt the system was raping me all over again. But I didn't quit.
[Lah:] McSally had survived assault before joining the military, telling "The Wall Street Journal" that at age 17, her high school track coach sexually abused her. The coach denied the allegations to "The Journal."
[Mcsally:] Are you going to be a fighter pilot?
[Lah:] During her unsuccessful run for the Senate as a Republican, McSally talked about the hard times she suffered as a younger woman. Now, as a U.S. senator appointed to fill the late Senator John McCain's seat, she is fighting for change in the military on behalf of survivors like her.
[Mcsally:] We must fix those distortions in the culture of our military that protect sexual harm towards women and, yes, some men, as well.
[Lah:] After McSally spoke in that subcommittee hearing, the Air Force responded, releasing this statement, saying, quote, "The criminal actions reported today by Senator McSally violate every part of what it means to be an Airman. We are appalled and deeply sorry for what Senator McSally experienced, and we stand behind her and all victims of sexual assault. We are steadfast in our commitment to eliminate this reprehensible behavior and breach of trust in our ranks." McSally's aides, Alisyn, say that she wanted to speak now in this particular hearing, because she needed to speak honestly with other survivors Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Understood. Makes perfect sense. Kyung Lah, thank you very much. Joining us now is Kirsten Powers, CNN political analyst and "USA Today" columnist. Kirsten, great to see you. We just wanted to talk to you as someone who herself has been brave in coming forward and sharing personal stories. You have written about having been sexually assaulted at 15 years old when you were in high school. And so what did you think when you heard Senator McSally reveal this yesterday?
[Kirsten Powers, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I mean, I commend her. It's hard to talk about these things publicly. And the more women that do it, I think, the more difference that it makes. And especially somebody like her, who you know, this is something that happened when she was in the military, which I think, you know, we all associate what she was doing, being in the military, she was a real trail blazer as being a very strong woman. And it's important for people to understand that just because you're a strong woman, just because you're tough doesn't mean that these things can't happen to you.
[Camerota:] And I think also some of the reluctance to come forward and speak is, first, that you wouldn't be believed. But that's changing. And then second, that when you are believed, you'll be defined by it somehow. "Well, that's the journalist who was sexually harassed."
[Powers:] Right.
[Camerota:] "Well, that's the senator who was raped." In your experience, after speaking out candidly, what will happen next for Senator McSally?
[Powers:] Well, I do think now, because more women are speaking up, I think people are starting to see it a little differently and see that this is something that's really prevalent in our society. And the more you can put faces to it, you know, versus just statistics, which, you know, don't have the same impact, so when you have somebody who is attaching her face, her name to a story, then I think it makes a big difference. And, you know, there was a study in 2014 of the military; and they found that 50 52 percent of the women who had been sexually assaulted faced retaliation for reporting it. So, you know, this is this is still a problem that's going on. And so I think there is a strength in numbers. I think the more women who come out and tell their stories, I think that that makes a huge difference. And it encourages other women to speak up.
[Camerota:] Absolutely. And she talked about how, when she did speak out she felt violated all over again, because I suppose she was retaliated against or wasn't believed. But Kirsten, I'm also just curios where you think we are today. After these, I think there's been a sea change, OK, in the past two-plus years, where suddenly, people high-profile people are speaking about sexual harassment, about sexual assault, about rape. And I think that that helps peel away the taboo. But, of course, the problem has not been solved. And so where do you think we are today that allows a set of high-profile senator to come out and make that kind of revelation?
[Powers:] Well, there's no question that there's been change. But there's still a long way to go. You know, I don't think that, you know, if you look at what happened with Christine Blasey Ford, the reaction of a lot of people, a lot of Republicans in particular, was this: Well, why didn't she report it. You still hear people saying things like that. Still hear people being skeptical when women come out later and talk about things, and they are still are mystified as to why women don't feel safe reporting this. And and so I think there's still work to be done on that front. I don't think a lot of people still understand how scary it is for women to report sexual assaults. You know, I hope moving forward, women will feel differently, but we still have a lot of women who have experienced this in the past who, I think, want to come out and talk about it. And people still will stay, "Well, if this happened you should have just reported it then." And, you know, we know we know, you know, that there's a reason that women aren't reporting. It's because they're convinced they're not going to be believed, and they are afraid of retaliation.
[Camerota:] Well, I have to believe that every time we have this conversation publicly, it helps get rid of the stigma and helps other survivors be believed. Kirsten, thank you very much.
[Powers:] Thank you.
[Camerota:] John.
[Berman:] All right. Three huge policy setbacks for the president in less than one week, including on some of his central campaign promises. How does President Trump react if Trumpism means a rise in illegal immigration and an increase in the trade deficit? Plus, major developments in the Biden watch. That's next.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] and all around the world. Here's what we know: at least 20 people were killed, another 26 were hurt, some with life-threatening injuries. The 21-year-old suspected gunman surrendered at the scene and is in police custody. The FBI is treating it as possible domestic terrorism.
[George Howell, Cnn Anchor:] The shooting started around 10:30 local time, when Walmart Supercenter was packed with Saturday shoppers. People inside the store hid and tried to find cover as the gunman opened fire, round after round, and you hear it here.
[N. Allen:] Terrifying. I would be terrified to be hiding right there, so close. Bystanders quickly tried assisting multiple victims. We have some more video. We want to warn you. It is very disturbing.
[Unidentified Male:] One injured; we have an injured person here, guys. There's a man laying down at the stand that a school set up, a man injured. Oh, no! Help!
[Unidentified Female:] Hey, we need CPR, we need
[Cpr. Unidentified Male:] Help, help!
[Unidentified Female:] We need CPR. We need CPR. Do you know CPR?
[Unidentified Male:] No.
[Unidentified Female:] We need CPR. Turn him over.
[Howell:] You know, the thing about this, this is something that plays out every day. People going out their daily lives, going to Walmart, going shopping. No one expected to be interrupted by an attack like this. In fact, listen to one person, as he did his best to hide when it started to happen.
[Unidentified Male:] In McDonald's, what happened? I'm looking to see what's going on. And more people are coming in. And then I hear boom, boom, boom, boom, boom and we all run out of the McDonald's, out of an emergency door.
[N. Allen:] Police say the suspected gunman is from Allen, Texas. That is more than 600 miles away, 1,000 kilometers. Authorities say a document posted online shortly before the shooting appears to be an anti-immigrant manifesto. The governor of Texas addressed that earlier.
[Greg Abbott , Texas Governor:] This is disgusting, intolerable, it is not Texan. And we're going to aggressively prosecute it both as a capital murder but also as a hate crime, which is what exactly it appears to be, without having seen all the evidence yet. I don't want to get ahead of the evidence. But we have to be very, very clear that, conduct like this, thoughts like that, actions like this, crimes like this are not who or what Texas is and will not be accepted here.
[N. Allen:] Texas has been the scene of many mass shootings in U.S. history, though. CNN's Ed Lavandera has been covering this story from El Paso since soon after it broke.
[Howell:] Ed filed this story a short time ago.
[Ed Lavandera, Cnn Correspondent:] Here in El Paso, investigators will continue to work throughout the night, processing the crime scene at the Walmart. This is the back of the building you see behind me. We are still seeing investigators coming in and out and the shopping center remain locked down. Police here in El Paso tell us that the victims who died inside the store will remain there, as the investigators and forensic experts continue to do their work inside. That's a gruesome, horrifying scene. That's all happening as the investigation continues. We understand that federal investigators have opened up a domestic terrorism investigation. There's a hate crime component. But local authorities here are taking the lead. Everyone from local police to the governor of Texas, vowing to prosecute the suspect to the fullest extent of the law. That means in the state of Texas, this could be a case where we see the death penalty inflicted upon the suspect. There is still some very tense and agonizing moments for the families here, especially the family we met earlier today of 86-year-old Angie Englisbee, who is still missing. Two of her children tell us they have []
[Lavandera:] desperately and frantically been trying to connect with their mother, who they last spoke to as she was in the checkout line in that Walmart, moments before the shooting erupted. They have not heard from her throughout the day. And Davia Romero, outside of the Walmart store, waiting for her nephew to come out, when she started to hear the gunshots erupt. What she saw next is something she will never forget.
[Davia Romero, Eyewitness:] I was waiting for him to come out but it was taking too long. And then I heard the first one. So I thought, what's going on? But it was so loud, very loud. And then I just saw everybody dropping. So that's when I just ran in there, like trying to. But then I saw him run this way, so I chased him. And I thought he had got shot.
[Lavandera:] Who was in
[Romero:] The baby my nephew. There's a baby that some man carried that got shot. The guy just gave it to the ambulance. I don't know.
[Lavandera:] So those are the types of images, excruciating scene, this woman witnessing this man pull a baby covered in blood out of that Walmart store. That is the kind of moments that many survivors and witnesses are experiencing and dealing with at this very moment. There is still the efforts to get information about victims to relatives here in El Paso. That work continues as well. But here, tonight, and in the overnight hours, crime scene investigators inside that Walmart doing their work. That will continue through the night Ed Lavandera, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
[Howell:] Reaction is coming in from politicians, throughout the United States, both Republicans and Democrats, also the U.S. president.
[N. Allen:] Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday to condemn the attack. He said, the "shooting in El Paso, Texas was not only tragic, it was an act of cowardice. There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people...." But presidential candidate and El Paso native Beto O'Rourke called out the president after the shooting.
[Howell:] O'Rourke said the president's rhetoric against minorities may have played a role in this attack.
[Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] Yes. We've had a rise in hate crimes, every single one of the last three years, during an administration where you have a president who's called Mexicans rapists and criminals, though Mexican immigrants commit crimes at a far lower rate than those born here in the country. He has tried to make us afraid of them, to some real effect and consequence, attempting to ban all Muslims from this country. The day he signed that executive order, the mosque in Victoria, Texas was burned to the ground. Those chants we heard in Greenville, North Carolina, "send her back," talking about fellow American citizens duly elected to represent their constituents in the Congress who happen to be women of color. He is a racist and he stokes racism in this country. And it does not just offend our sensibilities, it fundamentally changes the character of this country and it leads to violence. And again, there are still details that we are waiting on. But I'm just following the lead that I've heard from the El Paso police department, where they say there are strong indications that this shooter wrote that manifesto and that this was inspired by his hatred of people here in this community.
[Howell:] Police are still investigating whether the suspect wrote the manifesto that O'Rourke mentioned. Let's talk with Brian Levin, the director of the Center for Study of Hate and Extremism. Brian, thank you for your time today.
[Brian Levin, Center For Study Of Hate And Extremism:] George, as always, thank you.
[Howell:] Absolutely. We appreciate you being with us to give us some insight on this. Strong words from the Democratic presidential candidate, Beto O'Rourke. El Paso is his hometown. What are your thoughts how rhetoric might play into hate and extreme we're seeing?
[Levin:] That's a great question. We came out this week with a report, where we said white supremacist extremism, is the most ascendant in a very diverse threat matrix. But with respect to your specific question, we've done some interesting research with West Virginia University. We found after the Muslim ban proposal came out, five days after San Bernardino terrorist attack, hate crimes against Muslims were 300 percent above the average daily for the first 11 months of the year. After the Muslim ban proposal, it went up to over 400 percent, a 23 percent increase. November 2016, election month, worst month for hate crime in 14 years. And the day after Election Day, which included a bomb plot against a predominantly Muslim apartment complex, was the worst day since June 2003. And around last year election time, our specific research we did for at the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found a spike in many cities outside of the southern United States. So when we do day-by-day ticks, we see this has happened. Interestingly enough, just give me one second. When candidate Trump launched his campaign in a very tightly packed news week, hate crimes in Latinos did not go up. But going back to November 2016, that was the group that had the biggest increase during that month.
[Howell:] Want to talk about the alleged gunman, now. He gave up, without a shot fired. Given your understanding of who would do this type of thing and why someone would do this type of disgusting thing, what do you think was behind that?
[Levin:] I think it's chilling that it matches exactly what we wrote on page 3 of our study, that came out at the end of July. What I talked about in the study was how these kinds of extremism, and it's our believe this is an act of terrorist act of white supremacists, we're waiting until the authorities call it that. But if one reads the alleged manifesto, which I have, it references prior acts and a book and a doctrine that is popular among white supremacists. We're seeing a vertical integration. These folks are referencing prior killers and prior writings and trying to inscribe their own in another chapter of this racist Bible of evil that is taking place on the Internet. It's a newer trend that we've been seeing. But it's scary and something we've seen with young males, from about 19 to 21. And what they do is they're angry, they're frustrated, they're cleaving away from their families and have left school. And what happens is, the fears, grievances and frustrations are amplified, sculpted and directed to who is regarded as legitimate targets of aggression within these subcultures. And this particular subculture is about how whites are being overrun by people of color. With him, he was talking about Latinos. He referenced texts that we're talking about Europe being overrun by Muslims. In his world, it's going to be Latinos. And one quick thing. You referenced about political rhetoric. The Tree of Life massacre back in October, it was also around a contentious political season. And Jews were targeted. But they were targeted because they wanted to help Latino immigrants, according to that assailant.
[Howell:] I want to delve in on these online chat boards. No reason to name of the chat board. But the gunman allegedly posted his twisting reasoning on this board. It is rife with racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Is there anything that can be done to monitor these sites? It just was a short amount of time when he posted on that site and the attack took place allegedly posted the message, I should say.
[Levin:] We are waiting for official confirmation. But if we look at the past instances, these folks have posted on what I'm calling fragmented affinity-based platforms. There's been a migration this is in our study, too. Go to Prop 11, you'll see the study on Twitter. They're radicalized obvious the Web. But they're also trying to make their mark on that Web. And there are three types of these offenders: ideologically motivated, psychologically dangerous or personal benefit or revenge. You can mix and match. But one is usually predominant. Unfortunately, we have more ticking time bombs in the United States. White supremacists, extremism, has supplanted violent Salafist jihadists over the last year and as we wrote, chillingly, we expect this to continue. Social media companies I think need to do a better job. But what happened is there's been a migration to these kinds of platforms that you discuss. These splintered, fragmented, affinity-based platforms. They're not cats playing the piano, we're talking about vicious, vicious bigotry, as expressed allegedly by this assailant.
[Howell:] Given that this is a developing story and I want to be clear since I misspoke a moment ago investigators are looking into, determining whether this alleged gunman posted this on that site that doesn't deserve mentioning. We will bring you the updates. Brian, we appreciate your time. Thank you.
[Levin:] Thank you, as always.
[N. Allen:] Let's get some insight, now, from the scene, from CNN law enforcement analyst, Josh Campbell, he's a former FBI supervisory special agent.
[Howell:] Josh spoke earlier with CNN's Alex Marquardt, about the attack. Let's listen.
[Josh Campbell, Cnn Law Enforcement Analyst:] The bureau has opened what they're calling a domestic terrorism investigation that will run concurrently to the state investigation. Now, the stressing that the state is still in charge here, the state of Texas investigators have the lead but the FBI has opened a concurrent case to look into the possible motivation of the shooter to include ideology, if there is any type of hate crime angle to this, they'll be working that case, especially looking into this alleged manifesto that we've been talking about. Again, trying to get into the mindset of the shooter, was this someone who came here causing mass loss of life based on hate and obviously the FBI, the federal government has a host of resources that they can bring to bear. I was just in California last week, we were covering yet another mass shooting. In that instance, the FBI also providing resources. They provided their profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico that helped them get into the mindset of this person based on these past incidents. So we can bet that there will be a host of resources that the federal government will be bringing to bear. We're told there are different offices, satellite offices around Texas that are sending resources here and FBI assets at the headquarters in Washington are standing by to deploy to this location should they get any requests from state officials here that are leading the investigation.
[Howell:] It is a tragedy that played out in El Paso, my home state, a good state with many, many people, diverse people and people coming together in times of tragedy. We're seeing that play out right now. We saw long lines in El Paso, people coming together to donate blood given this terrible attack that happened. We'll have more on that, as NEWSROOM continues.
[Joe Moody, Texas State Representative:] There are 20 families that woke up whole this morning with their loved ones and, when the sun sets tonight here in El Paso, they'll go to bed without them. Those families are broken but it is with our strength and resolve that we can help piece them back together.
[N. Allen:] The folks of El Paso, always talk about what a close-knit community, a safe community. You can see it there from the local officials. That was state representative Joe Moody, talking about what happened in El Paso.
[Howell:] We're recapping our top story. Here's what we know about this attack: police say 20 people were killed, 26 others injured. This when a gunman opened fire at a shopping center. The FBI says it has opened a domestic terror investigation into the shooting.
[N. Allen:] Authorities say a 21-year old has been detained and faces charges of capital murder and a hate crime. One witness described what he saw as the shooter opened fire.
[Unidentified Male:] To me, he's going for blood. He's going for death. That's his favorite thing right now. He wants that blood lust. He wants that fulfilled. So after he sees people start running, you can hear the different firing. He starts pop, pop, pop, he's going fast, his trigger finger. He's going, going, going. Yes, that's what he we heard. I heard people yelling, run, shooter. Heard the gunshots. After we got close to the back, we didn't really hear much of it because my adrenaline's pumping, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going.
[Howell:] At this point, many people are still unaccounted for after this shooting in El Paso.
[N. Allen:] Earlier, our Alex Marquardt spoke with the mayor of El Paso.
[Dee Margo , Mayor Of El Paso:] The governor and I just visited with the families waiting on information over at one of the schools here in El Paso. It's tough. It's really, really tough.
[Alex Marquardt, Cnn Anchor:] It's extremely tough and extremely heartbreaking. What about the investigation? What are federal authorities telling you? We understand the suspect is a 21-year-old man who drove from Allen, Texas. What more do we know about the investigation into him and his motive?
[Margo:] Well, there isn't much update since we had the press conference. We talked about a gentleman I shouldn't say gentleman, this murderer who came from outside El Paso. And as I said before, nobody in El Paso would have done something like this. This is not what we are about as a community. The investigations going through and identifying the bodies and going through their normal forensic work and families will be notified. But nothing new is happening yet. Nothing new is happening yet. We're here at the scene as it stands now.
[Marquardt:] Was the shooter, do you know? Was he known at all to authorities?
[Margo:] I don't know that. I do not know that. He came out of Allen, Texas is I think where he came from. But my point is just a real tragedy.
[Marquardt:] Can you describe the scene before the shooting? What would have been happening a the a Walmart in El Paso, Texas on a Saturday morning in early August?
[Margo:] A lot of shoppers, everybody getting ready for back to school. Normal routines. Just a normal Saturday for people and yet this tragedy struck.
[Marquardt:] And you and others have talked about how tight-knit this community is. What has been the reaction since this horrific massacre happened now just over nine hours ago?
[Margo:] Well, it's been reported we have had significant blood donors. This is a very generous community. It is a community that goes back 350 years and people just don't understand. We have we are a close-knit we are the largest community of our type on the U.S.-Mexico border. There is nothing in North America that can equate to what we have here with El Paso products. So this is just totally unexpected and, as I say, probably never would have occurred with an El Pasoan.
[Marquardt:] You must be heartened to see those long lines of donors, of blood donors to come out to donate blood. There have been calls for people to sign up online. What can people do to help the community right now?
[Margo:] Well, we have set up The Paso del Norte Health Foundation has set up a web site for donations for victims and their families. And the other what we are telling other people is just continue to donate blood. That's what we need right now.
[Howell:] And they are doing that.
[N. Allen:] Just after the shooting, the call went out for donations. The blood supply is usually overwhelmed in situations like this.
[Howell:] And dozens of people are lined up to donate blood. Our Wolf Blitzer spoke with one of them.
[Frances Yepez, Blood Donor:] It's somber. You hear some sniffling earlier as the updates were coming across the TV we have here in the waiting room. The line just continues and continues to grow. At this time, the blood center is no longer taking donations for today. They are at maximum capacity. However, everyone in line, there's easily 75 to 100 people in line and they are all aware that all they're doing is standing in line to make appointments for tomorrow and Monday and they are willing to wait until they get up to the front to make an appointment. And I believe El Paso, we're 100 and something today or we're supposed to be in the 100s.
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Well, you're doing a really, really life- saving work. What motivated you, Frances?
[Yepez:] You know, I'm B positive is my blood type and I try to be positive throughout my life and if there's ever something I can help with, it's easy to make a dollar but it's harder to make a difference. So I try to get out there and do whatever I can to help.
[Blitzer:] When you speak to others waiting in line, what are they saying to you?
[Yepez:] How could it happen here? You know, it's crazy. It's Walmart. You know, even though El Paso is big, it's still a small city. Everybody knows everybody. And, you know, immediately when everything happened this morning, my son called me. He was at work. And then from there it just the group text just started, with everybody checking in, everybody from my work family to my extended family in Louisiana, extended family in California and, of course, the local family. Everybody just checking in and making sure everybody was safe.
[Howell:] Looking at the video and knowing how it touched so many people in that community, seeing them come out, that is heartwarming.
[N. Allen:] People feel helpless. A possible clue to the shooter's motive. What police are looking for in the manifesto, reportedly left by the suspect. Welcome back to CNN's continuing coverage of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. I'm Natalie Allen.
[Howell:] And I'm George Howell. Our top story, another mass shooting, this time in Texas, at a Walmart, El Paso, Saturday. At least 20 killed, 26 injured. Police say the suspect is in custody.
[N. Allen:] Thousands of people may have been in and around that store when the attack began. Here's how one witness described the gunman and how she survived.
[Adria Gonzalez, Witness:] He didn't say anything. He just walked in and started shooting at everybody. We were hiding for 10 minutes until everything was calm. And I started pushing people out of Walmart and telling them to get out, get out. The first thing I heard was the gunshots. When I turned around and to see what was going on, that's when I saw him and that's when I ran back with my mom and I told her, let's go, let's go. And I started to help the senior citizens, help her get out, just getting people out of there, just letting them know we need to exit out.
[N. Allen:] El Paso police and the FBI may file hate crime charges against the shooter.
[Howell:] Shortly before it all started, a manifesto was posted online about 20 minutes to the first call to police, that said, I can't wait any longer.
[Chief Greg Allen, El Paso Police Department:] Right now, we have a manifesto from this individual, that indicates to some degree it has a nexus to a potential hate crime. I didn't mean to step on FBI's toes on that. But we're taking this down the road of simply a murder investigation with numerous casualties. And as I said, the State of Texas will be the lead prosecuting agency in this.
[Howell:] Let's talk with Casey Jordan, a criminologist and behavioral analyst and attorney from Connecticut. Great to have you with us.
[Casey Jordan, Criminologist And Behavioral Analyst:] Good to be here. We believe the suspect came from outside of El Paso. When he surrendered, he surrenders without a shot fired. What does that tell you about his mindset?
[Jordan:] It's very interesting; according to the manifesto, he only planned this in less than a month. His hometown is on the opposite side of Texas, in Allen, Texas. He drove 650 miles to get to El Paso. If we're assuming that the manifesto can be attributed to him, it's filled with this white nationalist and racist hatred towards immigrants. And it shows that El Paso was very specifically targeted because it's where people cross the border all the time and both Mexicans and Americans shop. He believes there's a real danger of Latinos blending cultures with the United States and taking all the jobs.
[Howell:] Police are trying to determine whether this suspect is behind that manifesto, posted to an online chat board. Sites like this, rife with racist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, really speak to how important these sites are to people who have these twisted views.
[Jordan:] That's correct. They believe he uploaded this to the Internet about 10 hours before the massacre. It was noticed just an hour or so, before the shooting started. And FBI was aware of these postings and were trying to find out who wrote these threatening comments. He was saying I'm very nervous but I'm going to have to do this anyhow. He also wrote he would not be taking alive. He said that the police, the only way he would be taken alive if they were able to subdue him. He was willing to go out by suicide by cop. It shows a level of determination but also raises questions. We know this shooting suspect was arrested without incident when the police drew down on him. He surrendered. So the real answers will come when the interview and interrogation to find out if what he wrote is really how he felt.
[Howell:] Our reporting shows there was a post to this website, less than 20 minutes before the first call to police. It's something that investigators will be looking into. Tell us about the things that police will be looking into, to learn more about what was his motivation?
[Jordan:] The manifesto, currently, is our best clue to the investigation about the motive. A lot of people would argue, it glorifies him. But the truth is that we must, must examine these sorts of writings and figure out the algorithm. It's an ocean out there. The police can't stay on top of every threatening comment. How can we isolate which ones are verifiable and lead to action an isolate an interview before it happens? There's a lot to do about the manifesto. And the investigation will be asking, how long has he been doing this? Was there any opportunity for intervention? It is too late, obviously, for the victims of this horrific attack. We can learn so much about this, to prevent future attacks. The interview and interrogation, if he's willing to speak to officers, I think he will be, because he has a message to send based on his hatred, that's going to lend a lot, too. But he wants to be known for what he's done so it's important never to glorify it. We're afraid this can inspire future shootings.
[Howell:] Is there a danger there, in suggesting that people should read the manifesto? Isn't that what the person would have wanted?
[Jordan:] My position is, there's no way you can stop it. It's out there, it's been cached. They're scrambling to shut it down. That's never going to be possible. And I would say, it should be left to the investigators, to the police, to the people who study these sorts of crimes and really let the professionals try to figure out exactly what that message was, do some forensic text analysis and see what he wrote and compare it to other writings online, to basically try to check the veracity of other threatening comments. Your First Amendment right is here to stay. So we really can't stop this but I really would also encourage these sites like 4chan to do a lot more self-monitoring and self-policing. They are there to proliferate the message this manifesto espoused to, the hatred, the anti-immigration. They're not going to voluntarily shut it down. But there's plenty other social media sites which could act more responsibly that can try to control vitriol and hate rhetoric because we know it is contagious.
[Howell:] Casey Jordan, we appreciate your time. Thank you.
[Jordan:] Great to be here. Thank you.
[N. Allen:] As more details emerge about the El Paso mass shooting, we can consider the threat of extremism and talk more about what drives people to commit atrocities like this one. The latest now on our breaking news. A gunman opened fire at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart, killing 20 people and injuring 26 others.
[Howell:] And video from the scene shows the chaos there, including people running out of that store. One man hiding under a table as the gunshots rang out. Listen.
[N. Allen:] Terrifying sound. Police arrived at the scene in about six minutes and arrested the suspect. The 21-year-old surrendered. CNN has also learned that FBI has opened up a domestic terrorism investigation. And the El Paso sergeant spoke about the suspect's capture.
[Sgt. Robert Gomez, El Paso Police Department:] This is something that's never occurred in my 22 years of being a police officer in El Paso. So as far as the remarkableness of him being caught alive, it's hard for me to speculate why this happened. I am glad to say that we did capture him and that he will be able to face justice. This all comes to a conclusion, being certain that this is the only person responsible. But I couldn't comment on how it is whether it is or it is not that we caught him or not.
[N. Allen:] Let's talk with CNN law enforcement contributor now, Steve Moore. He's a retired supervisory special agent at the FBI. Steve, good to see you. Unfortunately, we have yet again another mass shooting. It was just a week ago that we were talking about the one in California. From all accounts, this appears to be a hate crime and there is a manifesto. What are you hearing about the suspect and his possible motives?
[Steve Moore, Cnn Law Enforcement Correspondent:] I haven't heard anything official about this guy. But what strikes me is how similar this is to shootings we've had over and over. Almost 20 years, almost to the day ago, we had a shooting in Los Angeles, where a white supremacist drove from one city down to Los Angeles, drove about 800 miles and spent the night in a hotel and then shot kids because they were Jewish. And these people love their manifestos. They love talking about all their all the unfairness towards them. And this is not, unfortunately, something new. This has been maybe the means that they're using but this is something that we've had for years and years, decades and decades.
[N. Allen:] But it does seem like we are seeing more young white men carry this out. This suspect was 21 years old. The suspect last week in California at the food festival was in his early 20s. And it's largely in part, isn't it, because they are connected to these dark channels on the Web that want to encourage these kinds of heinous acts?
[Moore:] Oh, absolutely. But these before it was the before the Web was there they had shortwave radios. What you find in these white supremacist groups, in groups like them, are people who are desperately inadequate in their own minds. And the only reason that they join these groups is really sometimes even more for self-worth. They get a feeling that they're not alone in things and they find some kind of validation, even in this horrible side of themselves. The self-validation has been their motive for several years. And, yes, the Internet is the place now. But as I said, before that it was shortwave radio. Before that it was all sorts of mailings and communications that way.
[N. Allen:] We also have heard that the shooter posted his manifesto just 20 minutes before entering that Walmart parking lot and starting to fire a rifle. That just goes to show you how difficult it is for law enforcement, for intelligence to stay ahead of these acts.
[Moore:] I cannot even express how difficult it is. We would sit and look at one white supremacist group and we would have an investigation on that group and we could listen to them. We could investigate them. But if one person left that group we could no longer follow them because they were no longer part of the organization. So we're handicapped by free speech, which is generally a good thing. But you know, they use the free speech to create and foment this hate. We're also handicapped by legal situations, where you can only follow people if they're part of the organization you're investigating. I don't know the answer. I just know that living in a free society is a double-edged sword.
[N. Allen:] And we can see the law enforcement officers, so many them with their fingers on the trigger, walking through the parking lot, walking through that mall, trying to find this person, who apparently just gave himself up. Steve, we appreciate your insights. There aren't any real answers, are there? Thank you.
[Howell:] Well, on a day of tragedy, ordinary people do step up. We hear from one man who said he helped several children during the mass shooting that played out. Stay with us for that.
[N. Allen:] Tragedies like the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, always bring acts of heroism by ordinary people.
[Howell:] And we heard from one man who turned his attention to helping children there at the scene. Listen.
[Army Spc. Glen Oakley, Witness:] I was buying a jersey. And a little kid ran in there and was telling us that there was an active shooter in Walmart but we didn't pay him no attention because, for one, it was just a little kid and then that, for two, you're at the mall and you're at the Walmart. So we just didn't pay him no mind. So I walked to Foot Locker and I just heard two gunshots and a whole bunch of people started running around screaming. They shut the cage in Foot Locker. And I have my license to carry. And I've been in the military. So when I hear gunshots, I'm just we're trying to think fast, grab weapons and think fast and take cover, do anything that you can. So a couple guys
[Oakley:] they just ran out of Foot Locker. And I'm thinking I'm the only one with a weapon that is legally carrying. So I go with them because I can guard them or whenever. But I see a whole bunch of kids running around without their parents. So I put it up and the only thing I think of is just pick up as many kids I can as possible. And there was another guy doing it as well. I don't know where he went to. But it was another Hispanic guy with me, he did as well. And there was just I could say maybe a total of like 13 kids running around. But I could only get three. And I think he got about three as well. Because I was just focused on the kids. I wasn't really worried about myself. It was just so many kids running around and I was just thinking about, if I had a child and you know, if I wasn't around, how I would want another man to react if they had seen my child running around. So I just dropped that and got as many kids as I could as possible and just made it out.
[N. Allen:] Let's remember. One person, one act of evil and then so many good people doing so many good things to save people's lives. That's what I want to focus on.
[Howell:] It is so important. We've covered the investigation and certainly talked about the alleged gunman. In the days to come, this story will be about the people, the lives lost, the families waking up without loved ones. It is so hard to see these situations like this, time after time.
[N. Allen:] I know. It truly is. We were here just last week for the one in California. Stay with CNN has we continue to follow this story. I'm Natalie Allen.
[Howell:] And I'm George Howell. We'll be right back after this.

[Allen:] The Trump administration is preparing to announce the drawdown of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan. A senior administration official says the timing is still being discussed. There are 12 to 13,000 U.S. troops currently serving there. This comes on the heels of an explosive report by the Washington Post about what top U.S. officials have been telling Americans about the war. Our Jim Sciutto has the story.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Chief National Security Correspondent:] A massive new trove of confidential documents obtained by the Washington Post reveals U.S. officials systematically lied to the American public about the Afghan war, virtually since the beginning 18 years ago. The objective, to conceal widespread fears that America was losing. The Post says it has obtained more than 2,000 pages of documents, some part of a lengthy government report called lessons learned and that, quote, "several of those interviewed described explicit and sustained efforts by the U.S. government to deliberately mislead the public." They said it was common at military headquarters in Kabul and at the White House to distort statistics, to make it appear the United States was winning the war when that was not the case. The report includes interviews with more than 600 people with firsthand war experience, and includes memos from former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, who once wrote in April 2002, six months after the war began. I know I'm a bit impatient, but the fact that Iran and Russia have plans for Afghanistan, and we don't concerns me. He ends the note with, help, exclamation point. General Douglas Lute, who served as the White House Afghan War Czar for president's Bush and Security Adviser to Obama, is quoted in the report, saying in 2015, we were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan. We didn't know what we were doing.
[Col. Cedric Leighton, Cnn Military Analyst:] What we're looking at here is something that calls into question, not only our military operations, but also is a dishonor to the sacrifices that have been made by the servicemen and women in Afghanistan over these years. This is an inexcusable way to run things.
[Sciutto:] The revelations are reminiscent of the Pentagon papers, a top-secret Defense Department study of the Vietnam War, which were first made public in 1971 when they were published by the New York Times.
[Leighton:] It's very similar to what happened with the Pentagon papers, because again, a strategy is being called into question. The rosy picture that's been painted by our political and military leadership is not the real picture on the ground.
[Sciutto:] To date, the U.S. has not carried out a comprehensive accounting of how much it has spent on the war in Afghanistan. Since 2001, the government has spent or appropriated between $934 billion and $978 billion, according to an inflation adjusted estimate cited in the Post. In the report, one unnamed executive with USAID estimated that 90 percent of what the U.S. spent was overkill. The Post says it obtained the documents through the Freedom of Information Act after a three-year quest. In response to the piece, Defense Department Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Campbell said Monday, quote, "There has been no intent by DOD to mislead Congress or the public. Most of the individuals interviewed spoke with the benefit of hindsight."
[Allen:] Our Jim Sciutto there with that report. Next here, after five decades, yes, five decades, the main Star Wars saga is coming to a close. We will show you the lengths some fans are going to, to ensure their spot for the opening of the Rise of Skywalker. That's next.

[John Berman, Cnn New Day:] Welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is New Day. And it is the day that the American people finally got a sense of what is in President Trump's taxes. It's in The New York times this morning and it is breaking news. The Times reports, for years, the president paid no income taxes at all, but what might be most glaring and the most simple to understand is that The Times reports in his first two years in office, this was his federal income tax payment, $750. This is what he paid his first two years in office. You know what the average tax filer pays? $12,000. Look at the difference between what the president pays and the average person pays. It's easy to understand, which is why I built these high tech graphics.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn New Day:] Here is something else easy to understand. The Times reports says that Donald Trump has more than $420 million in loans coming due in the next few years. So he's staying in the White House his only protection? Also this morning, 21 states are seeing a rise in coronavirus cases in the last week. And the next chart is getting a lot of doctors' attention. The seven-day average of hospitalizations had been dropping since the beginning of July. It has now leveled off. What does that mean? Well, doctors fear that it will start rising again, which, of course, translates to more fatalities. All right, joining us now with the top story, CNN Political Correspondent Abby Phillip and CNN Political Commentator Matt Lewis, he's a Senior Columnist at The Daily Beast. Matt, I want to start with you. It's breathtaking, as Susan Glasser called it in the last hour, to see all of this finally laid out. This is what we've been waiting for for years. This is what voters wanted to know, and it turns out that President Trump, for many, many years, has not paid any federal income tax.
[Matt Lewis, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes. I mean, on so many levels, this is a bombshell story. And it should matter, right? I mean, if you're an average working class Trump voter and you're paying taxes, you're paying more taxes than Donald Trump, in a sane world, you would be mad about that, and if Donald Trump wants to cast himself as this populist, you would laugh at him. And the other point, of course, the one that may be doesn't have the same cache with the Trump populist voter but is still super important is the possibility that Trump, because of his financial situation, could be, you know, compromised. Certainly, there's a lot of conflicts of interest. So this should be a serious both a serious story and a political problem for Trump. I think it's the former. Actually, I don't think it really is the latter, but it probably should be.
[Berman:] Yes. No, look, Matt, I think you highlight both numbers here, which is why I wrote them both down, the $750, which is what the president paid in federal income taxes his first two years in office. That's one number. But this is something, Abby, I know you think is a big deal also, $421 million. This is the loans these are the loans that come due for President Trump in just the next few years. It's a lot of money, Abby.
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Yes. And who is it owed to? When is it due? Why didn't the president disclose it four years ago? Why has he been fighting so hard to prevent this from coming to light? These are all the questions that I think this report really raises, especially as we go forward. I mean, you know, four years ago, the president successfully prevented his tax returns and his financial situation from being fully clear to the American public, but now he's asking for four more years in office. And during those four years, you could conceivably see some of these debts coming due. And it's a real question for the American people and one that really goes back to the founding of this country, where the founders worried about presidents who might be indebted to other nations, potentially who might be at risk of being blackmailed. This is the kind of thing that I think the president owes some answers on. And he has absolutely no interest in even entertaining this question. He's been talking about fake news and sort of obfuscating about the nature of what kind of tax liability he's had. But I think these documents make it clear that his financial situation is far more dire. And it also raises some questions about some arrangements that he had with his daughter, Ivanka Trump, how she was being paid as part of this effort to help him avoid taxes. There are any number of real questions about the president and the people around him and the role that they played in tax avoidance. We should also note that there are cases right now in New York involving the president's tax returns. He's fighting tooth and nail to prevent his tax returns for being handed over in those cases. I think now we know exactly why.
[Camerota:] I mean, Matt, one of the things, one of the high level points to be taken away from this is that he made such lousy business decisions, so high risk were they, that he lost a tremendous amount of money two decades ago. And so he's been carrying over his loss for all of these years. That's why he doesn't contribute at all to the fabric of American society. He doesn't contribute to the defense budget, he doesn't contribute to the social safety net. He doesn't contribute to any of the things that we all pay our national taxes into, because he made such poor decisions. Furthermore, it also puts, you know, to a lie that when rich people bemoan that they don't want higher taxes, he's able to pay millions of dollars to lawyers and accountants every year to do this wizardry, as The New York Times described it.
[Lewis:] Look, I think this raises a lot of questions, right? First of all, he's either lying. It's entirely possible that some of these deductions actually aren't legitimate, right? I don't write off my haircuts. Maybe, I probably should, I need one. So maybe some of these things are these write-offs are not legitimate. If they are legitimate, again, I think the average American who works hard and pays taxes is going to have a hard time sort of understanding that. Donald Trump built himself up as this master businessman who's this billionaire. Well, this certainly pokes holes in the notion that he is this brilliant genius businessman. Of course, he'll spin that and talk about how, you know, not paying the suckers at the
[Irs -- Camerota:] But he's not doing that. Interestingly, Matt, that's interesting
[Lewis:] a good businessman.
[Camerota:] But you would think that he would do that. He would say, oh, those guys are suckers and I'm so smart, I don't have to pay taxes. He's not doing that. He's saying, this is all fake news. That tells you something. That tells you that he's not doubling down on this. He's pretending it's fake news, and that means that he doesn't want to talk about all that he's done over these past two years, I think, Matt I mean, 20 years.
[Lewis:] Yes. Well, look, I think sometimes Trump oscillates. He has multiple, sometimes, contradictory excuses. And I wouldn't be surprised in the debate tomorrow night if he does what I just said, which is say, of course I didn't pay much. But for now, you're right, he is doubling down on the fake news argument. And I have to tell you, I think we probably all know that to a certain degree, that works. It certainly works with a lot of folks out there who are just going to hear about this. And they're not going to delve deeply into the details. And they're just going to say, well, that's the liberal media beating up on Donald Trump again. So I think he often has multiple and, you know, mutually exclusive defenses of things he's done. So, you know, don't be surprised if he does both.
[Berman:] Look, in this case, I think it's the details and the reporting that matters most. I think way too often we ask, how is it going to affect the Trump voter. We know how it will affect the Trump voter. That's not necessarily even an important question now. The question is, how will it affect swing voters, and also just what's in the reporting and what does it matter legally and factually here? Let me just read two passages here. Abby, you brought up Ivanka Trump and her connection. This is P 206. Miss Trump reported receiving payments from a consulting company she co-owned totaling more than $700,000, that exactly matched consulting fees claimed as tax deductions by the Trump organization for hotel projects in Vancouver and Hawaii. That might suggest some kind of double-dipping basically there. And, Matt Lewis, you brought up haircuts. I have haircuts for you, $70,000, $70,000 in a business deduction for haircuts when he was on The Apprentice. Let me read you this. It says, Mr. Trump has written off as business expenses costs, including fuels and meals associate as with his aircraft used to shuttle him among his various homes and properties, likewise the cost of haircuts, including more than $70,000 paid to style his hair during The Apprentice. So, questions about the appropriateness, Abby, of business expenses, including these $70,000, questions about payments to Ivanka Trump, and as you've noted also, questions about this $70 million tax refund that's under audit. There are legal questions, open legal questions involving the president and his taxes now.
[Phillip:] I don't think we should assume, because I'm not an accountant and I certainly can't say this, but I don't think we should assume that all of this above board. I mean, one of the reasons the president is fighting so hard to prevent this from coming to light could very well be that his sort of conflicting ways that he's described his financial well-being in these tax documents conflicts with the disclosures that he made potentially to banks and to creditors, to get loans. So it's really an open question how much of this is above board. But I also think that there are some clues in this story in which the ways in which the president's business structure could affect how he is president, how he acts as president. For example, you know, the equation that The Times puts out is essentially that Trump makes all of his money or a vast majority of his money by just sort of royalties off of his name from The Apprentice brand. He makes hundreds of millions of dollars from that and then writes off losses from his actual sort of brick and mortar businesses in order to get tax breaks for that money. So, it really leaves you to wonder, he has now become the most famous person on the planet as president of the United States. What has that done to the value of his brand that he's been claiming on his tax returns? And then secondly, it shows in The Times report some evidence that his properties at Mar-a-Lago and at Doral, people, companies and individuals have been flocking to those resorts. We know some of this because of The Washington Post, as well, paying millions of dollars to be close to the president, to have his ear, paying millions of dollars in my memberships. These are all questions about whether the office of the presidency is being used as part of a tool for the enrichment of the president, and that is something that should be of serious concern to Americans.
[Camerota:] Right. People are paying for access. And, by the way, those golf courses are still failing. That's another thing that Trump
[Berman:] This is another thing. You brought up losses from decades ago. The interesting thing in The New York Times story is the losses he's suffering now on some of his major properties now.
[Camerota:] Yes, good point. Okay, a couple more things, Matt, first of all, you were wondering how the Trump supporters will feel about this. Don't worry, they won't know about it. There has been according to my executive producer, there has been no mention this morning on Fox T.V. about this story at all. Next, Rick Gates has written a new book in which he has new information about Ivanka. And here, I'll read it to you, he says, quote, I think Ivanka should be the vice president. What about Ivanka as my V.P., Trump asked the assembled group. Ivanka should be vice president, he added. Trump was so taken with the concept of his eldest daughter as vice president and so cool to other options, including his eventual selection, then Indiana Governor Mike Pence, that his team polled the idea twice, according to Gates. Your reaction?
[Lewis:] It doesn't surprise me. We're lucky that Donald Trump didn't nominate his sister to the Supreme Court. This is someone who doesn't really, I think, appreciate, maybe not even understand, but certainly doesn't value the norms that we have in place here in this country. And we're just talking about the emoluments, right? That is something that goes back to our founding fathers. As Abby said, they were very concerned about a president who could be compromised by foreign powers. The nepotism thing, I think, is something clearly he doesn't understand, he doesn't get, conflicts of interests. And so this, sadly, does not surprise me. I am glad that we still have some guardrails left in this country, but, no, I'm not surprised by it.
[Camerota:] I like your optimism.
[Berman:] I think he does understand nepotism. He loves it. I mean, I think the answer is it's not a lack of understanding. It's just something he approves of.
[Phillip:] I mean, he's run a family business his whole life. And I think he views the government not that differently from the family business he's been running.
[Camerota:] Good. Abby, Matt, thank you both very much. Now to this breaking news, President Trump's former campaign manager, Brad Parscale, is hospitalized this morning after his wife reported that he was armed and threatening suicide at their Florida home. CNN's Randi Kaye is live at the hospital in Ft. Lauderdale with more. What do we know, Randi?
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Alisyn. We are here at the Broward Health Medical Center. It's where Brad Parscale is being treated. This all started yesterday afternoon, about 4:00 P.M. when police responded to reports of a suicide attempt. Parscale's wife had called police saying that he had barricaded himself inside the home. He had multiple weapons. She was very concerned he was going to harm himself. So police and negotiators went to the house here in the Ft. Lauderdale area. They spoke to him, they negotiated and exit. Apparently, they did everything right, because we know how this could have ended. He spoke to them, he surrendered after the SWAT team had arrived on scene just shortly after that, because they had developed this rapport with him. So he's being treated here. He's being held under the Baker Act, which is a Florida state law that says you can involuntarily commit someone if you're considering their health and wellness and you are concerned they may do some damage to themselves. But a little bit about this. A lot of questions certainly surrounding this, because we know this about Brad Parscale. He was demoted from the campaign manager role for the Trump campaign this summer in July. He now is still a senior adviser but handling digital strategy. We also know that he was the guy who really orchestrated that very controversial Tulsa campaign rally for the president. A lot of empty seats the president wasn't happy about, but more importantly than that, a lot of or very little social distancing, very few masks being worn. We know that former Presidential Candidate Herman Cain had passed away from the coronavirus a while after that Tulsa rally, unclear where he picked that virus up. But this morning, we are getting a statement from the communications manager for the campaign, Tim Murtaugh, saying Brad Parscale is a member of our family and we all love him. We are ready to support him and his family in any way possible. So, again, we don't know what brought this on, why his mental state what it was yesterday apparently that would cause his wife such concern. Certainly wishing his family well, this is a very difficult time for them this morning. John?
[Berman:] Randi Kaye for us in Florida, yes, our thoughts are this morning with Brad Parscale and his family. Thank you for saying that. All right, we do have more breaking news. California's wine country is under siege this morning due to wildfires that are spreading very quickly, burning homes, threatening thousands of structures. Overnight, a mandatory evacuation order went into effect for thousands of people in Napa and Sonoma Counties. One hospital has already moved its patients. 25 major fires are currently active in the state and more than 3.6 million acres have burned in California this year. All right, we are at a precarious moment in the coronavirus pandemic. We are getting new numbers that you need to see that indicate we might be at the very beginning of yet a new surge in cases and hospitalizations. That's next.

[Paul:] Thirty-eight minutes past the hour and millions of people and they're still struggling, they're waiting for financial help from the government during this pandemic. Right now, the unemployment rate is at 10.2 percent which is higher than at any point during the great recession. Let's talk to Ted Jenkin; financial adviser and CEO of Oxygen Financial for us. Ted, good morning to see you
[Ted Jenkin, Chief Executive Officer, Oxygen Financial:] Good morning, Christi.
[Paul:] So, help us understand here. What is your projected lifeline, let's say for the stimulus package? How long do you think it will take?
[Jenkin:] I mean, Christi, it could take a couple of days, but it could go until the election because the parties are still very far apart right now, a couple of trillion dollars. And look, President Trump recently put in this moratorium of putting in this $300 of extended unemployment benefits, and this essentially is what the GOP proposal is, Christi, and 11 states have taken the money so far. One state in South Dakota has declined, but the big issue here is that FEMA is doling out this money, and they've only given the states the money for three weeks here and then after that, it's only going to be week by week. So, millions of Americans could be in the dark if no compromise is reached. I think this is another example of the ready, fire, aim leadership we are seeing.
[Paul:] So, on that note, how much has the president's executive order on payroll, on the payroll tax, how much has that done to alleviate the financial pain?
[Jenkin:] I don't think it's going to help at all, Christi, look, Americans pay payroll tax is roughly 6.2 percent into Social Security, and 1.45 percent into Medicare. But this is a payroll tax deferral, it's not a payroll tax holiday which means that people when they get money in their paychecks, somebody making $50,000 a year from September to December will get roughly $1,100, Christi. But guess what? They're going to have to pay it back. And Christi, with the average family in America having more than $6,000 in credit card debt, it's extremely dangerous to add a $1,000 of debt when the president says, look, I'll make this go away if I get re-elected when the likelihood is, it will not.
[Paul:] Well, not only do people have debt, but there are people who are at risk of losing their home right now because of evictions. How do tenants know if they have any protection from eviction, and how can people at risk of eviction, how can they get help?
[Jenkin:] I mean, Christi, unfortunately, it's gone right now. The protection under the CARES Act ended at the end of July. And as you mentioned, starting Monday, those folks can start to get an eviction letter. So you need to get in front of the bus and talk to your landlord right now because 40 percent of the 40 million Americans are at risk of eviction. So, there are some great organizations, 211.org is great, if you need rental assistance, justshelter.org is great, a nonprofit that helps people who are facing eviction, get match with organizations that can help them or talk to your landlord about even using your security deposit, Christi, to pay this month or partial of this month's rent right now, until you get back up on your feet or our politicians come to a compromise.
[Paul:] Is there any indication, Ted, that landlords are being a little less stringent about this right now?
[Jenkin:] Well, I think so, Christi. Look it doesn't help them to have an empty apartment building and it certainly doesn't help somebody to get evicted. So, this is why I say talk to your landlord now and try and work something out because certainly, with a lot of vacancies, they simply can't run an apartment building.
[Paul:] Good point, Ted Jenkin, always good to have you with us, thank you, sir.
[Jenkin:] Right, thanks, Christi.
[Blackwell:] Up next, we'll tell you about a top college that is cutting a number of sports sports, I should say, as it tries to stay afloat. Coy Wire has the story when we come back.

[Carl Azuz, Cnn 10 Anchor:] Here to deliver your Wednesday edition of CNN 10, I`m Carl Azuz. Hope things are going well for you. It`s been raining at the CNN Center and it`s supposed to be for most of the week but that is nothing compared to what the United Kingdom has been dealing with. A storm named Dennis has been battering the islands for days bringing tremendous amounts of rain to some parts of the UK. This isn`t just a case of cloudy with a chance of showers. Dennis is considered a bomb cyclone, a very intense system with hurricane force winds and it`s caused severe flooding in some areas of the country. It`s triggered landslides. It`s cancelled or delayed hundred of flights and it`s dropped more than six inches of rain on some regions in a very short amount of time. Authorities have had to evacuate people from their homes and put them in emergency shelters in South Wales. One of the places hit hard by Dennis and a ghost ship that`s been floating around the Atlantic for more than a year was washed ashore in Southern Ireland last weekend. The U.S. Coast Guard had rescued its 10 crew members in another part of the Atlantic in 2018. The storm Dennis is believed to have carried it across the ocean. What makes this system so powerful and gives it the name bomb cyclone is a process called bombogenesis. It occurs when a storm`s air pressure drops 24 millibars in 24 hours and generally speaking the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm. According to weather historians cited by Weather.com, Dennis is the second strongest storm this region has seen since record keeping began more than 150 years ago. And it had bad timing too because another storm that hit this part of the world days before Dennis arrived so the ground was already soaked with rain likely making the flooding caused by Dennis even worse. China`s Health Commission has renamed the Wuhan corona virus the novel corona virus pneumonia or NCV. It was first named for the Chinese city of Wuhan where it was first identified in mid-December and many of our reports on this disease you`ve seen people wearing facemasks whenever they`re out in public. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control does not recommend the general American public do this. Health officials are concerned that if people buy masks in large numbers, it could leave less of them for healthcare workers who need them on the job. Many of the masks are actually made in China and people are required to wear then there and while yesterday`s report looked at the empty shopping centers and restaurants to illustrate the economic toll this virus is taking. Today`s gives you a sense of what life is like for those who are still getting out and about.
[Unidentified Male:] Inside Beijing`s south railway station, passengers sporting a rage of plastic protective attire. This man dressed in a raincoat, hairnet and goggles. Another woman donning a plastic veil of sorts, purple latex gloves as she thumbs through her phone determined to keep from contracting the novel corona virus. Everyone abiding by the requirement to wear a mask. Security patrols the terminal in hazmat suits as one worker sprays a liquid bleach like substance around the feet of passengers. This is what train travel has become here in China. Arriving in Shanghai, the passengers file through a round of temperature checks then using smartphones you are required to register your health and travel history. Only then can you enter the city. The normally vibrant financial hub subdued. We stroll down the popular Nanjing Road, most stores closed. The shops that were open eager for business. To walk in you go through what`s become a standard temperature reading. Inside the look on some of the employees faces suggested they are desperate for a return to normalcy. We are in the heart of Shanghai`s financial district and just look how slowly things are moving. There`s hardly any traffic at what is normally a very busy circle. And as far as the lunchtime rush, all we`ve seen maybe a few folks who are out and about but this certainly does not feel like a city coming back to life. Is that unusual?
[Unidentified Female:] [Laughing]
[Unidentified Male:] Inalea tells us this elevated pedestrian plaza is normally packed. Mostly with tourists trying to snap a skyline photo. As someone who works in finance, Yenna says this strange silence will come at a cost. Do you think it`s going to have a long impact though economically?
[Unidentified Female:] I think the [inaudible] will be the farmer and [inaudible].
[Unidentified Male:] Do you feel nervous?
[Unidentified Female:] A little but not too much. I just remind, even my family is that take care because out of control. Out of your own control.
[Azuz:] 10 Second Trivia. Which of these U.S. department stores was founded first? Macy`s, Sears, J.C. Penny or Bloomingdales. Macy`s chases it`s roots back to the 1850s` making it the oldest department store on this list. Macy`s recently announced that it plans to close 125 of its stores over the next three years. That`s almost one-fifth of all its locations. It expects 2,000 jobs to be lost and the company is hoping this will help it save money and better adapt to the changing ways in which people shop. This is especially bad news in struggling malls. The ones where foot traffic has decreased simply because fewer and fewer people are shopping there. Macy`s is an anchor store. A major retail location that brings in a lot of shoppers that in turn visit the smaller stores around it. So take away an anchor store and the whole mall can suffer. Macy`s isn`t alone though. Thousands of stores closed across America last year. Some analysts have called this a sort of "retail apocalypse" but people are still spending money. They`re just doing it differently and away from traditional shopping malls.
[Unidentified Male:] The "retail apocalypse". Store closings and death of the mall, the complete and total takeover of e-commerce. It`s the end of shopping as we know it. Right? Well not exactly. Yes, retailers had a tough few years. There were 7,000 store closings in 2017. You saw big brands like J.C. Penney, Macy`s and Sears all shut their stores. The term "retail apocalypse" is so pervasive that it even has its own Wikipedia page. But there`s another side to this story. In the same year, there were actually 3,400 store opening announcements, 50 percent surge according to Coresight Research a retail think tank. So what`s the deal? Is there a "retail apocalypse" or not? The answer lies somewhere in the middle. At the high and low ends of the retail spectrum, the industry`s thriving. Low price stores, the Old Navy`s of the world, has seen their revenues steadily increase 37 percent over the last five years. And premium retailers, luxury stores like Coach, are fairing even better. Their revenue skyrocketed 81 percent. Those revenue increases led to store openings and while many of the "retail apocalypse" headlines place blame on e-commerce, a recent Deloitte study found that 91 percent of retail sales still happen in brick and mortar stores. So if retail isn`t dying, it`s actually doing well. What`s going on with those stores in the middle? Well, you can track the decline of those stores closely to the shrinking of the American middle class. The retailers hit hardest over the last few years have been big box and department stores. Stores that rely on middle class, suburban mall. And since 1975, the U.S. built malls have four times the rate of population growth but over the last 10 years most Americans have seen their discretionary funds stall or even shrink and income has dwindled. Those consumers have become more price sensitive driving them to look for deals at low price stores. On the other hand, rich Americans have seen their net worth and discretionary funds increase creating more customers for luxury retailers. Meanwhile, stores in the middle like J Crew, they`ve seen their customers flee in both directions. So what we`re seeing is less of a "retail apocalypse" and more of a tale of two retails.
[Azuz:] For 10 out of 10, this is about as close as a fan can get to actually seeing what a racecar driver sees. It`s called driver`s eye. It`s a little blurry and a lot of shaky but it`s live and because it`s mounted inside the lining of drivers helmets. It shows you exactly what direction they`re looking in. The new technology was introduced in Formula E racing and race organizers hope it will increase fan engagement in the sport. Not everyone will like the "aerodynamics". Some will want to make a "pit stop" if the driver`s "eye view" brings a "third dimension" of motion sickness. But assuming they an keep their "brake" balance, they`ll "chassieze" the race from a whole new pole position without needing a headrest and that could be the spark that leaves fans on the edge of their single seat. I want to give a big shout out to our friends in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. That`s where you`ll find the Academy for Performing Arts who`s watching today. That`s also where people are subscribing and commenting on our new You Tube channel. We hope you will do the that too. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN. END

[Lemon:] I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us, everyone. The Democratic candidates are here. They're trying to win over voters before they head to the polls in five days for the first in the nation primary. It's almost here. And you just heard from Senator Sanders. You heard from Mayor Buttigieg. And now it's Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar's turn. So please welcome to the stage Senator Amy Klobuchar.
[Klobuchar:] Hi, everybody. Thank you. Hi. Thank you, Don.
[Lemon:] How are you?
[Klobuchar:] I'm great. What a great group.
[Lemon:] Yeah, they're excited. So, we appreciate you joining us.
[Klobuchar:] Sure.
[Lemon:] Thank you so much. I know it's been a very busy time for you. I just want to begin with...
[Klobuchar:] Really?
[Lemon:] Yeah. Let's talk about President Trump's impeachment. It's news of the day. We watched the president this afternoon lash out at people like Senator Mitt Romney, as dozens of Republicans applauded him...
[Klobuchar:] At the prayer breakfast.
[Lemon:] At the prayer breakfast. But dozens of Republicans applauded him. Your fellow senator, Sherrod Brown, he wrote an op-ed that was titled "In private, Republicans admit they acquitted Trump out of fear." You sat with them through two weeks of arguments. Is that what you heard?
[Klobuchar:] I heard a lot of them struggling. And I'm not going to reveal private conversations. But I think a lot of them know that what he did was wrong and they didn't have the courage to say it. And it really concerns me. Or they said it, but then they didn't have the courage to vote for impeachment. And one of the votes that I think was the most telling was the vote about witnesses. And it was 51-49, so close, with two of the Republicans saying at least get the facts out, at least get the witnesses, so we know what's happening. And they refused to do that. And I thought that was just a really, really sad moment for our country, because we know one of them, John Bolton, actually said that he wanted to testify. He was in the room where it happened, and they refused to listen to that. So, to me, if you're innocent, you want to put people forward that work with you. And then I'd say the second thing was just the courage that we saw in those votes. The courage of my friend, Doug Jones, the senator from Alabama, who is facing re-election and just said he knew it was the right thing to do. And he voted to impeach. The courage of Mitt Romney, the senator from Utah and former governor of your neighboring state of Massachusetts, who also had the courage to go with his convictions. And I think you have to remember those moments when you think about this election, because, to me, yes, this was a trial, and, yes, the result didn't turn out like I wanted or maybe some people in this room wanted, but it's really now you're going to be the jurors, right? You're going to be the jurors in an election, your primary election and the general election. And to me, it continues, because this is a decency check. This election is an economic check, and I know a lot of the discussions we've had on the debate stage are about what's the best health care plan, what's the best college plan, something we care a lot about at Saint Anselm's. But it's also about this decency check. And to me, you're going to have a lot of independents, particularly in this state, and moderate Republicans that aren't going to agree with everything that's said on the debate stage. I don't agree with everything that's said on the debate stage. But what they do agree with us on this is this. They agree that America's heart is so much bigger than the heart of the guy in the White House. They agree on that. And they believe this election at its core is about decency and patriotism. So my first thoughts after leaving that trial is we better not screw this up. We better have a candidate that can bring people with her.
[Lemon:] I can hear the emotion in your voice now.
[Klobuchar:] Yeah.
[Lemon:] And I want to talk about that courage that you mention, because take me back to that moment in the Senate chambers when you had to vote guilty. You said that you wanted to cry. What was that like?
[Klobuchar:] Well, it's first of all, you're serving as a juror and you're making a decision that's really based way back to the founding of our country when our founding fathers put these provisions in the Constitution. And it was James Madison, who I like to quote sometimes, because he was 5'4", which I think is a good height for a president.
[Lemon:] Let's talk about how you do that and let's go to the audience...
[Klobuchar:] OK, great.
[Lemon:] ... for the folks who are going to be making the decision here. Connie Evans is standing there. She's a retired teacher. She's from Weare, a member of her local Democratic committee, and she says she's leaning towards supporting you.
[Klobuchar:] Excellent. This is our moment, this intimate moment where we can close the deal.
[Question:] Welcome back to New Hampshire, Senator.
[Klobuchar:] Thank you, Connie.
[Question:] You have said that you've had success working across the aisle to get things done with your Republican friends. Our country is very divided now, as you know. Families supporting opposing political parties are not even speaking to each other. We need someone at the helm who can bridge the divide and fix our country. How will you solve this before a civil war breaks out?
[Klobuchar:] Well, thank you. And I first want to thank you for being a teacher, and that was as you probably know, my mom was a second grade teacher. And she actually taught second grade until she was 70 years old. And I have so much respect for those that are teaching our kids and teaching values to our kids. And that is probably a good way to start, because that's what drives a lot of my interest in trying to make our government work. And it is not always easy, because there's a bunch of people on the other side of the aisle where you just want to say every day, really? But then you have to find that common ground, because I think courage is not just standing in the opposite corners of a boxing ring throwing punches. Courage is whether or not you're willing to stand next to someone you don't always agree with for the betterment of this country. And I'm not a Pollyanna about what's going on with the outside money and what some of the Republicans have been doing. And I feel very strongly that one of the reasons I want to lead this ticket is that every time I run in a state that's a little bit like New Hampshire, has a lot of Republicans, a lot of independents, and a lot of fired-up Democrats, every time I've run, I've been able to win with fired-up Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans, which is what I think we need to do to win big and to send Mitch McConnell packing, so that we basically, including winning Jeanne Shaheen's race here in the great state of New Hampshire, so that we're able to get all the things done that you've been hearing about tonight. Nevertheless, I still think you have to have civility and you have to be able to work with people. When I get elected, what would I do? I would reach out to every governor in this country. I would reach out to the leaders, of course, of the House and the Senate and legislative leaders throughout our nation. And one of the ways I've done that already is by putting out 100-day plan, with 137 things that the president can do herself without Congress that are legal. I emphasize that because what Donald Trump has done. And so I think you set a tone that way. Some of this is introducing major legislation. And as you know, I passed over 100 bills as a lead Democrat since I've gone to Washington, more than anyone else that's in Congress that's running for this office. But it's also about building a sacred trust again that this president has broken down between the people of this country and the White House. And I think the way you do this is being very clear about what you want to get done. And that's why you'd be surprised at what you can do. You can bring in less expensive drugs from other countries by bringing a waiver to bring down the cost of pharmaceuticals. You can do that without passing a bill. You can close the boyfriend loophole, a bill I've been trying to pass for years for gun safety, which says that domestic abusers who are convicted shouldn't be able to go out and get an AK-47.
[Lemon:] Senator...
[Klobuchar:] A president can do that herself. So my answer to you is, work across the aisle, find common ground, but stand your ground, and make it very clear how you're going to lead.
[Lemon:] All right. Well, let's talk about common ground and bridging the divide, because in order to be the nominee, right, you have to be in it. And I want to turn to Iowa, the Iowa caucuses now, 100 percent of the reporting is in. You are in fifth place now, and you made it clear that your success in Iowa was critical to your overall success in this campaign, again, in fifth place. Where do you need to finish here in New Hampshire in order to keep this going, to keep moving on?
[Klobuchar:] Well, you can decide that, I guess. You have a lot of analysts on CNN. But the way I look at it the way I look at it is this way. I look at it this way. There were so many people in this race, as you know, and I am now in the top five. I think there were a lot of people that didn't predict I would get through that initial announcement speech in the middle of the blizzard. They were literally predicting that I couldn't make it through the snow. Then they were predicting I wouldn't make it through the summer. And then it was debate by debate by debate. And every single time I have exceeded expectations. I look at Iowa, and I look at it this way. We did well. We had a fired-up team with less money, which is why people can help me at amyklobuchar.com.
[Lemon:] We carried that moment live when you at 4:00 a.m. I was on the air. And I have never seen a bigger smile on your face.
[Klobuchar:] Well, no, we had such we had all of our New Hampshire team was here. And one last thing I will say, I've gotten the endorsement of three major newspapers here. Seacoast Newspapers, the Union Leader, and also the Keene Sentinel, so check that out. I think those people questioned me at length and have given me their endorsement.
[Lemon:] A question now from Laura Landerman-Garber. She's a child psychologist from Hollis who says she is undecided. Laura?
[Klobuchar:] OK.
[Question:] Hi, nice to see you again, Senator.
[Klobuchar:] Good to see you.
[Question:] Welcome back to New Hampshire.
[Klobuchar:] Thank you. It's great to be back.
[Question:] Wonderful. We brought the snow just for you.
[Klobuchar:] Thank you, of course.
[Question:] You are known as the practical one, and that's quite a statement right there. I think that's a compliment to you. As you've been talking about, you are one who reaches across the aisle, you seem to do that with ease, and your amazing relationship with the late and great Senator John McCain seems to be a shining example of that. But you are also known to be tough, and you know when and you have drawn lines in the sand. I would like to know what are some of the key issues where you will stand up and say, "These are the issues I'm going to draw the line in the sand"?
[Klobuchar:] OK, that's a great question. And I think the first thing is climate change. We cannot go through another year without doing something about climate change. We see the warming of our planet. And as you know, it is the rising sea levels and the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. But you're seeing it in northern states, like New Hampshire and Minnesota, changes to our wildlife population, changes to the oyster fishermen and the fishing business off the coast of Maine. You are seeing it throughout our country with the wildfires and the flooding. And I think that is something where a president there are a number of things you can do without Congress. And that's good, getting back into the international climate change agreement, the clean power standards, the gas mileage standards. But then you're really going to have to in your words stand your ground and be tough about getting that done. Other things. Changes that we have to make so that people in our country are able to afford childcare and prescription drugs and college. And I think actually there's areas there where we're going to be able to get bipartisan support on economic package, and that's something that I will draw the line on. We must forward on that. Immigration reform, I think, is another area where there can be bipartisan support, but we must move forward. So I do agree with you. You have to have a combination of reaching out to people and getting to know them and bringing them with you and actually liking people. That's a good quality to have in a president. Students, a nice thing. But I think the other piece of it is being very clear about where you're going to draw the line. And as far as being tough, I think people have seen me on the debate stage. I am nimble and I am tough. I once ran against an opponent for one of my first elected jobs. And they said to me, you are nothing but a street fighter from the Iron Range. That is where my dad grew up. And I said, thank you. Because I think when you are in politics, it doesn't mean that you cross the line and act like Donald Trump. I think you all know I'm not going to be like that. I'm not going to call names. I'm not going to send out mean tweets. But you have to stand your ground or you're going to get rolled.
[Lemon:] OK. That's Eric Leith standing right there. He's a golf professional. a package handler from Litchfield. He says he is currently undecided as well.
[Klobuchar:] OK, very good.
[Question:] Welcome, Senator. Going to touch a little bit on...
[Klobuchar:] You say you're a golf professional?
[Question:] Yes, I have got an open hour tomorrow if you're not doing anything.
[Klobuchar:] OK. There you go. There's a lot of snow out there.
[Question:] We're indoors.
[Klobuchar:] OK, OK.
[Question:] Touch a little on third rail national politics. New Hampshire is an older state and the Social Security pie is both shrinking and being cut into more and more pieces as the Boomers retire. Projections of insolvency vary from 12 to 25 years out, and one of the one of the proposals that you hear a lot about is the income tax excuse me, the income cap elimination.
[Klobuchar:] Mm-hmm.
[Question:] That doesn't seem to be quite as dangerous to talk about as a politician, I think.
[Klobuchar:] Yes.
[Question:] Otherwise we're going to have some reductions in benefits. There's no way around it, it's inevitable. Can you just explain what the income cap is? How eliminating it would affect available funds? And who, other than the high-income earners, would oppose it?
[Klobuchar:] Very good. So that's a very important thing to talk about. And I know there is a lot of young people here as well. But, believe me, you're the ones that are going to get screwed if we don't do something about this. So it is not just about our seniors as we look at how we're going to keep Social Security solvent. So, the first thing, as you point out, is that it's going to start paying out less benefits. Maybe 10 to 15 percent by 2034 if we don't do something about it. So, then, what are the solutions? There's really a pretty straightforward elegant solution. Right now you pay into the Social Security fund up until $133,000 in income. And you can just lift that cap straight up, that's one way to do it. Or you can kind of do what we call a "donut hole," not have people paying for a little and have them start again at $250,000, which is a bill that actually Senator Sanders has led, that I have co-sponsored for a number of years. And to me, I think that that would make a lot of sense because it would keep Social Security solvent and strong. But let's go a step forward because I always like to tease my colleagues on the debate stage that they're not thinking big enough. Because I always like to look at what is going on in our economy and how can we actually connect that to our challenges. It is not enough just to talk about Social Security. We also have to keep Medicaid strong. But one of the biggest things we could do is start tackling long-term care. Everyone in this room has someone, a grandparent or a parent or you yourself, who know that you're going to have needs for long-term care at some point. And there's a lot of people that are taking care of their kids and their aging parents at the same time. We call it the "sandwich generation." And so I have looked at this a lot, mostly because I've had my own experience with this. My dad is 91. He's in assisted living. And for some reason he got long-term care insurance, which is great. But I know exactly when that's going to end and it is in a year-and-a- half. And then and when that ends, we go into his savings, which are not as big as they should be because he got married three times, but that's another story.
[Question:] That's another story.
[Klobuchar:] That's for another town hall when we have more time. And so then after that he goes on Medicaid. And I have talked to Catholic Eldercare, and they will take him in because the place he's in right now doesn't take Medicaid. But our story is actually better than so many other families. And the answer here, two big things. One is to make it easier to get long-term care insurance. And I have a way to pay for this. You can check it out on our website. But the second is just to make it less expensive to get long-term care short of Medicaid. We have not done anything to adjust our laws to the big elephant in the room which is long-term care. And that means making it easier for people to stay in their homes, to make more housing for seniors so then free-ups housing for families that may want to move and rehab houses. I actually think it's a great opportunity. We also have seniors, particularly in this state, as you point out, who want to work part-time or volunteer and they have to have a way to get there. I said this in Keene, New Hampshire, at a town hall. I brought up this and these two women started laughing. I go, why are you guys laughing? They said, we're the opposite, we're working and we want to retire. So I just think we have to understand that not one size fits all.
[Lemon:] This is Elsa Voelcker. She's an undecided voter who teaches photography here at Saint Anselm. Elsa?
[Klobuchar:] Hi there, Elsa.
[Question:] Hi. As president, would you be willing to limit the power of the president, which appears to be out of control? How can we get checks and balances working again in our government?
[Klobuchar:] Very good. And I'm going to take this as you meant it, which is the Congress has to have a check on this president. That's how the Constitution has been set up. And in particular, this is on my mind because we're going to be having a vote on this coming up in the Senate, and that is the power of the president when it comes to declaring war. We're really focused right now on Iran, understandably, and some of the things this president has said and there's actually some bipartisan support for a resolution to saying that he couldn't go bring us into war with Iran without Congress approving it and with an without an authorization of military force. And I think you've seen this president just basically blowing up a lot of our constitutional protections in how he talks about the First Amendment, something near and dear to my heart because my dad was a reporter his whole life. How he talks about Congress or the courts. It's just constant. So for me, especially when it comes to going to war, which you do not want to do unless you have a very good reason, you have to go to Congress. And so respecting the Congress is going to be a big part of what I do. And I think that way by the way, if you want to build trust again with this country, what do you do? You start working with everyone and you make that clear. I remember one of the earlier questions, people fighting at Thanksgiving dinner, not being able to look at each other. Well, a lot of that is going to have to do with a president and the tone that's set. But it's not just all talk and talking points and flowery language. It's actually having the experience to figure out how you can get things done and work with both sides and respect the power of Congress. That's what, in part, was Mitt Romney's vote, right? He said he took an oath and his faith and the words of that oath and in his own reasonable judgment he felt that he had to do that vote because he was elected to be a check, basically, on a president, regardless of who that president is.
[Lemon:] All right. That's the first part. We still have more questions, all right?
[Klobuchar:] Oh great!
[Lemon:] So make sure you stay with us. More from Senator Amy Klobuchar right after this.
[Klobuchar:] Thank you.
[Lemon:] All right. Welcome back, everyone. We are live from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire for a Democratic presidential town hall with Senator Amy Klobuchar. Let's get straight back to questions, shall we?
[Klobuchar:] OK. Very good.
[Lemon:] Kate Marquis. Kate is a video editor. She is from Manchester, and she is still undecided. Hi, Kate.
[Klobuchar:] OK.
[Question:] Hello.
[Klobuchar:] Hi.
[Question:] Could you please give an example of a mistake you made as a senator from Minnesota? How you grew from it? And how it impacts your decision-making today?
[Klobuchar:] Sure. So, this was a thing that I you know, you don't know when you look back at it if it would have made a difference, but the stakes are so high, I look back at it a lot. And this is when we had the Affordable Care Act, which was a very close vote, if you remember. And it was a very big moment in our country and President Obama had worked on it for a year and it was a good bill. We all know what it did. It helped protected people so they don't get kicked off their insurance if they have a pre-existing condition. So positive for so many people in New Hampshire. And it also did some things to make it easier for people to have their kids on their health insurance. And it was a big deal. But there was a big debate at the time about pharmaceuticals. And I was one of the people that was always advocating to do something about prescription drug prices. I lead the bill on seniors unleashing their power to be able to negotiate better prices under Medicare. Something that's unbelievably pathetic that's in law that bans Medicare from negotiating better prices. And I've just done a lot of things on getting less expensive drugs. So when I look back at it now because we were so excited, we get this bill, we're barely passing it, and you have a lot of power when you only have a bill passed by a vote. And I think if a few of us had banded together and insisted on that, maybe we could have gotten something in that bill about pharmaceutical prices. But it was such a close vote and we were told, no, no, no, we'll do it later, right? So we're like, OK. And I just wish we had done it then, done something because right now we are where we are. And I think when you ask what I learned from that is when you have power, you better use it.
[Lemon:] All right. Claire Collins is here. She's from Manchester. She works on housing development. She's undecided as well. Hi, Claire.
[Klobuchar:] OK. Hi, Claire.
[Question:] Good evening. Your new TV commercial offers lots of great strategies that you're going to achieve as president. And one of those is affordable housing. And this is a particular pain point in our state, where a New Hampshire housing authority reports that there is less than 2 percent vacancy in two-bedroom apartments across the state, with 3 percent rent increases every year. So how do you propose to create more affordable housing? And what are some of the strategies to do so?
[Klobuchar:] That's a very good question, and I actually knew about these issues in New Hampshire. It's one of the reasons that I want to make sure, when we listed a bunch of stuff we wanted to do in the first 100 days, that was in there. And that's because of what I've heard. I've done an event with some people about housing in New Hampshire. And I think one of the things that people around the country don't always know, it's, yes, urban areas are having a big problem with affordable housing because the rents and the cost, but there's a lot of areas like New Hampshire where mid-size towns like Manchester and actually small towns and rural areas there's huge housing problems. And so this is what I would do. First of all, I would make sure that we take care of the backlog of Section 8 housing, which is affordable housing for people that can't afford it. There's this huge backlog going on right now. And it makes it really hard for people to be able to get housing. The second thing is to create incentives for building more housing. And I've got a lot of support for this big plan that I put out when it comes to housing. And that means incentives. And that's part of what you need here because you don't have enough housing. And that what I talked about earlier with some senior housing, so that it doesn't have to be for seniors, but housing that seniors might want to live in, in the towns, and then that frees up their housing stock. And then the third thing is just helping people to afford housing. And I have shown how I'm going to pay for every single thing that I do. I think that's really important because Donald Trump has been treating all of you like poker chips in one of his bankrupt casinos and building up the debt. I think it's going to be a big issue. And that's why my proposals, I show how I'm going to pay for them. And with this one, it's minimum corporate tax there's a bunch of companies that don't pay any taxes at all as well as some other changes to international tax enforcement. And you get a lot of money in that way that can be used to pay for housing.
[Lemon:] Michael Fazi is standing near. He is a law student from Texas. He is studying at the University of New Hampshire. He says he is undecided. Michael?
[Klobuchar:] OK. All these undecideds. This is great.
[Lemon:] I know. It's your chance, right?
[Klobuchar:] Yeah, I wish I could hang out afterwards, but I think there's another town hall after me.
[Question:] Senator Klobuchar, I have been in college and now law school for going on six years and have accrued student debt the entire way through. I want to work for the government in the future, but I am concerned about paying back my student loans. What can you do to help me afford to pay back my loans and work for the greater good?
[Klobuchar:] OK. That's a good story and also, as you know, a common story, because a lot of people are struggling with this right now. In fact, my husband, who is sitting four people away from you, when I met him, I had paid off my student loans and then I met him, and he had over $50,000 in student loans. And I'd start by making you feel better. I married him anyway, just to be clear.
[Lemon:] All right. Andrea Amadeo Vickory is here. She is a lawyer from Amherst, New Hampshire, and she is undecided as well.
[Klobuchar:] OK. I liked your parade. I was in it at 4th of July.
[Question:] Yeah, we are very famous for that.
[Klobuchar:] Yes, it was great.
[Question:] I've marched in it many times. And thank you for being here. And as a lawyer, I have been going crazy these last three years seeing all the federal judges that are coming through the Senate, nominated by Trump and approved, you know, very fast. And what I would like to know is how important the appointment of judges to the federal bench is to your campaign, since the Trump administration has done more to control policy into the future by stacking the federal courts than any other president in recent history? And many Americans don't understand the impact of this. So I was thinking that it might be your responsibility to educate the voters on this important and essential issue.
[Klobuchar:] Thank you. And I think the best way to do that is to have people think of their lives and what court decisions have meant for their life, you know. There's famous court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education that made it so that African-American kids could go to school with their white neighbors in the same state. That happened. They were trying to block that, and that's what that court decision did. You think of Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed reproductive rights for the women of America. And then you think of things in your own life. In my case, my grandpa worked 1,500 feet underground in the mines up in northern Minnesota his whole life. He had nine brothers and sisters, and his parents were sick and he wanted to be in the Navy, but that's what he had to do. And he would go down every day in a cage with his lunch bucket that my grandma would pack. And the mines were really dangerous back then. The sirens would go off and everyone would run to the mine, and they didn't know if it was their husband or their brother or their kid who died. And my dad still remembers the coffins lined up in the Catholic church in town. What changed? Well, court rulings changed. There were judges and challenges and things that happened; unions came in, and there were court decisions that protected workers and protected those mines. And you can literally go through your lives and think of things that have happened that have been affected by court decisions. So your point is this, is that these judges and who has these jobs are very, very important. It's one of the reasons I so vehemently opposed the two Supreme Court justices that were nominated by Donald Trump, because of their record when it came to consumer issues and safety, and when it came to their views of regulations that protect people. And I think anyone that watched the Kavanaugh hearings remembers my role in that, when he basically went at me and I stood my ground, and he came back and apologized. And I think it gives you a little bit sense of my character and what I'll be like as president. But it should also make you understand how important appointing good judges is to me. I had the fortune of being a relatively new senator when Barack Obama came in as president, and I got to work with his administration on putting forward some amazing judges in my own state and getting them approved. And I would look so forward and be so honored to do the same thing as president. I think the challenges we're going to have I actually haven't supported about two-thirds of the nominees that Donald Trump has put forward. But I think one of the challenges that a new president is going to have is there's going to be a lot of openings right away and it's going to be filling those openings and having the skill and having the people around her that are able to filter through all the names and get it done and work with the Senate and the House on getting those names through. Because I think speed is going to be really important here with the new president. Supreme Court, I think, when I look at the kind of nominees we should have there, I think we have some great models in Elena Kagan and Justice Breyer and in Sonia Sotomayor and, of course, the notorious RBG.
[Lemon:] All right. Stay right there, everyone. We have more questions for Senator Amy Klobuchar, right after this. Welcome back, everyone. We are live in New Hampshire with Senator Amy Klobuchar. We have these chairs. No one ever uses them. So I'm glad we get to use them now.
[Klobuchar:] I thought I would talk to you.
[Lemon:] Let's bring in Leonard Morrill, a retired retail manager from Manchester. He is undecided. Hi, Leonard.
[Question:] Good evening.
[Klobuchar:] Hi.
[Question:] Do you think we need more or less military personnel in the Middle East at this time?
[Klobuchar:] Well, overall, I think we need less. And one of my major priorities will be to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. This president has said he would do it, but he hasn't done it. And, in fact, what he did do was send out an ill-fated tweet inviting the Taliban to Camp David and then decided that wasn't a good idea. And I think the key is to show some leadership, instead of just doing tweets. And that means the negotiations between the Ghani administration in Afghanistan and, of course, the Taliban, that's what's going to have to happen. And for me, the guide post will be keeping the democracy reforms in place, trying to do all we can to keep those gains that they've made for women's rights in Afghanistan, and, of course, working with our allies, something that this president does not seem to be able to do very well. Including India and Pakistan could be helpful in the long term when it comes to keeping some of the gains that we've seen in Afghanistan. I think that the other parts about this is, one, I would probably keep some troops there for counterterrorism and for training. I do disagree with some of the president's decisions, like I would not have removed the 150 troops from the Syrian border with Turkey. I think already there was just a recent report that just came out showing that there has been some change with ISIS and some of their intentions. And I thought that was a big mistake to do that. You're already seeing fighting going on in that area between the Syrian forces and then and the moderates. That's one of the only areas that they had held. So there are some bad things that are happening because of this president's decision. The other thing that I would do in the Mideast, in addition to working on a two-state solution, would be to re-negotiate back into the Iranian agreement. I predicted on the first debate we had many, many debates in this presidential election, we were asked, what do you think are the biggest threats internationally? And I said when it came to the economy that it was China. And then I said when it came to world security, it was Iran, but only because of Donald Trump's moves, that he had made the world less safe. And I think you've seen the escalation there with Iran now saying that they want to start enriching uranium to the point of potentially busting the caps. So that is something that would be a big priority for me. So to me, it's not just about the troops. It is also about how we're going to engage with our allies and renegotiate ourselves back into international agreements and stand with our allies.
[Lemon:] I want to turn now to Chloe Enderton. Chloe Enderton is a transgender military officer from Danville. She does advocacy work in the LGBTQ community and is undecided, as well. Chloe?
[Klobuchar:] Thank you.
[Question:] Good evening, Senator.
[Klobuchar:] Thank you.
[Question:] After over a decade of service and being wounded in combat, in 2019 a message was sent that transgender servicemembers aren't qualified to serve. If elected, will you commit to overturning President Trump's transgender military ban and providing gender- affirming health care for all trans servicemembers?
[Klobuchar:] Yes.
[Lemon:] So we have a few minutes left, I want to get a couple more questions in. I want to bring in Margaret Andersen. Margaret Andersen is a legal secretary from Manchester, currently undecided, as well.
[Klobuchar:] All right.
[Question:] Good evening, Senator. Climate change is a top priority. What steps can we take to rally the country to embrace the changes necessary to succeed?
[Klobuchar:] I like that question, because I gave a preview of what I think we need to do, the international climate change agreement, clean power rules, gas mileage standards, and then sweeping legislation, which would include energy efficiency legislation, as well as putting a price on carbon. But what your question gets at is really the nub of the issue. I have been through this. I was on the Environmental Committee when we put forth cap and trade, and we couldn't get it through the Senate. I supported it. And so I've thought a lot about how we can get this done. And I think it's really important to make the economic case for climate change. The fact that homeowner's insurance is going up, something you don't think about. Talk to any insurance agent, they're going to tell you that. Making the case that it is, yes, about the rising sea levels, but it's also about the effects we're seeing, say, to snowy places like New Hampshire, what we are seeing with flooding in the middle of the country so that farmers can't plant or harvest, and really making that case. And then the last thing and this is so key is making sure the proposal we put forward makes people understand that they're going to be kept whole when it comes to their heating bills, their cooling bills. If you have areas of your state or the country that are going to see job transitions and job changes we know there's going to be a bunch of new jobs added, that will be very cool because of green energy, but we also know that there's going to be jobs that are going to change. And I want you to know and the reason I want to lead this ticket so much and why I want to be there as president is I get this. I get this not just the numbers and not just the science. I actually get this from my heart. I mention my family a lot. Well, up in northern Minnesota, just like northern New Hampshire, things would close down, they'd open up, the mines would close, they'd open up. And it got so bad at one point that they had a billboard outside of Duluth, I remember seeing with my dad, and it said the last one to leave, turn off the lights, a billboard. So when I look at this, I see the mayor here from Laconia who knows exactly what I'm talking about. When I look at this, I say, let's make sure that when we put this policy forward, we know that we've got a big challenge, but let's make sure it works for people. And that way, that's the only way we're going to get the votes to get this done, but it's also the right thing to do.
[Lemon:] A minute left. And this is the most important question, because it's my question.
[Klobuchar:] OK, yes, Don Lemon.
[Lemon:] So it's been almost a year to the date, right, that you came out and it was snowing, right?
[Klobuchar:] Yes, uh-huh.
[Lemon:] What is the biggest thing that you have learned that surprised you the most, one thing?
[Klobuchar:] I have learned that I always knew I have grit, but I have learned I have more grit than I thought, and that we have been able to keep our incredible team together from the very beginning through the good times and the bad times. We have a scrappy, happy campaign. We would love you to join it. And that has just made me excited about the future and my ability to lead and move us forward. The other thing I've learned is that I have an incredible family, which I always knew, but my husband, John, who's been there with me every step of the way, out campaigning. My daughter, who was in Iowa all last week filling in while I was at the impeachment hearing, somehow got herself on the front page of the L.A. Times. Go figure. And that's something I think I would end with this. I've been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin book about leadership. And one of the things that she says defines a leader, she looks at four presidents, is resilience. It's not how you do when things are easy; it's how you do when things are bad and how you come out of it. And I can tell you, I have the resilience to be your president. And I hope you'll support me. You can join us at amyklobuchar.com.
[Lemon:] There you go. Thank you so much. Thank you. I really appreciate it.
[Klobuchar:] Thank you, Don.
[Lemon:] Our thanks to Senator Klobuchar. Up next, Dana Bash with host a town hall with former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. So make sure you stay with us.

[Tapper:] And we're back with our breaking news, a whistle-blower complaint released today claiming that President Trump pressured Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election, and then the White House hid that information away in a computer system, usually used for especially sensitive information. Those allegations, that news, as more than half of the House of Representatives now says they back an impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Joining me now to discuss, Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado. He is an Army Ranger veteran and one of seven Democratic freshmen who wrote an op-ed calling for impeachment hearings to begin. Congressman, thanks for joining us. Now that you have read the rough transcript of President Trump's call with the Ukrainian president, you have read the whistle-blower's complaint, you have seen the acting director of national intelligence testify today, what's your reaction?
[Rep. Jason Crow:] Well, I was very disturbed last week, when these allegations first came to light. Yesterday, when we read the rough notes from the call, I was even more disturbed, and then yet again more shocked today, as not only are there corroborating witnesses, apparently, but this seems to be a broader issue involving potentially the attorney general, Mr. Giuliani, meetings in Madrid between folks at the highest levels in Ukraine. There's a lot here. So we have to follow a process. And we have to do it quickly, because this goes to the core of national security.
[Tapper:] I keep hearing Democrats say quickly. What does that mean? In the next month, in the next two months, in the next six months?
[Crow:] I don't think we know yet. I mean, the urgency is being driven by the fact that this is an ongoing national security issue. And all of this has to be understood within the context of what's going on here in Ukraine. Ukraine is in active war with one of our chief enemies, Russia. And one of the reasons why there aren't Russian tanks going across the plains of Ukraine right now is because of our assistance, our support, our provision of things like these Javelin missiles that came up in the complaint that are really critical for not just Ukraine's security, but the security of Europe and our soldiers and our sailors, our airmen serving in Europe. So we have to get at this quickly, but we have to be thorough as well.
[Tapper:] You represent I think it's fair to call it a swing district. And it will be very competitive, no doubt, in 2020. Do you think that supporting an impeachment inquiry or even going farther and ultimately supporting impeachment will hurt you in your reelection chances?
[Crow:] Here's the thing about the politics of this. I took an oath the first oath I took to the country when I was in my teenage years. I have taken many oaths to the country over the course of several decades. I took my most recent oath earlier this year when I joined the Congress. To me and my colleagues that signed on to that op-ed, that oath is more than just words. It's a way of life. It's a commitment to the country, to our national security. And, sometimes, that entails sacrifice. So I'm not going to think about the politics of this. We have to divorce politics from this, because duty is calling to fulfill our oath to protect the country. This goes to the core of what we have to do to make sure that we're getting our arms around this issue.
[Tapper:] You said sacrifice. Obviously, in the terms of military service, that seems that means something much more serious. It means a sacrifice of life or limb.
[Crow:] Yes.
[Tapper:] But, generally, you seem to be suggesting that ultimately you're going to do the right thing, whatever you think the right thing is, and if you lose your job, then that's just the price you pay. Is it am I reading that right?
[Crow:] Yes, I'm not going to think about the politics of this. I think the people of my district support me bringing transparency and accountability to Washington. They're concerned, as I am, about making health care more affordable, immigration reform, addressing the gun violence crisis. I represent a district that's been disproportionately impacted by gun violence. We were the we're the location where the Aurora theater shooting happened, Columbine, many other shootings. We have to continue to address those issues. And we're going to. Over the last nine months, we have passed over 260 bills addressing kitchen table issues. And we're going to continue to do that. But, at the same time, we also have a role to make sure that we're maintaining checks and balances. And the people

[Michael Holmes, Cnn:] Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes and this is "CNN Newsroom." We have now witnessed 20 straight nights of protests against racial injustice in the United States. The killing of Rayshard Brooks at a fast food restaurant here in Atlanta has reignited the explosion of anger that began over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. These are just some of the major rallies against police brutality we've been seeing across the country. Meanwhile, a newly-released autopsy shows Brooks was shot twice in the back. According to the Fulton County district attorney, the first thing the officer said after shooting Brooks was, "I got him." He has since been fired. The district attorney says he is now weighing murder charges.
[Paul Howard, Fulton County District Attorney:] I believe in this instance what we have to choose between, if there is a choice to be made, is between murder and felony murder. I can tell you definitely that probably sometime around Wednesday we will be making a decision in this case.
[Holmes:] The deadly encounter between Rayshard Brooks and the Atlanta officers captured on body cam and we are getting a clear picture now of the moments leading up to the shooting. CNN's Boris Sanchez brings us this report from the scene.
[Boris Sanchez, Cnn Correspondent:] Large crowds of people have come and gone from this Wendy's in south Atlanta where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed on Friday night. Many of them, protesting, some of them setting up a makeshift memorial. What is captured on camera of the incident Friday night, paints accomplice picture. Brooks, at different, points joking with police officers, engaging in polite conversation, but in one fell swoop, everything changes. We should warn, you some of this video is graphic, and difficult to watch.
[Sanchez:] Responding to a call from a Wendy's in south Atlanta Friday night, Officer David Brosnan approaches Rayshard Brooks' car.
[Unidentified Male:] What's up, my man? Hey, what's going on, man? Hey, man, you're parked in the middle of a drive-thru line here. Hey, sir, what's up, man? Hey, you're parked in the drive-thru right now. Hey, sir, you all right?
[Sanchez:] Asleep in the drive-thru lane, police body cam footage shows the 27-year-old does not respond right away.
[Unidentified Male:] Hey, are you tired? All right, man. I'll move my car. Just pull up somewhere and take a nap. All right. All right, are you good?
[Rayshard Brooks, Suspect:] Yes.
[Unidentified Male:] All right.
[Sanchez:] Brooks eventually wakes up and agrees to move his car before he appears to fall asleep again.
[Unidentified Male:] My man, it doesn't mean go back to sleep. You've got to move your car. You're going back to sleep.
[Sanchez:] Brooks moves to a nearby parking spot where Brosnan asks
[Unidentified Male:] How much did you drink tonight? Not much? How much is not much? You say one drink, what kind of drink was it?
[Brooks:] It was [inaudible] margarita.
[Unidentified Male:] Are you on any drugs today?
[Brooks:] I don't do drugs.
[Sanchez:] Brooks struggles to find his license and tries to step out of the car.
[Brooks:] I'm going to get out.
[Unidentified Male:] No, just stay in the car for a minute. Just look for your license.
[Sanchez:] Brosnan then radios for another officer to conduct a DUI test.
[Unidentified Male:] He's pretty out of it. Definitely got some good amount of liquor on him right now.
[Sanchez:] When Officer Garrett Rolfe arrives, Brooks denies ever having been asleep.
[Unidentified Male:] The reason why we're here is because somebody called 911 because you were asleep behind the wheel while you're in the drive-thru, right? Do you recall that?
[Brooks:] I don't. I don't.
[Unidentified Male:] You don't recall that? You don't recall just minutes ago where you were passed out behind the wheel in the drive- thru?
[Sanchez:] He agrees to a breathalyzer test, says he can't remember how much he had to drink and then he tells police
[Brooks:] I know, I know. You just [inaudible].
[Sanchez:] When Rolfe tries to handcuff Brooks, he resists. Witness video shows Brosnan readying his taser.
[Unidentified Male:] You're going to get tased.
[Sanchez:] Brooks grabs it out of his hand.
[Unidentified Male:] Hands off the
[Sanchez:] Breaking free, Brooks, punches Rolfe who fires his stun gun as Brooks takes off. And here's the moment the altercation becomes deadly. We slow this down for you. You can see Rolfe chasing Brooks, each man now carrying a taser. Watch as Rolfe moves his taser from his right hand to his left and reaches towards his handgun. That's when Brooks turns and fires the taser. And Rolfe shoots, firing three times at Brooks as he flees.
[Unidentified Male:] Stop. Stop.
[Sanchez:] Bystanders almost immediately begin cursing and shouting at the officers.
[Unidentified Male:] Both of your careers are definitely done because you just shot a man for no reason.
[Sanchez:] A few minutes after he's shot, Officers Rolfe and Brosnan begin to provide medical treatment.
[Unidentified Male:] Mr. Brooks, keep breathing.
[Sanchez:] A short time later Brooks is rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he's later pronounced dead. Officer Rolfe who opened fire has been terminated, Officer Brosnan who first responded to the scene here has been placed on administrative duty and Erika Shields, the chief of police in Atlanta, resigned over the weekend. Of course, there is an ongoing investigation, potentially with charges coming this week. Boris Sanchez, CNN in Atlanta.
[Holmes:] And our next guest is a former president of the Police Foundation, former police chief Jim Bueermann joins me from Redlands in California. Thanks for doing so sir. I mean, when you look at the videos, I'm curious on your take. It does seem to show that there were choices made. What's your evaluation of the officer's decision to draw his weapon and fire at the moment that the suspect's back is turned and he is fleeing?
[Jim Bueermann, Former President Police Foundation:] So I think this video shows how quickly what is starting out as a very casual and a very cordial interaction between Mr. Brooks and the officers can go right off the rails. So the officers are talking to him. Eventually, they decide that they're going to place him under arrest. And one of the things I thought was a little surprising as they did not tell him, at least in a video I've seen, they did not tell him that he was under arrest. They simply grabbed him; tell him to put his hands behind his back. And it sounds like he had been drinking, that may have startled him, and the fight is on and he took off. The decision for the officers to use their weapons really is going to be one that's framed around whether it was necessary and reasonable and whether the force that they used was proportional. And I think, you know, decide that that probably wasn't true.
[Holmes:] Yes. I mean, one imagines you've got to be fearing for your own life, and it did not appear that his life was under threat, the police officers. I mean, it's just that a tragedy that, you know, George Floyd died after passing a counterfeit $20 bill and Mr. Brooks died after falling asleep in his car at a Wendy's. I mean, do you feel charges are appropriate given what you've seen? And if so, what sort of charge?
[Bueermann:] So, I haven't seen enough of this, but apparently the autopsy has indicated that he was shot in the back. And so, again, whether this was necessary, whether it was reasonable, and whether it was proportional, if Mr. Brooks is running away from the officers and he is not presenting an immediate threat to their life, then I think the officer it's going to be incumbent upon the officers and their defensive criminal charges are filed, is to determine whether or not or to prove that they thought that they had a reasonable fear for their life. And, you know, I think when you look at that, you have to ask yourself a couple of questions. Obviously, some of the things that Mr. Brooks did were not right, He stole the gun from the officers and that's probably a felony, but they knew who he was. They knew where to find him. And if they have to, they can let him go, and then get him later on. And so I think all of these factors are going to come into play. The officers are going to have their side of the story and they're going to tender a defense if criminal charges are filed.
[Holmes:] Yes, I guess, again, you're going to come back to that. Was the officer's life at threat? And it's pretty hard to argue that when the suspect is running away. It does all speak to, and this is sort of all being part of the discussion about reform. I mean, what short of reform would help in that situation? What sort of training, de- escalation and treatment of a suspect?
[Bueermann:] So, I think if you go back to the very beginning of this incident, it looks to me like they're probably arresting him for drunk driving. So, one of the questions might be, first of all, you got to tell him and that's part of de-escalation. You have to tell people what it is I'm about to do. When you put your hands on somebody and you don't tell him why you're doing that, especially if they've been drinking, they are going to panic sometimes. So, that's part of the problem. The other problem is, and I think in this discussion about how we resolve lower grade criminal offenses, there are going to be some people who say, well, why couldn't they have just given him a ride home? He was not causing them any problems. He was cooperating. He was very polite to them. And I think even suggested that they gave him a ride home or he could just go a few blocks and he'd be home. Of course, there are going to be other people, especially those who have loved ones who've been victims of drunk drivers, who are going to take a very different stance on that kind of thing.
[Holmes:] Just very quickly, I mean, there is lots of talk about defunding at the moment and, of course, the notion of abolishing departments is not really the argument about defunding, it's about diverting some budget to social services that can deal with some issues police currently handle, from homeless people to mental health. I mean, what do you think of that? I mean, are there situations, maybe this wasn't the one, where police probably don't even want to be handling it?
[Bueermann:] So I'm not sure this was one of those situations, but I will tell, you every cop I know and this wouldn't have been my opinion when I was still a police officer, that cops don't volunteer for this stuff. I mean, society has decided that police are going to be the first responders in those situations. I think police chiefs and police officers all across the country are going to be very supportive of this idea of shifting that responsibility to other first responders that have better training, are better able to handle that kind of situation. They don't want to do this. It is who we have decided as a society are going to be the first responders and now is the time for us to change that.
[Holmes:] Yes. I think you hit the nail on the head. If only they've said head off home. His sister lived a couple blocks away apparently. Jim Bueermann, really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
[Bueermann:] You're welcome.
[Holmes:] The powerful picture of a black protester carrying a white man to safety is going viral on social media at the moment. This all happened during clashes on Saturday between Black Lives Matter demonstrators and far-right groups in London. Patrick Hutchinson says he picked the man up after noticing he was injured and carried him to police nearby to keep him safe. For more on this pretty unforgettable image, I'm joined by CNN Salma Abdelaziz at London's Waterloo station where these clashes broke out on Saturday. Really is an amazing image. Tell us more about the man and his motives.
[Salma Abdelaziz, Cnn Producer:] That's exactly right, Michael. And those steps just behind me there is actually where this whole scene unfolded. There were right-wing demonstrators clashing with supporters of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Now, the Black Lives Matter Movement had actually canceled demonstrations for the weekend, but Patrick Hutchinson says he knew that there would be young supporters of the movement that would come out that they could potentially get into trouble, and that he wanted to act as a peacekeeper. Take a look at our interview.
[Abdelaziz:] Is this you in the photograph?
[Patrick Hutchinson, Protester:] Yes, that is me in that photograph.
[Abdelaziz:] Can you describe to me what's happening in this picture?
[Hutchinson:] My friends and I sort of put a cordon around this man. He was on the stairs, lying in the fetal position with, you know, anything was about to happen to him. The first time I saw him was when I sort of climbed underneath him to go and pick him up.
[Abdelaziz:] And you could have looked at this man and thought he is my enemy. Why did you choose to help him?
[Hutchinson:] There was a particular thought that I had that, you know, you have to show some sort of, you know, love for your fellow man, okay, regardless because I was saying that if the other three officers that were present when George Floyd was unfortunately murdered, if they, just one of them had stepped in and stopped, you know, their fellow officer from doing what he did, he'd be alive today.
[Abdelaziz:] And you put him on your shoulder, you carried him over to the police, then what happened?
[Hutchinson:] I'm carrying him. My friends are surrounding me, protecting myself, and the man on my shoulder. He was, you know, still sort of getting, receiving blows. You could still feel people trying to hit him. I carried him over to the police and I said, here you are. And one of the police officers said, thank you, you did a good thing there.
[Abdelaziz:] What do you want people to take away when they look at that picture?
[Hutchinson:] I think, hopefully, they will take away breaking down the race barriers and realize and see that we're all one people, that we're all one race.
[Abdelaziz:] And this is what is so extraordinary about the Black Lives Matter Movement, Michael. It doesn't have one address, it doesn't have one leader, it is not a monolith, its how you interpret the idea. And for Patrick, interpreting that idea meant coming out on Saturday, even though he'd never attended any of the demonstrations, coming out on Saturday, trying to keep the peace between these two viciously opposed groups. And helping a man who could have potentially held prejudices against him, although he did not know who that man is, and he remains unidentified. And as you heard there, Patrick's hope is that, yes, in that moment, he acted on instinct. But that there is a message in that, and that everyone is equal, everyone is human. And he says he hopes that that man he has rescued might see that picture and think that way as well. Michael?
[Holmes:] It would be interesting to see the other man's reaction indeed. Salma Abdulaziz, thanks for that. Fascinating. All right, we got to take a quick break. Health officials around the world agree face masks are the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID- 19. So, why are so many people reluctant to wear them? We discuss after the break.

[Unidentified Male:] That's it. U.S. wins their fourth World Cup.
[Megan Rapinoe, Captain, Uswnt:] Every player at this World Cup put on the most incredible show that you could ever ask for.
[Unidentified Female:] It's been a long journey. And I feel so lucky to be a part of this group and play alongside these players.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] Was I wrong a few weeks ago to somehow give the impression to people that I was praising those men who I successfully opposed time and again? Yes, I was. I regret it.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] I'm going to take him at his word. But again, you cannot rewrite history.
[Unidentified Female:] You're apologizing for all of the things that you did, how are you going to be a different leader? He's struggling with that.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Monday, July 8, 6 a.m. here in New York. World Cup champs.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] I feel like we're wearing our Rapinoe purple right now. We're representing.
[Berman:] Absolutely. Which makes us co-champions.
[Camerota:] Thank you.
[Berman:] Right?
[Camerota:] Yes, we are.
[Berman:] So this morning they're not done yet. A World Cup victory is just a step in a much bigger battle for the U.S. soccer team. Yes, they are on top of the world and yes, they want to get paid like it. Overnight Nancy Pelosi invited the team to visit Capitol Hill, but there's genuine confusion this morning about whether they will be invited to the White House. Hours after the game, the president tweeted his congratulations but claimed he has not thought about a White House invitation. But less than two weeks ago, in an official statement, on Twitter, the president invited the team, win or lose. Several players have already said they will not go if invited.
[Camerota:] All right. So the team celebration had fans cheering, but instead of shouts of "USA," they were chanting "Equal pay." And that, of course, is the reference to the teams ongoing fight to be paid the same salary as the men's team. The heroes are heading to New York for a ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes on Wednesday. I will be there covering it. But before all of that, let's go live to Lyons, France, and bring in CNN's Amanda Davis. Tell us the scene there.
[Amanda Davis, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Alisyn. They are on their way back to you. The U.S. team have left Lyons here in the last few minutes. But if ever there was a battle off the pitch that's meant as much as the one on it, it is what we have seen play out here in France over the last few weeks in terms of the U.S. Women's Team not only fighting for that title but for the equal pay, as well, with their lawsuit against their own federation, U.S. Soccer. The crux of the argument is that they, as women, get paid just 38 percent of the amount paid to a male player with the same credentials. Mediation between the two sides has been agreed. We know that. But as Megan Rapinoe put it, there's not many better ways of making your paint than winning a record-extending fourth World Cup crown in a tournament that's been dubbed the best ever standard of women's soccer in front of record-breaking TV audiences, scoring a record number of goals along the way. And she is in no doubt how this title has helped their cause.
[Rapinoe:] It's not good for them, is it? I mean, I think obviously, it's huge. You know, I think we've been a little shy to say that, you know, putting so much pressure on ourselves, because I think I think we have a case of no matter what. Obviously, we've brought the lawsuit. But this just, you know, sort of blows it out of the water. It's like, is it even about that anymore? Is it just kind of about doing the right thing? I think the federation is in a unique position to, you know, kind of ride this wave of good fortune and get on board and, hopefully, set things right for the future.
[Davies:] Well, Captain Fantastic Rapinoe certainly put on a show in the final yesterday. Who else was it going to be to make the difference in the decider against the Netherlands? The player who's made as many headlines off this pitch as she has done on it in the last couple few weeks. A goal that also saw her claimed the Golden Boot for the tournament's top scorer. And what a moment, as well, for Rose Lavelle. She scored the second four years after sitting at home, watching the victory in Canada whilst eating pizza. The team, as I said, on their way back to the U.S. The big question now is whether or not Donald Trump will be extending that invitation. We know Rapinoe has already said, Alex Morgan has already said, Ali Krieger has already said they will not accept that invitation if it is forthcoming. They wouldn't be the first to turn it down, would they? We've seen Lindsey Vonn, the likes of Steph Curry do so in the past. But the invitation has not come as yet.
[Berman:] Well, the president actually, two weeks ago, did say he was inviting them win or lose.
[Camerota:] Yes, on Twitter. Unless he took it back.
[Berman:] Or unless he forgot. I don't know. Maybe he forgot. Maybe he forgot.
[Camerota:] It's possible. But we'll find out, I hope, during the program. But I mean, when you just My daughter did their the equal pay of the Women's Soccer Team for her eighth-grade sort of thesis. And when you think about how they generate more ratings, they win more, they get more they generate more revenue, it makes you a little bit sick that they make 38 percent.
[Berman:] And the Soccer Federation is a nonprofit. I mean, the Soccer Federation could make a statement today if it wanted to. I would not want to be on the other end of that lawsuit this morning, if I were USA Soccer.
[Camerota:] There you go.
[Berman:] All right. New this morning, the president says he wants to open controversial border detention centers to the press. Reporters and lawmakers who have toured these facilities have seen overcrowding and deplorable conditions. But the president claims that the migrants are in much better shape there than in their native countries. Our Joe Johns is live at the White House this morning. Joe, do we know if this is a serious invitation by the president to let cameras in?
[Joe Johns, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Well, he's said this before. And, you know, this is an example of this administration essentially putting information out there that belies the facts in a way that we've seen that goes far beyond anything that's been customary in American politics over the years. The president forcefully pushing back on what appears to be just a ton of evidence about squalor in those detention centers on the border, as evidenced from the inspector general's office, from news reports, from Democrats who have visited some of these facilities. The president indicating more than once, in his view, that these detention centers are in such good shape, he's now willing to let the media in to take a look around. Listen.
[Donald Trump , President Of The United States:] If you look, people that came from unbelievable poverty, that had no water, they had no anything where they came from, those are people that are very happy with what's going on, because relatively speaking, they're in much better shape right now. What we're going to do is I'm going to start showing some of these detention centers because to the press. I want the press to go in and see them.
[Johns:] The president took particular exception to a report in "The New York Times" about the conditions in one of those facilities in Clint, Texas, leveling a blast at "The New York Times." "The New York Times" says it stands by its story. Back to you, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] OK, Joe. Thank you very much for that. Meanwhile, Joe Biden is apologizing for his comments about working with segregationist senators in the 1970s, but the former vice president is not apologizing for his record on race. And he's touting his relationship with Barack Obama to prove his point. Arlette Saenz has been traveling with Biden, and she joins us live from Washington. So give us the back story and why he decided to do this, Arlette.
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, Alisyn, we're really seeing a rare apology from Joe Biden. It was just almost three weeks ago when he made those controversial comments about working with segregationist senators decades ago in what he called "an era of civility." He had come under fire and criticism for those comments. And Biden at the time had been a little bit defensive. But over the weekend, he did apologize for those comments if they had caused anyone pain. He made those remarks in front of a mostly black audience down in South Carolina. And yesterday, I had the chance to ask Biden why it took nearly three weeks for him to make that apology. Take a listen to what he told me in Charleston yesterday.
[Biden:] If any comments I made were taken in a way that people took offense from them, then I am truly sorry for that. This is about the future; it's not about the past. And I'm proud of my past. Have I made mistakes? Yes. Do we grow? Yes. But the fact of the matter is, that's why I chose, here in South Carolina, and chose an audience that, in fact, would have be the most likely to be have been offended by anything that was said.
[Saenz:] Now, Senator Cory Booker was among those who had criticized him, calling on him to apologize; and he said the comments were hurtful over the weekend and also wished that Biden would have come out and apologized sooner. But he did say he was grateful for that apology. Senator Kamala Harris had called out Biden on the debate stage for those comments. She stopped short of offering a full apology. But she said that there are still major points of differences between her and the former vice president Alisyn.
[Camerota:] OK, Arlette. Thank you very much. And we want to let everyone know you can see Chris Cuomo's full interview with Vice President Joe Biden tonight on "CUOMO PRIMETIME" at 9 p.m. Eastern.
[Berman:] Yes. This is clearly a new strategy for the Biden campaign. We'll talk much more about that coming up, too. This morning residents in Southern California worried about what comes next. They are recovering after two powerful earthquakes in two days. CNN's Sara Sidner is live in Ridgecrest, California. This is the place that was hit worst. And Sara, this morning, I really do think the concern is that the big one could still be coming.
[Sara Sidner, Cnn Correspondent:] That's right. You know, there's a lot of folks living in larger cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco. The that fault has not ruptured, and there is still a chance, because it is long overdue for a major earthquake there. On the fault that ruptured here, though, the good news for the residents in Ridgecrest and surrounding areas is that, with each passing day, there is less and less of a chance that this particular fault will have an even larger rupture.
[Sidner:] Surveillance video capturing the moment a 7.1 magnitude earthquake rattled Ridgecrest, California. Intense shaking inside sent anything that wasn't tied down flying. Outside, it tossed around parked cars, sloshed water out of pools, broke apart Highway 178, created a huge crack along the desert floor, and terrified residents, wherever they were, who thought the worst was over after experiencing a 6.4 quake the day before.
[Unidentified Female:] Get under the table. Get under the table. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
[Sidner:] In Trona, California, 25 miles away from Ridgecrest, the Byrd family opted to sleep outside in the desert heat instead of under their own roof for a few nights.
[Kay Byrd, Trona, California, Resident:] You know, it's what we did. We thought it was safer that way, because they said another one was coming. And if it was worse than that one, you definitely didn't want to be in our house.
[Brooke Thompson, 8-year-old Granddaughter:] It shook so bad that I had to escape by the window. So we decided we were going to stay here and spend the night, because we were too worried that another one would come and actually hurt damage us.
[Sidner:] So you got out by the window? What was it like inside?
[Thompson:] It looked like a tornado just came into our house and just had a party.
[Sidner:] Now the destructive party is over, and cleanup has begun. Everything that was tucked away in cupboards or on shelves ended up on the floor in their home. [on camera]: For most homes near the epicenter of this major earthquake, you can't really tell there's damage until you go inside the homes. But for this particular house, it is very clear on the outside. You see that crack? We're told it goes all the way through the entire home. [voice-over]: Back in Ridgecrest, the largest town near the epicenter, it was fires that caused the most visible damage.
[Bob Bloudek, Ridgecrest Resident:] I looked up and the flames were already shooting out of the windows.
[Sidner:] Bob Bloudek watched as his neighbor's home burned down. He says the difference between the 6.4 and 7.1 quakes was night and day. The second quake made him consider moving after more than 30 years in this town.
[Bloudek:] To be honest with you, I didn't know if we were going to get out or not.
[Sidner:] What do you mean by you didn't know if you were going to get out?
[Bloudek:] I didn't know if we were going to make it. I hope to never go through something like that again.
[Sidner:] But seismologists say after a major quake like this, residents could feel aftershocks for years to come. And we have certainly been feeling those aftershocks in the days that we have been here. Every now and then, everything just starts to shake. And you almost get used to it. But what happens to a lot of folks when they are dealing with this is almost everything that shakes makes you think that there is another aftershock. It is extremely unnerving Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Scary stuff, Sara. Thank you very much for all of that reporting. Now to this. An American billionaire accused of sex trafficking involving minors is back in court today after some say that he got the plea deal of a lifetime. Why federal prosecutors are now back on his case. Next.

[Unidentified Female:] The U.K. government scrambling to make sense of new regulations from the United States.
[Katherine Rogers, Passenger Arriving In The U.s:] We got on an escalator and there were people that's piled at the bottom.
[Unidentified Female:] New Orleans police shoo St. Patrick's Day revelers gathered in the Irish channel.
[Unidentified Male:] I'm very disappointed that the mayor decided to squash all the good times for St. Patrick's Day. Car after car, bumper to bumper, in a single-file line, this is now the front line in the war against COVID-19. What we don't want to do is to flood the waiting rooms and emergency departments with patients who are sick. This is what Spain's coronavirus state of emergency looks like in Madrid. We have not reached our peak. We will see more cases and we will see more suffering and death among the vulnerables.
[Announcer:] This is NEW DAY WEEKEND with Victor Blackwell and Christi Paul.
[Victor Blackwell, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning to you. Big changes are creating major disruption around the world. Countries are moving to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
[Christi Paul, Cnn Anchor:] Yes. The U.S. first of all is expanding its European travel ban to include the United Kingdom and Ireland. That starts at midnight and the president says domestic travel restrictions may be next.
[Blackwell:] Americans coming back from Europe are finding chaos. Hours- long delays. Look at these lines.
[Paul:] Oh, my gosh.
[Blackwell:] They're waiting to go through customs and health screenings at airports and that's raising some serious concerns about hundreds of passengers crowded so closely together potentially exposed.
[Paul:] Dramatic emergency measures are in place in Europe. France is closing all non-essential businesses such as restaurants. People in Spain are ordered to stay in their homes. And Vatican is canceling public Easter events.
[Blackwell:] Now there is good news on the health of the president. President Trump says that he is tested negative for the virus after coming into contact with two people who tested positive. 2020 politics also feeling an impact. The state of Georgia is moving its presidential primary to May 19th joining Louisiana in delaying voting.
[Paul:] Now the reason for the urgency it's clear in the numbers here. Take a look. 60 people have died in the U.S. There are now more than 2,800 confirmed cases. And around the world the latest data on confirmed cases from the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University ranges from more than 140,000 to more than 150,000, and more than 5,000 people who've died.
[Blackwell:] And we have reporters around the world covering all angles of this. Al Goodman is standing by in Madrid. Catherine Norris-Trent is in Paris. Sarah Westwood is in Washington. We're starting with CNN's Polo Sandoval in New York. Polo, major lines there.
[Paul:] Yes. The airports look they look disastrous. I don't know who would even want to think about being in that line. Especially when we talk about how people are supposed to keeping some sort of distance from each other. What are you seeing?
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] It's an excellent point here, Victor and Christi, because of course you have the government asking people to practice social distancing. But for many Americans and permanent residents in the United States, upon their return they're greeted by these massive lines, people crammed into hallways to essentially go through the customs process. However, that's really just the beginning. Of course, as of the last couple days the government has been enforcing this additional health screening. I want you to hear from passengers from across the country what they're experienced after a long flight home and then what they've encountered at airports here at home.
[Rogers:] We got off our plane and we're directed down a hall and the international terminal. And we got on an escalator and it was just absolutely there were people just piled up at the bottom.
[Julia Bazaluk, Came From London:] I spent three hours, I think, maybe a little bit more, waiting to first get to customs and then waiting to get second step where I'm not sure what was happening.
[Emma Reusch, Flying In From Portugal:] Very crowded which is not ideal considering what this contagion is. It's the worst system I can think of.
[Sandoval:] Also remember exactly how we got here. You remember just a couple days the Trump administration announced its plan to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. So what they did they designated 13 airports across the country including here at New York's JFK requiring those passengers returning from about two dozen European countries to land at those airports. They can undergo that CDC mandated screening. You hear from officials, they're explaining that this is all because of these enhanced measures that are meant to protect the health and safety of people in the United States. Now when you hear from other officials there's certainly no shortage of criticism including Illinois' governor. Chicago's O'Hare also saw some significant lines. The governor there saying that the crowds at the airport are unacceptable and need to be addressed immediately. The acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf did also go Twitter asking people for patience. At this point they are saying that the process of actually going through these health screenings which includes filling out questionnaire and then being checked out for possible symptoms last only about a minute, Victor and Christi. But multiply that by hundreds of thousands of passengers that are trying to make their way back into the United States. Well, the results are those massive lines. The government certainly has a lot to make up for. Especially given the inconvenience and of course the concern that many passengers experienced yesterday.
[Paul:] Yes. Concern more than anything.
[Blackwell:] Yes. Polo Sandoval for us there at JFK airport. Thank you so much. Let's take it to Europe now where more countries are enacting stricter measures to limit the spread of the virus. We'll take you first to Spain. Nationwide travel restrictions are now in effect. Spaniards must stay inside their homes. Few exceptions here like going to the hospital, to buy essential supplies as well.
[Paul:] Now, after a spike of more than 1,500 cases in a day, including the Spanish prime minister's wife tested positive, that's what prompted all of this. Al Goodman in Central Madrid for us right now. Al, help us understand what it's like there.
[Al Goodman, Cnn Correspondent:] Hi, Christi. This is the first day, this Sunday morning, where the whole nation of Spain wakes up and they understands what the rules are to enforce them staying at home except for those exceptional visits out for so called essential services. A day ago they knew there was going to be state of emergency but it was still unclear. But last night, Saturday night, the prime minister made an extensive statement laid out the rules and those have been now been published everybody to see. And we're seeing enforcement picking up late last night right here in the center of Madrid. Police telling people to go home. Get off the streets. If you don't have something to do. They stopped me. If you don't have something to do, you need to be back at the house. The prime minister telling the nation these are very difficult times. Here's how he put it.
[Pedro Sanchez, Spanish Prime Minister:] As you all know, Spain is facing a public health emergency that requires extraordinary decisions. A pandemic that is global and that involves serious harm to people's well-being. The measures we are going to adopt are drastic and will have consequences.
[Goodman:] Now, there are more than 6,000 cases nationwide. The prime minister also saying these could go to 10,000 in this coming week. The death rate approaching 200 and half of those deaths and half of those cases are right here in the capital, which is really shut down. People have never seen it like this. I've been here for a long time. I've never seen it like this Christi.
[Paul:] My goodness. Al Goodman, thank you so much for bringing us that.
[Blackwell:] All right. Let's head north to France now. The streets quiet this morning after sweeping restrictions announced by the French prime minister went into effect just a couple hours ago.
[Paul:] Yes. All non-essential businesses, closed. The rule began about six hours ago at midnight it includes restaurants, cafes, cinemas, clubs. Catherine Norris-Trent is a reporter with France 24. She joins us now from Paris. I'm wondering how people are reacting to that. It's one thing to say, stay in your home. It's another thing to virtually shut everything down that they would normally do.
[Catherine Norris-trent, Reporter, France 24:] Yes, Christi. People are still adapting to these sweeping new restrictions here in Paris. It was something of a shock to a lot of people here in France when the prime minister went on national TV around 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night and announced that there would be this new level of shutdowns. All restaurants, cafes, bars, theaters and all shops selling non-essential items such as food or medicine. They are all being shut down as of midnight on Saturday. So people are adjusting to this new reality. The streets in central Paris are quieter than usual but some people are still out and about, taking a walk. People going for a jog. So it's not complete lockdown. You're still allowed out of your house but a lot of places where there would be social gathers or social contacts have been shut down. And that is going to be something to get used to here in France, because it's a big part of French Parisian culture, of course. And right up until the lockdown at midnight on Saturday, people were still out enjoying a meal or a drink on the terraces of the French capital saying they wanted to do that while they still could. We're entering a new phase now, though.
[Blackwell:] Catherine, the French will have to navigate what several states here in the U.S. will have to on Tuesday and that's voting. There are local elections there. Undoubtedly, people will be brought together. What are the specific precautions, the guidance for voters?
[Norris-trent:] Yes, that's right, Victor. There are local elections taking place. The first round of voting in those elections start at 8:00 a.m. local time here in France, and there are precautions at all of the polling stations. Voters are being asked to stand three feet apart. There are markers on the ground set out in tape by election officials to keep people a good distance apart and then they're being told to let elderly or sick people through as a priority so that they don't have to stand around in cues. Voters are also being asked to bring their own pens and if possible their own ballot slips to the polling stations, which they've been sent via the post. They are also having regular disinfectants of the voting materials and the ballot boxes at the polling stations. So a lot of security measures being put in place, but the government and President Macron have come under a great deal of criticism for continuing to hold these elections at a time when the other sweeping restrictions have come into force. Opposition politicians saying that they don't understand why the vote hasn't been postponed and even we have doctors coming out publicly, writing open letters saying that it is dangerous and risks further infections to continue with this vote.
[Blackwell:] And we heard here in the state of Georgia that's why the primary has been delayed two months. Catherine Norris-Trent, for us in Paris. Catherine, thank you.
[Paul:] Thank you. So the White House says President Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus, which comes as a surprise. Or after I should say a surprise announcement from the president yesterday, that, yes, he had taken the test and he did so on Friday.
[Blackwell:] Washington is up next. Let's go to CNN White House Reporter, Sarah Westwood for us. So the president and the White House, I mean, they have vacillated on will he take the test, will he not take the test? Is there a reason to? He has finally now done it. Why the change?
[Sarah Westwood, Cnn White House Reporter:] Well, that's a great question, Victor, because in a memo released late Friday night the president's doctor, the White House physician, said there was no reason for the president to get tested, because the interactions that he had with people who had subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 didn't meet what the physician described as a high risk interaction. He described them as low-risk interactions and therefore the president in his words did not need to be tested. Now that came out late Friday night. President Trump appeared in the briefing room yesterday and told reporters that he was tested Friday night though and the White House hasn't clarified whether that came before or after his doctor publicly stated that the president would not be tested. But, nonetheless, the White House physician releasing another memo yesterday saying that following in-depth conversations with the president, they mutually decided that the president would be tested for coronavirus. That test came back negative. Now meanwhile Vice President Mike Pence sent an all staff email yesterday encouraging White House aides, administration officials to practice social distancing, to avoid physical contact with each other. This comes as sort of seems the White House is takes the threat of this virus more seriously for its own staff members and for the people around President Trump. For example, reporters yesterday had their temperatures taken before they were sent into the briefing room. One reporter who registered 99.9-degree fever was actually turned away from that briefing. So measures are being taken to screen the people who are spending time around President Trump and Vice President Pence now, Victor and Christi.
[Paul:] Yes. A lot of people are wondering if there's one site they can go to, to get more of the information that's out there nationally. The president we know on Friday had mentioned this national Web site Google was going to build. And he said that it would be done very quickly. Google disputed that. Do we have any clarity on that Web site this morning?
[Westwood:] There's a lot of confusion surrounding that Web site that the White House said they were partnering with Google to create. Now Google came out on Friday suggested they were not building a Web site that was national in scale providing information about coronavirus testing. This is after President Trump got up in the Rose Garden and said that they were partnering with Google to very quickly launch a national Web site that could help people find out whether they needed to get tested and where they should go, but last night in a series of tweets Google did say they were partnering with the Trump administration to work on such a Web site. And Vice President Mike Pence tried to offer some clarity in the briefing room yesterday saying that there will be a pilot version in the San Francisco Bay Area that a subsidiary of Google is working on and they hope to test it there, and then roll it out to the whole U.S. at some point. That San Francisco Web site will be launching on Monday. But, again, a lot of confusion surrounding the rollout of this Web site. It does not appear that a national version is coming anytime soon.
[Blackwell:] Sarah Westwood for us there in Washington. Sarah, thank you. So we would like to know how the coronavirus outbreak and the response to it is affecting you. Here's a tweet we received from Megan. "I manage a grocery store." I know where this is going. "We are all tired. This is worse than any food holiday with less staff." I mean, the shelves are empty, the parking lots are full. You go to any grocery store it's the same story. We'll be sharing your stories throughout the morning. Send us a tweet @victorblackwell, @christi paul. Use the #NEWDAYWEEKEND. We really do appreciate hearing from you. We want to hear your stories, your thoughts. We're all kind of in this thing together. Indeed we are.
[Paul:] So cruise ships, they're being kept at sea as more passengers are diagnosed with coronavirus. So the question is, are they able to get the medical treatments that they need? Are the ships going to be allowed to dock? We'll talk about it.
[Blackwell:] Plus, acts of kindness in the middle of a pandemic. How a few good deeds they are making a big difference.

[Anderson:] What a sight, hey. Welcome back to Jaffa Gate. Called a search because it said, it's a three-day walk to Jaffa from here. And speaking of things coming in threes, just tomorrow morning, Israeli voters will head to the polls to pick who runs this place. Oh, and in case you hadn't heard, it's the third election in less than a year. And unprecedented achievement is sought schools by unprecedented political deadlock here. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz have each tried to form a government with no success. Neither of their parties will get a majority by itself, so, coalition talks will be crucial to reach that magic number of 61 seats in the Knesset. Well, meantime, the World Health Organization raising its global risk alert of the novel coronavirus to its highest level. The group says this should be a reality check for governments around the world to prepare. U.S., Australia, and Thailand, now confirming their first deaths adding to the global death toll of almost 3,000. And the list of countries reporting new cases is getting longer. Here in Israel, seven cases in total. The government denies entry to dozens of foreign nationals from several countries. And Iran now reporting nearly 1,000 cases and 54 deaths. There are concerns that people are being infected in prisons. This woman Nazanin Zaghari -Ratcliffe is a British-Iranian mother jailed in Iran on espionage charges. She believes she has the virus. She has not been tested, and we have not heard from the government there. Well, fears over the outbreak resulting in historic market lows. U.S. President Trump has put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of his coronavirus task force. They are trying to calm investors and the public's worries. He spoke with CNN's Jake Tapper earlier.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] Most people that contract the coronavirus, they will recover. They will deal with a respiratory illness, we'll give them treatment. But for people that have other conditions that would militate toward a worse outcome that we could have more we could have more sad news, but the American people should know, the risk for the average American remains low.
[Anderson:] That's the Vice President Mike Pence. So, there seems to be new cases everywhere you look. South Korea reporting nearly 600 new cases, bringing the total there to over 3,700. Nearly two-thirds of them linked to a single religious group. Paula Hancocks reports that the outbreak is affecting the nation's youngest and most vulnerable.
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, Becky, we've had confirmation of the youngest patient yet here in South Korea. A 45-day-old baby has been confirmed with testing positive for the novel coronavirus, this, according to Korea's CDC. We understand the baby and the family is being quarantined at home at this point. And with these numbers rising all the time, we now know that around 60 percent of confirmed cases in this country are still surrounding and linked to this one particular religious group, Shincheonji. Now, they've come under tremendous pressure here and criticism from the public, also from officials. And they've been on a bit of a P.R. offensive this weekend fighting back. I spoke to one of them this Sunday morning. And the first question I asked was, how did it take a week to get from making the link between the group and the virus to giving the full list of members to authorities?
[Kim Shin-chang, Director, International Missions For Shincheonji:] We tried as quickly as possible to provide all the info the government has been asking for. Our administration efforts have been delayed. So, unfortunately, we may not have lived up to the expectations of the people, but we did our best to provide it as quickly as possible.
[Hancocks:] But
[Kim:] On the 25th, our headquarters give a list of all the members including domestic and overseas. I'm sure the Daegu City also received this and the KCDC. And we also gave the list of all those have been educated at the centers on the 27th.
[Hancocks:] Mr., can you say your group has been very transparent? But we know that 600 police officers had to be drafted to try and track some of the members down because they weren't answering phones. This slows things down. I mean, this is this is the accusation that this has slowed down the fight to be able to stop the spread of this virus.
[Kim:] Within the list, we have those who are currently in the military, those who may be overseas for work, and those who have changed their numbers and failed to report it to us, and those who were unable to pick up their phone because they were busy. The authorities didn't take that into consideration and thought the members unreachable if they didn't pick up their phone twice.
[Hancocks:] The United States has also raised the alert level to the particular area of South Korea that's worst hit, which is Daegu and its surrounding areas in the southeast of the country. They've raised it to level four, which means that Americans should not go to that area. Becky.
[Anderson:] Paula Hancocks, reporting for you. We'll new cases also spreading up around Europe. France advising against cheek kissing, the very normal greeting there, of course. Our Ben Wedeman is in Milan in northern Italy, the epicenter of what is the largest outbreak outside of Asia. And Ben, any evidence that Italian authorities are getting this thing under control, contained?
[Ben Wedeman, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Certainly if you look at the numbers, Becky, it does appear that they haven't been able to sort of slow down the increase yet. Yesterday, when the Civil Protection Agency reported their figures at 6:00 p.m. local time, it was 1,128. We're expecting new figures within the next hour and a half. And certainly, there will be more probably well over 200 at this point. Now, one disturbing statistic that has come out is that 10 percent of those who have been afflicted with the coronavirus are medical personnel. And that sort of numbers would suggest that the Italian authorities may have trouble in the future. And dealing with, they also say, they're going to have a problem dealing with new cases because they are running out of, at least, here in Lombard, in the Lombardy region, they're running out of beds in the intensive care units. Now, looking across Europe, not only are the French advising their citizens not to kiss on the cheek, the Louvre, the most visited museum on earth closed this Sunday. France has 100 reported cases and has seen two deaths. In Ireland, they saw their first case of coronavirus. In the U.K., 12 new cases, and the government is considering the possibility of drafting retired doctors and nurses if the need arises. So, it does appear that throughout Europe, coronavirus continues to spread and that the medical services are challenged. Becky.
[Anderson:] Ben, away from Europe and into the Middle East and Iran. We know that is sort of become a petri dish as it were, for the spread of this virus around this region that we're in here of the Middle East. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian mother jailed in Iran on espionage charges says that she believes she has contracted the coronavirus. Ben, her husband saying that prison authorities are refusing to test her.
[Wedeman:] Yes, she's been in under arrest in Iran since 2016, accused of espionage. She's currently in the Evin Prison, which is the largest prison in Tehran. And according to the Free Nazanin campaign, who had received a message from her, she is suffering from what appears to be the symptoms of coronavirus. She has a sore throat, occasional fever, she doesn't feel well. So, and it appears that the prison authorities are not basically checking her to see if indeed she has it. We understand that in the prison, the authorities have stopped face to face visits between family members and the prisoners, but it does not appear that they are taking at least her case particularly seriously. And the situation in Iran is really one for concern. Now, officially, they report 978 cases of coronavirus and 52 deaths. That number of deaths compared to the cases is particularly high. Well over the two percent that other areas have seen. And BBC Persian reportedly spoke to a medical official in Iran, who says that the death toll is actually over 200. So obviously, Mrs. Zaghari- Ratcliffe's situation in that prison is cause for serious concern for her husband, Richard, and for all of the family. Becky.
[Anderson:] Sure, of course. Ben, thank you. Ben Wedeman is in Italy for you, reporting from then. Now, the impact on the Chinese economy can be seen literally from space. Satellite images show pollution, dropping dramatically since the outbreak started this businesses in factory shot. Remember, we saw almost 800 million people under some kind of travel restrictions in the past month or so. That is one in 10 people on earth. Remarkable, isn't it? This is CNN. We'll be back right after this.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] The Pentagon orders troops to the Middle East as Iran warns underestimate us and you'll be sorry.
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] President Trump kicking off his reelection campaign today and tweeting about deporting millions of undocumented immigrants starting next week.
[Briggs:] FBI agents want to know why would an Army veteran open fire on a federal building in downtown Dallas.
[Jon Stewart, Comedian, Activist, September 11th Victim Compensation Fund:] No, Mitch McConnell, I am not bent out of shape.
[Romans:] Jon Stewart slams the Senate majority leader in a surprise late-night cameo. Welcome back to EARLY START this Tuesday morning. I'm Christine Romans.
[Briggs:] I'm Dave Briggs.
[Romans:] Hi.
[Briggs:] Hi, there, everybody 5:32 Eastern time, 2:02 p.m. in Tehran and that's where we begin this morning. Amid escalating tension with Iran, the Pentagon announcing the U.S. will send 1,000 more troops to the Middle East, along with military resources. Just before the announcement by acting Defense Sec. Patrick Shanahan, the Defense Department released 11 new high-resolution photos taken after the attack on two tanker ships in the Gulf of Oman. Among the images, these show what the Pentagon says is a small Iranian Revolutionary Guard crew that removed an unexploded mine from the hull of one tanker. Iran strongly denies involvement in the attacks. Let's welcome in senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen live with the latest from Tehran. Fred, what are you seeing?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi, Dave. Well, the Iranians are continuing to deny any involvement in the attacks but I did, just a couple of minutes ago, get some new reaction after the U.S. announced the deployment of those additional 1,000 troops. This comes in the form of a senior Revolutionary Guard commander a lieutenant general within the Revolutionary Guard who said, quite bellicose as well, that the U.S. Naval Forces in the region are not a threat to the Iranian Forces because Iranian Forces, as he puts it, are in a heightened state of readiness and also at the height of their strength as well. Now, this comes after yesterday, another senior Revolutionary Guard commander came out and said that the Iranians are very closely monitoring what they call "enemy forces" in the region of course, referring to U.S. Forces and if those enemy forces made any sort of move that there would be, as he put it, a "crushing response" from the Iranians. So, some pretty tough talk as well. All of this Dave coming as Iran's ambassador to the U.K. told our own Christiane Amanpour that he fears Iran and the U.S. could be in for a dangerous confrontation. Here's what he had to say.
[Hamid Baeidinejad, Iranian Ambassador To The United Kingdom:] We are heading towards a confrontation, which is very serious for everybody in the region. I hope that the people in Washington will be very careful not to underestimate the Iranian determination that if they would be wrongly entering into a conflict, they would be very sorry about that.
[Pleitgen:] And, Dave, one of the things that the Iranians keep saying is that they don't believe that President Trump wants an armed conflict with Iran. But they also say that this region in the Middle East is an area of unintended consequences where obviously, things could go wrong could be miscalculated very quickly. One of the things that did happen is that Iran's president say, about an hour-hour and a half ago he came out and said that Iran does not want any sort of military confrontation with any nation. He says Iran's biggest problem right now, as he puts it, is that the Iranians are dealing with what he calls inexperienced politicians in Washington, D.C., Dave.
[Briggs:] All right, interesting. We'll get the latest on congressional response here in just a bit. Fred Pleitgen reporting live from Tehran. Thank you.
[Romans:] All right. Meantime, at home, President Trump claims ICE agents are about to begin mass deportations of millions of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. Last night, the president tweeted, "Next week, ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people long before they get to our southern border. Guatemala is getting ready to sign a safe third agreement." That's apparently a reference to a requirement that migrants crossing into Guatemala would have to claim asylum there, not anywhere else. The president and the White House are offering no specific details about the planned immigrant roundup.
[Briggs:] Today, President Trump makes it official he's running for a second term in 2020. This big announcement comes tonight at a rally in Orlando. Some of the president's supporters already camping out at the Amway Center to get a prime spot in line. They were there 42 hours ahead of this rally. Abby Phillip has more from the White House.
[Abby Phillip, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Christine and Dave, today will be a big day for President Trump as he officially relaunches his reelection campaign at a rally in Orlando, Florida. Now, this rally is expected to be massive and the campaign is, in many ways, treated it almost like a concert with food and music outside of the concert venue as hundreds and thousands wait to get into this arena to see President Trump. But over the last several days, there has been quite a bit of drama as President Trump has lashed out at reports about some internal polls that were reported on several weeks ago showing him trailing Democrats including former vice president Joe Biden in some cases by double-digits in these key swing states. Now, President Trump insisted that these polls are fake and insisted that they do not reflect the reality on the ground. He says he's doing as well as he ever has in the campaign right at this very moment. But at the same time, he has forced a purge in his campaign. Three of the pollsters that were responsible for this 17-state survey were fired over the weekend as the president has grown furious over the reports that he might be struggling more than he would like to in this campaign. As for what we'll see from President Trump in Orlando tonight, I think you can expect President Trump to really hammer home this idea that the Democratic Party is being overrun by radicals. But will he attack Joe Biden by name? This is something that campaign officials have hoped that he would do a lot less of but President Trump seems to not be able to help himself in that regard Christine and Dave.
[Romans:] All right, Abby Phillip at the White House. Thank you for that, Abby. Twenty-twenty Democratic front-runner Joe Biden making the bold prediction he expects to beat Trump in red states.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] I plan on campaigning in the south. I plan that if I'm your nominee, winning Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, believe it or not. And I believe we can win Texas and Florida if you look at the polling data now.
[Romans:] While speaking at a forum on systemic racism and poverty, Biden also pushed back against critics who say he is naive to think Democrats can work with Republicans in Congress after Trump leaves office.
[Biden:] And so, folks, look, if you start off with the notion there's nothing you can do well, why don't you all go home then, man? Or let's start a real physical revolution if you're talking about it because we have to be able to change what we're doing within our system.
[Romans:] All right. Joining us live this morning, "Washington Post" correspondent congressional reporter Karoun Demirjian. Good morning. So nice to see you this morning.
[Karoun Demirjian, Cnn Analyst, Congressional Reporter, The Washington Post:] Good morning.
[Romans:] I want to start with Iran because the temperature is still real high in the Gulf of Oman and between these countries. And I'm just wondering your thoughts here. You've got the United States government, under the Trump administration, that has repeatedly criticized American intelligence agencies and thumbed its nose at European allies. And then, you have this incident these incidents in the Persian Gulf, which are exactly the time you need to believe your intelligence and you need to be talking with your allies about a concerted multilateral strategy, which is the way it would have been done before. This is exactly what we've been worried about on the international stage, isn't it?
[Demirjian:] Yes, it is. And I think that you see the developments coming kind of from all fronts. You see the attack on the tankers in the Gulf of Oman. You see the spat about the uranium enrichment happening
[Romans:] That's right. DEMIRJIAN that is where about I think, nine days away now because the announcement yesterday from Iran was that they were 10 days away from surpassing the limits that were set under that JCPOA joint nuclear deal. And then, you're seeing that Iran is basically saying look, we're going to do this unless we see the Europeans making up for the gap you know, what the United States has done in terms of our oil trading. And so, it's kind of everything is being thrown into this mix at this point in terms of where the escalations are coming, what the threats are, what the potential stakes are. We don't know if it's going to be an economic confrontation, a military confrontation. It seems there are little elements of everything. And yet, because that there these are all kind of inching towards confrontation, we don't quite know where things are going to break or who's going to blink first. And that's the situation that we're seeing, just kind of complicate an already fairly unstable, fairly tenuous situation in the general region.
[Briggs:] We also don't what, if anything, Congress can do about this. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "Congress must be immediately briefed on the administration's decisions and plans. The authorization of use of military force not been updated since 2001, three days after 911." What do you expect the congressional response to be here?
[Demirjian:] Well, I think that the congressional response is going to be to try to work in language, either to this behemoth defense bill that's going through Congress right now or potentially, the appropriations process to say look, we don't legally, you can't go to war with Iran unless you come to us first and ask for an authorization. This seems to have some buy-in with Republicans just because every the Republicans are making the argument that the administration would never do this. But it seems that if they could put language like that into some sort of legislation, they'll feel like that sits well with them. The question is, though, that these bills are must-pass bills. They will probably get through Congress but it's also probably going to take months before they do. So, they're working on an absolute worst- case scenario endgame if there is some sort of military war with Iran. They want to stop that from happening. But there's a lot that can happen in between and there's also just chronologically a lot
[Romans:] Sure.
[Demirjian:] that can happen before they actually get that bill through Congress.
[Briggs:] Yes.
[Demirjian:] And how much they're actually able to stem and block the president from taking interim moves or bring this back from an escalating situation in those intervening months, that's not clear.
[Romans:] Karoun, tonight, the president will officially announce his running for president in 2020 newsflash, but there will be a big rally almost a concert-like event, according to our Abby Phillip, in Orlando. And the president maybe it's not a coincidence that yesterday he's announcing mass deportations of illegal immigrants in this country, trying to recapture some of the energy in his base, really, that launched him to the presidency. He told ABC News, "I'm just going to do it the same way I did last time." Do you expect that this immigration announcement of mass deportations and a rally tonight do you think this goes together?
[Demirjian:] I do, and I think that it's quite telling that he's making the announcement about the immigration raids now as he's about to launch his campaign because that's not something you would normally tell. You don't normally project 'Hey, we're
[Romans:] Right.
[Demirjian:] going to come after you right now'because it gives people that might be the targets of those raids a chance to make plans or to hide from them. And it potentially compromises the actual enforcement action if that's your prime objective. But, as we've seen before, the president likes to make these announcements because he feels like it motivates his base. He wants to come out strong. He's frustrated by these poll numbers, as we've seen the reporting on that front. And he wants to make the case that he's not flustered and he's not rattled by any of this, and this is one of those red meat issues that he likes to throw at his supporters right before the rallies or during the rallies.
[Briggs:] Yes.
[Demirjian:] So, the timing seems to be quite uncoincidental, especially given the fact that there's operation concerns in making this announcement.
[Briggs:] Right. The mayor of Oakland, California once did this warned people that immigration raids might be coming. Here's what the president said about that just over a year ago today.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I mean, you talk about obstruction of justice. I would recommend that you look into obstruction of justice for the mayor of Oakland, California, Jeff. She advises 1,000 people. They told them, get out of here, the law enforcement's coming.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes.
[Trump:] And you worked on that long and hard and you got there and there were very few people there. To me, that's obstruction of justice.
[Briggs:] Did the president just recommended criminal prosecution for the very thing he just did last night?
[Demirjian:] Well, it was you know, like over a year ago, right? I mean, I think that the irony, though, is very, very obvious
[Romans:] Yes.
[Demirjian:] that he would criticize
[Briggs:] Yes.
[Demirjian:] another public official for doing exactly what he seems to be doing right now in a much larger platform, given the number of Twitter followers he has. But, again, the president is impulsive in this way sometimes. He is also very, very politically savvy but politically driven, and sometimes prioritizes that over the operational concerns of the rest of his administration. This is not the only platform in which he does it. But it goes to a pattern of the president sometimes making these bolder pronouncements and then things don't quite play out quite as he's announced. But it still ends up delivering a message to his base and that's who he's worried about, especially as he's heading into a contest where's he's maybe not got the upper hand
[Romans:] Yes.
[Demirjian:] even though he's trying to project that he potentially could.
[Romans:] And there's also when you're trying to parse a tweet there's a lack a lack of precision sometimes
[Briggs:] Right.
[Romans:] in the president's words. It's unclear if he means people who are coming in now or people who have been here for 10 years, or what kind of mass deportations
[Demirjian:] Right.
[Romans:] he is promising, along with the safe third party laws you know you know what I mean. All right, so
[Demirjian:] Right.
[Romans:] nice to see you, Karoun Demirjian
[Demirjian:] You, too.
[Romans:] as we parse the administration every day. Thank you.
[Briggs:] Karoun, thanks. All right. Ahead, Jon Stewart surprises the late-night crowd. You see him popping up from under the desk. He slams the Senate Majority Leader. We'll tell you why, next.
[Stephen Colbert, Host, Cbs "the Late Show With Stephen Colbert":] Now that I have you here, what a delight.

[Cabrera:] Welcome back. This sounds like something out of a James Bond movie. Russian surveillance ships sailing waters off the east coast. The Coast Guard says it is happening. And the ship is putting boaters in danger with its reckless behavior. CNN's Brian Todd has more.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] It's known for playing "Hunt for Red October"-style games with the U.S. Navy. But according to U.S. officials, the Russian spy ship, the "Viktor Leonov," is sailing recklessly right off of America's shores. Two U.S. officials telling CNN, the "Leonov" has been operating off the coast of South Carolina and Florida in a, quote, "unsafe manner." Not using its lights in low visibility weather, not responding to signals from commercial ships, which are trying to avoid colliding with it.
[Stephen Blank, Former Professor, United States Army War College:] It's absolutely purposeful. First of all, this is an intelligence ship. So, it's not going to disclose its point of location to anybody. They like to be able to intimidate people and bully them and this is another way of doing that.
[Todd:] The U.S. Coast Guard says the "Leonov" is making other erratic movements and warns other ships to maintain a sharp lookout for the Russian spy ship. The "Leonov" has been prowling around America's East Coast for more than four years near some key U.S. Navy installations: Cape Canaveral, which handles underwater operations. Kings Bay, Georgia, home to nuclear missile submarines. Norfolk, the world's largest naval complex. And New London, Connecticut, another major submarine base. Experts say those U.S. bases offer a treasure trove of possible intelligence for Vladimir Putin's Navy.
[Blank:] Where they'd be looking for the schedule of ships entering and leaving the port. They'd be trying to monitor as much of their communications as possible. They would also be trying to monitor underwater developments if they can track submarines.
[Todd:] Experts say Russian vessels have even spying on undersea Internet cables.
[Michael Kofman, Russian Military Expert, Cna Corporation:] And the reason why they want the map, so that, in future conflicts or crisis, they actually have the opportunity, if they can, to attack and destroy, or otherwise tamper.
[Todd:] But despite the dazzling unveilings of hypersonic missiles and other weapons, Putin's military hasn't been hitting on all cylinders recently. It's only aircraft carrier, the "Admiral Kuznetsov," caught fire last week during repairs at an Arctic seaport. In August, during what U.S. officials believe was the testing of a secret nuclear-powered missile, a mysterious explosion occurred, killing five. This summer, a fire aboard a Russian submersible killed 14 crew members. Tragic examples, analysts say, of the Russian president overextending his military.
[Jeffrey Edmonds, Expert On Russia And Eurasia:] There are certain parts of their military, they're very formidable, but they push the entire military as much as they can. And so those parts that might be weaker or older might be more subject to accidents and mishaps.
[Todd:] Analysts say, despite the recklessness, the accidents, all the setbacks, we shouldn't expect any of it to deter Vladimir Putin from pursuing his grand strategy. Not only of projecting Russian military power across the globe but also of signaling his American and NATO adversaries not to mess around with his turf those naval bases in the Black and Baltic Seas, the Pacific, and the Arctic Ocean that the Russians value so much. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
[Cabrera:] That does it for me this hour. I'm Ana Cabrera, in New York. I'll be back just an hour from now. Meantime, my colleague, S.E. Cupp, continues our coverage of today's news right after a quick break. Don't go anywhere.

[Marquardt:] Checking some of today's other top stories. A Texas prosecutor says that investigators have connected a confessed serial killer to more than 60 murders across 14 states. Seventy-nine- year-old Samuel Little is currently serving three consecutive life sentences for murder in California. According to the FBI, Little has confessed to killing women between 1970 and 2005, 35 years. Police say a fifth teen has been arrested in connection with an attack on a lesbian couple on a bus in London. Four other teenagers were arrested yesterday on suspicion of robbery and causing grievous bodily harm. One of the women shared this image which was taken just moments after the attack on May 30th. She says that she shared her story on Facebook to raise awareness and that in the aftermath found that many of her friends had also been harassed because of their sexuality. Someone in California is now half a billion dollars richer, half a billion. A single ticket matched all six months of last night's $530 million mega millions jackpot drawing. They are 17, 19, 27, 40, 68, and the gold mega ball, 2. The jackpot is the seventh largest in the history of the game. Congratulations to them. President Trump's newest NASA tweet has confused everyone on social media. In this tweet, the president appears to be backing off his earlier goal of putting Americans back on the moon by 2024. And as Brian Stelter now explains, it's onto Mars.
[Brian Stelter, Cnn Chief Media Correspondent:] Hey there. Yes, this is a bit of a flip-flop from President Trump but it's a flip-flop that makes many space geeks very happy. They want to see America or some other country land on Mars and that's what Trump is now emphasizing. Here in a tweet on Friday, he's saying, for all the money we are spending, NASA should not be talking about going to the moon. We did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing including Mars, of which the moon is a part, defense, and science." Now it's a little bit confusing there, Trump saying that the moon is part of Mars. I think what he means is that there's been a lot of talk within NASA and among outside researchers about returning to the moon and then using that as a kind of a staging area or a pre-effort on the way to Mars. That is a popular view among experts, but I spoke with Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins recently who disagrees. He says the goal should be Mars, that should be the focus. In fact, he was quite critical of Trump when I spoke with him earlier this week.
[Stelter:] Do you think president Trump is realistic when he talks about his vision for going to Mars?
[Michael Collins, Former U.s. Astronaut:] No. I think his vision is going back to the moon. I don't think he is too much aware of Mars. Maybe he doesn't understand that there is a planet Mars.
[Stelter:] Quite a jab there from a former astronaut toward President Trump. But now Trump is talking more about Mars. In this new tweet, he's emphasizing that's where he wants to see NASA focusing. The question, of course, as it often is with President Trump is, whether his tweets carry the weight and impact of a policy or whether they're just one man's opinions, in this case, one very powerful man's opinions. We will see if NASA ends up commenting or making any changes as a result of the president's new statement saying he wants to focus on Mars, not the moon. Brian Stelter, CNN, New York.
[Marquardt:] All right, our thanks to Brian Stelter. Tomorrow night, see what happens when victims and offenders of violent crimes meet face to face on the new CNN original series, "The Redemption Project with Van Jones". Then stay tune for "United States of America with W. Kamau Bell". That's tomorrow night starting at 9 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN. Hello, thanks for joining me, I'm Alex Marquardt in this afternoon for Fredericka Whitfield. The first of the Democratic presidential debates is less than three weeks away already. And this really a monster field of candidates is out on the campaign trail this weekend, with the bulk of them descending on the first in the nation voting state of Iowa. Nearly a dozen of those chasing the Democratic nomination are in Des Moines today with many of them attending Pridefest which is the

[Richard Quest, Cnn International:] Closing bell on Wall Street in 60 minutes from now, the end of what an interesting and exciting week with the records, and then not. Today is no record, down 54. Solidly down and there are strong reasons for why the market has fallen at key points throughout the course of the day. We'll get to that because those are the markets and these are the reason why. Donald Trump is backpedaling on a U.S. pledge to roll back tariffs on China. He says he is very happy to keep them in place. Meanwhile, Michael Bloomberg prepares to throw his hat into the Democratic presidential race a late contender. And now opponents ask whether billionaires like him should exist at all. And Bob Iger's big bet. It is the CEO's status company's future and his legacy on their new streaming service. We are live in world's financial capital live picture that and a stunning day ahead the weekend in New York. It is Friday. It is November 8. I am Richard Quest and of course, I mean business. Good evening. We begin tonight with a week of trade optimism coming to a somewhat bitter end. President Trump has struck a defiant tone on tariffs against China and the idea that they'll be lifted. He says he is content to leave them exactly where they are, even as U.S. and Chinese negotiators are working on the deal Phase 1, which would lift the tariffs.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Well, they'd like to have a roll back. I haven't agreed to anything. China would like to get somewhat of a roll back, not a complete roll back, because they know I won't do it.
[Quest:] They know I won't do it and when he said those words the market went down. You can see the stock goes to session lows. The Dow is still off more than nearly 50 points or so. Kristen Holmes is from the White House. So is this just negotiating? Is this just part of the strategy of keep them guessing? Because, you know, we led our program last night on the fact that there was every possibility those tariffs would be lifted, or at least rolled back if Phase 1 was signed?
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn U.s. Correspondent:] Well, Richard, the trade war continues today after those comments, and essentially President Trump was dismissing these claims by Chinese officials that he or the administration had agreed to any of them these rollbacks. It certainly caused a damper. A lot of people who had a lot of optimism about a trade deal being reached are starting to believe that perhaps they were a little too optimistic. And of course, you said they saw that in the stock market as it started to decline there. And again, this has been going back and forth, back and forth. If this is President Trump's tactics, we know that in the past, it certainly hasn't worked when it comes to the stock market. As soon as he starts pulling back on any kind of trade deal, we see the market go down further and further. But right now, you know, President Trump continues to say the same thing, which is, they don't really excuse me, we don't need the deal as much as they need the deal. So I'm content to just let it wait out. But I want to just mark here, we have talked to a lot of farmers across the country. You know, a lot of these tariffs have been put on these farm goods and it's been very hard for them.
[Quest:] But at what point does this backwarding and forwarding become risky with the election next year? At some point, if traditional wisdom is to be believed, he is going to try and get a deal so he doesn't go into an election, sort of on the back foot on tariffs?
[Holmes:] Well, absolutely, that's going to be the goal of the White House. The administration has said that, but the big question is whether or not he can actually get it done. And as you said, this back and forth back and forth with China, these setbacks that we then end up seeing in the market, this does not help the cause of these teams who are on the ground trying to get this done. So even though there are, you know, all of these different components here, yes, an election is not something he wants to go into without a deal made. But can he actually get that done? And right now, both sides are holding strong and this really did not help particularly when you had these Chinese officials saying positively that they were going to have these rollbacks in tariffs and that that meant things were going in a good direction. This really shuts that all down.
[Quest:] Good to see you. Have a good weekend. Thank you, Kristen from the White House. Now Donald Trump is shrugging off a potential challenge from a familiar foe, the billionaire businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He is preparing to enter the race for U.S. President. He has ruled out to run in March. Now, however, he says he is thinking about it and his entry would shake up a Democratic field in which the centrist candidates seem to be lagging behind. Donald Trump says he is not worried.
[Trump:] I've known Michael Bloomberg for a long time. If you go back early on, he had he said a lot of great things about Trump. But I know Michael, he became just a nothing. He was really a nothing. He is not going to do well, but I think it is going to hurt Biden actually. But he doesn't have the magic to do well. Little Michael will fail.
[Quest:] Little Michael, who has done nothing. He is owner by the way, just to remind you of one of the largest financial news services and trading platforms in the world and is comfortably worth more than $40 billion or $50 billion. Little Michael has done nothing. Harry Enten, since we're all talking about ourselves in the third person, Harry Enter is the data guru. Thank you for joining
[Quest. Harry Enten, Cnn Politics Senior Writer And Analyst:] My pleasure, sir.
[Quest:] And tell me about Bloomberg entering the race. Does it change the dynamic?
[Enten:] Look, I don't necessarily think so at least in terms of the polling. I think the real question is whether or not the donors who have been abandoning Biden or holding back their money remember, Joe Biden didn't raise that much money compared to Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders last quarter, whether or not now they're really going to hold back and of course, you need money to run a presidential campaign. So I think that's the real question as to whether or not how that would affect this race.
[Quest:] Right, but of course, Bloomberg doesn't need money.
[Enten:] No.
[Quest:] He is worth over $50 billion. If he uses a fraction of it, he is self-funded.
[Enten:] That's exactly right. It's more about the donors who Biden needs who also like Michael Bloomberg, but in terms of actual voter support. Look, Bloomberg has been pulling generally two to three percent nationally before he decided not to get back in there. I'm just not necessarily sure he'll pull a lot of support from Biden's. It's about the donor class.
[Quest:] He was popular in New York. He managed to do more terms and change the rules.
[Enten:] Yes.
[Quest:] He got three terms in New York, but does it play well in the rest of the country? That brash, New York in your face, tell it like it is. They've had Donald Trump do that for four years. Why do they want another?
[Enten:] Well, that's I think exactly the question, especially in the Democratic sentiment. Remember, we had another New York City mayor who ran before. Bill de Blasio went nowhere, absolutely nowhere in the Democratic field. And I am quite skeptical if I'm being honest with you, Richard that someone who basically ended his term on bad notes with African-American voters is going to be able to appeal that constituency, which is the main base of Joe Biden support.
[Quest:] Okay. But is there not an argument against Bloomberg that says, where have you been so far? The rest of us have been schlepping around doing these debates left, right and center. What makes you think that you've got the right to just come join the party late because you can afford to?
[Enten:] Yes, I think that's exactly right. And obviously, we're talking about a Democratic primary field, not a Republican primary field. Billionaires have been lashed out against in the Democratic primary field so far.
[Quest:] Well, let's have a listen to what Elizabeth Warren and others have said on that very point.
[Andrew Yang , Presidential Candidate:] I'm friendly with Mike and he is a great philanthropist, or was a really stellar mayor. But I will say it's going to be very, very difficult for him to jump in right now and somehow replace the thousands of conversations that many of the candidates have had with voters in New Hampshire and Iowa and around the country with ad buys. There are limits to what money can do. We're seeing some of the limits of what money can do with other candidates. And so I think he is going to have his work cut out for him if he jumps in.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] It's not enough just to have somebody come in anybody and say they can buy this election. It's not enough. When billionaires, millionaires, and corporate executives get their PACs and get their fortunes and say we want a bigger
[Quest:] But you see, I think Elizabeth Warren's argument is somewhat forcing this on that one. You can hardly say that about Mike Bloomberg. He's just a billionaire who is buying his way in. The man was mayor of New York City and has run an extremely profitable successful news he has lived his life in public affairs.
[Enten:] Yes, that's exactly right. He was the main catalyst. He spent so much money on the air. His Super PAC has spent so much money on the air during the 2018 campaign getting Democrats elected to the House of Representatives and getting their majority. So I think that that line doesn't necessarily play as well. But one number that I think is so important is that if you look and you ask Democratic primary voters, are you satisfied with your choices or do you want more options? The vast majority say they're satisfied with their choices. And so to me this Bloomberg getting is answering a question that no one really asked.
[Quest:] Right. But tell me, does that quite is that question announce a valid when you say are you satisfied with your choices versus are you satisfied and then add somebody that they may be more. They are satisfied until somebody better comes along.
[Enten:] It's certainly plausible. But you know, Fox News asked this question at the end of last month, and basically they said that only six percent said that they wanted Michael Bloomberg. They would certainly vote for him versus in the 30s said they would definitely vote against him. So to me, Michael Bloomberg is not necessarily the answer. Someone like Michelle Obama might have been.
[Quest:] All right. But now finally, billionaires. What's the statistics saying about billionaires in the race, and the American voters' love affair or distaste with money?
[Enten:] I would say this it is that the Democratic primary electorate loves the wealth tax, and we already have a billionaire in Tom Steyer who is running and you know where he is going right now? Absolutely nowhere. He is polling it one to two percent despite the fact that he is spending millions of dollars on the air. I'm not sure Bloomberg will be any different.
[Quest:] Good to see you, sir.
[Enten:] Thank you, sir.
[Quest:] Have a good weekend. Thank you.
[Enten:] You as well.
[Quest:] The House Democrats have released more key testimony in the Impeachment Inquiry against President Trump. The transcripts reveal that Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman told lawmakers the request for a Biden probe was coordinated with the White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. The former top White House Russia adviser, Fiona Hill's transcript says she testified it was clear, the Ukrainians had to start an investigation for a meeting with President Trump. Now just for these names, we need to remind ourselves who they are. Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman. Fiona Hill is the former National Security Council staffer. She was responsible for Russia and Ukraine. And she has testified that the former National Security adviser, John Bolton was suspicious of why the Ukraine security aid was being frozen. And Vindman, the top White House expert on Ukraine. He was actually on the famous call between Trump and Ukraine's President and has said, he raised concerns over what he heard with the top lawyer. Manu Raju joins me now. These transcripts are being released. I wonder what more we get when we go to hearings next week? You know, I can I see a philosophical significance of a hearing being held. But if it's just the deposition and then the transcript release, and then the same person says the same thing on public vote, what do you really gain?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Well, a lot of Democrats believe that the American public still has not fully grasped exactly what they have learned through the course of this investigation that has been going on for several weeks, but consistent themes are emerging. Witnesses are describing this effort going outside diplomatic norms to try to pursue these investigations, urged the Ukrainians to investigate the President's political rivals in exchange for a meeting that the Ukrainians had sought in Washington and also at a time when the aid military aid roughly $400 million in military aid had not been turned over to the Ukrainians despite its approval in Congress. Democrats believe by having these public hearings that it will be able to shine light on exactly what was happening beyond what we've been reporting in the media, beyond just the depositions, and the thousands now more than 2,000 pages of transcripts that we have been going through, they believe when American voters see this themselves is going to help them to draw the conclusion that many Democrats have that the President abused his office, deserves to be impeached. So in many ways, Richard, it is a political move by the Democrats to try to make their case to the American public that the President deserves to be impeached.
[Quest:] As I understand it, Manu, correct me, please, so far, nobody has come along and said, I had a conversation with Donald Trump, where he said hold the aid until...
[Raju:] And that's what the Republicans are going to say. There has been no firsthand conversations that we're aware of, but there have been many people who have contended that this is exactly the instruction that came from the President. For instance, one witness, Bill Taylor, the top diplomat from Ukraine, the U.S. diplomat in Ukraine had testified that he was told by the Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland that President Trump had told Sondland that he wanted to withhold everything, including the military aid until there was a public announcement that those investigations would happen. Then when Sondland testified, as you recall, he revised his testimony to later say that he informed a Ukrainian official that the aid was likely contingent on that public declaration of investigations, but Sondland that he didn't recall how he knew that. So that's going to be the challenge for Democrats. But there is plenty of evidence showing the President was directly involved, even if people didn't talk to him directly Richard.
[Quest:] Let's put this into the perspective, though, of the election. All of this could be absolutely true. And the President might come out and say, hey, yes, it's all true. I mean, he sort of suggested as much Giuliani suggested as much as in his Cuomo interview. But the American public might say well, yes, so what? It was our money. You were trying to do it and people do nasty things in politics and yes, you shouldn't have done it but we don't care.
[Raju:] And that's exactly the argument of the Republicans have been increasingly making, that what he's been what he's done is not impeachable. It's something that any President would normally do. What these witnesses are testifying, though, about was this is highly unusual? They are career officials, experts in this area, there are ways of carrying out foreign policy, and this was certainly not that. The question though is, will the American public agree, and what we're seeing from poll after poll is that the American public does not believe the President acted accordingly, but the American public is still split on the notion of impeaching and removing him from office.
[Quest:] Well, the first and the second of those two halves, Manu, one of course, is we sort of know something was done wrong, but then you get back into partisanship with total partisanship. Good to see you, sir, have a good weekend.
[Raju:] Thank you.
[Quest:] Now, when you and I return, big moves at the House of the Mouse. Disney gets ready to release its streaming service. Also, the executive exodus continues, this time Gap's CEO steps down. We need to understand the reason behind it.

[Cooper:] President Trump's television lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, says he'll travel to Ukraine shortly to meet that nation's newly elected president. Now, that's about the only thing that's straightforward in a tangled story of 2020 politics and former Vice President Biden. 360's Randi Kaye now with a strange road map.
[Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's Attorney:] All I want the Ukrainian government to do is investigate and don't let these people buffalo you.
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] Rudy Giuliani has questions, and he's hoping to find the answers in Ukraine, drawing yet another foreign nation into a U.S. election. The president's lawyer wants to know whether or not Joe Biden used his political power as vice president to shut down an investigation into a Ukrainian company his son, Hunter Biden, was working with.
[Giuliani:] It's a big story, it's a dramatic story, and I guarantee you, Joe Biden will not get to election day without this being investigated. It will be a massive scandal.
[Kaye:] Giuliani says he stumbled upon the Biden story while investigating Democrats' alleged efforts to spread misinformation about Trump. He claimed to CNN that in 2016 as part of a broad anti- corruption push by the U.S., then Vice President Biden pressured the Ukrainian government to oust its top prosecutor. He claims that prosecutor was investigating the Ukrainian company called Burisma Holdings, a natural gas company which Biden's son, Hunter, was on the board of. [on camera]: After that prosecutor's removal, Ukraine's new prosecutor dismissed the case against the company. There is no evidence that Joe Biden acted improperly. In fact Bloomberg reports the Ukrainian government's case against Burisma, the company, had been dormant since 2014. That would have been two years before Biden pushed to remove the prosecutor. Giuliani told "The New York Times," which first reported this story, he's not meddling in an election, but he's meddling in an investigation, which he said he has the right to do. He claimed there's nothing illegal about it and this isn't foreign policy. Giuliani says he's planning to visit Kiev to dig deeper. His efforts to entangle yet another foreign nation in our elections isn't lost on those in Washington investigating the president.
[Rep. Jerrold Nadler:] We've come to a very sorry state when it's considered okay for an American politician, never mind an attorney for the president, to go and seek foreign intervention in American politics.
[Kaye:] Giuliani is also calling for the Department of Justice to investigate Biden and says the president agrees. But if the goal in all of this is to damage Biden's campaign, the candidate hardly seems bothered. The Biden campaign referred CNN to a statement it had given to "The New York Times," claiming Biden acted on Ukraine without any regard for how it would or would not impact his son's business interests. Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
[Cooper:] Well, still ahead, another community grieving after another mass shooting. A brave young man killed, eight others wounded. They aren't the only victims their families are friends are now living with a grief that few can imagine. We want to introduce you to a couple coming up who know their pain and now make it their mission to help survivors find the purpose and strength to live what they call their new normal. It's a story you don't want to miss, next.

[Ana Cabrera, Cnn:] You're live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. We'll begin with a major explosion at a shopping center in South Florida sending at least 20 victims to area hospitals. Right now crews in Plantation, Florida are searching the rubble for anyone who may still be trapped in the debris. This explosion taking place at a strip mall with an L.A. Fitness Center. It was filled with people doing their Saturday workouts, No Fatalities Recorded; Here's the Deputy Fire Chief in Plantation, Florida. Listen to this.
[Joel Gordon; Plantation Fire Department, Battalion Chief:] We did have an active gas leak when we arrived. They were able to secure it. Broward County's hazmat team went in, they secured the gas initially and then TECO was able to secure it from there. Whether that was the cause or not, we have not confirmed.
[Cabrera:] And no confirmed fatalities, but two people do have serious injuries. Police are warning everyone in that area to stay away. I want to get right to CNN's Rosa Flores in Plantation, Florida. Rosa, what are you hearing about these 20 injured victims from this explosion, any updates?
[Rosa Flores, Cnn Correspondent:] No updates from the hospital, Ana. All we know is that two of them in critical condition. From talking to the spokesperson from the area hospital they tell us that one person was transported with Level 1 trauma. That is of the most severe trauma. And another one with level 2 trauma injuries and that is a bit less severe. But I want to show you the scene here, because it really speaks to the magnitude of this explosion. Take a look over my shoulder you'll see the debris field. Now we're about 100 yards from where this explosion happened. And you can see and you're probably familiar with a lot of these strip malls, not just here in Florida, but around the country. So there's a lot of parking spaces around. You can see that the debris is on top of some of these vehicles. You can see corrugated metal. Metal it appears to be from the roof there. There is brick that I can see, there's exposed beams. From walking around, I can tell, you that I saw a lot of insulation. There's also bricks and mats and there's even a jeep that's in the middle of the road that appears to have just stopped there and the driver obviously not in that jeep anymore. So this just gives you an idea of the debris field. Now I'm going to ask our CNN Photojournalist, Jerry Simonson to pan over on and this is going to be a pretty extreme pan over. You're going to see some cameras. But I want to make a point here. Because this shopping center that you're seeing here to our right also sustained damage. I was out walking in this shopping center, trying to talk to some of the business owners. I talked to one woman who owns a salon. The window was broken. And then a police officer approached me said, "Ma'am you should probably not be walking under this awning", because they don't know what the stability of this structure is at this point in time. And now of course you'll see police officers all around this area, crime scene tape as well as they're trying to have as much precaution as possible. But as you can see, Ana, this is a huge crime scene. Now we understand that the ATF Miami office has arson investigators on scene. The gas company has secured the gas lines not just in the buildings that you see behind me, but in the general area because of the potential dangers. So they're trying to investigate and figure out exactly what happened here, Ana. But according to the fire department there a call about the apparent gas explosion at about 11:30 this morning, and as you mentioned, up to 20 people have been transported to the hospital. The good news of course is that no fatalities have been reported. Ana.
[Cabrera:] OK. And at last check it sounds like they do not believe people are still trapped, is that correct Rosa?
[Flores:] That's correct. We know, and you'll see some firefighters behind me. They're just doing their due diligence. They're going through that debris to make sure that nobody is missing. But according to the fire department everybody has been accounted for.
[Cabrera:] OK. Rosa Flores in Plantation, Florida for us, thank you. Now to the West Coast, a major disaster there, this one natural.
[Unidentified Female:] Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. [bleep]
[Cabrera:] An earthquake, a very powerful one, and a second huge quake and a little over 24 hours. It shook all of Southern California as far away as Las Vegas, even into Mexico.
[Unidentified Male:] Keep going out for Let me see let me help you if somebody is hurt. All right.
[Cabrera:] Hit late last night, the City of Ridgecrest right in the middle of the most violent shaking and while people there were still cleaning up from a massive earthquake just a day earlier. The latest quake with 11 times stronger than the earthquake the day before. People terrified in their homes couldn't even stay on their feet.
[Jaye Krona, Lives In Ridgecrest, California:] It was just I couldn't you had we had to sit down or crawl on hands and knees to get around, because you couldn't stand up and be in an upright position without falling over.
[Cabrera:] Now here's the amazing news. After these two enormous quakes and aftershocks happening every minute, gas fires and building collapses and downed power lines, officials say so far nobody has died. Live now to Ridgecrest, California. That's about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas and CNN's Alexandra Field is there. Alexandra you were actually there when this second much more powerful earthquake struck. Tell us what that was like.
[Alexandra Field, Cnn Correspondent:] Violent is absolutely the only word that I can use to describe the experience of feeling that bouncing, that jumping, hearing the rattling, hearing the sound of glass smashing. We were in this very popular Mexican restaurant in town. It was pretty packed. It was Friday night, dinner hour, you had about 100 or 150 people who had come in. You can see their food's left on the table. That's where a server dropped the tray. This chair that is turned over. All of a sudden though you start to hear that unmistakable noise. You can feel what is coming. You can start to see some of the aftermath of it right now. I think I'll always remember the sound of the glass shattering. And then really it was chaos in here, Ana, people either trying to get under the tables to get some cover or just bolting for the door. This is a place that people had come after a long and a difficult day in Ridgecrest. They were prepared for the fact that they would have hundreds of aftershocks. They weren't prepared for anything this big. I want to introduce you to my friend here Jason Corona. Jason you are the owner of the restaurant along with your father. This is a family business. You, as we've been talking all morning, have told me that you're a veteran of earthquakes. But for me this was a heart stopping experience. Tell me how this felt for you. 7.1?
[Jason Corona, Restaurant Owner:] Well, we we're definitely used earthquakes here. And like you experienced the first one that it was a lot smaller one and you saw everybody kind of you know, kind of ride it out, because we don't you know we don't really get too freaked out of an earthquake when an earthquake hits here. But this 7.1, like when it started and it started off low and then as soon as that bouncing started, then I think that it set a whole new different level of panic for everybody. And it was it was different than the other ones that we've had before.
[Field:] This was real. This was very real. You were talking a little bit about the fact that we felt an aftershock in here. That got everyone's attention, but it was a few minutes later that really that big one hit. Somehow you got your head together and you snapped into action. Tell everyone about what you were doing in that moment, looking around at your restaurant?
[Corona:] Well the first initial thought was to get out of the building, because I wasn't near and I was near to the table to get under. And then I started going out and I got to the door and I realized that you had to open the door for people and let people out. And then I started looking inside, and there's so many people inside that I did I had to come in here, because there was people slipping over here in the front because there were food there was food spilled. And that's when I started directing people to the other emergency exits, so that people's people wouldn't get trampled up here at the front. And I don't remember. It was it was a blur. It was panic.
[Field:] It is all a blur, but I know that we heard your voice in there. It was incredibly helpful. Ana, I'll tell you that you know the lights went out very quickly. Again, you had about 100 or 150 people here. No one knew exactly what to do, some taking cover, others running for the door, incredibly helpful to have Jason, to have his family, the staff here, just helping people to find a way out. This is an event that has profoundly affected people in this community. The cleanup starting. This family business is certainly hoping to be back on its feet soon. A big part of Ridgecrest. Ana?
[Cabrera:] Wow, it sounds so scary. Glad nobody got hurt there, no deaths to report, wishing that community all the best. Alexandra Field, thank you very much for more now on how people are dealing with the aftermath of these powerful quakes. I want to bring in the Mayor of Ridgecrest. This is Peggy Breeden. Mayor, thank you for being with us. I know your community has been through a lot the past couple of days. Now that you've been able to sort of survey the area and assess the situation, what can you tell us about the damage and injuries across the region?
[Mayor Peggy Breeden, Ridgecrest, California:] We have very few injuries. They're very minor. We've had no deaths considering a 7.1 earthquake. The 5.6 we could have been much more devastated, we weren't. We have our buildings built to earthquake standards. So, consequently, we are having no major damages. We have some structural issues we're dealing with, and on an inspection we have seven building inspectors going around as well as our building department and our planning team walking the city to see where the issues are.
[Cabrera:] So do every single building does every single building need to be inspected?
[Breeden:] Those that are asked to be inspected, the owners have asked us we are going to. Those who we can see from the outside that there may be issues we are going to do.
[Cabrera:] What have the last 48 hours been like for you personally? As we mentioned there was that other powerful earthquake a little more than 24 hours before this one. I imagine the whole community is really shaken for lack of a better word, no pun intended there. But you know internally it's got to be quite emotional?
[Breeden:] You know, it was kind of a test that I think the community and our staff as well as for the cooperation of Kern County, San Bernardino County, the State of California. Virtually every lettered organization in the State is here to help, and we have passed that test. Have we solved everything? Absolutely not. And we are beginning to look at what we need to do to address the issues we can see right now with our eyes and how we address the issues with after inspection what we need to do right.
[Cabrera:] Right. The big question on I think a lot of people's minds now is what's next? What are you hearing and learning and what are you preparing for.
[Breeden:] Well, if you listen to the wise people at Caltech and other geologists around, they tell us to be prepared for other large aftershocks. We may have them, we may not. But whatever we're going to do, we're going to be prepared for them as best we can, because we have no alternative. We're a community in the middle of the desert of 28,000 people. They depend on us for their safety, their health care and any provisions that we can provide and that's what we do. I'm amazed at how strong our community is. We've had people walking around the streets, as you can probably tell it's a little warm here. We've probably got 105 degrees and they're walking around, knocking on their neighbors doors asking "Are you OK? Do you need anything?" We have building contractors volunteering their time. We have organizations saying, "If you need help to fix up a fence, I'll be there". We have volunteers all over the community walking around and helping.
[Cabrera:] That's wonderful. Really wonderful to hear. Officials have said there's a between 3 percent and 10 percent chance there could be an even larger earthquake to hit this area in the coming days. So I can imagine that there's still that anticipation of what could come. You mentioned earlier after that quake hit that some residents were too afraid to even go back in their houses, to go back to sleep. They slept outside. What should residents do tonight?
[Breeden:] Many, people because it is cool warm, but cool and the evenings have chosen to sleep in tents. We have a Red Cross center here at the City of Ridgecrest. It was pretty much full last night, but now we have room for 500. They are able to bring small pets in cages. And I think we had 160 last night and they are feeding them and taking care of them as their needs meet.
[Cabrera:] Mayor Peggy Breeden of Ridgecrest, California. Thank you very much. Please keep in touch so we can help get the word out
[Breeden:] Thank you.
[Cabrera:] to what you need. We are standing your back.
[Breeden:] All right. Thank you.
[Cabrera:] Thank you. Now to the campaign trail and former Vice President Joe Biden previewing how he plans to defend his record on civil rights, how he's using President Obama to prove his case. Plus. more chaotic scenes in California following the biggest earthquake there in decades. How does this one compare to other major quakes in the state's history? You're live in the CNN Newsroom.

[Michael Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] Welcome back to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I appreciate the company. Now in the coming hours, U.S. Senate Republicans will present their latest stimulus plan. The $1 trillion proposal would not extend the $600 weekly boost to unemployment benefits which is due to expire. Pretty much everyone's got their last check. Instead, it would offer 70 percent of the workers' wages as opposed to a flat rate, which Democrats want. The plan also includes $1,200 checks to many Americans, $105 billion for schools, and another targeted round of forgivable small business loans.
[Steve Mnuchin, U.s. Treasury Secretary:] The bill will be introduced Monday. And we're prepared to act quickly. This is all about kids and jobs. This is our focus. And we want to make sure something gets passed quickly so that we deal with the unemployment and all the other issues, paycheck protection plans, tax credits to rehire people and money for schools.
[Holmes:] Eleni Giokos is in Johannesburg with more on this. I mean I've been talking about this for a while. What is notable is that unemployment is pretty much well, they are done now, this sort of enhanced benefit check. The last one is going out. Eviction protections are going away, too. What is the holdup here?
[Eleni Giokos, Cnn Correspondent:] I mean it's really interesting hearing that this needs to be passed quickly and that is kind of the sentiment. But remember, until now we've only seen intraparty negotiations and discussions. We were hoping to have clarity at the end of last week, so perhaps we would be able to catch the expiration of that enhanced benefit. Now we still have to face bipartisan discussions and debates and negotiations. This is still on the table. And in the meantime, you have million of vulnerable Americans that really do not have any clarity about what will happen to the $600 extra a week that they've been receiving since the start of the pandemic. And instead, Republicans are saying look, it is a disincentive for people to get back to work. You are also hearing that they would rather do a percentage of wages. Now that brings a lot of issues to the table. How do you calculate it on a case by case basis for millions of people? I want you to listen in on what Larry Kudlow, the White House economic adviser said yesterday in the middle of negotiations.
[Larry Kudlow, White House Economic Adviser:] It won't stop the assistance. It's going to cap the assistance at a level that is consistent with people going back to work. That's what we have said from day one. First of all, state unemployment benefits stay in place. Second of all, we will try to cap the benefits at about 70 percent of wages.
[Giokos:] So I mean working these numbers out, our calculations that need to be conducted and, of course, we've already seen, Michael, issues in terms of getting the money into people's pockets even when it was a flat rate. The Democrats are saying the reason that they picked one number was because it was easy and it was simple. We know that Nancy Pelosi has been saying that they want to continue the enhanced benefit program until the end of the year. You've got coronavirus cases increasing. You've got a weak economic recovery that is currently in plan. And of course, major concern of the pandemic and economic impact of the pandemic is still very much a play. We've got second quarter GDP numbers that will be released later on this week. That's also going to be a vital signal. But the point here is and I want you to take a look at the proposals. We know that there's a $1,200 stimulus check that is at play here. You've got tax payment cuts. And you are talking about the evictions protections that are also coming to an end. There is so much fear rising about people losing their homes right now, that we're hearing states are coming up with shelter programs where lawyers will be able to meet with tenants to find a way forward. We also are hearing that perhaps we might see a watered-down proposal initially, so that they can get benefits in place to protect the vulnerable in the U.S. The Democrats in the past have said look, they don't want to take a piecemeal approach, but I think this week is going to be absolutely vital in terms of figuring out for around 15 millions Americans which, of course, filed for continuing claims just last week are going to be doing in the next few weeks, Michael.
[Holmes:] Yes. Important times. Eleni Giokos, thanks so much. Good to see you. Well even as Congress plans for another direct payment to Americans, millions of people still haven't received their first stimulus checks. Yes, going back to March, April. According to calculations by the House Ways and Means Committee, 30 to 35 million payments are yet to be issued. Kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it? And that includes payments to 13 to 18 million taxpayers who filed returns that are below the program's income threshold. And nearly five million tax returns have not been processed. They could include first-time filers who would qualify for the payment. With me now from Boston is global economist, Megan Greene. She is a senior fellow at Harvard University. Always a pleasure to have you back on. I mean, let's talk about the suggestions. They are all well and good but they're not in play and unemployment enhancement, renter eviction protections literally ending. I mean how do you see this sort of unfolding for people caught in the middle of that timing?
[Megan Greene, Senior Fellow, Harvard University:] Yes. So if we can't find a way to extend some sort of eased-up unemployment insurance in the next couple of weeks, we will absolutely go into another recession. A lot of people will face a cash cliff. Larry Kudlow in terms of the evictions have come out and said that, you know, eviction protections will be extended. The question is how long that will take although real estate markets have softened so much that some landlords might not actually kick people out just because then their places will
[Holmes:] Yes. I mean one issue has been that the whole system has not been reliable, has it. I mean people who filled out filed in March and April still haven't received their checks, and even with this, they might not get their checks until October. Evictions are starting to begin tomorrow for some people. I mean it really seems a mess, especially if you've lost your job and, you know, and can't pay the rent.
[Greene:] Yes. It's absolutely how it will end up in a double dip recession if that happens. If we can't get this together in the next couple of weeks, like I said, there really is a cash clip for a lot of people. And our unemployment insurance benefits system is really held together by bubble gum and duct tape pretty much. It's archaic logistically and so trying to do anything really complicated with beefing unemployment insurance as the Republicans are suggesting, could delay things much further. It could be that people don't get those additional checks for a couple of months and that is unacceptable, Spending will fall off the cliff, so will demand.
[Holmes:] Wow. Job losses continue to exceed the 2008 figures. You mentioned Larry Kudlow earlier. He was sort of saying that a v- shaped recovery is happening. I mean let's face it, he's not been right very much lately. There isn't a v-shaped recovery, is there?
[Greene:] No, there is no real chance of a v-shaped recovery. It might look like one initially because it's pretty easy to get a bunch of people back into the workforce the first 20 percent. But the last 20 percent is much harder. And if you look at actually where spending is picked up it's in things like white goods, swimming pool installations, landscaping. If you look at the micro data. And that's not where we lost all the jobs. We lost jobs in things like, you know, waitresses, or dry cleaners. So there is a huge disconnect in the economy that suggests that even without another spike in new cases that we are seeing and even without a second wave a v-shaped recovery just isn't in the cards.
[Holmes:] A lot of criticism that the aid from the start has been precious little to the worker and billions of corporations and others. That is certainly a perception out there. But I wanted to ask you, what is not in any, you know, significant amount is childcare assistance. You would imagine that that would help people work and have their kids taken care of, especially if schools don't reopen. I mean that's got to be more important than bailing out billionaires?
[Greene:] Yes. You get at a crucial point. And I say we've done a little bit better than we did after the global financial crisis in getting money to individuals and not just big companies. But that being said, there's a statistic out there that the government gave more money to Delta Airline than it did to the entire childcare system. So to your point, if schools don't reopen, there is no way people can be productive. And a lot of people will have to draft out of the workforce to take care of their kids, you know, if they cannot go back to school. And so that would be a huge drag on demand in the U.S. as well.
[Holmes:] Right. I wanted to get this last one in. Are we paying a worse economic cost for early reopening before the virus was under control than we would have otherwise if we had waited a while?
[Greene:] Absolutely. And for evidence of that, just look to Europe, right. Europe did a great job in terms of virus management. They've had a delayed response in terms of economic stimulus, whereas the U.S. really went big and hard with economic stimulus, but we have been the poster child for poor virus management. And as a result we are seeing our recovery is much more tepid than what they're seeing in Europe. So a lot of people have set this up as a dichotomy. Either you have to choose between, you know, reopening the economy or you have to choose people's health. And actually, there is no recovery until we get the virus under control. There's no question about that.
[Holmes:] Yes, exactly. They are linked. Megan Greene, a pleasure. Good to see you.
[Greene:] Thanks a lot.
[Holmes:] Now travelers making their way from Spain to the U.K. have to self-quarantine for 14 days and if they are going from Spain to Norway, 10 days. That is due to Spain's recent surge in coronavirus cases. Many British tourists in Spain say they're baffled over the decision which left them with no way to avoid a quarantine since they were already there on holiday. Many of them also say they feel safe in Spain.
[Unidentified Male:] If the spike here is quite big, I kind of get it. But if it's only minor then I don't see the point, really. There is more I've been here for almost a week now. Everybody wears masks everywhere. And this is really helpful. I feel really safe. I'm very disappointed in our own government.
[Holmes:] The Spanish government meanwhile says it is negotiating with the U.K. to try to revise the quarantine orders so it won't apply to some of the country's popular beaches.
[Arancha Gonzalez Laya, Spanish Forieng Minister:] In particular, our dialogue efforts at the moment are focused around excluding from the quarantine measures the Balearic and the Canary Islands for two reasons. Number one, these are islands that are very safe. Number two, their epidemiological data is extremely positive.
[Cai Jiaru, Cruise Passenger:] Due to the coronavirus, we can't go abroad, but I still feel like going out. So I signed up for the island hopping cruise. I don't worry about the epidemic too much because I think it's pretty safe in Taiwan right now. As long as everyone has their temperature measured before boarding the ship.
[Holmes:] Taiwan has a very low number of coronavirus cases. Fewer than 500 since this all began. It has also reported no local transmission for more than three months. They are doing well. We've got to take a quick break. When we come back we'll speak to a man whose family fought coronavirus together. And their battle not quite over yet. We will be right back.

[Ana Cabrera, Cnn Anchor:] You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. Thanks for being here. The world is a different place right now than it was a few hours ago. President Trump and his penchant for extraordinary television moments unquestionably made one happen. As he tells it, it was his idea. While at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, why not send a message to the leader of North Korea? A tweet to Kim Jong-un to join him for a handshake and a chat. Well, nobody knew if it would happen until it did. Kim Jong-un showed up.
[Kim Jong-un, Supreme Leader Of North Korea:] Good afternoon.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Good afternoon.
[Kim:] President, good to see you again. I never expected to meet you at this place.
[Trump:] treated.
[Kim:] If you take
[Trump:] I don't
[Kim:] a step forward, you will be the first U.S. president to cross over this line. This is a great moment.
[Unidentified Male:] Oh, no, get out of the way. Move.
[Unidentified Female:] Move.
[Unidentified Male:] Move, move. Clear.
[Unidentified Female:] Move. Move.
[Unidentified Male:] All of you. Hey, hey.
[Trump:] This is my honor. I didn't really expect it. We were in Japan for the G-20, we came over, and I said, hey, I'm over here. I want to call up Chairman Kim. And we got to meet and stepping across that line was a great honor. A lot of progress has been made.
[Cabrera:] Here again, that big moment, the sitting American president standing on North Korean soil. Let's get CNN's Will Ripley in here. He's in Seoul, South Korea. Will, just in the last few minutes, we're finding out how the people of North Korea are learning about this monumental moment that their leader, Kim Jong-un, has now met the American president for, now, the third time and in his territory. How are the North Koreans describing it?
[Will Ripley, Cnn International Correspondent:] Yes. As usual, Ana, it was hours after the rest of the world watched the events unfold at the DMZ live. North Korean media always carefully edits the message. But in this case, they're pretty much on the same page with how President Trump described the meeting, calling it amazing, historic, dramatic, and talking about the friendship between Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump, a friendship that allowed the notoriously rigid North Korean bureaucracy to work with the United States to pull together that extraordinary moment at the DMZ in around 24 hours after President Trump sent that tweet. But while they may be on the same page about the significance of the event, itself, there are still huge differences between what North Korea wants and what the United States wants when it comes to denuclearization. North Korea has been calling for sanctions relief right away. The United States wants North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons or at least agree on a definition of denuclearization. And despite all of those feel-good moments at the Demilitarized Zone, those differences still remain, Ana, which doesn't bode well for the future of working-level talks.
[Cabrera:] Yes. So what does the U.S. now get out of this?
[Ripley:] Well, what the United States gets is a restart of diplomacy after the North Koreans basically shut everything down when President Trump walked out of talks in February in Hanoi, Vietnam. A source told me, at that time, the North Koreans were actually told not to engage with the United States. Obviously, the orders have changed. Kim Jong-un and Trump are now back on a friendly footing, and they have agreed, within the next couple of weeks, to form teams that will resume working-level talks. Secretary of State Pompeo says that will happen in mid-July. But what the United States needs to get out of this, sooner rather than later, is an agreement from North Korea to take actual steps to denuclearize. And so far, the North Koreans have not agreed to do that, and it's not clear at this point if they're going to agree to do that.
[Cabrera:] All right. Will Ripley in Seoul, South Korea, for us. Thank you. I'm joined now by Democratic presidential candidate and former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Governor, do you take issue with President Trump meeting Kim Jong-un at the DMZ and then stepping into North Korea?
[John Hickenlooper , Presidential Candidate:] Well, you know, it's showboating. I mean, these are the highest stakes imaginable nuclear weapons, nuclear proliferation and they should not be negotiated by tweet. You know, out in Colorado, we refer to this sometimes as acting like you know, behaving like a cowboy. Although, in this case, I think both of them, it's all hat and no cattle.
[Cabrera:] Would you meet Kim, though, if you were president?
[Hickenlooper:] Yes, but I wouldn't do it on a unilateral basis. Obviously, these are the kinds of negotiations that need to happen with our various allies in the region. And to make sure everyone is at the able. And you have to go cautiously forward. I'm a big believer in constant engagement. That's what I'd call it. We should be engaging frequently with everyone because, you know, whether it's climate change or nuclear proliferation, the globe has become much smaller, and we need to have those relationships all the time. But to do it by tweet and go off and try and create a celebrity moment, I'm not sure I understand the benefit.
[Cabrera:] Let's talk about an issue closer to home. I want to ask you about the busing controversy that took center stage at night two of the debate. I know you were night one. This was this moment between Senator Kamala Harris, former Vice President Joe Biden. Earlier today, here on CNN, Senator Harris' national press secretary revealed Harris supports busing today. Would you support busing to help further integrate schools if elected president?
[Hickenlooper:] Well, certainly, making sure that our education system is thoroughly integrated should be a goal for everyone. And in many places, busing is essential to making that happen. So, you know, within that framework, absolutely, I would support busing.
[Cabrera:] So you do support busing in the context of desegregation, right?
[Hickenlooper:] Exactly. I think that you
[Cabrera:] OK.
[Hickenlooper:] you need to make be very clear on what your goals are and how you're going to get there.
[Cabrera:] Now, we're a couple of days out from the debates. The conversation, though, is still largely focused on this issue and comments from the past, rather than focusing on a vision for America in the future. Do you think this helps or hurts Democrats?
[Hickenlooper:] You know, I think this is an issue that helps Democrats. And I was on the second night on Thursday night, so I saw it up close and personal. And, you know, it was a very direct you know, they were both being very direct with each other in a way you don't always see in debates. Certainly, we didn't see it Wednesday night. But they were both, you know, making their points explicit, and there was no question about where each other stood.
[Cabrera:] I'm sure you've seen the attacks now about this tweet. A lot of other Democratic candidates have come forward, condemning the tweet from Don Junior that questioned whether Kamala Harris was a, quote, Black American or an American Black since her mother's from India, her father's from Jamaica. Senator Bernie Sanders went so far as to call Don Junior racist. What are your thoughts on this?
[Hickenlooper:] Well, I think it's another example you know, I tell people I'm running for president because we are in a crisis of division. And we've never been this divided since the Civil War, probably. And this is a classic case of the Trump family it's not just the President are trying to find every way they can to divide us because they really haven't delivered what they promised in 2016. And the only way they have any hope of re-election is, you know, divide, divide, divide.
[Cabrera:] You like to say you are the only scientist right now seeking the presidency since you're a former geologist. You've released a plan to tackle the climate crisis. But under your leadership, Colorado began producing more crude oil than ever before. You can see the jump shortly after you took office in 2011. How do you square a surge in oil production with environmental protection?
[Hickenlooper:] Well, so the surge in oil production was a function of prices and exploration. So that happens all over the world and, you know, governors don't have a big control net. What we did do is get the oil and gas industry to sit down with the environmental community and create the first methane regulations in the history of America. Methane's 25 times more harmful to climate change than CO2 is, so no one had ever I mean, all the methane gets vented, was flared. We got the oil and gas industry to agree to pay for it. And in doing that, it was the equivalent of taking 320,000 automobiles a year off the streets of Colorado. That's you know, if we're going to address climate change, we got to get everyone at the table, figure out what are the fastest ways to reduce these harmful emissions, and then go global. Back to that constant engagement, we got to get everyone on the world helping us.
[Cabrera:] You also kept a fracking ban off the ballot, though, in Colorado in 2014. You spoke out against a similar measure last year in 2018. I hear what you're saying about methane, but critics of fracking cite environmental and health concerns as well.
[Hickenlooper:] So we haven't had, in Colorado, the water contamination that people are so worried about. We just have never seen it. That is a real problem in parts of New York and Pennsylvania, and I recognize that. But that, in Colorado, we haven't had that same issue.
[Cabrera:] All right, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, 2020 candidate. Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time.
[Hickenlooper:] Thank you, Ana.
[Cabrera:] It is the takedown seen by millions, the one that's earned Senator Kamala Harris millions in donations. But was Senator Harris right about Joe Biden's stance on busing? CNN has uncovered Biden's decades-old interviews and letters, next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Opal Tometi, Co-founder Black Lives Matter:] Are realizing that things aren't going to change unless they get up off the sidelines. And that their silence is complicity. And we're seeing a sea change in this moment and it's really heartening.
[Michael Holmes, Cnn Anchor:] A warm welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. And coming up here on CNN newsroom. In denial. President Trump claims with a straight face the coronavirus is going away. It is not. And "traitor and liar." That's what one member of the Trump Administration says of a former member of the Trump Administration. We'll tell you all about it. And coronavirus cluster. A major food market in Beijing being linked to new cases. We'll look at the market and restrictions in place to contain the outbreak. Welcome, everyone. As coronavirus cases in the United States surpass two million, the country finds itself struggling to control the spread. Nearly half of the states across the nation are seeing an increase in infections. On Thursday, Johns Hopkins University reporting nearly 26,000 new cases. And yet, President Donald Trump claims the U.S. has largely beaten the virus.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] If you look, the numbers are very minuscule compared to what it was. It's dying out.
[Holmes:] Only that's not true. It isn't dying out. Oklahoma has recorded its largest increase in new cases since the pandemic began, up 110 percent from last week. This as Trump supporters are lining up in Tulsa ahead of Saturday's planned rally. Masks will be handed out at the event but people won't be required to wear them. Many of them just won't. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration firing back at former national security adviser John Bolton. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling him a traitor who told lies and half truths about the president in his new book. Bolton details a series of allegations claiming the president was motivated by one thing.
[John Bolton, Fmr. National Security Advisor:] There really isn't any guiding principle that I was able to discern other than what's good for Donald Trump's reelection.
[Holmes:] It has been a trying week for President Trump. From that uptick in coronavirus cases to political slams and supreme court setbacks. CNN's Jim Acosta takes a look at the latest turmoil the president is facing.
[Jim Acosta, Snr. Cnn White House Correspondent:] With 2020 shaping up to be a re-election nightmare, President Trump appears to be in denial when it comes to the string of crises overwhelming his administration. Take Mr. Trump's response to concerns about the coronavirus at his rally this weekend in Oklahoma.
[Trump:] No. Because, if you look, the numbers are very miniscule compared to what it was. It's dying out.
[Acosta:] But that's not true as the virus is spiking in states across the south in places like Florida.
[Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, University Of Alabama At Birmingham:] The potential for the virus to take off there is very, very nerve-wracking and could have catastrophic consequences.
[Acosta:] The president is even questioning the value of testing for the virus, telling the "Wall Street Journal" No wonder one of the administration's top health experts, Dr. Anthony Fauci, worries about an anti-science bias in the U.S.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] One of the problems we face in the United States is that, unfortunately, there is a combination of an anti-science bias that people are for reasons that sometimes are inconceivable and not understandable they just don't believe science. And they don't believe authority.
[Acosta:] Besides the virus, Mr. Trump's presidency is in a tailspin on a number of fronts. From the unrest in U.S. cities to losses at the supreme court to the biting comments from his own former aides. Like John Bolton. After the supreme court ruled against his administration's plans to scrap the DACA program that shields young undocumented immigrants from being deported, Mr. Trump tweeted Doesn't sound like the winning he promised voters in 2016.
[Trump:] We're going to win so much. You are going to get so sick and tired of winning. You're going to come to me and say please, please, we can't win anymore."
[Acosta:] As for Bolton, who's just the latest ex-aide to slam the president, the former national security adviser is alleging in a tell- all book that Mr. Trump sought China's help in the 2020 race. And even blessed Chinese concentration camps for ethnic minority Uighurs.
[Bolton:] I don't think he's fit for office. I don't think he has the competence to carry out the job.
[Acosta:] The president, who once said he only hired the best people, told the "Journal"
[Trump:] In terms of Bolton, he broke the law. He was a washed up guy; I gave him a chance.
[Acosta:] The president is also defending his Lafayette Square photo op where he held up a bible after protesters were pushed back with force. Saying Incredibly, the president is claiming success for raising awareness about the Juneteenth holiday dedicated to remembering the end of slavery as that was the original date for his Tulsa rally before he postponed it. Saying The president insists his rally will be safe.
[Trump:] No, we'll go there. Everyone is going to be safe, they have to be safe. They want to be safe.
[Acosta:] The president concedes there is a chance a small percentage of the people at his rally in Tulsa this weekend may contract the coronavirus. As it turns, out the topic of his rally did not come up at the latest meeting of the coronavirus task force, the one place where experts would have told aides to the president an indoor political event in the middle of a pandemic is a bad idea. Jim Acosta, CNN, the White House.
[Holmes:] Nearly half of the 50 U.S. states are seeing sharp increases in new coronavirus cases. Ten states are seeing record new numbers over the last week. And the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute believes that we're going to see a lot more unless there are some serious policy changes. According to Johns Hopkins, more than 118,000 people in the U.S. have died so far, more than 2.1 million have been infected. State and local leaders weighing what to do. Some are mandating that masks must be worn in public, others sending police to enforce social distancing regulations. In several states where new cases have spiked, like Florida and North Carolina, hospitalizations are on the rise too. Epidemiologists says that is a sign that the new numbers don't simply come from more testing. And Dr. Jorge Rodriguez practices internal medicine and is a viral specialist who joins me now from Los Angeles. Good to see you again, Doctor.
[Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, Internal & Viral Specialist:] Thank you.
[Holmes:] So, yes. Wednesday in the U.S., June 17th, 25,610 cases. That's up seven percent over the previous 14 days. As we've been saying, 23 states have increasing numbers. Clearly, despite what the president and vice president say, the situation is getting worse not better. What is being done wrong?
[Rodriguez:] Well, you're absolutely right. The situation definitely has not gone away. He said that this is not a second wave, he's correct. It is the continuation of the first wave. And unfortunately, there are hotspots throughout the country and we travel now throughout the country. So we are spreading this virus from Florida to Arizona to Las Vegas to California. What's being done, unfortunately, is not a concerted effort. I believe that not until there is a federal strict guideline as to what every state should do are we going to contain this. It just doesn't make sense that we have these hodgepodge states and communities all giving out completely different recommendations. It's just not going to work.
[Holmes:] Yes. Yes, indeed. One place with rising numbers, as we were just saying, is Tulsa, Oklahoma. You look at where big spreads have happened throughout this pandemic meatpacking plants, church services, student graduation parties, reopened bars. And yet, the president wants to put 20,000 people together in an enclosed place for a political rally where you sign a waiver you won't sue if you catch it. What is your take on that rally even happening?
[Rodriguez:] Well, my take is that not only is it ludicrous, I think it's borderline, if not completely, criminal. People are being asked because of political reasons to put their life at risk. We don't have major sporting events for this reason, we don't have concerts for this reason. We know that there are two things that spread the virus more than anything. And not only is that being in close proximity to someone who is infectious but being in close proximity for a prolonged period of time. This rally is basically asking for trouble. And it's going to get it. There's no way that people are going to come out of there unscathed and will not spread it. It's just not going to happen.
[Holmes:] The president said, quote The vice president said there are embers of the virus. Said there's no second wave, as you pointed out, we're not done with the first wave. What are the risks of that kind of messaging to the American people?
[Rodriguez:] Well, it's very detrimental. And unfortunately, this pandemic in the United States has become politicized. People are already lining up in Tulsa. People are it's sort of here in the U.S., the basketball games are skins and shirts. It's now the two teams are masks and no masks. And that is a shame. So people are using not wearing a mask almost as a MAGA hat. And since the president says that there's nothing wrong, I'll be damned, some people are going to go out there and prove that there's nothing wrong. Give me liberty or give me death. I'm afraid they're going to get both; the liberty to do what they want and deadly results from it.
[Holmes:] What do you make of that small study that was published in the "Journal of Nature [sic] Medicine" on Thursday? And we're just hearing a report about it found that a group of three dozen COVID- 19 patients from Wuhan, basically asymptomatic carriers, were infectious longer than those with symptoms, and produced fewer antibodies. It's confusing. Does that show how little we do know about this thing?
[Rodriguez:] Exactly. That was going to be my point. The good thing about a study like this is that we are learning. Michael, we have to keep in mind, that humans have never been infected with this virus before. So we don't know what is going to happen. This study showed that people that didn't get a lot of virus, probably the ones that are asymptomatic, didn't develop a lot of antibodies. And if they did, those antibodies, 40 percent of them, had lost them within two months. So this should be a cautionary tale for people that have antibodies and assume that they are forever going to be protected against the virus. We don't know if that's the case, we don't even know for how many months you're going to be protected. So the bottom line and the final and the message is that until we have a treatment or a vaccine, we need to wear facial coverings, use extreme hygiene, and social distancing. Because we still don't have all the answers.
[Holmes:] Yes. Dr. Fauci commenting on what he calls anti-science bias among many in America. Some people in the country, they just won't believe the science even when it's compelling and put right there in front of them. Do you agree, and what s the danger?
[Rodriguez:] I agree with him 110 percent. This is something that's been happening for a while in this country. And listen, if I'm going to get and I already have, I guess, very political is I think that the amount of education in this country has decreased. If you don't understand science, how can you believe in science? And institutions are also being questioned. I don't see people questioning how an airplane flies, right, they still trust that it does. But something has happened. In the fact that now we get snippets because of mass information through the Internet and we sort of use that information to validate what we believe. As opposed to understanding science that has been around forever. So, I hate to say it, I think we've gotten dumber therefore we don't believe people that we think are smarter. I don't know if that's fair to say but I do believe that he's right.
[Holmes:] It's staggering, isn't it? Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, great to talk to you, as always. Thanks so much.
[Rodriguez:] Always.
[Holmes:] And do stay with us here on CNN for our "
[Global Town Hall:] CORONAVIRUS FACTS AND FEARS," with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. That's next hour. 7:00 am if you're in London, 2:00 pm in Hong Kong. Dozens of new cases reported in China, setting back officials' claims of success in the fight against coronavirus. Some of these cases are linked to a major food market in Beijing. A top health official says the outbreak is under control and praises authorities for stepping up restrictions. More than 350,000 people connected to the market are reportedly being tested. CNN's David Culver reports.
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] Beijing health officials have labeled this most recent cluster under control but it's come with widespread testing. We're talking hundreds of thousands of people in just a few days' time. It's also coming with a return of the closures to things like gyms and restaurants and other public spaces. And we're seeing physical barriers go up, particularly around the market where this most recent outbreak began. In fact, we drove past it staying in the car for obvious reasons but we can give you an idea as to what we saw driving by.
[Culver:] I'm going to give you a little look right here through the window. This is the outskirts of the market. You can see there are some folks back there with hazmat suits on. All of this is shut off. The reason we're not stepping out of the car actually, let's keep driving because I don't want to draw too much attention is because, if we were to cross into this restricted zone, we would then be potentially flagged and be put into government quarantine. How do they know that? A few ways. One is they could physically stop us and get our information, another is they would see the tags of the car and they would mark that down and track us down. And another big data that we've been living by here, they would trace you through your cell phone. We've heard several reports of people being flagged because of where their cellphones were located geographically within those high-risk areas. And then being contacted and told they essentially need to be sealed off from the rest of the world.
[Holmes:] And CNN's Anna Coren joins me now live from Hong Kong with more on this. That test and trace operation is remarkable, 300- or so thousand. But, obviously, still a worrying moment for the country.
[Anna Coren, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes, absolutely. China can do this because they have an authoritarian regime in power and can tell people what to do. But it is extremely effective. Hence they have tested 356,000 people that they think have come into contact with those who were working at the Xinfadi market. And there are tens of thousands of people who were working there before it was shut down on the weekend. But even though authorities are saying they have this under control, the number of cases have been rising. Today the number's 28 new cases, 25 of those in Beijing, taking the number in the capital to 183 stemming from that Xinfadi food market that David was just outside. That food market supplied 80 percent of Beijing's fresh produce fruit, vegetable, meat, seafood. And interestingly, Michael, it was detected on a chopping board that was used for imported salmon. Now authorities have come out and said that the salmon is not what was the host of the coronavirus, there's no evidence of that. But as a result, salmon sales have absolutely plummeted in Beijing. It's not being served in restaurants and obviously not being sold in any supermarkets. But the CDC in China said that the reason that the patients who work at the seafood and meat stands contracted the coronavirus is because of the conditions. Low temperatures, high humidity, is favorable to the spread of coronavirus. So that is why they are saying that the majority of the patients were working at those stands. Beijing is in soft lockdown. It is virtually impossible now to get out of the city unless you test negative for the virus within seven days. Schools have been shut, public institutions have been shut like museums and parks. They are taking every single precaution to ensure that they don't see a repeat of what happened in Wuhan earlier this year when millions fled that city before it went into lockdown. And, of course, by millions of people leaving Wuhan, it allowed the virus to spread around the world. So Beijing is making it a top priority to contain this latest outbreak Michael.
[Holmes:] All right, Anna. Thank for that. Anna Coren there in Hong Kong. And, in fact, we do have some breaking news out of Beijing to bring you.

[Bash:] This early in the primary season, the focus is usually on early states like Iowa and New Hampshire. But this weekend, it was all eyes on California. More than a dozen 2020 hopefuls flew west to speak at the California Democratic convention, a breakfast for union workers and a progressive rally where each candidate was asked to present one big idea for the future.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] I got a lot of ideas. I'll share one of them with you. And it's about equal pay.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] Stop endless wars. We have got to cut military spending.
[Booker:] One of the issues that is most threatening to our democracy which is wealth disparity.
[Warren:] End lobbying as we know it. They've had enough power long enough.
[Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand , Presidential Candidate:] Let's pay a national paid leave bill that actually works.
[Julian Castro , Presidential Candidate:] We're going to hold police departments and police officers accountable in this country for excessive force.
[Beto O'rourke , Presidential Candidate:] Ensure that every immigrant who has come to this country was truly treated with the dignity and respect that they deserved.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , Presidential Candidate:] Register every kid to vote in this country when they turn 18.
[Bash:] In recent times California has been the blue state Democratic candidates go to raise money and leave. Not anymore. Now it's a crucial campaign stop. The reason is because in 2020, the Golden State primary is some three months earlier than it was four years ago. California's nearly 500 delegates will be up for grabs on Super Tuesday. What did you guys think of all the performances yesterday?
[Zeleny:] Well, certainly interesting that those candidates are trying to break out and distinguish themselves.
[Bash:] Yes.
[Zeleny:] Those 500 delegates are key, but important to keep in mind how Democrats award their delegates, they're proportional. So, people only get a share of them. So, no one is going to walk away with this big trove. So, California will be important. The question is which candidates make it to California.
[Thomas:] Exactly.
[Zeleny:] Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, still important before. All candidates will not have enough gas in the tank to be able to get there.
[Thomas:] Yes. And I think Kamala Harris, all eyes are on her. She put out a long list of endorsements before this big weekend in California.
[Bash:] Her home state.
[Thomas:] Her home state. Everyone thinks she should be do well. But there are some anticipation of can she actually corral a bunch of Democrats. Is it enough delegates, even though she's not doing well in Iowa and New Hampshire, she can make it to California and take that. If she can't show power in California, for her, that's the problem.
[Bash:] And then the person who was not there who was the elephant or donkey in the room, if you will, was Joe Biden. But a couple of candidates were trying to bring him into the fold not so subtly. Listen to that.
[Warren:] Some Democrats in Washington believe the only changes we can get are tweaks and nudges. If they dream at all, they dream small. Some say if we all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] He wins if we look like more of the same. He wins if we look like Washington. So the riskiest thing we can do is try too hard to play it safe.
[Johnson:] I think what you just saw there is Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg articulating the tension, the key tension in the Democratic primary which is those candidates who think that Donald Trump is the problem in the American political system and if you beat Donald Trump, a reversion to, quoteunquote, normalcy is the fix we need. And those candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who want an entire overhaul of the political system, who have a more revolutionary view of things. And I think when Biden is not present and unable to defend himself and articulate what he thinks is the problem, that's a disadvantage.
[Bash:] So, Biden was on the campaign trail, just in the Midwest, not on the West Coast, and he was trying to distinguish himself, going after Donald Trump while at the same time talking about his record in pushing rights for LGBTQ Americans. Listen to this.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] This president, this White House has literally a bully pulpit, callously extending his power over the most vulnerable. Implementing discriminatory policies, the current vice president uses religious freedom as an excuse to license discrimination. We need to send a clear message directly from the top of our government that prejudice is prejudice and humanity is humanity, period, no cultural reason or excuse.
[Bash:] Translation, I'm a progressive.
[Davis:] Absolutely. I mean, what you saw in knows two separate appearances was, you know, they asked the California convention, they wanted one big idea, right? You heard all these dramatic ideas coming from the sound you played from Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg. Joe Biden's big idea for his campaign is Donald Trump is bad for this country, right? And that's what you heard him articulate in that comment there, and I think he's banking on I don't think it's so much that he feels he's being silenced, doesn't have the opportunity to offer those ideas, I think he's banking on the opposite, which is he doesn't need to prove his progressive bona fides if we can persuade people that what we really is returned to what you all used to, and what, you know, what you saw in the past. But you heard Pete Buttigieg say that's not enough. If we do that, we will lose.
[Bash:] That's such a key sort of tension point and debating point, whether or not voters I think are going to articulate it or it's something that's kind of in their bones. Do we want to go with somebody who we know keeps us calm or do we want to shake things up? I mean, I think Barack Obama wasn't exactly the safe choice.
[Thomas:] No. I think Vice President Biden, part of the reason he wasn't in California is he doesn't think he needs to do what everyone else is doing. He has the name recognition. He didn't get into the race until late, which was everyone was like, when are you getting into the race? You have to raise money. Are you going to be able to raise money? It turns out he was able to raise money. So, he did something totally different which then got us talking about the fact that he's not in California. So they are playing that in a different way. He thinks that he doesn't have to play by the same rules as the other 22 people in this race.
[Bash:] So, the whole question is whether or not the party especially the voting bloc have moved so far left, that there isn't a place for moderates. What you call Joe Biden we don't know. But John Hickenlooper, the former governor of Colorado, got the answer loud and clear.
[John Hickenlooper , Presidential Candidate:] If we want to beat Donald Trump and achieve big aggressive goals, socialism is not the answer.
[Zeleny:] That's not the worst kind of boo if you're John Hickenlooper. The reality is this. Look at the results of 2018 and other things. The Democratic Party is not the majority of the Democratic Party are not the activists in California and are not the people who live on Twitter.
[Bash:] That's right.
[Zeleny:] They are voters in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina and Ohio, a lot of big states. Some people agree that the party has moved too far to the left. So, as John Hickenlooper, I don't know if that was a choice or a plan of his, but it may have been. He's a very smart governor. He was from a purple state. I think the reality to all of this is that's why Joe Biden is not at that convention. He might have gotten booed as well. He's marching to his own drummer here. And the first and last sentence of every possible proposal, I can beat Donald Trump.
[Thomas:] To give John Hickenlooper a little credit, California Democrats elect a new chair yesterday. There was a progressive woman who had a lot of energy behind her, but they elected a labor leader, Rusty Hicks, as the Democratic chairman, which said there are still people who are in the party who kind of want to play it a little safer.
[Bash:] OK. So, before we go to break, we have to talk about the new debate rules that the DNC announced this past week. So, right now, the rules are that to get on the first set of debate stages, you have the criteria are 1 percent in three approved polls or 65,000 unique donors. If we can put that on the screen, that has set up a very large field of people who are already qualifying. It could be even larger for the first set of debates. Here is the change. The change is, the new criteria are 2 percent in four new polls after June 28th and at least 130,000 individual donors. Right now, as of today, the reason those candidates are in shadows is because, if you had those criteria today, they would not qualify for the debate.
[Zeleny:] It's significant in every way. It's a huge change. Some of these candidates, frankly, won't make the debate. They are saying, look, the DNC is trying to tip its finger on the scale. Again, there are accusations
[Bash:] Try to winnow the field.
[Zeleny:] If you're Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders or others, you don't want the field to be winnowed either. You benefit from a large field here. There's a couple different things at play. We'll see if that stays in shape or not. But if so, the September debate is going to be a much smaller table could probably fit around this table right now.
[Bash:] This is a fine place to have it. All right. Julie, you mentioned this earlier. We're going to talk next about Pelosi's problem. Over 50 House Democrats say it's time for impeachment hearings. She says not yet.

[Sciutto:] We're now just minutes away from hearing from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Will she address when she might send articles of impeachment on to the Senate? We will soon see. For now, according to a source, my next guest is in talks to possibly be on the president's defense team during a Senate trial. With me now, Republican Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana. Congressman, we appreciate you taking the time this morning.
[Rep. Mike Johnson:] Hey, Jim. Great to be with you.
[Sciutto:] So it's our understanding that you met with White House Counsel Pat Cipollone yesterday along with Representative Jim Jordan and John Ratcliffe, under consideration to be on the president's defense team. Is that accurate? And would you accept such a role?
[Johnson:] You know, I'm really not at liberty to talk about that. I would be delighted to serve on the defense team. I feel very strongly in the president's case, and if he asked me to serve in that capacity, I certainly would but
[Sciutto:] OK.
[Johnson:] there's really I don't have much more to talk about it this morning.
[Sciutto:] OK. You heard the Senate majority leader make his case to the floor, and you know that he is opposing any witnesses being called during a Senate trial. I want to play the Senate majority leader, 20 years ago, on CNN when a Democratic president faced impeachment, his position on witnesses in a Senate trial then, and then get your reaction. Have a listen.
[Sen. Mitch Mcconnell:] Every other impeachment has had witnesses, it's not unusual to have witnesses in a trial. And I think we're handling this in exactly the appropriate way under the Constitution, and it will end soon.
[Sciutto:] Why were Republicans in favor of witnesses in a Senate trial when a Democratic president faced impeachment, but not when President Trump is facing impeachment?
[Johnson:] Probably for the same reason that Chuck Schumer had the opposition position during the Clinton trial. Look, these are political exercises. And I think Mitch McConnell has said that very clearly. He said it frankly yesterday. You could play a game tape, he said, from 20 years ago on both sides, and both sides would probably be on the opposite side of the issue. I think the important point that he made this morning was, that Adam Schiff has made a mess
[Sciutto:] Can you make a principled argument? Can you make a principled argument? I know it's easy to say politics is politics, but can you make a principled argument for why the American people should not hear from the president's advisors, who have direct knowledge of his decision-making on Ukraine? Why shouldn't Americans have that chance?
[Johnson:] Jim, I don't oppose it. I mean, I would be in favor of a lengthy trial because I think the president has a should get a chance to put his case on. But I think what Senator McConnell's saying, is that Adam Schiff and the Democrats made a mess of their case. They rushed this thing through because they were breathless in its sense of urgency, and they put together their best case and it's falling apart. And so now they've got to redo it. And Chuck Schumer wants to basically fix the mess that they created. I don't think he'll have an opportunity to do that.
[Sciutto:] Let's get to the heart of the allegation at the center of this, and some claims that are made by you and other members of the Republican Party. You, for instance, have said repeatedly that the president was merely guaranteeing that U.S. aid to Ukraine was being used properly. I want to quote from a letter from the Under Secretary of Defense John Rood. He wrote Congress in May of this year, two months before that presidential phone call, that the Pentagon, quote, "certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defense institutional reforms for the purposes of decreasing corruption [and] increasing accountability." They certified that the aid was going to the right places and should go. Why was it then justified for the president to take aid away from an ally at war with Russia if the Pentagon certified it?
[Johnson:] The president is the commander in chief. He is the top commanding officer of the U.S. armed forces by the way, our constitutional republic is set up, 63 million Americans voted to give him that responsibility and the oversight ultimately of the use of precious American
[Sciutto:] Did they give him the right
[Johnson:] taxpayer dollars overseas.
[Sciutto:] to delay that aid for personal political favor?
[Johnson:] That's not what happened here. I don't think that's what happened. When he
[Sciutto:] Oh.
[Johnson:] in the famous phone call of July 25th, he said, "Do us a favor," talking about the country.
[Sciutto:] Wow.
[Johnson:] He ran on an American first
[Sciutto: I -- Johnson:] America first priority and platform and theme, and that's what he's been consistent about. He wants to make sure
[Sciutto:] Well, as you know
[Johnson:] that our taxpayer dollars aren't
[Sciutto:] multiple advisors
[Johnson:] squandered overseas.
[Sciutto:] Multiple advisors testified under oath that there was a direct connection to investigating the Bidens. I want to ask you about something else. Because what's going on right now
[Johnson:] That was their conjecture and speculation, Jim, that's what they said under oath. There's only one direct witness, and it's Sondland.
[Sciutto:] The president's appointed E.U. ambassador, who used the words "quid pro quo," as I know you heard. But I do want to ask you because something's going on right now. The president's personal attorney returned from Ukraine once again. He says he's gathered a whole host of information relevant to investigating the Bidens. This is one of the people Rudy Giuliani met with in Ukraine. He is a member of the Ukrainian parliament, pro-Russian, who trained with the KGB. Is this a reliable source of information for investigating a U.S. citizen and the former vice president?
[Johnson:] I don't know anything about that. It's the first I've heard of it. Rudy Giuliani's a private citizen, he can travel anywhere he wants and investigate anything he wants. We also heard a rumor he was in Ukraine to film a documentary film. I mean, I don't know, but that's not relevant to the impeachment that happened on this House floor just last night. It's
[Sciutto:] He interviewed this guy and he's got a picture of him, meeting with him on Facebook. So it's not made up.
[Johnson:] Well, I mean, OK. That really doesn't have much to do with what we're doing here. And last night was an absolute tragedy. I think Mitch McConnell was right in his comments this morning, that the Democrats have opened a Pandora's box. Because you have to think about this a few years down the road. What happens, Jim, when there's a Democrat in the Oval Office and a Republican majority in the House? The Republican base around the country will begin to demand impeachment as soon as that president makes a decision or a policy position or a statement that they don't like. Because the bar has now been set so low, they have cheapened impeachment, as the president said. And that's of great concern for the republic and it should not be lost in all these discussions today.
[Sciutto:] Congressman Mike Johnson, we appreciate you joining the program this morning.
[Johnson:] Thank you, Jim. Appreciate it.
[Harlow:] Well, that was a fascinating interview. He's in favor of a lengthy trial. I wonder if
[Sciutto:] It is. He did say that he would support witnesses being called
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] that's notable.
[Harlow:] Yes, I thought so too, Jim. OK. At any moment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will speak. She will take reporter questions. This, after she's refused to commit to sending articles of impeachment directly to the Senate. Will she give some clarity on that today? Stay right here.

[Keilar:] Since testing positive for coronavirus, President Trump has undergone an aggressive treatment plan, and this includes everything from a steroid to an experimental cocktail that is not yet approved by the FDA. Jacqueline Howard is our CNN Health Reporter. And, Jacqueline, just take us through this, these three medicines that he is taking and also their side effects.
[Jacqueline Howard, Cnn Health Reporter:] Brianna, so we know that the president has been given an aggressive treatment plan. He has access to medications that most COVID-19 patients wouldn't necessarily be treated with. Here is a list of the three main medications that we have been told the president has received. It includes the antiviral drug, remdesivir, it includes the investigational antibody cocktail monoclonal antibody cocktail from the company, Regeneron, and the corticosteroid drug, dexamethasone. Now, regarding side effects of these drugs, we know that with Remdesivir, the antiviral, it is administered through an I.V. And we do know that the president is on a five-day course of that medication, so side effects of it can include pain at the injection site, as well as nausea. We also know that with Remdesivir, the goal is for it to help speed recovery. When it comes to the corticosteroid, dexamethasone, the goal with that mediation is for it to target inflammation. And we do know the side effects here, the corticosteroid is commonly used for other conditions, as well as well-known drug. And along with the side effects it can cause includes mood swings. So that's important to keep in mind with dexamethasone as far as the side effects. And then with the investigational monoclonal antibody cocktail from the company, Regeneron, he were told the president was given a single eight gram dose of this medication, and it is currently still experimental. So, that means the president's physician had to request compassionate use for it to be used. Because it is still investigational and, still experimental, we're still learning more about it. But, Brianna, that's a list of what we know so far. That's we've been told. But as you know, there are still a lot we don't know. So we're hoping more details will unfold in moments to come.
[Keilar:] Yes, that was helpful though. Thank you, Jacqueline Howard, we appreciate it. And let's get more now with Dr. Peter Hotez. He is a Professor and Dean of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. So, Dr. Hotez, let's start with the side effects of these drugs. And what would you say of these drugs is most concerning to you considering the side effects? Just walk us through that.
[Dr. Peter Hotez, Professor And Dean Of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College Of Medicine:] Well, there is a lot we don't know about the remdesivir, which is an antiviral drug. So we're going to learn more about it. With steroids, they can cause mood swings, sometimes euphoria. You're seeing a lot of it on the internet trying to claim that that ride through the streets of Washington last night was in response to some kind of euphoria induced by dexamethasone. It's really hard to make that call. I wouldn't be prepared to go there. But on the other hand, these drugs are very powerful and we haven't seen them used in combination a lot. I think, for me, the puzzle is how sick the president was on Wednesday and Thursday. And that's important, because we are getting widely divergent points of views. On the one hand, we're hearing that the president was not that sick, that there was that was a precaution, which is a pretty extraordinary regimen of medicines for someone that is not that sick. On the other hand, you're hearing he was, of course, he had all the risk factors, he was declining in terms of oxygenation and his respirations, and there was a lot of concern. And that's what prompted this very aggressive regimen. So it would be really helpful if we had more transparency about that, because some of these medicines are experimental. For instance, that monoclonal antibody that he got, those contain virus-neutralizing antibodies. And we've talked, Brianna, over the last few months about how that is so important in protecting individuals against COVID-19, all of the vaccines work by inducing virus-neutralizing antibodies, except it can take six weeks after two doses to induce that. These monoclonal antibodies give it up front. So, one possible scenario is that the president was deteriorating and these monoclonal antibodies saved his life. That is a possibility. But without any real transparency or knowledge from White House medical staff of what the heck was going on with the president, it is hard to really piece it all together.
[Keilar:] So maybe this is a question that you can answer. On one hand, you're saying there could one of the reasons for giving him all of these things, which are serious medications, is because he has been very sick and they're throwing everything at the problem that they can. Is there another possibility that there's a hope that maybe they can do this, and it would be he's the president, maybe a speedy recovery, or is that not really a consideration here in how these medications might be being prescribed?
[Hotez:] You know, at this point, it's so hard to know. It could be that is it because the physicians panicked and because he is the president, they just had this reflex action. I would tend to doubt it. I mean, if you were the White House physician, knowing how reckless everyone is at the White House with wearing masks, you would think I mean, I would certainly, if I were the White House physician, I would actually have a plan ready to go in case the president starts getting COVID-19 and starts to deteriorate. And that would mean calling ahead of time with the companies, Regeneron, to have that monoclonal antibody ready so that if he did start to deteriorate, we might consider that. And it's just a matter of pressing the send button, and is that what happened or was it because the president himself insisted on getting all these medications. Again, without any kind of clarity, we could speculate all day. My best guess is that it is only a guess, is that the White House maybe had a plan for what to do, he started to deteriorate and they activated that plan. And part of that plan, notifying Walter Reed, getting ready to admit him, and maybe using the monoclonal antibody, which neutralizing antibodies are probably one of the most effective weapons we have, it would be nice to have those randomized clinical trial results before we went ahead and did that.
[Keilar:] Sure. And just very quickly, because I am out of time, Dr. Hotez, considering some of the side effects here, should he have outsourced his duties to the vice president?
[Hotez:] Yes, that's a good question. Given how quickly he could have deteriorated, given what we know about COVID-19 and all of his risk factors, with his age, in fact, he is male, and the underlying co- morbidities, the weight and maybe high blood pressure, I think that could have been a viable strategy. And also in terms of keeping him in the hospital, that Remdesivir is a five-day course. Stay there. Stay at Walter Reed at least for the next five days, because we don't know about all the drug interactions. And there's still a lot that could go wrong. The president is not out of the woods, even despite the crazy ride last night.
[Keilar:] Doctor Hotez, it was a crazy ride. Thank you so much for explaining this to us. The president leaving isolation, putting two Secret Service agents at risk to take this joyride outside of a hospital. Hear what agents are saying behind the scenes. They are not happy. Plus, Joe Biden comments on the future of the race with the president in the hospital. And, nationwide, there are disturbing new signs that the virus is surging again.

[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Unrefined, unprocessed carbs, as you might guess. There's things like that. And then there's broader themes. Why do countries that are similar to the United States continue to increase in life expectancy. What's the value of community? Those things make a difference.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] Wow. Congratulations.
[Harlow:] I know it was a lot of work. Thank you very much. Be sure to watch it. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta's special series "Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta" premiering this Saturday, 00 p.m. Eastern. Thank you for being with us. No shortage of news. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning. I'm Poppy Harlow.
[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] And I'm Jim Sciutto. "AT THIS HOUR" with Kate Bolduan starts right now.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks so much for joining me. After an almost seven-year standoff, holding international law enforcement at bay, WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange is under arrest. Police in London took Assange into custody this morning, taking him from the embassy of Ecuador where he's been under protection for years. He's now charged with jumping bail in the U.K. But also, and importantly, he's indicted here in the United States. A short time ago, the Justice Department announced Assange is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. That's how they put it. This is for allegedly working with and helping Chelsea Manning back in 2010. You'll remember, crack the code on a classified military computer, and Manning released hundreds of thousands of sensitive documents related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. CNN's Isa Soares is in London outside the court where Assange faces a judge for the first time. Senior justice correspondent, Evan Perez, is in Washington. Isa, what happened in court? There's a lot going on there today.
[Isa Soares, Cnn Correspondent:] Very much. And you can hear the screams behind, the protests, people saying no U.S. extradition. Many people here calling for him not to be extradited and calling for freedom of speech and the protection of freedom of speech. Kate, let me give you a sense of what exactly happened. Around quarter past 2:00, local time in London, Julian Assange arriving to court, courtroom number one, wearing a dark suit, gray beard, as we saw from the shot of him this morning, being dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy. He gave the thumbs up to the press as he went in. He seemed calm. He seemed confident. He was then asked to give his name and to give his date of birth, which he did. He sat down. Then he was given the reasons for his arrest warrant. So the two you outlined in the introduction, one for skipping bail back in 2012, the other for the U.S. extradition. He was given detail, we heard a U.S. official, basically, talking about how he was arrested and how the arrest took place and the fact that he basically refused to be arrested, so they had to basically cuff him and detain him and drag him out of the Ecuadorian embassy. Those are the shots we saw today. We then heard, regarding the bail that he skipped, he was then told he skipped bail. His lawyer said the reason he skipped bail was because he thought he couldn't get a fair trial, hence, why he went to the Ecuadorian embassy, to which the judge had this to say if I can get this the judge described him, and I'm quoting him here, as "a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own self-interest." In what regards to the bail, he could get as many as 12 months or so in prison. And what regards to the extradition hearing, we're expecting that hearing to take place on May 2nd. And until then, what we're going to be hearing is him making appearance by video link to the court so they can see him, they can hear from him. So Julian Assange being taken away, back to jail, waiting to hear on his extradition. And that date is now May 2nd Kate?
[Bolduan:] And as Isa is there, we're waiting to see who, if anyone, will be coming out to speak, possibly attorneys for Julian Assange. And I'm just looking at the video again. We'll wait to see if we hear from them and what they have to say. Isa, thank you. Evan, let me bring you in. Can you walk us through the charges and this extradition request from the U.S.?
[Evan Perez, Cnn Senior Justice Correspondent:] Right now, Kate, there's just one charge. That has to do with the 2010 hacking or the 2010 stolen documents that Chelsea Manning if you remember, she was found guilty for those crimes some time ago, during the Obama administration. But according to this indictment that was unsealed in Alexandria, Virginia, prosecutors say Assange was part of it. He helped conspire with Chelsea Manning to try to get passwords into that sensitive military computer system, as you mentioned. We do expect there's going to be more. This is just the beginning. The Justice Department is expected to file more charges against Julian Assange. We don't know exactly when that will be and what exactly those will be. But this is a case, as you know, that has been going on for a long time, including obviously during the Obama administration where they looked at whether they could charge Julian Assange and look at WikiLeaks as something other than a journalistic organization and a publisher. They were struggling with that. They really didn't think they could. Remember, news organizations worked with WikiLeaks to publish some of that information. Some of that had begun changing towards the end of the Obama administration and certainly under Jeff Sessions as attorney general. They made a new legal finding, and they decided they could. Some of that, Kate, has to do with evidence they were able to recover. The FBI was able to find, recover communications that they say shows that Julian Assange was more than just a publisher. He was more than just receiving this information. He was an active participant conspiring to try to get into these computers. That's the reason why you see these charges finally today.
[Bolduan:] Absolutely. Evan, thank you so much. Great to see you. Let's talk more about this. Samantha Vinograd is here, former senior adviser to the Security Council in the Obama administration, a CNN national security analyst. CNN crime and justice reporter, Shimon Prokupecz, is here. And Steve Vladeck, a CNN contributor and a professor at the Texas School of Law. Shimon, when you look at the indictment, and it spells it out, it's a good reminder, you were covering this extensively as this went down. Remind folks, it's 250,000 diplomatic cables plus much more that Chelsea Manning revealed. In the impact of it all.
[Shimon Prokupecz, Cnn Crime & Justice Reporter:] The impact was great. The information was shared with journalists, reporters, various stories, the "New York Times," "The Guardian, all sorts of stories written about this. And it was highly sensitive information. Some of it controversial. Some of it embarrassing to many countries, because he also what happened Julian Assange also got ahold of cables, diplomatic cables that Chelsea Manning wound up getting ahold of and leaking. There was a video of an airstrike, which was hugely controversial, which created all sorts of problems. The U.S. government said they had to relocate sources that they were relying on in Afghanistan and other parts of the world because of the release of this information. Changes came about because of these leaks. They were an important part of our history, certainly. So it was controversial, nonetheless. And it certainly created problems for the U.S. government at the time of its release.
[Bolduan:] You were part of the U.S. government at the time.
[Samantha Vinograd, Cnn National Security Analyst:] I was. I was at the White House when the first release of these documents unfolded as well as the successive stages. Let's not forget, it wasn't just one release by Chelsea Manning.
[Bolduan:] Right.
[Vinograd:] There were several stages of this, including, by the way, unredacted cables that came after the initial 2010 release. This wasn't just embarrassing for the U.S. government. This represented a grave national security risk. Several of these cables, thousands of them, were classified above an unclassified level. Information is classified because it's unauthorized disclosure could result in national security risks. Having been at the White House, I can tell you our personnel overseas, including not just military personnel, our diplomats, our sources and methods used in intelligence operations, were put at immediate risk of exposure, retaliation and more. When we talk about this, let's not just talk it embarrassing. Let's also call it dangerous.
[Bolduan:] Steve, you've talked about how there's been so much discussion about hold on one second, Steve. I'm told in my ear that the Assange attorneys are speaking outside the court. Let's listen to that.
[Jennifer Robinson, Attorney For Julian Assange:] that Julian Assange would face prosecution and extradition to the United States. Unfortunately, today, we have been proven right. Mr. Assange was arrested this morning at about 10:00 at the Ecuadorian embassy after the ambassador formally notified him his asylum would be revoked and he was arrested by British police. We today received a warrant and a provisional extradition request from the United States alleging that he has conspired with Chelsea Manning in relation to the materials published by WikiLeaks in 2010. This sets a dangerous precedent for all media organizations and journalists in Europe and elsewhere around the world. This precedent means that any journalist can be extradited for prosecution to the United States for having published truthful information about the United States. I have just been with Mr. Assange in the police cells. He wants to thank all of his supporters for their ongoing support, and he said I told you so.
[Kristinn Hrafnsson, Editor-in-chief, Wikileaks:] Well, the only thing to add to this is the fact this is a dark day for journalists. And as Jennifer said, this sets a precedent. We don't want this to go forward. This has to be averted. The U.K. government needs to make a full assurance that a journalist will never be extradited to the United States for publishing activity. This pertains to publishing work nine years ago, publishing of documents, of videos of killing of innocent civilians, exposure of war crimes. This is journalism. It's called conspiracy. It's conspiracy to commit journalism. So this has to end. And we urge everybody to support Julian Assange in fighting this extradition. Thank you.
[Unidentified Reporter:] What legal avenues are available to you to prevent his extradition?
[Robinson:] We will be contesting and fighting extradition. We have requested he now get some medical treatment. He's been refused medical treatment for the past seven and a half years, seven years since being inside the embassy. We will be fighting extradition, and he'll be brought before the court again in the next month.
[Unidentified Reporter:] How is he now?
[Robinson:] We're not going to be taking any more questions today. Thank you very much.
[Hrafnsson:] You were asking about the elements in the extradition request. It is quite obvious that the U.S. authorities have picked just one element of what they have been working on for a long time, including the espionage acts that are have decades in prison. There's no assurance there would not be additional charges when he's on U.S. soil. And I think, and I believe, that this was an angle in the approach to increase the likelihood of him being extradited. It is obvious.
[Unidentified Reporter:] Do you have anything to say about the Ecuadorian embassy
[Hrafnsson:] Thank you.
[Bolduan:] That's very interesting and important there, from the perspective and position that the attorneys for Julian Assange are taking. Steve, this gets to directly something you have written and talked a lot about. There's been some discussion leading up to today of, if Julian Assange was ever, ever charged with, let's say, espionage, it would raise some thorny issues as it related to the First Amendment. That's clearly the position that his attorneys are trying to make, saying this is a First Amendment issue and he published truthful information. But the fact he's charged with helping crack into a classified U.S. government computer, do you think this takes it to a different place now?
[Stephen Vladeck, Cnn Contributor:] I think it does, Kate. I think that's exactly why both this took so long and why the count that was unveiled this morning in the indictment has nothing to do, at least overtly, with publishing this information. I think the government all along has understood that it would set a very dangerous precedent to prosecute anyone, even Julian Assange, merely for the act of publishing classified national security information, because what would separate Assange from, say, the "New York Times." By focusing on Assange's role in directly assisting Manning in stealing these documents, in providing these materials to Assange, what the government is saying is that's not journalism. That's a crime. I think there are still going to be folks worried about that, Kate. But to me, the question going forward is, is that the only charge or is the government, in fact, going to tie to bring additional charges later. You heard Assange's lawyers talk about potential diplomatic assurances. Those might be necessary if the British government is going to be able to convince a British court to accept the U.S. extradition request.
[Bolduan:] Sam, because this is his attorneys, his U.S. attorney put out a statement before this, making the same case as his attorneys there, but say this boils down to what Assange did, what the facts are. Boiled down to encouraging a source to provide him information and taking efforts to protect the identity of the source. It's clear the case they're trying to make.
[Vinograd:] They are, but that's exactly not what the Department of Justice indictment says. This is not a First Amendment issue, at least in this current indictment. It relates to conspiracy to illegally hack into a U.S. government system. I want to be clear on another point. Julian Assange and WikiLeaks of 2010 look very different than Julian Assange and WikiLeaks in 2016 and 2019. We don't know if there are superseding indictments related to other charges related to election interference in 2016. The Department of Justice Shimon, you covered this extensively they indicated Organization One, WikiLeaks, worked with the GRU to release documents from the DNC and John Podesta. We don't know if there will be a charge related to that. We also have to be clear about the fact that WikiLeaks has been accused of intervening in other country's affairs. The president of Ecuador said the Julian Assange released unauthorized information from the Vatican. He's accused Assange of intervening in Ecuador's affairs. So we could see more charges coming based on the fact WikiLeaks is a non-state hostile intelligence service.
[Bolduan:] And to the point of and that is what Mike Pompeo has called him early on. Let's see if he repeats that, repeats that line. Organization One is how WikiLeaks was referred to in some of the indictments relating to the Russians who have been indicted in the Russia investigation. This indictment was signed on March 6th of last year, in 2018. How does that fit in, Shimon, in the Russian investigation? Does it at all?
[Prokupecz:] Right now, we don't have any indication it does relate to that. And obviously, Julian Assange, WikiLeaks, was an important part of the Russia investigation. Certainly came up during the Mueller FBI's investigation into Russia collusion. Where all this goes, it's not really clear. I don't think there will be charges right now. We don't see any evidence there's going to be charges related to the Russians.
[Bolduan:] They have been going after him for a long time.
[Prokupecz:] That's the thing people don't realize. Julian Assange has been a thorn in the side of the FBI for years. We're talking about, they have been wanting to arrest him for years. I know there were agents here in New York years ago, for a different case, were trying to arrest him. And obviously, there was this dispute within the Department of Justice whether or not you can bring charges against Julian Assange. It's a very different look of Julian Assange I think Sam made that point with this administration and under the Obama administration. But the view of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange started to change at the end of the Obama administration, as the FBI started gathering more information on him.
[Bolduan:] It's also complicated. Chelsea Manning's sentence was commuted by President Obama.
[Vinograd:] It was. After Chelsea Manning put American diplomats, American personnel at risk, and I think that may be an issue. We know President Trump likes to throw it all the way back to President Obama whenever he's under the spotlight, and President Trump has been a fan of WikiLeaks. He says he loves WikiLeaks. But the Department of Justice and State Department extradited.
[Prokupecz:] You have to think about the role that Julian Assange played in the 2016 election. You can't forget about that, and what this and why the federal government, why the FBI wanted to go after him even more. It is an important part of this. Where any of this goes in terms of the Russia stuff, we don't yet know.
[Bolduan:] Yes. And one step, Steve, quickly, do you think extradition is assured? Do you think there's a question?
[Vladeck:] I think there is a question, Kate, only in the sense that extradition is 90 percent political and 10 percent legal. I think the more that the U.S. is able to sell the British government, sell British courts on the idea that this indictment today is the heart of the matter, I think the more of a slam dunk it will be for extradition. The more headway Assange's lawyers can make in saying, no, no, no, as soon as he arrived on U.S. soil, they're going to slap him with a whole lot of Espionage Act indictments acting on conduct that looks a lot more like journalism. I think that's a scenario where a British court might pause a beat before signing on to this extradition request.
[Bolduan:] This is really important stuff and fascinating. I really appreciate it, guys. Thank you so much for being here. Coming up for us, horrible off-the-rails and astounding. Democrats lashing out at Attorney General Bill Barr and his statement before Congress that he thinks the government spied on the Trump campaign. What exactly was Barr trying to say? Is there room for interpretation? And is he going to try to clarify a fourth time? Plus, Bernie Sanders and a slew of other Democrats are rolling out their new health care push, Medicare-for-All 2.0. Pie in the sky or the winning issue for 2020? And do any of them really know how much it will cost?

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] She is up on Capitol Hill. This is CNN's Special Live Coverage of Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump. We're now just an hour away from the start of the day 2 of the trial. But before that we'll hear from the Senate Majority Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Each will take to the Senate floor to make comments about the trial about nearly 13 hour session yesterday and what happens next? We'll bring you that all live. When they're done in today's trial, gavels into the session at the order of the Chief Justice John Roberts, will hear opening arguments from the House Managers prosecuting the case against President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. They will have 24 hours, a stretch across three days, to make their case.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Joining us now is Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of the State of Maryland. Welcome Senator, thanks so much for being with us. You proposed an amendment that would have allowed Chief Justice Roberts to rule on motions to subpoenas witnesses and documents and determine if they were likely to provide material evidence relevant to the articles of impeachment. The Republicans defeated the measure. Do you plan to reintroduce the amendment? What you hope would accomplish? And if you could kind of explain to our viewers what it does in laymen's terms?
[Sen. Chris Van Hollen:] Yes. It is good to be with you, Jake and Wolf. This was an amendment last at night last amendment at about 1:30 am. But it was an amendment that was intended to make sure that we had impartial justice in the United States Senate. What better way to make it impartial than to give the Chief Justice of the United States the responsibility of making the first ruling on requests for witnesses or documents, so either side could say to Chief Justice, here's the witness we want to call, whether it is John Bolton or Mick Mulvaney or one of the witnesses that Republican may want to call. And the Chief Justice would then look at whether or not that witness had relevant information to the articles and make a ruling. The Senate would still be able, by a majority vote to overrule it. But at least in the first instance we'd have an independent ruling from the Chief Justice just like trial judges in trials everyday across America make these important questions about what kind of important evidence should come in? Republicans showed that they did not want an impartial trial when they voted that down.
[Tapper:] They voted that down. They voted down all the amendments in order to subpoena to get information and documents that so far have not been released to the House, the Senate or to the public. I want you to take a listen to President Trump, who weighed in about the impeachment trial earlier today. He said this.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] They never thought we were going to release it. When we released that conversation, all hell broke out with the Democrats. They say wait a minute this is much different than shifty Schiff told us. So we're doing very well. I got to watch enough, I thought our team did a very good job. Honestly, we have all the material. They don't have the material.
[Tapper:] We have all the material, they don't have the material. What's your reaction to that, sir?
[Hollen:] Well, that was an obvious confession by the President of the United States that they're holding onto very sensitive information, material that will likely expose the President's wrongdoing, which is exactly why the President ordered his entire administration not to cooperate? And why they've not provided a single document in response to subpoenas? Why they've not allowed a single witness come forward, tried to block the White House witnesses? And here, you have the President of the United States saying, hey, I have a lot more evidence and I'm not going to give it to you. The real question for Republican Senators is when they hear that kind of thing, are they really going to be co-conspirators with the President, in burying important evidence and information that we should have in order to have a fair trial.
[Blitzer:] Senator, "The Washington Post" is reporting that some Democrats are considering what's being described as a witness trade, John Bolton, for example, for other top officials, Hunter or Joe Biden or both. Is that the case? Are there these conversations going on behind the scenes?
[Hollen:] Wolf, I'm not aware of any active discussion like that. The whole purpose of the amendment I put forward last night essentially required the Chief Justice to rule in the first instance was to address exactly these kind of issues, right? Let's have an impartial individual make these decisions. This is the top judicial officer in the United States. He was nominated by a Republican President. If republicans want to call someone like a Hunter Biden by the way, while individual Republicans may have talked about that, Mitch McConnell and the Republican Caucus have never said they want to do that. But if they wanted to make that case, they would say to the Chief Justice, here's why we want to call Hunter Biden? As Adam Schiff pointed out last night, Hunter Biden knows zero about the entire abuse of power scheme the President engaged in, but they can make that argument to the Chief Justice, just like the House Managers say to the Chief Justice, here's why we want Mick Mulvaney? Here is why we believe he would be a material witness? That's how you address this in a fair and impartial manner if you're not trying to rig the trial or cover up the evidence.
[Blitzer:] What did you think of the President's legal team on the Senate floor yesterday?
[Hollen:] Well, their opening statements included incredible misrepresentation, some false statements. I will say the first thought that went through my mind when I heard them speaking was, we actually should be swearing in under oath, under penalty of perjury, the President's Counsel, and I'm sure the House Managers would be willing to agree. The statements that came out of the White House Counsel's mouths early on were just totally untrue and misleading to the United States Senate. It sounded a lot more to me like they were at a Trump rally than a trial in the United States Senate. They're obviously speaking to an audience of one. The big question is whether Republican Senators are responding to an audience of one or whether they're responding to their duty under the constitution of the United States and their duty to the American people for a fair trial.
[Tapper:] Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.
[Hollen:] Thank you.
[Tapper:] Let's talk about all this. George, let get your reaction. Again we saw that clip from President Trump. He first suggests that Democrats when he actually revealed the rough transcript of that phone call with Zelensky, Democrats were disappointed in some way. My impression, Democrats were not disappointed, they were stunned that the President released it. And then the President went on to say we have all the materials, they don't have any materials.
[George Conway, Conservative Attorney:] The first was a lie is the flat out bald-faced lie. The transcript not transcript call memo matched up perfectly with what had been expected on the basis of what the whistleblower complaint said.
[Tapper:] And in fact, the Director of National Intelligence even said that.
[Conway:] Right. And he said that this was a magic matter I think or what was the phrase in the law, urgent and concerned. Everyone was shocked by he actually did this. He's rewriting history there and he is pretending that everybody else thought it was a perfect call. The only person who really thinks that is him and people who have been gas lit by him. And in the second aspect is there every so often this pathological liar who is the President of the United States sometimes says something that's true. This was partially true in the sense that he's admitting there that his strategy is to keep the materials from coming up. It's not quite true they have all the materials. The materials are seeping out. Some of the materials swore and raised their right hand and testified before the House. What's going to happen is that more material will keep coming out. This stuff, unless somebody is engaging in massive wiping of hard drives and burning documents, this stuff is going to be coming out for a long time.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] But if you're Adam Schiff and you're speaking today, aren't you going to use this?
[Conway:] Absolutely.
[Borger:] In terms of talking about obstruction of Congress, honestly we have all the material, they don't have the material and say, give us the material, this is what we're asking for, the material, whatever that is.
[Conway:] The President is actually not a very smart man. What he did here, he's undercutting the arguments that he needs to make to keep the material from coming out.
[Borger:] Exactly.
[Conway:] And he's not really he's not able to think one step beyond what's coming out of his mouth at any given moment. He's just not that smart. That's what he did here. He's undercutting his own defense. He has no idea.
[Blitzer:] What do you think of this trade possibility, John Bolton for Hunter Biden?
[Conway:] I mean it is complete nonsense. I mean, the notion that I'll say it right here. I think Hunter Biden. Let's impeach Hunter Biden we'll do that separately on a separate track. Hunter Biden, as Senator Van Hollen said, has no relevance to this trial. It's not relevant whether or not Hunter Biden did anything wrong. What's relevant actually to the extent anything is relevant is the President's state of mind. Why did he ask, do us a favor? Why did he do that? And if he wrongly believed that Hunter Biden committed some great wrong that needed to be investigated, well, that's actually admissible evidence, but the person to testify about that is Donald J. Trump.
[Borger:] Or go to the FBI if you believe-
[Conway:] Well, he should there should have gone right. I mean, if this was a legitimate investigation, first of all, you wouldn't have been asking for an announcement, it would have been something that would have been done well before Joe Biden announced for the Presidency and you would have done it through official legitimate channels, which he didn't do.
[Tapper:] So John, let me ask you. The very fact that Donald Trump, President Trump, just bragged, we have all the material, they don't have the material, while he's being impeached in part, for blocking Congress from getting material, material that every member of the House and Senate, whether they support the President or do not, knows is germane to what the President did or did not do? Whether it is exculpatory or not, the very fact that he says that, how does a Republican Senator just ignore it? How does a Republican Senator just pretend that doesn't mean anything when he's in the middle of a trial and one of the reasons he's being tried is for blocking documents and he just bragged about that?
[John King, Cnn Anchor, Inside Politics:] Well, one of the reasons Mitch McConnell does want to have this trial over as quickly as possible is just to this point so they don't keep getting asked these questions. The Democrats smartly played the clip I think at least twice yesterday of the President saying there is this thing called Article II, I can do whatever I want. Well, that's not what Article II; he doesn't get to do anything he want. He gets to do a lot, the President has considerable power under the constitution but he doesn't get to do anything he wants. This is very consistent of the President. This is his view of his power. That's what this is about. This is his view of his power. The question is and why today is so important. Democrats failed yesterday but they think they failed on the votes. They think they succeeded on planting the seeds. We will see. It's incumbent now on these House Managers when they get to the beginning of presenting their case and there will clearly be some redundancy. They did that in part yesterday on purpose bringing a lot of facts to their case in. Can they convince these Republicans to vote differently next time? Can they convince enough Republicans to vote differently next time? Yesterday was a setback for Democrats it was a victory for Mitch McConnell. But it was also predictable and that we talked about this a little bit yesterday. It's a tradition in Washington you support the leader on procedural votes. It is sort of you join the club that you're almost required to support the leader on procedural votes. It's a big deal to buck your leader out of the box. McConnell told them, I need your votes out of the box. Republicans have to control this trial to begin with. He can't lose control on day one. He won yesterday. We'll see now are these Managers convincing enough? You're not going to get Rick Scott; you're not going to get Roy Blunt you're not going to get John Thune. Can you get Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and then where are we looking-
[Tapper:] Mitt Romney.
[King:] -Mitt Romney, Lamar Alexander, Cory Gardener look at that group.
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] Adding this unpredictable factor into this. We saw this happen of course in the impeachment hearings when he tweeted something about Marie Yovanovitch as she was testifying, and then you saw Adam Schiff fold that into the conversation and the hearing. And so here he is doing the same thing. The thinking was, get him as far away as possible send him overseas where he's with all of these business leaders. He can talk about his agenda and he was doing some of that but this is the President who can't help-
[King:] Well, McConnell has asked him.
[Conway:] One of the reasons why they want this over as soon as possible.
[King:] Right. McConnell has asked him, we have seen this in every big legislature. Not just this is an impeachment trial it is much bigger than any piece of legislation, but McConnell consistently asks him when there are important controversial things before the Senate, please stay quiet.
[Borger:] But one of the things that we should also be paying attention to, and you started talking about this, is the Schumer strategy, which is they were saying this lot yesterday, which is, there is no vindication for the President in a sham trial. What Schumer is trying to do by holding all these votes, this is a cover-up, that's their words, this is a sham, and that therefore they can make the case to the American public when the President comes out and impeachment is not successful in the Senate. The President comes out and says, I was vindicated, they can say, no, you weren't, because we didn't get the evidence and therefore it is a sham. That is what Schumer is trying to dig in here.
[King:] And a very quick thing on Hunter Biden. If you don't like Joe Biden, you can certainly ask the question how did the Obama Administration let Joe Biden be in charge of the Ukraine portfolio when his son had that job. That is a fair question.
[Tapper:] You can ask that even if you like to.
[King:] You like that yes. If you can raise the question as conflict of interest, is that the right way to do business, that's fine? It's not germane to the issue of impeachment against the President now. I would just say this, and I've said it before, the Republicans were in charge of the House from 2013 to 2019. They were not shy about using their oversight authority. They were not. The Republicans had been in charge of the Senate from 2015 until today. If they wanted to call Hunter Biden in for some oversight hearing, they had the right in the House for six years and they didn't do it and they have the right in the Senate right now.
[Tapper:] That's because in order to defend the President's conduct, a lot of these individuals, since they are not willing to say, look, what the President did is wrong, I just don't think it's impeachable and I just don't think he should rise to the level. They are not willing to say that for whatever reason, they have to create this alternate reality. It's truly concerned about corruption even though this is the only instance that we know off where he is ever asked about corruption even though in the transcript of the call, the rough transcript the word corruption does not come up. And you have to create this alternate reality and that is one other things we see from these Republican Senators.
[Conway:] And in the first call he was supposed to mention corruption either.
[Tapper:] And he did not that came out in and of course he did not even raise that.
[Blitzer:] Those were in his talking points, which he ignored.
[Conway:] Right.
[Blitzer:] President Trump's impeachment trial is about to resume, day two. Democrats trying to make a case that the President of the United States is unfit for office, you're watching CNN's Special Live Coverage of the Impeachment of President Donald J. Trump.

[Text:] LET'S GET AFTER IT.
[Cuomo:] All right, this is very interesting. We have Earl Gray, Counselor for Thomas Lane, one of the former Minneapolis police officers, on trial now in the murder case of George Floyd. Counselor, thank you for staying through the break. You described because again, remember, and audience, you should know this, as Counsel, Mr. Gray has seen the body camera footage. We haven't. So, remember that. Counsel says that the body camera footage shows that George Floyd resisted. We had all these different angles of him that show every aspect of this, not in full, but each phase. You never see any kind of resistance. You termed it a "Not a violent type of resistance" but the kind of resistance you shouldn't do that warranted this kind of treatment in your opinion, Counselor.
[Gray:] Well I would call it a struggle. They were struggling with him. And once they got got control of him, where my client was on the feet of Mr. Floyd, and Mister and Officer Kueng was on in the middle, on his waist, and Chauvin was on his shoulder or neck-
[Cuomo:] Neck.
[Gray:] -no matter what my client well that's questionable, by the way.
[Cuomo:] How?
[Gray:] What my client-
[Cuomo:] His knee is right on his neck in the video.
[Gray:] Questionable because look at the autopsy. There's not any injury to this man's hyoid bone or larynx. He didn't suffer a strangulation or an asphyxiation. But let me finish this.
[Cuomo:] But also, just to be clear.
[Gray:] Now, my client's-
[Cuomo:] That's not what the autopsy that the family did showed. And the knee is clearly on his neck.
[Gray:] Yes-
[Cuomo:] And the man is dead. So something happened, Counselor.
[Gray:] Yes, yes, he had-
[Cuomo:] Continue.
[Gray:] -methamphetamine I don't want to talk about the deceased, Mr. Floyd because what I like to tell you is-
[Cuomo:] Yes.
[Gray:] -while my client's on his feet, he says, let me get it here, while while Mr. Floyd was moving, Lane's asked "Should we roll him on his side?" And Officer Chauvin said "No. Staying put where we got him." Now, we've got a 20-year officer here, and you got a four-day officer, in my client. He goes on however, my client does, and says, "I am worried about excited delirium or whatever." What's excited delirium? It's a situation where you've taken a lot of drugs, and you get excited, and you might die. That's what he was worried about. And then, Chauvin says to my client again, "That's why we have him on his stomach." Then later, my client again says, "Do you do you want to roll him on his side?" This is later, right before the ambulance comes. And again, he's not rolled on his side. Now, the question, of course, the public is watching this. My client's at his feet, he doesn't have a real good view of Mr. Chauvin or, excuse me, Mr. Floyd, of what Chauvin is doing. But if all these people say why why didn't my client intercede? Well if the public is there, and they're so in uproar about this, they didn't intercede either. And my client's down where he can't really see.
[Cuomo:] Well hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Counselor?
[Gray:] So when the-
[Cuomo:] Counselor? Hold on. Hold on.
[Gray:] Yes, Chris.
[Cuomo:] Two things. One, you're laying on a man's legs. You've got a fine view of what's going on with that man. The other officer is literally a foot in front of you on his neck. Two, I understand that he has a senior officer telling him what to do.
[Gray:] No-
[Cuomo:] But there's also a duty to intervene. And if you think the officer is doing something that's dangerous to a civilian, you have a duty to intervene, and he did not intervene.
[Gray:] Sure.
[Cuomo:] And the idea that the civilians should have rushed in to a policing situation, in the inner City of Minneapolis, against four police officers that have weapons, and are kneeling on the neck of a man, don't you think that's asking a little much of civilians, and a little too little of your client?
[Gray:] Absolutely. I'm not I just brought that up. Well what what you say is, and he's a foot away-
[Cuomo:] Yes, I know.
[Gray:] -look in the video, he's got his feet. He was holding his feet though. And Mr. Kueng was Officer Kueng was next, and then Chauvin. You say he had a clear view, he didn't. But what is compelling-
[Cuomo:] He's I'm saying he's on the man's body, and the guy's screaming, "I want my mother. I'm going to die. They're going to kill me. I can't breathe."
[Gray:] Sir, he also said "I can't breathe" when he when they're trying to get him into the squad car. He used that at that time too. So, should the police believe it? I don't know. My client's holding his feet. Well what's telling what's compelling is when the ambulance comes, my client goes in the ambulance, four days on the Force, goes in the ambulance, and starts his own CPR, pushing down on his chest, which he did for a lengthy period of time, until they got the machine out, attempting to revive Mr. Floyd. He didn't want to see the man die. Nobody would want that.
[Cuomo:] Does your client think that-
[Gray:] My client-
[Cuomo:] -what Officer Chauvin did was wrong?
[Gray:] I can't talk about that because that's communication between my client, and myself, which is confidential, as you know, Mr. Cuomo so.
[Cuomo:] Yes. I do. But you're also relaying things that you've learned from your client, in terms of what he was seeing.
[Gray:] I'm relaying-
[Cuomo:] And what we saw.
[Gray:] Oh no, I'm relaying things to what I saw in the video. You look at the video, when you get it. My cameras body body video, and you'll see that.
[Cuomo:] And you don't-
[Gray:] And I'm not I'm not a 100 percent as to the accuracy of the what was that?
[Cuomo:] Nothing. It was your computer making a noise.
[Gray:] Hello?
[Cuomo:] Don't worry about it.
[Gray:] Oh, I'm sorry. I think I hit it.
[Cuomo:] Don't worry about it.
[Gray:] You got me excited, Mr. Cuomo.
[Cuomo:] I'm sorry, Counsel. Look, a lot of people are excited about this. But I got to tell you. Look, we got more we got to discuss. You got another five minutes on you?
[Gray:] Well sure.
[Cuomo:] This this matters too much. Let's take another break. I want to give this a full conversation because this matters. There's just too much on the line about what people perceive, and what they should have from their police and what should have been done here. Stay with me.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Sciutto:] All right. So try to keep up with this. Overnight, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit against the state of Nevada after the state approved a plan to send absentee ballots to all active voters for the upcoming election. This as the president takes issue with mail-in voting except in the home state his own home state of Florida. Why? Because in his words, Florida has quote, "a great Republican governor". Joining me now to discuss this and more Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. Governor, thanks for taking the time this morning.
[Gov. Andy Beshear:] Thanks for having me.
[Sciutto:] So governor, president as you know approves a mail-in float voting in Florida where his Republican governor is suing to block it in Nevada where there's a Democratic governor. Is this about seeing political advantages carrying the election in your view.
[Beshear:] Well, I don't know the intentions of the president. But what I can tell you is that here in Kentucky, we had the second largest turnout ever in our primary election. We did it through no excuse, absentee ballots, the ability to vote by mail. We did it through having early voting. And our agreement, how we came to that was a bipartisan agreement between a Republican secretary of state and myself, Democratic governor. These things shouldn't be political.
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Beshear:] Voting is one of the bedrocks if not the bedrock of our democracy, and we need to make it easier, not harder to vote, especially during a worldwide health pandemic. So I think we showed that through
[Sciutto:] Yes
[Beshear:] No excuse absentee ballots we can do it safely and we can have a great turnout without fraud.
[Sciutto:] The as you mentioned, Republican Secretary of State in Kentucky, he called the primary elections a nationally recognized success. Did you see evidence of widespread fraud?
[Beshear:] Oh, we did not see any evidence of widespread fraud, and it's because we did it right. We did it through a secure method.

[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] CNN TONIGHT with D. Lemon starts right now.
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Hey, Chris.
[Cuomo:] Hey, Don.
[Lemon:] Don't you think he's already decided of thinks that he's above the law of he's trying to do all of these things and you know, send undocumented immigrants into so-called sanctuary cities. Don't you think he's already decided?
[Cuomo:] I think this president
[Lemon:] And telling people to reportedly to break the law and he has their back.
[Cuomo:] So, I agree with you on the facts, obviously. What is the motivation? And I'm not going to duck it by saying I can't know the heart of a man.
[Lemon:] Right.
[Cuomo:] I will say this. I think that the president lacks a certain sophistication when it comes to how the law works, despite all the business and all the litigation, he lacks a certain sophistication.
[Lemon:] It's called ignorance, but go on.
[Cuomo:] But, you know, he should know these types of things, the Flores settlement, that doesn't mean the judge, Flores.
[Lemon:] Right.
[Cuomo:] He should know that. But there is something else that you're hinting at. He has a pathological problem with seeing things as just a matter of convenience. He does not respect anything that he does his own will, and that can be a problem when you have a lot of power.
[Lemon:] It is problematic. It's interesting, though, I wonder, though, if he thinks well obviously I don't number one, I don't think he's going to do it. But if he does, if he wanted to somehow legally they figured out how to place undocumented immigrants into areas so- called sanctuary cities if he thinks that's going to hurt his opponents, that's you know, which I think he does, wouldn't that essentially be hurting America, or Americans, unless, you know
[Cuomo:] Well, he's just thinking about the leadership there, look at you, you're flooded with these people you said you wanted to have, how do you like it now, now your own constituents hate you.
[Lemon:] Yes. But what if the reverse happens if they accept these people into their communities and they figure out a way to work it and make it work then it backfires on him.
[Cuomo:] It could. Although he's got a built-in base of people
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] who don't want them here.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] And who like the harshness as an extension of the rule of law. That's the irony to me. He's respected and revered for being somebody who's about the law and he keeps flouting it and abusing it.
[Lemon:] Yes. I've got a congressman coming up who says this would be akin to President Obama taking people who didn't have insurance, right, and putting them into places where Republicans who oppose the Affordable Care Act, so that those people could weigh on their system instead of in the areas where people did and, you know, I don't think the former president would do that because he's an adult. But this time who knows? Would he even suggest or think of something like that?
[Cuomo:] The idea of seeing them as pieces on a board, I think is also telling.
[Lemon:] It's amazing.
[Cuomo:] I also think that this is a real issue. He has the ability to make a difference on the border. Congress does too.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] That relationship is broken and it's hurting all of us.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] And you've heard me talk about the Democrats before but he's got this emergency declaration which I don't think was a legal extension of that statute, but now that he has it and it's being challenged in California yet still operative
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] he can build the accommodations they need right now, Don.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Under that emergency declaration. He could give them what they're asking for right now himself would be a big winner.
[Lemon:] This has been a heavy week. So, I'm going to leave it on a happy note with you.
[Cuomo:] What do you got?
[Lemon:] I got this, because I just want to show the skills that you don't have. This is, boom, Chris's son Mario.
[Cuomo:] Where do you think he gets it? That's Mario, Mario Nicholas, in your face.
[Lemon:] Boom. You didn't teach him any of that.
[Cuomo:] Can't be learned. It's natural, it's genes, brother, genes.
[Lemon:] Listen
[Cuomo:] And not them baggy ones you have on.
[Lemon:] That's what that's what's important. Family, those are the things that are important.
[Cuomo:] This is what marriage does to you, pal.
[Lemon:] Boy.
[Cuomo:] It's just the beginning, soon you'll break an ankle just turning just to chase him back to the basket.
[Lemon:] Be lucky if I can afford jeans after that.
[Cuomo:] It's going to be the best thing you've ever done in your life.
[Lemon:] And that's why you wear the same outfit every night.
[Cuomo:] Every night.
[Lemon:] He can't afford it. He's got too many kids.
[Cuomo:] Budget. Wash it myself.
[Lemon:] See you, Chris.
[Cuomo:] See you later. Have a great weekend.
[Lemon:] Thank you. Have a good one. You, too. This is CNN Tonight. I'm Don Lemon. And what's happening this week in the United States of America is stunning. If any of it happened in another country well, we would call it the action of a tin pot dictator with delusions of grandeur and no respect for the rule of law. Sound familiar? Just listen to President Trump, essentially declaring war today on sanctuary cities and not, coincidentally, on Democrats with this threat to dump detained immigrants in those cities.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] We are looking at the possibility, strongly looking at it to be honest with you, California, the governor wants to have a lot of people coming in, refugees coming in, a lot of sanctuary cities, so we'll give them to the sanctuary cities, maybe, to take care of if that's the way they want it. We can give them an unlimited supply and let's see if they're so happy.
[Lemon:] Seriously, think about this. Whether you support this president or not Democrat, Republican, independent, nonpolitical, just think about this. It is stunning and frankly, it's horrifying that the president of the United States would use desperate people, many of them children and their parents, as a pawn, as a weapon to punish his political opponents. And how is that even punishment? Because the president is assuming here that nobody would want migrants living in their city. That Democrats would knuckle under to avoid that. Even put it in writing, tweeting, "Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities only." Doesn't seem to matter one bit to this president that according to documents obtained by CNN the administration got legal guidance, months ago, that his plan is illegal. The husband of the counselor to the president saying this quote, look at your screen, OK, this is George Conway, this is a quote. "Watching Trump try to work the levers of government these days makes one think of what it would be like to see a chimpanzee try to drive a Corvette, except that the chimp would probably have a better idea of what it was doing." That's harsh. And then there's this from the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
[Nancy Pelosi, United States Speaker Of The House:] The president of tweets have cheapened the presidency. He's just being a freak. I mean, he's just terrible.
[Lemon:] But there is so much more. Remember, the president's remember that visit to the border, just a week ago, remember how we later learned that behind closed doors he told border agents to refuse to let migrants in. Now senior administration officials tell our very own Jake Tapper that in that meeting the president told the then head of Customs and Border Protection that if he were sent to jail for keeping those migrants out, he would get a presidential pardon. So many people have been accused of such wrongdoing that are now relying on presidential pardons, so many of them facing prison time. Officials say it wasn't clear if the comment was a joke or not, a joke, I don't know. Doesn't sound like a joke to me. It sounds exactly like the kind of thing that this president has done, or tried to do over and over and over. It sounds like all the other things he said since day one on his campaign, stoking fear of immigrants and using that fear to try to get what he wants.
[Trump:] When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. We have illegal immigrants that in many cases are treated better than our great veterans. Countless Americans are killed by illegal immigrants because our government won't do its job. We have some bod hombres here and we're going to get them out. They want to have illegal immigrants pouring into our country, bringing with them crime, tremendous amounts of crime. We are bringing in some very bad, bad people. We don't want this group of people anymore. These are rough, rough people, in many cases. Yes, sir, we have barb wire going up because you know what, we're not letting these people invade our country. In those caravans you have stone cold killers. You've got some bad people in those groups, you've got some tough people in those groups and I'll tell you what, this country doesn't want them. The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility. I am being harmed in my country, my country is extremely dangerous, I fear for my life, say that, congratulations, you'll never be removed. Now I look at some of these asylum people, they're gang members, they're not afraid of anything. How stupid can we be? And the asylum program is a scam. Some of the roughest people you've ever seen you say, wow, that's a tough cookie. I am very fearful for my life. Give him asylum, he's afraid. He's afraid.
[Lemon:] So, just, I want you to think about this. Why isn't he as passionate and he doesn't talk as much about people who come into the country and overstay their visas, people coming many on airplanes? That is the biggest problem with the legal immigration. If you support this president and you care about immigration why isn't that a big issue to you? Don't talk about that. You've got to wonder whether this president believes he is above the law. But there are still some people looking out for the rule of law. In a speech to the University of Virginia Law School federal district court Judge Carlton Wayne Reeves rebuked the president for his attacks on the courts comparing him to the segregationist era. Remember when then candidate Trump slammed an American born judge for his Mexican heritage, claiming he had an inherent conflict of interest in a lawsuit against Trump university. But just listen to what Judge Reeves had to say about that.
[Carlton Wayne Reeves, U.s. District Court Judge, Southern Disctrict Of Mississippi:] I know what I heard when federal judge was called very biased and unfair because he is a Mexican heritage. When that judge's ethnicity was said to present to prevent his issuing fair rulings, when that judge was called a hater simply because he is Latino. I heard the words of James Ethan [Ph], a race baiting politician empowered by the falsehood of white supremacy, questioning the judicial temperament of a man solely because of the color of his skin. I heard those words and I did not know if I was in 1967 or 2017.
[Lemon:] The president who attacks the judiciary, a president who uses migrants as a weapon to attack his political enemies, a president who falsely claims his campaign was spied on, falsely claims his campaign was spied on. That's the kind of president whose attorney general, the top law enforcement official in the nation, will go right ahead and make the same outrageous claim of spying, saying exactly what the president wanted him to say.
[William Barr, United States Attorney General:] I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal. It's a big deal.
[Sen. Jeanne Shaheen:] You're not suggesting, though, that spying occurred?
[Barr:] I don't well, I guess you could I think there's a spying did occur, yes, I think spying did occur.
[Lemon:] And that attorney general will go right ahead and play into the president's favorite conspiracy theories, conspiracy theories, yes, I said it, about a so-called deep state that he thinks is out to get him.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] So, would it be odd that the candidate was never really briefed by the Department of Justice that your campaign may be targeted by a foreign entity?
[Barr:] That is one of the questions I have is I feel normally the campaign would have been advised of this.
[Graham:] OK. And can you think of a good reason right now why they wouldn't have been?
[Barr:] I'm interested in getting that answered. I don't understand why the campaign was not advised.
[Lemon:] The fact is the campaign was advised. Then candidate Trump was personally warned in August of 2016 by senior U.S. intelligence officials that foreign adversaries, including Russia, were likely to try to infiltrate his team or get intel about his campaign. But the attorney general, he just put it out there, not only without any evidence, but in contradiction to known facts. It's beginning to sound like a pretty transparent attempt to protect the president from the Mueller report, the report two years in the making, the report the attorney general got three weeks ago, a report that's coming out in a matter of days. You've got to wonder. What is this president afraid of? Does this president believe he's above the law? That is the question for Laura Coates, Ryan Lizza, and Max Boot, next.

[Camerota:] Super Tuesday voters head to the polls tomorrow morning and former Vice President Joe Biden is hoping for momentum there after his big win in South Carolina. We're also waiting to see if Pete Buttigieg will endorse anyone else today after he dropped out of the race last night. Joining us now is Democratic Senator Doug Jones. He has endorsed Joe Biden. Senator, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
[Sen. Doug Jones:] It's my pleasure, Alisyn. Thanks for having me again.
[Camerota:] You have your finger on the pulse of the electorate in Alabama. What's going to happen there tomorrow?
[Jones:] Well, I think Joe Biden is going to win. I've always believed that. This is his state. He has been here a lot. You know, his trip to Selma yesterday was not his first. He has been talking to people in Alabama for many, many years. He's been listening to people of Alabama. Alabama know him. They know his heart. They know his character. And I think he's going to do very well. I think he'll win Alabama in a bar.
[Camerota:] Mayor Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race last night, as we said, and Bernie Sanders immediately issued an invitation to Pete Buttigieg's supporters to join him. Listen to this moment.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] I want to congratulate him for running a brilliant campaign. He is the first openly gay candidate for President of the United States. He did it extraordinarily well. And tonight I just want to welcome all of his supporters into our movement and to urge them to joining us in the fight for real change in this country.
[Camerota:] That's a pretty deft move, right? Just reaching out directly to them. How do you think that the absence of Pete Buttigieg will change the race?
[Jones:] Well, I hope it will change the race even more in Joe Biden's favorite because I think if you look at the message that Mayor Pete had, it is not one of a revolution. It is not one of a Medicare-for- All. It's a Medicare-for-All who want it. I think that was a wonderful line, because that's essentially what Joe Biden has been saying for so many months now. And so I'm hoping that as we go forward, those moderate voices like Mayor Pete's are going to move and see how we can best win this election, who can best bring this country together, who is a healer, and uniter and I think that that's Joe Biden.
[Camerota:] You know, we hear the conventional wisdom say that if Bernie Sanders is the nominee, it will negatively affect some down ballot races like yours, like some in swing districts or states. But can you just explain that logic to me? How if voters like you and like what you've done for them, Doug Jones, why would they hold Bernie Sanders against you?
[Jones:] Well, look, I think that that everybody you know, you have to run on a ticket to the best extent you can. You know, in my race, I'm going to run as in my race, I'm going to run on my record, regardless of who the nominee is. But there are any number of people who see the top of the ticket, and that's going to influence their vote for the down ballot races. They either want to support the top of the ticket or they're not. So I think if you look what happened in 2018, and you saw the moderate voices is what caused the Democrats to take control of the House, it is the moderate voices that are out there, that want to heal people, that want to bring this country together with civility and respect. They just don't want an extreme candidate who may not take compromising positions in order to get things done and actually move this country forward. But I think you have to be realistic about where things are and there are any number of people that will let the top of the ticket influence their vote and down ballot races. We've seen it throughout history it is not going to change this time.
[Camerota:] So what do you think is going to happen tomorrow beyond Alabama? What do you think is going to happen in terms of the delegate share, and who's going to win Super Tuesday?
[Jones:] I think it's really tough to tell because we've seen so many early voting in early voting states like California and Texas. I'm a big proponent of early voting. But at the same time, I'm also a big proponent of telling people to just keep your powder dry for a little bit until you let this thing shake out some. I think there are a lot of people that have already voted for Mayor Pete, they've already voted for Tom Steyer, and others, and now their votes are just really essentially not going to count. So we'll see how it goes tomorrow. I feel like Joe Biden is going to do very, very well. I think clearly, Bernie Sanders has the advantage in some states, but I think Joe has got the wind in his back. I think if you look at the overall votes in the contest that we've had now, I think what you're seeing now is that the voice of a Joe Biden are rising up and that is what he's going to carry the day, but we've still got to have a long way to go even after Super Tuesday, we've still got a long way to go in this contest.
[Camerota:] Would you like to see any other candidates drop out I don't mean Bernie Sanders today? Would you like to see some of the people who have not gotten as many delegates drop out today?
[Jones:] Well, I think we'll probably see that tomorrow. You know, from my standpoint, I would like to see that only because as you've said, I've endorsed Joe Biden. He is my candidate. He has been my candidate for 40 years since I first met him in law school in the 1970s. So I would like to see that, but at the same time, I have an awful lot of respect for all of those candidates. They have really put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of heart. They have supporters out there too, that they don't want to let down. So we'll see how this goes tomorrow. I think you'll see the field is going to winnow down. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.
[Camerota:] While I have you, you are a member of the committee that oversees the CDC and NIH, and so with the coronavirus concerns this morning, what we're seeing in Washington State and community spread, et cetera, do you believe that the CDC is being proactive enough? Do you think that they are giving enough of the data that they've collected on this virus to doctors and hospitals?
[Jones:] Well, candidly, Alisyn, I think we'll find that out tomorrow. We have a hearing tomorrow. I'm going to be well, actually, yes, it's tomorrow, I'm going to yet be heading back to Washington to attend that hearing, and I think we'll know a lot more. Things have been moving very rapidly. You only have to look at the headlines this morning about the number of cases that just popped up over the weekend. I think that the administration was slow to react in the very beginning. I don't know if it was just denying the science or what, but they were slow to react. I think they're now doing a lot more to try to make sure they get a handle on this. You know, I've got a good bit of confidence in the CDC and the NIH And those people are scientists, they see how things go. They're looking at this very carefully. What we've got to do is try to catch up. That's the biggest problem we've got right now. We've got to be transparent. That's I think the biggest problem right now is there's a lot of misinformation out there and I hope people will listen to the scientist and not to the politicians.
[Camerota:] And we only have 10 seconds left, but do you have confidence in Vice President Pence's Task Force?
[Jones:] Well, I'm going to hold judgment on that right now. I have confidence in the CDC and the NIH, and if Vice President Pence lets them drive the train, then they will do find throughout this crisis. If he doesn't, and he makes this a political issue, then we're in for a long haul.
[Camerota:] Senator Doug Jones, we really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much for being on
[New Day. Jones:] You've got it. Thank you, Alisyn.
[Camerota:] Okay, quick programming note. CNN will conduct extended interviews tonight with five of the top Democratic candidates presidential candidates that starts at 8:00 p.m. This of course is ahead of Super Tuesday tomorrow.
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] All right, the Trump administration is trying to project that the coronavirus outbreak is under control. We're going to have much more of the risk of that strategy, next.

[Cooper:] The story began several hours ago. Though in the moment it happened, we didn't quite know the significance of what occurred. We got a video of explosions at Baghdad Airport. Right now, we know this was the videoed reported killing of one of the top military figures in Iran, someone designated as a terrorist by the U.S. who believed to be responsible for much or Iran's paramilitary activities in the region. Iraqi state T.V. says the commander of Iran's Elite Quds Force, Qas Soleimani, as well as an Iraqi militia commander, were killed. CNN's Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon joins us now live from Baghdad. Arwa, you and I were talking shortly after you got word about the what seemed to be airstrikes or at least the explosions. We didn't know at the time Soleimani was involved or others. Explain what you know and the importance of it.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] First of all, Anderson, we are arguably about to enter into uncharted territory. The significance of the death of Qasem Soleimani, given who he was to Iran, who he was to any number of Iranian proxies throughout the entire region, given how revered he was inside and outside of Iran by his men in the battle and given the fact that he is the commander of the Quds Force, this shadowy elite force that is specifically tasked with unconventional warfare, this is going to push this region into a potential conflict that is going to be very, very difficult to get out of without a lot of bloodshed. What we know right now is that a couple of hours ago, there were initially reports of rockets being fired in the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport. We initially received reports that a senior figure within the Popular Mobilization Force this is a branch actually of the Iraqi Security Forces, but it's a paramilitary force that is mostly made up of different groups of Shia militias, the vast majority of whom are, yes, backed by Iran. But we initially received information that it was a senior leader within this paramilitary force, the head of their protocol division who had been targeted. We then later heard first on Iraqi state television and then the PMF itself coming out saying that, yes, Qasem Soleimani had been killedalong with the head of Kata'ib Hezbollah. Kata'ib Hezbollah, Anderson, is that same group that was targeted by the U.S. in Sunday's airstrike. The PMF that I'm talking about of which Kata'ib Hezbollah is a member, is the same group that was out in front of the U.S. embassy that was attempting to breach the the walls of the U.S. embassy. This is not only just going to shake Iraq and potentially escalate things here inside Iraq for the United States, but the Iranian regime and its proxies and the influence of the Quds Force, that extends well outside of Iraq. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Iran does not respond to this. Add to all of this, Anderson, the PMF is blaming the United States for this strike, for what they're calling an assassination. We do not have confirmation from the Americans, but just the perception that it was America, that in and of itself is going to have a very, very devastating effect.
[Cooper:] Yes. Arwa Damon, thank you. We'll continue to check in with you. Be careful. Joining me now is Dexter Filkins with The New Yorker, who profiled the Iranian General several years back, and he's obviously spent a huge amount of time in the region. Dexter was also based in Iraq for three-and-a-half years while reporting for The New York Times. Also with us, CNN Global Affairs Analyst Max Boot. And back with us this hour, Fareed Zakaria, Host of Fareed Zakaria GPS here on CNN. Dexter. first of all, just your reaction.
[Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker:] It's huge if it's true. I mean, Qasem Soleimani has been the most important operative in the Middle East for the last 30 years.
[Cooper:] He's the most important?
[Filkins:] Absolutely. He's the architect of the entire Iranian regional strategy to set up clients in Lebanon, Hezbollah, to prop up the Assad regime to basically take effect of control of Iraq and to do what he's been doing in Yemen. He is the architect of that. There is no one more important than him. He is literally drowning in the blood of the people that he's killed, including hundreds of American soldiers who he
[Cooper:] He's responsible for the deaths of hundreds of
[Filkins:] Hundreds of American soldiers. He oversaw these militias, like Kata'ib Hezbollah, who were Iranian clients armed, trained, directed, created by Iran. They're not just Iranian-backed and Iranian-influenced, they are Iranian creations. And during the Iraq war ten years ago, they were killing American soldiers at will. So
[Cooper:] They were behind the IED's
[Filkins:] Really sophisticated IEDs that were really wreaking havoc on American soldiers. So this is a huge event. You know, the question is what happens now. I think the Iranians are going to have to respond, and then all bets are off.
[Cooper:] And there's many possible ways for them to respond in a lot of different places.
[Filkins:] Yes, I mean, they're very sophisticated. They're cool customers. So they're going to do it. It's their neighborhood. They'll do it when they want and they'll do it how they want. But things could get mighty dangerous very fast.
[Cooper:] Max Boot?
[Max Boot, Cnn Global Affairs Analyst:] I mean, Dexter obviously gives a very good overview of who General Soleimani was. And I think based on his track record, Anderson, I would say there was no question about the justice of killing him. He was a very, very bad guy who, as Dexter just said, has the blood of thousands hundreds of thousands of people on his hands, and especially in Syria where he's masterminded the genocidal strategy of the Assad regime but he's also been responsible for the death of American soldiers in Iraq. He has perpetrated great suffering and misery in places like Lebanon and Yemen as well. But issue is was this a wise move, and what are going to be the repercussions and is the Trump administration read for this escalating crisis with Iran? And so leaving side the justice of the issue, the question is was it a wise thing to do, we'll find out in the next few days. But give how haphazard the national security policymaking process is in this administration, you have to wonder have they actually thought through all the repercussions on what is a very, very major move.
[Cooper:] So to that end, Fareed, for people who have not been following the developments in Iraq, particularly for the last couple of years, can you just explain and I know it's incredibly complicated, which we've certainly learned time and time again, but this was a regime which the United States backed and supported and a lot of Americans died fighting to bring democracy there and fighting to attack forces there. How has it that a guy like Soleimani is moving around freely in Syria and Iraq and all through the region and this regime, which we have backed with trillions of dollars and a lot of American blood is now having this guy freely run around with all these militias? I mean, even the existence of all these militias, I think, is confusing to a lot of people.
[Fareed Zakaria, Cnn Host, Fareed Zakaria Gps:] Yes, you're exactly right. So, I mean, the thing to remember is Iraq was run by Saddam Hussein, who was a Sunni. That was a minority repressive dictatorship. Once the Americans liberated Iraq, what happened was the national power dynamic in Iraq emerged, which was it's a Shia majority country and the Shia took control. Now, the Shia have a historical, religious affiliation with Iran that also most Shia leaders had been backed by the Iranians for years because they were in exile, they were persecuted by Saddam Hussein. So Iran developed a natural influence. And what happened post-Saddam Hussein is Iraq became a cockpit where America and Iran battled for influence. So the Iraqi government, the democratic government of Iraq that we supported enormously was also being supported by Iran enormously. The two sponsors of the new Iraqi government have been the United States and Iran. And every Iraqi diplomat, every politician has had to juggle this reality. So they've kept the Iranians happy while keeping the Americans happy. This blows the lid off that. I mean, I think probably the greatest single vulnerability here is that Iraq could explode into a civil war. Because the Iraqi politicians have been handling exactly the dilemma you described. They've got to be nice to the Iranians because they are next door and they have all these Shia ties. They've got to be nice to the Americans because the Americans have provided them with a lot of support and a lot of military assistance. Now, you are going to be forced to choose and it's going to reignite the Iraqi civil war. And, again, back to Max's point, the whole question, I think, we all have is the administration seems to be going down a path of assassinating this crucial figure who, again, entirely justified in terms of the morality, but we are essentially entering into a war, a proxy, a shadowy war with Iran, sacrificing the stability of Iraq in a very volatile place. Yemen is already in a civil war. Syria is already in a civil war. Do we know what we're doing? Why are we doing this? This was a president who wanted to get us ut of the Middle East.
[Cooper:] Dexter?
[Filkins:] Well, it's interesting. The Bush administration had a chance to kill Soleimani in 2006. They were hunting a guy named Imad Mughniyeh, who was the military commander of Hezbollah, really, really, bad guy. The CIA and Mossad eventually got Mughniyeh. They killed him. But they had a chance at one point because they found Mugnia and Soleimani was with him. And I had to think about it. And, basically, President Bush said, it's too much.
[Cooper:] Wow, really, that's interesting. Too much because they will just be too destabilizing?
[Filkins:] For different reasons, also legal reasons. I think there was an authorization to do that. But we had the chance to do that and we didn't take it. And I think there was another moment in Kurdistan when General McChrystal and a bunch of others thought they had him, and just missed him. But this is it's kind of hard to overstate how potentially game-changing, this whole thing.
[Cooper:] Game-changing, the fault lines are where?
[Filkins:] Well, look, Soleimani has spent the last 30 years kind of building this sphere of influence in the Middle East for Iran, basically, and that's Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad in Syria and the Shia majority in Iraq. I mean, that's basically been his entire project. And now, we've basically just with this, we just take the hammer and just smash that. And so they're going to Iranians are going to have to respond. And so if the White House needs to be thinking about how we're going to respond to their response because this thing could just start could takeoff really fast.
[Cooper:] And we're going to take a quick break. We're going to have more next, including the late new reporting from the Pentagon and elsewhere on what's going on and any potential blowback. We'll be right back.

[Erica Hill, Cnn Anchor:] Reports that the President of the United States made disparaging remarks about U.S. troops, including those killed in combat, has reopened old wounds for family members of those who did give their lives on the battlefield. Joining us now, former "New York Times" journalist Dana Canedy. Her 2008, "A Journal for Jordan," tells the story of her late fiance, First Sergeant Charles King, and his service in the Army. This is told with the help of notes that he kept notes he wrote to his infant son before he was killed in Iraq. Dana, it's good to have you with us. It's such a powerful such a powerful piece that you wrote and you draw us in right away when you bring us into the moment where your 14- year-old son Jordan first heard the comments that the president had reportedly called fallen soldiers losers and suckers, and it was before you could protect him from it. Just take us back to that moment if you will.
[Dana Canedy, Author, "a Journal For Jordan", Former Journalist, The New York Times:] Oh, I'm getting chills even thinking about it. I, obviously, heard the reports first and was really struggling with the fact that anybody could say that. And he's denied it. I don't whether he said it or not but even the possibility of that is just horrible. I just started having images of my mind in my mind of the funeral and of the first time I was told that he died. And then, I said I'm going to keep this away from Jordan. A news report was on and he came into my room. I was trying very quickly to turn off the television. He heard it and turned to me with his big, beautiful eyes and said mom, is he talking about my dad? And I thought I have to say something.
[Hill:] What did you say?
[Canedy:] You know, I knew that I had to say something I had to speak up publicly because
[Hill:] Yes.
[Canedy:] [audio gap] we know your dad's heroism. Ah, just forget about it, but neither one of us could. And I have always told Jordan and also, I speak with a lot of students in my line of work across the country and I've spoken with hundreds of grieving military families. And I've always had one of the messages I like to leave with them is if you're hurting or angry or upset, do something positive with that channel it. And so, I had to find a way to do that. And writing, for me, has always been an outlet so I first wrote about it for "The New York Times," my old employer. I just decided to let Jordan do one interview so he could defend his dad and speak up for his dad. He did and it's been empowering. I won't let anyone diminish the service that Charles or any other service member gave provided for this country. And certainly, those like him who made the ultimate sacrifice.
[Hill:] I know you've had plenty of reaction come your way
[Canedy:] Yes.
[Hill:] from the piece, but I'm curious, what did your son say when he read it?
[Canedy:] He hasn't read it.
[Hill:] Oh, he hasn't?
[Canedy:] No. You know, there's very, very personal things in there that I wanted to share with people. But mostly, I want him to be a kid, you know. He's surfing this summer and hanging out with his cousins. And I wanted to talk about it with him and give him a chance to express himself, which he did. And then, hopefully, allow him to move on and focus back on the last days of summer and the beginning of his school year.
[Hill:] As you note in the piece and as you just said, the administration and the president have denied these remarks were made. I was really struck by, though, the advice that you offered and I just want to read some of that. You said, "Go on television immediately from the Oval Office and speak directly to these Gold Star children. If you want, deny that you said those awful things but tell them you are sorry anyway. Say that no child should ever think that the commander in chief would utter such hurtful lies. Tell them their mom or dad or anyone who has made the ultimate sacrifice is more of a hero than you will ever be. Humble yourself. If Mr. Trump had it in his heart to extend his empathy to all the Gold Star adults who are suffering as well, that would be great. But he must speak to our children." That struck me so much and I don't think it's just as a parent. But reading that moment, you just thought yes, what a message that would send.
[Canedy:] I'm still hopeful that he will do it I really am. He's a parent, himself. And I have to say you know, people keep asking me how I feel about the upcoming election and who I'm going to vote for. It's completely irrelevant.
[Hill:] Yes.
[Canedy:] Same thing if a Democrat was in the White House. My political views are not at issue here. Who cares what I think about that? What I'm saying is as the mother of a Gold Star child and I'm sure there are many I don't speak for any other military family but my own, though I have heard from a lot over this weekend. But I would bet there are lots of confused children who would love to hear their commander in chief our commander in chief say your daddy was a hero.
[Hill:] Yes.
[Canedy:] There's no [audio gap]. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. And if you somebody led you to believe that I think otherwise, I'm here to tell you that's not true. It would help to heal these kids. Forget about the adults if you want to. There are plenty of hurting mothers and wives, brothers and sisters of those who have either been wounded or killed in combat, but it's the children it's the children that need to hear directly from the president that there's no doubt in my mind don't let anybody tell you otherwise that your parent was a warrior, was a hero, was the best America has.
[Hill:] Without question, and their service and their sacrifice. And yours, as well, you know. You lost your fiance, your son lost his father and none of that should be politicized. And what an incredible gift that First Sergeant Charles Monroe King left for his son, "A Journal for Jordan." I know you turned it into a book. There's a movie forthcoming as well. And thanks for sharing some of that gift with us. Dana, thanks for being with us this morning.
[Canedy:] Thank you for having me.
[Hill:] How will the coronavirus pandemic impact the upcoming flu season? We've been talking so much about the two converging. Well, two doctors will tell us, next.

[Tapper:] We're back with our 2020 lead now. The countdown to the much-anticipated CNN Democratic debates is on, with former Vice President Joe Biden hoping to cement his front-runner status with a more aggressive approach this time around. One Biden campaign source tells CNN that the former vice president genuinely believes he was too polite in the last debate. Senator Kamala Harris, asked about that today, said she was raised to be polite. Meantime, President Trump also setting his sights on Joe Biden, complaining about a new poll that shows Biden is the only candidate outside the margin of error who beats President Trump in a hypothetical national matchup. The poll comes from the president's favorite channel, which is a little awkward. CNN's Kyung Lah reports for us now from the campaign trail.
[Sen. Kamala Harris , Presidential Candidate:] He tells them to go back to where they came from, what do we say? We're not going back. We're not going back. And, in fact, I will tell you all where we're going. We're going to the White House.
[Kyung Lah, Cnn Senior National Correspondent:] Kamala Harris on the attack against President Trump. Just days before the second Democratic debate, she did not swipe at Joe Biden or mention their much anticipated rematch on the stage. Asked if she will be polite at that face-off, Harris told one reporter today, "I was raised to be polite,'after Biden said this about his approach at the first debate.
[Joseph Biden , Presidential Candidate:] I was probably overly polite.
[Lah:] Ahead of next week's debate, Biden has previewed a more aggressive posture against Harris and Cory Booker, which a senior campaign official says is being driven by the former vice president.
[Sen. Cory Booker , Presidential Candidate:] I think beating Donald Trump is a floor. It is not the ceiling.
[Lah:] Biden is still holding on to his front-runner status in a new national FOX News poll, with Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Harris all in double digits. In the run-up to the debate, the top candidates are jockeying with competing policy rollouts. Harris, before a primarily black audience of the National Urban League
[Harris:] I will make a $60 billion investment in STEM education at HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions.
[Lah:] That's aimed at closing the racial wealth gap, investing in historically black colleges and universities, and an additional $12 billion to support black entrepreneurship. Before the same audience, Pete Buttigieg also attacked Trump.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] My generation saw this country elect its first black president and then turn around and elect a racist to the White House. And we ought to call that what it is.
[Lah:] And today rolled out a new economic policy to help gig economy workers unionize. Buttigieg is targeting big tech for outsourcing their employees and their benefits. Elizabeth Warren announced she crossed a threshold, receiving more than 1 million donations so far this election. Bernie Sanders previously crossed 1 million donations. Both have rejected high- dollar fundraisers. Now, Warren is campaigning in New Hampshire this weekend. Bernie Sanders will be holding a fundraiser in Detroit. Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, they are both out campaigning in public events. But, Jake, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, they are dialing back their public appearances as they focus on debate prep Jake.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Kyung Lah on the campaign trail, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Let's talk about this and start with the new poll showing the hypothetical match-ups. Biden and Sanders are the only two candidates who beat Donald Trump in this hypothetical national match-up, but Biden is the only who's outside of the polls margin of error. How much stock do you put in this?
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] It is early, right. But I do think it reinforced a narrative among voters already is they do feel like Joe Biden is the most electable candidate, the one that could beat Trump and that is what they're concerned about. I mean, there is sort of an urgency, a fear, a desperation among Democrats to get over sort of whatever sort of ideological fights there are and figure out who they can line up behind, and that is why you see Biden consistently ahead in all of the polls. He's at 30 percent which is pretty good when you're in a field of 20 people in the next the next
[Tapper:] Yes, more than 20 really.
[Henderson:] Yes, exactly.
[Tapper:] Only 20 allowed on the stage.
[Henderson:] Exactly, and then you've got, you know, the sort of second group of people, about four or five people and then everyone else, the sort of 1 percenters. So, yes, there was a Ohio poll that also showed him beating Donald Trump in that crucial state, if they block in there. And then it's unlikely that he could ascend to a second term. So, I think that's good for Biden. I don't think it's good for Biden if he keeps telegraphing his strategy about the debate because can he deliver, right? I mean, he set up this sort of fireworks between him and presumably Kamala Harris and maybe even Cory Booker. I think it's difficult to actually deliver on stage. We'll see if he can.
[Tapper:] There was a funny moment, I want to go to question six, if we can, just because Andrew Yang who is running for president and Senator Michael Bennet who's running for president, had a little funny moment on Twitter trying to get in on this telegraphing thing with Yang tweeting, I would like to signal to the press that I will be attacking Michael Bennet at next week's debate. Sorry, Michael Bennet, but you know what you did. Bennet responded, Andrew, how do you know I got a "C" in precalculus in high school, on the retake. Just a little fun there, making fun of the telegraphing. But I want to ask you about the poll. It is early, July 2019, right? But it's not that early. I mean, Iowans will be voting in a few months. I mean, do you
[Paul Begala, Cnn Political Commentator:] It is so early.
[Tapper:] OK.
[Begala:] OK, 36 days before Iowans voted in 2004
[Tapper:] Hold it up.
[Begala:] Can you guys see this?
[Tapper:] Dean pulls away in a Democratic race.
[Begala:] Thirty-six days, a CBS poll, a legit network, and they
[Tapper:] They said it was over.
[Begala:] Howard Dean pulling away, President Dean, of course, went on to serve two terms with great distinction. He was great for our country. No, it's way too early. And we could talk about it. But it's just honestly, it's absurd. I'm much more upset about this telegraphing that you and Nia were talking about. And I think about this myself. It has been a long time. Monday is my 30th wedding anniversary. That's how long since I've dated. I haven't had a date since the Reagan administration but I remember I did not say, Diane, I'm going to blow in your ear. Just blow in her stupid ear. Joe, Kamala, Cory, just blow in her ear. Put your best move on.
[Tapper:] That is a lot of information.
[Amanda Carpenter, Cnn Political Commentator:] I'm feeling the air over here.
[Tapper:] But speaking of losing that loving feeling President Trump is complaining about the poll because it comes from Fox News. Tweeting, quote, Fox News is at it again. So different from what they used to be during the 2016 primaries and before. Proud warriors now new Fox polls which has always been terrible to me, they have me losing big to crooked Hillary have me down to sleepy Joe. Very weird that he's complaining, you know, Fox this is so different from what you used to be just because they're presenting the facts of a poll which reaffirms what we've seen in a lot of other polling.
[Carpenter:] Look, he feels that Fox News should be an arm of the RNC. Listen, he did this in 2016. He went after weak spots, perceived weak spots at Fox by going after Megyn Kelly, ousting her because of his strong relationship with Roger Ailes and he's frequently tweeting about coverage that he doesn't like. Whether it's "Fox and Friends" on the weekend or, you know, Judge Napolitano, and he managed to say something critical. And so, he's going to keep doing this. I think it's different now because he doesn't have the connection with Robert Ailes. But clearly, he wants to influence their programming.
[Tapper:] And, Sabrina, sources tell CNN President Trump was briefed yesterday about the state of the campaign. He asked his top adviser to assess the Democratic challengers. Campaign manager Brad Parscale noted that Elizabeth Warren is rising. RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel talked about the threat that Kamala Harris might pose. And senior adviser Bill Stepien believes that Biden remains a big threat. What do you think?
[Sabrina Siddiqui, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, I think they're looking at the same data that these other polls are reflecting in terms of these hypothetical match-ups. And it is very early for the public to make an assessment as it is for any campaign. But those are certainly the people that they think they should keep an eye on. Now, I do think while you can only put so much stock into these polls at this stage, one thing about Joe Biden who obviously the president spends lot of time tweeting about, is what the polling does reflect is that his appeal extends beyond name recognition, because in some of the earlier polls, people said, well, that's just because he's the most known entity in the race. Clearly, after he took a stumble in the first debate, he's managed to rise up again, but that's also why he has the most to lose going into this debate because he will once again be a target for some of these candidates who really need to break through and I think they will once again scrutinize his record on a litany of issues. And, you know, I think there was an allowance for him after the first debate but I think if he has just a few more stumbles, that could be very problematic for Biden moving forward.
[Tapper:] On the subject of the debate, take a look at debate stage set for Wednesday night. And this key trio, that is the position that they're going to be standing. You see Joe Biden is sandwiched in between Cory Booker and Kamala Harris. Harris saying she was raised to be polite. It could get nasty on the stage.
[Henderson:] Yes, because it's only gotten nasty off stage with Booker going after Biden over his criminal justice past, the crime bill in 1994 and Biden, of course, hitting back at Cory Booker saying, well what about what happened when you were mayor of New York with the police there
[Tapper:] Newark.
[Henderson:] Newark there, and stopping and frisking of African- American folks in Newark. So I think but I think it is also tough, you got Biden who is running away with the black vote so far, last poll showed him 51 percent of black voters in South Carolina support him, 12 percent support Kamala Harris. I don't even know if booker is on their radar down there. But if they're there, your Biden sort of fighting over issues that are pertinent to African-American voters with two African- American candidates, it is a tricky situation.
[Tapper:] Everyone, stick around. The candidates are taking the stage for the CNN Democratic presidential debates in just four days. I'm going to moderate, along with Dana Bash and Don Lemon. That's next Tuesday night and Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Both nights, only on CNN. Coming up, North Korea launching a new kind of missile. The signal that President Trump's reaction might be sending to the world. Stay with us.

[Romans:] All right. Chinese tech giant Huawei claims the United States is setting a dangerous precedent by cutting off business ties with the company. The firm says it will ask a U.S. court to reverse measures that bar federal agencies from buying Huawei products. CNN's Sherisse Pham has been inside Huawei. She joins us live from Shenzhen, China. And I think this is really important to know. This company is sort of the crown jewel of China's economic strategy, right, to really dominate high tech into the next century and expand beyond, you know, making shoes and basketballs and the manufacturing floor of the world, but really being on this high-end tech supplier to the world.
[Sherisse Pham, Cnn Reporter:] You're absolutely right, Christine, because Huawei is a crown jewel. That's a great way to put it. They are a national champion. They are a key player when it comes to China's made in China 2025 strategy. That is a strategy where China wants to be leading the technologies of the future. And the company today really striking a defiant tone, calling the United States saying the United States is using state power to crush a private company and also saying that U.S. suppliers like Google and GE and Microsoft have written to the Commerce Department about this ban. Of course, the Commerce Department added Huawei to the so-called entity list, essentially barring American firms from doing business with Huawei which means that companies like Google and Qualcomm can't sell software and computer chips to Huawei. And this is a crippling blow. it means that Huawei won't be able to build the 5G products for the 5G rollout. It won't be able to service smartphones with the Android operating system. But let's not forget that the U.S. has also accused Huawei of trade theft, of intellectual property theft, and violating sanctions on Iran, allegations that we should note that Huawei, of course, denies. And today, we really just saw some fired up executives here at Huawei, defending the company, calling the U.S. a bully, but also, Christine, acknowledging that these latest restrictions are threatening its business.
[Romans:] Yes. That bully line, something you hear from the Chinese foreign ministry as well, that the United States is acting as global bully here. All right. Thank you so much, Sherisse Pham. Nice to see you this morning. American consumers are confident, even as the country nears the one- year anniversary of its trade war with China. New data from the Conference Board shows consumer confidence rose in May, near 18-year highs. The Conference Board knows the increase was mainly driven by a strong jobs market, adding, despite retail sales in April, these high- level of confidence suggest no significant pull back in consumer spending in the months ahead. But high levels of confidence on Main Street may mean tough times for Wall Street. Stocks have pulled back amid trade war concerns. One analyst notes that maximum optimism tends to coincide with maximum prices. Many retailers warned that higher tariffs on Chinese goods will lead to higher prices for consumers. For investors, the recent slide in stocks may be a more important indicator than consumer confidence. The 10-year treasury yields fell to 2.26 percent Tuesday, the lowest level since September 2017. I guess if you're looking for a bright spot in the uncertainty and the risk aversion in the global markets is that mortgage rates continue to fall. So if you are trying to get in and lock in on a mortgage, those lower bond yields are good for you.
[Briggs:] Ahead, a new nominee, but perhaps the worst pitch all of time. Or was it the best? You decide when we come back.
[Romans:] History unfolding in Oklahoma where the nation's battle with opioids has reached inside of a courtroom. Oklahoma's attorney general accusing Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries of creating the most worst manmade public health crisis in American history by flooding the market and promoting prescription painkillers and then staying silent as the deadly grip of addiction took hold. The company claims its products are regulated by the government and only just a fraction of the painkillers consumed in Oklahoma. It's also pointing a finger at doctors, pharmacists and manufacturers, arguing the state cannot prove Johnson & Johnson caused the addiction crisis or the overdose deaths. Oklahoma is seeking $17.5 billion to tackle the problem.
[Briggs:] A University of Wisconsin student sentenced to a year of probation for entering a restricted area at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort last year. Mark Lindblom pleaded guilty Tuesday to unlawful entry. Officials say he never encountered the president or the first lady. The Secret Service claims Lindblom was screened for weapons and other items but entered the restricted space through a tunnel. He was arrested once agents realized he was not member or a guest of the club.
[Romans:] A San Diego nature preserve is closed to the public after a mountain lion attacked a little boy on Monday. Officials say the 4- year-old and his family were hiking when the boy's father threw rocks at the lion to scare it off. Fish and wildlife officers later euthanized a female mountain lion. Investigators are keeping the park closed until they can confirm it was the same lion that attacked the child. The boy has suffered head injuries is expected to be released from the hospital soon.
[Briggs:] As first pitchers go, new nominee for the worst ever ouch. Employee being honored as the employee of the month by the Chicago White Sox threw out the ceremony first pitch last night. Instead of the catcher's glove, she plunks the cameraman. I believe that would be a team cameraman judging by that position. So that was bad. How bad was it? Who could forget this one? A first pitch by the rapper 50 Cent. That lives in infamy. Which Romans, do you think was worse?
[Romans:] I think I just know I would never say yes to a ceremonial pitch. I just don't I just can't if that's not your day job, I don't know.
[Briggs:] I still think 50 Cent holds the crown.
[Romans:] All right. More than 39 million people now under enhanced risk of severe weather today. A tornado is carving a destructive path in Kansas overnight, a 13th day in a row with tornadoes in the U.S.

[Keilar:] The World Health Organization has produced what it called the comprehensive package to stopping the spread of coronavirus. Step one is masks. Step two and three are frequent hand washing and physical distancing. Apparently, the White House didn't get the memo or they got it and they ignored it. Because look at these images. This is the first picture. This is before the president's briefing began. And then look at the next picture. Shows reporters very close together. Well, why would they do that, you say? The White House deliberately moved the chairs to avoid social distancing that allowed the president to say this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] You've got to open it up and you do social distancing and you wear masks if you want. And you do things, you could do a lot of things. You're getting closer together. And even you, I notice you're starting to get much closer together. It looks much better, I must say.
[Keilar:] Yes. It is a stunt. It is a total stunt. Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. When I look at this, it bothers me because I think about how a lot of our colleagues who are reporting, they do so under dangerous conditions and reporting is dangerous. And it is not supposed to be dangerous at the White House and it's not supposed to be made more dangerous by the president and his staff.
[Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Brianna, this makes me so angry on behalf of our colleagues at the White House. This is unnecessarily putting them in danger. Those chairs were far apart, they were fine. Trump put them back together because they wanted to telegraph, look, everybody is close together. Everything is fine. We're returning to normal. Guess what, President Trump, everything isn't fine. There are still high rates of COVID in the Washington, D.C., area. Two of his very own aides had it. He needs to keep doing what the CDC and the WHO says. This is outrageous. Those chairs should have been far apart. There was no reason to put them together, except so that President Trump could telegraph a false message.
[Keilar:] So there's more than a third, Elizabeth, of Americans who are in the new CDC survey that said they engaged in risky cleaning behaviors during the pandemic like gargling with bleach. I just can't even believe I'm asking you about this. But the president kind of talked about some interesting stuff that people should do with their bodies. What the heck is happening here?
[Cohen:] This is once again President Trump telegraphing these false messages. This was a while back where he was talking about using disinfectant and you wonder did that have an impact on people. The CDC said that one-third of Americans are doing unsafe practices, including cleaning their body with household disinfectant and gargling with breech and substances like that. This is obviously terrible. We're failing in our public health communications if a third of Americans are doing things like this. This is problematic. This needs to be corrected. The president is not helping.
[Keilar:] Yes. Come on, bleach is for clothes people, for scrubbing the mildew off your tub. Leave it at that. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much.
[Cohen:] Thanks.
[Keilar:] The Dow is up now quite a bit, more than 850 points. This is on the news that the economy actually added millions of jobs last month. The unemployment rate still more than 13 percent. Plus, following breaking news in Minneapolis as the city council votes to ban police chokeholds. Pardon me. We'll take you there live.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn:] Forced to flee. Apocalyptic scenes in Australia as tens of thousands attempt to evade deadly bushfires. Also, anger in Baghdad. The U.S. embassy suspends its consular operations after protests at its doors. And a CEO's great escape from Japan to Lebanon. Now Interpol has issued a warrant for Carlos Ghosh's arrest. Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Hala Gorani. This is CNN. We begin in Australia where officials in New South Wales have declared a state of emergency as raging wildfires spread across the southeast of the country. Take a look at these images. The sky, thick with smoke, glowing orange as it reflects the fires on the ground. Some truly incredible, if not hellish pictures even. It's becoming very difficult to breathe there as well. This video was shot in Victoria. A state of disaster has been declared forward several regions there. And take a look at the aerial images also from Victoria. As you can see, the fires are large, out of control in many cases. So far, the death toll from these bushfires is 17. Now the Australian Prime Minister who has been under heavy criticism over his response to the disaster, you'll remember early on, actually took a holiday to Hawaii. Well, he toured over the last 24 hours one of the hardest hit areas. His visit did not go down well with some of the residents. Anna Coren filed this report.
[Anna Coren, Cnn Correspondent:] A state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales with authorities bracing themselves for the return of catastrophic conditions following those devastating fires on New Year's Eve. Residents and holidaymakers here on the south coast are being told to get out. With fears it could be a further loss of life. [voice-over]: This is what a mass evacuation looks like. Thousands and thousands fleeing the area's worst hit by the deadly bushfires that have swept across the southeastern coast of Australia. A mandatory evacuation for tourists before catastrophic conditions return on Saturday. But some want to head the opposite way.
[Trevor Garland, Daughter Stranded By Fire:] My daughter stuck in Sussex Inlet with friends down there.
[Coren:] Trevor garland's 16-year-old daughter, Haley, is stranded in one of the hardest hit regions with some friends. She told him she's safe but he's not taking any chances.
[Garland:] Been here for quite a while trying to see if I can get down there to get her out. I don't know the way because it's one road in, one road out.
[Coren:] It's dangerous but Trevor is not alone.
[Zanthia Walsh, Resident:] At the moment we're just focused on trying to get family back together.
[Coren:] Zanthia Walsh and her family were away when fire struck the family home in Conjola three hours south of Sydney. They all escaped unharmed but their house was completely destroyed.
[Walsh:] It was a family that actually built the house. So it's hit a lot of people quite hard. It used to be a holiday house prior to us living in it. So all of our family has stayed in there at some point or another.
[Coren:] Walsh and Garland are two of the many that stuck around and inside some of the areas hardest hit by bush fires across the states of Victoria and New South Wales. Dozens of roads have been cut off and some communities remain isolated. Stranded residents, dependent on the Australian military for the most basic of supplies. It's part of the Australian government's efforts to deal with the crisis, but for some it's too little, too late. The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, who has been heavily criticized for his lack of leadership during this crisis and his government's inaction on climate change was heckled by residents during a visit to Cobargo. A large part of the town was destroyed during the New Year's Eve bushfires and residents say the government has not done enough.
[Unidentified Female:] This is not fair. We're totally forgotten about down here.
[Coren:] The Prime Minister left without responding. Conditions have improved slightly in the past few days. Allowing the countless men and women who continue to battle the flames a temporary, but very limited reprieve. And just enough time to say good-bye to one of their own. Firefighter Jeffrey Keaton was honored for his bravery at his funeral. The medal given to his young son. Just one of the many victims of a nightmare with no end in sight that is expected to worsen in the coming days. [on camera]: Searing temperatures and ferocious winds are expected on Saturday, whipping up fires. Many of them have been burning for months. And there is no reprieve in sight. With Australia only halfway through its summer. Back to you.
[Gorani:] All right. Thanks, Anna. Australian tennis stars are trying to do their bit. A handful of athletes are supporting a victims of bushfires by donating money. Nick Kyrgios was the first to make the pledge. He tweeted I'll be donating $200 per ace that I hits across all the events I play this summer. So related to his game there. He was joined by several other tennis pros who promised to do the same. There are a series of tournaments ahead of the Australian Open later this month. Let's bring in Chad Myers at the international weather center for an update on conditions. And, Chad, I've been reading that the weather conditions are due to worsen and make the job of firefighters even harder this weekend.
[Chad Myers, Cnn Meteorologist:] Probably not as bad as we had two weeks ago, but certainly worse than what we're seeing now. In that shot there from our reporter really didn't indicate any wind down to about 6 kilometers per hour where she is. But the maps behind me will show you that we're going up to 60 kilometers per hour by the weekend because there's a front coming. And sometimes you think that's a good thing. It's going to cool things down. But the front will generate significant wind as it pushes on through. Look at the highs today in the middle 40s. Now we're going to have this front. We talked about this. It is going to cool down Melbourne. It's going to still keep very, very warm if you are to the north of that cold front into Canberra. Temperatures are going to be well up into the middle 40s. Now the cool air is on the way. A little bit of rain is possibly on the way. But when I say a little bit, I'm not joking. Like one to two millimeters. Certainly not enough to put any dent in anything. There's the wind for today. We move you ahead into tomorrow afternoon and you start to see the red. As soon as you see the red, you're seeing here 75 kph 75. If you get a wind gust at 75 on a fire, those embers are going to be going down wind another two or three kilometers. That is the problem. Ahead of possibly the firefighters that are trying to fight the fire. So finally we cool things down and dry things out a little bit there by Monday into Tuesday. But the air quality won't be getting any better in some spots there around Canberra. We had 100 and I think it was somewhere in the ballpark of 850 parts per million for the ash in the air. That was 2.5 millimeters or smaller. Just numbers that we don't see anywhere. We don't see those numbers in the worst possible conditions, in China when there's a high pressure and the fact we have to stop working because there's no wind. The numbers that we saw yesterday and the day before were truly unhealthy. In fact, I don't have to say it. Even the masks they're wearing won't help that much. So here comes the rainfall. How much? A couple of millimeters. But Sydney will see the tomorrow down to 23. That's some relief. Here is the problem, Hala. We haven't had a lot of rain. We have this thing called the Indian Ocean Dipole. And the IOD has been blowing the wrong way for Australia to get any rainfall. It's been blowing in the direction of Africa. And we have covered the African floods. That's the rain that should be spread out. It's not spread out because it's blowing from Australia over to Africa and that's where the rain is going. Overall, over the entire country, 188 millimeters short for this year. And the hottest year on record there at 1.52 degrees C above where we think is normal. What are we trying to hold the whole world to? 1.5 degrees C. So we're almost there.
[Gorani:] There you have it. A lot of work ahead for these firefighters and just ordinary Australians. Some of them trapped. We'll have full coverage in the coming hours. Thanks, Chad Myers at the world weather center. Now a calm has settled over the U.S. embassy in Baghdad following two days of violent protests by supporters of an Iran-linked militia. And it caused some extensive damage to the compound. Angry demonstrators began storming the building on Tuesday over U.S. air strikes on the militia that they support. Now these are not the demonstrators that we saw over many weeks who are demanding more transparency and accountability from their government. These are protesters angry with these air strikes on these militia positions. These air strikes killed at least 25 people. Iraqi security forces have now regained control of the area, but the embassy says that all public consular services are suspended until further notice. Let's bring in CNN's Arwa Damon. She is live in Baghdad with the very latest Arwa.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi, Hala. Those Iraqi security forces are, yes, now once again manning those checkpoints that lead to the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. But where were they when all of this was unfolding? That is one of the big questions here. Now we were able to arrive at the U.S. embassy just as these protesters were departing. Here is a look at what we saw.
[Damon:] We're standing just outside of this massive, sprawling U.S. embassy complex. You can see one of the entrances there. If I'm not mistaken, that is where you'd go through if you wanted to go to consular services. [voice-over]: The Iraqi security forces are finally on the scene, but that the protesters managed to get this far. For more than 24 hours, attempt to breach the walls of the U.S. embassy goes to the crux of the many multifaceted challenges that Iraq faces. [on camera]: Supporters and members of what is known as the popular mobilization force, the PMF, they are the ones that were part of this protest. These are not ordinary protesters. The PMF came together as a response during the fight against ISIS. And they have continued to be extremely powerful. The message here, obviously, is very clear. [voice-over]: Many fighters that make up the PMF gained the bulk of their experience actually fighting the Americans during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. They have historic longstanding ties to Iran with training, funding and weapons coming from there. In today's Iraq, they're ostensibly under the umbrella of the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government views the U.S. air strike against one of these groups, Kataib Hezbollah, as a violation of its sovereign sovereignty and an attack on its own forces. Amid rising questions of, was the Iraqi government really helpless to stop this or simply unwilling? Iraq's Minister of Interior on the scene claimed that it took them awhile to spin up their forces. [on camera]: The situation has only just barely begun to get under control with the withdrawal of these protesters right now. But as the spokesperson for Kataib Hezbollah, the group that was the target of the U.S. strikes said, they left because they gave America their message. [voice-over]: At dusk, U.S. security personnel began removing the flags of the various groups, each which also has a powerful political party within Parliament. A tenuous calm for now but power struggles within Iraq and the proxy battle between Washington and Tehran are all far from over. And, Hala, that whole protest movement has now moved to the other side of the Tigris river from the U.S. embassy. They are giving Parliament a week deadline to begin negotiating a bill that is addressing the U.S. troop presence in Iraq. And one of Iran's top commanders in response to statements coming out from the White House and from President Trump has said that the U.S. should watch its rhetoric. Pretty much schooling America on being polite when it comes to addressing Iran and also saying while they're not looking for a war, they are not afraid of one.
[Gorani:] All right. Well, the war of words at least continues between the two countries. Thanks very much, Arwa Damon is live in Baghdad. A couple other stories I want to bring to your attention. At least eight people are dead after a missile strike on a school in Syria. Yet another civilian target in Syria. That's from the volunteer group White Helmets and the Turkish government. The strike happened in the rebel held Idlib province on Thursday and left 16 people wounded. Syria's government says it was an anti-terrorism operation. Investigators are trying to find out why a battery factory exploded in New Delhi Thursday. Several people and firefighters had to be rescued from the rubble. There's the aftermath. One of the firefighters died. Last month two fires at businesses in New Delhi killed dozens of people. And a top military general in Taiwan is among eight people killed in a helicopter crash on the northern part of the island. The Blackhawk chopper was carrying 13 people when it disappeared from radar near New Taipei City. Five people survived this, if you can believe it, and this comes just a week before the island holds its general election. Still ahead we know thousands of Uyghurs have been sent to camps in China's Xinjian province. Now there is new photographic evidence that entire Muslim graveyards are being wiped right off the map. Plus he slipped under the radar, out of Japan to avoid a trial he says would be rigged. Now ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn is officially a wanted man worldwide. We have new details next.

[Rep. David Cicilline:] Do what you were elected to do. You didn't swear an oath to Donald Trump, you swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
[Rep. Matt Gaetz:] House Democrats aren't clarifying that no one's above the law. They're just clarifying that none of them are above partisanship and politics.
[Dave Briggs, Cnn Anchor:] Democrats and Republicans resume their historic debate on the impeachment of the president just hours from now.
[Amara Walker, Cnn Anchor:] CNN has learned Republicans are leaning towards a short impeachment trial in the Senate without the witnesses President Trump would like to see called. Good morning, everyone. This is EARLY START. I'm Amara Walker.
[Briggs:] Good morning, I'm Dave Briggs, 5:31 Eastern time on a Thursday. We start with the latest on impeachment. In just a few hours from now, the actual legislative work on articles of impeachment finally begins. And after weeks of hearings and last night's many openings statements, today, the House Judiciary Committee will debate amendments possibly, a lot of them. And by the end of the day, the committee will vote, with Democrats almost certainly sending the matter to the full House over Republicans' strenuous objections. Congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly with more.
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Well, Amara and Dave, it was a long night, it was a late night, but it was also an important night for a couple of reasons. First off, this was obviously, on Wednesday night, the next step to what is clearly going to lead to the impeachment of President Trump one more step forward for House Democrats in their effort, one more step of trying to block those Democrats by all the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee. But there is also the idea of kind of framing through the 41 members, Republicans and Democrats on this Judiciary Committee giving their personal statements as to why they were for or against impeachment kind of how it was laid out. Take a listen to how one Democrat and one Republican put it.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] I believe that three questions should frame our debate. First, does the evidence show clearly that the president committed these acts? Second, do they rise to the level of impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors? Third, what are the consequences for our national security, for the integrity of our elections, and for our country if we fail to act?
[Rep. Jim Jordan:] This is not about Ukraine. The facts are on the president's side. Zelensky said he wasn't pressured. Ukrainians didn't even know aid was held at the time of the call. And most importantly, they did nothing to get the aid released. This is about one basic fact. The Democrats have never accepted the will of the American people. Three weeks ago, Nancy Pelosi called the President of the United States an imposter, and the attacks and the president started before the election.
[Mattingly:] So if Wednesday night was the opening statements, Thursday is the legislative action. There's going to be a lot of back and forth. It will be very long and it will probably be pretty dense in terms of what they're actually doing. But kind of bottom line I think is this. You're going to see Republicans draft and try and propose a number of amendments to try and change the two articles of impeachment that have been presented by House Democrats. Democrats, themselves, will defend those articles of impeachment. They will not be looking to amend those articles of impeachment and they will try and keep everything in its same place, and they can do that they have the majority on the committee. So whatever Republicans propose, Democrats can one-by-one shoot it down. But what it's all kind of leading to right now is the fact that by the end of the day on Thursday by the end of legislative consideration for the House Judiciary Committee, the House floor is what's next. The full House vote is what's next. Once the Judiciary Committee is done there are no more stops, there are no more hearings, there are no more closed-door depositions. The House of Representatives will vote to impeach President Donald Trump next week. We don't have the exact date yet but that's what the Judiciary Committee final meeting actually means. It means it's on its way to the House floor, it means President Trump is on his way to being impeached. And it means that in short order, the Senate not the House, anymore the Senate will take up the mantle a Senate trial for President Trump to see if they actually have the votes to remove him from office guys.
[Walker:] Phil Mattingly, thank you. Impeachment light, witch hunt President Trump has used a lot of slogans to dismiss his imminent impeachment, downplaying it as just another political stunt by the Democrats. But according to people familiar with his mindset, the prospect of becoming the third U.S. president ever to be impeached is weighing heavily on Mr. Trump. More now from chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] Dave and Amara, we are hearing President Trump is growing increasingly aggravated over the likelihood that he will be impeached. A Trump campaign adviser told me simply, the coverage bugs him. A separate Trump adviser said the president has been preparing for this moment for some time, suspecting for the better part of the last year that Democrats would try to impeach him after taking control of the House. This adviser said Mr. Trump is somewhat taken aback that it's this Ukraine scandal that is leading to his impeachment. The adviser said, quote, "Frankly, I think he's a little surprised it's the Ukraine thing that's done it." Another thing we are hearing is that Mr. Trump is irked by the fact that he would be joining the less than envious list of presidents who have been impeached. Still, aides said that the president is of the belief, at this point, that he is winning this debate on impeachment. He's satisfied that Republicans aren't showing many signs that they will defect in either the House or the Senate. Administration officials are pointing to recent polling that shows that support for impeachment has either held steady or begun to slide against removing the president from office. And we should note, at his rally this week, the president appeared to crow over the fact that he's only facing two articles of impeachment. He's dubbed this process "impeachment light" but in the history books, Dave and Amara, it doesn't say impeachment light. It says impeached. Dave and Amara.
[Briggs:] Jim Acosta, thanks. If the president is impeached and there is a Senate trial, majority leader Mitch McConnell is not planning to hold a vote to quickly dismiss the articles of impeachment. According to two Republican senators, he will wait to hold a final vote to acquit once a majority of senators feel the trial has run its course. Most Republicans want an acquittal to clear the president rather than rely on a procedural motion to dismiss the charges with the 51-vote threshold. And note that only 34 votes would be required for an acquittal.
[Walker:] Senate Republicans also seem to be coalescing around the idea of a shorter Senate impeachment trial. Contrary to President Trump's stated desire, a short-form trial would not include witnesses like the whistleblower or Hunter Biden. No final decisions on strategy or structure have been made but GOP senators say they are beginning to see the benefit of keeping the process short and simply laying out evidence in a presentation by House managers and the White House.
[Briggs:] All right, more on this ahead with Zach Wolf, including what's next for Republicans and Democrats as this historic process plays out in the coming hours.

[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Anchor:] Bernie Sanders is starting to run away from the Democratic field hell bent on a revolution. Is the moderate resistance out of time?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] The president obsess with the so-called the deep state, he wants snakes found and fired. New details on who is helping and how.
[Jarrett:] And it's going to be an ugly, ugly day on Wall Street. Futures weigh down, markets worldwide plummet as coronavirus cases expand well beyond China. Welcome back to Early Start. I'm Laura Jarrett. And as we mentioned in the break it's really that spread beyond China that's causing the plummet.
[Romans:] Yes. And 3 percent moves, those are big overnight moves. I'm Christine Romans, it is 31 minutes past the hour here in New York. Let's begin with the Democratic race, Democratic candidates not named Bernie Sanders are running very short on time with the South Carolina primary coming on Saturday, Sanders is close to wrapping up a lead that will be very hard to beat. It's full steam ahead for the Vermont Senator after a convincing win in the Nevada caucuses, expanding his now to Super Tuesday states. Sanders was in Austin, Texas last night.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders, , U.s. Presidential Candidate:] And I've been hearing, you know the establishment is getting a little bit nervous about our campaign. And you know what? When they see if the cameras turn on this crowd and our friends in Wall Street and the drug companies see this kind of crowd, you're going to really get them nervous.
[Jarrett:] About a third of all delegates are up for grabs a week from tomorrow. Most of the splintered field is focusing on South Carolina looking for a momentum boost. After mostly ignoring Sanders at last week's debate, expect him to be a prime target at the next one tomorrow night.
[Pete Buttigieg  2020 Presidential Candidate:] I am here to make the case for a politics that aims higher than just replacing one form of divisiveness with another but rather unifies this country before it is too late.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , U.s. Democratic Presidential Candidate:] Courage these days is not standing by yourself in the corner, throwing a punch in the boxing ring. Courage is whether or not you're willing to stand next to someone you don't always agree with for the betterment of this country.
[Romans:] A new South Carolina poll shows Joe Biden still in the lead, but the race is all about margins now. Biden's lead is narrowing. One important dynamic to watch, Tom Steyer who will be on the stage at tomorrow's debate. Biden is blaming him and his big money ad buys for the slide in South Carolina. Biden is also arguing Sanders at the top of the ticket could cost Democrats nationwide. Our Jeff Zeleny is on the campaign trail in Charleston, South Carolina.
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Christine and Laura, now the South Carolina primary only five days away. Bernie Sanders still the clear front-runner in the Democratic nominating contest. Joe Biden trying to make a stand here in South Carolina. Campaigning here on Sunday making the case that the African-American electorate here, some 60 percent of the Democratic electorate African- American that he believes they own this election in his words and they will make their judgment. That's exactly the case he's trying to make. But look, there's worry across the Democratic establishment particularly after the Nevada results over the weekend. Is Bernie Sanders simply too strong to stop? We asked Joe Biden about whether Sanders would be detrimental to Democrats down ballot.
[Joe Biden, Former Vice President Of The United States, 2020 U.s. Presidential Candidate:] It's not just can you beat Trump. Can you bring along, can you keep a Democratic House of Representatives in the United States Congress and can you bring along a Democratic Senate? Can you help people up down the line? And I think, I'm better prepared to do that than Senator Sanders is.
[Zeleny:] So Biden clearly trying to make this a two person race with Bernie Sanders, but that is simply not the case. There are so many others in his lane as well. Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, even Tom Steyer here in South Carolina making big investments. So the question for Joe Biden, can he revive his candidacy? Can he show that he is the strongest candidate to take on President Trump? Now, after South Carolina only three days before Super Tuesday next week. That's why so much is on the line here, more than anyone for Joe Biden. Five days left and the most important ones in his political career. Christine and Laura.
[Romans:] All right, Jeff Zeleny, thanks for that. All right. The election year economy is strong, but something is wrong. President Trump tapped into it, now Bernie Sanders has, too. There is a low wage working army in America, and that coalition is behind Bernie's win in Nevada. The energy he had in Iowa, and now again we're seeing it in Texas. Look at these numbers. Data from Brookings institution shows 53 million people are making $10.22 an hour. That's just under $18,000 a year, 53 million people. Two thirds of these low wage workers are in their prime earning years of 24 to 54. These aren't teenagers, these aren't young people working with minimum wage or entry level jobs. These are adults and 40 percent of this group are raising children. Now, all this despite unemployment being at a 50-year low. This low wage army is told the college is the answer but they can't afford the tuition. The Feds consumer debt report recently showed a record number of student loan holders are not paying their bills, one in nine borrowers 90 days or more delinquent or in default in the fourth quarter of last year. Important numbers, I think, behind what you're seeing on the campaign trail and what you're seeing on specifically from supporters of Bernie Sanders.
[Jarrett:] Bernie and Trump.
[Romans:] Yes.
[Jarrett:] Well, moderate voters may have another reason to bypass Senator Sanders. The Vermont Senator offering up a partial defense of Fidel Castro's Cuban revolution. Sanders was asked on 60 minutes about something he said back in the 1980s that the Cuban people didn't rise up against Castro because he gave them education and health care.
[Sanders:] We're very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but, you know, it's unfair to simply say everything is bad. You know, when Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did
[Jarrett:] Anderson Cooper pointed out point out the number of dissidents imprisoned in Cuba, Sanders responded we condemn that.
[Romans:] Ahead of the South Carolina primaries, CNN will host town hall events with all the leading candidates. A two night events starts tonight with Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and Tom Steyer. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern only on
[Cnn. Jarrett:] President Trump stepping up efforts to weed out government officials he views as disloyal. Aides of Axios, the president has crossed a psychological line involving the so-called deep state ever since his Senate acquittal. They say he feels his government from justice, to state, to defense, to homeland security is filled with snakes he wants fired and replaced.
[Romans:] CNN reported last week President Trump's new personnel chief made it clear his office will be on the lookout for staffers across the administration who are seen as disloyal. Now 12 sources tell Axios the president and top allies over the past 18 months compiled lists of untrustworthy officials to oust and loyalists to replace them. A well-connected network of conservative activists has been quietly developing never-Trump and pro-Trump lists and is sending memos to the president to shape his views. Members of this network include Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. CNN has reached out for a comment but has not heard back.
[Jarrett:] Axios reports one recent memo involves Jessie Liu. She was nominated for a top job at treasury only to have the president withdraw that nomination right before her confirmation hearing. She led the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C. overseeing the Roger Stone case. And the memo about Liu contained 14 sections making the case for why she was unfit for the job. Neither Liu nor the White House has responded to request for comment.
[Romans:] All right, stock markets around the world are tumbling as the coronavirus outbreak spreads beyond China. These are big moves to start the week. Hong Kong closed down nearly 2 percent. South Korean stocks had their worst day in more than a year down almost 4 percent, and the bad mood is extending to the president's favored economic indicator, the stock market, the industrial average looks like almost 800 points if this negativity holds into the next few hours. Now, the White House is expected to ask Congress for emergency funding to battle the virus as fears of a larger outbreak in the U.S. grow. There are now 25 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., 14 Americans who tested positive for the disease return to the U.S. this week after spending weeks quarantined on the Diamond Princess docked in Japan. The exact amount of funding has not been set but a request could be sent to the Capitol Hill soon as today. A spokesperson for Health and Human Services said, CDC has already notified Congress. It plans to spend up to $66 million for its infectious diseases, rapid response reserve fund to react to that outbreak. Those are big stock market moves. I mean, we're going to be bracing for a big sell-off this morning. The DOW was down also on Friday. It's sort of the realization here that they don't have a grasp on how badly coronavirus will spread and how that will hurt global growth. You know, in China, China is now a third of global economic output, has tied into China. Much different than 20 years ago when we had the SARS virus.
[Jarrett:] Well, still ahead, a hiker in Washington State crawling, crawling eight hours to save his own life.

[Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Correspondent:] Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Amanpour." Here's what's coming up. Unity to restore the soul of America. With that, the Democrats are off to the races. Convention speaker and former presidential nominee, John Kerry, joins me. Then
[Dan Rather, Former Anchor, Cbs Evening News:] The
[Amanpour:] Legendary newsman, Dan Rather, and the Daily Beast, Margaret Carlson, tell Walter Isaacson why conventions do matter and pick some of their highlights from decades of covering them. Plus, one of this year's presidential contenders, Senator Cory Booker, is on the program. He talks about his call for civic grace, and his good friend, the vice-presidential pick, Kamala Harris. Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. At their unconventional convention, the Democratic message is crystal clear. The stakes for the country and for the world have never been higher as they seek to remove President Trump from office. The virtual summit framing this year's presidential election as a vital battle for America's future, a life and death battle, even, with pleas for competent leadership coming from a wide range of voices across the party spectrum. One of those speakers is the former secretary of state, John Kerry. He wants to see a Biden administration rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Paris Climate Accord. The Trump administration has rolled back a whole raft of EPA regulations, and now the White House controversially says it will open Alaska's arctic wildlife refuge to oil drilling. Kerry also knows exactly what it's like to be a Democratic nominee battling it out with a Republican incumbent as he faced off with President George W. Bush in 2004. And he's joining me now from Boston, Massachusetts. Secretary Kerry, welcome to the program.
[John Kerry, Former Secretary Of State:] Thank you.
[Amanpour:] I wanted to start by asking you something that's on top of mind, certainly from all the Democrats and obviously the Republican leadership as well, and that's the brouhaha over the U.S. Postal Service and will it or will it not be fit for purpose coming the election and delivery of ballots? So, we hear from the postmaster general who, as you know, is going to testify, Friday and Monday, before Congress. He says he is suspending all the changes that had been mooted. Just tell me what he means by that and what particularly needs to be suspended.
[Kerry:] Well, this is at the heart of our democracy, and I think there's been just an incredible amount of bipartisan pushback on this. Veterans get their checks through the mail. People get their Social Security. People get medical documents. I mean, there are so many different links to this entity that was put into our constitution at the formation of our country, our first postmaster general, Benjamin Franklin. So, they've been messing with the heart of America, and I think it caught up to them here. The question now is will they really internally not continue to make certain moves, even as they sort of publicly move away from the things they announced? It is critical the Post Office get additional money, additional funding in order to be able to carry out this election in ways that will not be contested. And it is also obvious that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, has chosen to attack institution after institution, and he cares not one whit about the rule of law or the democratic process. He's already adopted authoritarian pet leaders, and he is practicing some of their ways here at home. So, this is a very critical moment for America and for our election. It's one step, but it is going to have to be greatly reinforced by congressional oversight.
[Amanpour:] And just so everybody is clear, I'm sure everybody knows, but the postmaster general, DeJoy, was appointed by President Trump, and he's saying to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I'm suspending initiatives until after the election. Retail hours will not change. Mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain where they are. No mail processing facilities will be closed, and we reassert that overtime has and will continue to be approved. So, that's where we are. Now, Secretary Kerry, you are speaking at the convention. You know what it's like to have been a nominee. Just give me your overall thoughts about how this is going so far? Obviously, it's all virtual. It's not like when you were there with crowds and balloons and applause and all the rest of it.
[Kerry:] Well, you hope applause. It's very different, obviously. But I thought it was a terrific night last night. Particularly I thought I found moving, and I think a lot of people would agree, the young woman whose father died who said there are two Americans, the one that Donald Trump lives in, and then the one that my father died in. And it really underscores the gap in America today. I think she said the preexisting condition that her father had was a belief in what Donald Trump was telling them, that it was going to go away. And in fact, he shaped his life choices on this premise of the president, using the credibility of the White House saying it's going to go away. So, there are a lot of people who have died. A lot of people have died because Donald Trump didn't pay attention, because he didn't listen to the scientists, because he didn't listen to the scientist, because he didn't listen to the doctors, because he wasn't listening to professional advice, because he had this whiz-bang crazy, out of reality, you know, view that he knew better than all of them, and he could say, oh, it's going to go away, and he just wished it away. And now, the United States of America is the poster child country for bad response, for bad consequences. And we are told now by the experts that here in America, we are inches away from having this COVID out of capacity to be brought into control. So, this is a dangerous moment for us, and no one should under underestimate what is at stake not just in terms of pandemic response or the safety and security of Americans at home, but our role in the world, the expectations in the world for the United States, the need for countries to come together, the massive challenges we face in terms of nuclear weapons, cyber warfare and, of course, the monster of the law climate crisis which will require nations to come together in ways that Donald Trump simply doesn't believe in, number one, and number two, is not capable of carrying out even if he did.
[Amanpour:] I want to get to those, particularly climate, which you have been so front and center on, not only when you were secretary of state and negotiating the 2015 Climate Accord, but also, in the current environment for Vice President Biden. You were part of the task force to put forward a new climate policy. And you were, I guess, on the task force for the vice president, and your colleague, who was representing, I guess, Bernie Sanders, was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the congresswoman. And there was obviously some distance between the two parties. So, tell me how you negotiated, how you came to an agreement for the platform.
[Kerry:] Well, we bridged the differences, and it was I was very impressed by everybody who took part in part of the task force. We had a terrific staff. We worked very, very hard. We had a lot of meetings. And our goal was really to not find divisions but wished to find ways of putting the best climate policy possible forward. We've done that. I believe Joe Biden has one of the most exciting climate initiatives ever put forward, but a thoughtful one that will result, I think, in creating millions of new jobs in America and in the world, actually, will result in restoring America's position of leadership on this issue, will see us immediately rejoin the Paris Agreement. But more importantly, doing Paris now is not enough. Everybody has got to understand that. We are way behind, and even if we did everything that we set out to do in Paris, we're still see warming of the earth up to about 3.7 degrees, which is catastrophic. So, what we were betting on in Paris was accelerating the private sector and getting governments to move in the same direction. Because President Trump pulled out of it, he has slowed everything down, because America has been undoing many of the things we needed to do, and notwithstanding states and cities have been working extremely hard to stay with it. What we will need to do on day one, and this is what President Biden will do, is not just rejoin but make it clear that in Glasgow, at the next meeting of the conference of parties of the U.N., we have to lift ambition significantly on a global basis. And that is leadership that I know a President Biden is prepared to provide.
[Amanpour:] So, Vice President Biden has said, you know, when I look at climate, I see jobs. When Trump looks at climate, he sees a hoax. So, let me just play what Biden has said about his pledge on this issue for the American people and for the world.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] I know the climate change is a challenge that's going to define our American future. I know meeting the challenge will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to jolt new life into our economy, strengthen our global leadership, protect our planet for future generations. And if I have the honor of being elected president, we're not just going to tinker around the edges. We're going to make historic investments that will seize the opportunity and meet this moment in history.
[Amanpour:] Senator Kerry, you were a senator before. I mean, you are fully aware, obviously, of how difficult it is sometimes to wrangle legislation and to get these big promises through, no matter how existential they are. You've seen what this administration has done, rolling back EPA regulations on just about everything, and now, the idea of rolling back the sort of preservation of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge for drilling up there, for oil drilling. Are these things that can be reversed, number one, and when you if you get into office, if the vice president gets into office with an ambitious climate plan, do you think it even gets through Congress? Can it be made into law, meaningful policy?
[Kerry:] Yes, it can, and I think the American people have the opportunity to speak 80 days from the end of this convention. We will have our election, and it is conceivable that the United States Senate will become Democratic, and I'm confident the House will stay Democratic. So, I believe we'll have a unique opportunity to be able to do this. But we also will do it because it's common sense, Christiane. It really is jobs. It's not a euphemism. There are a million jobs to be created in the deployment of the charging stations that we need for zero emission vehicles, either hydrogen or electric. We need massive infrastructure built to have a smart grid that will deliver new energy and better energy, cleaner energy to any part of the country at times where the demand needs it. We have the ability to you know, Joe has set a goal of turning our 500,000 school bus fleet into electric vehicles. We're going to have 3 million vehicles privately transitioned into electric as a target goal and provide incentives to help get that done. He's going to help set a target for new buildings that will all be that anything that's new that is built is going to have to be carbon free by 2030. By 2025, we're going to have major steps forward in decarbonizing our power grid. So, these are things that are achievable, and every one of those things you have to achieve requires jobs to be able to get it done. Construction jobs, technical jobs, design jobs. I mean, there's just massive number of employment. Infrastructure is really what grew America post World War II, and infrastructure will be what grows America post COVID as we begin to rebuild and rebuild better. So, I'm absolutely confident. I mean, this is an exciting period of time, because that future, in fact, is one that will benefit people all around the world, and it will bring greater security to our nation, greater security to the planet, to people everywhere. It will bring cleaner air, less disease, and it will provide ultimately a stronger economy which is stronger security in and of itself. So in every way you measure it, this is a plus. It's a win-win-win. And we've got to stop this lose-lose proposition of the president who just says it's a hoax. We saw what happened with his proclamations of hoax about COVID. 106,000 Americans dead and more to come, unfortunately. It's tragic. It's extraordinary that at this moment in history, we have the president that we have. And as Michelle Obama said last night, it is what it is. And people need to look at what it is and go out and vote. Make our democracy work.
[Amanpour:] Being secretary of state, you obviously were very involved in the diplomacy that secured the U.S. for national security. What do you think Americans need to know and allies need to know about a Biden presidency? What about the troops that are currently being potentially removed from Germany that have historically kept the peace there? What about the Iran Nuclear Deal which the president in the current administration is trying to really sort of blow up, so to speak, figuratively? Are those things reversible?
[Kerry:] Yes, they're reversible, but all with some complications that didn't exist previously. In Iran with respect to the Iran Nuclear Agreement, the hardliners have been empowered by what Donald Trump did. Before Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement, ships weren't being shot at in the Gulf, things weren't being blown up, we weren't at the brink of war. We were moving in the opposite direction. And now, those who negotiated the original agreement, regrettably, have been discredited as a result of what the president did. We'll have to restore a measure of credibility. In addition to which, we need to go farther than that agreement. I think people understand that. Yemen has to be resolved. We have to have a security arrangement in the Gulf in which nations do not feel our being a threat. We need to find a way forward that will advance interests broadly in terms of security in the region. Israel, obviously, faces a genuine threat from Iran, always has. It's one we felt we were dealing with. And in fact, the Israeli security establishment supported the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Not the political folks, but the security folks, the professionals. And so, we have to get back to a place where we're talking, listening and reasonably moving forward in ways that don't make matters worse. I think that's doable. I really am convinced it's doable. With respect to climate and other things, there are many things that can be turned around by executive order. They can move fairly quickly. But nobody should look at everything and say, oh, we're just and I don't think a President Biden does. I know in my conversations with him, he knows that the dynamics have shifted. We're living in a world that is changed from the world of four years ago, and we have clarity, I think, with respect to certain things that need to be dealt with as we go forward. So, I would anticipate very thoughtful, but very strong approach. Vice President Biden has been around this for a long time, knows the players, knows the ins and outs. He's not going to be fooled by anything or anyone, and I think he will approach this extremely carefully and soberly but with a view to a larger vision of where the world needs to go and how we get there. The great advantage of a Biden presidency will be the relationships he brings to the table be and the years of experience that he has. I can't think of any person who might be about to become president historically who has as much experience in this sector as Joe Biden does.
[Amanpour:] So, let me ask you personally, then, what you would say to him, your old friend from the Senate and from all sorts of years in between. What would you say to him about the slings and arrows of politics? You were famously swift boated by the Bush administration when they cast aspersions on your Vietnam service, and it hurts you. It did hurt you. I wonder whether you think, you know, the Trump administration trying to attack Biden on terms of mental competence, I wonder if that's going to stick and what you might say or recommend or advise the vice president in this battle right now.
[Kerry:] Well, I got to tell you, Donald Trump questioning anybody about mental competence is a new one. I mean, that will be an extraordinary event and I would love to see that debate. I don't think that I mean, they've thrown the kitchen sink at Joe Biden. They spent months trying to eliminate him. That's how Donald Trump got impeached because he got into the Ukraine situation trying to destroy Joe Biden. And so, you know, the American people know Joe Biden. Barack Obama said that the wisest decision he made politically in his eight years was choosing Joe Biden to be vice president of the United States. And for eight years of the Obama-Biden administration, we had not one whiff of scandal, not one. Compare that to this administration. So, I am personally looking forward to the debate, and I think that a lot of the arguments of Donald Trump and those around him have just fallen absolutely flat to date, and I don't see what's going to suddenly give them life in the days ahead.
[Amanpour:] Secretary Kerry, thank you very much for joining us. And now, we know that this year's conventions will be memorable for being so different. But throughout history, these nominating parties have generated moments that still burn bright to this day. Our next guests are perfectly positioned to curate this perspective. Dan Rather was a long-time anchor of the CBS Evening News, and Margaret Carlson, a columnist for the Daily News now was the first female columnist for "Time" magazine. Here they are speaking with our Walter Isaacson about some of their standout moments of the past.
[Walter Isaacson, Cnni:] Thank you, Christiane. And Margaret Carlson and Dan Rather, welcome to the show, both of you.
[Dan Rather, Former Anchor, Cbs Evening News:] Thank you. Good to be with you, Walter.
[Isaacson:] We go a long way back on conventions and I remember all of us always saying, these things are so pointless, they don't really have any meaning in this day and age. But now, what do you think we might be losing if we don't have these type of in-person conventions?
[Rather:] Well, we lose a lot of focus. These two weeks have given us focus, kind of a national teach-in, if you will, or a master class in politics on what our democracy hopes to be and thinks it can be and thinks it is. The other thing we miss is the sheer joy of it. The conventions are what I call a dance of democracy. And now, with this unprecedented virtual convention today, sort of the music has gone out of the dance but we're still doing the steps, if you follow that metaphor. The parties could decide going forward that they all
[Amanpour:] You know, Margaret, every now and then, the surprises in 1988 convention down here in New Orleans. And I think you and I were together. We were in charge to figure out who the vice president was going to be. And suddenly one day before he was supposed to announce it, Bush announces Dan Quayle, and you had to scramble.
[Margaret Carlson, Columnist, The Daily Beast:] Oh, did we ever, because the only thing we heard from the Bush people was how much Senator Ted Kennedy respected Dan Quayle for their work on the Labor Committee. We didn't know much you know, he's a decent guy, a quiet guy from Indiana, and, you know, there was a little suspense. In Dan's day there was a lot more than in mine, but the vice-presidential pick was sometimes held until the very end instead of well, when is he going to say it? And if the presidential candidate doesn't reveal it, what's wrong with that campaign that they can't get themselves together to announce this? But now, mostly that element is gone. Another element that's going to be gone this time is last week when I was watching the Biden-Harris rollout, at the end of it, they waved the way you know, the professional wave and then you see somebody you went to camp with in the audience and you start pointing. Gone. They were waving to an empty room, just about, except for a few friends and family and the press that got in. So, you ask, what's the sound of no hands clapping? And the clapping and the audience, it really creates something all on its own. And, Walter, I remember you not as a dancer or a music guy, but when the balloons dropped, you kind of went with the music because it's a great moment when the family comes one by one until the whole stage is full and then you see Bush's fourth cousin twice removed is out there on the fringes. And one I remember that went on forever is the don't stop thinking about tomorrow, and we're not going to have that.
[Isaacson:] You know, one of the most memorable modern moments in the convention was 1968, and you were a new CBS News correspondent on the floor, Dan. You were covering the White House, I think, and you were one of those floor correspondents and you got dragged out with Walter Cronkite narrating. Tell me how that happened.
[Rather:] Well, there was a great effort to keep a lid on it in Chicago. Inside the hall, Mary Daly, the Chicago
[Isaacson:] It was on live and Cronkite cut the camera to you just as you were being hit, right?
[Rather:] That's correct. And so, you know, it was on live television and it went we would say these days, viral all over. We didn't have the internet at that time. But I think the point was it drew attention, as they say, in a really unprecedented effort to keep the control inside the convention hall and outside the convention hall, and it didn't work.
[Isaacson:] This is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. And I certainly remember a lot of memorable moments at conventions that elevated women in politics, whether it was Ann Richards' speech at the opposing George H.W. Bush or I think Palin, Margaret, you've written about her. Tell about Margaret, let's start with you, some of the most memorable moments that involved women in politics.
[Carlson:] Well, you know, there's the Geraldine Ferraro moment which was a first and was very, very exciting. She ultimately lost, just like Hillary Clinton ultimately lost, but these are not lost on women. And isn't it fitting that the 100-year anniversary comes as we have the first black woman on the Biden-Harris ticket? You remember, Walter, I think we had we were always celebrating the year of the woman in the magazine and then it turned out not to be the year of the woman. But after the Clarence Thomas hearings, so that must have been '92, we did have a small year or the woman when six women were elected to the Senate. Before that it had been Mikulski and
[Isaacson:] And, Dan, you remember when Palin got the vice presidential bid from McCain.
[Rather:] Oh, I remember it as if it was yesterday. Again, it was a stone-cold stunner that nobody expected with John McCain. But, as we now know, we realize he was behind, and he needed a desperate gamble. In this case, the gamble did not pay off. But it was a long shot gamble to reverse what had become the narrative of the campaign. But even much earlier, as early as 1964, I can remember this was when Lyndon Johnson was essentially
[Isaacson:] Fannie Lou Hamer?
[Rather:] Provided one of the more important and brighter moments of that otherwise dull 1964 Democratic Convention, when they insisted to be heard, and were making the point that, number one, people of color were underrepresented at the convention, and, number two, so were women.
[Isaacson:] What did you think, Margaret, when you first saw Sarah Palin, because she was electrifying at the convention?
[Carlson:] Oh, Walter, that speech was so electric. And she was spectacular. She just had this spirit and this presence. And I was so swept away. And I got to write the piece, thank you. And the headline on it was and I want to take this back before I say it "A Star Is Born." That's how good that speech was. And when she we won't have that this time, a co-campaign but when she was out on the campaign trail with McCain, she made him 20 years younger. They didn't campaign that much together. But when they did, it was really good for him. The problem was, she didn't know very much and she hadn't really seen that much from her front porch in Alaska, certainly not Russia. And she became a caricature after the Katie Couric interview, which shows how you can go up in politics and how you can come down and say, in Hillary Clinton's case, how you can rise again.
[Isaacson:] Margaret, from what I remember, what happens at the convention itself in the hall is sometimes less important than what's happening at all the breakfasts, the briefings, the discussions, and, for that matter, the socializing and the parties. Why was that so important to the way democracy worked and to the way we covered politics?
[Carlson:] Well, most of the people that you meet, you don't meet actually on the floor of the convention. I won't name a great journalist who told me, why do you care so much about getting a floor pass? I never go to the floor. And he just hung out in all the places you needed to be. Started with breakfast at 7:00 and closed the bar at 2:00 a.m. and then went to an after-party, because, in the village of the convention, in that area surrounding it and all the bars and parties, not only everybody knows everybody, but everybody acts like they know everybody. So you can walk up and talk to somebody you have never met, like Donald Trump, or actually Bill Clinton. And that would matter later on. And then, also, they get to know you, whether they're going to talk to you when you pick up the phone. So, it all matters, because it's a futures game when you're at the convention, as well as what's happening right then and there.
[Isaacson:] Give me an example, Dan, or a memory or two of what may have happened to you at the fringes of the convention where you learned something.
[Rather:] Well, 1960 was the first year in which I covered both conventions, both the Democrat and Republican Conventions. I was not yet at CBS News. I was covering for a regional television network. And a high-ranking member of the Johnson staff, in fact, John Connally, who was governor and right hand of the president, did take me aside. I didn't know particularly, but I did knew him. Did take me aside and he said, don't assume that LBJ won't be on the ticket. And when he said that to me, frankly, I was saying to myself, yes, but I don't think it's very likely. And, of course, it turned out to be true. So that was a very valuable piece of information. I wish I had taken it and run with it a little harder, but I was very suspicious of it.
[Isaacson:] Margaret, do you worry that candidates can now just bypass the news media and that what happens on TV and in newspapers doesn't really matter much?
[Carlson:] Do I ever worry about that, and does it ever hurt me, because think about the convention we're about to see. It could be the Twitter convention, in which the first impression people get is from their Twitter feeds, skipping us altogether, because we will be coming out in the middle of the night. You know, it's we were there in the golden age of journalism. So much has happened and so much is lost. And I don't think it's just because I'm in it that I say that. I think, someday, people will come back to the notion that we weren't fake news, and that buying a newspaper, as a citizen, was a good thing to do, and that it mattered. How you used to learn about what was happening in your government really mattered.
[Isaacson:] Some of the most memorable moments for me at conventions have been the great speeches, whether it was Ted Kennedy's a dream shall never die at that 1980 convention we have been talking about, or Jesse Jackson taking the early morning bus. Margaret, what's most memorable for you in terms of great convention speeches?
[Carlson:] Well, the first always being the best. In 1988, George Bush gave a speech that was so unlike George Bush, because he had to talk about himself and the great I, which his mother told him never to say. And he had one line in there. And he said, "I am a quiet man, and the quiet people hear me." And I thought that is not just him, but it was his presidency, in which he almost always did what he thought was right, whether or not we thought it. And I was just impressed by that.
[Isaacson:] Dan?
[Rather:] The one that stands out the most was Barack Obama, who had just been elected the senator from Illinois, made a tremendous speech at the 2004 convention. And I interviewed him immediately after that speech. And most politicians, they drill you in the eyes, make strong eye contact. But hearing the speech and the way he handled himself in the wake of that speech, I did find myself saying, there's a great future ahead for him. I can't say I thought he would become president of the United States as quickly as he did. But for a speech that was not a candidate on the ticket, it was the most memorable talk, a tremendous speech. And every young aspiring politician, whatever their party, they would do worse than to take that Obama's speech, which vaulted him into the national consciousness, as a model for how to make a brilliant convention speech on television.
[Isaacson:] Dan Rather, Margaret Carlson, I hope I'll see you all at a convention someday in the future, but thanks for being with us this evening.
[Rather:] Thank you, Walter.
[Carlson:] Thanks.
[Amanpour:] And, of course, that Obama's speech in 2004 was for John Kerry, who we just interviewed earlier, when he was contesting the election in 2004 then. Now, the Democrats have ensured that this is a political convention unlike any other, with one striking takeaway, and that is unity. Divisions in the party during the 2016 election ultimately resulted in defeat. But now Biden's former rivals are standing up to show support, like Senator Cory Booker. The one-time presidential candidate pushed for reconciliation during his campaign, as he prepares to speak on the final night of the convention. Cory Booker is joining me now from New Jersey. Senator Booker, welcome to the program. I just wanted to ask start by asking you you're going to be speaking on Thursday night, the last night of the convention. Can you give us any hints? Can you tell us what your speech is going to be about, the theme?
[Sen. Cory Booker:] Well, sure. I doubt it will be what you expect. But the reality is you said it I have always felt that this nation, especially now, after years of Donald Trump, we need to all come together and bring about a revival of civic grace, understand that we need each other, we belong to each other. And this nation has always gotten better and better when we find ways to put more indivisible into this one nation under God. So, those are the themes that I think Joe Biden exemplifies, where he has really brought together a team of rivals. And you're going to see us all, so many of us who ran against him now standing firm, from last night's Amy Klobuchar to Bernie Sanders believing that he's the leader that we need to help bring this country together, heal and move forward.
[Amanpour:] So, to that point, let me just play what Bernie Sanders did tell people on the first night of the convention. I mean, he looked directly into the camera, and you could tell that he was talking to his supporters. So, let's just play a little bit.
[Booker:] Sure.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders:] At its most basic, this election is about preserving our democracy. During this president's term, the unthinkable has become normal. He has tried to prevent people from voting, undermined the U.S. Postal Service, deployed the military and federal agents against peaceful protesters, threatened to delay the election, and suggested that he will not leave office if he loses. This is not normal. And we must never treat it like it is.
[Amanpour:] Senator Booker, let me ask you, because, obviously, Bernie Sanders represented and is the progressive part of the Democratic Party. And he was really there doing stuff that he hadn't done in terms of rallying his supporters to vote. As he said, the most important thing is to remove President Trump from office, from their perspective. Is this a unity that you believe in right now? Is it something that may fray after the election? How do you judge what's happening inside the Democratic Party right now?
[Booker:] Well, the benefit and blessing that New Jersey afforded me is, I get to serve in the Senate with a lot of the competitors against Joe Biden. And from Bernie Sanders, to Elizabeth Warren, to Kamala Harris, and Kirsten Gillibrand, I mean, there is an array of people who've been fighting together to try to stop Mitch McConnell and bring about a more just and even progressive agenda. And so I know it's real, because I get to hang out with Bernie, and to see how committed he is, not just to beating Donald Trump, but he has said on the record that and I think he said last night that this could be one of the more progressive administrations since FDR, that the times right now are calling for big, bold actions to rescue our economy, affirm the solid ground, economic ground, for workers in America, and help us to thrive again in an increasingly competitive world. So, I know this is real. I know the heart of the various people who ran. And they all have very loyal supporters. But we have all been giving messages to our supporters. It's time for us to come together to end this national nightmare and to bring about a new day for our nation.
[Amanpour:] So, you mentioned Senator Harris as one of your colleagues in the Senate, but you have also said she's more than a senator, she's more than my colleague, she's my sister. It appears you're very close. You have sort of kind of grown up together along your political trajectories. Tell me what it is about her that makes you so confident. And just give us some anecdotes about her as a person.
[Booker:] Well, understand, this is somebody that I think people in the African-American community especially can relate to. She's an AKA, a great black fraternity, part of the Divine Nine. She's graduated from Howard University, which has legions of great graduates that we know in American history, but none has ever ascended to this position. So she has been somebody who's been having to be a trailblazer every single point of her life. But I know her as the full, textured, incredible person that she is, from someone who can tell you how to make some great lentils, which makes this vegan really happy... ... all the way to somebody that can sit with you in the rooms where the sausage is being made, and her fine attention to detail, knowing that a line here or a comma here can make a difference for a lot of people.
[Amanpour:] Well, let me ask you, because that's a great image you just conjured up. It's very difficult for women in American politics. As we have seen, they have not yet been able to shatter that final glass ceiling. And, in any event, no matter what stage of their life, a competent, ambitious, feisty woman like Kamala Harris can always be called too ambitious or have derogatory comments thrown away. It's already happening. How difficult is it? And how will she insulate herself in a way that perhaps Hillary Clinton couldn't? And particularly as a black woman, it must be doubly, doubly difficult.
[Booker:] Well, I again, Kamala Harris eats difficult for breakfast. I mean, she has there's only been two black women senators in the history of the United States of America. She did that. She was the first African-American woman statewide in the office that she held for the most populous state in the nation. She did that. I can go through her career, that she keeps doing things. And then, in worlds where people say, oh, well, how is she going to do, how she's going to make it, well, she has distinguished herself, continuing to be elevated by the communities in which she served. So, I already know who she is. I'm just excited, really excited, to see America discover her, to get to know her better, and really rejoice. And is it going to be hard, is it going to be difficult? Nothing worthwhile is easy. Every stride on the road to justice in this nation had to be paid for in sweat and struggle and sometimes blood. Kamala comes from that tradition, and she is going to advance the torch of promise and possibility in America. She's going to be one of the greatest light workers in the pantheon of our modern history. And I'm just excited for her. And I know she's ready for it. And I'm grateful that America now has the chance to see what I have been seeing every day now for years.
[Amanpour:] And, of course, sitting on the Senate Intelligence Committee, she has a whole load of foreign policy expertise and a lot of national security expertise as well. Now, I want to go back to what you said just a little bit earlier, talking about grace and trying to knit back the fabric of America. And, obviously, on the first night, you probably were wowed, like many people have sent in very great reviews of what Michelle Obama, the former first lady, said. She talked a lot about empathy. And this is what this is some of what she said. I'm going to play it.
[Michelle Obama, Former First Lady:] Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division and a total and utter lack of empathy. Empathy, that's something I have been thinking a lot about lately, the ability to walk in someone else's shoes. Right now, kids in this country are seeing what happens when we stop requiring empathy of one another. They're looking around wondering if we have been lying to them this whole time about who we are and what we truly value.
[Amanpour:] So, Cory Booker, you were mayor, and you were known for running around town sometimes helping people shovel out from their snowy driveways. So, this must have resonated a lot with you. But, also, America is in a place where it's described as being ripped apart, unlike at any other time in modern memory anyway. How difficult will it be to restore that fundamental respect between people and affection, even if they don't always agree?
[Booker:] And I will answer what you said. I mean, you literally have adversaries as far as globally going on I know the intelligence reports going on our social media platforms, parading like they're Americans, and trying to whip up even more divisiveness, because they know, when the United States of America is a divided states of America, we're weak. And so, right now, that is the call of this country, is to put more indivisible back into this one nation under God. And you can't do that unless you care for the other, even if they think or vote different than you. You can't do that unless you realize that patriotism, at its very root of this word is this ideal of loving the other, loving your neighbor. And so this is a moral moment in America about, will we find a way to affirm the lines that divide us are not as strong as the ties that bind us? This is the work now of this country. And, America, if you agree with me, then the question is going to be, who better can lead to that, the guy who for almost four years now we have seen being demeaning, degrading, divisive, even dehumanizing to other Americans, or someone like Joe Biden, who has shown he ain't perfect, but he has grace about him, he has a love of others? I really do believe, as one leader I respect said, you can't lead the people if you don't love the people. It's going to be a choice that is so clear for America, choose a person that can get us back on a pathway to what leaders like John Lewis called for us to be, which is a more beloved community.
[Amanpour:] Senator Booker, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina, a few years ago, admittedly, said about Joe Biden that, if you didn't like this guy, whether you agreed politically or not, there was something wrong with you. He was just that decent. And I wanted to ask you, because, in one of your taped remarks this week, you recanted and recalled when you were running against him in the primary how during a commercial break during one of the debates you had a you had an exchange.
[Booker:] Yes, I was going at Joe on issues of racial reconciliation. And even in a joking way, I talked about him not knowing the flavor of the Kool-Aid. And Joe, during the whole campaign, but especially on a number of debates that we had together, showed me just grace and kindness, I mean, encouraged me, and actually celebrated it and thought it was really important for me to be in this contest. And it wasn't in a patronizing way. I mean, he bluntly said, talked openly about what my qualifications were to be president of the United States. And I have been massaged before by politicians. And this wasn't that. This was when no cameras were on. And he was just telling me. And I have now since talked to other folks who had highs and lows in the campaign and talked to me about how Joe met him - them where they were and showed that same kind of human decency. And so I'm telling you, when I was mayor of the city I'm sitting in now, I learned very quickly that hiring for talent first is a mistake. You hire for character first and for decency and goodness first. And that's what America needs to hire their next president on, is, what's the state of their soul? How much are they going to try to bring this country to a higher virtue?
[Amanpour:] Can I just go back to one of the things that really was divisive all throughout the first well, throughout the Trump presidency, and that was the Russia investigation? Now, you just we have just been talking about the Senate Intelligence Committee, and they have come out with a report today that seems to portray the supposed collaboration between the Trump camp and Russians much more intimately than even the Mueller investigation. Let me just read a few bullet points, gives the most comprehensive account get of how Russia interfered in the 2016 election. The Senate report goes even further than the Mueller investigation, revealing new information about contacts between Russian officials and associates of President Trump during and after the campaign. And it was, of course, a Republican senator, Richard Burr, who oversaw that report. What does that say to you today? Is that moment just passed? Are there lessons to be learned about that?
[Booker:] Yes, look, the president was impeached. And you had Republicans even saying that what he did was wrong in trying to solicit foreign interference with our election. He there's evidence that his from his campaign manager, who had ongoing interactions with Russian an Russian intelligence officer, to the glee of his son, who played a very pivotal role in the campaign, that seemed to have knowing where information was coming, that he could get dirt on their opponent. This is a president who has been trashing our norms. I think he's trashed the law, but the norms of this nation and the values we hold, and, in many ways, his engagements with an adversary who I know wants to undermine our democracy, send us into chaos. That is very, very troubling and should be for all Americans. This is not past. This is a president who told us what he who he is, has said openly that he invites help from foreign nations, hasn't denied what he did for what he was impeached on. And I think that people should take that in a very sober manner, as we continue to see him to trash our norms and our institutions, and really show authoritarian bents in the way he's tried to lead this nation.
[Amanpour:] Let me ask you to comment on something which I know you have been asked many times, but I want to ask you again, because it's important for the election. President Trump in a tweet said: "The suburban housewife will be voting for me. They want safety and are thrilled that I ended the long-running program where low-income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it in a bigger form with Cory Booker in charge." What's wrong with that picture, apart from "The Wall Street Journal" saying that Biden leads among suburban women 56 percent to Donald Trump's 39 percent?
[Booker:] Well, I always tell, people be afraid of people who want to make you afraid. And Donald Trump is trying to whip up fear and demagoguery and, frankly, rank racism, in my opinion, to make people so scared that they run to vote for him, when we know this is not true. Joe Biden has already served in the White House. We have seen him what he's stood for and what he's fought for. And then for him to evoke my name, as if I'm some kind of boogeyman scaring suburban folks or suburban white folks, I grew up in the suburbs. My parents had to get a white couple to pose as them to buy the house I grew up in. I was pleased that, when those tweets were going viral, I saw so many people tweeting out, hey, I would love for Cory Booker to live next door to me. One person, I think, even said that they would love me living next to them because they know I would shovel their driveway. We love each other more than this president seems to think. And we're better than the racism that he tries to foist or the fear-mongering that he tries to incite. We are going to close this chapter, God willing, in a little over 70 days.
[Amanpour:] Cory Booker, there should be a lot more neighborly driveway shoveling.
[Booker:] Yes.
[Amanpour:] Thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. And, finally tonight, the 19th Amendment was ratified 100 years ago today. It gave women in the United States the right to vote. So, Joe Biden's choice of running mate has many layers of eloquence to it. Kamala Harris is the first black and the first South Asian woman to be a vice presidential pick. Meanwhile, on somewhat shakier ground with female voters this time around, President Trump is reaching out by declaring this National Suffrage Month. He's also pardon the activist Susan B. Anthony, who was tried and found guilty of voting back in the 1872 presidential election, when only men could vote. The irony, of course, of the president's recognition has not been lost on those who point to active voter suppression under way today. We leave you with these historic pictures of those brave activists who fought for American women to have a say in their democracy. Thank you for watching, and goodbye from London. END

[Richard Quest, Cnn Business Editor-at-large:] And that's different. Normally, they can tell you X, Y, Z. Now, they simply say, we don't know. Don't take the risk. Wear a mask. Socially distance. Not a big price to pay.
[Kate Bolduan, Cnn Anchor:] Yes, not knowing is always some of the scariest part. Well, it's good to see you. Thank you. Thank you for sharing, Richard. It's great to see you, buddy. Thank you so much for joining us today. I'm Kate Bolduan. Brianna Keilar picks up our coverage right now.
[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Hello, I'm Brianna Keilar, and I want to welcome viewers here in the United States and around the world. Yet another day is passing without a coordinated national plan to deal with the pandemic. As the calls from doctor after doctor grow more urgent, the crisis is getting worse. And this just in. the World Health Organization says worldwide coronavirus cases are, quote, accelerating. With the world seeing about 200,000 new cases each day, twice the rate that we saw this spring, and CNN analysis showing how the crisis is deepening in the U.S., 31 states are experiencing a rise in infections. Arizona just reported its highest number of deaths in a single day and its lowest number of ICU beds, the military sending medical personnel to San Antonio, Texas, to the area there. And in Florida, local officials setting themselves up for what many fear could be a bigger outbreak. Cases are surging, hospital bed availability is shrinking, and yet Florida just announced public school buildings will be required to reopen and classes next month. Moments ago, Governor Ron DeSantis said this about the increasing spread in his state, especially in the Miami-Dade area.
[Gov. Ron Desantis:] Especially understanding that 20 to 30-year- old cohort you are seeing, more and more infections in that age group. They probably were always happening to a certain extent but I think the transmission rate has increased over the last month. So it's very important to be careful and to continue to exercise caution.
[Keilar:] I want to bring in CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. And, Elizabeth, your heard the governor there, cases still rising but schools are going to soon be back in session.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] Yes, that is really worrisome. I mean, schools are where kids get together. Kids are vectors, even if they don't get sick, their vector is actually even more problematic that they don't get sick because they don't know enough to stay home. And I think about the teachers that work there, the custodians, the school bus drivers, how worried they must be. I was actually just speaking to the family member of a teacher in another state where this is being considered and she is really worried what is going to happen to this teacher when they go back into this mix. It is interesting that they are saying this. It's still early July. Schools don't start until next month in Florida. Are they going to hold to this? They have several weeks to see how this goes and possibly change their minds or come up with some kind of a combination of in-school and online early, something that might help mitigate having all of those children in one place.
[Keilar:] Yes, all right. Elizabeth, if you could stand by for me, as we continue to monitor this press conference, among the new announcements that are coming out of Florida, the state is going to require all the schools there to reopen for in-person classes this fall. I want to talk more with Alberto Carvalho. He is the Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. And, sir, I think we can all agree that in-person learning is the best for our kids. I think a lot of us are seeing that first-hand. And it's best for parents certainly who are trying to get back to work. But that order seems to entirely ignore how much worse the cases have gotten in your state. Is you district ready to go back to school as usual?
[Alberto Carvalho, Superintendent, Miami-dade County Public Schools:] Number one, thank you very much for the opportunity, Brianna. Our district is ready to go back as long as the options that we have put before our parents, our community, the surveys with parents and teachers are honored. And I believe they will. Look, the executive order that was published yesterday does require schools to open for up to five days a week across all of the State of Florida but it also allows for innovative models to be considered and that's exactly what we want to take advantage of. We have innovative models. We have models where students do not need to come to school to get their education. In fact, during the last quarter, we demonstrated how effective they can be, continuous remote education without necessarily forcing all students in to the same building at the same time. And I think that's the game changer is can we open schools with some number of students in schools for a traditional schoolhouse approach while allowing parents, teachers, individuals with underlying conditions the ability, the opportunity to continue to learn from a remote location. That's our plan, that's how we open. We will open the 2021 school year.
[Keilar:] Are you saying that the remote learning opportunities are as good as the in-person learning opportunities?
[Carvalho:] No. I think there's general agreement that the best approach of teaching children is that physical, that social connection that exists in the classroom. But we need to consider the riskbenefit analysis associated with bringing a huge concentration of students into the same building. That is why we surveyed our parents, we surveyed our teachers, and about 60-some percent of the parents feel comfortable of sending the children back to school. But there's about 30 percent of those parents who say, look, I experimented with remote learning. I am happy in my circumstances allow me to actually supervise my child at home while he or she is being taught from a distance by a competent professional dedicated teacher with a same level of engagement and time on task. And that's exactly the types of options we have before our parents in Miami-Dade.
[Keilar:] So, you say that the order respects local decision-making. If you are seeing cases continue to spike in Miami-Dade, do you feel confident that you could pull the plug on the reopening plan? Actually, sir, if you could stand by for me for a moment, I want to go to governor now, Governor DeSantis in Florida taking questions at his daily briefing.
[Desantis:] with remdesivir is the federal government bought out a bunch of it and then they sent it to the state departments of health. So our health department has distributed to the hospitals as they have needed it. That is no longer what's happening. So now the next shipment that's due in soon is not involving the state anymore. It's going directly from I think Gilead or whoever is the distributor is directly to the hospitals. I talked to the vice president, told him that we want to make sure that we don't have a gap so they're working on it as well. But it's a change in how it's being distributed now. It's no longer coming through the department of health. It is going directly to the hospitals.
[Reporter:] I have a question about contact tracing. So we've been learning a lot about from some of the communities that have been able to get ahead and managed in states like in New York, when they started their reopening plans, they had a pretty robust contact tracing program that dovetailed on that reopening strategy. Infectious disease experts this morning, again, reiterating to me that there are not enough contact tracers on the ground, this as we are now experiencing this rollback, this economic toggle back triggered, the
[Desantis:] Well, I have already green lighted 138 million for the department of health to support not just contact tracing but other personnel. All the counties have gotten huge amounts of money from the CARES Act. The contact tracing is something that can be done, and it's a component. But understand, when you're talking about an asymptomatic virus that largely doesn't create symptoms in people who are healthy and under, say, 50, you know, the contact tracing is not going to be enough. You have to have some of the things we're doing with the nursing homes, some of the other things that you're doing with social distancing. So we have put in a lot of money for it. The counties have a lot of money to be able to do it. But, New York, they went through the boom and bust, it wasn't because of contact tracing. I mean, that's the way it was, they had massive infections. We have had a flatter curve so those infections spread out over a longer period of time. That's what everyone said we wanted back in March. But we have put 138 million from the state. These guys have money. I know you've invested in contact tracing, I believe, as well. But at the end of the day, this is not a disease in which you get visibly sick, then you're contagious, so that if you isolate, contact trace, you do. Most of the people walking around with this either don't know they have it or they have very mild symptoms, and will never come in contact with the help. Another problem that you've seen is particularly younger folks aren't cooperating with contact tracers. And so when they're trying to call, they're just not getting a lot of support. You do have some informal contract tracing that's gone with younger people, where someone will have like a party at somebody's house and someone at that party later tests positive and then they tell everyone, hey, I tested positive, and then those people go and get tested. So you do see some of that. But, yes, we have put in a lot money for it. And I think it's important but it doesn't do the whole thing when you talk about an asymptomatic. So it's not as simple as saying you could just contact trace everything, not when you have a largely asymptomatic illness. Yes, sir?
[Reporter:] Please, let me ask a question. It's a two-part question. Restaurants beleaguered. And, oh, my gosh, we thought we did everything we have done. And then I want to ask you about gyms. What can you say to restaurant owners? I know you have expanded it to allow outdoor dining. But what do you say to these beleaguered restaurants in Dade County saying I have done so much and, oh, my gosh, we have to go back a step? What can you say to them, Mayor?
[Mayor Carlos Gimenez , Miami-dade County, Fl:] It's unfortunate that the way they do business means that people have to take off their masks, and taking off your mask in an interior space, according to our experts, is very it's dangerous because the virus spreads as people talk. And so the nature of the business is not that they did anything wrong, it's just the nature of the business and the number of people and the percentage of positives that we have Miami-Dade, and so the percentages are that in that restaurant, somebody, one, two, three, four people may have COVID-19 and may be spreading it. That's why it's okay to do it outside. They can have outdoor dining. So that will be allowed. In terms of the gym, we came up with a compromise. Now, people when they go in the gym, they must wear their mask and must wear their mask all the time. If they have to do something strenuous, then they have do it outdoors. And so the gyms are going to remain open but under a new set of rules, which they're okay with. And so we reached a pretty good compromise with that.
[Reporter:] A follow up in English, please? How long do you think, Mayor, that will last with the restaurants?
[Gimenez:] It will last with the restaurants until we get a positivity rate somewhere around 5 percent, because that's what the CDC guidelines call for. And so we, right now, are running at a positivity rate of over 20 percent. And one of the reasons that I have asked please keep your mask on is so that we can start to reduce the positivity rate. And once we get that down to about 5 percent, then we can start to, again, open up the restaurants in the interior spaces of the restaurants. But until then, we're going to have to go with what we got right now.
[Reporter:] Governor, Miami-Dade said that only Florida can contact trace and the Miami-Dade County cannot. Can you please explain why Miami-Dade County could not contact trace?
[Desantis:] Has has hired contact tracers. He's
[Reporter:] He announced on May 14 that he was going to hire between 800 to 1,000 contact tracers, and has not been able to hire them. And we asked them and they gave us a statement saying that, in Florida, only the Florida Department of Health can contact trace. Can you explain why during a pandemic?
[Desantis:] Well, I don't think that that I'm not sure that's correct. I mean, we want the county health departments to be involved in this working with their local leadership. That's how they have been doing it the whole time. As I said, we do have $138 million with CARES Act money that I approved weeks ago for this, and for other things that are significant. But I think that they should be able to do it and help do that.
[Reporter:] We have the county mayor with as of last Thursday who said contact tracing is a mistake purview. You're sitting here, the governor of the state now saying the county can do anything. Can you guys just look at each other right now and decide who's hiring contact tracing?
[Desantis:] Well, no, he announced that he was going to do it and he told me he gave us the heads up that they were going to be investing in some of it. We obviously have done it at the state level. I mean, as I said, it's a lot of CARES Act money. That was what the department of health, state department of health requested of me. They created a plan. They had different levels. They had some that were a little bit less, but I approved the more robust plan. And so what they're going to be doing at the state level. But I just also want to just stress on this. Look, we understand now how this thing is transmitted. I mean, we understand kind of the things, like especially when it's hot out you, pack a bunch of people in a private residence, have a party, loud music, a lot of hooting and hollering. That is going to be a strong venue for transmission. They understand that if you maintain physical distance, the chance of you infecting somebody or being infected drops dramatically. We understand that doing things outdoors, fresh air, heat and humidity, the virus doesn't transmit as readily in those circumstances. And so those things, I think, are really the significant behaviors and then obviously for the vulnerable populations to be limiting your close contact outside your home, to avoid crowds as much as you can, to be able to protect yourself. I mean, that is really where we're going to be needing to do this. And so we're doing that, it's part of it. But it's really the behavior that I think the mayor has been talking about, that we have been talking about, protecting the vulnerable, by far the most important. Clinical consequences in the vulnerable group way higher than clinical consequences in the younger groups, but the younger groups are able to spread it to other folks. And so that is the message, protect our vulnerable population and then just follow the guidelines that have been put out, whether it's a state guideline on social distancing, whether it's some of the things that the mayor has done here in Miami-Dade. We've really not had a lot of problems in Florida when folks have been following the guidelines. And I can tell you that throughout all if you go from the beginning of May through the beginning of the second week of June, our statewide positivity rate was under 5 percent, six weeks. Sometimes it got as low as 3 percent statewide. Miami's was down in the single digits. And that was part of our phase one. You had businesses open but you had people, by and large, following the guidelines. And I think when that happens, we are able to have a lower positivity rate and to move it in a better direction.
[Reporter:] So, how many contact tracers do you guys have in Miami-Dade County on the ground that are working right now? How many contact tracers?
[Desantis:] You have to ask the department of health for the exact number.
[Unidentified Female:] One at a time, please, one at a time. Samantha.
[Reporter:] Miami-Dade County has published hospitalization how many people are being admitted to the hospital today. But the state has not published that data in a county-by-county basis. The state has promised that that data would be made available, I think, last Tuesday
[Desantis:] So if you look I mean, like so this report is something that you get kind of I get it every day from department of health, but they have so much raw data on there. I mean, people can pull out these information. I mean, it's really incredible the amount of I mean, people do the charts and graphs and everything. So that's all available for folks and they're able to do it. Now, obviously, not everything is presented in this report, but just an unbelievable amount of data that's available for folks.
[Reporter:] The data that she is asking about is not being released. She is asking specifically about the number of patients
[Desantis:] So all the data that goes into this is all available.
[Reporter:] The spreadsheet of that, Governor, it is not available. It is not available. And the data that's available that shows the total number of hospitalizations is the number, that if you analyze it, it really does not give us any information. The only way for us to be able to inform the public in a better way is to know the number of just like Miami-Dade does it. Mayor Carlos Gimenez releases the data every single day, we are able to look. Here in Miami-Dade, the hospitalizations in the last 13 days have increased by 90 percent. We are able to see that because the county releases the data but the state is not. And we're wondering
[Desantis:] Yes. I mean, so, I think a couple things to think about here is so, obviously, you know, you are seeing, as the mayor has mentioned, we have seen more traffic, particularly in Dade and Southern Florida. Now, part of that is when he's reporting, that includes these 30 percent, 40 percent of people who are incidental. So you obviously have had increases for the COVID treatable but you've also had increases that kind of supplement that. So I think when you look at in March and April when they were doing this, you didn't have testing of people coming in for other reasons at the time. If you are an expectant mother, you wouldn't be tested. If you're in a car accident, you wouldn't be tested. Now, all of those people are being tested. And so they're capturing a certain percentage of people in the community who are largely asymptomatic, would not require hospitalization for this, but are doing it. And so we I think, by them talking about their rate I think Jackson is probably the highest that we've seen in that 30, 40 percent but I think others like Orlando Health and some of those, they are 20, 25 percent, maybe a little less in the Tampa Bay area. But it's definitely a phenomenon that we have seen. But I think that the message is the census, you know, I think that there were I don't know 13,000, 25 percent of the beds statewide are available. That's pretty consistent with where we have been. We have been, I think, between 20 and 30 percent since the elective procedures were put back in in May and people started to become more comfortable about going back to the hospitals. So we have abundant capacity but I think that having some of the personnel support will be very, very important. I know some of the hospital systems have done a little bit on how they are handling elective procedures. I don't think you guys have gone to any type of second level yet. And so they have a lot of levers that they can pull, and then, obviously, I think providing this support for the personnel, the 100 for Jackson obviously working with HHS to be able provide more is something that's very, very significant and will allow the hospitals to be able to handle folks as they're coming in, not just for, obviously, the people because of COVID but be able to have the appropriate isolation procedures for folks who may be giving birth, who may have a broken leg, who may be coming in for something else but are also found to be carrying the virus. So So we did so I've told you. I approved a plan $138 million for the department of health. They can provide the details of that plan if you want to. So that's already been agreed to and approved. And that may be enough, I mean, to what we would need. It's a lot of people. It's a lot of stuff. But I think it's also important to just point out when you have a lot of these asymptomatic 20-year-olds, there's not a lot of contact tracing that's being effective with them because they haven't been as cooperative with doing it. And so there's limits to how much if people aren't going to cooperate how much that could be done. But that 138 million, and that's probably the biggest commitment that you have ever seen before in terms of doing that. So that's what the state has done So the nurses are we have had contracts in place at the state this whole time in case there is just basic preparation in case there is a need to have folks. We have used some of those contract nurses at places like test centers, some of these other things, in addition to National Guard. And so we have capacity to be able to bring some more folks on. Some of that may be shifted from things that they are doing that they may not need to be doing as much. So that's just things that the state we plan for contingencies and have the ability execute accordingly.
[Reporter:] For a lot of states or just Florida?
[Desantis:] Well, I think a mix. I mean, there's places you can contract with for personnel. How they choose to deliver that, we have obviously waved any out of state limitations. So if people are coming from Georgia or from other states, they will be allowed to do that. But that's really a function of what's going on with how the companies are doing it. But those have been in place since March. We didn't really need to do much of it beyond helping with the test centers in March and April. Obviously, May beginning of June was light for us. But then as we have gotten into now, we hear the demand signal. That stuff is ready so you the flip the switch, and then you need to flip another switch, you flip the other switch. That's just basic kind of planning to be able to meet whatever contingencies. And I would stress, I mentioned this yesterday. When we were in March, obviously, there's a lot of people didn't necessarily know what was going on. The idea was flatten the curve, have a flatter curve, which meant that you'd push this out over a longer period of time. The places that went boom and bust and have the highest death rates, that's what people said you didn't want to do. Now, by spreading this out, you now have the ability to have way more robust testing. They're testing everyone that comes in the door. No one could do that in March. It just wasn't being done. There wasn't enough of an infrastructure. You have that. You had PPE shortages in March. Not that PPE is never an issue but the PPE lines are much better now. We have the protective equipment. The state has sent out huge amounts to hospitals and to long-term care facilities, so they're in a much better position. Of course, we mandated PPE in the long-term care facilities third week of March and we've been supplying them ever since. So you have that, which is very significant. You also have some of the different treatments that have been used, the steroid, you have remdesivir, you have some of the other techniques which are much better and delivering better patient outcomes. I mean, the fact of the matter is, the mortality rate for people who are hospitalized now is lower than it was in March. And I think that's worldwide probably but certainly true in the United States and here in the State of Florida. So you have that, which is something that is really, really significant. And so and then, of course, now with having long-term care facilities that are COVID only, you are in a situation where, obviously, we don't want to discharge a COVID positive person back into a facility. We have never done that. But you also have the ability where these facilities can be stepped down from hospitals, so you don't have hundreds of people dwelling in a hospital who don't necessarily need to be there but then can still be appropriately isolated. And so all these things that we now have in place is much different than was in March and, remember, the whole point of the curve, flattening the curve was to make sure we had enough healthcare capacity. People understood that you have a virus, people will get infected, you want to shield the vulnerable, of course, but you want to be able to deal with what ends up happening. And so we're in a way better position today to be able to do that and I think that that's something that has taken a lot of work. It wasn't obviously all just the state. I mean, we were involved in some of it. But a lot of the hospitals, the physicians have gotten much better at this. So that really is the nature of what we were trying to do. We obviously want to see get over this wave as soon as possible. But we have the tools in place to be able to deal with it in ways that not only Florida didn't, really, no state in the country had did when we're talking about the beginning or middle of March. It's just something that wasn't there. Now it is there and we are much better off to be able to handle it. All right, thanks, everybody.
[Keilar:] All right. You are listening there to Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida holding his daily coronavirus briefing. I want to bring in our experts to talk about, Elizabeth Cohen, as well as Dr. Celine Gounder, CNN Medical Analyst. And we're back as well with Alberto Carvalho, who is the superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which factors very large in what we hearing from the governor there. OK. First off, to you, Elizabeth. I want to ask you about something that we heard the governor say. He was talking about particularly at a place like Jackson, I think he said, where they have folks come in that's the health system. They have folks come in for things totally unrelated to COVID. He said they get into a car accident, they have heart problems, everybody who is coming in is getting swabbed and they're getting tested for COVID. Well, I think the rate you guys are seeing, 30 to 40 percent are testing positive. They're asymptomatic. They're incidental COVID positive in the hospital. That stood out to you. Tell us.
[Cohen:] It really did. I think that's a stunning number. I mean, in a way, it's maybe the closest we get to sort of a surveillance number. Gee, how many people in this community have COVID? You can't test everyone. But when they come into the hospital, you can, so they're coming in after a car accident or after a heart attack. And 30 to 40 percent of them have COVID, that is a very high number. And so when you hear that number juxtaposed against the governor's decision to require that schools reopen when schools open back up again in August, why? That proportion of the community has COVID and you're going to require the schools open, really crossing my fingers that there will be some flexibility here. Do they need to open just like as normal or can there be some flexibility? Some children will learn at home. Some children will learn at school. Let's figure out a creative way to address this. Another thing that really struck me also about this press conference is that the governor mentioned problems. Young people are not cooperating with contact tracers. People are having big gatherings at their homes. I'm sure both of those things are true. What I didn't hear is this is what we're going to do about it. He seemed to be complaining quite a bit. I didn't hear a lot of solutions.
[Keilar:] Yes. And also on the contact tracing, just to fact check him on that, CNN looked at this. And he is talking about people asymptomatic so they can't be contact traced. CNN contacted 27 people who had tested positive. So these are not asymptomatic folks. These are folks who know they have COVID and 5 of the 27 had been contact traced. So like that's the least of the problems, dealing with people who have it positively, they haven't even touched that. I want to ask you, Superintendent, because you heard Elizabeth making that point there about flexibility when it comes to going back to school. I know you are looking at flexibility. So explain to us how your hybrid system would work.
[Carvalho:] Thank you, Brianna, and Elizabeth is absolutely right. Without flexibility, without some degree of creativity, we are really asking for a bigger problem than what the county is currently facing. For the better part of a month, we have developed a plan of reopening schools well informed by medical and health experts in our community and beyond. In fact, the former surgeon general of the United States was part of the working group. And our plan relies on, yes, a model for traditional schooling with all of the precautions being observed with social distancing, with a wearing of PPEs, with visors and dividers and masks. But in addition to that, as a means of reducing student density in any one school, additional options, such as hybrid models that rely on alternating cohorts of students in school and out of school in alternate days of the week, in addition to something that we have perfected over years, which is a 100 percent online remote learning opportunity. Without that flexibility, in addition too, by the way, which was not discussed, the possibility of a later start day for the school year depending on local conditions at the time, obviously, all in collaboration with the local health department taking into account the reality right here in Miami-Dade, not just the general reality across the State of Florida.
[Keilar:] Superintendent, if you can this is something I know that administrators everywhere are trying to figure out. But how do you make that work when you have parents who are going back to work?

[Cupp:] In THE RED FILE tonight, the President is, for a great many of us, in a terrifying place. He's on the world stage. Trump is currently in South Korea for a state visit after attending the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. A two-day annual economic conference of world leaders from 19 countries and the EU. And in usual Trump fashion, the summit was a whirlwind of meeting with dictators, deal making allegedly and calculated photo-ops. The President joked with Russian President Vladimir Putin about not meddling in the U.S. election, haha. He had a breakfast with the Saudi Crown Prince, MbS where he said he brought up the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and then defended the Crown Prince against our own intelligence reports implicating him in the murder. And he invited by tweet, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to meet him at the DMZ for a quick handshake and a hello, because why not? With me now CNN National Security Analyst, Sam Vinograd. Sam, I think we're all a little numb to this stuff by now, but we should take this opportunity to remind people that this is not how any of this is supposed to go. How crazy were the last couple of days?
[Sam Vinograd, Cnn National Security Analyst:] Well, foreign travel isn't supposed to be a National Security liability, right?
[Cupp:] Right.
[Vinograd:] I mean, President Obama used to travel or meet with foreign leaders. We viewed it as an opportunity to advance U.S. National Security. At this point, whether it's at the G7, the G20, the NATO meeting and what have you, President Trump's trips aren't just a waste of taxpayer dollars. They create more work to the National Security team back home. You take any number of these meetings, let's start with the Putin meeting. President Trump made very clear that Putin is his paradigm. He wants to emulate President Putin's treatment of journalists.
[Cupp:] Yes.
[Vinograd:] Joking about Putin's treatment of the media and how he wishes he could treat the media isn't funny.
[Cupp:] He's getting rid of them. Getting rid of them.
[Vinograd:] Exactly. Exactly. President Putin imprisons journalist. He targets his opposition and he engages in gross human rights abuses. We shouldn't want to have that in common with President Putin.
[Cupp:] Right, nor should we joke about it. Let's go through some of the others, the Kim meeting which Trump announced by tweets. Like I'm going to swing over because it's nearby.
[Vinograd:] Hop skipping a job.
[Cupp:] Finding the neighborhood. What do you make of it?
[Vinograd:] Well, first of all, he's undercutting his own team. His team has been trying to get a meeting and get talks going with Kim Jong-un for weeks. Secretary of State Pompeo said this publicly and he has a special representative for North Korea, Steve Biegun, who has been trying to work with the North Koreans. He said he didn't know where Kim Jong-unon is. Well, talk to the intelligence community maybe they could help. But the broader question is why does he really want to shake hands with Kim Jong-un. The only explanation, S.E., is that he's desperate. He is desperate to keep Kim Jong-un engaged in these diplomatic negotiations which are a highway to nowhere from a denuclearization perspective. But they do allow President Trump to say things are better than when I started because Kim is not doing nuclear tests and long range missile tests. We should just acknowledge the President Trump's goal is not denuclearization. President Trump's goal is being able to say that he's doing things better than his perceived rivals would have done. That is his benchmark for success at this point.
[Cupp:] Well, I think he also just I mean, he likes the publicity moment and he knows that if he gets a photo of shaking hands with Kim Jong-un on the DMZ, he's got a moment. Less reported was Turkey's decision to purchase Russian missiles after a failed deal with the U.S. Now, Erdogan is saying that Trump pledged no sanctions. Is that a big deal.
[Vinograd:] It's a huge deal. The law and order president is willing to let President Erdogan break the law. These sanctions would be triggered under something called CAATSA, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which penalizes any country that buys weapons from Russia because of Russian invasion of Crimea and other illicit activities. President Trump using Erdogan's talking points said, "Oh, they were pushed into this by President Obama." Regardless of why Turkey would be purchasing Russian goods, they are breaking U.S. law if they proceed with this weapon purchase and President Trump is saying he doesn't care. He's going to issue this waiver because it's Obama's fault. This really opens up a floodgate, S.E. It probably won't stop with Turkey. Turkey is a NATO ally. There will be NATO repercussions if this purchase goes from forward. But India is also looking at buying Russian arms as does Saudi Arabia.
[Cupp:] Yes. Very, very scary. Finally, on China, Trump announced, again, tariffs are on hold. What's going on there?
[Vinograd:] Well, the devil is in the details. It appears that there is a trade war, truce, tariffs won't go forward on additional Chinese goods. That's a good thing for the global economy. The question I have from the National Security perspective is what did Trump have to give up to get the Chinese to agree to this truce other than the tariffs. He said something about Huawei and allowing Huawei to purchase more U.S. products.
[Cupp:] Yes.
[Vinograd:] Just weeks ago, Secretary of State Pompeo threatened to cut off their intelligence partners if they continue to do business with Huawei. Now, President Trump is saying, "Nope, we're going to move ahead with some of the Huawei business and it really begs the question of whether National Security is a focus here or just getting China to buy more of our agricultural
[Cupp:] Right. Sam, thanks so much for breaking all of that down.
[Vinograd:] Yes.
[Cupp:] Complicated stuff and a lot of moving parts, I appreciate it. The dynamics of the Democratic primary have shifted after this week. So for some candidates, it might be time for some self reflection, just saying. I'll talk about that next with my panel.

[Joshua Dubois, Co-founder, Values Partnerships:] twenty some had funerals and wade her way through hundreds of family members who were impacted attacks on the senator from that state. And what President Obama did, you know, he gave a public speech. But all the private moments were between him and those families. We weren't tweeting photos, you know, even I didn't share that passage until years later because I thought folks should know about the character of our president at that time and our former president now. It's a character issue. You know, something has got to change in Donald Trump's heart. It's not a it's not a Republican thing or a Democratic thing, it's a matter of character. Is he going to censor himself or is he going to do the right thing and finally censor people who are going through tough times?
[Don Lemon, Cnn:] Joshua Dubois, thank you so much.
[Dubois:] Thank you. This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon. A CNN exclusive. The mother of the El Paso shooting suspect called the Allen, Texas Police Department weeks before the shooting because she was concerned about her son owning a weapon. That is according to the lawyer for the family. She was told by police that her 21-year-old son was legally allowed to purchase the firearm. The mother did not provide her name or her son's name and police did not seek any additional information from her before the call concluded. Police say the shooter is a white supremacist, but according to Tucker Carlson at Fox News, white supremacy is not a problem.
[Tucker Carlson, Fox News:] But the whole thing is a lie. If you were to assemble a list, a hierarchy of concerns, of problems this country faces, where would white supremacy be on the list? Right up there with Russia, probably. It's actually not a real problem in America. The combined membership of every white supremacist organization in this country would be able to fit inside a college football stadium? I mean, seriously, this is a country where the average person is getting poor where the suicide rate is spiking. White supremacy, that's the problem. This is a hoax. Just like the Russia hoax. It's a conspiracy theory used to divide the country and keep a hold on power. That's exactly what's going on.
[Lemon:] He's getting a lot of blowback for those remarks. Here's what he said tonight.
[Carlson:] I want to take a second to pass on a sincere message to officials in Washington and particularly to our colleagues on the other cable news channels and it's this. Please, for the sake of the nation, calm down. Yes, America has problems. Yes, racism is one of America's problems. But so is a fading middle class. So is a terrifying drug epidemic that's killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. So is a national debt that's growing by a trillion dollars a year. These are huge problems and people know that. People know their country is in decline and it's making them turn to new political leaders. Donald Trump was one of those new leaders.
[Lemon:] I want to bring in now Mia Love, Wajahat Ali, and Rick Wilson. Rick is the author of "Everything Trump Touches Dies." OK. So here we go. Good evening. Mia, I don't have to tell you the powerful role that Fox News has essentially has there. They're essentially state-run TV for this administration. How troubled are you that so many of the president's supporters are being told that there is no problem in this country when it comes to white supremacy?
[Mia Love, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, if anybody says that white supremacists doesn't exist, they're lying. They're intellectually lying, they're lying to you. And I think it's unfortunate to hear someone who has such a responsibility to get information out. Look, he's not we're not telling people to be afraid to go hide somewhere, but you have to be able to look at it, face it head-on and that's the only way that it's going to go away. You can't run away from it. And I'm hoping all of my colleagues that are out there, my former colleagues, people who I know that are good people who I've been, I worked closely with, to stand up and say this is not what we believe in and this has got to stop. If you can't find leadership in the White House then take it upon yourself. Say that you're going to stand up there and you are going to represent the best of what America has. And I just have one more thing I wanted to say. I spoke to a brother- in-law of mine who has spent his entire his entire adult life serving our country in the army. And he says the thing that threatens the United States the most is division within, and the fact that our enemies want to see us tearing each other apart. There is no other nation that's going to tear us down, there is no foreign entity, we're going to do it ourselves. So, I would hope that the people that are out there, leaders that are out there, politicians, parents at home to stand up and say this is not what we believe in. My kids who are of mixed race are really confused right now. They have no idea what to who to look to. And so, I'm telling them to look to me. Look at my Twitter feed because you're not going to find any other Twitter feed from the White House that's going to give you anything that's going to make you a better person or that's going to make you stand up for what America believes in.
[Lemon:] I had the pleasure of meeting Abigail just a couple of weeks ago, a very fine young lady. Yes, they should look to you for guidance. I got to tell you, though, let me ask you this Wajahat, because I think it's important to point out. This is what we did at CNN. And I want to make sure I get it all correct. Right? We reached out to Fox Corporation board members Rupert Murdoch, also Lachlan Murdoch and Dias, Roland Hernandez and Paul Ryan for comment. And I just want to go through what happened when we contacted them all, OK? So, Hope Hicks, Fox's spokesperson who represents Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch did not provide comment. Reached by phone, Hernandez hung up, and when asked about Carlson's comments, Dias did not reply to requests for comments. A representative for Ryan told CNN to contact Fox. Hicks, who represents Fox, did not respond when asked if the former speaker had a comment. OK. Then the seventh member of the Fox Corporation board Jacques Nasser could not be reached by CNN for comment. So, nobody is commenting. Maybe there's no accountability. I don't know what's going on. But do they need to answer for whether they support this, Wajahat?
[Wajahat Ali, Op-ed Writer, New York Times:] Well, they need to answer why they've given an hour every night to a white supremacist, Tucker Carlson. Because there might not be enough white supremacists in America to fit in a football stadium, but there is one for Fox News every night. His name is Tucker Carlson. If you don't believe me, Andrew Anglin, the leading neo-Nazi of the Daily Stormer says that Tucker Carlson is, quote, "literally our greatest ally." He says that Tucker Carlson's show is all of their talking points mainstreamed. So, you have to ask yourself if you are a Fox News patron or a supporter, why do you support Tucker Carlson's show when he is literally saying after a mass shooting attack an act of white supremacist terrorism that has killed more than 22 people in El Paso. He uses his platform to say that white supremacy is a hoax. And that is so insulting to any person of color, Don, especially black people because white supremacy is the original enduring sin of this country. It's an ideology of hate that says that white men in particular are dominant at the expense of everyone else. It has been globalized, thanks to the internet, and it has been mainstreamed, thanks to Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, and the right-wing media infrastructure and right- wing politicians and especially people like Tucker Carlson. So, everyone who is watching right now, ask Fox News, do they agree with Tucker's comments? That's two nights in a row. Is white supremacy a hoax? Ask the people of El Paso. Ask the people who were killed. Ask their family members. Ask people of color, and for the love of God, stop it with he's euphemisms of saying that Donald Trump has racial trip ups and flare ups. I'm tired of it, Don. I'm tired of it. He's a racist. If my colleagues keep saying this, I'm going to call them out. Stop with economic anxiety. All the studies show it's racial anxiety. Confront the number one domestic terror threat to America according to the FBI, white supremacy.
[Lemon:] Rick, I got to ask you, because what he said tonight was not exactly what he said last night. Because last night he said
[Rick Wilson, Republican Strategist:] Right.
[Lemon:] that to keep a hold on power, they said it's a conspiracy theory used to divide the country and keep a hold on power. That is exactly what's going on. He called he said this is a hoax just like the Russia hoax. And then tonight he said, well, this is because people are upset and that's why people like Donald Trump get elected and to calm down and maybe you should see people for who they are or have some, you know, I don't know
[Wilson:] Yes, look tonight smelled
[Lemon:] Some sort of feeling about people I don't know what he meant by that, but go on.
[Wilson:] Yes, look, tonight smelled like an awful lot like although Fox has an internal philosophy of never apologize, never back down, that somebody finally said, wait a minute, every one of these idiots with a manifesto, it could be right off of Tucker Carlson's teleprompter.
[Ali:] That's right.
[Wilson:] Every one of these idiots that comes out and says America is browning and that we're being invaded and that we're losing a demographic war. It all sounds an awful lot like this I think this terrible and terrifying pseudo-intellectual framework they're trying to build around white nationalism by excusing it. By saying, oxycontin is causing white nationalism and economic anxiety is causing white nationalism. No, white nationalism goes of its own. It is a poisonous movement in this country and we have to be honest about it that Donald Trump has empowered it. He, look, let's not forget Donald Trump retweeted people like white genocide 99 during the campaign. And let's I hate having to recapitulate the whole Trump arc from birtherism to Charlottesville to the Central Park Five, all these things. We know what this man's character is. And what Tucker was trying to do for months on end was gussy it up a little bit and pretend that this new nationalism of his isn't driven by an underpinning of racial anxiety and hatred. And I think it's disappointing but understandable, the Murdoch's are not going to walk away from billions of dollars of ad revenue. That this has been they've been able to generate through shows like Tucker and Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity and these other guys who go out every night and, you know, they wink and they nod to white nats out there from Tucker's show. As Wajahat pointed out, you know, Andrew Anglin and all these alt- right guys, they call Tucker our guy. They love the fact that he is vectoring the normies into their white nationalist movement in a way that is I find particularly dangerous, and I think that Tucker has a responsibility to face up to that. I think he was a little nervous tonight. I think there was something in the air that didn't quite sit with his normal confidence.
[Lemon:] Yes, listen, they announced he's going to be on vacation for a while. I think until the 19th. Or he did
[Wilson:] Of course. Vacation.
[Lemon:] I got to ask you, though, Rick, before I move on to Mia. I want to talk about the president. You heard what I read for Wajahat, how all these people, representatives of Fox who we reached out to, including the Murdoch's. Do they need to answer for whether they support this?
[Wilson:] Look
[Ali:] Yes.
[Wilson:] Rupert Murdoch is a capitalist first and a conservative second, I think. Because he has transformed the network away from even the original vision of what it was, which was a counterweight to what he thought was a liberal media to this nationalist, populist, anti- immigrant movement that I think has, you know, they're still monetizing the hell out of it. So, they do need to answer for it, but I doubt you'll ever get one.
[Lemon:] OK.
[Wilson:] They feel impervious. They feel like their market position protects them.
[Lemon:] All right. Mia, I don't have much time. Sorry about that. But let me ask you. I want to turn to the president. His behavior today attacking Democrats, praising himself. Why does it seem like hat he's more aggrieved by his press coverage than upset what he saw today, meeting with victims and their family members?
[Love:] Well, he started off it's really it's so ironic. He started off really well. He was exactly where he should have been, with the families. It should have really been a private moment. It should have been a moment where he would just connect with them. And that is part of the healing process. To let those families know I am with you, the people that did this to you, I am against them.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Love:] But to go on and to have one of his workers actually one of his staff members actually send out a tweet, that was just it was such it was in poor taste. And then turn it into
[Lemon:] A video.
[Love:] You don't have there are ways to deal with people
[Wilson:] I agree.
[Love:] that you don't agree with.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Love:] And, again, one of the things that have emboldened those people that are doing these horrible things is because they're watching the fights. They're watching the Twitter feeds and they feel like they're emboldened by this. There used to be a time where it was just a thought, right? And I remember Margaret Thatcher who would say well, I don't remember her but I remember my favorite quote is "be careful of your thoughts for they become words. Be careful of your words for they become action, so forth, and so forth."
[Lemon:] Right.
[Love:] We've gone past the thoughts, the words, and it's into action.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Love:] And so, I think the only way to counter that is for people to take action themselves and to stand up against it and say, look, this is not OK. Those moments should have been kept private. They should have been just for the families. He did the right thing in being there with the families, but he shouldn't have gone after other people
[Lemon:] And created a campaign-style video about it.
[Love:] You don't fight evil with evil. Right.
[Lemon:] Wajahat
[Love:] Yes. A video. You don't fight evil with evil. Right?
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Love:] You don't sit there and say I'm going to shine a light on this with darkness. That's not how it works.
[Lemon:] Wajahat, there is this today as well. Jake Tapper has some exclusive reporting I want to ask you about. I just want to read from one senior source close to the Trump administration. It says "Homeland Security officials battle the White House for more than a year to get them to focus more on domestic terrorism. The White House wanted to focus only on the Jihadist threat, which while serious ignored the reality that racial supremacist violence was rising fast here at home. They had major ideological blinders on." So, the question is, why? I mean, why ignore the threats of white supremacy in this country? Maybe the answer is obvious, but I want to hear what you have to say.
[Ali:] Why go after your base? Ten years ago, in 2009, Daryl Johnson, a DHS analyst, was the first one to warn us all about the rising threat of white extremism.
[Lemon:] Do you remember when Janet Napolitano when she put out the report?
[Ali:] Yes.
[Lemon:] And then got out and had to apologize. And they rescind. It's crazy. But go on. Sorry.
[Ali:] But you know why, the Republican lawmakers and the conservative movement wanted to crush it because they said it would make them look bad, right? You fast forward. And everyone knows that if these suspects were Muslims I was just doing this thought experiment. Imagine if the suspects were undocumented immigrants or Muslims what would happen right now? Republican congressmen, I swear to you, would be calling to bomb some countries. So, we'd have a Muslim ban, a Muslim registry. But look what happened after Charlottesville. Very both sides are to be blamed. They're very fine people. What happened after Christchurch where 51 people were killed? And in his manifesto, he said, the terrorist said that Donald Trump is a renewed symbol of white identity and he shares a common purpose with me. That was in March. Donald Trump said I don't think white nationalism is a really big problem. And today, we just found out Republican Senator Johnson openly said on Fox News a few months ago there was a bipartisan letter that he sent with a Democratic senator asking DHS and DOJ what's happening with white supremacist terrorism. The DOJ did not respond to him, Don. So why is this not a major concern when the FBI director appointed by Trump two and a half weeks ago said that in 2019, just 2019, over 100 arrests happened in this country when it comes to domestic terrorism. Most of them were, wait for it, tied to white supremacy. Why is he not taking this threat seriously? And can you imagine if it was a Muslim or an undocumented immigrant.
[Lemon:] Yes.
[Ali:] Maybe then this impotent, weak pathetic president, this insignificant narcissist, a Bulgarian would actually be the commander in chief and the president of all Americans, not just white men who wear red hats.
[Lemon:] Thank you, all. In the aftermath of the deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton, will there be any real changes this time? We'll talk about it next.

[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Host, Anderson Cooper 360:] -Chris for CUOMO PRIME TIME. Chris?
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn Host, Cuomo Prime Time:] Thank you very much, Anderson. I am Chris Cuomo and welcome to PRIME TIME. We have breaking news on our watch. So, let's get after it.
[Text: Cuomo Prime Time. Unidentified Male:] This is CNN Breaking News.
[Text:] BREAKING NEWS.
[Cuomo:] All right big news big news. The Washington Post just reported remember that weird meeting at the White House with President Trump and the Russians and Rex Tillerson where the Russians kind of laughed at the American media as they sauntered in to this meeting with the President and other officials? Well The Post reports that our President told the Russians in that meeting that he wasn't concerned about Moscow's interference in the U.S. election because, his reasoning went, the U.S. did the same thing in other countries. Let me quote directly from the Post reporting. Here's what we're well look, that's the gist of the story, all right? Now, why does this matter now? Here's how it fits in. It's part of the bigger story. It seems that it's not just the call with Ukraine that the White House tried to keep secret. The memo and the readouts about what the President said to these Russians was also something that was secreted away. So, you can add it to calls between President Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman and between the President and Vladimir Putin. Why? These are certainly unusual moves that must be explained. It's not clear if those calls were given the same level of super- secrecy that we now know came with the call to Ukraine's President, where the President asked for an investigation of the Bidens. But it is another crack in a wall of silence. There was an even bigger blow, I would argue, today, shedding light on mounting concern in the White House. The U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker resigned today, just one day after the whistleblower report came out. Why? Also, not clear yet. But he is mentioned in that whistleblower complaint. And we're going to look at how Volker fits into this evermore tangled web around this President and his lawyer in just a little bit. But, right now, I want to get to a Congresswoman whose words may have helped drive Speaker Pelosi's decision to conduct an impeachment inquiry.
[Text:] ONE ON ONE.
[Cuomo:] Representative Elissa Slotkin joins me now on PRIME TIME. It is good to have you.
[Rep. Elissa Slotkin:] Thanks for having me.
[Cuomo:] And I would ask you to exercise judgment that has two hats, one, your experience working with the government, in the Intelligence field, and as a lawmaker now with responsibility to your constituents. When you hear this first report, give me your reaction on two fronts, one, the idea of the President saying that to the Russians, and two, that type of information being kept somewhat secret.
[Slotkin:] Yes. I mean, listen, I also worked at the National Security Council under both Presidents Bush and President Obama, so I'm I'm aware of kind of how normal procedure goes. And I think there's no way around it just the breaking of norms and traditions that has gone on from the very beginning is just it's a little hard to take. And, you know, I think the President, back in 2017, clearly didn't understand what we do and do not do in other people's elections, and was flippant about it. And now, of course, many, many things, many months have gone by, and we know a lot more about the story. But, to be honest with you, I think a lot of this stuff that we're talking about now, it's it's there are details that are part of the story, but it it sort of gets caught in the details when we don't focus on the big picture. And the big picture-
[Cuomo:] I agree with you. I agree with you.
[Slotkin:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] So, let's transition to that.
[Slotkin:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Because his statements to the Russians write it off to ignorance or flippancy, as you say. But the arrogance of creating a two-tiered system of how you protect information, you know, it's no coincidence to me that the Washington Post is finding out what happened in that meeting now that there's all this exposure about this other system. Now, have you heard about this other system, the password system-
[Slotkin:] Sure.
[Cuomo:] -that the Ukraine call was in? Is that something that you guys do in the Intelligence world or they do at the NSC?
[Slotkin:] So so, again, at the NSC, there are multiple types of systems, some for unclassified information, some for classified, and then some for what's called codeword, which is really exceptionally classified, compartmented information that even people with a top secret clearance don't necessarily get to see. And what, you know, breaks with, you know, some Executive Orders is anyone taking information from the unclassified system that has no reason to be classified, and putting it in one of those higher-level systems. Because I learned on my first day as a CIA officer, there are many, many different strict ways you can classify information. But embarrassing information, politically-sensitive information that is not classified information. So, what they did by moving it wasn't right. I still think, you know, the that it keeps us in the weeds a little bit from the bigger story, which is what the President did to use his leverage to get dirt on a political opponent. That is the story that is the big thing here that was different enough for myself, and my fellow national security freshman, to come out for an impeachment inquiry. But, you know, we're we're doing a methodical process now. I'm really glad to see that a number of the Committee members are staying behind. They've been asked to stay behind, here in Washington, to follow through with some of the-
[Cuomo:] Instead of recess.
[Slotkin:] Yes, instead of recess, because it shows a different process. But I I just I think that one of the things that we've been losing, you know, in the past couple of months on this, is we're not bringing the American people along with this story, you know. The drip, drip, drip of information on this thing, or that thing, it's all it's important. But we got to be able to bring people along, so it's not a Washington Insider baseball story.
[Cuomo:] Fine. But, you know, you guys have a challenge because you're telling a new story now. I get that this is new information about Ukraine. But, you know, but for months, Democrats were saying "We already have enough. This is already obstruction. And we're we're fighting with ourselves to figure out what to call it, but we already know we have enough." Now, you don't even want to talk about any of that stuff anymore. It's only about Ukraine. You know, that could send a message to people as well, Congressman. You worried about that?
[Slotkin:] I think it's I I think that putting the country through something like an impeachment inquiry is such a serious thing that we shouldn't do it lightly. For me, this was not something I ever came to Congress to do. It's not something I go into gleefully or lightly at all. So, for me, it just it crossed a certain threshold that has to do with national security. It is different. And-
[Cuomo:] Explain that because here's what people are saying to me all the time.
[Slotkin:] Sure.
[Cuomo:] And look at it in this context because you're new to this particular world even with all the Intel experience. Now, you're in the world of complete perfidy, where nobody expects any integrity on any level from anybody, sadly, and I hope that changes.
[Slotkin:] So sad.
[Cuomo:] But they say they all do what he did. Look, Biden did it with his son. And we course-correct as much as we can where the facts tell us. But people say, "This is what they do, and now you're going to throw somebody out of Office for doing what the industry norm is in Washington?"
[Slotkin:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] What do you say?
[Slotkin:] I say it's not the industry norm. It is not the industry norm for the Commander-in-Chief, the most powerful man in the world, to reach out to a junior partner nation, and leverage that for dirt on a political opponent. That is not normal. Imagine a Democratic President reaching out to China or North Korea and doing the same thing. The precedent that's being set here, it just is different. And it's also about the future, not about the past, right? It's about the 2020 elections, not 2016, so there's an urgency about it. It is different. And that's why even though it's not something that I ever wanted to do, we and, you know, a a number of us came out this week. It is different. And we have to remember that there's strategically important and there's tactically important. Keep it at the strategic level.
[Cuomo:] Are you equally concerned, as others, in the Caucus now, that the call is not all, they keep saying to me. It is just a window into something that was a year in the making, many months in the making, involves the State Department, people in the White House, on multiple levels, and what they were telling people in Congress about why funding was being held, how they were changing different standards of classification to protect, what access Mr. Giuliani was being given, as we saw with the texts that he released about Mr. Volker, who just resigned. How many different layers are you considering in making your case to the American people about what this rises to as an abuse?
[Slotkin:] I think that we need to do a thorough investigation. We are starting that next week. I think we need to look into the details and we need to be methodical about it. We can't be jumping the gun on anything. That doesn't mean the whole kitchen sink goes into this conversation.
[Cuomo:] Some in your party say you want to vote next month. You think that's possible?
[Slotkin:] I think that we should let the investigation play out, and let the facts drive the conversation. And and I'm not I'm not foreclosing anything. I do think the process needs to be strategic, clear, and efficient.
[Cuomo:] What's the standard? How bad does it have to be to justify saying that this President should lose what the what the people gave him?
[Slotkin:] I think that if the President has put his own personal or political gain above the security of the country that meets the criteria of an impeachable offense, to me. And and, listen, I I no one wants to be going through this. But we are pushed to a point where to preserve the the Constitution and our democratic elections, we need to do this, and we need to inquire and figure out what happened. And I think that we have to have certain standards and norms. I I I don't think that it's a crazy thing to look into this as a very different matter. And I think only this and only something that challenges my oath to protect and defend the Constitution would have brought me to this place.
[Cuomo:] So, you believe it is a legitimate question as to whether or not this President jeopardized the national security of the United States in doing what he did with Ukraine?
[Slotkin:] I think that is what is on the table and we need to figure that out, yes.
[Cuomo:] What does it mean to you that Volker stepped down, the Special Envoy to Ukraine? He was working as a volunteer. He's also at the McCain Institute there, wearing two hats. This is somewhat atypical. He kind of stepped in to a there's a big hole there in Ukraine diplomatic corps. So, he steps down right after the whistleblower complaint comes out that he was mentioned in.
[Slotkin:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Doesn't look good.
[Slotkin:] I mean, for me, I think it's important, I think it's interesting that he's stepping down because I think it allows him to be freed up, to have a real conversation. I think he will undoubtedly be called in to give his side of the story, to talk about what he knows in front of the, you know, U.S. Congress, and I think it's better to do that as a private citizen than someone who is still in the employ of this Administration who's-
[Cuomo:] Although, you know, that with Corey Lewandowski, as you know, Congresswoman, they tried to you know, Lewandowski said they're exercising their Executive Privilege. He never even worked in the White House. If they did it with Lewandowski, they could do it with him, but the rule's always been clear. I guess you could litigate it. But the rule has been clear. If you're not working there anymore, you're not under the privilege anymore.
[Slotkin:] Well let's all hope that not every witness is like Mr. Lewandowski. I I think that Ambassador Volker is a serious professional, and he understands that this is a crisis right now, and that he owes his clear and objective responses to Congress.
[Cuomo:] What do you make, in your analysis, with your experience in the Intelligence Community, of Mr. Giuliani? Now, one problem is he told me he was doing this on his own, and I asked him specifically, "Are you working under color of authority of the President," certainly the State Department would fit into that, he said "No." Then later, he said-
[Slotkin:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] -"Yes," he is working with the State Department. He seems to be telling the truth. Those texts he put out with Volker seemed to suggest he was working. Is there a situation or a circumstance where that is OK for a civilian to be working with the State Department, doing these types of things with Ukraine?
[Slotkin:] It's it's highly unusual. I I don't know if it's been done in the past, but it is highly unusual, not something I've seen in 15 years in government. And again, I think, mixing political and personal with professional and national security issues is always a dangerous game, and never worth it. And I think that it's been cloudy at best, starting with your interview with Mr. Giuliani. And I think he's acknowledged the very basic topline fact here, which is that the President used his leverage on Ukraine to get them to provide some dirt on a political opponent. He acknowledged it, in front of you, in front of everyone else. And and that's what's changed for me is that they were open about it. They didn't seem to be shameful about it. And I just cannot accept that as an Army wife, as the mom of a of a stepdaughter in the Army, the Commander-in-Chief can't be doing that.
[Cuomo:] It is interesting how many of you heard Rudy Giuliani lay out the Biden case as flagrantly as he did, treat the facts the way he did, use the tone that he did, and it started to make you think differently about what you had to do in this situation. That certainly was not his intention. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, thank you so much for offering your perspective. You have an open invitation to come here. The American people need to know. As you said, they have to be brought along every step of the way.
[Slotkin:] Yes.
[Cuomo:] Thank you for doing so tonight, especially on a Friday.
[Slotkin:] Thank you.
[Cuomo:] Although, to be honest, there are no more Fridays. It's like every night is a big night now. Tonight, we're learning a lot about the lengths the White House went to, to conceal details of the President's calls and conversations. You just heard someone who worked in the Intelligence Community, and at the NSC, she said, "I I I wasn't aware that people were doing this kind of stuff." She'd be aware! The question is why are they doing this? Two reporters, who are all over this story, with some insight, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Kosik:] A tragic mystery in the back roads of Michigan. A body found submerged in a flooded area, near the town of honor, has been identified as 47-year-old Adrienne Quintal. She had not been since calling a friend in October, to say she was involved in a shoot-out with two men.
[Unidentified Female:] It's been hard searching for her, and even though we're glad to have some closure, it's been heart wrenching.
[Kosik:] A search by police dogs, friends and family had been hampered until recently by flooding in the area. Officials said initial investigation showed no signs of foul play even though there were shell casings and bullet holes at the cabin where Quintal was staying. The medical examiner is waiting for toxicology results to determine a cause of death.
[Johns:] We want to warn you now, the video you're about to see may be disturbing. A deputy has been placed on lead, after body cam showed him violently removing a driver from his car.
[Unidentified Male:] Get out of the car. All right. I'm getting out, I'm getting out. I did nothing. Let go of my leg. He just bit me.
[Johns:] So, those officers were responding to a report of a stolen car. After a pursuit, deputies Charlie Blount and Jason Little tried to pull David Ward out, thinking he was the carjacker. It turns out, Ward was driving his own car and had been the victim of a carjacking. He later died at the hospital. The Sonoma County sheriff's office said Blount will remain on leave while the incident is being investigated. The officer's attorney says Ward is responsible for his own death because he took bizarre actions that left deputies thinking he was in armed carjacker.
[Kosik:] A Missouri family dealing with unimaginable loss this Christmas eve. Two boys drowned in a frozen pond near their home. CNN affiliate KMOV names the brothers as 7-year-old Cleveland and 8- year-old Terence Hicks. Authorities say the boys went on a bike ride and ended up on thin ice covering a shallow lake. They believe one brother fell through and the other died trying to save him.
[Johns:] Police have identified a suspect in the fatal stabbing of the brother of 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard. Twenty-three-year-old Michael Mosley is facing attempted homicide after Nashville police say he stabbed three men, including C.J.'s younger brother, Clayton.
[Don Aaron, Nashville Metro Police:] Mosley has a violent criminal pass. He is a convicted felon, convicted of violent crimes. We consider him to be a danger to the community.
[Johns:] So, the stabbings, according to the police, appear to have happened during an argument about a woman. The third man stabbed has wounds to his eye and arm.
[Kosik:] Concern over a measles outbreak growing in Austin, Texas. Health officials say someone with the virus traveled to several locations around the city and may have exposed others. The unidentified person visiting several restaurants, a Target store and the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport between December 14th and 17th. For a full list of locations, check out the story at CNN.comhealth. This is coming after three people with the virus traveled through Los Angeles International Airport December 11th. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. two decades ago. But there has been a recent upsurge as vaccination rates have declined.
[Johns:] So, there's good news today for migraine sufferers. The Food and Drug Administration approving a new drug for the acute treatment of migraines in the adults. The drug called Ubrogepant could be a new option for people who can't take or don't respond to medications currently on the market. The drug will be sold under the name Ubrelvy and is considered effective for migrants with or with auras, those that were sensitive to the visual disturbances experience by about a third of migrant sufferers.
[Kosik:] A surfer survives a shark attack near Santa Rosa Island in Southern California. The Coast Guard releasing video of a helicopter rescue after the 37-year-old surfer was bitten on the leg by a shark this weekend. It's very likely he was saved by the quick thinking of his friend, who notified the Coast Guard and put a tourniquet on the victim's leg to prevent other blood loss. Officials say it was the best possible outcome to a truly terrifying situation.
[Johns:] OK, that is definitely not what the owners of a fireworks stand had in mind for the holidays. It's more like July 4 than Christmas. The stand along the highway in Williamson County, Texas, caught fire on Monday, igniting the fireworks. And in spectacular passion, firefighters brought the blaze under control. No one was injured. The cause of that is certainly was under investigation. It would have been better at night, though.
[Kosik:] I think so. Firefighters in Polk County, Florida, beyond the call of duty, saving a family's Christmas presents after responding to a fire over the weekend. Once the fire on the second floor was under control, crews went in to retrieve the gifts and the Christmas tree. Officials say all of the family's gifts and the tree were undamaged.
[Johns:] Another happy ending here, too. A 6-year-old former cancer patient bringing holiday cheer to patients at a Virginia hospital where she underwent treatment. Poppy Sellier was diagnosed with leukemia around Christmas last year. She's now in remission. On Monday, the popular and precocious 6-year- old returned to a place most kids would not go. She came to Inova Children's Hospital bearing gifts. Three hundred donated LEGO sets for old friends old and new.
[Sellier:] I just want to make them happy. Make them feel they are at home.
[Unidentified Female:] She made it through, so I believe I can do the same. It's very hopeful and just makes me feel good about myself and my future. It's a gift that keeps on giving gift of hope, gift of love, gift of compassion.
[Johns:] Poppy's mother says the kindness of other people helped her daughter heal and they wanted to pay it forward. Amazing story. You see that turning into a movie, couldn't you?
[Kosik:] The 6-year-old with a big heart. That's the holiday spirit. Tesla's rival brought in the biggest yet. CNN Business has the details next.

[King:] Black women are the most reliable piece of the Democratic coalition. And Kamala Harris knows that is partly why she has a chance now to make history.
[Senator Kamala Harris , Presumptive Vice Presidential Nominee:] There will be a planned you don't want to have any false modesty about a black woman being on the ticket. But it takes more than just that to motivate black women to vote. People have to speak to their issues. And the Biden-Harris ticket does that.
[King:] Does it? Does it do that? Or are there still questions about Biden's role in past crime debates and about bussing or about Harris' work as a prosecutor? Astead Herndon of "The New York Times" is back with us. It is a fascinating question for me, Astead. We talked earlier in the program, you know, the Sanders wing, other liberal wings of the party that might have issue with Joe Biden, largely muting them saying let's beat Trump, then we'll talk. Is it the same way, do you think? Black female voters who might have an issue with Kamala Harris's role as a prosecutor or Joe Biden's past debate? Can this ticket answer those concerns enough to get enthusiasm and turnout?
[Astead Herndon, National Political Reporter, "the New York Times":] Well, what we know is that black women are kind of the most loyal base of the Democratic Party. They will vote for Democrats probably in the largest number of any demographic group.
[Herndon:] The question, as you mentioned, is about energy and turnout. That is one that probably would've been high with Donald Trump on the ballot anyway. But we can expect to see some level of energy because of the kind of historic ticket that when we look back four years ago Hillary Clinton kind of returned to John Kerry-esque level of black turnout. And that and the race that was so close. If she was a little more closer to the Obama '08 or the Obama 2012 numbers then she could have gotten over. I think that this Biden ticket sees Harris as someone that can move them closer in that direction. But I will also say that is largely going to come down to black men who we also see the biggest drop-off with in terms of turnout or in terms of voting for Republicans is slightly higher numbers. If she's going to get that Obama-esque energy, it's going to have to come from both black women and also black men.
[King:] Which raises the question again in this most unconventional of campaigns How do they do that outreach to the, you know, you've seen the protests, you've covered some of this of these protests in the wake of the George Floyd and other horrific incidences in the United States of America where you see black women and black men out there. And they're mad at the system. And some of them, frankly, are skeptical that, you know, Joe Biden is the old guard. Kamala Harris, the word "prosecutor" to many of them, you know, has their heads snap back. can they do to get at them and say, look, A, we're listening, and B, let's defeat the President, he's the bigger enemy?
[Herndon:] Right. I think it's going to be that double-sided argument. There is the kind of "think first for November" argument which is particularly motivating to a kind of older generation or maybe folks who are disaffected from the process and they want to bring them in, that we're going to be the administration that listen to you. But the other message you have from the Biden-Harris ticket activist, is that we're moveable. I mean that they are someone who could respond to pressure and that that's a better partner for movements and for kind of activist leaders and a Trump administration who has no interest in hearing them and actively runs against their concerns. There is a structural problem though with the ticket Democrats have, in particular the request of younger, more progressive activists. This is not a ticket that embraces the kind of big systemic change. They use the language of systemic racism. But they are not embracing the kind of ideals that the kind of younger crowd wants in terms of change. That's going to be a disconnect. So I think the foremost concern for the ticket is going to be try to motivate people to say, you know, we can deal with that stuff after November. Let's get Trump out first.
[King:] Astead Herndon of "The New York Times", Very much appreciate your reporting and your insights for opening a fascinating chapter with the convention this week. And that's it for INSIDE POLITICS. Hope you can catch us weekdays as well, we're here at noon Eastern. Up next, "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JAKE TAPPER".

[Gorani:] Sunday marks the ninth anniversary of the Syrian war. Earlier today, Turkey threatened major retaliation in the Idlib Province if Russia breaks last week ceasefire pointing out small violations by Syria already. But people on the ground are suffering the real cost of any failed ceasefire, certainly, not the people making the decisions. Just a warning that some viewers may find what you are about to watch disturbing.
[Dr. Mufaddal Hamadeh, President, Syrian American Medical Society:] 9 years old, he's got several shrapnel wounds going on in his head that's down to this brain, that's here. He's got another shrapnel wound in his face and one of his forearm. Earlier today, he was targeted with an airstrike along with his family. His brother, his mother, and his cousin had died.
[Gorani:] Well, Dr. Mufaddal Hamadeh is the President of the Syrian American Medical Society. And that was his voice that we were hearing in that video. And how is that boy doing now?
[Hamadeh:] He's doing well. As a matter of fact, he was doing well when I was there. I wasn't too much worried about him. But I was taken aback of how numb he was, as I was talking to him. I was also surprised to see how numb everyone else around him was.
[Gorani:] Yes.
[Hamadeh:] I talked to his brother who's two or three years older than him, he explained to me that they lost five of their siblings that day. And the way he talked to me, the his body language and I can see the numbness and the loss of pain. And then it occurred to me that this is a normal way of life in Idlib now. His loss and suffering and death is an everyday event.
[Gorani:] How you're from Idlib, how long had it been since you'd been able to visit?
[Hamadeh:] It's been about 10 years since I visited Idlib. I was happy to see my cousins as I also was able to see my cousin who had breast cancer and then she needed my help. She developed her metastasis, and she had a cord compression and eventually she was able to transfer to the Damascus. It took her two days to get to Damascus so she can reach some radiation therapy, which is the only the only the only place in Syria that had radiations therapy right now is in Damascus.
[Gorani:] You're a doctor and you see tragedy and death much more than ordinary people do. You're used to seeing sick people and people who need medical attention, but this is very personal.
[Hamadeh:] It is and, you know, I'm an oncologist. So I do deal with these tough situations every day. But usually when I deal with this situation on a on a daily basis, there is a sense of hope. And there is a sense of options that you can provide those patients and we spend a lot of a whole lot of money on treating incurable cancer. But a lot of times when you see cancer cases that are curable in refugee camps in Idlib and you can't provide them any care, that is when it's that becomes really painful and frustrating. We did create a cancer center in the city of Idlib and I get the chance to visit it. I was extremely happy to see that it's treating some cases that are really curable. And one of the first patients I saw there is a 29-year- old with three kids and who has Hodgkin's disease, a very curable disease, and I was very happy to see that with that that we created that center in order to treat patients like her. And without it, she probably wouldn't have had a chance to be treated with the therapy.
[Gorani:] I want to revisit one thing you said at the beginning, which is that people, including children, and this breaks my heart. I think more than anything else, when people tell me that the children have stopped crying, they've stopped reacting, they've stopped complaining, they've just become these numb kind of just shells trying to cope trying to cope through the tragedy.
[Hamadeh:] Yes. And that's the only way you can cope when you shut down, totally, you become numb. I don't know how psychologically down the line, this is going to come back to haunt them. We have a whole lost generation of children in Syria that went through hell. And they have seen, you know, some imaginable pain and suffering throughout their lives. And another Other than that, some of them are just placed in refugee camps or they're subject to spot, you know, domestic violence and sexual abuse. There is a lot of work that we have ahead of us down the line. And I was you know, what really breaks my heart. This probably could have all been prevented.
[Gorani:] Sure.
[Hamadeh:] Right?
[Gorani:] I think all of it. I think all of us who observed the Syrian tragedy unfold, at the beginning, thought there was a chance to avoid the worst-case scenario and yet every step of the way, it became worse than we thought. But and you and I are both Syrian. You know, I've never lived in Syria, but my parents are originally from Aleppo. You're from Idlib. You lived most of your life, you were telling me, in the United States. I can hear from your accent and you work there. But when you look at it from afar, what does it do to you emotionally to see your country in the state that it's in?
[Hamadeh:] Well, believe it or not, I did I identify as a Syrian-American, I'm more American than Syrian. But as a physician, as a humanitarian, it doesn't matter whether you're Syrian or not. This breaks your heart, as a doctor, as a physician, as a father. I can't just sit idle and do nothing. This is the biggest key and other Holocaust such as being committed right in front of our eyes. And we vowed many years ago that never to let this happen again. And in Syria, we have no excuse. We can see it happening right in front of us. Two clicks on your iPhone, you can see the massacres right live in front of you happening right every day. Yet, we never learned from the Holocaust. We never learned from
[Gorani:] Dr. Mufaddal Hamadeh, the president of the Syrian American Medical Society. Thank you very much for joining us in London. And I hope next time we speak, it will be to talk about something more uplifting than the tragedy that's unfolding there. Still to come tonight, CNN is working with young people around the world to fight against modern-day slavery. We'll join some of them to mark Freedom Day just head on CNN.

[Harlow:] Well, this
[Sciutto:] We've all probably had some awkward family meetings
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] before. This one would qualify. The queen of England, sitting down with Prince Harry, her grandson, and Meghan, his wife, who shocked a lot of folks in the U.K., announcing they're stepping back from their royal life. Joining us now, historian Kate Williams. She's a CNN royal commentator and a lecturer at the University of London. So what happens behind closed doors in this meeting? Is the queen going to say, hey, guys, I know what you want to do but here's what you're going to do?
[Kate Williams, Cnn Royal Commentator:] You know, Jim, it's a big question. That's what we're all asking, here in Britain. The whole country's galvanized by this huge story. And exactly at this moment, the meeting is going on at Sandringham, the queen's palace in Norfolk. Charles has flown in, William has flown in, Harry is there, Meghan is dialing in by conference call. All the courtiers are there, the government is involved our government, the Canadian government. And the queen basically is saying, guys, find a solution. Because what she doesn't want, there have been this very damaging speculation that we've seen in the press about rifts, about arguments. The longer this story goes on, the more of this expose is going to happen. So she wants it stopped. She's saying, let's find a solution. So I'm expecting to see, you know, some kind of solution within a couple of days. But the queen is in charge and she is saying, sort this out.
[Harlow:] Can we talk about what this means, Kate, for the future of the monarchy and modernization? Because there are those that say, look, you know, it's time for this structure to be modernized, it's time for it to look different.
[Williams:] You're right, Poppy. I mean, what we're doing here, what the monarchy's doing here actually, there are lots of naysayers saying it can't work, this half-in, half-out, flexi-royal. I disagree. What actually it brings the British monarchy in line with the other European monarchies, like the ones of Sweden or of Holland, where most of the members have full-time careers. And this is what's going to happen here. And I think it could work very well and be a positive way forward for the future. Because, you know, the monarchy demands body and soul, and it's tough. And we can sympathize with this. But certainly, there are big questions here for the monarchy, it's a big change. But also for Britain, because there's been racist coverage, sexist coverage and really, I think we have to reckon with ourselves about what's happened here.
[Sciutto:] Yes. I want to ask you about that, Kate, because that's what Meghan and Harry say led to this, that they felt attacked by the British tabloid press. And of course, for Harry, that's a very personal issue because that's what he and his brother think, in effect or they blame it, in part, for the loss of their mother's life in that in that crash there. I mean, is it is their point of view justified here?
[Williams:] I do think there is justification. I think that women who marry into the royal family, they get this terrible time. You know, they're criticized, they're attacked. And it's been worse for Meghan, and particularly worse because it's unfair. Things that other royal women have done, such as editing magazines or wearing certain types of gowns or, you know, even using avocados, Meghan is criticized for. And it has to be said, there has been racist, sexist, very cruel criticism. And I think, really, Harry felt this very much, there's no reason to it, but children do feel this way that he couldn't protect his mother, he was just a little boy. His mother's death stays with him, it will never leave him and now he wants, above all, to protect his wife. And he thinks that this is the way to do it. And you have to have sympathy with him. It they meant to be full- time royals. Within two years, they were wanting out because it's just been so miserable.
[Harlow:] Kate Williams, thank you for being there.
[Williams:] Thank you, thank you.
[Harlow:] Appreciate it. All right. So Spotify, right? You probably listen to music on it, but it wants to be a whole lot more, especially when it comes to podcasts. This is all part of the company's strategy to try to dominate how we listen. Will the bet pay off? Watch this.
[Rachel Crane, Cnn Digital Correspondent:] Spotify wants to be known for more than just music.
[Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content Officer, Spotify:] Our goal is to be the largest global audio network.
[Crane:] The streaming giant bought Gimlet Media, Anchor and Parcast, three popular podcast companies, for nearly $400 million, a large price tag considering the entire podcasting industry's ad revenue was less than half a billion dollars in 2018.
[Steve Jobs, Ceo, Apple:] Now, we recently announced something new for iTunes and iPod, and it's called podcasting.
[Crane:] Apple had you guys beat a little bit in terms of the timeline. They got into podcasting in 2005. And as a result, most people go to Apple. So how are you guys going to change that?
[Ostroff:] One of the big initiatives for us is to be as good at podcast discoverability as we are on the music side. And we're finding that creators are excited about working with us on an exclusive basis because we're able to put so much more of our marketing and on- platform data and insights in their hands.
[Alex Blumberg, Ceo, Gimlet Media:] In the old world, people download the podcast and then you don't know what happens to it. And so as part of Spotify, you can sort of see, like, this group listens to this music and they like this kind of podcast, that's one of the biggest advantages.
[Crane:] Even Spotify says it can't guarantee it will make a profit from podcasting. But for Ostroff, it's all about betting on the future.
[Ostroff:] The younger generation has really taken to it. And I always say, where the young people go, the older people follow.
[Sciutto:] You'll really want to watch this next story. He lost his legs, fighting in Iraq. Now, this Arm veteran, trying to hold Iran accountable. Why the news of recent days and weeks means a lot to him.

[Jones:] My next guest are governors of two important states that Democrats were trying to win back in 2020. They're hoping to rebuild that blue wall Democrats used to have. Please welcome to THE VAN JONES SHOW, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers in the House. Both of them at the same time. Two winners. Listen, you are two governors that have been figuring out a way to win as Democrats in states that Trump won so I don't care what anybody else says, you are the experts at how you pull this thing off in these swing states. And the first thing I we've been talking a lot about these racist attacks. How do you think these attacks play in your state and what impact did this kind of behavior from the President is t going to have in 2020? That's a great question. First of all obviously, it was a racist rant on his part. But I think you know, everybody knows that's part of this DNA and so I believe to win Wisconsin, we're going to have focus on issues.
[Gov. Tony Evers:] I think we own the values. I think the Democrats own the values in this race. I'm not diminishing the negativity of Donald Trump and the horrible things he says but we all know that. I mean, we've been witnessing that for several years. We need we need to focus on what people of Wisconsin
[Jones:] But isn't that tough? I mean, you can't really ignore it but you can't focus on it. I mean, you wouldn't counsel that we just give him a pass on this stuff.
[Gov. Tom Wolf:] No, you can't ignore and I agree with Tony. I don't think, it's going to play well in Pennsylvania. We were founded on the basis of tolerance and inclusion. We obviously are not perfect, we have a long way to go but our future does not lie in divisiveness, does not lie in bigotry.
[Jones:] Sometimes I feel like Democrats get so angry with Trump, they say all of Trump supporters, all of his voters are all bigots, are all idiots, are all racists. Is there a danger that saying those kinds of things actually winds up helping Trump.
[Wolf:] Yes, I don't think we are saying that and I don't think we should say that and Tony and I were talking earlier. I think one of the things that we Democrats have to recognizes is that progressive progressivism is actually very pragmatic philosophy. Inclusion is actually smart. The tenets, the central tenets of progressive ideology are actually pragmatically aimed at helping the people that and in too many ways I think, Donald Trump pretended to try to go after in the last election.
[Evers:] There's no reason why, rural Pennsylvania, rural Wisconsin should be Donald Trump territory. It makes no sense.
[Jones:] Why not?
[Evers:] Because the issues that rural Wisconsin are facing are wrong, making sure they have to have good healthcare and good education system that they are they need to have in order to move forward.
[Jones:] But I mean the people keep saying the economy is great. I mean those are kitchen table issues and look, you got unemployment below 4 percent and in your both your states and pushing down close to 3 percent. I mean, how are you going to say we're going to run on kitchen table issues when the economy is going gangbusters.
[Evers:] I just did. I just won on that.
[Jones:] Never mind.
[Evers:] We got 2.8 percent which is unemployment which is really low but we have 800,000 families in the state of Wisconsin that can't afford to have child care, health care and health insurance. Those, I mean, there's people working but they're working 2 or 3 jobs, they're low paid jobs so we've got a long way to go.
[Jones:] Beat him on that.
[Evers:] Absolutely.
[Wolf:] His economic policies certainly haven't helped Pennsylvania farmers. The trade war has hurt farmers who want to export Diary products to Canada, it's hurt the immigration policy that he's promoting hurts farmers who want to use seasonal workers. I mean, just practically it the people he pretended to help, he's really hurting.
[Jones:] You guys sound like, don't say, I like AOC, you sound sort of like just any type of people and so what do you think about like the AOCs and the Bernies and the other people that they are bringing more the fire, man. I mean, isn't that we're supposed to go?
[Evers:] Absolutely but we're
[Wolf:] We're old white guys.
[Evers:] We're old white guys and another wrong one.
[Jones:] Another wrong one there. But how do aren't you worried though.
[Wolf:] It's a big tent Democrats have. I have I have 15 plus people in my primary running for governor and you know, the whole spectrum, right? But you know we pretended that we were so far apart but in actuality it was pretty close. So we had 15 people all across the state, talking about the same thing. A big tent is a good thing, it's not a bad thing.
[Evers:] I think I think part of
[Wolf:] In politics we have to engender some excitement obviously. We have a little challenge in that regard but I think we also have to have to make sure the people are saying we're not just just you know spouting platitudes. We actually really believe that the policies that we support make a difference. And that that that is maybe not as passionate a message or delivered in as exciting away but it's never less true.
[Jones:] Behind the scenes, Democratic governors are worried though that the party is going too far left. Is that a reasonable fear?
[Evers:] Well, I think the fear is around being pragmatic at the end of the day. I think the people of Wisconsin want to see issues resolved and that pragmatism, I think will carry the day but I think anyone of 20 plus that are running for President have to be pragmatic. They have to think about how we're going to get from point A to point
[B. Jones:] Which of these candidates are going to do well in a place like Pennsylvania.
[Wolf:] I think it's still unfolding but again, to
[Jones:] Who do you like?
[Wolf:] I'm staying out of this.
[Jones:] Who do you like?
[Evers:] I'm real happy with every single one of them. I just want every single one of them to come to Wisconsin before the primaries.
[Jones:] Yes, because sometimes people people take you guys for granted.
[Evers:] Absolutely. But they'll energize the base. You know
[Jones:] How are they showing up? Are candidates showing up in Wisconsin?
[Evers:] Well, yes but Donald Trump has been here several times too. We need to have everybody here. This is an important
[Jones:] That blue wall got neglected last time. I am curious to know you talk about the big tent but it can't be good to have a party this divided.
[Wolf:] I don't think the party's divided. I think we're having an open and honest debate. Again, we need to have some excitement. We need to make sure people are watching but we also I think that's the first step to making sure that we are being sensitive in terms of universal health care that I mean, that's a wonderful thing to sell and it's very exciting. It also happens to make perfect sense.
[Jones:] Well, you know and that's actually exactly where a good spot for us to come back to, I want to talk with you when we get back about universal healthcare in the slogan that I think may actually come to bite us in the butt and harm us in 2020. I'll explain when we get back.

[Hill:] Our national lead now. He's charged with stabbing and killing an injured man, among other war crimes, all while serving as a Navy SEAL overseas. Now "The New York Times" reports President Trump is considering a pardon for chief Edward Gallagher. CNN can confirm the Department of Justice Pardon Office asked for files on Gallagher and another service member accused of murder. As CNN's Barbara Starr reports, some former military members are now warning the president to reconsider.
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] President Trump is considering pardoning military members accused of what may amount to war crimes. The Pentagon suddenly was asked to send case files to the Justice Department Pardon Office for at least two service members accused of murder, including Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher and Army Major Matt Golsteyn, several U.S. officials tell CNN. "The New York Times" was the first to report the possible pardons, which some battlefield veterans say is a terrible idea.
[Waitman Beorn, U.s. Army Veteran:] This is not even a fog of war, you know, judgment call kind of situation, bullets are flying. These are premeditated, cold-blooded murders. And it gives everyone a bad name, every veteran that served.
[Starr:] Gallagher, who is awaiting trial, is accused of stabbing and killing an unarmed detainee in Iraq and then posing for a photo holding the dead man's head. He's also accused of shooting a young girl and an unarmed older man and bragging in text messages about his activities. Gallagher, who denies all charges, was turned in by members of his own unit. Trump in March ordered Gallagher moved to less restrictive confinement. Now he could be pardoned even before a potential conviction. Golsteyn's case is also being reviewed. He is facing a court-martial for allegedly killing a suspected bomb-maker in Afghanistan in 2010. In December, President Trump tweeted he would get personally involved, calling Golsteyn a U.S. military hero. "The Washington Post" reported that, in a CIA job interview, Golsteyn admitted to killing the released detainee, believing he would conduct more attacks. His lawyer says it was an authorized mission. His wife says he is being victimized.
[Unidentified Female:] There are so many sinister actors at play.
[Starr:] If President Trump approves the pardons, they could come as soon as Memorial Day, the day set aside for honoring those who have died while serving in the armed forces.
[Col. Cedric Leighton , Cnn Military Analyst:] If troops that are on the front lines actually think that they will get a pardon for behaving badly, for violating the rules of armed conflict, for, in essence, committing war crimes, then we really are opening up a real terrible potential here.
[Starr:] And so far today, silence from the Pentagon, not officially commenting on any of this at all. In fact, an aide to acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan says Shanahan, for now, has no plans to get involved in any of it Erica.
[Hill:] Barbara Starr with the latest for us. Barbara, thank you. I want to bring in now retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, who served 37 years in the Army. He is now a CNN military analyst. And you have a new opinion piece up on CNN.com. And in that piece, General, you say that these pardons would be, in your view, not only immoral, but also dangerous. Why?
[Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling , Cnn Military Analyst:] Extremely, Erica. And what I'm saying is because this is more than just the execution of a criminal act. We're talking about the violation of the laws of land warfare, the disobedience of legal orders, the ignoring of ethical and professional standards that are upheld by the military. And it would create unbelievable discontent within the ranks. This is something where you have to be concerned regarding good order and discipline. And, unlike in many cases, where you're applying a pardon to a criminal act from the chief executive of the United States, the president, in this case, the president is also the commander in chief of the armed forces. So he is, in fact, undercutting the rules and regulations that contribute to good order and discipline in the military. And that, to me, is anathema, and it's immoral, because these acts are not the acts of patriots. We train soldiers and military personnel before they go to war. In fact, from the very first day they enter basic training, they're trained on these kinds of rules that contribute to good order and discipline, but they're also trained to ensure that dignified and unified and trustworthy units don't turn into mobs and using gang violence. As soon as you do that as a commander of forces and I had to relieve some commanders in combat because I thought they were going over the edge in some of these areas. If you lose control of your forces, you no longer are a military force, you're just a mob.
[Erica Hill, Cnn Anchor:] You mentioned if the president were to follow through this, you think he'd be undercutting the rules and regulations. Is he also undercutting the moral authority of the American military?
[Hertling:] Absolutely. And he is the moral authority as the commander in chief so he is certainly undercutting that. And there would be a huge you know, I can't state this more emphatically. There would be an unbelievable blowback from the vast majority of veterans and I'm sure of that based on some feedback I've seen from the ranks and from senior soldiers.
[Hill:] Certainly not the last we have heard about this. Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, always good to speak with you. Thank you.
[Hurtling:] Thank you, Erica.
[Hill:] Iran today pushing back on President Trump's tough talk of the response to the President's fire and fury like tweet next.

[Baldwin:] All right, new findings just in to CNN about Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke. CNN's KFILE found that the former Texas congressman once called for significant spending cuts and tax increases to address the United States' quote "extravagant government" and quote "out-of- control debt." They just hit publish on CNN.com. Andrew Kaczynski is with me from KFILE. And so this is a man who would like to be president who has been short on policy substance. This is what he suffered so far as far as criticism. And so what does he say when it comes to spending?
[Andrew Kaczynski, Senior Editor, Cnn Kfile:] So, at this time, it's actually it's pretty interesting, because we sort of talk about the lack of policy specifics. When he was running in this race, he sort of he hit his opponent for not choosing like which specific cuts he would want to make to the federal government. He said, we need to look at things like Social Security means-testing, raising the retirement age, sorts of stuff that might be a little out of step with the current Democratic primary.
[Baldwin:] OK. So, specifically, this is it sounds to me what you're saying is that unlike what we're seeing currently with the Democratic base and his contenders, who have moved further left, that this would be at odds with what his base would want to hear now?
[Kaczynski:] A little bit at odds, yes.
[Baldwin:] Yes.
[Kaczynski:] Some of the one of the plans he specifically cited was Simpson-Bowles, which was that deficit reduction plan from the commission that President Obama set up. And that sort of looked at tax increases, domestic and military spending cuts, means-testing for Medicare, raising the retirement age. And that was just one specific plan that he said we should look at.
[Baldwin:] And when did he say this, the context of this?
[Kaczynski:] In 2012.
[Baldwin:] 2012.
[Kaczynski:] And the thing that's actually interesting is, we asked his people for comment about it. And they said that he no longer believes in raising the retirement age for Social Security.
[Baldwin:] That's interesting that that's what they're saying. We will for some perhaps some comments from the former congressman himself. Andrew Kaczynski, thank you. We will go to CNN.com to read the whole thing. So, let's start there. Tara Setmayer is with me, former Republican congressional communications director. And Keith Boykin is here, Democratic strategist. And both Tara and Keith are CNN political commentators. And let me begin, actually, Keith with asking you about what Andrew and KFILE is reporting. And I'm curious just to my point about, you know, where the Democratic base is right now, do you think he will have some explaining to do?
[Keith Boykin, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, this is the first time I have heard those statements, Brooke, and I don't think those statements in terms of raising the retirement age and some of the cuts to entitlement programs would be very popular with the Democratic base and Democratic primaries. If he's talking about cutting from the $700 billion defense budget, then you would probably have a lot more support of that in the Democratic Party. But I think it's just a reflection we just don't know a lot about Beto O'Rourke or any of the candidates yet because we haven't had debates. We're still almost a year away before we have any sort of presidential primary or caucus vote. I think people should slow down a bit. Get a chance to learn a little bit more about the candidates before we rush to judgment about which one we like or don't like and let's hear them speak and hear their thoughts fleshed out in a real debate.
[Baldwin:] Staying on 2020 here, Tara, this is for you, because there are all these new notions that are coming out. You just heard the president being asked at the White House about this Democratic notion of expanding the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's another idea that actually came about out of our CNN town hall last night with Senator Elizabeth Warren. Roll it.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] You know, come a general election, presidential candidates don't come to places like Mississippi. Yes. They also don't come to places like California and Massachusetts, right, because we're not the battleground states. Well, my view is that every vote matters. That means get rid of the Electoral College and everybody counts.
[Baldwin:] Tara, make your case of why that is not a good idea.
[Tara Setmayer, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, first of all, we're a republic, not a democracy. And our founding fathers did that for a reason, because they didn't want the tyranny of the majority, which is what would happen if you went to a direct democracy vote. Guess what? Elizabeth Warren wouldn't be in Jackson, Mississippi, if that were the case either because that's not where the votes are. She'd be in California, New York and Texas. Also, when you look at it with the different movements, I know that there's some expansion of this movement now. You have I think 11 states that are saying this national populist vote movement. Colorado just joined. This is where also an example of where state legislators matter, because states have to are the ones that are really in control of their electoral votes and what they do with them. Maine and Nebraska have decided to split their electoral votes. Most other states are winner take all. Now you have this movement where you have some states that are saying, well, we might have a proportional representation of our electoral votes, but you still there's a lot that would have to happen in order for that to change. Plus, you would need a constitutional amendment change to get rid of the Electoral College in the way that these people want to do it. You would also create the potential of getting rid of two parties. You could have 25 parties if you want. You could win by plurality, not necessarily by a majority. There's a lot of problems with the idea of getting rid of the Electoral College. It's great for an applause line and for people who don't really understand why the founding fathers decided they wanted to have smaller states represented in certain ways and why we have two a bicameral Congress, but, in practicality, I think it would be a disaster and it would take an enormous effort to change the Electoral College, including constitutionally.
[Boykin:] I completely disagree. First of all, it doesn't take a constitutional amendment to change it. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would allow the states themselves to determine the Electoral College vote based on the popular vote winner.
[Setmayer:] And that would be challenged.
[Boykin:] As you already mentioned, we already have it's now 13 states I believe and the District of Colombia, if you include that, have already signed on to this popular vote compact. What it does, though, is, it encourages candidates to campaign everywhere, like Elizabeth Warren said. Right now, if you look a state like Florida, in the 2016 election, there were 71 campaign events in Florida. There were zero in Alabama, zero in North Dakota and South Dakota, zero in Arkansas and Alabama, zero in Oklahoma. The reason why is that 94 percent of the campaign events were focused on 12 swing states. That's not democratic. It's not representative of where the country is, and that's not the way we should elect our leaders. Even if you want to say this is a republic and not a democracy, as Tara said, even in a republic, you still have a majority vote, a majority will, the will of the most people, not the fewest vote.
[Setmayer:] ... are represented, though.
[Boykin:] Just remember this, though. Twice in the past 20 years, in the past two decades, the candidate who lost the popular vote, who got fewer votes than the other candidate won the presidency, first with Al Gore in 2000 and second with Hillary Clinton in 2016.
[Setmayer:] It doesn't matter. It's not how our system works.
[Boykin:] And it almost happened to George W. Bush in 2004 if a shift of 60,000 votes in Ohio had changed would have changed the election so John Kerry would have ended up being president.
[Baldwin:] It was Bush in '04 who was the last Republican to win the popular vote. Tara, I want you to respond. And then I do, speaking of Republican, I want to get on to John McCain. But I want to give you a second to respond.
[Boykin:] Sure. Yes, no, look, the other side of this is that, it sounds really good, but we have never our system has never been based nationally on one person, one vote. It's not. That's not how the founding fathers wanted it. We also had three-fifths of the vote, though, Tara, remember, for black people?
[Setmayer:] That's a different discussion. That's a different discussion. That's not what we're dealing with today.
[Boykin:] It's a part of the same relic of the Constitution from the 18th century, though.
[Setmayer:] So you think the Constitution is a living document and we should amend it then. Then let the states do that. We have a system to do that. A direct democracy vote would X-out minority and smaller states.
[Boykin:] That's just not true.
[Baldwin:] Let's end on something where I yes, I think we're both going to agree and then this is just continuously disgraceful. This is yet another swipe that President Trump took at the late Senator John McCain. This is as recent as this afternoon. Watch.
[Question:] Why are you attacking Senator John McCain [OFF-MIKE] months after his death?
[Trump:] I'm very unhappy that he didn't repeal and replace Obamacare, as you know. He campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare for years, and then it got to a vote, and he said thumbs down. And our country would have saved a trillion dollars. And we would have had great health care. So, he campaigned. He told us hours before that he was going to repeal and replace. And then, for some reason, I think I understand the reason, he ended up going thumbs up. And, frankly, had we even known that, I think we could have gotten the vote, because we could have gotten somebody else. So, I think that's disgraceful. Plus, there are other things. I was never a fan of John McCain and I never will be.
[Baldwin:] Never a fan of John McCain, never will be. Tara, we can agree. Here he is in the Oval Office. It's totally disrespectful, but why can't he seem to let McCain go?
[Setmayer:] Look, he's had a bee in his bonnet for John McCain for decades, going back to the '90s, actually, where he questioned John McCain's service. It's very obvious what's going on here. Donald Trump doesn't like anyone who doesn't like him or who stands up to him and he also could never measure up to the man that John McCain is. I didn't agree with John McCain on everything, even as a Republican, but, as a hero, as an American hero in this country, that is unequivocal. What this man endured and the sacrifices he made for the service of this country is unmatched. And Donald Trump is a silver spoon draft-dodger that doesn't understand that level of service or honor or courage. So, this is just a sad display of a man who is very insecure, that can't the fact that someone that is more courageous, more honorable, more decent than he could ever be still did something to stand up to him in principal. He just can't it. And it is a disgrace and it is beneath the office of the presidency. But he's not going to stop. This is who he is.
[Boykin:] I agree.
[Baldwin:] I know you agree, Keith. Disgraceful all the way around.
[Boykin:] I agree with Tara on this issue.
[Baldwin:] Yes. Keith and Tara, guys, thank you very much. We're going to leave it right there.
[Setmayer:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] And just a reminder to all of you, don't miss the CNN presidential town hall with 2020 candidate John Hickenlooper. Dana Bash will be moderating that one with the former Colorado governor. That is live tomorrow night at 10:00 Eastern. Coming up next: President Trump weighs in on a $250 million lawsuit filed by Republican Congressman Devin Nunes over a series of parody Twitter accounts that criticized him. But does he have a case? We will be right back.

[Keilar:] By this time tomorrow we will have heard a lot from Special Counsel Robert Mueller during his testimony before two House committees, the Judiciary Committee and the Intelligence Committee. And if he hues to instructions from the Department of Justice, he will not go beyond the scope of the redacted special counsel report. The DOJ sent Mueller a letter in response to a request that he made for guidance on his testimony. And the Judiciary Committee is up first tomorrow with this focus on alleged obstruction by the president. Then afterward the House Intelligence Committee will dig into Russian election interference. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean is a Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. Thanks for joining us.
[Rep. Madeleine Dean:] I'm pleased to be with you.
[Keilar:] So Mueller asked for this guidance from the DOJ. Former White House Counsel John Dean says that this looks to him like Mueller wants to be limited. What do you think?
[Dean:] Well, I think what we have heard from Director Mueller is that he will speak only to the four corners of the document, which doesn't concern me at all because, as you know, the four corners of the document contain damning information about Russian interference in our election, a campaign Trump campaign willowing willing to be welcomed to that interference by Russia, and then multiple 10, 11 instances of alleged obstruction by this president of the investigation. So I understand that Director Mueller wants to do his job and do it well. I have every confidence he will. And by telling us and bringing to the American people the four corners the damning evidence within that document, we will be able to reveal a lot.
[Keilar:] Is there a big unknown that you would like answered by Robert Mueller?
[Dean:] Actually, I don't think so. I think the document is what speaks so loudly. But, unfortunately, that document has been blurred by this administration claiming no collusion, no obstruction. Of course that's not at all the findings of this report. By the attorney general, also claiming no collusion, no obstruction. Again, not the findings of this report. So that if we can just uncover the actual findings of the report for the American people to see that, as a result of this investigation there were 37 indictments. The Mueller team indicted 37 people or entities. Seven people have pleaded guilty or have been convicted. Multiple people in jail. In connection with the obstruction by Donald Trump the attempted obstruction by Donald Trump. So I think the information's right in the report.
[Keilar:] Judiciary Democrats are holding a two-hour mock hearing this afternoon. Why is it so important that you all coordinate?
[Dean:] Well, I won't speak to our preparation other than to say it's very thorough. I've had the opportunity to work with my team in my own office, with the team of the Judiciary Committee, with attorneys, so that we craft very careful questions. What I've shared with my committee is what I believe. My words are less important tomorrow. It is Director Mueller's words that matter. So that I hope that what I do is actually craft very concise questions, simple, understandable questions so that Mr. Mueller has the chance
[Keilar:] Is that the goal is all members, can I ask you? Is that the goal is concise questions? So often members of Congress spend a lot of time asking the question. Is everyone trying to ask concise questions?
[Dean:] Well, Bianna, I too have been guilty of that. So I'm just schooling myself, that I want to make sure my questions are as tightly crafted and understandable for the American people as possible, not laced with legalese or multisyllabic words. I can't tell you exactly about the preparation of everybody else.
[Keilar:] Then how, though, when it comes to everyone else, one of the other complaints of people watching some of these hearings, whether it's led by either party, is that it's everyone's siloed off from one another, they don't coordinate so that they can get all of the information out of a witness. How are you all coordinating to make sure that one member builds on the answers received by the last member's questions?
[Dean:] Well, the team inside the Judiciary Committee has been extraordinarily able in identifying and scaffolding the arguments to put the narrative before the American people. So we are absolutely coordinating. The members have been working very, very well together because we have one goal in minding. It's not to showcase us, it's to showcase the facts, the evidence, the lawlessness. The American people deserve that information. And I'm proud to be a part of a committee that will bring that to light.
[Keilar:] So who plays Robert Mueller in these mock hearings?
[Dean:] Oh, I'm not going to tell you the behind the scenes, but we have a couple of very able folks.
[Keilar:] So OK, so someone is
[Dean:] They're really good.
[Keilar:] A couple able folks. Someone is playing Robert Mueller. Are these are these committee lawyers?
[Dean:] I'm not going to tell you about the behind the scenes.
[Keilar:] All right, but there's a couple very able bodies who are playing Robert Mueller you said. All right, when when you are going through this process, is this are all members in the room together? Are you coordinating in that regard? Are you doing it in one member at a time?
[Dean:] Well, again, I appreciate you wanting to know more about the process, but I like our preparation to continue really among ourselves.
[Keilar:] OK.
[Dean:] So I don't really want to shine a light on that. What we're really here to do is to shine a light on the facts of the report. A hundred contacts by the Trump campaign with Russia with Russians. Not one call to law enforcement to say maybe there's something wrong here. The welcoming and wallowing in the interference, the sweeping and systematic interference, and then a president who once he realizes he's under investigation goes to great lengths to ask people to lie for him, to document things that did not happen, to destroy documents of things that did happen. That's really what's more important than the behind the scenes.
[Keilar:] Well, Republicans have hold their own they've held their own mock hearing. They're preparing as well. They're going to question the origins of the report. They might question Mueller about his team, try to paint them as biased. How will Democrats address that? How are you prepared to respond, react to Republicans?
[Dean:] I have a feeling Director Mueller will not need our response. Director Mueller speaks with such clarity and such credibility, I don't think he's going to need our team to defend him and his work and the work of his team. You know, I was thinking about this, Brianna, as I was preparing these last two weeks, I guess, in particular. And thinking about how troubling it is that we have to have this hearing but how powerful it is that we get to have this hearing, that we have a special counsel regulation that allowed for the examination of wrongdoing by a candidate, by a campaign, and the wrongdoing and the evidence of wrongdoing of this administration. So while it's all very, very troubling, I do think the American people can be proud. We can uphold our democracy. We can say that we prize the rule of law and no one is above the law.
[Keilar:] You said Mueller doesn't need your defense, doesn't need the defense of Democrats. That said, the president aired false claims about how he's conflicted, as he has done before. So you don't expect Democrats will address that?
[Dean:] I don't know what everybody else is addressing, so I don't know what the preparation is on that. The president's argument about conflicted was proven hollow. It's proven hollow in the report. It was proven hollow by the facts.
[Keilar:] But that's not a part of that's not a part of your goal in the hearing, to deal with that?
[Dean:] Well, you've got me there. You're right. No, that won't be my that won't be my area of focus.
[Keilar:] But and you can't speak for other Democrats, even though you're all coordinating and building on each other's questions and answers?
[Dean:] Yes, no, I think it's important that we lay it all out, as as much of a narrative as we possibly can, to put flesh to the words that are within this report, to show the actions and the behavior both of the Russians and the Trump campaign. The absence of calling out to anyone that there's terrible, serious, sweeping interference with our 2016 election, even though it's to the benefit of Trump, wouldn't you imagine that someone would have called law enforcement? So those kinds of things are the things we're going to be examining. And, of course, the behavior, the 10, 11 instances where this president attempted to interfere with the investigation of him.
[Keilar:] All right, we are awaiting this significant hearing tomorrow. You are on the Judiciary Committee. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, thank you for being with us.
[Dean:] Thank you for following this.
[Keilar:] Is the Tea Party dead? Why the new budget deal isn't making as much noise as it used to. Plus, Afghanistan wants answers after the president says he could wipe them, quote, off the face of the earth. And why the Trump administration's next move may take away food stamps from more than 3 million people.

[Paul:] A California court has ordered President Trump to pay more than $44,000 in legal fees to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels. The order was issued earlier in the week, but it was just made public yesterday.
[Blackwell:] She sued the president in 2018 to try to be released from her nondisclosure agreement. The president's legal team made a deal out of court, but Daniels still had to pay legal bills, or she racked up the bills, at least. Daniels said she had an affair with the president back before he was in office, 2006, 2007, while married to Melania, which the president denies.
[Paul:] So California is under a state of emergency this weekend as all of the people there, many of them, I should say, are forced to evacuate their homes and try to seek shelter because of the raging wildfires we have been watching.
[Blackwell:] And this is happening during rising cases of COVID-19 across California. Firefighters are struggling to contain more than 500 fires that were mostly started by lightning and spread because of high temperatures. Let's go now to CNN's Paul Vercammen. He is live from Napa Valley. Paul, we can see evidence of what these fires have done near you, but what's the situation this morning?
[Paul Vercammen, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, Victor, Christi, the situation is they're trying to get a handle on all the blazes, a record set in California as at one point more than 900,000 acres were burning after all of these lightning strikes. And what the strikes and fires left in the aftermath, devastation. Look behind me, as far as you can see, I'm in Lake Berryessa in Napa County. We have charred remains of houses up on this ridge right here in the foreground. This is the lightning complex of fires, a complex because many fires hit at once in a very, very, very small concentric circle. And here we've had 314,000 acres burned, some 560 structures completely destroyed. This is now the second largest wildfire in California history, it's that devastating. And so this weekend firefighters are trying to catch up, get ahead of things because they are promising that on Sunday in the afternoon we possibly could have more lightning strikes. So pins and needles here in California, which has already been devastated by wildfire. Back to you, Victor, Christi.
[Blackwell:] So much there. Paul Vercammen for us, thanks so much.
[Paul:] Thank you, Paul. We have some new information we want to give you that we're just getting in here. The coronavirus pandemic, just minutes ago another disturbing milestone has been reached. The number of people who have died in total across the globe has now surpassed 800,000. And we're all, I know, trying to figure out how to live and stay safe and go to work and have our daily routines, and that includes people in sports leagues. From Little League through pro sports, they're trying to decipher ways to return safely to play. The WNBA is one league that is set up in a bubble for its teams. This is obviously the effort to keep players and staff safe. Our next guest was key in negotiating how that worked. Fast Company named her one of its most creative people for leveling the field, also noting her efforts in crafting the league's new collective bargaining. It is pretty spectacular. So we have Nneka Ogwumike. She is power forward for the L.A. Sparks and president of the WNBA Players Association. Nneka, we are so grateful to have you here. Thank you.
[Nneka Ogwumike, President Wnba Players Association:] Thank you so much for having me, Christi, I appreciate it.
[Paul:] Absolutely. We appreciate you as well. So talk to us about what it's like in the bubble? I know there was a bit of a dicey start to it.
[Ogwumike:] Yes, coming in, even as someone who has been through every step of the process, there was still a lot left to be imagined when we got here. We're very thankful for IMG Academy here in Bradenton, Florida, for hosting us and providing such great hospitality. But right now, we're kind of on this, kind of feeling a little bit more like a home away from home. We have been here for about six weeks. Games are in full swing. We're halfway through the season. And we test every day. And it's our new normal.
[Paul:] OK, so, Nneka, I wanted to just bring to light some things that you've done this year. As I said, you're president of the WNBA Players Association. Just a couple of weeks ago, as I understand it, you helped secure what is described as one of the most progressive collective bargaining agreements in women's sports, a nearly 83 percent raise, pay raise, and paid maternity leave for all the players. That's in addition to many other things. A lot of people are sitting back, going, how did you make that happen?
[Ogwumike:] It is refreshing to speak about the CBA. We had the opportunity to collaborate on such a new monumental agreement with our new commissioner in Cathy Engelbert, and I think that everything about it was historical, not just the signing of it and what we were able to agree on, but the process by which we came to the table, too. We're developing a new relationship with the league. It's more collaborative. And as you said, this new agreement had more changes than we've ever seen before. And we had working moms in mind. We had, of course, women in sports in mind. And I'm grateful we were able to communicate with all players to get a little piece of what everyone needed in this latest agreement.
[Paul:] We know that there is a really strong activist tradition in the WNBA. I know we all have together watched the recent events when you talk about George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. How does that effect all of you individually and collectively, and how are you moved to do something?
[Ogwumike:] Quite frankly, as we were negotiating the terms of this bubble season, amplifying our voices was a nonnegotiable for us. It certainly was for me. As you've seen in the history of the WNBA, we have always spoken out about social injustices and try to be active members of our community. And so the bubble provided an opportunity for our movement to meet its moment. And it's really been great for us to be able to band together with our social justice council, led by the first vice president Layshia Clarendon, and the work with the league, most notably Bethany Donaphin, and of course our executive director in Terri Jackson to be able to come together as a league, amplify our voices, bring awareness to those that are watching us, and also to those who have never seen us before, and understand that we've always been about this fight. We're a league of 70 percent black women, and we want to represent our communities as best as we can while we're playing in this new normal that we're experiencing right now.
[Paul:] So let me ask you one quick thing before I let you go. In 2016, I know players were punished for wearing shirts that supported victims of police brutality or gun violence. And I know that this year, we have lawmaker Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, and also the owner of the Atlanta Dream, write a letter criticizing the league for promoting Black Lives Matter, for that movement. Do you think league officials did enough to push back on that?
[Ogwumike:] I think that our league has a responsibility to address those types of things, and as players, naturally, especially as WNBA players, we speak out about things. I feel as though we collaborated as players to not only display the types of people we want to be associated with and the types of people that represent us as a league, but also as citizens, which is why we were able to support our sisters in Atlanta with "Vote Warnock" shirts, and have conversations with the honorable Stacey Abrams, with Reverend Raphael Warnock and also with former first lady Michelle Obama, and not just to represent those in leadership who are representing our interests, but also to show that collectively we have a voice, and to show also that women really know how to get things done together. And hopefully we can provide that as an example for others that want to be impactful in their communities as well. But I look forward to seeing how else the league will handle it.
[Paul:] You are showing that in a very way, Nneka, very good way. Good luck for the rest of the season. So grateful you could take some time to talk to us. Take good care.
[Ogwumike:] Thank you so much.
[Blackwell:] Up next, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and V.P. nominee Kamala Harris give their first joint interview. And you'll hear what Biden says when he's asked if he would shut down the country to contain the coronavirus.

[Kinkade:] Welcome back. Investigation that you'll see only on CNN. The demand for pet cheetahs is driving the big cast to the brink of extinction. Our Jomana Karadsheh traveled to the main thoroughfare of cheetah trafficking in east Africa and filed this exclusive report.
[Jomana Karadsheh, Cnn Correspondent:] Barely a couple of weeks old, Goalless is clearly in desperate need of his mother. But this orphan cheetah is one of the lucky ones, rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. Across the Horn of Africa, if the mothers aren't killed, the cubs are snatched from them, smuggled in cramped crates and cardboard boxes. By the time they get to the shelter, they're barely alive. According to the Cheetah Conservation Fund, some 300 cubs are smuggled out of this region every year. And for everyone that makes it into captivity, another three die on the way. [on camera]: That valley down there is becoming known as the cheetah supermarket. That's because many of the trafficked cheetahs are being smuggled across this porous border with Ethiopia into Somaliland. [voice-over]: This breakaway state from Somalia is the main transit route for the traffic cats out of the Horn of Africa. Smuggled across the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Peninsula. The survivors of the rough journey become an exotic accessory like designer bling. As rich Gulf Arabs compete for social media clicks. At least 1,000 cheetahs are estimated to be in private hands and Gulf states. According to experts, most die within a year or two in captivity. Although private ownership and trading of wildlife is banned in most Gulf states, enforcement is lax. [on camera]: Illegal online sales are starting to be policed. But if you really want a cheetah, they're not hard to find. This is an online Saudi marketplace, and when we search for cheetahs, several listings came up some advertising two to three old Cheetos, other selling young cubs. [voice-over]: This man in Saudi Arabia is eager to sell.
[Unidentified Male:] Whatever cheetah you want. You want male, you want female, it's not an issue. From Africa we import through a website with a guy and we have another Saudi trader. I got more than 80 from them.
[Karadsheh:] $6,600 U.S. seems to be the starting online price in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government did not respond to CNN's repeated requests for comment. There are only 7,500 cheetahs left worldwide, half the number from just a decade ago.
[Laurie Marker, Founder, Cheetah Conservation Fund:] People who have a cheetah as a pet are causing the species to go extinct. It's leading the way towards extinction. Mr. Bottle is one of the favorite toys that we found.
[Karadsheh:] American biologist Laurie Marker and her Cheetah Conservation Fund are racing to save this species from extinction.
[Marker:] This is not how a baby cheetah should be living. They need to be living out in the wild.
[Karadsheh:] They set up this safe house in Somaliland for the rescues. It's bursting at the seams.
[Marker:] Seeing them in here, it breaks my heart.
[Karadsheh:] You can see why people call them cats that cry.
[Marker:] It's our responsibility to give them the very best care that they can have and to try to save every single one of them.
[Karadsheh:] 10-month-old Kitty is in intensive care. The last survivor of three sisters.
[Marker:] She is not one of our healthiest cats. And it probably does have a lot to do with the way she started in life.
[Karadsheh:] Despite the team's efforts, Kitty didn't make it.
[Marker:] These animals are a smaller population, very rare population. And from that, each one of them do carry a different genetic code. This one is a male.
[Karadsheh:] Every club gets microchipped. Their DNA is recorded. Without a mother that has to be taught how to hunt and survive in the wild.
[Marker:] It takes sometimes months to try to get one cheetah to get on its feet.
[Karadsheh:] Neju Jimmy, a soon to be vet is their main caregiver.
[Neju Jimmy, Student Veterinarian:] I love them so much that I don't even see my mom once a week. She lives over there.
[Karadsheh:] According to Marker, there are only about 300 adults in unprotected areas in the Horn of Africa.
[Marker:] If you do your math, the math kind of shows that it's only going to be a matter of a couple years that we're not going to have any cheetahs in this region left.
[Karadsheh:] Many have already been lost to conflict with humans. Somaliland wildlife authorities are busting traffickers. It's illegal here along with private ownership. But in the capital, Hargeisa, a popular restaurant advertises burgers and captive lions pacing in the background for selfies. For three years, this cheetah on a short rope has been the star attraction for paying clients to pet, poke, and pose with. The owner insists it's legal.
[Abdirashiq Ali Mohamed, Owner, Lion Restaurant:] Yes, we have the license to keep these animals. And plus, this guy, he's there's only one cheetah here, and he has lot of space to run around.
[Karadsheh:] Why it was tolerated in plain sight went unanswered by the authorities. More are hidden behind walls. [on camera]: Even as we're leaving Somaliland, two more cheetahs have been confiscated from a house here in Hargeisa. [voice-over]: Three more were seized just a few days later. As long as there's a demand by the rich, creating a lucrative trade for the poor, the cheetah's future hangs in the balance. Time is not on their side. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Hargeisa, Somaliland.

[Becky Anderson, Cnn:] Right now, 6,000 passengers on lockdown in a cruise ship. Fears that two of those passengers could have the coronavirus. Then
[Alan Dershowitz, Attorney For Donald Trump:] His election is in the public interest.
[Anderson:] No limits when you are trying to win an election, at least that is what President Trump's lawyer argues. And
[Nigel Farage, Brexit Party Leader:] You may loathe populism, but I'll tell you a funny thing, it's becoming very popular.
[Anderson:] Mr. Brexit's last words to the EU before they cut his mic. Well it's 11:00 p.m. in Wuhan. It is 10:00 in the morning in D.C. It is 7:00 in the evening here in Abu Dhabi. Plus, it's almost time for Brexit. Hello and welcome to what is our expanded edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you. Well our big story this hour, the world's most populous country, China, sealed off. Russia shutting down its massive eastern border. Hong Kong also clamping down on some of its border crossings. In all-out measures to contain this Wuhan coronavirus. And right now, China reporting some 170 deaths from the outbreak with nearly 8,000 people sick within its borders. But this is not just a one country story. It is now truly global. The virus spreading its tentacles further and further every day in what has become a global supply chain of disease. In the coming hours, leaders of the World Health Organization, that's the W.H.O., of course, getting together to look at declaring a global emergency. We've been asking them on this show why they haven't yet done that. That's been over the last couple of days. Their message, well, we're watching closely. Meantime, the health body urging everyone to take action.
[Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization Director-general:] The continued increase in cases and the evidence of human to human transmission outside of China and of course was deeply concerning. Also, the numbers outside China are still relatively small. They hold the potential for a much larger outbreak.
[Anderson:] Look at this. On board this ship, some 6,000 passengers on lockdown at an Italian port. Now a husband and wife from Hong Kong are now being kept in isolation. The woman reportedly suffering from a fever. The two being tested for the Wuhan virus strain. We'll connect this all together. Let's bring in CNN's David Culver in Beijing who has been following every step of this story since the start. And standing by for us in Hong Kong, Will Ripley. David, let's start with you. Wuhan, geographically, ten times the size of New York City, yet now a ghost town.
[David Culver, Cnn Correspondent:] It is Becky. And it's bizarre to see some of these images coming out of Wuhan. We are connected with folks after our trip down there who continue to describe just an eerie situation there. But it goes beyond that, too. Because you've got a balance of folks who are within this lockdown lifestyle and yet at the same time, trying to find some sense of normalcy. And what we're also learning tonight is that this goes beyond those in lockdown. This is an attempt now for folks in major cities like Shanghai and here in Beijing who simply want to get out of mainland China.
[Culver:] A normally traffic jammed highway in the city of Wuhan, China, near empty, only a few passing vehicles. Public transportation shut down. City buses sit untouched. Only a few residents spotted outside. Eerie for a city 11 million people call home. Major food chains closing to customers from Starbucks to KFC to McDonald's lights off inside. This Walmart open and crowded. Shoppers wearing face masks inside and quickly buying up what's left. Leaving bare produce stands behind. Outside the lockdown zone, similar scenes across mainland China.
[Jenna Davidson, American College Student:] There's 24 million people in shanghai and I'm walking in the middle of the street.
[Culver:] This American college student, Jenna Davidson, arrived in Shanghai a few weeks ago for the spring semester.
[Davidson:] You know, we got here before the outbreak and it went south really quick.
[Culver:] She says finding food in the massive city has gotten increasingly difficult.
[Davidson:] They shut down our campus. We almost felt as though they didn't realize that we're still living on it. Because we didn't even have like hot water for a few days and the cafeterias on campus are closed. So we started realizing, well, we need food, and most stores within walking distance have been shut down or it's like Zombieland in there. Folks fighting for what's left on the shelves.
[Culver:] Jenna initially tried to keep positive.
[Davidson:] This is the guy who takes my temperature nine times a day.
[Culver:] She even sent this photo to her dad trying to reassure him.
[Davidson:] For a while, I wasn't telling my dad everything. But he was finding out on the news just how bad it was so
[Culver:] Yes.
[Davidson:] And it's been hard on him.
[Culver:] She and her fellow classmates now booked on flights to get out. Destination, anywhere but here. Where are you going?
[Davidson:] Africa.
[Culver:] Who do you know in Africa?
[Davidson:] I don't know anyone in Africa. And what's most stressful is even though we're leaving, I still don't feel like we're in the clear yet. Because it's, I mean, what if we catch it in the taxi or at the airport on the way home, on the plane. We still need to be very careful. It's not over yet.
[Culver:] Back in Wuhan, social media shows how some residents keep moving inside their own homes, finding normalcy within the lockdown. But a look outside and you're reminded life here is anything but normal. A neighborhood security guard there walking around head to toe in that hazmat suit. Becky, it was interesting talking to Jenna. Because she also says that her friends were likewise desperate to get out of China. I asked them where they were going. They said Hawaii, one of them, London the other, which brings up the question of quarantine once they get to these places. Jenna fully anticipates that when she gets to South Africa, she will find herself in quarantine for up to two weeks. But this also explains why the World Health Organization's designation of a potential global emergency could also help in kind of setting the standards for this quarantine. And also the international scientists that are coming together here in Beijing, including members from the CDC would like to understand a little bit better the transmission of this virus and what an effective quarantine time frame might be Becky.
[Anderson:] Yes, and you make a very good point. Because the way that W.H.O. designates these things gives an opportunity or not for a kind of wider sort of involvement by the international community which oftentimes and one would assume particularly on this occasion, will be extremely important in containing this. David, thank you. Will, I have got some, quite frankly, images which are, I guess you could say pretty much pictures of the day. People in Hong Kong wearing mask, lining up to buy more of them. What's the mood on the ground there?
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] This is a city, Becky, that remembers 17 years ago when the SARS outbreak hit Hong Kong the hardest of all, nearly 300 people died here. And people who lived through that, through that nightmare say they'll do anything to prevent that kind of fear. So even though face masks aren't the most effective way to actually prevent the spread of this. Doctors say, they say you need to wash your hands with soap and water all the time. And if you sneeze, you wash your hands again. But people say wearing those masks, and you turn a corner, everybody's got them. They say it gives them some sort of feeling of protection in these very uncertain, difficult times.
[Ripley:] In Hong Kong, a city full of empty stores, this one has a line around the block. A three-hour wait for surgical face masks.
[Unidentified Female:] They give only one pack for one person. Yes.
[Ripley:] Are you coming back tomorrow?
[Unidentified Female:] Maybe, Yes, maybe. We need more masks.
[Ripley:] Demand is high. Supplies are low. Stores are quickly running out.
[Unidentified Male:] They seem not to have anticipated the seriousness of problem and that it came so quickly.
[Ripley:] The same Hong Kong leaders who tried to ban protesters from wearing masks to hide their faces now cover their own. The government is taking emergency measures to prevent a public health catastrophe. Severely restricting travel from mainland China, the epicenter of the outbreak. [on camera]: Normally there would be a steady stream of people from mainland China coming through these now locked doors. High-speed rail service is suspended until further notice. And that's really having a knock-on effect because this adjacent mall, just like malls all over Hong Kong, pretty much deserted. [voice-over]: Hong Kong has about 300 reasons not to take any chances. That's how many people died in the SARS outbreak 17 years ago in 2003. This neighborhood, Amoy Gardens, was ground zero. [on camera]: Are people living here scared that that could all happen again?
[Unidentified Male:] I think all Hong Kong people were scared. Something like SARS would happen again in Hong Kong. All people.
[Ripley:] Those who lived through Hong Kong's darkest days describe psychological terror akin to 911, only stretched out for months. That fear of an invisible enemy has many heeding the government's advice. Stay inside, avoid crowds, if possible, work from home. [on camera]: It's almost easy to forget that we're in the middle of the lunar new year here. This is supposed to be one of Hong Kong's busiest tourism weeks of the year. But all we have are these decorations, all the public events have been canceled. The people are gone. [voice-over]: More than seven months of protests emptied out hotels, stores and restaurants. Now it's even worse. [on camera]: Have you ever seen a Chinese New Year like this so slow?
[Unidentified Male:] No, never.
[Ripley:] Never in your life?
[Unidentified Male:] Since for 50 years, 50 years I haven't seen for that.
[Ripley:] Sales are down 70 percent, he says. And this was supposed to be a good week. Hong Kong's economy was already on life support. Now an even bigger worry for some. Staying alive. And, Becky, I think one thing that people here in Hong Kong understand better than most around the world is just how quickly this can happen. How one day you might have one case. The next day you have 100. And given the fact there are still people coming back and forth from the mainland, even though there are these travel restrictions in place, all it takes is for one patient to slip through the cracks and all of these measures people are taking could still not be enough to prevent a catastrophic situation. Not only here in Hong Kong but major cities and countries all over the world.
[Anderson:] Yes. You make a very good point, Will. Just coming into CNN, folks, the White House has just announced a coronavirus task force. David, the U.S. President has been tweeting about this virus. And at an event on Wednesday he suggested he spoke with China's President over growing concerns of what is going on. But a White House official tells CNN the two world leaders actually haven't been in contact since December. Look, the U.S. and China locked in trade negotiations, phase two of which are of course, yet to get off the ground. This virus outbreak clearly having an impact on the Chinese economy. There's no doubt that growth will take a significant hit. Whether or not Donald Trump really has been in official contact with President Xi. Might a perceived supportive stance by the U.S. at this point, at this juncture, when China is struggling so much actually be of benefit to these negotiations going forward, do you think?
[Culver:] As of now it's something that I think that is so far removed from President Xi Jinping's mind as he's in the midst of trying to stabilize the social concern here, right. Because as this outbreak is expanding, part of the concern and the proceedings on social media is the idea who is responsible? There's concern that it perhaps was the local government that wasn't doing enough, under reported even. That's the allegation that's surfaced. And so now you have President Xi himself coming forward to say that he's going to take control of the coordination and deployment efforts. And the reason I say that, Becky, is because he hasn't really put much focus outside the domestic concerns right now. He's made no reference to the President of the United States in all of this. His only meetings that were public were with the head of the World Health Organization this week. And that was to say they'd likely allow in international scientists, including from the U.S. It's possible that members from the CDC would be part of that. Will that benefit things, relationship wise, going forward? Possibly. However, you also have to look at the movement that's coming out of the U.S. Congress in particular. And they are moving forward with bills that seem to be very critical of China with regards to human rights and that's something that came out even just in the past few weeks. So those are continuing to surface and it's tough to see if China will be able to sift through and look at one versus the other. Congress versus the President.
[Anderson:] Yes, David Culver is in Beijing. Your work has been terrific. David, thank you for that. And, Will, always a pleasure. Thank you. Well every country handling this country in its own way, we want to take a look at Australia for you, though, as its response is pretty unique. Get this some of its citizens saying they would prefer to stay in Wuhan at the epicenter of the virus rather than be evacuated. On the face it that doesn't quite make sense. Does it? So what gives? Well, their chartered flight out of China would not actually go straight to Australia itself but rather, it would land thousands of kilometers away on Christmas Island. Up to 600 evacuees would be quarantined for two weeks at an immigration detention center there, reopened let me tell you by the government early last year. The detention center only houses one family right now. And as the "Guardian" newspaper reports, the head of the Australian Medical Association now warning that the facilities medically inadequate if someone falls seriously ill. This is how Australian officials are defending their stance on this. The reality is people need to be accommodated somewhere for up to 14 days. I can't clear out a hospital in Sydney or Melbourne or Brisbane. I don't have a facility otherwise that we can quickly accommodate for what might be many hundreds of people. And Christmas Island is purpose built for exactly these scenarios. Well, that, despite the fact that Australia is already quarantining a Chinese football team at a hotel in Brisbane. Drop even more salt into the wound. Australian media reporting evacuees have been asked to pay almost $700 for a seat on that evacuation flight which is actually higher than some commercial flights. It's one of those wrap your head around that one, isn't it? Well, before we leave this here for now, I want to ask, where did all of this begin? Biologically speaking that is or perhaps what are known as biological supervillains. Bats might be the answer. They can harbor many, many viruses that can spread to humans. We've heard that before. We've got a lot more on that. It is at CNN.com. Donald Trump's defense team lays out a stunning argument. But is it a shrewd defense play or an act of desperation? Let's take a look at that up next. Then
[Farage:] I know you're going to miss us. I know you want to ban our national flags, but we're going to wave you good-bye. And we'll look forward in the future to working with you as sovereign.
[Anderson:] Well do not adjust your TV sets. Yes, they cut his mic and we talk to the woman who actually did that. Cut off Nigel Farage. That is later in the show.

[Keilar:] Fox is promoting the first on-camera interview with the president since the coronavirus infection. In the news release, the say their on-staff doctor will, quote, conduct a medical evaluation. And that on-staff doctor is this man.
[Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News Medical Analyst:] This virus should be compared to the flu because at worst, at worst, worst case scenario, it could be the flu. Under 70, it is almost impossible you're going to die from COVID, and yet fear-messaging continues.
[Trump:] It was 30 or 35 questions. The first questions are very easy. The last questions are much more difficult, like a memory question. It is like you'll go person, woman, man, camera, T.V. So they say, could you repeat that?
[Keilar:] Dr. Marc Siegel hasn't exactly put medicine and science first during his employment at Fox but he certainly has caught the president's attention. No surprise since Trump appears to watch so much of his favorite channel that he is on a first name basis with almost the entire roster.
[Trump:] Let's have a fair let's get a fair anchor, somebody like the great Sean Hannity, we'll get Rush, we'll get Laura, we'll get Judge Jeanine.
[Hannity:] That's going to happen.
[Trump:] We've got a lot of them out there, right? We'll get Jesse, Pete, we got a lot of them. Tucker is pretty good.
[Hanity:] You're going to get me killed on all the Fox talks. Let me ask you
[Trump:] No, no, no, but this is a disgrace.
[Keilar:] And he seems like he's kidding, but these are the people that he flocks to, the people that he says are fair. And if his wish came true and they moderated a debate, do you think they would press him on the administration's failed response to the coronavirus? Let's roll the tape.
[Laura Ingraham, Fox News:] The president and his campaign should simply not react to any of this alarmist COVID drivel form here on out.
[Mark Levin, Fox News:] 200,000 people died from the coronavirus. That is the biggest lie of the century.
[Hannity:] I think we're over this sometime in the fall, my guess. I think I feel pretty certain, very optimistic about that.
[Pete Hegseth, Fox News:] Herd immunity is our friend. Healthy people getting out there, they're going to have to have some courage.
[Tucker Carlson, Fox News:] 78 is also the life expectancy for all people in this country. In other words, it is dangerous to be an old person who has the coronavirus, it's also dangerous to be an old person.
[Jeanine Pirro, Fox News:] The point of the mask is to basically kind of dehumanize, to frighten people, you don't know who is behind the mask.
[Keilar:] By the way, here are pictures of Jeanine Pirro frightening people and dehumanizing herself, as she puts it, put masks. The CDC says they are America's greatest weapon against the virus and the best way to be able to reopen an economy. Maybe these would be moderators at the president's favorite channel might ask him why he mocks them.
[Hegseth:] There is a very stark choice here. You have got a president to open the country with Donald Trump or you've got president mask mandate who is going to keep things closed. What do you want in the future?
[Keilar:] Well, maybe Trump's preferred moderators might ask him about how his racist rhetoric is affecting Asian-Americans, or how positive thinking isn't in itself a cure for a novel coronavirus for which Americans have no immunity.
[Jesse Watters, Fox News:] Yes. You want to know how I really feel about the coronavirus, if I get it, I'll beat it. It is called the power of positive thinking. And I think America needs to wake up to that. I live in Manhattan. I got off work, went straight to the subway, Asian guy sits down next to me, mask on. What do I do, finish the ride, then I go home, then I order Chinese food. I am not afraid of the coronavirus.
[Keilar:] They could ask the president about whether he understands that his own actions likely contributed to his being infected.
[Watters:] This is like when the general gets wounded by the invisible enemy, goes and gets patched up and then gets right back to the frontlines.
[Keilar:] And since we're heading into a confirmation process for the next Supreme Court justice, that topic would certainly come up, right? Maybe they would ask Trump why he cast doubt on the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg saying, as it became clear that she would die, that her most fervent wish was that she would not be replaced until a new president is installed.
[Carlson:] Keep in mind, we don't really know actually what Ruth Bader Ginsburg's final words were. Did she really leave this world fretting about a presidential election? We don't believe that for a second. If it were true, it would be pathetic.
[Keilar:] Another big issue facing right now is voting. Maybe these would-be hosts could challenge the president on all his false claims about mail-in voting and widespread fraud.
[Hannity:] With widespread mail-in voting, United States Postal Service, they won't be the ones responsible for the outcome of this election. Now, with all due respect to my mailman, I love my mailman ever since I was a kid, but you have got to trust the United States Postal Service with the future of our country.
[Keilar:] Washington is so fractured, the issue of restoring some semblance of unity and bipartisanship that would allow Congress to actually do its job, surely that would be an important issue to explore with Trump.
[Levin:] This mob, one way or another, will be crushed. If they're not crushed at the voting booth, they will be crushed otherwise. Nancy Pelosi is mentally ill, just so you understand. She's mentally ill, she has the shakes. Her face, with old age, is malformed.
[Keilar:] Maybe they would ask Biden about his plans for the future.
[Pirro:] Well, I have a lot of thoughts. The first thought that I have, Jesse, is, for some reason, I just had this feeling that Joe Biden isn't going to be on the ticket. I have a sense that something is going to happen before the election, and he is not even going to be on the ticket. So, don't even ask me if he is going to make the four years.
[Keilar:] They could address the widespread non-violent protests across the country, the instances of looting and violence we have seen and the alarming trend of armed right-wing groups patrolling protests.
[Carlson:] So, are you really surprised that looting and arson can accelerated to murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?
[Keilar:] Or with rates of violence up in some cities, a significant issue, perhaps they talk about sensible solutions and the underlying problems that are contributing to the violence right now with President Trump in the White House.
[Ingraham:] In a Biden administration, the chaos, like ongoing lockdown, will become trusted means of intimidation and control in every town and city across all 50 states. Holy hell will be unleashed from coast to coast.
[Keilar:] Maybe they challenge the president about his baseless claims about Biden's mental state.
[Unidentified Male:] I don't think there's any doubt Biden is senile.
[Pirro:] Everywhere he goes, he goes with his wife. It's almost like she's his caretaker. She makes sure that she sits next to him, she makes sure that she holds onto him. Is this what we really want in the United States of America for a president?
[Keilar:] And with widespread consensus that the first debate was a hot mess of interruptions and name-calling, one of these would be moderators would have to regulate that, right? They'd have to show impartiality in how they enforce the rules.
[Hannity:] Extremely weak, the frail, the confused, kind of angry Joe Biden just got steamrolled by President Trump. Maybe it is past his bedtime, probably stayed up too late, needs his nap. One thing I have concluded at the end of tonight is it's basically you're going to get a gladiator, warrior, fighter in Trump.
[Keilar:] Clearly, these prominent voices on that network won't be moderating any debate other than amongst themselves, but we show you this because these are the people the president is listening to. These people are giving the president a daily briefing and it appears this is the one he is actually listening to. Ahead, we have disturbing new details on the kidnapping plot against the Michigan governor by a group of alleged domestic terrorist. Plus, an update on Chris Christie, who is still in the hospital after being in the debate prep room with the president and contracting coronavirus. And we're going to take you to Louisiana as a hurricane gets ready to strike the coast. This is CNN's special live coverage.

[Tapper:] We have some breaking news now. The NFL now says that fans who attend games in person this fall will be required to wear face coverings, though it's not clear how many teams will even host fans this season. The season is set to kick off on September 10th, at least as of right now. In our politics lead, President Trump will be back in front of the podium today after acknowledging yesterday the coronavirus will likely get worse before it gets better. And as CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports for us now, this new strategy of taking to the podium and trying to sound concerned comes as yet another poll shows the president is trailing Joe Biden, this time by eight percentage points.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] After attempts to ignore the pandemic didn't work, President Trump acknowledged the grim reality facing the country in his first COVID-19 briefing in months.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better. Something I don't like saying about things. But that's the way it is.
[Collins:] The shift was a political calculus by a president worried about his sinking poll numbers. But it was notable given what he told Fox News just days ago.
[Trump:] I said it's going to disappear. I'll say it again, it's going to disappear.
[Collins:] Raising questions about mixed messages, Trump urged Americans to wear a mask as he wrongly claimed that he never resisted doing so.
[Trump:] I have no problem. I carry it. I wear it. You saw me wearing it a number of times and I'll continue.
[Collins:] Days earlier, he made this claim about masks without citing any evidence.
[Trump:] All of a sudden, everybody's got to wear a mask, and as you know, masks cause problems too.
[Collins:] The president's return to the briefing room came after several polls showed his reaction to COVID-19 had badly damaged his standing with voters ahead of the November election. Though aides denied that was the driving factor.
[Kellyanne Conway, White House Counselor:] This is a change. The briefing stopped but the work hasn't stopped. He's briefed regularly.
[Collins:] Kellyanne Conway said the briefings returned because some states reopened too fast.
[Conway:] Some of these states blew through our gating criteria, blew through our phases, and they opened up some of the industries a little too quickly, like bars.
[Collins:] With the clock ticking, the White House is still negotiating with its own party over what they want in the next coronavirus relief bill as Senate Republicans remain sharply divided.
[Sen. Ted Cruz:] As it's written right now I'm not only a no, I'm a hell no.
[Collins:] The GOP is split over the price tag whether to extend enhanced unemployment benefits and if they should scrap Trump's demand for a payroll tax cut.
[Trump:] I think it's a very important thing, it's very good.
[Collins:] Republicans are now more confident the White House will get behind more funding for testing and contact tracing in states after initially opposing the idea.
[Kayleigh Mcenany, White House Press Secretary:] No one is blocking any money from testing.
[Collins:] A person in the room for the Republican lunch yesterday said Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy rhetorically asked if he was on acid when he heard that the White House was against more funding for testing in the middle of a pandemic. Now, Jake, there is also growing Republican pushback to this White House idea of tying federal funding to the re-opening of schools, with several Republicans telling CNN today that is just not an idea that they think they are going to get behind. So that makes three pretty big issues where the White House and Republicans are still not on the same page about what they want to see in this next bill.
[Tapper:] All right. Kaitlan Collins at the White House for us, thank you so much. We have some breaking news for you. Just moments ago, President Trump announced he's sending more federal agents to at least one American city. He has threatened to do the same in Seattle. The mayor of Seattle will join me next to react. That's live and it's next.

[Baldwin:] New jobs numbers are out today, the same day that President Trump once again dissed his Fed chair. But this time it comes as Jerome Powell is giving the president something he desperately wants, talk about a recession maybe not coming.
[Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Chairman:] Our main expectation is not at all that there will be a recession. I did mention, though, that there are these risks, and we're monitoring them very carefully. And we're conducting policy in a way that will address them.
[Baldwin:] The jobs report found 130,000 jobs were added, but hiring is slowing. And the president tweeted this: "I agree with Jim Cramer the Fed should lower rates. They were way too early to raise, way too late to cut, and big dose quantitative tightening didn't help didn't exactly help either. Where did I find this guy Jerome? Oh, well, you can't win them all." Lindsey Piegza is the chief economist at Stifel. So, Lindsey, let's first just begin with the news from the Fed chair, right, who says there's been all this, is there a recession to be had? He says he doesn't see one coming? That seems pretty significant coming from him. What do you think?
[Lindsey Piegza, Economist:] Oh, absolutely. He was generally optimistic about the current state of the economy, as he has been. But he was also quick to recognize some of the mounting risks weighing on the outlook, including the risk of deteriorating global growth, as well as a trade relations. So, at the same time he was pointing out, yes, the economy is still on firm footing at this point, he also reiterated that the committee is willing and able to step up and provide additional support should we see the economy falter. So they are paying very close attention to the data, and each data point is really driving the next move that they take in terms of policy.
[Baldwin:] And then, when you look at the jobs numbers, really some positive news for black America, for example, African-American unemployment, the rate falling to record low to 5.5 percent from 6 percent. It was a record low for the data, which has been collected since early '70s. Apparently, a lot of black women are getting work. What do you make of this? Why is this happening?
[Piegza:] Well, I think the labor report was actually a little mixed. Yes, we did see pockets of improvement, particularly, as you mentioned, in terms of the unemployment rate in the African-American community. But when we look at the top-line payroll number, just 130,000 jobs were added. This is a noticeable slowdown from a more robust pace that we had seen at the start of the year. So we're still creating jobs for Americans on a month-to-month basis, but the pace of that job creation has slowed considerably. So this really is sort of that middle-of-the-road report, where the Fed doesn't necessarily see recession in and of itself because of this morning's number, but it falls well, sort of the strength that the committee was looking for to give them room to maybe back off from providing additional accommodation near-term.
[Baldwin:] Yes, I hear you loud and clear on the just 130,000. Lindsey Piegza, thank you so much for your analysis. Good to have you back.
[Piegza:] Thank you.
[Baldwin:] Bolton vs. Pompeo. CNN has learned that the relationship between these two key advisers at the White House has hit a new low. Also, bound by two mass shootings high school rivals in football El Paso and Odessa unite on the field for an emotional display of unity.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] How do you turn this around because the president's really struggling, Hogan.
[Hogan Gidley, National Press Secretary, Trump 2020 Campaign:] I wouldn't say he's struggling. The polls people are pointing to are hewed heavily to Democrats, under-sampling Republicans. Those are designed to tear apart the Trump voter, the Trump base. It's never going to happen. And let's be clear. No one in middle America cares about titles. It's only the Beltway and
[Keilar:] Hogan, you know Hogan, I've got to interrupt you there. Because you know pollsters are trying to compensate for the problems they had in 2016. They have increased the representation of whites without college degrees that they lost. They're still seeing, even with the adjustments to favor President Trump, they're still seeing a big drop in women who would make up for a big part of this group undercounted. You may be downplaying polls because of what happened in 2016. But pollsters are correcting mistakes that they made. This must be alarming to you to you. What you're seeing. He's down in the nationals. He's down in the battleground significantly?
[Gidley:] Again, I reject the premise they're correcting things. If they are, it's by a small fraction. It's still under-sampling of Republicans based on the 2016 exit polls. But middle American doesn't care about that. What they care about is, is your life better today than yesterday And the overwhelming response for those people is absolutely yes.
[Keilar:] So, let's talk about issues. Who is best to handle a crisis? And 57 to 38 in the new poll say Biden. Best to handle coronavirus response. And 59 to 35 Biden. That is a 24-point spread on the biggest issue that this president is handling right now.
[Gidley:] I understand. This election is probably going to come down to several issues. A few of those would probably be coronavirus, the culture
[Keilar:] I want to be clear. A 14-point spread there.
[Gidley:] Right, and Donald Trump wins on all three of these things. You don't have to guess what a Joe Biden presidency would like.
[Keilar:] What do you mean
[Gidley:] We saw it
[Keilar:] What do you mean he wins on all three?
[Gidley:] for eight years.
[Keilar:] He wins on all three of what?
[Gidley:] I'm about to tell you. Because the fact is elections are about choices, binary choices between Donald Trump, who served admirably and made the country a better placed, both feared, respected and loved across the globe like never before, and Joe Biden, who's still complaining about the same things today as 50 years ago when he first took office. When you dial down on the two choices, what these two candidates actually bring, you have one with real results, positive results for the American people in the last three years, and someone like Joe Biden with nothing to show. And I just want to say
[Keilar:] Hogan, we can't even go to Canada. Hogan, Canada won't let us in. Look at this coronavirus number, when you look at who in this poll says is best to handle the coronavirus response.
[Gidley:] I get it. I'm not sure why you would want to go to Canada when we live on the greatest place on the planet. That's Donald Trump's mentality on
[Keilar:] If you want to get away from coronavirus you might.
[Gidley:] in this country. But, but regardless of that, let's be clear. You don't have to guess what the economy would look like under Joe Biden. We saw depressed wages for eight years, hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs leaving our shores, 3.5 million to China alone because of this horrible decision making. You don't have to guess what our culture would look like, our city streets. When you saw the looting and rioting across the country, people beaten within an inch of their own lives, just for protecting their own businesses. Joe Biden didn't say much at all. And when he came out from his hidey hole and his bunker, he said we should think about defunding police. Some are actually enemies to this country. That's a big difference between what Donald Trump wants, with an uplifting patriotic message about the country and its greatness. We can be greater. Donald Trump talks about that all the time. Joe Biden and you pointed out coronavirus response. Let's talk about that for a minute. It was Joe Biden's White House that said during H1N1 that they were going to cancel all testing because, hey, "why waste resources on that," quoteunquote. They are woefully
[Keilar:] Hogan, they left you a plan
[Gidley:] Can you imagine if Donald Trump came on today and said we're going to cancel testing?
[Keilar:] No. They left you a plan. It's been like four years. You know that? They left you a plan. And 53 percent of registered voters
[Gidley:] Barack Obama ran against George Bush for eight years. What are you talking about? By the way, it has been four year Brianna, it has been 3.5 years. But Joe Biden has been in office for 50. What are you talking about?
[Keilar:] the economy. Trump on the economy, 53 percent of registered voters disproving of how he's doing on the economy. And we have to be clear that when it comes to Joe Biden, he has not said what you said about defunding the police. He has not
[Gidley:] When he was asked about defunding the police, he said, yes, comma, absolutely. That's the way it was written and that's what he said. So, look, I understand the desire of CNN and others to try and make up for Joe Biden's mistakes and horrible position. That's fine. That's completely fair on your part. If you want to do that, be my guest. But the fact is, when this campaign continues on forward and strong in full blast, we're going to make those differences. We're going to point out what the mainstream media refuses to tell them. That Joe Biden has been horrible for this country. He's crushed the middle class. He kicked the American worker in the teeth for the better part of 50 years. And we're going to show it.
[Keilar:] He hasn't been the president for the past three years. We'll see where the economy is right now. Look, Biden does not support defunding police. Though, he reiterated the police should not be
[Gidley:] And by the way, if we're talking about
[Keilar:] Hogan, he reiterated police should not be funded. This is what he said. Quote, he "doesn't support defunding police departments." He said, "I think we should be holding police departments" he said, "I think we should be holding police departments responsible. The vast majority of police officers are ethical, brave and decent. The vast majority of them." He said, "We need police. We need police departments. But we need basic fundamental rules. Moment has come for a wake-up call, a call to action to confront and end racial injustice. And that's prevalent in this country for as long as we've all been around." That is his record, Hogan.
[Gidley:] That is that is an amazing campaign ad for Joe Biden. I appreciate that. I hope you guys end up playing the ones we put out as well. But the fact remains, this president
[Keilar:] That's his quote, Hogan. That's his position.
[Gidley:] Right. And you cherry pick ours and use his in totality. Again, that's fine. That's your prerogative. But the fact is this president has helped this country get out of an anemic economic growth, taking us to highs no one thought possible. Seven million jobs in just a short amount of time. A half a million manufacturing jobs. That's because of Donald Trump making new trade deals. Not the NAFTA trade deal that Joe Biden supported, sending 700,000 jobs away from the country. And let's be clear, Hillary Clinton ran on a plan to raise taxes on Americans by $1.5 trillion. Joe Biden took a look at that number and said, hold my beer, I'm doing $4 trillion. I'm going to raise taxes even more. So, we've seen record economic growth with jobs added in the last two months. Now Joe Biden says I'm going to do a complete 180 and take it back to the policies of the past that would not allow the American spirit to flourish and not allow the American worker to have a job? I think the voters are going to reject that every time.
[Keilar:] They're not now. And 53 percent of registered voters disprove of how the president is doing on the economy. And that's a change negatively for him of 8 percent from June. He's trending in the wrong direction. Hogan, you know that. You're watching this. You're trying to work on this. But it's an uphill battle right now.
[Gidley:] Look look, look, everything's an uphill battle when 97 percent of the news coverage is against you. That's just the lot in life of all Republicans. The fact is results speak louder than bogus polls. The president's performance speaks louder than the chattering class and the Beltway. The American people feel the real results that this president has put in place in their lives. They can afford more things. They're buying more, spending more, saving more because of the president's economy. And we were hit by an unprecedented, unforeseen pandemic from China, who lied about it, and the WHO was complicit in that. This president took bold, aggressive, solid action for the economy. He's going to rebuild this economy because he's done it once. You don't have to guess. He's rebuilt the economy once. He'll do it again.
[Keilar:] Hit by a pandemic that Americans do not think he's handling well. And 59 percent say Biden is best to handle coronavirus response. And
[Gidley:] Again, it's about differences. It's about differences.
[Keilar:] No, what's he doing to turn it around? You can say he's doing a great job but Americans aren't buying it. So, you have to do something different. How is he turning it around?
[Gidley:] Again, campaigns are about choices. You have to compare and contrast what this president has done and what Joe Biden has done. Let's not forget
[Keilar:] Hogan, you're looking at the polls. Americans are making their choice clear. How are you changing it?
[Gidley:] I'm getting to that, Brianna. The point is, when you take a look at coronavirus, for example, this president took bold decisive action and said we're not going to allow people from China and Europe to come into this country. Joe Biden said, no
[Keilar:] A new study out today shows it was
[Gidley:] from China
[Keilar:] from your CDC
[Gidley:] Bill De Blasio was in the gym working on curls for the girls. Governor Cuomo was even
[Keilar:] It was too late, Hogan. It was too late. What do say
[Gidley:] way later than that.
[Keilar:] It was too it was too late. The shutting down was even too late. That's what the study showed from the Trump administration.
[Gidley:] Brianna, let's talk about too late for a minute. Governor Cuomo is to blame for too late. And 65 percent of the cases in this country can be traced back to seeding in New York City. Because Governor Cuomo refused to listen
[Keilar:] Because of the shutdown happening March 13th and
[Gidley:] medical experts
[Keilar:] there was already spread in Europe. He refused to clean all the subways. And when he finally did shut them down, he shut down a few, so they would all be funneled into a tighter place, making it even easier to seed this virus and spread across the country. So let's talk about the truth. Let's talk about accuracy. And when this campaign gets ramped up, people are going to see the difference between real leadership and an empty vessel like Joe Biden, who is now being filled by the radical-left agenda. He's now parroting Socialist propaganda from Bernie Sanders. I think the American people deserve to know that. And as this campaign moves along, we're going to tell them. I will say this finally. I know you have to go. But the Trump administration itself put out data that showed that shutdown of European travel came too late, came too late for New York City. It was already there. I hear you pointing fingers but the problem was already hugely about to blow up in New York. And, Hogan, thank you so much for coming on. Hogan Gidley from the Trump campaign. I really appreciate it.
[Gidley:] Thank you, Brianna.
[Keilar:] Still ahead, we have some more major American retailers requiring that customers wear masks. We're going to show you the list. It's growing.

[Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Correspondent:] Hello, everyone, and welcome to "Amanpour." Here's what's coming up. America in the age of Trump. Its leadership questioned, its values in doubt. I asked former Republican senator and secretary of defense, William Cohen, about this presidency and America's standing in the world. Plus
[Norm Stamper, Former Seattle Police Chief:] I'm afraid I just need to say this, the institution seems to be suffering from some kind of a collective learning disability.
[Amanpour:] Police under scrutiny. Seattle's former chief, Norm Stamper, tells our Michel Martin about remorse and the reckoning. Then, from the other side, we look at the psychology and science of protests with Professor Clifford Stott who advices the British government. Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour working from home in London. Events shape presidencies as much as presidents shape events. Today, Dr. Anthony Fauci warns of a disturbing coronavirus surge in parts of the United States that calls for more, not less, testing. And now, this double pandemic of the health crisis and racism has struck Donald Trump's administration in ways few of his immediate predecessors have experienced. And yet, the damage is mostly self-inflicted, according to his former national security adviser John Bolton, whose tell-all memoir, "The Room Where It Happened," Trump tried to ban but now hits shelves today. It is a damning account of a presidency described as corrupt, self- interested and incompetent from someone who had a front row seat to the action and where foreign policy seems dictated by the president's obsession with his reelection. Perhaps at the cost of America's long-term interests. So, once the dust settles, what will America and its relationship with the rest of the world look like? To answer that question, my first guest tonight also sat in the room where it happened, only under a different presidency. William Cohen was Bill Clinton's secretary of defense and a Republican senator for Maine for nearly two decades before that. And he's joining me now from Bethesda, Maryland. Secretary Cohen, welcome back to the program. Let me ask you, because there's some really hair-raising stories described by John Bolton about his time as national security adviser, whether it's about President Trump allegedly seeking help in his reelection from, you know, the Chinese president, whether it's about potentially criminalizing dissent at home. What do you I guess, you know, you've been on the cutting edge of foreign policy for so long. What do you see and what do you expect if there was to be a second Trump administration?
[William Cohen, Former U.s. Defense Secretary:] Well, if that were to take place, then I think we would not recognize America as a democracy. I think President Trump is taking us down the road to tyranny, to one-man rule, to try and replicate what he sees as a positive in Moscow with President Putin or in Turkey with President Erdogan, or over in China or North Korea. I think he wants to have one-man rule, and it's not the rule of law but just the opposite. It's the law of rule, where he only can make decisions. And he said quite, you know, publicly on multiple occasions, I'm above the law. The law doesn't apply to me. I'm the chief law enforcement officer. I am the commander in chief. Nothing I do is illegal because I do it. And so, if you take away an obligation to run for reelection, now, he has absolute authority to do whatever he wants because he feels he's not even bound by the law. And so, I see a very dictatorial absolutist type of rule in the country, and again, I don't think we'll be a democracy at that point.
[Amanpour:] OK. So, that is really dramatic. You don't think America will be a democracy, he's leading us down the road to tyranny, one-man rule is what you've just said. I guess I want to ask you, but I almost know the answer. Are the institutions in America not strong enough to prevent that? But of course, that comes in the wake of the attorney general, you know, firing a U.S. attorney in New York, it comes in the wake of this you know, of the, Republican Senate basically all the time dancing to President Trump's tune. But is there a limit, do you think, that the institutions will no longer tolerate? For instance, the military stood up and said no to what was happening you know, you remember, course, with the photo op and clearing the peaceful American protesters from outside the White House.
[Cohen:] Well, he is doing his best to really tear down these institutions, to politicize them in a way that they'd bend to his rule. He's tried to politicize the Justice Department. He has, in fact, politicized the Attorney General's Office. He's tried to politicize the judiciary. He hasn't done it yet, but you may recall he likes to call the judiciary my judges. He wants to call the military my generals. And so, he has done his best to delegitimize those institutions. They're holding for now, but as you can see with Attorney General Barr simply intervening in cases involving the president's friend, I'm going to say, to drop the charges against Flynn, I'm going to drop the or reduce the charges against Stone, he is very actively involved in sending the signal that if you're my friend, you're protected, and if you're my enemy, I'll prosecute on you. So, the institutions have been holding, but give them four more years of the same thing, I doubt if they'll be able to withstand the pressure. The media has been attacked as the enemy of the people. And so, now, journalists are subject to being attacked, that they sometimes have to have escorts, armed escorts as such to get from their home to their place of work. We're seeing people who are harassed for expressing personal opinions, threatening their lives and that of their family. So, I think four more years of this type of lawlessness, then I think we will all have to reexamine what it means to be in a "democracy" that is run by someone who doesn't believe in the rule of law.
[Amanpour:] You are a Republican, as far as I know. Do you talk to your Republican colleagues, your former colleagues from when you were in Congress or the current ones? I mean, do you raise that alarm?
[Cohen:] Well, I raise it publicly on every chance that I get by appearing on your show and others. I've talked to several of my former colleagues, and frankly, they don't recognize the Senate we once served in. And I know that everybody looks back over their shoulder and say, those were the good old days. But for me they were the good old days. You had people like Warren Rudman and Jack Danforth and Howard Baker and Al Simpson and so many others, Jack Javits. And it was a Senate, a Republican Senate that was Bob Dole, John McCain, Chuck Hagel. You go through the list of people who were open. It was a big tent. There was room for all of us to vent and ventilate our ideas. That's no longer the case. They are in lockstep for the most part with the president and he rules by fear. If they vote against him or in any way indicate they don't favor what he is saying, then he puts out a tweet, and suddenly, they're in trouble back home with threats to their reelection potential, but also threats to them physically. So, this is a different place than the Senate I served in. And again, maybe every former senator like to say it was better then. But I have to believe that it was better then when we could reach across the aisle, we could reach compromise, we could dine with each together, we could share weekends with each other. I could write books with a Democrat and not be seen as being a traitor to the party. And that sentiment of looking at the other party and other senators as enemies and not as colleagues, endeavoring to try to make the country better than it is, I think it's more difficult these days than it ever has been in the past.
[Amanpour:] And just briefly, one of your successors in Maine, obviously, is Senator Susan Collins. And of course, a lot of people, I don't know, try to say she's a moderating influence or whatever and there is a lot of sort of tightrope walking from her, and usually when push comes to shove, she sides with the president, usually. Do you talk to her?
[Cohen:] I haven't talked to her. She has my number, and we're friends. And so, I try not to intervene. I don't call members on the hill, I don't try to persuade anybody, I'm not a lobbyist. If someone has a question, they can call me. Susan has the difficult race. There are two Maines. There is the rural conservative Maine and there is the more liberal "urban" areas of Maine that she'll have to contend and balance that. In the end, I believe she'll do what she thinks is right, but she's going to have a tougher race than she had in the past. I would say she still has I think the odds are winning, but I think they're much tougher than she ever faced in the past.
[Amanpour:] I guess I was just asking because you raised what appeared to be, certainly, existential crises here, existential issues for the survival of the United States as a democracy as we know it. But I want to ask you, because this follows. These excerpts of the book now that's on the shelves by John Bolton has some pretty from, I guess, many people's perspective worrying accounts of President Trump being "in hoc" to authoritarian leaders, who are not only authoritarian, adversarial. China, for instance. The idea that he would have asked China to buy American farm products to help with his election, to give the so-called green light interring China's Muslim population, the Uyghurs, in those internment camps. We talked about the firing of Geoffrey Berman who was also apparently looking into a case concerning the Turkish National Bank, which we understand President Trump said to President Erdogan, well, when I have my people in place, you know, we'll fix it for you. Is there an IOU that these leaders will one day come asking Trump for, in a second term, or is the American president too strong tore IOU'd, so to speak?
[Cohen:] I guess the question for me is why are we surprised. We knew this about Donald Trump before he was elected. We knew when he was arranging payments to Stormy Daniels. Back when I was in Congress, in the House of Representatives, Spiro Agnew was removed from vice presidency because he was taking kickbacks that he had arranged while he was governor of Maryland. He was actually taking money while he was sitting in the vice president's office. President Trump was sending money while he's in the president's office to Michael Cohen to pay off Stormy Daniels. So, we knew this from the beginning, so it's not shocking. When he asked Russia, are you listening? Can you hear me? Can you help me out here? And he's saying the same thing publicly, and he thinks because he's saying it publicly to China, will you help me out, that it's not inappropriate or bad or criminal. The notion that you would invite a foreign power to help you out in your election automatically creates a quid pro quo. Everything to him is a transaction. When he said, look, I gave Jim Mattis what did I do? I gave him $700 billion. What did he give me? Hello? He didn't give anything to you but 40 years of his service and putting his life on the line. It's not a transaction where you give him money. By the way, it's not your money, it's the American people's money. So, I'm not surprised that he's turned to others and said, help me out. He has taxed the American people. Tariffs are taxes. Whatever he says that the Chinese are paying, they're not paying. Every importer of Chinese goods is paying a tax called a tariff, and that tax they pass on to the consumer. So, just as the American people are building the wall on the Mexican border, we're also paying the tax that's supposed to be paid by China. And yet, he's been able to get away with that and then says, oh, by the way, I'll create an $18, $20 billion little fund over here for the farmers. If that isn't a form of a direct form of corruption, I don't know what is. So, I am not surprised by Bolton's revelations. They simply confirm what I believed was well evident before the election ever took place. And it's out there now. Unfortunately, he has people who just don't care. My hope is that there are enough people who do care about the rule of law, who know that that is the glue that holds a civilization together. And once you have the president who says the law doesn't apply to me and everybody thinks, well, it doesn't apply to me, either, so, if he doesn't wear a mask, why should I? If he doesn't social distance, why should I? If he's able to say this crude, willful, untruths, why can't I? Why can't I just submit all this crony, kooky, I would say, conspiracy ideas, send them out over the internet and have the president retreat them and take them as truth? So, I think we have to come to a reckoning. We talk about the confederate flag coming down. Some of his supporters have had three flags. They had the American flag, the confederate flag and the Nazi flag. And I don't hear him condemning those who puts a swastika on their arms. All I heard him say was they're good people in that group of neofascists, neo-Nazis. There were no good neo-Nazis, and yet, he continues to give them comfort and support by not criticizing them, as opposed to looking at black people and saying they're all thugs. They're all thugs and criminals, and
[Amanpour:] So, I really hear your passion and your protective nature about the institutions of the United States and what needs to happen next. Obviously, voting in the presidential election is going to be a big deal. Do you believe that this is going to go ahead, fine, there's going to be an election, because clearly everything you've just been passionately calling for could presumably only happen in a change of administration?
[Cohen:] I don't think it will be fair. I think the Republicans will do everything in their power to suppress the vote. We're seeing it take place now. It's taking place today in Kentucky. They have one polling place for the whole state. And this is ludicrous. And we're seeing them shut down from 100 polling places to four or five in other states. So, that's number one. Number two, the president is out degrading of paper of write-in ballots. And so, he says, go out there and stand in line during the COVID crisis as long as necessary, eight hours, 10 hours, it doesn't matter. And if you are writing in your ballots, they're automatically, in my judgment, they're fraudulent. So, I think he's already calling into question the authenticity, the legitimacy of the vote before it's ever taken. And so, I think he's putting in the soil, he's seeding the soil with his poisonous weeds to say, no matter what happens, I'm going to declare this election invalid. I'm going to stay here until we have a recount. I'm going to force a recount. I don't think you'll accept the results, assuming that he loses. And again, that's a big assumption, because I think they'll do everything they can to suppress the vote in those states and those areas where minorities are strongest.
[Amanpour:] Well, Secretary William Cohen, you've certainly put us all on notice. Remember, I'm just going to say it again, you are a Republican talking about this Republican administration and this Republican president. Thank you very much for being with us. Now, of course, actions of law enforcement are under scrutiny, of course, like never before in the United States as we we've been discussing. Just yesterday, police in Washington used pepper spray to break up anti-racism protesters who tried to topple a constitute of President Andrew Jackson, died in the
[Michel Martin, Cnni Contributor:] Thanks, Christiane. Chief Stamper, thank you so much for joining us.
[Norm Stamper, Former Seattle Police Chief:] It's my pleasure. Thank you.
[Martin:] Chief, you were a police officer for 34 years, the first 28 in San Diego, the last six in Seattle as the chief of police. But do you mind just walking us back and say why you were attracted to law enforcement to begin with?
[Stamper:] I became a cop accidentally. I had a friend who was taking the civil service test at the war memorial building in Balboa Park in San Diego, and he asked me if I wanted to accompany him. At the time, I was a veterinary assistant at a small pet hospital and playing rhythm and blues at night. And I passed the test, he didn't. And he was one of those people who wanted to be a cop since he was three. I had kind of uneasy, if not unpleasant, experiences with the police, was not really much of a fan at age 20 when I took the test. But I passed it and then got sucked into the culture very, very quickly and learned an awful lot about the institution over the years.
[Martin:] So, Chief, when you say you got sucked into the culture, what do you mean by that?
[Stamper:] Well, at the time that I became a police officer, it was with the idea that I was going to be different from the officers I had experienced in my young life, that I would not use excessive force, I would never use the N word, I would never laugh at the really cruel jokes that were told in the locker room or the front seat of a police car. But within five minutes, I'm doing almost all of that. I never did succumb to the temptation to use the N word, but it was all around me, and it was something that within five minutes' time, figuratively speaking, I was saying and doing things that I had never said, never done before. And I'm ashamed of those days. I wouldn't trade them for anything because I carry to this day a cellular memory of just how powerful that culture is.
[Martin:] Well, you were in it for three decades so you must have liked it. So, what is it that you liked about it?
[Stamper:] The short answer is the first 14 months on the job, I was abusing the very people I had been hired to protect and serve, and then I got slapped upside the head by a principled prosecutor who asked me if the constitution of the United States meant anything to me. I was furious with him. I was the one who was out there on the mean streets, San Diego. I was out there during the heat and the cold. Once again, San Diego. But I was in the real world, and he was prowling the hallways of a courthouse. And what gave him the right to judge me and the arrests that I had made? The arrest, by the way, was a false arrest. In other words, I had violated the law, I had violated the constitution, and he wanted no part of that. And he told me so. I went from anger to embarrassment to shame in sort of a breathtakingly short period of time and decided then and there, that's it. I am going to change, and I did.
[Martin:] So, Chief, you know, this is so interesting, because one of the events for which you are known, in addition to being a kind of a thoughtful critic of this institution, but you're known for Seattle's response to the protests at the WTO, the World Trade Organization's, ministerial conference in 1999 which led to your resignation where you did use chemical agents. I mean, you did all the things that you criticized people for doing. So, can you just talk a little bit about that? I'm sure it's very complicated and it was a long time ago, but you did.
[Stamper:] It is a little complicated, but let's simplify it. I authorized the use of chemical agents against my fellow Americans, a nonviolent, indeed, nonthreatening protesters who had decided to take a seat in the middle of an intersection that we believed, from a police point of view, was important to us and to public safety. And so, we used that tear gas after warning the protesters for about half an hour. For five years into my retirement, Michel, I am still defending that position. I am talking around the country and throughout North America and Australia, as a matter of fact, and saying, we didn't have a choice. We had to use chemical agents. That intersection was critical tactically and from a public safety point of view. That was the cop in me saying that. That was the cop in me that authorized the use of tear gas. The police chief in me, the organizational leader in me, should have been saying, wait a minute. Do we really need to use tear gas here? Did we really need that intersection at that moment? Could an ambulance or a fire truck, for example, been able to go a couple of blocks to the left or to the right, to the east or to the west, and the answer, of course, is yes. So, this sort of black and white, single-minded mentality got me in trouble. It produced within me a rationalization that I clung to for about five years, as I said, into my retirement. And then I realized, oh, my God, I am wrong. It was the worst decision, I think, of my career. Certainly, when it comes to tactics in protest situations, the absolute worst decision. I'm ashamed of the decision that I made. I have certainly learned from it, and I'm afraid I just need to say this, the institution seems to be suffering from some kind of a collective learning disability. We presented in vivid terms a how to and how not to police protests in this country in 1999, and yet, over and over, city after city, we're seeing those same mistakes made. It's painful to watch. It's sad to watch.
[Martin:] Well, that leads us to the current moment. As you are seeing, you know, around the country now, there is a call now to defund the police. And what's interesting about this is that you're seeing legislatures take this up around the country, take it up seriously. Is that the right decision?
[Stamper:] Yes, no and maybe. Sound like a politician or a consultant. Apologize for that. I think what's safe to conclude here is whether it's a call for dismantling the police or defunding the police? We've got to talk about it. It absolutely must be on the table. I'm a very strong supporter of that conversation. However, painful it may be for the establishment. For civic leaders, for elected local officials, for police administrators, for police unions. It's time for us to get to that table and have an honest, probing conversation about why it is that policing lacks legitimacy in too many corridors throughout this country.
[Martin:] What would that look like, a radical rethinking of the way policing is done in this country? What would that look like?
[Stamper:] I would start with the premise that in a theoretically, multicultural, free and democratic society, that we need to produce a grassroots model of police policymaking, police oversight. Every aspect of police operations should be a result of police community collaboration. Authentic partnership, not some public relations cosmetic version thereof. I've seen a lot of incremental change. I've advocated, I've participated in organizational improvement efforts and strengthening community police relations, and all of that, I think, is highly suspect today because it has not produced the change that we desperately need in this country. So, it's going to have to come, I'm convinced, from the community in a structured fashion that will make sure that community voices are heard and heeded. And so, when we start throwing these terms around, the first order of business is to define them and to ask whether we've got the political will, the personal courage, because so much of this is going to be contested, so much of this is going to be fought, particularly by police unions, but to face the challenges, to face every single obstacle and dismantle it until we arrive at an authentic community police policymaking, decision making, crisis management partnership.
[Martin:] Do you have any
[Stamper:] It is a head snap. I'm admitting it to you. It's a head snap for me because I did not believe that we would see the outpouring of anger at what that officer did back on May 25th in Minneapolis. An outpouring of anger from cops who had been silent or who have, in fact, opposed protest movements, you know, in the wake of Sandra Bland and Tamir Rice and on and on and on. So, it's wonderful and it's heartening to see that. I really do believe that we are at a crossroads in policing, and that individual officers let's take an officer, for example, who is compassionate, who is understanding, who is empathetic, who listens to people, who genuinely believes in and practices de-escalation, and who has partnered with the citizens on his beat. That officer's reputation is currently being shaped by people like Derek Chauvin. And that's unspeakably sad to me, because I know these cops who have done wonderful work. Now what's going to happen, I believe I have to say that it's going to happen is because people inside and outside the system are saying, what we saw when that knee hit that neck and all of that officer's body weight was pressed against a fellow human being saying that he can't breathe for almost nine minutes, that we're saying, absolutely never again, never again. Well, we have seen it since. We will continue to see it, until the system itself changes and recognizes the good work done by good cops and takes truly accountable action to prevent what we saw in Minneapolis and certainly to hold accountable any and all individuals responsible for it.
[Martin:] Your book "To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police" was published in 2016, and then you and that was your second book. You also before that, you wrote "Breaking Rank: A Top Cop's Expose of the Dark Side of American Policing." That was 2005. So, I have two questions to you about this. Do you feel, in a way, that other people are coming around to where you already were?
[Stamper:] Back in the '70s, when I was a sergeant in San Diego, I wrote a senior thesis at San Diego State University entitled "The Community as
[Dmz:] Breaking Down the Police Paramilitary Bureaucracy." So, throughout my adult life, I have been an advocate of fundamental, radical change of the system of American policing. And, yes, it is gratifying to hear the conversation today. At the same time, I'm asking myself why. And no one individual, I don't care who that individual is, whether it is the president of the United States or a police sergeant in Waukegan, decides that they want to see change, they can, in that portion of their world, help bring about that change. But what's needed is some degree of unity, born not of blind loyalty to one idea or another, but rather to a clash of these ideas, until we get to the point at which you can say, yes, I can see this working. I can see...
[Martin:] OK, but this is where I go back to you. This is one of the things that fascinates me about you. I'm not picking on you. But the reality is, you have studied these things...
[Stamper:] Oh, please do.
[Martin:] Well, I mean, but you have studied these things for years. You had these instincts, as you tell you, from when you were a very young officer. Really early in your career, you had these instincts. And yet when the time came for you to make a fundamental break with the way crowd control was done, you didn't do it. And so that's one of the reasons that I you know, I ask the question. And we constantly hear for years, for decades, we have been hearing about reform and better relationships. And yet, when push comes to shove, we still see people putting their knees on somebody's neck, Tasing them, you know, shooting them after they were stopped for a DUI. Why does it seem to not ever come you know, move from the dissertation to practice on the streets? Why is that?
[Stamper:] I will give you the most honest answer I can. And that is that we are so conditioned to organizational life, to institutional life as we have known it, as we have grown up in that system. See, when I grew up in the system, we were using tear gas as something tactical experts would call a force multiplier. You don't have enough cops to clear an intersection, bring out the gas and apply liberally. That was a part of our central nervous system built into the DNA of the police paramilitary bureaucracy. And it's an incredibly strong, resilient bureaucracy. It's also toxic. And it is also amenable today to the kind of radical change that I have never believed possible until this moment, until so many eyes I get affected by this. Every time I see another image of Derek Chauvin with his knee on George Floyd's neck, I get sick. It is almost a visceral thing. I realize this is horrific, an act of murder committed by somebody who wore a uniform similar to the one that I wore, who wears a uniform similar to all of those honest and good and compassionate cops out there. He has, in effect, been the symbol of law enforcement. And if that's acceptable to us, let's ride out this storm and go back to business as usual. I don't think I know that it's not going to happen. I'm 76 years old. This is literally the first time in my adult life that I have felt optimistic about change. We're at a very raw, very, very tough moment, I think, in our history right now, but it's coming. And it could be a beautiful thing.
[Martin:] Chief Stamper, thank you so much for speaking with us.
[Stamper:] Thank you, Michelle.
[Amanpour:] Now, my next guest is Clifford Stott. He's an expert in the psychology of crowds, and he spent his career studying protests. He's advising the government here in the U.K. on how to reduce the risk of civil unrest in the wake of this pandemic. And he's joining me now from Liverpool. Professor Stott, welcome to the program. You just heard former Chief Stamper talk about the police side of this crisis and thinking that, you know, not just the pandemic, but the post- George Floyd Black Lives Matter protests and the movement on the streets could be a real tipping point. From your experience, before we get into the crowds, do you also share that optimism when it comes to police?
[Clifford Stott, Social Psychology Professor, Keele University:] Yes, I suppose I do. It was a fascinating and powerful account from the chief there. Interesting that he had the epiphany moment five years after he left the organization, but somebody who clearly understands the challenges of reforming police culture, that it's an ongoing struggle that has to grasp every opportunity that is delivered. And one of the things that I have learned about police reform is that it happens in the wake of crisis. It would be lovely to think that we could get to the point where police reform happens before the crisis to prevent the crisis from happening in the first place. But, nonetheless, this is a crisis, and within that lies an opportunity for change.
[Amanpour:] So, I want to get, so that we understand how you came to this position. What is it that moved you to start looking into, not just police action, but also crowd and protest action, even football crowds and so- called, as we call them here in England, hooligans, their actions? What brought you to this place?
[Stott:] Well, I have always found crowds fascinating. When I was a young man, some considerable time ago now, I was attending lots of demonstrations that turned into violence, so I was interested in understanding that. I was politically aware, and I wanted to try to use science to understand the dynamics through which crowds turn from peaceful demonstrations into conflictual and violent riots. That was the Ph.D. question I did when I signed up to become a doctor, and I studied that through going to crowd events and watching them transform, both in a political context, but also in a sporting context. So, here in the U.K., of course, hooliganism has always been a very powerful issue, but that, too, is a crowd event. And within those crowds lies an understanding of the dynamics, the dynamics through which crowds transform. And what was interesting from my point of view was that we move away from this idea that crowds are places of irrationality to an understanding that crowds are very meaningful for people, and those meanings are shaped and reshaped through their interaction with police during a crowd event. So, the dynamics of a crowd psychology are not just about the psychology of the crowd, but also the psychology of police and their culture that we have just heard so powerfully about.
[Amanpour:] So, I want to ask you, because a social scientist in 1985, Gustave Le Bon, wrote "The Crowd." And in it, he said: "By the mere fact that he forms part of an organized crowd, a man descends several rungs in the ladder of civilization. Isolated, he may be a cultivated individual. In a crowd, he is a barbarian." Is it as simple as that?
[Stott:] Well, it was slightly longer ago than 1985. It was actually 1895 that that book was written.
[Amanpour:] Oh.
[Stott:] But, strangely, those ideas, they're still with us, they're still contemporary. So it's perfectly appropriate to talk about them in the contemporary sense, because they have become so deeply rooted in how we think about crowd events, that you even see them in the headlines in newspapers about the rioting that we have seen recently. But you capture very powerfully the way in which Le Bon's crowd psychology renders the crowd irrational, a place where ordinary people who can be law- abiding under most normal circumstances, when they enter a crowd, become anonymous. And through that anonymity, there's some kind of breakdown in their psychological functioning. And where that happens, then the crowd becomes uncivilized, irrational, malleable, dangerous. And it flows into not just our own understanding of how crowds operate, but also how we manage them. And that's why people often refer to the concept of crowd control, because it implies that crowds are things that need to be controlled because of their inherent irrationality.
[Amanpour:] So, in all the reading on the psychology of riots, for instance, some people say why it is never just mindless violence. So, I want to ask you about making a distinction between protests, between violent elements. Where you have protests in the United States, Europe, all over the world, right, right here in England now, because of what happened in America and the George Floyd Black Lives Matter movement. And yet you have got leaders both here in the U.K. and in the U.S. calling them thugs, calling them radicals. Can you break down what you see on the streets and how it should be policed?
[Stott:] Well, firstly, we need to move away from the Le Bonian idea of irrationality and realize that crowd action or collective action in a crowd is driven by meaning and understanding. And then we can ask the question, well, where do those meanings come from? And those meanings are often revolved around a sense of legitimacy or fairness and injustice. So, when we ask, why are people mobilizing onto the streets, they mobilize onto the streets for two primary reasons at the moment in America. One is the death of George Floyd in a particular incident, but also the extent to which that particular incident captures a broader structural inequality of the day-to-day interactions between large sections of the American population and the police force that is there to serve them. And in that experience is a sense of injustice that drives an identity through which people mobilize out onto the streets into a social movement to confront that injustice. So, for people involved, it's highly meaningful for them. And to render it irrational denies us the opportunity to understand where that psychology comes from. And, indeed, that's precisely why that psychology, that Le Bonian psychology, is so popular, because it does precisely that. It prevents governments having to ask questions. It prevents police forces having to ask questions about their own role in the production of that violence.
[Amanpour:] So, what should please be doing? Because we have seen, in the United States, even after these terrible police killings, are still a sort of a militarized police confronting peaceful protesters, by and large. And we saw it in 2011 here in London after the killing of Michael [sic] Duggan here in London. Maybe the rest of our viewers won't remember, but London and England kind of burned for several days. And you would you studied that quite, quite intensely. What did you learn from that? What should police do? What chances and opportunities did they miss?
[Stott:] Well, again, I would just refer back to the last interview, to some extent, that we heard from the horse's mouth, as it were, from the commander of the policing operation in Seattle about what went wrong from his point of view, this reliance on an overly militarized, repressive style of policing, and that, for him, the solution was about what he called community policing. Now, community policing is policing from within the community, from within the neighborhoods, built around dialogue and communication. And to a large extent, that's what goes wrong. That's what went wrong in 2011, in two respects. One is that when Mark Duggan was shot, it was over 48 was from that shooting to the first conflict. And within that, the Metropolitan Police Service themselves recognized that the core failure was a failure of dialogue and communication, but also that on the day-to-day interactions, a heavy program of stop and search, or what Americans called stop and frisk, was creating tensions between black youth and the police that flowed into the situation outside Tottenham police station after these failures in dialogue, and led to an escalation when the police intervened after there was an attack on a police car. So there's a whole series of dynamics that come together. But the most important lesson is communication. Communication, dialogue, and neighborhood policing is the solution to these kinds of conflicts.
[Amanpour:] So, we have seen polls in the United States. And pollsters have said, it's shifted these have polls have shifted after George Floyd faster than they have ever seen in any social or political issue in the past. So, on May 29, apparently 59 percent told "The Wall Street Journal" that they were more troubled by the actions of the police than of Black Lives Matter protests, even those that turned violent. So, what can police do now? What should they do? You advise a lot of police departments. You advise the government here in how to crowd-control and properly police. What can one do to bring the police back from this brink, particularly in the time that people are talking about defunding the police and all the rest of it?
[Stott:] Well, it's a broader political challenge here. Those solutions don't just lie with the police. This is not just a policing problems. It's a political one, too. We have to have the right kind of political leadership in place, for a start. But there where we can work with the police, what we try to do is to create what we call knowledge-based policing, to, first and foremost, help them to understand the dynamics of crowds, because often what police are doing is making decisions based on an inaccurate understanding of crowd psychology and the dynamics through which violence comes about. And that's a big problem. So, if we can get into a situation where we can reform policy, and then that we can work with police educators to help inform police officers and police commanders in particular about the dynamics of crowds, that's a good start. The second thing is to then focus on the development of tactics. So, what we see in the context of policing crowds is a massive overreliance on military styles of intervention. It's all about equipment, helmets, batons, water cannon, gas, all the kinds of things that this militarized approach has inherent within it. And there is very little emphasis on tactical capability for communication. So, in countries like Sweden, for example, where we worked with the police extensively, they developed a specialized units of dialogue police who are trained negotiators who understand how to use communication to de-escalate, to navigate the dynamics of power in a crowd event. And where we see that tactical capability combined with a strategic framework that's based on an accurate understanding of crowd dynamics and behavior, then we start to see reductions in conflict. And we see that pattern across the world. This is supported by scientific research and theory. So the opportunity is there for the police to embrace it. So the question is, why don't they? And this is really then about the professionalization of the police, building a police force that is prepared to embrace scientific knowledge and theory.
[Amanpour:] It's really a challenge. I'm sure your services will be much in demand, because we're right at the coalface of this massively important debate. Clifford Stott, thank you so much, indeed, for joining us.
[Stott:] Thank you.
[Amanpour:] Now as locked down restrictions here in England continue to be eased, from July 4, pubs, hairdressers, hotels, and even restaurants will be allowed to reopen. But long before coronavirus, epidemics had been reshaping our cities across the world and indeed how they work. London's sewers, for instance, were built after a cholera outbreak in the 19th century. Many of New York's large parks, like Central Park, were planned after epidemics to provide more open spaces. Today, cities around the world are reimagining their streets in an effort to transform the way people get around in a new socially distanced world also paying attention to the climate. Our Nic Robertson is finding out much more on the streets right now.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Our cities everywhere are changing. They're getting breathing space, quite literally, here in London, more space for cyclists and for pedestrians, less for cars, a new world made for social distancing.
[Unidentified Male:] It's a win-win situation. It's a win for the pedestrian. It's a win-win for two-wheelers. It's a win-win for the drivers. So let's see what's going to happen.
[Robertson:] COVID-19 is causing cities across the globe to adapt in similar ways, from Paris to Bogota, from New York to Buenos Aires. But will the transformation last forever?
[Will Norman, London Walking And Cycling Commissioner:] Here in London, if we have approximately, probably eight million journeys that need to be made by the most. If a fraction of those end up on in cars on our roads, we're going to end up with gridlock, which is exactly why we need to enable people to take those cleaner, greener, more sustainable journeys now. And I hope that, as they get used to it, that's behavior that sticks.
[Robertson:] A quick mid-morning journey on London's previously overstuffed underground wearing a now mandatory face covering a rapid reminder of how strange the world of confined spaces now feels. [on camera]: The question is, when the pandemic recedes, will people go back to their old ways and cram onto the crowded public transport again? [voice-over]: To help answer that, I asked John Dales, who designs people- friendly streets. We meet at one of London's highly touted new bike lanes.
[John Dales, Traffic Engineer:] Take what is currently these bus stops, move the bus stops out, possibly make this a cycle lane. There's no need for more walking space probably here. But you can see, over there, there's basically, where you can see the hatching...
[Robertson:] Authorities are cutting planning time and investing. The British government has set aside $300 million, but this being London, not everyone is happy.
[Unidentified Male:] It just won't work. London will come to a standstill.
[Robertson:] Roy has been a cabbie 40 years, seen it all, he says.
[Unidentified Male:] It's just a novelty, like shut the roads off, have a bike day, and everyone's out there. It's not Amsterdam. This is London, a busy city.
[Matt Winfield, Sustrans:] What the local authority have done is put these in the roads stop cars being able to drive through the road.
[Robertson:] Matt Winfield runs a national organization keeping cyclists and pedestrians safe.
[Winfield:] When there are no cars or few cars on the road and people feel comfortable, they will cycle in huge number. So, hundreds and thousands of people across the country have had the experience of cycling in a really present environment, and we need to kind of make sure that that sort of change in behavior is locked in.
[Robertson:] As he talks, a lady calls for our attention. She has bad asthma, has been sheltering in place, windows shut until the traffic blocked.
[Unidentified Female:] It's lowered the pollution. You can I can open a window right now.
[Winfield:] There seems to be an acceptance that change is necessary in a variety of different ways. We have accepted it for this emergency. We still seem a little nervous, broadly speaking, to accept that there's a climate emergency as well. But the fact that it can be different is something we are all seeing.
[Robertson:] What to do is going to be a decision coming to all of us soon enough. [on camera]: Ultimately, governments want us back at work, and soon, but as long as public transport remains problematic, then we have to change our travel habits. [voice-over]: London, like so many other cities across the world, is at a potential turning point?
[Unidentified Male:] For me, they can stay there forever. You can have more bollards all over the place, mate. I'll be happy with that. See you.
[Robertson:] Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
[Amanpour:] And join us tomorrow, when we will be examining the challenges and opportunities to protecting the environment in the post-pandemic era. Finally, the Barcelona opera house has reopened its doors, not to people of course, but to an audience of more than 2,000 potted plants. The leafy spectators were serenaded by a string quartet playing "Crisantemi" by the Italian composer Puccini. The show is the brainchild of the Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia, who was inspired by the revival of nature during this pandemic, which was reclaiming spaces that were once belonging to them. The plants will be donated to front-line health care workers as a thank you for their hard work in recent months. And so we leave you with the quartet's inspiring peace. Thank you for watching, and join us again tomorrow night. END

[Berman:] I told you Iowa was just around the corner.
[Camerota:] You've been saying that for a year, but, yes.
[Berman:] Right. It is now
[Camerota:] It's now official.
[Berman:] It's now less than a month away until the Iowa caucuses. And the heightened tensions with Iran are now front and center, also impeachment in the middle of this all. CNN's Arlette Saenz has the very latest.
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] With the Iowa caucuses rapidly approaching, the 2020 Democratic candidates now have their focus on two pressing issues, Iran and impeachment. This afternoon, former Vice President Joe Biden will deliver a statement about the escalating situation in Iran after condemning President Trump's idea to attack cultural sites as a war crime.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] Internationally it's listed as that. It's not making it up. I don't think he knows what he's talking about, quite frankly.
[Saenz:] Biden highlighting his decades of experience and foreign policy record.
[Biden:] It's not to suggest I haven't made mistakes in my career, but I will put my record against anyone in public life in terms of foreign policy.
[Saenz:] But his vote for authorizing the war in Iraq in 2002, a point of contention for Senator Bernie Sanders, who voted against it.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] And I just don't think that that kind of record is going to bring forth the energy that we need to defeat Trump.
[Saenz:] Sanders strongly blasting the president's decision to call a strike to kill Iran's top military leader.
[Sanders:] I think it was an assassination. I think it was in violation of international law. This guy was sitting was a bad news guy, but he was a ranking official of the Iranian government.
[Saenz:] Senator Elizabeth Warren also questioning the president's moves.
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] This is not making a America safer. This is moving us closer to the very edge of war. Americans don't want a war with Iran.
[Saenz:] For Pete Buttigieg, the possibility of war is personal, after serving in the military in Afghanistan.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] Having known what it's like to be in the inside of one of those airplanes, you need to be able to trust that everybody up your chain of command has thought through what's ahead. And we're just not seeing a lot of indications of that.
[Saenz:] But with the timing of Trump's Senate impeachment trial in limbo, some candidates may run into an obstacle in the final stretch before the Iowa caucuses. The five senators running for president may need to return to Washington to be jurors in that trial. But for now, Senator Amy Klobuchar is focusing her attention on Wednesday's Senate briefing on Iran.
[Sen. Amy Klobuchar , Presidential Candidate:] Right now the evidence to me is not there that they should have reacted in this way, with such major repercussions, but let's see what the evidence is in a classified setting.
[Saenz:] Also on the campaign trail, Elizabeth Warren picked up an endorsement from her former rival, Julian Castro. They'll campaign together in Brooklyn tonight with the Iowa caucuses just 27 days away.
[Camerota:] Arlette, thank you very much. Really interesting to hear everybody's perspectives.
[Berman:] So, with Iran now vowing harsh revenge against the United States, where are U.S. troops most vulnerable? We will look at the map with a retired U.S. Army general. We'll get a sense of the greatest threats.

[Nobles:] We have some breaking news now on the race for 2020. The Iowa Democratic Party has just released the official state delegate count for each of the Democratic presidential contenders. These are the numbers that everyone expected on caucus night, and they show that Pete Buttigieg is getting the most delegates with 14 to the Democratic National Convention, with Bernie Sanders coming in a close second with 12. These are the important numbers. These are the numbers that decide who the Democratic nominee will ultimately be. Let's get straight now to Dianne Gallagher, who is in Des Moines tracking this story. I know, Dianne, that the Iowa Democratic Party just held a conference call with reporters trying to offer some clarity. I'm not necessarily sure if they accomplished that goal, but tell us what we know at this point.
[Dianne Gallagher, Cnn National Correspondent:] I wouldn't exactly call the situation clear here in Iowa, to be very honest, Ryan. What I can tell you is exactly that, the projection of those delegates. Now, we still have a deadline tomorrow at noon Central Time, so 1:00 Eastern, that these parties these campaigns are able to request a full recanvassing or recount, if they would like, at that point. So, right now according to the Iowa Democratic Party, what they did was you can remember they requested, if campaigns saw any sort of inaccuracies, any sort of discrepancies within the precinct reporting, they were allowed to report those, and the party said they would investigate. There were a total of 95 that came from three campaigns, the Sanders campaign, the Buttigieg campaign, and the Warren campaign, as well as county chairs. According to the Iowa Democratic Party, 55 of those so that's 3 percent of all of the total precincts had to be revised. They said that there were four that were simply duplicates and that there were 36 that the math matched the worksheet. And that's important here, Ryan, because we are learning about essentially these cases where maybe there was not enough people the first round, and the second round caucusing of voting there at the precinct, they had more people. The numbers just didn't add up. According to the party, because it was signed by the precinct chair and the precinct secretary, who were both elected just before the caucus went into effect, that that is now, according to the Iowa code, that's it, that they can't because it matches, even if it doesn't seem to make sense, that's what they have to go off of. So, those revisions, we saw some of them that said the numbers were different, the wrong numbers had been entered. They were going back and checking with the papers to make sure on that paper trail, that paper record they have, that everything matched up with what had been put into the system. But again, 55 of those precincts, 3 percent of the total, had to be revised, and these are the projections of those delegates when it comes to. Now, the state delegate equivalent that former mayor Buttigieg was leading to begin with, that appears to be unchanged, but those national projected delegates, that's what really is going to matter here. And at this point, they have him leading Senator Bernie Sanders by two, with 14-12 there, Ryan.
[Nobles:] All right, Dianne Gallagher live in Des Moines trying to unpack this very complicated situation.
[Gallagher:] Yes.
[Nobles:] Dianne, we appreciate you doing that on such short notice. But let's try to get more clarity now from CNN Political Director, David Chalian, who is on the phone now. David, I guess the first question I have for you is, is this the end? Do we can we now declare a winner in Iowa, or is there still a layer of confusion here?
[David Chalian, Cnn Political Director:] Well, not so much a layer of confusion, Ryan, but as Dianne mentioned, there is a deadline tomorrow at noon Central, 1:00 p.m. Eastern, by which any candidate who wants to request a recanvass or a recount can do so. We've got no indication thus far that any candidate is going to do so. But this update of numbers from the Iowa Democratic Party it really hasn't changed all that much from where we are. Even though they adjusted numbers in some 55 precincts, you still see in the all- important state delegate equivalent percentages, as we've been saying all week long, this is the metric that determines the winner in the Iowa caucuses. You see that Pete Buttigieg is still 0.1 percent, tenth of 1 percent, ahead of Bernie Sanders in that all-important metric. If there is no recount or recanvass requested tomorrow, then at that point, Pete Buttigieg will be the winner of the Iowa caucuses. Now, as you know, there is also for the first time a popular vote that was reported out by the Iowa Democratic Party, and in that popular vote, you see Bernie Sanders has roughly a 2500-vote lead. He's been touting that as a metric of success as well. Obviously, both candidates did very well in Iowa, but it is the state delegate equivalent percentages that determine the winner of the Iowa caucuses. And that new piece of information that we have tonight shows you why that's so critical, because it is that that helps calculate what the national convention delegate picture begins to look like. Remember, we just started a long process for the first candidate to get to 1,991 delegates. That's how they secure the Democratic nomination. This is the very beginning of the allocation of that, what the Iowa Democratic Party did here, with Buttigieg getting 14, Sanders getting 12, Warren 8, Biden 6, and Klobuchar 1. That, again, matches up with the edge that Buttigieg has in those all-important state delegate equivalent percentages. So, barring any changing between now and that deadline, when that deadline passes and no recanvass or recount takes place, if that is what occurs, then Pete Buttigieg will be the winner of the Iowa caucuses Ryan.
[Nobles:] So, David, as you mentioned before, in terms of the number of delegates that are going to go to the DNC, that's a pretty small number in the context of the entire number that it requires to win the Democratic nomination. Really, Iowa in history has been more of a symbolic bit of motivation for these candidates and the impact that it has on the race going forward. Do you think that this news as it comes out, and it looks as though we may have some clarity on it before voters go to the polls tomorrow in New Hampshire, if Pete Buttigieg is able to definitively declare victory, could that have an impact here in New Hampshire, or have New Hampshire voters already moved on?
[Chalian:] I'd be surprised if that had any appreciable impact, Ryan. I mean, both Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg had very strong nights out of Iowa. I think they've made that clear to the voters of New Hampshire this week. Even Joe Biden was making that clear today on the campaign trail in New Hampshire to voters that they both had really good nights. So, being the actual sort of reported winner once the Iowa Democratic Party process comes to a conclusion tomorrow, it will be good bragging rights, but I would have a hard time imagining that that is really going to impact the vote on Tuesday.
[Nobles:] All right, David Chalian with that update. We are almost a week since the Iowa caucus took place, and we are inching closer to maybe being able to declare a victor. We'll see if it happens before the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. David Chalian, Dianne Gallagher, thank you so much for being here with that breaking news out of Iowa and what it means as we ramp up to the New Hampshire vote, which is now less than 48 hours from where we are right now. Stand by.

[Becky Anderson, Cnn International Anchor:] Well, you can't go over them. You can't go under them. You can't even go around them. No, not the tearing walls of the Old City, but these simple immovable facts of Israel's daunting political arithmetic. Yes, indeed, hello and welcome to a special coverage of a string of elections so extraordinary and so an ending that they call it the Israel's Brexit out here. I'm Becky Anderson here at Jaffa Gate and Jerusalem. And just hours from now, for the third time in a year, millions of people will have a gold finally picking a new government. We are going to connect all the important threads together for you. And that is why we are right here as ever. Keeping itself safe in what is this troubled neighborhood, always the underlying pretext of any vote, not least here in Israel. In this hour right next door, we're watching a new phase unfold in Syria's Civil War. Turkey's deadline for Russian backed government troops to withdraw from near its borders now passing. But instead of going all out on Russia, looking to leverage itself it seems elsewhere, Turkey's president opening his borders, encouraging refugees to cross into Europe through Greece. Well, Arwa Damon is on the Turkey-Greece border with refugees and she joins us now live. Arwa?
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Hi, Becky. And according to the IOM, there's about 13,000 of them that have made their way up to the 200 kilometer stretch of border between Turkey and Greece. Scattered throughout all of it, in some areas you find them in bigger clusters, and some areas smaller ones like you have here. And then people kind of making their way back and forth from this main road towards the border. But that is a border Becky, that is shots. And they came here hoping to be able to cross. They're being shuttled around, pushed around from one location to the next, looking for a way through.
[Damon:] They just spent a night cold and wet out in the open. And for what? A sliver of hope sparked by Turkey saying it would no longer stop refugees crossing to Europe and facilitating their transport here to the border with Greece. They thought it was open. They thought the whole border was open. It's not. Greece is not letting anyone through. But it's quite chaotic. It's quite intense. People are just trying to bust through towards what they think is going to be a better life. Europe doesn't want them, never really has. Striking a financial aid deal with Turkey back in 2016 that it never fully paid up on to stem the refugee flooded. Turkey hosting upwards of 3.5 million refugees mostly from Syria has long threatened to open the gates if left to shoulder the refugee burden alone. And now, Turkey is even more anchored by the West's refusal to support it in Idlib with anything more than rhetoric. Many here are aware they are being used as leverage. The tear gas wafts over and mixes with smoke from multiple fires as those who are trying to stay warm. Samita's husband was killed in Iraq by ISIS. She came to Turkey with her children, elderly mother, and disabled brother. Where are we supposed to go? Then she wonders. This Syrian mother doesn't want to talk. When we ask how she's doing. She just strokes her child's face. It's all horribly reminiscent of the desperation we witnessed years ago as throngs cross through Europe. At night, we meet some of those who tried to cross the river to Greece, but failed. Greek authorities denied this, but Khalid from Idlib says the Greeks forced him back, tore up his I.D., and took his phone. He hasn't spoken to his parents in almost four weeks. And there in Idlib, there in the camps, he's worried about them. And now he has no way of getting in touch with them. This family from Afghanistan says the same thing happened to them. But even worse, they were separated from their men. Her father, your brother, her husband, are over there, and you're stuck here. They are scared, vulnerable, alone, burning discarded clothing, not knowing where to go or how to find those they love. What are they supposed to do when their misery and desperation has become little more than a political weapon?
[Anderson:] Arwa Damon in on the border. Arwa, thank you. Well, everything in the Middle East interlinked. While Israel watches the war and takes part in it in some ways, it's Jordan, a neighbor to both Syria and Israel that's bearing the brunt of the Syrian refugee crisis. I sat down with the country's Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, to ask him about his country's views on the conflict. Have a look at this.
[Omar Razzaz, Prime Minister Of Jordan:] Jordan has been consistent on Syria, as it has been on Iraq, as it has been on Libya, as has it been on the Israeli-Palestinian. The territorial integrity is very important. Factions, opposite factions sitting around the table is very important. And really de-escalation is very important. And all of this is for the sake of the population of these countries. Jordan is at the receiving end of waves of refugees, in the case of Syria 1.3 million, mostly women and children, traumatized by this by what they have seen. And what do you think his majesty, the King's instruction was to the government and I was the Minister of Education at the time? It was no child left behind. Wherever they come from, they'd be absorbed in our schools. Immediately, this resulted in overcrowding of our schools and opening second shifts and third shifts and what have you. But the Jordanian population realize that we do this because we have we've done this before, we know what it's like, and this is our role. We then appeal to the countries of the world. We were not part of the Syria crisis. We are neither the regional powers that created conflict there, nor the international powers.
[Anderson:] I know the foreign minister tweeted recently about a meeting he had with his Russian counterpart where he applauded the economic cooperation as he called it in good relations, and said that they had they had talks about Syria. What is the prospect for an environment in Syria which would be suitable, as far as Jordan is concerned, to invite those Syrian refugees who are hosted here to go home?
[Razzaz:] When that happens, we will do everything within our means to help the Syrian refugees be rehabilitated into their own communities. We will not push them across the border. But we will do our best to create that kind of welcoming environment that would allow them to transfer.
[Anderson:] Well, that is Jordan's Omar Razzaz. Next out, the Prime Minister's take on Mr. Trump's Middle East peace plan. As we watch the war in Syria get worse, America's so-called forever war in Afghanistan looks to wrap up. American troops have been fighting this since 2001. Indeed, if you were born in that year, you're now more than old enough to go there as a soldier. The U.S. and the Taliban just signed a historic agreement in Doha on Saturday, paving the way or certainly setting the way for a full withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan within 14 months. And U.S. President Donald Trump says he will soon meet with Taliban leaders in a bid to end America's longest war. CNN's International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson is in Doha, where this agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan was hammered out. And Nick just described the atmosphere if you will, and indeed what happens next.
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Diplomatic Editor:] Yes, look, I think the atmosphere was one that was full of hope. There's a lot of people who hadn't seen each other for many years, particularly with the Taliban and other interlocutors coming together here. Of course, key and all of this were the talks between the Taliban and the U.S., the agreement that the Taliban have committed to go after al-Qaeda and ISIS inside Afghanistan. The U.S. for their part, going from about 1,000 rather 13,000 U.S. troops at the moment over the next 135 days, dropping that down to about 8,600. A full withdrawal over the next 14 months conditional on the Taliban meeting their part. But I think instrumental in all of this as well as been the role of Qatar and providing a location for these talks. Seven years ago, they let some senior Taliban leaders released from Gitmo detention to come here, set themselves up in Qatar, and use that as a base to, in essence, sort of open shop for the Taliban. And that grew into a location for talks with U.S. officials over a year ago which grew into the outcome this signing that we've seen. And Doha does expect to continue to play a role. And why is that? Because it will be part of making sure that the Taliban keep good on that commitment after more than 20 years to turn on al-Qaeda.
[Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Foreign Minister, Qatar:] In the agreement, there are specific criteria that shows and demonstrate how they can be able to prove that they are going to sever the ties with al-Qaeda and there is an operation which is located here in Doha that will be held jointly by the U.S., and Taliban, and the observation of Qatar, to make sure that all the parts of the agreements are adhering to these commitments.
[Robertson:] What convinces you that the Taliban have changed from the people they were before who thought they could find a way to victory?
[Al Thani:] Well, it's not a matter of what's convinced us but it's really a matter of how we can make sure that within the agreement, there are clear measures that identifying how we can monitor this agreement in a way that's delivered by both parties. All of us, we have to stay watching, we have to keep our to keep our eyes open, and to make sure that the agreement is implemented and everyone is adhere to the commitments they puts on their selves.
[Robertson:] And the role of Qatar to help oversee that, to help administer that, to help monitor that change, how would that role work?
[Al Thani:] Qatar will be a facilitator in this. We'll make sure that if there is any disagreement between the parties throughout the implementation of the negotiation, that we can look at it and advise both parties to have a solution on these disagreements and these hiccups which we expect to have in the future. But we spend a lot of time during the negotiation and making sure that the agreement is clear and the criteria are clear to be fulfilled by both parties. And when we are talking specifically about the counterterrorism criteria, which is regarding al-Qaeda and others, there are clear mechanisms for this to be monitored than to be to be implemented. And if there is anything goes wrong, we believe the entire agreement will be in jeopardy because all of it is connected together.
[Robertson:] So high stakes there of Qatari Foreign Minister telling us that. But I've also sat down here in Doha with a member of the Taliban negotiating team, there are 19 man negotiating team negotiating over the past year or so with the United States. And I said to him, you know, have you defeated the United States? And the reason I asked that question was because that's what they've been telling their foot soldiers, this is what he told me. Does the Taliban believe the United States has been defeated militarily?
[Muhammed Sunail Shaheen, Member Of The Taliban Negotiation Team:] We Solution through talks. That means when you reach a solution through talks, that means it is a win-win situation for both sides.
[Robertson:] Why should the United States trust you now when you say that you will now go after al-Qaeda and go after ISIS, because the Taliban have been allowing al-Qaeda to live inside their territory in Afghanistan for the past 20 years?
[Shaheen:] It is our policy that anyone who wants to use the side of Afghanistan for their goals against other country and harm our country, our people, we will not allow them.
[Robertson:] When it comes to al-Qaeda, are you turning your back on your Muslim brothers of many years of many decades to support the United States, a Christian country, and their national security.
[Shaheen:] It is a question of our policy that if someone harm other countries from Afghanistan and on our territory, and we have declared a law that they should not do this, it means that we have to take steps to prevent them because this is law.
[Robertson:] Well, Becky, the foreign minister
[Anderson:] You also spoke to Qatar's foreign minister about Donald Trump's vision for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. What did he tell you?
[Robertson:] Yes. He said on this issue, that he believes that the United States' commitments and efforts are good, but they have very clear line for Qataris, as he says, as the other Arab states have very clear lines on this Mideast peace plan, the so-called deal of the century. And that doesn't meet the criteria that's been laid down so far by the United States. This is how he explained it.
[Al Thani:] We thank United States and we thank all the efforts in the international communities who are trying to think a solution about a solution to bring peace and to end this conflict. But I think it's very important to have both parties involved when they engage in the peace proposal.
[Robertson:] So your advice to the your advice to Palestinians is to see this as a starting point and to negotiate?
[Al Thani:] At the end of the day, it's a negotiation process. I believe everybody should welcome all the opportunities for negotiation between both the Israelis and the Palestinians. And the Palestinians, by the way, they demonstrated their commitment for direct negotiation. But unfortunately, we have been seeing that the Israeli's, time after time, they were the ones who would refuse to engage with the Palestinians directly. And we hope that after their election that they will have an engagement between both countries.
[Robertson:] And if the Israeli government decides to annex the Jordan Valley?
[Al Thani:] Well, I think this will undermine the entire peace process. And I don't think we don't see the annexation as a legitimate move by the Israelis. We have condemned this is the international community, condemned annexation of additional territories by the Israeli's.
[Robertson:] But if they do it, what happens?
[Al Thani:] If they do it, we just see it as backward and the peace process and it won't help at all. It will be a counterproductive. And we believe the United States also is encouraging the Israeli's not to not to start any annexation and to engage in negotiations. This is the position we are getting from them as well.
[Robertson:] Well, I talked to him as well about the Israeli elections tomorrow where you are, Becky, and he said they'll be watching. But of course, this is an Israeli issue, and they know it's a tight race, but they don't think the outcome of it will particularly change things in the region. I think that's the big takeaway. Becky?
[Anderson:] Yes. Absolutely fascinating. Nic in Doha. Thank you, Nic. As you just heard from Qatar there, the eyes of this region and so the world, very much falling on what is about to happen here in Israel. Of course, the Israelis have got to vote on Monday, but whoever finally breaks the deadlock, does it really matter on the big issues? We'll look into that up next. And if you can't imagine a more difficult election, well, America's race to pick someone's take on Donald Trump just might be it. The latest results from South Carolina are just ahead.

[Hala Gorani, Cnn International Anchor:] Hello, everyone. Live from CNN Center, I'm Hala Gorani. Tonight, what did the US president know and when new revelations are emerging which undermine Mr. Trump's own timeline of events around the Ukraine scandal. Also, Albania is scrambling to rescue people trapped in the rubble following that deadly earthquake. I speak to the prime minister of Albania about what the country needs most right now. And if you're headed to the United States for Thanksgiving, prepare for travel chaos to winter storms are bearing down on the west and Midwest, we'll tell you all about that. We begin with new revelations that raise some serious new doubts about US President Donald Trump's mainline of defense in the Ukraine scandal that could lead to his impeachment in the House of Representatives. The New York Times is reporting Mr. Trump knew about a bombshell whistleblower complaint before you unfroze military aid to Ukraine in September. Sources say, also knew about it, before he told a top aide, there was no "quid pro quo." Republicans have seized on those remarks as proof that Mr. Trump did not leverage aid to Ukraine in exchange for political favors. But now the timeline appears to be different from the one that the administration has been saying unfolded. Now for his part, President Trump says maniac Democrats are trying to overturn the 2016 election. Listen to how he whipped up a crowd of supporters in Florida last night.
[Donald Trump, President Of United States:] They're pushing that impeachment, witch-hunt, and a lot of bad things are happening to them. Because you see what's happening in the polls? Everybody said that's really bullshit.
[Gorani:] That bleep of the president of the United States, that is really BS is what he said. One of Mr. Trump's main complaints about the impeachment process is that he has no representation at the hearings. Well, he and his attorney had been invited to this second round of public hearings next week, but we're now learning their chairs may remain empty. Let's bring in Congressional Correspondent Phil Mattingly for more on all these details. He's in Washington. What do, what does this timeline of events change in terms of the impeachment proceedings at the President unfroze aid, according to these reports, only after learning of a whistleblower complaint?
[Phil Mattingly, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Yes. Hala, I think the interesting thing is it completely shifts the lens through which you view almost everything we've heard in public testimony or enclosed, or depositions that we've gotten transcripts of over the course of the last three or four weeks at this point. Look, the reality of the Republican defense, which has been staunch and it has been unified, particularly in the House over the last couple of weeks is that the President made clear when asked about it directly by his US ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, who was deeply involved in these issues, and who had told the Ukrainians he believed that in fact, a quid pro quo was necessary that the President was very clear, no quid pro quo. And I think when you look at it through the lens of the President, knowing that a whistleblower complaint had been filed, that the complaint explicitly laid out a potential quid pro quo. And not only did he tell the ambassador to the EU this specifically, he also told a US Senator Ron Johnson, in explicit terms. Justin later recounted that that didn't happen, and that "who told you that?" So I think everything starts to shift a little bit based on this New York Times reporting in terms of who had the understanding and when. I would also point out one other detail, Hala, that I found very interesting. It's a little bit in the weeds, but we got the deposition transcript of a budget, a White House Budget official last night, where he lays out that over the course of July and August through the entirety of those two months, he had been asking for a White House rationale as to why the aid had been held up, never got one. In early September, he finally got one saying that the White House and the President wanted to know what other countries were contributing. Again, that was after according to the times, the President was aware of the whistleblower complaint.
[Gorani:] Yes.
[Mattingly:] It feels a lot like trying to cover tracks, not like their defense, the least if they were holding up for the period of the last couple of weeks actually stands when you look at it through that lens. So where does that leave us in terms of the actual impeachment inquiry here. What next week there are hearings with a panel of experts testifying on Capitol Hill. How far does this mean we are from an actual vote in the House of Representatives on impeachment? Yes, we're weeks away. And I think I'm not sure the new revelations actually changed the dynamics politically right now, both sides are pretty entrenched in their Red Team-Blue Team corners. We've seen that play out over the course of the public hearings. But what this means is, this is now shifting and Democrats are full speed ahead. The House Judiciary Committee where this hearing will be held next week is where they will draft articles of impeachment. After they move through a couple of public hearings, many of which will be nuts and bolts kind of precedent history how impeachment actually works. Those articles of impeachment will be introduced. They'll be considered in the committee level and before Christmas. That's the plan right now, before Christmas. The Full House will have a vote to impeach the president of United States. They have the votes right now. Democrats are aligned on this for the most part and plan on moving it forward. So the President is moments like, almost certainly at this point to be impeached by Christmas. The big question then will be what happens to the United States Senate.
[Gorani:] All right. Of course, where the Republicans hold a majority, thanks very much, Phil Mattingly in Washington. Let's bring in one of our legal analyst now. We're joined by former US federal prosecutor Michael Zeldin. Michael, do these revelations the reported by the New York Times changed anything in terms of the inquiry itself, do you think?
[Michael Zeldin, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, it does and it doesn't. It does make it clear that the President, if this report of the New York Times is to believe, had a notion that they were going to be out in allegations about a quid pro quo and that he was getting ready to defend himself. And so when Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, says to him, Mr. President, what do you want from Ukraine, rather than say, I want anti- corruption efforts? I want guarantees I want He says, no quid pro quo, which is really unusual sort of conversation to be asked, what do you want and your sort of reply is no quid pro quo. So it implies knowledge on the President's part, which going to make it much more difficult in the Senate for them to claim that he didn't have any predisposition or preinclination or preinvolvement in this stuff. So I think it's a bad fact for him.
[Gorani:] It's not the most conversational term, by the way, no quid pro quo. Though, it has entered the vernacular in this country. This is what the President told his supporters in Florida yesterday about the Ukraine scandal.
[Trump:] I want nothing this is a quote. I want no quid pro quo. I want nothing.
[Gorani:] So he's denying this, of course, this is after all the expert witness testimony and all these veteran diplomats, many of whom, by the way, are politically conservative. They're not necessarily Never Trumpers. His own EU Ambassador was a big donor to his campaign in 2016. So where does that leave the process because it is still entirely political. It's very different from a case, for instance, in a civil or criminal court. What happens next week?
[Zeldin:] So what happens next week is that they will be open hearings in the judiciary committee to hear from constitutional experts who will tell us whether they analysis of the President's conduct believe that an impeachable offense has occurred. The following that they will receive a report from the House Intelligence Committee, the ones that held the hearings, on all these fact witnesses. They'll combine those two things together, and then they make a decision in the committee whether to vote articles of impeachment. If they write and then vote articles of impeachment, and they pass by a simple majority, they then go to the Full House representatives who then get to consider them one by one, and each one that is passed again by civil majority is then sent over to the Senate, where a trial is held and you need 67 of the 100 senators to vote in favor of conviction for the president to be removed from office. It has never happened in our history. Nixon probably would have been removed. But he resigned before they got to the Senate.
[Gorani:] What an expectation as far as Donald Trump is concerned, and certainly with Republicans in control of the Senate. That's not what we expect to happen. A conviction though an impeachment is certainly a very probable before Christmas. Rudy Giuliani, CNN is reporting now, acknowledging meeting with the lawyer of a Ukrainian oligarch, very connected to the Kremlin. He previously said he had nothing to do with this person. How does Rudy Giuliani's pronouncements, all these reports surrounding his activities in Ukraine change things for this inquiry?
[Zeldin:] So it is clear that Rudy Giuliani is doing two things. One is he's representing the president in the President's effort to acquire dirt on the Biden's and get to the bottom of what he thinks was the Ukrainian involvement in the 2016 election. And at the same time, he is representing himself to try to obtain business. So he's using his connections with the White House to parlay that into personal business. He has said over and over, I'm not being paid by the President. Well, if you're not being paid, and you spending this much time, you know, out in the public domain, working on the President's behalf, you need to earn an income somehow. And it seems that what he's doing is trading on his relationship with the president to acquire other clients. That's nothing that is necessarily illegal, is unseemly in my estimation, but we'll see whether he has done anything that crosses the legal-illegal line.
[Gorani:] But he's not being forthcoming here and has been not being fully, you know, transparent about who he's meeting with, their accusations that he was conducting a shadow parallel foreign policy in the name of the president and countries like Ukraine meetings all over Europe with characters that are considered to be quite shady. Does this reflect on the president at all? Will it spill over onto the president?
[Zeldin:] It's not clear because you can separate Giuliani working on Giuliani's behalf, from Giuliani working on the President's behalf. But what he has done or alleged to have done on behalf of the President is bad enough, as it sits, you know, it make it as it is. That is that he was endeavoring to get the Ukrainians to get political dirt on the Biden's the, you know, front runner against President Trump still to this day. And in exchange for that, they would get a meeting with the White House and they get their military aid and, you know, the President would be happy and Giuliani will have done his job. And at the same time, Giuliani is meeting with all sorts of shady characters who he's quite willing. It seems to represent so much for America's mayor holding a high ethical standard. He seems to be willing to be representing anybody, as long as they're as long as they're paying him, which is I think, as I say, not illegal, but unseemly in my, you know, sort of core values.
[Gorani:] Thanks very much, Michael Zeldin, as always, for joining us. Appreciate it.
[Zeldin:] Thanks, Hala.
[Gorani:] Have a great Thanksgiving.
[Zeldin:] You too.
[Gorani:] Meantime, Mr. Trump wants to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations. Listen to what he said in an interview on Tuesday.
[Trump:] I don't want to say what I'm going to do, but they will be designated. I will be designating the cartels, absolutely. I have been working on that for the last 90 days. You know, designation is not that easy, you have to go through a process and we're well into that process.
[Gorani:] What is Mexico say about all of this, designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations? What does it change? Matt Rivers is in Mexico City with the reaction there and we're hearing from the President, Matt.
[Matt Rivers, Cnn Correspondent:] Yes. And I think it's safe to say how the Mexico's government, a, is not thrilled with this. This statement from the president and also, b, frankly, they were they were taken off guard by this. Mexico's foreign secretary, saying that he would be immediately requesting a meeting with the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and that, you know, foreign ministry here is not thrilled about it. And also, as you mentioned, in his daily press conference this morning, President Lopez Obrador of Mexico, he didn't get into it all that much, but he was pretty clear and his point of view, take a listen.
[Lopez Obrador, President Of Mexico:] I only need to say, cooperation, yes, interventionism, no.
[Rivers:] So basically, let's unpack this a little bit. Basically, when the United States designates groups as foreign terrorist organizations, it gives the United States government a legal groundwork to take stronger action, mainly in the financial and diplomatic realms against these groups. So for example, US finance-led institutions would be barred from doing any sort of business with anyone related to a member of a group of foreign terrorist organization. Members of the FTOs would not be allowed to enter the United States. And that would certainly have an impact on the Mexican United States bilateral relationship. But, Hala, I think what people here in Mexico and the government here would be worried about is, does this provide any sort of justification for the United States that have unilateral military intervention here in a sovereign country? That's what President Lopez Obrador is talking about. No interventionism from the military. It was just earlier this month, nine Americans were killed as a part of what many suspect is cartel violence. The President offered to send military support here to Mexico and the Mexican government denied that. So what the fear is, now, is that for the United States use this foreign terrorist organization label as a way to justify unilateral military intervention. The President has not said he will do that, not at all. We don't know the timeframe of when this designation will come down, Hala. But it does appear given what the President said that they will be labeling cartels here foreign terrorist organizations.
[Gorani:] Is that the biggest concern for Mexicans, that the President of the United States is using this designation as a pretext to be able to use military force or conduct some sort of military intervention in Mexico. That's their biggest concern right now?
[Rivers:] That's definitely one of the biggest concerns. I mean, there's also, you know, economic concerns. You know, there's a concern that it could hurt the trading relationship between the United States and Mexico. But I think just from an existential level, I think if you're members of the Mexican government, you do not want members of the American military operating in your sovereign territory. What Mexican government officials would say is that that's a violation of Mexican sovereignty. What President Trump might say and what Americans might say is that was going on here in Mexico with the drug trade, with human trafficking has a negative effect on the United States. The United States has to do something about it. President Trump thinks that maybe this is the way to go, but he's going to face stiff opposition from the Mexican government.
[Gorani:] Matt Rivers live in Mexico City. Thanks very much. Still to come tonight, after the worst earthquake to hit Albania in decades, rescue workers there are afraid that there are still people trapped under the rubble. It's been 48 hours so it's always possible still to find survivors. We'll be speaking to the country's prime minister after a quick break. Stay with us.

[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Senator Lindsey Graham offers a resolution slamming the Democrats' impeachment inquiry, as President Trump demands a stronger defense from fellow Republicans. While GOP lawmakers attack in public, are they worried? Messaging mess. We're told the White House admits its anti- impeachment communication strategy needs some work. At the same time, the Trump team is insisting it was OK for the president to call members of his own party human scum. Giuliani's defense. Mr. Trump's personal lawyer is offering a new explanation of this central role in the Ukraine scandal, as he looks to hire an attorney of his own. Is Rudy Giuliani facing more legal danger every day? And fire emergency. A raging inferno explodes in size in California, forcing about 2,000 people from their homes. CNN is on the scene where 5,000 acres were scorched in just three hours. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in
[The Situation Room. Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Blitzer:] We're following breaking news on Republicans attempting to put more fire into the fight against impeachment. Senator Lindsey Graham announcing a new resolution condemning the process House Democrats are using to investigate the president, this as Mr. Trump is praising GOP lawmakers who took his call for a more aggressive defense to heart by storming a closed-door deposition. Tonight, some Republicans are privately acknowledging new impeachment anxiety, after a top diplomat's testimony linking the president to a quid pro quo in the Ukraine scandal, one GOP source calling it a game- changer. This hour, I will talk with Democratic Congressman Andre Carson. He's on the House Intelligence Committee. And our correspondents and analysts are also steady by. First, let's go to Capitol Hill. Our Congressional Correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty, is all over the story. Sunlen, Lindsey Graham is taking direct aim at the impeachment process, as Republicans try to show the president they're defending him tooth and nail.
[Sunlen Serfaty, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. Senator Lindsey Graham tonight releasing a resolution condemning how the House Democrats are going about this impeachment probe and exactly the process they are using along the way. This is just the latest sign of Republicans attempting to get in line with President Trump, responding very, very clearly to the demands that President Trump made of them earlier in the week, when he called on them to get tougher and defend him much more aggressively in this impeachment probe.
[Serfaty:] Tonight, congressional Republicans are ratcheting up their push to defend President Trump amid the House Democrats' rapidly growing impeachment inquiry.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] It's unfair to the president and it's dangerous to the presidency.
[Serfaty:] Senator Lindsey Graham introducing a resolution co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell condemning the process that Democrats are using for impeachment.
[Graham:] The process you're engaging in regarding the attempted impeachment of President Trump is out of bounds, is inconsistent with due process as we know it.
[Serfaty:] Even as Graham argued the opposite as House manager in the 1998 Clinton impeachment proceedings.
[Graham:] The depositions, I think, will determine whether or not we go forward with hearings. I think it's a very smart thing to do, is to depose these people and find out what they have got to say, and not drag this thing out unnecessarily.
[Serfaty:] This on the heels of House Republicans storming into the secure classified room on Wednesday, delaying Pentagon official Laura Cooper's testimony, where she eventually laid out for lawmakers how foreign aid is disbursed and how the Ukraine aid deviated from the normal process.
[Rep. Mark Meadows:] The star witnesses for the Democrats, and I can just say that there are conflicting testimonies even today.
[Serfaty:] All this coming after President Trump's very clear directive to Republicans earlier in the week.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] The Republicans have to get tougher and fight. We have some that are great fighters. But they have to get tougher and fight.
[Serfaty:] A new target Republicans are rallying around, casting doubt on Bill Taylor, the president's top diplomat in Ukraine, who this week laid out the clearest evidence so far of an apparent quid pro quo in his testimony.
[Sen. John Thune:] There's a lot of secondhand information, a lot of sort of hearsay, not hearsay, but in the sense that it was passed on. It wasn't a direct conversation.
[Serfaty:] Even as GOP sources tell CNN Taylor's damning opening statement is quote "reverberating," some calling it a game- changer. Meantime, House Democrats are also strategizing their next moves.
[Question:] Was there a quid pro quo?
[Serfaty:] After a slew of closed-door-only testimony for weeks, sources tell CNN Democrats are now aiming to move from the behind-the- scenes phase of the investigation into the public phase by mid- November. But sources caution that timeline could still slip until after Thanksgiving.
[Rep. Chrissy Houlahan:] That will be the point where I think that we will try and figure out what the best combination of people to speak in a more transparent and public way would be.
[Serfaty:] That next new public phase would include releasing transcripts of the closed-door depositions, holding public hearings, and bringing back some of the witnesses they have already heard from, like former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, Trump's former top Russia adviser Fiona Hill, Trump's top diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, and the U.S. ambassador to the E.U., Gordon Sondland. Once that phase is done, the committees would then release a public report to draw up articles of impeachment and vote in the House Judiciary Committee. That would be followed by a full House vote on articles of impeachment, potentially by the end of the year.
[Rep. Eric Swalwell:] What we're doing right now is a first pass. We are interviewing the witnesses that we know may have been involved and actually paring down that information, so that you can pull out what's relevant for the public.
[Serfaty:] And, looking ahead, sources tell CNN that Democrats are now starting to preliminarily plan for the potential writing of those articles of impeachment, sorting out what exactly would be included, how broad, how narrow these articles would potentially be. These conversations clearly are very preliminary at this point, but one lawmaker, Wolf, telling CNN that there are conversations, people are talking and certainly thinking about what the articles of appeasement indeed would look like.
[Blitzer:] Very important and very interesting. Sunlen Serfaty, thank you. Let's go to the White House right now for more on the GOP defense against impeachment. We're joined by our chief White House Correspondent, Jim Acosta. Jim, the president is praising his Republican defenders and attacking his Republican critics.
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Chief White House Correspondent:] That's right, Wolf. The White House is trying to rally Republicans behind President Trump after days of damaging testimony in the impeachment inquiry. They brought senators over here to the White House earlier today. And aides to the president are welcoming that resolution that Sunlen was just talking about from Senator Lindsey Graham condemning the impeachment inquiry that's backed by other GOP leaders. The White House is even backing up the president's label for his Republican critics as human scum.
[Acosta:] Reeling from bombshell testimony in the Ukraine investigation, the president's defenders latched on to a Senate Republican resolution to condemn the impeachment inquiry, accusing House Democrats of denying due process to Mr. Trump.
[Graham:] I'm not here to tell you that Donald Trump's done nothing wrong. I'm not here to tell you anything other than that the way they're going about it is really dangerous for the country. And we need to change course while we can in the House.
[Acosta:] The president stayed behind closed doors for much of the day huddling with GOP senators, including some who have raised questions about his phone call with the leader of Ukraine. GOP Senator Lindsey Graham said he spoke with acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who acknowledged the White House has to improve its message on impeachment.
[Graham:] I talked to Chief of Staff Mulvaney. I think they're working on getting a messaging team together.
[Acosta:] For now, it's Mr. Trump who's driving that message, giving a shout-out to House Republicans after they stormed into closed-door testimony this week, tweeting: "Thank you to House Republicans for being tough, smart and understanding in detail the greatest witch-hunt in American history."
[Stephanie Grisham, White House Press Secretary:] He was happy to see it happen. He was very supportive of it, as he should be.
[Acosta:] The White House is doubling down on the president's tweet aimed at his Republican critics. "The never-Trumper Republicans," the president tweeted, "though on respirators, with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our country than the do- nothing Democrats. Watch out for them. They are human scum." Nothing wrong with that, according to Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
[Grisham:] The people who are against him and who have been against him and working against him since the day that he took office are just that. They deserve strong language like that.
[Acosta:] Republicans once favored closed-door inquiries when they controlled the House. Consider now Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's defense of the GOP's Benghazi investigation.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] Our goal was fact-finding. And five-minute questions by a member of Congress and then rotating to the next one is not a very conducive way to quickly garner information and have a conversation in a setting where you can really engage. And so we felt like these closed-door interviews were a much more effective way to get the facts for the American people.
[Acosta:] On the Trump administration's green light to Turkey's invasion of Syria, Vice President Mike Pence met with House Republicans, who have blasted the president's policy. Mr. Trump offered some advice to Kurds abandoned by U.S. forces, tweeting: "Perhaps it is time for the Kurds to start heading to the oil region." The president's Syria policy has outraged key Christian conservatives in his base.
[Pat Robertson, Host, "the 700 Club":] And I promise you as I'm sitting here right now, Russia is going to come against us, Turkey is going to come against us, China's going to come against us. It's like the president of the United States is modeling Neville Chamberlain.
[Acosta:] Now, frustrated with this impeachment inquiry, the White House is taking another shot at the media, instructing federal agencies across the government to cancel their subscriptions to "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post." The move, the White House says, will save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, even if the decision won't impact the coverage of the impeachment inquiry. Wolf, they can cancel their subscriptions all they want. They can't cancel the coverage Wolf.
[Blitzer:] That's absolutely correct. Jim Acosta at the White House, thank you. Democratic Congressman Andre Carson is joining us. He's a key member of the House Intelligence Committee. Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.
[Rep. Andre Carson:] Thank you for having me, Wolf. What a pleasure.
[Blitzer:] So you have heard the Republican Senator Lindsey Graham accusing your House impeachment inquiry of secrecy, of violating the president's due rights due process rights. What do you make of that?
[Carson:] I think it's all political pandering. I think that what happened yesterday I was in that SCIF, Wolf was embarrassing. It was unpatriotic. It was un-American. And it was a mob mentality of sorts. It was very disturbing, but it was all theatrical. But if this were in another day and time and era, we would have seen worse actions. And so the vitriol and the hatred coming from some of them, I think many of them were just following the group, but some of them had the kind of animosity. And they were so protective of a president. It was very disappointing. The founding fathers who some my Republican colleagues love to cite had in mind co-equal branches of government. They were simply acting as minions for Trump's tyranny. Very embarrassing, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] But I assume you will eventually, probably sooner, rather than later correct me if I'm wrong will not only hold public hearings, but release the transcripts of those secret depositions.
[Carson:] Well, that's a that's a question that should be directed to Chairman Schiff. But he has stated publicly that, at some point, we will have public hearings. The extent of those hearings has yet to be determined. But one thing that's clear. The Intelligence Committee, the Oversight Committee, Foreign Affairs, we are doing our due diligence in making sure these depositions run smoothly. And the Intelligence Committee, we have really been the focal point of this whole matter. We have an obligation to protect our intelligence agencies and the intelligence community and to create a safe pipeline, Wolf, for those whistle-blowers, so they can feel safe.
[Blitzer:] Senator Graham also implied that the reason the House Democrats don't want to hold a formal House floor vote on impeachment authorizing an impeachment inquiry is because the vote would fail. How do you respond?
[Carson:] I don't agree. I think that there are other matters at hand. Look, we can conduct this investigation, we can conduct the depositions and hearings all at the same time while dealing with infrastructure needs. The president's a developer. He has yet to come to the table with Democrats in a very reasonable manner to talk about infrastructure. We have educational needs. We have national security needs that must be addressed in a way that doesn't demonize immigrants, people of color and Muslims.
[Blitzer:] We're hearing that Democrats are now debating the scope, the eventual scope of the House impeachment inquiry. What are you hearing about that? What can we anticipate?
[Carson:] Well, I can I think we can anticipate rule of law being instituted. I think that we want to streamline these efforts. I think my Republican colleagues, many of them, at least privately, are deeply concerned about the reality in which we live. I think threat disappointed by the weakness that they have seen from the leadership within their own caucus, a leadership that is unwilling to stand up to President Trump and say, you know what, sir, enough is enough. You have done enough damage. It is time for us to focus on an agenda that reflects the people's interest, and not about your reelection efforts for 2020 or covering for you and this quid pro quo scheme with Iran [sic] that has failed miserably.
[Blitzer:] Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant secretary of defense, appeared before your committee yesterday for her deposition. She described an irregular process by which aid to military assistance to Ukraine was suspended. What new questions does all this raise?
[Carson:] Well, I think it certainly reaffirms the questions we have had about Donald Trump's integrity. I think it's reaffirmed our suspicions as it relates to those who are around him who are afraid to correct him when he's in error. I think it also has reaffirmed the questions we have had about the lackluster leadership and the lack of intestinal fortitude when it comes to Mitch McConnell, when it comes to Republican leadership and their willingness to not only protect their caucus against Donald Trump, but to make sure they formulate an agenda that is in synch with the founders' vision of co-equal branches of government. They have failed to do so, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] "The Washington Post" is just now reporting that, back in late August, the Trump administration delayed certain trade privileges to Ukraine. Is that something that's come up in your investigation, not only delaying military assistance to Ukraine, but also these trade privileges, presumably to squeeze them into doing what the president and Rudy Giuliani wanted?
[Carson:] Well, these things are ongoing discussions that we have been having for the past few weeks. I think, in the upcoming days, we're going to have more answers for you. But what you can rely on is that these staff-led, primarily staff-led depositions, in which members have been given an opportunity to ask questions, these professional staffers are the best of the best. The members who come down are bright, we're engaged, we're taking copious notes, and we're deeply committed to maintaining our democracy, if you will, and not allowing a group of some of our colleagues who wish to show this undying loyalty to a president who has dishonored our country and continues to dishonor our country with his antics. He needs to be firm, put people around him who will tell him the truth, so we can preserve our republic.
[Blitzer:] Congressman Andre Carson with very strong words, indeed. Thanks so much for joining us.
[Carson:] What an honor. Thank you, Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Just ahead: As Rudy Giuliani looks to hire a personal lawyer for himself, is he hurting his own legal defense? We're going to talk about his evolving claims about the Ukraine scandal, talk about that with the former U.S. attorney in New York and CNN senior legal analyst Preet Bharara.

[Lemon:] Sinclair media dropping a segment featuring a false conspiracy theory, a false one, of Dr. Anthony Fauci, after a lot of uproar over it. But it's not the only false story making it on to big platforms. Here's CNN's Brian Stelter.
[Brian Stelter, Cnn Chief Media Correspondent:] Sinclair, one of America's biggest owners of TV stations, is now disavowing a debunked segment that featured a kooky conspiracy theory, smearing Dr. Anthony Fauci. During this segment on Eric Bolling show, a banner on screen said, did Dr. Fauci create COVID-19, attacking Fauci in service of supporting President Trump. That has been the right-wing media's playbook all spring and summer long.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] The number I gave out
[Stelter:] But this interview stoked so many concerns and complaints that Sinclair showed it over the weekend and confirmed on Monday that it will never air. Sinclair went on to quote "reiterate our appreciation for Dr. Fauci." A small victory for truth at a time when conspiracy theory seemed to be winning and the truth is losing.
[Eric Trump, Son Of Donald Trump:] They're, you know, oversampling Democrats
[Stelter:] Eric Trump on Fox with Jesse Watters, claiming that posters are part of a mask conspiracy to fool America. In this interview, Watters brought up QAnon, a virtual cult that touts Trump and casts Democratic politicians and other elites as evil child abusers.
[Jesse Watters, Fox News:] Twitter has basically just crackdown, eliminated about 7,000 accounts
[Stelter:] Watters's most concerned, Twitter removing the cult's lies would hurt Trump's reelection.
[Watters:] Because, you know, Q can do some crazy stuff with the pizza stuff and the way
[Stelter:] A shocking thing for a TV host to say since aspects of QAnon are downright delusional. It's connected to PizzaGate, which allowed a man to show up in a D.C. pizzeria with guns. The FBI was warned of the QAnon conspiracy being a domestic terrorism threat. But Watters said they've uncovered a lot of great stuff. Eric Trump then drew a false equivalence between Q and some Democrats he doesn't like.
[E. Trump:] Guess what? Adam Schiff does a lot of crazy things. Jerry Nadler and Eric Swalwell, they also do a lot of crazy stuff.
[Stelter:] Watters eventually came out with a statement that said, in part, "My comments should not be mistaken for giving credence to this fringe platform." But the problem is that every time someone like Jesse Watters promotes QAnon, these crazy conspiracy theories become more mainstream. They become more validated. Here's the good news, however. This garbage can be called out. It can be exposed. Sinclair backs down after CNN and other organizations questioned why this segment might be airing. That is the good news here. Sunlight, Don, sunlight is still the best disinfectant.
[Lemon:] Brian Stelter, thank you so much. Walmart is banning a couple for wearing face coverings emblazoned with Nazi swastikas. The woman who confronted that couple joins me next.

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] America's markets soar on that news as well, undaunted by the latest grim GDP figures. More on that in just a moment. Then for weeks, Russia insisted it had the pandemic under control but as the country nears 100,000 cases, the strain on the country's health care system is becoming extreme. Good to have you with us. Well, finally, some good news in the coronavirus fight, and it's centering around a single drug. Remdesivir, the antiviral seems to be the best thing we've come across so far. It's not a miracle cure, nor is it a vaccine, but a study shows patients with severe coronavirus infections who took Remdesivir could recover faster than patients who did not take it. From 15 days down to 11. Now, it also results in a slightly low mortality rate, and what's exciting to doctors, is this is the first thing that seems to have an in impact on the coronavirus.
[Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] It is a very important proof of concept, because what has proven, is that a drug can block this virus. We think it is really opening the door to the fact that we now have the capability of treating. And I can guarantee you as more people, more companies, more investigators get involved, it is going to get better and better.
[Church:] Now, the maker of Remdesivir says it has enough supply for at least 140,000 treatment courses for patients, and there are reports the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may announce the drug can be used on an emergency basis. So, the data is preliminary but hopeful, and you heard there from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease doctor in the United States, a key researcher in the studies spoke earlier with my colleague, Chris Cuomo. Take a listen.
[Andre Kalil, Principal Investigator, Remdesivir Trial:] There are two things that are very important for me, and I am seeing that as not only as researcher as a clinician that somebody takes care of patients every day. So, there was so the two findings that we know today that Dr. Fauci mentioned was one, is that the time to recovery is reduced by four days. This is not a small deal, this is a big deal because it's four days out of 15, 14 days. About a third of the time that the patients are going to require oxygen and are going to require respiratory, you know, respiratory support and are required to be in a hospital, it was reduced by a third. So why this is important? Because if you ask me if I would stay, you know, if I would stay two weeks in a hospital and two weeks minus four days I would I mean, there is nobody that would tell that they would prefer to stay four more days because every day that you stay in the hospital you increase the chance of complication, increase the risk of complications.
[Chris Cuomo, Cnn:] Understood.
[Kalil:] So that's from the patient perspective. This is this is definitely something very important because you are going to really have a third reduction on your time to recovery. The second thing that is as important as well, is that there was a trend, even though not statistically significant because the trial was not powered for mortality, but there was a trend for improving mortality from 11.6 to 8 percent with Remdesivir. So, if you put together
[Cuomo:] People dying. Three percent reduction in deaths?
[Kalil:] Exactly. If you put together almost 4 percent reduction in deaths with four, you know, four days reduction on the need for hospitalization and respiratory support, this is not something to take lightly, especially when it comes from a trial that is that robust. Now this is not a cure, as I said in the beginning, this is not a cure.
[Church:] And that only goes to highlight the importance of testing for the coronavirus as pointed out by experts time and again. But the U.S. President appears to be downplaying that.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States Of America:] If we do two million tests, they said how come you don't do three? Well, we do three and they said how come you didn't four? That's like a that's like a dream for the media, but we have done incredible with the testing, and you'll see over the next coming weeks. Mike, you may want to speak about that a little bit, but over the next coming weeks, you'll see some astonishing numbers. I don't know that all of that is even necessary.
[Church:] Well, actually, it is necessary. But critics say the president is contradicting his own administration's guidance and the advice of experts because he wants to paint a picture of an America that's over the virus and roaring back. This is not the first time he has done an about-face on testing, it's not even the first time this week.
[Unidentified Male:] Mr. President, on testing yesterday you said that we will very soon be testing five million people?
[Trump:] Well, I don't know where it came from.
[Unidentified Male:] You said that.
[Trump:] I'd like to refer to these two people because I don't know where it came up. Everyone kept saying you said there would be five. That was a study that came out. Somebody came out with a study of five million people. Do I think we will? I think we will, but I never said it. We're testing millions of people. We're testing more people than anyone any country in the world by far. By double. By much more than double. More than everybody else combined we're testing, but somebody started throwing around five million. I didn't say five million. Somebody said five million. I think it might have been the Harvard report. There was a report from Harvard.
[Unidentified Male:] You were asked about it
[Trump:] And they said five million. Well, we will be there, but I didn't say it.
[Unidentified Female:] You argue saying you're confident you can surpass five million tests per day, is that
[Trump:] Well, we're going to be there very soon. If you look at the numbers, it could be that we're getting very close. I mean, I don't have the exact numbers. We would have had them if you asked me the same question a little while ago because people with these statistics were there. We're going to be there very soon.
[Church:] But that actually seems unlikely. The top administration official in charge of testing told Time magazine Tuesday that there is no way this country could conduct five million tests per day, and I'm quoting. "There is absolutely no way on earth on this planet or any other planet that we can do 20 million tests a day or even five million tests a day." But the U.S. president has made it clear he wants the country up and running. He's planning a trip to Arizona next week, and want sports to return.
[Trump:] You're not going to have a stadium that's 30 percent the size of what it was three months ago. If I watch Alabama play LSU, I don't want to see 20,000 people instead of 120,000 people. We want it to be the way it was. Now, we're going to wait until it's gone, and it will be gone, and we've done a lot to get rid of it, but we we want to open our country. The people want this country open.
[Church:] Everybody wants their country open. That sentiment is shared all over the world, and not just in the United States. So, could a treatment like Remdesivir mean that economies can reopen? That social distancing and wearing masks is no longer necessary? Well, let's hear again from that researcher.
[Kalil:] I can tell you with a 100 percent certainty Remdesivir is, should not change even even, you know, even with the data we have today, with the positive data that we can shorten the time of disease, we can potentially save lives. Remdesivir. Remdesivir will not do anything to, in terms of public health. Remdesivir is strictly is going to benefit people with moderate to severe disease that are right in the hospital. So, just having the Remdesivir available let's say with the approval, it's great, it's going to be great benefit patients that are sick, very sick from COVID in the hospital, but when it comes to public health, Remdesivir is going to have absolutely no impact because Remdesivir is not a drug to be used to prevent an infection. It's not a drug to be used with somebody on a mild infection or in a home to really improve or cure without any medications. Remdesivir is for a very specific small portion of patients that get really sick that have a higher risk of death and this is the patient population that will benefit from Remdesivir. So Remdesivir should not have any significant impact in terms of public health policy, in terms of opening or closing. This is a whole different subject that will not be influenced by the availability of Remdesivir.
[Church:] All right, we are getting some news just into CNN for the first time in 72 days. South Korea is reporting that it had no new local coronavirus cases in the country on Wednesday. Four new imported cases were reported, though, that's according to the country's Center for Disease Control. There are now almost 11,000 cases in the country with 247 deaths. And for more, I am joined now by Muhammad Munir. He is a virologist at Lancaster University in the U.K., and he joins me from Lancaster. Thank you so much for talking with us.
[Muhammad Munir, Virologist, Lancaster University:] Good morning.
[Church:] I do want to talk first about the good news because we received this in the course of the day, certainly this is great news for COVID-19 patients experiencing severe symptoms in hospital. We haven't yet seen all the data on Remdesivir, but Dr. Fauci says a preliminary trial shows recovery time went from 15 to 11 days. How significant is this considering, I mean, it's really mainly these people who are experiencing severe symptoms in the hospital.
[Munir:] Yes. Well, I think this is really good news, especially if we look on to how many remedies have been tried and many of them really fall down. So, 31 percent recovery is really good news for people who are already sadly have gotten sick and that means that they will leave the hospital four days earlier. And if we look on to the other established remedies, for example, Tamiflu is treating flu, that is not also very different than the reserves that we are seeing now with Remdesivir. So, overall, it's good news. Of course, we don't yet know if this will have any impact onto reducing the mortality, or onto the overall severity in terms of different age groups, but this is certainly good news and we hope to turn all.
[Church:] Right. There was some suggestion that it did decrease mortality somewhat.
[Munir:] Yes, certainly, it did decrease but the study has of course, this is probably the best study conducted so far for looking on to the efficacy of drugs on thousand patients on across different countries. So, overall, the randomized model that was applied was pretty convincing, but yet, these are preliminary research and a lot more need to be seen. But this is certainly once again I want to emphasize that this is really good news, and in many days, we have seen it so far.
[Church:] Yes. And that is exactly what everybody wants. So, Remdesivir will help those COVID-19 patients in the hospital, but for everyone else, we will still need to continue social distancing, wearing masks, and hopefully getting better access to testing while we all wait for the elusive vaccine. So, how worried are you that if the U.S. and other nations open up too quickly and we are seeing that happen now without sufficient testing in place, that we will see another deadly wave of this pandemic and perhaps a race everything that we've gain so far?
[Munir:] Absolutely. I think this is a really difficult time and we do understand that everyone is touching its patience when it comes to the lockdown, because it's certainly a social disruption and no man will like we have that. But we have achieved so far. If we look on to the data on to the new number of cases and mortality they are plateauing or decreasing. So, this is certainly a good time to reemphasize that we have to carry on practicing social distancing and so on. But the matter of the fact is that vast majority of people not only in the United Kingdom and the United States but across the world are still uninfected and these will certainly be, you know, bear [Inaudible] onto the floor and [Inaudible] we are not going to keep burning it until it ran out of fuel. So, we have to really emphasize that we don't provide enough fuel to the virus and we have to carry on with the social distancing and the control we are following.
[Church:] Yes, that is critical. And sometimes that message gets lost. But I did want to ask you this because there are a lot of questions surround the number of infections being recorded in various countries, as well as the death tolls. Some being viewed as more reliable than others. And we have also seen the U.K. revise their numbers now counting all COVID-19 deaths even if they occur outside of the hospital which seems logical and perhaps should have been done and should be done throughout the world. So how reliable or any of these numbers in getting a true picture of what we are dealing with here?
[Munir:] Yes. So, Rosemary, I think this is really critical question and we have been emphasizing right from the beginning of this crisis that the number of cases that are documented are certainly not the true representation of actual disease severity. And probably this is the major reasons for unpreparedness in the countries because until you don't really know the severity and the scale of the disease in the country you can't estimate what are the demands for PPEs, what are the demand for overall preparedness in the hospitals. But one of the contributing factors has been the asymptomatic carriers. So, until someone is not showing clinical sign overall, they stay healthy and like, 25 percent of people who contract the infection they stay healthy, therefore it is really difficult to catch them until you apply testing. And testing has been a problem right from the beginning in terms of scaling it up and so on.
[Church:] Yes.
[Munir:] In the U.K. situation, it has been like that for a while, and we have been stressing that we need to calculate all of those people dying inside the hospitals to be in the part of calculation but the people who have been dying outside the hospital, for example, care homes or in the community hasn't been a part of the calculation. So that was the reason. For the last two, three days we were seeing that there was a decline in the mortality which was good news, but once they started calculating the patient, people who have been dying outside the hospital it seems like we are not getting down. We are now more leveling and flattening. So that is certainly something of concern in the near future as well.
[Church:] Still so much to learn, so much to do. We are really struggling all across the globe. Muhammad Munir, thank you so much for talking with us. I appreciate it.
[Munir:] Good to be here.
[Church:] And if you are looking for some positive economic news, Wall Street was about the only bright spot on Wednesday. The Dow soared more than 500 points on hopes the drug Remdesivir might prove to be a promising treatment for the coronavirus. But that is where the good news ended. The U.S. economy shrunk by 4.8 percent in the first quarter, its worst performance in almost 12 years. Analysts predict the second quarter will be much worse. And yet, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner considers the U.S. response to the pandemic a success. His remarks came less than a day after the U.S. topped one million cases of the virus. Now despite the continued lack of testing happening in the country, here is what Kushner had to say.
[Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor To The President Of The United States:] We've achieved all the different milestones that are needed. So, the government, the federal government rose to the challenge and this is a great success story.
[Church:] And for weeks, Russia also had insisted it had the pandemic under control, now it's nearing 100,000 cases and 1,000 deaths. Russia's prime minister says predicting an end date for the countries restrictions is impossible. A startling new image showing the dramatic strain on Russia's healthcare system are emerging. Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has more for us on this. Matthew, the numbers don't add up given what we know about the mortality rate for this virus, and now new images suggest Russia is struggling to keep up with the infection like some many other countries around the world. But what are you learning on this?
[Matthew Chance, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Yes. I mean, a lot of very disturbing figures that have come out in the past 24 hours and the likelihood is those figures are going to increase substantially. But there is a whole raft of, sort of, reports emerging, for instance, about particular hospitals in Russia that are being locked down with both the patients and the staff inside, all displaying symptoms of COVID-19. And I think this is important. There are actual in a country where criticism and descent to the official line is quite rare, we are seeing healthcare workers post desperate messages on line, sort of showing how the difficulties are that they are facing in everyday life. For weeks, Russia insisted the pandemic there was under control. But these startling images from a hospital in the south of the country show just how overstretched its health service has become. This cold, tiny room was a laundry storage cover according to the narrator. Now it's a makeshift ward for five coughing women. No room for social distancing here. And these aren't even the hospital's patients. They're medical staff, the narrator says, who have fallen ill with symptoms of the virus and with nowhere else to be treated. We can't confirm they have COVID-19, but a local government official says the women were later moved to a fully equipped ward and several hospital employees were disciplined. Still, it's a grim picture with a toll this coronavirus is taking on Russia's health workers. This Russian doctor says she believes a large proportion of medical workers are already sick, and in current working conditions, she says more infections for just a matter of time. Across Russia, the plight of essential medical staff has become a major concern. Moscow's main coronavirus hospital is reported to have suffered mass resignations of key workers. Like Natalia Lyubimaya, who complaints on social media of excessively long shifts, lasting days on end, lack of equipment, as well as food and salary shortfalls. The hospital denies it's using staff, but even the Kremlin is now acknowledging acute shortages of personal protection equipment or PPE despite ramping up production.
[Vladimir Putin, Russian President:] In March, 3,000 protective suits for doctors were produced per day. By mid-May, it would be over 150,000. Yes, in comparison with what it was just recently, it is a lot. But in comparison with what is needed now, it is still not enough.
[Chance:] It's been just a few weeks since Russia was exporting assistance overseas to the U.S. and especially Italy, where Russian doctors were shown working side by side with a European comrade. But at this hospital at home in St. Petersburg, Russia's second biggest city, ambulance drivers said they were waiting up to 10 hours outside just to deliver a single patient. The numbers, it seems, are already overwhelming, and Russia's peak, according to the Kremlin, is yet to come. But we are expecting an update shortly on the latest casualty figures inside Russia. But in the meantime, President Putin has been preparing the ground in the country for the potential of more bad news. Telling Russians, they are about to face a new and grueling phase of this pandemic. Rosemary.
[Church:] Matthew Chance with that shocking report on what's happening in Russia. Many thanks. And coming up here on CNN Newsroom.
[Unidentified Female:] I'm so sorry. Yes. It hurts when I say his name.
[Church:] As Sweden continues life without a lockdown, critics say it's taking too much of a toll on human life. We'll have that when we return.

[Acosta:] More breaking news, we're following President Trump speaking out about the coronavirus pandemic a short time ago and making some stunning claims. CNN White house Correspondent Jeremy Diamond has details. Jeremy, the President seems unaware of how this crisis is escalating.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, Jim, you know, amid this alarming surge in coronavirus cases we really haven't heard much from the Presidents. Over the last five days, the President has been out of sight. But today he is breaking that streak making some movement on this question of masks, but where he's not changing is on this notion that the coronavirus is somehow simply going to disappear. The President's saying today that he believes at some point coronavirus will just disappear.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I think we're going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that's going to sort of just disappear. I hope
[Diamond:] Tonight, President Trump is betting on wishful thinking to stop the alarming surge of coronavirus across the country.
[Unidentified Male:] You still believe so disappear?
[Trump:] I do. I do. Yes, sure, at some point.
[Diamond:] With coronavirus cases trending upward in 37 states and his own public health experts calling for swift action, Trump who once called himself a "wartime president" in the face of a pandemic, now appears to be taking a backseat. He hasn't appeared at a briefing alongside health experts in weeks and he undermined CDC guidelines by rallying thousands of people at an indoor arena last month. But today
[Trump:] I'm all for masks. I think masks are good.
[Diamond:] The President, who has found himself increasingly isolated over the issue of wearing masks now saying this
[Unidentified Male:] You would wear one?
[Trump:] Oh, I would. I would. Oh, I have. I mean, people have seen me wearing one. If I'm in a group of people where we're not, you know, 10 feet away, and but usually I'm not in that position, and everyone's tested. Actually, I had a mask on. I said, I like the way I looked. OK. I looked like the Lone Ranger.
[Diamond:] But the President is still resisting calls for a national mandate.
[Trump:] Well, I don't know if you need mandatory because you have many places in the country. People feel good about it, they should do it.
[Diamond:] Trump's comments coming after a slew of Republicans have stepped up their calls for Americans to wear masks while also resisting instituting a requirement.
[Gov. Brian Kemp,  Georgia:] We shouldn't have to require a mandate for people to wear a mask. It's the right thing to do. I trust people that they're going to do that if we ask them.
[Diamond:] Vice President Mike Pence also stepping up his calls for mask wearing if local officials agree.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] We believe that Americans should wear a mask whenever state and local authorities indicate that it's appropriate.
[Diamond:] The President's campaign, meanwhile, finding a fall guy for the President's Tulsa campaign rally. Reassigning its chief operating officer to a new role after Trump privately fumes, not about the lack of health precautions, but because the arena wasn't packed to the brim. And then there's the culture wars, Trump keeping up his defense of monuments to the Confederacy and threatening to veto a military funding bill because he would strike the names of Confederate generals from military bases. He is also attacking New York's Mayor for plans to paint Black Lives Matter in front of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, calling the slogan a symbol of hate and suggesting police officers should block the painting. Amid mounting evidence that Russia tried to pay Taliban fighters to kill U.S. troops, the President stepping up his attacks on those reports discrediting the intelligence as just another hoax even as his administration prepares to brief the country. President stepping up his attacks on those reports discrediting the intelligence as just another hoax, even as his administration prepares to brief the congressional Gang of Eight on the issue tomorrow.
[Trump:] This didn't rise to the occasion. And from what I hear, and I hear pretty good, the intelligence people didn't even many of them didn't believe it happened at all. I think it's a hoax. I think it's a hoax by the newspapers and the Democrats.
[Diamond:] And Jim, the White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, she had a briefing a few moments ago where she defended the President's comments about the virus simply disappearing at some point, saying that it's the President having confidence in the team that he's put together. But what's clear, Jim, is that this is a White House that doesn't want to make this latest surge look like that first surge. They don't want this to look like the national emergency style briefings that we saw during that early part of the Coronavirus pandemic when cases were surging and hospitals were reaching capacity. Instead they want this look very different because they want Americans to be less alarmed. Of course, Jim, the President's reelection is just around the corner. And that's a big part of this. They do not want Americans to feel like this surge is us going back to square one. Jim.
[Acosta:] All right. Jeremy, people are alarmed because this emergency is not disappearing. CNN's Jeremy Diamond, thank you very much. Let's bring in CNN White House Correspondent John Harwood and CNN Political Correspondent Abby Phillip. John, let me go to you first, the President now says he's all for masks, but so far, he hasn't really taken any steps to reflect that. How can he say something like that right now?
[John Hardwood, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, he's backing into it under extreme pressure from a whole range of Republicans. And what you have to ask yourself is given the scale of the crisis, given the scale the fact that very large states are now throwing reopening into reverse because of the threat of coronavirus in their states is backing into it good enough. In that clip that Jeremy just played a moment ago, Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia said, well, you don't have to have a mandate. If you ask them, people will wear it. Well, the President isn't really asking people to wear a masks. He's saying, oh, it's OK. If they want to do it. That's fine. That is not leading on this issue. And you've got entire range of people I was at a briefing yesterday where the Surgeon General was pleading with Americans to wear a mask. And so were other members of the administration. That's a message that the President has a unique ability to deliver much better than anyone else in the country. He's not doing it. He sounds disconnected with reality about the scale of the crisis.
[Acosta:] That's right. He has the bully pulpit. And Abby Philip. President Trump says he likes how he looks in a mask, but this isn't about looks. It's about saving lives. What do you make of that comment?
[Abby Phillip, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, it really just gives you a window into how the President is approaching this and has been approaching this from day one. One of the things you have to remember is he has used masks as a political weapon against Vice President Biden because he has said that Biden looks weak. His campaign has used images of Biden wearing a mask in a campaign attack ads. So, it's not surprising that the President would be first and foremost concerned about the way that he looks and wanting to change that narrative before he changes his behavior on the subject of whether he will wear masks. But you know, I also think that this is a sign of how the President has had trouble with this part of the presidency, which is the way in which he has to demonstrate the kind of behavior that he wants the public to actually exhibit. The argument that the White House makes is that the President is tested regularly, and so they do not believe or they think if there's a very good reason for them to believe that he does not have the coronavirus and therefore doesn't have to wear a mask. But at the same time, the way in which he demonstrates leadership on this subject is what you're hearing from a lot of mayors and governors and people who are leading cities and struggling to get their populations to listen to government officials, they want the President to demonstrate that to his supporters. And he's always had a very difficult time with that part. It's usually do as I say, not as I do. And in this case, that's just not sufficient, given the level of crisis we're facing.
[Acosta:] Yes. And John Harwood, it took a new peak of infections, and many Republicans breaking from him on mass to get to this point. Is the President leading here or is he being led.
[Harwood:] He's quite plainly being led, and what was governing his behavior lately is the same thing that was governing at the beginning of this crisis. That is the idea that he doesn't want to disturb the psychology of the country around the state of the economy. In the beginning, it was to protect a strong economy that we began this reelection year. And now it's to try to protect the recovery. But it is quite obvious that the worse the coronavirus situation is, the worse the economy is going to be. And what the President doesn't get in this reelection calculation is one of the reasons. Why he's in deep, deep trouble for reelection is that people don't think he's taking the coronavirus seriously. So if he continues to not take it seriously in hopes of not disturbing the psychology, he's digging a deeper hole.
[Acosta:] And Abby, today the President repeated this line that the virus will disappear at some point. We've heard this before. Let's watch a compilation of when he said this before.
[Trump:] By April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away. When you have 15 people and the 15, within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero. It's going to disappear one day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear. This is going to go away without a vaccine. It's going to go away. And it's we're not going to see it again. Hopefully.
[Acosta:] Abby, as Ronald Reagan once said, there he goes again.
[Phillip:] Yes, I mean, it's basically magical thinking on the President's part, that somehow if you just ignore the virus, it's going to just disappear. That is obviously not how this works. And the problem for President Trump is that the American public understands that. They by and large, want the government to do more to protect them from this virus. They understand that their lives and their livelihoods are on the line here. You know, a couple months ago when this whole thing started the President's own aides, were telling me that he understood that he had to get control of the virus in order to have the best shot at reelection. But day after day, the President seems to have given up on that hoping that this thing will all just go away. But we could be facing really a worse public health situation than we faced a few months ago given the way that the cases are rising. And then if there is an economic fallback, where we're going backwards in terms of economic progress, I think the American public are not going to look at that very positively and the President could be in an even deeper hole when it comes to his political situation.
[Acosta:] Seems to be shaping up that way. John Harwood and Abby Phillip, thank you very much. This breaking news is just coming from new data from the Pentagon showing the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. military has more than doubled since June 10. As of today, there are almost 65 Hundred service members testing positive for COVID-19. That is up just over 2800 three weeks ago. Defense officials say the rise in cases is happening largely in hotspot states, including California, Arizona, Texas and Florida. We're going to keep our eyes on that, as our service members need to stay safe in the middle of this COVID 19 pandemic like the rest of us. And coming up Massachusetts requires visitors from all but seven states to self-quarantine for two weeks. Will it stop the virus from spreading? I'll ask the mayor of Boston later. Multiple states are ordering bars to close again. Is there any way to keep them open and safe?

[Baldwin:] Michael Bloomberg facing some blow back today after he apologized for supporting New York City's stop and frisk policy during his time as the city's Mayor. The controversial policing tactic had a disproportionate effect on black and Latino communities which were often times targeted by law enforcement. Bloomberg mea culpa coming before a largely African American church congregation as he flirts with a possible presidential run in the Democratic primary.
[Michael Bloomberg  Presidential Candidate:] I got something really important really wrong. I didn't understand that back then. The full impact that stops were having on the black and Latino communities. Now, hindsight is 2020. But as crime continued to come down as we reduced stops and as it continued to come down during the next administration to its credit, I now see that we could and should have acted sooner and acted faster to cut the stops. I wish we had and I'm sorry that we didn't.
[Baldwin:] A.R. Bernard is the founder and pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn where former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg apologized for the stop and frisk policy on Sunday. Reverend Bernard, a pleasure. Thank you so much for coming in.
[Pastor A.r. Bernard, Founder, Christian Cultural Center, Brooklyn:] Thank you. Good to be with you, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] All right. So a couple questions for you. First, did the Mayor personally reach out to you about coming to your church and speaking to your congregation?
[Bernard:] We've had a personal relationship over the last 19 years. I served him of course when he was Mayor of New York City. So there have been ongoing conversations about this. And he reached out and said, what do you think? And we had a very good solid discussion.
[Baldwin:] So he said I want to come in for
[Bernard:] He wanted to come in.
[Baldwin:] And I want to apologize?
[Bernard:] Yes. You think about it. This is what I want to do. I said I think it's great that you want to get out in front of it, that you're willing to own it. And I was willing to open up our church and our service to make it happen.
[Baldwin:] Tell me why.
[Bernard:] I believed he was remorseful. You know when you leave office you have opportunity to reflect on what you did, how you did it, what you got wrong, what you got right. And I think he was doing that. So, of course timing is going to be suspect because he's talking about a potential presidential run. But he said, I'm sorry. He owned it. And people are going to interpret that however they choose. But we're going to now watch and see what he does beyond the apology.
[Baldwin:] We'll get to what he does in a second, but how did your congregates interpret it? Did you get a mixed reaction? What have folks said to you?
[Bernard:] My congregation is very respectful. They're very sophisticated, sharp, intelligent people. And they respected the fact that I would give him a platform to make his case. And they would judge him based on how he came across. And for the most part, they felt that he was sincere. You know, does that translate into the black vote? That's something that we have to see. I believe, personally, that he has a pathway to the White House, but how he plays it is important.
[Baldwin:] As recently as January, the mayor vociferously defended what he chose to do with stop and frisk, you know, a number of people have pointed out, critics have said, well this is mighty politically convenient for him. And Charles Blow who sat in that seat a week or two ago, you know, was talking about the mayor and feels strongly on the other side as you, and he's this "New York Times" opinion writer. And he actually wrote this column and I just want to quote Charles. I believe that Bloomberg knew very well and understood clearly the pain that he was causing. But he was making a collateral damage argument. Because there was a crime, and many of those committing those crimes were born with black or brown skin. All those with that skin should be presumed guilty until proven innocent. That feels like the very definition of racism.
[Bernard:] Those are strong words and I get it. He's an opinion columnist. He's pushing his opinion. And I think differing voices are important because it sharpens our judgment. But Eric Adams, who is an NYPD Captain, on the force for twenty years came out on Sunday and said that stop and frisk was a good policing tool. The problem is, how it was applied. So you could have good intentions which is what Mike Bloomberg said in his speech. But you have to look at the results. And the result was that it disproportionately targeted black and Latino young men.
[Baldwin:] If I may, I mean the statistics, I have them between the years 2004 to 2012, more than 4.4 million were stopped and frisked. Under this policy 83 percent of those targeted were black or Latino. And 12 percent were charged with crimes. And I'm just curious, you know, Reverend, when you have a mother at your church come up to you and say, you know what, during that time when my son was growing up in my own community and I feared that if he was stopped that he would be guilty until proven innocent. And I'm not so sure about this man today, what would you how would you counsel her?
[Bernard:] I would say that she's a reflection of the tension that those who live in communities that are high crime live in. The tension between wanting policing, wanting crime to go down, wanting to be protected, want to feel safe on the streets. And at the same time, knowing that if measures are taken, someone is going to suffer the consequences, and it could be their child. You know, I personally experienced being pulled over while I was on the Advisory Council for Commissioner Schaffer back in the '90s, you know, and I was profiled. And I get it, and we have to have these conversations. But that tension is very real. How we apply it? I think again is important. We have to take a look at the results of what we're doing, regardless of our intentions and make modifications. In 2011, Bloomberg's last term, he launched a $127 million initiative towards cutting down on the factors that result in higher rates of incarceration, poverty and unemployment for young black and Latinos. So he was trying to respond to those years that he supported that. And I think that, you know, that doesn't get told.
[Baldwin:] I appreciate you sharing that. And also just you mentioned off the top that you have been in conversations with him, I don't know how much you'll be willing to share as far as counsel, maybe you've offered. But you did say that you believe there is a path for him in terms of running for President. I'm just curious what does that path look like?
[Bernard:] I do believe that. He's got to gain the confidence of the American people. And look, people are the country is suffering from what I would call the deferral of hope and that is true amongst the marginalized and disenfranchised, white and black. Whether it's a hope of racial equity in America or whether it's hope for blue collar workers to have jobs and economic parity within the society. So if we have a leader who can come to the table. Strengthen the economy and keep it going. Secure American interests abroad and make Americans feel safe at home. And deal with the inequities in education, for me as a person of color, the racialized policing the system and criminal justice system, inequities in education, and economic opportunity. I think he has a shot. He has a pathway. Look, when we have extremes, and we have extremes in our society right now, it creates a very large middle that becomes quite eclectic. And that middle wants to hear someone who can unite, who can breach the tear, the gap, and make sense. And hopefully restore some civility to our presidency.
[Baldwin:] I know. I hear you, reverend. And you think Michael Bloomberg could be that person, it sounds like?
[Bernard:] It's possible.
[Baldwin:] Do you have any announcements coming that you know of that you want to share right now live on TV?
[Bernard:] You know. I wouldn't do that.
[Baldwin:] A girl's got to ask. Reverend Bernard, thank you so much.
[Bernard:] Thank you so much.
[Baldwin:] A Pleasure. A pleasure.
[Bernard:] Good to be with you.
[Baldwin:] A football watch party turns deadly in California, yet another mass shooting in this country. We've got to talk about that. And the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocking the House from getting the President's financial records, details ahead.

[John Roberts, Chief Justice, Supreme Court:] The Senate having tried Donald John Trump, President of the United States, upon to articles of impeachment exhibited against him by the House of Representatives and two-thirds of the senators present, not having found him guilty of the charges contained therein. It is therefore ordered and adjudged that the said Donald John Trump be, and he is hereby acquitted of the charges in said articles.
[Rosemary Church, Cnn International Anchor:] Chief Justice John Roberts there announcing the acquittal of Donald Trump in his Senate impeachment trial. Only one senator broke ranks and the mostly partisan vote, Republican Mitt Romney. He's the only senator in history to vote to remove a president of his own party. Here's how he explained his decision.
[Sen. Mitt Romney:] The allegations made in the Articles of Impeachment are very serious. As a senator juror, I swore an oath before God to exercise impartial justice. I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong. The historic meaning of the words high crimes and misdemeanors, the writings of the founders, and my own reasoned judgment, convince me that a president can indeed commit acts against the public trust, that are so egregious that while they are not statutory crimes, they would demand removal from office. To maintain that the lack of a codified and comprehensive list of all the outrageous acts that a President might conceivably commit, renders Congress powerless to remove such a president defies reason The grave question the constitution task senators to answer is whether the President committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor. Yes, he did. The president asked a foreign government to investigate his political rival. The President withheld vital military funds from that government to press it to do so. The President delayed funds for an American ally at war with Russian invaders. The President's purpose was personal and political. Accordingly, the President is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. What he did was not perfect. No, it was a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values. Corrupting an election keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine. With my vote, I will tell my children and their children, that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me. I will only be one name among many, no more, no less, to future generations of Americans who look at the record of this trial. They will know merely that I was among this introduce who determined that what the President did was wrong, grievously wrong.
[Church:] Larry Sabato is the Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He joins me now from Charlottesville. Always good to have you with us.
[Larry Sabato, Director, Center For Politics, University Of Virginia:] Thank you, Rosemary.
[Church:] So, Mitt Romney became the first senator in U.S. history to vote to convict his own party's president in an impeachment trial. How significant were his actions and would you call it bravery or political suicide?
[Sabato:] Well, certainly there's going to be consequences that are negative for him and probably for a long time. And I think he knows that. But I would say it was very brave because he's the only one. If you were part of a group, then at least the anger would be diffused. But he knows what's coming. He and Trump have never really gotten along well. And Romney, it's well known privately, doesn't think a great deal of President Trump and probably it's mutual. But this was a very significant thing. And anybody who watched is a short speech, or even a piece of it understood that this was heartfelt. He was very emotional when he was giving his statement. So, I tend to think that this matters a lot, that people are going to remember it. And they know Mitt Romney. They respect Mitt Romney. This isn't just some garden variety senator that no one has ever heard of. Here's the 2012 Republican presidential nominee condemning, in essence, the 2016 presidential nominee of the Republican Party who actually became president.
[Church:] And I want to ask you about that because how is it possible that Senator Romney found what the President did was grievously wrong, but none of the other Republican senators agreed with him? What might that tell us?
[Sabato:] Well, partly, I think Romney is very secure in his seat and Utah, and he's got another five years to run on this term. So who knows what the situation will be in 2024. I doubt that impeachment of Donald Trump will be the foremost issue that far into the future. But anybody who has known Romney and worked with him over the years understands that his religion LDS Mormon really does have an impact on his day to day life. And he mentioned his belief in God and the importance of his religion a couple of times in the speech and I think it was very sincere.
[Church:] So, do the actions of the other Republican senators prove that votes like this are more about self-interest than a conscience vote?
[Sabato:] Well, as I always tell people because I've studied John F. Kennedy very well. He was the author of a book called Profiles and Courage. And it was a very thin book because there aren't that many profiles and courage. I think Romney qualifies. If we ever have a new edition of Profiles and Courage, he'll get a chapter. I can't think of another Republican senator who will.
[Church:] Yes, and of course, Romney talked of the likely consequences of his actions. And is he hinting a presidential and party intimidation and what might this mean for his future in the party do you think?
[Sabato:] All I can tell you is I spent a good chunk of my day on Twitter, meaning it was wasted, but I did learn some things being on Twitter. Hundreds, if not thousands of Trump supporters took out after him and anyone who defended him on Twitter. It was intense. It was as though the hive of the Trump cult had been jostled, and the bees came roaring out. And that's just day one. This is something he's going to feel for the rest of his career.
[Church:] And I don't want to put you on the spot. But how should this impeachment trial has ended, given what we now know from witness testimony and various documents that were presented?
[Sabato:] Oh, my goodness, I personally think that he was guilty on both counts. I don't even think the arguments, the factual arguments are in doubt. The House managers, as many Republican senators have admitted privately prove their case. In the old days, when we had better standards, higher standards, I think he would have been convicted. And it's not as though a Democrat stepping into the presidency, he would have a conservative Republicans succeeding him. I guess he probably would present fewer problems for the election. But it's not to be because personal loyalty Donald Trump is everything, absolutely everything.
[Church:] We live in interesting times, no doubt. Larry Sabato, always great to have you on the show. Thank you.
[Sabato:] Thank you, Rosemary. Thanks a lot.
[Church:] One of Hollywood's legendary stars has died. Kirk Douglas was 103 years old. And in that long-celebrated life, he challenged the movie establishment creating his own production company and helping to end the notorious Hollywood blacklist. Stephanie Elam looks back at his life and career.
[Stephanie Elam, Cnn International Correspondent:] Before Kirk Douglas became a big star, he was Issur Danielovitch Demsky, born to Russian immigrant parents in 1916. Douglas headed to Hollywood after serving in the Navy during World War II. Caricaturists focused on the famous cleft chin, but beyond that he was distinctive for the way he tore into each part with almost animal ferocity. After his breakthrough role in 1949's Champion, came a slew of memorable parts. The ambitious Hollywood producer in the Bad and the Beautiful, the rebellious soldier and Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory. The sailor in Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Artist Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life, and perhaps his biggest one, Spartacus.
[Unidentified Male:] I'm Spartacus. I'm Spartacus.
[Elam:] Douglas produced the historical epic and hire Dalton Trumbo to write it. Dalton was one of the 10 Hollywood figures who were blacklisted for 13 years for refusing to disavow communism at a congressional hearing. Douglas felt breaking the blacklist was his proudest moment.
[Kirk Douglas, Actor:] Studios would not mind using a blacklisted writer as long as they didn't have to look at him, as long as he didn't come into the studio, and as long as he never used his name. And that was such hypocrisy, that it didn't raise me. And I decided the hell with it. I'm going to I'm producing Spartacus and I want to use Dalton Trumbo's name.
[Elam:] Douglas performed in more than 80 films, produced almost 30, and directed two. His son, Michael, followed him into the business and became an A-list star himself.
[Michael Douglas, Actor:] I think that he kind of personifies the individual at the time of the big studios, the man who stood alone.
[Elam:] In 1991, he survived a helicopter crash in which two people were killed. Five years later, he suffered a debilitating stroke that affected his speech and left him contemplating suicide. The three-time Academy Award nominee was finally recognized by the Academy in 1996 with an Honorary Award for his half-century of accomplishments in the motion picture industry. In his later years, Douglas wrote a number of successful books, including his memoirs, and still did some occasional acting, appearing in a one-man stage show and starring with son Michael in the 2003 film, It Runs in The Family. Whether on-screen or off, professional accolades or personal challenges, Kirk Douglas approach life in a simple yet powerful way.

[Holmes:] Welcome back. Italy is reporting a grim milestone. On Friday, officials say 250 people died and more than 2,500 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed. That is just in 24 hours. The pandemic is putting a strain, as you might imagine, on health care resources. And as Melissa Bell reports, it is forcing doctors to make tough choices.
[Melissa Bell, Cnn Correspondent:] Italy in crisis as the novel coronavirus aggressively infects the country. The famous tourist-filled streets now mostly empty. Popular landmarks like the Colosseum in Rome without any visitors. Restaurants and bars, shut down as the government slashes flights in and out of the country. More than 15,000 COVID-19 cases, the most outside of China, after a massive jump in just the last day, leaving more than 1,000 people dead from the virus. The country is normally efficient health care system stretched to the limit.
[Dr. Enrico Storti, Maggiore Hospital:] When you receive 100 people at the same time sick as they are and all of the people need your job, otherwise they die, this is exactly what we are seeing because they arrive in the hospital with such a consistent distress that you have to treat these people in seconds.
[Bell:] With not enough beds, equipment and physicians.
[Unidentified Male:] Me and Dr. Storti, we stayed here for four to five days continuously.
[Bell:] Now there are reports that some doctors in Italy are being forced to make painful decisions.
[Yascha Mounk, "the Atlantic":] Doctors are being pushed to the point where they might have to make a choice about which patient gets one of those ventilators and which patient is denied bed care.
[Bell:] Government officials are denying that. The pandemic hit Italy a few days before the U.S. So far, cases in the United States are mirroring the growth in Italy with no signs that American hospitals are any more prepared than their Italian counterparts. The United States has 2.8 hospital beds per thousand people, fewer than Italy's 3.2 beds per thousand people, according to the OECD. The former Italian prime minister issuing a stark and haunting warning to America: do not wait for it to get worse.
[Matteo Renzi, Italian Prime Minister:] Please, do not make the same mistakes of undervaluation of the risk.
[Holmes:] Now Italy is getting some help from a perhaps unexpected place, China, CNN's senior producer Steven Jiang joins us now from Beijing. Tell us about the type of help, China does make a lot of things that the rest of the world needs right now.
[Steven Jiang, Cnn Senior Producer, Beijing Bureau:] That is right, we are talking about masks and ventilators but also medical personnel from China to Italy. In recent days, officials here have been highlighting their ramped-up their production capacity of medical supplies, including, for example, 500,000 protective suits being made on a daily basis; 1.6 million N-95 masks as well as a whopping 100 million ordinary face masks. So with the situation domestically improving in the epicenter of Wuhan, for example, they only recorded four new cases on Friday, so presumably, they will have more spare capacity for export of medical supplies to other countries. That is a point the Chinese President Xi Jinping made in a recent letter to his Italian counterpart, saying that China stands ready to share its experience and to offer its assistance. And international solidarity is the only way that the global community can face up to this grave global challenge together.
[Holmes:] I'll ask you about something else, the U.S. State Department, they believe that China is trying to deflect criticism for its role in the virus, whatever that may be. It is getting a little nasty.
[Jiang:] That is right. The two governments have been pointing a finger at each other in terms of who to blame for this outbreak for a few days now. Things really took a nasty turn, as we mentioned on Thursday, when a prominent Chinese official, he is literally the face of the government, being a foreign ministry spokesman, tweeted to promote this conspiracy theory that it was the U.S. Army that brought this virus to Wuhan back in October when athletes from the U.S. military participated in a sporting event there. It is worth noting that this theory had been circulating in Chinese social media for a while. But even the state media here has debunked it by quoting local hospital officials and saying that they have treated only five sick foreign athletes then, all for malaria. But these facts obviously did not stop Mr. Jao from tweeting on Thursday to push out this conspiracy theory to his more than 300,000 Twitter followers. And it is also no coincidence we are seeing a very concerted global campaign by Beijing to cast doubt on the origin of the virus. This didn't sit well with Washington. The State Department in the U.S. summoned the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. to protest these comments, saying that the U.S. will not tolerate these comments aimed at deflecting blame for the initial mishandling or alleged cover-up by the Beijing government.
[Holmes:] Rather unseemly, given the circumstances. Steven Jiang, good to see you in Beijing. Potential pathogens in your pockets. Scientists say your cellphone is loaded with germs. When we come back, we will show you what you can do about it.

[Jim Sciutto, Cnn Anchor:] A very good Friday morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington.
[Poppy Harlow, Cnn Anchor:] And I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. And we do begin with major breaking news. The trade war embroiling. The two biggest economies on earth just got a lot more intense. And a critical day of negotiations is about to get underway. Overnight the Trump administration drastically increased tariffs on some $200 billion worth of goods that we import from China and this morning he seems to be claiming that those tariffs are a win in themselves. Not just a means to an end, Jim.
[Sciutto:] Yes. It's a claim the president has repeatedly made, writing this morning, "Tariffs will bring in far more wealth to our country than even a phenomenal deal of the traditional kind." It's just not true. Again we point out, even as this year's economic report of the president acknowledges.
[Harlow:] Right.
[Sciutto:] Tariffs are paid largely by American importers and therefore, you and me, American consumers. It's a tax basically.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] China is promising to retaliate. Our coverage begins this morning with CNN chief business correspondent and "EARLY START" co-anchor Christine Romans. So, Christine, how did we get to this point? Because White House officials are saying this morning very clearly that they do not expect a deal today. And what happens next?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] You know, it's looking grim. And it looks like it was not a bluff, Jim and Poppy. President Trump jacked up tariffs on thousands of goods, dishwashers, frozen fish, baseball caps. Right now about half of the products China sells to the U.S., about half of them, now carry an import tax. So how did we get here? Three rounds of tariffs last year, first the U.S. put tariffs on all foreign steel and aluminum, including from China. Then in July the U.S. singled out Beijing, slapping tariffs on $50 billion worth of high tech Chinese exports. China hit back right away with tariffs on $50 billion in U.S. goods, mainly Ag products, and that has been devastating for American soybean growers in particular. But the biggest round yet was in September, $200 billion in Chinese goods. This included consumer goods like luggage and handbags and hats. Beijing hit back with $60 billion worth of U.S. exports in response. Now that $200 billion right there, that $200 billion net in September that was originally taxed at 10 percent. Today at midnight tonight it became 25 percent. And remember it is U.S. importers, not China who pay those tariffs. Now experts warn this will have consequences. That Trump's tariffs will disrupt smaller American companies. One analysis finds it could cost the equivalent of about 900,000 jobs and raise prices for the typical family of four by $767 a year. Higher costs for everything you put in your shopping cart. And the trade war is not over here. President Trump says he has started the paperwork for 25 percent tariffs on everything else, $325 billion more in Chinese exports. That would be everything that you shop for at Walmart and Target and wherever you're going to spend your money. He also has this date, the 18th of May, to decide whether to impose auto tariffs if he declares that car imports are a national security risk Poppy.
[Harlow:] This is remarkable, it's going to hit especially some of his base incredibly hard like farmers.
[Romans:] Already hitting his base hard.
[Harlow:] I don't get it. Help me understand why.
[Romans:] So the president had a tweet storm this morning including something he deleted about buying soybeans and giving them away to impoverished nations that he then deleted. So it's unclear if he knows that already that America's farmland you know, heartland is going to be hurt hardest by this. But he did say one thing that has really resonated this morning. You don't pay tariffs if you make it here. And that I think is the core of what he's trying to do here. You know, he says make it in the United States.
[Harlow:] Yes. All right.
[Romans:] I think you're and I think on the autos, I mean, the early indications are that the president sees autos as another big part of the U.S. trade deficit. Between autos and China that is where their tariffs lie.
[Harlow:] Right. You convince Americans to pay double for their T- shirts and everything else, you know, and then you can make it in America, but until you do that you've got a problem.
[Romans:] The $325 billion that he hasn't put on yet, that's going to be things like sneakers and pants.
[Harlow:] Yes. Yes.
[Romans:] Those are things that people will feel right away Poppy.
[Harlow:] OK, Romans, thank you so much.
[Romans:] You're welcome.
[Harlow:] We appreciate it. Jim.
[Sciutto:] Poppy, it's a great point, right? You know, whether it's clothes, TVs, refrigerators, washing machines.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Sciutto:] Make them here, absolutely.
[Harlow:] Sure.
[Sciutto:] Consumers would have to be prepared to pay a lot more for all those products.
[Harlow:] Yes. Totally.
[Sciutto:] That's the essential question. There are no simple solutions here. Well, President Trump is showing no signs of diffusing this tense, increasingly tense standoff with China. Joe Johns is at the White House this morning. So the president appears to think he has an upper hand because the U.S. economy is strong right now. Does that hold, I suppose, is the question and are there concerns in the White House that he is overplaying his hand?
[Joe Johns, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Well, that's been the continuing argument from White House staff including some of his economic advisers that the U.S. economy is very strong, that tariff war here between the United States and China would benefit the United States and hurt China more. So as you look at the tweets this morning it's pretty clear what the president is trying to do. Number one, he's blaming China and Xi for the breakdown in the negotiations that occurred over the weekend. The president and others have said that China essentially was seeking to change some of the language that the United States had an understanding had already been negotiated and agreed upon, but he's doing a couple other things, too, I think. He is essentially trying to tell the American people that there is really no rush here because he says the tariffs are going to benefit the United States. So what happens next, that's anybody's guess. Of course, the president did say last night that he got a nice letter from President Xi and he was asked if there would be a call between him and President Xi anytime soon. He didn't say when that might occur, however, the suggestion is it could occur today. That's not on the schedule, nonetheless I talked to one adviser who suggested it's possible. Back to you, Jim.
[Sciutto:] Well, he got a lot of nice letters from Kim Jong-un, that didn't lead to a nuclear deal. You've got to make you've got to negotiate and make an agreement.
[Johns:] That's right.
[Sciutto:] Joe Johns, thanks very much.
[Johns:] You bet.
[Sciutto:] Let's speak now to national political correspondent for "The New York Times" and CNN political analyst Alex Burns, and chief economist at Moody's Analytics Mark Zandi. Mark, I want to ask you first. First of all, so set aside the idea that somehow tariffs make us money, you and I pay for it, folks at home, $767 a year for an average family of four. Let's talk about what China will do now in retaliation. What kinds of U.S. products it will target and how will that hurt U.S. companies selling those products in China?
[Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody's Analytics:] Well, the Chinese have already raised tariffs on most of the products that we ship to them, that we sell to them, about a hundred, a little over $100 billion a year. What they could do is they could increase the percentage of the tariffs. So most of the tariffs are now at 10 percent. They could raise them to 25, they could go even higher to 35 percent. They could make life very difficult for a lot of American companies. I mean, the most obvious would be the most visible would be Apple. Right? So Apple produces a lot of iPhones in China, they could make life very difficult for them and other American companies. You know, they could manage their currency, the RMB, they could allow their RMB to fall in value vis-a-vis the dollar and that would offset the effects of the tariffs on them. So there's lots of things they could and I suspect if the president keeps pushing here they'll do them.
[Harlow:] All right. So, Mark, let me read you from page 496 of the president's own as Jim stated at the top, the president's own economic report, the economic report of the president talking about the tariffs. Offsetting these benefits are the costs paid by consumers in the form of higher prices and reduced consumption. There is a lesson here, Mark, isn't there, in history and this Mood- Holly Act, when you imposed tariffs, and then in retrospect we see that it precipitated and made the great depression prolonged and worse. So is there anything in history that tells us this is a good idea?
[Zandi:] No. No. Tariff wars are a really bad idea. They put the burden on us, the American consumer, the American businessperson. I mean, tariffs have increased, they've doubled since the trade war began a little over a year ago. That money, that $35 billion increase in tariffs is born by us when we go to the store to buy things that come from China, when businesses buy things to use in their production processes. So it's borne by us and, you know, now that the tariffs are going to have a higher percentage and if the president follows through and increases what we're imposing a tariff on all Chinese imports, that's going to hit us as consumers more directly. I mean, you were talking about apparel very clearly, consumer electronics. So American consumers are already paying, they just don't really know. It's kind of a stealth tax, but it's going to be become a very obvious tax not too far from now if this continues.
[Sciutto:] All right. Alex Burns, so let's stipulate here that China is a bad actor. It puts undue burdens on U.S. and foreign businesses operating in China, makes it very difficult by design, it steals U.S. intellectual property left and right. We know that. What the president is demanding here is China in effect fundamentally change its economic model here. The president believes he has an upper hand. Xi is pushing back here. I mean, is there an awareness in the White House that the president's tactics here might not work and then what happens next? If China doesn't yield, is the White House, is the president, prepared for just a trade war that threatens the economy?
[Alex Burns, Cnn Political Analyst:] Oh, I think there's very little doubt at this point that the president is prepared for a trade war, that he believes in the concept of trade wars, in some ways he's enthusiastic about the idea of pushing things about as far as he can. You know, talking to a lot of Republicans over the last few months and sort of business sector donors to both parties, there has been this confidence that to be candid I'm not sure where it came from, that at the end of the day there's going to be a deal. The president won't take things over the edge and I think today we're seeing that a lot of that confidence may have been misplaced. So, you know, there is a sort of politically speaking there's a short term, long term tension here, where in the long term a lot of people like the president really taking it to China for all the reasons you just described. That there is a big constituency in this country for a president or for a politician who would say to the Chinese, you do have to fundamentally change the way you do business globally but short term, that comes with a lot of pain and we're going to see how long voters will put up with that.
[Harlow:] You know what's really interesting, too, Alex, just talking about the politics of this, is that it was just a week ago or so that Joe Biden said China is really not that big of a threat, essentially, I'm paraphrasing here. You've got Joe Biden leading by a lot in the new Monmouth poll this morning. It sets up quite an interesting contrast between how former Vice President Joe Biden now 2020 contender sees China and how the president sees China, and how hard the president is going to go against China and what Joe Biden would do and what he's going to say in response.
[Burns:] And a big I think that's dead on and I think it's a big contrast between essentially how they see the nature of competition with China.
[Harlow:] Sure.
[Burns:] Right? That Biden I think remarks were inarticulate. What he was clearly trying to convey was the sense that China has a whole bunch of problems with their economic fundamentals that over the medium to long term will work to our benefit so let's not freak out. Right?
[Harlow:] Right.
[Burns:] He has had to sort of defend those comments and explain that he wasn't, you know, trying to play down different kinds of threats that the Chinese pose right now. But, you know, the president's argument is very much the opposite of that, right, that the Chinese are coming for us, you know, guns blazing and we've got to fight hard and we've got fight hard right now.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Burns:] What we haven't heard from Joe Biden and frankly a lot of the Democrats is what they would do differently to challenge China.
[Harlow:] Sure. They're going to have to
[Burns:] On same underlying complaints.
[Harlow:] They're going to have to articulate that especially when you have, you know, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer telling the president to go hard on China. Right? So
[Burns:] Well, Schumer has been Schumer has been essentially a zero cost China hawk for a long time, right.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Burns:] Talking about currency manipulation, unfair trade practices.
[Harlow:] Yes.
[Burns:] But this is what it might look like to actually take those subjects on.
[Harlow:] Thank you both very much.
[Sciutto:] Alex and Mark, thanks very much. Still ahead, the president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani is now taken on a new role. He's planning a trip to Ukraine to dig for information that could help President Trump in 2020. Are you comfortable with that? We'll explain.
[Harlow:] Yes. It's really fascinating. Also former FBI director James Comey has clearly strong feelings about the current attorney general when it comes to the handling of the Mueller report. Ahead, why Comey thinks William Barr is behaving less than honorably.

[Cabrera:] Chances are you are spending more at the grocery store, even though you're not buying more than usual. The cost of eggs, up double digits. Pork, chicken, fish, even hot dogs are going to cost you more, too. Overall, the prices for groceries has increased by 2.6 percent in April. It doesn't sound like much, but that's the biggest increase in one month since the 1970s. Back with us now is CNN's Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans. So, Christine, why is this happening and why are the cost of some goods increasing more than others?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] It's classic supply and demand. I mean, we're all out there going to the grocery store to feed our kids at home more. I mean, I know my grocery bills are up by volume and by price. Quite frankly, we're buying a lot of stuff at the same time that some of these supply chains have been disrupted. And so, that's more demand, less supply, and so you see these prices go up. When you look at eggs, in particular. I mean, you buy a carton of eggs. You notice a difference. That $2.00 carton of eggs in March is now $2.32. It's real money and it's really noticeable. You know, 2.6 percent is the increase in the price of groceries. That doesn't sound like much from March to April. But these are numbers that I have been watching for years, and they usually move by a tiny bit, like one or two-tenths of a percent point. Not this much. So, it's something that people are noticing and it means your grocery bills are definitely higher. For meat, for cereal, for bread, for just about everything.
[Cabrera:] Yes, for produce, as we saw in that last graphic. How long will these increased prices last? What are, maybe, some indicators you're looking at for when this will turn around?
[Romans:] Well, the CEO of Tyson Foods says that he is going to start they're going to start lowering, giving you discounts on some of these meat prices for grocery stores and restaurants and the like, because it was really getting noticeable. And the risk is, of course, that people pull back and start eating less meat. So, it behooves the big meat companies to try to lower those prices if they can. They're going work out some of these supply chain disruptions. But some of this is also, kind of, our interesting pandemic behavior. You know, there's a little bit of panic buying of things going on. It's so fascinating to me that people are buying things, you know, for baking. You know, how many people do you know who have, you know, sourdough starters and are trying to do some of these other things at home? So, it's interesting, some of that baby food, for example, diapers, these are other things that people are trying to stockpile a little bit. So, you can get some supply disruptions in those items as well. But I think it will smooth out over time. I mean, remember toilet paper was the leading edge of this, and now that's not so much of a problem. We're moving into other things that seem to be in short supply. Some of the Krogers and some of the other chains had limited how much meat you could buy, in particular, because that was such a big deal there. But, now, that seems to be smoothing out a little bit.
[Cabrera:] Yes, I've noticed that too, at even our local Stop and Shop, that limit put in place or at least a gentle reminder ask of people who are buying groceries. Christine Romans, it always good to have you here. Thank you.
[Romans:] All right.
[Cabrera:] Now, keep in mind, grocery prices are going up as a record number of Americans lose their jobs, meaning people really need help. And joining us now is Michelin star and multiple James Beard award- winning chef, Daniel Boulud. Chef, I am so glad to talk to you. And thank you for all the hard work you're putting into helping to feed people right now. I want to talk about your project, Food1st, in just a moment, which, of course, is providing meals to first responders, elderly people, and others in need. But let me ask you, real quick, about this spike in food prices and the impact on the restaurant industry. We have heard from other restaurant owners that the spike in wholesale meat, specifically, is making it difficult for them to reopen their restaurants. No owner wants to raise menu prices right now, right? How big of a concern is this?
[Daniel Boulud, Chef & Partner, Food1st Foundation:] Of course not. Hello, good afternoon, Ana. It's a big concern for us. I mean, everything starts with food in a restaurant. And of course, we have been, right now, making a lot of meals since we created Food1st Foundation. The CEO of S.L. Green has offered more than 50,000 meals in New York, and those meals, we make it at a very reasonable cost, but delicious. But you know, in the restaurant, when we're going to reopen, we hope that the country will also totally reopen and farmers will go back to produce and be able we hope then the price will start to level out a little bit better than right now the distribution is a little bit uneven.
[Cabrera:] Right. In terms of reopening, you're obviously a leader in the industry and you are part of the special counsel of business leaders advising the White House on reopening the economy. I know you've spoken personally with President Trump. What advice did you give the president from the restaurant industry? And do you feel his eagerness to get businesses open again is at the right level?
[Boulud:] We don't we didn't want to speak just to the president. We also spoke to the Congress on both sides and made sure that they both got the message as well. Congress and the White House about, of course, the PPP, which was not at all practical for any of the restaurants, and for businesses in general. And we are expecting some positive response with the PPP in order for business to be helped. And also we were also concerned about the small business, the small restauranteur, the small restaurants all over the country who didn't get their share, also, of the PPP, and that, I think, came into another round after. But the biggest concern is, of course, the economy. How and how can we reopen? And the safest way, the best way. Customer have trust with us, and we trust our customer, that they want to come back. We want to bring our staff back, of course. We want to bring our customer of our farmers back in business. But we first need the guidelines who is going to be visible for us to work with, practical, and where the business can sustain itself and try to not raise the price. And we are starting a I am starting by doing food to go and many of my colleagues all over the country are started that with their restaurants, and I think it's a good business. It will stay there. So we have Daniel Boulud Kitchen. We will be starting in a week in New York first. And we are looking at doing other opportunities of food to go. But we believe, also, restaurants, brick-and-mortar place, has to also reopen. And we hope that could be New York is the roughest city to open, I will say.
[Cabrera:] Well, because of the density
[Boulud:] Let me I don't want to run out of time. Forgive me. I don't mean to interrupt you. I just want to make sure we talk about Food1st because what you're doing through this nonprofit that you and others started last month and is really incredible, the way you are making a difference in communities all over the place. Your initial goal, I know, was to provide up to 200,000 meals a day for first responders and other needy New Yorkers. Yes. And we did that.
[Cabrera:] How exactly is it working?
[Boulud:] It is working because it was the initiative also of my father at a new business we are opening in New York. He wanted to see the foundation in order to be able to give meal to New Yorkers in need. And we, right away, I reopened two of my kitchens to do that, and we started to make meal for first responders but also for city Meals on Wheel in New York and to also Barry Mission, who have put shelters as well, and many other areas in New York City and the five boroughs where foods were so much needed. And the generosity of Mark Holiday and, of course, Food1st Foundation still keep raising money because we need to bring more meals to people. And the city of New York was also very interested by our fast and dedicated this foundation was to support other foundation in New York City, such as World Central Kitchen or, like I said, city Meals on Wheel as well.
[Cabrera:] OK. Yes. Chef Daniel, I appreciate the time.
[Boulud:] So about 4,000 or 5,000 meals a week.
[Cabrera:] So 4,000 or 5,000 meals a week. That's wonderful to hear. Again, Chef, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. And I'd like to stay in touch to find out how things go as the restaurant businesses begin to reopen more and more around the country. Thanks again.
[Boulud:] Thanks, Ana.
[Cabrera:] Did you know we would be in the seventh week of baseball right now if this outbreak couldn't happen? We'll have a look at what sporting events could look like this summer, next.

[Lemon:] Donald Trump, Jr. reaching a deal with Senate intel. He'll appear before the committee behind closed doors next month for only a few hours. Sources saying the questions will be limited in scope but he'll be required to clear up any discrepancies in his past testimony. I want to discuss that now with Jennifer Rodgers, Patrick Healey, and John Dean. Good evening to all of you. Thank you so much for coming on. So, Jennifer, Donald Trump, Jr. going to testify, he's going to have to answer questions about discrepancies between his testimony of what other witnesses have testified to. So, what will they get to the bottom of, how will they get to the bottom of anything there?
[Jennifer Rodgers, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Well, they obviously point out what he said before. They raise what the other witnesses have said and they just ask him about it. Is there anything you want to tell us, is there anything that you want to clarify when such and such, Michael Cohen said this? And then they ask him to clarify it. And you know, as much as they want to keep that kind of confrontation of his prior testimony under wraps, there are Democrats on that committee and they're going to be pushing him hard on this prior inconsistency.
[Lemon:] So that would be perceived as a follow-up to say what do you want to is there anything you want to clarify.
[Rodgers:] Mr. Trump, let me follow up on your prior testimony.
[Lemon:] OK. So, it's that easy.
[Rodgers:] Exactly.
[Lemon:] OK. So, all right. So, we're talking semantics here. Two to yes. Two to four hours, is that enough?
[Rodgers:] I think so. If they stretch it to the four and they're good with their questions. Congress people often aren't very good with their questioning, but hopefully they'll get some questions for them should be enough time.
[Lemon:] OK, we'll see. I want to bring you in, John, real quick. John, if it turns out that Don Jr. didn't tell the truth on things like the Trump Tower meeting with Russians or Trump Tower Moscow, what could happen? I mean, Michael Cohen is going to prison because he lied to Congress.
[John Dean, Cnn Contributor:] Well, what theoretically could happen is the committee could find the discrepancy under oath and they could refer to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and ask them to investigate. Now what are the likelihood of that happening under Mr. Barr who's got a new affection for his president, I don't think much will happen with it. I think he's pretty safe at this point. He'll probably say anything he wants to. That's how the system is broken down.
[Lemon:] Yes. You know, Republicans try normally when we talk about him testifying and this was before, there was a Democratic Congress member. Republicans tried to take the pressure off of Don Jr.. In the end though, he's going to have to testify before a Republican-led committee. Do you is this the first crack, you think, in the whole Trump stonewalling everything?
[Patrick Healy, Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes, it is. And to some extent there's been so many questions around Don Jr.'s statements. The other testimony that's been given that I think even Republicans on this committee felt like, you know, at least in terms of credibility, in terms of what they've been trying to get to the bottom in the intel committee that they had to call him in. And in terms of at least the negotiations behind the scenes, you've got to think at least these Republicans and Richard Burr was pretty strong on this, that they needed to have some kind of answers coming from the Trump family in this case. So, it wasn't easy. I didn't think that this would necessarily be the first crack that would come. But again, when you have the majority party in the Senate issuing a subpoena to the president's son, that's going to get a different kind of attention, a different kind of headlines. If it just, you know, if it hung out there endlessly and they just look like, OK, they're now they're stonewalling Senate Republicans.
[Lemon:] Yes. I played the Kamala Harris question before when she was questioning Barr. If we have the video you can put it up. You don't have to roll the whole sound. But if you can. The most satisfying part for me was the lady behind Kamala Harris looking and then Senator Cory Booker looking at her. It's just amazing because they sort of sum up the whole, the absurdity of how he answered that question. The president is saying he didn't ask Barr to investigate the origins of that question, but that's kind of hard to believe considering how he couldn't answer that question, Jennifer.
[Rodgers:] Yes. Barr was under oath.
[Lemon:] There it is right there. Look, and then if you watch. Watch the woman behind her and then watch Cory Booker's face, but go on. It's hard to believe.
[Rodgers:] So, he's under oath there. It's one thing for the president to be out there in front of the cameras saying whatever he feels like saying, but Barr is under oath. He can't lie. So that's why he's dancing around, you know, what does suggest mean. What am I going to say now? And what we've learned from all of that was that, in fact, he had had conversations with the president about other investigations and he ended up being able to dance around the questions. You know, I wish that she would have been able to actually push him a little bit harder and get a final answer on that.
[Lemon:] If you look at the president's Twitter feed, Patrick, I mean, it's all right there, "investigate the investigators," and that's all in caps. And this is a new one. I mean, when Jeff Sessions said the DOJ wouldn't be improperly influenced Trump tweeted back saying, quote, "look into all the corruption on the other side." And here's what Trump said about things just last month. Watch this.
[Trump:] I hope they now go and take a look at the origins, the origins of the investigation, the beginnings of that investigation. Hopefully the attorney general is doing a great job getting started on going back to the origins of exactly where this all started.
[Lemon:] So, he got the oranges the origins right.
[Healy:] Yes, message received loud and clear, right? I mean, Trump you can say this about Trump, he doesn't mince words. I mean, he doesn't hide his feelings, he says what he wants.
[Lemon:] Oranges.
[Healy:] He beat up this origin. I mean, you know, he best up Jeff Sessions on Twitter, you know, public remarks for, you know, for basically almost the entire term that he was in office. Bill Barr new exactly what the president has wanted, you know, in this regard. And there's just a lot of evidence, you know, Bill Barr is willing to kind of parrot a lot of this language the president use like the spying language. I mean, willingly sort of saying that the American intelligence agencies were spying on Donald Trump. That is music to his ears. That is what this president expects of total loyalty even from Republicans who once were guided by evidence, were guided by their own independent judgment, were guided by their constitutional duty. Now it's what the president says and you follow in lockstep.
[Lemon:] John, you know, today Lindsey Graham, one of the president's staunchest allies said that he was going to back off his own in Russia his own Russia investigation. Do you think he would do that if he didn't think Barr was looking out for Trump?
[Dean:] I'm not sure how Lindsey Graham would come out on anything. He's a loose cannon now. But you know what's unprecedented, Don, is the fact this investigation is going forward in any way, shape or form. It started with an assistant or a U.S. attorney from Utah who was waiting for the I.G. report, Horowitz to investigate it at the Department of Justice. Now they've added another U.S. attorney to the investigation. Horowitz still not completed his investigation. And he's got impeccable credentials. Somebody whose word is taken very seriously. But the fact that they're going on and pursuing this, it's obviously a ploy of some sort to get this into the campaign, to get it into 2020. He wants this as an issue. And that's why Barr was either told and took the signal and ran and they're trying to make it a campaign issue.
[Lemon:] Yes. I just wanted to ask. We're getting we're getting some new information in here, Jennifer, I want to ask you about this. And it's about this Alabama Senate bill. Alabama, tonight Alabama, the Senate there passed a bill that essentially bans abortion and penalizes doctors harshly, up to 99 years in prison. The governor is expected to sign it setting up an epic Supreme Court battle. Is this going to lead overturning abortion rights?
[Rodgers:] Well, maybe. And this is one thing that's really dangerous. We also heard today or yesterday they came down with a decision a totally unrelated matter in a tax case, but it was the first time that a five to four majority overturned prior precedent just because they decided that they didn't like it, and Justice Breyer wrote a really scathing dissent about that. Saying, we can't just overturn our decisions because now more people they'll not feel like, you know, we didn't like the way it was done. So that was kind of a warning signal, I think from Justice Breyer that when an abortion case gets up to the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade could be in trouble, and who knows it might be this Alabama case that gets us there. But I think many anti-abortion activists thinks that their time is now.
[Lemon:] The law only allows expect exception to avoid a serious excuse me, a serious health risk to the unborn child's mother and for atopic pregnancy and if the unborn child has a lethal anomaly. The bill which makes no expectation for rape or incest, let Senator Smitherman to ask what happened to a 12-year-old with incest. Incest. And then Senator Chambliss replied, what I would what I hope is if we pass this bill all young ladies will be educated by their parents or guardians that they should go get help if a situation of rape or incest took place to audible displeasure from the panic public gallery.
[Rodgers:] Yes. I mean, these abortion cases are tough. You know, most of the anti-abortion activists would say things like it's not the fetus's fault that the rape happened and the girl should still be required to carry it to term and then kind of get on with their life from there. So, you know, we'll see what happens.
[Lemon:] Elections have
[Healy:] This is the language that the Republicans are poll testing. I mean, this is language we're starting to hear more and more from the president. I mean, they feel like it's not just a Supreme Court case but a degree to which he's alienated parts of his base and loss seats in 2018. Abortion they think is one way to energize and bring some of those voters back.
[Lemon:] As I was saying elections have consequences, and this is one. Thank you all. We'll be right back.

[Romans:] Coronavirus is spreading quickly across Latin America. Brazil is hitting a record high for new cases in the past 24 hours. The third straight day Brazil has had more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more from Rio de Janeiro.
[Nick Paton Walsh, Cnn International Security Editor:] Laura, Christine, Brazil's numbers going from very bad to even worse, a record 26,417 cases reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 438,000. I should remind you, that isn't probably the full picture, because of the requirements needed here in Brazil to get a coronavirus test that we've heard from so many doctors. The death toll now at 26,000. This adding to the sense really of concern the head of a likely peak in the next week or two. Here in Rio de Janeiro, they said in the last 24 hours, they got to 4,800 dead. That surpasses even China's toll, official toll, reported toll in a country of 1.6 billion and perhaps reflects certainly the crisis may be what Rio is fearing in the weeks ahead. But I'll say, Brazil's number not the entire picture, but certainly, the death toll sadly a reflection of what people are seeing simply happen in health care facilities around here. Other troubling news as well, the IMF reporting a likely contraction of 5.3 percent in the Brazilian economy. At the same time, too, President Jair Bolsonaro, who's quite contrary relaxed, dismissive take on the violence calling it a little flu, many accused of being behind the spread of it here. His approval ratings slipped to some degree. A 5 percent rise in those who disapprove of the job that he is doing, and also too just as we head into the peak of Brazil's major cities, the biggest, wealthiest Sao Paulo, well, that appears now to be easing the lockdown potentially, recognizing perhaps the damage done to their economy for Monday. If you present a plan to the government that can be approved, you may be allowed to reopen, some nonessential shop. So, such a conflicting series of messages here in Brazil, as the numbers continue to horrify Christine, Laura.
[Jarrett:] All right. Thanks to Nick for that report on Brazil. Cancer patients treated with a combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for COVID-19 are more likely to die than those who are not. That's according to "The Lancet" medical journal. The treatment has been frequently touted by President Trump. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen has more.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Senior Medical Correspondent:] It's the drug combination that President Trump loves to tout hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, an antibiotic. Now, another study coming out showing not only does it help, it actually can hurt COVID patients. This was a study of 928 cancer patients who also happened to be COVID. What they found those taking the drug combination were almost three times more likely to die and those taking the drug combination were six times more likely to either die, need a ventilator, get admitted to the ICU or require hospitalization. It's this kind of data that spurred the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to tell doctors don't prescribe this drug combination to people with COVID unless they're in a clinical trial and you're studying the combination. We should note in the most recent study with the cancer patients, it was published in the medical journal "The Lancet", and very few only a few of the patients were in a clinical trial. So, yet more data showing this drug combination appears to be bad news for COVID patients Laura, Christine.
[Romans:] All right. Elizabeth, thank you for that. The Sesame Street crew will return to CNN for a second town hall on coronavirus. And staying safe this summer, the ABCs of COVID-19 airs Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. right here on
[Cnn. Jarrett:] We can all use a little levity from that. Just hours from now, President Trump is expected to speak with China. More on what his administration has in the works, coming up next.

[Cabrera:] Welcome back. This afternoon there are concerns that overcrowding on Mount Everest may be to blame for at least two deaths. Both climbers reached Mount Everest's summit but died on their way down after getting stuck in a traffic jam of people who were waiting to summit the world's highest mountain. One climber's chilling photo shows the line of people waiting on an exposed ridge. He estimates there were 320 people in that line. Officials for Nepal's Tourism Department called suggestions that a traffic jam contributed to the deaths baseless. Jim Davidson has summitted Mount Everest. He has 37 years of experience as a high-altitude climber. Jim, do you agree that the connection between these deaths and the overcrowding is baseless?
[Jim Davidson, High-atltitude Climber:] I would say that the crowding causes an acceleration of other factors. But people don't die of overcrowding or slowness. When things go a little wrong, the overcrowding does make things more conflicted up high.
[Cabrera:] Is a traffic jam on Mount Everest normal?
[Davidson:] Sadly, it's becoming more frequent now. Twenty years ago, no, it wasn't normal. These days it is more common. And when we have a bad weather day it really compresses everyone into the same day. And then that kind of overcrowding and traffic jam is a normal occurrence, unfortunately.
[Cabrera:] Why has it become more of a normal occurrence when it didn't used to be?
[Davidson:] Well, there's more people going to the mountain now. People from all over the world. And Mount Everest is an amazing place. It inspires people to go there. Unfortunately, we all wind up there at the same time because of the annual weather cycle. And if we have rough weather in May, everyone's going for the summit on the same days. It's almost like everyone trying to go to the beach right on a national holiday. We're all there at once, unfortunately, and we get in each other's way.
[Cabrera:] I've read the book, "Into Thin Air" I climbed Mount Hood. That's my mountain-climbing experience and understanding. You have actually had to do mountain rescues before. Given your experience and knowledge of how all this works, talk about the challenges of trying to help somebody when, suddenly, things go wrong, they need help, on a mountain like Mount Everest.
[Davidson:] Yes. I've been a rescuer with a number of teams. It's always very challenging because it's cold and distant and high. Mount Everest, of course, is the most distant and the highest of all. So it's very difficult to even take care of yourself and check in with your teammates, let alone to take on the extra work of actually rescuing somebody. They used to say until 10 years ago that needing a rescue high on Mount Everest was like being on the dark side of the moon. These days, with better communication and equipment, sometimes we can get people down. But it's still extremely difficult and extremely dangerous for everyone around you.
[Cabrera:] There's debate that Everest has perhaps become over commercialized. That if you have enough means, you can pay for a guided expedition to climb it, giving access to people who maybe aren't well prepared. What's your take on that?
[Davidson:] Yes, I've heard those stories, too. And you know, you do have to prepare very well. It has become more popular here in the states and overseas. And sometimes it lures people in who aren't quite ready. And I think we all need to work together, the clients and the guides and the commercial companies and the Nepali guiding companies and people saying let's make sure people are truly prepared. There's no one thing to make it happen, but we can do several things to prepare people and screen them and cooperate together because it is a dangerous spot. And we're all mushed in together on those few precious summit days.
[Cabrera:] All right, Jim Davidson, I appreciate your insight this. Thank you.
[Davidson:] You're welcome.
[Cabrera:] President Trump defending his attack on Nancy Pelosi. And the latest response from Facebook about a doctored video used to question Speaker Pelosi's mental state. Why the company says it will stay up.

[Dave Briggs, Cnn:] NBA free agency tips off with a shocker heard round the basketball world. Kevin Durant announcing plans to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. A deal for four years, $164 million. Durant played the last three seasons with the Golden State Warriors winning two titles. He is expected to miss most or all of next season after rupturing his Achilles in the NBA finals. Durant will join free agents Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan who are also headed to Brooklyn. K.D. and Kyrie reportedly took less money to sign so the Nets could sign DeAndre Jordan. Meantime, the Knicks sought to assure their very disappointed fans in a statement saying they continue to be upbeat and confident in their plans to rebuild. "Early Start" continues right now.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Stepping across that line was a great honor. A lot of progress has been made.
[Michelle Kosinski, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent:] A lot of progress, as the president making history by crossing into North Korea and saying he is restarting nuclear talks, but a deal to curb Pyongyang's nuclear program still faces long odds.
[Briggs:] Breaking news right now. Protesters in Hong Kong smash the front glass of the legislative building. Thousands in the streets to mark 22 years since Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China. Welcome back to "Early start." I'm Dave Briggs on a breaking news Monday around the world.
[Kosinski:] A lot going on this Monday to start us off. And I'm Michelle Kosinski in for Christine Romans. It's 32 minutes past the hour here in New York. And while you were enjoying a summer weekend, there was history being made at the DMZ. The president meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and becoming the first sitting U.S. president to cross into North Korean territory. The two leaders met for nearly an hour agreeing to restart those nuclear talks. Again, it was part of a weekend full of activity that could reshape U.S. relationships in Asia.
[Trump:] This is my honor. I didn't really expect it. We were in Japan for the G20. We came over and I said, hey, I'm over here. I want to call Chairman Kim and we got to meet and stepping across that line was a great honor. A lot of progress has been made. A lot of friendships have been made and this has been a particular great friendship so I just want to thank you.
[Briggs:] A great friendship with the murderous dictator. No doubt, President Trump loves this historic optics. Overnight North Korean state media describing the TrumpKim DMZ summit as an amazing event. But will it amount to anything beyond a photo-op. Let's bring in Paula Hancocks live near the DMZ. Paula, it would appear if "The New York Times" reporting is accurate, United States has prepared to significantly lower the bar. Good morning.
[Paula Hancocks, Cnn Correspondent:] Hello, Dave. Well, what we're hearing from "The New York Times" is that Trump administration officials are potentially now looking for a nuclear freeze as opposed to what they have asked for before, which is complete denuclearization of North Korea and then they would consider easing some of the sanctions on them. That is would be more of a step-by-step process. It would potentially tacitly accepts North Korea as nuclear power. Now, this is what we have seen from previous U.S. administrations. The fact that they have gone for freezes of nuclear missile tests in the past, there has been varying degrees of success, but all of those deals have eventually fallen down. Now we also understand from "The New York Times" article that the U.S. administration might be considering the deal that was discussed in Hanoi back in February. This was that North Korea would give up its main nuclear producing facility. This is the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center and that would in turn lead to some sanctions relief. Now, this was rejected by Washington back in Hanoi saying that they wanted some of these undisclosed sights that North Korea hasn't admitted to be part of the deal as well. But very interestingly we did see that when President Trump was standing next to the South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House, the presidential office, they gave a press conference, President Moon suggested this Yongbyon deal, once again and the U.S. president did not object to that. But let's hear what he was saying as well at the DMZ.
[Trump:] We want to get it right. We don't want to we're not looking for speed, we're looking to get it right. And in the meantime, there's been no nuclear tests, there's been no ballistic missiles. There's been a lot of goodwill and there continues to be. Maybe if anything, better. And it probably after today, better than it was even before.
[Hancocks:] Now it is clear there is no need for speed when it comes to Kim Jong-un. He is not limited to a certain term as leader of North Korea. His term is, if he has anything to do with it, for life, of course for President Trump it is a very different matter, Dave.
[Briggs: Ok, 5:] 35 there p.m. near the DMZ. Paula, thank you.
[Kosinski:] Newly minted White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham getting some unexpected come back experience in the chaos that surrounded the impromptu TrumpKim meeting. Grisham got into a scuffle with North Korean officials outside a meeting room where the two leaders were talking privately. A source at the scene described it as an all-out brawl and said Grisham was a bit bruised. Several U.S. journalists did give her credit for assuring their press freedoms.
[Briggs:] Temporary truce in the U.S.China trade war. During the G20, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to table new tariffs and continue negotiations. The president telling Fox News he is optimistic about a deal with China.
[Tucker Carlson, Fox:] You just recently, hours ago, met with the Chinese President Xi Jinping.
[Trump:] I did.
[Carlson:] Are you closer, do you think, after that meeting to a trade deal?
[Trump:] I think so. We had a very good meeting, he wants to make a deal. I want to make a deal, very big deal. Probably, I guess you'd say the largest deal ever made of any kind, not only trade. We got along very well. We understand each other.
[Briggs:] White House chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow said there's no guarantee that a deal will happen.
[Larry Kudlow, White House Economic Adviser:] As the president said, continuing the talks which had been interrupted for a while, is a very big deal. No promises. There's no deal made. There's no timetable, I want to emphasize that.
[Briggs:] Investors like the news of a temporary truce. Wall Street futures are positive ahead of the opening bell. Something to remember here, existing tariffs on Chinese goods are still in place and will continue to hit businesses in the United States. Futures are also higher after Trump said he would lift some restrictions on Chinese tech giant Huawei ending a ban on American companies from using Huawei the telecom gear. Trump said Huawei will be save for the end of trade talks between Washington and Beijing.
[Kosinski:] A tense standoff overnight in Hong Kong with pro-democracy demonstrators taking a violent turn. Some of them shattering the glass on the legislative building. We are live there next.

[Allen:] According to Johns Hopkins University, the total of coronavirus cases in the United States stands at more than 3.2 million; 29 states are reporting spikes in cases. You can see them here in red and orange. Single day case records were broken Saturday in Texas, Wisconsin and South Carolina. New guidance from the CDC says up to 40 percent of people infected by the virus may show no symptoms at all but they can still spread it to others. We're going to talk about the latest developments with my guest. Joining me from Toulouse, France, is Sian Griffiths. She led Hong Kong's inquiry into SARS in 2003. Thank you so much for joining us. Good to see you. Good to have you on again.
[Dr. Sian Griffiths, Emeritus Professor, Chinese University Of Hong Kong:] Thanks.
[Allen:] As of Saturday, the United States has 61,352 new cases and we keep setting new records every day. What does that tell you about the situation we are in here?
[Griffiths:] From an external perspective, it shows that you're not really in control of the virus. The epidemic is increasing, the numbers keep as you say, keep breaking the records, which is a really unfortunate record to keep breaking. And it is a very serious situation because obviously COVID is running rife, particularly in those states that show red on your map.
[Allen:] It is hard to fathom, isn't it, how quickly states like Florida and even West Virginia now, Louisiana, South Carolina, are surging and so rapidly. What should states do to try to turn this back?
[Griffiths:] I think they need to get public messages out. This is a serious disease. There is a sense that it doesn't seem to matter if you get COVID, I read about COVID parties. But that's just ridiculous to think this isn't a serious disease. It can affect any of us. It is more likely to affect older people, more likely to kill people who are older with a pre-existing condition. At the same time, young people can also contract it and there are long-term consequences of having the disease. So really it is a matter of saying what can we do as individuals and what can we do as authorities. And so for individuals, it is remembering social distancing, remember social hygiene and I would advise face covering from mask wearing. And for the states, they need to think about what lockdown measures should be in place to stop the spread of disease. It seems to be increasing, increasing, increasing. And we head as we head toward winter, we add in flu and the
[Allen:] We also now have seen this new development from the CDC, which estimates 40 percent of people infected don't have any symptoms. How does that complicate the situation?
[Griffiths:] It means that if you don't feel unwell, you think, I haven't got it. But in fact you can be infectious. If you're close to somebody who is vulnerable, then they will get the infection or they may well get the infection. What you need to do is remember that each and every one of us needs to take those hand washing precautions, wear face coverings, needs to remember social distance and remember that, when we go shopping, when we go out for a meal, remember when with friends, we need to remember that, though we have no symptoms, we could be infectious.
[Allen:] And how long could it now take, do you think, for the U.S. to get out from under this?
[Griffiths:] It will depend on what measures are taken. And I think, you know, I think that people that's why I'm really emphasizing it is the measures you take. We we can hope there is going to be a vaccine. But the vaccine isn't with us yet. And then the question is, who gets the vaccine? Having a vaccine is not necessarily the answer. We're getting better at treating people. But a lot of the hospital system is under pressure. So don't rely on the hospital system. It is going to be about the public health precautionary measures, which will, you know, if you get symptoms, get tested, go into isolation, make sure your contacts are also tested and are in isolation and so that we can break the chain of transmission. That's what we need to do and we need to do it many times over when you have such a huge surge in so many places.
[Allen:] Yes, and the threat here is hospitals being overrun, Florida, Miami-Dade County, is seeing over 100 percent increase in ventilators. There are a lot of very sick people in these hospitals. And even manpower could be short at some point. And that would put the United States in a situation that could be, well, quite frankly, historic.
[Griffiths:] Well, the unfortunate thing is that we saw, in Wuhan, where the disease started in January, it was those pictures of overwhelmed hospitals, healthcare staff, who were getting sick and finding themselves because we know that they're at risk because they're closer to the virus. It is the fact that the healthcare system can be overwhelmed. It was overwhelmed in northern Italy and so the States have plenty of time to look at these messages. That's what is so unfortunate. And we you will start to run out of protective equipment. You will start to run out of ventilators if you can't stop the curb this disease and prioritize who gets care. All these things are
[Allen:] Really important that you stress that people in these states must get proper information, you know. This has been a very much a conflict here in the United States. Young people, as you mentioned, haven't taken it seriously. I saw one report today where a young woman, who was 30 years old, in a hospital died and. The last words to the nurse was, I got this wrong. I thought it was a hoax. That just goes to show you how far we are to getting the message straight.
[Griffiths:] You really have to get the message straight. This is not a hoax. It can affect young people. It can also affect children. So to think it doesn't is incorrect. And sometimes they can get an extremely severe reaction. So it is a serious disease. It will it can be controlled if we all take it seriously. But if you think of it as a hoax, it is not a hoax. It is a real disease. You look across the world. You look at Brazil, Mexico, you look at Indonesia, Pakistan, India, they're all seeing increases in numbers of cases, increases in deaths. And the deaths are among the most vulnerable and the elderly. So you know, young people, it's your granny you're protecting when you take the measures, if not yourself.
[Allen:] We always appreciate your expertise, Sian Griffiths, joining us from Toulouse, France, thank you so much.
[Griffiths:] Thank you. Thank you.
[Allen:] Two Republican senators have broken ranks with U.S. president Donald Trump after he commuted the prison sentence of his long time friend and ally, Roger Stone. Senators Mitt Romney and Pat Toomey both denounced clemency for Stone, even though most other Republican lawmakers have remained quiet on the matter. Stone was convicted of seven felonies, including lying to Congress and witness tampering. The president on Saturday doubled down on his action, defying what the attorney general said about the Stone case.
[Trump:] Roger Stone was treated horribly. Roger Stone was treated very unfairly. Roger Stone was brought into this witch hunt, this old political witch hunt and the Mueller scam, it is a scam, because it has been proven false and he was treated very unfairly. What I did what I did, I will tell you this, people are extremely happy because in this country they want justice. And Roger Stone was not treated properly.
[William Barr, U.s. Attorney General:] Well, as you know, the Stone case was prosecuted while I was attorney general. And I supported it. I think it was established, he was convicted of obstructing Congress and witness tampering. And I thought that was a righteous prosecution. And I was happy that he was convicted.
[Allen:] Most thought it was a righteous conviction there, prosecution of Roger Stone. The former special counsel of the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, made a rare, reacting to Trump'action. In "The Washington Post," he wrote this, "I feel compelled to respond both to broad claims that our investigation was illegitimate and our motives were improper and to specific claims that Roger Stone was a victim of our office. "The Russia investigation was of paramount importance. Stone was prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes. He remains a convicted felon and rightly so." Let's get more perspective now on this. Joining me from London, Inderjeet Parmar, a visiting professor at the London School of Economics. Thank you for coming on.
[Inderjeet Parmar, Visiting Professor, London School Of Economics:] Thank you, good morning.
[Allen:] Good morning to you. There has been no shortage of outrage over this move by President Trump. A CNN Legal Analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, called the president's move the most corrupt and cronyistic act in perhaps all of recent history. What are your thoughts?
[Parmar:] Well, it is within his constitutional remit. On the other hand, the a commutation of a sentence doesn't mean a pardon, doesn't mean the person is not guilty. But what it does show, if you like, is that President Trump is continuing to declare war on what he would call the deep state and he wants to wear again the mantle of the champion of the people, who is draining the swamp and so on and still fighting that war. But what he shows is that now something like seven of his advisers who are convicted of various crimes, some of them are serving sentences. But President Trump wants to try to exonerate himself by exonerating the people who basically acted on his behalf, even if not necessarily with his own knowledge. So he's basically doing the opposite of draining the swamp, as a promise he made to the American people.
[Allen:] On another topic involving the president, he finally wore a mask in this pandemic. Took a minute. Who knows if he'll continue because he doesn't like the look of it but he bent to pressure from his team. What could be the significance when you consider he has staunchly rebuffed recommendations from top health officials as cases surge in the U.S.? And he does impact his supporters. His country has had serious conflicts over mask wearing because they just haven't gotten that leadership from this president.
[Parmar:] Yes, I think what it suggests is that President Trump's recent strategy of that there is no pandemic, there is no problem, people will get used to it, it won't make any impact and so on, has been basically contradicted by facts on the ground. There is an objective reality about a pandemic. You can't just wish it away. And as it moves closer to his political heartlands, it effectively has had massive political effects. And there is a great fear among the GOP leadership that they're going to lose the Senate and possibly quite badly. The number of states which are safe, Republican states like Iowa, for example, now appear to be coming into play. And from what reports that I've read, it suggests the GOP leadership is putting pressure on the Trump administration to take this a lot more seriously, handle it better. And effectively he's got until about Labor Day to save the day. But he's sinking in the polls. He's behind in key states which he won in 2016 like Florida, for example and battleground states as well and also nationally. And he also appears to hit a low of 17 percent loyalty approval among his GOP voters as well. So there is a kind of massive shift going on, which is sort of taking the rug from under his feet. And the GOP leadership is keeping a good eye on this now. And they're even casting around for other candidates in future elections as well. So I think they're losing a little bit of confidence and giving him a deadline to get it right by Labor Day or you're done. So the mask wearing may be a signal of a change of strategy.
[Allen:] Perhaps. We'll wait and see. You recently co-wrote an article stating that mismanagement of the COVID crisis on behalf of the president, coupled with racial upheaval we have seen over police brutality and the president's response to that, have contributed to a terrible but perfect political storm. Can you elaborate?
[Parmar:] Yes, any storm of this character will take me a long time in the making. So President Trump, if you like, is the person in charge. He's responsible and he's got to take responsibility for a large amount of the outcomes. But if you like, a long-term shift has been occurring. And the Floyd killing has taken away the kind of support for the police and his ideas about white nationalism and minorities are the problem and so on. That has brought that home, that's taken the rug from under his feet. The pandemic hit minorities and workers very, very hard, much harder than most other people, that's taken a big hit on that front, too. But also it's hit the economy, which is a second area he was going to give America back to the ordinary people, his people, and he's going to kind of strengthen the economy. That those two things together have actually removed the ground from under his feet and he's lost his two main kind of planks that he stood for. I think he's, therefore, floundering. The majority of public opinion in America thinks race and racism and police brutality are major problems. And the economy is in a terrible situation. And I think those two things combined have made the current position of President Trump rather desperate. It is a terrible but kind of perfect storm, too.
[Allen:] Inderjeet Parmar, thank you for your time.
[Parmar:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Coming up here, COVID-19 cases in the U.S., as we mentioned, are soaring. But other countries have managed to stifle the spread. We'll have details on the shocking comparison. Also, protests and coronavirus in Serbia, how the government's COVID- 19 response is having major consequences for the president there. We'll have live reports.

[Fredricka Whitfield, Cnn:] Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All right. This is just in to the newsroom. We have now learned that Ambassador Philip Reeker was issued a subpoena to testify before he appeared on Capitol Hill this morning. This rare Saturday hearing is happening right now as part of the House's impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Reeker is one of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's deputies. He has been testifying now for about an hour. And this hearing comes amid a major legal victory for Democrats. A federal judge ruling the Justice Department must release redacted documents from Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. The decision undercuts a key Republican argument that the impeachment inquiry is invalid. Meanwhile, President Trump is dismissing calls from Republicans to bolster his team as the inquiry unfolds and, again, demanding to learn the identity of the whistleblower who actually triggered the start of this inquiry. The President tweeting this morning, "Where is the whistleblower?" CNN's Jeremy Herb is on Capitol Hill this morning. So, Jeremy lots of Jeremys. I almost called you Diamond. But anyway, Jeremy Herb now on Capitol Hill. Let's begin with what's happening there. Philip Reeker testifying in front of the three House committees. Are we learning anything more about this subpoena, the circumstances? Was he originally just invited, refused, or sent a signal that he might not come and they had to then subpoena? Explain the sequence of events.
[Jeremy Herb, Cnn Politics Reporter:] Yes. So Philip Reeker received a subpoena as part of his deposition today. This is the same procedure that we have seen for all of the current administration officials who have testified so far. The committees are interested in talking to Reeker because he could potentially help corroborate some of the previous testimony they've had. Reeker worked with George Kent and Kurt Volker, two of the witnesses that have already testified on Ukraine policy. And he was part of the effort to try to shield former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, in terms of how and who was fired back in April. He was trying to stop her from the campaign that was being led by Rudy Giuliani to smear her. And so he's part of their emails that he was sending to Kent and Volker trying to protect her from that. And so I think that is one of the key things today that we're going to learn from Reeker's testimony, which is happening behind closed doors.
[Whitfield:] And then Former Deputy National Security Advisor Charles Kupperman has filed a lawsuit on Friday asking a federal judge to decide whether he should testify as part of this impeachment inquiry. What more are you learning about that? And a very unusual approach?
[Herb:] It's certainly interesting. And this it throws into doubt whether Charles Kupperman will appear on Monday when he's scheduled to testify. He's asking a federal judge to say whether he needs to comply with the House subpoena for him to testify, saying that the White House has declared that this impeachment inquiry is invalid and he is caught between the executive and the legislative branches. His subpoena, whether the court rules on this and how fast it does is potentially significant when it comes to the testimony of others who may be less more reluctant to testify. And it's also worth noting that Kupperman, who was a deputy to John Bolton, has the same attorney as Mr. Bolton. So if the committees try to bring in Bolton, it's possible that we could see a similar legal strategy there.
[Whitfield:] Interesting. So, Jeremy, does the filing of that lawsuit come after the federal judge's ruling, federal House ruling that this process is valid?
[Herb:] It will be interesting to see how that ruling that says the House has and should have access to Mr. Mueller's grand jury material, whether that plays into the court process for Mr. Kupperman. I think the biggest problem for the House is going to be time. They are trying to do this impeachment inquiry as quick as they can. That's why we're here on a Saturday. And these lawsuits take time. And so it's not clear whether they would be able to get a ruling compelling Kupperman to come in before they want to move forward on potential articles and public hearings and all of that.
[Whitfield:] All right. Jeremy Herb, thank you so much. I'll check back with you. Appreciate it. All right. Meanwhile, a defiant President Trump ignoring Republican calls for the administration to build a team to handle impeachment. The President says he is his own best messenger.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] Here's the thing. I don't have teams. Everyone is talking about teams. I'm the team.
[Whitfield:] CNN's Kristen Holmes is at the White House. So, Kristen, Republicans want the President to have a team, something similar to the format of Former President Bill Clinton when he was being impeached. The President saying no. Is he going to maintain that position?
[Kristen Holmes, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well, we're going to have to wait and see, Fred, but here's where we stand right now. We know what Bill Clinton had was what was called a war room. This was a team of people who were not involved with the White House. They were separate, just to deal with the impeachment probe. President Trump, for the reason that he himself just said in that clip, doesn't want a war room because he believes he is his own messenger. I mean, look at those words, saying "I am the team," and his Twitter feed would certainly show that that is how he feels. He's been out ranting on Twitter last night as well as today. I'm just going to read you one of the tweets just so you get a gist of what he's saying. "The Ukraine investigation is just as corrupt and fake as all of the other garbage that went on before it. Even shifty Schiff got caught cheating when he made up what I said on the call." Again, this is just one of many tweets. He attacked Nancy Pelosi, the media. He said "Where's the whistleblower?" as I heard you repeat earlier. So this is not the messaging that Republicans want to send. And in fact, they're hoping that he would take an approach where he would just press on the system to talk about the procedure here, to really stress that what Democrats were doing in the process was wrong. But what we're seeing here is what Trump believes is best for Trump. It is attacking. It is on the offensive here. And it is whatever he wants to do.
[Whitfield:] All right. Kristen Holmes at the White House, thank you so much. All right. Let's talk more on all of this now. Joining me right now, Michael Bender, a White House reporter for "The Wall Street Journal" and a CNN Political Analyst. Good to see you. And Karoun Demirjian, a Congressional reporter for "The Washington Post" and CNN Political Analyst. Good to see you as well. OK, Karoun. You're first. How significant is this judge's ruling, Judge Howell's ruling, that the redacted grand jury information from the Mueller report be released to lawmakers who want it?
[Karoun Demirjian, Congressional Reporter, The Washington Post:] Well, we'll see how significant it is in terms of the substance because they do seem to be focused more on Ukraine right now than the findings in the Mueller report as the epicenter of the impeachment investigation is moving forward. But the fact that this ruling came and treated, it effectively says this impeachment inquiry is legitimate and that's why they need to be provided access to that grand jury information. That's very significant right now, given that you've got this full court press from the Republicans saying it's not legitimate, but pressure from the Congressional Republicans to cast a vote on the floor and the fact that they are now that there are potential witnesses that are questioning whether they have to comply with these subpoenas, having that ruling that says no, this is an impeachment inquiry and thus we have to treat it as if it is meriting the information that would be given to any impeachment inquiry, could open up doors for these lawmakers who are investigating going forward into these next several critical weeks.
[Whitfield:] So, Michael, that ruling twofold, release the documents and that the impeachment inquiry is legitimate. So the President has been calling this a hoax. He continues to call it a witch hunt, but you have to wonder whether that ruling now yes, it will further bolster the Democrats, but it you have to wonder where how influential it could be now for Republicans who have been trying to defend the President by saying there's something wrong with this process, but then now you've got the judge ruling here.
[Michael Bender, White House Reporter, The Wall Street Journal & Cnn Political Analyst:] Yes, definitely. I mean, this is the first time that the judiciary has weighed in on the legality of this impeachment probe. So that's very significant. But if you take a step back and understand that, this has always been more of a political argument for the White House and Trump's allies on the Hill than really a major legal strategy. They've been arguing against this impeachment probe mostly on process grounds. They've just been saying that usually in the past, these impeachments have started with a full vote in the House and wanted one this time. A judge obviously has said that that's not the case. Now, that decision can still be appealed, but but you're right. This takes away a major plank from the argument that Republicans and the President have been making for the better part of a month now on the argument against this probe.
[Whitfield:] All right. So, Karoun, let's talk about the activity happening on Capitol Hill, where you are right now. Ambassador Philip Reeker, the latest member of the State Department to testify in this inquiry, and today your reporter colleagues at "The Washington Post" have an article discussing how outside advisers are frustrated that the White House has not filed an injunction to stop the depositions. Former 2016 Trump Campaign Spokesperson Jason Miller is quoted in the piece as saying, "Many Trump allies are concerned and don't understand the strategy of not filing an injunction. It's a head-scratcher. President Trump and the administration have clearly said they don't want folks participating in this sham process and stepping all over Presidential privilege." But you've got this judge's ruling now, saying the process is legit. Congress has this oversight authority. People can be deposed. So, isn't it too late to try to file any kind of injunction? And is that idea even moot, period, anyway?
[Demirjian:] Well, I mean, there's the question open right now that if they file the injunction at this point after you've had several witnesses come forward under subpoena to give this testimony, if that would actually convince a judge that that injunction should be met with any sort of a stop on this process. I mean, look, this but this is the the push-and-pull between the executive and the legislative branches that we're seeing play out with every single witness. You saw the White House earlier put out that statement of we don't want to cooperate with this at all. There have been individual orders that have come down for the current administration officials from the State Department saying don't go. The committees hear that. They issue these friendly subpoenas in order to enable the witnesses to have a legal defense basically to say, no, I'm not going to flout a subpoena and maybe risk going into a court process for myself. And under that subpoena, they come to testify. And that has been the case for witness after witness after witness, including Mr. Reeker today. He's operating under the same protection of that friendly subpoena. And so I think that this is going to be the grounds upon which the White House has to make these arguments of, well, we don't want to be doing this, basically boil down to executive privilege. And it's difficult for the President. You can't just claim executive privilege over the entire executive branch. And because these are career employees for the most part who are giving this testimony, he will be hard-pressed to make that argument and that may be what's limiting or stopping people from before going to court and trying to make that argument right now.
[Whitfield:] Right. And Michael, we're talking about the White House at all angles then, publicly now plotting about concealing. And how is it then the White House doesn't see that that is near tantamount to saying, "cover up?" I mean, if there's nothing there, then just let it all out as opposed to now angling for how do you conceal and make sure that this process does not continue with transparency.
[Bender:] Yes. It's a really good question and one that the White House one of many that the White House has to answer. They're really at an inflection point here. I mean, the quote you put up there from Jason Miller, viewers should understand that Jason Miller has been one of the stout Trump defenders for several years here. To hear him on the record questioning the White House strategy is significant. We reported at "The Wall Street Journal" a few days ago that it was the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative lawmakers who are the staunchest Trump supporters in Congress, had to go to the White House and say, hey, we're not hearing enough from you, we're not having enough messaging, we don't understand the strategy, and that led to a daily phone call between lawmakers and key lawmakers on the Hill and some senior White House aides. So the White House is really stuck here between trying to say that they did nothing wrong, that they don't want to participate, and their allies saying you have to do more, you have to participate, you have to help us help you.
[Whitfield:] Michael Bender, Karoun Demirjian, thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.
[Bender:] Thanks.
[Whitfield:] All right. Still ahead, the White House is pushing for the whistleblower in this Ukraine scandal to come forward, but is that likely to happen? And John Bolton could be the star witness in the impeachment probe against the President. Will he give damaging information on Trump to House lawmakers?

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] unless the Senate agrees to hear witnesses at a trial. Mitch McConnell says fine, don't send them. But the key new ingredient that will complicate McConnell's life is this the president wants a trial, and soon.
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn Anchor:] Meanwhile, it was a smaller stage for the Democratic debate last night, but it delivered some big moments and a lot of substance. This on the day after President Trump was impeached. For the first time South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was a target after his rise in the Iowa polls. The seven candidates also had some heated discussions over health care and their own experience. One candidate who was on the stage, Amy Klobuchar, and who did not and another one, who did not make the cut, Senator Cory Booker, both of them are going to join us later this hour. But joining us right now, we have Bianna Golodyrga, CNN senior global affairs analyst, Elie Honig, CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor, and Laura Jarrett, CNN justice correspondent. Great to have you all here. Let's talk about where we are with impeachment, because I need you guys to explain how this impasse is going to be broken. So Nancy Pelosi says she is not going to send the articles of impeachment over until Mitch McConnell can guarantee here that it's going to be a short trial. Mitch McConnell has guaranteed that he will not be an impartial juror and in fact he is working hand in glove with the White House. And he also says, fine, don't send them over. I don't want to have a trial in the Senate. As John pointed out, the only fly in the ointment here since they both agree they don't want a Senate trial is that the president wants to have that moment of President Trump being acquitted in the Senate. So what is going to happen, Elie?
[Elie Honig, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Donald Trump needs to get some serious legal advice. And I know he's not the world's easiest client, but somebody needs to sit him down in a serious way and say, you do not want a circus here. You do not want a long, drawn out trial. You are not going to have that moment of vindication. You are winning right now. The status quo right now is Donald Trump will not be convicted in the Senate. One thing they teach us when we're baby prosecutors is, if you are winning in court, shut up and sit down. And someone needs to tell Donald Trump, maybe a little nicer than that, but shut up and sit down.
[Camerota:] But how is it winning to have been impeached without being acquitted?
[Honig:] Oh, no, that's over. But in terms of the ultimate outcome in the Senate. And if he thinks he's going to have a dramatic trial that's going to somehow undo the impeachment in the House, he's kidding himself.
[Berman:] That's the thing. The president wants a Senate trial because in his head, somehow, he thinks it means he can get unimpeached. He can't.
[Honig:] Exactly.
[Berman:] He can't. He's been impeached.
[Honig:] Unimpeachment is not in the Constitution.
[Berman:] It's not a thing. He's been impeached. The question now is whether he'll be removed from office. And with this maneuver, I think a lot of us are wondering yesterday morning, what is Nancy Pelosi doing here? It's a lot more clear to me this morning, at least, because she's created this third party, the president whose interests and Mitch McConnell's are not in line. And there's now tension there.
[Laura Jarrett, Cnn Justice Reporter:] And to have the specter of it weighted over him for a long time. Obviously, the reporting shows he's not happy about it. He's privately fuming about it. He's talking to his buddy Senator Lindsey Graham, saying, what's going on? He thought this was going to be done, maybe even by the Iowa caucuses. And now Nancy Pelosi is wielding her power to show, I don't have to move this along. And so we're going to be at least until January and maybe even longer, because what does she have to lose? To drag this out as long as possible. There may be a tipping point in which voters say, OK, enough is enough already, but right now, she gets to lord this over the whole holidays. He's going to be down at Mar-a-Lago, probably not happy about this.
[Bianna Golodryga, Cnn Senior Global Affairs Analyst:] And the president may have even a bigger reason to want a big show and a trial and to have people like Hunter Biden and Joe Biden testify, because look who had a really good night last night. Joe Biden really found his moment, and even addressing a question of whether or not he was too naive to assume that in a post-Trump world maybe there could be some bipartisanship. And he said, look, I of all people am not naive because I know. Look how they have attacked me. And so you have someone who has came out arguably stronger. And the president, yes, he's always going to be that impeached president, but he wants someone else to go down, too, and that's Joe Biden, and that's Hunter Biden.
[Camerota:] Here's what Senator Lindsey Graham said last night about this after speaking to President Trump.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham,  Senate Foreign Relations Committee:] I just left President Trump. He's mad as hell that they would do this to him, and now deny him his day in court. The reason they are denying him his day in court is because they know their case sucks.
[Camerota:] What day in court? He wasn't participating. Was President Trump going to show up at a Senate trial?
[Honig:] No way. No way he was going to show up. But look, he was going to send his legal team there. He declined to show up in the House but he would absolutely have to show up in the Senate.
[Camerota:] He would. So they would have to participate on some level in the Senate?
[Berman:] That's the answer is yes. The answer here is
[Camerota:] Wow.
[Berman:] Looks like yes.
[Camerota:] Any time I say something brilliant, this goes off. So they couldn't just stonewall the way they did in the House. They would have to show up?
[Jarrett:] They could still, but unprecedented, again.
[Honig:] They could. To me, it's crazy that we're arguing about, should there be witnesses at a trial? Call me old-fashioned, but isn't that what trials are all about? The precedent here, I learned from Professor Gerhardt yesterday, 40- something witnesses in Andrew Johnson's trial, three in Bill Clinton's trial, and the Bill Clinton trial, the record was set. It was in a box. You had the Starr Report. Here there's so many unanswered questions, and we're thinking of seriously having a trial with no witnesses? I don't know how that's palatable.
[Berman:] And 71 percent of Americans in our poll say that they want to hear witnesses in the Senate trial. And what was it, 64 percent of Republicans?
[Camerota:] Republicans, sure.
[Berman:] So if the fight is about hearing witnesses, at least as a matter of public opinion right now, the Democrats are winning. Joe Manchin, the conservative Democrat from West Virginia has come out and said he wants witnesses, which is interesting, because he could be someone who said who knows how he could vote in the end here. But he wants witnesses. And then this puts pressure on those four to six Republican senators like Susan Collins, Cory Gardner. They're going to be asked, what do you want to see happen now?
[Jarrett:] And they have to listen to their constituents, I think, over the holidays. They could potentially get pushback on this and say, wait a minute. It's one thing, we're in defense of the president here, but have no witnesses whatsoever? And I think that's sort of the thorn in McConnell's side. He doesn't care what Nancy Pelosi is doing, but if he gets even a handful of those vulnerable Republicans to say, wait a minute, we have to hear from a few people, I think that's where things get interesting.
[Golodryga:] And the reason you have 71 percent of Americans agreeing that there should be witnesses is because this isn't asking for too much, right? It's not an over the top request to have the people who have firsthand knowledge of what transpired as witnesses in this trial. And I think Republicans and Mitch McConnell need to just come to a conclusion as to whether this is a trial or this is a political process, because he's weighing both all the time, and it's one or the other, but it can't be both.
[Camerota:] Let's talk about this really interesting piece in the "Washington Post" overnight. Journalists, as you all know, as well as pundits and regular people, have tried to figure out where the Ukraine conspiracy theory began, what the genesis of this was that planted it in President Trump's head. Was it Rudy Giuliani? Well, according to the "Washington Post," it was a different source. It was Vladimir Putin. So here's they basically say after meeting privately in July, 2017, the Russian president Vladimir Putin, at the Group of 20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, Trump grew more insistent that Ukraine worked to defeat him according to multiple foreign officials familiar with his assertions. And as you know, he meets privately one on one with Putin away from transcribers. And go on. You had
[Berman:] The money quote from the "Washington Post" is this. "One former senior White House official said Trump even stated so explicitly at one point, saying he knew Ukraine was the real culprit because, quote, "Putin told me."
[Camerota:] And there it is.
[Golodryga:] So we spend, I think, too much time focusing on Putin's role in all of this, because it's not really from any one of his predecessors, right. Every single Russian leader, Soviet leader, wanted to interfere in U.S. elections at some point, and was transmitting false tales about what was happening in the U.S. and wanted to cause discord and chaos internally. The difference is you finally have a president who is willing to buy into that, who trusts this person. Why, we don't yet know. But it's still baffling to me that we continue to hear these stories years after this took place, that these are his top advisers who are now coming out off the record and saying here's something that should have set off alarm bells internally and, I think, nationwide in real time. It's really telling. And we need to stop normalizing this buddy-buddy relationship, because there's nothing normal about it, and it's a real harm to U.S. national security.
[Honig:] One of the things that I see here that I think we've seen time and again is you want your decisionmakers, you want your president, your government to take the facts and reach a conclusion. And here it seems they're doing is they start with the conclusion. What do we want the end story to be, and then backfill in the facts here.
[Berman:] Can I tell you one other reason how these two discussions we've had play in together and why Republicans have told me over the last month, one of the things that concerns them as there's a delay in the Senate trial is they just don't know what's around the corner. They don't know what new information can come out. They don't know what newspaper is going to publish which finding.
[Camerota:] This person, this former senior White House official, might this person come forward and explain the conversations that they directly heard?
[Berman:] There's the fear of the unknown, and not just that. There's the expectation, Laura, among some Republicans is that there is more out there. Whether or not we find out what it is, there's more.
[Jarrett:] We haven't heard from John Bolton. This is a key fact witness, right. We haven't heard from Mulvaney. We haven't heard from the people who were in the room for some of these conversations. Pompeo. We could name a dozen people who were present for some troubling episodes who we haven't heard from. And there are plenty of former officials who are obviously privy to a lot of this information and willing to talk. But it's amazing that the "Washington Post" publishes that article. Obviously, it's eye-popping. But Fiona Hill testified. We spent a lot of time trying to disabuse of this notion and this conspiracy theory. A lot of this is out there not from anonymous sources on background, but public testimony.
[Golodryga:] And every single Republican, almost every single Republican knows better. So anybody that's defending the president's argument that it's now Ukraine, they know that's not the case. And they should be equally alarmed.
[Honig:] To Laura's point, if there's a real trial lawyer on that team, what they are telling Donald Trump is trial is unpredictable, it's dynamic. You are at risk as long as this trial is open. Who knows who could come forward? I've seen all sorts of surprises happen midtrial for good, for bad. So as long as this is an open matter, who knows what could happen?
[Camerota:] And Elie, are there still court cases that might compel John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney to come forward, or were those retracted? Where are we with those witnesses?
[Honig:] There is no case on Bolton and Mulvaney. That's essentially become article two here of the articles of impeachment, obstruction of Congress. The only one that's still alive is Don McGahn, which is now at the court of appeals, but it would take a miracle for that case to be finished with the court of appeals, potentially the Supreme Court on the same timeframe. And remember, Mueller and McGahn is not even part of the articles, so I don't see that breaking the logjam.
[Berman:] Bianna, Elie, Laura, great to have you here. Happy holidays to everybody. I know it's dangerous to say that. I keep poking the bear by saying "happy holidays."
[Camerota:] It's fine. Who is the bear?
[Berman:] "Happy holidays" is very controversial. You're not supposed to say "happy holidays."
[Camerota:] But there are two holidays right now, so I think that it's fine to use the plural.
[Berman:] One would think you could say it, but it upsets a lot of people to say "happy holidays."
[Camerota:] We'll see what Twitter does to you.

[Chatterley:] Welcome back to FIRST MOVE. I am Julia Chatterley live from the New York Stock Exchange and that was the opening bell, and as expected, we have a higher open for U.S. stocks this Wednesday morning. The NASDAQ, yes, that is hitting fresh record highs. I believe, the Dow also adding to Tuesday's 1.4 percent gains. Tuesday was the Dow's best day in terms of performance since June of last year, I believe. There are also reports that scientists are making progress on our coronavirus vaccine helping sentiment, but I think stabilization at least outside of China, the appearance of it at least is also perhaps filtering into sentiment hereto. But also, let's not forget the fundamentals, new numbers showing strong private sector jobs growth. Last month, the U.S. employers adding almost 300,000 jobs. That, in fact is the best monthly gain in more than four years, an interesting prelude ahead of non-farm payrolls on Friday. All right, let's take a look at our Global Movers today. Tesla as we've been discussing shares pulling back a touch here from that electrifying rally. Nice. The stock is lower after rising some 13 percent to a new record high on Tuesday. Tesla's value has more than doubled since the start of the year. In fact, Elon Musk's net worth has risen by $16 billion since January, losing a little bit today as you can see, nine percent, little relative to the rally that we've seen. Tesla's rivals Ford and GM also out with Q4 results. Ford falling after reporting weaker than expected profits. It's also lowered its 2020 outlook here. A tale of two halves though, GM higher. Its earnings beat expectations, but sales were softer than expected. Disney also in focus. The shares higher in the session. The entertainment giant reported stronger than expected profits and revenues. The streaming service though, Disney Plus, taking much of the attention. They now have more than 28 million subscribers gathered since that November launched. The theme park profits could drop, however, by almost $300 million this quarter. That was the warning indeed coming because of the coronavirus and the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Let's talk all this through. Tuna Amobi is the media and entertainment analyst with CFRA Research, and he joins us now. Great to have you with us.
[Tuna Amobi, Media And Entertainment Analyst, Cfra Research:] Thanks, Julia.
[Chatterley:] All right, let's talk coronavirus and the Hong Kong impact first and then we'll talk more detail in the numbers here. Do you think they are being conservative in their estimates here for the potential impact for its theme park? But there's also cinemas and the like to, surely.
[Amobi:] Well, you know, so the guidance they provided assumes that the parks will be closed for about two months in Hong Kong and in Shanghai Disneyland and what they said is that the impact of those numbers is going to be about 170 $million, give or take in operating income for the international parks.
[Chatterley:] Yes.
[Amobi:] So we knew there was going to be some disruption. What we weren't sure was how long this was going to last or if this is going to have a continuing impact. And to be fair, most of the companies that are being impacted by this coronavirus have really said that they're really it's really hard to get a good grip on how much impact ultimately or how long this could last.
[Chatterley:] Yes, I mean, it's tough in terms of costs, closures, length of time here, ultimately, but relative to the revenue capabilities of this company, it's kind of a fraction.
[Amobi:] I agree. I think investors right now are really focused on the good news in the parks. And a lot of the good news is coming from a domestic theme parks where they just opened, you know, both two Star Wars attractions in Florida as well as in California. And we're starting to see the impact of those attractions on attendance. So really, the story of the parks now is really a tale of two, you know, parks if you will. The domestic really doing a lot of the heavy lifting versus the international with the concerns about the coronavirus.
[Chatterley:] We have to talk about Disney Plus, the streaming, the expectations here were for around 20 million subscribers. They blew those expectations out of the park here, 28 million subscribers. That's a strong number.
[Amobi:] Oh Julia, I've got to tell you, those numbers were way above even the most optimistic analyst expectations. We had them coming in somewhere about 24 million to 25 million, and for them to say that in January alone, they added another two million to get to 28.6 as of Monday.
[Chatterley:] Yes.
[Amobi:] I mean, that's really off to a roaring start, and I really believe that this really is a sign of good things to come.
[Chatterley:] Sixty to ninety million is their prediction for 2025.
[Amobi:] I mean, I've got to tell you, Julia, 60 million to 90 million, investors don't even remember that that number is a global number.
[Chatterley:] Yes.
[Amobi:] And within that, they said about a third of that is coming from the U.S., so when you think that the U.S. alone has done 28.5 million in just literally two months and change and they had a set of five-year projection. I think you can see how conservative those numbers are with international launch still to come.
[Chatterley:] So some of the obvious push back here the cost. This growth came at a huge price, and even when you bring in the Hulu bundle, the ESPN bundle, I mean that content streaming segment lost just shy of $700 million. The price $7.00 a month. They need to raise prices here or we're not worried about that yet.
[Amobi:] I think we're not worried about that yet. The price of $6.99 that they came in, I think it seems to be just the right sweet spot, and remember, you can get Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu in a bundle $12.99 subscription. Our worry going into this quarter was that perhaps the bundling or the promotions is going to hurt the pricing power, but we saw ARPU for Disney Plus coming in even very respectable, you know, close to $5.00 and then ESPN Plus, that's the unspoken halo impact of Disney Plus. ESPN Plus is getting a huge benefit from being bundled together, almost doubling their subscriber numbers.
[Chatterley:] And Hulu benefited here as well, as well.
[Amobi:] And Hulu as well. So there's a hollow impact all along.
[Chatterley:] Compare and contrast Netflix, because I was making the point earlier on the show it took a decade for Netflix to gather 69 million subscribers. Comparables, whether it's content spending, whether it's library, whether it's cost, whether it's subscriber ads here. Thoughts?
[Amobi:] Well, I've got to say that so much has been made with Netflix having the first mover advantage.
[Chatterley:] Yes.
[Amobi:] But the launch of Disney Plus really is unprecedented, nothing like the industry has ever seen in terms of the content, in terms of the user interface, in terms of all of the product enhancements, and of course, in terms of the spending. So I have to say that this Disney Plus is really a game changer, unprecedented in terms of the impact that we expected to have. Now that being said, Netflix, I believe is going to be one of the ultimate winners because this is a secular trend that we're seeing migrating from traditional from linear to internet television. I believe Disney and Netflix will be among the beneficiaries.
[Chatterley:] Right. So our summation here is basically Mickey Mouse Fantasia style waved away the first mover advantage, but Netflix is still in the right segment at the right time and can still be a winner here.
[Amobi:] Especially on the international side. We're seeing more of the international story for Netflix play out where we're seeing the deceleration in the U.S. partly as a result of Disney Plus.
[Chatterley:] Super quickly, we've just lost a bit of ground, I think we're down half a percent here now in Disney. Your price target $160.00, so we've got a room for upside here.
[Amobi:] Indeed, I think Disney right now has truly a huge valuation on any kind of metric whether its cash flow or earnings and I think that premium is really justified based on the transition that they're making from, you know, traditional to direct to consumer and that really deserves a huge premium for investors.
[Chatterley:] Fantastic to have you on. Thank you so much.
[Amobi:] Thank you.
[Chatterley:] Tuna Amobi there, media entertainment analyst for CFRA Research. All right, we're going to take a quick break here, but coming up, a feud well and truly on full display. The U.S. House Speaker tearing up the President's speech calling it a manifesto of mistruths. But was it? More on the dramatic moments from last night's State of the Union Address right after this. Stay with CNN.

[Cabrera:] Today's graduation at West Point is one for the history books. The nation's oldest military academy graduated more African- American and Hispanic women than at any point in its 217 years of existence. On top of that, this year's graduating class was the most diverse ever, not only in terms of race, but also gender. Vice President Mike Pence spoke to the graduating class of 2019 this morning, congratulating not only their individual achievements but also for being part of a defining moment in American military history.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] I couldn't be more proud to stand before the graduating class of 2019 that includes the highest number of African-American women cadets in the history of the United States military academy.
[Cabrera:] A spokesman for West Point says the academy also graduated its 5000th female cadet this year. This week, W. Kamau Bell hits the Washington's capital, but not the Washington of politicians and monuments. He's talking to the real people who live there and keep D.C. running. Here is a preview.
[W. Kamau Bell, Cnn Host, United Shades Of America:] It feels like you definitely helped him put the accelerator down. You know what I mean?
[Unidentified Female:] Like we'll maybe never know for sure.
[Bell:] Yes.
[Unidentified Female:] He did say, in his resignation letter, he cited unrelenting attacks.
[Bell:] That's me, that's me.
[Unidentified Female:] I was a little tiny part of that.
[Bell:] I'm an unrelenting attack.
[Unidentified Female:] Right. To be honest, like, come on, Scott, you know that means. It means you're doing a bad job.
[Bell:] Yes. It means you shouldn't have had the job you had.
[Unidentified Female:] Exactly.
[Bell:] What do you think about we're losing civility, because you're not letting that man sit there and eat his lunch?
[Unidentified Female:] I think the civility debate is a waste of time because I think, what it is, when people say that, is they're uncomfortable with the content of what's being said.
[Bell:] Yes.
[Unidentified Female:] So Sarah Huckabee Sanders wanted to say that that wasn't civil. Did she say anything to address the content of my words, right? The corruption, the misuse of taxpayer dollars. What he was doing to our air and our water, with the favors that he's doing to corporate lobbyists, no. She said people should be able to eat their lunch. Like his taco was more important than the air we're all breathing.
[Cabrera:] It is an all new "UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA," tomorrow night, at 10:00 Eastern and Pacific, right here on CNN. President Trump is about to start his day in Japan. We will have the latest on his trip, next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Quest:] Hello, I'm Richard Quest as more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for you in just a moment. Barnes and Noble opens or plans to open its doors to readers for the first time since the pandemic began, and the Chief Executive of Barnes and Noble on how things have changed, what people are reading, the things that did and did not sell during the course of online, and what changes they will make? And the U.S. deciding which countries will be allowed to visit the union. And once their borders reopen, the U.S. we're told, and pretty much everybody knows, is not on that list, and the implications for that. All of that comes after I've updated you with the news headlines because this is CNN. And on this network, the news always comes first. China's taking serious action by placing 400,000 people into lockdown after a handful of coronavirus cases were found there, Beijing in Hubei Province. Official said, earlier outbreak in the capital believe just spawned from a wholesale food market is basically contained. A win today for abortion rights advocates in the United States, the Supreme Court narrowly blocked a law that tightly restricted access to abortions in Louisiana. The critics said that almost a medically necessary and would have closed nearly every clinic that provides abortions in the state. A separatist group said it's carried out an attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi. Four gunmen attempted to storm the facility on Monday, killing at least five security guards. The government also killed and authorities say the attack is being investigated. A French Quarter sentence the Former Prime Minister Francois Fillon to five years in prison, three of them suspended and have defined excuse me, he was found guilty of misusing public funds by paying his wife and children big salaries for little or no work. His wife was also convicted. Together they plan to appeal. E.U. officials are finalizing the travel restrictions which countries will be allowed to enter the European Union and which ones will not. Diplomats have given CNN a preliminary list, the 15 allowed in: including China, if they let tourists visit, they're notably excluded, of course, is the United States where the infection rate is too high? Tom Jenkins is the CEO of European Tourism Association joins me from London. So, is that your understanding too, of the other countries that will and will not be allowed within the bubble?
[Tom Jenkins, Ceo, European Tourism:] In broad terms, that's my understanding. The United States, unfortunately, for reasons which the news has just been pointing out, is suffering a mild resurgence and this has disturbed the politicians in Europe. I think it's important to recognize that the ban is currently in place. I mean, Europeans cannot go to America and Americans cannot visit Europe at the moment. The question is whether they should ease this, this restriction. And it looks like it's going to be used for a few countries, but not the United States.
[Quest:] The criteria for easing of course, was that there had to be equality, if you like, of standards, in terms of the rate of infection and so on. And are you happy that sufficient countries are now involved in what one might call a mega Euro bubble, that Europe can have a half decent summer season.
[Jenkins:] Europe will not have a half-decent summer season. It might have a quarter decent summer season. What the commission has done is really stepped into the driving seat for the first time in three or four months and told the member states of the Schengen area that they really have to relax their borders between themselves and they've also coordinated a response to the rest of the world and this is what was seen as a result of this, the commission really taking control of the situation. I have to say that the moment, this is not a good moment for international travel, even if there were no restrictions in place. There's not much demand out there. And the sad thing is, is that the market for, the market for European-America is probably worth about $60 billion for Europe. And the market for America in Europe is worth about $50 billion, and this is 110-billion-dollar business, which is currently going west. And I even if they relaxed restrictions, we'd be very lucky to see a quarter of that business by the end of the year.
[Quest:] Tom, looking at the guidelines that are being introduced, the Tall Care Guidelines, a lot of them are primarily what will my dog give you say, you know, the sort of stuff we've had to do all along frequent washing of hands, wearing of masks, health declaration forms on arrival. But, but, but are you concerned that once people get on holiday, as we've seen here in the United States, all that good wishes and well-being goes out the window, and you have people on beaches in bars and cafes, to Verners and the like, and the rate of infection goes up again.
[Jenkins:] Well, I think that the, the main risk, frankly, in travel and as any travel, not international travel, I think, through ordinary. The international travel is being, is being too detailed as being particularly pernicious. Any travel contains risks. Of course, people have to be responsible. I think arguably, the biggest risk is at the transport nodes at the airports on the aircraft. But in broad terms, I think people have to start enjoying themselves and I think the infection rate from these areas is not that high. I don't think you'll find that the infection rate that's climbing at the moment is due to people enjoying themselves. I think it's due to other factors
[Quest:] But I guess the, the issue here is how far tour operators, and destinations, and hotels are going to be enforcing. Yes, and that is the word, forcing, these social restrictions and guidelines, rather than looking the other way, as there have been in say, many, many places in the U.S. I mean, look, you saw the pictures from Bournemouth at the weekend, I think it was in the U.K. One nice weekend, and it all goes up in the air.
[Jenkins:] But the answer there, that isn't I feel like almost, you made me feel like a
[Quest:] Tom, well, as the summer progresses, we shall talk more, because this is one that
[Jenkins:] I'm happy to be your hostage. Thank you.
[Quest:] Thank you, Tom. Joining me. And just before we get to a break, you might notice is once again, like I've said several times on this program, that you do find that the long tail of coronavirus is you do, it's like a tornado that goes through the body. And these run a rack of damage and that's occasionally you'll see me cough my way through things but it's nothing to be concerned about as the doctors have told me. As we continue, Brookstone is making major changes on the bookstores as well. The CEO of Barnes and Noble is here on the future of book browsing and buying, in a moment.

[Berman:] This morning, many Republican leaders are remaining silent after President Trump renewed his call for a group of minority Democratic congresswomen to leave the United States. This morning, though, there are some Republicans condemning the president's words. Joining me now is Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio. Senator, good morning. Thank you very much for joining us. Let me read to our viewers what you have said about the president's comments. You say that's not something I would say and I think it's divisive, unnecessary and wrong. What is wrong with what the president said, senator?
[Sen. Rob Portman:] Well, John, first of all, when I agreed to come on with you last week it was to talk about the border. So hopefully we'll get a chance to talk about that as well since I went down on Friday to tour some of the detention facilities. Look, I the the comments are unnecessary and and wrong by their very nature and, you know, I I I think there's a lot we should talk about and can talk about that unites our country now. Earlier on your show I noticed people were talking about the strong economy and the fact that wages are up, there are more jobs, you know, people are seeing more opportunity. That's a great thing for our country. And the president's responsible for a lot of that.
[Berman:] Senator
[Portman:] The tax cuts and tax reform is working. So I would hope, as I said in other comments, that he would talk about that because that would help unite our country.
[Berman:] I and I understand that and we are going to talk about immigration. Half of my questions are about that. But I do want to address your comments about the president's statement being wrong. And I've heard you say that, but I want to know, why? What about them is wrong?
[Portman:] Well, three of the four of these women, of course, were born here in the United States. All of them are American citizens, as as much as I am and you are. So, you know, that's something that when they disagree with their political points of view, and I do, and I think they have made comments that are inappropriate themselves, but the point is, let's focus on the policy issues. And, again, I go back to the biggest policy issue of all that most people care about the most, which is their futures and their kids futures and that's how the economy's doing and things are going well. So that would be a good topic to focus on.
[Berman:] Is it wrong is it wrong to tell people who disagree with policy points that they should leave the country?
[Portman:] Well, yes. I mean it was it was that's not all that was said, though. It was said that, you know, go back to their country, and their country is the United States of America?
[Berman:] Right.
[Portman:] So that's
[Berman:] It was wrong on both levels is what you're saying?
[Portman:] I'm sorry?
[Berman:] OK, so you are saying that's wrong. And my last question on this point then, senator, is, what are you going to do about it or do you think you have a responsibility in this subject to do more than just say it's wrong?
[Portman:] Well, I think all of us have a responsibility to speak our mind on it. And so I've done that. And, again, I think we ought to focus on how to work together to solve problems. And I'd love to get back to talking about the border with you a little about that because that's an opportunity for Republicans and Democrats alike to acknowledge there's a crisis and deal with a crisis because it's very real and a lot of people are being hurt and it's unfair for our country. So it's it's an issue that just screams for a little bipartisanship to try to solve the problem.
[Berman:] What did you see? You went to the border on Friday. What did you see?
[Portman:] Well, I went to two facilities. One was the Donna facility, where I saw a lot of families with kids. I spoke to five or six of the families about why they came, why they took the journey. And, look, these are all people from Central American. And in the case of people I talked to, and probably 95 percent of them from three countries, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras. They live in a very poor part of the hemisphere and all of them said the same thing, they want to have a better life for us, for our kids, can't get a job and you understand that. When, on the other hand, we have a country of laws and the immigration laws need to be respected. And that includes, by the way, long waiting lists of people who come here legally from this country. So we need to deal with it. And until we do, we're going to continue to see this surge. Remember, there are now tens of thousands of people a week streaming across the border presenting themselves to the Border Patrol because they believe that if they do so they'll get into the country. And traffickers are telling them that. And traffickers are charging them huge amounts of money to come up here. And they're right, these families with kids that I saw will all be released into the country. And the end of the day, if they do claim asylum, and none of them I talked to were claiming asylum, but some will, then only 15 percent will actually be able to have that claim granted because it will be viewed that it's not appropriate for the others, that they're more economic refugees, and yet 100 percent are being released into the United States and less than half to come their hearings, according to the best information we have. So it's a problem and there are things we can and should do. And we can do it in a bipartisan way. But if we don't, you know, we'll continue to see this influx, and not just from these Central American countries, but from other countries as well.
[Berman:] One of the things the president has has proposed, or says he will implement, I guess it's more than a proposal, he says he's going to do it by fiat, is he's going to change the asylum rules so that if you come here from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala and pass through Mexico, you will be turned away because you passed through another country, basically. It's the idea of a safe third country. Do you think it's legal, this action from the president?
[Portman:] Safe third country certainly is. We do it, as you know, with Canada. But I don't know that Guatemala and Mexico have signed up yet. They're just talking about doing that.
[Berman:] Well, they haven't. And that that's that's the difference. I mean Canada we have an agreement. We have a tacit agreement or verbal agreement with Mexico. I think it may be even a written agreement sorry, with Canada on this. We have no agreement at all with any of those countries and the law requires an agreement.
[Portman:] Yes. And I think we should pursue an agreement. And just so the viewers understand, if you walk through another country, come to another country that does have the ability to provide safe haven, then you need to apply for asylum there. And that would be Guatemala for most of these individuals and Mexico. Both countries are talking to us about doing that possibly. I have suggested something a little different, which is similar to what actually President Obama did remember when the unaccompanied kids were coming up in such huge numbers back in 2013, 2014, and that is to have these processing centers in Central America and in Mexico be used so U.N. through the U.N. HCR, High Commissioner Refugees, actually has centers in Central America and has a center in, in Mexico. And we've talked to them about processing these individuals. There's a lot of interest in that, by the way, that's bipartisan. That would make a lot of sense. Why do you want to have these people take this long and arduous journey if the same criteria as asylum can be used for refugees, which it is, why shouldn't that decision be made closer to their home? And that would cut out the traffickers, which, you know, would be the only group that would really be huge losers in this would be those human smugglers and human traffickers who are taking total advantage of the situation and exploiting these people.
[Berman:] And, Senator, we thank you we thank you for going down and looking for yourself at the border there. Just to go back to the beginning of the conversation, you obviously were uncomfortable answering questions about the president's words and statements. Does he put you, as a Republican senator, in a bad position?
[Portman:] Well, again, as I said in my statements that you didn't put on the air, he puts me in a in a situation on many topics that I'm very comfortable with, including talking about the policies. And that's that's where we've got to be focused.
[Berman:] But, Senator, that's dodging my question about about this. When when when he's telling people they should go home, right, people, women of color
[Portman:] Yes, well, I've I've John, I've I've made my comments on that. We've talked about it. You know how I feel. And I think the focus ought to be on the policy issues. And there I think he has a lot to talk about. Frankly, the American people are very pleased with the way the economy's going because they're feeling it, they're seeing it, and and that didn't just happen. It's the result of good policies. The president can talk about those policies.
[Berman:] Can you only talk about policy though? Is it can you talk about policy without also addressing things that might tear at the fabric of the country?
[Portman:] Well, yes, I mean I and I did. And, you know, that's part of the topic as well. But my my point is that, with all the issues we have right now, immigration being one of the crises we're facing, and it is a humanitarian crisis. It's an immigration crisis. It's a drug crisis on the border. Let's figure out how to put some of these differences aside that are political and focus on good policy and actually make a difference in the lives of the people we represent. That's that's my focus and I hope that that can be the focus going forward.
[Berman:] Senator Rob Portman from Ohio, thanks for being with us this morning.
[Portman:] Thanks, John.
[Berman:] Alisyn.
[Camerota:] OK, John, here's what else to watch today.
[On Screen Text: 9:] 15 a.m. ET, Apollo 11 crew at Kennedy Space Center. 10:00 a.m. ET, House Republicans hold news conference. 12:15 p.m. ET, Joe Biden speaks in Iowa.
[Berman:] Where were you 50 years ago today, Alisyn Camerota?
[Camerota:] I'm not going to answer that, John.
[Berman:] Fifty years ago today one of us wasn't born. Fifty years ago today, since America launched its first mission to the moon. The question is, will we ever go back. An acclaimed astronaut joins us next.
[Camerota:] Why do I have a horrible feeling I was watching

[Rosemary Church, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Rosemary Church. And you're looking at these pictures came in just moments ago, in fact, from Travis Air Force Base in California, and that's where many of the Americans quarantined on a cruise ship previously in Japan because of the coronavirus have just landed. Now they are now expected to spend another 14 days under quarantine. The U.S says 14 of the evacuees tested positive for the virus just before that flight and will move to a specialized containment area on one of the planes. Now all this comes as the number of infections and deaths continues to rise. Officials say another 105 people died in mainland China on Sunday, bringing the global death toll to more than 1,700. At least 71,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide. The vast majority of those in China. Now for more let's turn now to our correspondents. Will Ripley is in Yokohama, Japan where that cruise ship, the Diamond Princess is docked, and Kristie Lu Stout joins us from Hong Kong. Good to see you both. So, Will, let's start with you. And of course, now we have confirmation that this plane has landed at Travis Air Base. And to great relief no doubt to all on those on board, but unfortunately for them they now start another round of 14 days of quarantine but they must feel relieved at least knowing they are one step closer to going home.
[Will Ripley, Cnn Correspondent:] Absolutely, Rosemary. We haven't been able to speak with any of the passengers yet because obviously their phones were switched off during the 10-hour flight from Hamada airport here in the Tokyo area to Travis Air Force base which is northeast of San Francisco. But certainly it's got to be a relief that they've landed in the United States. It was quite an ordeal to get them to this point. First there is, you know, nearly two weeks of quarantine on board the Diamond Princess. Most of the time spent in their cramped cabin, just maybe an hour outside every couple of days. Then when they got word that the U.S. government was sending in charter flights to evacuate them, that was welcome news followed by unwelcome news for many that, you know, what they had been told repeatedly that after they finished the quarantine period on the ship they would be allowed to go straight home. That has now changed. The U.S. government saying that they have to out of an abundance of caution put these people in a new 14-day quarantine at either at Travis Air Force base in California or a military in Texas. And in fact, the flight is still in the air and should be landing in Texas within the next hour, an hour and a half or so. But to get from the cruise ship to those planes, even though the airport is just 20-minute drive or so from here, was it took nearly 10 hours. They had to wait on buses, a convoy of buses that was outside the cruise ship. Some of them in excess of three hours. No access to bathrooms. Tempers were definitely flaring. Passengers were getting into, you know, kind of confrontations with the Centers for Disease Control officials who were just trying to do their jobs, trying to keep everybody kindly of safely in place. And then when passengers get on this flight, obviously this is probably not like the flights that they had booked home for themselves when they thought that this was going to be the end of a vacation that turned into a holiday from hell, they're riding in a cargo cabin. They had to dress in layers, they had to bring their own food, the toilets that were set up were kind of this makeshift portable toilets, the see-through temporary seats. But now they have landed, the flight is over. If they did get any sleep it probably wasn't great sleep because the seats were packed together. And it didn't look comfortable from the video that I was seeing. But now they are going to at some point, I'm sure it's going to be hours more processing, but at some point they're going to get to accommodations where they can have a bed, they'll be on dry land and they will be under the care of doctors that they can more easily communicate with than the doctors here in Japan. And so, there are some who are really happy that this has happened, who are grateful to the United States government for finally bringing people home off of a ship where health officials have acknowledged they have a higher risk of infection. But yet it's not over. They're not able yet, Rosemary, to return back to their lives. Their lives have essentially been on hold and they will continue to be on hold for another 14 days at least.
[Church:] Absolutely. But at least as we've said, they are back on U.S. soil. They are one step closer to home. We will be watching their progress. Will Ripley bringing us the very latest there from Yokohama. Many thanks. So, let's go now to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. She joins us live from Hong Kong. And of course, Kristie, it's understandable they would have to go into another 14 days of quarantine, particularly now with this news that an additional the Americans who were on board that plane have been found to confirmed cases of coronavirus. So, talk to us about the overall numbers, the latest numbers you're getting in on those who have died and, of course, the infections.
[Kristie Lu Stout, Cnn Correspondent:] Absolutely. Precautions must be taken as the outbreak continues to grow all across the world. As of now, the coronavirus has infected more than 71,000 people. The global death toll has risen to 1,770 with those 100 additional deaths that were reported by health authorities in Hubei province this morning. Hubei being, of course, the epicenter of this corona outbreak. China's national health commission, they are set to release the latest numbers for all of the provinces in China that is yet to be released. We will continue to monitor that for you. Now, this all follows the spike in numbers last week, that was after Hubei expanded the criteria in counting new infections. And that just added to this massive and ongoing debate about just how reliable and accurate the data is coming from mainland China. Now, again, the global death toll stands at 1,770. The mass majority of those deaths is in mainland China. But outside the mainland we now know five people have died in Hong Kong, Philippines, Japan, and as of this last weekend, France and Taiwan as well. In a hospital in Paris, France, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist died while he was in quarantine in hospital. That was the first death outside Asia. And on Sunday a man in Taiwan, he was in his mid-60s, died. He is the first confirmed death in Taiwan from the coronavirus and worryingly, he had no history of travel to mainland China. Now crucially, as we continue to report this story, we must report this. We also learned that Chinese President Xi Jinping knew about the outbreak in early January. This according to a transcript of a speech he made last month. It was published over the weekend. Previously it was thought that Xi only found out about the center of the outbreak in late January, and this revelation is very significant because it exposes Beijing and the Chinese central government to getting blamed for ignoring the risk for not acting sooner as the outbreak spreads around the world. Rosemary?
[Church:] Yes, and we saw this previously with the SARS outbreak. It is unfortunate because we need that transparency globally with anything like this. Kristie Lu Stout bringing us the very latest there from Hong Kong. Many thanks. Well, accusations of political interference in the U.S. Justice Department are intensifying. In an extraordinary public statement, former Justice Department officials are calling for Attorney General Bill Barr's resignation. Jeremy Diamond has our report.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, a firestorm of controversy is continuing around Attorney General Bill Barr's decision to intervene in that politically sensitive case involving the president's political advisor Roger Stone. Barr taking that extraordinary action to reverse a sentencing recommendation from career prosecutors, and now we are seeing more than 1,100 career Department of Justice officials, former Justice Department officials, some of them prosecutors, career, some of them political appointees. But having served in both Democratic and Republican administrations. And essentially what they say in this statement is that while it's all well and good for Barr to be coming out and criticizing the president's use of Twitter to talk about some of these cases, putting him in a difficult position, they're saying that ultimately Barr's actions are what really matter. Here's what they say. "Mr. Barr's actions in doing the president's personal bidding unfortunately speak louder than his words. Those actions and the damage they have done to the Department of Justice's reputation for integrity and the rule of law, require Mr. Barr to resign." Now, the White House for its part has spent a couple of days insisting that the relationship between the president and the attorney general is on solid footing despite Barr's rebuke of the president's use of social media as it relates to the Department of Justice. What we are also seeing is the White House insisting that the president has confidence in Barr, but also a little bit of push back on what Barr was saying. Here's the vice-president's chief of staff Marc Short making that point.
[Marc Short. Chief Of Staff To Vice President Mike Pence:] I don't think that it's impossible to do his job. In fact, I think Attorney General Barr is doing a great job. He has a lot of confidence inside the White House. I think that the president's frustration is one that a lot of Americans have which feels like the scales of justice are not balanced any more. There has been a bias inside the Department of Justice that Attorney General Barr is trying to correct. I think that he has said the president has not called him directly to say, please do these things. He has acted independently to initiate these reviews and I think he's doing a fantastic job with it.
[Diamond:] Now I asked the president on Sunday as he returned to the White House whether he would heed his attorney general's advice in terms of stopping his tweets about the Justice Department and Justice Department cases. The president did not answer my question as he walked back into the White House. And the president has already made it quite clear that he has no intention of changing his behavior. In the wake of Barr's comments about the president's use of Twitter as it relates to the Justice Department, the president tweeted that, while Barr said that he had not asked him to intervene in any criminal cases at the Justice Department, the president maintains that he has the right to do so. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
[Church:] Democratic presidential candidates are now focusing on Nevada. The caucuses this Saturday will offer results from a diverse state as opposed to Iowa and New Hampshire. And that could shake up the results we've seen so far. Voters appear to be eager to cast their votes. There were long lines for early caucusing. The chairman says the party has worked around the clock to make sure they don't have the same problems experienced in Iowa. Arlette Saenz is in North Las Vegas covering Joe Biden. Athena Jones is in Carson City with the latest on Sanders campaign. So, let's start with Arlette first.
[Arlette Saenz, Cnn Political Reporter:] Nevada is the first test of Joe Biden's argument that he will perform better in states with a more diverse demographics, Latinos make up a significant amount of the population here in Nevada. And over the weekend, to that point, Biden spent the weekend courting both Latino and African-American voters, saying that it's time that their voices be heard. Biden is also making a strong push when it comes to union support, trying to bring those workers on board. He's made several back-of-house stops, visits at casinos here, and he's also been talking about health care, stressing that his plan would allow union workers to keep their negotiated plans that they've worked out through their unions. Take a listen to what he's had to say.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] We're not going to tell all of you breaking your neck and giving up wages and giving up salaries in order to be able to have health care through your employer and you've worked like the devil for it. You're not going to be required to give it up like the others do. Medicare for all requires you to give it up.
[Saenz:] Now, Biden's campaign views Nevada as a launching pad towards the nomination. They are pouring more resources here into the state as they are trying to get a stronger finish than those disappointing losses in Iowa and New Hampshire. Biden telling me he doesn't think he necessarily needs to come in first place, but he does think he has a shot at winning. Arlette Saenz, CNN, Las Vegas.
[Athena Jones, Cnn National Correspondent:] Hi there. We are in Carson City, Nevada. This is one of the places where Senator Sanders has been pushing to get out the vote. Early caucusing here in Nevada began on Saturday and it goes until Tuesday. And so, one of the things that Sanders campaign is hoping for is that his supporters will go straight from a rally like this one here in Carson City and go straight to the early caucusing sites. Now, I should mention that Bernie Sanders lost Nevada to Hillary Clinton in 2016, but he did very well in the northern part of the state. That's where we are. He won Carson City and he won other northern counties like Washoe County which is where Reno is, only half an hour from here. One of the most interesting things we saw from today's rally was to see Senator Sanders going after some of his opponents. We've seen him doing that more and more, drawing contrasts with some of the other people that these voters may be deciding among. So, he attacked Pete Buttigieg, saying that he's raising money from millionaires and billionaires and he also went after Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, for what he called his support for racist policies like stop and frisk. We heard that from Senator Sanders himself and from the current mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio, also slamming Bloomberg. That sparked a lot of boos in the crowd. And it's no accident that Sanders is bringing up an issue like this here in Nevada. Nevada is the first truly diverse state of the states to vote so far. Of course, Iowa and New Hampshire are largely white states, more than 90 percent white. Hispanic voters make up about or Hispanics make up 30 percent of the population here in Nevada. And in 2016 Sanders won the Latino vote. He won 53 percent of that vote. And so, this is the sort of criticism of an opponent that could really resonate here in Nevada. Back to you.
[Church:] Thanks so much for that. Well, Natasha Lindstaedt is joining us now. She is a professor of government at the University of Essex in England. Good to have you with us.
[Natasha Lindstaedt, Professor Of Government, University Of Essex:] Thanks for having me.
[Church:] So, the Nevada caucuses just days away and polls are showing Bernie Sanders in the lead. There is also increased concerns that we may see a repeat of the Iowa debacle. If that happens and if Sanders wins Nevada, perhaps goes ahead and wins the nomination, the big question here for all Democrats is can he beat Donald Trump. What's the answer to that? And who, if he can't, is better positioned to do so?
[Lindstaedt:] That's a really important question. Of course, there is a big difference between Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020. I actually think in 2016 he might have been able to beat Trump. He seemed to resonate with the same types of people who ended up voting for Trump in 2016. Now we have a completely different landscape and we're seeing Sanders being portrayed on the right side from Trump and his team. As a socialist, as someone who is incredibly dangerous and they are trying to play upon people's fears of what he's going to do. Particularly to talk to independents. Of course, Trump's base is always going to vote for him. But it's really a battle for these independent voters. And the question is whether or not Sanders appears as too extreme. That's, of course, what Biden is talking about. Biden's campaign was about the fact that he felt he was best suited to actually beat Trump in 2020. But we're seeing his campaign in complete disarray at the moment. He's really dropping in terms of the national support where he has somewhere around 17 percent support in terms of the average of all the national polls and Sanders is up to 23 percent. We're also seeing Biden dip in terms of the support that he has from African- Americans. And Sanders going up by 10 percent and Biden going down by 10 percent. With Biden only having about 21 percent support from African-American voters to Sanders' 32 percent. So, the polls aren't really looking good for Biden at the moment. They are looking great for Sanders. He's likely to come out on top in Nevada, which is a very diverse state as had been reported, about a third or 27 percent or so Hispanic, 8 or 9 percent African-American. That's supposed to be where Biden does well but we're seeing him faltering in all categories.
[Church:] But as you point out, there's a lot of concern about Bernie Sanders. So, who do you think is better positioned or best positioned in the whole lineup of Democratic presidential hopefuls to beat Trump?
[Lindstaedt:] Originally, I thought it was Biden all the way because of how well he was doing in the polls in the swing states, in particular in the Midwest in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. He was doing really well in the polls head to head against Trump. And that was basically what lost Hillary Clinton the election in 2016. But his campaign has just been falling apart. If he can't win the nomination, obviously he can't beat Trump. He seems to not be able to get off to a good start. South Carolina is going to be really important. I'm also looking to Bloomberg. Bloomberg might be able to beat Trump, but, of course, he has to get past the primaries. And he's had sort of this weird campaign, lots of money that he's putting into the campaign which some people find to be problematic and the fact that the Democrats are changing the rules to include him. And he had been a Republican in the past. He's not really a Democrat. He sort of changed and has become a Democrat more recently. But he's the other candidate that does really well head to head against Trump. Sanders, it just depends on the poll that you look at. Sometimes he seems like he has a chance, but other times it looks like he's quite a vulnerable candidate. If we even look to the case of Nevada, we have the top union
[Church:] Right.
[Lindstaedt:] concerned about his Medicare for all plan. So, he has a lot of vulnerabilities to be worried about.
[Church:] Yes. You mentioned Michael Bloomberg. And of course, he is rising in the national polls. As he does that his Democratic rivals are increasing their attacks on him of course, seizing on the former New York City mayor for his past comments on women, race and policing. And then of then, of course, there was the Washington Post that reviewed thousands of pages of court documents, and this coming from the most high-profile case of a former saleswoman who sued Bloomberg and his company after she told him she was pregnant. And he responded by saying, kill it. the plaintiff asked Bloomberg to repeat himself, and again, he said kill it and muttered great, number 16. He was meaning there that it was the 16th woman in his employ to fall pregnant. And Bloomberg also allegedly said that his company's financial information computers will do everything including give you oral sex. I guess that puts a lot of you girls out of business, he added. You know, when you look at this, what impact do you expect it to have on Bloomberg's campaign and his chances? Because they're going to keep doing this to the very end, aren't they? They see him as a threat.
[Lindstaedt:] They definitely do see him as a threat. And we're seeing Democratic candidates really go after him because of his record is just so problematic. With some of the things already mentioned in the report, the stop and frisk program in New York City, and the fact that he just is very conservative and hasn't had such a great record in terms of things that are relevant to the Me Too movement. As you mention, that's what's going to make it difficult for him to win the nomination and that is going to be the big obstacle for him because I actually think that if he did win the nomination, a lot of these issues Trump faces the same types of accusations. And so, it would almost cancel out. It would be really a race to see if they can get the independent vote and then, of course, Michael Bloomberg would have to work really, really hard to bring out Democratic supporters. And we also have to remember this X factor, is that Bernie supporters, many of them just didn't vote in 2016. They were so upset about that. So, the Democrats have to be careful to not alienate the base, but also not alienate the independents as well.
[Church:] That's going to be interesting. We'll be watching it all the way. Natasha Lindstaedt, thank you so much for your analysis. I appreciate it.
[Lindstaedt:] Thanks for having me.
[Church:] Well, storm Dennis has disrupted travel, forced evacuations and caused flooding across the United Kingdom. When we come back, we'll find out where it's headed next. Back in a moment.

[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Situation is turning into a pandemic, and it's having an impact on the markets around the world. NEW DAY continues right now.
[Unidentified Male:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Berman:] Good morning and welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Friday. It's February 28th. It's 8:00 in the east. Alisyn is off. Erica Hill with me here today. The breaking news, the major developments in the outbreak of coronavirus. The World Health Organization now issuing a warning about a possible coming pandemic. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta says we're basically already there. Global markets so clearly rattled by this overnight. Look at the sea of red there, just huge losses in Asia and Europe overnight. Here in the United States, let's take a look at the stock futures. They've been moving around this morning, now down about 150. Down again after just epic losses yesterday. The biggest one-day point drop in the Dow's history, 1,200 points. Overnight, eight more people died in Iran, raising the death toll there to 34 people. Friday prayers there canceled in 22 other cities in Iran for the first time in decades. A lot of questions about the summer Olympics in Tokyo as the prime minister in Japan has closed all public schools for a month. In Italy, five pro soccer matches this weekend are going to be played in empty stadiums like this. This was yesterday. What an image that is. This is a major tournament game. No one in the crowds there to protect people from a possible spread. Switzerland just canceled next week's Geneva motor show, one of the world's largest. And Facebook just pulled the plug on its developer conference in May. That's their biggest event of the year.
[Erica Hill, Cnn Anchor:] All of this happening as a whistleblower in Health and Human Services is now asking for protection after revealing that more than a dozen federal workers interacted with quarantined Americans without proper medical training or protective gear. In California, dozens of health workers are being monitored after they were exposed to a patient who acquired the coronavirus with no known source of infection. And some of those health workers will be quarantined. The CDC, we should point out, has now changed its criteria for who can be tested. That's after we learned of that patient in California who was the first possible case of what's known as a community spread. Why was that a big issue? Why wasn't she tested initially? Because she hadn't traveled abroad nor had contact with a coronavirus patient. And at the time, one of those or both of those needed to happen for you to have that test. We want to begin with CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans on our top story. And we're continuing to watch this, Christine, as we wait for the markets to open here in the
[U.s. Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] About seven months of stock market gains just wiped away in just a few days. And that feeling, that selling still continuing around the world. Asian shares closed lower again, sharply lower. These are corrections, corrections in major Asian stock markets. Also in Europe, big losses there. And futures, futures are down still, although they are off their worst levels of the morning. I think that's important. They had been down several hundred points at one point. So there is a real kind of uncertainty in how the market is going to react to end this week. And $3.4 trillion in stock market value wiped away in just six days, six days from a record high in the S&P 500 to a correction. That has not happened in 70 years. I'm going to say that again. You have to go back to Great Depression era kind of stock market activity to see such a big decline so quickly. What does the Dow look like this week? Yesterday, 1,190 points. You've never seen that many points comes off the Dow Jones Industrial Average ever. However, when you talk about percentagewise, this is not in the top 20, because the stock market has been going up for 10 years. So 1,000 points today, obviously, is not exactly worth as much as it was even a few years ago. But these last few days in a row of stock market losses, real unnerving for investors. Yesterday, big declines again, official correction territory. Let me give you just real quickly, though, over the past 10 years. This decline, a correction, there have been several of them over the last decade. But it is a reminder that stocks tend to go up over time. At least right now with coronavirus, you're not seeing a whole heck of a lot of buying to come in and stabilize this thing, guys.
[Berman:] I know 1,200 points isn't what it used to be in the Dow, but still, a four percent loss in one day. Anyone who holds any portfolio knows that's
[Romans:] It's meaningful. These are meaningful moves, yes.
[Berman:] All right, Romans, thanks very much.
[Hill:] Joining us now, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Dr. William Schaffner, infectious disease professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Gentlemen, good to have both of you with us. As we look at what we are facing now on a Friday morning, Sanjay, I want to start with you here. We've talked a lot this morning about the testing. And the reason that's coming up, of course, is because of this patient in California who possibly acquired the coronavirus through what's known as community spread. She wasn't tested initially because she didn't meet the criteria for the test. The CDC has revised its guidelines. Is that enough moving forward?
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] I think the CDC revising their guidelines is really important because it does put it on par with several other countries around the world now. In Korea, for example, we know that there have been thousands of tests done every day, and we haven't had 1,000 tests done in several weeks in the United States. And the concern is, are we missing people? Are there people out there who are carrying this infection that we're simply not testing? But in addition to the guidelines changing, the other thing that has to be paired with is the ability to have these tests out there to people and hospitals who need it. Right now, there's seven public health systems, three federal health systems, DOD systems, and the CDC where this testing can happen. My understanding is, talking to some of the sources that by the end of next week, there should be 40 sites where this testing can happen. But these two things have got to go hand in hand. You can say yes, more people can be tested, but then those tests have to be available. They're not quite available yet. That hopefully comes in the next several days.
[Hill:] We heard some really strong language this morning, and carefully chosen words, as well, I would say as you pointed out, Sanjay, from the World Health Organization this morning saying this is a potential pandemic. We are very closely. Sanjay, I know you said, we're basically there. But they went on, Dr. Schaffner, to say this is a very delicate situation. And it all teeters on how this outbreak is handled. How do you think it's being handled, Dr. Schaffner, here in the U.S. versus what we're seeing in other countries?
[Dr. William Schaffner, Professor, Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University Medical Center:] Well, we're still in very good shape here in the United States. We've had very few cases. They've been well identified, well cared for, and public health is working hard, having identified all the contacts. Now, this California case changes the equation, of course. Where did that person get their infection? That investigation is currently very much underway, and we're all watching that very, very carefully. So far, so good, but we expect more introductions of the virus. That's inevitable.
[Hill:] Messaging is key here. It is important when we talk about what we're seeing in the stock market. It's important when we talk about how to handle this in the community, what's being done in terms of preparedness and testing. Sanjay, we know that the White House has appointed Vice President Pence, and we're now learning, and I know you have learned specifically from a number of your sources, that all of the messaging needs to first be approved by the vice president before it can go out to the community. On the one hand, you step back and you say, OK, so we're going to get one uniformed message. On the other hand, is there a chance that we will not get the full message, that we are not learning everything that we need to from the people on the front lines here, from the scientists, from the medical professionals?
[Gupta:] That is my concern. Thankfully we have people like Dr. Schaffner still who will weigh in on these types of issues. But people who are directly dealing with this outbreak in the United States have data, have information that is valuable to be shared. The thing about this, Erica, is that this is a fast-moving story. It's very quickly moving. And when you have gaps in information, gaps in communication, that can be meaningful in terms of not being able to act on things quickly enough. So it does concern me. And I've got to say, I've covered lots of outbreaks over 20 years now. It's the first time I've ever seen anything like this where I couldn't go to my sources and instead, they come to me and say, look, love to talk to you but we've got to get approval from the vice president's office on something like this. I'll give you an example. If we get to the point where this concept of social distancing needs to take place kids need to stay home from school, people need to not go into work, people told that public gatherings should be minimized, all those types of things we've been hearing in other countries around the world, if some of that's going to be recommended here in the United States, where is that information coming from? Is that going to be at the federal level, the state level, the city level? Who is in charge there specifically? And how is it going to be explained to people in terms of the value of that and the enforcement of that. So I think, again, hopefully we don't get to some of these same things that we've seen in other places around the world. But as Dr. Schaffner said, as the head of the CDC said, as Dr. Fauci has said, this is not a question of if. It's a question of when. And they've been saying this for a while. I think some people are waking over the last couple of days and saying, wow, this seems like kind of a big deal. But the public health community has been saying, look, this virus is going to come. It's a virus. It's not going to just stay in one country. It's not going to just stay in one place. It's happening now.
[Hill:] And the fact that it can spread so easily, right, just by somebody coughing. When we look at this, I want to focus on the testing, if we could, for a minute. So Dr. Schaffner, from your perspective, we talked a lot about how difficult it has been. There were some issues with the test in the beginning, we should point out. However, in terms of accessibility, how concerned are you about the lack of access for hospitals and medical centers around the country?
[Schaffner:] Erica, this has been a big block, hasn't it? We haven't been able to test more broadly as many of my colleagues in infectious diseases would like because we've had kind of a bottleneck. We haven't had enough testing sites. So we look forward to the distribution of all these testing kits to the public health establishment, and we also hope that commercial laboratories who also are developing their test will get rapid FDA approval. That will allow us all to test much more thoroughly.
[Hill:] It is remarkable that when you put it when you put the numbers up on the screen, and Sanjay, you were talking about this last night, and I have to say, it really solidified for me the stark differences that we're seeing. So I think we have a graphic where we can show just the number of patients that have been tested. It is only in the hundreds here in the U.S. And as you told me earlier this morning, part of the problem is if someone walks in and says, maybe I didn't just get back from China but I just came back from Italy, and I have this cough, or maybe I have a low-grade fever. I don't feel great. Can you test me for coronavirus? Chances are the answer is going to be no.
[Gupta:] The answer has been no, because I've talked to these patients and I've talked to these doctors in several states, including where you are in New York, Erica, where people have come back and they say, look, I'm concerned, as you point out. I wasn't in China, but I was in Korea. I traveled from there. I don't feel well. Statistically, as Dr. Schaffner said, statistically, I realize this is not likely to be coronavirus. It's more likely to be cold or flu, but can I get tested? And they are told, no, you cannot get tested. A, you don't meet the criteria, b, even if you did, some of these places don't have the testing equipment. And I think that's a problem. There are so many things that we do so well from a public health perspective in the United States, and I think it's really helped us through similar situations in the past. But with regard to this issue, I think we're really in the bottom tier with regard to testing as compared to countries around the world.
[Hill:] Also, preparedness has been an issue, as well, I know that you touched on. Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Dr. William Schaffner, really appreciate your expertise. Thank you, both.
[Gupta:] Thank you.
[Berman:] So, as you've heard, President Trump has put Vice President Pence in charge of the coronavirus response. New reporting on what that could mean, next.
[Hill:] Plus, it is make-or-break for former Vice President Joe Biden in tomorrow's South Carolina primary. He joins us live just ahead.

[Keilar:] The WNBA Players Union is calling for Senator Kelly Loeffler to be removed as co-owner of the Atlanta Dream. They tweeted this, enough, out. That tweet a company by a picture of Senator Kelly Loeffler. And this comes after Loeffler voiced for objection to the league's plan to honor the Black Lives Matter movement. In a letter to the commissioner of the WNBA, Loeffler wrote in part, players, coaches and yes, team owners share differing opinions on many issues but to subscribe to a particular political agenda undermines the potential of the sport and sends a message of exclusion. Those comments after those are comments after the WNBA announced that it is planning to display Black Lives Matter prominently on basketball courts. Former Atlanta Dream player, Layshia Clarendon is joining us now, to talk about this. Layshia, thank you so much for being with us. Tell us, when you saw what Loeffler had written, saying that this is about exclusion, tell us how you reacted to this.
[Layshia Clarendon, First Vice President, Womant's National Basketball Player Association:] Man, I was super hurt, honestly. I mean, her opinions have been public for the last couple of years now, how she's felt running for Senate seats and all of that. But to kind of see her double down in this moment where we literally have videos of black people being murdered, you know, and particularly when we were using Breonna Taylor on the back of our jerseys to honor her in this moment for this season, you know, it's really hurtful to hear that. Having played for her, having shared space with her and having had dinner at her house and her to do that as a woman, was like, wow, like really shocking and surprising.
[Keilar:] Tell us about how you are honoring the movement and how you are honoring for instance, you talked about Breonna Taylor. Tell us what all you're doing.
[Clarendon:] So, we came up with the Social Justice Council for this season to adjust social justice initiatives that we wanted to honor throughout the entire season and so that's some league members, some players members, people, activists and organizers. And so a big part of what we're doing most recently is making sure we put Breonna Taylor on the back of our jerseys to honor her life. She was an amazing EMT, woman who was murdered in her own home. They were going to have other things, like podcasts, you know, roundtable talks, breakout events and some initiatives. We want to make sure we educate people. We have calls to action. And so we could just use this platform as women for social change. And we really wanted it to be a uniting. So it was particularly hurtful and weird to hear Kelly say that, we're using this as a divisive issue because we know sports actually unites people.
[Keilar:] What do you want the senator to do?
[Clarendon:] That's a good question. I think we are surprised that she would want to be a part of this league given her feelings so we would love for her to, you know, not represent us anymore because what she stands for is not a part of our league.
[Keilar:] And just real quick before I let you go, Layshia, you tweeted, happy to own us as long as we stay quiet and perform. Tell us about that.
[Clarendon:] I think people have been asking the question of like, why would she own a WNBA team if she believes black lives don't matter when we're an 80 percent black league. But I'm alluding to the long history in this country of white people owning black bodies. And so it's not surprising that someone who particularly has views that doesn't believe black lives is matter would want to own black players, because we're so often comfortable with black people in this country as long as their entertaining us in sports, in music and culture, and so it's not surprising that she would want to own a team if she does truly have those views.
[Keilar:] Layshia, thank you so much, Layshia Clarendon, for joining us. We really appreciate your perspective on this.
[Clarendon:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] Our special coverage continues now with Brooke Baldwin.
[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] Brianna, we'll take it, thank you so much. Hi there, I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN. Thank you for being with me. We begin today with just this pair of grim milestones in the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spiral. The nation now has 3 million confirmed cases. It's about a quarter of all cases worldwide.

[Whitfield:] In Texas, coronavirus numbers are trending in the wrong direction on two fronts. On Friday, the state reported more than 7000 new cases for a third consecutive day, bringing the statewide total to more than 185,000. Hospitalizations are also reaching record highs. Joining me right now Dr. Umair Shah. He is the Executive Director for Harris County Public Health in Texas. Dr. Shah, good to see you.
[Dr. Umair Shah, Executive Director, Harris County Public Health:] Thanks for having me, Frederica.
[Whitfield:] So how worried are you that hospitals in crisis mode extend far beyond Harris county?
[Shah:] Well, we are absolutely worried. This is also about increased cases in the community. We obviously have increased testing. We're also seeing increasing hospitalizations but Frederick, the big issue that we're finding is that where we were seeing one out of eight of those tests that were testing positive in the community, now it's one out of four. And that is really the concern because it's not just what's happened to health care system today, it's really the potential for what's happening down the road because of all these increasing cases.
[Whitfield:] So what does that growth tell you because last weekend, I remember reading that it was one out of ten and if now you're at one out of four, what is happening in your area?
[Shah:] What's happening in our area is that we have we've taken our eyes off the ball if you will and we did fight this virus successfully in March and April and May and the numbers show that. Then as the states started to reopen, we started what I call the layering effect of layering on top of all these milestone events and holidays and that's when you get into trouble. And so when people get inconsistent messaging from the federal, state, local level and they start to say, gosh I don't need to wear masks or I don't it's it's not a big deal. That's when you get into trouble and that really causes both complacency and confusion at the individual community member level and I think that's what we're dealing with right now.
[Whitfield:] But you do and everyone there is now witness to the Texas governor Greg Abbott, this week issuing this state wide mandate requiring masks in public after facing growing calls from local officials to do so. Do you believe that that will perhaps you know put a dent in the growth rate?
[Shah:] Right well Fredricka, you have to remember, every time you open something up, it takes a few weeks to see the impact. If you dial something back, it takes a few weeks. All eyes are on really our communities in Texas and it's for the wrong reason and I do think this is the real challenge we have. It's July 4 now. You know all of us should be coming together as Americans to fight this pandemic. It is not just going to go away and this is a time for us to unite to fight and if we don't do that ourselves then we are going to be in this real trouble and so you know the U.S. as you know, we've you know Brazil and other countries were being compared to and we want to be compared to countries like New Zealand and Canada and others that have really started to turn the corner. That's not what's happening in America. That's not what's happening in Texas and certainly that's what really concerns us here locally.
[Whitfield:] Yes, well, usually on big crises the U.S. is in the lead for the better but the rest of the world is not seeing that in this case so let's talk about something else that's happening later on this month in Texas. The Republican Party of that state will hold their state convention in person with an expected attendance in the thousands. The Mayor of Houston says he hopes this will move to a virtual platform. What are your concerns and thoughts?
[Shah:] Well, we hope so too you know, I'm not coming from public health standpoint. Look, politics aside, we have made this a political fight in against this pandemic, whether it's red or blue or whether it's left or right, doesn't matter to us in public health. Whenever you get people together and there are large crowds of people together could be for protests or could be for convention. It does not matter. That's when you start to have an increase in risk and that's why Judge our county judge made it very clear. Look, you don't even need to go out. Stay home. We need to wear masks. We need to do all those things. We also need to focus on wellness and all the other activities to really make sure we're strong but if we don't as leaders, if we don't give the right messages, then at the end of the day people are put at risk and that concerns us.
[Whitfield:] Dr. Umair Shah, thank you so much. Thanks for your time and thanks to everybody who is putting so much on the line to help others. Appreciate it.
[Shah:] Thank you Fredricka.
[Whitfield:] All right and now to the front lines of this pandemic in a different way where CNN's Miguel Marquez takes us inside a Houston hospital.
[Miguel Marquez, Cnn Correspondent:] Houston Texas, now home to a major coronavirus outbreak. A procedure all too common when treating the most seriously ill with the virus. This patient on a ventilator, the breathing tube being replaced to improve oxygen flow to the lungs.
[Unidentified Male:] One, two, three.
[Marquez:] The tube pulled out caked with dried secretions from the lung rife with the coronavirus. The new tube immediately improves oxygen flow.
[Joseph Varon, Chief Medical Officer, United Memorial Medical Center:] That's the first one for the day. So that was we got to change the tube. I need somebody to pass oxygen. He could have died. His tube was malfunctioning. It has a little balloon at the end that was ruptured so he was not getting enough oxygen.
[Marquez:] United Memorial Medical Center serving a 117-bed hospitals, serving a mostly working class community in north Houston. Some things we've seen elsewhere on a ventilator, a patient's chance for survival goes down, way down.
[Varon:] The problem is that once you intubate them, the chances of them leaving the hospital is less than 20 percent.
[Marquez:] Unlike other hospitals we've seen, this facility is transforming itself into a sort of COVID specialty center.
[Varon:] Last three weeks, I have seen more admissions and sicker patients than on the previous 10 weeks so it's been an exponential increase on the severity of illness and the number of cases that we've met.
[Marquez:] Its COVID unit expanding way beyond its intensive care unit by turning the whole sections of the hospital into temporary air tight chambers, creating negative pressure zones to keep the airborne virus moving up and down. And strict protocols are in place for moving in and out of these zones. Everyone must have a test for coronavirus before entering, even journalists and protective gear now so abundant that everyone triples up. Some employees getting through eight sets or more of PPE in a single shift. [on camera]: Now, this is for the people that you are treating so that they know what it would actually look like. [voice-over]: In the 100 days they've been treating patients with coronavirus, only one nurse has developed the sickness. She is now being treated by her own colleagues. You are the frontline worker in the battle against COVID and you now have it.
[Tanna Ingraham, Icu Nurse, United Memorial Medical Center:] Yes. And it's I wouldn't wish this on my own enemy because I hurt from here all the way down, the base of my neck, and it's getting any sleep is almost like it is impossible. [voice-over]: She is not sure how she got it but thinks that may have been a patient who had stopped breathing and despite multiple layers of PPE, the physical effort to save his life may have put her own at risk.
[Ingraham:] I was coding him. And as I was pushing down, air was coming but that's the only position that I could do it with. [voice-over]: The isolation of the disease difficult to deal with even for someone who knows what to expect, her thoughts now with her nine and ten-year-old daughters. What would you say to Madeleine and Abigail right now? Baby, mommy loves you and misses you. I hope you're having a great time in California. OK. I'm done. [voice-over]: The Lone Star State is now in a full-blown surge with coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rising at alarming rates. In Travis County, Austin's convention center is preparing to host a coronavirus emergency care facility. Bear County, home to San Antonio saw a more than 600 percent increase in hospitalizations in June. And in Houston, hospitals are nearing capacity and preparations are underway to turn NRG Park, where the Houston Texans play, back into an emergency medical facility. It was taken down in April.
[Gov. Greg Abbott:] If I could go back and redo anything, it probably would have been to slow down the opening of bars. [voice-over]: Texas now reversing parts of its aggressive effort to reopen its economy. Bars now closed again throughout the state.
[Mohamed Alam, Owner, The Original Red Rooster:] Well, it's been difficult. [voice-over]: Mohamed Alam owns two night clubs in Houston, both now closed until further notice. He is now fighting for his life. How do you think you got COVID?
[Alam:] When the club opened, I have a the thing is they like to give me a hug and everything. So they try to give me hug or shake hand or maybe there was paying the money, counting the money. [voice-over]: Today, United Memorial Medical Center is at about 80 percent capacity.
[Joseph Varon, Chief Medical Officer, United Memorial Medical Center:] Please understand, these patients are very sick. These are patients that are about to die. So we have to admit them. And once they're here, despite of everything we do, I mean, they have to stay in the hospital anywhere between five and ten days at a minimum. So those beds will be occupied for a period of five to ten days. So, sooner or later within the next two weeks, we're going to be at full house. [voice-over]: Dr. Varon, who has now worked for more than 100 days without stop has become a sort of coronavirus specialist. For now, it appears to be paying off, 96 percent of patients admitted to the hospital, he says, beat the disease.
[Varon:] COVID is a very fluid illness. It's an illness that changes. And what I knew four months ago is completely different than what I do now. The way I treated patients two months ago, it's 100 percent different than what I do now. [voice-over]: Does this still surprise you? Does the disease still do things that make you scratch your head? Every single day, I get surprised, every day. [voice-over]: Dr. Varon now aggressively attacking inflammation and blood clotting, using everything, from vitamins, physically rotating patients, antibiotics, hydroxychloroquine for some, even STEM cells soon, anything from having to put patients on a ventilator, the virus still confounding doctors and surprising those trying to avoid getting it. This husband and wife who did not want their names used now share a room in the coronavirus unit here. They say they did everything, staying home, wearing masks, and keeping their distance from others.
[Covid Patient, At United Memorial Medical Center:] It's a little bit scary. I wish that people would take it more seriously. They should take it more seriously. You can't trust people just because they look healthy, because a lot of people are walking around looking healthy and they're not healthy. [voice-over]: It's the biggest challenge those that don't know they have it are giving it to others making them sick and possibly killing them.
[Varon:] In Houston, there are two types of patients, those that have COVID and those who will get COVID. My concern as a healthcare provider is that when they get sick, they all come to me at the same time, which is what's happening at the present time. And that's what's going to kill patients because we won't have enough resources.
[Whitfield:] Oh, my gosh. Well, thank you to the medical personnel and the patients there for not mincing words and showing and telling how painfully real this is. And thank you Miguel Marquez for taking us there. All right, holiday travel during a pandemic, some airlines are selling the middle seats again, but it's not all bad news. The improvement that could speed up your trip, next. Plus, beaches across the country now open as coronavirus cases surge. You're looking live at images from Hampton beach, New Hampshire. Will the holiday celebrations make the pandemic worse?

[Church:] Welcome back, everyone. Well, U.S. President Donald Trump officially laid out his spending plan for 2020 Monday. And the White House held its press briefing in more than a month for the occasion. But Kaitlan Collins reports other issues were up at most in reporter's minds.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Reporter:] The first White House press briefing in 42 days was supposed to focus on President Trump's new budget proposal.
[Sanders:] President Trump's 2020 budget, which was released today
[Collins:] But it was quickly overshadowed after Sarah Sanders refused to deny a report claiming Trump told a room of Republican donors that Democrats hate Jewish people.
[Unidentified Female:] Just say or no. Does he really believe Democrats hate Jews. I'm just trying to get the answer to that.
[Sanders:] I think that's a question you ought to ask the Democrats.
[Collins:] Instead, the press secretary hitting Democrats for not going far enough to rebuke their own members.
[Sanders:] Democrats had a number of opportunities to condemn specific comments that have refused to do that.
[Collins:] And pointing to Republicans calling Congressman Steve King out by name for his racist comments.
[Sanders:] We called it out by name. We stripped him of his committee memberships and we'd like to see Democrats follow suit.
[Collins:] But the president never condemned King.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] I haven't following it. I really haven't been following.
[Collins:] The back and forth distracting from the unveiling of Trump's new budget blueprint. He's renewing his demand Congress pay for his border wall, this time asking for 8.6 billion in new funding. But the White House proposal is going nowhere on Capitol Hill where Democrats have declared it dead on arrival claiming Trump hasn't learned his lesson from the government shutdown when he walked away without a single dollar in new wall funding.
[Trump:] We have reached a deal to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government.
[Collins:] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reminding him Congress refused to fund his wall and he was forced to admit defeat and reopen the government. The same thing will repeat itself if he tries this again. The proposal coming just weeks after Trump declared a national emergency to secure funding for his border wall, a move that rattled critics and allies alike.
[Sen. Susan Collins,  Maine:] I don't believe that the president has that authority under the Constitution.
[Collins:] The House passed a resolution to revoke Trump's declaration and the Senate is expected to follow suit this week. Trump has promise to veto that measure, but aides are worried more than 10 Republicans could break with the president.
[Sanders:] Let's not forget the only reason he has the authority to call a national emergency is because Congress gave them the right to do so.
[Collins:] Now when a reporter pointed out that President Trump himself has never publicly condemned Steve King, Sarah Sanders said she has and she speaks on his behalf. She did not deny that the president made that remark to that group of Republican donors but when the president was leaving the White House on Friday to go down to that fundraiser he said, and I'm quoting him now, "Democrats have become an anti-Israel party. They become an anti-Jewish party and that's too bad." Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
[Church:] In her strongest statement yet, the U.S. house speakers said she's not in favor of impeaching President Donald Trump. Nancy Pelosi spoke with the Washington Post saying this. "I'm not for impeachment. Impeachment is so divisive to the country, that unless there is something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don't think we should go down that path because it divides the country and he's just not worth it." Pelosi says she thinks the president is ethically and intellectually unfit for office. Well, the question is whether Pelosi stand will divide congressional Democrats. And I spoke with Politico's White House correspondent Gabby Orr earlier.
[Gabby Orr, White House Reporter, Politico:] And there are already several freshman Democratic members as long as well as other veteran Democrats who have come out and said that we need to move forward on impeachment proceedings against this president. And they have various reasons as to why. And Nancy Pelosi is sort of trying to steer her caucus into the direction of not pursuing that strategy. And then there's several reasons for doing that. But one of which is Democrats are obviously heading into an intense reelection year in 2020. There are number of seats that were won in 2018 in the midterms that were in Republican districts that might not be as easy to hold onto this time around, and pursuing an impeachment strategy could easily backfire in some of those districts that Democrats just gained in 2018.
[Church:] Interesting. So, of course, we saw the White House eventually hold a press briefing Monday after more than 40 days to talk about the president's budget plans, but instead, it turns to his comments that the Democrats hate Jewish people. Why was press secretary Sarah Sanders in capable of giving a straight answer on that, and what does it tell us about what's ahead with the campaign?
[Orr:] You know, I spoke with the White House special earlier today who said that this is something that they plan to highlight as much as possible. That being the anti-Semitic comments that make from Representative Ilhan Omar and any other comments down the road from Democratic members that may or may not be perceived as anti-Semitic. They think that this is a winning strategy heading into 2020 that they can potentially siphon off Jewish voters who would typically support a Democratic nominee and Democratic candidates at the House and Senate level to instead support President Trump and Republicans if they can continue to convey that somehow the Democratic Party is becoming more and more anti-Jewish.
[Church:] And Sanders also refused to rule out a pardon for Paul Manafort. What did that signal to you?
[Orr:] You know, I think it signals that that's obviously something that could be on the table. The White House is been sort of off and on, on this question of whether they're even in talks with Manafort's legal team whether they've had discussions previously about pardoning him. They some people say that they haven't, that it's never been a topic that has been broached. Others say that there is, you know, it's not entirely off the table, particularly because he did not cooperate with the special counsel investigation. So, you know, I think that this is the answer that we could have expected to hear from Sarah Sanders today. And I'm sure that we'll hear it from other White House officials the more and more we probe that topic.
[Church:] And our thanks to Politico White House correspondent Gabby Orr. We turn to Venezuela now. And President Nicolas Maduro is blaming the U.S. for the widespread power outage, crippling his country in a televised speech late Monday. He called it an electric coup carried out by criminal minds. Maduro says school and work will be suspended for another 48 hours, but the country will slowly recover. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he is pulling all remaining staff from the embassy in Caracas and he's blasting Maduro, Cuba, and Russia for Venezuela's economic crisis.
[Mike Pompeo, United States Secretary Of State:] No nation has done more to sustain the death and daily misery of ordinary Venezuelans, including Venezuela's military and their families than the communist in Havana. Cuba is the true imperialist power in Venezuela. Russia too has created this crisis. It too for its own reasons destroy the Venezuelan people's legitimate Democratic hopes and their dreams. Moscow, like Havana, continues to brag political cover to Maduro regime while pressuring countries to disregard the Democratic legitimacy of interim president Guaido.
[Church:] Well, Venezuela's National Assembly has declared a state of emergency to help in the power outage. The decree will allow for international help over the next 30 days, but it can't come fast enough for Venezuela's poorest and most vulnerable, especially the children. CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports now from Caracas.
[Patrick Oppmann, Cnn Correspondent:] At an orphanage on the outskirts of Caracas 25 children laugh and play unaware of their country's sliding deeper into chaos. Many of these children have special needs, children that are hard to care in the best of times. For their safety, we've been asked not to show the kids' faces. The government sends children here who have been abandoned to live or find new homes says Magdalena [Ph] who has run the orphanage for 15 years. All her funds come from private donations, she says. Last month she told the government she can't take any more kids. She can barely feed ones already here. "Before, all the groceries didn't fit in the car," she says. "Now with the same amount of money maybe you carry one or two bags." At the orphanage there is no fruits or of vegetables anymore and only meat every other day. Still, these kids don't go hungry. Other children in Venezuela are not nearly so lucky. Magdalena sends us to a kitchen she helped star in one of Caracas's most dangerous slums. There we find children lining up. There's stomach is rumbling. Many on their own. "The parents had to leave to work in other places and other countries," says an organizer. Maybe their grandparents are taking care of them. We give them what we have to give. No one here has to be told to clean their plate even if they can't reach the table. As Venezuela slowly comes undone this commodore kitchen is one of the places that's trying to make the difference however they can. When they started two years ago about 30 kids came here each day to eat free meals. Now they're up to 600. And for many it's going to be the only meal they get all they long. Venezuela's government says there is no humanitarian here. But activist like Malena [Ph] said the number of children being abandoned or going hungry is spiking. "Children don't have political alliances or color of flag," she says, "they are every color. They don't belong to anyone. They are Venezuela's. These children are too young to understand the events taking place around them or how deeply their country has failed them. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Caracas.
[Church:] Well, big questions for Boeing after the Ethiopian Airlines crash. Is its 737 MAX 8 safe to fly? We will ask an aviation expert to weigh in. Plus, ISIS is in its death rows outmanned and outgunned. Find out why U.S.-backed fighters have yet to bomb the terror group out of existence. An exclusive report when we come back.

[Blitzer:] We're back with our political and national security experts. Mark Mazzetti, you have a really important fascinating new article in the "New York Times," called "The Secret Push" "The Secret History of the Push to Strike Iran." Tell us more about what you learned.
[Mazzetti:] We decided to sort of try to better understand the current crisis of Iran by investigating what's happened really over the last decade and this push by both American and Israeli officials to launch a military strike on Iran, and this is the really, the whole backstory on how to understand what is going on in the brinksmanship right now between the U.S., Iran, and Israel. And we found that the Israelis became came far closer to striking Iran in 2012 than we knew before. We kind of revealed the scope of the pressure campaign that Netanyahu put on Trump to get out of the Iran nuclear deal. And it leads up to this point now where it's a volatile moment, where there's a poker game going on with all sides. And it could escalate when all of the sides don't have real knowledge of what the others' intentions are, and that's why it's so dangerous.
[Blitzer:] It's really, really an eye-opening article. Very lengthy. I recommend our viewers read it in depth. Meanwhile, Susan, CNN has learned that the relationship between the President's national security adviser, John Bolton, and the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has hit a new low. What kind of effect is that going to have on the President's national security team?
[Susan Hennessey, Cnn National Security And Legal Analyst:] Yes, so it really is astonishing. This reporting says that, essentially, John Bolton and Mike Pompeo are barely even speaking outside of sort of formal meetings. You know, we've seen this from this administration, sort of there's this constant sense of palace intrigue of people who are in and people who are on the outs. Now, that leaves the question of, who is setting this policy? Who has the President's ear on the sort of really, really important issues? For example, the administration is engaged in serious talks about withdrawal from Afghanistan, peace talks with the Taliban. Mike Pompeo and John Bolton have very, very different views. It's hard to understand who is actually getting the President's ear, who is setting U.S. policy. And also, it sort of creates this void and this opportunity for the President to come in and sort of and make these decisions and govern by whim and impulse. And so, we're back in a position which we maybe have really important foreign policy and national security decisions being based on who the President spoke to last or, frankly, what television segment the President might have watched last. That is not a stable situation for allies or for adversaries, and so it really is a concerning development to see these relationships deteriorate to this extent.
[Blitzer:] You know, Gloria, and you know this, the President has indicated he actually likes it when members of his team are at odds with one another. Do you think he's stoking this rift in some way?
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] I don't think he has to stoke it very much, to tell you the truth. Look, this is a president who does thrive on chaos. And by the way, Wolf, you and I have covered administrations we all have where there has been friction between the national security team and the team at the State Department. That is not that is not new. What is new here is the extent to which these people go out of their way now to avoid each other and the extent to which the President, for example, disagrees with his own national security adviser who who is an interventionist and here, you have a president who's an isolationist. You want to talk about Afghanistan, et cetera, talk about Syria, and so you have and Iran, you have a president who disagrees with Bolton. If Bolton leaves or is fired or resigns, whatever, it will be because Donald Trump says, you know what, I don't like the fact that you disagree with me and I'm making the decisions here. And also, Pompeo has really mastered the art of dealing with Donald Trump, and I think that Bolton is more in your face than Pompeo is. And of course, you know, we still don't know whether Pompeo is actually going to leave the administration at some point to run for the Senate, remember, in
[Blitzer:] Yes.
[Borger:] in the state of Kansas.
[Blitzer:] There's a lot of questions there.
[Borger:] Yes.
[Blitzer:] You know, Nia, how do you see it?
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Senior Political Reporter:] Yes. And we'll have to see how long Bolton remains in this administration. There have been so many officials throughout this presidency where they seem to be sort of on their last days, but that could last for months and months and months. So we'll see what happens with Bolton, who is clearly on the outs with Pompeo and, as Gloria said, at odds with how the President sees the world and how he sees America's place in the world.
[Blitzer:] Everybody, stick around. There's more news, including alarming new evidence emerging right now about the gun seller who was the source of the assault-style weapon used in that mass shooting in Texas.

[Vause:] California Governor Gavin Newsom is set to sign an executive order which would suspend the state's death penalty. The moratorium will serve as an immediate reprieve for the 737 people sentenced to death in California which has the largest death row population in the U.S. And one of America's biggest criminal justice reform advocates has lent her support. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian tweeted, "Racial bias and unfairness went deep throughout the Justice system but especially when it comes to the death penalty." Everything that is wrong with the United States in terms of corruption, entitlement, the haves versus the have not seem to come together in what prosecutors have described as an unprecedented scam to secure much coveted place at an elite university. Fifty 50 people including two actresses, CEOs and colleges coaches are facing charges but this outrage is being felt across the country, especially for any kid who worked hard, played by the rules but was still denied a fair shot. Randi Kaye has details.
[Andrew Lelling, U.s. Attorney For Massachusetts:] We're here today to announce charges, in the largest college admission scam every prosecuted by the Department of Justice.
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] A jaw-dropping scam dubbed "Operation: Varsity Blues", involving at least 50 people accusing wealthy parents of allegedly cheating so their children would be admitted into prestigious schools. One of the schemes involved parents allegedly paying millions for fake athletic credentials just so their children could gain entry to college by being accepted to the school's athletic team. To be clear, these were not really student athletes.
[Lelling:] Singer helped parents take staged photographs of their children engaged in particular sports. In one example, the head women's soccer coach at Yale in exchange for $400,000 accepted an applicant as a recruit for the Yale women's team despite knowing that the applicant did not even play competitive soccer. The student was in fact admitted, and afterwards, the student's family paid Singer $1.2 million dollars.
[Kaye:] Singer the man he mentioned is William Rick Singer. Not only did he allegedly staged those photos but he also is accused of arranging for others to take online high school classes in place of the real students so those higher grades could be submitted instead. The money paid by wealthy parents was listed as contributions to his sham charity, Key Worldwide Foundation.
[Lelling:] Singer's clients paid him anywhere between $100,000 and $6.5 million.
[Kaye:] One of the 33 parents named in the indictment, actress Felicity Huffman best known for her role on "Desperate Housewives".
[Felicity Huffman, Actress:] I forgot the keys to Mr. Tom's casa could you let me in, por favor.
[Kaye:] According to the criminal complaint, Huffman and her husband actor William H. Macy are accused of making a charitable contribution of $15,000 to the fake charity. Huffman is charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud after allegedly paying Singer's organization. In a recorded phone call evidenced in the investigation she's heard saying, "We're going to do like we did with my older daughter." Singer response "Ok. So we'll take it with her and for her at Igor's place at the West Hollywood Test Center." Along with Huffman, actress Lori Loughlin who played Aunt Becky on "Full House" is also charged.
[Lori Loughlin, Actress:] I have a confession.
[Kaye:] Court documents say Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team despite the fact, that neither daughter ever participated in the sport of rowing. And according to one of the daughters own YouTube post, she didn't care much for school either,
[Olivia Jade Gianulli, Lori Loughlin's Daughter:] But I do want the experience of like game days and partying. I don't really care about school as you guys all know.
[Kaye:] Their parents have been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Worth noting, this was Loughlin on the "Today" show back in 2017 playing proud mom as she talked about sending her daughter off to college.
[Loughlin:] I think I'm in complete denial.
[Unidentified Female:] Yes.
[Loughlin:] I really am because when I think about it too much it will make me cry.
[Kaye:] Authorities seized fake charity account. Court documents show it had more than $5 million in it. Schools named in the complaint include USC, UCLA, Stanford, Georgetown, University of Texas in Austin, Yale University and others in Boston. Late today, the man behind the college scheme admitting in court, "I created a side door that would guarantee families would get in." Randi Kaye, CNN New York.
[Vause:] CNN's legal analyst Areva Martin joins us now from L.A. Let me start with this. This is stomach churning because it says to every kid who worked twice as hard for half as much that doesn't matter. You can do whatever you want to do, it doesn't count. Because the elites, the people with the money they'll just spend what they've got to spend and they'll do it illegally, they'll deceive, they'll lie, they'll cheat and they'll get their kids it no matter what. And for those other kids who missed out and it seems that all the kids who missed out, not just at those universities but they're not
[Areva Martin, Cnn Legal Analyst:] Yes, that's a great question John. So one of the things that the U.S. Attorney said in the press conference this morning was that, the sentencing guidelines are very stiff in terms of the penalties for the crimes that they've been charged with upwards to 20 years. But they're going to look at each individual case. Some of these people obviously are going to enter into a plea agreements with the U.S. attorney. Some may become cooperating witnesses. So what each individual gets will depend on individual circumstance. You know, how much did they pay this Singer guy. You know, what was the level of their bribe? You know, what's their own criminal background. Other mitigating factors will come into play. But one thing that the U.S. Attorney said and I think we should not take lightly. He said look, we are not going to have two system of justice where people because they're affluent and have get a different sentence than those who don't have money. We already know in the college university admission process, that, you know, this an extreme form of a system that favors the rich and powerful. So when you think about legacy students, you think about the students of faculty members. There's already built into the process a mechanism by which those students that have money and power, get preferential treatment over students that don't have the same access to resources. So this is shocking, on so many levels. It's something that many of us have always known happened, just not at this level. And now it's been exposed. And what we're told by the U.S. Attorney is this isn't the end. This is the beginning for a very expansive investigation that may involved many other people being indicted including parents, school administrators and other individuals who have participated in this conspiracy.
[Vause:] There's two justice systems. We know that there is justice for the rich and there's justice for the people who aren't; and there's justice for people of color and justice for white folks. And you know, anyway.
[Martin:] Yes.
[Vause:] If you look at the parents who're being charged here, you know, not just the, you know, the small time TV actors. Look at CEOs, look at the chairman of the big law firm. And what that says to me, that's an indication that this was accepted. No one thought it was wrong, or that it is illegal. Or that it was punishable with a serious, you know penalties here. This is just how it was done WHEN YOU GET TO THAT LEVEL..
[Martin:] They didn't care John. When you read what is in that criminal affidavit, that partner in the law firm had an extensive conversation with Rick Singer, you know, trying to figure out if he would get caught. And I think at one point, he said, he didn't care about the ethics or the morality of what he was doing. He just wanted to make sure that he doesn't get caught.
[Vause:] Maybe does now.
[Martin:] Well, I'm sure he does now, but that's what so galling about this. You know, what's funny to me is, I grew up on the wrong side the tracks. And we were always told that education was the way to level the playing field. These people have everything. They have every advantage. We saw Lori Loughlin's daughter say she didn't even want to be at college. She was just there for the parties. This was really her mother's idea. This girl's already a social media influencer. She has over two million followers on YouTube. She has endorsement deals. So you have to ask the question why would parents go to such great length when they have already every advantage that you can imagine.
[Vause:] Is there any way to stop it? Is there
[Martin:] I totally agree with you. I'm not buying that all OF these kids were completely oblivious to this. You know THAT you haven't studied. You know that you've got mediocre or poor cards throughout high school. So if you get an admission letter saying you've been accepted to Yale and you've been a poor student, it doesn't take, you know you don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out something is wrong with this picture. So it's not only the students that I think also need to be, you know, looked at more closely. But what about the other people in these colleges. I'm not buying that one college administrator had the power to admit students. College admission process, this involved lots of people. So I hope this investigation includes looking at college presidents, deans, provosts and the other people that are involved in the admissions process. Because you have to imagine that these schools had a culture that didn't focus on accountability and put profits, you know, over accountability and ensuring that fairness was served and done with respect to the admissions and that students like these students didn't get slots that should have gone to hardworking students that earned the right to be at those colleges.
[Vause:] Here's the icing on the outrage right. "As part of the scheme, William dinger describes the bribe payments from clients as charitable contributions to the Key Worldwide Foundation. Afterward a KWF employee would mail letters to the client begging them for their donations. Your generosity will allow us to move forward with our plans to provide educational and self-enrichment programs to disadvantaged used, the letter said according to prosecutors. So he said this, digging in on one hand they get the kids in the university where they should be getting in. And then because this is a charitable contribution they could use it as part of the tax deduction on their income tax for the year. It's outrageous.
[Martin:] They claim them as, you know, charitable contributions made to a legitimate 501-c3 organization. They took the deductions. But you raise such an interesting point, John about the mission of this fraudulent nonprofit was to help disadvantaged. How ironic is that. That the so-called mission of this nonprofit was to help the very students whose seats are being taken from them because these parents are bribing the universities. And we should talk about the disabled students too because this lawyer, this law partner flew his daughter to Los Angels, got a bogus diagnosis that she was disabled, that she had some kind of learning disability. So that she can request more time to take the college admissions exam. An exam which, by the way, was either doctored or somehow, you know, there was cheating with respect to that exam. So now every time a disabled student I happen to be the parent of one, requests additional time which is legitimate and legal, there's going to be some question in the mind of that test taking organization of that college about, whether this person does truly have disability that would warrant that additional time. So people that are victims in this whole fraudulent scheme.
[Vause:] Yes. And when you think about, you know, we're out of time Areva I know parents, especially friends of ours who spent every waking hours since their kids were born working on getting them into an elite school because that's the opportunity that they want, and it's all for nothing you know, in some ways. But you know, we'll see what happens here. Areva thank you.
[Martin:] My final thought is John get a tutor, get a tutor. You know, get a tutor.
[Vause:] Yes. I mean, you know
[Martin:] Nothing The thing criminal about tutors
[Vause:] It seems like everything is rigged and that's why people are angry. Areva thank you
[Martin:] Absolutely. Thanks John.
[Vause:] And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. The news continues on CNN right after this.

[Brianna Keilar, Cnn:] Top of the hour now, I'm Brianna Keilar. Democratic nominee Joe Biden today, calling his first debate with President Trump a national embarrassment. President Trump interrupted Joe Biden and moderator Chris Wallace more than 120 times. And in doing so, he derailed in an epic way the first opportunity for Americans to see and evaluate these candidates on their policies, side by side. Instead, voters suffered through 90 minutes of rancor and insults, most of it coming from the president though Joe Biden did call him a clown. And as painful as it was at times to listen to, what was not said on the Cleveland debate stage was hugely significant. Joe Biden was asked if he would add justices to the Supreme Court. He said he would not answer the question. And Donald Trump skirted questions about his accountability for his government's failed coronavirus response that has left more than 200,000 dead in the U.S. He also wouldn't answer questions about how he'll protect people currently covered by Obamacare. By far though, the worst moment of this most chaotic presidential debate in modern political history was a sitting American president, given the opportunity to denounce white supremacists multiple times, refusing to do so, and instead issuing a call to action to right-wing extremists.
[Chris Wallace, Presidential Debate Moderator:] Are you willing, tonight, to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities, as we saw in Kenosha and as we've seen in Portland?
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Sure, I'm willing to do that but
[Wallace:] Are you prepared to specifically do it? Well go ahead, sir.
[Trump:] I would say I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the right wing. If you look
[Wallace:] So what do you what are you saying?
[Trump:] I'm willing to do anything I want to see peace.
[Wallace:] Then do it, sir.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Nominee:] Say it, do it, say it.
[Trump:] Do you want to call them what do you want to call them? Give me a name, give me a name. Who would you like me to condemn?
[Wallace:] White supremacists and right-wing
[Biden:] The Proud Boys.
[Wallace:] white supremacists and
[Trump:] Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by. But I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what. Somebody's got to do something about Antifa and the left.
[Keilar:] Right now, Joe Biden is seizing on the president's failure to condemn racists, saying this a short time ago to the Proud Boys, the group that you just heard the president direct to, quote, "stand back and stand by."
[Unidentified Male:] What are your fears about the implications of the president's rhetoric and do you have a message for the Proud Boys today?
[Biden:] My message to the Proud Boys and every other white supremacist group is, cease and desist. That's not who we are, this is not who we are as Americans.
[Keilar:] All right, I want to go to Kaitlan Collins for more on this. Kaitlan, you were there at the White House. Tell us about the view of this from there.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, it depends on if you're hearing what they're saying publicly or what they are saying privately, Brianna. Because in public, we are hearing them praise the president's performance, say they believed he delivered a strong performance and whatnot as he was excuse me going on with the debate last night. But what we are hearing privately is just not that, Brianna. Because we are hearing from several advisors, people who work for the president, people who are supporters of the president who do not believe he did himself a service with that debate performance last night with those moderate voters that he desperately needs if he's going to win re-election in November. Instead, they found him too aggressive, they didn't believe he touted enough accomplishments as he was on the stage, and they basically said overall what we heard from them as we were talking to these people today, they didn't believe he really delivered a clear or effective line of attack against Joe Biden like he did with Hillary Clinton in 2016. Instead, he kind of tried to throw the entire kitchen sink at Joe Biden, as he was interrupting him, as they were accusing each other, making several false statements on the debate stage with a massive audience watching, Brianna. And now, we are going to it may seem that they're going to change what the next debates are going to look like, because we got this statement from the presidential Commission on Presidential Debates just a few moments ago, basically saying they are hearing what everyone else is saying about this debate, how chaotic it was last night, how hard it was to understand where the candidates were going with their comments. They said, "Last night's debate made clear that additional structures should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues." Now of course, what's that going to look like and whether or not the two candidates are going to agree to it before they do meet on the debate stage again in Miami, which is going to be a town hall-style event, is really another question, Brianna. And of course, you know, they say that they believe that more structure is going to make the debate more orderly, but it's still going to be the same two candidates on the stage, it's still going to be President Donald Trump, who many people believe is lashing out because he knows he's down in the polls and really he doesn't have much else left to lose here. So of course, whether or not it actually changes what the next debate is going to look like is anyone's question.
[Keilar:] All right. Yes, we are waiting to see. Kaitlan, thank you for that report from the North Lawn of the White House. CNN's Elle Reeve is joining us now, she spent time with the Proud Boys at a rally in Portland. Elle, tell us how are they responding to the president's comments to stand back and stand by?
[Elle Reeve, Cnn Correspondent:] They love it. I talked to a chairman last night, he told me that he thought stand back and stand by meant to let them keep doing what they're doing, and to let police do their job. We went to a rally in Portland this weekend to get a look at what they're doing actually looks like.
[Unidentified Male:] We're a drinking club with a patriot problem. That's the Proud Boys, I think. Our main objective is to defend the West.
[Unidentified Male: Usa! Usa! Unidentified Male:] Do I look scary with this? I would never use this to hit someone out of just a blatant attack, it would be only self- defense.
[Reeve:] We're at the Proud Boys rally in Delta Park.
[Unidentified Male:] We pledge allegiance to the flag
[Reeve:] The Proud Boys are a far-right group with ambiguous beliefs but a clear record of street fights.
[Unidentified Male:] We're not punching each other in the face.
[Reeve:] But part of the culture is to be lightly punched while naming five breakfast cereals.
[Unidentified Male:] Five breakfast cereals, yes.
[Reeve:] They planned this rally after a far-right activist was killed here a few weeks ago. Many worry that their presence in Portland will result in clashes with anti-fascist protestors, who planned their own rally as a response. Ahead of this, the governor declared a state of emergency. There's at least 300 people here, although they'd hyped up to 3,000. and the ratio of journalists to Proud Boys is very high. Are you here to get in fights with Antifa?
[Unidentified Male:] Absolutely not.
[Reeve:] But you guys are sort of dressed in the aesthetics of political violence.
[Unidentified Male:] Well, aesthetics and actually what we are is two different things. We're all wearing protective gear. Who needs a shield?
[Reeve:] It just seems like every time there is a Proud Boys event, it ends with some people getting beat up.
[Unidentified Male:] If our mere presence causes people to want to commit acts of violence, we're not afraid to defend ourselves. I know what you do, bro. A lot of people, white supremacists are nuts Who? Who that's not a white supremacist and a Nazi?
[Reeve:] The Proud Boys all tell us they're just here to drink beer and barbecue, but there have already been a couple incidents that have teetered on the edge of violence, including our own crew being threatened.
[Unidentified Female:] Get out.
[Unidentified Male:] Take
[Reeve:] Did you film that?
[Unidentified Male:] You've got something to say?
[Sam, Trump Supporter:] We had one Antifa come in here, he openly admitted he was. The camera did not capture it all, oh wow, look, they're being so violent? They didn't touch him. He wasn't bleeding, he wasn't marked up, he didn't get punched, he didn't get sprayed or nothing. And that's I told him later, I was like, hey, you're lucky.
[Reeve:] Well, if you're not here for violence, then it wouldn't be lucky, it would be the plan, right?
[Sam:] Wait. I mean, if
[Reeve:] It wouldn't be a stroke of luck if
[Sam:] Sure, but
[Reeve:] you weren't expecting to be violent.
[Sam:] But that's me, but I can't speak for everybody else.
[Reeve:] The Sheriff's Department estimated about a thousand people came to Delta Park throughout the day. Meanwhile, about a thousand counter-protestors gathered three miles away. What do you think the Proud Boys represent?
[Unidentified Female:] Fear. Fear of losing power. They feel like they're just losing everything they thought that, you know, they're the superior race. We call them the Proud Little Penis Boys. Fascism has no place in this city.
[Reeve:] And why is it important to, like, have a counter-rally to the Proud Boys? Like, why not just ignore them?
[Unidentified Male:] We're out here to show that we're not afraid, and that we're not going to, like, back down This is a counter-protest, this is a different type of night. Why do you work with the Proud Boys?
[Reeve:] At the nightly anti-police protest, people waited warily for the Proud Boys to show up. But they never came. Instead, the only clashes that occurred were the same ones between police and protestors that have happened nearly every night since May. In the end, it was just another night in Portland.
[Keilar:] And Elle Reeve, back with us now. So I mean, just explain to us what the goals of this group are, Elle, and what the demographics of this group look like.
[Reeve:] Sure. They keep their political goals pretty vague. They say they want to defend Western civilization. They're not explicitly white supremacist. It's mostly white but not entirely, mostly working class but not entirely, and a big part of it is self-help. They tell each other they're there to work out. They want to project a certain kind of masculinity.
[Keilar:] And what's the dynamic between Antifa and Proud Boys as we've seen them clashing in these counter-protests across the country?
[Reeve:] Yes, it can be pretty nuts. The Proud Boys want to intimidate Antifa, that's why they dress the way they do, that's why they talk the way they do. And to a degree, it works at rallies at protests in Portland and in Seattle, rumors would spread throughout the crowd, like, Proud Boys are coming, Proud Boys are coming. When they actually do clash, it can be explosive. A lot of times it's just one person who gets singled out and they'll be chased down a field. There's been one death, although that person was not a Proud Boy. But when you're on the ground, it's just it's very scary.
[Keilar:] Yes, no, and you really communicate that through your piece. Elle, thanks for being with us.
[Reeve:] Thank you.
[Keilar:] I want to bring in T.W. Shannon, he is the co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. All right, T.W., why did the president not condemn white supremacists?
[T.w. Shannon, Co-chair, Black Voices For Trump:] Well, Brianna, three times, the president said he would condemn white supremacy, and he's done it on a number
[Keilar:] And then he didn't.
[Shannon:] of previous occasions. I think my question is
[Keilar:] and then he didn't, T.W. Why didn't he?
[Shannon:] how many times does the president have to have this conversation? At some point, the media has to accept his answer. He's condemned it at least seven times that I can Google real quick and find it, and he's said it last night. He called out that group by name. I refuse to speak their name, I'm a little surprised that CNN is giving them such a broad
[Keilar:] No, he told them T.W., he told them oh, T.W. come on. He told them to stand back and stand by, they welcome this as a call to action and he has not
[Shannon:] He absolutely said stand by, he said stand down
[Keilar:] clarified this.
[Shannon:] stand back and that means that we're coming for you, people are coming out
[Keilar:] Stand back no, no, no, he said stand back T.W.
[Shannon:] the president has been clear, he wants law and order just a minute, you asked a question
[Keilar:] No, no, no
[Shannon:] let me answer, just a second
[Keilar:] you are not you are he said
[Shannon:] you asked me a question, you let me answer
[Keilar:] he's no he said
[Shannon:] if you're going to ask the questions, you've got to also accept the answer.
[Keilar:] stand back then let me tell you no, that's not right.
[Shannon:] The president said stand back
[Keilar:] He said stand back
[Shannon:] meaning that we're going to come after you. He said it, he said it a number of
[Keilar:] he said he did not say stand down.
[Shannon:] times but the real problem is, any time that you're talking about
[Keilar:] He said stand back and stand by, that's not
[Shannon:] white nationalism, you're not talking about the real issues that face
[Keilar:] what he said. T.W., he said, stand back and stand by.
[Shannon:] the African-American community. And it's sad. It's really sad
[Keilar:] You know what faces the African-American community is white supremacy. No
[Shannon:] that we won't talk about the real issues facing
[Keilar: T.w. -- Shannon:] the president no, I do not need you of all people to tell me what's facing my community. I'm offended by that and you should apologize for it
[Keilar:] White supremacy the I'm not apologizing for the Trump administration no
[Shannon:] White supremacy is an issue, but that's not what's causing
[Keilar: -- T.w. -- Shannon:] issues in the black community. The real issue
[Keilar:] I'm not apologizing for the fact that the Trump administration
[Shannon:] facing the black community you should apologize, for you don't tell me what's facing my community. It's offensive, and you should apologize for it.
[Keilar:] says that white the Trump the Trump administration says that white supremacy is the greatest threat to the U.S. That is the Trump administration. Should they apologize?
[Shannon:] The Trump administration has condemned white supremacy. If you're bringing up that point, why bring up last night's point? The real issues facing the debate last night should have been, what's Joe Biden's record with the African-American community? it's abysmal, he's done absolutely nothing in 47 years to move the community forward. In fact
[Keilar:] The Trump administration says that white supremacy
[Shannon:] he's the guy I'm sorry, excuse me, let me finish my statement. He's the guy
[Keilar:] that says that white supremacy is the greatest threat.
[Shannon:] who said that in 1994, in 1994, he passed a crime bill which locked up people that looked like me and said that we were threats to the community because of how we looked. That's what the debate should have been.
[Keilar:] T.W., why can't why couldn't the president condemn white supremacy? OK, let's let's let's
[Shannon:] The president said it three times, he condemned it three times last night
[Keilar:] All right
[Shannon:] he said it. They asked him, would you condemn white supremacy? He said yes, he said it three times. He said, give me a group.
[Keilar:] He said sure.
[Shannon:] He named the group by name, and he
[Keilar:] He said sure, and then he didn't do it.
[Shannon:] told them to stand back.
[Keilar:] He said he
[Shannon:] That was absolutely the right thing to do. The president said it, he did do
[Keilar:] It was a call to action.
[Shannon:] and he's done it seven times before.
[Keilar:] All right, I want to I just
[T.w. -- Shannon:] the problem is you won't accept the answer.
[Keilar:] you asked me this is why it's important the president condemns it, because he raises many questions in his
[Shannon:] Absolutely, and he has. He did it last night and he's done it seven other times before.
[Keilar:] excuse me, stop interrupting me. T.W. hey, we're not at a presidential debate, T.W. Can you listen to my question, OK? This is why
[Shannon:] You won't let me answer your question.
[Keilar:] I'm going to this is my question, I'm here to ask the questions. This is what
[Shannon:] And I'm here to answer if you'll let me.
[Keilar:] he please listen. This is what he has done over time. In the 1970s, he discriminated against black tenants. In the 1980s, he called for the death penalty for the Central Park Five, who you know were exonerated. In the '90s, he was fined for discriminating against black employees. In 2005, he pitched a version of "The Apprentice" that pitted blacks against whites. In 2011, he pushed the Obama birther conspiracy. In 2015, he called Mexican immigrants rapists who are bringing crime. In 2015, he called for a Muslim ban. In 2016, he claimed Hispanic judges couldn't be impartial. In 2016, he also refused to condemn former KKK leader David Duke. In 2016
[Shannon:] Where's the question? I'm sorry
[Keilar:] he said fine, I'm almost there.
[Shannon:] I thought this wasn't a debate. Where's the question?
[Keilar:] I'm asking the question.
[Shannon:] Did I miss it?
[Keilar:] This is part of the question. We're only at 2016
[Shannon:] OK, let me hear the question please.
[Keilar:] The question is and I will continue 2017, he said there are fine people on both sides in Charlottesville. In 2018, he
[Shannon:] That's not what he said, that has been debunked by your own news station, that's false.
[Keilar:] called NFL players protesting police brutality "sons of bitches" not true. Two thousand eighteen, referred to Haiti and African nations as "shithole countries." Two thousand twenty, called COVID-19 the China virus and the Kung Flu. Also same year this year, suggested that Senator Kamala Harris isn't a U.S. citizen. He is working to stop diversity training at federal agencies. He's working to roll back fair housing rules to save suburbs, he's warning of an invasion and that's pretty clear, what he's talking about and he is defending the Confederate flag despite what the Pentagon has said that it wants. So you say that he has condemned the that he has condemned white supremacy, I think you're being very liberal in your distinction of that. But you heard what I just said. And I have to be honest, I had a list to go through here and there's a bunch of stuff I couldn't get to because this list is so long. This is why he has to condemn white supremacy, and he is not doing it adequately and you know that.
[Shannon:] The problem is, the president has done it on several occasions. He's done it seven times that you can Google for yourself I
[Keilar:] All right, let's play we're going to play last night, let's play last night.
[Shannon:] hold on, let me answer the question, I listened to you, you've got to at least let me answer the question.
[Keilar:] No, you're not answering the question.
[Shannon:] Last night the president said three times
[Keilar:] Play the sound bite, this is what he said last night.
[Shannon:] I'm sorry, you're not allowing me to play you're not allowing me to answer the question.
[Keilar:] I want our viewers to know what he said last night, and then we will discuss. That's why you're hear, let's listen.
[Shannon:] Let's play it.
[Trump:] Who would you like me to condemn?
[Wallace:] White supremacists and right-wing
[Biden:] The Proud Boys.
[Wallace:] white supremacists and
[Trump:] Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by.
[Keilar:] It's been it's a call to action. He did not
[Shannon:] The question was asked in the context of violence in the street.
[Keilar:] condemn them.
[Shannon:] They the president was asked, will you condemn? He said, yes, I will, give me a group. He named them by name, and he
[Keilar:] He didn't say yes I will.
[Shannon:] said it, and he said it seven times. In fact, just last week I was in Atlanta where the president rolled out his platinum plan where he called
[Keilar:] He did not condemn, he didn't condemn.
[Shannon:] the KKK as a hate group. he said that it should be, and it should actually be he said it seven times before. The problem is, the media won't accept the narrative. And the real issue the problem the reason why this is so hurtful to me as an African-American is because there are a whole lot of other issues facing our community that don't get talked about. Let's talk about the homelessness rate, let's talk about job creation. That's what the president's talking about
[Keilar:] Let's talk about unemployment.
[Shannon:] so we can talk about white nationalism all the day
[Keilar:] Let's
[Shannon:] that you let's talk about unemployment.
[Keilar:] OK, black unemployment, T.W. I would like to, black unemployment, right now.
[Shannon:] The president delivered the lowest black
[Keilar:] Hey let's talk about it.
[Shannon:] unemployment in the history of the country.
[Keilar:] Thirteen percent, white unemployment, seven
[Shannon:] He's done it in the history of the country.
[Keilar:] Thirteen percent, white unemployment, 7.3 percent. That's this month. All right, that's in the middle of
[Shannon:] So it took a pandemic for the president's unemployment rate for blacks to get to where it was under the Obama administration.
[Keilar:] Let's talk about the pandemic.
[Shannon:] Before the pandemic
[Keilar:] Black cases of the pandemic, 2.6 times higher than for whites
[Shannon:] before the pandemic, African-Americans had the lowest unemployment rate
[Keilar:] You know what,
[T.w. -- Shannon:] in the history of the country, that's a fact.
[Keilar:] They have twice, 13 percent
[Shannon:] You know, if you're going to have me on as a guest, you've got to let me talk and answer the questions.
[Keilar:] You're saying a bunch of crap.
[Shannon:] If you're going to ask the questions and then answer them, that doesn't make sense.
[Keilar:] No, I'm telling you. Look
[Shannon:] This sounds a lot like the debate from Joe Biden last night.
[Keilar:] Well, you're acting like Donald Trump. I think that if you look at the numbers, black unemployment and I don't just think this, this is verified by statistics, I think you're well aware of them, by the Trump administration 13 percent in September 2020, which is where we are right now. White unemployment, 7.3 percent. You said it took a pandemic? OK, well here we are, we're in a pandemic. A president deals with what he is handed. If you look at
[Shannon:] Absolutely.
[Keilar:] even more importantly than unemployment, you look at lives? Black cases, 2.6 times higher than whites. Black hospitalizations, 4.7 times higher than whites. Black deaths, 2.1 times higher than whites. Spin that.
[Shannon:] I'm sorry, is there a question in that? Because the reality is
[Keilar:] Can you what is your reaction?
[Shannon:] President Trump, but for his leadership, we would have had more than two million deaths, and many of those would have been African-American if we had listened to Joe Biden. It was
[Keilar:] That's if you did jack squat.
[Shannon:] President Trump who it was
[Keilar:] He's the president. President Trump
[Shannon:] President Trump who stood up and said, let's close the border, let's make sure that we're not allowing people to come in from Wuhan, China
[Keilar:] Too late.
[Shannon:] into our country. President Trump did that, it was President
[Keilar:] He closed it too late.
[Shannon:] Vice President Joe Biden who said he was racist and xenophobic for saying it. But the idea that you would try to lay at President Trump's feet
[Keilar:] These are not mutually exclusive, that he was too late.
[Shannon:] the fact that people died from a pandemic? I think that unconscionable. You should be embarrassed for promulgating that nonsense. The reality is this, we are facing a pandemic. And because of the president's leadership, we're actually moving forward with the economy. The economy has grown by leaps and bounds since March.
[Keilar:] Black unemployment, 13 percent,
[T.w. -- Shannon:] You look at what's really happening in the economy, it's the Democrat black unemployment is 13 before the pandemic, it was less than three percent, the lowest in the history of the country.
[Keilar:] We would all like to go back in a time machine, T.W., but we are in a pandemic, I'm not sure if you noticed
[Shannon:] We would love to, we would love to do that but
[Keilar:] black unemployment, 13 percent. White unemployment, 7.3 percent.
[Shannon:] the reality is we've got to move forward. And Joe Biden hasn't offered any plan to do that. Joe Biden had offered one plan. But the real question is, why don't we talk about Joe Biden's record on African-Americans? I haven't heard you quote any of those statistics. The reason is, is because it's abysmal. He doesn't have one. Joe Biden hasn't done anything for the African-American community in 47 years, but lock us up and tell me that people that look like me, that we're a threat. And that's a reality, and that's something that the media doesn't want to report on. President Trump has been undoing the chaos that Joe Biden created in this country, and he's going to have four more years to continue to undo the chaos that was created under the Obama administration, that's just a fact.
[Keilar:] I just would like to point to I would like to point, T.W., to the record that I just put up. You talked about 47 years? Please put up the full screen again. This is the record of President Trump when he was a private citizen and when he was president. This is his record right here, T.W. This is his record, and I know
[Shannon:] Under that I can't see the record, but I will tell you this
[Keilar:] you'll point to things excuse me I already read it to you,
[I -- Shannon:] when he was a private citizen
[Keilar:] no, no, no, I'm saying I look,
[I -- Shannon:] he was receiving awards from
[Keilar: T.w. -- Shannon:] Jesse Jackson, and receiving awards from Al Sharpton because of his commitment to the African-American community
[Keilar:] when he was a private citizen, he was discriminating against
[Shannon:] this nonsense
[Keilar:] black tenants, he was calling for the death penalty
[Shannon:] about him being a racist, did not come
[Keilar:] for innocent black men, he was fined for discriminating against black employees.
[Shannon:] into reality until he started running for president of the United States.
[Keilar:] He
[Ok, T.w. -- Shannon:] This is being promulgated by the media, it's just not true, it's not.
[Keilar:] What is not true of what I read to you? I'm sorry some I don't
[Shannon:] What's not true is that President Trump is not a racist, he has done more for the African-American community
[Keilar:] he discriminated against tenants.
[Shannon:] than any president in the history. He is the first president to create Economic Empowerment Zones to say, you know what, the real issue facing the African-American community, it's not racism. The real issue facing us is job opportunity, access to a quality job, access to quality education. Those are the real issues that are going to put food on the table.
[Keilar:] Black Americans are not doing well. Look, you even know and even on the FIRST STEP Act, which I know is what you're referring to when you're talking about
[Shannon:] Black Americans weren't doing well long before President Trump became president, that's a reality.
[Keilar:] which Mitch McConnell blocked criminal justice reform under President Obama, that is a fact. Mitch McConnell blocked it by the admission of Republicans, when they explained why that was done.
[Shannon:] The criminal justice reform was to fix Joe Biden's 1994 bill, that's what we're trying to clean up. That's the issue.
[Keilar:] And this FIRST STEP Act, this FIRST STEP Act is unevenly working. In fact at this point in time, when you look at it, you actually have
[Shannon:] You're right, it's helping 90 percent African-Americans, it is, it's very much
[Keilar:] you have hundreds they're
[Shannon:] slanted towards the progress for African-Americans.
[Keilar:] there are hundreds of people who have looked who have seen sentence reduction only to face reincarceration, many of them for drug crimes. I'm sure you're aware of this and this is coming
[Shannon:] Brianna, you can tell this false narrative to yourself over and over
[Keilar:] excuse me, this is no, no, this is true, this
[Shannon:] but that doesn't make it true.
[Keilar:] is what's happening. This is what's happening
[Shannon:] The reality is
[Keilar:] this is what's happening under the
[Doj -- Shannon:] where is Joe Biden's plan on criminal justice reform?
[Keilar: T.w. -- T.w. -- Shannon:] Did have you heard of it? I didn't hear you mention no, no
[Keilar:] are you are you a surrogate for him? I'm pretty sure you're not familiar with it.
[Shannon:] seriously, where is Joe Biden's plan on criminal justice reform?
[Keilar:] Please stop interrupting me, I'd like to discuss
[Shannon:] Pretty sure I'm familiar with what? Sorry, I didn't hear you. What's the question?
[Keilar:] with you the the first the FIRST STEP Act, it has hundreds of
[Shannon:] I'm very familiar. In fact, I'm familiar with one of the first people
[Keilar: -- T.w. -- T.w. -- T.w. -- Shannon:] who benefited from the FIRST I've talked to them personally. Have you?
[Keilar:] Yes, are you familiar with the people who have benefited only to face reincarceration? there's hundreds of them, and this is because of very questionable interpretation by Trump's attorney general, Bill Barr. That is what's going on. This is being unevenly worked out, this FIRST STEP Act. It has big problems. You
[Shannon:] Brianna, that is so that is so unfair and unconscionable that you would try to say because there's a recidivism
[Keilar:] It's factual, it's you may think it's unfair, but it's factual.
[Shannon:] rate that people are going back to prison that the FIRST STEP Act
[Keilar:] It's not recidivism.
[Shannon:] isn't a success.
[Keilar:] It is not. It is a reading it's a reading about
[Shannon:] I will tell you, they're not all going back to prison.
[Keilar:] it is not, it's a reading
[Shannon:] There are a lot of African-Americans who get out of prison because of the FIRST STEP Act
[Keilar:] it's not recidivism, it's not recidivism.
[Shannon:] who are doing well.
[Keilar:] It's not that is so
[Shannon:] That's a fact, and you can't change that fact. Facts are a tough thing
[Keilar:] that's not a fact. No, that's not.
[Shannon:] because they don't change.
[Keilar:] T.W., it's not a fact
[Shannon:] Even on national television. It is a fact. It is absolutely a fact. In fact, one of them they were highlighted
[Keilar:] Recidivism, that's not what I'm talking about, I'm not talking about recidivism.
[Shannon:] at the Republican National Convention, we've talked to them.
[Keilar:] I'm not talking
[T.w. -- Shannon:] I'm sorry, you're talking about people who were released from prison and going back to prison? That's recidivism.
[Keilar:] No, listen no it's not, let me explain to you what I'm talking about, you seem to be misunderstanding what I'm saying.
[Shannon:] Yes, it is. I was speaker of the house for the state of Oklahoma
[Keilar:] No, no, no, listen fantastic
[Shannon:] and we enacted criminal justice reform. I know it well.
[Keilar:] good for you, very good for you, sir. No. Because what I'm talking about is folks who have been seen sentence reduction, and then there's been a reading by the Department of Justice about the amount of drugs that they may or may not have had, and then it is applied retroactively, not based on what they were convicted of. And they find themselves possibly reincarcerated or reincarcerated. This is not recidivism, this has to do with the original crime, and that is not recidivism. T.W. Shannon, I wish I could say it was a pleasure having you on. Have a great day, thank you.
[Shannon:] I wish I could say the same.
[Keilar:] Next, President Trump, throwing nearly every health experts that works in his administration under the bus, that includes the man that he chose to lead the back-scene effort. Plus, he claimed there had been no issues from his massive rallies? We're going to fact-check that. And later, the president claims that health care is, quote, "already fixed"? We're going to dig into what happens if his efforts to strike down Obamacare are successful.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Legal but indecent, which a characteristic we're learning a lot about this...
[Wolf Blitzer, Cnn:] Excellent point. We're waiting for the resumption of the question session of the Senate impeachment trial. Erin Burnett picks up our special coverage.
[Erin Burnett, Cnn:] And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett, OUTFRONT tonight we are moments away from the Senate returning to the chamber. They will resume asking questions of Trump's legal team and the House managers. Now, they've already been at this for six hours. Some very heated responses. All of it geared towards getting to that vote, that crucial vote later this week on whether to call witnesses. Some of these questions you're going to hear tonight and these prime hours are going to get to the heart of that issue. And I want to go straight to Manu Raju. He is there on Capitol Hill. So Manu, obviously, they're going to start filing in, in just a few moments here for this crucial evening session. Where do things stand right now?
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Well, we're headed right to the critical moment, this is going to be on Friday. A vote to determine whether or not there should be witnesses in this trial. After the questioning period is done both tonight and we're expected to go late into the night tonight and then tomorrow, eight hours of questioning. Then, we'll get into that crucial Friday vote. Now behind closed doors, this was a topic of discussion all day long among top Republicans. And I can tell you, Republican leaders are feeling better about the prospects of defeating this motion on Friday. They're trying to stem their losses to only three they can afford in order to defeat this motion on Friday. The argument that they are making is similar to the ones that the President's attorneys have been making on the floor of the Senate that moving forward on witnesses could prolong the trial in their argument, turn that Senate into a body like the House that is investigating. They say that could create a damaging precedent for the Senate to go down that route and paralyze the Senate. And that's an argument that the Republican leadership in the Senate is making to its members and one that they believe they're making headway in making. So at the moment, they believe they're there but, of course, we do expect at least two Republicans at the moment to break ranks, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, uncertain about whether Lisa Murkowski would be a third. She met with Mitch McConnell earlier today and declined to comment on where does Lamar Alexander sit too also a big question as we head into this critical moments here, Erin.
[Burnett:] Right. And obviously, extremely crucial. Now you know Cory Gardner is not going to be that vote. All eyes then turn to Lamar Alexander and perhaps others who have just been more reticent about their feelings. Now, Manu, you've been inside the chamber, able to see the body language and who responds to whom. What did you see today?
[Raju:] Yes. Actually, one interesting moment occurred earlier today when Lamar Alexander, that key vote who could be the person to decide whether or not to move forward on witnesses. He was taking extensive notes at that moment in which the President's attorney, Patrick Philbin, had been giving his argument against moving forward on witnesses, writing extensively for some time as he was making that argument. Now, he continued taking notes as Adam Schiff made a counterpoint, but that's something that was interesting whether it's a statement that he's going to eventually give remains to be seen. Also, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, the two have attentive, taking notes throughout. There have been some moments of some tension on both sides, including Republicans groaning when Adam Schiff or when Jerry Nadler took a shot of sorts against Alan Dershowitz, the President's attorney saying that all scholars except for Dershowitz agree with the assessment about what constitutes impeachment. So both sides though are more engaged than they have been in recent days here, Erin.
[Burnett:] Which is important. I guess, when they're hearing their own names read out in questions, that would get you even more engaged, I suppose. All right. Manu, thank you very much. But indeed, there have been some really crucial questions and going to be many more tonight. I want to go now to Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana. Senator, what's your take from today? Did you find it helpful?
[Sen. Jon Tester:] Oh, absolutely. No, I think today was good for me as the very first day when they basically laid out the arguments during the amendment procedure, because that was all really important information and it was new to me, the information. And I think what we've seen today with the five minutes on each side is we've been able to them really kind of debate one another much easier because remember, and you guys saw this, the prosecution, the House managers use 20 hours. The defense used the block of time less than that, but nonetheless a long block of time too. And I will tell you that there was no interaction. We're just kind of like sitting in a college class and you were just getting information, getting information, getting information and taking notes, which I did. But now we're getting more exchange between the two sides and I think it's a lot more fun.
[Burnett:] Yes. Well, it certainly has seemed that way. I just wanted to as you know, Alan Dershowitz, one of the President's lawyers has been making the case that you need a crime, a statutory crime to impeach a president, that that's required. Now, just a few moments ago, just before the dinner break that you're in right now, Senator, he stood up and seem to acknowledge that many constitutional scholars are finding that argument about a crime hard to stomach. And he said something that I wanted to play for you. Here he is, Senator.
[Alan Dershowitz, Member Of Trump's Defense Team:] I read you the list of 40 American presidents who have been accused of abuse of power. Should every one of them be impeached? Should every one of them have been removed from office? It's too vague a term. Reject my argument about crime. Reject it if you choose to. Do not reject my argument that abuse of power would destroy the impeachment criteria of the Constitution and turn it in the words of one of the senators of the Johnson trial to make every president, every member of the Senate, every member of Congress be able to define itself from within their own bosom.
[Burnett:] Senator, so that argument is he sort of after making a passionate argument about crime saying reject it, I don't care. Throw it out if you don't want it. But if your standards is abuse of power, every single president would be impeached. Do you find that argument compelling at all?
[Tester:] No, because you got to look at the evidence behind that abuse of power from those situations and we haven't done that. We're dealing with what President Trump has allegedly done and we're looking at the information, the concealment of information and the impacts on political opponents and U.S. citizens being investigated by a foreign country. I don't need to go through the charges again. But I don't think you can flatly just say we're not going to consider it unless you know the information behind it and I think that's really what's important. Look, I didn't teach at Harvard and I am not a lawyer, but the bottom line is if you think about this from a common sense standpoint, if somebody abused power and asked a foreign government to come in and that's proven to be true, that's a very serious charge.
[Burnett:] So the big focus is on witnesses and that vote and, obviously, Cory Gardner now saying that he will not vote for witnesses, which as we all know puts a lot of spotlight on senators like Lamar Alexander. Your colleague Democratic Senator Joe Manchin today said he is open to Hunter Biden testifying, obviously, in exchange possibly for, who knows, John Bolton, who knows it might be. But that position, Hunter Biden is OK, puts him at odds with many of your Democratic colleagues. What about you, Senator Tester, would you be OK with Hunter Biden testifying if that's what it takes to get witnesses at all?
[Tester:] So that's a great question, Erin. And I will tell you that I think it all deals with relevancy. And the relevant issue is were they there when the President made the alleged decision to withhold aid and the reasons that were done. Like John Bolton has already said, like Mick Mulvaney knows and Pompeo knows, I think it would be good to get those folks with firsthand information in, swear them in, because I think it's a different world once you're sworn in than just talking to Erin Burnett and get the information out there. Plus, get the documents that are out there. I'm going to tell you and it's part of what has frustrated me with this is that there's plenty of information out there, a vote to convict and a vote to acquit. But the bottom line is why not get as much as you can and so it takes us another couple of weeks. I've seen so much time wasted in the United States Senate on this important issue and impeachment is a very solemn, important issue. We ought to take the time to find out what the facts are.
[Burnett:] All right. Senator, I appreciate your time.
[Tester:] Thank you, Erin.
[Burnett:] And an important point is willing to wait two weeks and there's been plenty of times. The Senate may not have spent its time so well. Let's go straight to our panel, Laura, did this move the needle on witnesses, such that we've seen so far today, as Senator Tester, I think, is rightly pointing out. There's a lot more back and forth, especially as the day went on. You'd see Jay Sekulow and then Adam Schiff sort of back to back responding to a question.
[Laura Coates, Cnn Legal Analyst:] It was far more engaging and it gave you an idea of figuring out what the audience and the senators actually thinking, where they moved by previous things, questions can be very telling about what they were actually thinking. Were you preaching to a choir or do you have a chance to convert someone. You saw that in terms of moving the needle for our understanding of what was important. However, there was a very compelling one, two punch that I think would be the most persuasive. It was the combination of Philbin and Dershowitz essentially saying, number one, you don't want to get inside of the head of the President of the United States about mixed messaging, mixed motivation. It's the 52-48 in favor of himself and somebody else. And why? Because each one of you at some point has had a calculus about what the electoral consequences will be for your decisions. Be cautious how you vote, this might be you. Now that might not be the best legal argument to make, but for people who already have a self fulfilling prophecy sort of want to be status, that may compel them to give a lifeline.
[Burnett:] So Ryan, Alan Dershowitz, I just played his whole, OK, forget what I said about a crime but abuse of power is too vague of a term. He had, arguably, even before that moment, the moment of the day, that sort of had people going, wait, what did he just say, what does this mean. Let me play it for you.
[Dershowitz:] Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest. And mostly you're right, your election is in the public interest. And if a president does something, which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest. That cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.
[Burnett:] I mean, I'm not a lawyer. I can't believe Alan Dershowitz would take that seriously if you heard that from someone else. I mean, the translation is do whatever you need to do to win office. If you think you're the best person for that office, it's OK.
[Ryan Goodman, Co-editor-in-chief, Just Security:] That's right. And Senator Tester said that he hadn't taught at Harvard and he's not a lawyer. I actually have taught at Harvard with Alan and I am a lawyer and I've never heard that argument in my life.
[Burnett:] And so your informed opinion as oppose to mine and Senator Tester is...
[Goodman:] That's right. It's the most absurd theory I've ever heard. It, in fact, describes the paradigmatic crime and it says that's not criminal, it's actually in the interest of the individual to win reelection by engaging in a corrupt quid pro quo because that's what they're really after, it's just trying to win reelection. In fact, the remarkable thing speaking to the audience of senators is the senators have rules for themselves, which actually says ethically they cannot engage in these kinds of corrupt quid pro quos. And if they do, they could be expelled from the Senate. So they understand that the message that he's actually conveying there is beyond counterintuitive. I don't know anybody who would support that proposition.
[Burnett:] What did you make when you heard that? I mean, everybody did respond to that sort of saying, wait, what did he say.
[Joe Lockhart, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes. I mean, having to work in about a dozen campaigns, there is always the sense that, boy, if we win, it's better for the country. But that doesn't give you a license to commit crimes or to do things that are unethical, so it was absurd. And what I thought when I was watching it was this is unAmerican. This is what you hear from Stalin. This is what you hear from Mussolini, what you hear from authority and from Hitler, from all of the authoritarian people who rationalized and in some cases, genocide, based on what was in the public interest. It was startling and I still can't believe he went on the floor of the Senate and made that argument.
[Burnett:] I mean, Scott, you have that moment, then you had questions coming in and one interesting thing about questions for people who weren't watching all day, some of them came from pairs or groups of senators, so that they sort of teamed up. Maybe to make a point, we all share this interest. So a couple of groupings, Murkowski, Collins, Romney and Murkowski and Collins. So they clearly are saying, look, we see a lot of things the same way. It's not just all you guys saying that. It's true and we're deeply considering witnesses. So our reporter in the room noted that senators visibly perked up when the question came later in the day from Murkowski and Collins. Everybody wanted to hear what it was that they had to ask to say and this particular question was whether the President had ever expressed concerns specifically about corruption, more broadly in Ukraine before Zelensky took office. That was the question. What are GOP senators reading into the questions when they hear that?
[Scott Jennings, Former Senior Adviser To Mitch Mcconnell:] Well, I think broadly the question about who is prepared to vote for witnesses is what people are looking for here.
[Burnett:] Yes.
[Jennings:] And it strikes me that Romney and Collins have pretty clearly signaled where they are. Cory Gardner from Colorado came out today and said he opposes it.
[Burnett:] Yes.
[Jennings:] And so it strikes me that the sort of the locking in right now is on Murkowski and perhaps Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. So I think the broad strategic question is which groups of senators are still thinking about doing questions on Friday. I still think based on what I've heard, it's still too early to predict how that's going to go. But to me that's right where it is. By the way, Erin, if I may.
[Burnett:] Yes.
[Jennings:] I just have to respond to something that my friend, Joe, said and I'm not there to elbow him in the ribs. I don't think it's appropriate, frankly, to compare the President of the United States to Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and people who commit genocide. I mean we can have political arguments about this, but I don't think anything that this President has done, that the Democrats have done, that either of their leaving teams have done rises to the level of Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini and people who commit genocide. I think that's to me is not a proper comparison, honestly.
[Lockhart:] And that is not the comparison I made. I did not compare the President. I said that argument, that rationalization is exactly the rationalization that these authoritarian dictators made, which is we will do these things, because yes, they're in my interest, but it's in the public interest. So, again, I learned long ago not to disparage people without the receipts. So Scott is right, you shouldn't compare the President to those people. But I didn't. I compare the argument and what's shocking about it is that Alan Dershowitz made it on the floor of the Senate. And I, again, if I had inadvertently said, compared Trump to any of those people, Scott, I would say I got it wrong and I apologize. I didn't get this wrong, because it is that argument that's so dangerous that you can commit any act as long as in head you believe it's good for the country...
[Burnett:] As long as the end justify the means, then you're there.
[Lockhart:] ... our political system would literally break down, because you would have 535 lawless people all using the argument that I'm good for my constituents, so I'm going to go, or a president saying, I'm running against this or this guy is blocking my legislation, I'm going to get the IRS to audit their taxes, because this legislation is good for the country.
[Burnett:] All right.
[Lockhart:] We can't have that.
[Burnett:] All of you stay with me please. We are waiting the Senate to return from that crucial dinner break. And now at this hour, there's a major battle erupting between the White House and John Bolton literally unfolding here. A comment coming just from John Bolton a moment ago escalating a war of words today. We'll be right back.

[Henderson:] President Trump is going out of his way to show he still supports his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. This comes after the rest of two of Giuliani's associates were allegedly funneling foreign money into U.S. elections and a "New York Times" report that Giuliani himself is under criminal investigation for whether he broke foreign lobbying laws by pushing for the ouster of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Saturday the President had lunch with Giuliani at his golf club in Virginia. Later he offered glowing praise during a phone call to Jeanine Pirro on Fox News. Giuliani, sure certainly pleased with that account of who he is from the President. Rachael, how much trouble do we think Giuliani might be in legally? There was talk for instance that the folks on the Senate side wanted Lindsey Graham him to come before Congress. What do we think he's thinking now in terms of how much trouble he's in?
[Bade:] Well, yet to be determined how serious and how deep this legal trouble is for him. I mean keep in mind even though the President called in to defend him last night, he did the same thing with his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who obviously is now in prison and will be there for the next three years because he was part of the scheme to pay off women who are alleging affairs in 2016. Trump sort of kept him in. Until he was too, sort of and poisonous. And then he pushed them aside. So we'll just have to see how he handles Giuliani. No in fact, Republicans are still looking to Giuliani to potentially come into the senate to sort of paint this picture of the Biden scandal and what he was doing in Ukraine and why he thought it was legitimate and ok. But obviously with his two associates being arrested for funneling money into a U.S. election, foreign money, this is like a Jinga set right now. I mean you pull one block and these two people who put him in touch with the Ukraine prosecutors are now arrested. And so it really undercuts their whole argument this whole scheme, this whole sort of conspiracy.
[Henderson:] And Giuliani in "New York Times", here is what he had to say. "Mr. Giuliani said that federal prosecutors had no grounds to charge him with foreign lobbying disclosure violations, because he said he was acting on behalf of Mr. Trump, not the Ukrainian prosecutor, when he collected the information on Miss Yovanovitch, and the others related to the American government and the news media. Josh, do you want to jump in?
[Dawsey:] So many people in the White House have very significant issues with Rudy Giuliani and wish that he was not the President's lawyer, do not think he's helping the President on TV. But the President continues to see him as a valuable and credible defender. He's gone out and said, you know, no collusion, no obstruction for many months. His prosecutor
[Henderson:] And the bad headlines, there's a political article about this, Rudy Giuliani needs to stop talking, I think he's massively hurting the President. His TV appearances are so confusing, contradictory. He's creating an impression of internal chaos. One former senior administration official described it this way when asked what Trump's strategy against impeachment should be, hopefully Rudy will be on the space shuttle.
[Pace:] To Josh's point I mean there are people in the West Wing right now who think that so much of what is happening right now is because of Rudy Giuliani. He has been running around in Ukraine, having meetings, he's been talking about it publicly with reporters, on television. But the key to this is he, it appears, was doing this
[Henderson:] At the President's request.
[Pace:] If not in coordination with the President's full knowledge. It's not as though this was happening and suddenly one day Trump woke up and said, Rudy, what are you up to? He was well aware of what was going on.
[Henderson:] They're directing people to try to focus their anger on Giuliani, but really the President is tied up in the middle of this. Yes. We'll see where this goes. Next week is going to bring a lot more information. Next up, our reporters share from their notebooks next including whether the President's last-minute campaign trip to Louisiana paid off for Republicans.

[Natalie Allen, Cnn Anchor:] A major drawdown: thousands of U.S. troops could soon be pulled from Afghanistan. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham makes it clear he's not trying to be fair about Donald Trump's expected impeachment. Also, snow, ice and rain spreading coast to coast across the United States. Derek Van Dam will have that with us. It's all this hour. Welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. Live to you from Atlanta, GA. I'm Natalie Allen. NEWSROOM starts right now.
[Allen:] Thank you for joining us. Our top story, new developments in America's longest war; thousands of U.S. troops are expected to be withdrawn from Afghanistan. That's coming to us from a senior Trump administration official. The move has been in the works for quite some time and is being welcomed by the Taliban as a good step. Here's White House correspondent Jeremy Diamond with more about it.
[Jeremy Diamond, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Well, the Trump administration is preparing to announce the withdrawal of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan. That would take the total number of U.S. troops, which is currently estimated to be between 12,000 and 13,000, into the range of 8,600. That is the number that the president himself floated back in August, when he said that the U.S. was likely going to be drawing down the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. So this is something that has been in the works for quite some time. But now a senior administration official is indeed telling me that is the plan, to move forward with this troop withdrawal and that it could happen as early as next week. Of course, the timing, of course, is still very much in flux. That was the note of caution that I got from this senior administration official. All of this, of course, coming as the U.S. has restarted those peace talks with the Taliban following President Trump's visit to Afghanistan over the Thanksgiving holiday. That was the president's first visit to Afghanistan during his presidency. And while he was there, he suggested that the Taliban were now open to a cease-fire. That is not something that the Taliban leaders have so far admitted to and in fact they were quite caught off guard by President Trump's comments. The question, though, is, of course, how this will all play in the negotiations; the withdrawal of about 4,000 troops could be viewed as a unilateral concession by the United States and certainly will have an effect on those peace talks with the Taliban Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
[Allen:] Let's talk more about this with Sam Kiley following developments from us from Abu Dhabi. First up, can you elaborate how the withdrawal may affect the peace talks?
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, there are two different alternative scenarios. The first is they clearly could affect peace talks in a positive way as a sign of good faith coming from the United States, given that the Taliban's demands are that the United States withdraw entirely as part of any long-term settlement with the central government in Afghanistan, which, I stress, is not part yet of these talks. The flip side of that argument, as Jeremy was pointing out, this could be seen as a sign of weakness, a sign that the Americans want to get out after 18 years of an inconclusive and highly expensive deployment, come what may, and may be prepared to abandon the Afghan government. The truth probably lies between the two different alternatives, Natalie. I have been covering Afghanistan since 2001. There hasn't been a senior officer from NATO that I have spoken to them any time since 2008 who hasn't been firmly of the view that essentially it was pretty much a waste of blood and treasure to be there. The essence has been how to extract foreign forces from Afghanistan without causing the collapse of the central government, a worst-case scenario, or a civil war, which could easily follow if there isn't a coherent peace process. So this is very much at the early stages of what the Americans hope will be a way to extract themselves from this very costly engagement without leaving utter chaos behind themselves.
[Allen:] Of that potential utter chaos, the Taliban are popular in some parts of the country. The question is will they try to move into other areas?
[Kiley:] That would be an interesting strategic decision that the Taliban might face. They are popular, some would even argue almost dominant in the south and east of the country and indeed parts of the southwest down onto the Iranian border in Iraq. But elsewhere in the country, they are fulsomely loathed for their ideological and for their ethnic differences. But they would be aware that they have no natural constituency in the north of the country. There are also substantial government forces that have been relatively well-trained and equipped since they were able to topple the various warlords when they took over back in the day. So I think ultimately the Taliban would be pretty circumspect about the idea that they could take over the whole country but they could get themselves into position, which indeed they have, in which they are a serious contender for the power sharing in the future of Afghanistan. The nature of the power sharing, whether they would be prepared to subject themselves to democratic oversight, for example, remain a very distant issue in peace talks that are really in their infancy.
[Allen:] Sam Kiley with the latest, Sam, thank you. One of U.S. president Donald Trump's friends is pushing for a quick impeachment trial in the Senate. Republican Lindsey Graham said he will do everything in its power to ensure that it, quote, "dies quickly." This is what he told Becky Anderson at a conference in Qatar.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] I want this to end as quick as possible for the good of the Senate, for the good of the country and I think the best thing for America to do is get this behind us. We know how it's going to end. I have tried to give a pretty clear signal that I have made up my mind.
[Allen:] Well, we will have more of Becky Anderson's interview with Senator Graham later this hour. Before we get to a Senate trial, of course, the U.S. House of Representatives still has to vote on two articles of impeachment, obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. That vote likely to happen in the coming days. CNN's Lauren Fox reports from Washington.
[Lauren Fox, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Another big week in Washington as the House of Representatives is poised to vote to impeach President Donald Trump as soon as Wednesday. That's putting pressure on moderate Democrats, some of them who won in districts president Donald Trump won in 2016. One Democrat, Republican Van Drew, is expected to switch parties soon. That's according to one senior Democratic source, who said Van Drew has told fellow members that that is his plan moving forward. Van Drew already said he was not going to be supporting the articles of impeachment but it just shows the pressure that the Democrats are under. Another Democrat in a swing district, Tom Malinowski, held a town hall on Saturday where he heard from both supporters and opponents of President Trump. Here's what happened when he said he would support the two articles of impeachment.
[Rep. Tom Malinowski:] Based on the evidence that I have seen in the depositions, in the hearings, in the documents I have seen, I believe that, on the two counts of impeachment that have been put before us, that the vote should be yes. And I will be voting yes.
[Fox:] Meanwhile, plans are still developing in the Senate where majority leader Mitch McConnell has made no secret of the fact that he would prefer a shorter trial with no witnesses. Meanwhile, President Trump has been telling his allies privately that he would prefer a longer trial, more of a show to defend himself. Where that goes will be uncertain until Democrats and Republicans in the Senate return from their holiday break in January for CNN, Lauren Fox, Washington.
[Allen:] Much to talk about. Joining me now is the head of the U.S. and the Americas Programme at Chatham House international think tank. Leslie, good to see you.
[Leslie Vinjamuri, Chatham House:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Let's start with Lindsey Graham. He says he doesn't have to be a fair juror. And Mitch McConnell saying he will cooperate with the White House in the Senate trial. What do you think of their approach here?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, I think you have to remember the context. Lindsey Graham was at the Doha Forum, This is a major international conference with leaders and thought leaders from all over the world listening to this. So it's a very strong statement. And clearly Lindsey Graham is making it clear that he has no doubt which way this vote should go. But I guess what's also interesting here is that, you know, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, as we have just seen, differ from the president, who might like to see witnesses called when this goes to the Senate, assuming this goes to the Senate. But Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, they want it short. It suggests perhaps they don't trust what might happen if there were a longer trial. But it's been intensely political the entire time. And I think it's it is surprising to see. Now there's norm when you talk about a trial of this kind, that you would have a fair trial, that it will be deliberative, that views would be aired, evidence would be aired, that it would be taken very seriously and those making a decision would not come out in advance of that kind of trial. But this is a different political situation. And I think what we have seen is the Republicans very much on the offensive when it comes to capturing and controlling that narrative because they know it has high stakes politically and in the public imagination.
[Allen:] Right. And to your point, Republicans call the impeachment inquiry from the House Democrats a sham. And it kind of seemed like they might be making the Senate trial the same because, when they took the oath, it was during an impeachment to be an impartial juror. It doesn't look like that's going to happen.
[Vinjamuri:] Well, and, of course, if you go back to the hearings in the House, of course, both sides had the opportunity to raise questions. If you keep a trial short that you restrict that ability of Democrats to speak, obviously of witnesses if you don't call them. So it's really very much about controlling the narrative. And what we are seeing right now, of course, senators and members of Congress are looking back to the public, to their constituents. That public remains very, very divided. But it also remains skewed on partisan lines, with well over 80 percent of Republicans opposing impeachment and the reverse on the Democratic side. So I think reading the tea leaves, they are wanting to move forward. Nobody wants this to have a very negative impact on their electoral prospects. But it is interesting that the president seems to have a different view on this.
[Allen:] Right. So this week, it is expected that he will be impeached. The headlines will be in bold print and italicized. This will be historic. Some Americans have been tuned out during the process. But what effect do you think might the official impeachment of a U.S. president have on the American psyche right now?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, again, it comes down a lot to how this plays out in the media, on social media. We have seen millions of dollars spent on Facebook ads that are anti-impeachment. There's a lot of money now being spent on ads in mainstream news. So part of it will come down to the influence of the campaigns that are being waged. But public attitudes, I think there is a sense in which people have their views. They're relatively fixed. And they would like to move forward. And that is what politicians are counting on. But when it comes time to go and vote, I think this is where we will see, you know, how people really feel. This is where it will play out.
[Allen:] Yes. I wanted to ask you, how might his impeachment affect the dynamic on the campaign trail for both Democrats and Republicans?
[Vinjamuri:] Well, we are clearly seeing a number of a few individuals who feel that pressure because, you know, as we have just seen, there are some Democrats in the House who are in constituencies that previously voted for Donald Trump and the Republican Party. There are some races where it might have a significant impact. But the American electorate remains very divided. Again, it hasn't shifted. In the very beginning, when the decision to impeach, the decision to hold hearings was announced, there was a spike. About a 9 percent spike in those who were really supportive of this. But since then that same change hasn't snowballed. So it's not clear how it will play out. It will depend in part on how this week is handled and the first couple of weeks, if a Senate trial really is that short, how it is handled.
[Allen:] Right. And how will it affect the presidential campaign trail, that is something that we'll be also waiting to see. Leslie, thank you so much for your insights.
[Vinjamuri:] Thank you.
[Allen:] Well, another sign of progress in resolving the U.S.-China trade war. China is stopping additional tariffs on U.S. goods that were set to kick in today. This follows the announcement that both countries had reached an interim trade deal. The U.S. also hit pause on tariffs on Chinese goods that were set to go into effect. Next here, a 13-year-old suspect is talking to police about the fatal stabbing of this young college student in New York. More about this tragedy coming up here. Also, in the U.S., winter storms, harsh winds. A look at which states are under a winter weather warning and how ice could play a dangerous role. That's also next from Derek Van Dam.

[Becky Anderson, Cnn:] Well, that sounds like an awkward first day after going at each other for years. Britain's Prime Minister turning to the opposition to team up and finally fix Brexit. So it turns out this lady is for turning after all in a far more serious political disaster.
[Unidentified Female:] President Trump come and help us, she says. We cannot take it anymore.
[Anderson:] Everything is falling so badly apart in Venezuela. Even the President's fans are turning against him. CNN takes you there. That connects us to Algerians partying after booting out their President, but out with the old and in with the what? We dig in ahead. Hello and welcome. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you live from Abu Dhabi where it is 7:00 in the evening. The Brexit saga has brought us many things from fiery debate and steely assessments to the surprisingly frequent use of the word no. But there's one thing we haven't really seen. That is until now. Unity. That's what the Prime Minister is now banking on. She sits down with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to thrash out a plan to finally reach a break through. And they need to act fast. The European commission President says there won't be an extension to Brexit if Britain can't reach a deal by April the 12th. That is just nine days away. Meaning lawmakers can't afford to be at sixes and sevens for too much longer.
[May:] The purpose of meeting with the leader of the opposition today is indeed to look at those areas that we can we agree on. I think there are actually a number of areas that we agree on in relation to Brexit. I think we both want to deliver leaving EU with a deal. I think we both want to protect jobs. I think we both want to ensure that we end free movement. I think we both recognize the importance of the Withdrawal Agreement. What we want to now is to find a way forward that could command the support of this House and deliver on Brexit, deliver on the result of the referendum and ensure that people can continue to have trust in their politicians at doing what they ask us to do to.
[Jeremy Corbyn, British Labour Party Leader:] I welcome the Prime Minister's offers for talks following the meetings I have held with members across this House and look forward to meeting her later today. And I welcome her willingness to compromise to resolve the Brexit deadlock.
[Anderson:] About time, too, many will say. Bianca Nobilo is outside parliament. Erin McLaughlin has reactions as ever from Brussels for us. Bianca let's start with you. We are already seeing evidence of how divisive the Prime Minister's decision to work with the opposition is. Nigel Adams the government minister for Wales has resigned saying there's now a risk of both failing to deliver on Brexit and failing to prevent what he calls the calamity of a Corbyn government. Will leading Brexit here Jacob Rees-Mogg said, and I quote, I think getting the support of a known Marxist is not likely to instill confidence in the Conservatives. This is a risky game, Bianca. Can the British Prime Minister pull it off?
[Bianca Nobilo, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, the reaction has been massive from her back benches. A huge backlash to the Prime Minister's decision and she says puts national interest before party interest and reach across the aisle to Jeremy Corbyn. That word Marxist has come up a lot in conversations I've had with backbench MPs. And that just exemplifies the gulf between the two leaders. This isn't like previous political times in the U.K. where really leaders of both parties were pretty much in the center of the ideological divide. Here Jeremy Corbyn is very far left. He has celebrated Marx. The conservatives have demonized him over the last couple of years. Tribally for both parties it's very difficult to countenance the idea of their leader working with the other. You mentioned that she's already had a resignation from the Wales minister. And he also alluded to that ideological gulf. Now whether or not the Prime Minister can pull this off it's too soon to tell. They're still meeting or perhaps wrapping up that meeting now. We know that Brexit can only get softer from this point onward. That's because Jeremy Corbyn his position we know is a permanent customs union, dynamic alignment with the single market. Lots of involvement in EU bodies. And he's not opposed to a second referendum. There remains a question mark about that because the Brexit Secretary, Stephen Barclay, today didn't dismiss it when it came up in a question session in a Parliamentary committee. Yet, Jeremy Corbyn hasn't mentioned it. So we'll see what he asked the Prime Minister for and how far she think she can go. Because bearing in mind now that if they need to pass that deal before next week, the Prime Minister risks losing a lot of the Brexiteers which she managed through attrition to win over the last couple of months and weeks by getting on side with Jeremy Corbyn and working with him. So as you say, an incredibly risky move, but the Prime Minister yesterday had no good options left.
[Anderson:] Well, that's right. And Jeremy Corbyn of course using the word compromise almost as a weapon in his speech in the chamber. Erin, Brussels keeping warning Britain that the clock is ticking. This is what Jean- Claude Juncker said a few moments ago.
[Jean-claude Juncker, European Commission President:] 12th of April is the final date for possible approval. If the House of Commons does not adopt a stance before that date, no extension will be possible.
[Anderson:] Erin, the Europeans eager to insist that their patience is running out but they would say that, right? But any sign that the U.K.'s future is more aligned not less with the EU is actually a win for Brussels. After all, they never wanted Britain out of the block in the first place, correct?
[Erin Mclaughlin, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, at this point, Becky, many people here that I have been talking to see Brexit as a forgone conclusion. They do see that the U.K. will be leaving the European Union. The question on everyone's mind being will they leave in an orderly fashion or a disorderly fashion and a prerequisite EU leaders have said time and time again for U.K.'s departure, in an orderly fashion, is to pass the Withdrawal Agreement. The deal that is on the table. There is a healthy dose of skepticism aimed at the plan here that Theresa May put forward last night. This idea in the 11th hour she's going to reach cross party and suddenly her red lines are blurring has been met with doubt by diplomats I've been talking to here in Brussels which is why I think that we heard from Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, earlier today say that she can still have that so-called short term extension to May 22nd which is on the eve of Parliamentary elections if this Withdrawal Agreement passes with a viable majority prior to that April 12th cliff edge. Viable being the key word here. Given that she is operating with a minority government. There are serious doubts here she's going on the able to achieve that. If she fails the question becomes how will the EU respond to whatever Theresa May puts on the table at that summit which is expected next week.
[Anderson:] No sleep for you guys for the next what, nine days. Everything is up for grabs still of course, to both of you. Thank you. Well, disturbing video has emerged that appears to show Britain's political divisions boiling over into something far uglier. The British army has launched an investigation into these images which seem to show four service men using a picture of Jeremy Corbyn for target practice. The video apparently filled in Afghanistan and shared on Snapchat. The message below it reads, happy with that? CNN cannot yet independently verify the pictures. The army calls the behavior totally unacceptable. Well, to a disturbing new report now on that Ethiopian Airlines crash last month. "The Wall Street Journal" reporting that pilots that everything they were supposed to do when the plane began to nosedive and initially followed Boeing's procedures for just this type of emergency. They still couldn't keep it in the air. CNN hasn't been able to confirm details of the report. The crash, of course, killed all 157 people on board. And led to the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. Well, the report portrays a desperate fight for control and raises the question of why Boeing's recommendations didn't work. Robyn Kriel is following the story from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and CNN aviation analyst and friend of the show, Mary Schiavo joins us via Skype from Charlestown, South Carolina. Robyn, let's start with you. What's the response there to this report that the pilots followed Boeing's emergency steps before the crash?
[Robyn Kriel, Cnn Correspondent:] Sure. Well, the European authorities are tightlipped. In fact, not responding to our requests for comment on this. However, we do know from another pilot that was well, he does not fly this same aircraft, he does say that if this is the case and he has not seen the final preliminary report that we're waiting for if this is the case then it would have been a monster, it would have been like trying to control a monster. Obviously, a desperate tug of war as you described, Becky. And only six minutes which I imagine a number of warnings and sirens going off within the cockpit. It would have been terrifying for those pilots as they tried to go through those emergency safety procedures proscribed by Boeing and then trying to pull the plane up. Of course, then turning off the automated switch that automated trim, then going to manual. And then going back to the automated trim. We're not sure exactly why that would have happened. This is all of course according to that "The Wall Street Journal" report. However, we are awaiting this preliminary report from Ethiopian Airlines, from Ethiopian investigative authorities.
[Anderson:] Yes, and we can't stand up and let's repeat, we can't stand by the details of this report as of yet. But, Mary, this anti-stall software known as MCAS, of course, at the center of investigations into both the Ethiopian Airlines crash and that of Lion Air. As you look at this initial reporting, what are your thoughts?
[Mary Schiavo, Cnn Aviation Analyst:] Well, this is very damaging for Boeing because if it is correct, it's correct that the pilots did follow the emergency procedures and still were not able to pull that nose up. And certainly the report last week of what the final words were of the pilots to get the nose up basically. That would indicate that the - you know, the emergency procedures to take care of this problem don't work. And it would suggest something further wrong with what there's actually a disagreement of the terms, whether it's the anti-stall system or trim control system. But appears that if they followed the emergency procedures and the trim control system still could not, you know, be released and the pilots could not pull that nose back up this is yet a bigger problem that's not going to be fixed with the software patch and additional desktop training. This is a very serious problem and if they were following it and still couldn't get the plane to respond, you've got a real certification issue on that plane.
[Anderson:] Boeing official quoted in this report, Mary, suggests that a proposed update will make the system more robust. Without going so far as to suggest that the original design was inadequate. Is that sufficient given that over 350 people are dead across these two crashes with family and friends wanting answers?
[Schiavo:] No, it's not sufficient because now if this reporting is correct that they tried the sort of patch if you will, if they tried to control the plane with the instructions from Boeing after the Lion Air crash, after the October crash, and they tried the system, the correct if you will, from Boeing and it did not work then that suggests that you have something more wrong with the plane than just this software controls. And Boeing also said that they would make the deflection of the nose less severe. And so in other words, it would only go perhaps 6 percent down as opposed to some other percentage. I forget the exact percentages. But if what happened here, is they turned the system off and they couldn't get the nose back up, then they've got another issue. The degree deflection of the nose is not the issue. It's something else that they're going to have to work on. And it's very frightening. I think that even if the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certifies the plane again with the software patch, I don't think the rest of the world is going to be so accommodating to Boeing. This is scary to passengers. Obviously, it's difficult for pilots. And regulating authorities need some better answers.
[Anderson:] Mary and Robyn, thank you. Still to come, outrage in many parts of the world grows as a brutal new law goes into effect in Brunei. During the country's Sultan refuses to back down. Plus
[Unidentified Male:] We don't have water. We don't have electricity. We don't have security. We don't have so many things, like the hospital. We have broken down.
[Anderson:] Simply out of patience. Diehard supporters of the Venezuela's President now blaming him for their daily struggles.

[Tapper:] Back here with our big brains here in Ohio. And Kirsten, we didn't get to you. You didn't get a chance to ask Senator Elizabeth Warren a question, but you're a Medicare for all supporter. What would you have asked her?
[Kirsten Powers, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] I'd just like to know what she'd do, you know, if she won and there's still a Republican Senate and maybe some Democrats who maybe aren't that excited about Medicare for all? What would she do? Is there a Plan B? Is there would she take a half a loaf? I mean, this is I agree with her. This is a crisis in the health care system. But what's the backup plan, considering that it's such a contentious issue?
[Tapper:] Because they couldn't even get the public option through a Democratic Senate.
[Jess Mcintosh, Cnn Political Commentator:] Right. I think I think this is the part of the conversation, as we have this in-depth, in the weeds policy conversation that's great around Medicare for all that we're missing is that everything that the candidates are proposing right now are the starting points for an eventual negotiation. So when you see Amy Klobuchar talk about, well, we just need the public option, it's like, well, that's basically where we started in 2010. I I don't want to start back there. Why don't we start farther to the left, and then maybe we move slightly more to the center as as we have to deal with other Democrats and Republicans? I think people aren't trying to find a letter-perfect plan for health care. I think they're trying to find a leader that they trust to have the conversation with the right priorities in mind to get the final outcome after a lot of discussion.
[Gloria Borger, Cnn Chief Political Analyst:] So here's a question I have for Democrats, which would be, why aren't you talking about how Republicans are going to take away your pre-existing conditions, because that is so important to voters?
[Mcintosh:] Republicans are already so underwater on are you more or less trusted on health care or the economy that it's it almost goes without saying that Republicans want to take away your health care.
[Borger:] Well, I don't think it goes without saying.
[Mcintosh:] We should keep saying it. You're right.
[Borger:] I think you have to keep saying it.
[David Axelrod, Cnn Political Commentator:] Well, Democrats won the health care debate in 2018 by stressing the issues you're talking about. If the debate becomes whether or not you're going to eliminate private insurance, I think that the onus could shift. And I think that's what Republicans would like to do, is get the onus off of themselves for what they've done on health care. I will tell you, I was with Harry Reid, Senator Reid, over the weekend, did a show with him. And he knows Elizabeth Warren very, well, helped promote her career, recruited her for the Senate, put her in leadership.
[Borger:] Right.
[Axelrod:] He said she's far more pragmatic than people realize. And I predict that she will moderate on this issue. She will find some middle ground on this issue. That may be, but she was wasn't exactly letting on.
[Nia-malika Henderson, Cnn Political Correspondent:] The question is when does she do, right? Does she do it after she wins the general? I mean, after she wins the primary? Who knows if he's going to win the primary. Does she do it in a couple of months? She has talked about Medicare for all as a framework, so maybe there is some wiggle room. And we'll see. I mean, Bernie Sanders obviously wants to make this an issue. Pete Buttigieg wants to make this an issue, as well. I do want to get something in about Biden, though. I thought Biden's strongest moment in this debate was when he answered the age question. And he basically, I think, made the whole case for his candidacy, which is that he it sounds like a cliche, in some ways, but that he's ready on day one. His age is about wisdom, and sort of putting America back on track. And I thought that was a really good answer to that question. I think it's why people like him. And I think it's an issue for Pete Buttigieg. Right? His big struggle is going to be can people imagine a 37-year-old mayor in the White House in 2020? So I think that was a really strong suit for Biden, one of the strongest answers from tonight.
[John King, Cnn National Correspondent:] I think the weakest point, I think, overall, Joe Biden had a pretty strong debate. I think his weakest point, though, when Anderson Cooper asked him a direct question about now he says, you know, if I'm the president, my son Hunter will not be involved in any foreign business dealings. If that's the standard for a president, why wasn't it the standard when you were the vice president?
[Axelrod:] Right.
[King:] It was a perfectly fair question.
[Tapper:] He didn't answer it.
[King:] He just did not answer it. Back to the Warren point, I think we all have to remember, too, there are two tracks here. We're having a conversation about how the Republicans would use some of this in a general election. The first question is what do Democratic voters want? How much do these differences matter to Democrats? Their first answer, if you ask them, is we want to beat Trump. AS they answer that question 110 days from now in Iowa is the first contest do they process in Medicare for all, taxes to the middle class? Is the minutia that important to them? Or are they watching these debates to see who's the best boxer?
[Tapper:] Van, final take.
[Jones:] I mean, I just think that we've got an extraordinary progressive in Warren. And we have, right now, still, a mediocre moderate in Biden. What we don't have yet is an extraordinary moderate. And you saw Buttigieg trying to get there. You saw Klobuchar trying to get there. We need somebody, to really have this debate the right way, you've got to have two real heavyweights on both sides. Look, you know, Biden didn't do as badly as he has done. I still feel the air is coming out of Biden. I just don't see it. And so there is an opportunity. I thought Pete I thought tonight, we talked about a lot of people, we talked about a lot of stuff. I still think tonight was the night you saw Pete Buttigieg 2.0 passionate Pete, pistol Pete and you could see this thing shaping up as Warren versus Pete.
[Tapper:] Except, can I just say, Buttigieg, can he expand beyond white college-educated voters?
[Borger:] That's the big question.
[Tapper:] In that case. I'm told that's all the time we have. Thanks, one and all, for being here. Drinks are on Van. Keep watching. We're going to right now have an encore presentation of the CNN"New York Times" Democratic debate. Thanks so much for watching.

[Tapper:] Our health lead, Nashville delaying the next phase of reopening due to the increase spread of coronavirus in that city. This comes as at least a dozen states in the U.S. are battling major spikes in new infections and in hospitalizations, though some governors seem un-inclined to reinstitute restrictions. More than 113,000 people have lost their lives here in the U.S. because of COVID-19 and as CNN's Erica Hill reports for us now, a dire new forecast is predicting it's only going to get worse.
[Erica Hill, Cnn National Correspondent:] As Americans embrace summer, health experts are focused on disturbing new data trends.
[Dr. Ashish Jha, Director, Harvard Global Health Institute:] Somehow as a country, we have decided that hundreds of thousands of Americans dying from this virus is okay, and that is unbelievable to me.
[Hill:] New modeling forecast nearly 170,000 COVID-19 related deaths in the U.S. by October 1st. In Arizona, nearly 80 percent of the state's ICU beds are now in use. It's one of at least a dozen states seeing a spike in coronavirus-related hospitalizations.
[Dr. Jay Varkey, Infectious Diseases Physician:] I think that a critical shortage of ICU beds is absolutely the nightmare scenario. That was the whole reason we were emphasizing about flattening the curve.
[Hill:] In some of first states to reopen, the curve is not flattening. Florida is still posting more than 1,000 new cases a day. In South Carolina, daily counts have been rising over the past two weeks.
[Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina Department Of Health And Environmental Control:] I am more concerned about COVID-19 in South Carolina than I have ever been before.
[Hill:] Much of the west and south also reporting an uptick.
[Gov. Tate Reeves:] I want COVID-19 to be over, but the data suggests otherwise.
[Hill:] Nashville now delaying its next phase in reopening in response to a rise in new cases, one of the first big cities to change course. While in Iowa, the iconic state fair has been postponed for the first time since World War II. No butter cows and campaigning. New research from the U.K. boosting the case for wearing a mask, noting widespread use could help avoid a second wave.
[Andy Slavitt, Former Acting Administrator, Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services:] It is consistent with several other studies which essentially show that if you get the majority of people wearing mask, the virus really has no place to go.
[Hill:] And in Chicago, a medical first a successful double lung transplant for a woman in her 20s whose lungs were damaged by the virus.
[Dr. Ankit Bharat, Chief Of Thoracic Surgery, Northwestern Medicine:] Yesterday, she smiled and told me just one sentence. She said, doc, thank you for not giving up on me. As health care providers, there's nothing more gratifying to hear. This is why we do what we do.
[Hill:] A bit of hope in uncertain times. Jake, in terms of that uncertainty, as you look around the country, we heard from the governor of Colorado today. Cases are staying in his case but he's started to get concerned by what he's seeing in Utah and Arizona, because there's so much travel between those three states. We also heard from local officials in South Carolina, which as you know is really seeing an increase in cases there. Local officials in Folly Beach, Myrtle Beach and others say they are canceling July Fourth celebration, including fireworks, over concerns about the spread of the virus, Jake.
[Tapper:] All right. Erica Hill in New York. Thank you so much. Joining us now, the former health commissioner of Texas and current vice chancellor for health affairs and chief medical officer at the University of Texas System, Dr. David Lakey. Dr. Lakey, thanks so much for joining us. At least twelve states have seen an uptick in coronavirus hospitalization since Memorial Day. Why? Is it because of reopenings? Is it in Texas are people not adhering to wearing masks and social distancing guidelines?
[Dr. David Lakey, Chief Medical Officer At The University Of Texas System:] I think there's many factors involved in the increase. In many ways, I think it was predictable. With the Memorial Day weekend, with the other, the marches, et cetera, and with reopening, we should assume that the number of cases will go up. Now, as they go up, we also need to continue to watch hospitalization numbers. And we will have to have significant capacity in the state of Texas right now. But it is concerning that the numbers have gone up. We're now at increase we had 2,153 patients in Texas hospitals as of this morning. And so, that's that's significantly higher than it has been in the last week or so.
[Tapper:] So what would you say to Governor Abbott or to your fellow Texans about what they need to do to prevent hospitalizations and sickness and death?
[Lakey:] Yes, I think there's personal responsibility that we need to do. I go out, I do things, but I'm careful. I wear a mask when I'm out in public. I wash my hands. If I'm sick, I'm not going to go into work. I'm not going to go out. So, these basic public health principles, we need to remember them. The virus is out there in our community. If we aren't vigilant, if we're not prudent, we shouldn't assume that we're not going to get infected with this virus. And so, until we get a vaccine, these public health measures that we've used for a century are really the cornerstone of preventing the spread of this virus in our communities.
[Tapper:] So you were the health commissioner for Texas during the Ebola crisis. And a man died in Texas of Ebola after traveling to West Africa. Obviously, Ebola and coronavirus are very different. Ebola is deadlier in a lot of ways, and coronavirus is more contagious, more infectious. Do you think Texas has been handling this spread, this threat properly?
[Lakey:] I think they're doing a good job. I think in these events you need to be careful. You need to be prudent. I think we, so far, Texas has been relatively spared. Our numbers are lower than the national average. I think that's a variety there's a variety of reasons. Early on we also make sure we had hospital capacity. We decreased the number of people in hospitals by stopping elective surgeries early on and waited until we had the right amount of PPE, personal protective equipment, before opening up. But I think there comes a point where you have to take those steps in opening business back up. That there are tremendous consequences if you have this prolonged lockdown, and not only economic and poverty, but the mental health challenges, substance abuse challenges, domestic violence, child abuse there's a variety of, you know, chronic diseases that if people can't get the medical care that they need. So you can't do full lockdown, and you can't do we can't just open things wide open right now. So that middle ground of doing prudent steps to open up business but also to wear the mask, take care of the hand hygiene. And really important is to protect older individuals, protecting the nursing home so we don't introduce the virus into the vulnerable populations. It's really, really important.
[Tapper:] All right. Dr. David Lakey, thank you so much. We really appreciate your time and expertise. A top Democrat is calling it a welcome home party for white supremacists. Up next, we're going to dig deeper into the Trump campaign's decision to restart President Trump's election rallies on Juneteenth in a city with a devastating racist history. Stay with us.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Hello. I'm Jake Tapper in Washington, where the state of our union is demanding change. We begin with breaking news out of Atlanta, violence and protesters and dozens arrested after another black man was killed by a white policeman. The facts of the case are under investigation right now. But we know that Rayshard Brooks, 27, was shot and killed outside a Wendy's drive-through after a struggle with police. The head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said that Brooks fired one of the officers' Tasers at them, then turned, presumably to flee, after which he was shot and killed. The mayor of Atlanta has said this was not a justified use of force by police. Within 24 hours, Atlanta's police chief has stepped down, and the officer who killed Brooks has been fired. But the swift action has not been enough to quell the anger, the fear, and the frustration reverberating across the country and throughout Atlanta, one protester overnight telling CNN quote "I thought the message was clear, but, obviously, we're still not heard" unquote. This news comes as President Trump beats a rare retreat, rescheduling his return to the campaign trail in Tulsa, Oklahoma, originally scheduled for Juneteenth, Emancipation Day. Still not clear what role the White House would play in policing reforms that are sweeping the nation and gaining momentum on Capitol Hill. As lawmakers on both sides of the aisle work on legislation to address a demand for change that only appears to be growing, joining me now to discuss this, the House Democratic Whip Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. Majority Whip Clyburn, thanks so much for joining us today. We have a lot to get to. But I do want to start on the shooting of Rayshard Brooks. The Atlanta police chief has now resigned, protesters very angry. They have been tear-gassed. Some set fire to a Wendy's there. What's your reaction when you saw the video of that police shooting?
[Rep. James Clyburn:] Well, thank you very much having me, Jake. I I was very incensed over that. And you wonder, sometimes, when you're dealing with an issue like this out here for two or three weeks, and then you see a police officer still being insensitive to the life of a young African-American man. Now, the fact of the matter is, he was drinking, fell asleep in the Wendy's drive-through. So, how and they have already patted him down. He had no weapon on him. Where did they think he was going to go? So, he's running away. My goodness, you got his car. You can easily find him. Get back up. But, no, you fire bullets into his back. That is not what you call corresponding force. And so I think the mayor is right. This did not call for lethal force. And I don't know what's in the culture that would make this guy do that. It has got to be the culture. It's got to be the system. You have got an African-American woman mayor. You have got a woman police chief. So, the sensitivities that we look for in people are there, but it's not ingrained in the institution. That's why I have been saying you have got to restructure our judicial system, restructure our health care system, restructure our educational system. We know that. All of these things have been put together in order to maintain suppression of African-Americans all the way back to 1865. People forget, Reconstruction didn't last for 12 years. All the stuff that we talk about Reconstruction, that's not Reconstruction. We institutionalized second-class citizenship of black people during the Jim Crow era. I get a little upset when I hear people say, well, you know, the civil rights movement was the second Reconstruction. Come on now. What you have is a second Confederacy, is what you have got. The first one reacted to slavery. Now we have got we have a second one in the '60s reacting to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. And now you have got another one taking place. I would just say this is the second part of the second one.
[Tapper:] Let's talk about policing reform. You have introduced a bill in the House. Senate Republicans, led by Senator Tim Scott, are poised to introduce their own bill this week. When I talked to Senator Scott on Friday, he told me that the Democrats in the House vs. the Republicans in the Senate are taking two different paths on a couple items, reducing the number of choke holds. Your bill would just ban them. They would disincentivize them, I suppose. He also said you're distances away on this issue of qualified minority, which would make it easier to sue police in civil court. Is their bill a nonstarter for you, or do you see a potential for compromise?
[Clyburn:] I never call anything a nonstarter. There's always potential for compromise, in my opinion, when you're trying to do legislation. Our system is designed that way. We were designed to have a House do its business. The Senate will do its business. And we try to come together in a conference to see, can you work out the differences? I have seen conferences produce a better result over a compromise. So, let's just let both houses do whatever they're going to do, and then let's get down to the serious business of reconciling our differences. Once again, we have got a Senate that is made up totally different, one African-American Republican, two African-American Democrats, and then 97 others. So, we need to bring those others and these three together and come up with something that we over in the House, with 53 African-Americans, can do something to reconcile, well, three 54 53 Democrats and one Republican.
[Tapper:] I want to ask you about the defund the police movement, which is an issue in the Democratic Party, in the progressive movement right now. Some organizers on the left say that the only way to reduce police violence and police brutality is to slash police budgets, cut the number of officers. One activist, Mariame Kaba, wrote in "The New York Times" this week quote "Yes, we mean literally abolish. The police efforts to solve police violence through liberal reforms like these have failed for nearly a century. Enough. We can't reform the police. Why on earth would we think the same reforms would work now?" unquote. What is your message to her? What is your message to those in your caucus, the Black Congress, such as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who we're talking with shortly, who is also saying defund the police?
[Clyburn:] I would simply say, as I have always said, nobody is going to defund the police. We can restructure the police forces, restructure, reimagine policing. That is what we are going to do. The fact of the matter is, the police have a role to play. What we have got to do is make sure that their role is one that meets the times, one that responds to these communities that they operate in. I didn't grow up in fear of police, even in a segregated environment. We never feared the police. But, all of a sudden now, I do fear the police. The young blacks fear the police. Why? Because we have built in a system that's responding, once again, to Brown v. Board of Education and everything that comes with it. When I was growing up, we didn't have black police. And I remember when the first black policeman remember his name to this day, two of them. One name was Gilliard. One name was China. The fact of the matter is, this is a structure that has been developed that we have got to deconstruct. So, I wouldn't say defund. Deconstruct our policing.
[Tapper:] All right, Majority Whip James Clyburn from South Carolina, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We really appreciate your time and your experience with a lot of these issues.
[Clyburn:] Thank you very much.
[Tapper:] The Trump campaign is asking supporters not to sue if they contract coronavirus at his upcoming indoor political rally. What precautions should people be taking if they attend? Plus: A key economic lifeline is about to run out for millions of Americans. Will it be extended? We will talk to a top White House economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, next.

[Fareed Zakaria, Cnn:] Welcome to all of you in the United States and around the world. I'm Fareed Zakaria.
[Zakaria:] Today on the show, the president meets the Queen. Trump is about to embark on a state visit to Britain, a nation beset by Brexit bedlam. Then he'll travel to Europe, a divided and politically conflicted continent. We'll preview the trip and the hornet's nest he'll be walking into. Also, 30 years since this haunting photo. Thirty years since Chinese troops entered Tiananmen Square and opened fire. Thirty years later, how much has changed, how much has stayed the same. Nick Kristof and Jiayang Fan join me. And finally from the GLOBAL PUBLIC SQUARE to the extraterrestrial one. Are UFOs a real phenomenon? The U.S. government may finally be seeing the light. But first, here's "My Take." Last week's election results for the European parliament were mixed which meant that every side could claim a victory of sorts. Right-wing populists did gain ground but so did some decidedly left-wing parties like the Greens. The only clear conclusion is that the traditional parties that have dominated the continent's politics since 1945 continued to see their appeal wither and their power wane. But elections are often lagging indicators of social change. By the time the public becomes aware and engaged on a certain issue, the problem might well have passed its peak. Consider the two issues fueling populism in the West fears about immigrants and a lack of economic opportunity. In both cases the crisis appears to be over, but the fury remains. The number of migrants coming into the European Union illegally is at the lowest it has been in five years. In 2018 about 115,000 people crossed the Mediterranean to seek entry into Europe, an 89 percent drop from 2015. This reflects European cooperation with countries in North Africa and the Middle East to strengthen their borders and stimulate economic development while at the same time getting much stricter on asylum applications. In the United States, the pattern is similar. Mexican immigration, the issue that Donald Trump raged about when he announced his candidacy, has actually been going in the opposite direction for years now. From 2007 to 2016, the number the undocumented Mexicans in the U.S. fell by 1.5 million. And while there has been a recent surge of migrants from Central America, the caravans that Trump rails against, they are generally throwing themselves at the mercy of U.S. authorities at the border and pleading for asylum status which is only granted to a small percentage. What about the other problem that has been fodder for populism? Joblessness and the stagnation of middle-class wages. When Trump was on the campaign trail he suggested the actual unemployment rate in America might be as high as 42 percent. He painted a bleak picture of life for the middle class, insecure part-time jobs, wages that never grew, benefits that were disappearing. A portrait still being presented by Bernie Sanders and some other left-wing populists. Well, last week "The Economist" pointed out that this picture so firmly embedded in our minds does not comport with the facts. Two- thirds of OECD countries have record high employment numbers for their working age population. The U.S. unemployment rate, 3.6 percent, is at its lowest point in half a century. "The Economist" writes, "As for precariousness in America, the gig economy accounts for only around 1 percent of jobs." Finally, tight labor markets and minimum wage laws are together moving wages up. Now none of this suggests that life is easy for people outside of the top tiers of these countries. It isn't. But whenever crises flare up in liberal democratic capitalist countries, there is a tendency to look admiringly at non-democratic or non-capitalist countries. This happened in the 1970s when the West was mired in stagflation and political dysfunction and many thought the Soviet Union was stable and on the march. In 1975 in fact the Trilateral Commission issued a famous report titled "The Crisis of Democracy." Well, a decade later, stagflation had been licked, the West was booming, and it was the Soviet Union that was beginning to collapse. Open societies often seen weak because their problems are aired publicly and debated loudly. But what gets lost in the din are the myriad responses to these problems bubbling up from markets, civil society, governments. Capitalism and democracy are open and responsive systems, and they are reacting and adjusting to the public's concerns. Even while populists continue to peddle little more than deception, despair, and demagoguery. For more, go to CNN.comfareed, and read my "Washington Post" column this week. And let's get started. Let's keep the conversation going on Europe's election results and what they mean. We will also talk about President Trump's state visit to Britain to see the Queen. His trip starts Monday. Joining me now from the other side of the pond are, in London, Anne Applebaum. She's a Pulitzer-Prize winning historian and a foreign affairs columnist for the "Washington Post." In Paris, author and philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy. He has been criss-crossing the continent in recent weeks performing a play and pressing for a centrist vision of Europe. And in Milan, Beppe Severgnini, who writes for Italy's Corriere della Sera as well as for the "New York Times." Anne, let me start with you. The poem goes, "The center cannot hold. Things fall apart. Anarchy is loosed on the world." Did the center hold?
[Anne Applebaum, Columnist, "washington Post":] What's interesting is the center is not holding, but that doesn't mean that the continent is swinging to the right as many expected. And what we saw in the European elections on Sunday was some move to the far right, but also a real resurgence of liberals and greens. Often new parties that have been formed under new conditions, sometimes in reaction to the far right. So we see really a return to big political competitions in Europe and at the European level. As people begin to take seriously the idea that continental problems like ecology and like immigration can only have continental solutions. These parties are all working together across national lines. They were sometimes campaigning across national lines. And so it's a lot more complicated than just to say the center is over.
[Zakaria:] Bernard, what does it mean for Emmanuel Macron, the great liberal hope of Europe? Does he now is he in a kind of paralyzed holding pattern or can he aggressively continue to try to implement the vision that he campaigned on for a renewed France?
[Bernard-henri Levy, Philosopher, Writer And Filmmaker:] I think that the result of this election is not so bad for Emmanuel Macron. And even it is good, it is good for two reasons. Number one because the far right did not get the success that they hoped. Of course, they are ahead. But much less than they were hoping, number one. Number two, it is clearer and more and more clear in France that they are not just
[Zakaria:] Beppe, how do we understand Italy? Because one of the things that attracted Steve Bannon to Italy was the idea that in Italy left-wing populists and right-wing populists have come together. In his fantasy, it is the Sanders vote and the Trump vote that has come together. Has that persisted in this European election?
[Beppe Severgnini, Editor-in-chief, Corriere Della Sera Sette:] Well, first of all, how do you understand Italy, it's hard to understand Italy. So first of all, good luck. And Steve Bannon certainly didn't understand Italy. He tried. But he tried to understand, but obviously he was ignoring Italy and most of Europe. What happened in Italy is simple. You have a right-wing of sovereignist movement, populist movement. Matteo Salvini and the League, and they went from 17 percent, the result in the general election last year, to 34 percent. And it's like in a play because it's perfect. The other, the left-wing populists, the Five Star Movement, they went the other way around. They went for 34 to 17. So they're not happy, and the government they are forming together is about to fall, I believe. Simply because they cannot afford to stay in a coalition where they lose half their support in a year. Of course, Matteo Salvini and the right-wingers are very happy to stay in the coalition where they double their support in one year. So Italy is watching, and everything is quieter than it's been for some time because we are in Europe. And most of most Italians know that we and France are an exception, but to be an exception is better than to have the similar result all over Europe. We cannot afford to be insulated for too long. We're going to see now with the new budget that Europe will tell us you cannot do what you want. And one way or another, Mr. Salvini will fall in line.
[Zakaria:] Fascinating conversation. I've got to add a point that Anne Applebaum made to me privately which is that the populists also have few ideas. The great idea of the Italian populist Salvini is he wants Italy to have bigger budget deficits. That doesn't strike as an argument that, you know, is going to reshape the world. Don't go away. Next on GPS, the president goes to the palace, Buckingham Palace that is. We will preview the state visit and the state of British politics, when we come back.

[Whitfield:] Right now, a man hunt is under way after a deadly bar shooting in Kansas City, Kansas. Police say four people were killed and five others were shot at the Tequila KC bar early this morning and now police believe there are possibly two suspects on the loose. CNN National Correspondent, Natasha Chen is live for us in Kansas City, Kansas. What do you know right now?
[Natasha Chen, Cnn National Correspondent:] Well Fred, we've asked for an update from police on their progress in interviewing or arresting anyone. What police has said so far is that they think there are two possible suspects here. When they got here overnight, around 1:30, they said there were four people dead inside, five people injured outside. The good news is those who were injured seemed to be doing OK and they will make it. But we've talked to some people who are friends of the victims, friends of people involved including one woman who was here at the bar just a few hours before the shooting took place. Here's what she described as far as suspect she observed.
[Shay Celedon, Was At Bar With Victim Before Shooting:] When I was here earlier in the evening, you know, the gentleman came in and he was a little agitated. He was confrontational. He was asked to leave. He was escorted out of the bar.
[Chen:] And then she went home, she told me, went to bed, and then got woken up a couple of hours later by the friends who were still at this bar. Those friends told her that that guy had come back. So, she was here with her best friend and her best friend's fiance. That fiance is unfortunately, she says, one of the four people who were killed. She says the fiance died in her friend's arms even as they were trying to keep him alive. So, this community is really in shock right now. And they plan to come here for a vigil this evening, Fred.
[Whitfield:] Terrible. All right, Natasha Chen, thank you so much. All right. A key witness in the murder trial against now convicted, a former Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger, was shot and killed Friday night. The Dallas County D.A.'s office confirms the victim was this man, Joshua Brown. He was the neighbor who testified that he heard the confrontation between Guyger and Botham Jean, the man Guyger murdered in his own apartment. Brown was killed at his current home about five miles from the complex where Botham Jean was murdered. Witnesses say they saw a silver, four- door sedan speed away from the parking lot. There are no descriptions of the suspect. A businessman is offering a $100,000 reward for information in that case. Tomorrow morning, the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices return to their chamber. Why this upcoming term is expected to be explosive.

[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] In our "2020 LEAD" today, a moment getting a lot of attention from Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at CNN's Town Hall last night focused on LGBTQ issues.
[Unidentified Male:] If a supporter approaches you and says, Senator, I am old fashioned, and my faith teaches me that marriage is between one man and one woman. What is your response?
[Sen. Elizabeth Warren , Presidential Candidate:] Well, I'm going to assume it's a guy who said that. And I'm going to say, just marry one woman. I'm cool with that. Assuming you can find one.
[Tapper:] A lot of applause for that in the room. What was your response?
[Mary Katharine Ham, Cnn Political Commentator:] Yes, look, it's a moment that sort of built to go viral for her on Twitter, but Twitter is not the American electorate. So I would have suggest had I been advising her which have not, a note of respect for the person's religious beliefs while also noting you're welcome to do as you wish and these people can do is they wish. That's how we coexist, right? I think that would be maybe slightly better tone because if you take that to believers in Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin where you have to win their hearts, maybe a nod to their sincere religious beliefs would be helpful. I would also note that on the other side of things, something built to go viral the bad way is Beto O'Rourke's idea that he's going to punish churches that don't perform same-sex marriages. And that is also
[Tapper:] Take away their tax exempt status.
[Ham:] Right. That is also something that does not play in Peoria.
[Tapper:] Are you are you concerned as a Democrat who wants a Democrat to win, are you concerned about what you heard last night in those two examples?
[Jen Psaki, Cnn Contributor:] You know, one, as we all know, they're all playing to the Democratic base right now because they have to win the nomination before they worry about any of those questions. I don't think that Elizabeth Warren is betting in a general election. She is going to win the hearts and minds of people who are against gay marriage. I think that is a pretty safe bet on her part. The majority of the public is for it. On Beto O'Rourke's part, you know, I think he's making some headway a little bit by saying things that he clearly believes that are a little out there for the Democratic electorate. I don't think he's going to be the nominee. Others may be asked that. It's probably not in line with Peoria but they're betting that the majority of the public is that they need to win over the general election is where they are.
[Tapper:] Another interesting moment from last night from former Vice President Joe Biden talking about how far discussions on LGBTQ issues have come.
[Joe Biden , Presidential Candidate:] Remember, Anderson, back 15, 20 years ago, we talked about this and in San Francisco is all about, well, you know, gay bathhouses, and everything. It's all about around the clock sex. It's all come on man.
[Toluse Olorunnipa, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, part of the reason that Vice President Biden is facing some challenges especially among younger voters, people who think that he's not sort of attuned to the current moment. That comments that were OK, maybe 20, or 15 years ago are no longer OK in the political sphere, especially among the Democratic base. He seems to still be pulling well, he still seems to be doing OK especially among older voters, but those types of gaffs, if you call if you want to call them that or misstatements, will make it harder for him to build a broad coalition that you need in a Democratic primary to not only, you know, winning the general but also be able to make it through a Democratic primary where the base, specifically younger voters and people who may be offended by that kind of language will need to be catered to. And I'm not sure that
[Ham:] Can someone give him a list of things not to say in this forum and he just like read it? Because the top of the list would be gay bathhouses and the round the clock sex, those would be the two things.
[Tapper:] Does it concern you at all? It seems like another record player moment kind of to me.
[Psaki:] Yes, look, there have been a number of moments where even those of us who have affection for Vice President Biden think what on earth is happening right now. But there's still continues to be affection from The American public including within the Democratic primary voters for him.
[Tapper:] He still leads.
[Ham:] And in Peoria.
[Psaki:] And in Peoria. And part of his appeal is that he says things that your uncle says and people feel comfortable with him and it's a return to normalcy. So yes, that was a weird comment. I'm not sure it's going to impact him in the in the long run.
[Tapper:] Record players and bathhouses. Be sure to tune in Tuesday night for the CNN New York Times Democratic Presidential Debate they'll be 12 candidates on stage in Ohio. That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. Coming up, thousands of people evacuated, several homes destroyed, at least three major highways have been closed. We're going to go live to the wildfire in California that might get much worse. Stay with us.

[Sciutto:] Welcome back. President Trump has been continuing attacks he's leveled against four Democratic congresswomen of color. Just this morning, he slammed the women once again, in another tweet. Big question is, is this part of an intentional strategy to win re- election in 2020? Joining me now to discuss this is Trump 2020 senior campaign advisor, Mercedes Schlapp. Mercedes, we always appreciate when you take time to join us.
[Mercedes Schlapp, Senior Advisor, Trump 2020 Campaign:] Thank you, Jim.
[Sciutto:] So, first, let's begin. You, other campaign and White House officials have said that the president disavowed those "Send her back" chants. But to be fair, over the last weekend, the president has tweeted or retweeted comments against the Squad, some 10 times. We counted. But there was one retweet that was particularly noticeable. This, from the British columnist Katie Hopkins, who's a frequent Trump supporter. She said, "Send her back" is a new campaign slogan for 2020. And the new "Lock her up."
[Text:] Katie Hopkins: New Campaign slogan for #2020? "Don't love it? Leave it!" Send her back is the new lock her up. Well done to #TeamTrump
[Sciutto:] So I wonder, if he has truly disavowed this chant, why is he amplifying the same attacks there?
[Schlapp:] Well, he also wanted to highlight that, you know, he when the speech had started, he continued to onward with the speech, considering the fact that he came out and said that he disavowed the chant. He is not pleased with it. He is not happy about it. He expressed that
[Sciutto:] But then
[Schlapp:] last week. His
[Sciutto:] why retweet
[Schlapp:] main point is, is that he's
[Sciutto:] that, saying you saw the tweet there. It says that this is the new chant for 2020. And the president, using his platform with more than 50 million followers, just distributed that again, amplified that "Send her back" chant again.
[Schlapp:] Look, again, he disavowed that chant. He made it very clear last week. He also talks about the importance, that those individuals in North Carolina are patriots. I mean, it's very disconcerting when if these individuals are expressing that they're upset and frustrated by these radical policies that these liberal Democrats are pushing, that they're expressing themselves, that then they're going after these people of North Carolina who are
[Sciutto:] I mean, it seems like you're saying
[Schlapp:] patriots and who love America.
[Sciutto:] It seems like you're well, the love America thing, I do want to get to. Because you have called the Squad anti-American. The Squad, as they're known. The president has repeated that. As you know, President Trump, both as a candidate and as a sitting president, has leveled sometimes brutal criticism against his own country. Have a listen and I want to get your response as to how those criticisms are different. Have a listen for a moment first.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] How stupid are the people of Iowa? How stupid are the people of the country? How stupid is our country? General George Patton, General Douglas MacArthur are spinning in their grave at the stupidity of what we're doing in the Middle East.
[Bill O'reilly, Host, Fox News:] Putin's a killer.
[Trump:] A lot of killers. We got a lot of killers. What, you think our country's so innocent? We are so far behind the times. And by the way, the world is laughing at us because they can't believe these policies.
[Sciutto:] Why aren't those criticisms anti-American, then?
[Schlapp:] Let's remember that those he's focusing on the policies. The Obama-Biden era policies, that basically took America, not in the right direction when it comes to foreign policy. He also disagreed
[Sciutto:] He called Iowans stupid.
[Schlapp:] with Bush, he also disagreed with President Bush on the Iraq War.
[Sciutto:] Right.
[Schlapp:] So he did not agree with those policies. His policies, and where his vision has been for America, is that of America First. It's getting out of any of these entanglements and these endless wars across the globe, being focused on defeating ISIS, making sure that we are strong from a domestic standpoint. And what we have seen are very strong accomplishments coming from this president, in terms of our economy, in terms of wage
[Sciutto:] But you see the point
[Schlapp:] growth and in terms of unemployment for all Americans, including blacks
[Sciutto:] But you see the point I'm making there
[Schlapp:] women
[Sciutto:] is that our country is built on that kind of dialogue, where people from one party criticize the policies
[Schlapp:] So, Jim, let me ask you. Do you believe
[Sciutto:] of another, but why does that
[Schlapp:] do you believe
[Sciutto:] make it anti-American?
[Schlapp:] Because when you look at the Squad and you literally dissect their statements, it is incredibly concerning, OK? When you look at Omar and when she focuses on, "Let's be compassionate and tell a judge that," you know, "we need to be compassionate towards these men who are planning to join ISIS." When they start going after Jewish lawmakers, saying that there's dual loyalty, when you have another congresswoman, part of the Squad, saying that she has a calming feeling about the Holocaust, that is incredibly concerning. When you have
[Sciutto:] Well, to be fair
[Schlapp:] the fact that you have Cortez, basically
[Sciutto:] Mercedes, you know well
[Schlapp:] calling our Border Patrol agents, Nazis, and our detention centers
[Sciutto:] OK.
[Schlapp:] concentration camps while these Democrats have done nothing, very little, to
[Sciutto:] Mercedes, some of those
[Schlapp:] stop the continued
[Sciutto:] some of those
[Schlapp:] humanitarian crisis that we're seeing at the border, that to me is concerning. When they are
[Sciutto:] OK. That's a policy distinction. But I do
[Schlapp:] pushing forward socialist ideas, Jim. That are not
[Sciutto:] OK. That's a policy that's a policy question
[Schlapp:] should not even be this is that are anti-American, that's a problem.
[Sciutto:] OK. But let me a couple points there. One, some of the comments, to be fair, you took out of context. I do want to quote the head of the Anti-Defamation League, which, as you know, extremely sensitive to and is fighting every day to fight anti-Semitism in the country. Here's what Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted. He says, "Anti-Semitism is on the rise. Donald Trump using Israel to defend his blatant racism only hurts the Jewish community. He doesn't speak for any of us. We call on all leaders across the political spectrum to condemn these racist, xenophobic tweets and using Jews as a shield." That's from the Anti-Defamation League, as the president and others have basically used this as a way to attack the Squad members. I wonder what your response is to him
[Schlapp:] There's no better friend to Israel than the president of the United States. And we stand with the prime minister, we stand with the Jewish people. I think what we have seen, where you have had Congresswoman Omar make anti-Semitic remarks, and then you have the House of Representatives decide to basically lightly slap her hand and not even include her in the resolution. Yet when it comes to Donald Trump, their focus and their hatred towards him, they break the rules in the House of Representatives to push past a resolution, that's problematic. Look, this is very clear. That these the Squad members have made it a point to say that anyone who disagrees with them is a racist. Even to
[Sciutto:] Wait, but
[Schlapp:] Nancy Pelosi. They even
[Sciutto:] isn't the president
[Schlapp:] implied that Nancy Pelosi, their own leader who disagrees with them at certain points, is a racist.
[Sciutto:] isn't the president saying
[Schlapp:] We need to be very careful, how
[Sciutto:] he's attacking anybody who
[Schlapp:] that word is being used.
[Sciutto:] But, Mercedes, to be fair, the president is using this anti- American thing for a whole range of criticisms of him and his administration. The kinds of criticisms he himself has used. I mean, after all, you heard the sound. He compared the
[U.s. -- Schlapp:] No, the sounds were talking about the policies.
[Sciutto:] to Russia.
[Schlapp:] They're talking about the policies
[Sciutto:] I know, but the president
[Schlapp:] that President Obama and and Vice President Biden
[Sciutto:] No.
[Schlapp:] pushed along their way.
[Sciutto:] The president compared his country
[Schlapp:] Where in essence, it was more government-controlled more government control in our health care and in certain aspects of our lives
[Sciutto: I -- Schlapp:] and pushing our country in a direction where it's become more about identity politics
[Sciutto:] But what you're describing, Mercedes
[Schlapp:] as opposed to finding real solutions to our immigration crisis
[Sciutto:] I know
[Schlapp:] and also to building our economy.
[Sciutto:] Mercedes, just a moment here. Because what you're describing there are reasonable policy disagreements. What's the right approach to immigration, et cetera.
[Schlapp:] Right. So what has happened?
[Sciutto:] But you had the president here, equating America to authoritarian Russia. He has praised Kim Jong Un, said he has a love affair with him. Kim Jong Un is responsible
[Schlapp:] Oh.
[Sciutto:] for the death of a young American.
[Schlapp:] Goodness. Yeah. As the president was
[Sciutto:] So I'm asking if if that
[Schlapp:] critical about that. But let me tell you what
[Sciutto:] is that patriotic?
[Schlapp:] the president's also trying to push forward. Oh, come on, Jim. I mean, you know
[Sciutto:] Is that patriotic it's a
[Schlapp:] we need to focus on denuclearizing and the Korean Peninsula. That has been a goal of this president, and it is why he has engaged in dialogue with the North Koreans while continuing a maximum pressure campaign.
[Sciutto:] Oh,
[I -- Schlapp:] You know that, I know that.
[Sciutto:] But the point
[Schlapp:] What had the past administrations done on North Korea?
[Sciutto:] I'm raising there is not the policy issue. The point is the words that he used to describe his country.
[Schlapp:] Nothing. They haven't been able to but you're talking specifically on North Korea, and I'm answering you on the North Korea question, which is very clear, Jim. That he has taken bolder steps than the past administrations. The past administrations had it's been a very complicated process and a delicate process. And we're engaging to solve this issue in North Korea
[Sciutto:] No question.
[Schlapp:] basically for the stability of the Korean Peninsula.
[Sciutto:] I get it, I get it. There's the bigger picture point. Listen, let's keep up the conversation. Because the point is, you can disagree on the policy. And there are reasonable disagreements. We see it every day. That's Washington. But to accuse of anti-Americanism when you disagree on fundamental questions of policy, that's the issue that I want to
[Schlapp:] Look, to me, it's anti-Americanism when
[Sciutto:] is that where you want the political dialogue to be in this country today?
[Schlapp:] Look, look. I even feel that there are Democrats out there who feel very uncomfortable, where the Squad is taking the Democrat Party. They are the ones that that are the Democrat leadership and these presidential candidates need to ensure that they're in good graces with the Squad, because the Squad has become the loudest voice of the Democrat Party. And they are pushing very extreme
[Sciutto:] They're four of more than 220 members of Congress to be fair
[Schlapp:] But OK, but tell me how much you've covered of the 220 members. You all seem to be doing a lot of videos and a lot of takes on the Squad. Let's be real. I mean, they're the ones
[Sciutto:] And the president as well, to be fair
[Schlapp:] making the news.
[Sciutto:] and the president as well, to be fair.
[Schlapp:] Because the president wants to highlight the policies that the squad is pushing forward, that is making sure that this country's being pushed far to the left. I mean, the fact that they align themselves in terms of not condemning al-Qaida, that is problematic, where they basically did not even support humanitarian aid going to the border.
[Sciutto:] OK.
[Schlapp:] And they call it a manufactured crisis. Yet we know that there is a humanitarian crisis on the border, where children are being smuggled
[Sciutto:] Again
[Schlapp:] where there's human trafficking happening.
[Sciutto:] A policy disagreement as opposed to whether it makes someone unpatriotic, for criticizing those policies
[Schlapp:] I don't know, for for
[Sciutto:] as the president has done himself, at times, Mercedes.
[Schlapp:] let me tell you, as the daughter of an immigrant who fled communism, I will tell you, it comes across being very anti-American, when you spend your time criticizing America, pushing socialist policies, and also making these comments, which are very concerning for those of us who love America.
[Sciutto:] I love America as well, and I'm sure sitting members of Congress do as well. Mercedes Schlapp, thanks very much. We do appreciate you coming on the program. You're always welcome and we'll be right back.
[Schlapp:] Thank you. Thanks, Jim.

[Becky Anderson, Cnn:] Are you tonight urging Washington to act with a degree of caution and restraint?
[Anwar Gargash, Uae Minister Of State For Foreign Affairs:] The onus is on Iran. The onus is on Iran.
[Anderson:] As the region roils, the UAE wants to rein in the rhetoric but insists the onus is on Iran. My interview with the minister of state for foreign affairs here in the Emirates. Also ahead this hour, a very different take on geopolitical crises.
[Gargash:] We are currently investigating. We're collaborating with France and the United States and other friends are also offering their help. So in a few days we should know what took place, what transpired. Clearly this is a very, very serious incident because it affects maritime commerce. And it comes also at a very, very what I would call sensitive and difficult period in the region. So clearly, we all have an interest at this time in deescalating and dealing with things in a mature rational way.
[Anderson:] You're talk about deescalating the rhetoric with Iran at present.
[Gargash:] Definitely. I think the whole situation is difficult. We are where we are largely because of Iranians Iran behavior. This is a behavior that is not new to the region. This is a behavior that has been basically compiling. And clearly right now the American sanctions on Iran are biting.
[Anderson:] Iran has said that the attack attacks on the vessels were an attempt by third parties, and I quote them here, to ratchet up tensions. Have you considered or investigated the possibility that these attacks are what's known as false flag operations. Attacks designed to implicate Iran and provoke a response from the U.S.?
[Gargash:] No. I think to start with Iran's responses on many issues are contradictory. And this is part and parcel I think of the trust factor that affects Iranian politics. So I with five, six statements that contradict each other coming out from Iran. I can see that very, very clearly and I don't think that I will put much merit to these comments.
[Anderson:] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that he fundamentally doesn't want a war with Iran. But if provoked or if U.S. interests in the Middle East are attacked, they would respond. Are you tonight urging Washington to act with a degree of caution and restraint? We are seeing an escalation here.
[Gargash:] The onus is on Iran. The onus is on Iran. Iran is the government that is responsible for where we are today. Iranian behavior over the last decade or two has led us to where we are today. There's very little trust in the region. I don't think the onus right now is mainly on Washington. I think it's on Iran.
[Anderson:] You talked a lot about what the Iranians should do. I wonder though what your position is so far on what Washington should do next? Certainly the U.S. and the Europeans at present are disunited. Does that worry you at present? And once again, I wonder whether this urging of caution should not be to Washington.
[Gargash:] I think that the important thing is for the West to be more and more united. And I think it concerns us when we see that the West is speaking with different approaches. I think all these countries that you have mentioned agree that there is a problem with Iran's behavior. I think the disagreement is over the approach. I think there's agreement across the board that Iran has been a disruptive force.
[Anderson:] Well, that's the view of a strategic U.S. ally in this region. We're going to get the latest on the perspective in Tehran from Fred Pleitgen in a moment. One country that agrees with the analysis of Trump's closest advisors it seems is Britain. The Foreign Secretary says he is working closely with Washington. I want to get you to Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. And Barbara, much talk of infighting and disputes about whether or not these claims of an Iranian threat to U.S. assets in this region are exaggerated. Trump's policy advisors though getting support from Britain today. What are your sources telling you?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] The dilemma for U.S. intelligence is to see if it can make something public to show the world and show skeptics exactly why they believe exactly why the Pentagon believes that there is a military threat from Iran. Look, Iran has been, I think there's no question, a destabilizing force in the region. Their rhetoric is always pretty heavily anti-American, anti- Western over the years and they do move their weapons around. So the challenge now is what does this intelligence show that is different, that shows a different Iranian intention and capability. There is imagery of missiles on boats at sea. There is intercepts, communications intercepts and also threats the U.S. says against U.S. forces ashore. They say the bottom line is that Iran has shown the possibility that it's planning to attack American forces, but the U.S. is going to have to show that it is something very different that makes this such a threat. In the meantime the U.S. aircraft carrier strike group, U.S. B-52 bombers remain in the region and they are the message of deterrence to Iran from the Pentagon. Don't even try it, if you do, there will be very heavy U.S. military price to pay Becky.
[Anderson:] Fred, the UAE's top official in an interview with me that we've just aired says the onus is on Iran to ratchet down this rhetoric and change their malign behavior in the region. Any evidence that Tehran is prepared to listen to Abu Dhabi at this point?
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] I don't think at this point there is any sort of evidence that that's going to be the case. In fact, the Iranians, Becky, over the past couple of days have been quite consistently saying that they don't believe that they're the ones who have been escalating the situation. They say they believe that it's the U.S. who has been escalating the situation by the fact that they've done exactly what Barbara Starr was just saying. By putting the carrier strike group to this region at least moving it towards this region and also course, deploying those B-52 bombers as well. The Iranians for their part have been saying that they don't want all of this to continue to escalate. They believe that it's the U.S. that is the one that is making the situation worse. In fact, Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, he was actually in Japan earlier today. He spoke to Japan's foreign minister where he been reiterated that point once again. Let's listen to what he had to say.
[Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian Foreign Minister:] I believe that escalation of tension in the region is not in the interest of anybody, but Iran will not be the party beginning escalation. But we will certainly defend ourselves and respond to any threat against our national security.
[Pleitgen:] So the Iranians are essentially saying that they believe the ones who are they believe they are the ones who have been showing restraint in the current situation. And of course speaking about that American military buildup that's going on. Then of course you have that whole complex of these possible back channel negotiations that people are talking about in Washington. The Iranians over the past couple of days, Becky, have been saying they're not interested at this point in negotiating with Washington. Iran's Supreme Leader he came out about a day and a half ago and he said under the current circumstances that's not going to happen. It's been quite interesting because the messaging coming out of Tehran has been pretty consistent on this matter. We've heard from the Foreign Minister, the President and the Supreme Leader as well, saying as long as America stays out of the JCPOA, there's not going to be any negotiations with Tehran Becky.
[Anderson:] Rather more bellicose language from those in the military and defense but perhaps that is unsurprising. To both of you very briefly then, Barbara, what happens next?
[Starr:] Oh well, you know we too have the President of the Swiss Federation at the White House today. President Trump perhaps making a reach out to see if the Swiss, who are the intermediary with Iran, can do something to reach out to them. I think Fred is right. I don't think that most people in the Trump administration in the national security arena genuinely believe that Iran is about to pick up the phone and dial the White House. For the U.S. military, it's keeping a watch on everything, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance is at a very high pace right now. You know, concern about making sure U.S. embassies and embassies of coalition partners also in the region are fully protected. The problem right now is, does the central government and Iran control all the militias, all the proxies under it. Could there be a miscalculation somewhere and something might flare up. I think that is a very deep concern.
[Anderson:] Is there a sort of received wisdom about what happens next amongst those 70 million who, lest we forget, live in Iran Fred?
[Pleitgen:] Well, Becky, I think most of the folks that live here in this country certainly hope that essentially nothing happens next, that it doesn't come to some sort of escalation. I think one of the things that was very important over the past day and a half is the fact the Supreme Leader came out and said, look, fundamentally there's not going to be a war between the U.S. and Iran. Of course, you're absolutely right. The rhetoric on the part of some military leaders here in Tehran have been very different and somewhat more bellicose. But at the same time people obviously really do hope that the situation doesn't escalate. However, one always has to say that it doesn't mitigate the fundamental problem that many Iranians have at this point. Which is of course the fact that the economy here has been in a tailspin ever since the U.S. has left the nuclear agreement. That Iran can't sell its oil on world markets, companies can't invest here. And that's certainly an issue that is going to remain and is going to continue to fan the flames of these problems between the United States and Iran. Even if this crisis that's currently going on, people obviously hope that's going to pass without a shot being fired. At the same time, the fundamental problem of the fact that Iran is extremely isolated at the moment, that's not something that is going to go away and it certainly is something that weighs economically very heavy on pretty much everyone that currently lives in this country Becky. Joining the dots with your Tehran and Washington connections on what is this story with global resonance. To both of you, thank you. And do check out what our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, has to say about all of this. And in particular about that reported tanker sabotage. Nic was down in Fujairah just after those attacks those a legend attacks and takes us through the damage and the finger pointing. That is at CNN.com. Well that's all the hard news you need to know for the time being. There is plenty more to come though this hour. But up next, we take a less serious look at it all.
[Maz Jobrani, Host, Back To School With Maz Jobrani:] I will do whatever it took to blend in. I would play baseball. I would eat apple pie. I would eat apple pie while playing baseball.
[Anderson:] That's right. Back in the house Iranian-American Maz Jobrani joins us. You see him there. Wave, sir. Maz joining us for a very different take on rising U.S. tensions with Iran. That up next.

[Cyril Vanier, Cnn International Anchor:] Live from the CNN center here in Atlanta, I'm Cyril Vanier. Thank you for joining us. We are waiting for U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to host a news conference from Akasaka Palace in Tokyo. The two leaders have been meeting the past few hours to discuss trade, military ties, and North Korea. During remarks a short time ago, the president said relations between the U.S. and Japan are the strongest they have ever been and that Washington's relationship with North Korea has come a long way.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] A lot of things are happening, a lot of very positive things are happening on trade. I personally think that lots of good things will come with North Korea. I feel that. I may be right, I may be wrong, but I feel that we've come a long way. There's been no rocket testing, there's been no nuclear testing. There's been very little activity from that standpoint so I think we've come a long way with North Korea. We'll see what happens.
[Vanier:] Even though we do know that there have been recent missile tests, the latest one just earlier this month. And Mr. Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton says those recent tests breached U.N. Security Council resolutions. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has agreed with that statement. Still, he is echoing the president's sentiments about the strong relationship between their two countries.
[Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister, Japan:] I am determined to demonstrate both at home and abroad that there is very strong bond of Japan and U.S. alliance in the new era
[Vanier:] Earlier the president made history as the first world leader to meet with Japan's new emperor. You're watching the pictures there. First Lady Melania Trump accompanied him. This was a few hours ago during a welcome ceremony at Imperial Palace which was filled with plenty of pomp and pageantry. Take a look. CNN's Senior White House Correspondent Pamela Brown joins us from the news conference. She's on the phone. Senior International Correspondent Ivan Watson is also live with us in Tokyo. Ivan, were expected Trump and Abe to speak this hour. As soon as they do we'll be carrying those comments live. Before their meeting, the U.S. President mentioned North Korea and he touted his accomplishment so far. You wanted to give us some perspective on that?
[Ivan Watson, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Well, yes. I mean, he has clearly made it he's repeating the fact that he is committed to a diplomatic track with North Korea since his two face- to-face summits with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un where there seemed to be some contradictions between not only President Trump's position and Japan and President Trump's position and the public statements just Saturday of his national security advisor John Bolton is when it comes to missile tests on the part of the North Koreans. We just heard from President Trump saying that there have been no rocket tests, no nuclear tests. There was a long pause in intercontinental ballistic missile tests and missile launches, but on May 4th of this month, North Korea carried out a series of tests of what North Korean state media later described as long-range, large- caliber, multiple rockets and ballistic, tactical guided weapons. Then on May 9th, according to the Pentagon, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles. Japan said that these were in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. John Bolton on Saturday said the same, President Trump has downplayed that throughout the weekend saying that those launches did not bother him, and he repeated that again sitting alongside Shinzo Abe the Japanese Prime Minister. Japan is especially sensitive to these missile launches since North Korea has fired multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles over its own territory. And within a matter of hours, President Trump is expected to sit down with the families of Japanese citizens who are believed to have been abducted by North Korea. That is one of the other major issues that Japan is very, very concerned about and that it brings up again and again with it's very close U.S. ally. Cyril?
[Vanier:] Pam, you were in the room where Mr. Trump and Mr. Abe are going to hold a press conference. We believe according to the current schedule that'll be in about 30 minutes. We're keeping an eye out for that. Tell me something um Trump and Abe have now met or spoken more than 40 times. Does that make the Japanese Prime Minister Trump's closest ally in the world stage?
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] It does. Certainly Prime Minister Abe my apologies is President Trump's closest friend on the world stage. And those leaders have touted close relationship as you mentioned. They talked more than 40 times. The Prime Minister was the first foreign leader to come to America to meet with President Trump after the election. The question though is how much of that paid off for Abe because he has put in this extraordinary time and effort of cultivating a relationship with President Trump yet, President Trump still has the steel and aluminum tariffs, and as you were just talking with Ivan, he has downplayed the threat from North Korea. Just yesterday, while we are in Japan, he basically said it wasn't a big deal that North Korea tested those short ranged missiles. So that is really the question for the Prime Minister is whether those effort have played off. It is true though that, so far, he has been able to stave off those auto tariffs. In fact, President Trump said that they would not be working on any
[Vanier:] Yes, Ivan, if I can bring you back in. I mean, that's a very good point that Pam is making. We're seeing Japan roll out the red carpet, we are seeing this very close personal relationship between the two leaders, and yet on the major issues, on the substance with North Korea you told us about, where they're trade, the two countries still don't see eye to eye.
[Watson:] Yes, I mean, there are differences, but the symbolism of this visit and the demonstration we are seeing in the Japanese Prime Minister's words, is that this is to demonstrate at home and abroad the strength of the U.S.-Japanese alliance. So, yes, there are points of contention here, and it is clear that the trade talks are going to be an issue going forward, that the White House was not able to get a bilateral trade deal with Japan ahead of this visit from President Trump. But despite those differences, the common interests and the strength of the relations between two countries, between two governments, and between two leaders are paramount at this time. Let's not forget the fact that Japan has a pacifist constitution. It relies on the U.S. for military defense. There are some 50,000 troops stationed in Japan. President Trump will be visiting a navy base here on Tuesday before he leaves this country. Those are examples of how closely intertwined these two countries are. And it's all the more important when President Trump, though he's committed to diplomacy with the North Korean dictator, it has not been going well. The last summit in Hanoi ended up in his abrupt and early departure. That was back in February. His personal diplomacy with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, while there are constant and repeated statements of respect between the two leaders, there is a raging trade war between these two countries. There may be some point of tension between Washington and Tokyo, but what these two leaders have shown is that whether they're sharing a Japanese dinner here in the Roppongi district of Tokyo or watching sumo or playing golf together, that these are friends that can work together despite differences. Cyril?
[Vanier:] Ivan, you know, I know it's cliche to say that Japan rolled out the red carpet for the U.S. President, but they really, really did. And I want to put a pictures of Donald Trump meeting the Japanese Emperor and perhaps you can speak to the significance of being the first foreign leader to meet the new emperor.
[Watson:] Well, yes, you have a new emperor. He's just ascended from the Chrysanthemum just less than a month ago, a 59-year-old man, after his father abdicated from that role. And he's very first meeting with a foreign head of state is the American President. A number of Japanese experts would say, that would be the case, regardless whichever American president was in the White House, because the U.S. is Japan's most important ally. But clearly, there's a great deal of symbolism here. This is the beginning of what is described as the Reiwa error era rather, beautiful harmony as that is translated. So this is Japan reaffirming its strong bonds with the U.S., its closest and most important ally, a pillar of its defense policy, these leaders of the world's first and third largest economies. So there's a great deal of ceremony here and a demonstration that these two leaders in these two governments are committed to each other. And I think as Pam is mentioned, in one of the areas where there is friction, something that President Trump has been complaining about since the 1980s, and that's the trade surplus that Japan enjoys with the U.S. that the White House made a concession to President Trump's friend Shinzo Abe, they've agreed to postpone some of the negotiations over trade until after Abe gets to hold elections in July for the upper house of the Japanese national assembly, the Parliament the diet here, the legislative body. So that if there are some concessions that Japan has to make, that may hurt the Japanese economy which is already slowing. We've gotten government predictions that the economy is worsening that that may come after this political cycle is completed. So that I see as a concession from President Trump to his friend Shinzo Abe, this leader that he's spoken with some 40 times since his election in 2016.
[Vanier:] Ivan Watson, Pamela Brown, both in Tokyo, thank you very much. And joining me now from Los Angeles, CNN Senior Political Analyst Ron Brownstein, also again in Tokyo, Jeffrey Kingston, Director of Asian Studies at Temple University, Japan. Ron, I'll start with you. Mr. Trump left Washington a couple days ago. He was embroiled in stories about impeachment, about subpoenas, about his fights with Nancy Pelosi in Congress, about tax returns etcetera, etcetera, the list goes on, Japan has been good for him.
[Ron Brownstein, Cnn Senior Political Analyst:] You know, it's a common trope in American politics that the presidents who killed himself under siege at home often find comfort abroad. You know, in this case, both of these leaders have a lot invested in the other. I mean, as you've been discussing, Prime Minister Abe has really put a lot into the idea that his personal relationship with President Trump will allow Japan to avoid the kind of fulmination and eruptions and trade confrontations that other American allies have seen notably you know both European, and Mexico, and Canada, and obviously the confrontation with China. And conversely, I think Abe allows Trump to basically refute the idea that he is completely isolated on the international stage. They both have a lot at stake in making this work and we'll see how well that can hold up once they get to the substance of this roughly $55 billion trade deficit.
[Vanier:] Yes, and Paul, earlier, I asked you how Trump was perceived in Japan. I have a slightly different question, how is this visit perceived? I mean, how do Japanese feel this visit is going?
[Jeffrey Kingston, Director Of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan:] Well, I think that Trump has felt the love of the Japanese people. He went to see the sumo yesterday, he got a standing everybody has tried to take pictures. You could just see him basking in than that. He really enjoyed it. So you know, I think the Japanese people, in general, have a fairly low opinion of Trump. He's the least hostile and least popular president ever among the Japanese. But you know, you don't get to choose your president. And Japan needs the United States and so Shinzo Abe is pulling out all the stops to try to make their bromance bloom, and hope that that helps them manage an erratic partner.
[Vanier:] And Jeffrey, and thank you for our name. I misspoke earlier. I apologize for that. Ron, how ultimately what is the White House trying to get out of this visit?
[Brownstein:] Well, look, I mean, I think I think the biggest the biggest thing from any foreign travel for the president is I think is kind of a tightrope. Because on the one hand, his brand is that he is standing up for America in a way that other presidents have not. And conversely I think as this has gone on and as you can see the Democratic argument for 2020 beginning to take shape, he also wants to show that he is not as isolated on the international stage as the Democrats are already portraying and will be portraying. I don't think there is a you know, I don't think there is a lot of as we've said, on the trade side, they're kind of putting those tough questions off until after the Japanese elections in July. So I think what he probably most is hoping for in this trip is no daylight on North Korea which is difficult because obviously, the Japanese are more concerned about these intermediate-range missile launches than the president has tweeted in the last few days.
[Vanier:] Jeffrey, I want to reference back to go back to a point that Pamela Brown was making earlier. This friendship between Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe, raises the question, what does Abe get out of it because Trump hasn't changed anything about his approach to North Korea, his approach to trade, is Abe going to have to make some concessions to maintain this friendship or is he going to be able to leverage that friendship and get some of what he wants?
[Kingston:] I don't think the friendship is going to take him very far, Trump is very transactional, I think that Abe is trying to stave off, you know, a trade war with United States by urging Japan Inc. to boost investments in battleground states, United States, and he is also really amped up the purchases of expensive military systems from the United States. So, I think, this is what he hopes will buy him a little breathing room. But, you know, Trump has said, look, I'm going to cut him some slack, we're not going to go hardball until August, but he also said he has high expectations on
[Vanier:] Yes, absolutely, and our Ivan Watson was pointing that out as well at the beginning of the show, that Mr. Trump, when he touted his accomplishments, said there have been no rocket launches, it was just factually inaccurate, just completing your point there. Ron, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about one of the President's earlier tweets when he got to Japan, appearing to side with the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, against the former vice president of the United States, Joe Biden.
[Brownstein:] Yes, and we don't even need to put the word, appearing, I think, in there. I think he very unequivocally did, very clearly did, in that tweet. And it's interesting because, you know, it's a classic, kind of, Trump maneuver that you can imagine both sides, wanting to come back to in 2020. You know, on one hand, I think, you know, Trump will try to portray, if Biden is the whoever is the Democratic nominee, certainly Biden's the nominee, portray him as, kind of, over the hill and
[Vanier:] Ron, really quick, do you do you actually think that Kim Jong-un or anybody in North Korea really brought up Joe Biden in the conversation with Donald Trump?
[Brownstein:] You have to wonder, right? You do you do have to wonder. But like I said, I think if Joe Biden is the nominee, he will be as eager to talk about this tweet as Donald Trump is.
[Vanier:] All right, Ron Brownstein, Jeffrey Kingston, thank you so much to both of you for your insights.
[Brownstein:] Thank you.
[Vanier:] Europe's Centrist Party lose some ground, coming up, election results that showed the changing makeup of the European parliament. Stay with us.

[Baldwin:] He is outpolling most of the Democrats with their eyes on the White House. I'm talking about South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. And then among all these Democrats, he's in a very unique position. If he makes it to the top of the ticket and eventually the Oval Office, Buttigieg would be the nation's first gay married man. And this week, he's calling out Vice President Mike Pence and his views on marriage equality. And Pence is hitting right back.
[Pete Buttigieg , Presidential Candidate:] My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man. And, yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God. And if you have got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with. Your quarrel sir, is with my creator.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] I hope that Pete will offer more to the American people than attacks on my Christian faith or attacks on the president, as he seeks the highest office in the land.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Chief Political Correspondent:] Right. Well, he argues that your quarrel is with him as a gay man and that he says, I was born this way, and this is the way God made me. That's just not your belief?
[Pence:] Well, I I think I think Pete's quarrel is with the First Amendment. All of this in this country have the right to our religious beliefs.
[Baldwin:] But Pete Buttigieg says he is not criticizing Pence's Christian faith.
[Buttigieg:] I'm not critical of his faith. I'm critical of bad policies. I don't have a problem with religion. I'm religious too. I have a problem with religion being used as a justification to harm people, and especially in the LGBTQ community.
[Baldwin:] Let's have a big old conversation about this. Joshua DuBois served as the White House adviser to President Obama on faith and race. And CNN religion commentator Father Edward Beck just interviewed Mayor Buttigieg on this very topic. So, gentlemen, thank you for being with me. And we will get back to this back and forth in just a moment. But, Father Beck, I have to start with you. What did the mayor tell you about his faith?
[Rev. Edward Beck, Cnn Contributor:] Well, he said, it's Gospel-based, and it's really socially driven for him. I mean, for him, Matthew 25 is the heart of the Gospel, that teaching of Jesus that said, did you care for the poor? Did you visit the imprisoned? Did you care for those in need? And he thinks that Governor Pence remember, they had a history. He was mayor of South Bend, Pete. And the mayor and the governor of Indiana tried to put through this religious freedom restoration act, which Mayor Pete saw as a license to discriminate against gay people. And so he went after it, and that's where this battle began. So he thinks that Mike Pence's view of religion is about sexual ethics. And Mayor Pete says, my view of religion is, care for the poor, do what Jesus did.
[Baldwin:] Well, you heard Mayor Pete on we played the clip from "Ellen," Joshua, where he says that he's not attacking the vice president's faith, but, rather, his policies. But when you look at someone like Mike Pence, his policies are based on his faith, right? They're intertwined.
[Joshua Dubois, Former Spiritual Adviser To President Obama:] Yes, but Mayor Pete is bringing up these big topics that are important in our democracy. I don't think this is about two individuals going back and forth. I think this is Mayor Pete saying, we have two very different world views and asking Mike Pence to explain what his world view is. He kind of he made two big points. The first one was, he was saying that in his initial speech that, as a Christian, as a veteran, as a mayor of an American city, and as a gay men, he believes that he's made in the image of God, that there's nothing wrong with him, that he doesn't have a defect about him. And if Mike Pence believes something differently, than Mike Pence should be able to explain that. He should be able to explain his world view. The second thing Mayor Pete said in the "Ellen" interview was that, around the country today, gay people can still be discriminated against in a couple dozen states. They can be denied housing if their landlord finds out they're gay. Their child can be refused service at the pediatrician if the doctor finds out that they're gay. And Mayor Pete believes that's wrong. And if Mike Pence believes differently, he should be able to explain his world view.
[Baldwin:] But to that point, there are still a lot of congregations and churches who have not made a place for the gay community, members of the gay community. And, Father Beck, I mean, isn't one of the reasons Mayor Pete is talking about his faith in such an open way is because he's gay? I mean, is he aiming to challenge the assumptions that some people may be making?
[Beck:] Most definitely, because he sees himself as a devout practicing Christian, and he's in a very inclusive community that he belongs to, St. James Cathedral in South Bend, and he is welcome there. That's where he married his husband. So I think what gets to him is when religion is used as a weapon to discriminate or to somehow put down someone else. If it's used for ill effect to somebody else, he says, that's not religion, that's not Christianity. He says, look at what Jesus did. Jesus didn't talk about homosexuality. Jesus didn't talk about gay marriage. Why are some people on the right, according to Mayor Pete, so obsessed with those issues, and not talking about what Jesus really talked about, the criterion for salvation, again, drink for the thirsty, food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, visit the imprisoned? This is where the Gospel lives for Mayor Pete. And he wants to have a conversation. He wants to rescue, he says, religion from the religious right and say, those of us who are progressives, he says, we should be using faith, because it's on our side.
[Baldwin:] Joshua, what do you think about that?
[Dubois:] Well, listen, I think it's fascinating that we have a progressive candidate who is inviting a conversation about the details of his values and his faith and how that applies in the world, and a vice president who seems to be running away from it, who's saying, listen, under the under the overall rubric of religious liberty, we shouldn't be talking about this or it's an attack on my faith. When I listen to Mayor Pete, I'm not hearing an attack. I'm hearing someone who wants to have a conversation about the values lines in this country. And I think that's a conversation that we should all welcome.
[Baldwin:] Joshua DuBois and Father Beck, gentlemen, a pleasure. Thank you so much for the conversation on a Friday afternoon.
[Dubois:] Thanks, Brooke.
[Baldwin:] Appreciate both of you.
[Dubois:] Thanks for having us.
[Baldwin:] Just in, we are getting word of an incident in front of the White House, a man apparently setting his jacket on fire. We will get you right back to Washington in just a moment.

[Cabrera:] The FBI is still not 100 percent sure what drove a Saudi military officer to open fire on a U.S. Navy base on Friday killing three American servicemen and wounding several others. These are the three men who died, the oldest just 23 years old. Their killer, a lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force, was shot dead by police officers. Today in Pensacola, a very somber moment when police escorted the bodies of those three sailors to a waiting plane. They are being transferred to the military's mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware this evening. So as to why this happened, why this Saudi officer started shooting his classmates on base in Florida, the FBI says they have no concrete answers yet but are treating this incident as an act of terrorism.
[Rachel Rojas, Fbi Special Agent In Charge:] I can tell you that we are looking very hard at uncovering his motive. And I would ask for patience so we can get this right. The Saudi government has pledged to fully cooperate with our investigation. I thank the kingdom for their pledge. Work with the presumption that this was an act of terrorism, this allows us to take advantage of investigative techniques.
[Cabrera:] CNN's Brynn Gingras is just outside Naval Air Station Pensacola. Brynn, earlier reports were backed up by the defense secretary that someone possibly close to the shooter made a video of the attack as it was unfolding. You have new information about that report. Bring it to us.
[Brynn Gingras, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes. The FBI spokesperson quickly clarified and then we got more details as well from a source close to the investigation. And, really, what the defense secretary said was that video was taken at the time or he suspected that. The FBI says that this video was shot by a bystander after the attack unfolded and as emergency responders were coming to the scene. And the source tells us that that bystander was a Saudi national. But it's unclear if he was a friend. We're told that he really had no part this person had no part of this attack and really didn't have any nefarious sort of ill intent when taking that video. So the video is certainly something that investigators are looking into, not just that one that the defense secretary was talking about but also surveillance video from the base. Certainly, that is part of all the evidence that they are considering at this point. But you hit it right there with the motive. That is the big question still. Investigators really are not talking about it at this point or at least not giving us answers too. And that is why it is not deemed right now an act of terrorism but they are investigating as if it were. And we're told really they're doing that by talking to people. They're talking to those Saudi nationals who we were reporting were detained. We're told those Saudi nationals are being kept on the base. They can't leave. They are helping answer some questions. We're learning from sources that they actually gave some indications to investigators about this gunman's demeanor after a return home from Saudi Arabia, basically saying that he was changed. He was becoming more observant. He wasn't drinking when he was before. And so now, investigators are trying to figure out what sort of happened possibly after he returned home that triggered such a change. So these are the questions that are still being asked, a timeline that is still trying to be figured out to really put this whole picture together of what possibly caused all of this.
[Cabrera:] OK. Brynn Gingras, thank you for continuing to bring us those updates. North Korea claims it carried out a, quote, very important test just days after the regime warned of a Christmas gift for the United States. So what about that special relation President Trump talks about so much? We have details just ahead. But first, Christine Romans is here with this week's Before the Bell. Christine?
[Christine Romans, Cnn Chief Business Correspondent:] Hi, Ana. Trade headlines are likely to dominate the action on Wall Street. In exactly one week, the next round of tariffs are scheduled to take effect. They would apply to about $155 billion worth of Chinese made goods, including laptops and cell phones, toys and office supplies. Investors are hoping a narrow trade deal with China can be reached to avoid those new tariffs. Wall Street is also watching the Fed, which meets midweek. The central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged. Remember, it has already cut rates three times this year. Fed officials are looking at a mixed economic picture lately. Hiring remains strong, 266,000 jobs were added in November. The unemployment rate dipped to 3.5 percent. But manufacturing remains in recession. It contracted for the fourth straight month in November. In New York, I'm Christine Romans.

[Blitzer:] Worldwide deaths from the coronavirus now climbed to over 1, 000. They've passed the total fatalities from the SARS virus that surface nearly two decades ago. Let's bring in our Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, the fact that there are now more fatalities than SARS, what does this tell what does that tell us about where this virus is heading?
[Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yes. I mean, this is obviously disappointing news but not entirely surprising as we've been watching these numbers grow, certainly over the last few weeks. I think what it tells us is that, this is a it's a far more transmissible, easy to spread virus as compared to SARS. The number of deaths are have increased as well, but the number of cases have increased far more than the number of deaths have as compared to SARS. So what you have is, you can a take a look at the numbers there, 40,000 plus infections and I think it's close to a thousands deaths now. But it's really the ratio of those two numbers that you should pay attention to, deaths to infections. On the left was SARS. It's closer to 10%. With this, it's closer to 2%, 2.5%. And one thing, Wolf, and I know you've heard this as well, but researchers in Hong Kong are saying, look, there could be tens of thousands more than even these 40,000 people who are infected. And that might sound disappointing. But the reality is, if those other people who are infected are not showing any symptoms or only minimal symptoms, that would bring down the fatality ratio even. More, so there's possibly some good in there.
[Blitzer:] Do we know that's airborne, this coronavirus? In other words that you could get it through the air or you have to touch someone, you have to shake someone's hand. It's obviously much more dangerous if it's airborne.
[Gupta:] When public health people talk about something being airborne, they usually referring to it being able to suspend in the air, travel longer distances in the air. And researchers in China are a little conflicted on this. Right now, the wisdom is that it can spread via respiratory droplets. But that's a virus inside a droplet that is in the air just for a little bit. That can be, you know, that can be breathed in by somebody else, or those droplets get on surfaces and you touch them. The idea that it would be suspended in the air and if I had it, for example, left the room, someone else came into the room sometime later, they could still get it. That doesn't seem to be the case. But, Wolf, we are dealing with a novel virus and, you know, just worth stating again. This is a virus that humans have never seen before, so we're learning about this in real time as the days go on.
[Blitzer:] President Trump today predicted that warm weather this spring would soon help kill off this virus. Is he right?
[Gupta:] Well, it's interesting when you think about these types of viruses and the way that they circulate. I want to show you a map, I think, and look at where these cases are around the world. They're mostly right now in the Northern Hemisphere, save Australia down there at the bottom, which the cases came in via travel from China. And the reason is that the Northern Hemisphere is colder right now, people tend to stay indoors. And that clustering of people is one of the ways that these outbreaks can worsen, more people can get infected that way. We do see with lots of viruses, cold viruses, other viruses, that as the weather gets warmer, people are more likely to be outside. That it's not that the virus gets weaker, it's just that the likelihood of spread becomes diminished. So it's possible that that's with the warmer weather, because of these reasons, we may see a slowdown of the cases. We saw that with SARS, Wolf, it was in 2002 November very similar time frame as with this new coronavirus. In November of 2002, we saw those cases of SARS start, and it was around March, as the weather started to get warmer, that we started to see the numbers come down. So it's possible this does the same thing. But again, a novel virus means it's hard to predict.
[Blitzer:] Yes. The experts still don't know a lot about this virus but they're learning a lot, I suspect right now.
[Gupta:] Yes.
[Blitzer:] Dr. Sanjay Gupta as usual, we rely on you. Thank you so much for your information. Coming up. Will election officials in New Hampshire avoid the vote counting chaos that plague the Democrats in Iowa? Stay with us, we're getting new information. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

[Sciutto:] Happening soon, Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, but will he make any announcement about a possible presidential run. A lot of people waiting for that. Right now, his wife Jill, you can see her there, speaking at this event for the International Firefighters Associations.
[Harlow:] You can't see it, but the firefighters have signs in the audience. Some of them many of them read, Run Joe, Run and firefighters for Biden. We, of course, will monitor this all morning. But for now, the 2020 watch and wait continues.
[Sciutto:] Joining us now to discuss, political anchor for Spectrum News, Errol Louis and National Political Correspondent for Time Magazine, Molly Ball. So, Errol Louis, I wonder about the pressure on Joe Biden, because there's a lot in the party who want him to run, frankly want him to make a decision here and the latest numbers we saw coming out of Iowa give him a big advantage, 27 percent of voters there support him, 25 for Sanders and a big drop-off, back to single digits for the other candidates. I imagine those numbers influential for him.
[Errol Louis, Cnn Political Commentator:] Those numbers have got to be weighing on his mind, because it sort of paints the picture of somebody who really needs to run because the party is indicating in at in this early way, at this early stage that he's the frontrunner. On the other hand, he's too much of a pro not to realize that those numbers will change immediately, if he were to announce, say in the next few minutes, I think you're going to see those numbers change quite a bit. So, he knows that he's got name recognition and that's really what those big numbers suggest right now, but that once he gets a hard look, he's going to be in a heck of a fight with 18 or 20 other people who are also very talented.
[Harlow:] Molly, there was an interesting piece a few day ago by Julie Pace and Steve Peoples at A.P. that points out that Biden, if he jumps in, would actually start off at a fundraising disadvantage because we've seen such huge fundraising from a lot of folks, from Bernie Sanders to Kamala Harris to even what we saw from Pete Buttigieg after a CNN Town Hall and it talks about the fact that Biden doesn't really like raising money. He raised less than half of what he had set as a goal in the 2008 campaign before he dropped out. Biden, for his part, has said that he'd raise a good amount of money from, quote, some major Republican folks. Fundraising, any sort of issue for Biden if he gets in? It's hard to imagine with such a big name, but I don't know.
[Holly Ball, Cnn National Political Correspondent:] Well, you have to think that in addition to those disadvantages Biden has a lot of advantages, right? He has he's extremely well connected in the Democratic establishment. He's just been around a lot longer than all of the his potential opponents and he's got a lot of connections to people with money, people with influence, people who just have a lot of affection for him. So, I do think that those things are obstacles for him relative to some imaginary other candidate who has also been a two-term vice president but likes raising money, but given all of the built in advantages that Biden has, I don't think this is a campaign that is going to run out of steam and die because if a lack of money, which is a real danger for a lot of these other candidates who are in single digits, and even if they got a big burst early on, are going to have to show that they remain viable, are going to have to raise enough money to get two Iowa, which becomes progressively harder if you don't start to inch up in the polls after the debates have started by the fall or so.
[Sciutto:] Errol, you know you speak to people close to Biden in his camp and they raise the personal demands of another presidential run and how those weigh on Joe Biden. I mean, he's the patriarch of a family, they've had the loss of his son, a lot of personal issues and he's concerned about the demands placed on them. What do you hear about how essential that is to his final decision on whether to get in?
[Louis:] Well, that's always front of mind. I mean, these are people. These are not just figures, these are not just sort of pictures on a screen. These are people who have to sort of get up there and get ready to run the hardest campaign of your life under unbelievably grueling conditions with a sitting president who's not going to wait on the sidelines until the Democrats select their candidate. Donald Trump is going to be involved at every step of the way and he can pick up his Blackberry and upend your life. So, I don't know that we're going to see Joe Biden to actually get in to tell you the truth. I mean, there are a lot people who think it's inevitable, because he's ahead in the polls, he's got name recognition, he's he could put together an organization fairly quickly. I don't know if that's the final word. He's made clear, even the last time, that what goes on his families life means quite a lot to him.
[Sciutto:] Wow, that's interesting. That would be a surprise.
[Harlow:] Yes, really interesting. And it would be a surprise. All right, Molly, let's talk about Stacey Abrams here, I think surprising everyone with this tweet yesterday saying, I never thought I would be ready to run for president until 2028 but, quote, "life comes at you fast." Two questions for you. One, what sort of hole would she fill with a candidacy if she ops in that isn't filled by a candidate so far? And is there any risk here of going too fast?
[Ball:] Sure, that's always a risk for up-and-coming candidates, but I think if you're a politician you also want to be seizing your moment if you have one. And, you know, Stacey Abrams is ambitious and talented. I think what you see in these polls where no candidate besides the known quantities of Bernie and Biden has managed to sort of break out of the pack. What you see is, these candidates don't have well-defined lanes yet and when you talk about the potential lanes for candidates, there are ideological lanes, who's the most progressive, who's the most moderate to conservative Democrat? There are generational lanes, who is a fresh face for the party? Who represents a new and compelling voice who could appeal to younger voters or voters who have been turned off by the previous pillars of the Democratic establishment, such as the last nominee? And then there are also demographic lanes in a party that it think is more conscious than ever of diversity and who's base is more diverse than ever. There are a lot of Democrats who would like to see an African American woman or just something other than the same old white men on top of the ticket. And so, I think there's there are a lot of potential openings for Stacey Abrams, but I think the most the biggest opening for her is just that she's a very compelling candidate.
[Sciutto:] Errol, before we go, just quickly, you see what the way the president is going to approach this race. I mean, dismissing Democrats as socialists, et cetera, are Democrats giving them an open to do that by some of the candidates, but also some of the standard barriers in the party setting out some far left positions, whether it be on taxes, Green New Deal, et cetera. Are they giving him an opening to follow that attack line?
[Louis:] Sure. They've got a real challenge the Democrats, we saw this in the Town Hall meeting just the other night on CNN, they have to play to the activist Democratic base that's going to really determine who wins the primaries and the caucuses and those folks want to hear a lot of stuff. They want to hear about a guaranteed income, they want hear about a Green New Deal, which is defined five or six different ways. They want to hear about withdrawing all troops from all kinds of theaters overseas where the United States has longstanding military and diplomatic commitments. It's not going to be so easy if you decide to sort of say yes to a bunch of those different ideas to then dial it back when it's time for the general election. It's a tight rope that every Democratic candidate is going to have to walk.
[Sciutto:] Errol Louis, Molly Ball, thanks very much. Coming up next week, Senator Elizabeth Warren, another candidate taking part in another CNN Town Hall, this time with Jake Tapper live from Jackson, Mississippi. It will air Monday night, 9:00 o'clock Eastern time, only here on CNN. These are must watch events.
[Harlow:] Yes. All right, looking forward to that. Meantime, back to the tragic news about that downed airline, pilots and flight attendants now voicing publically their concerns about the safety of Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet after these two deadly crashes in just five months. Will U.S. airlines ground those planes until they have more answers?
[Sciutto:] Yes, you've got to wonder what you and I should do....
[Harlow:] Right.
[Sciutto:] ... if we're flying on one of these planes. And we are moments away from the opening bell on Wall Street. Dow expected to rise when trading begins there. Investors will be paying attention to a key Brexit vote set for later this afternoon. We're going to be watching that as well.

[John Berman, Cnn New Day:] Come out before Election Day, and it clearly has. But
[Alisyn Camerota, Cnn New Day:] The language is different in those texts you're saying than what we heard on that
[Berman:] Well, there's that. And I'm just saying, we don't know what scandals are anymore.
[Camerota:] Great point. Yes, great point. And you never know how they're going to affect the race. New Day continues right now.
[Berman:] Happy anniversary. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is New Day. And this morning, the White House is a coronavirus hot spot. And Dr. Anthony Fauci says the outbreak there did not have to happen.
[Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director, National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases:] Take a look at what happened this week at the White House. That is a reality, right there. And every day that goes by, more people are popping up that are infected. It's not a hoax. It's an unfortunate situation when you see something like that, because that could have been prevented.
[Berman:] That's the reality and it's a reality that's getting worse, seemingly, by the hour inside the White House. Not to mention the nation. Dr. Fauci is warning that hundreds of thousands of Americans could die this winter. So, as we noted, the situation getting worse in the White House, the president's senior adviser, speechwriter, Stephen Miller, the latest White House aide to test positive. It's hard to keep count at this point, depending on how you count. He's the 21st person in the president's orbit to become infected. Now, The New York Times reports that even though the White House created the impression President Trump was being tested every day, he was not. Tonight, behind Plexiglas, the vice presidential debate. Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence, the Pence team ultimately relented to the safety precautions that the debate commission and Senator Kamala Harris were asking for. People are nervous that Mike Pence could be infectious, even though he has tested negative.
[Camerota:] How could they not be? I mean, how could they not be?
[Berman:] This morning, we do have some new details about what the debate will look like.
[Camerota:] Also this morning, millions of Americans are in desperate need of economic relief. But President Trump ended negotiations in a single tweet. The Federal Reserve chairman warns that without relief, the economy and a recovery are in danger. Overnight, President Trump appeared to backtrack on that tweet, but where he stands is anyone's guess at this hour.
[Berman:] Joining us now, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, and Maggie Haberman, CNN Political Analyst and White House Correspondent for The New York Times. And, Maggie, this morning, we do want to start with you because you have a report out this morning which goes behind the scenes, I think, the last 24 hours, of the White House inside the White House and paints a picture of confusion, to say the least. What's going on there.
[Maggie Haberman, Cnn Political Analyst:] I think confusion is the right world, John. People have been told very little information about who has tested positive, who could have been in the vicinity of various people who were infected. People are not telling each other the truth. And, look, we've seen this over the course of the last four years, where advisers in this White House are not always honest with each other, but right now, we're talking about an infectious disease. And one of the areas of finger-pointing is how this all began. The president, in particular, allowed people to believe that Hope Hicks, his senior adviser, had been the one who infected him when, in fact, it may very well have been the other way around. There's anger that Kayleigh McEnany appeared to blame Hope Hicks in her statement yesterday when people believe who McEnany would have been more symptomatic earlier if it came from Hope Hicks. There is just a lot of frustration. And finally, John, we have reporting with senior officials acknowledging that the president was not being tested every day. They had created the impression that he was and that created this false sense of security in the bubble around him.
[Camerota:] That is so important, Maggie. Because, obviously, all reporters have been asking for days now, when was his last negative test?
[Haberman:] Right.
[Camerota:] That would help everybody understand if they'd been exposed, what the contact tracing should look like, and they never would answer it. The White House was, again, comically evasive about when his last negative test was, and your reporting is so helpful for us to know, it wasn't daily. We don't know if he was tested before the debate. We don't know if he was tested before the Amy Coney Barrett event.
[Haberman:] Right, Alisyn. We've been told that he was tested before the debate. But, again, because they will not release any information or logs or anything, I don't know what their practice is about keeping track of when his last negative test was. So we have to take them at their word, but they should understand by now by just saying, trust us, is not going to be sufficient for a lot of people.
[Berman:] So, Sanjay, I want to play you on that issue of the last negative test and what it means for the health of those who have been anywhere near the White House or near those who have been inside the White House over the last week. This was Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern last night with Erin Burnett. Listen.
[Brian Morgenstern, White House Deputy Press Secretary:] I have not asked him or the doctors, you know, to go back through the records of things like that. I'm not sure. But as I said, we look at it from a contact tracing, sort of forward-looking exercise.
[Berman:] Sanjay, they're not contact tracing the Amy Coney Barrett event. They're only going two days backward from the president's showing symptoms, which we think was Thursday. To me, that leaves just so many people potentially in the lurch. What do you see there?
[Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cnn Chief Medical Correspondent:] Yes, no, and I think a lot of those people probably right now are saying, you know, if we're not being contact traced, if we're not being given a call by somebody to say, we did have close contact with somebody, we may just all need to be in quarantine and because they're not giving anymore specifics on this. So it's, it's really concerning. I mean, these are when it comes to the last negative test of the president, as you point out, it's critical information. And it is known. I mean, what we're asking, somebody knows the answer to that, probably Dr. Conley, who was administering the tests. I mean, this is known, it's a national security issue, because it's the president. It's known, for sure. And I should point out, with regard to the debate last Tuesday, and even with regard to the debate tonight, you know, we've looked at the protocols that the Cleveland Clinic put forth and it's interesting, because there's three things that are worth pointing out. One is that you have to have had a negative test within 72 hours of the debate, which is really surprising that that's what the Cleveland Clinic is asking as opposed to asking for a negative test the day of the debate. Also, we just have to present it. Meaning, it's the honor system. There's no reviewing of the test by the Cleveland Clinic. And, finally, it could be any of these authorized tests. It doesn't have to be the sort of gold standard PCR test, it could be one of these antigen tests, which we know it could have a significant false negative rate. It's a pretty porous system they've set forth with regard to testing as a safety measure at the debates.
[Camerota:] Maggie, talk about national security. I mean, what's happening this morning? We know that Joint Chiefs are in quarantine and then the picture that you paint of what's going on behind the scenes at the White House, it's a virtual ghost town. People staffers, if they do show up, are in PPE. It's hard to see how the business of the country as well as national security is being done right now.
[Haberman:] One thing I want to say, Alisyn, it's staffers who are in close contact with the president are in PPE. People are not wandering around the west wing, per se, in yellow gowns and goggles and masks. And those are generally people who are either cleaning or people who are coming in close contact with the president in areas of the residence. The president, as we've been told, so far, has not gone to the Oval Office, although he wants to. In terms of national security, look, in this day and age, people can stay in touch in various ways. And we know this. But it is symbolically bracing just about the spread of this virus around the top leadership of government in Washington that you have so many people quarantined right now.
[Berman:] Again, the joint chiefs were quarantined this morning. And, Maggie, one more quick question to you before we jump back into the medicine with Sanjay. You know, I don't know if the steroids are affecting the president's thoughts at all. I'm certainly not qualified to say. What jumped out to me in your reporting though was that there are people inside the White House, staffers, who are wondering whether it's affecting his thinking. Just talk about that for one second.
[Haberman:] Sure. Look, it's I'm clearly not a doctor and neither are you. I have no way of knowing whether the president is indeed being affected by the medicine he's on. But the people I spoke with at the White House yesterday are very aware that he's on heavy-duty medication. And they have been wondering if any of it could be affecting his mood and how he's acting. One of which is this and Sanjay would know more about this than me, but one of which is the steroid that he's taking, which appears to be related to lung capacity. And it is known as a pretty heavy-duty medicine that can give you a false sense of energy, a sense of euphoria and that can eventually wear off. And then it's not clear how the person is feeling. We should note, we did not see the president yesterday. We didn't hear from him in what we had anticipated was a possible videotaped statement that was never released.
[Camerota:] If only we had a doctor around that we could oh, Dr. Gupta, thank goodness you're here. Dexamethasone, that steroid that we're talking about, how long do you think the president will be on it? And is it known to cause mood swings?
[Gupta:] Yes. Well, it is known to cause mood swings. I mean, this is a well-known side effect of the medication, you know. And ask anybody, I prescribe this medication even within the world of neurosurgery for other indications, obviously, than COVID. But that's one of the things we counsel patients on, it will keep you up at night, make you ravenously hungry, it can make people quite manic. Everybody responds to things differently and it depends what the baseline is. It also the people that are going to be best-knowing whether or not this is affecting somebody that way are the people who are closest to him, that know what the person is like off the meds and then on the meds. So this is a medication that we know a fair amount about. We don't know how long he's going to be on it. It's interesting, it is typically given to people who are critically with COVID. What happens is, you get the disease, the infection is spreading, and then the body responds. And sometimes the body responds in a very robust way, creating lots of inflammation. That can be the problem, that sort of later stage. That's usually when you bring in the steroids now and say, let's really quell down the inflammation. He was given it quite early. Why? Was he sicker than we thought? Were they just trying to be aggressive with him? But it makes it harder to understand or know how long then he will stay on these medications. And you don't just come off of it. With steroids, you've got to wean off of it over a period of time.
[Berman:] And, look, as we said, we didn't see him, we didn't hear from him yesterday. That's why these questions are out there percolating. What we did get were tweets that somehow hard to explain, unilaterally pulling out of negotiations over relief and then seemed to contradict it overnight. This is why those questions linger out there this morning. So, Sanjay, thank you. Maggie Haberman, thank you very much. The vice presidential debate tonight, the only one we're going to get. What should viewers expect? Joe Biden's deputy campaign manager joins us next.

[Holmes:] U.S. officials say the military has taken custody of two high- profile ISIS fighters. They gained attention as part of a British cell of ISIS members known as the Beatles. Sources telling CNN there are plans to bring the two members to the U.S. for prosecution, but they are just two of the ISIS fighters being held in prisons in northern Syria, the same area where Turkey is now launching that offensive. There are an estimated 11,000 ISIS fighters in custody. U.S. officials, concerned that many of those terrorists could escape as this offensive continues. Joining us now is our CNN Military Analyst, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. Always a pleasure to see you, sir. You know, we're hearing that the Turks might want to have a more extended campaign than first thought. I'm curious how surprised you were when the president made what appears to have been a shock, unilateral decision to leave the Kurds exposed like this.
[Mark Hertling, Cnn Military Analyst:] Yes. I was very shocked, Michael. Probably, like many of my military colleagues, both active and retired. You know, I'd have to bring up the name of General Joe Votel, who was commander of CENTCOM and actually was given the mission, several years ago, to stand up the security forces along with his colleague, General Tony Thomas, who was the Special Operations Command commander. Both of those individuals are retired, they retired over the last several months. But between them and Ambassador Brett McGurk, I personally believe they did a phenomenal job in putting together a force that would fight ISIS. And recalling back a few years ago, there were a lot of naysayers that said that that could never be done. It was done and it was very successful. So getting back to your question, how shocked was I? Very shocked because this had gone well for several years. They had they had, in fact, defeated not destroyed ISIS, but they had defeated a good portion of the caliphate and put a real dent in their operational plans. But with the number of detainees from ISIS that were in prison, I'm very concerned that many of them will be freed. That there will be a generation of new fighters to link with the hundreds of millions of dollars in cash that they already have to support the organization and we could certainly see an ISIS 2.0 very shortly.
[Holmes:] Yes. As a result of this, which is extraordinary to contemplate, not the mention the president's rationale that the Kurds didn't help in Normandy for heaven's sake. I wanted you to speak to the erosion of American global influence that this will bring. But also trust when it comes to allies. I mean, you and I both worked in the field with Kurdish fighters. And let's not forget the end of the Persian Gulf War. The United States called for a rebellion, then allowed Saddam Hussein to crush the insurgence.
[Hertling:] Right.
[Holmes:] And here we are, the U.S. doing it again in a way.
[Hertling:] Yes, and that's a long history and it's very unfortunate. There have been many books and papers written about that. And I was a part of the first Persian Gulf War in 1991 when that occurred. And over the next several years, we had to provide the safe zone in Northern and Southern Iraq to prevent attacks against the Shia marshes in the south and Kurdish enclaves in the north. The Kurds have suffered a lot. They have had many instances, not only with the Iraqi government, but now in the Syrian government and the Turkish government. Now, the Turkish government does have a reason for concern about their internal security. There have been terrorist Kurdish organizations that had been attacking Turkey, but these fighters were not truthfully a part of that over the last several years. They have been very good partners in the fight against ISIS. And I think what you're seeing is both sides going at each other. And in the past, the United States forces in the area have been able to provide the buffer and the deterrence for one attacking the other in many cases. And unfortunately, now you're going to see all hell break loose, truthfully, in terms of that security zone that Turkey is invading right now.
[Holmes:] That's an important point to make. The PKK inside Turkey's border versus the YPG in Syria. You've got Peshmerga fighters, of course, in northern Iraq as well. The other thing here is that, you know, Russia and Iran benefit enormously from this, too. So why would the U.S. do something that benefits adversaries like Iran and Russia and indeed enemies like ISIS? What's in it for the U.S. to do this?
[Hertling:] I don't know truthfully other than adhere into a campaign promise perhaps. But it certainly isn't in the realm of global or national security in this case. There may be a short-term solution related to this of getting forces, as the president said, getting forces out of wars that we didn't want to be in. But truthfully, Michael, we both know why those wars have continued. It is a security environment against a continuing radical Islamist threat and it does continue on. And we're going to see recurrence of this if you just kind of throw up your hands and say we're leaving. And you can't just delegate it to someone else's country's some other area, because it does tend to proceed all over the globe. We're going to see you know, going back to your question though, I think a lot of people are concluding that there didn't seem to be a whole lot of strategic thought behind this. There certainly wasn't the coordination with allies, especially those in NATO and the European Union in terms of what might happen next. And Turkey seems to be going this alone and being given, you know, hands off as they continue these attacks. Specifically on the Russian front though, I think you're going the see Russia soon join with the Syrian forces in the southern part of this security zone to back up what's coming in from the north and that is the Turkish forces. So you're going to see a NATO ally working with a NATO foe, that is Russia, that's been expanding throughout Europe, and in an area that only provides good things for Russia and good things for Syria, and perhaps, denigrates the security for the rest of both the continent and the Middle East.
[Holmes:] And there's another player, too, that I want to get to in just a moment. But first, I should say that the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. did come out and say that the president has made abundantly clear the U.S. has not in any way endorsed the decision of the government of Turkey to mount this operation. However, I mean he knew what would happen if the U.S. pulled out on the Turks are saying that the president was well aware of their plans. I wanted to ask you this. So it was a tiny U.S. presence in Northern Syria. It did, however, a lot of good. It was in many ways, a geographical block to Tehran. This is something that has concerned Israel for a long time. And this move by the U.S. president, in some ways, gives Iran almost a clear run on the ground of friendly territory from its borders into Lebanon, its allies there, Hezbollah. Israel is not going to be happy about this.
[Hertling:] No, they certainly aren't. And again, you're exactly right. And that's what many military commanders of my generation have learned over the last several years that it's critically important to build it's a term we use, building partner capacity. Let other people fight the wars on their turf with assistance from the United States military and from coalition militaries. We have done that successfully after failing miserably by sending an all-in force into both Iraq and Afghanistan. When you start building the capacity of other nations that want to get rid of some of the evil within their boundaries, it works very well. My last several years in the military, Michael, was almost exclusively geared toward, how do we build better partners, how do we build better alliances, first of all, because we can't we can no longer fight alone to instill freedom of movement, freedom of maneuver, Democratic priorities, whatever you want to call it. You always have to fight with an alliance. So we were building alliances all over the world to help us proclaim these Democratic virtues and values. Now, I think unfortunately, as a result of this campaign and some of the conversations going back and forth, we're going to see as turning our back on a very valuable partner, the Kurds in Northern Iraq and Northern Syria and other people are going to take note of this and it's going to harm, I think, the United States coordination with other countries for a very long time.
[Holmes:] Yes. Be that in parts of Asia or Africa or elsewhere, who's going to trust the U.S. Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time.
[Hertling:] Thank you, Michael.
[Holmes:] Well, Donald Trump's decision to order those U.S. troops to the sidelines ahead of Turkey's offensive did something rare in Washington, uniting many Republicans and Democrats in fierce opposition to the move and the president threw fuel on the fire by saying this.
[Donald Trump, President Of The United States:] Now, the Kurds are fighting for their land. Just so you understand, they're fighting for their land. And as somebody wrote in a very, very powerful article today, they didn't help us in the Second World War, they didn't help us with Normandy as an example.
[Holmes:] The Kurds actually did fight in the Second World War on the side of the allies in Iraq and played a crucial role in that. But this not the first time the Kurds have been abandoned by the U.S. Arwa Damon with that.
[Arwa Damon, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] History has often been unkind to the Kurds, a cycle of repeated betrayals. When the U.S.-led coalition expelled Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in 1991, then-President H.W. Bush encouraged the Iraqi people to oust the dictator altogether.
[George H.w. Bush, Former President Of The United States:] There's another way for the bloodshed to stop, and that is for the Iraqi military and the Iraqi people to take matters into their own hands, to force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside.
[Damon:] In response, Iraq's Kurds rose up against Saddam, but when his elite forces advanced north, the Kurds got no help. Millions fled to the mountains, and many others were slaughtered trying to resist. During the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Kurds were again enthusiastic allies, assisting American and British forces in their drive to Baghdad. When ISIS swept through Iraq, Kurdish resistance was crucial in keeping the militants at bay. In Syria, the U.S. turned to the Kurds there, the YPG, as key allies, the main ground force that led the liberation of Raqqah, ISIS's headquarters. But in both Iraq and Syria, the Kurds have been allies of convenience, deserted when no longer needed in the geopolitical chessboard. Last year, the U.S. stood by while the Iraqi military drove the Kurds back from territory they held during the fight against
[Isis. Masoud Barzani, Former President Of Iraqi Kurdistan:] We thought that the people who were verbally telling us they were our friends and would support us, that they would have supported us, or if not, stay silent.
[Damon:] Now, it's Syria's Kurds that face attack by Turkish forces as U.S. troops pull back. Turkey sees the Kurds as terrorists, allied to the insurgents in its own Kurdish areas. The modest U.S. presence has deterred a Turkish incursion and held the Syrian regime at bay. But President Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull U.S. forces out of Syria.
[Trump:] Let the other people take care of it now. Very soon, very soon, we're coming out.
[Damon:] Again, in December last year, he announced U.S. forces were withdrawing, tweeting
[Unidentified Male:] "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump presidency."
[Damon:] On both occasions, advisers persuaded the president to change course. But now, he has given Turkey the green light to cross the border, in a move that stunned even his closest allies at home.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] If he follows through with this, it'd be the biggest mistake of his presidency.
[Damon:] The Kurds themselves are separating the president from the people. The spokesman of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mustafa Bali, tweeting
[Unidentified Male:] "Despite the president's decision to pave the way for Turkish invasion, American people are true friends of the
[Sdf." Damon:] The Kurds have made it clear they'll divert forces currently guarding ISIS prisoners to the front lines, with possibly dangerous consequences. Unsure of what their ally intends, they will, as they have done so often, fight for their very existence. Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
[Holmes:] Well, Ukraine's president says there was no blackmail at all in a phone call he had with the U.S. President Donald Trump in July. That helped flacked the impeachment inquiry, of course. Volodymyr Zelensky says the U.S. didn't supply any information or an election interference or corruption allegations regarding a natural gas company, Burisma. CNN Sam Kiley was at that news conference in Kiev earlier today.
[Sam Kiley, Cnn Senior International Correspondent:] Have you had any details? Have the U.S. has Mr. Trump
[Volodymyr Zelensky, President Of Ukraine:] No, USA didn't give me USA gave me nothing. Gave me nothing any details on Burisma and any detail I didn't get any details about involved to your elections, their previous elections.
[Holmes:] Now, CNN is learning that a Trump political appointee was involved in freezing aid to Ukraine despite concern from career officials. CNN's Sara Murray joins us now with the latest of all of this. You've been reporting this on cnn.com. How concerning was it to career budget official that a political appointee was signing these documents?
[Sara Murray, Cnn Political Correspondent:] Well, the biggest concern for career budget officials was the fact that this freeze was happening at all. I mean, sources are telling us that they were afraid to be the ones who put their names on this decision to free the aid because they were worried they might be running a following of the law by blocking this money from going out, after Congress had already appropriated it. So then this Trump political appointees stepped in and signed the documents and congressional investigators who are leading this impeachment inquiry had taken notice of that saying, you know, this raises red flags, this is not how things are usually done.
[Holmes:] OK. Now, when we talk about where the impeachment inquiry is going, I think it's interesting to listen to the Republican strategy. Particularly some fierce opponents of what's happening now, how they were a few years ago in different times. Let's play that.
[Mike Pompeo, U.s. Secretary Of State:] The president didn't turnover all the documents in response to a congressional subpoena, and that's just unacceptable. We need to make sure that this administration doesn't cover up, doesn't deny, and doesn't withhold. It's deeply part of the American tradition and our constitution that the Congress perform this oversight.
[Graham:] Article Three of impeachment against Richard Nixon, the article was based on the idea that Richard Nixon, as president, failed to comply with subpoenas of Congress. The day Richard Nixon failed to answer that subpoena is the day that he was subject to impeachment because he took the power from Congress.
[Mike Pence, Vice President Of The United States:] This business of high crimes and misdemeanors goes to the question of whether or not the person serving as president of the United States put their own interest, their personal interest, ahead of public service.
[Trey Gowdy, Former Congressman Of South Carolina:] The notion that you can withhold information and documents from Congress, no matter whether you're the party in power or not in power, is wrong.
[Holmes:] Hypocrisy is not unusual in politics, but you had some key Republicans back in the day saying the exact opposite of what they say today. When it comes to the Democrat strategy on this inquiry, how are they planning to deal with the stone walling?
[Murray:] Well, I think that they're figuring that out right now. I mean, one option is to put forth subpoenas for people that they voluntarily requested information on. The other is to move forward with witnesses that are no longer in the Trump administration, and therefore, might have more freedom to provide testimony, to provide depositions. But then they're going to have to make a more crucial decision about how they want to move forward. They're going to have to decide if they want to have a formal impeachment inquiry vote, which is very politically risky. And it also might not get them what they want. You still might have Republicans and the White House saying they still don't think that this is a valid investigation. The other option is that they could start taking this administration to court. They could leave it up to the third branch of government in the U.S., the judicial system, to make a call on whether this administration has to turn over documents. And so far, they haven't exercised that power yet.
[Holmes:] Yes. And a lot on the Democrat side fear that that would just mean months in court, and then all of a sudden, oh, there's an election. Sara, thank you so much. Good to see you. Sara Murray there. And we have to take another break here on the program. When we come back, an NBA preseason game takes place in Shanghai despite those tensions between the NBA and China. We'll have that more when we come back.

[Text:] CLOSING ARGUMENT.
[Cuomo:] All right, here's the argument. If the GOP stops ignoring the obvious, there's a stronger case they can make, one all must consider. First, here's the problem, ignoring the obvious. They created a false standard of proof. Listen.
[Sen. Lindsey Graham:] What I can tell you about the Trump policy toward the Ukraine, it was incoherent. It depends on who you talk to. They seem to be incapable of forming a quid pro quo.
[Cuomo:] No. It was not incoherent. It was not unclear. It was very clear. "Help Trump get an investigation into the Bidens," which we all know is dirt in a campaign. It's bad for Biden, if he's under investigation. And Ukraine gets the aid and closeness to the American Presidency it craves. And by asking for this standard, they now have to own the texts, and half dozen officials that suggest or outright say there was a quid pro quo. We got the full transcript of Bill Taylor's testimony today. The top diplomat in Ukraine said there was a quid pro quo, linking military aid in a White House meeting to investigation into Trump's political rivals. Similar story from EU Ambassador, and Trump donor, and pal's, Gordon Sondland, who revised his testimony to admit this. "I said that resumption of the U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks." That's explicitly something for something, OK, maybe even attempted bribe. Why? An attempted bribe would be this. "Whoever corruptly gives, offers, or promises anything of value to any public official with intent to influence any official act." So now, will defenders own what they said early on? Remember this?
[Graham:] Show me something that that that is a crime. If you could show me that, you know, Trump actually was engaging in a quid pro quo, outside the phone call, that would be very disturbing.
[Cuomo:] Disturbing indeed! You have proof of what arguably was an attempted bribe outside the phone call. Are you now going to ignore that? The answer unfortunately is yes, by way of this demonstration of remonstration.
[Graham:] I've written the whole process off. I'm written him off. I think this is a bunch of BS. The phone call, I made up my own mind, is is fine.
[Unidentified Female:] Do you plan on reading these transcripts that were released?
[Graham:] No.
[Cuomo:] Why do I keep using Senator Graham? Because he's the point man for the President, and because he's smart, and savvy, and respected by his peers. But he's ignoring a better way to defend the President. My argument, own what's obvious. It was wrong to ask Ukraine to look at the Bidens, arguably even abusive to do so looking for an investigation in exchange for aid. Now, if you support the President, "Forget it. This is way too much," wrong, because there's a big but here, OK, literally like a Don Lemon sized butt that I'm talking about here. Here's the "But." You argue it's not worthy of removal, probably not worthy of this time and expense of this process. Why? It was thwarted. There was no damage done. Ukraine got the aid. Russia didn't beat them up, while the aid was on hold. We are on good terms with Ukraine, may be better than even during Obama. Two, while plenty of the diplomats have testified to a quid pro quo, maybe even attempted bribe, none has directly pinned it on Trump. Some say they heard it from Sondland. Sondland says in his new testimony that the condition of a White House meeting was communicated by Rudy. Others triangulate around Rudy, and that Sondland says he presumed the aid had become linked to the anti- corruption statement. So, you don't have it directly from the President. And in light of that, it's better to let the consequence be with the people in the upcoming election because this process that we're going through, it's going to end with no removal, and people more divided, and less done for the public. Now, here's problem with my argument. Principle, if they don't impeach, there's no message that this is not acceptable, and that seems mandatory here because this President won't stop saying he was perfect, and promising to do more things like this.
[Donald Trump, President, United States Of America:] China should start an investigation into the Bidens, because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with with Ukraine.
[Cuomo:] President doesn't ask other countries to investigate American citizens. He goes to the DOJ, not to his lawyer, and not to this kind of scheme. If the GOP can get this President to understand that the law against foreign interference matters, and to acknowledge the same, they may have a way out of this that a split nation may well accept. But that is a big if right now. That's the argument. What do you think? Let me know. Republicans do have something to celebrate during this impeachment era, a giant mark that could be the most important thing this President has done. It's our BOLO, next.
[Text:] CUOMO PRIME TIME.

[Unidentified Female:] Can you say it to us today in front of all these cameras that black lives matter?
[Pete Buttigeig, 2020 Presidential Candidate:] Did you just ask me if black lives matter?
[Unidentified Female:] Yes, we want to hear you say it. Do black lives matter.
[Buttigeig:] Of course black lives matter.
[Unidentified Male:] Then fire your...
[Blackwell:] [voice over] Well last night South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg came face to face with these protesters. They're demanding action after the fatal shooting of a black man by a white police officer. Now, the protests they're really coming at a critical point for Mayor Buttigieg. He's heading to South Carolina today for the state's Democratic Party convention.
[Dean:] Support from African-American voters will be key for any candidate hoping to win the state's primary next year. Buttigieg will join the nearly two dozen other democratic presidential candidates who are already in South Carolina, and that includes the race's frontrunner Joe Biden who is himself facing criticism for remarks made about his ability to work with segregationist Senators.
[Blackwell:] CNN's Randi Kaye spoke with black voters in South Carolina to find out how the vice president's comments affect his standing.
[Randi Kaye, Cnn Correspondent:] At Designs by Liz salon in Charleston, South Carolina, pampering and politics go hand in hand. What did you think about Biden's comments?
[Patrice Gordon, South Carolina Voter:] I was a little bit disappointed in what he said, but I think he is one of those people who speaks his mind, and sometimes he can put his foot in his mouth.
[Kaye:] Not all of these South Carolina voters are so happy with Joe Biden after his comments about working with segregationist Senators.
[Bertha Middleton, South Carolina Voter:] It makes me angry.
[Kaye:] Bertha Middleton was especially offended, calling Biden's comments "racist." Biden has said there's not a racist bone in his body. Do you believe that?
[Middleton:] Not at all. If there wasn't a racist bone in his body, he wouldn't have made some of the comments that he made.
[Kaye:] J. Denise Cromwell isn't bothered at all.
[J. Denise Cromwell, South Carolina Voter:] It's not an issue for me.
[Kaye:] You don't think his comments are racially insensitive?
[Cromwell:] I don't think so.
[Kaye:] Why not?
[Cromwell:] Because we all have to look at that and stop being so sensitive about race, I mean I'm black.
[Kaye:] This voter wasn't offended either, but says Biden could have chosen his words more carefully. So Biden has said it was just to prove the point that he could work with others. Do you think he could have found maybe a better example than these two Senators to prove that point?
[Alisa Locke, South Carolina Voter:] I think he could have.
[Kaye:] Still, for Bertha Middleton, even eight years alongside Barack Obama isn't enough to ignore these comments.
[Middleton:] I think he really feels that a lot of African-Americans are still going to be on his side because he was vice president for Obama so we have to get away from that.
[Kaye:] For some in this group, Biden's use of the word, "boy" in describing his conversation with a segregationist Senator was especially hurtful.
[Biondell Kidd, South Carolina Voter:] It goes back to slavery.
[Locke:] It has been one of those words that was I consider derogatory. It was always something that was demeaning. It didn't promote African-American men.
[Kaye:] Within this group, the older voters surprisingly forgiving of Biden's remarks. Were you offended by that?
[Kidd:] Not really. Because I know that having lived in the south for so many years, that's a common thing with a lot of people of the other race. With my age, I just kind of overlook it because the younger people today don't really seem to have a problem with that because they didn't go through what we went through during the Civil Rights Movement and whatnot.
[Kaye:] Does this change your opinion of Joe Biden? Would this make you not want to vote for him?
[Gordon:] No, it doesn't.
[Kaye:] Do you like him as a candidate?
[Gordon:] I do.
[Kaye:] Most in this group are still undecided. But if Joe Biden does become the nominee, they will support him.
[Kidd:] He would certainly be an asset. He would be better than what we have now, that's for sure.
[Kaye:] Randi Kaye, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina.
[Blackwell:] Several prominent democrats have come to the vice president's defense. Tulsi Gabbard, and you know she's also running for the nomination for the democrats. She wrote that Biden's critics have unfairly misrepresented his important message to score cheap political points. In order for Congress and the President to get things done for the American people, there needs to be civility in Washington and in the country. In order for Congress to work for the American people, we need to find common ground with each other. When asked about the comments, Congressman and Civil Right icon John Lewis forcefully defended Joe Biden.
[Rep. John Lewis:] I don't think the remarks are offensive. During the height of the Civil Rights movement, we worked with people and got to know people. There was members of the Klan, people who opposed us, even people who beat us, arrested us and jailed us. We never gave up on our fellow human beings and I would not give up on any human being.
[Blackwell:] Well, stay with us, because as the 2020 hopefuls make their case in South Carolina to voters there, we're going to break down the headlines and catch up with the major contenders throughout the day.
[Dean:] Also coming up, in less than 24 hours, I.C.E. will begin arresting and deporting hundreds of undocumented immigrants in 10 major cities.

[Allen:] Welcome back. All eyes in Washington will be on Congress Wednesday.
[Vanier:] That's when former Special Counsel Robert Mueller will answer questions in two hearings before the House about his Russia investigation. Here's Jerry Nadler, a top Democrat whose committee will be questioning Mueller.
[Rep. Jerry Nadler:] I think there is very substantial well, the report presents very substantial evidence that the president is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors, and we have to present or that Mueller present those facts to the American people and then see where we go from there. Because the administration must be held accountable and no president can be can be above the law.
[Allen:] CNN's Manu Raju has the latest from Capitol Hill.
[Manu Raju, Cnn Senior Congressional Correspondent:] Lawmakers are intensely preparing for the most anticipated hearing in decades when Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies about the findings of his two-year investigation. Democrats and Republicans both sharpening their questions and their strategy as they hold mock hearings with top aides sitting in as Mueller. CNN has learned that Democrats and the House Judiciary Committee will focus on five areas of potential obstruction of justice laid out in the Mueller report including Trump order to then-White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Mueller. His efforts to have McGahn deny that the President had ordered him to have the special counsel removed. Also, Trump's ordered to former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to tell the then-Attorney General Jeff sessions to limit the investigation to exclude the president and later threatening to fire sessions if he did not meet with Lewandowski. There are also episodes in the Mueller report of alleged witness tampering including Trump encouraging former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen not to cooperate with federal prosecutors.
[Nadler:] Just if he says what was in the report and says it to the American people so they hear it, that would be very, very important.
[Raju:] Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee plan to press Mueller about the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 elections and contacts between Russians and the Trump campaign and we'll ask Mueller about his finding that Trump publicly expressed skepticism that Russia was responsible for the hacks at the same time that he and other campaign officials privately sought information about any further plan WikiLeaks releases of Clinton campaign e-0mails.
[Rep. Adam Schiff:] Well, we're going to ask him questions beyond the report and we're going to expect him to answer.
[Raju:] With the stakes enormous, Democrats say they are preparing carefully rereading the entire 448-page report.
[Unidentified Male:] This is not going to be a whole bunch of numbers freelancing. This will be organized.
[Raju:] Republicans meanwhile, plan to press the special counsel about whether his team was biased as well as anti-Trump text sent by FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page.
[Rep. Matt Gaetz:] We got a lot of questions about how Robert Mueller's team was assembled.
[Raju:] And they plan to raise questions about why the investigation started in the first place.
[Unidentified Male:] That's the basic questions of understanding a conclusion, you got to understand where it started.
[Raju:] But Mueller has already indicated he won't go beyond the four corners of his report.
[Andrew Mccabe, Former Deputy Director, Fbi:] Director Mueller will be impeccably prepared. He's not a verbose and dramatic witness but he knows his stuff.
[Robert Mueller, Former Special Counsel:] Good morning.
[Raju:] But some Democrats are trying to lower expectations including Jim Himes of Connecticut who sits on the Intelligence Committee and told me he doesn't expect much news out of this hearing because of the expectation that the special counsel will simply stick to the report. And also but other Democrats are saying it could drive more people towards the impeachment camp because of the special counsel even delivering the details from the report. People will hear it for the first time. Their views could change about opening up an impeachment inquiry. The question is will someone like Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker ultimately come down. She, of course, is opposed to opening up impeachment proceedings. She's privately told her members to approach this calmly, seriously, don't raise expectations, don't lower expectation. But at the moment, the expectation is you'll still oppose opening up an impeachment inquiry even after the special counsel testifies. Manu Raju, CNN Capitol Hill.
[Vanier:] Joining us is New York Times White House Correspondent and CNN Political Analyst Michael Shear. Michael, Robert Mueller already set the stage for this back in May. This is what he said.
[Mueller:] The report is my testimony. I would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before Congress.
[Vanier:] So we're not expecting any bombshells. So that said, what's the strategy for Democrats?
[Michael Shear, Cnn Political Analyst:] Well, there's sort of two different strategies. I mean, I think you're right. They're definitely playing down expectations that there's going to be some sort of humongous bombshell that it's revealed. They don't expect that. But they sort of have two different strategies. One is that they hope that even if all they do is extract a verbal description of the report and oral description of the report by Mueller, that that is a more sensational way for the American public to digest what it was that Mueller said. Let's face it, most people aren't going out and reading a 450-page report and so they hope that just the visual, the verbal description of it will captivate Americans and the way in a way that the written report didn't. And second, I think they
[Vanier:] Hold on, Michael. Before you get to the second point then, let me interrupt you for a second because Adam Schiff, that is exactly what he said. He was on Face the Nation. He's the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. I want you to listen to him.
[Schiff:] Since most Americans you know, in their busy lives haven't had the opportunity to read that report, and it's a pretty dry prosecutorial work product, we want Bob Mueller to bring it to life, to talk about what's in that report. It's a pretty damning a set of facts.
[Vanier:] So Michael, that is to your point. Essentially they want Robert Mueller to narrate his report for the American people on T.V. And also to your point, a CNN poll a couple of months ago showed that three percent of Americans had read the full report, only three percent. Ten percent say that they've read some. That means three-quarters haven't read any of it. So I'm just putting the numbers to your to your point there that the Democrats apparently really want this to want Mueller to materialize the report for people.
[Shear:] Right. I'm actually surprised a full three percent would have read the whole thing. I mean
[Vanier:] Yes, that would be nine million people. I have my doubts about that.
[Shear:] Right. I suspect maybe not. I mean, I also I also think that you know, the Democrats probably have even privately some limited expectations even about this you know, sort of televised broadcast of it because let's face it, most Americans aren't you know, going to watch the whole thing. Maybe they get snippets of it on the news. I mean, I think you know, the other piece that they're hoping for a little bit is that even though Mueller says that he won't you know, go beyond the literal written words that he put on paper, you know, there's always the kind of hope that you can push Mueller into some kind of a sound bite, some kind of you know, just a little bit further than he was willing to go in the report. And there's some evidence in past appearances by Mueller in front of Congress that you know, that he has at times kind of gone beyond where he was initially willing to go, and I think that they hope that if they get that there might be a sound bite that can then play kind of on a continuous loop that might help them you know, sort of going forward.
[Vanier:] And look, that makes sense for them right, because there are some very, very gray areas in the report especially the obstruction of justice part of the report. And Mueller has this quote where he says if we could exonerate the president, if we had material, if we had the basis to exonerate the president we would exonerate him but we're not doing that.
[Shear:] Right. And you know and it's funny I think in some ways the irony of all of this is that if Robert Mueller gets annoyed enough in response to questioning, it maybe the questioning by the Republicans that actually gets his go, right. You know, if the Republicans are pushing him you know, sort of challenging the reports, saying that he's just a you know, leader of a bunch of angry Democrats, I mean, you could you can sort of see a you know, a kind of guy like Mueller getting annoyed enough at that kind of those kinds of attacks that maybe he sort of lashes out and says something that ultimately helps the Democrats. So it could be the Republican questioning that gets that gets the Democrats what they want not you know, not a bunch of Democrats pushing on him.
[Vanier:] All right, Michael Shear, so there will be two, three-hour sessions in front of different committees in Congress by Robert Mueller this week. We'll be watching those and airing those on CNN. Michael, thank you very much.
[Shear:] Sure. I'll talk to you soon.
[Allen:] U.S. Immigration agents have been in the spotlight as the Trump administration targets undocumented immigrants who they say present a threat to national security. Next here, CNN rides with agents in California who are making arrests of what they call a routine operation.

[Cabrera:] The hedge fund manager, who gained notoriety by jacking up prices for HIV medications, reportedly has been using a cell phone in prison to run a pharmaceutical business. The Bureau of Prisons says it has launched an investigation into Martin Shkreli, famously known as the Pharma Bro after the "Wall Street Journal" reported the allegations earlier this week. Shkreli is currently serving a seven-year sentence for defrauding investors. Here's CNN's Polo Sandoval with the latest.
[Polo Sandoval, Cnn Correspondent:] The so-called Pharma Bro, Martin Shkreli, may still be at it. Reportedly running part of his old pharmaceutical company from his federal prison cell in New Jersey. On Thursday, the "Wall Street Journal" reported Shkreli was using a contraband cell phone to continue heading the drug company that earned once earned him the title of most-hated man in America. As the CEO of Phoenixus, in 2015, known as Turing Pharmaceuticals at the time, Shkreli surged the price of a life-saving drug used to treat AIDS patients by 5,000 percent. The price hike sparked public outrage and a series of inquiries targeting the now-disgraced
[Ceo. Martin Shkreli, Former Hedge Fund Manager:] This was a witch hunt of epic proportions. Maybe they found one or two broomsticks. But at the end of the day, we've been acquitted of the most important charges in this case, and I'm delighted to report that.
[Sandoval:] According to "The Journal's" reporting, Shkreli expects Phoenixus will grow more successful while he's in prison, maybe worth $4 billion by the time he's released. In 2017, Shkreli was convicted of defrauding investors, misusing their money. He's 16 months into a seven-year prison sentence. In a statement to CNN, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed it's aware of these possible violations, writing, "When there are allegations of misconduct, they are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken if such allegations are proven true. This allegation is currently under investigation." Prison officials declined to discuss details of Shkreli's confinement. They point out that all inmates are not allowed to possess cell phones. Conviction for such an offense can mean an extra year in prison and a fine. That would mean an even stiffer price for Shkreli to pay. He's already been ordered to forfeit $7.4 million in assets. Benjamin Brafman, Shkreli's criminal attorney, declined to comment. Attorney Marc Kasowitz, who "The Journal" reported has been hired by Shkreli's company, has not responded to requests for comment. Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.
[Cabrera:] Equal pay for equal play. Members of the U.S. women's soccer team are now suing. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

[Quest:] Hello, welcome back. More QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment. We'll hear from the CEO of Shake Shack about why they decided not to take one of the small business loans in America, even though they were eligible. And Sir Richard Branson on why he'll be prepared to mortgage his private island, Necker Island to help save Virgin Atlantic, which he says is in desperate need of money. Before that, this is CNN, and on this network, the facts always come first. Canadian official say at least 19 people were killed in the deadliest mass shooting in that country's history. They fear the death toll will rise. A gunman disguised as a police officer went around the province of Nova Scotia over the weekend shooting people and setting homes on fire. The gunman died whilst being apprehended. More than a year of political deadlock has been broken in Israel, the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition leader Benny Gantz have agreed to form a national emergency government. It means Israel will avoid a fourth consecutive election between the two candidates. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex have cut off all contact with four British tabloids. The couples say they believe in free press but accuse the tabloids of lying and racism. Four papers being cut off are the Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror, and The Express. Shake Shack, the fast food burger and milkshake company said it's returning a part of the $10 million loan that it received from the government. Shake Shack said they got the money as part of the SBA, the Small Business Administration's Payroll Protection Plan, but that program has now run out of money. There had been many critics who said that Shake Shack should not have been eligible as firstly it had other pots of money from investors. And secondly, that money was designed for small businesses. The CEO said they weren't taking the money.
[Randy Garutti, Ceo, Shake Shack:] I think that what we've learned from this crisis is that no business and no restaurant, no matter its size, is unsinkable. That is the scary reality of where we are. And I think as we looked at
[Quest:] So let's look at this particular program which has become so controversial. After many businesses said they were left out, it was the PPP, the Payroll Protection Plan. Now, any company with less than 500 employees was eligible. Now Shake Shack has a thousand in total, but less than 500, just 45 at each location. So under a loophole in the plan, they qualified. You were able to get 2-12 times the monthly payroll to a maximum of $10 million. Data shows most money went to largest eligible companies. They were first in line, they had everything ready, they filed quickly and their banks were ready. 45 percent went to firms asking for more than a million dollars, 17 percent went to firms asking for less than 150,000. So why were big companies able to do so well? They first of all had the legal teams necessary to navigate a complex procedure and were able to get there fast. They had existing relationships with the banks, they had access to other funding. And for example, Shake Shack can raise $75 million from other investors. Scott Galloway is with me, professor at Stern Business School. They didn't do anything wrong these businesses, did they? They actually you know, I mean, there's a strong argument for saying they have employees too. And that the law or the program was designed for anybody with under 500 employees.
[Scott Galloway, Professor, Nyu Stern School Of Business:] Oh, sure. So, look, we needed to move quickly. It's you can empathize the notion of flattening the curve around unemployment. And Richard, there's what you can do and there's what you should do and I think this reflects a lack of character and code on the part of the CEO and the board of Shake Shack. This is a company that had a multi-billion dollar market capitalization. And in general, I would argue, they're the poster child today which is probably a little bit unfair.
[Galloway:] But over the next six months, we're going to see thousands of instances. People who come from what is one of the wealthiest groups in the world and that small businesses, there's a cartoon of a single mother who owns a cupcake shop. But the reality is there are more billionaires from real estate and small business than anywhere else in America. And I think you're going to find that a lot of that $250 billion went to small businesses who quite frankly would have survived. And as is everything we do in this nation, it was largely a bailout or a flattening of the curve of the people who need it the least. We need to be in a position where we're protecting people not businesses, a lot of these businesses quite frankly should just go away.
[Quest:] Alright, OK. So, I've read your article a Capitalists or Cronyists. Are you suggesting that in the case for example of the airlines and the really big businesses, that the correct thing to do is to go into Chapter 11 and restructure as a result during all this process, rather than saying the airlines cases where they've had some grants, some loans and they're going to get more loans?
[Galloway:] I think that's exactly right. Airlines have gone bankrupt 66 times over the last 10 years. They were still able to get in in aluminum tube with re-circulated air and get where we need to get for less money than it cost 20 years ago. The CEO the CEOs of United, Delta and Carnival Cruises took 150 million in total compensation over the last five years. United took 96 percent of its free cash flow and use it to repurchase shares which inflates the stock price, which inflates the compensation of the CEO. They want rugged individualism and capitalism on the way up, and then on the way down, we're socialists and we're all in this together and they have their hand out. If Carnival Cruises goes out of business, it means the debt holders take control of the assets, the boats, there will be some temporary job loss. But as long as they keep making seniors, cruises are going to do just fine. And the debt holders on the company, they restructure. It's the equity that gets wiped out, Richard, not the jobs.
[Quest:] But Scott, I get your argument, I get your point. But that becomes capitalism at its most brutal at the thing in the teeth of a crisis. The Carnival example is yes, you're right, somebody will pick it up, but not before lots of people would have lost their jobs arguably, permanently. And this will be brutal capitalism.
[Galloway:] That's exactly right. And the way we stopped brutal capitalism is we protect people, not companies. That 250 billion is about to become 500 billion, there are 100 million households in the U.S., take the bottom half that needed the most. That is that is I believe that'll be 10 that would be $5,000 per household. You could give a $5,000 check to any household in America in the lower medium. These small businesses aren't suffering because of over employment or under employment, they're suffering because of demand destruction, protect people not jobs. All we're doing here, we have the worst type of capitalism that is cronyism. And that is you're going to find the majority of that $250 billion went to pumping up with steroids. A lot of businesses that a, shouldn't probably rent be around, or b, insuring that pop pop got to held on to all five dry cleaners instead of four. What happens in an economic crisis? Prices should drop to their natural level and then people like myself in the 2009 cries 2009 crisis get to buy Netflix at $12.00 a share. There is a whole generation of young people that we are borrowing money against to try and do the same thing we always do, and that is keep baby boomers rich. We need to protect people, not businesses.
[Quest:] Scott, controversial but excellent to have you on the program. We'll talk more about this.
[Galloway:] Thanks, Richard.
[Quest:] As always, thank you, sir for taking time to joining us. Now, talking of the very rich, Richard Branson. Sir Richard Branson's offering to mortgage his private Caribbean Island. He says he would do so as collateral to help save Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia are in badly need of capital. And governments have said they will help asking the U.K. government for a loan. There's been no disclosing of the amount but Branson says he will repay. Meanwhile, the travel and tourism industry is represented by the WTTC is looking forward to the future with a new campaign about keeping the spirit of travel alive.
[Unidentified Male:] Join us as we gather together in travel and celebrate what travel means to each of us. Share your stories, your most prized memories or greatest adventures, your favorite images, videos.
[Quest:] Gloria Guevara is the CEO and president of World Travel & Tourism Council joins me, it's the new campaign. Gloria, before we talk about the campaign, and it does look as though this crisis is going to last quite a bit longer because the opening up is going to be much slower than perhaps we first thought, and travel and tourism is going to be one of those the last ones. So we're looking well into the end of the year, and possibly next.
[Gloria Guevara, Ceo And President, World Travel & Tourism Council:] Well, hopefully, there's going to be before that, Richard, and thank you for having me. We believe that there are two phases depending on the vaccine and depending of the solutions that we find from the health perspective. We might do something before the vaccine is ready and our travel experience is going to change. And we are going to have a different trial experience after the vaccine, so everything depends. From our view, I'm sure that you have seen that we're looking to technology, and we're looking to those solutions to see how do we can start traveling domestic and leisure. And then in a second phase, business and international. That being said, I think the way that we see these, there is an opportunity to have a coordinated approach. And that's already engaging with governments, because what you say is very important, we need to figure out how can we open these in a coordinated approach and work together the government, the health experts and the travel experts so that we do this right, and we don't delay the recovery further.
[Quest:] What are you hoping to achieve from this new campaign where people can submit sort of their favorite, if you like, places, their favorite videos and stories of their of their trips?
[Guevara:] Well, first of all, we had a campaign two weeks ago to thank the heroes from travel and tourism. The one that they're offering their hotels, the one that they're offering food and a lot of initiatives to protect the healthcare workers and to help with COVID-19 and the crisis that we're living. Now with this campaign, what basically we know that people are in their house, they should stay in their house, that's the priority to stay home. But at the same time, that doesn't mean that you cannot continue dreaming. That doesn't mean that you don't share your best memories. In reality, when we ask the citizens, the travelers of the world, where are your best memories? Where do you have your best experiences? And most of them will tell you traveling. And this is an opportunity for them to dream again, to share that experience with loved ones, to talk about the community that we all build together in the travel and tourism industry. And the importance of these sectors so that they can increase their bucket list, they can restart planning and dreaming because that's something that is going to come back sooner or later. We're all going to be traveling again.
[Quest:] Gloria, finally, where are you where are you looking forward to go once we can all travel again? Where's your first destination going to be?
[Guevara:] Well, my next destination that I hope to travel is to Mexico. And the reason is because we're also organizing hopefully there our next global summit as you know. And I would like to visit that location and also celebrate a lot of accomplishments with friends and family. But I have a long bucket list, there are places that I want to visit all over the world. And of course, my children also play an important role because that generation for them is to write and they want to travel and they want to see a lot of places. So we're negotiating right now. But we have still a lot of time of course to negotiate.
[Quest:] Gloria, we'll talk more, thank you. Together in travel, I appreciate it.
[Guevara:] Thank you.
[Quest:] In a moment, after the break, we'll be in South Africa. The voice of the crisis, it's the wedding company. Well, obviously there are no weddings at the moment, but the interesting thing is what they are managing to do. How do you prepare so that when people start getting married again, you're off to the races? In a moment.

[Brooke Baldwin, Cnn:] Astead Herndon, thank you for writing about it. We'll continue this controversy as we watch the field. Thanks for being with me. I'm Brooke Baldwin. "
[The Lead With Jake Tapper":] starts right now.
[Announcer:] This is CNN breaking news.
[Jake Tapper, Cnn:] Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. And we indeed begin with breaking news. Two sources present at the Tuesday deposition of White House National Security Council staffer Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman tell me that Vindman told congressional investigators that he became convinced that President Trump personally was ordering the withholding of $400 million in aid for Ukraine as a way of forcing Ukrainian President Zelensky to publicly announce an investigation into the Bidens. Vindman said the existence of a quid pro quo had been clear to him by July 10. That's when U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, something of a point man on the Ukraine situation, told Ukrainian officials in a meeting at the White House that they would need to deliver quote "specific investigations" in order to secure the White House meeting they so desired with President Trump. Now, that is according to Vindman's opening statement that was reported yesterday. But the fact that the $400 million in aid, including that desperately needed military assistance to beat back the Russians, that was also being used by the president, that didn't become clear until the next month, Vindman testified yesterday, and after then National Security Adviser John Bolton told Vindman to prepare a decision memo by August 15 for Bolton and other senior administration officials to present as a Trump administration-wide interagency argument to President Trump to release the assistant funds to Ukraine as soon as possible. Vindman wrote that memo, wrote that argument. And a day later, Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and other national security officials met with President Trump at his resort in Bedminster. After they met in Bedminster, Vindman learned that President Trump was still refusing to allow those funds to go to Ukraine. And that convinced Lieutenant Colonel Vindman that President Trump was still waiting for the quote "deliverable," as Bill Taylor, the top diplomat in Ukraine, referred to it in his deposition, the deliverable, the announcement of an investigation into the Bidens that Ukrainian officials needed to deliver in order to get the money they so desperately needed. Our team of reporters is on the story. And we have some even more breaking news right now. John Bolton has been officially asked to testify for the impeachment inquiry. Kaitlan Collins, tell us about that.
[Kaitlan Collins, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Yes, he's been asked to testify next week, on November the 7th. House impeachment investigators have invited the former national security adviser, who has been famously silent as all of this has ramped up, so the issues surrounding, of course, this call, a call John Bolton was not on, but that his deputy instead was on, someone who is in kind of a bind of his own, deciding whether or not he's going to appear. So, right now, we don't know if John Bolton is going to appear. They have not issued a subpoena for him to appear yet. But, right now, that is an invitation that has been made. And the question is, is he going to take them up on it? And if he does, what does he say? That would be incredibly significant for all of this, because, of course, we have seen all of these people going and testifying on Capitol Hill. Not a lot of them have had interactions directly with President Trump. John Bolton, of course, is someone who was in the Oval Office almost every day. And while he and the president soured in their relationship at the end, he knows a lot, because he was at the center of this fight over this military aid with Mick Mulvaney. He's not the only one, though. There have been two other big invitations. That's for John Eisenberg, who is the lawyer for the National Security Council, who has also found himself in the middle of this, because he was someone who several staffers who had issues with the president's July phone call went and spoke with him about. He's also another person that he and the National Security Council legal team the White House has pinned to the blame on for moving that transcript of the president's call to that highly secure system.
[Tapper:] Rough transcript.
[Collins:] Yes, rough transcript, not exact, as we have since learned from that testimony yesterday. And there's one more, Michael Ellis. That is his deputy there, who, of course, has come under the spotlight of his own at times because he used to work for the House Intelligence Committee when Nunes was in charge of it. He was facing accusations about letting the White House review classified information. So those are three big asks. We are waiting to see what it is they say.
[Tapper:] Exactly. And Bolton has a lot to contribute. I suspect he's not going to testify unless he's subpoenaed. But let's talk about what Vindman said, because Vindman said yesterday in his deposition CNN has just broken this news that he became convinced that this aid, $400 million, much of it was military aid for Ukraine, that President Trump was withholding it until the Ukrainians publicly announced that the Bidens were going to be investigated. And a lot of this is wrapped up in this August memo. You have more reporting on that August memo, which was basically making the argument to President Trump, we need to release these funds.
[Sara Murray, Cnn National Political Correspondent:] Well, look, I think one of the issues here is that the administration has sort of said there were all these legitimate reasons for why the president was not releasing this money. And, as you are reporting and Kylie has done a lot of great reporting on this there actually was a push to get the president to sign on the dotted line and release the money in August. And it came from some of the top administration officials that, since then, the White House has pinged the blame on for holding back this money. So we have seen, as witness after witness goes before the impeachment investigators, this narrative that the White House and the Office of Management and Budget tried to create around this freeze has really begun to crumble. And it seems more and more like this decision to freeze the money and then to release the money rested solely on the whims of President Trump.
[Tapper:] And, Kylie, you cover the State Department for us. You're reporting that the president's decision in June to freeze these funds unnerved a lot of senior administration officials.
[Kylie Atwood, Cnn National Security Reporter:] Yes, so we're hearing today from one of the State Department officials who was involved in U.S.-Ukraine policy quite directly. She was one of the assistants to Kurt Volker. And she is telling lawmakers today, according to her prepared testimony, her opening remarks that we obtained, that she was on that July 18 interagency discussion in which the announcement was made that there was going to be this hold on this security assistance. And during that phone call, they said that it was at the direction of President Trump. This gets back to the heart of what Sara was just saying, is that OMB was announcing that there was the hold. We're told that it was OMB who was doing the review, that the Pentagon was also doing a review. But, ultimately, day one, they were told that it was President Trump who was directing the hold. And Catherine Croft is someone who knows Ukraine well. She knew that Rudy Giuliani was intimately involved in this smear campaign against Ambassador Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador there. So, U.S. State Department officials were very concerned when they first heard about this hold and really had questions about the legitimacy of it.
[Tapper:] And, Sara, you have previously reported about six sources telling CNN that Republican Senator Rob Portman, a Republican of Ohio, made one last pitch to President Trump in this September 11 phone call, urging him to release these phones.
[Murray:] That's right. This is a point where basically everyone else in the administration is saying, OK, it's time to release this money. And the president still won't budge. Rob Portman decides he's going to take one more go at it. He calls the president and essentially says, if you don't get this money out the door, essentially now, it's going to go away, because the fiscal year is ending, and then you're going to have a potentially even bigger problem on your hands. And they hung up the call, and the president really surprised everyone around him, everyone in Washington and even everyone in Ukraine, because he decided after that call that he was going to release the money. Now, we don't know, ultimately, if Rob Portman's pitch was the one that put the president over the edge, or if it was this mounting pressure that he was getting from lawmakers and even within his own administration, but we do know that he released the money after that, and this is something impeachment investigators very much want the answer to.
[Tapper:] It's also possible that the president correct me if I'm wrong, Kaitlan had heard about this whistle-blower, and the fact that he was he or she had lodged a complaint, was expressing concerns about this rogue Ukraine policy and the fact that military aid and other aid was being held up to force this investigation of the Bidens.
[Collins:] Yes.
[Tapper:] We don't know when President Trump learned about this.
[Collins:] No, we don't know. There's still a lot of mystery surrounding the timeline exactly when it comes to that. But we do know that this person, before going and filing this complaint, went to an attorney beforehand and talked about this, talked about their concern, the concern that they had heard from people, before they went and filed this complaint. So there is a chance that the White House was more aware than we have initially believed. Whether the president was aware, that's really the question. But also this has really been something that has kind of consumed the president so far. He talks about it constantly all the time, wanting to know the identity of this whistle-blower, because he believes it's just someone who has essentially a bone to pick with him. And those are really his questions that have focused on the identity of the whistle-blower.
[Tapper:] And let me just ask you, briefly, there is this huge campaign to smear Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who fought for the United States, is an American citizen, has shrapnel because he was still in his body because he was hit by an IED when he was in combat operations for the U.S. in Iraq, going after him as a dual citizen, going after him as like some sort of covert agent for Ukraine, et cetera, et cetera. Is there is there anybody in the White House who's concerned, like, boy, this really looks bad? Even Liz Cheney is saying that this is shameful.
[Collins:] That was something everyone was paying attention to in the White House. We talked to several people about it yesterday, because it wasn't just Liz Cheney. She was the first. And a lot of people were surprised that she came out so forcefully about that, but also John Thune and Mitch McConnell later on talking about these criticisms of someone who was just simply, they believe, telling what happened in his position in that role. Of course, he is incredibly sensitive for the White House, because he is the first person to testify that was actually on that call. That's why you saw people trying to discredit him, even though he is someone who has served in the military, was wounded. And essentially people in the White House have said they didn't think that was a great idea.
[Tapper:] My sources say that he reported to work today at the National Security Council, even after all of this. All right, thanks, one and all, for being here and reporting on all this. There's a ton going on today. Right now, another Foreign Service officer is testifying before House investigators, this as lawmakers are right now debating impeachment inquiry rules ahead of a full House vote tomorrow. Lots of debate about that. And then, on the other side of the country, winds more than 70 miles per hour fueling multiple fires across California. We're going to go live there as well. Stay with us.